Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Scenario Pressure Sensitive Adhesives are non-metallic materials used to bond different materials, mainly to their surface through adhesion and cohesion. The global market of Pressure Sensitive Adhesives is booming and is expected to gain prominence over the forecast period. The Global Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market is forecast to demonstrate an exponential growth by 2023, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a whooping, digit CAGR of 6.1% during the estimated period (2017 2023). On the Basis of Regions, Global Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market has been segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). Asia Pacific region dominates the Global Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market. Rapid growth in automotive & packaging industry in Asia Pacific region is the major factor driving the growth of the market. Rising disposable income among individuals and easy availability of funds and personal loans, have prompted the demand for automobiles in the region. Additionally, growing demand in electrical & electronics industry also fuels the growth of the market. China, Japan, India, Australia and Indonesia are the major markets in Asia Pacific region. China accounts for the largest share of the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives in the Asia Pacific, mainly due to rapid growth in urbanization and industrial development. North America is the second largest market for the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives. Stringent regulations regarding VOC emission along with fuel efficiency norms, drive the growth of the market in the region. U.S. accounted for the largest market share in North America. Europe is another major market for the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives. It is expected to contribute, significantly, during the forecast period. In rest of the world, countries such as UAE and Brazil are witnessing high industrial growth, which propels the growth of the market. Also, high investments in construction and automotive sectors, boost to the growth of the market. Get a Sample Report for Brief Overview @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5210 Market Research Analysis Global Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market has been segmented based on Technology, Product, End-User, and Region. On the basis of Technology, the market is segmented as Water-based, Solvent-based, Hot Melt, and Radiation. Water-based segment dominates the technology segment of the market. Water-based PSAs are widely used in varied applications. The growth of the segment is mainly attributed to the eco-friendly nature of water-based PSAs, safety associated with their use, and cost-effectiveness. The hot melt segment is expected to be the fastest-growing technology segment of the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market. Increasing application of hot melt technology in packaging and electronics industries, drives the growth of the market. On the Basis of Product, the market is segmented as labels, tapes, graphics films and others. Labels dominates the product segment of the market and is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The growing transportation and logistics industries are the key drivers of pressure sensitive labels market. With the growth of e-commerce industries, there is an increased need for warehousing solution. The need for product authentication, tamper evidence and security features have stimulated the market for pressure sensitive labels. Tapes form another major segment for the pressure sensitive adhesives. Growth in healthcare and medical sectors, is the key driver of pressure sensitive tapes market. Furthermore, the increased application in sectors such as food & beverages, packaging, construction, automotive, has led to the growth pressure sensitive tapes. This segment is expected to contribute significantly during the forecast period. Based on End-User, the market has been segmented as packaging, automotive, electrical & electronics industry, consumer Goods and Others. Packaging dominates the end-user segment of the market. Electrical & Electronics industry is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Increasing disposable income among the individuals, along with improving living standards, is driving the demand for electronic products, which further propels the growth of the market. Access Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/pressure-sensitive-adhesives-market-5210 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. While we've seen a lot of musicians tackle the thorny subject of President Trump, few troubadours have dared to discuss the myriad trolls, "alt-right" provocateurs, white supremacists, and straight-up A-holes that propagandize on his behalf. That is, until this week and the release of White Nationalism Is For Basement Dwelling Losers by the mostly Chicago-based band Neckbeard Deathcamp -- an album title and band name that somehow manages to understate how little these guys are here to play. White Nationalism Is For Basement Dwelling Losers isn't an academic, straight-faced dissection of modern right-wing and white nationalist philosophy; it's pure, simple, unfiltered mockery. It's a dissection in the way that a chainsaw or wood chipper dissects, with targets ranging from the right's "issues" with women, to their childlike belief that shitposting is just like IRL warfare, to their dumbass usage of Nazi symbology. The album is only seven tracks long, but it's hard to figure out which is our favorite. We've so far narrowed it down to "The Left Are The Real Fascists"... On Tuesday, America's oldest candy company was shut down. People everywhere lowered their heads as yet another piece of their childhood would forever disappear. No more will the innocent lips of children touch the sweet beauty of the iconic candy ... Necco Wafers? Wait, people still ate those? Why? Lkeers1415/Wikimedia Commons Necco Wafers: For moviegoers who consider unsalted popcorn a bit decadent. Yes, don't worry, candy aficionados, we're only talking about the demise of the company that made Necco Wafers, the chalky disks infused with a malevolent sweetness which linger so long at the bottom of every kid's trick-or-treat bag that they tend to fuse with the pumpkin plastic (dramatically improving the taste in the process). The same company also made the Sweetheart hearts, but this is an article about candy, not something you leave out in a bowl for decoration like the world's most diabetes-inducing potpourri. Kissing Hugh Grant changed James Wilbys life. The sight of the two handsome young actors locked in a passionate embrace in Merchant Ivorys taboo-breaking film Maurice in 1987 launched the careers of the unknown Hugh and James, who played the lead, 31 years ago. We didnt throw ourselves into it we hurled ourselves into it! says James. When Hugh later became very famous with Four Weddings And A Funeral, he was asked who was the best kisser hed had he said James Wilby! Hugh and James got hundreds of letters from people saying the film had changed their lives, and they jointly won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. We drank most of a bottle of Scotch that night on Hughs balcony, recalls James. James Wilby credits his role as Lord Falmouth (pictured) as reinvigorating his career after admitting it had stalled We talked more that night than we ever did while filming. I took myself very seriously, but Hugh was lighthearted. Ive come round to Hughs way of thinking. You have to take it all with a pinch of salt and I was too earnest. Maurice was set in an implacably homophobic Edwardian society, and it was a role for which James is well-known. Hes resisted being typecast, veering from Howards End and Gosford Park to Casualty and Midsomer Murders, but he couldnt turn down this latest role of Lord Falmouth in Poldark. Based on a real figure in late 18th-century Cornish politics, Falmouth was the one who spotted maverick Ross Poldarks potential and persuaded him to stand for election following the shock death of his nephew and heir Hugh Armitage, who was Demelza Poldarks secret lover. Tomorrow nights episode is the last of this series and it ends on a particularly heart-wrenching note. The show is so well written, says James. Actors get the plaudits, but Im only as good as the script. James Wilby and Hugh Grant portrayed a gay couple in the movie Maurice in 1987, for which they jointly won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival James' role in the taboo-breaking film Maurice earned him almost instant stardom - and he is set to direct a stage version He felt the same about ITVs Victoria, in which he played Sir Piers Gifford, a rather revolting reactionary character'. But theres a mutual respect between Falmouth and Poldark. 'Falmouth constantly gives Ross rollockings he needs them! I think theres a father-son thing going on there, says James. From 12 September, James will be directing a stage version of Maurice in a purpose-built theatre called Above The Stag in Londons Vauxhall. Ill depict Edwardian society as even more repressed than in the film, youve got to get the audience imagining the fear, he says. Practising homosexuals could be sent to jail with hard labour, as Oscar Wilde was. There are telling parallels between Maurice and A Very English Scandal, Hugh Grants recent series about Jeremy Thorpe, despite the two being set 50 years apart. It was a wonderful performance by Hugh its the first time Ive seen him completely transform himself. I was so proud of him, says James. A generous man who doesnt begrudge anothers luck, James has impressed as everything from Don Juan to Lord Mountbatten and the Queens father George VI without achieving Hughs level of stardom. He admits he would have loved to have played Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey, the role taken by Hugh Bonneville, after James had worked with its writer Julian Fellowes on Gosford Park. But Hugh was brilliant, says James. Id been sent the script, but he was cast before I could meet the makers. In the past, James also impressed while playing the role of Don Juan (pictured) at the Lyric theatre in London You have to take so many knocks in this business. In my late 40s and early 50s, my career wasnt going as well, and it got to me. 'But I thought, What will happen will happen. Someone said my problem was that I refused to pigeonhole myself, because you have to be known for something. 'But acting is all about playing different parts. And Ill do anything, Im a complete tart! Id like to play leading-man roles, but if I dont, so what? His family are his strength. He and wife Shana have four children Barney, 29, Florrie, 26, Nathaniel, 22, and Jesse Jack, 17. For 18 years they lived in Camilla Parker Bowless childhood home in East Sussex, a Grade II-listed rectory called The Laines, which they sold in 2014 for 3.5 million. Ive seen actors spend a lot of time away and its only a matter of time until home isnt important to them any more, says James. If you miss important stages of your childrens life, you never get them back. 'My wife has been behind me all the way, pulling up the slack when I was away which was a lot. There was a point when I wasnt a very good father because of it, but Ive made up for it. 'Playing guitar with all of my kids and two of my best friends till 5am for my birthday this year was one of the most joyous evenings of my life. For all the ups and downs of his profession, he is content. You think filming is glamorous, but the only glamour is the awards ceremonies and premieres. 'I dont give a monkeys about materialism; I love nature and beauty so Ill pay a bit for that. We have a long view to the South Downs where we live and its so beautiful here, really special. James was known for baring his body, so does Aidan Turners Poldark have competition? You saw my buttocks a lot in my early career, he laughs. But theres no flesh shown by me in Poldark! Poldark, tomorrow, 9pm, BBC1. Meditation should calm the soul. But for actress Stephanie Beacham, star of Dynasty and The Colbys, its achieving the opposite. At a religious retreat in Rajasthan, northern India, the 71-year-old has been sitting cross-legged for half an hour, trying to empty her mind of thoughts, while surrounded by swarms of midges in the humid air. When comedian Syd Little later asks Stephanie if she enjoyed the experience, she explodes. I was so angry the whole time! I have such aggression in me, I wanted to kill the flies. Then she bursts into tears. But their teacher tells Stephanie her reaction is healthy. Pent-up emotions have finally rushed out. Clearly, India affects people in unexpected ways. Nine slightly older celebrities took part in the latest series of the Real Marigold Hotel. Pictured, l-r: Selina Scott, Peter Dean, Ian Tough, Janette Tough, Bob Champion, Susan George, Stephanie Beacham, Syd Little and Stanley Johnson Stephanie is one of nine not-quite-spring-chicken celebrities embarking on a new series of The Real Marigold Hotel, BBC1s acclaimed exploration of the benefits of a retirement abroad. The famous faces check in to a house in Udaipur, the fabled City of Lakes. Their rooms open onto the water, where houseboats bob about while women in colourful saris beat their laundry on the banks and, on the lakes far edge, palatial homes shimmer in the heat. Some of the group are smitten. Its intoxicating, gasps former breakfast TV presenter Selina Scott, 67. Life and colour in every shape and form. India is pure gold. Stephanie Beacham and Syd Little, pictured, are among the nine celebrities taking part in the show Others struggle more. Janette Tough, 71, half of comedy double act The Krankies with husband Ian, also 71, is distraught to see a donkey laden with bricks. Former EastEnders star Peter Dean, 79, is alarmed at children perching on the backs of their parents mopeds. Actress Susan George, 68, enjoys the daily yoga, but is disturbed by the poverty. For jockey Bob Champion, 70, who won the Grand National in 1981, theres a bigger culture shock. Hes never had a curry. Bob was raised on meat and two veg, and is wary of spicy food. Hed risk his neck tackling the notorious Bechers Brook jump on a highly strung racehorse, but a pinch of chilli powder is an unnecessary risk. Husband and wife pair Janette and Ian Tough are two other members of the cast in the show On his first night in India, he cautiously tastes curried chicken and finds its not too bad. But hes less enthused to discover its curry for breakfast too. After two days, hes desperate for home cooking. Syd, 75, is also fantasising about British food, so the pair head to the market for potatoes and chicken. But Syd is horrified to see live birds pulled from cages and beheaded, before he even agrees a price. Well have to buy that now, he frets. Its worth it, though, when he and Bob serve up a roast chicken dinner. The series, which airs this Wednesday, sees the celebs check in to a house in Udaipur, the fabled City of Lakes in India Haggling is an issue for Janette and Ian too, when they shop for wine with Boris Johnsons eccentric father Stanley, 77. Hes already had difficulties: he couldnt open the lock on his suitcase, until he recalled the code was his birth date. Now hes at an off-licence, handing over fistfuls of rupees to the delighted shopkeeper. Janette chides him, You paid 8 for a bottle of red. Former Tory MEP Stanley is baffled this is a bargain, surely? Hes not used to shopping with a Scot. You may pay 8 in Westminster, Janette says, but not in Aldi! Clearly meditation isnt the only way to get all riled up in India. The Real Marigold Hotel is on Wednesday at 9pm on BBC1. Can you believe its been 24 years since Robson Green sang Unchained Melody with Jerome Flynn on ITV series Soldier Soldier, lighting the fuse on a pop career that would see them go on to land three No 1 singles and two No 1 albums? And now, in new BBC1 series Age Before Beauty, a drama which in a surprising twist has some of the cast members breaking into song, Robson is flexing his vocal cords once more. The series is set in a struggling Manchester beauty salon, and well hear Robsons character, financial adviser Teddy Roxton, perform various numbers throughout the show, including a duet with co-star Polly Walker on the Fleetwood Mac classic Dont Stop. And it seems musical stardom could be beckoning again for the 53-year-old Geordie but not in the pop charts. Robson Green is set to play the role of financial adviser Teddy Roxton in a new BBC show. From left: Kelly as Leanne, Robson as Teddy, Polly as Bel, Sue as Ivy-Rae and Lisa as Tina. Inset: Robson and James Murray sing in the show Singing in this show has whetted my appetite to do a musical like West Side Story, but re-launching a pop career is not a choice Id make. I was asked a few weeks ago if Id do an album off the back of the series and I said no, reveals Robson in his trailer on the set in Manchester. In fact, given my time again, if Id known what was ahead of me its not a choice I would have made in the first place! Chart stardom came along first time around after Simon Cowell persuaded Robson and Jerome to release Unchained Melody as a single after their characters Dave Tucker and Paddy Garvey sang it in an episode of military drama Soldier Soldier in November 1994. Sales of 1.8 million, a seven-week stay at No 1 and appearances on Top Of The Pops raised the actors profiles and added several noughts to their bank balances. The new show comes 24 years after he sang Unchained Melody with Jerome Flynn on ITV series Soldier Soldier Its true that it made me lots of money and I was able to invest in a film company, says Robson. But the defining moment came during an episode of the BBC1 documentary series Animal Hospital, when a woman brought in two guinea pigs, Robson and Jerome, and said to the vet, Its Robson, hes not right. Too right he wasnt the poor creature died!' That summed up the whole thing. It didnt feel right being in the pop business. 'I had a good time with Jerome the best thing about it was our friendship but artistically it wasnt a good choice for me. From being a respected actor, I became a celebrity and that didnt sit well. Even so, Robsons acting career wasnt damaged by his time in the charts. Hes been a regular on our screens since his last album with Jerome in 1996, and hes now filming series four of ITVs Grantchester. The new BBC series will see characters break into song throughout and it was written by Debbie Horsfield - the woman behind the new Poldark Age Before Beauty, written by Debbie Horsfield, the woman behind early-noughties series Cutting It and the revived Poldark, will provide him with yet more exposure, particularly with its song and dance numbers, which appear in fantasy sequences imagined by the characters. Debbie says of the idea, I thought it would be fun to add extra elements to the drama; colourful, lively additions to the main storyline. By Robsons account theyre quite spectacular. Theres a huge number at the start of the second episode, involving many of the cast, and the use of professional dancers backing us made the whole thing look like a West End production, he says. His character Teddy is the financial adviser to the Mirrorbel beauty salon in Manchester. Hes also married to Leanne, one of four sisters in the Regan clan who run the salon. The show's song and dance numbers appear in fantasy sequences imagined by the characters Sharing centre stage with Robson is Royle Family star Sue Johnston, who plays Regan family matriarch Ivy-Rae, an expert at Northern Soul dancing and the salons spray tan technician, whos cheating on her husband. Shes actually rather scary, shudders Sue, 74. She doesnt suffer fools and its not for nothing shes nicknamed Razor. 'But I did get to try my hand in at the dancing, which I loved, even if I did need a choreographer to work my stiff old bones! A slimmed-down Lisa Riley slips into skin-tight leather trousers for the role of tattoo artist Tina, while Polly Walker appears as the eldest Regan sister, Bel, who established Mirrorbel before taking a back seat 18 years ago to bring up to her two children. Now shes back at the business, a move that spells trouble for Leanne, played by former Casualty star Kelly Harrison. Despite enjoying immense success, Robson says the show leaves him with no desire to re-launch his pop career Leanne is jealous of her more creative and business-minded sister, although its a good job Bel is back as Mirrorbel is on its knees and in urgent need of Bels input, says Polly, best known for her roles as Atia in explicit historical drama Rome and nightclub owner Delphine Day in Mr Selfridge. Mirrorbel has become a bit too cosy, run more for the benefit of the family in charge than for its customers. Something has to be done otherwise its going to go bust. Teddys on hand to help Bel, a long-time friend of his, turn things around, but is his interest entirely innocent? On the surface, he appears happily married, as Bel does to her husband, Wes, played by James Murray, but Teddys a master of manipulation who holds a secret that is revealed at the end of episode one. Nothing is quite what it seems, says Robson. Yes, Age Before Beauty is about a salon but its also a series of love stories and poses the question: how far would you go for love? I think viewers will be shocked by how far certain people in the story are prepared to go. Robson's character will perform various numbers throughout the show, including a duet with co-star Polly Walker on the Fleetwood Mac classic Dont Stop Robson smiles when asked how far hes willing to go for love. His own romances have been well documented, from the break-up of his marriages to occupational therapist Alison Ogilvie and Page 3 model Vanya Seager, by whom he has a teenage son Taylor, to his relationship with Zoila Short, a Sunday school teacher who left her husband, the Reverend Geoffrey Short, for him in 2016. Robson says his philosophy has always been to be straightforward. Ive never been like Teddy, he insists. Love, to my mind, is just love: you fall in love and thats it. You cant be manipulative, which is why I have nothing in common with Teddy. As well as romance, the drama focuses on our pursuit of perfect looks. Mirrorbel offers all manner of beauty treatments, but just how far should people go with them? Polly Walkers experiences suggest its a good idea to proceed with caution. When I first started as an actress, my teeth were very pointy and this Svengali figure I worked with on a film suggested I got my fangs filed, she recalls. I did so because I didnt really feel I had a choice. But Ive tried not to be influenced like that again. Staying true to myself has allowed me to stay commercially viable as an actress. So Age Before Beauty is to some extent a cautionary tale, with the message that the outside of our bodies dont really matter, its whats going on inside thats important. Theres so much importance attached nowadays on what you look like, especially for young girls on social media, and its all a lie, says Polly. Age Before Beauty proves it. Age Before Beauty starts on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC1. Celebrities share the stories behind their favourite photos this week its Birds Of A Feather actress Linda Robson. Linda Robson shares the background behind a selection of her favourite photos 1965 This is me (far left) and my two younger sisters, Tina and Debbie. We grew up in Islington, in a house five minutes away from where I live now. Our mum, who looked after the elderly before she died, loved her bingo so we host a charity Bingo Day every year in her memory. Dad was a roofer and a tarmac-layer a bit of a cowboy. He died of lung cancer at 57. Everyone seemed to smoke in those days 1976 One of my earliest TV roles was in the supernatural childrens series Shadows. My drama teacher, Anna Scher, kept putting me up for auditions so I never had time to think of another career. I did local jobs as well, though. I had a job in a fish and chip shop, I worked in a dry cleaners, and I shared a job in a pub with my best friend Pauline Quirke 1981 This is me with David Jason in the sitcom A Sharp Intake Of Breath. He was lovely and weve worked together a lot since. Hes known for being a perfectionist, which meant there were quite a few retakes. I remember he brought an apple in for each of us every day 1989 Amazingly, itll be Birds Of A Feathers 30th anniversary next year! The ratings were unbelievable. Id been acting since I was ten but suddenly everyone recognised me and Pauline too, who was my co-star along with Lesley Joseph. Pauline grew up around the corner from me and we went to the same drama class as kids 1990 Mark and I got married on a balmy day in September. Ive known him since we were in our teens. He used to be a window cleaner but he now runs Childrens Books, a bookshop where 99% of the books cost 1. My kids love to help out there we all do. Hes won awards and we couldnt be more proud. Lots of kids come in after school and Mark ends up giving more books away than he sells 1997 I put 100 per cent into my career but my family is most important to me. Wherever I am I cant wait to get back home to Mark, my son Louis and my daughter Bobbie, whos my youngest. I had a welcoming home growing up, and now our home is always full of noise, chaos and laughter. Lauren, my eldest, lives nearby with her two daughters so Im always a willing babysitter and often help with the school run 1998 It was such an honour to turn on the Christmas lights at Downing Street. Afterwards, I found myself sitting inside No 10 with Cherie, Tony Blair and their kids, whod just turned up from school and were still wearing their uniforms. He might have been prime minister but they were like any ordinary family Advertisement A gap year is a rite of passage for millions of young people the world over. But some places are more Instagrammable than others, it would seem. Top of a new list of the places with the highest number of #gapyear posts on Instagram was New York, while America was the most popular country overall. Three of the top 25 locations were in Australia, making it the second most popular country on the list. The top 25 most Instagrammable gap year destinations have been released, with New York (pictured) topping the list - meanwhile, America was the most popular country overall New York (pictured) has long proven popular with tourists, thanks to its vibrancy and melting pot of cultures and attitudes Three of the top 25 locations were in Australia, making it the second most popular country on the list - and Sydney (pictured) came second overall Sydney (pictured) came second thanks to its various sights including the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, unparalleled beaches and incredible sunsets After Sydney comes Bali, Indonesia (pictured) in third place - occupying 280 of the 10,000 posts on Instagram analysed In second place, according to the new research from Alpha Travel Insurance, was Sydney, which has always attracted backpackers from around the world, thanks to its various sights including the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, unparalleled beaches and incredible sunsets. After Sydney comes Bali, Indonesia, followed by Rome in Italy in fourth, Paris in France in fifth and Melbourne in Australia in sixth. Sydney and Melbourne weren't the only two Australian destinations that made it into the top 25 list, either. Fraser Island also made an appearance at number 19; in no small part down to the fact that it boasts pristine beaches, crystal clear waters and wildlife. Meanwhile, the top ten was rounded out by London at number seven, Venice at number eight, Bangkok at number nine and Los Angeles at number 10. Rome in Italy came in fourth (pictured), perhaps boosted by the fact that it offers so much culture, history and art Meanwhile, Paris (pictured) took out fifth place, with 200 of the 10,000 posts taking place in the city of love The top 25 most popular gap year destinations according to Instagram 1. New York, United States - 818/10,000 posts. 14. Amsterdam, Netherlands - 84/10,000 posts. 2. Sydney, Australia - 300/10,000 posts. 15. Hoi An, Vietnam - 79/10,000 posts. 3. Bali, Indonesia - 280/10,000 posts. 16. Chiang Mai, Thailand - 78/10,000 posts. 4. Rome, Italy - 265/10,000 posts. 17. Queenstown, New Zealand - 76/10,000 posts. 5. Paris, France - 200/10,000 posts. 18. Budapest, Hungary - 74/10,000 posts. 6. Melbourne, Australia - 192/10,000 posts. 19. Fraser Island, Australia - 74/10,000 posts. 7. London, United Kingdom - 182/10,000 posts. 20. Kitzsteinhorn, Austria - 71/10,000 posts. 8. Venice, Italy - 116/10,000 posts. 21. Tokyo, Japan - 68/10,000 posts. 9. Bangkok, Thailand - 111/10,000 posts. 22. Barcelona, Spain - 67/10,000 posts. 10. Los Angeles, United States - 107/10,000 posts. 23. Shanghai, China - 67/10,000 posts. 11. San Francisco, United States - 102/10,000 posts. 24. Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia - 62/10,000 posts. 12. Milan, Italy - 94/10,000 posts. 25. Chicago, United States - 60/10,000 posts. 13. Siem Reap, Cambodia - 92/10,000 posts. Source: Alpha Travel Insurance Advertisement When it came to the most popular continent, Europe topped the list - with nine of the 25 locations including London (pictured), Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona When it came to the most popular continent, Europe topped the list - with nine of the 25 locations including London, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona coming from there. Asia came second in this regard, with four locations including Bangkok and Vietnam. The research was gathered after Alpha Travel Insurance analysed some 10,000 #gapyear photos on Instagram and matched them to destinations around the world to find out which location is the most popular with those travelling the world. America was the most popular country, with nine of the 25 destinations coming from there (pictured: Chicago) Amsterdam (pictured) was one of many popular European destinations, coming in at 14th With an average of 80 million photos uploaded every single day and just under a mind-blowing 400 million posts on the site having the hashtag #travel, it's safe to say everybody wants to show off places they have just visited in the world, especially those who are enjoying a gap year. Accompanying the research is an interactive guide that depicts a map of all of the most popular gap year destinations. It also showcases postcard snaps of the various countries for inspiration. A young mother of two who discovered she carried the mutated BRCA2 breast cancer gene took the brave decision to have a double mastectomy while still in her 20s - and says her reconstructed chest makes her feel 'empowered'. Insurance project manager Nicole Darnell, now 30, from Swansea in South Wales, said her decision to proceed with the life-altering surgery to reduce her high risk of developing cancer was a 'no brainer', and far from mourning the loss of her old breasts, she says her new 32C cleavage has boosted both her confidence and her sex life. Nicole, who is mother to four-year-old Indie with her fiance Lloyd Hancock, and seven-year-old Lilly Dicks from a previous relationship, said of her surgery in November 2016: 'Lloyd finally has boobs to play with now that I have gone up two cup sizes and I have never felt better. 'I feel powerful I have made one hell of a decision to protect my future, and I would do it all again.' Nicole and her two sisters, Jess Darnell, 21, and Louise Dalling, 28, all learned they carried the gene after watching their theatre nurse mum, Stephanie Darnell, 57, battle breast cancer twice. Nicole said that her decision was motivated by her desire to see her daughters grow up - but that her boosted confidence was a 'happy side effect'. Nicole Darnell, 30, from South Wales, had a double mastectomy, after discovering she carried the mutated BRCA2 breast cancer gene (seen before surgery) After having reconstructive surgery she says her new, bigger chest has boosted her confidence (seen after surgery) Nicole watched her mum go through breast cancer twice, first on her right side in 2008, when it was triple negative, a rare form of the disease without hormone receptors which can be harder to treat. She then battled it on her left side, with oestrogen-receptor positive cancer in 2013, leading to a a double mastectomy. After her own 13-hour surgery to remove both breasts and reconstruct them at Morriston Hospital, near Swansea, her mum, who also had chemo, had looked into her family history finding breast cancer to be prevalent on her father's side. As a result, she and Nicole's dad, Kevin Darnell, 58, who works at Swansea University, advised their girls to be tested. Nicole's theatre nurse mum, Stephanie Darnell, 57 - who had battled breast cancer twice and her sisters Jess Darnell, 21, and Louise Dalling, 28, who work with her, were all diagnosed with the gene too( L-R: Jess, Louise, mum Stephanie and Nicole) 'I feel powerful I have made one hell of a decision to protect my future, and I would do it all again,' Nicole said Nicole said knowing Dutch researchers had discovered that BRCA2 made women 69 per cent more likely to develop the disease by the age of 80, compared to 12 per cent for non-carriers, made the decision an easy one. 'Mum assumed she had the mutation, because she'd had breast cancer twice,' said Nicole. 'For us, three young women all under 30, it was a frightening prospect.' And, in November 2015, Jess, then aged 18, Louise, 26, and Nicole, 27, were all told they carried the harmful BRCA2 mutation. Nicole said: 'The thing that scared us most was just one of us having it, especially if it was my younger sister, as it would have felt so unfair. 'But when all three of us found out together, it was actually a relief, as we could support each other.' Nicole immediately opted for breast removal and reconstruction, which, according to the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, reduces the breast cancer risk by 90 to 95 per cent. Sisters: L-R Nicole, Louise and Jess- her sisters haven't decided whether to have a mastectomy yet Nicole said knowing Dutch researchers had discovered that BRCA2 made women 69 per cent more likely to develop the disease by the age of 80, compared to 12 per cent for non-carriers, made the decision an easy one (Nicole in hospital after the operation) 'Watching my mum go through cancer twice was just so awful that I couldn't risk putting my little girls through it too', Nicole said (Nicole before her operation) Louise, who is married to quality manager Ashleigh, 29, and has a daughter Sophia, four, and Jess, whose boyfriend Luke Dyche, 21, works in injury claims, still want more time to decide. Nicole continued: 'It was a no-brainer for me. I had talked to Lloyd about what would happen if I had both breasts removed, but deep down I had already decided I would have a double mastectomy. 'Watching my mum go through cancer twice was just so awful that I couldn't risk putting my little girls through it too. 'My sisters were both a lot younger than me so wanted time to think about it, but for me, I knew it was what I wanted.' And for small breasted Nicole there were no fears about having them removed (seen before) When, after her November 2016 operation at Morriston Hospital, Nicole came to with new 32C breasts, she felt empowered And for small breasted Nicole there were no fears about having them removed. 'I didn't feel attached to my boobs, and didn't care about not having them any more,' she said. 'Honestly, I had always wanted to change them, because I felt they were just too small - I called them ''tiny fried eggs ' and as I'd had kids, they didn't really serve a purpose any more. 'My dad always told me, when I was a teenager, that if I came home with a boob job, he'd kill me. 'I had always considered it, but over time, I changed my mind and realised it wasn't right for me.' Nicole seen with daughters, Indie Hancock, four, and Lilly Dicks, seven, from a previous relationship, and her fiance Lloyd, 26 'My new boobs have also made me feel more confident and, obviously, Lloyd loves them, too,' she said When, after her November 2016 operation at Morriston Hospital, Nicole came to with new 32C breasts, she felt empowered. Nicole is sharing her story as celebrities Michelle Heaton, Lisa Riley and Iwan Thomas have joined forces with Macmillan Cancer Support to encourage people to join #TeamMacmillan, by signing up to a fundraising challenge this summer, to raise funds to help people with cancer. She said: 'It was a weight off my shoulders and after my recovery I realised I felt so much better, knowing I'd massively reduced my risk of developing breast cancer. Nicole feels better than ever, seen with daughters Lilly, left, and Indie, right 'My new boobs have also made me feel more confident and, obviously, Lloyd loves them, too. 'But, despite the welcome benefits, I made the decision to have a mastectomy for the right reasons to improve my chances of being here to watch my children grow up. 'But what I want to make clear to people is what I had done is not a free boob job. 'I had a real risk of developing cancer, so it was about saving my life, but the way I look now is a happy side effect. 'I've been to the gym and now I look after my body, I'm taking care of myself and it's made me more body confident. My partner thinks I look great, which makes me feel amazing.' Nicole feels better than ever after undergoing breast removal and reconstruction, which, according to the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, reduces the breast cancer risk by 90 to 95 per cent 'It was a weight off my shoulders and after my recovery I realised I felt so much better, knowing I'd massively reduced my risk of developing breast cancer,' the mother-of-two said Join #TeamMacmillan and raise money for people living with cancer by signing up at www.macmillan.org.uk/challenge Gwyneth Paltrow how her lifestyle's brands collaboration with Conde Nast feel apart after two issues of Goop magazine, because the publisher wanted to fact check articles. In an interview with the New York Times Magazine, the actress and entrepreneur admitted the partnership hadn't worked out because of the 'old school' rules on making sure all claims are scientifically verified. However, Goop likes to recommend practices such as inserting jade eggs in the vagina to cleanse the womb of negative energy and publishes advice by 'experts' such as a shamanic energy medicine practitioner. 'I think for us it was really like we like to work where we are in an expansive space,' Gwyneth, 45, said. 'Somewhere like Conde, understandably, there are a lot of rules, Goops head of content Elise Loehnen added: 'Were never making statements, just asking questions.' After two $14.99 print editions of the quarterly magazine, which was first published in September 2017, Goop parted ways with Conde Nast and is now produced in house. Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed the print edition of Goop is no longer produced by Conde Nast because the publishing house has strict rules on fact-checking The actress turned entrepreneur explained that the publishing house had an 'old school' approach to making sure all claims are scientifically verified The first print edition featured Gwyneth Paltrow herself stripped nude and covered in mud. The magazine featured a description of how Gwyneth had bee venom injected into her C-section scar. 'The doctor stings you [with a live bee] like its an acupuncture needle. I had it done on my cesarean scar I had some buckling in the scar, and it really evened it out,' explained the mother-of-two. Gwyneth founded Goop in 2008 as a weekly newsletter giving healthy living advice and an insight to her own loves. Gwyneth and her fiance Brad Falchuk used the second issue of Goop magazine to officially announce their engagement The wellness entrepreneur at a Goop event in Sag Harbor, New York last week As subscribers surged she expanded it into an online portal with recommendations for all aspects of modern life for visitors. Over the years Goop has been lambasted for recommending controversy treatments such as vaginal steaming which may not have the health benefits stated and urging users to purchase costly products, such as a $15,000 14-karat-gold sex toy, which are completely affordable to most people. Gwyneth - whose ex-husband is Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - is adamant most of the criticisms are unfounded and are knee-jerk reactions to headlines rather than constructive. Advertisement When Harry stormed to victory at the Sentebale Polo Cup this week, he celebrated his win with a congratulatory kiss from his new wife. The tender clinch, captured on camera for all the world to see, was notable for being the first time they have publicly locked lips since their wedding in May. But it also had strong echoes of another famous PDA, more than 30 years after Harry's parents puckered up at another charity polo match in Windsor - and the similarities haven't gone unnoticed by fans. In 1985, just nine months after Harry was born, a young Prince and Princess of Wales shared a kiss during the winners' presentation at a charity match in Windsor. According to author and body language analyst Judi James, the couple's respective smooches provide a unique opportunity to 'study the state of royal relationships'. She told MailOnline: 'Windsor men like nothing better than strutting round in thigh-highs and white jeans to show off their alpha potential to their women on the polo field. 'This "reward" kiss comes during the trophy-giving ceremony and it gives us a chance to study the state of royal relationships during what are likely to be the only kissing PDAs outside the royal weddings.' Charles and Diana: Tension and distance Harry and Meghan's public embrace this week had strong echoes of the kiss shared between the Prince and Princess of Wales in June 1985. The couple were at a fundraising polo match in Windsor for Birthright when they shared the 'tense' exchange 'Charles didn't always fare as well as this with his polo kiss moments,' says Judi. 'The breakdown of his marriage to Diana was pretty much announced in neon when Diana swerved her head at the moment of kiss [in India in 1992], leaving her husband's painfully pursed lips making contact with the side of her hair. 'There is a feeling in this pose that Diana was in distance-making mode though, as her torso is partially turned towards the cameras and also held upright, rather than leaning in to make it easier for her slightly shorter husband to make contact. 'Her chin is also tilted up slightly and the effect can be seen in the muscle tension in Charles's neck as he cranes his head out and upward to plant his kiss, which lands on Diana's lower lip rather than fully on her mouth. 'Diana is making him do most of the running here and we can see her cheeks rounded showing that she's smiling, either from fun or embarrassment. 'Charles has his hand firmly on the trophy here and Diana holds it with fingers splayed to suggest it's only half as important to her.' Harry and Meghan: Trust and synchronicity Meghan rewarded her husband Prince Harry with a kiss yesterday (26 July) after his team won the Sentebale Polo Cup in Berkshire, held to raise funds for the charity he founded to support children with HIV and Aids in Lesotho 'The newlyweds stand with their torsos turned out towards the cameras and Meghan's only slightly angled towards Harry,' says Judi. 'This should have made kissing comfortably a challenge but the mirroring between them creates some very relaxed and easy-going choreography for the couple, enabling them to lean their heads in to create a kiss that is both passionate and remarkably intimate. 'Unlike Charles and Diana the moment is all about the kiss for this royal couple rather than the trophy, which is held into shot but apparently forgotten, implying Harry sees his kiss as a bigger reward than the actual prize. 'The couple link their inner arms around one another in a balanced and equal way and their outer arms remain straight, implying confidence.' The couple's kiss yesterday afternoon in Windsor (26 July) showed that the honeymoon period between the newlyweds certainly hasnt cooled off, according to body language analyst and author Judi James - who notes 'trust' and 'passion' The newlyweds are known for shunning royal protocol by openly showing affection in public, and this week was no different as they joined friends and polo players at the Sentebale Polo Cup in Windsor on Thursday (26 July) Harry's close friend Nacho was left playing the gooseberry as he tried to present Harry with the winner's trophy on Thursday. According to body language analyst, the couple's romantic clinch reveals they are still in the 'passionate phase' Vintage glamour: Meghan, 36, was channeling vintage glamour in a 2,357 navy dress by Carolina Herrera at the polo yesterday (26 July). According to Judi James, her 'neck-baring' gesture during the romantic clinch implies trust Judia adds: 'There is no awkwardness with this kiss and their level of synchronicity suggests they are still in the stage known as passionate love, when you move alike and use subliminal mirroring without needing to think about it. 'Unlike Diana's upright pose Meghan has thrown her head back in a romantic signal of momentary submission so that Harry can lean his head down, hero-style, to plant his kiss on her lips. 'There is no sign of jokes or embarrassment here and the couple seem pleased to make up for the times recently when they have been far less tactile and more "royal" on formal events. 'The way Meghan is baring her neck for the kiss implies trust. This neck-baring gesture was a feature of Diana's body language during her kiss on the balcony on her wedding day.' An elderly couple whose picture was snapped while they were snuggling on the subway have been identified but are in hot water with their family because it turns out, the adorable pair aren't supposed to be riding the subway by themselves. Karen Kettering Dimit immediately recognized her in-laws, Marilyn, 83, and Lester Dimit, 84, and reached out to 32-year-old Blake Ricker, the man who posted the photo, and told him 'they were busted,' because the family doesn't like them to be on the subway on their own, according to the New York Post. She added that her in-laws were determined to 'live New York life to the fullest,' which included 'riding the subway, which they have been admonished not to do anymore, but your photo busted them!' Family: Karen Kettering Dimit immediately recognized her in-laws, Marilyn, 83, and Lester Dimit, 84 Cute: Blake Ricker, 32, of New York shared a photo of Marilyn and Lester riding the train But the couple had a good reason to be out because they were out on a date to celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary. She added: 'They are my in-laws, married 64 years, and this photo captures their relationship perfectly,' artist Karen Kettering Dimit told Blake. Before the photo was snapped Marilyn and Lester had met a friend for dinner at Lincoln Centers Indie Food and Wine and then saw a performance of Leonard Bernsteins Mass. The image shows cuddly pair as they sit next to each other, holding hands with Lester smiling down at Marilyn. Kind: Blake posted the photo on Twitter in the hopes of finding them so he could give them a copy of the photograph Help: Blake took to social media, with the idea that that internet would help him track down the couple 'The more I saw the couple interacting with each other the more I could tell how in love they were,' Blake, a nurse at Sloan Kettering in New York, said. 'It was honestly one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.' He added: 'I honestly had only expected a few shares and retweets, but the more it grew, the more hopeful I was that I may actually find the couple. The way this has turned out has blown me away!' And although the couple, who Blake said is flattered by the attention, would prefer to remain out of the spotlight, Blake hopes to connect with the couple and give them their photo. Blake originally posted the photo to Twitter on July 17 with the idea that that internet would help him track down the couple so he could unite them with their adorable picture. Amazing: Since he shared the photo on Twitter, people have taken to the comments to share their thoughts on the image Keeping an eye out: One person said she would be on the look for them because she takes the 1 train regularly Narrative: Someone shared how the photograph told a story, which was 'different for all of us' The tweet said: 'If anyone recognizes this sweet couple, please let me know. I'd love to send them a copy of this picture for them to have.' 'Unfortunately my stop came and I was unable to send them it (taken on the NYC 1 train, towards downtown/Brooklyn, on Tuesday Evening, July 17th, 2018).' Since it was posted, it has garnered more than 9,000 retweets, 20,000 likes and hundreds of comments from people who shared their joy over seeing such a beautiful photo that captures the essence of 'beautiful love'. One tweet said: 'You caught the essence of beautiful love. What a remarkable photo' while another person wrote: 'I'm going to be looking for them now. I take the 1 all the time. Great pic!' Precious: Someone posted that Blake captured a 'sweet and beautiful' moment Love a light: And another tweet said how the photo touched her heart in the midst of 'all the negativity and darkness' And someone else shared how the photo was more than just a picture because it told a story that 'will be different for each of us'. 'I love the fact that this picture conjures up a possible story and it will be different for each of us,' the tweet said. 'Where are they headed? Where have they been? Is it a lifelong love or a new romance? Such a beautiful picture that I'm quite sure they would be happy to see and happy to share.' Another tweet said: 'What a beautiful picture, it touched my heart deeply. What a sweet and heartwarming gesture on your part to do this. In the midst of all the negativity and darkness in the world, you brought a little love and light. God Bless you.' Day made: Twitter user @FionaAdorno said in a tweet that seeing the photo brightened her day Eternal: Someone shared in a tweet that the couple was the face of 'true love' Stunning: And lastly, Twitter user @ostaralore shared that she was 'in love' with the 'beautiful' photo And more people chimed in with their thoughts on the photo with one person who said: 'What a sweet, beautiful moment you caught. I really hope someone shares this so that they can have your gorgeous picture.' 'Thank you for this,' another tweet said. 'It really brightened my day. We all need things like this right now. I hope that you find them.' And someone shared how the couple were the 'faces of true love' with a tweet that said: 'Adorable couple. Thank you for sharing it. Theyre the faces of true love. I hope you can tell their story one day.' And then there were the people who commented on how much they loved the photo in a tweet that said: 'I'm in love with this photography!! Holy Jesus it's beautiful. God bless them.' Iconic doughnut creators Krispy Kreme has teamed up with legendary ice cream Australian brand Peters to create a new range of tasty treats. The limited edition offerings bring together the flavours of Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnut with the biscuity goodness of a Maxibon ice cream. For the uninitiated, a Maxibon is made from choc-chip ice cream, a half biscuit, half chocolate shell, together with hazelnuts and crumbs of biscuit. 'Maxibon and Krispy Kreme are snacks that consumers know and love, and what makes this collaboration so unique is to be able to create those amazing flavours in a new format, said Peters Head of Ice Cream, Alicia Munday. Krispy Kreme has teamed up with Peters to create a Maxibon-flavoured donut (pictured), one that features the ice cream's iconic biscuit and signature hazelnuts The Maxibon offering (pictured) is inspired by Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts So what do the two tasty treats look like? Krispy Kreme's sweet treat offers a new take on its classic doughnut - one that comes filled with a vanilla chocolate chip creme and topped with a chocolate coating, hazelnut and the Maxibon biscuit. While the new Maxibon offering blends the flavours of Krispy Kreme doughnut into its icecream and serves this sandwiched between a Maxibon biscuit. 'We wanted to create an awesome representation of the classic Maxibon in a doughnut that our customers would love,' said Krispy Kreme's Food Technologist, Tasha Kaur. Krispy Kreme's tasty treat is a new version of its classic doughnut, one that's filled with a vanilla chocolate chip creme and topped with a chocolate coating 'Thanks to Maxibon, this is the first time ever that people will be able to get Krispy Kreme from the freezer,' said Russel Schulman, Head of Marketing at Krispy Kreme. As to be expected, when news of the tempting range broke, social media went into meltdown with enthusiasts posting their thoughts. One person, Jo wrote: 'Lord have mercy - two of my favourite things all smooshed together.' The Krispy Kreme and Maxibon collaboration has caused a mild meltdown on social media Those keen to try to new flavours will have to get in quick the range is only on offer for a limited time Another, Shane chimed in with: 'That. Is. Awesome.' While a third, Mihn simply stated: 'Keeps getting better.' The new limited edition flavours will be available from July 31 in 7-Eleven stores throughout Australia. Whether it's an occasional indulgence or a regular mid-week staple, it's safe to say that the humble beef burger is one of the most beloved treats in Australia. And while foodies across the nation each have their own go-to recipes, there are a few tactics that could take their burger creations from tasty to terrific. To help home cooks master the art of the burger, a number of celebrity chefs have shared their go-to dos and don'ts for making beef burgers - and the ideal meat to choose no matter the occasion. Whether it's an occasional indulgence or a regular mid-week staple, it's safe to say that the humble beef burger is one of the most beloved treats in Australia Top Australian chef and Masterchef judge, Shannon Bennett (left), loves burgers so much that he created his own burger shop, Benny Burger, to sell 'ethical burgers' (right) Top Australian chef and Masterchef judge, Shannon Bennett, loves burgers so much that he created his own burger shop, Benny Burger, to sell 'ethical burgers'. 'In an age of poor quality cuisine peddled by fast food franchises it so important to remind people that the very best burgers - the very best anything, really - are made from the best quality produce,' he told news.com.au. He revealed that the key ingredient is wagyu beef and that 'organic, seasonal produce' combined with 'homemade buns' ensure a burger is 'ultimate'. Celebrity chef Maggie Beer agreed that wagyu beef is a key ingredient, as well as beetroot. Maggie Beer (left) agreed that wagyu beef is a key ingredient as well as beetroot and Matt Moran (right) keeps the patty 'all about the meat' - no egg, no onion, no breadcrumbs Jon Champ (pictured) has revealed the recipe behind the perfect cheeseburger recipe According to Jon, the perfect cheeseburger can be achieved with the right meat, a milk bun, American cheese and a secret sauce recipe 'I absolutely need beetroot; freshly cooked if you can though if time-poor I've been known to use tinned,' she said, adding that the 'ultimate burger is juicy - almost sloppy when you bite into it'. Chef Matt Moran likes to keep his burgers as simple as possible and keeps the patty 'all about the meat' - no egg, no onion, no breadcrumbs. For those who prefer a simple cheeseburger, Jon Champ, the owner and head chef at Five Points Burgers in North Sydney, told FEMAIL previously there are three key steps: choosing premium beef, finding the ultimate smokey cheese and nailing the toasted bun. 'If you can, go to the butcher and ask for chuck steak or skirt steak, and have it minced with either brisket or short rib, leaving in 30 per of its fat' Jon said. It is important to find the right cut of meat to make the perfect mince patty The perfect slice of cheese to accompany the patty is an unbranded American cheese 'And use a barbecue - or a pan if you don't have access to one - and hold it to the heat with a flat griddle with a splash of hot canola or cottonseed oil until it is caramelised.' To finish off the patty, Jon recommends holding down the spatula on top of the meat for around 30-40 seconds to shape it and ensure it is cooked medium rare. Jon's preferred cheese variety is an unbranded smokey American cheese from Coles or Woolworths which can melt without hassle. 'Leave the cheese out of the fridge or put it in a pan for 1-3 seconds to quickly give it some warmth before placing it on top of the patty,' Jon said. Despite the common practice of melting the cheese slice under the grill, Jon says the best way is to let it melt from the heat of the freshly cooked meat patty instead Despite the common practice of melting the cheese slice under the grill, Jon says the best way is to let it melt from the heat of the freshly cooked meat patty instead. The luscious ingredients of Jon's signature cheeseburger need to be nestled between a flawless bread bun and his secret weapon for mouthwatering bites is using a soft milk bun from artisan bakery Brasserie Bread. 'We went through a lot of buns, including brioche, to find the perfect one for our cheeseburger at Five Point Burgers,' Jon explained. 'A milk bun is a lot lighter than the traditional brioche and the trick is to toast it a little bit under the grill, but not too much, just so it has a bit of a crunch.' In the UK, there's only one sweet treat that comes to mind when someone describes a four finger wafer bar coated in milk chocolate, and that is, of course, a Kit Kat. But in Norway, that description would also refer to a Kvikk Lunsj bar, which similarly comprises four fingers of chocolate-coated wafer. The very existence of this Scandinavian lookalike was ultimately what ruined Kit Kat's chances of trademarking the iconic four-finger shape this week after Nestle, the makers of Kit Kat, lost its 16-year battle to give the shape protected status in the EU. Instead judges sitting in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg sided with Mondelez, the maker of the Kvikk Lunsj, which can now sell the 80-year-old chocolate bar much more widely throughout the region. With more four-fingered rivals now predicted to launch, FEMAIL compares a 60p KitKat to its 1.69 Norwegian competitor to find out how different the taste is, even if the shape is the same. FEMAIL pitted a Norwegian Kvikk Lunsj against a Nestle Kit Kat to find out which tastes best. Both bars have the same shape but when it came to test, there was some crucial, if subtle, differences. We found that the Kvikk Lunsj actually tasted better Taste test: Kit Kat v Kvikk Lunsj KIT KAT Nestle reduced the sugar content of a Kit Kat by 10 per cent earlier this year, and it's now quite dark in colour Even if you were blindfolded and could not see the iconic four-fingered shape that Nestle is so keen to trademark, you would be able to identify this iconic 60p chocolate bar at first bite thanks to the combination of chocolate and crunchy wafer. Earlier this year, Nestle reduced the sugar content of Kit Kats by 10 per cent, instead upping the milk and cocoa content. It is definitely less sweet than the Kit Kats I remember munching on as a child, but it seems to have become richer. The chocolate is quite dark in colour for milk chocolate, and there is a slight bitterness one would usually associate with dark varieties. However there is also a slightly unpleasant metallic aftertaste. The chocolate coats the whole bar, but once you bite in, there is not a satisfying enough chunk of the sweet stuff on the bottom layer to nibble on. The wafer is, however, pleasingly crunchy. Despite increasing the amount of cocoa in the bars, a Kit Kat contains less cocoa than its rival Kvikk Lunsj - and it shows. KVIKK LUNSJ You can see the wafer's pattern through the chocolate on a Kvikk Lunsj which gives it a cheaper, old-fashioned look but we preferred the taste It's slightly uncanny to see a chocolate bar that looks just like the iconic Kit Kat, yet isn't one. But side-by-side, there are obvious differences. A Kvikk Lunsj, which in the UK is only available from online shop Scandi Kitchen for 1.69, is much lighter in colour than a Kit Kat. It also looks like a cheaper, own-brand version, as the chocolate on top is so thin you can see the pattern of the wafer underneath. How about the taste, though? Biting in, you can tell the sugar content is higher as the chocolate is much sweeter than the Nestle rival. The giddiness of a sugar rush hits me almost instantly. The wafer is much chewier than a Kit Kat, but it's not unpleasant. In fact, it reminds me of a Tunnock's Caramel bar. It's old-fashioned, but nostalgic. Although the chocolate is thin on top, the rest of the bar is much more thickly coated than a Kit Kat, so it feels much more luxuriously chocolatey. And despite being much sweeter, it's less rich - I find I can munch through more before feeling a little queasy than I could with a Kit Kat. WINNER: KVIKK LUNSJ Advertisement The bars both have the same four-finger shape and are both wafer bars coated in milk chocolate Our taste test crowns Kit Kat's Norwegian rival the winner, thanks to its thicker coating of chocolate, as well as its sweeter and moreish taste. The two bars may have the same shape, but there are subtle differences between the two. A Kit Kat contains 204 calories per bar, while a Kvikk Lunsj - which translates as 'Quick Lunch' and is only available to buy in the UK from online shop Scandi Kitchen for 1.69 - contains 258. The Norwegian bar contains at least 30 per cent cocoa solids, while the ingredients list of a Kit Kat say there is only 9 per cent cocoa mass, and less cocoa butter. That's despite Kit Kat increasing the amount of cocoa solids in its bars after reducing the sugar content by 10 per cent earlier this year. In a taste test by FEMAIL in April, five out of eight members of the public said they liked the taste of the new recipe Kit Kats better than the old version. One said the taste was 'richer,' while another said there was 'a higher proportion of chocolate' in the new bars. But despite Nestle saying the new chocolate treats would taste the same, all eight members of the public who took part in the experiment could taste the difference between the old bars and the new ones. Nestle has been trying to trademark the shape of the Kit Kat for more than a decade, so most people would think that the iconic bar was invented first. But in fact, Kvikk Lunsj launched in 1932 - three years before Kit Kat was first made by Rowntree. Nestle lost its battle to trademark the shape of a Kit Kat this week after failing to provide evidence that the chocolate was sufficiently well known in some EU countries. A General Court ruling in 2016 said that Nestle had to prove the KitKat was recognisable in every EU country. The court heard it was well known Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and the UK. But judges were instructed that the chocolate was not well enough known in Belgium, Ireland, Greece and Portugal. A rare neurological disorder left this mother-of-one paralyzed from the chest down while she was 18 weeks pregnant with her first child. During her pregnancy with her now 10-month-old son, Van, Anita Brewer, 31 started to experience back pain and numbness in her feet and legs. When she saw her doctors in Atlanta, Georgia last year, they agreed that her symptoms were due to her unborn baby causing pressure in the body and prescribed painkillers. Within a week, Anita's symptoms worsened to the point where she struggled to walk, couldn't urinate and the pain and numbness she experienced was unbearable. Anita, a member services agent, and her husband, Grant, rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare condition affecting the central nervous system that causes inflammation of the spinal cord. While Anita Brewer, 31, was pregnant with her now 10-month-old son, Van (pictured), she developed transverse myelitis and became paralyzed from the chest down Anita stayed in hospital for three weeks while doctors tried every treatment available but to no avail. Anita's condition left her paralyzed from the breast-line down, meaning that she needs help with most day-to-day tasks such as dressing herself, managing her bowel and bladder, getting in and out of the shower and can't play with her son as she hoped she would be able to. Over the past year, Anita has had a lot of physical therapy and many Botox injections to deal with the nerve pain but the only treatment that could help her walk again is stem cell therapy that is hoped could help rebuild her spinal cord. Anita's husband Grant is currently fundraising for this on Go Fund Me. 'I noticed some back pain and a little bit of numbness beginning in my lower extremities about a week prior. We all thought that is was due to the baby causing some pressure. We even went to our family doctor to get her opinion and got prescribed some pain medication,' said Anita. 'The night before we went to the emergency room, the pain was excruciating, and the numbness was getting even more pronounced. Her symptoms developed when Anita was 18 weeks pregnant, and by the time Van was born last May, she could no longer walk Despite her condition, Anita was able to deliver Van naturally 'It got to the point where I was unable to urinate. That is when we knew something was definitely not right.' Her trip to the hospital for answers became a moment Anita would never forget. 'Walking into the hospital early in the morning as I was dragging one of my legs was the last time I walked. I spent nearly three weeks in the hospital and went through every type of treatment available with no improvement,' she said. 'I had not heard of this condition before it happened to me. It is basically inflammation of the spinal cord. The inflammation causes the nerves to be pinched and depending on the level of injury can cause loss of feeling and paralysis of some or all of your body.' Transverse myelitis is a condition in which both sides of the spinal cord become inflamed, usually affecting a particular section of the spine. The swelling puts pressure on the spinal cord, disrupting the signals sent through its nerves from the brain to the body and, in Anita's case, effectively muting these communications. 'I've now come to know that this is a very rare disease and the cause of my particular TM is even rarer as it happened while I was 18 weeks pregnant. Anita (left) and her husband, Grant (right), never expected that the 'miracle' of having their first child would be accompanied by Anita's struggle with paralysis As she has gone from specialist to specialist and to all manner of physical therapy programs, Anita's husband, Grant (right) has stuck by her side 'Transverse myelitis affects every part of everyday life. I need help doing the most simple of tasks as I have been paralyzed from breast-line down. I can only partially dress myself. I need assistance to manage my bladder and bowel. I cannot shower by myself and need help getting into the shower, the list goes on.' 'The hardest thing for me has been both physical and mental. After our son was born back in September, I never really got to experience the motherhood that I had in mind. It is very difficult to hold him, I can't play with him the way I thought I would be able to, nor take care of him. 'My mother, father and husband pretty much have to do everything. We've all went through depression and I have to take medication to alleviate my mind from anxiety. It's a very difficult process. Her condition is an attack of inflammation of the spinal cord, and while its exact causes are not known, transverse myelitis may be autoimmune and instigated by viral or bacterial infections. Working with a team of renowned spinal cord rehab experts (pictured) near her home in Atlanta, Georgia Anita (center) has completed occupational, physical and mental therapies Diligent though she has been with rehab and doctor appointments, Anita (left) still cannot walk on her own and has had to rely heavily on Grant (right) and the couple's friends and family It occurs when the body's immune system becomes mis-programmed and activates immune cells to attack the healthy myelin covering the nerves in the spine. However, Anita's transverse myelitis was caused by a vascular form of the condition that affected the blood supply to the spinal cord area which was thought to be manifested due to the pregnancy. Despite this, Anita gave birth to Van naturally. Anita and Grant try to remain positive and hope that they can inspire others living with something similar. Anita described the rehabilitation process she has been through and spoke about what she has found the most difficult to adjust to. 'I spent seven weeks at Shepherd Center, a world renowned spinal cord rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta. There I did in-patient rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupation therapy, mental therapy, and many more treatments,' she said. 'I've been to the Kennedy Krieger Center in Baltimore for two weeks to do even more advanced physical therapy with robotic technology such as the exoskeleton. This allowed me to walk with the help of a machine. It really brought tears of happiness for a moment being able to stand and walk for a short while. At the Kennedy Krieger Center in Baltimore Maryland, Anita was able to walk again for the first time with the assistance of a robotic exoskeleton and her husband, Grant (left) 'The most difficult thing has been having to depend on other people. I've always been that person that helped others and it pains me that I have to be a burden at times to the people I love the most.' 'I try to stay positive and I hope that I can inspire people going through something similar. It is very difficult but I know that one day, somehow, some way, I will walk again, whether it's me or a machine helping me.' Anita has had to adjust to accepting help from those in her life, which has been in some senses difficult and in others rewarding for the new mother. 'Our support system has been incredible. Realizing that so many people out there whether close or far are constantly rooting for us has been amazing,' she said. 'This event was a definite eye opener and really changes your perspective on life. Our 10-month-old son, Van, has been an absolute blessing to us. We call him our miracle baby. He brings us so much joy.' So far, Anita and Grant have raised $25,595 of their $100,000 goal for stem cell therapy to be a possibility for her and are also hoping to purchase a lighter wheelchair to make her life easier and to become more mobile. In the meantime, Anita continues to build strength in other parts of her body, and has not given up hope that she will someday walk again on her own Finally, Anita stressed the importance of quick diagnosis. 'I would love the chance to get stem cell therapy performed. My husband, Grant, has found a specific stem cell therapy that has been proven to regrow any tissue in the body, including the spinal cord,' she said. 'It's just a matter of gathering the funds and finding a legitimate institute that is trusted to perform this life changing treatment. Even if it gave me some mobility, it would still be a major game changer for me and everyone around us. 'I also have a very tough time pushing my wheelchair around, so we are working with a company called Carbon Black Systems out of Scotland to build a lightweight Carbon Fibre wheelchair that weighs less than half of what my current chair weighs. 'This, during the interim will make my life a whole lot easier. 'Get a quick and proper diagnosis. Understanding the underlying cause of your TM could help with getting you the right treatment sooner. 'It took us seven months to figure out that it was a vascular related form of TM and not what you see on the internet where it says most cases are auto-immune or vaccine related. 'Keep a great support group and stay strong. It is not easy in the beginning; there will be time of grieving but never give up and always try to stay positive. Even if you never walk again, try to inspire as many people as you can along the way.' For more information on Anita's story and to help her reach her goal see the Go Fund Me page. A 15-year-old girl has to live with a 27-inch (68 cm) head which is far too big for her body and has left her unable to sit up or walk. Shivani Kumari can no longer hold up her own head because of a devastating brain condition she developed three years ago. The teenager, from Himachal Pradesh in India about 220 miles north of New Delhi developed the illness after she fell over while playing with friends. Now diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid builds up around the brain, Shivani has been left with a head the size of a large watermelon. Hydrocephalus can be fatal if it is left untreated but the operation Shavini needs will cost 1,200, which her labourer father cannot pay for. The condition is not rare it is thought to affect around a million Americans but is usually treated before it becomes as severe as Shivani's case. Shivani Kumari, pictured with mother Kushla Devi and father Gurmeet Singh, has been left with a massively swollen head after she fell over while playing with friends three years ago Shivani, 15, can no longer support the weight of her own head because of a condition called hydrocephalus, which means she can't walk or sit up on her own Shivani cannot walk or sit up by herself because her head is now so heavy it has swollen to around 27 inches in circumference. Despite being born normal, her life has now been turned upside down by the unfortunate condition. When hydrocephalus develops in children and adults it is usually caused by a brain injury such as a stroke, brain tumour, blood clot or damage from a head injury. Neighbours think she was a sinner in a past life People living in her village are sympathetic and do not mock her, but they reportedly believe the condition is because of sins she committed in a past life. Shivani lives in Himachal Pradesh in northern India, where her neighbours believe she may have got the head-swelling condition because of sins she committed in a past life Hydrocephalus can be treated with an operation to insert a draining tube into the skull but her father, who works as a casual labourer, cannot afford the 1,200 treatment doctors suggested Shivani's mother, Kushla, said her daughter was born normal but now, because she is young and her bones are not fully set, the pressure around her brain has changed the shape of her skull Head problem began after falling down while playing Her mother Kushla Devi said: 'Shivani was born normal but one day she fell down while playing with her friends. 'We carried her to the local doctor but he referred us to the higher medical institute.' Medics at the biggest hospital in the region revealed to the family Shivani's condition is caused by water building up inside her head. And doctors suggested surgery hydrocephalus can be improved and even cured using a draining tube but it is too expensive. Treatment could cost an entire year's average wage Shivani's father Gurmeet Singh, 40, works as a casual labourer and does not have the money to pay for the approximately 1,200 operation. The average income in India is around 1,300 a year, according to WorldBank data. The family are now hoping for a miracle to cure Shivani because they cannot afford the treatment she needs to cure what could be a fatal condition The treatment doctors suggested for Shivani would cost 1,200, about the same as a person's average income for a year in India After she hit her head, Shivani's spinal fluid began to build up around her brain in a condition called hydrocephalus, which can cause vomiting, headaches and balance problems Unable to afford treatment, Shivani's family are hoping for a miracle so she will one day get better. Symptoms caused by hydrocephalus include headaches, vomiting, double vision, poor balance and memory and thinking problems. It can cause the heads of babies and children to increase in size because pressure builds inside the skull, pushing out the bones which have not yet solidified. Hydrocephalus can be treated by placing a drainage tube (shunt) between the brain and the body, to release the fluid and relieve pressure in the skull. Because the shunt systems are too expensive for many people in developing countries, treatment can be difficult to come by and the condition can be fatal. Nauseating footage shows surgeons struggling to remove a 8.04lb (3.65kg) hairball from a girl's stomach. The mass of hair, which measured 35x13cm (13.7x5.1 inches), took up nearly all of the unnamed girl's organ, leaving little room for food. The severely malnourished girl, from India, was hospitalised after suffering severe abdominal pains, which had gotten worsen over the past two years. When questioned by doctors, she admitted to having a habit of chewing her hair, which is known as Rapunzel syndrome. Since having the hairball prised out of her stomach, the girl has been discharged from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. A 8.04lb hairball, measuring 35x13cm, was removed by surgeons from a girl's stomach The hair mass took up nearly all of the unnamed girl's organ, leaving little room for food Had to delay surgery due to malnourishment The 12-year-old underwent the procedure at the Mangystau Regional Children's Hospital in the city of Aktau, in south-western Kazakhstan's Mangystau region. Due to her being malnourished, the operation had to be delayed until she was strong enough to go under the knife. Her doctor explained: 'Due to her low protein level and swollen legs, doctors needed two days to prepare the girl for surgery.' WHAT IS RAPUNZEL SYNDROME? Rapunzel syndrome is a rare condition where hairballs are found in the digestive tract after a person ingests their own hair. It usually occurs in emotionally disturbed or mentally retarded youngsters. A hairball, known as a bezoar, extends from the stomach, with it's 'tail' in the small intestine. Hairballs are accumulations of human or vegetable fibres that gather in the gastrointestinal tract. They increase in size due to hair and fibre not being absorbed. Symptoms can include abdominal pain and nausea. Left untreated, hairballs can cause tearing and obstruction in the stomach and bowel. Most hairballs occur from swallowed hair from people's heads, dolls or brushes. Source: Clinical Medicine and Research journal Advertisement The hairball caused the girl to suffer severe abdominal pain that worsened over two years The mass is thought to have got into her stomach due to her having a habit of chewing her hair Another 123 McDonald's customers have contracted a sickness that causes 'explosive diarrhea' after eating one of the chain's salads. It means at least 236 Americans have been sickened by the dishes - 11 of whom needed hospital care, the CDC confirms. When the outbreak was first reported in May, it was localized to Illinois and Iowa. Now, it has spread to 15 states - but McDonald's has not yet identified the offending ingredient, since infections had been linked to all four of the salads on the menu. What is clear is that all of the victims had contracted cyclosporiasis, caused by the Cyclospora parasite, which causes vomiting and 'explosive' diarrhea a week or even more than a month after eating the offending food. Scroll down for video More than 230 people in 15 states have been sickened by McDonald's salads. Pictured: the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (350 calories) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which deals with regulation, said on Thursday that agents are working with McDonald's to understand what the source of the infection could be. Meanwhile, agents at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which deals with citizens' health, is grappling to tally up all of the cases. 'Illnesses that started after June 14, 2018, might not have been reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. For cyclospora infections, this can take up to six weeks,' the CDC said in a statement. They warn the number may be much higher than currently quoted, since they are still fielding all the reports since July 14. Currently, outbreaks have been reported in Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Connecticut, Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia residents have also reported illnesses, but those salads were bought in Illinois while traveling. Nationwide, there are four salads on the menu - two indulgent ones, and two 'healthier' versions - as well as a side salad. The Bacon Ranch Salad with Buttermilk Crispy Chicken (490 calories) features chicken fillet, bacon, and two types of cheese, as well as romaine, kale, baby spinach, red leaf lettuce, carrots, tomatoes - topped off with ranch dressing. There is also a Bancon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad (320 calories), which is the same but with grilled instead of breaded chicken. The Southwest Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Salad (520) pairs the breaded chicken with black beans, corn, tomatoes, and peppers with two types of cheese, tortillas strips cilantro, lime and ranch dressing - on top of the same lettuce blend as before. Lastly, there is the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (350 calories), swapping out the buttermilk crumbs for a grilled fillet. The salads have been a significant part of McDonald's bid to jump on the health-conscious bandwagon - though they are not that much healthier compared to the rest of the menu. A double cheeseburger has 440 calories, and a Bacon McDouble has 450 calories. The Iowa Public Health Department said it identified 15 cases linked to the same illness and parasite who ate there in June and July. Dr Patricia Quinlisk, Iowa's public health medical director and epidemiologist, said anyone with symptoms who ate a McDonald's salad should get tested. 'Anyone who ate these salads since the middle of June and who developed diarrhea, especially watery diarrhea and fatigue, should see their health care provider,' she said. McDonald's replaced its lettuce blend on July 20, after pulling a blend from 3,000 stores in 15 states that they feared might be to blame. It remains to be seen whether that will do the trick. Symptoms of Cyclospora infection include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight, cramping, bloating or increased gas, nausea, fatigue, and low-grade fever. People can become infected by consuming food or water contaminated with the microscopic parasite. The parasite is usually found in developing countries but there have been several outbreaks in the U.S. in the past few years. A mother forced to give up work for eight years because of her crippling back pain has found a bizarre cure in a device designed for horses. Victoria Rockliffe, 48, was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in 2010 and again three years later, before medics admitted they didn't know the cause of her agony. Doctors gave her codeine, morphine and a spinal procedure but none worked in combating her daily agony and left her feeling like a 'zombie'. In desperation, she resorted to a pioneering device called Arc4Health, which claims to relieve pain by sending electrical signals to the site of injury. And the 250 gadget - originally created to rehabilitate horses and return them to competition - worked. Ms Rockcliffe, from Battle in East Sussex, is now set to return to work as an antiques dealer after being left bedridden and unable to look after her two children. She told MailOnline: The Arc4Health unit has made an incredible difference to my life; I now don't need to take any painkillers until late afternoon. 'I am now looking into starting up my own business and can look after my family as a single mum, something I never thought possible four years ago.' Ms Rockcliffe also hopes that the gadget, which measures 10cm and weighs 65g, will help her to come off opiate painkillers completely. Victoria Rockliffe, 48, was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in 2010 and again three years later, before medics admitted they didn't know the cause of her agony Ms Rockcliffe has been living with back pain, a modern day plague which strikes around four in five adults at some point, since 1998. Doctors initially prescribed her codeine, in order to help her cope with the agony, before her dose was eventually bumped up. After undergoing a series of tests in 2010, she was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc, also known as a slipped disc. She underwent a discectomy two years later, in which the disc causing her agony was removed. However, this procedure was unsuccessful and doctors switched her onto morphine, initially taking 30mg each day. She suffered another prolapsed disc just one year later and was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease - when normal changes in the back cause pain. Two spinal probes carried out to determine the root cause of her discomfort proved inconclusive, and doctors were left scratching their heads. Ms Rockcliffe told MailOnline: I was left thinking I would have to either live with the pain forever, or take high doses of morphine for the rest of my life. HOW DOES THE ARC4HEALTH GADGET WORK? Microcurrent therapy has been used in Europe and the US over the last two decades and has repeatedly been refined. Now the method is generally regarded as a safe, convenient, effective and drug-free solution to chronic pain, such as backache, arthritis and sciatica. The Arc4Health device has been developed from successful use of microcurrent technology with injured horses. And trials using it proved effective in helping horses rehabilitate and return to competition, and to normal, everyday exercise. Arc Family, which owns the product, then carried out a five-year programme worth 150,000 to adapt the technology for humans. It recently gained full regulatory approval for use on humans and is an EC certified Class 11a medical device. The Arc4Health, which can be strapped to ankles, arms and legs, is the first microcurrent therapy device to be portable. The patient activates the treatment, allowing a bio-electrical current to flow to the area of pain. WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY? Clive Dewing, an NHS GP in Hawkhurst and now medical consultant at Arc4Health, told MailOnline: I came across the device a couple of years ago when it was being developed, and I saw it benefit someone who was willing to try it for chronic back pain. She had such immediate relief that I was intrigued. My brother then also tried it for arthritis in his ankle that he suffered greatly with and it soon helped with his mobility, pain and overall wellbeing. I decided to learn much more and saw that although there are several years of published peer-reviewed studies proving the benefits, only now are we taking advantage of it. I firmly believe that this could have a great impact on sufferers of several conditions and therefore have a significant impact on the NHS, which is burdened with pain management and expensive drug treatment. Proven safe and with no side effects like some drug therapy, I think Arc4health could be an excellent substitute in many cases. In terms of recovery, after certain operations, it could be hugely beneficial, and in-turn helps free up beds in hospitals. Advertisement Ms Rockcliffe, from Battle in East Sussex, is now set to return to work as an antique dealer after being left bedridden and unable to look after her two children By the end of 2013, I was almost bedridden, partially paralysed, had lost control of my bladder and had little feeling in my right leg. I couldnt tidy the house, or even dress myself. I had truly hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and fibromyalgia. Reliant on morphine Ms Rockcliffe was offered a spinal fusion a complicated five-hour procedure, which joins two or more vertebrae together. WHAT IS MICROCURRENT THERAPY? In our bodies, every cell communicates with all the others by a series of minute sequences of electrical currents, which regulate the proper functioning of the body. When disease, injury or stress is present, these currents are compromised, resulting in the impairment of natural healing processes. Microcurrent therapy can kick-start and accelerate the many processes involved in correct cellular functioning, resulting in faster healing. What is the evidence? A 2001 study published in the American Journal of Pain Management looked at 1,949 patients using Microcurrent Therapy for pain relief. Results found that 93 per cent of participants saw a significant reduction in discomfort from conditions such as localised back pain, migraine headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. When asked if the treatment was of therapeutic benefit, all but 136 of the participants, reporting across all pain categories who had at least three weeks experience of the device, stated that it had helped them significantly. What do the experts say? Tim Watson, a professor of physiotherapy at the University of Hertfordshire, said: 'Ive been working in the field of microcurrent therapy since the early 1990s and believe it has a demonstrative effect in tissue repair after injury and pain management. The delivery of microcurrent from outside the body acts as an energy source to enhance or to activate the normal repair response. 'The effect of the treatment may not only enhance repair but can indirectly diminish the pain felt. Clinics may offer it in short weekly spurts, however, research now shows that home-based treatment of at least 1-2 hours a day is the most effective way of administering the therapy and is proven to have the strongest results. Source: Healthista Advertisement Her morphine dose was bumped up to 200mg each day, before being dropped back down again when her pain decreased. However, Ms Rockcliffe was still unable to carry out daily chores without relying on painkillers, which left her brain foggy. Her life was then transformed after a chance conversation with her brother, who had heard about Arc4Health, which uses microcurrent therapy. Ms Rockcliffe said: My brother had come round for lunch and noticed me wincing in pain as I sat down in the kitchen chair. He mentioned that he had heard of a device that could help manage my pain and sent me a link to Arc4Health. She then bought the gadget. The method In the body, every cell communicates by a series of minute sequences of electrical current, which regulate proper functioning. When disease, injury or stress is present, these currents are compromised, resulting in the impairment of natural healing processes. Microcurrent therapy can kick-start this process, studies have shown, and accelerate healing by targeting processes involved with correct cellular functioning. Ms Rockcliffe said that within weeks of using Arc4Health, she noticed she wasnt reaching for morphine first thing in the morning. She told MailOnline: In addition, my energy levels were higher, my brain felt clear, and I felt positive about the future and my capabilities. Microcurrent therapy Microcurrent therapy has been used in Europe and the US over the last two decades and has repeatedly been refined. Now the method is generally regarded as a safe, convenient, effective and drug-free solution to chronic pain, such as backache, arthritis and sciatica. The Arc4Health device has been developed from successful use of microcurrent technology with injured horses. And trials using it proved effective in helping horses rehabilitate and return to competition, and to normal, everyday exercise. Arc Family, which owns the product, then carried out a five-year programme worth 150,000 to adapt the technology for humans. It recently gained full regulatory approval for use on humans and is an EU certified Class IIa medical device, alongside hearing aids. The Arc4Health, which can be strapped to ankles, arms and legs, is the first microcurrent therapy device to be portable. The patient activates the treatment, allowing a bio-electrical current to flow to the area of pain. Fears of another Ebola epidemic have been raised after a new strain of the killer virus has been discovered. Officials warn the Bombali strain of the virus, found in bats in Sierra Leone, has the 'potential' to strike humans. Health ministers in the African nation have now urged millions living in the country to avoid eating bats a local delicacy. The Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this week declared the end of a worrying Ebola outbreak, which killed 33 people. But virologists feared it was 'reminiscent' of the 2014 pandemic, which decimated West Africa, including Sierra Leone, and claimed 11,000 lives. Officials warn the Bombali strain of the virus found in bats in Sierra Leone has the 'potential' to strike humans (stock) The country's Ministry of Health and Sanitation yesterday confirmed the discovery of the never before seen strain of Ebola. It was found in bats in the rural northern Bombali region, which borders Guinea and is home to around 600,000 people. Amara Jambai, a senior official at the health ministry, told AFP news service Bombali 'has the potential to infect human cells'. However, he said it remains unknown to scientists if it has already been passed to any humans, or even if it can cause Ebola virus disease. EVD, caused by the virus with its namesake, kills around 50 per cent of people it strikes but there is no proven treatment available. Government officials in Sierra Leone are now conducting further research on the Bombali virus, in hope of finding out if it has infected any humans. Harold Thomas, of the health ministry, said: 'As precautionary measures, people should refrain from eating bats.' If it is proven Bombali ebolavirus, as it is likely to be officially titled, can cause EVD, it will become the sixth known strain that can. Health ministers in the African nation have now urged millions living in the country to avoid eating bats a local delicacy (stock) Five already can, including the Zaire strain, considered responsible for the most recent outbreak of Ebola in the DRC. Officials in the country branded the outbreak a 'public health emergency' when it was first declared in April. All nine neighbouring countries were promptly alerted about the concerning outbreak of Ebola, which can cause severe bleeding. The outbreak began in the poorly-connected region of Ikoko-Impenge and Bikoro in the north east of the DRC. It travelled 80 miles (130km) north to Mbandaka, a port city on the river Congo - an essential waterway - with around 1.2 million inhabitants. There was a 'major concern' it would spread to Kinshasa 364 miles (586km) south on the river, where 12 million people live. The capital of the DRC has an international airport with regular flights to European cities Zurich, Frankfurt and Brussels. The 2014 international response to the Ebola pandemic drew criticism for moving too slowly and prompted an apology from the WHO. But international aid teams moved much quicker in response to the latest outbreak - with vaccination campaigns in several regions. A cancer-stricken mother desperate to spend more time with her children is hoping to raise 200,000 for a life-extending drug. Kelly Stabb, 39, from Paignton, Devon, has stage four bowel cancer. Doctors initially thought it was curable but it has since spread to other parts of her body. She had accepted her fate that she wouldn't get to see her sons Jake, 10, and Luke, eight, reach their 18th birthday or even allow her to become a grandmother. But the police officer has now began a fundraising appeal, in hope of raising enough money to get access to the drug, called binimetinib. The drug is already available on the NHS for other types of cancer, including advanced melanoma - but not bowel cancer. Told she is unlikely to survive for any longer than a year, Mrs Stabb and her husband Simon have put 20,000 of their own savings towards the cost. The couple are also considering selling their home - but are unlikely to have done so in 10 weeks time, when the treatment must begin as her chemotherapy ends. Kelly Stabb, 39, from Paignton, Devon, has stage four bowel cancer. Doctors initially thought it was curable but it has since spread to other parts of her body (pictured with her sons Jake, 10, and Luke, eight, and husband Simon) Mrs Stabb admitted her family are now 'looking into ways' of raising money, through remortgaging their own homes and taking out loans. She said: 'I am so desperate I don't know what else to do. Things have changed dramatically for me in the last few months. 'I believed I was curable, until receiving the devastating news in February this year that the cancer had spread to various parts of my body. 'My condition is only getting worse and my oncologist has said that I potentially have several years. How long is that?' 'I keep thinking, I'm a wife and a mum to two young boys. They shouldn't have to consider not having me around.' Mrs Stabb, who now struggles to walk short distances, added: 'Mums and dads are always there for their children; That's our job.' Mrs Stabb has already raised 35,000 in just eight months for Bowel Cancer West (BCW), which she said was a good distraction. But she never expected to find herself at the centre of a fundraising campaign. The couple still need 173,000, after a friend raised 7,000 on top of their savings. Mrs Stabb said: 'Raising the money for BCW was a good distraction, but now the focus is on me which makes me feel selfish. 'I have never asked for money for my own cause but I want to stay alive, and I will do whatever I can for me to be around for as long as possible for my children.' She had accepted her fate that she wouldn't get to see her sons Jake, 10, and Luke, eight, reach their 18th birthday or even allow her to become a grandmother Mrs Stabb sought help from a doctor in the US, who told her she would be unlikely to survive any longer than 30 months after diagnosis. Mrs Stabb only started to show signs of bowel cancer, which strikes 41,000 people each year in the UK, weeks before her diagnosis in January 2017. But as soon as she became unwell, she spent a lot of time in A&E. Medics often sent her away, citing her problems as irritable bowel syndrome. Her heartbreaking diagnosis came on January 24, when a scan revealed a tumour. A consultant warned it was stage four, meaning it had spread to other sites. Mrs Stabb began treatment immediately. Her chemotherapy finishes in September, meaning she has just a handful of weeks of it. If she manages to raise the six-figure sum she so desperately desires, she will need to begin her new treatment on binimetinib shortly afterwards. Following a recent appointment with a consultant in London, it was discovered her cancer has a type of mutation that can be targeted with the drug. Thousands of patients with melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, are given the drug on the NHS. It targets BRAF mutations, which can cause the disease. She said: 'He was so direct when he said to me, "It depends on how much you want it. I have patients who are 12 months in with no further cancer growth".' But the police officer has now began a fundraising appeal, in hope of raising enough money to get access to the drug, which is already available on the NHS for other types of cancer Her doctor claims it will cost around 10,000 each month, but she will need enough for 20 months, to be in a position of affording continued treatment. Recalling the moment Mrs Stabb was told she would need that much money, she said: 'When I heard that amount, my heart sank. 'How could I ask those that have kindly donated and supported in raising 35,000 for BCW to now support me in raising five times as much?' She added: 'Our family are looking into ways of raising money through remortgaging their own properties and borrowing. 'When you have said so many times to yourself and your children money can't buy happiness, it really brings home it could. Mrs Stabb added she is 'fully aware' there is no guarantee binimetinib, sold under the brand name MEKTOVI, will extend her life. If the treatment doesn't work, she has pledged to either return the money back to donors, or allow them to nominate a charity it goes to. She said: 'My cancer has spread to so many places in such a short space of time. I knew it was an aggressive cancer but it must have been laying dormant. 'I would describe myself as a positive realist. If after three months it's showing no signs of working I will not waste peoples valuable money. 'It would be wonderful to have some good news for a change and to hear the treatment was stabilising my cancer and my prognosis wasn't getting worse. 'Every time something grows or gets bigger I worry how much longer I've got with my family. 'I've got to be realistic in that I won't grow old and grey, but having some more time is just so important.' Mrs Stabb added that she has been honest with her children from the start about her illness. She said: 'Children are quite resilient to be honest. When things changed with my prognosis I sat them down and told them. 'Day to day they are functioning as normal children which is lovely for me. They argue and play up as children do. 'I haven't got a bucket list because I'm happy with the simple things. Family and friends are the most important thing and just spending time with them.' Anyone willing to donate to Mrs Stabb's fund, can do so here. A mutated strain of HIV spotted in Canada is driving sufferers to develop AIDS quicker than usual, a study reveals. The strain is circulating in Saskatchewan, where 80 percent of people diagnosed with the illness are Indigenous. Doctors started reporting alarmingly rapid declines among patients in 2016, when the rate of HIV infections rocketed to 10 times the rate of other regions. Now, a new study carried out by Simon Fraser University in Vancouver warns there is concrete evidence that this community is the birthplace of a particularly aggressive strain, which is developing faster than modern medicine can keep up with. They believe the virus has likely adapted to an immune profile specific to the Indigenous community. Ninety-eight percent of strains in Saskatchewan, Canada, have an immune-resistant mutation, but 80 percent have one that moves much faster than usual, researchers warn 'Instead of it taking years, sometimes it just takes a month or a year and it's much more aggressive than we would otherwise see,' Dr Alex Wong, an infectious disease physician with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, told The Canadian Press. Researchers at the university's BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS compared 2,300 samples of Saskatchewan strains to other ones obtained across Canada and the United States. Unequivocally, they found higher levels of mutations that are resistant to the body's immune responses in the Saskatchewan strains than in the others. Up to 98 percent of the Saskatchewan strains had an immune-resistant component. But 80 percent of them had a particularly dangerous mutation that appeared to accelerate illness. This mutation was also present in the US and other parts of Canada, but in just 25 percent of the samples. 'Physicians were saying there's something going on here that isn't right people are getting sick very, very fast,' lead author Zabrina Brumme, associate professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser, told the Canadian Press. 'It's almost as if the virus is nastier.' HIV is a virus that damages the cells in the immune system and weakens the ability to fight infections and disease. Without treatment, HIV can turn into AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), which is a syndrome (or, a set of symptoms) not a virus. In layman's terms, AIDS has been referred to as 'late-stage HIV'. A person has AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections. AIDS cannot be transmitted from one person to another; HIV can. Researchers at Simon Fraser University's BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS compared 2,300 samples of Saskatchewan strains to other ones obtained across Canada and the United States Those diagnosed with HIV need to be on medication for life to prevent it turning into AIDS, which is often fatal. A decade ago, people who were HIV positive were given a shorter life expectancy because the medication, suppressing the immune system, made patients highly vulnerable to fatal infections. Today, HIV drugs are much more sophisticated. They allow for people who are HIV positive to live as long as anyone else in good health. They can also suppress the viral load to such an extent that it is undetectable and untransmittable, meaning it's possible to have intimate relationships without passing it on. Royal Mail is behaving as if the savage defeat over pay at its annual general meeting is an aberration and it can weather the storm. But as chairman of the business select committee Rachel Reeves MP makes clear, Royal Mail risks reputational damage for the way it rides roughshod over governance. Instead of an apology and pledge of profound change from chairman Peter Long there is a flaccid promise to engage with investors in the autumn. A letter by pay chief Orna Ni-Chionna to Reeves is legalistic and defensive with not a word of contrition. As a privatised public utility Royal Mail has an unusually large group of private shareholders and special responsibility to make sure every penny is spent wisely Ni-Chionna says burying the arrangement where new chief executive Rico Back was paid 5.8million for buying out his contract with a subsidiary in financial notes to the accounts was appropriate. But such inter-company payments always have been frowned upon in the context of public companies when shareholder money is at stake. Ni-Chionna is unrepentant in spite of an overwhelming rejection of Backs pay package and a golden handshake for former chief executive Moya Greene. That she should also be in charge of remuneration at Burberry where pay, bonuses and expenses are famously excessive is inexplicable. Holding down six jobs (many of us have trouble with one) obviously is taking its toll on sound judgement. As a privatised public utility Royal Mail has an unusually large group of private shareholders and special responsibility to make sure every penny is spent wisely. It may like to think of itself as a great global business. Yet 78 per cent of its turnover and 71 per cent of its profits still come from UK letter and parcel delivery. It is misleading to argue that Backs international role makes it sensible to live in Zurich. His laser focus should be on providing a Swiss-style, clockwork collection and delivery service in the UK. All the hard work of Greene in modernising Royal Mail and creating a more efficient postal service is being lost in a miasma of unthinking behaviour in the boardroom. Former travel boss Long, Ni-Chionna and the other independents must get a grip fast. Thats what they get paid to do. Security sham While on governance, Royal Mail supplier De La Rue, printer of postage stamps, could do with remedial lessons too. A praetorian guard of apparatchiks and outside advisers deemed that our assiduous reporter Lucy White was too much of a security risk and refused entry to the Basingstoke annual meeting. De La Rue believes that because it prints banknotes but not the new blue British passport it ranks with GCHQ in the right to lock out media. The real reason is that it was loath to give publicity to representatives of activist investor Crystal Amber, rightly critical of a tumbling share price, anaemic profits and slow embrace of efficiencies. Long experience suggests that it is only companies with something to hide which use obscure reasons to allow some light to be shed on their affairs. Company meetings may technically be for shareholders. But by refusing the media access, De La Rue is depriving investors of data critical to price formation for the shares. Sky high There must be a touch of sadness as the Sky flag is lowered over Isleworth in London. In the next few weeks Europes leading satellite broadcaster will fall under the control of media giants Comcast and Disney, depending on who wins the biding war. What they will gain is technology and a European champion forged largely by the quiet man of broadcasting, Jeremy Darroch, over the last decade. Sky will bow out honourably with income of 13.5billion, profits of 864million and a UK customer base of 500,000. It also has demonstrated an ability to create quality productions such as the acclaimed Patrick Melrose drama. As traditional media firms gird their loins to fight disrupters Netflix and Amazon, no one knows where the pieces will fall. History suggests the current 26billion and rising battle for Sky may not be the last word. Cash please A super-Thursday of FTSE 100 results was a big moment for share buybacks with Shell promising up to 19billion and Diageo, riding a pink gin craze, some 2billion. Buybacks have become more popular with big battalion investors than dividends. But most private investors would prefer real money. High house prices make buying a home as a couple tough, but for an individual getting on the property ladder can seem all but impossible. Without the extra borrowing power that two salaries can bring, even those who can raise a decent deposit will find buying solo can give them a mortgage headache. It's no surprise, therefore that an increasing number of young couples are considering taking out joint mortgages early on in their relationships - or buying with friends and family to clamber on the housing ladder. 61 per cent of millennials say getting a mortgage is a bigger commitment than getting married A study has revealed that almost two-thirds of millennials believe buying a house with their significant other is a bigger commitment than getting married - and should be prioritised as such. The research, from Barclays Mortgages, revealed that young couples in the North East are most likely to buy a house first, with 51 per cent saying they would put a mortgage over marriage. Southerners are keener to tie the knot than their northern counterparts, or simply find have put off buying due to more expensive property. In London, 33 per cent of couples would choose to secure the keys to their first home before walking down the aisle. Hannah Bernard, head of mortgages at Barclays, said: 'With house prices at an all-time high, it's no surprise that young couples see a joint mortgage as the ultimate act of modern-day commitment.' But it's not just young couples who are committing to mortgages outside of marriage - buying with friends or siblings is becoming an increasingly popular option for aspiring homeowners, according to research from M&S Bank. Its research showed that 60 per cent of those aged 18 to 35 said they would consider taking out a mortgage as a group to make home ownership a reality, compared to just 26 per cent of people aged over 36. Buying a house with friends or a partner: how to protect yourself If you're planning on buying a home with your other half or are looking to buy with friends, there can be serious financial risks involved if you don't take the right precautions. Read our guide on how to protect yourself when buying a home with others The survey found that a fifth of millennials do not believe they will be ever be in a position to own their own home. Saving for a deposit was stated as the main barrier, with 59 per cent of 18 to 35-year-olds having less than 1,000 in savings. Paul Stokes of M&S Bank said: 'Many young people are trapped in Generation Rent because house prices seem increasingly out of reach. 'For many, home ownership appears possible only through sacrificing certain aspects of their current lifestyle be that moving to a different area, moving to a smaller property than they're renting, or seeing their disposable income take a significant hit. 'But our research has shown that millennials are keen for an alternative option and joint home ownership is one of them.' Most millennials would take a mortgage with two or more people to get on the property ladder What are the risks of buddying up to buy? Buying with friends or as an unmarried couple may give young people a foot onto the property ladder that they wouldn't have otherwise had, but there can be serious financial risks involved if the right steps aren't taken. The risks involve everything from unequal deposits or mortgage contributions failing to be properly accounted for when the property is eventually sold, to one person wanting to move out while the other wants to remain. These are issues for both those buying as a couple, or with friends. While marriage comes with a series of legal protections in the event of divorce, for unmarried cohabitants a break down in the relationship could see awkward negotiations. Aside from added legal costs, there is also the risk of one party wanting to sell their share of the property before the other - and of course there is the issue of who gets what once the property is sold. There are some simple steps you can take however to protect yourself against complications further down the line. Traditionally, homes have been owned as joint tenants. As joint tenants, the home's equity is owned equally, regardless of what was individually contributed in terms of a deposit. If one party dies then ownership of the property will automatically transfer to the other owner. If a couple split up then the default position is that you both own the property equally. As joint tenants you cannot leave a portion of your home to anyone else in your will. Buying and owning as 'tenants in common' rather than joint tenants can mean that each person owns a defined part of the property, whether this is 50 / 50 or unequal shares. Taking measures such as signing a 'declaration of trust' can help ensure you and your co-buyers get back what you put in when it comes time to sell the property - or protect you in the event that your co-owner dies. The declaration of trust can include: The percentage split of how the property is owned How much each party contributed towards the cost of buying the home and that specific sums should be returned to them first before the remaining proceeds are split How responsibilities for the mortgage or any other expenses should fall How the property should be divided if the owners split up Those buying with friends, family, or a partner should discuss these matters and how to own the property with their solicitor and agree things before going ahead with a purchase, particularly if putting in unequal shares. Bill Shorten's political future is being decided this Saturday by 480,000 voters in five by-elections sparked by the dual citizenship crisis. An unprecedented number of contests, costing taxpayers $8 million, are being held as three first-term Labor MPs and a crossbench politician try to win back their old jobs, after being forced out of parliament for being British. Polls show the Opposition Leader's Labor Party struggling to hold the marginal seats of Longman, north of Brisbane, and Braddon, in north-west Tasmania, which the ALP snatched from the Turnbull government with big swings at the 2016 election. Scroll down for video Bill Shorten's political future is being decided this Saturday by 480,000 voters in five by-elections sparked by the dual citizenship crisis Polls show Labor struggling to hold the marginal seat of Longman (Labor candidate Susan Lamb centre with Bill Shorten and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk), which the opposition snatched from the government with big swings at the 2016 election Should Susan Lamb or Justine Keay (right) fail to win back their old electorates, Bill Shorten will become the first federal Opposition Leader in 98 years to lose a seat to the government at a by-election Should Susan Lamb or Justine Keay fail to win back their old House of Representatives electorates, Shorten will become the first federal Opposition Leader in 98 years to lose a seat to the government at a by-election. A bad outcome for him would solidify Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's leadership, despite the unpopularity of his government, and galvanise senior Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese to challenge Shorten for a shot at Australia's most powerful job. Why are the by-elections being held? Five first-term MPs in the House of Representatives resigned en masse on May 10 after the High Court found former Labor senator Katy Gallagher to be a dual British citizen. This sparked the resignations of Susan Lamb and Justine Keay, along with Josh Wilson in Fremantle, south of Perth, and Central Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie in the Adelaide Hills seat of Mayo. A bad outcome for Labor in Longman where Susan Lamb (right) is fighting to win back her old seat could galvanise Anthony Albanese to challenge Bill Shorten for the Labor leadership Five first-term MPs (including Josh Wilson pictured) resigned en masse on May 10 after the High Court found former Labor senator Katy Gallagher to be a dual British citizen This also sparked the resignation of Central Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie (pictured) in the Adelaide Hills seat of Mayo The first-term Labor member for Perth Tim Hammond, who was an opposition frontbencher and not a dual citizen, resigned on the same day to spend more time with his young children and is not a candidate this Saturday. What are the political implications? Bill Shorten has more to lose in the by-elections than Malcolm Turnbull, not only because sitting governments rarely win them but he also faces a more formidable leadership rival within his party. Shorten did well at the 2016 federal election, reducing the government's majority to just one seat, and his Labor Party has led the Coalition in 36 consecutive Newspolls. However, Labor is narrowly trailling the government in both the Longman and Braddon contests. Bill Shorten (pictured campaigning in Braddon) has more to lose in the by-elections than Malcolm Turnbull, simply because he faces a more formidable leadership rival within his party YouGov/Galaxy polls published this week showed the opposition behind in Longman, 49 to 51 per cent after preferences, where One Nation's Matthew Stephen is recommending its supporters put the Liberal National Party candidate Trevor Ruthenberg before Labor's Susan Lamb. The contest was closer in Braddon, at 50:50 after preferences, however Labor candidate Justine Keay's primary vote of 40 per cent was well behind her Liberal challenger Brett Whiteley's 44 per cent. A federal opposition hasn't lost a by-election to the government since 1920, when Billy Hughes was prime minister. Shorten did well at the 2016 federal election, reducing the government's majority to just one seat, and his Labor Party has led the Coalition in 36 consecutive Newspolls but his party is struggling in Longman and Braddon Malcolm Turnbull (pictured campaigning in Mayo with struggling Liberal candidate Georgina Downer) could still lose the next election even if he picks up seats from the Labor opposition Key battlegrounds LONGMAN: Susan Lamb became the Labor member for the electorate north of Brisbane in July 2016 when she defeated 26-year-old Liberal MP Wyatt Roy with a 7.7 per cent swing. She quit parliament in May after learning she was a dual Briton through her late Scottish-born father who remarried. Her Liberal National Party opponent Trevor Ruthenberg, who was previously the state member for Kallangur, has admitted to falsely claiming to hold an Australian Service Medal, when he hadn't served in a peacekeeping role overseas with the Royal Australian Air Force. The One Nation candidate Matthew Stephen, whose preferences could decide the race, is being targeted by Labor over his past as a tiler in Darwin who owed money to subcontractors. BRADDON: Former Devonport councillor Justine Keay won the marginal seat in north-west Tasmania at the 2016 election for Labor. However the Tasmanian-born woman quit parliament after learning she was still a dual Briton by descent when she defeated Liberal MP Brett Whiteley, who is running on Saturday, with a 4.8 per cent swing. The Turnbull government is targeting left-leaning independent Craig Garland, a fisherman who was convicted in 1993 of assaulting an off-duty police officer in Geelong, to minimise the chance of his preferences getting Labor elected. MAYO: Former Liberal staffer Rebekha Sharkie won the Adelaide Hills seat two years ago after defeating Turnbull Government minister Jamie Briggs, who was accused of acting inappropriately towards a female public servant in a Hong Kong bar. The English-born former MP won the previously safe Liberal seat with a massive 17.5 per cent swing as a Nick Xenophon Team candidate. Her opponent Georgina Downer, the daughter of long-serving former member Alexander Downer, is struggling to gain traction in the race, considering she had lived in Melbourne when she was preselected unopposed by the Liberal Party. She looks unlikely to become the fourth generation in her family to become a conservative politician. Advertisement Albanese, who Shorten defeated in the Labor leadership contest five years ago, was found to be far more popular with voters in both seats, with the YouGov Galaxy polls showing Labor would win Longman and Braddon 53 to 47 per cent, after preferences, if he were Opposition Leader. The left-faction Labor frontbencher had more support from rank-and-file Labor supporters than Shorten in the October 2013 ballot but he lost as federal ALP politicians backed their current boss, who consistently trails Turnbull in Newspoll's preferred prime minister stakes. In Mayo Rebekha Sharkie, who was elected as Nick Xenophon candidate in July 2016, is the favourite to regain her old seat. In the previously safe Liberal electorate in the Adelaide Hills, the candidate now with the Centre Alliance is leading her Liberal challenger Georgina Downer, 59 to 41 per cent after preferences, in a YouGov/Galaxy poll. Her opponent, whose former foreign minister father Alexander Downer held the seat from 1984 to 2008, has not lived in South Australia for two decades and unsuccessfully sought Liberal preselection in 2016 in the federal Melbourne bayside seat of Goldstein. The Liberal Party is not running candidates in Fremantle and Perth and Labor is likely to retain both seats. Labor losses in Longman and Braddon could be terminal for Shorten's leadership but they won't necessary mean that Malcolm Turnbull will win the next election. In December 1982, Labor leader Bill Hayden's opposition scored a minuscule 2.3 per cent swing against Liberal candidate Peter Reith at the Flinders by-election, in Melbourne's outer south-east, despite the unpopularity of Malcolm Fraser's seven-year-old Coalition government at the height of a long recession. The poor result gave impetus for Bob Hawke to take over the Labor leadership two months later, and become prime minister in March 1983 for eight years and nine months. The 480,000 voters in five electorates this Saturday make up just three per cent of Australia's 15.7 million voters but they too could soon be making history. In Mayo Liberal candidate Georgina Downer, whose foreign minister father Alexander held the seat for 24 years, faces a landslide defeat in a seat she hasn't lived in for two decades Advertisement An explosive wildfire that roared with little warning into a Northern California city claimed a second life and thousands more people abandoned their homes, some of them slipping out just ahead of the walls of flame, authorities said Friday. A firefighter with the Redding Fire Department was killed in Shasta County. Another firefighter hired to try to contain the flames with a bulldozer was killed Thursday, authorities said. In all, an estimated 37,000 people have fled from the so-called Carr Fire, which began Monday and tripled in size overnight Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and high winds. Fire officials warned that the blaze would probably burn deeper into urban areas before there was any hope of containing it. A day earlier, the flames turned the sky orange while sweeping through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then jumping the Sacramento River into Redding, a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. A sudden flare up early Friday morning caught this house on fire along highway 299 in Redding California as firefighters fight to contain the blaze Two firefighters have dies in the blaze. Pictured is a view of a row of homes that were destroyed by the Carr Fire on July 27 A CalFire firefighter douses flames on a burning home during the Carr fire in Redding, California A woman, who declined to give her name, surveys damage to her grandmother's house after the Carr Fire burned through Redding, California Flames have swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 90,000 people and the largest in the region Information from the City of Redding showing mandatory evacuation zones as of 4am local time on Friday (in red), alongside data from energy company Pacific Gas and Electricity showing areas inaccessible due to the fire as of 1am local time Steve Hobson was one of the last to leave Lake Redding Drive. A former urban and wild land firefighter three decades ago, he planned to stay behind to save his house. But the heat burned his skin, and the smoke made it hard to breathe. He could feel the fire sucking the air from the around him, whipping up swirling embers in a 'fire tornado,' he said. Police pounded on doors telling everyone to leave. The flames on the distant hillside looked like solar flares on the sun, he said. When it came time to flee, he had to punch through walls of burning embers on both sides of the street. A tree fell right in front of him. 'I didn't know if I'd make it so I just got in the middle of the street, went down the middle of the street through the embers and the smoke and made it past,' Hobson said. His perimeter fence burned along with a backyard shed and everything inside it - Christmas ornaments, china and old televisions. But his house made it through the harrowing night. Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta, California, on Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta, California, on Thursday This Thursday, July 26, 2018 image captured by NASA's Terra satellite, shows actively burning California wildfires (outlined in red) detected by MODISis thermal bands A firefighter walks past a home destroyed by the Carr Fire on Sunriver Lane in Redding, California. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threatened by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. At least 65 structures have been destroyed, and 5,000 other buildings were threatened, fire officials said. The fire is 'taking down everything in its path,' said Scott McLean, a CalFire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze. Some Redding residents who had not been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice. 'When it hit, people were really scrambling,' McLean said. 'There was not much of a warning.' The blaze, which was apparently sparked by a mechanical issue involving a vehicle, was so fearsome that fire crews in Redding for a time abandoned any hope of containing the flames and instead focused on saving lives. 'We're not fighting a fire. We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly, and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area,' said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. Cal Fire crews work to control and slow the fire as it backs into the containment line. The goal is to not extinguish the fire but to control it so that it burns slowly. Preventing further flare-ups is the goal A structure burns as the Carr Fire races along Highway 299 The Carr fire is pictured as forms along highway 299 between Whiskeytown and Redding The fire is pictured blazing through the banks of Whiskeytown Lake A water tender operator drinks a beverage after trying to save a home burning in Shasta. One person was killed in a rapidly moving wildfire that sent residents fleeing from a northern California city on Friday as homes and businesses burned and power was cut, fire officials said The wildfire crossed the Sacramento River and now threatens hundreds of homes on the western fringes of the city of Redding Late Thursday, crews found the body of the bulldozer operator. He was the second bulldozer operator killed in a California blaze in less than two weeks. 'It's just chaotic. It's wild,' McLean said. 'There's a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning.' Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze Thursday, but flames kept jumping their lines, he said. Brett Gouvea, incident commander of the crews battling the fire, urged residents to pay close attention to the blaze, which he said was 'moving with no regard for what's in its path.' With fire burning in the distance Liz Williams, 33, packed her car Thursday morning, just in case, even though her neighbors said it would never reach them. burned out classic car sits next to a home that was destroyed by the Carr Fire, the fire is three per cent contained A real estate sign is seen in front of a burning home during the Carr Fire in Redding, California on July 27. Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines A residence burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta. More than 1,700 firefighters have been battling the blaze, Cal Fire said in an evening advisory When Williams got home from work, the flames were closing in. By evening, an orange glow appeared on the nearby hillside and ferocious winds picked up. It was time to go. 'I've never experienced something so terrifying in my life. Nothing could prepare you for something like this,' Williams said. She loaded up her 11-year-old daughter and her boyfriend's 9-year-old, but she didn't get far. She was promptly stuck in traffic as all her neighbors crowded the main road out. Cars honked and backed up. Drivers and police yelled at each other. As flames came down the adjacent hillside, she got aggressive. 'Finally I just went to the left and jumped up on the sidewalk and drove,' Williams said. She estimated that it took an hour to go a little over a mile. She wanted to get as far away as possible, but ultimately stayed with her boyfriend's family in a safer part of town. 'I didn't know if the fire was just going to jump out behind a bush and grab me and suck me in,' Williams said. 'I wanted out of here.' A couple, who declined to give their names, passes homes leveled by the Carr Fire in Redding, California, on Friday A firefighter sprays water on a home leveled by the Carr Fire on Sunriver Lane in Redding, California His family's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said race is the reason no charges laid A parking lot gunman who fatally shot an unarmed black man would have been charged if a white person had been killed, says an attorney representing the victim's family. Benjamin Crump said race is the reason that no charges have been filed after the videotaped altercation outside a Clearwater convenience store in a Florida parking lot on July 19. Crump, who gained national prominence representing the family of Trayvon Martin after the black teen's fatal shooting by a Hispanic man in 2012, alleged that Michael Drejka committed 'cold-blooded murder' in the death of Markeis McGlockton. Drejka, 47, confronted McGlockton's girlfriend as she sat in the couple's car with two of their children, a three-year-old and a four-month-old, because she was parked in a handicapped-accessible space. Attorney Benjamin Crump, center, flanked by Britany Jacobs, left, and Clearwater attorney Michele Rayner, right, speaks to the media at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center Thursday, July 26 in Clearwater In this Thursday, July 19, 2018 image taken from surveillance video released by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Markeis McGlockton, far left, is shot by Michael Drejka during an altercation in the parking lot, Florida McGlockton, 28, had gone into the store with their five-year-old son. Britany Jacobs said Drejka was cursing at her. Video shows McGlockton exited the store and shoved Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled a handgun and shot McGlockton as he backed away. 'We all know race is a factor in this case,' Crump said at a news conference outside the Clearwater courthouse. Crump said that if McGlockton was white and Drejka was black, 'does anyone doubt that he (Drejka) would have been arrested and taken to jail, if he would have not been shot right there in the parking lot?' Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said last week that under Florida's 'stand your ground' law, Drejka was defending himself and Gualtieri does not believe he could be charged. Michael McGlockton, from left, Britany Jacobs and attorney Benjamin Crump attend a press conference He turned the case over to the state attorney's office for a final decision. That office declined to comment yesterday. Drejka did not answer a phone number listed for him Thursday and no attorney has come forward as his representative. Gualtieri, who is an attorney, said Drejka told investigators he feared he was about to be attacked again when he fired. Under the stand your ground law, people can use deadly force if they believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and have no obligation to retreat. Under a change made by the Legislature last year, prosecutors must then prove the law does not apply. Britany Jacobs, center, speaks on behalf of her boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, flanked by attorney Benjamin Crump, left, and Clearwater attorney Michele Rayner, right The soundless store security video shows the altercation began about a minute after Jacobs pulled into the handicapped-accessible spot. She told reporters last week McGlockton had just picked her up from her job as a nursing assistant, the parking lot was busy and they were only stopping for a minute. McGlockton and his oldest son got out and entered the store. Drejka pulled up in his SUV seconds later, parking perpendicular to Jacobs. He got out, walked to the back of Jacobs' car, looked at the license plate, and then went to the front, apparently looking for a handicapped sticker there. Drejka appears to say something to Jacobs and points to two empty spaces nearby. He then walked to Jacobs' window. He is speaking from about a foot away and gesturing with his hands. A man entering the store about 15 feet away stops to look and a woman glances over. McGlockton then exits the store, walks toward Drejka and, just as Jacobs gets out of the car, shoves Drejka with both hands. Drejka lands on his back and McGlockton takes a step toward him. Drejka sits up, pulls his gun from his right front pocket and points it at McGlockton, who takes three steps back, his arms at his side. He fires, hitting McGlockton, who runs back into the store clutching his chest. Witnesses said he collapsed in front of his son, who was waiting inside. Michael McGlockton, the dead man's father, told reporters his son was protecting his family when he shoved Drejka: 'Any man out there would have done the exact same thing.' Clearwater attorney Michele Rayner, right, speaks to the media with Britany Jacobs, left, at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center He said Drejka should have stood up and fought his son, not shot him. Crump drew comparisons on Thursday to the case of Martin, a 17-year-old black youth who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a Hispanic man who was his Orlando-area neighborhood's watch captain. Zimmerman had confronted Martin, who was walking back to the home of his father's fiancee after making a purchase at a convenience store. Monica Moore, mother of Markeis McGlockton, left, is comforted by Louis Robinson Zimmerman said he thought Martin might be a burglar casing homes. They fought and Zimmerman fatally shot him. There were no eyewitnesses or videos. Zimmerman said he feared that Martin, who was unarmed, was about to kill him and a jury acquitted him of second-degree murder. Crump said Drejka and Zimmerman started their altercations and the law should not let them then fatally shoot someone. 'They could have just let the police do their job. But these wannabe cops initiated the confrontation and shot and killed in cold blood these unarmed black men,' he said. 'And then both were allowed to go home and sleep in their beds.' Surveillance footage exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com shows one of President Obamas senior officials following a woman around a DC Metro station and taking a picture up her skirt with his cell phone. William Mendoza was caught on security cameras carrying out the vile act while he was executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education. As a result of his actions, the married father pleaded guilty to attempted voyeurism and resigned from his $140,000-a-year Department of Education post in Obamas White House. His arrest and conviction were never made public until DailyMail.com acquired the report of the investigation and the footage through a Freedom of Information Act request. The video footage taken on July 5, 2016, contains five segments, put together as part of the Metro Police Transit Department (WMATA) investigation into Mendozas conduct. The parts of the video are not in chronological order. The first clip shows Mendoza following the woman wearing a jean skirt across the ticket hall and onto the escalator at the Union Station Metro with his cell phone in his hand. Mendoza's arrest and conviction were never made public until DailyMail.com acquired the report of the investigation and the security camera footage through a Freedom of Information Act request The second shows him closely trailing the same woman along the platform after disembarking a train. The third shows Mendoza waiting at the turnstiles and entering the ticketed area at the same time as the woman. The fourth shows him walking across the ticket hall, taking his phone out of his pocket and turning it on. In the far left of the shot you can see him getting closer to the woman on the escalator, bending down and the light on his cell phone turning on. You can then see the flash from the camera as he takes the photo. In the final part of the video you can see Mendoza following the woman on the platform from another angle. Mendoza was arrested and charged in November 2016 after the woman, as well as three others, complained about his behavior cops. He pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted voyeurism in January 2017, was given suspended 90-day prison sentence, one years probation and was fined $100. He has not worked in public office since stepping down. DailyMail.com contacted his lawyer Paul Kiyonaga for comment, but he did not respond. Surveillance footage exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com shows one of President Obamas senior officials, William Mendoza, following a woman around a DC Metro station before taking a picture up her skirt. He is seen here, in the white shirt and tie, behind the woman in a skirt with his phone out. The video has been blurred to protect her identity Mendoza was caught on camera carrying out the vile act while he was executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education. He is seen behind the woman on the escalator at the station with the light on his cell phone on In a previous story about Mendoza's conduct, Kiyonaga told DailyMail.com that the he received treatment after his conviction and is now trying to move on with his life away from public office. He said: Mr. Mendoza has taken responsibility for this charge of attempted voyeurism. Hes received treatment for the underlying issues that gave rise to this incident, and, with the strong support of his family, is moving forward productively with his life. According to Department of Education documents, Mendoza tried to take photos and videos up women's skirts at least four times on his government-issued iPhones in July 2016 without their consent. He was also allegedly caught looking at footage, apparently filmed in secret, of a woman in her underwear getting changed in a dressing room. It is not known if he recorded the video himself. When he took the indecent photos, he was supposed to be at work and was using a travel card funded by the taxpayer, according to the documents obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information Act request. The married man is seen from another angle following the woman (left). On the right you can see him bend down to take the picture. The flash is reflected on the side of the escalator The video footage of taken on July 5, 2016, contains five segments, put together as part of the Metro Police Transit Department (WMATA) investigation into Mendozas conduct. This clip shows him following the woman, who has not been named, on the platform Mendoza resigned just before the Department of Education could launch their own investigation into his sexual misconduct. Mendoza became the executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education in December 2011, when President Obama created it by executive order. Throughout his tenure working for the Obama Administration, Mendoza tried to get Native Americans get better access to education and also rallied against the use of tribal mascots in sports. Mendoza worked under Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his successor John King. He has at least three children, is part of the Oglala-Sicangu Lakota tribe and is a fixture of the protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline with his wife, Heather. The documents obtained by DailyMail.com say Mendoza took four of the upskirt photos on subway trains in the capital and was caught on a platform watching a video of a woman in her underwear in a dressing room. In the video, the Native American activist is seen closely following the victim on the platform from another angle Twice on July 5, 2016, between 2.00pm and 3.00pm, Mendoza used his cell phone to take two indecent pictures of women in close proximity to their bottom at the Union Station Metro in the space of just 20 minutes. One of the victims was wearing a short jeans skirt, as seen in the surveillance video, and the other had extremely short cut black shorts, according to police. On July 7, 2016, at 8.23am a witness saw Mendoza behind a woman at the McPherson Square Metro station. The victim was seen pulling her dress closer to her legs to cover up when she noticed the illuminated light of the cell phone, the documents state. Police say he ran out of the train station after someone noticed his surreptitious actions while a bystander shouted stop. A detective called her about the incident during investigation, and said that a man who looked like Mendoza also tried to take a photo up her skirt on a subway train two weeks earlier. Later on July 7, at 6.19pm, Mendoza was caught on a surveillance camera taking out his phone and looking at a video showing a womans underwear underneath a white dress. Mendoza and the woman are both seen entering the ticket hall at the DC Metro station The report states the footage appeared to have been surreptitiously filmed in a stores dressing room. On July 8, at 9.25am, Mendoza left one of the platforms at the Farragut West Metro station and started following a woman wearing a maroon dress onto the escalators. According to the documents he placed his cell phone near the bottom of her dress while behind her and took the picture. Just one minute later, he walked back down the stairs and waited in an unpaid area of the station. He waited until he saw another woman wearing a blue dress. Mendoza stood behind her on the escalator, took another picture, and then walked away. In August 2016, the Washington Metro Transit Area Authority Police Department (WMATA) contacted the Department of Education to say they were investigating Mendoza. Part of the investigation was analyzing the security footage before it was obtained by DailyMail.com. On November 25, 2016, before the Office of the Inspector General finished their probe into his conduct, he resigned. Five days later, a detective from the WMATA got a search warrant for Mendoza's government-issued electronic items, including his laptop. He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted voyeurism in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on January 13, 2017, and was given a 90-day suspended prison sentence as part of a plea agreement. Mendoza is seen left alongside former Education Secretary Arne Duncan at the Rosebud-Sioux Tribal Fair in 2011 where Obama met Native Americans. Mendoza resigned just before the Department of Education could launch their own investigation into his sexual misconduct and pleaded guilty to the charges in January 2017 Mendoza was also given one year probation and a $100 fine. After he pleaded guilty he sought treatment. In April 2017, the Department of Educations Office of the Inspector General advised he should be barred from federal employment due to suitability. The voyeurism scandal wasnt the only time Mendoza came under scrutiny for his conduct during his time in office. An autistic man said he punched him and called him a weetard for wearing a Washington Redskins sweater in 2015, a year before his run in with police. Barrett Dahl, 28, says he was at a Native American gathering in Washington, DC in October 2015 when appointee Mendoza spotted him wearing the sweater. 'He comes to me and says you're a "weetard" for wearing a Redskins shirt,' Dahl told Oklahoma TV station KFOR at the time. 'He says where are you from that you're such a "weetard," you don't understand that you're offending me?' Mendoza (pictured in 2016) pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted voyeurism in January 2017, was given suspended 90-day prison sentence, one years probation and was fined $100. He has not worked in public office since stepping down from Obama's administration Mendoza protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in 2016 with his son on his shoulder Mendoza told News9 that he politely asked about the words 'INJUN PIMP' on the back of Dahl's shirt, and that Dahl responded violently. According to Mendoza,, Dahl said: 'I don't have to (expletive) explain (expletive) to you. If you want to step outside and take this outside, I'd be happy to explain it to you.' Dahl says his shirt said 'INJUN PLAYER.' Mendoza says he offered Dahl his hand after seeing him on the escalator and apologized for upsetting him, but Dahl then attacked. 'He was holding a cup in his hand,' Mendoza wrote, 'at which point, he threw its contents that was the smell of coffee and was hot, but not scalding. 'He then punched me in the face (right cheek). I tried to grab him but we both fell.' Mendoza strenuously denied the allegation. He was not arrested, and has never been accused of criminal wrongdoing in relation to the confrontation with Dahl. The Department of Education confirmed to DailyMail.com that Mendoza resigned before the internal investigation into his conduct concluded. A husband and wife accused of child rape who had been on the run from authorities for almost two decades were finally tracked down this week. Leon Shaw and wife Victoria Cravitz, from Oregon, fled their Oregon homes in 2000 after being accused of sexually abusing four children, including Cravitz's daughter. She was arrested in Mississippi on Wednesday after Shaw died of an infection in hospital and she used one of his wanted aliases to try and arrange his funeral. Victoria Cravitz (left in an undated mugshot, right this week) went on the run from her Oregon home in 2000 after she and husband Leon Shaw were accused of sexually abusing four young girls, including her biological daughter. She was arrested in Mississippi this week She is now being extradited to Oregon where she was previously charged with three counts of first-degree rape and one count of first-degree sodomy. If convicted, the 56-year-old can expect to spend the rest of her life behind bars. Police were first alerted to Shaw and Cravitz in 1999, when three people claiming to be previous victims of the couple contacted officers. The trio said they were concerned that three children who were still in the couple's care were also being abused, the Herald and News reports. Police subsequently accused Shaw and Cravitz of abusing four girls aged between six and 17 between 1989 and 1999. One of the victims was Cravitz's biological daughter. Officers say the couple forced two 10-year-olds to have sex with each other, while at least one child was raped by an adult. One of the victims said she was kidnapped by the couple, impregnated by Shaw, and was forced to give birth to his child. She managed to escape from the couple, but was forced to leave her child behind. Police issued a warrant to search the couple's home in 1999, prompting them to flee to California, where Cravitz's parents lived. They were charged in 2000, with Shaw facing five counts of first-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of first-degree sodomy. Cravitz was caught after Shaw (pictured in 1988) died in hospital while suffering from an infection. While arranging his funeral, Cravitz gave an undertaker a wanted alias, which allowed FBI agents to swoop on her However, authorities were unable to track them down, and they remained on the run for years. At one point, authorities believed the pair had moved to Alaska, but never got any concrete leads. Their guise was blown when Shaw was taken to a hospital in Washington County, Mississippi, where he died. Cravitz used one of his aliases to make funeral arrangements, but when an undertaker entered it into a database he appeared on the FBI's most-wanted list. FBI agents moved in and arrested Cravitz. She had been living under the name Jennifer Larsen. The couple apparently had lived south of Greenville, Mississippi, for about 15 years and supported themselves through Cravitz's work cleaning houses and Shaw's woodworking art. 'They had been on the run for a long time. They always lived in rural areas,' district attorney Eve Costello said. 'They didn't have a lot of contact with people and they moved constantly.' Cravitz made an initial court appearance in Jackson, Mississippi, Thursday on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and is expected to be returned to Oregon. Federal court documents show she waived a hearing to determine her identity, as well as a preliminary hearing, and was ordered transferred by the judge. The Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trump's presidential campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, legal documents have revealed. Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. The data was obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky's London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Center, that is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption. Moscow lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya (pictured), who is said to have promised Trump's presidential campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, worked more closely with Russian government officials than she previously let on Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Trump's eldest son, Don Jr, met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government The AP was unable to reach Veselnitskaya for comment. Messages from a reporter sent to her phone were marked as 'read' but were not returned. Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government and was offering Moscow's help defeating rival presidential candidate Clinton. She has denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met with the Trump team, telling Congress that she operates 'independently of any government bodies'. Damaging information on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was promised to the Trump campaign during the 2016 meeting But the Dossier Center's documents suggest her ties to Russian authorities are close - and they pull the curtain back on her campaign to overturn the sanctions imposed by the US on Russian officials. For example, the emails show that Veselnitskaya was mixed up in the Russian government's attempt to extract financial information from the former law firm of Bill Browder, the American-born British businessman who was a longtime critic of the Kremlin. An October 31, 2017, email shows Veselnitskaya's office preparing a draft version of Russian Deputy General Prosecutor Mikhail Alexandrov's affidavit to Cypriot authorities. 'This is needed by tomorrow,' she wrote a subordinate. Two weeks later, a finalized version of the same document was sent by a Russian diplomatic staffer to a Cypriot counterpart, the Dossier Center's files show. Browder, who has often clashed with Veselnitskaya in and out of court, said this reinforced the idea that she was enmeshed with Russian officialdom. 'If her office is drafting replies for Russian-Cyprus law enforcement cooperation, in my opinion that effectively shows that she's an agent of the Russian government and not an independent lawyer as she claims,' he said in a telephone interview. The meeting between Don Jr and Veselnitskaya occurred at the Trump Tower in 2016 In a written statement, the Russian Embassy in Cyprus called the AP's question a 'provocation' and said it had 'no idea who is Nataliya Veselnitskaya and what she sends or doesn't send to the Cypriot Officials.' Alexandrov, reached at the prosecutor-general's office, refused to speak to the AP. Veselnitskaya appears to have gotten government support too. When Swiss officials arrived in Moscow on September 2015 to interrogate Denis Katsyv, one of her key clients, they were met not just by Veselnitskaya but by Lt Col A. V. Ranchenkov, a senior Interior Ministry official previously known for his role investigating the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. Ranchenkov devoted a chunk of the interview to questions about the legality of Browder's actions, according to a transcript of the interrogation reviewed by AP. The Russian Interior Ministry did not return messages seeking comment. The emails also show how Veselnitskaya tried to extend her influence to the United States, where she was working to overturn the Magnitsky Act, a sanctions law that was championed by Browder after his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, died under suspicious circumstances in a Russian prison. Moscow responded to the sanctions with a ban on US adoptions of Russian orphans. That prompted lobbyists to court groups such as Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption Including Neighboring Countries, or FRUA, a charity that supports families who adopt children from former Soviet bloc nations. The idea was to use the issue of adoptions to help them reverse the sanctions. For example, the emails show that Veselnitskaya was mixed up in the Russian government's attempt to extract financial information from the former law firm of Bill Browder (pictured), the American-born British businessman who was a longtime critic of the Kremlin The transcripts and other data was obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky's (pictured) London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Center, that is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption Jan Wondra, FRUA's chairman, said she attended a meeting in Washington on June 8, 2016 with a group of people that included Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who was working with Veselnitskaya to overturn the sanctions. The group told her there was evidence that the Magnitsky Act was propelled by bogus claims spread by Browder, Wondra said. It promised that the revelation could lead to the overturning of the Russian adoption ban. Wondra told the AP she was suspicious and feared that the lobbyists wanted FRUA's endorsement for their own purposes. 'My antennae were out. I looked at this as an attempt to put public pressure on Congress to rescind all or a part of the Magnitsky Act,' she said, emphasizing that she spoke only for herself, not her organization. 'The conclusion I drew was that FRUA should not participate. And we didn't.' Akhmetshin, who would join Veselnitskaya at the Trump Tower meeting the next day, declined comment. The emails obtained by AP leave some unanswered questions. In particular, the Dossier Center's investigation turned up almost no messages about the Trump Tower meeting itself. The group said it received only a few messages dealing with the media queries when the meeting became public in mid-2017. There's no mention either of the Russian hack-and-leak operation that began rattling the Democrats immediately following Veselnitskaya's visit. Vigilante school students who created fake profiles on a popular hook-up app to catch and rob paedophiles will face court next month. At least four students from Perth, Western Australia have been charged over the elaborate ploy to lure older men to parks and mug them. Up to 10 students overall were reportedly involved in the cunning scheme on social networking app Grindr, 9 News reported. Sources said the teens attended the same school in Perth's western suburbs and allegedly operated on the belief they were on a vigilante justice mission. Three alleged robberies occurred in the coastal suburb of Scarborough (stock image) last week A group of Perth teens reportedly created fake profiles on social networking app Grindr (stock image) A WA Police spokeswoman confirmed four teens have been charged in relation to three alleged robberies in the coastal suburb of Scarborough in Perth's northeast on July 20 and 21. 'It is alleged the youths arranged to meet the male victims online,' the spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. 'When the victim arrived at an agreed location, the youths robbed the person, taking personal items and on one occasion, a victim was also assaulted.' The teens reportedly set up a profile on social networking app Grindr, which allegedly aimed to lure older men to parks and rob them A Karrinyup girl, 16, and a Doubleview boy, 16, were charged with aggravated robbery. A Doubleview boy, 17, and Woodlands boy, 16, were charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with intent to rob. The four youths will appear in Perth Children's Court on August 21. Investigations are continuing. Detectives urge anyone with any information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at crimestopperswa.com.au. A Sydney school principal says C grades should be celebrated by parents because they show their child's progress is 'on track'. In a newsletter released earlier this month, Canterbury South Public School principal Daniela Frasca said parents should not be concerned if their child received a C grade on their half-yearly reports. But an expert says Ms Frasca's comments have encouraged parents to settle for mediocrity, which can be damaging for children. A Sydney school principal says parents should celebrate their child receiving a C Grade on their school reports (stock image) Canterbury South School Principal Daniela Frasca made the comments in a school newsletter sent to parents earlier this month '''C'' IS TO BE CELEBRATED,' Ms Frasca wrote. 'C means that your child is "on track" in relation to what he or she is expected to learn. Other grades will indicate whether your child is doing better than expected or needs more help. 'Grade C shows that the student has achieved all of the skills, values and knowledge intended by the teacher when they planned the learning program for the semester.' Ms Frasca said while a C grade student might have required extra revision or individual teaching, the child 'demonstrated achievement of the learning goals'. 'Parents should not be worried about a child's progress if he or she has received this grade. Your child is on track in this area. His/her performance is sound,' she said. Ms Frasca's comments were in response to half-yearly reports, which were sent home to parents just before the school holidays. Ms Frasca said a C Grade showed Canterbury South Public School (pictured) students 'achieved all of the skills, values and knowledge intended by the teacher' She said a child's grading was not the only indication of their school performance. 'Teachers' comments are just as important, if not more important, than the grade because the comment is the explanation behind the grade,' Ms Frasca wrote. Professor Helen Watt, University of Sydney Educational Psychology, said the grade should not be treated as cause for celebration. 'A "C" grade on its own is nothing to be celebrated, but if it means they've improved, that should be what is being celebrated,' she told The Daily Telegraph. Ms Frasca said a B Grade, 'shows that the student has performed very well with the work presented' and an A grade student 'is performing at an outstanding level'. A D grade student 'is having some difficulty coping with the work', while an E grade pupil 'is finding learning very difficult at this time', Ms Frasca said. A week which began cold and windy will end in warm sunshine for Australia's major capital cities, according to weather boffins. Sydney will be sunny with a maximum temperature of 22C on Friday while Melbourne will see mostly sunny weather with the mercury reaching 18C. Victorians, however, will have to make the most of the ray of sunshine before another distinct change on Sunday as conditions plummet once again. The Bureau of Meteorology said there was a risk of afternoon hail and thunder with an 80 per cent chance of rain. Despite sunshine on Friday and Saturday, Melbourne is set to experience a drop in weather on Sunday with a risk of hail and thunder during the afternoon and evening (stock image) A minimum of 9C and maximum of 13C and 80 per cent chance of rain on Sunday will lead Melbourne into another bitter cold week Melbourne has already battled tough winter weather as the city experienced strong wind gusts on Monday 23 (pictured: large waves crash at Mornington Pier) Senior Forecaster from the Victorian Bureau office, Richard Carlyon, said the current warmer weather in Melbourne was brought by northerly winds from inland New South Wales. However, a southwesterly airstream will change the warmer temperatures come Sunday. A minimum of 9C and maximum of 13C will lead Melbourne into another bitter cold week. 'On Sunday a strong cold front will move from the Southern Ocean to pass through Melbourne bringing a colder southwesterly airstream thereby lowering temperatures and causing snowfalls to develop down to 900 metres above sea level,' Mr Carlyon said. 'Another cold front on Tuesday will reinforce the cooler air keeping conditions wintery for the early part of the week.' The temperature drop follows Monday's severe weather warning from the bureau as the city endured damaging winds. The city is notorious for dramatic flips in weather, having experienced rough conditions in the past week, including 126km/h winds The Bureau had previously warned Melbourne residents to take precautions due to strong winds (pictured: tree branch on metro train after 100km/h winds in Melbourne in February) Residents were encouraged to take precautions before strong gusts hit in the afternoon and evening. Images captured at Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, showed large waves crash on to the pier amid the dangerous winds. Less than a week earlier, Tuesday 17, the Bureau advised Melbourne residents to steer clear of the roads due to gusty winds, showers and hail. The storm that lashed out that afternoon brought 126km/h winds in one of the cities windiest days of the year. Carlyon also said that northerly winds may return later next week which would lead to an increase in temperatures in Melbourne. Sydney-siders will experience sunny weather on Friday as they head into the weekend (stock image) The warmer weather this weekend is a relief for Sydney-siders after they woke to freezing conditions on Monday. The windchill factor made low temperatures feel even colder as parts of Sydney's west dropped below zero degrees. In Sydney's centre, the mercury hit a low of 5.4 degrees, which felt like 0.9 degrees, making it one of the city's coldest mornings this year. Over the coming weekend, the city will likely experience pleasant temperatures in the early twenties as a maximum of 21C and 23C are forecast for Saturday and Sunday. The Bureau has also released weather warnings for parts of South Australia and Western Australia as they battle strong winds. Documents have emerged detailing the extraordinary measures taken to return convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby to Australia - with the help of the police and the federal Government. Switching flights, body-doubles and emergency media conferences were just some of the plans outlined in the preparation documents for when Corby returned to Australia from Bali in May 2017, 9News reported. Members of the Australian Federal Police, Brisbane Airport and Australian Border Force allegedly collaborated with her security details to pull off the operation, the report claims. Intricate measures to smuggle Schapelle Corby back into Australia unnoticed have emerged (Corby pictured) Corby, her sister Mercedes, and members of their private security team were taken through another exit at Queensland Airport and given express customs checks According to the documents, the priority of the mission was to smuggle Corby back into Australia without the media or the public noticing. However, Corby has hit back at the claim that taxpayer funding was used to get her back in the country, calling it 'fake news'. '#breakingnews you know nothing,' she posted on Instagram. She also says she was ambushed in the car park by media. Government officials and Brisbane Airport both justified the elaborate plans as a way to keep the peace. Corby was jailed in Bali for nine years for smuggling more than four kilograms of cannabis into Indonesia in a boogie board bag. THE PLAN TO SMUGGLE SCHAPELLE INTO AUSTRALIA She was booked on a Virgin flight, but was switched to a Malindo Airlines plane in Denpasar. Corby and her sister, Mercedes, along with their private security detail, were first provided with motorised carts to travel through the airport faster. While she disembarked from the plane, other passengers were held on board, airline staff preventing them from using their smartphones until Corby was off the aircraft. She was escorted to a side door and then into the airport via the concourse, skipping the duty-free section and accessing express customs processing. Under wraps and surrounded by staff from her personal security company, Tora Solutions, Corby was escorted to private vehicles, many of which were decoys, while a press briefing took place inside to distract members of the press. The convoy left the airport through a VIP exit, with members of Queensland Police pulling over media cars. The escape vehicles were seen making illegal turns, eventually getting away. Advertisement Corby hit back at the media in a post on Instagram, saying that their report was 'fake news' A neighbour has found a heavily pregnant woman screaming and slumped in his doorway after she was stabbed during a violent home invasion. The 33-year-old woman, who is seven-months-pregnant, was stabbed multiple times in the stomach, chest and arm in her Mt Colah home in Sydney's north about 9pm Thursday. The 14-year-old intruder was arrested after he was found at a nearby home in Beechworth Place about an hour after the horrific incident with stab wounds to his hands. Neighbours yesterday detailed how they ran outside to find the woman 'screaming and extremely stressed'. Mark (pictured) revealed he found his heavily pregnant neighbour screaming and 'very stressed' outside her home after the Thursday night stabbing Joanna Diment said she and her husband Adam held the woman as she bled profusely. 'She was just slumped in the doorway, I think she was holding her side, they put blankets around her,' Mrs Diment told The Daily Telegraph. A second neighbour, Mark, said he phoned Triple 0 and stayed with the woman until paramedics arrived. 'She was very stressed, very, very, very stressed, which she would be you know, home by herself,' he told Seven News. The woman was rushed to the Royal North Shore Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition. The condition of her unborn baby is unknown. Forensic police are pictured at the northern Sydney home where the 33-year-old woman was stabbed during a violent home invasion Police at the scene after a seven-months pregnant woman was stabbed multiple times at a home in northern Sydney The alleged intruder is under police guard at Hornsby Hospital awaiting surgery for his hand wounds. Blood stains reportedly remain on the doorstep of the neighbour's home, where the 33-year-old begged for help. New South Wales Police are investigating. Police established a crime scene at the Mt Colah home on Thursday evening as they launched an investigation into the incident Steven Bochco may be famous for his TV writing and producing career, but a little known fact about the strong-willed Hollywood figure is that he fired one of his star actors whose 'morning dump' made him late to set every day. Bochco, who passed away in April earlier this year, recounted the feces-related firing in his book Truth Is a Total Defense: My Fifty Years in Television. In his book he detailed how he gave actor Daniel Benzali the boot while he was the lead in the hit drama Murder One which aired from 1995 to 1997, after he allegedly blamed his tardiness on his morning bathroom routine. TV producer Steven Bochco (left) fired Daniel Benzali (right), the lead actor in his 1995 hit show Murder One, because he was late to set everyday due to his morning dumps Benzali rose to fame on set on Murder One, pictured above, where he played successful attorney Ted Hoffman and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance Bochco wrote: 'When he arrived, I said, "Daniel youre an hour late for work every day and its hurting us. What can I do to help you with this problem?" 'Daniel said to me, "I dont know what to tell you. I live in Malibu. I get up, I have my coffee, and then I have to wait until I have my morning dump." 'Unbelievable. I suggested the following: "Get up, have your coffee, and come to work, then have your morning dump." Bochco dished on the feces-related firing in his book Truth Is a Total Defense: My Fifty Years in Television 'Daniel said he couldn't; that once hed had his coffee, the drive was too long for him to hold his dump in,"' he wrote in his May 2016 published book. Despite efforts to come to a compromise, Benzali said: 'I can only go to the bathroom in my own toilet at home'. As a result of the bathroom blues, Bochco fired Benzali in 1996 from the show where he played attorney Ted Hoffman and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. Comedian Max Silvestri shared the book excerpt revealing the cut-throat side of the TV writer on Twitter where it has gone viral with over 1,000 likes on Thursday. 'IMPORTANT: Steven Bochco fired the lead actor from MURDER ONE because his morning dump made him an hour late to set every single day,' he wrote. 'Bocho also offered to rent him an apartment across the street from the lot so he could wake up there and s*** but Benzali said no. "Malibu is my sanctuary,"' he added. Speaking on the very public firing, Bochco didn't reveal the details behind his decision, instead he credited cutting Benzali to freshening up the show's cast and story line. Comedian Max Silvestri shared the book excerpt revealing the cut-throat side of the TV writer on Twitter where it has gone viral with more than 1,000 likes One Twitter user revealed he interviewed Bochco who needed plenty of time for the bathroom Silvestri responded saying: 'Surprised then he wasn't more understanding of Daniel Bengali's evacuation habits' Positive side: One Twitter user said Benzali was at least not wasting work time in the bathroom Many Twitter users agreed with Benzali saying: 'I'm fully on the actor's side here. I'm not going to use strange toilets' Veep actor Timothy Simons said: 'Honestly this guy is the last sane man on earth and I support him' siding with Benzali Twitter users were left in stitches of laughter following the viral tweet saying: 'I don't know who these people are, but this conversation is incredibly amusing' 'I think when you've got as low a rating as we had and you get renewed, you've got to try to broaden your appeal,' Bochco said to the New York Times in 1996. He added 'that while what [Benzali] did he did brilliantly, he just did not have a broad-based indentifiability, if there is such a word.' The viral excerpt left Twitter users in laughter over the TV producer and actor's dispute over a morning dump. 'Honestly this guy is the last sane man on earth and I support him,' Veep actor Timothy Simmons wrote on Twitter. 'Showrunner refuses to rearrange shooting schedule after being informed of lead actor's medical needs; fires actor instead,' one Twitter user said. 'No one should ever poop at work. Its an act of aggression. This firing was unjustified,' another wrote. 'When I interviewed Bochco, a lot of time was given over to bowel health and practices. and I was not the one doing the talking. Just saying,' Journalist Mark Harris wrote, to which Silvestri replied: 'Surprised then he wasnt more understanding of Daniel Bengalis evacuation habits.' 'I like Bocho, but as someone with shy bowels, I'm fully on the actor's side here. I'm not going to use strange toilets,' another Twitter user echoed. More than six million people are alive thanks to IVF or in vitro fertilisation The birth of the world's first test tube baby, Louise Joy Brown, 40 years ago this week, was one of the 20th century's most remarkable scientific advances. More than six million people are alive thanks to the technique that made her birth possible IVF or in vitro fertilisation, where a human egg is fertilised with sperm in a laboratory then implanted in the womb. A great British success story, Louise was conceived in a feat of unparalleled scientific daring after more than ten years of research and 467 attempts to create human life outside the body. Her arrival by Caesarean delivery at Oldham General Hospital on July 25, 1978, prompted an explosion of headlines worldwide and huge controversy. For some, it was the beginning of the end, the closest man could get to playing God, and the consequences would be dire, with the growth of 'baby factories' forecast. The doctor and scientist who pioneered IVF obstetrician and gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and Cambridge physiologist Robert Edwards were accused of dabbling with infanticide, creating 'Frankenbabies'. A spokesman for the Vatican later declared: 'Without Edwards there wouldn't be a market for eggs, or freezers full of embryos waiting to be transferred in utero (into the womb) or, more likely, to be used for research or to die, abandoned and forgotten by all.' In 2010 Edwards, who died in 2013, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his work, while Steptoe, who died ten years after his greatest achievement, is regarded as an immense pioneer. But 40 years ago there were many who wanted him to be struck off the medical register. So what sort of man was he? The Steptoe I knew when I was the Mail's Medical Correspondent was the most unlikely medical revolutionary. Tall and silver-haired, with soft blue eyes and a kind manner, he was passionate about his work and his patients. For some the first IVF baby was the beginning of the end, the closest man could get to playing God, and the consequences would be dire, with the growth of 'baby factories' forecast That passion was the armour he used to face down his detractors. He'd seen too many women, and their partners, suffer the anguish of being unable to do what most of us take for granted: start a family. In retrospect, what strikes me as remarkable is that, despite the hue and cry, how quickly this spectacular advance became a routine medical procedure. In the 25 years following Louise's birth, there were about 30,000 IVF babies born in the UK. In 2016 alone, there were 20,028 births from 68,000 IVF treatments. (Infertility affects more than 3.5 million people in the UK about one in seven couples.) Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, in her mother's arms. She was born by IVF in 1978 While there is a postcode lottery in IVF treatment on the NHS (latest figures suggest just one in ten Clinical Commissioning Groups fund IVF for the full three cycles for women under 40 recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), there is a booming market in private treatment. According to the research consultancy LaingBuisson, the UK's 132 licensed clinics were worth 320 million in total in 2016 and accounted for 68,000 IVF cycles and 13,500 intra uterine insemination (IUI) cycles. Demand is growing at about three per cent per year. Which brings me to what I believe is the dark side of IVF the commercialisation of this highly fraught procedure, fuelled by its incredible growth and the profits to be made. Successful treatment undoubtedly brings great happiness, but IVF is also synonymous with a high failure rate. There is the emotional trauma of successive treatment failures. The false hope it gives to women against whom the biological odds of conceiving are heavily stacked. Then, of course, there are the crippling bills and, increasingly, the speculative eye of the money men. Private equity investment has driven much of the consolidation of the market since 2012, according to that LaingBuisson report. It predicts NHS funding of IVF will fall as spending constraints tighten in a health system already struggling to cope with an ageing population. So, good news for private clinics, bad news for patients According to a leading health economics consultant I spoke to, up to a third of the IVF market is controlled by private equity groups such as White Cloud, which owns the Fertility Partnership, and Bowmark, which owns Care Fertility. Both are reputable clinics, but private equity groups' prime responsibility, critics say, is to their investors not patients. The consultant added: 'I recently spoke to about 15 people who've been through IVF. 'Typically they had a treatment estimate of about 4,000 but actually paid nearer 8,000 with supplementary charges. 'Dentists risk being accused of professional misconduct if they don't issue full treatment estimates. The same should be true with IVF.' One group of clinics not shy of proclaiming its costs is Spanish chain IVI, which has a new centre in London. This month, in what some see as the ultimate in the 'commercialisation of reproduction', it was revealed that it is offering 'no baby, no fee' deals that could cost up to 26,000 for three IVF cycles. Given that private clinics typically charge up to 5,000 per treatment cycle and couples routinely have three or four cycles, IVI are charging well over the odds while making ambitious promises. According to the marketing material: 'With IVI Baby you will have your baby home with you in a maximum time frame of 24 months.' This doesn't quite fit with persistently low IVF success rates. Forty years after Louise Brown, the 'take-home' baby rate for IVF is less than 30 per cent among women under 35; about 15 per cent for women aged 38 to 39 and two per cent for women aged over 44. The birth rate overall is 21 per cent, up from eight per cent in 1991. And what about the psychological toll? Having IVF is an emotional roller-coaster as couples endure the agony of waiting to see if treatment has worked, while failure to conceive can be a devastating experience. A major survey by Fertility Network UK and Middlesex University of couples having IVF found that 42 per cent of the 865 respondents had experienced suicidal feelings. That is why NICE recommends counselling before, during and after treatment regardless of outcome. While the NHS offers women under 40 three IVF cycles, private clinics have not been slow to promote a 2015 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggested around two-thirds of patients, especially women under 40, will be successful after six or more cycles of IVF. This is despite the physical risks associated with the repeated use of the powerful drugs used to harvest eggs for IVF. (There is no legal limit on the practice and concern is growing over the liberal use of the drugs, with some women who agree to share or donate eggs having treatment up to five times a year.) Of course, the irony of IVF's high failure rate is the opportunity it offers for boosting profits further through a range of 'add-on' treatments, costing up to 1,000 more, which claim to increase chances of conception, but some of which are highly dubious. Complementary treatments such as homeopathy, which I believe are useless, are also in vogue. This is something that concerns Ying Cheong, Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Southampton University. 'With no scientific answers to explain the majority of the failures, many clinics resort to offering pointless, expensive add-ons to try to improve their success rate to no avail,' she says. Such add-ons inevitably feed the hope of desperate couples that the next cycle will be the one that works, and suppress any idea of stopping treatment and perhaps trying to come to terms with a childless future. In her book, The Pursuit Of Motherhood, Jessica Hepburn told how that hope was so strong that IVF for her became 'a habit, as addictive as crack cocaine, just as hard to kick and a hell of a lot more expensive. If I had never been pregnant, I suspect I would have quit years ago. But I have conceived six times. 'It's just that, sadly, the pregnancies haven't lasted. It's those brief glimpses of hope that have fed my overwhelming compulsion to have 'one last try'.' Her craving for a baby cost her 50,000, but she was not an exceptionally big spender. Ten per cent of respondents in a Fertility Network survey reported spending more than 30,000. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is meant to protect vulnerable patients, but in 2016, Dr Fiona Godlee, editor of the British Medical Journal, highlighted a disturbing survey: of 27 add-on fertility treatments, most lacked evidence of effectiveness and information on possible risks. 'Yet all are available, for a fee, to vulnerable people desperate to conceive a child,' she wrote. The survey should be a 'wake-up' call for the HFEA, Dr Godlee added. Indeed, the watchdog's new website includes a traffic light system for add-on treatments: a green symbol means effective and safe; amber, promising results; and red, 'no evidence of effectiveness and safety'. Disturbingly, the nine 'add-ons' the HFEA lists are either red or amber there are no greens. The 'reds' include a controversial procedure called 'assisted hatching'. Before an embryo can implant in the womb, it has to hatch from a shell-like structure. According to some specialists, a tiny surgical incision in the shell can trigger hatching. But the HFEA maintains that this can damage the embryo, while NICE says the procedure is 'not recommended because it has not been shown to improve pregnancy rates'. Yet London clinics charge hundreds of pounds for assisted hatching some twice as much as others. The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH) charges 600; London Women's Clinic, 500; Fertility Plus, 400; Assisted Reproduction and Gynacology Centre, 300. I asked CRGH how they justified charging for an unproven procedure and demanding 300 more than a rival. Chief Operating Officer Jonathon Fagg did not comment on the cost, but insisted: 'There is emerging evidence that, for a minority of patients with poor prognosis, assisted hatching can properly be offered. 'We are entirely transparent about the evidence-base, the likelihood of success and the cost, so our patients can make an informed decision, supported and respected by our clinicians.' Another procedure, 'endometrial scratching', in which the womb lining is scratched (apparently very painful, according to some women) in the belief it will aid embryo implantation, has an HFEA amber rating. It advises that research has 'consistently shown benefit', but says more evidence is needed. Well this month, evidence has been forthcoming but not perhaps what proponents of the technique would have liked. In a study of 1,300 women in five countries, IVF success rates were virtually identical in women who had been 'scratched' and those who had not. Four clinics I checked charge between 150 and 350 for 'scratching'. Should they charge at all for unproven, potentially risky treatments? In my view, no, no and no again. In its defence, the HFEA says it has been working with professional groups such as the British Fertility Society to decide how unproven technologies should be correctly introduced into clinical practice. It adds that its updated Code of Practice, due out later this year, will require all clinics 'to provide information about treatment add-ons to patients including what evidence there is of effectiveness and requiring them to point patients to the relevant sections of the HFEA website'. In truth, the HFEA has no control over the Wild West of IVF charging structures because private clinics set their own fees. Ironically, these fees could fall dramatically if IVF success rates improve, reducing the number of treatment cycles and the need for 'add-ons' and counselling. This is the goal for Professor Evelyn Telfer and colleagues at Edinburgh University and doctors at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and the New York Center for Human Reproduction. They are researching what she calls 'Second generation IVF'. Her team is the first in the world to have grown human eggs in a sliver of excised ovarian tissue from the earliest stage to full maturity outside the body. She, like test tube baby pioneers Steptoe and Edwards, has faced vehement criticism from colleagues because of the controversial nature of her research, in particular the fact that some of the developed eggs in her study matured in just 22 days compared with the five months it would have taken in the body. 'The process takes much longer in the body because the eggs have to work in tandem with the woman's hormonal cycle,' explains Professor Telfer. 'We describe the way our eggs grow outside the body not as accelerated development, but as development without brakes. That's a big difference.' She sees a future in which IVF is 'streamlined' by growing better quality eggs from ovarian tissue samples removed from a mother-to-be. IVF patients would no longer need to suppress their natural menstrual cycle, take hormones to boost their egg supply or have eggs collected from their ovaries for every single treatment cycle, she says. It would reduce the physical and emotional demands and the costs. Prof Telfer and her team are building on a tried and trusted technique in which ovarian tissue is taken from cancer patients and stored for future use once treatment which can cause infertility is over. Of course, this involves invasive surgery but a one-off, day-case operation to remove just a few millimetres of ovarian tissue would probably harvest hundreds of eggs many more than any one patient would ever need. This exciting research would, I know, have thrilled Steptoe and Edwards. The cut-throat IVF marketplace that has grown up around their breakthrough and the exploitation of so many desperate couples by greedy investors would, however, appal them. Prof Telfer is worried that her work is already attracting the speculative eye of money men who see laboratory grown human eggs as another lucrative business opportunity despite the short term impact of reducing clinic fees as 'take-home baby' rates rise. In the long term, potential for growth in this market is considerable in a developed world facing ageing populations and falling birth rates as women increasingly delay having children. In Japan, if the birth rate does not start to rise, its population is predicted to fall from 128 million at present to 90 million by 2050, meaning that the country's costs will have to be paid for by an ever-smaller proportion of its workforce. Fertility treatments therefore may be a key to economic survival, boosting the birth rate by increasing the reproductive chances of more women in their 30s and 40s. It is an alarming prospect and something, I am sure, that Steptoe and Edwards could never have envisaged that summer day 40 years ago when they introduced Louise Brown to the world. Extra dementia training for care home staff could save up to 20,000 lives a year in Britain. Scientists found that better support for residents suffering from the illness led to a significant reduction in mortality, higher quality of life and lower rates of depression, apathy and aggression. In a nine-month study they focused on training to reduce the use of anti-psychotic medicine and on increasing social interaction with dementia patients. Scientists found that better support for dementia residents led to a significant reduction in mortality, higher quality of life and lower rates of depression, apathy and aggression Seventy per cent of care home residents have the illness and the vast majority are over-medicated and left for hours at a time without any human interaction. Experts warn the average patient talks for only two minutes every six hours. The study by dementia experts at Exeter University, Kings College London and Oxford Health Trust examined 67 homes and involved 847 patients. Clive Ballard, presenting the findings at the Alzheimers Association conference in Chicago, said out of 64 deaths there were 12 fewer in the homes that had received the extra training. Replicated across the UK, he calculates this would prevent 20,000 dementia deaths. Providing proper training for care assistants would cost around 4,500 for every life saved. We were able to demonstrate a 36 per cent reduction in mortality, said Professor Ballard. If this was a drug, 4,500 to save a life would be a no brainer. In a nine-month study, researchers focused on training to reduce the use of anti-psychotic medicine and on increasing social interaction with dementia patients He said the main impact on mortality came from cutting use of antipsychotics, which are known to be dangerous but are still widely used for dementia patients. Nine months after the training, antipsychotic use was reduced by 50 per cent. Usually GPs visit once a week, and they do not always review the drugs, he said. If you educate care assistants, you empower them to take action, to make sure antipsychotics are reviewed frequently that can make a big difference. We are constantly told staff dont have enough time. But it doesnt have to be a big set piece it can be talking to them while helping them to get dressed, while taking them a cup of tea. That additional social interaction makes a big difference. Just take a moment to imagine life with just two minutes of social interaction each day. To accept this is discrimination against people with dementia. We urgently need to do better. Clive Ballard, presenting the findings at the Alzheimers Association conference in Chicago, said if replicated across the UK, it could prevent 20,000 dementia deaths a year Joanne McDermid, of Kings College London, said: Care home staff are under a lot of pressure its a really tough job. Its a challenging environment, both for residents living with dementia and for staff. Our programme moved care staff to see dementia through the eyes of those who are living it. Assistants in the 28,000 care homes in the UK usually require no formal training and doctors say the training that is available is not based on any evidence that it actually works. A prison officer caught two inmates who tried to tunnel their way out of their prison cell. The inmates successfully removed the mortar surrounding the sandstone blocks of their Bathurst Correctional Facility cell, located in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. They attempted concealing the tunnel holes using toilet paper and toothpaste. Two inmates were caught trying to tunnel their way out of a prison cell in the Bathurst Correctional Facility (pictured) 'I noticed near the cell bars at the back of the cell what appeared to be diggings into the concrete,' the officer said in a statement. She found that the dug out holes were being concealed with toilet paper that was secured in place with the toothpaste. The inmates, aged 37 and 39, have denied all knowledge of the brazen attempt of escaping the prison. Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin praised the findings of the prison guard. 'We are all very proud of this officer, whose curiosity and methodical cell search uncovered this brazen escape attempt,' Mr Severin said in a statement. The prisoners have since been placed in segregation as investigations into the tunnelling continue. There were 10 prison escapes in NSW in 2017, mostly occurring in minimum-security prisons, according to Corrective Services NSW. Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment. Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment. Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment. I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals. Vote View Results Bosses at Royal Mail were last night accused of trashing the reputation of the company amid a furious row over fat-cat pay. The postal service has faced a backlash over a bumper deal for new chief executive Rico Back and the golden goodbye handed to his predecessor, Dame Moya Greene. There has been particular criticism of part-time director Orna Ni-Chionna, who is chairman of the remuneration panel that agreed the pay deals but holds five other jobs. MPs on the powerful business select committee have now written to Miss Ni-Chionna, 62, questioning her about pay at Royal Mail. She is likely to be hauled before Parliament to answer further questions after the summer holiday. Royal Mail's part time director Orna Ni-Chionna (pictured) is likely to be hauled before Parliament to answer further questions on fat cat salaries at the firm after the summer holiday Rachel Reeves, chairman of the Commons committee, said: 'At a time when there are ever louder criticisms of hikes in executive pay, it seems incredible that the remuneration committee chair would sign off on such a pay deal.' She said there was 'bound to be reputational damage' from the row. Royal Mail approved a 5.8million windfall for German Mr Back before he took charge last month, having run the company's European parcel business GLS. Miss Ni-Chionna's pay panel also signed off Mr Back's 640,000-a-year salary, which is 17 per cent higher than that of his predecessor and could reach 2.7million through bonuses and other awards. And on her departure, Dame Moya was handed a cash bonus of 774,000 and a year's salary of 547,500. The extent of Mr Back's pay and his plans to remain in Switzerland rather than relocate to the UK to run Royal Mail have been exposed by the Daily Mail. Royal Mail said: 'We have worked hard to take a highly responsible approach to executive pay.' The uncle of a two-year-old girl who was 'raped' in Australia's Northern Territory has condemned the state's child protection systems, claiming that dozens of reports to social workers fell on deaf ears. Police and health workers issued a total of 52 notifications to the Territory Families government agency concerning the girl and her siblings' wellbeing, according to a report released by the NT Children's Commissioner in May. Among those were reports of domestic violence, substance abuse, sexual assault and neglect over a 16-year period, ABC News reports. The uncle of a two-year-old girl who was 'raped' in Australia's Northern Territory has condemned the state's child protection systems, claiming that dozens of reports to social workers fell on deaf ears The toddler was allegedly raped at Tennant Creek (pictured) in February 2018 by a man close to the family while her father was in jail for assaulting her mother The toddler was allegedly raped at Tennant Creek in February 2018 by a man close to the family while her father was in jail for assaulting her mother, NT News previously reported. The two-year-old was flown to Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia to be treated for physical trauma before being taken into care by South Australian child protection authorities. A 25-year-old man was later charged with sexual intercourse without consent and faced Alice Springs Court in June. Now the young girl's uncle, whom cannot be named for legal reasons, has declared that 'My niece should never have been in that situation'. 'It's really hurting me, you know, and I think somebody should be made accountable for this,' the man told ABC Radio National. 'It's obvious there is a big problem in the internal notification and investigation system within Territory Families.' Now the young girl's uncle has spoken out following news that police and health workers issued a total of 52 notifications to the Territory Families government agency concerning the girl and her siblings' well-being Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) recently became the first prime minister to visit Tennant Creek since 1982 when he spent a day and night touring the troubled outback centre. The man said he was aware that heavy drinking was common at the house where the girl is believed to have been raped, but added that he didn't realise how bad the situation really was. He's also heartbroken that his young niece ended up in the care of child protection services rather than being handed over to her extended family in Tennant Creek. 'One of the things I can't understand is why... Territory Families and also the police didn't work together, where they could have got kinship care early on,' he said. 'My family and the mother's family could have taken care of my niece.' '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,' said Mr Turnbull Malcolm Turnbull recently became the first prime minister to visit Tennant Creek since 1982 when he spent a day and night touring the troubled outback centre. The prime minister signaled that the town could receive a regional deal - similar to federal government agreements in the areas of Launceston, Townsville and Western Sydney - in order to boost liveability. '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 told reporters at the end of the first of two days in the Northern Territory. 'There's real potential for us to take an approach similar to what we've done with city deals.' 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. This is the confronting map depicting where at least 250 Aboriginal massacres took place across the country during the height of conflict between first settlers and Indigenous Australians. The graphic map highlights the locations where the mass-murders took place and how many were orchestrated - a figure researchers believe is closer to 500. The grim illustration has revealed the slaughters, which killed as many as 300 Aboriginals in one area, occurred as recently as 1930. At least 6,000 Aboriginals were killed during the violent attacks inflicted by British colonisers, including many women and children. This is the confronting map (pictured) which shows where at least 250 Aboriginal massacres took place in Australia, killing more than 6,000 Indigenous Australians The majority of attacks occurred in the early to mid-1800s throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the southern parts of Queensland, according to the University of Newcastle. In 1865, at least 300 Aboriginals were killed by 'native police' in Queensland's far west near the New South Wales and South Australian border. ABORIGINAL MASSACRES The most recent recorded massacres happened between 1900 and 1930. At least 206 Indigenous Australians were killed. 1929 - Callata Springs, NT 70 Aboriginals murdered 1928 - Coniston, NT 50 Aboriginals murdered 1920 and 1925 - Wave Hill Station, NT 30 Aboriginals murdered 1918 - Gulf of Carpentaria 11 Aboriginals murdered 1917 - Tennant Creek, NT 15 Aboriginals murdered Source: University of Newcastle Advertisement Researchers claim the mass-attack happened after station owner, John Dowling, was killed, prompting his brother, Vincent, to seek revenge with a 'posse of settlers'. '(They) found the Kullila camped on the eastern side of the river and chased them towards the Grey Range, shooting them down as they ran ... led by the native police,' the report said. The most recent recorded attack happened between 1920 and 1929 in the Northern Territory, during which 70 Aboriginals were killed at Callata Springs, central Australia near the South Australian border. In 1924, an Oenpelli Station assistant 'shot over 30 bush people' on horseback as a punishment for 'cattle killing'. Thomas Crampton, the first white man to occupy land near Goondiwindi, NSW, in 1837, 'killed no less than 15 blacks' after spying them 'sitting in the tops of some trees armed with spears'. One of the first massacres was recorded in 1794 when a British first settler and his servant were almost murdered in their home by 'natives from the woods'. The servant was severely injured by 'spears and clubs'. The grim illustration has revealed the slaughters, which killed as many as 300 Aboriginals in one area, occurred as recently as 1930 (stock image) The majority of violent massacres (represented by yellow dots) were between 1800 and 1850 where white Australians used poison, fire and guns to inflict torture A few days later, the same group of Aboriginals are believed to have attacked other first settlers before stealing their clothes and provisions. They were shortly 'killed on the spot'. The grisly details of how settlers inflicted their attacks included flour laced with strychnine (poison now used to kill rodents), fire, muskets and even chained up the Aboriginals to shoot them before 'hacking and bludgeoning them to death with swords'. Many 'human bones' have since been found decades after the murders. Some were buried in mass-graves and 'large mounds'. The study, funded by the Australian Government, revealed 6,200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were killed and an average of 25 Indigenous Australians were killed in each massacre. Between 1900 and 1930, at least 206 Aboriginals were killed. The most recent recorded deadly attack happened between 1920 and 1929 in the NT where 70 Aboriginals (stock image) were killed at Callata Springs, central Australia near SA border The murders in the early 20th century are believed to have been more deadly than initial attacks in the 1800s because they were 'carefully planned' and a 'professional business'. 'I am surprised at at the number of times that we find that the state is present in something, or condoning it, or turning a blind eye,' lead researcher Professor Lyndall Ryan told The Guardian. Ms Ryan claimed a number of massacres took place in NSW, however, people are unwilling to talk about it because the 'cone of silence' is still operating. Passengers seeking more flight legroom should opt for a budget airline. An investigation into seat size and legroom on long-haul flights found budget airlines are more generous and cheaper than traditional carriers. Research by consumer website Which? Travel discovered that passengers searching for bigger seats with more legroom might be better off paying for upgrades on WOW or Norwegian Air, rather than forking out for full price fares on flag carriers like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It found direct fares to San Francisco for as little as 175 with Norwegian Air. An investigation into seat size and legroom on long-haul flights found budget airlines are more generous and cheaper than traditional carriers The low-cost carrier offers a 31 to 32-inch seat pitch on these flights the distance from a headrest to the one in front and the best indicator of legroom which, depending on where you sit, is already a more generous than Virgin's standard 31 on the same route. However, taller passengers can opt for one of Norwegian's bulkhead or exit row seats with up to 38 inches of legroom. The budget airline charges a flat fee of 25 for seat selection on long-haul flights, regardless of seat size. That is compared with Virgin's closest equivalent 'Economy Delight' which costs an extra 50 for 34 inches. Icelandic low-cost airline WOW Air sells fares to New York JFK via Reykjavik from 220. Standard economy seats are a bit tighter at 29-31 inches, compared with a standard 31 on BA. But an upgrade to WOW's XL seats, offering 32-33 inches of legroom, costs an extra 47. And XXL seats, with a cavernous 35-37 inches, are an additional 61. Which? Travel said: 'It's not a bad little investment given that BA's extra legroom starts at 50, and fares are usually higher than those from WOW Air.' Researchers said there are fewer options to upgrade on short-haul, but passengers should not assume the budget carriers have the smallest seats. While both Tui and Thomas Cook airlines have a knee-crushing seat pitch of just 28 inches, it's a different story with Ryanair. The budget carrier offers the same legroom as BA on many routes, although seat width with Ryanair is a snug 17 inches. The research said both Ryanair and Easyjet have scrapped reclining seats as part of a fare-slashing exercise and BA is also set to join them later this year on some European routes. Currently, there is no law detailing the minimum dimensions of a plane seat. Instead, a maximum passenger load is stipulated for each aircraft, based on whether it can be fully evacuated within 90 seconds even if half of its exits are disabled. Twitter has gone crazy for a new picture of billionaire Elon Musk and Grimes after they were seen out and about with one of his sons this week. But that's because many users confused the 30-year-old Canadian musician to be Musk's daughter, rather than his new girlfriend. Musk, 47, and Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, were pictured at the SpaceX headquarters for the Hyperloop pod competition in California on Sunday. The Tesla CEO has his arm around Grimes in the photo as they are accompanied by one of his five children. Twitter has gone crazy for a new picture of billionaire Elon Musk and Grimes with one of his sons at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California this week Many users confused the 30-year-old Canadian musician to be Musk's daughter, rather than his new girlfriend The photo soon made its way to Twitter, where some claimed they genuinely believed Musk had been out for the day with two of his children. 'I stared at this for like 10 minutes wondering who these kids are until it dawned on me that that's Grimes,' one user wrote. 'So I'm scrolling Facebook and it took me like 50 whole seconds and a caption for me to realize this was Elon Musk and Grimes, and not some dad and his two teen-ish kids on vacation,' another wrote. 'I saw a picture of Elon Musk and Grimes together and I thought she was his daughter,' one Twitter user commented. Musk, 47, and Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, were pictured at theHyperloop pod competition in California on Sunday Their photo soon made its way to Twitter, where some claimed they genuinely believed Musk had been out for the day with his children Others joked that Musk looked like a single father who was out for the day with his children. 'Just a dad hanging out with his kids, what's the problem,' one user quipped. 'So happy to see a single father trying to raise two kids on his own, it's hard out there for single parents,' another joked. 'Why did you post a picture of some random divorced dad and his kids,' one person commented on the photo. Others joked that Musk looked like a single father who was out for the day with his children 'I've seen y'all making fun of single parents, but the truth is that there are single daddies out there trying to raise them children like this man here with his 10 and 14-year-old kids,' another commenter wrote. Musk has five sons with his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson. The couple were college sweethearts who married in 2000. They lost their first son to sudden infant death syndrome when he was just 10 weeks old. They later had five sons through IVF, with Wilson giving birth to twins in 2004 and triplets in 2006. The couple divorced in 2008 and share custody of all five boys. Musk does not have any daughters. While Grimes is known for her eclectic style and shows, she toned down her style for the casual day out with Musk on Sunday Musk has five sons with his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson. He is pictured here with his twins Griffin and Xavier and his ex-fiancee Talulah Riley in 2010 It has been a bumpy ride for Musk and Grimes on Twitter since the pair officially came out as a couple on the Met Gala red carpet in May. The SpaceX CEO came under fire when it was revealed that he donated almost $40,000 to support House Republicans this year. But the backlash soon spread to Grimes after she appeared to defend her boyfriend on Twitter. Grimes had been responding to one of her fans, who wrote: 'Elon donates to Republicans, people who deny climate change, a cause you and your boyfriend or whatever are supposed to care for so? Why are you still with him?' It has been a bumpy ride for Musk and Grimes on Twitter since the pair officially came out as a couple on the Met Gala red carpet (pictured) in May Grimes came under fire after she supported Musk donating nearly $40,000 to House Republicans this year Grimes claimed that 'every aerospace company has to donate to Republicans in order to function' when she was questioned by a fan 'You're one of my favorite artists it is quite infuriating how blind or unwilling to see you are', they added. Grimes then responded that 'every aerospace company has to donate to Republicans in order to function'. 'In fact, most major companies across the board do, in some capacity,' she continued. 'It's the price of doing business in America. E donates way more money, like absurdly more, to environmental causes.' After Grimes' tweets were picked up by various news organizations, she clarified that she does not 'support donating to Republicans'. All immigrant children who are eligible for reunification were back with their parents by a court-ordered Thursday deadline but the fate of 711 additional children remained uncertain after they were deemed ineligible,immigration officials said late Thursday. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Health and Human Services said the Trump administration would meet a court-ordered deadline to reunite families that had been separated at the Southern U.S. border. The families were divided as part of a zero-tolerance policy announced in April and reversed through an executive order that Donald Trump signed June 20. Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 20, 2018 aimed at putting an end to the controversial separation of migrant families at the border A federal judge in California had previously ordered that all eligible migrant families be unified by end of day Thursday. 'The overall first guiding principal is the safety of these children and HHS has worked very diligently to ensure the safety of these children,' said Matthew Albence, Executive Associate Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, during a conference call with reporters. Immigrant advocates said they remain worried about the more than 700 children deemed ineligible for reunification and were uncertain the government would meet its target within the next several hours. 'I'm skeptical that they will make the deadline,' said Wendy Young, president of Kids In Need of Defense. 'I think we need more scrutiny of the classification of parents as inappropriate for release.' In cases where parents were deemed ineligible based on criminal convictions particularly if their only crime was illegal entry to the country - 'that doesn't deem them unfit as parents,' Young said. According to the government's latest numbers, 2,531 children were separated from their parents and 1,442 had been reunited by Thursday morning. Another 378 had been discharged 'in other appropriate circumstances,' according to a government court filing. In those cases, a child may have been released to another family member or children may have reached the age of 18 while in government custody. Of the remaining 711 children considered ineligible: 431 had a parent who had already been deported; 120 had parents who waived reunification; 67 had parents who were flagged through background or other checks; and 94 children had parents whose cases remained under review. Immigrant children now housed in a tent encampment under the new 'zero tolerance' policy by the Trump administration are shown walking in single file at the facility near the Mexican border in Tornillo, Texas, U.S. June 19, 2018 Another 79 had parents who had been 'released to the interior' and seven remain in New York because they are plaintiffs as part of a court order in ongoing litigation. Young said the fight for the children who are ineligible for reunification will continue. 'We need to keep pushing the government,' she said. 'It's the court oversight that has gotten us as far as we have. We need to press them for reunification especially for the kids whose parents have been deported and they've been left behind.' Officials declined to comment on what efforts, if any, would be made on behalf of children whose parents have been deported already, though they said some parents had voluntarily chosen to leave their children behind. 'We look forward to working with the court on an appropriate path forward,' said Chris Meekins, chief of staff of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response under HHS. Officials said they did not have information on where deported parents were currently located. 'We dont keep track of people once theyve been deported,' Albence said. It may be a fast food chain, but McDonalds is bringing in baristas to lure coffee aficionados from its more upmarket high street rivals. In a trial that will start in London, staff will be trained to use traditional espresso machines instead of existing automatic machines. The company will continue making its coffee using freshly-ground beans, it added. McDonald's is starting a trial training staff to use traditional espresso machines instead of existing automatic machines The move pushes McDonalds into territory occupied by Pret A Manger, Caffe Nero, Starbucks and Costa Coffee and comes as the number of coffee shops in Britain rose to more than 24,000 last year. Paul Pomroy, the boss of McDonalds in the UK and Ireland, said: Coffee drinkers are our most frequent customers and people may be surprised to know that we are second in this market. To keep pace with changing customer expectations, we are trialling barista-made coffee in some of our London restaurants. McDonald's wants to close the gap on sector leader Costa, and pushes the chain into territory occupied by Pret A Manger, Caffe Nero and Starbucks McDonalds has more than 1,200 stores in the UK and is the second biggest food and drink chain behind Costa. It rolled out a wider selection of coffees from 2012 under the McCafe brand, including espressos and lattes, as well as the more recently trendy flat white. The company says coffee is one of the most common drinks bought alongside its meals and it charges less than most of its competitors. A single espresso at McCafe costs 79p, while at Costa it costs 1.45. Under chief executive Steve Easterbrook, McDonalds has modernised, introducing self-service machines and delivery services. However, it is facing increasing competition from rivals which are trying to muscle in on the fast food market, particularly in the US. Researchers say parents are being misled by health claims on boxes of childrens cereals Parents are being misled by health claims on boxes of childrens cereals, say researchers. Nutritional information showing how much sugar and calories they contain is based on a small serving size. But the pictures on most boxes display a serving that is on average three times bigger than the manufacturers own recommended portion, according to a team from Cardiff University. They accused companies of hoodwinking parents into thinking a portion of cereal contained less sugar and fat. Nine of the 13 products they studied depicted a bowl brimming with cereal and milk that would require three times the 30g recommended serving and 375ml of milk, which equates to 31.5g of added sugars. The researchers, writing in the British Dental Journal, found that if children aged four to six ate the volumes depicted on the average cereal box they would exceed their daily sugar allowance by 12.5 per cent on a single bowl alone. The Sydney-based leader of an Islamist group campaigning for Sharia law has been detained in Jordan. Ismail al-Wahwah, a former taxi driver who is now the spiritual leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Australia, was detained at Amman Airport on Wednesday while travelling to the Arab nation in the Middle East with his wife. Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia announced the Condell Park man, from south-west Sydney, was arrested upon arrival in the country and taken into custody by Jordan's General Intelligence Directorate without access to a lawyer. Scroll down for video Former Sydney taxi driver Ismail al-Wahwah, the spiritual leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Australia, was detained at Amman Airport on Wednesday while travelling to the Arab nation with his wife 'It is unclear at this stage as to the basis of his detainment, but sources close to the family indicate he is likely to be formally charged and/or prosecuted over the coming days,' the Islamist group said in a statement. His family will be seeking Australian consular assistance in Jordan and Australia. 'We pray Allah protects the health and well being of Ismail Alwahwah and secures his immediate release,' Hizb ut-Tahrir said. 'We ask you to extend a sincere prayer in his support too inshaAllah.' A spokesman for The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Daily Mail Australia they 'are aware of reports an Australian has been detained in Jordan'. 'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stands ready to offer consular assistance to any Australian citizen should they request it,' he said. The Islamist preacher, known in the Muslim community as Abu Anas al-Wahwah, has previously been deported from Indonesia and travelled to Syria in 2013 in support of an Islamic caliphate. Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia announced the Bankstown man was arrested upon arrival in the country and taken into custody by Jordan's General Intelligence Directorate His arrest this week occurred two years after he told a 'caliphate conference' at Ankara in Turkey that Muslims needed to lead 'the armies of jihad that will conquer Europe and America' where their enemies have 'black hearts'. A video from March 2016, translated and shared by the Middle East Research Institute, showed him ranting about the need to restore an Islamic caliphate. He called on the attendees at the Ankara conference to pledge 'before Allah to restore the caliphate, to raise the banner, to restore the Sharia, to unite the Islamic nation and to lead the armies of jihad that will conquer Europe and America so that the word of Allah will reign supreme'. In his speech, al-Wahwah also warned attendants not to trust their 'enemies' in America, Europe and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. 'They are all enemies. Their hearts are black. They hate you, your religion, your Muhammad, and your Quran,' he said. 'Start dealing with them, before they start dealing with you. Cut of their hands before they sow corruption on the land. You in Turkey are able to do that, Allah willing.' Hizb ut-Tahrir has been linked to the 2015 shooting in Parramatta of accountant Curtis Cheng, following revelations it radicalised 15-year-old who shot the father-of-two dead. Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad reportedly listened to a talk by Hizb ut-Tahrir at Parramatta mosque in Sydney's west and changed into a black robe before he headed to the nearby New South Wales Police headquarters and shot Mr Cheng in the back of the head in September 2015. The fundamentalist group he leads opposes democracy. Daily Mail Australia last year filmed a senior leader Uthman Badar declaring that ex-Muslims, also known as apostates, deserved death. Al-Wahwah has previously called Jews 'the most evil creatures of Allah'. In February 2016, mosques began banning the preacher who then resorted to renting halls and private spaces. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation reportedly visited a western Sydney mosque several times and caretaker Mohammed Elzamtar asked Al-Wahwah to 'tone down' his sermons. 'I felt that our community is under a lot of pressure and I didn't want him to get into trouble,' he said. One of the illusions of the Brexit debate is the idea that staying in the European Union is a way of protecting liberal values. In the story some Remainers like to tell, the EU is an institution that leaves behind the narrow loyalties and prejudices of nationalism to build a Europe-wide form of government. The referendum decision to draw back from this enlightened future could only be a retrograde step. In voting to leave, a British majority showed that it was stuck in the past. For Remainers, however, to opt for Brexit was unthinkable, and once they had recovered from the shock of realising that the unthinkable had happened, they determined to do all they could to reverse the decision. Britain represented the illiberal past and the EU a liberal future. Hard-Right governments have strengthened their hold on power in Poland and Hungary. Pictured, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) and Montenegrian President Milo Djukanovic This was a far-fetched view at the time of the referendum, and today it is plainly false. Illiberal forces are advancing across the European continent. Hard-Right governments have strengthened their hold on power in Poland and Hungary, while in Austria and Italy, parties with links to interwar fascism play a pivotal role in ruling coalitions. The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia all have powerful far-Right parties in, or close to entering, government. Sweden, Finland and Denmark are in the same position. But it is in Germany that the advance of the far-Right is most striking. In Austria and Italy, parties with links to interwar fascism play a pivotal role in ruling coalitions. Pictured, Italy's deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini Only a few months ago, Remainers were pointing to the solidity of Angela Merkel's Germany as evidence of the folly of Brexit. Led by this liberal icon, who had welcomed more than a million migrants into the country, the most powerful European state seemed to be the embodiment of a continent no longer shaped by national identities and borders. That picture of the future has been consigned to the past. Merkel lingers on, but she is a spent force. Under electoral threat from the far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, she has decided to institute border controls to prevent any further influx of migrants. Whether these controls will be effective is unclear, but similar or more severe restrictions are likely to be imposed by other European countries. Austria, Italy, Hungary and Poland will act to block any inflows of migrants across their borders. The Schengen agreement on freedom of movement, which the European Commission sees as one of the cornerstones of the EU and treats as a red line in Brexit negotiations, is collapsing. Merkel's decision to set up border controls is also unlikely to stem the advance of the far-Right in Germany. Before the election last year, the then German vice chancellor and foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel told Der Spiegel that if the AfD entered the Bundestag, Nazis would speak in the German parliament for the first time in 70 years. When the AfD did just that, all other German parties vowed to refuse to work with them. Angela Merkel's decision to set up border controls is also unlikely to stem the advance of the far- Right in Germany But Merkel has survived only because these parties fear the further advance of the AfD that would almost certainly follow if she stepped down and triggered another election. It seems to me a safe bet that some years from now Germany will follow Italy and admit the far-Right into government. Leavers are routinely abused for being unrealistic, and there may be some who have had an over-simple view of Britain's post-Brexit place in an unstable world. But to my mind, doctrinaire Remainers are far more unrealistic about the stability of the EU. Soon after the referendum, I argued that Brexit was only the first in a succession of electoral revolts that would break out across the continent. Because parties of the centre identified so closely with the European project, the danger was these revolts would be led by the far-Right. This is happening. Yet few Remainers seem to have noticed. Some may point to the French president Emmanuel Macron as proof of a counter-trend. But Macron's fate is uncertain. It should not be forgotten that over a third of those who voted in the final round of the presidential elections last year opted for Marine Le Pen, despite the National Rally party leader reverting to her father's racist rhetoric. If Macron's unpopular economic policies fail to produce positive results for voters soon, it will be the far-Right and maybe the far-Left, which is equally hostile to the EU that will benefit. Some may point to the French president Emmanuel Macron as proof of a counter-trend Remainers respond to the advance of the far-Right by demanding 'more Europe' a more determined move to a transnational European state. They reject the suggestion I would say fact that it is this very project that has fuelled the advance of anti-liberal forces across the continent. By attempting to remove immigration from the jurisdiction of national governments, the EU has left many people with the sense they have no control over their lives. The result of pushing for a transnational government that most Europeans do not want has been the rise of the worst kinds of nationalism. That is why borders are reappearing throughout the EU. Of course, bien-pensant Remainers will say this is an expression of popular racism. But if you call anyone who demands democratic control of immigration a 'racist', do not be surprised if many of them elect real racists. One of Italy's new leaders is calling for a register of Roma people. Europe has heard this sort of thing before. For its most devoted disciples, there is nothing wrong with the European project. It simply has not yet been applied in a pure manner. But isn't this what every blinkered ideologue says about their fantasy of a new world? There are still people who will tell you that the former Soviet Union began to practise large-scale repression only under Stalin, who distorted Lenin's original vision. Historical facts show this is not so mass arrests, systematic killing and the Gulag all began under Lenin. The indifference to facts of totalitarian ideologies is well known. What is new is a type of liberalism that has also immunised itself against facts. Liberals like to think they are empiricists in other words, they learn from experience. But ideological Remainers have learnt nothing from the march of the far-Right across the European continent. No fact will ever dislodge their conviction that Europe represents freedom and progress and Britain the reactionary past. No doubt Britain has many faults. A virulent new strain of anti-Semitism has emerged in politics mostly on the far- Left. But we have nothing like the large far-Right movements that exist in nearly every continental European country. Unlike some European states, Britain remains a liberal democracy. The upshot of Brexit is unclear. Some believe it may be derailed. I think this is unlikely. But if Brexit is overturned it will be ironic. Under the banner of a march to a more liberal future, Britain will blunder back into a rerun of a dark European past. John Gray is Emeritus Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics. This article is adapted from an essay on BBC Radio 4's Point Of View programme. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Motorists are urged to watch out for a carnivorous frog species that has invaded South Australia and likes to hitchhike, amid fears they will continue to spread across the nation. Scientists are concerned about an influx of spotted-thighed frogs that have crossed the Nullarbor by vehicle from its natural habitat in Western Australia and have quickly established a large breeding population on the state's Eyre Peninsula. The town of Streaky Bay on the western side of the peninsula has been inundated with 1000 of the species also known as litoria cyclorhyncha, The Adelaide Advertiser reported. University of South Australia scientists describe the spotted-thighed frog (pictured) as a 'very pretty', Houdini-like animal which can hitchhike and 'eats just about everything' University of South Australia scientists Gunnar Keppel and Christine Taylor fear the species could spread further afield after examining its recent invasion history and potential future distribution. The species is described in their recently published study as 'a large predatory frog that presents a potential threat to fauna and ecosystem processes in SA and eastern Australia.' Suitable environmental conditions exist for in southern and eastern Australia, according to the study. 'This, and the frog's ability to disperse over long distances, suggests considerable potential for the species to become invasive,' the study states. 'As the species has potential to significantly impact biodiversity and ecosystems, management strategies are urgently needed.' Streaky Bay, located on the western side of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, is home to 1000 spotted-thighed frogs According to the Frogs SA website, the species has also migrated to Ceduna in the last few years and and become established on the other side of the Eyre Peninsula in Port Lincoln. 'Some of its genetic, physiological and behavioural traits raise concerns that this frog has invasive potential and might spread further eastward into the Murray-Darling Basin and displace threatened species such as Litoria raniformis (Southern Bell Frog),' the website states. University of South Australia scientists described the frog as a 'very pretty', Houdini-like animal which can hitchhike and 'eats just about everything' including its own tadpoles. University of South Australia scientists Professor Gunnar Keppel (pictured) fears the species could spread further afield after examining its recent invasion history He and fellow scientist Christine Taylor are concerned the influx of spotted-thighed frogs from across the Nullarbor to Streaky Bay (pictured) will continue 'I shudder to think what would happen if it makes it to the Adelaide Hills and the Murray Darling Basin,' Professor Keppel told the Adelaide Advertiser. 'Definitely do not give this animal a lift and if you see it has jumped into your bag do not release it. He told the publication relocating the frogs back to its natural habitat in Western Australia could spread disease. Culling may be considered if the frogs can't be contained to Streaky Bay. 'I'm not going to tell people to put them in the freezer (to kill them) because that isn't my place but we need policies and a management plan now,' Professor Taylor said. A Virginia man who had escaped a mental hospital was found wandering the taxiways at John F Kennedy in Queens - leading many to wonder if the airport's multi-million dollar security system is flawed. Mark Mogensen, 20, was found by an airport employee walking along taxiway 2 around 11.20am on July 16. His clothes were damp and Mogensen told the worker that he had swam across Jamaica Bay and then climbed over JFK's eight-foot fence to get to the airport. Mark Mogensen, 20, is accused of hopping a fence to get to John F Kennedy Airport in Queens An employee at JFK found Mogensen wandering on a taxiway last week. He said he had swam across Jamaica Bay and then scaled the eight-foot fence Authorities said Mogensen did not have an ID on him, but later learned that he had reportedly escaped from the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital in Alexandria two days prior to the incident after taking an employee's badge. Sources said Mogensen had checked himself into the hospital and was diagnosed as having a mood disorder with paranoia, the New York Daily News reports. According to court records, Mogensen told Port Authority police officers that he 'swam across the river and jumped the fence'. Port Authority police charged Mogensen with criminal trespass. Mogensen's shockingly easy breach of the fence surrounding JFK has many people concerned that the airport's Perimeter Intrusion Detection System is not properly working. The system, which cost $100million, uses surveillance cameras and motion sensors and is supposed to alert authorities to intruders but no such alarms went off when Mogensen scaled the fence. A source told the Daily News that the cameras and motion sensors were temporarily down in the area where Mogensen climbed the fence. Others said the multi-million dollar security system has never worked properly since JFK had it installed more than a decade ago. Sources said Mogensen had checked himself into Inova Mount Vernon Hospital in Alexandria and escaped two days before the incident Mogensen was charged with criminal trespass, authorities said. The incident sparked concerns that the airport's security system is not properly working 'No one should be able to go onto a restricted aeronautical side of an airport, next to a runway, at one of the world's busiest international airports.' Paul Nunziato, the president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, said. 'This is not a new occurrence. This is something the Port Authority PBA has continually warned the Port Authority about and we continue to have breaches.' In July 2014, two men who washed ashore outside of JFK while kayaking were able to climb the fence undetected in search of help. In 2012, after a jet skier ran out of gas at the shoreline, he hopped the fence and walked across two runways. Nunziato said Port Authority has repeatedly said that the security system works fine. A spokesman for the Port Authority told the Daily News that security at the airport is under review. 'We have already identified some enhancements to our physical security measures. Based on the findings of this investigation, we will evaluate, and potentially implement, additional layers of protection at JFK Airport and our other facilities,' the spokesman said. Advertisement Donald Trump thanked North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on Friday for 'fulfilling a promise' to return the remains of American servicemen who died during the Korean War. 'At this moment a plane is carrying the remains of some great fallen heroes from America back,' he said following a press announcement about the domestic economy, calling the matter one 'of profound importance.' 'I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word. We have many others coming, but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me,' Trump declared. 'And I'm sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search.' The remains of what United Nations Command confirmed as 55 U.S. servicemen were part of a rare and somber ceremony on Friday, in which an American military plane arrived in the hermit kingdom to retrieve them. During a brief turn at the podium, Council of Economic Advisers chair Kevin Hassett thanked Trump 'for standing up for our veterans.' 'My father and my uncle both fought in the Korean War, and you just can't imagine how much it means to those veterans that you didn't forget their comrades,' he said. President Donald Trump thanked North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on Friday for keeping his promise to return the remains of U.S. servicemembers killed in the Korean War A soldier carries a casket containing remains of a fallen U.S. soldier during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on Friday As the remains were transported U.S. soldiers saluted the remains of 55 American servicemembers who were killed in the Korean War Trump said Vice President Mike Pence will be on hand to receive the repatriated human remains and greet families of the fallen. The subject has been a hot-potato in Washington for the past month after North Korean officials reportedly told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that they had no immediate plans to return the remains. The White House also stated that a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, a Northern coastal city, on its way to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. In Seoul, a formal repatriation ceremony for the South Korean remains will be held Wednesday. The ceremony saw U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard line up on the tarmac of the air base to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue United Nations flags. A total of 36,000 American soldiers were killed in the devastating Korean War from 1950 to 1953, and 7,700 bodies are listed missing in the war. A total of 5,300 are believed to still be in North Korea. Kevin Hassett, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, told Trump that 'my father and my uncle both fought in the Korean War, and you just can't imagine how much it means to those veterans' UN honor guards carry the boxes containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War on the arrival from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks called the retrieval mission successful. 'Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home,' he said. After the honors ceremony the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing and forensic examinations to determine of the remains are human and if they were American. North Korean officials had no comment on the handover which took place Friday, on the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of 'victory in the fatherland liberation war.' Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearization before Kim and Trump met in Singapore, their summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without a plan of action. North Korean men bow at the giant bronze statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il during the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War on Friday On Friday Kim Jong Un visited the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ends the fighting in the Korean War, in Pyongyang Kim also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea A U.S. cargo aircraft carrying the remains of 55 U.S. soldier who were killed in the Korean War arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea in the historic handover A U.N. honor guard salutes after turning over a box containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, to his fellow after arriving from North Korea The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. The U.S. military last month said that 100 wooden "temporary transit cases" built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Chad Carroll also said, at the time, that 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a U.S. air base and would be used to send the remains home. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Korea's nuclear program and a previous U.S. claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. The North marked Friday's anniversary with ceremonies at war-related memorials; the capital Pyongyang and other cities were decked out in national flags and bright red banners. For the first time since 2015, Kim Jong Un has announced a general amnesty will be granted for prisoners who have committed crimes against the state. North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Officials have bristled, however, at criticism from the U.S. that it seeks to profit from the repatriations by demanding excessive fees for handling and transporting the remains. U.S. Army soldiers salute as vehicles carry remains believed to be from American servicemen during Korean War. Later the bodies will be shipped to Hawaii for forensic testing American and South Korean soldiers welcomed the remained clothed in United Nations flags at the Osan Air Base Trump thanked the handover of the bodies in a tweet on Thursday saying 'Thank you to Kim Jong Un' Pyongyang has nevertheless expressed its willingness to allow the resumption of joint search missions in the country to retrieve more remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were cancelled by President George W. Bush amid heightening tensions over the North's nuclear program in 2005. Post Kim-Trump summit talks between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean officials got off to a rocky start earlier this month, with the North accusing the Americans of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization. The North also said U.S. officials came up with various "conditions and excuses" to backtrack on the issue of formally ending the war. "The adoption of the declaration on the termination of war is the first and foremost process in the light of ending the extreme hostility and establishing new relations between the DPRK and the U.S.," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Peace can come only after the declaration of the termination of war." Pompeo said Wednesday that a great deal of work remains ahead of a North Korea denuclearization deal, but he dodged requests to identify a specific denuclearization timeline in testimony to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Experts say a declaration to officially end the war, which could also involve Seoul and Beijing, would make it easier for Pyongyang to steer the discussions with Washington toward a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition, security assurance and economic benefits. Some analysts believe that North Korea would eventually demand that the United States withdraw or dramatically reduce the 28,500 troops it keeps in South Korea as a deterrent. Washington has maintained Pyongyang wouldn't get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts on whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish his nukes, which he may see as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could offer. As the remains were returned, Kim spent his day visiting the graves of Chinese People's Volunteers who were killed fighting for North Korea against America. The red stars on the graves denoted they were CPV soldiers After an earlier wreath-laying ceremony in Pyongyang, Kim also laid wreaths at the Martyrs Cemetery of the Chinese People's Volunteers in Hoechang, South Phyongan Province Kim meets volunteers from a veteran's organization in Pyongyang early in the day, before going to the war cemetery A rich cougar handed 750,000 to her Romanian toyboy 37 years her junior, only to have him blow it on online gambling, luxury cars, and watches. Christiane Shellard, 66, is taking Cristian Mihalea, 29, to court to get most of her cash back, claiming it was just a loan to help him turn his life around. The divorcee said 500,000 was to buy a flat in her name where he could live until he could afford a mortgage and another 160,000 was for his father's medical bills. Christiane Shellard, 66, handed 750,000 to her Romanian toyboy 37 years her junior, only to have him blow it on online gambling, luxury cars, and watches Cristian Mihalea, 29, admitted frittering it away on online gambling, a bad gold deal, a Audemars Piguet watch costing at least 4,000, and a 42,000 GLS Mercedes for his sister She also shelled out for a Porsche Panamera, which retails at almost 68,000, and more watches to add to the muscled playboy's collection. Instead of going through with her plan, the former removalist dumped the money in Romanian bank accounts and lost it all gambling. What he didn't fritter away was spent on a bad gold deal, a Audemars Piguet watch costing at least 4,000, and a 42,000 GLS Mercedes for his sister Mirela. Mihalea now claims his only assets are 7,444 in a Lloyds bank account and a 4,000 Cartier watch. 'Karma is a bitch and it is waiting for him,' Ms Shellard told The Sun as the pair faced London's High Court. The divorcee said 500,000 was to buy a flat in her name where he could live until he could afford a mortgage and another 160,000 was for his father's medical bills She also shelled out for a Porsche Panamera, which retails at almost 68,000, and more watches to add to the muscled playboy's collection The Romanian, who now runs Vos hair and beauty salon in Fulham, registered in his sister's name, admitted to blowing all his ex-lover's cash. But he claimed the money was a gift during their 18-month 'full, loving and intimate relationship' and he shouldn't have to pay it back. Mihalea's legal argument did not start well as Judge Nicholas Cooke froze all his assets around the world as Ms Shellard's lawyers investigate the money trail. 'You're not going to get away from the juggernaut that's approaching by saying, 'It's too late, I have spent all the money',' the judge said. Mihalea claimed the money was a gift during their 18-month 'full, loving and intimate relationship' and he shouldn't have to pay it back The pair met in Mihalea's man-with-a-van days in 2016 after Ms Shellard divorced her headhunting firm boss husband in 2013 'They will find whether you still have the money. The claim is... that you are telling a pack of lies.' The pair met in Mihalea's man-with-a-van days in 2016 after Ms Shellard divorced her headhunting firm boss husband in 2013. Just two years before he was boasting about blowing 37,000 on 250-a-pop prostitutes, but friends said his image was mostly smoke and mirrors. 'I'm young, I'm good-looking and successful so why shouldn't I be allowed to enjoy my freedom?' he said at the time. Mihalea's legal argument did not start well as Judge Nicholas Cooke froze all his assets around the world as Ms Shellard's lawyers investigate the money trail One of the members of the Evil 8 paedophile ring has been released from jail, sparking community outrage. Parents are furious Perth man Benjamin Simon Clarke is free after serving a three year prison sentence for the 'deliberate and planned' paedophile ring. Clarke was jailed after he pleaded guilty to 12 charges including indecently recording and dealing with a child and distributing child exploitation material between February and May 2014. Benjamin Simon Clarke has been released from prison after three years after he pleaded guilty to 12 charges including indecently recording and dealing with a child He took sexual and nude photographs and indecently assaulted a 12-year-old girl who was 'pimped' by her father. Clarke was jailed in 2016, with the sentence backdated to July 2015. Just weeks before Clarke's sentence was due to expire, the Prisoners Review Board said he would be subject to a post sentence supervision order. The order was made for three key reasons, including 'a prior criminal history of sexual offending which suggests a high risk of reoffending'. Clarke is subject to a number of conditions, such as abiding by the Australian National Child Offender Register requirements and that he is to have 'no unsupervised contact with children under 16 years of age other than your own children'. A copy of the order was this week placed on a community Facebook page, alerting residents to Clarke's release. A Facebook community group alerted residents to Clarke's release from prison earlier this month 'IMPORTANT: If you know this offender, you have a role in assisting to keep the community safe by ensuring that Benjamin Simon Clarke adheres to all the conditions placed on him,' the post read. Residents were furious Clarke was free from prison. 'Absolutely disgusting that he's out already when his victims have been given a life sentence. This makes me very sad and angry,' one wrote. Another said: 'More proof that his victim got a harsher sentence than any of these ever will or have. What a joke the legal system really is'. Residents reacted with fury to the news Clarke was released from prison after three years In sentencing, Judge Simon Stone had said Clarke's conduct was 'reprehensible and disgusting' and he had made a significant contribution to the father's sexual exploitation of the girl. Clarke had advertised on Craigslist he was looking for models and the girl's father responded, telling him his daughter was 13. He later took naked photographs of the girl and sexually abused her before leaving a $300 payment for the father and giving him a copy of the images on a flash drive. Clarke had previously spent time in jail for abusing a 12-year-old girl in 1988. The girl's father was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to 61 offences. Former pastor and father-of-two, David Volmer, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years after he admitted molesting and raping the blindfolded girl while her father was present. The other men involved in the paedophile ring were also jailed, with prison sentences up to 13 years. Roseanne Barr has once again claimed she believed Valerie Jarrett was white when she posted a racist tweet that got her hit ABC show cancelled two months ago. Barr appeared in her first television interview following the controversy on Thursday night when she finally apologized to Jarrett - then insulted her haircut. 'She's gotta get a new haircut,' Barr told Fox News' Sean Hannity. 'I mean, seriously, she needs a new haircut.' The comedian, who lost millions after her show was cancelled, insisted throughout the interview that her tweet about Jarrett was political, not racist. 'Her skin tone is like mine,' Barr told Hannity during the interview. 'I'm brown.' 'I didn't know she was African-American, I assumed she was from Iran.' Scroll down for video Roseanne Barr has once again claimed she believed Valerie Jarrett was white as she gave her first television interview since being fired from ABC two months ago Jarrett, who was Obama's senior adviser during his presidency, was born in Iran to American parents and lived in Shiraz for six years. The family had moved to Iran because her father was part of a program that sent American physicians to help developing countries. He ran a children's hospital. Barr received widespread criticism after she tweeted that Jarrett looked like the 'Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby'. Now Barr claims that the tweet was her way of defending Israel and hitting back at Jarrett and the Obama administration for the 2015 Iran deal. 'I told ABC in the beginning I will always defend Israel because I'm a Jew and I also have family who lives there,' Barr told Hannity. 'That is a tweet about asking for accountability from the previous administration about the Iran deal, which Valerie Jarrett is the author of. That was in my head.' An Israeli television station once claimed the Geneva talks that led to the deal were a 'facade' and that the Iran nuclear deal was actually drawn up in secret talks between Jarrett and Iranian officials. The White House said the report was '100 percent false'. 'You didn't say this in the beginning,' Hannity replied, questioning Barr's explanation surrounding her tweet. 'You didn't say this in the beginning this was about Iran.' Barr appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity when she claimed that her now infamous tweet about Valerie Jarrett was political, not racist 'Her skin tone is like mine,' Barr told Hannity on Thursday night. 'I'm brown.' 'I didn't know she was African-American, I assumed she was from Iran' Barr received widespread criticism after she tweeted that Jarrett looked like the 'Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby' 'I'm not arguing with you,' he told the former TV star. 'I'm trying to give you a chance to explain.' But Barr insisted that she was 'shocked' so many people considered her tweet to be 'racial when it was political'. 'That was a hard one to take,' she said. 'Then everybody started saying I was a racist which is like the worst thing you could call a Jewish person, especially one like me who grew up with Holocaust survivors.' 'At age three I took a vow to my god I would always fight extremism on either side,' she continued. Barr also claimed that she was 'going through a very hard time' when she sent the tweet, seeming to blame her own television staff. 'How would you like to be sitting with 25 people who think Trump is the worst thing that happened to the United States?' she asked Hannity. 'How would you like it, could you do your job?' 'It happens to me every day,' Hannity replied. 'A lot of people don't like what I have to say.' Barr said she was 'shocked' that many considered her tweet to be 'racial when it was political' Hannity then pressed Barr multiple times on whether she wanted to apologize to Jarrett for the tweet, and what she would say to her if she could. 'Address her and not just her, but people in the community who are so outraged about it. Address them from your heart and tell them,' Hannity said. 'Here's what I have to say, let's talk about it,' Barr said as she turned to face the camera. 'Let's really turn this into a teachable moment.' Barr then went on to criticize what she said was Jarrett and Obama's 'globalist way of thinking'. 'They don't like the idea of American exceptionalism,' she said. 'They like that every country has its own culture and we should respect them and this and that.' Hannity then once again tried to press Barr on what she would specifically say to Jarrett if she could speak to her directly. 'I would say this: Valerie, let's discuss this,' Barr said. 'Don't assume that you know what I meant because I think you don't know what I meant. 'I would like to make it clearer to you what I did mean and I would like to... find common ground between us.' A day before Barr's Fox interview, Jarrett told The View that she had no plans to watch her upcoming interview Jarrett discussed other concerns such as policies under the Trump Administration like immigration and gun laws 'Would you like to say sorry to her directly?' Hannity then asked Barr, trying once more to get the comedian to apologize to Jarrett. 'No, I already have,' Barr shot back. 'I have not called her.' 'I would think the first thing you would want to do is, I would want her to hear my voice and say I am so sorry,' Hannity said. 'I know you tweeted it. I know you said it. But now that you have a very different perspective on the comments, I would assume you would want to start there.' 'I'm so sorry that you thought I was racist,' Barr finally relented. 'And that you thought my tweet was racist. Because it wasn't, it was political.' 'I'm sorry for the misunderstanding that caused - my ill-worded tweet - and I'm sorry that you feel harmed and hurt.' The comedian then revealed that she was 'so scared to go outside' following the controversy surrounding the tweet. Barr delivered ABC's biggest hit of the year with her 90s sitcom revival, but saw it canned after she put out the racist tweet about Jarrett 'Everyone thinks I am a racist. I live on an island is all brown people,' Barr told Hannity. 'This is not a good feeling for an artist to be treated this way. It's not a good feeling for a citizen either. I am somebody who cares about civil rights. 'I reject what you call me. You call me racist. I don't accept it. I know who I am. I am not a racist. The people who voted for Trump, they're not racists either. Trump is not a racist.' Barr also revealed to Hannity that ABC asked her to get rid of her Twitter account when they first called her about doing the Roseanne reboot. 'I said in the beginning I will never stop defending Israel and the Jewish people,' she said. 'That's me. I was raised that way. It's very important to me.' 'So they said, okay. Anyway, I did what I did.' Barr said she received a call after her Jarrett tweet began making waves from ABC executives who asked her: 'What possible excuse could you have for this unforgivable and egregious tweet?' Hannity repeatedly pushed Barr to reveal what she would say to Jarrett if she could speak to her directly, even asking the comedian why she hadn't yet said 'I'm sorry' 'I'm so sorry that you thought I was racist,' Barr said in the live-apology. 'And that you thought my tweet was racist, because it wasn't, it was political' The former TV star claims she was completely shocked by the telephone call and had no idea her tweet was creating such a firestorm of controversy. 'You didn't know?' Hannity asked. 'No, you could have knocked me over with a feather,' she replied. 'My boyfriend saw it.' 'I thought she was Middle Eastern,' Barr then added, once again repeating her claim during the interview that she thought Jarrett was Iranian. Barr then went on to claim that she walked away from the show despite a stipulation in her contract stating she had '24 hours to correct any mistakes'. 'I asked them to let me go on The View and other shows and explain and correct that I didn't say what they were putting out there. They said no,' Barr said. The comedian told Hannity she didn't put up a fight because she didn't want any of her staff to lose their jobs. The interview later segued into Barr's own personal life as Hannity asked the comedian about her multiple personality disorder 'I am for working people,' she said. 'I could fight this. No, it's going to be part of the repentance. I will just walk away.' Barr also talked at length about making 'recompense' following the controversy. 'I've apologized a lot,' she said. 'It's been two months and I feel like I have apologized and explained and asked for forgiveness and made recompense.' 'That's part of my religion. There's four parts of being forgiven in order to come back to your own good graces.' But when Hannity pressed Barr on what exactly she had done to recompense, the comedian remained coy. 'I can't say because it's a secret. You are not supposed to tell people what you do,' she said. 'Give us a hint,' Hannity said. 'I think people should know.' Barr went on to explain that she has 'helped a lot of people go to college' and visited an Indian reservation that was the 'poorest place in America'. Barr later took part in a special event and podcast taping with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach at Stand Up New York on Thursday The interview later segued into Barr's own personal life as Hannity asked the comedian about her multiple personality disorder. 'I don't suffer from it anymore,' Barr corrected the Fox News host. 'I enjoy it now.' Hannity then questioned Barr's claim from 1994 that she had been sexually abused by her father and psychologically abused by her mother. 'How old were you when you were sexually abused?' Hannity asked. It's been two months and I feel like I have apologized and explained and asked for forgiveness and made recompense 'I have a different view of that,' Barr replied. 'Now you don't think you were sexually abused?' he asked. 'Well, I think psychologically,' Barr said. 'Everybody in my whole family is messed up.' Barr then admitted that she had been hospitalized several times for her multiple personality disorder, quipping that it was 'like going to the beach for me'. As for her future, Barr joked that she would only return back to TV if she got to do nudity. The comedian then revealed that the entire controversy has moved her to do 'my own interviews on my own YouTube channel'. 'On there, I am doing serious subjects and talking to interesting people who I don't 100 percent agree with,' she said. 'But we found common ground.' A frank-talking Myer boss has likened the struggling retailer to a problem sibling that must change its ways. The shocking admission comes as the 118-year-old department giant faces increased competition from online juggernaut Amazon and persistent rumours of a David Jones takeover. General manager of digital experience and omnichannel transformation, Robbie Tutt, addressed the company's failing performance at the 2018 Online Retailer trade event in Sydney on Thursday. The candid Myer heavyweight said the retail giant was letting down Australian consumers when questioned by Winning Group CEO John Winning, News.com.au reported. The unlikely admission comes months after it announced losing half a billion dollars in six months which pushed the company off the ASX200 in March. Myer boss, Robbie Tutt admitted that the retail giant was failing its loyal customers (stock image) Mr Tutt acknowledged that the company was a loved brand that has a very loyal customer base. Despite this, he was adamant the company was not doing enough for customers who want the retail giant to succeed. 'But Myer is a bit like a sibling that has p****d you off everyone wants it to get better, but what we hear from customers is that it's not quite good enough,' Mr Tutt said. 'Speaking candidly, it's not good enough. It's not where it needs to be.' Mr Tutt said that customers often address the problems, urging the company to do something different. Mr Winning grilled the Myer executive on plans for the future as it's forced to compete with online companies like Amazon in the coming years. Mr Tutt responded that he welcomed Amazon to the Australian market and the move was inevitable. 'How will we survive? By playing to our strengths, sticking to our core and knowing who we are and what we deliver to customers, and bringing great customer service in our 63 stores in the country,' he said. Mr Tutt (pictured) who is Myer's general manager of digital experience and omnichannel transformation said the company needs to do more Department stores had to offer a unique shopping experience for their customers, Mr Tutt explained, as 60 per cent of Myer products were available elsewhere. Myer team members will be required to excel in customer service, solving all customer queries under one roof. In May, Femail investigated the customer service in Myer and found deserted cash registers, disinterested staff and a distinct lack of help. Daily Mail Australia readers were quick to comment varying views about the reality of shopping in Australian department stores. Mr Tutt said Myer was working on four strategies to make their customers happy. This includes the improvement of the click and collect experience and next day delivery service which has contributed to the company's online growth at 50 per cent in 2017 and another 50 per cent this year. They are working to build greater customer relationships by following up on customers via email in a tailored and personal way. Mr Tutt said these strategies, as well as simplifying the in-store return process, have already led to success and happier customers. Michael Cohen is reportedly prepared to tell special counsel Robert Mueller that then-candidate Donald Trump knew and approved the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Russians and his campaign staffers. Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, alleged that Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, was the one who informed him that the meeting would take place. During the meeting, the Russians were expected to dish out dirt on Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Don Jr, his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, who was Trump's campaign chairman at the time, were all at the meeting. denied Michael Cohen (left) has claimed that then-candidate Donald Trump approved the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Russians and his campaign staffers Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, alleged that Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr (pictured Thursday), was the one who informed him that the meeting would take place There were four Russians in the room, including Natalia Veselnitskaya who reportedly has Kremlin ties. According to CNN, sources claim that Cohen is willing to make that assertion to Mueller, but he doesn't have evidence, such as audio recordings, to corroborate his claim. 'He's certainly a source that is not credible,' Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told Chris Cuomo on CNN's Cuomo Prime Time. 'Michael Cohen can't be believed unless it's corroborated five times,' Giuliani said. 'I talked to the president about this at length before as well as other witnesses and it's not true. Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? A lawyer who would tape their own client is a lawyer without any character,' he added. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The president has previously denied knowing in advance that the meeting was going to take place, and he has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Moscow has also denied meddling in the election. During the meeting, the Russians were expected to dish out dirt on Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. There were four Russians in the room, including Natalia Veselnitskaya who reportedly has Kremlin ties Don Jr told investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that he did not tell his father about the meeting beforehand, according to documents released by the committee. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for the Trump Organization and Don Jr, told Reuters: 'Donald Trump Jr has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. 'We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr Trump, Jr, and on his behalf.' For months, the president's legal team, the White House press secretary and others in Trump's orbit said he did not dictate or help draft a June 2017 statement trying to explain the Trump Tower meeting between his eldest son and a Russian lawyer. Turns out, that wasn't true. 'He's certainly a source that is not credible,' Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told Chris Cuomo on CNN's Cuomo Prime Time 'Michael Cohen can't be believed unless it's corroborated five times,' Giuliani added In a January letter to Mueller, Trump's lawyers said the president 'dictated a short but accurate response' to the first report that his son, Don Jr, and others had met with the Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential election. The New York Times revealed the existence of the letter last month. The Trump Tower meeting - and the White House's initial response to the first reports of the meeting - has been a key moment in Mueller's investigation into whether anyone on the campaign colluded with Russia and whether Trump obstructed justice. In the initial written statement from Don Jr on June 8, 2017, he said the Trump Tower gathering was a 'short introductory meeting' focused on a disbanded program that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children. Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia. While the Magnitsky Act was discussed, it was later revealed that the meeting was held on the promise of damaging information about Clinton. Don Jr did not mention the promise of dirt on Clinton until a statement the next day. Roseanne Barr claims ABC broke her contract by firing her the same day she posted her controversial tweet, despite a contract agreement stating she had '24 hours to correct any mistakes' she made on Twitter. Barr revealed the stipulation in her contract that protected her 'from getting in trouble with tweets' in a tell-all interview with Fox's Sean Hannity on Thursday. She said ABC asked her to get rid of her Twitter account during talks about launching the reboot, but she defended it as a platform for her activism. Roseanne Barr claims ABC broke her contract which guaranteed her '24 hours to correct any mistakes', in an interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday evening Barr sat down with the Fox News host for her first interview appearance following her racist tweet and the axing of her show's reboot She said: 'I want to tell you this. I walked away from that show despite the fact I had a contract that protected me from getting in trouble with tweets' 'I said in the beginning I will never stop defending Israel and the Jewish people. That's me. I was raised that way. It's very important to me,' she said. 'So they said, okay. Anyway, I did what I did.' ABC called her soon after her tweet saying Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett looked like 'Muslim brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby' began making waves on the internet. 'Then they called me. They said what possible excuse could you have for this unforgivable and egregious tweet? I said -- what do you mean exactly?' she said. The comedian said she was completely shocked by the phone call and in fact was clueless to controversy her tweet was stirring in the first place. 'You didn't know?' Hannity asked. She was fired on May 29, the same day she tweeted that Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett looked like 'Muslim Brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby', despite a contract that allowed her '24 hours to correct any mistakes' Speaking on The View, Jarrett seemed unperturbed by the tweet saying: 'In all seriousness...I'm fine. I am just fine.' 'No, you could have knocked me over with a feather. My boyfriend saw it. I thought she was Middle Eastern,' she said. She was fired on May 29 in light of her tweet, however Barr claims that her termination broke her contract. 'I want to tell you this. I walked away from that show despite the fact I had a contract that protected me from getting in trouble with tweets,' she said. She explained that under her contract she had '24 hours to correct any mistakes'. She posted the jabbing tweet at 2:45am on May 29. After she came under fire for it, she deleted the tweet. But the damage was done and ABC canceled her eponymous show and Barr was fired just hours later. The actress adds that she was prevented from clearing her name. 'I asked them to let me go on The View and other shows and explain and correct that I didn't say what they were putting out there. They said no,' Barr said. Barr said she tried to clear the air by going on The View to quell the Twitter controversy, but was denied from doing so She added that she walked away from the show without causing a fight so that staff and cast members on the show wouldn't lose their jobs Instead of fighting, Barr told Hannity that she walked away because she didn't want staff and cast members on the show to lose their job and she even signed for the show to continue without her. 'I am for working people. I could fight this. No, it's going to be part of the repentance. I will just walk away,' she said. When she was later asked if she's still on Twitter Barr said: 'My kids took it away from me.' Hannity pointed out she could get another phone, to which she smiled and said 'Yes, I know'. She has been active on Twitter following the May 29 tweet. Speaking on the tweet she said: 'I made a mistake, obviously. It cost me everything. My life's work. Everything. I made a mistake. I have paid the price for it. No, I didn't know -- like a lot of Americans including a lot of people of all times, they didn't know either.' The sister of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has taken to social media to describe claims taxpayers funded her sister's return to Australia as 'fake news'. Mercedes Corby took to Instagram to hit back after reports emerged of the extraordinary measures taken to return Schapelle to Australia in May last year. '9 News, I would like to know where you came up with this BS?,' Mercedes posted to her 24,200 followers. 'Taxpayers DID NOT pay one cent towards my sister's return home. We paid our own airline tickets and our good friend John from Tora Solutions helped organise her safe trip back, the government/tax payers DID NOT pay a cent! Why have you broadcast this fake news?' Mercedes Corby (pictured) has describe claims taxpayers funded her sister's return to Australia as 'fake news' Intricate measures to smuggle Schapelle Corby (pictured) back into Australia unnoticed have emerged Schapelle then reposted her sister's social media rant to her 184,000 Instagram followers. '#breakingnews you know nothing,' she wrote. Tora Solutions also took to Instagram to deny the claims. 'Tora Solutions would like to confirm that no tax payer funds were received or used in the return of Schapelle Corby,' the company posted. 'Further, Schapelle Corby and her sister Mercedes Corby funded their flights home and the vehicles deployed for the extraction from Brisbane Airport was a private arrangement between Tora Solutions and Limoso Australia.' It comes after documents emerged detailing the extraordinary measures taken to return Schapelle to Australia with the help of the police and the federal government. Switching flights, body-doubles and emergency media conferences were just some of the plans outlined in the preparation documents for when Corby returned to Australia from Bali in May 2017, 9News reported. Members of the Australian Federal Police, Brisbane Airport and Australian Border Force allegedly collaborated with her security details to pull off the operation, the report claims. Corby, her sister Mercedes, and members of their private security team were taken through another exit at Queensland Airport and given express customs checks According to the documents, the priority of the mission was to smuggle Corby back into Australia without the media or the public noticing. Government officials and Brisbane Airport both justified the elaborate plans as a way to keep the peace. Corby was jailed in Bali for nine years for smuggling more than four kilograms of cannabis into Indonesia in a boogie board bag. THE PLAN TO SMUGGLE SCHAPELLE INTO AUSTRALIA She was booked on a Virgin flight, but was switched to a Malindo Airlines plane in Denpasar. Corby and her sister, Mercedes, along with their private security detail, were first provided with motorised carts to travel through the airport faster. While she disembarked from the plane, other passengers were held on board, airline staff preventing them from using their smartphones until Corby was off the aircraft. She was escorted to a side door and then into the airport via the concourse, skipping the duty-free section and accessing express customs processing. Under wraps and surrounded by staff from her personal security company, Tora Solutions, Corby was escorted to private vehicles, many of which were decoys, while a press briefing took place inside to distract members of the press. The convoy left the airport through a VIP exit, with members of Queensland Police pulling over media cars. The escape vehicles were seen making illegal turns, eventually getting away. Advertisement Corby hit back at the media in a post on Instagram, saying that their report was 'fake news' A Nigerian prince and his accomplice are accused of bamboozling hundreds of job seekers out of thousands of dollars by promising them high-paying gigs in New York. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Osmond Eweka, 31, and his friend Kamel McKay, 27, pretended to run two consulting firms in Manhattan telling clients that if they paid a fee they would be placed at various jobs across New York City. Prosecutors said some of the jobs Eweka and McKay promised their victims were for hotel housekeeping and front desk receptionists. The men used the popular job-seeking website Indeed.com to find their victims. Nigerian prince Osmond Eweka is accused of scamming job seekers in New York out of thousands of dollars by promising them high-paying jobs Eweka, 31, appeared in a Manhattan court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to charges of larceny and scheme to defraud According to court documents, Eweka and McKay used office space in the Empire State Building and another building on fifth avenue to run two bogus employment agency firms, Stamford Consulting Firm and Howard Consulting Group. They also used fake names, according to the New York Post. Eweka went by the name Sean Jackson and McKay reportedly used the name Tyrone Hayes. Prosecutors said they would invite their victims to their office for an interview and then have them pay a fee, ranging between $300 and $700, the Post reports. Prosecutor Catherine McCaw said they told victims the fee would cover the cost of uniforms, training and background checks. They also said that paying the high fee would result in higher-paying jobs. 'But in reality, there was no such job,' she said at Eweka's arraignment on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court. After collecting the money, the men would send the job seekers to different businesses, where they were turned away by employers who weren't expecting them. Prosecutors said Eweka and a friend had job seekers pay them a fee, ranging from $300 to $700, with the promise to find them work. They never provided one client with a job The victims then found that they could no longer get in contact with the alleged fraudsters or the consulting firm. According to authorities, Eweka and McKay duped 250 people and pocketed more than $54,000. Prosecutors said they never provided a single job. They ran the alleged scam from January to June 2018. Eweka is a prince from the Benin royal family in Nigeria, according to reports, and a United States citizen living in New Jersey. McKay is from the Bronx. Both men were indicted on charges of larceny and scheme to defraud. McKay was arraigned last week and released on $200,000 bail, the New York Times reports. Eweka was in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released without bail. In 2016, Eweka married attorney Imade Igbinedion in an elaborate wedding ceremony in Nigeria. Representatives from the Benin family told the Times they could not confirm whether Eweka was a family member because the 'it is a very large family'. Rare documents written by both Malcolm X and noted author Alex Haley have been sold at auction, including an unpublished missing section of the African-American firebrand's autobiography. The Harlem-based Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has snapped up the original typed manuscript of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, containing many fascinating handwritten notations by both men. Guernsey's auction house in Manhattan sold the center the 241-page draft manuscript for an undisclosed sum along with an unpublished manuscript of a chapter titled 'The Negro', for $7,000. Pictured above in 1963: Malcolm X is shown with the dome of the Connecticut Capitol behind him as he arrived in Hartford for a two-day visit In it, he writes: 'We are like the Western deserts; tumbleweed, rolling and tumbling whichever way the white wind blows. And the white man is like the cactus, deeply rooted, with spines to keep us off.' Thursday's sale has helped answer a burning question in regards to the classic autobiography that was originally published in 1964: what happened to the reputedly missing chapters that may have contained some of the most explosive thoughts of Malcolm X? Documents shed new light on the classic autobiography Schomburg director Kevin Young confirmed to The Associated Press that 'The Negro' was in fact an unpublished missing section of Malcom X's autobiography. The manuscript of the autobiography was for years owned by Gregory Reed, a lawyer for Rosa Parks who purchased the collection from author Alex Haley's estate. The draft of the entire book is of immense value, beyond the historic, for the handwritten revisions and comments by Malcolm X and Haley, Young said after the auction. Their dialogue, in writing, reflects the human rights activism of the Muslim minister who indicted white America for what he saw as criminal behavior against blacks; opponents including the US government accused him of inciting racism and violence. He was assassinated in Harlem in 1965 by three members of the Nation of Islam, a radical religious movement, shortly after he had broken away from the group. The scribbled notes in the manuscript - not available until now - 'are a very direct narrative that he's crafting,' says Young, citing the image of racist cross-burning that Malcolm X's mother described to him as a child. 'And that's what brings him into the world.' In this 1963 file photo, Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X attends a rally at Lennox Avenue and 115th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of New York In its description of the documents, ahead of yesterday's sale, Guernsey's auction house said: 'As part of this extraordinary two-day auction, there will be seventeen lots of rare documents written by both Malcolm X and noted author Alex Haley. 'The lots include many chapters from Malcolm X's Autobiography, as told to Alex Haley. 'This original typed manuscript contains many handwritten notations by both men. Also included are unpublished chapters and many separate pages written by Malcolm X.' The auction house said the typewritten manuscript features handwritten notes, edits and additions by both Malcolm X and Haley, made in red and green ink respectively, on onionskin. There were also pencil edits made by an unknown editor. Malcolm X's parents, Louise and Earl Little Malcolm X's comments throughout the manuscript include a description of the gradual mental deterioration of his mother, Louise Little, in the first chapter, Nightmare. It says: 'The court orders were signed, finally. They took my mother to the State Mental Hospital at Kalamazoo... A Judge McClellan in Lansing, they called him a 'Probate Judge,' whatever it means, had the authority over me and all of my brothers and sisters. We were "state children," court wards; he had the full say so over us.' At the top of this paragraph in the manuscript Malcolm X annotated in red pen about his mother: 'Eventually my mother suffered a complete nervous breakdown.' At the bottom, he writes, of the Judge: 'A white man in charge of a black man's children! Nothing but legal, modern slavery!' An anonymous editor, after this note, writes, 'however kindly intentioned.' On another page, he wrote about his parents having one of their arguments one afternoon in 1931, after his father had killed a rabbit, and ordered his mother to cook it, even though she hated to cook rabbits. Malcolm X has annotated in red: We raised rabbits He had taken it from the rabbit pen and pulled off its head. Portrait of human rights activist Malcolm X reading stories about himself in a pile of newspapers, circa 1963 The auction house said: 'These series of edits are particularly interesting as they highlight something that continuously occurred during the writing and editing of the Autobiography of Malcolm X - other editors, Alex Haley included, attempted to soften down X's words. 'Haley and X in fact frequently would struggle for control during the writing of this book. 'This reached a culmination in the exclusion of three chapters - that Malcolm X insisted be a part of the final printing - from the published book.' While one mystery was solved in public on Thursday, another was born: loose fragments of Malcolm's writing-in-the-works. Were these parts of possible other missing chapters? Circa 1963: American civil rights leader Malcolm X at an outdoor rally, probably in New York City Kevin Young said: 'I examined them, and I don't know what those are, it's too early to tell; they look like they were probably stapled at one time, or cut and pasted; some are half of a page, or just slips of paper.' 'The best way to describe them is that they're literal fragments and literary fragments.' It may take years before the story of the fragments is pieced together. 'You see in these pages the history of black people in America,' concluded Young. 'And we're bringing the sons and daughters of Harlem home.' More than half-a-million immigrants moved to Australia in the last year - setting a new record. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 539,000 immigrants moved to Australia in the 2016-17 financial year, an all-time high. The net annual immigration pace was 262,489, factoring in people moving overseas. Three-quarters of immigrants are moving to Sydney and Melbourne. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 539,000 immigrants moved to Australia in the 2016-17 financial year, an all-time high (Sydney's Parramatta station pictured) The revelation came a week before the Australian population was set to surpass the 25 million milestone, 22 years earlier than predicted in the federal government's first inter-generational report of 2002. The net immigration figure of 262,489 was slightly below a record set in 2009 and came before Immigration Minister Peter Dutton this year announced a small 20,000 cut to the migration rate. Of the net arrivals, 39.8 per cent moved to New South Wales while another 34.3 per cent of them moved to Victoria. With very few migrants moving to regional areas, that meant 74 per cent of them moved to Sydney and Melbourne, which were already congested. The ABS's director of migration statistics Myles Burleigh said the total number of immigrants of 539,000 was a record high, before people moving out of Australia was factored in. The net annual immigration pace of 262,489, factoring in people moving overseas, was the highest in 13 years (Melbourne's busy Monash freeway pictured) 'Factoring in departures, in net terms overseas migration was 262,000, which is below the record high of 300,000 in 2008-09,' Mr Burleigh said. Of the 539,000 people who migrated to Australia in 2016-17, 315,000 of them arrived on a temporary visa, including 150,000 international students, 50,000 working holiday makers, and 32,000 workers on temporary skilled visas. During 2016-17, 276,000 people moved overseas. That left 262,489 who immigrated to Australia, with 104,478 of them moving to New South Wales followed by another 90,009 going to Victoria. The numbers going to the two biggest states was significantly higher than the 35,199, or 13.4 per cent, going to Queensland and 13,384, or 5.1 per cent, moving to Western Australia. Former immigration minister Philip Ruddock said the immigration admitted too many new arrivals were moving to Sydney and Melbourne Former immigration minister Philip Ruddock said the immigration numbers varied depending on economic circumstances but he admitted many new arrivals were moving to Sydney and Melbourne. 'Sometimes there are issues in relation to where people want to settle,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'If you look at where the support mechanisms often are, particularly through people who have already settled in Australia, others tend to follow, that does happen. 'Having communities that have already settled successfully joined by others is not necessarily a bad thing.' Australia accepts immigrants via the family, skilled and humanitarian categories. With very few migrants moving to regional areas, that meant 74 per cent of them are moving to Sydney and Melbourne, which are already congested The mix was changed in 1996 so skilled migrants were favoured over family reunion. Immigration numbers soared above 100,000 in 2002 when John Howard was Liberal prime minister and surpassed the 200,000 mark in 2012 under Labor's Julia Gillard. Interstate migration was also significant in 2016-17, with the 377,000 people moving to another state or territory, the highest in 13 years. CommSec chief economist Craig James said Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania were the favoured destinations for people relocating for work, family or retirement. 'While the NSW population is being supported by overseas migration, these flows are being offset by those moving to other states and territories,' he said. Face and founder of Aussie Home Loans John Symond has sold his three-bedroom Sydney apartment for a staggering $7.25million. The financial executive managed to get the lucrative sale of his three-bedroom Elizabeth Bay property over the line just before the predicted end of the property boom. The off-market deal was tendered through Jason Boon, of Richardson & Wrench Elizabeth Bay, and saw the apartment growing $1million in value since it last traded in 2014 for $6.125 million, Domain reports. Face and founder of Aussie Home Loans John Symond (pictured with wife Amber) has sold his three-bedroom Sydney apartment for a staggering $7.25million A north-east facing apartment located in a coveted area of Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, the property (pictured) boasts glass, marble and timber finishes and 3.1-metre ceilings A north-east facing apartment located in a coveted area of Sydney's eastern suburbs, the property boasts glass, marble and timber finishes and 3.1-metre ceilings. It was one of three apartments in Symond's name in the Onslow Avenue block - one of which was bought for $4.1 million in 2011, the other of which was bought for $2.9 million in 2012. Both of the remaining properties are registered addresses for his daughter, Deborah Symond. The apartment (pictured) was one of three in Symond's name in the Onslow Avenue block - one of which was was bought for $4.1 million in 2011, the other of which was bought for $2.9 million in 2012 Both of the remaining properties are registered addresses for his daughter, Deborah Symond (right) John Symond recently moved to London with his wife Amber, and has been shrinking his Sydney property portfolio since. In 2017 he sold his Point Piper penthouse for $13.5 million, and was in talks with a buyer from China over the potential $100 million sale of his nearby palatial waterfront mansion. Symond withdrew the latter property from the market at the last minute, however, claiming he and Amber would be spending more time in Australia than they thought and would use it as their primary residence. This year's Financial Review rich list estimated John Symond's worth at $621 million. John Symond recently moved to London with his wife Amber (pictured) and has been shrinking his Sydney property portfolio since A former Sydney bikie boss' widow does not want to use his sperm - despite petitioning the Supreme Court for access. Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi was shot dead when he was leaving a gym in February this year, leaving behind wife Carolina Gonzalez and their two children. Ms Gonzalez had sperm extracted from her slain husband after being granted permission by the New South Wales Supreme Court to retrieve it. Carolina Gonzalez (left) says she now does not want to use the sperm of her husband Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi (right) despite madly petitioning for access In a shock move, the widow now does not want to continue the process for 'personal reasons'. The fluids were stored at an IVF clinic while Ms Gonzalez's application to use the sperm was being processed. The court heard the mother-of-two wanted to stop the process about five months after Hawi's death. On Friday, Justice Peter Johnson dismissed her application to use the sperm, set aside the hearing dates and ordered the sperm, stored at an IVF facility, to be destroyed as soon as practicable but no later than August 3. Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi (pictured left and right) was a former national president of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang Ms Gonzalez had filed an application to the NSW Supreme Court to posthumously retrieve Hawi's sperm just 24 hours after his violent death. '(Gonzalez) desired, and still desires, to have a child from the deceased in the near future which would need to be undertaken by way of in vitro fertilisation,' the submission, which was approved on February 16, stated. Hawi, 37, an ex-Comanchero bikie boss, was shot dead outside a gym in Sydney's south on February 15. Close-up vision of the broad daylight execution showed a masked gunman running up to Hawi's luxury Mercedes 4WD and opening fire. The hitman, dressed all in black, fired multiple shots at point blank range, leaning inside the car's window while shooting before sprinting to a getaway car. Humble magnets could be used to replace shark nets after an experimental new study found that they repel sharks and rays. Protecting people from sharks has been a hot topic in Australia for some time, with control programs in Queensland and mesh nets across more than 50 beaches in New South Wales. Western Australia's heated shark debate has been long running, as the region has seen 15 fatal attacks since 2000. But new research from the University of Newcastle has revealed that sharks and rays are sensitive to magnetic fields due to their sensory organs. Humble magnets could replace shark nets as an experimental new study has found that they repel sharks and rays The creatures contain ampullae of Lorenzini - special sensing pores located near the nostrils and around the head, usually used to locate prey. Researchers from the University of Newcastle have said that this unique ability enabled the sea creatures to sense weak electric fields. The study, which focuses on the incorporation of magnets into fish traps, found that bycatch - fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally - has been reduced by more than 30 per cent. These results could provide positive implications for the conservation of sharks and rays, lead researcher Dr Vincent Raoult said. Although the sharks and rays are released once being unintentionally caught, being out of the water could have a significant affect on them. 'The trauma may impact their energy levels and desire to feed, which can be lethal in the short-term.' Although, not all shark solutions are as easy as attaching magnets to commercial fish traps. The push for protection from sharks in Western Australia is strong as the region has twice as many adult white sharks compared to the east, SBS reported. Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg has been wanting to take stronger action. Researchers from the University of Newcastle, Dr Vincent Raoult (left), Dr Troy Gaston (middle) and Rhys Richards (right), have said that this unique ability enabled the sea creatures to sense weak electric fields The Western Australian Labor government opposes a cull in favour of its subsidy scheme for personal shark deterrents. Humane Society International head of campaigns Nicola Beynon said that the culling of sharks is irresponsible. 'The aim of listing threatened species is not to restore numbers so that one day outdated and ineffective culling techniques and trophy fishing can be reinstated,' she said. Some organisations are looking to the future by pairing artificial intelligence with drone technology in a bid to spot sharks and reduce attacks. The creatures contain ampullae of Lorenzini - special sensing pores located near the nostrils and around the head, usually used to locate prey Chief Executive Officer of The Ripper Group told 9News that in 2016, a group of scientists from the University of Technology Sydney came together to create the Sharkspotter. The artificial intelligence can alert people to incoming sharks, using an algorithm that analyses live drone images and has 80 per cent accuracy. The revolutionary technology is six times better at spotting sharks in the water than the human eye. Despite being at the center of a two-month long controversy, Roseanne Barr believes she's finally been forgiven for her offensive tweet. It all started on May 29 when Barr tweeted that Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett looks like 'Muslim Brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby' stirring an uproar online and leading to the axing of her eponymous show. On Thursday evening she admitted she believes she's finally been forgiven for her words during a live podcast recording event with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach entitled 'Barr'd' at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club. Roseanne Barr says she finally feels forgiven for her tweet from May 29 where she said Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett looked like 'Muslim Brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby' She spoke and puffed away at an e-cigarette given to her by Sean Hannity following her Fox interview at the Stand Up NY Comedy Club on Thursday night She spoke at the event entitled 'Barr'd', a live podcast recording with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (left), following her Fox interview with Sean Hannity She arrived at the club after appearing on Sean Hannity where she spoke in her first aired interview on the tweet scandal, puffing away at an e-cigarette she says the Fox host gave her. During the interview Boteach said he felt 'bothered' that Barr didnt feel forgiven for her tweet after issuing her apology, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 'Well, I kind of think I am,' Barr said. She added that the first few times she left her home following her firing from ABC she said 'never in my career of 30-something years have I felt the love and support of people on the street than I do now.' 'I think people in America are very forgiving, and I think if you put 30 years of what I've accomplished .. and you put it on a scale ... I think the balance is more toward the good,' she said. Speaking on her firing from ABC, she says that the past two months have been 'harsh', leading her to 'hide in my mom's basement', fearful to head outdoors, adding it felt like she was in the Twilight Zone. Boteach has interviewed Barr extensively following her tweet scandal. When asked if she was forgiven for her tweet she said: 'Well I kind of think I am' She added 'never in my career of 30-something years have I felt the love and support of people on the street than I do now', pictured together with Rabbi Shmuley Backstage: The Rabbi and comedian pictured back stage before their live podcast interview All smiles: Barr arrived to the Stand Up NY Comedy Club following her Sean Hannity interview, cigarette in hand At one point in the interview Boteach asks: 'But you recognize you wronged her?' 'I recognized that she thinks I wronged her. I'm sorry that anyone thought that was a racist tweet and not a political tweet,' she said. She also said that there needs to be healing between the African-American and Jewish communities. She added that she invited Jarrett to join her appearance on Sean Hannity, which she refused. Later in the live podcast she claimed that her axing off the sitcom was a long time coming and that ABC wanted her off the show for some time. 'It wasn't my show and doing what I wanted. I think they had a plan for a long time. They cancelled it within 40 minutes...I think they had been thinking, "Christ shes a pain in the ass woman,"' she said. The comedy club that hosted the event has previously hosted Milo Yiannopoulos, Ann Coulter and Gavin McInnes. Earlier in the day she sat down for an interview with Fox's Sean Hannity where she issued an apology with Jarrett, while criticizing her hair Club owner Dani Zoldan said he sympathized with Barr in an interview with The Post. 'Thats why Im allowing this podcast. The liberal Upper West Side is not going to be OK with having her on their turf, but were a comedy club . . . We dont censor our comics,' Zoldan said. Earlier in the evening during Barr's sit down interview with Hannity, the comedian claimed yet again that she believed Valerie Jarrett was white as a basis for her tweet saying 'I didnt know she was African American, I assumed she was from Iran'. Jarrett was born in Iran to American parents and lived in Shiraz for six years. In the interview Thursday night she finally apologized to the former Obama administration adviser but added 'shes gotta get a new haircut. I mean, seriously, she needs a new haircut.' Hannity then pressed Barr multiple times on whether she wanted to apologize to Jarrett for the tweet, and what she would say to her if she could. 'Address her and not just her, but people in the community who are so outraged about it. Address them from your heart and tell them,' Hannity said. 'Here's what I have to say, let's talk about it,' Barr said as she turned to face the camera. 'Let's really turn this into a teachable moment.' Roseanne Barr has backtracked on almost three decades of her graphic claims that her father sexually abused her. The disgraced actress claimed in 1991 that Jerome Barr forced her to 'play with his penis', would 'play with himself' in front of her and 'molested her until she left home age 17'. But in an interview on Fox News on Thursday, she made the startling retraction that her father's abuse had not been sexual, but psychological only. Roseanne Barr has backtracked on three decades of graphic claims that her father sexually abused her In an interview on Fox News on Thursday, she made a startling retraction, admitting that her father's abuse had not been sexual but psychological only 'How old were you when you were sexually abused?' Fox News host Sean Hannity asked in the interview - the first since Barr was fired from her rebooted sitcom over racist tweets. 'I have a different view of that,' she replied. 'Now you don't think you were sexually abused?' Hannity asked. 'Well, I think psychologically,' Barr says. 'Everybody in my whole family is messed up.' Barr's mother Helen and father Jerome always denied the shocking incest claims. He died from a heart attack in Nevada in 2001. The disgraced actress claimed in 1991 that her Jerome Barr forced her to 'play with his penis', would 'play with himself' in front of her and 'molested her until she left home age 17' Though often repeated since, it was in 1991 at the height of her sitcom on the cover of People magazine, where Barr first made the astonishing allegations against her parents. 'Keeping the secret of incest has taken all my energy and courage for 38 years,' she said, claiming that repressed memories had come flooding back after her then-husband Tom Arnold revealed he'd been molested as a child. 'My mother abused me from the time I was an infant until I was six or seven years old,' Roseanne claimed, describing one occasion where she said her mother held her under a pillow. 'She did lots of lurid things. She hurt me psychologically and physically.' 'My father molested me until I left home at age 17,' she continued. 'He constantly put his hands all over me. He forced me to sit on his lap, to cuddle with him, to play with his penis in the bathtub. He did grotesque and disgusting things: He used to chase me with his excrement and try to put it on my head. He'd lie on the floor playing with himself. It was the most disgusting thing you can ever imagine.' Barr (pictured aged eight) claimed she was psychologically abused by her mother and sexually abused by her father - until her latest retraction Barr said she was going public with the accusations because 'incest and child abuse thrive in darkness.' Shortly after, Helen and Jerome Barr appeared on TV where they strenuously denied the claims - even taking a lie detector test which sided with their denials. On an appearance on CBS This Morning in 1991, he said: 'I never touched my daughter. I never had any incestuous relationship with her.' Jerome said he had no idea why Roseanne would make such allegations, adding: 'We're crushed.' Barr's sister Geraldine, in a 1994 memoir titled My Sister Roseanne, denied the accusation and defended their parents, though she said she had forgiven her sister. The comedian also mentioned the claims in her second autobiography, My Lives, released in 1994, where she described a childhood marred by physical and sexual abuse by her father. Roseanne Barr's mother Helen appears to have been able to get over the accusations, and they were pictured together backstage at 'After Midnight' on Broadway in 2014 But in her 2011 memoir, Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm, she apologized for using the word 'incest' to describe the abuse, saying she was mistaken to use the word. In an Oprah appearance to promote the book in 2011, she called the allegations 'the worst thing I've ever done' and 'the biggest mistake that I've ever made.' When asked whether she meant calling 'calling it incest or going public?', Barr said she regretted both. 'I was in a very unhappy relationship. I was prescribed numerous psychiatric drugs, incredible mixtures of psychiatric drugs to deal with the fact that I had and still in some ways have and always will have some mental illness. And [with] the drugs and the combination of drugs that I was given which were some strong, strong drugs I totally lost touch with reality in a big, big way.' She didn't go as far as to say the sexual abuse didn't occur, but said she was 'mistaken to use the word incest.' 'But I can't really think of another word, and when I do, I'll use it,' she told Oprah. Barr was on Hannity's show on Thursday in the wake of her racist tweet that got her hit ABC show (pictured) cancelled two months ago The 65-year-old made an on-air apology to former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is African American Barr received widespread criticism after she tweeted that Jarrett looked like the 'Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby' Barr was on Hannity's show on Thursday in the wake of her racist tweet that got her hit ABC show cancelled two months ago. The 65-year-old made an on-air apology to former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is African American, and who Barr compared to a child of Planet of the Apes. The sitcom star once again claimed she believed Jarrett was white when she posted the tweet, and apologized to Jarrett - before immediately insulting her haircut. 'I'm so sorry that you thought I was racist,' Barr finally relented. 'And that you thought my tweet was racist. Because it wasn't, it was political.' 'She's gotta get a new haircut,' Barr added. 'I mean, seriously, she needs a new haircut.' The comedian, who lost millions after her show was cancelled, insisted throughout the interview that her tweet about Jarrett was political, not racist. 'Her skin tone is like mine,' Barr told Hannity during the interview. 'I'm brown.' 'I didn't know she was African-American, I assumed she was from Iran.' Barr insisted that she was 'shocked' so many people considered her tweet to be 'racial when it was political'. 'That was a hard one to take,' she said. 'Then everybody started saying I was a racist which is like the worst thing you could call a Jewish person, especially one like me who grew up with Holocaust survivors.' Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels, says he now represents three additional women who had affairs with President Donald Trump and were paid 'hush money' before the 2016 presidential election. Avenatti disclosed the information at a community forum in West Hollywood, California, on Thursday night. He added in a tweet: 'Three additional women. All paid hush money through various means. Time for Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to come 100 percent clean with the American people. All the documents, all the tapes, NOW. No more lies or lip service. #Basta' Michael Avenatti says there are three more women who were paid 'hush money' after having alleged affairs with president Donald Trump 'Time for Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to come 100 percent clean with the American people,' Avenatti said in a tweet on Thursday Avenatti would not elaborate on the women's claims and would not say why they came forward. He said Trump's attorneys should 'release the information to the American people now.' Trump's lawyer, Charles Harder, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Avenatti is best known for representing Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump following an alleged 2006 affair, which Trump denies. Daniels is suing to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement that she signed days before the 2016 election. Earlier on Thursday it was reported that the government had seized more than 100 recordings former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made in his conversations with people talking about things that may have related to president Donald Trump and Trump's business dealings. Avenatti, who represents Stormy Daniels (pictured), said he is also representing the other three women who allegedly had affairs with the president President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen (right) paid hush money to Stormy Daniels after she said she had an affair with Trump before the election. Trump denies it According to the Washington Post, Cohen made some of the recordings with his iPhone and did not tell people he was recording them. New York has one-party consent, which means Cohen did not legally have to let people know he was recording their conversations. Several of the conversations were with reporters who were asking him questions about Trump. Some of them included snippets of Trump's voice leaving a voice mail or returning a call to Cohen, the Post reports. Trump previously lashed out about the secret recordings tweeting on Wednesday: What kind of lawyer would tape a client? So sad!' Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, said in a statement that Cohen was going to get his life back 'by telling the truth'. A top Sydney recruiter has been revealed as the man behind the viral email that furiously called out staff for 'endless ping pong' and 'not bothering to wear suits'. Mars Recruiter owner and director of business development Marcus Wood unleashed the fury-laced rant towards his staff members, saying they were 'really getting on (his) t*ts' because they were taking 'more sick days than Tom Hanks during the dying days of Philadelphia'. Mr Wood, who has been in the industry for 15 years, wrote in the subscription-based industry website that the email should not have been sent and he 'owned the mistake'. Top Sydney recruiter Marcus Wood (pictured) is the man behind the viral email that furiously called out staff for 'endless ping pong' and 'not bothering to wear suits' The Mars Recruiter director unleashed the fury-laced rant (pictured) towards his staff members for 'really getting on (his) t*ts' because they were taking 'more sick days than Tom Hanks during the dying days of Philadelphia' 'The email I sent to staff last week was a Gordon Ramsay meets Donald Trump-style email rant in a moment of seeing red and most definitely should not have happened,' he told Shortlist. 'I realised it was inappropriate and sent a follow-up apology soon afterwards to the team.' The director said he regretted that 'passion clouded his judgement' and claimed he was now using his heated tirade as a lesson in how not to communicate. The email was sent to Mr Wood's staff members with the subject line 'Friday observation'. He said employees needed to 'up their games' or they would be 'slung out the door in under three months'. The anger-fuelled letter opened by targeting the 'endless ping pong during business hours - especially from people with no money on the board'. The boss then took aim at staff members' casual attire at work, accusing them of 'not bothering to put on a suit or pretending to look the part'. Mr Wood continued by accusing his employees of 'taking more sick days than Tom Hanks during the dying days of Philadelphia' despite not making any sales during the week and singled out a small group. 'Five or six of you are really getting on my t*ts in this office - you are a cost, you are demanding and exhausting and you don't even look like you're trying,' he wrote. Mr Wood, who has been in the industry for 15 years, told an industry website (pictured) the 'Gordon Ramsay meets Donald Trump-style email' shouldn't have been sent 'If five-six of you don't pick up your game massively you will see your sorry as**s fired and slung out the door in under three months. 'You better all up your game else you will feel my wrath and that is not pretty.' The author of the amusing email was hailed 'boss of the year' on Twitter. One person even linked the email to the recently announced merger between Fairfax Media and Nine Network. 'Costello moving fast at Nine Fax,' one man commented. The journalist who shared it on Twitter said: 'part of me wants to work for them now.' However, many people also criticised the director's attitude with some calling him 'an insecure manager.' 'It has the same insecure grip on authority one would expect from an older sibling trying to take charge,' one social media user wrote. Mr Wood could not be reached for comment by Daily Mail Australia. The US government may be preparing to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities as early as next month, senior Australian security sources have claimed. The country's national broadcaster, the ABC, said Donald Trump may be 'ready' to order a strike on the Middle Eastern country, citing anonymous top officials. But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has played down the report, saying it was just 'speculation'. US President Donald Trump 'could be ready to order a strike against Iran', anonymous Australian government sources have claimed Strong words: Mr Trump threatened that that Iran 'will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before' 'The story on the ABC, which cites senior Australian government sources, has not benefited from any consultation with me, the foreign minister, the defence minister or the chief of the defence force,' Mr Turnbull told ABC Radio. The nation's top secret Pine Gap base in the Northern Territory and other Australian defence facilities could play a role in identifying targets for a strike, the ABC claimed. The claims come as the US President this week fired off a thundering, all-caps tweet warning the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, of war. 'To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!' Mr Trump said. The post came after Iranian president Hassan Rouhani warned Mr Trump against adopting a hostile policy against Iran Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull dubbed the report 'speculation' Mr Rouhani had warned Mr Trump against adopting a hostile policy against Iran. 'America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,' he said, according to state media. 'You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran's security and interests.' Mr Trump withdrew the United States from a long-term nuclear deal with Iran, which was struck by his predecessor Barack Obama. Australia's Foreign and Defence ministers met with high-ranking US officials in Palo Alto, California for the annual AUSMIN (Australian-United States Ministerial Consultations) talks this week. A Mexican man gunned down his wife in cold blood while she was breast-feeding her nine-month old son after he became enraged she was taking too long to get ready for a night out on the town. Gabriel Hernandez Reyes, 26, pumped two bullets into Hortencia Balcanzar, 26, the mother of his four children, ages nine months, two, four and eight, inside her parents ranch in Veracruz on July 19. According to Blog Expediente, the abusive husband impregnated another woman in the town, causing Balcanzar to fall into a deep depression before her death on July 19. Hortencia Balcanzar died July 19 when abusive husband shot her dead in her parent's home Gabriel Hernandez Reyes has not been seen since July 19 when he murdered his wife Hortencia Balcanzar (pictured) was killed by her husband while breast-feeding 9 month old son In several interviews with Univision this week, neighbors recalled the harassment the victim had endured over the years. Furthermore, those close to Balcanzar detailed how Hernandez Reyes would beat her with cables and used a hand gun to threaten her. The victim's father wondered why his daughter's father and mother-in-law failed to intervene every time their son targeted her. 'He would take her back to his parent's house, but the in-laws provided her a bad life,' Anselmo Balcazar said. 'They used her as a cook, and when he beat her, they didn't get involved. The body of Hortencia Balcanzar lays covered inside her parents' humble home Hortencia Balcanzar fled to her parents' shack but it wasn't enough to avoid crazed husband A child surveys the scene of death of Hortencia Balcanzar, who was killed by her husband 'She said she wouldn't return after the last incident occurred. The man pistol-whipped her face. His father promised to intervene and never did anything.' The story shocked the tight-knit countryside community in Minatitlan, Veracruz. Hortencia Balcanzar crashed to the floor along with the baby boy after being shot. The nine-month old child and his four-year old sibling were not hurt in the gruesome murder. Hortencia Balcanzar's mother, Francisca, tearfully said she wished she could've saved her daughter Residents that heard the loud shots sprung to action and called authorities, but by the time they arrived on the scene, Hernandez Reyes had already escaped. Mexican law enforcement officers still have no leads regarding the accused farmer's whereabouts. The victims mother, Francisca, was overcome with emotion when she was interviewed by local media. She said she felt useless and extremely saddened because she was unable to save her daughter. I couldnt defend her because I did not see if he was carrying a gun, said the grieving parent. I left running and she screamed, "mama". Armed police have been involved in a dramatic shoot-out with three 'masked men' after a late night car chase through east London. Officers were involved in a dangerous pursuit after being called to Lascelles Close in Leytonstone at 10.45pm on Thursday to reports of suspects seen with a gun. A mile-long chase followed through the area and ended at Bective Road in Forest Gate, as officers dodged shots being fired from the suspects' car and returned fire. Photos from the scene show a BMW with its back windscreen shattered from bullets as three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Photos from the scene show a car with its back windscreen shattered from bullets as three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a police chase on Thursday Armed police were involved in a dramatic shoot-out with three 'masked men' after a late night car chase through Lascelles Close in Leytonstone, east London on Thursday night Police and forensic officers on the scene at Bective Road, Forest Gate, on Friday The pursuit occurred after police attended the scene and, a short time later a nearby vehicle failed to stop for the officers. Armed police then gave chase to the car and 'a number of shots were fired towards officers' during the pursuit, the Scotland Yard said. Police also fired weapons during the pursuit but there are no reports of injuries. Fifteen police cars and a helicopter attended the scene, reported the Sun. A local resident claims that he was told the men were masked during the incident. A chase followed through the area and ended at Bective Road in Forest Gate, as officers dodged shots being fired from the suspects' car and returned fire Three people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after shots were fired towards police during a dangerous pursuit Police and forensic officers on the scene at Bective Road, Forest Gate, on Friday Others took to social media to describe the chaos, as one said: 'Rapid gunshots forest gate, old bill already here so suspect they are the ones who fired.' Another wrote: 'Something massive kicking off in Forest Gate. 'Gun shots heard and seen around 10-15 police cars rushing to the scene.' A woman added: 'Helicopters been whirring in the area and now Im hearing theres been an exchange of gunshots between police and masked men a few roads down. 'Honestly I know Forest Gate isnt the safest place but it was never this bad.' A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the arrested people had been taken to an east London police station and remained in custody. 'The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed as is routine,' he added. A mile-long chase followed through the area and ended at Bective Road in Forest Gate, as officers dodged shots being fired from the suspects' car and returned fire Rudy Giuliani has called Michael Cohen a 'pathological liar' after Donald Trump's former lawyer claimed the president approved a meeting with Kremlin informants. 'He's been lying all week, for two weeks, he's been lying for years,' Giuliani said on CNN as he went on the defensive for Trump. Giuliani's attack comes as it was revealed Cohen is planning to tell special counsel Robert Mueller that Trump approved the June 2016 Trump Tower with Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton. 'The tapes we have demonstrate any number of very serious lies by him back a year and a half ago,' Giuliani claimed as he spoke to Chris Cuomo. Scroll down for video Rudy Giuliani has claimed Michael Cohen is a 'pathological liar' after Donald Trump's former lawyer claimed the president approved a meeting with Kremlin informants Cohen is planning to tell special counsel Robert Mueller that Trump approved the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Russians, his son Donald Trump Jr, and campaign staffers But it appears the lies that Giuliani is talking about were the fact that Cohen didn't divulge he recorded certain conversations. 'Fooling people, hiding tape recordings, telling they weren't recorded, lying to their face, breaking faith with them,' he continued. 'Taping a client, which is a disbarrable offense. I don't see how he has any credibility.' Earlier this week CNN leaked a tape from Cohen in which he and Trump seemingly discuss payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal. 'He's been lying all week, for two weeks, he's been lying for years,' Giuliani said on CNN as he went on the defensive for Trump 'If he had a trial you'd say, which lie do you wanna pick? You wanna pick the first lie, the second lie, or maybe some new lie?' Giuliani continued to rant. 'There's nobody I know that knows him that hasn't warned me that if his back is up against the wall he'll like like crazy, cause he's lied all his life.' Cohen has alleged that Donald Trump Jr was the one who informed him that the meeting would take place. During the meeting, the Russians were expected to dish out dirt on Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Don Jr, his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, who was Trump's campaign chairman at the time, were all at the meeting. Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, alleged that Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr (pictured Thursday), was the one who informed him that the meeting would take place There were four Russians in the room, including Natalia Veselnitskaya - who reportedly has Kremlin ties. According to CNN, sources claim that Cohen is willing to make that assertion to Mueller, but he doesn't have evidence - such as audio recordings - to corroborate his claim. 'He's certainly a source that is not credible,' Giuliani continued. 'Michael Cohen can't be believed unless it's corroborated five times.' 'I talked to the president about this at length before as well as other witnesses and it's not true. Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? A lawyer who would tape their own client is a lawyer without any character,' he added. Cuomo then questioned how Trump, who has always said he 'has the best people around him', could put his trust in Cohen if his lawyer was so 'uncredible'. 'He put his trust in this man for years,' Cuomo continued. 'He entrusted him with his most sensitive matters and said I gave him full discretion to do things I didn't need to know - it's a fundamental aspect of the president's narrative on what happened with [Stormy Daniels and McDougal].' 'Benedict Arnold was disloyal to George Washington,' Giuliani shot back. 'You can go back to ancient literature and find people who you think you trust and they turn out to be scoundrels.' 'I saw the president when the president first found out that he had been taped, and the president was completely shocked.' During the meeting, the Russians were expected to dish out dirt on Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. There were four Russians in the room, including Natalia Veselnitskaya who reportedly has Kremlin ties 'He wasn't angry, he was disappointed, almost like a father who had been betrayed by his son.' The president has previously denied knowing in advance that the meeting was going to take place, and he has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Moscow has also denied meddling in the election. Don Jr told investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that he did not tell his father about the meeting beforehand, according to documents released by the committee. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for the Trump Organization and Don Jr, told Reuters: 'Donald Trump Jr has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations.' 'We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr Trump, Jr, and on his behalf.' For months the president's legal team, the White House press secretary, and others in Trump's orbit said he did not dictate or help draft a June 2017 statement trying to explain the Trump Tower meeting between his eldest son and a Russian lawyer. Turns out, that wasn't true. 'He's certainly a source that is not credible,' Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told Chris Cuomo on CNN's Cuomo Prime Time 'Michael Cohen can't be believed unless it's corroborated five times,' Giuliani added In a January letter to Mueller, Trump's lawyers said the president 'dictated a short but accurate response' to the first report that his son, Don Jr, and others had met with the Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential election. The New York Times revealed the existence of the letter last month. The Trump Tower meeting - and the White House's initial response to the first reports of the meeting - has been a key moment in Mueller's investigation into whether anyone on the campaign colluded with Russia and whether Trump obstructed justice. In the initial written statement from Don Jr on June 8, 2017, he said the Trump Tower gathering was a 'short introductory meeting' focused on a disbanded program that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children. Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia. While the Magnitsky Act was discussed, it was later revealed that the meeting was held on the promise of damaging information about Clinton. Don Jr did not mention the promise of dirt on Clinton until a statement the next day. Former corrections officer Janel Sands (pictured), 26, has been accused of having sex with an inmate in a special needs facility in Tennessee A 26-year-old corrections officer has been arrested for allegedly having sex with an inmate. Janel Sands was working at the Deberry Special Needs Facility in Nashville, Tennessee, when the alleged incidents occurred. According to an indictment obtained by Fox 17, Sands had sexual contact with the same inmate once in March and once in April. Sands was booked into the Davidson County Jail Thursday morning. The inmate she reportedly had sex with is assigned to the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. In a statement to Fox 17, the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) said 'not only does this type of behavior violate the TDOC Code of Conduct, this behavior is criminal and strictly prohibited by state and federal law'. The safe and secure operation of prisons is key to the Departments mission and any threat to that mission will be rooted out and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,' the statement read. 'As you can see from the vigorous prosecution by the Department, this type of behavior will never be tolerated by TDOC.' Sands was charged with having sex with prisoners or inmates. She is being held on $3,500 bond. Sands was working at the Deberry Special Needs Facility (pictured) in Nashville, Tennessee, when the alleged incidents occurred Advertisement The Mnuchins stepped out on Friday night making a brief stop at Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's DC home. Steve Mnuchin, White House treasury secretary, was photographed with his wife, Louise Linton, arriving at Ivanka and Jared's Kalorama home around 8.50pm on Friday. Mnuchin, 55, was decked out in a dark-colored suit, white button down shirt and shiny light blue tie. Linton, a 37-year-old model and actress, wore a $2,295 navy off-the-shoulder Roland Mouret dress. The newlyweds, who married last year, appeared to stay at Ivanka and Jared's house for only a short amount of time. They were seen leaving the first daughter's home around 9.35pm. Steve Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton were spotted on Friday night arriving at Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's home Mnuchin, 55, wore a dark-colored suit while his wife, 37, opted for a nearly $3,000 off-the-shoulder dress by designer Roland Mouret It's not exactly why Mnuchin and Linton stopped by Ivanka and Jared's DC home on Friday night Visiting their neighbors: Mnuchin and Linton also live in DC. They have a $12.6million home in the Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood Mnuchin and Linton wed in 2017 after meeting four years prior at a mutual friend's wedding. Donald Trump and wife Melania attended the ceremony at Andrew W Mellon Auditorium in DC and Vice President Mike Pence officiated. The couple lives in a $12.6million home in the Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood of DC and own a house in the Upper East Side of New York City. In a February interview with Elle Linton opened up about her marriage saying that their personalities could not be more different. 'He's ice and I'm fire. I like to try everything, taste everything. I love to explore, and he is much more habitual,' she said. 'He likes what he likes. We balance each other out nicely.' The couple apparently didn't stay long. They arrived at the home around 8.50pm on Friday and was spotted leaving around 9.35pm Linton is a model and actress while her husband, Steve Mnuchin, is the White House treasury secretary Mnuchin and Linton married last year after meeting four years prior at a mutual friend's wedding The visit comes days after Ivanka (pictured with her her husband Jared Kushner) announced she was shutting down her clothing brand The couple's visit comes days after Ivanka announced that she was shutting down her namesake fashion brand to focus on her duties at the White House. She's currently one of the top advisers at the White House. 'After 17 months in Washington, I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the world I am doing here in Washington,' she said in a statement on Tuesday, 'so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners.' Ivanka stepped away from the company more than a year ago over concerns on how her family would profit from her father, Donald Trump's presidency. A spokeswoman for the company said existing products will continue to be sold, but the brand would not make a nee collection for the spring. She said the company's 18 employees would be depart in the coming weeks. A struggling farmer found hundreds of dollars at her front door in the midst of the devastating drought. Debra Clare first thought the blue package disguising $400 was an advertising pamphlet but opened it to find the random act of kindness. Handwritten on the envelope was: 'A gift to tide you over (maybe)'. Scroll down for video Struggling farmer, Debra Clare (pictured), found hundreds of dollars at her front door in the midst of the devastating drought and doesn't know who left the selfless gift Handwritten on the envelope left at the front door of her Tamworth, New South Wales, home was: 'A gift to tide you over (maybe)' (pictured) 'I came home from work to find this in my door ... it's amazing,' the New South Wales woman wrote online. Ms Clare, who was brought to tears when she opened the selfless gift, is one of thousands battling the worst drought for a century. 'I sat down, my legs started shaking, I couldn't believe it. Who would do this? Amazing, absolutely amazing,' Ms Clare told 9News. The farmer said she was one of the lucky ones because she had a full-time job while her partner, Brian, works the farm, however, they were struggling to feed livestock in Tamworth. Ms Clare said they had gone through 75 tonnes of oats they grew themselves and recently had to borrow $100,000 from the bank to feed the stock - which is only enough until the end of winter. 'By the end of August if something doesn't happen ... we'll have to be like a lot of other people and just have to walk off the place. It's so heartbreaking,' she said. Ms Clare (pictured with partner, Brian), who was brought to tears when she opened the selfless gift, is one of thousands battling the worst drought for a century The farmer said she was one of the lucky ones because she had a full-time job while her partner, Brian,(left) worked the farm (right), however, they were struggling to feed livestock The farmer said she could use the kind gesture for a night out to enjoy themselves, but would still love to find the person who left the gift. 'Would anyone have any clue who was around this area today (Wednesday July 25)?' Ms Clare wrote online. 'It's amazing and I'd like to be able to get in touch with them.' More than 90 per cent of New South Wales has been affected by the drought and no rain is expected in the near future, adding to the pressure. The majority of Australia has experienced less than 20 per cent of the average July rainfall. Australians are being urged to check if they are one of thousands of workers owed more than $2 million in unpaid wages. The nation's peak workplace relations agency said Australians could complete a three-question online survey to check if they are owed lost pay from past employers. Fair Work Ombudsman has $2.5 million in a trust fund that has been accumulated from employers who have underpaid their workers. Australians are being urged to check if they're owed more than $2 million in unpaid wages by logging onto Fair Work's website (stock image) How you can find out if you're owed any money back from Fair Work? How to find out if you're owed any money back from Fair Work (pictured) To check if you're owed money in lost wages, simply type your surname and former employer's ABN on the Fair Work site Click submit You will be told straight away if you are owed back any money Fair Work Ombudsman has $2.5 million in a trust fund from employers who have underpaid their staff Advertisement Workers need to input their surname and ex employer's ABN in the Fair Work site to check if they can retrieve any lost pay. What is the Fair Work Ombudsman? They are Australia's national workplace relations system who provide free advice and information to Australian workers. They also investigate workplace complaints including the underpayment of staff and enforce workplace laws. Advertisement Fair Work details reasons why they have collected the money over time. According to the website, money has been accumulated due to an audit or investigation of companies which found former employees have been underpaid. 'An employer might have to pay outstanding wages because we have contacted the employer as part of a campaign and completed an audit [...], or found that one or more former employees have been underpaid,' the site reads. If an Australian worker is eligible to retrieve lost pay, they will have to provide their proof of identity, name and what dates they worked for their former employer. Advertisement One person has been killed as a raging, rapidly moving wildfire threatens to consume a northern California city with a population of 90,000 people. Dozens of homes and businesses have already been burned to the ground in Redding, residents are evacuating, and local TV presenters were forced to flee while on air. A bulldozer operator died in the Carr Fire, a terrifying blaze in Shasta County that has tripled in size over the last two days to 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares), the state's forestry and fire protection department, Cal Fire said. The blaze crossed the Sacramento River and now threatens hundreds of homes on the western fringes of the city of Redding. The Carr Fire burns a structure along Highway 299 in Shasta, California, on Thursday, July 26. Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 90,000 people and the largest in the region A wall of smoke and flames are seen above as a wildfire spreads through Redding, in California. The blaze crossed the Sacramento River and now threatens hundreds of homes in the city A house burns during the Carr Fire in Redding, California on July 27, 2018. One person died, several firefighters and an unknown number of civilians have suffered burns Information from the City of Redding showing mandatory evacuation zones as of 4am local time on Friday (in red), alongside data from energy company Pacific Gas and Electricity showing areas inaccessible due to the fire as of 1am local time Late yesterday, crews found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path, said Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze. The fire burned over the operator and his equipment, making the man the second bulldozer operator killed in a California blaze in less than two weeks. Three firefighters and an unknown number of civilians have suffered burns, but the extent of their injuries was not known, McLean said. 'It's just chaotic. It's wild,' he said. 'There's a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning.' A real estate sign is seen in front of a burning home during the Carr Fire in Redding, California on July 27. Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines Cal Fire crews work to control and slow the fire as it backs into the containment line. The goal is to not extinguish the fire but to control it so that it burns slowly. Preventing further flare-ups is the goal Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines, he said. 'It's just a heck of a fight,' he said. 'They're doing what they can do and they get pushed out in a lot of cases. We're fighting the fight right now.' He said the fire behavior was so erratic, there were tornadoes within the fire 'tossing around equipment, blowing windows out of Cal Fire pickup trucks'. 'Chaotic' scenes were reported across Redding, a city of 90,000 people, as fast-approaching flames destroyed at least 15 structures, forcing evacuations when officials urged residents to flee the fire's path, according to the Los Angeles Times. Despite the efforts of firefighters to contain the wildfire, a house burns during the Carr Fire in Redding, California Pictured above, on July 26, in Idyllwild, California, the Cranston fire is shown burning trees early as the blaze spread across 4,700 acres Roads out of the city were jammed with motorists trying to escape the flames, social media postings showed. Thousands of residents were forced to flee the blaze. Residents of western Redding who had not been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange. 'When it hit, people were really scrambling,' McLean said. 'There was not much of a warning.' Many firefighters turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Redding, on Thursday, July 26. Residents were evacuated to a nearby college and elementary school as firefighters fought to contain the blaze California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta and Riverside Counties on Thursday over the Carr and Cranston fires, which were being supercharged by temperatures above 100F (37C), erratic winds and low humidity 'Really we're in a life-saving mode right now in Redding,' said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. 'We're not fighting a fire. We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area.' Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of town. A reporter with KRCR-TV in Redding choked up as she reported live updates about the fire before the station had to go off the air later. Two news anchors told viewers that the building was being evacuated and urged residents to 'be safe' The station's listeners have posted about their experience, and advice to others, above Redding residents were also urged to help evacuate animals in the area, including horses and goats at the rodeo grounds The station was providing live coverage of the fire that has destroyed dozens of homes when news anchors Allison Woods and Tamara Damante announced on air that they were evacuating, late Thursday night. The presenters said: Weve been here live, and right now were being evacuated. We are kind of closing out right now. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here. 'We have all the information on our website, and we will be updating you from there as much as you can. Please evacuate everyone and stay safe. Goodnight. A residence burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta. More than 1,700 firefighters have been battling the blaze, Cal Fire said in an evening advisory Residents of western Redding who hadn't been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange Journalists at the Record Searchlight newspaper tweeted about continuing to report on the fire without electricity in their newsroom, while a reporter at KHSL-TV wrote on Twitter that the station's Redding reporters were 'running home to gather their things'. Mike Mangas, a spokesman at Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital was evacuating five babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, and taking them to medical facilities outside of the area. Scott McLean said the blaze had been ignited by the mechanical failure of a vehicle, adding: 'The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can. It's way too dynamic and burning quickly.' Two residents who chose not to leave the city were 61-year-old Rob Wright and his wife, who planned to fight off flames from approaching their house with a high-powered water hose. Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta. Local and state fire officials have not as yet been able to confirm details of injuries Above: One of 15 structures to burn as the Carr Fire raced along Highway 299 near Redding, California, on Thursday July 26 A water tender operator drinks a beverage after trying to save a home burning in Shasta. One person was killed in a rapidly moving wildfire that sent residents fleeing from a northern California city on Friday as homes and businesses burned and power was cut, fire officials said 'We were fortunate enough that the wind changed about hours ago and it is pushing the fire back,' said Wright, at about 1.15am, local time. 'We are just waiting it out... crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.' Cal Fire said in an evening advisory that 1,748 fire personnel were battling the wildfire, along with 110 fire engines, 10 helicopters and 22 bulldozers. About 500 structures were threatened by the approaching inferno. It added: The fire became very active throughout the day. Firefighters continue to work aggressively to build containment lines around the Carr Fire. 'Their efforts have been hampered today due to extreme fire behavior and unfavorable weather conditions. Continued hot dry weather is forecast for the remainder of the week with triple digit temperatures. McLean said: 'Right now they're doing what they can, they're trying to make a stand where they can, if possible. It's extreme. It's blowing up off and on again.' He added that the wildfire was in an area of rolling hills and not in 'house-to-house neighborhoods.' California State Parks Superintendent Lori Martin keeps watch on historic buildings as the Carr Fire burns a residence in Shasta, above 'The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can. There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters,' said Scott McLean, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The Carr Fire also tore through Shasta State Historic Park in California. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes and at least one historic building Video footage and images posted on social media showed flames engulfing structures as an orange glow lit up the night sky. Residents were evacuated to a nearby college and elementary school and a local ABC news station stopped covering the fire in order to evacuate. The Mercy Medical Center in Redding evacuated its neonatal intensive care unit, it said in a statement. Multiple power outages were reported, the city said on its website, adding that the electric utility was shutting off power in its northern areas. A firefighter battles flames near Shasta. The so-called Carr Fire outside Redding swept across a river late Thursday and is only six per cent contained A burning home is reflected in a pool during the Carr Fire in Redding, which is 'taking down everything in its path,' said Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta and Riverside Counties on Thursday over the Carr and Cranston fires, which were being supercharged by temperatures above 100F (37C), erratic winds and low humidity. Traffic out of the city was backed up, with journeys that normally take 20 minutes reaching two-and-a-half hours as residents fled to safety. Firefighters tried in vain to contain the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines. The 45-square-mile fire that began on Monday tripled in size overnight amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and forced campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Earlier in the day with flames exploding around Whiskeytown Lake, an effort to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety, wasn't swift enough to spare them all. Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina. 'The boat docks down there - all the way out in the water - 30 to 40 boats caught fire when the fire laid down on top of them last night and burned those up,' said fire Chief Mike Hebrard of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Firefighters regroup while battling the Carr Fire, above. The blaze, one of many that have charred California this summer, has chewed up more than 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares). It grew by nearly 10,000 acres on Thursday alone Marin County firefighters wait outside the Mercy Medical Center emergency room as an injured crew member receives treatment on Thursday, July 26 in Redding. Fueled by high temperatures and wind, the Carr Fire exploded Thursday leveling homes, burning three firefighters and killing a bulldozer operator A fire truck crosses Whiskeytown Lake as the Carr Fire burns near Whiskeytown in California. An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities Thursday before reaching the city of Redding, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, burning three firefighters, destroying homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee Governor Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorise the state to rally resources to local governments. The wildfires have dispatched firefighters to all corners of the state amid an oppressive heatwave. A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. That blaze killed 36-year-old Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection whose bulldozer rolled over into a ravine on July 14. The Carr Fire burns above Whiskeytown Lake near Whiskeytown, California, on July 26. With flames exploding around the lake, an effort to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety wasn't swift enough to spare them all. Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina About 100 homes were still under threat in the San Francisco Bay community of Clayton, although firefighters had stopped the progress of a small fire there after one house burned. Hundreds of miles to the south, winds picked up and sent flames rushing downhill on the flanks of southern California's Mount San Jacinto. Helicopters making water drops and air tankers pouring red flame retardant circled overhead as flames burned both sides of the main road leading to the scenic town of Idyllwild. The blaze erupted on Wednesday and quickly turned into a wall of flame that torched timber and dry brush. In a matter of hours, the so-called Cranston Fire grew to 7.5 square miles. About 3,000 residents were under evacuation orders on Thursday in Idyllwild and several neighbouring communities. The burnt-out shell of a vehicle in Idyllwild, after a fire swept through the neighborhood on July 26. Located hundreds of miles to the south of Redding, the Cranston fire grew to 7.5 square miles (19 square kilometers) and about 3,000 residents remain under evacuation orders in Idyllwild and several neighboring communities. This fire, which destroyed five homes, is believed to have been sparked by arson Devastating scenes from Idyllwild in California, above, where thousands of residents have had to be evacuated from homes A bogus rescuer told a young British au pair 'it's my turn now' before raping her - after she had already been raped by two men she had met at a party in Italy. The 18-year-old said she was attacked by the first two men, aged between 19 and 21, when they offered to give her a lift home from the party near the university in Naples. They drove her to a quiet street before taking turns to rape her, she told a special investigative hearing in the city. A bogus rescuer told a young British au pair 'it's my turn now' before raping her - after she had already been raped by two men she had met at a party in Italy (file picture) After leaving her alone on a street, a third man arrived and offered her a lift home - only to take her to a car park and say 'it's my turn now' before raping her as well, she claimed. The British exchange student was in the city for the hearing this week with her father and a UK consular official. All three men, aged between 19 and 21, deny her claims, insisting she consented to sex. But the first two men have been accused of gang rape and the third man of rape. Police identified them through CCTV footage and phone records, while the third man is said to have made a recording on his phone in which he bragged about his actions, The Times reports. The alleged attacks happened in March. None has been named. The 14-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed a 33-year-old pregnant woman during a horrifying home invasion was 'dobbed into police by his parents'. Pei-Jiun Cheah, a physiotherapist and pilates instructor, managed to stumble to her neighbour's front door before collapsing in a pool of her own blood. Ms Cheah and her husband moved into the home in Mt Colah, in Sydney's north, just six months ago - and was home alone when she was attacked. Pei-Jiun Cheah, a physiotherapist and pilates instructor, moved into the home in Mt Colah, northern Sydney, just six months ago - and was home alone when she was stabbed The 14-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed a 33-year-old pregnant woman during a horrifying home invasion was 'dobbed into police by his parents' A neighbour of the young teenager who allegedly commit the brutal crime told Daily Mail Australia police were able to track her alleged attacker quickly because they were tipped off by the boy's parents. 'He went straight home, and was covered in blood,' the neighbour said. 'That's how the police got him so quickly, there is no other way they could have unless his parents called them,' he said. The neighbour said the family is 'quiet and hardworking, but mostly keep to themselves'. 'There's three kids. I would smile and wave at the family but didn't know them much other than that.' The man said he has seen the boy on and off, walking home from school, and thought he seemed nice. He also said the neighbourhood was shocked to hear he was the boy accused of the stabbing. Ms Cheah, who is 20-weeks' pregnant, was stabbed repeatedly in the chest, stomach and arm about 9pm on Thursday night after interrupting an alleged home invasion. Pei-Jiun Cheah, a physiotherapist and pilates instructor, moved into the home in Mt Colah just six months ago - and was home-alone when she was stabbed When the 14-year-old boy's father was approached on Friday he said he was disappointed in his son, who he claimed had never been violent. Ms Cheah's neighbours came to her aid after they heard her screaming - with the elderly couple next door finding her 'slumped on the doorstep'. Joanna Diment said she and her husband Adam held the woman as she bled profusely. Ms Cheah was stabbed repeatedly in the chest, stomach and arm at about 9pm on Thursday night after interrupting an alleged home invasion 'She was just slumped in the doorway, I think she was holding her side, they put blankets around her,' Mrs Diment told The Daily Telegraph. Neighbour Mark Bolger said Ms Cheah was begging for help. 'She was totally distressed, we were trying to ask her questions to find out other information, she was so stressed she couldn't speak,' he said. 'She was saying 'help me, help me'.' Neighbour Sep Mokhberi told Daily Mail Australia the street was on edge the morning after the attack. 'It scares you, so close to home it is very out of the ordinary - this is a nice neighbourhood,' he said. When the 14-year-old boy's father was approached on Friday he said his son had never been violent and he was disappointed about what happened Ms Cheah (pictured on her wedding day), was 20-weeks' pregnant when she was stabbed in the violent home invasion Mr Bolger said he phoned Triple 0 and stayed with the woman until paramedics arrived. 'She was very stressed, very, very, very stressed, which she would be you know, home by herself,' he told Seven News. The woman was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition. The condition of her unborn baby is unknown. Forensic police are pictured at the northern Sydney home where the 33-year-old woman was stabbed during a violent home invasion Police at the scene after a 20-weeks' pregnant woman was stabbed multiple times at a home in Mt Colah The alleged intruder is under police guard at Hornsby Hospital awaiting surgery for wounds to his hands. Friends posted online regarding the accused teenager, stating 'you know better than that, your family doesn't deserve this'. Others appeared to have already deleted the young man off social media, despite his personal details being protected for legal reasons. Blood stains reportedly remain on the doorstep of the neighbour's home, where the 33-year-old begged for help. New South Wales Police are investigating. Police established a crime scene at the Mt Colah home on Thursday evening as they launched an investigation into the incident Malcolm Turnbull's pie eating style has proven to be more divisive than some of his policies. The Prime Minister used a knife and fork during the Braddon by-election campaign in Tasmania and some voters were unimpressed. His Instagram image of himself tucking into a meat pie at the seaside town of Ulverstone upset a few people today. The Prime Minister used of a knife and fork during the Braddon by-election campaign in Tasmania but some voters were unimpressed One woman suggested the Prime Minister's controversial use of a knife and fork made him less of a man Another critic Luke Olsen likened eating a pie with a knife and fork to putting carmel into coffee Social media users were quick to compare the Prime Minister's pie-eating method with those of other politicians Meat pies like the one Mr Turnbull cut up, bought from bakeries to petrol stations, are made to be eaten with your hands without the need for cutlery. Twitter users compared his technique to that of former prime minister Julia Gillard who was photographed years ago using her hands to eat one. 'It is just wrong! Is that man really an Australian? Is he really a man?' Tracey Kiely tweeted. Another critic Luke Olsen likened eating a pie with a knife and fork to putting caramel into coffee. 'Wrong, wrong, wrong,' he said. Mr Turnbull's image at Oliver's Bakery and Cafe in Ulverstone also saw him compared to a 1994 episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza used a knife and fork to eat a Snickers bar as part of a new craze. 'What next?', Mark Evans said. Malcolm Turnbull was compared to a 1994 episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza used a knife and fork to eat a Snickers bar as part of a new craze Donald Trump used cutlery to eat KFC in August 2016 as he was campaigned to become the next President of the United States The Prime Minister wasn't the only political leader to have controversially used a knife and fork with Donald Trump deploying cutlery to eat KFC in August 2016 as he campaigned to become the next President of the United States. The Republican candidate was mocked two years ago for being a little formal when it came to eating Kentucky Fried Chicken from a bucket on his private jet. Mr Turnbull, who has managed to secure import tariff exemptions from President Trump, has been busy campaigning in two crucial by-elections in Tasmania and Queensland. A YouGov/Galaxy poll had the Turnbull Government on level pegging with Labor in the marginal seat of Braddon, in north-west Tasmania. The Prime Minister, whose pie eating antics have divided the internet, must be hoping his culinary style won't put off voters from supporting his Liberal candidate Brett Whiteley, ahead of Saturday's by-election. Charlie Gard's parents have today vowed to help other children as they face the first anniversary of their son's death. Chris Gard and Connie Yates' little boy had a rare mitochondrial disease and died after his life support was switched off against their will on July 28 last year. They have launched a foundation in his name and are demanding 'Charlie's Law' - to make the so-called 'best interests' test used by doctors to end his life fairer for poorly children and their bereft parents. Charlie's fight for life garnered support from around the globe including Pope Francis and Donald Trump and involved in a lengthy court battle because Great Ormond Street doctors believed it was in the child's 'best interests' to die. Speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of his death Chris Gard said: 'Charlie made a difference. He inspires me for the rest of my life. I could leave here and get hit by a bus, so whatever time we've got left on this earth, if we can make a difference and we can make an impact like Charlie did, I'll die a happy man'. Chris Gard and Connie Yates' little boy Charlie had a rare mitochondrial disease and died after his life support was switched off against their will on July 28 last year Charlie had an 'army' of supporters around the globe moved by his plight during his short and tragic life 'We've been very busy with the foundation and Charlie's Law. It's not just about giving parents 100 per cent of decisions over their children because frankly that would not work, it's about giving parents a voice. Chris and Connie, pictured outside the High Court, fought for Charlie to fly to the US or Rome for treatment but Great Ormond Street said it was not in his 'best interests' 'The main point is to stop these cases going to court because it's not only damaging for the parent and child, it's damaging for the NHS and hospitals. No matter what side of the fence you sit on I think everyone agrees the law needs to change the way it is. It's not working at the moment.' Charlie was diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome only seen in 16 other children. He was aged just 11 months and 24 days when he died after his parents lost their legal fight to fly him to Rome or New York for experimental treatment. But doctors insisted it was in Charlie's best interests to die despite his parents' wishes. Connie Yates said today: 'I don't ever want anyone to go through what we went through. I can't even put it into words how hard it was and how hard it's been. If we can prevent this from happening to other people in the future then I can rest, I think'. 'We had a team of doctors that were willing to treat Charlie but we weren't allowed to take him. But, that treatment had no side effects, it wasn't going to cause him significant harm. So we should have had, we believe, the right to take our son from one world renowned hospital to another.' Supporters sob as Charlie's fight for life came to an end and he died a year ago tomorrow The couple are now engaged, honouring a promise they made to the toddler on his death bed. Asked whether they'll have more children, Connie said: 'Maybe in the future. At the moment I think we've got too much to do with everything we're doing. 'It's definitely something we'll look into, maybe later, we'd love to give Charlie a little brother or sister and tell the new child about his or her older brother. That's very much further down the line.' With possible record-breaking temperatures expected over the next 48 hours and thousands of people heading off on holiday, travellers have been warned to prepare for major delays. Yesterday, temperatures reached a staggering 95F at Heathrow Airport and today, it is predicted the maximum temperature could hit almost 99F. Yet, the extended heatwave is causing problems for A&E departments as they were inundated with dehydrated patients, while commuters on the London Underground sweltered in conditions which would be illegal for the transportation of animals. The Met Office has said there is a 70 per cent chance that the UK's temperature record for July of 98F could be beaten today - or a 30 per cent chance of beating the highest ever - 101.3F, set in August 2003. The AA has warned that roads are turning to 'chocolate' in the heat, while Network Rail said tracks were in danger of buckling in the heat. MailOnline brings you all the latest updates here. To read in the app, please click here. A comedian has vowed to take revenge on a brazen cosmetics thief after they were caught stealing her pricey haul on CCTV footage. Lucy Gransbury had been patiently anticipating the arrival of high-end lipsticks and moisturisers to her home, but the package never came - so she thought. After contacting Australia Post, Ms Gransbury was told the parcel had in fact been delivered and left on top of letterboxes in her apartment building. Comedian Lucy Gransbury (pictured) has vowed to take revenge on a brazen cosmetics thief after they were caught stealing her pricey haul on CCTV footage Ms Gransbury had been patiently anticipating the arrival of high-end lipsticks and moisturisers to her home, but she though the package never came However, once she obtained CCTV vision of the boxes, it pin-pointed the alleged robber (pictured) as someone very close to home: one of Ms Gransbury's own neighbours That's when the Melbourne-based comedian realised she 'definitely had a thief on (her) hands'. The revelation persuaded Ms Gransbury to investigate further, and she paid hundreds of dollars to access the footage from her building's body corporate. But the CCTV vision pin-pointed the robber as someone very close to home: one of Ms Gransbury's own neighbours. Shocked and startled, she eventually took to Facebook to air her grievances - and vowed to track the brazen thief down. After contacting Australia Post, Ms Gransbury was told the parcel had in fact been delivered and left on top of letterboxes in her apartment building by an Australia Post worker (pictured) 'Today we finally got the footage. Clear, colour, hi-def footage,' wrote Ms Gransbury excitedly. 'Of some sneaky devil woman entering our apartment block with her key - THATS RIGHT, SHE IS ONE OF MY NEIGHBOURS, THE NAUGHTY NITWIT - picking up my parcel, reading my name, shrugging, then keeping my glorious nude lipsticks and decadent moisturisers for herself. 'Im so excited I could vomit. As soon as I stop screaming, Ill decide what to do next. Suggestions welcome. Stay tuned,' she wrote before promising: 'revenge is nigh'. And luckily for Ms Gransbury, she has both the law and her legally well-versed fiance on her side. 'My lawyer fiancee lawyered the s**t out of the sitch (sic). Meanwhile, I watched crime shows. So we all contributed,' she wrote. Advertisement Dozens of migrants were filmed storming a beach in southern Spain on Friday as confused sunbathing nudists watched the remarkable scenes unfolding. The dramatic clip, taken on the beach at Tarifa, showed a group of more than 30 migrants landing in a dinghy before sprinting off into woodland surrounding the beach to evade the pursuing Spanish border guards. The news comes as the mayor of the nearby Spanish port of Algeciras warned that his town is at the centre of a 'new migrant crisis' after 1,000 arrivals flooded his town in the last week alone. Slamming the EU for its lack of action Jose Ignacio Landaluce warned his town risked becoming 'the new Lampedusa' - an Italian island which has been overrun with migrants. Spain has overtaken Italy as the preferred destination for migrant arrivals in Europe this year after Italy's new hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini introduced a blanket ban on migrant boats entering the country's ports. Around 1,600 migrants reached Spanish shores this week alone, with the majority of the new arrivals funneling through Algeciras. 'I hope the EU is working on a global policy on this: it may be our problem initially, but tomorrow, or in a week's time, or a month's, it'll be at the heart of Europe,' Landaluce said. A group of migrants sprint away up the beach near Tarifa as they flee border control authorities on the Spanish coast A group of confused nudists watch on as dozens of migrants stream past them after landing on the beach in a popular resort Moroccan migrants are seen on a dinghy as they cross the Strait of Gibraltar sailing from the coast of Morocco before disembarking at 'Del Canuelo' beach in Tarifa on Friday The mayor of Algeciras said his town is at the center of a 'new migrant crisis' as he dealt with 1,000 new arrivals, while the nearby town of Tarifa saw another wave of migrants landing on Friday 'We've never, ever, ever had 1,000 migrants arriving in Spain each weekend. And all this could just be for starters. 'There's a lot of the summer left and there are thousands and thousands of migrants arriving on the coasts of north Africa and thousands and thousands more who have been waiting to cross for months or years.' 'We have to talk about the actions of people who come to our shores so that our area does not become the new Lampedusa of the Western Mediterranean.' The town of 120,000 has been unable to house all the migrants arriving this week, with some forced to sleep on rescue boats and in police cells. Only yesterday, 600 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa strormed a double border fence at Ceuta, with some throwing excrement or quicklime at security forces to force their way in. A spokesman for the Guardia Civil police force in Ceuta said the migrants managed to climb over the double barrier, which is covered in small blades. The migrant dinghy was pictured steaming towards the beach at full speed as baffled beachgoers watched on with consternation A boat from the Spanish Guarda Civil had tried to intercept the dinghy while it was still in the water, but the migrants sped off and fled from the authorities As they got ever closer to Spanish terra firma some of the first migrants made a break for it and leapt over the side of the boat A woman and her child are unloaded by aid workers in the port of Tarifa, southern Spain after being rescued by Spanish border guards A migrant washes his feet with a bottle of water provided by Spanish authorities after being unloaded at the docks in Tarifa A member of the Spanish civil guard distributes bottles of water to migrants as they wait to be transferred after arriving aboard a coast guard boat at the harbour in Tarifa A group of migrants on a crowded rescue boat lie down in the sweltering heat as they wait in Tarifa harbour A group of migrants prepare to disembark after arriving at the port of Algeciras, Spain from North Africa Dozens of migrants intercepted near Gibraltar are brought aboard a rescue boat by hazmat suit-wearing officials at Algeciras Migrants intercepted aboard eleven toy dinghies off the coast in the Strait of Gibraltar, rest after arriving on a rescue boat at the port of Tarifa, Spain They scrambled over 'all of a sudden, with much violence,' and some attacked police with quicklime they had in tubes and bottles. As a result, 'more than a dozen police' were injured with the substance, four of whom had to go to hospital for burns to their faces and arms. Some of the migrants scaling the fences threw faeces at police officers trying to hold them back, Spanish news agency Europa Press reported, citing unidentified police sources and emergency crews. The Spanish Red Cross said in a tweet it was called to check on 592 people after the massive charge. The charity found that 132 migrants had been injured as they scaled the high, barbed-wire fences. Isabel Brasero, spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said there were no serious injuries among the migrants, but 11 were taken to hospital for stitches to cuts and possible fractures. Twenty-two police officers in total were hurt in the rush, four of whom were hospitalised for burns. Some 600 migrants reached Spain in a mass jump of the Spanish border yesterday morning An African migrant in this image risks injury to clamber across the border from Morocco to Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta About 600 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have reached Spain after storming a double border fence There were no serious injuries among the migrants who managed to climb across the barrier, and those who made it over the border showed their happiness, above Migrants charged border fences separating Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco shortly before dawn yesterday Brasero said that after the migrants had climbed over the barrier, they ran to the centre that houses migrants once they arrive in Spanish territory. The Spanish government did not immediately say how many migrants made it onto Spanish soil. Sub-Saharan Africans living illegally in Morocco try to get to Europe each year by climbing rows of 6m-high (20-foot-high) barbed-wire fences surrounding Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave. This morning's mass charge added to pressure on Spanish authorities from a recent wave of migration. Today's scramble over the barrier is the biggest in Ceuta since February 2017, when more than 850 migrants entered the overseas territory over four days. It comes as Spain becomes the number one destination for migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat, surpassing Italy with 19,586 arrivals by sea to date. The International Organization for Migration says so far this year that more than 22,700 migrants have arrived in Spain three times more than in the same period last year. Ceuta and Melilla, on Morocco's northern border, have the EU's only land borders with Africa, which is why many migrants try to reach them. Some migrants celebrate in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in northern Africa, after they successfully cleared the border fence A moment of celebration for these migrants, after they managed to jump the border fence between Spain and Morocco A view of several pairs of shoes left by migrants who managed to jump off the border fence today, July 26 Ceuta and Melilla, on Morocco's northern border, have the EU's only land borders with Africa, which is why many migrants try to reach them Several migrants celebrate next to a Spanish policeman after they managed to jump the border fence between Spain and Morocco The Spanish government did not immediately say how many migrants made it onto Spanish soil Happy migrants were cheering and dancing in the street, including this man above, as police speak to the group Perched above dangerous barbed wire, this man has already had his clothes shredded by the sharp blades The International Organization for Migration says so far this year that more than 22,700 migrants have arrived in Spain three times more than in the same period last year. It is not known as yet what will happen to the 600 who stormed the barrier to Ceuta The Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trump's presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. The data was obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky's London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Center, that is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption. Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya famously got a meeting with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort during the 2016 election season with a promise of producing dirt on his Hillary Clinton Emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney with links to top Russian government lawyers and senior Interior Ministry personnel Documents assembled by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky show Veselnitskaya worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on The AP was unable to reach Veselnitskaya for comment. Messages from a reporter sent to her phone were marked as 'read' but were not returned. Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government and was offering Moscow's help defeating rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Veselnitskaya has denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met with the Trump team, telling Congress that she operates 'independently of any government bodies.' But the Dossier Center's documents suggest her ties to Russian authorities are close and they pull the curtain back on her campaign to overturn the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian officials. For example, the emails show that Veselnitskaya was mixed up in the Russian government's attempt to extract financial information from the former law firm of Bill Browder, the American-born British businessman who was a longtime critic of the Kremlin. Donald Trump Jr. (left) and Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner (right) were at the infamous Trump Tower meeting, which produced nothing of value but has become the center of controversy nonetheless An Oct. 31, 2017, email shows Veselnitskaya's office preparing a draft version of Russian Deputy General Prosecutor Mikhail Alexandrov's affidavit to Cypriot authorities. 'This is needed by tomorrow,' she wrote a subordinate. Two weeks later, a finalized version of the same document was sent by a Russian diplomatic staffer to a Cypriot counterpart, the Dossier Center's files show. Browder, who has often clashed with Veselnitskaya in and out of court, said this reinforced the idea that she was enmeshed with Russian officialdom. 'If her office is drafting replies for Russian-Cyprus law enforcement cooperation, in my opinion that effectively shows that she's an agent of the Russian government and not an independent lawyer as she claims,' he said in a telephone interview. In a written statement, the Russian Embassy in Cyprus called the AP's question a 'provocation' and said it had 'no idea who is Nataliya Veselnitskaya and what she sends or doesn't send to the Cypriot Officials.' Alexandrov, reached at the prosecutor-general's office, refused to speak to the AP. Veselnitskaya appears to have gotten government support too. Veselnitskaya has denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met with the Trump team, telling Congress that she operates 'independently of any government bodies.' Bill Browder, a U.S.-born Britain-based financier, talks to The Associated Press' reporters after leaving the anti-graft prosecutor's office in Madrid, Spain. Moscow lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya's role in the drama over the Trump campaign's Russian connections is rooted in her fight against Browder, who has become a leading critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File) When Swiss officials arrived in Moscow on September 2015 to interrogate Denis Katsyv, one of her key clients, they were met not just by Veselnitskaya but by Lt. Col. A. V. Ranchenkov, a senior Interior Ministry official previously known for his role investigating the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. Ranchenkov devoted a chunk of the interview to questions about the legality of Browder's actions, according to a transcript of the interrogation reviewed by AP. The Russian Interior Ministry did not return messages seeking comment. The emails also show how Veselnitskaya tried to extend her influence to the United States, where she was working to overturn the Magnitsky Act, a sanctions law that was championed by Browder after his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, died under suspicious circumstances in a Russian prison. Moscow responded to the sanctions with a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian orphans. That prompted lobbyists to court groups such as Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption Including Neighboring Countries , or FRUA, a charity that supports families who adopt children from former Soviet bloc nations. The idea was to use the issue of adoptions to help them reverse the sanctions. Jan Wondra, FRUA's chairman, said she attended a meeting in Washington on June 8, 2016 with a group of people that included Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who was working with Veselnitskaya to overturn the sanctions. The group told her there was evidence that the Magnitsky Act was propelled by bogus claims spread by Browder, Wondra said. It promised that the revelation could lead to the overturning of the Russian adoption ban. Wondra told the AP she was suspicious and feared that the lobbyists wanted FRUA's endorsement for their own purposes. 'My antennae were out. I looked at this as an attempt to put public pressure on Congress to rescind all or a part of the Magnitsky Act,' she said, emphasizing that she spoke only for herself, not her organization. 'The conclusion I drew was that FRUA should not participate. And we didn't.' Akhmetshin, who would join Veselnitskaya at the Trump Tower meeting the next day, declined comment. The emails obtained by AP leave some unanswered questions. In particular, the Dossier Center's investigation turned up almost no messages about the Trump Tower meeting itself. The group said it received only a few messages dealing with the media queries when the meeting became public in mid-2017. There's no mention either of the Russian hack-and-leak operation that began rattling the Democrats immediately following Veselnitskaya's visit. EDITOR'S NOTE - Raphael Satter's father, David Satter, is a Russia specialist who has been critical of the Kremlin. He was involved in a 2011 arbitration claim against filmmaker Andrei Nekrasov over the production of a documentary. A subsequent film by Nekrasov, which was critical of British investor Bill Browder, was promoted by Natalia Veselnitskaya. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has ordered a 'pause' to cooperation with the US over the fate of the ISIS 'Beatles' after lawyers for the men demanded a delay. Mr Javid has faced furious claims he has abandoned Britain's long-standing objection to the death penalty by cooperating with the US over Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh. The jihadis have been stripped of their British citizenship after fighting for ISIS. They were branded the 'Beatles' after recording execution videos with British accents. They cannot be tried in UK courts because of a lack of admissible evidence. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has ordered a 'pause' to cooperation with the US over the fate of the ISIS 'Beatles' after lawyers for the men demanded a delay Alexanda Kotey (pictured left) and Shafee El-Sheikh (pictured right) will be tried in US courts for their role in ISIS related activities The Home Office said it had agreed to a 'short-term pause' of the mutual legal assistance (MLA) process with the US over Kotey and Elsheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. A spokesman said: 'Yesterday we received a request from the legal representative of the family of one of the suspects to pause the MLA response. 'We have agreed to a short-term pause. 'The Government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the Government's longstanding MLA policy.' Kotey and Elsheikh are said to have been members of a brutal four-man cell of IS executioners in Syria and Iraq, responsible for killing a series of high-profile Western captives, including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Nicknamed after the band because of their British accents, the cell is also believed to have included Mohammed Emwazi - known as 'Jihadi John' - who was killed in a US air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey. Kotey and Elsheikh, who are understood to have been stripped of their British citizenship, were captured in January, sparking a row over whether they should be returned to the UK for trial or face justice in another jurisdiction. A number of Tories raised concerns, with former attorney general Dominic Grieve warning the decision represented a 'major departure from normal policy'. Britain has backed sending the duo to the United States because the evidence against them was believed to be too weak to bring a prosecution in the UK - and could have potentially put security sources at risk. If Britain had not supplied intelligence they could have ended up in the detention camp on Cuba, which the government has been urging Donald Trump to close. Mr Javid faced a furious backlash on Monday as he was accused of unilaterally scrapping Britain's long-standing opposition to the death penalty. Critics said he had secretly abandoned the policy of only passing on intelligence for prosecutions where there is no threat of capital punishment. Downing Street initially gave only lukewarm backing to the move yesterday morning, before saying the PM was fully behind it. A number of Tories raised concerns, with former attorney general Dominic Grieve warning the decision represented a 'major departure from normal policy'. Shadow attorney general Baroness Chakrabarti said Mr Javid appeared to have 'secretly and unilaterally abandoned Britain's opposition to the death penalty'. A gang of Polish men who launched a vile, racist attack on a family have been jailed for more than ten years. Lukasz Chluba, 32, Tomasz Tchorzewski, 30, his brother Robert Tchorzewski, 28, and Ernest Bachowski, 27, were locked up for their attack against a Polish teenager and her English boyfriend. The Tchorzewski brothers and Bachowski started a riot in west Hull over Polish teenager Olivia Johnson, saying she 'deserved to be killed' for dating Kieran Bush. Bachowski, the Tchorzewskis and Chluba all pleaded guilty to violent disorder for their attack on Ms Johnson, Mr Bush and his father Mark Bush. Kieran Bush and his girlfriend Olivia Johnson were victims of the racist attack, which the judge described as an 'extremely violent, nasty, aggressive public order incident' Robert Tchorzewski, left, and Tomasz Tchorzewski, far right, arrive at Hull Crown Court for their sentencing hearing on Thursday Ernest Bachowski, left, and Lukasz Chluba, right smoking a cigarette outside Hull Crown Court as they arrive for their sentencing on Thursday Tomasz Tchorzewski arrives at Hull Crown Court. He was jailed for violent disorder after stabbing father Mark Bush during the attack last year Robert Tchorzewski was jailed for three years, nine months; Tomasz Tchorzewski for three years, three months; Chluba for 20 months; and Bachowski for 18 months. The incident broke out at around 11pm on June 16 last year, and only ended when the Polish attackers were forced to flee after neighbours of the Bush family armed themselves with weapons to fight them off. Hull Crown Court heard that Olivia Johnson, 17, had gone to translate and calm things down after they arrived at the house of Mr Bush. Robert Tchorzewski went on to call her Ms Johnson a 'prostitute' who 'deserved to be killed', prosecutor Philip Standfast told the court. A fight broke out where Ms Johnson was punched to the ground and stamped on by Robert, while her partner Kieran Bush was assaulted by Lukasz Chluba, 32, and the Tchorzewski brothers. Ernest Bachowski, left, was jailed for 18 months while Tomasz Tchorzewski, right, was given three years and three months Mark Bush was stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle by Tomasz Tchorzewski, who also smashed a bottle over the head of a man who tried to intervene. During the sentencing yesterday, Judge Mark Bury described the attack as an 'extremely violent, nasty, aggressive public order incident'. He added: 'This sort of behaviour is totally outrageous. It cannot be dealt with in any other way but an immediate sentence of imprisonment.' The prosecution said Bachowski started the ruckus, swearing in Polish and hitting his clenched fist into the palm of the other hand in an aggressive manner 'as though he wanted to fight Olivia'. Bachowski also shouted 'F*** him up' in English. Lukasz Chluba, 32, left, was jailed for 20 months while Robert Tchorzewski, right, was sentenced to three years and nine months Mark Bush went outside to see what the commotion was about and told the gang to leave. Robert Tchorzewski held a bottle over his head while hurling abuse at Olivia, before punching her to the ground, causing a filling to fall out. Kieran had gone inside to put on his shoes where he found Olivia on the floor, with Robert Tchorzewski holding onto his father's car and using both feet to stamp on her head and back as she screamed for help. Robert Tchorzewski threw 'fifteen to twenty' punches at Mark Bush's head, where Kieran began punching back in self defence. Chluba held onto Kieran's arms to stop him defending himself. Tomasz Tchorzewski swung a bottle at Mark Bush and also stabbed him, who feared for his life due to the loss of blood pressure. The judge said he agreed the men attacked Ms Johnson and the Bush family because of their 'dissatisfaction with a young Polish girl taking up with an English boy'. At the time of the attack, Kieran said the attack was the culmination of ongoing tensions. He told Hull Live: 'We've seen them a few times, they glare at us as they walk past the house and been very passive aggressive. 'To say I'm angry we've been attacked in our own home doesn't cover it, just because my girlfriend isn't seeing a Polish man. When I think about what they did, it just makes so angry, and it scares me at the same time, they are neighbours. How often could this happen, is it going to happen again?' A British medical student has been jailed in America for attacking his girlfriend's male friend after finding him in her bedroom. Tony Boyd, 23, had travelled to Wisconsin to help partner Sophie Kelly settle into a new life as a veterinary surgeon when he flew into a jealous rage last August 11. Boyd pleaded guilty to battering Stephen Mayer at the property in New Berlin and was sentenced to serve two 30-day prison sentences at Waukesha County jail. The Glasgow University medical student was also originally charged with firing a gun during the scuffle but the charge was dismissed on Wednesday. Tony Boyd, 23, has been jailed in America for attacking his girlfriend's male friend Stephen Mayer after finding him in her bedroom last August Last December, Boyd claimed he never attacked Miss Kelly (left and right), originally from Dalgety Bay, Fife, and said he fired the Smith & Wesson handgun by accident Now Boyd, whose father paid his $15,000 bail so he could return to Scotland to finish his medical degree, has his future as a doctor hanging in the balance, reported the Daily Record. Last December, Boyd claimed he never attacked Miss Kelly, originally from Dalgety Bay, Fife, and said he fired the Smith & Wesson handgun by accident. Boyd, from Troon, Ayrshire, said: 'I caught my girlfriend in bed with another guy, threw punches at him and chased him out of the apartment. 'She ran away with him and at this point I was standing at the apartment and I was absolutely distraught. 'I took his bag out the back and started emptying it and lo and behold there was a firearm. I pulled it out, a bullet goes off into the distance in front of me.' Now Boyd, whose father paid his $15,000 bail so he could return to Scotland to finish his medical degree, has his future as a doctor hanging in the balance He continued: 'At this point there was nobody there apart from myself. 'There were no gun shots fired at anyone, there was no intention of firing gun shots at anyone. 'On paper it looks terrible, especially if you look at the police reports, but in real life I caught my girlfriend in bed with another guy. 'She is trying to press charges that I had physical contact with her but that completely didn't happen.' Miss Kelly locked all the doors, but the pair claim they ran to the bedroom shortly afterwards when they heard loud crashing coming from the garage Court documents alleged the attack started at 3.45am after Miss Kelly's co-worker Stephen Mayer came round and sat chatting to her on the sofa. At 4am she received a text from her boyfriend saying: 'I know what you did.' Miss Kelly locked all the doors, but the pair claim they ran to the bedroom shortly afterwards when they heard loud crashing coming from the garage. It is claimed Mr Boyd, who had drunk three vodkas in bars, then got in and pinned his love rival behind the door, punching him six times in the head and chest before chasing him out of the flat. He returned to find Miss Kelly locked in the bathroom, it is said. Miss Kelly, who is now thought to be a permanent US resident, told the Daily Record: 'He attacked me and a friend of mine and fired a gun at us. He was arrested and put in jail' Court documents said: 'The defendant kicked the wooden bathroom door open and struck Kelly two times in the head.' After escaping she hid in the bushes and, as she called the police, heard a gunshot from Mr Mayer's 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun. Miss Kelly, who had moved to the States for a job as a veterinary surgeon a few months before the alleged attack, met Mr Mayer working at the Milwaukee Emergency Centre for Animals, where he is a supervisor. Miss Kelly, who is now thought to be a permanent US resident, told the Daily Record: 'He attacked me and a friend of mine and fired a gun at us. 'He was arrested and put in jail.' Another blow to the TDS Lollipop Guild...Trump tariffs cause EU to Blink. Canada to shit pants and wants in on the US Mexico Trade talks.(I hope this Thread can pass Muster)The TDSers have CRIED WOLF too many ties.Nuclear war with RussiaNuclear War with NOKONuclear War with IranA Trade war that the US cannot win.. (Well Yesterday was VE Day in Trumps Trade War)Canada is now petitioning for Peace (Victory Americas Day is soon upon us)He Got Europe to shut out CHINA and BRAZIL and RUSSIA.. opening doors wide for the US> A British man has been killed base jumping in the Swiss Alps. The 38-year-old died on Wednesday afternoon practicing the extreme sport, also known as wingsuit flying. Wingsuit flying involves a special jumpsuit, sometimes called a birdman suit, to fly through the air. Participants jump from a fixed structure or cliff. The man was in Lauterbrunnen, popular with wingsuiters because of the rock faces and mountain peaks. He was with two people who were also wing suiting. The man jumped shortly after 12.15pm from 'La Mousse'. Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland is renowned as a popular tourist resort for base jumping and wingsuiting [file photo] 'Soon after his departure, he found himself, for some reason still undetermined, in difficulty and fell to the ground,' according to the public prosecutor. The jumps in the Lauterbrunnen Valley are rated on a difficulty scale. The blue rating is intermediate, red is advanced and black is expert. La Mousse is rated overall as red. The exit point, or first six seconds, is also rated as red and the landing is considered blue. Rescuers located the victim in the Ryggerschwendi area. An investigation has been opened into his death. There are 72 waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the most famous being the Staubbach Falls. Plunging almost 300 metres from an overhanging rock face, it is one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Europe. Due to the lower altitudes of the jumps, BASE jumping is significantly more dangerous than skydiving from a plane. The father of a 14-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in the sea with a friend told today issued a heartbreaking message, saying: 'Come on son, be safe'. Scuba divers searched for Ben Quartermaine off Clacton Pier in Essex today, in one of three separate incidents of people getting into trouble in the water yesterday. Divers last night recovered the body of a man in his 20s from Jubilee River in Slough, Berkshire, after he entered the water from a weir wearing just his denim shorts. And in the third incident, rescue teams searching a lake following a report of a boy aged 17 going missing after getting into difficulty in the water found a body today. Warwickshire Police said the emergency services found a body in the Blue Lagoon at Bishops Itchington at 10.50am after the alarm was first raised at 6.30pm last night. Ben Quartermaine, 14, is missing after getting into trouble off Clacton Pier in Essex yesterday Ben's father Mick Smith posted on Facebook, urging his 14-year-old son: 'Just call please' Today, Ben's father Mick Smith posted on Facebook: 'Come on son, be safe. Just call please. I know we never saw each other much. I was here when needed for a chat. Love you, even if you never thought.' Come on son, be safe. Just call please Mick Smith, Ben Quartermaine's father Mr Smith, of St Osyth, Essex, who is believed to be separated from the boy's mother Vicky Knight, only found out that Ben was missing on social media. He said: 'I just want to find our son wherever he may be and to thank all emergency services for all the time and effort and the general public for how they have all pulled together as a community.' The search for Ben, who was last seen in the sea near Clacton Pier, continued today as it emerged that pier workers helped rescue a second boy from the water. Essex Police were called amid concerns for the welfare of the two teenagers in the water yesterday and officers were on the scene just after 6.35pm. Two pier workers helped keep one of the boys above water until an RNLI lifeboat crew could reach him, but the second teenager is still unaccounted for. The search continues in Clacton-on-Sea today after the teenage boy was reported missing Searches continued until darkness last night and were resumed by the Coastguard early today, with police seen walking along the shoreline and a helicopter overhead. A member of the public raised the alarm after spotting the boys in the water and pier worker Stuart Duff issued an emergency call, with two other staff members rushing to help with a lifebelt. Przemek Jakiela, 40, who works in the pier's amusement arcade, said he threw a lifebelt to one youngster but was unable to reach him due to the wind and currents. He threw the belt a number of times before the teenager was able to grab hold of it and Mr Jakiela kept a firm grip on the rope - along with pier bar worker Amy Bayliss - until an RNLI crew managed to pull the boy from the water and take him ashore. He tried to rescue the other boy but was unable to. 'As I got there I just saw his head go under and he disappeared and did not come back up again,' said Mr Jakiela. 'There was just nothing we could do for him.' He said the teenager he helped to save was still being dragged under by the currents when he had hold of the lifebelt. Rescuers have been out since first light in Clacton looking for Ben after he got into trouble After the rescue, Mr Jakielka continued his shift on the pier before leaving at 9pm. 'I was just doing my job and what we have been trained to do if anything like this happens,' he said. 'Other members of staff, including Amy, also came along to assist and luckily the lifeboat was able to get to the lad, pull him into their boat and bring him ashore.' Nigel Brown, Clacton Pier's communications manager, said: 'The lifebelts are relatively heavy and it was difficult conditions but Przemek persisted with throwing the belt - around 10 to 12 times - until he managed to get it to the lad. 'We cannot say what might have happened had he not got the belt to him but there would definitely have been less time to the lifeboat to get to him. 'He was pretty exhausted already, struggling to stay above the water and waving his arms. People enjoy the weather at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex yesterday before the boys went missing 'Przemek is a very reluctant hero, but a hero nonetheless, and he helped to save the youngster's life. Amy also played a significant role helping to hang on to the rope.' Managing director Billy Ball said the pier had recently put in new lifebelts which are each in an enclosed plastic case to stop them from being vandalised. His cousin Soph, 20, said on Facebook: 'I truly beg that if anyone has any information regarding Ben Quartermaine please, no matter how small, contact someone.' She later added last night: 'I wish I could thank you all individually but I'm drained. All I have to say right now is the emergency services have done the best that they can. 'The search has been called off until the morning. Thank you all so much and if there are any updates I will let you know.' A file picture of an aerial view of Clacton Pier, where the search for the boy continues today And this morning, she told friends: 'Search continues this morning. Scuba team will be out searching at low tide. Everyone thanks you for your support.' Witness Ben Hughes-Day said: 'We watched helplessly as members of the RNLI, coastguard and others searched for two young lads reported missing at sea. 'A helicopter flying overhead, two boats and several courageous and heroic individuals who were on foot, neck deep in watcher searching the seabed. 'The absolutely heartache that the families must be going through right now is also unimaginable.' A statement from RNLI Clacton Lifeboat said: 'Yesterday evening at 5.39pm Clacton's Atlantic class lifeboat was launched to a yacht aground near the entrance to the River Colne. Divers recovered the body of a young man from Jubilee River in Slough, Berkshire, last night 'While further crew members were awaiting their return, the pagers sounded again, this time to a person in the water at Clacton Pier. Due to crew being on station Clacton's D class was launched within two minutes with two crew members aboard. Seven deaths in a week as heatwave started As the heatwave began at the end of last month, there were seven deaths related to the heat in just a week. One man died after being pulled from the River Derwent in Derbyshire, while the body of another was taken out of Crown Lakes near Peterborough. There were also deaths at Audenshaw Reservoir in Greater Manchester, while the body of Ryan Evans, 13, was recovered from a Stoke-on-Trent lake. The body of a 17-year-old boy was also recovered from the River Aire in Leeds, a man died in a lake in Nutfield, Surrey, and a woman drowned while swimming in the sea off Eastbourne. Advertisement 'On arrival on scene there was a male holding on to a life ring that had been thrown down from the pier. Shouts from the pier indicated there was another male in the water. The D Class made a rapid search of the area indicated, but there were concerns the male that was holding on to the ring was loosing their grip. 'The crew pulled them aboard the lifeboat and landed them on the beach to an awaiting ambulance before returning to the search. 'The Atlantic lifeboat was called back leaving one crew member aboard the grounded vessel to await Mersea's lifeboat to complete the recovery. 'All available shore crew were also requested to help with the search around and under the pier alongside the coastguard mobile units and those of the ambulance service. UK Coastguard's rescue helicopter also joined in the search. 'The crews were stood down at 11pm to restart the search again at 5am this morning making best use of a low tide. Both lifeboats searched alongside shore crew and the coastguard mobile unit until 8am. The search for the missing male continues.' Rescuers search for a 17-year-old boy near Bishops Itchington in Warwickshire yesterday In Slough, Thames Valley Police were called at about 7.30pm after the man vanished underwater after swimming with friends, and divers found a body. His death in the man-made river, which is designed to relieve pressure on the River Thames at times of flooding, was not being treated as suspicious. It comes three weeks after rescue divers from the same team found the body of 17-year-old Dajarn Daly three weeks ago in the same stretch of river. Inspector Michelle Kneale said: 'I would like to remind everyone not to swim in the river - there is a weir in this part and the currents are extremely dangerous. 'As tempting as it may be in the warmer weather, rivers contain hazards below the water's surface which sometimes cannot be seen.' A Severn Area Rescue Association team arrive with a boat in Warwickshire yesterday Meanwhile in Warwickshire, the 17-year-old boy is believed to have got into difficulty while swimming at the Blue Lagoon, near Bishops Itchington at 6.30pm. Britain experienced its hottest day of the year so far yesterday with 95.2F (35.1C) temperatures - as railways, roads and the NHS struggled to cope. The Met Office said there is a 70 per cent chance the UK's highest record temperature for July 98.1F (36.7C), set in 2015 could be broken today. Motorists have been warned ahead of lightning, flash flooding and large hailstones that could hit eastern parts on this afternoon, with a thunderstorm warning in place for the afternoon until just before midnight. Temperatures are forecast to be in the 90Fs (mid-30Cs) for much of East and South East England, reaching 99F (37C) in London, and could rise higher still if there is a lot of sunshine. Advertisement Rescue teams, including police, an air ambulance and firefighters, scrambled to the scene and were seen scouring the 90-acre former lime quarry. The roads leading into the village were shut as rescue teams tried to find the boy, whose parents were believed to be at the lake. But the emergency services found a body at 10.50am today after the alarm was first raised at 6.30pm yesterday. Speaking before the body was found, one local resident said: 'It really looks bad. There was a load of police and ambulance activity at around 7pm. 'Since then I've seen trailers loaded with canoes being taken up to the lakes which I would assume are being used by the rescuers to search for the lad. 'The lake is a known area for kids to swim in but it's dangerous. There are huge reeds under the surface which can easily drag you under.' Crying children, armrest battles and a lack of legroom weren't problems for this lucky passenger - because he got an entire plane to himself. Saad Jilani was greeted with the words 'welcome to your private jet, sir' when he boarded a 168-seat aircraft from Corfu to Birmingham on Saturday. The 28-year-old grinned in snaps with the pilot after staff took selfies with him and offered him his choice of the seats on the new Boeing 738. No screaming infants interrupted Saad Jilani's flight - because he got the whole plane to himself Saad sits in the cockpit with the pilot enjoying his very own private jet experience as the only passenger on board The 28-year-old posed for pictures with airline staff during the solo flight after the only other passenger to have booked didn't turn up The pilot chats to Saad and shows him a map aboard the empty plane on the route's first return flight His took videos of the crew giving safety demonstrations to an audience of one aboard the 2am Jet2Airways service, The Sun reports. Surrounded by the aircraft's signature red lighting, he was even pictured taking an undisturbed nap during the tranquil journey. He praised the staff as 'amazing' and said they were 'very excited' to give him the rare experience as he returned from a friend's wedding in Greece. 'I was really excited and I got the full private jet experience,' he said. 'There was food and drink if I wanted it, they let me take videos of the experience and sitting in the cockpit was brilliant as well. Mr Jilani takes a snooze uninterrupted by screaming infants and inconsiderate breaches of the arm rest 'Everyone was as excited as me to have only one passenger on the plane and movies and music were played over the PA system for all of us to enjoy.' The new and little-known route was supposed to have one other person on board, but they failed to turn up. Mr Jilani pouts with cabin crew aboard the flight to Birmingham as he returns from a friend's wedding in Corfu He only became aware that he'd be flying solo when he was told at the gate by giggling staff. Mr Jilani said it was the best flight of his life and it ended with the pilot announcing: 'The eagle has landed.' He also received a 60 voucher for his next holiday with jet2 - after paying just 40 for the flight. A Jet2 spokeswoman said it was the debut flight for the return route, which was packed on the way to Greece. A speedboat owner who killed a date while showing off on the Thames was given a six year jail term today but remains on the run. Charlotte Brown, 24, was thrown into the river after she and Jack Shepherd took his boat out onto the water during a date in December 2015. Shepherd, of Exeter, was convicted of Ms Brown's manslaughter by gross negligence yesterday after a jury heard the boat was speeding and had a number of defects, including faulty steering. But the 30-year-old was not present for his trial as he has been on the run since March, having not even spoken to his mother. Jailing him in his absence Judge Richard Marks QC said: 'It's entirely understandable all her family are utterly devastated by her untimely death and will no doubt grieve for the rest of their lives. No sentence I can pass is capable of bringing Charlotte back. Miss Brown, pictured left, was pulled from the water after the crash but died from cold water immersion during a date with Jack Shepherd (right). He has since gone on the run but was jailed for six years today with his sentence to start when he is caught Charlotte's father Graham Brown, sister Katie and mother Roz Wicken (pictured left to right) arrive at the Old Bailey today and urged Shepherd to hand himself in Charlotte Brown, left, pictured with her sister Katie at a wedding earlier this year. Charlotte died after a date went horribly wrong Judge Marks QC said Shepherd should not have allowed Charlotte to drive at night, without a life jacket, and after the pair had been drinking. He added 'The venture on to the Thames was to end in tragedy. 'It's clear the boat should never have been taken out at night due to the hazards in the water, let alone allowing Charlotte to drive. 'The defendant should never have allowed Charlotte to drive the boat and especially given the fact she had been drinking, he must have known the river was potentially hazardous. 'This was an accident waiting to happen. The defendant had a a cavalier attitude towards safety. 'I accept he was genuinely remorseful but it is unfortunate that remorse was not brought out in court or by him tending guilty pleas to this offence.' Shepherd's barrister Stephen Vullo QC said his client's failure to attend court was due to his 'cowardice'. 'It's cowardice. It is not some clever trick to avoid justice,' he said. 'He could not have faced the Brown family from the dock and it's cowardice he could not do so.' Mr Vullo said Shepherd got married to a childhood friend very shortly after the speedboat crash and now has a two-year-old child. However, the relationship broke down and Shepherd has struggled to gain work because of his drinking and links to the case. She filmed part of the ride on her phone, pictured, during which she is heard screaming 'Oh my god, you're going so fast' Before his sentencing today Ms Brown's sister Katie urged him to hand himself in. In a statement on behalf of the family, she said: 'The immense pain and anguish we feel will never pass and our grief will last a lifetime.' She added: 'We now appeal to Jack Shepherd wherever he is in the world to return and assume the responsibility of his guilt and the devastation he caused by his actions that fateful night we appeal to Jack Shepherd's family and friends to appeal to him and urge him to face the consequences of his actions.' According to police, Shepherd was last seen in Devon in March and police have urged the public to come forward with information. A jury at the Old Bailey had heard Shepherd, 30, had bought the red 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO boat from Gumtree to 'pull women'. He met Miss Brown on dating website OK Cupid and they shared two bottles of wine over dinner at The Oblix restaurant before taking to the river in December 2015, bringing champagne with them. Jack Shepher, pictured, 30, has been convicted of the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown after his speedboat crashed while they were on a date on the Thames In the video she made on their way up the Thames to the Houses of Parliament, Ms Brown could be heard yelling: 'Oh my God, you're going so fast'. The boat then hit a partially submerged tree trunk, catapulting the couple into the freezing Thames. Police said Shepherd was 'desperate to show off' and in handing over the controls to an inexperienced person he created a 'recipe for disaster'. Charlotte's mother, Roz Wickens, said: 'There are no words in the universe to describe how wonderful Charlotte was. [She was] the best daughter ever, my best friend. We'll never get over losing her. 'Life won't be the same. Every breath that I take, is a guilty breath, that I'm taking breath and she's not.' Shepherd managed to cling onto the upturned bow and call for help, but Ms Brown, known to her friends and family as Charli, was unresponsive when she was pulled from the water. Neither were wearing lifejackets and the speedboat had serious defects including a 'wobble' in the steering system and damaged windscreen and seats. The boat was also not fitted with a 'kill cord' which cuts the engines in the event of an accident. Shepherd told police in his interview that two lifejackets were aboard the vessel but that he did not tell Miss Brown about them. In tears, he added: 'I didn't even ask her if she could swim'. Jurors today took just over 25 hours to find Shepherd guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by a majority of 11 to one. In a note accompanying the verdict, they called for 'a high level review' of the lack of safety regulations on the waterway. 'We are concerned that the current lack of licensing, enforcement of regulation regarding private boat ownership on the Thames, and lack of clarity regarding safety matters greatly increases the risk of further incidents, and would hope that the result of this case will lead to a high level review of such matters going forward,' the five men and seven women wrote. The speedboat pictured on the River Thames bank after the fatal incident The Common Serjeant, Judge Richard Marks QC, told Shepherd's barrister: 'The jury don't know this, but I think it is appropriate now that the verdict is in that the jury should be aware that the reason why the defendant has not been in attendance over the last nearly four weeks of this trial is because he has absconded. 'He was on unconditional bail and he chose not to attend. 'The jury should also know that he has been in fairly constant contact with you instructing solicitors in the currency of the trial and I think it is appropriate, rather than proceeding immediately to sentence given that he will no doubt very quickly learn of the verdict of the jury to give him an opportunity to attend for sentence.' Shepherd will be sentenced tomorrow morning. He has not been in touch with his mother since then and told his legal team in May he had no intention of turning up to his trial. The court heard he had been in touch with his legal team via the phone, but police have been unable to track him down and do not know what country he is in. Shepherd, pictured at a previous hearing, was 'desperate to show off', police said after the trial They have no idea whether he is even in the country but the court heard they have remained in frequent contact with him, sending him notes on the trial every day. Shepherd had been due to appear in court last month for a separate offence and there is a warrant outstanding for his arrest in connection with that matter. 'A desperate and vain attempt to impress and a recipe for disaster' Investigating officer, DS Christopher Davies from the Homicide and Major Crime Command said: 'Although Shepherd had been drinking excessively he knew what he was doing and was desperate to show off his speedboat in a vain attempt to impress young women. 'He waited for the highest tide to enable faster speeds. He brazenly offered over the controls of his defective vessel to a woman who had no previous experience with boats. 'To do this at night, whilst drinking and driving erratically in winter conditions without offering the passenger a life jacket or asking if they could swim was a recipe for disaster. 'Sadly it did end in tragedy for Charli. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.' Advertisement Speaking after the conviction, investigating officer, DS Christopher Davies from the Homicide and Major Crime Command said: 'Although Shepherd had been drinking excessively he knew what he was doing and was desperate to show off his speedboat in a vain attempt to impress young women. 'He waited for the highest tide to enable faster speeds. He brazenly offered over the controls of his defective vessel to a woman who had no previous experience with boats. 'To do this at night, whilst drinking and driving erratically in winter conditions without offering the passenger a life jacket or asking if they could swim was a recipe for disaster. 'Sadly it did end in tragedy for Charli. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.' Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee said Shepherd used the speedboat as part of his 'seduction routine' and he may have taken up to ten women on a trip up the river. Amy Warner, another of Shepherd's dates, said she had to tell him to slow down on her speedboat trip and he was pulled over by the river police for going too fast. The speedboat capsized opposite Plantation Wharf, near Wandsworth Bridge and Shepherd was found clinging to upturned bow of the boat. The speedboat, pictured, had serious defects including a 'wobble' in the steering system and damaged windscreen and seats The jury heard Shepherd bought the red 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO boat, pictured, from Gumtree to 'pull women' He was unsteady on his feet and still reeked of alcohol after lifeguards hauled him from the river. Shepherd, from Abergavenny, Wales, was slurring is words as he asked: 'Is she alright? Have you found her?'. Riverside resident Steven Morrissey told the court that he heard a young man screaming for help. He said in a statement: 'He kept saying 'Help me, help me, somebody help me'. It was just 'Help me' - not 'us', or 'her'.' When he took Charlotte out on December 8 2015, just hours after they met for the first time, 'it went horribly wrong,' Mr Jafferjee said. 'It was cold, it was dark, we submit, it was sheer madness.' The speedboat capsized opposite Plantation Wharf, near Wandsworth Bridge and Shepherd was found clinging to upturned bow of the boat. He was unsteady on his feet and still reeked of alcohol after lifeguards hauled him from the river. He told officers they drank two bottles of wine before taking taxi to his houseboat where they 'drank more and decided to go out on the boat' up towards Westminster with some more wine. Miss Brown's parents Graham Brown (left) and Roz Wickens, have been at the trial throughout 'On the way back she wanted a go,' Shepherd recalled. 'She was quite insistent on it. I had said that she could, so it was hard to go back on it. 'So, I got to a straight stretch where I considered it to be safe and we swapped. 'The water would have been calm. I remember hanging on to the bar in front of the passenger seat. 'I don't normally have to do that. I normally just sit there and relax. The last thing I remember was hanging on.' An officer asked about what kind of speed Ms Brown was doing, to which he replied: 'Full throttle to have to be hanging on, and maybe steering slightly erratically. 'We must have hit something, or she cornered quickly.' He added: 'Neither of us wore life jackets although there were two in between the seats. 'But she would not have known they were there and I didn't point them out. I didn't even ask if she could swim.' Shepherd added: 'In the past, with other girlfriends, I have done the right thing about letting them know about the life jackets, although not suggesting they actually wear it.' He was previously stopped in the boat on August 22, 2015, on his way to The Shard where he was taking Ms Warner for a meal at a nearby restaurant. She told the court: 'He was driving quite fast. In an unprecedented move, prosecutors brought the speedboat to the Old Bailey for the jury to inspect 'Obviously, from the other surrounding boat traffic coming towards us the water was quite choppy. I asked Jack to slow down. 'In comparison to the slower boats, I guess tourist boats, on the river at the time it did feel a lot faster than that.' The court heard Shepherd agreed to slow down and the boat was subsequently pulled over by marine police units 'about the speed'. When they arrived at the restaurant Ms Warner said the pair ordered a bottle of wine with their dinner. 'I noticed he was a lot more tipsy than I was,' she commented of Shepherd's state during the meal. A few weeks later, on September 10, three months before the fatal accident, marine units again pulled Shepherd over for speeding. Mr Jafferjee said it was again pointed out to him that although not a requirement, life jackets were an important piece of safety equipment. A similar observation was made regarding the kill cord, jurors heard. 'As you know, none of these warnings were ever heeded,' Mr Jafferjee said. He denied manslaughter by gross negligence but was convicted in his absence. A plane had to make an emergency landing in China yesterday after being battered by hailstones at more than 32,000 feet. Huge lumps of ice smashed the plane's nose cone and shattered two windscreens in the cockpit, according to pictures released by Chinese aviation authorityCAAC. All passengers and crew members on the Tianjin Airlines' flight were safe, according to the carrier. Battered: The Tianjin Airlines plane was seriously damaged yesterday while flying in China The domestic flight was travelling from Tianjin, a major Chinese port city, to Haikou, a popular beach destination, when it encountered the severe weather. The flight number GS7865 was struck by hailstones about two hours into its four-hour-long journey. Pictures taken after the emergency landing show the plane's nose cone had a large dent and was seriously damaged; and the outer layer of two of its windscreens were broken. According to information on Flightrader24, the plane took off from Tianjin Binhai International Airport at 3:26pm local time yesterday. It was expected to arrive in Haikou Meilan International Airport at 6:25pm. The windscreens in the cockpit were shattered after the flight encountered the severe weather The plane had to make an emergency landing two hours into its four-hour-long journey The aircraft is said to be an Airbus A320-232, which can typically carry 158 passengers. The aircraft was cruising at 9,800 metres (32,152 feet) above Zhengzhou when the hail occurred, according to local newspaper Dahe. In an online statement, the airline said the A320 plane was diverted to Wuhan. It made a safe landing and all passengers were unhurt. The flight resumed its journey in the evening from Wuhan and arrived in Haikou at 1:34am today local time. It remains unclear if they airline changed the aircraft for the remainder of the journey. Headquartered in Tianjin Binhai International Airport in north-east China, Tianjin Airlines operates both domestic and international flights. It has more than 160 flight routes to more than 100 cities. Advertisement Hundreds of civilians have been killed in Nicaragua amid escalating violence against anti-government protesters that is threatening to spiral into armed conflict. An estimated 448 people have died since demonstrations against President Daniel Ortega began 100 days ago amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power and calls for early elections. Masked paramilitary groups have been turned loose on the streets armed with high-calibre weapons and are responsible for much of the violence, though the government denies any official link. While protesters have taken to the streets largely unarmed up to this point, groups are increasingly looking for weapons to defend themselves, pushing the unrest toward a dangerous and deadly new phase. A masked protester holds a homemade mortar as he demonstrates against the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. The unrest has been ongoing since April, when Ortega tried to push through unpopular cuts to social security The demonstrations have ballooned since their inception to include claims of corruption and abuse of power against Ortega, and protesters are now demanding early elections in the hopes of ousting him The government has been cracking down on the mostly-young activists (pictured) amid ugly clashes with police, but the turmoil entered a deadly new phase in recent weeks with the arrival of masked and armed paramilitaries Human rights groups say at least 448 activists have been killed since the paramilitaries arrived, while more than 500 have vanished and some 2,800 have been wounded Protesters are now talking about arming themselves with weapons in order to fight back against the paramilitaries, threatening widespread bloodshed across the country The paramilitaries arrived after protesters set up roadblocks around the country in response to police violence, and the blockades have largely disappeared since Human rights groups say extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detentions, and ill-treatment is being used against protesters in an attempt to terrorise them off the streets Protesters gathered in the capital Managua on Thursday to mark 100 days since the unrest began, refusing to abandon their demands until elections are called A demonstrator fires a home made mortar while others gather to commemorate the 100 days of anti-government protests The unrest began when 72-year-old Ortega, who has been in power for 11 years and whose current term is set to last until 2021, tried to push through unpopular cuts to social security. Protests, led by young people and students, sprung up and quickly ballooned to attack the president for corruption and abuse of power. Activists also began calling for early elections, prompting a crackdown by the government which saw police and protesters clash and roadblocks set up around the country, paralysing the road network. Then, earlier this month, the paramilitaries arrived - firing on protesters, carrying out night-time raids, rounding up activists or those who support them, and menacing the general population. Officially, the groups admit to killing 91 people, but the Nicaraguan Pro-Human Rights Association puts that total at 448, saying it has positively identified 399 of the dead and has photographs of them. Another 595 people have simply disappeared, the group told McClatchy DC, while 2,800 have been wounded. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has also identified 'killings, extrajudicial executions, ill-treatment, possible acts of torture and arbitrary detentions committed against the young population.' Now the roadblocks have disappeared and the streets are quiet after dark as people fear to venture out. Friends and family carry the coffin containing the remains of Gerald Vasquez, an engineering student who was killed while manning a barricade in Managua earlier this month Flowers and a cross with a photo stant during a vigil in honor of Brazilian medical student Rayneia Lima, who was shot and killed in Managua by paramilitaries, though the government blames 'a private security guard' Lima had lived in Nicaragua for six years and worked as a medical resident at a hospital in the capital before being killed Nicaragua was seen as a rare oasis of stability amid one of the most violent regions on earth before the protest broke out, but now looks set to go the same way as neighbors Honduras and El Salvador A youngster writes on the pavement during a vigil to commemorate 100 days of protests against the government Most of the demonstrators are young students, though they have expanded to include many parts of the population Masked demonstrators hold up posters commemorating 100 days since protests against Ortega began. Activists are hiding their faces to stop paramilitary groups identifying them for fear they will be kidnapped A woman wears a mask which reads '100 days, forbidden to forget' while taking part in anti-government demonstrations Protesters hold a dog and a homemade mortar during a vigil to commemorate 100 days of protests against the government Graffiti of Ortega's face in the style of a wanted poster is seen spray-painted on a wall in the capital of Nicaragua Graffiti calling for Ortega to leave office along with a warning against police brutality are seen in Managua Tourist arrivals have plummeted, restaurants and bars have closed, and people have withdrawn $700million from the country's banks, for fear the nation is about to descend into chaos. Ortega denies any link to the paramilitaries, even suggesting that they are part of the opposition, but has been pictured hugged masked members after the drove protesters away. Fidel Moreira Flores, leader of the Center for Governance and Democracy Studies, said activists are now talking about arming themselves so they can fight back. 'The more time that passes, the more desire people have to defend themselves,' he said. Another problem is that, while the paramilitaries seem to be under the government's sway for now, there is no guarantee that things will stay that way. The masked gunmen are often better armed and equipped than local police forces, leading to fears that they could wrest control away from Ortega in what would effectively be a coup. Oscar Rene Vargas, a sociologist, said: 'You create them but you dont control them. They have their own social dynamic. They are starting to rob on the streets.' Despite the obvious threats, demonstrators have refused to back down from their demands and have vowed to continue until elections are held. The protests are already the largest to rock the Central American country since the 1980s, and have caused yet more bloodshed and instability in what was already one of the most violent regions of the world. Supermarkets warned today they cannot stockpile food for a no deal Brexit and branded ministers 'naive' for hinting they could. With fears rising over a sudden hard Brexit from the EU in March, both Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab insisted this week there would be 'adequate' food supplies whatever happens. But retailers said their supply chains are 'extremely fragile' and dependent on the flow of goods through ports. Tonnes of food comes across the Channel every day. A sudden no deal Brexit could see the ports mired in delays or even shut until new customs procedures are established. But retailers said their supply chains are 'extremely fragile' and dependent on the flow of goods through ports (file image) Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured in Brussels yesterday) this week hinted the food industry would stockpile to ensure 'adequate' supplies of food if there is no deal with the EU The British Retail Consortium said: 'Stockpiling of food is not a practical response to a no-deal on Brexit and industry has not been approached by Government to begin planning for this. 'Retailers do not have the facilities to house stockpiled goods and in the case of fresh produce, it is simply not possible to do so. 'Our food supply chains are extremely fragile and this is yet further demonstration of the need for an agreement on the backstop to ensure frictionless trade is maintained after the 29 March 2019.' Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, told the FT: 'I would very much welcome a conversation with the government.' One supermarket chief told the paper the government's position was 'ridiculous' and demonstrated 'complete naivety' about the way the sector worked. France's Europe minister, Nathalie Loiseau yesterday warned of the rising risk of a 'brutal divorce' with the UK and EU separating amid acrimony and without any deal in place at the border. Tonnes of food comes across the Channel every day. A sudden no deal Brexit could see the ports mired in delays or even shut until new customs procedures are established (file image of the Port of Dover) She said: 'With no deal, we should start with new tariffs, new controls and that means of course traffic jams in Calais and in each and every European port welcoming goods and people coming from the United Kingdom.' In an interview with 5 News on Wednesday, the Prime Minister did not deny stockpiling is happening. But she insisted the Government is being 'responsible and sensible' while still trying to get a good deal with the European Union. Mrs May said: 'Far from being worried about preparations that we are making, I would say that people should take reassurance and comfort from the fact that the Government is saying we are in a negotiation, we are working for a good deal - I believe we can get a good deal - but... because we don't know what the outcome is going to be... let's prepare for every eventuality.' A controversial right wing activist has clashed with police while trying to visit Australia's largest mosque. Canadian activist Lauren Southern, who is in the midst of an Australian speaking tour, filmed herself taking to the streets of Sydney on Friday. In a video posted to YouTube titled 'Thrown Out Of Sydney No Go Zone', Southern travelled to Lakemba in the city's south-west. Right wing activist Lauren Southern (pictured right) has posted a new video to her YouTube claiming she was stopped from entering a certain area of Sydney before verbally clashing with NSW Police Inspector Rick Agius (pictured left) In the video , titled 'Thrown Out Of Sydney No Go Zone', Southern travels to Lakemba, 15km south west of Sydney Southern opened the video saying she had heard about the suburb being referred to as a 'very high Muslim population' area and wanted to 'check it out'. 'I think in Australia the no go areas wouldn't be as bad as in Europe because they've got less mass immigration but I've heard some pretty bizarre stories about riots, attacks,' she said. 'So I want to see what is actually going on there, is this actually a no go zone or is it integrating perfectly. The only way I get to know these things is if I go on the ground and check it out.' Shortly after arriving in Lakemba Southern was approached by Inspector Rick Agius from NSW Police who asked her not to go to the local Mosque. Miss Southern opened the video saying she had heard about the suburb being referred to as a 'very high Muslim population' area and wanted to 'check it out' After questioning Southern on her motives for being in the area Inspector Agius said she had already walked the streets with no issues, to which Southern credited her security and the police presence. 'The local community walk around here without any fear. I walk around without fear,' Inspector Agius said. Southern then asked whether as a critic of Islam could she also be safe on the streets alone. Inspector Agius told Southern that he believed her attending the Lakemba Mosque or even passing by was cause for concern. 'I'm asking you not to attend there. I have a fear that you may create an imminent breach of the peace. Do you understand that? Do you understand that?' he said. Insp Agius then tells Southern that he believes her attending the Lakemba Mosque or even passing by was cause for concern Southern asked the police officer repeatedly if she had the 'legal right' to walk down the street outside the Mosque to which Inspector Agius tried to reiterate his concern. 'I'm asking you to have a lawful reason to attend in front of the mosque,' he said. Southern said as a journalist she was documenting the area including outside the Mosque and finally Inspector Agius was forced to concede some ground. 'Alright, you walk past the mosque, you do not engage, you do not cause any problems. I've given you a warning that I fear you may cause an imminent breach of the peace,' he said. By the close of the video it would seem Southern's run in with police had an impact on her views of the suburb as she labelled Lakemba as a 'mono-culture' 'If you cause an imminent breach of the peace I may have to take lawful action. Do you understand that?' By the close of the video it would seem Southern's run in with police had an impact on her views of the suburb as she labelled Lakemba as a 'mono-culture'. Southern has already caused a stir during her speaking tour after protesters at her Melbourne talk caused parts of the Hume Highway to be closed. Southern has already caused a stir during her speaking tour after protesters at her Melbourne talk caused parts of the Hume Highway to be closed Violent protesters also 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. Her Sydney talk is scheduled to take place on Saturday before she heads to Brisbane for a Sunday talk. Keith King may have lost a wife, but he gained nearly $9million from his romantic rival, all thanks to a quirk of North Carolina's legal system. Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson, of The Staircase documentary fame, awarded Keith King $8.8million in compensatory and punitive damages on Thursday from his wife Danielle's Texan lover, Francisco Huizar III. King had sued Huizar for, among other complaints, criminal conversation and alienation of affection, accusing him of breaking up his marriage. Love triangle on trial: Keith King (left) was awarded Thursday $8.8million in damages from his estranged wife's lover, Francisco Huizar III (right) King had sued his rival for seducing his wife, Danielle King (pictured), and breaking up their marriage North Carolina is one of a few states where jilted spouses can sue affair partners, reported Durham Herald-Sun. Huizar, who lives in San Antonio and earns $84,000 as a marketing tour manager, plans to appeal the verdict. Attorney Joanne Foil said the extramarital affair and an alleged assault by Huizar cost King's company, BMX Stunt Shows, revenue and an employee, since Danielle King worked for the company. Huizar's attorney, Cheri Patrick, argued that the Kings' six-year marriage was crumbling before Huizar ever met Mrs King at a BMX show. Patrick described King, who is 15 years older than his 33-year-old wife, as controlling and manipulative. The couple have a five-year-old daughter together. The lawyer for the defendant recounted in court how King routinely reviewed the contents of his wife's phone, tracked her movements, forced her to wear bikinis and stilettos and did not allow to dye her blond locks a different hue, among other things. When called to testify, Danielle King claimed that she was the one who romantically pursued Huizar and said her marriage to Keith was an unhappy one from the outset. Paramours: Mrs King (left) told the court she was the one who pursued Huizar (right) romantically and argued that her marriage was beyond repair Danielle and Huizar crossed paths for the first time in August 2015 at a BMX show in New York and struck up an affair, which continued through the summer and into the fall and winter. According to courtroom testimony, Huizar and Danielle met up for trysts in Durham, North Carolina, and regularly talked on the phone. In February 2016, the married woman's lover even joined her on a spa vacation paid for by her husband. Foil argued that Huizars 'relentless behavior' made it all but impossible for the Kings to save their troubled marriage. Keith and Danielle tied the knot in 2010 and have a five-year-old daughter together (pictured with mom) Familiar face: North Carolina Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson, of The Staircase documentary fame (pictured), on Thursday found in favor of Keith King After several attempts to patch things up, the couple separated in January 2017, according to Keiths lawyer, although both Danielle and Huizars attorney pointed to documents indicating that the couple had split up months earlier, in August 2016. In early January, Danielle moved out of her husband's house and rented an apartment, with Huizar on the lease. When her estranged husband came by one day and found her lover there, the men came to blows and Huizar put him in a choke-hold, according to court papers. His lawyer argued that Huizar was only trying to protect his terrified girlfriend from her husband. When Judge Hudson delivered the verdict at the conclusion of the civil trial on Thursday, he remarked that it was a 'textbook case' of how not to end a marriage in North Carolina. Hudson is well-familiar to Netflix viewers, having presided for many years over the high-profile murder case of Durham-based author Michael Peterson, which is the subject of the popular true-crime documentary The Staircase. Ecuador's president has said Wikileaks founder Julian Assange must leave its London embassy eventually as he confirmed his country is in talks with Britain about the situation. President Lenin Moreno said he has spoken to the British government about Assange, who has been living in the embassy in Knightsbridge since June 2012 and is fearful he will be extradited to the United States if he leaves. He said he had 'never been in favour' of the activities of the 47-year-old as he spoke at an event in Madrid, adding that Australian-born Assange will eventually need to leave the embassy. Speculation about Assange's future has grown after reports that senior officials from Ecuador and Britain were now in discussion about how to remove him from the embassy after revocation of his asylum. A source close to him told Reuters the situation was coming to a head. Ecuador's president has said Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (file picture) must leave its London embassy eventually as he confirmed his country is in talks with Britain about the situation Moreno was in London this week to attend a global disabilities summit. But a British government spokesman said today the matter was not discussed during the recent visit. Moreno said any eviction of Assange from the embassy had to be carried out correctly and through dialogue, but he displayed no sympathy for Assange's political agenda as a leaker of confidential documents. 'I have never been in favour of Mr Assange's activity,' Moreno said at an event in Madrid. Australian-born Assange sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about allegations of sex crimes which he has always denied. Those allegations have since been dropped but Assange would be arrested by British police, should he leave the embassy, for breaching bail conditions. Assange believes that would pave the way for extradition to the United States for the publication of a huge cache of U.S. diplomatic and military secrets on the WikiLeaks website. Moreno made his comments in Madrid where he had met King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after a three-day visit to Britain. When asked if he had spoken to the British government about Assange on his recent visit, Moreno said the two countries were in permanent contact about the matter. 'The only person I have never spoken to is Mr Assange,' he added. President Lenin Moreno said he has spoken to the British government about Assange, who has been living in the embassy in Knightsbridge since June 2012 and is fearful he will be extradited to the United States if he leaves The diplomatic impasse over Assange's stay in Ecuador's embassy is coming to a head, a source close to the Wikileaks founder said on Monday. Ecuadorean and British government sources have played down suggestions of any imminent movement to break the stalemate. It comes days after it was reported that a deal between Ecuador and the UK to hand over Assange is 'imminent'. Senior foreign officials, believed to include the Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan, were said to have held talks to try and decide Mr Assange's future, according to The Sunday Times. President Lenin Moreno has previously called Mr Assange a 'hacker' and a 'stone in the shoe'. The diplomatic impasse over Assange's stay in Ecuador's embassy is coming to a head, a source close to the Wikileaks founder said on Monday 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. 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 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. ... to Uphold Constitution WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)House Republicans on Thursday accused the Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, of secretly and nefariously implementing a plot to uphold the United States Constitution. In a joint press conference, Representatives Mark Meadows, of North Carolina, and Jim Jordan, of Ohio, said that they had ample evidence that Rosenstein was prepared to protect the Constitution by any and all means at his disposal. Kelly Bain, 26, had just given birth to her baby daughter A young mum was attacked by a crazed knifeman and brutally butchered in her own home while nursing her new born baby daughter. Kelly Bain, 26, was on maternity leave with the one-month-old tot when an unknown man slipped into her home and locked her maid in the loo. Then he stabbed the pretty blonde mother-of-two twice in the neck severing an artery and once in the body leaving her on the floor in a pool of blood. Moments later her fiance Christopher Bonus, 34, had returned home to pay the maid her wages and heard the maid screaming for help in the bathroom. He walked straight into his bride-to-be's attacker and the pair of them scuffled but the attacker broke free and is said to have vaulted a fence and escaped. The coupled had got engaged last November and were planning to marry in the next few months and had just celebrated the birth of their first child together. Her fiance Christopher Bonus, 34, (left) discovered the body of Kelly (right) after he heard the maid screaming The pair had recently got engaged and were planning to get married within a few months Their unnamed daughter was in a nearby cot and was unhurt during their attack. Kelly has another daughter Holly, 5, from a previous relationship who was not at home of the time of the attack in their townhouse in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is believed the young mum who worked at the nearby Nelson Mandela University was murdered for her engagement ring which was missing from her finger. A team of detectives assigned to the case specialise in serious and violent crimes. Police said they were still investigating whether or not a man caught on CCTV running from the scene and hitching a lift on a passing truck was the killer. Police spokesman Captain Johan Rheeder said: 'The victim's fiance, 34, arrived home at lunch time and confronted the attacker in the bedroom. 'A scuffle ensued between them but the attacker managed to flee. The woman sustained stab wounds to her neck and body and was lying on the bedroom floor. Bonus was said to have walked into Kelly's attacker scuffling with him before he managed to break free and escape 'She succumbed to her injuries. The domestic worker was allegedly locked in the bathroom by the suspect and the baby was found unharmed in the house. 'There appears to be no forced entry however detectives are still on the scene gathering evidence. We are investigating a case of murder and robbery'he said. Captain Rheeder said a large knife was found in the house and taken away by forensic experts and CCTV images captured by neighbours was being studied. A 70-year-old neighbour Hans Frahm said: 'I saw Mr Bonus running into the road screaming for help and I ran outside to find out what was going on. 'He said 'get your gun'so I returned armed but by the time I got outside the guy had already fled. We have robberies around here but not a murder before'. Mr Bonus who works in the family plastic manufacturing business had been with Kelly for nearly two years ago and they got engaged last November on a beach. In a Facebook post in April last year he wrote above a pic of them together: 'My Absolute World you. Thank you for letting our paths cross. Lots of Loves'. Faith in Theresa May has plunged to record lows and almost three quarters of people lack confidence she can get a Brexit deal. Satisfaction in the Prime Minister has sunk five points to just 30 per cent as Tory infighting over Brexit threatens to tear her Government apart. A huge 62 per cent are dissatisfied in the PM. Barely one in five voters approve of the Government as a whole, according to a regular Ipsos-Mori survey. The only solace for Mrs May is Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also being blighted by terrible ratings. A separate poll today said support for a second referendum has hit the lead for the first time amid the fall out from Mrs May's controversial Chequers blueprint for Brexit. Faith in Theresa May has plunged to record lows and almost three quarters of people lack confidence she can get a Brexit deal The only solace for Mrs May is Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also being blighted by terrible ratings (pictured) Theresa May (pictured at the Royal Welsh Show yesterday) will fly to Austria today for talks with other EU leaders as she tries to revive the Brexit talks after EU negotiator Michel Barnier rejected her Chequers plan Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: 'Theresa May has faced a lot of criticism since she launched her Chequers deal, and our poll for the Standard shows this is mirrored among the public, with her ratings continuing their recent decline to another new low (and the fall has been even sharper among her own supporters). 'But despite all that, our trends show her ratings are not unusual for a prime minister two years in, and are still better than many of her potential alternatives.' Meanwhile, a separate poll out today suggests more people back holding a second referendum on quitting the EU than oppose it for the first time. A YouGov survey suggests 42 per cent of Britons now think voting again is the right idea against 40 per cent who oppose. It is the first time the pollster found a lead for a second referendum after support for the idea inched up in recent weeks. Increasing discussion about the prospects of a no deal Brexit and risks of food and medical shortages may have fuelled support for the idea. A YouGov survey suggests 42 per cent of Britons now think voting again is the right idea against 40 per cent who oppose According to the poll for The Times, the views on a second referendum still split along Leave and Remain lines. Just 19 per cent of people who voted to leave the EU in 2016 said there should be a new vote, while 66 per cent of those who voted to remain wanted one. Fifty-eight per cent of Labour voters, 67 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters and 21 per cent of Tory voters supported a second referendum. On the question of EU membership itself, most voters have not changed their mind two years after the referendum. In a re-run on membership tomorrow 45 per cent said that they would vote to remain, while 42 per cent would vote to leave, with 4 per cent saying that they would not vote and 9 per cent saying they did not know. Best for Britain chief Eloise Todd said: 'Elected politicians are behind public opinion - two years behind to be precise. 'The public are becoming increasingly restless. They don't want a shoddy deal full of second-rate concessions, or a nightmare no deal. 'The sands of public opinion have shifted against Brexit - that's why it's crucial to have a people's vote on Brexit with the option to stay in the EU.' It is the first time the pollster found a lead for a second referendum after support for the idea inched up in recent weeks Jeremy Corbyn had a net score of minus 30, according to the survey for the Evening Standard, with 28% satisfied in his leadership and 58% dissatisfied. Only 29% of those surveyed said the Prime Minister's Chequers Brexit blueprint would be a good thing for the UK, with 47% suggesting it would be bad and 19% saying they did not know. The two main parties are running neck and neck in voting intention figures, with both the Conservatives and Labour on 38%, the Liberal Democrats on 10% and Ukip on 6%. Happy Guru Purnima! Celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists around the world on a full moon day of the calendar, Guru Purnima honours spiritual gurus on this special Teachers Day and is when those who have enlightened others are worshipped. Also known as Vyasa Purnima, it is also believed that Vyasa, the author of one of two major Sanskrit texts called the Mahabharata, which includes the Hindu religious scripture the Bhagavad Gita, was born on this day. On the day of Guru Purnima, many share quotes from and images of those who have inspired them. Heres everything you need to know about Guru Purnima, when Guru Purnima 2018 will fall, Guru Purnima images and Guru Purnima quotes. Exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks offer special prayers on the occasion of the Guru Purnima Guru Purnima As reported by The Indian Express, Guru Purnima is a paradoxical term because Gu means darkness and ru can be defined as the removal of darkness. A teacher, or a guru, is someone who is thought to be able to remove all the darkness from our lives. Today, it is still believed in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist teachings that the mother is the first teacher of a child and the guru becomes the second mother. A person is first born as a result of the union between their mother and father and is then believed to be born again when they are accepted by a teacher, who will teach them how to become a human being. The Kathopanishad states: In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplined succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth. Thus, it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must approach the guru. Today, it is still believed in Buddhist teachings that the guru becomes the second mother Guru Purnima usually falls on the day of Ashada Shukla Purnima in the Indian calendar, when Srila Vyasadeva, the son of Parashar Muni and Devi Satyavati appeared. The story associated with this celebration sees Parashar stopping by the banks of the river Yamuna while travelling one night. He stayed at the house of the fisherman chief Dusharaj and asked his daughter to ferry him to his next destination. Entranced by Matsyagandhas beauty, which means one who smells like fish, he used his powers to give her a son. A boy with a dark complexion was born on an island and according to scripture, would then divide Vedic literature into four parts, Vyasa, which is why he was later named Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa. After this, as the Srimad Bhagavatam states: Thereafter, in the seventeenth incarnation of Godhead, Sri Vyasadeva appeared in the womb of Satyavati through Parashara Muni, and he divided the one Veda into several branches and sub-branches, seeing that the people in general were less intelligent. Srila Vyasadeva is considered the spiritual master of all teachers of Vedic wisdom because he made all knowledge of the acharyas to the entire world. He went on to divide the original Veda into four: the Sama, Yajur, Rig, Atharva, which were there explained in different texts, such as the Mahabharata. Guru Purnima usually falls on the day of Ashada Shukla Purnima in the Indian calendar As Vedic language is difficult to understand, he then wrote appendices, now referred to as the Puranas and Upanishads, so that the everyday man could follow the teachings practically. Guru Purnima 2018 Guru Purnima falls on Friday, July 27 this year on the day of Ashadha Shukla Purnima, which is also considered to be the day Lord Buddha gave his first sermon on the full moon day after five weeks of enlightenment sitting under the Bodhi tree in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh and to this day, Buddhists worship him and his teachings on this day. In addition to this, the Hindu god Shiva is thought to have offered his knowledge of yoga to his disciples, of the Saptarishis, seven sages, on this day. The festival is celebrated in India, Nepal and other countries of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu influence. Teachers would be given gifts on this special day after visiting temples to offer their gurus respect and seeking their blessings. Now that shes the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle has to follow certain Royal rules such as no holding hands with her husband Prince Harry in public and no social media accounts. There is also the small matter of abiding by the Queens preferences, which famously includes a strong dislike of wedges, no dark nail polish, and a no knees policy- meaning a womans knees should never be exposed. However, one of the Queens preferences could mean that the former Suits actress may never enjoy her favourite food at Buckingham Palace. According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, who spoke to Recipe Plus, the Queen does not enjoy starchy foods, meaning that anything with rice, pasta and potatoes are not on the menu at the Palace. Meghan may not be able to eat her favourite foods at Buckingham Palace because of the Queen's dislike of starchy foods Unfortunately, as Meghan said in an interview with Delish, her favourite go-to meal is a pasta with some slow-cooked courgettes, which after four or five hours break down into filthy, sexy mush. The sauce gets so creamy, you'd swear there's tons of butter and oil in it, but it's just zucchini, water and a little bouillon, she added. Meghan discussed her love of pasta in another interview, with The New Potato, where she said that a dinner of seafood and pasta would be part of her ideal food day. It also means that some of Meghans other favourite foods wont be appearing on the menu at Buckingham Palace, which the Queen personally approves, anytime soon. In the same interview, Meghan admitted that French fries are her guilty pleasure: I'm always hoping I'm having lunch with people, so we can share fries. It's its own food group for me. While working on Suits in Toronto, Canada, Meghan also reportedly became familiar with poutine, a Canadian specialty that involves topping fries and cheese curds with gravy. However, given the Queens dislike of starchy foods, its unlikely that poutine will be on the menu. Pasta and fries joins a long list of foods that Meghan may not be able to have in certain places. The Duchess of Sussex is not allowed to eat garlic or seafood in public or abroad, with Royal Butler Grant Harrold explaining to the Express: 'It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties,' he explained. 'We don't want a member of the Royal family having a serious reaction to food poisoning, especially if she is on an overseas tour.' Theresa May and her husband Philip will holiday in Italy and Switzerland from this weekend - the exact same trip they took last summer. The Prime Minister is heading to Austria for talks with EU leaders at the Salzburg music festival before starting the first leg of the holiday in Italy. She will be back on duty for World War One commemorations at Amiens, France, between the two parts of the trip, before heading for a fortnight in Switzerland. Mrs May and her husband (pictured together in Switzerland in 2016) like to go walking on their holidays and the Premier will hope to leave behind a brutal 12 months in politics Mrs May and her husband like to go walking on their holidays and the Premier will hope to leave behind a brutal 12 months in politics. She has lost a wave of Cabinet ministers for a variety of personal misdemeanours or political disputes over her EU exit strategy. And she has endured months of tense battles in Parliament with repeated predictions of her own political demise at the hands of rebellious MPs. The couple will spend around a week in Italy before she returns to work in her constituency and Downing Street. Mrs May is due to attend a First World War memorial event to mark the battle of Amiens, which began on August 8 1918 and helped to secure victory. She will then jet off for two weeks in Switzerland. Although the PM remains in charge, a number of Cabinet ministers are expected to deputise for her while she is away. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is not expected to reveal his holiday plans. Israel has unveiled plans to build new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis, one fatally. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted that expanding the Adam settlement was the 'best answer to terrorism'. On Thursday, a Palestinian teenager sneaked into the territory by climbing a fence and stabbing people at random. Israeli security forces at the Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank after three people were stabbed, one fatally, by a Palestinian teenager who was shot dead Clashes broke out in Kobar after Israeli forces invaded the village to question the family of the named attacker Mohammed Dar Youssef 'The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements,' Lieberman said, announcing 400 new housing units would be built after the stabbing. The attacker Mohammed Dar Youssef from Kobar was shot dead while the dead Israeli has been named as 31-year-old father-of-two Yotam Ovadia. A 58-year-old victim was said to be seriously wounded but stable. The third victim was lightly injured. The army said it had raided the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas. 'The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tyres at (Israeli) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means,' an army statement said. The clashes were over by mid-morning on Friday, according to AFP, though the army had established a checkpoint at the edge of the village. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said three people were arrested. Palestinian protesters gather as tear gas canisters are launched by Israeli forces during a demonstration along the border between Israel and the Gaza strip The army added it was 'reinforcing the defence' of Adam and other settlements. All Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal by the international community. Israel rejects the widely held view that settlement expansion is one of the greatest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians. Attacks against Israelis in the West Bank are supported by many Palestinians as pushing back against settlement growth. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah movement leads the government in the West Bank, to condemn the attack. 'Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence?' he wrote on Twitter. There was no response from Abbas's government, which has cut ties with the Trump administration over its stance on Israel. 'Terror must be condemned by all,' the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, wrote on his Twitter account. A Palestinian protester throws stones at Israeli security forces during clashes in the village of Kobar, in the occupied West Bank 'Such horrible acts serve only those who stand in the way of peace.' Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years in the West Bank, Jerusalem and elsewhere. The attack came after a period of relative calm in the West Bank. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. In Hamas-ruled Gaza, however, there has been recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in which at least 155 Palestinians have been killed in border protests since late March. The latest death was on Friday, when Ghazi Abu Mustafa 43, was shot in the head by Israeli troops near the border fence, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the Gaza health ministry said. Hamas has pledged revenge after Israeli air and artillery strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. In a statement late Thursday, it praised the 'courageous operation' in the Adam settlement without claiming responsibility for it. 'The West Bank is ready and able to avenge the blood of the martyrs,' it said. A company which conducted a four-day work week trial has declared the experiment a resounding success. Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand based company, has released the results of an eight-week trial in which its employees worked for four days a week instead of five. The two-month experiment was extremely beneficial, with employees reporting reduced stress-levels and a much better work-life balance. Although the staff worked for four days during a week Perpetual Guardian paid them for a complete five-day work week. Scroll down for video The staff worked for four days during a week but Perpetual Guardian payed them for a complete five day work-week The results showed improved work-life balance, engagement and creativity As a result, the staff showed a seven per cent decrease in stress levels when compared to stress levels reported before the trial was conducted. The work life balance showed a notable increase of 24 per cent in comparison to a survey conducted in 2017, leading to a hike in job satisfaction from 77 per cent to 81 per cent. The founder of the company, Mr Andrew Barnes, told News.com.au that reducing the number of work-days had no impact on the company's productivity. 'Our leadership team reported that there was broadly no change in company outputs pre and during the trial,' Mr Barnes said. 'They perceived no reduction in job performance and the survey data showed a marginal increase across most teams.' Mr Barnes announced the trial to his staff members in February 2018. He said he wanted his office to be a great place to work which is why he started reading a series of research reports on to increase the productivity of a company. 'Juggling life and juggling work can actually be quite tricky,' he said. 'So we will be trying something reasonably radical,' he said while announcing the trial in his office as his employees looked confused. Pictured here: Mr Andrew barnes (left), founder of Perpetual Guardian, on the am show 'You will be working four days a week. And you will be paid for five.' In a video shared by the company on Youtube, the staff looked absolutely shocked by his announcement as one of them whispered 'wow'. The entire office erupted in nervous laughter before Mr Barnes made his intentions clear. 'What I am wanting to see is that productivity in this company does not go down, if anything, it goes up,' he said. All the respective teams in the company had a month to be ready for the change and figure out ways to do a five-day job in four. Depending on their role, different teams had a choice to take either a Monday or Friday off work. After the success of his eight-week trial, Mr Andrews is already gearing up to make the new structure permanent. Pictured: Adrian Leu, 43, from Romania A man has been jailed after he drove the wrong way up the M20 and U-turned on the carriageway before trying to flee. Adrian Leu, 43, from Romania, had just entered the UK via the Channel Tunnel when he decided to drive back towards the check-in area instead of the designated exit. He then turned around, almost colliding with a lorry, as he raced toward the slip road at Junction 11, near Folkestone, Kent, and onto the M20 facing the wrong direction. Two police officers from the Channel Tunnel Policing Unit who were driving nearby witnessed the incident and tried to stop Leu. Scroll down for video But the officers said he ignored the warning and continued to travel in the wrong direction, moving onto the hard shoulder to avoid them. The court heard how he then performed a dangerous turn where he crossed three lanes of fast moving traffic and forced two other drivers to brake sharply in order to avoid a collision. Adrian Leu, 43, from Romania, had just entered the UK via the Channel Tunnel when he decided to drive back towards the check-in area instead of the designated exit Leu was then driving in the right direction and continued towards the coast. The police soon caught up with him just past Junction 12 and he was arrested and charged with dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was jailed for 12 months at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday. He then turned around, almost colliding with a lorry, as he raced toward the slip road at Junction 11, near Folkestone, Kent, and onto the M20 facing the wrong direction Investigating officer Detective Constable James Hatton-Browne said: 'Leu's actions were extremely dangerous and could have caused a serious collision, even fatal injury. 'He ignored police officers when they tried to stop him and continued to show no thought for the safety of others as he sped away from them and cut across moving traffic to try and correct his mistake. 'His hazardous driving could have led to serious consequences and it's extremely lucky that he didn't hurt himself or anyone else. 'He will now serve a prison sentence and has been banned from driving for two years and three months. He will have to take an extended driving test before he's allowed back behind the steering wheel.' A popular betting site is charging members a hefty fee if they don't use 'inactive' accounts at least once a month. Users of CrownBet, which started as a subsidiary website of billionaire James Packer's gambling empire, cop the $10 deduction for each month they remain inactive. According to the site's terms and conditions, punters must not use their account for a consecutive period of two years before it becomes inactive. CrownBet is charging members a hefty fee if they don't use 'inactive' accounts at least once a month, according to a disgruntled member Once deemed inactive, the company claims it is 'entitled to charge' an administrative fee of up to $10 every month after. However, it also states: 'if (the) account balance is zero. (The website) will not charge any further inactive account fees.' And once an account is deemed inactive, Bonus Bets and CrownBet Rewards Points will also be removed from the account. The deductions have been in place since January 2016 according to the betting agency's website. One punter asked how the charges 'promote responsible gambling' (file picture) One disgruntled punter took to Reddit to air their grievances, admitting they received the email for an account they 'set up a while back that I completely forgot about'. The poster later asked: 'How exactly does this promote responsible gambling?' Another punter agreed with the concern, saying 'the gambling industry is so competitive, no reason to use these clowns when they pull s*** like this.' Earlier this year, the website was sold by Packer's Crown Resorts to Canadian gambling powerhouse The Stars Group as part of a $150million deal. Daily Mail Australia has contacted CrownBet for comment. Family members have paid tribute to the six-year-old boy believed to have died from a pellet gun shot in a tragic accident. Stanley Metcalf, who was on his summer holiday from primary school, was found fatally injured at a home in the village of Sproatley, East Yorkshire yesterday afternoon. His great-grandmother described Stanley as a 'brainy, kind little boy' and said his whole family were devastated by the sudden loss. Tributes have been paid to 'brainy and kind' Stanley Metcalf, pictured with mother Jenny Dees, after he died due to being shot with a pellet gun Stanley, six, who was on his summer holiday fropm primary school, was found fatally injured at a home in the village of Sproatley, East Yorkshire yesterday afternoon A six-year-old boy has died after apparently sustaining pellet gun shot injuries in Sproatley The 84-year-old, who did not wish to be named, said that the doctors 'did everything they possibly could' to revive him. Describing Stanley as a 'massive football fan' who had a very close relationship with his twin sister, she said: 'His sister absolutely loved him to bits and they would do everything together. I don't know how you're supposed to explain things like that to a six-year-old girl. 'I've just been in floods of tears ever since it happened, I couldn't even sleep last night, just thinking about him and how tragic it all is.' The relative, who was not with Stanley at the time of his incident, also said he was a 'top student' in school and regularly performed well academically. She added: 'He was a really outgoing little lad, he would come down here and spend time with me, it's such a tragic loss.' Stanley was a football mad Hull City fan known for 'always smiling'. Police have sealed a house next to the village church and say they are investigatin He was rushed to hospital after the accident but could not be saved. Humberside Police launched an investigation after he died from apparent pellet gun shot injuries. He was visiting a house belonging to relatives, which some neighbours claimed were an elderly couple who could be his grandparents. A teenager who knew Stanley has paid tribute to the little boy who he described as 'always happy'. The teen, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke of how shocked the friends and family of Stanley have been since the tragic incident. He described Stanley as 'really joyful' and 'full of life' from the times he had seen him. Speaking near the property which has been cordoned off by police, he said: 'I live in Sproatley but I knew the kid because I knew his older sister. 'I found out the information about what has happened but I don't know the full details. A series of officers were seen coming to and from the property this afternoon 'He played for a local football team - U7s'. The teen paid tribute to Stanley, who was named by Humberside police at a press conference this afternoon. He added: 'He was really joyful, always happy, always smiling, always dancing. 'He was a fully dedicated football player. 'I have known Stanley playing about with friends for the last two years. 'We would always have a laugh, he was a kid full of life and it's devastating this tragic accident has happened.' Police are investigating today. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Goulding, of Humberside Police, said: 'We're investigating the circumstances of the tragic death of a six-year-old boy. 'We were called at 4pm yesterday following reports the boy had been seriously injured at an address. 'He was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary but sadly passed away. 'Initial indication is this is a pellet gun injury but still we're investigating the circumstances and the investigation is at an early stage. 'Our thoughts are with his family, who are being supported by specialist officers and we request that they are given privacy at this very difficult time.' Police have visited this row of houses next to the village church following the incident Claire Shaw, 34, said she believed an older couple lived in the property. She said: 'I am assuming it is a grandchild or something because it is an old couple who live there. 'We have passed them occasionally when we have walked the dogs but we don't know them. My children go to Sproatley school and it is nobody the same age [from the school]. 'If the child was from the village I would think they would go to Sproatley school, everybody else does.' Lee Powter, 33 who lives on the corner of the road, said: 'We saw a police car come down, then we saw another police car. 'We didn't know what was going on. I woke up this morning and heard that a child had died. 'I can't imagine how the family feel, condolences to them.' Sproatley is a village of less than 2,000 people, which lies to the north-east of Hull. Police activity is currently concentrated on a row of houses next to the village's St Swithins Church. Keiko Orrall is the first female Asian-American Republican to seek a constitutional office in Massachusetts. Touting her fiscal conservative chops, state representative and national GOP Committeewoman Keiko Orrall launched run for MA state treasurer on Feb. 13, 2018. Keiko Orrall admitted her ties to the national party, and her vote in 2016 for President Trump, may be a political hurdle in deep blue Massachusetts. Orrall describes herself as pro-life, but declined to say if she backs the MassGOPs platform that supports traditional marriage, calling it a settled issue.Find more info about her bio, endorsements and campaign news on Power Voter A female private school teacher has been sentenced to almost five years in jail for sexually abusing two teenage girls over the course of 18 months. The 35-year-old drama school teacher pleaded guilty to 33 child sex offences that were committed from 2015 to 2017. The Perth teacher, who cannot be identified, was reportedly 31 when the abuse started, while the girls were about 15 and 16 years old. The 35-year-old woman pleaded guilty to 33 child sex offences from 2015 to 2017 (stock image) These sex offences were committed in both the teacher's home and in the home of the two students, ABC News reported. The abuse was finally reported only when one of the girls told a friend. Judge Mark Herron said that the victims were 'vulnerable' and that there was an element of 'grooming' in the way the teacher took advantage of the young girls. 'You failed to recognise the boundaries that must remain between a teacher and student...you were in a position of power and authority over them', The judge told the woman. The District Court also heard the victims' statements, where they reportedly said that they felt 'a range of emotions' of anger, sadness and confusion. Both girls also said that their mental health was greatly affected. The woman's lawyer, Mark Andrews, told the District Court that she only wanted 'to advance the deep connection she had with the two complainants'. However, Mr Andrews added that she developed 'deep cognitive distortions'. The District Court also heard the victims' statements, where the girls said that they felt 'a range of emotions' and that their mental health was greatly affected (stock image) 'Having believed she had formed a relationship with them, she did not pause and stay within the proper boundaries', He said. Mr Andrews also said that his client was 'deeply ashamed' over what she had done. 'She wants me to apologise to each of the families for that gross breach of trust'. Judge Herron sentenced the woman to four years and 11 months in prison. However, there is a possibility that she can be released earlier after serving two years and 11 months. Prince Charles (pictured at RAF Marham in Kings Lynn, Norfolk today) has told a public inquiry he was 'deceived' by disgraced bishop Peter Ball The Prince of Wales has told a public inquiry he was 'deceived' by disgraced bishop Peter Ball and said he 'cannot shed any light' on the 'horrid man' he referred to in a letter to the paedophile. Prince Charles was friends with the ex-Bishop of Lewes for over two decades after he accepted a caution for gross indecency. He only cut ties with him after he was convicted of sexually abusing 18 young men aged 17 to 25 over 30 years in 2015. The convicted Bishop, 86, was released last year after serving half his sentence behind bars. In written evidence today, Prince Charles refused to elaborate on a letter he wrote to Ball at the time of sexual misconduct claims, telling him: 'I will see off this horrid man if he tries anything again.' Ball had told the Prince a single accuser was behind allegations that led to him having to quit as the Bishop of Gloucester. In a letter to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, the Prince said Ball had told him the complaint against him was false and had arisen from someone who had a grudge against him and was 'persecuting' him. In extracts from one letter between the Prince and Ball, Charles says: 'I can't bear it that the frightful and terrifying man is on the loose and doing his worst.' The Prince of Wales also revealed in evidence read out to an inquiry today Ball told him he had quit his job over an 'indiscretion'. Pictured: Prince Charles and Ball in 1992 The former Bishop of Lewes, 86, (pictured in 2015) sexually abused 18 men aged 17-25 during the 1980s and '90s. He was released last year after serving half his sentence behind bars But in his letter to the inquiry on Friday, the Prince, who said he regrets having been 'deceived' by Ball, said: 'I regret that I am unable to shed any light on references made in a letter dated 23rd March 1997 to a 'horrid man' or a 'frightful and terrifying man'. 'This seems to be a manner of speaking in the midst of a long letter written more than twenty years ago. 'I do recall that Peter Ball felt that numerous individuals, including his critics in the media, were doing all in their power to disadvantage him unfairly. 'I suspect, but cannot be certain, that the reference is to this issue in some way.' The Prince says he did not know about the nature of the complaint against Ball and had not appreciated the meaning of a caution - the acceptance of guilt. Charles is not giving evidence to the inquiry in person and was instead at RAF Marham in Norfolk today (pictured in plane) A lawyer for some of the former bishop's victims has said it was difficult to see that 'as anything other than willful blindness'. Ball had previously boasted of being a confidant of Charles, and his court case heard that a member of the royal family was among a host of public figures who supported him when he avoided charges in 1993. In a statement the Prince of Wales denied he tried to influence the police probe into Ball, as he also revealed the bishop told him he had quit his job over an 'indiscretion'. He is not giving evidence in person, and it is instead being read out from a prepared statement. Today he was pictured meeting the UK's first F-35 Lightening Squadron at the RAF base in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. In another letter from the Prince to Ball in 1995 - two years after Ball's caution - the future king said he wished he could 'do more'. He said: 'I feel so desperately strongly about the monstrous wrongs that have been done to you and the way you have been treated.' Prince Charles sits in an F-35 during a visit to 617 Squadron, the UK's first F-35 Lightning Squadron based at RAF Marham, Kings Lynn, in Norfolk Charles also said he had been told by the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey the church was looking at bringing Ball back into public ministry. In the 1995 letter he said it was 'appalling' that the Archbishop, now Lord Carey, had 'gone back on what he told me'. He said it was clear the Archbishop was 'frightened of the press - what he calls 'public perception'.' Another letter from Charles the following year referred to the process of getting a Duchy of Cornwall property for Ball and his brother Michael, Bishop of Truro. It said: 'I long to see you both settled somewhere that suits you and gives you peace and tranquility - and not too far from here so you can come over more easily.' The pair rented a Duchy property between 1997 and 2011. Charles's letter to the inquiry added: 'My heart goes out to the victims of abuse and I applaud their courage as they rebuild their lives and, so often, offer invaluable support to others who have suffered. 'I wish I could do more': What the prince wrote to his friend the bishop as allegations swirled around Sept 1993, Ball to Charles Life continues to be pretty nasty for me for, it seems that my accusers still want to continue their malicious campaign. Luckily they are beginning to show some of their fraudulent plans. Dec 1994, Charles to Ball I saw the Archbishop the other day and he told me he is trying to bring you back to a public ministry. I do hope this will be all right and suit you, if and when it happens.... Feb 1995, Charles to Ball I wish I could do more. I feel so desperately strongly about the monstrous wrongs that have been done to you and the way you have been treated. Its appalling that the Archbishop has gone back on what he told me, before Xmas, that he was hoping to restore you to some form of Ministry in the Church. I suspect you are absolutely right - it is due to fear of the media....If it is any consolation, the Archbishop has written me a letter (between you and me) in which it is also clear that he is frightened of the press - what he calls public perception, which in fact, perception of events and characters based entirely on lies, invention, speculation and sensation. Dec 1995, Ball to Charles The young man who accused me keeps on harassing. The last was a few weeks back with a fax, threatening to say more, when he has agreed not to and ending with the words Your never forgiving brother in Christ. That is both vile and blasphemous and oh that the police and CPS had seen and known from the beginning the nature of the young man. How I wish the Archbishop or someone would tell them. April 1996, Ball to Charles And I can honestly share the pain of it all having tried to break the crippling and unchristian powers of the ecclesiastical set up, and then being deserted in my hour of need. June 1996, Charles to Ball ...I am so glad that [X] has been in touch as I requested. I pray the Duchy will be able to find something suitable for you both in due course, but it may take a little time to locate it! I long to see you both settled somewhere that suits you and gives you peace and tranquility - and not too far from here so you can come over more easily... March 1997, Charles to Ball [X] tells me that your house has been bought successfully it looks rather nice and I only hope the rent wont be too bad! I cant bear it that the frightful, terrifying man is on the loose again and doing his worst... I was visiting the vicar... and we were enthusing about you and your brother and he then told me that he had heard that this ghastly man was up to his dastardly tricks again.... Ill see off this horrid man if he tries anything again. Aug 2001, Charles to Ball I do however firmly believe that one day people will be forced to signing your resignation deed but, as you have been advised, I daresay that the establishment will close ranks and you will get nowhere. But how outrageous that now these people say sorry - and only in private.... Dec 2001, Charles to Ball I saw [ ] the other day...he mentioned that you were thinking of going to the Archbishop and seemed a bit anxious about it... I daresay by now you will have approached the Archbishop but in your letter you so kindly asked me whether I had any objections - something which you certainly didnt need to do. The only thing I would say is that unless you really need to go to the Archbishop of Canterbury - for financial reasons particularly - I would have thought it might be better to let sleeping dogs lie... Oct 2009, Ball to Charles I am now nearly a broken man, because of what the Church has put me through after seventeen years of serving in retirement. They have smashed me with the bully of an assessor -...from a Child Protection Officer and no pastoral care, except two nice letters from the Archbishop. Suddenly, I am not allowed to baptise, or go to any parish without informing the Church Warden that I had a caution all those years back... Ball included a letter that set out he was being risk assessed. May 2010, Ball to Charles ...the horror that has come to me from the Bishop of Chichester with the Archbishops obvious hand in it. I have been told that I may not minister at all when we move, nor may I worship anywhere without signing a Declaration for the Protection of Children. May 2012, Ball to Charles Writes to say that the police are re-opening the investigation and are to question him. He says: I thought it had been fully examined twenty years ago. July 2012, Ball to Charles Life is almost unbearable. I am being pursued and persecuted. In ways which it would not be discreet to enlarge on, though I am sure that you can guess their source and virulence. Dec 2012, Ball to Charles Ball wrote to thank the Prince of Wales for phoning him, writing in the letter that the affair of twenty years ago had been stirred up again by Lambeth. Advertisement 'It remains a source of deep personal regret that I was one of many who were deceived over a long period of time about the true nature of Mr Ball's activities.' He also said, in the six-page statement read by counsel to the inquiry Fiona Scolding, that he had not appreciated the meaning of the caution and that at the time the word of a bishop was generally seen as trustworthy. He said he did not realise the truth of what had gone on until Ball's conviction, adding that his main source of information until then had been the bishop himself. Dismissing any suggestion he had ever tried to interfere in the police investigation into Ball, Charles said it was possible his name had been taken 'in vain'. In his statement, dated July 10 this year, Charles said: 'At no stage did I ever seek to influence the outcome of either of the police investigations into Peter Ball and nor did I instruct or encourage my staff to do so.' Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, is too ill to give evidence in person, the inquiry has heard. But in a statement he referred to his relationship as having been one of 'support and respect'. Ball said: 'I would strongly resist any suggestion that in some way I could bring pressure to bear on him to act on my behalf and have certainly never made a request for him to do so.' On Monday the inquiry heard there had been lengthy discussions between Charles's lawyers and the inquiry in which his legal team initially argued that the future king could not be compelled to produce a statement. Clarence House has since said Charles was willing to help the inquiry and had voluntarily answered all questions asked of him. Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon who represents a number of Ball's victims, said Charles's explanation that he was not aware of the meaning of a caution left his clients 'dissatisfied'. He said: 'Prince Charles had access to the best legal advice that money can buy and, as a man in his position, a particular responsibility to check the facts. 'It is difficult to see his failure to do so as anything other than wilful blindness. 'His evidence, together with that of Lord Carey, the then archbishop of Canterbury, and other establishment figures who have given evidence this week, will do little to dissuade survivors from the conclusion that the British establishment aided and protected Ball and even now have failed to give a transparent account of their actions.' Charles said in the six-page letter dated July 10 this year that it was his 'deep regret' that he and others had been 'misled' by Ball. Elsewhere in his evidence, Charles said Ball had been invited to his home to give holy communion a number of times, from 1993. He said: 'Peter Ball occasionally wrote to me in respect of private, often spiritual, matters.' Referring to his knowledge of the complaint against Ball, he added that in the 1980s and 1990s there was 'a presumption that people such as Bishops could be taken at their word and, as a result of the high office they held, were worthy of trust and confidence'. He said at the time 'there was on my part a presumption of good faith'. The inquiry is examining how the Church of England handled allegations of sexual abuse and has previously focused on the Diocese of Chichester - where Ball and several other convicted paedophile priests once officiated. Ball accepted a caution for one count of gross indecency in 1993 and resigned due to ill health. Prince Charles has denied he tried to influence a police probe into the disgraced bishop Peter Ball, in a written statement heard at a child sex abuse inquiry today Prince Charles' full statement to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Dear Professor Jay 1. Thank you for inviting me to offer context on how I came to know former Bishop Peter Ball and on my dealings with him over the years, to assist your important Inquiry. I want to begin by applauding your work to ensure that the abuse of children is properly investigated and appropriate measures are taken to ensure they are fully protected. That is why I am pleased, on this occasion, to offer the following information, which I have set out to the best of my recollection after the passage of 25 years. 2. Over the years I have had, and continue to have, many interactions with the Clergy of the Church of England and of other Faiths, often on a daily basis. Set in that context, I first became aware of Peter Ball sometime during the 1980s, when I heard him preach. At that time, he came across as an interesting and engaging person. He was later appointed Bishop of Gloucester, in 1992. Since he had become my local Diocesan Bishop, near my home in Gloucestershire, I attended his Installation. He gave an impressive Address, which brought him to my attention again. At the same time I recall becoming aware of Michael Ball (Peter Ball's brother) who was later appointed Bishop of Truro, to which I am also closely connected through the Duchy of Cornwall. Over the whole of my life, I have met countless senior Clergy who have been invited to preach and, on various occasions, I have myself invited them to give Holy Communion at my home. I extended such invitations to Peter Ball from time to time, starting in 1993. 3. As is well known, I maintain correspondence relationships with a great number of individuals. Peter Ball occasionally wrote to me in respect of private, often spiritual, matters. On each occasion I naturally replied as I believe that to be the polite thing to do, although there was often a significant delay on my part given other priorities which demanded my attention. My recollection is that these exchanges were normally instigated and driven by Peter Ball, in addition to a handful of telephone calls during the decades of our correspondence. Having refreshed my memory of our correspondence to try to help your Inquiry, I note this is borne out by the contents and dates of the letters in question. 4. With the significant passage of time, I cannot now recall with sufficient certainty when the following exchange took place and whether there was one particular conversation that concerned the reflections I offer below or more than one. 5. Peter Ball told me that he had been involved in some form of 'indiscretion', which prompted his resignation as my local Bishop at Gloucester. He emphasised that one individual, who I now understand to be Mr Neil Todd, had made a complaint to the Police; that the Police had investigated the matter; and that the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service had decided to take no action. This sequence of events seemed to support Mr Ball's claim that the complaint emanated from a single individual; that the individual bore a grudge against him and was 'persecuting' him; that the complaint was false; but that the individual had nonetheless profited from the complaint by selling his story to the newspapers. The matter was described by him as 'closed'. Peter Ball added that various people within the Church did not like him and had themselves used the complaint to curtail his ministry and force his resignation. When this exchange took place, I did not know about the nature of the complaint. 6. The true context and details of this complaint, and I now understand many others, against Peter Ball did not come to my attention until the time of Mr Ball's trial and conviction in 2015. My main source of information before this was Mr Ball himself, though I should add that I was so fully occupied by my public role that Mr Ball's situation was rarely at the front of my mind. As context, it seems important to say that in the 1980's and 1990's there was a presumption that people such as Bishops could be taken at their word and, as a result of the high office they held, were worthy of trust and confidence. That has changed over the years, as evidence has caused us all to be more challenging of what we hear and what we are told. But, at the time, there was on my part a presumption of good faith. I believe I was far from alone in taking this view. 7. I was certainly not aware at the time of the significance or impact of the caution that Peter Ball has accepted, or indeed sure if I was even told about it. Whilst I note that Peter Ball mentioned the word in a letter to me in October 2009, I was not aware until recently that a caution in fact carries an acceptance of guilt. I was aware that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to pursue a case against Mr Ball. This seemed to support Mr Ball's defence of his position set out in his letter. 8. I recall that Peter Ball told me that following his resignation as Bishop of Gloucester he would lose the house in which he lived and that, as a consequence, both he and his brother Michael would become homeless. He told me that their monastic vows meant they had very little money. In this context, I occasionally sent the brothers small gifts of money, as I do for many people in need, and Pete Ball's interest in becoming a tenant of a Duchy of Cornwall property then arose. A significant part of the Duchy's business is in arranging and managing leases for properties and I mentioned the situation of the Ball brothers to the Duchy, as I do for others from time to time. The details of the eventual rental were handled, as usual, by Duchy staff. I was aware of the transaction but did not assist with the selection of the house. Some time later, in 1997, Peter and Michael Ball became tenants of a Duchy property until early in 2011, when they moved on. Police investigations 9. At no stage did I ever seek to influence the outcome of either of the Police investigations into Peter Ball and nor did I instruct or encourage my staff to do so. 10. I understand from document ANG000021 that a member of Gloucestershire Police seems to recall that he 'came under pressure' in 1992 or 1993 which related in some way to some form of interest from myself and my staff in Peter Ball. This is untrue. Indeed, at the time of this Police investigation I had no knowledge of these particular matters. It follows, therefore, that I did not authorise - and could not have authorised - any such action. And nor would I have done. 11. Likewise, I have no recollection of any contact by one of my Personal Protection Officers or indeed any member of my staff with Gloucestershire Police. I was clear at the time, as I have remained clear, that the Police must be able to carry out their investigation in the proper manner without external pressure or influence. We have looked at our files and can find no record of any of these matters. It is always possible that my name was taken in vain, as can unfortunately happen from time to time. As I make clear elsewhere in this Statement, there is a gap between rumour and fact. 12. In a similar vein, I do not recall receiving a letter from Michael Ball in April 2013 as described by Detective Superintendent Carwyn Hughes (OHY000203). Having looked at our files we cannot find any record of such a letter. The occasional letters that I did receive from Michael Ball were of private and social nature and I am not aware of any interest from Sussex Police in this correspondence. Nevertheless, I have made available to you copies of the private correspondence received from Michael Ball, in case that could help your Inquiry in any way. I understand that a conversation took place between Sussex Police and the Metropolitan Police Royalty Protection team in 2013, and that Sussex Police informed the Metropolitan Police that they visited Peter Ball's home and removed items which included a letter sent from me. I believe the Metropolitan Police asked whether or not this letter was relevant to the inquiry. I further understand that the Metropolitan Police emphasised clearly that they were not enquiring about the investigation itself and specifically wished to avoid any appearance of influence over it. They wished only to establish the facts about the property that had been removed and its correct ownership. The Metropolitan Police were told that the letter in question was not relevant and that it was to be returned by Sussex Police to Peter Ball. The Church of England 13. Probably late in 1994 (although I cannot now be certain of the date) I recall seeing the then-Archbishop of Canterbury at an event and taking that opportunity to ask, among other issues, about Peter Ball as he had lately been my local Bishop. I remember the Archbishop was supportive of Peter Ball and thought him a good man and priest. I do not think we discussed any detail, though I recall that the Archbishop was perhaps thinking of 'trying to bring [Peter Ball] back to a public ministry' at some stage. I understood there were some complications, but these were not described. As this was clearly a matter for Church authorities, I took no personal position on it. 14. Other than this conversation with the then-Archbishop, I do not recall any specific conversations regarding Peter Ball, although I was aware that Mr Ball was himself keen to persuade the Church to 'restore [him] to some form of Ministry in the Church'. The general view of members of the Clergy who occasionally mentioned him to me was that he was a capable and well-liked priest. 15. The Inquiry has asked about a note made by Andrew Purkis, of Lambeth Palace, following a lunch he had with my then-Private Secretary, Richard Aylard, on 30th August 1994 (ACE003034). My Private Secretary meets regularly with members of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Office to discuss a range of matters. Having reviewed the document it is clear that the meeting took place in the normal course of business and was for the purpose of discussing matters other than Mr Ball. I cannot shed any light on what appears to be a brief mention of Mr Ball at the end of the meeting. I have no recollection of discussing the matter. I have also been shown a copy of my letter of 14th December 2001 addressed to Peter Ball. As far as I can recall, this letter conveyed that I could not assist Peter Ball in any approach he was thinking of making to the Archbishop to seek a return to public ministry. I recall Peter Ball repeating this request around this time and again some time later and my declining to assist. It follows therefore that I was not involved in 'any discussion with Lambeth Palace' on this matter. Contact with Institutions 16. You have asked about contact between myself and institutions in respect of Peter Ball between 1993 and 2015. To the best of my knowledge and belief I have dealt with these contacts in the information I have volunteered above, and I can only hope this will be of some assistance to you. 17. I have been shown an extract from an interview conducted by the Chair of the Church of England's Inquiry into Peter Ball last year, Dame Moira Gibb, with Elizabeth Hall of the Church of England, suggested there were some rumours of an interest from me in Peter Ball being given some alternative employment (INQ000682). I can confirm that this is untrue: not for the first time, and as the Gibb Inquiry concluded in respect of my contacts with Peter Ball over the years, there is a gap between rumour and fact. I did not seek any such roles for Mr Ball and did not ask others to do so on my behalf. 18. I regret that I am unable to shed any light on references made in a letter dated 23rd March 1997 to a 'horrid man' or a 'frightful and terrifying man'. This seems to be a manner of speaking in the midst of a long letter written more than twenty years ago. I do recall that Peter Ball felt that numerous individuals, including his critics in the media, were doing all in their power to disadvantage him unfairly. I suspect, but cannot be certain, that the reference is to this issue in some way. It of course needs to be read in the context of my understanding at the time, namely that Peter Ball had been falsely accused of a single offence (the nature of which was unknown to me) by an individual whom the relevant judicial authorities and many others had themselves not believed. Events later demonstrated beyond any doubt, to my deep regret, that I, along with many others, had been misled and the reverse was true. At the time, however, it would have followed that people seeking to disadvantage Peter Ball, including from gaining employment, were behaving unfairly. What I can say with certainty is that I did not express this view to anyone else or take any action associated with it. 19. In conclusion, I would like to state that, throughout my life, my position has occasionally brought me into contact with prominent people who have subsequently been accused of serious wrong-doing. Rather than rushing to private judgement, I have always taken the view that the judicial process should take its course. I am then able to ground my opinions in facts tested by law, rather than hearsay. In many cases, including two very prominent cases of false accusation last year, this has proved a sensible course. It follows that I ceased contact with Mr Ball once the judicial process had concluded and he was found guilty of serious offences against young people. My heart goes out to the victims of abuse and I applaud their courage as they rebuild their lives and, so often, offer invaluable support to others who have suffered. It remains a source of deep personal regret that I was one of many who were deceived over a long period of time about the true nature of Mr Ball's activities. That is why I wanted to volunteer the facts in this letter, which I believe to be true, in the hope that they might be able to help your important work. Yours sincerely DPA Advertisement Prayers at Highgrove and a friendship that lasted decades By Sam Greenhill for The Daily Mail Peter Ball, who made his young victims roll in the snow naked before beating them until they bled, once described Prince Charles as a loyal friend. The pair had prayed together at Highgrove and exchanged more than 50 letters, many of them deeply spiritual. And even after his indiscretion with a boy of 17, the bishop was given a Duchy of Cornwall house to live in, for which he thanked the wonderfully kind prince. Yesterday Charles expressed deep regret that he had ever put his faith in Ball, saying he had been horribly deceived by the paedophile bishop. Charles said that in the 1980s, when he first knew him, and the 1990s, there was a presumption that people such as bishops could be taken at their word. The former Bishop of Lewes (pictured in 2015, right), who previously boasted of being a confidant of Charles, sexually abused 18 young men over 30 years It is now believed that sadistic Ball preyed on more than 100 boys and men in a 20-year reign of abuse. Born in 1932, he went to Lancing College public school in West Sussex and Cambridge University before establishing a monastery in Gloucestershire with his twin brother, Michael. Ball showed favouritism to novice monks, and targeted schools to deliver sermons. He was made Bishop of Lewes in 1977 and Bishop of Gloucester from 1992, during which time he handpicked 18 vulnerable victims to commit acts of debasement in the name of religion. He would pray naked with them at the altar and encourage them to submit to beatings. At least five more victims were schoolchildren. As Bishop of Gloucester, Balls diocese covered Charless country home Highgrove, and the prince was among the guests at his enthronement. By now, he was one of the churchs best known characters, refusing to wear the ceremonial purple of a bishop in favour of simple, monastic robes, sleeping on the floor and taking vows of celibacy. Eight months after the enthronement, Ball was arrested. Yesterday the prince recalled: Peter Ball told me he had been involved in some sort of indiscretion which prompted his resignation as my local bishop. In fact he had been horrifically abusing 16-year-old trainee monk Neil Todd, forcing him to perform sex acts as they lay naked in bed together, take ice-cold, early-morning showers while reading the Bible and stand side by side naked reciting psalms in front of a figure of Christ. Peter Ball pictured at Cheltenham racecourse Mr Todd was so tormented he eventually committed suicide aged 38 in 2012. In his letter to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, Charles said he was unaware of the true nature of the clergymans behaviour until more than 20 years after allegations first surfaced. Ball got away with a police caution in March 1993 despite confessing his guilt. For his part, Charles said he had accepted Balls claim that Mr Todd had borne a grudge and made false allegations. So Ball resumed his ministry, even officiating over communion at Highgrove. He was also provided with Manor Lodge, a pretty cottage on Charless Duchy of Cornwall estate in the village of Aller, Somerset. Clarence House has been at great pains to say it was the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate which funds the heir to the throne, and not Charles himself that had purchased the lodge that Ball rented. It subsequently emerged that police went easy on Ball in 1993 and cited his royal connections. In documents unearthed by the BBC, retired police detective Wayne Murdock is said to have discussed with Balls legal team the need to prevent a scandal, especially as Peter was a frequent visitor to Sandringham and is friendly with Prince Charles. It also emerged that the bishops lawyers had claimed to have a letter of support from a member of the Royal Family, who was not named. It is unclear whether this could be the same letter as the one that emerged yesterday. Either way, no such letter was ever produced in any court hearings, and an official report found there was no evidence any royal had sought to intervene in the judicial process. But the mother of the trainee monk was scathing about Prince Charles allowing Ball to live on his Duchy estate. Speaking in 1998, she said of the bishop: He is pure evil, a beast, and hes hiding behind God. This is quite unbelievable. I dont know what Prince Charles thinks he is doing. Yesterday Charles said he had always believed in allowing the judicial process to take its course rather than rushing to private judgement. In 2006 Balls status in royal circles was confirmed in spectacular style when he was invited to read the homily at the funeral of the father of Camilla Parker Bowles. He continued as a Church of England priest until 2010. But justice was slowly catching up with him. Police re-opened their investigation in 2012 after new allegations, and this time a flood of Balls victims came forward. If Charles was anxious, that might explain why in 2013 a royal aide contacted the chief constable of Sussex Police to ask whether information gathered during its investigation could be embarrassing to Prince Charles or the monarchy in general. Apparently they were reassured. In 2015, Balls crimes were finally laid bare at the Old Bailey which heard shocking details of his reign of abuse. His trial heard he had been protected by Cabinet ministers, the Royal Family, MPs, JPs and a lord, not to mention the Church of England. The Church has since expressed its true sorrow at its shocking failures. Ball, now 86, was released in February last year and lives a free man back in Aller, Somerset. Clarence House was quick to insist last night that he is definitely not living in any of Charless properties. A Spirit Airlines flight from New York to Florida was diverted to South Carolina after a chemical odor was noticed on board that resembled 'dirty socks'. Spirit Airlines said Flight 779 left LaGuardia in New York City around 8.30pm Thursday headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but was diverted to Myrtle Beach around 10pm. Myrtle Beach Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Evans told news outlets between seven and 10 people complained of medical problems and one person was taken to a hospital after an 'odor developed in a section of the aircraft.' Flight 779 left LaGuardia in New York City around 8.30pm Thursday headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but was diverted to Myrtle Beach around 10pm (stock) About 220 passengers on the plane waited on the tarmac while fire officials searched the plane but found no hazardous materials Passengers complained of chest issues and that their throats were burning. About 220 passengers on the plane waited on the tarmac while fire officials searched the plane but found no hazardous materials. 'After specific monitoring and hazmat crews entering into the fuselage no substances were found,' Myrtle Beach Fire Department Lt. Christian Sliker said to NBC Washington. 'The plane is all clear.' Spirit said a replacement aircraft with the passengers left Myrtle Beach around 3.30am a.m. Friday and arrived in Fort Lauderdale around 4.45am. Passengers then complained about being holed up in a shed like space while they waited for a new flight 'After specific monitoring and hazmat crews entering into the fuselage no substances were found,' Myrtle Beach Fire Department Lt. Christian Sliker said 'A supplemental aircraft is en route to Myrtle Beach to pick up our guests,' Spirit Airlines said in a statement. They added that they were investigating the source of the smell and while the diversion was an inconvenience, the guests' safety Spirit Airlines said the source was being investigated and although the diversion was an inconvenience, the safety of their guests is 'paramount.' That was five hours after the initial flight was supposed to land. Spirit said a replacement aircraft with the passengers left Myrtle Beach around 3.30am a.m. Friday and arrived in Fort Lauderdale around 4.45am A policeman who was filmed smashing a man's windscreen has been cleared of a series of charges by a jury in London. Met Police officer Joshua Savage was charged after he confronted motorist Leon Fontana in Camden, north London in September 2016. A video of him hitting the windscreen of Mr Fontana's Ford Fiesta with a baton before cutting the glass with a lock knife was shared widely online and provoked public outcry. But Savage, 28, was today found not guilty of destroying property, common assault and possession of a blade. Policeman Joshua Savage has been cleared after he smashed the windscreen of Leon Fontana's car in Camden in an incident which caused anger after a video was shared online Police mistakenly thought the driver was a potentially violent drug dealer called TJ Dixon who may have had a weapon and only a provisional licence, Southwark Crown Court heard. Savage's actions have been described as those of 'a bully in uniform'. But, giving evidence on Wednesday, he insisted that he did what was necessary to protect himself, his colleagues and the public. 'It was as a situation where I was trying to gain (Mr Fontana's) compliance, trying to speak to him - absolutely the situation didn't unfold the way I would have liked,' he said. The court heard that Savage had run a check on the vehicle by radio and learned that it had previously been used to make off from police. He continued: 'I knew I was in a police-unfriendly area, potentially with a person who could present a risk to myself or my colleagues. 'I knew the driver was potentially someone who might make off from us, so I approached the vehicle feeling very anxious. 'I explained why I stopped him. All he would say was "I'm not TJ Dixon" so he was well aware of my concern that he wasn't entitled to drive the vehicle.' Footage of Savage during the incident was widely shared online. He said he thought Mr Fontana was filming 'for the benefit of the community and his YouTube fans'. Mr Fontana said he was scared for his safety Savage said he was unable to see into the car properly because of its tinted windows. 'I believed the driver to be Mr Dixon. We knew he presented a risk to police officers and the public in that he would be prepared to drive off and cause a pursuit.' He added: 'The subject was in a vehicle, a vehicle is a machine and he was completely in control of that vehicle.' He said that when Mr Fontana started filming him, it seemed like he wanted to repeat the whole exchange from the beginning 'for the benefit of the community and his YouTube fans'. 'This is the problem we are seeing throughout London - police officers are more reluctant to deal with things because they are scared of what might come afterwards. 'Hence why we are seeing gang members not being disrupted and the rise in violent crime.' The footage shows Savage shouting through a slightly open window of the car. He said the vehicle had tinted windows and he smashed the windscreen so he could see in Savage said Mr Fontana had repeatedly failed to comply with his requests and his commands. 'My decision making was legitimate and lawful. It was made in line with the need to protect myself and my colleagues or to prevent harm occurring to members of the public or their property,' he said. 'It was also necessary for the arrest of the subject.' Savage claimed that 'the majority' of response officers carry their own bladed tools on duty. He said his job required a 'cutting implement' for acts such as slicing seat belts off trapped car passengers in emergency situations. Savage said his multi-tool was always clearly displayed on his belt and that he'd never tried to conceal it because it is bright yellow. In the footage, Mr Fontana refuses to leave his vehicle before the Metropolitan Police officer can be heard saying in footage played to the jury: 'Get out of the car', and 'You're not allowed to drive it'. The incident unfolded in Vicar's Road in Camden. Savage said it was a 'police-unfriendly area' Mr Fontana, who placed his keys on the dashboard, replies: 'I've got a licence and insurance' and says he is filming for his own safety. In his evidence, Mr Fontana said: 'I thought if I left that car I would have been in danger certainly. I certainly wasn't getting out to a police officer with a knife and a cosh in his hand.' Savage, of Wanstead, north-east London,has been placed on restricted duties by Scotland Yard since the incident. An ice epidemic is ravaging South Australia, with one in ten Adelaide residents using the drug every day, and 5,000 workers testing positive on the job. The alarming statistics emerged from a report released by Business SA, which cited figures provided to them by SafeWork Laboratories. Given the increasing number of ice users in South Australian workplaces, the report says it is essential that Australian businesses address the growing problem. More than 270,000 Australians are under the influence of methamphetamine and at least 220,000 of these people are employed, according to a Business SA report (stock image) According to the report, more than 270,000 Australians are under the influence of methamphetamine and at least 220,000 of those people are employed. This means that roughly 81 per cent of this group come to work after taking the drug or are experiencing its hangover effects in the workplace. A total of 2.2 per cent of workers tested positive in industries such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing, transport, construction, forestry, fishery, postal, warehousing, electricity, gas, water and waste services, the report adds. The use of ice reached an all-time high in October 2017, where SafeWorks found in its wastewater testing that one in ten people in Adelaide, the state's capital, took one dose of the drug every day. SafeWorks has been compiling data on on workplace drug testing for the past three years - and the finds show that the national figure has also increased from 1.5 per cent to 1.9 per cent of workers testing positive in the same period of time. SafeWorks toxicologist Andrew Leibie also said that the the numbers could be higher, given that many workplaces do not even require tests for drug use. Business SA is now pushing for ways to increase awareness of the ice epidemic in the workplace, including finding ways to identify if someone is under the influence of the drug. 2.2 per cent of workers tested positive in industries such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing, transport, construction, forestry, fishery, postal, warehousing, electricity, gas, water and waste services (stock image) Signs of ice usage include a racing heartbeat, chest pain, extreme agitation or clumsiness, confusion, breathing problems or uncontrolled jerking. 'There is no safe or tolerable limit for methamphetamine from a toxicology perspective,' Mr Leibie told Business SA. 'If you had anyone who tested positive for methamphetamine, no matter how little, I would say they're unfit for work'. Workers are urged to contact the 24 Hour help line for Substance Abuse at 13 11 14. Callers from South Australia are also encouraged to contact the Alcohol and Drug Information Services at 1300 13 1340, which includes confidential counselling. Advertisement Stunning pictures show the intricate facial tattoos of the last generation from Myanmar's reclusive Chin tribe. The incredible images, shot by Polish photographer Adam Koziol, show women of the Chin tribe displaying their tattoos which run along their faces, huge earrings which dangle heavily from their ears and looking sternly into the camera. Other stunning shots show an older woman smoking as smoke blows hazily through the air, one wearing a traditional headdress in a field and others showing off their extravagant beaded jewellery. Chin legend has it that when a Burmese king travelled to the region, he was so impressed by the womens beauty that he kidnapped one to take as a bride. Because of this, Chin families began to tattoo their daughters to ensure they would not be taken away. Other Chin tales say that the tattooing was done for beauty, and perhaps more plausibly, to differentiate the different tribes in case one was kidnapped by another. Another explanation may have to do with religion. Since the time of British colonisation, many Chin minorities have converted to Christianity or else accepted it alongside the animist beliefs. Some Chin remember being taught by their local pastors that only those who had tattoos would be deemed fit to go to heaven. The custom of tattooing their faces ran up until the 1960s when it was stamped out by the government but the older women still live with their scars. They also wear enormous earrings which stretch their skin. With a variety of styles and designs the detailed markings have a deep rooted cultural significance to the largely Christian community. The women have unique facial markings which are done when they are between 12 and 15 and can take several days to complete The Burmese government banned the practice in the 1960s meaning the marks are only borne by the older women in the Chin community Chin leaders were the only group allowed to retain control of their provinces when the British colonised Burma in the 19th century The Chin people are incredibly diverse and have their own language which has 31 varieties spoken as far away as India and Bangladesh Since younger members of the Chin tribe are no longer allowed to carry the markings the older women are known as the 'last generation' The Chin people in Myanmar are one of the minority ethnic groups that have suffered widespread and ongoing ethnic and religious persecution Chin legend says that the markings were put on women to stop them being kidnapped by the rulers of several neighbouring tribes In reality, there have been numerous theories into the origin of the face tattoos and why it only applies to women and not men With a variety of styles and designs the detailed markings have a deep rooted cultural significance to the largely Christian community A former playboy model who was caught with ice, a meth pipe and illegal fat burning drugs has walked free from court. Azzra Hughes, 28, pleaded guilty to five charges at Southport Magistrates Court, Queensland, on Friday. The self-proclaimed Instagram star, who lives in Helensvale on the Gold Coast has been allowed by the court to travel to Canada for work despite being on a 12-month good behaviour bond. She has previously posed nude for online men's site Playboy Plus and some famous men's magazines in Australia. Hughes (pictured, right) has previously posed nude for online mens site Playboy Plus and some famous mens magazines in Australia Police caught Hughes (pictured) in possession of ice, a meth pipe and illegal fat burning drugs Hughes was warned against travelling to Canada under the consumption of drugs by Magistrate Donald Mckenzie yesterday, Gold Coast Bulletin reported. 'If you were still able to go to Canada there might be serious grief getting a Visa or getting through customs,' he said. 'The wisest thing you can do is desist in this behaviour.' The former model, who has reportedly been working for bikini, clothing and make-up companies in Canada, had her house raided at about 6.40am on January 19. Former Playboy model, Azzra hughes (right), has walked free despite being caught with illegal drugs Azzra Hughes (above), 28, pleaded guilty to possessing ice, a meth pipe, illegal drugs on Friday The court heard police found a bag with a white crystallised rock substance inside a small purse that belonged to Hughes. The substance was later revealed by forensics to be 0.81g of methylamphetamine. 'She told police she did not know how the drugs were in her bag,' Prosecutor Sam Hill said. Police also found a steroid called Clenbuterol which is used to get rid of unwanted fat. The former model, who claims she had 120,000 followers on instagram before her account was hacked recently, will travel to Canada next week as she is working for bikini, clothing and make-up companies there In a follow-up raid in early March, police found a used glass pipe hidden in a pink sock in Hughes's bedroom. One of her housemates was also charged for possessing illegal drugs. Defence lawyer Campbell MacCallum said his client, who he described as a 'social influencer', will be returning to Canada next week for her modelling assignment. He also claimed she had more than 120,000 Instagram followers until her account was hacked recently. Hughes will partake in a drug diversion session via telephone from Canada. The British parents of a Next fashion boss murdered by his jealous wife in China are calling on new Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to intervene and help get their grandchildren to the UK. Michael Simpson's parents Ian and Linda Simpson, from Suffolk, are engaged in a desperate international custody battle for Jack, seven, and six-year-old Alice. The children are pawns in an extraordinary saga of jealousy, blackmail and vengeful murder and live 6,000 miles away in a cramped flat in a central China backwater. Jack and Alice live in the remote town of Nanzhang after their mother Weiwei Fu was jailed for life a few weeks ago for their father's murder. But Ian and Linda say Weiwei's family is trying to extort them by asking for 60,000 in return for the children, who have no idea their father is dead - or that it was their mother who killed him. The couple are worried they will pay the money but still not get their grandchildren, who they have pledged to take to China every year and teach Mandarin. Michael Simpson's children Jack, seven, and six-year-old Alice (pictured together) are in limbo after he was murdered by their mother in China last year Estranged wife Fu Weiwei (pictured left) slashed her husband's new girlfriend Rachel Lin (pictured right) before stabbing Michael in the neck, killing him instantly Mr Simpson told the BBC: 'We need political support. Losing Michael put a hole in our family. If you take away the children as well you've basically blotted out the whole of that family.' The Foreign Office is to write to the Chinese custody service and send staff to the hearing next month but the family want Jeremy Hunt to intervene directly. Last year their Michael Simpson, 34, the head of Nexts retail operations in China, was confronted by his estranged wife Fu Weiwei, the childrens mother, at his apartment in Shanghai. In a jealous rage, Weiwei took a knife from her handbag and flew at his new partner, Rachel Lin, slashing her arms to the bone. Then, as Michael cradled Rachel in his arms, screaming for an ambulance, Weiwei plunged the blade into both sides of his neck, killing him instantly Weiwei, who admitted murder, was given a 25-year prison sentence. Mr Simpson and Linda said they would waive their right to compensation from Weiweis family for the murder. In return, Mr Simpson said they were promised the children but they are still in China living in a cramped flat with their cousins until his grandparents pay 60,000. It is an outrageous attempt to use the children as pawns to extort money from us, Mr Simpson said earlier this year. Our lawyers said the demand was very near to being an illegal act of selling children. We just want what is best for our grandchildren. They will have a better upbringing here in the UK. It is wrong that Weiweis family should attempt to make us pay. We have already lost our son due to her and we do not want to lose our grandchildren as well. Michael's parents Ian and Linda want grandchildren Jack and Alice in the UK with them but claim they are being 'extorted' by WeiWei's family who want cash to grant custody Navigating the confusing Chinese judicial system, the Simpsons have behaved honourably at all times, even under provocation, which is why they find the demand for money such an indignity. Weiweis family agreed to let Mr Simpson and his ex-wife visit the children for the first time in nearly a year. They met for six hours in a hotel in the industrial city of Xiangyang. Mr Simpson said it was fantastic but very emotional, adding: Michael and Weiwei were not even mentioned. It just seemed ludicrous that the children did not know but we could not tell them and then just walk away. Jack was very quiet and only said the odd word. I tried to read to him from Wind In The Willows and he was struggling to understand as he had not spoken English for a year. He cried when we showed him pictures of his father. He just sat on my lap for 40 minutes and never left my side. At the end, he said, Can I stay here with you? and I had to say, No, you have to go. Michael Simpson travelled to Shanghai in 2009 to work as a senior manager for Next as it expanded its operations in the Far East. He met and married Weiwei, a shop assistant, soon after arriving. The couple separated in 2015 and Mr Simpson became romantically involved with Ms Lin, who went to university in Britain. Last year he was murdered for starting that new relationship. The hosts of a local news show in northern California evacuated live on air as a deadly wildfire raged towards their studio on Thursday night. Anchors Allison Woods and Tamara Damante were covering the fire for KRCR-TV as it tore towards their home city of Redding where it killed a bulldozer operator, destroyed dozens of houses and forced thousands to flee. As the flames drew near, Woods announced: 'We've been here live and right now we are being evacuated. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here.' A video segment posted online on Thursday opened with an on-the-road correspondent watching the flames racing towards Redding. 'I am getting my first look at this scene and it's just shocking,' she told viewers A video segment posted online opened with an on-the-road correspondent watching the flames racing towards Redding. 'I am getting my first look at this scene and it's just shocking,' she told viewers. 'This is Redding right now just glowing from all directions. All I can see is orange right now.' The camera then passed to the studio where Woods explained the need to evacuate, before her co-anchor pleaded with viewers to follow evacuation orders and 'stay safe'. Damante wished the audience a 'good night' before the camera went back to a webcam shot of the fire glowing in the distance. A reporter at KHSL-TV later wrote on Twitter that the station's Redding news team were 'running home to gather their things'. Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. The camera then passed to Anchors Allison Woods (left) and Tamara Damante (right) who explained they had to evacuate the studio A reporter at KHSL-TV later wrote on Twitter that the station's Redding news team were 'running home to gather their things' A bulldozer operator on the fire lines was killed on Thursday night and three firefighters burned. The so-called Carr Fire is 'taking down everything in its path,' said Scott McLean, a California Fire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze. 'It's just a wall of flames,' he said. Residents of western Redding who hadn't been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange. 'When it hit, people were really scrambling,' McLean said. 'There was not much of a warning.' Many firefighters turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. 'Really we're in a life-saving mode right now in Redding,' said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. 'We're not fighting a fire. 'We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area.' Damante wished the audience a 'good night' before the camera went back to a webcam shot of the fire glowing in the distance Information from the City of Redding showing mandatory evacuation zones as of 4am local time on Friday (in red), alongside data from energy company Pacific Gas and Electricity showing areas inaccessible due to the fire as of 1am local time Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of town. Mike Mangas, a spokesman at Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital was evacuating five babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, and taking them to medical facilities outside of the area. Mangas said the hospital was preparing high-risk patients to be evacuated but there were no immediate plans to do so. Several burn patients were admitted to the emergency room but that most were being treated and released, he added. Late Thursday, crews found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path, McLean said. The fire burned over the operator and his equipment, making the man the second bulldozer operator killed in a California blaze in less than two weeks. Three firefighters and an unknown number of civilians had burns, but the extent of their injuries wasn't immediately known, McLean said. 'It's just chaotic. It's wild,' he said. 'There's a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning.' Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. Pictured: The fire racing along Highway 299 near Redding Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines, he said. 'It's just a heck of a fight,' he said. 'They're doing what they can do and they get pushed out in a lot of cases. We're fighting the fight right now.' He said the fire behavior was so erratic, there were tornadoes within the fire 'tossing around equipment, blowing windows out of Cal Fire pickup trucks.' The 45-square-mile fire that began Monday tripled in size overnight Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. It was sparked by a mechanical issue involving a vehicle, Cal Fire said. Brett Gouvea, incident commander of the crews battling the fire, urged residents to pay close attention to the blaze. 'This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard for what's in its path,' he said. Earlier in the day with flames exploding around Whiskeytown Lake, an effort to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety, wasn't swift enough to spare them all. Firefighters help a woman to the Mercy Medical Center emergency room on Thursday in Redding Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina. 'The boat docks down there - all the way out in the water - 30 to 40 boats caught fire when the fire laid down on top of them last night and burned those up,' said fire Chief Mike Hebrard of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and caused campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. The wildfires have dispatched firefighters to all corners of the state amid an oppressive heat wave. A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. That blaze killed 36-year-old Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection whose bulldozer rolled over into a ravine July 14. Hundreds of miles to the south, the fire grew to 7.5 square miles and about 3,000 residents remained under evacuation orders in Idyllwild and several neighboring communities. That fire, which destroyed five homes, is believed to have been sparked by arson. Donald Trump denied on Friday that he had any advance knowledge of a now-infamous 2016 meeting attended by his son, his son-in-law, his campaign chairman and a Russian lawyer with Kremlin ties. Reports based on unnamed sources swirled Thursday night that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is prepared to tell Special Counsel Robert Mueller that the president knew about the meeting ahead of time and approved of it. Cohen, under the thumb of a federal investigation springing from a payoff to a porn actress who claimed before the 2016 election that she had bedded Trump, has become a reluctant apostate. He has turned on his former longtime boss in an effort to appease Mueller, hiring longtime Bill and Hillary Clinton lawyer Lanny Davis to plead his case. 'NO, I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr.,' Trump said Friday in a series of tweets. 'Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice!' President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he never knew in advance about a 2016 meeting between his son, his son-in-law, his campaign chairman and a Kremlin-tied lawyer Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney seen here leaving his NYC hotel and getting into a taxi today, is reportedly prepared to tell Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he was in the room when the future president approved of the meeting which was offered with the promise of opposition dirt on Hillary Clinton An epic Twitter rant from the president on Friday included claims that Cohen is 'trying to make up stories' to save his own skin, and complaints about Mueller using his tweets as the basis for a claim of obstruction of justice Sources close to Cohen, according to CNN, now say he is prepared to tell Mueller that he was in the room when Trump was told that a Russian lawyer wanted a meeting with Don Jr. The lawyer, the Kremlin-connected Natalia Veselnitskaya, promised to bring helpful dirt on Hillary Clinton. Instead she used the meeting to argue for the relaxation of U.S. sanctions against Russia that drove President Vladimir Putin to retaliate in part by banning Americans from adopting Russian children. Jared Kushner, who is married to first daughter Ivanka Trump, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, now awaiting trial on federal money-laundering and conspiracy charges, both attended the brief session at Trump Tower. The jab about taxis refers to former Cohen business partner Evgeny 'Gene' Freidman, known as New York's 'Taxi King,' who pleaded guilty to tax evasion in May and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Trump also mocked Mueller's team on Friday for sifting through his social media postings as part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged ties between the Kremlin and the president's campaign organization. On Twitter, Trump called Mueller 'highly conflicted' and sniped that he was 'looking at my Tweets (along with 53 million other people).' Donald Trump Jr. (left) and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner (right) were both in attendance when Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya made a brief pitch Veselnitskaya was initially hawking damaging material on Hillary Clinton but produced nothing of use to the Trump campaign Cohen has hired Lanny Davis, a former ClintonWhite House official and longtime confidant of Bill and Hillary Clinton, to defend him and plead his case publicly Law enforcement investigators routinely examine 'open source' information publicly available material in addition to sifting through confidential documents and conducting private interviews. But Trump bristled at the idea of his own Justice Department's senior officials scrutinizing his use of the very platform he's used for more than a year to criticize them. The New York Times reported Thursday that Mueller is poring over Trump's tweets about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and fired FBI Director James Comey. He also wants to ask the president about those tweets in a formal setting. Any public statements that denounce or reprimand officials investigating him could be seen as obstruction of justice under some theories of prosecution. Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for Trump, dismissed the idea of intimidating witnesses via Twitter. 'If you're going to obstruct justice, you do it quietly and secretly, not in public,' he told the Times. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is examining President Trump's tweets for evidence ofwhether he obstructed the Russia investigation Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lawyer, said Thursday that 'if you're going to obstruct justice, you do it quietly and secretly, not in public' Trump cast the news as part of a broader, unfair attack against him. '[T]he rigged Witch Hunt continues! How stupid and unfair to our Country,' he tweeted Friday. Trump uses his Twitter account to blast his enemies, praise his supporters, slam the 'fake media' and tout his version of events. He frequently calls Mueller's probe of Russia's role in the 2016 election and whether the president obstructed it a 'witch hunt,' railing against the '13 angry Democrats' he claims lead it. He hasn't called out Cohen by name since his former attorney turned on him. Longtime Trump-watchers say that's a sign he's completely written off the man who was once just one step below him on his company's organizational chart. Giuliani on Thursday night called Cohen a 'pathological liar.' 'He's been lying all week, for two weeks, he's been lying for years,' the former New York Mayor said, defending his Oval Office client. Millions of patients including the Prime Minister herself could be hit by drug shortages in a no deal Brexit, a medicines chief warned today. Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said Britain imports 'every drop' of insulin used in the country. Theresa May, like millions of diabetics, takes insulin every day to manage her condition and there is a limited supply in UK stores. Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said Britain imports 'every drop' of insulin used in the country Theresa May, like millions of diabetics, takes insulin every day to manage her condition and there is a limited supply in UK stores (file image of a woman injecting insulin) Sir Michael said insulin supply was just one of the issues that had to be resolved as fears rise of a no deal Brexit - potentially as soon as March. A failure to strike a trade deal could see even the transition agreement collapse, leaving Britain crashing out of the EU at the end of the Article 50 process. Sir Michael told the Pharmaceutical Journal: 'There are problems and the Department for Exiting the EU and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) needs to work out how it's going to work. 'Here's just one example why: we make no insulin in the UK. We import every drop of it. 'You can't transport insulin around ordinarily because it must be temperature-controlled. 'And there are 3.5 million people who rely on insulin, not least the prime minister.' Sir Michael said patients could be 'seriously disadvantaged' if the Government fakled to keep promises about ensuring supply chains continue. He said: 'It could be a reality if we don't get our act together. 'We can't suddenly start manufacturing insulin it's got to be sorted, no question.' Mrs May insisted earlier this week the Government was taking the necessary precautions for no deal but that an agreement was in reach Following publication of his remarks, Sir Michael added in a statement the comments had been made before the Health Secretary offered reassurance on medical supply. He said: 'As he made clear, the Government is preparing for any possible disruption to the supply chain of medical supplies in the unlikely event of no deal. 'This preparation includes vital medicines such as insulin. 'A responsible Government prepares for a range of outcomes, and the Department of Health and Social Care is working to make sure the health sector and industry are prepared and that people's health will be safeguarded.' NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said last month the health service was drawing up contingency plans to deal with a no deal Brexit A statement from the National Pharmacy Association, a membership organisation for community pharmacy, said: 'Community pharmacists and everyone in the medicines supply chain, need certainty as soon as possible in order to prepare appropriately to meet patient need. The onus is now on the government to achieve that certainty.' NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said last month the health service was drawing up contingency plans to deal with a no deal Brexit. Hospitals could start running out of supplies in days without extra stocks if cross-channel trade breaks down. Mrs May insisted earlier this week the Government was taking the necessary precautions for no deal but that an agreement was in reach. Asked about food stockpiling, Mrs May told 5News: 'Far from being worried about preparations that we are making, I would say that people should take reassurance and comfort from the fact that the Government is saying we are in a negotiation, we are working for a good deal - I believe we can get a good deal - but... because we don't know what the outcome is going to be... let's prepare for every eventuality.' Mrs May spoke of her diabetes last year, revealing: 'I am a type one diabetic. 'That means when I eat, I have to inject insulin, which I do. I will be injecting myself four or five times a day You just get into a routine. You depend on that insulin and you just build that routine into your daily life. 'The crucial thing to me is being a diabetic doesn't stop you from doing anything.' The stepmother of actress Lindsay Lohan has been arrested on a battery charge in Florida. According to Palm Beach County Jail records, 35-year-old Kate Major Lohan was arrested at 3am on Friday in Boca Raton. She allegedly threw a glass candle holder at her husband Michael, Lindsay's father, during a row over a cell phone, the Palm Beach Post reported. Mr Lohan told police that he walked outside during the heated row. Major Lohan then threw the candle holder at him when he turned around. Lindsay Lohan's stepmother Kate Major has been arrested on battery charges in Boca Raton, Florida She allegedly threw a glass candle holder at her husband Michael, Lindsay's father, during a row over a cell phone. The pair are pictured together in 2010 He then got a cut on his arm from a piece of broken glass, the report suggests. Major Lohan told police she did not know how her husband got the cut on his arm. As of Friday morning she remained in jail and a lawyer isn't listed on records. The Palm Beach Post reports police took Kate Lohan into custody last August for a mental health evaluation after she and husband Michael Lohan got into an argument over their children. Kate Lohan was accused of kicking a police officer in nearby Delray Beach in 2016. Court records said that arrest happened during an argument with her estranged husband Michael Lohan, Lindsay's father. Kate Lohan also has children with Michael Lohan. In March 2014, she was sentenced to eight months in jail and a year of probation for DUI. She married Lohan in 2014. It is not the first time Major Lohan (left) has been in trouble with the law. Lindsay is seen right Major Lohan and her husband Michael seem happy in two pictures she recently posed on her social media profiles She is seen arriving for an arraignment at the Southampton Town Justice Court on August 18, 2010 in Southampton, New York. Michael was facing charges that he kicked and threatened to kill Major A former regional head of China's Food and Drug Administration has been charged with corruption amid a shocking vaccine scandal. Cui Honghai, 57, approved the production license of a pharmaceutical company in Jilin which later turned out to make substandard jabs and became the centre of the ongoing pharmaceutical scare. More than 215,000 children have reportedly been affected by problematic DPT jabs produced by the company, Changsheng Bio-technology. Cui Honghai (pictured), the former chief of the Jilin Food and Drug Administration, has been charged with corruption. He is said to have approved a license of a problematic pharma firm Hundreds of thousands of children in a Chinese province may have been effected with faulty vaccines (file photo). The jab, DPT, is mandatory for all children in China and costs 40p A procuratorate in north-east China's Jilin Province yesterday initiated a public prosecution against Mr Cui on charges of taking bribes, reported People's Daily Online. The prosecutors accused Mr Cui of taking advantage of his position, seeking benefits for the others and accepting illegal money and properties, the report said. US-educated Mr Cui worked as the party secretary and the chief of the Jilin Food and Drug Administration between July 2013 and January 2017, reported Beijing Youth Daily. The report said Mr Cui granted a five-year production license in January, 2016 to Changsheng Bio-technology, whose company name means 'long living'. And with the license, the company was able to produce the faulty DPT vaccines. Gao Junfang (pictured), the chairwoman of Changsheng Bio-technology, has been arrested Regulators found that Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology (pictured) had fabricated production records and product inspection records during production of its rabies vaccines The Jilin-based company has been ordered to stop all its rabies vaccine production (file photo) The firm sold 252,600 doses of ineffective DPT vaccines to east China's Shandong Province to inoculate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. The jab is mandatory for all children in China and costs 3.8 yuan (40p). The shocking revelation was led by a previous snap investigation into Changsheng Bio-technology by the government on July 5. During the snap investigation, the government found that Changsheng had been fabricating records for its rabies vaccine production. The company's 16 employees, including its Chairwoman Gao Junfang, have been arrested by police. Latest investigation showed that the company had broken the approved workflow and used expired raw materials to make its vaccines in order to increase efficiency, according to a report on People's Daily Online today. After the snap investigation caught it falsifying data, the company intentionally destroyed and threw away 60 computer hard disks that contained important information, the report added. So far, there have been no reports of injuries or side effects from the vaccines, according to authorities. However, Chinese premier Li Keqiang has vowed a thorough investigation into the scandal. Changsheng Bio-technology was caught fabricating date for its rabies vaccines (file photo) and making substandard DPT jabs. It sold 252,600 doses of ineffective DPT vaccines On Monday, authorities in another Chinese province, Hebei, announced that nearly 150,000 people in the province had received a sub-standard diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine made by another pharmaceutical firm, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. The scandal has re-ignited public fears in China over the safety of the country's food and drugs. China's drug regulator said it has launched a nationwide inspection of vaccine production as authorities step up the response to the controversial issue. The State Drug Administration (SDA) said in an announcement issued late Wednesday that it had dispatched inspection teams 'to thoroughly investigate the whole process and entire chain of vaccine production of all vaccine producers'. The move came as authorities rushed to bolster public confidence in the country's vaccines. Chinese parents are still haunted by the toxic baby milk incident in 2008. At the time, nearly 300,000 children fell ill after drinking a famous brand of formula milk laced with melamine, a toxic substance used in making plastics. Two men were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad for their role in the poisonous milk scandal. The death of a young mortician whose body was found metres from a rifle is being treated as suspicious. Nathan Khoury, 20, was found laying in dirt next to a shed at his family's property in Bulla, north-west of Melbourne, just before midday on Thursday. Shortly before his tragic death, it is believed Mr Khoury had bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend Mikayla, Seven News reported. The death of young mortician Nathan Khoury (left, with girlfrend Mikayla) is being treated as suspicious, with neighbours suggesting it may have been bikie-related The 20-year-old's body was found next to a shed at his family's property in Bulla, north-west of Melbourne, just before midday on Thursday Shortly before his tragic death, it is believed Mr Khoury had bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend Mikayla (right) Family and friends have since taken to social media to pay tribute to Melbourne's youngest mortician, who was one of five brothers. 'Yesterday we lost a son, a brother and a cousin to many,' the family's funeral business said in a statement on Facebook. 'Words cannot describe how much you meant to us, your smile lit up the room, you comforted so many families, you gave your all to everyone and did everything you could to make everyone happy. 'We have lost one of our own and you can never be replaced. You broke our hearts to see you go ... Spread your wings little brother, you were loved by all Nathan and you will always be missed.' And while authorities remain coy around the exact circumstances of his death, the homicide squad stayed at the farm more than 24 hours after the grisly scene was discovered. While authorities remain coy around the exact circumstances of his death, the homicide squad stayed at the farm more than 24 hours after the grisly scene was discovered As part of the extensive search of the family property, police were said to have combed its untamed grass before taking several items away in evidence bags As part of the extensive search of the family property, police were said to have combed its untamed grass before taking several items away in evidence bags. Aerial footage also showed a rifle lying just metres from where the body was found. However, 9NEWS reported locals saw three men fighting near the crime scene and the home may have bikie links. 'There are possible rumours it's linked to bikies and off-siders. The property was sold a couple of years ago,' said neighbour Bill Yakan. Our Lady of Lebanon Church also paid tribute to Mr Khoury, saying he was a dedicated parishioner who would be 'dearly missed by all.' A police investigation is ongoing but no one has been arrested or charged over Mr Khoury's death. A World War Two veteran who left school with no qualifications has become Britain's oldest person to be awarded a PhD - aged 95. Charles Betty is now a Doctor of Philosophy after completing a 48,000-word thesis on why elderly ex-pats living in Spain return to the UK. Mr Betty, who moved to the Costa del Sol in 1986, took five years to complete the long-distance course while also caring for his disabled wife, Eileen, 93. He flew from his home in the Spanish town of Benalmadena to attend his graduation ceremony at the University of Northampton on Thursday. Charles Betty is now a Doctor of Philosophy after completing a 48,000-word thesis on why elderly ex-pats living in Spain return to the UK Mr Betty, who moved to the Costa del Sol in 1986, took five years to complete the long-distance course while also caring for his disabled wife, Eileen, 93, (pictured left, and right on their wedding day in 1945) Incredibly, Mr Betty - who now has two PhDs to his name - only started his academic career after he retired from being a school inspector aged 70. Mr Betty, who is originally from Farnsfield, Nottingham, and turned 95 last month, said: 'When I first moved to Spain I was told that you live longer if you do two things, laugh a lot and keep your mind occupied 'I come from an ordinary working class background born in Fleetwood, Lancashire, in 1923, where we had no history of degrees or going to university. 'I had four brothers, my mother was a housewife and my father was a deep sea fisherman, a trawler chief engineer and he was away for weeks at once. 'I never really thought about studying but when I came home from France after the war, 'I was demobbed from the army and I saw a notice which said that after the war the country will need lots of teachers and anyone interested should apply. Mr Betty has three grown-up children, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and is looking forward to his first great-great-grandchild being born in December (family pictured) He flew from his home in the Spanish town of Benalmadena to attend his graduation ceremony (right) at the University of Northampton on Thursday 'I had no qualifications but I was able to train in Liverpool to get my teaching certificate and I went on from there.' Mr Betty completed his first PhD in Education when he was 75 and five years ago began studying for his second. He added: 'The thesis is all about the reasons why people return to Britain, we've got 300,000 Brits in Spain and most living in the Costa del Sol according to the census. 'But as they get older quite a number of those become more vulnerable. 'My thesis is called Return Migration of Older British Residents in Spain which looks at the reasons why older people return to the UK. 'Obviously I collected the data and information well before Brexit and I think now the situation is one of uncertainty. 'It would be interesting to see the effect Brexit has on return migration but that will take years to understand.' After leaving school aged 14 with no qualifications, Mr Betty joined the Army and served in the D-Day Landings as a Corporal with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. A spokesman from the University of Northampton said: 'Charles Betty is the oldest person to ever be awarded a PhD by a British university' Two years ago he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French Government on Bastille Day for his part in the operation in June 1944 Two years ago he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French Government on Bastille Day for his part in the operation in June 1944. He was previously awarded a doctorate in Education, for a long-distance learning degree at the Californian Coast University, at the age of 75, after two masters' degrees from the Universities of Brighton and Nottingham. After a career as a primary school teacher he became headmaster and, in the 1970s, became a local authority school inspector in Nottinghamshire. His wife-of-73 years Eileen, who travelled with him to the UK for the graduation ceremony, said: 'I think it's wonderful and I'm particularly proud of him. 'Charles loves learning and researching. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he continues his studies.' Mr Betty has three grown-up children, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and is looking forward to his first great-great-grandchild being born in December. Daughter Jillian Oakham, 68, from Claypole, Nottingham, said: 'I think its a spectacular achievement. 'He was brought up in hard times, you have to have a special drive to work your way out of those kind of situations.' A spokesman from the University of Northampton said: 'Charles Betty is the oldest person to ever be awarded a PhD by a British university.' Facebook shares had a steady day Friday, as the company looks to recover from Thursday's spectacular losses. After dropping 1.2 percent by lunchtime, they rose slightly in the afternoon and were on $174.89 by the closing bell, a daily overall drop of 0.78%. The social media giant suffered the worst day's losses ever experienced by a company on Wall Street Thursday, with shares plunging 19 percent, wiping $119 billion off the company's value. Facebook's shares plunged $41.24 to $176.26 after it failed to meet Wall Street's estimates for user growth and quarterly revenue. Under-pressure CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw $12 billion wiped off his personal fortune in less than 24 hours. The Facebook founder's net worth is now valued at $74 billion, dropping him to the fifth richest person in the world. After a disastrous Thursday, Facebook's dropped again on Friday It also emerged eight Facebook insiders have sold a combined total of $3.9 billion worth of stock since the social media site was plagued by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The sales were part of pre-determined trading plans, according to Bloomberg. Zuckerberg accounted for about 90 percent of total sales, which were part of a pre-determined plan he announced last September. The Facebook CEO and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged they would sell most of their shares over time so that they could invest in charities. Investors hammered shares in the social media giant after it reported slower revenue growth in the second quarter after markets closed on Wednesday. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations as the company continues to grapple with privacy issues. Facebook's second-quarter results were the first sign that new European privacy laws and a string of privacy scandals involving Cambridge Analytica and other app developers are hitting the company's business. Wednesday in a call with analysts when they said profit margins would plummet for several years due to the costs of improving privacy safeguards and slowing usage in its biggest advertising markets. Chief financial officer David Wehner warned in the earnings call that revenue growth had already 'decelerated' in the second quarter and would drop 'by high single digit percentages' in coming quarters. At one point during the call, Facebook shares were trading down as much as 24 percent, an unprecedented drop for a large firm. Until Wednesday, Facebook shares had been at record highs as investors seemed to shrug off fears about data protection and probes into the hijacking of private information by the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. For the second quarter, profit was up 31 percent at $5.1 billion; revenues rose 42 percent to $13.2 billion, only slightly below most forecasts. Ad sales in Facebook's second quarter rose 42 percent to $13.04 billion but the costs, bolstered by moves to improve content and security after the data scandal, rose 50 percent from a year earlier to $7.37 billion. Mark Zuckerberg's fortune also took a $16 billion hit in the first five minutes of trading on Thursday as shares in his social media company plunged 19 percent to $175.30 Facebook's monthly active user count was 2.23 billion, slightly behind the 2.25 billion forecast by analysts. Users in Europe dropped from 377 million to 376 million, partly as a result of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules. The plunging share prices follows months of criticism leveled against the social media giant over its handling of several recent scandals, including the Cambridge Analytica data saga and Russian meddling in the US election. The Cambridge Analytica scandal prompted several apologies from Zuckerberg and generated calls for users to desert Facebook, which has grown strongly since launching as a public company in 2012. Industry experts had predicted, ahead of the announcement, that the number of active users visiting the social network would either drop or flat line. According to analysts, stalling numbers are likely the result of forcing Facebook users to consciously opt-in to having their information used for personal advertising - one of the key stipulations of the stringent GDPR rules. GDPR, which came into affect May 25, stipulates that companies must explicitly request consent from their users in order to personal data for advertising purposes. Companies that do not comply with GDPR can be fined up to four per cent of their global revenue. To comply with the new regulations, Facebook rolled-out a security check-up to users worldwide which asked them to review what kind of personal information they consent to sharing for advertising targeting. Users were also asked to consent to facial recognition technology on the site. Analysts believe users may have been scared off by the explicit details about how their data is being used by the social network. It comes after shareholders tried to fire Zuckerberg as chairman of Facebook in a proposal filed on Wednesday by Investment company Trillium Asset Management. The company, who has about $11 million in Facebook stock, wants to break up Zuckerberg's role as both chairman and CEO, Business Insider reports. The proposal argues that shareholders are unable to check Zuckerberg's power given he holds roughly 60 percent of Facebook's voting shares as both chair and CEO. 'A CEO who also serves as chair can exert excessive influence on the board and its agenda, weakening the board's oversight of management,' the proposal states. 'Separating the chair and CEO positions reduces this conflict, and an independent chair provides the clearest separation of power between the CEO and the rest of the board.' The investment company says this oversight has contributed to Facebook 'missing or mishandling' several 'severe controversies' in past years, which they say increases risk exposure and costs to shareholders. The specific examples the shareholders used include: Russian meddling in US election, the sharing of 87 million users' personal data with Cambridge Analytica, proliferating fake news and social unrest in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Chances of Zuckerberg's roles being split remain slim given Facebook has rejected similar shareholder requests in the past. A proposal last year to oust Zuckerberg as chairman received 51 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, in addition to the financial woes, a promotional event for Facebook's new video feature descended into a shouting match on Wednesday, as reporters quizzed the social media giant's executives about its decision to allow Fox News and Infowars on the platform. Facebook will be featuring Fox News alongside other news organizations on Watch, while right-wing conspiracy theory site Infowars has a Facebook page that is followed by nearly a million people. The debate at the Television Critics Association's press tour in Beverly Hills began when Facebook's head of video was asked why Facebook still hosted Infowars when it peddled conspiracy theories including calling the Sandy Hook massacre a hoax. DAUs were 1.47 billion on average for June 2018, an increase of 11% year-over-year. Meanwhile, users in Europe dropped from 377 million to 376 million, partly as a result of the new General Data Protection Regulation rules Monthly active users came in at 2.23 billion, which fell short of analysts' estimated 2.25 billion The reporter noted that Infowars host Alex Jones recently spread a fake story about special counsel Robert Mueller being a pedophile, telling his audience: 'They'd let Mueller rape kids in front of people, which he did.' FACEBOOK EARNINGS IN FIGURES Daily active users (DAUs) DAUs were 1.47 billion on average for June 2018, an increase of 11% year-over-year. Monthly active users (MAUs) MAUs were 2.23 billion as of June 30, 2018, an increase of 11% year-over-year. Mobile advertising revenue Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 91% of advertising revenue for the second quarter of 2018, up from approximately 87% of advertising revenue in the second quarter of 2017. Capital expenditures Capital expenditures for the second quarter of 2018 were $3.46 billion. Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were $42.31 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2018. Headcount Headcount was 30,275 as of June 30, 2018, an increase of 47% year-over-year. Advertisement Fidji Simo replied that although he found Infowars 'absolutely atrocious', Facebook's approach to freedom of expression meant the company would only reduce the distribution of Infowars posts, rather than ban it completely. Zuckerberg was also being called on to remove hateful and harassing comments from the social media platform that have been posted by conspiracy theorists who don't believe the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened. Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, the grieving parents of one of the 20 children killed in the 2012 Newtown shooting massacre, wrote Zuckerberg a letter published on Wednesday in The Guardian. Pozner and De La Rosa say they and other relatives of mass shooting victims have been harassed and threatened on social media and in person by people who claim the shootings were government hoaxes and the victims - including their son Noah - were actors. 'Our families are in danger as a direct result of the hundreds of thousands of people who see and believe the lies and hate speech, which you have decided should be protected,' they wrote. 'We are unable to properly grieve for our baby or move on with our lives because you, arguably the most powerful man on the planet, have deemed that the attacks on us are immaterial, that providing assistance in removing threats is too cumbersome, and that our lives are less important than providing a safe haven for hate.' Ricky Van Veen, Head of Global Creative Strategy and Fidji Simo, Director of Product at Facebook, had combative exchanges with reporters at an event to promote Facebook Watch in Beverly Hills on Wednesday Leonard Pozner (left with Noah) and Veronique Pozner's (right) six-year-old son, Noah, died in the December 2012 Newtown shooting massacre. They wrote a letter to Zuckerberg saying they were being harassed on Facebook by conspiracy theorists Other parents of Sandy Hook victims and people affected by other mass shootings, including the one that killed 17 people at a Florida high school, have made similar requests of Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies. Zuckerberg raised eyebrows in an interview with Recode last week when he said he finds denial of the Holocaust 'deeply offensive' but doesn't believe such content should be banned from Facebook. 'What we will do,' he said, 'is we'll say, 'Okay, you have your page, and if you're not trying to organize harm against someone, or attacking someone, then you can put up that content on your page, even if people might disagree with it or find it offensive.'' He also said in the interview that the claim the Sandy Hook shooting didn't happen is false. 'I also think that going to someone who is a victim of Sandy Hook and telling them, 'Hey, no, you're a liar' - that is harassment, and we actually will take that down,' Zuckerberg said. United Airlines is donating free flights to reunite immigrant children who have been separated from their parents at the southern U.S. border. The move was announced this week on Facebook by FWD.us, a pro-immigration organization established by leaders in the tech industry. 'We have great news to share! A growing community of support is coming together to reunite families who were separated at the border. We are so thankful and happy to announce that United Airlines is jumping in and helping,' FWD. us wrote. A view of inside U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility shows children at Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center in Rio Grande City, Texas, U.S., June 17, 2018 An airlines spokesman told DailyMail.com that the company was providing hundreds of tickets for reunification. The majority of the travel is was expected to take place between Thursday, July 26 and Saturday, August 4, though could continue in the foreseeable weeks and months. The move garnered mostly positive reactions on Twitter. 'I'm so very impressed and thankful for your involvement in this movement. #GoodHumans,' tweeted one user. This week the Texas-based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, also known as RAICES, announced it would donate $3 million for a 'Flights for Families' effort, also focused on reuniting families. The funds came from an outpouring of donations in recent weeks from Americans. 'Flights for Families' is a partnership between RAICES, FWD.us and the Families Belong Together coalition that helps pay for flights and assists with travel logistics. FWD.us announced the move by United Airlines on Twitter. The airline will provide free flights to reunite immigrant families The effort includes a travel help desk that can be used by family members trying to be reunited, as well as their attorneys or case workers. 'Flights for Families represents the best of our country Americans are coming together in love to support children and families and reject the inhuman treatment of immigrant children,' said Jess Morales-Rocketto, director of the Families Belong Together coalition, in a statement. The airline appeared to be riding high on the positive public relations this week. 'United is in a unique position to provide badly needed support that few can provide to help reunify these families, and we take pride in doing our part to connect people and unite the world,' the airline said in a statement. Ministers today axed 170million of private probation contracts two years early admitting the scheme was a failure. The agreements with 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) set up in 2014 to manage low-risk offenders will end in 2020 instead of 2022 and be replaced with new ones under reforms planned by new Justice Secretary David Gauke. He said that while the 3.7 billion Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) part-privatisation programme for England and Wales had been 'ambitious and innovative', several CRCs had made 'very substantial losses'. The collapse is yet another policy implemented by Chris Grayling as Justice Secretary that has had to be dismantled by his successors. Private probation joins Mr Grayling's prisoner books ban, a Saudi prisons contract and reforms to criminal courts charges, legal aid cuts and tribunal fees to face the axe. Justice Secretary David today axed 170million of private probation contracts two years earlier admitting the scheme was a failure Mr Gauke said the new failure was caused by factors including underbidding for the contracts and an increase in the proportion of serious offences which they were ineligible to work on, cutting their income under the 'payment-by-results' system. The 170 million includes some 110 million the CRCs owe the Ministry of Justice in fines for failing to meet performance targets, but which they will be allowed instead to reinvest in services to keep them going for the last two years of their contracts, Mr Gauke said. The MoJ will also pay 22 million in both years for 'through the gate' services helping offenders immediately after they are released from prison. Mr Gauke, who took over as Justice Secretary in January, said the amount of work available for the CRCs 'has been lower than anticipated and that has had an impact in terms of their income and the services they are able to provide'. That had actually saved the taxpayer some 300 million because the MoJ had budgeted to pay firms 2.5 billion by 2020 and had only paid out 2.2 billion. Mr Gauke insisted there was a role for the private sector in probation and said that re-offending rates had fallen since Mr Grayling's 'laudable' changes had been made. He added: 'It was an ambitious and innovative reform in terms of transforming rehabilitation. 'With the experience of the last three years or so it seems to me there are some clear lessons that need to be learned in improving the system. 'But I don't favour excluding the private sector from this at all.' The collapse is yet another policy implemented by Chris Grayling as Justice Secretary that has had to be dismantled by his successors The reforms introduced in 2014 saw the National Probation Service (NPS) created to deal with high-risk offenders while remaining work was assigned to the CRCs. They replaced the former probation trusts and gave private firms a greater role. But a consultation document called Strengthening Probation, Building Confidence, released on Friday - three days after Parliament rose for the summer recess - says that the proportion of 'violence against the person' offences as a percentage of recorded crime rose from 16% in 2010 to 28% in 2017, and sexual offences went up from 1% to 3% over the same period. Last month MPs warned that the system for supervising criminals in England and Wales was in a 'mess' under the reforms introduced by Mr Grayling. In a highly critical assessment, the Justice Committee said it was 'unconvinced' probation reforms could ever deliver an effective or viable service, with major questions over post-custody support, the performance of probation providers, contracts with CRCs, poor staff morale and the involvement of the voluntary sector. A 12-year-old girl and her mother are deemed heroes for saving their two-year-old brother and son after after he was found drowning in a septic tank at their family home in Washington state. Madi Hess had 'the most horrifying experience' of her life Wednesday when saw her younger brother running toward the underground septic tank, step on the green cover and fall down 'in a flash.' 'I could see him dying,' their mother Marcia said of the scene. In an instant, she was squeezing down the deep tank to retrieve her son who was unresponsive. The horrified mother then handed her son off to Madi who did not know CPR, but with the guidance of 911 operators on the phone, put her palm on his chest and pressed hard enough that her brother was revived. Now, two-year-old Thorin is lucky to be alive and is making a full recovery after being treated for swallowing septic liquid. Madi Hess, 12, saved her two-year-old brother Thorin's life when she performed CPR on him after he fell into a septic tank and nearly drowned Thorin made a full recovery after being treated for ingesting septic liquid 'I remember asking her ''please Madi, please save him. Please save him Madi.'' And she did,' Marcia told KOMO News. 'It was one of the most horrifying experiences I've ever had in my life,' Madi said. 'But I'm just really glad that he's okay.' Firefighters raced to the house in the Tacoma suburb of Edgewood after Madi called 911 around 11am. An emergency dispatcher talked the girl through how to give CPR. Thorin had regained consciousness by the time medics arrived. 'The fact that his 12-year-old sister was so dialed in, they were saying, ''Chief, you need to keep track of her. 10 years from now, you need to give her a job,'' East Pierce Fire and Rescue Chief Bud Backer told The News Tribune. 'She was very in control and followed directions to a T, and saved her brother's life in the process,' he added. Marcia still has bruises all over her body from squeezing into the tank and even had to be cut out by firefighters. Becker advises residents to make sure tank access points are secure to prevent similar incidents. The argument which caused an epic brawl between staff and a customer at a Las Vegas McDonald's has been revealed. In new footage, customer Sabrinah Fontelar can be heard cussing at worker Erika Chavolla before throwing a French fry at the counter. The video, obtained exclusively by Dailymail.com, shows Fontelar calling Chavolla a 'b****', a 'fat a**' and repeatedly telling her to 'fight me.' Moments later Chavolla, 24, charges out from behind the counter, ignoring a milkshake thrown at her head and a blow to the face from a metal tray, and begins brutally beating Fontelar in a video seen millions of times around the world. Sabrinah Fontelar (left) can be heard calling Erika Chavolla (right, in white) 'b****' and a 'fat a**' in new footage which shows the argument leading up to the epic McDonald's brawl At one point Fontelar tosses a chip at the counter, moments before punches are thrown The row which sparked a wild brawl Fontelar: 'F*** you ho.' [Inaudible] Chavolla: [Inaudible] bad.' F:'That's why y'all can just leave. 'What are you going to do, fight me? Fight me b****. 'That's why your fat a** is behind the f***ing counter [inaudible, she throws a French fry].' C: 'Since you can't afford one [inaudible] get your personal fries...' F: 'I gave it to the [inaudible] what are you talking about?' 'That's why ya'll [inaudible] don't panic' 'It's too late family, y'all f***ed up now, call 'em.' Advertisement The new footage begins with Fontelar shouting 'F*** you ho,' before saying something else that is inaudible. 'That's why y'all can leave,' she says, before adding: 'What are you going to do, fight me? Fight me b****.' 'That's why your fat a** is behind the f***ing counter,' Fontelar says, before throwing a single French fry across the restaurant. The staff can then be heard shouting 'you can't afford one' before a child starts crying, obscuring the audio. 'Get your personal fries...' is the next thing that can be heard, but the rest of the sentence is inaudible. Erika Chavolla (right) was working at a Las Vegas McDonalds when she got into a dispute with Sabrinah Fontelar (left) after she allegedly tried to fill up a water cup with free soda. Sabrinah Fontelar, of Las Vegas, has since bragged on Instagram that she was the customer in the video Fontelar responds 'I gave it to the...' before another inaudible word, then adds: 'What are you talking about?' 'Don't panic,' she says, before adding: 'It's too late family, y'all f***ed up now, call 'em.' The video then cuts out. Another piece of footage then shows the fight itself. The brawl was posted to social media by Nevada resident Marie Dayag, who said the fight started when the customer tried to put soda in a free water cup. Fontelar, of Las Vegas, has bragged on Instagram that she was the customer in the video and has posted screen grabs and links to DailyMail.com's original story. She has claimed on social media she was charged with battery over the incident. Chavolla said on Thursday that she has kept her job at McDonald's, although the company has said it is investigating. She also showed off a scratch on her knuckle, from 'hitting [Fontelar] in the teeth.' Chavolla (left and right) said on Thursday that she has kept her job at McDonald's following the incident Fontelar hurls a milkshake at Chavolla (left) before hitting her in the face with a metal tray (right), but she barely notices 'It's crazy, people think just 'cause you're working...' she said in a video posted on Thursday. 'She was trying to smack for a long time. 'I wasn't even going to hit her. When there's a big girl coming towards her, she started freaking out. 'Don't talk about my momma!' she added, laughing. Chavolla said she was stunned the video had become such a viral hit. 'That s**t was crazy, it went everywhere,' she said, adding that she had also seen some of the negative comments about her size. McDonald's said it 'does not condone the behavior depicted.' DailyMail.com has also reached out to Las Vegas police, but has not received a response. The original video shows the fight breaking out after as Fontelar hurls a milkshake at Chavolla. Chavolla pushes Fontelar backwards on to a table before beating her in the face, before picking her up and throwing her over a table (right) Chavolla then throws Fontelar over a second table (left) before telling her 'my momma aint dead, you respect my momma' before the footage cuts out As Chavolla storms toward her, Fontelar picks up a metal tray and hits her in the head with it, but she barely notices. Instead, Chavolla grabs Fontelar by the hair and begins raining punches down on her head and face. Chavolla then picks her up and throws her over a nearby table as other employees and even a customer run over to try and break it up. The pair are eventually separated as another McDonald's worker tries to move Fontelar away, but she then begins fighting the other worker instead. This restarts the brawl, with Fontelar beaten in the head and face a second time before Chavolla throws her over another table. At one point Chavolla can be heard shouting 'my momma aint dead, you respect my momma!' Fontelar also picks up a chair and makes as if she is about to hit Chavolla, but is quickly disarmed having apparently given up all hope . A few more angry words are exchanged but no more punches are thrown before the footage cuts out. A grieving father says his 'heart is broken' after the death of his three-month-old baby boy, who was allegedly left in a hot car for nearly an entire day by his ex-girlfriend. Aiden Miller become the 29th child to die in a boiling vehicle so far this year in the United States when he was discovered still strapped into his infant car seat, in New Albany, southern Indiana, at about 4.30pm on Monday. The baby's father, Aaron Turner, told WLKY: 'I dont understand how this could happen and my heart is broken. My biggest hope is in sharing this story, another childs life will not be lost. Aiden Miller, above, died after allegedly being left in a hot vehicle in New Albany, Indiana He explained that his former girlfriend said she had first dropped off their two-year-old daughter at the Kids Care Academy day care on Monday morning. She was then scheduled to drop off the infant at a different day care. Although that center and Aiden's day care are less than two miles apart in New Albany, she drove directly to her work, Express Care a medical center. The mother allegedly forgot about their son's presence in the vehicle, and he was left for hours in her vehicle in the parking lot. The three-month-old was left in a car in the parking lot of the Express Care Medical Center, above, for most of the day while his mother was at work When she left work at the end of the day, his ex found the three-month-old unresponsive, on the back seat. Outside, the temperatures reached about 78F (25.6C) on Monday. Despite rushing him into the medical center, where CPR was attempted, Aiden was later pronounced dead at hospital. Turner told Wave 3 News: Any way that I can prevent this from happening ever again, thats how Im going to celebrate his life. Explaining that the baby's mother had called him on the way to hospital, he went on: 'She came out to the car, and she says she opened the car door, and was like, "what is that smell" and she noticed that Aiden was still in the back seat.' Turner, who initially described himself as 'hurt and angry', added: I still dont understand how that happens. I mean obviously it happens, it just happened to my family. It doesnt get any closer to home than this. He described the infant as a great baby who did not cry or fuss unless he was hungry, and was just beginning to smile at the sound of his father's voice. Turner said that he was feeling a mix of emotions, adding, 'keep in mind that that baby is the number one priority, because its inexcusable for any kid to have to go through that and for parents to lose a child like this.' Aaron Turner says his 'heart is broken' after the death of his three-month-old baby boy, Aiden Miller, above He asked the community to say prayers for his family, including his ex-girlfriend. The criminal investigations division of the New Albany Police is investigating the baby's death. A spokesman said officers would not release further information at this stage. KidsAndCars.org said that so far this year there have been 28 confirmed child vehicular heatstroke deaths in the United States. This represents more hot car deaths than we have ever suffered by July 22 during any year in US history.' It said that every year on average 37 children die in hot cars in the US, and added: KidsAndCars.org is urging parents and caregivers to be extra vigilant during any changes in the daily routine. This is when most tragedies occur.' The child safety organization's list of hot car deaths so far this year shows that Aiden Miller is the 29th child to die after being left in a vehicle, although the official cause of his death has not been released. Actress Anne Hathaway has slammed white privilege after the recent California train stabbing that left a black teenager dead. The Oscar-winning actress took to Instagram to honor 18-year-old Nia Wilson, who was randomly stabbed Sunday, along with her 20-year-old sister who survived, by a white man while at a train station in Oakland. But Hathaway's words went far beyond condolences, as it was a call to action for the white community recognize their privilege and speak out in the face of racism. 'We must ask our (white)selves- how ''decent'' are we really? Not in our intent, but in our actions? In our lack of action?' she wrote. Anne Hathaway took to Instagram to honor 18-year-old Nia Wilson who was stabbed to death in Oakland, California, in a 'random and unprovoked' act The Oscar-winning actress condemned white privilege, writing white people do not have the 'equivalence for this fear of violence.' Hathaway's post read: 'The murder of Nia Wilson- may she rest in the power and peace she was denied here- is unspeakable AND MUST NOT be met with silence. She is not a hash tag; she was a black woman and she was murdered in cold blood by a white man. 'White people- including me, including you- must take into the marrow of our privileged bones the truth that ALL black people fear for their lives DAILY in America and have done so for GENERATIONS. 'White people DO NOT have equivalence for this fear of violence.' She ended the message with the hashtags '#BlackLivesMatter, #AntiRacist, #NoExcuse, #SayHerName, and #EarnTheRightToSayHerName, before noting that the comments would be closed for the post. The hashtag 'SayHerName' was started for Wilson after the July 22 tragedy. Many other celebrities have offered their support for the family through this dark time, including actresses Reese Witherspoon and Viola Davis who tweeeted: 'You know.....at what point will it stop? I'm getting tired of the heartbreak. 'Tired of needing to organize rally's to convince people that our lives matter. To the killer...I will NOT say your name. To Nia...we will shout yours from the rooftops!!!' The left photo shows John Lee Cowell, 27, the suspect arrested in the stabbings of two sisters at a BART station in Oakland, California. The victim who died, Nia Wilson, 18, is pictured right on Facebook The hashtag #SayHerName is in honor of Nia and has been used by celebrities including actress Viola Davis who are speaking out about violence against the black community Police in Northern California arrested John Lee Cowell, 27, as the sole suspect in the deadly train stabbing. Cowell, who is a felon on parole, is believed to have struck Nia and her 20-year-old sister Latifa Wilson with a knife as a 'random and unprovoked' act of violence. Latifa was also hospitalized and is in stable condition after being injured in the attack that took place at MacArthur Station of the Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). BART police arrested the Cowell around 6.45pm Monday after they received an anonymous tip from another subway rider. Surveillance footage shows Cowell at the time he 'rapidly struck' the two young women as they departed the train. Not long after, the suspect was spotted as he fled the scene and changed clothes. Police found a bloody knife at the scene shortly after that was believed to be used in the attack. The victims' cousin, Ebony Monroe, said Wilson was a 'beautiful, sweet person' who loved her cousins, makeup and fashion Authorities have not determined a motive for the attack and have no evidence thus far that suggest it was racially motivated. 'Up to this point we don't have any information that was race-motivated, but we can't discard it,'Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Chief Carlos Rojas said. Further investigation is currently underway. The father of the two women talked with KTVU in a brief, emotional interview, after he was called to the scene. 'I want justice for my daughter,' he said, with his eyes welling up with tears, seemingly in disbelief. 'I want justice for my daughter. Please help me get justice for my daughter.' Wilson attended Oakland High School, Harris said. On Sunday, family members gathered together at MacArthur station, embracing and crying, as police worked to recover whatever evidence they could at the train stop. The victims' cousin, Ebony Monroe, said Wilson was a 'beautiful, sweet person' who loved her cousins, makeup and fashion. 'She needs her justice,' Monroe said. 'She was just an innocent kid, and she didn't deserve this. And he did this for no reason.' North Miami Beach Police officer Ambar Pacheco, 26, was arrested on Wednesday night by members of the Miami Beach Police Department for allegedly attacking a 'visibly pregnant' woman, identified as Evoni Murray A North Miami Beach police officer has been charged in the attack of a pregnant woman. Ambar Pacheco, 26, was arrested on Wednesday night by members of the Miami Beach Police Department. She's accused of kicking a 'visibly pregnant woman,' who was eight months along, in the stomach. 'I saw red and beat the s**t out of her,' Pacheco told Miami Beach cops, after Pacheco said that the victim's boyfriend 'kicked her sister in the face,' according the arrest report, obtained by Miami New Times. The pregnant woman, identified as Evoni Murray by CBS4 Miami, said the attack was unprovoked as she and her boyfriend happened upon Pacheco and her sister, Mikaela, while they were drunk on the street. Pacheco has been charged with a felony count of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim. When MBPD arrived on the scene, Murray was experiencing severe abdominal pain and contractions, the arrest report said. Video courtesy of Local 10 Murray was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital on Wednesday by Miami Beach Fire Rescue, where she gave birth that night to a healthy baby boy, named Joseph Predelus III (pictured) Murray denies that her boyfriend, Joseph Predelus, Jr., kicked Pacheco's sister in the face, where the encounter took place near the corner of Washington Avenue and Espanola Way. 'We were walking down the sidewalk enjoying the night and we saw them,' she said. 'These girls were crying. Then they thought we were talking about them which was not true. They got belligerent and tried to jump because they thought I said something. If it werent for Joseph it could have been a lot more serious.' Murray was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital on Wednesday night by Miami Beach Fire Rescue, where she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She named her son Joseph Predelus III, Murray told CBS4S Peter DOench. Pacheco did not deny she attacked Murray, MBPD police wrote in the report. Murray said, 'It kind of troubles me to know that the people who are supposed to be serving and protecting us are hurting us. I know it's not all of them and one apple doesnt spoil the bunch. Its just that sometimes you get a bad seed.' She added: 'I am pretty overwhelmed that the incident had to happen you know. We forgive but we never forget but we do forgive. I just hope that she gets her life together and gets the help that she needs.' North Miami Beach Police Major Richard Rand told DailyMail.com that Pacheco was off-duty at the time of the incident, and NMBPD is conducting its own internal affairs investigation. Pacheco has been a uniformed patrol officer with NMBPD for less than a year, Rand said. She has been relieved of duty pending the internal affairs review, Rand said. Pacheco was placed on paid leave, as of Thursday morning. Because the incident has been turned over to internal affairs, Rand could not discuss the incident further. NMBPD's investigation will be focused on figuring out what policies and procedures, if any, were violated. Miami Beach Police Department, which arrested Pacheco, is handling the investigation into the attack. While police did arrest and book Pacheco on a felony charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, the state attorney's office has 21 days to decide whether to pursue those charges in court. The Los Angeles County Sheriff announced an inquiry into supposed secret 'gangs' of deputies sporting matching skeleton tattoos operating with the department The Los Angeles County Sheriff's has begun an inquiry into whether there is a secret 'gang' of deputies within a police department that brands members with matching tattoos. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell made the inquiry announcement at a meeting of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission on Thursday. The decision to look into the supposed gang operating within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Compton Station, in Compton, California, was made after it was alleged that as many as 20 deputies sport matching tattoos, the Los Angeles Times reported. The tattoo depicts a skeleton holding a machine gun and wearing a World War II-style helmet against a flaming background. The letters 'C P T' short for Compton are also part of the ink's design. The tattoo came to light in May, when LASD Compton Station Deputy Samuel Aldama, who is involved in a wrongful death suit, said in a deposition that he is one of between 10 to 20 other police at the Compton Station who has the particular tattoo. Aldama said that he got the tattoo in June 2016, two months prior to his involvement in a fatal shooting. He and another deputy shot and killed a man, Donta Taylor, in the line of duty. They claimed that Taylor had been holding a gun during the incident. An autopsy revealed that Taylor had been shot six times and that he had gunpowder residue on his shorts, which suggested the presence of a gun there at some point. However, investigators did not find a weapon at the scene, either on or near Taylor's body. The district attorney's office determined that Aldama and the other deputy's actions were lawful. Taylor's family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell launched the inquiry two months after it was revealed that as many as 20 deputies allegedly sport matching skeleton tattoos LASD Compton Station deputy Samuel Aldama (left) said in a deposition that he had gotten the skeleton tattoo in June 2016, just two months prior to being involved in the fatal shooting of Donta Taylor. Taylor's family has filed a wrongful death suit The skeleton tattoo design also includes the letters 'C P T,' which is short for Compton. The officers with tattoo are posted to the LASD Compton Station (pictured) During the deposition, Aldama claimed that the skeleton tattoos were not a branding affiliated with a select club and that it was unrelated to the use of excessive force. Instead, he said, the tattoo represented 'working hard' on the job with making arrests and responding to calls being the only requirements for getting that specific inking, the Los Angeles Times reported. At Thursday's Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission meeting, McDonnell said, 'Renegade cliques erode public confidence as well as internal morale, and they will not be tolerated within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.' The presence of secret gangs operating within the Compton Station and elsewhere is said to be problematic, considering the department's past history with secret societies. Dating as far back to the 1970s, the department was home to secret societies of officers operating under names like the Regulators and Grim Reapers, with some of them being accused of promoting excessively aggressive policing and, in the case of the Vikings club, being called 'neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang' by a federal judge. McDonnell said that he, the Sheriff's Inspector General and the county counsel will be studying the reasons why the secret groups form, their exclusivity and whether they endorse bad behavior or require members to act in particular fashion. McDonnell also said that he wanted the deputy unions to participate in the inquiry. McDonnell said that the inquiry into the supposed gang tattoos would be far-ranging, including not just deputies, but also top-level executives within the department. In a statement obtained by CBS Los Angeles, McDonnell wrote that, 'We share the same concerns as all of law enforcement, the military and the private sector have about how to balance the constitutional right of free expression with what may, or may not be, an indicator of something more serious.' Meanwhile, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that while deputies have the right to free speech, offensive behavior would not be tolerated by the department. The spokesperson also noted that that inquiry's findings would be made public, while McDonnell said that he anticipates revealing those findings in about three months' time. 'At the end of the day, everyone, most importantly our public, should be confident that there are no "gangs" of deputies operating subversively anywhere within the department,' he said. Train passengers on the East Coast Main Line were today told 'do not travel' as lines were blocked following a lightning strike. Furious travellers slammed the 'ridiculous' delays as the transport network struggled to cope with sizzling 95F (35C) temperatures and high passenger numbers. Passengers were urged to avoid travelling on London North Eastern Railway after a lightning strike damaged the signalling system between Leeds and York. Passengers pile onto a train at Newcastle today as the East Coast Main Line is hit by delays Passengers wait for information on delayed trains at Leeds station in West Yorkshire today The departure board did not make good reading for rail travellers at Leeds station today The problems affected LNER, which operates between London and Edinburgh, while Northern advised passengers not to travel in Yorkshire due to the same issue. Hundreds of passengers took to Twitter as they tried to replan their routes, or simply to vent their frustation at being severely delayed on their journeys. Alexander Wright, of Stillington, North Yorkshire, tweeted: 'Here we are again, LNER. An eye wateringly expensive, impossibly busy, very delayed train service. 'Sat on a floor by a bin. My, my, you do make living in the North and working in the South a real easy affordable joy, don't you.' Train passengers on the East Coast Main Line were today told 'do not travel' by operator LNER Passengers wait for updates at York station as the London North Eastern Railway suffers delays Passengers wait at Leeds station for news on the London North Eastern Railway route today Joanne Brayson, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, added: 'I better be getting a refund LNER for all this! I've been stuck on the bridge going back in to Newcastle for nearly half an hour now. This is ridiculous. I just want to get off this train!' And Katherine Part, of South East London, tweeted: 'LNER, what a shocking mess of a chaotic journey. London to Leeds train cancelled after an hour delay. 'Travelling with two small kids and after paying extra for four-year-old to get a seat he is on my lap from London to Doncaster. Not that I can *get* trains to Leeds there either #epicfail.' The dozens of cancellations came on one of the busiest days of the year for travel as many people begin summer holidays. An LNER spokesman tweeted: 'Due to the extreme weather conditions and signalling failure throughout the route our advice to passengers is as follows: do not travel today. Tickets will be valid for tomorrow and Sunday.' People wait behind barriers at Leeds station today as East Coast Main Line trains are delayed But, responding to LNER's advice for people not to travel, Jonathan Ellis wrote on Twitter: 'How can you give this advice? People have places to be, things to do. 'We can't just delay by a day or two. Have some respect for paying passengers and find a real solution. This weather has been expected all week.' Another passenger described how a train from London to Leeds was 'unbearable, crammed with people', adding that the temperature on board was 91F (33C) and 'people can't breathe'. A spokesman for Network Rail, the Government-owned company responsible for Britain's rail infrastructure, said: 'Due to today's severe weather, there is currently widespread disruption to services. 'Teams from Network Rail have been, and continue to be, on standby this morning and are out responding to issues and are working hard to restore services where possible.' The departure boards simply state 'no communications' at York train station today Passengers wait for updates in front of the departure boards at Leeds railway station Meanwhile the plans of many passengers travelling to France on cross-Channel rail operator Eurotunnel were left in limbo after their tickets were cancelled. Passengers faced queues of up to six-and-a-half hours yesterday caused by air conditioning units failing, and there were still waits of up to four hours today. People were prevented from travelling on Friday if they were due to return on the same day or Saturday. Some Eurostar trains from London to Paris and Brussels were delayed by around half an hour, with the disruption was due to the 'high volume of passengers'. A Eurostar train manager tweeted that a train to the Belgian capital was delayed because of 'congestion at border control' at London St Pancras International. Other rail journeys were disrupted by the hot weather as train speeds were cut to reduce the likelihood of tracks buckling. Chiltern Railways trains between Oxford and London Marylebone were affected, following disruption to Greater Anglia services earlier this week. Cutting the speed of trains reduces the forces they exert on the track, making rails less likely to buckle. Today is expected to be the busiest day of the summer for flights as many people begin summer holidays. Nats, the UK air traffic control service, is due to handle 8,841 flights in 24 hours, with London Heathrow to Dublin, New York and Frankfurt the most popular routes. The top temperature so far today was 94.5F (34.7C) in Norfolk. Drivers were warned over melting roads, with episodes reported in Brighton and Godalming, Surrey. The RAC experienced an increase in breakdowns of around 15 to 20 per cent yesterday compared with a typical day in late July. In recent days the company has seen a spike in call-outs for air conditioning failures, tyre punctures, misfuels and people locking themselves out of cars. The Met Office has forecast highs of 99F (37C) today along with thunderstorms in northern and eastern England, as Britain's longest heatwave since 1976 continues. ** Have you taken any photographs of the train chaos? Please email them to: pictures@mailonline.co.uk ** Sergeant Charles Brett, pictured, was killed by members of the Fenian Brotherhood who were attempting to break several of their comrades out of custody in 1867 A series of shocking little-known murders of Victorian policemen in the line of duty are revealed in a new book which highlights how dangerous the job was in a bygone era. The tragic murders of 26 police officers feature in former probation officer Martin Baggoley's new book, Death on the Victorian Beat. They include the murder of an unarmed policeman who was beaten to death by a baying crowd while trying to stop an unauthorised prize fight and the cold-blooded murder of a policeman and his family by a fellow officer during a bout of insanity. At the outset of the 19th century, it was becoming widely recognised that a professional police force was necessary. Industrialisation was having a dramatic impact as agricultural workers and their families moved into the growing towns and cities where crime was on the increase. Discussions had been ongoing for a number of years regarding a force for London when the Metropolitan Police was established in 1829. In the early years of professional policing, unarmed officers regularly came face-to-face with unruly members of the public who were not afraid to use grievous force against them. Inspector William Ross was bludgeoned to death by a baying crowd as he attempted to stop an unauthorised prize fight in a public place in Liverpool in 1838. William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien were executed following the attack - even though it is highly unlikely that any of the men fired the fatal shot Inspector Joseph Drewitt, left, and Constable Thomas Shorter, right, were murdered after trying to arrest some poachers in Hungerford, Berkshire A large crowd had already assembled to watch the contest when Insp Ross ordered those present to disperse, telling them that if they did not do so reinforcements would be sent for. However, he was ignored and the spectators, encouraged by the promoters, began to form a ring as the two fighters stripped to the waist. After three rounds had been completed, a larger police contingent arrived and the two fighters attempted to run away. When one of them was detained, the crowd turned on the officers and Insp Ross was tackled to the ground and kicked repeatedly in the head until he lay motionless, dying later in hospital. Other brutal murders include those of Inspector Joseph Drewitt and Constable Thomas Shorter who were killed and left in a ditch following a confrontation with poachers in Hungerford, Berkshire. DI Charles Thain was murdered at sea while escorting a prisoner back from Germany Detective Inspector Charles Thain was fatally wounded at sea by a prisoner he was escorting back from Germany, while Constable William Jump lost his life trying to intervene during a bitter industrial dispute involving brickmakers in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. One of the most notorious murders of the era was that of Sergeant Charles Brett who was slayed on the streets of Manchester by Fenians - an Irish republican group - attempting to release two of their leaders from a police van in 1867. A group of about 40 Fenians attacked the police van and Brett was shot dead, with the fatal bullet hitting Brett after passing through the van's keyhole as the mob forced the door. Arguably the most tragic case was the massacre of Sergeant Michael Rogan, his wife and two of his children in Ballinadrimna, County Kildare, in 1892. Shockingly, the heinous crime was committed by a fellow officer and the godfather to Sgt Rogan's children, Constable John Pilkington. These officers are standing by the grave of PC Ebenezer Tye, 24, who was beaten to death with a cudgel as he tried to stop a burglar escaping in Halesworth, Suffolk, on November 25, 1862. His killer, John Ducker, confessed to the murder on the gallows and was the last person to be publicly hanged in Suffolk One night, Con Pilkington sneaked into the rooms of the barracks where Sgt Rogan, his wife and children were sleeping and fired bullets into their heads from point blank range before torching the building. Detective Sergeant Robert Kidd, 37, was beaten to death by a man breaking into the London and North Western Railway Company yard in Wigan in September 1895 Coroners later ruled Con Pilkington suffered a bout of insanity when he committed the savage attack before turning the gun on himself. Mr Baggoley, 69, from Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, said his book intends to pay tribute to the 'courage' of unarmed officers of the era who carried out their duty fully aware of the peril they faced. He said: 'The courage and commitment to duty demonstrated by these unarmed men who lost their lives becomes evident on every page. 'In the case of Inspector Ross, it was at a time when people were very wary of the newly-established police force and previously the authorities would not intervene in unauthorised prize fights. 'A lot of the deaths resulted from countryside disputes with poachers and the murder of Sgt Brett by the Fenians is notorious to this day.' Death on the Victorian Beat by Martin Baggoley is published by Pen & Sword and costs 12.99. Sub inspector James Allen was stabbed to death in Lanarkshire on September 4, 1893 Acting Sergeant Adam Eves was murdered in Hazeleigh Hall Farm in Essex having interrupted a robbery Disgusting anti-Semitic Facebook posts mocking Anne Frank and saying the holocaust was a hoax are still online- despite having already been flagged to the company. An investigation by The Times, showed links to a website selling 'holohoax' books and cartoons depicting Jewish people as hook-nosed cockroaches. There were also posts mocking Anne Frank who was a victim of the Holocaust. The community guidelines say Facebook is committed to removing hateful speech on its platform. But holocaust denial is not classed as hate speech. The investigation found a number of posts mocking Anne Frank who died in the Holocaust At the main infamous gates at Auschwitz Birkenau in Poland. Arbeit Macht Frei translates to (Work brings freedom) It comes after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said while he finds Holocaust denial 'deeply offensive' he does not believe the content should be banned from the social media platform. He said: 'It's hard to impugn intent and to understand the intent. I just think, as abhorrent as some of those examples are, I think the reality is also that I get things wrong when I speak publicly.' It's been a rough few weeks for Mr Zuckerberg after more than 100 billion was wiped off the company's share value. The investigation found a number of extremely offensive posts with one showing the Star of David, with the caption: 'the worst cancer I've ever seen.' Despite the posts being flagged to moderators at Facebook, many of them remained online. Dave Rich, head of policy at Jewish group the Community Security Trust, said: 'Holocaust denial by its definition is anti-Semitic. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured). A spokesman for Facebook said it did not allow any anti-Semitic hate speech or incitement of violence of any kind 'Even by Facebook's own rules many of the posts left on the site include extra text that incites hatred against Jews. 'Holocaust denial is not a wrong opinion or alternative history the whole point of it is to incite hatred against Jews by claiming there is a conspiracy.' Politicians also attacked the social media site for anti-semitic posts. Labour's Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said: 'Facebook are providing people with a huge global platform to incite racial hatred and to deliberately spread lies that fuel antisemitism. 'They can't just shrug their shoulders and pretend it has nothing to do with them. 'What is the point of them even pretending to have community standards or social responsibility if they turn a blind eye to the promotion of violence and extremism?' Damian Collins, chair of the culture, media and sport select committee told The Times: 'These disgraceful anti-Semitic posts have no place in society and no place on social media. 'Hiding behind freedom of speech has long been the defence of social media companies, but there is absolutely no excuse for the hosting of this vile content on Facebook. 'I urge Facebook to finally take action and properly implement its community guidelines.' A spokeswoman for Facebook said that it did not allow anti-Semitic hate speech or incitement of violence of any kind. A group of homeless people are refusing to move after a diocese tried to evict them from land outside a church because worshippers found them 'intimidating'. Two men, who argue that churchgoers had been 'supportive', began sleeping outside the catholic church three months ago but have since been joined by six others, who set up their tents on a grassy area around the church. The diocese of Northampton, which runs St Ethelberts Church in Slough, Berkshire, issued a notice for the homeless people to vacate the area by the end of this week, but the campers have stayed put. Nelu Sibtirelu, pictured, is one of a group of men living in the grounds of a church in Slough Mr Subtirelu and his friend Philip Harpin, pictured, have been living in the grounds of the St Ethelberts Church in Slough for the past three months In total, there are approximately six people living in tents in the church grounds Homeless support group Slough Outreach says two people left at about the time the notice was served. Philip Harpin, 29, who first moved to the site with friend Nelu Subtirelu, 55, said they have made efforts to keep the place clean. Mr Harpin said: 'For the first two months it was only me and Nelu here. 'We kept it completely spotless, there wasn't a single dog end on the floor.' The notice to vacate the area was issued to the campers last Friday, giving them five days to move on. The group have been told they must vacate the grounds and find somewhere else to live Mr Harpin, who became homeless in December after a relationship breakdown and the loss of his job, said he and Nelu were initially allowed to stay when they first set up camp, but that relations between them and the church remained frosty. He said churchgoers had been coming up to them asking if they needed food and were 'all being supportive' but said the church has argued they were making people 'feel uncomfortable'. Mr Harpin said after becoming homeless he spent about six weeks working 10 hour shifts at a distribution centre while sleeping in an alleyway, but had to stop because it was too tiring. Mr Subtirelu, who suffers from depression and a thyroid problem, said he has been homeless for about six months after falling into rent arrears. The Romanian national, who has lived in the UK for two years, said he was declared unable to work in December. A statement from the Diocese said: 'The Diocese of Northampton seek to uphold the dignity of each human being and as such, every effort has been made to reach a suitable agreement with all those involved. 'As a result of this, due process has been followed and a notice has been serviced.' A church volunteer said the men have been asked to move as they are seen as 'intimidating' A church volunteer, who did not want to be named, added: 'They have been asked to leave as the members of the church are complaining about their presence. 'They are saying that their presence is intimidating. 'The general feeling here is they are not supposed to be here.' Slough Outreach volunteers have been attending the site every day. Group founder Shin Dother said he is open to dialogue and is prepared to act as the homeless people's advocate. Slough Borough Council has been liaising with the church but has had no involvement in issuing the notice. Andrewes (pictured) lied his way into top jobs using fake qualifications to get ahead in the NHS A disgraced NHS executive who lied his way into top jobs must sell his boat and cash in a pension to repay some of the money he fraudulently earned or face more jail time. Former social worker John Andrewes, 64, talked his way into running a hospice and two NHS trusts with fake qualifications. He became chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, running one of the largest NHS organisations in the South West, which included Treliske Hospital in Truro among its assets. His frauds led to him being overpaid by 643,000 over more than a decade at the St Margarets Hospice in Taunton, the Torbay Care Trust, and in Cornwall. Andrewes was jailed for two years at Exeter Crown Court last year but brought back to face confiscation of his assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Recorder Mr Martin Meeke, QC, rejected his claim that he was entitled to keep the pay because he had worked hard and effectively, regardless of how he came to get the jobs. He set the amount by which Andrewes had benefited as 643,000 but assessed his available assets as only 97,737.24. He ordered him to pay this sum within three months or go back to jail for a further year. The judge said his employment had been obtained unlawfully and that it would be contrary to the public interest for him not to repay the money. He said: 'I bear in mind the defendant was narrowly preferred to another candidate when he was appointed to the hospice and those who appointed him considered honesty and integrity to be central to the result. Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, Cornwall. Andrewes lied about his qualifications in order to gain a role as chairman here 'These were qualities which he clearly lacked. I do not consider this order to be disproportionate. The recoverable amount represents less than 15 per cent of the benefit figure.' Andrewes intends to appeal against the decision, so the order is likely to come into effect after that case is resolved. The assets he must sell include a half share in a Dutch barge, a share of his profit from the sale of the house in Topsham, an insurance payout for a Seat Leon car, premium bonds, and a pension plan. Andrewes, of Totnes, Devon, admitted deception and two counts of fraud. He has completed his two year sentence and is now out on licence. His barrister Miss Ros Collins said he did not derive any benefit from crime because he performed all his jobs well and was entitled to be paid for his work. They also say it would be disproportionate to strip him of assets which he built up while running a hospice in Taunton, a community care trust in Torbay and the main hospital trust in Cornwall. Jailed: Andrewes admitted fraud and gaining a financial advantage when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court, where he was sentenced to two years in prison She said: 'He paid back all the money he was paid by working. He only received payment for the work that he did.' Mr Cameron Brown, prosecuting, said: 'There was a conscious misrepresentation and there are public policy reasons why he should be deprived of his earnings.' Andrewess lies were only exposed when he was running the Cornwall trust and staff became suspicious and a check was made on his CV. It found a trail of falsified degrees and diplomas dating back to when he got his job at the hospice by claiming to have run a charity when in fact he was a humble youth worker. Andrewes earned more than 100,000 a year until his fraud was unmasked in 2015. He styled himself as Dr Andrewes and falsified not only his educational qualifications but also his work experience with a series of charities. He claimed to have been managing director of a youth charity called Groundworks when in fact he had spent most of his career as a probation officer, customs officer or youth worker. His only formal qualification was a Higher Education Certificate in Social Work from Bristol University. In a series of job applications, he provided CVs which claimed her had a PhD in Leadership and Success from Plymouth University, where he said he had written a thesis called Women in Power. He lied about having a Masters in Business Administration from Edinburgh University and degree from Bristol. He also claimed to have a Diploma in Advanced Accountancy. Police were called in when questions were raised about his background when he was chairman of the Cornish trust. His former home at Christow was raided and the false CVs seized. A group of Catholic nuns in Chile were mortified after being sexually abused by priests who then banished them from the convent to keep them silent. The stunning claims were made by 23 nuns in Molina who have reported their crimes to a Papal envoy investigating sex abuse in the Church. Yolanda Tondreaux, one of the nuns, said: 'A priest touched my breast and kissed me on the lips. He touched me inappropriately. I feel disgusted.' Nun Yolanda Tondreaux was left 'disgusted' after allegedly being kissed and inappropriately touched by a priest in Chile Bishop Horacio Valenzuela is accused of covering up cases of sexual abuse. He is one of more than 100 priests to have been dismissed in the past 15 years The revelations came to light via Informe Especial TV programme broadcast by Chilean channel TVN. Ivo Scapolo, the priest sent by Pope Francis to Chile to investigate reports of sexual abuse by priests in the country, has heard the nuns' cases. Tondreaux said she informed mother superior Patricia Ibarra of her incident, but was treated as a liar and sent to confession with the same priest who abused her. 'I washed my hands and face well because a priest touched me a priest!' She claims several young nuns left the convent after being inappropriately touched. Describing the horror, Tondreaux described that more than 23 nuns had been 'forced to work like slaves' for the priests. Local media reported that priests also went into the nuns' rooms to see them naked and the men even stripped off in public. Former nun Eliana Macias said: 'He said he had never seen a naked woman in his life, and that is why he did that. 'The priest also went to the courtyard and stripped off. The mother superior knew that. It was disgusting.' Eliana Macias alleged a priest walked into her room to see her naked, giving the excuse that he had never seen a woman without clothes The nuns blamed former bishop of Talca, Horacio Valenzuela, for covering up the abuse and said he should have known what was going on when he was a bishop. He had received criminal reports over the sexual abuse, reports suggested. The Chilean Catholic church is currently in crisis due to a wave of reports of sexual abuse and cover-ups. The Chilean prosecution service identified at least 40 victims of sexual abuse by priests in the archive seized by police on June in the archbishopric of Santiago and Rancagua. The cases are from 2007 and there are lot of reports of sexual abuse by priests on minors and adults. In total, around 113 priests have been reported for sexual abuse in the last 15 years, according to the Chilean church's data. Pope Francis accepted the dismissal of five bishops, including Valenzuela, four of whom were believed to have covered up cases of sexual abuse by priests. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and his British wife have been pictured embracing the children of Russian fighters killed while trying to prop up his brutal regime. The Syrian President and London-born wife Asma hugged some the youngsters as he welcomed them along with their families to the capital Damascus. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has thrown Moscow's military might behind Assad in his battle to reclaim huge swathes of territory held by rebels and jihadists. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad (pictured) and his British wife have been pictured embracing the children of Russian fighters killed while trying to prop up his brutal regime The Syrian President and his wife Asma (pictured) hugged some the youngsters as he welcomed them along with their families to the capital Damascus Russian leader Vladimir Putin has thrown Moscow's military might behind Assad in his battle to reclaim huge swathes of territory held by rebels and jihadists Earlier this week, state media said relatives of Russian military personnel killed in action had been due to visit Damascus this week where they would meet the Presidents family. The pictures emerged after Assad told Russian media on Thursday his regime's next priority would be retaking Idlib province, currently dominated by rebels and jihadists. He also threatened to 'liquidate' White Helmets rescuers if they fail to give themselves in. 'Now Idlib is our goal, but not just Idlib,' Assad said of the northwestern province, in comments carried on Russian newswires. 'There are of course territories in the eastern part of Syria that are controlled by various groups... So we will be moving into all these regions,' Assad added. 'The military - and it is at their discretion - will decide priorities and Idlib is one of these priorities,' he said. 'Now we have liberated Ghouta, we will finish the liberation of the south-western part of Syria,' Assad said. Earlier this week, state media said relatives of Russian military personnel killed in action had been due to visit Damascus this week where they would meet the Presidents family Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meets with Russian families in Damascus, today Syrian government forces launched an offensive last month backed by Russian planes to retake the south of Syria, including Daraa and Quneitra provinces. Russia, Turkey and Iran have held talks under the Astana peace process launched last year and agreed to create four 'de-escalation' zones to pave the way for a nationwide ceasefire. Idlib is part of one such zone. It borders Turkey to the northwest but is otherwise almost totally surrounded by regime territory, prompting fears the government would eventually attack it. Idlib has received many rebels and their families evacuated from other regions under Russian-brokered 'reconciliation deals' that then saw regime forces move in to take rebel-held areas. According to the United Nations, Idlib's population today stands at 2.5 million - half of them displaced people. Syrian government forces launched an offensive last month backed by Russian planes to retake the south of Syria, including Daraa and Quneitra provinces. Syrian army soldiers are pictured celebrating in Quneitra today Hundreds of Syrians stage a flag-hoisting ceremony at al-Tahrir Square in the city of Quneitra, southern Syria after Assad's army declared it free of rebels A Syrian soldier waves the national flag atop the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in the town of Quneitra in the Syrian Golan Heights today In the same interview Assad said rescue workers from the White Helmets group would be killed if they did not turn themselves in. 'Either they can lay down their arms as part of an amnesty ongoing for four or five years, or they will be liquidated like any other terrorist,' he said. Israel on Sunday helped more than 400 people - opposition-linked White Helmets rescuers and their families - flee a pocket of southwest Syria as government forces bore down on them. But hundreds more remain trapped in the south, fearing reprisals from approaching regime troops. Damascus accuses the White Helmets of being a front for jihadists. Assad also appealed for Syrian refugees, especially those who had their own businesses in the country, to return. The war has killed more than 350,000 people since it began in 2011 with a brutal government crackdown on protesters. David Daniel Hayes has been arrested in southern Spain A suspected British paedophile wanted for nine sexual offences committed in the UK has been arrested in southern Spain, where he is suspected of carrying out at least one further attack using a stolen ID. Former Bangor City FC press officer David Daniel Hayes, 39, from Llanrwst in Wales was detained in Granada in the autonomous region of Andalusia using the name of another British man in the area to offer English lessons. The alleged child predator was on Europe's most wanted list. British authorities lost track of the suspect when he boarded a plane from Liverpool to Amsterdam in May 2015. He is accused of raping a child and other sex offences against children on Anglesey, but while on bail, he reportedly failed to appear in court and promptly skipped the country. The BBC dedicated several reports to the suspect, appealing for information on the alleged paedophile's whereabouts and referring to him as one of "Britain's most wanted criminals". Hayes is accused of raping a child and other sex offences against children on the isle of Anglesey The Spanish Civil Guard launched 'Operation Curtis' while following up on investigations related to the most wanted list. Cops noticed a link between the UK abuses and a case in Granada that involved an English tutor. They set up a surveillance operation at various homes, boarding houses and hostels in Andalusia and the alleged paedophile was located in the city of Granada and was watched closely for several days before cops moved in and arrested the Brit on 25th July. Footage of his arrest has been released by the Civil Guard. Experts soon matched the 39-year-old to the suspect wanted by UK authorities after quickly discovering he was using a stolen ID. The detainee has been placed at the disposal of the National High Court. Power tools have been removed from all West Australian prisons following a mass break-out during a riot while more guards have been put on duty to reduce the heightened risk of copycats. Ten men, aged between 18 and 35, who used an angle grinder and ladder to break out of Greenough Regional Prison in Western Australia on Tuesday, have been charged with escaping from custody. A 22-year-old woman has also been charged with aiding an escapee. Ten men who used an angle grinder and ladder to break out of Greenough Regional Prison in Western Australia on Tuesday, have been charged with escaping from custody Opposition corrective services spokesman Zak Kirkup said it was 'absolutely unacceptable' that tools were ever kept within perimeter fences Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan (left) was overseas at the time of the riot and rushed back to Western Australia, apologising on Friday for the 'disgraceful incident'. Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan was overseas at the time of the riot and rushed back to Western Australia, apologising on Friday for the 'disgraceful incident'. '(It) is an example of mindless violence and wanton destruction caused by inmates and it's an absolute outrage,' he told reporters. Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassell, who admitted the incident was embarrassing, has ordered the removal of all tools from within prisons. Opposition corrective services spokesman Zak Kirkup said it was 'absolutely unacceptable' that tools were ever kept within perimeter fences. Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassell, who admitted the incident was embarrassing, has ordered the removal of all tools from within prisons Mr Logan conceded there was a heightened risk of copycat behaviour at other prisons, so maximum staffing was required even if it meant considerable overtime Mr Logan conceded there was a heightened risk of copycat behaviour at other prisons, so maximum staffing was required even if it meant considerable overtime, which Mr Hassell described as a sensible precaution. Former Victorian Corrections Commissioner Jan Shuard will independently review prisoner behaviour, daily operations, infrastructure, prison procedures, security and the effectiveness of the response to the riot. A separate report ordered in January, which deals with staff numbers at all WA prisons, was completed two weeks ago but is yet to be signed off by the union, commissioner and minister. That report details how many staff are required for the medium-security prison, and will reveal whether the facility is understaffed. Mr Logan said Labor had inherited legacy issues in the WA prison system, pointing to the previous government's failure to build infrastructure to go with additional beds. Darryl Councillor, 18, (left) and Alan McDonald (right), 28, were both recaptured shortly after the jail break Silvester (above), 35, was still on the run after the mass breakout on Tuesday, but was caught on Thursday morning Devon Comeagain (left), 23, was recaptured at a house in Greenough area and Brendan Bartley, 22, handed himself at Geraldton police station on Wednesday 'We inherited a prison system in crisis,' he said. The minister said his government was spending $130 million on 884 additional beds, and there would also be hundreds of extra prison officers over the next few years. Mr Kirkup said the minister could not continue to blame the previous government. Anarchy erupted at the jail after officers went to extinguish a fire that was started as a diversion. Molotov cocktails were thrown during the rampage and male prisoners broke into the female unit. Three guards were pepper sprayed and some prisoners suffered smoke inhalation. Up to 80 prisoners were involved in the riot and 38 cells remain uninhabitable. The damage bill is expected to be millions of dollars. The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle isnt allowed to eat garlic or seafood abroad, and she cant hold hands in public with her husband Prince Harry. And now another Royal rule that Meghan has to follow has come to lightand its to do with her bedtime, or rather the Queens. According to Sir William Heseltine, a former private secretary of the Queen, no one is allowed to go to bed before Her Majesty. In a 2015 Telegraph interview for The Royals in Australia, Heseltine said that nobody felt it right to go to bed before the Queen did, adding that it was rather bad form. The bedtime rule reportedly caused one Royal member agony, Heseltine said. For Diana the long royal evenings were agony. Thered be an hour or so in the sitting room of everyone sitting around making conversation, and nobody felt it right to go to bed before the Queen did. According to the Queen's former private secretary, Meghan will have to follow a bedtime rule And Diana was driven to such extremes that shed excuse herself and go to bed, which was thought to be rather bad form, going to bed before the Queen. Meghan has already stayed with the Queen at Sandringham over the Christmas period. However, Meghan shouldnt have to stay at the Queens residences too often. Meghan and her husband Prince Harry already have their own apartment, Nottingham Cottage, in Kensington Palace and York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate. And the Queen has also given the newly-married couple Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Castle as a wedding gift. The cottage was built in 1831, but its most famous resident was Group Captain Peter Townsend, who famously had an affair with Princess Margaret. The bedtime protocol is not the only thing the new Duchess of Sussex will have to adjust to. Along with not being able to eat certain foods in certain places, including her favourites at Buckingham Palace, it is unlikely that Royal fans will see Meghan with dark nail polish or a dress that exposes her knees, both things reportedly disliked by the Queen. It is also highly unlikely that one will see Meghan in wedges anytime she is near Her Majesty, given the monarch is famously not a fan of them. Advertisement A tiny panda is on his way to superstardom after an adorable video of him napping and wiggling his body was released by Chinese media. The male cub, yet to be named, was born on July 12 at Chimelong Safari Park in south China's Guangdong Province. First-ever footage of the precious animal, released by iPanda on July 25, shows the newborn bear enjoying a nap at a panda nursery in the zoo. Hello, world! The male cub, yet to be named, was born on July 12 at Chimelong Safari Park in China's Guangdong Province Nice to meet you! First-ever footage of the precious animal shows the newborn bear enjoying a nap at a panda nursery Healthy cub: A keeper is pictured giving the 12-day-old cub a medical check while the cub gives a cute little yawn Another clip shows the cub's mother licking him, cuddling him and letting him sleep on her fluffy stomach. The cub's mother, four-year-old Long Long, is an animal star in Guangdong. She was born in 2013 and is the first panda to be born in southern China. Her mother, Mei Qing, was introduced to Guangzhou by Chimelong Safari Park in 2012. Long Long gave birth to her cub after being pregnant for 132 days. Mother and son: The cub's mother Long Long (pictured holding the cub) is the first panda to be born in southern China Bear with me: The cub will be mainly looked after and nursed by his own mother while keepers provide 24/7 assistance Fast asleep: The tiny panda is on his way to superstardom after the adorable video and images were released by media Ma Qaqiang, an expert from China's Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, travelled from Sichuan to Guangdong to look after Long Long during her pregnancy. Ma said Long Long's labour was very smooth, and she was recovering quickly. It is said that Long Long enjoyed good health and started eating bamboo shoots two hours after giving birth - instead of the normal two to three days. Long Long now eats six to seven kilograms of bamboo a day, and her daily intake is expected to increase to 10 kilograms soon. The zoo said the cub would be mainly looked after and nursed by Long Long while a team of experts would provide around-the-clock assistance to the two pandas. She has been described as an 'excellent' and 'very motherly' new parent. Long Long's cub is the seventh cub Chimelong Safari Park has bred in four years. Comedian Trevor Noah has refused to apologise for calling Aboriginal women ugly in a joke that has resurfaced ahead of his Australian tour. Footage of Trevor Noah's stand up show from 2013 emerged earlier this month, leading to calls for him to cancel his trip Down Under. Speaking on Triple J's drive show on Thursday, Noah refused to apologise for his comments and claimed people who are outraged by the joke 'don't want to listen'. Trevor Noah (pictured) has refused to apologise for his comment about calling Aboriginal women ugly Speaking on Triple J's Drive Show on Thursday, Noah refused to apologise for his comments and said people want to bring things up for the sake of it 'We live in a world where people want to unearth things that have already been unearthed,' he told Triple J's drive program. 'I was responding to comments about certain women being called unflattering in South Africa. So, you know, it's one of those things where if you were to make the joke again you would make it better. 'When I came to Australia, I was lucky enough to meet an Aboriginal woman in one of the museums in Melbourne. She said, 'Hey, I've seen your stuff and let me tell you why that joke in Australia was particularly hurtful'.' Noah insisted he wasn't trying to 'hurt' anyone when he told the joke and claims him addressing it is enough. 'I'm not trying to hurt people with comedy otherwise I'd get into a different job. If I'm not trying to hurt people with the joke, then I see no reason to hold onto the joke,' he said. 'That's why, you know, people have to go to find a joke from 2013 to basically speak about it. Because the joke isn't done anymore. 'But I understand how outrage works... people generally don't want to listen or understand from their side. They go, no, we're angry. So all you can do is fall back and say, hey, I've addressed this.' 'But I understand how outrage works... people generally don't want to listen or understand from their side,' Noah said 'All women of every race can be beautiful,' Noah told an audience in footage which emerged on Monday. 'And I know some of you are sitting there now going, 'Oh Trevor, yeah, but I've never seen a beautiful Aborigine', the 34-year-old joked. 'Yeah, but you know what you say? You say ''yet'', that's what you say; ''yet''. Because you haven't seen all of them, right?' 'Plus it's not always about looks, maybe Aborigine women do special things, maybe they'll just like, jump on top of you,' Noah concluded, before imitating the sound of a didgeridoo while inferring oral sex. Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied tweeted about the outrage saying Aboriginal people are not a punchline. 'Ah. @Trevornoah. It makes me sad when someone whose work Ive admired turns out to be problematic in a way thats fundamentally antithetical to the values they generally purport. First Nations people are not a punchline. Solidarity,' she tweeted. 'I've only just seen the chat about this on my timeline, and been thinking about the appropriate response. Do I say / tweet anything, I wondered? And then I remembered what I tell others - silence is complicity.' Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied tweeted about the outrage saying Aboriginal people are not a punchline Yassmin Abdel-Magied had no response to the initial comments and tweeted 'silence is complicity' Noah, who took on the role as The Daily Show host three years ago from Jon Stewart, initially apologised for his comments on Twitter on Monday. The clip, which was uploaded to YouTube under the title of 'Women of all Race are Beautiful', was removed by The Daily Show's David Meyer, who filed a copyright complaint against the video. However, Daily Mail Australia obtained the original footage, and social media erupted with calls for the comedian's upcoming Australian tour to be boycotted. 'He grossly sexualises and objectifies First Nations Australian women for a 'joke',' Katelyn Jones of the Feminism & Decolonisation Facebook page said. 'He perpetuated incredibly harmful stereotypes ... that Indigenous women aren't beautiful, that Indigenous women are only good for their bodies; and Indigenous women are over-sexualised sex starved beings,' Ms Jones said. Others said Noah's comments were 'unacceptable' and 'perpetrating and encouraging racial abuse.' 'For such a social justice warrior, your race baiting isn't smart or witty at all. It's simply racist. Our beautiful black women shouldn't be treated like the punchline of a joke,' wrote one user on Twitter. 'I can't bring myself to watch that, I'm so tired of Aboriginal women being used as punchlines for cheap laughs from talentless hacks,' another person said. 'We deserve so much better and I hope this guy falls and fades into obscurity, he doesn't deserve a platform if he's going to punch down like this.' The South African-born comedian has caused controversy with previous tasteless jokes in relation to women, Jewish people and rapper Chris Brown (pictured) The South African-born comedian who hosts the Emmy Award-winning show, caused controversy with previous tasteless jokes in relation to women, Jewish people and rapper Chris Brown. 'You show me half my jokes from even two years ago, three years agoI hate them,' Noah told GQ in 2015. 'Because you see, like, a young version of yourself. You're like, ''Why would you say that? You idiot! That makes no sense.'' Or, 'That's just stupid.' Or, ''Ahh, I can't believe I said that about a woman''.' 'You should not like what you did back then, because that shows that you've grown. If you're still doing it, that's a scarier place to be,' he said. The comedian is set to touch down in Australia next month for a five-date tour beginning August 23 and including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney. Liam Fox today warned any attempt to extend the two-year Article 50 Brexit process would be a 'betrayal' of Leave voters. The International Trade Secretary said discussion of extending talks would outrage Leave voters. As prospects of a collapse in negotiation rise, Brexit debate has this week focused on whether talks could be extended beyond next March. Liam Fox (file image) today warned any attempt to extend the two-year Article 50 Brexit process would be a 'betrayal' of Leave voters Britain's EU membership is due to expire on March 29 next year, exactly two years after Theresa May filed the Article 50 notification. Irish Premier Leo Varadkar said he would vote to extend the process if it was necessary to avoid no deal and the sentiment was echoed by the French government this week. But Dr Fox told Business Insider: 'To attempt to extend our membership even longer, many voters would regard as a complete betrayal by the political class, and I think they would be right.' The position was endorsed today by the leader of hard Brexit Tories Jacob Rees-Mogg. He said: 'Liam Fox is right, extending Article 50 is the definition of failure for the Government.' Irish Premier Leo Varadkar said he would vote to extend the process if it was necessary to avoid no deal In other developments today ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker said Brussels' response to Mrs May's Chequers plan was an attempt to get the UK to remain in both the single market and customs union. European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier dealt the Prime Minister a serious blow by rejecting a key plank of her Brexit strategy on Thursday. In other developments today ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker said Brussels' response to Mrs May's Chequers plan was an attempt to get the UK to remain in both the single market and customs union Central to the Prime Minister's plan, set out in a white paper a fortnight ago, is a 'facilitated customs arrangement' under which tariffs charged at the border would be passed on to either the British or EU authorities depending on the destination of imported goods, but Mr Barnier made clear that was not acceptable to Brussels. Mr Baker, who quit the Government over the Chequers plan, said the EU's response was unsurprising. 'Chequers was bound to be the beginning of the EU pushing the UK to the unacceptable combination of EEA (European Economic Area) and customs union membership. 'On this road, eventually we will reach a fork between final capitulation or exit with no agreement.' It would be 'far better to find the political and administrative will to solve the problems of the UK border with Ireland through an advanced FTA (free-trade agreement)'. It was 'in our mutual interests to reach agreement', he said, highlighting European Council president Donald Tusk's offer of an 'ambitious and advanced' FTA. Love Island contestants will earn more during their lifetime than graduates from Britain's top universities, researchers have claimed. There was outcry earlier this year when it emerged more people applied to appear on the ITV2 reality show than attempted to get into Oxford and Cambridge. But while many said the disparity was proof that Britain is turning into a nation of morons, new research suggests the 85,000 hopefuls who wanted to enter the show might not be so stupid. Love Island contestants can expect to earn more than Oxbridge graduates, research states A graph from the report shows how much contestants can expect to make from the show Economists at the financial consultancy Frontier say that, while winners of show only make 50,000 in prize money, every contestant can cash in from endorsements and media appearances. The report states: 'Former Islanders tend to make much more from endorsements, advertisements and public appearances upon their return. 'Some of previous years' contestants have managed to secure book deals and even spin-off TV series. Even an ordinary ex-Islander who goes through life endorsing protein powder on Instagram can reportedly make close to a 1m a year.' The expected earnings of each contestant depend on how long they are in the villa for and consequently how famous they become in the eyes of viewers. Contestants who appear in between a quarter and a half of the total shows in the series, are expected to earn around 1million after they emerged from the villa, but those who hang on in for the whole series, can net well over 2million. The report continues: 'Islanders who have been in the villa for the full duration of the series can be expected to earn about 2.3m over the next five years. Interestingly, winning the show provides only a small extra boost to 2.4m.' Winners of the reality show make more in five years from Instagram endorsements and media appearances than the average Oxbridge student makes in a lifetim The report also shows how successful different strategies can be for staying in the villa By comparison, Oxbridge students earn an average of 1.8million over their lifetimes, recent research by management consultancy Boston Consulting Group suggests. The report also looks at what strategies contestants can take to maximise their chances of winning. The lowest chances of winning are what the researchers call 'muggy' contestants, who regularly switch partners. Second lowest chance to getting to the end of the show goes to 'typical' islanders, who couple up with whoever they fancy. Contestants described as the 'nice' ones have a 50% chance of getting to the end of the series. They are described as people who stick with their partners for as long as possible. The highest chance to getting to the end goes to contestants described by researchers as 'economists'. These people couple up with whoever gives them the highest chance of staying in the show. A man in Florida was hit by a car on Wednesday while attempting a risky rendition of the #InMyFeelings challenge. Jaylen Norwood staged the stunt in his hometown of Boynton Beach, but it didn't go quote as planned after he slipped an oil spill. 'I planned this whole thing out,' Norwood said. 'I was gonna do the dance and then jump on the hood of the car and continue the dance but it came too fast and I slipped on the oil and that's why I got hit by the car.' Norwood, who wasn't seriously injured, laughed it off after the impact was caught on camera, showing off his scrapes. This is the latest viral clip of the dance challenge, which has gone viral to the tune of Drake's chart-topping hit song by the same name. The video starts with Norwood hopping out of the driver seat of his own vehicle, while a passenger films his performance. He makes it halfway through the first refrain of the chorus, and then right after Drake sings the words, 'Are you riding?' he falls down to the pavement, after slipping on oil in the road. Moments later, the car comes into view and smacks into Norwood, first in the shoulder and then right in the face. 'Oh, my gosh!' the woman filming the clip can be heard saying, while someone in the backseat laughs, nervously. Jaylen Norwood of Boynton Beach, Florida staged a stunt on Wednesday to record the #InMyFeelings challenge, and ended up getting run down by a car after he slipped on oil The video then cuts to a clip of Norwood showing off his cuts. 'I wasn't injured,' Norwood said. 'Just scraped my arm.' He's smiling in the video, but it looks like the impact may have hurt a bit more than he lets on. This isn't the first time the viral dance challenge has led to someone getting hurt, in connection with a moving car. The video starts with Norwood hopping out of the driver seat of his own vehicle, while a passenger films his performance He makes it halfway through the first refrain of the chorus, and then right after Drake sings the words, 'Are you riding?' he falls down to the pavement, after slipping on oil in the road Incidents have prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to issue a statement reminding people of motor vehicle safety. 'Hopping out of a moving vehicle or jumping into lanes of traffic to show your dance moves is foolish and dangerous to you and those around you,' a representative of the board said. 'Theres a time and place for everything, but our nations highways and roadways are no place for the #InMyFeelings challenge.' The song and its corresponding choreography craze has become so popular that it just broke the US streaming record for a single week, with 116.2 million domestic streams in the week ending July 19, according to Forbes. The previous record holder was Baauer's 'Harlem Shake,' which logged 103.1 million streams in one week in the US in March 2013. The #InMyFeelings challenge was started by a comedian named Shiggy, who posted a clip of himself dancing to the song on June 29 that has been viewed more than six million times, to date. 'In My Feelings' has been No. 1 on the chart for two consecutive weeks, bring Drake's top spot total for 2018 to 21 weeks total. A cyclist participating in a massive Utah ride was fatally struck by a train when he refused to heed warning signals and attempted to dart across railroad tracks. Cameron Hooyer, 22, was taking part in a weekly, informal ride in Salt Lake City on July 19 when he was struck by the incoming train. Video from the Utah Transit Authority shows hundreds of cyclist partaking in the event - called the 999 Ride - and arriving at a railroad crossing. Video from the Utah Transit Authority shows hundreds of cyclist partaking in the Salt Lake City event - called the 999 Ride - and arriving at a railroad crossing When Cameron Hooyer, 22, makes his way to the crossing, he tries to ride across and doesn't seem to notice the incoming train In the clip, which occurred two hours after the ride began, riders are seen barreling through the tracks after a freight train passes. Soon the arms rise and more riders go through but after 15 seconds, the lights flash again indicating the arrival of another train. At least six other cyclist narrowly make it through the tracks before Hooyer approaches the tracks himself. 'In my mind, it conclusively shows what happened that night that led to an unnecessary tragedy,' said Carl Arky, UTA spokesma He attempts to pass, approximately 20 seconds after the signals began, and the video ends right before the train collides with him. 'In my mind, it conclusively shows what happened that night that led to an unnecessary tragedy,' said Carl Arky, UTA spokesman, to The Salt Lake Tribune. Arky asserted that the train operator gave ample warning by blasting the train's horn and lights. He also triggered the lights and arms of the intersection. Hooyer's parents participated in the 777 ride in memory of their son on Saturday 'He was adventurous, but he was not an extreme risk taker,' said Mark Hooyer, the man's father He also claimed that the train was moving at 45mph, which many at the scene had problems with. Hooyer's parents participated in the 777 ride to memorialize their son on Saturday. They assert that their son - an avid cyclist - would not have tried to beat the train. 'He was adventurous, but he was not an extreme risk taker,' said Mark Hooyer, the man's father. On Facebook, Hooyer listed that he was self-employed and studied design at The University of Utah. Clever Busumani, 53, was working for TfL when he returned to his native Zimbabwe in June 2011 A Tube driver who faked his own death so could could claim a bumper 150,000 payout has been sentenced to 18 months behind bars. Clever Busumani, 53, was working for TfL when he returned to his native Zimbabwe in June 2011. While he was there his wife, Cynthia Chirairo, phoned up his employers to tell them he was unwell. She then called them again to say he had died. Chirairo gave a fake death certificate to TfL in order to claim a service payment of around 150,000, yet her claim was unsuccessful. Police received the tip-off from insurance investigators that Busumani was still alive and an arrest warrant was issued. He was finally arrested at Heathrow Airport in 2015. The couple pleaded guilty to fraud offences on May 27, 2015, yet Busumani fled the country again before the end of his sentencing hearing in July of that year. Busumani, of Tottenham, was sentenced to 16 months in his absence, while his wife Chirairo was given a 12 month sentence. He finally returned to the UK this month and was arrested in Slough yesterday. Defence counsel Michael Conning said: 'He says he instigated his own arrest by telling his friends of his whereabouts who then informed the police.' Explaining the initial incident, Mr Connings said: 'He was suffering ill health and went to his home country of Zimbabwe and it looks like his wife entered a claim for his death. Busumani's defence claimed he was suffering ill health and went home to Zimbabwe. His wife also kicked him out the house (stock image) 'He says that as a consequence of his arrest and plea of guilty his wife kicked him out of the house - he was homeless and she got a new partner. 'He was very depressed at the time and was contemplating suicide. 'He returned to Zimbabwe to see his mother and that's where he remained. He asked me to apologise, he is quite a pleasant man.' Despite fleeing the country in 2015, Judge Peter Clarke QC only gave Busumani an extra two months for skipping bail. He told Busumani: 'You are now serving a 16 month sentence that I passed three years ago. Your total sentence is now one of 18 months.' The much-anticipated dates and details for Jabongs Big Brand Sale (BBS) have finally been revealed. The discount bonanza at the online fashion and lifestyle portal will see great deals available on more than 3,000 worldwide brands. Spread out over multiple days, the sale will feature unprecedented deals and promises to be even better than previous iterations of the major sale in years past. Jabong's Big Brand Sale will soon take place from July 27 to July 30 and feature many deals Head of Jabong Gunjan Soni hailed the massive multiday sale, stating: Jabong customers are fashion forward and have a taste for international, premium and exclusive styles. The Big Brand Sale is a unique sale which has a disproportionate focus on global brands and is in line with Jabongs affluent consumer base. It is a great opportunity for them to acquire their favorite brands at great discounts ranging from 55-80 per cent. Over 1 lakh customers will also get exclusive VIP slots to shop before millions of other shoppers, leading to 15X sale during the slot hours vs. a normal day. We are prepared to provide a great shopping experience to over 13 million customers over the 4 days of BBS, leading to 4X traffic during peak hours compared to a normal day. This time, we are also offering 100 per cent cashback (in Jabong points) to all our customers to make their shopping experience on Jabong much more exciting. The CEO of Myntra-Jabong, Ananth Narayanan, also anticipated blockbuster success for the current iteration of the sale, stating: The Jabong Big Brand Sale is our marquee property that aims at celebrating premium fashion in a unique way. We have witnessed a significant growth in the last 3 editions, and we are expecting 100 per cent growth this edition over last years Big Brand Sale in July. We are anticipating 25 million sessions across platforms, acquiring 4X new Jabong customers as compared to the same edition last year. Heres all you need to know about the highly-anticipated sale, including its dates, what will be on sale, discounts and special deals and information about Jabong itself. When will the sale take place? The sale will take place from Friday, July 27 to Monday, July 30, 2018. What will be on sale? More than 3,000 global and Indian brands will see discounts during the Big Brand Sale, including Nike Adidas, Calvin Klein, Superdry, Puma, Lakme, Guess, Next, Lavie, Dorothy Perkins, Vero Moda, Fossil, Sangria and many others. Sale discounts and other deals The sale will see steep discounts between 55 and 80 per cent across every product category. In addition, Jabong is also offering a 100 per cent cashback deal using HDFC debit and credit cards for certain purchases. New customers will also receive free shipping on their first purchase. To help customers take advantage of the deals, Jabong has also launched an on-demand stylist service on Whatsapp that will allow customers to post their wardrobe pictures on the app and receive specialized fashion advice from in-house experts. What is Jabong? Jabong is a lifestyle and fashion e-commerce web portal based in India. Based in Bengaluru, India and founded in 2012 by Praveen Sinha, Manu Jain, Arun Chandra Mohan and Lakshmi Potluri, the portal sells a wide array of footwear, apparel, beauty products, fashion accessories, fragrances and other lifestyle and fashion products. The Internet portal has seen rapid growth in recent years and was acquired by e-commerce giant Flipkart in July 2016 through its Myntra unit. Three Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants are being hailed as heroes after they flagged a group of three young girls suspected of being human trafficking victims. Flight attendant Wesley Hirata told KITV he sensed something wasn't right when an older Asian man and three Caucasian girls boarded a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Hirata enlisted the help of other flight attendants who questioned the girls - revealing that one of them was underage and all three had the same name listed on their passenger documents. Three Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants are being hailed as heroes after they alerted police to a group of three suspected human trafficking victims on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu The attendants informed the captain of the situation and alerted security personnel in Honolulu. Upon arrival in Hawaii the group was questioned by local police, who referred the case to the FBI. They investigated and soon established there had been no wrongdoing and the man was actually known to the girls and travelling legitimately with them. Regardless, Hirata has said he's pleased he followed his instincts and urges others in similar situations to do the same. 'Trust your gut and prior experience [and] report the situation without alarming or confronting the passengers in a suspicious manner,' Hirata said. A federal judge will allow a lawsuit to proceed in its challenge to the Trump administration's plan to include a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census. In a decision filed Thursday, federal Judge Jesse Furman of the Manhattan Southern District said the case may proceed based on plausible evidence that U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross motivated by Trump's comments on race and politics - was trying to discriminate against immigrants by adding the question. 'Plaintiffs plausibly allege that Secretary Ross's decision to reinstate the citizenship question was motivated at lease in part by discriminatory animus and will result in a discriminatory effect,' the judge wrote, rejecting a motion to dismiss the case. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross testifies before a Senate Finance hearing in June 2018. Ross has sought to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 U.S. Census, a decision now facing a challenge in federal court over claims the decision was motivated by discrimination Furman cited multiple examples of discriminatory speech by President Donald Trump in his decision, including a comment in January referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as 'those people from s***hole countries.' Ross has said publicly that including a question about citizenship could help curtail voting-rights violations by providing accurate snapshots of a voting district's demographic makeup. The suit was filed in April by 18 states, the District of Columbia, and a number of cities and pro-immigrant groups, which argue that the addition of the question would lead to a large number of immigrants not participating in the Census particularly given the 'current political climate because of President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric.' The plaintiffs argue that a lack of participation would be problematic because if immigrants are undercounted their communities would lose out on funding and resources at the local level. It would be particularly damaging for Democrats because an undercount of immigrants could threaten political representation, which is based on population. 'The Trump administration's plan to demand citizenship status as part of the Census is unlawful,' said New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, a leading plaintiff in the case, in a statement. Underwood described the judge's decision as a 'big win,' adding that including the Census question 'would potentially cause a huge undercount that would threaten billions in federal funds and New York's fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College.' The judge also found in favor of the government on one point, noting that the citizenship question is permissible on its own, though only if the right wasn't exercised based on bias. A federal judge cited multiple discriminatory comments by Donald Trump in a decision to allow a federal lawsuit against the administration to proceed that challenges a plan to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 U.S. Census Both sides will have the opportunity to argue whether that is what happened as the case moves forward. The judge has asked the government to document how the decision was made to ask the question about citizenship, and that context is expected to determine whether discrimination took place. The census has not asked the entire population about citizenship since 1950, though the question is included on smaller survey samples. A spokesman for the Commerce Department issued a statement to Reuters saying the agency was 'pleased the court found that Secretary Ross has broad authority over the Census,' and that officials were optimistic they would win the legal battle. An illegal immigrant who falsely claimed to be sleeping rough at Grenfell Tower at the time of the fire was put up in a hotel, a court heard. Abdelkarim Rekaya, 28, had arrived in the UK from Tunisia on a tourist visa in 2008 which expired a year later. In 2010 he was due to meet the Home Office but did not show and wasn't seen again until turning up at the survivor's help centre last year. Tunisian national Abdelkarim Rekaya, who had been staying in the UK after a tourist visa expired in 2009, falsely claimed he was living rough on the 12th floor of Grenfell Tower A number of Grenfell victims were put up at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel in Kensington The Tunisian claimed he was living on the 11th and 12th floor stairwells before the fire on June 14 last year which left 72 dead. He was given temporary housing, food allowance and emergency relief worth total of 60,000, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Rekaya also falsely applied for amnesty given to illegal immigrants who were victims of the fire. Rekaya, of Chelsea, denied fraud by false representation and obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deceptive means. Judge Phillip Matthews set his trial date for November 26 this year. The hearing comes a day after homeless man Derrick Peters, 58, became the 10th person to be charged with Grenfell Tower fraud. His trial is set for a later date. Back in May, illegal immigrants Elaine Douglas and Tommy Brooks, 51 and 52, who said they lived in a flat on the 19th floor, were jailed for more than six years. The Jamaican nationals spent more than 120,000 of taxpayers' money after being granted pre-paid credit cards and stays at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel. It was later discovered the pair had been staying with friends on the night of the blaze. Stormy Daniels's estranged husband Glendon Crain claimed in court today that he hasn't seen his wife for more than two months and has 'no idea' of her whereabouts. The 41-year-old former porn star was speaking during a hearing held to confirm a temporary restraining order against the glamorous blonde in Kaufman, Texas, on Friday morning. Daniels, who is due to appear at the Red Parrot Men's Club in El Paso tonight as part of her Make America Horny Again tour, failed to attend as Crain's legal team claimed it has not been able to find her to serve her with papers. Judge Casey Blair of the 86th District Court ultimately agreed to extend the restraining order until Daniels is served and appears in court. Stormy Daniels's estranged husband Glendon Crain appeared at a court hearing on Friday to obtain a temporary restraining order against his spouse Crain filed for divorce earlier this month, but has been unable to serve her with papers because he does not know her whereabouts. They have been married since 2015 Crain, 41, a former porn star, claimed he hasn't seen his wife in 10 weeks and has 'no idea' where she is During the brief 15-minute hearing, Crain, who said he works as a stagehand at Dallas music venue The Bomb Factory, told Judge Blair that he had not seen his 39-year-old wife for 10 weeks and that she had spent just seven days at home in the last five months. He told court he had had exclusive custody of the couple's daughter Caiden, seven, since March and claimed Daniels' only contact with the child has been in the form of sporadic calls. Crain went on to say he was 'remarkably concerned' about Daniels's wish to have the little girl join her on tour and, when asked by his lawyer Rothwell Pool if he believed the tour would provide 'a wholesome environment' for the child, answered with an emphatic no. Asked by Judge Blair why Crain and his team had failed to serve Daniels, Pool said: 'She is no longer on a scheduled tour. We have no idea exactly where she is.' Closing the session, Judge Blair, 40, said: 'I will grant this request to extend. I would ask that you at least give her notice as soon as possible.' Outside court, Pool said: 'I find it amazing that Michael Avenatti and Ms. Daniels have denied the accusations and said they only want the truth yet have not appeared in court. 'We have attempted to serve Ms. Daniels in three states. I have nothing bad to say about Ms. Daniels except you need to get to court.' Of Caiden, Pool added: 'We believe for five months we have had exclusive custody of the little girl and we don't wish to disrupt that pattern. 'We are remarkably against going on tour and we wanted surety that it will not happen. While we don't believe Ms. Daniels will abscond with her daughter, this [the restraining order] is the security in this matter.' Stormy and Glendon were last pictured together in March with their seven-year-old daughter Caiden in Texas. The father of one says he has had sole custody of the girl for the past five months and was concerned over Stormy's wish to take her on tour Crain, who said outside court that he wished Daniels had appeared, added that his daughter's security is 'all I've ever wanted in this matter'. The terms of the now extended restraining order ban Daniels - real name Stephanie Clifford - from going to the former family home, a $298,000 detached property in Forney, Texas, and from using either of Crain's cars: a silver BMW 3 series and a 2018 Cadillac XTS sedan. She is also prohibited from causing bodily harm to either Crain or the couple's seven-year-old daughter Caiden and from allowing the little girl to spend any time with 'adult performers'. Daniels is also banned from taking the child out of Texas without Crain's permission. The divorce petition was filed in Kaufman on July 19 and lists the reason for the split as adultery on Daniels' part. Daniels, who initially asked for privacy for herself and her family, responded on social media posting a cryptic comment on Twitter that read: 'I don't need or want privacy. I want truth. And it will come out. I'm not afraid.' Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, described Crain's allegations as 'absolutely false' in a statement to DailyMail.com on Monday. Rumors that the marriage, Daniels's third, had been circulating since her arrest on July 11 in Ohio for 'motorboating' an undercover cop with her breasts. Following the news of their split, Stormy's lawyer Michael Avenatti denied the adultery claims Stormy Daniels kicked off her Make America Horny Again tour earlier this year On the arrest report, Daniels listed herself as single a full eight days before Crain filed for divorce. July 11 is also listed on the divorce papers as the date on which the couple ceased living together. Daniels married Crain, her third husband, on November 25, 2015. Shortly before they wed, Crain was arrested on domestic violence charges after she accused him of shoving her to the floor. The charges against Crain, who has worked as a porn actor under the name Brandon Miller and as a drummer in a rock band in the past, were ultimately dropped in March 2018. The same month Daniels appeared on CBS to discuss her alleged 2006 affair with President Trump, telling the show: 'He knows I'm telling the truth'. She added: 'This is not a Me Too. I was not a victim' but did tell interviewer Lesley Gifford of an incident in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2011 in which she claims she was threatened over the incident. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 days before the 2016 Presidential election for her silence but has been seeking to invalidate the agreement in recent months and has made a series of court appearances in New York and Los Angeles to that end. She is also due in court over a separate legal matter filed on July 13 over her alleged defamation of three-day eventer Ellen Doughty-Hume. The complaint in that case relates to what Doughty-Hume's lawyer described to DailyMail.com as a campaign of abuse waged over social media over the death of a horse belonging to Daniels named Bailey. The gray gelding died in a freak flash flood in June 2015 which Daniels claimed was the result of Doughty-Hume deliberately leaving the animal in a flooded pasture. The equestrienne, 33, denies the allegation. The Los Angeles County District Attorney will not be pressing rape charges against 30-year-old British actor Ed Westwick, prosecutors confirmed Friday Ed Westwick will not be prosecuted on rape charges, the Los Angeles County District Attorney confirmed Friday. The 30-year-old Gossip Girl star has been accused of sexual assault by four women and the district attorney's office decided to go forward with an investigation into three of the allegations in March. In a memo released Friday, prosecutors said they were not able to collect enough evidence to pursue charges against Westwick. Westwick's lawyer Blair Berk told TMZ: 'The evidence was clear from the start that each of the allegations made by these three women were absolutely untrue. 'It is a shame there are those who prejudged this case and that it took over eight months for Ed to be officially cleared of all of these charges. 'I hope that those who made such quick judgment here not knowing anything about the abundant evidence of innocence in this case will hesitate next time before they so publicly accuse someone who has committed no wrongdoing.' Actress Kristina Cohen (left) and former actress Aurelie Wynn (right) were the first to come forward in November, both claiming that Westwick had raped them in 2014 Creative producer Rachel Eck (left) and stylist Haley Camille Freedman (right) have also come forward accusing Westwick of sexual assault According to the memo, two of the women reportedly provided witnesses to help corroborate their accounts, including some who were outside the room where the alleged assaults took place. Those two cases were declined by the prosecution due to insufficient evidence. 'Those witnesses were not able to provide information that would enable the prosecution to prove either incident beyond a reasonable doubt,' prosecutors wrote. The DA's office was unable to get in touch with the third victim, according to the memo, thus no charges could be filed. The memo also revealed that some additional women made allegations of inappropriate touching, but that the incidents fell outside the statute of limitations. The first allegations against Westwick surfaced in November, with actress Kristina Cohen and former actress Aurelie Wynn both claiming they were they were raped by the actor in 2014. Cohen wrote in a Facebook post on November 6 that she was at Westwick's house with her then-boyfriend Australian film producer Kaine Harling. She said that she was sleeping in a bedroom when she woke up to find Westwick on top of her, and claims he proceeded to hold her down and rape her. LAPD launched an investigation into Cohen's claim after she filed an official report on November 7. Soon after Wynn took to Facebook to write that Westwick raped her at the Glendower Estate in Los Angeles after a party. 'I said 'no' and he pushed me face down and was powerless under his weight,' Wynn wrote. 'I was wearing a one piece bathing suit that he ripped. I was in complete shock.' Westwick vehemently denied the both claims on Twitter, writing: 'I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.' He later wrote: 'It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct. 'I absolutely have not, and I am cooperating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible.' He has since deleted both of those posts. Less than a week after the first two allegations Hollywood creative producer Rachel Eck revealed the star had allegedly pushed her down onto a bed and 'aggressively groped' her breasts at a hotel in Hollywood. 'I shoved him off as quickly as I could and left. I have never felt so uncomfortable in a situation like that in my entire life,' she told Buzzfeed. Westwick has not commented on Eck's allegation. Freedman accused Westwick of rape in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com in March, claiming that the star invited her to his home in the summer of 2014 The most recent allegation came from Haley Camille Freedman, 23, who revealed in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com that she had allegedly been raped by Westwick. The stylist said Westwick had a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character who switched from being 'funny and cute' to 'aggressive, violent and intimidating,' once they were alone. She said she consented to having sex with the television heartthrob after being invited to his lavish Glendower Estate home following a night out in the summer of 2014. According to court documents, the pair 'went to Westwick's bedroom, where they proceeded to have what began as consensual sexual intercourse. 'However, during their first intercourse, Westwick became violent and aggressive, demanding that Freedman strangle him or slap his face and when Freedman declined, putting his hands around her neck and slapping her and strangling her against her will.' Westwick also asked Freedman to spit on him during sex, it's alleged, and when she refused, he would spit on her. 'When their first intercourse ended, Freedman knew she never wanted to have sex with Westwick ever again and wanted to leave and go back to her car and life,' the documents state. The next morning Freedman asked Westwick to take her back to her car, which he said he would 'eventually', according to the legal documents. First though, Westwick wanted more sex with Freedman, the papers state. Freedman declined but he persisted anyway. The papers state that during one or more of their bouts of intercourse, Westwick said that he wanted to penetrate Freedman anally and she refused, firmly telling Westwick that she did not want that. Westwick penetrated Freedman anally deeply with his fingers anyway, holding her down to do so over her protests. 'Freedman became overwhelmed with confusion, fear and shock,' the papers state. 'She became distant, letting her mind leave her body while Westwick had his way with her physical self, hoping for it to end.' Eventually, each session of intercourse from Westwick would end but when Freedman would ask to leave, Westwick would repeat that he would take her back to her car when he was ready, the papers state. He became 'scary and threatening' the more Freedman insisted on leaving, raised his voice and was physically intimidating Freedman into obeying him. Eventually, in the late afternoon or early evening of August 7, Westwick did drive her back to her friend's home, where she had parked her car two days earlier - only to find that it had been towed and impounded. The next day, feeling 'traumatized and exhausted,' according to the legal papers, Freedman made an appointment with her gynecologist who found, on examining her August 13, that she was 'still physically bruised, bleeding and internally torn and infected in her genital area'. 'Freedman had no intercourse or sexual contact with anyone else between being sexually assaulted by Westwick and the August 13 medical examination,' legal papers state. 'The physical damage and signs of rape on the August 13 medical report are from the encounter with Westwick,' according to court documents. Freedman also recounted the experience to a close friend and her close friend's mother, but decided not to pursue legal action against the actor for fear of ruining her career. It wasn't until with the onset of the #MeToo movement and Cohen and Wynn both making public accusations against Westwick that Freedman felt she should finally speak out. 'When some of this habitual rapist's other victims came forward as part of 2017's amplified #MeToo movement, Freedman decided that she might also,' the legal documents state. It is unclear which of the three women's cases were investigated by the LACDA or which woman did not respond to communications from the office. DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for each of the alleged victims for comment. Ron Reagan, the son of the 40th president, told a TV audience that President Trump's supporters are so fanatical they would sooner elect Vladimir Putin than a Democrat. Reagan, the liberal son of his namesake who is revered by conservatives and by Trump, blasted Trump for speaking 'incoherent gibberish' in his speeches. And although his father struck deals at summits with the Soviets even as he denounced their aggression, the younger Reagan blasted the way Trump's base appears to be softening on Russia while faulting their antipathy for Democrats. 'If you think about Trump's base they do like Putin,' Reagan said. 'If you look at the polls, Putin's popularity has gone way up,' Reagan said on 'Hardball,' Chris Matthews' show on MSNBC Thursday. Ron Reagan, the liberal son of President Reagan, told MSNBC that President Trump's supporters are so fanatical they would sooner elect Vladimir Putin than a Democrat. 'The most important thing to them [is that Trump] seems to hate the same people that they hate,' he said, the Hill reported. 'If it was left just up to Trump's base, they would elect Vladimir Putin as president of the United States over virtually anybody with a 'D' after their name. And I'm not kidding you,' Reagan said. The former radio host went after Trump for speaking 'incoherent gibberish' and 'word salad.' 'If it was left just up to Trump's base, they would elect Vladimir Putin as president of the United States over virtually anybody with a 'D' after their name,' said Reagan ALREADY HAS A JOB: Putin is already ensconced as President of Russia, but he has been invited to visit Washington after the New Year 'They're still shouting 'Lock Her Up' at these rallies, he complained. 'It is going to get worse, mark my words,' he said. Reagan said Trump's base voters take cues form him both on who to hate and who to love right before the White House announced Putin would visit the U.S. after January and that Trump was open to a formal invitation to Moscow. 'It goes hand in hand. If Trump seems to love Putin, they'll love Putin, too,' Reagan said. The number of Republicans calling Russia an ally nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018, according to Gallup. Advertisement Australians eager to catch a glimpse of a once-in-a-lifetime 'blood moon' set their alarms for early on Saturday morning in order to catch the 4.24am eclipse. They were rewarded by the spectacular sight of the moon turned a unique blood colour by the longest eclipse this century. Jostling for position at viewing spots with clear views of the horizon, early risers on the eastern seaboard watched as the blood moon dipped beneath the western horizon. The longest lunar eclipse this century sent the moon behind the shadow of the Earth, turning it a deep crimson for people in Britain, Europe, Asia, Africa, parts of Australasia and South America to see. The full moon rises near Bondi Beach ahead of a total lunar eclipse While viewers in New South Wales and Queensland lost sight of the moon towards the end of the eclipse, those in Western Australia saw the whole spectacle, and even watched as the moon emerged from the eclipse. A band of clouds in Perth, however, momentarily obscured the view - while many parts of New South Wales were subject to patches of cloud cover. Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart enjoyed somewhat clearer viewing conditions. Stargazers were also keen to see Mars, which appeared bigger and brighter than at any time during the past decade and a half. The moon is seen behind the Harbour Bridge turning red during a total lunar eclips The lunar eclipse was the longest of the 21st century lasting 1 hour and 43 minutes The blood moon phenomenon, which has caused some Christian fundamentalists to denounce the celestial event as a harbinger of doom, occurs when the moon passes behind the shadow of the Earth. This year's eclipse lasted for 103 minutes, only four minutes shy of the longest possible duration a lunar eclipse can ever last on Earth, and was visible to people in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and South America. The full moon rises near Bondi Beach ahead of a total lunar eclipse Parts of Europe and the Middle East are already experiencing the dazzling red moon, as Britons complain they are missing out after this evening's storms brought cloud and rain Unfortunately for US stargazers they won't be able to see the phenomena, which Christian fundamentalist groups claim will bring on the end of the world. The chances of a lunar eclipse and Mars appearing so bright happening at the same time is astronomical, seeing stargazers make a desperate dash for clear, open spaces with minimal light pollution so they can get a good view. The blood moon phenomenon, which has caused some Christian fundamentalists to denounce the celestial event as a harbinger of doom, occurs when the moon passes behind the shadow of the Earth Enthusiasts didn't need any special equipment to see events unfold, with experts saying the naked eye was more than enough. Unlike a solar eclipse where the moon crosses in between the Earth and the sun it is perfectly safe to look directly at the Blood Moon without sunglasses or protective eyewear. This year's eclipse lasted for 103 minutes, only four minutes shy of the longest possible duration a lunar eclipse can ever last on Earth, and was visible to people in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and South America The length of the eclipse is determined by the alignment of the sun, Earth and the moon, as well as the distance between the moon and our planet. The further away the moon is, the longer it will spend in the shadow known as the Umbra of Earth. The Blood Moon will be the most impressive of the 21st century, with the best one in the 20th century taking place right at the very end - on July 16 2000, lasting for one hour and 46 minutes. The full moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon before a lunar eclipse in Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, The "Super Blue Blood Moon" rises during a lunar eclipse. A Pilates instructor says she is lucky to be alive after surviving an attack by a man who pulled her into the woods while walking her dog. Vanessa Ursini was on a popular trail in her Colorado town of Littleton early Wednesday morning when a man approached her from behind, dragged her into the woods, strangled and removed her clothes. But the 29-year-old fought back - kicking and screaming until she could free herself from the ropes and get help. Now, her attacker is in custody and Ursini is sharing the graphic photos of her injuries to warn other women to get the training to protect and defend themselves. Vanessa Ursini, 29, was walking her dog Wednesday morning on a popular trail A man came from behind, choked her with a rope and dragged her to the woods Johnny Dewayne Harris, 38, has been arrested and faces charges for sexual assault and kidnapping Ursini. The known sex offender admitted to attacking the victim by placing a rope around her throat and dragging her into the bushes. Johnny Dewayne Harris, 38, has been arrested and faces charges in the attack Harris was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1999 for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Texas and was arrested again in 2016 for exposing himself to a minor. A GoFundMe has been started by friends to raise money for Ursini's medical bills. On the page, she details her horrifying experience, saying she had recognized the attacker on the trail from the day before, but he didn't make eye contact and gave her a 'very strange vibe'. 'He strangled me from behind and drug [sic] me into the woods about 15 feet off the trail where he removed almost all of my clothes,' she wrote. 'He continued to choke me using his hands, the rope, and with a bandanna of some sort. I fought like hell and screamed my brains out, even my sweet dog tried to fight him and bite him as much as she could.' She said he threatened to kill her to stop her from screaming. Ursini knocked the suspect's glasses off his face but he proceeded to tie her up with the rope. 'He hogtied me from my neck to my wrists, then to my ankles and told me he was going to let me go but he needed to find his glasses first,' she said. 'I thought that this could be the end but I was not about to give up fighting for my life,' Ursini added. Ursini screamed, fought back and was able to untie herself to run free and is now urging others to get the proper self-defense training She was able to sit up and free herself, running for her life to the bike path nearly naked. Cyclicts saw Ursini and immediately offered blankets and called authorities. One man was even able to chase Harris down and restrain him until the police arrived. Luckily, Ursini was able to reunite with her dog and made it out with her life. 'This was the worst day of my life but I knew I had to fight, it simply wasnt my time to die,' she said. She is now urging others to be aware of their surrounding 'at all times'. 'Even if you have been on your local path, your grocery store parking lot, or anywhere 100 times, danger can exist anywhere,' she wrote. 'I am lucky to be alive, so please have a plan in place to protect yourself from whatever may be out there.' Foreign spies have become an 'everyday' part of life in Silicon Valley, with the Chinese and Russian governments recruiting tech workers, high-end prostitutes and even overseas students to steal trade secrets, former US intelligence officers say. Intelligence officers claim hostile foreign governments are exploiting the Valley's open business culture to get their agents recruited by US firms including Apple, or using their own companies to glean useful information from rivals. They are trying to influence domestic politics too, a new report states, citing cases from the use of Chinese students to suppress pro-Tibet protests prior to the 2008 Olympics to the alleged recruitment of a leading San Francisco activist by Beijing. Intelligence officers claim hostile foreign governments are exploiting Silicon Valley's open business culture to steal American tech secrets. Pictured is a general view of an industrial complex in Santa Clara, California The detailed insight into the murky world of foreign spycraft in Silicon valley was written by author Zach Dorfman for Politico Magazine, based on interviews with more than half a dozen intelligence officials speaking on condition of anonymity. Hostile governments, particularly Beijing and Moscow, are using agents to steal tech secrets from major Silicon Valley firms to help their own companies keep up with their international rivals, the officials said. One former spy likened Chinese efforts to steal tech secrets from firms in Silicon Valley as akin to the 'Oklahoma land rush'. Much of this is done through recruiting tech staff, 'including via threats', according to the source. One US-based cloud storage company cited in the article only recruits American nationals due to several alleged attempts by Beijing to force its own nationals to gather intelligence, sometimes using their families back home as 'leverage'. On rare occasions these acts of espionage are flung into public view. Bay Area businessman Walter Liew was convicted in 2014 of what a judge called a 'white collar crime spree', which consisted of selling the recipe for a highly valuable white pigment used in plastics and paper to a state-owned Chinese company. He was found guilty of violating the Economic Espionage Act - a federal law introduced in 1996 for people found guilty of stealing trade secrets to aid a foreign government. Former intelligence officers believe there is ample evidence of similar crimes throughout the region, but authorities are often frustrated by a lack of willingness among tech executives to take these cases to the prosecution phase. Bay area businessman Walter Liew was convicted in 2014 of what a judge called a 'white collar crime spree', which consisted of selling the recipe for a highly valuable white pigment used in plastics and paper to a state-owned Chinese company Chinese hackers have also been active in targeting major firms such as Google. Hackers have tried to access US intelligence warrants - a sign one former official saw as evidence of the Chinese government trying to find out how much the American authorities knew about their espionage activity. The Russians are also active in stealing tech secrets, the report states. It quoted three former intelligence officials who pointed to a Russian state-owned venture capital company, Rusnano USA, as one hotbed of this activity. The firm, which focuses on nanotechnology, is seen as a mechanism used by agents to establish relationships with other Silicon Valley groups to extract information about their products. But there are also allegations of darker tactics perfected during the Cold War - when Russian intelligence had an intensive interest in San Francisco and the surrounding areas due to the presence of several military installations. This includes the alleged recruitment of local Russian and Eastern European prostitutes to target executives in bars and nightclubs in the hope of gleaning information on them and their competitors. Tibetan activists protest before the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay in San Francisco, California, on April 9. China was accused of forcing students from around the California area to descend on the city for counter-protests These efforts have been focused on raucous nightspots such as the Redwood Room in downtown San Francisco, according to the Politico piece, which holds hook-up themed Thursday nights. 'If I were a Russian intelligence officer, and I knew that these high-end girls were dragging CEOs of major companies back to their rooms, I'd be paying them for info too,' one official said. The Californian political system has also become a target too, it is claimed, with foreign governments trying to influence local decision makers for their own benefit. Two ex-US spies said California was the only US state in which the Chinese Ministry of State Security had its own political influence unit. The other one is in Washington, D.C. In one case, a member of staff at the office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein was recruited and told to feed back to China about local politics, sources told Politico. The person in question was sacked. China has also been accused of recruiting Rose Pak. Pak, a San Francisco activist who - despite never rising to political office - was known for her power to make and unmake local politicians. She is pictured in 2003 And China has also been accused of recruiting Rose Pak. Pak, a San Francisco activist who - despite never rising to political office - was known for her power to make and unmake local politicians. She was regularly claimed to have been co-opted by Beijing to influence San Francisco politics for its own benefit, an accusation that she faced until her death in September 2016. More overt attempts at influence have also surfaced, according to the report. For example, US officials watched suspected Chinese intelligence officers filming pro-Tibet protesters prior to the arrival of the Beijing 2008 Olympics torch in San Francisco. At the same time, China also bussed in up to 8,000 students from across California to disrupt similar anti-Beijing protests, using the threat of withdrawing their government funding if they did not comply. But it is not just Beijing and Moscow who have been targeting the region, it is claimed. Friendly countries have also built up their own operations, albeit on a much smaller scale and in a manner officials described as 'soft'. South Korea has been accused of substantial economic espionage, prompting a 'stern warning' from US officials, sources said. Israel has also been accused of gathering intelligence on American companies to help Israeli companies considering potential acquisitions, as has France. The Israeli Embassy called the claims 'totally untrue'. All other parties mentioned in the Politico article either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to issue a statement. Chris Ingham, whose channel The Ingham Family has more than 1 million subscribers, sent a message asking one viewer to drop her towel and send a picture A popular YouTube vlogger famous for sharing his wholesome family life with millions of viewers around the world allegedly sent fans as young as 16 'sexual' messages. Chris Ingham, whose channel The Ingham Family has more than 1 million subscribers, sent a message asking one viewer to drop her towel and send a picture. The Ingham Family channel, which boasts more than 300 million views, regularly includes lengthy videos showcasing the everyday trials and tribulations of modern family life. Ingham has been accused of sending fans with 'seedy' messages - even allegedly asking one 16-year-old to 'sneak out' of her mother's hotel room to meet him in the middle of the night. And in another sexually charged message, he reportedly sent a picture of himself to a 19-year-old asking her to send a naked one in return after claiming he could make her a star, The Sun revealed. Ingham, 34, who is married to wife Sarah, 32, has three young children aged 12, nine, and six, began vlogging three years ago and quickly amassed a legion of young fans. One fan, 16-year-old Jess Simpson, from Sussex, revealed that he had tried to lure her from her hotel while she holidayed with family in Florida last October. The Ingham Family channel, which boasts more than 300 million views, regularly includes lengthy videos showcasing the everyday trials and tribulations of modern family life (pictured with wife Sarah, 32, and their young children) It has emerged that Ingham sent fans with 'seedy' messages - even asking one 16-year-old Jess Simpson (pictured) to 'sneak out' of her mother's hotel room to meet him in the middle of the night Visiting Disneyland with her parents, Ingham - who was staying in the same hotel - sent Jess private messages on Twitter calling her 'mega pretty' and telling her 'I bet I can make you feel a lot better about things', and, 'if you can sneak out without waking anyone then deffo come meet me!' Later, he asked if she was home alone and told her he was 'coming over for a party' and that he wanted to go 'skinny dipping'. They never met in person but Jess eventually told her mum about the messages. In another sexually charged message, he reportedly sent a picture of himself to a 19-year-old asking her to send a naked one in return after claiming he could make her a star In a seperate incident, Ingham allegedly told a 19-year-old that she had a 'banging bod' and said he wanted to offer her help into the industry (Chris and Sarah pictured together) In a separate incident, Ingham told a 19-year-old that she had a 'banging bod' and said he wanted to offer her help into the industry. After meeting Bella Fearn, from Staffordshire, during a trip to Alton Towers where she worked, Ingham began sending lurid messages to her - asking her to drop her towel and send nudes. In one message, he said: 'Bottom line, I like you. And I like helping people. And I have the powers and the people to help turn yourself into a massive role model to thousands on Instagram and maybe even YouTube too.' Various screen-grabbed images of Ingham's alleged messages have since been shared online, including one purporting to show him having 'unliked' various photos of girls Various screen-grabbed images of Ingham's alleged messages have since been shared online, including one purporting to show him having 'unliked' various photos of girls. In another message, seemingly sent from his account, he appeared to threaten a girl he had slept with with being sued for 250,000 for breaking a non-disclosure agreement. Mohamed Ould Bouamatou was given a one-dollar contract, which gives him a degree of diplomatic immunity The United Nations is facing questions after hiring a wanted alleged money launderer as a special adviser. Mohamed Ould Bouamatou was given a one-dollar contract, which gives him a degree of diplomatic immunity, despite being on an Interpol red list. The businessman is accused of money-laundering, tax evasion and corruption in his West African home country of Mauritania. He denies the allegations. In the same month as he was charged with corruption by the Mauritanian authorities, who issued an international arrest warrant, he was hired by the UNs cultural arm UNESCO. It is understood that UNESCOs controversial former director general Irina Bokova gave him the contract against the advice of her senior aides, the Mail can reveal. Mrs Bokova personally signed his one-dollar contract on August 7, 2017 - after the Mauritanian regime had accused him of corruption - during her final three months running the organisation she led for eight years. It made Mr Bouamatou an adviser to UNESCO, paid a token one dollar, whilst also technically being a wanted man. The contract gives him diplomatic status and a degree of immunity from prosecution, although UNESCO said it would not stop a police case. Mrs Bokova awarded the contract even though senior officials, including an assistant director general, Eric Falt, argued against it, it is understood. Mr Bouamatou is a major businessman from the West African state with shares in a leading bank, a telephone company and the national airline there. He is also a political opponent of the regime of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, his cousin. Last year the regime accused him of financing a group of senators who led a political revolt. It is understood that UNESCOs controversial former director general Irina Bokova gave him the contract against the advice of her senior aides Mr Bouamatous Paris lawyer, William Bourdon, said his client was innocent of all the charges which he said were trumped up by his political opponents. His office confirmed there was an Interpol arrest warrant, but said the international police agency was simply acting on the request of the Mauritanian government. A UNESCO spokesman said it does not comment on individual cases, notably concerning contracts signed by the previous management team. He added that diplomatic immunity in such contracts was granted in the interests of UNESCO, not the individual, and did not excuse anyone from observing laws and police regulations. A spokesman for Mrs Bokova told MailOnline: Mr Boumatou was supporting a number of European and African NGOs and UNESCOs programme on gender equality, adding that Mrs Bokova had signed the contract on the insistence of UNESCOs gender equality director. The spokesman said the French Foreign Ministry would not have agreed to the contract if there was anything improper, adding: At the end of the day, it was for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give its go-ahead for the contract. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has said he was 'out there in the Afro-American community as a brother' back in the 80s thanks to an afro and a dark tan. Trebek's unlikely comments came up in an interview with TMZ founder Harvey Levin when the 78-year-old was detailing an appearance on a United Negro College Fund telethon in the 80s. 'I ran into Gregory Hines, the dancer. Someone came up to me after and said: 'I saw you and your brother talking over there,' he explained, implying that Trebek and the black dancer were related. The Canadian-American game show host - who is white - went on to say: 'Now keep in mind, at this stage in my career I had the afro, I had the mustache, and a very dark tan.' Alex Trebek talks about when he had the afro, the moustache, a very dark tan and how he was out there in the African American community as a brother. OBJECTified: Alex Trebek this Sunday on Fox News at 8p ET / 5p PT and again at 11p ET / 8p PT pic.twitter.com/zOaEhf1mjs TMZ (@TMZ) July 27, 2018 Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek described how his 80s afro and dark tan put him 'out there in the Afro-American community as a brother' in a new interview with TMZ founder Harvey Levin The now-78-year-old Trebek, left, was describing how he'd been mistaken for a relative of black dancer Gregory Hines, right, at United Negro College Fund telethon in the 80s The Canadian-American game show host raised his fist and proclaimed: 'I'm out there in the Afro-American community as a brother' Raising his fist in the air, Trebek proclaimed: 'I'm out there in the Afro-American community as a brother.' Levin can't contain his laughter as Trebek, dressed in a butter-yellow sweater and blue jeans, proudly described the experience. The famed TV personality has been hosting game shows since the 60s, and is best known for the three and a half decades he's spent on Jeopardy! after helping revive the show in 1984. The full interview with Levin will air Sunday on Fox News at 8pm and 11pmEST. TMZ teased a clip of the interview on Thursday, drawing widespread confusion from Twitter users. Trebek has been the host of numerous game shows in the US and Canada since the 60s. He is best known for his more than three decades and counting on Jeopardy! TMZ tweeted a clip of the interview on Thursday, drawing widespread confusion from users who responded with gifs like the one above of comedian Leslie Jones Another user posted a photo from the SNL skit Black Jeopardy with host Kenan Thompson A user under the name Person Man Guy tweeted a photoshopped image of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders with a confused expression The shelters where immigrant youths are held can be hotbeds of sexual abuse and violence despite claims by the Trump administration that they are safe havens for children in government custody, according to a report released Friday. A new investigation reveals hundreds of incidences of sexual abuse, violence and missing children at shelters where immigrant youths are held in custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement. The ProPublica investigation, drawing on five years of data, is based on thousands of pages of state public records from more than 70 of the agency's roughly 100 immigrant youth shelters. Detained immigrant children line up in the cafeteria in 2014 at the Karnes County Residential Center, a temporary home for immigrant women and children detained at the border, in Karnes City, Texas The shelters are located in 17 states and house about 10,000 children and teens about 17 percent were younger age 13 in 2017. In recent weeks the average stay for children housed in immigrant youth shelters has rise to 57 days compared to 34 days two years ago. Experts say that the children are often already vulnerable after fleeing violence in their home country and that, coupled with a sense of isolation, can be a desirable hunting ground for abusers. 'If you're a predator, it's a gold mine,' said Lisa Fortuna, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Boston Medical Center, in an interview with ProPublica. 'You have full access and then you have kids that have already had this history of being victimized.' In one instance at a Tucson, Arizona shelter, a 15-year-old Honduran boy woke up one morning in 2015 to find an employee tickling his chest and stomach. The worker left when the boy asked what he was doing but returned two more times to rub the teenager's genitals through his clothing and attempt to reach underneath the boy's boxer shorts. The 46-year-old employee was later convicted of molestation. In another instance, a 17-year-old boy, also from Honduras, awoke from a surgical procedure in 2017 to find a male staff member standing above him. The man commented on the size of the teen's genitals and pursued the boy until he locked himself in a bathroom to avoid the worker. A 24-year-old worker was placed on leave from another facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in February of this year after it was reported that the staff member kissed a teenage boy in the laundry room. At the same shelter a 21-year-old employee was accused of kissing a 16-year-old girl a year earlier. 'When a perpetrator is trying to pick a victim they're picking somebody that they think is less likely to report the abuse,' said Nayeli Chavez-Duenas, a clinical psychologist who helped develop shelter guidelines on behalf of the National Latina/o Psychological Association, in an interview with ProPublica. 'Children and youth that are coming from outside of the country, that have no legal status here, that don't speak English, that don't have access to lawyers or people who can protect them they already might think they're not going to be believed,' she added. The Trump administration has said the immigrant youth shelters that house children and teens who have been separated from their parents are safe havens. However a new report finds the facilities can be hotbeds of sexual abuse and violence The records also unveiled dozens of reports of unwanted groping and indecent exposure among the children and teens themselves. While the facilities that house these children have come under more scrutiny since the Trump administration started and stopped separating children from their parents at the borders, stories like these have existed at the youth shelters for years, according to the investigation. Experts say the recent influx of children to the facilities has only put more pressure on staff and a system that are already far from perfect. HHS issued a statement to ProPublica saying it has a 'zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior' at the shelters. Nonetheless, records show that police have responded to at least 125 reports of sexual offences at facilities that predominately serve immigrant children. An additional 200 calls were made to more than a dozen other shelters that care for at-risk youth though records don't distinguish how many of those were related to immigrant children versus American youths. Records don't indicate whether any of the children affected had been separated from their parents at the border, but they did include several instances involving children as young as 6 years old. Experts say many more incidents may go unreported as many victims may not report the abuse. It's unclear how many children have gone missing or run away from the facilities over the past five years, though records show it happens on a weekly basis. A facility in San Antonio, Texas had 26 calls related to missing or run away children and teens in the first half of 2018, compared to 14 for all of 2017. Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to seven years in prison in federal court on Friday. US District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan saidcorruption in New York state 'has to stop,' after announcing Silver, one of New York's longtime Democratic power brokers, would spend the better part of the next decade behind bars. This punishment is five years lighter than the original sentence handed down by Caproni to Silver, after his first conviction on corruption charges was overturned on appeal. US District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan said corruption in New York state 'has to stop,' after announcing Former state Assembly Speak Sheldon Silver 9pictured) was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday; He is shown here arriving to the hearing on Friday This punishment is five years lighter than the original sentence handed down by US District Judge Valerie Caproni (pictured) to Silver, after his first conviction on corruption charges was overturned on appeal Caproni noted that corruption trials this year alone have been related, directly or indirectly, to what have been (at least until the past few years) the three most powerful elected public officials in the state. The judge added that Silver seemed to have aged more in the three years since his 2015 arrest than one would might have expected. Before he was sentenced, Silver said he expects he'll continue to be ridiculed and shamed. Silver was once among Albany's most powerful Democrats until he was felled by a corruption scandal. He was initially found guilty in 2015 of pocketing $4 million illegally by collecting fees from a cancer researcher and real estate developer. His conviction and 12-year prison sentence were thrown out by an appeals court, that said his trial must conform with a recent Supreme Court ruling redefining the boundaries of corruption law. But Silver fared no better at a second trial in May. At his second trial, a jury again found him guilty of earning nearly $4 million illegally by collecting fees from a cancer researcher and real estate developers. In a pre-sentence submission, Silver said he was filled with shame and feared he would die in prison. One of the most powerful politicians in New York before corruption charges abruptly ended his career is scheduled to be sentenced for a second time. Prosecutors had argued that the elderly Democrat should spend well over 10 years in prison. Defense attorneys argued for far less prison time. The scandal for which Silver has just been sentenced ended his political career. White House officials exercised their First Amendment right to botch the name of the country Friday referencing the 'United Sates' in one tweet and misspelling the name of a European leader in a statement. They were just the latest examples of a White House plagued by spelling errors with President Trump setting the example with his rapid-fire Tweets. The tweet, from the official White House Twitter account, meant to highlight how the nation's economy 'is roaring.' It included a quote on a stark white-on-black text that had the president saying if economic growth continues, 'THE UNITED SATES ECONOMY WILL DOUBLE IN SIZE.' The tweet, meant to tout the U.S. economy's performance, got the name of the country wrong The error, made more visible because it was in all-caps, drew ridicule on Twitter, yet remained online for at least two hours. The White House later deleted it entirely. It wasn't the only White House typo Friday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders sent out a statement about a phone call Trump had with Jean-Claude Juncker, who met with Trump at the White House Wednesday. It was the kind of basic update on the president's day that reporters count on. But the statement spelled Juncker's name incorrectly as 'Junker' and listed him as president of the European Union, rather than the European Commission, the EU's governing body. White House Press Secretary sent a statement to a pool reporter that misspelled the name of EC President Paul Juncker Trump lauded EC President Jean-Claude Juncker at the White House Wednesday White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent an official statement to a White House pool reporter that misspelled Juncker's name A White House pool reporter who transmitted Sanders' original incorrect statement sent a new version from her, noting that Sanders 'pasted the previous statement from her email.' The one-sentence statement said: 'President Trump spoke with EU President Juncker today. The two leaders continued to build on their previous discussion on renewed U.S.-EU trade cooperation.' In another recent example, Trump called the Washington Post a 'discgrace to journalism' in a tweet. No, that isn't a special effect it's a real, live spider crawling around inside a computer screen. Timothy Buchanan, of Thousand Oaks, California, turned on his computer one day to discovered that it had a bug. Or, to be more precise, a spider. In a video posted on his YouTube page, Buchanan revealed that a tiny arachnid had somehow gotten trapped between his iMac's glass display and the screen. Timothy Buchanan took to YouTube to show the world the spider (circled in red) he discovered stuck between the glass and display of his computer monitor Buchanan said he thought the spider was a digital effect at first, but realized that it was the real deal later. The spider can be seen scuttling across the display after Buchanan taps the screen 'This is our little spider friend inside our Mac screen,' Buchanan says in the clip. 'We're pretty sure he's real because he's there no matter what window we put on top.' Buchanan then demonstrates this by dragging windows around the screen and jiggling the cursor around underneath the spider. He then taps a finger on the glass, right on top of the spider. As if spooked by the giant digit, the spider scuttles across the screen and out of potential harm's way. 'Yeah, that's real,' Buchanan confirms, noting that he and the other people in the room with him initially thought the spider was a digital effect and that 'someone was messing with us.' 'Alright, Apple needs to send us an arachnid technician,' Buchanan jokes. Eventually, Buchanan and his cohorts decide that the spider must have gotten stuck inside the monitor after crawling in through the vents on the back of the computer. Buchanan posted the video on YouTube, asking for suggestions on how to get the spider out Buchanan and the people he was with when he filmed the video, decided that the spider must've gotten into the monitor through the vents on the back of the computer In the YouTube video's description, Buchanan wrote, 'Anyone know how to get him out?' Suggestions posted in his comments ranged from trying to scare it out with a picture of a bird a spider's natural predator to deploying a bug bomb to kill it. Other viewers suggested dissembling the screen or recommended a visit to an Apple Store Genius Bar. Finding a spider stuck inside an iMac screen isn't as an unusual complaint as one might expect, judging by numerous postings and pictures on technology help forums. 'It definitely seems like something that Apple should have foreseen as a possibility and taken preventative measures,' Buchanan told The Sun. NXIVM member Clare Bronfman has asked to be let off house arrest claiming she is unlikely to flee and should not be 'treated differently due to her wealth,' new court papers reveal. Documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Bronfman's attorneys have proposed a new bail package which would allow her to walk free in exchange for the surrender of her passport, restricted access to her trust fund, and no contact with any of the defendants in the case - in addition to the $100 million bond secured against $50 million in property. The billionaire Seagram's liquor heiress was arrested on Tuesday and indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges. Bronfman pleaded not guilty and was later released on a $100 million bond and required to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet after prosecutors labeled her a flight risk. Clare Bronfman, 39, has asked to be released from house arrest two days after she was released on a $100m bond for racketeering conspiracy charges Bronfman, pictured in court on Friday, has claimed she is unlikely to flee because doing so will only result in the loss of her $100 million fortune The 39-year-old's attorneys have now countered the prosecution's claim, saying Bronfman is unlikely to flee because it would only cause 'significant financial harm' to her family and would result in the loss of her multi-million dollar fortune. 'Most obviously, it would cause her to forfeit $100 millionthe entirety of her net worth outside her trustsbased on the amount of the bond,' legal documents state. 'Finally, fleeing would cause significant financial harm to Ms. Bronfman's closest family members. Her mother and brother-in-law, who have both come to New York from Europe to act as sureties on the bond, would be left destitute.' The letter also states that Bronfman's trust would immediately transfer $25 million to the court should she violate her bail terms. It also emphasized that the advisors of her trust would not jeopardize their careers by distributing funds to a 'fugitive'. Bronfman' has not been charged with a violent crime and should not be 'treated differently due to her wealth, her lawyers stated. In a Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis placed Bronfman under house arrest after learning of her $200 million worth and her property in Fiji. Bronfman owns 80 per cent of the island of Wakaya, and is in the process of developing a resort there. Prosecutors labeled Bronfman a flight risk due to her wealth and her properties overseas. She owns 80 per cent of the Fijian island of Wakaya Bronfman's lawyers argued that it is not possible for her to flee because she has surrendered her passport. Above is a general view of Wakaya The island is believed to serve as a safe haven for the cult leaders in the event of prosecution, according to website Frank Report. But her attorneys argued that while Bronfman has 'significant foreign ties, including family members in England and France, and property in Fiji, there is no realistic possibility that she would manage to flee to any of these countries.' 'The only country where she is a citizen is the United States. And she has already surrendered her passport to the Probation Department,' documents state. 'Moreover, each of the three foreign countries to which she has ties have extradition treaties with the United States. 'Even if she were to flee to any of them, therefore, she would be extradited back to the United States.' Bronfman's lawyers also stated that while an ankle bracelet can help keep track of her location without subjecting her to house arrest, they 'do not believe, for the reasons discussed above, that it is necessary in this case to prevent her from fleeing,' either. Unlike other NXIVM leaders Keith Rainere and actress Allison Mack, Bronfman has not been accused of sex trafficking. Leaders of the pack: The heiress to the Seagram liquor fortune, 39, is accused of running a pyramid scheme in order to enrich Keith Raniere, the leader of Nxivm (Allison Mack on left in May, Keith Raniere in an undated video on right) It was however, Bronfman and her sister Sara who helped woo Allison Mack when she considered joining the group according to multiple sources who previously spoke with DailyMail.com. Bronfman has also been alleged to have financed the cult using her family's multi-million dollar fortune. 'Raniere and Bronfman conspired to commit identity theft arising out of a scheme to obtain the e-mail usernames and passwords of perceived enemies and critics of Raniere in order to monitor their electronic communications,' states a release from the US Attorney's Office. 'Raniere and Bronfman participated in an identity theft conspiracy involving the use of credit card and banking information belonging to one of Raniere's sexual partners after her death in November 2016. Bronfman sent Raniere regular emails documenting expenses charged to the woman's credit card for Raniere's 'review and approval.' Those expenses included payments to a chiropractor for Raniere's benefit, as well as thousands of dollars' worth of clothing and shoe purchases for the mother of Raniere's child. 'Bronfman encouraged and induced the illegal entry into the United States of an alien for Bronfman's financial gain, engaging in international wire transfers to make it fraudulently appear that the victim had the financial resources to obtain an investor visa.' Serge Orlov, 64, and his wife Trina at their home in Walmer, Kent One of the first patients in a pioneering NHS scheme to have knee surgery abroad was left in excruciating pain by doctors who could not speak English. Serge Orlov, 64, skipped a ten-month waiting list to have the operation in Calais but had to rely on a translation app when he suffered complications. The retired businessman made repeated trips to France but said medics could not clarify the situation because their English was not good enough. They were left using Google Translate for complex medical language to try to explain that his pain was down to an unusual build-up of scar tissue. When Mr Orlov, of Walmer, Kent, begged for any further treatment to be carried out in England, he faced another lengthy NHS waiting list. In despair and unable to walk because of the pain, he paid 3,200 to go private in the UK. At first, Mr Orlov thought he had won the lottery with the scheme which outsources NHS work to allow 140 UK nationals to have surgery in France, where there were no waiting lists. The treatment is free but they have to pay for travel. When the arthritis sufferer had the total knee replacement in February, the Centre Hospitalier de Calais was smart and he had a private room. But then Mr Orlov was told he could not have the recommended rehabilitation programme because the NHS would not pay. The French hospital could also only deal with one knee at a time, meaning he would have to pay for more trips across the Channel. Everything has gone very wrong and Im extremely unhappy, not to say angry, he said. My operation seemed clean and efficient enough but the outpatient care was appalling. Everybody was meant to be able to speak English, but many couldnt. I asked a lot of questions and got the same answer every time: Yes. It was frustrating. Mr Orlov while he was in hospital in Calais, France. He suffered complications after his knee operation Mr Orlov, who is married to Trina, 65, added: We were asking questions with Google Translate but it doesnt truly translate, it was a bit of a nightmare. The problems all came when you have a complication. They can explain what the procedure is and show you pictures but when there was a problem, their English is just not good enough. Despite medication, he was suffering excruciating pain, while his knee had seized up so he could hardly walk. The scar left on Mr Orlov's knee after his surgery It was swollen like a balloon, he said. I was constantly icing it and could not walk for more than ten minutes at a time. He had to buy half-a-dozen train tickets to get to the hospital and twice had to re-book his travel because of cancelled and delayed appointments. It costs me 60 to get to Calais each time but when they cancel an appointment it becomes a wasted day, added Mr Orlov, who owned a sport and leisurewear firm before he retired. They dont seem to show any sympathy that Im coming from another country. Im not looking for any special treatment but keeping me waiting or cancelling when Ive got a train to catch is appalling. He eventually gave up and went back to the NHS, only to be told the next available slot was not until the end of the year. Mr Orlov then went to a private consultant in Ashford, Kent, and four weeks ago had successful treatment to laser off the scar tissue. Knee replacement is one of the most complex types of surgery and the British surgeon is as concerned as I am about the arrangement with Calais, he said. I was one of the first to take advantage but I wish I hadnt. The Centre Hospitalier de Calais, where Mr Orlov said medics could not clarify the situation because their English was not good enough NHS South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group set up the partnership with the hospital in Calais. A spokesman said: We are very sorry to hear the outcome of Mr Orlovs knee operation was not good. We will be looking into the issues he raises. We have not received other complaints about the contract. Pauline Richoux, for the Calais hospital, said: We had many conversations about his care with our manager and his doctor, and the care was carried out according to English and French requirements for quality and safety. Appointments are regularly made between the NHS and us. Most of the time the satisfaction of NHS patients is excellent. I have never had any bad feedback from them. Roseanne Barr had a few words for her critics while out and about in New York City the day after her tell-all interview with Sean Hannity. The TV star stopped to talk with a passerby on the street who asked her about the Fox News spot in which she claimed she was unfairly fired from ABC for posting a controversial. 'It was okay,' Barr said. 'I like Sean a lot and so I'm glad I went on and said my piece.' The 65-year-old went on to say watching the interview will give people a clearer picture of who she is 'if they have the eyes to see.' Barr was all smiles and even tossed up a peace sign while out in Manhattan on Friday, stopping to talk with a passerby about her interview with Hannity the night before As Barr walked away from the friendly encounter she said: 'I'm over it. I'm done talking about it' 'A lot of people are really brainwashed,' Barr said of her critics . 'They're being manipulated and they don't see it. They don't know they're being manipulated by the establishment.' 'I think that when you question any administration you're punished severely for it, that's the danger.' Barr was fired from her namesake sitcom on May 29 after she tweeted that Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett looked like 'Muslim brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby'. The actress claimed that her contract with the network had a stipulation protecting her 'from getting in trouble with tweets' in the interview with Hannity. When asked how people have treated her on the street after the tweet went viral, she said: 'They treat me so nice, it's amazing. Nicer than ever.' Barr called media coverage that insinuating that her remarks had been racist 'an attack on the Midwest,' but said 'I think people see through it.' As she got up to walk away from the friendly encounter she said: 'I'm over it. I'm done talking about it.' Roseanne Barr claims ABC broke her contract which guaranteed her '24 hours to correct any mistakes', in an interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday evening Barr sat down with the Fox News host for her first interview appearance following her racist tweet and the axing of her show's reboot She said: 'I want to tell you this. I walked away from that show despite the fact I had a contract that protected me from getting in trouble with tweets' The tweet that sparked Barr's firing is nearly three months old but continues to make headlines as the actress appears on talk shows to explain herself. Speaking with conservative host Hannity, the comedian said she was shocked by ABC's decision to ax her and was clueless to the controversy her tweet was stirring in the first place. 'I said in the beginning I will never stop defending Israel and the Jewish people. That's me. I was raised that way. It's very important to me,' she said. 'So they said, okay. Anyway, I did what I did. 'Then they called me. They said what possible excuse could you have for this unforgivable and egregious tweet? I said -- what do you mean exactly?' 'You didn't know?' Hannity asked. 'No, you could have knocked me over with a feather. My boyfriend saw it. I thought she was Middle Eastern,' she said. Barr now claims that ABC violated her contract with the termination by not allowing her 24 hours to correct any mistakes. 'I want to tell you this. I walked away from that show despite the fact I had a contract that protected me from getting in trouble with tweets,' she said. The actress adds that she was prevented from clearing her name. 'I asked them to let me go on The View and other shows and explain and correct that I didn't say what they were putting out there. They said no,' Barr said. She was fired on May 29, the same day she tweeted that Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett looked like 'Muslim Brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby', despite a contract that allowed her '24 hours to correct any mistakes' Speaking on The View, Jarrett seemed unperturbed by the tweet saying: 'In all seriousness...I'm fine. I am just fine.' She added that she walked away from the show without causing a fight so that staff and cast members on the show wouldn't lose their jobs Instead of fighting, Barr told Hannity that she walked away because she didn't want staff and cast members on the show to lose their job and she even signed for the show to continue without her. 'I am for working people. I could fight this. No, it's going to be part of the repentance. I will just walk away,' she said. When she was later asked if she's still on Twitter Barr said: 'My kids took it away from me.' Hannity pointed out she could get another phone, to which she smiled and said 'Yes, I know'. She has been active on Twitter following the May 29 tweet. Speaking on the tweet she said: 'I made a mistake, obviously. It cost me everything. My life's work. Everything. I made a mistake. I have paid the price for it. No, I didn't know -- like a lot of Americans including a lot of people of all times, they didn't know either.' Lindsay Lohans father called 911 early Friday morning, telling the operator his wife Kate was 'drunk' when she smashed his cellphone and then hurled a glass candle holder at him, causing a laceration to his arm. Kate Major Lohan, 35, was arrested at her husbands Boca Raton, Florida, home on a charge of battery after the alleged altercation. On his call to the police placed just minutes after the couple's quarrel, Michael Lohan, 58, declares: my wifes drunk... she just threw a glass candle [holder] and cut my arm. He then goes on to elaborate that his spouse of nearly four years had been 'drinking in a room' prior to the violent outburst. 'My wife's drunk': Michael Lohan (pictured in 2010, left) called police on Friday, saying his wife, Kate, had been drinking before she broke his phone and threw a glass candle holder at him. Kate Major Lohan, 35 (picture din mugshot, right) was then arrested on a battery charge Major Lohan is escorted into court in handcuffs Friday after she was arrested in Florida for allegedly throwing a glass candle holder at her husband, Michael Lohan When the dispatcher asks if the caller requires medical attention from paramedics, he declines. Asked if Major Lohan was separated from him, Michael replies: 'no, she lives with me, but she's been arrested a number of times.' The operator then inquires if Major Lohan has weapons in the house, to which the husband says that she's got knifes and volunteers the information that Kate had threatened him with knives in the past. Michael then urges the emergency dispatcher to send officers to the house. I'm afraid, I dont know what she's gonna do next, he says. On Friday morning, Major Lohan was escorted into court in handcuffs and broke down in tears as she faced the judge. Judge Ted Booras ordered that she be released under supervision. She must wear a SCRAM bracelet, which monitors alcohol levels. 'Seems like we have a serious alcohol problem here,' Booras said during her appearance. Mr Lohan told police that he walked outside during the heated row. Major Lohan then threw the candle holder at him when he turned around. She broke down in tears as she spoke to her defense lawyer during the hearing. A judge ordered her released under supervision and said she appears to have a 'serious alcohol problem' He then got a cut on his arm from a piece of broken glass, the report suggests. Major Lohan told police she did not know how her husband got the cut on his arm. As of Friday morning she remained in jail and a lawyer isn't listed on records. It isn't the first time Major Lohan has had a confrontation with law enforcement or caused concern with her actions. The Palm Beach Post reports police took Kate Lohan into custody last August for a mental health evaluation after she and husband Michael Lohan got into an argument over their children. Kate Lohan was accused of kicking a police officer in nearby Delray Beach in 2016. Court records said that arrest happened during an argument with her estranged husband Michael Lohan, Lindsay's father. Kate Lohan also has children with Michael Lohan. In March 2014, she was sentenced to eight months in jail and a year of probation for DUI. She married Lohan immediately after her release, in October 2014. It is not the first time Major Lohan (left) has been in trouble with the law. Lindsay is seen right Major Lohan and her husband Michael seem happy in two pictures she recently posted on her social media profiles She is seen arriving for an arraignment at the Southampton Town Justice Court on August 18, 2010 in Southampton, New York. Michael was facing charges that he kicked and threatened to kill Major Kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart tried to save Catherine Oxenberg's daughter India from the Nxivm sex-slave cult, according to a new report. Smart wrote a 'wonderful, heartfelt' letter to the 27-year-old actress offering support after learning she was part of the sinister group, in which Smallville actress Allison Mack allegedly blackmailed members into sleeping with its leader, Keith Raniere. But India never replied as she was sucked deeper and deeper into the cult, Catherine Oxenberg, 56, writes in Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult. Kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart (left, in Beverly Hills on May 22) tried to save India Oxenberg (pictured left in New York this week) from the Nxivm sex-slave cult, according to reports Catherine Oxenberg (pictured with her daughter) made the claim in a new book, Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult 'We made a plan for her to send an email to India asking if she needed support, explaining that, she, too had been a victim of media exposure and experienced many emotions that India might be going through,' Oxenberg writes in the book, seen by Radar Online. India joined Nxivm in 2011 aged 20 after going to one of its self-help workshops. The group, which branded its members with Raniere's initials, quickly began to change her. 'She was showing signs of becoming secretive, distracted, and unreliable showing up late for appointments or not helping out at home when she'd promised she would,' Oxenberg, who starred in 80s soap opera Dynasty, wrote. Smart - who was kidnapped and raped aged 14 for nine months - was unable to convince India to leave the cult, and she soon became like an 'Energizer Bunny missionary,' her mother said. Billionaire heiress Clare Bronfman, Smallville star Allison Mack, Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren and Kathy Russell were in a Brooklyn court on Wednesday (Mack left, Bronfman right) All six members of the cult have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, and on Tuesday Bronfman (above on Wednesday) posted $100 million bond for her release The alleged leaders of the Nxivm cult were reunited on Wednesday in court. Allison Mack, billionaire heiress Clare Bronfman, Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren plus Kathy Russell were all seen making their way into United States District Court in Brooklyn for a criminal cause for status conference. Once inside the five women were joined by Raniere, who along with the previously indicted Mack is also facing some new charges. A superseding indictment released on Tuesday revealed that all six members are being charged with racketeering conspiracy and that Raniere, Mack and Laren Salzman were being charged with wire fraud. It has also been revealed that Raniere and Lauren allegedly locked a woman in a room for two years because she was affectionate for a man who was not her master. The painted veil: The five women are all being indicted on charges related to the cult Nxivm, and a subset of the group where women were branded and kept as sex slaves (Nancy Salzman above on Wednesday) Our addiction to plastic bags has been broken thanks to the 5p levy, dramatic figures revealed yesterday. Introduced in 2015, the charge has led to an 86 per cent fall in usage. The number issued by supermarkets annually has fallen from 7.5billion to one billion in four years. This equals 19 per shopper, compared with 140 in 2014. The remarkable decline is a direct legacy of the Daily Mails Banish the Bags campaign, which was launched more than a decade ago and led to the levy The number issued by supermarkets annually has fallen from 7.5billion to one billion in four years. This equals 19 per shopper, compared with 140 in 2014 The remarkable decline is a direct legacy of the Daily Mails Banish the Bags campaign, which was launched more than a decade ago and led to the levy. Michael Gove paid tribute last night to this newspapers pioneering efforts. The Daily Mails tireless campaigning on plastic bags was crucial to the success of our charge in driving down plastic use, said the Environment Secretary. These figures show the huge scale of this success and the collective impact we can make to help the environment by making simple changes to our daily routines. It is only by working together we will reverse the rising tide of plastic waste finding its way into our rivers, seas and oceans and the catastrophic impact this is having on our marine environment. Over the past year the number of bags issued has fallen by 300million to just over one billion, according to figures released yesterday by the Department for the Environment. Ministers are now consulting on extending the charge to smaller shops, which gave away more than 700million throwaway bags last year. The Mails campaign was resisted by the Treasury for years, with ministers and officials claiming it would be unpopular with shoppers and retailers. Ministers are now consulting on extending the charge to smaller shops, which gave away more than 700million throwaway bags last year But the then chancellor George Osborne was eventually forced to back down in 2015 amid mounting public anger at the damage being caused to the worlds oceans. The Mail has also campaigned successfully for a ban on plastic microbeads blamed for damaging our oceans, and is now pushing for wider action against all throwaway plastic. In January, Theresa May unveiled a 25-year plan to eliminate avoidable plastic, including bottles, cups and almost all plastic packaging. Mr Gove is considering a ban on plastic straws and the introduction of a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles. Chancellor Philip Hammond is consulting on a tax on single-use plastics. In January, Theresa May unveiled a 25-year plan to eliminate avoidable plastic, including bottles, cups and almost all plastic packaging But the success of the plastic bag initiative will fuel calls for swifter action against a problem now seen as a global menace and a threat to marine life in particular. A recent study by the Centre for Science, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science found a 50 per cent fall in the number of plastic bags littering the UKs waters since the charge was introduced. Thomas Maes, marine litter scientist at Cefas, said: Every plastic bag not purchased is one that will not end up in our sea, damaging habitats or harming marine life. It is encouraging to see the efforts to reduce plastic bag usage by all of society. These figures show that by working together, we can tackle the marine litter problem. Environmental campaigners last night welcomed the dramatic impact of the 5p charge and urged ministers to accelerate moves to deal with the wider scourge of throwaway plastic. Thomas Maes, marine litter scientist at Cefas, said: Every plastic bag not purchased is one that will not end up in our sea, damaging habitats or harming marine life Mary Creagh, chairman of the Commons environmental audit committee, said: The public has enthusiastically embraced the plastic bag charge since it was introduced in 2015 which is good news for the environment and our economy. We need to encourage behaviour change for other single use plastics such as plastic bottles and coffee cups to change habits and reduce litter. We could also look at introducing a take-back scheme to cut the two billion bags a year we still use even further. Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, said: The success of the plastic bag charge shows that a smart and well-aimed government intervention can change behaviour and greatly reduce plastic waste. But we need to go further, faster to stem the tide of throwaway plastic entering our oceans. UK supermarkets now need to reduce the overall volume of plastic packaging they are putting into circulation, and eliminate problem plastics like styrofoam, PVC and black plastic trays completely. Our trailblazing campaign that changed your world A hard-hitting image of an endangered turtle entangled in plastic helped launch our trail-blazing campaign against the scourge blighting the environment. The landmark issue on 27 February 2008 also featured the shameful scene outside a supermarket where discarded bags and cartons littered a roadside. And, if that wasnt enough to drive home the powerful message, that historic newspaper carried the heart-breaking picture of a dead gannet. Lying on a beach, it had been strangled by a carrier bag. The success of our Banish The Bags initiative has been phenomenal. But the Mail did not stop there, last year launching our Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign and starting a global conversation about saving our seas. We also successfully fought for toxic plastic microbeads to be banned from cosmetic products. Advertisement Rosie Cotgreave, plastic-free campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: A 5p charge may not have sounded like much, but the plummeting number of single-use plastic bags demonstrates the difference that can be made by effective legislation, which is starting to make reusable shopping bags the new norm. Great as it is to see that so many fewer plastic bags are entering our environment, there is still a long list of other plastic nasties that are being used for moments before hanging around for centuries to come. Companies and governments must do more. Its time legislation was extended to cover all other unnecessary single-use plastics, from straws to coffee cups. Tanya Steele, chief executive at the environmental group WWF said: The plastic bag campaign, championed by the Daily Mail, has helped to eradicate the use of millions of plastic bags that could have ended up in the oceans. This shows the effect that we can all have in protecting our world. Theres still a long way to go to stop the torrent of plastic thats suffocating the oceans and killing precious marine wildlife. We need to ban all unnecessary single-use plastic entirely by 2025 otherwise we risk our oceans containing more plastic than fish by 2050. A Nicaraguan cancer doctor was pulled out of surgery and fired along with 39 other members of hospital staff on Friday for defying orders not to treat demonstrators protesting against President Daniel Ortega's government. Dr. Aaron Delgado was told to go to the human resources office in the middle of performing surgery on a woman with breast cancer, and was quickly notified of his termination. 'They did not even let me finish the operation,' Dr. Delgado said. 'All this because a month ago outside the hospital we treated the wounded from a massacre perpetrated by the government's paramilitaries.' Several doctors and other staffers, including surgeons, nurses and lab technicians at the Oscar Danilo Rosales Arguello hospital in the western city of Leon, were notified of the facility's decision when they first reported for their morning shifts. One found out while listening to a radio news report. Nicaraguan Dr. Aaron Delgado (pictured) was told he was fired while performing an operation on a cancer patient This is just one of the many shocking dismissal letters that doctors and other staff members received Friday morning in Nicaragua. It says, in part: 'This notice hereby notifies you that upon the date listed above, your services are no longer needed at this hospital' A dismissed Nicaraguan hospital worker is pictured with a sign that reads 'We're doctors, not terrorists' A letter given to the dismissed staff, reads in part: 'This notice hereby notifies you that upon the date listed above, your services are no longer needed at this hospital.' The hospital and its patients now find themselves without the services of experienced doctors like Javier Pastora Membreno, who served as head of surgery and endoscopy before being fired. 'Our crime is having tended to the wounded from the protests or having supported the marches in some way, asking for justice, freedom and a real democracy,' he said 'We are doctors, not terrorists.' Former head of surgery and endoscopy, Javier Pastora Membreno, addressed the media A bevy of Nicaraguan public hospital workers decried the unexpected firings One of the 40 dismissed hospital workers waved a Nicaraguan flag during a protest Friday United States Senator Marco Rubio called out Nicaragua's government for the sudden hospital firings United States Senator Marco Rubio, who recently said Ortega is an 'old man' and labeled his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo 'crazy', denounced the wave of firings in a tweet. 'More criminality from regime in #Nicaragua. Doctors are being fired from their jobs in #Leon Nicaragua because they treated teenagers injured by paramilitary gangs working for #Ortega and Murillo. #SOSNicaragua.' The rash of dismissals came on the very same day authorities announced the arrest of Pierson Gutierrez Solis, 42, who is suspected of the Monday night killing of Rayneia Gabrielle Lima, 32, a medical student from Brazil, in Managua. Rayneia Lima, an aspiring doctor, was shot dead Monday while driving home from work in Nicaragua. Her alleged killer was arrested Friday. Her sister, Ketelly Lima, shared this picture on her Facebook account Friends and colleagues gather during a vigil in honor of Brazilian medical student Rayneia Lima, who was shot and killed in Managua Although there have been widespread complaints for weeks that anti-government protesters were being shunned from other public medical facilities, Ortega and his government insist no such order ever existed. At least 448 have died since April during the ongoing clashes. 'It is totally false that anyone has been denied attention in the hospitals,' the president said in an interview with Fox News broadcast this week. Health Minister Sonia Castro also said previously that Nicaragua's health system 'has never, at any time, been closed to any treatment.' Hospital president Dr. Judith Lezarja Vargas declined to be interviewed. A graffiti depicting Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega is seen on a wall while demonstrators gather Thursday to mark 100 days of anti-government protests 40 surgeons, doctors, nurses and lab technicians protested after they were fired Friday from a hospital in Nicaragua for treating injured anti-government demonstrators Dr Pastora, who had worked for the Health Ministry for 33 years, spoke Friday at a demonstration outside the hospital to protest the firings. The other fired doctors were there along with a hundred or more demonstrators. Those sacked worked in diverse fields such as pediatrics, spinal medicine, gastroenterology, and oncological surgery. They included the only doctor in the municipality specializing in infectious diseases. 'I do not know if the ministry authorities are clear on what this decision means for the quality of attention to the people and for the training of doctors,' Pastora said. John Wayne Bobbitt spends time at his new house in North Las Vegas, Nevada John Wayne Bobbitt wants you to know this. He is a good man in a crisis. Its my military training, says the 51-year-old former U.S. Marine. It never leaves you. It certainly came to his aid on that terrible night, 25 years ago this summer, when he woke to find his wife Lorena sawing off his manhood with an eight-inch carving knife. Bobbitt is still, inevitably, remembered for the events of that night, which made headlines around the world, and which he now recalls in eye-watering detail. At first, the horror and the pain sent him into deep shock, he says. I just wanted to lie back and go to sleep. But then his first-aid drills kicked in. Instantaneous response actions! Lifesaving! Apply pressure! he barks. Shortly after he got to his local hospital, police found the missing two-thirds of his penis which his fleeing wife, Lorena, had thrown out of the car window near their home in Manassas, Virginia. She had called the police, after realising what shed done, which led to an exhaustive search. In a miraculous nine-hour operation, urological surgeon Jim Sehn and his team successfully re-attached the organ. He was the most calm guy Ive ever met in my life, said the doctor, recalling the moment he met Bobbitt in the emergency room. He high-fived me and said: Do the best you can for me, doc. The aftermath was equally traumatic. Bobbitt was warned, quite bluntly, that his member could quite possibly turn black and fall off in the days following the operation, a prospect that would have psychologically, if not physically, felled lesser men, but not him. Oh, come on. You must have been traumatised, I say. Nope, says Bobbitt. He believes that he was lucky lucky! because he was young, fit and fresh out of the military. I am a United States Marine and we are different. We are highly trained to fight and we are prepared for the worst thing a person can go through. So I was ready. If it was anybody else, some white-collar guy, some banker, some other guy not so well trained, it would have been a different story. It would have been a lot more tragic. They probably would have killed themselves, you know, he says. But I am a survivor. Is he really? Can he, for example, survive the reawakened interest in his case that the 25th anniversary has provoked? He is taking part in an investigation about the case by ABCs 20/20 news show, while Amazon is producing a four-part documentary called Lorena, produced by Oscar-winning Jordan Peele. In it, Bobbitts former wife Lorena Gallo will tell her truth in a critical discourse on gender dynamics, abuse and her fight for justice For Lorena always claimed that she attacked John because he came home drunk and raped her, while he insisted it was an act of vengeance because he was leaving her For Lorena always claimed that she attacked John because he came home drunk and raped her, while he insisted it was an act of vengeance because he was leaving her. She says their dysfunctional six-year marriage which ended in divorce in 1995 was riddled with instances of bullying and abuse. He says that she an Ecuadorian immigrant and trained manicurist was using him to chase her American dream and couldnt bear to let him go. Basically, she said, if I cant have his penis, then no-one will, he says today. She didnt want me to be with another woman. If I was going to leave her, abandon her or get divorced, then there would be consequences. In the end, both Bobbitts were acquitted of all charges in sensational trials. In November 1993, he was found not guilty of rape and assault, while in January 1994 she was acquitted of malicious wounding by reasons of temporary insanity, and was set free after 38 days in a state mental institution. So, its going to be difficult for Lorena to make any specific allegations about her ex-husband without defaming him. Bobbitt has promised to sue her for unlawful intent if she does. Hes already been grumbling about the tone of some of the interviews: I didnt like the questions they asked me, all about Lorena crying and everything, he says. But in the fevered atmosphere of these #MeToo times, the impulse by some to recast Lorena as the victim has proved irresistible. There should be a #MeToo movement for men because the law is biased towards women, says Bobbitt. We could all stand up and say MeToo! I went through that, my girlfriend did this, my fiancee poisoned me, my wife cut my penis off because I filed for divorce. I mean, MeToo, MeToo let the men do it! Do you agree? In the end, both Bobbitts were acquitted of all charges in sensational trials Well, I . . . Dont stand up for women because you are a woman. Why stand up for an evil woman? If a woman is evil and she is bad and nasty, why stand up for her? I, um . . . Anyway, I am not that worried about being victimised again. I can handle that. I can conquer the world. Today, Bobbitt lives in a rented house in north Las Vegas, which he shares with his miniature chihuahua, Cupcake. Girlfriend Joni, who sells dresses, is a regular visitor. He has a jeep and a Harley-Davidson motorbike in his three-car garage, both with number plates that pay tribute to President Trump. I get a lot of negative comments about them, but hell, I love that guy, he says. Bobbitt has money in the bank but he lives mostly on disability benefits after breaking his neck in a car accident in 2014. He also suffers from osteomyelitis, a bone infection that gives him ulcers and necessitates painful skin grafts. He believes he caught it when stationed with the Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in 1987, where the water supply had been contaminated with dry-cleaning solvents. He is on antibiotics and blood thinners, but hey, it is not all bad news on the health front. A recent operation to reverse the penis enlargement he had when he was working as a porn star in films such as John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut and Frankenpenis has been a success. Oh the penis reduction has been great, he says amiably, as if we were discussing some household carpentry project. You know, it was just too big. About 10in by 3in when aroused. It was good for the movies, but girlfriends always complained about it. Quite often they would deny sexual activity. I havent been able to make love properly for over 20 years, but now I can. So why didnt he have it done sooner? I dont know! I guess I just didnt think of it. I wish I had. But now I am fully functional and it was so easy, I didnt even have to stay in hospital overnight. John Wayne Bobbitt and his penis where to begin? It is a schlocky horror show that has fascinated and repelled America for a quarter of a century, a slice-of-life saga that has transfixed men and women, while turning him into a household name and the butt of a million jokes. In the aftermath of the attack, Nasas Titan spacecraft acquired the nickname Bobbitt because a section of the rocket detached during flight. Even The New Yorker got in on the act, running a cartoon of three mice with white sticks listening to a radio. One is saying: She cut off his what with a carving knife? Bobbitt never minded, because he was in on the joke. He called himself Stumpy, he autographed steak knives, he hosted promotional events in Las Vegas where he entertained visiting society ladies by chopping up sausages and handing them round as canapes. The jokes were great. I was kind of sad and depressed until the first joke came out but then I started feeling better. I felt that it humanised me, it lifted me up. He insists he never really wanted to become a porn star although one can understand his yearning to show the world he had not lost his ability to function sexually. It was temporary, a novelty, more of a retaliation. My wife hurt me and tried to ruin my life, so it was my way of saying it was just a scratch, no big deal. Some scratch! Who was being honest about that night? Someone had to be innocent and someone had to be guilty, but the truth is as murky and evasive now as it was then. Despite his acquittal, John was forever cast as the bad guy while Lorena was hailed as a champion, even though prosecutors called her actions a calculated and malicious act of revenge. She became an icon of third-wave feminism, a symbol of female power in the face of what was seen as increasing male aggression. No wonder Bobbitt does not want to return to the fanaticism of those days. Outside the court during Lorenas trial, jubilant feminists sold T-shirts carrying the words A Cut Above and depicting a knife dripping with blood. Vendors offered handmade chocolate penises at $10 a piece. One band of unhinged radical feminists from Lorenas native Ecuador threatened what they called emasculation terrorism, in which they would cut off the penises of ten American men for every year of Mrs Bobbitts prison sentence, if she was jailed. Meanwhile, famous feminist voices rallied to the cause. It is the perfect allegory for the escalating gender war, boomed author Naomi Wolf. Law professor Susan Estrich called it every mans worst nightmare and many womens occasional fantasy. Author and political activist Barbara Ehrenreich said she understood why some women felt a ripple of glee upon hearing about Bobbitts fate. American academic and social critic Camille Paglia called it a revolutionary act. Mens organisations were aghast, calling it a tragedy, an open season on men that not only condoned taking the law into your own hands but also encouraged what it called jungle savagery. Even now, people forget that were it not for the wonders of medicine and microsurgery, this would be a very different story indeed. Yet that did not stop pressure groups and feminist warriors, then and now, from descending upon this misbegotten pair like vultures, eager to exploit their grim little marriage for sex war purposes. Yet John and Lorena were and are not quite the hero and heroine everyone wanted them to be. Back then, he was inarticulate and was later convicted of assaulting a topless dancer girlfriend. And the court case revealed Lorenas history of thieving. Today, she works in a beauty salon and lives with David, her partner of 20 years and their 13-year-old daughter Olivia. She started a foundation dedicated to preventing domestic violence, but it seems to do little more than a few token gestures. All in all, it would be a blessing if everyone put their pet causes to one side and we could close the lid on this awful case for ever. Even Mr Bobbitt seems to think so. I dont know anyone who has been through so much with their sex organ as I have, says ol Stumpy, star of Frankenpenis and sometime international joke. He says over the years he has learned much, become more articulate, sensitive and understanding and even cries at romantic films. He celebrated his 50th birthday last year with friends in a real nice expensive steak restaurant and is pretty happy with his lot. I ask girlfriend Joni if anything about him would surprise people. Yes, she says. The fact that he is so nice. The Connecticut man arrested for the brutal strangling death of a New York City nurse may be responsible for as many as seven other murders, authorities said. Danuel Drayton, 27, of New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested in Los Angeles on July 24, for allegedly strangling 29-year-old Samantha Stewart to death in New York City on July 17. Stewart was found dead in her home in Queens, New York, with her teeth knocked out and her tongue hanging out. She was covered in a white sheet. Stewart's 17-year-old brother made the gruesome discovery. Danuel Drayton, 27, of New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested in Los Angeles on July 24, for allegedly strangling 29-year-old Samantha Stewart in New York City on July 17 Authorities tracked down Drayton in Los Angeles, where they found him in the same residence as a woman who had been tied up and was said to be held against her will, the New York Daily News reported. Drayton was charged with felony attempted murder, false imprisonment and penetration with a foreign object. He is currently being held on $1.25million bail in Los Angeles, and has a NYPD hold as well, according to jail records. Authorities believe that Stewart met Drayton on the dating app Tinder. Authorities believe that Drayton met Stewart on dating app Tinder and said during a press conference that he may have used dating sites to meet other women and victimize them 'It is believed by us that this individual uses dating websites to meet women and then victimizes these women,' NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told media at a press conference Thursday. Authorities said that Stewart's case and a prior, separate accusation of rape in Brooklyn led investigators to Drayton and made it possible for them to arrest him in California, ABC 7 reported. Drayton had previously been arrested for strangulation in Nassau County, New York, on June 30 and has five priors in Connecticut, including a 2011 strangulation arrest. Police believe Drayton may have additional victims and are asking them to come forward. An Ohio man was delayed a whopping eight times by Southwest Airlines over the span of two days as he tried to return home from a convention in New Orleans. Twitter user @iamKerm attempted to get to his Columbus, Ohio, home after enjoying a trip to New Orleans for his fraternity's 81st Grand Conclave. A member of historically black fraternity Omega Psi Phi, @iamKerm shared that he was 'exhausted' from the weekend festivities and 'was just ready to get home' on Sunday.' Twitter user @iamKerm attempted to get to his Columbus, Ohio, home after enjoying a trip to New Orleans for his fraternity's 81st Grand Conclave But arriving for his 8.25am flight with two hours to spare, he was shocked to find that there was a massive line 'longer than when Jesus fed the Israelites with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish' But arriving for his 8.25am flight with two hours to spare, he was shocked to find that there was a massive line 'longer than when Jesus fed the Israelites with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.' After missing his first flight, @iamKerm was able to get moved to a 6am flight for the next day. He decided, instead, to fly to Orlando at 10.20am to make it back the same day he was originally scheduled Luckily, @iamKerm saw another member of his fraternity and finessed a 'Dap & Cut' move to jump the line, which he added was common for 'club lines, Jordan releases, & especially for close flight times.' The duo would eventually realize that only four gate agents were working and manually tagging bags - causing the excruciating delay. They missed their initial flight, but an agent was able to book them on the 6am flight for the next day. The move excited @iamKerm's friend, but not the brave voyager who needed to make it back home so that he could be at work the next day. He said: 'I called @SouthwestAir customer service to see if they could rebook me on an earlier flight. To my surprise they tell me that there was a 10.20am flight and immediately tell them to make the change.' Separating from his frat brother, @iamKerm departed from New Orleans and headed to Orlando, Florida, where his connecting flight would get him home. Falling asleep immediately, he was shocked when he woke up on the plane to see that his connecting flight had been cancelled Falling asleep immediately, he was shocked when he woke up on the plane to see that his connecting flight had been cancelled. 'So I see a group of Zetas from my same flight approaching the gate agents desk and I realize that they stood between me and getting home so in a mad dash I sprinted in front of them,' he added, making it to the gate and eventually getting the last seat for a 9.40pm flight. Taking a brief nap - since it was still 1.30pm when he arrived in Orlando - @iamKerm woke up and was perplexed by an influx of AirDrop photos of dogs and Deadpool that came from a 'JesseiPhone'. Taking a brief nap - since it was still 1.30pm when he arrived in Orlando - @iamKerm woke up and was perplexed by an influx of AirDrop photos of dogs A photo of Deadpool followed and he looked for the culprit - 'JesseiPhone' 'At this point Im pissed and I look up to see this little bad a** white kid looking down at his iphone laughing hysterically,' he recalled. 'I realized that this little young punk was Jesseiphone' 'At this point Im pissed and I look up to see this little bad a** white kid looking down at his iphone laughing hysterically,' he recalled. 'I realized that this little young punk was Jesseiphone.' Evading the harassment, @iamKerm goes to grab Chinese food before returning to his gate to see that it was still expected to leave on time. But that excitement would prove to be short lived, as his flight would be pushed back to midnight, 1.50am and then eventually cancelled along with the rest of the Southwest flights at two. His flight would be pushed back to midnight, 1.50am and then eventually cancelled along with the rest of the Southwest flights at two. So he decided to take a Megabus @iamKerm hoped making it to Jacksonville would allow him to catch a quick flight from there back to his home And by the time he makes it through the crowded chaos and to the gate, agents informed @iamKerm that the next flight from Orlando to Columbus was scheduled for Tuesday. Checking his Southwest app, the tired traveler notices that there is a flight from Jacksonville, Florida, to Columbus that leaves in the afternoon. He quickly snaps up the seat and takes a two hour bus to the next airport. 'I get to Jacksonville airport sleep deprived, frustrated, & hygienically challenged aka stank,' he said, adding that he decided to change his clothes for a 'mental boost' after being in airports and on planes for 24hours. 'I get to Jacksonville airport sleep deprived, frustrated, & hygienically challenged aka stank,' he said, adding that he decided to change his clothes for a 'mental boost' after being in airports and on planes for 24hours But then he notices that his entire suitcase is wet - forcing the man to only brush his teeth and change his hat, glasses and shoes in an effort to 'lift my morale' But then he notices that his entire suitcase is wet - forcing the man to only brush his teeth and change his hat, glasses and shoes in an effort to 'lift my morale.' From Jacksonville, @iamKerm flies to Chicago where he was supposed to catch another connecting flight. But as he arrives at the airport, he notices that his final flight home has been delayed. From Jacksonville, @iamKerm flies to Chicago where he was supposed to catch another connecting flight 'At this point Im thinking this is just a prank that @SouthwestAir is playing on me,' the now disgruntled man added. 'After 6 delays in Orlando I was now on my 7th delay. I couldnt believe it. At this point I wondered if Id ever get home.' Eventually @iamKerm gets on his flight from Chicago and his Columbus destination is in clear sight. He quickly doses off while on the connecting flight, with the expectation that when he awakes he'll be in Columbus. But as he arrives at the airport in Chicago, he notices that his final flight home has been delayed. On Monday evening, he boards his final plane from Chicago to Columbus That doesn't happen, however, and the man is shook when he wakes to find that the plane has had to detour to Cleveland because of weather complications That doesn't happen, however, and the man is shook when he wakes to find that the plane has had to detour to Cleveland because of weather complications. 'The 8th one hurt the most because I thought I was home,' he shared. 'I thought I was finally free from the clutches of @SouthwestAir. I was broken.' The delay left @iamKerm stumped as he contemplated what he had done to deserve such a fate. Eventually, the plane takes off again and gets the man to his destination. Everyone clapped when the plane landed in Columbus. Eventually, the plane takes off again and gets the man (second from the right) to his destination He said: 'I was finally back home after almost 48 hrs of being held hostage by @SouthwestAir. Overjoyed I did the only thing I could do - said thank you Jesus.' And while he was happy to be home, @iamKerm quickly realized that he wasn't offered any form of compensation for his trouble. The Columbia, South Carolina, native added: 'Never fly SW they are the worst!' Southwest Airlines saw all the tweets and sent a response to the man on Twitter that said: So sorry to hear about the less than ideal experience, Kerm. Please DM your confirmation number & any additional details so we can follow-up!' Southwest Airlines could not be reached for a comment about whether they compensated the man for his trouble. Ex-Florida police officer Guillermo Ravelo, 37, pleaded guilty on Thursday to making false arrests on innocent black men A former Florida police officer has pleaded guilty in a civil rights case regarding false arrests in which he admitted to framing innocent black men. Guillermo Ravelo, 37, pleaded guilty on Thursday in Miami federal court to conspiracy to deprive a person of his civil rights and deprivation of civil rights under color of law. Ravelo is accused of making the false arrests while working for the Biscayne Park Police Department in Miami in 2013 and 2014. Prosecutors say Ravelo falsely arrested 35-year-old Clarens Desrouleaux in January 2013 for two residential burglaries, claiming at the time that he had confessed to the crime. He also allegedly falsely arrested 31-year-old Erasmus Banmah for five vehicle burglaries despite knowing there was no evidence that connected him to the crimes. Ravelo falsely claimed in paperwork that Banmah had taken him to the site and confessed to the items that he stole. Authorities say Ravelo also struck and handcuffed another suspect during a traffic stop. The charges against both Desrouleaux and Banmah were later dropped. His boss at the time, Biscayne Park police chief Raimundo Atesiano, has been accused of urging his staff to pin unsolved crimes on random black people with prior records in a bid to boost the departments arrest rate. Multiple officers and the chief at Biscayne Park Police Department (above) have been accused of making false arrests to boost their arrest rate The Miami Herald obtained records last month regarding an internal probe from 2014 that allegedly support claims Atesiano had ordered his staff to make false arrests. 'If they have burglaries that are open cases that are not solved yet, if you see anybody black walking through our streets and they have somewhat of a record, arrest them so we can pin them for all the burglaries,' Officer Anthony De La Torre said in the 2014 probe. 'They were basically doing this to have a 100 percent clearance rate for the city.' The department cleared 29 out of 30 burglary cases from 2013-14. Investigators believe 11 of those were based on false arrests. Atesiano and two other officers, Raul Fernandez and Charlie Dayoub, were recently charged with framing a teenager for several burglaries to improve their arrest statistics. Ravelo, who was fired from the department earlier this year, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 4 following his guilty plea. Brandon McGlover (pictured), 32, was charged with 15 felony counts on Friday A man has been accused of starting multiple fires that burned five homes on Friday and prompted thousands of evacuations from an entire Southern California mountain town. Brandon McGlover was charged with 15 felony counts that carry a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. McGlover was arrested on Wednesday and accused of starting at least nine fires in the Idyllwild, Anza and Sage areas of southern California, CBS News reported, located about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. His bail has been set at $1 million. Charges include one count of aggravated arson, five counts of arson of an inhabited structure and nine counts of arson of forest or wildland. One of the fires erupted Wednesday afternoon and quickly grew to seven-and-a-half square miles, fueled by dry brush and trees in rugged terrain. It was burning in and around San Bernardino National Forest, prompting officials to order evacuations for Idyllwild and surrounding communities. An estimated 6,000 people had to evacuate and officials said the blaze threatened another 4,900 structures. No injuries were reported but dozens of horses and other animals and several hundred people, including children from summer camps, went to shelters. One of the fires erupted Wednesday afternoon and quickly grew to seven-and-a-half square miles, fueled by dry brush and trees in rugged terrain It was burning in and around San Bernardino National Forest, prompting an estimated 6,000 people to evacuate from their homes The Cranston Fire continued to burn early into Thursday morning July 26, 2018 in Idyllwild, California William Blodgett of Idyllwild said he couldn't get home because of the fire and had to wait along with others at a gas station in nearby Mountain Center until the fire hopped a highway and began to move in his direction. 'We were all peeling out of there as fast as we could,' he told KNBC-TV. 'It was apocalyptic.' The fire is one of several across California amid a statewide heat wave. To the north, in the San Francisco Bay Area, at least one home burned in a fast-moving blaze in Clayton, where houses are spread out around windy roads. Yosemite Valley, the scenic heart of the national park, was closed at noon Wednesday during the height of tourist season as smoke cast a pall on the region from a fire in the Sierra Nevada. The closure was heartbreaking for travelers, many of whom mapped out their trips months in advance to hike and climb amid the spectacular views of cascading waterfalls and sheer rock faces. 'We had one guest who planned a weeklong trip,' said Tom Lambert, who owns a vacation rental property near Yosemite Valley. 'It was a father-daughter trip, for her high school graduation... Now it's done. It's sad.' Another guest had to delay plans to climb Half Dome. No injuries were reported but dozens of horses and other animals and several hundred people went to shelters The charges against McGlover Charges include one count of aggravated arson, five counts of arson of an inhabited structure and nine counts of arson of forest or wildland The fires prompted officials to evacuate an an estimated 6,000 people from their homes California Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday issued emergency proclamations in both Riverside County in the south and Shasta County in the north. The declarations authorize the state to rally resources to local government. The closure has also been a financial blow to Lambert and other businesses that rely on the summer tourist traffic. Most people left the valley Tuesday, when officials reluctantly announced the closure, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. The remaining campers packed up their gear Wednesday, joining the exodus that has been mostly orderly. California Gov. Jerry Brown (pictured) on Thursday issued emergency proclamations in both Riverside County in the south and Shasta County in the north 'People have been very understanding,' Gediman said. Officials emphasized that Yosemite wasn't in imminent danger from the fire. Authorities decided on the shutdown to allow crews to perform protective measures such as burning away brush along roadways without having to deal with traffic in the park that welcomes 4 million visitors annually. On Wednesday, an extended family from Los Angeles on their annual trip to Yosemite prepared to leave the Upper Pines campground. 'Very disappointed,' Lisa Salgado said. 'We look forward to this all year. This is the trip of our summer.' The group arrived Monday and had planned to stay through Saturday. Instead, they packed tents and other gear into vehicles, hoping they could find another campground elsewhere. 'So, this is a new memory,' said Miguel Martinez. 'I've never been evacuated before.' Yosemite Valley will be closed until at least Sunday, along with a winding, mountainous, 20-mile stretch of California's State Route 41 that leads into the area, Gediman said. At least 1,000 campground and hotel bookings were canceled to say nothing of the impact on day visitors, park workers and small businesses along the highway, Gediman said. The last time the 7.5-mile-long (12-kilometer-long) valley was closed because of fire was 1990, he said. Lambert and his wife, Theresa Ho, were briefly evacuated last week when smoke cast an unhealthy pall over the home where they live upstairs and rent the downstairs to tourists. 'Basically June, July and August are the big revenue months,' he said, estimating that about 100 nearby vacation properties would be forced to offer refunds. 'We're gonna lose half of July and half of August probably.' A firefighter watches as the Cranston fire grows to more 1,200 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest above Hemet, California on Wednesday Firefighters work as the Cranston Fire burns in San Bernardino National Forest on July 26, 2018 near Idyllwild, California Yosemite Valley is the centerpiece of the visitor experience, offering views of landmarks such as Half Dome, Bridal Veil Fall, El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. The glacial valley has been enveloped by a choking haze of smoke from the Ferguson Fire. Over nearly two weeks, flames have churned through 60 square miles of timber in steep terrain of the Sierra Nevada just west of the park. The fire was just 25 percent contained. Mandatory evacuations are in place in several communities while other people have been told to get ready to leave if necessary. More than 3,300 firefighters are working the fire, aided by 16 helicopters. One firefighter was killed July 14, and six others have been injured. Gediman suggested valley visitors divert to Tuolumne Meadows, on Yosemite's northern edge, or to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to the south. In the state's far north, a seven-square-mile wildfire has forced the evacuation of French Gulch, a small Shasta County community that dates to the Gold Rush. Energy giants can use smart meters to cut the power supply to homes and force customers to pay their bill up front. The Daily Mail can reveal that suppliers have the power to switch the new digital devices to a pre-payment setting without visiting the house. This would force the homeowner to top up their account before they use any gas or electricity and if their balance runs out, their power could automatically be shut off. More than 11 million smart meters have been installed across the country as part of a national upgrade programme ordered by the Government. The new meters automatically send readings to suppliers as often as every half an hour and show customers in pounds and pence exactly how much gas and electricity they use. Energy giants can use smart meters to cut the power supply to homes and force customers to pay their bill up front The aim is to make bills more accurate and help customers save money by encouraging them to reduce their power consumption. But experts warn that smart meters give firms unprecedented power over their customers, including access to reams of data about how and when customers use energy and the ability to control a customer's supply remotely. Major energy companies said they had not yet used the feature, but admitted it was possible. Lily Green, of auto-switching service Look After My Bills, said: 'Suppliers now have a frightening level of power to hit customers in the pocket. In the past, the Big Six have proven far too eager to force expensive pre-payment meters into people's homes despite Ofgem warnings that they should only ever be used as a last resort. 'If they can switch someone to a pre-payment meter with a flick of a switch whenever they choose, this is very worrying for families across the country already struggling with unfair price rises.' Smart meter programme architect rips out his own meter The architect of the smart meter program has removed his own device because he can't keep track of it. Former energy minister Mike O'Brien said then-energy secretary Ed Milliband, during the Gordon Brown Government, made bad assumptions in designing the programme. Former energy minister Mike O'Brien removed his own device because he couldn't keep track of it They were wrong to think users would monitor their electricity and gas use and consume less as a result, he told the Telegraph. 'I had an early version, after a while I barely looked at it, didn't use it. We got rid of it,' he said. Mr O'Brien and other former ministers also slammed the decision to let the big six energy companies roll out the programme instead of distribution network operators. They said this mistake was caused by constant lobbying from power companies that the government caved into. The programme was also rushed into service by politicians and bureaucrats desperate to meet climate change targets. Mr O'Brien said: 'Far from opposing us, the Tories were saying we weren't being green enough. These were the days of David Cameron chasing huskies.' However, according to one expert they 'couldn't tell the difference between a spanner and a banana'. Meters now stop working when a household changes supplier, and many don't work in mobile phone blackspots as they use technology that relies on the signal. Energy companies also pressured customers into installing a smart meter even if they didn't want one. The Energy Department said more than 11 million smart and advanced meters were installed in Britain and more than 400,000 were being installed every month. 'Smart meters are expected to take 300 million off domestic energy bills in 2020 alone, rising to an annual saving of 1.2 billion by 2030,' it said. Advertisement A pre-payment meter works like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone in that customers have to top it up with credit before they can use any power. They are most commonly found in rented homes or households where the owner is struggling financially, because they provide a better means of controlling how much is spent on energy. Energy firms said that one of the benefits of new smart meters is that they can switch a meter from pre-payment to the more popular credit setting remotely. Energy watchdog Ofgem has strict rules on when suppliers can force customers to have a pre-payment meter. It is supposed to be a last resort when recovering debt, and suppliers should put households on to repayment plans first. Currently, power companies need a warrant to install a pre-payment meter against a customer's wishes because they need access to their property. This would force the homeowner to top up their account before they use any gas or electricity and if their balance runs out, their power could automatically be shut off But if suppliers can switch someone's meter remotely it would remove the need to go through the courts. Under Ofgem rules energy firms would still have to show they had done everything possible to avoid forcing someone to have a pre-payment meter and take steps to ensure that any vulnerable customers are protected. An Ofgem spokesman said: 'For suppliers that are considering if it is appropriate to offer pre-payment to smart meter customers, the same rules apply as for those on traditional meters. 'Suppliers must be clear in their communications and establish that pre-payment is practical and affordable for a customer. Ofgem would take any breach of these rules by a supplier very seriously.' A Chinese man's plans for his 'sick day' was ruined by police when his own wife mistook him for a burglar hiding in their wardrobe at home. The woman, identified by her surname Li, said she left home on Tuesday to take her children to school and expected her husband to leave for work after. However, when she returned to her flat at about 11am, Ms Li was surprised to find the door locked from the inside. She also heard noises coming from the flat, prompting her to alert police. A Chinese man's plans for his 'sick day' was ruined by police when his own wife mistook him for a burglar hiding in their wardrobe at home. The man wanted to play video games all day Video footage of the incident in Hanzhou city, east China's Zhejiang province shows police searching the bedroom for any suspicious persons. In the clip released by Hangzhou Daily, officers opened the wardrobe to find a man crouching inside the small space. 'Get out! Get out!' The officer was heard yelling, ready to apprehend the man. 'Oh... I'm so sorry - it seems I've made a mistake,' Ms Li told police, clearly embarrassed. 'This is my husband,' she said. Officers opened the wardrobe to find a man crouching inside the small space Officers was about to apprehend the man when the woman said he is actually her husband The man, Mr Ding, had apparently lied to his wife and said he had gone to work for the day The man turned out to be none other than her own husband, Mr Ding. He had apparently lied to his wife and said he had gone to work. In fact, he had taken sick leave so that he could play video games at home all day. Mr Ding did not expect his wife to return to the flat so soon and so he hid in the closet, afraid that Ms Li would scold him for being lazy, according to the report. 'What? Are you really married? Show me your marriage certificate,' a bewildered officer said. After a lot of confusion, the police officers left the flat and warned the couple not to file any more spurious crime reports. A four-year-old boy was trapped under a large letter box after it toppled onto him in a building lobby in China. At least five children were playing hide-and-seek when the cabinet suddenly fell on them on Tuesday, leaving one of them stuck underneath. Residents heard the commotion and quickly lifted the cabinet off the floor, freeing the child. He sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital. A four-year-old boy was playing with his friends when a large letter box fell on him in China Another boy was hit in the back by the collapsed cabinet but escaped unharmed CCTV footage from a residential building in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, shows the group of boys playing together in the lobby. Some were seen playing with the doors of a wardrobe nearby while others tried to climb up the letter box. However, the cabinet could not support the weight of the boys and came crashing down on them. While the other children escaped unharmed, the four-year-old boy, later identified by his nickname Xiaoze, was trapped underneath it. Another boy was also hit in the back and fell to the ground. One of his friends was seen peering underneath the large cabinet to see if Xiaoze was all right Hearing the commotion, several adults immediately rushed to lift the letter box off the boy The boy was then hospitalised and treated for minor injuries on his head, nose and mouth One of his friends was then seen peering underneath the large cabinet to see if Xiaoze was all right while others stood helplessly around it. Hearing the commotion, several adults immediately rushed to lift the letter box off the boy. He was hospitalised and treated for minor injuries on his head, nose and mouth, according to Kan Kan News. His grandmother told reporters that she was sitting outside the building as it was too hot indoors and thought he would be fine playing with friends. The management of the housing estate has claimed responsibility for the accident and said checks will be done to ensure all cabinets are anchored to the walls. UK air traffic controllers are expecting to see the busiest day of the summer today as hundreds of thousands of Brits take to the skies on their summer holidays. Nats, the UK air traffic control service, is due to handle 8,841 flights in 24 hours. But the surge in flights is not just down to Britons looking for sun, sea, and sand, as flights from Heathrow to business and tourist hubs Dublin, New York, and Frankfurt, take the three top spots for the busiest routes. The projected top seven routes for Friday are: Heathrow to Dublin Heathrow to New York Heathrow to Frankfurt Gatwick to Barcelona Gatwick to Malaga Gatwick to Majorca Gatwick to Faro More than 15 per cent of the flights departing from and arriving to the UK will be going through Heathrow (around 1390 flights), while Gatwick will have around 940 flights and Stansted around 670 flights, the second and third busiest airports respectively. Supermarkets are cashing in on the heatwave by selling wonky fruit and vegetables at full price. Leading chains have cut the normal specifications on fruit and veg and are selling cracked and misshapen produce at top prices. It comes as the heatwave slashes the amount of produce grown by British farmers. Morrisons, Asda and Aldi have been among the first supermarkets to change specifications on a rante of fresh produce. A Morrisons spokesman said: 'We have relaxed our specifications for salads, including lettuce, cucumbers, celery herbs and peppers.' Asda said it was now imposing less stringent requirements on berries and lettuce, while Aldi is monitoring the situation daily. It follows warnings that carrot yields could be cut by almost half over the next 11 months. Shoppers noticed cracked and misshapen produce - normally sold cheaper in stores' 'wonky range'- on offer at full price this week. Retailers claimed they had not changed their specifications for carrots. Warnings of crop shortages have increased in the past week, with growers of onions and apples saying the heatwave was hitting supply. This year's onion crop in the UK is forecast to be cut by a quarter compared to last year, said Tim Elcombe, chairman of trade body British Onions. He said: 'Crops without irrigation are dying. Growers have been working round the clock, but there are areas where water is limited.' Ali Capper, head of English Apples and Pears, told The Grocer trade magazine, she was worried about the sustained dry spell. She said growers were being forced to put mulch around trees to cut evaporation. Microsoft has added a dark mode to the online version of its Outlook email client. The new feature inverts the colours of the web application from white to black in order to 'minimise eye strain' for users. Microsoft teased the launch of the feature earlier this month, which it now claims is 'the best Dark Mode of any leading email client'. It's unclear whether the feature will be added to the mobile app version of Outlook. Scroll down for video Microsoft has installed the option of a dark mode on the web version of Outlook. It inverts the colours of the email application from white to black in order to take 'minimise eye strain' for its users Microsoft confirmed the existence of its long-requested Dark Mode on its official forum. The ability to invert the colours on-screen to reduce the strain on your eyes is currently only available when using the default blue theme. To activate the mode, users need to head into the quick settings menu in the main inbox dashboard, which can be opened by selecting the cog icon in the top right-hand corner. Dark mode toggle is located underneath the themes and above 'conversation view'. In a written statement, a spokesperson for Microsoft said: 'Dark Mode is a more-pleasant way to read your Outlook.com email if you prefer interfaces that are less bright or if you are in a low-light environment.' Some Microsoft users have criticised the presence of darker colours in the reading pane where the content of the email is displayed, claiming it can make deciphering text difficult. Microsoft says this was a deliberate move in order to further reduce eye strain compared to other email service providers. It has provided an option to quickly turn off the mode, labelled as 'Turn on the lights', which can be found to the left of 'Reply' in individual emails. Microsoft confirmed on its forum that the beta version of the webmail site could be toggled into the much-requested Dark Mode. It is currently only available when using the default blue theme (pictured) To activate the mode, users can go into quick settings on the man inbox dashboard, which can be opened by selecting the cog in the top right hand corner. The dark mode toggle is located underneath the themes and above 'conversation view' (pictured) 'One of the most crucial principles we had when designing Dark Mode was to minimise the amount of eye strain that people felt,' Microsoft said. 'Many email clients on the web today advertise a dark mode, but we learned from interviews with others and our own usage that having the reading pane be on-light while the rest of the interface was left on-dark often made the experience worse than if the full screen were left on-light.' Outlook.com had a 'Halloween' theme for a brief period in 2017 which had flicks of orange alongside the predominantly black interface. In a reply to feedback from one of its customers, Microsoft revealed the Halloween version was in fact a prototype for an upcoming Dark Mode. 'The sneak preview you saw last year at Halloween was a prototype that required a lot more work to be ready for prime time,' it said. Microsoft says it has redesigned the colours and code 'multiple times,' in order to arrive at its final design. The dark mode is one of the most highly requested features on Microsoft's Outlook, but there is no news yet as to if or when it will be available on mobile. Last month, Microsoft Word was given a makeover, with a focus on simplicity (pictured). It ditches most of the icons in the banner at the top of the app, reducing three-lines of shortcuts down to a single row of the most commonly used features Microsoft has redesigned each of the remaining icons with a new sharper, high-contrast style that it says will improve visibility for users. The simplified design is now available to Office 365 (pictured) vsubscribers worldwide Last month, Microsoft Word was given a makeover, with a focus on simplicity. It ditched most of the icons in the banner at the top of the app, reducing three-lines of shortcuts down to a single row of the most commonly used features. Microsoft redesigned each of the remaining icons with a new sharper, high-contrast style that it said at the time will improve visibility for users. The simplified design is now available to Office 365 subscribers worldwide. Microsoft also unveiled a similar update for Outlook featuring an AI search feature. However, the company says it will hold off redesigning the remaining apps in its productivity suite, including Powerpoint and Excel, until it hears back from customers on the new look. The redesign comes as Google overhauled its email client, Gmail, earlier this year to better compete with Office 365. Microsoft has also unveiled a similar update for Outlook featuring an AI search feature. However, the company says it will hold off redesigning the remaining apps in its productivity suite, including Powerpoint and Excel, until it hears back from customers on the new look The Microsoft redesign comes as Google overhauled its email client, Gmail, earlier this year to better compete with Office 365 Advertisement Sixty years ago, spurred by competition with the Soviet Union, the United States created NASA, launching a journey that would take Americans to the moon within a decade. US President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958. Since then, the US space agency has seen glorious achievements and crushing failures in its drive to push the frontiers of space exploration, including a fatal launch pad fire in 1967 that killed three and two deadly shuttle explosions in 1986 and 2003 that took 14 lives. Scroll down for video Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, walking on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. With one small step off a ladder, commander of the Apollo 11 mission Neil Armstrong of the US became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, before the eyes of hundreds of millions of awed television viewers worldwide. Now, NASA is struggling to redefine itself in an increasingly crowded field of international space agencies and commercial interests, with its sights set on returning to deep space. These bold goals make for soaring rhetoric, but experts worry the cash just isn't there to meet the timelines of reaching the moon in the next decade and Mars by the 2030s. And NASA's inability to send astronauts to space - a capacity lost in 2011 when the space shuttle program ended, as planned, after 30 years - is a lasting blemish on the agency's stellar image. While US private industries toil on new crew spaceships, NASA still must pay Russia $80 million per seat for US astronauts to ride to space on a Soyuz capsule. A full-scale replica of the world's first artificial satellite Sputnik, which was launched by the Soviet Union from a testing range in Kazakhstan on October 4, 1957 How it started In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space with Sputnik 1, while US attempts were failing miserably. The US government was already working on reaching space, but mainly under the guise of the military. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appealed to Congress to create a separate, civilian space agency to better focus on space exploration. He signed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act into law on July 29, 1958. NASA opened its doors in October 1958, with about 8,000 employees and a budget of $100 million. Flown over a period of nearly 10 years (June 1959 to October 1968), the piloted X-15 set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records. The X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo piloted spaceflight programs, as well as the Space Shuttle Program. Neil Armstrong, pictured in an undated NASA handout photo, became the first man to set foot on the moon The space race The Soviets won another key part of the space race in April 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth. A month later, John F. Kennedy unveiled plans to land a man on the moon by decade's end. 'No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish,' the US president said. The Apollo program was born. In 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. In 1969, NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. American astronauts of the era were national heroes -- military pilots with the combination of brains, guts and grit that became known famously as 'The Right Stuff,' the title of the classic Tom Wolfe book. THE APOLLO MISSIONS On July 16, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, and Michael Collins lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in the mammoth-sized Saturn V rocket on their way to the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth, and six of the missions (Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) achieved this goal. The NASA program resulted in American astronauts' making a total of 11 spaceflights and walking on the moon. The first four flights tested the equipment used in the Apollo Program. Six of the other seven flights landed on the moon. The first Apollo flight happened in 1968. The first moon landing took place in 1969. The last moon landing was in 1972. A total of 12 astronauts walked on the moon. The astronauts conducted scientific research there, studying the lunar surface and collecting moon rocks to bring back to Earth. The six missions that landed on the Moon returned a wealth of scientific data and almost 400 kilograms of lunar samples. Experiments included soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields, and solar wind experiments. The first manned mission to the moon was Apollo 8. It circled around the moon on Christmas Eve in 1968. A file handout photo dated 20 July 1969 provided by NASA shows Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong inside the lunar module after his historic walk on the surface of the moon. However, Apollo 8 did not land on the moon. It orbited the moon, then came back to Earth. The crew was Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell. The first moon landing occurred on July 20, 1969, on the Apollo 11 mission. The crew of Apollo 11 was Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Armstong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Collins remained in orbit around the moon. When Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, he said, 'That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind.' Advertisement NASA is struggling to redefine itself in an increasingly crowded field of international space agencies and commercial interests, and has set its sights on returning deep space Armstrong's words as he set foot on the lunar surface - 'one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind' - were heard by millions around the world. 'Apollo was a unilateral demonstration of national power,' recalled John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University's Space Policy Institute. 'It was Kennedy deciding to use the space program as an instrument of overt geopolitical competition that turned NASA into an instrument of national policy, with a very significant budget share,' he told AFP. A total of five percent of the national budget went to NASA in the Apollo era. Now, NASA gets about $18 billion a year, less than a half percent of the federal budget, 'and it is no longer the same instrument of national policy,' Logsdon said. A New era More glory days followed in the 1980s with the birth of NASA's shuttle program, a bus-sized re-usable spacecraft that ferried astronauts into space, and eventually to the International Space Station, which began operation in 1998. But what is NASA today? President Donald Trump has championed a return to the moon, calling for a lunar gateway that would allow a continuous stream of spacecraft and people to visit the moon, and serve as a leaping off point for Mars. Trump has also called for the creation of a 'Space Force,' a sixth branch of the military that would be focused on defending US interests. Glory days followed in the 1980s with the birth of NASA's shuttle program, a bus-sized re-usable spacecraft that ferried astronauts into space, and eventually to the International Space Station, which began operation in 1998. Pictured, Space Shuttle Columbia launching NASA has long been viewed as a global leader in space innovation, but today the international field is vastly more populated than 60 years ago. 'Now you have something like 70 countries that are one way or another involved in space activity,' said Logsdon. Rather than competing against international space agencies, 'the emphasis has shifted to cooperation' to cut costs and speed innovation, said Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator at the National Air and Space Museum. The future of NASA NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told a recent panel discussion he is keen to work with other countries that are striving toward space. He mentioned the possibility of boosting cooperation with China, and how he recently traveled to Israel to meet with commercial interests that are at work on a moon lander. Bridenstine said the reason for his visit was to find out 'how are you doing this, what are you doing and is there a way NASA can take advantage of it?' NASA is backing away from low Earth orbit, looking to hand the space station over to commercial interests after 2024, and spending millions in seed money to help private companies like SpaceX and Boeing build capsules to carry humans to space in the coming years. NASA's inability to send astronauts to space - a capacity lost in 2011 when the space shuttle program ended, as planned, after 30 years - is a lasting blemish on the agency's stellar image, experts say In this environment, Bridenstine said figuring out what NASA does, versus what it buys as a service from commercial providers, will be 'one of the fundamental challenges I think I am going to face over my tenure.' Bridenstine said Trump's budget requests for NASA have been 'very generous.' With its eyes on a crew mission to the moon in just five years' time, NASA plans to devote about $10 billion of its nearly $20 billion budget for 2019 to lunar exploration. Bridenstine's predecessor at NASA's helm, retired astronaut Charles Bolden, sounded a note of caution against repeating the mistakes of the shuttle era, when the United States ended its human exploration program without another spacecraft ready to take its place. 'We cannot tolerate another gap like that,' Bolden said. 'It is really critical for NASA to facilitate the success of commercial entities to take over' in low Earth orbit, some 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the planet. 'And then for NASA to do what it does so well. Be the leader in lunar orbit.' Advertisement Tonight will see stargazers treated to the longest lunar eclipse of the century, which will see the moon turn a deep shade of crimson, making it appear as if it is drenched in blood. Known as a 'Blood Moon', the phenomenon, which has caused some Christian fundamentalists to denounce the celestial event as a harbinger of doom, occurs when the moon passes behind the shadow of the Earth. The staggering celestial event will last for around 103 minutes just four minutes shy of the longest possible duration a lunar eclipse can ever last on our planet. The 'Blood Moon' will be visible to people in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, parts of Australasia and South America. Those hoping to watch the moon shift to its deep-red colour should look up at the sky from 8.30pm BST (7:30pm UTC) from a open space with minimal light pollution. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 9:21pm BST (8:22pm UTC). US-based stargazers are likely to feel a little short changed, as the moon will be hidden below the horizon throughout the entire eclipse. Tonight will also see Mars appear bigger and brighter in the sky than it has for the last 15 years. The likelihood of these events overlapping is astronomical, and those with clear skies need only look up to watch the rare celestial events unfold. Scroll down for video On the same night of the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century, where the moon will turn blood red, Mars will also be brighter and bigger than it has been for 15 years A lunar eclipse is a specific event which happens when Earth lines up directly between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the light from the sun to the moon. Earth's shadow then falls on the moon. During a lunar eclipse, we can see Earths shadow on the moon No specialist equipment is needed to see either celestial event tonight, with experts saying the naked eye will be more than enough to watch the century's most impressive eclipse. Unlike a solar eclipse where the moon crosses in between the Earth and the sun it is perfectly safe to look directly at the lunar eclipse without sunglasses or protective eyewear. The total eclipse is set to last for 1 hour 43 minutes, with the partial eclipse visible for almost four hours. Mathematically, the longest a lunar eclipse could ever last is 1 hour 47 minutes. The length of the eclipse is determined by the alignment of the Sun, Earth and the moon, as well as the distance between the moon and our planet. The further away the moon is, the longer it will spend in the shadow known as Umbra of our planet. Tonight, the moon is approaching its apogee, the furthest point away from us in its orbit. This will be the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century, with the most impressive eclipse of the last century (1901-2000) taking place on July 16, 2000 and lasting for 1 hour 46.4 minutes. The passing of the light through Earth's atmosphere will cast a crimson sheen over the moon as the rays of light bend. For light to reach the moon it must pass 'through', or around, Earth. If there is a large amount of particulate matter in the atmosphere the rate of refraction increases The total lunar eclipse on July 27 will be visible to large swathes of the Eastern hemisphere. It will reach peak eclipse at 9:22 (BST), however, the total eclipse will last for a total of 1 hour 43 minutes Tonight, the moon is approaching apogee, the furthest point away from us in its orbit. This will be the longest one of the 21st Century, and the most impressive eclipse of the 20th Century (1901-2000) happened on July 16, 2000 BEST TIME TO SEE THE BLOOD MOON TONIGHT Maximum eclipse will be visible at these times in our capital cities: Adelaide: 8.48pm. Melbourne: 9.18pm Sydney: 9.18pm Brisbane: 9.18pm Hobart: 9.18pm Canberra: 9.18pm Darwin: 8.48pm Perth: 7.18pm The moon will also be slightly closer to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than usual, dubbed a Super Moon. These unique factors, when combined, result in a 'Super Blood Wolf Moon'. This graphic shows how a lunar eclipse occurs Advertisement As the light from the sun passes through the Earth's atmosphere, it will cast a crimson sheen over the moon. This is due to the way rays of light bend around the planet to reach the surface of the moon. When there is a large amount of particulate matter in the atmosphere, the rate of refraction increases and shifts light towards the red end of the spectrum. This is because red light is the only one with a wavelength long enough to bend around the Earth. At the other end of the visible light spectrum spectrum is blue light, which has a smaller wavelength, making it less flexible and less able to bend. Dr Mark Birkinshaw, a professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Bristol, told MailOnline that the phenomenon is the same reason the sun appears a dark shade of red when it sits low in the sky. 'The light that passes through the Earth's atmosphere hits the Moon and then gets reflected back to us, and it will be red,' he said. 'Technically, the red light is less scattered by the atmosphere than the blue, so more of it gets through. 'From the Moon, the Earth would appear to totally-eclipse the Sun, and would show as a dark shadow with a bright red ring around it.' The total eclipse begins at 7:30 pm UTC (8:30 BST), and ends at 9:13 pm UTC (10:13 BST). The peak of the eclipse will occur at 8:22 pm UTC (9:21 BST). Only those in the Eastern Hemisphere will be able to view the upcoming event, with people in Europe, Africa and Asia getting the best seats for the lunar show. Skygazers in South America will be able to see part of the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset tonight. The 99 per cent Waxing Gibbous moon over Whitley Bay ahead of Friday's Blood moon total lunar eclipse. The longest lunar eclipse of the century is set to take place today and will see the Earth's natural satellite turn blood red Supermoon rises behind the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey ahead of tonight's blood moon lunar eclipse. Only those in the Eastern Hemisphere will be able to view the upcoming event, with people in Europe, Africa and Asia getting the best seats for the lunar show HOW CAN YOU SEE THE BLOOD MOON TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE? The total lunar eclipse on July 27 will be visible to large swathes of the Eastern hemisphere. It will reach peak eclipse at 9:22 (BST), however, the total eclipse will last for a total of 1 hour 43 minutes. Skygazers in South America will be able to see part of the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset on July 27. In contrast, New Zealanders will be able to watch the start of the eclipse before sunrise July 28. It will not be visible at all in the United States. Parts of central Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Africa will see the lunar eclipse in its entirety. The UK falls slightly outside of the ideal viewing range, meaning people will see the total eclipse for only 84 of the 103 total minutes. This is due to the moon being below the horizon in Britain when the eclipse begins. Although the moon will be smaller than usual due to its distant position in its orbit, it will still be visible with the naked eye. If the sky is clear, looking up at the moon will be enough to witness the shadow of Earth crossing its surface. A telescope will undoubtedly enhance this, but is not essential. Unlike a solar eclipse, where the moon crosses the path of the Sun, it is perfectly safe to look directly at the lunar eclipse. Areas with low light pollution will see a clearer eclipse. To escape this omnipresent glow, head to a high vantage point or the countryside. Advertisement In contrast, New Zealanders will be able to watch the start of the eclipse before sunrise tomorrow morning. The lunar event will not be visible at all in the United States, as the moon will be invisible below the horizon throughout the duration of the eclipse. By the time it rises across the states, the eclipse will have concluded. Parts of central Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Africa will see the lunar eclipse in its entirety. The UK falls slightly outside of the ideal viewing range, meaning people will see the total eclipse for only 84 of the 103 total minutes. This is due to the moon being below the horizon in Britain when the eclipse begins. For those lucky enough to have clear skies, moonrise will be at 8.49pm in London, 9.46pm in Glasgow, 9.02pm in Cardiff and 9.27pm in Belfast, with mid-eclipse occurring at 9.21pm and the 'total' phase ending at around 10.13pm. After that, the shadow of the Earth will slowly retreat across the lunar surface until the partial eclipse comes to completion at 11.19pm. The total transition will last for for 84 minutes in UK, slightly shy of the 103 minute maximum in peak places further east. WHAT DO DOOMSDAY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS SAY ABOUT THE BLOOD MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE? The so-called 'blood moon' eclipse and the brilliant Martian vista just beneath it, offers a once-in-a-lifetime thrill for astronomy fans. However, for some Christian fundamentalists, the arrival of these twin events is a portent of doom. They are hailing it as a heavenly sign of the long-awaited Biblical apocalypse, as predicted by the Book of Joel, the Book of Acts and the Book of Revelation. The US TV evangelist Paul Begley, alongside scores of others, believes the simultaneous appearance of a red moon and red planet mark the realisation of prophesies made in the Bible. One of them reads: 'The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.' However, one should take comfort from the fact that US fundamentalists have poor form when it comes to predicting that blood moons augur the end of the world. Advertisement To get the best view of the eclipse, make sure you are in an area with low-light pollution. For example, high vantage points in a built-up area, or ideally, a trip to the countryside should provide the best view. Those who want to photograph the lunar transit will be able to do so with a bit of patience, a telescope and the right app. Both Android and iOS have apps available to help capture a picture of the event. For people either outside of the eclipse's range, in a region shrouded in cloud or unable to get outside, a project from the The Virtual Telescope Project will live stream the event from Rome's Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. Framed with the skyline of the Eternal City, the stream will show both Mars and the lunar eclipse. Blood moon above north London last night acts as a preview of the upcoming total lunar eclipse that will be visible from almost all parts of the world, but not the US A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon fall in line with one another, bringing the moon into line with the shadow cast by the Earth. The fact the orbits and the sizes of the planets allow for solar and lunar eclipses is merely a happy coincidence. Dr Birkenshaw explains that this fortuitous alignment is the only reason we get to experience eclipses. 'We're lucky that the Moon is about the right size to cover the Sun the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth, so that in the past it would have obscured more of the Sun, and in the future we may no longer get a total eclipse when the Moon passes between us and the Sun,' he told MailOnline. 'Of course, this happens over a very long time! The Earth is a lot bigger than the Moon, so it's shadow is wider, so it's easier to have a total eclipse of the Moon than a total eclipse of the Sun.' The lunar eclipse will not be the only uncommon event tonight, as an unusually bright and large Mars will also be visible. Professor Birkinshaw explained that while these events on their own can occur every few years, the overlap of the two makes this a special occasion. 'Mars is unusually close to the Earth at the present - it makes its closest approach on 31 July, at 0.385 AU (35.7 million miles),' he said. 'So the juxtaposition of a good lunar eclipse visible in the UK and such a close approach to Mars is something that you get only every few decades.' WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LUNAR ECLIPSE? PA has revealed the most commonly googled questions that people have been searching for with regards to the upcoming eclipse. What is blood moon? During the eclipse, the moon is expected to take on a red sheen, with the phenomenon being described as the 'blood moon'. It will pass into the shadow of the Earth, blocking the light from the sun and the atmosphere of the Earth will bend the light of the sun onto the moon. Because blue and violet wavelengths are scattered more than red and orange ones, more of the red wavelengths reach the moon, making the moon appear red. When was the last blood moon? The last blood moon was observed on January 31 2018. It was also a supermoon meaning the Earth's natural satellite appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky as it reached its closest point to our planet. Will the blood moon be visible in the UK? For those lucky enough to have clear skies, moonrise will be at 8.49pm in London, 9.46pm in Glasgow, 9.02pm in Cardiff and 9.27pm in Belfast, with mid-eclipse occurring at 9.21pm and the 'total' phase ending at around 10.13pm. After that, the shadow of the Earth will slowly retreat across the lunar surface until the partial eclipse comes to completion at 11.19pm. The eclipse will not be visible to residents of the US as by the time the moon rises at night in the US, it will have already completed its journey through Earth's shadow, or Umbra. For those lucky enough to have clear skies, moonrise will be at 8.49pm in London, 9.46pm in Glasgow, 9.02pm in Cardiff and 9.27pm in Belfast, with mid-eclipse occurring at 9.21pm and the 'total' phase ending at around 10.13pm How to photograph a blood moon? For those looking to capture the astronomical event, preparation is key. There are several apps and pieces of equipment to help amateurs and professionals snap the best image. How often does a blood moon occur? The red sheen that the moon will take on is entirely dependent on how much dust is in the Earth's atmosphere. As the sunlight has to travel around Earth, if there is a lot of particulate matter in the air then it will encourage greater rates of refraction, making the moon appear red. However, not all lunar eclipses will lead to a 'bloody' show. The next total lunar eclipse will occur on January 19 2019. What is the blood moon prophecy? As with most eclipses, conspiracy theorists believe it is a sign of the end times and is referred to as the Blood Moon prophecy. Only those in the Eastern Hemisphere will be able to view the upcoming event, with people in Europe, Africa and Asia getting the best seats for the lunar show Where can you see the blood moon in July 2018? Only those in the Eastern Hemisphere will be able to view the upcoming event, with people in Europe, Africa and Asia getting the best seats for the lunar show. Skygazers in South America will be able to see part of the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset on July 27. In contrast, New Zealanders will be able to watch the start of the eclipse before sunrise July 28. It will not be visible in the US. The Met Office has warned there is a potential for showers to develop across the eastern half of the UK, which will obscure theview of the eclipse. The best places to observe the celestial event will be towards the western parts of the country. Also, those in the UK will miss a section of the eclipse due to the moon being below our horizon when it starts, which gives south-eastern observers a slightly better advantage than the north-western ones. It will reach peak eclipse at 9:22 (BST), however, the total eclipse will last for a total of 1 hour 43 minutes. Advertisement The main event will include both the longest total eclipse of the moon for a century but also put Mars the closest it will be to Earth for the next 270 years, a double treat for anyone looking at the sky Mathematically, the longest an eclipse could ever last is 1 hour 47 minutes, and the length of transit depends on the alignment of the Sun, Earth and the moon as well as how far away the moon is from us. The further away it is, the longer it spends in the shadow - known as Umbra - of our planet. Tonight, the moon is approaching apogee, the furthest point away from us in orbit Throughout the month of July, the orbit of Mars and Earth will align in a rare phenomenon known as perihelic opposition. This occurs when Mars reaches its closest point to the sun at the same time as Earth's orbit brings it directly between the two. The exact point occurred at 6am BST (1am ET) earlier today, but today's view of Mars will be one of the most spectacular since the August 2003 opposition. Mars will appear to rise in the east just as the sun sets in the west, making the sunlit side of the planet visible all night long. Perihelic opposition, which will also make the red planet appear brighter, can be seen with the naked eye. Stargazers all over the world will be able to see the red planet, although those in the southern hemisphere will get the best view. In the days before Mars Close Approach, the planet will look around three times brighter in our sky than it normally does. Throughout the month of July, the orbit of Mars and Earth will align in a rare phenomenon known as perihelic opposition. The exact point occurred at 6am BST (1am ET) earlier today, but today's view of Mars will be one of the most spectacular since the August 2003 opposition Mars will be up all night, rising after sunset and setting at sunrise. Mars should be visible in the southeast, located just below the Sagittarius constellation, with Saturn also nearby HOW TO VIEW MARS IN THE NIGHT SKY, AS RED PLANET PASSES CLOSER TO EARTH THAN USUAL On July 27, Mars will pass closer to Earth than it has done for 15 years. The phenomenon, known as perihelic opposition, will make the red planet appear larger and brighter than normal in the night sky. The rare event occurs when Mars reaches its closest point to the sun as the same time as Earth's orbit brings it directly between the two. Although the actual point of opposition will take place on July 27, Mars will be noticeably larger for the majority of the month of July. Perihelic opposition can be seen with the naked eye, meaning there's no need for expensive equipment for stargazers to spot the rare event next month. It will outshine Jupiter, registering as some 1.8 times brighter in the night sky. Mars will be up all night, rising after sunset and setting at sunrise. Stargazers hoping to spot the red planet from the northern hemisphere should check the sky in the hours before dawn. Mars should be visible in the southeast, located just below the Sagittarius constellation. Meanwhile, the best view of the phenomenon will be enjoyed in the southern hemisphere. For example, New Zealand capital Wellington will enjoy a view of the red planet as it reaches a maximum altitude of 74 degrees in the sky at the end of July. Advertisement It will also outshine Jupiter, registering as 1.8 times brighter in the night sky. That means Mars will temporarily become the fourth-brightest object in the sky, ranking after the sun, the moon and Venus. Mars will be up all night, rising after sunset and setting at sunrise. Mars should be visible in the southeast, located just below the Sagittarius constellation, with Saturn also nearby. 'The closeness and brightness of Mars, plus the near location of Saturn (Mars and Saturn were in conjunction in early April) should make this good to observe,' Dr Birkinshaw concludes. Some religious fanatics believe that the overlap of the two events could mean the endof the world is nigh. The so-called 'blood moon' eclipse and the brilliant Martian vista just beneath it, offers a once-in-a-lifetime thrill for astronomy fans. However, for some Christian fundamentalists, the arrival of these twin events is a portent of doom. The so-called 'blood moon' eclipse and the brilliant Martian vista just beneath it, offers a once-in-a-lifetime thrill for astronomy fans. However, for some Christian fundamentalists, the arrival of these twin events is a portent of doom. HOW TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE MOON ON YOUR IPHONE There are two main ways you can take images on your iPhone with the built-in camera software, or via a third-party camera app from the App Store. You will get the best results using a separate app, but there are some specific settings you need for both. Using a night-photography app: 1 - Go to the app store and download a night photography app. For iPhone NightCap Pro app is recommended. 2 - Start by reducing ISO, which impacts how sensitive your cameras sensor is to light. To do this, launch the Nightcap app and slide your finger downwards on the left hand side of the screen. Set it the ISO to the minimum of 25 to 64, depending on the model of iPhone. You will get the best results using a separate app for iPhone. Go to the app store and download a night photography app, like NightCap Pro 3 - Adjust your exposure by sliding your finger up and down on the right side of the screen to adjust brightness, until the moon looks grey instead of white. 4 - Set your focus to 100 (infinity). This usually happens automatically, but if not slide your finger to the right in the bottom half of the screen to adjust it manually. 5 - Once you are happy with the way your image appears on the screen, click the circular shutter button at the bottom of the app to take a shot. @newburyastro @VirtualAstro @NightCapApp @WessexWeather @JonMitchellITV @StormHour #supermoon #halo from Scunthorpe pic.twitter.com/gcmvsOAkog andy stones (@andy_stones) December 3, 2017 Using the iPhone's inbuilt camera: 1 - Turn off the flash. This will only illuminate nearby objects which could ruin your image. To do so, tap the lightning bolt image from the top of the camera app and tap the word 'Off'. The iPhone 8 and iPhone X now feature enhanced capabilities in low light conditions, to ensure vivid colours are preserved even in the dark. 2 - Zoom in. If you need to make the moon more prominent in your image, now is the time to do this. Pinch on the display with two fingers to zoom in and out. Digital zooms will reduce the quality of your image, so it is not advisable to use more than 2x zoom. iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X will let you zoom in with an optical zoom rather than digital zoom, which will provide better results. 3 - Lock the focus on your subject by tapping and holding the screen where the moon appears. This will bring up the square autofocus lock box. 4 - Change the image's exposure by using the sun logo slider on the right hand side of the autofocus lock box. This will prevent the moon from appearing blurry in your images. 5 - Once you are happy with the way your image appears on the screen, click the circular capture button at the bottom of the app. It's best to do this remotely if possible, for instance, via the volume buttons on your headphones, to avoid any shaking from your finger. @newburyastro @NightCapApp @IridiumComm iridium 75 satellite flare -6.6 mag #flarewell pic.twitter.com/ASCtEHyv0n andy stones (@andy_stones) November 25, 2017 Advertisement The devastating impact of global warming on ocean life has been laid bare in a shocking new scientific report. Coral reefs across the globe are being killed off by a combination of increasing temperatures and ocean acidification caused by rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. Researchers found blooms of algae are blanketing the seabed in areas of high CO2 concentration, choking corals and lowering marine diversity. If CO2 levels continue to rise at their current rate, the consequences will be 'catastrophic', scientists have warned. In the latest report, experts warned that the only way to reverse the trend is to meet global warning reduction targets. Scroll down for video If CO2 levels continue to rise the consequences will be 'catastrophic', scientists have warned. At a site with a CO2 concentration of 900ppm, corresponding to conditions predicted for 2100, the high CO2 favors the growth of low profile algae (pictured) Teams of British, Italian and Japanese researchers, including from the University of Plymouth, found a worrying lack of corals in areas of the Pacific where CO2 levels met present-day averages. In contrast, marine areas with pre-industrial levels of CO2 flourished with corals and other species and sea-life. Experts discovered the stark contrast by analysing volcanic CO2 seeps off Shikine Island, in Japan, where ocean currents cause CO2 levels to mimic those before the industrial revolution. Professor Jason Hall-Spencer, a marine biologist at the University of Plymouth, said: 'Our research site is like a time machine. 'In areas with pre-Industrial levels of CO2 the coast has an impressive amount of calcified organisms such as corals and oysters. 'But in areas with present-day average levels of surface seawater CO2 we found far fewer corals and other calcified life, and so there was less biodiversity. 'It shows the extensive damage caused by humans due to CO2 emissions over the past 300 years and unless we can get a grip on reducing CO2 emissions we will undoubtedly see major degradation of coastal systems worldwide.' Teams of Scuba divers carried out studies along underwater CO2 gradients, created by volcanic seeps, recording how sea life responds to acidification. The devastating impact of global warming on ocean life is laid bare by a shock new report. Coral reefs (pictured) are being rapidly killed off by a combination of rising temperatures and ocean acidification caused by industrial carbon dioxide, it found WHAT DID THE UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH DISCOVER ABOUT CORAL REEFS? Teams of British, Italian and Japanese researchers, including from the University of Plymouth, found a worrying lack of corals in areas of the Pacific where CO2 levels met present-day averages. Scuba divers carried out studies along underwater CO2 gradients, created by volcanic seeps, recording how sea life responds to acidification. They found only a few plant species benefitted from the changing conditions. But they were mainly smaller weeds and algae that blanket the seabed, choking corals and lowering overall marine diversity. These species, and some smaller marine animals, thrive because they are more tolerant to the stress posed by rising levels of CO2, the researchers explained. The only way to reverse the trend is to meet global warning reduction targets, the scientists added. Advertisement They found only a few plant species benefitted from the changing conditions. However, these were mainly smaller weeds and algae that blanket the seabed, choking corals and lowering overall marine diversity. These species as well as some smaller marine animals thrive because they are more tolerant to the stress posed by rising levels of CO2, the researchers explained. Lead author Dr Sylvain Agostini said: 'These CO2 seeps provide a vital window into the future. 'There was mass mortality of corals in the south of Japan last year, but many people cling to the hope that corals will be able to spread north. 'Therefore it is extremely worrying to find that tropical corals are so vulnerable to ocean acidification, as this will stop them from being able to spread further north and escape the damage caused by water that is too hot for them.' The only way to reverse the trend is to meet global reduction targets, the scientists added. By some estimates, oceans have become 30 per cent more acidic since the Industrial Revolution, which started around 1760. If CO2 emissions continue at their current rate, by 2100, experts predict that acidity will increase by about 150 per cent. Co-author Professor Kazuo Inaba said: 'Local fishermen are keen to know how ocean acidification will affect their livelihoods. 'Currents flowing past Japan bring waters that have naturally low levels of CO2 and fish benefit from the array of calcified habitats around our islands. 'If we are able to meet the Paris Agreement targets to limit emissions we should be able to limit further damage to kelp forests, coral reefs and all marine ecosystems.' The findings were published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. Experts discovered the stark contrast by analysing volcanic CO2 seeps off Shikine Island, in Japan, where ocean currents cause CO2 levels to mimic those before the industrial revolution Experts said diving around Shikine Island was 'like a time machine' and allowed them to check the impact of changing CO2 levels on marine life and coral reefs. By some estimates, oceans have become 30% more acidic since the Industrial Revolution, which started around 1760 Swarms of jellyfish are descending on beaches across the British Isles as the country remains gripped by a blistering summer heatwave. As people head to the seaside for the weekend, Britons should be on high-alert. Stings from jellyfish like the mauve stinger and lion's mane have been likened to receiving an 'electric shock' and can leave victims hospitalised. Lion's manes jellyfish have already been spotted in Blackpool, Anglesey, Galway and Kent this summer. And three people had to be hospitalised after being stung by the species, which is commonly-found in Scandinavian waters, during the hot weather in Galway, Ireland, last month. In recent days, swimmers in Folkestone were warned to wear a wet suit before taking a dip, after swarms of Lion's manes jellyfish were spotted in the water. MailOnline has spoken to a range of experts for their tips on which species attracted to the resulting warmer waters are the most dangerous and how can you spot them. Scroll down for video Swarms of jellyfish are descending on beaches across the British Isles as the country remains gripped by a blistering summer heatwave. As people head to the seaside for the weekend, Britons should be on high-alert for the creatures, which can deliver a potent sting Why are there so many jellyfish at the moment? 'Jellyfish numbers can increase rapidly under the right conditions, but these right conditions may differ according to where you are and which species you are looking at,' Nathalie Pettorelli, senior research fellow at the Zoological Society of London told MailOnline. 'Overfishing (which reduces predation pressure on jellyfish) and climate change have both been cited as being responsible for the increases in jellyfish numbers we have seen over recent years,' she said. Changing climatic conditions are also having an impact on marine ecosystems. For example, the water is getting warmer, the pH of seawater is decreasing, and the location and timing of algae blooms have also changed. 'These changes can all affect jellyfish numbers, but we dont know exactly how each species is likely to respond to these changes, or how these changes may interact with other factors such as over-fishing to shape jellyfish numbers and distribution,' Dr Pettorelli added. Some species prefer warmer waters, however, these conditions do not always lead to more jellyfish. For example, Dr Pettorelli says fewer jellyfish have been found in the Northern Sea during periods of warmer temperatures. 'But in some other regions, such as the Irish Sea, there is evidence that warming conditions are leading to increased abundance of certain jellyfish species,' she added. Warmer waters can lead to changes in food availability for jellyfish, which is why numbers of some species increase alongside rising temperatures. 'Recent sightings in UK waters indicate that some relatively dangerous jellyfish are around,' added Dr Pettorelli. 'Sightings of the lion's mane species, which sting can often lead to hospitalisation, have been reported in various places this summer. 'However, most species found in the UK only deliver a mild sting,' she said. 'If you see large clusters of jellyfishes, it is best to exit the water as soon as possible.' So what are the main species to look out for, how and where can you spot them, and how bad are their stings? Lion's mane jellyfish Sightings of lion's manes (pictured) in Blackpool, Anglesey and Galway follow the mass stranding of hundreds of barrel jellyfish in Weymouth, Dorset (stock image) Native to: Cooler regions of Pacific, Atlantic and North Sea Spotted in UK: Blackpool, Anglesey, Galway, Hythe Danger level: Severe s ting that can leave people hospitalised How to spot it: Largest known species of jellyfish with six foot (1.8m) tentacles Lion's mane jellyfish can grow longer than a blue whale, and have the most severe sting of any jellyfish species found in British waters. Stings from this species have been known to leave victims hospitalised. With six foot (1.8m) tentacles trailing in the water behind them, Lion's mane jellyfish are capable of delivering a powerful sting even after they wash up on the shore. The venomous creatures have become increasingly commonplace in British waters in recent years, with global warming making the UK a more attractive location. Sightings of lion's manes in Blackpool, Anglesey and Galway follow the mass stranding of hundreds of barrel jellyfish in Weymouth, Dorset. Lion's manes can grow up to 35in (90cm) wide and weigh as much as 55lbs (25kg). Several of the marine creatures have washed onto beaches along the west coast of Lancashire, including in Blackpool, while large numbers were also spotted in Hythe, Kent. Three people were hospitalised after they were stung by lion's manes in Galway, Ireland, during the hot weather last month. One woman was stung on the face, leading the lifeguard on duty to raise the red flag and warn people not to enter the water. Ten of the jellyfish were spotted floating in coastal waters by one member of a triathlon group during a 2.5-mile (4km) swim in Galway Bay. Compass jellyfish The compass jellyfish (pictured) has venom in its tentacles which carries a very painful sting and experts have warned they are venturing closer ashore with the rising sea temperatures (stock image) Native to: Atlantic and Mediterranean coast, including the UK, Ireland, Turkey Spotted in UK: Bays off Dorset, Devon and Cornwall Danger level: Very painful sting How to spot it: Orange-brown colour. Bold dots and striking lines around body. There have been numerous sightings of compass jellyfish in bays off Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. This UK native is is easily spotted, thanks to its trademark orange-brown colour, bold dots and striking lines across its body. Compass jellyfish have venom in its tentacles which can administer a very painful sting. Experts have warned the species are now venturing closer ashore with the rising sea temperatures. They are up to one foot (30cm) in diameter and have a life span of up to a year, changing their sex from male to female as they mature. Peter Tinsley, marine evidence officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: 'The sea is warming up and the water is fairly calm which has stimulated a boom in jellyfish numbers, so you are more likely to see them in the bays. 'We've had sightings of the compass jellyfish all along the Dorset coast and I would advise anyone to avoid touching them because of their sting.' Mauve stinger Every year tens of thousands of holidaymakers require treatment for stings which have been likened to an 'electric shock'. Pictured is the mauve stinger (stock image) Native to: Warmer waters in Europe and around the equator Spotted in UK: Guernsey, Northern Ireland, western coast of UK Danger level: Very painful sting How to spot it: Varies in colour from pale red to mauve-brown to purple The number of mauve stinger jellyfish has increased over the last few years, due to the effects of global warming and over-fishing of their natural predators. Every year, tens of thousands of holidaymakers require treatment for stings from this species, which are typically likened to an 'electric shock'. The mauve stinger is quite small and grows to around four inches (10cm) in diameter. However, their tentacles can reach up to 10 feet (three metres) in length. Mauve stinger varies in colour from pale red to mauve-brown to purple. This jellyfish is uncommon in the British Isles, but has been found in the deep waters off the west and north coasts. Barrel jellyfish Barrel Jellyfish (pictured), also known as dustbin-lid jellyfish, can grow up to 35 inches (90cm) wide and weigh as much as 55lb (25kg) (stock image) Native to: Atlantic, Adriatic, Mediterranean, Black Sea and Sea of Azov Spotted in UK: English Channel, Irish Sea, Outer Hebrides, Dorset Danger level: Very mild sting, and only if the tentacles are wet How to spot it: Barrel shape. Also known as dustbin-lid jellyfish Barrel jellyfish are often spotted from boats in the deeper waters of the English Channel, the Irish Sea, and around the Outer Hebrides. However, in the past few weeks hundreds of Barrel Jellyfish have been washing up on British beaches, particularly around Dorset. Barrel jellyfish, also known as dustbin-lid jellyfish, can grow up to 35 inches (90cm) wide and weigh as much as 55lb (25kg). Their tentacles can reach lengths of six foot (1.9 metres). They are the 'basking shark' of the species enormous but essentially harmless, feeding only on minuscule prey. Still, experts from Dorset Wildlife Trust have warned members of the public not to touch barrel jellyfish even when they are washed up on the beach and appear dead as they can still give a mild sting if their tentacles are wet. Barrel jellyfish vary in colour from whiteish pale or yellow, to shades of green, blue, pink or brown. They have a number of semi-circular lobe-like extensions. This species the largest found in south-west England is not rare in the UK. Beneath the dustbin lid-shaped bell are hundreds of tiny mouths ('pores'), each surrounded by tiny stinging tentacles to catch plankton. Numbers have grown in recent years, which experts have credited to Britain's increasingly mild winters, which in turn have allowed plankton populations to thrive. Moon jellyfish Moon jellyfish (pictured) have numerous short, hollow tentacles that form a fringe around the edge which are ringed by stinging cells (stock image) Native to: Most of the world, from Australia in the south to northern Norway Spotted in UK: All around the coasts of Britain and Ireland Danger level: Stings can't penetrate skin but may feel a minor sensation How to spot it: Colourless with violet, reddish, pink or yellowish circular shapes The moon jellyfish is one of the British Isle's most common species and is found all around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. Their stings are not powerful enough to penetrate human skin, however, swimmers who brush up against one will feel a minor stinging sensation. The body of the jellyfish is colourless, but the species has violet, reddish, pink or yellowish circular shapes on them. They have numerous short, hollow tentacles that form a fringe around the edge of the body, which is ringed with stinging cells. Aurelia aurita usually grows to approximately 10 inches (25cm) in diameter but can reach 16 inches (40cm). Blue jellyfish Blue jellyfish, Cyanea lamarckii, (pictured) are generally azure in colour and is a close relative of the lions mane jellyfish. Like the moon jellyfish, their stings are mild and similar to brushing against nettles (stock image) Native to: The west coast of Scotland, the North Sea, the Irish Sea Spotted in UK: All around the coasts of Britain and Ireland Danger level: Mild stings, similar to brushing against a nettle How to spot it: Azure in colour Blue jellyfish, Cyanea lamarckii, are generally azure in colour and are a close relative of the lion's mane species. Like the moon jellyfish, their stings are mild and similar to brushing against a nettle. The species occurs in coastal waters all around the British Isles. Blue jellyfish are most often found off the west coast of Scotland, the North Sea and the Irish sea. They grow to approximately three to six inches (10 to 20cm) but can sometimes be as large as 10 inches (30cm) across. The ghastly deaths that have befallen archaeologists who dare to open the tombs of ancient mummies have become the stuff of legend and Hollywood blockbusters. But in the case of a recent find in Chile, there may be more than superstition at work, after experts uncovered two embalmed bodies clothed in poison-laced dresses. Researchers discovered the presence of cinnabar, the main mineral from which the toxic mercury is extracted, covering the robes and grave goods. High levels of mercury can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages. The two young embalmed women, aged 9 and 18, appear to have been sacrificed as part of an Incan religious rite between 500 and 600 years ago. This is believed to be the first time the substance has been associated with a burial from the region. Scroll down for video The foul fates that have befallen archaeologists who desecrate a mummy's tomb are the stuff of legend. But in the case of a recent find in Chile there may be more than scare stories at work, after experts uncovered two embalmed bodies clothed in poison-laced dresses (pictured) In an article for Forbes, Kristina Killgrove, a bioarchaeologist and science communicator, revealed the deadly details found in the latest findings. Cinnabar was discovered by a research team led by Bernardo Arriaza, of the University of Tarapaca, in Chile. This is not the first time the red colouring has been found in clothing and other items, with the colour prized for thousands of years by ancient Andean cultures. Iron oxide-containing ores like hematite were more commonly used to source the rusty colour, as it was more readily available and easier to source. Previous research on the mummified remains showed the two girls, dated to around 1399 to 1475 AD, were victims of ritual sacrifice, suggesting a possible reason for the use of the rarer mineral. Speaking to Forbes, Dr Arriaza: 'Very few archaeological studies have specifically addressed the use of toxic materials in antiquity. 'Archaeologists need to be aware that beautiful red cinnabar contains mercury, posing hidden health risks. 'It may cause a range of health problems affecting the nervous and muscular systems and the gastrointestinal tract, among others, and even death in cases of extreme exposure.' Researchers discovered the presence of cinnabar (pictured), the main mineral from which toxic mercury is extracted, in the robes and grave goods WHAT IS THE MINERAL CINNABAR? Cinnabar is a toxic mercury sulfide mineral with a chemical composition of HgS. It is the only important ore of mercury. It has a bright red colour that has caused people to use it as a pigment and carve it into jewellery and ornaments for thousands of years in many parts of the world. Cinnabar is a toxic mercury sulfide mineral with a chemical composition of HgS. It is the only important ore of mercury (stock image) Because it is toxic, its pigment and jewellery uses have almost been discontinued. Cinnabar is a hydrothermal mineral that is formed from deposits in hot waters and vapours as they move downward through fractured rocks. It forms at shallow depths where temperatures are less than about 200C (390F). It usually forms in rocks surrounding geologically recent volcanic activity, including openings in the planet's crust called fumaroles, which emit steam and gases. It can also form near hot springs. Advertisement Capacocha was a ritual that most often took place after the death of an Inca king. Local lords were required to select unblemished children, which were used to represent the ideal of human perfection. Children were married and presented with sets of miniature human and llama figurines in gold, silver, copper and shell. The male figures have elongated earlobes and a braided headband and the female figurines wore their hair in plaits. The children were then returned to their original communities, where they were honoured before being sacrificed to the mountain gods on the Llullaillaco Volcano. The phrase Capacocha has been translated to mean 'solemn sacrifice' or 'royal obligation.' This type of sacrificial rite is believed to have been undertaken to commemorate important life events of the Incan emperor, to send the Incan royalty to be with he gods upon their death, to stop natural disasters, encourage crop growth, or for religious ceremonies. The two young women, aged 9 and 18, appear to have been sacrificed as part of an Incan religious rite between 500 and 600 years ago. This is reportedly the first time the substance has been associated with a burial from the region. Pictured are grave goods uncovered The mummies were first discovered in 1976 in Cerro Esmeralda in the city of Iquique in northern Chile and first described scientifically by Jorge Checura. Checura says the girls had travelled from Cusco, where elaborate goods found inside their grave were from. This is a trip that would have taken several months, adding weight to the importance of their sacrifice. 'The new chemical analyses that we obtained showed that cinnabar was present in the clothes of the Cerro Esmeralda mummies,' the researchers wrote in their paper. 'This toxic material is a special and foreign funerary offering in northern Chile. 'The Incas - and, in general, all the societies that supplied themselves with cinnabar from Huancavelica - always used this mineral in prestigious and elite social contexts.' The full findings were published in the Wiley journal Archaeometry. The mummies were discovered in 1976 in Cerro Esmeralda in the city of Iquique in northern Chile and first described scientifically by Jorge Checura An update to security software Dashlane promises to alert users to the moment their information is shared on the dark web. The latest iteration of the popular password manager monitors the murky depths of the internet for leaked personal details, including email addresses and passwords. The dark web is a hidden corner of the internet not catalogued by search engines or accessible using traditional web browsers, which is home to a number of nefarious websites that trade in drugs, stolen login and banking details, arms, and prostitutes. Dashlane is now able to flag-up when users' data is shared online, and pinpoint which online accounts are now at risk from hackers. Cyber criminals trade stolen account details on the dark web. People who use the same combination of email address and password are at risk of hackers breaking into their account after their login details on the internet. A computer security firm has released a new app that monitors the murky depths of the internet for leaked personal details (pictured). The software flags up specific website data breaches and the number of other online accounts affected. New York based firm Dashlane, best known for its password management software, this week launched Dashlane 6, the latest version of its flagship product. Password managers allow users to generate unique passwords for each of their online accounts. These login details are stored by the software, which also monitors for any data breaches and duplicate passwords across users' accounts. Dashlane 6 includes the ability to monitor up to five email addresses for breaches on the dark web. The security firm boasts a database of more than 12 billion records linked with hacks and data breaches, with almost a million new records added every day. If any of the email addresses Dashlane is monitoring surfaces on the dark web, the app will immediately pop-up a warning about the leak, informing users to change the login details for that account as well as any other accounts that use the same combination of email address and password. 'Reusing similar or exact password across certain accounts means 2 accounts are affected by this breach,' warns the password manager in an example of the system. Dashlane is able to inform users when the breach took place, but cannot provide any further details about how the login information was obtained, or how it came to be shared on the dark web. Elswhere, the latest version of Dashlane introduces an Identity Dashboard, which provides a complete overview of users online security and includes a step-by-step guide to improving their practices. As well as dark web monitoring, Dashlane 6 includes a new Password Health assessment, that provides a comprehensive, real-time analysis of how secure their passwords really are The tool is designed to help users monitor which accounts need the most attention and improve the strength of their passwords. Emmanuel Schalit, CEO of Dashlane, said: 'Managing digital identity has become too complex for almost everyone. 'Massive breaches and data abuses like the ones at Facebook, Equifax, and Exactis affect us all. While protecting accounts with unique and complex passwords is a critical step, it is no longer enough. 'People must be able to easily manage and monitor all aspects of their digital footprint. That's why we created Dashlane 6 to solve that very problem.' Dashlane is able to inform users when the breach took place, but cannot provide further details about how the login information was obtained, or how it came to be shared online Data breaches are an increasingly frequent problem online, with high-profile data breaches and leaks happening with more and more regularity. They can range from single site attacks orchestrated by individuals, to massive campaigns involving multiple hackers. In June, Ticketmaster admitted customers may have had their credit card data stolen in a security breach that could have affected up to 40,000 people. And in May, a Canadian computer hacker was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with a massive security breach at Yahoo that federal agents say was directed by Russian government spies. U.S. Judge Vince Chhabria on Tuesday also fined 23-year-old Karim Baratov $250,000 (190,000). Mr Baratov pleaded guilty in November 2017 to nine felony hacking charges. Advertisement In just a few years, wealthy tourists could see themselves taking a relaxing trip to the edge of space, towed by a high-altitude, helium-filled balloon. World View Enterprises has been honing its flight system over the last few years ahead of plans to send passengers to more than 100,000 feet above Earths surface, with tickets costing roughly $75,000 a pop. The firm has faced both successes and setbacks in recent memory; in a bizarre PR stunt with KFC last June, World View sent a Zinger chicken sandwich into the stratosphere, before suffering an explosion at the launch site just a few months later, in December 2017. Still, World View has conducted over 50 flights in the last year, and once manned missions begin, proponents of system say it will be peaceful ride you could imagine. Scroll down for video In just a few years, wealthy tourists could see themselves taking a relaxing trip to the edge of space, towed by a high-altitude, helium-filled balloon. World View Enterprises has been honing its flight system over the last few years ahead of plans to send passengers to more than 100,000 feet above Earths surface Alan Eustace, a computer scientist and former VP at Google, says a ride with one of the balloons could make high-altitude travel far more pleasant than those conducted via rocket launch. Its will be a beautiful experience, Eustace told Bloomberg. Back in 2015, the then-Google exec completed a record-breaking free fall from about 136,000 feet, relying on a balloon and suit developed by World View over the course of three years. Unlike the noise and intense vibrations of a rocket, the balloon rides are quiet. This will appeal to a huge number of people that want to see things from a different perspective, Eustace told Bloomberg. Thats all I can really say. You know something is good when its almost impossible to describe. At the moment, the firm primarily conducts missions for the US government, including a recent effort to fly a military imaging system from Arizona to Mexico. Soon, they hope to be carrying private customers. Earlier this year, they raked in $26.5 million in a financing round, with major investments from Canaan and Norwest Venture Partners The manned flights will be conducted with its Voyager capsules, giving passengers a 360-degree view of Earth from more than 100,000 feet above the surface. World View completed tests with a scaled down, replica spacecraft at a final altitude of 100,475 feet (30624 meters) back in 2015 At the moment, the firm primarily conducts missions for the US government, including a recent effort to fly a military imaging system from Arizona to Mexico. Soon, they hope to be carrying private customers. Earlier this year, they raked in $26.5 million in a financing round, with major investments from Canaan and Norwest Venture Partners. World View has set its sights on creating an entirely new economic sector in the stratosphere, said Sameer Gandhi, a partner at Accel, who led the recent financing round. World Views proven technology offers a unique and low-cost access to the space environment, and we share World Views belief that innovation in the stratosphere has the potential to unlock many new applications with unprecedented benefit. The manned flights will be conducted with its Voyager capsules, giving passengers a 360-degree view of Earth from more than 100,000 feet above the surface. World View completed tests with a scaled down, replica spacecraft at a final altitude of 100,475 feet (30624 meters) back in 2015. 'This sub-scale test flight demonstrated foundational technologies necessary for regular, operational flight, and proves that commercial flight to the edge of space via high-altitude balloon will serve as a viable and major form of transport in the emerging private space travel industry,' the firm said at the time. The flight launched from Page, Arizona, one of the locations from where World View plans to fly Voyagers to the edge of space. The firm has faced both successes and setbacks in recent memory; in a bizarre PR stunt with KFC last June, World View sent a Zinger chicken sandwich into the stratosphere, before suffering an explosion at the launch site just a few months later, in December 2017 WHAT WILL FLIGHTS ON WORLD VIEW'S BALLOON-TOWED VOYAGER CRAFT BE LIKE? World View's Voyager craft has windows on all sides for the perfect 360-degree view With windows on all sides, guests above the Voyager will be given 360-degree vistas of the curvature of the world below. Of course, the flight of the Voyager doesn't reach the official boundary of space, which stands at 62 miles (100 kilometres), but it will still enable passengers to see Earth fall away beneath them. Upon completion of the flight, the parafoil detaches from the high-altitude balloon and glides the capsule back safely to a landing on Earth. According to the company, the capsule will also give 'unprecedented and affordable access to the near-space environment' for educators, researchers, private companies and government agencies. 'We couldn't be any more excited about the results from this test flight,' said Jane Poynter, CEO of World View. 'It represents a foundational achievement that moves us one step closer to offering a life-changing experience to our Voyagers.' The test flight represented the maiden voyage of World View's Tycho vehicle, a reusable commercial craft that enables research opportunities in fields including communications, surveillance, remote sensing and first response. Advertisement 'While each individual system has been analyzed and extensively tested in previous test flights, this significant milestone allowed us to test and prove all critical flight systems at once,' Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Taber MacCallum said after the tests. 'Now we're ready for the next major phase of development full scale system testing.' For full scale flight tests, World View will use a flight test article with mass and aerodynamics equivalent to the Voyager spacecraft. The final capsule will be comfortably styled, offering Wi-Fi, a bar and a lavatory for Voyagers as they float along the edge of space for one-to-two hours at peak altitude of 100,000 feet. Facebook has provided new details about the humans behind its complicated and oft-criticized content moderating system. In a blog post, the social media giant described what kinds of people work on its content moderation team and how it trains reviewers to be able to follow Facebook's community standards consistently, while dispelling some rumors about the job. The post comes as Facebook has faced backlash over how it polices content on its site, as well as the treatment of its human moderators. Scroll down for video Facebook described what kinds of people work on its content moderation team and how it trains reviewers to follow its community standards consistently, while dispelling some rumors Facebook says it now has 7,500 content reviewers on hand around the world to parse through potentially objectionable content, a sharp increase from the 4,500 reviewers it had last May. The firm acknowledged that it has to hire folks that are capable of coping with repeated exposure to 'violent or troubling imagery.' Of those reviewers, some are full-time employees, while others are contractors or a part of companies that Facebook partners with. This allows Facebook to have content reviewers across the globe, so that they can handle posts in their native language, without having to translate them. Others posts, such as those that contain nudity, are routed to anyone in the world, as they don't pose a language barrier. It also means that they have content reviewers available at all hours of the day, the firm added. Facebook says it now has 7,500 content reviewers on hand around the world to parse through potentially objectionable content. Pictured are content reviewers in Essen, Germany 'Content review at this size has never been done before,' Ellen Silver, vice president of operations at Facebook, wrote in a blog post. 'After all, there has never been a platform where so many people communicate in so many different languages across so many different countries and cultures. 'We recognize the enormity of this challenge and the responsibility we have to get it right,' she added. Content reviewers come from various backgrounds and range from veterans to former public sector workers, Facebook noted. However, the firm stopped short of giving specific details about its reviewers for safety reasons, citing the shooting at YouTube's headquarters earlier this year. In April, vlogger Nasim Aghdam showed up at YouTube's Mountain View, California campus and opened fire on several employees before killing herself. Aghdam blamed the company for 'ruining' her life and censoring her content. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) has also faced renewed scrutiny after he said in a recent interview that Holocaust denier content should not be removed from the site WHAT ARE THE CRITICISMS ABOUT FACEBOOK'S CONTENT MODERATION SYSTEMS? Facebook is facing renewed criticism about how it regulates content on its platform. The tech giant has been secretive about the people behind its content moderation systems, noting that they also use artificial intelligence to review posts as they come in. Earlier this month, Channel 4 conducted an undercover investigation of one of Facebook's major content moderation offices and found an array of disturbing material. They found that Facebook pays its moderators as little as 18,000 a year to look at disturbing content on its site. In another case, they found moderators treated pages from far-right groups differently than those from governments and news organizations. Moderators were also instructed to ignore users who looked under the age of 13, while posts of children being beaten were left up on the site. Facebook said it would update training material for its moderators, while assuring that the behaviors were not in line with its standards. Advertisement '...Content reviewers are subject to real danger that makes us wary of sharing too many details about where these teams are located or the identities of the people who review,' Silver continued. Facebook also explained that it trains reviewers continuously to make sure people are equipped with the right tools and to make sure they use consistent judgment. On a day-to-day basis, reviewers are assigned a queue of posts to look over, some of which requires them to just scan the post, while others require may more context in order to make a decision. The firm also addressed how its moderators are treated, saying they aren't given quotas, are provided with mental health resources and have full healthcare benefits. 'Theres a misconception that content reviewers work in dark basements, lit only by the glow of their computer screens,' Silver said. 'At least for Facebook, that couldnt be further from the truth. Content review offices look a lot like other Facebook offices.' On a daily basis, reviewers are assigned a queue of posts to look over, some of which requires them to just scan the post, while others require may more context in order to make a decision Facebook admitted that, by penning the post, it was hoping to dispel some of the 'rumors' that exist about its content reviewers. A Channel 4 investigation earlier this month found that Facebook pays its moderators as little as 18,000 a year to look at disturbing material on its site. Undercover footage compiled by Channel 4 showed that moderators were instructed to leave footage of a child being beaten online, with a reviewer only marking the post as disturbing. A Facebook spokesperson said the post should have been removed, while adding that content reviewers do 'very difficult work.' Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also faced renewed scrutiny after he said in a recent interview that Holocaust denier content should not be removed from the site. It prompted experts to say that Facebook 'may be in over its head' when it comes to regulating content on its platform. Researchers have revealed an AI that they hope will one day write a perfect Shakespearean sonnet. Researchers at IBM used created a sonnet writing AI. They trained it using 2600 sonnets taken from a free online database of out-of-copyright books called Project Gutenberg. Scroll down for video Researchers at IBM used created a sonnet writing AI. They trained it using 2600 sonnets taken from a free online database of out-of-copyright books called Project Gutenberg. WHAT IS A SONNET? Sonnets come in many different variations but they always have 14 lines and usually include a regular rhyme scheme of some sort. Shakespeare pioneered his own version in which the lines were divided into 3 verses (or stanzas) of four lines (quatrains), finished with a rhyming couplet. They were also written in iambic pentameter, a series of stressed and unstressed syllables. Advertisement The researchers, led by Jey Han Lau at IBM Research Australia, used three techniques to train their AI. One looked for rhyming patterns, one learnt the type of language used in sonnets, and one learnt the rhythm of the lines. 'We propose a joint model of language, meter and rhyme that captures language and form for modelling sonnets,' the team wrote in the journal arxiv. Once it has analysed 2600 sonnets, it began writing its own. Researchers then asked workers from a crowdsourcing website to rate them, and found they were unable to distinguish them from the real deal. In fact, in some areas the AI poet did better than humans. 'We found that our full model has the highest ratings for both rhyme and meter, even higher than human poets,' the team wrote. 'This might seem surprising, but in fact it is well established that real poets regularly break rules of form to create other effects ' However the AI sonnets struggled with emotion. 'Despite excellent form, the output of our model can easily be distinguished from humanwritten poetry due to its lower emotional impact and readability. ' CAN YOU SPOT THE REAL SONNET? Half are the sonnets below are written by an AI, and half by William Shakespeare. Can you tell which is which? (Answers below) A with joyous gambols gay and still array no longer when he twas, while in his day at first to pass in all delightful ways around him, charming and of all his days B thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear thy dial how thy precious minutes waste the vacant leaves thy mind's imprint will bear and of this book this learning mayst thou taste C let those who are in favour with their stars of public honour and proud titles boast whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph barsin look'd for joy in that I honour most D was full his light. so long upon his train he softly left from dark, of shining plain and to the morn, to set her on the way and all her fellowship was passed away E yet in a circle pallid as it flow by this bright sun, that with his light display roll'd from the sands, and half the buds of snow and calmly on him shall infold away F full many a glorious morning have I seen flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye kissing with golden face the meadows green gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy Advertisement 'Our research reveals that vanilla LSTM language model captures meter implicitly, and our proposed rhyme model performs exceptionally well, they concluded. 'Machine-generated generated poems, however, still underperform in terms of readability and emotion.' Poet and broadcaster Michael Symmons Roberts told New Scientists the AI-generated sonnets do not come close to the 'richness or complexity' of Shakespeare. And he points out that the AI wasn't able to emulate the 'interweaving networks of meaning and emotion and beauty and purpose that make a poem'. 'At the moment, intriguing as it is, Shakespeare wins it by a country mile,' he says. Heat waves are setting all-time temperature records across the globe, again. Europe suffered its deadliest fire in more than a century, and one of nearly 90 large fires in the U.S. West burned dozens of homes and forced the evacuation of at least 37,000 people near Redding, California. Flood-inducing downpours have pounded the U.S. East this week. Scroll down for video An historic schoolhouse burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes and at least one historic building. THE HEAT RECORDS BEING BROKEN AROUND THE GLOBE So far this month, at least 118 of these all-time heat records have been set or tied across the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Japan hit 106 degrees on Monday, its hottest temperature ever. Records fell in parts of Massachusetts, Maine, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico and Texas. And then there's crazy heat in Europe, where normally chill Norway, Sweden and Finland all saw temperatures they have never seen before on any date, pushing past 90 degrees. Advertisement It's all part of summer - but it's all being made worse by human-caused climate change, scientists say. 'Weirdness abounds,' said Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis. Japan hit 106 degrees on Monday, its hottest temperature ever. Records fell in parts of Massachusetts, Maine, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico and Texas. And then there's crazy heat in Europe, where normally chill Norway, Sweden and Finland all saw temperatures they have never seen before on any date, pushing past 90 degrees. So far this month, at least 118 of these all-time heat records have been set or tied across the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The explanations should sound as familiar as the crash of broken records. 'We now have very strong evidence that global warming has already put a thumb on the scales, upping the odds of extremes like severe heat and heavy rainfall,' Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh said. 'We find that global warming has increased the odds of record-setting hot events over more than 80 percent of the planet, and has increased the odds of record-setting wet events at around half of the planet.' THE SUMMER THE WORLD CAUGHT FIRE A stunning interactive map reveals how record temperatures are being recorded across the globe. It pulls together data crunched by some of the world's most powerful supercomputers, including the Global Forecast System (GFS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to generate a world map that showcases the most recent weather readings from across the planet. Users can toggle settings to show wind speeds, relative humidity, and surface temperature. The interactive map, which updates with the latest temperature readings every three hours, reveals the full extent of the warm spell that has triggered weather warnings across the globe. Advertisement Climate change is making the world warmer because of the build-up of heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil and other human activities. And experts say the jet stream - which dictates weather in the Northern Hemisphere - is again behaving strangely. 'An unusually sharply kinked jet stream has been stuck in place for weeks now,' said Jeff Masters, director of the private Weather Underground. He says that allows the heat to stay in place over three areas where the kinks are: Europe, Japan and the western United States. Visitors rest in the shade in the midday heat at Cheonggye stream in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 23, 2018. The temperature in a city north of Tokyo reached 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, the highest ever recorded in Japan, as a deadly heat wave gripped a wide swath of the country and nearby South Korea. The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. The same jet stream pattern caused the 2003 European heat wave, the 2010 Russian heat wave and fires, the 2011 Texas and Oklahoma drought and the 2016 Canadian wildfires, Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann said, pointing to past studies by him and others. He said in an email that these extremes are 'becoming more common because of human-caused climate change and in particular, the amplified warming in the Arctic.' Climate scientists have long said they can't directly link single weather events, like a heat wave, to human caused climate change without extensive study. In the past decade they have used observations, statistics and computer simulations to calculate if global warming increases the chances of the events. A study by European scientists Friday found that the ongoing European heat wave is twice as likely because of human-caused global warming, though those conclusions have not yet been confirmed by outside scientists. A man cools off in a water mist along the Las Vegas Strip, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas valley is in it's third day of a an excessive heat warning issued by the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/John Locher) This Wednesday, July 25, 2018 aerial photo shows burnt houses and trees following a wildfire in Mati, east of Athens. Frantic relatives searching for loved ones missing in Greece's deadliest forest fire in decades headed to Athens' morgue on Thursday, July 26, 2018 as rescue crews and volunteers continued searches on land and at sea for potential further victims. (Antonis Nikolopoulos/Eurokinissi via AP) The World Weather Attribution team said they compared three-day heat measurements and forecasts for the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland with historical records going back to the early 1900s. 'The world is becoming warmer and so heatwaves like this are becoming more common,' said Friederike Otto, a member of the team and deputy director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. Erich Fischer, an expert on weather extremes at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich who wasn't part of the analysis said the authors used well-established methods to make their conclusions. Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said the link between climate change and fires isn't as strong as it is with heat waves, but it is becoming clearer. A devastating fire in Greece - with at least 83 fatalities - is the deadliest fire in Europe since 1900, according to the International Disaster Database run by the Centre for the Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Brussels, Belgium. In the United States on Friday there were 89 active large fires, consuming nearly 900,000 acres, according the National Interagency Fire Center. So far this year, fires have burned 4.15 million acres, which is nearly 14 percent higher than average over the past 10 years. The first major science study to connect greenhouse gases to stronger and longer heat waves was in 2004. It was titled 'More intense, more frequent and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century.' Study author Gerald Meehl of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said Friday that now it 'reads like a prediction of what has been happening and will continue to happen as long as average temperatures continue to rise with ever-increasing emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. It's no mystery.' Men and women both suffer from feelings of sadness, tearfulness or irritability following sex, researchers have found. While the condition, known as Postcoital Dysphoria, has been recognised in women, the new study is the first to find it affects men as well. It found 41 per cent of men reported symptoms at some point in their life. Scroll down for video Professor Schweitzer said the results indicated the male experience of sex could be far more varied and complex than previously thought. WHAT IS POSTCOITAL DYSPHORIA? Becoming tearful or feeling sad, depressed, anxious or agitated after sex are symptoms of a condition called postcoital dysphoria (PCD) or 'post sex blues'. It is quite common, and often occurs within a stable relationship. PCD at some point in their life was reported by a whopping 46 per cent of 230 Australian female university students surveyed. Another study found a higher correlation of PCD among identical and non-identical twins, suggested the condition may be hereditary. These feelings occur even if the sexual encounter has been satisfying and enjoyable. Not much is known about PCD, but research published in the journal Sexual Medicine in 2015 has revealed how common it is among women. However, PCD was not linked to intimacy in close relationships, the researchers reported. Experts arent sure why PCD happens. It may be that the bonding with a partner during sex is so intense that breaking the bond triggers sadness. Childhood sexual abuse may play a role as well. Advertisement 'The study breaks down the results of an international anonymous online survey of 1,208 men from Australia, the USA, the UK, Russia, New Zealand, Germany and elsewhere,' said Professor Robert Schweitzer from QUT's School of Psychology and Counselling. 'Forty-one per cent of the participants reported experiencing PCD in their lifetime with 20 per cent reporting they had experienced it in the previous four weeks. 'Up to four per cent suffered from PCD on a regular basis.' The paper - Postcoital Dysphoria: Prevalence and Correlates among Males - has been published by the international Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. Maczkowiack revealed the men who had experienced sadness following sex described experiences ranging from 'I don't want to be touched and want to be left alone' to 'I feel unsatisfied, annoyed and very fidgety. All I really want is to leave and distract myself from everything I participated in'. 'Another described feeling 'emotionless and empty' in contrast to the men who experienced the post coital experience positively, and used descriptors such as a 'feeling of well-being, satisfaction, contentment' and closeness to their partner,' he said. Professor Schweitzer said the results indicated the male experience of sex could be far more varied and complex than previously thought. It also had implications for future therapies and more open discourse on the male sexual experience. 'The first three phases of the human sexual response cycle - excitement, plateau, and orgasm - have been the focus of the majority of research to date,' Professor Schweitzer said. 'The experience of the resolution phase remains a bit of a mystery and is therefore poorly understood. 'It is commonly believed that males and females experience a range of positive emotions including contentment and relaxation immediately following consensual sexual activity. While the condition has been recognised in women, the new study is the first to find it affects men as well. It found 41 per cent of men reported symptoms at some point in their life. 'Yet previous studies on the PCD experience of females showed that a similar proportion of females had experienced PCD on a regular basis. 'As with the men in this new study, it is not well understood. We would speculate that the reasons are multifactorial, including both biological and psychological factors.' Mr Maczkowiack said anecdotal evidence from clinical settings as well as personal accounts posted on online blogs suggested that PCD did occur amongst males and had the potential to interfere with couple interactions following sexual activity 'It has, for example, been established that couples who engage in talking, kissing, and cuddling following sexual activity report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction, demonstrating that the resolution phase is important for bonding and intimacy,' he said. 'So the negative affective state which defines PCD has potential to cause distress to the individual, as well as the partner, disrupt important relationship processes, and contribute to distress and conflict within the relationship, and impact upon sexual and relationship functioning.' Professor Schweitzer added that in Western cultures in particular, men faced a range of expectations and assumptions about their preferences, performance, and experience of sexual activity. 'These assumptions are pervasive within masculine sub-culture and include that males always desire and experience sex as pleasurable. 'The experience of PCD contradicts these dominant cultural assumptions about the male experience sexual activity and of the resolution phase,' he said. The participants were recruited via social media, online articles, and psychological research websites to voluntarily complete a cross-sectional online questionnaire. Advertisement NASA has revealed an incredible image of a gigantic 'whirlpool' of algae in the Baltic sea. Every summer, phytoplankton spread across the northern basins of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, with blooms spanning hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers. Blooms this summer off of Scandinavia seem to be particularly intense, NASA said. Scroll down for video On July 18, 2018, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired a natural-color image (above) of a swirling green phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Finland, a section of the Baltic Sea. Note how the phytoplankton trace the edges of a vortex; it is possible that this ocean eddy is pumping up nutrients from the depths. For scale, a ship is shown. The swirling bloom is at least 15 miles across, which means New York City's Manhattan Island could fit inside it with a little room to spare. The swirling bloom is at least 15 miles across, which means New York City's Manhattan Island could fit inside it with a little room to spare. Researchers are unsure what is causing the strange pattern. 'Note how the phytoplankton trace the edges of a vortex; it is possible that this ocean eddy is pumping up nutrients from the depths,' it said. Nutrient-rich, cooler waters tend to promote more growth among marine plants and phytoplankton than is found in tropical waters, the agency added. Though it is impossible to know the genus and species without sampling the water, three decades of satellite observations suggest that these green blooms are likely to be cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), an ancient type of marine bacteria that capture and store solar energy through photosynthesis (like plants). WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS OF AN ALGAE BLOOM? Technically called cyanobacteria, the ancient class of organisms that create the blooms are present nearly everywhere water is found, but thrive in warm, still bodies like lakes and ponds. Technically called cyanobacteria, the ancient class of organisms that create the blooms are present nearly everywhere water is found, but thrive in warm, still bodies like lakes and ponds. They also create a unique class of toxins, the impact of which on humans is only partly understood. Long linked to animal deaths, high doses of the toxins in humans can cause liver damage and attack the nervous system. In the largest outbreaks, hundreds have been sickened by blooms in reservoirs and lakes, and officials in some areas now routinely close bodies of water used for recreation and post warnings when blooms occur. But less is known about exposure at lower doses, especially over the long term. Small studies have linked exposure to liver cancer - one toxin is classified as a carcinogen, and others have pointed to potential links to neurodegenerative disease. Advertisement Some of the greens also could come from diatoms, which are also rich in chlorophyll. According to news outlets, the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) has observed the recent bloom from the water and found it to be mostly cyanobacteria. In recent years, the proliferation of algae blooms in the Baltic Sea has led to the regular appearance of 'dead zones' in the basin. Phytoplankton and cyanobacteria consume the abundant nutrients in the Balticfueled largely by runoff from sewage and agricultureand reproduce in such vast numbers that their growth and decay deplete the oxygen content of the water. According to researchers from Finland's University of Turku, the dead zone this year is estimated to span about 70,000 square kilometers (27,000 square miles). Polish health authorities said Wednesday they had closed scores of beaches along the country's Baltic Sea coast due to a massive toxic algae bloom triggered by a heat wave. 'Swimming is prohibited on eight beaches along the open sea and about twenty beaches in Gdansk Bay because of the appearance... of cyanobacteria,' Tomasz Augustyniak, health inspector for the northing Gdansk province, told AFP referring to blue-green algae. In recent years, the proliferation of algae blooms in the Baltic Sea has led to the regular appearance of 'dead zones' in the basin. 'The algae is toxic and poses a health risk,' he said, adding that the week-old bloom was 'particularly intense' due to a long stretch of hot weather. Polish television this week broadcast aerial footage showing a green carpet of algae covering the sea. Run-off containing nitrates and phosphates from farm fertilisers and sewage have seeped into the Baltic, triggering large algal blooms in recent years, Augustyniak said. Dying algae also triggers complex organic processes that suck the oxygen out Baltic waters leading to 'dead zones' where no marine life can exist. Scientists termed oxygen loss in the Baltic 'unprecedentedly severe' in a study published this month in the European Geosciences Union journal Biogeosciences. Gulf of Mexico's dead zone is a massive region of low oxygen that kills any marine life that enter A dead zone is an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life. Nutrient runoff from the Mississippi River contributes to the dead zone. This nutrient pollution, mainly from agriculture and developed land runoff in the Mississippi River watershed, is affecting coastal resources and habitats in the Gulf by stimulating algal growth. Eventually, the algae decomposes, which uses up the oxygen needed to support life in the Gulf. This loss of oxygen in the water can cause the loss of fish habitat or force them to move to other areas to survive. It also leads decreased reproductive capabilities in fish species and a reduced average size of caught shrimp. Advertisement They note that as a relatively small, shallow and enclosed sea, the Baltic has a very limited ability to flush out pollutants into the waters of the North Sea, making it an extremely vulnerable ecosystem. Encircled by nine countriesEstonia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Swedenthe Baltic has an estimated 16 million people living along its shores. A research team from Finland and Germany reported this month that oxygen levels in recent years in the Baltic Sea are at their lowest levels in the past 1500 years. More frequent and massive blooms, combined with warming seas due to climate change, are making it harder for fish and other marine life to thrive in this basin. The milky teal and white blooms are probably coccolithophores, which have tiny, chalky, calcium carbonate shells. The variations in brightness and color is related to both the concentration of phytoplankton and to the depth, as coccolithophores can grow as much as 50 meters below the water surface. Research has shown that diatoms tend to dominate the waters of the Barents Sea in the early summer, when surface waters are well mixed. As summer temperatures heat up and the water settles into warmer and cooler, fresher and saltier layers (stratification), coccolithophores start to take over. IBM's artificial intelligence software, Watson, isn't ready to replace your doctor just yet. Medical experts working with the tech giant on its Watson for Oncology system discovered that it made 'often inaccurate' and 'unsafe' treatment recommendations, according to internal documents reviewed by Stat News. However, no patients were reportedly harmed despite Watson's missteps. Scroll down for video Medical experts working with IBMon its Watson for Oncology system discovered that it made 'often inaccurate' and 'unsafe' treatment recommendations, internal documents showed The documents were included in two presentations given in June and July 2017 by IBM Watson's former deputy health chief Andrew Norden. In one case, a 65-year-old patient was diagnosed with lung cancer and said he had developed severe bleeding. Watson recommended he be given chemotherapy and receive a drug called 'Bevacizumab,' but Stat News noted that the drug can result in 'severe or fatal hemorrhage' and shouldn't be administered to people with severe bleeding. A spokesperson for Memorial Sloan Kettering told Stat News that the suggestion was hypothetical; instead, it was a part of system testing. However, several people related to the project said Watson's inaccuracies raise 'serious questions about the process for building content and the underlying technology.' 'This product is a piece of s***,' a doctor at Jupiter Hospital in Florida told executives at IBM, according to Stat News. In one case, Watson recommended that a patient with lung cancer and internal bleeding be administered a drug that can result in 'severe or fatal hemorrhage' HOW DOES IBM'S WATSON HELP DIAGNOSE CANCER? The Watson artificial intelligence system, developed by US firm IBM, examines medical images and patient records. These are then compared to thousands of past cases and medicals journals to come to a conclusion. Doctors at 55 hospitals around the world have been using the system to help them diagnose patients for breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, ovarian, gastric and prostate cancers. IBM claims the technology will be extended to detect a further five cancer types by the end of the year and will be rolled out to other hospitals worldwide. Advertisement 'We bought it for marketing and with hopes that you would achieve the vision. We can't use it for most cases.' Not only did people have concerns about Watson's suggestions, but people also questioned the way that Watson was trained for this particular project. The AI system was supposed to analyze data from real patients, but instead it was fed hypothetical data. It meant that doctors were receiving recommendations from other doctors, not those reached by an AI synthesizing vast amounts of data and reaching its own conclusions. Doctors at Jupiter Hospital told Gizmodo that instead of relying on Watson, they use the supercomputer as an extra opinion if they cannot agree on treatment. So while it's not a glowing endorsement, it appears medical professionals are still using Watson in some capacity. Additionally, a spokesperson for IBM told Gizmodo that Watson is still learning and is currently being used by 230 hospitals around the world, supporting care for over 84,000 patients. The company also disagreed in part with the internal documents, saying they don't give a timely representation of Watson. 'We have learned and improved Watson Health on continuous feedback from clients, new scientific evidence, and new cancers and treatment alternatives,' the spokesperson told Gizmodo. Watson was supposed to analyze data from real patients, but instead it was fed hypothetical data. It meant that doctors were receiving recommendations from other doctors, not those reached by an AI synthesizing vast amounts of data and reaching its own conclusions 'This includes 11 software releases for even better functionality during the past year, including national guidelines for cancers ranging from colon to liver cancer.' IBM released a report last June that said Watson could accurately identify tumors in up to 93% of cases following tests on real patients. It is hoped the system will be able to reduce the amount of time it takes to screen patients and help improve the accuracy of diagnosis. When an airline loses a passenger's luggage it normally doesn't go down very well at all. But for one passenger, the experience was truly uplifting - because the airline returned his lost bag by helicopter. Kris Ancone from Charleston, South Carolina, traveled to the tiny town of Talkeetna close to Anchorage via Alaska Airlines. The helicopter comes into land to deliver Kris Ancone's missing suitcase. His case had gone missing while travelling on Alaska Airlines But when he arrived at his destination, his luggage did not come off the baggage carousel and he couldn't wait for it - he needed to head off and build a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. The airline discovered the case was still in Charleston so hatched a plan of getting another carrier to fly the bag up to Anchorage before sending it onwards via a helicopter. The airline discovered the case was still in Charleston so hatched a plan of getting another carrier to fly the bag up to Anchorage before sending it onwards via a helicopter A rather impressed Mr Ancone filmed the helicopter coming in to land near his cabin and can be heard on the footage saying 'thank you Alaska Airlines! That's service, customer care' A rather impressed Mr Ancone filmed the helicopter coming in to land near his cabin and can be heard on the footage saying 'thank you Alaska Airlines! That's service, customer care'. The passenger then posted a picture on social media showing his bag, confirming it had been delivered to him. Tim Thompson, a spokesman for Alaska Airlines, told KTUU that it is believed to be the first time the carrier has ever delivered a bag by helicopter. He said: 'Occasionally, we'll send recovered bags by float plane, but in seven years here, I've never seen this.' Advertisement Work has begun on a 1billion project to transform the former iconic US embassy in London into a luxury hotel. The building, which stands in the middle of Grosvenor Square in the centre of the capital, was sold by the United States government after it moved to new premises elsewhere in the city. Now the first phase of construction has started on transforming the grade II-listed embassy into a 137-room property, which will be known as 30 Grosvenor Square and run by Rosewood Hotels. An artists impression showing what the former embassy building in central London will look like when its has been transformed into a hotel British architect Sir David Chipperfield will oversee the interior design. Above is an artist's impression of how one of the restaurants will look when completed The former embassy in central London's upmarket Mayfair area, pictured earlier this year. It opened in 1960 before staff moved to a new building in south London When finished in 2023, it will boast five restaurants, six retails units, a spa and a ballroom, which will be able to hold up to 1,000 guests. Artist's impressions show how the distinctive facade of the building will remain while the inside will be completely transformed. Developers Qatari Diar own the building and have appointed British architect Sir David Chipperfield to oversee the interior design. Rosewood Hotels said the design of the hotel will 'delicately showcase the mid-20th century heritage of the building, combining traditional and contemporary craftsmanship through exquisite and refined interiors'. Abdullah Al Attiyah, CEO of Qatari Diar, said: 'The opportunity to transform such an iconic address is something that only happens once in a lifetime and we are extremely proud to be responsible for it. 'We recognise the history of the building and are dedicated to sensitively redeveloping the former U.S Embassy into a new destination on Grosvenor Square.' The facade of the well-known building will remain the same but will be totally transformed inside. The total project will cost 1billion The former embassy in central London's upmarket Mayfair area opened in 1960 after the 4th Duke of Westminster, who owned the land where it stands, leased the plot to the US government. In 2008, when President Barack Obama was in office, it was announced the embassy would be moved to a brand new building in the Nine Elms area of Wandsworth in south London. The old building was then put up for sale, and MailOnline later revealed that it went for just 315m ($431m) - far below the 500 million ($687 million) experts estimated. But the move has proved controversial with current US president Donald Trump, who claimed the new embassy is in a 'horrible location' and said he would refuse to officially open it. The new US embassy building in the Nine Elms area of Wandsworth. It has proved controversial with current US president Donald Trump, who claimed the new embassy is in a 'horrible location' Speaking at a rally in Michigan last year, he told supporters: 'In the UK, in London, we had the best site in all of London. The best site. 'Well, some genius said, we're gonna sell the site and then we're going to take the money and build a new embassy... 'They go out and they buy a horrible location. And they build a new embassy. That's the good news. The bad news is it cost over a billion dollars. 'By the way, they wanted me to cut the ribbon on the embassy and I said I'm not going. I don't wanna do it. I said, "I'm not cutting that ribbon." I said "I'm not going."' He's the Married At First Sight groom who is never far from drama. And Nasser Sultan, 51, has found himself under fire once again after secretly messaging 54-year-old co-star John Roberton's new girlfriend behind his back. The star had been sending a string of 'flirty' messages to author Kenicha Hatten, who has been dating Melbourne-based John since May, over Instagram direct messages - until she informed her boyfriend of the unwelcome advances and he put a stop to it. Scroll down for video Another couple swap? MAFS' Nasser Sultan, 51, has been caught secretly messaging 54-year-old John Robertson's new girlfriend as the blokes come to blows. John is pictured with his new girlfriend Kenicha Hatten Discussing the unlikely feud, Nasser told Daily Mail Australia: 'I followed her on Instagram and sent her a couple of messages [laughs].' 'I was joking and flirting saying [that] she's too hot for John and I'm here if she wants a real man - but I don't think she realised I was joking.' 'She blocked me and John phoned me up and was really angry, asking what was going on. He thought I was trying it on with her.' No laughing matter: Nasser, pictured with TV wife Gabrielle Bartlett, said he was 'joking and flirting' in his messages to John's girlfriend Kenicha Hatten Nothing will break them: John called Nasser up to vent his anger at the situation as Kenicha blocked his unwanted advances from her Instagram private messages John debuted his new love at the Melbourne premiere of Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom in June following his split from TV wife Melissa Walsh. 'The guys met after Kenicha introduced herself on social media as a bit of a MAFS super fan. They instantly clicked and things seem to be going really well so far,' an insider told Daily Mail Australia last month. 'They're taking things slowly right now but they can both see a future.' When approached by Daily Mail Australia for comment, John opened up about his new relationship, gushing: 'Things are going very well! As I always say, slowly slowly.' Need some self-help? Nasser may have lost another MAFS friend this week after mocking Tracey Jewel's book Don't Mess with the Goddess on Instagram Meanwhile, single Nasser may have lost another MAFS cast member as a friend this week, after mocking Tracey Jewel's 2016 self-help book, Don't Mess with the Goddess, on Tuesday. In a clip shared to Instagram, the personal trainer, 51, read a clunky quote from the book before asking his dog Winston, 'Can you explain [this] to me?' '"What is meant to be, will always find a way",' Nasser said, reading from Don't Mess with the Goddess while he sat on his sofa. 'Winston, do you know what this is about?' he added, addressing his dog sleeping next to him. 'Can you explain to me? You can't, can you? No?' She's considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. But Helena Christensen has admitted she still feels 'uncool' next to her teenage son Mingus, as she appeared on the cover of Red magazine's September issue. The 49-year-old Danish supermodel told the publication that she under estimated the 'constant needs' of her son when she welcomed him with then-boyfriend Norman Reedus in 1999, going onto confess he is 'sometimes' right. Honest: Helena Christensen has admitted she still feels 'uncool' next to her teenage son Mingus, as she appears on the front cover of Red magazine's September Issue Helena told the publication that despite being close to her son, their relationship with changed when he reached his teenage years, adding he sometimes makes her feel 'uncool.' She said: 'Mingus and I have always been really good friends, but he's 18 now and the teenage years change things. There are times when I feel I can't deal with it any more, then the next day it's amazing again. 'There's nothing quite like a teenager to make you feel like the most uncool person in the world. [And] sometimes, even though he aggravates me, I know he's right.' Close bond: Helena revealed her relationship with son Mingus, now 18, (above in 2016) has evolved over the years Candid: In a stunning photo-shoot from her New York home, the star said it took the advice of a friend for her realise the importance of the first few years of her son's life Helena went onto tell Red that it took the advice of a mother-of-four to help her re-asses the struggles of motherhood, admitting it took some time for her value Mingus' first years. 'When my son, Mingus, was a baby, I was so tired and stressed out by the constant need he had for me. Then an Irish friend of mine, who has four kids, said to me, ''This is the time in your child's life when you fill the bottle with love as much as you possibly can, because once that bottle is full, you've done all you can.'' 'When that child goes out into the world, that bottle is going to be emptied so fill it now!' When I looked at it that way, it didn't feel as hard to be exhausted.' Former flame: Helena welcomed her son with The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, who she dated from 1998 to 2003 (above in 2002) Amazing: Helena also revealed she enjoys reflecting on the good old days with her model pals, including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford Helena had previously dated actor Norman Reedus, 49, who many will know for his role as Daryl Dixon in AMC's The Walking Dead. The couple split in 2003 after five years together, and Norman has been dating model Diane Kruger since July 2016. Helena made a sensational return to modelling last autumn when she walked the runway for Versace with fellowsupermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Carla Bruni. The full interview appears in the June issue of Red, on sale now On her relationship with the fashion legends Helena said: 'I [still] see Cindy [Crawford] and Christy [Turlington], sometimes Naomi [Campbell]. 'We go for dinners and it's the loveliest thing because we were all so young when we met and share so many incredible and incredibly strange memories, which in some ways means there will always be a special bond between us.' And as she nears 50 Helena added that she doesn't like to think about her age, despite many fans commenting on her incredible complexion. 'It's the first thing people ever ask women over a certain age, and I'm not interested. I don't want to think about it or talk about it or let it define me.' The full interview appears in the June issue of Red, on sale now. Summer bay babe Ada Nicodemou recently confirmed her romance to millionaire businessman Adam Rigby, and already there's been whispers about a possible engagement. And the couple couldn't be any more smitten, with Ada posting a series of loved-up snaps to her Instagram account on Thursday as the couple continue their romantic getaway in New York. The 41-year-old and her new flame took selfies at some of New York's most iconic locations. Home & Away star Ada Nicodemou cosied up to new man Adam Rigby while holidaying in New York after a close friend reveals he may get down on one knee! In one, the relaxed and happy duo posed in New York's Times Square, both giving a cheeky grin to the camera. 'You know youve arrived in NY when you're in Times Square,' Ada wrote. In another, they were seen taking in the sights of the Big Apple while walking the world famous Brooklyn Bridge. Can you hear wedding bells? Ada posted a series of loved-up snaps to her Instagram account during a romantic getaway in New York with her new beau on Thursday Picture perfect: In another snap the couple were seen taking several different photographs on the world famous Brooklyn Bridge The romantic vacation comes after the brunette beauty went public with her relationship in June. She posted an intimate selfie of the pair attending the Jellybean Charity Ball on her Instagram account, last month. 'Had a spectacular night at the ball raising awareness and funds for type 1 diabetes,' she wrote at the time. Couple goals! Ada posted an intimate selfie of the pair during the Jellybean Charity Ball last month Meanwhile, a close friend of Ada's has revealed there may be a proposal on the cards and the actress may be coming home from New York with a giant sparkler. 'Everyone is expecting Ada to come home with a ring on her finger,' they told Women's Day last month. 'They're inseparable,' they added. Ada recently opened up about her new love, telling New Idea exclusively: 'Life is really good at the moment,' as she stared lovingly at Adam during the interview. 'I'm feeling really happy, and choosing to enjoy life a lot more,' she added. They married earlier this month in a secret ceremony in France. And this week, former Roosters star Craig Wing and model wife Johanna Chow Chuen continued to enjoy their lavish honeymoon in the Greek Islands. Craig, 38, gushed about his bride as the pair soaked up the sun in Mykonos, writing on Instagram on Thursday: 'Oh my God. I'm a lucky man.' 'I'm a lucky man!' Former NRL star Craig Wing gushes over model wife Johanna Chow Chuen as the pair soak up the sun on their lavish honeymoon in Greece He also added a flame emoji. In the snap, Johanna is seen lounging on the balcony of the couple's hotel wearing a plunging red playsuit. Meanwhile, Johanna shared a picture of the pair swimming, showing off her flawless figure in a tiny string bikini. 'Joy': On Thursday, Johanna shared a picture of the pair swimming, showing off her flawless figure in a tiny string bikini Sun-kissed: The pair have inundated fans with snaps from their holiday, which they are believed to be on with friends Cuddling up to her shirtless man, she captioned the image: 'Joy.' The pair have inundated fans with snaps from their holiday, which they are believed to be on with friends. During their trip to the idyllic Greek Islands the pair have also spent time in Santorini. Newlyweds: The pair shared an underwater kiss in Greece Living it up: During their trip to the idyllic Greek Islands, the pair have also spent time in Santorini The couple married earlier this month in countryside France, keeping their big day top secret. The wedding took place at the five-star Chateau de Berne hotel, in the winery region of Lorgues in south-eastern France. French-born beauty Johanna was ever the blushing bride, wearing a fishtail lace gown. Their big day: The pair married earlier this month in countryside France, keeping their big day top secret The footy player meanwhile beamed at his bride, looking dapper in a fitted suit with a soft pink rose pinned to his lapel. The couple have been together for six years and became engaged in Paris on Valentine's Day 2014. Craig dated beauty writer Zoe Foster Blake for ten years before the high-profile couple ended their relationship among a flurry of headlines in 2009. There was something about the way Rosalie Craig said 'gorgeous' when discussing one of her soon-to- be leading men in the gender-altered Stephen Sondheim musical Company. The swap means Rosalie gets to play a woman with no emotional commitments who, on her 35th birthday, reassesses her relationships with her married acquaintances, and her girlfriends. Except when Sondheim wrote that brief description of his seminal musical, the woman concerned was a man. Bobby has become Bobbi in an eagerly awaited contemporary version of Sond-heim's 1970 show (written with George Furth) which has been changed by director Marianne Elliott with Sondheim's blessing. Elliott told me Sondheim sent her so many lyric changes that this Company should really be termed a 'new' musical. Pictured: Rosalie Craig is starring in a gender-altered retake of Stephen Sondheim musical Company It's the first major London production since Adrian Lester played Bobby for Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse in 1995. Rosalie performed Bobbi in a workshop that was filmed and delivered to Sondheim. The only number I've heard her do is Being Alive, which was magnificent. The new slant on the show means Bobby's beauties have now become Bobbi's conquests and Rosalie's distinctly pleased about that. For instance, the dashing actor Richard Fleeshman will be playing Andy, a flight attendant Bobbi picked up. (In the original, Andy was Amy.) Andy's the first to admit his brains are not the most impressive thing about him. 'But he's gorgeous,' Rosalie said, savouring that word as she jokingly fanned herself, and her grey-green eyes lit up. 'I don't think Richard Fleeshman would be offended by being cast because he's gorgeous,' Rosalie added (that word again) with a smile, as she devoured a heritage tomato salad at the light and airy Spring restaurant at Somerset House in London. The dashing actor Richard Fleeshman (pictured) will be playing Andy in the musical 'It's about a woman having a really good time. It's celebrating Sex And The City style a woman going out for lunch, and having a good time. Going out for drinks, and having a good time. Going to bed with gorgeous men and having a good time,' Rosalie said of Company, which will run at the Gielgud from September 26. There's a #MeToo vibe about the changed piece, but it's not a sermon, she stressed. At the end of the day, 'Sondheim and George Furth wrote a hilarious musical comedy'. Rosalie was in the earliest iteration, at the Curve in Leicester, of troubled musical Finding Neverland, before Gary Barlow and James Graham were involved. The producer of that show happened to be Harvey Weinstein. 'I count myself extremely lucky to be able to say that we never had a conversation about anything other than work,' said the actress, who lives with husband Hadley Fraser and their 18-month-old daughter in South-East London. 'There'd be phone calls at all hours of the day, and night. He's a man who doesn't sleep.' Patti LuPone, the Broadway star whom Elliott and producing partner Chris Harper have enticed over to play the acerbic Joanne (her signature song is Ladies Who Lunch) is also big on #MeToo. 'Patti's like: 'We will reign again! We will be goddesses again!',' Rosalie said. 'I'd like her sitting here so she could explain what she means.' I think one of the points LuPone was making had to do with opportunities for women on stage and screen. She'd grown weary of always working for male directors, and leapt at the chance to be in Elliott's production of Company as did Rosalie. She and Elliott had worked together on The Light Princess at the National Theatre. Her performance garnered her a best actress trophy at the Evening Standard Awards. Rosalie was pregnant and appearing in The Threepenny Opera at the NT when she bumped into Elliott. The director wanted to know if Rosalie thought it would be a good idea to turn Bobby into Bobbi. The actress did. A few weeks went by and Rosalie said to Elliott: 'Who are you going to get to play Bobbi?' And she replied: 'You.' Elliott wanted Rosalie because she needed a powerhouse Bobbi who could act as well as she could sing. Rosalie doesn't confine herself to musicals. She was in Jez Butterworth's acclaimed The Ferryman and recently completed a role in director Julian Jarrold's film Sulphur And White, based on the autobiography of child abuse survivor David Tait. For now, though, she's getting ready to work with the Company company when rehearsals kick off next month. Thandie Newton plays a 'Kate Adie kind of war correspondent' in director Xavier Dolan's new film The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan. The title character, a famous (fictitious) actor, now deceased, is played by Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington. The picture was shot last year but its release has been stalled for legal reasons. Thandie Newton (pictured) plays a 'Kate Adie kind of war correspondent' in director Xavier Dolan's new film The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan Ms Newton is married to director Ol Parker, who's enjoying the biggest hit of his career with the irresistible Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Their daughter, Nico, has a major role in Tim Burton's live-action Dumbo. Bartlett Sher, the director whose Lincoln Center production of The King And I is enjoying a run at the London Palladium. He has been visiting a couple of West End theatres to find a home for My Fair Lady, another of his shows which is the present incumbent of the Lincoln Center Theater, starring Lauren Ambrose and British stars Harry Hadden-Paton and Diana Rigg. The My Fair Lady design team have 'measured up' a couple of London theatres, even though the show won't travel here until late 2019 at the very earliest. I'm told there has been much talk about putting My Fair Lady into the Dominion (which is controlled by the Nederlander organisation . . . who happen to own certain rights to My Fair Lady). But it's all still way up in the air. Jessica Chastain will star in Seducing Ingrid Bergman, a film that chronicles the post-war affair the married Bergman had with photographer Robert Capa. The part of Capa has yet to be cast. Justin Theroux's one of Hollywood's hunkiest actors, but his next high-profile role will center around his voice. The 46-year-old star of The Leftovers has joined the cast of Lady and the Tramp reboot - providing the voice of the Tramp, Collider reported Thursday. The Girl on the Train actor joins actress Ashley Jensen, who will provide vocals for the Scottish Terrier Jackie, in the movie, which will blend live action with CG animation. New role: Justin Theroux, 46, has joined the cast of the Lady and the Tramp reboot, providing the voice of the Tramp, Collider reported Thursday. He was snapped Wednesday in LA Charlie Bean, who worked with Justin on last year's The Lego Ninjago Movie, inked on to direct this past March, with Brigham Taylor producing and Andrew Bujalski writing the script. Production could kick up later in 2018, according to Deadline. Lady and the Tramp was first released in 1955, and centers on the relationship between Lady, a Cocker Spaniel who's abandoned by her family after they welcome a child, and the street-savvy Tramp. A famous scene sees the pair enjoying a fancy spaghetti dinner in an alley. The movie is slated to be added to Disney's forthcoming streaming next year Deadline reported, which will feature exclusive content, with up to six films a year, in addition to movies and shows put out by Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm. Dog days: The live action/CG film is for Disney's forthcoming streaming service It's been an up-and-down year for the actor-screenwriter, as his love life has been in the news in the wake of his split with A-lister Jennifer Aniston in February after more than two years of marriage. He's since been linked to artist Petra Collins and actress Emma Stone. Professionally, his career continues to thrive as he appears with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in the upcoming comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, which is due out next week, in addition to On the Basis of Sex, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic that hits theaters this winter. Exit The King (Royal National Theatre) Verdict: Royal nonsense Rating: Crumbling ruin: Rhys Ifans cant save the day as Eugene Ionescos dying king Some theatre directors have a knack for creating hits. Rufus Norris, boss of the Royal National Theatre, has the opposite. He is a one-man conveyor belt of stinkers, from the recent grotty Macbeth to stalls-emptyers such as Common, Salome and St George And The Dragon. He has come up with a few watchable plays at his two smaller auditoria, but whats been presented at the main house, the Olivier, has been dire. This is the most important space in British subsidised theatre and it has been running alarmingly below capacity, seats flapping back as audiences have fled. Now comes another humdinger from Rufuss Flop Factory: a bone-grinding eye-acher of Sixties European absurdism by Franco-Romanian thighslapper Eugene Ionesco. Ionesco wrote Exit The King when he was convinced he was dying around the age of 50. In fact, he lived for another 30 years. One of lifes hypochondriacs, perhaps. An ancient king, on the throne of his tiny kingdom for centuries, reaches the day for his death. He reacts petulantly when told of his impending demise. Finally, he is persuaded to walk the lonely, crimson-lit path to lifelessness. That ending, well lit and with the Oliviers stage gubbins creating an impressive cavern, is the best part of Patrick Marbers production. It is the one moment the show achieves a dose of humanity. The rest of it is embarrassingly, thuddingly silly. The royal court is like something from a nursery rhyme, a royal guard (Derek Griffiths) done up like a clockwork soldier, the kings doctor (Adrian Scarborough) wearing a dunces cap. His nurse/charwoman (Debra Gillett) is a joke menial. The King has two queens: the older one sardonic (Indira Varma), the younger a fading coquette (Amy Morgan). At the arrival of the king (Rhys Ifans) after about five minutes, the audience is told to stand. The crowd at Tuesdays preview did so patchily and with reluctance. Scepticism had already set in. We are told that the kingdom has shrunk to a mere five square miles and that it is a ruin. The doctor looks through an absurdist telescope and announces that two planets have collided. The Sun is losing its power! The clouds are going to rain toads! Had either of these events been boldly staged, it could have been quite interesting. But nothing happens. We simply await the kings death and keep being told how many minutes away it is Sixty-eight minutes. Youre going to die at the end of the play. Friends, 68 minutes have seldom passed so slowly. It really did feel like a lifetime. There is a repeated gag about how the charwoman calls the throne room the lounge. We also have a routine about the kings stools. The king suddenly mentions Sidney the kidney (his name for one of his essential organs). The king dies. Then (drat!) he is found to be still alive. He is given a bobble hat and a wheelchair. Absurdism may just about work when there is enough sense of danger from outer chaos and when there is a core idea of an enemy or a threat of evil. None exists here. In a tiresome, puerile way, the play just charts the departure of a ruler who was not even powerful at first sight. It lasts 100 minutes. They do it without a break. Wise. If you gave punters an interval, it would be Exit The Audience. Clever spoof, but for Hamilton fans only Spamilton (Menier Chocolate Factory) Verdict: Niche offering Rating: Devotees of Hamilton, the hit American musical playing at Londons Victoria Palace Theatre, now have a parody show to savour. Spamilton calls itself a satiric parasite. Seven actors and one pianist run through 80 minutes of songs which gently take the rise not only out of Hamilton, but also of musicals generally. The result is an evening of faintly forced drollery which will amuse musical-theatre fanatics but may leave others feeling they have seen enough of the joke after 15 minutes. Much of the satire is aimed at Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway production of Hamilton, about one of Americas founding fathers. He is teased for his alleged self-importance and his mission to update American musicals with his multi-ethnic rap show and its distinctive dance routines. These are duly sent up, as are Hamiltons costumes of tight trousers, boots and long hair. Spamiltons own creator, Gerard Alessandrini, displays a pretty neat hand for rhymed hip-hop lyrics. He saw Little Mermaid/he thought of suicide/it made him feel blue inside, goes one of the early songs about the creative stodginess of mainstream New York musicals. Independence day: Liam Tamne (left) and Eddie Elliott There is a parade of jokes and melodic nods to the likes of Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Kinky Boots, Matilda and The Sound Of Music. Andrew Lloyd Webber keeps being mentioned. The Lion King and The King And I are spoofed in one swipe as The Lion King And I. Yes, it is all quite clever, in a college-revue sort of way, and it is done with admirable energy. The best song, by some distance, is a riff on Hamiltons The Room Where It Happens. This becomes Barbra Streisand and others singing I Wanna Be in The Film When It Happens. Given that Hamilton itself left me pretty unmoved, I dont mind it being mocked. Maybe they could have gone in a little harder. But it might have worked best as one skit in a wider and more varied comedy evening. Sweet smell of success for Mr Stink Mr Stink (Chickenshed Theatre, London) Verdict: Well worth sniffing out Rating: What a coup theyve pulled off at the Chickenshed community theatre at the end of the Piccadilly Line in North London. Theyve come up with a delightful musical adaptation of David Walliamss childrens novel about the quietly charismatic but decidedly pongy vagrant with a sad secret. So pleased was Mr Walliams with their show, which uses professional, amateur and local thespians from their youth group, that the Britains Got Talent judge has promised future collaborations. Mr Stink is a genuinely charming production that marries high production standards with inclusive casting that feels joyful rather than worthy. At the matinee I saw, Lucy-Mae Beacock played bashful teenage writer Chloe, who befriends a smelly but sweet local tramp. Trust: Beacock and Davis in Mr Stink at Chickenshed Theatre, London Beacock makes a terrifically feisty girl next door, pluckily opposing the tide as she stands by her smelly friend (played by Bradley Davis). Davis is perfectly cast, too, as the raggedy man with bow tie and professorial voice a la Stephen Fry. Lightly garnishing his turn with toilet humour and philosophical bon mots, he is easy to love. He puts Chloes politically aspirational mother (Belinda McGuirk) she of the suburban megalomania and Thatcherite Mr Whippy perm in her place. Lou Steins production is tremendously engaging and assured on a cartoon set planted with lollipop trees. Goutham Rohan delights as Raj, a hearing-impaired Indian running the corner shop, and for ever trying to flog Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle stationery sets. Theres also a chorus in Christmas jumpers, singing an ode to sausages and a show-stopping We Want Stink. They are all a huge credit to the youth and amateur theatre movement that is the bedrock of this countrys world-beating theatre culture. Grant Crapp recently enjoyed a secret reunion with ex-fling Cassidy McGill in Melbourne following his split from Tayla Damir. And now the Love Island Australia star has revealed whether he would rekindle his romance with the busty bartender. Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Friday, 22-year-old electrician Grant appeared undecided, saying: 'I dunno. I dunno [sic].' Scroll down for audio 'She's very attractive, that's why I picked her in the first place': Love Island Australia's Grant Crapp, 22, has revealed whether he would rekindle his romance with Cassidy McGill [both pictured] after Tayla Damir split Recalling their secret reunion at Melbourne's The Publican bar, Grant said her was still attracted to the blonde bombshell. 'She did look good. She's a very attractive girl. That's why I picked her in the first place,' he gushed. Kyle, 47, known for his straight-talking persona, went on to quiz Grant as to whether the pair had sex after their meeting, to which the tradesman replied with a laugh: 'No we didn't mate.' Speaking to Who magazine on Thursday, Grant revealed that he enjoyed a secret phone call with Cassidy recently - and even met up with her in the Victorian capital. 'It was different seeing her outside the villa': Grant and Cassidy recently reunited in Melbourne 'She looked really good,' he gushed. 'It was different seeing her outside the villa.' Grant went on to say that the pair met up at The Publican in Melbourne with co-star Justin Lacko and that they had a 'little chat' on the phone beforehand to make sure everything was okay. 'I wasn't going to attend if she was angry,' he explained. 'She looked really good!' Grant went on to say that the pair met with co-star Justin Lacko and that they had a 'little chat' on the phone beforehand Grant and Cassidy, also 22, started off their journey in Love Island Australia as a couple. However, their romance was short-lived after Grant dumped the blonde for model Tayla Damir, 21. Grant and Tayla went on to win the show, but split a few weeks after the finale aired. She is known for her incredible body of work - both on-screen and on her body. And this week, Ruby Rose revealed she has a whopping 109 tattoos adorning her slender frame. Speaking to Marie Claire Malaysia, the 32-year-old Orange Is the New Black star said each and every one of them 'are there to create a memory' and she 'loves them all.' Scroll down for video 'They all have personal meanings or stories': Ruby Rose reveals she has a whopping 109 tattoos that 'are there to create a memory' 'They all have personal meanings or storiesthey are there to create a memory,' she explained to the publication. Ruby's wide-ranging tattoos include cartoon characters such as the Ninja Turtles, diamonds and an array of different quotes. 'Some of them are more meaningful than others, but I love them all,' the actress added. She explained that her ever-growing collection of tattoos - which are mostly located on her arms and back - have now turned into a sleeve after having them etched individually over the years. That's some collection: Ruby's wide-ranging tattoos include cartoon characters such as the Ninja Turtles, diamonds and an array of different quotes Ink: She explained that her ever-growing collection of tattoos - which are mostly located on her arms and back - have now turned into a sleeve after having them etched individually over the years Cover girl: Ruby is next month's Marie Claire Malaysia cover star and flaunts her ink in a stylish photoshoot for the magazine Some of Ruby's tattoos 1. 'Trust in God' on her forearm 2. Astro Boy on her arm 3. Zodiac sign on her wrist 4. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle on her arm 5. Archer on her stomach 6. Metallica lyrics on her waist 7. Crown on her chest 8. 'MTV' on her knuckles 9. Rosary beads on her stomach 10. Playing card on her chest Advertisement 'Because they are joined together, it becomes a sleeve, or it becomes a back piece,' she explained. Ruby is next month's Marie Claire Malaysia cover star and flaunts her ink in a stylish photoshoot for the magazine. Her comments come after the former MTV VJ underwent a tattoo removal session in Australia back in November last year. The brunette beauty had some ink on her hands removed. 'Looks like I'm getting some weird vaginal rejuvenation but it's just good old tattoo removal,' Ruby wrote on Instagram at the time, as she posed up in goggles for the session. She revealed she was having some of her tattoos removed for her job. 'I'm in the process of getting a few removed that get in the way of acting, because you can cover everything with makeup, but getting the creases and corners on hands can be difficult,' she told Cosmopolitan magazine at the time. Removal: It comes after the former MTV VJ had a tattoo removal session in Australia in November last year Mission: Impossible Fallout (12A) Verdict: Total cruise control Rating: Tom Cruise in one of the riveting action scenes in Mission: Impossible Fallout Trying to stop genocidal baddies getting their evil hands on globes of plutonium so they can wreak nuclear havoc on humanity might not be the most original plot of a blockbuster action movie. In fact, it might be the least original: James Bond has been at it for years. But who cares when such a plot is packaged as slickly as this, with some of the most exhilarating fight and chase scenes ever choreographed for the silver screen? Danny Boyle, the director of the next Bond film, might have to raise his and 007s game. Even the bladder-bursting 147-minute running time of Mission: Impossible Fallout can be forgiven, given the number of thrilling action sequences it facilitates. This, the sixth film in the 22-year-old franchise, reunites Tom Cruise with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie. Their last Mission: Impossible collaboration brought us 2015s highly enjoyable Rogue Nation, but this is a notch or two better, with Cruise, now 56, still maddeningly plausible running, jumping, punching and hanging onto helicopters while dodging bullets. We are exactly the same age and yesterday I strained my back dodging an overweight pigeon. Cruise is, of course, Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt, whose challenge this time much like every other time is to thwart a syndicate of rogue covert operatives bent on all sorts of murder and mayhem. The syndicate is known as The Apostles and its leader appears to be a shadowy cove called John Lark. Setting aside the distraction of John Lark And The Apostles sounding like the support act for Echo And The Bunnymen, Hunt makes his singular way to Paris by sky-diving from 25,000 ft on to the glass roof of the Grand Palais during an electrical storm. The Eurostar and a taxi from the Gare du Nord would have done the same job, but presumably, Impossible Missions operatives arent allowed to take the easy option. The Channel Tunnel must be for their weedy counterparts over at Feasible Missions. Whatever, once hes safely in Paris, Hunt encounters a femme fatale known as the White Widow, who brokers arms deals. She is played marvellously by Vanessa Kirby, who was sensational as the young Princess Margaret in the Netflix series The Crown. Here, her character is a posh, glamorous, over-sexed minx. Young Ms Kirby clearly doesnt care about typecasting. By now, Hunt not only has his usual accomplices in tow, in the form of wise-cracking Benji (Simon Pegg) and stolidly loyal Luther (Ving Rhames), but also a shady CIA man called Walker (played by Henry Superman Cavill). Walker has been assigned by his own boss (Angela Bassett) to follow Hunts every move, which doesnt go down too well with Hunts boss (Alec Baldwin). Vanessa Kirby as a femme fatale known as the White Widow In any case, its easier said than done once our hero is whizzing through the streets of Paris in pursuit of rogue British agent Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), who emerged in Rogue Nation as an anarchist determined to destroy the old world order. Lane hasnt scaled down his lofty ambitions, but he is now under lock and key, being passed from government to government for interrogation purposes. However, the White Widow needs him as collateral in a deal for the plutonium, so Hunt, the man who caught him, now has to spring him. I think thats right the plot, frankly, is even trickier to follow than Hunts souped-up motorbike. It is further complicated by the presence of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), introduced in the last film as an agent whose motivation, good or bad, seemed to have even the screenwriters stumped. Its still not entirely clear which side shes on, but she and Hunt dont half fancy each other, which can only be good news for humankind. Eventually, by way of some more thrilling chase scenes in London, taking in St Pauls Cathedral and the Tate Modern just as the excitement in Paris incorporated the Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower, the Opera and the Arc de Triomphe (I sometimes think film-makers must get their location ideas from tea towels), the action moves to Kashmir on the border of China, India and Pakistan. You really dont need to know why, but suffice to say that the climactic chase scene there, initially in a pair of helicopters, is one of the most spectacular I have ever seen. Cruise is reputed to do most of his own stunts. Indeed, this was the film on which he smashed his ankle while leaping between London rooftops. But if he performed these final stunts himself, then his insurers must have been watching through their fingers. If, as has been rumoured, this turns out to be Cruises last fling as Ethan Hunt, they, at least, will be entitled to celebrate. Actually, I wont mind, either. On behalf of all men in their mid-50s, let me say that its about time he started acting his age. Feeling drained by this bloodsucker Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (U) Verdict: Fangs, but no fangs Rating: Like Count Dracula himself, it seems as though these animated monster capers might be destined to torment us for the rest of eternity. At any rate, a third one in the Hotel Transylvania series seems excessive and even the under-tens might recognise its comic premise as a little strained. As before, Adam Sandler provides the voice of Dracula, or Drac, who, at the start of the film, in a flashback to 1897, is busy outsmarting his nemesis, the committed vampire-hunter Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan). Drac and his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez), along with pals including Frankenstein (Kevin James) and a werewolf called Wayne (Steve Buscemi), then wind up on a modern-day cruise ship, captained by the comely Ericka (Kathryn Hahn). Drac and the gang are unaware that her great-grandfather still knocking about even though most parts of his body have fallen off in the intervening century is none other than Van Helsing. He needs Erickas help to destroy Drac and the other monsters once and for all, with a key hidden deep in the Lost City of Atlantis. Meanwhile, Drac is miserable because he hasnt had a date for 100 years and is resigned to never again experiencing the zing the monster word for love at first sight. But when he sets eyes on Ericka, the zing duly strikes. He is smitten and she plays along, even while plotting his destruction. Thats the basic plot, but director Genndy Tartakovsky who also brought us the two previous Hotel Transylvania films conspicuously fails to give it much substance. Instead, he relies too heavily on a series of tangential storylines that are even sillier than the main one. By the time Atlantis hoves into view as a sub-oceanic Las Vegas Drac and his pals are little more than a pain in the neck. Siobhan shines in the spotlight Apostasy (PG) Verdict: Sad, but brilliantly observed Rating: Siobhan Finneran is not a household name, but she might be familiar to you from some very good TV dramas in which she usually plays second fiddle to Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley and to Sheridan Smith in The Moorside. Well, here, she is very much first violin and quite brilliant as Ivanna, a single mother who has brought up her two daughters, Luisa and Alex, as devout Jehovahs Witnesses. Sacha Parkinson and Molly Wright are equally fine as the daughters. This is a superbly acted film, which chronicles the contrasting paths of the two girls. Luisa (Parkinson) gets pregnant by a non-believer and is disfellowshipped by the elders, who decree that her mother and sister must have no contact with her. Alex (Wright), who is being courted by a newly-arrived elder (Robert Emms), is unwavering in her adherence to the faith, despite an illness that requires medical attention the Witnesses will not sanction. But it is not only terrific acting that makes this drama, set in Oldham, feel so utterly authentic. Writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo has drawn on his own family background and it shows. It is a piercingly well-observed and heartbreakingly sad drama, but above all, impressively restrained, even when the small, stressed family unit is struck by tragedy. Imagine when Jesus comes back at Armageddon to destroy this world . . . hows he going to feel when youre at college? says Ivanna, who is worried rightly, as it turns out by the worldly influences to which Luisa is being exposed. It is a line that looks ridiculous written down, but Kokotajlos skill, and Finnerans, is to make us understand how she must feel and the pain she suffers as she strives to fit her responsibilities and emotions as a mother within the noose-like constraints of religious dogma. Aunty Edith and the Cambridge Five... Tracking Edith (PG) Verdict: Stolid, but enlightening Rating: Edith Tudor-Hart was an accomplished photographer who made a name for herself in Depression-era Britain with her images of social deprivation. Before her death in 1973, she was running an antiques shop in Brighton. All of which makes her sound like a quintessential Englishwoman. But she wasnt. She was Austrian. And she was a Soviet spy. This stodgy, but enlightening, documentary (directed by Peter Stephan Jungk, her great-nephew) explains that she was born Edith Suschitzky in 1908 and later married an English doctor, Alexander Tudor-Hart. By the early Thirties, Edith was living in Britain, working for Soviet Intelligence, and helped to recruit the so-called Cambridge Five, who each did untold damage to Britain over many years. They betrayed their friends and colleagues. But Ediths treachery was arguably no less contemptible, a betrayal of the country that had given her a home. Karl Stefanovic took a cheeky swipe at New Zealand breakfast TV on the Today show on Friday. While introducing a segment about claims that Australia copied the Kiwi flag, co-host Karl said: 'New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Winston Peters ... he'll be watching this morning. Because no actual new Zealand breakfast show is any good.' Karl, 43, made the comment with a cheeky smile and a wink, while journalist Sarrah Le Marquand sat opposite him. 'No actual New Zealand breakfast show is any good': Channel Nine Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) took a swipe at Kiwi morning TV on Friday 'Why don't you just stay out of it, Winston?' Karl declared. 'I love ya but stay out of our flag business.' 'It's a very serious and worthy debate but I just want to keep it really trite,' he added. Karl's comments about the standards of New Zealand's breakfast shows come in light of recent ratings results for Channel Nine's Today. 'New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Winston Peters ... he'll be watching this morning. Because no actual new Zealand breakfast show is any good,' Karl (left) said to journalist Sarrah Le Marquand (right) In June this year, Karl bemoaned Today's ratings after falling behind Channel Seven breakfast show rival Sunrise with their Melbourne viewers. Karl told TV Tonight: 'It's our fault for letting them go... we haven't connected with this city for a long time.' The publication noted that while Nine has won six weeks in Melbourne metro ratings this year, Sunrise has 11 under its belt. No salute: Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters (pictured) recently claimed that Australia copied the Kiwi flag Karl also claimed he would be willing to move to Melbourne permanently if Today chose to relocate. Karl previously co-hosted the Today show with The Project's Lisa Wilkinson, 58, before she resigned last October amid unresolved pay negotiations. In the rest of the flag segment on Friday, Karl sent up the traditional Australia-New Zealand rivalry by showcasing a number of famous Kiwi 'exports' Australians have called their own. Slip: In June this year, Karl bemoaned Today's ratings after falling behind Channel Seven breakfast show rival Sunrise with their Melbourne viewers. Pictured: Karl (left), with Today show co-host Georgie Gardner 'Here's a short list of things that New Zealand has copied off us,' Karl said, before pictures of Kiwi-born actor Russell Crowe, band Crowded House - lead by New Zealander Neil Finn - and legendary Melbourne Cup winning horse Phar Lap, who was foaled in New Zealand, were shown on screen. 'They just rip our stuff off all the time,' Karl said jokingly. 'Yeah they do,' agreed Sarrah. 'And I'm sick of it. I'm sick to death of the Kiwis copying our stuff,' Karl added. Kourtney Kardashian was spotted running errands in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon. The 39-year-old reality star looked chic in a floral, off-the-shoulder dress as she waited by a set of elevators in an unidentified office building. Kourtney later attended her grandmother MJ's birthday soiree at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Busy bee: Kourtney Kardashian was spotted running errands in Los Angeles on Thursday Kourtney, whose dress boasted a plunging neckline and ruffled detailing, paired her romantic ensemble with bright pink heels and a mini black clutch. The KUWTK wore a gold cross necklace teamed with a charm that featured the initials of her three children'MPR.' Her glam included straight locks and a nude lip. Fashionista: The 39-year-old reality star looked chic in a floral, off-the-shoulder dress as she waited by a set of elevators in an unidentified office building Later in the afternoon, Kourtney joined her family at The Beverly Hills Hotel for MJ's 84th birthday party. She brought along her kids Mason, eight, Penelope, six, and Reign, age three. 'Happy birthday my life inspiration,' the Calabasas native said on Instagram in reference to her grandmother. Accessorized: The KUWTK wore a gold cross necklace teamed with a charm that featured the initials of her three children'MPR' Picture perfect: Kourtney's glam included straight locks and a nude lip The Kardashian recently returned from a month long trip to Italy. She and her handsome beau Younes Bendjima, 25, visited Rome, Capri, and Portofino before making their way home to the states. The couple were joined on the last leg of the trip by Kourtney's kids and her mom Kris Jenner. Family affair: Later in the afternoon, Kourtney joined her family at The Beverly Hills Hotel for her grandmother MJ's 84th birthday party Vito Schnabel enjoyed a day on the beach at Saint-Tropez, France with a gal pal. The 32-year-old, whose girlfriend Amber Heard is currently in Los Angeles, looked relaxed as he walked on the beach during a get together that included his friend Stavros Niarchos. The New York City-based art dealer had his dark locks slicked back with a black T-shirt and shorts with black Asics sneakers walking on the stunning locale. Jet-set: Vito Schnabel, 32, was snapped in Saint-Tropez, France with a beautiful woman, while his current girlfriend Amber Heard, 32, was seen in the Los Angeles area His beautiful pal wore a top with horizontal black and blue stripes, with a white skirt and designer sunglasses and purse, with her brown locks pulled up during the walk on the sand. Also spotted on the luxe European getaway with Vito, the son of renowned artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, was Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos, 32. Other notable names who have been seen in the area as of late include Sienna Miller, 36, and Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody, 45. Vito has past dated some of the Hollywood's most beautiful women, including supermodels Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson, and actresses Demi Moore and Liv Tyler. In May, he was first linked to Amber, who herself has been in high-profile relationships with big names including Elon Musk and photographer Tasya van Ree, as well as her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Luxe life: The art dealer looked to be getting along well with his pal as they walked on the sand Fashionista: Vito's pal wore wore a top with horizontal black and blue stripes with a white skirt and designer sunglasses Heard was seen looking office chic with a twist on Thursday. The 32-year-old blonde was glimpsed in Century City wearing an off-white high-waisted skirt with a half-sleeved black mock turtleneck. Her top was cropped just enough to provide a tiny glimpse of her enviably flat midriff as she ambled about on gleaming black flats. Letting her wavy hair fall free over her shoulders, she carried a sleek black purse and shielded her eyes from the California rays with butterfly shades. In May of 2016, Heard filed for divorce from Depp, and within a week won a restraining order against him, claiming he had verbally and physically abused her. Romeo: Vito has past dated beauties including supermodels Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson, and actresses Demi Moore and Liv Tyler Join the fun: Vito steadies his pal with a helping hand as they approached a group of friends The good life: Vito relaxed with Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos on the summer day Through a representative, Johnny dismissed abuse accusations as 'salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life.' By that August, he and Amber reached an agreement whereby she would scrap the restraining order and get a $7 million divorce settlement, which she said she would give to charity. Johnny decided to give the money directly to the groups of her choice, Children's Hospital and the American Civil Liberties Union, according to TMZ. It was not lost on Amber's team that this meant he'd get the tax deduction, and they told TMZ Johnny ought to correct for this by doubling the $7 million to $14 million. Office chic with a twist: Amber Heard was glimpsed in Century City on Thursday wearing an off-white high-waisted skirt with a half-sleeved black mock turtleneck Stepping out: Her top was cropped just enough to provide a tiny glimpse of her enviably flat midriff as she ambled about on gleaming black flats On the go: Letting her wavy hair fall free over her shoulders, she carried a sleek black purse and shielded her eyes from the California rays with butterfly shades 'If Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honor the full amount by donating $14M to charity, which after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7M payment obligation to Amber,' said they. As Johnny's plan was to give the $7 million in increments, Amber's team 'would also insist that the full amount be paid immediately and not drawn out over many years.' Amber's divorce from 54-year-old Johnny was finalized in January 2017, at which time the settlement remained at $7 million, TMZ reported. Clapback: This Wednesday, Amber posted an Instagram photo of herself raising her fists and captioned: '#NoInkNeeded' - regarded by some as a riposte to her ex-husband Johnny Depp Johnny used to have a string of tattoos over his knuckles cumulatively reading: 'SLIM,' his nickname for Amber. After they broke up he had it changed to: 'SCUM.' It emerged this month that Johnny had converted: 'SCUM' to: 'SCAM' by having a scarlet anarchy symbol inked on over the U. This Wednesday, Amber posted an Instagram photo of herself raising her fists and captioned: '#NoInkNeeded' - regarded by some as a riposte to Johnny. Lisa Oldfield found herself on the wrong side of the law during a recent outing. The Real Housewives of Sydney star, 43, revealed she was pulled over by the police and almost 'fined' while driving with son Bert, five, for a surprising crime. However, the TV personality claimed she was let off and issued with a warning instead as the police officer 'felt sorry for her.' Scroll down for video Breaking the law! Lisa Oldfield issued 'warning' by the police after being pulled over for unlikely crime... but let off without a fine as the officer 'felt sorry' for her Lisa opened up about the incident, which occurred while collecting Bert from rugby practice, in a blog post on Kids Spot. 'On the way home, I was pulled over by the police. I hadn't been speeding and my license and registration were up to date, so I was at a loss as to what I had done,' Lisa penned for the website. 'I was being fined for littering, I assured the police officer I hadn't thrown anything from my vehicle. He looked in the back and asked Bert if he had thrown a water bottle from the car.' Guilty? The star was accused of littering a water bottle out of her car window while driving Confession: However, her son Bert, five, owned up to the crime - with the police then letting her off with a 'warning' As the confusion continued, Lisa revealed that Bert then owned up to the crime. 'Bert asked: "Can I go to jail if I did?"' the former I'm A Celeb contestant wrote. 'The police officer replied: "Well, no" so Bert shrugged insolently and said: "Yeah, well I did!" 'I think the police officer felt sorry for me and let me off with a warning, but I was now a ball of rage.' Lisa then concluded the post by revealing she disciplined Bert, who had already been misbehaving earlier that day, by cancelling his upcoming sixth birthday party. A year ago on Thursday he asked now-wife Millie Mackintosh to be his wife. And as both Hugo Taylor and Millie marked the occasion with tributes to one another on their respective Instagram pages, Hugo had another message for his new bride. Uploading a cosy photo of the two of them, celebrating under the stars in Portugal, Hugo captioned the image: 'Beautiful birthday girl. Love you more and more each year Xoxox.' Newlyweds: Hugo Taylor had a message for his new bride Millie Mackintosh on Thursday. Uploading a cosy photo of the two of them, celebrating under the stars in Portugal, Hugo captioned the image 'Beautiful birthday girl. Love you more and more each year Xoxox' Meanwhile, in a post of her own, Millie uploaded an image of her against a sun-drenched stone wall, wearing a loosely-fitting sun dress over a red bikini. Teasing her shoulders and adding heels to the look, she was snapped looking off camera, her golden locks tumbling around her lithe shoulders. She captioned the sun-kissed snap: 'Thank you for the lovely birthday wishes! Sending love from Portugal!' While Mille had, earlier on her birthday, honored the anniversary of her new husband popping the question, Hugo did the same. 'Love from Portugal': Meanwhile, in a post of her own, Millie uploaded an image of her against a sun-drenched stone wall, wearing a loosely-fitting sun dress over a red bikini This time last year: While Mille had, earlier on her birthday, honored the anniversary of her new husband popping the question, Hugo did the same He uploaded a shot on his Instagram stories, holding hands with Millie across a table, proudly looking down at her engagement ring on her finger. Millie was sure to share her own sweet throwback snaps of her proposal as she couldn't help but gush about the event that took place one year ago. The reality star turned fashion designer posted the pictures on Instagram as she celebrated her 29th birthday, writing: 'This time last year just before @hugotaylorlondon asked me to be his wife'. Millie beamed in the picture as she sat in front of a full breakfast table with her beau, and she looked sensational in a white bikini. Anniversary: Millie Mackintosh shared sweet throwback snaps one year after Hugo Taylor proposed to her on her birthday Cute: The former Made In Chelsea star then shared another adorable picture, which saw her pose lovingly with Hugo and wrote 'Now all my birthdays feel extra special' The former Made In Chelsea star then shared another adorable picture, which saw her pose lovingly with Hugo. Following on from her previous throwback snap, she wrote: 'And I said yes! Now all my birthdays feel extra special'. Millie has a lot to smile about as she recently returned from her romantic Greek honeymoon to the islands of Crete and Kefalonia last week, after tying the knot with Hugo. The newlywed lovebirds started off their Grecian adventure at the Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel in Crete, before travelling to Kefalonia for the second part of their break at the F Zeen Retreat. Millie and Hugo said their vows at his uncle's country estate, Whithurst Park, in West Sussex on June 22, with the bride wowing in a wedding dress with detachable sleeves by designer Kate Halfpenny. Happy days: Millie has a lot to smile about as she returned from her Greek honeymoon to the islands of Crete and Kefalonia last week, after tying the knot with husband Hugo The couple dated in 2011 while on Made In Chelsea, but split when it emerged Hugo had cheated on her with her friend Rosie Fortescue, who attended the wedding alongside a bevy of their other co-stars including Caggie Dunlop and Jamie Laing. But they reunited in May 2016 shortly after Millie's split from first husband, rapper Professor Green. Millie was married to the musician, real name Stephen Manderson, 34, for two-and-a-half years. The couple announced their split in February 2016 and finalised their divorce in May 2016, the same week that Millie went public with Hugo. Chelsea Handler has landed a role on season two of the Will & Grace reboot. The 43-year-old comedian will play Donna Zimmera lesbian who begins dating Grace Adler's sister Janet. Handler began shooting her scenes on Wednesday in Los Angeles. New gig: Chelsea Handler has landed a role on season two of the Will & Grace reboot Chelsea's character steps into the storyline as Grace's high-powered client. Adler, played by Debra Messing, is an interior designer based in NYC. It's unclear how many episodes Handler will be featured in. Will & Grace, which originally concluded back in 2006, was revived back in September 2017 and has already been renewed for a third season by NBC. The cast had originally committed to a mere 10-episode reboot. Supporting role: The 43-year-old comedian began will play Donna Zimmera lesbian who begins dating Grace Adler's sister Janet Fan favorite: Will & Grace, which originally concluded back in 2006, was revived back in September 2017 and has already been renewed for a third season by NBC The New Jersey native joins the cast of Will & Grace after saying goodbye to her Netflix series Chelsea in October 2017. The talks show ran for two seasons before being 'cancelled,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. 'I'm excited to share that I will continue my partnership with Netflix, working together on a documentary where I'll engage with people I don't talk with enough people of different ethnicities, religions, and political philosophies,' she wrote on Twitter at the time. 'Netflix could not be more understanding, and I'm grateful for their continued support.' Lethal Weapon's Michelle Mitchenor is engaged to Coley Speaks. And the Seven Seconds star faked a fight with his wife-to-be to set up the perfect proposal. 'The engagement was EPIC,' the actor told People on Thursday. Bride-to-be: Lethal Weapon's Michelle Mitchenor is engaged to Coley Speaks 'It was one of the most difficult acting roles Ive tackled thus far.' He planned to pop the question during a private screening of her BET movie Tales: Trap Queens. However, in order to throw her off the scent, he picked a huge but fake fight with her the night before. 'It was so bad I wasnt sure shed want to see me again,' he said. 'But I stayed in character all the way through and it paid off beautifully.' Dangerous move: The Seven Seconds star revealed on Thursday he faked a fight with his wife-to-be to set up the perfect proposal During the private screening, got down on one knee to offer a rose gold ring with with a one-carat diamond. 'I had ZERO idea this was coming because of the fight he faked the night before,' Mitchenor admitted. 'I cried, I laughed and kept saying "Shut the eff up!"' The actress added her beau had picked the perfect ring: 'Its has such a unique and vintage style to it,' she said. 'It stands alone and represents me perfectly.' The couple plan to tie the knot this October. The 'world's hottest grandma' has urged young women everywhere to embrace their natural beauty and to stay away from artificial enhancements. The 47-year-old, who recently announced plans to remove her double E-cup breast implants, claims that ALL breast implants are 'toxic and poison'. In an exclusive video provided to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, the Gold Coast model said: 'I have been suffering severely from breast implant illness for the past year.' EXCLUSIVE: The world's hottest grandma Gina Stewart has opened up to Daily Mail Australia about her breast implant illness and warned young women to stay away from implants 'There is NO implant out there that is safe. They are all toxic, they are all poison,' Gina said. She continued: 'Just because you think that because yours haven't ruptured that you're safe, well, you're not. Because the toxins and chemicals are actually around the shell of the implant as well.' The blonde bombshell then issued a challenge to the industry to come up with safer alternatives for women. 'There is NO implant out there that is safe,' said the 47-year-old. 'They are all toxic, they are all poison' 'I want to challenge all the major companies out there to invent a safer alternative to protect all of the women from this illness. 'It's taking out lives, it's taking our livelihood, it's making us really really sick.' She finished: 'I want to make it really clear: NO implant is safe!' 'I want to challenge all the major companies out there to invent a safer alternative to protect all of the women from this illness': Gina wants the medical industry to do better Gina previously revealed on Channel Seven's Sunday Night that she was judged and bullied for having B-cup breasts in her youth, which led to her spending $10,000 on a breast augmentation. In another video provided exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-four also urged young women to stay away from injectables like Botox and fillers. 'You all know my thoughts about changing your face,' she said. 'Just don't do it, keep your own beautiful face.' Natural beauty: In another video provided exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-four urged young women to stay away from injectables like Botox and fillers 'Don't change it with all the fillers and the Botox and all of that. You're beautiful just the way you are,' she continued. The busty model has previously stated that she believes in 'ageing gracefully' and has never had Botox or fillers. She also leads a 'chemical-free lifestyle,' which includes never drinking from plastic bottles and only using natural underarm deodorant and eating organic foods. 'Keep your own beautiful face': An old photo of Gina at just 19-years-old (L) shows that she's barely aged a day in almost thirty years 'Don't change it with all the fillers and the Botox and all of that,' she said. 'You're beautiful just the way you are' As for her beauty regime, the stunner swears by coconut oil and rosehip oil. 'Macro Organics coconut oil is my hair product, my product that I cook with and my moisturiser - $5, all organic, no chemicals,' she said. Gina - who has two sons and two daughters, aged 27, 25, 23 and four - became a grandmother at the age of 46. She shot to fame in April after she participated in the Miss Maxim modelling contest and her photos went viral. He flaunted his body during his Chippendale stint last year. And Tyson Beckford wouldn't let old habits die as he posted a scintillating selfie to his Instagram account on Thursday. The 47-year-old stunning model/actor got pulses racing as he showcased his ripped physique while cheekily pulling down one side of his Calvin Klein underwear. Cheeky: Tyson Beckford posted a scintillating selfie to his Instagram account on Thursday The muscle bound hunk revealed his sculpted abs and bulging biceps in the seductive snap. He rocked a pair of retro shades and only the black undergarment as he captioned he photo: 'Becky got a tan fast.' In 1992, Tyson was recruited to hip hop magazine The Source by a talent scout who has been credited with 'discovering' him in New York City. The next year, Tyson was recruited by Ralph Lauren as the front model for the company's Polo line of male sportswear. Old hat: Tyson is used to flaunting his physique on social media And he co-hosted the modeling contest Make Me a Supermodel on Bravo with fellow supermodel Niki Taylor. Last year, Tyson was seen in a club grinding with rapper T.I.'s ex-girlfriend Bernice Burgos. In a short video obtained by HollywoodLife, the model is dancing with the curvy beauty to Lionel Richie's All Night Long. The former face of Ralph Lauren was previously dating Victoria's Secret beauty Shanina Shaik, 26. Shanina recently wed DJ Rukus, who Tyson fought at a club in May 2016. Paris Jackson looked ready to roar with her blonde mane down on Thursday at a shoe line launch in Los Angeles. The 20-year-old model looked lioness with her light tresses in loose curls down below her shoulders. The daughter of late pop superstar Michael Jackson kept it casual for the RE/DONE and Weejuns collaboration celebration. Lioness look: Paris Jackson had her hair down on Thursday at the RE/DONE + Weejuns collaboration launch party in Los Angeles She sported a white T-shirt folded up to show her flat abs along with grey drawstring trousers. Paris completed her ensemble with a pair of Stardan limited supply sneakers. The $560 hand-crafted and distressed in Italy sneakers went on sale on Thursday with a portion of the proceeds going to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Only 600 pairs were made of the pre-scuffed leather sneakers by Golden Goose Deluxe Brand. Casual look: The 20-year-old model kept it casual in a white T-shirt, drawstring trousers and $560 limited supply distressed sneakers. She also wore a Jemma Sands Grenada necklace She also wore a Jemma Sands Grenada necklace. Michael Jackson named the late Elizabeth Taylor and Macaulay Culkin, 37, as godparents of Paris and her older brother Prince Jackson, 21. Paris announced last September that she was going to be an ambassador of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. The RE/DONE and Weejuns collaboration launch party also drew 36-year-old British actress Alice Eve. Alice appared prepared to pounce in a wild leopard-print jumpsuit. Wild outfit: Alice Eve wore a wild leopard-print jumpsuit to the launch party She finished her outfit with open-toed nude heels and added a pop of color with ruby lipstick. Alice will play Mary Walker aka Typhoid Mary in the upcoming second season of Iron Fist on Netflix. Kat Graham, 28, rocked double denim with a blue shirt tucked into faded jeans, The actress accessorized with black sunglasses that matched her belt and footwear. Double denim: Kat Graham dared to wear double denim Jennifer Meyer, 41, hugged Sara Foster, 37, upon arrival. She also teamed up on the carpet with her musician father David Foster, 68. He recently got engaged to Katharine McPhee, 34, who will be his fifth wife. Big hug: Jennifer Meyer and gal pal Sara Foster hugged it out She dated the goofy groom for a total of four months. And on Thursday, Married At First Sight's Carly Bowyer, 32, appeared to confirm rumours she's split with her beau Troy Delmege, 35. During an appearance at the Make-A-Wish Foundation's Winter In New York fundraiser in Melbourne, the reality star awkward discussed her absent partner. Scroll down for video 'Don't know where he is': MAFS star Carly Bowyer appears to confirm split with goofy groom Troy Delmege as she makes subtle dig at her rumoured ex for posting old photos of them Upon being asked where Troy was spending the night, Carly let out a blistering sigh. 'Don't know where he is guys, he's out posting an old photo of us, obviously,' she revealed. It seemed she poked fun at a recent Instagram photo Troy shared of the couple on Tuesday, where he was accused by fans for trying to pass off an old photo as new. 'Don't know where he is guys, he's out posting an old photo of us, obviously,' she revealed. It seemed Carly poked fun at a recent Instagram photo Troy shared of the couple on Tuesday, where he was accused by fans for trying to pass off an old photo as new The comment section was flooded with followers questioning Troy about Carly's missing veneers in the snap, despite having them put in last month. However Carly's veneers shined bright at the event as she was smiles all around for the cameras. And shortly afterwards, MAFS star Clare Verrall crept up behind Carly and grappled her neck. 'I'm her boyfriend tonight, baby!' she gleefully exclaimed. Carly turned heads wearing a racy sheer top that revealed her busty black bra underneath. 'I'm her boyfriend tonight, baby!' MAFS star Clare Verral (L) gleefully exclaimed as she crept up behind Carly (R) and grappled her neck. Pictured at the Make-a-Wish Foundation's Winter In New York fundraiser in Melbourne on Thursday She also appeared to playfully flirt with season four MAFS star Nick Furphy, who was later seen bathing himself in raffle tickets at the event. On Thursday, an insider confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Troy has been unable to find employment in Melbourne after moving into the city to be with Carly. 'He just sits around all day waiting for her to come home from work and she's been getting frustrated,' the confidant revealed. Despite the rumours, Troy insisted the couple are going strong during an interview with KIIS FM's The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Thursday. He sparked rumours of moving back to Sydney while shopping for household essentials at a Bondi shopping centre on Wednesday. And on Friday, Hugh Jackman took a trip down memory lane while paying a visit to his childhood home in New South Wales' Wahroonga. The Greatest Showman actor, 49, visibly beamed as he pottered around the exclusive enclave on Sydney's North Shore with his father Christopher, stepmother Elizabeth and 18 year-old son, Oscar. He-Man: Flaunting his musclebound frame in a white T-shirt, Hugh Jackman visibly beamed as he enjoyed a trip down memory lane around his childhood home of Wahroonga Flaunting his musclebound frame in a white T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of his charity, Laughing Man, Hugh cut a cool and casual figure. Wearing navy jeans and matching leather trainers, the Oscar nominated star sported a pair of mirrored aviators and a chunky wristwatch while chatting animatedly with his family as they strolled down a tree-lined residential street. Leading the way, his father Christoper, who suffers from Alzheimer's, and stepmother Elizabeth held hands while Hugh and Oscar trailed behind. Rocking a blue beanie, the tall teen, who towers over his Wolverine-playing dad, kept it urban in a trendy navy jacket and grey T-shirt. Leading the charge: His father Christoper and stepmum Elizabeth held hands while Hugh and his 18 year-old son Oscar trailed behind as the group strolled around the leafy streets of the exclusive North Sydney enclave Later as the quartet spread out, Hugh took the lead and appeared to be in stitches as he regaled the group with a funny story. However, his father and stepmother seemed to be in a world of their own as they gazed ahead. Enjoying a winter break in Sydney with wife Deborra-Lee Furness and kids, Oscar and Eva, 13, Hugh has been regularly spotted enjoying grueling morning workouts on Bondi Beach. The Greatest Comedian: Hugh took the lead and appeared to be in stitches as he regaled the group with a funny story. However, his father and stepmum seemed to be in a world of their own as they gazed ahead Meanwhile, rumours are swirling the family are relocating to Sydney from New York after they were spotted shopping for household essentials on Wednesday. First spotted leaving with bags from a mobile phone store, the clan then made their way into a pet store, perhaps in search of small gifts for their dogs Dali and Allegra. Meanwhile, the Wolverine star also took the time to take in Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. tour on Wednesday night at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena. So blown away by the performance, Hugh took to Twitter to voice his amazement, writing: 'Awesome show!' Laverne Cox was Head Over Heels about a new Broadway show on Thursday night. The actress stunned in a plunging black Christian Siriano gown as she attended opening night of the musical at Hudson Theatre in New York. The OITNB star rocked a fab pair of metallic bronze heels, finishing the ensemble with a stylish Dior bag. Gorgeous: Laverne Cox stunned in plunging black gown as she hit opening night of Head Over Heels on Broadway on Thursday night The beauty had nothing but good things to say about the show, which starred her friend, RuPaul's Drag Race star Miss Peppermint. 'I am so proud of my girl @peppermint247 who made her Broadway debut tonight,' Laverne wrote on Instagram. '@hohmusical is fun, funny, touching and beautifully progressive. See it. 'Pep I have known you for so many years and watching you shine tonight brought tears to my eyes,' she added, hashtagging her post #TransIsBeautiful. Beauty: The OITNB star rocked a fab pair of metallic bronze heels, finishing the ensemble with a stylish Dior bag Head Over Heels is a musical comedy featuring the music of 70s and 80s pop icons The Go-Go's. It includes hits such as the band's signature track We Got The Beat, and Belinda Carlisle's solo hit Heaven Is A Place On Earth. 'In the kingdom of Arcadia, the "beat" is divine,' the synopsis reads. 'But when an oracle's prophecy of doom threatens its beloved beat, it propels the king and his royal family through a journey of mistaken identities, jealous lovers, secret rendezvouses and sexual awakening - where everything (and everyone) is not what it seems.' In 2016, Laverne helped bring another much-loved musical comedy back to life, when she played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again. He's set to strip down for Channel 7's The Full Monty. And it looks like Kris Smith has no qualms about getting naked, with the former athlete opening up about his exhibitionist side in a new interview with OK magazine. 'I'm more than comfortable with partners and skinny-dipping with friends,' said the 39-year-old. 'I'm more than comfortable with partners and skinny-dipping with friends!' Kris Smith isn't shy about stripping off in the upcoming TV version of The Full Monty 'I used to play Rugby League where you'd shower with men,' he continued. 'That was never an issue.' Despite being comfortable with nudity, Kris has struggled with body image issues. The hunk recently opened up to BW magazine about his insecurities, saying: 'They've not gone. They're far from gone, they're definitely still there.' 'I remember being really nervous': Kris revealed that he struggled with body image when stripping off for the stage production of The Full Monty and still feels like a 'fat kid' after ballooning to 125kg as a child (pictured walking for Myer in 2014) The father-of-one admits that he used to drink vodka before strutting the catwalk as an underwear model, but the Dutch courage option was banned on The Full Monty. 'I remember being really nervous doing swimwear on a catwalk and would have one or two vodkas before, then everything was fine,' he tells the publication. Without his elixir against nerves, Kris says he 'had to literally bare all and just be comfortable and confident with it.' Naked ambition: for Kris Smith, stripping off for the stage production of The Full Monty - a musical about a troupe of male strippers - brought back some of his body image demons Fighting fit! For The Full Monty, Kris says he, 'had to literally bare all and just be comfortable and confident with it' The catwalk star has in the past said that he still feels like 'that fat kid' inside after battling weight issues in childhood. The Myer ambassador has struggled with life-long body demons after playground bullying over his weight led him into a negative spiral of self-loathing, which still plagues him today, New Idea reports. 'When I walk down the catwalk for Myer in Speedos, I'm still that fat kid,' says the former rugby player. Tough: The Myer ambassador has struggled with life-long body demons after playground bullying over his weight led him into a negative spiral of self loathing Troubled past: The torment started at school when he was just age eight and lead him to a vicious cycle of comfort eating The torment started at school when he was just age eight and lead him to a vicious cycle of comfort eating, which resulted in him piling on the pounds he was 125kg at his heaviest. 'Not a day goes by that I don't still battle those demons. I'm still very insecure,' he says despite revealing he now has a body fat of 12-13 per cent. He concluded: 'It took me a long time to get over it myself. I still get upset talking about it.' She's spent the past few days in New York as part of her Piece Of Me US Tour. And although she has a hectic work schedule, Britney Spears made a special surprise visit to Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show on Thursday night to partake in his much loved celebrity skit, 'Ew!'. The 36-year-old played the role of Abby, Jimmy (Sara's) BFF who she reunites with following Summer Camp. Scroll down for video Surprise! Britney Spears made a surprise appearance and joined Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show for his latest 'Ew!' skit in New York on Thursday Britney's teen ensemble saw her flaunt her incredibly toned abs in a blue cardigan crop with pineapple patches. Her form-fitting top was paired with a fluro mini-skirt that featured a large rainbow. The songstress' blonde locks were styled up into a voluminous pony-tail and she carried a large blue bag with emoji faces on it. Stunner: Britney's teen ensemble saw her flaunt her incredibly toned abs in a blue cardigan crop with pineapple patches Coming over for a sleepover, Abby brings Sara the mermaid pillow she forgot at camp, which sequins read: 'Ew'. Jimmy was dressed in his signature purple frock with his blonde wig and braces and once again put on his one of a kind female voice. And while the comedian seemed to have had enough time to prep for the six-minute skit adequately, Britney's busy schedule left her spending much of her air time looking and reading directly from a teleprompter. Going way back! The clip also saw the star's talk about their #throwbackthursday photos they're planning to post on social media before Sara is seen confessing her life confusion about how she's too old to return to camp but too young to be a counselor Britney's busy schedule left her spending much of her air time looking and reading directly from a teleprompter The clip also saw the star's talk about their #throwbackthursday photos they're planning to post on social media before Sara is seen confessing her life confusion about how she's too old to return to camp but too young to be a counselor. 'I'm not a girl...,' Sara begins before Abby continues: 'Not yet a woman,' - a reference to Britney's 2001 hit song. The special appearance ended with the pair playing a round of the signature game, 'Ew!' Best friends who finish each other's sentences! 'I'm not a girl...,' Sara begins before Abby continues: 'Not yet a woman,' - a reference to Britney's 2001 hit song Ew! Sharing a common disgust over sun-dried tomatoes and matcha-flavoured ice-cream, when a photo of Las Vegas appeared, the mom-of-two said she could see herself living there one day Sharing a common disgust over sun-dried tomatoes and matcha-flavoured ice-cream, when a photo of Las Vegas appeared, the mom-of-two said she could see herself living there one day. After finishing up her Piece Of Me residency in December 2017, Britney has since taken the tour internationally. Her ninth concert tour, it marks her first international concert in six years, following the Femme Fatale Tour in 2011. The blonde beauty is set to spend the next three nights playing the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, before heading over to Europe early next month. Tara Pavlovic's floral dress was unfortunately no match for the wind on Friday. The Bachelor In Paradise star, 28, revealed a little more than she'd hoped for as she suffered a slight wardrobe malfunction in Brisbane. While making her way to lunch, the beauty accidentally flashed her knickers as a large gust swept the Queensland capital. Scroll down for video Whoops! Bachelor In Paradise's Tara Pavlovic suffers unfortunate wardrobe malfunction as she flashes her knickers after a gust of wind lifts her floaty dress in Brisbane Tara was making her way to a local eatery when the incident occurred. The floral wrap dress parted unexpectedly to reveal her trim pins to passersby, with Tara laughing off the embarrassing incident. She was greeted by a male friend, dressed in black shorts, a black T-shirt, backwards cap and sunglasses. Blonde beauty! Tara greeted friends in the long floral ensemble that showed off her trim pins and lithe frame Girls just wanna have fun: The Bachelor star enjoyed a lunch full of laughter with a friend The Bachelor fan favourite was later pictured enjoying a laughter-filled lunch with a girlfriend, as the pair giggled by two glasses of wine. Tara's outing follows her surprising split from fiance Sam Cochrane, 31. Sam proposed to Tara during the Bachelor in Paradise finale, which was filmed in Fiji last year and aired in late April. However, their relationship was short lived, with the couple announcing their split earlier this month. It's over: Tara announced her split from Bachelor In Paradise's Sam Cochrane, 31, last month And Tara isn't the only one bouncing back following their break-up. As she socialises with friends in Brisbane, Sam was spotted sharing a kiss with two blonde females while attending Byron Bay's recent Splendour In The Grass festival. Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller were on the case this week while filming their CBS hit Elementary in New York City. Lucy, 49, sported a conservative look in a button-down navy black dress with large pockets along the chest and thighs, and black chunky sandal heels while filming on Wednesday in the Big Apple. The stunning actress, who plays Dr. Joan Watson on the series, had her coif in a summery blonde style parted toward the side as cameras rolled on the modern day Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Scroll below for video In production: Lucy Liu, 49, and Jonny Lee Miller, 45, filmed their CBS hit Elementary in New York City on Wednesday Miller, who plays Sherlock Holmes on the series, conversed with Liu during the filming, as he was clad in a classic three-piece suit with a navy blue jacket over a black vest with a white collar shirt. The 45-year-old London native, who famously played Sick Boy in both of the Trainspotting films, rounded out his ensemble with a pair of dark grey slacks and black dress shoes. Jonny, who was once married to Angelina Jolie, has co-headlined the show since 2012 with Liu, best known for her work in the Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels films, as well as on Ally McBeal. Liu previously opened up about the significance of her role on the network series as she appeared on The Talk, in regards to her commandeering the abridged role of John Watson, an English male character in the original material. Fashionista: As always, the stunning actress was in style, in a black button-up gown Hey ya! The performers stood across from one another as cameras rolled on the CBS mystery Focused: The pair have brought the Sherlock Holmes tale to the screen for six years She said, 'You have to break down barriers, not intentionally, but you have to do things that you think are gonna be interesting and creative. So, now it shouldn't be so odd that Watson is being played by a woman and somebody who's Asian.' Liu, who appears in the upcoming indie romance The Last Weekend, compared her casting to the cultural breakthroughs ushered in by the election of former President Barack Obama in 2008. 'You have to introduce people to it,' she said. 'Just like, you know, an African American president. You know, now it shouldn't be such a big deal.' On the move: Liu and Miller were seen conversing while walking down the street Best foot forward: The Emmy-nominated entertainer beamed as she walked down steps Jennifer Garner showed her comedy chops opposite David Tennant in a teaser released on Thursday for her new HBO series Camping. The 46-year-old actress plays the lead role of Kathryn Siddell-Bauers opposite David, 47, as her husband Walt. The series follows a camping trip organized by control freak Kathryn to celebrate Walt's 45th birthday. Comedy side: Jennifer Garner showed her funny side on Thursday in a new teaser for her upcoming HBO series Camping The 45-second teaser opened with Kathryn annoyingly tapping a beer bottle to get everyone's attention at the campsite. 'This is going to be so fun,' her ex-best friend Nina-Joy, played by Janicza Bravo, said as the four-day outdoor adventure unfolded. 'You know what, it may not be fun. It may not be any fun at all,' Kathryn cautioned her. The short clip showed Kathryn coping with Mother Nature and holding a gun while searching in the dark with Walt. Husband and wife: The 46-year-old actress plays the lead role of Kathryn Siddell-Bauers opposite David Tennant, 47, as her husband Walt The clip ended with Bridget Everett, 46, as 'Harry' wrapping an arm around Kathryn and saying, 'This place has its own magic. I think you're going to love it.' 'Ok,' Kathryn replied meekly. 'You smell nice,' Harry then told her. Own magic: Bridgett Everett as 'Harry' told Kathryn that the campsite 'has its own magic' Camping will mark Jennifer's first major return to television since she starred in the ABC spy thriller Alias from 2001 to 2006. The eight-episode, 30-minutes series was based on the British series of the same name created by Julia Davis, 51. The HBO series was created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Korner who previously worked on Girls together as executive producers. Camping also starring Juliette Lewis and Ione Skye will premiere on October 14 on HBO. Multimillionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes has split from his partner of three years, Kate Fowler. The 45-year-old confirmed the news to the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday, telling the publication that the pair, who have two daughters together, now share a 'platonic' relationship. 'Kate and I have the utmost love and respect for each other,' he said in a statement. It's over: Multimillionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes splits with partner of three years and mother of his two children Kate Fowler 'At the beginning of 2018, Kate and I decided our friendship and respect for family life would become the focus of our relationship. We love our children dearly and for now continue to live together happily in our family home.' 'Kate is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful woman. As for what the future holds I am not sure,' he added. The couple share two daughters together - Alexa, two, and Saachi, one. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Justin and Kate for comment. Justin said in a statement: 'At the beginning of 2018, Kate and I decided our friendship and respect for family life would become the focus of our relationship. We love our children dearly and for now continue to live together happily in our family home'. Justin is pictured with Kate Over: 'Kate is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful woman. As for what the future holds I am not sure,' he added Kate remains living at The Hermitage, Justin's heritage-listed harbourfront home worth 'more than $60 million'. The couple will reportedly both remain on the premises, which has interconnected wings. First built back in 1831, the home has been in the Hemmes family for more than 40 years, having been bought by Justin's late father John for a mere $500,000. In 2009, the home was reported to be worth around '$60 million' according to The Daily Telegraph, but at the time Justin said he would not be interested in any offers below '$90 million'. Still there: Kate remains living at The Hermitage, Justin's heritage-listed harbourfront home worth 'more than $60 million' (pictured) Lots of room: The couple will reportedly both remain on the premises, which has interconnected wings Nice view: Justin and Kate had frequently shared snaps from inside the luxurious abode on their Instagram accounts (pictured) The home underwent major renovations completed in 2015 and was featured in the pages of Vogue Australia. Kate has expressed immense fondness for the home, telling Moda Familia: 'I love its history, in a personal sense especially.' 'Justins family moved here when he was two, so its very special to watch our daughter grow up in a place which holds so many memories from his own childhood,' she said. Justin and Kate had frequently shared snaps from inside the luxurious abode on their Instagram accounts, where exquisite views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge can be seen from their sprawling backyard. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE HEMMES FAMILY Justin Hemmes is the only son of Merivale Group founder and nightclub mogul John Hemmes. Hemmes Snr left the Netherlands following World War II with $20 in his pocket and started a new life in New Zealand. He then moved to Australia where he met his wife Merivale and built a fashion brand in her name. The pair had two children, Justin and a daughter, Bettina. 'I grew up in a very exciting life. My parents got so much pleasure out of the smallest things,' Justin told Harper's Bazaar Australia. 'They also had a group of really interesting friends. Wherever we went, whatever we did, it was always exciting, colourful and larger than life.' Hemmes Snr grew Merivale into a portfolio of more than 50 restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels in Sydney. When he died in 2015, Justin took over the hospitality giant. He has since changed Sydney's social scene more than any other businessman or woman. Advertisement Despite his reputation as a playboy, Justin settled into fatherhood and delivered his firstborn child himself, admitting he cried as she came out of the womb. 'It has been a crazy but wonderful whirlwind,' Kate told women's website Moda Familia at the time. 'There are the obvious adjustments less sleep, and it definitely takes longer to get out the door these days but you soon realise that those things couldn't matter less.' Family ties: The couple share two daughters together - Alexa, two, and Saachi, one (pictured) Loved being a dad: Despite his reputation as a playboy, Justin settled into fatherhood and delivered his firstborn child himself, admitting he cried as she came out of the womb. Justin is pictured with his family He was thrilled when baby number two came along also, with the pair sharing a loved-up post to Instagram. 'Alexa Merivale Hemmes. Born Thursday 5th of November at 2:34am. The most magical moment imaginable. Yet you continue to enchant us more and more each day. we cannot wait to share our lives with you,' Kate wrote. While it's unclear when the couple parted ways, Kate last shared a photo of Justin to her Instagram account in September 2017. New role: 'It has been a crazy but wonderful whirlwind,' she told women's website Moda Familia at the time New life: While once notorious on the party circuit, the bar baron claimed that having children settled him down considerably. Justin is pictured with his daughters 'Dad Day. Thanks for the endless adventures. Your girls love you @justinhemmes,' the model captioned that image. She also shared images of Justin at a Merivale staff party, which they both attended, in February 2018. Likewise, the last image of Kate, shared by the hotelier to his Instagram was in December 2017, which he simply captioned with heart emojis. In the photo she is holding the couples two children close to her chest aboard a boat. While they were absent from one another's social media, the pair made a pubic appearance at the Harper's Bazaar Australia 20th Anniversary celebration on February 6, 2018. Last snap: While it's unclear when the couple parted ways, Kate last shared a photo of Justin to her Instagram account in September 2017. 'Dad Day. Thanks for the endless adventures. Your girls love you @justinhemmes,' the model captioned that image (pictured) Long time: The last image of Kate, holding the couple's children, shared by the hotelier to his Instagram was in December 2017 (pictured) which he simply captioned with heart emojis What happened? The pair still seemed in love at the Australian Open in January 2018 Justin was once described as a 'playboy' on Sydney's social scene, linked to a several famous beauties including Lara Bingle and Natalie Imbruglia. While once notorious on the party circuit, the bar baron claimed that having children settled him down considerably. 'I'm experiencing a joy I have never experienced before and I'm just a lot calmer,' he told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2016. He added: 'My sister thinks it's a very good thing I had a girl first, girls are a lot softer. They are calm for someone like myself.' Whirlwind: Kate and Justin had been dating less than a year when they announced they were expecting their first child in 2015 Happy: Justin told the Daily Telegraph at the time: 'I'm over the moon. It's the most wonderful thing that's every happened to me' Kate and Justin had been dating less than a year when they announced they were expecting their first child in 2015. Justin told the Daily Telegraph at the time: 'I'm over the moon. It's the most wonderful thing that's every happened to me.' Kate is sister of stunning model Georgia Fowler and originally hails from New Zealand. She has worked with fashion houses Chanel, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, YSL and Armani and is also the daughter of professional golfer Peter 'Chook' Fowler. Who's that girl: Kate is sister of stunning model Georgia Fowler and originally hails from New Zealand. She is also the daughter of professional golfer Peter 'Chook' Fowler In May, Justin, son of Merivale founder John Hemmes, debuted on the Australian Financial Review's rich list with a jaw-dropping fortune of $951 million. The Sydney Merivale CEO owns a breathtaking property portfolio, featuring a heritage-listed harbourfront home worth 'more than $60 million'. He also boasts an impressive portfolio of around 50 bars, restaurants and hotels to his name, including Sydney city hot spots Establishment Bar and Ivy. He is believed to have broken up with his previous girlfriend, yoga teacher Carla McKinnon whom he had been dating since 2012, in August 2014. Last seen? While they were absent from one another's social media, the pair made a pubic appearance at the Harper's Bazaar Australia 20th Anniversary celebration on February 6, 2018 The Crown's lead star Claire Foy has dismissed claims she was set to receive a whopping 100,000 in back pay after a shocking pay gap was revealed. Earlier this year, a salary disparity between the leading lady, who plays Queen Elizabeth, and her on-screen husband Matt Smith was revealed, as it became known he was paid more than her - a situation, Claire admitted left her 'embarrassed'. In a new interview with Saudi news network Al Arabiya, she quashed any reports that she was promised pay from Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix, despite varying reports that she was owed 100K by the companies. Shocking: The Crown's lead star Claire Foy has dismissed claims she was set to receive a whopping 100,000 in back pay. after a shocking pay gap was revealed The controversy hit headlines across the world when it was revealed Matt, who played Prince Philip, was paid more for his role than Claire. Claire and Matt were both nominated for Emmy awards for their performances. Left Bank stated that male and female stars will get the same pay. After the scandal erupted, fans soon expressed joy and demanded Claire should receive back-pay, with Twitter users writing: 'Okay, NOW, I can continue watching THE CROWN... Ugh. I just found out that #ClaireFoy made less money than #MattSmith with 3x more screen time. #TIMESUP PEOPLE. 'Apparently she's getting back pay to match. She should get more money then he did. She worked more. She was the star of the show. She wore THE CROWN. #Time'. The big reveal: 'Its across the board that it became part of a bigger conversation, which is an odd place to find yourself in' Despite this, Claire insists she has had no such thing: 'It was what was reported that I was back-paid. Ive never mentioned anything about it and neither have the producers. The fact that that is fact is not quite correct... 'Its Netflix, but its a British production company. It happened at the same time as it was coming out with a lot of other people that there was a lot of pay inequality. 'Its across the board that it became part of a bigger conversation, which is an odd place to find yourself in.' Demands: After the scandal erupted, fans soon expressed joy and demanded Claire should receive back-pay Producers of the show pledged earlier this year that there will be no gender pay parity for the new cast, and have claimed that Matt was only paid more for the first seasons as he was a bigger name than Claire at the time of casting. MailOnline has approached representatives for Claire, Left Band and Netflix for comment. In May, while appearing on The Hollywood Reporter's Roundtable series, the actress said she was very proud of her work on the show - but reasoned a lead role should not stop a woman from having an 'opinion' on equality in the industry. Shock: Producers of the show pledged earlier this year that there will be no gender pay parity for the new cast, and have claimed that Smith was only paid more for the first seasons as he was a bigger name than Foy at the time of casting She explained: 'I could have kept my mouth shut and said, 'I have nothing to say, I'm a robot. 'I was part of a really incredible show that I'm really proud of and grateful for, but that shouldn't stop me from having an opinion about something that I have been brought into the centre of.' Her comments come after she revealed she was 'embarrassed' by the fact she was paid less than her co-star Matt Smith for an equally central role on the hit show. Speaking at the CinemaCon 2018 in Las Vegas in April, she said of the difference: 'It definitely opened my eyes to a lot... SHock: Speaking at the CinemaCon 2018 in Las Vegas in April, she said of the difference: 'It definitely opened my eyes to a lot And I certainly won't be naive about those things. It's really opened my eyes about what I am allowed to have an opinion about, and what I'm allowed to stand up for myself about. 'And I think that's really changed my approach to myself and other women in this industry. It's been only a positive thing even though, embarrassing.' Foy starred as Queen Elizabeth alongside Smith as Prince Philip for two seasons - with Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies taking over on the next series, as it skips forward in time. They have been filming the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery alongside Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. And Luke Evans and David Walliams took time away from filming duties to enjoy an alfresco dinner in Portofino, Italy on Thursday. The Welsh actor, 39, and the Britain's Got Talent judge, 46, was joined by Luke's boyfriend Victor Turpin and another pal. Catching up: Luke Evans and David Walliams took time away from filming duties to enjoy an alfresco dinner in Portofino, Italy on Thursday The Beauty and the Beast star cut a dapper figure in a black and white checked shirt and beige shorts. David, who has been littering social media with snaps of his co-stars during his trip, was seen posing for a photo with a pal as Luke played photographer, before he took snapshots of the idyllic scenery. The comedian also dressed smartly in a burnt orange shirt, which he left partially unbuttoned and black suit trousers. Boys' night out: The Welsh actor, 39, and the Britain's Got Talent judge, 46, was joined by Luke's boyfriend Victor Turpin and another pal Dapper: The comedian also dressed smartly in a burnt orange shirt, which he left partially unbuttoned and black suit trousers The group appeared in high spirits as they indulged in orange spritzer's ahead of their meal at the Italian eatery. Luke is currently in town while shooting his upcoming movie Murder Mystery with co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. David is also starring in the Netflix film and has even taken to his social media to share pictures with various members of the film's star-studded cast, such as Adam and Gemma Arterton. Happy: David, who has been littering social media with snaps of his co-stars during his trip, was seen posing for a photo with a pal as Luke played photographer Having fun: The group appeared in high spirits as they indulged in orange spritzer's ahead of their meal at the Italian eatery Comedy: In Murder Mystery, Jennifer and Adam play a married couple who go on an European vacation to reinvigorate their marriage In Murder Mystery, Jennifer and Adam play a married couple who go on an European vacation to reinvigorate their marriage. After a chance meeting on a flight to their romantic destination, a mysterious man invites them to an intimate family gathering on a super-yacht, where an elderly billionaire is later found murdered on the vessel, making the couple prime suspects. Luke is in Italy with actor Victor Turpin, who he has thought to have been dating for more than a year. The pair have spent the summer travelling the globe, stopping off at Shanghai and Australia. She jetted off for a romantic sun-filled break to Miami with her new husband Sebastian Bear-McClard. And Emily Ratajkowski, 27, looked phenomenal on her return to New York City on Thursday following her appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Fresh from her getaway, the Gone Girl star showed off as much of her sun-kissed skin as possible in her mini tangerine coloured dress. On patrol: Emily Ratajkowski oozed sex appeal in a scanty orange mini dress and chunky trainers in New York City after Miami break on Thursday With its sweepingly low-cut neckline just grazing the top of her breasts, the actress oozed sex appeal as she ensured onlookers got a good eyeful of her cleavage. The 5'5" model kicked off her heels from the catwalk and she sauntered through the streets of the Big Apple in her chunky beige trainers. Emily tossed her hair back off her slender frame and she touched up her features with nude make-up for a natural look. Hot to trot: Fresh from her getaway, the Gone Girl star showed off as much of her sun-kissed skin as possible in her mini tangerine coloured dress Outstanding in orange: With its sweepingly low-cut neckline just grazing the top of her breasts, the actress oozed sex appeal as she ensured onlookers got an eyeful of her cleavage Social media was awash with her sun-drenched bikini getaway snaps as the I Feel Pretty star captured her time away with Sebastian on camera. The sizzling photographs from holiday were so sexy even Kim Kardashian couldn't resist commenting below. In February, Emily surprised friends and family with her courthouse marriage to producer Sebastian in New York. So natural: Emily tossed her hair back off her slender frame and she touched up her features with nude make-up for a sensational look What an accessory! The brunette toted a metallic bag made up of intricate chain links Work it: Emily Ratajkowski was back to doing what she does best as she sent her fans wild with a fun Instagram video on Thursday Move it!: Listening to Drake's In My Feelings, Emily danced along as she sashayed, writhed and gyrated her toned physique She exchanged vows with the 31-year-old in a small ceremony with just a handful of friends in attendance. Their marriage came as a shock to Ratajkowski's 16.6 million followers as the two were only dating for a few weeks prior to the wedding. They only became a couple a few weeks before the wedding but a source told UsWeekly that she'd known him 'for years'. Emily had only split from boyfriend of three years Jeff Magid in January according to reports, and was first spotted with Sebastian in mid-February. Retro: She wore her hair into two 90s-looking bunches, which had been styled into a bun, as she added a pair of large hoop earrings and a simple chain necklace As a Hollywood actress, she is used to the high life, whether it be travelling on private jets or stepping out in couture gowns. But Katie Holmes proved she is still grounded after 20 years in showbusiness as she hopped onto the subway in New York City on Thursday. Despite being worth an estimated $25m, the actress, 39, joined scores of other commuters as she travelled from Manhattan's Downtown towards Uptown, kicked back in a sweltering subway car. Scroll down for video Commuter life: Katie Holmes proved she is still grounded after 20 years in showbusiness as she hopped onto the subway in New York City on Thursday Pulling out the 1968 tome Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion, the Dawson's Creek star blended in with her fellow travellers as she leaned her head to one side. Looking casually cool for the journey, the brunette beauty donned a peach blouse and flared jeans. Her chestnut bob was styled in loose waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a minimal dusting of make-up. Stepping off the subway, the ex-wife of Tom Cruise looked radiant as she met up with a pal. Blending in: Despite being worth an estimated $25m, the actress, 39, joined scores of other commuters as she travelled from Manhattan's Downtown towards Uptown, kicked back in a sweltering subway car Keeping it casual!Stepping off the subway, the ex-wife of Tom Cruise looked radiant as she met up with a pal Katie teamed her extra casual and comfortable outfit with a pair of sandals, sunglasses, and a teal necklace. Making her way down the sidewalk with her pal by her side, Katie appeared relaxed and in good spirits as she enjoyed a catch-up session with her friend. Katie may have been enjoying some quality time with a gal pal on Thursday, but earlier this month she was spotted on a date night with boyfriend Jamie Foxx. Peachy keen! Holmes rocked a summery peach hued blouse for the casual get together Just the girls! Holmes and her pal appeared relaxed during their catch up session The couple looked like they were happy as can be, contrary to breakup rumors which swirled around the notoriously private duo in weeks past. Katie's representatives went as far as to call the gossip '100 percent untrue,' even though prior to that the couple had never publicly disclosed their relationship. The actress has 12-year-old daughter Suri Cruise from her previous marriage to Tom Cruise. The couple were married from 2006 to 2012. Low-key! She wore her shoulder length hair down, and appeared to have just a minimal amount of makeup upon her striking complexion He is famed for performing his own stunts. So Tom Cruise was naturally keen to show off his skills as he put on an incredible display during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where he joined the British funnyman in launching out of a plane in Perris Valley, California. The Mission Impossible legend, 56, encouraged James to embark on the stunt, which saw the duo fall 15,000 feet from a plane, and while the host was attached to an expert, showing his incredible skill, Tom jumped out alone. Jumping out: Tom Cruise was naturally keen to show off his skills as he put on an incredible display during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where he joined the British funnyman in launching out of a plane in Perris Valley, California As the show opened, Tom admitted he did not expect James to go though with the stunt as he was convinced he would pull out at the last minute. He said: 'Im just so impressed that James is going skydiving. I mean, between you and me, I was half expecting him to text me and tell me he was cancelling.' In response to the cheeky jibe, James joked about trying to cancel, as he said: 'Ive actually been trying to get a hold of Tom for the last couple of days to cancel, but apparently I had his number saved wrong in my phone. 'So, Id also like to take this time to apologise to Tom Hiddleston for all the messages I sent him about my case of food poisoning.' The launch: The Mission Impossible legend, 56, encouraged James to embark on the stunt, which saw the duo fall 15,000 feet from a plane, and while the host was attached to an expert, showing his incredible skill, Tom jumped out alone Wah: He said: 'Im just so impressed that James is going skydiving. I mean, between you and me, I was half expecting him to text me and tell me he was cancelling' Fearful! As they headed into the plane, dressed in the necessary jumpsuits and protective garb, James managed to put his nerves aside enough to teach Tom the legendary 'Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Box' dance Another one... In 2016, the pair collaborated again to recreate a host of famous scenes from his films - including the legendary in the original Mission Impossible moment As they headed into the plane, dressed in the necessary jumpsuits and protective garb, James managed to put his nerves aside enough to teach Tom the legendary 'Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Box' dance. Despite seeming to mask his nerves, he then proposed they never do such a dangerous task again as he said to the clearly-tickled actor: 'You know, next time you come on the show, lets just do a chat.' He went on: The worst problem is in all of this is, if we both die, I will get zero press. I mean, I will be a footnote. The story will be: Tom Cruise dies also that guy who occasionally drives around in a car. Leg it! Tom is famed for performing his own stunts (pictured filming at Blackfriars Bridge in London, during filming for Mission Impossible 6 in January) Dangerman: He was lauded as a 'fantastic stunt rider', as he continues his legendary stunts (pictured in 2015's Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation) Preparing: As the show opened, Tom admitted he did not expect James to go though with the stunt as he was convinced he would pull out at the last minute All systems GO! Tom was a picture of calm as he encouraged James to go forth Talking about the successful stunt on the show, Tom revealed why he is so keen to do his own stunts: 'I want to entertain an audience, we come up with great stories and were able to put a camera in places that you normally cant so its not just stunts. Its storytelling and character. I cant help it. Im 100 per cent when I do something and I just want to give the audience the very best so thats what I try to do. It would not be the first time Tom took someone skydiving - as he admitted doing so with his late mother, Mary Lee South, as a Mother's Day treat while he was filming Days Of Thunder in Florida in 1990. He recalled how he surprised his mum, who died last year at age 80, at the airfield, with her calmly replying when he told her what he had planned: 'Alright darling let's go do it.' Woo! It would not be the first time Tom took someone skydiving - as he admitted doing so with his late mother, Mary Lee South, as a Mother's Day treat while he was filming Days Of Thunder in Florida in 1990 Wah! He recorded the jump, kissing his mum in the air, and sent the footage to his three sisters who had no idea what they had done He recorded the jump, kissing his mum in the air, and sent the footage to his three sisters who had no idea what they had done. Getting them to open the videos all at the same time, he smiled: 'They opened it and put it on and saw what we were doing and just [beep]ed themselves. They were like, ''What are you doing to our mother!'' Of his late mom, he said: 'She wasn't necessarily a daredevil but she had just a wonderful sense of adventure. She was someone who the cup was always half full. There was always a smile there, just a lovely, lovely woman.' Trimming up: Tom also spoke about one of his favorite movie set rituals - sending cakes to his crew, stuntmen and co-stars to live vicariously through their enjoyment as he keeps off sugar to stay in shape Having a giggle: While Tom seemed to find the situation hilarious despite James appearing absolutely terrified Larking around: The duo proved their long-time friendship as they played around Tom also spoke about one of his favorite movie set rituals - sending cakes to his crew, stuntmen and co-stars to live vicariously through their enjoyment as he keeps off sugar to stay in shape. He said: 'I love sugar but I can't eat it because when I'm training I'm doing all these movies, so I send it to everyone, I send it to the stunt team, and I wait for the calls. Corden then told how the superstar had done a similar thing for him. 'On the morning of the Grammys I woke up to someone knocking on my door, it was like 8am, and they presented me with an incredible chocolate cake and it was from Tom Cruise saying, ''Good luck with the Grammys'',' he recalled. Laughing, he said: 'And I was like, ''This is how you look so good -- you make everyone around you fat!'' While filming 2012 movie Jack Reacher, Tom was described as 'one of the best stunt drivers Ive ever met' by the film's second unit director Paul Jennings. She split from her toy boy husband Nick Tsindos in March last year, after just 14 months of marriage. And on Friday, it appears Jodhi Meares was reflecting on her broken heart by sharing a cryptic passage about love on Instagram. The Upside founder, 47, uploaded the candid essay, which appeared to resonate with the single beauty after her split from Nick, 30. Scroll down to video 'Stay single until you meet someone who can handle your intense emotional capacity': Jodhi Meares, 47, has shared a cryptic passage about love on Friday 'Stay single until you meet someone who isn't afraid of your intense emotional capacity, but who finds it fascinating,' the therapeutic passage begun. 'Wait until you meet someone who knows you can sometimes have your head in the cloud for hours on end and doesn't see it as something that needs to be fixed. 'Someone who knows that you are sometimes a little all over the place, but has open arms for you to come back to reality and to help you keep your feet on the ground.' "Someone who knows you are a little all over the place": The model split from her photographer ex Nick Tsindos in March 2017, after 14 months of marriage In June, it was reported by Daily Mail Australia Jodhi's photographer ex was dating stunning model Mimi Elashiry, which appears to have shaken the gorgeous Jodhi. While it isn't known if the passage was intended to be about her ex, the next few lines appeared to be about finding someone who is open-minded. 'Don't settle for someone who is closed minded who views the world in only one angle, but someone who is willing to take a step back and see different viewpoints. 'Inspires you and brings your incredible creativity to light, where it's supposed to be': The pair split in March last year, with Jodhi's frequent travel to Los Angeles thought to be factor 'Wait for someone who inspires you and brings your incredible creativity to light, where it's supposed to be.' Jodhi, who is billionaire James Packer's ex-wife, split from the blonde photographer in March, after a whirlwind romance together. In March 2017, The Daily Telegraph reported the pair 'agreed' to separate, with Jodhi's time spent in Los Angeles reportedly a factor in the split. Moving on? Nick has previously been pictured with stunning model Mimi Elashiry. The pair were pictured getting cosy together at Fashion Week this year The pair married in December 2015, during a secret Hawaiian getaway with the stunning brunette telling Sunday Style she didn't expect to find love at her age. Back in 1999, Jodhi famously wed billionaire James Packer, before the couple split three years later. The pair remain friendly, with James' business even having a 20 per cent stake in The Upside active-wear brand, which Jodhi established in 2014. Single! Jodhi hasn't been linked with anyone else since the split, with her snapped spending time with Nick at Christmas last year In the past, it has been reported that Jodhi is on good terms with both of her ex-husbands. At Christmas, the striking brunette was pictured with Nick, which sparked rumours the pair could be trying to work it out again. Meanwhile, In April it was reported by Woman's Day magazine that Jodhi is still close to her embattled billionaire ex-husband, James Packer. 'He phones Jodhi all the time, and trusts her implicitly because she never puts demands on him,' a source was quoted as saying. She recently shared the news of her engagement to Joshua Kushner, describing his as her 'best friends and soulmate'. And Karlie Kloss flashed her diamond engagement ring as she took to the stage at an Adidas event in Shanghai, China on Friday. The former Victoria's Secret angel, 25, was back to her day job after her 33-year-old fiance popped the question a few weeks ago in New York. Newly-engaged: Karlie Kloss flashed her diamond engagement ring as she took to the stage at an Adidas event in Shanghai, China on Friday Karlie ensured all eyes were on the dazzling sparkler as she dressed her figure in tight black gym-wear. The model cut a sporty figure, showcasing her leggy frame in skintight black leggings and layered a loose-fitting black vest top atop a white crop top. She styled her blonde locks in a high bun and accentuated her striking features with deftly touches of make-up. Romantic proposal: The former Victoria's Secret angel, 25, was back to her day job after her 33-year-old fiance popped the question a few weeks ago Sporty: Karlie ensured all eyes were on the dazzling sparkler as she dressed her figure in black gymwear as she joined retired Chinese volleyball player Hui Ruoqi Gym-wear: The model cut a sporty figure, showcasing her leggy frame in skintight black leggings and layered a loose-fitting black vest top atop a white crop top Her public appearance comes after Karlie shared the news of her engagement on Instagram, describing her 33-year-old beau as her 'best friend and soulmate'. 'I love you more than I have words to express,' she wrote alongside a romantic sunset picture of the couple that shows Joshua beaming into the camera while Karlie plants a sweet kiss on his cheek. 'Josh, youre my best friend and my soulmate. I cant wait for forever together. Yes a million times over.' She finished off the gushing caption with a diamond ring emoji. Shortly after their announcement, the happy couple was congratulated by Joshua's sister-in-law, first daughter Ivanka Trump, who shared a heartfelt message on Karlie's Instagram post. Gorgeous: She styled her blonde locks in a high bun and accentuated her striking features with deftly touches of make-up Loved-up: Her public appearance comes after Karlie shared the news of her engagement on Instagram , describing her 33-year-old beau Joshua as her 'best friend and soulmate' 'So, so happy for you and Josh! I feel blessed to have you as a sister (!!!) Karlie and look forward to the decades of happy memories we will create together as a family! [sic]' Ivanka wrote. Karlie did not initially show off her engagement ring, instead she kept her hands out of the frame entirely; in fact the only diamonds visible in the sweet snap were those being worn in her ears and around her neck. But the model did flash her huge rock on Instagram a few hours later while she was on set in Beijing. Casual: Meanwhile on Friday Joshua was also seen out and about for the first time since popping the question to Karlie, chatting on his phone as he strolled through New York Busy: The 33-year-old businessman sported a low-key black jeans and white shirt combo as he spoke on his phone on the street Romantic: Joshua himself announced his engagement by posting a snap of his girlfriend inside an exhibit at New York's MOMA, captioning it with simply the word: 'Fiance' Beaming: The brother of Presidential advisor Jared Kushner looked to be in good spirits as he strolled through the neighbourhood Joshua, meanwhile, posted a stunning picture of his girlfriend taken inside what looks like the infamous Rain Room exhibit, an experiential art installation that made appearances at New York's MoMA, and LACMA in Los Angeles. He captioned the striking snap with one word: 'Fiance,' while also adding a heart emoji for effect. It has been a whirlwind summer of fun so far for the newly-engaged couple, who have just returned from a sun-soaked getaway on the coast of Italy, where they were among a group of celebrity guests being hosted by billionaire David Geffen on his yacht. A bling thing! Earlier this week Karlie shared a clip of herself on set in Beijing showing off her enormous ring hours after revealing her boyfriend Joshua Kushner had popped the question There, the couple joined the likes of Paul McCartney, billionaires Barry Diller and Henry Kravis, and royal matchmaker Misha Nonoo, the designer who set up Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. However, while Italy might seem like the perfect spot for a proposal, Joshua actually chose to pop the question a few weeks ago, 'during a romantic weekend together in upstate New York', according to People. A source close to the couple added to the publication: 'Theyre both overjoyed and happily celebrating. Their hearts are full and theyre excited to build their future together.' She is known to be a gym bunny, and even launched her own at-home exercise programme last year. And Jessica Wright certainly showed off the fruits of her fitness labours on Friday, as she flaunted her toned figure in a stylish leopard-print dress. Stepping out with a gal pal, the ex TOWIE star, 32, was sure to set pulses racing as her outfit had a deep plunging neckline that showed off a glimpse of her cleavage. Wow! Jessica Wright (right) showed off her cleavage in a plunging leopard-print dress as she stepped out with a female pal in London on Friday The beauty put on a very leggy display as she flaunted her slim pins in a pair of clear sandals that offset her exotic attire. Jessica worked her raven tresses into a sleek hairstyle, and she parted her hair to the side so that her locks could perfectly frame her petite face. Her radiant complexion was enhanced with a light dusting of make-up, which added a glamorous touch to her look. Legs for days! The beauty put on a very leggy display as she flaunted her slim pins in a pair of clear sandals that offset her exotic attire The reality star kept her accessories to a minimum, and kept her personal belongings in a stylish black handbag that matched her sunglasses. Jessica's pal looked just as pretty in her red off-the-shoulder mini-dress which had a cute floral print, as she paired it with black wedge sandals. The fitness fanatic has been working tirelessly to maintain her trim figure, and has even launched her own programme to help others. Working hard: The fitness fanatic has been working tirelessly to maintain her trim figure, and has even launched her own programme to help others She has previously spoken with MailOnline about her fitness journey, where she admitted: 'I have struggled with my weight and fitness regime for my entire life. 'I had a lack of motivation and determination which made me feel like I never achieved my true fitness potential.' The reality TV star revealed she was inspired to get in shape by unflattering photos of her taken during a trip to Las Vegas, telling ITV's Lorraine last year: 'I felt awful when it happened. All these pictures came out and I was devastated.' Prior to reports of her engagement to Nick Jonas, news broke that Priyanka Chopra would not be starring in Bharat alongside Salman Khan, cancelling all plans of her big Bollywood comeback which was confirmed by the director Ali Abbas Zafar. Despite reports that they only started dating in May following their first red carpet appearance at the 2017 Met Gala, Nick Jonas allegedly proposed to his short-term girlfriend last week while they celebrated the Quantico stars 36th birthday in London. After news that she would no longer be appearing in Bharat, many have questioned whether she may take a page out of her friend Meghan Markles book and quit acting after marriage, as she did following her Royal Wedding to Prince Harry. Priyanka Chopra will star in the series finale of Quantico on August 3, 2018 at 8pm EDT on ABC Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas Following their appearance at the Met Gala in 2017, Priyanka Chopra denied rumours of any romance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and revealed that the pair had only decided to walk the red carpet together because they were both wearing Ralph Lauren. However, fans noticed that Priyanka was especially happy for Nicks brother Joe Jonas when he popped the question to Sophie Turner, but the couple were not seen together until Memorial Day this year when friends shared videos of the pair frolicking on yachts. Soon after, Priyanka attended one of Nicks cousins Rachel Tamburellis wedding in June 2018 and he accompanied the Quantico actress on holiday to India where he is thought to have met her mother, Madhu. The Bollywood superstar shared pictures of her favourite men: her brother and Nick while they were in Goa. Engagement rumours began after both Nick and Priyanka were spotted wearing identical gold rings, with Bustle reporting that they had decided on the engagement while in India after sources claimed they were in a serious relationship. Engagement rumours began after Nick and Priyanka were spotted wearing identical gold rings Priyanka Chopra engagement After a whirlwind romance, Nick Jonas has reportedly popped the question to Priyanka Chopra and the couple are planning to wed imminently. He is thought to have proposed with a Tiffanys ring on the actresss 36th birthday in London and a source revealed that they are so happy. Speculation amounted after the director of Priyankas film Bharat, Ali Abbas Zafar, tweeted: Priyanka Chopra is no more part of @Bharat_TheFilm & and the reason is very very special , she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her Team Bharat wishes @priyankachopra loads of love & happiness for life. Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of @Bharat_TheFilm & and the reason is very very special , she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her ... Team Bharat wishes @priyankachopra loads of love & happiness for life ali abbas zafar (@aliabbaszafar) July 27, 2018 Fans are now awaiting an official statement from the pair and with Priyanka pulling out of starring alongside Salman Khan, it questions whether she will cancel her appearances in the movies she is slated to appear in future. Will Priyanka Chopra continue acting? Citing personal reasons, Priyanka Chopra has reportedly dropped out of appearing in Bharat days before shooting was meant to begin. The Quantico actress was supposed to make her big Bollywood comeback after claiming that she had lost a movie role because of her skin colour. She said: It happened last year. I was out for a movie, and somebody [from the studio] called one of my agents and said, Shes the wrongwhat word did they used?physicality. So in my defense as an actor, Im like, Do I need to be skinnier? Do I need to get in shape? Do I need to have abs? Like, what does wrong physicality mean? And then my agent broke it down for me. Like, I think, Priy, they meant that they wanted someone whos not brown. It affected me. Nevertheless, there have not been any announcements stating that she would not be starring in the films she is already slated to appear in, apart from Bharat. According to IMDb, Priyanka Chopra will star in Gustakhiyan, which is based on the life of the poet Sahir Ludhianvi. In 2019, she is slated to appear in Hollywood comedy Isnt It Romantic, expected to be released on February 14 in the US. The series finale of Quantico will air on August 3, 2018 at 8pm EDT on ABC. Their relationships are going from strength-to-strength after their departure from the villa. And Love Island star Ellie Brown hit out at claims she was with boyfriend Charlie Brake for his 400million pound inheritance during her appearance on Good Morning. It comes as her fellow co-star Zara McDermott, 21, got her beau Adam Collard's initials tattooed on her finger in a touching tribute to the 22-year-old personal trainer. Not a gold-digger! Love Island star Ellie Brown hit out at claims she was with boyfriend Charlie Brake for his 400million pound inheritance during her appearance on Good Morning Speaking of her relationship on Good Morning Britain, Ellie said: 'We're very good. We're actually better than what we were in the villa. We get on better when you're not surrounded by people in the villa and you're by yourself. During a quiz with her fellow dumped islanders Josh Mair, Stephanie Lam and beau Charlie, Kate Garroway said: 'A quick quiz, so Ellie you certainly landed on your feet with Charlie didn't you?' The group then watched a throwback clip of the Geordie beauty learning about Charlie's inheritance and hit out about claims she was with her Chelsea boyfriend due to his fortune. Smitten: It comes as her fellow co-star Zara McDermott, 21, got her beau Adam Collard's initials tattooed on her finger in a touching tribute to the 22-year-old personal trainer Happy: Speaking of her relationship, Ellie said: 'We're very good. We're actually better than what we were in the villa. We get on better when you're not surrounded by people in the villa' She said: 'We were already in a relationship when we found it was just funny I couldn't believe it.' To which, Ben Shephard, who was clad in gold sequin hotpants, cheekily asked: 'But you're very happy together nonetheless?' Noting Ellie's frosty reply, Showbiz correspondent Richard Arnold admitted the segment attracted 'tumbleweed' while Kate brushed off the awkwardness by moving onto the quiz. Heiress? During a quiz with her fellow dumped islanders Josh Mair, Stephanie Lam and beau Charlie, Kate Garroway said: 'Ellie you certainly landed on your feet with Charlie didn't you?' Awkward: The group then watched a throwback clip of the Geordie beauty learning about Charlie's inheritance Tumbleweed! Noting Ellie's frosty reply, Showbiz correspondent Richard Arnold admitted the segment attracted 'tumbleweed' Host Ben was clad in the tiny gold sequin hotpants after a viewers poll forced him to wear the sparkly number. With dozens voting for him to don the perilously short shorts, he told the Love Island crew: 'This is what you wanted. Its your fault. I feel like Goldmember. I could fit in at the villa, couldnt I? Chelsea socialite Charlies net worth or his familys worth is not known, the Love Islander admitted his family company was worth 400 million. Love Island look: Host Ben was clad in the tiny gold sequin hotpants after a viewers poll forced him to wear the sparkly number However, according to The Telegraph, Brakes was sold to the US food company Sysco Corporation from Bain Capital Private Equity for 2.2 billion. Meanwhile, Zara has got a tattoo of Adam's initials, which she had done before his inking. The government advisor has revealed she has a tiny tat of the letters 'AC' on her finger to show her love for her fellow former 'Love Island' star, and she went under the needle before Adam had the letter 'Z' branded on his hand. Zara told BANG: 'Basically, Adam said, 'You'll never get my initials tattooed on you,' so then I, as a bit of a loose cannon, decided to get AC on my finger. 'So I got that on my finger, and then I was like, 'So now I've got my one, you need to get your one.' Tribute: Meanwhile, Zara has got a tattoo of Adam's initials, which she had done before his inking Zara showed off Adam's new tattoo on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, but kept her own small red inking a secret. Adam said: 'So everyone thinks it was me first but it actually wasn't. It was this one, but nobody actually knows about this one until now.' The pair have been inseparable since leaving the villa, and Adam thinks Zara is 'definitely wife-y material'. Matching: Zara said: 'Basically, Adam said, 'You'll never get my initials tattooed on you,' so then I, as a bit of a loose cannon, decided to get AC on my finger' He said: 'I'm branded up now, she's not going anywhere and I'm not planning on going anywhere.' Brunette beauty Zara is so confident in her relationship with Adam that if she were in the villa when the notorious lie detector test was going on, she wouldn't have cared about asking him serious questions. She said: 'Do you know what, if I'm completely honest, I don't really care - I'd probably ask things like, 'Would you let Zara have two cats?' Things like that. 'There's nothing burning I want to know the answer to. I'm not really like that'. Adam puts this down to being too honest for his own good. He said: 'I'm one of the more honest guys; I'm probably too honest when I should take other people's sensitive feelings into consideration - I don't really lie.' Jonathan Rhys Meyers has praised his wife after their 'verbal dispute' on a recent flight, after he recently suffered an alcohol relapse. The 40-year-old actor was detained at Los Angeles' LAX airport when his plane touched down on the runway earlier this month following an on-board fight with his spouse Mara Lane after which he admitted 'drink doesn't agree with me'. When asked if Mara helps him with his struggles, Jonathan told PeopleNOW: 'Oh, my wife is a superior woman. She's incredible. Yeah, incredible. I couldn't be luckier.' Family: Jonathan Rhys Meyers has praised his wife after their 'verbal dispute' on a recent flight, after he recently suffered an alcohol relapse Jonathan, who has 18-month-old son Wolf with Mara - battled alcoholism and admitted that he sometimes makes 'stupid mistakes', including ordering a drink on the plane. He said: 'Most of the time I handle it pretty well... 'But, every so often you make a stupid mistake. But living life in the public eye is very different. I've been an actor for 25 years and the whole world has changed enormously since I've started becoming an actor. It's very difficult to be left alone.' Speaking previously he admitted he was at fault for breaking his sobriety and ordering a drink following a series of 'frustrating' events. He said: 'My wife and I had been traveling since 3 o'clock in the morning from Peru back to LA. And they gave away our tickets -- it was just a problem with the airline. We had our baby, who was teething at the time, and it was all kind of frustrating. Stepping out: The 40-year-old actor was detained at Los Angeles' LAX airport when his plane touched down on the runway earlier this month following an on-board fight with his spouse Mara Lane after which he admitted 'drink doesn't agree with me' 'So we eventually got on the flight and my wife went to sleep and I very stupidly decided to order a drink. When my wife found that I'd ordered a drink, she got very, very angry with me because I shouldn't drink. It doesn't suit me and I had been sober for a long time. 'And so I felt that mistake and I got upset and I took out an e-cigarette. And the airline staff told me that I wasn't allowed to smoke an e-cigarette so I put it away. 'Then I spoke to the Los Angeles police once we got there, who were incredibly kind. Incredibly understanding.' Jonathan - who is trying to quit smoking so he doesn't set a bad example to his son - insisted he has 'learned [his] lesson' from the incident and is now sober again. Looking good: After an unfortunate start to the month, the Irish actor cut a casually cool figure in a pale brown suit which he teamed with a simple white tee Happy: Jonathan looked to be in good spirits as he stepped out for the event in the stylish suit He said: 'I learned my lesson. As soon as I got off the airplane I went and spoke to somebody and I got back on track immediately.' Mara previously insisted the incident was 'out of character' for her husband and she revealed he had been trying to combat his 'anger issues'. He has admitted that alcohol 'doesn't suit him' after his shocking drunken and violent outburst on a flight earlier this month. On Thursday, Jonathan appeared to be putting the tough times behind him, as he was seen at the Build Series in New York. Stylish: The Bend It Like Beckham star casually propped a pair of black rimmed spectacles on the top of his simple white top After an unfortunate start to the month, the Irish actor, 40, cut a casually cool figure in a pale brown suit which he teamed with a simple white tee. Jonathan looked to be in good spirits as he stepped out for the event in the stylish suit. The Bend It Like Beckham star casually propped a pair of black rimmed spectacles on the top of his simple white top. While he sported a shaved do on his sides, the rest of his locks were styled with gel. His sighting comes after a candid interview with Larry King Now, in which he admitted that drinking doesn't 'suit' him. Mane attraction: While he sported a shaved do on his sides, the rest of his locks were styled with gel Fashionable: The star toted his belongings in a chic leather bag He spoke following the incident, which led to him being detained at LAX when his plane touched down on the runway. The Velvet Goldmine actor admitted he was 'upset' by his actions but had apologised to all involved in the incident and thanked police for being 'incredibly kind and understanding'. He continued: 'And so I felt that mistake and I got upset and I took out an e-cigarette. And the staff told me that I wasn't allowed to smoke an e-cigarette so I put it away. Walking the walk: He matched his bag to his lace-up shoes Remorse: His sighting comes after a candid interview with Larry King Now, in which he admitted that drinking doesn't 'suit' him after an incident when he was detained at LAX 'Then I spoke to the Los Angeles police once we got there, who were incredibly kind. Incredibly understanding. I apologised for my behaviour, and that's the entire story.' Jonathan has 'learned [his] lesson' from the incident and is now sober again. He added: 'It is a good opportunity to apologise to anybody who was offended that that incident happened, but I learned my lesson. As soon as I got off the airplane I went and spoke to somebody and I got back on track immediately.' Mara previously insisted the incident was 'out of character' for her husband and she revealed he had been trying to combat his 'anger issues'. Detained: The actor was detained by police at LAX on Sunday after allegedly getting into a drunken fight with his wife and trying to smoke his e-cigarette on the flight from Miami She wrote on Instagram: '[Eight] months of sobriety and an unfortunate day of airline travel. We were in South America specifically working holistically through anger issues that result in these kinds of episodes. 'When in it... he is not in a frame of mind where he can really even comprehend the repercussions and necessary response to his own actions. 'J IS extremely sorry for any inconveniences caused to anyone traveling yesterday. There was no argument, just me asking him to not use his e cig per stewardess' request to me and him not being himself, speaking very very unkindly. 'It was out of his character. It was unbeknownst to me anything that happened on flight, as I was with my son with a privacy wall up. 'We are home safe and he is feeling deeply sorry for any remote disrespect afforded to me, attendants, onlookers or officers. Thank you for your compassion on this ongoing battle with addiction we are in.' [sic] Police: At least five police cars showed up at the plane. According to one passenger, Rhys Meyers was being difficult even before he got on the flight in Miami Fellow first class passengers said Jonathan had been drinking and screamed 'f**k you, I'm going to divorce you' at his wife Mara after she asked him to stop smoking his e-cigarette on the plane. He was detained on the tarmac when the American Airlines flight landed and was pictured speaking with a number of officers. A fellow passenger, who was sitting in first class behind the actor, told The Sun Online that Jonathan was behaving 'erratically' and had been intimidating other passengers. He had been ordering 'drink after drink' and went to the toilet more than a dozen times - and refused to stop smoking his e-cigarette. The passenger added that Meyers was so inebriated that he didn't notice his jeans had fallen down to his knees at one point. Eventually, flight attendants asked his wife, who had separated herself from her husband by putting a privacy screen up, to intervene. Unfortunate: His wife took to Instagram to say the mid-flight incident was 'unfortunate' given he had just been receiving help for anger issues that 'result in these kinds of episodes' 'They told her that if he didn't stop using the e-cigarette we'd have to land the plane early and get him off so she tried to tell him that,' the passenger said. 'That's when he really lost it, he was yelling at her 'f**k you, shut the f**k up, I'm divorcing you when I get back, you're annoying leave me the f*** alone.' 'Then he was ranting and screaming: 'Who says I'm using e-cigarettes? Who? Who? Show me who said it.' According to another passenger, the actor was being difficult even before he got on the flight in Miami. 'Before we boarded in Miami, as the wheelchair and other people who need assistance were boarding first, he pushed to the front with his wife and child shouting about having a first class ticket and that he should be boarding first,' the passenger told DailyMail.com. Star: He has starred in a number of high-productions, including acclaimed series The Tudors 'When I was getting off I saw the cars and Jonathan Rhys Meyers surrounded by cops. On the way off the plane a crew member in pilot's uniform said that if he had known about his behaviour in Miami he wouldn't have let him board. 'The pilot told me he was going to try and get him banned from America.' Police said he was 'admonished' for his behaviour and then released without charge. The couple, who have been together since 2013, revealed in September last year that they had suffered a miscarriage with their second child. They revealed the heartbreaking news on social media, saying their baby, Willow, has been laid to rest under a tree at their home. Elsewhere on Thursday, Jonathan claimed he doesn't like to spend too much money on clothes during his televised appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan! He explained: 'Yeah, I don't like to spend too much money on suits and clothes because I have a 19-month-old boy Wolf and that's where all the money goes. I just buy my suits off the rack.' Helping hand: Mara has faithfully stood by the actor throughout his highly publicised troubled Jonathan also touched on his latest film Damascus Cover where he slips into the role of a spy who is on an undercover mission in Syria. He elaborated: 'It dives into the reality of the costs of the job that has consequences for everybody all over the world.' In a lengthy Instagram post at the time, Mara said her husband had taken the news particularly hard. 'Depression is a real concern from past abuse as well as alcoholism which he was born with. He has been able to turn any ugliness and hurt in his life into art and is the strongest person I know. I do not know anyone who has been through what he has been through and reached his level of successes,' Mara said of the actor. Jonathan has suffered a long-term battle with alcoholism and has been in and out of rehab over the years. He checked into a Malibu facility in 2005 and 2007 before returning for a third time in 2009. He publicly apologised to his fans in 2015 for a 'minor relapse' after pictures surfaced of him on a street drinking straight from a bottle of vodka. She left viewers in disbelief after confessing she didn't have a clue what Brexit meant during her short-lived stint on Love Island. And Hayley Hughes continued to try and widen her political knowledge, as she met with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, 54, for a lunch date on behalf of This Morning. But the reality star, 22, made another shocking confession on Friday as she admitted that she didn't know what the EU was as she attributed it to the Love Island villa in an attempt to understand the concept of the union. Learning: Love Island's Hayley Hughes admitted on Friday that she doesn't know what the EU is as it's NOT on social media... as Nigel Farage brands her a WINNER for her confession Meeting the former MEP in his local pub the Westminster Arms, Hayley asked point-blankly: 'So what is the EU?' Explaining the concept, Nigel said: 'It is a group of countries that join together initially to be friends and it wants to be a country in its own right, and I don't think the people of Europe want that.' When the pair appeared on the main show later that day, Hayley claimed that the reason why she, and 'the younger generation', wasn't knowledgeable on the EU or Brexit was because it isn't 'a big part on social media'. Curious: Meeting the former MEP in his local pub the Westminster Arms, Hayley asked point-blankly: 'So what is the EU?' Trying to understand: Hayley compared the EU to ITV2's hit reality show, and asked: 'So people often get mugged off in the Love Island villa, would you say that the EU has mugged us off?' While speaking with the politician about the union, she compared it to ITV2's hit reality show, and asked: 'So people often get mugged off in the Love Island villa, would you say that the EU has mugged us off?' To which he responded: 'Yes! I say it has for years and years and years. And it's not just you that's confused about Brexit, half the country is confused, they really are.' He then mirrored her comments about social media, and added: 'Hayleys generation dont buy newspapers, they dont watch the news, none of them do any of that.' Unaware: Hayley claimed that the reason why she, and 'the younger generation', wasn't knowledgeable on the EU or Brexit was because it isn't 'a big part on social media' 'They get their news and form their opinion all through social media and its remarkable how few political figures in this country engage with social media at all. 'So I do actually think theres a bit of responsibility on our leaders to start engaging using this medium for the younger generation.' The tables were then turned on Nigel, as host Sara Cox asked him who he thought would win Love Island, and he said: 'I don't know, but the real winner is sitting here.' Backing her up: Nigel mirrored Hayley's comments, and added: 'Hayleys generation dont buy newspapers, they dont watch the news, none of them do any of that' While Hayley was keen to discuss the topic with the former politician, Twitter users were not as impressed with the This Morning segment, with one writing: 'I'm in that age bracket and I watch the news, bit insulting actually..' Another added: 'Why is Hayleigh from Love Island discussing Brexit with Nigel Farage on This Morning? Seen it all now.' While British comedian Vikki Stone said: 'Well, this will sort out EVERYTHING.' Not pleased: While Hayley was keen to discuss the topic with the former politician, Twitter users were not as impressed and took to the social media platform to criticise the segment Last month, Hayley - who was worried Brexit would rob Britain of its trees - appeared on the BBC's flagship politics show Daily Politics to question an expert on the UK's EU departure. Despite it dominating the political sphere since before the 2016 referendum, model Hayley told fellow contestants on the reality show she didn't know what Brexit was. The Liverpudlian stunned viewers by saying she didn't 'have a clue' about what the word meant, before asking: 'So does that mean we won't have any trees?' His thoughts: Nigel added, 'I do actually think theres a bit of responsibility on our leaders to start engaging using this medium for the younger generation' Following the gaffe, she was invited onto the politics show and given the chance to quiz journalist Adam Fleming alongside Brexiteer Nigel Farage and Remainer Alastair Campbell. Her hilarious appearance on the show began with her saying: 'I do care about it i just don't have an understanding, so hopefully Adam will learn me more.' She then asked the expert: 'In a nutshell, what is Brexit?' Hayley also pitched the question on everyone's lips as she said: 'Yeah I understand. I've got another question - will it make things more expensive?' Gaffe: Last month, Hayley - who worried Brexit would rob Britain of its trees - appeared on the BBC's flagship politics show Daily Politics and admitted she didn't know what Brexit was Paris Hilton posed up a storm when she headed to the Hotel ME in Ibiza on Thursday. The socialite, 37, looked effortlessly chic in a pretty floral ruffle gown and glittering pink heels as she stood on a balcony in the sunshine. Statement accessories made her stand out from the crowd as she wore oversized sunglasses and a giant lace choker. Stunning: Paris Hilton, 37, dazzled in a floaty floral gown as she posed up a storm at Hotel ME in Ibiza on Thursday The hotel heiress upped the glamour factor glitzy diamond watch, and of course flashed her giant engagement ring from fiance Chris Zylka. Paris styled her signature blonde tresses in sleek curls that cascaded far passed her shoulders . Paris Hilton was named honorary ambassador by Ibiza Luxury Destination, dependent on Tourism Promotion on the night and was no doubt pleased with the accolade. All eyes on her: Paris naturally made sure to include some sparkle to her summer ensemble as she boosted her height glittering hot pink killer heels The Simple Life star injected another pop of colour with a rosy pink lip as she threw her signature pout towards the cameras. Her glamorous outing comes after she recently confessed to never having had plastic surgery and credited her flawless complexion with her strict skincare regime. Opening up during her visit to BeautyCon New York back in April, Paris told People: 'I've never done any Botox, filler no plastic surgery in my life. I've always been obsessed with skincare.' And pose: The hotel heiress upped the glamour factor with a lace choker necklace and a glitzy diamond watch, and of course flashed her giant engagement ring from fiance Chris Zylka The star shared some of her favorite skin secrets, explaining how she's been using luxury creams 'like Creme De La Mer' (which retails for around $175 (133) per one-ounce bottle) since she was only 'eight years old.' Her lifelong obsession with potions and products inspired her to create her own Paris Hilton Skincare line. Making sure her line was the best of the best, Paris spent two years personally testing the product. Fashionista: Paris styled her signature blonde tresses in sleek curls that cascaded far passed her shoulders and toted a sophisticated nude shoulder bag 'I've been using this for the past two years to make sure [it works],' she told the publication. It also seems the starlet's line has an unlikely fan in her actor beau Chris. Though the The Leftovers actor told his love he 'never even put on moisturizer', she says 'he loves it' now. 'He loves it. He is like, "I never even put moisturizer on in my life." He had no idea about it but now every night before we go to bed I will put the creams on him and he loves it. I give him facials.' Chris popped the question to Paris in January during a romantic ski trip and are currently planning their nuptials. She's the doting mother of five-year-old daughter Evelyn. And Jenna Dewan revealed that she feels sexier than ever since becoming a mother as she defended her decision to pose nude for Women's Health magazine. Discussing the judgement surrounding mothers embracing their sexuality, the World Of Dance star, 37, scoffed: 'Apparently, when you become a mother, you're supposed to leave your sexuality at the door, and I never understood that.' Yummy mummy: Jenna Dewan revealed that she feels sexier than ever since becoming a mother as she defended her decision to pose nude for Women's Health magazine She continued: 'I think there's nothing sexier than becoming a mother. You give life. It's everything. And you don't change who you are inside just because you have a kid.' Supporting her choice, her fans commented on Instagram: 'The picture is beautiful and shows an empowered, healthy woman who is proud of her body. That is the point in shooting it for womens health magazine! Suggesting it is something disrespectful is ridiculous! Being naked isnt something to be ashamed of.' Cover girl: The World of Dance host, 37, made the cover of the health and fitness magazine Areva.j added, 'This here is a woman that can be fully naked and still have so much respect from everyone! I feel everyone should feel this comfortable and confident with themselves.' And mamamaxx said, 'SO STUNNING!! One of the true Bada**es! Love you woman!!' In the interview, Jenna discussed her 'journey' of 'transformation' following her divorce from Channing Tatum. The Hollywood couple - who share daughter Everly - split up in April after nine years of marriage, and the actress opened about how her life has become focused on what is best for her child and herself since. Speaking in an interview with Women's Health magazine, in which she was photographed naked for the cover, she admitted: 'It's been a journey, and it's been a transformation of myself - my needs and wants as a woman. 'I think everyone wants to hold on to what's in front of them, but when you open your mind, saying, I want what's best for myself and my daughter, you have to be okay with however that looks.' She has support: Fans defended Jenna's choice to pose nude for the magazine With her mini me: Jenna is the doting mother of five-year-old daughter Evelyn, who she shares with ex-husband Channing Tatum The former dancer says her relationship with the Magic Mike XXL star - who she met on the set of the movie Step Up in 2005 - isn't the same, but she is getting used to their 'new normal'. She added: 'I feel I've been on a wave of growth. It does look different; it's a new normal, and I really think we'll get used to that.' Jenna and Channing, 38, announced their split in a joint statement earlier this year but the brunette beauty recently insisted that, regardless of what happens in the future, they will always remain 'great friends'. She said: 'We started out as friends, and I would say it was an instant recognition. 'When we met it felt like we had known each other for many years. Ultimately, no matter what Chan and I are doing, we're really great friends. I think that will never change, no matter what ... My parents split up when I was a year old, and due to life circumstances, [my mother] had to pick herself up, get a job and become a single working mom. '[Moving so frequently] completely informed my life [and] personality in very positive ways. I learned social skills I don't think I would have [with] a different upbringing. In a lot of ways I am really grateful for it. 'I'm also very conscious and aware of it, so it's something that [explains] how I am, who I am, and probably greatly prepared me for life in Hollywood.' Love Island winner Grant Crapp has been desperately trying to win back ex-girlfriend Tayla Damir since the pair split last week. And while he may have sent his love a number of grovelling text messages, it appears he's also lost the support of his co-stars. On Saturday, TV couple Amelia Marni and Josh Moss both hit out at the hunky Canberra electrician in the Herald Sun. Scroll down to video 'Tayla owes it to herself not to get back with him': Love Island runner-up Amelia Marni, 22, has hit out at series winner Grant Crapp after his split from co-star Tayla Damir 'Tayla owes it to herself not to get back with him,' slender Amelia told the publication, adding she shouldn't stay with him just for the show. Meanwhile, Josh Moss added similar sentiments to his girlfriend: 'It doesn't represent the show in a great light.' Grant and Tayla, who went by the moniker Grayla, surprised fans earlier this month when their split was made public. 'It doesn't represent the show in a great light': Handsome Josh, 25, (above) appeared to hit out at his co-star Grant Crapp, with him not be happy with the way his behaved On Wednesday, Tayla made an appearance on KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show where she listened to a pre-recorded message from her former flame. Listening to Grant's mournful speech, Tayla appeared calm despite being left heartbroken after parting ways with the hunk just over a week ago. 'I want Tayla to realise... I'm so sorry and I just wanna be mates with her. If I could just be mates with her, that would mean the world to me,' a sorrow-filed Grant said in the message. Splitsville! Despite the pair being hot and heavy in Majorca, things fizzled for them after it was revealed Grant had a 'secret girlfriend.' However, the tradie has been trying to win her back The choked-up electrician confessed that although their relationship is over, he valued his friendship with Tayla. The Love Island Australia winners ended their five week romance after Tayla discovered that Grant kept a 'secret girlfriend' outside of the hit reality show. 'We're finished because of something that happened in the past... it breaks my heart hearing it, like I could always cry over it,' he added in the message. 'It breaks my heart': Tayla Damir was forced to listen to her ex Grant Crapp's grovelling recorded apology during an interview on the Kyle and Jackie O show this week Despite his woeful pleas, Tayla was not impressed with Grant's method of communication. 'He's had numerous opportunities where he could've contacted me, and he just keeps choosing to do almost publicity stunts to try and get in contact with me,' she told Kyle and Jackie O. Later on Thursday, she shared a snap of herself back in Sydney, penning an emotional caption. 'Ready for this next chapter of my life... I am choosing to be strong, empowered and ready to focus on all the positives life has to offer,' she wrote. 'I truly feel as if I have grown as a person and know my entire worth. I am ready for what ever life has in store from this point onwards.' Tayla also thanked fans for respecting her privacy during the recent turn of events. She's dominated the catwalk for some of fashion's biggest names. And Kaia Gerber looked completely at ease as she enjoyed a casual bike ride through the streets of Forte dei Marmi, Italy with fellow model Vittoria Ceretti, 20, on Friday. The in-demand model, 16, cut an effortlessly chic look in a light yellow shirt dress paired with a striking orange vest top. Hanging out: Kaia Gerber, 16, looked effortlessly chic as she enjoyed a bike ride with Vittoria Ceretti in Italy on Friday while wearing a retro looking yellow shirt dress Kaia sauntered through the streets in a pair of classic white sliders and shielded her eyes in on-trend angular Gigi Hadid for Vogue shades. The daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber flashed a beaming smile as she slipped through the streets on her push bike, with shimmering gold earrings giving the ensemble some sparkle. Kaia tied back her glossy mahogany tresses into a low ponytail and looked fresh-faced. Stylish: The daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber slipped through the streets on her push bike, with shimmering gold earrings giving the ensemble some sparkle Heading out: Kaia sauntered through the streets in a pair of classic white sliders and shielded her eyes in trendy angular shades So happy: Kaia tied back her glossy mahogany tresses into a low ponytail and looked fresh-faced as she enjoyed her day off Italian beauty Vittoria looked equally stylish in her relaxed duds as she showed off her red bikini with a white wrap dress. The model - who as graced numerous glossy magazine covers including Vogue and Glamour - kept close to Kaia as she toted a vibrant rainbow handbag and matching sliders. Vittoria jazzed up her beach ensemble with a seashell necklace and layered chains and tucked back her glossy mane with black studded sunglasses. Close friends: Italian beauty Vittoria looked equally stylish in her white wrap dress Casual stroll: The model - who as graced numerous glossy magazine covers including Vogue and Glamour - kept close to Kaia as she toted a vibrant rainbow handbag and matching sliders Kaia's relaxing Italian getaway comes just a day after the teen posted a video of herself apparently vaping. In a four second video posted to her Instagram Story on Thursday, the 5ft9in beauty appeared to inhale then exhale the electronic cigarette only once. The cover girl - who has walked for Karl Lagerfeld, as well as Moschino, Saint Laurent and Versace - deleted the video within minutes. On their way: Vittoria jazzed up her beach ensemble with a seashell necklace and layered chains and tucked back her glossy mane with black studded sunglasses Catwalk queen: Kaia turns 17 in September, and has had quite a busy year since turning 16 the age when she was finally old enough to walk the runway While holding the e-cigarette, the IMG repped model also wore cats eye sunglasses, gold hoop earrings and a necklace bearing her own first name. It should be noted that the legal age to purchase tobacco products in California is 21, however nicotine free e-liquid is available. Kaia turns 17 in September, and has had quite a busy year since turning 16 the age when she was finally old enough to walk the runway. But she insists she's always been really into fashion, and would experiment with her style at school before she could do it for the cameras. Time off: Kaia turns 17 in September, and has had quite a busy year since turning 16 the age when she was finally old enough to walk the runway Style icon in the making: But she insists she's always been really into fashion, and would experiment with her style at school before she could do it for the cameras Quickly deleted: On Thursday, Kaia reconsidered an Instagram Story, in which she could be seen apparently vaping. She told Vogue Italia that she has long had an 'instinctive relationship with fashion' because of her family. 'I thought it was fun to show people what I felt based on what I was wearing,' she said. 'And then obviously there was my mother. 'When she was getting ready to go out in the evening, I followed her into her closet to see what clothes she would choose... I was bewitched by her beauty,' she went on. 'You will not believe it, but as a child I did not know she was famous. I did not even know she was a model. 'For me it was only my mother, and today it's still a bit like that. Of course she has her life, but she is one of those people who can never take work home. Home is home and work is work.' She also grew up around the other 'supers,' like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Helena Christensen. Celebrity offspring: She told Vogue Italia that she has long had an 'instinctive relationship with fashion' because of her family She's one of Hollywood's biggest stars, who was recently nominated for an Oscar for the biopic I, Tonya. And now, Margot Robbie has weighed in on the #MeToo movement, and the importance of women to stand up against sexual harassment. Speaking to the Herald Sun on Saturday, the 28-year-old was candid in her remarks about the women's rights movement. Scroll down to video 'It wasn't called a problem, it was called a fact of life': Hollywood actress Margot Robbie, 28, has reflected on the #MeToo movement and the importance of stamping out harassment 'It wasn't called a problem, it was called a fact of life,' Margot told the publication. 'That is such terrible mindset, if we just accept things like sexual harassment as a fact of life, it doesn't get fixed.' In the interview, the screen siren said she knew the problem existed, however, she thought it 'wasn't a problem we were allowed to be angry about.' 'That is such terrible mindset, if we just accept things like sexual harassment as a fact of life, it doesn't get fixed': The Oscar nominated actress was candid in her remarks She added silence was a problem, and has hailed the importance of women collectively speaking out about their experiences. It isn't the first time the Focus actress has spoken about the issue, telling the Australia's ABC television that men and women needed to 'stand together'. The highly-respected actress explained she didn't want to divide women and men fighting for the cause. Let's stand together! ''There are a lot of men who fight for this cause as much as the women who fight for this cause': the I, Tonya actress said in March on ABC TV She said: 'There are a lot of men who fight for this cause as much as the women who fight for this cause. So I definitely don't ever want to make an us versus them thing.' 'I think we will be so much stronger if we stand together. I mean, our company we're half men half women. I would say we're 100% feminist. Guys can be feminists too. I guess my message in all of this is that we need to stand together.' Margot secured her footing on the acting ladder when she got her first role in Neighbours from 2008 to 2011. 'Guys can be feminists too': In March, Margot appeared to advocate for an inclusive feminism, saying men care about the important of stamping out sexual harassment as well The soap star became known as the schoolgirl Donna Freedman at the tender age of 17 after moving to Melbourne from the Gold Coast. Although she secured a supporting role in About Time in 2013, it wasn't until later that year Margot got her breakthrough part in The Wolf Of Wall Street. After starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the film, she went onto secure leading roles in Focus, The Legend of Tarzan, and Suicide Squad. On Friday multimillionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes announced his split from partner Kate Fowler, and now sources claim an unwillingness to walk down the aisle may been a factor in the end of the pair's three-year-romance. The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday that a source claimed that the Merivale man's 'unwillingness to marry the model-turned-architect student' may have contributed to their break-up. The 45-year-old confirmed the split to the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday, telling the publication that the pair, who have two daughters together, now share a 'platonic' relationship. It's over: On Friday multimillionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes announced his split from partner Kate Fowler, and now sources claim an unwillingness to walk down the aisle may have contributed to the end of their three-year-romance. The couple made their last public appearance at the Harper's Bazaar Australia 20th Anniversary on February 6, 2018 (pictured) The couple made their last public appearance at the Harper's Bazaar Australia 20th Anniversary celebration on February 6, 2018. 'Kate and I have the utmost love and respect for each other,' the well-known publican said in a statement. 'At the beginning of 2018, Kate and I decided our friendship and respect for family life would become the focus of our relationship. We love our children dearly and for now continue to live together happily in our family home.' 'Kate is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful woman. As for what the future holds I am not sure,' he added. The couple share two daughters together - Alexa, two, and Saachi, one. Announcement: The 45-year-old confirmed the news on Friday, telling the publication that the pair, who have two daughters together, now share a 'platonic' relationship Family ties: The couple share two daughters together - Alexa, two, and Saachi, one (pictured) Loved being a dad: Despite his reputation as a playboy, Justin settled into fatherhood. Justin is pictured with his family Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Justin and Kate for comment. Justin was once described as a 'playboy' on Sydney's social scene, linked to a several famous beauties including Lara Bingle and Natalie Imbruglia. In 2011, Lara was coy on the issue of their alleged relationship, telling Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson on their radio show that the pair 'bump into' each other. 'He owns half of Sydney. I'm bound to bump into him. [He's] such a nice guy, such a gentleman' she said at the time. Well known: Justin was once described as a 'playboy' on Sydney's social scene, linked to a several famous beauties including Lara Bingle and Natalie Imbruglia Just mates: In 2014, Natalie Imbruglia sparked rumours she was dating Justin when the longtime friends ate together at his Sydney restaurant Coogee Pavilion (pictured). The pair had been linked once before in 2010, after being seen together on multiple occasions In 2014, Natalie Imbruglia sparked rumours she was dating Justin when the longtime friends ate together at his Sydney restaurant Coogee Pavilion. The pair had been linked once before in 2010, after being seen out together on multiple occasions. Justin is believed to have broken up with his previous girlfriend, yoga teacher Carla McKinnon whom he had been dating since 2012, in August 2014. While once notorious on the party circuit, the bar baron claimed that having children settled him down considerably. Coy: In 2011, Lara Bingle was coy on the issue of her alleged relationship with Justin, telling Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson on their radio show that they 'bump into' each other. Lara and Justin are pictured at an event in 2011 'I'm experiencing a joy I have never experienced before and I'm just a lot calmer,' he told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2016. Justin settled into fatherhood so well that he delivered his firstborn child himself, admitting he cried as she came out of the womb. He added: 'My sister thinks it's a very good thing I had a girl first, girls are a lot softer. They are calm for someone like myself.' Pals: 'He owns half of Sydney. I'm bound to bump into him. [He's] such a nice guy, such a gentleman' Lara said of Justin in 2011 Kate and Justin had been dating less than a year when they announced they were expecting their first child in 2015. Justin told the Daily Telegraph at the time: 'I'm over the moon. It's the most wonderful thing that's every happened to me.' Kate remains living at The Hermitage, Justin's heritage-listed harbourfront home worth 'more than $60 million'. Dad duty: Justin told the Daily Telegraph of having kids: 'I'm over the moon. It's the most wonderful thing that's every happened to me' Loves it: Justin settled into fatherhood so well that he delivered his firstborn child himself, admitting he cried as she came out of the womb The couple will reportedly both remain on the premises, which has interconnected wings. First built back in 1831, the home has been in the Hemmes family for more than 40 years, having been bought by Justin's late father John for a mere $500,000. In 2009, the home was reported to be worth around '$60 million' according to The Daily Telegraph, but at the time Justin said he would not be interested in any offers below '$90 million'. Still there: Kate remains living at The Hermitage, Justin's heritage-listed harbourfront home worth 'more than $60 million' (pictured) Lots of room: The couple will reportedly both remain on the premises, which has interconnected wings In May, Justin, son of Merivale founder John Hemmes, debuted on the Australian Financial Review's rich list with a jaw-dropping fortune of $951 million. The Sydney Merivale CEO owns a breathtaking property portfolio, featuring a heritage-listed harbourfront home worth 'more than $90 million'. He also boasts an impressive portfolio of around 50 bars, restaurants and hotels to his name, including Sydney city hot spots Establishment Bar and Ivy. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE HEMMES FAMILY Justin Hemmes is the only son of Merivale Group founder and nightclub mogul John Hemmes. Hemmes Snr left the Netherlands following World War II with $20 in his pocket and started a new life in New Zealand. He then moved to Australia where he met his wife Merivale and built a fashion brand in her name. The pair had two children, Justin and a daughter, Bettina. 'I grew up in a very exciting life. My parents got so much pleasure out of the smallest things,' Justin told Harper's Bazaar Australia. 'They also had a group of really interesting friends. Wherever we went, whatever we did, it was always exciting, colourful and larger than life.' Hemmes Snr grew Merivale into a portfolio of more than 50 restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels in Sydney. When he died in 2015, Justin took over the hospitality giant. He has since changed Sydney's social scene more than any other businessman or woman. Advertisement Sir Anthony Hopkins has candidly discussed his past battle with alcoholism, saying he 'should have died in Wales drunk, or something like that' in his early stage acting career. Speaking to 500 students at the University of California, the Oscar-winning actor, 80, opened up about his past addiction and how difficult he was to work with during his time in repertory and national theatre. The Silence of the Lambs actor said: 'Because that's what you do in theatre, you drink. But I was very difficult to work with, as well, because I was usually hungover.' Honest: Sir Anthony Hopkins has candidly discussed his past battle with alcoholism, saying he 'should have died in Wales drunk, or something like that' in his early acting career Fan favourite: Speaking to 500 students at the University of California, the Oscar-winning actor, 80, opened up about his past addiction and how difficult he was to work with during his time in repertory and national theatre (pictured in 2011 in Hawaii) The icon added he was 'disgusted, busted and not to be trusted' while he was drinking heavily. The Remains of the Day actor said he was grateful for his many successes as his drinking had reached critical levels in his early acting career, and threatened his life. He said: 'From my own life, I still cannot believe that my life is what it is because I should have died in Wales, drunk or something like that.' Sir Anthony said the turning point in his life which allowed him to kick his addiction was a talk with a woman from Alcoholics Anonymous in 1975. Candid: The Silence of the Lambs actor said: 'Because that's what you do in theatre, you drink. But I was very difficult to work with, as well, because I was usually hungover' Early career: The Remains of the Day actor said he was grateful for his many successes as his drinking had reached critical levels in his early acting career, and threatened his life (pictured with Diana Rigg in 1972's Macbeth at the National Theatre) He said the woman asked him 'why don't you just trust in God?' and from then on his temptation to drink was 'never to return'. The Amistad actor revealed he got into acting 'because he had nothing better to do' and was 'not at all bright' in school and was targeted by bullies. Sir Anthony graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957, before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, There, he was spotted by Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre in 1965. Chat: He said: 'From my own life, I still cannot believe that my life is what it is because I should have died in Wales, drunk or something like that' Legend: Sir Anthony said the turning point in his life which allowed him to kick his addiction was a talk with a woman from Alcoholics Anonymous in 1975 (pictured in 1972) He spoke at the university as part of the 11th annual Leap, Leadership, Excellence and Accelerating Your Potential conference. The sage advice he gave to students was to 'say yes to everything. Say yes and take the risk'. Anthony recently returned to the small screen as Dr. Robert Ford on the HBO sci-fi smash hit series Westworld, which had its premiere in New York on Friday. Despite his five-decade career, the Welsh native doesn't appear to be slowing down any time, soon, having been spotted in full papal robes in Rome as he filmed a Netflix movie that will explore the relationship between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. Next up for the decorated actor is a return to Shakespeare in the latest BBC adaption of King Lear, alongside fellow British star Emma Thompson. Chianti anyone? The star is best known for his Oscar-winning role as cannibal serial klller Hannibal Lecter in 1992's The Silence of the Lambs Acclaimed: He received an Oscar nod with his heartfelt performance in 1993's The Remains of the Day She has joined the cast of the upcoming Charlie's Angels reboot. But before throwing herself into her new role, Kristen Stewart enjoyed a night on the town with girlfriend Stella Maxwell. The couple took a cigarette break outside of a Mexican restaurant on Thursday in Los Angeles, just hours after news hit the Twilight star, 28, had joined the cast. Dinner for two! Kristen Stewart celebrated her new role with a dinner date with her girlfriend Stella Maxwell Keeping it casual in a beige jacket and jeans, the actress got in her nicotine fix while sitting cross legged outside with her girlfriend by her side. The couple appeared to share the same cigarette, as Stella took a quick puff as well. Stella looked incredible as she showcased her long legs in a pair of frayed Daisy Dukes and long white sweatshirt. She wore her blonde locks down along with a pair of black trainers, giving her casual look a sporty touch. Legs eleven! Stella looked incredible as she showcased her long legs in a pair of frayed Daisy Dukes and long white sweatshirt The outing comes just hours after Kristen was revealed to have joined the Charlie's Angels cast. Kristen will star opposite Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Elizabeth Banks is set to direct the film and will also play the role of Bosley, the never-seen owner of the detective agency Charles Townsend Detective Agency. Spreading her wings: The outing comes just hours after Kristen was revealed to have joined the Charlie's Angels cast 'Charlie's Angels, for me, is one of the original brands to celebrate the empowered woman since its debut in the '70s,' Elizabeth said in a statement. 'This film honors the legacy of Charles Townsend and his agency while introducing a new era of modern and global Angels.' Not only did Elizabeth write the script with Jay Basu, she is also set to produce the project with husband Max Handelman via their company Brownstone Productions. Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore starred as the iconic Angels in the 2000 movie, which was a film adaptation of the television series of the same name. Sarah Paulson seems to still be very much in love with her girlfriend Holland Taylor. The two were seen giggling outside Mr Chow in Beverly Hills on Thursday evening after helping friend Sandra Bullock celebrate her 54th birthday. Also at the bash were Sandra's boyfriend Bryan Randall, and her two kids Louis, eight, and Laila, six, as well as Jason Bateman. That's amore: Sarah Paulson seems to still be very much in love with her girlfriend Holland Taylor. The two were seen giggling outside Mr Chow in Beverly Hills on Thursday evening after helping friend Sandra Bullock celebrate her 54th birthday Paulson was chic in a black outfit with cute white pumps that had an interesting V-shape design. Taylor, who is best known for playing Charlie Sheen's mother on TV's Two And A Half Men, was elegant in all beige with a crossbody purse. Paulson has said that she knows people make a fuss over her relationship with Holland because they have a big age difference. Sarah is 43-years-old and Holland is 75-years-old. She also said it just works. 'People look at me and Holland and say Mommy Issues, but I parent her as much as she parents me, so thats not it,' the beauty told The Sunday Times. Good times: The couple took time out to chat with another Mr Chow diner 'I think a lot of people have a stunted way of looking at older people, its a way of distancing themselves from something that they think will not happen to them. I have the good fortune of being with someone who is older and wiser than I am. She also told Modern Luxury, 'If anyone wants to spend any time thinking Im strange for loving the most spectacular person on the planet, then thats their problem.' And to Town & Country she added, 'What else can I say? We love each other. I do want to live responsibly and truthfully without hiding. Its complicated, because there is a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of good can come from quote-unquote normalizing something for people who dont see it as normal. 'Our relationship represents a certain amount of hope and risk. Maybe theres something brave in it. Maybe it encourages others to make brave choices.' A list pals: Sarah was chic in a black outfit as she chatted with her longtime love Taylor, who was elegant in all beige They have been dating for three years and split their time between New York City and Los Angeles. Sarah and Sandra just worked together on Ocean's Eight with Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway. Next they will co-star in Bird Box, about a woman and a pair of children that are blindfolded as they make their way through a post-apocalyptic setting along a river. The director is Susanne Bier of Serena fame. The cast is rounded out by John Malkovich and Rosa Salazar. Chic lady: Sandra looked a decade younger than her 54 years in a lovely, long floral print dress in black and white Sandra looked a decade younger than her 54 years in a lovely, long floral print dress in black and white. The flirty dress came in at the waist and had slits up the sides for added appeal. The Speed actress added strappy black heels and carried a smart black clutch purse. The Miss Congeniality actress also wore her hair parted in the middle and stick straight while adding flattering makeup. She also appeared to have a fresh summer tan. Her beau Bryan looked like he had a good grip on her two kids as he carried Laila, who was cute in a jean jacket, and took the hand of Louis, who had on an ivory colored blazer. Also with them was Bateman, who Sandra has become close friends with in recent years. Also there was Sandra's sister Gesine Bullock-Prado. She's swapped sun-bathing for building sandcastles, following the birth of little Gunner. But while Heidi Pratt may have given up her down time, she's still loving her beach days, with the California native hitting the sand on Thursday. And Heidi was looking in perfect bikini shape as she showed off her post-baby body in a patterned blue two-piece on Laguna Beach. Summer stunner: Heidi Pratt shows off her post-baby bikini body as she builds sandcastles on the beach with Gunner on Thursday in Laguna Beach Those cheeks! The blonde sat beside the shore as she dug in the sand with her nine-month-old, before picking him up for a kiss and hug The blonde sat beside the shore as she dug in the sand with her nine-month-old, before picking him up for a kiss and hug. Baby Gunner played happily with a piece of seaweed before investigating his new beach toys. Former The Hills star Heidi told DailyMail.com that her son was not yet sleeping, as she atteneded DailyMail.com and DailyMailTV's summer party earlier this month. Heidi explained: 'I'm not sleeping, and havent really for nine months. I just need to wait until that happens.' Toned and tanned: Heidi was looking in perfect bikini shape as she showed off her post-baby body in a patterned blue two-piece The 31-year-old famously underwent ten cosmetic surgeries in one day in 2009, but told DailyMail.com she has turned her back on more surgery, for now She said: Never say never, but at this point in time, no. Its a little different being a mom now. Higher stakes. I dont really have any time for that. Heidi found fame on The Hills as Lauren Conrad's best friend, before becoming one-half of Speidi, with now-husband Spencer Pratt. The two were the couple fans loved to hate, but it seems they still hope to return to the spotlight. Beach baby: Gunner played happily with a piece of seaweed before investigating his new toys On Monday, star 'villain' Spencer Pratt revealed he wanted the MTV series to return to screens, eight years after it ended. Speaking on Australian radio's KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show, the 34-year-old revealed he's been in talks with the network about a reboot for years. 'I've been calling the network (MTV) every day for eight years,' he said, but did not give any details of firm plans. She kicked off the year in style as she enjoyed a relaxing holiday in Dubai with her family. And Scarlett Moffatt is set to rack up a total of nine getaways as she prepares to unwind in Las Vegas in August, shortly after her current Spanish getaway. Taking to Instagram earlier this week, the presenter, 28, shared a typically stunning snap from her sun-soaked break in Ibiza, just two weeks before she heads off to her 'favourite place in the world'. Globetrotter: Scarlett Moffatt is set to rack up a total of nine getaways as she prepares to unwind in Las Vegas in August, shortly after her current Spanish getaway The former Gogglebox star rang in the year with an idyllic trip to Dubai, where she relished in some quality time with her relatives. Proving their bonding time just wasn't enough, the TV personality took delight in a fun-filled trip to Disneyland Paris just weeks later. The star went stateside in April as she filmed the finale of Saturday Night Takeaway in Florida's Universal Orlando Resort. Excited: The 28-year-old presenter - who is currently in Ibiza - revealed she's preparing to head off to her 'favourite place in the world' in just two weeks (pictured in Amsterdam in May) Family time: The former Gogglebox star rang in the year with an idyllic trip to Dubai, where she relished in some quality time with her relatives Kid at heart: Proving their bonding time just wasn't enough, the TV personality took delight in a fun-filled trip to Disneyland Paris just weeks later The Geordie beauty quickly became a fan of Florida as she returned to the southern state with her best pal later that month. Maintaining her globetrotting ways, the brunette jetted off to Vietnam in May to feature in Malibu Liqueur's Inaugural Games with a host of social media influencers. Scarlett - who split from her ex Lee Wilkinson earlier this month - treated her followers to a glimpse of their quick Amsterdam trip during their happier times in May. Work duties: The star went stateside in April as she filmed the finale of Saturday Night Takeaway in Florida's Universal Orlando Resort Impressive holiday album: Scarlett documented her Orlando trip with a series of intimate polaroids For the thrill: The Geordie beauty quickly became a fan of Florida as she returned to the southern state with her best pal later that month Following her loved-up break, the 2016 I'm A Celeb winner let her hair down as she enjoyed a sunny holiday in Majorca with her close friends in early June. The Beauty School Cop Outs star recently revealed she is preparing to soak up the sun once again in Sin City, branding the state her 'favourite place in the world'. Scarlett's posts came after the TV presenter claimed she quit social media for a week following her break-up from Lee, with the pair parting ways due to 'trust issues'. All around the world: Maintaining her globetrotting ways, the brunette jetted off to Vietnam in May to feature in Malibu Liqueur's Inaugural Games with a host of social media influencers Cosy: Scarlett - who split from her ex Lee Wilkinson earlier this month - treated her followers to a glimpse of their quick Amsterdam trip during their happier times in May Taking to Instagram earlier this month, the ITV host wrote: 'Gonna have a little break this week from social media, have a good week everyone.' It was claimed she had 'begged' fitness model Lee to come back after he 'walked out on her' due to 'trust issues' and 'arguments', according to The Mirror. The pair also appeared to have unfollowed one another on Instagram and Lee has hidden his relationship status on Facebook. Having fun: Following her loved-up break, the 2016 I'm A Celeb winner let her hair down as she enjoyed a sunny holiday in Majorca with her close friends in early June After taking time apart for the first time in April, Scarlett sparked claims of a reconciliation the next month when she hid her Facebook relationship status, after changing it to 'single' following her split from Lee. She is believed to have dumped Lee when his ex-girlfriend of two years, Sam Irving, claimed he had sent her pleading messages while he was still with Scarlett. Speaking at the source of their relationship breakdown, a source revealed: 'It looks like a case of leopards never changing their spots, as there are still a lot of trust issues between them.' Brie Larson got hearts racing on Thursday when she posted a sexy photo of herself on Instagram in a high-waisted, blue, one piece swimsuit. The 28-year-old actress looked relaxed and beautiful in the Outdoor Voices ensemble as she had on no makeup. In the shot the Captain Marvel star is laying on a couch seductively with her hand on her upper thigh. Sexy shot: Brie Larson got hearts racing on Thursday when she posted a photo of herself wearing a high waisted one piece Outdoor Voices swimsuit while rocking a natural face and damp hair Sharing overload: A few days before that the 21 Jump Street alum shared another photo of herself showing off some leg Brie has the blueberry suit on, which costs about $115. It displays her chest modestly along with toned arms and shoulders. The high-cut bikini line adds a bit of edge to the pretty basic piece. She's looking up at the camera as her damp wavy blonde hair freely flowed. 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow is the 2001: A Space Odyssey of songs,' she captioned the photo. A few days before that the 21 Jump Street alum shared another photo of herself showing off some leg. Impressive resume: Brie won the Academy Award in February 2016 for her work in the drama Room; seen here in June in Beverly Hills In it, the typically-modest star lounged on the same couch while reading The Heroine's Journey. With her hair slicked back in a bun, Brie smiled as she ignored the camera. She's wearing a polka dot halter top and a matching tie-up skirt that shows off her long limbs. Brie won the Academy Award in February 2016 for her work in the drama Room. Upcoming projects: The beauty, pictured here back in 2016, is playing the title role in the first female-led film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe She's been filming Captain Marvel in Los Angeles, at Shaver Lake outside Fresno, and more filming is scheduled to take place in Louisiana. The beauty is playing the title role in the first female-led film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her character U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers becomes one of the most powerful heroes in the galaxy after Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic conflict between two alien worlds. Captain Marvel will be set in the 1990s and also will star Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Clark Gregg and Jude Law. The film due out in March 2019 is being directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck who previously directed Mississippi Grind, It's Kind Of A Funny Story and Sugar together. He tied the knot with his long-term Swedish girlfriend, Anna Eberstein, in a low-key ceremony in Chelsea earlier this year in May. And now Hugh Grant has admitted that he should have got married a lot sooner and that life with his new wife is 'really nice'. The actor, 57, appeared on Wednesday's episode of Today, to which he also spoke about his marital life with Anna. Doting husband: Hugh Grant has admitted that he should have got married a lot sooner and that life with his new wife is 'really nice' At first, he joked to presenter, Savannah Guthrie: 'You dont think Im too young?' To which he added on being married: 'Its really nice, I cant pretend it isnt. 'I should have done it before. Im just lucky. Im lucky. Ive got a great wife. I love her.' Sweet: The actor, 57, appeared on Wednesday's episode of Today , to which he spoke about his marital life with Anna (pictured together in January) Grant is famous for his own reluctance to marry, he split with his actress girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley in 2000 after 13 years together, with the two remaining great friends. He told People magazine in 2015: 'I'm not really a believer in marriage. I've seen very few good examples, maybe five, in my life, but I think otherwise it's a recipe for mutual misery.' Hugh and Anna have been together six years and share three children, John Mungo, who was born in September 2012, and another child born in December 2015. Hugh's ex Elizabeth let slip in March that Hugh had a third child with Anna, but the birth date and gender are unknown. Newly-weds: He tied the knot with his long-term Swedish girlfriend, Anna Eberstein, in a low-key ceremony in Chelsea earlier this year in May Former flame: Grant is famous for his own reluctance to marry, he split with his actress girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley in 2000 after 13 years together, with the two remaining friends As well as his three children with Anna, Hugh also shares two children with ex Tinglan Hong. It was Elizabeth who shared the news of the birth of his new baby during an interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in March. She candidly said: 'He had another one last week. He has five. He was over 50 when he spawned them all.' Andy asked Elizabeth if she was shocked by it and she delightfully responded: 'No, hes an enchanting dad. Really, really sweet.' She hit headlines following reports that claim she is set to join the line-up for the upcoming edition of Celebrity Big Brother. And Gabby Allen turned up the heat as she attended the VIP launch for the Spice It Up Spice Girls exhibition with model Imogen Thomas at London's Business Design Centre in Islington on Friday evening. The Love Island star, 26, ensured all eyes were on her as she slipped her gym-honed frame into a sizzling keyhole bralet, which gave onlookers a peek at her perky cleavage. Star-studded: Gabby Allen (left) attended the VIP launch for the Spice It Up Spice Girls exhibition with model Imogen Thomas (right) at London's Business Design Centre on Friday Daring to be bold, the reality star tied in her look with a pair of animal print trousers and a cropped lilac jacket. The pro dancer boosted her frame in chic platform sandals, and emulated her inner Scary Spice with a tiger-patterned bum bag and feline print hooped earrings. With her glossy blonde hair styled into a sleek bob, the Liverpudlian beauty complemented her stunning features with neutral-toned make-up. Wow-factor! The Love Island star, 26, ensured all eyes were on her as she slipped her gym-honed frame into a sizzling keyhole bralet and animal print trousers Meanwhile, beauty queen Imogen, 35, cut an effortlessly chic figure in a cobalt blue shift dress, teamed with a flashy cream handbag. The swimwear designer - who rose to fame on 2006's edition of Big Brother - injected even more colour into her look as she commanded attention in a pair of red suede ankle boots. Imogen swept her brunette locks into a lightly-tousled bun to reveal her shimmery gold make-up look. Working it: Meanwhile, beauty queen Imogen, 35, cut an effortlessly chic figure in a cobalt blue shift dress, teamed with a flashy cream handbag All eyes on her: The swimwear designer injected even more colour into her look as she commanded attention in a pair of red suede ankle boots Stunning: Imogen swept her brunette locks into a lightly-tousled bun to reveal her shimmery gold make-up look Also in attendance was reality star Ashley James, who flashed a hint of her toned abs in a bold pink crop top and matching skirt. The 31-year-old kept accessories to a minimum to allow the two-piece to take centre stage, while strutting around the event in a pair of white strappy heels. The SpiceUp exhibition will showcase the girlband's prestigious memorabilia and is set to run from Saturday till August 20 in London, before heading to Manchester Central from August 24 till September 4. Gorgeous: Also in attendance was reality star Ashley James, who flashed a hint of her toned abs in a bold pink crop top and matching skirt Looking good: The 31-year-old kept accessories to a minimum to allow the two-piece to take centre stage, while strutting around the event in a pair of white strappy heels Dazzling: Love Island's Samira Mighty stunned onlookers as she rocked a tiny sequin dress, which gave the floor to her toned legs Commanding attention: The 22-year-old West End star upped the style ante with a pair of gold barely-there heels Radiant: The girlfriend of Frankie Foster accentuated her glowing tan with dewy foundation, metallic eyeshadow and a slash of pink lipstick Gabby's outing comes amid rumours she is set to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house when the show returns on Friday August 17th. Sources tell The Sun she could be about to reunite with ex-TOWIE star Dan Osborne, who has also reportedly been in talks with bosses. Allegedly Gabby will share all the heart-wrenching details of her short-lived romance with her love rat ex Marcel Somerville if she joins the star-studded house. Legs for days: Love Island's Kendall Rae-Knight also displayed her lean pins in a lace white playsuit Glowing: The former retail manager, 26, added a pop of colour to her ensemble with teal feathered earrings Effortlessly chic: Host Arielle Free (left) looked stunning in a monochrome skater dress while presenter Kat Shoob (right) put on a stylish display in a button-up frock Standing out: Fashion stylist Alexis Knox was not afraid to showcase her eccentric fashion sense as she paid homage to Spice Girls in a pair of extreme platform trainers and a form-fitting dress The Love Island star could be reunited with her pal Dan for the first time since they were forced to deny rumours following her cheating ex's shocking accusations. Gabby took to Instagram to slam claims by Marcel that she had been having an affair with Dan, while is married to then-pregnant Jacqueline Jossa. 'Sadly, my ex boyfriend is accusing me of improper behaviour,' she penned in an Instagram post in June. Ab-tastic! Track and field athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton flaunted her killer midsection in a metallic crop top and matching trousers Taking the plunge: Dancer Alex Murphy (left) turned heads in a low-cut blue dress, while BNTM's Talulah-Eve (right) went braless in a leopard print blazer dress 'I never did anything wrong during our relationship and was 100% faithful throughout. 'These are the actions of a man attempting to discredit me and make himself feel better about his own infidelity. I am absolutely gutted it has come to this. I wish Marcel and his family all the best for the future.' Dan also took to social media to deny claims of an affair with Gabby, writing 'cosy with another woman? I am speaking and laughing with a friend' in response to a comment from one fan. Yummy mummy: Imogen left the venue carrying a Spice Girls-themed goodie bag Spice up your life!: Gabby appeared in good spirits after the event as she posed up a storm on the pavement She has swapped reality TV stardom for a career in the music industry. And Jasmin Walia looked stunning as she headed out for a night on the tiles in London on Friday. The former TOWIE star, 25, showcased her envy-inducing figure in a light beige mini-dress with pearl detailing. Wow: Jasmin Walia looked stunning as she headed out for a night on the tiles in London on Friday The star was in her element as she worked her angles in the saucy thigh-skimming number. The dress clung on to her perfect fame - putting emphasis on her tiny waist. Falling at a daringly short length, the star exhibited her toned legs which she boosted in towering gold heels. Jasmin showed off her stunning features by scraping her tresses into a high ponytail while a few loose tendrils framed her face. Work it: The former TOWIE star, 25, showcased her envy-inducing figure in a light beige mini-dress with pearl detailing Loving it: The star was in her element as she worked her angles in the saucy thigh-skimming number Fashionista: The dress clung on to her perfect fame - putting emphasis on her tiny waist Stylish: Falling at a daringly short length, the star exhibited her toned legs which she boosted in towering gold heels Accessorising with a pair of large silver hoops, the the former Desi Rascals star opted for a glamorous coat of make-up. Jasmin has recently been hard at work on her new music after the success of her latest single Bom Diggy Diggy, which was featured in the new Bollywood film Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. The star was propelled into the limelight on the set of TOWIE when she joined the cast in 2012, but she left in April 2015 to pursue a career in music. The star also received rave reviews for her performance as Princess Jasmine in the Aladdin pantomime at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre last year. Beauty: Jasmin showed off her stunning features by scraping her tresses into a high ponytail while a few loose tendrils framed her face Trendy: Accessorising with a pair of large silver hoops, the the former Desi Rascals star opted for a glamorous coat of make-up Jasmin has proven her former critics wrong with the success of her latest track - including Simon Cowell, Mel B, Louis Walsh and Cheryl, who she performed in front of during her 2014 The X Factor audition. The raven-haired beauty auditioned alongside her brother Danny Walia at Arsenal FC's Emirates Stadium in north London - but she ended up in tears after being dealt four nos by the judges. She told The Mirror at the time: 'I'm sure they had heard of TOWIE. 'I think they did grill me a bit because of who I am but I couldn't talk back to them at the time because I respect people.' Musician: Jasmin has recently been hard at work on her new music after the success of her latest single Bom Diggy Diggy, which was featured in the new Bollywood film Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety Bobby Brown has denied that his marriage to Whitney Houston ever turned violent. As he promoted BET's new miniseries about his life on Friday, The Bobby Brown Story, the musician said such allegations involving his late ex-wife were 'completely wrong.' In a 2016 interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, Brown said he once hit Houston, although also in the same talk he told Roberts he is not 'a violent man' and that descriptions of him as a 'woman beater' are lies. Denial: Bobby Brown participates in The Bobby Brown Story panel during the Viacom Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton hotel on Friday As they were: Whitney Houson and Bobby Brown in 2005 Brown appeared Friday at the Television Critics Association annual meeting at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Houston drowned in a bathtub in 2012. Coroner's officials ruled the death accidental and said heart disease and cocaine were contributing factors. 'The spirit of my ex-wife is probably still here,' Brown said. 'It just feels good to be here and to promote this movie, and to be able to smile and be here with my wife and my kids. We just came from Hawaii and it's been a beautiful time. Being here is just another notch.' Brown appeared Friday at the Television Critics Association annual meeting at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Houston drowned in a bathtub in 2012; he is seen with Woody McClain, from left, Gabrielle Dennis and executive producer Jesse Collins Brown, who has been married since 2012 to Alicia Etheredge-Brown, said he still deals with the deaths of Houston and their daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown 'every day,' and that he doubted he would ever get over it. He credited the grace of God and his wife and children. During a Q&A, the New Edition founding member was asked about his relationship with Houston in light of his plan to build an Atlanta domestic violence shelter to honor Bobbi Kristina, who died at age 22 in 2015. She, like Houston, was found in a bathtub. When Brown was asked about news reports and court records involving a 911 domestic violence call Houston made in 2003, he replied, 'The public record is wrong.' Quizzed: During a Q&A, the New Edition founding member was asked about his relationship with Houston in light of his plan to build an Atlanta domestic violence shelter to honor Bobbi Kristina, who died at age 22 in 2015. She, like Houston, was found in a bathtub Onscreen Bobby: Woody McClain plays Brown in the new miniseries Atlanta-area police said at the time that Brown allegedly hit his then-wife, leaving her with a bruised cheek and cut inside her lip. Brown was asked what advice he would give the younger version of himself. 'I don't know that I'd give myself advice, because everything I've been through in my life, it's made me the man I am,' he replied. 'I don't have regrets. I have bad feelings about some of the choices I've made.' The biggest misconception about him, he said, is 'that I'm a bad guy.' 'I think the bad boy image came from me being on stage, not from me being a human being. If you see me in person, meet in person somewhere, you won't call me a bad guy. You'd call me Bobby.' The Bobby Brown Story, starring Woody McClain as Brown and Gabrielle Dennis as Houston, airs September 4 and 5. Tragic: Whitney and Bobby with Bobbie Kristina; mother and child are both now dead Keri Russell will be joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX. On Friday Deadline reported the 42-year-old actress, who is coming off TV's smash hit The Americans, has signed on to star in the 2019 movie with director JJ Abrams as well as returning stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver. It was also announced on Friday that old footage of Carrie Fisher from the 2015 movie The Force Awakens would be used in IX. Going to a galaxy far, far away: Keri Russell will be joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX. On Friday Deadline reported the 42-year-old actress, who is coming off TV's smash hit The Americans, has signed on to star in the 2019 movie. Seen in May They are old friends: Abrams worked with Keri on Felicity and a Mission: Impossible move Filming is scheduled to begin Wednesday in London. Russell's part is an action role but that is about all that has been revealed as her character name and description are still being kept a secret. It is not even known if she is aligned with the rebels or the First Order. Many actresses were seen for the role, according to the site, but Abrams and LucasFilm have been keen on Keri for a while. They early days: Russell and Scott Speedman on Felicity in the late 1990s Russell and Abrams have worked together in the past: Abrams cast her in his TV series Felicity and he also worked her into the 2006 Tom Cruise film Mission: Impossible III. Deadline claimed Abrams did not announce Keri's casting on Friday because the deal was not signed yet. Only after his press meeting did the contract become finalized. What Abrams did announce on Friday was that he will use unreleased footage of Carrie Fisher in the next Star Wars film to give the latest trilogy a 'satisfying conclusion.' Lucasfilm and writer-director Abrams shared the news on Friday that footage of Fisher shot for 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be used in the ninth film in the space opera's core trilogies about the Skywalker family. She will be back: Abrams says he will use unreleased footage of Carrie Fisher in the next Star Wars film to give the latest trilogy a 'satisfying conclusion.' Seen in The Last Jedi More to this: Lucasfilm and writer-director Abrams announced Friday that footage of Fisher shot for 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be used in the ninth film in the space opera's core trilogies about the Skywalker family; seen in Last Jedi with BB-8, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran Fisher died in 2016 at the age of 60 after she finished work on The Last Jedi. She has played Leia Organa since the first Star Wars film, which debuted in 1977. 'Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character,' Abrams said in a statement. 'With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carries legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.' From this one: There was extra footage of Fisher from Force Awakens, which will be used in Star Wars IX. Here she is seen with Harrison Ford's Han Solo Early days: Carrie with Mark Hamill and Ford in the 1977 hit Star Wars: A New Hope She said yes: 'With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carries legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII,' said Abrams; here Lourd is with Carrie and Debbie Reynolds in 2015 It's not much of a surprise that Billie will also appear in IX, reprising her role as Lieutenant Connix. The 26-year-old blonde star was in the last two films as well. Friday's announcement also confirmed that Billy Dee Williams will be returning to the franchise as Lando Calrissian, a hero of the rebellion who hasn't been seen in the latest trilogy. A younger version of Lando was played by Donald Glover in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, will also appear in the film. More of this sly fox: Friday's announcement also confirmed that Billy Dee Williams will be returning to the franchise as Lando Calrissian, a hero of the rebellion who hasn't been seen in the latest trilogy. On the right Billy is seen in June in LA Back from the past: Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, will also appear in the film This guy never goes out of style: Anthony Daniels will reprise his role at C-3PO. Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant have also joined the cast Anthony Daniels will reprise his role at C-3PO. Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant have also joined the cast. It is also likely that droid BB-8 will be back. Other returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyongo, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran and Joonas Suotamo. Abrams co-wrote Episode IX with Chris Terrio. John Williams will return to score the film. Star Wars: Episode IX is set to be released December 2019. This comes on the heels of the spinoff movie Solo: A Star Wars Story which was released in May to mixed reviews. The hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black premiered its highly-anticipated season 6 on July 27. Since its debut in July 2013, the popular comedy-drama series has won many accolades and remains one of the cornerstones of Netflixs Original programming. But just what exactly landed all of the inmates at Litchfield Penitentiary in the first place? Heres a quick look at the crimes that the inmates featured in the hit show have committed. The inmates in Orange is the New Black have been jailed on a very diverse variety of crimes Piper The main character of the series, played by Taylor Schilling, is behind bars for money laundering and criminal conspiracy after her girlfriend Alex successfully convinced her to smuggle a suitcase full of drug money through customs ten years prior to the start of the shows pilot episode. Alex Alex, played by Laura Prepon, is Pipers girlfriend in the series. Her crime? Trafficking heroin for the notorious drug lord Kubra Balik and then violating probation. Sophia Played by Laverne Cox, Sophia is in jail for credit card theft, as she needed funding for her gender confirmation surgery and hormonal therapy. Aleida Aleida is imprisoned for drug-related charges, as she let boyfriend Cesar manufacture drugs in her apartment after allowing him to establish an illicit drug lab in her apartment. In the series, she mentions that she actually took the fall for the crime charges instead of him. Daya Daya, Aleidas daughter, is also jailed on drug-related charges, most likely stemming from Cesars illegal drug lab. Selenis Leyva and Dascha Polanco, who play Gloria and Daya respectively, are back for season 6 of OITNB which premiered on July 27 Crazy Eyes Suzanne Played by Uzo Aduba, shes in prison for kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter of a minor charges after inviting a young boy she met on the playground to come play at her house, only to have him slip and fatally fall from a fire escape after he became frightened and tried to flee from her house. Pennsatucky Pennsatucky is behind bars at Litchfield Penitentiary for second-degree murder charges after shooting an abortion clinic worker who made a disparaging comment about the number of abortions shed had over the years. Morello Morello, played by Yael Stone, has a number of crimes to her name. They include running an elaborate mail-order scam, harassing an ex-boyfriend and violating a subsequent restraining order he placed against her and, most seriously, attempting to kill her former boyfriend and his new girlfriend by placing a homemade bomb under their car. Big Boo Carrie Although the specific details of her crimes arent divulged on the show, theyre likely fraud or felony theft as she once referred to herself as a 'thieving dyke'. She also ran a gambling ring before she was jailed. Nicky Nicky is jailed at Litchfield Penitentiary on a number of serious charges, specifically possessing heroin and breaking and entering. She broke into her neighbors apartment to steal some items she wanted to sell and buy heroin with, but was arrested on the scene for the crime while also in possession of heroin at the time. Taystee Tasha Played by Danielle Brooks, shes in jail for trafficking heroin and also for violating parole. Red Galina Reds long organized crime history landed her behind bars on the show. She assaulted the wife of a mobster boss at her deli and subsequently had to undertake some rather disgusting jobs as a punishment including having her deli used for corpse storage. Maritza Maritza tried to scam a car dealership while out on a test drive, resulting in grand theft auto charges against her. Blanca Blanca is jailed on elder abuse charges for having sex in front of an elderly woman she was taking care of at the time. Brook Brook, played by Kimiko Glenn, is in prison for a much different reason than most other inmates. Her charges? Protesting forest logging by living in a tree, preventing it from being cut down by loggers. Angie As her teeth on the series can attest, shes in jail on drug-related charges. Leanne Leanne is imprisoned on charges of drug possession and breaking house arrest, though her backstory is more complex than that. After growing up in an Amish community, she briefly left to see what life was like outside and discovered illegal drugs. After having a bag full of drugs found and confirmed to belong to her after she moved back, she cooperated with police to avoid banishment from the tight-knit community. However, while under house arrest and probation, she ran away after her family was shunned by the local Amish community. Gloria Gloria, played by Selenis Leyva, is in jail for food stamp fraud. Mei Chang Mei Chang is imprisoned on organized crime charges, as her familys Chinese medicine store secretly operated as a base for illicit activities, including trading illegal animal parts. Lolly Played by Lori Petty, Lolly is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, though her story is more complicated overall. While selling coffee from her street car, she heard voices in her head that two approaching officers meant her harm. Panicked, she started to yell and reach for her stick with attached bells to drown out their voices, but the officers, believing she was actually reaching for a weapon, tackled and arrested her at the scene. Yoga Jones Yoga Jones is behind bars on a manslaughter charge after accidentally shooting and killing a young boy she saw in her marijuana field after mistakenly believing he was a deer. Norma Norma, played by Annie Golden, is in jail at Litchfield Penitentiary on murder charges after pushing her husband - an infamous cult leader off a cliff and killing him. Brandy Brandy is in prison on charges of poisoning and killing a number of African-American and Jewish customers while working as a coffee barista. Frieda Frieda, played by Dale Soules, is one of the most dangerous inmates at the penitentiary, jailed for assaulting her husband with a butchers knife and killing five people, including a people officer, in just one year. Flaca Flaca is imprisoned on charges of fraud and endangerment after selling fake LSD to students at her high school. One student who bought the fake drug, however, was suicidal at the time and, believing he was high, jumped off the schools roof. The second of Australia's three new air warfare destroyers has been handed over to the federal government, marking another significant milestone in the $9 billion defence project. The destroyer Brisbane will now head from Adelaide to Sydney, where it is expected to be commissioned later this year after final sea trials. Australian Defence Force spokesman Commodore Steve Tiffen said the air warfare destroyer program had proven Australia's capability to build and integrate ships from the ground up. "We have implemented learnings from ship to ship in order to deliver better outcomes, faster outcomes, create more skills, more efficiency and ultimately deliver a better capability," he said on Friday. Like its sister ships the HMAS Hobart and the Sydney, the Brisbane is 146 metres long and has a range of about 5000 nautical miles, or about 9000 kilometres. Manned by a crew of 186, it is powered by a combination of gas and diesel turbines driving twin propellers and has a top speed of more than 28 knots. The destroyers are armed with harpoon missile systems and have missile decoy technology. They are also fitted with a flight deck and hangar for one helicopter. The HMAS Hobart was launched in Adelaide in 2015 and commissioned in September last year. The final ship, the Sydney, was launched earlier this year and should be in service by 2020. The destroyer program was plagued with problems in its early years, with delays and cost blowouts, but was recently removed from the defence department's projects-of-concern list. A Queensland woman has been handed a 20-year jail term for murdering her de facto partner, chopping up his body, and dumping and torching his headless torso on the side of a road. Lindy Yvonne Williams, 60, had denied murdering George Gerbic on the Sunshine Coast in September 2013, but admitted dumping and setting fire to his torso. On Friday, a Brisbane Supreme Court jury found her guilty of murder, rejecting her account that she acted in self defence in killing Mr Gerbic during a fight at their home. Mr Gerbic's torso was found burning on the side of Cedar Pocket Road near Gympie, around 80km from where he was murdered. His head, hands and legs have not been found, nor has the cause of his death been established. Williams pleaded guilty to interfering with his corpse at the start of the trial. She dismembered Mr Gerbic's body with an electric saw before covering up her actions for 10 months by telling friends and family he was overseas. "What I found most distressing was the lies you told to George Gerbic's parents," Justice Peter Flanagan said in sentencing Williams to Queensland's mandatory minimum life sentence. "The act of cutting up George Gerbic with a saw ... is, on any view, a horrific act. "It has denied the family the closure that would come from being able to bury their father." George Gerbic Sr died after his son's murder. William initially told police that Mr Gerbic hit his head on a kitchen benchtop after slipping on blood from a cut to her arm. She claimed Gerbic had used a steak knife to cut her during an argument. She said she hit him while trying to defend herself with a bar stool. But she denied cutting up his body and said she did not know who did, claiming she returned to the home days after the fight to find his torso wrapped in plastic. It was a claim her own lawyer Simon Lewis labelled "rubbish" during the trial. He told the court that his client had caused Mr Gerbic's death, lied about it, and dismembered his body with a saw. But he said the death was a terrible accident likely caused by Williams defending herself, and that she was a domestic violence victim who panicked and concocted elaborate lies to cover up what had really happened. Williams has already spent three years in custody, making her eligible for release in 2034 when she will be 77. Rift? What rift? Manly discard Jackson Hastings has revealed he has settled his differences with Daly Cherry-Evans despite being forced to relocate to the English Super League for a fresh start. Hastings will make his SL debut with Salford in their Saturday (AEDT) clash with ninth-placed Leeds - his first top-tier game since a much publicised fallout with Cherry-Evans at the Sea Eagles in April. Hastings, 22, was demoted to Manly's feeder club and finally released last month in the wake of the halfback's well documented training dust up with skipper Cherry-Evans during a Gladstone trip for an NRL clash with Gold Coast. Hastings knew what was coming when he faced the English press upon his UK arrival but claimed the Cherry-Evans incident in April was blown out of proportion and he was now mates with the polarising Sea Eagles skipper. Hastings even claimed he had sat down with Cherry-Evans for dinner to bury the hatchet before flying out to the UK. "I've been smashed to pieces in the media a few times and now, it's water off a duck's back for me," he told Total Rugby League website. "They get one little bit of info and run with it to the point where it's taken way out of proportion - and that is what happened with this. "Me and Daly are absolutely fine. We've spoken on numerous occasions, had dinner together before I came over here and all sorts of things like that. "The incident was the incident, the media got hold of it, ran with it and tried to dig into it and make something of it - but me and Daly are fine." Asked about the toll the April incident had taken, Hastings said: "I'm here now and looking forward to a new challenge, and he (Cherry-Evans) has played State of Origin (for Queensland) since. "It's not impacted on us, clearly." Hastings will need to hit the ground running for new club Salford. The second-last Red Devils are battling to avoid relegation. Hastings was just glad to be out on the field again after not playing a game for the last six weeks. "I'll be playing," Hastings said of Saturday's Leeds clash. "I'm jumping out of my skin too, to get going. I've got real butterflies but everyone has made me feel really welcome, particularly on social media. "I'm more used to negative attention on social media but everyone has been really positive with me since I got here. "I love interacting with the fans on social media so hopefully that can continue at Salford." Catholic schools arguing for more funding are making a last ditch intervention in the Longman by-election to highlight Labor's policies. Every Longman household with a child at a Catholic school is being sent a letter from the Catholic Education Office noting the differences between Labor and Liberal education policies. "The ALP has committed to school funding levels that would see Catholic schools nationally receive an extra $250 million over the two school years, following the first Labor budget," the letter released on Friday says. Similar letters were sent out in the Batman by-election in Victoria earlier this year, which Labor won ahead of the Greens despite being an underdog going into the contest. Catholic schools have been arguing against the coalition's school funding policy after it was changed to a needs-based model, where funding was taken from richer schools and moved to poorer ones. "Comparing the (coalition's) new model to the previous model, Brisbane Catholic schools will be disadvantaged in the order of $40 million," the letter says. The government is reviewing the methodology it uses to decide which schools are richer, after complaints from the Catholic education sector. "Catholic school communities want this to be assessed using more relevant data," the letter says. Labor holds Longman but polls show it is on a knife-edge, with One Nation's preferences likely to be key to deciding the result. No opposition has lost a by-election to the government in 98 years. Unexploded military ordinance is preventing firefighting aircraft from flying too close to a blaze at a Sydney army reserve. The fire is burning through bushland in part of the Holsworthy Military Barracks range, the Rural Fire Service says. "Access is limited due to it being on the range and also just to the danger of those unexploded ordinance, our aircraft use on that fire is also restricted," RFS spokesman Ben Shepherd said. Firefighters plan to back-burn about 4000 hectares of bushland close to the blaze over the weekend, which could cause smoke to settle over Sydney's southwest. The smoke could reach as far as the Illawarra by Sunday, according to the RFS. Australia's largest construction industry union has been slapped with another fine for unlawfully entering an Adelaide worksite, bringing the total bill to more than $15 million in recent years. The Federal Court imposed a $116,790 fine on the CFMMEU and fined three officials for unlawfully entering the South Australian worksite four times between April and July 2014. The court slapped former state assistant secretary Michael McDermott with $14,300 after entering the Sturt Street site four times, former state secretary Aaron Cartledge was fined $3500 for his one visit while NSW official Anthony Sloane was fined $3000 for one unlawful visit. Please takedown story slugged Nyunt headlined Perth teacher jailed for student sex abuse ex Perth at 27 Jul 2018 17:50 AEST. Pursuant to your Information Supply Agreement with Australian Associated Press (AAP) , AAP requests that you remove the above story from any media you publish and access to the story be immediately disabled including but not limited to those websites in either your direct or indirect possession, custody, or control. AAP has become aware that the story may potentially expose AAP and those who publish the story to the risk of: - a possible prosecution for contempt. This takedown is mandatory, and no further use can be made of the story. A replacement story will be issued shortly. AAP will not be liable for any losses, costs and expenses, damages and other costs (including without limitation reasonable legal costs), indirect, consequential special or punitive loss or damage, arising out of the story and this Notice suffered or incurred by you after receipt of this Notice. A 35-year-old woman who was a Perth high school teacher when she persistently sexually abused two female students over almost two years has been jailed for nearly five years. The girls were aged 14 and 15 when their media teacher befriended them before engaging in sexual activity with them at their family homes, her house and in her car between 2015 and 2017. The teacher, who cannot be identified, was sentenced on Friday in the District Court of WA to four years and 11 months behind bars after pleading guilty to 33 counts of sexually penetrating and indecently dealing with children under her authority. The court heard she was lonely, socially isolated, didn't have a work-life balance and had distorted thinking known as "adultification" whereby she treated the girls as her peers rather than understanding there was a power imbalance. The teacher, who also taught drama, naively believed she had an emotional "connection" with the teenagers and "knew it wasn't right but let her feelings overrule her brain". Judge Mark Herron said the parents had welcomed her into their homes believing she was helping the girls with their studies and the offending was brazen as it was often committed with family members nearby. The court heard one of the girls had low self-esteem and told the teacher she didn't want her to see her body, but she hugged and kissed the teenager saying it was alright. She cried when the teacher revealed she was having a relationship with the other girl. Judge Herron accepted defence counsel Mark Andrews' submission the offending was not predatory but a degree of grooming had been involved. The teacher will be eligible for parole after serving two years and 11 months. A fire burning to the south of Sydney is likely to push smoke over parts of the city, prompting health warnings for people suffering from respiratory issues. Firefighters will work over the weekend to battle the blaze, which is burning through bushland in part of the Holsworthy Military Barracks range. Unexploded military ordinance is preventing firefighting aircraft from flying too close to the fire, the Rural Fire Service says. Firefighters plan to back-burn about 4000 hectares of bushland close to the blaze over the weekend, which could cause smoke to settle over Sydney's southwest. NSW Health is urging people, especially those with respiratory issues, to limit their time spent outside over the weekend. "People with asthma and other lung conditions should not engage in vigorous exercise and, if possible, stay in air-conditioned premises where filtration systems can help to reduce smoke particles in the air," NSW Environmental Health Medical Advisor for Dr Aditya Vyas said in a statement. More claims of bullying involving embattled Sydney MP Emma Husar have emerged as Labor figures lock in behind her. The western Sydney federal backbencher is facing an internal NSW Labor investigation into allegations she bullied and harassed about 20 former electorate office staff. Peter Gray, the field director for Ms Husar's unsuccessful 2015 bid for the state seat of Penrith, told the Sydney Morning Herald he was hospitalised for four weeks after bullying in her office. "No matter what I did, it was never enough," Mr Gray told Fairfax Media. "Emma was giving me all these demands and had all these high expectations." The newspaper reports Mr Gray's allegations are now being examined as part of the bullying investigation. But incoming Labor party president Wayne Swan rejects suggestions the Lindsay MP should resign, saying she was entitled to "natural justice". "The truth is there is a process going on. It's been done in good faith, and Emma is entitled to natural justice," he told ABC radio on Friday. Barrister John Whelan is investigating the claims, which include allegations that Ms Husar's staff worked as child minders and picked up her dog's faeces. A string of government MPs have called on Ms Husar, 38, to be sacked should the allegations by staff be proven. Mr Swan said he only found out about the allegations "like most people in the country and most people in the Labor party" from media reports last week. Labor leader Bill Shorten says he found out about the investigation when he was contacted by a media outlet last Wednesday. But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said Mr Shorten's explanation "stretches credulity". Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech titled "Turn Our Vision into a Reality" at the Plenary Session of the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. The session, hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was also attended by Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) JOHANNESBURG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged BRICS countries to deepen strategic partnership and work to open up a second "Golden Decade" at the Plenary Session of the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The session, hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was also attended by Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders of the five BRICS countries exchanged in-depth views on BRICS cooperation and major international issues of common concern under the theme "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution," reaching broad consensuses. TURN VISION INTO REALITY Delivering a speech titled "Turn Our Vision into a Reality," Xi pointed out the outstanding features of the new industrial revolution and put forward initiatives on the future development of the BRICS cooperation. "Let us work together with the rest of the international community for an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity," said the Chinese president. The previous three industrial revolutions were all characterized by transformative advancement in science and technology: the rise of mechanization in the 18th century, the harnessing of electricity in the 19th century, and the advent of the Information Age in the 20th century, Xi said. Such breakthroughs have greatly unleashed social productivity and significantly improved people's living standards, thus profoundly reshaping the course of human history, he said. The world is experiencing another revolution in science, technology and industry, which is greater in scope and depth. New technologies, business models and industries are emerging one after another. Countries around the world have found their interests and future tied together like never before, Xi said. "We have yet to sustain global growth with new driving forces and to address the North-South imbalance and other deep-seated structural problems," he told the session. "What's more, constant flare-ups of geopolitical conflicts and the escalation of protectionism and unilateralism are directly affecting the external development environment of emerging markets and developing countries," he said. The BRICS countries "must therefore have a keen grasp of the trend of our times, deepen our strategic partnership, and consolidate our cooperation framework underpinned by economic, political and security cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, so as to turn our vision of a second 'Golden Decade' into a reality," said the Chinese president. FOUR-POINT PROPOSAL To build the new chapter in BRICS cooperation, Xi put forward a four-point proposal. First, he called on the BRICS partners to unlock the enormous potential of economic cooperation by stepping up trade, investment, economic, financial, and connectivity cooperation to make this pie still bigger. They also need to work together to safeguard the rule-based multilateral trading regime, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and reject protectionism outright, Xi said. "It is important that we continue to pursue innovation-driven development and build the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) to strengthen coordination on macroeconomic policies, find more complementarities in our development strategies, and reinforce the competitiveness of the BRICS countries, emerging market economies and developing countries," he said. Second, Xi urged the BRICS members to safeguard global peace and security, and to stay committed to multilateralism, as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. "We should call on all parties to abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations and to settle disputes through dialogue and differences through consultation," Xi said, adding that the BRICS should jointly work for a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equality, justice and win-win cooperation. Third, the BRICS partners should expand people-to-people exchanges and aim at greater people-to-people connectivity and more popular support for BRICS cooperation through extensive exchanges in various areas, in order to "spread the BRICS story far and wide to further enhance the mutual understanding and traditional friendship among our people," Xi said. Fourth, according to the Chinese president, the BRICS countries should build a network of closer partnerships. "We may explore 'BRICS Plus' cooperation within the United Nations, the G20, and other frameworks to advance the common interests and boost the development space for emerging markets and developing countries, thus contributing more to world peace and development through broader partnerships," he said. STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP &GUARD MULTILATERALISM Addressing the session, Ramaphosa highlighted the rising unilateralism and protectionism in the world, and their negative impact on emerging market economies and developing countries. South Africa supports the BRICS countries in building the PartNIR, and takes the opportunity of the fourth industrial revolution to achieve greater development in the second "Golden Decade" of the BRICS cooperation, Ramaphosa said. Facing similar development tasks, Temer said the BRICS countries should strengthen solidarity, jointly address the current risks and challenges, align their development strategies, expand cooperation fields and enhance science and technology competitiveness. Putin said the BRICS countries are faced with a complicated and ever-changing international situation, urging them to unite and coordinate with each other, stick to multilateralism and international norms, and jointly dedicate themselves to protecting the economic order, promoting high-quality and equal development, and properly resolving regional hotspot issues through political means. The BRICS countries should carry out closer cooperation under multilateral frameworks and boost their influence in international affairs, he said. Calling the BRICS countries an important engine of global growth, Modi said they should actively help improve global governance, carry forward multilateralism, facilitate free trade and make globalization beneficial to all, so as to better protect the interests of developing countries. The summit issued the Johannesburg Declaration, in which the BRICS countries sent a clear signal to preserve multilateralism and reject protectionism. The BRICS countries decided to initiate the PartNIR and deepen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, finance, political security and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, according to the declaration. 3 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] More than a thousand people are expected to gather in Melbourne to protest the "criminalisation" of African-Australians and pay tribute to dead woman Laa Chol. The crowd is due to gather outside the headquarters of Melbourne's Seven Network on Saturday afternoon, with organisers blaming the television broadcaster for spurring on anti-African sentiment. "Seven's shameful campaign to denigrate the African community has seen our community declared guilty till proven innocent in the court of public opinion," event organisers posted on their Facebook page. "The consequence of this vilification runs deeper than a simple narrative of 'law and order' but an implicit criminalisation of the entire African community." The group previously demanded an apology from Seven for a Sunday Night program aired on July 8 which vowed to expose "African gangs running riot, terrorising, robbing, wreaking havoc" across Melbourne. Senior federal politicians including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have weighed into the public debate about Melbourne's criminal gangs. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton made a link between gang activity and the death of 19-year-old Ms Chol at an apartment party. Protest organisers asked participants to wear blue on Saturday in honour of Ms Chol. Two youths have faced court in connection with her killing, one charged with murder and the other with being an accessary. There are just four sitting weeks left for Victoria's parliament before November's state election, but there's still an "impossible" mountain of legislation to get through. With more than 20 bills sitting in the state's upper house waiting for action, Legislative Council members will even gather on Fridays - not usually a scheduled sitting day - to try to get as much passed as possible. "A lot of them will pass," the government's upper house leader Gavin Jennings said, blaming the opposition for the build-up. "If you go back, we had a bit of a log jam because in fact for a few months the (Liberal-National) coalition went on a bit of a strike and they were drip feeding pieces of legislation through the parliament. "Some of them were very complicated pieces of legislation that took a long time and consideration and sometimes they were just filibustering." Mr Jennings admitted "it would be impossible" for all the bills to be cleared. The parliament has had several all-night sittings to tackle contentious issues, such as assisted dying legislation last year and fire services reform at Easter. Mary Wooldridge, leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council, said much of the legislation coming in was "poorly drafted or have gaps" that need scrutinising. She also blamed the government's various rorting scandals for disrupting parliament, pointing to this week's resignation by MP Khalil Eideh as deputy president of the upper house while remaining under investigation over allegations of misusing a printing allowance for branch stacking. "There's so many more bills coming through from the Legislative Assembly at this late stage of the parliament," she said. "All of the chaos and dysfunction of this Labor government is coming home to roost in how they manage the Legislative Council and their agenda." But the opposition also faced criticism from key crossbencher Fiona Patten who said the situation had become frustrating and accused the Liberals of trying to stymie the flow of the parliament. The Reason Party MP said she expected prolonged debate on big matters such as assisted dying, but said debate was dragging even on bills everyone supported. "It is a very cynical tactic to delay legislation," she told AAP. "I won't be surprised if we are sitting through the night to get this done. And I support that." Parliament sits for four more weeks spread across August and September before the state election on November 24. Australians who looked skyward before sunrise were not left disappointed, as the moon glowed blood red for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century. The total lunar eclipse, or 'blood moon' began at 5.32am AEST on Saturday, lasting for one hour and 43 minutes, as the sun, Earth and moon aligned. "It was really nice, a very clear eclipse," Sydney Observatory curator Dr Andrew Jacob told AAP. "The moon was a lot paler pink than I expected - a beautiful sight in the western sky. "It was a nice long one, and as twilight came and the sky brightened up, the moon dropped into the clouds." At least 200 people flocked to Observatory Hill in Sydney's CBD, and also to Dover Heights in the east, as the moon moved into the Earth's shadow, becoming darker and turning redder as sunlight passed through Earth's atmosphere. "What we're seeing is essentially all the sunrises and sunsets on the Earth, dramatically projected onto the surface of the moon," Australian National University astronomer Brad Tucker told AAP on Friday. Dr Jacob said: "Anyone on that night-side of the Earth would be able to see the moon go into the eclipse." "They'll see it at the same time, beginning at the same moment." Those in Australia's west, where alarms were set from 2am, got to see the end of the eclipse's totality, he said. "The Earth doesn't rotate far enough this time around for anyone in North America - the US and Alaska - to see the eclipse but there are other eclipses that we don't see, there's always a little bit of the Earth that misses out." This marks the second total lunar eclipse this year visible from Australia, with the next one predicted for 2021. "(But) the really spectacular eclipses are the total solar eclipses, you have to travel to see those, they're really localised," Dr Jacob said. "In ten years, in 2028, there will be a total solar eclipse which will pass over Sydney." Repatriation of the US soldiers' remains was one of the steps agreed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore A US aircraft flew to North Korea Friday to collect the remains of American troops killed in the Korean War, the South's Yonhap news agency reported, the latest step in ongoing diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. Repatriation of American remains from the 1950-53 conflict was part of the agreement signed between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their landmark summit in Singapore last month. The US military transport plane took off from the Osan Air Base in South Korea at 5:55 am local time (2055 GMT Thursday), Yonhap said, citing a Seoul government source. The aircraft's destination was the Kalma airport in North Korea's eastern city of Wonsan, the agency added. "It is believed to have landed there an hour later," the official was quoted as saying. "It will return (to South Korea) today." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that the repatriations will begin soon, but did not confirm media reports about the first transfer of some 50 sets of remains. The South Korean official cited by Yonhap said it was unclear how many sets of remains will be returned on Thursday. US defence officials are expected to examine the remains in South Korea before sending them on for forensic identification in Hawaii, the agency added. More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still considered missing, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, according to the Pentagon. Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets of remains from the North were repatriated, but those operations were suspended when ties deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. Strongman Hun Sen is set for a big win in Cambodia's election Cambodia's strongman ruler hailed Friday the success of efforts to "eliminate traitors" at a mass rally ahead of an election without a credible opposition that will leave the country as a virtual one-party state. Tens of thousands of supporters decked in the ruling party's white and blue arrived from dawn in the centre of the capital, some on motorbikes and buses, in an impressive show of support for the Cambodia People's Party (CPP), which premier Hun Sen has led for 33 years. But it will be the only political showing of significant scale ahead of Sunday's election after the only serious opposition was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November. In typically bombastic comments, Hun Sen vowed victory on Sunday and took a swipe at his opponents, many of whom have been jailed, prodded into self-exile or have gone to ground inside the kingdom since the ruling. "Recently we took legal action to eliminate traitors who attempted to topple the government," he said of the court ruling that disbanded the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). "If we didn't eliminate them with an iron fist, maybe by now Cambodia would be in a situation of war." A pillar of Hun Sen's appeal is that he has presided over peace and a level of prosperity since the early 1990s when Cambodia emerged from decades of war and the evisceration of the Khmer Rouge years. "With the CPP we have growth, we have schools, peace... everything," said supporter Khun Bopha of a party that now presides over an economy chugging along at a growth rate of around six to seven percent. "We will have a big win on July 29." - 'Sham process' - The Supreme Court knocked out the opposition after Hun Sen accused CNRP members of plotting against the government. Rights groups, NGOs and the media were all swept up in the crackdown last year as Hun Sen quashed critical voices and challengers in the lead-up to the vote. The opposition, many of whose key members live abroad for fear of prosecution, have urged supporters to boycott the poll in a "clean finger" campaign to refuse to be inked at polling stations on Sunday. Election authorities have said calls to boycott are a "crime" and have already fined five former members of the opposition in northern Cambodia after accusing them of taking part in the anti-election campaign. The United States and the European Union have pulled assistance and monitors after challenging the credibility of the election. But staunch Cambodia ally China has stepped in to provide equipment. Cambodia has held six elections -- including the first UN-sponsored poll in 1993 -- after the country of 15 million emerged from decades of civil war. Hun Sen has cast himself as the saviour of the country from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge, even though he was a former member of the ultra-Maoist group. Twenty parties are running in the election but many are new or of obscure origins and have been widely criticised for helping legitimise the ballot by taking part. "Cambodia's election is a sham process that is designed to prolong Hun Sen's authoritarian rule and will plunge the country into further misery and repression," International Federation for Human Rights Secretary-General Debbie Stothard said in a statement Thursday. On the stump: President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has campaigned to Malians in Gabon, home to many of the country's large diaspora Mali holds crucial polls on Sunday with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita seeking re-election in a country reeling from jihadist violence and ethnic attacks. The international community hopes the poll will strengthen a 2015 accord that Mali, a linchpin state in the troubled Sahel region, sees as its cornerstone for peace. But violence has peppered the election, with the final days of campaigning marred by an attack on a candidate's convoy and renewed killings of civilians. Despite the peace deal, which gathers the government, government-allied groups and former Tuareg rebels, a state of emergency remains in force and heads into its fourth year in November. Jihadist violence, meanwhile, has spread from northern Mali to the centre and south and spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, often exacerbating communal conflicts. - 'No more war-mongering' - Twenty-four candidates are in the race for the presidency, and over eight million people are eligible to vote. Keita, elected in 2013, is accused by his opponents, including several former ministers, of poor governance and security failures. Nearly 300 civilians have died in ethnic clashes this year alone. On Wednesday, at least three Fulani civilians were killed in central Mali in an attack by suspected traditional hunters, according to civil society and security sources. The Fulani community regularly denounces abuses against them by Bambara and Dogon farmers in the fight against jihadists, accusing authorities of ignoring or even taking part in them. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Keita, 73, defended his record and branded the attacks as "pockets of violence and remnants of terrorism". "There's no more war-mongering in Mali today," Keita said. He acknowledged that the violence had "metastasised to central Mali", but said the state was making a "colossal financial effort" to combat it. - Rivals - Opposition presidential candidate Soumaila Cisse arrives in the city of Gao for an election rally Keita's challengers are headed by Soumaila Cisse, a former finance and economy minister, who lost by a large margin in the second round of the 2013 election. Others are Modibo Kone, a rural development expert at the West African Development Bank, and Hamadoun Toure, who runs the "Smart Africa" initiative to drive development on the continent via technology. Another candidate, businessman Aliou Boubacar Diallo, said IBK had "failed miserably". Diallo's convoy was attacked by armed assailants while he was campaigning. "Everywhere we have been, it is this insecurity which tops Malians' concerns," Diallo said. Other contenders include astrophysicist and former prime minister Cheick Modibo Diarra. There is only one female candidate -- Djeneba Ndiaye, a 55-year-old businesswoman. - Fraud claims - Amid concerns that the vote could not be held in some restive parts of the country, over 30,000 security personnel have been commandeered to ensure security. In the north, where the state is largely absent, armed groups who signed the peace agreement have also been roped in. The campaign unfolded amid tight security and marked by a controversy over the electoral roll -- with the opposition warning of possible fraud. Cisse's team claimed there were two electoral lists and hundreds of fake polling stations listed. Mali The European Union is expected to deploy around 100 observers on Sunday. Its chief observer, Italian Euro-MP Cecile Kyenge, called on Wednesday for "more transparency" and access for all observers, including 3,000 Malians. Turnout is traditionally low in Mali during the first round of voting, hovering around 50 percent. If Keita -- widely known as IBK -- or any of his contenders fail to secure more than half of the ballots, a second round will take place on August 12. The first results are expected within 48 hours of the vote, with official results following on August 3 at the latest. Many African music legends come from Mali, such as Salif Keita The largely desert Western African nation of Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, plagued by jihadist attacks. Ahead of presidential elections on July 29, here is some background. - Sahel, Sahara - Hot, dry and flat, Mali is in the semi-arid Sahel belt, its north jutting well into the Sahara Desert. It is large and landlocked with most of its sparse population of nearly 18 million (World Bank 2016) in the south where the Niger River flows. The Muslim-majority, French-speaking nation -- independent from France since 1960 -- is home to around 20 ethnic groups. After coups and coup attempts, Alpha Oumar Konare in 1992 became Mali's first democratically elected president, stepping down in 2002. The current president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was elected in 2013. - Rebellions, jihadists - The nomadic Tuareg people of the Sahara have revolted for decades against the domination of black populations in the south. Their 1990-1994 rebellion left more than 1,000 dead before a peace treaty to end their struggle for self-rule. But in 2006 several hundred former rebels, many of whom had been integrated into the army, returned to the bush to lead a campaign of attacks and hostage-takings, until a ceasefire in 2009. A new Tuareg rebellion sprung up in 2011 and president Amadou Toumani Toure was ousted in 2012 by soldiers angry at his government's "inability" to put down the insurrection. The conflict was hijacked by Al-Qaeda-linked groups, who overran much of northern Mali. - France at the forefront - France launched ongoing military operations in January 2013 that partially ousted the extremists. Months later they were joined by a UN peacekeeping force, MINUSMA, which numbers around 15,000. A new peace accord was reached with the Tuareg-led rebel alliance in 2015 but entire areas remain outside the control of Malian and foreign forces. The violence has since spread into central Mali, fuelling pre-existing communal conflicts. It has also spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. This prompted the launch in 2017 by the G5 Sahel regional grouping (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) of a joint anti-jihadist force, designed to operate primarily alongside France's 4,000 troops and the UN in the troubled "tri-border" area where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. The G5 force aims to have a total of 5,000 troops but has faced funding problems and lack of equipment and has had little impact in the fight against jihadists so far. - Poverty, cotton producer - Population increases and drought have led to food shortages, poverty and instability, the World Bank says, even though Mali has recorded growth of more than five percent for several years. Unemployment is high and nearly 50 percent of the population live on less than $1.90 or less a day, according to the United Nations. The country was 13 from last on the 2016 UN Human Development Index that compares life expectancy, education and standard of living in 188 countries. Life expectancy is 58 (World Bank) while only less than a third of over 15s can read and write, according to national statistics. With a little-diversified economy, the country returned in 2017-2018 as Africa's main cotton producer with 700,000 tonnes. Another notable production is cashew nuts. - Fabled Timbuktu - The northern desert city of Timbuktu is an ancient Islamic centre of learning celebrated for its tens of thousands of manuscripts some from the 12th century. In 2012 Al-Qaeda-linked militants destroyed 14 of its mausoleums that dated back to its golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were restored with the help of UNESCO, which lists the city as a site of world heritage. Many African music legends come from Mali, such as Salif Keita, Rokia Traore and the duo Amadou and Mariam, as do world-renowned photographers like Seydou Keita and Malick Sidibe. The repatriation of US Korean War dead was part of the Singapore agreement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un A US military aircraft carrying the remains of US Korean War dead collected in North Korea arrived in the South on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting. The return of the remains marks the partial fulfilment of an agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their historic summit in Singapore last month. After leaving the North Korean port city of Wonsan, the C-17 cargo plane landed at the Osan US Air Base in South Korea at around 0200 GMT, where live TV images showed American soldiers lined up for a ceremony. More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still considered missing, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, according to the Pentagon. "Today's actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home," the White House said in a statement. "We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," the statement said, adding that a formal repatriation ceremony would be held at the Osan Air Base next week. Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets of remains from the North were repatriated, but those operations were suspended when ties deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The remains flown to Osan on Friday are expected to be sent to Hawaii for forensic identification. Michael Cohen has claimed, according to US media, that Donald Trump knew in advance of a 2016 meeting with Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney says the US president knew in advance of a June 2016 meeting in which Russians were expected to share dirt on then-election rival Hillary Clinton, US media reported Wednesday. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, son Donald Jr., and top campaign official Paul Manafort met at New York's Trump Tower on June 9, 2016 with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was offering information from the Russian government. Trump, his son, his lawyers and other administration officials have repeatedly said Trump did not know about the meeting until news of it broke in July 2017. But according to CNN and NBC, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, who has fallen out with the president, claims he was present when Donald Jr. told his father about the Russians' offer to meet, and Trump approved it. The Trump Tower meeting was arranged by a music promoter, Rob Goldstone, who reached out to Trump Jr saying he had "official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father." Trump Jr responded "I love it" when first offered the political "dirt" on Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee. But he has said since that no "meaningful information" was offered and the meeting focused mostly on the issue of adoptions of Russian children. CNN quoted sources as saying Cohen lacks evidence such as an audio recording to corroborate his account. But both CNN and NBC reported -- citing anonymous sources -- that Cohen is willing to assert his claim to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign. Mueller has already indicted 31 people -- including 12 Russian intelligence agents -- for hacking computer networks of the Democratic Party. Cohen's reported claim comes days after the bombshell release of a taped conversation between him and Trump by CNN Tuesday -- with reports suggesting there may be more tapes. On the recording, released by Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis, Trump can be heard discussing with Cohen how to hush up allegations that he had an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal in 2006, and buying the rights to her story, which she had sold to the National Enquirer for $150,000. During Trump's presidential campaign, his team denied any knowledge of the deal between McDougal and American Media, the magazine's parent company. Cohen, who once declared fierce loyalty to the president, is under federal investigation in New York for his business dealings and reportedly whether hush payments violated campaign finance laws. The leak fanned speculation about how much damage Cohen can inflict on the president and whether he is now mulling a cooperation deal with federal prosecutors. The White House said it was 'encouraged' by the return of the remains and the 'momentum for positive change' A US military aircraft flew the remains of more than 50 American servicemen out of North Korea on Friday, prompting a personal "thank you" from Donald Trump to Kim Jong Un. The return of the remains -- on the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- marks the partial fulfilment of an agreement reached between the US president and North Korea's leader at their historic summit in Singapore last month. "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," Trump said in a tweet. The White House said it was "encouraged" by the return of the remains and the "momentum for positive change". A soldier carries a casket containing the remains of a US soldier killed during the Korean War, after they were returned by North Korea "Today's actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home," it said. After leaving the North Korean port city of Wonsan, the C-17 cargo plane landed at the Osan US Air Base in South Korea, where American soldiers stood in ceremonial ranks. The plane -- which had 55 sets of remains on board, according to the United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea -- came to a halt next to a group of 10 honour guards carrying the flags of the UN, the US and South Korea. US soldiers salute vehicles transporting the remains of 55 US soldiers killed during the Korean War, after they arrived in South Korea from the North After the rear door was opened, other uniformed guards went aboard and re-emerged each carrying in their arms a box draped in a white-and-blue UN flag. They then slowly walked to awaiting vans, put the boxes in the vehicles and saluted, before the vans left the scene. "It was a successful mission following extensive coordination," General Vincent Brooks, commander of the UNC and United States Forces Korea, said in a statement. "Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home." More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still considered missing, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, according to the Pentagon. Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets of remains from the North were repatriated, but those operations were suspended when ties deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The remains flown to Osan on Friday are expected to be sent to Hawaii for forensic identification, following a formal repatriation ceremony next Wednesday. - 'They'll milk this' - Trump has hailed his summit agreement with Kim as effectively ending the North Korean nuclear threat, although it contained only an ill-defined commitment on Pyongyang's part to the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" -- a long way from the complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament demanded by Washington. The plane had 55 sets of remains on board, according to the United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea The issue of repatriating remains of American war dead was seen as a far less contentious one, and the summit agreement specified the immediate return of those remains "already identified." According to US officials, North Korea is estimated to have as many as 200 sets of remains ready for delivery. Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who has worked on repatriation issues and visited North Korea several times, warned that Pyongyang might hold up further repatriations in order to squeeze some cash out of the United States. "They'll give a certain amount of remains for free right away," Richardson told the Washington Post. "But then they'll say, 'The next ones, we need to find them, locate them, restore them.' And then they'll start charging, and they'll milk this." The repatriation of US Korean War dead was part of the Singapore agreement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un The initial repatriation provides the White House with a tangible result from the Singapore summit, which has otherwise failed to deliver on the denuclearisation expectations raised by the US president. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was despatched to Pyongyang in early July to nail down the North's summit commitments -- including returning the remains of US servicemen. Pompeo described the talks as "constructive" but the North Korean foreign ministry condemned his "gangster-like" demands for rapid nuclear disarmament. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Brazilian counterpart Michel Temer in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) JOHANNESBURG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping here on Thursday met with his Brazilian counterpart Michel Temer on the sidelines of the 10th BRICS summit, calling on the two countries to strengthen solidarity and coordination. "China and Brazil, as the largest developing country and emerging market in the eastern and western hemisphere respectively, should boost solidarity and coordination and pursue common development under the current situation, so as to inject positive energy into the two regions and contribute to world stability and prosperity," Xi said. Referring to China-Brazil bilateral relationship as a "mature and vibrant" one between major developing countries, he said their ties were built on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and win-win benefits. Xi called for more guidance and coordination on the two countries' exchanges and cooperation across the board, so as to promote trade liberalization and facilitation in bids to push forward a quality growth of their bilateral trade. He also urged the two sides to discuss the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with Brazil's development strategies like the Investment Partnerships Program, strengthen cooperation on innovation and flagship projects, and beef up people-to-people exchanges. "China stands ready to join hands with Brazil to advance China-Latin America cooperation and push the economic and trade cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries to a higher level," he said, adding that China supports Brazil in hosting the next BRICS summit. For his part, Temer said that Brazil attaches high importance to the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as trade, investment, infrastructure, and energy. The comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is strong and mutually beneficial, he said, calling on the two countries to strengthen communication and coordination on international and regional affairs, promote solidarity and cooperation among the BRICS members, and jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries. Brazil stands ready to make contribution to the development of ties between Latin America and China, Temer said. 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] The executions are unlikely to end the allure of cults in Japan, experts say Japan's execution of a doomsday cult leader and his disciples over a 1995 sarin gas attack may draw a line under the horrific saga, but hundreds of people are still signing up to Aum Shinrikyo's successor groups each year, authorities say. The last six members of the cult on death row were hanged on Thursday for crimes including the Tokyo subway attack that killed 13, just weeks after the group's near-blind "guru" Shoko Asahara was executed along with six other followers. While the high-profile case served as a warning over the dangers of cults, the executions are unlikely to end the allure of such groups in Japan, said Kimiaki Nishida, professor of social psychology at Tokyo's Rissho University. "We know that their followers didn't have a happy end," he told AFP. "But I'm afraid cults will continue to exist, since society cannot solve every problem, while cults offer the fantasy that they have the answers to everything." Aum successor groups have around 1,650 members in Japan, and hundreds more in Russia, according to Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency. It says the groups attract around 100 new followers a year through activities such as yoga and fortune-telling. Japanese have also flocked to religious sects that are considered cults in some parts of Europe but are tolerated in Japan, including the Soka Gakkai, which is based on Buddhism and has millions of members worldwide. Unlike some European countries, where groups ranging from the Church of Scientology to the Unification Church are considered "cults", Japan takes a relatively open view towards what are often simply called "newly emerged religions". "The biggest cult (in Japan) is the Unification Church," said Yoshiro Ito, an anti-cult lawyer. He estimates tens of thousands of Japanese may belong to the group founded by the late South Korean Sun Myung Moon, who is revered as a messiah by his followers. - Successors operate openly - Self-professed guru Asahara developed the Aum cult in the 1980s, attracting over 10,000 followers, including the doctors and engineers who manufactured the group's toxins. The chemical weapons were deployed to devastating effect twice -- in the Japanese city of Matsumoto in 1994, and then in the 1995 strike, targeting Tokyo's notoriously crowded subway system at rush hour. The attack, which also left thousands injured, prompted a crackdown on the Aum's headquarters, where authorities discovered a plant capable of producing enough sarin to kill millions. Escaped members of the cult and anti-cult activists had long warned about the Aum, but authorities had failed to act, and even after the sarin attack the group was not officially banned. Two successor cults, Aleph and Hikarinowa, continue to recruit members and operate openly, which some experts say makes it easier to monitor them. Aleph, which Asahara's wife and several children belong to, formally renounced the Aum guru in 2000. But he retained strong influence and some experts believe his execution may even boost his status. - Looking for meaning, warmth - Ito said Japan's complicated religious history had left many people unmoored from their faith and looking for answers. "State sponsorship of Shintoism, with the emperor serving as a living god, was forced upon people during wartime. The US occupation forces broke it up," he said. "Suddenly people didn't know what to believe." Buddhism and Shintoism are the two major religions in Japan, but the faiths are falling out of favour. "You used to have altars and home shrines in households, where you could feel you were connected to your ancestors," said Kenji Kawashima, professor of contemporary thought and philosophy at Tohoku Gakuin University. "New religions have made inroads where traditions have been lost. Among them are radical ones, which are cults." A focus in Japan on economic success, and immense pressure on young people, also increases the allure of fringe religious groups, Ito said. "These youngsters are looking for warm hearts somewhere." With little sign that cult membership is falling, experts warn careful monitoring is needed. "Cults have their exterior, and their hidden faces," said Kawashima. "We should listen closely to the voices of followers who have left cults. If we had done that, we could have prevented the Aum's crimes." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's government currently holds a wafer-thin parliamentary majority of just one seat Australia's conservative government is hoping to increase its wafer-thin majority in parliament in "Super Saturday" by-elections that are being billed as a key test of leadership ahead of looming national polls. Five seats are up for grabs after a string of forced resignations in the opposition Labor party after the High Court reaffirmed an obscure provision in the country's 1901 constitution that bars dual citizens from serving in federal parliament. Picking up just one seat will double Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's parliamentary majority to two. Two of the five are considered Labor strongholds while another looks likely to remain with the independent Centre Alliance. The other two are on a knife-edge, according to opinion polls, with all eyes on the outcomes of Labor-held Longman in Queensland state and Braddon in Tasmania state. If this happens, it would be the first time a government has won a seat from the opposition at a by-election in almost a century. With national elections due by May next year, it would be a shot in the arm for Turnbull, whose government continues to trail Labor in opinion polls, although the deficit has been narrowing. "By-elections are a test of policies, they are a test of leaders, they are a test of candidates," Turnbull said on the campaign trail in Braddon. Pundits have speculated that a strong showing by the government could see national elections brought forward and held this year, but Turnbull insisted Friday it will be business-as-usual regardless of the outcome. "The election will not be held this year, the general election, it'll be held next year. First half of next year," he said. The stakes are high for Labor leader Bill Shorten, with the so-called Super Saturday by-elections widely seen as a test of his leadership credentials. Shorten's personal popularity has been waning with ambitious frontbencher Anthony Albanese tipped as a possible replacement if seats are lost. Turnbull has framed the weekend polls as a referendum on the government's "jobs and growth" agenda while Labor is campaigning on better health funding. "What I would like voters to think about as they go to the polling booths on Saturday, is whether or not they want more of the same from Malcolm Turnbull's government, or whether or not they want to see a better government and more improvement," said Shorten. "Whether or not they want to put hospitals before banks. Pensioners before multi-millionaires. Schools before tax cuts for the top end of town." Donald Trump, seen here at a 2016 CNN town hall with host Anderson Cooper, has not granted CNN an interview since he took office Donald Trump has been at frequent loggerheads with CNN since taking office, but their feud has become increasingly bitter as the channel's acerbic White House coverage fuels a boom in viewers. From reportedly raging that CNN was on the first lady's television set, to refusing to take questions from the network, to the White House barring one of its reporters from a press event: the Trump-CNN relationship is toxic. "Donald Trump is doing what conservative politicians have been doing for a long time but which he is taking to a new level -- to use the press as a punching bag, and this plays very well with the conservative base," said Robert Jensen, who is retiring this fall as journalism professor at the University of Texas. CNN's stated commitment to uncovering the truth, its household-name status and robust coverage of crises in the administration, broadcasting damaging headlines around the clock, have been a huge thorn in the president's side. Fact-based reporting aside, eyebrows have been raised over the subjective nature of some of the commentary from its anchors, celebrities in their own right with a powerful following and multi-million-dollar contracts. Earlier this month, Anderson Cooper called Trump's press conference with Vladimir Putin "perhaps one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president." In January, his colleague Don Lemon called Trump a "racist." "I think such comments by news people -- as distinguished from commentators -- are a mistake," says Paul Janensch, a former newspaper editor who taught journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. "If I were running CNN, I would tell the news professionals to stick to the facts and avoid making disparaging comments about Trump," he told AFP. - 'Crazy' - The network has recently promoted to prime-time Chris Cuomo, brother of Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the anchor who this week broadcast a taped conversation involving Trump and his former personal lawyer. "There is that sense that CNN could be being watched by people who may be more undecided, still open to having their opinions and ideas shaped by the reporting," says Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture. CNN's Kaitlan Collins, seen here in 2017, was barred from attending an event with the president by the White House "It's still kind of doing the old- fashioned notion of reporter with some kind of objectivity... and I think that drives the president absolutely crazy," added Thompson, from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. The Republican leader has long had a contentious relationship with the media, branding mainstream outlets an "enemy of the American People" and dismissing unfavorable coverage as "Fake News". But while Trump has railed against The New York Times, he has continued to speak to its reporters. He has not granted CNN an interview since he took office. "CNN is fake news, I don't take questions from CNN," the president snapped during a press conference in Britain earlier this month. The Times reported that Trump "raged" at staff after his wife Melania's television on board Air Force One was tuned to CNN, not Fox. - Profile rising - On Wednesday, the White House barred a CNN reporter from attending an event with the president, allegedly for asking "inappropriate" questions that officials objected to earlier in the day. Yet others see no rational explanation for the extent of the president's ire. CNN is only the third-most watched cable news network, lagging behind Trump favorite, Fox News in first place and MSNBC, a bastion of liberal opposition. CNN president Jeff Zucker was previously at NBC Universal, the man who green-lighted reality show "The Apprentice" that turned Trump into a household name, ultimately paving the way for his successful run as president. In the summer of 2015, when Trump announced his candidacy ran for president, CNN was criticized for airing his early rallies in full and unedited, as the New York real-estate tycoon leap-frogged to the front of a crowded Republican field. Yet CNN, like other US media, has received a shot in the arm by the Trump administration. According to Nielsen data, the channel has just closed out its third-best second quarter since 1996. "If anything, his CNN obsession is increasing CNN's profile," says Edward Burmila, who teaches political science at Bradley University in Illinois. "Any media outlet attracting that much anger from the White House is likely to gain something in terms of reputation in the industry." But whether CNN succeeds in treading a middle ground depends on who you ask, he told AFP. "Liberals tend to think CNN is bland and inoffensive. Conservatives think it's communist propaganda." So much time, so many tears: Jerusalem Aregay, right, and her sister Lewam, far left, are reunited with their relatives in Eritrea after an 18-year break When Jerusalem Aregay fled Eritrea in 2001, she was sure she would never again see her friends, her uncles and the aunt who had raised her like a daughter. Yet escape was her only option. Eritrea was locked in a tense standoff with Ethiopia. And after two years of fighting on their border, the people of the capital Asmara had grown hostile to Ethiopians like her. So she fled south to a country that was technically her own but that she had never called home. She believed she was saying goodbye forever to everything and everyone in Eritrea that she had loved. Seventeen years later, she stepped off an Ethiopian Airlines flight in Asmara and into the arms of her aunt. "We are so happy. Thank God!" Jerusalem told AFP shortly after she was reunited with her relative Tinseu Nigusse. The extraordinary reunion was made possible by the stunning thaw in relations between the two countries who have called off their decades-long conflict. The resumption of flights between Asmara and the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa has brought families separated by the war back together in emotional scenes. Day after day at Asmara's airport, a crowd has gathered, waiting for relatives that have not been seen in years. Similar scenes have played out at Addis Ababa's airport. At the sight of their loved ones, men and women dressed in their finest suits and dresses have rushed forward, sobbing and embracing family members separated by war. For some, the reunions came just in time. "I'm so happy to see her. It's been 20 years," Girmay Solomon said after he was reunited with his 87-year-old mother Lemlem Kahsai. - 'We didn't have any space to live' - Girmay, an Ethiopian, had only met his frail mother in Khartoum once since they were separated -- but the rapprochement has brought them together again, perhaps for the final time. Asmara airport has unleashed a river of joyful tears. Here, Azmera and Danait Addisalem are reunited with their father, an Ethiopian journalist, for the first time in 20 years "I'll take him to Mareba," said Lemlem of her village in the country's south. Eritreans remained closely linked to Ethiopia even after they voted in 1993 to become an independent country following a decades-long liberation struggle. But after a border dispute erupted into two years of devastating war in 1998, the countries were driven apart. The estrangement worsened after Ethiopia rejected a 2002 United Nations ruling meant to demarcate the frontier with Eritrea. During pauses in the brutal trench warfare, both countries deported thousands of each others' citizens. Eritrea's years as a province of Ethiopia meant many families had members of both nationalities and the deportations tore households apart. Born in Eritrea, Jerusalem was an Ethiopian citizen through her parents, but after their death her aunt Tinseu, an Eritrean, raised her. By 2001, Asmara was a hostile place for people like her. A peace treaty had ended the border fighting a year earlier, but Ethiopians and Eritreans had stopped socialising at school, she said. Every six months, the Eritrean government would force Ethiopians who had not been deported to pay a steep fee to renew their residency permits. "We didn't have any space to live," she said. - 'It was so difficult' - The decision to leave was not easy, but eventually, it became the only choice. With the help of the UN, Jerusalem crossed the border with her little sister Lewan Aregay and reached a refugee camp in northern Ethiopia. Two weeks later, she was in Addis Ababa, where she could not even speak the national language Amharic. "It was so difficult for us. We didn't know the environment, we didn't know the society," said Jerusalem, who eventually found work as a technician at a television station. For years, little changed along the tense frontier between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Troops remained in their trenches and separated families remained apart. Jerusalem stayed in touch with her aunt using social media. Some relatives met up in Dubai or the Sudanese capital Khartoum, countries that had flights to both Eritrea and Ethiopia. And then, on April 2, 2018, everything changed. Abiy Ahmed took office as Ethiopia's prime minister after the surprise resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn. Two months after coming to power, Abiy announced his government would respect the UN's border demarcation. Within weeks, he travelled to Asmara and welcomed Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Addis Ababa, paving the way for the end of the conflict. The resumption of direct flights followed, and with it the opportunity for Jerusalem to reunite with the people she loved. "I didn't think I'd see my aunt, my uncles and my friends again," Jerusalem said, smiling beside her aunt in a modest Asmara villa where they sat together, making up for lost time. The North's self-proclaimed victory has long constitued a key plank of the Kim dynasty's right to rule In mist-covered hills, North Korean soldiers, sailors and civilians gathered Friday at a heroes' cemetery to commemorate their brothers in arms on the anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Hostilities between the US-led United Nations forces and the North Koreans and their Chinese allies ceased 65 years ago with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically still in a state of conflict. The two sides had fought each other to a standstill after the North invaded the South, Seoul had changed hands four times, millions were dead and Korea was a divided, war-ravaged ruin but the North's self-proclaimed victory has long constituted a key plank of the Kim dynasty's claim to legitimacy. Platoon by platoon, units gathered at the graveyard on the outskirts of Pyongyang dominated by a towering sculpture of a rifle muzzle and bayonet, adorned with the medal of a Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. They laid flowers before an oversized granite coffin, draped in a metal flag and topped with a submachine gun and cap. An announcer intoned: "Let us bow before the martyrs who took part in the Great Fatherland Liberation War" -- Pyongyang's name for the conflict -- before the troops doffed caps and bowed. The rows of graves at the heroes' cemetery are arranged chronologically, by time of death According to Pyongyang's histories, the first of the cemetery's occupants to die, Jang Thae Hwa, 22, blocked a pillbox opening with his chest one day after the war began in 1950 so that his unit could advance. And they say Ri Hyon Jun, 20, the last soldier killed in the conflict to be laid to rest at the site, was a ground gunner who earned the Hero of the DPRK title for shooting down four enemy aircraft, only to die in a later engagement just five days before the fighting ended. Ceremonies complete, the soldiers strolled between the rows of graves, arranged chronologically in order of date of death. At the same time on the other side of the country, remains believed to be those of American servicemen killed in the war were being loaded onto a US aircraft for transportation to the South, in the first stage of their final journey home. - 'Shining victory' - Relations between nuclear-armed Pyongyang and Washington have undergone an astonishing turnaround in recent months. After exchanging personal insults and threats of war last year as tensions mounted, the North's leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands at an unprecedented summit in Singapore last month. The return of the US remains was part of their agreement. But whether the North is willing to give up the nuclear arsenal which it has spent decades developing, and at a cost of multiple sets of UN Security Council sanctions, remains unclear. At the same time on the other side of the country, remains believed to be those of American servicemen killed in the war were being loaded onto a US aircraft In the Singapore statement Kim pledged to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a vague term open to interpretation on both sides, and there have been no subsequent confirmed moves by Pyongyang -- which has condemned US demands for its unilateral disarmament as "gangster-like". But it is looking to develop its impoverished economy and authorities are seeking to ensure that the newfound bonhomie endures. Unlike previous commemorations, AFP was not allowed to interview participants at the cemetery, nor at Mansu hill, where attendees laid flowers before the giant statues of Kim's predecessors, his father and grandfather Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, that look out over Pyongyang. The same restriction applied when 12,000 citizens gathered to perform choreographed mass dances on Kim Il Sung Square. Diplomats in the capital say that meetings with government officials are even harder to secure than usual. And propaganda posters focus on the heroism of the North's troops, rather than condemning -- or even naming -- the enemy. The North's official KCNA news agency made no mention of the US Friday, while the ruling party's Rodong Sinmun newspaper lauded "the gifted military wisdom and outstanding leadership of Kim Il Sung" and the "single-minded unity of the army and people". It was a marked contrast to last year's anniversary, when state media repeatedly referred to "the US imperialist aggressors" and newspapers proclaimed that the North would inevitably triumph over its longstanding enemy. "Still not coming to its senses, the US is persisting in the hopeless confrontation with the DPRK, plunging itself deeper into the abyss of ruin," read a commentary widely carried on July 27, 2017. The following day Pyongyang carried out its second launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai spent 168 days on the International Space Station Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai came back to earth last month but is still dreaming of space, especially after the discovery of an underground lake brought mankind one step closer to unravelling the mystery of life on Mars. "I was so excited about the news," the 41-year-old doctor told AFP in an interview on Friday, calling it "a major discovery that inspires dreams". International astronomers announced Wednesday they had detected the largest body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet, a breakthrough that may hold clues to whether life has ever formed on Mars -- or even exists today. Kanai, who spent 168 days on the International Space Station, is firmly convinced that we're not alone in the universe and there is life out there. International astronomers announced Wednesday they had detected the largest body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet "I believe there is," he said. "In the vast universe, anything could be possible." "I have high hopes that finding extraterrestrial life forms could open a new page in learning." The soft-spoken spaceman, nicknamed "Nemo" for his background as a diving medical officer in Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, blasted into space for the first time in December. - Growing pains - Following in the footsteps of other media-savvy astronauts, Kanai tweeted about his stay at the space station in Japanese. Kanai blasted into space for the first time in December But his social media foray came with some growing pains: he was forced to apologise and issue a correction after mistakenly claiming he had grown by nine centimetres just weeks after he arrived. When a colleague suggested the growth was unlikely, despite the fact that astronauts' spines do extend in the zero-gravity environment of space, Norishige had himself remeasured. It turned out a mix-up over centimetres and inches was to blame, and he said Friday that he had in fact grown by just two to three centimetres during his stay. Kanai was forced to apologise and issue a correction after mistakenly claiming he had grown by nine centimetres just weeks into his stay He has been shrinking since he arrived back on Earth on June 3, but is still one centimetre taller, he said. "It's interesting to see how long it will take to get back to my original height." Kanai, whose Twitter profile depicts him in cartoon form with a broad grin, concedes he wasn't always the likeliest candidate to join Japan's space agency JAXA, though he is now the agency's youngest astronaut. He was a "reserved, cautious" boy, rather than adventurous. "I was a granny's boy," he said. "When she was sewing, we did it together. I had a rather 'girlie' childhood." No caption But one of the skills he picked up as a child turned out to have a surprising application during the strict JAXA screening process. In the final selection stage, 10 candidates spend a week in a capsule performing various tasks including folding paper cranes, which the agency says tests patience and steadiness under stress. Luckily Kanai was a dab hand at origami from his childhood. - Space for all - "I don't know if it gave me an advantage... but I knew how to do it. I'm dexterous and like to do repetitive small tasks. That task was easy for me," he said. While Kanai (background) now belongs to an elite group of astronaut alumni, he is eager to see space become more accessible Even as he spoke, he deftly folded a piece of origami paper into a crane, without so much as leaning on a table for support. He so enjoyed making small cranes that he folded more than 100 of them in the test capsule. While Kanai now belongs to an elite group of astronaut alumni, he is eager to see space become more accessible. "I think space is not only for astronauts and space-related corporations but is for everyone," he said. "I welcome the idea of 'enjoyable' space or interesting ideas of private companies to use space." The soft-spoken spaceman says he had mixed emotions as he headed back to Earth last month He doesn't yet know if he'll be chosen for new missions, and admits that he had mixed emotions as he headed back to Earth last month. "I felt sorry that it was ending. But I was also happy that I was finally going back to Japan, because six months is a long time. "I had complex, half-happy, half-sad feelings." Israeli security forces at the Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank on July 26, 2018, after a stabbing attack Israel is to build hundreds of new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis, one fatally, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Friday. "The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements," Lieberman wrote on Twitter, announcing 400 new housing units in the Adam settlement north of Jerusalem a day after the deadly stabbing. The teenage attacker snuck into the settlement on Thursday evening, the Israeli army said, stabbing three people before being shot dead. The army named the man who died as Yotam Ovadia, 31, with Israeli media saying he had two young children. The attacker was later identified by official Palestinian media as Mohammed Dar Youssef, 17, from the village of Kobar. The army said Friday it had raided the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid on Friday morning, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas, an AFP journalist reported. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said three people were arrested. The attack came after a period of relative calm in the West Bank, although there has been recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip in which at least 154 Palestinians have been killed since late March. In a statement, Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas praised the "courageous operation" in the West Bank without claiming responsibility for it. "The West Bank is ready and able to avenge the blood of the martyrs," it said. All Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal by the international community. Syrian Democratic Forces commander Rojda Felat celebrates the October 2017 capture of the Islamic State group's notorious de facto Syrian capital Raqa A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control most of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority in the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syrian to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and in late May President Bashar al-Assad threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. Kotey (R) and Sheikh (L) were part of a four-member kidnapping gang within the Islamic State group dubbed "The Beatles" by their captives due to their heavy British accents Britain has suspended cooperation with the United States over two Islamic State terror suspects, the government announced Friday, following concerns that they could face the death penalty. Britain said Monday it was sharing intelligence to help the United States bring to trial two fighters captured in Syria, who were part of a group of British jihadists nicknamed the "Beatles". But Home Secretary Sajid Javid, the interior minister, faced intense criticism after agreeing to share intelligence without seeking assurances the men would not face execution if they were extradited. The Home Office said it had agreed to a "short-term pause" of the mutual legal assistance process with the US over Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. "We received a request from the legal representative of the family of one of the suspects to pause the MLA response," a spokesman said. "We have agreed to a short-term pause. The government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the government's longstanding MLA policy." On Monday, Security Minister Ben Wallace told MPs that a British trial was unlikely for the pair, who were seized earlier this year by US-backed Syrian forces. He also said the pair were not British citizens, without giving further details. News reports had said that the government had unusually stripped them of their nationality. Kotey and Sheikh were part of a four-member kidnapping gang within the Islamic State group dubbed "The Beatles" by their captives due to their heavy British accents. The cell is also believed to have included Mohammed Emwazi -- known as "Jihadi John" -- who was killed in an air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey. They were notorious for videotaping beheadings and are believed to have killed US journalist James Foley and many Western aid workers. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces caught Kotey in January as he tried to flee Syria for Turkey, while a US defence official said in February that Sheikh had also been captured by Syrian rebel forces. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) JOHANNESBURG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday that China is willing to consolidate and develop a closer development partnership with India. Xi made the remarks while meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is their third meeting in three months. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilizing the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," he said. Xi said the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in China's central city of Wuhan in April. The Chinese leader called on the two sides to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders at the Wuhan meeting. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences. Both China and India are countries of ancient civilizations, and have made important contributions to the advancement of human civilization, said Xi. Today, as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order. Modi said he and Xi had met three times in three months, and that can fully display the two countries enjoy a high-level bilateral relationship. The Wuhan meeting is of milestone significance in the history of India-China relations, which has greatly increased their mutual trust, and will bring new impetus and opportunities to the long-term development of bilateral relations, he said. The Indian side is ready to keep close dialogue and communication with the Chinese side, deepen cooperation in various fields, properly address differences, strengthen cooperation within a multilateral framework, and jointly handle such challenges facing developing countries and emerging market countries as protectionism and global market fluctuations to advance their closer development partnership, Modi said. 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Heavy monsoon rains have pounded the southeast of the country and show no sign of abating, raising fears that the worst might be yet to come Floodwaters have forced thousands from their homes in southeast Myanmar, local police said Friday, as authorities and volunteers scrambled to provide food and aid to the victims. Heavy monsoon rains have pounded Karen state, Mon state and Bago region in recent days and show no sign of abating, raising fears that the worst might be yet to come. Photos and videos showed residents of Karen's state capital Hpa-an boating down streets that had turned into rivers while others were forced to escape on foot through waist-deep water. Vast swathes of the surrounding land lay submerged while 11 temporary camps have been set up around the city. "There are more than 6,000 people displaced in Hpa-an and about 4,000 in Myawaddy," the head of Karen state police force Kyi Linn told AFP, referring to a second town on the border with Thailand. A social welfare ministry official previously said 16,000 people had been displaced across eight townships in Karen state. The number affected in Mon state and Bago region has not yet been confirmed. "The children's school has closed," said Khin San Win, who fled her home which was thigh-deep in water for a shelter in Hpa-an along with her sick husband and their three children. "We're being given food but we aren't able to pay for anything else as we can't work." State-run media published pictures on Friday of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi visiting Karen state the day before, talking to victims, relief workers and volunteers. The Global New Light Of Myanmar said her government had freed up 200 million kyat ($140,000) to help those displaced and that rebuilding destroyed bridges would be a priority. "We are now delivering food to flood victims who don't want to leave their homes," said volunteer Ni Ni Aung in Kyonedoe town, adding they would have no choice but to leave if the rains worsened. So far no casualties have been reported. Like its neighbours, Myanmar faces severe flooding every year and climate scientists in 2015 even ranked it top of a global list of nations hardest hit by extreme weather. That year more than 100 people died in floods that also displaced hundreds of thousands across the country. Some 138,000 people were killed in 2008 when Cyclone Nargis lashed vast stretches of Myanmar's coast. No caption Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has overseen the reunification of two feuding wings of the one of the world's oldest Christian churches, his top aide said Friday. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church split in 1991 over the naming of a new patriarch after the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) removed the Derg military junta from power. Dissidents founded a breakaway church based in the United States under the exiled former patriarch, after leading church officials claimed that ousting him violated rules that say the role is held for life. Talks between the two synods have been going on for years. Abiy, a reformist new premier, is credited with speeding up the peace process, which culminated on Thursday in his maiden visit to the United States. Abiy oversaw a reunification ceremony in Washington, attended by priests in flowing black and red robes, state media reported. "After significant mediation efforts, PM Abiy witnessed in DC the reunification of the 2 Synods of the #Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The 2 Synods are reunited into one Holy Synod after 27 years," his chief of staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter. Further details of the reunification and how it would work in practice were not immediately available. Tracing its roots back to the fourth century, the Orthodox church is Ethiopia's largest, gathering 38 million people, according to the World Council of Churches. The country is also home to a Muslim minority and a growing protestant population that includes the prime minister. "Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed said it is impossible to think of Ethiopia without taking note of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which he said, is both great and sacred," the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said. "While noting that the reconciliation event marks a historic jump, the Prime Minister emphasised that this has been something overdue," the broadcaster said. It added: "The unification and reconciliation committee extended its deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed for his significant efforts during the reconciliation process." Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has prioritised reconciliation between dissidents and the EPRDF, which has held power unopposed for 27 years. He has released numerous jailed dissidents from Ethiopian jails, and sometimes met them personally upon their release. Earlier this week, he called for "multi-party democracy," a stunning shift for the EPRDF which has been in power continuously since 1991 and holds every seat in parliament together with its allies. He has also opened the doors to historic reconciliation with neighbouring Eritrea The visit to the US is set to be something of a charm offensive for Abiy. After his arrival in Washington, Reuben E. Brigety II, a former American ambassador to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, tweeted a photo showing the prime minister smiling and holding hands with a lone protester who greeted him outside the Ethiopian embassy. He is also visiting diaspora communities in Los Angeles and the state of Minnesota in a visit the Ethiopian government has titled "Tear down barriers, and build bridges!" Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live in the US, among them numerous journalists and politicians who have fallen out with the EPRDF. The 22nd International AIDS Conference is taking place in Amsterdam Scientists and activists warned Friday that anti-abortion conditions attached to US aid under the Donald Trump administration threatened programmes to halt the spread of HIV. Stipulations approved in Washington in May last year deny US aid to organisations which provide abortion information, referrals, or services -- even with their own money. This includes grants from PEPFAR, the programme set up under former president George W Bush in 2003 and now a major funder of HIV testing, counselling and treatment worldwide. New rules under the policy dubbed "Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance" denies funding even to organisations that advocate for abortion services, International AIDS Society (IAS) president-elect Anton Pozniak said in Amsterdam. Formerly known as the Mexico City policy, but commonly called the "global gag rule", the conditions already applied to family planning clinics in the US. "Now, under the Trump administration, it applies to almost all US global health bilateral assistance, including PEPFAR," Pozniak told journalists on the final day of the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. "The reach of this policy has been greatly expanded, and has the potential to roll back progress on HIV." The provisions mean that clinics which provide services such as HIV testing and family planning, must rescind US funding if they also provide abortion services, counselling or even referrals. - It will be too late - Jennifer Kates of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research NGO, said the altered policy "will likely affect hundreds of recipients" of US funding. It is too early to quantify the effects. "Some of the greatest harms of the global gag rule will not be measurable... until it's too late to reverse course," said Chloe Cooney of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Clinics have already started to cut staff, some closing altogether, said Tikhala Itaye of the "Global She Decides Movement", an activist group for women's rights. "Some of the girls accessing family planning services or contraception now cannot have those services," she said. Activists at the conference cited the global gag rule as one of many reasons for insisting that the IAS reconsiders its decision to host the next AIDS conference in San Francisco. "No AIDS conference in Trump's America," said a coalition calling itself AIDS 2020 for All. "The US government bans the entry of sex workers and people who use drugs, has criminalised immigrants and detained activists at airports, has denied HIV care to people in prison and immigrant detention centres," it charged in a statement. But Pozniak said the IAS was "committed to moving forward." "We've had conferences in many places of the world where there are issues," he said. No caption Two years ago, a black Zimbabwean farmer saw a white farmer thrown off land by a violent mob. Now the two work together in a partnership that they say could be a model to save the country's ruined agricultural sector. Pieter Gertenbach, a fourth-generation white Zimbabwean, was evicted twice -- once in 2004 from his family farm and again in 2016 when he was working on a farm in Arcturus, a fertile region in Mashonaland East province. Gary Shoko, a black Zimbabwean who bought land in Arcturus more than 20 years ago, had an idea. "Here was a neighbour who had just been kicked out of a farm and (I thought) maybe we can assist -- because I see an opportunity to collaborate," Shoko told AFP, sitting on his veranda at the 81-hectare (200-acre) farm. Gary Shoko, a farmer and former banker, threw Gertenbach a lifeline -- they believe their partnership is a template for farming in the post-Mugabe era "I said to him 'Why don't we work together? I have got land and you have got the skills. So we probably can both meet our aspirations.'" Last year, the pair registered a company in which they are equal partners and started growing vegetables, corn and wheat, as well as rearing chickens, currently employing 38 workers. Starting in 2000, thousands of white Zimbabwean farmers were forced off their land by violent state-backed mobs or evicted in dubious legal judgements, supposedly to help black people marginalised under British colonial rule. The farms, however, were often allocated to president Robert Mugabe's allies and fell into ruin, leaving tens of thousands of rural labourers out of work and sending the economy into a tailspin as food production crashed. - Brutal evictions - "Land reform per se, I have got no problem with," said Gertenbach, standing in front of crates of freshly-harvested tomatoes. "It was necessary (but) the way it was done -- I have my questions about that... we plummeted as a country. There were errors." After fleeing his family's farm when it was invaded in 2004, Gertenbach later found work on a thriving vegetable farm in Arcturus -- but that was seized in 2016 by a man who claimed he had government permission. Two minibus loads of people descended on the farm, brutally attacked the black farmworkers, and threw everyone off. Shoko and Gertenbach believe the sudden fall of Mugabe in November after 37 years in power offers new hope to Zimbabwe's once booming agriculture sector, which is key to reviving the country's moribund economy. Mugabe's successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a veteran of the ruling ZANU-PF party, has said he will not to reverse the land seizures. But he has vowed some compensation will be paid and said that white farmers should be encouraged to return to the land by renting rather than owning farms. "Invasions is a thing of the past. The rule of law must now apply," Mnangagwa told a group of white Zimbabweans invited to special pre-election address last weekend. Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF face a historic general election on Monday, taking on the main opposition MDC party led by Nelson Chamisa in Zimbabwe's first vote without Mugabe since the country's independence from Britain in 1980. - 'We need each other' - "When we started... it was not fashionable to go into partnership, particularly with white commercial farmers," said Shoko, 61, a former banker who is now bursar at a state university. "There was this animosity (but) I'm pleased that under the new dispensation we can be honest with each other and say 'Look, we need each other, we belong together -- whites and blacks'. "I'm aware that there are a lot of people like me who may not have that depth of experience that you require to be able to optimally utilise land." Their joint project has not been easy. A farm worker feeds chickens at Sangill Ventures -- the farm is betting on diversified products The farm lost much of its cabbage crop in floods earlier this year and they are urgently seeking finance as they struggle to pay salaries to workers, some of whom came with Gertenbach from the previous farm. The two partners say the government is encouraging others to follow their lead, and add that their shared Christian faith helps them to bridge the many sensitive racial and historical divides brought up by the issue of land in Zimbabwe. "I believe God let it happened, so we can start seeing how we must work together and not work for our own benefit only," said Gertenbach, 63, who says many white farmers had turned their properties into "little kingdoms". "There was no respect for fellow people. We have got to change our attitude towards each other, we must respect each other for who we are." Syrian Democratic Forces commander Rojda Felat celebrates the October 2017 capture of the Islamic State group's notorious de facto Syrian capital Raqa A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control some 90 percent of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority over much of the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". - Western ally - The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces, trained by the US-led coalition, take part in a graduation ceremony in the suburbs of the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, on May 21, 2018 It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State (IS) group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF, whose Kurdish units have pulled back. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. - Cultural rights - Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and President Bashar al-Assad in late May threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. The SDF backs a federal Syria made up of autonomous cantons in the various regions, including the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh and Kobane. It has already set up cantonal administrations in areas under its control which raise their own revenues and operate their own police and other services. Syrian Kurds carry Kurdish flags and portrarits of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan during a rally in the nouthern town of Jawadiyah on January 18, 2018 In a first for Syria, the SDF runs Kurdish-medium schools, although it also recognises the rights of other linguistic groups, including the Assyrian Christians. A Kurdish lawmaker who sits in the national parliament in Damascus said the talks with the SDF would focus on confining its ambitions to the cultural sphere with central government control restored in areas under its control. Damascus wanted the SDF to "facilitate the entry of the Syrian army and the return of state institutions into Kurdish-majority areas east of the Euphrates", lawmaker Omar Usi said. In return, it was offering "constitutional recognition for the Kurdish community and its cultural rights." Usi alleged that some in the SDF had grown wary of their US backers after Turkey seized Afrin. But the return of Syrian state control would still be a tough pill for the SDF to swallow as it continues to take losses in fighting with IS in desert areas close to the Iraqi border. The alliance has implemented much of the leftist ideology of its main Kurdish component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), including strict equality for women in all public offices. The Kurdish flag and images of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan are ubiquitous in SDF-held areas. Zuma is one of the rare former African leaders to be facing trial South Africas former president Jacob Zuma appeared in court Friday over a $2.5-billion (2.15-billion-euro) corruption case linked to a 1990s arms deal, but the judge adjourned the case until the end of November. Zuma, who was forced to resign in February, has been charged with 16 counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to an arms deal before he took office. Judge Mjabuliseni Madondo of the Pietermaritzburg High Court said the defence should have adequate time to prepare an application for a permanent stay of the proceedings and set the next hearing for November 30. Zuma, 76, is one of the rare former African leaders facing trial after his ousting. The ruling ANC party stalwart has made two earlier appearances in the court, located in his homeland in KwaZulu-Natal province where he commands huge support, but this was his first court hearing with a new legal team. "We will deal with this matter. Give us an opportunity to have a proper case," his new lawyer Michael Hellens said. Zuma is accused of taking bribes from French arms company Thales during his time as a provincial economy minister and later as deputy ANC president. He allegedly pocketed around four million rand ($340,000, 280,000 euros) from 783 payments handled by Schabir Shaik, a businessman who acted as his financial adviser. On Friday, the French firm said it had no knowledge of any transgressions by any of its employees. The company said it believed it "cannot obtain a fair trial" in South Africa owing to the lengthy judicial process which began in 2006 and other factors. "Thales intends to consider all legal options available to it under South African law in order to present its defence," it said. Judge Madondo delivered a stern reminder to Zuma, saying he should not think of shunning future court proceedings. "I'm sure you know what will follow if you don't attend court," he said. A separate inquiry into the Zuma government's alleged corrupt dealings with the Gupta business family will begin on August 20, the inquiry head announced Friday. Zuma's successor as president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has vowed to crack down on government corruption, which he has admitted was a serious problem. The truckers are pressing for cuts in fuel taxes and highway tolls Indian carmakers Friday said they faced an "unprecedented crisis" due to an ongoing strike by truckers which has caused parts shortages and hit exports. The All India Motor Transport Congress called the strike to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to reduce taxes on fuel, roll back higher insurance premiums and cut highway tolls. The truck drivers' union says hundreds of thousands of members are backing the campaign which has seen vehicles stranded at borders and fears that food prices could rise because of shortages. Media reports said many Indian industrial giants and suppliers of essential food commodities were suffering growing disruption. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said its members, including Tata Motors and the Indian operations of Ford and Skoda, faced an "unprecedented crisis" because of parts shortages due to the week-long strike. SIAM deputy director general Sugato Sen said in a statement that consignments were stuck on roads across India. "Even the exports have taken a hit, resulting in losses for most of our members, who are unable to fulfil their export commitments," Sen said. Industrialised states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu which have key textile, pharmaceutical, chemical and ceramic industries have also seen disruptions. Experts said that while essential food items had so far avoided problems because of local supplies, prices would soon start rising if the strike goes on. On the Indian frontier with Pakistan, Amarjeet Singh Chinda and about 350 other drivers joined the strike earlier in the week, largely halting the limited cross-border trade between the arch-rivals. "Other associations have been on a strike since July 20 but we only joined three days ago after others insisted that we show solidarity with a common cause against the government," Chinda, president of the Attari border truck operators association, told AFP. The association's drivers mostly transport dried fruit, dates, cement and gypsum from Pakistan. These are collected at the Attari crossing in Punjab state, the only place where goods can go between the two countries. Michael Cohen has claimed, according to US media, that Donald Trump knew in advance of a 2016 meeting with Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton President Donald Trump denied Friday that he knew in advance about a meeting during the 2016 election campaign at which Russians promised to share dirt on his rival Hillary Clinton -- shooting back at an explosive allegation by his longtime lawyer. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, son Donald Jr, and top campaign official Paul Manafort met at Trump Tower in New York on June 9, 2016 with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who had said she was offering information from the Russian government aimed at helping Trump to victory. The US president has repeatedly denied all knowledge of the encounter, but according to television networks CNN and NBC, his former lawyer Michael Cohen says Donald Jr told his father about the Russian offer and that Trump approved. "I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr," the president countered in a tweet early Friday. "Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam," Trump said. The assertion from Cohen, who is under federal investigation in New York, is potentially important. If substantiated, it could be a key step toward proving collusion between the Trump campaign and a Russian effort to help Trump win the presidency -- a central focus of a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller. CNN and NBC News reported that Cohen was willing to attest what he knows to Mueller, but CNN said the long-time Trump fixer does not have evidence, such as audio recordings, to corroborate his claim. Trump's new personal lawyer, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, told CNN that Cohen had "been lying for years" and rubbished his credibility. - 'Love it' - The president, his son, his lawyers and other administration officials have repeatedly said Trump did not know about the meeting. Coming days after Cohen's lawyer leaked a taped conversation between his client and Trump, there is growing speculation that Cohen may be keen to cooperate with prosecutors, and how much damage he can inflict on his former boss. The Trump Tower meeting was arranged by British music promoter, Rob Goldstone, who told Trump Jr that he had "information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father." Donald Trump Jr is seen in December 2016 as he walks around Trump Tower in New York Trump Jr responded "I love it" when first offered the "dirt" on Clinton, the Democratic nominee. News of the meeting broke in July 2017. The president's son has said since that no "meaningful information" was offered and that the meeting focused mostly on adoptions of Russian children. Mueller has already indicted more than 30 people, including 12 Russian intelligence agents earlier this month for allegedly hacking Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party. The New York Times has reported that Mueller is investigating whether Trump's tweets about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former FBI director James Comey constitute an attempt to obstruct justice. Manafort has been the first former Trump campaign aide jailed. A US federal judge last month revoked his bail over claims he was tampering with witnesses, as he awaits trial on money laundering, tax and bank fraud charges. Trump, who is accused at home of being too pliant toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, insists no president has been as "tough" on Russia and denies any collusion between his campaign and Moscow. - Three more women - The White House said Friday that Trump was "open" to visiting Moscow after Putin said in South Africa that he had invited the US leader to the Russian capital and was ready to meet him also in Washington. Later Friday, Trump is to gather his National Security Council for a meeting on election security, as US intelligence chiefs warn Russia will seek to meddle again in the November midterm polls. Earlier this week, Cohen's lawyer leaked to CNN a taped conversation between the former lawyer and Trump, and told ABC News that his client had "more tapes." On the leaked recording, Trump and Cohen discuss buying the rights to a story that Playboy model Karen McDougal had an affair with Trump in 2006. The conversation was taped two months before the election, despite Trump's campaign subsequently denying any knowledge of the deal. The payment would have essentially reimbursed the parent company of the National Enquirer which bought the rights to her story for $150,000. No evidence has yet emerged publicly that the Trump-Cohen payment was made. Cohen is under investigation for his business dealings and reportedly whether a $130,000 hush payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, just days before the election, violated campaign finance laws. On Friday, Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said he was representing three additional women who also allegedly made payments to conceal affairs with Trump. "All paid hush money through various means," he tweeted. He told reporters on Thursday that all three women were paid before the 2016 election. burs/jm/it President Donald Trump said the latest US growth figures were evidence that his economic policies are working President Donald Trump hailed the latest US growth statistics as an economic "miracle" Friday, saying the 4.1 percent quarterly growth rate was not a "one time shot." "As the trade deals come in one-by-one, we're going to go a lot higher," Trump predicted, seeing evidence that his economic policies are working. Amid concerns that a first quarter rise in US auto sales and increased foreign purchases of US exports may represent strategic buying before Trump-prompted sanctions bite, the salesman-in-chief insisted there were no clouds on the economic horizon. "These numbers are very, very sustainable. This isn't a one time shot," he said. Trump is looking to the humming economy to boost his Republican party's chances in tough congressional elections in November. Throughout an administration plagued by feuds, legal travails and scandal, the economy has been a rare bright spot. On Thursday, Trump visited Illinois and Iowa to tout his stewardship of the world's largest economy to farmers and steelworkers -- two groups that have supported him, but are feeling the bite of his policies. Republicans jumped on the figures as evidence that their tax cuts and deregulation drive were working. "This is exactly the type of growth we hoped for with our pro-growth economic policies," said Paul Ryan, the most senior Republican in Congress. The growth rate was the strongest it has been since the third quarter of 2014. "The key concern for some, though, is that it may not be sustainable given that export growth was likely juiced by pre-tariff activity," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. Khampheng Saysompheng (C), Lao Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, speaks at a press conference in Vientiane, Laos, July 26, 2018. Lao government officials said on Thursday that search has been continued for the 131 missing people after a dam collapsed on Monday in southern province of Attapeu and medical workers have been sent to temporary shelters to help villagers affected. (Xinhua/Li Sha) SANAMXAY, Laos, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Lao government officials said on Thursday that search has been continued for the 131 missing people after a dam collapsed on Monday in southern province of Attapeu and medical workers have been sent to temporary shelters to help villagers affected. Khampheng Saysompheng, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, told a press conference here that Lao government will offer convenience to rescue teams from China, Thailand and Vietnam, which are applying to aid. The dam that collapsed is part of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric power project which involves Laotian, Thai and South Korean corporations. Six villages in Sanamxay district of Attapeu suffered severely. Khampheng said the collapsed dam is located on a mountain saddle, 35 km away from the villages hit by the flood. He said the villages are at lower areas and massive water leaked from the collapsed dam caused great losses. The official said 3,060 people became homeless after the disaster and the affected areas are in need of tents, boats, among other necessities, while the private sector and foreign countries including China have offered help. Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath said his ministry has set up a committee to investigate the incident and to help villagers affected. He said the ministry has demanded all hydroelectric power projects across the country, both operational and under construction, to be cautious about the weather and report the situation to the government. Minister of Health Bounkong Syhavong said at the press conference that his ministry has dispatched officials and medical workers to all temporary shelters to check the health of villagers and to assure hygiene. Bounkong said the authorities are paying great attention to the prevention of malaria. Sanamxay district governor Bounhom Phommasane told Xinhua that since Wednesday, the water level in the disaster-hit areas has decreased, hampering rescue efforts by large boats. Authorities have been using smaller boats and sometimes entering by foot. He said until Thursday, the district could only confirm one death and 131 people missing, though Lao News Agency had reported earlier that 26 people were killed. 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Excavation of an open well in India's southern Karnataka state led to unearthing of rockets and shells that were stored by 18th-century Muslim warrior king Tipu Sultan Over a thousand rockets belonging to an 18th-century Muslim warrior king have been found by excavators in an abandoned well in India's southern Karnataka state, an official said Friday. The excavation of the open well in Shimoga district led to unearthing of rockets and shells that were stored by Tipu Sultan for use in wars, according to the state's assistant director of archaeology. The powerful ruler was killed in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in 1799 after a string of victories in battle against the British East India Company. He is credited with developing an early, indigenous rocket known as the Mysorean rocket, a prototype of British Congreve rockets used in the Napoleonic wars. "Excavation of the open well led to unearthing of over 1,000 corroded rockets that were stored during Tipu's times for use in wars," R. Shejeshwara Nayaka told AFP from the site, some 385 kilometres (240 miles) northwest of state capital Bangalore. "Digging of the dry well where its mud was smelling like gunpowder led to the discovery of the rockets and shells in a pile." It took three days for the 15-member team of archaeologists, excavators and labourers to unearth the armoury and the ammunition. The rockets, measuring between 23 and 26 centimetres (12-14 inches), would be kept for public display at a museum in Shimoga. According to archeological records, the fort area in Shimoga was a part of Tipu Sultan's kingdom and the rockets were used in the wars that the ruler fought against the East India Company. US President Donald Trump announed that Vice President Mike Pence would meet families of soldiers killed in the Korean war when their remains land back in the United States US President Donald Trump on Friday praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "keeping his word" and handing over the remains of more than 50 American servicemen. The US leader announced that Vice President Mike Pence would meet families of soldiers killed in the Korean war when the remains land back in the United States. "I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word," Trump said. At a June summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim agreed to "commit to recovering" the remains of US service members killed in the war of 1950-1953. That is something that US veteran's groups have long demanded. More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean peninsula during the war, with 7,700 of these US troops still listed as missing in action -- most of them in North Korea. As a C17 carrying the remains landed in South Korea on Thursday, the White House announced that a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1. North Korea has previously been accused -- most notably by the Japanese government -- of faking the remains of foreign citizens and using them as a bargaining chip. But with apparent North Korean commitments to quickly denuclearize faltering, the White House has welcomed the repatriation as evidence that the Trump-Kim summit was a success. "We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," said White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders. Leslie 'Les' Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS Corporation, is reportedly the subject of a New Yorker investigation into alleged sexual misconduct A bombshell article published in The New Yorker on Friday accused CBS chairman and chief executive, Leslie Moonves, of sexual misconduct stretching back decades and painted a broader picture of similar behavior within America's most watched television network. The article makes Moonves, a distinguished executive who transformed CBS into a ratings winner, one of the most powerful American men implicated in the #MeToo era that ignited last year after the career implosion of Harvey Weinstein. CBS announced that it had launched an investigation into the "recently reported" alleged misconduct. Reports about the story sent CBS shares tumbling more than six percent, hours before it was even published. Six women who had professional dealings with Moonves told the magazine that he sexually harassed them between the 1980s and late 2000s. Four described forcible touching or kissing during business meetings, and two said Moonves physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers, The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow reported. "I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely," Moonves said in a statement. The New Yorker said 30 current or former employees complained that such behavior extended from Moonves to important parts of the corporation, including CBS News and its flagship investigative program "60 Minutes." But his wife, Julie Chen, whom he married in 2004 and who is the host of "Big Brother" on CBS, said she fully supported her husband. "Leslie is a good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent and moral human being," she said on Twitter. - 'Part of the solution' - The New Yorker reported that during Moonves's tenure, men at CBS News who were accused of sexual misconduct were promoted, even as the company paid settlements to women with complaints. The magazine said 19 current and former employees accused Jeff Fager, the former chairman of CBS News and the current executive producer of "60 Minutes," of allowing harassment in the division. CBS suggested the article did not accurately reflect a company that "does its best to treat its tens of thousands of employees with dignity and respect." "We are seeing vigorous discourse in our country about equality, inclusion, and safety in the workplace, and CBS is committed to being part of the solution," it said in a statement. The corporation's board of directors had earlier issued a pre-emptive statement, saying that upon conclusion of its investigation, it would "promptly review the findings and take appropriate action." In November, CBS News sacked Charlie Rose, at the time one of America's most respected TV journalists, after eight women told The Washington Post he had made unwanted sexual advances. Farrow shared a Pulitzer Prize with The New York Times for his reporting on fallen Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, which galvanized the #MeToo movement to quash pervasive sexual harassment in showbiz and other industries. In May, another article he wrote forced the swift resignation of New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman, who was accused of physically assaulting four women. - Legal battle - It was not immediately clear what impact his latest expose would have on a legal battle for control of the US television giant -- between the Redstone family, which controls CBS, and the board, chaired by Moonves. Shari Redstone is a major shareholder of both CBS and Viacom, and is seeking to merge the two companies. Moonves opposes the deal. As chairman, Moonves oversees all operations of the company, which include the CBS Television Network, premium cable service Showtime and the Simon & Schuster publishing company. He joined CBS in 1995 from Warner Bros. Television, where his team developed hit shows such as "Friends" and "ER." At CBS, he launched primetime hits, such as "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Survivor" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." He was promoted to president and CEO of CBS Television in 1998, and became chairman in 2003. A one-time actor, he is father to four children. Chen is his second wife. Last year, CBS was the most watched network in the United States, although it dropped into third place, behind NBC and Fox for adults aged 18-49. A house burns during the "Carr fire" in Redding, California, which has killed two firefighters and destroyed 65 structures A second firefighter has died battling a fast-moving northern California wildfire that has forced residents to flee, an official said on Friday. "Two firefighters have been killed in the Carr fire. A private contractor (operating) a bulldozer died yesterday and a Redding City firefighter was killed in the evening," a spokesman for Calfire, the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told AFP. Calfire had announced hours earlier the death of the bulldozer driver. The Carr fire outside Redding swept across a river late Thursday and engulfed the western part of the city of 90,000 people, said Bret Gouvea, a Calfire commander. Scott McLean, a spokesman for the department, said law enforcement colleagues were "doing evacuations as fast as we can" because the fire was moving so fast. "There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters," he said. Sixty-five structures have been reduced to ashes by the blaze which has destroyed more than 44,000 acres (18,000 hectares) and is only three percent contained, Calfire said on its website. "The fire became very active throughout the evening," and the roughly 1,750 firefighters battling the blaze "continue to work aggressively to build containment lines" around it, the department said, adding that hot and dry weather is forecast to continue. Another firefighter died several days ago in a separate blaze, the Ferguson fire, which has encroached upon the Yosemite National Park in central California, the most populous US state. Last year was the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California, with more than 40 deaths and around 9,000 structures destroyed, following fires that ravaged the Napa and Sonoma wine regions. Tear gas canisters are launched by Israeli forces at Palestinian protesters during a demonstration along the border between Israel and the Gaza strip, east of Gaza city on July 27, 2018 Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians during Friday protests at the Gaza-Israel border, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said. It said in a statement that one of those killed was a 14-year-old boy shot in the head during border confrontations east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Earlier the ministry reported the killing of Ghazi Abu Mustafa 43, and said he was shot by Israeli soldiers, also in the head, near the frontier fence, east of the southern town of Khan Yunis. The Israeli military did not comment directly on the deaths but said about 7,000 Palestinian "rioters" threw rocks and rolled burning tyres at soldiers, and at the fence itself, at several locations along the border. "Troops are responding with riot dispersal means and firing in accordance with the rules of engagement," an English-language statement said, without elaborating. There has been violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip since late March in which at least 156 Palestinians have been killed. Palestinian medics carry a youth injured during a demonstration along the border between Israel and the Gaza strip, east of Gaza city on July 27, 2018 Hamas has pledged revenge after Israeli air and artillery strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. A week ago a Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli soldier at the border, sparking a fierce wave of Israeli bombing that ratcheted up fears of another war. A degree of calm was restored until Wednesday when Israel said its troops came under fire again, with one soldier wounded. It hit back with artillery fire which killed three Palestinians at a Hamas military base, near the border, east of Gaza City. The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, warned in response Wednesday that "the enemy shall pay a high price in blood for the crime which it commits daily against the rights of our people and our fighters". US President Donald Trump praised North Korea's Kim Jong Un for returning the remains of more than 50 US servicemen killed during the Korean War Amid skepticism over his rapprochement with Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump praised the North Korean leader on Friday for returning remains believed to be those of more than 50 US servicemen. Trump pointed to the handover of 55 boxes said to hold the remains of US troops killed during the Korean War as evidence that his overtures to the North Korean strongman were bearing fruit. "I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word," Trump said during an appearance at the White House after tweeting that it was a "great moment for so many families." Trump has hailed his June summit with Kim in Singapore as effectively ending the North Korean nuclear threat. But it contained only a vague commitment on Pyongyang's part to work towards the "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" -- a long way from the complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament demanded by Washington. With Trump facing criticism that concrete post-summit progress was scant, he welcomed the repatriation of the remains -- which came on the 65th anniversary of the end of the war -- as evidence that the talks were a success. "I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me," he said. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the administration was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change." The White House said it was 'encouraged' by the return of the remains and the 'momentum for positive change' More than 35,000 Americans were killed during the 1950-53 war and 7,700 are still listed as missing in action -- most of them in North Korea. A US military C-17 cargo plane carrying the purported remains of the more than 50 US servicemen landed at a US air base in South Korea on Thursday. A formal repatriation ceremony is to be held in Hawaii on August 1, attended by Vice President Mike Pence. The remains will then be analyzed there. North Korea has previously been accused -- most notably by Japan -- of faking the remains of foreign citizens and using them as a bargaining chip. - 'Step in the right direction' - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday described the repatriation as setting a "positive tone for other things, more important things in terms of international diplomacy. A chaplain performs a blessing aboard a US military aircraft over the 55 cases of remains returned by North Korea to the United States "This humanitarian act, obviously, is a step in the right direction," Mattis said. He added that the remains of French and Australian soldiers who fought alongside the Americans could be found in the boxes handed over by Pyongyang. "You noticed that there was a UN blue flag on each of the boxes," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon. "We don't know who's in those boxes." Michael Fuchs, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said "the return of remains is important, and can be viewed as a potential confidence building measure." But Fuchs, a former US deputy assistant secretary for East Asia, added on Twitter that North Korea may be "picking off low hanging fruit to make it seem like they are making concessions in the overall negotiations." Fuchs noted reports that Pyongyang has started dismantling a facility seen as a testing ground for intercontinental ballistic missiles -- a move welcomed earlier this week by Trump. "The destruction of the nuke test site was not observed by inspectors, so the details can't be verified -- same goes for the dismantling of the engine test site," Fuchs said. "And these steps are reversible. And none touch on the core issue - NK nukes." More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was grilled about North Korea's sincerity by members of the US Senate during testimony this week. He acknowledged North Korea was continuing to produce nuclear fissile material but insisted that "progress is happening" and said Trump remains "upbeat about the prospects of North Korean denuclearization." Asked if the goal was for this to be achieved by the end of Trump's first term in office, Pompeo replied "yes," and added: "More quickly if possible." Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, was among those who remained skeptical. "I am afraid that at this point the United States -- the Trump administration -- is being taken for a ride," Markey said. Syrian Arab Red Crescent trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the opposition-held southern Syrian city of Daraa, ahead of Russia's appeal at the UN for world powers to help Syria's economic recovery Russia on Friday urged world powers to help Syria's economic recovery and the return of refugees as its Damascus ally pressed on with a campaign to re-take territory in the seven-year war. Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky appealed for an end to unilateral sanctions against Syria and said countries should not link aid to political demands for changes to President Bashar al Assad's regime. Moscow's 2015 military intervention in support of Assad was widely seen as a turning point in the war, which has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions. Addressing the UN Security Council, Polyansky said the "revival of the Syrian economy" was a "critical challenge", with Syria facing an acute shortage of construction material, heavy equipment and fuel to rebuild areas destroyed by war. "It would be wise for all international partners to join assistance in Syrian recovery efforts, to eschew artificial linkages to political momentum," Polyansky told the council meeting on Syria. France, however, made clear there will be no reconstruction aid for Syria unless Assad agrees to a political transition that would include a new constitution and elections. - No EU aid - Eight rounds of UN-sponsored peace talks on Syria have failed to yield a breakthrough while a new Russian-backed committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution has yet to begin work. Since the last round of peace talks broke down in December, Assad's forces have retaken Eastern Ghouta, near the capital Damascus, and brought most of Daraa province in the south under their control. French Ambassador Francois Delattre told the council that Assad was scoring "victories without peace" and that political talks were needed on a final settlement. "We will not take part in the rebuilding of Syria unless a political transition is effectively carried out with constitutional and electoral processes" conducted "in a sincere and meaningful way," said Delattre. A political transition is a "sine qua non" condition for stability, he said, adding that without stability, "no reason can justify France and the European Union's financing of reconstruction efforts." Russia this month presented the United States with proposals for the return of refugees from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt that would involve international financial support. New legislation, known as law number 10, would allow the Syrian government to confiscate the property of refugees and displaced Syrians unless they register ownership with the authorities in 30 days. Polyansky shot back at criticism of the new law, saying the measure was the target of an "information campaign" and that Syrian authorities were ready to hold talks with UN experts on the issue. Refugee return will be discussed at a meeting next week in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi between Russia, Iran and Turkey. A passenger jet believed to be operated by the Turkish Air Force was grounded at the airport in Ulaanbaatar after a suspected kidnap attempt Mongolian authorities grounded a suspected Turkish air force jet Friday after witnesses said assailants snatched a Turkish man associated with a religious group Ankara has branded as terrorists. In recent weeks, Turkey's intelligence agency has conducted operations abroad against associates of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen -- who Ankara says was behind a 2016 failed coup. As many as five men grabbed Veysel Akcay from outside his home in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar Friday morning and threw him into a minibus, according to friends and eyewitnesses. The 50-year-old is director of a school in Mongolia that is alleged to be associated with Gulen, although teachers there denied the connection in response to questions by AFP. When he failed to show up for work, concerned family and friends notified the police. Meanwhile, Akcay's abductors had taken him to Genghis Khan international airport, where a small passenger jet landed around 1.00 pm (0500 GMT). The plane -- with call sign TT4010 -- is operated by the Turkish Airforce, according to data on flight tracking site flightradar24.com. It was the beginning of a more than eight-hour standoff between the captors and Mongolian authorities, who refused to allow the plane to leave the runway. As authorities summoned Turkish officials from their embassy in Mongolia, parliamentarians and protestors clutching signs demanding Akcay's release gathered at the airport. As the standoff dragged on, Mongolian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh warned Turkish embassy officials that any attempt to abduct a person from Mongolia's territory would constitute "a serious violation of Mongolia's independence and sovereignty". Students hold up banners in support of their teacher, Turkish school director Veysel Akcay, at the airport in Ulaanbaatar Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu denied the accusations during a telephone call to his Mongolian counterpart Tsogtbaatar Damdin, according to the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But officials were not convinced: "We are an independent nation. Do you think anyone can do abductions in our country?" parliamentarian Baasankhuu Oktaybri wrote on Twitter. The plane took off at 9:25 pm. Akcay was not on it, a Mongolian transportation official said on Twitter. Turkey accuses Gulen of ordering the July 2016 failed overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He strongly denies the claims. Gulen's movement built up significant influence in Turkey and overseas, particularly in Central Asia, Africa and the Balkans, especially via its education network. Ankara has outlawed the movement as a terror organisation but followers insist they promote peace and moderate Islam. Turkey has carried out a series of overseas operations against suspected members of the movement in places such as Kosovo, Gabon and more recently Ukraine. Last week a Turkish blogger accused of links to Gulen was deported from Ukraine as part of an operation by MIT while another individual was detained in Azerbaijan recently and sent back to Turkey. In Turkey over 77,000 people were arrested over alleged links to the movement during a two-year state of emergency imposed after the coup bid in a crackdown criticised by Ankara's Western allies. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees was struck by a pitch during the Yankees' 7-2 win over Kansas City New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge faces up to three weeks on the sidelines after chipping a bone in his right wrist, the team announced on Friday. Judge was struck by a pitch during the Yankees' 7-2 win over Kansas City on Thursday and underwent an MRI and CT scan following the incident. The team said he will not require surgery but estimated it will be three weeks before he is able to swing a bat. Judge has been one of the Yankees leading hitters this season with 26 home runs and 61 RBIs. Outfielder Aaron Hicks said the team would need to adapt to Judge's absence. "You're looking at a guy that hits 50 home runs for our team and he's a big part of our lineup," Hicks said. "We have to figure a way to win games and continue to keep it pushing." The Yankees are second in the American League East standings, with 65 wins against 36 defeats. They trail the Boston Red Sox (71-33) by 4.5 games. The Yankees meanwhile said Tyler Wade had been brought in from the minor leagues to cover for Judge's injury. Iraqi protestors gather in the southern city of Basra on July 27, 2018, to protest against unemployment and a lack of basic services Thousands of people took to the streets of Baghdad and cities across southern Iraq on Friday in the latest protests against corruption, social ills and political leadership. Surrounded by a cordon of anti-riot personnel equipped with electric batons, protestors in Baghdad's Tahrir Square accused leaders of being "thieves" and "corrupt", AFP journalists said. Several hundred people shouted "No to corruption!" and "Iran out!". Fourteen people have been killed in nearly three weeks of unrest as demonstrators have railed against power shortages, unemployment, a lack of clean water and state mismanagement. Adding to tensions, the country still awaits the results of a partial recount of May 12 elections, while political factions jostle to cobble together a coalition under the watchful eyes of regional powers including Tehran. Iraqis wave national flags and hold up signs during a demonstration in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on July 27, 2018 In oil-rich Basra, the southern port city where the protests began on July 8, several thousand demonstrated in front of the governorate. "We live in catastrophic conditions -- we need food and water," said 33-year-old history graduate and labourer Hassan Hantuch, one of the protestors. "No to corruption, yes to change!" proclaimed banners held up by protestors in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq, an AFP correspondent said. Iraqi protestors in the southern city of Basra, one of several cities to see fresh demonstrations against public services, political leadership and the influence of foreign powers on July 27, 2018 Protests also took place Friday in Najaf and Maysan provinces, south of Baghdad. A spokesman for Iraq's highest Shiite authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called at midday on the outgoing government to meet protestors' demands. He also called for the formation of a new government "as soon as possible with effective, competent and transparent people". DUBAI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Targeting the two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels "confirms the need to liberate Hodeidah from the Houthi militias," said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Thursday. Gargash said through Twitter "The systematic attack on maritime navigation is a terrorist act that is hostile and expresses the nature of Houthi and its aggression." The minister added the Houthi's actions "confirm the need to liberate Hodeidah from the Houthi militias." Saudi coalition forces to which the UAE armed forces belong have on Wednesday foiled an attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea by Houthi militia, Al Arabiya local news reported. The port city is a gateway to the Red Sea for northwest of the Arab peninsula state Yemen and for the city of Sanaa, which remains under Houthi control. The coalition involved in a war in Yemen in support of Yemeni elected government confirmed that the tanker suffered minor damage. The coalition has been accusing Iran of supporting the Houthi rebels through the supply of weapons and missiles. The militias frequently respond to the airstrikes by the coalition with missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, mainly its border cities. Most of them are intercepted by the air forces. [ Editor: Xueying ] A Syrian soldier waves the national flag atop the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in the town of Quneitra in the Syrian Golan Heights on July 27, 2018 Dozens of Syrian pro-government fighters and civilians on Friday celebrated their return to the abandoned town of Quneitra close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after rebels quit the area. Quneitra lies on the Syrian-controlled side of the demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights, and has been largely in ruins for over four decades since it was razed by Israeli forces before they withdrew under a 1974 United Nations agreement. Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an alliance led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, had held Quneitra city and the adjacent frontier with a UN-controlled buffer zone, which has remained sealed for decades. The rebels were bussed out of the area last week to Syria's northwestern Idlib province, after rejecting a Russia-brokered deal to hand over territory to the regime. The takeover of Quneitra is the latest regime gain in a series of advances that have seen Damascus reassert its control over almost all of the southern Daraa and Quneitra provinces since launching an offensive on June 19. Some 300 soldiers, civilians and rebels who had laid down their arms gathered as the national anthem was played and a Syrian flag raised in Quneitra a day after the army deployed there for the first time in four years. Syrian soldiers raise the national flag in the town of Quneitra in the Syrian Golan Heights on July 27, 2018 A jubilant regime fighter clambered up the bell tower of the town's Greek Orthodox church brandishing the national colours. Former inhabitants of Quneitra were brought in by bus from Damascus and a poster of President Bashar al-Assad was hung in the town's ruined main square. The government has been claiming territory in southern Syria through a combination of military firepower and negotiations often handled by its ally Moscow. The violence close to territory it controls has worried Israel, with the Jewish state shooting down a Syrian jet on Tuesday that it said crossed over the ceasefire line. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan during the Six-Day War of 1967, then annexed it in 1981 in a move never recognised internationally. Some 510 square kilometres of the Golan remain on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line, with United Nations peacekeeping forces overseeing a buffer between the two sections. The Syrian regime has captured nearly all of the border with Jordan, including the key Nassib crossing, and now holds nearly the full length of the frontier with the Golan buffer zone. No caption Ivory Coast's Supreme Court has overturned an acquittal ruling handed down last year to former first lady Simone Gbagbo for crimes against humanity, her lawyer told AFP Friday. "The Supreme Court decided Thursday to send Simone Gbagbo back before another criminal court," Andre Blede Dohora told AFP without giving details. No text of the decision was immediately forthcoming. Dohora said he deplored that Gbagbo's defence team had not been summoned to court before the decision was handed down. The wife of former president Laurent Gbagbo, in power from 2000 to 2010, was acquitted last March after being accused of implication in the shelling of Abobo market in a district of the capital Abidjan. The district is broadly supportive of current President Alassane Ouattara, Gbagbo's bitter rival in the 2010 election. Simone Gbagbo was also accused of being a member of a "crisis cell" that allegedly coordinated attacks by the armed forces and militias in support of her husband. She was serving a 20-year sentence handed to her in 2015 for "endangering state security". Laurent Gbagbo has been in detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague for seven years. Since 2016, he is being tried for alleged crimes against humanity during post-election unrest. The violence cost some 3,000 lives according to an official tally. The ICC in 2012 attempted to have Simone Gbagbo detained to face allegations of crimes against humanity on the grounds that she "played a central role in post-election violence", sparked by Gbagbo's refusal to accept Ouattara's victory. The government refused international calls to transfer her to the ICC. Instead she was judged by an Ivorian court, which acquitted her last year. Israeli security forces at the Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank on July 26, 2018, after a stabbing attack Israel is to build hundreds of new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis, one fatally, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Friday. The announcement came as two Palestinians including a child were shot in the head by Israeli soldiers in separate incidents in the southern Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said, the latest deaths in the long-running conflict. "The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements," Lieberman wrote on Twitter, announcing 400 new housing units in the Adam settlement north of Jerusalem a day after the deadly stabbing. Israel rejects the widely held view that settlement expansion is one of the greatest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians, while attacks against Israelis in the West Bank are supported by many Palestinians as pushing back against settlement growth. The teenage assailant sneaked into Adam Thursday evening by climbing a fence, Israeli media reported. He stabbed three people seemingly at random before being shot dead, the army said, naming the dead Israeli as Yotam Ovadia, 31. Israeli media said he had two young children. The attacker was later identified by official Palestinian media as Mohammed Dar Youssef, 17, from the village of Kobar. The army said Friday it had raided the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid Friday morning, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas. "The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tyres at (Israeli) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means," an army statement said. The clashes were over by mid-morning Friday, an AFP photographer said, though the army had established a checkpoint at the edge of the village. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said three people were arrested. The army added it was "reinforcing the defence" of Adam and other settlements. - US decries 'barbaric attack' - US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah movement leads the government in the West Bank, to condemn the attack. An Israeli border guard during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the village of Kobar, in the occupied West Bank, on July 27, 2018 "Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence?" he wrote on Twitter. There was no response from Abbas' government, which has cut ties with the Trump administration over its stance on Israel. "Terror must be condemned by all," the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, wrote on his Twitter account. "Such horrible acts serve only those who stand in the way of peace." All Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal by the international community. Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years in the West Bank, Jerusalem and elsewhere. The West Bank attack came after a period of relative calm. The last such assault in a West Bank settlement was in April, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. In Hamas-ruled Gaza, however, there has been recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in which at least 156 Palestinians have been killed in border protests since late March. - Two Gazans shot dead - One of the Palestinians shot dead on Friday was 12-year-old Majde al Satari, hit during border confrontations east of Rafah, the Gaza health ministry reported, correcting a previous statement which gave his age as 14. A Palestinian protester throws stones at Israeli security forces during clashes in the village of Kobar, in the occupied West Bank, on July 27, 2018 Earlier the ministry also reported the killing of Ghazi Abu Mustafa, 43, and said he was shot near the frontier fence, east of Khan Yunis. The Israeli military did not comment directly on the deaths but said about 7,000 Palestinian "rioters" threw rocks and rolled burning tyres at soldiers, and at the fence itself, at several locations along the border. "Troops are responding with riot dispersal means and firing in accordance with the rules of engagement," an English-language statement said, without elaborating. Hamas pledged revenge after Israeli air and artillery strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. In a statement late Thursday, it praised the "courageous operation" in the Adam settlement without claiming responsibility for it. "The West Bank is ready and able to avenge the blood of the martyrs." US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he was "considering" meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Friday that he was considering a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as the leaders of their countries mull possible new talks. "I am considering meeting with my counterpart but there has been no decision," Mattis told journalists at the Pentagon. "I'm all for re-opening communications," he added. "It's most important that we talk with those countries we have the largest disagreements with." In Johannesburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was "ready" to travel to Washington to see Donald Trump, and revealed he had invited the US leader to Moscow, shortly after their July 16 summit in Helsinki. The White House said Friday that Trump was "open" to visiting the Russian capital, though it said earlier this week that any new meeting between the two leaders would likely not happen until 2019. Trump's performance at the summit earned howls of criticism at home, where he was seen as being too conciliatory towards Putin. Mattis said there were "no policy changes" with respect to Russia in the wake of the summit. On Tuesday, Mattis said there would be no cooperation with the Russian military in Syria -- at least for now. Russia and the US are conducting separate military campaigns in the war-wracked country. They operate a special hotline to make sure there are no mishaps involving the two sides' ground forces or planes. "We will not be doing anything additional until the Secretary of State (Mike Pompeo) and the president have further figured out at what point we are going to start working, alongside our allies, with Russia in the future," Mattis said at a press conference in California. According to the Pentagon, the last ministerial-level contact between US and Russian defense ministers dates back to a telephone call between Shoigu and Mattis's predecessor Ash Carter in September 2015. The last face-to-face meeting dates back to October 2013 between Shoigu and Chuck Hagel, shortly before Russia annexed Crimea. Former DRC vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, acquitted last mont of war crimes, says he intends to return on August 1 to stand in December elections -- but the ruling party says a corruption conviction renders him ineligible A spokesman for the ruling party of Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila on Friday suggested Jean-Pierre Bemba may be eligible to run for president after the ex-warlord said he would return to the country to stand as a candidate in December's election. Bemba "could fall within the ambit of article 10 of the electoral law" finding those who have convictions for corruption "ineligible," Alain Atundu, spokesman for the Presidential Majority, told AFP. Atundu said he hoped that Bemba would "solemnly" commit to not running "if he is found to be ineligible under the electoral law". The International Criminal Court (ICC) last month overturned on appeal an initial 18-year term for war crimes and crimes against humanity for Bemba, a former vice president, finding he could not be held responsible for crimes committed by his troops. But in March 2017 he was also convicted for bribing witnesses. Earlier this month the ICC urged that he be given a five-year term on that count but no date has been fixed for a verdict. This week Bemba said he would arrive in the capital Kinshasa on August 1 after his party, the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC), announced he was filing his candidacy for the presidential election. Bemba, a senator, is currently in Belgium and must give the ICC details of his whereabouts when required. The government recently accorded him a diplomatic passport. Kabila, who has ruled since 2001, has refused to spell out whether he will seek a new term in office in the crucial December 23 election. Dozens of people have been killed in protests since late 2016, when Kabila was scheduled to stand down at the end of his second elected term, technically the last permitted under the constitution. August 8 is the deadline for candidates to submit applications. The DRC, a mineral rich country but one of Africa's most volatile countries, has never known a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960 -- and some experts fear that the December election may trigger a bloody conflict. ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - A Utah teenager accused of trying to blow up a homemade backpack bomb at school after looking at Islamic State propaganda online will stand trial as an adult on two felony counts, a judge decided Thursday. Authorities have said 16-year-old Martin R. Farnsworth wanted to cause fear after viewing the propaganda. The device he is accused of bringing March 5 to Hurricane High School in St. George did not explode and no one was hurt. He is charged with attempted murder and using a weapon of mass destruction, each charge punishable by at least five years and up to life in prison, KUTV in Salt Lake City reported . Investigators found no connections between the boy and the terror group. Prosecutor Angela Adams told the Deseret News that bringing the case to adult court would allow authorities to supervise Farnsworth longer if he is convicted. In the juvenile system, defendants can only be held until 21. Prosecutors argued the teenager hasn't shown remorse and would do it again if he wasn't in a secure facility. Defense attorneys say Farnsworth was bullied and suffers from a form of autism that keeps him from understanding the effects of his actions. The Associated Press does not typically identify juveniles accused of crimes, but Farnsworth has been certified to face trial as an adult. He earned his Eagle Scout award at 13 and got good grades in school but has few close friends and is seen as awkward, his lawyer Matthew Harris has said. Harris wanted the case to stay in the rehabilitation-focused juvenile system. He told the Deseret News on Thursday it was difficult to read Farnsworth's reaction to the judge's decision to send the case to adult court. The boy's family is concerned about his well-being but understands the charges are serious, he said. Farnsworth was also accused of using spray paint to write about ISIS on a wall at the school in February. In that case, police have said he also cut up an U.S. flag and replaced it on a flag pole with a homemade ISIS flag. He will be tried as a juvenile on misdemeanor graffiti and abuse of a flag charges in that case. He has not entered a plea in either case. PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona may take over responsibility for issuing dredge-and-fill permits under the Clean Water Act, a task long handled by the federal government. The state Legislature approved a bill earlier this year allowing the state Department of Environmental Quality to take over the permitting process, which has been the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers, The Arizona Republic reported . Conservation groups oppose the possible change, saying it could weaken the program intended to protect rivers, streams and wetlands from construction and mining projects. The groups claim the state lacks the funding and expertise to properly operate the program. "We think that the program should stay with the Army Corps of Engineers and that the state should focus on doing the best job possible with the programs that it has," said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Arizona chapter. Bahr and 12 other representatives of environmental groups gave their concerns about the proposal to the state Department of Environmental Quality in a letter earlier this month. They noted the state legislation, which was signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in April, doesn't require the state to take on the permit program known as Section 404. "Of grave concern is the possible outcome that because ADEQ intends to fund the program through permitting fees, the agency will become motivated to quickly issue permits that would otherwise require careful consideration," they wrote. The department welcomes the feedback and the stakeholder involvement on the proposal, said Misael Cabrera, the agency's director. The Environmental Protection Agency would need to approve the state program design before it could be implemented, he said. "The reason why we want to explore it and pursue it is because we think that we can deliver the same environmental protection to waters of the U.S. as the federal government can, but we can do it faster and better," Cabrera said. The department plans to prepare a draft proposal by the end of the year. ___ Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - The Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Friday again ordered thousands of people to leave Ambae island as a volcano erupted and filled the sky with ash. Government lawmaker Ralph Regenvanu said on Twitter that the Cabinet had re-imposed a state of emergency and ordered the compulsory evacuation of the entire island, which was once home to about 10,000 people. The island was temporarily evacuated last September when the eruption cycle began. Since March, authorities have been encouraging people to permanently relocate by offering residence on two neighboring islands. On Saturday, authorities raised the volcanic alert level to 3, indicating a minor eruption. Ambae resident Lillian Garae said it has been hard to sleep because of the volcano's noise and that the ash is aggravating asthma in some young children. "We cannot see some of the people working because of all the dust," she said. Garae, 39, said she had lived on Ambae all her life and would now consider a permanent move, despite leaving behind the life she knows. She said the ash cloud is affecting some surrounding islands as well, so relocating to one of them may not be much better. "I want to leave but I don't know where I'm going to live, so I will stay on Ambae," she said. Ambae is about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) and is one of about 65 inhabited islands in Vanuatu, which is home to 280,000 people. Vanuatu sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire," the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. France, New Zealand and Australia have provided aid and financial help for previous evacuations. PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. (AP) - The Latest on the race for Georgia governor (all times local): 9:30 p.m. Georgia Republicans wasted no time burying a contentious GOP runoff for governor and turning their attention to a common enemy: Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams and the "radical liberals" they say are trying to steer Georgia wrong. Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the GOP nominee for governor, headlined a Republican "unity rally" Thursday night in a half-full ballroom at a hotel in Peachtree Corners, a suburb north of Atlanta. U.S. Senator David Perdue, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and sitting Gov. Nathan Deal were all in attendance. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Kemp's opponent in the GOP primary, also spoke. Kemp faces Abrams in what is set to be among the most closely watched of the November midterms. Kemp said that the race wasn't about the "big truck" he has featured in television advertisements, but was a battle for the very soul of the state. ___ 2:45 p.m. Democrat Stacey Abrams isn't engaging her Republican rival for Georgia governor or his supporter-in-chief - President Donald Trump - as she kicks off her campaign for the general election. The Democrat, who is seeking to become the first black woman elected a U.S. governor, focused on jobs Thursday by touring an apprenticeship program for ironworkers near Savannah. It was Abrams' first campaign stop since Republican Brian Kemp won a Tuesday runoff to become her opponent. Abrams avoided a question about Trump, who called her an "open border, crime loving" candidate on Twitter. Asked about taking on Kemp in November, she said: "I'm going to win that election." Abrams began her general campaign far from Georgia's Democratic base in Atlanta. She said she wants to meet voters "in every part of the state." MOSCOW, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday discussed Syrian settlement with a high-level Russian delegation in Damascus, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The delegation included Russia's special presidential envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and representatives of the Defense Ministry, it said in a statement. The parties confirmed the necessity to "continue uncompromising fight against terrorism and active efforts to achieve a long-term political settlement in the interests of all Syrians without exception." Particular attention was paid to the tasks of post-conflict reconstruction of the country, including ensuring the prompt return of Syrian refugees and displaced people to their places of permanent residence, it said. Assad expressed the willingness to create necessary conditions for the safe and decent reception and accommodation of Syrians returning to their homeland. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a separate statement Thursday that 232,541 Syrian citizens have returned home from abroad since Sept. 30 2015, when Russia announced the start of an anti-terrorist operation in Syria. Currently, 6.9 million Syrian refugees have registered in 45 countries and 1.7 million of them have expressed intentions to return home, it said. [ Editor: Xueying ] EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A Mexican journalist detained in a remote West Texas immigration facility while asking the U.S. government for asylum was released from detention Thursday night. Emilio Gutierrez Soto and his adult son, Oscar, said the two were released from the El Paso, Texas, facility without bond, said their attorney, Eduardo Beckett. The agreement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release the two came six days before a hearing in El Paso before U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama, at which federal attorneys were to argue for continuing to keep Gutierrez under lock and key. Gutierrez's representatives had argued the continued detention was partly the result of his criticism of U.S. immigration policies. FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2009, file photo, Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto smiles as he listens to attorney Carlos Spector speak during a news conference in El Paso, Texas. Gutierrez, detained in a remote West Texas immigration facility while asking the U.S. government for asylum, was released from detention Thursday night, July 26, 2018. (Victor Calzada/The El Paso Times via AP, File) Gutierrez worked for El Diario del Noroeste, a newspaper in the state of Chihuahua. He said his problems began after he wrote articles that alleged military forces were robbing and extorting local people in Chihuahua, which borders New Mexico and part of West Texas. Mexico is one of the world's most dangerous places for journalism, in league with Syria and Iraq. After receiving what his advocates called veiled threats, Gutierrez discovered his name had been placed on a hit list. So he fled north with his teenage son and entered the U.S. in 2008, seeking asylum. He spent seven months in detention before his release in January 2009, while his application for asylum remained pending. Beckett said Gutierrez has told him he is afraid of taking "one step into Mexico." While pressing his asylum case, he and his son lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where they operated a food truck. Last year, he accepted the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award from the National Press Club on behalf of journalists in Mexico, now the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere for journalists. After nine years, a judge denied his asylum request last July, and the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal in November. On Dec. 7, weeks after delivering his speech to the press club, he and his son went for their routine check-in with immigration officials, were placed in handcuffs and put in detention after his asylum request was denied. They had come within hours of deportation in May when an appeals board halted his expulsion while he challenges the denial of his asylum request. In a statement, the National Press Club, which has been advocating for Gutierrez's release, said the journalist will begin a journalism fellowship at the University of Michigan while he continues his quest for asylum. "While we deeply regret the long detention for a reporter who violated no laws of this country, we are thrilled that, ultimately, common sense and American values have prevailed in this case," said Kathy Kiely, press freedom fellow for the National Press Club's nonprofit Journalism Institute. The institute organized the defense for the Gutierrezes. This photo gallery highlights some of the top news images made by Associated Press photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean published in the past week. In Honduras, Adalicia Montecinos was finally reunited with her year-old son Johan, who had been detained at the Arizona border and became a poster child for the U.S. policy of separating detained immigrants from their children. A supporter for Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro wore a Donald Trump mask as the politician from Latin America's largest country announced his candidacy for October's presidential election. In this Friday, 20, 2018 photo, Adalicia Montecinos holds her 1-year-old son Johan, who became a poster child for the U.S. policy of separating immigrants and their children, the day there were reunited, at a restaurant in Yojoa, Honduras. Captured by Border Patrol agents in March, Johan's father was deported and the then 10-month-old remained at an Arizona shelter. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix) Brazilian officials released video of an uncontacted indigenous man, whose name and home group are unknown but who apparently has lived alone in the Amazon for 22 years. A mom-and-pop circus performed on the outskirts of Lima, one of about a hundred small Peruvian circuses managing to eke out livings in an age of internet videos and cellphones. In Cuba, an ocean-goer balanced a cigarette in one hand and his pet dog on his shoulders. Haitian fisherman Ceanic Dieu repaired his net while lamenting that the sea doesn't provide as many fish as it used to. A vendor at the Witches' Market drank coffee at her shop in La Paz, Bolivia. Ecuadoreans with missing relatives protested to demand answers from the government, while Argentines demonstrated against the International Monetary Fund. Pro-choice activists in Argentina supported legislation to legalize abortions by wearing "Handmaid's Tale" costumes. Sandra Ramirez, a former leader of Colombia's demobilized FARC rebel movement, visited a beauty salon before taking up one of the 10 Congress seats guaranteed to former guerrillas. In Nicaragua, Leyling Chavarria was buried after being killed when police and pro-government civilians attacked a roadblock set up by protesters demanding that President Daniel Ortega leave office. ___ Curated by photo editor Leslie Mazoch in Mexico City. On Twitter: @LeslieMazoch . ___ AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP/lists/ap-photographers In this July 22, 2018 photo, wearing a mask of President Donald Trump, a supporter of Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro arrives to the National Social Liberal Party convention where Bolsonaro is to accept the party's presidential nomination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 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) In this July 8, 2018 photo published on July 24, homes in the Puente Piedra shantytown light up the landscape around the Tony Perejil circus set up on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. The mom-and-pop style spectacle is one of about a hundred remaining circuses that manage to eke out a living in an age of viral internet videos and cellphones. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) In this July 22, 2018 photo, a man keeps his cigarette above the water as he takes a dip in the ocean with his dog near Playita 16 in Havana, Cuba. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) In this July 21, 2018 photo, a protester with her mouth covered holds a sign baring the Spanish message: "No more kidnappings, stand up Ecuador!" during a demonstration by the people demanding answers from the government about their missing loved ones in Quito, Ecuador. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) In this July 18, 2018 photo published in late July, neighborhood children play as Ceanic Dieu repairs his net at home, located near the sea in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The 50-year-old fisherman said that life is getting harder day after day and that the sea doesn't provide as much fish as before. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) In this July 25, 2018 photo, pro-choice activists in favor of decriminalizing abortion wear costumes from the Handmaid's Tale, a book and now television series, outside Congress where lawmakers passed new, abortion-related legislation which is scheduled to be voted on by the Senate, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The novel's writer, Margaret Atwood, showed her support on Twitter for approval of the law, which would legalize elective abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) In this July 20, 2018 photo, Sandra Ramirez, a former leader of the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, looks in the mirror after having her hair done at a beauty parlor in Bogota, Colombia. Ramirez will take up one of the 10 seats guaranteed to former rebels in congress when the newly-elected legislature convenes for the first time. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) In this July 10, 2018 photo which published in late July, a vendor at the Witches' Market drinks coffee at her shop full of Andean weavings and embroidery in La Paz, Bolivia. Before Spanish colonizers arrived, the land the market sits on was sacred ceremonial ground where blood was offered to thank the gods for an abundant harvest. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) This 2011 video frame released by Brazil's National Indian Foundation and published in late July shows an uncontacted indigenous man amid the forest in Rondonia, Brazil. No one knows his name or the name of the people he came from, and he appears to have lived alone in Brazil's Amazon for 22 years. Video footage released for this first time this week by Brazil's Indian Foundation showed rare images of a so-called uncontacted indigenous man who is believed to be the last surviving member of his tribe. A team that tracks him last saw evidence he was alive in May 2018. (Brazil's National Indian Foundation via AP) In this July 21, 2018 photo, protesters hold signs with the Spanish message: "Get out IMF" to demonstration against the International Monetary Fund near the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello) DIRIAMBA, Nicaragua (AP) - A pro-government mob shoved, punched and scratched at Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes and other Catholic leaders as they tried to enter the Basilica San Sebastian. "Murderers!" people shouted. An auxiliary bishop was slashed on the arm with some sort of sharp object. The ugly scene in the normally sleepy town of Diriamba, an hour's drive south of Nicaragua's capital, was a dramatic example of how rapidly a wave of unrest has soured relations between the Roman Catholic Church and beleaguered President Daniel Ortega. The church has tried to play a mediating role between Ortega's Sandinista government and protesters who have increasingly demanded his ouster amid demonstrations and clashes in which about 450 people - most of them protesters - have been slain. In this Tuesday, July 24, 2018 photo, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes pauses during an interview where he talks about the unrest in his country, in Managua, Nicaragua. Earlier this month a mob of pre-government supporters attacked Brenes as he and other bishops tried to enter the Basilica San Sebastian in the normally sleepy town of Diriamba. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Instead it finds itself increasingly targeted by Ortega and his backers, reviving a hostility between the Sandinista base and the church establishment that burned hot during the 1980s but seemed to have been overcome in recent years, when the former guerrilla commander had formed a sort of alliance with once-critical bishops. Brenes, the archbishop of Managua, went to Diriamba on July 9, a day after speaking to priests there by phone and hearing gunshots and ambulances. He found doctors and nurses who had tended to wounded protesters and now were sheltering inside the basilica, surrounded by pro-government forces. "There was a fear that they would enter the church to snatch the people who were sheltering here," said the parish priest, the Rev. Cesar Alberto Castillo Rodriguez. Despite the scuffle at the door, Brenes' delegation, which included the Vatican's top diplomat in Nicaragua, was eventually able to evacuate people from the church. Two weeks later, despite a massive police presence, the church is covered with pro-government graffiti. "My commander stays," reads one scrawl, an allusion to Ortega, and others contain vulgar insults. They're signed "JS" for the Spanish-language initials of the Sandinista Youth, a pro-government organization that has acted as shock troops against protesters. The basilica eventually resumed services, but like many parishes in Nicaragua, it has stopped holding Mass in the evenings when police and armed pro-Ortega mobs rule the streets. "We realized that the people weren't coming," Brenes said. The church, essentially the last independent institution trusted by a large portion of Nicaraguans, is witnessing the whiplash-inducing shifts of Ortega, who appears to have regained his footing amid the most serious challenge to his power in the decade-plus since he regained office. In April the president asked the church to mediate peace talks. But the dialogue quickly broke down when it became clear he would not move up elections scheduled for 2021. Last week Ortega accused bishops of being in league with coup-plotters and allowing weapons to be stockpiled in churches - without offering any evidence - and said they were "disqualified" as mediators. Days later he reversed course again, saying he hoped the church would continue mediating and insisting that the government was not persecuting it. "Ortega's strategy with the church has always been to either charm or to intimidate," said Henri Gooren, an anthropologist at Oakland University in Michigan and editor of the Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. "I think he found out that charming isn't working ... so all that he can do now is try to intimidate them, try to take away their credibility." Through his verbal attacks, Ortega is "telling his followers, especially the (pro-government gangs), 'You can go ahead and beat up priests and bishops and vandalize church buildings without any punishment,'" Gooren said. This week Brenes and his bishops met and agreed to continue pursuing dialogue, the only option he sees for stopping the violence. While discussion of "democratizing" Nicaragua has gone nowhere over Ortega's refusal to leave office, he said negotiators have been able to secure help for arrested protesters, peaceful removal of some barricades and access by international monitors such as the OAS. The way he sees it, without the dialogue even more would have been killed. The 69-year-old cardinal can also take a long view, because he's been through this before. Interviewed on the patio of his modest home in Managua, Brenes recalled how decades ago as a young priest, he harbored youths who supported Ortega's Sandinista Front when they were pursued by national guard troops from the Somoza dictatorship. And in 1979, after transferring to a parish in Jinotepe, armed Sandinista fighters took over his church. Once a sniper trapped him in the rectory with a woman and a young girl he had pulled inside. They hid under a washbasin for three days surviving on cookies and a bag of pinol, a cornstarch and chocolate powder mixed with water or milk. In 1991, Brenes helped mediate between the Sandinista army and U.S.-backed Contra rebels, traveling into the mountains of Matagalpa and running back and forth between representatives of two sides that refused to even approach each other. After Ortega's speech calling the bishops coup plotters, Brenes said that he looked up the Spanish word, "golpista," in the dictionary, and what he found was the antithesis of what he's trying to do. "I read there: 'Someone who acts to take power,'" Brenes said. "Well, that's not me. That's not us." Ortega clashed repeatedly with the church's conservative authorities when his socialist-oriented Sandinistas governed in the 1980s - a time when many young leftist priests openly backed the former guerrillas, infuriating Pope John Paul II. But Ortega worked to mend relations with the church after he lost elections in the 1990s, and by the time he regained power in 2006, he was making frequent public displays of piety and had forged a friendship with the Nicaraguan church's leader, the late Archbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo. When the new wave of protests broke out in April - initially over cuts to the social security system - government forces and Sandinista Youth struck back hard. On April 20, hundreds of student protesters sought refuge at Managua's cathedral, where the church was collecting donations to support demonstrators. When police and Sandinista Youth descended, the students retreated inside, leaving only after clergy negotiated their safe passage. Brenes and several bishops made public statements against violence and in favor of dialogue. The Episcopal Conference later issued a more forceful condemnation of the crackdown and urged authorities "to hear the cry of the young Nicaraguans." The Vatican has been mostly quiet about the conflict, deferring as it usually does to behind-the-scenes diplomacy while the local church manages the situation on the ground. Last week Pope Francis' ambassador to Nicaragua did put out a statement expressing the pontiff's "deep concern for the grave situation." The same day as the attack in Diriamba, Ortega supporters sacked the Santiago Apostol parish in Jinotepe, tossing pews down the front steps while shouting that the church was harboring terrorists. The most harrowing incident occurred at the Jesus of Divine Mercy church in Managua. For nearly 15 hours overnight on July 13-14, armed government backers fired on the church while 155 student protesters who had been dislodged from a nearby university lay under the pews. A student who was shot in the head at a barricade outside died on the rectory floor. Brenes made sure they arrived safely at the city's cathedral. The Divine Mercy's facade is still pocked from hundreds of bullet impacts. A small chapel behind the main sanctuary sustained the heaviest fire; rounds pierced a painting of Jesus Christ and ricocheted off the gold-plated box holding the sacrament. On a recent Sunday, parishioner Nelly Harding, 56, wiped away tears as she stepped outside the chapel: "If they don't respect the house of God, don't respect the lives of defenseless people, what can we hope for?" Parish priest Erick Alvarado Cole said police have not come to investigate and the building's scars will be left just as they are. "These holes in the walls, the Christ, the side chapel, the windows, are going to stay this way as proof of the pain of the Nicaraguan people," Alvarado said. "If it's repaired, it's like nothing happened." ___ Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield contributed to this report from Rome. In this Monday, July 23, 2018 photo, a moto-taxi drives past the San Sebastian Basilica, that has been defaced with a message that reads in Spanish: "My commander stays," an allusion to President Daniel Ortega, in Diriamba, Nicaragua. The message was left by the Juventud Sandinista, the pro-government youth organization that has acted as shock troops against protesters calling for the ouster of Ortega. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) In this Monday, July 23, 2018 photo, Rev. Cesar Alberto Castillo, parish priest at the San Sebastian Basilica, pauses during an interview, in Diriamba, Nicaragua. This month has seen a spate of violent attacks on the Roman Catholic Church in Nicaragua, including the San Sebastian Basilica. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) In this Sunday, July 22, 2018 photo. Rev. Erick Alvarado kneels in the chapel altar inside the Jesus of Divine Mercy church, in Managua, Nicaragua. Alvarado said police have yet to come to investigate the July 13-14 overnight attack on the church that is still pocked from hundreds of bullet impacts. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) This Tuesday, July 24, 2018 photo, shows a painting of Jesus Christ pierced with bullet holes as seen through an entrance point of a bullet hole in a window of the Jesus of Divine Mercy church, in Managua, Nicaragua. For nearly 15 hours overnight on July 13-14, heavily armed pro-government groups fired on the church while about 100 student protesters who had been forced out of the nearby university lay under pews in the main sanctuary. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) This Tuesday, July 24, 2018 photo shows a gold-plated box in which the Eucharist is reserved marred with two bullet holes, in the chapel inside the Jesus of Divine Mercy church, in Managua, Nicaragua. Considered the most sacred part of the church, the chapel sustained the heaviest fire when it came under attack by heavily armed pro-government groups in mid-July. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) In this Sunday, July 22, 2018 photo, a parishioner prays next to windows and curtains pierced with bullet holes, at the Jesus of Divine Mercy church that was attacked recently by pro-government groups, in Managua, Nicaragua. "These holes in the walls, the Christ, the side chapel, the windows, are going to stay this way as proof of the pain of the Nicaraguan people," said the church's vicar. "If it's repaired, it's like nothing happened." (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) FILE - In this July 16, 2018 file photo, friends and family carry the coffin containing the remains of Gerald Vasquez, an engineering student who was killed while manning a barricade near the Jesus of Divine Mercy church, in Managua, Nicaragua. For nearly 15 hours overnight on July 13-14, heavily armed pro-government groups fired on the church while about 100 student protesters who had been forced out of the nearby university lay under pews in the main sanctuary. Vazquez died on the rectory floor. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga) In this Sunday, July 22, 2018 photo, a woman receives a blessing from Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes outside the Jesus of Divine Mercy church, which recently came under attack by heavily armed pro-government groups, in Managua, Nicaragua. "We realized that the people weren't coming," Brenes said, so many parishes in Nicaragua have stopped scheduling Masses in the evenings because that's when police and armed pro-Ortega mobs rule the streets. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) FILE - In this May 23, 2018 file photo, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church look down as Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes reads a statement suspending talks between the opposition and the government, in Managua, Nicaragua. The dialogue quickly broke down when it became clear President Daniel Ortega would not entertain the idea of moving up elections scheduled for 2021. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) FILE - In this July 19, 2018 file photo, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrives to a rally marking the 39th anniversary of the Sandinista victory ousting the Somoza dictatorship, in Managua, Nicaragua. In his speech, Ortega accused bishops of being in league with coup-mongers calling for his ouster, and allowing weapons to be stockpiled in churches. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) FILE - In this July 19, 2018 file photo, supporters of President Daniel Ortega gather at the Juan Pablo II Plaza, to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, in Managua, Nicaragua. The country marked the ouster of dictator Anastasio Somoza, despite an ongoing political crisis that has seen hundreds killed in a government crackdown on protesters seeking Ortega's exit from office. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) In this Monday, July 23, 2018 photo, Rev. Cesar Alberto Castillo officiates a Catholic Mass in Diriamba, Nicaragua, at the San Sebastian Basilica where a groups of priest, bishops and Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes were recently attacked by pro-government mobs. The church, essentially the last independent institution trusted by a large portion of Nicaraguans, now has a target on its back. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) BEIJING (AP) - Qualcomm Inc. failed to resolve China's anti-monopoly concerns about its proposed acquisition of NXP Semiconductors, the government said Friday, in a case analysts warned would worsen escalating U.S.-Chinese tensions over technology. The State Administration for Market Regulation's announcement followed a government denial Thursday that a lengthy anti-monopoly review, which prompted Qualcomm to drop its bid this week, was linked to Beijing's tariff dispute with Washington. Qualcomm's plan for the $44 billion acquisition "cannot resolve competition concerns," the regulator said on its website. It gave no details. In this April 27, 2017, photo, a staff member talks with a visitor at a display booth for Qualcomm at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing. China's government said Friday, July 27, 2018, that tech giant Qualcomm Inc. failed to resolve anti-monopoly regulators' concerns about its proposed takeover of NXP Semiconductors in a case seen as a possible victim of U.S.-Chinese trade tensions. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) The delay following U.S. and European approval prompted suggestions Beijing might be using the case as leverage in its spiraling dispute with Washington. Beijing's failure to approve the deal "will escalate trade tensions between the two countries," Eurasia Group said in a report. Qualcomm had described the bid for NXP, announced in 2016, as a way to expand into markets for automobiles, security and network processing. That would have created an even bigger global competitor to a fledgling Chinese semiconductor industry communist leaders are spending billions of dollars to develop. The deal "had been held hostage" to U.S.-Chinese trade tensions and Washington's decision on whether to rescind a ban on sales of U.S. technology to telecoms equipment maker ZTE Corp., Eurasia Group said. ZTE was accused of reneging on a settlement over violations of U.S. rules on exports to Iran and North Korea. American regulators lifted the sales ban July 13, but Eurasia Group said that might be in jeopardy. Qualcomm, headquartered in San Diego, applied for the anti-monopoly review before Beijing's dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump over complaints China steals or forces foreign companies to hand over technology blew up. The company withdrew its application in April and submitted a new version after the Commerce Ministry said it faced unspecified difficulties satisfying concerns it might harm competition. On July 6, the Trump administration raised import duties on $34 billion of Chinese medical technology and other goods it said benefit from improper government support. Beijing retaliated by raising its own tariffs on the same amount of U.S. imports. Qualcomm dropped the bid for NXP on Wednesday when its agreement expired without Chinese approval. A Commerce Ministry spokesman, Gao Feng, said Thursday the case "has nothing to do with" the U.S.-Chinese dispute. WASHINGTON (AP) - More than a decade after he served as what's been called the president's "inbox and outbox," Brett Kavanaugh's role as White House staff secretary to President George W. Bush has become a flashpoint as Republicans push his confirmation to the Supreme Court. Democrats want to see records from the time, portraying the potentially millions of documents as vital to understanding his approach to the law. Republicans disagree and have accused Democrats of using the issue to try to delay Kavanaugh's confirmation. The debate could interfere with Republicans' goal of swiftly confirming President Donald Trump's pick for the court in time for the start of the new term Oct. 1. With the Senate control slimly held by Republicans 51-49, Democrats can't block Kavanaugh's nomination outright if Republicans hold together. Instead, Democrats are trying to delay the proceedings in hopes that time spent reviewing the judge's record could unearth fresh concerns to sway senators' opinions and upend voting. In this July 26, 2018, photo, Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh meets with Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., on Capitol Hill in Washington. More than a decade after he served as what's been called the president's "inbox and outbox," Kavanaugh's role as White House staff secretary to President George W. Bush has become a flashpoint as Republicans push his confirmation to the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee tasked with holding hearings on Kavanaugh's nomination, said this week that Democrats' "bloated demands are an obvious attempt to obstruct the confirmation process." And on Friday, after negotiations with Democrats failed to produce a consensus on what documents should be sought ahead of a hearing on Kavanaugh's nomination, Grassley went ahead with a request to the Bush library for documents related to his work for the White House. The request seeks documents from Kavanaugh's time in the White House Counsel's office but not from his time as staff secretary. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that Kavanaugh himself has portrayed his three years as Bush's staff secretary, from July 2003 to May 2006, as "the most interesting and, in many ways, among the most instructive" to his work as a federal appeals court judge. Schumer said if Kavanaugh sees it that way, "why shouldn't the American people see what instructed him?" For his part, Schumer on Friday released a letter to former president Bush calling on him to authorize the release of "the complete record of Judge Kavanaugh's service in the White House." And Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Democrats' leader on the Judiciary Committee, said her own request for the staff secretary documents was being blocked by the National Archives. As staff secretary, Kavanaugh was the person who controlled the flow of documents to and from the president, including ensuring relevant people weighed in and channeling the president's questions and comments on that material to the right people. He was also a key part of the president's speechwriting process, helped put together legislation and worked on drafting and revising executive orders, he has said. He also traveled with the president, at points sitting in on meetings between the president and foreign leaders. While Kavanaugh was staff secretary, Bush made a range of controversial decisions, including signing into law a partial-birth abortion ban and backing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Democrats say that time is relevant to Kavanaugh's views and philosophy as a judge. But Republicans argue the staff secretary documents aren't useful because Kavanaugh's job wasn't to provide his own advice but to ensure others' views were presented to the president. They say the papers contain the most sensitive White House documents, advice sent directly to the president. And they say the up-to-1 million pages of records they do expect to release will be the largest number of documents produced in connection with a Supreme Court nomination. Karen Hult, a political science professor at Virginia Tech and the co-author of a paper on the staff secretary position for which Kavanaugh was interviewed in 2008, took a middle-ground view of the staff secretary documents' value to lawmakers. Hult said the documents could include Kavanaugh's notes and memos he wrote or commented on that went directly to the president or chief of staff, but she said it could be difficult to distill Kavanaugh's own views from them. Kavanaugh's judicial opinions would be more helpful in that respect, she said. Still, "I wouldn't say it's a waste of time," she said of looking at the documents. "I would say it's not a high-priority use of time." Kavanaugh, meanwhile, has described his role as staff secretary as being an "honest broker for the president, someone who tries to ensure that the range of policy views on various subjects are presented to the president in a fair and even-handed way." In an interview with Hult's co-author, Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, Kavanaugh said it was important that he maintain "strict neutrality and impartiality" in bringing disagreements about the wording of proposals or decisions to the president. Kavanaugh also said that during his tenure they started weekly meetings with Bush and a few others to discuss speeches. He said that allowed him to "better perform my function as referee" between speechwriters and policy advisers. The debate over the staff secretary documents has been heated all week. On the Republican side, Grassley has said the most valuable documents revealing Kavanaugh's legal thinking are his more than 300 judicial opinions, while the staff secretary documents are the "least relevant" to his legal thinking. Describing the staff secretary position as the "inbox and outbox of the Oval Office," he said the occupant's job is not to "provide his own substantive work product" but to ensure the president "sees memos and policy papers" produced by other White House offices. Reviewing the documents would be a "waste of time" and taxpayers' money, he said. On the Democratic side, Schumer has said that there is "simply no basis to withhold Judge Kavanaugh's staff secretary record" from senators' review. He accused Republicans of being against transparency. He said Wednesday of the position Kavanaugh is nominated for: "This is one of the most important positions in the world and certainly in America. Shouldn't we know everything?" ___ Associated Press Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko WASHINGTON (AP) - A secret recording of Donald Trump discussing payments to a Playboy model has brought renewed attention to the question of whether and how he might have blocked politically damaging stories ahead of the 2016 presidential election. But it's not clear the tape by itself creates additional legal problems for the president. The conversation between Trump and his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, took place after the National Enquirer's parent company reached a deal to pay Karen McDougal for her story of an affair she says she had with Trump. The recording captures Trump and Cohen discussing acquiring the rights to McDougal's story. FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2017, file photo, Michael Cohen arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington. A secret recording between Donald Trump and Cohen discussing payments to a Playboy model has brought renewed attention to the question of whether the candidate and his lawyer sought to stymie politically damaging stories from women ahead of the 2016 presidential election. But it's not clear that the brief recording, on its own, creates additional legal problems for either man. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) At issue is whether the payment the men are discussing was campaign-related and intended to influence the election. If that's the case, it would likely be counted as a contribution. PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. (AP) - With the Georgia governor's race now set, Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams returned to the campaign trail Thursday, where their approaches proved just as different as their starkly contrasting policies. Kemp, hoping to unite his party on the heels of a divisive primary runoff, wasted no time before attacking his opponent, while Abrams mainly focused on jobs while seeking to reintroduce herself to Georgia voters after being out of the spotlight for two months. The race between Kemp, a hard-line white conservative, and Abrams, a self-declared progressive black woman, is set to be among the most closely watched of the November midterms. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, second from right, is introduced to applause from Republican gubernatorial nominee and Secretary of State Brian Kemp, third from left, during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis) Secretary of State Kemp headlined a Republican "unity rally" Thursday night in a half-full ballroom at a hotel in Peachtree Corners, a suburb north of Atlanta. U.S. Senator David Perdue, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and sitting Gov. Nathan Deal were all in attendance. So too was Kemp's opponent in the bruising GOP runoff, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who spoke in favor of the man he had days earlier called incompetent and devoid of ideas for the state. One after one, the speakers framed the race as a battle for the soul of the state against liberals, who they say are largely outside Georgia, trying to steer the state wrong. "The march to socialism will not come through the state of Georgia," Perdue said after calling Abrams "the most radical liberal." "We have one mission tonight and that is to defeat Stacey Abrams and keep Georgia red," Kemp boomed at the rally. "She's backed by billionaires and socialists that want to make Georgia into California," Kemp said, to loud cries of "NOOOOO" back from the audience. Abrams, meanwhile, refrained from engaging Kemp or his supporter-in-chief - President Donald Trump - as she kicked off her campaign for the general election Thursday in Pooler, Georgia, far from the state's Democratic base in Atlanta. The Democrat, who is seeking to become the first black woman elected a U.S. governor, focused on jobs as she visited a union apprenticeship program for ironworkers near Savannah. Largely out of sight since she won Georgia's Democratic primary May 22, Abrams said she was returning to the campaign trail well outside Atlanta to assure residents across the state that she wants them to prosper as much as those living in the "economic engine" of Georgia's capital city. "I'm not running to be the governor of Atlanta," Abrams said. "I'm running to be the governor of all of Georgia." Asked by a reporter about how she plans to defeat Kemp, Abrams replied: "I'm going to win that election." She also dodged a question about Trump, who on Wednesday used Twitter to call Abrams an "open border, crime loving" candidate. But Abrams, a former state House leader, was willing to discuss her policy differences with Republicans. While promoting small business growth, Abrams promised to ensure Georgia is "an open and inclusive state" and to fight any proposals that would "take us backwards or would discriminate against Georgians" - a reference to past attempts by GOP lawmakers to pass so-called "religious liberty" bills that critics say would let businesses deny service to LGBT people. She also said she would oppose "programs that use our law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws." And while never mentioning Trump by name, Abrams said new tariffs on U.S. trade partners are hurting workers - from farmers in rural Georgia to dockworkers at the booming Port of Savannah. "Tariffs are an important conversation," Abrams said. "But creating a trade war unnecessarily makes no sense, especially when Georgians are being harmed every single day." ___ Bynum reported from Pooler, Ga. Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, left, meets with a group of employees at the Coastal Solar office during a campaign stop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Hinesville, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, left, and Secretary of State Brian Kemp celebrate during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The pair faced off in a heated gubernatorial runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, center, talks with State Rep. Al Williams, left, and Site Systems Analyst Mike Croft, right, at the Coastal Solar office during a campaign stop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Hinesville, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, center, jokes with State Representative Al Williams, left, at the Coastal Solar office during a campaign stop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Hinesville, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams watches a student cut metal with a torch during a campaign stop at the Ironworkers Local 709 apprenticeship shop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Pooler, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams watches a student cut metal with a torch during a campaign stop at the Ironworkers Local 709 apprenticeship shop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Pooler, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, center, greets Clay Sikes, right, at the Coastal Solar office along with State Representative Al Williams, left, during a campaign stop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Hinesville, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, left, meets with a group of employees at the Coastal Solar office during a campaign stop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Hinesville, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, right, is given a tour by apprentice coordinator Derrick Sample, left, during a campaign stop at the Ironworkers Local 709 apprenticeship shop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan", Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Pooler, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Georgia Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial nominee Brian Kemp, left, talks to outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, left, and Secretary of State Brian Kemp shake hands during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The pair faced off against each other in a heated gubernatorial runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp speaks during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. Kemp and fellow Republican Casey Cagle faced off in a heated gubernatorial primary runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, left, and Secretary of State Brian Kemp celebrate during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The pair faced off against each other in a heated gubernatorial runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, backed by family, speaks during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. Kemp and fellow Republican Casey Cagle, who was on hand, faced off in a heated gubernatorial primary runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, left, and Secretary of State Brian Kemp celebrate during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The pair faced off in a heated gubernatorial runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp speaks during a unity rally, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. Kemp and fellow Republican Casey Cagle faced off in a heated gubernatorial primary runoff race which Kemp won. (AP Photo/John Amis) PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday wrapped up campaigning for re-election by attacking an opposition call to boycott the polls and calling those who heed it "destroyers of democracy." Some 8.3 million people are registered to vote in Sunday's general election to fill 125 seats in the National Assembly. Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party is expected to win easily after a court last year dissolved its only credible opponent, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, on charges that it conspired with the U.S. to overthrow the government. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, waves to supporters during his Cambodian People's Party's last campaign for July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Critics say the move was part of a long-planned strategy to remove all obstacles to Hun Sen continuing to rule the country he's dominated politically since first becoming prime minister in 1985. In the last general election in 2013, the opposition CNRP came close to pulling off a surprise victory, winning 44 percent of the popular vote. The poll is widely seen outside Cambodia as a sham. The United States and the European Union have declined to help fund it, though Japan has contributed. The CNRP has advised Cambodians not to vote, a boycott the ruling party's leaders fear of heeded, would deeply embarrass them and badly undermine their victory. Speaking in front of a large crowd - 150,000 strong, according to its organizers - Hun Sen said, "People who listen to the words of the country's betrayers, and don't vote, are the ones who destroy democracy in Cambodia. "You will regret it. So I suggest all Khmer citizens think about that, because the majority of people will vote but the ones who don't vote, how will they live with those who do?" He said peace and development were the priorities for his party. Twenty parties in all are on Sunday's ballot, but apart from Hun Sen's CPP, most are small, under-resourced or almost completely unknown. Some are said to be proxies, set up by the ruling party to give the semblance of a contest. Preliminary results are expected on Sunday night. Hun Sen's party has been dominating Cambodia's political scene, but its election maneuvering has brought some sharp rejoinders from abroad. The U.S. Congress this past week passed the Cambodia Democracy Act "to promote free and fair elections, political freedoms and human rights in Cambodia and impose sanctions on Hun Sen's inner circle." The measure, which strongly condemns Hun Sen's regime, would bar individuals designated by President Donald Trump from entering the U.S. and blocks any assets or property they may possess. Its suggested list of those who should be sanctioned includes Hun Sen, several of his close family members, and about a dozen other top officials and military officers. Cambodian officials and ruling party members rejected the measure as counterproductive interference into Cambodia's internal affairs. Japan, traditionally more reluctant than Western nations to criticize Cambodia's government, announced this past week it would not be sending election monitors for Sunday's polls. Although there was no clear explanation for the decision, it is seen as a low-key but unexpected criticism of the election process. On Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said inclusive elections are essential to safeguard Cambodia's progress in consolidating peace. Guterres "calls upon the government to uphold international human rights standards and in particular to ensure guarantees for civil society actors and political parties to exercise their democratic rights," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Hun Sen became prime minister in 1985 and has led Cambodia ever since with a combination of skill, guile and ruthlessness. He is a former Khmer Rouge field commander. He defected to Vietnam during the disastrous rule of Pol Pot, later returning to help overthrow the regime. Supporters to Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, attend their last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, claps during his Cambodian People's Party's last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, dances with his supporters during his Cambodian People's Party's last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, greets his supporters during his Cambodian People's Party's last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Supporters of Cambodian People's Party attend during their last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Hun Many, center in front, son of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and his father's Cambodian People's Party lawmaker, selfies with his youths last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, poses for a selfie with his party supporters during his Cambodian People's Party's last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, dances with his supporters during his Cambodian People's Party's last campaign for the July 29 general election, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 27, 2018. Political exiles and Western governments are raising concerns about whether Cambodia's elections this weekend will be free and fair. Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile in the United States, Australia and elsewhere are using social media to urge voters to embrace a "clean finger campaign" and boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) DAMASCUS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- After being one of the safest places away from Syria's seven-year-old war, the southern province of Sweida lived the single deadliest day Wednesday with over 215 people killed and 180 wounded in the Islamic State (IS) attacks. The high death toll includes victims killed by three suicide bombings in the capital city of Sweida, and those who took up arms against the IS in towns of the province's northeastern countryside, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The SOHR added that 30 IS militants, including the suicide bombers, were killed in the attacks. The Syrian army and locals succeeded in pushing back the IS from some areas infiltrated through the attacks, and the authorities foiled other would-be suicide bombings in the city, said state media. While the countryside of Sweida has witnessed battles between rebels, including IS, and the Syrian army, the city of Sweida has remained largely calm during Syria's seven-year-long war as it is inhabited by people of the Druze minority, which are loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. The IS attacks and bombings in Sweida have diverted the army's attention and released the pressure in the IS-held areas in the nearby western countryside of Daraa province near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where the Syrian army has been relentlessly striking the IS. With the mediation and help of Russia, the army has already captured 90 percent of Daraa through battles and reconciliations, and rebels in the southwestern province of Quneitra near the Golan Heights have agreed to leave for rebel-held places in northern Syria. After Wednesday's attacks, some tribal leaders in Sweida said hundreds of young men are ready to join battles against the IS in areas the terrorists stormed in the province's countryside. The attacks prove that countries supporting terrorism in Syria are attempting to pump life into terrorist organizations to achieve political gains, said Assad when he met Russia's special envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus. Lavrentiev commented that the attacks prove the rightful path followed by the Syrian government in fighting terrorism, according to the Presidential Media Office in Syria. The United Nations (UN) condemned the bombings, calling for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. [ Editor: Xueying ] INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A father and three children who were among nine members of a close-knit Indiana family killed in a tourist boat accident were remembered Friday during a nearly three-hour service attended by hundreds who showed up to support their surviving relatives. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, first lady Janet Holcomb and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson were among the dignitaries who attended the services at Grace Apostolic Church for 40-year-old Glenn Coleman, 9-year-old Reece, 7-year-old Evan and 1-year-old Arya. Tia Coleman, who was Glenn Coleman's wife and the children's mother, was one of only two survivors among 11 Coleman family members who boarded a duck boat that capsized and sank on July 19 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, killing 17 people . Pastor Darryl Webster prays during a prayer vigil, Monday, July 23, 2018, in Indianapolis. The vigil was held for the Coleman family and other families who lost members in the duck boat accident at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) Suffragan Bishop Kevin Harrison of Grace Apostolic Church said that despite the tragedy, there has been an outpouring of support and messages of consolation for the family. He said it shows that "we still are a community of love." "This community stretched far beyond the boundaries of the city of Indianapolis and even the boundaries of the state of Missouri," he said, adding that "the love and support that has been shown in so many different ways to this family" has come from across the globe. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said Tia Coleman, who works in the child support division of the prosecutor's office, is "a gentle, wonderful young woman" who's part of the department's extended family. He said she's now struggling with an immense loss that raises "the age-old question of why bad things happen to good persons" but that he sees "a glimmer of hope." "It's difficult to talk about, that there's something positive, a glimmer of hope that comes out of this unimaginable tragedy that has befallen Tia and her in-laws. It reminds me that we are ultimately a good people despite the divisive, caustic rhetoric that we hear from some. We're still in touch with our good nature," he said. Master of ceremony Nicole Young Starks read statements prepared by the Coleman family about the victims. She described Glenn Coleman as man who cared for and provided for his family and believed that he and Tia, who wed in 2007, "were the most beautiful couple in the world." Reese had autism, was extremely smart and loved to sing, and would often search the internet for sing-alongs to purchase and take part in, Starks said. She said Evan "had a heart of gold but was very competitive" but good-spirited in that competitiveness. Starks said Tia Coleman was trying to raise Arya - "the first girl in a family with many boys" - as a princess, but that she discovered that the toddler was as tough as her brothers. "So we had to accept that she was a rough princess," she said reading from the family's statements, which said "each of the Coleman children had their own unique personality." A funeral will be held Saturday for the five other Coleman family members who died in the boat's sinking: 70-year-old Horace Coleman and his 69-year-old wife, Belinda, 76-year-old Ervin Coleman, 45-year-old Angela Coleman and her 2-year-old son, Maxwell. The Rev. Melvin Johnson prays during a prayer vigil, Monday, July 23, 2018, in Indianapolis. The vigil was held for the Coleman family and other families who lost family members in the duck boat accident at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) Using a barge mounted crane, a salvage crew from Fitzco Marine Group begin the process of raising a duck boat from below the surface of Table Rock Lake on Monday, July 23, 2018. 17 people were killed last week when the duck boat sank. (Nathan Papes /The Springfield News-Leader via AP) Patsy Coleman, right, is comforted by a guest before the start of a prayer vigil, Monday, July 23, 2018, in Indianapolis. The vigil was held for the Coleman family and other families who lost family members in Thursday's duck boat accident at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) Duck boat accident survivor Tia Coleman speaks to the media during a news conference at Cox Medical Center Branson Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Branson, Mo. Coleman lost 9 family members in the accident Thursday on Table Rock Lake which left over a dozen dead. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) WASHINGTON (AP) - A new poll finds that nearly 6 in 10 Hispanic adults have had a difficult time communicating with a health care provider because of a language or cultural barrier. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that half of those who have faced those barriers turned to a family member or to another health care provider for assistance. In addition, more than 1 in 4 looked to a translator, public resources in their community or online sources for help when they faced those issues. In addition, many Hispanics are concerned about language or cultural accommodations for those seeking nursing or long-term care services. FILE - In this file photo taken Nov. 22, 2014, Blue Bridge Benefits LLC agent Patricia Sarabia, right, and Adolfo Briceno, left, with Spanish Speaking LLC, help a potential customer with Blue Cross Blue Shield at a kiosk promoting Obama Care at Compare Foods in Winston-Salem, N.C. A new poll finds that more than half of Hispanic adults have encountered a communication barrier in the health care system. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, file) Less than half say it would be easy for older Latinos to find a nursing home, assisted living facility or home health aide that speaks their language. SAN DIEGO (AP) - A federal judge commended the Trump administration for reunifying families in its custody with their children after being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, while faulting it for leaving hundreds of families still apart and warning that a better system must be in place. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said the government gets "great credit" after reunifying more than 1,800 children 5 and over with parents or sponsors by Thursday's court-imposed deadline. He pointed out that many of the families were reunited while in custody then turned his attention to 431 children whose parents have been deported. Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) "The government is at fault for losing several hundred parents in the process and that's where we go next," the judge said. Sabraw ordered the government and the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the parents, to submit written updates every Thursday on still-separated families. The order signaled slightly looser oversight than Sabraw imposed last month with frequent hearings to make sure his deadline was met. In late June, the judge gave the government 14 days to reunify children under 5 and 30 days to reunite children 5 and older with their families. Sabraw said the "problem" could not be repeated, describing how Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and Justice departments didn't have a system to keep track of the families that were separated when the administration introduced a "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal entry. "Each (department) was like its own stovepipe, each had its own boss, and they did not communicate," he said. "What was lost in the process was the family." Sabraw didn't rule immediately on a request by the ACLU to give parents a week to decide whether or not to seek asylum after the group is notified that the family is reunited. As a result, a temporary halt on deportations remained in place. Earlier Friday, Homeland Security officials said they had reunified all eligible parents with children - but noted many others were not eligible because they had been released from immigration custody, are in their home countries or chose not to be reunited. More than 1,800 children 5 and older had been reunited with parents or sponsors as of Thursday. That included 1,442 children who were returned to parents who were in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and another 378 who were released under a variety of other circumstances. On a parallel legal front, a federal judge in Los Angeles said Friday that she will appoint an independent monitor to evaluate conditions for immigrant children in U.S. border facilities in Texas following a spate of reports of spoiled food, insufficient water and frigid conditions faced by the youngsters and their parents. Judge Dolly M. Gee said she reached her decision after seeing a "disconnect" between U.S. government monitors' assessment of conditions in facilities in Texas' Rio Grande Valley and the accounts of more than 200 immigrant children and their parents detailing numerous problems. "It seems like there continue to be persistent problems," she said during a hearing on a longstanding settlement in a case focusing on the care of children in government custody. "I need to appoint an independent monitor to give me an objective viewpoint about what is going on at the facilities." Peter Schey, an attorney who represents immigrant children detained by the U.S government, said problems have worsened with children now spending three to six days in U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities, where they were previously held one to three days. "We've seen an intensification with all the chaos the administration has caused," said Schey, who has long requested an independent monitor. Sarah Fabian, a Justice Department attorney, opposed the appointment without having an opportunity to respond to the accounts of children and parents collected by immigrant advocates at facilities in June and July. She said border authorities, for example, provide water fountains and jugs in cells and that facility conditions must comply with agency policies. Both sides have until Aug. 10 to agree on a proposed monitor. If they can't, each will make suggestions to the judge and she will choose. ___ Long reported from Washington and Taxin reported from Los Angeles. In this July 26, 2018 photo, Evelyn Zepeda cares for a four-year-old boy at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) In this July 26, 2018 photo, a four-year-old boy is shown playing in a Spiderman mask, who is being cared for by Evelyn Zepeda at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) A child holds the hand of a Lutheran Social Services worker as she looks back to a man as they arrive at Lutheran Social Services, Thursday, July 26, 2018 in Phoenix. Lutheran Social Services stated they were expecting reunited families separated at the border when apprehended entering the United States to come through their facility. (AP Photo/Matt York) In this July 26, 2018 photo, Evelyn Zepeda cares for a four-year-old boy at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) Attorneys Peter Schey, left, and Carlos Holguin field questions from reporters outside the federal courthouse in Los Angeles Friday, July 27, 2018. A judge said she would appoint an independent monitor to evaluate conditions in border facilities in Texas where immigrant children and their parents have complained of spoiled food, insufficient water and other problems. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin) WASHINGTON (AP) - A secret recording of Donald Trump discussing payments to a Playboy model has brought renewed attention to the question of whether and how he might have tried to block politically damaging stories ahead of the 2016 presidential election. But it's not clear that the tape, on its own, creates additional legal problems for the president. The September 2016 conversation between Trump and his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, took place weeks after the National Enquirer's parent company reached a $150,000 deal to pay former Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story of a 2006 affair she says she had with Trump. The recording captures Trump and Cohen discussing acquiring the rights to McDougal's story and whether to pay by cash or check. At issue is whether the transaction the men are discussing was campaign-related, in which case any payment would likely be regarded as a political contribution, or whether it was merely meant to shield the married Trump from a personally embarrassing revelation. This combination photo shows President Donald Trump and attorney Michael Cohen. The audio recording of Trump and his then-lawyer, Cohen, captures the two men discussing hush money payments to a former Playboy model alleging an affair.(AP Photo) That distinction matters in analyzing the transaction between McDougal and the Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., as well as any subsequent conversations about it between Trump and Cohen: A campaign contribution meant to influence the outcome of an election would be subject to campaign finance laws in a way that a payment for purely personal reasons might not be. "It's a piece of evidence. It's not a smoking gun," Rick Hasen, a campaign finance law expert at the University of California, Irvine, said of the recording. "It's relevant to the investigation, and it's relevant to considering whether Trump or Cohen or AMI committed campaign finance violations, but on its own, it does not constitute proof of any violation." He added, "It does not establish either a motive to spend illegal or unreported money in violation of the campaign finance laws, and it doesn't establish that any money was actually paid for this purpose." Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said the conversation wasn't campaign-related and that Trump and Cohen didn't make a payment to buy the rights. The Justice Department has been investigating Cohen for months, raiding his home, office and hotel room in search of documents related to McDougal and a separate $130,000 payment the attorney facilitated before the election to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress who says she had sex with Trump in 2006. Cohen, long a loyal counselor to the president, has more recently signaled that he'd be open to cooperating with prosecutors. His lawyer, Lanny Davis, released the recording to CNN in a reflection of open discord with Trump. Trump's lawyers circulated a transcript of the call that challenged Davis' assessment of it. Legal experts say the case raises murky issues, especially as investigators discern the motivations behind AMI's payment and the extent to which Cohen was involved in the arrangement. Prosecutors could conclude that the Enquirer, which did not publish McDougal's story as part of a tabloid strategy known as "catch and kill," made the payment to aid Trump's election bid in violation of campaign finance regulations that bar corporations from making coordinated contributions. "If they coordinated to suppress this story in order to help Trump's presidential campaign, that would be a campaign finance violation," said Andrew Herman, a Washington lawyer. "It could be a civil violation. It could be a criminal violation." AMI, however, could argue that it was acting as a legitimate news organization and in the best interest of its readers by acquiring McDougal's story and withholding it from publication. A key question for investigators will be whether the arrangements would have taken place even if Trump weren't a candidate and if the primary purpose was to protect his reputation. Though the brief recording doesn't shed much light on motive, election references on the tape, including discussion of polls and anxiety over the possible release of Trump's divorce records from first wife Ivana, may create circumstantial evidence that the men were thinking about the campaign during the conversation. "I think the election was certainly on everybody's mind, but that doesn't make anyone's acts an election contribution or expenditure," said Craig Engle, former general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Daniel Petalas, former general counsel at the Federal Election Commission, said the recording could be valuable to prosecutors to the extent it reveals Trump's and Cohen's intent. A former Justice Department prosecutor, Petalas said it was notable Trump seemed concerned that divorce papers could be unsealed, suggesting sensitivity to not wanting embarrassing information out before the election. He said even if the conversation alone doesn't establish wrongdoing, it could nonetheless be valuable to investigators reviewing the separate payment to Daniels as they examine a potential pattern to subvert campaign finance laws. Lawyers for Trump and Cohen have made different representations about whether the recording shows Trump wanting to make the payment via cash or check. The Trump team's transcript says he said "don't pay with cash" and wanted it done by check. Davis has disputed that. But that distinction probably doesn't matter. "The question comes down to whether or not there's a payment, by any means, that violated the amount and source requirements of the law," Petalas said. "Paying by check doesn't change anything." ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Florida student Tyah-Amoy Roberts said after spending a week in New Zealand that she's strongly considering moving to the country for college. The 17-year-old is one of one of 28 students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who have embraced the South Pacific nation during a trip here to learn how to keep a youth movement going long after a tragedy fades from the headlines. The school in February was attacked by a gunman who killed 17 students and staff members, and the students have become known for their passionate advocacy of gun control. They've been hoping to learn from New Zealand's Student Volunteer Army, which helped citizens in Christchurch recover from a deadly earthquake in 2011 and continues its civic-minded work. Florida student Tyah-Amoy Roberts poses next to a statue of Gollum Friday, July 27, 2018, at the Weta Workshop movie effects studio in Wellington, New Zealand. The 17-year-old is one of one of 28 students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., who have embraced the South Pacific nation during a trip to learn how to keep a youth movement going long after a tragedy fades from the headlines. (AP Photo/Nick Perry) Roberts said she knew almost nothing about New Zealand before the trip, other than it was near Australia, got cold and windy at times, and has no natural predators. But she came away impressed with the emphasis on indigenous Maori culture. "It's been amazing. Eye-opening. New Zealand is a beautiful place with a lot of really, really nice people," she said Friday. "I haven't met a mean New Zealander yet, and I doubt I ever will. And I really want to come back here." Roberts, who will soon start her senior year, said she wants to study chemical engineering and is considering doing that at New Zealand's University of Canterbury. "At first I was thinking about study abroad, but then I figured, why not just get a whole degree here?" said Roberts during a visit to the Weta Workshop movie effects studio in the capital, Wellington. Other students also said they'd also benefited from the trip. Isaac Christian, 16, an incoming junior, said it had helped him solidify his idea of starting a club to identify students who felt isolated and help make them feel more welcome. He said the shooting has heightened security at the Florida school and changed the mood. "It doesn't feel the same as it did before, like there's not a lot of cheerfulness," he said. "It's like a different type of energy you get. A different vibe." For many students, the trip has offered a chance not only to learn but also to relax. Einav Cohen, also an incoming junior, said her favorite memory was of a carefree night spent with the other Florida students and the children of their New Zealand host families. "I noticed, wow, I'm really having fun, and I'm not thinking about things in the back of my mind right now," she said. "It really showed me I can be happy again." Lisa Futschek, a regional director for government agency Education New Zealand which helped organize the trip, said she would love for the students to return. "It's been an absolutely amazing opportunity for students from different ends of the world to come together and share their ideas, share their experience, share their thoughts about sustaining a youth movement and becoming the leaders of the future," she said. Former student Nikolas Cruz faces 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the shooting. Florida student Tyah-Amoy Roberts poses next to a statue of Gollum Friday, July 27, 2018, at the Weta Workshop movie effects studio in Wellington, New Zealand. The 17-year-old is one of one of 28 students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., who have embraced the South Pacific nation during a trip to learn how to keep a youth movement going long after a tragedy fades from the headlines. (AP Photo/Nick Perry) WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday for "fulfilling a promise" to return the remains of U.S. soldiers missing from the Korean War, as a U.S. military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases said to contain remains. Close to 7,700 U.S. soldiers remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 Korean War, and about 5,300 of those were lost in North Korea. North Korea's move signals a positive step in Trump's diplomacy with Pyongyang, and may restart efforts to send U.S. teams into the country to search for additional war dead. A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command said the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP) Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cautioned that the transfer of remains "is separate" from what has so far been troubled efforts to negotiate the complete denuclearization of North Korea. But he said it was a step in the right direction following the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore. "This is obviously a gesture of carrying forward what they agreed to in Singapore and we take it as such," Mattis told reporters Friday. "We also look at it as a first step of a restarted process. So we do want to explore additional efforts to bring others home." Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearization before the Singapore meeting, the summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. Subsequent talks between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean officials got off to a rocky start earlier this month, with the North accusing the Americans of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization. On Wednesday, Pompeo said a great deal of work remains ahead of a North Korea denuclearization deal, but he declined to provide any timeline. Trump, addressing reporters on the South Lawn, said Vice President Mike Pence would greet the families and the remains of the soldiers. "We have many others coming, but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me, and I'm sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search," Trump said. "These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil," he added. Pence, the son of a Korean War combat veteran, said in a statement that he will participate in the ceremony when the remains arrive in the U.S. United Nations Command said the remains will be flown to Hawaii immediately after a full honors ceremony in Seoul on Wednesday. "It is deeply humbling to be part of this historic moment," Pence said. "We will never forget the sacrifices these brave service members and their families made for our nation and our freedoms." Early Friday morning in Korea, a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of what are believed to be remains from the Korean War. The aircraft then flew from Wonsan to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. At the air base, U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue U.N. flags. Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover, which came on the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Once the cases arrive in Hawaii, a series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if the remains are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Mattis underscored that looming question, saying "we don't know who's in those boxes." But he said the gesture is important for families of the fallen, which could include any of the allies that also fought in the war. "We have families that when they got the telegram, have never had closure," Mattis said. "They've never gone out and had the body returned." More than 36,000 U.S. troops died in the conflict, including those listed as missing in action. The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries' heavily armed border. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Korea's nuclear program and a previous U.S. claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. Washington has said Pyongyang wouldn't get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts about whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish his nukes, which he may see as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could offer. ___ Ahn reported from Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Kim reported from Seoul and Baldor from Washington. AP journalists Eric Talmadge in Pyongyang, North Korea, Kim Yong-ho in Pyeongtaek, Foster Klug in Seoul, and Ken Thomas and Sagar Meghani in Washington contributed to this report. A U.N. honor guard carries a casket containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool) A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP) U.N. honor guard carries boxes containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool) North Korean soldiers visit Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery during the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the ceasefire armistice that ends the fighting in the Korean War, which the country celebrates as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war" in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) North Korean men bow at the giant bronze statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il during the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War, which the country celebrates as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war" at Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Soldiers carry caskets containing remains of U.S. soldiers who were killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a U.S military plane making a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP) A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command said the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP) A U.N. honor guard stands to carry remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon. Pool) U.S. Army soldiers salute as vehicles carry remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arrived from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon. Pool) A U.N. honor guard moves to carry remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon. Pool) MADRID (AP) - A group of Spanish political parties are withdrawing support for the new center-left government's budget plans for next year, putting a question mark on the long-term survival of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Left-wing anti-establishment Unidos Podemos and Catalan separatist parties ERC and PDeCAT say they are abstaining on a key Friday vote to pass the government's caps on spending and public deficit goals for 2019. Without their votes, the Socialists' minority presence in the lower house - with 84 of the 350 seats - won't allow Sanchez's government to get next year's budget approved or pass any significant legislation. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez talks to journalists during a joint news conference France's President Emmanuel Macron following their meeting at the Moncloa palace in Madrid, Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) That also puts in question the survival of the new government itself, although Sanchez has repeatedly say he wants to exhaust the remainder of his term and call elections for 2020. BERLIN (AP) - The German government said Friday that the state-owned KfW bank is buying a 20 percent stake in electricity grid operator 50Hertz, fending off a bid from a Chinese company. "The government has a strong interest in protecting critical energy infrastructure because of security policy considerations," the economy ministry said in a statement on the decision. 50Hertz is one of four grid operators in Germany and supplies some 18 million people with electricity, mainly in the east of the country. China's state owned network operator SGCC had tried to buy a stake in 50Hertz earlier this year. Belgian firm Elia, which owns 80 percent of 50Hertz, will buy the remaining stake and sell it on to KfW. Separately, German media reported that the government plans to veto a Chinese takeover of specialist engineering company Leifeld Metal Spinning, citing security concerns. A spokesman for China's foreign ministry expressed concern about the reported decision to veto the Leifeld bid. "In the face of growing protectionism and unilateralism, as major world economies, China and Germany have a responsibility to jointly defend free trade and multilateralism," said the spokesman, Geng Shuang. "We hope Germany will see China's investment objectively, enlarge market access and provide a level playing field with a stable institutional framework for Chinese companies' responsible investments," he added. A senior official with Germany's main business lobby group responded warily to the 50Hertz move, saying that KfW taking a stake in a company for security policy reasons is "problematic." "This must at most be an interim solution that is ended quickly," said Stefan Mair of the Federation of German Industries. "Such a decision in an individual case carries the risk of impairing the climate for foreign investments." BERLIN (AP) - The governor of Bavaria is striking a softer tone on refugees, saying he wants a "balance" between helping those entitled to asylum and swiftly deporting those who aren't. Markus Soeder opened a center for asylum and repatriation Friday as part of the southern German state's efforts to streamline asylum procedures, which sometimes take years. Soeder has been criticized for his tough stance on migration, including his use of the phrase "asylum tourism" to describe people moving to Germany if their application is rejected elsewhere in Europe. FILE - The Dec. 16, 2017 photo shows Bavarian State Governor of German Christian Social Union party, CSU, Markus Soeder attending a party convention of the German Christian Social Union in Nuremberg, Germany. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file) Recent opinion polls showed Soeder's conservative Christian Social Union party getting under 40 percent of the vote ahead of state elections in October. The opening of the new asylum processing center in Manching, north of Munich, was accompanied by protests from pro-migrant groups. TRIPOLI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- An unidentified warplane on Wednesday targeted the southern Libyan city of Ubari, some 1,100 km south of the capital Tripoli, killing at least one person, according to a security source. "At 20:30 local time (18:30 GMT), an airstrike targeted a house in al-Shareb neighborhood in the city of Ubari, killing at least one person who was in the house at the time of the strike," an official source of Ubari joint security chamber told Xinhua later on Wednesday. "The attack was carried out by an unidentified air force. A plane was clearly heard carrying out continuous surveys since noon, before a huge explosion was heard," said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons. The source also said that the airstrike was likely carried out by the U.S. air force, confirming that the Libyan air force is not responsible for the airstrike "due to a lack of modern warplanes." According to the source, Ubari and its surrounding areas had witnessed unidentified airstrikes previously, and the United States claimed responsibility for strikes against members and leaders of terrorist groups. In March, Washington claimed responsibility for an airstrike in the city, which killed two members of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. [ Editor: Xueying ] QUNEITRA, Syria (AP) - Syrian officials on Friday celebrated the recapture of this symbolic southern town near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, raising a flag and playing the national anthem to mark the victory over the armed groups that controlled it for more than four years. A picture of President Bashar Assad was hoisted on a partially destroyed monument in central Quneitra, where his father had raised the Syrian flag after Israel withdrew more than four decades ago. Friday's ceremony was attended by hundreds of flag-waving residents from nearby villages, who sang the anthem, danced and cheered the Syrian army and affiliated militias. Syrian fighters and civilians hold the national flag as they celebrate the return of government authority to the southern town of Quneitra adjacent to Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syria, Friday, July 27, 2018. Syrian government troops recaptured the town, abandoned and largely destroyed by Israel since 1974, from armed groups who controlled it for more than four years. (AP Photo) Quneitra was abandoned after Israel destroyed it as it withdrew in 1974 following the Mideast war, although Israel continued to occupy the adjacent Golan Heights, seized in 1967. A cease-fire and a disengagement agreement have largely held along the demarcation lines for four decades. During Syria's civil war, armed groups captured the town and large parts of southwestern Syria, forcing a U.N. peacekeeping force there to evacuate. The celebrations in Quneitra took place as Syrian soldiers finalized their deployment to restore their positions along the demarcation line for the first time since 2014. The soldiers also deployed to a crossing that connects Quneitra to the Golan. Even though the countries are at war, families from the local Druze community divided by the demarcation line use the crossing to exchange visits. Farmers also sent their apples over the frontier. A field commander, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was only a matter of time before the U.N. peacekeeping force is redeployed and civilians can once again use the crossing. With Syrian forces regaining control of the town and crossing, only a handful of villages in Quneitra province remain outside of government control, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. The Syrian government had left the destruction in Quneitra as a reminder of the war with Israel. Signs of the latest conflict also can be seen. On the drive to Quneitra, reporters crossed a large sand barrier, apparently erected by the armed opposition to separate the areas they controlled. Just past it, a fresh layer of dirt filled what appeared to be a large trench dug by the insurgents for fortification. A village a few kilometers from Quneitra also was destroyed, apparently in recent fighting. The government offensive in southwestern Syria began June 19. Since then, pro-government forces seized most of the areas in Daraa and Quneitra provinces along the border with Jordan and the Golan. They now are battling remnants of the Islamic State group, which continues to hold territory at the southern tip of the region. The U.N. said the fighting has displaced 182,600 people who are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, including in Sweida, the province adjacent to Daraa and Quneitra. Initially around 300,000 were estimated to have fled their homes, but many have returned after fighting subsided in some areas and surrender deals were reached with armed opposition in others. Before the fighting, some 55,000 people had lived in the area now controlled by an IS-affiliated group. But several thousand have managed to flee and it is not clear how many remain, the U.N. said, raising concerns that the group may be restricting the movement of others still living under its grip. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told the Security Council that humanitarian aid needs to be urgently scaled up across the southwest, particularly in Quneitra. "An estimated 110,000 newly displaced people remain in Quneitra governorate, in areas that have largely been cut off from sustained humanitarian assistance," Lowcock said. Back in Quneitra, Marwan Ahmed Abdullah, a 49-year-old Syrian whose four sons fought in the war, including one who was killed said he came to "celebrate victory." "We'll sacrifice our souls for Syria. What matters is for peace and security to return to Syria like before." Mohammed Khaba, 50, said he came from the village of Khan Arnabah to celebrate the victory. "It is a source of pride for every Syrian. It is proof that we are able to expunge terrorism from all over the country," he said. The Syrian government considers all opposition fighters to be terrorists. For Omar Ayoub, it was a long-awaited homecoming. The 40-year-old had not been to Quneitra since 2012, when it became engulfed in the civil war. Dressed in the traditional garb of the ethnic minority Circassians, Ayoub said he was "ecstatic" to return to the capital of his native hometown. Originally from the Golan Heights, Ayoub has been living in Damascus since his family was displaced by the war with Israel. He repeatedly returned to the area, which is home to Circassians as well as the minority Druze community, until rebels seized it. "I am ecstatic to raise the flag, and God willing, through Quneitra, we'll regain all occupied lands. I am certain." ________ Associated Press writer Edith Lederer contributed to this report from the U.N. This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA shows Syrians celebrating the return of government authority to the southern town of Quneitra adjacent to Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syria, Friday, July 27, 2018. Syrian government troops recaptured the town, abandoned and largely destroyed by Israel since 1974, from armed groups who controlled it for more than four years. (SANA via AP) Syrian fighters dance wave the national flag as they celebrate the return of government authority to the southern town of Quneitra adjacent to Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syria, Friday, July 27, 2018. Syrian government troops recaptured the town, abandoned and largely destroyed by Israel since 1974, from armed groups who controlled it for more than four years. (AP Photo) Syrian fighters and civilians wave the national flag and a youth political organization banner, as they celebrate the return of government authority to the southern town of Quneitra adjacent to Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syria, Friday, July 27, 2018. Syrian government troops recaptured the town, abandoned and largely destroyed by Israel since 1974, from armed groups who controlled it for more than four years. (AP Photo) MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Eritrea says Somalia's president will visit the country on Saturday as yet another rivalry in the Horn of Africa region may be coming to an end. The two nations have not had diplomatic relations for nearly 15 years. Eritrea's information minister announced the three-day visit of Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Twitter, saying it comes at the invitation of Eritrea's longtime leader Isaias Afwerki. There was no immediate comment from Somalia's government. Eritrea remains under United Nations sanctions after alleged support for the Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group, which continues to hold rural parts of Somalia and carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu. Eritrea denies supporting armed groups such as al-Shabab but Somalia has viewed the country with suspicion. The visit by Somalia's leader follows a stunning diplomatic thaw in recent weeks between Eritrea and Ethiopia after more than two decades. Ethiopia under reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed already has asked that the U.N. sanctions on Eritrea, one of the world's most reclusive nations, be dropped. The U.N. secretary-general has indicated that the sanctions could be obsolete. The changing relations in the Horn of Africa region are of interest to the wealthy Gulf states just across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Already they have been jostling for influence in the African nations along one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, including both Somalia and Eritrea. The United Arab Emirates, which has a military base at Eritrea's post of Assab, has played a role in the mending of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, this week hosting the leaders of both countries and praising their "bold" gestures. ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa MADRID (AP) - Ecuador's president says his government is talking to British authorities about how to end Julian Assange's asylum in its London embassy as long as the life of the WikiLeaks founder can be guaranteed. Ecuador granted Assange asylum in 2012, but he faces arrest in Britain for breaching his bail terms and could be extradited to the United States. He would be tried there for his leaking of classified State Department documents. Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno said Friday in Madrid that nobody should remain under asylum "for too long" and that any change in Assange's status should be the result of negotiations with all sides. "What we want is for his life not to be in danger," Moreno said. MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Twenty-two inmates, many of them accused of illegal drug-related offenses, escaped Friday from a Philippine city jail south of Manila, with three being immediately recaptured, police said. A jail guard was escorting a prisoner back to a cell Friday in Bacoor city in Cavite province when inmates rushed out and overpowered the guard, police said. Police said 22 inmates dashed to freedom in the densely populated district of residences, stores and shopping malls just south of the capital. Three were recaptured and the rest were being hunted by policemen. Philippine jails, often jammed beyond capacity, are notorious for jailbreaks due to poor maintenance, too few guards, corruption and a shortage of maximum-security facilities for high-risk detainees like communist and Muslim insurgents. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - This is the story of a drug dog with a bounty on its head. Sombra, a six-year-old German shepherd, has helped Colombia's police detect more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine hidden in suitcases, boats and large shipments of fruit. But as the dog sniffs her way toward record cocaine interdictions, she has also become the latest target of Colombia's most powerful drug gang. Drug dog Sombra, has helped detect more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine hidden in suitcases, boats and large shipments of fruit, sits outside the police station in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. Colombian police recently revealed that the Gulf Clan, a cartel that boasts its own guerrilla army, has offered a reward of $7,000 to whoever kills or captures Sambra. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Colombian police recently revealed that the Gulf Clan, a cartel that boasts its own guerrilla army, has offered a reward of $7,000 to whoever kills or captures the savvy hound. The threat prompted officials to relocate Sombra - whose name in Spanish means Shadow - from a busy port on Colombia's Caribbean coast to the capital city, where she now uses her extraordinary talent to sniff through suspicious cargo at Bogota's El Dorado International Airport. After her six hour shift is over, Sombra is transported in a van with tinted windows back to her kennel. She is usually accompanied by two armed guards. "We are responsible for her safety," said officer Jose Rojas, Sombra's 25-year-old handler. Sombra's detective work is needed now more than ever as Colombia wrestles with soaring coca production that is testing traditionally close relations with the United States. A recent White House report found the amount of land where peasants and drug traffickers harvest the plant used to make cocaine rose 11 percent in 2017 to 209,000 hectares (516,450 acres), despite $10 billion in U.S. counter-narcotics work. "President Trump's message to Colombia is clear: The record growth in cocaine production must be reversed," warned Jim Carroll, deputy director for the drug policy office. President-elect Ivan Duque is promising a tougher approach to speed up eradication with strategies that could include aerial spraying and the use of drones. But even with advanced technology, experts say on-the-ground detective work like that performed by Sombra is critical. Some of Sombra's recent busts include uncovering over five tons of Gulf Clan cocaine destined for Europe and concealed in crates of bananas. Officers also credit her incredible nose with more than 245 drug-related arrests at two of Colombia's biggest international airports. "Her sense of smell is far beyond that of other dogs," Rojas said. Drug cartels like the Gulf Clan have taken note. After learning there was a price on Sombra's head, Colombia's national police director ordered her to be transferred to a new post earlier this year, according to local news reports. Investigators uncovered the threat against Sombra through an intercepted phone call. "Sombra the German shepherd has become the terror of criminal organizations," a recent story in Colombia's El Espectador newspaper proclaimed. On a typical day, Sombra is up by 6 a.m. and shuttled from a kennel to work at El Dorado airport inspecting packages and cargo. With her neon reflective vest, pointy ears and gaping mouth, she looks more like a beloved family pet than a veteran drug-sniffing police dog. Since she was transferred in January, the canine sleuth has sniffed thousands of pounds of cocaine out of the dark, helping her handlers find the drug hidden in boxes full of sneakers and wooden necklaces. A few months ago, the tenacious hound also detected 77 kilos of cocaine placed deep inside an industrial machine. The work is risky: Colombia's national police estimates they've lost at least 1,800 officers over the past two decades and a number of dogs to the war on drugs. Some officers were killed by hitmen acting on the orders of drug traffickers, while others died in attacks like bombings on police stations. Several dogs have been killed while helping officers eradicate coca crops. Sombra's victories have turned her into somewhat of a media darling, and as she struts around Bogota's airport with her handler, fans occasionally stop her for a selfie. Rojas said the star-like attention hasn't gotten to Sombra's head. "Sombra in comparison to other dogs is much easier to work with," he said. "She understands orders." Handler Jose Rojas and drug dog Sombra patrol outside the cargo hold of El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. As the six-year-old German shepherd sniffs her way toward record cocaine interdictions, she has also become the latest target of Colombia's most powerful drug gang. "Her sense of smell is far beyond that of other dogs," Rojas said. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Drug dog Sombra rides with her handler, officer Jose Rojas, to the cargo hold at the El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. After learning there was a price on Sombra's head, Colombia's national police director ordered her to be transferred to a new post earlier this year, according to local news reports. Colombian police recently revealed that the Gulf Clan, a cartel that boasts its own guerrilla army, has offered a reward of $7,000 to whoever kills or captures the savvy hound. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Officer Jose Rojas and drug dog Sombra patrol at the El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. After her six hour shift is over, Sombra is transported in a van with tinted windows back to her kennel. She is usually accompanied by two armed guards. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Drug dog Sombra looks for drugs in the cargo hold of El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. Some of Sombra's recent busts include uncovering over five tons of Gulf Clan cocaine destined for Europe and concealed in crates of bananas. Overall, officers credit her incredible nose with more than 245 drug-related arrests at two of Colombia's biggest international airports. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Drug dog Sombra inspects a suitcase at the El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. On a typical day, Sombra is up by 6 a.m. and shuttled from a kennel to work at El Dorado airport inspecting packages and cargo. With her neon reflective vest, pointy ears and gaping mouth, she looks more like a beloved family pet than a veteran drug-sniffing police dog. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) REDDING, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on California's devastating wildfires (all times local): 8:15 p.m. Firefighters say 500 structures have been destroyed in a raging Northern California wildfire and another 5,000 are threatened. A firefighter works to battle the Carr Fire at a home in Redding, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Daniel Kim/The Sacramento Bee via AP) Cal Fire released the updated figure Friday, though the number of homes burned in the so-called Carr Fire is expected to increase. Earlier Friday, fire officials said 65 structures had been destroyed by the fast-moving blaze in Shasta County. The blaze grew to 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) by Friday night. It began Monday with a mechanical failure of a vehicle. It grew completely out of control on Thursday, tearing through two small communities and reaching the city of Redding. Tens of thousands of people fled the city in fear of their lives from the blaze, which has killed two firefighters. ___ 7:20 p.m. Yosemite Valley won't be open to all visitors for another week because of a massive wildfire that has grown to nearly 72 square miles (186 square kilometers). Yosemite National Park officials said Friday that the park won't reopen to everyone until the afternoon of Aug. 3. They say "limited visitor services" will be available inside the valley until then. Yosemite Valley has been closed since July 25 because of smoke from a fire now 29 percent contained. The closure has been heartbreaking for travelers, many of whom had planned their trips months in advance to hike and climb amid the spectacular views in Yosemite. At least 1,000 campground and hotel bookings had been canceled through Thursday. ___ 5:45 p.m. The police chief of the Northern California city hit hard by a fast-moving wildfire is among those whose homes went up in flames. Redding Police Chief Roger Moore told the Los Angeles Times that he and two other police officers lost their homes in Shasta County's Carr Fire. Moore estimates at least 100 homes were destroyed overnight Thursday as the flames jumped the Sacramento River and raced into the outskirts of Redding. More than 37,000 residents have been evacuated. The city of 92,000 is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the Oregon border. Moore said the family saved valuables such as photos and documents, but his wife and children are anxious and sad. ___ 3:30 p.m. An Associated Press reporter has counted at least 125 homes destroyed by a deadly blaze in Northern California. Earlier Friday, fire officials said 65 structures had been destroyed by the fast-moving blaze in Shasta County. The AP reporter on Friday afternoon counted 66 burned homes in the Lake Redding Estates neighborhood and another 60 in nearby Lake Keswick Estates. The explosive wildfire in Northern California has killed two firefighters and officials say thousands have abandoned their homes in and around Redding. Authorities are warning that the blaze will probably burn deeper into urban areas before there is any hope of containing it. ___ 3:15 p.m. A fire official says winds fanning a deadly blaze in Northern California were so strong that trees were ripped from the ground, flew in the air and landed across the street. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Chad Carroll said Friday many of those trees landed on homes. He says that winds were so extreme Thursday that embers traveled up to a mile ahead of the flames. Carroll says the wildfire that started Monday and has killed two firefighters is mainly burning near the city of Redding, which has about 90,000 residents. But he says extreme winds are expected again Friday afternoon and says people in the area should be ready to evacuate. Mandatory evacuations were extended overnight to include the city of Shasta Lake, which has about 10,000 residents. ___ 2:20 p.m. Residents of a Redding, California, neighborhood where several homes were destroyed say they had to scramble to escape the blaze. Jim Chapin says he got home at around 7:30 p.m. Thursday and police were there telling people to evacuate the Lake Redding Estates neighborhood. Chapin says his wife left, but he stayed behind to hose down the roof, gutters and fallen leaves. He says that shortly afterward, the fire was burning trees behind neighbors' homes and ferocious winds whipped up branches, burning leaves, garbage-can lids, wood and other debris. Chapin says the streets were so jammed with traffic that there was no way for firefighters to come in. The 79-year-old returned to the neighborhood Friday and cried when he found his home still standing. ___ 1:10 p.m. The Redding, California, firefighter killed by a massive blaze in Northern California has been identified as Jeremy Stoke. The Redding firefighters union says Stoke was a fire inspector but released no other information. He was the second victim of the blaze that started Monday in Shasta County. Crews on Thursday found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path. Officials said the fire burned over the operator as he worked to try to contain the blaze. ___ 12:30 p.m. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott McLean says at least 37,000 people had to evacuate after a fatal blaze tore through Northern California communities. McLean says they are asking people to promptly heed evacuation orders. Fire officials say strong winds pushed the massive wildfire into the city of Redding on Thursday. Dennis Beck, chief of the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District, tells the Record Searchlight that firefighters are bracing for winds forecast for Friday afternoon that could blow the blaze into the city of Shasta Lake, north of Redding. Beck says the entire city remains under mandatory evacuation. He says easterly winds that could reach up to 8 miles per hour are expected by 4 p.m. Friday. ___ 12:15 p.m. Officials say the three firefighters injured while fighting a massive blaze burning in Northern California were treated for burns to their ears, face and hands. The Marin County Fire Department says its three firefighters were assigned to defend buildings when they were hit by a "sudden blast of heat." The department says all were treated at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California, and released and that one of them will be evaluated at UC Davis Burn Center in Sacramento. One firefighter and a bulldozer operator have been killed by the fire. Hospital spokesman Mike Mangas says five civilians were also treated for fire-related injuries. He says their injuries are not serious. He says six babies in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit where premature newborns receive care were evacuated to the UC Davis Children's Hospital out of precaution. ___ 12:00 p.m. Steve Hobson says he thought he'd stay behind to save his house as a Northern California wildfire raged but heat from the flames burned his skin and the smoke made it hard to breathe. The former urban and wildland firefighter from the city of Redding said Friday he felt the fire sucking the air from the around him, whipping up swirling embers in a "fire tornado." He says police pounded on doors telling everyone to leave and that he fled through walls of burning embers on both sides of the street. He returned to his home Friday morning and found the perimeter fence of his house burned along with a backyard shed. But he says his house made it through the night. ___ 11:38 a.m. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by a Northern California wildfire has increased tenfold to 5,000 after the fire exploded overnight. CalFire spokesman Scott Kenney said Friday that the updated number reflects recent evacuations. Kenney says the fire is only 3 percent contained and could spread in any direction. Officials have put the destruction at 65 structures, though it is likely to jump much higher. Dozens of homes were destroyed in subdivisions along the Sacramento River. At least two dozen homes in Redding Lakes Estates were smoldering, though others escaped the flames unscathed. Aerial footage showed dozens of homes were also in ruins in Keswick Lake Estates to the north. ___ 11:17 a.m. A 32-year-old man has been charged with intentionally starting nine Southern California fires, including one that has chased thousands of residents of from mountain communities. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office says Brandon McGlover of Temecula will be arraigned Friday on 15 felony counts that carry a potential sentence of life in prison. All nine fires were set Wednesday in the Idyllwild, Anza and Sage areas about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. One became the Cranston Fire that has grown to 18 square miles (46 square kilometers) in the Idyllwild area of the San Jacinto Mountains. Five homes have been destroyed, more than 4,900 structures are threatened and an estimated 6,000 people have been evacuated. McGlover is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. He's scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. ___ 11:00 a.m. An official says more than 5,000 people have been evacuated to shelters and that authorities expect a destructive blaze in Northern California to continue moving into urban areas. California Governor's Office of Emergency Services spokesman Kelly Huston says they are coordinating bringing in aircraft from the California National Guard to help fight the flames. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire near the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. Temperatures are forecast to reach 110 degrees (43 Celsius) on Friday. Huston says officials are moving emergency supplies including cots and food to four shelters set up in Shasta County. He says the shelters are preparing for what could be a "longer-term" event. ___ 10:20 a.m. A hospital official says eight people with fire-related injuries have been treated at the Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California. Hospital spokesman Mike Mangas says three of the injured are firefighters hurt in a fatal blaze burning in Shasta County. He says none of the injuries are serious. Mangas says people are arriving at the hospital with respiratory problems. Mangas says six babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, were evacuated out of precaution. He says the hospital was preparing high-risk patients to be evacuated, but the hospital remains open and fully functional. ___ 9:25 a.m. Residents of Northern California communities impacted by a massive wildfire say they had minutes to evacuate after officials knocked on their doors in the middle of the night as the fire expanded rapidly. Sharon Stapleton tells the Record Searchlight newspaper that she and her husband grabbed a pillow, some shirts and pants, medicine, important documents and their two dogs and left in their sport utility vehicle and their motor home. Stapleton says they left after a police officer knocked on their door Thursday, which was her 71st birthday. Stapleton says she celebrated while sitting on a folding chair on the grassy lawn outside a shopping center in Redding, California, making calls to find out if their rented home survived. She says some of her neighbors stayed put, hoping to ride out the firestorm. ___ 8:30 a.m. Fire officials say 65 structures have been destroyed by a fatal wildfire tearing through rural Northern California towns. That's up from a previous report of 15 destroyed. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says 500 other buildings are threatened by the massive blaze that has killed two firefighters. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. The blaze that began Monday grew overnight Thursday to 70 square miles (180 square kilometers). ___ 8:05 a.m. Official say a firefighter has been killed by a massive Northern California wildfire, raising the death toll to 2. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday that a firefighter with the fire department in the city of Redding was killed fighting the blaze in Shasta County. The department says it is investigating the death. No other details were provided. The blaze on Thursday killed a bulldozer operator as he worked to try to contain the blaze. ___ 7:40 a.m. A wildfire in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California has grown to 18 square miles (46 square kilometers). Authorities say just 3 percent of the fire's perimeter is contained Friday morning. Conditions are calm but gusty winds are expected by afternoon. The fire allegedly was intentionally set Wednesday and quickly spread through timber and brush near the town of Idyllwild and other communities about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. More than 4,900 structures are threatened and an estimated 6,000 people have been evacuated. In the Sierra Nevada, the Ferguson Fire continues to grow just outside Yosemite National Park. Authorities say it is now nearly 72 square miles (186 square kilometers), but containment has increased to 29 percent. Yosemite Valley and the Wawona and Mariposa Grove areas of the national park remain closed. ___ 7:10 a.m. Hundreds of people who fled their homes because of a massive Northern California wildfire are crowding into shelters as the blaze brightens the sky with a red glow. Videos posted to social media show long lines of cars slowly moving on a highway near the city of Redding as the wildfire rages on the hills behind. Dozens of evacuees are going to Shasta College, where officials have set up a shelter. Another shelter has been set up at an elementary school. Mandatory evacuations were ordered overnight for the city of Shasta Lake, which has about 10,000 residents. People in the western part of Redding, which has about 92,000 residents, were also asked to evacuate. The blaze grew overnight to 70 square miles (180 square kilometers). ___ 6:40 a.m. More evacuations have been ordered as a devastating wildfire torches an area in and around the Northern California city of Redding. The blaze that broke out Monday exploded late Thursday and raced into small communities west of Redding before entering the city limits. Fire officials say dozens of homes have burned, though conditions make it impossible to determine an accurate count and the number could climb much higher. A bulldozer operator on the fire lines was killed and three firefighters suffered burns. Some civilians also have been injured. Mandatory evacuations were extended overnight to include the city of Shasta Lake, which has about 10,000 residents. Parts of Redding, which has about 92,000 residents and is the largest city in the region, also have been evacuated. ___ 2 a.m. An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, burning three firefighters, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee. Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River on Thursday and reaching Redding It's a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. Residents in the western part of Redding who hadn't been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange. Many firefighters turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. A woman, who declined to give her name, surveys damage to her grandmother's house after the Carr Fire burned through Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A woman, who declined to give her name, surveys damage to her grandmother's house after the Carr Fire burned through Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A firefighter sprays water on a home leveled by the Carr Fire on Sunriver Lane in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A sign on Highway 41 announces the closure of Yosemite National Park near Oakhurst, Calif., on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Parts of the park closed Wednesday as firefighters work to contain the Ferguson fire burning nearby. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A firefighter walks past a home destroyed by the Carr Fire on Sunriver Lane in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Kaleb Topal, right, and dad Steve Topal survey a home leveled by the Carr Fire on Sunflower Drrive in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27 2018. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight.(AP Photo/Noah Berger) A couple, who declined to give their names, passes homes leveled by the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Firefighters work to battle the Carr Fire at a home in Redding, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Daniel Kim/The Sacramento Bee via AP) A structure burns as the Carr Fire races along Highway 299 near Redding, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) This Thursday, July 26, 2018 image captured by NASA's Terra satellite, shows actively burning California wildfires (outlined in red) detected by MODIS's thermal bands. (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project via AP) This Wednesday, July 25, 2018, captured by NASA's Terra satellite, shows actively burning California wildfires (outlined in red) detected by thermal bands. (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project via AP) People watch the Carr Fire burn from a window at the Mercy Medical Center on Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Redding, Calif. The hospital received multiple victims of the Carr Fire which exploded Thursday leveling dozens of homes, burning three firefighters and killing a bulldozer operator. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - It's now a close race for the presidency in Zimbabwe as the country on Monday goes to the polls. Here's a look at the two main candidates vying to lead the once-prosperous southern African nation out of the shadow of former leader Robert Mugabe, who stepped down in November under military pressure. ___ PRESIDENT EMMERSON MNANGAGWA Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa attends the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, July 27, 2018. Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday after Mnanngagwa became president After Robert Mugabe resigned in November last year. (Mike Hutchings/Pool Photo via AP) Age: 75 Party: The ruling ZANU-PF Nicknamed "the Crocodile" for his guerrilla activities during the war for liberation and for years Mugabe's enforcer, Mnangagwa has tried to cast himself as a reformer with pledges of a free and fair election after past votes were marred by violence and irregularities. After he was fired last year by Mugabe amid a ruling party feud, the military rallied behind him to help push Mugabe out. Mnangagwa has asked the country to let bygones be bygones, but many recall his role as state security minister during the Matabeleland massacres in the 1980s when the army killed thousands of people as Mugabe moved against a political rival. Mnangagwa has repeatedly declared Zimbabwe "open for business" since he took office, but a credible election is key to lifting international sanctions and opening the door to badly needed investment in a country whose economy has long collapsed. ___ NELSON CHAMISA Age: 40 Party: Movement for Democratic Change The lawyer and pastor emerged to lead the main opposition party after the death earlier this year of its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who for years had been Mugabe's top challenger in elections. Chamisa now has the support of a coalition of parties including one backed by Mugabe and members of a youthful pro-Mugabe faction that was quickly purged from the ruling party and government when Mnangagwa took office. Chamisa, a former student leader who was among the top six officials when the MDC was formed in 1999, has promised wide-ranging economic reforms in Zimbabwe. He also has pointed out the 35-year gap between him and Mnangagwa, telling The Associated Press in an interview earlier this year that "I represent the new. Mnangagwa represents the past." JOHANNESBURG (AP) - For 37 years, Zimbabwe knew no leader but Robert Mugabe. On Monday, the southern African nation goes to the polls for the first post-Mugabe election, one that could determine whether new President Emmerson Mnangagwa stands by promises of reforms in the economically shattered country and whether the military would serve, or even allow, an opposition winner. Here's a look at key issues. ___ A DIASPORA OF MILLIONS WITHOUT A VOTE Supporters of Nelson Chamisa, head of the MDC opposition alliance, carry the Zimbabwean flag while attending his rally in Chitungwiza about 30 kilometres east of the capital Harare, Thursday, July, 26, 2018. Chamisa addressed his first rally since rejecting the idea of boycotting elections on Monday despite what he calls a biased election commission, in the first election since the November resignation of longtime leader Robert Mugabe. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) Millions of Zimbabweans working and living outside the country will be unable to vote unless they travel back home after the Constitutional Court in May rejected a bid by human rights lawyers to amend the Electoral Act. Many people fled during decades of economic and political turmoil under Mugabe, although there are no official figures of Zimbabweans in the diaspora. Inside the country, an estimated 5.3 million people have registered to vote. ___ MUGABE'S LONG SHADOW Last year Mugabe's wife, Grace, appeared to be positioning herself to succeed her husband with a campaign to vilify his deputy, Mnangagwa. But Mnangagwa's firing in November led to a whirl of events that saw the military step in, Mugabe resign amid impeachment proceedings and Mnangagwa take power. Now the 94-year-old Mugabe and his wife live quietly in the capital, Harare, but the former president remains influential. He backs a political party that supports main opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa and retains strong support in some rural areas - where some still think Mugabe is president. ___ A CREDIBLE ELECTION? Mnangagwa has promised a free and fair vote as he seeks the removal of international sanctions imposed years ago after elections marred by allegations of violence and intimidation. While Mugabe banned Western election observers, the new president has welcomed them for the first time in 16 years. A record 23 candidates are running for president. But the main opposition MDC party and election observers have raised serious concerns. The voters' roll is said to be flawed and the preparation of ballots has been called non-transparent. The military, which has said it will support any winner in the election, has denied sending thousands of soldiers into rural areas to influence voters in favor of the ruling ZANU-PF party. ___ THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Concerns about election violence rose after a grenade attack "inches away" from Mnangagwa at a campaign rally last month killed two people while the president emerged unscathed. Two people were arrested in what state media called an assassination attempt. Mnangagwa dismissed the attack as just the latest of several attempts on his life and blamed his "normal" enemies. The government later announced that any frightened candidates would be provided with protection, a first. ___ A COLLAPSED ECONOMY Zimbabweans have seen little or no improvement in the economy since Mnangagwa took office. The country is still without its own currency and lines remain long outside banks amid a severe cash crunch. Millions including college graduates have turned to eking out a living as street vendors, while industries resemble scrapyards. Youth make up the bulk of the country's voters and are most affected by the economic crisis, and both Mnangagwa and Chamisa have tried to win their vote with social media campaigns and the promise that brought Mnangagwa big applause during his inauguration speech: "Jobs, jobs, jobs." ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa In this photo supplied by the South African Government Communications and Information Services (GCIS), Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, centre with scarf, arrives at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria, South Africa, to attend the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday in historic elections. ( Jacoline Schoonees / South African Government Communication and Information Services via AP) BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - The stepmother of actress Lindsay Lohan was arrested in Florida on a simple battery charge after she allegedly threw a candle in a glass holder at her husband during an argument over a cellphone late Thursday, according to an arrest report. Police arrested Kate Major Lohan, 35, and she was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail early Friday, according to jail records. Officers were called to the couple's home in Boca Raton by Michael Lohan, according to a probable cause affidavit that was heavily redacted. He told investigators that he went outside to "separate" from Kate Lohan, but she followed, "shouting at him about the cellphone." This photo provided provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office shows Kate Major Lohan shortly after her arrest on a battery charge in Boca Raton, Fla., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Kate Lohan, 35, is the stepmother of actress Lindsay Lohan. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office via AP) Michael Lohan told investigators she threw the candle at him and it hit a palm tree that was behind him. The glass shattered, cutting his forearm, the affidavit said. He told investigators he left the residence and called police. When investigators asked Kate Lohan about the cut on her husband's arm, she told them she didn't know how it happened. She said her husband had said he was going to hurt himself and call police to get her in trouble. When the investigator asked if she had thrown a candle at him, Kate Lohan said she didn't know what he was talking about. Kate Lohan told investigators she didn't know how the broken glass had gotten on the front lawn, the affidavit said. The Palm Beach Post reports police took Kate Lohan into custody in August for a mental health evaluation after she and her husband got into an argument over their children. In 2016, Kate Lohan was accused of kicking a police officer in nearby Delray Beach. Court records said that arrest happened during an argument with her husband. However, they noted that there are still a lot of unresolved bottlenecks in airport infrastructure in areas which are planned to become major tourism centres. The government should introduce appropriate policies to encourage the private sector to invest in airport infrastructure, said expert Nguyen Thien Tong, a former lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. He added that 14% of the worlds airports are invested in by the private sector and these airports handle up to 41% of the total international passengers. Le Anh Tuan, from the Development Strategy Institute, stated that the government attaches great importance to airport infrastructure development, with capital for this sector accounting for nearly 20% of the total spending on transport infrastructure. According to Huynh The Du, from Fulbright University, budget carriers such as Vietjet and Bamboo Airways, which is to be launched soon, are making air travel cheaper and facilitating the growth of the tourism industry. Aviation and tourism need each other to grow, said Nguyen Quy Phuong at the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, adding that the number of tourists travelling to Vietnam by plane is the highest figure among the different means of transport. It was previously projected that foreign tourists travelling to Vietnam by air would reach 10.5 million by 2020 but the actual figure already hit 13 million in 2017 and is forecast to rise to 21 million by 2020. Experts advised that it is necessary to mobilise capital from different sources to develop new airport infrastructure in order to deal with the bottlenecks and create opportunities for new airlines. MINSK, Belarus (AP) - The lawyer for a hunger-striking Ukrainian filmmaker who is imprisoned in Russia says the health risks for his client are rising as the protest enters its 75th day. Oleg Sentsov, a vocal opponent of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, was sentenced in 2015 to 20 years for conspiracy to commit terrorism. The 42-year-old denies the charges and has been on a hunger strike since mid-May. He also is calling for the release of 64 other Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia whom he considers political prisoners. Lawyer Dmitry Dinze told The Associated Press on Friday that Sentsov is pale and lies down constantly because he has difficulty moving. He says "the hunger strike is continuing and with each day the risk is increasing." FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015 file photo, Oleg Sentsov gestures as the verdict is delivered, as he stands behind bars at a court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. The lawyer for a hunger-striking Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned in Russia says that the health risks for Oleg Sentsov are rising as the protest enters its 75th day. (AP Photo, File) "His first crisis was on the 26th day of the hunger strike and they more or less stabilized him. Now everyone is waiting for the second crisis. They say that forced feeding will begin after the second crisis," Dinze said. The European Court of Human Rights this week urged Sentsov to end his hunger strike. Sentsov has refused to seek a presidential pardon from Vladimir Putin. WASHINGTON (AP) - Rarely has an RSVP been so complicated. President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow - if he gets a formal invitation from Vladimir Putin, the White House said Friday. Russian President Putin said he's game for a trip to Washington - but his answer came only after Trump retracted his invitation for a fall sit-down. The awkward back and forth is the latest round of summit drama flowing from the two leaders' controversial first meeting in Helsinki this month. It underscores Trump's eagerness to forge a warmer relationship with Putin, though the Russian does not appear to share the urgency and Trump's allies in Washington are watching with frustration. President Donald Trump pauses as he delivers remarks about the economy on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, July 27, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump's tentative yes to a Moscow trip comes even as lawmakers are still pushing for details about what he and Putin discussed in Helsinki. The president has been widely criticized for failing to publicly denounce Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election and appearing to accept Putin's denials of such activity. Trump's response to the criticism - an abruptly announced invitation for a second meeting in Washington in the fall - got an ice-cold reception from Republicans in Congress facing tough elections in November. Moscow was lukewarm and did not immediately accept. Then National Security Adviser John Bolton said Wednesday that plans for a fall visit would be delayed until 2019. He cited special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling as the reason, using Trump's favorite term for the probe: "witch hunt." But the possibility of a Trump trip to Moscow emerged Friday after Putin said he was ready to invite Trump - or to visit Washington if conditions are right. "I understand very well what President Trump said: He has the wish to conduct further meetings," Putin said while traveling in Johannesburg. "I am ready for this. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him of this. I am prepared to go to Washington, but, I repeat, if the appropriate conditions for work are created." White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded that Trump "looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a reciprocal formal invitation." But it's just talk at this point. It's part of "a power game between Putin and Trump," said Dr. Alina Polyakova of the Brookings Institution. She said the Kremlin basically drove the entire process in Helsinki, and "we're seeing that again now." Trump is hardly in a strong position because "the Helsinki summit was such a fiasco," said James Goldgeier of the Council on Foreign Relations. A Putin visit to Washington between now and January "could have a lot of poor optics," he said, and "it's really hard to see the upside" of a Trump trip to Moscow. The spectacle of Trump in the Russian capital - the site of unproven salacious allegations in an anti-Trump dossier compiled by a former British spy - was likely to raise eyebrows and alarm on Capitol Hill. Just two days earlier, lawmakers from both political parties unsuccessfully demanded details of the Helsinki meeting from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who stonewalled nearly all those inquiries at a contentious hearing by maintaining that the president has a right to private conversations. Since Helsinki, Trump has tried to walk back at least some of his comments. And Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that despite Trump's public statements that allegations of Russian interference are "a hoax" he accepts that Russia did meddle in the 2016 election. Trump met Friday with his national security team to discuss threats to the 2018 congressional midterm elections, the first such session he has convened amid warnings from intelligence officials that Russia is again intent on interfering in the U.S. democratic process. The White House released a statement saying Trump "made it clear that his Administration will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections from any nation state or other malicious actors." Republican lawmakers have made it clear they are not eager to see Putin, who intelligence officials say was aware of the 2016 interference, just weeks before Election Day 2018. Putin "will not be welcome" at the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. House Speaker Paul Ryan said such invitations are reserved "for allies." The Republican leaders appear to be increasingly relying on public signals, rather than private phone calls or Oval Office chats, to catch the White House's attention and communicate with Trump - especially when they are at odds with the president's approach or policies. Ryan has said he did not speak to the president in the days after the Helsinki summit. Moscow has portrayed its tensions with Washington as a result of Trump being hobbled by domestic political disputes and a widespread "Russophobia" perpetrated by holdovers from the Obama years - echoing Trump's penchant to blame his predecessor for many problems. By saying that he's willing to go to Washington if conditions are "appropriate," Putin underlines that stance and effectively puts pressure on Trump to try to stamp out opposition. His invitation for Trump to come to Moscow - whether the invitation has been formally tendered or is only in spirit - also appears to pressure Trump to show whether he is bold and disruptive enough to buck intense criticism at home. ___ AP writers Ken Thomas, Jill Colvin and Darlene Superville in Washington and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the economy from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, July 27, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Korea made good on another promise to President Donald Trump by returning dozens of sets of remains of American GIs killed during the Korean War. But it expects something in return - a peace treaty, or something very much like it. Until that's on the table, real progress toward denuclearization will likely have to wait. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed in his summit in Singapore with Trump last month to resume returning remains. A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command said the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP) But the North chose the most symbolic day to actually turn over the first batch. Friday was the 65th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which concluded not in a formal peace treaty but in an armistice agreement that was supposed to be temporary but has stayed in effect ever since. That, to North Korea, says it all. North Korea's demand all along has been that improved relations between the two countries must begin with the creation of a stable peace on the Korean Peninsula, not with the unilateral abandonment of the North's nuclear weapons that the Trump administration has been pushing for. North Korea's logic is that both sides need to take simultaneous action to gradually improve the security climate. Denuclearization, if it will come at all, will only come once that hurdle has been cleared. "The adoption of the declaration on the termination of war is the first and foremost process in the light of ending the extreme hostility and establishing new relations between the DPRK and the U.S.," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Peace can come only after the declaration of the termination of war," it said. To keep the ball rolling in the meantime, North Korea has announced a moratorium on nuclear tests and long-range missile launches. It has demolished structures and the entrances to buildings on the site of its underground nuclear testing facility in Punggye-ri, and appears to have begun dismantling some of its missile testing facilities at Sohae. It has also returned three Americans who were being held in jail and has significantly toned down its anti-U.S. propaganda. All should be seen as significant, positive steps - certainly when compared to last year, when the U.S. and North Korea were trading insults and threats of nuclear war. But none of the North's actions so far have much to do with actual denuclearization. North Korea has yet to declare what its nuclear program consists of - how many bombs it has, where they are built - information that must be revealed to Washington before any credible denuclearization process can even begin. The moratoriums could easily be rescinded if Kim chooses to do so, and experts believe new underground testing tunnels and missile test sites could be rebuilt in a matter of months. Friday's repatriation of the American remains was also fairly low hanging fruit for North Korea. The remains of more than 5,000 American soldiers are believed to be recoverable in the country, and it is possible the North already has collected hundreds of remains that it could turn over at any time. The remains issue is clearly not directly linked to denuclearization, but shifts the focus back to trust-building and goodwill measures. This isn't the first time the North has cooperated with repatriating remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were canceled by President George W. Bush amid heightening tensions over the North's nuclear program in 2005. The remains returned Friday are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead has yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Following an honors ceremony next Wednesday, the remains are to be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. A series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if they are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. North Korea has had problems with identifying remains in the past, famously sending a set to Japan that it claimed were of an abducted Japanese citizen, but which Tokyo said turned out to be dog bones. Trump's immediate response, nevertheless, was gratitude. "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families," he tweeted. "Thank you to Kim Jong Un." The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war. South Korea's Defense Ministry has announced the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries' heavily armed border. Experts say a declaration to officially end the war, which could also involve Seoul and Beijing, would make it easier for North Korea to steer the discussions with Washington toward a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition, security assurances and economic benefits. Some analysts believe that North Korea would eventually demand that the United States withdraw or dramatically reduce the 28,500 troops it keeps in South Korea as a deterrent. Washington has maintained that North Korea won't get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. North Korea's actions, however, appear to be aimed at chipping away support for that hard-line position. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE - Talmadge is the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @EricTalmadge A soldier carries a casket containing a remain of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP) A U.N. honor guard carries a casket containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool) SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Latest on the reunification of families separated at the border (all times local): 3:30 p.m. A federal judge is commending the Trump administration for reunifying families in immigration custody after they were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border while also faulting it for hundreds of still-separated families outside of government custody. Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said Friday in San Diego that the government gets "great credit" for reunifying more than 1,800 children with parents and sponsors. But he says attention must now turn to families who couldn't be reunited because their parents were deported - 431 at latest count. Sabraw didn't rule on an American Civil Liberties Union request for a one-week waiting period for reunified parents to decide if they want to seek asylum, keeping a temporary halt to deportations in place. ___ 1:50 p.m. Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, says it has received more than 320 families who had been separated since July 17. Many came in for less than a day before they're flown out to their intended destinations. One Friday, one parent, Maria, a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman who was separated from her 4-year-old in mid-June, says her son was well-cared for while he was away. She says he's been his normal self since they were reunited in El Paso on Thursday night. She spoke anonymously without providing her last name to a reporter because Annunciation House director Ruben Garcia does not allow most shelter residents to disclose that information to protect their safety. He says all shelter residents have fled violence in their home countries. She says she was elated to be reunited with her son after spending weeks agonizing over him and that she "couldn't live without him." The U.S. government says it has reunited all eligible families. But hundreds remain separated. 12:30 p.m. A federal judge in Los Angeles will appoint an independent monitor to evaluate conditions for immigrant children in U.S border facilities. The decision comes after a spate of reports in Texas of spoiled food, insufficient water and frigid conditions by the youngsters and their parents. Judge Dolly M. Gee on Friday said she reached her decision after seeing a "disconnect" between government monitors' assessment of conditions in facilities in the Rio Grande Valley and the accounts of more than 200 immigrant children and their parents detailing numerous problems. The government opposed the monitor until without having a chance to respond to the accounts of children and parents collected by immigrant advocates at facilities in June and July. Both sides have until Aug. 10 to agree on a proposed monitor. If they can't, each will make suggestions to the judge and she will choose her own. ___ 12:10 p.m. A federal judge in Seattle says the Trump administration must share certain information about migrant families who were separated at the Mexico border with a group of states suing over the president's immigration policies. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said Friday she wants the Justice Department to give the 17 states, led by Washington, the same information it has turned over to plaintiffs in a related class-action case in San Diego. The states hope to use the information to help locate any separated children within their borders, so as to assist them as needed. The federal government has been working to reunite the families under orders from the judge in San Diego. Several hundred children have yet to be reunited, in some cases because their parents have been deported without them. The Justice Department is seeking to have the Seattle case dismissed or transferred to San Diego, saying it would be more efficient. The 17 states are led by Democratic attorneys general. They include Massachusetts, California, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, plus Washington, D.C. ___ 11:20 a.m. The Texas Civil Rights Project says it is trying to find out on its own what happened to about 200 people who were separated from their children, one day after the government's deadline to reunite families. Efren Olivares, a lawyer for the project, said Friday that he's confirmed 76 of the 382 families the group has worked with have been reunited. Others have been reunited in family detention. According to Olivares, fathers and children are going to one family detention facility in South Texas and mothers and children are going to another. But there's no information about many others, leaving the group to work with other advocates and consular officials from Central America. Olivares says the group has considered hiring private investigators. He says: "We are being as creative as we can." ___ 8:30 a.m. Trump administration officials say they have reunified all parents with their children that they deemed eligible of those who are in immigration custody. Homeland Security officials said in a statement that officials would continue to work to reunite families who were not able to be reunified. As of Thursday officials said more than 1,800 children 5 years and older had been reunified with parents or sponsors. Updated figures were expected to be provided Friday during a hearing before the federal judge in San Diego overseeing the reunifications. The judge must now decide how to address the hundreds of still-separated children whose parents were deported and how much time, if any, reunified parents should be allowed to file asylum claims. ___ 12:11 a.m. The Trump administration says more than 1,800 children 5 years and older had been reunited with parents or sponsors hours before the deadline. That includes 1,442 children who were returned to parents in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and another 378 who were released under a variety of other circumstances. But officials say about 700 more remain separated, including 431 whose parents were deported. Those reunions take more time, effort and paperwork as children are returned to Central America. With the court-ordered deadline passed, the federal judge in San Diego who ordered the reunifications must now decide how to address the hundreds of still-separated children whose parents were deported, as well as how much time, if any, reunified parents should be allowed to file asylum claims. Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) In this July 26, 2018 photo, a four-year-old boy is shown playing in a Spiderman mask, who is being cared for by Evelyn Zepeda at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) In this July 26, 2018 photo, Evelyn Zepeda cares for a four-year-old boy at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) Attorneys Peter Schey, left, and Carlos Holguin field questions from reporters outside the federal courthouse in Los Angeles Friday, July 27, 2018. A judge said she would appoint an independent monitor to evaluate conditions in border facilities in Texas where immigrant children and their parents have complained of spoiled food, insufficient water and other problems. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin) Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) Maria holds her 4-year-old son Franco after he arrived at the El Paso International Airport Thursday, July 26, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The two had been separated for over six weeks after being entering the country. (Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times via AP) A child holds the hand of a Lutheran Social Services worker as she looks back to a man as they arrive at Lutheran Social Services, Thursday, July 26, 2018 in Phoenix. Lutheran Social Services stated they were expecting reunited families separated at the border when apprehended entering the United States to come through their facility. (AP Photo/Matt York) Children look out a van window as they arrive at Lutheran Social Services, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Phoenix. Lutheran Social Services said they were expecting reunited families separated at the border when apprehended entering the United States to come through their facility. (AP Photo/Matt York) LOS ANGELES (AP) - In previous "Mission: Impossible" movies, action often came first, and story second. It's almost ironic then that when writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise decided to focus on character for the sixth movie, "Fallout," now playing nationwide, they'd end up with the most exciting "Mission" ever - wall-to-wall with stunning set pieces in helicopters, trucks, motorcycles. Even a three-man fight in a public restroom is a standout sequence that rivals the very real danger Cruise put himself in (106 times) to do a parachute jump from 25,000 feet. McQuarrie, 50, a Hollywood journeyman who won an Oscar 22 years ago for writing "The Usual Suspects," has been one of Cruise's go-to guys for a decade, writing "Valkyrie" and "Edge of Tomorrow" and directing "Jack Reacher" and 2015's "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation." FILE - In this July 22, 2018 file photo, actor Tom Cruise, left, and director, writer, producer Christopher McQuarrie attend the premiere of "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" in Washington. McQuarrie didn't set out to make the most action-packed "Mission" film in the franchise. It just kind of happened by accident, and it's earning the franchise and Cruise some of the best reviews they've ever gotten. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File) He spoke to The Associated Press recently from Seoul about his crazy feat, and making the sixth, and best-reviewed, "Mission" movie. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. ___ AP: How did you do this? McQUARRIE: We did not set out to make you know the biggest, giant-est, craziest, most outrageous "Mission" ever. I said to Tom I want to make a more emotional movie, a more character-driven movie that's more about Ethan. By keeping our heads down and focusing on that it didn't really occur to us just how big ("Fallout") was until we were well into it. As we started to take stock as the movie started to take shape we realized, "Oh my God we've got this sequence, that sequence, this other sequence." In a previous "Mission: Impossible" any one of those stunts would have been The Stunt. AP: That's surprising that it's not all mapped out meticulously. McQUARRIE: Tom said with "Rogue Nation," ''I want the audience to experience what it's like for us to make movies." There's very little difference between watching a "Mission: Impossible" movie and making a "Mission: Impossible" movie. A lot of these things we're making up as we go along. There's very seldom a finished script when we go into production. We come up with big crazy ideas in the middle of the movie, so people are forced to scramble to put them together and it's always a race against the clock. The vibe of what you're feeling when you're watching the movie is what we feel every day when we go to work. AP: And yet your action sequences are notably coherent - no shaky cam, no contrivances. Why do you do it that way? McQUARRIE: I'm obsessed with clarity and geography. Those are the first two rules of any action sequence ... For me it's important that you sit back and the movie comes at you and requires nothing from you in terms of comprehension. What that demands of the actors is that they bring the energy. And when you look at that bathroom fight, it's very straightforward: Three guys fighting in a bathroom. But the actors were all so focused and so rehearsed and so dedicated to what they were doing, the energy is on screen, not in the camera work. And I don't get inside the fight. I stay outside of it. Just over one character's shoulder. What I'm doing is essentially making you a bystander. I'm putting you right in the action. AP: Is there a set-piece you're most proud of? McQUARRIE: The things I'm most proud of are the emotional moments. Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) following Ethan is the definition of what we call shoe leather. And it cannot survive the "get to the next moment right now" process of filmmaking. That survived four test screenings. Never got a studio note. The fact that I cut two giant stunts out that were in the first trailer, and yet that scene stayed? That's something I'm immensely proud of. AP: What was going through your mind when Tom Cruise got injured during filming? McQUARRIE: Disaster is the opportunity to excel. When you make enough movies, you realize that setbacks are a natural part of the creative process and if you don't panic, they almost always turn to your benefit. So as soon as he broke his ankle, my first concern was, "Is he OK" not, "Oh no this is going to ruin the movie." I knew this was going to in some way benefit the film. And it did. We shut production down. Tom went right into physical therapy. And I went into the editing room and started to assemble the movie. I was able to make the discoveries I normally wouldn't have made until well after the film was finished. AP: What are your aspirations from here? McQUARRIE: I started directing as a means of making the one movie I really dreamed of making and never got there. Where my career changed was when I stopped asking, "Would you make my movie" and started asking, "How can I help you make your film?" And the change was immediate. I went from not making a film for seven years to working on 13 or 14 movies in the last 10 years. I just go through the door that opens. I'm following whatever happens and currently I've got Tom Cruise saying, "All right, what are we doing next?" That's a very difficult thing to walk away from. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Tom Cruise in a scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout." (Chiabella James/Paramount Pictures and Skydance via AP) This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Tom Cruise in a scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout." (David James/Paramount Pictures and Skydance via AP) This image released by Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames in a scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout." (David James/Paramount Pictures and Skydance via AP) CHIPLEY, Fla. (AP) - Down a network of dirt roads that defies GPS navigation, Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam and about 100 supporters gathered at a hunting plantation tucked into the Panhandle's pine trees. There were no television cameras, no throngs of media - just barbecue and sweet tea for the crowd that clearly hadn't migrated from colder climes. Agriculture Commissioner Putnam introduced himself as a fifth generation Floridian, part of the personal outreach central to his campaign. "We have a lot of native Floridians here, people who love our state, whose families who have bled and sweat and worked their fingers to the bone to carve out of this beautiful peninsula - the civilization that we call modern Florida," Putnam said. "It sets out a marker that says because of all that my family went through to make Florida Florida, I'm committed to doing the right things for the right reasons." In this May 14, 2018 photo, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam talks with Edward Elder at a barbecue in Chipley, Fla. Putnam is running against U.S. Rep. Ron Desantis, seeking the Republican nomination for Florida governor. (AP Photo/Brendan Farrington) That same day, primary opponent U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis appeared on Fox News from Israel, where he defended President Donald Trump amid an FBI investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. "We're actively trying to get the underlying documents that would tell us, did they (the FBI) spy on the Trump campaign or not?" DeSantis said. The free airtime is worth millions - putting him in front of large numbers of conservative voters who will decide the Republican nominee to replace Gov. Rick Scott - and, coupled with Trump's endorsement, forms the basis of his campaign. In a state with more than 4.5 million Republican voters, the candidates facing off in the Aug. 28 primary are a study in contrasting campaign styles. Putnam has been to more than 100 breakfasts, barbecues and parades, talking with Floridians about Florida issues. DeSantis has been on Fox News more than 100 times, usually talking about federal issues and defending the president. The race will test which strategy works best in these times when White House tweets make international headlines and political divides are as wide as they've ever been: Shaking a lot of hands or shaking things up on TV. "It's an interesting test," said Rick Wilson, a Tallahassee-based Republican strategist. "Putnam has name ID, he's got experience, he's got money. It's sort of the like the Florida guy versus the Fox guy, and we're going to see if that's sufficient anymore." During the candidates' first debate, which was broadcast on Fox News, Fox anchor Martha MacCallum asked DeSantis about the criticism that he's campaigning from a Washington TV studio. DeSantis replied that there have been plenty of times he couldn't be in Florida when he wanted to, like when he spent Christmas 2006 on a Navy assignment in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the following Christmas in Iraq. "I would have loved to have been in Florida with my family, but sometimes duty calls and sometimes you've got to step up and do what's right," DeSantis said. He said that duty now includes supporting Trump's agenda and uncovering the anti-Trump bias at the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice. "That's what I'm paid to do, so I'm going to do my job," he said. Even while campaigning in Florida, Fox and Trump are a theme. DeSantis did a statewide tour with Fox's Sean Hannity, held a rally with Donald Trump Jr. and plans to stand on stage with the president Tuesday in Tampa. At Putnam's event in Chipley, Nick Dillard acknowledged that many supporters there were surprised he'd bother to come to a town of less than 4,000 when there where places he could reach a larger audience and raise more money. "I think it makes him more reachable," Dillard said. "They get it if he wants to go to Pensacola or Panama City, but to come to Chipley - we're a small town. ... Why's he coming here? I think it speaks to his philosophy - the grassroots movement." Undecided Republican voter Ellen Petrokiewizz, who lives in the Orlando area, likes that Trump continues to rally supporters and back state candidates. "He's going back and saying, 'Hey, get behind your local politician. Support this guy. Support that guy,'" she said. "DeSantis has already been in the Washington element, so he has been working back and forth there, so it's a different style. I do like the true grassroots of going to the average person, and that's what Putnam has been doing. So, there's positives in both approaches." _____ Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando contributed to this report. Charles Michael Hager, 74, drove into a North Carolina Verizon store Thursday night A 74-year-old man ranting about a broken phone has driven his car through the glass storefront of a Verizon Wireless store in North Carolina, stunning shoppers during the dinner hour at an upscale mall. Charles Michael Hager has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and damaging property after he drove a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta into the store at a busy shopping center Thursday night, according to police. A witness told a 911 operator that he saw Hager standing outside the store located between two popular restaurants, demanding that it reopen to help him with his broken phone. 'He was demanding to get his phone fixed,' the unidentified caller said, later adding: 'He said: ''My damn phone's not working. I need help. Open this damn door.''' A police news release said Hager first kicked the door, shattering glass, then drove his car through the storefront. Six employees were in the store, but no one was injured. The store was closed but he demanded it reopen in order to get his phone fixed When employees did not comply, he drove his Volkswagen Jetta (pictured) into the store 'There's no front door. All the glass is shattered. It's amazing. His front end is still inside the front door. I've never seen anything like it,' the witness told the 911 operator. The caller said a crowd of bewildered onlookers gathered around as the man got out of his car wearing a gray collared shirt and gray slacks and continued to yell. The scene unfolded at North Hills Mall, an outdoor shopping center surrounded by pricey homes and several high-rise office buildings north of downtown. The operator warned the caller, who was standing 10 feet away, to keep a safe distance. Hager didn't immediately return a phone message Friday. A police spokeswoman didn't know if he had an attorney. The phone number for the store played a message Friday saying it was closed, and a sign posted in the window apologized to customers for any inconvenience. A security guard sat inside behind a temporary wooden door installed after the crash. Kate Jay, a regional spokeswoman for Verizon, said the company is grateful no employees were hurt but declined to say whether the workers had previous interactions with Hager. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Gaza health officials said two Palestinians were killed and dozens injured by Israeli fire at a weekly border protest on Friday. The Israeli military said it opened fire after Palestinians damaged the border fence. The Gaza Health Ministry said a 14-year-old died from a gunshot to the head. Earlier it said a 43-year-old man, Ghazi Abu Mustafa, was killed. Hassan Najjar told The Associated Press Friday that he witnessed that shooting. He said soldiers shot at a group of Palestinians who rushed to the border and a bullet hit the man sitting about 250 meters away. He said the man had sustained leg wounds at a previous protest. Over 80 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza has led border protests aimed in part at drawing attention to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The demonstrations have been fueled in large part by pervasive despair caused by the blockade which has caused widespread economic hardship. Over 140, mostly unarmed, Palestinians have been killed since protests began. Israel says it is defending its border and accuses Hamas, a group sworn to its destruction, of using the protests as cover for attempts to breach the border fence and attack civilians and soldiers. Last week a Palestinian sniper killed an Israeli soldier. Another soldier was wounded by Palestinian fire on Wednesday. PARCHMENT, Mich. (AP) - Authorities handed out thousands of free bottles of water Friday for two southwestern Michigan communities where the discovery of contamination from toxic industrial chemicals prompted a warning against using the public water system for drinking or cooking. Michigan and Kalamazoo County health officials announced a day earlier that tests found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in the water supplied to the city of Parchment and neighboring Cooper Township, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of Detroit. About 3,000 people are on the affected water system. "As soon as the tests results were reported, the state and local agencies tasked with protecting public health and our environment began coordinating a response," Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement. Emergency response teams hand out free bottled water to residents at the Parchment High School in Parchment, Mich., Friday, July 27, 2018. Authorities handed out thousands of free bottles of water Friday for two southwestern Michigan communities where the discovery of contamination from toxic industrial chemicals prompted a warning against using the public water system for drinking or cooking. (Daniel Vasta/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) PFAS have been detected in water systems in some 30 states. They are used in manufacturing, firefighting and thousands of household and consumer products. Many communities have reported high PFAS levels in water systems near military bases and factories that worked with the compounds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting public meetings in communities where the chemicals have contaminated water systems. The source of the Michigan contamination is under investigation. The Parchment area has a history of paper manufacturing. "It's not the type of thing you want to wake up to, to find out you've been drinking poison," area resident Steve VanDiver told MLive.com. Officials announced a plan Friday to drain Parchment's water system, hook it up to the water supply in nearby Kalamazoo, then flush out Parchment's system until tests show the PFAS at acceptable levels. After that, officials will determine when affected residents can use the main water supply again. Meanwhile, more than 3,000 cases of bottled water were handed out by 11 a.m. Friday at the city's high school. "We've had lines of cars. We've had people show up and want to volunteer to just hand out water," Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller told reporters. "We have water. We have a lot of water right now. We will take care of people." Fuller said Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality "is working on a plan to test private wells" in the area. Some studies suggest PFAS might affect fetal development, disrupt hormonal functions, damage fertility and immune systems, and boost the risk of cancer. A June report by the Department of Health and Human Services' toxicology office said the PFAS family of chemicals is more toxic than previously believed, threatening human health at concentrations seven to 10 times lower than once realized. As a draft of the report circulated among Trump administration officials earlier this year, a White House email released under a public records request described the findings as a "potential public relations nightmare." In Michigan, the Legislature enacted $23 million in emergency spending to address PFAS contamination as efforts continued to help the city of Flint recover from its crisis with lead-tainted water. The tests for PFAS were part of an effort announced in May to check for contamination in Michigan's 1,380 public water systems. Officials also are advising people not to use Parchment's water system for making baby formula or rinsing fruits and vegetables. Boiling water or using common residential filters won't remove PFAS, authorities said. People can bathe and wash clothes, however. Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller speaks during a press conference about the high levels of Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, found in the drinking water of Parchment and Cooper Township at the Emergency Management Office inside the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Daniel Vasta /Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana's top elections official said Friday that Russian hackers unsuccessfully probed the state's election systems for weaknesses in 2016, an acknowledgment that contradicts his staff's previous comments that Montana was not among the 21 or more states targeted. Secretary of State Corey Stapleton wrote in his occasional newsletter that Russian agents tried to interfere with the 2016 elections and that "almost half the states (including Montana) were scanned for weaknesses in our elections systems." "While no votes were changed by the Russians in our 2016 election cycle, there was a clear and significant threat to our nation's ability to conduct fair elections," wrote Stapleton, a Republican. FILE - In this May 28, 2014 file photo, Corey Stapleton answers questions during a debate among candidates for the GOP nomination for the U.S. House in Kalispell, Mont. Montana's Secretary of State Stapleton is saying for the first time that hackers unsuccessfully probed the state's election systems for weaknesses in 2016. (Patrick Cote /The Daily Inter Lake via AP, File) Elections Director Dana Corson in March told The Associated Press in response to a 50-state survey on election security that Montana was not among states targeted by hackers in 2016. At the time, Corson declined to speak further about the state's election security measures, saying: "We can't discuss things with election security." Stapleton told the AP on Friday there was no contradiction between his assessment and Corson's because "scanning is not hacking" and that "it comes down to how you're interpreting 'targeted.'" "Scanning for weaknesses is different from attempting to hack," Stapleton said. "We have used restraint because you don't want to alarm people. It is also improper not to let people know that that threat exists. To find that balance, we have actually chosen to use the words that (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) has advised us." Stapleton said he could not provide details about the extent to which Russian hackers probed Montana's elections systems, because Homeland Security officials have not fully disclosed those details to state officials. He said that he knows somebody was trying to test the systems' capabilities, but there was no breach. U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Russia may attempt to disrupt U.S. elections again this year. The attempts to hack into the election systems of at least 21 states in 2016 did not succeed in manipulating any votes, but U.S. security agencies have said they did manage to gain access to the voter rolls in Illinois. Stapleton said in his newsletter that his main concerns about election security include the consistent training of elections personnel throughout Montana's 56 counties in the face of potential attacks from nations like Russia. Stapleton denied in the interview that his statement in the newsletter on Friday was his first public acknowledgment of the state being targeted by hackers. He could not cite any past public statements, his office never issued a press release and a database search did not turn up any news reports of him addressing the matter. "We said it wide and clear," he said. "I don't think anybody reported it because I don't think anyone was interested." The State leader made the affirmation at a reception in Hanoi on July 26 for outgoing Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Ping Kitnikone. President Quang said he is pleased with the comprehensive and significant development of the Vietnam-Canada ties over the past time, noting that the two countries have shared a number of interests in bilateral relations as well as at regional and global forums. He recalled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus attendance in the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Da Nang city and his official visit to Vietnam in November 2017, during which the two nations set up their comprehensive partnership. Vietnam and Canada are coordinating well in organising activities to mark the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations this year, he said. According to President Quang, together with the solidification of ties in traditional fields such as exchange of all-level delegations, economy-trade-investment, development cooperation, education-training, and people-to-people exchange, the two countries should enhance collaboration in areas with great potential like defence-security, science-technology, climate change response, sustainable development, and infrastructure development. Ambassador Ping Kitnikone stressed that the establishment of the Vietnam-Canada comprehensive partnership has created a foundation for the two nations to expand their relations in all fields, from politics and defence-security to education-training, science-technology, and people-to-people exchange. It also offered an opportunity for the strengthening of cooperation at multilateral forums and organisations such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the International Organisation of Francophone, the World Trade Organisation, and the Comprehensive Partnership and Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), she added. Canada supports Vietnam in its bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and believes the country will well perform this role, said the ambassador. According to Ping Kitnikone, trade, investment and education are dynamic development cooperation areas between Vietnam and Canada in recent years. Vietnam has become the largest trade partner of Canada in ASEAN. Canada appreciates the academic achievements of around 14,000 Vietnamese students in the country, she said, adding that her nation prioritises granting scholarships to Asian students, 30 percent of which will be dedicated to Vietnamese. Sharing views with the diplomat, President Quang said Vietnam applauds the Canadian Governments policy of increasing connectivity with the world, particularly the Asia-Pacific, as well as attaching importance to relations with Vietnam and ASEAN. Thanking the Canadian Government for backing Vietnam in international issues, President Quang said the two countries need to further their cooperation, both regionally and internationally, while continuing coordination at important multilateral forums and mechanisms like the UN, APEC, ASEAN, the International Organisation of Francophone, and CPTPP. CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago and state officials released a plan Friday to carry out far-reaching police reforms under federal court supervision more than a year after a U.S. Justice Department investigation found a longstanding history of civil rights violations by the police department. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson released a more than 200-page proposed consent decree that would cover topics ranging from police recruitment and training to the use of force and misconduct investigations. Among the proposed reforms are requiring that officers issue a verbal warning before any use of force and provide life-saving aid after force is used. The Chicago Police Department would need to issue monthly reports on use of force incidents. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, left, speaks with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, right, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson during a news conference for the release of the draft consent decree at the James R. Thompson Center, on Friday, July 27, 2018, in Chicago. Chicago and state officials released a plan Friday to carry out far-reaching police reforms under federal court supervision more than a year after a U.S. Justice Department investigation found a deep-rooted history of civil rights violations by the police department. (Courtney Pedroza/Chicago Tribune via AP) The plan also establishes a 180-day deadline for investigations to be completed by the police department's internal affairs bureau and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, and calls for better training and supervision of officers. Madigan acknowledged there have been many attempts over decades to reform the department and the relationship between police and the community, most recently after video of a white police officer fatally shooting a black teen 16 times led to protests and the Justice Department investigation. Yet she said too many Chicago residents still don't feel safe in their neighborhoods, or calling the police. "I believe it will be different this time," she said, calling the plan a milestone in what will be a long journey. Under the consent decree, a federal judge would appoint an independent monitor to ensure the more than 500 changes are made and report to the judge on whether the city is hitting reform benchmarks. That oversight that would continue until a judge determines the city has fully complied, a process that will take years. "This agreement will stand the test of time," Emanuel said. "It is enforceable, sustainable and durable." Madigan, with Emanuel's support, sued the city last year in U.S. District Court in Chicago seeking court oversight of the beleaguered police department. The lawsuit killed a draft plan negotiated with President Donald Trump's administration that didn't envision a court role in reforming the department - a departure from the practice during President Barack Obama's administration of using courts to change troubled departments. Emanuel and Johnson say the agreement builds on some changes the department already has made, such as issuing body cameras to every officer. Madigan's office held more than a dozen meetings with community members and rank-and-file officers as part of the process. Still, Friday's announcement is far from the final step. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow set a Sept. 1 deadline for the city and attorney general to file their proposed agreement and Dow is expected to hold a hearing where stakeholders will be able to weigh in before he gives final approval. Chicago's police union has sharply criticized the legal action and has sought to have it dismissed, saying a consent decree would make it harder for officers to do their jobs and put officers' lives in danger. Some of the changes the agreement seeks are part of the officers' contract, and still would need to be negotiated as part of collective bargaining between the city and the union. A final sticking point also remains over whether officers must file paperwork whenever they point a gun at someone, even if they don't fire. A damning Justice Department report released during the waning days of the Obama administration in January 2017 found that deep-rooted civil rights abuses permeate Chicago's 12,000-member force, including racial bias, a tendency to use excessive force and a "pervasive cover-up culture." The investigation was prompted by the video released in late 2015 that showed Officer Jason VanDyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald as the teenager appeared to walk away from police carrying a small, folded knife. VanDyke is scheduled to go on trial on murder charges Sept. 5. In a joint statement with Justice Department officials at the time the report was released, Emanuel committed to making changes through a consent decree process. He later said doing so was impossible because the Trump administration was backing away from such agreements. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said consent decrees can unfairly malign good officers. Activists blasted Emanuel for cutting the now-defunct deal with the Trump Justice Department, arguing the department couldn't be transformed without court scrutiny. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, right, speaks with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, rear, during a news conference for the release of the draft consent decree at the James R. Thompson Center, on Friday, July 27, 2018, in Chicago. Chicago and state officials released a plan Friday to carry out far-reaching police reforms under federal court supervision more than a year after a U.S. Justice Department investigation found a deep-rooted history of civil rights violations by the police department. (Courtney Pedroza/Chicago Tribune via AP) Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, right, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, second right, during a news conference for the release of the draft consent decree at the James R. Thompson Center, on Friday, July 27, 2018, in Chicago. Chicago and state officials released a plan Friday to carry out far-reaching police reforms under federal court supervision more than a year after a U.S. Justice Department investigation found a deep-rooted history of civil rights violations by the police department. (Courtney Pedroza/Chicago Tribune via AP) From left, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, attend a news conference Friday, July 27, 2018, in Chicago. Chicago announced a plan to implement far-reaching police reforms under federal court supervision. Madigan, Emanuel and Johnson released a more than 200-page proposed consent decree that would cover topics ranging from police recruitment and training to the use of force and misconduct investigations. (Colin Boyle /Chicago Sun-Times via AP) BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - A Serbian court has refused to extradite to Romania a fugitive businessman and former lawmaker indicted on wide-ranging corruption charges, saying he has been granted asylum in the Balkan country. The Higher Court in Belgrade said Friday that authorities approved Sebastian Ghita's asylum request in June. The statement says asylum was granted because of "threat of persecution in the country of origin over political opinion." Ghita was arrested last year in Serbia months after he illegally left Romania, where he was charged with bribery, blackmail and money laundering. While missing, Ghita released a series of televised allegations boasting of a close family relationship with a top intelligence officer, who stepped down amid the furor. The Serbian court says an appeals court also will review the case. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday dismissed a challenge to debate Democratic Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox ahead of the gubernatorial election, saying only reporters and her opponent care about debates. "There are only two people that ever bring up the subject. Y'all in the media and my opponent," Ivey said in response to a question about it. Ivey, who automatically became governor last year when then-Gov. Robert Bentley resigned in the fallout of a scandal, faces Maddox in the November election. FILE - In this June 5, 2018 file photo, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey speaks to supporters at her watch party after winning the Republican nomination for Governor of Alabama at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, Ala. Ivey has dismissed a challenge to debate Democratic Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox ahead of the gubernatorial election. Ivey said Friday, July 27 that reporters and her opponent are the only people that bring up the subject of debates. Maddox this week challenged Ivey to a series of four debates ahead of November's election. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File) The Tuscaloosa mayor, who is running on a platform of establishing a state lottery to fund education programs, challenged Ivey this week to a series of four debates. Asked twice if she would be willing to debate Maddox, Ivey repeated a statement from her campaign that Maddox should instead debate "himself" because he had been inconsistent on issues such as abortion. "When he finishes debating himself we can talk," Ivey said. Speaking to reporters after a Friday speech in Montgomery, Ivey said she believes the people of Alabama support her agenda. She cited a poll that showed her to be the third most popular governor in the nation. "While Kay Ivey has been in hiding, Walt Maddox has been looking the people of Alabama in the eye and answering all their questions for over a year and has consistently explained and placed his views in writing. If Kay Ivey disagrees with Walt, she should agree to debate him - It is that simple," Chip Hill, a spokesman for the Maddox campaign wrote in an emailed statement. Hill said Maddox has been consistent on his positions. While it has been 20 years since Alabama elected a Democratic governor, Democrats are attempting a comeback, hoping to build on momentum from last year's election of U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. Incumbent governors perceived as front runners sometimes avoid debates with challengers under the theory they have nothing to gain, but might be wounded in a public verbal sparring. Ivey did not debate her opponents in the GOP primary. She easily won the primary. In 2014, Bentley refused to debate his Democratic challenger Parker Griffith. Griffith responded by erecting a giant inflatable duck in downtown Montgomery to jab Bentley for "ducking" a debate with him. Griffith lost. During the GOP primary, Ivey's Republican primary challengers argued that unlike elected incumbents Ivey has never been vetted for the position of governor. ___ This story corrects a quote from Ivey to say "we can talk," instead of "he can talk." ELLINWOOD, Kan. (AP) - Authorities in central Kansas say a 63-year-old man has been arrested after 40 animals were seized from his property. Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said his office assisted the Golden Belt Humane Society and the county health department Thursday at a home north of Ellinwood, 240 miles (390 kilometers) of Kansas City, Kansas. Officials removed 20 cats, four dogs and two chickens from inside the home. Another 10 cats, two dogs, a horse and a donkey were found outside. A decaying horse carcass that had been there for months was found in a barn. Bellendir says Cletus Wolford was arrested on charges of cruelty to animals, maintaining a public nuisance and obstruction of officers. All the animals were taken to the Golden Belt Humane Society. SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is sharply attacking her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary, calling Lisa Brown "dangerously liberal" as the incumbent heads into what is expected to be a tough re-election campaign. A television ad on behalf of McMorris Rodgers, the highest-ranking woman in House leadership, said Brown was soft on sex offenders while in the state Legislature. Brown planned to unleash some negative ads of her own, attacking McMorris Rodgers for voting dozens of times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In this photo taken July 4, 2018, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., shakes hands as she walks in the Johnson 4th of July Parade in Johnson, Wash. McMorris Rodgers has been sharply attacking Lisa Brown (not shown), her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Brown said the McMorris Rodgers ad was misleading and showed that the incumbent is worried. The ad claimed Brown voted against a bill that would have given the state authority to prohibit some convicted sex offenders from living within a quarter mile of a school. Brown said she voted against the bill because she did not think it was tough enough, saying it should have included preschools and child care centers. "They ran the same attacks against me in 1996 when I was running for the (state) Senate," Brown said. "I'm amazed they would resurrect that....Negative ads so soon show a real concern about what the primary is going to look like." Not so, McMorris Rodgers' campaign said. "This is Lisa's record and she needs to defend it," said Jared Powell, a spokesman for the 14-year incumbent. The sniping comes ahead of the Aug. 7 primary. McMorris Rodgers has two primary challengers from within her own party, who appear to have little chance of making a dent in her path to the general election. Brown is the only Democrat in the race. Under Washington's primary system, the top two vote getters advance to November, regardless of their party. The 5th Congressional District hugs the Idaho border and is dominated by Spokane, the state's second-largest city. The district has been reliably Republican since George Nethercutt's shocking defeat of Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley in 1994. Candidate Donald Trump easily beat Hillary Clinton here in 2016, 52 percent to 39 percent. Travis Ridout, a political scientist at Washington State University, said running negative ads so early makes some sense for McMorris Rodgers. "If McMorris Rodgers does really well in the primary, then donor and voter enthusiasm for Brown may wane," Ridout said. "But if Brown does well, McMorris Rodgers will look extremely vulnerable." McMorris Rodgers ranks fourth in House leadership and is often seen at the side of Speaker Paul Ryan. She hopes her heavy slate of television ads prevents a Foley-style loss. "I don't take anything for granted," she said. "It has been my desire to make sure the people of eastern Washington know about my record of results." McMorris Rodgers has mostly coasted to re-election in her seven previous congressional campaigns, often with 60 percent of the vote. But early polls in this race put Brown, who spent 20 years as a state legislator, within striking distance. The race is expensive. As of June 30, McMorris Rodgers had raised $3.7 million and had $1.7 million in cash on hand. Brown raised $2.1 million and had just over $1 million in the bank. That buys a lot of television advertising in the relatively cheap Spokane market. McMorris Rodgers is also highlighting her work in Congress, noting five bills she sponsored in the past year have been signed into law. "All have a direct impact on the hard-working people of eastern Washington," she said, covering issues like health care, healthy forests and protecting Snake River dams from being breached. McMorris Rodgers has broken with President Trump on foreign trade issues, in part because her district is a big exporter of farm products. "I have been outspoken in my opposition to across-the-board tariffs," she said. "I have been urging the administration and the president to lead with the farmers in mind." McMorris Rodgers said serving in House leadership is a positive for her constituents. "I have a seat at the table when decisions are being made," she said. "That shows in my record of results." She said Brown "has consistently voted to raise taxes," and made the point in television ads denouncing "Liberal Lisa" and calling her Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi's candidate for Congress. She also has criticized Brown's past backing of a state income tax and a single payer health care system. Brown does not apologize for supporting the idea of a state income tax, which she contends would be more progressive than the state's reliance on a high sales tax for money. Brown has highlighted her efforts as the former chancellor of Washington State University-Spokane to establish a new medical school. McMorris Rodgers contends that Brown is taking too much credit for the medical school. For her part, Brown contends that McMorris Rodgers' GOP leadership role prevents her from pursuing the best interests of her constituents. "Does the party always come first for her?" Brown said, adding that voters want someone who will stand up to Trump. "Congress is broken," Brown said. "After 14 years, she is part of the dysfunction." In this photo taken July 17, 2018, Lisa Brown, left, the presumed Democratic opponent to Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, poses for a photo with a supporter following a candidates forum in Colfax, Wash. McMorris Rodgers is sharply attacking Brown in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) FILE In this Jan. 25, 2017 file photo, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., speaks during a news conference at the Republican congressional retreat in Philadelphia. During the month of July, 2018, McMorris Rodgers has been sharply attacking Lisa Brown (not shown), her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file) In this photo taken July 17, 2018, Lisa Brown, the presumed Democratic opponent to Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, poses for a photo in Colfax, Wash. McMorris Rodgers is sharply attacking Brown in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2018 file photo, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., center, speaks during a news conference at Capitol Hill in Washington. During the month of July 2018, McMorris Rodgers has been sharply attacking Lisa Brown (not shown), her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file) In this photo taken July 17, 2018, Lisa Brown, the presumed Democratic opponent to Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, speaks during a candidates forum in Colfax, Wash. McMorris Rodgers is sharply attacking Brown in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) In this photo taken July 4, 2018, supporters of U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., walk in the Johnson 4th of July Parade in Johnson, Wash. McMorris Rodgers has been sharply attacking Lisa Brown (not shown), her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) In this photo taken July 4, 2018, supporters of Lisa Brown (not shown), the presumed Democratic opponent to Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, walk in the Johnson 4th of July Parade in Johnson, Wash. McMorris Rodgers has been sharply attacking Brown in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) In this photo taken July 4, 2018, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., shakes hands as she walks in the Johnson 4th of July Parade in Johnson, Wash. McMorris Rodgers has been sharply attacking Lisa Brown (not shown), her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary election. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence is throwing his support behind U.S. Rep. Diane Black just days before a heated four-way Republican primary election for Tennessee governor. Pence tweeted Friday that Black has his support, bucking a recent suggestion by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who also chairs the Republican Governors Association, that the White House not get involved in the Aug. 2 primary. Pence tweeted that Black "is running for Governor of TN & a strong supporter of #MAGA agenda of tax cuts, military $$ & a champion of right to life policies. There are great candidates running but Diane has been my friend for years, we served together in the House, & she has my support!" FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2018, file photo, Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., speaks at the Susan B. Anthony List & Life Institute Luncheon in Nashville, Tenn. In TV ads and debates, four leading GOP candidates for Governor have lauded President Donald Trump and his wall-building, sanctuary city-banning immigration crackdown plans, while blasting each other as insufficiently supportive of the president and flimsy on immigration. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) After Pence's tweet, Black said she's "proud to call him a friend and honored to have him behind me in my race for governor." The support by Pence isn't entirely new. Pence's political action committee donated $4,000 to Black's gubernatorial campaign in December, and he wrote an accompanying letter to her that said Trump and Pence need "fighters like you to continue to partner with our administration as we deliver on what the American people elected us to do." He also gave Black a shoutout at an event in eastern Tennessee a week ago, but stopped short of endorsing her. Black has touted her access to Trump. The former House Budget Committee chairwoman helped pass his tax law and she has been beside Trump at key national news events. While Trump has often complimented Black in front of crowds and cameras, he hasn't offered her an outright endorsement in the race. She and her three Republican opponents have gone to great lengths to heap praise on the president and are fighting over who's his most loyal supporter. Black, former state economic development chief Randy Boyd, businessman Bill Lee and state House Speaker Beth Harwell have spent a record $45.7 million on the race, much of it through $40.2 million of their own personal wealth. Trump has a mixed record of endorsing in GOP primaries, but scored a win in Georgia this week, where the candidate he backed, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, won a Republican runoff to advance to November. Haslam said Thursday he asked the White House in February to stay out of Republican primaries. But, he added, "They're the White House, they could do what they want." HOUSTON (AP) - As the U.S. government said it had reunited every immigrant family it could, Josefina Ortiz Corrales remained in an immigration detention center and her adopted son in the care of her elder daughter. Paulina Gutierrez was in her hometown in Guatemala, earning less than $2 a day preparing strings for candle wicks while praying for the quick return of her 7-year-old daughter from government custody in Arizona. She cries every night without fail as she thinks about her decision to agree to be deported in the mistaken belief that the girl would come home with her. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families and created a scenario where some may never see their children again. Paulina Gutierrez Alonzo, a 26-year-old Quiche indigenous woman, answers questions during an interview at her grandfather's house in Joyabaj, Guatemala, Thursday, July 26, 2018. Gutierrez Alonzo was deported from United States in June and separated from her 7-year-old daughter Antonia Yolanda Gomez Gutierrez, who is currently at an immigration center in Arizona, despite the Thursday deadline for reuniting children with their families who were caught entering the country without authorization. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) "There is no question that there may be families that are permanently separated as a result of this policy," said Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Women's Refugee Commission. The government had until the end of day Thursday to reunify more than 2,500 families separated at the U.S.-Mexico under President Donald Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy that stoked a global outrage. The government said it had reunited more than 1,800 children over the age of 5 with parents or placed them with sponsors who are often relatives. That leaves 700 who remain apart, including what is believed to be more than 400 cases where the parents have been deported. The government will have to come up with a plan for completing those foreign reunions by flying children back to Central America, but advocacy groups are already stepping in to fill the void. The American Civil Liberties Union plans to start looking for all the parents on their own while going back through all of the cases of those not yet reunified to see if they could put more families back together. The advocacy group Kids in Need of Defense has deployed staff to Honduras and Guatemala to facilitate reunions. "I think it's going to be really hard detective work," said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney. The government says the mothers and fathers of 120 children "waived reunification" and dozens more weren't eligible to get their children back because they had criminal records or weren't the biological parent. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say some of the parents who were deported had the chance to take their children and declined after already paying smugglers thousands of dollars to make the dangerous journey from Central America and wanting a better life for their kids to stay in the U.S. "And once their children are here, they are generally not going to give up the opportunity for their children to remain in the country," said Matthew Albence, the executive director of ICE's enforcement and removal operations. Many parents say that's not true. Several have told The Associated Press and immigration lawyers that they were told in detention to sign paperwork that they didn't fully understand. Gutierrez, 26, says she crossed the Rio Grande about two months ago with her 7-year-old daughter, Antonia. Under the terms of the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, she was subject to arrest and prosecution for entering the country without permission. She was eventually sent to a detention center in Arizona. She accuses immigration agents of lying to her so that she would agree to be deported. "If not, you will spend months here," she recalled agents telling her. "They said, 'It's not us who want to do this to you. It's the president who is ordering this.'" Gutierrez does video chats with her daughter, regularly looks back at photos of her and hopes she can be returned by her 8th birthday. The ACLU this week filed affidavits from several attorneys that detail what it considers flawed procedures, including limited phone access and strict visitation policies, language barriers and being given only a few minutes to decide whether to leave their children in the United States. One lawyer, Luis Cruz, said in a filing that he met five fathers who were on a government list of parents who had relinquished their rights to reunify with their children. The fathers all said they had signed a government form despite not being able to read or write in Spanish or English. Many adults from Central America, including Gutierrez, are from indigenous communities and Spanish is their second language. Other parents are still in the United States, but in immigration detention. Their children have been released to sponsor relatives. Lawyers following the process say that has included an undetermined number of parents who the government is detaining because they were previously deported and then tried to re-enter the country. Illegally re-entering the U.S. after a prior deportation is a felony. But in some cases, parents who had been deported before and returned to the U.S. were released and reunited with children who were in government shelters. Sara Ramey of the San Antonio-based Migrant Center for Human Rights says the government appears to be refusing to release some parents with immigration records if their children are with a sponsor. Ramey is representing two mothers held at a Texas detention center whose children are with sponsors, including Ortiz, who entered the U.S. from Honduras in December with her 4-year-old son and sought asylum. An immigration judge ordered Ortiz's removal from the country in 2004. Ortiz says she went back on her own and only returned to seek asylum because her partner attacked her and police did not try to protect her. Her son was placed with her adult daughter in Austin, Texas. In a phone interview from the detention center, Ortiz said she only talked to her son once a week because otherwise he becomes too agitated. "I ask for immigration to forgive me," she said. "I ask that they let me see my family, my son, because he is suffering very much. We have never been apart." __ Perez reported from Joyabaj, Guatemala. Associated Press writers Gisela Salomon in Miami and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this story. Paulina Gutierrez Alonzo, a 26-year-old Quiche indigenous woman, demonstrates her job of making candle wicks, during an interview at her grandfather's house in Joyabaj, Guatemala, Thursday, July 26, 2018. Gutierrez Alonzo was deported from United States in June and separated from her 7-year-old daughter Antonia Yolanda Gomez Gutierrez, who is currently at an immigration center in Arizona, despite the Thursday deadline for reuniting children with their families who were caught entering the country without authorization. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Paulina Gutierrez Alonzo, a 26-year-old Quiche indigenous woman, shows a photo of her 7-year-old daughter Antonia Yolanda Gomez Gutierrez on her cell phone during an interview at her grandfather's house in Joyabaj, Guatemala, Thursday, July 26, 2018. Gutierrez Alonzo was deported from United States in June and separated from her daughter who is currently at an immigration center in Arizona, despite the Thursday deadline for reuniting children with their families who were caught entering the country without authorization. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) In this July 26, 2018 photo, Evelyn Zepeda cares for a four-year-old boy at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) In this July 26, 2018 photo, Evelyn Zepeda cares for a four-year-old boy at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) In this July 26, 2018 photo, a four-year-old boy is shown playing in a Spiderman mask, who is being cared for by Evelyn Zepeda at her home in Austin, Texas. The boy's adoptive mother and Zepeda's biological mother, Josefina Ortiz Corrales, remains in an immigration detention center in south Texas, while Zepeda cares for her adopted son. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) - A Tunisian investigating judge has freed a man suspecting of having once been an aide to Osama bin Laden, two weeks after his extradition from Germany. The spokesman for Tunisia's judicial anti-terrorism unit said by telephone on Friday that Sami Idoudi was freed after being held for 15 days, the maximum time limit when no charges are filed. Spokesman Sofiane Selliti said that Idoudi must remain available to judicial authorities, who are continuing their investigation. Germany flew Idoudi to his homeland despite a court ruling blocking the move over concern he could face torture in Tunisia. But the fax on the decision was sent too late. Germany identifies him as Sami A. Idoudi, 42, described as a former bodyguard to the al-Qaida chief, was taken into custody in Germany in June and deemed a dangerous Islamist. BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - The Latest on a man who has agreed to plead guilty to taking millions of dollars in kickbacks (all times local): 3:20 p.m. A former project manager whose company has done tens of millions of dollars in energy efficiency work for several U.S. government agencies has agreed to plead guilty to taking more than $2.5 million in kickbacks. Documents filed in U.S. District Court in Vermont say Windermere, Florida, resident Bhaskar Patel is facing up to 10 years in prison for violating a law prohibiting taking kickbacks and bribes involving federal programs. A document filed July 19 lists more than 60 payments ranging from $6,200 to $137,000 to Patel and his two children. The plea agreement calls for the 67-year-old Patel to make cash restitution and liquidate assets. Patel is due to appear in court in Rutland on Aug. 6. His attorney said Friday they "may have more to say later." ___ 1:20 p.m. A former project manager whose company has done tens of millions of dollars in energy efficiency work for several U.S. government agencies has agreed to plead guilty to taking more than $2.5 million in kickbacks. Documents filed in U.S. District Court in Vermont say that Bhaskar Patel is facing up to 10 years in prison for violating a law prohibiting taking kickbacks and bribes involving federal programs. The document, filed July 19, lists more than 60 payments to Patel and two of his children. The payments ranged from a low of just over $6,200 to almost $137,000. The plea agreement calls for the 67-year-old to make cash restitution and by liquidating assets. Patel is due to appear in court in Rutland on Aug. 6. His attorney declined comment. McLEAN, Va. (AP) - A federal judge has tossed out on a technicality two of four counts of conviction against a former CIA officer found guilty of spying for China. The counts were dismissed in a written ruling Thursday by U.S. Senior Judge T.S. Ellis III after he ruled prosecutors failed to prove the accused man, Kevin Mallory, actually transmitted any sensitive information while inside the Eastern District of Virginia. Without such proof, Ellis said prosecutors lacked venue to charge him in Alexandria. Two other counts imposed by a jury last month, including a count of conspiracy to commit espionage, remain intact. Mallory still faces a potential life term when sentenced in September, though it's unclear how the dismissals will affect his sentencing guidelines. Mallory's attorney, public defender Geremy Kamens, declined to comment. Prosecutors had argued that the late hour at which Mallory sent the documents from a mobile phone made it likely he did so from his Leesburg, Virginia home. Ellis, though, said drawing such an inference is not permissible under precedent issued by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "Of course, many people are home at midnight, but many are not," Ellis wrote in a 20-page ruling. He also said the government failed to introduce any cell tower or surveillance evidence showing where Mallory was on or around midnight of May 1-2, 2017, when the transmission took place. At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Mallory, 61, gave top-secret information to Chinese handlers in exchange for $25,000. Mallory argued that he is a loyal American who was merely stringing the Chinese along to try to get them to expose details of their own intelligence operation. Ellis, in his 20-page ruling, said the evidence that Mallory conspired with his Chinese handlers to transmit U.S. government secrets was "overwhelming." Evidence at trial included text messages between Mallory and a Chinese agent in which Mallory wrote, "your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid." Prosecutors say Mallory's scheme unraveled when he was selected for secondary screening at O'Hare Airport in April 2017 on a flight back from Shanghai with his son. There customs agents found $16,500 in unreported cash, and they questioned Mallory about the nature of his trip. Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh spoke highly of Ambassador Ping Kitnikones important contributions to the positive developments in the Vietnam-Canada relationship over the past few years, especially the establishment of a comprehensive partnership between the two countries and sustaining visits by senior leaders of the two countries, including the official visit to Vietnam of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his attendance at the APEC Summit in November, 2017, and the visit to Canada by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his attendance at the expanded Group of Seven (G7) Summit in June 2018. Vietnam attaches great importance to developing its comprehensive partnership with Canada, the Deputy PM said. The two sides agreed to continue to enhance their cooperation in many fields, not only economic - trade - investment, development cooperation and education but also in other fields, such as security and defense, climate change response, and sustainable development, as well as cooperation in multilateral organisations and institutions such as the United Nations, Francophonie, ASEAN, CPTPP. Vietnam applauds the Canadian Governments policy of increasing connectivity with the world, particularly the Asia-Pacific region, as well as attaching importance to their relations with Vietnam and ASEAN, he added. Ambassador Ping Kitnikone, for her part, shared her good impressions of the Vietnamese people and country during her term here. The Deputy PM hoped the ambassador, in her new position, would continue making contributions to developing the ties. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on a dispute over records associated with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court (all times local): 6:30 p.m. Senate Republicans are requesting documents from Supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh's time in the Bush White House but they're doing it without the support of Democrats who believe more documents should be produced. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, left, shakes hands with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., during their meeting, Thursday, July 26, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Friday evening that he has requested access to Kavanaugh's White House Counsel's office emails, all paper files maintained by him in that position and all documents relating to his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Grassley's request doesn't include documents from Kavanaugh's time as Bush's staff secretary. Kavanaugh held that position from 2003 to 2006 after serving in the White House Counsel's office. Democrats have said they want records from Kavanaugh's time as staff secretary too. Republicans say Democrats' request is a delay tactic. 3:20 p.m. The Senate's top Democrat is appealing to former President George W. Bush in a fight over documents related to Supreme Court nominee and former Bush aide Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh worked for Bush from 2001 to 2006. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Friday released a letter to Bush urging him to make public "the complete record of Judge Kavanaugh's service." That includes Kavanaugh's time in the White House counsel's office and as staff secretary. Schumer says Republicans apparently plan to request a "pre-screened subset of Judge Kavanaugh's record." Democrats and Republicans have sparred in particular this week over Kavanaugh's staff secretary records. Democrats say they're crucial. Republicans disagree. Separately, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has written the National Archives to complain about access to documents related to the Kavanaugh nomination. ___ 5:30 a.m. More than a decade after he served as what's been called the president's "inbox and outbox," Brett Kavanaugh's role as White House staff secretary to President George W. Bush has become a flashpoint as Republicans push his confirmation to the Supreme Court. Democrats want to see records from the time, portraying the potentially millions of documents as vital to understanding his approach to the law. Republicans disagree and have accused Democrats of using the issue to try to delay Kavanaugh's confirmation. The debate could interfere with Republicans' goal of swiftly confirming President Donald Trump's pick for the court in time for the start of the new term Oct. 1. With Senate control slimly held by Republicans 51-49, Democrats can't block Kavanaugh's nomination outright if Republicans hold together. Instead, Democrats are trying to delay the proceedings in hopes that time spent reviewing the judge's record could unearth fresh concerns to sway senators' opinions and upend voting. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazilian police say they have arrested the mayor of a city in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro for alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Carlos Moraes Costa, the mayor of Japeri, was taken into custody on Friday. Police said he took advantage of his office to defend the interests of a drug trafficking gang operating out of the city's Guandu complex of slums. City councilman Claudio Jose da Silva was also arrested, and police say council president Wesley George de Oliveira is suspected of involvement and is at large. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles prosecutors have declined to file charges against "Gossip Girl" star Ed Westwick after an investigation was conducted into rape allegations involving three women in 2014. Prosecutors released a document outlining its decision on Friday after celebrity website TMZ reported the decision involving the British actor. Westwick's manager did not return a request for comment Friday. FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2016 file photo, Ed Westwick arrives at the People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles. Los Angeles prosecutors have declined to file charges against "Gossip Girl" star Ed Westwick after an investigation into allegations the British actor raped three women in 2014. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) In two of the instances, prosecutors said there were no witnesses who could sufficiently corroborate the allegations to support a case. In the third instance, the woman did not cooperate with investigators. Actress Kristina Cohen said in a Facebook post in November that Westwick sexually assaulted in 2014 and she confirmed filing a police report against the actor. Westwick at the time denied that he had raped or forced himself on any woman. KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) - For the first time in almost a decade, a rare and endangered butterfly is flying in the main stretch of the Florida Keys, once again defying the hurricanes and habitat loss that had brought it to the brink of extinction. Researchers hope the Miami blue butterfly - a delicate creature with a wingspan about as wide as an adult's thumb - can find a way to thrive in a fragile environment that needed extensive restoration after Hurricane Irma's landfall with 130-mph (210-kph) winds last September. "It is very tenuous, and all you can do is keep plugging away," said Jaret Daniels, director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. In this undated photo is a Miami blue butterfly at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Fla. The Miami blue butterfly and Schaus' swallowtail are federally protected butterflies that were re-introduced in the Florida Keys, Tuesday, July 24, 2018 as part of a project by the Florida Museum of Natural History aimed at increasing their numbers in the wild and expanding their ranges. (AP Photo/Jaret C. Daniels, Ph.D.) The Miami blue is one of two federally protected butterflies released in the island chain this week as part of a project aimed at increasing their numbers in the wild and expanding their ranges. The releases were delayed almost a year because of damage left behind by Irma. Daniels led a team of researchers placing about 150 dark blue, bean-sized chrysalises, protected from predators by plastic tubes, near grey nickerbean and blackbead plants in Long Key State Park on Tuesday. The first butterflies emerged from their protective tubes Wednesday. "A kind of big whoo-hoo went up" when the first photograph of a Miami blue flying in the Layton park arrived in the lab, Daniels said. The Miami blue was once common in coastal areas from the Keys north to Tampa Bay and Cape Canaveral, until development eliminated its habitat. It was feared extinct after Hurricane Andrew ravaged South Florida in 1992, until two isolated populations were rediscovered in the Keys. Unfortunately, one of those populations was in a state park that around 2009 became infested with invasive iguanas that ate the plants where the butterfly laid its eggs. Before Tuesday, the only wild population survived on a remote island off Key West. "They're down to kind of all the eggs in one basket, so to speak," Daniels said. "If we can expand the range and significantly increase the numbers, it will have much more flexibility to persist for years to come. Now it's so restricted in range and numbers that it doesn't have the flexibility to deal with tropical storms or hurricanes or other disturbances." Hundreds of chubby caterpillars of another endangered butterfly, Schaus' swattowtail, were hooked onto the leafy branches of wild lime trees Monday in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Researchers hope they will survive predators such as birds and lizards, as well as tropical storms, to grow into butterflies with bright yellow-and-brown stained-glass patterns and 5-inch wingspans. Schaus' swallowtails historically lived in tropical hardwood hammocks from Miami south into the Keys, but their population crashed as droughts desiccated their remaining habitat. By 2012, only four were spotted in the wild, and a last-ditch captive breeding program began in Daniels' lab in Gainesville. Hundreds of lab-bred butterflies and caterpillars were released in Biscayne National Park, and several years later, researchers say those populations have significantly increased and appear sustainable. Biologists from the university, Florida's Department of the Environmental Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service participated in the releases. Lab-raised adult butterflies of both species will be released in the Keys in the coming months. The butterflies are among the rarest insects in North America, and they face daunting challenges even in parks protecting their habitat: They live on low-lying islands prone to rising sea levels, storm surge flooding, fierce hurricane winds, droughts and invasive predators. "All butterflies are food for other organisms in one life stage or another. They pollinate flowers. They have a lot of impact on the environment as a group," Daniels said. "But if they're gone, they're gone." Jaret Daniels, of the Florida Museum of Natural History, holds a container containing a caterpillar of the endangered butterfly, Schaus' swattowtail, at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Monday, July 23, 2018, in Key Largo, in the Florida Keys. The Schaus swallowtail and the Miami blue butterfly are one of two federally protected butterflies re-introduced in the island chain this week as part of a project aimed at increasing their numbers in the wild and expanding their ranges. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) In this undated photo is a Schaus' swattowtail butterfly at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Fla. The Schaus' swallowtail and the Miami blue butterfly are federally protected butterflies that were re-introduced in the Florida Keys, Tuesday, July 24, 2018 as part of a project by the Florida Museum of Natural History aimed at increasing their numbers in the wild and expanding their ranges. (AP Photo/Jaret C. Daniels, Ph.D.) The chrysalises of the endangered Miami blue butterfly is shown at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Monday, July 23, 2018, in Key Largo, in the Florida Keys. The Miami blue butterfly and Schaus' swallowtail are one of two federally protected butterflies re-introduced in the island chain this week as part of a project by the Florida Museum of Natural History aimed at increasing their numbers in the wild and expanding their ranges. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) PARIS (AP) - The former presidential security aide at the center of a firestorm over his violent behavior toward a protester on May Day says President Emmanuel Macron is not to blame and that he committed "a form of betrayal" of his boss. The identification 10 days ago of Alexandre Benalla as the man in a video acting violently toward a protester has swelled into a political crisis for Macron. Benalla was embedded with police as an observer that day. In his first TV interview, Benalla told TF1 that he didn't feel he had committed a "reprehensible" act, but conceded his actions were "not the role of a collaborator" of the president who "has nothing to do with May 1." France's President Emmanuel Macron smiles prior to a dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Paul Hanna/Pool Photo, via AP) Among charges Benalla now faces is "violence in a group." SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazil's jailed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged on Friday to block or undo privatizations if he is returned to the office he held from 2003 to 2010. Da Silva will likely be barred from running for the presidency again by Brazil's electoral court, but his statements are seen as the program of his left-leaning Workers' Party ahead of October's elections. In an article published in the newspaper Correio Braziliense, da Silva said he would reverse the ongoing process to privatize state-run energy company Eletrobras. He also criticized politicians who contend that oil giant Petrobras needs to be sold. FILE - In this July 8, 2018 file photo, a supporter of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves a banner decorated with an image depicting da Silva and message that reads in Portuguese: "Free Lula," in front of the Federal Police Department where he is serving jail time, in Curitiba, Brazil. A Brazilian appeals court judge ordered Da Silva released from jail on July 8, 2018, but another judge has asked the police to hold off on the order. (AP Photo/Denis Ferreira Netto, File) Unpopular President Michel Temer has pushed forward with plans to sell Eletrobras and several members of his administration believe Petrobras should be privatized. Da Silva also criticized Temer's decision to allow a joint venture that gives Boeing control of Brazilian plane-maker Embraer. The former president vowed to halt the move. Da Silva leads the polls despite his corruption and money laundering conviction. He can still appeal the decision, which he deems to be political persecution. "I have the historical obligation, no matter what my personal circumstances now, of conducting our country to a reencounter with democracy and sovereignty, with a clear commitment to revoke through a popular referendum every measure that damages our independence," da Silva wrote. Media in Brazil media have reported that former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad is the Workers' Party favorite to replace da Silva as candidate if the former president is indeed barred. Brazil's October election will take place on Oct.7. Though a member of another party, left-leaning presidential hopeful Ciro Gomes is seen as a potential heir to da Silva's votes and also made the same anti-privatization pledges a few weeks ago. In a letter to Boeing, Gomes said it is "a grave inconvenience" that Embraer is bought 100 days before Brazil's presidential elections. Earlier this week, a state-run energy company in the state of Piaui was sold in what was considered the kick-off of the process to privatize Eletrobras. Members of the Temer administration say the measure is necessary so Brazil can reduce its budget deficit and boost its private sector, while critics believe selling Eletrobras will give the country's waters away to foreign companies. Brazil's main energy source is hydroelectricity. REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters battling a huge wildfire in Northern California kept it from doing more damage to the city of Redding but three smaller communities were in danger as flames closed in and residents packed up to leave. The fire grew by about 35 percent overnight to 127 square miles (328 square kilometers) and pushed southwest of Redding, toward the communities of Ono, Igo and Gas Point. The winds that aided firefighters in keeping the flames from more populated areas were propelling it forward at a frightening rate. "We're not getting a break with the weather," said Chris Anthony, a spokesman for Cal Fire, the state agency responsible for fighting wildfires. "It just continues to be really hot, really dry and we continue to get those winds. ... This fire's getting so big and there are so many different parts to it." Homes leveled by the Carr Fire line the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The so-called Carr Fire was ignited Monday by a vehicle and exploded Thursday night, jumped the Sacramento River and pushed into Redding, about 250 miles (402 kilometers) north of San Francisco and the largest city in the region with about 92,000 residents. Two firefighters were killed and the latest tally of 500 destroyed structures was sure to rise. About 37,000 people are under evacuation orders, 5,000 homes are threatened and the fire is just 5 percent contained. Elsewhere in California, large fires continued to burn outside Yosemite National Park and in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles near Palm Springs. Nationally, 89 active large fires have consumed nearly 930,000 acres in 14 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. So far this year, nearly 37,000 wildfires have burned more than 4.25 million acres. The Carr Fire destroyed nearly all of Keswick, a hamlet just west of Redding. One of the homes lost belonged to Shyla and Jason Campbell. Jason, a firefighter, was six hours away from his home and family, battling a wildfire near Yosemite Valley, when the Carr Fire moved in with devastating speed. "It's huge flames, it's coming up the hill, and everyone's out and we're watching it, then it goes down, and everyone's like, 'Oh it's going out,' " said Shyla, 32. "And I'm like, 'No, it's going down the mountain and it's going to come back up the next ridge.' " She was right. The family spent the night at a hotel. When Jason Campbell returned on Friday, he found their home of five years was gone, along with an RV and a boat. "It's tough," Shyla Campbell said Friday as she sheltered in the city of Shasta Lake. "I just have to figure out where we're going to stay. We're just trying to stay away from the fire." Thousands of people scrambled to escape amid flying embers before walls of flames descended from forested hills onto their neighborhoods Thursday. At least two flaming tornados toppled trees, shook firefighting equipment and busted truck windows, taking "down everything in its path," said Scott McLean, a spokesman for Cal Fire. The flames moved so fast that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape. Two firefighters were killed: Redding fire inspector Jeremy Stoke and a bulldozer operator whose name wasn't immediately released. He was the second bulldozer operator to die in a California blaze in less than two weeks. Residents who gathered belongings in haste described a chaotic and congested getaway as sparks flew and fire leaped across the wide Sacramento River, torching subdivisions in Redding. Redding police chief Roger Moore was among those who lost their homes. Greg and Terri Hill evacuated their Redding home of 18 years Thursday night with little more than their medications, photo albums, clothes and firearms, assuming they'd be back home in a few days. When they returned Friday, virtually nothing was left but fine particles of ash. It was so hot, they couldn't walk through it to see if anything survived. "It's pretty emotional," Terri Hill said. "I know it's just stuff. A lot of memories. But we'll make new memories and get new stuff. Everybody's safe." The Hills fled before they were told to, knowing danger was afoot when the power went out and helicopters suddenly began flying low overhead. Liz Williams loaded up two kids in her car and then found herself locked in bumper-to-bumper traffic with neighbors trying to flee from Lake Redding Estates. She eventually jumped the curb onto a sidewalk and "booked it." "I've never experienced something so terrifying in my life," she said. "I didn't know if the fire was just going to jump out behind a bush and grab me and suck me in." Fire officials warned that the blaze would probably burn deeper into urban areas before there was any hope of containing it. So far, the Carr Fire has either changed direction or was stopped before it burning into Redding's city center. ___ Gill reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Noah Berger in Redding; Olga Rodriguez and Janie Har in San Francisco; Don Thompson in Sacramento; Amanda Lee Myers, Brian Melley and John Antczak in Los Angeles; and Alina Hartounian in Phoenix also contributed to this report. Mark Peterson, who lost his home in the Carr Fire, gives water to goats that survived the blaze on Friday, July 28, 2018, in Redding, Calif. Peterson. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) California Highway Patrol officer Gavin Graham surveys homes leveled by the Carr Fire in the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A Volkswagen Beetle scorched by a wildfire called the Carr Fire rests at a residence in Redding, Calif., Friday, July 27, 2018. The wildfire roared with little warning into the Northern California city as thousands of people scrambled to escape before the walls of flames descended from forested hills onto their neighborhoods, officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Flames from the Carr Fire lick above a Cal Fire truck in Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A boat scorched by the Carr Fire floats on Whiskeytown Lake in Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The flames moved so fast that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Cars scorched by the Carr Fire rest at a residence in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The fire rapidly expanded Thursday when erratic flames swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then cast the Sacramento River in an orange glow as they jumped the banks into Redding. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Greg and Terri Hill embrace in front of the charred remains of their home in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The couple's home was destroyed by the so-called Carr Fire. (AP Photo/Jonathan Cooper) The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A woman, who declined to give her name, surveys damage to her grandmother's house after the Carr Fire burned through Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Carr Fire sends a plume of smoke into the sky above Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The historic Pioneer Baby's Grave rests among trees scorched by the Carr Fire in Shasta, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The fire rapidly expanded Thursday when erratic flames swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then cast the Sacramento River in an orange glow as they jumped the banks into Redding. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A couple, who declined to give their names, passes homes leveled by the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A structure burns as the Carr Fire races along Highway 299 near Redding, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) This Thursday, June 26, 2018, photo released by Casey Lansdon shows Redding fire inspector Jeremy Stoke in Redding, Calif. A wildfire roared with little warning into the Northern California city as thousands of people scrambled to escape before the walls of flames descended from forested hills onto their neighborhoods, officials said Friday. Stoke was killed in the blaze. (Casey Lansdon via AP) A firefighter walks past a home destroyed by the Carr Fire on Sunriver Lane in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A boat scorched by the Carr Fire floats on Whiskeytown Lake in Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The fire rapidly expanded Thursday when erratic flames swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then cast the Sacramento River in an orange glow as they jumped the banks into Redding.(AP Photo/Noah Berger) Flames from the Carr Fire lick above a Cal Fire truck in Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The flames moved so fast that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A firefighter sprays water on a home leveled by the Carr Fire on Sunriver Lane in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) LAS VEGAS (AP) - A grand jury's refusal to indict a former Las Vegas police officer for using an unapproved chokehold in the death of an unarmed man last year drew anguished tears Friday from the dead man's mother and complaints from civil rights groups. Trinita Farmer said she blames the former officer, Kenneth Christopher Lopera, for the death of her 40-year-old son, Tashii Farmer Brown. "I want justice for my baby," the mother sobbed. "They say he had an enlarged heart. I don't know anything about that. My baby had a good heart." FILE - This undated police file photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Public Safety shows Tashii Brown. A grand jury refused to indict Kenneth Lopera, a former police officer who was charged by prosecutors with involuntary manslaughter in the chokehold death of an unarmed Brown following a chase out of a Las Vegas Strip casino last year. (Hawaii Department of Public Safety via AP, File) Farmer referred to Clark County coroner's findings last year that Brown's death was a homicide resulting from "asphyxia due to police restraint," but that an enlarged heart and methamphetamine in Brown's system were "significant contributing conditions" to his death. Lopera's legal and union representatives gave the grand jury the results of a defense investigation, including testimony from medical and police use-of-force experts, and a former mixed martial arts fighter. The goal was to convince grand jurors that cardiac arrest killed Brown, not a chokehold, said Steve Grammas, the union's executive director. Lopera himself did not testify, said David Roger, attorney for the former officer and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association. Lopera was dismissed from the police department last September after police said he violated department use-of-force policies. The officer chased Brown through restricted employee hallways and outside the Venetian resort, where video from the officer's body camera and casino security views showed Lopera using a stun gun on Brown seven times, punching him more than 10 times and putting him in what police supervisors called an unapproved chokehold for 73 seconds. Brown's death spawned protests and a federal excessive force and wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Brown's children. Sheriff Joe Lombardo, elected head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, changed policies to stop routine use of neck holds. The grand jury decision still leaves the prosecutor with several options in a state that moves felony cases from local to state courts either through grand jury action or by a judge's decision after a preliminary hearing. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson's office could ask for a local judge to hold a preliminary hearing or he could drop the criminal charges. That would let him air the case in a public forum used after police-involved deaths. Wolfson could refile charges if new information emerges in that non-court venue. Wolfson has not said how he will proceed. "I would like for the public to eventually learn all the information and all the evidence," he told The Associated Press. He plans to meet with Trinita Farmer's lawyer, Andre Lagomarsino, who said he wants a judge to hold a preliminary hearing, or he'll ask the FBI to take over the case. "We believe it's a civil rights violation," the attorney said. "Trinita Farmer wants Kenneth Lopera prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Roxann McCoy, president of the NAACP in Las Vegas, said the public is entitled to see the evidence that led the grand jury to reject criminal charges. "I'm very, very curious as to what they saw that we didn't," McCoy said. "I don't know why, when it's a black man, there's always a reason - no matter what we see - that there's something he did to cause his own death." NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. military remains released by North Korea on Friday will be sent to a military lab in Hawaii, where they'll enter a system that routinely identifies service members from decades-old conflicts. Identifications depend on combining multiple lines of evidence, and they can take time: Even after decades, some cases remain unresolved. Dog tags found with the remains can help, and even scraps of clothing can be traced to the material used in uniforms. Teeth can be matched with dental records. Bones can be used to estimate height. And the distinctive shape of a clavicle bone can be matched to records of X-rays taken decades ago to look for tuberculosis, said Charles Prichard, a spokesman for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. A U.N. honor guard carries a casket containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool) If a DNA analysis is called for, samples are sent to a military DNA lab at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Tiny samples of bone or teeth, no bigger than the amount of bone in the last joint of the pinkie finger, are enough to yield usable DNA, said Timothy McMahon, who oversees the Dover lab as director of Defense Department DNA Operations. Each sample is sanded to remove surface contamination, ground to the consistency of baby powder, and then treated with a substance that dissolves the bone and leaves the DNA for analysis. That DNA is then compared with genetic samples from living people who are related to the missing. The military has been collecting DNA from such family members since 1992, and has reached the relatives of 92 percent of the 8,100 service members who were listed as missing at the end of the Korean War, McMahon said. The goal is to find bits of DNA in common between the known relatives and the unidentified remains, suggesting both belong to a particular lineage. One analysis develops a profile that combines what's found at 23 spots in the DNA, for example. By analyzing different kinds of DNA, lab scientists can look for markers passed down by generations of women, or of men, or of both sexes. The lab once linked remains to a great-great-great-great-grandniece who initially had no idea she was related to the missing service member, McMahon said. Once a link is made, the lab estimates how strongly it suggests the remains belong to a particular person, and send the results back to Hawaii. There, it's combined with the other lines of evidence. "We're just one spoke in a wheel to make the identification," McMahon said. "We all work together." Since Oct. 1, the Hawaii lab has identified 25 service members from the Korean War, part of the 119 identifications made overall in that time period, Prichard said. For the 12 months before that, 42 sets of remains from the Korean War were accounted for, which includes briefing the relatives in person, out of 183 overall. The agency identifies remains from not only the Korean War, but also World War II through the first Gulf War in Iraq. How long does it take? If a clavicle bone can be matched to an X-ray, it might be done in just three days, Prichard said. But in other cases, it can take decades. He noted some remains recovered from North Korea from 1990 to 2005 are still awaiting identification. For Jan Curran, of Gilbert, Arizona, the new remains turned over by North Korea have stirred hope. Curran has no memory of her father, naval aviator Lt. Charles Garrison, who was shot down over Korea and captured in May 1951. He died in captivity, and no remains have been identified. Curran, 70, has spent decades working to give him a proper burial. She's attended scores of meetings for families of those missing in action in Korea. She was the driving force in the late 1990s in getting several of her family members - including her sister, an aunt, an uncle and cousins - to join her in giving DNA samples to the military in an effort to identify her father's remains, should they be found. Will their long wait now come to an end? "We know it's a small chance, but we can't help but hope," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "It would be wonderful. It's too much to hope for. "It's amazing, after all these years, how much it can still hurt not to have him." ___ Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Malcolm Ritter at @MalcolmRitter . His recent work can be found at http://tinyurl.com/RitterAP ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. In his opening remark, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties in all spheres over the past 45 years, affirming that the two countries have created mutual trust among their senior leaders, ministries, sectors and peoples. Deputy Foreign Minister Son stressed that Japan is now the largest provider of official development assistance (ODA), and a top partner of Vietnam in accelerating industrialisation and modernisation. Japan is also the second largest investment, third largest tourism and fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam at present, he added, noting that Vietnam is an attractive destination for Japanese investors. Son said the Vietnam - Japan cultural exchange festival 2018 offers a good chance for Vietnamese people to not only get insights into Japanese culture and the peoples lives, but also learn from Japans experience in urban development and tourism, thus promoting cooperation between the two sides. He said he believed that the event would help to strengthen the mutual trust and understanding, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership. Da Nang is home to 150 Japanese -invested projects with a total capital of US$530 million, mostly in electronic and electrical equipment production, and information technology. It is also a favorite destination for visitors from Japan. For his part, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Kunio Umeda, affirmed that the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties will be an important milestone for promoting the bilateral relations across all fields. Within the framework of the event, many exchange activities will be arranged to introduce the cultural identities and arts of both countries to visitors. The festival will last until July 29. NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday: Twitter Inc., down $8.82 to $34.12 The social media network reported disappointing user totals and its forecast disappointed investors. Expedia Group Inc., up $11.99 to $137.79 The travel booking company's second-quarter profit was far stronger than analysts expected. Amazon.com Inc., up $9.27 to $1,817.27 The online retailer posted strong second-quarter results including its largest profit ever. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., up $25.54 to $472.30 The Mexican food chain said key sales measurements improved in the second quarter. Starbucks Corp., up 70 cents to $52.15 The coffee chain projected slightly weaker sales growth but did better than expected in its latest quarter. Exxon Mobil Corp., down $2.32 to $81.92 The oil company's quarterly profit fell far short of Wall Street estimates. Intel Corp., down $4.48 to $47.68 The chipmaker had a solid quarter but analysts were concerned about its profit margins and key businesses. LogMeIn Inc., down $26.60 to $77.85 The remote computer access company cut its forecasts because of slower customer renewal rates and other problems. CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is asking the Department of Justice to look into the case of a white man who shot an unarmed black man following a dispute in a Florida parking lot. Friday, Nelson asked for the DOJ to investigate the death of Markeis McGlockton. The case has revived debate over Florida's "stand your ground" law. In this Thursday, July 19, 2018 image taken from surveillance video released by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Markeis McGlockton, far left, is shot by Michael Drejka during an altercation in the parking lot of a convenience store in Clearwater, Fla. The family of McGlockton issued an appeal Tuesday, July 24, 2018, through an attorney for the public to put pressure on State Attorney Bernie McCabe to file charges against Drejka, a white man who fatally shot the black father of three last Thursday upon being pushed to the ground outside a convenience store. (Pinellas County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Pinellas County state attorney's office is determining whether 47-year-old Michael Drejka will face charges in the July 19 death of 28-year-old McGlockton. McGlockton's girlfiend, who was seated in the couple's car with two of their children, said Drejka confronted her because she was parked in a handicapped-accessible space. Video shows McGlockton exited the Clearwater store and shoved Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled out a handgun and shot him seconds later as McGlockton backed away. Britany Jacobs, center, speaks on behalf of her boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, flanked by attorney Benjamin Crump, left, and Clearwater attorney Michele Rayner, right, while speaking to the media at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Clearwater, Fla. McGlockton an unarmed black man was fatally shot outside a Clearwater convenience store on July 19. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Clearwater attorney Michele Rayner, second left, reaches out to comfort Britany Jacobs as she speaks about the shooting where her boyfriend Markeis McGlockton, who was shot and killed, at a news conference in Clearwater, Fla., Tuesday, July 24, 2018. A dispute last week over a handicapped parking space quickly escalated into the fatal shooting and now the dead man's family is outraged that the gunman has avoided arrest, seemingly protected by Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law. (Jim Damaske/Tampa Bay Times via AP) In this Sunday, July 22, 2018 photo, flowers and a sign decorate a makeshift memorial for Markeis McGlockton, in front of the location where he was killed in Clearwater Fla. The family of McGlockton issued an appeal through their attorney for the public to put pressure on State Attorney Bernie McCabe to file charges against Michael Drejka, who fatally shot the father of three last Thursday during an argument over a handicapped parking space outside a convenience store. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP) In this Sunday, July 22, 2018 photo, family, friends and demonstrators gather in a parking lot in Clearwater, Fla., where Markeis McGlockton, 28, was shot and killed in an altercation. The family of McGlockton issued an appeal through their attorney for the public to put pressure on State Attorney Bernie McCabe to file charges against Michael Drejka, who fatally shot the father of three last Thursday during an argument over a handicapped parking space outside a convenience store. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP) In this Sunday, July 22, 2018 photo, Ruth Beltran, of Black Lives Matter Tampa, speaks to the crowd about standing up for the rights of black people in the community as family, friends and demonstrators gather in a parking lot in Clearwater, Fla., where Markeis McGlockton, 28, was shot and killed in an altercation. The family of McGlockton issued an appeal through their attorney for the public to put pressure on State Attorney Bernie McCabe to file charges against Michael Drejka, who fatally shot the father of three last Thursday during an argument over a handicapped parking space outside a convenience store. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP) SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Authorities say a Maryland man who was fatally shot by police this week during a hostage situation had a history of domestic violence. The Washington Post reports Jean Perez's ex-girlfriend told authorities last year that she needed a restraining order against him. Court records say she said Perez smashed her belongings, dragged and kicked her and pushed her down steps. Police say those same violent tendencies prompted the 30-year-old, also known as John Carlos Natera-Perez, to barricade himself in that ex-girlfriend's home Monday and hold their 3-year-old son hostage. Montgomery County Police say the ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend fled the home, and Perez locked himself inside with the toddler. Hours later, Perez set a fire and the toddler screamed. SWAT then fatally wounded Perez. The toddler wasn't hurt. ___ Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com A report circulating online that claims the Pentagon is inviting Islamic State group militants disguised as White Helmets rescue volunteers to the United States is false. The White Helmets are not Islamic State group militants, and they are not being invited to the United States. The NWO Report website, which says it focuses on conspiracy news, made the false claim in the headline of a story that discussed plans to evacuate White Helmets volunteers from war-torn Syria. The Israeli military last weekend rescued 98 White Helmets volunteers and their families, over 420 people, from a southern section of the country as government forces seized the area. The operation was conceived by Britain, Germany and Canada and supported by Israel, Jordan, the United States and the U.N. FILE - This Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Civil Defense workers inspecting a damaged building after a bombing that targeted the office of a militant group consisting of foreign fighters in Idlib, Syria. On Friday, July 27, 2018, The Associated Press has found that stories circulating on the internet that the Pentagon is inviting ISIS terrorists disguised as Syrian White Helmet rescuers to enter the United States are untrue. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) The White Helmets, also known as the Syrian Civil Defense, have been working in war-ravaged parts of Syria since the civil war began in 2013. The group says their 3,000 volunteers have saved more than 115,000 lives in five years. The group made the shortlist for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. A Netflix documentary about the White Helmets won an Oscar for best documentary (short subject) last year. Navy Cdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said the White Helmets were allowed into Jordan on a "transitory basis, until UNHCR completes procedures for their resettlement in follow-on countries." According to the State Department, those countries are Canada, Britain and Germany. "The United States is not currently resettling any members of the White Helmets," a State Department spokesperson told The Associated Press in an email. The email commended the countries that will be providing "permanent homes for these heroes." Syria and Russia have called the White Helmets everything from a propaganda group to terrorists. They claim the White Helmets' rescue videos are staged. The Syrian government reacted to last weekend's evacuation of rescue workers calling it a "criminal process" intended to destabilize Syria. NWO Report did not respond to a request by email for comment. __ This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform. ___ Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck ___ Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and Russia (all times local): 7:30 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it's a "good idea" to put off President Donald Trump's next meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin until next year. In this photo taken on Monday, July 16, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during the joint news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland. Putin said Friday he's ready to invite President Donald Trump to Moscow and is ready to visit Washington himself if conditions are right. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) The GOP leader also says Russia will face consequences if it interferes with U.S. elections this fall. "We better not see the Russians' hand in the 2018 election because there's going to be serious consequences," McConnell said during a radio interview Friday in his home state of Kentucky. U.S. officials have said Russian interfered in the 2016 election, and McConnell says he thinks the Russians will try again in 2018. But he does not think they will have "any success." Trump invited Putin to the White House in the fall but retracted the invitation and now may consider visiting Putin in Moscow. __ 6:30 p.m. President Donald Trump has met with his national security team to discuss threats to the 2018 congressional midterm elections, and the White House says he made clear his administration will not tolerate foreign interference "from any nation state or other malicious actors." It was the first such session Trump has convened amid warnings from intelligence officials that Russia is again intent on interfering in the U.S. democratic process. Trump still routinely casts doubt on the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia tried to sway the 2016 presidential election. A White House statement says Friday's discussions addressed threats posed to our elections from "malign foreign actors," efforts to provide cybersecurity assistance to state and local officials and ways to hold those who attempt to illegally interfere in the elections accountable. ___ 11 a.m. The White House says President Donald Trump is "open to visiting Moscow" once he receives a "formal invitation" from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement that Trump "looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year" and "is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation." Trump had initially invited Putin to Washington this fall for a follow-up meeting to their Helsinki summit, but Trump national security adviser John Bolton changed the timeline this week, saying Trump now believes it should take place "after the Russia witch hunt is over" and "after the first of the year." Putin said Friday he's ready to invite Trump to Moscow and ready to visit Washington if conditions are right. ATHENS, Greece (AP) - International agency Moody's has raised Cyprus' credit rating by one notch to Ba2 because of the ongoing recovery of the island-nation's banking sector and its strong economic growth and fiscal surplus. The upgrade puts Cyprus just two notches below investment grade. Moody's said in a statement Friday the take-over of the troubled, state-owned Cooperative Bank by Cyprus-based Hellenic Bank has bolstered the banking system's recovery. It also said that strong economic growth and a large fiscal surplus is helping the country cope with its large debt load that will peak this year at 107 percent of gross domestic product, but will begin falling in 2019. The agency warned that Cyprus' banking sector still faces challenges since over half of loans to Cypriot households are non performing. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says inclusive elections in Cambodia where civil society and political parties exercise their democratic rights are essential to safeguard the country's progress in consolidating peace. As Cambodians prepare to take part in elections scheduled for July 29, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "the secretary-general calls on all political actors to reduce tensions and political polarization." Guterres "calls upon the government to uphold international human rights standards and in particular to ensure guarantees for civil society actors and political parties to exercise their democratic rights," he said in a statement Friday. The secretary-general also "reiterates the continued commitment of the United Nations to support a peaceful and democratic Cambodia that fully respects the human rights of all its citizens," Dujarric said. REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Jim Chapin had dined out after work Thursday, confident that a distant wildfire would not reach his neighborhood while he was away. But when the 79-year-old Redding, California, resident got home around 7:30 p.m., police were telling people to hurry up and go. Chapin's wife gathered prescriptions and the dogs and left. He stayed behind to hose down the roof and fallen leaves. A half-hour later, fire was burning trees behind his neighbors' homes and winds were whipping branches, burning leaves, garbage can lids and other debris. He feared he would be hit in the head. Jim Chapin poses for photos while interviewed outside his home, which survived wildfires, in Redding, Calif., Friday, July 27, 2018. Chapin described his effort to save his home from encroaching flames and his escape through streets jammed with panicked neighbors. Chapin was among thousands to flee the deadly Carr Fire that exploded Thursday night, jumped the Sacramento River and raced into the western outskirts of Redding. (AP Photo/Jonathan Cooper) "Everybody else had left," Chapin said. "There was just all kinds of debris flying around in the air. Hot embers and hot leaves coming down all over the yard. I figured I better get out of here." He jumped in his car and almost immediately was in gridlock. Drivers honked, jumped the curb and cut off other cars. There was no way for firefighters to get into the Lake Redding Estates subdivision, which has just one way in and out. "Some people were panicking so much they were driving up on people's yards just to get around other cars," Chapin said. "It was crazy." Chapin was among thousands to flee the deadly Carr Fire that exploded Thursday night, jumped the Sacramento River and raced into the western outskirts of Redding, a city of about 92,000, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the Oregon border. In Chapin's neighborhood of about 700 residents, an Associated Press reporter counted 66 destroyed homes. The fire in rural Shasta County turned so quickly that a reporter at KRCR-TV in Redding choked up as she reported live on the devastation before the station had to go off air. Journalists at the Record Searchlight newspaper tweeted they were reporting without electricity. Some people had time to pack up belongings, even helping neighbors load up vehicles and say goodbye. They gathered a wedding dress, handmade quilts made by a grandmother and pets. Other departures were more hurried and many reported clogged roads. "One of the things we love about living in Redding is there's no real traffic, so to be bumper-to-bumper on these little streets we zip up and down most times is pretty surreal," said Kim Niemer, community services director with the city's recreation department. Niemer had the foresight Thursday to collect family mementos, papers and her grandmother's quilts. She left around 9 p.m., an hour before an evacuation notice was issued, and joined a line of vehicles, some carrying boats and RVs. Anna Anderson left shortly after Niemer did, but her departure was more rushed. When she heard a highway patrol officer holler, "this is mandatory evacuation, you must leave!" through a megaphone, the Redding resident knew it was time to go. Anderson, her parents, and two teenage children raced around their four-bedroom house to gather their belongings. Outside, fierce winds blew ash into their eyes as they packed up the car with their two cats, clothes and pictures. They spent the night on the floor of the Redding Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Fires happen a lot here, but this is the closest that it's ever gotten for us," said Anderson, 36, a clerk at the Superior Court of California in Shasta County. The family was able to check their still-standing house Friday. They watched as firefighting planes flew directly overhead. As they left for a second time around noon, the National Guard had arrived. "I went through it again, crying my eyes out, leaving again," she said. On Thursday morning, west Redding resident Alayne Rodriguez received a call at work from her husband, Rafael, that their apartment complex was being evacuated. It turned out to be faulty information, but it gave the couple warning. With the fire edging closer, they fetched their Goldendoodle, Jack, and packed the car with computers, legal documents and a few photo books. Rodriguez, 26, grabbed the dress she wore at their 2014 wedding. They helped neighbors pack and left shortly after 7 p.m., not even half an hour before her neighborhood received its order to evacuate. "Because the fire spread so quickly, it added a tinge of panic to our decision making," Rodriguez said. Chapin returned to hard-hit Lake Redding Estates on Friday and cried when he found his home still standing. "I thank the man upstairs for that," Chapin said. ___ Gill reported from San Francisco. AP reporter Janie Har contributed from San Francisco. Kaleb Topal, right, and dad Steve Topal survey a home leveled by the Carr Fire on Sunflower Drrive in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27 2018. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by the Northern California wildfire has increased after the fire exploded overnight.(AP Photo/Noah Berger) Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A structure burns as the Carr Fire races along Highway 299 near Redding, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A series of events are being held to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Emily Bronte. The Bronte Parsonage Museum, in Haworth, West Yorkshire, will be the worldwide focus for the bicentenary celebrations, which will see performances of a range of new works commissioned specially for the anniversary. Bronte is one of the best known names in English literature but she only wrote one novel, Wuthering Heights, inspired by the windswept moors which surround Haworth. A weekend of celebration in the town will start with writers led by the best-selling novelist, Kate Mosse, gathering for I Am Heathcliff, a special commission featuring 16 short stories inspired by Wuthering Heightss most enduring character. Mosse, who curated the collection, will be joined by fellow contributors Juno Dawson, Dorothy Koomson and Louise Doughty to read from the anthology and officially open the programme of events. Charlotte Bronte Sunday with see premiere of Balls, a short film created by the model and actress Lily Cole, the Bronte Societys creative partner for 2018. Balls explores Heathcliffs foundling beginnings and Cole will be discussing the issues and stories explored in the film alongside Caro Howell, director of Londons Foundling Museum. The celebrations will culminate on Monday, the anniversary of Brontes birth on July 30 1818, when a range of well-known writers will gather to celebrate her work and legacy under the banner What Emily Means to Me. Bronte was born in Thornton, in Bradford, but moved to the parsonage in Haworth when she was young. She lived in Haworth will her family, including her literary sisters Charlotte and Anne, and wrote Wuthering Heights there in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. But she died a year later, aged just 30. The bicentenary has been marked in numerous others way, including a special red post box with inscriptions of her words near her birthplace in Thornton, a specially made violin made from a sycamore tree which grew in Haworth, and the Emily Bronte Rose, which was launched at Chelsea Flower Show in May. A web designer responsible for killing his date who died in a speedboat crash on the River Thames is facing jail. Jack Shepherd, 30, had been trying to impress 24-year-old Charlotte Brown after meeting her on dating website OkCupid, the Old Bailey heard. But their champagne-fuelled first date ended in tragedy when his boat capsized on the River Thames in central London and she was thrown into the cold water in December 2015. Jack Shepherd Shepherd, originally from Exeter, was convicted in his absence of the manslaughter of Ms Brown by gross negligence. But her family have pleaded with him to attend court to face sentence on Friday. Ms Browns sister Katie Brown said in a statement on behalf of the family: The immense pain and anguish we feel will never pass and our grief will last a lifetime. Charlotte Brown's sister Katie and mother Roz Wicken She added: We now appeal to Jack Shepherd wherever he is in the world to return and assume the responsibility of his guilt and the devastation he caused by his actions that fateful night we appeal to Jack Shepherds family and friends to appeal to him and urge him to face the consequences of his actions. The court had heard how Shepherd had bought the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO from Gumtree to pull women. Charlotte Brown death court case In the months before Ms Browns death, Shepherd had entertained up to 10 women on the 1980s model, having invited them back to his houseboat in Hammersmith. During that time, he had been caught speeding by marine police more than once and advised on the importance of wearing life jackets. A salesman shows a customer gold jewelry in a shop at the Gold Souq in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. [Photo/Agencies] Major trade initiatives such as the Belt and Road are opening up new vistas of cooperation for the Chinese bullion industry, especially in the countries and regions associated with the initiative, an industry official said. China, with its advanced gold mining and refining technologies and talent advantage, can play a complementary role with the regions and countries associated with the Belt and Road Initiative, most of whom have substantial gold resources, said Song Xin, head of the China Gold Association. "The nation has become a leader in the global gold industry in fields of gold production and consumption and product designs, processing and manufacturing capacities are well suited to meet the market potential in the region, creating massive cooperation opportunities for the future," he said. According to the China Gold Association, Chinese companies have invested over $4 billion in overseas markets during the past few years, and accessed gold resources of more than 1,500 metric tons. Production of gold by Chinese companies in overseas destinations stood at 35 tons by the end of 2017, it said. China's gold consumption reached 1,089.07 tons in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 9.41 percent, with demand for gold jewelry, gold bars and industrial uses surging. Demand for gold is expected to continue rising with the growth in high-end consumption and demand from second and third-tier cities, it said. Considering the fact that Chinese have long prized gold for its financial and symbolic value, analysts believe that traditions and increasing prosperity will continue boosting demand for gold and hence further facilitate China's gold trade with regions and countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. "The Belt and Road Initiative has played a positive role in facilitating Chinese gold miners' going overseas for gold assets, to meet domestic demand," said Zhu Yi, senior analyst of metals and mining from Bloomberg Intelligence. "Gold producers such as Zijin Mining Group, China's largest gold producer, have been investing overseas to secure stable supply of raw materials," she said. Zijin bought gold assets from Barrick Gold and Ivanhoe Mines in 2015. It also purchased Norton Gold Fields in Australia, to secure supplies. "China is a resource-rich country, but the ore grade is relatively low and some resources are not easily accessible." China imported more than 854,150 tons of raw materials in 2017 worth more than $1.69 billion. About 19 of the 55 regions and countries that China purchased precious metal ore and ore concentrate from are participating the B&R Initiative, it said. China also imported 408,700 tons of gold material from regions and countries participating in the B&R Initiative in 2017, 47.85 percent of the country's total imports. All those assets are worth $573.4 million, 33.93 percent of the total value of imports. Figures from the China Gold Association reveal that China has become the world's top gold producer for the 11th consecutive year since it surpassed South Africa in 2007. North Korea has returned the remains of what are believed to be US servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said. A US military plane made a rare trip from a US base in South Korea to a coastal city in the North to retrieve the remains. The handover follows through on a promise Kim Jong Un made to US president Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. The White House confirmed that a US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, North Korea, on its way to Osan Air Base, outside Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there on August 1. At Osan, US servicemen and a military honour guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue United Nations flags. Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump Details of what specifically the US had picked up were unclear, but reports said previously that Pyongyang would return about 55 sets of remains from the 1950-53 Korean War. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearisation ahead of their meeting, Mr Trump and Mr Kims summit ended with only a vague goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. Fridays handover will be followed by a lengthy series of forensic examinations and tests to determine if the remains are human, and whether they are actually American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Fridays repatriation could be followed by strengthened North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions with the United States on reaching a declaration to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Koreas Defence Ministry also said that the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. The remains are expected to be flown to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for scientific testing to identify them. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War The US military last month said that 100 wooden temporary transit cases built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a stand-off over North Koreas nuclear program and a previous US claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint US-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. Porn star Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti has said he now represents three additional women he says had relationships with US president Donald Trump and were paid hush money before the 2016 presidential election. When Mr Avenatti was asked at a community forum in West Hollywood, California, if he had evidence that the women had relationships with Mr Trump, the lawyer replied: Yes. He said he was not at liberty to share the evidence because he did not have permission from his clients to disclose specifics. Three additional women. All paid hush money through various means. Time for Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to come 100 percent clean with the American people. All the documents, all the tapes, NOW. No more lies or lip service. #Basta Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 27, 2018 But Mr Avenatti said the women, who contacted him months ago, were paid hush money prior to the 2016 election. He called on Mr Trump and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to come forward and disclose information about the women and their supposed relationships with the president. Mr Avenatti said: They should release the information to the American people now. Stormy Daniels Enough with the games. Last time I checked, they werent just handing out cheques to anyone whether they had a relationship or not. Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Mr Trump in 2006, when he was married, although Mr Trump has denied this. Michael Avenatti Days before the 2016 presidential election, she was paid 130,000 dollars (99,000) to stay silent in a deal handled by Mr Cohen. She is suing to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement. Mr Cohens lawyer, Lanny Davis, cautioned against believing everything that a lawyer says in the heat of a legal battle. He said: Mr Avenatti is an aggressive attorney doing his job in the middle of litigation. I have been there, done that. An attorney in litigation is just that, and until the litigation is over, Im not going to comment on the words used. A police officer who sawed and smashed his way through a suspects windscreen with a knife has been cleared of common assault and damaging property. Joshua Savage, 28, was accused of attacking Leon Fontanas Ford Fiesta with a baton before cutting the glass with a lock knife on September 16 2016. Police mistakenly thought the driver was a potentially violent drug dealer called TJ Dixon who may have had a weapon and only a provisional licence. The incident left Mr Fontana with a shard of glass in his eye that had to be removed by a doctor, and he was forced to pay 175 to have his windscreen repaired. The incident, at around 5.25pm on Vicars Road in Camden, north-west London, was filmed by Mr Fontana and shared widely online at the time, provoking a public outcry. Mr Savages actions were described by the prosecution as those of a bully in uniform. The police officer said he acted lawfully and proportionately when Mr Fontana refused to step out of his vehicle, and that it was common practice for Metropolitan Police officers to carry knives on duty. On Friday, Mr Savage was cleared of one count of assault by beating and one count of damaging property at Southwark Crown Court. Still taken from video issued by Leon Fontana of police officer Joshua Savage He was also cleared of possession of a bladed article for having the multi-tool, which is not a police-issued piece of kit. In his evidence, Mr Savage claimed the sharp rise in violent crime in London is down to officers being too afraid to make arrests in case they face a backlash. It was as a situation where I was trying to gain (Mr Fontanas) compliance, trying to speak to him absolutely the situation didnt unfold the way I would have liked, he said. The court heard that Mr Savage had run a check on the vehicle by radio and learned that it had previously been used to make off from police. He continued: I knew I was in a police-unfriendly area, potentially with a person who could present a risk to myself or my colleagues. I knew the driver was potentially someone who might make off from us, so I approached the vehicle feeling very anxious. Mr Savage said he was unable to see into the car properly because of its tinted windows. I believed the driver to be Mr Dixon. We knew he presented a risk to police officers and the public in that he would be prepared to drive off and cause a pursuit. He added: The subject was in a vehicle, a vehicle is a killing machine and he was completely in control of that vehicle. Mr Savage said that when Mr Fontana started filming him, it seemed like he wanted to repeat the whole exchange from the beginning for the benefit of the camera and his YouTube fans. This is the problem we are seeing throughout London police officers are more reluctant to deal with things because they are scared of what might come afterwards. Hence why we are seeing gang members not being disrupted and the rise in violent crime. Mr Savage claimed that the majority of response officers carry their own bladed tools on duty. He said his job required a cutting implement for acts such as slicing seat belts off trapped car passengers in emergency situations. Mr Savage said his multi-tool was always clearly displayed on his belt and that he had never tried to conceal it because it is bright yellow. In the footage of the alleged assault, when Mr Fontana refuses to leave his vehicle, the Metropolitan Police officer can be heard saying in footage played to the jury, Get out of the car and, Youre not allowed to drive it. Mr Fontana, who placed his keys on the dashboard, replies: Ive got a licence and insurance and says he is filming for his own safety. In his evidence, Mr Fontana said: I thought if I left that car I would have been in danger certainly. I certainly wasnt getting out to a police officer with a knife and a cosh in his hand. Mr Savage, of Hermon Hill, Wanstead, north-east London, has been on restricted duties with the Met since the incident. Despite his acquittal, Mr Savage still has to satisfy the Independent Office for Police Complaints (IOPC) that he is fit to serve as an officer. IOPC regional director Jonathan Green said: Our investigation gathered evidence that suggested a criminal offence may have been committed by that officer. A trial has now been held and Pc Savage has been cleared of all charges. Our investigation found that a misconduct hearing could decide that Pc Savages actions amount to gross misconduct. The Metropolitan Police did not agree and so we have directed that a misconduct hearing be held to consider the evidence. A date for the hearing has yet to be set but Mr Green said it would take place as soon as possible. Ecuadors president has said his government is talking to British authorities about how to end Julian Assanges asylum in its London embassy as long as the life of the WikiLeaks founder can be guaranteed. Ecuador granted Mr Assange asylum in 2012, but he faces arrest in the UK for breaching his bail terms and could be extradited to the United States. He would be tried there for his leaking of classified US state department documents. Julian Assange Ecuadors president Lenin Moreno said in Madrid that nobody should remain under asylum for too long and that any change in Mr Assanges status should be the result of negotiations involving all sides. What we want is for his life not to be in danger, Mr Moreno added. The first man to unicycle round the world said he will cycle another 10 miles home after his welcome party as he made his triumphant one-wheeled homecoming. Twenty-two thousand miles was not enough for Ed Pratt, who said he was ecstatic to be back after three-and-a-half years globe-trotting for charity. Mr Pratt wheeled into the headquarters of School in a Bag, in Chilthorne Domer, near Yeovil, on Friday morning and was met with cheers and glorious sunshine. World unicycle tour The 22-year-old has raised more than 300,000 for the global education charity during his adventures. His two requests to be welcomed by Meat Loafs Bat Out Of Hell and a chilled bottle of cider were both granted. After catching up with friends and family, Mr Pratt said he was determined to cycle the final 10 miles home. He said: Can you imagine what it would look like if I got in the back of my mums car and she drove me home? No Ive got to cycle, and I want to as well, I want to see whats changed and see the lay of the land a bit as Im sure stuffs changed after such a long time. .@VassosA - @WorldUnicycle finishes his round the world trip today! 3 years and 135 days in the making, hes the first person to ever circumnavigate the globe on one wheel. He finishes at 11.30am this morning at our charity HQ, Chilthorne Domer, Somerset. pic.twitter.com/9KEfntafG7 School in a Bag (@SchoolinaBag1) July 27, 2018 Mr Pratt made his one-wheeled return to Somerset on Friday morning more than three years after he set off to conquer the globe as a teenager. His dad Nick cycled the last leg with his son. After remarking how it was a little overwhelming to be greeted by crowds and cameras, he told those gathered: You cant say youre going to ride a unicycle around the world and not do it. I mean my friends would tease me about that for the rest of my life. I just needed to complete it for my own sake but also because I enjoyed it. There were some weeks it sucked saddle sore was a big issue. but it beats coming back here and getting a job doesnt it?, he added. Ed Pratt in Kyrgyzstan His was a trip almost thwarted from the get-go, when egg sandwiches crammed into his custom-made pannier split the zip. But Mr Pratt did not let this bread-based challenge faze him, and later in the trip even a road traffic accident would not stop him from completing his goal. He cycled through Europe, Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan before a near-miss with a car on icy roads in Kazakhstan. He then passed through Kyrgyzstan before travelling across China and through South East Asia to Singapore. Australia and New Zealand followed before Mr Pratt moved on to the USA, finally flying from New York to Edinburgh to begin his final 500 miles home to Somerset. Zoe Fox, events and marketing manager for School in a Bag, said she wanted to give Mr Pratt a massive thank you, adding that he was an absolute star. She said: Hes raised our profile more than we could ever wish to imagine many corners of the globe that we couldnt otherwise reach so its just fantastic what hes done, how hes done it, what hes achieved both for himself, the charity. A four-year-old Italian boy was among five people killed in a crash between a minibus and a car on the A96 in the north-east of Scotland. Police Scotland said the white Fiat minibus was carrying a group of Italian tourists, with a woman and the young boy onboard among those who died. Three passengers in the Nissan X-Trail car, two women aged 69 and 70 and a 63-year-old man, were also killed. Five other people, including a three-year-old Italian boy, were taken to hospital for treatment following the collision between Huntly and Keith, in Moray, shortly before midnight on Thursday. The 39-year-old female driver of the Nissan X-Trail suffered serious injuries and is being treated at Dr Grays hospital in Elgin. Police said the driver of the minibus, two adult passengers a man and a woman and a three-year-old boy were also taken to hospital with a variety of injuries. The woman is said to be in a critical condition at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary while the three-year-old suffered minor injuries. The four people travelling in the X-Trail were from the local area, police said. A96 Road Policing Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: The dreadful scene faced by emergency responders was both distressing and extremely challenging for everyone involved. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who made valiant attempts to save the casualties lives their efforts cannot be underestimated. I would also like to thank members of the public who came upon this terrible incident, who phoned emergency services and provided first aid and comfort. Every loss of life on our roads is a tragedy however when so many are killed in one incident the impact of their families, their friends and our entire community is massive. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been involved or affected. Officers are investigating the cause of the crash and have appealed for any witnesses or dashcam footage. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident at this very sad time. We would urge anyone who was in the area last night leading up to the incident at 11.50pm to please get in touch as our enquiries at the scene continue. Please quote ref. no. 5002 of July 26 https://t.co/FsVAwOMp7Z North East Police (@NorthEPolice) July 27, 2018 Earlier, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said the A96 was one of Scotlands busiest roads and the loss of life was difficult to take in. He said: This is a truly horrific accident that has shocked the community given that so many people use the A96 day-in-day-out. The fact that there are so many casualties has been difficult for people to take in and with such a loss of life everyones thoughts are with those affected and their loved ones and friends at this difficult time. I pay tribute to the emergency services who dealt with what was a major road traffic accident. The A96 is the key route through Moray and anyone heading north from Aberdeen is likely to use this route. Its one of Scotlands busiest roads and a horrific accident of this nature with so many lives lost and people injured is difficult to take in. Terrible news this morning. Five people were killed on the A96 last night and another five injured. Our thoughts are with all affected at this time. https://t.co/bC2QynT0H1 Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) July 27, 2018 Moray MP Douglas Ross tweeted: Terrible news this morning. Five people were killed on the A96 last night and another five injured. Our thoughts are with all affected at this time. A section of the A96 remains closed with local diversions in place. Right Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: What can you say, when in a split second your world collapses? Our hearts go out to those killed and injured in the Moray road accident. A First World War pilot was honoured on Friday with a memorial in Dublins Glasnevin Cemetery. The Minister with responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe and British Ambassador Robin Barnett, attended the ceremony to honour Major Edward Mick Mannock, recipient of the Victoria Cross. Edward Corringham Mick Mannock was a member of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force during the First World War. Members of the Irish Air Corps hold wreaths during the ceremony Born on May 24 1887, the proud Cork man was a pioneer of fighter aircraft tactics in aerial warfare. Mr Mannock was the most highly decorated British fighter pilot of the First World War and was eventually credited with 73 combat victories. He died on July 26 1918, when his aircraft was shot down over France. John Green, chairman of Glasnevin Trust said that Mannocks personal story was an accurate insight into life before Irish independence. If you want to get an insight into the complexity of our history, even a shallow dive into the life and times of Mick Mannock will open your eyes. The son of a bigamist, deserter, and raised by his abandoned mother from Ballincollig, he fended for himself from an early age. He was an Irish Nationalist, a home ruler, a trade unionist and a socialist who believed the world war would finally give the downtrodden their chance. People attend the memorial service Adding that Mannocks birthday, birth place and how he died all remain disputed, Mr Green said: Mick Mannock poses more questions than he answers. During his speech Minister Kehoe said: As a member of Government it is my great privilege to partake in events that provide an opportunity to look back on the journey we have taken with a focus on our joint history. Events such as today, bring to mind the sacrifice, courage and idealism of our forebears who laid the foundation for the freedoms we enjoy. The British Ambassador to Ireland, Robin Barnett, said that he was honoured to be involved in the commemoration to recognise such an important officer in the Royal Air Forces history. The outstanding gallantry of the proud Irish nationalist Major Edward Corringham Mick Mannock, one of the most decorated officers ever to serve in British uniform, reminds us of the contribution made by so many brave men and women from both of our islands during critical and at times complex episodes in our shared history. During the ceremony, a historical reflection was read by Corporal Michael Whelan of the Air Corp, wreaths were laid at the Cross of Sacrifice, and a minutes silence was followed by a pipers lament and the sounding of The Last Post and Reveille. The Prince of Wales has told the child abuse inquiry he could not shed any light on who he was referring to in a letter to disgraced bishop Peter Ball when he wrote: I will see off this horrid man if he tries anything again. Ball had told the prince a single accuser was behind allegations which led to him having to quit as Bishop of Gloucester. In a letter to the inquiry, the prince said Ball had told him the complaint against him was false and had arisen from someone who had a grudge against him and was persecuting him. Peter Ball In extracts from one letter between the prince and Ball, Charles says: I cant bear it that the frightful and terrifying man is on the loose and doing his worst. But in his letter to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on Friday, the prince, who said he regrets having been deceived by Ball, said: I regret that I am unable to shed any light on references made in a letter dated 23rd March 1997 to a horrid man or a `frightful and terrifying man. This seems to be a manner of speaking in the midst of a long letter written more than twenty years ago. I do recall that Peter Ball felt that numerous individuals, including his critics in the media, were doing all in their power to disadvantage him unfairly. I suspect, but cannot be certain, that the reference is to this issue in some way. Charles maintained a friendship with Ball for more than two decades after Ball accepted a caution for gross indecency, only stopping contact when Ball was convicted in 2015 of sexually abusing 18 young men over 30 years. The prince says he did not know about the nature of the complaint against Ball and had not appreciated the meaning of a caution. A lawyer for some of the former bishops victims has said it was difficult to see that as anything other than wilful blindness. In another letter from the prince to Ball in 1995 two years after Balls caution the future king said he wished he could do more. He said: I feel so desperately strongly about the monstrous wrongs that have been done to you and the way you have been treated. Charles also said he had been told by the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey that the church was looking at bringing Ball back into public ministry. In the 1995 letter he said it was appalling that the Archbishop, now Lord Carey, had gone back on what he told me. He said it was clear the Archbishop was frightened of the press what he calls public perception. Another letter from Charles the following year referred to the process of getting a Duchy of Cornwall property for Ball and his brother Michael, Bishop of Truro. It said: I long to see you both settled somewhere that suits you and gives you peace and tranquility and not too far from here so you can come over more easily. The pair rented a Duchy property between 1997 and 2011. Charless letter to the inquiry said: My heart goes out to the victims of abuse and I applaud their courage as they rebuild their lives and, so often, offer invaluable support to others who have suffered. It remains a source of deep personal regret that I was one of many who were deceived over a long period of time about the true nature of Mr Balls activities. Charles said Ball told him his resignation as Bishop of Gloucester had been prompted by an indiscretion, but the prince said: When this exchange took place, I did not know about the nature of the complaint. He also said, in the six-page statement read by counsel to the inquiry Fiona Scolding, that he had not appreciated the meaning of a caution and that at the time the word of a bishop was generally seen as trustworthy. He said he did not realise the truth of what had gone on until Balls conviction, adding that his main source of information until then had been the bishop himself. Dismissing any suggestion he had ever tried to interfere in the police investigation into Ball, Charles said it was possible his name had been taken in vain. In his statement, dated July 10 this year, Charles said: At no stage did I ever seek to influence the outcome of either of the police investigations into Peter Ball and nor did I instruct or encourage my staff to do so. Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, is too ill to give evidence in person, the inquiry has heard. But in a statement he referred to his relationship as having been one of support and respect. He added: I would strongly resist any suggestion that in some way I could bring pressure to bear on him to act on my behalf and have certainly never made a request for him to do so. On Monday the inquiry heard there had been lengthy discussions between Charless lawyers and the inquiry in which his legal team initially argued that the future king could not be compelled to produce a statement. Clarence House has since said Charles was willing to help the inquiry and had voluntarily answered all questions asked of him. Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon who represents a number of Balls victims, said Charless explanation that he was not aware of the meaning of a caution left his clients dissatisfied. He said: Prince Charles had access to the best legal advice that money can buy and, as a man in his position, a particular responsibility to check the facts. It is difficult to see his failure to do so as anything other than wilful blindness. His evidence, together with that of Lord Carey, the then archbishop of Canterbury, and other establishment figures who have given evidence this week, will do little to dissuade survivors from the conclusion that the British establishment aided and protected Ball and even now have failed to give a transparent account of their actions. Ball was released in February last year after serving half of his 32-month sentence behind bars. A Romanian motorist who carried out a U-turn on a motorway soon after arriving in the UK via the Channel Tunnel has been jailed for 12 months. Adrian Leu, 43, was spotted by officers from Kent Police as he carried out the dangerous manoeuvre on the M20 near Folkestone on June 12. A force spokesman said: Leu had just entered the UK via the Channel Tunnel and mistakenly drove back into the tunnel check-in area instead of heading out on to the M20. To correct his mistake he turned around at check-in where he collided with a lorry and then continued down the slip road at junction 11 in the wrong direction. His hazardous manoeuvre meant he was facing oncoming and fast-moving traffic. Two Kent Police officers from the Channel Tunnel policing unit who were driving nearby witnessed the incident and pulled over to try and stop Leu. However he ignored the warning and continued to travel in the wrong direction, moving on to the hard shoulder to avoid the police. Adrian Leu The court heard how he then performed a dangerous turn where he crossed three lanes of fast-moving traffic and forced two other drivers to brake sharply in order to avoid a collision. Leu was then driving in the right direction and continued towards the coast. Officers soon caught up with him just past junction 12 and he was arrested and charged with dangerous driving. Leu pleaded guilty to the charge at Canterbury Crown Court, where he was given the prison sentence. He was also banned from driving for two years and three months and will have to take an extended driving test. Detective Constable James Hatton-Browne said: Leus actions were extremely dangerous and could have caused a serious collision, even fatal injury. He ignored police officers when they tried to stop him and continued to show no thought for the safety of others as he sped away from them and cut across moving traffic to try and correct his mistake. His hazardous driving could have led to serious consequences and its extremely lucky that he didnt hurt himself or anyone else. US president Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for fulfilling a promise to return the remains of missing US soldiers from the Korean War. His comments came as a US military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. North Korea returned the remains of what are believed to be American servicemen killed during the Korean War, a handover that followed through on a promise Mr Kim made to Mr Trump when the leaders met in June in Singapore. Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump This is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Mr Trump, addressing reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, said a plane was carrying the remains of some great fallen heroes from America back from the Korean War. He said his vice president Mike Pence would greet the families and the remains of the soldiers, and thanked Mr Kim for keeping his word. Mr Trump added: We have many others coming but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me and Im sure that he will continue to fulfil that promise as they search and search and search. He said that these incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War The United Nations Command said 55 cases of remains were retrieved from North Korea. The White House earlier confirmed that a US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, a Northern coastal city, on its way to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there on Wednesday. At the air base, US servicemen and a military honour guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue UN flags. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. An honour guard US forces Korea commander Gen Vincent K Brooks said the retrieval mission had been successful. Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home. Following the honors ceremony on Wednesday, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. A series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if the remains are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Mr Trump late Thursday tweeted the repatriation was occurring and said: After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. The remains are taken from a plane Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of victory in the fatherland liberation war. The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Koreas defence ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a stand-off over North Koreas nuclear programme and a previous US claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and US President Donald Trump reached a compromise Wednesday to resolve their trade conflicts. The EU pledged to expand imports of soybeans and liquefied natural gas from the US. Washington agreed to hold off on US tariffs on cars and auto parts from the EU. The two sides also said they would seek to eliminate tariffs, trade barriers and subsidies for non-automotive industrial goods. Wednesday's compromise between Washington and Brussels greatly eased trade tension between the two sides, but did not completely solve their problems. It will be a huge challenge to realize zero tariffs between the two. Consensus will be hard to reach within the EU and Trump will likely break his word again. Yet the possibility exists that the two will turn their compromise into serious negotiations and a final agreement. At least there is the likelihood the US will slow its conflicts with Europe and focus on countering China. Against this backdrop, analyses from the following perspectives are necessary. Has China ever expected Beijing and Brussels to jointly fight the US? Beijing was willing to see the EU opposing US unilateralism, but it did not think China and the EU could become allies against Washington in the trade war. Nor did Beijing count on Brussels to help China in reducing tariff pressure from the US. Both the US and Europe are developed societies, with a similar level of industrial and technological capabilities. They are also more or less of equal strength in dealing with tariff disputes. China is a developing country, which was the legal identity of China in its accession to the WTO. China has a huge GDP, but given its supersized social scale, uneven development and relatively backward development of production in most areas, it is unfair to ask China to assume the full responsibilities of a developed country. Trump's core requirement is that Beijing and Washington must trade with each other under the exact same conditions. This is like making a middleweight boxer fight a heavyweight: China will be at a disadvantage. The EU and Japan recently announced the establishment an open trade zone and that Brussels will abolish tariffs on 99 percent of imports from Japan. If the US and the EU can go toward the same direction, a zero-tariff trade zone will be gradually formed among developed economies. In that case, China will be forced to reduce its import duties. Beijing would find it hard to expand its trade ties with other nations. From the perspective of resolving trade disputes, the further opening-up of China is actually a move made by Beijing to keep itself closer to the trade standards of developed nations. China is moving forward. A series of opening-up measures announced during the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia covered all major areas. But there are indeed certain areas that China cannot realize for now. No matter how much pressure Washington puts on Beijing, it will not give in. The White House said US president Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow once he receives a formal invitation from Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year and is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation. Mr Trump had initially invited his Russian counterpart to Washington this autumn for a follow-up meeting to their Helsinki summit, but national security adviser John Bolton changed the timeline this week, saying Mr Trump now believes it should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over and after the first of the year. Mr Bolton was referring to the federal investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election and whether Mr Trumps campaign assisted or was aware of the efforts. Mr Trump and Mr Putin met earlier this month (AP) Mr Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a witch hunt intended to delegitimise his presidency. Mr Putin said on Friday: I understand very well what President Trump said: He has the wish to conduct further meetings. I am ready for this. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow, he added, according to the state news agency RIA-Novosti. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him of this. I am prepared to go to Washington, but, I repeat, if the appropriate conditions for work are created, the Russian leader said Mr Trump has been widely criticised for failing to strongly denounce Russias election interference and appearing to accept Mr Putins denials during their joint press conference in Helsinki. The US leader has since tried to walk back at least some of his comments. Award-winning musical pioneer Nile Rodgers has been made a Companion of The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (Lipa). The guitarist, who had a string of hits with disco outfit Chic, received the accolade from Lipa co-founder Sir Paul McCartney at the institutes annual graduation ceremony on Friday. Fellow musician Toyah Willcox also received a companionship which acknowledges outstanding achievement and practical contribution to students learning. Others honoured as companions were Broadway and West End sound designer John Leonard, former CEO of Sony Music UK and Ireland Paul Burger, community arts practitioner and teacher Ali Campbell, international lighting designer Felice Ross and dancer and choreographer Dean Lee. Chief operating officer of Twickenham Studios, Maria Walker and Professor Nigel Weatherill, vice chancellor and chief executive of Liverpool John Moores University became Honoured Friends of Lipa. Paul McCartney performs at the Cavern Club - Liverpool Around 250 students from 16 different countries, including Norway, Canada, Israel, India, Cayman Islands, South Korea, Hong Kong, South Africa and the United States, attended the ceremony at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall having completed either degree or foundation certificate programmes. Mark Featherstone-Witty, Lipas founding principal and CEO, said: With our government hell-bent on narrowing the secondary school curriculum to exclude the arts, I worry how long we can continue to celebrate achievement in the creative and performing arts. Soon all we will be left with is TV talent shows that are all about the performers and not the legions of people making performance possible. Lipa is located in Sir Pauls old school, the Liverpool Institute for Boys, which underwent a multimillion-pound renovation to turn it into a state-of-the-art performing arts higher education institution. Matteo Darmian admits he wants to leave Manchester United with Jose Mourinho open to the idea of the full-backs sale. United boss Mourinho said on Wednesday that the Italy international could leave Old Trafford but not at any price. The 28-year-old, who has struggled to cement a starting place since joining from Torino in 2015, then confirmed his intention to seek a new club. Matteo Darmian could be on his way out of Old Trafford Speaking to a number of national newspapers, Darmian said: I want to play more regularly. Last season, I didnt play much, thats my objective and my ambition. Thats why I spoke with the manager and also with the club about my future. I want to leave but we will see what happens because we dont know. Darmian, who started just five Premier League games last season, has been linked with a return to Italy. When asked if Serie A would be his preferred destination, he said: Its an option. Yes, probably. We will see what happens. Honestly, Im waiting. If I stay, I stay and I do what I did up until now. If I go, it is because the offer that another team makes will be good. Darmians potential departure could leave Mourinho short of a right-back ahead of the new season with Antonio Valencia and new signing Diogo Dalot both injured. Simon Yates was at the Tour de France for less than 24 hours, but even that was enough to cause a case of mistaken identity. Simon joined his twin brother Adam on the second rest day of the Tour so that Mitchelton-Scott could announce the pair had signed new two-year contracts to stay with the team with which they turned professional back in 2014. Simon has raced just once since the end of the Giro dItalia in May, but his presence this week was enough to confuse the Tours official feed, which declared that he, not Adam, was in the days breakaway on stage 16 to Bagneres-de-Luchon. Adam, not Simon, Yates was in the break on stage 16 of the Tour de France So Simon Yates, not riding the Tour, turned up at the rest day press conference yesterday and is in the break today, presumably having replaced twin brother Adam. #twindoping pic.twitter.com/x547UviObA Richard Moore (@richardmoore73) July 24, 2018 Clearly they had not noticed Adams Tour beard which marked him out from the clean-shaven Simon. It is not uncommon to confuse the 25-year-olds for a package deal, but their decision to renew with the same team could hardly be further from the truth. As they sat together at Mitchelton-Scotts hotel on the Tour, they had to look at each other to work out when they were last in the same place. Ive not seen you since before the Giro, Simon finally said, referring to a race in which he delivered a breakthrough performance and wore the leaders pink jersey for 13 days. We keep in touch by pigeon, Adam responded. Riding for the same team, they explained, kept them apart more often than it brought them together, with Mitchelton-Scott rarely sending both of them to the same race as they each get their own leadership opportunities. We both live in Andorra, but were on different programmes, different training camps, different races, Adam said. The decision to both renew was not even a joint one. Weve got different agents and were completely different people so youre trying to get a deal for yourself, Adam said. Being a blood relation is just a happy coincidence, it seems. The Yates twins are regarded as future Grand Tour winners, the next generation ready to step up for Britain once Chris Froome and now perhaps Geraint Thomas step aside. But if every British Grand Tour win has so far come in a Team Sky jersey, the Yates twins seem poised to end that run. Without mentioning Sky by name, it is clear who Simon means when he says he hears it is a very high pressure environment and one which does not interest him. Mitchelton-Scott sounds an entirely different place. Its a very relaxed atmosphere, Adam said. Theres never serious pressure from anybody. When its time for business its on and were serious but theres not a lot of external pressure. Simon chimes in. The pressure comes from us. We want to win the biggest bike races. Its youre adding extra pressure to that its not constructive. Home is a distant concept Simon visited Bury after the Giro but Adam has not had a taste of proper black pudding since Christmas but one you sense they do not miss all that much. So here they are, two Lancashire lads who live in Andorra, ride for an Australian team, and meet up in rural France for the first time in almost three months. If the brothers do not sound completely tired with questions that constantly refer one to the other, you get the impression that, five years into their professional careers, they are mostly being polite. The idea that the performances of one spurs the other on to better it seems foreign to them. We could compare ourselves to each other, but there are others we could compare to, Simon said. We get this question a lot and it doesnt really make sense. Were on the same team and were both trying to win races for the team. Youre happy when your team-mates win. Trying to create an impression of sibling rivalry is just one more way of confusing them for the same person. State Minister of Foreign Affairs Wasantha Senanayake and Devinda Senanayake officially hand over the Freudenberg book to AHK Sri Lanka Chief Delegate Andreas Hergenrother and German Ambassador Jorn Rohde By Nishel Fernando The recently launched Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) plans to carry out investment promotions for Sri Lankas Rubber, IT, apparel and logistics industries in Germany as the German businesses are increasingly becoming interested in Sri Lanka. AHK Sri Lanka Chief Delegate Andreas Hergenrother yesterday said AHK Sri Lanka has scheduled to hold three business forums in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin aiming to promote German investments to the four focused sectors. The series of business forums will be held at the end of September this year, Hergenrother told reporters in Colombo. Hergenrother noted there has been a growing interest from the German companies in Sri Lanka since the inauguration of AHK Sri Lanka office in Colombo. We receive many requests from German companies seeking business partners to set-up distribution networks and direct investments. Speaking of FDI flows from Germany to Sri Lanka, Hergenrother revealed that several German companies are currently in negotiations with AHK Sri Lanka to finalise their investment plans in Sri Lanka. While drawing attention to recent trends in FDI flows from Germany to Sri Lanka, he emphasised that German companies are not limited to investing in apparel and textiles. He pointed out that several German companies have invested in industries such as chemical and construction materials recently. Hergenrother said a German business delegation is expected to visit Sri Lanka this September. In the month of September, we will have a sourcing delegation from Germany looking for partners in textile, apparel and rubber here to source products from Sri Lanka, which is very interesting in the perspective of export promotion, he said. Meanwhile, AHK Sri Lanka yesterday entered into a partnership with Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO). As per the agreement, DIMO would represent 36 German companies in Sri Lanka including Siemens. According to Hergenrother, AHK Sri Lanka represents 3.6 million businesses in Germany and aims to offer a platform to create business opportunities for both Sri Lankan and German companies. We are supporting both German and Sri Lankan businesses with their intentions to do business with each other and provide a strong platform on equal terms for both sides, Hergenrother said. He highlighted that bilateral trade volumes between the two countries reached a record high last year. Exports from Sri Lanka to Germany grew by 13 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 654 million euros while imports from Germany increased by 81 percent YoY to 571 million euros, resulting in a bilateral trade volume of 1.25 billion euros. The network of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs), which consists of bilateral chambers of commerce abroad, delegations and representatives of German business, advises, consults and represents German companies worldwide that wish to develop or expand their business activities abroad. The AHKs are institutions of German foreign trade promotion. The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) continuously coordinates and develops the network of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad. They are co-funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWI). The AHKs are membership organisations with approximately 47,000 membership companies worldwide. Senanayake family hands over historical Freudenberg book The Senanayake family represented by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs Wasantha Senanayake and Devinda Senanayake yesterday officially handed over the historical Freudenberg book to AHK Sri Lanka Chief delegate, Andreas Hergenrother and to the German Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jorn Rohde at a ceremony held at AHK Sri Lanka office in Colombo. The book contains the historical German-Sri Lankan business relations which commenced with Phillip Freudenberg, who in 1873 founded Freudenberg & Company, the first German firm in Sri Lanka, and who also in 1876 was appointed as the Counsel of the German Empire in Ceylon to represent German interests. The Freudenberg & Co. (Ceylon) Ltd. was founded by Robert Senanayke, the second son of Sri Lankas first Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake, and the younger brother of Dudley Senanayke, the four times Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The idea to transfer the Freudenberg book, which was in the possession of the Senanayake family to AHK Sri Lanka was conceived following the launch of AHK Sri Lanka in May this year, as a gesture of continuous and fruitful business relations between the two countries. Accepting the historical document, AHK Sri Lanka, Chief Delegate Andreas Hergenrother said, The Freudenberg book is of great symbolic value for Sri Lankan-German business relations. Both countries have been linked with positive economic connections for a long time and Germany is committed to further strengthen them. The day our greatest feat of communal hatred was shamefully exhibited to the whole wide world The spirit of oppression and counter defiance continues to remain in a subtle way in the minds of people to date We remembered 70 years of our Independence this year. Our ethnic struggles spanned 60 years since 1958 and 35 years since 1983. Thirty-five years ago on Friday, July 27, 1983, a rumour spread like a wildfire through the city of Colombo, that the LTTE had infiltrated Colombo! There were chaos and utter panic in the city. Fear gripped the people, offices closed, transport ground to a halt. In some IDP complexes, crackers were lit, people came out of some IDP centres on to the streets, hoping to cheer the liberators! It was only a rumour! While there was panic on the part of the majority community, there was a spirit of jubilation among the common minority folk. There were no liberators and so they slunk back into the IDP centres. In the North, it was on this same day July 27, eight years earlier, that Jaffna Mayor Alfred Durayappah was assassinated on the steps of the Ponalai Vishnu Temple in 1975! This spirit of oppression and counter defiance continues to remain in a subtle way in the minds of people to date. There is no great change in attitudes, in spite of all our religious asseverations, there is mistrust, suspicion, pride and unwillingness to reach out to one another. Today violence, robbery and murder are taking place even in places of religious worships. Is it because we have glorified some parts of our history and forgotten some good and noble qualities of our Kings? We all know of the battle of the Kings Dutu Gemunu and Elara. Dutu Gemunu and Elara are slain. What do we know about the Elara Sohonna [Elaras Tomb]? The royal funeral was King Dutu Gemunus greatest tribute to the fallen King! On the spot where his body had fallen he burnt it with the catafalque and there did he build a monument and ordain worship. And even to this day the Princes of Lanka when they draw near to this place, are wont to silence their music because of this worship [MW. XXV. 71 74. ] The Dakkhina Viharaya was thought to be the Elara Sohonna for a long time! Now, we do not know where it is! This may or may not be the place, what is important is the magnanimous gesture of the King Dutu Gemunu to honour the fallen King Elara his enemy. On the spot where Elaras body had fallen King Dutu Gemunu burnt it with the catafalque and there did he build a monument and ordain worship. What an example for us to emulate today to ensure respect and dignity of all sons and daughters of Sri Lanka. In 1948 our forefathers united and strove for our Independence from colonial domination. Ceylon was now free to develop and impact our part of the world. The Colombo Plan an intergovernmental effort to enhance human resource development in the Asian nations was conceived in January 1950 and formally launched in July 1951 in Colombo. Present at these strategic meetings was Lee Kwan Yew the founding father of Singapore. He saw the blueprint for the development of his little nation! He dreamed a big dream and made his pluralistic citizenry realize the dream of unity in diversity! Did Singapore take away our birthright? With her struggles and Independence in 1965, that little dot in Asia has earned the status of a 1st World nation. Singapore - a little bigger than the City of Colombo, having four official languages is a multi-faith, multi-ethnic, a vibrant economy exuding a proud united Singaporean national spirit, an example to all nations! While other nations were experimenting with the legacy of the Colombo Plan agenda to build up their nations, we had divisive policies that led to the infamous 1958 Racial Riots [May 22-27]. We followed with the JVP Insurrection April to June 1971. There was our comeback to communal conflicts Aug 12 -20 1977. There is no great change in attitudes, in spite of all our religious asseverations, there is mistrust, suspicion, pride and unwillingness to reach out to one another. Following this was our greatest feat of communal hatred which was shamefully exhibited to the whole wide world from 24 to 30 July 1983 when many parts of our motherland were filled with fears, tears and smoke Black July! If the noble teachings of our religions cannot speak, let the stones and statues speak. All who travel to Jaffna on the A 9 highway, have seen or should see the King Pandara Vanniyan statue in the Vavuniya Kacheri premises. He was one of the last warrior Northern Kings who prevented the colonial forces from entering the Vanni. This same King is revered highly by the Sinhala people as Vanni Bandara Deio whose name is used in incantations for blessings and protection. Can we not use these beliefs to enable adherents of diverse faiths to reach out to one another in comradeship as fellow citizens of a united Sri Lanka. Why have we not honoured real-life heroes like Ven. Ananda Himi of Madukanda, who has donated blood 50 times for largely Tamil people? What about the 300 seamen from the Poonewa Camp who responded when the Vavuniya Hospital was filled with over 3,000 injured evacuees from the Vanni and there were no blood donors to help in such a humanitarian crisis to save lives at the end of the war in 2009. What about the unknown elderly couple who led a former Defence Minister and party through the jungles to safety in Vavuniya, after their chopper crashed in the Vanni area? What un-applauded sacrifice, courage and service! Recently, a Whatsapp clip of an ITN Over The Shoulder programme featured Mr Dharmasiri Bandaranayake. Bandaranayakes strong and emotional condemnation of the burning of the Jaffna Public Library evoked many painful memories in ones mind. He specifically mentioned the untimely demise of the late Rev. Dr H.S. David. This illustrious priest scholars heart could not cope with the senseless, horrendous act, where his lifetime labour of love was burning under the night skies of Jaffna. Jaffna Public Library He died of a heart attack with a phone in hand! It was one of Jaffnas darkest nights [1 June 1981] and a permanent indelible black spot in Sri Lankas history! How can this happen? Why has it happened? Going back to the Jaffna Library burning, let us take a mental journey to the Christu Seva Ashram, Chunnakam. Here another Tamil Christian leader Sevak Sam Annan quietly and secretly started collecting debris from the burnt library and piling it inside the Ashram premises! This happened sometime during the IPKF occupation of Jaffna. It was also at this time that ola-leaf manuscripts, ancient jars, pottery and other artefacts exposed to the elements near the telecom buildings were being salvaged by the IPKF and taken for safekeeping to India! Later Sam Annan succeeded in erecting a Calvary Hill of Forgiveness near the entrance of the Ashram! This saintly man of God turned the piles of rubble into a serene hill of contemplation. What should we do to those who seek to destroy us and all that is ours? We need to forgive. Father forgive them for they know not what they do. As a Christian, he was able to relate and direct the hopeless, helpless situation to Jesus Christ his and our Suffering Servant Lord! Today this silent sentinel of peace and reconciliation stands as Jaffnas grieving heart! It is a transformed micro representation of the debris of the old Library! So, the original bleeding heart of the Library is mysteriously enshrined in the Ashram! There it stands hidden from the gaze of many and unknown to many of our citizens. It is only Gods grace and love that can help us and our nation to overcome evil! So as Christians we also pray and actively work, worship and many times walk to promote the cause of peace and reconciliation in our land! We remembered 70 years of our Independence this year. Our ethnic struggles spanned 60 years since 1958 and 35 years since 1983. As we are in the Black July Week and the Black Friday, July 27, 1983, what can we do to bring about a difference? Is there something you need to do personally? The time has come for all of us to walk our talk on behalf of our motherland or it may be too late for change! Ora et Labora! Religion is the business of the parents and the home. It is NOT the business of the school. Religion (and culture) is bred in our hearts and bones by daily practices, by home observances, by parental guidance and example. The Daily Mirror Editorial gave a horrendous picture of the average day of a Grade Five student. It is a time for them to be CHILDREN not crammers hell-bent on getting into an elite school after the results are known. The continuing folly of the Grade Five examination has been attacked in the Daily Mirror of July 26 with great force but as usual the pundits of the Department of Education will take no notice. On another page of the same date Minister Eran Wickremaratne has suggested the importance of an ethical education for children. Again, who is going to do anything about actually ensuring such a thing? It cannot be taught. Value Education on the other hand can be handled by teachers with a fair amount of general knowledge and a desire to read. Subjects like Abortion are discussed and every child gives a view. Most educationists agree that the Grade Five exam is a ridiculous test of the future aptitude of children. I have written about it several times but always with a sense of hopelessness since I well know that my views will never be even read by those who are in a position to change the course of Education in our country. So, let me take the question Ethical Education first. I was probably the first person to actually teach it during my tenure of Principal of Asian International School. When the school was founded there was absolutely no Government interest in the syllabuses of the schools and no ridiculous enforcement of religion being compulsory. Ergo, Principals were free to teach Ethics or something along those lines if they wished. Being influenced by the sage Krishnamurti from an early age I looked around for a system which would help out students which was acceptable to all faiths. I was able to access what was termed VALUE EDUCATION in Krishnamurtis school in India (the highly regarded Rishi Valley School) and my daughter, Khulsum Edirisinghe, visited his school Oak Grove in Ojai, California and brought back the syllabuses taught there. One hopes the Grade Five exam will be done away with altogther. There must be a better way of giving bright children placements at better schools more to their liking. We implemented them at once and never has any subject been so popular with the children. The classes we selected for this course were all Middle School children and to this day they recall the subjects discussed, the facts they learnt about other faiths and the open opinions they were allowed to give with gratitude. Unfortunately the teaching of this subject depended on the one teacher who had been to the Krishnamurti schools and knew how to teach it. It was not possible to continue for more than a few years. The teaching of religion on the other hand sent most kids to sleep. Syllabuses are boring specially when memorization of Gathas are necessary, and the failure of religious education is clearly seen in the rising violence among the youth of this country. Religion is the business of the parents and the home. It is NOT the business of the school. Religion (and culture) is bred in our hearts and bones by daily practices, by home observances, by parental guidance and example. It cannot be taught. Value Education on the other hand can be handled by teachers with a fair amount of general knowledge and a desire to read. Subjects like Abortion are discussed and every child gives a view. But one wonders what ethical values can be taught in Sri Lanka when our teachers are assailed almost daily in the press as engaging in the most egregious activities? Nothing is forced on a child but they can learn to think for themselves. But one wonders what ethical values can be taught in Sri Lanka when our teachers are assailed almost daily in the press as engaging in the most egregious activities? I come now to that Grade Five exam and the effect on our youngsters. The Daily Mirror Editorial gave a horrendous picture of the average day of a Grade Five student. They are only ten years old for heavens sake. Why all this regimentation at a time they should be enjoying themselves and enjoying being at school? It is a time for them to be reading, playing games, being naughty perhaps, engaging in one or two extra-curricular activities. It is a time for them to be CHILDREN not crammers hell-bent on getting into an elite school after the results are known. Matters are further exacerbated by the publicity given to those children who get the highest marks. All those who NEARLY made it to the top get nothing. The anger and frustration of parents who have probably spent a fortune of tuition has to be imagined. Then the Press gets into action with pictures of the top scorers printed in the papers and all sorts of prizes being also highlighted for the general public to see. Frankly, how many of us care? Those children may or may not be the successes they are expected to be. I am told (but have no proof) that they can be very unhappy at these elite schools where they are nowhere near the top of their classes when faced with their better prepared classmates. They therefore, allegedly, spend all their time studying and have no time for sport or any school activity like drama, choir etc. Is this true? What is more relevant at this point is a follow up of the scholarship winners of about ten years ago to find out whether or not the system has worked in their favour and if it has been worth it. Are there any such statistics? As for the psychological impact this Grade Five exam has on children of ten years I hesitate to even comment. It must be appalling. Ten years old and pressurized by parents and teachers to study, study, study. Truly, is this education? One is reminded of the Mandarin Exams of China where candidates were put into little cells and the exams went on for a few days. They memorized great tracts of information and the results earned them high offices. But they were adults. They were not children of ten. One hopes the Grade Five exam will be done away with altogether. There must be a better way of giving bright children placements at better schools more to their liking. Or are our opinions treated like the famous Bob Dylan song just Blowing in the Wind? Hepatitis is one of those infections that people are less aware of. Unless tested, one wouldnt detect this viral infection as its symptoms appear only in selected instances. Hence the global campaign launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) aims to test and treat this infection before it spreads to the rest of the world population. Statistics reveal that around 325 million people around the world are living with viral Hepatitis while 290 million of them are unaware of the symptoms. In view of World Hepatitis Day, which is annually celebrated on July 28, the Daily Mirror spoke to Dr. Lalindra Dias, Consultant Physician at the District General Hospital Nuwara Eliya, who elaborated on the types of Hepatitis, symptoms, treatment and prevention. Inflammation of the liver Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis infections are prevalent among countries with a poor socio-economic status. As such Sri Lanka too is affected as a result of varieties of Hepatitis infections. Infections could be contracted by both males, females and children. The condition can be self-limiting or could progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis or liver cancer. Types According to Dr. Dias there are both infectious and non-infectious causes of Hepatitis. Infectious causes include Hepatitis A,B,C,D and E while there are various non-infectious causes, he said. Among the most common non-infectious causes is Nonalcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) also known as Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver disease. Alcohol is another leading cause of non-infectious Hepatitis. Various medications such as paracetamol and anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief should be avoided. This also includes limiting the excessive usage of herbal preparations. Other causes included autoimmune diseases and genetic and familial causes,the doctor added. Infectious types Among the infectious types of Hepatitis, Hepatitis A and E are most common, Dr. Dias added. These two types are mainly transmitted through faeco-oral transmissions. These transmissions occur when patients dont have good toilet practices and due to lack of poor sanitation. In turn they touch food and water and the infection is carried on. This is a common infection during floods and among people who live in slums and close communities. However there are vaccinations to prevent the Hepatitis A infection. On the other hand Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through unprotected sexual practices with unknown partners. Another reason is due to sharing of intravenous needles among drug users and very rarely through emergency blood transfusions. But nowadays the transmission through blood and blood products is extremely rare due to widely available high-tech screening programmes. These two types could also be transmitted from an infected mother to a foetus,he explained. Speaking further Dr. Dias said that other infectious causes such as dengue fever and leptospirosis could also lead up to Hepatitis infection. Non-infectious types As mentioned before, NASH is one of the common causes of non-infectious Hepatitis. This is common among patients with diabetes, high cholesterol and those who are obese, Dr. Dias continued. In order to prevent NASH it is important to control diabetes and reduce weight. In addition to that, high intakes of alcohol could lead to Hepatitis infections and patients could end up having cirrhosis,he affirmed. How do you know that you are infected? Some of the acute features include the following : High fever Body aches, lethargy and fatigue Severe loss of appetite Jaundice discolouration of eyes and skin Passage of dark-coloured urine nSevere abdominal pain on the right side. If one develops the above symptoms, it is advisable to consult a doctor, Dr. Dias added. Usually Hepatitis A and E improve without many complications. But Hepatitis B and C could lead to chronic Hepatitis and patients could ultimately end up with cirrhosis. It could sometimes also culminate in conditions such as liver cancer.he said. Prevention and treatments He further said that the Hepatitis infection could cause grave consequences such as cirrhosis, cancer and ultimately death. Therefore it is important to prevent it to the best of your ability, he continued. This could be achieved through safe sexual practices, cutting down on excessive consumption of alcohol, not sharing intravenous drug needles, controlling diabetes and reducing weight. If you have the above symptoms, it is important that you seek medical attention. The doctor will do a couple of blood tests while testing liver enzymes and doing an ultrasound scan of the liver. he said. According to Dr. Dias, Hepatitis A and E require symptomatic management. This includes controlling the temperature, keeping the patient hydrated and avoiding liver-toxic drugs. While at the hospital, the doctors will safeguard the patient from further liver damage. Hepatitis could also be cured through vaccinations; for example Hepatitis B is already included in the National Immunisation Schedule. It is also advisable to get the Hepatitis A vaccination before travelling to countries such as India and Africa,he stressed. Aftercare Once a patient has recovered from a Hepatitis infection he or she should take precautions, he added. As such a patient shouldnt take painkillers such as paracetamol, anti-inflammatory drugs and also avoid the excessive usage of herbal medications. Patients should also cut down on the excessive consumption of alcohol and recreational drugs. Those who have been infected with Hepatitis A and E should engage in good sanitary and hygienic practices so that the infection isnt transmitted to others. If a child has contracted Hepatitis, it is advisable that he or she doesnt attend school during this period. It is the same with adults and patients are advised to rest as much as possible. In order to prevent Hepatitis B and C there are anti-viral agents that could be administered to patients,he said. World Hepatitis Day 2018 According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) viral hepatitis B and C are major health challenges, affecting 325 million people globally. They are root causes of liver cancer and leads to 1.34 million deaths every year. Hepatitis B and C are chronic infections that may not show symptoms for a long period; sometimes years or decades. At least 60% of liver cancer cases are due to late testing and treatment of viral hepatitis B and C. Low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed in order to achieve the global elimination goals by 2030. WHO will focus on the theme: Test. Treat. Hepatitis in view of World Hepatitis Day 2018. WHO organises events and activities with the aim to achieve the following objectives globally, in regions and in countries: India is concerned by the growing Chinese influence in the North and East of Sri Lanka. Some of this concern stems from a housing project recently awarded by the Sri Lankan Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development and Hindu Religious Affairs Ministry to a Chinese construction company to build 40,000 houses in the North-East of the island. This infrastructure project reflecting the Sri Lankan states development agenda but to be carried out in significant part by China will be a security concern for India. Fuelling this concern was a speech delivered by the Chinese Ambassador in Colombo in May 2018. At a symposium titled From Millennium to the New Era: Jointly Build the Belt and Road and Embrace the Sri Lankan Dream, he had stated Chinas aims to boost Sri Lankas infrastructure as part of the formers long-term global initiatives. According to Vinay Kauras recent commentary, part of the attempts to offset Chinas presence in the island, the Indian government has used the Indian C-17 Globemaster aircraft to bring the Sri Lankan military personnel and their families to the Buddhist site Bodh Gaya in Bihar. The commentator has noted that this act of military-cultural diplomacy is aimed at drawing Sri Lanka back towards Indias traditional sphere of influence. Given this, the importance of Sri Lankas delicate balancing of these spheres of influence will be part of its idealist foreign policy. However, a realist lens suggests balancing will be a challenging task and sometimes unachievable. Chinas efforts to project power through infrastructure development and mega projects also extend underwater. For 60 years, it has developed strategic nuclear submarines, nuclear attack submarines and conventional submarines organised into submarine bases and flotillas. It has also constructed the Pakistan East Africa Cable Express (PEACE), a submarine cable reaching Djibouti and Gwadar in Pakistan, many African cities and ends in France. Laid by a Chinese company, the cable carries up to 60 terabytes per second, creating a new information super-highway. The first stage to this ambitious plan was enhancing connectivity between the Western Indian Ocean and Europe. If a second stage comes to pass, it will likely connect the Eastern Indian Ocean encompassing Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar with East Asia. The ring of the Chinese development reverberates through continents and oceans from East Asia to Europe. According to international security analyst Ewen Levick, Beijing is seeking new ways of intimidating or spying on other states. This could occur through targeting vulnerable telecommunications cables crisscrossing the ocean bed that carries 98 percent of global Internet and phone data and 95 percent of American strategic communications. While China is expanding its global footprint developing infrastructure, across the world, internal political struggles are rife. The liberal values and norms upheld by the US hegemony, which undergirds the international order, are being questioned. The withdrawal of the US from the UNHRC revealed a sinister ethos behind the global decisions taken by the Trump administration. In response to the tariffs imposed by the US on the EU goods, the EU import duties on the US products have also opened another dialogue between China and the EU, which have agreed to form a group to update global trade rules. Trumps weak policies recall Noam Chomskys 2006 characterization of the US as a failed state due to deficit of democracy. Chomsky refers to President Bush, who redefined what a failed state looks like: the failed state include all aggressive, arbitrary or totalitarian states those with democracy deficit, lacking the institutions that work to fulfil the principles of democracy which Chomsky argues that the description fits the US itself due to deficit of democracy. In Sri Lanka also deficit of democracy got the previous government out of office two years before the tenure. The change to the previous regime was based on not adhering to well defined limits of power and not respecting the limits of power. During the last presidential election, the polity was in favour of policies geared towards recalibrating the Executive, Legislative, and Parliamentary powers and define clearly its boundaries to reset the centralized authority of individual power towards the institutions. Today, three years later, there is a tendency the same polity has decided to revisit what was lost and resurrect the centralized authority, shaming the executive who pruned his own power as a failure of delivery. Political discourse is shifting towards the next presidential election. Local voters may then create an enforcer, in the manner of Thomas Hobbes 17th century Leviathan, in the hope that life will be better with more centralized power than is presently the case. The willingness of people to move to a stronger centralized authority could turn into a nightmare within a token democracy. In an expression of politics through religion, a Buddhist monk in a private religious ceremony called upon former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resurrect the authoritarian role he once carved out for himself and delivered results. This statement drew national attention and criticism from many camps. Many speak of the possibility of a presidential bid by Gotabaya Rajapaksas for 2020 but a decision is yet to be made formally by Rajapaksa himself. Apart from geopolitical influence, Sri Lankan polity in the next presidential race is certain to grapple with the twin thoughts, creating a centralized leader or a leader who believes in separation of power between the executive and legislature. As Locks Second Treaties of Government states, it is also worth to remember due to human fragility abuse of power is certain if powers are vested in one individual. The island nation has experienced this in the past. To the pursuit of authoritarianism through the ballot, is a section of Sri Lankan voters actively consenting to the rise of a leviathan? (The views expressed are the authors own. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is a visiting lecturer in International Security and Director General of INSSSL, the national security think tank of Sri Lanka. This article was initially published by South Asia Journal) I dont think Ive ever witnessed in all my years of journalism such a hysterical outpouring against a presidential statement as Ive seen the last week. President Donald Trump has even been accused of treason by prominent columnists and politicians. Theres barely a voice of dissent in the media. (Maybe its written but not published.) No wonder that even some of my normally open-minded friends feel that things are as bad as they are made out to be. Sorry to say it, as Ive told them, they are being brainwashed. The issue is Trumps dishing of his intelligence services during his press conference with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. He denied their conviction that Russia had meddled in the election that brought Trump to power. In standing by Putins denial on this he speared the sacred heart of the American foreign policy establishment, the so-called Blob. Only Republican voters stood upright beside him- the same ones who Trump boasted would still support him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue as they walked along. I dont know who is right about this. Im a Trump opponent too. But I want the truth revealed. Maybe Trump is right, maybe the critics are. But Im waiting for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, charged with investigating the election and the allegations swirling in its aftermath, to present his full report. Before reading a word of it I lean towards believing it. Why? I dont know who is right about this. Im a Trump opponent too. But I want the truth revealed. Maybe Trump is right, maybe the critics are. But Im waiting for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, charged with investigating the election and the allegations When Richard Nixon was president two successive Special Prosecutors did a superb job in investigating Watergate. It didnt matter that Nixon was a paid-up Cold War warrior, he had done a grievous wrong in trying to influence in an underhand way the coming election and it had to be exposed. Facing impeachment Nixon resigned. This is why I have a good deal of faith in Mueller. But I dont have faith in Americas public opinion being whipped into an anti-Trump shape by overstating and misleading the public on what transpired in Helsinki without proof at hand. I prefer to wait and see until the evidence is fully sifted. No other country has twisted and misrepresented its intelligence findings more than the US. There would have been no war against Iraq if US intelligence, with British MI6 connivance, hadnt said that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction when they knew it hadnt. This time we need to be allowed to read the intelligence given to the President for ourselves. Thats what the media should be digging for. But will they? So many of its most influential members supported going to war against Iraq. Its unlikely, given their display of wrath last week, they will do any better this time around. Today its an accepted fact that US and British intelligence connived to misrepresent the state of Iraqs military power in order to justify going to war. They said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when it didnt. Many of the big voices in the media supported going to war. People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. The New York Times in February interviewed Steven Hall who had been the chief of Russian operations at the CIA. Did the Russians break the rules, the answer is no, not at all. The US absolutely has carried out such election influence operations historically, Hall said, and I hope we keep doing it. In the 1950s the US-engineered coups against democratically elected regimes in Iran and Guatemala. It connived in the murder of Patrice Lumumba in the Congo in 1961 and Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973, both democratically elected. The CIA supported brutal anti-communist governments in Latin America, Asia and Africa. More recently, the US successfully funded opposition in the election which aided the successful effort to depose Slobodan Milosevic, the war-minded leader of Serbia. The retired secretary of defence, Robert Gates, has written in his memoirs about our clumsy and failed putsch in Afghanistan. Not least, and most relevantly, President Bill Clinton, fearing that Boris Yeltsin would be defeated in Russias election, authorized a secret effort to help him. Hall has his reasons for interference and meddling in elections. He says, in effect, the US is on the side of the angels, doing good by working against authoritarian and dictatorial regimes, while Russias activities are aimed against Western democracies. The motivations matter. How can he say that when America is riddled by ballot cheating- during the Kennedy/Nixon election, during the Bush/Gore election and the widespread gerrymandering today. Moreover, when one considers the large amounts of cash swilling around elections in order to get favoured candidates elected its difficult to accept that the US is an honest democracy. Russian interference in a US election, even if proved, is a minor influence compared with these. Lets have a level playing field when we debate the rights and wrongs of outside intervention. (For 17 years Jonathan Power was a foreign affairs columnist for the International Herald Tribune- see www.jonathanpowerjournalist.com) Copyright: Jonathan Power. Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin hold a meeting and also have dinner together in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao) Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met on Thursday and exchanged in-depth views on current international situation. The two heads of state held a meeting and also had dinner together on the sidelines of the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the meeting, they also touched upon major issues of common concern. The 10th BRICS summit is running from Wednesday to Friday under the theme of "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution." The seventh World Peace Forum, organised by the Tsinghua University in association with the Chinese Peoples Institute of Foreign Affairs, was held in Beijing from July 14 to 15. The theme selected for this years event was Constructing a security community: Equality, equity and justice. The event was attended by former heads of state and government, foreign ministers, representatives of think tanks and opinion leaders across the globe. Over 70 think tank scholars from 23 countries spoke at the forum, where 270 researchers and practitioners in the field of international relations were present. Solutions to the current security challenges faced by the international community were the main themes discussed at the forum. Among the topics discussed included the ASEAN and Construction of Asia-Pacific Security Architecture, Sino-ROK relationship and Northeast Asian Security Cooperation, Artificial Intelligence and International Security, Sino-Japanese Relationship and East Asian Regional Security and South Asian Security: Trends and Cooperation. The forum was declared open by Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, who is also Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs. Pathfinder Foundation was represented by its Chairman and former Foreign Secretary Bernard Goonetilleke, who took part in the panel discussion on South Asian Security along with former Foreign Secretary of India Shyam Saranformer Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, Riaz Khokhar and Chinese Association for International Understanding Vice President Ping Ai. Sichuan University Centre of China-South Asia Studies Director Sun Shihai moderated the panel discussion. Following is the speech made by Goonetilleke on South Asian security. South Asia is a vast geographical region comprising eight countries and home to approximately 1.75 billion people. Combined with China, the population of South Asia accounts for more than 41.5 percent of the world population. The South Asian countries share a common history and with the exception of a few, the rest had been under colonial domination for centuries. However, despite the common civilizational bonds, unresolved border issues, nuclear weapons, religious tensions and fanaticism as well as terrorism have been divisive factors. Consequently, SAARC, the regional organisation launched with much expectation in 1985, has not been able to achieve its full potential or intended objectives. When focusing on the South Asian region, we cannot isolate the landmass from the Indian Ocean that washes the shores of five South Asian countries. In fact, all eight countries are heavily dependent on the Indian Ocean (IO) for their economic well-being. The crucial role being played by the IO in the conduct of international trade and transportation of energy supplies needs no emphasis. India, the most populous country in the region, which is currently the sixth largest economy, is expected to become the second largest global economy by 2030, after China. According to the Lowy Institutes Asia Power Index - 2018, Indian economy already occupies fourth slot after the USA, China and Japan. With the global economic importance in the 21st century shifting to the Asia-Pacific, commercial and strategic importance of the IO requires to be re-evaluated. When we speak of security trends and cooperation relating to South Asia, these are the dynamics that cannot be ignored. Collective security: Asias historical experience According to Britannica, collective security arrangements have always been conceived as global in scope; this is in fact a defining characteristic, distinguishing from regional alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Both the League of Nations and the United Nations were founded on the principle of collective security. Delving further into the subject of security, we observe that there is a difference between collective security and collective defence. The principle that seems to govern the former is, an attack against one is an attack against all. It differs from collective defence, which is a coalition of nations that agrees to defend its own group against attacks from outside forces. Thus, we are told, the NATO and Warsaw Pact are examples of collective defence arrangements, while the United Nations is a mechanism for collective security. We need to accept that collective security has its own limitations. States will always have different security interests and even then, they are not likely to remain constant. Generally speaking, countries would take a stronger interest in their immediate neighbourhood, as we have clearly experienced in South Asia. In times of conflict, they would weigh cost benefits of indifference against engagement on a case-by-case basis. One such example was Indias intervention in East Pakistan in March 1971 that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. Even when there are clear threats against international security, based on power politics and national interest, some permanent members of the UN Security Council would feel obliged to veto action proposed to address the situation. This demonstrates the weakness of the collective security arrangement at the highest level. Collective security during Cold War era Currently, South Asia does not have an arrangement for collective security or collective defence. However, it must be recalled that during the period of Cold War, there were such arrangements for certain regions in Asia. The first was the establishment of SEATO in 1954 by the US. Conceived by President Truman and headquartered in Bangkok, its major preoccupation was to act as a bulwark against fast spreading communism at that time and Pakistan was the only South Asian country that became a member of that organisation. The second was CENTO also established by the USA in 1955, with countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan as members, the organisation was ostensibly designed to foster peace in the ME. However, it was evident that the USAs motivation was to checkmate the USSR and prevent spread of communism in that part of Asia. What was significant was, the South Asian countries thought it was prudent not to embrace one or the other security arrangements promoted by the West. In the midst of these developments, the USSR too desired to carve out an area of influence for itself and in 1969, General Secretary Brezhnev proposed creating a system of collective security in Asia. That call was repeated by Premier Alexei Kosygin while visiting Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. However, it was clear that in making that proposal, in addition to the USA, the USSR had China in its mind. A comment made by a soviet official at a press conference that a common front of the peace loving people of the Soviet Union, India and Burma against the adventurous policies of the Chinese government was required, confirms the intentions of the Soviet Unions attempt to introduce a collective security system for Asia. It was during this period that a group of newly independent countries decided it was prudent not to align themselves either with the West or East and laid foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with five guiding principles. A significant element of the NAM was its conviction that the members should distance themselves from the two warring super powers. These historical developments serve to confirm several matters. First, such security arrangements were promoted by the two antagonistic parties to the Cold War. Second, it was only one country in South Asia that saw the benefits of joining such security arrangements. Third, none of the remaining countries in South Asia, despite their colonial background and close relations with the West, saw benefits of joining the new groupings. Fourth, while the attempt of the US was to block the expansion of communism in Asia, the Soviet plan was designed to counter the West as well as China, with whom Moscow had engaged in an undeclared border war around that time. By now it is clear to us the antagonistic nature of security alliances the world had witnessed in the past. With the exception of eight member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, currently operational political alliance focusing on political, economic and security issues in which India and Pakistan are members, they were products of the Cold War. We are also aware that there is a global collective security provider, namely the United Nations Organisation. It is against this light we need to examine whether there is a rationale for a collective security or defence arrangement for Asia or for that matter, South Asia at this point of time. The first question is what exactly is the security threat faced by the Asian countries today, to the extent they find it necessary to become parties to a new regional security arrangement. One could however argue that although there are no security threats at present, there might be such situations in the future. There is general acceptance that the unipolar world is in the process of shifting and emergence of a multipolar world is inevitable. Such a development, like shifting of tectonic plates, would create severe turbulence and conflicts that would impact negatively on the security of countries in the region. So, they better be prepared. Looking at the issue of security, whether collective or cooperative and looking from the South Asian perspective, one would tend to ask why do we discuss the subject at this juncture? The Cold War ended over two decades ago and during the intervening period, the US holds sway in the Asia Pacific region, with some expressing the view that its presence had helped stabilize security in the region. Chinas vision for regional security architecture It is also clear that China has taken a policy decision to play a role in shaping the world security architecture to commensurate with its growing global economic standing. That decision was demonstrated by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the eighth Asia Summit in October 2013, who said, It is imperative to establish a regional security architecture that suits the realities in the region and meets the needs of all sides. Chinese President Xi followed proposing creation of a new regional security cooperation architecture. Thus, it is clear that China is determined to follow the dictum of Chairman Mao, who advocated that Asian affairs should be managed by Asian people themselves. Further examination of statements made by Chinese authorities indicate that at least for the time being, what has been aimed at by China is mutual accommodation involving China, the US and other major powers, on issues relating to regional security. While China is making an attempt to carve out an area of influence for itself in the Asia-Pacific theatre and even if we assume that plan may not be confrontational, some doubt that the US, which had enjoyed an undisturbed period of superiority in the region, would peacefully yield its reins to a newcomer without confrontation. While such a scenario is developing, other emerging powers too would try to retard the expanding sphere of influence of China. In South Asia, India would see no reason to be a bystander, while the US is unilaterally withdrawing from or being elbowed out of the Indian Ocean and allow China to fill that vacuum. Consequently, India would do all within its means to prevent China from getting a firm foothold in the Indian Ocean Region, which would adversely impact on its national security. Indian plan for regional security architecture Finally, we need to examine the possible response of the South Asian countries for a collective security architecture. In September 2017, during the Indian Ocean Conference in Colombo, the Indian External Affairs Minister highlighted the need for development of a security architecture that strengthens the culture of cooperation and collective action and emphasized that those who live in the region should bear the primary responsibility for peace, stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean. Indias desire for collective security should be evaluated in the backdrop of its hostile relationship with the nuclear armed Pakistan and New Delhis desire to influence developments in the Indian Ocean. Such strained relationships among the countries within the region do not augur well for forging a security alliance involving the South Asian countries. On the other hand, India will actively oppose any security-related alliance, particularly between its smaller neighbours and extra-regional powers. Quite apart from Indias position on the matter, the South Asian states would undoubtedly look at the cost benefits of a new security architecture. As relations currently stand, they are likely to see unacceptable costs, in comparison to possible benefits of becoming parties to new security arrangements within or outside the region. There are no prospects for seeking an alliance through SAARC either, as the Charter of the organisation does not provide for conferring such a responsibility to that regional organisation. It is clear then, that China and India are visualizing new security architectures of their own design for Asia and South Asia, including the Indian Ocean region. However, as things stand, such arrangements would be difficult, unless festering bilateral issues are resolved, confidence building measures are adopted and new understandings reached. If the historical experience directs us to a difficult road ahead, that is no reason to be discouraged. Forging a new security community may not be an easy task. But then, if we do not take the first step, we may not know jointly what we are capable of achieving. After all, we heard today that a challenge could be transformed to an opportunity. Within a decade or so, the world would witness a multipolar world. By then, China would truly be a global power, economically as well as militarily. Chinas global leadership would be decided not only through its economic and military might but also how China would conduct its relations with the rest of the world, particularly those in Asia. Taking steps to win trust and confidence of countries and resolving outstanding issues, would go a long way in enhancing Chinas standing as a reliable world leader. Police arrested 3,325 suspects in connection with various illegal activities in a special operation conducted islandwide from Thursday night to this morning, Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said. He said the special raid was carried out on the instructions of IGP Pujith Jayasundara and 16,422 Police personnel were engaged in the operation. Accordingly, 541 persons were arrested for drunk driving while 812 were arrested in relation to possession of heroin or other illegal narcotics. During the raid, the Police had arrested two suspects who were in possession of fire arms without a valid license. Police had also arrested 948 warranted suspects and 84 suspects in connection with other criminal offences during the raid. The Police were able to arrest 938 suspects who have been wanted for various crimes. Over 5,808 suspects have been charged for road traffic violations during the operation that concluded yesterday. Police Media Spokesman said more operations of this nature would be carried out in future too in view of reducing traffic accidents and criminal activities. (Sheain Fernandopulle) An audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had revealed that Sri Lanka ranked first in civil aviation safety, Civil Aviation and Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said yesterday. He said a team of six ICAO auditors had conducted the audit in Sri Lanka from June 4 - 14 in relation to the handling of six subject areas of Aviation Legislation, Organizational Arrangements, Personnel Licensing, Aircraft operations, Airworthiness, and Air Navigation Services. The Minister revealed this at an event held at the authority to inform about the victory to all section in Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation field. He said though the International Civil Aviation Service in the country is at a high level, internal civil aviation service in the country is still at a slow rate of operation. "Our ministry had done a lot of development to expand the internal civil aviation service in the country. Expansion of the Ratmalana airport, Batticaloa airport development and open for civil aviation service had been carried out in this year," he said. During the event, CAASL Director General H.M. Nimalasiri handed over the International Civil Aviation Service Organization report to the minister.(TK) (c) 2018, The Washington Post Sudarsan Raghavan Jul 26, 2018 - 6:44 PM RAQAH, Yemen - The ground where the wedding tent once stood was covered with childrens slippers, broken musical instruments, pieces of festive clothing and other detritus of destroyed lives. Teeth, still attached to the jawbone, lay near some tattered decorations. An airstrike hit the wedding in this remote mountain village on April 23, killing 22 civilians including eight children, and injuring dozens, according to interviews with 17 villagers in late May. More than three years into Yemens civil war, over 16,000 civilians have been killed and injured, the vast majority by airstrikes, the U.N. human rights office estimates, adding that the figures are likely to be far higher. The deaths are continuing unabated, with as many as hundreds of casualties per month, despite assurances by a U.S.-backed regional coalition to better protect civilians amid mounting criticism within the United States and the international community. For some couples, a relationship can be tested by rivals in love. In China, thousands of couples pay for "imaginary" rivals in love in cyberspace to test their partner's loyalty. The testing service can now be bought on China's omnipotent e-commerce platform taobao.com. Chen Mengyun is a so-called "love tester" at a relationship consulting shop on taobao.com. She uses social media tools, such as WeChat or QQ, to test the loyalty of other women's boyfriends. Using enticing words and attractive (and fake) selfies to seduce men, these testers aim to help customers find out whether their partners are honest. The service reflects the anxiety of infidelity among Chinese couples. According to Chinese sexologist Pan Suiming's research in 2015, around 34 percent of the male respondents aged 18 to 61 acknowledged they have had love affairs. For women, the number is about 14 percent. However, it is notable that the proportion of women who have love affairs has grown rapidly in recent years. Experts said that urbanization and birth control have given women more freedom to pursue romance and lust. Love tester If you search "boyfriend loyalty test" on taobao.com, dozens of results pop up, costing from 20 yuan ($3) to 1,314 yuan, depending on different types of services. This Global Times reporter chose a one-day normal testing service at 25 yuan from one of the most popular stores, which has accepted around 800 orders so far. Chen is one of the testers in the store. The 21-year-old college student in Shandong Province has helped many women "test" their boyfriends online. Rather than being called by their full name, testers usually give a cute name to customers to increase the probability of trapping men. Chen prefers to be called Mengmeng, meaning "dream." Once the order is paid online, customers need to give the following information to the tester: their partners' full name, job, mobile phone number, social media accounts, hobbies and interests, and the motivation to buy the service. Next, the tester will design a series of tricks to start the trap. Although some stores and customer services promise they don't reveal any personal information of customers and won't meet any participant offline, they write a disclaimer: "If the test results in any bad consequences, the store doesn't take any responsibility for it." Some results turn out to be good because the men never accept Chen's friend request on social media. Some couples break up when the test finishes because Chen has successfully seduced disloyal men who agree to come for an appointment or deny that they have girlfriends. Chen sends the whole chat history to customers, showing whether the man is loyal or not. Most of the comments rating the service show customer satisfaction, whether the end of the story is happy or not. For example, a customer wrote, "Thank you tester for being so patient and helping me to see that he is a bastard!" Meanwhile, some women found reassurance. "I am so glad that my boyfriend has resisted temptation, but don't do this test on the people you truly love. He would get very sad if he knew [I hired people to test him]. I hope he will never find it out." Women's love affairs The existence of such a service is a result of a new type of internet service combining human nature and commodities, which has both buyer's and seller's markets in the country. Chen believes she is doing something good to help girls recognize bad men. "I used the service four months ago to test my boyfriend. Later, I applied for the job myself," she said. She added that not only women pay for the service but also men. The customer service of the shop said that testing women is more expensive than men, at least 90 yuan, because "trapping women is harder than men." Compared with men, having a love affair for women is traditionally intolerable in Chinese society, but according to Pan's research, from 2000 to 2015 across China, the infidelity rate of women has also risen. Some 3.2 percent of the male participants said they were sure that their wives had love affairs, which was higher than the number reported by females, 2.9 percent. Pan noted that although the proportion of love affairs among men is higher than that of women, the rate of love affairs for women has risen very quickly, from 4 percent in 2000 to 14 percent in 2015. Wang Xin, a sociology professor at Shandong University, told the Global Times that urbanization has freed many women from traditional obligations of marriage and family, and this could be a reason for the rising proportion of Chinese women's love affairs. She pointed out the rise in women's love affairs is associated with an increasing population of women in the countryside who are choosing to work in cities. When rural women start entering the job market in cities, they gain more economic freedom, which in turn empowers them more autonomy in their relationship choices. Another aspect of the phenomenon is related to China's decades-long family planning policy, according to Wang. Girls who are the only child gain lots of attention from their families and generally receive better educations than older generations. "I think no country is like China, witnessing such a rapid development in female's autonomy, self-discipline and exploration of lust," she added. Open relationships In recent years, dating apps have become a normal method of modern courtship in China, just like in the West. Many people believe this results in more extramarital affairs. According to a Tencent's survey in 2016, half of the 50,000 respondents have used dating apps, and coincidently, half of them have had love affairs. However, cheating on partners is difficult to define, according to sexologist Pan Suiming, who was dubious that flirting on the internet should be considered cheating in the same way that a physical affair is. "Although morality, law and ideology can punish the cheater, who can punish and ban the invisible 'mistress' on the internet?" Pan wrote on his blog. Wang also noted that although dating apps have posed challenges to the traditional exclusive intimate relationship, people should not assume that young people are generally becoming more permissive toward sex and open relationships. A conservative mentality toward love affairs has deep roots in China. From the 1950s to 1970s, employees who had love affairs had to face administrative sanctions, and their future would be gloomy. After the reform and opening-up policies starting in the late 1970s, companies and public institutions abolished such penalties. In the 1980s, the marriage law was changed. Some people proposed that the law should be used to punish cheaters - if any party was disloyal, the partner could ask for help from the police. But due to the chorus of opposition, the actual amendment only added, "Couples should be loyal to each other." Public opinion on love affairs has gradually changed, said Wang. "After news about celebrities' love affairs was revealed, I notice some netizens jumped out to challenge traditional values. The more voices we hear like this, more advanced our society is." She referred to China's most-discussed love affair, involving domestic movie star Wang Baoqiang and his wife Ma Rong, who had a secret love affair with Wang's agent. Their break-up aroused heated discussions online. "I hope our society can be more diverse. Even though couples who conform to an open relationship are marginal and excluded by the mainstream, I hope their voice can be heard if they don't damage other's interests. Hence they can choose their lifestyle happily and I think this represents our society's progress," Wang Xin said. Taiwan academia-assisted startups show strong innovation prowess As many as 50 startup teams have demonstrated their latest innovations at an annual conference, dubbed TEC #2 Demo Day, hosted on July 24 by Taidah Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) of National Taiwan University (NTU), with some of their innovations even winning iF and Reddot awards. The startup teams, all developed with assistance of the NTU Accelerator and NTU Garage Incubator - two major units of the TEC - displayed their R&D achievements in four major areas including FinTech, smart IoT, health and medication, and cultural and creative living. Members of the startup teams include some former presidents at foreign banks in Taiwan, and attending physicians at hospitals, all performing well in their specific professional fields. Among the teams is FLIPWEB, a virtualized property trading platform, which has recently won the 2018 Young Award from Taiwan's Industrial Development Bureau and obtained Taiwan's first digital asset brokerage patent. In the area of web applications, StyleMap has set up an alliance with over 4,800 hair stylists to roll out a smart online hair-style book for consumers to grasp the latest fashion styles. Meanwhile, startup 3drens has also had its wearable wireless communication device Sherpa patented for working well in helping mountaineers smoothly go through adventures. Additionally, the GOGO Furniture designed by a startup from central Taiwan, showcased nine-piece K/D furniture that can be taken apart and reassembled, thus saving space and able to be easily transported. The furniture design won both iF and Reddot design awards in 2017. Since its inception five years ago, TEC has had a total of over 150 corporate mentors, and it has lately invited five more enterprises as new mentors, namely Diamond BioFund, Fubon Financial Holdings, Advantech, Kuobrothers and the United Daily News Group. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Subscriber content preview By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. Top global whiskey associations put aside their marketplace competition Thursday to show a united front in denouncing tariffs and urging world leaders to end their disputes before trade wars start siphoning global sales of distilled spirits. After two days of talks, representatives of nine global distilled spirits organizations meeting in Kentucky signed a resolution urging the prompt removal of recent tariffs. American whiskey makers have become caught in the middle of disputes, with tariffs slapped on their products and other goods in trade conflicts pitting the U.S. against key allies. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE (AP) Starbucks says a key sales figure rose only modestly in the U.S. during the latest quarter, as it struggles to find drinks other than the Frappuccino to attract customers. The coffee chain says sales grew 1 percent at established U.S. locations. That reflected people spending more per visit, which offset a decline in the number of transactions. Starbucks has blamed health concerns for slipping Frappuccino sales, though analysts have cited increased competition for the decline. The company has said it's working on attracting customers in the afternoon with teas and other drinks that don't have as much sugar. . . . Subscriber content preview SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) An environmental group is appealing an Idaho Department of Lands encroachment permit granted for a BNSF Railway Co. bridge. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports court records show Wild Idaho Rising Tide filed the action Friday in 1st District Court. . . . Subscriber content preview By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer You won't usually find Denzel Washington in a movie sequel. He just doesn't do them. Something about not wanting to repeat himself. So there must be something special indeed for him to break his own rule for The Equalizer 2. Fans of the first film will instantly know why Washington is drawn to the character of Robert McCall, a quiet middle-aged retired special-ops agent who fiercely believes in justice, likes to help others and dispenses the occasional lethal judgement for those deserving. . . . Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are now gathering in Johannesburg, the Place of Gold in South Africa, for the three-day-long 10th BRICS summit starting on July 25, in a hope to discuss on the future of BRICS cooperation and draw a blueprint for its another golden decade. Chinas role in promoting BRICS cooperation is highly anticipated. On July 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a speech delivered to the BRICS Business Forum, shared his thoughts on the changes the world is going to witness in the next decade and charted the course for the second Golden Decade of BRICS cooperation. BRICS countries should pursue win-win cooperation to build an open economy, pursue innovation and seize development opportunities, pursue inclusive growth to deliver benefits to people of all countries, and uphold multilateralism and improve global governance in the decade to come, Xi said. Xis words were highly appreciated and applauded by delegates from BRICS countries. President Xis remarks are deep in thought and heart-touching, said BLN Sarma, Deputy General Manager of Jindal Africa Investments (Pty) Limited. President Xi has sensed the trend of the new technological revolution and industrial transformation, as well as the bright future of African continent, he said, saying it is inspiring to see China committed to safeguarding an open trading system. As trade protectionism and unilateralism are mounting, the world looks forward to hearing the voices of emerging markets and developing countries represented by BRICS countries, said BRICS Business Council chairman Iqbal Surve. Chinese voices and proposals are of paramount importance because the country is an important force dedicated to maintaining rule-based free trade, he pointed out. Chinas proposition remains unchanged, and its stance has grown firmer from the BRICS summit held in Xiamen last year to this one in Johannesburg. At this summit, the world will see more clearly the significance of the Xiamen summit in building on past successes to advance the future undertakings, and further understand Chinas leading role in BRICS cooperation. At the BRICS Xiamen summit, President Xi comprehensively reviewed the outstanding achievements the BRICS countries made in the past decade, and announced to usher in the second Golden Decade of BRICS cooperation, depicting the new vision of the cooperation. Over the past year, the BRICS countries have actively implemented the BRICS Leaders Xiamen Declaration and made new progress in pragmatic cooperation in various fields, demonstrating strong vitality for cooperation. The Johannesburg summit carries on the good momentum for cooperation eyed at the Xiamen summit. Its theme BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution shares the same philosophy with BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation advocated by Xi. The theme is also in line with Chinas proposal of seizing the development opportunities brought by the new industrial revolution and promoting growth and transformation through innovation. President Xi chaired the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries last year. His proposals that the BRICS should continuously expand the circle of friends with the BRICS plus model, and work more closely to build extensive development partnerships aroused wide attention and were welcomed by the international community. This year, the Johannesburg summit also invites leaders of African countries to have dialogues with leaders of BRICS countries and holds the BRICS plus dialogue. The Xiamen summit affirmed people-to-people exchanges as the third pillar of BRICS cooperation together with intensified cooperation in traditional economic, political and security fields. The three drivers have supported each other and marched forward together, making the framework more comprehensive and balanced. This year, South Africa hosted the South Africa and China Womens Forum and the BRICS Young Diplomats Forum, further consolidating the public support for BRICS cooperation and renewing the achievements of the Xiamen summit. The BRICS Summit has now become a focus of the international community. Jim ONeill, who invented the concept of BRIC, said the performance of the BRICS countries, individually or as a whole, is beyond expectation, adding that Chinas economic development has played a leading role in achieving this result. The world expects more benefits brought by the BRICS cooperation. China, together with other BRICS countries, will continue helping the second decade of BRICS cooperation go faster, steadier and further. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Euro area net saving was higher in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the first quarter of the previous year. Total euro area non-financial investment (net) increased to 4.3% of net disposable income (compared with 3.8% a year ago), as increased investment by households and non-financial corporations was only partly offset by negative net investment of government. Euro area net lending to the rest of the world stayed broadly unchanged compared to a year ago. Household debt was lower compared to a year ago, both with respect to GDP and disposable income (the respective ratios decreased to 58.0% and to 93.7%). Non-financial corporation debt declined to 133.7% of GDP, from 136.6% one year ago. Chart 1. Euro area saving, investment and net lending to the rest of the world (EUR billions, four-quarter sums) * Net saving minus net capital transfers to the rest of the world (equals change in net worth due to transactions). Chart 2. Debt ratios of households and non-financial corporations (debt as a percentage of GDP) * Outstanding amount of non-consolidated loans, debt securities, trade credits and pension scheme liabilities. ** Outstanding amount of loan liabilities. Total euro area economy Euro area net saving, that is the sum of the savings of households, corporations and the government sector after deducting the consumption of fixed capital, increased to 8.5% of euro area net disposable income, in the year up to the first quarter of 2018 (compared with 7.9% a year ago). Euro area net non-financial investment increased to 4.3% of net disposable income (compared with 3.8% a year ago), due to increased investment by households and non-financial corporations. Net investment by financial corporations was unchanged at 0.1%, while government net investment remained negative. As a result of the growth of non-financial investment and the growth of saving, euro area net lending to the rest of the world stayed broadly unchanged at 4.3% of net disposable income. While net lending by households and financial corporations decreased (2.4%, after 2.6% for households; 0.7%, after 0.9% for financial corporations), net lending of non-financial corporations stood broadly unchanged at 2.1%.The overall decrease of private sector net lending was compensated by a reduction in net borrowing by the government sector (-0.9%, after -1.5%). Households The annual growth rate of household gross disposable income increased to 3.1% in the first quarter of 2018, from 2.9% the previous quarter. Household consumption expenditure grew at the broadly unchanged rate of 2.9%. The household gross saving rate was 12.0% of household gross disposable income (adjusted for the change in the net equity of households in pension funds reserves) in the first quarter of 2018, compared with 12.1% in the same quarter of the previous year. The annual growth rate of household gross non-financial investment (which refers mainly to housing) decreased to 5.7% in the first quarter of 2018, from 6.5% in the previous quarter. Loans to households, the main component of household financing, increased at an unchanged rate of 3.0%. The annual growth rate of household financial investment stood at a broadly unchanged rate of 1.9% in the first quarter of 2018. Among its components, currency and deposits grew at an unchanged rate of 3.3%. Investment in life insurance and pension schemes grew at broadly unchanged rate of 2.2%, and shares and other equity grew at a higher rate of 1.8% (after 1.6%). However, households were net sellers of listed shares, in particular issued by MFIs and NFCs, while purchasing shares issued by the rest of the world on a net basis. Holdings of investment fund shares grew at a lower rate of 6.7% (after 7.2%), and households continued to sell debt securities (in net terms), at a rate of -11.7% (after -11.6%). The latter development is in particular due to a reduction of household holdings of debt securities issued by MFIs. The annual growth rate of household net worth decreased to 4.6% in the first quarter of 2018, from 5.0% in the previous quarter, as larger valuation gains on non-financial assets, and to a lesser extent lower incurrence of liabilities, were offset by lower holding gains in financial assets. The value of housing wealth increased at a higher rate of 6.4% (after 6.0%), mainly driven by higher housing prices. The household debt-to-income ratio continued to decrease, to 93.7% in the first quarter of 2018 from 94.0% in the first quarter of 2017, as disposable income grew faster than the outstanding amount of loans to households. Similarly the household debt-to-GDP ratio continued to decrease, to 58.0% in the first quarter of 2018 from 58.6% in the first quarter of 2017. Non-financial corporations The annual growth rate of non-financial corporations' gross operating surplus increased to 4.1% in the first quarter of 2018, from 3.6% in the previous quarter, and net property income (defined in this context as property income receivable minus interest and rent payable) also increased. As a result, gross entrepreneurial income (broadly equivalent to the corporate cash flow) grew by 4.3% year-on-year, after 6.2% in the previous quarter. The annual growth rate of gross non-financial investment decreased to 1.6% (from 3.6%). In the first quarter of 2018 the annual growth of financing of non-financial corporations declined to 1.4%, after 2.0% in the previous quarter, reflecting a growth reduction in all types of financing. Loan financing grew at an annual rate of 2.0% compared with 2.8% in the last quarter of 2017. This reflects a decrease in the annual growth rate of loans received from resident sectors other than MFIs and a net reduction in loans from the rest of the world, while the annual growth rate of loans received from MFIs increased.[1] The annual growth rate of issuance of debt securities decreased to 4.9% in the first quarter of 2018, from 5.1% in the previous quarter, and trade credit financing grew at 4.0% year-on-year after 4.5% in the last quarter of 2017. Equity financing grew at a lower yearly rate of 0.8% (after 1.1%). In the first quarter of 2018, financial investment by non-financial corporations grew at a yearly rate of 2.8%, compared with 3.6% in the previous quarter. Among its components, loans granted grew at a lower rate of 3.3% (after 4.6%), while investment in shares and other equity grew at an unchanged rate of 1.7%.Non-financial corporations' debt-to-GDP ratio decreased to 133.7% in the first quarter of 2018, from 136.6% in the first quarter of 2017. Annexes to the press release on euro area economic and financial developments by institutional sector For media queries, please contact Stefan Ruhkamp, tel.: +49 69 1344 5057. Notes Philippines safe from swine flu outbreak The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) issued a statement this week that there are no official reports on the swine flu outbreak in the Philippines. "Allegations circulating on social media and text messages about swine influenza in the country are not true," Anthony Bucad, BAI veterinarian and one of the agency's designated spokespersons on the issue, assured. In addition, Bucad also refuted the rumours on social media posts and text messages that stated 40 pigs are dying daily due to the swine influenza. While social media and text messages are warning the public to avoid consuming pork in the meantime, the bureau, on the other hand, has persisted in urging people to continue supporting local pork and other meat products. "Meat that passed the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) scrutiny is safe to eat," Bucad said. Both the NMIS and BAI are agencies under the Department of Agriculture, which consist laboratories, agencies and linkages with swine raisers to ensure sufficient and safe supply of pork in the country. chinadaily.com.cn Updated: 2018-07-26 The Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture reaches agreement with Kelly Yifang Capital Management Co, Ltd to found a rural revitalization development fund. [Photo by Ren Tong/hinews.cn] The Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture agreed to join hands with Kelly Yifang Capital Management Co, Ltd in Haikou on July 24 to establish a provincial rural revitalization development fund which will solve the problem of capital shortages in rural development. The total fund amount will reach 100 billion yuan ($14.74 billion) and the initial capital scale will be no less than 10 billion yuan. At the signing ceremony, an official from Hainan's agricultural department suggested that the fund will be mainly used in green agro-product processing, beautiful village construction and off-season breeding. According to a Kelly representative, the company is professional in private equity management and has been so designated by the Asset Management Association of China. It united with central financing institutions and related leading industrial enterprises to launch the fund for Hainan's rural revitalization. The fund will also be used for targeted poverty alleviation, farm-sharing tours, ecological and circulatory agriculture, agricultural non-point source pollution control, produce deep processing, cold-chain logistics service facilities, farmers training schools, and famous brand high-quality product industrial chain development. The company plans to set up a branch within one month for the new fund and pick some quality projects of Hainan's agricultural industry. Since last October, the agricultural department has built a rural revitalization demonstration area at Boao town and started beautiful village construction around the island province. Greek fire victims blame the government for abandoning them Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras didnt stand face to face with the victims of wildfires has sent the Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos to the area. Kammenos was confronted by angry locals. The wildfires, which is the deadliest in the countrys recent history, left at least 85 people dead and several others injured. Many more people are still missing, giving hope to their loved ones that they may not be among the victims. Defense Minister Panos Kammenos was heckled Thursday as he visited the scene of the fires. Survivors have accused authorities of failing to adequately prepare and for not giving an evacuation order soon enough, as well as not responding fast enough. "PEOPLE DIED FOR NOTHING!" "You left us to God's mercy, there's nothing left," shouted one resident. Local resident Giannis Kardiakos, who said he stayed in the area until midnight, said efforts to tackle the blaze and to rescue those who had fled to the beaches started too late. "There was no protection, there was nothing! ... I'm saying things as they were," he said, as Kammenos detailed what the military and firefighters had been doing to battle the fire. "I'm not lying. We're not talking politically here," he added. Katerina Papastavrou, a woman in her 50s who lives in the Kokino Limanaki in Mati, the area where the biggest loss of human lives took place and where authorities discovered the charred bodies of 26 children, women and men, was angry over the lack of coordination from authorities. Kammenos went on the counter-attack, telling the BBC that illegal construction in the past was also to blame for the disaster. "The majority of houses on the coast had been built without the proper licenses," he said. "After this tragedy, I think it is the moment to understand that it's dangerous for them and for their families to not follow the rules and the laws," the minister added. The popular success of last weekend's German Grand Prix and Miami's now certain delay has opened up an opportunity for Formula 1 to keep Hockenheim on the calendar for 2019. The German venue and Liberty Media had not been able to negotiate a mutually acceptable race fee for next year's edition, but the event's resounding success is encouraging all involved parties to reach an agreement for the future. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, for one, was highly impressed by the healthy attendance he saw at Hockenheim last Sunday. "Obviously you could see how many people attended," he said. "It was absolutely full house with a lot of grandstands being filled up. Formula 1 is very alive in Germany and Im really happy to see that because after the last couple of events here that wasnt clear. "After not having an event last year people came and they saw a great racing spectacle. So I hope that its going to continue, that the promoter and the state and Liberty are going to find a solution to keep the German Grand Prix." The rescue talks have the backing of Germany's two prominent automobile clubs, ADAC and AVD, but also the DMSB, Germany's motor racing governing body, whose president is none other than former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck. "We have long had an exchange with the race tracks, the automobile clubs and the politicians and welcome the new alliance to support the Hockenheimring," said Stuck. "Mercedes is doing a lot with the grandstands and marketing, but the Volkswagen Group is struggling with its Formula 1 entry as the manufacturers already there now want to stick with the complicated hybrid technology," he added. Another important individual who was privy to talks last weekend was Andreas Scheuer, Germany's federal transport Minister. "I got to know Chase Carey who is a smart businessman who hopefully will do a lot of good, even for a race in Germany," he said. As for Hockenheim itself, CEO Georg Seiler says the main problem is that the terms offered by Liberty expose it to unnecessary financial risk. "We cannot legally take the risk as Hockenheimring GmbH," he said. "But we are available as an organiser." F1 supremo Chase Carey told Bild newspaper: "We do not want to give up on Germany, which is an important market for us." Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a two-day state visit to South Africa starting on July 23. Pretoria, administrative capital of South Africa raised Chinese national flag to welcome the presidents third visit, which is the highest level of reception courtesy of the rainbow nation. During his visit, Xi held talks with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, attended the South Africa-China Scientists High Level Dialogue and a welcome banquet to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and South Africa. The two heads of state reached important consensus on the promotion of China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era. The fruitful achievements of the cooperation between the two countries are inspiring. China and South Africa have stood together through thick and thin. Since the two countries established diplomatic ties two decades ago, they have comprehensively deepened bilateral relationship, and made a giant leap by upgrading their relations from partnership to strategic partnership, and then a comprehensive strategic partnership. China has been South Africas largest trading partner for nine straight years, and South Africa is Chinas largest trading partner in Africa. 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 African countries. The two countries have constituted a great epitome of the deepening China-Africa cooperation by taking multiple firsts and mosts, setting a good example for the collaboration between major developing countries. Xi attributed the fruitful outcomes of bilateral ties in just 20 years to the fact that the two sides always support and rely on each other, maintain mutual respect and trust, and promote mutual understanding and win-win cooperation. It has cemented political, economic and strategic foundations, as well as people-to-people bond and public support for the development of bilateral ties. What Xi said was a masterly generalization of the experience in the development of China-South Africa ties, and also a precise summation of state-to-state relations. Advancing with times and being enriched with new contents, the relationship between China and South Africa has been gradually solidified in the past two decades. It even goes beyond bilateral level and starts to place impacts on the globe at large. It is an important demonstration for the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. The new South Africa, established 24 years ago, is now embarking on a new journey of national construction and development, with developing the economy, creating jobs, improving people's lives and advancing social transformation as its new goals. The 50 million South Africans are endeavoring to lead their country into a new era of hope and confidence. In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China is playing a bigger role in global economy and governance, and its cooperation with Africa and developing countries is becoming more important. Under such background, China and South Africa will embrace historic opportunities of building on past successes to further advance the bilateral ties. From a strategic and long-term perspective, Xi expounded the essence of developing China-South Africa relationship, and made a vital top-level design. In his signed article, he said that we must steadily elevate our political mutual trust to new levels; we must strive for new outcomes in our practical cooperation; we must increase communication to add new impetus to our people-to-people exchanges; we must strengthen collaboration and scale new heights in our strategic coordination. The Chinese President also stressed that the two countries should enhance cooperation on politics, economy, people-to-people bonds and security and law-enforcement, and also increase coordination within multilateral frameworks. Ramaphosa noted that it is in the fundamental and long-term interests of South Africa to continue to strengthen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, enhance scientific, technological and people-to-people exchanges with China, and promote bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Former South African President Nelson Mandela once said, together we can do more. The year of 2018, which marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-South Africa ties, would be the witness of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit and the 10th BRICS summit respectively hosted by China and South Africa. Xis visit will serve as an opportunity to promote the docking of Chinese and South African development strategies, unite the power of the people from the two countries to go for better lives, and open up a new chapter for the friendly relationship between the two countries. His visit is also of great importance to both countries and their peoples, China-Africa ties, and the collaboration among emerging markets. Bauer Media Sweden, a commercial radio provider and broadcaster of Mix Megapol, invested in Mad Men Media (MMM), a Malmo based regional radio provider which is expanding into Gothenburg and Stockholm. Bauer Media will also represent the company in national advertising sales. Through the partnership, Bauer Media will expand the distribution of Rockklassiker, one of the most renowned radio channels in Sweden, to Gothenburg and Malmo. Rockklassiker will now be heard by 55 % of Swedens population and broadcast over Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo, Ostergotland, Varmland, Kungsbacka, Gavle, Kalmar, Gotland and Ornskoldsvik. Only recently, Bauer Media won one out of three national licences for commercial radio and eight local licenses. The broadcaster is looking forward to the operation on its new licences on August 1st to extending Swedens commercial brand Mix Megapol to 95 % of the population. Bauer Media Group is one of the worlds most successful media corporations with over 700 magazines, more than 400 digital products and over 100 radio and TV stations. The corporate portfolio also includes print shops, postal, sales and marketing services. It has a global workforce of some 11,500 employees in 17 countries. FinSMEs 27/07/2018 . . . . . . , . ... Chairman Cecil Pendergrass will convene an emergency meeting of the Lee Board of County Commissioners on Friday to declare a State of Local Emergency. The declaration will allow Lee County to utilize the Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Management Grant Program to hire a vendor already under contract with the state to address areas with the highest concentration of blue-green algae. The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. at 2201 Second Street, Fort Myers, the Administration East Building, 1st Floor Conference Room 118. The meeting is open to the public. BRICS Business Forum, which is part of the 10th BRICS Summit, raise the curtain in Johannesburg on July 25, 2018. (File photo) BRICS mechanism is of increasing importance as it can help businesses tackle their urgent challenges, business representatives from the members hailed, expressing their expectation towards a closer BRICS partnership. United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK), one of the worlds five largest manganese producers in terms of annual productivity, is one beneficiary of BRICS cooperation. Im a Russian that now spends most of my days in South Africa, and I meet with my Chinese partners very often as China is the largest market of my company, said Victor Radko, CEO of the Russian-South African consortium. He added that his company plans to increase its output by 50 percent within two years, and the increased production will mainly be sold to India. The BRICS mechanism, according to Radko, is of great significance for transnational corporations since it can address their urgent concerns. He explained that when shipping ores to Chinese market, his company usually spends 60 percent of the total costs on logistics as they have to depend on road transportation due to outdated railway system in South Africa. The establishment of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) allows the members to expand infrastructure investment and facilitate economic growth, the CEO pointed out, in a hope that the upgrade plan of South Africas rail system, which has been on agenda, would be implemented as early as possible. In a belief that BRICS mechanism is playing an increasingly important role, Radko called on the members to learn from the others, voice their opinions on behalf of emerging markets and beef up multilateral cooperation. BRICS Business Forum, which is part of the 10th BRICS Summit, raise the curtain in Johannesburg on July 25, 2018. (File photo) China and India maintain a medium to high growth, while other member economies having their own characteristics as well, the CEO added. Radkos viewpoint was agreed by Ivan Suchkov, chief operating officer at South African branch of Russias state-owned Gazprombank, who believed that financing demand of each member saw a rise after the establishment of BRICS mechanism, providing the financial institutions a promising prospect. Suchkov said in order to seek financial cooperation, his bank has set up offices in all BRICS members. BRICS mechanism offers our bank with more possibilities for development, and we hope to bolster our ties with BRICS partners, he added. Accounting for over 23% of world economy in 2017, BRICS members contributed over 50 percent to economic growth of whole globe, Thulani Gcabashe, chairman of Standard Bank of South Africa, applauded for the eye-catching development and great achievements yielded by BRICS cooperation over the past 10 years. The Standard Bank of South Africa launched a cooperation with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) under the BRICS framework, he said, adding that the marriage of the two has expanded the space of China-Africa financial collaboration. After the Chinese lender purchased a 20percent stake in Standard Bank of South Africa in 2008, the two have financed over 35 projects in Africa, and leveraged an investment of over $20 billion for the continent by the end of this March. Young entrepreneurs from India, South Africa, Russia and other BRICS members learn start-up experience in Yiwu International Trade City, the primary wholesale market complex in Yiwu, east Chinas Zhejiang Province. (Photo: CFP) The increasingly closer financial cooperation between South Africa and China will release huge potential, the chairman told the Peoples Daily, pointing out that the BRICS Leaders Xiamen Declaration released last September suggested the members to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, which will create more opportunities for BRICS financial cooperation. Calling the African Regional Center of the NDB established in Johannesburg a year ago as the banks window in Africa, Gcabashe said that it well illustrates the great new vitality of financial cooperation among BRICS members. Such financial collaboration will not only inject impetus into a broader development partnership, but also add energy to economic growth of the whole world, he added. What's possibly the worlds most controversial used car is for saleagain. The 2017 Ford GT was last sold at the Mecum Auctions Indianapolis event in May where it went for $1,815,000 million, despite the existence of a contract written to prevent its sale before 2019. All of the approved buyers of the $450,000 GT are required to agree not to sell the car until theyve had it for two years, in an effort to make sure that they go to good GT owners rather than flippers looking to turn a quick profit. Along with John Cena, who settled with Ford after selling his last fall, the original owner of this one decided to press his luck. According to court papers, John W. Miller sold the GT with just 7 miles on its odometer to exotic car dealer Michael J. Flynn of Hollywood Wheels on May 11 for $1.1 million, and Flynn listed it with Mecum event the following week. Ford filed for a temporary restraining order to stop the auction but the judge ruled, in part, that since neither Flynn nor Mecum were party to the contract with Ford, there wasnt a good enough reason to approve the injunction, so across the block it went on May 18. Ford is currently suing both Mecum and Flynn for damages stemming from the sale, with the next court date coming up in mid-August. However, along with being listed on the DuPont Registry for sale this week for $2,000,000, the car is scheduled to be auctioned again at Mecums Monterey event on Aug 25, now with 8 miles on the odometer. If youre a Ford fan, but dont have nearly the kind of money its going to take to drive the GT the next mile, dont worry, because Mecum has another car on offer that may be right for you. Its a never-restored, all-original, green 1978 Ford Pinto Squire Wagon in pristene condition that may be one of the few vehicles at Monterey that can turn as many heads as the GT. PERFECT 1978 FORD PINTO SQUIRE WAGON SET TO STEAL THE SHOW AT FANCY CAR AUCTION When Tom Cotter walked outside into the crisp Alaska on Wednesday morning, he stopped dead in his tracks. His 1965 289 Shelby Cobra was right where he parked it the night before, except for one teensy developmentthe convertible top had a gaping hole it. In fact, it looked like it had been violently ripped apart by a grizzly bear. On any other day, in any other situation, a grizzly bear slashing through a Cobra top like it was a stubborn tube of Pringles would be the punchline to a cruel joke. Not this day. Cotter, who is the host of Hagerty's "Barn Find Hunter" video series, is currently touring Alaska with three other Cobra owners and their guests. On the 11th day of the wild trip, Tom and the gang hopped on a ferry boat to the fishing town of Whittier. They later learned that the only way out of town is to drive through an active railroad tunnel. The workers halted train traffic to let us through, but when they saw we were all driving convertibles they insisted we put up our tops, Cotter says. (Apparently rocks sometimes fall from the tunnel ceiling, because of course they do.) We usually just put on our tonneau covers, because no matter the weather, the tops are sort of frowned upon. MORE CLASSIC CAR NEWS FROM HAGERTY With the exception of one driver who instead borrowed a hard hat, up went the tops. I havent even put mine on in several yearslot of stiff vinyl and difficult to assemble and install. The gaggle of Cobras nevertheless made it through to their destination in Girdwood, Alaska, stopping for the night so their owners could have dinner and catch some shut-eye. When Cotter awoke the next morning, one of the other drivers soon called, telling him to get outside to the parking lot immediately. Lo and behold, there was the mangled remains of the top, along with some muddy paw prints and a few small dents in the rear fender. The police later arrived, and upon inspecting the prints and finding some scruffy brown hairs, determined it was indeed a bears handiwork. But before you jump to the conclusion that the grizzly was just more of a Porsche fan, it turned out that all the cuddly guy wanted was a small pack of Fig Newtons that were unknowingly left behind the seats. "Or maybe he wanted a closer look at Carroll's signature," says Cotter. Through it all, he remained calm and mostly just bemused. The cars top had survived 53 years unscathed, but couldnt make it 11 days in Alaska, Cotter says. Ive got bigger problems, anyway. My clutch hydraulics went out, so Ive convinced a guy to let me borrow his airplane hangar for a bit to fix things. Ive got work to do. THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON HAGERTY.COM A police officer in South Carolina went above and beyond by chasing down a truck on foot to save the unconscious driver behind the wheel. The Kershaw County Sheriffs Office reports that soon after the department was alerted to a Ford F-150 pickup that was being driven erratically on U.S. 1 in the town of Lugoff on Wednesday, a narcotics officer spotted the truck driving by him and began to pursue it. The deputy noticed that the elderly male behind the wheel appeared to be having a medical event as the truck ping-ponged between the barriers on the bridge crossing the Wateree River into Camden. As the truck slowed, the officer jumped out of his car and tried to catch up to it, but couldnt and got back into his car to continue following it as other patrol cars joined him, including one from the local Camden police department that was struck by the pickup. When the truck slowed down again, the officer gave it another try and managed to get in through the passenger door and bring the truck to a stop. The driver was no longer breathing at this point and appeared to be dead. Police removed him from the vehicle and administered CPR, which kept his heart beating until emergency medical service team arrived. A bottle of oxycodone was found on his person, and he was administered a dose of Narcan on the way to the hospital, which woke him right up. Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews says that its not clear if the man was suffering from an accidental overdose, or if he using the medication recreationally, but added that opioid abuse is a growing concern in the area. No county charges were filed against the man, but Camden police did not respond to a request for comment on the incident from Fox News. Kristen Stewart is joining the Angels. The 28-year-old actress is one of three women who have been cast as stars in a reboot of Charlies Angels, a Thursday report revealed. Actresses Naomi Scott, 25, and Ella Balinska, 21, will play her fellow Angels, according to Sony Pictures. Elizabeth Banks is also involved in the project. Shes directing, producing, co-writing and starring as Bosley in the new incarnation. 'GAME OF THRONES' FINAL SEASON TO AIR IN THE 'FIRST HALF' OF 2019, HBO SAYS Charlie's Angels, for me, is one of the original brands to celebrate the empowered woman since its debut in the '70s," the 44-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. Banks said the movie honors the legacy of Charles Townsend and his agency while introducing a new era of modern and global Angels. RYAN REYNOLDS PRODUCING 'HOME ALONE' PARODY 'STONED ALONE' Charlies Angels aired twice on television. One version ran from 1976 to 1981 while a second, rebooted version was televised in 2011. Two film versions, Charlies Angels, and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" were released in 2000 and 2003, respectively. Sony Pictures will release the new Charlie's Angels in North American theaters in September 2019. The Associated Press contributed to this report. New York Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explained to The Daily Show host Trevor Noah on Thursday night what it means to be a Democratic Socialist and she didnt shy away from the polarizing label. Noah kicked off the interview by congratulating Ocasio-Cortez on being a dream for half the country and a nightmare for the other half since her shock victory over veteran congressman Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary. Ill take it, Ocasio-Cortez said. Noah said the term Democratic Socialist has newfound weight coinciding with Ocasio-Cortezs rise to fame and asked what the she wants people to think when they hear the term that is rejected by many Americans. We live in a society that is capable, we are capable of insuring that we have basic frameworks where people can be covered by health insurance, can send their kids to college, where we can pursue a very bold action on climate change and save our future and is part of a moral and ethical economy, Ocasio-Cortez said. I believe we are morally obliged to pursue it. Noah then asked if she has considered taking the term socialist out of her label, while keeping her current platform, because the word is so polarizing. Ocasio-Cortez said the socialist label is something the media cares more about and she is simply being genuine. I dont knock on a persons door and is like, Hey, let me tell you about socialism, Like, thats not how I campaign, Ocasio-Cortez said. And I also think that I dont knock on a persons door and say, Hey, let me tell you about being a Democrat. No, I dont say that. I speak to peoples needs. Noah then asked who would pay for all of the free things that Ocasio-Cortez wants to give out This is an excellent, excellent question, she fired back. I sat down with a Nobel Prize economist last week, I cant believe I can say that, its really weird, but one of the things that we saw is if people pay their fair share if corporations and the ultra-wealthy as Warren Buffet likes to say, if he paid as much as his secretary paid, 15 percent. If he paid a 15 percent tax rate if we raised our corporate tax rate to 28 percent if we do those two things, and also close some of those loopholes, thats two trillion dollars right there. I dont knock on a persons door and is like, Hey, let me tell you about socialism Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Ocasio-Cortez said a carbon tax and reprioritization would be necessary to generate additional revenue needed for her socialist agenda. She also suggested taking funds away from the military as part of what she called reprioritizing. Healthcare is important enough for us to put first, she said. Education is important enough for us to put first. Ocasio-Cortez said it will require political and moral courage to accomplish her goals. She has emerged as a liberal darling since bursting onto the scene but not everyone is a fan. Comedian Lewis Black, who also considers himself a socialist, told The Daily Beast that Ocasio-Cortez is not the answer during a recent interview. The one thing Ive learned in my lifetime is that weve got to get to the middle before we start pushing things in other directions. Weve gotta get to the middle, and they have to sit down and decide how to do things, Black said when asked if Ocasio-Cortez provides a glimmer of hope. Sir Anthony Hopkins discussed his battle with alcoholism in a speech to students at the University of California on Wednesday. Hopkins, 80, was a guest speaker at the LEAP conference and addressed a crowd of about 500 students, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Academy Award-winning actor told the crowd he was not the easiest person to work with. "Because that's what you do in theater, you drink. But I was very difficult to work with, as well, because I was usually hungover, Hopkins admitted. BRITTANY SNOW ON WHY SHE DOESNT GET POLITICAL ONLINE AND THE ONE THING SHE WISHES SHE KNEW IN HER 20S The Silence of the Lambs star said he was "disgusted, busted and not to be trusted" when he drank. However, the actor said his life turned around in 1975 after a conversation with a woman from Alcoholics Anonymous. Why dont you just trust in God? the woman asked Hopkins. The Westworld star said he did not have the urge to drink after the conversation. Hopkins also told the crowd why he got into acting because he had nothing better to do and was not all that bright in school. "I believe that we are capable of so much," he told the crowd. "From my own life, I still cannot believe that my life is what it is because I should have died in Wales, drunk or something like that." EAGLES JOE WALSH, STRIPPER EX BATTLED SEVERE ADDICTIONS TO COCAINE AND ALCOHOL, BOOK CLAIMS "We can talk ourselves into death or we can talk ourselves into the best life we've ever lived. None of it was a mistake. It was all a destiny, he continued. As for his advice to students, Hopkins told them to not chase money and success. "If you chase the money, it's not gonna work. And if you chase success, it's not gonna work," he said. "You just have to chase whatever you want to be, but live it as if it is happening now. Act as if you're already there, and it'll fall into place. Kristin Casey was a 20-year-old stripper the night she met 40-year-old Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh in 1988 and she fell head over lucite heels in love. Walshs former girlfriend of six years recently published a memoir titled Rock Monster, which details their whirlwind romance fueled by sex, drugs and rock n roll. Joe really is different, Casey told Fox News. He was successful, but not snobby or intimidating. He was silly and very authentic. He didnt put on some sort of rock star persona. He was just really sweet I still like guys like that. I could list a lot of things about him that I was delighted by and attracted to, but ultimately, I just think we had crazy chemistry. And it appeared that Walsh, whose mistresses were cocaine and alcohol, had met his match. Right before Casey turned 18, she turned to crystal meth because cocaine was much more expensive and meth was cheap. When she began working the club scene, Casey replaced her meth addiction with alcohol. Casey said she was an alcoholic by the time she met Walsh. I was so enamored with him that I didnt really have the urge to do cocaine, she explained. I had a healthy fear of it, but the lifestyle of someone like that is bigger than the love those two people are going to share. Or can be. Joes lifestyle was centered around his music, his fame and his career. There was really no way to find my place in balance with that I really was just sucked in and went with it I wanted to be with him every minute I was doing a couple bumps of coke, but I was in denial of how dangerous it was. I was using it more and more really quickly. Walsh had his own demons to face. Interview Magazine revealed the celebrated musician battled alcohol and cocaine addiction for over two decades. At one point, Walsh allegedly wasnt sure if he could do anything sober. Casey claimed she noticed Walshs addictions right away. I noticed pretty quickly that his usage and behaviors were not totally normal, she said. But I wasnt very demanding. I just thought thats how rock stars behaved He never looked like he was getting tired. I had done meth, so I knew people could stay up for days at a time. But I had never met anyone who was so high-functioning and high-level. His addictions were unlike mine. I tended to binge for three days and then I recovered for a couple of days Joe would use pretty regularly. There were rarely a few days that went by that he didnt at least use a little. He did more of a maintenance dose, but also binged with me thats the nature of addiction. Walsh allegedly felt guilty of exposing his girlfriend to his world. But Casey took full responsibility for her actions. The thing about Joes addiction, he couldnt just quit and it was almost impossible to refuse to give coke to your partner if youre doing it, she said. So I think he was really torn. "He felt guilty about exposing me to the drugs that were so prevalent in his world, but he also felt powerless to stop it, to stop me from doing them because he was doing it. And if we werent on the same page, meaning doing the same drugs, we probably werent going to last very long. We were in love and addicted to each other. And at first, Casey felt like a princess in a fairytale dating Walsh. He allegedly purchased the couple a house in Californias swanky Studio City. And she soon found herself encountering other stars. Every time Joe would hang out with Sean Penn, they would end up in a strip club, she claimed. I didnt mind too much. I had been a stripper for 10 years so I couldnt really complain. Joe would come home just completely wasted As much as he drank, because he did so much cocaine, he wasnt a falling down drunk. But boy, when he hung out with Sean, he would be stumbling in with a goofy smile on his face. But the love story eventually became a nightmare for Casey as her addictions worsened. I snorted so much that I put a hole in my septum, she said. At that point, snorting got to be problematic for me. It was painful and I didnt want to make the hole any worse. I used that as my reasoning to smoke crack instead There was a six-month period where we were breaking up repeatedly. After I moved in, my addictions were so bad I was a pretty severe crackhead at the time. Casey claimed that in 1990, Walsh was allegedly yearning to have a child. She refused. I probably would have set myself up for life, she admitted. But at the same time, I never felt like it would have been fair for the child. Joe was not, in my opinion, in a good position to be a father at any point that we were together. He was an addict for most of our relationship And he threw himself into work I just didnt want to put a child through that. And the truth is not everyone is cut out to be a parent. Their active sex life and seemingly never-ending wealth werent enough for the couple to survive on. They parted ways in 1993, only to get back together in 1994. Interview Magazine revealed it was that same year Walsh cleaned up before the Eagles reunited after 14 years. Casey said they spend the next months slowly drifting apart. They finally called it quits in the summer of 1995 when she was 27-years-old. I felt so devastated as quickly as he drove away that I couldnt take it, she recalled. I just couldnt take the pain. I had lost myself in that relationship I felt empty, like I didnt even exist. I didnt have the money to go to rehab. I didnt believe I was worth it. I didnt have enough self-worth to even try. I just thought the world would be better off without me. I decided instantly that I was going to kill myself. I was going to keep drinking so much every day that I would eventually die of alcohol poisoning. It was nearly two years later when Casey found herself lying in bed sweating profusely and vomiting repeatedly. Thats when she chose to live. I probably had a purpose and I had probably blown it, but maybe I could find another purpose and make something of my life, said Casey. I did believe in God, even though I felt God had given up on me Thats when I had a revelation that this was not the way I was supposed to die. Casey said she got clean in April 1997 and has been sober ever since. A rep for Walsh did not respond to Fox News multiple requests for comment concerning Caseys book. She has also attempted to reach out to the rocker. Casey hopes her book will inspire others to get help. The reason why I waited 20 years? I had a lot of therapy after I got sober, she explained. I had a tremendous fear of intimacy. And it really negatively affected my life. It kept me isolated for a long time. And I worked on that I have nothing but love for my ex and compassion for us both. Jenna Dewan is stripping down for her latest photo shoot. On Thursday, the star shared photos of herself posing completely nude as she graced the cover of Women's Health's September issue. "Thank you @WomensHealthMag for my most, shall I say, freeing shoot yet...?!! And thank you for promoting confidence...bare, stripped down, just as you are," Dewan, 37, captioned a snap of the magazine cover. In a seperate post, the actress shared a picture of herself baring it all as she looks away from the camera. "Thank you again @dennisleupold @womenshealthmag for making me feel so comfortable and for taking a trip to one of my favorite places," Dewan said of the photo shoot site, which took place outside of Joshua Tree National Park in California. As for whether Dewan was nervous to pose nude, the star explained that she's "been a dancer" her "entire life." "So Im used to little clothing, she told the outlet. You lose a sense of modesty. Dewan, who shares 5-year-old daughter Everly with estranged husband, Channing Tatum, also spoke about how she recently learned the term "mom-shaming" after she posted a sexy photo of herself on social media, which ultimately drew criticism from fans. "Apparently, when you become a mother, youre supposed to leave your sexuality at the door, and I never understood that, she said. I think theres nothing sexier than becoming a mother. You give life. Its everything. And you dont change who you are inside just because you have a kid. The former "Step Up" star went on to explain that she wants her daughter to one day look at the images, and "Be like, Wow, my mother was a fully actualized, sensual woman. Phil McGraw has hosted hundreds of troubled individuals and their families seeking professional help through his talk show, Dr. Phil. His reputation as a tenured psychologist, author and compatriot of Oprah Winfrey preceded him as a qualified opinion in the rise of his program, but hes received criticism for his questionable ethics, motives and credentials. Despite his potential lack of morality and inability to provide effective service, theres little debate that Dr. Phils guests can be an entertaining spectacle. Here are a few of the unforgettable ones. 1. Cash me outside Does she really need an introduction? Danielle Bregoli first appeared on Dr. Phil in the appropriately titled episode: "I Want To Give Up My Car-Stealing, Knife-Wielding, Twerking 13-Year-Old Daughter Who Tried To Frame Me For A Crime." Bregoli immediately became an internet sensation for the popular phrase cash me outside, howbow that. Bregoli maintained a tough attitude in her follow-up appearance a few months later, telling Dr. Phil, you were nothing before I came on this show. Bregoli also thanked him in that episode, for without him she would likely not have garnered her immense social media following. She has since launched a successful rap career under the name Bhad Bahbie, charting three songs to date. By accumulating multiple criminal charges and getting banned from Spirit airlines for life, she continues to live up to her tough persona. 2. My dad is Eminem and Im pregnant with baby Jesus Haleys family brought her on Dr. Phil because she was a compulsive liar and delusional. After she didnt back down on the claim that she was pregnant with baby Jesus in light of six negative urine tests and an ultrasound scan that showed no indication of a pregnancy, as the guest doctor said it, it was easy to see where her family was coming from. She eventually came to terms with reality during medical treatment, as seen in her follow-up episode, but she remained adamant on the other outlandish claim she made during her original segment that she shares ancestry with rapper Eminem. The idea was based off a photo taken of her as a toddler with someone who admittedly looks like Eminem. Her mother asserted Haley knew who her dad is (not Eminem), although Eminem actually has a daughter with the same name, but spelled Hailie. 3. I need at least a $2500 allowance per month What would you do if your $5,000 allowance from your mother was reduced to $1,000 in a snap? Like 15-year-old Nicolette Gray, youd probably call Dr. Phil and seek justice. Unfortunately for Gray, Dr. Phil sided with her mother, Nina, and introduced the concept of re-parenting. He even had the audacity to suggest Gray needed to get a job so she could, make a contribution to society instead of taking from society. Gray currently embraces her title as the Beverly Hills Brat and garnered a respectable following on YouTube, and both her and Nina amassed considerable Insta-fame. Less than a month after the Dr. Phil episode aired, Nicolette posted a video of her 16th birthday present: a G-Wagen. Wait, it gets better. Nearly a month after that, she replaced that G-Wagen with another G-Wagen, but this time she got the higher performance AMG model. A week later, she backed it into a pole and dented the spare tire cover. If youre worried about how Nicolette, now 16 years old, could face legal trouble for driving without a license, dont worry; shes paying an adult to sit in her backseat while she drives. 4. Dr. Phil calls interview off during the show Bailey was brought on the show because she sent hundreds of messages over Twitter proclaiming her love for Jasmine, who resides states away and who shed never interacted with before. Despite conveying obvious and repetitive rejection to Bailey, her adoration, which she called the love story of the century, persisted through Jasmines Twitter activity. When Bailey said, Yall can laugh at me. Its fine. I will be your spectacle, Dr. Phil immediately shut it down. Im not into all this melodrama and you playing the victim, Dr. Phil said. I dont want to be any part of that. Although her apology implied she may have honestly needed the help, he wasnt having any of it. The awkwardness finally ends when Jasmine confronts Bailey and tells her, to her face, that the love was never mutual. 5. Supplying the pot There are some obscure laws out there. Ideally, letting your 14-year-old daughter have multiple sexual relationships and smoke pot with you every day should not be one of them. Do you understand that that, by statute, is a crime? Dr. Phil asked Kaylie, the excessively laissez-faire mother of Gabrielle. OK, Kaylie replied. But I explained why I do it that way. Dr. Phil lost his patience when Gabrielle reacted sarcastically to his concerns. Then Dr. Phil turned on CJ, the father, for letting Gabrielle stay with Kaylie even though he has full custody. Earlier in the episode, he said he let Gabrielle stay with Kaylie so she could see her mother was living in a poor environment and in turn want to stay at home. The medical of director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, Dr. Charles Sophy, dropped the hammer accordingly as CJs good intentions failed catastrophically. . 6. Teacher sues high school student she had an affair with High school teacher Tanya Ramirez was fully aware shed get the ax in the event her sexual encounter with 17-year-old student Tristan was somehow broadcasted, but she was surprised when the police came knocking. I didnt think anything was legally wrong, Ramirez told Dr. Phil, citing that Tristan was a consenting adult and that she was not a direct figure of authority to him in that she never taught him in the classroom. Ramirez even called the affair a set-up because Tristan surreptitiously recorded them in the act and shared the video without her consent. Ramirez was also distraught with Tristans mother, Kim, reaching out to the media and calling her a sexual predator. As a result, Ramirez sued Tristan for invasion of privacy and emotional distress and Kim for defamation. Unsurprisingly, her argument that consensual sex should be included among rights of personal privacy that relate to the fundamental rights of marriage, procreation, contraception, family relationships, child rearing, and education, was overruled. 7. Oblivious man duped by online dating scam Identity theft is no joke. Internet scams arent either. Dennis had little concern for either of these possibilities when he sent over $200,000 over the course of just under a year to Kimberly Escobar, who hed met online and intended to marry through a dating site. The story Kimberly told Dennis is almost just as amusing as this unfortunate scam: she left her home in Chicago with her daughter, Sandra, to attend a business trip in South Africa, where they both ended up in the hospital after a terrible car accident. Once they were cleared from the hospital and finally headed home, Kimberly and Sandra were detained at the airport because their passports expired. Dennis got them out after sending the appropriate amount of cash demanded by authorities. Dennis continued to financially cover for Kimberlys misfortunes when she and Sandra were detained again in both Istanbul and Amsterdam. Dennis alleged that immigration authorities were extorting him, but he soon realized he was bamboozled by a scammer when Dr. Phil brought on the woman Dennis thought was his fiancee. 8. Im in love with Kip Moore Jennas infatuation with country music star Kip Moore was no joke. It was without a doubt after the second concert that I wanted to divorce my husband, Jenna said in her reel. Despite no luck in reaching Moores camp through social media or 12-page letters, she remained determined. Two days after that concert, she filed a protection order in court for her and her kids, alleging her husband, Travis, was abusive. Travis denied those claims and admitted he still loved Jenna despite her being delusional. After Dr. Phil read Moores statement in which he cordially but clearly rejected her, Jenna acknowledged the slim chance of her ever igniting a passionate relationship with Moore, but she still defended her encounter with Moore. Like Jenna's overwhelmingly unlikely odds to marry Moore, the prospect of her reconciling with her husband may be off the table too, especially with her tattoo of Moores signature on her upper back of to symbolize his kindness and passion right below their shared daughters name. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Rwanda for a two-day state visit on July 22. He was warmly welcomed by the people in the land of thousand hills with dances and African drum shows. It was Xis first trip to the African country, and also the first visit paid by a Chinese President to Rwanda. The two sides drew a blueprint for bilateral friendly cooperation, agreeing to push bilateral cooperation of mutual benefits for more fruitful results, in a bid to bring more welfare to the Chinese, Rwandan and African people. Xis visit is believed to be a new milestone in the history of China-Rwanda ties. Rwanda has set an example for countries who face the similar tasks of national development and rejuvenation in Africa and beyond, said Xi on Rwandas development that has drawn worldwide attention. Thanks to the friendly cooperation between China and Rwanda, peoples livelihood has been tremendously improved. About 70 percent of the highways in Rwanda were paved by Chinese enterprises, and over 600,000 locals received medical services provided by Chinas medical teams. In addition, digital TV services will soon be brought to 300 villages in Rwanda under an ongoing project of providing access to satellite TV to a total of 10,000 Rwandan villages by Chinese government, enriching the cultural life of more than 150,000 rural residents. Rwanda appreciates Chinas valuable assistance over the years in infrastructure, agriculture, education and other areas, said Rwandan President Paul Kagame, adding that the assistance has made positive contributions to rebuilding and developing of the country and improving peoples livelihood. Kagames remarks reflected the brotherly friendship toward Chinese people. The exchange of visits by the two heads of state within slightly over a year since March 2017 indicates the great importance both sides have attached to deepening their ties. Besides, the Rwandan society hold strong interests in Chinas experience on national governance and development. Early this year, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the countrys ruling party, sent three generations of its Political Bureau members to China to learn Chinese experience. With Rwanda actively implementing its Vision 2020 Umurenge Program and China working toward its two centenary goals, historic opportunities beckon for the two countrys cooperation, said Xi. During Xis visit, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperative agreements on Belt and Road construction and other fields, which has laid a solid foundation for the two sides to deepen future friendly cooperation. China is willing to work with Rwanda to jointly transform bilateral traditional friendship into concrete benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, and turn a new chapter in their friendly cooperative relations, said Xi, whose words further consolidated peoples confidence on the bright future for China-Rwanda friendship. The friendship between China and Rwanda is an epitome of the relationship between China and Africa. The two heads of state, in their Kigali meeting, has made a solemn commitment to deepening China-Africa friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation from a strategic and long-term perspective, as Rwanda assumes the rotating presidency of the African Union this year. Their solemn commitment has built consensus for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled in September, and is expected to push the China-Africa cooperation to a new high. The decades-old Umuganda culture in Rwanda encourages joint efforts and mutual help for common goals. A Chinese saying contains a similar message, "People with one mind and heart have the power to move a mountain." Xis successful visit to Rwanda is expected to bring China-Rwanda relations on a fast track of development and lift cooperation between the two countries and between China and Africa to a new level. China-Rwanda ties will inject long-lasting power for the building of a closer community with a shared future for China and Africa. A parasite that infects some 30 to 50 percent of the world's human population may subtly prompt people to start businesses, according to a new study. The association with entrepreneurship may be a side effect of the parasite's real goal: getting its host, typically a mouse or rat, eaten by a cat. A mind-bending parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that can live in many kinds of animals, although it can only reproduce sexually in the gut of a domestic or wild cat. In the typical scenario, cats excrete an egg-like form of the parasite in their feces, and mice or rats become infected from contact with contaminated soil. The parasites then reproduce asexually in the rodent's body, eventually entering an inactive lifecycle stage in which they are known as bradyzoites dormant cells encapsulated in cysts in the brain and other tissues. The cysts manipulate rodents' behavior for their own ends. While normal rodents avoid cats, infected mice and rats lose their fear of the predators, and some actually become attracted to feline odors. Humans can get infected either through contact with cat feces or by eating under-cooked, cyst-ridden meat. The disease is dangerous to people with AIDS, and if women become infected while pregnant, it can harm their fetuses. But in most cases, the only obvious effect is a brief flu-like illness. People assume they have gotten better, unaware that parasites still lurk in their bodies. "You might call them quiescent. But they're definitely alive," said Kevin Lafferty, a parasite ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who was not involved in the study. "[The cysts] might be in your brain by the millions, and they are full of little bradyzoites." Since humans are a dead end for the parasites (except possibly in rare cases involving man-eating lions), the parasites probably haven't evolved to manipulate human behavior specifically. However, human brains bear many similarities to mouse brains, so the same mechanisms that evolved to lead mice into a cat's jaws may also have some accidental effect on humans. Indeed, evidence has been mounting that quiescent or "latent" infections may affect people's minds. Studies have found that infected people are more likely to get into traffic accidents, to develop schizophrenia, to abuse alcohol, to commit suicide, and to make various kinds of risky decisions. Infection has also been linked to certain personality traits, including aggression in women and a disregard for rules in men. The findings aren't always consistent, so some researchers are keeping an open mind. For example, when Karen Sugden, a biologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and her colleagues examined personality and neuropsychiatric traits in 837 subjects, they found virtually no difference between infected and non-infected people. "It could be that we just didn't find it in that study, or it could be that things have been over-hyped," said Sugden. "I'll let the evidence speak for itself as time goes on." And even if infected people really do differ from non-infected people, existing studies can't prove that those differences are caused by Toxoplasma. It's possible that both the infections themselves and the behaviors measured in the studies are driven by some third factor, such as pre-existing personality traits that make people more likely to encounter cat feces. But controlled experiments in rats and mice clearly show that Toxoplasmachanges rodents' behavior by altering chemical messengers and DNA expression in their brains. The rodent evidence adds weight to the idea that the parasite might change human behavior as well, said Lafferty. Catching the business bug In the new study, the researchers reasoned that if Toxoplasma makes people more risk-prone, those tendencies might extend to decisions about whether to start a company. New businesses require huge investments of time and money, and most fail without ever paying off. "Lots of people have business ideasbut don't follow through with actually starting a business because of that fear of failing," said Stefanie Johnson, a psychologist and business professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and first author of the study. "What I really expect is going on is that [Toxoplasma] is just reducing that natural fear." To test this idea, the research team which included Johnson's husband, Pieter Johnson, a disease ecologist also at the University of Colorado Boulder first sampled saliva from nearly 1,500 college students and tested it for Toxoplasmaantibodies. Since Toxoplasma is thought to remain in people's bodies indefinitely, people who appear healthy and have antibodies to the parasite are assumed to have latent infections. Compared to uninfected students, infected students were about 1.4 times as likely to major in business. Infected business majors were also 1.7 times as likely as uninfected business majors to have an emphasis in management and entrepreneurship, rather than safer fields such as accounting, according to the authors. Next, the researchers sampled saliva from 197 people attending entrepreneurship events such as social meetups and university lectures. All of these people had shown interest in entrepreneurship just by showing up at the events, but the infected ones were 1.8 times more likely to have actually taken the plunge and started their own company. Finally, the researchers used previously collected data to compare Toxoplasmainfection and entrepreneurship in 42 different countries. Infection rates vary widely around the world, from around 9 percent in Norway to around 60 percent in Brazil. The researchers found that in countries with high infection rates, people were more likely to report that they ran their own business or planned to start one, and less likely to report that they held back out of fear of failure. "The relationship between Toxoplasma prevalence and entrepreneurial presence at the country level is really profound, because we're saying that the existence of a parasite a microorganism can affect a country's economic foundation," wrote Johnson in an email to Inside Science. The study was published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The findings came as no surprise to Jaroslav Flegr, an evolutionary biologist and parasitologist at Charles University in Prague who has studied Toxoplasmaextensively but was not involved in the new study. Some of the behaviors shown by infected people may actually be related to the parasite harming people's health, as latent infection has been associated with increased risk of various ailments such as cancer and heart disease, Flegr noted. But, he said, other differences may be the direct result of parasitic cysts in people's brains. "I think that this parasite is extremely important, and it can influence many aspects of our life," said Flegr. People resist this idea, he said, because "it's difficult to accept that your behavior and your mind are strongly influenced by some stupid parasite." This article first appeared on LiveScience.com. An 8-year-old boy who has been battling leukemia for the past two years wanted to go out for ice cream to celebrate his final radiation treatment. But once his Merrimack, N.H., town got wind of it, the entire community came out to celebrate Mighty Max Mendez. Please join us this evening at 7 pm as we celebrate Mighty Max & his last radiation treatment, Axels Food and Ice Cream posted on Facebook, on July 24. We will be selling raffle tickets with all proceeds going to the Jimmy Fund in Maxs name! Merrimack lets show some love to Max & his family! As word spread, firefighters and police officers showed up to help celebrate and give Max an added boost. BOY WITH DEFORMED LEGS UNDERGOES LIFE-CHANGING SURGERY AT TEBOW CURE HOSPITAL We understand that Max likes firetrucks, police cruises, all that fun stuff, so it was our opportunity to come out and greet him and hopefully cheer up his day, Merrimack Fire Capt. Brian Dubreuil told WMUR9. Maxs mother, Amy, also invited supporters to bring toys to be donated to Boston Childrens Hospital. Max made headlines previously for a winter toy drive he organized to benefit the children at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Childrens Hospital. While he still has months of chemotherapy left to complete, his family said its helpful to be done with radiation. Its nice to check off a milestone and be able to really focus on stuff that hes achieving, and we can put behind us and not have to worry about it anymore, Mendez told the news outlet. Prince George has apparently been taking style cues from a very special role model: his father, Prince William. Last week, Kensington Palace released an official portrait of the little prince for his fifth birthday, in which the third-in-line to the British throne is all smiles in a white, button-up shirt with short sleeves and blue trim, paired with blue shorts. But Harpers Bazaar later noticed something extra sweet about George's ensemble specifically, that it was reminiscent of an outfit young Prince William wore to a family trip to Venice, Italy, in 1985. MEGHAN MARKLE, KATE MIDDLETON ATTEND WIMBLEDON IN FIRST SOLO OUTING This isnt the first time nor likely the last that Prince George has sported an outfit reminiscent of his fathers boyhood styles. The young royal wore a white top with red embroidery and red shorts, topped off with white socks and black buckled shoes, to Princess Charlotte's 2015 christening, just like Prince William did in 1984 to visit a newborn Prince Harry at St. Mary's Hospital. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridges oldest child also wore a pale blue onesie to his first Trooping the Colour parade on the iconic balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2014, just like his dad did in 1984. As noted by Page Six, the similarities are likely no accident. The British royal family is known for using clothing to make generational connections, especially for significant events. After welcoming Prince Louis in April, Duchess Kate wore a red dress with a white lace collar that some felt paid tribute to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Though Prince Georges two younger siblings have officially to get in on the family matching game, Princess Charlotte has previously sported color-complimentary matching dresses with Duchess Kate before. All bets are on that the littlest royals will soon join in on the fun, too. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! President Trump has been standing up to China for months, sending the clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate that nations unfair trade practices. Now the president has put tariffs in place in response to decades of objectionable conduct by China, including the forced transfer and outright theft of American technology and intellectual property. President Trump is taking action on trade policy to open markets so that American farmers can compete globally. The proper response from China would be to correct its behavior to address concerns raised by the United States and other trading partners. But China instead chose to retaliate, in many cases targeting U.S. agricultural products. President Trump has instructed me, as secretary of agriculture, to prepare a strategy to protect our agricultural interests from these unfair retaliatory tariffs. After careful analysis and thorough discussion by our team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we are now prepared to announce the tools we plan to use. Trade damage from unfair retaliation has impacted American farmers who grow a host of U.S. commodities, including field crops like soybeans and sorghum, livestock products like milk and pork, and many fruits, nuts, and other specialty crops. High tariffs disrupt normal market patterns, affecting prices and export volumes, and raise costs by forcing commodities to find new markets. Additionally, there is evidence that American goods shipped overseas are being slowed from reaching market by unusually strict or cumbersome entry procedures, which can affect the quality and marketability of perishable crops. This can boost marketing costs and discount our prices, adversely affecting farmers. We always suspected that American agriculture would likely be the first sector hit, because our producers are extremely productive and are excellent competitors in the world marketplace. Indeed, of the total tariffs imposed on the U.S., a disproportionate amount was targeted directly at our farmers. In keeping with President Trumps promise, his administration will not stand by while our hardworking men and women of agriculture are treated unfairly by countries acting in bad faith, acting as strategic economic competitors intent on breaking the rules. Accordingly, after careful consideration of the effect of Chinas actions, USDA will employ tools at our disposal to provide up to $10 billion to $12 billion in programs, which is in line with the $11 billion impact on U.S. agriculture we have calculated. The following programs, in addition to our existing programs of farm support, will assist agricultural producers in mitigating the damage from markets disrupted by the trade dispute with China: The Market Facilitation Program, authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and administered by USDAs Farm Service Agency, will provide incremental payments to soybean, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy and hog producers impacted by the retaliatory tariffs. These payments, which will be available starting this fall, will help farmers manage disrupted markets, deal with surplus commodities, and expand and develop new markets at home and abroad. USDA will use the CCC Charter Act and other authorities to implement a Food Purchase and Distribution Program through the Agricultural Marketing Service to purchase unexpected surpluses of affected commodities such as fruits, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork, and milk for distribution to food banks and other nutrition programs. This program will be funded by existing funds in the Section 32 program and new spending under the CCC Charter Act. The CCC will use its Charter Act authority for a Trade Promotion Program, administered by USDAs Foreign Agriculture Service, in conjunction with the private sector to assist in developing new export markets for our farm products. Up to this point, we have resisted disclosing the strategy under consideration under the belief that it was not good practice to unveil the playbook while the other team was watching. We are now confident that this approach is best for American agriculture while the trade dispute with China continues. In the coming weeks, we will provide greater detail of how these programs will be utilized and how individual producers will benefit. And as I have often stated, we aim to provide all necessary information to affected producers by Labor Day. President Trump knows that Americas farmers, ranchers, foresters and producers work to feed, fuel and clothe this nation and the rest of the world. Farmers are patriots and they have supported the president in his defense of the overall American economy. But it is a fact that they cannot pay their bills with patriotism. It is worth stating again that all of this could be rectified tomorrow if China would simply mend its ways. But until China decides to play by the rules that govern free and fair trade, the Trump administration will not allow agriculture to bear the brunt of Chinas retaliation. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Religious freedom is often called Americas first freedom a necessary component of U.S. foreign policy, and part of Americas commitment to ensuring a more peaceful, prosperous and secure world. Respect for religious freedom also facilitates and strengthens many other human rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and womens rights. I chaired a panel Wednesday at the State Departments Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington that examined the challenges women face today, along with the intersection between womens rights and religious freedom. The discussion could not come at a more pressing time. The terrorist group Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of women and young girls in Africa. ISIS has kidnapped, enslaved, and serially raped countless Yazidi, Christian, and Muslim women and girls in the Middle East. And Rohingya including thousands of women and girls have faced ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State in Burma, where the military has perpetrated brutal killings, widespread rape and sexual violence, and burned hundreds of villages. While these and other repulsive acts have in part been committed on the basis of religion, they in fact represent perversions of religious faith. These atrocities have encouraged a misconception that freedom of religion and womens rights are incompatible that increased religious freedom restricts equality and justice for women. In 2014, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief observed: Widespread misperceptions have given rise to the idea that freedom of religion or belief and equality between men and women are norms standing in opposition to each other. The fact is, these unfair and misleading characterizations could not be further from the truth. When religious freedom is protected, womens rights are strengthened and societies flourish. To appreciate why this is the case, its important to understand what religious freedom is in the first place. Religious freedom is a human right enjoyed by individuals not a right granted to religions. When properly recognized by governments, religious freedom can and should allow for members of peaceful religious groups of all faiths and denominations to form and carry out their ministry. The human rights of women and religious freedom operate in concert with all other human rights universal, indivisible and interdependent. The practice of religion is personal. For many women and girls around the world it is an empowering and meaningful experience. However, harmful practices and traditions affecting women and girls cannot be accepted as legitimate including those performed in the name of religion. The assertion of one human right cannot justify violations or abuses of other human rights. Female victims of religious discrimination or marginalization are particularly vulnerable to early and forced marriages, human trafficking, and sexual and gender-based violence. This includes sexual assault, rape, intimate partner violence and female genital mutilation. Governments and other groups sometimes perpetrate or tolerate these abuses in order to intimidate, destroy, or drive out members of disfavored religious communities. This is the case with Yazidi women in ISIS-controlled Iraq and Syria, along with members of other religious or ethnic minorities, such as Rohingya Muslims in Burma. Respect for religious freedom, according to a recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, can play a role in responding to these harmful practices. This is because religious freedom can mobilize faith leaders and create the conditions necessary for the peaceful practice of religion. Understanding the synergies that exist between womens rights and religious freedom is essential to strengthening each right around the world. In many countries, engaging with highly influential faith communities and religious leaders on issues affecting women can be an effective means for advancing the rights of women. These communities, for example, play a powerful role in public health education in areas with high rates of illiteracy, especially among women and girls. Women religious leaders have also long fostered interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution. In conflict zones, women religious leaders are critical to fostering security, reconciliation and stability. One of the best examples of this is Sister Maria Elena Berini, a 2018 International Woman of Courage nominated by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, who for the last four decades has served in war-torn communities in Africa first in Chad and now in the Central African Republic. For the last 10 years, Sister Berini has performed astonishing acts of charity from her mission in Bocaranga, demonstrating courage, grace and compassion. During the worst periods of violence when aid organizations recalled their staffs and embassies evacuated their citizens Sister Berini remained. This courageous Catholic nun is just one example of how religious women leaders can often be powerful advocates for reform within their communities and beyond on a wide variety of issues. They work alongside and often in partnership with male religious leaders. Despite this, persistent social and political barriers within many countries prevent or limit women from fulfilling their roles as agents of change and progress. The facts are simple. Governments that respect and protect religious freedom often have greater protections and opportunities for women. Countries that do not compel religious conversion and protect young girls from early or forced marriages are more likely to defend womens rights. As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday: When religious freedom flourishes, a country flourishes. This weeks Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom illustrates Americas enduring commitment to religious liberty as a human right and as an integral element in advancing the empowerment of women and girls worldwide through U.S. foreign policy. This comprehensive, international effort to urge coordinated action across governments, religious groups and civil society is critical to defeating religious persecution and repression, and to achieving global peace, prosperity and security. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! If President Trump is really the white supremacist his critics insist he is, he must be a huge disappointment to his bigoted brethren. For more than a year, we have heard the presidents critics insist he is this worst type of racist. Or that at the very least, white supremacists support him. But if these vile folks really do back the current occupant of the White House, it is not because Trump shares their worldview. How do I know this? I interviewed Richard Spencer, who is undoubtedly the poster boy for white supremacy. Spencer is such a toxic figure that when he showed up to speak at a university in Florida the governor declared a state emergency. Spencer is routinely portrayed as a right-wing neo-Nazi and confirms this narrative by insisting he is a Trump supporter. Yet when I interviewed him recently for my new movie Death of a Nation, Spencer turned out to be anything but right-wing and his views were markedly different from those of Trump. Heres an excerpt from that interview: Me: What do you think of the American founding? Spencer: Ive been critical of the American founding throughout my career. Me: All men are created equal. True or false? Spencer: False, obviously. Me: The idea that we have a right to life, true or false? Spencer: I dont think we have rights to really anything. I asked Spencer about the two main prongs of Reaganite conservatism. Me: One prong is American influence is good for the word and that American power should project American values, agree or disagree? Spencer: If American values are we need to destroy other cultures and bring them into one big capitalist market or something, I dont think we should be promoting American values in that sense. Me: The second prong of Reaganism was free market economics, promoting a global free market in which people trade with each other. Would you like to see the world be a global capitalist order? Spencer: Absolutely not. This notion that we need to destroy our own industries, that our people are just one more competitor in a global marketplace. Good luck, sink or swim, pal. The notion that that should be the guiding philosophy of our citizens is disgusting, actually. I totally reject that. I asked Spencer about his advocacy of a concept called the white ethno-state. Me: What I take you to be saying is that the white ethno-state would have a powerful state at the center of it. Spencer: No question. Me: But this notion of limited governmentAs you know, the founders saw the government as the enemy of our rights. Spencer: No individual has a right outside of a collective community. You have rights, not eternally or given by God, or by nature. Me: Who gives them to us? Spencer: Ultimately the state gives those right to you. The state is the source of rights, not the individual. Me: Would it be fair to say you are not just against illegal immigration but immigration, period? Spencer: Im against immigration coming in from the Third World that is ultimately going to change the ethnic and cultural constitution of the United States. I wouldnt say Im against immigration in itself. I would actually be happy to open the door to white South Africans among many who are truly suffering. Me: Would you be happy with an immigration policy that said, we want people from New Zealand, Australia, white guys from Europe and South Africa. We dont want people from Barbados or Bombay. Spencer: Yes, and that was the immigration policy beginning in 1924 up until 1965. That period of time coincided with American greatness. Me: Now this seems very different than Trump. Trump was quoted in the paper saying, if theres an Indian guy working in Silicon Valley and his visa runs out, and we have to send him home, thats a loss. Thats something we should try to prevent. You disagree? Spencer: I do disagree with that. The H-1B Visa Program has been totally detrimental to white people. I want white people to become doctors, lawyers. I want white people to achieve their dreams. See how distant Spencers politics are from Trumps? Trump is a patriot who cherishes the founders; Spencer isnt and doesnt. Trump is a capitalist; Spencer prefers a strong state regulating markets on behalf of white interests. Trump wants to keep illegals out so legal immigrants white, black and brown can thrive. Spencer wants more white immigrants, fewer if any black and brown ones. In sum, Trump is generally conservative and Spencer is clearly not. In fact, Spencers racialized politics of the powerful centralized state is reminiscent of the ideology of Woodrow Wilson and the early twentieth-century progressives. Yet the media continues to depict Spencer as a right-winger because it serves the ideological narrative of pinning the racist and fascist tail on the Republican elephant, when it belongs more clearly on the Democratic donkey. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Led by Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina, 11 GOP House members filed articles of impeachment this week against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, seeking to remove him from office. Backers of the impeachment resolution are upset that Rosenstein has failed to fully comply with a congressional subpoena for information about FBI and Justice Department investigations of the Hillary Clinton email scandal. In addition, the impeachment resolution accuses the Justice Department and FBI of committing alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act related to members of the Trump campaign who were investigated by the two law enforcement agencies. However, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., made clear Thursday that the impeachment resolution isnt going to come to a vote of the full House, because he said he opposes it. Hours after he spoke, House members left the Capitol to begin a five-week recess. The complaints against Rosenstein do not allege misconduct serious enough to justify impeachment under the Constitution, Ryan told reporters. The House speaker is correct. The Constitution sets a high standard for impeachment: Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. The offenses do not include lack of cooperation with a congressional oversight investigation. As the Heritage Foundations Guide to the Constitution says, it is agreed by virtually all that the impeachment remedy was to be used in only the most extreme situations, a position confirmed by the relatively few instances in which Congress has used the device. The Republican House members seeking Rosensteins impeachment are understandably frustrated by the Justice Departments lack of cooperation with oversight investigations being conducted by the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. But even in the extraordinarily unlikely event that Ryan changes his mind and a majority of House members vote to impeach Rosenstein, there are currently not enough votes in the Senate to convict him. The seven-page impeachment resolution filed by the 11 House members outlines how the Justice Department, under Rosensteins leadership, has refused to fully comply with document requests from Congress. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the investigations that Rosenstein is supervising. According to the resolution, the Justice Department has: missed document production deadlines; redacted pages to the point where they contain little probative information; knowingly and intentionally withheld documents within the scope of the joint congressional investigation to avoid oversight; and instructed material fact witnesses to refuse to provide testimony. There is no question that Congress has the authority to examine in-depth the prosecutorial and investigative decisions made by FBI agents and Justice Department lawyers. The Constitution grants Congress far-reaching oversight authority with regard to the executive branch. That includes the Department of Justice, which is not some independent entity that does not have to answer to Congress. In a 1975 case, Eastland v. U.S. Servicemens Fund, the Supreme Court said that the scope of Congresss inquiry is as penetrating and far-reaching as the potential power to enact and appropriate under the Constitution. That power, according to a 1957 Supreme Court decision, Watkins v. U.S., is at its peak when Congress is investigating corruption, maladministration, or inefficiencies in the agencies of Government. In response to such oversight, the Justice Department doesnt have the legal authority to withhold any information, documents, or witnesses that a congressional investigation wants to review, examine, or question. There is only one constitutionally recognized exception to that if the president asserts executive privilege. Every president has the ability to protect the confidentiality of documents and internal executive branch communications from disclosure to the legislative and judicial branches. This right has been recognized since George Washington was president. In active law enforcement investigations, the Justice Department may often have legitimate reasons for wanting to withhold information. For example, it may wish to protect the rights of innocent parties, conceal the identity of confidential informants, or prevent disclosure of prosecution legal strategy. But none of those concerns allows the Justice Department to avoid complying with oversight requests by an insistent congressional committee investigating possible corruption and malfeasance. President Trump has not asserted executive privilege with regard to any of the documents or communications connected to the Russia collusion investigation by Special Counsel Robert Muller or the Clinton email investigations. These matters are within Congress oversight authority. Congress has tools for exercising that authority, even when an executive branch agency resists. One tool is Congress appropriations authority hitting an agency and even particular officials with funding cuts that will force cooperation. However, this is a blunt instrument that can be difficult to wield and may not have any effect on a defiant official. The second tool is to hold an uncooperative official in contempt of Congress, which is a federal crime punishable by both jail time and a fine. But the contempt resolutions approved against former Attorney General Eric Holder and former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner showed that this tool may not guarantee success. Congress held Holder in contempt in 2012 for his refusal to turn over documents about Operation Fast and Furious, a botched federal investigation of illegal gun trafficking. Lerner was held in contempt in 2014 for refusing to answer questions about her alleged targeting of conservative organizations. But enforcing a finding of contempt requires prosecution by the Justice Department, and the Justice Department refused to enforce federal law regarding either Holder or Lerner. Since impeachment is not the proper remedy in an oversight dispute between the legislative and executive branches, frustrated lawmakers may need to move to a Plan B. Justice Department funding cuts, anyone? NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! If youve tuned in to this years midterms, chances are you know about that hot Senate race in Missouri: McCaskill vs. Humphreys. Oh, wait. Democrat Claire McCaskill is indeed facing a tough re-election, trying for a third term. Shes had a particularly rough week, after the Kansas City Star reported that businesses tied to her husband had been awarded $131 million in federal contracts since she took office in 2007. Her putative opponent is the constitutional conservative Josh Hawley, the current attorney general and the strong favorite to win the GOP primary on Aug. 7. Team McCaskill is already employing the Democratic Partys go-to tactic this midterm: character assassination. Theres not much else. The economy is humming, the partys centrist and liberal wings are fighting, and the drumbeat of impending Trump doom isnt finding much accompaniment. So in Missouri as elsewhere, candidates are reverting to personal attacks. But the McCaskill forces are piling on a guy who isnt even running. Indeed, they are attacking a private citizen and donor, David Humphreys. Back in March, Chuck Schumers Senate Majority PAC began plowing millions into attacks on the businessman, who donated to Mr. Hawleys campaign for attorney general. The pattern is the same: An ad makes a malicious accusation against Mr. Humphreys, then sidles over to tar Mr. Hawley with guilt by association. Just how invested are they in this strategy? Since airing their first spot, 70% of Democratic adsamounting to $4.7 millionhave been focused on Mr. Humphreys. Keep reading Kimberley Strassel's column in the Wall Street Journal. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! WASHINGTON -- Give President Trump credit. When he chastised NATO allies over their failure to spend adequately on our common defense, his critics said he was endangering the Atlantic alliance. Instead, his tough stance persuaded allies to spend billions more on defense, strengthening NATO instead. Now, Trump is doing the same on trade. At the Group of Seven summit in Quebec, Trump was roundly criticized for publicly berating allies over their trade practices and provoking a needless trade war. Well, once again, it appears Trump is being proved right. On Wednesday, he and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced a cease-fire in their trade war and promised to seek the complete elimination of most trade barriers between the United States and the European Union. "We agreed today ... to work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods," declared the two leaders in a joint statement. Zero tariffs. Wednesday's breakthrough with the European Union shows that, contrary to what his critics allege, Trump is not a protectionist; rather, he is using tariffs as a tool to advance a radical free-trade agenda. In a little-noticed interview with Fox News's Maria Bartiromo earlier this month, Trump revealed that during the G-7 summit he made a sweeping proposal. "I said, 'I have an idea, everybody. I'll guarantee you we'll do it immediately. Nobody pay any more tax, everybody take down your barriers. No barriers, no tax. Everybody, are you all set?' ... You know what happened? Everybody said, 'Uh, can we get onto another subject?'" Trump offered to eliminate all trade barriers -- and his supposedly pro-free-trade allies passed. Right before his meeting with Juncker this week, he repeated the offer, tweeting, "The European Union is coming to Washington tomorrow to negotiate a deal on Trade. I have an idea for them. Both the U.S. and the E.U. drop all Tariffs, Barriers and Subsidies!" Trump knows that most of our trading partners don't really want free trade; they want managed trade, where they can get access to U.S. markets while protecting certain industries from U.S. competition. Trump's strategy to get them to drop these protectionist barriers is to impose crushing tariffs. At a rally earlier this week, Trump explained his strategy for getting to zero tariffs. "You know, other countries have tariffs on us. So, when I say, 'Well, I'm going to put tariffs on them,' they all start screaming, 'He's using tariffs,'" Trump said. "I said [to the European Union], 'You have to change.' They didn't want to change. I said, 'Okay. Good. We're going to tariff your cars.' ... They said, 'When can we show up? When can we be there?' [Laughter.] 'Would tomorrow be okay?' Oh, folks, stick with us. Stick with us." Now Trump's hard-line trade strategy is being vindicated. Not only is the E.U. negotiating zero tariffs, but also it agreed to immediately buy more American soybeans -- which helps Trump in his trade battle with China. After Trump imposed tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods, China responded with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products, including soybeans. Beijing knows that China is the single largest importer of U.S. soybeans, and that about 96 percent of U.S. soybeans are grown in 18 states -- all but two of which voted for Trump in 2016. Their tariffs left soybean farmers none too happy with Trump and gave a political boost to vulnerable Senate Democrats in soy-producing farm states such as Heidi Heitkamp, N.D., Joe Donnelly, Ind., and Claire McCaskill, Mo. Now, Trump has enlisted the European Union to help U.S. soybean farmers to counteract the repercussions of Chinese tariffs, in addition to the $12 billion in aid he has promised for U.S. farmers. That's three-dimensional trade chess. Earlier this week, Trump tweeted, "Tariffs are the greatest! Either a country which has treated the United States unfairly on Trade negotiates a fair deal, or it gets hit with Tariffs. It's as simple as that." Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn't. Trump is a long way from a final deal. And in trade, nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. But this is a surprisingly positive first step. If Trump succeeds in using trade wars to bring down European and Chinese trade barriers, he may end up being one of the greatest free-trade presidents in history. The Trump administration said Thursday that more than 700 children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border remained apart, hours before a court-imposed deadline to reunify them. In a court filing, the Justice Department said 1,820 children ages 5 and up had been discharged from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Of those, 1,442 were reunited with their parents in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while another 378 were released "in other appropriate circumstances." A federal judge had given the administration until the end of Thursday to reunite more than 2,500 separated children with their parents, guardians or other sponsor. The separations took place under President Trump's so-called "zero tolerance" border policy, which called for criminal prosecution of anyone caught crossing the U.S. border illegally. The administration said that 711 separated children had parents or guardians who are "either not eligible for reunification or not available for discharge at this time." Of those children, 431 are listed as having parents "outside the United States." Another 120 had parents who waived reunification, while an additional 173 had parents who were released to the interior or whose location was "under case file review." A Justice Department spokesperson told Fox News that the government would meet the court deadline, saying, "The expected total number of eligible potential class members in ICE custody [seeking to be reunited], who will not have been reunited [by the end of the day]: 0." Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who represents the separated families, said the government should not be congratulating itself for meeting its "self-defined" deadline. "These parents and children have lost valuable time together that can never be replaced," he said. "We're thrilled for the families who are finally reunited, but many more remain separated. The Trump administration is trying to sweep them under the rug by unilaterally picking and choosing who is eligible for reunification. "We will continue to hold the government accountable and get these families back together." On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Fox News' "Special Report" that the Trump administration was "on track" to meet the reunification deadline. At a hearing that same day, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw praised the administration's efforts at completing the reunifications. "When we meet on Friday, reunification will have been completed," he said. "This work has to be highlighted and commended." However, Sabraw also criticized the government for a lack of information about the parents' whereabouts, calling it the effect of "a policy that was in place that resulted in large numbers of families being separated without forethought as to reunification and keeping track of people." Meanwhile, Homeland Security's internal watchdog said it would review the separation of families, along with the conditions at Border Protection facilities where migrant children are held, in response to scores of congressional requests to do so. For the last two weeks, children have been arriving steadily at ICE locations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to be reunited with parents. Faith-based and other groups have provided meals, clothing, legal advice and plane and bus tickets. The families are generally released, and parents are typically given ankle-monitoring bracelets and court dates to appear before an immigration judge. Both sides were due in court Friday, when the judge was going to decide whether to ban deportations of families for seven days after they are reunified so that parents have time to discuss their options. Late last month, Sabraw ordered a nationwide halt to family separations, which Trump effectively did on June 20 following an international outcry. Sabraw issued a 14-day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents -- 30 days for older children. On Friday, family attorneys are to begin turning their attention to those who weren't reunited parents who had a criminal record, parents who were no longer in the U.S. and children who were handed over to other sponsors, Gelernt said. Fox News' Jake Gibson, Nicole Collins and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Thursday that China is ready to deepen friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields with Uganda in an all-round way. Xi made the remarks when meeting with his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, on the sidelines of the 10th BRICS summit held in Johannesburg on July 25-27. The Chinese president applauded Museveni for his long-term dedication to the promotion of the development of China-Uganda relations as well as China-Africa relations. Xi stressed that China and Uganda have seen sustained and rapid development of bilateral relations in recent years. Development strategies of the two countries are compatible and present each other with important opportunities, Xi said. He called on the two countries to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and continue to staunchly support each other on issues of their core interests and major concern. The Chinese side supports the efforts of the Ugandan side in developing economy and improving people's livelihood, and is ready to steadily advance major cooperative projects jointly with Uganda to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said. Xi called on China and Uganda to keep close communication on major international and regional hotspot issues and safeguard the common interests of the two countries and developing countries as a whole. Xi said that the Ugandan president has made important contributions to the development of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and that China is willing to work with Africa to make the upcoming FOCAC Beijing summit a success. Museveni said Uganda-China relations have seen strong development momentum. He thanked China for its long-term assistance to his country and said he is satisfied with the progress made in bilateral cooperation. Uganda hopes to deepen practical cooperation with China in such areas as industrial parks, infrastructure construction and electric power, and welcomes more Chinese companies to invest and develop in Uganda, he said. Museveni said the Ugandan side supports the Chinese side in hosting a successful FOCAC summit in Beijing. Russian hackers targeted staff employed by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., using a sophisticated password-stealing scheme late last year, according to a new report. The apparently unsuccessful hack, which occurred around August 2017 and was unearthed by The Daily Beast, is the latest indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains committed to meddling in U.S. elections, despite Trump administration warnings against future interference. At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened "severe consequences" if Russian hackers attempt to influence the midterms in November. And earlier this month, the Department of Justice's Cyber-Digital Task Force announced new plans to combat cyberwarfare (including election meddling), and to notify the public about suspected interference. McCaskill, a Democrat in a state handily carried by President Trump in 2016, is a prime target for Republicans in the midterm elections as they look to increase their narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate. Russia continues to engage in cyberwarfare against our democracy. I will continue to speak out and press to hold them accountable, McCaskill said in a statement. While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that they think they can get away with this. I will not be intimidated. Ive said it before and I will say it again: Putin is a thug and a bully. She was hit with a politically damaging report Tuesday when her local newspaper revealed businesses that tied to her husband have gotten more than $131 million in federal subsidies since she took office. The report dropped as President Trump was preparing to stump and fundraise for her likely Republican challenger in the midterms, State Attorney General Josh Hawley. INTEL DIRECTOR DAN COATS WARNS OF 'CYBER-9/11,' SAYS TRUMP'S STATEMENTS ON RUSSIA WEREN'T IDEAL The Daily Beast traced the attempted hack of McCaskill's staff after comments made by a Microsoft vice president at the Aspen Security Forum earlier this month. Microsoft went to court last year to secure an injunction that allowed the company to seize domain names used by Russian hackers that spoofed, or imitated, Microsoft trademarks as a means of tricking targets into entering their passwords. "Putin is a thug and a bully." Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. "We did discover that a fake Microsoft domain had been established as the landing page for phishing attacks, and we saw metadata that suggested those phishing attacks were being directed at three candidates who are all standing for elections in the midterm elections, Burt told attendees at the forum. We took down that domain and working with the government actually were able to avoid anybody being infected by that particular attack. The hackers established personalized URLs for some of their victims, and in reviewing those URLs, The Daily Beast found that McCaskill's staff was among the targets. It remains unclear whom the other targets mentioned by Burt are, or whether Russia has successfully targeted them. There is evidence that Russian hackers have targeted Republicans, as well. In May 2017, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio alleged that IP addresses originating in Russia had attempted to hack his staffers' accounts. "In July 2016, shortly after I announced Id seek re-election to the US senate, former members of my presidential campaign team who had access to the internal information of my presidential campaign were targeted by IP addresses with an unknown location within Russia. That effort was unsuccessful," Rubio said at a hearing. "I do think its appropriate to divulge this to the committee, since a lot of this has taken a partisan tone." Trump, meanwhile, has suggested -- apparently without additional evidence -- that Russian hackers would be working to help his political opponents in the coming elections. The FBI, CIA, and NSA have concluded, to varying degrees of confidence, that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections and wanted to help Trump win. "Im very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election," he wrote on Twitter this week. "Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely dont want Trump!" The tweet came amid continuing bipartisan outcry over Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, earlier this month. In Helsinki, Trump suggested that, contrary to his own intelligence community's assessments, he didn't see why it "would be" Russia that attempted to meddle in the 2016 elections. Trump later claimed he had misspoken, and meant to say that he didn't see why it "wouldn't' be" Russia that attempted to interfere in the elections -- although Trump left the door open to the possibility that other nations or actors had also attempted to meddle. Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly contributed to this report. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter to former President George W. Bush on Friday calling on him to authorize the release of records stemming from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaughs time working in the White House. Schumers request of Bush is the latest escalation in the dispute between Senate Republicans and Democrats over the disclosure of documents related to Kavanaughs time working for Bush, and specifically those pertaining to his time as staff secretary. You have been an advocate of transparency regarding your presidential records, and you have previously taken steps to make portions of your librarys collection of White House documents more available to the public, Schumer wrote to Bush. I believe that making Judge Kavanaughs complete record is consistent with your commitment to transparency and is strongly in the public interest. Trump nominated Kavanaugh, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on the high court this month, and his selection kicked off an intense confirmation fight. Click for more at WashingtonExaminer The U.S. economy grew by 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018, marking the fastest economic expansion in nearly four years, according to a highly anticipated estimate released Friday by the Commerce Department. President Trump touted the "amazing" growth during remarks at the White House shortly after the report's release, cheering a shrinking trade deficit and claiming the country is on track to hit the highest annual growth rate in over 13 years. Weve accomplished an economic turnaround of historic proportions, Trump declared. Once again, we are the economic envy of the entire world. The White House pointed to the gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, considered an official economic scorecard, as a strong indication that its tax cuts, commitment to deregulation and tough trade policies have paid off. The GDP broadly reflects the goods and services produced in the country. "As the trade deals come in one by one, were going to go a lot higher than these numbers, and these are great numbers, Trump said Friday. The figures may reflect a temporary boost due to short-term factors, but lend a powerful midterm-season talking point to congressional Republicans hitting the campaign trail during the summer recess. Democrats for months have downplayed and criticized the GOP-authored tax cuts as favoring the wealthy, but Republicans maintain that Americans have broadly benefited. Despite analysts' cautionary words, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters Friday that they believe the growth is "sustainable" and the report does not reflect a "one-shot" surge. As reported by the Commerce Departments Bureau of Economic Analysis, the growth from April to June was the largest since the economy's roughly 5 percent surge in the third quarter of 2014, which was the greatest economic expansion since the third quarter of 2003. MAJOR RETAILERS ALREADY HIRING SEASONAL WORKERS A Reuters survey of economists had predicted the April-June GDP increase at 4.1 percent, and the report met expectations. Trump and other White House officials have been setting the stage for days for a strong economic scorecard. The president has been working to refocus his agenda on the economy and trade, after enduring one of the worst weeks of his presidency following his controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And while hes been battered by both sides of the aisle for his hardline approach to trade, he claimed victory earlier this week after extracting new commitments from the European Union to buy more American products. Trump, in turn, backed off threats to impose tariffs on imported cars. The economy saw a comparatively slight 2.2 percent increase in the first quarter of this year. Friday's high numbers were driven in part by increased consumer spending, which makes up more than two-thirds of GDP, fueled by tax cuts and low unemployment -- as well as boosted exports and government spending. Consumer spending rebounded to a 4 percent annual growth rate after turning in a lackluster 0.5 percent gain in the first quarter. The sweeping Republican tax cuts that took effect in January were likely a major contributing factor, permanently slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and increasing many workers' take-home pay. Last month, the Labor Department also reported that the U.S. unemployment rate had fallen to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. Consumer confidence is high, according to Morgan Stanley Research, though rising gas prices have put a dent in consumer enthusiasm. JOB HUNTERS LANDING BETTER JOBS Increased oil prices also spurred investment in the energy industry, and healthier international markets further helped the manufacturing sector, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal. Significantly, some observers cautioned that some of the GDP growth reported by the Commerce Department can be attributed to a surge in soybean and other exports, as international buyers purchased the goods ahead of the expected implementation of bruising retaliatory tariffs. Last month, The Trump administration announced $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods for the country's "unfair trade practice" involving intellectual property, and China responded by promising $50 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods, including soybeans. Exports rose at a 9.3 percent rate in the second quarter, while imports grew at a tiny 0.5 percent rate. The narrowing trade deficit added a full percentage-point to growth in the second quarter, though economists are concerned that a full-blown trade war between the United States and China, the world's two biggest economies, will hurt growth going forward. The GDP numbers also were affected by the bipartisan budget deal reached earlier this year, which will raise federal spending caps by more than $300 billion over two years -- a move that some analysts say only artificially, and temporarily, boosts the economy. Top White House officials had signaled earlier in the week that the numbers would beat expectations. Trump predicted "terrific" economic numbers in a speech Thursday at a newly reopened U.S. Steel plant in Illinois. "On Friday, numbers come out and I don't know what they are, but there are predictions from 3.8 to 5.3 [percent growth]," Trump said Thursday. "Nobody thought we were going to be this good. ... When I took over those numbers were bad, and they were heading in the wrong direction, because of regulation. The Associated Press contributed to this report. German interference in the U.S. political system as means of countering President Trumps foreign policy agenda has sparked sharp criticism from Republican senators. There has been no shortage of conflict between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who have locked horns over trade, Iran, Israel's capital Jerusalem and NATO. German politicians have lashed out at the Trump administration over the past few weeks, criticizing, in particular, the presidents decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal. Heiko Maas, Germanys Social Democratic foreign minister and a passionate defender of the Iran deal, on Wednesday said: "America is bigger than the White House. Trump will not change that, either. He can tweet as much as he wants." In a recent interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, Maas Social Democratic colleague, Niels Annen, called for direct intervention in U.S. politics beyond the White House, urging the explicit lobbying of governors, congressmen and senators as a means of benefiting German trade policy. Prominent party members from Angela Merkels own Christian Democratic Union party have also attacked Trump. Friedrich Merz, a former leader of Merkels coalition in the German parliament who is now chairman of the Atlantic Bridge, an NGO devoted to promoting German-American understanding, told the Welt am Sonntag paper: We Europeans must redefine our role in this world, at least in our minds, without the United States. Merz also called for intervention in U.S. politics, saying there is a need to intensify the dialogue with those social and political groups and institutions in America that do not follow the battle cry America First and who, like us Europeans, feel a common and mutual responsibility for an open and free society. The attacks come after Richard Grenell, the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, said in an interview with Breitbart last month that he wants to empower other conservatives throughout Europe. Grenell, a former Fox News contributor and a fierce opponent of Iran's bellicose policies, has urged Germany to wind down its business with Iran and bar Iran's Mahan Air from entering German airspace. HANNITY ON NATO: GERMANY COULD 'CRIPPLE RUSSIA'S ECONOMY' BY HEEDING TRUMP'S WARNING ON GAS PIPELINE In a meeting last month with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Grenell revealed: We know that Mahan Air has been used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] as a mode of transport for weapons, resources and fighters, so were asking our allies to help us put a stop to it. In the wake of the German meddling, Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News it was distressing that some German politicians are straining relations with America to maintain ties with that kind of [Iran] regime. It is in the interest of all of our allies to comply with the American sanctions against Iran, including and especially those which were passed into law by successive American Congresses and have been affirmed by successive American presidents, Cruz said. In recent weeks, the Ayatollahs have been caught trying to conduct terrorism across Europe and reportedly to launch cyberattacks against us and our allies." Cruz added: "Irans top political and military figures have threatened to prevent shipping through the Gulf, and just this week President Rouhani threatened the West with the mother of all wars." Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Fox News: I hope Germany and our other allies in Europe will ultimately stand on the right side of history, and support the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran. In addition to being the biggest state sponsor of terrorism and a nuclear proliferator, the Iranian regime is directly complicit in the Syrian tragedythe worlds worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Senators Cruz and Rubio, along with eight additional Republican senators, sent a letter on Thursday to the ambassadors of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, urging their governments to not evade or subvert US sanctions that will be re-imposed on Iran. In the letter obtained by FoxNews.com, the senators stated to the major European powers: "We write to urge you to comply with all American sanctions but also to emphasize we would find it particularly troubling if you sought to evade or undermine American statutes," adding that "These laws were passed by Congress, signed by President Obama and will be enforced by President Trump." I hope Germany and our other allies in Europe will ultimately stand on the right side of history, and support the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla. The letter added: "Any attempt to evade or subvert them could well prompt congressional action, in coordination with other elements of the U.S. government, to ensure their integrity." TRUMP IS RIGHT - NATO IS OBSOLETE, AND HE'S DELIVERING THAT MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR When asked about the criticism of Senators Rubio and Cruz, a German foreign ministry spokesperson reiterated a comment from Maas: "Regardless of whom President Trump describes as a foe, I do not see the U.S. as an opponent, but rather as our most important partner and ally outside the E.U." Iran, North Korea, Syria and Pakistan are making efforts to expand their conventional weapons arsenal through the production of weapons of mass destruction Bavarian intelligence agency The foreign ministry spokesperson wrote that Maas has previously said regarding Iran: "Let me be clear: this is not a matter of people having different attitudes towards Iran. Iran and its ballistic missile program, the role it is playing in the region, particularly what it is up to in Syria all of this is anything but acceptable. But the point is that getting rid of the framework of security that the [nuclear deal] represents wouldnt help; in fact, it would make it much harder to address those problems successfully." The Merkel administration has gone to great lengths to promote the Iranian nuclear deal that aims to curb Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. Yet a new batch of state intelligence reports have contradicted Merkel and her coalition governments views about the effectiveness of the Iran deal. The state of Bavaria's intelligence report concluded that Iran's regime is working to turn its conventional military weapons into a system for weapons of mass destruction. Iran, North Korea, Syria and Pakistan are making efforts to expand their conventional weapons arsenal through the production of weapons of mass destruction, wrote the Bavarian intelligence agency - the rough equivalent of the FBI. Trump has singled out Germany for its trade surplus with the U.S, which had a whopping $64 billion trade surplus advantage over America in 2017. The president has bitterly complained about German luxury cars flooding U.S. markets at the expense of American automobiles. Trump's hard-charging style of negotiating influenced a change in Germany's defense security behavior at the July NATO conference in Brussels. Trump also went on the offensive noting Germany was "totally controlled by Russia" because Europe's wealthiest country is dependent on natural gas from Russia. The Obama administration approved a $200,000 grant to a group in Sudan with ties to Al Qaeda even though it had been designated a terrorist-financing organization by the U.S. years earlier, a conservative think tank revealed this week. Further, an agency official acknowledged the prior administration allowed taxpayer money to flow to the group even after its designation was discovered. The 2014 grant to the Islamic Relief Agency, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, was revealed by Sam Westrop of the Middle East Forum in a story for the National Review. More stunningly, government officials specifically authorized the release of at least $115,000 of this grant even after learning that it was a designated terror organization, Westrop wrote in the article. USAID has since reviewed its policies, though the Trump administration stressed this all occurred in the Obama years. As this occurred under the prior administration, the current Secretary of the State, Secretary of Treasury, and USAID Administrator had no involvement in decisions surrounding this award or subsequent license, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement to Fox News on Friday. An official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, backed up the National Review account in an email to Fox News, providing a timeline of events: The U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the Islamic Relief Agency in Khartoum in 2004 a terror-financing organization because of links to Usama bin Laden. But 10 years later, in March 2014, USAID awarded $723,405 to a charity called World Vision Inc., with $200,000 of those funds being directed to the Islamic Relief Agency. The money was directed to help provide humanitarian aid, including emergency food, water, sanitation, and hygiene services, to displaced people affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, the official said. The grant to ISRA, though, soon set off alarms. In November 2014, according to the official, USAID learned that the ISRA could be on the Treasury Departments Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, or SDN, list. USAID directed World Vision to suspend all activities with ISRA, and not to engage in further transactions with the organization, the official said. But in May 2015, the Treasury Department still authorized a one-time transfer from that money of $115,000 to ISRA for humanitarian assistance work already performed. According to the National Review story, there was pressure from inside USAID at the time to still pay ISRA, even after the designation was revealed. USAIDs mission director for Sudan, Larry Meserve, warned colleagues that the organizations whole program will be jeopardized if ISRA was not paid, the story said. Obama-administration officials knowingly approved the transfer of taxpayer dollars to an al-Qaeda affiliate, and not an obscure one but an enormous international network that was often in the headlines, Westrop wrote. USAID now says the grant should not have been made. Because of the grant, the USAID said Friday, they have since conducted a review of policies on the screening of awardees. USAID has also updated trainings for our agreement officers to improve our screening of prime and sub-awardees, the official said. To avoid working the Republican National Convention when it comes to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2020, some police officers are reportedly considering retiring early. Mark Michalec, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police said the convention can be a strain for officers. Charlotte hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2012. Its a lot of long hours, no days off, for at least a few weeks, Michalec told WBTV. Its definitely a strain. Were not recouping as fast as we need to. Thats a major concern with the officers around here. Recalling the gear officers had to wear during the 2012 DNC and protests in the city Michalec said some officers had concerns. During the last convention, he said officers had to wear the extra gear in the sweltering heat of the summer with God knows what being thrown at them, being said to them, just being degraded. He told WBTV there could be a shortage of 100 to 200 police officers in the department. The Republican National Committee officially chose Charlotte as the site for its 2020 convention earlier this month with a unanimous vote. RNC CHOOSES CHARLOTTE TO HOST 2020 CONVENTION Charlotte has so much to offer, and we are excited to bring delegates to a city that has demonstrated its southern hospitality, showcased its vibrant energy, and proven that possibilities are endless, RNC Site Selection Chairman Ron Kaufman said. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, said the selection conveys a positive message supporting our citys belief in acceptance and inclusion. This is our opportunity to, once again, put Charlotte in the international spotlight to demonstrate the democratic process and two-party system that we deeply value, Lyles said. According to WBTV, Charlotte will receive a $50 million federal grant that will help alleviate the costs of security for the event. Fox News Alex Pappas contributed to this report. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday expressed regret for not teaching high school students about due process after a crowd earlier this week chanted Lock her up! during his appearance at the Turning Point USA High School Leadership Summit. Sessions was seen standing somewhat awkwardly at the Washington event as the crowd revived the anti-Hillary Clinton chant from the 2016 presidential campaign. At one point, Sessions appeared to be briefly joining in on the chant, then laughed it off. I heard that a long time over the last campaign, he said. "I perhaps should have taken a moment to advise them that ... you're presumed innocent until cases are made." AG Jeff Sessions Lock her up! became popular among supporters of then-nominee Donald Trump during the 2016 election season. It referred to Clinton and to the FBIs decision not to prosecute her for mishandling emails that contained classified material. Now-former FBI Director James Comey said Clintons use of a private email server for handling the information was irresponsible but not criminal. But while Sessions didnt apologize, he said that perhaps he should have used this week's incident to teach students about how the law works. Well, I met with a group of enthusiastic high-school students, and they enthusiastically broke into that chant, the attorney general told reporters at a news conference Thursday. I perhaps should have taken a moment to advise them that ... you're presumed innocent until cases are made. Sessions immediately came under fire for his initial reaction to the students' chant. CNN broke into programming with a just in chyron focusing on Sessions jokingly repeating the expression, while other news organizations suggested Sessions joined the chant without including his further remarks indicating he was joking. MEDIA OVERREACTION? JEFF SESSIONS HAMMERED FOR LOCK HER UP RESPONSE The attorney general's speech at the event focused on universities, assailing campus culture that is creating a generation of supercilious snowflakes. Rather than molding a generation of mature, well-informed adults, some schools are doing everything they can to create a generation of sanctimonious, sensitive, supercilious snowflakes, Sessions said. He went on to call out universities and students for stifling free speech on campuses and expressing hostility toward conservatives, all while embracing liberal ideologies that are coddling students with trigger warnings, therapy sessions and crying rooms. Too many schools are coddling students, he said. There was a cry-in at Cornell after the 2016 election, therapy dogs at the University of Kansas. I hope they had plenty of tissues. President Trump unleashed a broadside Friday at his former attorney Michael Cohen, denying his reported claim that the president knew in advance of the controversial June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower involving his son, members of his campaign and a Russian attorney who supposedly promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. In a blistering tweetstorm, the president also suggested Cohen has turned on him, with the help of Clinton confidant lawyer Lanny Davis, to get out of trouble with his taxi business or other dealings. I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Trump tweeted Friday. The presidents tweet comes as Cohen, who served as a Trump Organization attorney for more than a decade, reportedly claims he was in the room when Trump was informed in advance of the Russians offer for dirt and approved the 2016 meeting. Cohens claim, reported by CNN and The New York Post, directly contradicts assertions made by the White House and the president on the matter. MICHAEL COHEN SECRETLY RECORDED CONVERSATION WITH CNN'S CUOMO, TELLING HIM HE PAID STORMY 'ON MY OWN': REPORT When asked about Cohens claim that POTUS knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting between Don Jr and Veselnitskaya, Rudy Giuliani told Fox News Not true. Giuliani also adamantly denied Cohens claim in an interview with CNN. Hes been lying all week, hes been lying for years, Giuliani told CNNs Cuomo Prime Time on Thursday night. I dont see how hes got any credibility. Giuliani added that Cohen is the kind of witness that can really destroy your whole case, and called Cohen a pathological liar. "A person who is found to be an incredible liar, hes got a tremendous motive to lie now because hes got nothing to give, says it, all of a sudden, at the 11th hour. I dont think anybody believes that, Giuliani told CNN. Donald Trump Jr.s attorney, Alan Futerfas, also pushed back on Cohens claim in a statement to Fox News. Donald Trump Jr. has been very professional and responsible throughout the [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller and Congressional investigations, Futerfas said in a statement to Fox News. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr. Trump Jr., and on his behalf. Cohens attorney Davis did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment. MICHAEL COHEN COULD FACE TROUBLE WITH STATE BAR, FUTURE CLIENTS, COURT OVER TAPE LEAK Cohens latest claim comes days after he released a recorded conversation between he and Trump about a possible payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal to buy the rights of her story that claimed an alleged affair with Trump. Cohen is currently under criminal investigation as part of a grand jury probe into his personal business dealings. His personal properties were raided earlier this year by investigators. The tape, leaked to CNN by his attorney this week, was seized in the raid. Federal investigators are probing his personal business dealings, including a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election, and his involvement in the New York City taxi cab industry. But his latest claim referring to the June 9, 2016 meeting was first reported by The New York Times in the summer of 2017, reigniting claims that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the presidential election. Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort were known to have attended the meeting with Kremlin-linked attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya. MICHAEL COHEN TAPE FUELS DEBATE ABOUT TRUMP, CASH AND CREDIBILITY Vestelnitskaya brought a Russian-born lobbyist, Rinat Ahkmetshin; a former State Department contractor with ties to Veselnitskaya, Anatoli Samochornov; Russian real estate executive Ike Kaveladze and music publicist Rob Goldstone, who brokered the get-together promising campaign dirt on Clinton. Goldstone, in an email to Trump Jr., referred to Veselnitskaya as the Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow. Goldstone, at the time, said that he could set up a meeting to provide very high level and sensitive information compromising Clintons election chances as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump. If its what you say, I love it, Trump Jr. wrote in response. It remains unclear what Goldstone was referring to. Following the controversy, Trump Jr. defended himself, saying Veselnitskaya did not have any such information and wanted to focus on non-election related issues, such as Russian adoption and the Magnitsky Act, which brings harsh sanctions on Russian oligarchs suspected of money laundering. In an email to Fox News in October 2017, Veselnitskaya said that the meeting was meant to discuss the sanctions law aimed at top Russian officials. I had never been looking for a meeting neither with Trump Jr., nor Sr., nor his team, Veselnitskaya wrote to Fox News in an email last year, sent in Russian and translated to English by her translator. Veselnitskaya wrote, however, that she had been told Trump Jr. could help her bring information to members of Congress about the law. Trump repeatedly denied having any knowledge of the meeting, but defended his son for taking it. Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. Thats politics! Trump tweeted the day the New York Times story was published last year. Trump also tweeted Friday, blasting Mueller and his team for developments in their investigation. A New York Times report on Thursday said that the special counsel team was investigating the presidents tweets as part of their probe into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates. Arrived back in Washington last night from a very emotional reopening of a major U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, Illinois, only to be greeted with the ridiculous news that the highly conflicted Robert Mueller and his gang of 13 Angry Democrats obviously cannot find collusion, Trump tweeted Friday morning. Minutes later he added: the only Collusion with Russia was with the Democrats, so now they are looking at my Tweets (along with 53 million other people)the rigged Witch Hunt continues! How stupid and unfair to our Country The 53 million other people Trump was referring to were his Twitter followers. The president now has 53.3 million people following his personal Twitter account. Fox News' John Roberts and Kristin Brown contributed to this report. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the U.N. is running out of money and is urging members to pay up amid a looming financial crisis for the international body. In a letter to staff this week, seen by Fox News, Guterres says he has warned member states of a troubling financial situation facing the United Nations," which he says is caused by late payments to the U.N. by member states. Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning; we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer, he says. 'Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year.' U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Guterres went on to say that the organization will be taking measures to look at reducing costs, in a way that wont affect their mission. He said he also will be proposing to states various steps to strengthen financial stability at the U.N. Trump administration threats to cut funding do not appear to be directly linked to the cash crunch. While the administration has been eyeing carefully its payments to various U.N. funds and agencies, the U.S. has not yet reduced or delayed its payments to the budget, though due to the fall start of the U.S. fiscal year, payments usually come later in the year. Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday that the issue is late payments and payments not yet received to the regular budget. Late payment has an impact obviously on our cash flow. It may have an impact on our ability to deliver mandates, he said. However, Hugh Dugan, a former U.S. diplomat at the U.N., said that other countries could be mimicking what is perceived as the U.S. backing away from its commitments at the body of diplomacy and international relations. A look at the record shows that Trump has continued to fund it at historic levels, chose it to sanction North Korea, and uses it as a platform to defend Israel. However, there is a wide misperception fed by Trump detractors and a combative media that his Administration has walked away from the U.N., Dugan, who is also a professor at Seton Hall Universitys School of Diplomacy and International Relations, said. Other countries mimic the U.S., and what they hear has led them to go slow on support and check writing, he said. Earlier this year, the U.S. withheld funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). HALEY PRESSURES ARAB STATES TO STEP UP ON PALESTINIAN AID: 'WE ARE NOT FOOLS' Guterres call for members to cough up the cash, meanwhile, mimics the pressure the Trump administration has been putting on countries at both the U.N. and at NATO to fulfill their commitments. On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley urged Arab states to provide more funding for Palestinians. "Americans are very generous people. We are humanitarian oriented. And we continue to seek out ways to help the Palestinian people, whose plight is of genuine concern to us," she said. But we are not fools. If we extend a hand in friendship and generosity, we do not expect our hand to be bitten. And as we extend our hand, we also expect others to extend theirs as well. Skywatchers around much of the world have begun watching a complete lunar eclipse that is the longest of this century. The so-called "blood moon," when it turns a deep red, is visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. The total eclipse lasts 1 hour and 43 minutes, with the entire event lasting closer to four hours. Across Africa, people turned to the sky, watching the reddish shadow slide up the moon's surface. In Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, hundreds of people hurried to mosques for special prayers often observed during lunar eclipses while clerics on loudspeakers urged them along. In Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, people at an open-air restaurant admired a rare clear view during the rainy season, comparing a live NASA webcast to what they saw above. Then clouds rolled in. "Dem yelebesech chereka," some murmured Amharic for "blood moon." "The reason that the moon turns red is because atmospheric scattering causes red light to pass through the atmosphere and the composition of the atmosphere can change if volcanic eruptions or forest fires occur," said Tom Kerss, an astronomer with the Royal Observatory Greenwich. "And the density of dust increasing in the atmosphere can cause the moon to appear a particularly deep red, and indeed it has the same effect on our sunsets and sunrises." In a special treat, Mars is also at its closest approach to Earth this week since 2003, making it appear bigger and brighter. Excited skywatchers on social media shared photos of the bright planet just to the right of the moon. North America missed out on Friday's lunar eclipse but can look forward to the next one on Jan. 21, 2019, according to NASA. In the 18th century, craftsmen were barred from the Academy of Sciences in Paris, which wished to maintain an elitist image of knowledge, exempt from any ties with the world of trade and commerce. The episode relating to LArt de lhorlogerie, the writing of which was finally entrusted to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, is a perfect example of this standpoint. The latter was not shared by the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, better known as the Royal Society. This English institution created in 1660 was open to deserving artisans, in recognition of their essential contribution to the advancement of technical and scientific knowledge. Becoming one of its members therefore represented a fundamental milestone in Ferdinand Berthouds career. The watchmaker arrived in London May 1st 1763. In mid-April 1763, the Academy had in fact commissioned him to accompany mathematician Charles Etienne Louis Le Camus to England to analyse the longitude chronometer that John Harrison had just made. The pair has 12,000 pounds with them and stayed several weeks in London, where they met the astronomer De Lalande. They waited in vain for Harrison to reveal the secrets of his mechanism and, as we now know, returned to France without having seen the model. Berthoud nonetheless made the most of his stay in several respects. As a true tourist, he explored the capital, its attractions and its bubbling cultural life. In parallel, he established ties with English scientists. On May 12th 1763, he attended his first ever session of the Royal Society in the company of Le Camus and De Lalande. On this occasion, he donated a copy of his Essai sur lhorlogerie to the venerable institution and returned on June 2nd for another session. Precision regulator table clock with calendar and equation of time, 1764. Ferdinand Berthoud Meanwhile, the Academy of Sciences in Paris wrote a recommendation letter to support his nomination to the Royal Society; its signatories included Abbe Nollet, DAlembert, La Condamine and Duhamel du Monceau. The same type of letter on behalf of Lalande had been written on March 29th; and the one for Le Camus would be dated June 9th 1763. In accordance with the Societys admissions procedure, these documents, referred to as certificates, were exhibited for several weeks prior to the election to fellowship. These archives include two recommendation letters supporting Berthouds nomination: the one from the Academy; and the one sent in October 1763 and written at Berthouds personal request by Basle-born mathematician Daniel Bernouilli, himself a member of the Royal Society. They were displayed as of November 10th that same year, and on February 16th 1764, Berthoud was at last approved as a foreign member. The list of new admissions for the year 1764 records his name as Ferdin. Berthoud, Neocom. Helvetus [Swiss citizen, from Neuchatel], thereby emphasising his origins in Neuchatel and Switzerland. Nonetheless, his definitive recognition within the academic world was confirmed a year later, when Berthoud himself became a signatory of a recommendation letter sent by the Academy of Sciences, despite not being a member of the latter institution. This was the missive on behalf of Count Hans Moritz von Bruhl, ambassador of Saxony to London, renowned for his passion for science. It is dated March 5th 1765 and Berthoud is the only non-member of the academy to have put his name to this document. He was in fact entitled to sign it because of his election to the Royal Society that had established him as an acknowledged scholar. A dead whale shark that recently washed up on a beach on Sanibel Island in Florida was likely killed by the current red tide bloom, wildlife officials said. The bloom occurs when colonies of algae simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds, according to the National Ocean Service. Tissue samples taken from the whale shark indicate it was infected by the Karenia brevis organism, which produces the brevetoxins that can harm and, in some cases, kill sea life. FLORIDA BEACHES LITTERED WITH DEAD SEA TURTLES; SCIENTISTS BLAME RED TIDE The current red tide bloom in southwestern Florida is the longest, continuous bloom in more than a decade, scientists said this week. In addition to the whale shark, the bloom has stranded nearly 100 sea turtles on the beaches, more than 50 of which were dead. Given the high concentrations of Karenia brevis in that area and the large fish kills in that area, its fair to say it may be red tide," Michelle Kerr, a spokeswoman for the Florida Wildlife Research Institute, told the Naples Daily News of the whale sharks death. The higher concentration of the toxins, the more likely it is that large sea creatures -- such as a whale shark -- can be affected by the bloom, Dr. Richard Bartleson, a research scientist with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, told Fox News. A low concentration of the Karenia brevis organism is considered to be 10 cells per liter of water, while a high concentration -- which has the ability to kill fish -- typically starts at 500,000 cells per liter. RARE WHALE-DOLPHIN HYBRID DISCOVERED IN HAWAII, SCIENTISTS SAY Some marine and water quality scientists have argued that the abnormally high concentration of Karenia brevis is linked to human activities such as farming. Many of the chemicals used in fertilizer -- such as phosphorus and nitrogen -- reach the ocean via surface runoffs that occur after a rainstorm or hurricane. These chemicals provide the perfect nutrients to worsen the bloom, Bartleson said. A pair of nematodes roundworms are apparently alive after they were frozen in permafrost for nearly 42,000 years. Russian scientists said the two prehistoric worms, out of a group of about 300, are moving and eating after they came back to life in a lab at the Institute of Physico-Chemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science in Moscow, the Siberian Times reported. After being defrosted, the nematodes showed signs of life, a report from the Russian scientists said, according to the Siberian Times. One of the worms was found near the Alazeya River in 2015 and is believed to be about 41,700 years old, according to the study published in the Doklady Biological Sciences. They were found about 11.5 feet underground. The other worm was found in 2002 in a fossil rodent burrow near the Kolyma River. These samples were taken from about 100 feet underground. The worms were found close to Pleistocene Park, the site of an experimental project to recreate the habitat of the extinct woolly mammoth, according to The Sun. 100 TAPEWORM EGGS FOUND INSIDE BRAIN OF 8 YEAR OLD WITH SEVERE HEADACHES, SEIZURES Our data demonstrate the ability of multicellular organisms to survive long-term (tens of thousands of years) cryobiosis under the conditions of natural cryoconservation, a report provided to Fox News said. It is obvious that this ability suggests that the Pleistocene nematodes have some adaptive mechanisms that may be of scientific and practical importance for the related fields of science, such as cryomedicine, cryobiology, and astrobiology, it continued. Cryobiology is the study of living things at extremely low temperatures. The worms were cultivated in Petri dishes at about 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, for several weeks, the study said. MASSIVE 18-INCH HAMMERHEAD WORMS ARE INVADING FRANCE Scientists believe both worms are females, according to a report provided to Fox News. Nematodes are known for their ability to sustain long periods of time in unfavorable conditions, including in extremely low temperatures, the report said. They are the oldest living animals currently on the planet, the Siberian Times reported. The research was conducted by teams from multiple Russian institutions as well as Princeton University in New Jersey. For the first time ever, researchers have watched a star race past the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, verifying that its motion showed the effects of general relativity, as predicted by Albert Einstein. The stars of the Milky Way orbit a gargantuan black hole called Sagittarius A*, which is generally quiet as viewed from Earth, except for ripping apart the occasional object that ventures too close. The black hole's mass is 4 million times that of the sun, and it exhibits our galaxy's strongest gravitational field, making it and a small group of stars orbiting it at high speed a perfect proving ground for the extreme effects predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. For 26 years, researchers have been observing the center of the Milky Way using instruments from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). "The galactic center was our laboratory to test gravity," Odele Straub, an astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory and co-author of the new study, said at an ESO news conference July 26. [Einstein's Theory of Relativity Explained (Infographic)] Astronomers have used new infrared observations from the GRAVITY, SINFONI and NACO instruments on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile to follow a star, known as S2, which is part of a group of fast-moving stars orbiting the supermassive black hole, located 26,000 light-years from Earth. In May 2018, these astronomers witnessed S2 pass very close to this black hole. At the time, S2 was moving extremely fast 15.5 million mph (25 million km/h). By comparing position and velocity measurements taken by GRAVITY and SINFONI and previous measurements taken of S2, the team found that the warped light from the star was consistent with predictions based on general relativity's description of how gravity bends space-time. The measurements of S2 clearly show an effect known as redshift, ESO officials said in a statement. "Redshift tells us how gravity affects photons as they travel through the universe," Andrea Mia Ghez, an astronomer and professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles who was not involved in this research, told Space.com. The supermassive black hole's gravitational field stretched the light leaving S2, and the change in the wavelength of light from S2 aligns with what is predicted by Einstein's theory, according to the statement. The new measurements and results don't agree with what would be predicted by the simpler, Newtonian theory of gravity, the researchers said at the news conference. Frank Eisenhauer, senior staff scientist at the Max Plank Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and principal investigator for GRAVITY and the SINFONI spectrograph, showed a vivid graph highlighting that divergence at the ESO news conference reading "Einstein 1:0 Newton" eliciting cheers from the audience. This is the first time such a deviation from the Newtonian theory of gravity has been observed in a star around a supermassive black hole, the researchers said in the statement, although it was the second time they observed S2 around the black hole; they've been tracking the system for more than two decades. Last time it passed by, 16 years ago, the measurements' resolution wasn't good enough to pick up relativity's effects. As human beings on Earth, we fall, we drop things and we don't float off of the planet into space; from an everyday perspective, we understand gravity quite well. However, of the different laws of physics, "gravity is the least tested, although [it's] the one we understand from a human existence the best," Ghez said. This new research helps to solidify our understanding of gravity on a larger scale. "Getting this law right is super important," Ghez said. Even if you don't have it right, or you work with an incorrect understanding of gravity even on a small scale those mistakes may have accumulated on a larger scale, she added. This work shows how gravity acts near a supermassive black hole, thus improving scientists' understanding of the force and its effects, the researchers said. "Here in the solar system, we can only test the laws of physics now and under certain circumstances,"Francoise Delplancke, head of the system engineering department at ESO and co-author of the new study, said in the statement. "So it's very important in astronomy to also check that those laws are still valid where the gravitational fields are very much stronger." Astronomers will continue to observe and study S2 and hope to soon show general relativity's effect on a small rotation of the star's orbit as it travels away from the supermassive black hole, the researchers said. The results of the new research were published online July 26 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com. Amazons Rekognition facial surveillance technology has wrongly tagged 28 members of Congress as police suspects, according to ACLU research, which notes that nearly 40 percent of the lawmakers identified by the system are people of color. In a blog post, Jacob Snow, technology and civil liberties attorney for the ACLU of Northern California, said that the false matches were made against a mugshot database. The matches were also disproportionately people of color, he said. These include six members of the Congressional Black Caucus, among them civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. The ACLU notes that people of color make up only 20 percent of Congress. Snow also cited a recent letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos by the Congressional Black Caucus, in which members voiced their concern about potential law enforcement use of Rekognition. It is quite clear that communities of color are more heavily and aggressively policed than white communities, the letter says. This status quo results in an oversampling of data which, once used as inputs to an analytical framework leveraging artificial intelligence, could negatively impact outcomes in those oversampled communities. MICROSOFT CALLS FOR FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY RULES GIVEN 'POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE' The ACLU echoes the concerns raised by the Congressional Black Caucus. If law enforcement is using Amazon Rekognition, its not hard to imagine a police officer getting a match indicating that a person has a previous concealed-weapon arrest, biasing the officer before an encounter even begins, Snow writes. Or an individual getting a knock on the door from law enforcement, and being questioned or having their home searched, based on a false identification. However, Amazon Web Services questioned how the ACLU conducted its test. We think that the results could probably be improved by following best practices around setting the confidence thresholds (this is the percentage likelihood that Rekognition found a match) used in the test, explained an AWS spokesperson, in a statement emailed to Fox News. While 80 percent confidence is an acceptable threshold for photos of hot dogs, chairs, animals, or other social media use cases, it wouldnt be appropriate for identifying individuals with a reasonable level of certainty. When using facial recognition for law enforcement activities, we guide customers to set a threshold of at least 95 percent or higher. The ACLU said that it used the default match settings that Amazon sets for Rekognition. Amazon Web Services told Fox News that Rekognition is designed to efficiently trawl through vast quantities of image data. It is worth noting that in real world scenarios, Amazon Rekognition is almost exclusively used to help narrow the field and allow humans to expeditiously review and consider options using their judgement (and not to make fully autonomous decisions), where it can help find lost children, restrict human trafficking, or prevent crimes, explained the spokesperson. SCHOOLS, FEARING THREATS, LOOK TO FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY FOR ADDITIONAL SECURITY We have seen customers use the image and video analysis capabilities of Amazon Rekognition in ways that materially benefit both society (e.g. preventing human trafficking, inhibiting child exploitation, reuniting missing children with their families, and building educational apps for children), and organizations (enhancing security through multi-factor authentication, finding images more easily, or preventing package theft), said the spokesperson. We remain excited about how image and video analysis can be a driver for good in the world, including in the public sector and law enforcement. This is not the first time that facial recognition has sparked controversy. Microsoft, for example, recently urged the government to regulate the technology, citing its potential for abuse. In a blog post, Microsoft President Brad Smith warned that without a thoughtful approach, public authorities may rely on flawed or biased technological approaches to decide who to track, investigate or even arrest for a crime. Earlier this year researchers from MIT and Stanford University reported gender and skin-type bias in commercial artificial-intelligence systems. Fearing threats, however, some schools are looking to facial recognition technology for additional security. Fox News Christopher Carbone and the Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers Facebook is sorryfor many, many things. The embattled social network, which has found itself facing government scrutiny, strict new regulations in Europe, criticism from politicians and now, a plummeting stock price, has been apologizing so often that its difficult to know which mea culpas are most pertinent. Fox News has compiled a small sample of the incidents that prompted CEO Mark Zuckerberg or his colleagues to apologize. FACEBOOK SLAMMED BY SANDY HOOK PARENTS OVER LIES, HOAX CLAIMS Cambridge Analytica data scandal Zuckerbergs company took out full-page advertisements in U.S. and British newspapers in March to apologize for the breach of trust that permitted the now-defunct political consultancy Cambridge Analyticawhich did work for the 2016 campaign of President Donald Trump and othersto improperly harvest the data of at least 87 million users. The billionaires apology tour included testimony before lawmakers in both countries. Russia's U.S. election interference In November 2016, Zuckerberg called the notion that fake news impacted the U.S. presidential election a pretty crazy idea. However, a federal grand jury indicted 13 Russians and three Russian companies for allegedly meddling in the presidential electionspecifically calling out their usage of Facebook to sow discord and influence U.S. public opinion. Since then, the tech giant has gone on a hiring spree, partnered with nonpartisan fact-checkers, removed hundreds of accounts or pages and made the eradication of fake news and the protection of election integrity a bigger priority. COO Sheryl Sandberg told Axios that Facebook owes the American people Not just an apology, but determination for our role in enabling Russian interference during the election. FACEBOOK'S MARK ZUCKERBERG LOSES $16B IN ONE DAY Hate Speech in the Declaration of Independence Facebook sent a note to the Liberty County Vindicator in Texas, which had been posting excerpts of the document, saying this passage violates its standards on hate speech: "He has excited domestic insurrections against us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. The newspaper, which surmised that the phrase Indian savages may have triggered the tech companys algorithms, received a notice saying Facebook was sorry for removing the post and that the content had been restored. Allowing underage users, extreme content A recent Channel 4 undercover investigation in the U.K. found that Facebook knowingly permitted extreme content and allowed underage users to remain on the platform. In addition, one of the companys earliest investors says that extreme content is Facebooks money-making crack-cocaine. Facebook Vice President of Global Policy Richard Allan says in the Channel 4 documentary: Youve identified some areas where weve failed, and Im here today to apologize for those failings. STUDY REVEALS WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE ARE FLEEING FACEBOOK Censoring Wes Cook Bands I Stand for the Flag In early July, the tech platform prevented the Wes Cook Band from using its advertising tools to promote their song I Stand for the Flag due to its political content. The song features lyrics such as: Don't care if you're black or white or who you love, I stand for the Flag and the Flag stands for all of us. After a dialogue with the bandwhich says the song is about patriotism and unityFacebook reversed course and said: Weve spoken to the Wes Cook band to explain we made an error here, it explained in a joint statement. Were grateful for their patience as we work to improve our policies. Search suggestions of child pornography videos British users in March said the social media companys suggestions, which are supposedly the result of popular search terms as determined by an algorithm, started to suggest unpleasant results to users who typed in "video of." After users took to Twitter to complain of suggestions that included child pornography and other bizarre content, Facebook issued a statement saying that they removed the "offensive predictions" as soon as they became aware of them. Holocaust denier comments The company's battle against fake news hit a snag when Zuckerberg said the platform would not ban Holocaust deniers, saying to Recode that his company should not "be in the business of having people...who are deciding what is true and what isnt." After mounting criticism, in particular from Jewish users, Zuckerberg clarified his comments by saying: "I personally find Holocaust denial deeply offensive, and I absolutely didnt intend to defend the intent of people who deny that." He added that Facebook would remove posts that "cross a line" into advocating for violence against particular groups. Rejecting ads from restaurants, hair salons as 'political' The technology giant, which instituted more stringent rules that force anyone running political ads on the platform to reveal their identity and location, was called out for mistakenly rejecting ads from businesses that were not political. Enforcement is never perfect at launch, but that's why we have processes in place for people and advertisers to help us improve. Advertisers can appeal their ads that are in the archive but shouldn't be there, Rob Leathern, Director of Product Management at Facebook, told Fox News. Censoring Diamond & Silk The pro-Trump social media personalities claimed several times that their posts were censored or downplayed on Facebook. Several of the duo's videos were tagged as "unsafe for the community." However, Monika Bickert, head of Global Policy Management at Facebook, told House lawmakers that the platform "badly mishandled" their communications with Diamond & Silk. Removing a photograph of two men kissing Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, removed a photograph of two men kissing that was taken by U.K.-based photographer Stella Asia Consonni for a magazine project for violating community guidelines. The post, which a source told Fox News was removed due to human error, was reinstated and a spokesperson said it was taken down "by mistake." Fox News James Rogers contributed to this report. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is considered one of the most influential tech visionaries of a generation, but there were some things he couldnt quite predict. When he introduced the companys most famous product in 2007, the iPhone, the device did not provide any support for third-party software. Jobs believed that web apps served over the internet could provide adequate functionality but pretty quickly developers managed to jailbreak the phone and begin coding third party apps and put them on the device via programs like Installer.app. The following year, with the release of iPhone OS 2.0, Apple launched the App Store and officially introduced third-party app development and distribution to the platform. But Steve Jobs had no idea how big it would become. Click on news.com.au for more. Enemies of the United States will never be able to use bad weather to hide again. StormBreaker is a new bomb that can seek out targets in spite of bad weather in the battlespace. Not only does it reign over all weather, around the clockit can hunt bad guys when they are on the move or trying to escape in vehicles. This U.S. Air Force program will give American fighters the crucial advantage of being able to precisely strike when others cannot. Made by Raytheon, the bomb is fired from fighter jets thousands of feet up, and penetrates bad weather to attack moving and stationary targets on the ground. The F-15E Strike Eagles are the first to receive the revolutionary bomb. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F/A 18E/F Super Hornets are next to be armed with these bad boys. BLACK HAWK ARMY HELICOPTERS GET FUTURISTIC NEW COCKPIT Before it received the moniker StormBreaker, this bomb used to go by the rather dull, drab title of Small Diameter Bomb Increment II or SDB II. Its an anytime, day or night, all weather bomb- and it rips away the cover of weather advantage from U.S. adversaries. As always the recent Farnborough Airshow in the U.K. was quite a spectacle with countries and aviation companies showcasing their latest and greatest in the sky and on the ground. But arguably the most exciting news to come out of the annual event was something that was unseen news that StormBreaker has recently moved into operational readiness testing. This signifies a crucial step closer to USAF fighter jets being armed with this mighty weapon. What does it look like? For this scale of capability, you might expect it is massive in size. But this remarkable bomb only weighs just over 200 pounds. It is 70 inches long and just seven inches in diameter. Similar in size to those fun floating noodle toys found in pools, ponds and surf all around the U.S. When weapons are large, this can mean more fighters are required to ensure the target is destroyed. StormBreakers are on the smaller side so a fighter jet can carry more of them than a bigger weapon. The fewer the fighter jets deployed against the same target, the fewer pilots put at risk. ARMY'S NEW MACHINE GUN WILL BLAST LIKE BATTLE TANKS The more distance put between U.S. forces and the enemy when striking a target the better. This bomb can be launched from more than 40 miles away, yet still strike precisely. PODCAST: FIND OUT HOW THIS FIGHTER PILOT USED FIGHTER TECHNIQUES TO HELP NFL TEAMS WIN SUPER BOWLS Why is bad weather tough? Bad weather is an age old method of concealment and one that U.S. adversaries could use against to conceal themselves from air strikes but not anymore. Sandstorms, heavy rain, snow are weather conditions that could pose targeting challenges. Also in battle conditions, battlefield obscurants like thick dust kicked up by helicopters or vehicles could also be used to the enemys advantage. Explosions are also very common in the battlespace and can fill the air with the dust and debris, making visibility poor at best. StormBreaker takes the bad weather concealment advantage away from adversaries and converts it into an advantage for the U.S. military. With this bomb, the U.S. can strike in conditions other countries cannot. PODCAST: WHAT DO SKATEBOARDS AND FIGHTER JETS HAVE IN COMMON? LEARN HOW THE SECRET TO HOW TOP GUN PILOTS CRUSH IT + YOU CAN TOO How does it hunt bad guys? When visibility is limited, StormBreaker provides a powerful solution an ultra advanced seeker. THIS ORANGE, SQUISHY BODY ARMOR MATERIAL COULD SAVE LIVES The special seeker integrated into the weapon shares targeting data throughout the three modes of attack. This allows the weapon to be seemingly unstoppable. It allows the bomb to accurately strike no matter the weather and no matter the amount of light. It also allows it to do so against both fixed and moving targets. What sort of advanced tech does it use to hunt and strike? There are three modes: millimeter wave radar, imaging infrared and semi-active laser. The millimeter wave radar helps the weapon detect and track targets through the adverse weather. The imaging infrared provides enhanced target discrimination. To track an airborne laser designator from the ground or an aircraft, the weapon uses its semi active laser. How does it attack? StormBreaker can attack three ways: normal, laser illuminated and coordinate attack. TANK-KILLING ROBOT REVEALED For engaging moving targets in bad weather, StormBreaker uses the millimeter wave radar and IR for terminal guidance. With the laser illuminated attack mode, the weapon will use its laser spot tracker to strike accurately. If StormBreaker is deployed against a fixed or stationary target, then the weapon can use coordinates with the coordinate attack mode. The bomb incorporates two-way datalink communications. This allows the weapon to receive target updates. Controllers (whether on the ground or in the air) can send updates while the bomb is in mid-flight if necessary. For example, if the target has moved, then the controllers can send the bomb new coordinates mid-flight and StormBreaker can adjust using tis GPS/INS system to guide its way to the new target location. NEW FUTURISTIC ISRAELI 'DUNE-BUGGY' IS BRISTLING WITH WEAPONS, READY FOR COMBAT After the fighter fires a StormBreaker, the controller can also still abort the mission by updating the bomb using the link When will StormBreakers reign over weather? Now that the operational testing phase has begun, StormBreakers should be arming the USAF fighters fleet in the near term. Raytheon has already integrated the bombs on the F-15E Strike Eagle. The USAF and Navy have begun integration on more aircraft. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter may be ramped up with StormBreakers reaching initial operating capability by 2022 and the F/A 18E/F Super Hornet within about 2 years. Authorities at JFK International Airport in New York say theyre reviewing their current perimeter security measures after an escapee from a mental health facility managed wander onto a taxiway. Mark Mogensen, 20, was discovered inside the restricted area on July 16, still damp from swimming across the Jamaica Bay, which separates the southern and eastern edges of the airport from parts of Queens, according to the New York Daily News. I swam across the river and jumped the fence, Mogensen told Port Authority police officers, according to court records. ALLEGIANT AIR PLANE FINDS 'BIRD REMAINS' IN ENGINE AFTER EMERGENCY LANDING Mogensen had gone missing from the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital in Alexandria, Va., where he had voluntarily admitted himself on July 14 for treatment of a mood disorder. It is not currently unclear how Mogensen managed to get himself from Virginia to New York, but authorities say he was able to escape the hospital using an employees badge. He was apprehended and charged with criminal trespassing following the incident. News of the security breach has prompted the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees JFK, to investigate. SEE IT: NASHVILLE RESIDENTS SAY PLANE RAINED DEBRIS ON CARS Safety and security remain the Port Authoritys highest priority, the Port Authority said in a statement. The recent trespassing incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport remains under investigation. Furthermore, current perimeter security measures at the airport are under review. The Port Authority employs a multi-layered security approach that includes physical security, security technology, police and civilian operations. While the agency exceeds federal standards for airport perimeter security we continue to explore ways to enhance our security posture. We have already identified some enhancements to our physical security measures. Based on the findings of this investigation, we will evaluate, and potentially implement, additional layers of protection at JFK Airport and our other facilities. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS The Daily News reported that the current security system Port Authoritys Perimeter Intrusion Detection System had cost over $100 million dollars. Paul Nunziato, the president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, further claimed that the system has failed to prevent breaches in the past. Authorities in Southern California say they have arrested a 32-year-old man on arson charges in connection with five fires -- including one blaze that is threatening about 600 homes in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles. The suspect, identified as Brandon McGlover, of Temecula, set the fires Wednesday in southwest Riverside County, the Los Angeles Times reported. The largest of the five fires was the so-called Cranston Fire, which quickly turned into a wall of flame that torched timber and dry brush. In a matter of hours, the fire grew to 7.5 square miles. Because of the blaze, about 3,000 residents were under evacuation orders Thursday in Idyllwild and several neighboring communities that total about 12,000 people. William Blodgett of Idyllwild told FOX 11 in Los Angeles that he and other residents couldn't get to their homes because of the fire, so they waited at a local gas station -- until the flames headed toward them there. "We were all peeling out of there as fast as we could," he told the station. "It was apocalyptic." The blazes in Southern California were among a larger group of fires that have been burning throughout the state, as California also deals with high temperatures and dry summer conditions. In Central California, the heart of Yosemite National Park remained empty a day after campers and hotel guests were evicted so firefighters could try to keep the Ferguson Fire, the state's largest, from entering the park nearly two weeks after it was sparked. The closure was heartbreaking for travelers who mapped out trips months in advance to hike and climb amid the spectacular views of cascading waterfalls and sheer rock faces. Daina Miller of Tucson, Ariz., had wanted to visit Yosemite for years, but instead her family spent a few hours breathing foul-smelling smoke Tuesday before retreating to their RV for the night. The next morning, they left for Los Angeles. "You go there and expect the fresh air and it was the total opposite of that," she said Thursday. "It's kind of funny, we're going to LA to get some fresh air." The closure through at least Sunday led to at least 1,000 campground and hotel bookings being canceled, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. Officials emphasized Yosemite wasn't in imminent danger from the Ferguson Fire, which grew to more than 67 square miles in steep timber in the adjacent Sierra National Forest. The fire was just 25 percent contained. One firefighter was killed July 14, and six others have been injured. In Northern California, a fire burning west of Redding, about 100 miles south of the Oregon state line, tripled in size overnight and then grew another 50 percent through the day to 45 square miles. Stiff winds drove walls of flames into the historic Gold Rush-era town of Shasta, where state parks employees had worked through the early morning to rescue historic artifacts from a museum as the blaze advanced. The so-called Carr Fire was just one of several wildfires that have dispatched firefighters to all corners of the state amid an oppressive heat wave. New evacuations were expanded to about 2,200 people in the wilderness recreation region east of Redding that included Shasta and its historic former courthouse and ruins of brick buildings that make up Shasta State Historic Park. Matt Teague, an acting district superintendent for state parks, drove about 90 minutes in the middle of the night to help employees of the park and volunteers rescue historic paintings, prints and other artifacts from the museum housed in the 1861 courthouse. The fire's faint glow was visible when he arrived at 3 a.m. and it kept getting brighter, he said. Just before dawn, the flames had gotten close enough that they were about to evacuate when the fire changed direction and began burning to the north, he said. That bought them five more hours to collect the most precious items until late morning when it became too dangerous and they were told they had to leave. "We were on our toes the whole time, to be honest with you," Teague said. "We didn't get everything. We didn't have time." Teague spoke later in the day as ash rained down and flames burned on both sides of town as temperatures in the area topped 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius). He said the downtown and centerpiece of the park still stood, but it was unsafe to go inside and collect more relics. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, allowing the state to rally resources to local governments. The Associated Press contributed to this story. An off-duty North Miami Beach police officer is facing a felony charge after allegedly kicking a woman who was eight months' pregnant, in the stomach, officials said. Miami Beach Police were called to Espanola Way around 8:30 p.m.Wednesday over reports that a woman was having severe abdominal pain and contractions after being attacked by another woman, Miami New Times reported. Ambar Pacheco, 26, admitted to attacking the woman, claiming the victims boyfriend kicked her sister in the face, prompting her to beat the s--- out of her, WPLG reported. The woman was taken to an area hospital, where she ultimately gave birth, The Miami Herald reported. Pacheco, a police officer in North Miami Beach who was off-duty at the time of the attack, was arrested immediately and charged with a felony count of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. A spokesperson for NMBPD, Maj. Richard Rand, said that Pacheco has been with the department for less than a year and was relieved of duty pending an investigation, New Times reported. Chronograph chronology Chronograph chronology Since the acclaimed premiere of the Datograph 16 years ago, the Saxon watch brand has continuously leveraged its expertise in this domain... Since the acclaimed premiere of the... A Texas prisoner who was being transferred on Wednesday managed to escape his restraints, break the patrol car window and climb onto its roof while the vehicle drove down a highway, authorities said. The wild maneuver allegedly made by Martin Estrada, 31, was caught on tape by motorists driving behind the patrol car. The incident occurred after a Taylor County sheriffs deputy arrived to a facility in Wichita Falls and learned that Estrada allegedly assaulted another individual and was being discharged for safety reasons, the Taylor County Sheriffs Office said on Facebook. The inmate was sought in Taylor County for insufficient bond on multiple charges, officials said. MINNESOTA INMATES BLOODY PAST COMES TO LIGHT AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING CORRECTIONS OFFICER Estrada was restrained with the use of handcuffs and leg irons, the sheriffs office said, and he and the deputy set off on the roughly 150 mile trip to Abilene, Texas. Officials said Estrada was able to free one of his hands during the ride and proceeded to break one of the backseat windows. He threatened suicide unless the officer stopped the car, the sheriffs office said. The officer refused, and continued on as the prisoner climbed atop the car. Video of the incident shows a distant shot of a person riding on the roof of a vehicle. Eventually, two other patrol cars with their lights flashing come into view, tailing the vehicle as it pulls over to the shoulder. The person atop the car is seen hopping off and into the grass off the side of the road before seemingly getting apprehended soon after. OKLAHOMA JAIL INMATE DIES FROM SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND The sheriffs office said the deputy who was driving waited to pull over until backup arrived. Once the deputy pulled over, the prisoner tried to flee but was Tased and re-handcuffed, the sheriffs office explained. Because the Taylor County deputys car window was broken out, Wichita County Sheriffs Office administrators offered to have the prisoner transported by them on to the Taylor County Jail. Authorities were able to get Estrada to his destination without further incident, the sheriffs office said. County jail records obtained by The Associated Press showed that Estrada was being held Thursday on various charges, including escape and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and his bond was set at $680,000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A black bear was freed Thursday from inside a Colorado storm drain, where it had been stuck for nearly an hour. The bear, estimated to be 3 or 4 years old and weighing about 250 pounds, was seen on video poking its head out of the man hole, looking one way and then the other and then hauling itself out and running away. Wildlife officials believe the black bear was lured to west Colorado Springs by an unsealed garbage bag containing berry-filled branches. Colorado Springs Utilities workers and Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region workers were called to the scene and worked out a strategy to free the beast that didn't involve an official handling it. If one of the workers came in contact with the bear, it would need to be tagged; a subsequent tag would require the bear be euthanized. So instead, the workers harassed the bear by firing nonlethal rubber slugs at it while utility workers simultaneously opened a nearby manhole. It took the bear about six minutes to emerge once the cover was removed from the manhole. We dont want to punish a bear for [people] not securing their garbage, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Bill Vogrin told The Gazette. Thats a reason we hate this. Its incumbent that the neighborhood secures their garbage. A bulldozer operator was killed and three firefighters were injured Thursday as they battled an erratic and fast-moving wildfire in Northern California. The so-called Carr Fire in Shasta County has destroyed dozens of homes and charred thousands of acres. The fire engulfed the privately hired bulldozer operator and his equipment, according to CalFire spokesman Scott McLean. The worker's body was found late Thursday. The bulldozer operator was working on an active section of the fire, Unified Incident Commander Chief Brett Gouvea said. Three firefighters, along with an unknown number of civilians also suffered burn injuries, the official said. The Carr Fire was just one of several wildfires that have dispatched firefighters to all corners of the state amid an oppressive heat wave. The blaze is burning near Redding, a city of about 92,000 people about 100 miles south of the Oregon state line. Gouvea said the fire was making a significant push into northwestern portion of Redding. The fire erupted Monday and tripled in size overnight, growing another 50 percent through the day to 45 square miles. Residents had little notice to evacuate, in what McLean described as a chaotic scene. McLean says the fire was "taking everything down in its path." Stiff winds drove walls of flames into the historic Gold Rush-era town of Shasta, where state parks employees had worked through the early morning to rescue historic artifacts from a museum as the blaze advanced. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared states of emergency for the state's three largest fires, freeing resources for local governments. Meanwhile, authorities in Southern California say they have arrested Brandon McGlover, 32, of Temecula, on arson charges in connection with five fires -- including one blaze that was threatening about 600 homes in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles. The suspect allegedly set the fires Wednesday in southwest Riverside County, the Los Angeles Times reported. Fox News Dom Calicchio and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The infamous California university professor who relished in the death of former first lady Barbara Bush is back at it again. Randa Jarrar, an English professor at California State University, Fresno (aka Fresno State), tweeted this week that white editors must resign from positions of power, the Fresno Bee reported, citing CampusReform.org. We dont have to wait for them to f--- up, Jarrar allegedly wrote. The fact that they hold these positions is f--- up enough. Jarrars Twitter account is set to private, but the tweet was captured in a screenshot by Campus Reform. The tenured professor seemed to be reacting to a 14-line poem written by a white male published in the far-left magazine the Nation, the Washington Times reported. Amid criticism, the poetry editors of the Nation dubbed the poem ableist and apologized for the pain they caused to affected communities. In April, Jarrar drew public backlash for calling Barbara Bush an amazing racist who raised a war criminal a reference to her son, President George W. Bush -- only an hour after the news of the former first lady's death was made public. [E]ither you are against these pieces of s--- and their genocidal ways or youre part of the problem, Jarrar said in a follow-up tweet. Im happy the witch is dead. cant wait for the rest of her family to fall to their demise the way 1.5 million iraqis have. Jarrar merely gloated in the face of near-universal backlash -- which included threats by Fresno State donors to no longer support the university -- and boasted of her $100,000 annual salary. I work as a tenured professor, she said. I make 100K a year doing that. I will never be fired. I will always have people wanting to hear what I have to say. She also bashed farmers as being "f---ing stupid" supporters of President Donald Trump. According to the Bee, Jarrar is scheduled to resume teaching at the university in the fall. In April, Fresno State's president decided that Jarrar's views were protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. A Colorado woman said she's lucky to be alive after being choked from behind, dragged by a rope into the woods and sexually assaulted in a public park Wednesday in a shocking daytime attack. Vanessa Ursini, 29, said she was walking her dog along the Platte River Trail in Littleton, Colorado, when a man -- whom she now believes was stalking her -- came up behind her with a rope and began choking her, dragging her into the nearby woods. Ursini said the man bound her ankles and wrists and took off most of her clothes. I fought like hell and screamed my brains out, Ursini said, adding her dog tried to fight off her attacker, too. But eventually, she said he threatened to kill her if she didnt stop screaming so she did. During the scuffle, Ursini had knocked the mans glasses off, and as he looked for them, she managed to untie the restraint around her ankles without him noticing. She took off running until she reached a nearby bike path where people came to her aid, KUSA-TV reported. Littleton Police arrested a 48-year-old man after a group of cyclists believed they spotted the suspect, and chased and cornered him until officers arrived. Johnny Dewayne Harris, who is believed to be homeless, was being held Friday at the Arapahoe County Detention Center. EX-STANFORD SWIMMER PERFORMED SEXUAL OUTERCOURSE, NOT RAPE, LAWYER ARGUES IN APPEAL Harris has been charged with sexual assault and kidnapping, Littleton police said. At the time of the woman's assault, Harris already had warrants out for his arrest, including two for sex-related crimes in Denver, Cmdr. Trent Cooper said during a news conference. Harris, who is on the sex offender registry in Texas, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1999 for sexually assaulting a teenage girl, according to KUSA. Though sexual assault victims are not typically identified in the press, Ursini came forward with her story, and also shared graphic photos of her injuries on Facebook. The chilling images showed marks along her neck, chest and eyes. The post had been shared more than 40,000 times as of Friday morning. Im not a victim. I survived. I wont let him win. Vanessa Ursini This was the worst day of my life but I knew I had to fight, it simply wasnt my time to die, Ursini said. In telling her story, Ursini said she wants to remind people to be aware of their surroundings. She said she had seen the man along the trail the day before and earlier on the day of the assault. Even if you have been on your local path, your grocery store parking lot, or anywhere 100 times, danger can exist anywhere, she said. I am lucky to be alive, so please have a plan in place to protect yourself from whatever may be out there. MISSOURI MEN BOUND, SET WOMAN ON FIRE WHEN SHE REFUSED TO GIVE THEM SAFE COMBINATION, POLICE SAY Ursini is a Pilates instructor, works in the restaurant industry and is not set to receive health insurance until next month, according to a GoFundMe page set up in her name. As of Friday morning, nearly $13,000 had been donated to help with medical bills and other expenses. Ursini told KCNC-TV: "I'm not a victim. I survived. I won't let him win." A woman who as a baby disappeared in Arizona nearly 24 years ago was found alive in Connecticut last year, according to reports. A positive match allowed authorities to piece together the difficult past of Aleacia Stancil. She was raised by a single mother, Toni Stancil, who worked in the Air Force before turning to drugs and prostitution, KTVK-TV of Phoenix reported. In December 1994, when Stancil was 9 months old, Toni gave her to a friend so she could clear her head. The girl was passed around to several people before ending up in police custody. When her mother returned a few days later, the child was missing. Toni landed in jail shortly afterward, but didnt report her daughter missing until March 1995. But later that year, Toni was murdered, leaving authorities with no witness to link to Stancils identity. Without that one and only witness, Im very limited in how to proceed with the investigation, a Phoenix police detective told KTVK. Stancil showed up disoriented at a Connecticut hospital in 2014, unable to identify herself. A nurse found Stancil suspicious and discovered an age progression photo of her after searching online for missing people. Police were notified and Stancil underwent DNA testing. Three years later, she was a confirmed match. Stancil had since been adopted by another family and assumed a different name. Her grandmother, who lives in Georgia, said Stancil wishes to stay out of the spotlight. The Minneapolis Police Department was advised Thursday to create guidelines and receiving training on how to deal with emotionally disturbed people following a controversy in which the city's police officers were pressuring paramedics to sedate people with ketamine, a so-called "date rape drug." The Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR) presented its findings to City Council members, which included instances of cops even holding people down during the injections, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Ketamine is considered a powerful tranquilizer capable of stopping a persons heart or breathing and is classified as a date rape drug in the Minneapolis police manual, according to the paper. The OPCR report detailed multiple instances where the police asked the paramedics to use the drug to deal with emotionally disturbed people. Between 2015 and 2017 in particular, Minneapolis police officers urged paramedics to inject people with the drug even though, in some cases, the person was already restrained or no apparent crime had been committed, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder reported. In one example, police were responding to a call about a possible suicide. After the authorities found the person sleeping, they handcuffed the person, requested the injection and laughed as paramedics were sedating the individual. In another incident, police restrained an alleged jaywalker who verbally assailed the police officers. After actively resisting arrest and scratching one of the officers, the suspect was punched by an officer and was injected with ketamine against his wishes. One police department employee described ketamine as the good stuff, according to the Star Tribune. The use of ketamine as an emergency sedative skyrocketed in recent years, rising from just two occasions in 2010 to more than 60 last year. Out of all the cases where the date rape drug was used, 40 percent of the sedated people were black, 39 percent white and 10 percent American Indian. The majority of people were male. The backlash over the use of ketamine as a sedative prompted the police to issue an order in May to never suggest or demand that paramedics sedate a suspect during a police call. But the newly released report is urging for additional changes to the protocol in a bid to avoid the repetition of the controversy. Two out of seven recommendations suggest the city is responsible to advise the public that an encounter with the police and paramedics may draw them into emergency medicine studies, the report said. A niece of former Vice President Joe Biden was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation for committing more than $100,000 worth of credit card fraud at a New York City store. For nearly a year, Caroline Biden, 31, used an unidentified victims Chase credit card at Bigelows pharmacy, the New York Post reported. According to prosecutors, the victim had given Biden permission to make a $672 purchase with the card. But Biden then used the card to open a customer account at the Manhattan shop without the cardholders approval and racked up the tab over a year. "I not only acknowledge my conduct and take responsibility, but deeply regret the harm caused." Caroline Biden, niece of former Vice President Joe Biden I not only acknowledge my conduct and take responsibility, but deeply regret the harm caused, she told the judge. Biden insisted that she had made amends and would not repeat her mistakes. In June 2017, Biden admitted to grand larceny and petty larceny, with an agreement to get two years probation if she repaid the money, worked 10 days of community service and avoided re-arrest for a year. She completed 10 days of community service at a childrens hospital and repaid more than $110,000 in restitution. Biden told the New York judge shes still working with the volunteer program because she loves the children and its been very fulfilling. Biden was charged in 2013 with hitting a police officer during a dispute with her roommate. She got anger management treatment, and the case was dismissed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A 74-year-old man ranting about a broken phone drove his car through the glass storefront of a Verizon Wireless store in North Carolina, authorities said Friday, stunning shoppers during the dinner hour at an upscale mall. Charles Michael Hager was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and damaging property after he drove a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta into the store at a busy shopping center Thursday night, according to police. A witness told a 911 operator that he saw Hager standing outside the store located between two popular restaurants, demanding that it reopen to help him with his broken phone. "He was demanding to get his phone fixed," the unidentified caller said, later adding: "He said: 'My damn phone's not working. I need help. Open this damn door." A police news release said Hager first kicked the door, shattering glass, then drove his car through the storefront. Six employees were in the store, but no one was injured. "There's no front door. All the glass is shattered. It's amazing. His front end is still inside the front door. I've never seen anything like it," the witness told the 911 operator. The caller said a crowd of bewildered onlookers gathered around as the man got out of his car wearing a gray collared shirt and gray slacks and continued to yell. The scene unfolded at North Hills Mall, an outdoor shopping center surrounded by pricey homes and several high-rise office buildings north of downtown. The operator warned the caller, who was standing 10 feet away, to keep a safe distance. Hager didn't immediately return a phone message Friday. A police spokeswoman didn't know if he had an attorney. The phone number for the store played a message Friday saying it was closed, and a sign posted in the window apologized to customers for any inconvenience. A security guard sat inside behind a temporary wooden door installed after the crash. Kate Jay, a regional spokeswoman for Verizon, said the company is grateful no employees were hurt but declined to say whether the workers had previous interactions with Hager. ___ Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/JonathanLDrew Schools in Michigan may now prohibit guests on campus from carrying firearms, the states highest court ruled on Friday. In a 4-3 ruling, the Michigan Supreme Court decided that school districts did not qualify under the state law that says local governments need to act in accordance with the Legislature regarding gun policy. The court said school districts were not referenced specifically in the law. Cities, villages, townships and counties were, however. FACEBOOK ADMITS IT BLOCKED FLORIDA REPUBLICANS PRO-GUN AD, REVERSES COURSE Lawyers representing gun owners maintained that public schools didnt have the authority to make more restrictive rules that supercede state law. The Supreme Court affirmed decisions by the state appeals court. District officials in Ann Arbor and Clio, Mich., decided to ban all guns from campus, regardless of whether the person was a permitholder. The only people who are excused from the ban are police officers. 3D-PRINTED GUN BLUEPRINTS CAN BE DOWNLOADED STARTING NEXT MONTH, ENDING LENGTHY LEGAL BATTLE The case landed at the states Supreme Court months ago, reportedly stemming from a 2015 incident involving a man with a concealed-carry permit who brought a gun to a school concert at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. Some students, staff and spectators were scared by the incident, which caused the school board to ban all guns on school grounds -- with exceptions for police. That local action spurred a legal fight because while Michigan law does not allow people to possess a gun inside gun-free school zones, someone with a concealed permit could enter school property with a gun thats openly holstered. Fox News Travis Fedschun and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Buses filled with migrants regularly come and go at Central Station. For several families who have been reunited after being separated for illegally crossing the border, arriving at the station is just the beginning. They have bus tickets, often paid for by family, relatives, or non- governmental organizations, to head to their next destinations, usually the homes of family members with whom theyll stay. There was an influx as government agencies worked to reconnect families before a court-imposed deadline on July 26th. For the last few days, weve seen various agencies, ORR, ICE, CBP scrambling to reunite a lot of these families, said Efren Olivares, Racial and Economic Justice Program Director for the Texas Civil Rights Project. ICE FILES DETAINER AGAINST MAN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING FLORIDA OFFICER IN HEAD Olivares said the majority of reunifications have happened in the parking lots of facilities such as the Port Isabel Detention Center outside of Brownsville. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who imposed the deadline, praised the administrations efforts during a status hearing on Tuesday. This work has to be highlighted and commended, said Sabraw before criticizing the government for a lack of information about the parents whereabouts. However, Olivares and other immigrant advocates called the process chaotic. Theyre not doing anything beyond reuniting them. So, theyre literally reuniting them at the parking lots. From then on, theyre on their own. So, its fallen on non-governmental organizations to get them from literally PIDC to the bus station, get them a fresh pair of clothes, food, some rest, said Olivares. FIVE PEOPLE CHARGED IN ALLEGED 'SMUGGLING SCHEME', TEXAS OFFICIALS SAY The families are given immigration forms. They are required to file a change of venue and check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement about two weeks after reaching their destination. Then, theyll receive a court date as their immigration cases are processed. Theyre still very confused. Without an immigration attorney, it can be very chaotic. So, what were trying to do is find them pro bono immigration representation at their destination, said Olivares. In many cases, advocates say families, especially children, also cope with trauma. The children they dont want to be away from their mom for five, ten seconds because they get nervous, said Olivares. It seems unjust because there are very vulnerable kids, said Edwin Hernandez, a father who illegally crossed the border with his young daughter three days ago. Obtaining bus tickets may have provided the families with some relief, but advocates say it only signifies the long road ahead. Much of the statement made to police by Parkland, Fla., shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz should be publicly released, a judge ruled Thursday. In her order, Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said large portions of the non-confession part of Cruzs statement should be made available in 10 days, barring any appeal by the defendant. Cruz is accused of killing 17 people in the Valentines Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a city about 46 miles north of Miami. Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said in an email that a decision on whether Cruz will puruse an appeal will be made after the defense team sees the final version of the statement after it is edited by prosecutors. Media outlets sought release of the statement, arguing that Florida's broad public records law required it. Cruz's attorneys wanted all of it suppressed, contending disclosure could jeopardize the 19-year-old suspect's right to a fair trial in such a high-profile case by unduly influencing potential jurors. But Scherer sided with the media in her decision. "While it is true that this case has gained vast and widespread media coverage, this fact alone does not demonstrate that closure of the statement is required," the judge wrote. "The fact that the instant matter may be considered high-profile does not in itself give the defendant the right to close the flow of information to the public." "The fact that the instant matter may be considered high-profile does not in itself give the defendant the right to close the flow of information to the public." Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer Scherer ruled that the statement can be released only after specific redactions to both the video and the transcript that removes comments that appear to be Cruz's confession. PARKLAND MASSACRE SUSPECT NIKOLAS CRUZ SPOKE OF SHOOTING SCHOOL AFTER BEING EXPELLED, WOMAN CLAIMS Under Florida law, the "substance of a confession" cannot be released before trial. Cruz's lawyers argued that so much of the statement contained elements of a confession that the entire statement should be suppressed, in addition to their fair trial arguments. Scherer said the news organizations' argument in favor of as much disclosure as possible was correct. "Extensive details about the defendant, his history, his behavioral history, and his actions during and after this incident, have already been widely reported," she wrote. "Withholding the non-confession, non-exempt portions of his statement from the public will not prevent further coverage of these proceedings." Cruzs attorneys have also offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence, but prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Authorities in Hawaii are searching for a murder suspect who they say was mistakenly released from custody this week. Brian Smith had been in jail since June, and was indicted the following month for allegedly fatally shooting a homeless man whom he knew after the two had a dispute over mangoes, Hawaii News Now reported. The apparent error was due to a misreading of a court order, State Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz told the outlet. Smith appeared in District Court on Monday, and was released to circuit court, which the Hawaii Community Correctional Center apparently misinterpreted as orders for Smith to be let go, the outlet reported. He was believed to be somewhere on the Big Island. Authorities didnt become aware of the mishap until Thursday, two days after Smith had been set free, according to the outlet. Smith failed to appear for a court hearing on Thursday, and a $2 million bench warrant was issued. Smith was awaiting trial for a shooting in June that left one man dead and one injured, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. He has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, ownership or possession of a prohibited firearm and carrying or using a firearm in the commission of a felony, the newspaper reported. A midshipman who was sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison for child sex abuse will be kicked out of the Naval Academy. Midshipman 2nd Class Leonard Kiptoo Langat pleaded guilty in North Carolina earlier this year to indecent liberties with a minor a felony in connection to an incident with a family member late last year. The Naval Academy in Annapolis confirmed Friday that it was going through the administrative process to dismiss Langat. He will be the sixth midshipman removed from the academy in the last year. Langat was away from the academy on holiday break in Concord, N.C., when he entered the room of a female minor related to him on Dec. 30, 2017 and engaged in unwanted sexual activity, according to the Capital Gazette. PENTAGON ORDERED BY SENATE TO INVESTIGATE CHILD-ON-CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ON US BASES Police said another woman related to the victim caught Langat in the childs room. The child was taken to a center that provides services for abused children, where she reported him. Langat left North Carolina after the incident and returned to the academy. Concord police put out a fugitive warrant for his arrest and the Annapolis Police Department arrested him on Jan. 9. He was held without bond. The midshipman was extradited to North Carolina, where he was charged with a first-degree forcible sexual offense and statutory rape with a person less than 15 years old, The Capital reported. KASICH SLAMS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER REPORT THAT US ARMY IS DISCHARGING LEGAL IMMIGRANTS Cmdr. David McKinney, academy spokesman, told the newspaper that the Naval Academy coordinated with Annapolis police to arrange Langats arrest after he returned to school. He said the academy enforces mandatory sexual harassment and assault training. You dont come here and not get training or exposed to the fact that sexual harassment/assault is not tolerated, McKinney said. No one can come here and say they didnt know that. Its unclear if Langat has a lawyer. Watch where you sit on San Francisco Bay Area trains it could be painful. Conductors there reportedly have taken to the trains' PA systems to warn riders about hypodermic needles being left on seats by transient drug users as San Francisco fights an uphill battle to clean up thousands of syringes discarded each month all over the city. Please look around you for needles before you sit down. Theres at least one needle in car 1551 and there may be others. Thank you, a conductor said Thursday, according to Buzzfeed technology reporter Caroline ODonovan. She said the warning was made over the loudspeaker at every stop. Once again, please make sure there are no needles in or around your seat before you sit down, the Bay Area Rapid Transit conductor said, according to O'Donovan's Twitter account. The tweets come after a San Ramon woman in May reported being pricked by a needle after she sat down on a San Francisco-bound BART train. When I felt that I got up and looked at what was poking me and I felt it and didn't know what it was and realized it was a syringe tip, Linda Quan told KRON4. Quan said she reported the incident to authorities and, in addition to getting a hepatitis vaccine, she now must have her blood tested every three months until around the end of 2019 to make sure she didnt contract any diseases from the needle. But San Franciscos health department says it has no known cases of diseases being spread from accidental needle pricks, according to SF Gate. BART tweeted in April it had launched several initiatives to help our riders. One of the "initiatives" is a section on its mobile website that allows riders to Report a Biohazard. The transportation agency says its working to connect homeless people to resources that can help get them off the streets, too. And BART is also hiring more station cleaners and community service officers to enforce existing laws against vandalism, littering, fare evasion, and open drug use. BART appeared to take a dig at the San Francisco city government in one recent social media post, tweeting: We all want transit to succeed but when you look at the tent cities you can see from our tracks and needles all over the streets we are fighting an uphill battle we were never given the funds to fight. The city reportedly spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to hand out around 400,000 syringes each month in an effort to help prevent health risks that drug users may face. But the health department estimates only 246,000 of those needles come back through 13 access and disposal sites in the area, according to the SF Chronicle. It is hard to arrive at an exact number, health department spokeswoman Rachael Kagan told the newspaper in May. That said, there is clearly needle litter on our streets, and we are working hard to address that. Crews from the health department pick up around 8,000 needles on the streets each month while the citys public works department collects an average of around 13,000 from homeless encampments, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Statistics from the health department reportedly show the needle program is having an effect, however, as it says the number of new HIV infections from San Francisco drug users plummeted from 106 in 2010 to 38 in 2016. Officials in a posh California city have admitted what their critics said all along - the idea of sending food servers to jail for handing out plastic straws sucks. Santa Barbara officials have denied the city was planning to impose jail sentences of up to six months for straw offenders. Under the proposed ordinance discussed by the city councilearlier this month, restaurants, bars and supermarkets would be prohibited from providing their customers with plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers. The ordinance discussed cited chapter 1.28 from the citys municipal code which would begin with a warning and then escalate to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months for repeat offenders. Such a penalty would be the harshest in the country. In comparison, Seattle, which became the first major city in the country to ban plastic straws earlier this month, only fines businesses $250 for each offence. John Yoo, Heller professor law at UC Berkeley School of Law and a FoxNews.com contributor, described the ordinance as silly. Santa Barbaras silly environmental policies demonstrate the misgovernment of California cities, he said. Violent crime and property crime in the state are rising. The homeless are making our streets increasingly unsafe. Instead of addressing these basic public safety problems, cities like Santa Barbara are sending the police off to chase soda drinkers who like to use straws. But Nina Johnson, Senior Assistant to the City Administrator of Santa Barbara, insists nobody is facing jail time. Santa Barbara has not adopted a law banning plastic straws. A law is still being crafted to reduce the use of plastic straws, she told FoxNews.com. STARBUCKS, CITING ENVIRONMENT, IS DITCHING PLASTIC STRAWS No one will go to jail for using a plastic straw or providing a straw to a customer. There is no intention to strictly enforce the ordinance. The Citys plan is to work cooperatively with restaurants to ensure straws are available by request. She added that the city wants to join the likes of Seattle and Malibu to reduce the use of plastic straws and the city council will continue their discussion in September. She also insisted that language citing the six month sentences will most likely be deleted as theres no intention to penalize businesses with jail time or fines. This is the general enforcement language that applies throughout the municipal code, she said. NEW YORK CITY IS LATEST TO CONSIDER BANNING PLASTIC STRAWS ALTOGETHER While unlikely to ever be enforced, the specter of six-month jail sentences cast a spotlight on Santa Barbaras penal system. The county is awaiting the opening of its new Northern Branch Jail, a 376-bed, 133,000 square foot facility which is currently scheduled to open in Spring next year for medium and high security inmates. The current main jail, which was built in 1971, receives male and female prisoners from all areas of the county and houses both pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates. In May 2016, a Santa Barbara County grand jury released a report detailing the jails problems, describing it as dated and overcrowded. Some inmates are sleeping in plastic structures that are on the floor and are commonly called boats The Jury noted the presence of bedding on the floor in the hallway of one of the newer sections. A follow-up report in 2017 stated that the jail is rated for 659 inmates, with an additional 160 inmates in its medium security facility. But at the time of the inspection, there were 803 inmates in the main jail, and a further 234 in the medium security facility. Earlier this week, San Francisco became the largest city in the U.S. to ban restaurants and retailers from providing customers with plastic straws. Businesses in the city will have to meet the new guidelines by January 1, 2020. As well as San Francisco and Seattle, several smaller West Coast cities including the likes of Malibu have banned plastic straws and utensils. The Walt Disney Co. also announced this week that it will eliminate straws and stirrers from all its theme parks by mid-2019. It estimated that it will amount to a reduction of more than 174 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually. TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) _ Welltower Inc. (WELL) on Friday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results topped Wall Street expectations. The real estate investment trust, based in Toledo, Ohio, said it had funds from operations of $371.9 million, or $1 per share, in the period. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of 99 cents per share. Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization. The company said it had net income of $155.6 million, or 41 cents per share. The senior housing and health care real estate investment trust posted revenue of $1.13 billion in the period, also exceeding Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.1 billion. Welltower expects full-year funds from operations in the range of $3.99 to $4.06 per share. The company's shares have increased nearly 1 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has decreased 12 percent in the last 12 months. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WELL at https://www.zacks.com/ap/WELL A West Virginia mother was arrested after she admitted to spraying bleach in her 16-month-old sons face, authorities said. Sylvia Lynn Eden, 27, of Parkersburg, was arrested this week on two felony charges, including child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and child neglect creating serious bodily injury, the Parkersburg Police Department announced in a news release on Wednesday. WISCONSIN MAN WHO CRASHED CAR IS TASERED AFTER DANCING BAREFOOT, USING 'KARATE MOVES' AMID TRAFFIC, COPS SAY Edens arrest comes after authorities with the police department were called by the Nationwide Childrens Hospital regarding the boys suspicious injuries -- chemical burns to his face, back and shoulders -- that were not consistent with accidental trauma, the police department said. Officials with the police department interviewed Eden, who claimed initially her sons 4-year-old sibling sprayed him with bleach as he was lying in his crib. Later, however, Eden allegedly admitted she was the one who sprayed her son with bleach, telling a detective with the department she did so because the baby was crying and she was upset. COLORADO WOMAN SHARES GRAPHIC PHOTOS AFTER HORRIFYING DAYTIME SEX ASSAULT IN PUBLIC PARK She also told the detective she left her son in the crib for 20 minutes before going back to check on him. Eden said she blamed the incident on the other child because she would not be able to defend herself and say otherwise, the police department said. Both children are now living with family members or friends, the department said. Eden is being held at the North Central Regional Jail on a $200,000 bond. A Wisconsin man who crashed on an interstate was Tased by deputies Wednesday after he reportedly began dancing barefoot and showing off his "karate moves" in the middle of traffic. Jordan Klock, 30, of Sheboygan, Wis., faces [operating while intoxicated], third offense/drugs, second degree recklessly endangering safety and resisting/obstructing charges following a series of events on I-43 near Daphne Road in Milwaukee County, FOX6 Now reported. Klock allegedly side-swiped a semi-truck before his car bounced off the right distress wall and crashed into another vehicle, witnesses told the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Office. Klock, wearing no socks or shoes, then allegedly jumped out of the vehicle, began dancing and attempted to climb the semi-trucks cattle hauler. MILWAUKEE POLICE OFFICER SHOT DEAD AFTER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY YELLS IM NOT GOING BACK TO JAIL Milwaukee County deputies said they were responding to reports of the crash when they saw Klock hop over a median wall. Deputies tried to block the man from traffic but he charged at the squad. A deputy Tasered Klock after he allegedly ignored the officers request to get on the ground. But officials said Klock wasn't deterred. Klock allegedly ripped the Taser probes off his chest and started acting out Karate-style moves. The Glendale Police Department also responded to the call before Klock fled from officers and leapt over another median. He was eventually stopped by officers and fell to the ground, where he suffered a cut above his eye, officials said. LIGHTNING STRIKES WOMAN AT COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL IN WISCONSIN The Glendale Police Department said four officers attempted to restrain Klock, but he lifted all of them from the ground. However, authorities said they were finally able to secure him by using leg and wrist restraints. He was then given medication to calm down. Klock was transported first to the hospital, then to the Milwaukee County Jail -- but he was returned to the hospital after becoming more combative and requiring more treatment, officials said. A delegation from the British police visited Egypt on Thursday to present the latest findings in the investigation into the death of an Egyptian teenager in the UK in March. Mariam Moustafa was attacked by a group of women on a bus in Nottingham in the UK on 20 February. She died three weeks later. According to Al-Ahram newspaper, Nottinghamshire police chief Rob Griffin said that the East Midlands Major Crimes Unit were conducting a comprehensive investigation into the death of 18-year-old Moustafa and compiling the available evidence, giving special attention to the perception that the assault on her might be motivated by hatred. Griffin confirmed that he has been in contact with Moustafas family and legal representatives over the past five months to keep them fully updated on the progress of the investigation. We understand the grief and concern in Egypt and the UK but we are committed to continuing the investigation and collecting evidence, which might take long time, Griffin said according to Al-Ahram. The incident resulted in tensions between the victim's family and British authorities over accusations around the negligence in medical care given to the student following the incident, and questions around the police investigation into the incident. The Egyptian government also said that the medical treatment provided to Moustafa immediately after the attack raises questions. The British embassy in Cairo and UK authorities have repeatedly promised a fair investigation into the case. Search Keywords: Short link: A New York City woman reportedly screamed No, no, no! before being pulled in front of a subway train in a grisly incident police are now calling a murder-suicide. The New York City Police Department told Fox News officers responded to a 911 call around 4:45 p.m. Thursday in Brooklyn and upon arrival, officers determined that a 54-year-old male and 42-year-old female were struck by a northbound 'C' train at the location after the male pulled the female onto the track bed from the platform level. The incident happened at the Broadway Junction station and sources told the New York Post the woman, who has been identified as Cynthia Raiser, was shouting before she was struck by the train. They both jumped on the tracks together. He had a big gash on his head, Kenneth Brown, a witness, told the newspaper. The New York Post identified the man as 54-year-old Anthony Collins and reported the two were a couple. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the female victim deceased at the scene and transported the aided male to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, police told Fox News. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing." Images taken after the incident showed responders carting out a wrapped body. Colombia's outgoing vice president paid tribute to the U.N. Security Council Thursday for its support in building peace in a country ravaged by conflict for five decades and assured the world that the incoming president will work to consolidate peace. Oscar Naranjo said the November 2016 peace agreement between President Juan Manuel Santos' government and leftist FARC rebels has not only seen FARC fighters lay down their weapons in "record time" of nine months but the transformation of FARC into a political party that now has seats in Congress. "There are still challenges ahead," Naranjo said in an emotional farewell speech from the Santos government to the U.N.'s most powerful body. But he said: "You can be sure that the incoming government, when the President-elect Ivan Duque comes in he has said he will continue with this agreement and guarantee that Colombia will continue down a path toward sustainable peace." In January 2016, Santos' government and FARC jointly asked the Security Council to help monitor and verify rebel disarmament should the two sides reach a deal to end their war, which left an estimated 260,000 people dead and displaced millions. It was a rare request for help to the council, which deals with global crises and is often the target of criticism for failing to end conflicts like Syria. Naranjo said "if there was one unifying factor around peace in Colombia" it is the Security Council which established a political mission in response to the request. "And we should like to say to our compatriots and to the world as a whole we have no words to thank the unanimous way in which this council has supported the building of peace in our country," he said. Among the challenges ahead, Naranjo said, reintegration of FARC rebels into society "is critical," and Santos is handing a roadmap for the integration process to the next government. He said the new government also has to extend its authority and transform areas which were the scene of military conflict so they become an integral part of the state which can then protect the communities there. Without the conflict with FARC, Naranjo said, the new government also has a "unique opportunity" to combat illegal drug trafficking and strengthen action against organized crime. He said many families have expressed a desire to abandon illicit cultivation and substitute legal crops. Naranjo pointed with "great satisfaction" to the first hearings by the special peace tribunal established to deal with former combatants. "These hearings are now allowing for a transitional justice system to happen, which will be bringing to justice and punishing those who were involved in any way in this internal armed conflict and who violated laws and neglected human rights," he said. U.N. envoy Jean Arnault, who heads the political mission in Colombia, told the council that "time will tell, but the positive response from victims and the recent decision of senior army officers to accept voluntarily the jurisdiction" of the special tribunal "is an indication that the Colombian peace process may well be close to striking the right balance between the demands of peace and justice." He urged the international community to maintain support for the tribunal, for the Truth Commission in Colombia and the unit searching for missing persons. Arnault stressed that the reintegration of FARC members into civilian life "is very much unfinished business." "To complete the work started by the current government will no doubt require dedication and resources," he said. "But fulfilling the guarantees given to those who have laid down their weapons and undergo now the difficult transition to civilian life is essential for Colombia, and also for Colombia to be a source of motivation for parties to conflicts elsewhere in the world." Fifty-five cases containing what were believed to be the remains of U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War were returned Friday, the White House said. The cases, each draped with the flag of the United Nations, arrived aboard a U.S. military plane at Osan Air Base outside Seoul, South Korea. Earlier, the plane and its crew had traveled to Wonsan, North Korea, to collect the remains, the White House said. The transfer of the remains from the 1950-53 Korean War had been negotiated last month during a summit meeting in Singapore between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. President Donald Trump tweeted about the return of the remains late Thursday, as the transfer mission was getting underway. "The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States! After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," the president wrote. US ANTICIPATES NORTH KOREA WILL RETURN REMAINS OF 55 SERVICE MEMBERS, OFFICIAL SAYS About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war." Earlier Thursday, the White House released a statement confirming details about the transfer of the remains. "At their historic meeting in Singapore, President Donald J. Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the United States and North Korea, and establish enduring peace," the statement said. "Today, the Chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change." NORTH KOREA IS SAID TO BE POISED TO RETURN BODIES OF SOME 50 US VETS SOON: REPORT Among the other results from the highly anticipated meeting, the two leaders signed a document that said Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." A U.S. official previously told Fox News that the U.S. was expecting that the rogue regime would be sending back the remains Friday. However, the official said that nothing was set in stone until the U.S. plane leaves Wonsan with the remains. Fox News Greg Palkot, Lukas Mikelionis and the Associated Press contributed to this report. A real-life McGruff is taking a bite out of crime in Colombia, sniffing her way to high-profile drug busts -- and now, the cartels have started taking notice. One Colombian drug syndicate has already put a $70,000 bounty on Sombra's furry head, looking to quickly quash the 6-year-old canine crimefighter, officials said. The German shepherd has already followed her nose toward a record number of drug detections, finding illicit stashes hidden in suitcases, boats and even large shipments of fruit. She has helped police take more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine off the streets. Recent busts by Sombra which is Spanish for Shadow include uncovering over five tons of cocaine concealed in crates of bananas destined for Europe. A few months ago, the tenacious hound sniffed out 77 kilos of cocaine placed deep inside an industrial machine. Her sense of smell is far beyond that of other dogs, Jose Rojas, Sombras 25-year-old handler, told the Associated Press. But that talent could end up being her undoing. The Gulf Clan one of Colombias most powerful cartels, even boasting its own guerrilla army has put out a $7,000 reward for whoever kills or captures the savvy hound. The threat has prompted officials to move the pup from her busy post on Colombias Caribbean coast to the more private El Dorado International Airport in Bogota. Investigators uncovered the threat against Sombra after reviewing an intercepted phone call, local newspapers reported. Sombra the German shepherd has become the terror of criminal organizations, a recent story in Colombias El Espectador newspaper stated. Her detective work is essential in Colombia, which is wrestling with soaring coco production. A recent White House report found the amount of land used to harvest the plant rose 11 percent in 2017, despite $10 billion in U.S. counter-narcotics work. President-elect Ivan Duque is promising a tougher approach to speed up eradication of the drug, including aerial spraying and the use of drones. But even with advanced technology, experts say on-the-ground detective work such as Sombra's is critical. Colombia's national police estimates it has lost at least 1,800 officers -- and a number of dogs -- to the war on drugs in the past two decades. Several pooches have been killed while helping officers eradicate coca crops. Sombra's victories have turned her into somewhat of a media darling, and, as she struts around Bogota's airport with her handler, fans occasionally stop her for a selfie. Rojas said the star-like attention hasn't gone to Sombra's head. "Sombra, in comparison to other dogs, is much easier to work with," he said. "She understands orders from a leader, and she's more playful than the others." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Israel's military on Friday searched the West Bank village of a Palestinian teen-ager who broke into a settlement home and stabbed three Israelis, including one who later died from his wounds. The military said it detained four Palestinians for questioning and set up security inspections at entrances to Kauber, the assailant's village, north of Jerusalem. The attacker, identified as Mohammed Tareq Dar Yousef, 17, by family members was shot and killed at the scene Thursday night. Blood stains were still visible outside the home of the Israeli victim Friday as relatives and friends gathered nearby. Daniel Nadav said he rushed to his neighbor's home after hearing screaming. He said he saw 31-year-old Yotam Ovadia "covered in blood ... walking slowly toward a car and then falling." Nadav said he then saw "the terrorist stabbing another neighbor." He said the attacker then ran toward him with a knife and tried to stab him. Nadav said he kicked the attacker in the leg and then got out of his way before another neighbor arrived and shot him dead. Ovadia later died in a hospital. Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, issued a statement praising the attack but did not claim responsibility. Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called it a "brave operation that responds to the daily ugly crimes the occupation commits against our people." Forces measured the attacker's house ahead of its demolition, the military said. Israel typically demolishes the homes of Palestinian attackers calling it a deterrent measure, but critics consider the policy collective punishment. The settlement located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Jerusalem is also called Geva Binyamin. Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and has since built dozens of settlements there. Much of the international community views the settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel says the fate of settlements must be resolved through peace talks. Israelis have faced a wave of Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings, on civilians and soldiers over the past two years but these types of assaults have declined recently. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 It's a close race for the presidency in Zimbabwe as the country goes to the polls. Here's a look at the two main candidates vying to lead the once-prosperous southern African nation out of the shadow of former leader Robert Mugabe, who stepped down in November under military pressure. ___ PRESIDENT EMMERSON MNANGAGWA Age: 75 Party: The ruling ZANU-PF Nicknamed "the Crocodile" for his guerrilla activities during the war for liberation and for years Mugabe's enforcer, Mnangagwa has tried to cast himself as a reformer with pledges of a free and fair election after past votes were marred by violence and irregularities. After he was fired last year by Mugabe amid a ruling party feud, the military rallied behind him to help push Mugabe out. Mnangagwa has asked the country to let bygones be bygones, but many recall his role as state security minister during the Matabeleland massacres in the 1980s when the army killed thousands of people as Mugabe moved against a political rival. Mnangagwa has repeatedly declared Zimbabwe "open for business" since he took office, but a credible election is key to lifting international sanctions and opening the door to badly needed investment in a country whose economy has long collapsed. ___ NELSON CHAMISA Age: 40 Party: Movement for Democratic Change The lawyer and pastor emerged to lead the main opposition party after the death earlier this year of its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who for years had been Mugabe's top challenger in elections. Chamisa now has the support of a coalition of parties including one backed by Mugabe and members of a youthful pro-Mugabe faction that was quickly purged from the ruling party and government when Mnangagwa took office. Chamisa, a former student leader who was among the top six officials when the MDC was formed in 1999, has promised wide-ranging economic reforms in Zimbabwe. He also has pointed out the 35-year gap between him and Mnangagwa, telling The Associated Press in an interview earlier this year that "I represent the new. Mnangagwa represents the past." For more than a decade after a stem cell transplant, he was the only person known to be cured of HIV/AIDS Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will open the sixth national youth forum at Cairo University on Saturday under the heading Create, Start. The two-day youth conference will see the participation of more than 3,000 university students. El-Sisi will also attend a closed meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities on Saturday, before the opening session of the conference. The first day of the conference will feature "the Egyptian Person Building Strategy" session, which will be attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The second day of the conference will feature a special session on Developing the Health Insurance System, which will be attended by the Minister of Health Hala Zayed and a number of deans of medical schools and young doctors. The second day will also feature the "National Project for the Information Structure of the Egyptian State" session. El-Sisi will also answer some of the questions he has received from university students in recent days via Ask the President" online initiative. The initiative was launched for the first time in April 2017 as part of the national youth conference programmes. The first conference was held in October 2016 in Sharm El-Sheikh. The conferences are attended by young people, officials, experts and community members. Search Keywords: Short link: [This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.] Frankfurt, Germany, 27/07/2018 - Deck13 and Parallel Circles are proud to announce that the amazing Flat Heroes will release on Nintendo Switch and PC on 2nd August. With the upcoming release we are also proud to announce that a playable Demo will be released on the Nintendo Switch as well. The playable demo is already available in North America and will release together with the main game in the rest of the world. About Deck13: Founded in 2001, Deck13 Interactive is a leading German game developer and publisher with more than 60 employees across its Frankfurt and Hamburg studios. The company has developed more than 20 titles -- including major releases such as Lords of the Fallen. In 2014, the Deck13 Games label was created to help independent developers bring their projects to wider audiences. Deck13 Games aids developers in production, localization, quality assurance, public relations, and distribution. So far, the company has helped bring more than 10 titles to market. About Parallel Circles: Founded in 2016, after a few years working for the big guys (TTGames) the components of Parallel Circles decided to leave the premier league to start a new adventure on their own, giving their projects the polishing, care and love that the AAA industry can rarely deliver. Media contact: Michael Hoss Mail: [email protected] Twitter: @CrashOberbreit Letter to Angela Merkel : Bonn agrees to take in refugees in emergency situations BONN/BERLIN Together with the mayors of Cologne and Dusseldorf, Bonns mayor Ashok Sridharan has written an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel in which they have offered to take in refugees in cases of emergency. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken In an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), the mayors of the cities of Bonn, Dusseldorf and Cologne have offered to accept refugees in emergency situations. In particular, they wanted to work to ensure that the rescuing of refugees on the Mediterranean Sea resumed, the city leaders said on Thursday in a joint appeal. "We want to send a signal for humanity, for the right to asylum and for the integration of refugees," said Henriette Reker (Cologne, no party), Thomas Geisel (Dusseldorf, SPD) and Ashok Sridharan (Bonn, CDU) in the letter. "We agree with you that there must be a European solution to intake of refugees, asylum procedures and the integration or repatriation of refugees," the letter to the Chancellor said. However, until a European solution was agreed upon with all concerned, it was urgently necessary to resume sea rescue in the Mediterranean and to ensure that the rescued people are taken in. "Our cities can and want to accept refugees in need - just as other cities and communities in Germany have already offered." With their offer, the cities also want to counter the supposedly prevailing mood that "fences and walls instead of a fair European distribution system can solve the plight of refugees". The "human disaster in the Mediterranean" has reached new terrifying proportions since the beginning of the year. More than1,400 people have died at the borders of the European Union, said the mayors. In June alone, 629 people drowned on their way across the Mediterranean - partly because private initiatives to rescue them at sea had been criminalized and their work hampered. The situation in the Mediterranean has worsened because the new Italian government has denied international rescue mission ships entry into the country's ports. Many relief organizations have had to suspend their initiatives. On the past week-ends, several thousand people have demonstrated in various cities in Germany to call attention to the fate of people fleeing via the Mediterranean. Orig. text: epd Heat in the city : Its especially hot in these parts of Bonn BONN On these summer nights, its eight degrees warmer in Bonn than in the countryside. And in the next 40 years, this is expected to intensify. This has consequences not only for citizens, but also for city planners. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Lately, Bonn has shown some similarity with Australia. Around the edges it is green and in the middle, there is a deep red center. At least that is how it looks on the city map from Joachim Helbig. The head of environmental planning leans over this special map with his colleague Jessica Muller. It shows the city in midsummer, at 4am in the morning. At this time, it is statistically the coolest during weeks like these. And then it becomes clear: The city has a problem with the heat. While in peripheral areas such as Rottgen, Uckesdorf or the south of Ippendorf, cool air from the hillsides and the side valleys of the Kottenforst forested area refresh the hot parts of the city, heat builds up like a furnace in Neu-Tannenbusch, Duisdorf, Beuel, Bad Godesberg and in the city center. In many parts of the city - especially the city center of Bonn - the minimum nighttime temperature on summer nights with stable high pressure conditions is more than seven degrees higher than on undeveloped land. Even open spaces, such as those around the Kottenforst, which also heat up like an oven during the day, supply important cold air reserves for the city at night. The climate charts for day and night in Bonn have recently emerged as part of the research project ZURES. The abbreviation stands for Future-oriented Vulnerability and Risk Analysis and the project aims to develop resilience of cities and urban infrastructures when it comes to heat stress. Supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, since 2016 the University of Stuttgart, Technical University of Dortmund and the UN University Bonn have been working on the subject of adaptation to rising temperatures and climate change in the project cities of Bonn and Ludwigsburg. Challenge for city planners In Bonn this is important for several reasons. Helbig explains that the higher elevation of Ennert on one side of the Rhine and Venusberg on the other side, contribute to a bowl-like area which restricts the flow of cool air. Meanwhile, the city, which is forecast to continue to grow, urgently needs more living space. Demands for densification and building in areas that are still vacant are being considered. At the same time, property owners and residents have to adjust to rising temperatures. A local climate forecast by the University of Duisburg-Essen from the year 2011 anticipates a rise in hot days of more than 30 degrees from an average of 7.8 to 20.9 per year in the decades from 1991 to 2001 and 2051-2061. The number of summer days with more than 25 degrees is expected to almost double from 37.1 to 70.3 days. And the nights are getting warmer too. The number of tropical nights increases tenfold statistically from 0.1 to 1.0. These are important parameters, because the warmer weather both day and night means an increase in health problems. Not only is the heat a challenge during the day but it becomes difficult to recover at night with a lack of sleep. What does it mean for urban land use planning and where do you need to maintain green areas, preserve or create cold air corridors? Where is it necessary to unseal surfaces? Where do lots of children or older people live who are prone to heat stress? And where can we still build without major negative effects? These are some of the questions ZURES is trying to answer. One key finding: The climate modelers have completely overestimated the Rhine as a climate factor. "We would have expected a certain current effect that cools the banks of the Rhine." On the night map, however, the built-up areas on the river are deep red. In fact, there is often a wind on the shore, but not a cool one. "As a large body of water, the Rhine heats up during the day. At night it partially releases the heat back into the air," explains Helbig. Cooling from the hillsides Cooling comes mainly from the hillsides. Those living at the foot of the Ennert are in a good place when it comes to cooling off. In the west, the valleys of the Katzenlochbach stream in the north and the Godesbergerbach stream in the south provide ventilation. But the flat areas in the north, such as the Rosenfeld development project will be unlikely to change anything regarding air flow in the city. Midday high temperatures vary from 30 or more degrees Celsius in the outskirts of the city, but in densely built-up core areas and on major roads, it can feel like up to 43 degrees Celsius or more. Shading and green areas are an important aspect. Even water surfaces could contribute to the air cooling with their evaporation effect. Because open spaces alone do not make for a cool breeze. On fields and open meadows, it can be as unbearable during the day as in the city. In parts of the Rheinaue, temperatures of about 40 degrees are also felt on such days. Orig. text: Martin Wein Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has directed the government to facilitate the procedures for foreigners who own property in Egypt to acquire a non-tourist temporary residence permits as per a recently passed law. Madbouly, who is also minister of housing, utilities and urban communities, held a meeting with officials from the ministries of interior and housing on Friday, state agency MENA reported. The directive comes in accordance with Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfiks decision in May that foreigners who own one or more properties in the country worth at least $400,000 may be granted five-year renewable residency permits. Foreigners who own one or more properties in Egypt worth $200,000 may be granted non-touristic residence permits for three years, as part of the same decision. Madbouly stated that this decision, in addition to law no. 27 of 2018 which regulates real estate in new urban communities, will contribute to fostering the Egyptian real estate industry abroad, aiming to generate a large foreign exchange income to revive the real estate development sector. The prime minister also called for coordination between the central bank and the ministries of housing and interior, as well as real estate developers, to activate the decision and market its positive economic impacts. Interior ministry officials stressed that the procedures required to obtain residency for foreigners according to this decision will take a week at maximum, with coordination between relevant authorities, to overcome any obstacles and to facilitate the implementation of the decision. Search Keywords: Short link: Despite the ferocity of recent Israeli air strikes on Gaza, neither Hamas nor Israel would stand to gain from all-out war Palestinian analysts believe Israeli media exaggerated threats by Israeli military and political leaders to destroy Gaza, as well as preparations for a broad assault there. These same leaders forgot that Gaza is under siege, starving, and is on the brink of explosion; any threat against the population there only increases their determination and resilience in demanding their rights. The most basic right being an end to the siege and lifting sanctions. Anything less gives Gaza the right to fight more fiercely to defend its livelihood. Gazans chose the easiest form of confrontation, the March of Return and burning kites, to send a message to the world that they will not die quietly and submissively. Political analyst Fayez Abu Shmalah said all of Gaza is riding on a burning kite and residents will not stop heckling Israel as long as no one is listening to their cries from behind bars, and as long as their sons are killed and injured during the March of Return without the world batting an eye. Starving Gaza decided to export fear to its enemies; fear is tethered to hunger if Gaza thrives again, then fear will end in Gaza. Everyone must understand this equation, he said, especially those demanding an end to burning kites. Political analyst Saleh Al-Noami said at first glance it appeared that agreement by Hamas and the Israeli occupation to return to a truce, after a serious escalation last Friday in the Gaza Strip, came as a big surprise. Threats by political and security institutions in Israel in the wake of Al-Qassam Brigades killing of an Israeli occupation soldier on the border implied that Israels reaction would be extensive and lead to all-out war, similar to the summer of 2014. However, both sides wanted to de-escalate and quickly responded to regional and international mediation. Hamas wants to end recent confrontations, confirming the rules of engagement it declared, namely to respond to every Israeli aggression that kills resistance members. The group responded to the death of three members on 19 July by shooting an Israeli soldier. At the same time, however, Hamas dealt with the situation with realism and did not respond to Israeli strikes on its camps last Friday. Al-Noami said Hamas wants to de-escalate to create an environment that would make Egypts efforts for national conciliation successful, since conciliation would transform the economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza, and lift political and military burdens on the group as the governing body in the Gaza Strip. The group also understood that all-out confrontations would undermine its military capabilities, even though it has proven it can surprise Israel. Meanwhile, Israel wants to de-escalate because it understands that its ability to continue walking a tightrope in confronting Hamas is very limited. Military escalation would lead to battles that do not serve Israels interests, worsening security conditions in the south and undermining its standing on the global stage. Israel knows that all-out war with Hamas could force it to re-occupy Gaza, which would lead to one of two scenarios. First, it either becomes embroiled in remaining in Gaza for a long time, which burdens it with the economic, security and political consequences of such an occupation. Or second, to withdraw from Gaza and leave havoc in its wake since no one will be governing the Strip if Hamas is defeated. This would mean that the security of settlements near Gaza and in southern Israel would be more under threat. The Israeli press reported statements by Channel 10 military correspondent Alon Ban David that the Palestinian resistance asked Egypt to intervene and reach a ceasefire, out of concern that Israel would launch all-out war against the Gaza Strip. Thats not true, the opposite happened, according to Fadi Abdel-Hadi, an expert on Israeli affairs. The occupation Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, War Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Chief of General Staff Gadi Eisencot and the top army brass reached out to Egypt and UN special envoy Nikolay Mladenov to ask the Palestinian resistance to cease fire last night. Abdel-Hadi explained that this is for several reasons, most notably hundreds of Israeli soldiers in West Negev sleeping in tents and continuing to train on a simulation of invading Gaza. If the resistance launches mid-range rockets and hits those tents, many soldiers would die. The second reason is that Israeli air strikes came very late and only targeted areas where there are no Palestinian resistance fighters, he added. Abdel-Hadi said Netanyahu, Lieberman and members of the security cabinet floundered. Less than one hour after the first cabinet meeting at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Netanyahu held a second meeting, which demonstrates Israels political and military confusion. Yoav Limur, military writer at Israel Yahom newspaper, said Israel will not wage war now because of any balloon coming from Gaza. Israel can no longer escape from asking itself what it wants to achieve in Gaza politically, economically and militarily. And what it is willing to do for this, stated Limur. Neither side can claim victory in the events on Saturday night in Gaza. Although Hamas retreated and promised to stop kites and balloons, it succeeded in killing one soldier for the first time since Operation Protective Edge Israel responded strongly and restored calm in the south, but it is doubtful it will truly succeed in keeping war at bay Even if there is calm, the Gaza problem has not been resolved. Hamas will remain in a bind and will look for a way to explode the situation. Amos Harel, military analyst at Haaretz newspaper, agrees. It is not certain that efforts by Egypt and Mledenov will be enough to bring calm in Gaza the [coming] time, if the number of those injured is higher, Harel stated. Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for Hamas, said Israel will have to face the difficult consequences of its choice to strike and attack resistance targets, the people of Gaza and unarmed protesters. It will cost them more and they will feel the outcome and consequences. The reaction of the resistance to this escalation and targeting is based on the right to defend our people, enforce the deterrent equation based on tit-for-tat, said Barhoum. We are ready and willing to apply this tactic, no matter what we sacrifice. Our people, supported by the courageous resistance, will forge ahead in extracting their rights and ending the siege on Gaza. We have the right to live in freedom and with dignity, and the world and decision makers in the region must work on reining in this aggression, ending the siege and supporting the just Palestinian cause. Yehia Al-Sinwar, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said the Israeli army is not immune to getting killed. Avichay Adraee, spokesman for the Israeli army, responded: Al-Sinwar, who has had substantial experience with Israel, should know that [Israel] will snap at some point Sinwar chose to involve Gazans and jeopardise them due to a series of foolish steps, instead of improving their lot. On Friday, at least four Palestinians were killed when soldiers clashed with protesters in the March of Return campaign. Some 140 have been killed so far since the beginning of the popular campaign in late March, while thousands have been injured due to the Israeli army using live bullets, rubber bullets and gas against peaceful demonstrations. One Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper despite wearing a bulletproof vest. *A version of this article appears in print in the 26 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Israel loses in Gaza escalation Search Keywords: Short link: Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation. A federal judge in Portland has ruled that allowing a transgender high school student in a small Oregon school district to use the boys' locker room and restrooms doesn't violate the privacy rights of other students who object to sharing the spaces.U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit filed by Parents for Privacy against the Dallas School District. Hernandez said transgender students have a right to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity.And if the parents of other students -- some of them devout Christians -- don't like that, they're free to pull their children from the school, the judge said."It is within (their) right to remove their children from Dallas High School if they disapprove of transgender student access to facilities," Hernandez wrote in a 56-page opinion. Dallas is 15 miles west of Salem.The judge said the right of transgender students to be free of discrimination in school is outlined in Oregon law.His ruling drew praise from the ACLU of Oregon and the LGBTQ advocacy group Basic Rights Oregon. Both fought against the lawsuit.Gabriel Arkles, an ACLU attorney, said the Dallas lawsuit is part of a nationwide trend targeting young transgender people. Arkles said every federal judge asked to rule on similar cases has sided with the transgender students.A similar lawsuit was filed recently in Sutherlin, population 8,000, 13 miles north of Roseburg. ACLU of Oregon vowed to fight that suit, as well."We will continue to defend transgender students in Oregon from these harmful lawsuits," ACLU legal director Mat dos Santos said in a news release. "All students deserve a safe and accepting learning environment, regardless of gender identity. We know that when transgender youth are allowed to show up as their true selves, they thrive and make meaningful contributions to the community. This makes schools better for everyone."Attorneys for Parents for Privacy couldn't be reached immediately Wednesday. But in court papers, they argued that as parents, they have a "duty to instill moral standards and values in their children."They also contended that the children are concerned about maintaining their modesty in front of transgender classmates."These students have the sincere religious belief that they must not undress, or use the restroom, in the presence of the opposite biological sex, and also that they must not be in the presence of the opposite biological sex while the opposite biological sex is undressing or using the restroom," the group said in court documents.The lawsuit was filed last November against the school district, the Oregon Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. It sought to eliminate a Dallas School District policy created so then-senior Elliott Yoder could use the boys' locker rooms and restrooms at his 900-student school.Yoder was designated as female at birth but identifies as male. Stepping into the land of the Trump resistance, Seema Verma flatly rejected Californias pursuit of single-payer health care as unworkable and dismissed the Affordable Care Act as too flawed to ever succeed.Speaking Wednesday at the Commonwealth Club here, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said she supports granting states flexibility on health care but indicated she would not give California the leeway it would need to spend federal money on a single-payer system.I think a lot of the analysis has shown its unaffordable, Verma said during a question-and-answer session following her speech. It doesnt make sense for us to waste time on something thats not going to work.During her speech, Verma issued a broader warning to advocates pushing for a Medicare-for-all program nationally. She said that socialized approach to medicine would endanger the program and the health care it provides for millions of older Americans.We dont want to divert the purpose and focus away from our seniors, Verma said in the address before more than 200 people. In essence, Medicare for all would become Medicare for none.Single-payer has emerged as a key issue in the California governors race this year. The current front-runner for governor, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and the current lieutenant governor, has vowed to pursue a state-run, single-payer system for all Californians if elected in November. Many California lawmakers have endorsed that idea as the next step toward achieving universal coverage and to tackling rising costs.California has enthusiastically embraced the Affordable Care Act, and state leaders have struggled with and even bucked the Trump administration on a variety of health-policy fronts. The state stands to lose more than any other if the Trump administration is successful in further dismantling the ACA.About 1.4 million Californians buy coverage through the states Obamacare exchange, Covered California, and nearly 4 million have joined Medicaid as a result of the programs expansion under the law.Verma wields enormous power as head of CMS, overseeing a $1 trillion budget. The agency sets policy for Medicare, Medicaid and the federal insurance exchanges under the ACA.The landmark health law, she said, was so flawed it could not work without further action from Congress.It wasnt working when we came into office and it continues not to work, Verma said, responding to a question from moderator Mark Zitter, founder of the Zetema Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes debate on health care across partisan lines. The program is not designed to be successful.Zitter billed the event as a rare chance for Californians to hear directly from a top Trump administration official, although Vermas remarks broke little new ground, he said.Trump health care policies figure into many of Californias congressional races this fall in which incumbent Republicans are fending off Democratic challengers. And in court, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading a coalition of attorneys general who are defending the constitutionality of the ACA in a Texas case with national implications.The Trump administration has sided with the officials waging the lawsuit, choosing not to defend the health laws protections for people with preexisting conditions. Separately, the administration has backed work requirements for many people on Medicaid.Californias state Senate passed a law in May banning such requirements as a condition for eligibility in Medi-Cal, the states Medicaid program. The bill is pending in the state Assembly.Making health insurance coverage contingent on work requirements goes against all weve worked for here in California, state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), author of SB 1108, said in May.State lawmakers also are considering bills that would limit the GOP-backed sale of short-term health policies and prevent people from joining association health plans that dont have robust consumer protections.In an interview after the speech, Verma criticized those legislative efforts in California because they would limit consumer choice.Any efforts to thwart choice and competition and letting Americans make decisions about their health care is bad health policy, she said.Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the states ACA marketplace, has criticized the Trump administration for promoting those cheaper, skimpier policies as an alternative to ACA-compliant plans. He said he fears consumers will be harmed by bait-and-switch products that dont provide comprehensive benefits.There have been a series of policies from Washington that have the effect of raising costs, particularly for middle-class Americans, and pricing them out of coverage, Lee said in an interview last week. This is not a failure of the ACA. This is entirely happening since the new administration.Most of Vermas speech in San Francisco focused on Medicare. She outlined a number of initiatives designed to strengthen the program and protect taxpayers from ballooning costs. After the speech, CMS announced proposed changes to Medicare payment policies for outpatient care that could yield savings for the government and patients.In her remarks, Verma reiterated the Trump administrations efforts to reduce prescription drug prices, improve patients access to their own medical records and eliminate burdensome regulations on doctors and other medical providers.Verma received a polite round of applause at the beginning and end of her appearance. Employers in California must pay their workers for tasks they're regularly required to perform for a few minutes before or after their regular work hours, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday, rejecting a federal standard that allows employers to withhold the additional pay.A 1946 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, written into law by Congress in 1961, said federal law did not entitle employees to be paid for working "a few seconds or minutes" beyond their scheduled hours. The high court invoked "the realities of the industrial world," including the difficulties of keeping payroll records for such brief periods.But states can set their own standards, and the California court said the "de minimis" federal rule -- based on the Latin term for "trivial" -- has never been adopted by California lawmakers or labor regulators. The court said employees may not be entitled to compensation for every minute they work off the clock, but regular daily assignments, even brief ones, must be paid for.California labor law "contemplates that employees will be paid for all work performed," Justice Goodwin Liu said in the 7-0 ruling.The case involved a class-action lawsuit against Starbucks by a shift supervisor in Los Angeles who was required, after clocking out each day, to send daily sales data to corporate headquarters, and then to set the store's alarm, lock the door and walk co-workers to their cars. The supervisor, Douglas Troester, spent four to 10 minutes on those tasks each day, a total of 12 hours and 50 minutes during 17 months of employment, worth $102.67 at the then-minimum wage of $8 an hour."That is enough to pay a utility bill, buy a week of groceries, or cover a month of bus fares," Liu said. "What Starbucks calls 'de minimis' is not de minimis at all to many ordinary people who work for hourly wages."Stanley Saltzman, a lawyer for Troester, said the ruling lets employers know that "they can't require their workers to regularly perform minutes per day of unpaid labor." He said the ruling would apply statewide to thousands of present and past Starbucks employees, and many thousands of others in California who have been denied pay in similar circumstances.The court said Starbucks changed its practices after the suit was filed and now pays employees for regularly required tasks outside of normal work hours. But the coffee company and major business groups argued in court filings that the justices should adopt the federal rule and spare employers from record-keeping that often cost more than the small sums of pay at issue.Starbucks said it is disappointed by the ruling.But John Skousen, a Southern California attorney who represents employers and was not involved in Thursday's case, said the ruling should not cause any hardships, particularly with technological developments since the 1946 U.S. Supreme Court ruling."Put the time clock at the end of the building, or have an iPad method of capturing time" for each employee, Skousen said. "It's a doable thing for employers. ... You can't automatically cut off (work that must be compensated) when you know that it's occurring and you can easily capture the time."Liu, in the court ruling, said workers shouldn't have to pay for difficulties in record-keeping.It isn't "clear why, when it is difficult to keep track of time worked, the employee alone should bear the burden of that difficulty," Liu said. He also said class-action suits, which allow individuals to join small claims in a single case, illustrate how sums that normally would not be worth the time of a single plaintiff or the court "can be aggregated to vindicate an important public policy."The case is Troester vs. Starbucks, S234969. Tiffany Carr runs the state's top domestic violence organization, a nonprofit that uses public money -- state and federal -- to finance shelters and other essential services. And she makes a good living.How good? In a June 30, 2017 report, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence disclosed she is paid $761,560 annually, a salary that is approved by its board. She hit that mark after receiving pay raises totaling $313,475 over a two-year period."That's -- it's ridiculous," said Dan Ravicher, a professor at University of Miami School of Law who focuses on nonprofits, business and social entrepreneurship. "We're talking almost 2 percent of the budget being paid to one person. That's pretty unusual."Carr's coalition, a nonprofit that reports its top salaries on annual Internal Revenue Service forms called 990s, is one of many private organizations that receive state funds to provide social services. In addition, the coalition operates as a pass-through, awarding public funds to smaller domestic violence organizations."It is surprising that a private nonprofit organization serving such a vulnerable population requiring critical services would set a salary at more than $750,000," said Mara Gambineri, deputy communications director for Gov. Rick Scott. "This organization should provide a full explanation and give reassurance that the important services they provide are not being diluted by this expense."In fact, the state, which provides slightly more than half of the coalition's funding, apparently had no idea Carr was pulling down such a hefty salary.A written statement from Mike Carroll, the secretary of Florida's Department of Children & Families, said the coalition's budget on file with his agency lists her salary as $300,000, "which may be inconsistent with federal tax documents filed by FCADV."In response to the Miami Herald's inquiries, he ordered a "comprehensive financial audit of all DCF contracted funds allocated to FCADV executive salaries."He added: "If the audit finds that FCADV was not properly reporting salary expenditures, the department will take immediate corrective action."A Herald review found that Carr's salary, as reported in the 990s, is far higher than those of the leaders of other state-funded nonprofits, even much larger ones.For instance, the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, a similar-sized social services nonprofit that contracts with the Department of Juvenile Justice and is also a pass-through organization, pays its executive $164,783. The head of Our Kids, a Miami-based foster care agency that also operates on state money, receives a salary that is less than one-third that of Carr's, despite overseeing a budget and staff more than twice as large.DCF, which funds Our Kids and more than half of the coalition's budget, pays Carroll $141,000.08 and offers child abuse investigators -- front-line personnel in the fight against child abuse -- a starting salary of $39,600."When I hear that, I think about the number of advocates that could either get raises or that could be hired or shelters improved or built and I just don't understand," Kit Gruelle, a veteran national advocate and community educator, said of Carr's salary. Gruelle was the subject of the 2014 HBO documentary "Private Violence," about spousal abuse.Neither Carr nor the coalition's chief financial officer, Patricia Duarte, responded to numerous requests from the Herald for comment. Among the questions: whether Carr has received any subsequent raises. The coalition did provide a written generalized response saying it complies with all IRS rules.Scott and several state legislators once criticized the domestic violence organization for overpaying the boss. But that was back in 2012, when it was reported that Carr was making $316,104. In fact, records show, Carr was actually receiving compensation of $457,164.Carr, who has been with the organization for more than two decades and CEO since the early 2000s, defended her pay in a 2012 interview with the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau."I will tell you, this is my life's work," she said. "Everybody knows it. And if there is a decision by my board or the legislature ... they can decrease it. This is not why I do this work."Several state lawmakers expressed surprise when informed of Carr's salary, including the hefty pay increases since 2012."I think all of us have a very serious concern about the care of people trapped in domestic violence cases and there's always a shortage of funds on the front lines to deal with immediate services to them," said Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, a member of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on healthcare. "That's disappointing to know that a serious amount of funds are going to administrative services.""We need to look into this and I think we should," said Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, who serves on the same committee. "What we should do is look into it to determine that the state's funding is being used appropriately."Rep. Amy Mercado, an Orlando Democrat who sits on the House budget committee that oversees the coalition's spending, said she was surprised to learn of Carr's salary -- and that the governor had raised questions about it but did nothing more."Not only has this practice been condoned by the Republican-controlled legislature and governor's office, but it has been encouraged," she said.Every state has a nonprofit domestic violence coalition, but Florida's has the largest budget due in part to a 15-year-old state law. The law, signed in 2003 by then-Gov. Jeb Bush, required that all state funds for domestic violence programs in Florida be distributed by the coalition, vastly expanded its budget and changed its role from primarily an advocacy, training and policy group to one with pass-through funding responsibilities. Bush has remained an active fundraiser for the coalition, and his wife, Columba, sits on the board of the coalition's foundation arm.Only a few other states, including Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, contract similarly with domestic violence groups to funnel funds through one statewide nonprofit to many local ones. Most just use a state agency to distribute funds to and provide oversight for local shelters.Scott's criticism of Carr came during a 2012 bill signing for a revision to the state code on domestic violence. He wrote, "I do not believe it is appropriate to designate in statute a specific private entity as the recipient of state funds. Such a practice restricts the competitive procurement process."But Scott let the issue drop and the legislature has not made any changes to the law that provides money to Carr's organization. The coalition's budget has increased from $33 million to almost $43 million since then, and that budget is made up almost entirely of government money, including funds generated by court fines in domestic violence cases, according to the coalition's most recent financial documents.In addition to Jeb Bush, Carr and her coalition have enjoyed the support of other Republican leaders for years. Former Gov. Charlie Crist named her to his transition team after he was elected in 2006, and Scott's close ally, Tallahassee and Washington lobbyist Brian Ballard, is one of two outside lobbyists hired by the organization.Visitors to the coalition's office encounter a framed photo of Carr with Crist upon entering the lobby. Carr has been a contributor to Florida politicians over the years -- mostly, but not exclusively, Republicans.Nonprofit boards decide executive salaries, and Carr's board is made up almost exclusively of current and former executive directors of domestic violence organizations around the state. The board has increased Carr's salary every year since 2011, which is the earliest year for which records are available. Those board members run programs that nearly all receive substantial portions of their budget from the coalition."That's a direct conflict of interest that should have been avoided," said Ravicher, the law professor. "If you're a recipient of grants from an organization you should not be on the board of directors. And it shouldn't be that the majority of board members are receiving grants from the organization."The organization's conflict of interest policy states, "[The coalition] intends to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest in all transactions."The coalition's foundation arm was created as a separate nonprofit in 2012, with the mission to "broaden and deepen the resources of the FCADV," and has raised several hundred thousand dollars every year since. But it has yet to spend any of its money, according to the records. In that time, it has amassed a fund of more than $1.1 million, according to the most recently available financial documents.Carr has income beyond her base salary. The year she made $761,560, the organization reported an additional $40,050 in deferred compensation and benefits. The coalition also reported she received $105,000 as part of an unusual supplemental retirement plan, although it is not clear whether that is over and above the $761,000 base. Two nonprofit experts consulted by the Herald believed it to be additional compensation, but were not positive, because they had rarely seen anything like it.Over the past six years, the coalition reported Carr received between $40,000 and $130,000 annually as part of that retirement plan, totaling $540,000.The Florida coalition is responsible for overseeing the funding of 42 domestic violence shelters across the state. The law requires the coalition to regularly check on organizations receiving funds to ensure they are spending their money properly. But there is no mention in the law about who provides those financial oversight services.It gets some of its money from the Attorney General's office, but most comes from DCF, which is the main oversight body for the organization. DCF spokesman David Frady said the agency's inspector general reviews a third-party audit of the coalition's contract every year and conducts annual reviews to check that the funds are being spent properly.Frady noted that "there is not a provision in the contract regarding executive pay."DCF has not done an inspector general report on the coalition since 2005, when it looked into six allegations, including an alleged "special relationship" between Carr and her then-overseer at DCF, Trula Motta, and a complaint that the coalition was not required to provide a detailed line-item budget to DCF like other contractors. Carr's salary was not mentioned at the time, but DCF employees stated they thought Motta "served at the pleasure" of Carr, rather than the reverse, and that they felt like they "work for Tiffany Carr." One employee described it as "the tail is wagging the dog." The report's findings on these allegations were inconclusive.Carr has run the coalition for nearly half its 40-year history. Starting under Gov. Bush, the coalition continued to assume more of the responsibilities for distribution and oversight of public money. Since then, Carr has effectively consolidated the power that comes with controlling the purse strings. Her supporters say this has made her an effective advocate and lobbyist for this cause.The coalition is now getting money from federal grant programs such as the Victims of Crime Act, which those supporters attribute directly to Carr's efforts."Florida's government has been exemplary in providing funding," said Kim Gandy, CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, which coordinates national level domestic violence advocacy and for which Carr was once the board chairwoman. "The Florida coalition deserves a lot of credit for over many years building up a lot of support from the state leadership."The majority of the programs that the Florida coalition funds (most of which serve at least one county, if not more) have smaller budgets for the services they provide than Carr took home in salary in 2016.Local programs are often understaffed and under-resourced -- including shortages of beds and legal advocates. In 2017, 49 staff positions were empty across nearly half of Florida's 42 domestic violence centers, most of which were shelter staff or legal advocate positions. During Florida's annual 24-hour census of domestic violence services, coordinated by the National Network To End Domestic Violence, Florida met a greater percentage of requests for aid than other large states like California and Texas. Still, 97 requests were turned away because of a lack of resources. The majority of those were for housing."It's so critical to have those resources available," said Gandy. "When a victim is able to find the wherewithal and courage to reach out and seek help, sometimes that's their one opening... and if they reach out for help and there's no one there -- no bed available, no counselor available -- they may never be able to call back."In response to a list of questions provided by the Miami Herald, the coalition sent a statement, saying, "As reflected in the 990s, FCADV complies with all IRS requirements, which include obtaining and considering financial data for organizations with comparable functions, responsibilities, and budgets within the appropriate geographical area (i.e. Florida, not other states). FCADV's administrative costs are 4 percent -- far below the national average -- which allows 96 percent of all funding to be directed to statewide programming and direct services for domestic violence survivors and their children."After the coalition passes on the majority of funding it receives to local organizations, it has a budget of roughly $8 million for all of its work: programming, training, lobbying, and the administrative tasks involved in distributing and keeping tabs on the money. That's comparable to some of the other large-state domestic violence coalition budgets. Of that roughly $8 million, the top four employees, including Carr, together earn $1.3 million.When nonprofit boards decide on an executive's salary, they sometimes do a survey of similar nonprofits to help them find an appropriate pay range.In 2012, when asked about an earlier survey, Carr told the Herald/Times that the board looked at Enterprise Florida, the state's public/private job-creator; the Ounce of Prevention Fund, which provides services to children in poverty; and Disc Village, a Tallahassee-based rehab program.The most recent financial records for all three list executive salaries between $143,000 and $378,000.Carr has registered nine for-profit companies over the years. The majority were property management companies around the state, one of which is still active. She also has an active company called "Beacon Hill Advocates LLC," registered in 2017.Property records show Carr and her husband own three houses: one in Tallahassee, a waterfront home in Port St. Joe, and a Macon County, N.C., home in the mountains of the Nantahala National Forest. The Port St. Joe and North Carolina homes were both purchased in the past five years.In 2011, Carr sold a previous North Carolina mountain house, worth about half as much as the new one, to Laurel Lynch, a longtime coalition board member and CEO of HOPE Family Services, a Bradenton domestic violence organization funded by the coalition. The sale was notarized by the coalition's CFO, Duarte.Lynch declined to comment on Carr's salary, and when asked about the house, said only, "That has nothing to do with FCADV." The 2018 Swamp Cabbage Festival in Hendry County, Fla., featured a rodeo, a car show, a parade, a variety of clogging troupes and the 51st annual crowning of the Swamp Cabbage Queen. It also featured Adam Putnam, the state agriculture commissioner. But the Republican wasnt there to inspect the cabbage. He was doing what he spends most of his time doing these days: showing up at popular events, shaking hands and asking people to support him for governor. Its Politics 101, and Putnam is a tenured practitioner of Florida politics. But this year, it might not be enough.The 44-year-old Putnam has been laying plans to run for governor for a long time. He won a seat in the state House at age 22, becoming the youngest person ever elected to the Florida Legislature. Four years later, he was in Congress. In eight years as agriculture commissioner, a statewide elected position, hes raised millions of dollars -- $32.7 million for his gubernatorial bid as of June 30 -- and has garnered endorsements from politicians up and down the state, as well as backing from Floridas major business lobbies. Hes managed to drive most potential competitors from the race, including state House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who dropped out in May, saying it had taken him all of 2.2 seconds to back Putnam. Putnam has done all the right things and checked every box, says Matthew Corrigan, who chairs the University of North Floridas political science department. Hes spent a lifetime in politics, hes been all over the state, he can raise money and he has the endorsements of the party establishment.But theres at least one important endorsement Putnam has failed to win -- Donald Trumps. The president has lent his support to Ron DeSantis, a third-term congressman. DeSantis has been one of Trumps most ardent backers, and has appeared on Fox News roughly 100 times since January to criticize the FBI and defend the president against any accusations regarding Russian interference in the last election. DeSantis has the enthusiastic backing of Fox host Sean Hannity. Perhaps more important, he has ready access to Fox viewers. Meanwhile, Putnam has been shut out of Fox, completely absent from the network all year. Ron has done a masterful job on Fox News, putting himself out there almost as Donald Trumps lawyer, says Mike Haridopolos, a former Florida Senate president and a Putnam supporter.The primary between Putnam and DeSantis -- the party regular vs. the cable news guy -- provides a case study in how much politics and the Republican Party are changing this year. You can barely talk about the race to any prominent Florida Republicans without hearing them say that in a normal year Putnam would win, and he has been leading in the polls. DeSantis lacks much of a campaign infrastructure, and his fundraising trails Putnams, although hes gotten support from the Mercer family, among the most important donors in Trumps universe. While Putnam has hit every county fair and Republican pig roast, DeSantis has mostly been stuck in Washington. Putnam has had paid television ads running since the spring, while DeSantis didnt launch his first ad until shortly before the Fourth of July.For all that, however, the support of Trump and Fox means that no one is counting DeSantis out. A wealth of GOP voters remains undecided. Floridas primary elections are restricted to party members, and they tend to be dominated by the most committed activists. DeSantis was never going to have the support of the insider class in Tallahassee, but the backing of the Republican Partys greatest current hero and its TV channel of choice means he has a real shot. Everyone thought for many years that Putnam would be the next governor of Florida, says GOP consultant Ryan Wiggins, who is neutral in the race, but the party changed from under him and hes got the race of his life on his hands.Whoever wins the Aug. 28 primary will have another difficult hurdle in front of him. The departing Republican governor, Rick Scott, spent more than $100 million in his two campaigns and won by only a single percentage point each time. And that was in 2010 and 2014, the strongest Republican years in recent history. Reports of a Democratic wave this November may prove to be exaggerated, but theres no question that the environment is less favorable to the GOP than it was during those last two midterms. The only reason Rick Scott won in 2010 or 2014 was because of the national Republican wave, says Steve Geller, a Democratic commissioner in Broward County.Republicans are defending 26 governorships this year, compared to just nine for Democrats. That in itself doesnt portend a Democratic sweep. A few of the races look like easy Democratic wins, but many of the states Republicans are defending are unassailably red, such as Arkansas, Idaho, Texas and Wyoming. For Democrats to make big inroads on the gubernatorial map this year, theyll have to carry states such as Florida that Barack Obama won twice but which Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016. Several of those states look highly competitive, among them Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. But none of them are going to be easy Democratic pickups.Still, Florida offers one of the Democrats best chances. Not only were Scotts victories one-point affairs, but so were the last two presidential contests in the state. As elsewhere, Democrats are counting on anti-Trump sentiment to bring more of their supporters to the polls than has been the case in recent midterms. If 2018 does turn out to be a Democratic year nationally, that may be enough to get the party the added percentage point or two it needs to win.But Trumps poll numbers are stronger in Florida than they are nationwide. His support is especially high among seniors, always a critical voting bloc in the Sunshine State. And while Scotts margins were close, Republicans have managed to win each of the last five elections for governor -- and 17 of the last 18 statewide contests. Florida remains a coin toss, but the coin always seems to come up Republican, at least at the state level. Republicans have just been better at getting those last 100,000 to 200,000 voters, Corrigan says.As in many other states this year, the Democratic candidates for governor of Florida have talked up a number of decidedly progressive policy proposals. Climate change is an issue thats absent from the Republican discussion, but its a prime topic among the five leading Democrats. They also agree on the need to ban assault-style weapons and raise the minimum wage and teacher pay. They support an expansion of Medicaid, and some are on board with the idea of single-payer health insurance through Medicare. What he wants to do as governor is lead as a progressive, says Geoff Burgan, spokesman for Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillums campaign. Andrew presents a bold case for legalization of marijuana.Gillum and his rivals in the primary argue that Democrats want someone who is not just an opponent of Trump and his policies, but a champion of progressive ideals. Most of them say that Florida Democrats have too often stayed home in midterms and need to be excited by ideas that cut sharply against the grain of the states GOP leadership. Chris has shown the courage to fight for issues that havent traditionally been talked about by Florida Democrats for the past five elections, says Avery Jaffe, spokesman for Chris King, a private equity investor making his first political run.Philip Levine, the wealthy former mayor of Miami Beach, built up a polling lead in the spring with millions of dollars worth of unanswered TV ads. He no longer has the airwaves to himself, however. Jeff Greene, a Palm Beach real estate tycoon who entered the race in June, is another rich Democrat who has pledged to spend whatever it takes to be competitive both in the primary and in the fall. Greene, in fact, has made his wealth into a talking point, contending that past Democratic hopefuls often had great ideas but lacked the wherewithal to have their message heard against a well-funded Republican machine.All this money and the fields general movement to the left has hurt the initial Democratic frontrunner, Gwen Graham. She started out with a polling lead, thanks in part to her name recognition as the daughter of Bob Graham, a former governor and U.S. senator. She defeated a GOP incumbent to take a congressional seat against the tide in the strongly Republican year of 2014, but a court-ordered redistricting left her without a political home after a single term. During her two years in office, Graham was rated one of the most bipartisan members in Congress. That sounded good to centrist think tanks and was the right positioning for her moderate district, but it lingers unhelpfully over her gubernatorial campaign. Her opponents dont let her forget that during her first year in office, she voted against President Obama on a majority of issues where the presidents position was clear, including construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which she supported. Graham is a down-the-line liberal on health care and some other key issues, but her opponents have been painting her as too centrist to win over many of todays Democratic voters.Each of the Democratic candidates, though, has a potential flaw that allows opponents to say they cant win the primary or be competitive in the fall. The FBI has been dropping subpoenas around Tallahassee for the last couple of years. While the investigation hasnt touched Gillum directly, some Democrats wish hed waited until his name could be definitively cleared. Greene entered the race late and is a former Republican who has said kind words about Trump, his Palm Beach neighbor. Greenes 2010 campaign for the U.S. Senate foundered amid reports of heavy partying on his 145-foot yacht. Levines opponents say his business interests overlapped too closely with his policy moves as mayor, while some Democrats believe that King, while talented, is too young and inexperienced at age 38 to conquer the field.In the fractured Democratic competition, it might take as little as 30 percent of the vote to win nomination. Thats led to a lot of speculation about which candidates will play strongest in particular parts of the state or among certain blocs of voters. For his part, Gillum might have an advantage as the only African-American in a state where blacks make up a quarter of registered Democrats. But so might Graham in a year in which women are doing particularly well in Democratic primaries. Gwen Graham has a real shot at winning the general election, but only if she can get past the primary, says GOP consultant Wiggins, echoing a common Republican sentiment. But the Democrats are notorious at picking someone they like versus someone who can win.The eventual nominee will have to appeal to the states fastest-growing group of voters -- independents, who in Florida are known as NPAs, for no party affiliation. When Scott was first elected governor in 2010, 19 percent of the states registered voters were NPAs. Their number is now up to 27 percent. Given Floridas late primary date of Aug. 28, candidates will have only September and October to persuade NPAs not to worry about the hard ideological stances they took to win nomination.That may be a problem on the Republican side as well. DeSantis, a hardliner on immigration and abortion, is not only a fervent Trump supporter but a founding member of the militantly conservative House Freedom Caucus. If hes the GOP nominee, the Democratic attack ads will practically write themselves. Putnam has given Democrats some ammunition as well. Always considered a conservative, hes veered further right in pursuit of the nomination, notably on the issue of guns. Last year, Putnam enthusiastically declared himself a proud NRA sellout. It might not hurt him within the Republican primary, but comments like that might come back to haunt him in the fall, says Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida.In fact, the remark has already done Putnam some damage. After the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in February, the grocery chain Publix found itself the target of a consumer boycott because it had given Putnam $650,000 over the past couple of years. Publix distanced itself from him in response to the criticism. In June, thebroke the story of an internal investigation that showed Putnams department, which handles gun registrations, failed to conduct parts of the criminal background check on some individuals applying for concealed weapons permits. Democrats called for Putnam to drop out of the race, and even Republicans criticized him for the management failure and for not releasing the report for a year.Early polling suggests that Putnam would be stronger in the fall than DeSantis. But either Republican would enjoy certain advantages. Rick Scott cant run for governor because of term limits, but he will be on the ballot. He entered the U.S. Senate contest against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson in April and immediately unleashed millions of dollars in TV ads. Scott was not especially popular when he ran for reelection four years ago, but his approval ratings are peaking as he leaves office. His focus as governor has been almost exclusively on jobs and the economy, and he takes credit for a state unemployment rate that has dropped below 4 percent. He wins praise for his handling of Hurricane Irma last year, as well as for his outreach to Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in Florida following the devastating Hurricane Maria last September. Scotts race could bring more GOP voters to the polls.Some Democratic strategists have expressed hopes that the influx of Puerto Ricans into the state following the storm would give their side a boost. They are U.S. citizens and eligible to vote, and are expected to play a role in some central Florida contests, but their numbers are probably not large enough to tip a statewide election. Their actual voting registration numbers -- along with those of millennials -- have thus far been disappointing to Democrats.Seniors, as everyone knows, are crucial to the outcome of any statewide election in Florida. Their presence and influence are sometimes exaggerated -- a full 25 percent of the residents of South Florida are now millennials -- but seniors are maintaining their numbers as baby boomers join the ranks of the elderly and continue to retire to Florida. The Villages, which is in Central Floridas Sumter County and sprawls into neighboring communities, is Americas largest retirement enclave. In 2016, turnout in Sumter County was 83 percent and Trump received nearly 70 percent of the vote. Folks down here that are retired always turn out, says Sumter County Commissioner Al Butler.The fact that demographic groups seem to cancel each other out is one reason why a state that is gaining more than a thousand residents every day can remain politically stable. Florida is so closely balanced between the parties that who leads in the polls can depend almost entirely on the choices pollsters make in weighting the demographic and partisan mix within their samples.Who will come out ahead when it matters in November? It seems like conditions are right for Democrats to do better than they have in the last two contests. Since they have finished tantalizingly close, the current climate may be enough to translate into victory. But they have yet to settle on a candidate who can excite the partys base while attracting more moderate independents and disaffected Republicans. The GOP, for its part, has all the advantages that come from being the party entrenched in power, particularly at a moment when the economy is humming. Theyre going to be fighting tooth and nail to win by 1 percent, or 2 percent, says Robert McClure, president of the James Madison Institute, a conservative think tank in Tallahassee.Campaigns often turn on things that candidates cant control. This year, that includes first and foremost the presidents approval ratings. Trumps numbers in this election are going to be more important, I think, than anything the candidates do, says Geller, the Broward County commissioner. If you can guarantee me today what Donald Trumps poll numbers are in November, Ill tell you whether well have a Democratic or a Republican governor. Description GIS 27 July, 2018: The President of the Peoples Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping, will be on a Friendship Visit to Mauritius as from this evening. The Chinese President will be accompanied by his spouse, Madame Peng Liyuan, and an official delegation comprising 11 members. The President of the Peoples Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping, will be on a Friendship Visit to Mauritius as from this evening.The Chinese President will be accompanied by his spouse, Madame Peng Liyuan, and an official delegation comprising 11 members. During his visit the President will have a tete-a-tete and working session with the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, at the Hilton Mauritius Resort and Spa, Flic en Flac on 28 July 2018 for in-depth exchange of views on further developing Mauritius-China relations and cooperation as well as international and regional issues of common concern. President Xi Jinping is stopping over in Mauritius on his way back to China after wrapping up State visits to the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of South Africa from 19 to 24 July 2018. He attended the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa from 25 to 27 July. President Xi Jinping is currently general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, and chairman of the People's Republic of China Central Military Commission. The Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) is holding talks with Syrian government officials in Damascus this week, accompanied by representatives of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia, SDC co-chair Riad Darar said. It marks the first declared SDC visit to Damascus. The delegation is led by top Syrian Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed, added Darar, speaking by phone from Vienna on Friday. Darar said the talks were initially expected to focus on matters of service provision, but added: "I believe matters will develop to what is wider than that." "There could be some political and some security meetings," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Description GIS 27 July, 2018: All your efforts should be geared towards creating a safer Mauritius, while at the same time upholding the credibility and image of the Police. The legitimacy of the Police Force and the respect you earn from the community hinge on your ability to work in the best interest of the organisation. You should at all times be professional in all your actions and offer quality services to our citizens and visitors alike. All your efforts should be geared towards creating a safer Mauritius, while at the same time upholding the credibility and image of the Police. The legitimacy of the Police Force and the respect you earn from the community hinge on your ability to work in the best interest of the organisation. You should at all times be professional in all your actions and offer quality services to our citizens and visitors alike. This statement was made yesterday at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture, Phoenix, by the Minister M entor, Minister of Defense and Rodrigues, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, on the occasion of the 251st anniversary of the Mauritius Police Force. Addressing senior Police Officers, Sir Anero od Jugnauth exhorted them to be the masters of their undertakings and to work smarter. This entails a shift from the traditional ways of policing and moving away from routine and complacency. This much needed paradigm shift will no doubt enhance your ability to foresee future threats and policing challenges and also forecast your actions, he added . The Minister Mentor urged senior Police Officers to display a higher sense of commitment and leadership as well as to serve as role models to junior staff. As guardian of discipline, he said, they should bolster ethical conduct and ensure that no attempt is made to soil the reputation of the Police Force. He pointed out that discipline and commitment are the bedrock of any successful Police organisation adding that they should display inspirational and visionary leadership in their respective Division. Speaking about the various aspects of policing as well as the challenges facing the Police especially in a dynamic and multi-cultural country like Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth underlined that the Government has remained committed to promoting equal opportunities for all, fighting all forms of crimes and corruption and other unlawful activities which would otherwise plague the society and threaten social harmony. He emphasised that his resolve, insistence and perseverance towards achieving Governments vision of making Mauritius a better and safer place remain unshattered. The zero tolerance approach to fight the entry of illegal drugs is also an epitome of Governments determination to eradicate the drug scourge, he pointed out. Referring to Governments efforts to modernise and professionalise the Mauritius Police Force and enhance its human resource capability, the Minister Mentor highlighted the various measures put in place as well as the budgetary allocations to the Police and the implementation of several projects aimed at combating crimes, such as the Safe City Project, building the human capital through the setting up of a Police Academy and the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment. Other measures include: construction of new Police Stations with the required amenities; equipping all Police Stations with CCTV cameras so as to protect Officers from false complaints while at the same time ensuring a human rights compliant organization; and provision of modern personal safety equipment for Officers. Furthermore, policing activities are being streamlined through a series of measures aimed at regulating the way Police go about in its business. The Police and Criminal Justice Bill is also under preparation at the State Law Office, he underpinned. Designers real modern designers who conduct human-centric research to create products and pages that work for people rather than systems have started to arrive in local government, bringing with them philosophies that are changing cultures.This culture change is one in which governments have begun to modify their services to better meet the needs of constituents, seeing themselves as customer service organizations rather than big bureaucratic monoliths that have always done something X-way and always will. This impact is perhaps most evident in the work being done by Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Teams.Innovation Teams, or i-teams, are groups essentially embedded in city halls to help city leaders drive bold innovation, change culture, and create an ongoing ability to tackle big problems and deliver better results for residents, according to the i-teams section on the Bloomberg website . Stephanie Wade, lead for the innovation teams program, said recently that nearly all of the 24 total teams have a designer on them.Design and designers are still relatively new to city halls, Wade said, but theyre increasingly becoming more popular and more prevalent. Its definitely something thats growing.This is a stark contrast to when the i-teams program first started several years ago. Back then, there werent any designers involved. Wade said that as philosophies changed and city leaders and other i-team members began to understand the value of having designers on board, so too did the prevalence of the position within city halls.What is perhaps more notable than the presence of designers is the perspective they bring to problem-solving discussions.Designers at the core bring a new way to solve problems, Wade said. They are very much focused on building a root understanding of the really complex causes of problems in cities.Chief among these new approaches is a focus on human-centric design, which more often than not involves going into the field to learn more about constituents and their lives before then making decisions within government. Using human-centric design has a dual benefit of creating services that will actually work for constituents, as well as will be worthwhile for government, since the field is a part of this process.Wade said design philosophies can be applied to any mode in which government delivers services almost all of them over the years have developed in a way that leaves much room for improvement.Tracy Colunga, i-team director for the local government in Long Beach, Calif., detailed the ways in which design and design-based research philosophies have contributed to work in that city. Broadly speaking, Colunga described design as the DNA of our innovation team.She said that what happens in local government is actually a riff on user-centered design called civic innovation design, and what it does is basically apply the principles of the former to the needs of local governments and communities.For Colunga and the rest of the Long Beach i-team, they have been using it for the past year to meet the mayor's request for help addressing the challenges related to public safety specifically reducing crime. The team went to work researching causes, and it found that a small group of repeat offenders who were in and out of jail were often responsible for much of the crime, so much so that if they could be rehabilitated, Long Beachs overall crime rate would drop. They determined this by doing a deep dive into five years of crime data.The next step was to talk to those offenders and see where city efforts to keep them from committing more crimes would be most effective. To find this out, the team also conducted interviews with city jail staff, county jail staff, courthouse employees and individuals who work for nonprofit organizations aimed at stemming homelessness.We were asking what are the gaps in the system and what could we do together to improve the repeat offender situation, Colunga said.There were many steps, but what they found was that if they installed a clinician in the city jail, repeat offenders could get help there. They also moved to create a multidisciplinary team that meets monthly to share information about helping repeat offenders and how best to nudge them toward diversionary services and, ultimately, to keep them out of jail.Colunga noted that there is almost always a technology component to the teams work, but that that component is rarely the cornerstone. Data, data analytics and using tech to share those things across departments are incredibly useful to help them and the rest of local government understand whats happening in a community and why, as well as how best to fix it, but its far more effective when complemented by design-based innovations like doing deep-dive research.Theres no way we could get a technology solution to work without the culture shift of people wanting to work together around a shared issue, Colunga said. As one of America's fastest-growing cities, Seattle is a hotbed for development. City officials estimate that they will see more than 95,000 new housing units by 2035 to account for the city's burgeoning population; new high-rises are already transforming its downtown. However, while economic growth generates opportunity for many, it also is intensifying a housing affordability crisis.In any city, affordable housing policies present a variety of challenges. They affect skylines, traffic and local business. They inspire opposition from developers fearing stifled production of more profitable units and from residents concerned about unwelcome neighborhood changes. The policies' fine details prove difficult to convey using dated methods, threatening to leave affected residents in the dark.In an effort to capitalize on population growth without compromising on inclusivity, Seattle planners have submitted a citywide Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) plan to the city council that would require developers to incorporate affordable options into new projects or pay into an affordable housing fund. It would be a major change to the status quo, calling for significant input from residents, developers and other affected parties.For many years, attempts at public engagement consisted of paper zoning maps or online PDFs, which did little to create a visually immersive user experience. Now, however, modern tools are allowing Seattle to make complex mapping information more accessible and valuable. Seeing an opportunity to enhance residents' ability to interact with zoning plans, in 2016 officials worked with Esri, a geomapping vendor, to release an interactive draft zoning map The interactive map revolutionized Seattle's approach to public engagement. "We were coming to meetings with these huge four-foot-by-six-foot printouts, and you'd still need a magnifying glass to get all the information," says Sara Maxana, project manager of Seattle's Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, the initiative that has spearheaded development of the MHA. "It was very difficult for people to get the granular detail in anything that we could print and fit on a table."But interactive mapping changed all that and sparked invigorated public exchange. In the months after the maps were rolled out, the city published multiple alternatives of the MHA plan. Informed by findings from the city's analysis of the impacts of growth on residential displacement and opportunity and values obtained from diverse residential focus groups, new rezoning plans incorporated broader, more pertinent analytics. Map drafts in turn displayed relevant community indicators, which included risk of displacement (informed by factors including race, income and housing cost burden), access to opportunity (based on factors such as employment, education and availability of local services), and proximity to key infrastructure.Seattle officials prioritized MHA rezoning in areas with low displacement risk, higher access to opportunity, and nearby transit. The interactive maps allowed residents to navigate and review color-coded rezoning plans for each city neighborhood. Clicking on a given zone produced a pop-up window with information about that area's displacement risk and access to opportunity.Interactive maps were not the only tool the city employed. The data maps were supplemented with an online survey tool giving residents an opportunity to express their agreement or disagreement with various aspects of the plans. Residents could explain their views and comment on other respondents' stances, forming a dialogue from which the city gathered crucial feedback.MHA community events also incorporated the Microsoft HoloLens, a virtual reality device, to present Seattleites with highly detailed visualizations of potential developments in their neighborhoods. Maxana believes virtual reality helped alleviate fears about development, showing people that "change isn't as scary as they thought it would be." And in cases where changes were significant, the HoloLens provided an honest glimpse into the future, equipping residents with the information they needed to voice concerns to city planners.With the decision-making process informed by enhanced public engagement, in March planning officials released a set of four detailed data maps outlining the final MHA proposal to the city council. Each of the maps serves a unique function, from explaining the rezoning benefits in a given community to allowing users to navigate proposals for a specific address. One map, for instance, identifies each neighborhood's new zoning plan (such as "mixed use"), what that would provide ("lively urban density near shops, jobs, services, and transit"), and how it would contribute to housing affordability ("creates affordable homes in dense, market-rate development"). The city has published all of the zoning drafts together, from first to final preferred alternative, so users can follow the planning process.Of the 50,000 new homes Seattle aims to generate by 2025, the goal is for 20,000 to be rent- or income-restricted -- a significant addition given its normal rate of 800 or fewer new affordable units per year. The city council will vote on the proposal in the fall. But whatever happens, the city will have pioneered an effective way to draw the public into a complex process. "We've learned a lot along the way about creative and equitable engagement," says Maxana. (TNS) Many Georgia Tech students are furious after the university mistakenly emailed personal information of nearly 8,000 College of Computing students to fellow students.The information included student identification numbers, telephone numbers, dates of birth, addresses, grade-point averages and nations of origin for students born outside the United States. Social security numbers were not included in the data leak, Tech officials said.Tech officials said College of Computing staff were building a list of students to invite to a conference and inadvertently attached the list of students identified to receive the message. The incident took place July 16. The staffers initially tried to recall the message. Tech administrators emailed the students whose information was in the spreadsheet to and asked students who received the spreadsheet to delete the message.U.S. Department of Education and University System of Georgia officials have been alerted, Tech officials said. About 30,000 students attend Georgia Tech.Students said in interviews Thursday with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution they were surprised, angered and frustrated by the disclosure of such sensitive data, particularly because of the schools reputation as one of the most technologically-advanced higher learning institutions in the world. Many were particularly upset by the sharing of their identification numbers, which could be used to unlock other information about them, and their grade-point averages, a point of concern at one of the most academically-competitive schools in the nation.I was surprised they were that negligent, said Austin Adams, 21, a rising senior.Tech said in a list of frequently asked questions sent to students about the disclosure that they have revoked access of student data to the workers involved pending its investigation.Clearly, additional (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) training will be done, but actions must be and will be taken to go beyond a review of policy, Tech said in the FAQ.Thats not good enough, several students said.Daniel Fridkin, 19, wholl be a second-year student this fall, asked why Tech had such detailed information in a spreadsheet. He said such data should have been in an access-protected server.The problem is not a human problem, Fridkin said. Its an infrastructure problem.Fridkin also criticized Tech for saying it wont change student identification numbers because it is a complex process and could create other problems. Fridkin said Tech should be able to warehouse such student data multiple ways and said Techs response shows how archaic it is.Data breaches and disclosures are becoming commonplace, from a discovery earlier this year that a SunTrust employee wrongly accessed basic information about 1.5 million customers to multiple data breaches of millions of Georgia voters in recent years.Third-year student Vivek Rajasekar, 20, wants leadership changes at Tech, saying the disclosure represents nothing short of gross negligence, if not gross incompetence.Some students said this is not the first data disclosure. Tech officials were unable Thursday to answer questions about prior disclosures or if the information shared in the emails has been used to access to harm students.Adams summed up the thoughts of many Tech students.I just want them to be more careful, he said. (TNS) - The Carr Fire in Shasta County erupted Thursday night into a conflagration that swept over the Sacramento River and into Reddings city limits, killing one person and sending residents fleeing for their lives as flames spread into neighborhoods of rolling hills in the western part of the city.The fire has burned into the west side of Redding, Scott McLean, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said late Thursday. Structures are burning.The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can. There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters.Just after 2:30 a.m., Cal Fire issued additional evacuations for all of Shasta Lake City and Summit City, as well as Shasta Dam Visitor Center and all of Shasta Dam Boulevard. This came in addition to the city of Redding issuing evacuation orders for areas west of North Market Street that were north of the Sacramento River, as well as areas south of the river that were west of Overhill Road and Buenaventura Boulevard.Cal Fire said a private bulldozer operator had been killed during the blaze, but gave no other details late Thursday. The fatality was the second this month reported as firefighters attacked blazes the length of California.Officials also reported a number of injuries among other firefighters and residents.We can confirm that we had additional firefighters and civilian injuries, Cal Fire Chief Brett Gouvea said at a late-night briefing in Redding. This fire is making a significant push into the northwest area of Redding...This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard to whats in its path.For the latest updates on Northern California's wildfires, sign up for breaking news alerts here. To support coverage of breaking news and more, click here for a digital-only subscription.Cal Fire emphasized that the blaze was moving quickly and had burned into neighborhoods around 9 p.m. Thursday after two days of fierce fire activity in the Whiskeytown area west of Redding.Its way too dynamic and burning quickly, McLean said of the blaze, which had tripled in size in two days to more than 28,000 acres as of Thursday afternoon.The fire erupted Monday afternoon after a vehicle malfunction, Cal Fire said, and quickly began to devour tinder-dry grass and brush, consuming more than 28,000 acres before jumping the Sacramento River into the city limits.More than 1,700 firefighters were battling the blaze Thursday afternoon when it suddenly blew up and marched toward the city.Right now theyre doing what they can, theyre trying to make a stand where they can, if possible, McLean said of firefighters. Its extreme. Its blowing up off and on again.It crossed the Sacramento River north of Redding from the reports we got. Its within the city limits of Redding and its in an area of rolling hills, so its not house-to-house neighborhoods but its burning into Redding and prompting immediate and urgent evacuations.Red circles on this live-updating map are actively burning areas, as detected by satellite. Orange circles have burned in the past 12 to 24 hours, and yellow circles have burned within the past 48 hours. Yellow areas represent the fire perimeter.The Redding Record-Searchlight reported that Cal Fire had summoned the California National Guard for help, according to dispatchers.Emergency personnel were reporting on social media that they are stopping structure and containment efforts in north Redding in order to focus on safely evacuating all citizens. A Cal Fire spokesman could only confirm portions of west Redding were under evacuation.The approaching fire set off a series of emergency evacuations, including at KRCR-TV, which announced during a live broadcast workers were being forced from their station near the Sundial Bridge shortly before 10:30 p.m.Homes in the Lake Redding Estates neighborhood burned Thursday night. The area of well-kept homes hugs the Sacramento River and sits adjacent to brush-covered hillsides.Right now were being evacuated, said anchor Allison Woods. Thats why we are kind of closing out right now. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here.The Vibra Hospital in west Redding also was being evacuated, according to the Record-Searchlight. The facility provides long-term, specialized care along with rehabilitation services.Off Buenaventura Boulevard in the Mary Lake area of west Redding, Kerry Gunsauls and her twin sister Sherry Garbutt were preparing to evacuate. They had their dog and cat in the car, and were waiting to communicate with other family members.We thought that it was going to be fine, wed never seen it go this close, said Gunsauls, 52. Then we saw a transformer explode. ... It was really scary.The sisters never got a call to evacuate, but saw emergency vehicles coming through and knew it was time to leave. Their family met at a real estate business they own, and decided to evacuate together but they dont know where to go.Were calling the motels, and theyre all booked, Gunsauls said.Just blocks away, fire crews were fighting to save houses that were ablaze.Right now, were doing structure protection. Theres a house right there that burned down, U.S. Forest Service Capt. Matt Mason said late Thursday. So were just trying to make sure nothing gets into these other houses.Mason said hes seen about 20 homes burn down in the Mary Lake area alone. He didnt think the fire would spread to Redding, but said strong evening winds pushed it eastward.We werent prepared, he said.Connor Sutton, a Redding resident who does media relations work for the Sacramento Republic FC and the Sacramento Kings, was among those who were watching the fire and preparing to leave.It is an Armageddon-like feel up here, he said. Heavy smoke. Gas stations are jam packed. It is unlike anything Ive ever experienced.Sutton wasnt in the evacuation zone, but decided to start packing up in case things got worse in his neighborhood, about two miles south of downtown. Earlier Thursday night, he was in downtown Redding before the flames approached town and described the atmosphere.A lot of people (were downtown) coming to watch early on, he said. Not thinking it would come to this. At the end, people were rushing out and then it was nearly impossible to get out.Giselle Ahlfeld was at the edge of the evacuation area Thursday night Airpark Drive and Placer Street waiting for her husband Richard, who stayed at home in Centerville on the outskirts of Redding earlier spreading fire retardant and gathering belongings.He said he was driving and we got disconnected, said Ahlfeld, 58, who drove back to Redding from San Francisco Thursday. I told him if you dont come down (now), Ill walk (to find you). Hes lost his voice, hes hoarse from all the smoke.Ahlfeld eventually made contact with her husband, who was driving into town with the couples two poodles. They arranged to meet at a movie theater downtown.I cant believe it, she said, gesturing down the road where smoke and light from the fire was visible and where she hoped her home was still standing.Thats my house down there, she said, pointing toward the fire.Residents nearby were driving up to a roadblock trying to get through. But California Highway Patrol Officer Shawn Bainbridge was turning everyone away.People just want to get to their homes and get their stuff, of course, Bainbridge said. At this point, though, unless theres an extreme emergency and theyve got to go help someone who cant help themselves, we cant let them in.At 9 p.m., fire personnel requested that Redding Electric Utility shut off power to residents of North Redding. Reports on KRCR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Redding, confirmed parts of the city are without power in an effort to prevent electrical equipment from sparking more fires.Emergency medical vehicles were being stretched thin, and seven calls were backlogged at 9:45 p.m. Thursday, according to scanner traffic from the Shasta County Cal Fire scanner.Were just a little extended, gridlock on Ashby, an emergency responder said when asked what their units response time was.A spot fire was reported behind a Walmart near Highway 44, which is located in the east area of Redding, scanner traffic said. Some firefighters were working to save structures in east Redding.Area residents took to social media to give a glimpse of their feelings of fear as the flames approached the city.One Twitter user tweeted that her sister and her family had to evacuate due to the fire, which was just five miles from their home, and destroyed the neighborhood next to theirs.Im scared and feel completely out of control not a thing I can do, she said.Another tweeted that evacuations were causing Redding to look like a zombie outbreak right now.Scanner traffic late Thursday included reports that several elderly Redding residents did not have rides to evacuate from their homes, and emergency medical vehicles were being called to help them evacuate.A utility line that reportedly fell near Swasey Road was causing traffic backups, but dispatchers said response teams were stretched thin and asked that signs be placed near the line to warn drivers.A new fully engulfed structure fire broke out around 10:07 in east Redding, according to scanner traffic. Multiple units from other incidents left their posts to assist with fire suppression efforts, as it is believed to be separate from the Carr fire.Social media reports said that the area of Keswick Dam and Quartz Hill northwest of the city was fully engulfed in flames, with multiple homes and structures burning and many people trapped and unable to drive out of the area due to congestion.The order was so immediate that traffic is completely stopped on some roads that lead out of the city. Traffic is completely stopped at North Market Street in both directions at least up to Lake Blvd, said Redding Record Searchlight reporter Jenny Espino in a tweet.See which areas are under evacuation in Redding and where to go for shelter2018 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)Visit The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) at www.sacbee.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) - Less than an hour after urging people to evacuate downtown Ellicott City amid heavy rain, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said waters did not breach stream channel walls Wednesday night and that Main Street had reopened.Mark Miller, spokesman for Howard County government, said that for the past couple of days the county's emergency management team has been "pretty ramped up" and monitoring with the National Weather Service.As a heavy band approached the area around 8 p.m., police patrols went into Ellicott City to ask people to move to higher ground, though he said it was not an official evacuation.Randy Marriner, owner of the Manor Hill Tavern, said officers were going through the street with bullhorns saying to take high ground. The staff of his restaurant announced last call at 8 p.m. When the police are telling us to take a hike, we take a hike.Ultimately, said Miller, the Tiber tributary "never breached its bank" and then receded "substantially."Relief from one of the Baltimore regions wettest stretches on record arrived Thursday, but flood warnings nonetheless remained in effect through the afternoon and evening after another round of soaking rain fell Wednesday night.Sunshine and highs in the upper 80s are forecast Thursday and for...The rivers are high but the rain has slowed down, said shop owner David Reyes of the Reyes Jewelry Exchange. My store is OK.Reyes said he didnt bother to put down sandbags to protect the store because, he said, they would be useless to protect against a deluge.False alarm, said Rick Winter, owner of Ellicott Mills Brewing Company.Miller said the NWS has indicated the area might get more rain as the hours wore on, but he said, "we expect there's plenty of capacity in the channel to handle the rain that's forecast later this evening and overnight."Waters were rising fast as rain fell, and approached the tops of channels that carry the Tiber and Hudson branches downhill, beneath Main Street and to the Patapsco River, said Dan Hofmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But they began to recede before any serious flooding occurred.About 2 inches of rain fell in the Ellicott City area Wednesday, he said, about half as much as reported in parts of Carroll County and the Washington, D.C., area.The National Weather Service had received a report of up to 1 foot of floodwaters on Main Street, but later said that account was unfounded. The weather service initially said the report came from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, but a spokesman for that office said it did not have anyone in Ellicott City at the time."Something must have gotten lost in translation there, Hofmann said.Concerns of possible flooding from the Patapsco River also did not come to pass while water reached a minor flood stage, it did not breach the river banks, Hofmann said.A flash flood warning was in effect across Baltimore City and Baltimore County until 10:30 p.m., indicating that downpours could quickly produce fast-moving floodwaters. But earlier flash flood warnings for other parts of the region expired.With historic rainfall recorded in the area in recent days, Ellicott City residents have watched the forecasts with a mixture of trepidation and weariness.The town, built on the Patapsco and Tiber, has been devastated by flooding twice in three years: a July 2016 flood that left two people dead, closed dozens of businesses and caused millions in damage; and another in May that resulted in one death and had a similar impact on business, property and infrastructure.On Friday, a state of emergency after the most recent flood was finally lifted, allowing greater access to Main Street for merchants and their customers.Baltimore Sun reporters Meredith Cohn and Lorraine Mirabella contributed to this article.ctkacik@baltsun.comtwitter.com/xtinatkacik2018 The Baltimore SunVisit The Baltimore Sun at www.baltimoresun.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Magill, Christie Montanas new CIO will build on his experience and work history to forge better staff connections and further Gov. Steve Bullocks effective government initiative.CIO Tim Bottenfield, who started work on July 2 , came to the Montana State Information Technology Services Division (SITSD) from the Department of Revenue (DOR), where hed been CIO for seven years. Bottenfield toldhis education and early work in forestry and forestry science, a data-rich environment; as well as a 25-year career at Auburn University in Alabama were excellent preparation for a tech-focused C-level position.In this new role, Bottenfield said hell mine his broad knowledge of IT, existing relationships and an empathy for fellow staffers to further the governors goals, which include conserving resources, boosting efficiency and increasing transparency. Another priority is meeting the mission of SITSDs biennial strategic plan , which was most recently updated in March by Chief Technology Officer Matt Van Syckle. The plan's objectives and principles include strong cybersecurity through best practices; a shared and managed services environment; public-private partnerships; and minimizing duplication. Van Syckle was interim CIO from late January , when CIO Ron Baldwin left for the private sector, until July.Likely his highest priority, the CIO said, is maintaining a hardened cybersecurity posture through the use of modern technology and aggressive training and education. A partnership between DOR and SITSD roughly four years ago led to the deployment of two-factor authentication across all state agencies and virtually all staff.Its not a sexy thing to talk about, but it has to be central to everything we do. It doesnt really matter if youre the Department of Revenue, if youre the Health and Human Services agency everybody gets the fact that security is the No. 1 thing, Bottenfield said, praising Van Syckle and Baldwin for their efforts securing the state.Agencies including the governors office and SITSD spent about a year scrutinizing a Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) software model-based initiative that could lead to what Bottenfield characterized as a Unified Desktop Workspace environment potentially enabling the state to more closely connect and monitor endpoints.Through this initiative and through this type of technology, we feel that well have a better handle on security than we do right now with just the standard desktop sitting on somebodys desk, he said, adding that the goal is to convert SITSD as soon as this fall, and conduct pilot testing in different lines of business at other agencies.Following an executive order from the governor, the state has worked to consolidate and optimize executive-level infrastructure a goal that Baldwin said last year should save millions of dollars when fully implemented and improve sharing through what would essentially be a private cloud.The effort has enabled significant monetary savings through a convergence of agency data, Bottenfield said, with roughly 99.5 percent of agency data now housed at state-of-the-art state data centers in Helena and Miles City. But it has also positioned the state to offer server space via public-private partnerships to outside entities and agencies in other jurisdictions. The CIO called it a really cost-effective move" for the state.Bottenfield said hes working to lead from the top, demonstrating that the way to best serve the citizens is being able to serve the agencies. To that end, he has instituted regular meetings with agency CIOs and staff to hear about their needs and concerns. He thinks the state is headed toward a more consistent approach to showcasing information and interacting with residents, but needs to be mindful of convergence there, too, and ensure agencies undertake the same tasks in the same way, to avoid unnecessary complication.As it is in other states and local governments, the issue of hiring and retaining motivated, experienced IT personnel is another challenge confronting Montana. The CIO called it kind of a dogfight to hire exceptional people in a state with low unemployment, a young mobile workforce and experienced workers more likely to be set in their ways and have preconceived notions. The solution, Bottenfield said, has been to tailor recruiting to the person being sought as well as to the agencys needs.I think that where weve been for many years is one size fits all, and it doesnt, he said. Big To-Do List North Dakotas new chief technology officer and its new chief reinvention officer (CRO) face the challenging task of unifying 17 cabinet agency IT departments into one and moving its data into the cloud all without reducing the level of service to its citizens, employees and lawmakers.Recently appointed CTO Duane Schell and CRO Julie Cabinaw , who will join the state in her new role on Aug. 20, recently shared some of their strategies for tackling the task ahead. Within her first 100 days at North Dakotas Information Technology Department (ITD), Cabinaw, who served as vice president of innovation and business technology at Scentsy, listed a three-point plan.I plan to first listen and learn, then identify and target areas where there are high pain points and need for efficiencies, said Cabinaw, adding she will then focus on quick wins while also developing a long-term road map.As CRO, Cabinaw will be responsible for leading teams to develop different experiences for citizens across several industries and at the cross-section of technology, business and innovation.The decision to hire a CRO versus a chief innovation officer, as a number of states and local governments have done , was based on the idea that innovation connotes creating something new, whereas with the unification process is more of taking best practices, existing technologies and applications and finding new ways to retool, reuse or alter their use, said North Dakota Rep. Corey Mock, chairman of the states Information Technology Committee, in recalling a conversation he had with state CIO Shawn Riley , who created the three C-level IT positions.Reinvent is to reapply, Mock said, adding that reinvention may be a better path to take, given state government is not as quick to adapt as the private sector based on how frequently the legislature and committees meet.Common pain points citizens face when trying to access websites run by various states often include information that is difficult to find or difficulties with conducting a transaction, said Cabinaw. Website issues also include problems around efficiencies and the seamless flow of moving on the site.One of the projects Cabinaw worked on at Scentsy involved creating an open ideation platform for the companys independent representatives to ask questions and submit feedback to the companys leaders who oversaw various categories at the firm, and to provide a transparent view where leaders could provide updates on whether action was taken on the representatives feedback.Although this type of platform has not been proposed for North Dakota state agencies, Cabinaw explained she does plan to talk to the various agencies and see if they would like a type of forum for citizens to provide feedback.As CTO, Schell is tasked with establishing the long-range strategy and direction for North Dakotas technology backbone, as well as moving the states data to the cloud and ensuring its service management continues to perform for stakeholders. He is already quite familiar with North Dakotas IT department where he previously served as ITDs director of network services since 2009.Schell noted that in 2003 the state Legislature gave its blessing to consolidate the data centers. As a result, data for all 17 cabinet agencies are already in two data centers and some mainframes, so the work that still has to be done is deciding which data can move to a public cloud like Amazon Web Services or a private cloud hosted by the state.Meanwhile, managing legacy applications and mainframes will also be among the challenges Schell faces as the state consolidates its technologies.This will be less about the physical consolidation of computing, but more about the unification of services and strategies, he explained.Schell will also need to ensure all the stakeholders understand the details as ITD works through its road map. The solution is to provide the Legislature with the information it needs on what ITD will be shifting and the budget implications.As for the move to the cloud, Schell says not all the stakeholders have bought into the reliability of the technology and its security. He plans to educate stakeholders on how large cloud companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Google have more resources available to them than the state to safeguard the data in the cloud and ensure a deep bench of redundant systems to make the data available when needed, he added.We all know that the cloud is where innovation can occur, said Schell.With the addition of the CTO and CRO positions, and eventually the chief data officer position, the Legislature will gain a better understanding of what ITD does and the services it can bring to the citizens of North Dakota, according to Mock. (TNS) WASHINGTON Amazons facial recognition technology mistook 28 members of Congress for arrested individuals when the American Civil Liberties Union ran lawmakers faces against a database of 25,000 mug shots, the group announced Thursday.In its test of Amazons Rekognition technology, the software also disproportionately misidentified people of color, the ACLU said. Forty percent of the members wrongly identified were people of color, while that same demographic makes up just 20 percent of Congress.Rekognition identified women much more accurately, the test found, only missing on Rep. Norma Torres.The ACLU is calling for a moratorium on the federal use of Rekognition until government officials have considered the implications, particularly on minority communities.People of color are already disproportionately harmed by police practices, and its easy to see how Rekognition could exacerbate that, the ACLU said in a statement.For example, the use of the software could wrongly identify a suspect as having a previous arrest, biasing an officer before an encounter even begins, the group said.The Congressional Black Caucus also wrote a letter to Jeff Bezos about the unintended consequences the software could have on African-Americans, immigrants, and protesters.However, the test used the default setting of an 80 percent similarity score between two photos to produce a match, an Amazon Web Services spokesperson said. The online retail giant and web services company said it would recommend law enforcement a 95 percent threshold.Rekognitions findings were not meant to be determining but rather an aid in making informed decisions, the spokesperson said. What is blockchain? (TNS) PROVIDENCE, R.I. Rhode Island officials made their pitch Thursday to the blockchain industry that the Ocean State is the place to start and grow businesses based on the emerging computer technology that enabled the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.About 100 representatives of blockchain companies gathered for an all-day conference at the Omni Providence Hotel and heard from a lineup of current and former government officials: Gov. Gina M. Raimondo; Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor; House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello; Liz Tanner, director of the Department of Business Regulation; former House Speaker John Harwood; and former Providence Mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr., now a downtown real estate investor.Their message was consistent: We want the blockchain industry to come to Rhode Island and we're willing to work with the industry to make that happen."We don't shy away from being first, being early, being innovative," said Raimondo. "We are absolutely open for business, and we want to work with you guys.""We will work with you to ensure that the regulation and the legislation is the right fit," said Pryor."We want to make sure we're not New York or Washington," said Tanner, promising to listen to industry leaders before developing regulations that affect blockchain companies."Rhode Island is on the move," said Mattiello. "For too long, we were very much stagnant, but now we're really on the move.""I'm just excited about the blockchain industry coming here to Rhode Island," said Harwood.Paolino was quite frank: "I'm a landlord, and I want to rent space to you."The rolling out of the red carpet was not lost on two executives from Alchemist, a New York investment company that helped organize the conference."I've never in my life experienced it," said Jeff Pulver, vice chairman of the company and one of the founders of Vonage, a company that pioneered internet telephone service. "I'm a fan of the State of Rhode Island for being so bold and open to business. You no longer need to apologize for being a small state because you're big in vision."Steven Nerayoff, Alchemist's founder and chief executive, directed his comments toward Raimondo. "She's really forward-thinking for a politician," he said. "I love what she said about Rhode Island." He was especially intrigued by the state's proximity to Boston and New York and its pipeline of students in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, from kindergarten students learning computer science to college students pursuing tech degrees at Brown University, the University of Rhode Island and other colleges in the state."We've been looking for a home," Nerayoff said, adding that he would be open to moving his New York City-based company to Rhode Island."It's important that there's a safe home for blockchain companies," he said, alluding to the industry's need for a location with a favorable regulatory system, which has been a daunting goal for an industry few legislators or regulators fully understand.But company leaders like Nerayoff and Pulver see nearly limitless possibilities for blockchain technology."The first trillionaire will come from the blockchain revolution," said Pulver. "We have a chance to change the world."Anthony Scaramucci, who was reported by the conference organizers as coming to the event, did not appear.Blockchain is simply a tool, and all the buzz surrounding it is not because of what it is, but what can be done with it.It is a record structure for storing information in a computer database. It is made up of individual blocks of information which are linked to the block that came before it, forming a chain.A blockchain is publicly shared, and information in it can only be altered with the consensus of everyone who is part of it, making the information highly secure from being changed by hackers.Because of this transparency and tamper resistance, blockchain can be trusted to store financial data and relied on to conduct transactions in which parties exchange things of value, including money. This eliminates the need for a trusted third party, such as a bank, to verify that one party has a certain amount of money and that it is being transferred to the other. Israeli occupation police closed the gates to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound Friday, an AFP photographer said, after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers. The Waqf, the religious authority that runs the mosque, confirmed the gates were closed after unrest broke out. All entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was prevented, the photographer said. Police did not confirm the closures but said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as "rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police". "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," a statement said, using the Jewish name for the site. It added police were still seeking to arrest a number of suspects who had fled into the Al-Aqsa mosque inside the compound. The Waqf published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound, which also includes the Dome of the Rock. The compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The site is also holy to Jews, who believe it to be the location of the first and second temples of Judaism and refer to it as the Temple Mount. In July 2017 tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at al-Aqsa. Fresh Palestinian protests were expected along the Gaza-Israel border Friday evening, a week after an Israeli soldier was shot dead there. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Poly has a decades-long legacy in aerospace and astronomy from our headsets on the moon in 1969 to the control room during this years Perseverance landing on Mars and NASAs historic first flight of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. McLaren and Toro Rosso are engaged in a tussle over a highly respected F1 technical figure. McLaren announced in Hungary that James Key will be the struggling team's new technical director. But he is currently at Toro Rosso, whose boss Franz Tost declared: "James Key has a long term valid contract with the team." What is clear is that the Key news means that Matt Morris is leaving McLaren, amid the once-great team's struggle even in the wake of the Honda era. "It's a question you should ask Zak (Brown)," Fernando Alonso said in Hungary. "But when a specialist of James' level comes to McLaren it's always welcome. Let's see if he arrives fast enough to be able to influence the work on this car and next year." Alonso wouldn't comment on rumours he is trying to return to Ferrari, saying only: "One weekend Christian Horner says something, then it's Rosberg or Palmer. "I don't comment on any of these rumours," the Spaniard insisted. But he did respond to reports that he has lined up a forthcoming Indycar test. "I have many more races to do this year, not just in formula one. I will do one or two races in karting and in endurance racing and it will be difficult to add anything else to the schedule," said Alonso. He also backed McLaren amid what sections of the media are calling an obvious crisis. "We are being honest with ourselves, understanding the cause of our problems and our lack of speed and looking for new ideas," said the 36-year-old. "It is all positive steps that will help make McLaren stronger in the future. In formula one you do not change things in one day, but everything I have seen in the last two or three races looked logical to me," Alonso added. (GMM) Romain Grosjean must be consistent in order to keep his Haas seat. That is the warning from boss Gunther Steiner, as candidates line up to replace the erratic-in-2018 Frenchman Grosjean. "Consistency is the magic word and he knows it, it's nothing new to him," Steiner is quoted by Brazil's Globo. "We know what he can do, he knows what he can do and on a good day he is amazing, we just need to get him more consistency," Steiner added. Plenty of candidates are lining up to replace Grosjean, including Sergio Perez and perhaps Kimi Raikkonen. "I wouldn't say we're going shopping," Steiner said. "Many people are coming shopping to us, for obvious reasons. They want to see what we are doing." He said Haas must wait until bigger teams like Ferrari and Renault seal up their own 2019 driver lineups. The strongest rumour is the one linking Perez to Haas, so when asked if a Mexican would fit at Haas, Steiner answered: "The nationality of the driver is not important to me. The big thing is talent." (GMM) Red Bull says it will not give James Key an early release from his duties at Toro Rosso. Earlier in Hungary, McLaren announced that Briton Key is joining the struggling British team as technical director. But Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost hit back: "James Key has a long term valid contract with the team." Toro Rosso is owned by Red Bull, and the energy drink company is not impressed with McLaren's precipitous announcement. "We have a multi year contract with James Key," Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. "Zak Brown asked us if we would release him from this contract earlier. We were still negotiating when suddenly we read in the press that McLaren has signed him." Marko says the move will cost McLaren dearly. "Mr Key will have to wait a long time before he can work for McLaren," he insisted. Marko said McLaren has a bad reputation now for announcing things before negotiations are complete. "It was the same with Lando Norris," said the Austrian. Earlier in 2018, Toro Rosso wanted Norris to replace Brendon Hartley at Toro Rosso. "We were negotiating behind closed doors and suddenly found out from the newspaper that they don't want to give him away," Marko said. (GMM) Rio Tinto has become the first mining and metals company to be granted the aluminum industrys Chain of Custody certification by the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI). The certification means Rio Tinto will be the only company selling aluminum that customers can be assured has been produced to the highest environmental, social and governance standards. The certification reinforces Rio Tintos commitment to responsible mining and metals production by providing independent verification that material can be traced through a chain of custody spanning Rio Tintos Gove bauxite mine in Australia to its alumina refinery, aluminum smelters and casthouses in Quebec, Canada. Rio Tinto has led the establishment of responsible production certification for the aluminum industry as a founding member of the ASI, working alongside customers and a broad range of stakeholders. Rio Tinto produces some of the lowest carbon footprint aluminum in the world at its Canadian smelters and launched the industrys first certified low carbon aluminum, RenewAl, in 2016. Rio Tinto received the ASIs first Performance Standard certificationthe highest internationally recognised standard for robust environmental, social and governance practicesin April. The certification covers five aluminum smelters, the Vaudreuil refinery, casting centres, port and railway facilities in Quebec, Canada. Rio Tinto is now working with the ASI on audits and certifications for other sites in its global aluminum business. The ASI is a global, multi-stakeholder, non-profit standards setting and certification organisation. It works toward responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminum following an entire value chain approach. ASI launched its Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard in December 2017. ASIs 60+ members include leading civil society organizations, companies with activities in bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminum smelting, semi-fabrication, product and component manufacturing, as well as consumer and commercial goods, including the automotive industry, construction and packaging, as well as industry associations and other supporters. News Protect yourself against virus mutants during travel, UAE residents urged New developments have been monitored that have appeared in a number of countries in the world, and they are still under study and monitoring of their danger and impact on humans by experts and researchers at the international level, official said during the briefing. South Sudans Warring Leaders Agree To Share Power, Again South Sudans warring leaders have agreed to share power once again in the latest effort to end a five-year civil war, officials announced Wednesday, days after the United States said it was skeptical the two men whose rivalry has killed tens of thousands could lead the way to peace. President Salva Kiir, left, and opposition leader Riek Machar, right, shake hands during peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [Courtesy| (Mulugeta Ayene, FILE/Associated Press] SOURCE: THE ASSOCCIATED PRESS KHARTOUM, 27 July 2018 [Gurtong] South Sudans information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, announced the agreement between President Salva Kiir and armed opposition leader Riek Machar to reporters in Sudans capital, Khartoum. The agreement initialed Wednesday will be signed on Aug. 5, Sudans Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed said. Kiir will lead South Sudans government during a transitional period and Machar will return as first vice president, Sudans official SUNA news agency reported. The opposition can live with the agreement, but it will fail if early steps such as security arrangements arent implemented, Manasseh Zindo, who has been directly involved with the negotiations for Machars group, told The Associated Press. A similar arrangement, however, fell apart in July 2016 when fighting erupted in the capital, Juba, and Machar fled the country on foot. The civil war broke out in December 2013 between supporters of Kiir and his then-deputy Machar. More than 2 million people have since fled the country in Africas largest refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, while millions of others have been left near famine. Multiple cease-fires, including a permanent one signed by Kiir and Machar weeks ago, have been violated within hours. Meanwhile, both sides have been accused of abuses. A U.N. report this month described how government troops and allied forces hung people from trees, burned others alive and raped or gang-raped dozens of women and girls. The new agreement comes as South Sudans leaders are under growing pressure from an impatient international community to end the fighting. Under the threat of a U.N. arms embargo Kiir and Machar agreed to resume talks in June, their first face-to-face discussions in nearly two years. Earlier this month the U.N. Security Council imposed the arms embargo anyway. The U.S. earlier this week warned that another power-sharing agreement between Kiir and Machar may sow the seeds of another cycle of conflict. The White House press secretarys statement said the U.S. wont fund South Sudans government or act as guarantor unless the peace process includes civil society, churches, women and other excluded groups and is no longer a narrow agreement between elites. The fracturing of South Sudans opposition into multiple groups further challenges the new power-sharing agreement as some refuse to sign on. Machar will be among five vice presidents in the new transitional government, according to the 11-page agreement. The government will include 20 ministers from Kiirs government, nine from Machars group and six from other groups. The warring sides also have agreed to share a 550-seat parliament with 332 members from Kiirs government, 128 from Machars group and the rest from other groups. Some South Sudanese who have seen past peace deals come and go reacted to the latest news with wariness. Working relations between Kiir and Machar is at its lowest level ever and chances of the duo causing another regrettable wave of violence are high, said Wol Deng Atak, the editor of a newspaper that was forcibly shut down by the government and who now lives in exile. South Sudan: MSF Suspends Majority Of Its Medical Activities In Maban Area After A Violent Attack International medical organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders (MSF) has suspended most of its activities in Maban, South Sudan, after suffering a violent attack on Monday 23 July. JUBA, 24 July 2018 [Gurtong] Yesterday morning, a group of unidentified armed men broke into MSF office and compound, looting the organisation and staffs properties, burning down a tent full of equipment and destroying most of the vehicles and communication devices. No MSF staff were physically injured during the attack. The team is now safe and the organisation is currently monitoring the situation. The attack has forced MSF to suspend the majority of its medical support to the host communities and the refugee population in Maban area, where the organisation operates a primary and secondary healthcare hospital in Doro refugee camp and ensures primary healthcare consultations in Bunj State Hospital. Despite the attack to our facilities, our team on the ground will keep ensuring life-saving treatment to patients suffering from the most critical medical conditions, says MSF head of mission in South Sudan Samuel Theodore. However, as the safety of healthcare personnel and facilities cannot be guaranteed, we have no other choice but to suspend the rest of our activities, which will leave 88,000 people with limited access to much needed medical services. MSF condemns this brutal attack and calls for the respect and protection of humanitarian workers and health facilities. Israeli occupation troops shot dead two Palestinians during Friday protests at the Gaza-Israel border, the health ministry in Gaza said. It said in a statement that one of those killed was a 14-year-old boy shot in the head during border confrontations east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Earlier the ministry reported the killing of Ghazi Abu Mustafa 43, and said he was shot by Israeli occupation soldiers, also in the head, near the frontier fence, east of the southern town of Khan Yunis. The Israeli occupation military did not comment directly on the deaths but said about 7,000 Palestinian "rioters" threw rocks and rolled burning tyres at soldiers, and at the fence itself, at several locations along the border. "Troops are responding with riot dispersal means and firing in accordance with the rules of engagement," an English-language statement said, without elaborating. There has been violence between the Israeli occupation army and Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip since late March in which at least 156 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas has pledged revenge after Israeli air and artillery strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. Israel launched three wars on Gaza since 2008. A week ago a Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli soldier at the border, sparking a fierce wave of Israeli bombing that ratcheted up fears of another war. A degree of calm was restored until Wednesday when Israel said its troops came under fire again, with one soldier wounded. It hit back with artillery fire which killed three Palestinians at a Hamas military base, near the border, east of Gaza City. The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, warned in response Wednesday that "the enemy shall pay a high price in blood for the crime which it commits daily against the rights of our people and our fighters". 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 casualties. At least 158 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured by Israeli occupation forces during the recent protests near the border with Israel. Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza which it argues is necessary to isolate Hamas. 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). *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Haiti - Education : School calendar and latest news on the BAC results Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the resigning Minister of Education, announced that everything was ready for the start of the academic year 2018-2019, which will take place officially on September 3, 2018. According to the school calendar, this new school year includes 192 school days (960 hours for fundamental and 1,152 hours for secondary) and 12 days of official holidays. Dates of the official exams academic year 2018-2019 : Permanent baccalaureate: 17 to 20 December 2018; Regular baccalaureate: 24 to 26 June 2019; Official exams of 9th fundamental year (A. F.): 10 to 12 June 2019; Examinations of the Normal School of Teachers (ENI): June 10th to 14th, 2019; Examinations of the Center for Family Education: 10 to 14 June 2019; Training Technical and Vocational exams: July 30 to August 3, 2019. BAC results latest news : Otherwise Minister Cadet announces that the results of the baccalaureate for all departments will be known next week... Results that had already been announced for this week by the General Coordinator of the exams of the bac of the West, Fritzner Faustin... NOTE : The Ministry of National Education has not yet made available online access to student results. HaitiLibre vous informera des que lacces a la base de donnees du Ministere sera possible et rendra disponible sur son site le formulaire dacces aux resultats par eleve comme chaque annee. A suivre... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25023-haiti-flash-results-of-the-bac-2018-for-3-departments.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - FLASH : Hotel School of Haiti, registrations open The Directorate of the Hotel School of Haiti (EHH) informs that it receives the registration for the academic year 2018-2019 at its local, located at #14, 1st Impasse Lavaud (Port-au-Prince), all days from Monday to Friday from July 25 to August 27, 2018, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Regular course (Vacation AM) for 2 years, 3 courses: - Hotel management - Catering Management - Culinary arts Documents required for registration : - Original and copy of the birth certificate or the extract of arhives - Original and copy of the secondary school leaving certificate Bacc II (AM) - Original and copy of a valid ID - 2 pictures of recent identities (in color) Registration fee 1,000 gourdes, non-refundable For more information call : (509) 2818 0400 HL/ HaitiLibre The Finnish network equipment manufacturer stated yesterday that its operating profit decreased by 240 million euros year-on-year to 334 million euros between April and June, falling 39 million euros short of the analyst mean forecast of 373 million euros, according to Reuters . Nokia saw its share value dip by five per cent to 4.82 euros after it issued a second-quarter result that missed the expectations of investors. Its second-quarter revenue fell from 5.63 billion to 5.32 billion euros but exceeded the mean forecast of 5.15 billion euros. Rajeev Suri, the CEO of Nokia, pointed out that the quarterly results were consistent with the network equipment maker's view that the first half of the year would be followed by a second half boosted by the accelerating adoption of fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks. Our view about the acceleration of 5G has not changed and we continue to believe that Nokia is well-positioned for the coming technology cycle given the strength of our end-to-end portfolio. Our deal win rate is very good, with significant recent successes in the key early 5G markets of the United States and China, he said in a press release. We expect market conditions to improve further in the second half, summarised Suri. Nokia on Thursday also reiterated its outlook for and its ability to generate 1.2 billion euros in recurring annual cost savings in 2018. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Jussi Nukari Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Halla-aho revealed to Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday that preliminary discussions about forming the large group have been under-way for quite a while and that the preparations are relatively far advanced. I already have a relatively good idea of what will happen after the European elections, but I cant tell more about it at this point in time, he stated. Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Finns Party, has voiced his confidence that a new group of nationalists and Eurosceptics will be formed in the European Parliament in 2019. Halla-aho himself will run in the parliamentary elections in Finland and will not seek re-election to the European Parliament. One of the more vocal advocates of the new nationalist group has been Matteo Salvini, the chairperson of Liga Nord and the Italian Interior Minister. Salvini declared at the start of this month that he wants to bring together all political movements that want to defend their people and their borders. Also Halla-aho has expressed his regret that the members of nationalist and anti-immigration parties are currently scattered across as many as four political groups in the European Parliament. The Finns Party, for example, is part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), while many of its ideological partners are part of either the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) or the Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF). The EFDD is made up by members of, for example, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the Italian Five Star Movement, while the ENF is made up by members of Liga Nord and the Freedom Party of Austria. The three right-wing groups have 151 of the 751 seats in the European Parliament. Rumours of the establishment of an alliance of right-wing parties surfaced also in the aftermath of the previous European elections in 2014. Halla-aho told Helsingin Sanomat he believes the circumstances for forming the new group are more accommodating now than four years ago and stressed that the priority must be to prevent the break-up of nationalist parties in the European Parliament. The objective is to create as large a group as possible on the right wing with relatively low common denominators, he said. These parties have become more and more part of the mainstream after the migrant crisis of 2015. Co-operation is no longer associated with the same kind of fear of being stigmatised. The parties have also grown, he explained to Helsingin Sanomat. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Roni Rekomaa Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi In Judaism, prophets were considered visionary not because they predicted the future, but because they saw possibilities. Roz has always been someone with the ability to both see possibilities and then take that all-important step and make them happen, said David Bornstein of his cousin Roz Fuchs, this years recipient of the Heritage Human Service Award. From an array of multi-colored glass vases arranged neatly on a bookcase to the artwork on the walls and the simple arrangement of chairs and couches all brought together by a 1920s-era area rug, handed down through the family, Roz Fuchs home is a reflection of the woman herself elegant, unassuming, organized, down-to-earth, strong and gentle. Talking with her, one instantly feels she is a good friend to have, and that is exactly how so many others feel about her. Kehillah exhibit curator Marcia Jo Zerivitz said of her, (Roz) keeps track of people, makes each feel indispensable and is concerned about their personal lives. Choosing Roz for this award is brilliant. Fervent about Jewish values, she genuinely cares about our heritage and continuity. I dont know how she juggles all the pieces in the midst of her own intense life. Roz is a doera gem! If you want a job done and done well, ask Roz. Her attention to detail and thoughtful approach to all that she does is extraordinary, said Sara Stern, last years recipient of the Human Service Award. Her impeccable taste, thoughtful consideration and exemplary work ethic make all that she touches turn to gold. This community is fortunate to have someone who is so dedicated to its well being and the preservation of its history. Roz is a remarkable person and so deserving of the Heritage Human Service Award. To mention everything that Fuchs has been involved in would probably take up the entire newspaper. Her close friend Barbara Chasnov said it best, When asked to write something about my dear friend, Roz Fuchs, for her most deserved Human Service Award, I didnt know where to start. Not because I didnt have anything to say, but quite the opposite. Theres so much to say about my amazing friend! I am thrilled that my dear friend Roz is being recognized for her humanitarian work, said Ina Porth from Hadley, Mass. Roz is a very special woman and part of an extraordinary family. Doing good, always compassionate, always ready to help is in her genes. She did not fall far from tree, citrus at that. Any job she takes on is done with a full heart and done in only a way Roz can do...completely, correctly and with full measure. Daughter of Leon and Bea Ettinger, sister of Marilyn Crotty and Jeffrey Ettinger, and niece of Flossie Gluckman, Jerome Bornstein, Dorothy Morrell and Rita Levy, Fuchs was raised surrounded by Jewish community activists. Five members of her family had served as Federation presidents before she served from 1996 to 1998. Her mother, Bea Bornstein Ettinger, I feel, set the example and standard of how you can be a devoted wife and mother and still make a difference by caring for those who often didnt have a voice, said Chasnov. As a youth, Fuchs joined BBG, was a founding member of the first USY Chapter in Orlando, and spent her summers at Camp Blue Starall of which fed her love for Israel and the Jewish community. Fuchs left Orlando for college in Madison, N.J. She got married and moved to Kinston, N.C. Orlandos loss was North Carolinas gain. Roz is a driven leader, intelligent, cognizant of the community and world around her and the needsand she springs into action, said Zerivitz. It seems that wherever Fuchs goes, if there isnt a Jewish group or organization that is needed, she will start one. Case in point, she was a founding member of Congregation Bayt Shalom, a conservative synagogue in Greenville. Four couples started it, she said, and it is still there. She was also volunteer education director of Bayt Shalom from 1978 to 1984. While living in North Carolina, Fuchs became a key contact in AIPAC. A key contact is a person who has a personal relationship with legislators, and it just so happened that one of her neighbors was a state senator and his wife taught her children how to swim. She was also a member of the NC AIPAC Cabinet. The way North Carolina was organized at that time, we had a cabinet made up of Jewish people from all over the state who would come together, she explained. My days with AIPAC started a long time ago, she said. The first policy conference I went to had maybe 500 peoplenow it is over 18,000 people! In Orlando, Fuchs was a community chair of AIPAC from 2001-2006, and served on the AIPAC National Advisory Board from 2005-2006, and she was awarded the AIPAC Leadership Award in 2006. Fuchs also served on Gov. Jim Hunts North Carolina/Israel Scholar Exchange Advisory Board. Because the tobacco industry was transitioning in North Carolina, the governor saw that NC could benefit from the agricultural industry in Israel. He formed a Cabinet that figured a way for research professors from Israeli universities to come and work here while NC professors went to Israel. But enough of Fuchs changing the Jewish world and agricultural industry in North Carolina! She returned to Orlando in 1985 and this community has been blessed with her endeavors ever since. When Roz returned to Orlando with her young family, it didnt take her long to become involved with the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, her synagogue, Congregation Ohev Shalom, and the Bornstein Young Leadership Training program. She never tired of giving back to her Jewish community that certainly influenced her love of Judaism and Israel, and to this day, she is always thinking of ways to improve our changing Jewish lives in todays Orlando, said Chasnov. It was an interesting time, Fuchs reflected, because all of a sudden I was on committees with people like Abe and Zelig Wise, who were close family friends. I knew them as a child! And now Im sitting around a table as adult to adult. It took me a while to get comfortable with the change. Her portal back into community was through her children. She enrolled her son, Sam, in the Hebrew Day Schooland went on to serve as president from 1988 to 1990. Fuchs joined Temple Israel, where her parents had been founding members, and her middle child, Jill, was bat mitzvahed there. A few years later, Fuchs switched to COS where Jill attended confirmation classes, and she began serving on the COS board as an officer and trustee. Fuchs has served as the chairman of the Womens Division, and admits that she has probably served on every Federation committee! Without question, Roz Fuchs is the most determined human being and detail-oriented person that I have ever met, said Rabbi Aaron Rubinger. I never want to be on her committee because she expects that same commitment from everyone! he added jokingly. But thats the thingno one ever says no to Fuchs! When Roz asks for help I always say yes, Bornstein stated, not out of obligation but because I know she will make it a success. And then I step out of the way and let her do her magic. Perfectly, of course, with unrivaled execution and outstanding leadership. Every organization wants a Roz Fuchs on their committeesthats how they are successful, Rubinger added. She is incredible. People who know her know this is true. She is remarkable. Chasnov concurs, If she is on a committee or chairing a project, theres no doubt in anyones mind that it will be successful. One of the very successful Federation programs founded by Fuchs is the Jerome J. Bornstein Young and Senior Leadership Programs. I chaired the human resources development committee for strategic planning, she explained. Out of that came a recommendation that we should have an emerging leadership development group and a senior leadership group every other year. In true Fuchs fashion, she and her committee went to every agency and synagogue and asked what kind of things they want their leaders to know. Agencies and organizations then nominated people to be selected. At the time, my Uncle Jerry had just passed away and my parents decided to make an endowment for the program and we named it for Jerry, Fuchs said. The first group loved it so much, they didnt want it to end, and so instead of being from August to May, we added six months, but then realized that was too long. The Young Leadership Program settled down to a nine-month course every other year. She directed the program for 14 years. Im very proud of that, Fuchs expressed. It was a very rewarding experience for me, not only did I make a lot of friends, which was great, but then to see the group gel and become a team and the participants became presidents of synagogues or agencies or chaired committees. Fuchs vision for the Leadership programs was broader then just training people for leadership roles. She explained in her well-reasoned way, The other part of our philosophy was that by having people that came from all different areas in the community, they realized that the JCC alone doesnt make a community. A synagogue by itself doesnt make a community. That theres value and importance in everything that everybody is doing. As people got to know each other, they were able to cross boundaries. Somebody active at the J could call up somebody active at JFS and say Im working on such-and-such committee, how about joining me? Cross-pollination is really important. People burn out staying with the same agency or organization. So it was really good. The Senior Leadership program was to take place on alternate years. It never developed. Fuchs was disappointed, but her vision for this program is still hopeful. Maybe have four fabulous programs a year. Have a retreat and meet with somebody outstanding and talk about important issues of the day and do a mission to eastern Europe and Israel, have a scholar-in-residence, she envisioned. I still think its a great concept. It would be to keep people from burning outrefresh them, get them reinvigorated and I think thats important. One program, again chaired by Fuchs, that unified community was the Dorothy Morrell Cultural Series, which brought many famous speakers and entertainers to Central FloridaWolf Blitzer, Joan Rivers and Alan King to name a few. Morrell had run a cultural series in earlier years. It was phenomenal and very significant in the community, Fuchs recalled. So when Morrell died, Fuchs was hoping something would be done in her memory. She and her mom, Bea, started thinking and together they came up with the idea of a cultural series for the JCC. Fuchs approached Marvin Friedman, executive director of the JCC at the time, and he agreed with the idea, but an endowment was needed, which was happily provided by Morrells children. Most people probably dont know or remember that before Kehillah, Fuchs was the project coordinator of Our Story, a community history from 1947 to 1999 for JFGOs 50+ anniversary. She did the research and much of the writing of this 82-page documentary of the Orlando Jewish community. Our Story is this editors go-to book for information about the Orlando Jewish communitys past. And it paved the way to the three years of work that went into creating a 100-year history of the Orlando Jewish community. The 100 Years of Jewish Community project began with Roz seeing something that could be bigger than was originally imagined, said Bornstein. The exhibit was presented to the community for 100 days, and coincided with Ohev Shaloms 100th Anniversary yearlong celebration. Although she has given so much of herself over the years, I believe the most meaningful gift that she gave to our community was the Kehillah Exhibit at the Orange County History Center, said Chasnov. The exhibit was conceived and delivered by Rozs pure determination and will to make it happen. There were so many moving parts, committees, research, cataloguing, editing, and coordination to put this project together. It was her knowledge and love of Orlando and the historical memory of the Jewish community that drove her each day to keep the project on track to its conclusion. I am truly blessed to have worked closely with Roz on the COS Centennial and Kehillah exhibit and to have acquired her friendship along the way, said Stern. When I volunteered to work with Roz as the Kehillah exhibit curator, I instantly gained a close friend for life. Roz is a doera gem, stated Zerivitz. When I first saw the exhibit, l literally cried with emotion to see what Roz first dreamed and then became a reality. It was so meaningful as every word, photo, and detail was thought out to perfection, Chasnov recalled. For Fuchs, the Kehillah exhibit revealed all the contributions the Jewish community has made to help make Orlando what it is today, and she is proud of what she sees. We know our communities faults, but we dont praise all the good things, Fuchs commented. [The community] is filled with generous, talented people. When you add up all the different organizations and the amount of dollars raised for all the good thingsits a lot to be proud of! Her vision for Kehillah is not over. Currently, Fuchs is working on creating a website of the exhibitcomplete with a 360 video of the exhibit, the catalog and merchant mapto be used for research purposes and preserve the history of this community The driving force behind Fuchs is her unwavering belief that the life-blood of organizations is the volunteers. Asked what she sees as the greatest need in the Jewish community today, she responded (after much thought) that shed like to see the Senior Leadership program revived. Perhaps she could be in the first group to be invigorated and refreshed in order to continue giving to the Jewish community she loves so dearly. Roz is a treasure to our community, Chasnov expressed, and I can only hope, that she goes from strength to strength as we all are the recipients of her passion and love for Orlando and the Jewish people around the world. Space does not permit the listing of all of Fuchs awards throughout her years of service to the Jewish community. However, Sara Stern will share much more about her as she presents the Human Service Award to Roz Fuchs at the Federation Annual Meeting on Aug. 5 (held from 10 a.m. to noon) at The Roth Familly JCC. NEW YORK (JTA)Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decried the occupation of Palestine during a television interview. Appearing July 13 on PBSs Firing Line, Ocasio-Cortez, 28, also described herself as a firm believer in finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, upset 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley in last months primary in New Yorks 14th Congressional District, which straddles Queens and the Bronx. Although she has commented infrequently on foreign affairs, in May she called the killing of Palestinian protesters by Israeli troops at the Gaza fence a massacre. On Firing Line, host Margaret Hoover asked Ocasio-Cortez What is your position on Israel? Ocasio-Cortez responded, I believe absolutely in Israels right to exist She added: I am a proponent of a two-state solution. The candidate said her previous position on the Gaza clashes is not a referendum on the State of Israel. The lens through which I saw this incident, as an activist, as an organizer if 60 people were killed in Ferguson, Missouri, if 60 people were killed in the South Bronx, unarmed, if 60 people were killed in Puerto Rico I just look at that [Gaza] incident more through just, as an incident, and to me, it would just be completely unacceptable if that happened on our shores, she said. Of course the dynamics there, in terms of geopolitics... is very different than people expressing their First Amendment right to protest, Hoover replied. Israel and its supporters have noted that among those killed in Gaza were members of the Hamas terrorist group, which encouraged its followers to breach the border fence. Hamas has acknowledged that at that May demonstration, 50 of the 61 killed were its members. Yes, Ocasio-Cortez conceded, adding, But I also think that what people are starting to see at least in the occupation... of Palestine [is] just an increasing crisis of humanitarian condition and that to me is just where I tend to come from on this issue. When Hoover, a former aide to President George W. Bush, asked Ocasio-Cortez to clarify what she meant, Ocasio-Cortez paused and answered: I think what I meant is like the settlements that are increasing in some of these areas in places where Palestinians are experiencing difficulty in access to their housing and homes. After Hoover asked Ocasio-Cortez to expand on her comments, the candidate said: I am not the expert on geopolitics on this issue, and I just look at things through a human rights lens and I may not use the right words... Middle Eastern politics is not exactly at my kitchen table every night. Her comments on Israel have prompted criticism from the right and left. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is doing a great service. Her argument is twofold: Israel a colonizing occupier of Palestine, and that she doesnt know anything about the conflict, wrote Seth Mandel, op-ed editor of the New York Post, on Twitter. Accurate: those who think this have no idea what theyre talking about. At least shes honest. The Republican Jewish Coalition tweeted: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bashes Israel while admitting she is clueless about what is going on there. She simply toes the far-left, radical agenda. Elected Democrats are endorsing this when they endorse her. Asad Abukhalil, a professor in political science at California State University, Stanislaus, lamented that Ocasio-Cortezs comments about a two-state solution and support for Israels right to exist are a sign that you have become an already mainstream Democratic candidate. Israels right to exist is a euphemism for Israels right to occupy Palestine, Abukhalil added. @Ocasio2018 should have known that. Although the Democratic Socialists of America endorses the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Ocasio-Cortez has not discussed her position on the boycott. Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has called Ocasio-Cortez the future of our party. Smoke and fire rises from a location, reported to belong to Hamas following an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on July 14, 2018. (JNS)-In its desperate effort to break out of isolation and prevent the Gazan economy from collapsing, Hamas is marching Gaza to the very brink of war with Israel. All of Hamas's recent actions are designed to use blackmail, terrorism and the threat of war to force a change, as well as get major funds flowing into the Gaza Strip. These efforts began several months ago with mass marches on Fridays and border-infiltration attempts. That ended with a high number of casualties on May 14, but failed to create substantial change, and Hamas's strategic distress continued. It then turned to mass arson attacks on Israel's agricultural southern regions instead. Farms and fields near the border with Gaza have experienced dozens of blazes per day, costing tens of millions of dollars in damage, and burning swaths of land. In the past few days, Hamas began ramping up the pressure further, escalating clashes along the border. On Friday, Hamas dispatched thousands of Palestinians to the border, where rioters hurled grenades, firebombs and rocks at Israel Defense Forces' soldiers. One grenade blast injured an IDF officer; those behind the attack were hit by IDF fire. The Israeli officer's condition is stable, but the incident marks a new level of violence. Israel has been watching this escalation for some time and was not terribly surprised by it. An internal debate has been taking place over the extent of measures that Jerusalem can take to ease restrictions on Gaza, yet doing so without providing material or propaganda gifts to Hamas. As this debate occurs, Hamas, under pressure, keeps upping the stakes. In response, the IDF launched three waves of airstrikes on Hamas targets on Friday and Saturday. These airstrikes could be one of the final warnings that Hamas receives from Israel, calling on it to de-escalate. The situation has been made more explosive due to a new insistence by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to respond to all Israeli strikes with projectile attacks on Israeli communities. As a result, southern Israeli communities-already dealing with weeks of arson-have now again been showered with mortars and rockets, with more than 100 being launched on southern Israel on Saturday. Yet both sides have stopped short of going to war. Hamas is sticking to short-range fire, and Israel's airstrikes have destroyed tunnels, command posts and other military targets, but did not target senior Hamas members. The situation cannot last much longer this way. Hamas is employing a highly dangerous yet calculated strategy of brinkmanship, aimed at getting the main actors of the region-Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, as well as the international community-to recognize its rule over Gaza, end Hamas's isolation and inject major investment into the territory. Yet Hamas has been unwilling to do anything to end Gaza's isolation. It refuses to slow down its weapons-production programs. It continues to stick to a radical Islamist ideology and remains committed to the destruction of Israel, as well as the toppling of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. It plans to keep Gaza armed to the teeth, to take over the West Bank and to keep the flames of conflict alive. Trapped in its own paradox At the same time, Hamas wants to rule over a Gaza that has its own sea port, that has economic relations with its neighbors, and territory in which the international community invests large amounts of money in infrastructure and the economy. As a result, Hamas continues to be trapped in its own paradox, and cannot decide if it is a terror entity or a state. It's trying to dance at two weddings, and it is playing with fire. If Hamas has concluded that it can wage endless attrition against Israel's south, it will likely soon discover that it has miscalculated. Although Israel has little desire to get bogged down in Gaza's urban warfare jungle, it would do so if Hamas leaves it no choice. The head of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, is likely aware that a war now with Israel has nothing good to offer him. He has tried and failed to launch a reconciliation effort with his rivals in the West Bank: the Palestinian Authority. That effort was aimed at relaxing the chokehold that P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas has placed around Gaza. In the past months, the P.A. has reduced payments for electricity to Gaza, lowered salaries for its employees in Gaza and in general treats Gaza as a break-away rebel province that deserves to be punished and isolated, and cut off from funding. Iran has been able to take some advantage of this vacuum, inserting cash assistance to the armed wing of Hamas, in addition to its support of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. But that isn't enough to solve the festering crisis facing Gaza's civilian economy. If that ends up collapsing, Hamas's regime will be in jeopardy due to resulting anarchy. Hamas would go to war with Israel before allowing that to happen. That, in effect, is what Hamas is threatening to do if no solution is found for Gaza's economy. The latest escalation between Israel and Hamas is, in essence, an explosive attempt to conduct negotiations, using bombs as message delivery systems. Hamas is signaling its desire to open Gaza to the world, end its isolation, and gain legitimacy; Israel is signaling that its patience is about to run out. There is no way of knowing whether Hamas will back down or head over the abyss. An old Israeli tank with a flag overlooking the Syrian town of Quneitra in the Golan Heights. (EJP via JNS)-A member of the European Parliament has called on the European Union to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. "It is in the interest of the European Union to stop considering the Golan Heights as an 'occupied territory' and to recognize Israel's sovereignty over this territory," said Fulvio Martuscello, Italian MEP who chairs the European Parliament delegation for relations with Israel. The E.U. considers the Golan Heights as "occupied territory" by Israel since the country took over the region from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War. The Golan Heights has a strategic importance for the country, as it gives Israel an excellent vantage points for monitoring Syrian movements. The topography provides a natural buffer against any military thrust from Syria. The area also provides a third of Israel's water supply. Despite its official neutrality in the Syrian conflict, the State of Israel has provided humanitarian aid to Syrian war victims, an effort that has been drastically geared up since June 2016, but it has also strongly opposed the presence of Iranian military or of its proxies. According to MEP Martusciello, recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights "will give trust to the E.U. as a broker in the Middle East peace process and even a potential to use it as leverage." "In a time where the E.U. is receiving refugees escaping the war in Syria it is time to take a clear position and recognize the importance of having Israel as the de jure sovereign of this territory," he added. For Martusciello, the European Union "needs to reinforce its engagement with the State of Israel.'' "We have seen a turbulent region where Israel has been an oasis of democracy despite the tensions with the Palestinians and the situation in Gaza," he said. July 24 marked the end of the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was the DRCs ninth Ebola outbreak. In fact, the Ebola virus was first identified there in 1976. Previous outbreaks had been confined to isolated rural areas but this one involved four separate locations, including Mbandaka, a major city with connections to the capital, Kinshasa, and its more than 10 million people, as well as the neighbouring country capitals of Bangui and Brazzaville. In addition, health workers were infected, becoming vectors for spread themselves. One of the many lessons from the devastating West African Ebola epidemic of 2014 was that the world expected much more from the World Health Organization than it was then able to deliver. We have since worked hard to make sure the world is better prepared, not only for Ebola but for the many high-threat pathogens, including pandemic influenza, that can cross the species barrierfrom animals to humansat any moment. This time, when Ebola struck the DRC back in May WHO was ready. Within hours of the first cases being confirmed, we had allocated more than $2 million from our Contingency Fund for Emergencies and deployed a team to the field. Before long, we had more than 250 people on the ground, including epidemiologists, logisticians, clinicians, data managers, anthropologists and planners, working with government teams and partners. The United Nations Mission in DRC, MONUSCO, and the World Food Programme supplied fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to ensure we could get people and supplies in and out. Besides the UN system several other partners such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, were also quick off the mark, and donor countries answered the appeal for funds in full in about a couple of weeks. Together, we made better use of the tools we have for fighting Ebola: strong surveillance to track where the virus was spreading; community engagement to ensure safe burials and awareness of symptoms; and care to treat the sick and prevent further transmission. And we also had new tools including a vaccine, and potentially, drugs. In the latter stages of the 2014 outbreak, WHO used an investigational vaccine developed by Canadian researchers and licensed by Merck and none of the people immunized got infected. This latest outbreak arrived before the vaccine had regulatory approval but Merck donated vaccines under the compassionate use protocol. In a show of solidarity, the government of Guinea sent more than 30 vaccinators who had been involved in that countrys trial to help with the vaccination campaign. In the end, this outbreak took 29 lives, and left 24 survivors. I met several of the survivors in June when I visited Itipo, one of the affected areas. One survivor, Marie-Noel, spoke for the group and told me something I did not expect to hear: they were hungry. The people I met survived Ebola but remain very poor in a country facing internal conflict, mass population displacement, food insecurity, malnutrition, and multiple outbreaks of other infectious diseases. Ebola is more feared than most other diseases, but its toll is dwarfed by many other diseases that garner fewer headlines. Since the first outbreak in 1976, Ebola has killed over 11,000 people. Yet every year in the DRC, 300,000 children under 5 die from mainly preventable causes such as pneumonia, malaria and measles. The country now faces outbreaks of polio and cholera. We have stopped Ebola but we cannot stop there. The best defence against deadly outbreaks is to invest in strong health systems that prevent, or detect and contain them early. In that sense, universal health coverage and keeping us all safe from health emergencies are two sides of the same coin. We need equity in global health, and this includes improving primary health care in vulnerable countries such as the DRC. As we get to the end of this outbreak and turn to preparing for the next one wherever it may occur, we have two clear lessons to guide us: first, we have demonstrated that we can save lives and prevent outbreaks from spiralling out of control if we act early and decisively with WHO and the local health authorities providing strong leadership, the UN system working together, good coordination and collaboration between partners, and adequate funding from donors. Second, we need to go beyond the acute response and help countries strengthen their health systems. Country and regional preparedness for health emergencies is not what makes headlines- but it is what will keep us all safe from Ebola and other killer diseases. *Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization. Search Keywords: Short link: (JNS)U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin just concluded a bilateral summit in Helsinki, Finland, that proved to be one of the most widely anticipated meetings in yearsor, at least, since the meeting with North Korea. While the discussions centered on relations with Europe and the United States, a topic that also took high priority was the ongoing civil war in Syria. Over the last month, the Syrian regimebacked by Russian, Iran, Hezbollah and Shia militiashas launched a massive operation in its south to defeat one of the remaining rebel strongholds in the country. Not only has the operation, spurred on by Syrian President Bashar Assad, led to a massive humanitarian disaster, but it has brought Iran and its terror proxies even closer to the Israeli border. The issue of Irans presence has been a growing concern for Israel and the United States. Israel has raised alarms over Iran and its Shiite terror proxies establishing a permanent presence in post-war Syria, especially along the demilitarized Israeli-Syrian border. Since the beginning of the year, Israeli and Iranian forces have come close to a full-scale conflict over Iranian provocations along the Israeli-Syrian border and even into Israeli territory itself. In February, an Iranian drone was shot down by Israel after it crossed into Israeli airspace. This led to retaliatory Israeli airstrikes inside of Syria that saw an Israeli F-16 shot down. Tensions again threatened to boil over in May, when Israel carried out its largest airstrikes in Syria in decades against Iranian infrastructure in the country. Since then, the Israeli Air Force has continued smaller-scale airstrikes in Syria in response to Syrian or Iranian provocations, as well as targeted Iranian efforts to transfer weapons into Syria to bolster pro-Iranian militias and Hezbollah. But Tehran has dismissed any suggestion that it will leave. We came [to Syria] not at the invitation of the United States, and we will not leave because of its threats, Ali Akbar Velayati, a close adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said at the Valdai Discussion Club last week while visiting Moscow. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with Putin three times in the last six months to press him on the issue. Last week at a meeting in Moscow, Netanyahu firmly told Putin that Iran needs to leave Syria. Then on Saturday, Netanyahu spoke with Trump by phone, saying the topics discussed were Syria and Iran, first and foremost. Following the Putin-Trump meeting, Netanyahu issued a statement saying that he commends the commitment by President Trump for Israels security during the summit. He also said he appreciates the security coordination between Israel and Russia and the clear position expressed by President Putin regarding the need to uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria. U.S. makes clear that its staying put in Syria for now Nevertheless, while both Israeli and American leaders seem to be focused on discussing with Putin on Irans presence in Syria, it remains unclear the extent that Putin is able or even willing to force Iran out of the country. Anna Borshchevskaya, an expert of Russias policy towards the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told JNS that Putin does not have the leverage or desire to force Iran out. I dont think he [Putin] can get Iran out. Even if Putin wanted to do this, which is doubtful at the very least, Putin doesnt really have any leverage over Iran to do this. Putin wants to appear as a peacemaker, a mediator; he would like to be elevated to this role. And then he will play all sides, to elevate himself, she said. According to Borshchevskaya, true peace and stability in Syria would undermine Putins ability to stay as the chief mediator; therefore, any Russian promises have to be met with skepticism. We already saw what appeared, at the very least, [to be] a superficial withdrawal from southern Syria, she said. If anything, it appeared to be a deception because these people appeared to just switch into Syrian uniforms. And, she added, Lavrov already said its impossible to get Iran to completely withdraw from Syria. Reports in recent weeks have continually suggested that Russia has been working to remove Iranian from along the Israeli-Syrian border and to create a buffer zone. But Israel is still demanding a full withdrawal. Vice Admiral John Bird, USN (ret.), who currently serves on JINSAs Gemunder Center Iran Task Force, told JNS that Putin is concerned with anything that can jeopardize his countrys strategic position in Syria. Assad is reconquering the country, the world has seen Russia stand by its ally and bolster its prestige, and Russia also has secured permanent naval/air bases all at relatively little cost to itself. Irans entrenchment in Syria could risk everything Putin has gained, he said. However, if Iran and Israel get into a full-blown war that potentially threatens the Assad regime and/or forces Russia to get involved, then this could jeopardize that situation, he said. For its part, the United States has limited leverage in Syria. The American involvement in Syria has mainly been focused on the eastern half of the country, where the Islamic State terror group established the capital of its so-called caliphate in the Syrian city of Raqaa. While a U.S.-led coalition have largely dismantled this caliphate in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State threat still remains. Nevertheless, National Security Advisor John Bolton said in recent days that the United States will remain in Syria as long as the threat from the Islamic State and Iran continue. I think the presidents made it clear that we are there until the ISIS territorial caliphate is removed, and as long as the Iranian menace continues throughout the Middle East, Bolton told ABC News. In the past, Trump has suggested pulling all U.S. forces out of Syria, which has led to some concern among observers that it would lead the United States to have even less sway over Middle East regional developments. Bird said that Trump needs to develop a position of strength in order to properly negotiate with Putin on Syria. Putin likely would love to continue being the irreplaceable diplomat that arbitrates between Israel and Iran, but Trump must convey to Putin that all of this could be lost if Israel has to go to war to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Similarly, Borshchevskaya said that instead of reaching a deal on Syria, Trump should make it clear to Putin that America is not leaving Syria. Trump should assure Putin that the U.S. is not leaving Syria, and that the U.S. will push back against Iran militarily on the region, she said. What Putin wants is to see America retreat; it is a strong American presence that will deter Putin and Iran as well. JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel is debating legislation that supporters say states the obvious. Critics, meanwhile, say the measure will divide Israeli society and damage its relationships with the rest of the democratic world, especially Jews in the United States. The premise of the so-called Nationality Law is simple: It enshrines in Israel's quasi-constitutional Basic Law that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people. But after that it gets more complicated. Much of the bill, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, deals with obvious signs that Israel is a Jewish state, such as affirming the symbols on the flag and shield, setting the Hebrew calendar as the country's official calendar, recognizing Jewish holidays and days of remembrance, and naming Jerusalem as the capital. Other parts of the law, however, have raised the hackles of segments of Israeli society and the Jewish Diaspora. These include clauses relegating Arabic to a "special" status instead of an official language, promoting the establishment of Jewish communities throughout Israel and addressing the state's relationship with Diaspora Jewry. That the words "democracy" and "equality" do not appear once in the text have sounded alarm bells among its critics. Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, called the law a "weapon (for) our enemies." Outgoing Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky said it would end up "driving a wedge between Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora." And thousands of Israeli protesters, Jewish and Arab, marched through Tel Aviv over the weekend to protest discriminatory aspects of the legislation. In the 11th hour before the Knesset was to vote on the legislation-it is expected to pass-a leader of American Jewry flew to Israel and spent nearly two days discussing the bill and criticizing it face to face with Israeli lawmakers. Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, told JTA on Monday that the Nationality Law "took over the agenda" of his trip. Prior to leaving for Israel, he spoke to the major Jewish organizations about their concerns over the legislation. While he was not permitted to address the Knesset joint committee working to massage the language of the legislation before it comes to the plenum for a vote sometime this week, Silverman said he sat in on the meetings and was recognized publicly as a representative of Diaspora Jewry. He said he discussed the concerns of American Jewry with many lawmakers and key members of the Knesset, as well as the Prime Minister's Office. Silverman told JTA he is concerned that the legislation, with its focus on the Jewish aspects of Israel, will alienate young American Jews who are "so social-justice conscious today" He said there are several parts of the legislation that "American Jews would struggle with." Changing the status of the Arabic language is being seen as "discriminatory," according to Silverman. Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population. A section stating that Israel is responsible for preserving the connection of Israel with worldwide Jewry also has drawn criticism. Critics fear it is worded in such a way as to weaken the ability of Jews in the Diaspora, and even in Israel, to promote pluralism inside the Jewish state or petition the Supreme Court in Israel to hear cases on issues that affect Diaspora Jewry, such as the establishment of the egalitarian prayer section of the Western Wall. The wording of a clause that would have allowed for the establishment of communities based on one religion or nationality was changed Sunday to instead reflect "national value in developing Jewish communities and will act to encourage, promote and establish them." Haaretz said the clause nonetheless promotes the establishment of "Jewish-only communities." The previous wording of the clause would have "emboldened and given a lot of fuel to the BDS movement," Silverman said, echoing the statements of many on social media and even in the halls of the Knesset. Some, especially Arab Israelis and their supporters, have used the word "apartheid" to describe the provision. The author of the original Nationality Law nearly a decade ago-Avraham Diskin, a political scientist and Hebrew University professor-rejects criticism of the legislation, which he calls "declarative" and "without a lot of practical" consequences. Diskin told JTA that it is "high time" for a Basic Law that specifically identifies Israel as a Jewish state, in addition to the many Israeli laws that mention Judaism and the Jewish character of the state. There are "many people around the world outside of Israel, mainly Arabs, who are not ready to accept allowing the Jews to have their own nation state," Diskin said. He added that in Israel, some challenge the notion of Israel as a Jewish state-Jews among them. Diskin said the law is most needed, however, because of the Israeli Supreme Court. He and other critics of the high court say it has ignored the Jewishness of the state, for example in cases of Palestinian residency rights in Israel, rights of foreign converts to citizenship, land purchases by the Jewish National Fund, draft deferments to haredi Orthodox youth and the deportation of illegal migrants. Israel's Declaration of Independence repeatedly notes the connections of the Jews to Israel and that Israel is being established as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Unlike the Basic Law, however, the Declaration of Independence is not a legal document Diskin said there is nothing in the legislation that violates human rights or the rights of minorities. Amir Fuchs, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, said the legislation resembles the preamble of an as-yet unwritten Constitution, and that "there is no [democratic] country in the world that has not specifically enumerated the right of equality in its constitution." The legislation has "no clear statement that the state will have equal rights for all its citizens," he told JTA. "This is what is missing. This is the problem," Fuchs said. He acknowledged that other Basic Laws deal with Israel's democratic nature and individual rights, including the one on human dignity and liberty. At least two other Basic Laws refer to Israel as both Jewish and democratic. Fuchs, who heads the Defending Democratic Values Program at the Israel Democracy Institute, said there is no need for the new legislation since it is clear that Israel is a Jewish nation-state based on its symbols, language and holidays, among other things. He said he does not oppose the idea of a law stating that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, but that such a law should also ensure that the state will have equal rights for all its citizens. But Fuchs does not believe that Israel will look substantially different after the passage of the legislation and disagrees with those who say it will turn the country into an apartheid state. The tipping point, he said, will be in close Supreme Court decisions, where the "Jewish" element could take precedence over the "democratic"element. The legislation is set to come up for a final vote before the end of the Knesset's summer session on Sunday. The coalition has enough votes for passage because the haredi Orthodox parties are willing to support it. The haredi parties in the past have opposed the legislation due to its nationalist nature. But the addition of the word "religious" to a clause on the right to self-determination in part softened their stance. Silverman said that as a sovereign state, Israel has the right to pass such legislation. The Israeli and the American Jewish community are "pretty young environments for the two major Jewish communities in the world. And we are both going through growing pains." Jewish organizations in the United States will be watching to see how the law is applied practically, particularly in cases involving Diaspora Jewry. "Israel has to be the nation-state for all Jews," Silverman said. "That cannot be limited in any way." The first four female tank commanders in the Israel Defense Forces pose with Brig. Gen. Guy Hasson, head of the Armored Corps. (JNS)-The first four female tank commanders in the Israel Defense Forces have successfully completed their grueling training course and will now begin their operational duties. Several additional female soldiers will serve in other duties in tanks. The new female commanders and tank crew members will conduct critical border-defense missions, though they will not belong to brigades that would maneuver deep into enemy territory in case of war. Sgt. Charlotte Feld-Davidovici of Tel Aviv, who moved to Israel from the United Kingdom in 2016, had served in the Karakal border-defense infantry brigade that defends the Egyptian border before joining the pilot program for female soldiers in the Armored Corps. "Today, I have concluded it as one of the first four female tank commanders," she said. "The training course was definitely a mental and physical challenge, which was made even more difficult because we were just four female combat soldiers among a sea of male combat soldiers. "However, I do believe it was a great success. And this is only thanks to my personal commanders and the other three girls. Army friends are like no other friends you could have in any other place in the world," said Feld-Davidovici. "Becoming one of the first female tank commanders in the IDF means not only do I get to fulfill my role in defending the country, but I also get the opportunity to bring women forward in combat and open up chances for future generations to defend their country, just like their male counterparts." The IDF began incorporating women into units from its very establishment, during the 1948 War of Independence. Partly due to manpower shortages, women served in combat roles within its ranks during the 1948 conflict, playing a highly active role in artillery and intelligence units. They also were members of infantry units during that time. However, afterwards women were generally barred from combat service until more recent years, when a change in the military-service law occurred. IDF commanders today say the integration process is being informed by in-depth examinations of data, and by the results of trials, which shed light on the operational advantages of such reforms. Some controversy and even some criticism Israel is one of the few countries in the world that sets mandatory military service for women. Until now, most female combat soldiers have served in mixed-gender light-infantry units, such as Karakal, and the Lions of Jordan, which defend the Egyptian and Jordanian borders. In 2017, the first female fighter jet deputy squadron commander was appointed, and in 2011, the first combat helicopter female appointed received her wings from the air force. Now, the IDF Armored Corps is moving forward with a staged plan to incorporate women in border defense missions. Nevertheless, the program has attracted some controversy and criticism, particularly from a number of conservative commentators and rabbis. Some have questioned whether women could handle the rigors of the Armored Corps; others have feared that having females in combat roles could threaten the country's national security. The IDF, for its part, has said that the data created by its trials fully supports the position that women who pass the intensive tests and training courses are fully capable of taking up tank roles (as members of all-female tank crews). In general, the IDF has remained committed to increasing gender integration, with women serving in combat roles increasing from 547 in 2012 to 2,700 in 2017. Female soldiers have for many years played a vital role in a range of combat-support units, such as the navy's operator control rooms. 'Achieved all goals set for them' Lt.-Col. Beni Aharon, commander of the Armored Corps Command Battalion, described the intensive training that the female commanders-the first of their kind-underwent. The purpose of the pilot program, he said, "was to examine whether and how women can be integrated as combat tank commanders" for border-defense missions. Army recruiters chose candidates for the program from among existing infantry battalions that already incorporate female soldiers. Specifically, he said, they were on the lookout for highly motivated participants. A four-week selection process included a gathering of medical data, questionnaires that gaged levels of motivation and feedback with the candidates' commanders. A group of 30 candidates then made it to the training stage. They began a six-week Armored Corps professional training course held in a base in the Eilat Mountains. They then underwent an additional 14 weeks of advanced training, which "is nearly identical as the training" for the male soldiers, with a few adaptations to match their future work of defending the Egyptian border. The trainees gained expertise in firepower, urban warfare, navigation and how to run a tank, stated Lt.-Col. Aharon. Finally, they began operations in their platoon, which is under the command of the co-ed Karakal unit that secures the border with Egypt. In the final stage, the IDF selected a number of the female soldiers for the commander's course, which they completed in recent days. Aharon described the program as a "success," adding that "the soldiers achieved all of the goals that were set for them." While there were no unusual injuries or illnesses during this time, five female soldiers could not complete the Armored Corps course, mostly due to medical issues that arose during training. A medical team accompanied them throughout the training process. "The pilot integration program of female tank commanders... ended successfully," the military said in a statement. Its results will be presented within the next few weeks to senior IDF commanders, who are likely to continue to the program based on its results. (JNS)Israeli security forces arrested 19 terror suspects and rock-throwers in raids across Judea and Samaria overnight on Sunday, confiscating multiple illegal guns in Hebron and confiscating thousands of shekels marked to fund terror acts. Riots broke out as IDF troops arrested terror suspects in eastern Jerusalem and just outside the city in Kafr Bidu, with Arab residents throwing objects and rocks at soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal equipment. No injuries were reported on either side. During raids in Hebron, the IDF confiscated an M-4 assault rifle, an air pistol, ammunition, magazines and gun parts, according to officials. Border Police arrested one man who was part of a group attempting to cross the security fence from Samaria into Israel by climbing over it with a ladder. Forces chased them on foot, but some of the men managed to enter Israel, whereas others turn back and fled towards Samaria. During the chase, one of the men threw away a pink backpack featuring a picture of Barbie, which was found to contain a Carlo-style, locally made submachine gun, a cellphone and a bolt-cutter for cutting through metal fencing. Israeli Border Policewomen stationed at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Israeli Border Police operating in the city of Hebron on Sunday night saved the life of a nine-month-old Palestinian baby. The troops, stationed at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, heard shouts coming from a house situated near the holy site. They rushed to the scene to find an unconscious baby boy whose face had turned blue and whose family was extremely distraught. The troops began to administrate CPR as an Israeli medical team arrived at the scene, and the baby's breathing was finally restored. The baby was then evacuated for further medical treatment. The Border Police commanders praised the troops for responding rapidly and professionally. Not the first time "This is not the first time that Border Policemen have provided medical treatment to Palestinians in the areas they operate, and this is in accordance with values the troops are educated on, the values of human life and helping your fellow human being," the police stated. "Despite the complexity of the missions and the areas in which the Border Policemen operate, the troops operate to ensure the safety and security of a variety of populations with no distinction between religion, race or gender," the police added. This incident is by no means a unique instance of Israelis providing Palestinians with medical treatment. Israeli hospitals and medical teams have a long track record of treating Palestinian patients. Israel and the IDF regularly offer medical services and expertise to Palestinian care providers and patients, in many cases free of charge. In July 2015, the IDF established an entire reserves company with the sole mission of providing medical care and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population. IDF medical teams and Israeli civilian emergency units from communities in Judea and Samaria regularly treat local Arabs, often after car accidents, for a broad array of ailments and injuries. Walking to an IDF checkpoint or to the front gate of an Israeli community for medical treatment is common practice among Arabs living in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories. During some months, Israeli medics treat more Palestinians than Israelis. (JNS)In a rather rare judgment, a Jerusalem District Court just issued a lien on two large ships that are part of a Gaza-bound flotilla set to arrive in Israeli waters later this month, with the intent that the sea vessels can be sold, with proceeds going to families of Israeli victims of Hamas-sponsored terror attacks. The strategy to seek a lien on the ships in order to benefit the victims was introduced to the court by the Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center NGO on behalf of two Israeli families (Weinstein and Gavish) who for years have been involved in various lawsuits against Hamas for the murder of relatives. On Dec. 1, 2001, 14-year-old Adam Weinstein from Givon Hahadasha was killed along with 10 other young people in a Hamas suicide-bombing on Jerusalems Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall. Three members of the Gavish family were shot dead on March 28, 2002, when a Hamas terrorist armed with a rifle infiltrated their home in the Samaria community of Elon Moreh. According to Shurat HaDin founder attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the successful approach, which persuaded the court to issue the lien last week, was to convince Judge Moshe Drori that while organizers of the flotilla are claiming that the ships are to be turned over Gazans for their benefit, there is no question that Hamas would take the ships away from the residents to be used for terrorist operations [against Israel]. Valued at around 100,000 euros (nearly $120,000), Darshan-Leitner tells JNS that the boatsnamed Freedom and Return, set to leave for Gaza from a port in Sicilyare so large (some 80 feet and 65 feet, respectively) that their only purpose will be to enhance Hamass naval terror units. According to Darshan-Leitner, the organizers of the new flotilla are comprised of various Muslim extremist groups affiliated with Hamas, as well as the Turkish IHH terror organizationthe same group behind the 2010 flotilla that saw Israel Defense Forces soldiers raid one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, and after being brutally attacked were forced to open fire, killing nine of the terrorists on board. Darshan-Leitner says the leaders of this latest flotilla have announced that they are not bringing any humanitarian aid on board, but that they are turning over the vessels themselves, to be used by childrens youth groups in Gaza. But we know with 100 percent certainty that Hamas will not give the boats to the residents of Gaza. She explains that once the flotilla reaches Israeli waters, the Israeli Navy will spring into action and tow the boats into the Ashdod port, while the organizers will be deported from Israel. Thanks to the courts lien, the two vessels will then be sold in the free market, with the proceeds earmarked for the Weinstein and Gavish families. Hamas interested in bolstering its naval commando units One of the experts who testified in court on behalf of Shurat HaDin was Arieh Spitzen, the former head of Palestinian Affairs for COGAT: The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories. COGAT is responsible for overseeing Israels civilian and humanitarian policy in Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. Spitzen told JNS that he was able to prove to the judge how Hamas in Gaza cynically steals humanitarian aid and equipment earmarked for use by civilians for terror purposes. He said that Hamass modus operandi is to seize any equipment earmarked for the civilians if it can be used to enhance their military capabilities. Spitzen cited examples of such instances, including how Hamas intercepted concrete sent by Israel to Gaza in an effort to help rebuild schools and hospitals following Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and diverted the building material towards their terror tunnels. Spitzen also explained to the judge that all these years, but especially in the last few years, Hamas has been interested in bolstering its navy and its naval commando units. This is extremely important for them. He added that since Israel has found solutions for the underground [terror] tunnels, and is using the Iron Dome system to intercept missiles, and has halted suicide-bombers arriving from Gaza, military operations to be launched from the sea have become their focus. Brig. Gen. Noam Feig (ret.), who served as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Israeli Navy, also testified against Hamas as part of last weeks proceedings. Spitzen said Feig was able to explain to the court in detail how Hamas could weaponize the two ships for use against Israel should they fall into their hands. In reaction to the ruling, Dov Weinstein, Adams father, told JNS that he welcomes anything that can stop the killing. He added, The most important thing to understand is that the leaders of Hamas and the PLO dont really care about their own people. Everything they do is to make themselves rich, while both Israelis and Palestinians pay the price. Weinstein noted that his familys case against Hamas in a separate legal proceeding has been going on for 17 years for bureaucratic and political reasons, and that their concern isnt whether or not they see the money from the sale of the ships. The point is that we have to do a lot more to stop [terror groups] from money-laundering and stop the support they get from other countries, he said. By taking away the ships, we are taking away their power. In 2006, the Gavish family won a 90 million NIS ($25 million) ruling against Hamas, but even so they have yet to receive any compensation. Darshan-Leitner however is optimistic that as a result of this ruling, the ships will be sold and the families will in fact receive reparations. NEW YORK (JTA)A prominent Jewish philanthropist says he was aggressively questioned by Israeli airport security after going on a Jewish tour of Palestinian areas of the West Bank. Meyer Koplow, chair of Brandeis Universitys board of trustees and a longtime donor to pro-Israel causes, was delayed for 30 minutes by a security agent at Ben Gurion International Airport Sunday before being allowed to board his flight. Koplows visit to Israel included a trip to the West Bank with Encounter Programs, a nonpartisan organization that brings Jews to Palestinian areas to meet Palestinians and see their society firsthand. He believes he was called for questioning after security personnel found a brochure in his luggage titled This Week in Palestine, which he had picked up in a Bethlehem hotel lobby. Agents had placed a note in the same pocket of his luggage informing him that the bag was opened for the purpose of carrying out a security check. Koplow was questioned by a security agent for 10 minutes in the departure hall, after which he was told to wait and eventually allowed to board his flight. The best way I can describe it is a badgering form of questioning where before you finish giving one answer, youre being asked the same question again as if what you said is not credible, Koplow told JTA. She asked what purpose could possibly be served by people visiting the territories. She asked that several times. (Full disclosure: This reporter was a participant on the same Encounter tour that Koplow attended last week. Participants left Israel separately, and this reporter was not at the airport while Koplow was questioned.) Koplow said he appreciates Israeli personnel checking luggage for the purposes of security, but he feels that the questioning he experienced goes a level beyond that. I applaud the careful security, including examining peoples luggage, he told JTA. But not for materials that theyre taking with them out of the country that arent in the nature of what you would call classified materials. Why would you do that other than to send a message that the government doesnt welcome your engaging in any kind of inquiry. Koplow was disturbed as well by the manner of the continued implication that I wasnt telling the truth or all of the truth, he said. He added that describing his past involvement with Jewish and Israeli causes did not change the tenor of the interrogation, which was conducted in public view. In addition to his position at Brandeis, Koplow is a board member of the UJA-Federation in New York and has served as the president of his synagogue, Young Israel of New Rochelle. He told JTA that he has given millions of dollars to Israeli causes. The most disturbing question she asked me, and she asked me more than once, was what was I going to do with the information I learned in the territories, Koplow said. What business is it of security at departure as to what Im thinking or what I might say? Koplow subsequently spoke with Dani Dayan, Israels consul general in New York, who apologized for the incident while justifying the questioning on security grounds. We intend to continue with a clean sheet even if it means paying a price on other fronts, Dayan wrote in an email to Koplow on Tuesday. That price includes sometimes our image being damaged. The total and complete security of our aviation and its passengers is and will continue to be our first priority. All other considerations are subordinated to that. But Dayan wrote he regretted how Koplow was treated. I wish to express once more my sorrow for the inconvenience and embarrassment caused to you, he wrote. I hope your next departure from Ben Gurion Airport will be more pleasant. Koplow told JTA that the incident will not deter him from visiting or engaging with Israel in the future. His story first appeared in a Twitter thread about the incident written by his son, Michael Koplow, policy director at the Israel Policy Forum, a group that advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The younger Koplow wrote that his fathers story is a perfectly sad microcosm of everything wrong with the way Israel treats information as a threat and American Jews as objects of suspicion. We have moved from Israel being worried about tangible security threats, to treating BDS advocates and protestors as if they are security threats, to treating any evidence of basic engagement with Palestinians as security threats, Michael Koplow wrote, using an acronym denoting the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel. Simple information is treated as dangerous. The Jewish Pavilion strives to include the family members of seniors in its local facilities so that they can engage in Jewish Pavilion life with their loved ones. We always wish to invite family members to our programs, as they are wonderful opportunities to bring children and grandchildren together with their elders and continue celebrating our meaningful and rich traditions, together. If you have any elderly family members in a living community here in Central Florida.. Please reach out to us at The Jewish Pavilion so that we may include you in our programs. HIPPA Privacy Laws prohibit our organization from obtaining family contact information via the facility. It is our goal to practice "L'dor v'dor" and to continue to connect family and generations through learning and love. - Judy Appleton, program director of The Jewish Pavilion (JNS)-Why sit behind a desk all day when you can explore Israel and meet experts in your field at the same time? That's where REALITY Experience, an initiative by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, comes in. The program, which offers 12 distinct journeys, each with its own unique focus, "brings inspiring influencers from around the globe on a transformative journey through Israel to reignite their passion and potential for repairing the world." JNS was invited to meet with some of the participants of Emerging REALITY, a program described on its website as "a transformative leadership experience in Israel specifically designed for leaders in the areas of augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, blockchain and immersive media creation who appreciate the value of collaboration, camaraderie and imagination." Ted Schilowitz, a futurist at Paramount Pictures, was full of energy and enthusiasm when he sat down with JNS. "This is quite a week. It's like a summer camp," he said. "It's not just to see Israel, but to learn Israel, to really understand what makes it tick. And to see, from the particular bent of this group, why Israel is such a hotbed of innovation, startup culture, startup mentality and why the output of success is so high. I thought I had good insight on that, but now, after the first couple of days [on this trip], I have a much better insight on this." Schilowitz related a story from years ago when he was interviewed by a magazine in Silicon Valley. When asked where he thinks the best innovation in the world comes from, he replied, "I know you want me to say Silicon Valley, but I'm telling you it's not Silicon Valley. It's this little strip of desert in the Middle East that really has made the most relevant tech of our generation. And what is ironic is that the countries that surround that little strip of desert are often trying to eradicate it from the planet using all the technology that was developed by that little strip of desert... And it's troubling to me that those [countries] don't realize that this is a jewel. It has to be treasured, regardless of your political dynamics, because you can't execute anything without this little strip of desert. It's fascinating, and it's probably only getting started." Schilowitz expressed amazement that "most of the 8 billion humans on Earth are touching multiple things that came out of Israeli innovation every single day, multiple times a day, for many hours a day, every single day of their lives-and they have no idea that it came from Israel... It's just so extraordinarily relevant, and it's almost impossible to imagine that it all comes from this [tiny country]." 'It blew my mind' Amanda Goldfine, head of marketing partnerships at Oculus, was equally enthusiastic, telling JNS that this was her first time in Israel. "I've been wanting to come for a long time, so it's exciting to be here... I'm learning a ton." Asked what appealed to her about joining the program, she mentioned a few reasons. "Obviously, it's great networking to meet people who are in similar industries with similar interests. We are learning a ton about each other and about ourselves in the process," she said. "On the other hand, getting a chance to learn about leadership, the industry in Israel, such a huge tech scene... being able to learn about all the different aspects of life and culture here... learning about different types of leadership and how [people here] have been able to thrive despite everything." Goldfine also expressed her appreciation for the program. "Everyone on the itinerary looks really impressive, and it's sometimes the people you don't expect that you end up learning the most from." Her best praise she saved for Israel: "It's really impressive that such a small country is such a big tech powerhouse." Toshi Hoo, director of the Emerging Media Lab, Institute for the Future, told JNS, "I've been to Israel before, and it blew my mind." "What really drew me," he said, "was that I wanted to get out of Silicon Valley. I need to understand more about AI, and I've got incredible experts on the tour with me." Hoo said he is looking forward to all of the presentations the program set up. "It's so well-curated. It's not just interesting, enriching, tantalizing and delicious. You really feel the sense of curation of the relationships, and I feel the encouragement to self-actualize on this trip. They're bringing all this outside stimulation and incredible new relationships, so it's transformative." 'There's a lot happening' Tyler Wunsch, head of sustainability at Tesla, actually found out about the REALITY program while he was in Morocco at a fish market when an Israeli couple asked to join him at his table. When he admitted that he hadn't yet been to Israel, they told him about REALITY tour. When he returned home, he Googled it and became interested. "I'm here to learn about the companies and the technology and the overall culture that is Israel," he told JNS. "There's a lot happening." Like Goldfine, Wunsch expressed his delight at being in Israel for the first time. "If I were Jewish, I would have gone on Birthright. I'm not, so I wasn't able to. "This is a unique opportunity to come to a country and experience the culture, the food, but yet be on this curated journey that allows you to meet with the locals, allows you to meet with people hustling in business, who are really making things happen," he explained. "It's probably one of the most unique experiences that I've had." Schilowitz summed it up best when he said: "If you think technology is magic, this is the epicenter of magic." By Lisa Levine When Gloria Danvers was preparing to move her mom to Central Florida to live with her, she had a lot of questions she needed answered in order to make the transition successful. Her mom, Ann, was a smart and active woman who was still working at her medical transcriptionist business at the age of 82, but she had been having health problems and it was clear that changes needed to be made. Danvers, a Winter Park hypnotherapist who also has a St. Augustine office, knew she needed good advice. "I had to start getting resources to make sure that my mom is happy and taken care of all the time and that she has in interest in life and there are things to do," she said. Fortunately for Danvers, her business networking had brought her into contact with Nancy Ludin, executive director of The Jewish Pavilion and the Orlando Senior Help Desk. Although Danvers is not Jewish, she was aware through Ludin that the Orlando Senior Help Desk offers free advice for anyone who calls, regardless of religious affiliation. One of the things Danvers sought advice about was what to do when switching banks to take advantage of concierge services that her mother's bank did not offer and that would make life easier as she dealt with mobility constraints. When she called the Orlando Senior Help Desk and spoke with Ludin, "she gave me fantastic information," Danvers said. "Not only to say, 'this is what the banks can do,' but she also had Penny in her office to say, 'these are the things that you don't want to do, and let me tell you why. She gave me information I needed that I didn't even know I needed." Penny Goldstein D'Agostino is chief financial officer and managing director for The Jewish Pavilion and Orlando Senior Help Desk. She is also a partner with her husband, David, in Infinity Financial Group, an Altamonte Springs financial advising and tax preparation business, and she contributes a wealth of knowledge in personal finances as an Orlando Senior Help Desk counselor. D'Agostino said she gave Danvers the same advice she frequently gives others regarding banking. If children want to help parents manage their financial lives, "often the banks will say to a parent 'have them come in and we'll add them to your account,'" she said. "That is absolutely the wrong thing to do, because it means that money, which is the parent's money, can be attachable in case the child has a financial emergency. Once the child puts their name as a signatory on the bank account, that means the money is considered legally theirs." Instead, D'Agostino advises that parents consult with a lawyer to give the child a power of attorney if that comes to be required. Also, the parent can give the child access to the account through the Internet so he or she can be of assistance with monitoring inflow, outflow, and bill paying. Another important arrangement to make with the bank is to enter the child as beneficiary of the account after the parent dies, which many banks term as the account being "payable on death." This no-cost arrangement avoids the account being tied up in probate. "If something happens, the child can immediately access the funds with nothing more than a death certificate," D'Agostino said. Another issue Danvers sought help for is securing a trustworthy companion for her mother on the days when Danvers works from her office in St. Augustine. Ludin was ready with a recommendation, which was a great relief for Danvers. "I have somebody in place that can come and keep her company and play cards with her. And knowing that this person is vetted by Nancy and the Orlando Senior Help Desk gives me a lot of confidence," said Danvers. "Nancy is just a goldmine of information." Better still is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that any further help Danvers may need is just a phone call away. "I really feel that I can reach out and ask Orlando Senior Help Desk, and I really appreciate the services that they offer," said Danvers. Callers to the Orlando Senior Help Desk hotline are offered guidance on choosing senior living options, home health services, elder law, hospice, adult day care, financial arrangements and more. For more information, go to OrlandoSeniorHelpDesk.org. To access this free service, call 407-678-9363. When Gloria Danvers was preparing to move her mom to Central Florida to live with her, she had a lot of questions she needed answered in order to make the transition successful. Her mom, Ann, was a smart and active woman who was still working at her medical transcriptionist business at the age of 82, but she had been having health problems and it was clear that changes needed to be made. Danvers, a Winter Park hypnotherapist who also has a St. Augustine office, knew she needed good advice. "I had to start getting resources to make sure that my mom is happy and taken care of all the time and that she has in interest in life and there are things to do," she said. Fortunately for Danvers, her business networking had brought her into contact with Nancy Ludin, executive director of The Jewish Pavilion and the Orlando Senior Help Desk. Although Danvers is not Jewish, she was aware through Ludin that the Orlando Senior Help Desk offers free advice for anyone who calls, regardless of religious affiliation. One of the things Danvers sought advice about was what to do when switching banks to take advantage of concierge services that her mother's bank did not offer and that would make life easier as she dealt with mobility constraints. When she called the Orlando Senior Help Desk and spoke with Ludin, "she gave me fantastic information," Danvers said. "Not only to say, 'this is what the banks can do,' but she also had Penny in her office to say, 'these are the things that you don't want to do, and let me tell you why. She gave me information I needed that I didn't even know I needed." Penny Goldstein D'Agostino is chief financial officer and managing director for The Jewish Pavilion and Orlando Senior Help Desk. She is also a partner with her husband, David, in Infinity Financial Group, an Altamonte Springs financial advising and tax preparation business, and she contributes a wealth of knowledge in personal finances as an Orlando Senior Help Desk counselor. D'Agostino said she gave Danvers the same advice she frequently gives others regarding banking. If children want to help parents manage their financial lives, "often the banks will say to a parent 'have them come in and we'll add them to your account,'" she said. "That is absolutely the wrong thing to do, because it means that money, which is the parent's money, can be attachable in case the child has a financial emergency. Once the child puts their name as a signatory on the bank account, that means the money is considered legally theirs." Instead, D'Agostino advises that parents consult with a lawyer to give the child a power of attorney if that comes to be required. Also, the parent can give the child access to the account through the Internet so he or she can be of assistance with monitoring inflow, outflow, and bill paying. Another important arrangement to make with the bank is to enter the child as beneficiary of the account after the parent dies, which many banks term as the account being "payable on death." This no-cost arrangement avoids the account being tied up in probate. "If something happens, the child can immediately access the funds with nothing more than a death certificate," D'Agostino said. Another issue Danvers sought help for is securing a trustworthy companion for her mother on the days when Danvers works from her office in St. Augustine. Ludin was ready with a recommendation, which was a great relief for Danvers. "I have somebody in place that can come and keep her company and play cards with her. And knowing that this person is vetted by Nancy and the Orlando Senior Help Desk gives me a lot of confidence," said Danvers. "Nancy is just a goldmine of information." Better still is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that any further help Danvers may need is just a phone call away. "I really feel that I can reach out and ask Orlando Senior Help Desk, and I really appreciate the services that they offer," said Danvers. Callers to the Orlando Senior Help Desk hotline are offered guidance on choosing senior living options, home health services, elder law, hospice, adult day care, financial arrangements and more. For more information, go to OrlandoSeniorHelpDesk.org. To access this free service, call 407-678-9363. Infuriated by attacks on his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, US President Donald Trump has moved to silence his critics in authoritarian style Facing a barrage of criticism, including among Republican Party members, for failing to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin at the recent summit in Helsinki over Moscows meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections, US President Donald Trump has threatened the unprecedented step of silencing his critics by revoking the security clearance of several former senior intelligence officials who worked for his predecessor Barack Obama. On 23 July, White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters that Trump was contemplating the revocation of the clearances for individuals, including former CIA directors Michael Hayden and John Brennan and ex-director of National Intelligence James Clapper, because they had been sharply critical of his performance and statements following his meeting with Putin on 16 July. The president is exploring the mechanisms to remove security clearances because they politicise, and in some cases monetise, their public service and security clearances, Sanders said. Making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia or being influenced by Russia against the president is extremely inappropriate, and the fact that people with security clearances are making these baseless charges provides inappropriate legitimacy to accusations with zero evidence, she added. Brennan had been vocal in his criticism of Trump, raising eyebrows even among former intelligence officials. He charged that the president had been treasonous in his dealings with Putin when Trump said he believed his claims that Moscow had not intervened in the 2016 elections, contradicting the findings of all US intelligence agencies and reports issued by the US Congress Intelligence Committees. Former representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who chaired the House Intelligence Committee, said Trumps threat was worrying but also questioned the outspokenness of Brennan. Its petty. Its certainly below the stature of the office of the president of the United States, Rogers said. He noted, however, that it is also not customary for the former CIA director to be off the reservation where he is either. Hayden and Clapper, both of whom now work for the news channel CNN as commentators, have also been searing in their criticisms of Trump, though they have been more temperate in their language. Clapper has wondered whether the Russians have something on Trump. Hayden has written that the president is the epitome of a post-truth era in politics. Its pretty obvious what the reason is: why we were singled out for this contemplated action is because of criticism that we have expressed and reservations that we have expressed about the president, Clapper told CNN on Monday. Trump maintained his confrontational attitude, not only rejecting criticisms of his ties with Putin, but even declaring that he would invite the Russian president to a second summit in Washington in the autumn. In a tweet on 23 July, Trump said he gave up nothing at the 16 July private meeting with Putin, but he remained elusive about their conversation as fellow Republicans and other critics questioned potential deals. The two leaders met with only translators present for two hours before aides were allowed to join in. Following the summit, Trump had previously said they discussed a range of issues, including efforts to denuclearise North Korea, Middle East peace efforts and cyber-attacks, but he has not given any details. Russian officials have said Putin made concrete proposals to Trump during their one-on-one talk regarding the conflict in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said the two men discussed the Syrian crisis. But top US intelligence officials and members of Congress have said they have not been briefed. I gave up NOTHING, we merely talked about future benefits for both countries, Trump wrote on Twitter. Both Trump and Putin praised their first meeting as a success and blamed forces in the United States for trying to belittle its achievements. In one Twitter post, Trump blamed the media. The summit with Russia was a great success, except with the real enemy of the people, the Fake News Media, he said. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer criticised the invitation to Putin. Until we know what happened at that two-hour meeting in Helsinki, the president should have no more one-on-one interactions with Putin. In the United States, in Russia or anywhere else, he said. US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who roundly defended the intelligence agencies findings of Russian meddling, also advised against a one-on-one meeting with Putin, saying he would look for a different way of doing it. A senior White House official said Trumps National Security Adviser John Bolton had extended the official invitation to Putin late last week via his Russian counterpart. No date has been set, and it was unclear whether it would be timed for the UN General Assembly meeting in New York in late September. Last week was one of the toughest for Trump since he took office 18 months ago as aides struggled with damage control, aiming to convince Americans that the president did not favour Russian interests over those of his own country. Forty-two per cent of registered voters said they approved of Trumps overall job performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after the summit. Bolton laid out four talking points for the crisis-hit White House, according to one official: that Trump stress he supports US intelligence agencies; that there was never any Russian collusion with his campaign; that Russian meddling is unacceptable and that the United States is doing everything it can to protect elections in 2018 and beyond. Critics have complained that Trump was given ample opportunity at a joint news conference in Helsinki to scold Putin over Russian interference in the elections but instead accepted Putins denials over the word of American intelligence agencies. Facing fury by Democrats and many Republicans, Trump sought to correct himself. He said he misspoke during the news conference. Putin was asked about the possible extradition of 12 Russian intelligence officers indicted in the United States on charges of interfering in the 2016 elections by carrying out cyber-attacks on Democratic Party networks. He said he would permit American law-enforcement officials to observe questioning by Russian officials of the indicted Russians and vice versa for the Russian investigations. Standing alongside Putin, Trump called the idea an incredible offer. However, Sanders said it is a proposal that was made in sincerity by President Putin, but President Trump disagrees with it, a day after saying the proposal was going to be discussed by Trumps team. *A version of this article appears in print in the 26 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Trump silences critics Search Keywords: Short link: WASHINGTON (JTA)The media, Congress, the international communityjust about everybody is reeling after the joint news conference on Monday in Helsinki bringing together President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among other remarkable declarations, Trump seemed to agree with Putin by doubting the U.S. intelligence communitys assessment that Moscow mounted an effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. The American president said he favored Putins offer to allow U.S. investigators to interview Russians in the investigation, although Putin conditioned it on allowing Russian investigators to pursue charges against Americans. Trump said Russias law enforcement was more efficacious than its U.S. counterpart. The reaction was swift and angry from all sides of the political spectrum. But there was at least one corner of apparent normalcy in the news conference: Russia and the United States seemed to agree that any Syria outcome should reassure Israel about its security needs. The south of Syria should be brought to the full compliance with the treaty of 1974 about the separation of forcesabout separation of forces of Israel and Syria, said Putin, speaking extensively and with some detail on the subject. This will bring peace to Golan Heights, and bring a more peaceful relationship between Syria and Israel, and also to provide security of the State of Israel. The disengagement Putin referred to allowed Israel and Syria to coexist more or less without incident from 1974 until the 2011 civil war that wracked the country and brought in U.S. and Russian involvement. Trump in his remarks said Israels security was preeminent both in American and Russian considerations of Syria. Weve worked with Israel long and hard for many years, many decades. I think weve nevernever has anyone, any country been closer than we are, Trump said. President Putin also is helping Israel. And we both spoke with Bibi Netanyahu, and they would like to do certain things with respect to Syria, having to do with the safety of Israel. So in that respect, we absolutely would like to work in order to help Israel. And Israel would be working with us. So both countries would work jointly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in turn, welcomed the attention. In a statement, he commended the abiding commitment of the U.S. and President Donald Trump to the security of Israel. Netanyahu also very much appreciated the clear position expressed by President Putin regarding the need to uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria. Beneath the comity there lurked several significant differences of how each side sees the outcomes. Does Iran stay? Implicit in Putins emphasis on ensuring Israels security in the south is that Iran, Russias de facto ally in assisting the Assad regimes bid for survival, will be absent from that region, as will its proxy, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. But Netanyahu wants Iran out of Syria, period. Prior to meeting with Putin last week in Russia, the Israeli leader met with top Russian officials and said in a statement that he made it clear that Israel will not tolerate a military presence by Iran or its proxies anywhere in Syria. Netanyahu met with Putin and has spoken with him since; its not clear yet whether Putin is willing to commit to an Iran-free Syria. Two considerations may factor into Putins reluctance: Iran sees its continuing presence in Syria as critical, and removing it may be too daunting for a Russia that is preoccupied in multiple corners of the globe. Putin also might want a give in exchange for banishing Iran from Syriaperhaps U.S. and international recognition of its annexation of Crimea. Who takes the lead? Putin made clear that he sees the United States and Russia as equal partners in determining the outcome in Syria. Russia and the United States apparently can act proactively and take considerable leadership on this issue, and organize the interaction to overcome humanitarian crisis and help Syrian refugees to go back to their homes, he said. Trump, notably, did not object. Israel has long relied on U.S. preeminence in the regionthere is no better guarantee for Israel than its closest ally taking the lead in determining outcomes. Israel watched in dismay as the Obama administration conceded some leadership in Syria to Russia; its not likely to welcome open equal leadership between the two powers. The same goes for much of the U.S. Congress. It is imperative that Congress hold hearings on the extent and scope of any cooperation with Russia in Syria regarding Irans presence, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a top Republican, said on Twitter. What happens to Assad? Israeli governments prior to 2011 opposed any bids to remove the Assad regime, saying its leadership of Syria was the least worrisome of multiple terrible options. That changed when Israelis saw the extent of the carnage during the civil war and Assads willingness to use chemical weapons against his own people. For Russia, however, Assad staying in place is a bottom line: Thats the mission to which it committed troops, hardware and reputation for the past seven years. Israel again seems on board with having Assad stay. They have an active interest in seeing a stable Assad regime and we in getting the Iranians out. These can clash or it can align, a senior Israeli official told Reuters last week. We wont take action against the Assad regime. By Ariel Kahana (Israel Hayom via JNS)Members of the U.S. Congress are demanding the State Department make public a key report that includes precise figures on the number of people who became refugees in the 1948 War of Independence. The existence of the State Department assessment, compiled and classified under the Obama administration, was first disclosed by the Washington Free Beacon six months ago. Lawmakers say the report could impact how the United States views the refugee issue when the actual number of refugees is made public and is significantly smaller than the number of Palestinian refugees according to the United Nations. Once the largest donor to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees and their descendants, in January the United States cut $65 million of a planned $125 million in aid funds to agency. The agency, which asserts that there are 5.1 million Palestinian refugees worldwide, focuses on providing health care, education and social services to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. All other refugees fall under the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, told the Free Beacon that access to the report was necessary for Congress to provide oversight for American taxpayers. UNRWA lashes out against America and engages in anti-Semitic incitement. Hamas terrorists use UNRWA facilities to target Israeli civilians, Cruz was reported as saying. The American people deserve to see this reported State Department assessment, so Congress and the administration can have a transparent and productive debate about Americas role in the organization. Sources who have seen the report say that the State Departments assessment was that only 20,000 of the 700,000 Arab refugees who fled Palestine during the War of Independence are still alive and displaced from their homes. While researching material for her 1984 book From Time Immemorial, American journalist Joan Peters learned that the United Nations made the conscious decision to differentiate Palestinian refugees from all other refugees. Refugees are generally defined as people who fled a permanent home, while in the Palestinians case, someone who lived in Palestine for as little as two years prior to Israels establishment in 1948 could be considered a refugee. In addition, unlike all other refugees, Palestinians refugees pass their status on to their descendants. As a result, Palestinian refugees are said to number in the millions. Israel has begun to raise the issue in the international arena, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that U.N. funds should be transferred to Palestinians through the U.N. refugee agency and that UNRWA should be abolished. Doing so, however, would require the U.N. General Assembly to pass a resolution in favor of the move, which is unlikely given the international forums anti-Israel bias. (JTA)-Mark Zuckerberg says he wants to give everyone in the world a voice. But what happens when some of those wishing a voice are Holocaust deniers? That question was posed to the Facebook founder in an interview Wednesday with Recode, a tech news site, about the social network giant's role in fighting false news and ensuring the safety of users. Zuckerberg's answer placed two values in tension: On the one hand, he said, Facebook prioritizes allowing people to express themselves-even if, he said, they "get things wrong." On the other hand, he doesn't want Facebook to serve as a platform for harming people or groups. So while Facebook would not remove a post denying the Holocaust, Zuckerberg said, it would push that post down the News Feed to make sure it doesn't go viral. "I'm Jewish, and there's a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened," he told the interviewer, Kara Swisher. "I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don't believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong I don't think that they're intentionally getting it wrong, but I think..." At that point, Swisher jumped in: "In the case of the Holocaust deniers, they might be, but go ahead." "It's hard to impugn intent and to understand the intent," Zuckerberg said. "I just don't think that it is the right thing to say 'We're going to take someone off the platform if they get things wrong, even multiple times.' "What we will do is we'll say, 'OK, you have your page, and if you're not trying to organize harm against someone, or attacking someone, then you can put up that content on your page, even if people might disagree with it or find it offensive.' But that doesn't mean that we have a responsibility to make it widely distributed in News Feed." News Feed is the display of items that greet a Facebook user when they access the service. The items can range from a personal update from a close friend to a widely shared news story or video. There are some cases in which Zuckerberg said Facebook would remove content with false news. The New York Times reported on people in Sri Lanka and Myanmar who used the platform to spread false rumors against the Muslim minorities of those countries, leading to deaths in both places. So Zuckerberg said Facebook is more willing to remove false, inciting content in those places. Several Jewish figures have criticized Zuckerberg's statements. Deborah Lipstadt, the Holocaust historian, said that though governments should not criminalize Holocaust denial, social media platforms also should not give it any space. "I do not believe that non-governmental entities, such as Facebook, should be posting denial claims," Lipstadt wrote in an email to JTA. "Freedom of the press means the press should be free of governmental control. It does not mean that the press or social media platforms have to provide space for deniers." Lipstadt also wrote that the notion that denial is an unintentional error is "ludicrous."v "Holocaust denial is no different than Sandy Hook mass killing denial," she wrote, referring to conspiracy theories falsely claiming that the 2012 school shooting was a hoax. "It's not a 'mistaken' notion of history. It is a deliberate distortion, made in the name of hatred. Simply put: Denial is a form of antisemitism and racism." Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, also said in a statement that Facebook should take a harder line on Holocaust denial. "Holocaust denial is a willful, deliberate and longstanding deception tactic by anti-Semites that is incontrovertibly hateful, hurtful, and threatening to Jews," he said. "Facebook has a moral and ethical obligation not to allow its dissemination. ADL will continue to challenge Facebook on this position and call on them to regard Holocaust denial as a violation of their community guidelines." Facebook has faced criticism from both sides: from users and watchdogs who don't want it to act like a censor, and from those who think it needs to draw the line on odious conspiracy theorists like Infowars, Holocaust deniers and the like. "What each side of this conversation has in common, whether they acknowledge it or not, is a fear of Facebook's power: Its power to activate prejudice at scale, by giving Infowars a platform, or its power to cut off a key distribution channel for any given publication," Max Read wrote in an essay on Zuckerberg's comments for New York magazine. JERUSALEM (JTA)There are many problems with the Nationality Law nearing passage as the Knesset wraps up its summer session on Sunday, not the least of which is that there is no reason for it. No Israelis challenge the Jewishness of the state, thus the law is unnecessary. Unfortunately, something unnecessary can also be harmful. The language of the bill, which is officially called Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, gives constitution-like force to the notion that Israel is a state for the Jews, from its flag and national anthem to the Hebrew language. It demotes Arabic from an officially recognized language to a special status. The latest version softened a declaration that could have led to exclusive, Jewish-only towns to say that Israel views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment. The effect of this measure is to humiliate non-Jewish citizens of Israel, especially its Arab citizens. If it passes and remains on the books, Israeli Arabs will be told that they may be citizens but will be reminded every day that they are not part of the nation. Jews in America will never be able to understand what that means because for them, being American is being a citizen and a part of the nation. The unique and challenging situation in Israel is that the country differentiates between nationality and citizenshipthat is, all citizens of Israel are considered Israeli, but individual ethnic and religious groups, like Jews, Arabs and Druze, are assigned a nationality. The new Basic Law would enshrine that distinction in a way that comes close to making non-Jewish Israelis second-class citizens, a slap in the face to Israeli Arabs. What should especially concern Diaspora Jews about the bill is Article 6B, which says The State of Israel will make an effort in the Diaspora to reinforce the link between the State of Israel and the Jewish people. On its face it may look OK, but it reinforces the misguided Israeli perception that only in the Diaspora is the link between Israel and world Jewry weakening. In fact, Israel and world Jewry are supposed to be a partnership, reinforcing one another. Just as we know many in the Diaspora are drifting away from Israel, we know many Israelis do not recognize their connection to the Diaspora. The words in the Diaspora were added because of pressure from haredi Orthodox parties afraid the law would push the State of Israel to accommodate the religious concerns of non-Orthodox Jews as a show of their connection to Israel. The haredim feared that the previous wording could have been used to establish in law such things as the enlargement of the egalitarian Western Wall prayer area that has been scuttled by the government. It would have been a sign of the states recognition of Diaspora Jews with different Jewish practices. But now the bills wording makes clear that the governments efforts should be done only in the Diaspora. Israeli law would not require Jews in Israel to make any effort to accommodate Jews coming from the Diaspora In other words, Israelis have nothing to learn from you and owe you no favors. We are the big brother; we know it all. If this law comes into being, the logical outcome should be that Israeli Jews turn around the current equation and send donations to Jews in America. In reality, regardless of whether this legislation passes, I cannot imagine that happening. Why is this legislation gaining traction now? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is always under criticism from Israels right, usually in the form of attacks by his Education and Diaspora Affairs minister, Naftali Bennett, sees this as a painless sop to the right and a final accomplishment before the Knesset adjourns for the summer. With a whiff of early elections in the air, this bill likely will be the Knessets ultimate action before the curtain falls. Netanyahu would have it as a last-minute buttress to his right-wing credentials. But this action, however symbolic, is a symbol that neither Israeli Arabs nor the Diaspora need or want to hear. Rabbi Dr. Ariel Picard is director of the Shalom Hartman Institutes Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought and a member of the institutes Executive Committee. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media. For the past century the American Jewish Congress has stood as a staunch, robust opponent of any and all who would harm our people. While this is our primary mission, we are equally duty bound to call out friends and family should they stumble in their uncompromising defense of the Jewish people. In this vein, and with a heavy heart, I feel it is my obligation to critique the State of Israel for signing a joint statement with Poland praising the latters efforts to end a dispute over Holocaust legislation that would have criminalized identification of Poles complicit in Nazi crimes. The Holocaust is one of the most significant events in modern history and the worst genocide in human history. It is an event that changed the course of the Western world and had a monumental effect on Jews across the world. The Holocaust is no ones property and no one has the right to rewrite or decide on its facts and stories. Nevertheless, Poland and Israel are treating the Holocaust as if it was their property to decide what happened and what did not. It is not their prerogative and with that they took a step too far. While the bill in question may have been rendered less dangerous, it goes nowhere near to ensuring that the legions of Poles who, by turning a blind eye to or through direct cooperation with German wartime crimes, enabled the Holocaust. By signing this cosmetic statement, the Israelis fail to address the underlying issue that gave rise to this problem in the first place: rising anti-Semitism and extremism in Poland, manifested by a concerted, strategic campaign of Holocaust denial. Dont just take the word of this one man, born in a post-World War II displaced persons camp, whose family was annihilated through direct Polish support for the German extermination campaign. Yad Vashem and the US Holocaust Memorial Museumtwo institutions with unimpeachable credentials in ensuring that Holocaust research remains accurate and thoroughhave been unsparing in their reasoned condemnation of Israels willingness to be party to potential Holocaust revisionism. The Joint Israeli-Polish statement runs counter to objective historical research and, by failing to address resurgent Polish anti-Semitism, gives cover (inadvertently, I am sure) to revisionist arguments asserting that the Polish government-in-exile during World War II defended Jews in the face of the Nazi onslaught. The reality, precisely to the contrary, is not only that the government did not defend beleaguered Jews, but in many cases was an active partner in their destruction on an industrial level. I address this issue from a deeply personal place: My own Polish Jewish family was burned alive during the war by Poles who purported to protect them. I am of a generation of Jews who, from the cradle, proudly looked to the Jewish state as a light unto the nations, an exemplar of righteousness, humanity and fealty to historical accuracy in the face of those who would deny the undeniable in furtherance of intolerance and hate. It is my sincere hope that Israels momentary deviation from this ethos is a fleeting anomaly. As much as I love the Jewish state and would defend it with my life, I will never agree that it has the right or ability to alter history, especially when such revisionism is potentially so damaging to the Jewish people. Jack Rosen is president of the American Jewish Congress. Did US President Donald Trump commit treason in Helsinki when he met Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin? Should he be impeached? That is what his opponents claim. Former president Barack Obamas CIA director John Brennan accused Trump of treason outright. Brennan tweeted, Donald Trumps press conference performance in Helsinki [with Putin] rises to and exceeds the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors. It was nothing short of treasonous. Fellow senior Obama administration officials, including former FBI director James Comey, former defense secretary Ashton Carter, and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates parroted Brennans accusation. Almost the entire US media joined them in condemning Trump for treason. Democratic leaders have led their own charge. Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen from Tennessee insinuated the US military should overthrow the president, tweeting, Where are our military folks? The Commander-in-Chief is in the hands of our enemy! Senate minority leader Charles Schumer said that Trump is controlled by Russia. And Trumps Republican opponents led by senators Jeff Flake and John McCain attacked him as well. Trump allegedly committed treason when he refused to reject Putins denial of Russian interference in the US elections in 2016 and was diffident in relation to the US intelligence communitys determination that Russia did interfere in the elections. Trump walked back his statement from Helsinki at a press appearance at the White House Tuesday. But it is still difficult to understand what all the hullaballoo about the initial statement was about. AP reporter John Lemire placed Trump in an impossible position. Noting that Putin denied meddling in the 2016 elections and the intelligence community insists that Russia meddled, he asked Trump, Who do you believe? If Trump had said that he believed his intelligence community and gave no credence to Putins denial, he would have humiliated Putin and destroyed any prospect of cooperative relations. Trump tried to strike a balance. He spoke respectfully of both Putins denials and the US intelligence communitys accusation. It wasnt a particularly coherent position. It was a clumsy attempt to preserve the agreements he and Putin reached during their meeting. And it was blindingly obviously not treason. In fact, Trumps response to Lemire, and his overall conduct at the press conference, did not convey weakness at all. Certainly he was far more assertive of US interests than Obama was in his dealings with Russia. In Obamas first summit with Putin in July 2009, Obama sat meekly as Putin delivered an hour-long lecture about how US-Russian relations had gone down the drain. As Daniel Greenfield noted at Frontpage magazine Tuesday, in succeeding years, Obama capitulated to Putin on anti-missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, on Ukraine, Georgia and Crimea. Obama gave Putin free rein in Syria and supported Russias alliance with Iran on its nuclear program and its efforts to save the Assad regime. He permitted Russian entities linked to the Kremlin to purchase a quarter of American uranium. And of course, Obama made no effort to end Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. TRUMP IN contrast has stiffened US sanctions against Russian entities. He has withdrawn from Obamas nuclear deal with Iran. He has agreed to sell Patriot missiles to Poland. And he has placed tariffs on Russian exports to the US. So if Trump is Putins agent, what was Obama? Given the nature of Trumps record, and the context in which he made his comments about Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, the question isnt whether he did anything wrong. The question is why are his opponents accusing him of treason for behaving as one would expect a president to behave? What is going on? The answer to that is clear enough. Brennan signaled it explicitly when he tweeted that Trumps statements exceed the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors. The unhinged allegations of treason are supposed to form the basis of impeachment hearings. The Democrats and their allies in the media use the accusation that Trump is an agent of Russia as an elections strategy. Midterm elections are consistently marked with low voter turnout. So both parties devote most of their energies to rallying their base and motivating their most committed members to vote. To objective observers, the allegation that Trump betrayed the United States by equivocating in response to a rude question about Russian election interference is ridiculous on its face. But Democratic election strategists have obviously concluded that it is catnip for the Democratic faithful. For them it serves as a dog whistle. The promise of impeachment for votes is too radical to serve as an official campaign strategy. For the purpose of attracting swing voters and not scaring moderate Democrats away from the party and the polls, Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer say they have no interest in impeaching Trump. Impeachment talk, they insist, is a mere distraction. But by embracing Brennans claim of treason, Pelosi, Hoyer, Schumer and other top Democrats are winking and nodding to the progressive radicals now rising in their party. They are telling the Linda Sarsours and Cynthia Nixons of the party that they will impeach Trump if they win control of the House of Representatives. The problem with playing domestic politics on the international scene is that doing so has real consequences for international security and for US national interests. Consider, for instance, Europes treatment of Trump. Europe is economically dependent on trade with the US and strategically dependent on NATO. So why are the Europeans so open about their hatred of Trump and their rejection of his trade policies, his policy towards Iran and his insistence that they pay their fair share for their own defense? Why did EU Council President Donald Tusk attack Trump with such contempt and condescension in Brussels? Tusk, who chairs the meetings of EU leaders, is effectively the EU president. And the day before last weeks NATO conference he chided Trump for criticizing Europes low defense spending. America, he said with a voice dripping with contempt, appreciate your allies. After all you dont have that many. That of course, was news to the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East that depend on America and work diligently to develop and maintain strong ties to Washington. Leaving aside the ridiculousness of his remarks, where did Tusk get the idea that it is reasonable to speak so scornfully to an American president? Where did EUs foreign policy commissioner Federica Mogherini get the idea that it is okay for her to work urgently and openly to undermine legally constituted US sanctions against Iran for its illicit nuclear weapons program? The answer of course is that they got a green light to adopt openly anti-American policies from the forces in the US that have devoted their energies since Trumps election nearly two years ago to delegitimizing his victory and his presidency. Those calling Trump a traitor empowered the Europeans to defy the US on every issue. Trumps opponents unsubstantiated allegation that his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 elections has constrained Trumps ability to perform his duties. Consider his relations with Putin. If there is anything to criticize about Trumps summit with Putin it is that it came too late. It should have happened a year ago. That it happened this week speaks not to Trumps eagerness to meet Putin but to the urgency of the hour. After securing control over the Deraa province along Syrias border with Jordan last week, the Assad regime, supported by Iranian regime forces, Hezbollah forces and Shiite militia forces began its campaign to restore regime control over the Quneitra province along the Syrian border with Israel. As Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and all government and military officials have stated clearly and consistently for years, Israel cannot accept Iranian presence in Syria. If Iran does not remove its forces from Syria generally and from southern Syria specifically, there will be war imminently between Israel, Iran and its Hezbollah, Shiite militia and Syrian regime allies. Israel prefers to fight that war sooner rather than later to prevent Iran and its allies from entrenching their positions in Syria and make victory more difficult. So, in the interest of preventing such a war, Trump had no choice but to bite the political bullet and sit down to discuss Syria face to face with Putin to try to come up with a deal that would see Russia push Iran and Hezbollah out of Syria. From what the two leaders said at their joint press conference its hard to know what was agreed to. But Netanyahus jubilant response indicates that some deal was reached. Certainly their statements were strong, unequivocal signals to Iran. When Trump said, The United States will not allow Iran to benefit from our successful campaign against ISIS, he signaled strongly that US forces in eastern Syria will support Israel in a war against Iran and its allied forces in Syria just as it fought with the Kurds and its other allies in Syria against ISIS. When Putin endorsed Israels position that the 1974 Syrian-Israeli disengagement agreement must be implemented along the border, he told the Iranians that in any Iranian-Israeli war in Syria, Putin will not side with Iran. Time will tell if we just averted war. But what we did learn is that Israels position in a war with Iran is stronger than it could have been if the two leaders hadnt met in Helsinki. And this is exceedingly important. Trump is being condemned for adopting a conciliatory tone towards Putin while employing a combative tone towards the Europeans and particularly Germany at the NATO summit. This criticism ignores how Trump operates in the international arena. Trump views his exchanges with foreign leaders as separate engagements. He has goals he wishes to advance with China; with North Korea; with Russia; with Canada; with Mexico; with Europe; with Britain; with US Arab allies. In each separate engagement, Trump employs a combination of carrots and sticks. In each engagement he adopts a distinct manner that he believes advances his goals. So far, unlike Obamas foreign policy by this point in his presidency, none of Trumps exchanges have brought disaster on America or its allies. To the contrary, America and its allies have much greater strategic maneuver room across a wide spectrum of threats and joint adversaries than they had when Obama left office. Trumps opponents obsession with bringing him down has caused great harm to his presidency and to Americas position worldwide. It is a testament to Trumps commitment to the US and its allies that he met with Putin this week. And the success of their meeting is something that all who care about global security and preventing a devastating war in the Middle East should be grateful for. Originally published in The Jerusalem Post. In 1974 Turkish and Greek factions took up arms on the island nation of Cyprus, sparking a divisive conflict with lasting ramifications. His black clerical robes flapping behind him, Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios III (born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) fled his office in Nicosia on the morning of July 15, 1974. The Cypriot National Guard, under the command of Greek officers loyal to Athens, was attacking the Presidential Palace and would largely burn it down. The Regime of Colonelsa junta of military officers that had overthrown King Constantine II and taken control of Greece in 1967had sponsored the coup. It suspected Makarios of communist sympathies and was angry he had rejected enosis, the proposed political union of Cyprus into Greece, in favor of Cypriot independence. Eluding the rebelling guardsmen, the Eastern Orthodox prelate-politician made his way to his native Paphos District, on the west end of the island. The next day a Royal Air Force transport evacuated him to Malta. The exiled president flew on to London, and on July 19 he addressed the United Nations Security Council in New York regarding the coup. Meanwhile, his supporters back home refused to bow to the new regime, sparking infighting across the island. Cyprus problems were only beginning. Turkey, concerned about the population of Turks on the island and determined not to allow Cypriots to join Greece as Cretans had earlier that century, invaded on July 20. It was a short war, but one whose effects are felt to this day. From 1878 Cyprus had been a British protectorate and colony, until gaining its independence in 1960. But by 1974 the island was a growing problem for NATO, to which both Greece and Turkey belonged. For decades the majority Greek Cypriots had pressed for enosisthe political union of Cyprus and Greece. Turkish Cypriots were understandably opposed to such a union and instead pressed for taksimpolitical partition of the island. Intercommunal violence had persisted since the mid-50s. Before the 1960 grant of independence, Greece, Turkey, Britain and members of the opposing Cypriot factions had signed agreements preventing the island nation from joining another country and dictating much of the machinery of its government. It also made Athens, Ankara and London guarantors of the accord, while also providing them a diplomatic excuse to intervene in Cypriot affairs if the treaty were abrogated. The Greek Cypriots loathed the agreements for two main reasonsthey felt the accords disproportionately favored the minority Turkish Cypriots (who accounted for scarcely 20 percent of the population), and they worried the terms essentially gave Turkey a green light for military intervention. The Greek Cypriots fears about a Turkish invasion were wholly warranted, for Ankara had been working on a contingency plan for landings on Cyprus since 1967. Code-named Attila, the operation foresaw landing Turkish troops on the north end of the island, then expanding the beachhead toward the largest enclave of Turkish Cypriots, near the capital city of Nicosia. The Greek Cypriots, for their part, had been planning a defense of the island for at least as long. Their operation to counter such an invasioncode-named Aphroditeaimed to secure the Turkish Cypriot enclaves, deny the Turks supply bases and maintain a full Greek division on the island. However, under the terms of the 1960 accords Greece had withdrawn virtually all of its troops, thus the Greek Cypriots developed a revised defense plan, Aphrodite 2, with the same basic objectives but involving a smaller body of troops drawn from the Cypriot National Guard (CNG). The plans on either side might have remained theoretical had it not been for the Greek overthrow of Makarios III. While the exiled presidents address to the U.N. had damaged the international legitimacy of the Regime of Colonels, with the cleric temporarily out of play, the junta could more easily sway the political current on Cyprus. Athens began speaking openly of uniting Cyprus with Greece, which alarmed Ankara and the Turkish Cypriots. A few days after the coup, having failed to get Londons support in opposing the junta, Turkey invoked its guarantor status to justify an invasion. Ankara simultaneously issued an ultimatum demanding Cyprus observe the terms of the 1960 accords and permit Turkish forces on the island to protect the Turkish Cypriots while removing the few Greek troops still there. Turkeys posturing was no idle threat, as it had received modern U.S. military equipment in its role as a NATO bulwark against the Soviet Union. Over the course of the coming conflict, Ankara would commit those assets to the invasion of Cyprus, including M47 and M48 Patton tanks and North American F-100 Super Sabre and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter aircraft. By contrast, the 1960 accords had severely restricted Cyprus own military capabilities. Available forces included the CNG and a scattering of militias and paramilitary groups the Cypriots had used to agitate for independence. The sole Greek military unit on the island was the well-trained but comparatively ill-equipped Hellenic Force in Cyprus (ELDYK). The Greek Cypriots could muster perhaps 14,000 active-duty troops, but they lacked both a navy and an air forcetwo enormous disadvantages in a modern warand their armored force comprised poorly maintained World War IIera Russian T-34/85 tanks. Making matters worse, at the time of the Turkish invasion Greek Cypriot forces were widely dispersed across the island, either suppressing resistance to the coup or resisting it. On July 20 an amphibious force of 3,000 Turkish troops came ashore at Five-Mile Beach in Pentemili, west of the northern port of Kyrenia. The Turks had complete air superiority, and the only opposition they encountered on approach came from two Greek Cypriot torpedo boats. Turkish shipboard gunners sank both vessels before they could engage the flotilla. The first Greek Cypriot troops to arrive at the Pentemili beachhead were two companies of the 251st Infantry Battalion, supported by five T-34/85 tanks. Their attack knocked out two Turkish armored personnel carriers and inflicted casualties, but the Greek Cypriots could not dislodge the Turks, and in trying lost all five of its tanks. Simultaneously with the amphibious invasion, the Turks dropped paratroopers near Nicosia to unsettle the Greek Cypriots and secure control of the roads for the advancing main invasion force. The operation backfired, as many of the best Greek Cypriot units were in the area battling Turkish Cypriots in the Geunyeli enclave. Although unable to capture Geunyeli, the Greek Cypriots did defeat the Turkish paratroopers, capturing many and driving the rest northward. Recognizing the paratroopers would not achieve their objectives, Turkey launched heavy air attacks against CNG units in the area, inflicting substantial casualties. Early the next morning the Turks began landing their second wave of invasion forces, including mechanized infantry and a squadron of 15 M-47 tanks. The CNG continued, with little success, its assault on Geunyeli. The Turks also continued their heavy air assaults, one of which fell victim to deception tactics. By transmitting false radio signals, the Greek Cypriot Naval Command tricked Turkish pilots into thinking a trio of its own destroyers were Greek ships coming to reinforce Cyprus. Kocatepe was sunk with the loss of 54 crewmen, while Adatepe and Tinaztepe were damaged and forced to return to port in Turkey. That same night Athens experienced its own debacle as it sought to airlift in a battalion of Greek commandos from Crete. Greek Cypriot anti-aircraft gunners at Nicosia airport misidentified the arriving aircraft and opened fire on them. Although they shot down one transport and damaged two others, most of the commandos landed safely and were available for the defense of the airport. Elsewhere on the island Greek Cypriots captured several small Turkish Cypriot towns, notably the Marxist enclave of Limassol, which they evacuated and promptly torched. On July 22 the reinforced Turkish forces broke out of the bridgehead. Led by Brig. Gen. Hakki Boratas, the Bora Task Force wrested control of Kyrenia, connecting it and its harbor to the Pentemili beachhead. The Turks also pushed south, opening a corridor to Geunyeli. That prompted intense combat around the airport, and the Greek forces in Cyprus (the commandos, under Colonel Konstantinos Kombokis, and the ELDYK, under Colonel Nikolaos Nikolaidis) gave a good account of themselves. Turkish forces were nonetheless able to achieve most of their objectives by that evening, albeit hours after a U.N.-mandated cease-fire was to have started. By the time the fighting finally stopped, Turkey controlled a small but militarily useful portion of the island from Kyrenia to Geunyeli, just north of Nicosiaroughly 7 percent of Cyprus land area. On July 23 the junta in Athens collapsed, in large part due to the conflict on Cyprus, and exiled political leaders began returning to the mainland the following day. That happenstance engendered a hopeful atmosphere for the peace talks being held in Geneva, thus there was little military activity on Cyprus between July 24 and August 13. The returning Greek prime minister, Konstantinos Karamanlis, opted to keep Greece out of the war, leaving Cyprus to fend for itself against Turkey should the peace talks fail. At the end of the second set of talks Turkey, feeling its position would only grow weaker, demanded Cyprus accept its plan to geographically separate Greek and Turkish Cypriots but govern them under a common federal state. The acting president of Cyprus requested time to consult with Athens and Greek Cypriot leaders, but Ankara refused, and on August 14 Turkish forces on Cyprus, which had been steadily building up, launched Operation Attila 2. Athens decision to remain on the sidelines deprived the Greek Cypriots of any possible reinforcement from the mainland, though the commandos and ELDYK remained in the fight. The Turks boasted numerical superiority in nearly every respect, as control of the harbor had allowed them to bring to the island two full infantry divisions as well as armor, mechanized infantry and artillery. With that in mind the Greek Cypriots established two main defensive lines. The first faced the Turks and would be quickly overrun, so the defenders planned to inflict maximum casualties and then fall back to the Troodos linenamed for the mountain range spanning the heart of the island from east to westwhere they would stand and fight. While they lacked numbers, the Greek Cypriots had gained one notable advantage. Public opinion, originally with the Turks, had swung to their favor. To the world at large the underdog Greek Cypriots were far more sympathetic figures, thus the Turks had only a short operational window before they could expect outside intervention. The Greek Cypriots had divided their first defensive line into three sectors: western, central and eastern. The central linethe shortest of the threeran east from Nicosia airport through town to the Mia Milia suburb. The western line ran north from the airport to the coast, and the eastern from Mia Milia to the coast. The eastern line was the strongest, as the defenders expected the weight of the Turkish attack to fall there. As expected, that attack began on the morning of the 14th with naval, air and artillery bombardment of Greek Cypriot positions along the eastern line. The Greeks responded with counterbattery fire, but not enough to deter elements of the Turkish 39th Division from advancing shortly thereafter. Though the defenders repelled the infantry assaults, the Turks quickly followed up with armored attacks that skirted the Greek minefields and broke through the sector defended by the 399th Infantry Battalion. Lacking antitank weapons, the men of the 399th fell back toward the Troodos line. To prevent a rout, CNG commanders ordered the 341st and 226th battalions to assemble a secondary defensive line, but that evening the 226th was compelled to retreat south, leaving the 341st isolated. In the central sector, after a preliminary bombardment by artillery and aircraft, Turkish units launched successive attacks against CNG and ELDYK positions around Mia Milia using a reinforced Turkish Cypriot regiment and a squadron of 17 M-48 tanks. The Turks captured a hilltop at Elissaios but gained little else, while sustaining heavy casualties. On August 15 Greek troops in the eastern sector continued to retreat, all except the 341st Infantry Battalion, which had been reinforced by six 6-pounder guns and three T-34 tanks. Late in the day, however, its commander, given his units isolated position and the approach of the Turkish 14th Infantry Regiment, ordered a retreat, covered by the T-34s. In its haste the unit left behind the tanks and 6-pounders. Meanwhile, lead Turkish units along the western line advanced nearly 4 miles, prompting Greek Cypriots in that sector to withdraw to the Troodos line. The next day, August 16, there was little fighting in either the eastern or western sector, as Turkish units consolidated their gains of the previous two days and slowly advanced against minimal resistance. In the central sector the Turks resumed their infantry-armor push against CNG and ELDYK forces near the latters camp. There were heavy casualties on both sides, but by early afternoon the Turks numerical superiority helped them seize control of the camp. They then continued their attack into Nicosia, but were stopped by Greek Cypriot antitank and infantry fire, as well as fire from a few T-34s being used as mobile artillery. At 6 p.m. that evening another U.N. brokered cease-fire went into effect. But as the Turks had not yet reached the Troodos line in most places, both Greek Cypriot and Turkish forces spent the next day maneuvering for position, though little fighting took place. The Greeks, conscious of their military inferiority, were not about to give up the advantages afforded them by a cease-fire, while the Turks seemingly appreciated increasing international disapproval enough to honor the cease-fire despite their military superiority. Both sides fortified their lines with trenches, mines, barbed wire and other obstacles. There were no further actions after August 18, by which point the Turks controlled just under 40 percent of the island. By modern standards the 1974 conflict on Cyprus was short and relatively bloodless. Fewer than 80,000 troops had participated, and there was only significant fighting on six daysJuly 2022 and August 1416, though the time between July 23 and August 14 did see low-intensity combat. Total casualties were also relatively low, with fewer than 2,000 killed. Yet the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus has cast long shadows. The island remains divided between the predominately Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The war has also been a sticking point between Turkey and Greece (and much of Europe) since the end of the conflicta solution to the Cyprus problem was made a condition of Turkeys accession to the European Union when it sought to join in the early 2000s. As it remains unrecognized by the international community at large, the Republic of Northern Cyprus relies heavily on support from Ankara. The status of Cyprus has dogged NATO, too, as the unresolved conflict between member nations only serves to weaken the alliance. The 1974 invasion was unlike many small-scale wars in that it drew in players beyond the two main combatants, Turkey and Cyprus. The Greek junta, fearing Cypriot President Makarios was getting too cozy with the Soviets, sponsored the coup that precipitated the war. Similarly, the conflict ended not with a decisive military outcome or a truce arranged by the combatants, but because outside powersnotably the U.N. and the United Statesstopped it. They trusted in politics and statesmanship to resolve the Cyprus problembut tensions remain high on the divided island. David Harris wrote Father of the Navy (January 2018), a profile of Commodore John Barry, the first commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. For further reading he recommends Cyprus 1974: This Aint No Picnic, Its War, by Al Gaudet, and The History and Politics of the Cyprus Conflict, by Clement Dodd. Frederick Libby became Americas first ace while flying as an observer-gunner in a spindly British pusher-propelled biplane. The apprentice airman could scarcely believe his situation. Yesterday he had been a supply truck driver with the Canadian Ordnance Corps. Today he was flying as an observer in the Royal Flying Corps, looking down from 10,000 feet on the zigzagging trenches of the Somme. Not only flying, but expected to fight the enemy from the front cockpit of an F.E.2b pusher biplane, part of a reconnaissance patrol heading into German-controlled territory. Incredibly, he had only flown once before, earlier that same day when he had been taken up to fire a Lewis machine gun at a can on the ground. Such was the pressing need in July 1916 for observer-gunners in the bloodied and battered RFC during the first Battle of the Somme. The novice observer had one Lewis in the F.E.s exposed front cockpit, or pulpit, with another machine gun improbably mounted on a telescopic pole fixed just ahead of the pilot in his elevated rear cockpit. To use that gun, he first had to struggle to turn around in the 70 mph slipstream, thenwith only the gun to cling tobalance precariously on his seat, legs braced against the planes structure, while firing rearward. All this in a violently maneuvering plane, without any seat belt or other form of restraint to keep him from tumbling out, and no parachute if he did. Alert as they crossed the lines, the observer shifted from his seat onto his knees, unsure what to expect. A German aircraft appeared out of nowhere, giving off what the greenhorn airman at first took to be puffs of smoke. Tracers. Fighting back his fear, he began a frantic struggle to slot the forward Lewis into its swivel mount. Failing at the first attempt, he fell back cursing into the nacelle with the 26-pound gun on top of him. Upright again, he saw the German bank in front of him. Somehow he got the gun into position and opened fire without actually aiming, loosing all 47 rounds in one wild burst. Then came desperate fumbling to replace the magazine. By the time he looked up, the German had disappeared, leaving the F.E.s wings peppered with bullet holes. As they headed home, he was surprised when the pilot reached forward to pat him on the head and shook his hand. Some quaint English custom, he guessed. All was revealed after they landed. Ordered to report to the colonel, the observer was amazed to be congratulated and told that the German plane he fired on had gone down in flames. He had a confirmed victory on his first combat flight, and a rare bird at that, an Ago C.I two-seater pusher. Absorbed in changing the magazine, he had missed the Germans terrible end. It was July 15, 1916, and Private Frederick Libby, Canadian soldier and onetime American cowboy, had opened his score in spectacular fashionon his birthday, no less. Born in 1892 at the small cow town of Sterling in Colorados Platte Valley, Libby was at home in the saddle almost before he could run. After his mother died of consumption when he was 4, he was brought up largely by his father. Libbys teenage adventures on horseback took him across the ranges from Mexico to Arizona to the Colorado plains, where he once spent many days trapped alone in a tiny sod hut while a great blizzard raged outside. Just after World War I broke out, when he and a friend found themselves in Calgary, Alberta, in September 1914, the restless Libby enlisted as a driver in a Canadian motor transport unit. Shipped to France in April 1915 as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he was soon involved in the grinding work of delivering supplies to the front. But he never actually saw combat in the trenches, for which he was unashamedly grateful. Anytime I start feeling sorry for myself, he wrote, I always think, but for the grace of God I could be an infantryman. Even so, by July 1916 Libby had started to crave something more exciting. His opportunity came when a bulletin invited applications for transfer to the RFC as observers, initially on 30-day trials with the possibility of a commission if successful. Libby described his motives for transferring to the air service with typical candor: Me, Im not thinking of flying, but it might be a nice way out of this damn rain. I have no desire to be a hero either, living or dead, though if fate is kind, being a second lieutenant would be good as all second lieutenants I knew seemed to have it easy. Libby had scarcely applied when he found himself reporting to Major Ross Hume, commanding officer of No. 23 Squadron at Izel-le Hameau. After a brief introduction to the Lewis gun, he was kitted out in leather overcoat, helmet, goggles and gauntlets and given a trial flight on the morning of July 15. That afternoon he flew out over the lines for the first time as observer-gunner in an F.E.2b piloted by Lieutenant E.D. Hicks. Fate would prove much kinder to Libby than to most of the chronically undertrained pilots and observer replacements then arriving from Britain. The hurried training program would be directly responsible for many of the appalling losses. This situation worsened as the balance of air superiority shifted away from the British with the arrival of new German single-seater fighter units and the establishment, in the early fall, of the first Jagdstaffel, or Jasta, of Albatros D.I and D.II fighters, with their two synchronized fixed machine guns. Meanwhile, there was no letup in the RFCs unrelenting policy of carrying the fight to the enemy, giving the generally better-trained Germans the advantage of fighting over their own lines. The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b (Farman Experimental), or Fee, in which Libby so casually risked his life was much lower down the aeronautical evolutionary scale than the Albatros D.II. Based on an original design by Geoffrey de Havilland, the F.E.2b was responsible, along with the D.H.2 and the RFCs other pusher biplanes, for effectively countering the Scourge of the Fokker E types, with their interrupter gear and machine gun firing forward through the propeller. (An F.E.2b crew had accounted for the German ace Lieutenant Max Immelman in his Fokker E.III on June 18, 1916.) Powered by a 120- or 160-hp Beard more 6-cylinder inline engine that produced a maximum speed of just over 80 knots at sea level and a service ceiling of about 10,000 feet, it was scarcely a greyhound of the skies. But maneuverable and reliable it was. A potentially fatal defect the F.E.2b shared with other pushers was that during a serious crash its engine hurtled forward to crush the pilot. After his initial taste of combat, Libby was put through a hurried course in the observers dutiesaircraft recognition, photography and learning to drop 20-pound bombs. He practiced firing the Lewis in short bursts and also confronted the challenge of the rearward-facing weapon. This gun is a nightmare, he related, nothing to hang onto except the gun, sticking up in the air anchored to a steel rod. A quick sideslip by your pilot would toss you so clear of the machine you would never get back. An F.E.2b crew of No. 20 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, shows how observers dealt with attacks from the rear. (National Archives) An F.E.2b crew of No. 20 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, shows how observers dealt with attacks from the rear. (National Archives) Official records show that Libby did not score again until August 22, 1916, by which time he had been commissioned a second lieutenant and transferred to B Flight of No. 11 Squadron, commanded by Major T. OBrien Hubbard, at Bertangles. In his autobiography, however, he refers to a dogfight in late July while he was still with No. 23 Squadron, when he and his pilot and mentor, Captain Stephen W. Price, shot down one beautiful Fokker monoplane. A quick burst of ten does it. His war is over, ours is just beginning. This was my second real engagement and my first real dogfight. On August 22, Libby and Price, who had transferred to No. 11 Squadron as B Flight commander, reportedly drove three Roland C.IIs down out of control south of Bapaume, all ostensibly at 1910 hours. At about the same time, however, Lieutenant Albert Ball soon to become the RFCs leading fighter pilot but then on his last day with No. 11 Squadronwas also credited with victories over three Roland C.IIs in the same area while flying a Nieuport 17 scout. Libby makes no mention of an encounter with three Rolands in his book, and the squadron history, while lauding Balls remarkable feat, includes no reference to its having been duplicated by the team of Libby and Price. The pair were certainly airborne on August 22 as part of a large fighter group escorting several squadrons of extremely vulnerable B.E.2c reconnaissance planes converted into bombers. Attacked by a German flight, Libby opened fire using a Lewis fitted with a butt stock of his own devising. He recalled it was like shooting fish with the front gun held firm by the shouldertwo bursts and he is upside down, then into a spin. But this was nothing. Almost to our lines, I catch a Fokker moving to come up under the tail of our upper back F.E.2bI empty all forty-seven rounds into his middle. Two chances, two wins, two confirmed. Gradually the RFC was losing the upper hand as the reequipped German Jastas, under leaders like Captain Oswald Boelcke, took their remorseless toll. Our casualties are bad, Libby noted. Every night at dinner there are always new flyers in our mess, taking the places of our lost ones killed in action or prisoners of war. Every week Boelcke has one of his pilots drop over a list of our fellows who are prisoners and also the names of the ones who are wounded or killed. Damn decent chap, this Boelcke. Meanwhile, although not yet a qualified observer, Libby had been appointed squadron gunnery officer and put in charge of training new observers. Of his own status as an American in the RFC, he commented: I am a sort of curiosity. Everyone treats me wonderful, but still wonder why I am here. Regarding his British colleagues, he confided: Every day we are taking a licking, but every day we go back for more. One has to admire these English boys. With barely enough experience to fly a ship, they sail into Boelcke and his gang like old timers. They are short on experience but long on courage. Im real proud to be one of them. But worse was yet to come for Libby and the English boys. Price and Libby sent an Aviatik C down out of control on August 25 and another on September 14, the day before the third phase of the Battle of the Somme began. This fifth victory made Libby the first American ace of the war, albeit not as a pilot. On September 17, however, the squadron suffered a devastating blow when Boelckes Jasta 2, flying their new Albatros D.IIs, shot down four of its aircraft. Two B.E.s they were escorting were also lost. A Fee flown by Lieutenant L.B.F. Morris and Lieutenant T. Rees, both of whom were killed, became the first victory for a new member of Jasta 2, Lieutenant Manfred von Richthofen. Libby, although not directly involved, was dismayed. It is the worst defeat we have ever suffered, he wrote. Now with Mr. Boelcke and his new and faster machines, we will really catch hell. Two days later, a No. 11 Squadron reconnaissance flight and its No. 60 Squadron escort were attacked near Queant by Jasta 2 to such shattering effect that the operation was abandoned. Soon after the mystified crews found themselves patrolling some 15 miles behind their own lines for four daysas they later discovered, because of an imminent visit to the wing by King George V. Libby quipped: Here is the fellow I have been doing my best to keep well all these months on Thursday evenings (the loyal toast) and other days as well. He looks healthier than I. Cowboy and king would meet again. Libby and Sergeant Thompson downed an enemy fighter near Logeast on September 22, a day notable for the heightened activity of the increasingly confident German airmen crossing the lines. Four days later, with 50 hours over the lines, Libby officially qualified as an observer, entitled to wear the winged O brevet. On September 23, 1916, Price and Libby fly a replacement F.E.2bwith a hastily repaired upper wing following a crash the previous dayover Bapaume, France. (National Archives) On September 23, 1916, Price and Libby fly a replacement F.E.2bwith a hastily repaired upper wing following a crash the previous dayover Bapaume, France. (National Archives) Price and Libby downed an Albatros D.I near Mory on October 17, after B Flight was bounced by a gaggle of Rolands and Albatroses while returning from a photorecon mission. Of this furious encounter, Libby recalled: When the attack comes, Bogart [Rogers, another American volunteer] and a new observer to our back each get one of the diving Hun ships. I think I crippled a third, but one of our escorts is hit in the petrol tanks and is aflame. There is nothing we can do but keep going. We are hit by another flight from higher up. This time I am sure of one and my friend Bogart gets another. B Flight lost two Fees in that engagement, with only one crewman surviving as a POW. The last victory by Price and Libby was over an Albatros D.I near Douxcette-Ayette on October 20. Their partnership ended in early November, when Libby went to England for pilot training and Price assumed command of a training squadron at Gosport. They were reunited at Buckingham Palace in London on December 13, when King George invested them with their MCs. Libby summed up his time with No. 11 Squadron: I have been lucky and I am still alive.Of all the officers I first knew, only a few are now living. The British have given me credit for ten enemy planes confirmed and eleven probables. This only means I have been lucky and am still alive. One true thing I have found about being a flyer in the RFC is the greatest feeling of good fellowship I have ever known. Just to be a member in any capacity is an honor. Official figures for the period illustrate just how fortunate Libby was to survive this especially bitter chapter in the aerial conflict. By mid-November 1916, the RFC had lost 308 pilots killed, wounded or missing over the Somme, while 268 others had been sent homea total of 576 from a force that had begun the battle with 426 pilots. By this time the life expectancy of RFC aircrews had fallen to one month, a critical hemorrhaging of experience. Libby, who had already received some flight training from Price, officially qualified as a pilot on March 5, 1917. Characteristically he wrote: Though this is what I have been working for, still the thought of not having my observers wing when I have been so lucky doesnt seem right.Hell, my observers wing was a hundred times tougher to get than the pilots, and having been an observer has made the pilot training a breeze. Thereafter, he always carried his observers wing in his pocket. After advanced flight training, Libby was posted on April 18 to No. 43 Squadron at Treizennes and later Auchel. The squadron was commanded by Major William Sholto Douglas and equipped with the Sopwith 1- Strutter two-seater, powered by a 130-hp Clerget rotary engine. The Strutter, although by this time nearly obsolete, was the first British aircraft designed to incorporate a synchronized machine gun and innovative features such as a variable-incidence tailplane and airbrakes on the lower wing. Libby took to it immediately. His return to the front, during the Battle of Arras, coincided with a series of disasters that came to be known as Bloody April. Between April 4 and 8 alone, the RFC lost 75 aircraft in combat, many victims of German Albatroses, with Richthofen, now commanding Jasta 11, accounting for 21 British aircraft during the month. No. 43 Squadron, with 32 pilots and observers, suffered 35 aircrew casualties, many of them raw replacements shot down within days of their arrival. This was the high point of German aerial supremacy, as a new generation of British fightersBristol F.2b, S.E.5 and Sopwith Camelgradually re gained the dominance that they and their French allies would retain until wars end. Libby achieved his first victory as a pilot on May 6, when he destroyed an Aviatik two-seater. The squadron history recounted: On a later patrol Second Lieutenant Libby (pilot) and Lieutenant J L Dickson (observer) when just south of Avion at about 4.30 pm fired on a hostile machine at 200 feet. After twenty rounds the machine was seen to dive away. Ground observers reported that the hostile craft had crashed at Petit Vimy. Libby was soon busy with an important recon assignment. The squadron history stated: A very useful reconnaissance was carried out on 27 May 1917 by Second Lieutenant F Libby, who set out with Lieutenant F H Jones as observer at 1.15 pm, returning to Auchel two hours later. Considerable information concerning the positions in the area to the east of and around Lille was picked up from a height of 14,000, from which eighteen photographs were taken. At 14,000 feet the Strutter would have been at the very limit of its ceiling, its crew frozen and desperately short of oxygen. By Libbys account, on that sortie Jones knocked off a Halberstadt scout, though it was not confirmed. As counselor to all probationary observers, Libby took under his wing a young infantry officer just transferred in from the trenches. Lieutenant W.S. Babe Cattell had a problem, as Libby described: Cattell is an excellent shot with a machine gun on the range, but the minute he is in the air he becomes deathly ill. He vomits all over the ship and loses interest in the target and the world in general. Libby persevered. How well he succeeded can be judged by the entry in the squadron history for June 1, 1917: While over Cuinchy, Second Lieutenants F Libby and W S Cattell, observer, observed our AA batteries firing at a hostile machine. They immediately attacked and the enemy was last seen going down east of La Bassee. In appreciation for Libbys efforts, Cattell presented him with a large American flag, which the new commanding officer, Major Stanley Dore, suggested he cut into streamers, just to show the Hun that America had a flyer in action. From then on, Libby always flew with the Stars and Stripes attached to the wings of his aircraft. While Libby was kind to fledgling observers, he could be scathing about fellow pilots he suspected of shooting a line. In a clear allusion to No. 60 Squadrons Billy Bishop, whose controversial June 2 solo attack on a German aerodrome earned the Canadian ace the Victoria Cross, Libby wrote: We have one pilot in our wing who writes a wicked report.It seems early in the morning, before anyone else was up, he has his plane wheeled out, goes over to a German airfield and routs the Hun out of their beds, strafes the hangars and waits for Mr. Hun to come up. The first two off the ground he knocks off, then gets two more trying to get off. The next two, he chases into a tree and leaves them there like Santa Claus, then destroys two more, so home to breakfast. God Almighty! Excuse me while I vomit. After earning his wings, Libby piloted this Sopwith 1 1/2-strutter, with 2nd Lt. E.W. Pritchard in the observers cockpit. The pair shot down an Albatros D.III on the 23rd. (Sally Ann Marsh) After earning his wings, Libby piloted this Sopwith 1 1/2-strutter, with 2nd Lt. E.W. Pritchard in the observers cockpit. The pair shot down an Albatros D.III on the 23rd. (Sally Ann Marsh) On June 7, the squadron history noted approvingly that Libby and his observer, 2nd Lt. E.W. Pritchard, had attacked a German convoy near Warneton, then machinegunned troops in the area with marked effect. Libby had no doubt of their fate if they fell into the hands of their targets: To be shot down and captured by the German Air Corps is not too bad, but to come down close to the lines where the German infantry can get their hands on you is curtains. They shoot you quick and find a reason later. Libby and Pritchard downed an Albatros D.III northeast of Lens on July 23. Two weeks later, Libby was promoted to captain and transferred as B Flight commander to No. 25 Squadron, also at Auchel, equipped with D.H.4 bombers. He scored two further victories in August, both with 2nd Lt. D.M. Hills. The Americans remarkable RFC career ended in September 1917 when, at the request of Colonel Billy Mitchell, he was transferred into the U.S. Air Service. After a fundraising tour, highlighted by the auction of his Stars and Stripes wing streamers for Liberty Bonds at Carnegie Hall in New York City, he was assigned to the 22nd Aero Squadron at Hicks Field. Unhappily, a spinal disability ended Libbys flying career and troubled him for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, this remarkable man raised a family in California, made and lost fortunes in oil exploration and celebrated his 65th birthday with a flight in a supersonic U.S. Air Force jet. Nor did the British forget Libby. In 1963 his former CO, Sholto Douglas, by then Marshal of the RAF and Lord Douglas of Kirtleside, recalled in his memoir Years of Combat: An American youngster by the name of Frederick Libby, who had disguised himself as a Canadian, joined me at Treizennes as a pilot in No. 43 Squadron at the time of the Battle of Arras. Libby served with the Royal Flying Corps during the worst period in our fortunes and one afternoon not long after coming to us he shot down his first enemy aircraft which crashed just to the east of Vimy Ridge. Captain Frederick Libby, MC, Americas first ace and the first man to fly his countrys flag over German lines, died in Los Angeles on January 9, 1970, at age 77. Derek OConnor, who served in the RAF, writes from Amersham, Bucks, England. For further reading, he recommends Libbys entertaining autobiography, Horses Dont Fly, with the caveat that it was written largely from memory in retirement, and therefore it is sometimes chronologically wide of the mark. Originally published in the July 2008 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here. The U.S. Supreme Courtunlike the highest courts in 10 American states and in many foreign countriescannot rule on abstract questions of law, only on actual controversies between actual litigants. Often those litigants represent thousands, even millions, in similar circumstanceschildren attending racially segregated schools, or same-sex couples who want to marry. But in the first case of continuing importance that the Court decided, the ruling came on a problem affecting four persons. And in the greater scheme the problem wasnt even very consequential. Nonetheless, the 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison arguably matters as much as any the tribunal has handed down. Marbury set out the very way this countrys legal system works and through legal legerdemain avoided a potentially perilous conflict. The case arose from the nations attempts to deal with political parties. From the start, American leaders differed over whether the country should be mainly agrarian, focusing power in state governments hands, or have a strong, industry-fostering central government. But no organized groups took up those views; in fact, at the end of his presidency, George Washington was warning Americans against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party. Under John Adams, distinct parties did emerge. A Federalist ticket Adams headed in his 1800 reelection bid got 65 electoral votes, losing to a slate led by Thomas Jefferson with 73. Taking the House of Representatives, Jeffersons party put him in the White House. With Jefferson to take the oath of office on March 4, 1801, Adamss party rushed to consolidate power. Last-minute patronage legislation authorized the president to name new justices of the peace for the District of Columbia. On March 3 Adams signed 23 such commissions for Washington County on the Maryland side of the Potomac River and 19 for Alexandria County in Virginia. All 42 were hurried to Secretary of State John Marshall so he could attach the Great Seal of the United States and deliver each appointee his commission; 25 commissions got delivered in time. Of the other appointees, 13 cared little that their commissions did not arrive: they were prominent citizens for whom becoming a justice of the peace was no big prize. The remaining fourWilliam Marbury, Dennis Ramsay, Robert Townsend Hooe, and William Harperdid care, obstinately. Their intransigence was at the crux of Marbury v. Madison. Those four were prominent, too. Marbury was a top aide to the Secretary of the Navy. Ramsay had been so trusted a Washington lieutenant that he had been a pallbearer at the former presidents funeral. Hooe had been mayor of Alexandria, Virginia; Harper was an Alexandria aldermanand a big landowner there. Still, they wanted those appointments. The four asked James Madison, Marshalls successor as secretary of state, to deliver their commissions. Madison, at Jeffersons order, refused. Marbury and cohort went to the Supreme Court, petitioning the justices to issue an orderofficially, a writ of mandamuscompelling Madison to hand over the commissions. If issued and resisted, as seemed possible, that writ could have caused a constitutional crisis. Intense personal animosity separated Jefferson and Marshall, who in the Adams administrations final days had been named chief justice. The Jefferson administration did not bother to appear before the justices to argue its case. Clearly, the Court would have no way to force Madison to obey any writ the Court might issue. Yet the justices felt compelled to acknowledge the legitimacy of claims by Marbury, Ramsay, Hooe, and Harper to commissions the president had signed and the secretary of state had recorded. Marshall found a way to finesse the dilemma. In the opinion he wrote for the unanimous four-justice panel, the chief justice acknowledged the four litigants right to the writs they requested and that Congress, in the Judiciary Act of 1789, specifically had authorized the justices issue such writs. Even so, Marshall said, the justices had no such power. The 1789 provision conveying that authority was unconstitutional because it reached beyond what Article Threewhich defines the judiciarys roleallowed, Marshall said. His reasoning displayed audacity. True, the Constitution did not specifically authorize federal courts to issue writs of mandamusbut neither did the Constitution empower those courts to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. Yet authority to do so had to reside somewhere. It was one thing to form a government bound by a written Constitution outlining exactly what the executive and the legislature could do andafter adoption of the Bill of Rights in December 1791what those branches could not do. But of what use would such limits be without a way to enforce them, of saying a president or a Congress had gone too far? The men drafting the Constitution recognized that dilemma but in the final document did not address itprobably because they assumed such powers to accrue inherently to the courts. Without specific authority from state constitutions, courts in most states had been declaring state laws unconstitutional. For instance, in 1780 New Jerseys highest court struck down a law allowing six-man juries, and in 1785 the Connecticut Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a law altering the terms of a colonial land grant. Marshalls opinion reasoned that, in asserting the power to hold an act of Congress unconstitutional, the justices simply were doing the job assigned them. If both the law and the constitution apply to a particular casethe court must decide which of these conflicting rules governs the case: this is the very essence of judicial duty, he wrote. But the framers already had stated that the Constitution had supremacy. Alexander Hamilton made that abundantly clear in The Federalist Papers, issued to explain the Constitution to the populace. It is a proposition too plain to be contested, that the constitution controls any legislative act repugnant to it, Hamilton wrote. It logically follows that contrary actions by Congress must be deemed invalid. The beauty of Marshalls ruling is that the decision established the federal judiciarys power to review executive and legislative action while, notes Georgetown University law professor Susan Low Bloch, ordering no one to do anything, and thus providing no opportunity for defiance or resistance. It was a remarkable feat. Federal courts authority to oversee the other branches of government is accepted broadly. At no time in our history has the power of judicial review been seriously endangered, a popular constitutional law textbook explains. Despite attacks on the Courts decisions, on its personnel, and even on the procedures by which review is exercised, no major political party has ever urged the complete abolition of the power of review itself. That record came to be largely because the Court has been cautious in exercising its review power. Having established their authority in Marbury, justices went more than 50 years before again declaring a statute unconstitutionalan 1857 ruling, in the case of a slave, Dred Scott, that Congress had no power to bar slavery in the territories. Apple's most loved product: iPhone may soon see some serious drawbacks as it may fall as a victim of the trade battle between China and the United States. Apple iPhone, which was earlier out of the tariff list, may now come under highly taxed products lineup as President Donald Trump plans to levy a surcharge of $500 billion on imports, which includes almost everything that is shipped from China to the U.S. Apple's ethnic smartphone lineup of iPhone will also be a part of this tariff list, as Apple uses to assemble its handset lineup in China. Apple's California facility is known for the design of the phone, but the company's Bejing unit plays a crucial role in iPhone's making as it's described clearly on the phone's back panel:"Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." The Impact of US-China Trade War on Apple's Business: According to reports the United States usually imports a greater range of products from China. On the other hands, China's list of imports from the U.S. is relatively less. It amounts near about $130 billion only. Whereas, as per the Wall Street Journal's statistics, the U.S. imported about $45 billion in smartphones only in 2017. So, the U.S.-China trade war will definitely affect Apple's business as only iPhone's stake amounts to 9% of the total share of the Chinese smartphone market. Apple iPhone's Fate in the U.S. and China: However, in retaliation for the high surcharge on Chinese imports to the United States, China may also impose greater duties on the U.S. imports. As Apple iPhones are assembled in China and then shipped to the U.S., the Chinese government's strike may result in a higher price range of Apple iPhone lineups in the United States, as predicted by Phone Arena. Therefore, Apple may struggle a lot with iPhone's stakes in the U.S., which is the major selling market for the company's smartphone flagship. After the U.S., China is the country which holds the second-highest customer base for Apple. Therefore, the trade battle between the U.S. and China may also result in a huge stock loss for Apple in China. Chinese government's retaliation against the Trump administration's tariff attack may also result in punitive actions against American companies (including Apple), which are operating in China. Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, who is responsible for Apple's huge success in China as well as in the U.S., remained silent in this high time of trade tensions. @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Lebanese film Capharnaum by award winning director Nadine Labaki is the only Arab film so far announced in the lineup of the annual Toronto Film festival, which opens on 6 September. In its North American premiere, the film will be screened in the Special Presentations segment; international films with major stars and/or directors. The film, which is politically-charged fable with mostly non-professional actors, is about a child who files a lawsuit against his parents for bringing him to life. Capharnaum won the Jury Prize at Cannes, making Labaki the first Arab filmmaker in 12 years to win in the official Cannes competition. Labaki has previously won TIFFs Peoples Choice Award in 2011 with her film Where Do We Go Now? The festival will open with First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle. The full lineup is yet to be revealed, but so far includes 17 highly anticipated titles. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Anyone who follows developments on the Libyan scene would say that Egypt has approached the crisis with no hidden agenda. From the outset, Egypt stood for the safety and security which are so vital to the country. Rather than veering towards supporting for guerrilla warfare or militias, Egypt identified the Libyan army as a force for stability early on in the conflict. Egypt's actions to Islamist extremists have been responsible, perceiving their danger, and drawing no distinction between extremists and those acting according to an ideology. When some international powers inclined towards appeasing ideologists, Egypt was adamant that they were part of the crisis rather than a means to solve it. Some in foreign circles watched on or even supported terrorists, while Egypt bore the responsibility of fighting and exposing them to the world. The results recently achieved testify to the fact that the Libyan crisis has undergone a transformation. Egypt has exerted efforts, encouraging some international actors to discontinue their unsuccessful approaches towards a resolution. Some have mistakenly treated Libya as a an ordinary crisis, without taking into consideration the specific balance of powers, and showing a total disregard for the key solution of support for and unity in the Libyan military institution. It was hard to alter the stance of foreign powers without their realising the full dimensions of the crisis. Some international parties participated in the uproar which preceded the conflict, which failed to put Libya on the right track. The clamour was of no help to those who contributed to it; to those who perceived the crisis as a political picnic; who thought this and that could be appeased, and so and so could be punished; and thought the whole formula would be resolved in the press of a button. Events in Libya have proved that this crisis was more complicated, due to its security, political and social aspects. A special understanding of its internal make-up and its entangled relationships is required. It's hard to characterise the Libyan people as Levantine, Maghrebi or even African in temperament. The simplicity of Libyans can entice you into thinking they can be easily persuaded, while their complexity is such that it's impossible to change their inclinations. In short, they are a blend of this and that. Egypt has understood this matter and acted capably upon it, enabling an apprehension of strong and weak points in the crisis as a whole. The majority of conceptions for resolution presented by international and regional actors didn't reach the core of the crisis, which emanates from its uniqueness in comparison with any other in the region. Egypt is the only state which understood the dimensions of the crisis, handling it shrewdly whilst maintaining an honest desire for a solution before its repercussions could mount too high. It neither invested in it nor attempted to utilise it, as others did. This stance only led to further obstruction. Whenever the UN adopted a certain discourse it found a mountain of obstacles. When political initiatives were presented by some, they found themselves surrounded by dispute from different parties. Even the threat of military intervention didn't provide a foundation stable enough to reach a successful settlement. It is not a trivial matter that the international stance towards the Libyan crisis has begun to undergo transformation. This change constitutes the beginning of a new manner of interaction with a crisis that has seemed to be a fire ball. Every participant has attempted to throw it in another's face, and each is governed by motives which are a far cry from acting in the interests of the Libyan people. Egypt has thought soberly and upon the basis of a practical understanding. It has made moves on security and diplomatic levels aimed towards putting the crisis on the right track. It has been simultaneously stern and calm in righting the disturbed balance. Some international powers have begun to appreciate the importance of Egypts vision and become keen to cooperate and coordinate in order to generate movement in previously stagnant water. The joint communique issued last Thursday by the USA, France, Italy and Britain was a significant move. It revealed the depth of change in the international approach to managing the crisis. After a back and forth between Paris and Rome over areas of influence, Washington shelved its hesitation, deploying the power of veto to prevent the handling of the crisis from escalating to absurdity, as if Libya remained a colony to this or that nation. Search Keywords: Short link: Superior Court Briefs: July 18 - July 26 Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, July 18. Richard Carnute, 56, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon, strangulation or suffocation, assault and battery on a family or household member, intimidation of a witness, and violation of a restraining order. He was ordered to serve concurrent 21-month sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction. The charges stem from an incident in Pittsfield involving a 53-year-old woman between June 5, 2016 and June 8, 2016. Peter Miner, 63, of Savoy had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of aggravated indecent assault and battery and a single count of enticing a child under the age of 16. He was released on personal recognizance. The incidents allegedly occurred in Savoy between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2016 and involved a girl who is now aged 14. Justin O'Connell, 27, of Cheshire had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. He was released on $5,000 bail. The charges stem from his arrest in North Adams on April 26, 2018. Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, July 19. Richard Miller, 39, of Windsor had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of rape and indecent assault and battery on a person who has attained age 14. He was released on personal recognizance. The charges stem from an incident in Pittsfield involving a 34-year-old woman on February 18, 2018. Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Friday, July 20. Brian Signor, 29, of Pittsfield was found not guilty by a jury on a single count of manslaughter in connection with the death of 44-year-old Joseph Wirtes. Signor had been accused of the crime in relation to an incident in Pittsfield on September 18, 2016. Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, July 23. Debra Davis, 44, of Great Barrington pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to report abuse of a disabled person, and single counts of accessory after the fact to wit: assault and battery on a disabled person, misleading a police officer, and intimidation of a witness. She was ordered to pay a $500 fine on each of the failing to report abuse charges. The charges of accessory after the face, misleading a police officer, and intimidation of a witness was continued without a finding for a year. The incident occurred while Davis was employed by Eagleton School between November 1, 2015 and January 13, 2016. Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, July 24. Jacob Ferry, 24, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, illegal ownership of a firearm, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, improper storage of a firearm, and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card. He was released on $5,000 bail. The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into illegal drug activity in Pittsfield on May 16, 2018. Shaina Sayers, 20, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine, and conspiracy to violate drug laws. She was released on $2,000 bail. The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into illegal drug activity in Pittsfield and allegedly occurred on May 16, 2018. Angela Streeter, 36, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of permitting bodily injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and permitting injury to a disabled person. She was released on personal recognizance. The incidents allegedly occurred in Pittsfield on February 17, 2018 and involved a 12-year-old boy. Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, July 25. Daniel Donnelly, 58, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime and larceny from a building. He was released on $500 bail. Donnelly is accused of breaking into Lipton Markon South Street in Pittsfield on April 18, 2018. Gerard Menard Jr., 39, of Dalton had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and larceny from a building. He was released on $1,000 bail. Menard is accused of breaking into the Lipton Mart on South Street in Pittsfield on April 18, 2018. Melissa Randolph, 32, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to violate drug laws. She was released on $500 bail. The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal drug activity in Pittsfield on May 16, 2018. Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, July 26. Rashard Garnett, 30, of Pittsfield was sentenced to serve six months at the Berkshire County House of Correction on a single count of possession of cocaine. Garnett was found guilty of the charge on July 12 by a jury. The charge stemmed from the execution of a search warrant on West Street in Pittsfield on March 22, 2016. 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WHIPPLE CREEK REALTY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - GT BARRINGTON WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - LENOX WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S - SALISBURY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY WILLIAM PITT SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY, LENOX WILLIAM RAVEIS REAL ESTATE Williamstown Realty Group WITALISZ & ASSOCIATES, INC. WOLCOTT REALTY WWW.ENTRYONLY.COM Gov. Charlie Baker signed the fiscal 2019 budget on Thursday. Gov. Baker Signs State's $41.2 Billion Budget BOSTON, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker signed the state's $41.232 billion budget on Thursday. The governor's office boasts that the budget invests some $4.91 billion for K-12 education, more than $200 million to combat the opioid epidemic, and bolsters the state's stabilization fund. "Since taking office, our administration has worked to reduce an inherited budget deficit, build our reserves by over $1 billion and make targeted investments in education, the opioid epidemic and our cities and towns all without raising taxes," said Governor Baker in a statement. "We are pleased to sign a balanced budget that manages taxpayer dollars in a fiscally responsible way while providing a tax break for working families and support for critical services for every resident. Lt. Gov. Polito and I appreciate our ongoing partnership with the Legislature to collaborate and compromise on this important blueprint for the upcoming fiscal year." The budget plan does not raise taxes or fees while reducing the state's reliance on "one-time sources of revenue." Overall the budget increased by 3.2 percent. The state is also boosting its support for Chapter 70 aid to schools. At $4.91 billion the aid is at an all-time high and an increase of $160.6 million. The budget moves the Earned Income Tax Credit from 23 percent to 30 percent of the federal tax credit and increases the dairy farm credit. An additional $37.2 million is planned for unrestricted local aid and the Community Compact Cabinet program, which provides grant assistance to municipalities, will increase to a total of $6.8 million - pending the Legislature's approval of $1.5 million to be combined with the budget's $5.3 million. "Our Administration has made it a priority to be a reliable partner for cities and towns across the Commonwealth, and this budget reaffirms that commitment," said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who heads the Community Compact Program. "This plan will make significant investments in education and local aid, as well as grant programs to support local economic development and public safety initiatives." The budget calls for $203 million in funding for treatment services for individuals with substance abuse disorder and continues to support the women's addiction treatment services at Taunton State Hospital and programs at the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Plymouth. It also funds the Department of Mental Health with $109 million more, which includes $83.8 million for Adult Clinical Care Services to address community-based services with mental illnesses. The Department of Children and Families will receive $1 billion in funding, an increase of $34.2 million. The Baker administration also boasts of increasing accounts that had typically be underfunded such as snow and ice removal, legal services for the poor, and emergency shelter for the homeless. "Working with our partners in the House and Senate we make great progress in this budget toward funding the cost of services that we know the Commonwealth will incur, to maintain structural balance, and to build our reserves, all of which are important to responsible budgeting," said Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael J. Heffernan. "This budget is a continuation of our efforts to plan and spend taxpayer resources more efficiently and maximize our investments." The Massachusetts Department of Transportation receives $582.5 million in funding, including the MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities. The MBTA will receive $127 million in state support. The budget signed by Baker had just gone through a lengthy debate in the Legislature. Baker first proposes a budget, the House of Representatives takes it and crafts its own version, then the Senate does the same. The two budgets crafted by the House and the Senate are then negotiated between the two sides in a conference committee. Before signing the budget, Baker vetoed $49 million in spending. The Legislature will now have a chance to override those. But, the budget is significantly overdue - it was supposed to be in place for July 1 - and that now gives the Legislature just a few days for the overrides. The state is now looking at a surplus in revenue and Baker used Thursday's signing to urge the Legislature to release a supplemental budget which calls for new programs in education - including more school counselors, social workers, and psychologists, intervention programs, community college scholarships - and for local roads and bridges. Airport Manager Kris Keane, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard. Neal Delivers Grants To Pittsfield, North Adams Airports U.S. Rep. Richard Neal talks with Airport Commissioner Thomas Sakshaug and Mayor Linda Tyer following the grant announcement. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The airports in both North Adams and Pittsfield has seen a significant number of capital improvements in recent years. And now, officials in both cities are looking to the future. "When you reach your potential, your potential expands. We never want to give to what we were. We are trying all the time to upgrade," U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said on Friday when he delivered $405,000 worth of grant funding to the two airports for planning projects. The Pittsfield Municipal Airport is receiving $315,000 to do a complete update of the master plan. The last master plan was done in 2001 and guided the way for a number of major projects which were completed since then. The new planning process will engage the community and set out short, mid, and long-term visions for the future of the property. "The times are definitely changing and we want to make sure we are ahead of the curve," Airport Manager Kris Keane. At Harriman-And-West Airport, $90,000 is being used to update pieces of its long-term plans. "We have a gem of an airport in North Adams and an opportunity right now to look at what it will take to expand the potential of that for the different audiences, different users who are there - the hobbyist flyer, the small business, we have a major airport maintenance facility in Turboprop and what they're going to need to continue to grow and expand their business," Mayor Tom Bernard said. Bernard called such planning processes a "valuable endeavor" by providing a deep look at where the airport has been, where it is now, and what it will be like in the future. The process leads to the development of a specific set of goals and deliverables to measure against, he said. "It really begins with engagement - bringing in airport users, bringing in the community, bringing in our engineering partners - to look at where've been, where we are, where we want to go," Bernard said. Keane said the process will be the same in Pittsfield. A large group representing different aspects of the city will dive into the entire airport property and decide such things as what type of businesses can be brought in, how the finances could be better, and what capital improvements are needed. Right now the push has been for administrative buildings and North Adams is currently planning a capital project there and Pittsfield has that is its near sight. "We are receiving a lot more calls for aircraft owners who want to be based here, more than we actually have space for. That is part of the airport master planning process. We're going to look at what land is available, could we possibly open up a general aviation airport to support this?" Keane gave as an example of the types of aspects to be considered. Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer said the airport serves as an important cog in the wheel for the city's future economy. She said not only does Lyon Aviation employ a number of people at the airport, but there are companies and visitors which travel in and out. She said the airport will play a roll in attempting to recruit new businesses in the future and could serve as a way to help the existing companies expand and grow. "It is a key component to our economic development strategies. We know that this airport, with Lyon Aviation as our fixed-based operator, contributes greatly to our economy. We've been fortunate to receive a significant amount of investment from both state and federal funds to expand and improve our airport," Tyer said. Neal, who formerly served as mayor in Springfield, said transportation in all forms is a vital piece to an area's success. "I've been talking about infrastructure forever and part of it is because my DNA is in the mayor's office. I think the ease of which people get from one place to another promotes increased efficiencies and productivity," Neal said. The ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee said, depending on the midterm election results, that passing an infrastructure bill will be the top priority next year. President Donald Trump had previously pushed a $1.5 trillion plan and Democrats have been supportive of the concept of an infrastructure bill but disagree with how the administration planned to pay for it. Nonetheless, Neal said should a bill come to fruition places like Pittsfield and North Adams will be"well positioned" to receive capital funding for not only airports but bridges and roads as well. Tyer added that the master plan is an important piece in keeping the city competitive for state and federal grants. "We've seen a significant investment, at least in the last 10 years, but we've got to keep going. We have to keep making these investments, we have to modernize this airport so it is responsive to the market and the needs we know exist here and in the Berkshires," Tyer said. Tyer expanded the push for improvements to the airport to all transportation pieces in the Berkshires, saying having a strong transportation system in all facets is supporting the business community. iciHaiti - Electricity : We will have to rely on the role of private sector dixit BM The World Bank (WB) is significantly increasing its funding around the world for energy access programs, with a growing focus on mini-grids and off-grid solutions. To accelerate progress, the World Bank is actively engaged in promoting private investment in energy access projects by supporting the implementation of sound public policies, demonstrating the viability of innovative business models and providing targeted financing to encourage trade finance asserts that "we will have to rely on the role of private sector". In Haiti, a project supported by the World Bank and the Climate Investment Funds, has set up a funding scheme to provide grants and loans to companies developing mini-grids and off-grid solutions. This project should eventually mobilize $45 million in private resources. Remember that the number of people living without electricity in the Caribbean is estimated at 9 million, 7 million of whom live in Haiti. In the latest report "The Spectator Index" published in January 2018, Haiti is ranked for the year 2017, as the third worst country in the world out of 137 countries in terms of access to electricity with only 6% of Haitians living in rural areas with access to this energy resource, just behind Nigeria (2nd) and Yemen (at war) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23305-haiti-flash-haiti-3rd-worst-country-in-the-world-in-terms-of-access-to-electricity.html See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23305-haiti-flash-haiti-3rd-worst-country-in-the-world-in-terms-of-access-to-electricity.html IH/ iciHaiti iciHaiti - Contraband : 1,2 tons of garlic seized from Haiti More than 1.2 tons (2,728 pounds) of contraband garlic from Haiti was seized this week by soldiers of the 10th Battalion of the Dominican Army in the Province of Dajabon. The garlic was transported in black Cherokee SUV with X378037 show plate that the driver after a long pursuit abandoned in a rural area of the Canongo Municipal District, after the army fired into the tires to force the vehicle to stop. Colonel Jose Manuel Duran Infante, commander of the Fourth Brigade, declared that the garlic, packed in 124 bags of 22 pounds each, had been seized together with the vehicle and handed over to the Dajabon Public Prosecutor's Office. Let's remember that from January 2017 to February 2018, the specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) seized more than 205,000 pounds ( 93 tonnes) of contraband garlic from Haiti https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23721-icihaiti-rd-partial-assessment-of-the-fight-against-haitian-smuggling.html . The garlic seizure record is over 12 tons in 2015 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13202-haiti-dominican-republic-seizure-of-12-tons-of-garlic-smuggled-from-haiti.html See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23721-icihaiti-rd-partial-assessment-of-the-fight-against-haitian-smuggling.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23600-icihaiti-dr-discovery-of-25-tons-of-smuggled-garlic-from-haiti.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16908-icihaiti-smuggling-seizure-of-more-than-440-bags-of-garlic-from-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13202-haiti-dominican-republic-seizure-of-12-tons-of-garlic-smuggled-from-haiti.html SL/ iciHaiti While narrowly passed in the Knesset, the struggle around Israels new nationality law is far from over, and could lead to the ouster of the extreme right in Israeli politics The Israeli Knessets passage of a controversial nationality law has stirred up many questions, not least of which are: why now, precisely? And what repercussions will it have domestically, regionally and internationally? Since the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000, there has been extensive and intense controversy over new conditions set by Israel for agreeing to peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Above all, it now insisted on Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state as a precondition for entering into final status negotiations to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many commentators regard Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahus speech at Bar Ilan University in June 2009 as a major turning point in the historic conflict. In that speech, he said that he was prepared to accept the two-state solution, explicitly breaking with the immutable position of the Israeli extreme right that rejects all notion of recognising the Palestinians right to statehood. However, he simultaneously insisted that the Palestinians had to recognise the historic right of Jews in Palestine. He would subsequently argue that the partial agreements with the Palestinians up to that time, such as the Oslo Accords and annexes (1993-2000), only spoke of diplomatic recognition of two states. While such a formality was necessary in the framework of international law, it would not be sufficient to achieve peace in the unique and special case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here, true peace could only come when the Palestinians reached the conviction that the Jewish people had a historic right in Palestine and not just a political right of the sort that emerged from a settlement to a protracted conflict in which political rights were determined by the balances of military forces. The Palestinians naturally grasped the dangerous ramifications at many levels of acceding to Netanyahus demands. Firstly, it would clash with the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim culture forged around the concept of the Zionist rape of Palestine which has shaped the thought and attitudes of successive generations within these three spheres. Secondly, it would mean relinquishing the internationally recognised principle of the Palestinian right to return as stipulated in UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1949. No Palestinian authorities could make such a concession without the approval of more than nine million Palestinians who were born and have lived in exile since 1948. Thirdly, it would prejudice the rights and welfare of the Palestinians of 48 (the Palestinians who remained in Israel after 1948 and received Israeli citizenship). Were the Palestinian Authority (PA) to recognise Israel as a Jewish state this would deprive the Palestinians of 48 of their ethnic and national rights in Israel and pull the rug from beneath their long struggle for either a form of autonomous rule in Israel as a national minority or for an Israel that was a state of all of its citizens, which is to say one that did not discriminate between Jews and Palestinian Muslims and Christians. Fourthly, it would undermine the gains won by the widespread Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to isolate and delegitimise Israel internationally because of its racist policies against the Palestinians. Netanyahu described the BDS movement as a greater threat to Israel than all the military wars that sought to eradicate the Hebrew state. The Nationality Law: Why Now? Against the backdrop of the extended controversy triggered by Netanyahus demand for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state as a precondition for peace, a precursor to the recently passed nationality bill was proposed by Knesset member (and former Internal Security Agency director) Avi Dichter in 2011. His bill, in essence, was a translation into legalese of the conditions stipulated by Netanyahu in the Bar Ilan University speech. In view of its timing, it was also seen as an attempt to pre-empt President Barack Obamas campaign to pressure Israel into making the necessary concessions to conclude a peace with the Palestinians. In like manner, the recently passed nationality law was inspired by fears of pressures on the part of the Trump administration to impose his so-called Deal of the Century on both the Palestinians and Israelis. It appears that Netanyahu is haunted by the fear of losing the support he has so far had from the man he describes as the strongest US president in history, should he turn down the deal. At the same time, the Israeli prime minister fears that the passage of the deal would leave some questions open to negotiation with the Palestinians, just as President Trump had done when he recognised Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, yet added the caveat that this recognition did not signify any US stance on the borders of the city, which he said were a matter that had to be worked out between the Israelis and Palestinians in future negotiations. Accordingly, a major reason why Netanyahus ruling coalition was determined to push the nationality bill through the Knesset at this time was in order to keep Palestinian demands for the right of return or for full equality in the State of Israel off the table in any future negotiations in the framework of the Deal of the Century. Israeli statements and analyses have confirmed that the purpose of passing the law was to forestall situations that could arise in the event of a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Avi Dichter, who sponsored the bill, said: We are enshrining this important bill into a law today to prevent even the slightest thought, let alone attemtp, to transform Israel to a country of all its citizens. When I listened attentively to the Joint List MKs (the parliamentary list consisting of Arab MKs), it was impossible to miss their clear words: We, the Arabs will win, we are in our homeland, we were here before you and well be here after you. This Basic Law is the clear-cut answer to those who think that. Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh lashed out at the nationality law as a declaration of war on Israels Arab citizens. In response to its passage, he said: Separation, discrimination and racism are now enshrined in law. This is the law of Jewish superiority that excludes more than 20 per cent of the population. This is a law that is entirely intended to defy, divide, disparage and continue the incitement of the Netanyahu government. Adverse repercussions Of The Law And The Possibility Of Fighting It The nationality law did not have an easy passage through the Knesset. It was opposed by 55 of the legislative bodys 120 members; two MKs abstained and a third was absent. It barely scraped through with a narrow majority of 62 votes. Many in Israel fear a negative impact on Israels image abroad where the law is seen in many circles as a landmark in Israels transformation into a fascist state. Others wonder how it will affect Israels relationship with Jews abroad, especially in the US where movements such as J-Street are gaining momentum among leftward leaning Jewish youth who support the two-state solution and oppose Israels racist policies. Inside Israel, the law has also triggered a rift in Druze-Jewish relations. The Druze citizens in Israel are the most assimilated segment of Palestinian Israelis. Druze have been serving in the Israeli army since 1953. Akram Hassoun of the Kulanu Party, and one of the three Druze members in Knesset, expressed his dismay at the law which, he said, denies the sacrifices the Druze made for the sake of the State of Israel and which anchors discrimination against the Druze and other minorities in law. More worrisome yet, for the Netanyahu government, is that the three MKs, including two from the ruling coalition, have filed a petition against the law with the High Court of Justice. Other Palestinian lawmakers may do likewise and, perhaps, explore ways to overturn the law through parliamentary mechanisms such as legislation to amend the states Basic Laws. As for Palestinians in the PA or Hamas-controlled Gaza, their opportunities for countering the nationality law are slim. The Trump administration believes that the Palestinians must recognise Israel as a state for the Jewish people as a precondition for any political settlement achieved through a so-called Deal of the Century or other negotiating tracks. Therefore, the PA, above all, needs to invest its efforts in backing the Palestinians inside Israel in their battle against the new law. Towards this end, it will probably work to fuel anger among the Druze community in Israel and encourage others there to join the Druze MKs in their appeal to the High Court to overturn the law or, at the very least, order its modification. Such a drive shifts a significant portion of the confrontation between the Palestinians and Israel from the international to the domestic realm inside Israel. If it intensifies, it could jeopardise social and political cohesion and, perhaps, threaten the hold of the extreme right, led by Netanyahu, on power in Israel. The Arab League castigates Tel Aviv A quarterly discussion in the UN Security Council convened Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, particularly Palestinian cause, Maged Abdel-Fattah Abdel-Aziz, permanent observer for the League of Arab States, related the inability of the international organisation to forge a comprehensive settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, amid the latest Israeli military escalation in the occupied Palestinian territories. According to Abdel-Fattah Abdel-Aziz, the occupying power, Israel, in its practices is not abiding by any of the international resolutions issued by the Security Council, General Assembly, nor even the UN Charter. Israeli violations are all meant to cement the occupation of Palestinian territories and wriggle out from recognising Palestinian rights, he said. Abdel-Aziz explained: Without a doubt, Israels continued pursuit of its illegal settlement policy, in blatant and flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016, constitutes a dangerous threat to the peace process, as do its relentless efforts to forcefully evacuate 46 Bedouin communities inhabited by more than 10,000 Palestinians in order to prevent them from returning to their original homes and lands in southern Israel. The forced evacuation of the Bedouins of Abu Nawar and Khan Al-Ahmar, and the destruction of their homes, schools and health centres, in spite of the fact that 53 per cent of their inhabitants are children and 95 per cent of them are refugees registered with UNRWA, clearly forms another link in Israels campaign to impose the illusory concept of Greater Israel by preventing refugees from returning to their homelands, on the one hand, and on the other by confiscating the lands of the remaining Palestinians communities and destroying the homes on these lands in order to make room for the expansion of the illegal settlements Maale Adumim and Kfar Adumim and to put paid to the desired geographic contiguity of the West Bank. The lack of ways in which Palestinians can protect themselves from Israeli forces also illustrates the need to bring peace talks back on track, Abdel-Aziz continued. The problem extends beyond the feverish Israeli settlement expansion to include a campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people. Since the events of Land Day on 30 March, Israeli armed forces have deliberately killed, as Israeli authorities themselves admitted, more than 150 defenceless Palestinian demonstrators, including at least 22 children, and wounded more than 15,300 Palestinian demonstrators, some critically. Despite the resolution adopted in the resumed 10th session of the General Assembly on 13 June, calling on Israeli forces to cease their assaults with live ammunition against defenceless Palestinian people and to commit to safeguarding the Palestinian peoples right to peaceful protest in fulfillment of Israels obligations as an occupying power under the Geneva Conventions, the Israeli aerial bombardment of Gaza on 13 July, which also targeted defenceless women and children, has increased our conviction in the need to create an effective international mechanism to protect the Palestinian people from Israels brutal aggressions in accordance with the aforementioned General Assembly resolution. We now look to the Security Council to support the creation and activation of such a mechanism in the framework of its support for important humanitarian principles, most notably Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and human security, which the council applies effectively in many other parts of the world. Abdel-Aziz rejected as irresponsible the US administrations decisions to cut funds to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) as well as to freeze all economic aid to the Palestinian Authority. Both the US and Israel have an ethical and economic responsibility towards Palestinians until a final solution to the refugee problem is worked out. Finally, the Israeli defiance of the international community has reached its greatest extreme with the Israeli Knessets recent adoption of the so-called Nationality Law which states that Israel is a state for the Jewish people, alone, excluding the Palestinian people, and that only Hebrew is the official language of the state, excluding Arabic, and which opens to doors only to Jewish immigration to Israel, excluding Muslims, Christians and other faiths. The law also strongly encourages settlement expansion. This is a new step towards the annexation of the West Bank and towards the entrenchment of racism, the legitimisation of the Israeli governments policy of apartheid on the basis of ethnic, religious and linguistic discrimination, and the promotion of the use of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians inside the green line as a means to preserve the Jewishness of the Israeli state. *A version of this article appears in print in the 26 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Israels nationality law Search Keywords: Short link: Fluorspar production from Canada Fluorspar, which has beset by delays, might come to the market around that same time that South Africa's Sepfluor makes its first shipments, leading some in the market to debate the impact this new supply will have on currently high prices. Fluorspar supply is tight due to reduced output from China, propelling acidspar prices to multi-year highs this year. Many participants are waiting to see if the new supply from Canada Fluorspar and Sepfluor - each of which is adding 200,000 tonnes per year of capacity to the market - will push prices down. Several buyers and suppliers believe that current prices, particularly out of China, at above $500 per tonne for some grades are unsustainable. Industrial Minerals' price assessment for acidspar, 97% CaF2, wet filtercake, fob, China was $450-530 per tonne on July 12. With demand currently strong and little clarity as to when, or if, shuttered Chinese operations will come back on stream, the forthcoming production from Canada Fluorspar and Sepfluor could be the next pinch point for the markets supply/demand balance. The first shipments from Canada Fluorspar, based in Newfoundland in Canada, were due in the final months of 2017 but the company has yet to make any major deliveries of the material, Industrial Minerals understands. Canada Fluorspar did not comment when contacted by Industrial Minerals.Meanwhile, Sepfluor is the next large-volume project that has a firm date for coming on stream - first shipments will come by the end of January 2019 , chief executive officer Robert Wagner recently reiterated to Industrial Minerals.Sepfluor will serve a wide range of users via shipments of 5,000-8,000 tonnes until June, allowing consumers to gauge the consistency and quality of the material and whether it can be accepted in respective production systems, according to Wagner, who does not believe that this extra supply will affect prices."I dont think [Sepfluor coming online] is going to change pricing much, - a lot of product will disappear in trial shipments and will not relieve the shortfall of supply in the market," he told Industrial Minerals.Wagner described a price of $500 per tonne for acidspar as "unsustainable", believing that prices will not hold at those highs after Sepfluor's entrance to the market. A "new equilibrium" of $350 per tonne will be achieved, he predicted.Sepfluor is not the only forthcoming supply source in the region - SA Fluorite and Kazakhstan's Eurasian Resources Group are leading investors in the 180,000 tpy Doornhoek project in South Africas Guateng Province, which is still three-five years from coming online.The team working on the project has played down the importance of where prices will be at that point."We hope to break even at around $200 per tonne so the price is less significant - the quality is the most important aspect," consulting geologist Allan Saad told Industrial Minerals.The Doornhoek fluorspar will be well placed to compete with its local competitors, Sepfluor and the well-established Vergenoeg mine, which is owned by Spanish mining group Minersa, because of the expected lack of impurities, Saad believes."We will supply as much as the market can take," Saad said, emphasizing the company's plan to focus on quality and stability of supply.The company will initially bring 120,000-150,000 tpy to the market and then ramp up to full capacity, he added.Elsewhere, India-based Gujurat Fluorochemicals (GFL) has recently brought a 40,000 tpy mine online in Morocco."It all depends on the market and where the price is but we would be looking to sell in Europe," GFL executive president BC Jain told Industrial Minerals. The all-acidspar output could also be consumed internally by GFL, he said. The Kenyan Ministry of Mining has reportedly found a new investor in recent weeks for the 120,000 tpy mine in Kerio Valley, formally operated by Kenya Fluorspar Co. If so, it may plan to return the mine to production although Industrial Minerals could not verify this with the ministry by the time of publication. China and Canada variables The fluorspar market should stay tight despite the additional supply the two soon-to-commission South African producers will provide, they believe. "Certainly, Sepfluor will relieve some pressure but China is the biggest issue and when Canada Fluorspar comes online is also an important question," Wagner said. The market will remain tight until next summer in China due to the environmental controls in place there, Wagner believes. It is unclear exactly how much Chinese fluorspar production has been affected by anti-pollution controls enforced by the government although Industrial Minerals has received unconfirmed reports that the sector is operating at 45-50% of capacity. The environmental controls intensified throughout 2017, leading to a jump in 2018 contract negotiations. Prices have also risen - Chinese acidspar, fob China climbed to $450-550 per tonne in April this year from $400-420 per tonne in January. Some market participants have disputed the extent of the impact of China's environmental controls, claiming that Chinese sellers are merely pushing for higher prices. Still, it is unlikely that prices will remain at elevated levels after new non-China origin volumes come to the market. "The situation is extreme and the market has found a new normal where China will be in a different position. We believe that by early 2019 China will reach a supply-and-demand equilibrium and then move to become a net importer," Wagner added. China will "probably" become a net importer at some stage, Saad also estimates. With Chinas supply to the market falling, the timing depends on whether Chinese producers can develop new resources, he said, cautioning that the controls could "change overnight" should the Chinese government choose to do so. While acknowledging the current market tightness, market participants do not believe the market requires an additional 400,000-500,000 tpy of capacity at present. A European consumer forecast the market will "immediately go long" once the new capacity comes to the market, pegging oversupply at just a "few thousand tonnes" at present. A HF producer that believes the prices should move down by "$50-100 per tonne, dependent on location." Still, since Canada Fluorspar is close to large-volume consumers in North America, a single consumer could comfortably absorb most of its output, one seller suggested. Most of the additional capacity will go to the hydrofluoric acid market, one fluorspar producer claimed - this sector comprises high-volume consumers that may then look to use extra supply to "bring the market into balance" by driving prices down. Long-term view The longer-term market fundamentals support more supply, according to Sepfluor's Wagner who forecast the market to be undersupplied by 600,000-800,000 tonnes by 2025. "There will be room for two, three or four mines in the coming years," Wagner said. This is broadly in line with Saads prediction that the market will grow by 2% each year for the next five years. With the current market size at 6.5 million tonnes, this would equate to 7.18 million tonnes by 2023. Canada Fluorspar, Sepfluor and the Kenyan mine can account for 520,000 tpy at full capacity, leaving room for a fourth mine if those growth predictions are correct. All this remains highly dependent on whether or not Chinese output recovers. Production in China accounts for around 2.15 million tonnes or 33% of the worlds supply; any long-term decreases in volume would weigh heavy on world supply, putting upward pressure on prices. Unless there is a significant shift in demand, this makes the long-term effects of the Chinese environmental controls the major driver of the markets supply-and-balance and therefore of prices. July 26, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - If they would just confirm to us that my brother is alive, if they would just let us see him, thats all we want. But we cant get anyone to give us any confirmation. My mother dies a hundred times every day. They dont know what that is like. In July of 2018, an Amnesty International report entitled God Knows If Hes Alive, documented the plight of dozens of families in southern Yemen whose loved ones have been tortured, killed, or forcibly disappeared by Yemeni security forces reporting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that, with vital US support, has been bombarding and blockading famine and disease-ravaged Yemen for three brutal years. The disappearances, and torture, can sadly be laid at the doorstep of the United States. One testimonial after another echoes the sentiments of a woman whose husband has been held incommunicado for more than two years. Shouldnt they be given a trial? she asked. Why else are there courts? They shouldnt be disappeared this way not only are we unable to visit them, we dont even know if they are dead or alive. The report describes bureaucratic farces in which families beg for information about their loved ones whereabouts from Yemeni prosecutors and prison officials, but the families pleas for information are routinely met with silence or intimidation. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The families are appealing to an unelected Yemeni exile government whose president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, (when elected president in 2012, he was the only candidate) generally resides in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The UAE has, so far, supported Hadis claim to govern Yemen. However, the Prosecutor General of Hadis government, as well as other officials, told Amnesty International the government of Yemen has no control over operations spearheaded by the UAE and implemented by the Yemeni forces it backs. When months and years pass and families of people who are missing still have no news about their loved ones, some try to communicate unofficially with prison guards or with former detainees who have been released from various detention sites. They repeatedly hear stories about torture of detainees and rumors about prisoners who died in custody. The Amnesty report implicates UAE-backed local forces in Yemen, as well as the UAE military, in the crimes of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees. Of seven former or current detainees interviewed by Amnesty, five said they were subjected to these abuses. All seven witnessed other detainees being tortured, the report adds, including one who said he saw a detainee held in a cell next to him being carried away in a body bag after he had been repeatedly tortured. In June 2017, Human Rights Watch and the Associated Press exposed a network of clandestine prisons operated by the UAE in Yemen. Their reports described ghastly torture inflicted on prisoners and noted that senior US military leaders knew about torture allegations. Yet, a year later, there has been no investigation of these allegations by the Yemeni government, by the UAE, or by the UAEs most powerful ally in the Yemen war, the United States. It is shocking, to say the least, the Amnesty report states, that one year after a network of secret prisons operated by the UAE and the Yemeni forces it backs was exposed, these facilities continue to operate and that there has not been a serious investigation undertaken into credibly documented violations, including systemic torture in custody. The Amnesty report calls on the US to facilitate independent oversight, including by the US Congress, over US military or intelligence cooperation with Yemeni and UAE forces involved in detention activities in Yemen. It further calls for investigating any involvement of US military or intelligence personnel in detention-related abuses in Yemen. To date, the US continues selling weapons to the UAE and to its coalition partner, Saudi Arabia, despite several Congressional debates and a few increasingly close votes demanding a full or partial end to US weapons sales considering the terrible practices being carried out as part of the Yemen war. Since March of 2015, a coalition of nine countries led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE and relying on crucial U.S. logistical aid, has bombarded Yemen while blockading its major port, despite Yemens status as one of the poorest countries in the world. Targeting transportation, electrical plants, sewage and sanitation facilities, schools, mosques, weddings and funerals, the vicious bombing has led to starvation, displacement, and the spread of disease including cholera. On the same day that the Amnesty report was released, Saudi Arabias King Salman pardoned all military men, who have taken part in the Operation Restoring Hope of their respective military and disciplinary penalties, in regard of some rules and disciplines. It seems likely that the Amnesty report precipitated this royal decree Along with three countries in North Africas Sahel desert region, Yemen has been cited as part of the worst famine crisis in the 70-year history of the UN. In the past three years of aerial and naval attacks, Yemens key port of Hodeidah has remained partially or fully closed despite the countrys vital need for relief supplies. And, while Yemenis suffer the chaos and despair characteristic of war, the Saudis and UAE refer to the war as Operation Restoring Hope. Many thousands of Yemenis, subjected to consistent bombing and threats of starvation and famine, have fled their homes. Many seek refuge out of Yemen. For instance, close to 500 Yemenis have traveled nearly 500 miles to reach a visa-free port on South Koreas Jeju Island. On July 21, during an international phone call hosted by young friends in Afghanistan, listeners heard Kaia, a resident of Jeju Island, describe the Hope School. She explained how she and several other young people are trying to help welcome Yemenis now living in their village of Gangjeong. The young people are already committed to peacefully resisting U.S. and South Korean military destruction of their shoreline and ecosystem. Now, they have started an informal school so Yemeni and South Korean residents can learn from one another. Small groups gather for conversational exchanges translated from Arabic to English to Korean. Many South Koreans can recall, in their own familial history, that seven million Koreans fled Japanese occupation of their land. Their Korean forebears relied on hospitality from people in other lands. The Catholic Bishop of the Jeju diocese, Monsignor Kang Woo-il, called on Koreans to embrace Yemeni refugees, labeling it a crime against human morality to shut the door on refugees and migrants. Kaias account of the newly launched school describes an effort that truthfully involves restoring hope. The cynical designation of Saudi and UAE led war in Yemen as Operation Restoring Hope creates an ugly smokescreen that distracts from the crucial need to investigate war crimes committed in Yemen today. US citizens bear responsibility for the US governments support of these crimes. The Yemenis mean us no harm and have committed no crime against us. Congressional votes have come quite close, with bipartisan support, to ending US participation in and support for the Saudi and Emirati led Coalition war against Yemen. Ending arms sales to the UAE and Saudi monarchies, supported by both sides of the aisle, will signal to the UAE and Saudi Arabia the US will no longer assist their efforts to prolong war and siege in Yemen. On cue from the initiative and energy shown by young South Koreans, people in the US can and should organize campaigns to educate their communities, educational institutions, and media outlets about the plight of people in Yemen. Conscious of the nightmare faced by Yemenis whose husbands, brothers, fathers and sons have been disappeared or detained by shadowy military enforcers, US people can work toward implementing each recommendation in Amnestys devastating report. Kathy Kelly The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Helsinki Secrets By Israel Shamir July 26, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Like an orange hurricane, President Trump made a stormy visit to the Old World. Usually American presidents visits to Europe present photo opportunities and vows of eternal love and friendship. Not this time. Since the Mongol invasion, not many visitors from outside shook Europe like he did. The US President has finally emerged from the cage built by his political adversaries, and begun to say things his voters wanted to hear. However, his wonderful daring statements were quickly undermined and disowned by his ministers and advisers, creating the feeling that Trump speaks only for himself, while the US administration, his own appointees say the opposite. And then he also repudiated his own statements, saying he was misunderstood. The American president increasingly resembles the hero of The Prince and The Pauper, the poor boy who accidentally became a king and began to behave in a non-royal way: showing mercy and caring for people. His own staff disregards his commands. Trump says what people like to hear, but his administration sticks to the original course. During the first part of his trip he acted a rebel in Wodehouse World with its feeble men and formidable women. Indeed the West is ruled by formidable aunts and elder sisters. Aunt Angela in Germany, Aunt Theresa in England, Aunt Brigitte in France. Only Aunt Hillary is missing to complete the puzzle and establish the rule of Aunties over their hen-pecked nephews. (Hillarys defeat didnt derail the Aunties program of emasculation: #MeToo campaign goes on unabated. Men are afraid to flirt with girls. Henry (The Superman) Cavill admitted as much in an interview, saying that flirting with somebody would be like casting myself into the fires of hell, as a person in the public eye. I think a woman should be wooed and chased, he said, but it could lead to jail. He was immediately attacked for this heresy: If Henry Cavill doesnt want to be called a rapist then all he has to do is not rape anyone, implausibly they claimed. And he apologised profusely.) Trumps trip had been accompanied by mass protest demos. Normally I am all in favour of a good anti-American demo, but in this case, the protesters were extreme feminists and supporters of unlimited immigration. Thats people who like the Aunties, and hate Uncles. They do not mind conflict with Russia and even consider Trump as a Russian agent. They dislike that he does not obey Aunties. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter In the second part of the tour, Trump had met with the formidable Mr Putin, a real man. Now that we have learned from our reliable sources what had happened in the palatial halls of Helsinki (excepting face-to-face private talk with Putin) we can describe Trumps Pilgrims Progress and share our knowledge and conclusions with you. In short, President Trump made the right sounds and called for right solutions, but he has been unable to insist on any. If he were a free man of his own mind, this trip would transform the world. The way things are, it will remain a sign of his honourable intentions, for everything he said has been overturned and denied by his aides. In Brussels, Trump attacked Frau Merkel. How does she dare to buy Russian gas, if Germany faces a Russian threat? Why does it accept immigrants and refugees who undermine the European way of life? Saying that, he sided with the populists, the Italians, Hungarians and Austrians, whose top politicians are male and friendly to Trump and Putin. The Brussels meeting almost came to an undoing of NATO. Trump hinted that the US would leave NATO unless they pay. They have to pay more, much more, if they want to have American protection. Could he mean it? NATO is an instrument of American control over Europe, and Washington keeps dozens of bases in Europe, in particular in Germany. Germany has remained under American occupation since 1945. This would seem good for America, but the occupied and controlled Western European states are tied to the Clinton camp, to Democrats and liberals. They do not accept Trump as their rightful sovereign. And Europe does not pay for its occupation, so it is costly. Of course, it is a great honour to occupy and control the great powers of the past, England, France, the Netherlands, Spain. But it costs a lot of money for America. Likewise, in 1990 Russia discovered that it is expensive to control surly East Germany, independent Poland, sunny Georgia, tricky Armenia, populous Uzbekistan and the rainy Baltic States. There is no certainty that the countries of Europe will agree to pay and submit to Trumps demands. In Germany, there are growing voices demanding the Yankees be sent home, that is, to ask the American soldiers to leave Germany. It would be good if NATO were to disintegrate and disappear, like the Warsaw Treaty Organization disappeared. Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to return the American soldiers home. Perhaps we shall witness Pax Americana without American troops in Europe, like England fictitiously claimed to belong to the Roman Empire, though Roman legions had left, and Rome lost all interest in foggy Albion. In England, Trump confronted Mrs May. She reminded him of his school mistress, and Donald does not like school mistresses. The soft Brexit, which she intends to conclude, is a complete bummer, not a Brexit, he said. Under the proposed treaty, all prerogatives remain in Brussels. So, there can be no trade agreement between the United States and Britain. America will negotiate directly with Brussels. And in general, it would be better if May transferred Downing Street 10 to her former Foreign Secretary, a hard-line Brexit supporter, the red-headed Bojo (as the Brits call Boris Johnson, who had just resigned, resenting the proposed plan for soft Brexit). The European Union is an American design, too. Why, then, does the US President want to undermine it by removing the UK, his own Trojan Horse? Apparently, it means that the globalist forces have entered a state of direct confrontation with America. This first part of Trumps tour had been followed by the Kremlin with satisfaction. The Kremlin also believes that NATO has become obsolete, and that Brexit is the right step. Russia instinctively disapproves of mass migration, just like Trump. Trumps meeting with President Putin had been postponed for a year; both men were eager to meet. Trump wanted to meet another strong man, a powerful chieftain who can assist him in building a new world, instead of the one created under Obama, by media and Supreme Court Judges. President Putin wanted to solve bilateral issues and to ease American pressure upon Russia. Their problems were very different. The main problems of Trump were Mme Clinton and Barack Obama, and the whole army of their obstinate followers who didnt recognise Trumps legitimacy. Putin couldnt do much for him, with all his sympathy. Putins problem is the hybrid warfare carried out by the United States against Russia. Despite accusations you hear in your media (alleged Russian ads in the Facebook and Twitter influencing voters), American pressure on Russia is very real and very painful. American officials try to wreck every international deal Russia attempts to clinch. It is not only, or even mainly about weapons. If a country A wants to sell Russians, say, bananas, the US ambassador will come to As king, or his minister, and will expressly forbid him to sell bananas to godless Russians. Otherwise, do not expect the US aid, or do not count on US favours in your disputes with your neighbours, or the US wont buy your production, or US banks will take another long and jaundiced view at your financial transactions. You witnessed the scene, when the crazed Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, threatened sovereign nations with severe punishment for voting against the US desires, so you have an idea of American delicacy and caution while pushing their will through. Russians are in a very uncomfortable seat. All their neighbours are subject to American pressure to annoy Russia, be it Georgia (once they even attacked Russia militarily being led by American and Israeli advisers) or the Ukraine (Americans arranged a coup detat and installed extremely hostile to Russia government in Kiev). American military bases surround Russia and NATO troops drew closer and closer to its centres. American military budget of 600 billion dollars dwarfs the Russian one, while the armaments race can undermine Russian finances. If Russia were a woman, she would scream: stop it! Perhaps our colleague Mr Andrei Martyanov is right and the US cant destroy Russia militarily; perhaps Immanuel Wallerstein is correct and American power is in decline; but meanwhile the US is perfectly able to make life hard and difficult for any state. It made life unbearably hard for North Korea, extremely hard for Iran. Russia is not doing half as good as she could do without ceaseless American meddling. President Putin would like Trump to relent. There is no reason for this incessant picking on Russia; it is not Communist anymore; it is much smaller and less populous than the former USSR; it wants to live in peace as a member of the family of nations, not as a great alternative. The anti-Russian offensive began in earnest in the days of previous US presidents, namely Obama and Clinton; so it would make sense for Trump to stop it. Problem is, President Trump is also actively engaged in war against Russia. Just a few days ago he pressured the German Chancellor to give up on the North Stream-2, to stop buying Russian gas. His advisers demanded that Turkey desist from buying a Russian antimissile system. The US Air Force bombed Russian troops in Syria. Still Putin made a good try. He proposed to hold a referendum in the Donbas area of Eastern Ukraine which is presently independent though lacking international recognition. The people of Donbas had their own referendum in 2014, and voted for independence; Kiev regime and its Western sponsors denied its validity as it was done under Russian armys protection, they claimed. Now Putin proposed a re-run under international auspices. Trump ostensibly agreed, he said it was a good idea, and he asked for the opinion of John Bolton, his national security advisor; Bolton confirmed it was a good idea. This was in Helsinki; however, since then the idea had been rejected by the Americans, as the Kiev regime balked at it. The regime knows well that the people of Eastern Ukraine arent likely to opt for their tender mercies, and Trump administration wont push Kiev to agree to secession, or to abide by the Minsk agreements and let them re-join federal Ukraine as an autonomous unit. So this haemorrhaging wound at the western border of Russia will bleed on. As for Syria, Putin told Trump that he agreed upon the arrangements with Mr Netanyahu to keep Iranians and their militias at some 80 km away from the disengagement (1974) lines at the Golan Heights. (Iranians are now going through a difficult stretch and they accepted this solution without a murmur.) This was acceptable to Trump, and both presidents stressed that they value Israeli security highly. (They have differing reasons for it. Putin wants Syria to remain in peace under his protege and ally President Bashar Assad, and for this, he needs some security arrangements with pugnacious Israel. Putin is aware of Jewish states ability to pull strings and he doesnt want to antagonise it. Putin also wants Trump to be happy, and Israel is a point of huge importance for the US President, much more than for Putin. Trump sacrifices at the altar of Israel to propitiate the Jews he is fighting in the US. Trump fights everything American Jews stand for, against all they achieved recently. He wants to have them back in the cash flow cubicle, the short guys that wear yarmulkes every day, counting his notes. They want much, much more: they wish to dominate and rule America their own way. Trump is ready to give all he can to Israel, so the American Jews will be less eager to fight him. This ploy had been tried by the German National-Socialists in 1930s, who gave the Zionist-Socialists the most profitable Haavara deal to offset and overcome hostility of American Jews. It failed then, it is likely to fail again, but not before the Zionists will get all they dream of.) For North Korea, Putin lauded Trumps move and said he will keep playing a supportive role to American efforts. For the bogus Russian interference in the US elections, Putin proposed to establish a bilateral expert group for cyber security. Let experts deal with experts, and sort out the claims, he said. Trump agreed with the idea, though his advisers were quick to repudiate it upon their return to Washington. Putin also proposed to allow cross-examinations on the reciprocity basis: the US investigators will travel to Russia and interrogate Russian officials indicted by Muellers team; while Russian investigators will travel to the US and interrogate Ambassador McFaul for his participation in Browder affair. Trump had been impressed by the generous offer; but as he returned to Washington, McFaul (falsely) claimed Trump intends to send him to the Gulag, and Trumps advisers promptly repudiated the proposal. Putin did not intend to arrest and detain McFaul, just to question him; likewise, he wouldnt permit Mueller investigators to carry Russian intelligence officers to a Guantanamo of their choice, just to ask them questions. The Browder Affair grows bigger as time goes: though the rascal was not the biggest of Russian assets looters, he was the most outspoken and keen on hanging on the stolen goods. The US advisers from top-league universities implanted in the Yeltsin administration in 1990s had stolen more; they also facilitated creation of the mighty oligarchs of that time. However, Browder had more tenacity and he judiciously invested a lion share of his ill-gotten profits in bribes aiming to suborn the US administration and turn it onto relentless pursuit of Russia. Ambassador McFaul fronted for him and covered his misdeeds; while McFaul tried to interfere in Russian electoral process following the precedent established in 1996. Thus at Helsinki, a pattern had been established, I was told by a witness. Putin would make a proposal, Trump would tentatively agree and promptly deny and repudiate on return to Washington. From the beginning to the end, the US media was highly hostile to Trump and to his mission in Europe. They eagerly followed anti-Trump demos and exaggerated his every blunder. Google obediently trailed at the top Twitter messages of the ex-CIA boss calling Trump a traitor. All prominent Western newspapers spoke of Trumps treason. Perhaps they would be able to convince some Republicans to follow their trend, but the defeat of Rep. Mark Sanford in South Carolina primaries following Trumps angry Twitter had brought them to their senses. A Republican leader stated the case well: Obviously there are going to be those who are going to criticise him but theyre going to criticise him for anything that he says. This committee stands strong, stands behind him and wants to support him. Were interested not only in the 2018 elections, were interested in the 2020 elections as well. The result of violent Trump-is-a-traitor campaign was surprising: 80% of Trump voters approved of his Helsinki shtick, notwithstanding the vehement accusations. American media had lost its silver touch. President may continue to build his power structure, and perhaps one day his word will be worth something. Bottom line: Trump dared, and survived. Israel Shamir can be reached at adam@israelshamir.net This article was first published at The Unz Review. The Gray Lady Thinks Twice About Assanges Prosecution Though The New York Times itself has not reported it, its No. 2 lawyer told a group of judges that the prosecution of Julian Assange could have dire consequences for the Times itself, explains Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern July 26, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Well, lordy be. A lawyer for The New York Times has figured out that prosecuting WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange might gore the ox of The Gray Lady herself. The Timess deputy general counsel, David McCraw, told a group of judges on the West Coast on Tuesday that such prosecution would be a gut punch to free speech, according to Maria Dinzeo, writing for the Courthouse News Service. Curiously, as of this writing, McCraws words have found no mention in the Times itself. In recent years, the newspaper has shown a marked proclivity to avoid printing anything that might risk its front row seat at the government trough. Stating the obvious, McCraw noted that the prosecution of him [Assange] would be a very, very bad precedent for publishers hes sort of in a classic publishers position and I think the law would have a very hard time drawing a distinction between The New York Times and WikiLeaks. Thats because, for one thing, the Times itself published many stories based on classified information revealed by WikiLeaks and other sources. The paper decisively turned against Assange once WikiLeaks published the DNC and Podesta emails. More broadly, no journalist in America since John Peter Zenger in Colonial days has been indicted or imprisoned for their work. Unless American prosecutors could prove that Assange personally took part in the theft of classified material or someones emails, rather than just receiving and publishing them, prosecuting him merely for his publications would be a first since the British Governor General of New York, William Cosby, imprisoned Zenger in 1734 for ten months for printing articles critical of Cosby. Zenger was acquitted by a jury because what he had printed was proven to be factuala claim WikiLeaks can also make. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter McCraw went on to emphasize that, Assange should be afforded the same protections as a traditional journalist. The Times lawyer avoided criticizing what the United Nations has branded twice the arbitrary detention of Assange and his incommunicado, solitary confinement-like situation in the Ecuador embassy in London since March. Multiple reports indicate the new government of Ecuador will evict Assange into the hands of British police. These days we need to be thankful for small favors. Its nice to know the Times now considers Assange a journalist, even though it did not spring to his defense when he was being widely branded a high-tech terrorist as can be seen here in my very last appearance on CNNs domestic broadcast almost eight years ago. Mike Pompeo, when he was CIA director, called WikiLeaks a non-state, hostile intelligence service, and Assanges lawyers believe there is already a sealed indictment against him in the state of Virginia. Assange fears that if he is arrested on flimsy bail skipping charges he will be extradited to the United States. Is the Fourth Estate Dead? Ten years ago I contended that The Gray Lady like the rest of the Fourth Estate was moribund. More recently, I have been saying it is dead. I now stand corrected. Rumors of its death have been exaggerated. But how does one characterize its current state? Let me borrow a memorable phrase from philosopher Billy Crystal, playing Miracle Max in The Princess Bride, while trying to bring the character Wesley back to life. He is just mostly dead, Chrystal insisted. And so it is with todays corporate media, with a tiny chance, now that The New York Times, watching out for its own equities, might help Assange avoid prosecution for practicing journalism. Actually, he has been accused so far of no crime of any kind. Eight years ago, when the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity gave Assange its annual award, the Fourth Estate was a bit more than just a distant memory. So we attempted to put his award in historical perspective. Below is the text of the citation presented to Assange, together with the traditional SAAI corner-brightener candlestick holder, by former UK Ambassador Craig Murray (himself an SAAI laureate) and Daniel Ellsberg. Sam Adams Associates Award Julian Assange It seems altogether fitting and proper that this years award be presented in London, where Edmund Burke coined the expression Fourth Estate. Comparing the function of the press to that of the three Houses then in Parliament, Burke said: but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sits a Fourth Estate more important far than they all. The year was 1787the year the U.S. Constitution was adopted. The First Amendment, approved four years later, aimed at ensuring that the press would be free of government interference. That was then. With the Fourth Estate now on life support, there is a high premium on the fledgling Fifth Estate, which uses the ether and is not susceptible of government or corporation control. Small wonder that governments with lots to hide feel very threatened. It has been said: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. WikiLeaks is helping make that possible by publishing documents that do not lie. Last spring, when we chose WikiLeaks and Julian Assange for this award, Julian said he would accept only on behalf or our sources, without which WikiLeaks contributions are of no significance. We do not know if Pvt. Bradley Manning gave WikiLeaks the gun-barrel video of July 12, 2007 called Collateral Murder. Whoever did provide that graphic footage, showing the brutality of the celebrated surge in Iraq, was certainly far more a patriot than the mainstream journalist embedded in that same Army unit. He suppressed what happened in Baghdad that day, dismissed it as simply one bad day in a surge that was filled with such days, and then had the temerity to lavish praise on the unit in a book he called The Good Soldiers. Julian is right to emphasize that the world is deeply indebted to patriotic truth-tellers like the sources who provided the gun-barrel footage and the many documents on Afghanistan and Iraq to WikiLeaks. We hope to have a chance to honor them in person in the future. Today we honor WikiLeaks, and one of its leaders, Julian Assange, for their ingenuity in creating a new highway by which important documentary evidence can make its way, quickly and confidentially, through the ether and into our in-boxes. Long live the Fifth Estate! Presented this 23rd day of October 2010 in London, England by admirers of the example set by former CIA analyst, Sam Adams Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He was an Army infantry/intelligence officer and then a CIA analyst for a total of 30 years. He is co-founder of Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence. This article was originally published by " Consortium News " - The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. To Trump: Hereby, I Respond to You as a Soldier Irans Major General Qassem Soleimani reacts to the recent threat by US President Donald Trump against the Islamic Republic. By Press TV July 26, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Irans Major General Qassem Soleimani has sharply reacted to the recent cabaret owner-style military threat by US President Donald Trump against the Islamic Republic, saying he takes the position to respond as a soldier since it is beneath the dignity of Irans president to do so. Addressing Trump, the commander of the Quds Force of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said, You threaten us with an action that is unprecedented in the world. This is cabaret-style rhetoric. Only a cabaret owner talks to the world this way. He was reacting to Trumps all-caps tweet addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in which he threatened the Islamic Republic with actions the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before. The tweet came after President Rouhani warned the US against its hostile approach against Iran, saying America should know that peace with Iran will be the mother of all peace while war with the country will be the mother of all wars. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter It is beneath the dignity of our president to respond to you. I, as a soldier, respond to you, Soleimani further said. You already did all you could! The senior general further reminded the United States of its failures in its invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. What was it that you could do over the past 20 years but you didnt? You came to Afghanistan with scores of tanks and personnel carriers and hundreds of advanced helicopters and committed crimes there. What the hell could you do between 2001 and 2018 with 110,000 troops? You are today begging Taliban for talks, Major General Soleimani said. The Iranian commander added, "Afghanistan was a poor country, what the hell could you do in this country that you are currently threatening us?" You arrogantly attacked Iraq with 160,000 troops and multiple times [military equipment] compared to what you used in Afghanistan, but what happened? Ask your then commander who was the person that he sent to me and asked Is is possible for you to give us time [and] use your influence so that our soldiers would not be attacked by the Iraqi fighters in these few months until we exit this country? Have you forgotten that you provided adult diapers for your soldiers in tanks? Despite that you are currently threatening the great country of Iran? With what background do you threaten [us]? "We are near you, where you can't even imagine. We are the nation of martyrdom, we are the nation of Imam Hossein, you better ask. Come; we are ready. We are the man of this arena. You know that this war would mean annihilation of all your means. You may begin the war, but it is us who will end it, he said. In Yemen, Soleimani said, the US-backed coalition of Saudi Arabia and its allies has been incapable of making any gains against the countrys Houthi Ansarullah movement, which is both running state affairs and defending the nation against the Riyadh-led aggression. A mere organization is standing against you in Yemen, but it has emerged victorious in the face of the most advanced of your military equipment. What have you achieved over the past four years? You stripped the Red Sea which used to be a safe sea of security. You brought under fire Saudi Arabia and [its capital] Riyadh which had not seen a single rocket fired at them for 100 years. The senior general further warned Trump against insulting the Iranian nation and president. Trump! You must not threaten our nation and must not insult our president You must know what you are talking about; ask your predecessors and take advantage of their experiences, General Soleimani emphasized. The senior military official also censured the US for supporting the most hated anti-Iran terror group, called the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), saying Washington failed to achieve anything by doing so. The commander of the IRGCs Quds Force said, America had some grandeur in the past [and] when its fleet moved out, a nation fell apart. Have you now become attached to the Monafeqeen, who have been thrown in the trash bin of Iran's history? You have become attached to a vagrant woman, and show her in all [your news] networks; is your hope pinned on this? Is this all your power? You are aware of our power in the region and capability for [launching] asymmetrical war? This article was originally published by " Press TV " - Senior Iran military chief tells Trump: 'We're ready to stand up against you': Quds commander suggests country may disrupt oil shipments through Red Sea The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. ====== Tucker Carlson Warns: Gulf Of Tonkin Incident Could Be Staged To Get U.S. Into War With Iran Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. If U.S. Television Showed Killing Gaza, Support for Israel Would Start to Shrink By James North July 26, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - If documentary films like Killing Gaza appeared regularly on American television, public opinion would start turning against Israel overnight. The film, just released by Dan Cohen and Max Blumenthal, is inspiring and sickening. It is being screened at special showings, but has not yet been released to theaters. Fortunately, you can download it here. Cohen and Blumenthal arrived in Gaza on August 15, 2014, during a brief ceasefire in Israels savage air and land assault on the besieged territory. Visitors to this site will recall Cohens powerful posts and photographs at the time, and in 2015 Blumenthal published an indispensable book,The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza. Killing Gaza is a strong addition to their previous work. In the background are scenes of mass destruction, like a Mediterranean version of Berlin in 1945. But the heart of the film are interviews with more than 30 individual Gazans, shown in all their humanity, who are given a chance to speak for themselves in ways that you will never encounter in the U.S. mainstream. The two reporters ranged across the open air prison territory, listening to witnesses and survivors at a half dozen different locations. Then Cohen was able to return several times over a two-year period, following up with the subjects, until Israel stopped him from coming. Some of the most excruciating footage is from early in the film. Joe Catron, the longtime American activist in Gaza, was an eyewitness, and he narrates how a group of human rights workers tried to use an Israeli ceasefire to look for survivors in the rubble of the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Israeli snipers broke the ceasefire, and you can actually watch as they murder 23-year-old Salem Shamaly, right in front of rescuers. Shamaly is wounded; he cries out for help; but its far too dangerous to risk more deaths. His body stayed out in the hot sun for 7 days before it was safe to recover him. You then see his family members, who are nearly speechless with pain over his murder. At the end of the film, you are not surprised to learn that Shamalys little brother, Wassin, who looks like hes 12 years old, promises to avenge his death. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Cohen and Blumenthal also filmed witnesses in Khuzaa, in southeastern Gaza. Hani Najjar show them the interior of his house, in which Israeli troops murdered 6 people, some (apparently) with knives. And you hear how Israeli soldiers cornered a 98-year-old man who was too frail to flee. They started cheering like they had caught their prey, he says, and then he demonstrates how the soldiers beat him. The apologists for Israel who claim that film of human rights abuses is manufactured in Pallywood studios should be forced to sit through this sequence. The two filmmakers were themselves eyewitnesses to Israels final aerial bombardment of the 2014 attack, on Gaza City. They report that the multi-story buildings we see being obliterated by American-made bunker buster bombs are middle-class housing developments, not military targets by any stretch of the imagination. A young man stands in front of the rubble of his former apartment home and says: There are many baffling things, like the worlds silence. Even the human rights groups are turning a blind eye. They call for animal rights, but there are no human rights. Killing Gaza is long 1 hour, 37 minutes because it has to be; it includes footage we will see nowhere else. When it ends, you wonder how anyone in Israel or among its supporters elsewhere could ever expect that the people of Gaza will stop fighting for their human rights. Donald Trump Could be Ready to Order a Strike Against Iran, Australian Government Figures Say Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The top-secret Pine Gap joint defence facility in the Northern Territory is considered crucial among the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence partners the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand for its role in directing American spy satellites. Analysts from the little-known spy agency Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation would also be expected to play a part. Canada would be unlikely to play a role in any military action in Iran, nor would the smallest Five Eyes security partner New Zealand, sources said. Any US-led strike on Iranian targets would be fraught for a region bristling with tensions. Israel would have reason to be anxious about retaliation, given Iran rejects Israel's right to exist. That said, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April invoked the so-called "Begin Doctrine" that calls on the Jewish state to ensure nations hostile to Israel be prevented from developing a nuclear weapons capability. "Israel will not allow regimes that seek our annihilation to acquire nuclear weapons," Mr Netanyahu said. An Australian Government source said when it came to Iran, Australia relied on intelligence sourced from its Five Eyes partners, not Israel. While some in the Turnbull Government firmly believe Mr Trump is prepared to use military force against Iran, others maintain it might be more bluster, given the consequence of conflict with Tehran might include unpredictable, dangerous responses in the Middle East. Earlier this week, Mr Trump fired off an all-caps tweet directed at the Iranian President, seemingly warning of war: He was responding to Mr Rouhani, who was quoted telling Iranian diplomats: "America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars. "Do not play with the lion's tail or else you will regret it," he said. Mr Trump has since adjusted his rhetoric, suggesting Washington is ready to go back to the negotiating table with Tehran for a new nuclear deal. "I withdrew the United States from the horrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal, and Iran is not the same country anymore," he told a convention in Kansas City. "We're ready to make a deal." Grappling with whether Mr Trump's Twitter missives should be believed has become a global quest and not just his tweets about Iran or North Korea. In response to the US President's all-caps tweet on Monday, a high-ranking Iranian army official told the ISNA news agency, a Tehran Government mouthpiece, that Mr Trump's threats were merely "psychological warfare". General Gholam Hossein Gheibparvar, the chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force, said Mr Trump "won't dare" take military action against Iran. It was an assessment echoed by Iranian MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, who told Associated Press he doubted the escalating rhetoric would lead to a military confrontation. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has emphasised diplomatic efforts to bring Iran to heel. "Australia is urging Iran to be a force for peace and stability in the region," she told ABC's AM program on Thursday. "The relationship between the United States and Iran is a matter for them. "What we are looking to do is to ensure that all parties embrace peaceful and stable principles to ensure that our region is safe." Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, when asked whether Mr Trump's threats against Iran should be believed, said: "Certainly President Trump has indicated that he's a person who's prepared to act in a way that previous presidents haven't. "And for that reason, one should always take anything that he says extremely seriously." US Secretary of Defence James Mattis reinforced America's hard line on Iran while speaking alongside Ms Bishop, Defence Minister Marise Payne and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo at the AUSMIN meeting in San Francisco mid-week. Mr Mattis said Iran had been a destabilising influence throughout the region. "The only reason that the murderer Assad is still in power [in Syria] the primary reason is because Iran has stuck by him, reinforced him, funded him," he said. "We see the same kind of malfeasance down in Yemen, where they're fomenting more violence down there. We've seen their disruptive capabilities demonstrated from Bahrain to the kingdom. "It cannot continue to show irresponsibility as some revolutionary organisation that is intent on exporting terrorism, exporting disruption across the region. So I think the President was making very clear that they're on the wrong track." The ABC understands AUSMIN discussed Iran, largely in the context of increasing sanctions on Tehran. "We're concerned about its ballistic missile program and we talked about ways of constructively engaging with Iran to prevent the development of that program," Ms Bishop told AM. "But more specifically, we talked about urging Iran to not support proxy groups, whether it's in Syria, Yemen or elsewhere." Mr Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal in May and now seeks complete, verifiable and total denuclearisation, rather than the roll-back and temporary freeze of Iran's nuclear program. The US plans on reinstating sanctions lifted by the Iran deal by November 4. This includes trade and investment by US firms with Iran and sanctions on Iranian oil exports. This article was originally published by "ABC " - The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Lovely Akwa Ibom first female pilot, and her co-pilot husband are serving ultimate couple goals online with recent photos of theirs. Captain Violet Aniema Medekong Enahoro, has taken to her social media pages to celebrate with her husband, Captain Mario Enahoro, on their 10 years wedding anniversary. The photos of the lovely couple have melted hearts online ever since its emergence. Asides looking super adorable, they both posed in their uniforms as they carried on with their work because to them, service is their little way of adding value to the lives of people they come across on the job everyday. Violet who shared the photo of them wrote, When youre doing gear up gear down for the boss and Benin wx wont let u be great but u smile anyway cos u happy. HWA to these two.. 10 years just like yesterday. Leave a Comment comments A Nigerian prince and his accomplice are accused of bamboozling hundreds of job seekers out of thousands of dollars by promising them high-paying gigs in New York. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office said Osmond Eweka, 31, a prince from the Royal Family of Ogiesoba Eweka of the Great Benin Kingdom and his friend Kamel McKay, 27, pretended to run two consulting firms in Manhattan telling clients that if they paid a fee they would be placed at various jobs across New York City. Prosecutors said some of the jobs Eweka and McKay promised their victims were for hotel housekeeping and front desk receptionists. The men used the popular job-seeking website Indeed.com to find their victims. Eweka, 31, appeared in a Manhattan court on Thursday where he pleaded guiltyto charges of larceny and scheme to defraud. Prosecutors said they would invite their victims to their office for an interview and then have them pay a fee, ranging between $300 and $700, the Post reports. But in reality, there was no such job, she said at Ewekas arraignment on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court. After collecting the money, the men would send the job seekers to different businesses, where they were turned away by employers who werent expecting them. The victims then found that they could no longer get in contact with the alleged fraudsters or the consulting firm. According to authorities, Eweka and McKay duped 250 people. . They ran the alleged scam from January to June 2018. Both men were indicted on charges of larceny and scheme to defraud. McKay was arraigned last week and released on $200,000 bail, theNew York Times reports. In 2016, Eweka married attorney Imade Igbinedion in an elaborate wedding ceremony in Nigeria. Boko Haram insurgents on Thursday evening stormed a base on the outskirts of Jakana, a village 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades. According the report, the insurgents before they left the village. sacked and burned down a police station. Babakura Kolo, a local militia while recounting the ordeal said the terrorists carried out the assault on the base for more than one hour before help finally came from Maiduguri. He said: They (Boko Haram) took control of the military base after overpowering soldiers and burned down the police station, Details of casualties are still sketchy but the bodies of two policemen and a civilian were recovered while nine residents were injured from stray bullets. Borno state police spokesman, Edet Okon said in a short statement. Yesterday at about 1742 hours, Boko Haram terrorists in about 30 vehicles launched (an) attack on Jakana, The police combat units were deployed for reinforcement. The insurgents were successfully repelled by security forces, Okon said without giving details on casualties. The Nigerian army as a result of the incidence, announced a redeployment of senior officers, naming a new commander to lead counter-insurgency operations against the jihadists. Senator Dino Melaye was reportedly kidnapped yesterday by unknown gunmen on his way to answer his case in court. The Kogi state senator was said to have been whisked away by unidentified men in a Toyota car as he was headed to Lokoja from Abuja. His colleague, senator Ben Murray Bruce broke the news of the abduction via his Twitter account on Thursday morning. Senator Melaye has now taken to social media to thank Nigerians for their prayers as he says he has now regained his freedom. The lawmaker recounted of how he spent 11 hours in the wilderness and how God spared his life. He wrote President Buhari has assured Nigerians of his administrations commitment to return the country to the path of peace and prosperity. He also said it was wrong to blame leaders alone for the present state of affairs in the country. The President, who spoke at the graduation ceremony of Senior Course 40 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, assured of his administrations efforts to take Nigeria to higher. May I assure you of this administrations effort to return our country on the path of peace and prosperity, he said. Buhari, who recalled his campaign promises during the last general elections, assured of his administrations commitment to return the country to the path of peace and prosperity. He said: I made three key promises to Nigerians. First is to address the various security challenges facing our country; second, to reposition our economy and third to fight the serious challenge of corruption, which had eaten so deep into the very fabric that sustain our nation. On the issue of security, we recognize that security challenges abound in all countries of the world, including Nigeria. I am certain, with the consistent efforts of our security agencies; these challenges shall be considerably mitigated and minimized. The President said the citizenry cannot be absolved of the blame as well in the nations woes. His words: The change we desire in Nigeria actually starts with us as individuals. In Nigeria, there is the tendency to lay the blame for the state of affairs in the country on the doorsteps of leaders alone. Yes, leaders have a major role to play in providing direction and the enabling environment. However, the citizens role also is vital in attaining meaningful transformation of any society. The President hailed the military for their sacrifice, saying: Over the years, the Nigerian Armed Forces have provided the appropriate response to the numerous security challenges facing our country. Their response to Boko Haram insurgency, militancy, kidnapping, activities of separatists and armed militias, amongst others, have been very commendable. The military has also committed huge resources towards stability of the West African sub-region and world peace in general. Our efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which stabilized the West African sub-region readily come to mind. More recently, our armed forces have also contributed to the peace in The Gambia, Mali and South Sudan. It, therefore, goes without saying that a force that is extensively committed to the maintenance of local, national, regional and world peace needs to be adequately prepared to confront security challenges as they emerge. Buhari said his administration will give attention to training in the military. His words: It is pretty obvious that our dear nation is having its fair share of security challenges. However, it is important to reiterate that capacity building remains the bedrock of combat ready, effective and efficient military. Incidentally, our tri-service training institutions, especially the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, have been playing critical roles in this regard. These institutions, as well as the single-service training institutions, must continue to be provided with the requisite support to enable them to discharge their obligations. To this end, the Federal Government will continue to give priority to the training and welfare of officers and men of our armed forces. This is not only because we salute their courage and sacrifice for the safety and stability of our country, but because the armed forces of Nigeria have continued to be the bastion of our unity. The President also said he was delighted to observe that amongst the graduating students are 11 international officers from various African countries. He, therefore, called for partnership among African countries to tackle security challenges facing the continent. Leave a Comment comments President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, assured Nigerians of his administrations commitment to return the country to the path of peace and prosperity. He also said it was wrong to blame leaders alone for the present state of affairs in the country. The President, who spoke at the graduation ceremony of Senior Course 40 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, assured of his administrations efforts to take Nigeria to higher. May I assure you of this administrations effort to return our country on the path of peace and prosperity, he said. Buhari, who recalled his campaign promises during the last general elections, assured of his administrations commitment to return the country to the path of peace and prosperity. He said: I made three key promises to Nigerians. First is to address the various security challenges facing our country; second, to reposition our economy and third to fight the serious challenge of corruption, which had eaten so deep into the very fabric that sustain our nation. On the issue of security, we recognise that security challenges abound in all countries of the world, including Nigeria. I am certain, with the consistent efforts of our security agencies; these challenges shall be considerably mitigated and minimized. The President said the citizenry cannot be absolved of the blame as well in the nations woes. His words: The change we desire in Nigeria actually starts with us as individuals. In Nigeria, there is the tendency to lay the blame for the state of affairs in the country on the doorsteps of leaders alone. Yes, leaders have a major role to play in providing direction and the enabling environment. However, the citizens role also is vital in attaining meaningful transformation of any society. The President hailed the military for their sacrifice, saying: Over the years, the Nigerian Armed Forces have provided the appropriate response to the numerous security challenges facing our country. Their response to Boko Haram insurgency, militancy, kidnapping, activities of separatists and armed militias, amongst others, have been very commendable. The military has also committed huge resources towards stability of the West African sub-region and world peace in general. Our efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which stabilized the West African sub-region readily come to mind. More recently, our armed forces have also contributed to the peace in The Gambia, Mali and South Sudan. It, therefore, goes without saying that a force that is extensively committed to the maintenance of local, national, regional and world peace needs to be adequately prepared to confront security challenges as they emerge. Buhari said his administration will give attention to training in the military. His words: It is pretty obvious that our dear nation is having its fair share of security challenges. However, it is important to reiterate that capacity building remains the bedrock of combat ready, effective and efficient military. Incidentally, our tri-service training institutions, especially the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, have been playing critical roles in this regard. These institutions, as well as the single-service training institutions, must continue to be provided with the requisite support to enable them to discharge their obligations. To this end, the Federal Government will continue to give priority to the training and welfare of officers and men of our armed forces. This is not only because we salute their courage and sacrifice for the safety and stability of our country, but because the armed forces of Nigeria have continued to be the bastion of our unity. The President also said he was delighted to observe that amongst the graduating students are 11 international officers from various African countries. He, therefore, called for partnership among African countries to tackle security challenges facing the continent. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bengaluru on Wednesday, July 25, apprehended a Nigerian national with 155.5 grams of cocaine which was being transported from Mumbai to the city. The accused identified as Ozy Chukwudu, 30, was intercepted by the NCB sleuths when he disembarked from a sleeper bus from Mumbai to Bengaluru. With specific information of cocaine smuggling, the NCB team was waiting for his arrival from Mumbai. Chukwudu, who did not have a passport and other documents, was carrying a polythene bag with 11 capsules which contained cocaine. The drug was brought to Mumbai by an unidentified man hiding it in his stomach and was later handed over to Chukwudu to be brought to Bengaluru. According to a press release by the NCB, Bengaluru, the value of the contraband is said to be around Rs 93 lakh in the international market. Based on examination, he was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, said Sunil Kumar Sinha, zonal director, NCB, Bengaluru. He was produced before the court yesterday, Thursday, July 26. Leave a Comment comments Punch The Presidency on Thursday said those who dumped theAll Progressives Congress were not against Buhari but some governors and the APC leaders in their respective states. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja. Vanguard The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, has been handed seven days to produce his secondary school certificate. The Nation The Nigerian Army and Police have repelled an attack by Boko-Haram insurgents who attempted to invade Jakana town in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno. Dozens of the insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the town at about 5.30 pm.Jakana is about 40km from Maiduguri, the Borno capital.Brig-Gen Bulama Biu, GOC 7 Div, Maiduguri, who confirmed the incident, said the attack was promptly repelled. ThisDay The Coordinator of the National Youths Mobilisation (NYM), Hassan Waziri Chinade, has said that the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakars presidency would help fix the huge socio-political and economic challenges currently enveloping the country, if elected in the 2019 presidential election. He stated this at a rally organised by the youth... The Sun Aggrieved aspirants of the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship election scheduled for September 22 in the state have called on the National Working Committee of the party to reconsider its stand on the appeal filed by Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, who they claimed, was the real winner of the Guardian The Nigeria Police Force has denied knowledge of the alleged kidnap of Dino Melaye. Daily Times The Nigeria Police on Thursday refuted online report that the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki who is yet to honour this weeks invitation to appearThe post Offa bank robbery: Saraki has case to answer, not exonerate Daily Trust The Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe), has explained why he led 42 of his colleagues to meet with President Muhammadu Tribune Nigerias former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, said the country is presently divided because people are deprived socially and economically. He, however, promised to support any Nigerian who would take the country to the Leadership Following reports of abduction of controversial Senator, Dino Melaye, the Nigerian Police has appeal for information on his whereabouts. The former ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing Kogi West district, was reported abducted by gunmen in Gwagwalada, a suburb of Abuja, but latest information say he ran into the bush to escape an attack. An Ilorin High Court has summoned the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to appear before it on Wednesday, August 1, 2018, to justify the continued detention of a personal assistant to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Lekan Alabi, who was arrested over the April 5, 2018, armed robbery in Offa. According to Nigerian Tribune, this is coming after the lead counsel to the suspect, Adelodun Ibrahim (SAN), condemned the failure of the police to release Chief of Staff to the Kwara State governor, Alhaji Yusuf Abdulwahab, another suspect in the same robbery incident, who has been granted bail by another high court in the state. Speaking with journalists after yesterdays proceedings, the senior advocate of Nigeria, who is leading other four lawyers, said that the refusal of the police to obey the court order on AbdulWahab was worrisome, adding that it portends grave dangers to the deepening of democracy and might lead to loss of confidence in the fairness of the police to handle such cases. Addressing the court on the matter of the personal assistant to the governor, the lead counsel said that the police was not represented at yesterdays proceedings, adding that they had been served all the processes related to the case. It is recalled that the case was brought to Ilorin following the refusal of a Federal High court in Abuja to hear it as the alleged crime was committed in Kwara State. He said that Alabi had been in detention for over two months (May 28, 2018) and had not been arraigned before any court of law, a development Adelodun argued is in contravention of the provisions of Order 4, Rules 3 and 4 of the Fundamental Rights enforcement procedure rules (2009) as well as Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 41 and 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Adelodun had while moving the application pointed out that the detention of the applicant for 60 days without trial is a prima facie case of a breach of his rights to liberty as enshrined in section 35 (7) of the constitution and pointed out that Section 122 of the Evidence Act empowers the court to take judicial notice of the time involved in the exchange of written addresses and affidavit by parties which can compound the suffering of the applicant. We are not asking the court to declare our client guilty or innocent at this stage but the police have no right to keep a suspect forever, he said. Meanwhile, Justice Adebayo Yusuf, while making his order at the court sitting, said that there was nothing in the constitution that allows the detention of a suspect without trial for a period beyond 24 hours where there is a court or 48 hours in an environment where there is no court. In a short ruling following the application by Adelodun for an interim bail for the suspect pending the determination of the substantive application, the court aligned with the position of the SAN but decided to allow the police another opportunity to defend its position. The position of the law is as stated by the learned silk, however Im inclined to hear from the respondent to come to court and show cause why the applicant should not be released from their custody, since they have been served the motion on notice, the judge said adding that it is clear that the police can not change the constitution. Nigerians have taken to social media to react to news that Senator Dino Melaye was reportedly kidnapped and now released. The senator took to Twitter this morning that he has been released after spending 11 hours in the wilderness. After news broke yesterday that he Kogi lawmaker was abducted on his way to court, mixed reactions trailed the news. Many people were of the opinion that the lawmaker staged his own kidnap. Well, now that he says he has been released, many have also said he was never kidnapped in the first place. I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!! Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) July 27, 2018 See reactions https://twitter.com/soc_obaro/status/1022785307312308224?s=19 Dino Melaye was 'kidnapped' and his brother called Ben Bruce instead of Police. Poorly scripted Political Movie Call it Pollywood. Wale Adetona (@iSlimfit) July 27, 2018 Drama king, Dino Melaye has announced his return on twitter barely 24 hours after claims he was abducted surfaced online. Will he be 'abducted' again on the next date he is expected to appear in court? We wait as the drama continue to unfold. Abubakar Sidiq Usman (@MrAbuSidiq) July 27, 2018 What if @dino_melaye have been sponsoring all the attacks on his constituency projects and masterminded his kidnap to evade appearance, all in the name of garnering public sympathy from some Nigerians? AdeDigba (@KarkundiLar) July 27, 2018 https://twitter.com/iameneji/status/1022799588347060225?s=19 From Police blocking Saraki. APC senators & HOR decamping to PDP. Kwankwaso drinking kunu with Buhari at night & broke his heart in the morning. Dino Melaye kidnapping & releasing himself. Shehu Sanni acting like double agent. Ortom to PDP. Nollywood will be jealous of Pollywood Zaddy Ajala (@UNCLE_AJALA) July 27, 2018 Baba we hail.. Jail breaker Michael Scofield Baba we greet pic.twitter.com/XitJuZnTrN Walex (@sagerasaq) July 27, 2018 THE SEARCH FOR PEACE AND CONTENTMENT Pride Magazine Nigeria (PNG) interviews Ijeoma Anyiam-Osigwe (IAO), the Co-Convener of the Pride Women Conference. In this interview she tells us the reason behind the conference and how she tries to maintain her own emotional well-being. PNG: What influenced you to set up the Pride Women Conference? IAO: The conference was set up to address issues that affect the mental and emotional health of women. It is a platform to address the various ways in which women have being impacted by the environment they live in. The platform seeks to help women learn how to deal with elements that impact their emotional and mental health. God made male and female in His likeness to live in love and enjoy the beauty of His creation. Why are women abused at home/work sexually, mentally and physically? Why are we denied our right to voice our opinions, to own properties, to have equal pay for the same effort put in? A good number of women live a life of fear, pain, sacrifice and marginalisation. All these have implications for their emotional, mental and physical well-being. The conference seeks to ensure that everyone is aware of these issues and begin to address them so that women can live all-round healthy and fulfilled lives. PNG: You are the Co-Convener of the conference. Who is your partner on this project? IAO: My husband Charles Anyiam-Osigwe. PNG: The motto of the Pride Women Conference is Emotional Well-Being Is Our Goal. What informed the choice of this motto? IAO: The motto captures in one short sentence the essence of the Pride women conference. PNG: You held the second edition in May 2018, how did the event go and how do you evaluate that the conference is meeting its objectives? IAO: The event went quite well. The attendance was good. The hall was full. The speakers were very good, they spoke from the heart and shared their experiences without holding back and connected with the audience. The theme of the second edition was Women: Work, Relationship and Marriage The Conversation Continues. The first edition was the beginning of the conversation; it was continued in the second edition and will expand in the third edition. I think it is too early to judge if we are meeting our objectives, but from the feedback received so far, the conference is like an eureka moment for women. They are glad that a platform now exists that is openly discussing matters they cope with silently. PNG: How do you choose your speakers for each conference? IAO: It is usually based on experiential knowledge with respect to the subject matter the speaker will address. We also consider a speakers professionalism when we are addressing issues that need both expert and experiential knowledge. PNG: The date for the 2019 conference has been set May 24, 2019 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos. Are the speakers for the event already chosen? IAO: No, the choice of speakers is currently a work in progress. We are painstaking when it comes to choosing speakers. Our speakers should be persons that can inspire, teach and help women overcome the issues/feelings weighing them down. PNG: The Pride Women Conference is targeted at women, but do you not think that given your stated objective, which is the emotional well-being of an individual, that men could also benefit? If so, shouldnt the conference be open to both men and women and not be gender specific? IAO: The conference is open to everyone both women and men. We had a few men in attendance at the last conference. On the 2019 conference website, we have Men Specially Invited boldly stated. So we are looking forward to a good number of men attending the 2019 conference. However, our main focus is women because women are more marginalised and discriminated against in our society. They are the ones who face the most abuse in the home, society and workplace. They are expected to multitask at home, work and even socially. This is why it is important to begin to address how they can find the right balance between work, home and relationships. PNG: What type of support does the conference receive in terms of finances and in-kind support? IAO: It has not been as much as we would wish. We hope that as we organise forthcoming editions, more people are aware of the conference, and there will be more support both financially and in-kind. PNG; How do you see the conference evolving over the next five years? IAO: I see the conference as one that will be at the forefront of promoting the emotional well-being of women. We hope that in the next five years, the conference will be widely known, and more importantly it plays a part in helping a lot of women to pay attention to what matters and take steps to improve their mental, physical and emotional well-being. PNG: What are the challenges of staging the conference? IAO: I will say generating publicity for the conference, so that the public knows it. We are trying to address this by getting more media partners on board. The other challenge is the required finance to stage the conference. PNG: Does your organisation have any strategic partnerships with other organisations and are you open to such partnerships? IAO: Presently we have some media partners. However, we are open to other kinds of partnerships that are beneficial to all parties. PNG: What can you say is your best reward that comes from convening the Pride Women Conference? IAO: I am very passionate about an individuals emotional well-being. I am proud to be part of this initiative that seeks to address the issues women have been going through behind closed doors and providing solutions to them. The fact that this can lead to women being liberated from emotional turmoil and lead happy and fulfilled live gives me great satisfaction. PNG: You and your husband are the conveners of the Pride Women Conference. Can you tell us how you maintain your own emotional well-being in marriage and life in general? IAO: It is a lifetime journey of open communication and expressing your feelings openly and candidly. Being naked with the truth a lot of the time. In a lot of cultures and settings, women are not able to speak out, express their true feelings and emotions. So trying to maintain any emotional wellness is a herculean task. However, I am able to express myself, to speak out when I am hurting or being hurt by someone. I am aware and open about my emotions and feelings I do not keep them bottled up inside. I also take the steps to address the issues that are affecting me emotionally. Ibrahim, the son of former Nigerian president, and his woman Saratu Sodangi, held their wedding reception yesterday night in Kaduna. The couple are both lawyers who are have made great strides towards an enviable career. There is no doubt their marriage will bring forth cute babies as well as brilliant ones. See beautiful photos of the bride and guests at the party; Ibrahim, the son of former Nigerian president, Late Umaru Musa Yaradua graduated from Brunel University London on Tuesday, 13th of July as he successfully obtained a degree in Law. Late Umaru Musa YarAdua was the 13th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. Two sisters operating as sex workers, Chinwe Chukwu, 28 and her younger sister Emmanuella Eze, 22, have been arrested for engaging in a public brawl over clients in a popular hotel in Lagos. The incident happened at the popular hotel located at Dr Fredrick Fashenu Avenue in Ago Okota, Lagos, where they operated as workers. It was gathered that the suspects were related and were from the same village from the eastern part of the country. It was learnt that the elder sister, Chinwe had travelled to their village and brought Emmanuella to the hotel and taught her how to operate as a worker. Over time, Emmanuella tried to build her own clientele and she started poaching Chinwes clients. That did not go down well with Chinwe who confronted her and asked her not to sleep with her clients. Emmanuella replied that any client was at liberty to make choices as she did not force them to come to her. That led to exchange of hot words and later degenerated into a public brawl which disrupted the business activities at the hotel. The matter was reported to the police at Ago Palace Division; they were arrested and detained at the police station. However, when the parties failed to maintain peace as advised by the police, they were charged before Isolo Magistrates court for conduct likely to cause breach of public peace. They pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor, Inspector Rita Momah, did not oppose their being granted bail. Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O.A. Adegite, granted them bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum. They were remanded in prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail condition. The matter was adjourned till 15th August, 2018. 24 hours after reports of his kidnap was reported by Nigerian Senator, Ben Murray Bruce, Nigerian lawmaker, Dino Melaye has surfaced saying, I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. However, Nigerians are not buying the kidnap story and social media is currently on fire with mixed reactions to his story. See some reactions below, After kidnapping and releasing yourself? You are one of Nigerias main problems and the God, that you use his name to support your continuous lies, will answer our prayers shortly. You are a man of no honour. A disgrace not only to Nigeria, but the black race in General. MrCommonSense78 (@MSense78) July 27, 2018 Dino didnt get the attention he thought he would get from the public.. Baba came out from the hideout when hungry catch am pic.twitter.com/S1R0VjQRrp Baba Lukaku (@Usmanashafe) July 27, 2018 Honorable distinguish senator, welcome back sir. Keep making big mockery of our judicial system and acting action film. We will rid ourselves of you very soon. Sheyb you no wan get sense ni pic.twitter.com/nR6U1QSu2R Olanrewaju (@larenx_real) July 27, 2018 If you really believe Senator Dino Melaye was kidnapped,then you are one of the problems of this country DAHIRU ISMAEEL (@THE_PanelBeater) July 27, 2018 A Wale Adenuga Production 2018 (c) This is Super Story!!! 11 HOURS IN THE WILDERNESS Actor: @dino_melaye Me; Was it spirits that came to rescue him from the wilderness?? Watin kanshan me? Baba D, do quick release your new song joor, thats all am interested in! Williams Oluwatoyin (@typanku) July 27, 2018 @dino_melaye is the reason why being young alone is no yardstick for having sense or being a good leader. This guy became a legislator in his 30s. Look at him now. Shame! Tosh (@toshyfiesta) July 27, 2018 Dino Melaye is the first high profile person to escape from KIDNAPPERS within 24hours in Nigeria even his laywer (Mike)could not pull out such stunt when he was kidnapped.Kwatinue The Guru (@KehindeElegbed1) July 27, 2018 Congratulations on your escape from kidnappers, @dino_melaye They can try but wont succeed. You will keep standing strong, and speaking for the masses. Dont mind the naysayers who say youre faking. Theyre haters. Do they think its easy to fake a kidnap? Smh. Emechetas Buchi, Mbakus Guy (@buchionyegbule) July 27, 2018 Congratulations on your escape from kidnappers, @dino_melaye They can try but wont succeed. You will keep standing strong, and speaking for the masses. Dont mind the naysayers who say youre faking. Theyre haters. Do they think its easy to fake a kidnap? Smh. Emechetas Buchi, Mbakus Guy (@buchionyegbule) July 27, 2018 FLASH: Senator Dino Melaye @dino_melaye not kidnapped, he spoke to relatives and some Senators assuring them hes hiding in the bush to avoid being charged to court and that he will reappear disheveled in coming days. pic.twitter.com/OswGH5m9ey Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) July 27, 2018 I spent 11 hours in the wilderness as God saved me from kidnappers @dino_melaye *I am lost for words. Seriously? Now I believe that so called siege on @bukolasarakis residence was part of a larger scam. This guys dont care if Nigeria burns. It is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/ikMMq6wJ1T Kayode Ogundamisi (@ogundamisi) July 27, 2018 What if @dino_melaye have been sponsoring all the attacks on his constituency projects and masterminded his kidnap to evade appearance, all in the name of garnering public sympathy from some Nigerians? Ayilara Adekunle (@KarkundiLar) July 27, 2018 Drama king, Dino Melaye has announced his return on twitter barely 24 hours after claims he was abducted surfaced online. Will he be abducted again on the next date he is expected to appear in court? We wait as the drama continue to unfold. Abubakar Sidiq Usman (@MrAbuSidiq) July 27, 2018 From Police blocking Saraki. APC senators & HOR decamping to PDP. Kwankwaso drinking kunu with Buhari at night & broke his heart in the morning. Dino Melaye kidnapping & releasing himself. Shehu Sanni acting like double agent. Ortom to PDP. Nollywood will be jealous of Pollywood AJALA (@UNCLE_AJALA) July 27, 2018 Dino Melayes escape from his kidnappers should be the fasted so far in the history of kidnappings in Nigeria VIP abductee Tunde Eneji (@iameneji) July 27, 2018 Thur, July 26: Dino Melaye kidnaps himself Fri, July 27: Dino Melaye releases himself. Are you not entertained? FAVOUR ONYEOZIRI (GCFR) (@Rouvafe) July 27, 2018 My uncle @dino_melaye is alive and well, I can finally sleep. The man singlehandedly fought dangerous kidnappers and freed himself. We experience miracles like this when elections are near. To God be the glory pic.twitter.com/AG13kONtX7 Adeola Fayehun (@AdeolaFayehun) July 27, 2018 Leave a Comment comments Nigerians have taken to social media to react to news that Senator Shehu Sani declared that he is still a member of the All Progressive Congress, APC. Mr Sani who is representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, on Thursday, while fielding questions from journalists at APC national secretariat in Abuja declared that he is still a member of the party. In his words: We are confident that the new leadership of the Party has the capacity the ability to address these injustices. In the words of Frantz Fanon, We revolt because we cannot breathe. So we revolted against the Party was run because it is suffocating us. Now we have a new surgeon who is doing everything possible to put it back on track. That is why we give him the benefit of doubt that the problem can be solved. On his Party membership status, Sen. Shehu Sani said: If I am here, I am an APC member. If I am not an APC member, you will not see me at the Partys National Secretariat. See reactions from very disappointed followers, who believed that the senator with all the criticisms he heaps daily on the party and president Buhari shouldnt still be in the party. Highly rated left winger Shehu Sani's transfer from APC to PDP has hit the rocks. It is rumored that the winger might have been offered a new mouth watering deal and guaranteed playing time. The winger had criticized club chairman GMB and fell out with his keeper El Ruffy. Jay King (@royaljosh) July 27, 2018 Sani has confirmed what History has been telling us since 1 dont trust anybody dat says he is fighting 4 human right or r Revolutionary,they r only interested in their own personal gain #Adams oshomole #festus keyamo/now # shehu Sani.He has even stoped twitting! #ENDSARS #20/10/20 (@comandant5) July 27, 2018 https://twitter.com/TeamTrumpAfrica/status/1022760187747356672?s=19 So Shehu Sani isn't defecting again because he's being settled? Nice, but APC must watch their back with him still in the party. He's ambitious & will stop at nothing to achieve just that including blackmail them. APC should've allow him to leave. MO tho. @Ade_Nurayn @OduObodumu The Oracle (@Clemsakin71) July 27, 2018 @ShehuSani Shehu Sani is the worst snitch you can ever deal with. I'll prefer dining with Judas Iscariot to handshake with Shehu Sani Precious Kanu (@preciouskanu1) July 27, 2018 https://twitter.com/SmithVinci/status/1022758995378032640?s=19 I told you people Shehu Sani was doing maths, before deciding where he will head to, its not clocking. The guy knows he is done, he is sticking around for a reconciliation, nobody has even deem him important enough so he is just waiting for APC to throw him a bone here. Pathetic Muawiyyah Muye (@MP_Muye) July 25, 2018 https://twitter.com/sidramatic1/status/1022532698483634176?s=19 VANCOUVER, British Columbia - July 27, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Canada Coal Inc. (the "Company" or "Canada Coal"), (TSX-V:CCK) announces that it has entered into an arm's-length non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") dated July 25th, 2018, in respect of a proposed business combination (the "Business Combination") that would result, if completed, in the takeover of Canada Coal by Geberi, Ltd. (hereinafter, "Medcolcanna"). The LOI provides that Canada Coal and Medcolcanna will negotiate in good faith and attempt to enter into a definitive agreement in respect of the Business Combination on or before September 15th, 2018. Completion of the Business Combination will be subject to a number of conditions including, but not limited to, completion of due diligence, execution of a definitive agreement, shareholder approval and receipt of all required regulatory approvals. In connection with the LOI, Canada Coal has agreed to provide Medcolcanna US$25,000 as payment to secure exclusivity rights to the Business Combination. The Business Combination will constitute a "reverse takeover" under Policy 5.2 of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). Additional information required by Section 2.3 of Policy 5.2 will be provided in a later news release. Pending completion of the Business Combination, it is expected that the shares of Canada Coal will remain halted for trading. About Medcolcanna S.A.S. Medcolcanna has a wholly owned Colombian subsidiary, Medcolcanna S.A.S. (the "Subsidiary"), which has operations in Colombia. Medcolcanna intends to combine scientific expertise, agricultural advantages in cost and quality, within a Latin American market place of approximately 620 million people. To this end, it intends to bring together international business expertise, agronomic knowledge and agricultural advantages in Columbia (namely, 12 hours of day light, no seasonal weather fluctuations, fertile soils and available low cost and experienced labor force). Medcolcanna has received three licenses, including cultivation of psychoactive (high THC) and non-psychoactive (THC < 1%) medical cannabis, as well as a license for the production, domestic distribution and international export of both THC and cannabidiol medical cannabis. Medcolcanna believes it will be well-positioned with 4 hectares of approved land upon which it plans to immediately start construction of facilities and greenhouses. The land is located close to Bogota, the capital city of Colombia. The Subsidiary is also currently negotiating option agreements for up to 120 hectares of additional land in order to provide optionality for the rapid expansion of the Subsidiary. Canada Coal and Medcolcanna further intend to conduct, and it is a condition of the Business Combination for Medcolcanna to close, a private placement of up to 14,000,000 units by way (the "Offering") of subscription receipts of Medcolcanna (the "Subscription Receipts"). Each unit ("Unit") is to be comprised of and convertible into one common share at a price of CAN$0.25 per Unit and one-half of one common share purchase warrant at a price of CAN$0.40 per Unit of the resulting issuer, following the completion of the Business Combination, to raise gross proceeds of approximately $3,500,000. The net proceeds from the Offering shall be used for the construction of facilities and greenhouses necessary for the production and processing of cannabis and general corporate purposes. Completion of the Business Combination will be subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including shareholder approval and the approval of the TSXV. In connection with the proposed Business Combination, the Company expects that it will meet an exemption from the "sponsorship" requirements of Policy 5.2. On behalf of the Board of Directors. "R. Bruce Duncan" President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: 1-604-685-6375 Website: www.canadacoal.com E-mail: info@canadacoal.com Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable, disinterested shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Canada Coal Inc. should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp June 27, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Through 2022, demand for precast concrete infrastructure construction products is expected to increase 4.4% annually to $2.4 billion. Growth will be fueled by: the need to repair the nation's aging network of bridges, highways, roads and railroad tracks increased adoption of precast concrete over less expensive site-poured concrete as more government officials recognize that the long-term cost savings provided by its durability outweigh short term considerations efforts by the federal government to increase spending on new infrastructure, particularly if the US Congress passes a significant new funding bill Overall gains will be restricted by transportation infrastructure funding concerns at the state and local levels due to budget constraints. These and other trends are presented in Precast Concrete Products in the US, 4th Edition, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm. Through 2022, demand for precast concrete bridge components is expected to increase 5.8% annually to $1.1 billion, the fastest pace of any infrastructure component. Demand growth will be driven by: the high number of US bridges currently rated as structurally deficient that will require significant maintenance and repairs increased usage of precast concrete bridge components because the lack of required curing time allows bridge repair and replacement jobs to be completed more quickly, minimizing disruptions for motorists and waterway traffic However, there will be applications for which site-poured concrete and steel will continue to be specified. Although steel components are susceptible to degradation and site-poured concrete can become damaged and cause structural deficiencies, some cash-strapped governments may opt to use these products because of the short-term cost savings they provide. Precast Concrete Products in the US, 4th Edition (published 7/2018, 175 pages) is available for $5200 from The Freedonia Group. For further details or to arrange an interview with the analyst, please contact Corinne Gangloff by phone 440.684.9600 or email crg@freedoniagroup.com. Related studies include: #3602 Siding Market in the US, 17th Edition (January 2018) #3572 Windows & Doors Market Forecasts (September 2017) About The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com - The Freedonia Group is a leading international industrial research company publishing more than 100 studies annually. Since 1985, we have provided research to customers ranging in size from global conglomerates to one-person consulting firms. More than 90% of the industrial companies in the Fortune 500 use Freedonia Group research to help with their strategic planning. Additional Construction & Building Products studies can be purchased at https://www.freedoniagroup.com, www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com. HomebuilderStocks.com - investing ideas in homebuilder stocks/real estate stocks and industry Like Homebuilder Stocks? View our Homebuilder Stocks Directory More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp CALGARY, Alberta - July 26, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Eguana Technologies (TSX.V:EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) is pleased to appoint Maximo Solar (Maximo) as a Master Distributor in Puerto Rico for the Evolve - Home Energy Storage System. Evolve systems are immediately available through Maximo with first installations scheduled in September. Maximo Solar is actively marketing the Evolve - Home Energy Storage System to both new and existing solar customers and converting customers from other energy storage systems with significantly longer lead times. In 2017, Puerto Ricans experienced power outages caused by hurricanes that left entire urban regions without electricity for weeks and rural dwellers with no power for months. Traditional standby generators, which assume the availability of a fuel source, are not a reliable power source beyond short duration power outages. These factors are driving the demand for solar plus storage systems, which act as a low-cost, perpetual backup power source while offering various advanced energy management controls, an appealing user interface, and an extended warranty. "Our customers demand top product solutions that are available today to serve their energy needs in the wake of the 2017 storms that took out the power grid in Puerto Rico," stated Maximo Torres, President of Maximo Solar. "Eguana's Evolve has been tested and endorsed by top companies. We are looking forward to delivering the Eguana's to our customers." "We've set out to establish strong partners throughout the Caribbean to open essential markets for Eguana energy storage systems," said Livio Filice, Director of Residential Sales, North America. "This is a significant step forward in the company's sales strategy and we are thrilled to be working with Maximo, a highly established and competent organization with deep roots in local markets." "It was important not to simply rush into the Puerto Rican market for promotional purposes and to understand how the market place would change as grid 2.0 was being developed in Puerto Rico, and how the people's energy needs would be served," added Justin Holland, Eguana CEO. "Maximo has demonstrated a long-standing commitment in the region to deliver solutions and we are looking forward to being part of the growing change with them." Maximo Solar is scheduled to become an Eguana-certified installer in September 2018, with initial installations commencing in the same time frame. A container shipment of Evolve systems will be delivered to Maximo Solar over the next 60 days. Evolve energy storage systems will continue to be deployed throughout the balance of this year. Evolve - Home Energy Storage Systems Evolve is a fully-integrated residential energy storage system that includes the company's proprietary power electronics system, LG Chem low-voltage battery modules, and a comprehensive user interface. The system is rated at 5KW AC output with a modular battery design based on a 6.5 kWh battery, which is scalable from 13 to 39kWh in storage capacity. The NEMA 3R wall-mounted package is suitable for indoor and outdoor installations. The package is backed by a 10-year standard warranty. The Evolve supports grid-connected solar self-consumption, time of use, and backup power. It is now available in the United States and in Caribbean markets, with certification standards matching UL1741, California's Rule 21, and Hawaii's Rule 14H. Interested parties may contact: Eguana Technologies Livio Filice Director of Residential Sales, North America Livio.Filice@EguanaTech.com +1.905.929.7522 About Maximo Solar Maximo Solar Industries is an innovative company that is passionate about helping customers achieve renewable energy and contribute to the present and future generations. We are vertically integrated from sales to service which work variations of grid tie, grid tie with backup and off grid configurations. We designed and manufactured our own battery cabinets and PV racking systems. About Eguana Technologies Inc. Based in Calgary, Alberta Canada, Eguana Technologies (TSX.V:EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) designs and manufactures high performance residential and commercial energy storage systems. Eguana has two decades of experience delivering grid edge power electronics for fuel cell, photovoltaic and battery applications, and delivers proven, durable, high quality solutions from its high capacity manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America. With thousands of its proprietary energy storage inverters deployed in the European and North American markets, Eguana is one of the leading suppliers of power controls for solar self-consumption, grid services and demand charge applications at the grid edge. To learn more, visit www.EguanaTech.com or follow us on Twitter @EguanaTech Company Inquiries Justin Holland CEO, Eguana Technologies Inc. +1.416.728.7635 Justin.Holland@EguanaTech.com Forward Looking Information The reader is advised that some of the information herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning assigned by National Instruments 51-102 and other relevant securities legislation. In particular, we include: statements pertaining to the value of our power controls to the energy storage market and statements concerning the use of proceeds and the Company's ability to obtain necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and involves a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or future events or developments, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date hereof. Readers are also directed to the Risk Factors section of the Company's most recent audited Financial Statements which may be found on its website or at sedar.com. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained herein to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp New York, NY and Delta, BC - July 27, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com (www.investorideas.com), a global news source covering leading sectors issues today's episode of its educational trading podcast featuring the founder of Stock Analyst Guru, LLC, Richard Lazarow. Episode Four Hear the podcast: http://www.investorideas.com/Audio/Podcasts/2018/072718-StocksGuru.mp3 InvestorIdeas & Stock Analyst Guru - Support and Resistance Trading Ep4 - Tech and Cannabis Stocks About the podcast: Investorideas.com exclusive podcast series with the founder of Stock Analyst Guru, Richard Lazarow. Richard has over 10 years of institutional equity experience as a stock analyst / portfolio manager and stock trader, managing stock positions at Hedge Funds and other Funds in NYC. In this weekly podcast series you will hear his insights on learning how to invest based on the most important aspects of investing, identifying Support & Resistance, and Trend. These top-down Market updates and sector close-ups are extremely useful in helping to keep investors more fully invested in stocks and in the correct sectors ONLY while the Market and a stocks Sector are healthy (i.e. going UP), and are just a small part of his valuable training. For the full educational experience you can check out www.stockanalystguru.com. Investor ideas reminds all listeners to read our disclaimers and disclosures on the Investorideas.com website and this podcast is not an endorsement to buy products or services or securities. Investors are reminded all investment involves risk and possible loss of investment. Stock Analyst Guru, LLC - Richard Lazarow To help you follow and track sectors Investorideas.com has created stock directories of publicly traded stocks for investors to use as a research tool to start trading and investing. Visit http://www.investorideas.com/membership/ to learn more about our stock directories in leading sectors About Investorideas.com - News that Inspires Big Ideas www.Investorideas.com is a meeting place for global investors, featuring news, stock directories, video, podcasts, company profiles, interviews and more in leading sectors. The Investorideas.com podcasts are also available on iTunes, Spotify, Tunein, Sticher, Spreaker.com, iHeart.com and Google Play Music. 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Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Additional info regarding BC Residents and global Investors: Effective September 15 2008 - all BC investors should review all OTC and Pink sheet listed companies for adherence in new disclosure filings and filing appropriate documents with Sedar. Read for more info: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=6894. Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp To learn more about the Investorideas.com podcast series or to sponsor a podcast: Contact Investorideas.com 800 665 0411 SALEM, Ore. Fallen Ashland Police Officer Malcus Williams received unanimous approval from the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training (BPSST) to join Oregon's Fallen Law Enforcement Memorial at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. On March 2, Officer Williams suffered a "major medical event" while on duty at the scene of a call. Officer Williams passed away after being rushed to the hospital. Officer Williams is survived by his wife, Ona, and three daughters, Savannah, Georgia and Brooklyn, as well as his sisters Cindy and Amy, who is also a member of the Ashland Police Department. Officer Williams started his career with the Ashland Police Department on December 9, 1996End of Watch March 2, 2018. In May, the state held their annual Memorial Ceremony in Salem, honoring every law enforcement officer who has fallen in the line of duty since the 1880s. At the time, Officer Williams was not honored. According to PSST, it is the custom of state and national memorials not to add names during the year of the incident to give family, coworkers and the community a chance to heal from the loss. Now Officer Williams is set to appear on the Law Enforcement Memorial and be honored in kind. "The State's fallen law enforcement officer memorial was created more than 20 years ago to honor and remember Oregonians who wear a badge and uniform, and take an oath to serve and protect, and sadly died in the line of duty. Officer Williams name will be etched into a granite wall along side 183 other city, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while helping others," said DPSST Director Eriks Gabliks. Officer Williams name will be added during the state's annual ceremony in May 2019. After a series of prominent failures, there's reason to be hopeful in the search for a drug to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Results of an early trial of an experimental drug showed that it improved cognition and reduced clinical signs of Alzheimer's in the brains of study participants, and experts are "cautiously optimistic" that the results will be duplicated in future clinical trials. The drug, an antibody called BAN2401, not only reduced the formulation of new beta amyloid clusters in the brain, it reduced existing clusters by 70% on average, American biotechnology company Biogen and Japanese drugmaker Eisai announced Wednesday. The buildup of beta amyloid in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. BAN2401 also provided a 26% to 30% benefit over a placebo in improving cognition in study subjects, researchers said. Details about the immunotherapy were presented at a news conference during the 2018 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Chicago. "These were people with very mild impairments, some confusion, forgetting someone's name on occasion," said Dr. Lynn Kramer, the chief clinical and medical officer for Eisai. "That's the goal: to stop Alzheimer's disease when it's in the mildest presentation." Reaction from experts was mixed. "I would not say shock and awe," said Dr. Julie Schneider, a professor of pathology at Rush Medical College. "It's encouraging to see some cognitive effect and slowing of disease progression, but I personally think there is a lot more work to be done." Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the nonprofit Alzheimer's Association, said that a combination of drugs "is the future, and there won't be a sliver bullet to defeat Alzheimer's, so being able to delay the progression of the disease for a couple years would be huge." Dr. Richard Isaacson, who directs the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that the research is "impressive on the surface, but we have to be cautiously optimistic. This data may be encouraging, but it's not possible to say for sure. I don't want us to be wrong again," as with previous trials that have failed. BAN2401 is administered intravenously and was being tested in five dosage strengths in 856 patients with either mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer's in a phase two trial, which assesses a medication's dosage. Hope that the drug would be a viable treatment had waned in December when participants failed to show significant improvement by the study's first goal of 12 months. However, Biogen recently said the highest dose of 10 milligrams per kilogram of a patient's body weight, given biweekly, showed statistically significant success at the study's 18-month completion. Kramer said Eisai and Biogen had reached out to regulators in the United States, Europe and Japan to discuss results and next steps. The company has said it hoped to obtain accelerated approval. "This was only a phase two trial, and it's not going to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration until results from the next larger trial are in," explained Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs at the Alzheimer's Association. "Accelerated approval just means you go to the front instead of the back of the line." For patients anxiously waiting for help, Fargo warned that it will be several years before the drug is available, assuming it's successful in the phase three trial, which will involve a larger group of patients. "You are not going to be able to go to the doctor and get this anytime soon," Fargo said. Safety and side effects Earlier safety trials showed that BAN2401 was well-tolerated at all levels, including much lower rates of a well-known side effect of anti-amyloid therapy: microbleeding and minor swelling in the brain called amyloid related imaging abnormalities, or ARIA-E. Kramer said that less than 10% of patients in any of the five treatment arms experienced ARIA, which can create headaches, confusion and visual disturbances that resolve once the drug is stopped. "Of the 48 cases of ARIA-E, only five were symptomatic," Kramer said, "and could only be identified with an MRI. Of those, only a couple showed any outward symptoms." Patients who carry an ApoE -4 gene, the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, are known to be more susceptible to ARIA-E problems. Due to safety concerns, Kramer said, a regulatory agency outside the United States asked the researchers to remove most patients with the gene from the beneficial high-dosage group that received twice-a-month injections. However, they left patients with ApoE -4 in the placebo arm of the study. According Isaacson, that may have created a major flaw in the research. "ApoE -4 patients decline quicker," he said. "So did the study look so good because they put all of the ApoE -4 people in the placebo arm, or did the study look good because lowering amlyoid improves cognitive function? That's the confusing part." Isaacson says clinical doctors who see patients with ARIA-E who are also ApoE -4-positive would recommend that they remain in a high-dosage group, because the side effects are often manageable. "Regulatory agencies need to get in the same room with researchers and agree on things so these confusing changes don't happen mid-study," he said. "In my opinion, there's no reason to do that." The amyloid hypothesis BAN2401 is one of many potential drugs using "the amyloid hypothesis," a belief that getting rid of beta amyloid should improve memory loss and other cognitive changes seen in Alzheimer's. Various drug manufacturers have targeted beta amyloid by trying to stop its formation, train the immune system to kill it or remove it from the bloodstream and brain. Results to date had been poor. In late 2016, Eli Lilly's solanezumab failed to surpass placebo benefits in a phase three trial of 2,100 patients. In 2013, Pfizer scrapped another antibody, bapineuzumab, when it didn't surpass placebo effects in another phase three trial. Experts suggest that the advanced stages of Alzheimer's among study participants in both trials might have contributed to the failures. Drug giant Merck used a different approach to fight beta amyloid in people with late-stage Alzheimer's with its BACE inhibitor verubecestat but admitted defeat in early 2017 after an independent study found that it had "virtually no chance" of working. A second attempt to treat earlier stages of Alzehimer's was also scrapped in February. Johnson & Johnson's BACE inhibitor atabecestat, designed to slow cognitive decline in people at risk for Alzheimer's, was also shelved in May when liver enzymes spiked in study participants. One possible reason for the success of BAN2401, Kramer said, is that the trial was among the first to use PET scans to verify that each study participant had definitive signs of beta amyloid in their brains. Older studies ultimately found that a number of patients tested did not actually have the clumps and plaques the drug was targeting, which might help explain failure rates. Biogen's other amyloid antibody, aducanumab, is also using the PET scan model in its trials. Aducanumab binds to a different type of amyloid protein in the brain than BAN2401. Biogen announced updated results from a 24-month trial on aducanumab on Sunday at the conference. The latest data showed a "beneficial effect" in cognition for patients with pre-Alzheimer's disease. It also showed a decrease in beta amyloid plaque levels in a subgroup of ApoE -4 gene carriers, the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, full results on the study aren't expected for another year or two. The results of both of these studies are intriguing, the Alzheimer's Association said. "This is the second trial to show reduction in amyloid and some improvement in cognition," Carrillo said. "The amyloid hypothesis remains an important therapeutic target to pursue in Alzheimer's disease." The last Alzheimer's drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration was in December 2014, and it was a combination of two existing drugs. Before that, a new medicine for Alzheimer's hadn't entered the market since 2003. Of the five drugs approved by the FDA to treat Alzheimer's, none slows its progression. MERLIN, Ore. -- Today Governor Kate Brown met with crews fighting the Garner Complex fire. As of 8 a.m. on July 26 it is 21,443 acres and 19 percent contained. Right now the Garner Complex is the number one priority fire in the nation. Governor Brown says all available resources are being sent to help crews battling the flames. "We are now in the midst of what we anticipate to be a very long and intense wildfire season," says Governor Kate Brown. The Garner Complex consists of four fires burning in Jackson and Josephine counties: -Taylor Creek: 13,114 acres -Grave Creek/Section 14/Ditch Creek: 7,259 -Pleasant Creek: 836 -Spencer Creek: 228 "All of our state agencies are leaning in. We'd ask that Oregonians do the exact same thing because it's going to be a tough and difficult fire season," says Governor Brown. Right now helicopters from the Oregon National Guard are being used to drop water and retardant on the fires. The Oregon State Fire Marshall also has hand crews and a team helping coordinate firefighters. Today Governor Brown said she is ready to ask for more assistance if the complex gets worse, "We'll certainly reach out should it get worse to our federal partners." 2,491 people are working on the fire. Today the U.S. Forest Service joined unified command with ODF and the Oregon State Fire Marshall's office. Part of the Taylor Creek fire is burning on U.S. Forest Service land. REDDING, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on California's devastating wildfires (all times local): 2:30 p.m. An Associated Press reporter has counted at least 125 homes destroyed by a deadly blaze in Northern California. Earlier Friday, fire officials said 65 structures had been destroyed by the fast-moving blaze in Shasta County. The AP reporter on Friday afternoon counted 66 burned homes in the Lake Redding Estates neighborhood and another 60 in nearby Lake Keswick Estates. The explosive wildfire in Northern California has killed two firefighters and officials say thousands have abandoned their homes in and around Redding. Authorities are warning that the blaze will probably burn deeper into urban areas before there is any hope of containing it. ___ 2:15 p.m. A fire official says winds fanning a deadly blaze in Northern California were so strong that trees were ripped from the ground, flew in the air and landed across the street. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Chad Carroll said Friday many of those trees landed on homes. He says that winds were so extreme Thursday that embers traveled up to a mile ahead of the flames. Carroll says the wildfire that started Monday and has killed two firefighters is mainly burning near the city of Redding, which has about 90,000 residents. But he says extreme winds are expected again Friday afternoon and says people in the area should be ready to evacuate. Mandatory evacuations were extended overnight to include the city of Shasta Lake, which has about 10,000 residents. ___ 1:20 p.m. Residents of a Redding, California, neighborhood where several homes were destroyed say they had to scramble to escape the blaze. Jim Chapin says he got home at around 7:30 p.m. Thursday and police were there telling people to evacuate the Lake Redding Estates neighborhood. Chapin says his wife left, but he stayed behind to hose down the roof, gutters and fallen leaves. He says that shortly afterward, the fire was burning trees behind neighbors' homes and ferocious winds whipped up branches, burning leaves, garbage-can lids, wood and other debris. Chapin says the streets were so jammed with traffic that there was no way for firefighters to come in. The 79-year-old returned to the neighborhood Friday and cried when he found his home still standing. ___ 12:10 p.m. The Redding, California, firefighter killed by a massive blaze in Northern California has been identified as Jeremy Stoke. The Redding firefighters union says Stoke was a fire inspector but released no other information. He was the second victim of the blaze that started Monday in Shasta County. Crews on Thursday found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path. Officials said the fire burned over the operator as he worked to try to contain the blaze. ___ 11:30 a.m. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott McLean says at least 37,000 people had to evacuate after a fatal blaze tore through Northern California communities. McLean says they are asking people to promptly heed evacuation orders. Fire officials say strong winds pushed the massive wildfire into the city of Redding on Thursday. Dennis Beck, chief of the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District, tells the Record Searchlight that firefighters are bracing for winds forecast for Friday afternoon that could blow the blaze into the city of Shasta Lake, north of Redding. Beck says the entire city remains under mandatory evacuation. He says easterly winds that could reach up to 8 miles per hour are expected by 4 p.m. Friday. ___ 11:15 a.m. Officials say the three firefighters injured while fighting a massive blaze burning in Northern California were treated for burns to their ears, face and hands. The Marin County Fire Department says its three firefighters were assigned to defend buildings when they were hit by a "sudden blast of heat." The department says all were treated at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California, and released and that one of them will be evaluated at UC Davis Burn Center in Sacramento. One firefighter and a bulldozer operator have been killed by the fire. Hospital spokesman Mike Mangas says five civilians were also treated for fire-related injuries. He says their injuries are not serious. He says six babies in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit where premature newborns receive care were evacuated to the UC Davis Children's Hospital out of precaution. ___ 11:00 a.m. Steve Hobson says he thought he'd stay behind to save his house as a Northern California wildfire raged but heat from the flames burned his skin and the smoke made it hard to breathe. The former urban and wildland firefighter from the city of Redding said Friday he felt the fire sucking the air from the around him, whipping up swirling embers in a "fire tornado." He says police pounded on doors telling everyone to leave and that he fled through walls of burning embers on both sides of the street. He returned to his home Friday morning and found the perimeter fence of his house burned along with a backyard shed. But he says his house made it through the night. ___ 10:38 a.m. A spokesman says the number of homes and structures threated by a Northern California wildfire has increased tenfold to 5,000 after the fire exploded overnight. CalFire spokesman Scott Kenney said Friday that the updated number reflects recent evacuations. Kenney says the fire is only 3 percent contained and could spread in any direction. Officials have put the destruction at 65 structures, though it is likely to jump much higher. Dozens of homes were destroyed in subdivisions along the Sacramento River. At least two dozen homes in Redding Lakes Estates were smoldering, though others escaped the flames unscathed. Aerial footage showed dozens of homes were also in ruins in Keswick Lake Estates to the north. ___ 10:00 a.m. An official says more than 5,000 people have been evacuated and that authorities expect a destructive blaze in Northern California to continue moving into urban areas. California Governor's Office of Emergency Services spokesman Kelly Huston says they are coordinating bringing in aircraft from the California National Guard to help fight the flames. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. Temperatures are forecast to reach 110 (43 Celsius) on Friday. Huston says officials are moving emergency supplies including cots and food to four shelters set up in Shasta County. He says the shelters are preparing for what could be a "longer-term" event. ___ 9:20 a.m. A hospital official says eight people with fire-related injuries have been treated at the Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California. Hospital spokesman Mike Mangas says three of the injured are firefighters hurt in a fatal blaze burning in Shasta County. He says none of the injuries are serious. Mangas says people are arriving at the hospital with respiratory problems. Mangas says six babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, were evacuated out of precaution. He says the hospital was preparing high-risk patients to be evacuated, but the hospital remains open and fully functional. ___ 8:25 a.m. Residents of Northern California communities impacted by a massive wildfire say they had minutes to evacuate after officials knocked on their doors in the middle of the night as the fire expanded rapidly. Sharon Stapleton tells the Record Searchlight newspaper that she and her husband grabbed a pillow, some shirts and pants, medicine, important documents and their two dogs and left in their sport utility vehicle and their motorhome. Stapleton says they left after a police officer knocked on their door Thursday, which was her 71st birthday. Stapleton says she celebrated while sitting on a folding chair on the grassy lawn outside a shopping center in Redding, Calif., making calls to find out if their rented home survived. She says some of her neighbors stayed put, hoping to ride out the firestorm. ___ 7:30 a.m. Fire officials say 65 structures have been destroyed by a fatal wildfire tearing through rural Northern California towns. That's up from a previous report of 15 destroyed. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says 500 other buildings are threatened by the massive blaze that has killed two firefighters. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. The blaze that began Monday grew overnight Thursday to 70 square miles (180 square kilometers). ___ 7:05 a.m. Officials say a firefighter has been killed by a massive Northern California wildfire, raising the death toll to 2. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday that a firefighter with the fire department in the city of Redding was killed fighting the blaze in Shasta County. The department says it is investigating the death. No other details were provided. The blaze on Thursday killed a bulldozer operator as he worked to try to contain the blaze. ___ 6:10 a.m. Hundreds of people who fled their homes because of a massive Northern California wildfire are crowding into shelters as the blaze brightens the sky with a red glow. Videos posted to social media show long lines of cars slowly moving on a highway near the city of Redding as the wildfire rages on the hills behind. Dozens of evacuees are going to Shasta College, where officials have set up a shelter. Another shelter has been set up at an elementary school. Mandatory evacuations were ordered overnight for the city of Shasta Lake, which has about 10,000 residents. People in the western part of Redding, which has about 92,000 residents, were also asked to evacuate. The blaze grew overnight to 70 square miles (180 square kilometers). ___ 5:40 a.m. More evacuations have been ordered as a devastating wildfire torches an area in and around the Northern California city of Redding. The blaze that broke out Monday exploded late Thursday and raced into small communities west of Redding before entering the city limits. Fire officials say dozens of homes have burned, though conditions make it impossible to determine an accurate count and the number could climb much higher. A bulldozer operator on the fire lines was killed and three firefighters suffered burns. Some civilians also have been injured. Mandatory evacuations were extended overnight to include the city of Shasta Lake, which has about 10,000 residents. Parts of Redding, which has about 92,000 residents and is the largest city in the region, also have been evacuated. ___ 1 a.m. An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, burning three firefighters, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee. Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River on Thursday and reaching Redding It's a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. Residents in the western part of Redding who hadn't been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange. Many firefighters turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. Farmers of the Klamath Basin gained a victory on Wednesday in the ongoing dispute over water levels in Upper Klamath Lake. Judge William Orrick, a federal district court judge for the Northern District of California, ruled against the Klamath Tribes, forcing them to move their suit to Oregon. The Klamath Tribes filed their lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in May, suing to keep water levels in Upper Klamath Lake higher than previously mandated. They argue that the Lost River and Shortnose suckerstwo species of endangered fish of traditional importance to the tribes that have struggled to rebound in recent yearsare negatively impacted by low water levels in the lake. Yet irrigators in the Klamath Basin, represented by the Klamath Water Users Association, have fought attempts to further regulate water levels, as they rely on water released from Upper Klamath Lake for irrigation of farmland. Although the case writ large is far from concluded, Judge Orrick decided on Wednesday that the Northern District of California was not the appropriate venue for the case. "Considering the facts and arguments presented, I conclude that venue should be in the District of Oregon. The Klamath Tribes headquarters is in Oregon, the sucker fish and their habitat in Upper Klamath Lake is in Oregon, FWS (which has jurisdiction over the sucker fish) is in Oregon, and the Bureaus actions giving rise to plaintiffs concerns about the sucker fish occurred in Oregon," Judge Orrick said in his ruling. Part of the Klamath Tribes' argument for trying the case in California related to a previous case presided over by Judge Orrick that broke in favor of the Yurok and Hoopa Valley tribes. Although similarly focused on water levels in Upper Klamath Lake, that case concerned Klamath River Coho salmon that travel the river's length, and was brought by two tribes based in California. "The court granted KWUA and the governments motions to change venue to Oregon which means that this case could be heard in an Oregon court," said a statement from the KWUA. "But yesterdays ruling makes clear that the Klamath Tribes would have to find different arguments in order to have a chance of obtaining the type of ruling they asked for." FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2016 file photo, Ed Westwick arrives at the People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles. Los Angeles prosecutors have declined to file charges against AuGossip GirlAu star Ed Westwick after an investigation into allegations the British actor raped three women in 2014. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form UPDATE: With the Taylor Creek Fire breaking away from the Garner Complex, the once 31,000-acre fire is now only burning nearly 9,000 acres. Before the split, records showed over 2,600 firefighters were battling the complex fire, which is now 65 percent contained. The Taylor Creek Fire is nearly 25,000 acres, and containment is not 20 percent. A new team of firefighters are on that fire trying to protect stuctures. The fires were started by lightning, and local crews said they have been difficult to contain. KEZI has obtained new video from the Garner Complex. The Garner Complex is moving toward the Rogue River and has forced evacuations in areas of Merlin and Grants Pass. Further evacuations were ordered Monday afternoon, but no structures have been lost. Smoke is still making the air unhealthy and hazardous in the area. __________________ GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Firefighters are worried the Garner Complex Fire will spread even more in southern Oregon. The fires are now burning more than 21,000 acres. The complex fire is only 19 percent contained. Crews are making sure the fire line stays secure as they defend homes threatened by the fires. Governor Kate Brown took a tour of the fires Thursday in Jackson and Josephine counties. EUGENE, Ore -- SNAP recipients will now have access to healthier food options. The Oregon Food Bank is helping farmers' markets match SNAP funds with Double Up Food Bucks. The program aims to increase low income shoppers' ability to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. SNAP customers can now get more fruits and vegetables when using the Oregon Trail Card SNAP dollars at participating farmers' markets. For example, if you spend 10 SNAP dollars at a participating farmers market, you get another $10 to buy more locally grown fruits and vegetables. There are more than 20 participating farmers' markets in western Oregon. Click here for a complete list. JANESVILLE, Iowa A Butler County man is charged with two Bremer County burglaries. Matthew Pies, 39 of Aplington, was arrested Thursday and accused of two counts of 3rd degree burglary, two counts of 3rd degree theft, 4th degree criminal mischief, and 3rd degree criminal mischief. Authorities say he burglarized Ag Vantage FS in Janesville on May 17 and June 20. The Bremer County Sheriffs Office says Pies is a suspect in other area burglaries and additional charges are expected. The Janesville Police Department was assisted in this investigation by the Sheriffs Office and the police in Waverly and Aplington. HARDIN COUNTY, Iowa A Dows man had to be airlifted after a crash early Friday morning in Hardin County. Robert Zietze, 48, was injured in a crash when his vehicle hit a Freightliner semi driven by 39-year-old Michael Hulme, of Grundy Center, after crossing the centerline on Highway 65 north of Hubbard, according to the Iowa State Patrol. The accident happened at 1:53 a.m. ST. PAUL, Minn. A Minnesota company is recalling tea bags because of possible allergy danger. The Minnesota Department of agriculture say the label on bags of TeaSource brand Roasted Chestnut Tea did not list tree nuts (almonds) as an ingredient. No illnesses have been connect to the tea but state officials says those sensitive to tree nuts should be aware they are part of the product. The Roseville-based manufacture says the mislabeled tea bags were produced and distributed through July 24 in 2-ounce, 4-ounce, and 1-pound bags. Anyone with questions about this voluntary recall may contact TeaSource at 1-877-768-7233. DECATUR COUNTY, Iowa A Minnesota man is dead after a two-vehicle collision near the Iowa/Missouri boarder. The Iowa State Patrol says Paul Charles Griebel, 62 of Savage, MN, was northbound on Interstate 35 about a mile from the boarder when his semi collided with the International 7000 series, six-wheel work truck driven by David Lee Nickell, 44 of Allerton, IA. The Patrol says the 7000 series truck had a directional arrow advising drivers to move over into the left lane of I-35 but Griebel did not. After striking the other vehicle, Griebels semi went into the east ditch and rolled. The State Patrol says Griebel was not wearing his seat belt and was killed in the crash. Nickells truck spun 180 degrees and wound up facing south in the left hand lane of northbound I-35. This crash happened around 11:30 am Thursday. CLIVE, Iowa (AP) State regulators have approved plans for a psychiatric hospital in a Des Moines suburb. The Iowa Health Facilities Council voted 5-0 Thursday for Mercy Medical Center's proposal to erect the 100-bed hospital in Clive. The Des Moines Register reports that some Clive residents had opposed the idea, raising concerns that the facility could pose a danger to their children. Three Clive residents filed written objections to the state council, compared with 13 letters of support. No one spoke in opposition at Thursday's council meeting. Mercy Medical plans to partner with a for-profit company, Universal Health Services. The new facility could open by June 2020. DES MOINES, Iowa A convicted North Iowa burglar and sex offender will have their cases heard by the Iowa Supreme Court. The Court says it will review the appeals of Sean David Gordon, 27 of Charles City, and Montez Javon Lamont Guise, 27 of Mason City. Gordon was charged in October 2016 and sentenced in March 2017 for 3rd degree sexual abuse. Authorities say Gordon sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in June 2016 when Gordon was 23 years old. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Anthony Schmitz Anthony Schmitz Michael Winters Michael Winters Guise was charged in January 2017 and sentenced in March that same year for 2nd degree burglary. Law enforcement says he forced his way into a Mason City home on New Years Eve 2016 and prevented two people inside the home from leaving. Montez was sentenced to 10 years in prison as well. No hearing dates have been assigned for either appeal. The Iowa Supreme Court is also announcing it will not hear appeals from Anthony Gerard Schmitz, 44 of Ionia, and Michael Jon Winters, 64 of Rockford. Schmitz was sentenced in July 2017 to 10 years in prison for child endangerment resulting in serious injury. Floyd County authorities say Schmitz was driving under the influence of drugs on December 20, 2016, when he crashed into another vehicle. Schmitz then-10-year-old daughter was seriously hurt in the collision. Winters was sentenced in March 2011 to 25 years behind bars for 2nd degree kidnapping. He was found guilty of abducting JuNetta Nelson in June 2010 and forcing her at gunpoint to drive her vehicle with Winters as a passenger. FOREST CITY, Iowa A woman is pleading not guilty to beating a child. Christine Marie Kleveland, 40 of Thompson, is charged with misdemeanor assault. She was arrested June 30 after witnesses said she hit a young girl across the face and called her insulting names. According to court documents, Kleveland admitted to hitting the child. The girl reportedly said the abuse had been going on for years. Klevelands trial is due to start on September 12 in Winnebago County District Court. MASON CITY, Iowa A former patient is suing a North Iowa doctor and accusing him unconsented touching. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Cerro Gordo County District Court by Terra Gaffney and seeks damages from Dr. Stephen Thorn, Mercy Medical Center North Iowa, the Mercy Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, and unnamed clinic employees. In her lawsuit, Gaffney alleges she was the subject of unconsented and not medically indicated physical touching during an October 4, 2017, prenatal appointment with Dr. Thorn at the Mercy clinic. Gaffney further claims that when Dr. Thorn left her a voicemail message on October 12, 2017, about some medical test results, Dr. Thorn and several unidentified females can be heard making disparaging remarks about Gaffneys mental health, past medical treatment, and the paternity and health of Gaffneys unborn child. Gaffneys lawsuit states she suffered physical and emotional distress from both the touching and the voicemail comments and is requesting a jury trial to resolve the matter. When contacted, Mercy Medical Center North Iowa stated it does not discuss pending litigation. Before working in Mason City, Dr. Thorn previously practiced medicine in Albert Lea, MN. * Premiums in India, Hong Kong, Japan unchanged* Physical demand in China remains weak By Rajendra Jadhav and Apeksha Nair MUMBAI/BENGALURU, July 27 (Reuters) - Gold demand in India improved this week as local prices traded near a six-month low, prompting jewellers to replenish inventory, while weaker rates in Singapore saw demand pick up further there. In the Indian market, gold futures were trading at around 29,740 rupees per 10 grams on Friday, after falling to 29,638 rupees last week, the lowest level since Jan. 19. "Jewellers sold their stocks at higher levels in the past two-three months. Now they are building inventory in a phased manner," said Daman Prakash Rathod, a director at MNC Bullion, a wholesaler in Chennai. Retail demand is still weak, but is likely to improve from mid-August as festivals are approaching, he said. Dealers in India were charging a premium of up to $1 an ounce over official domestic prices this week, unchanged from the last week. The domestic price includes a 10 percent import tax. "Some jewellers are still waiting for a bigger fall, but they will also start buying if prices fail to correct further in a week," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a private bank. In Singapore, premiums ticked up to range between 90 cents- $1.1 this week, from 80-90 cents last week as demand firmed on weaker local rates, a Singapore-based trader said. In top consumer China, however, premiums fell to $1-$2 range from $2-$4 last week amid a weaker local currency versus the dollar from an ongoing trade dispute with the United States. "Demand in China has remained relatively weak amid lower liquidity and lacklustre price performance in domestic terms," GFMS analyst Samson Li said. "With the increase of supply, it is not surprising that China's gold premia have been on the downside this year. After averaging $9.83 per ounce in 2017, the average Chinese premia fell to $7.11 in the first half of 2018, and falling further to just $3.57 in July," Li added. China's net gold imports via main conduit Hong Kong jumped 40.3 percent in June from the previous month to their highest since March 2017 as banks took advantage of arbitrage. Premiums in Hong Kong and Tokyo were unchanged from last week around 60 cents-$1.30 and 50 cents, respectively, traders and dealers said. Meanwhile, spot gold was down 1 percent for the week and headed for a third consecutive weekly decline. (Additional reporting by Karen Rodrigues in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair) outside U.S. +91 80 6749 6408/1298; Reuters Messaging: apeksha.nair.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Standard Chartered says gold may ease some more in the near term during a seasonal lull but then rise in September. Factors that could push gold down some more in the near term include a seasonally slow period for physical demand, bearish investment sentiment as reflected by recent interest in shorting SPDR Gold Shares, and an estimated 200 tonnes of ETF positions that are now in the red, meaning they could be liquidated, Standard says. Beyond the current weakness, we expect prices to recover as USD [U.S. dollar] strength fades (we expect EUR-USD to trade at $1.15 at end-2018) and strong seasonal demand materializes in India in September given the good monsoon forecast, Standard says. Further, gross short positions are at record highs, suggesting scope for short-covering activity. Also, Standard adds, the Relative Strength Index technical indicator shows that gold prices are oversold in the current environment. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Commerzbank: China's Gold Imports Pick Up In June Chinese gold imports have risen lately, perhaps helped by lower prices, reports Commerzbank. Analysts cite data from Hong Kongs Census and Statistics Department showing that Chinas net imports from Hong Kong totaled 80.9 tonnes last month, which was 40% more than in May and the most since March 2017. Switzerland also exported more gold to China in June, Commerzbank points out. It is possible that the low prices increased buying interest somewhat even though the depreciation of the Chinese renminbi prevented local gold prices from falling any further, the bank says. What is more, Chinese gold jewelers are likely to be stocking up ahead of the autumn season of high demand. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com RBC's Gero: Options Expiry, Strong Dollar Keep Gold Under Pressure An options expiration this week and U.S. dollar strength have left gold futures under pressure, says George Gero, managing director with RBC Wealth Management. As of 8:56 a.m. EDT, Comex August gold was $3.40 lower to $1,222.30 an ounce. As a result of the options expiry, some 1,200 new shorts were added to open interest, he explains. Traders are still not looking to gold as a safe haven, while September U.S. dollar index futures are holding recent gains to around 94.50, Gero reports. All this keeps gold on the defensive for now, and the large continued open interest in optionswith large puts below key $1,200 may continue volatility all through this quarter, he says. If we continue to hold this area, a rally could bring new buyers as well with short covering. (Kitco News) - Wall Street and Main Street alike are nearly evenly split on whether gold pricess have bottomed and will rise in the next week, based on the weekly Kitco News gold survey. Seventeen market professionals took part in the Wall Street survey. Seven respondents, or 41%, called for higher prices, while six, or 35%, said lower. Four respondents, or 25%, predicted a sideways market. Meanwhile, 617 voters responded in an online Main Street survey. A total of 261 respondents, or 42%, predicted that gold prices will be lower in a week. Another 252 voters, or 41%, said gold will rise, while 104, or 17%, see a sideways market. Wall Street Bullish Bearish Neutral VS Main Street Bullish Bearish Neutral For the trading week now winding down, 50% of Wall Street voters and 51% of Main Street respondents were bearish. As of 11:09 a.m. EDT, Comex December gold was down 0.6% for the week so far to $1,233.20 an ounce. Ken Morrison, editor of the newsletter Morrison on the Markets, looks for gold to attempt to reclaim the $1,240 area. Despite headwinds such as lingering U.S. dollar strength and expectations for more U.S. rate hikes, gold has held its ground above $1,200 an ounce so far, he pointed out. With sentiment near extreme bearishness and managed-money funds near or at a record net short, I expect December gold will manage to trade to $1,240 again within the week, Morrison concluded. George Gero, managing director with RBC Wealth Management, said if gold can hold nearby chart support until Aug. 1 when the rollover out of the August futures should be over, we could see a rally and shorts covering. Thus, he looks for a small up next week. Sean Lusk, director of commercial hedging Walsh Trading, looks for gold to bounce, with some buying starting to kick in ahead of the historically strong autumn season, as well as potential bargain hunting after golds recent weakness. He also pointed out that data this week shows that Chinese imports from Hong Kong rose sharply last month. I just think prices are too low, Lusk said. There are still worries in the markets. Things arent as rosy as they seem. A Kitco reader from Utah named Lynn is also bullish. Gold should head higher next week, because it has finished seven waves down, according to The Economic Time Equation, and [held] the Fibonacci level of $1,209 or close enough to it, which is a 50% retracement of the move from the bottom to the top of the previous bull run, Lynn said. Kevin Grady, president of Phoenix Futures and Options, remains bearish. Although we are seeing some ETF buying, I believe gold has not found its floor, Grady said. I believe a test of the $1,200 support level is imminent. Charlie Nedoss, senior market strategist with LaSalle Futures Group, said he looks for gold to test the lower end of its recent range while the U.S. dollar tests the upper end. Jim Wyckoff, senior technical analyst for Kitco, sees gold sideways to lower since the technical charts are still bearish. Richard Baker, editor of the Eureka Miner Report, sees gold weaker, citing golds recent fall being in lock step with the Chinese yuan. This tight relation between gold and the Chinese currency began with escalating U.S.-China trade tensions in late March; both gold and [the] yuan have plummeted in value since, Baker said. Today's yuan above 6.8 USD/CNY is statistically consistent with $1,213 gold bounded by $1,228 above and $1,197 below. A retest of $1,210 is now likely suggesting more pain may be on the way if the correlation holds. Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said he is neutral on gold next week, commenting that the market is directionless as it is stuck in a channel between $1,210 and $1,240. This is not the time of the year to make big decisions on direction, Hansen said. Traders are more concerned with getting their kids to the beach. Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management, also said he is neutral on gold in the near term. I am close to being outright bullish on gold, but I will remain a little more cautious because I dont know if there is one more washout in the marketplace, he said. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said on Friday that the negotiating teams for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are ready to kick off talks again after they stalled last month. NAFTA talks between the United States, Mexico and Canada had stalled since June when the United States imposed tariffs on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum. Both countries responded with levies on products including U.S. pork, ketchup and Kentucky bourbon. I think we have agreed on the process and the method on how to start solving from the less complex to the most complex issues and thats the way were approaching this, said Guajardo, who is in Washington for talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and President Donald Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. Mexico and the United States agreed on Thursday to step up talks on updating NAFTA in hopes of reaching an agreement on major issues by August, after Guajardo had what he described as constructive and very positive talks with Lighthizer and Kushner. Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto said in Mexico City on Friday that he hoped the accelerated talks would allow for a deal in August. Asked if Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will join the talks soon, Guajardo said: What I am expecting is that we have to engage with Canada, either two bilaterals, one trilateral, whatever we agree to. Freeland visited Mexico on Wednesday and she and Guajardo insisted that NAFTA remain a trilateral pact, in response to Trumps suggestion that he could seek a bilateral deal with Mexico. Guajardo was joined in Washington by Jesus Seade, whom Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has tipped as his lead trade negotiator. Mexicos government said in a statement that teams from both nations would continue to work over the coming days to prepare for an upcoming ministerial meeting. NAFTA talks seem to be entering another wave of optimism now that the Mexican election has been decided ... But we should not rush to pop the champagne just yet, Fernando Murillo, senior economist for Oxford Economics, said in a note to clients. NAFTA talks have gone through several painful waves of optimism and pessimism over the last year, and it is still unclear how the contentious issues, which include automotive rules of origin, five-year sunset provision, and dispute settlement process will be sorted out, he added. NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has dismissed five large banks from two antitrust lawsuits by investors alleging multi-year conspiracies to rig prices for hundreds of billions of dollars of transactions in the global silver and gold markets. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni threw out all claims over alleged silver price-fixing against Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Barclays Plc (BARC.L), BNP Paribas SA (BNPP.PA), Standard Chartered Plc (STAN.L) and UBS Group AG (UBSG.S). The Manhattan judge also dismissed UBS from the gold-fixing case. Her decisions issued on Wednesday night totaled 87 pages. Vincent Briganti, a lawyer for the silver investors, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Daniel Brockett, a lawyer for the gold investors, declined to comment. The cases are among several in Manhattan accusing big banks of manipulating financial markets at investors expense. Silver investors had accused Bank of Nova Scotia (ScotiaBank) (BNS.TO), Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) and HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) of fixing prices from 2007 to 2013. After settling with Deutsche Bank for $38 million in 2016, the investors obtained 350,000 pages of documents and 75 audio tapes, including chat messages, that they said offered smoking gun evidence that the five other banks broke the law despite not being part of the fix. One chat message came from a Paribas trader who wrote: CANT WAIT FOR ANOTHER DAY WHEN WE GET THE BULLDOZER OUT THE GARAGE ON GOLD OR SIL, THEY ARE MY FIRST PORT OF CALL HAHAHAHAHAH. But the judge found no overarching conspiracy among fixing and non-fixing banks. Though the [complaint] plausibly alleges that the fixing banks conspired to depress the Fix Price, it does not explain why the non-fixing banks, which are competitors and counterparties, would be in on the agreement, she wrote. Caproni also said that while the chat messages suggested a limited conspiracy to episodically manipulate silver prices, the investors lacked antitrust standing to pursue that claim. The gold investors claims covered 2004 to 2013, including alleged manipulation through twice-daily meetings among ScotiaBank, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Barclays and Societe Generale SA (SOGN.PA) to set the London Gold Market Fixing. Though UBS was not at those meetings, gold investors said it used its large trading position to move prices in tandem with those banks. Caproni disagreed, finding no plausible link. Deutsche Bank settled with gold investors for $60 million in 2016. Chris Gaffney, president of world markets at TIAA Bank, said Capronis reasoning should help the market because it gives investors more confidence in the pricing mechanism. Caproni scheduled an Aug. 24 status conference for both lawsuits.The cases are In re London Silver Fixing Ltd Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-md-02573; and In re Commodity Exchange Inc Gold Futures and Options Trading Litigation in the same court, No. 14-md-02548. South and North Korea have agreed to hold general-level military talks next week to discuss measures to enforce the military part of their April summit agreement, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday. The talks will take place at the Peace House, a South Korea-controlled building at the border truce village of Panmunjom, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Pyongyang first proposed the talks, which Seoul accepted later, the ministry said. Major Gen. Kim Do-gyun will lead South Korea's five-member delegation, while the North Korean side will be represented by Lt. Gen. An Ik-san. The two sides are expected to discuss measures to build confidence and seek arms control, such as disarming the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, and withdrawing troops and equipment from border guard posts. The agenda could also include the idea of a joint project to excavate the remains of troops in the DMZ, who were killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. Some observers said that the militaries could also discuss the summit agreement to turn the Northern Limit Line, a de facto sea border, into a peace zone to prevent accidental clashes in front-line waters, which have long been a flashpoint. The last such talks were held on June 14, for the first time in more than a decade, at Panmunjom. At the time, the two sides agreed to completely restore their military communication lines. After their April 27 summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued the Panmunjom Declaration that called for joint efforts to alleviate military tensions and "practically eliminate the danger of war." (Yonhap) An Hee-jung, former governor of South Chungcheong Province, enters the Seoul Western District Court for a hearing on rape charges filed by his former secretary, Friday, as women's rights activists chant "Send the offender to jail, and victim back to her life" behind him. / Yonhap By Lee Suh-yoon About 100 women came to the Seoul Western District Court, Friday, when a hearing was scheduled for one of the nation's most infamous #MeToo allegations against former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung. They showed up in droves to show their support for the victim, An's former secretary Kim Ji-eun, who earlier in March accused him of raping her four times between June 2017 and February 2018. Courtroom attendance has become a new form of #MeToo and #WithYou activism here. The women came to attend the trial as a show of solidarity with the victim, according to Kim Da-seul, an organizer of the event and a member of the Korea Women's Hot Line, a rights group that helps victims of sexual violence. Since only 40 could enter the courtroom, many waited outside. An official at the court confirmed 60 people signed up to be on the waiting list for any vacancies created during the court proceedings. The joint court attendances are organized online, through social media posts notifying potential participants of the time and place of ongoing #MeToo-related trials. Like in most web-organized events, most participants come as individuals. "This is my first time. I heard about this solidarity courtroom attendance through Instagram," said Kim, a 22-year-old university student attending An's trial. "I'm here because I believe perpetrators should be sent to jail, and the victims should be able to return to their normal lives." The participants said they grieved for the victim's situation sometimes on a personal level. "I was a victim of sexual harassment at work, and dating violence from my partner. So I spent most of my 20s at the police stations," said Lee, 32, who came to court to support Kim Ji-eun. "I know what it feels like to be labeled as some kind of seductress rather than a victim, as the media is currently doing in their portrayal of her." Direct attendance in the courtroom can also function as a form of citizen monitoring of #MeToo-related media reports, she said. "I think one of the reasons so many women showed up today is because of their frustration with one-sided media reports that take the perpetrator's side," Lee said. "When you witness the actual trial with your own eyes and ears, you can really see how some of these articles intentionally leave out important details to create a misleading story." Son Kyung-Yi, 49, a gender education specialist who also attended the trial, said court attendance can provide meaningful support for victims. "In my years of experience helping sexual violence victims, there was always greater attendance from the perpetrator's side at trial, which pressures both the victim and the presiding judge," Son said. "So just being there to psychologically support the victim and directly witness court proceedings can really help the victim." An has denied the rape allegations, saying the sexual relationship took place with the former secretary's consent. In response, Kim Ji-eun tearfully asserted in court that she never showed any signs of attraction for An. "The defendant's side labeled me with terms like secretary wife, trying to make the incident look like some sort of affair, but I have never felt any romantic attraction to the defendant," Kim said. The prosecution sought a four-year jail term for An. The final verdict will come out on August 14. Justice Party Chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi walks by after here paying respects to Rep. Roh Hoe-chan at the memorial altar set up at the National Assembly, Friday. About 3,000 people attended the funeral of Roh who committed suicide Monday amid an investigation into his alleged illicit political funds acceptance. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun By Lee Kyung-min About 3,000 people attended the funeral of Rep. Roh Hoe-chan, floor leader of the minor progressive Justice Party, Friday, remembering the impact the iconic figure of the progressive bloc had on the country's political history. The one-hour funeral for the laborer-turned-lawmaker began at 10 a.m. in the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, attended not only by fellow lawmakers and high-ranking public officials but also by ordinary citizens despite the sweltering heat. "The spirit you have enriched in politics will continue to shine in the history of the National Assembly and Korea," National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang said in a funeral address. "I cannot help but be in tears thinking about the pain and struggle you must have gone through in the lead up to the choice you made. While you stopped here, the values and visions you aspired to will continue to live on." Justice Party Charwoman Lee Jeong-mi said Roh dedicated himself to establishing a progressive political party all his life following countless ups and downs over the decades. "Losing Roh is not the simple loss of a politician. He may not be the most admirable politician in the history of Korean politics, but he is the only one we cannot live without," Lee said. Sim Sang-jung, who has been engaged in the labor movement with Roh for 30 years, broke into tears before reading her address. "We understood each other even when we were not speaking. Sim Sang-jung is here only because Roh Hoe-chan was there. The progressive party you cherished more than your life will become stronger. We will march on fearlessly." After Roh's death, the party has been flooded with membership applications as well as donations from citizens who want to follow Roh's commitment to the weak and underprivileged of society. Lee Chan-jin, CEO of Fortis, an online commercial platform operator, said he would register as a Justice Party member, Thursday. "I will pay a membership fee to a political party for the first time in my life. I have never endorsed any political party before," he said on Facebook. "That will not brush off my feelings of regret but I cannot do nothing." Lee asked the party to do its best not to disappoint him. "I might one day cancel paying for my party membership out of disappointment in party activities. I would ask that the party help me not to do that." The party said it would not disclose the exact number of membership applications and offers of donations, but said it was true the number hiked dozens of times. Roh committed suicide at an apartment complex in Seoul, Monday, amid an intensified investigation into allegations he received illicit political funds from a group led by an influential blogger nicknamed Druking, the central figure in the online opinion-rigging scandal. In a note, Roh admitted to receiving 40 million won ($37,000) but said there were no illicit favors sought or exchanged. E-Mart Inc., South Korea's largest discount chain operator, said Monday its beauty brand is set to open a store in Saudi Arabia next week as the retailer moves to expand its presence in the overseas market. In November, the Korean firm signed an agreement with the kingdom's major retail group Fawaz Alhokair to open the beauty store Scentence at the Al Nakheel Mall operated by the Saudi company, which averages 25,000 daily visitors. The 66-square-meter store will open to public in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh on Sunday. "Scentence is expected to post stable growth in the new market on the back of the Middle Eastern beauty market's raid expansion and the popularity of K-beauty," said Jung Kyung-ah, an E-Mart official in charge of the retailer's health and beauty business. Saudi Arabia's beauty market has been growing at an average of 15 percent every year, according to E-Mart. (Yonhap) It's hard to imagine the city of Los Angeles turning down nearly half a million dollars for worthwhile social service programs such as mental health counseling, leadership training and refugee assistance. Yet the City Council has been debating for six months whether to accept a $425,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to fund such services, amid concerns that the efforts will stigmatize and target Muslims. Mayor Eric Garcetti's Office of Public Safety was awarded the competitive grant by DHS's Countering Violent Extremism program last year. The mayor's office developed a reasonable plan to divvy up the money among local community groups to provide counseling, workshops and education to address the conditions that can lead to violence. The goal, the mayor's office said, is to provide social services that combat hate and bias in all forms, including white supremacy, bullying and Islamophobia along with Islamic extremism, without the involvement of law enforcement agencies. In ordinary times, these investments probably wouldn't be controversial. The grant, for example, would provide $45,000 to the Tiyya Foundation, an Orange County-based refugee and immigrant assistance group, to provide integration services. It would also provide $30,000 to the group Not in Our Town to help communities develop strategies to counter white supremacist activity. And $75,000 would go to the Cross Cultural Expressions Community Counseling Center, which provides culturally appropriate counseling and mental health treatment in a range of languages. But the council has yet to approve the grant. Civil liberties and Muslim-American groups are vehemently opposed, saying L.A. should not accept money from or partner with DHS in light of President Trump's policies and rhetoric targeting Muslims. The grant is part of a strategy adopted not by Trump, but by the Obama administration in 2011 to develop community-oriented approaches to prevent the recruitment and radicalization of potential terrorists. The theory, which has found some support from researchers around the world, is that families, friends, religious leaders and community members can help recognize the early signs of radicalization and intervene before a crime or violence is committed. But the Countering Violent Extremism program has been controversial from the beginning. At first, the program was narrowly focused on preventing radicalization and recruitment to jihadi violence, though it was later broadened to include violent groups of differing ideologies, including white supremacists and far-right extremists. Much of the early funding went to law enforcement agencies, sowing concerns that the program was conducting surveillance of Muslim-Americans under the veneer of community partnerships. Those concerns have only been heightened by President Trump's demonization of Muslims, from his retweeting of anti-Muslim videos to his bigoted campaign proposal to impose a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Last year his administration floated the idea of revamping the Countering Violent Extremism program to focus exclusively on Islamic extremism and leave out the right-wing groups. The DHS later rescinded a $400,000 grant that had been awarded to Life After Hate, a group that works to combat white supremacist and far-right violence an especially galling step after the deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. So, yes, there are reasons to be wary of the administration's intentions in awarding these funds. Nevertheless, Los Angeles shouldn't reject the grant out of hand not when the money presents an opportunity to do valuable community work. Despite our serious misgivings about this president, we have said that the city and the state should work with the Trump administration when it's mutually beneficial and doesn't reduce protections for human and civil rights or equality. With this grant, Los Angeles is presented with the opportunity to use federal dollars to address the root causes that can drive individuals to violence, including alienation, hopelessness and mental health problems. The need for social services in general often outstrips the supply, and few resources may be available for families or friends of those who are being pulled toward violent extremist groups. This community-based, proactive approach to preventing radicalization contrasts sharply with policies increasing favored by the Trump administration that promote a reactive, law enforcement approach. This won't be the last time city leaders grapple with whether to partner with the Trump administration. If Los Angeles can ensure the grant-funded programs broadly address the conditions that fuel terrorism and do it in a way that respects communities and protects civil rights as Garcetti's office says it's doing then there's no reason to turn down the money. The above editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Every day, Dirt Dog chef Val Duarte serves up steaming SoCal street food from a brick-and-mortar in University Park. The entire menu is inspired by L.A.'s diverse and food-rich communities, each with its own premium spin. Duarte said she draws inspiration for her dishes from her childhood, growing up in South L.A. "I think a lot of it has to do with growing up in a Mexican culture," she said. "A lot of flavors I was able to combine were just from grandma's old recipe to mom's new tricks to my own little feel." Dirt Dog chef Val Duarte holds Elote Dog (left) and House Dog (right). (Photo by Lori Galarreta/LAist) SoCal nostalgia appears to be a running theme at Dirt Dog. Classic '90s hip-hop bumps from the speakers. Board games are readily available. This shop reveres its roots and aims to treat diners to a just-like-home vibe, along with its hot dog concoctions. Heading to the kitchen, Chef Val proceeds to wed two Mexican favorites to create the dish known as the Elote Dog. Starting with a bacon-wrapped dog, she adds esquite, cotija, chili powder and a slab of lime -- all seated in a generously buttered lobster roll. To finish, she sprinkles on a generous helping of chopped cilantro and bacon bits. Everything here gets bacon bits. Bacon-wrapped dogs have a beloved connection to L.A. nightlife. Take a few steps out of the bar or stroll down Sunset after a Dodger game and it'll hit you -- the sweet smell of smoked pork sizzling on a sidewalk grill. But the roots of this SoCal fusion run long and deep. Bacon-wrapped dogs are believed to have originated in Hermosillo, a city in the Mexican state of Sonora. Esquite takes its origins from the Nahuatl word "izquitl," which means "toasted corn." (Incidentally, esquite is different from elote. The Elote Dog is topped with esquite.) The result of Chef Val's fancy griddle work is a succulent and savory dog that wastes no time reminding you where you are. Dogs and elotes like these are often served by and in communities of color. So, have diners raised any objections over the idea of street food going corporate? Duarte says no. "I feel like they definitely appreciate what we're trying to do for the community," she said. "[It's] similar to what you get on the street, but it's always gonna be different. That's one thing that we go off of... we always focus on being different." Editor's note: A version of this story was also on the radio. Listen to it here on KPCC's Take Two. You made it! Congrats, you read the entire story, you gorgeous human. This story was made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism costs $$$$$. And now that LAist is part of KPCC, we rely on that support. So if you aren't already, be one of us! Help us help you live your best life in Southern California. Donate now. New president for La Jolla Music Society Susan T. Danis becomes president and CEO of La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) as of Oct. 1, filling the vacancy created when Kristin Lancino, the previous president and artistic director, abruptly resigned in January, barely two years after coming on board. With the opening of The Conrad just around the corner, this is a very exciting time for our organization, said LJMS board chair Katherine Chapin. We are confident that Susan is the right person to build on our strong foundation and lead us into a dynamic future. Danis currently serves as general director and CEO of the Florida Grand Opera (FGO) in Miami, and brings more than 30 years of arts administration experience to her new position. I am truly honored to be a part of the opening of The Conrad, and to work with the new SummerFest music director, Inon Barnatan, Danis said in a statement. I will make it my mission to passionately preserve the highest artistic standards while imagining a new, bright future for LJMS. Reporter seeks Japanese relocated from Bird Rock in 1942 In the early 1900s, Bird Rock hosted a thriving Japanese community. Many sold flowers and strawberries by the side of the road grown on their tracts of land. This community was destroyed, literally overnight, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942. That order authorized the forced relocation and imprisonment of all Americans of Japanese ancestry, due to the U.S. fighting Japan in World War II. Although all prisoners were freed from their internment camps after the war, Bird Rocks original Japanese community never returned. Do you know anyone whose relatives were relocated or who may have been relocated as a small child? La Jolla Light seeks to interview anyone with memories of this regrettable time in U.S. history for an upcoming story. If you have any leads, please contact reporter Corey Levitan at (858) 875-5951 or clevitan@lajollalight.com La Jollans asked to nominate environmental heroes Nominations are being accepted for the Cox Conserves Heroes program, which honors environmental volunteers who create, preserve or enhance shared outdoor spaces in their local communities. (Their activity must be done on a volunteer basis and not be a part of paid employment.) The San Diego regional winner will receive $10,000 to donate to the environmental nonprofit of their choosing. The winner will also compete for an additional $50,000 in a national competition in October. La Jollans can nominate volunteers by filling out an online form at coxconservesheroes.com through July 31. Exhibit your photos in a museum! To celebrate its 35th anniversary on Aug. 2, the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) extends the same invitation it did to patrons attending its 1983 grand opening: Bring your own photo to pin on the bare walls. (The museum will provide the push-pins.) For guests who cant attend, the museum will print and display all photos shared on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #MakeMOPAHistory. The free party featuring a live DJ, hard kombucha by Boochcraft and local art vendors takes place 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2 at MOPA, 1649 El Prado in Balboa Park. No RSVP is necessary. For more information, visit mopa.org/event/push-pin-party or call (619) 238-7559. County property values top $543 billion Assessor Ernest Dronenburg, Jr. has certified the 2018 property assessment roll listing the value of all taxable property in San Diego County at $543.6 billion. This is an increase of 6.11 percent (or $31.3 billion) over the 2017 roll. The net assessed value after the deduction of property tax exemptions for homeowners, disabled veterans and charitable organizations is $521.8 billion. Based on Proposition 13s statutory 1-percent tax rate, this will produce approximately $5.21 billion in tax revenue to fund schools, law enforcement, parks and other public services. Dronenburg said: This is the fourth consecutive year the assessment roll has increased in excess of 5 percent thanks to the continued growth of the housing market and the economy as a whole. In addition to the strong real estate market, the assessed business property value increased by 5 percent, to just over $18.2 billion, setting a new record for San Diego County. The increases to the business roll are strong indicators that business owners are optimistic about the local economy and are making capital investments in property and equipment. While housing affordability is a challenge in the county, 83 percent of property and homeowners will only see a 2 percent increase in their assessed value due to the protections offered by Proposition 13. The 2018 assessment roll is from Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2017 and serves as an economic tool for budgeting used by city, county and state agencies. Scripps Research makes Ebola breakthrough Scripps Research scientists conducting the first comprehensive study of key immune system cells that kill Ebola infected cells have made a surprising Ebola breakthrough: While 96 percent of the Ebola survivors made cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that responded to a protein of Ebola virus called the nucleoprotein, only 38 percent of these survivors responded to either of the viruss two glycoproteins, which are presumed to be the main target for killer T cells. Our study of the immune response in Ebola survivors suggests that a vaccine targeting not only the glycoprotein but Ebolas nucleoprotein would likely be more effective than the current vaccines that only express the glycoprotein, said Michael B. Oldstone, MD, Scripps Research professor and senior author of a paper reporting the findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This important discovery will inform future studies of how the immune system targets the virus. Audit: City workers not effectively rewarded, punished A thorough analysis of the City of San Diegos Human Capital Management revealed that managers feel unable to discipline poor job performers or reward good ones. This was reported both by the managers and employees. When incentives and discipline are considered the top concerns by both management and employees, there is a problem, said Council member Scott Sherman, who blames burdensome restrictions from collective bargaining agreements. Sherman urged staff to correct these issues in the next round of collective bargaining and give management more flexibility to reward good employees and discipline bad ones. Pastor offering Sanka-tuary Tim Seery, pastor of the Congregational Church of La Jolla, invites La Jolla residents and visitors to meet him for a cup of coffee. The purpose of Coffee with a Pastor is to meet people where they are in their busy, complicated lives, Seery explained. Its a time to take a break from our news feeds and reflect on the important questions that reconnect us to our world and to each other. Seery, a recent arrival to La Jolla, is its youngest pastor ever. He raised eyebrows and steins last year by initiating a similar series called Beer with a Pastor. Pull up a chair and a latte with him, 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, July 27 at the Pinpoint Cafe, 7855 Ivanhoe Ave. Unions representing nearly 10,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort ended a months-long labor dispute by voting overwhelmingly Thursday in favor of a three-year contract that raises hourly wages by as much as 20% immediately and an additional 13% in January. The employees including candy makers, custodians, retail workers, attraction operators and others voted nearly 75% in favor of an offer that raises the minimum hourly rate of $11 to $13.25 immediately and to $15 starting in January, three years before Californias minimum wage is scheduled to reach that level. An increase to $15.50 an hour is slated for June 2020. Resort employees with higher salaries, such as truck drivers, would get more modest wage increases, with workers who earn $20 an hour receiving a raise of 60 cents an hour immediately and an additional 75 cents in January. Hourly pay would increase to $21.99 in June 2020. All workers will get a retroactive pay increase of either 3% or 50 cents an hour, whichever is greater, back to June 17, 2018. Advertisement The contract applies to workers in four unions at Disneyland, California Adventure Park and the nearby shopping district. A summary of Disneys offer says the contract will give workers more flexibility to take vacation in smaller increments and improve the procedure that allows part-time workers to get full-time positions. The deal also requires Disney to give specific reasons for terminating or suspending a worker and increases the minimum time between shifts from nine hours to 10. Disneyland Resort has long taken pride in providing an exceptional employee experience, and this agreement sets a new bar with minimum wages that are among the highest in the country. Our unprecedented offer shows our commitment and care for our cast members and is the largest increase in our history, said Josh DAmaro, president of Disneyland Resort. Our cast members are at the heart of making our guests dreams come true, and this meaningful pay increase reflects the valuable roles they play at the resort. Union bargaining committee member Artemis Bell said that its important for Disney, as the largest employer in Orange County, to recognize the struggles workers go through as the cost of living continues to rise in the area. Bell, a Disneyland night shift custodian, said, With this contract, we are one step closer to a better situation for thousands of employees who put so much energy and heart into their jobs. Union officials said Disney had offered a raise to $15 an hour several months ago, but the leadership of the labor group rejected the proposal because it included cuts to job perks and forced the unions to turn to arbitration to resolve future disputes. It is truly a historic day in Orange County, said Lucy Dunn, chief executive of the Orange County Business Council. OCBC commends Disney for its corporate leadership and continuing investment in its employees and the community. For Walt Disney Co., the contract approval resolves only one labor headache. The unions have collected enough signatures to place on the Nov. 6 ballot in Anaheim a measure that would require the Disneyland Resort and the other hospitality businesses that have accepted city subsidies to pay workers a minimum of $15 an hour starting Jan. 1, with salaries rising $1 an hour every Jan. 1 through 2022. Once the wage reaches $18 an hour, annual raises then would be tied to the cost of living. The ballot measure, if approved, would supersede any union contract, at least for the raises that the law would require each Jan. 1. In addition, the contract approved Thursday addresses the salaries of about a third of the 30,000 workers in the resort; the ballot measure would set a minimum hourly wage for all workers in the resort. Disney officials and other Anaheim business leaders have formed a coalition to defeat the measure, arguing that the mandated higher salaries will discourage future investment in the city and kill proposed projects, such as a luxury 700-room hotel near Disneyland. The unions have been pressuring Disneyland to increase salaries for months, starting in February when they commissioned a survey of 5,000 workers that found that 73% of Disneyland Resort employees questioned dont earn enough to pay for such expenses as rent, food and gas. Disney has rejected the study as biased and inaccurate. Even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders jumped into the fray, speaking at a rally for union workers in Anaheim in June. The former presidential candidate got Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 21 other Democratic lawmakers to sign a letter to Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger urging him to tap the companys hefty profit to pay his resort workers a living wage. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. UPDATES: July 27, 3:50 p.m.: This article was updated with the percentage of workers who voted in favor of the contract. July 26, 11:10 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Disneyland Resort President Josh DAmaro, a statement from a union representative as well as with additional detail about the voting process. This article was originally published at 10:25 p.m. Slack just gobbled up two competitors Atlassian Corp.s workplace messaging software programs Hipchat and Stride further cementing its dominance in a field where its strongest competition is Microsoft Teams. Slack will pay Atlassian an undisclosed amount over the next three years to acquire the intellectual property of Hipchat and Stride, the companies said. Atlassian agreed to discontinue the Hipchat and Stride services. Slack wouldnt comment on the deal or on whether it would be hiring workers from Hipchat and Stride. Advertisement Slack and Atlassian have worked very closely together for a long time, a Slack representative said. Our relationship has always been very good. I think for Atlassian, [the deal is] a strategic decision to focus on other software. As part of the deal, Atlassian made an equity investment in Slack, though the amount of that investment was not disclosed. Slack called it small, but symbolically important. San Francisco-based Slack said in May that its service is used by more than 500,000 organizations with over 8 million daily users, and that 3 million of those users have paid subscriptions. The start-up, which launched its service in 2014, was valued at more than $5 billion last fall. Stride will be completely discontinued in mid-February 2019, according to Slack. Hipchats services will start winding down then and be terminated by the end of June 2020. Hipchat and Stride users will have the option to migrate to Slack or go elsewhere. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield said he expects most of them to transition to Slack. Hipchat launched in 2010. In September, Atlassian started trying to move Hipchat users to Stride, a new product with more of the features that Slack and Microsoft have been adding to their chat services. Stride offers audio and video conferencing and project tracking. When not enough users showed up, Atlassian entertained the idea of a sale. Were very proud of what the team has built, Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes said. But at the same time, it is a crowded space, and theres a pragmatic option there. Were taking a big step in our partnership with @Atlassian to improve the experiences of hundreds of thousands of teams who use our products together. Were also officially welcoming Hipchat and Stride users to Slack - glad youre here! https://t.co/SpenERXrqa Slack (@SlackHQ) July 26, 2018 Atlassian, which has headquarters in San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, saw its stock leap 10.5% on Friday to $73.84 a share. The stock price has nearly doubled in the last year. Slacks purchase of Hipchat and Stride takes out some competition in the fight for messaging-app supremacy. Slacks biggest competitor is Microsoft, which introduced its Teams messaging service in 2016. Microsoft said in March that Teams serves about 200,000 organizations and is integrated with Microsofts Office 365 service. This month, Microsoft released a free version of Teams that is separate from Office 365 and echoes Slacks free offering. Bloomberg was used in compiling this report. ethan.millman@latimes.com Twitter: @MillmanEthan UPDATES: 2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with Atlassians stock movement. 11 a.m.: This article was updated with a comment from a Slack spokesperson. This article was originally published at 10:10 a.m. Every day, tens of thousands of people stream into Google offices wearing red or green name badges. They eat in Googles cafeterias, ride its commuter shuttles and work alongside its celebrated geeks. But they cant access all of the companys celebrated perks. They arent entitled to stock and cant enter certain offices. Many dont have health insurance. Before each weekly Google all-hands meeting, trays of hors doeuvres and sometimes kegs of beer are carted into an auditorium and satellite offices around the globe for employees, who wear white badges. Those without white badges are asked to return to their desks. Google parent Alphabet Inc. employs hordes of these red- and green-badged contract workers in addition to its full-fledged staff. These workers serve meals and clean offices. They write code, handle sales calls, recruit staff, screen YouTube videos, test self-driving cars and even manage entire teams a sea of skilled laborers who fuel the $800-billion company but reap few of the benefits and opportunities available to direct employees. Earlier this year, those contractors outnumbered direct employees for the first time in the companys 20-year history, according to a person who viewed the numbers on an internal company database. Its unclear whether that is still the case. Alphabet reported 89,058 direct employees at the end of the second quarter. The company declined to comment on the number of contract workers. Advertisement Other companies, such as Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. some of the most cash-rich public companies also rely on a steady influx of contractors. Investors watch employee headcount closely at these tech powerhouses, expecting that they keep posting impressive gains by maintaining skinnier workforces than older corporate titans. Hiring contractors keeps the official headcount low and frees up millions of dollars to retain superstars in fields such as artificial intelligence. The result is an invisible workforce. Many of these workers dont have a voice on the job. They dont necessarily get the benefits that many of us think about when working at a big, glitzy tech company, said Maria Noel Fernandez, campaign director for Silicon Valley Rising, a union-backed group based in San Jose that advocates on labor and housing issues. And theyre not really part of this wealth. Contractors are on the rise at Google as the company spreads into new markets, such as devices and corporate services, which demand a larger sales force. Conversations with more than 10 former contractors for Google and other Alphabet units paint a portrait of a permanent underclass. Google has a name for them: TVCs, or temps, vendors and contractors. They are employed by several outside agencies, including Adecco Group, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. and Randstad. Google declined to say how many agencies it uses. Many current and former contract workers and full employees declined to speak on the record because they didnt want to jeopardize their employment. Some direct employees took unusual steps this year to go to senior leadership with objections about the companys work with the military, its gender pay gap and its nagging issues with online harassment. Another issue Google employees are discussing bringing to management is the state of the contract workforce, according to four people familiar with the conversations. Yana Calou, an organizer with advocacy group Coworker.org who speaks with Google employees and contractors, said that both groups are concerned about the workers who arent full Google employees. They feel isolated, precarious and like second-class citizens, Calou said. Its a microcosm of whats happening in the economy as a whole. In an emailed statement, a Google spokeswoman said the company hires TVCs for two primary purposes. One is when it doesnt have a particular expertise in-house, such as shuttle bus drivers, quality assurance testers and doctors. Another is for filling temporary positions to cover for people on parental leave or handle spikes in work. Some contract workers viewed Google as a generous workplace that boosted their careers. Still, despite their ubiquity there, many felt peripheral. Several noted the subtle slights apparent from their arrival. The first thing people eye at work, one former TVC recalled, is the color of someones badge. TVCs arent trusted with tasks outside their limited purview. Four contractors described the sinking feeling of clocking in at 9 a.m. only to see full-timers trickle in an hour or two later. They said the same full-timers would leave the office around 3 p.m., often after a midday gym break. People look down on you even though youre doing the same work, said one contractor who spent two years at Google managing multiple other employees. Said another ex-TVC: Youre there, but youre not there. Number of temps has grown Googles initial flood of contractors came with its first moonshot. Dozens of temporary workers were hired more than a decade ago to photocopy dog-eared pages for the companys free digital library, Google Books. Like the company itself, the number of temporary workers has grown wildly. Like other firms, Google relies on outsourcing operations in Southeast Asia rows of office workers in India and other countries who label mapping data and handle other relatively simple computing work. But Google also hires highly educated contractors in its backyard. Some TVCs arrive with advanced technical degrees and years of experience, working on niche efforts such as renewable energy and sensor design. The line between TVCs and full-timers is clear. One 2016 employment contract from Zenith Talent Corp., a recruiting agency, states that TVCs will not be entitled to any compensation, options, stock, insurance or other rights or benefits accorded to employees of Google. The terms hold even if a court later determines the worker was legally a Google employee. Zenith did not respond to requests for comment. Another clause hints at the type of work Google contracts out. The TVC agreement includes a release for any adult content contractors may encounter at work. In signing, contractors relieve Google of any liability related to the material. In 2017, the company pledged to hire up to 10,000 content moderators in 2018 after mounting criticism of offensive videos on YouTube. Some of these moderators are full-fledged staff, but Google declined to say how many or provide an update. Several former contractors noted that Google does offer benefits for contractors that other large companies dont. TVCs can eat at cafeterias for free and use some company facilities, like its bowling alleys and gyms. For many, a TVC position offers a foothold for a permanent role at Google or elsewhere. Some highlights, however, come with an asterisk. To ride Google shuttles, which ferry staffers to campus for free, TVCs must pay. In an emailed statement, a Google spokeswoman said that the company charges TVCs less than $2 per ride and that if it provided TVCs with free shuttle service, that would be considered a taxable benefit. Several former TVCs said they did not receive pay for sick days. The largest burden for many contractors is healthcare. All the contractors Bloomberg News spoke with said the contracting agencies, which are responsible for health insurance, offered either inadequate plans or none. One former TVC, who worked for Adecco, said he paid roughly $600 out of pocket per month for coverage to treat diabetes. Adeccos only around for [human resources] and crappy benefits, this person said. Google referred inquiries about benefits for contractor employees to the companies that directly employ them, but said its company culture requires that everyone is treated with care and respect. Adecco spokeswoman Mary Beth Waddill said that the contractor does not disclose the terms of its contracts with clients but that we take great pride in being an industry leader who continually works to create meaningful career opportunities for all of our employees. Some TVCs are paid well. Contract software designers and other specialists were offered as much as $150 an hour before taxes, above rival giants, according to two people familiar with the plans. Vendors doing less technical work made less; one 2017 hiring contract in Europe listed an annual salary of about $33,000. Googles subcontracted janitors, who today number around 400, have been unionized since the year 2000. According to the Service Employees International Union, which represents them, they earn around $26.39 in total hourly compensation, including the cost of benefits as well as their income. In Googles home county of Santa Clara, a family of four with an income of as much as $94,450 a year is considered by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to be low income; total annual compensation for a full-time Google janitor including benefits is a bit over half that amount. Google distances itself from responsibility if contractors encounter problems. In both hiring contracts Bloomberg News viewed, the hiring agency is responsible for handling pay, benefits and any grievances that contracted employees may have. However, Google asserts authority on key legal matters. Contractors must agree to assist Google in securing the companys intellectual property, and if Google cant get the workers signature, the search giant becomes the workers de facto attorney. Contractors waive their rights to participate in class-action lawsuits against Google. One person recently worked at Indian outsourcer HCL Technologies Ltd. fielding customer calls for Googles ads business. In multiple emails and complaints to HCL, the person described repeated verbal harassment from colleagues including anti-Muslim and anti-Arab taunts. When no action was taken, the person sent emails to a Google manager and Chief Executive Sundar Pichai. The vendor received no response. HCL investigated the claims and found no cause for action, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg News. The person asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from his current job. Google did not provide comment on that episode, but a spokeswoman said that TVCs have access to Googles complaint channel, and that it reviews those it receives and investigates when appropriate. HCL did not respond to requests for comment. We have allowed businesses to really sever their responsibility for more and more [of] the people who create value, said David Weil, dean of the Heller School at Brandeis University and a former Labor Department official under President Obama. Weve allowed them to have their cake and eat it too. Contractors are easier to hire and fire Over the years, Googles influx of contractors has changed with investment priorities. Google Fiber, its broadband unit, was once a major contractor hub, but it has scaled back operations. Other parts of the company that lean on contract work are ramping up. Googles device sales and cloud-computing units both use call-center support staff to handle customer issues. Artificial intelligence projects may do so as well. Duplex, Googles eerily human-sounding calling service, which debuts this summer, will turn to phone operators when the AI cant carry on the conversation. Some of those operators will be contracted out, executives said recently. Under Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat, Alphabet has tightened its once-freewheeling spending. Yet the company hasnt stopped its appetite for expensive engineers, who can easily fetch $1 million a year or more. That decision necessitates more contractors. Every company division must petition for a budget and staff headcount. Talented engineers are pricey and take bites out of the budget. To compensate, managers then will fill out staff with TVCs, according to Jose Benitez Cong, a former Google hiring manager who runs the human resources firm Plause. Companies are scaling faster than ever, he said. A company like Google may want to rely on contractors to maintain such growth. Contractors can offer a potential regulatory break too. Seattle recently weighed a tax based on the staff headcount companies have, a way to reap more from local giant Amazon. Officials in Googles hometown have voiced support. A spokeswoman for Google declined to comment. Googles lengthy hiring process is also a factor, Benitez Cong said. Google employees can take several months to recruit, whereas the company can tap TVCs within weeks or days. They also can be dismissed just as quickly. One contract worker, who spent two years at Google, said TVCs devoted much of their day to tagging their work a way to document what the worker had done for managers so it could be passed seamlessly to others, or replaced with automation. I felt the clock ticking, the person said. Thats a stressful experience. Another recalled being sent from San Francisco to New York City, along with direct employees, for a marketing project. Before the assignment wrapped, the contractor got an unexpected email from his hiring agency asking him to turn in his laptop the next day. His stint at Google was up. People would just disappear, the ex-contractor said. That day he returned to his hotel, which Google covered, without an exit interview. He remembered the email: Thanks for the good work. Last year, a trio of Adecco employees who worked for Googles food-delivery service filed two lawsuits in a Los Angeles County court against both companies. The contractors allege Adecco withheld wages and did not provide meals and rest periods required under California law. Through their lawyer, Paul Tashnizi, the employees declined to be interviewed. Some of the claims have been forced into arbitration, and others are on hold in the meantime. Adecco is a favorite contractor for the tech giant. The Swiss temp agency, which posted about $27 billion in revenue in 2017, secures staff for Googles maps, cloud and apps units, as well as for Waymo, Alphabets autonomous car unit. For multiple former Adecco hires, however, the company was virtually absent. Several people recalled seeing its staff when they joined Google and again when they left. According to two former Google managers, Adecco takes roughly 20% of the pay of Googles contracted employees. Adecco did not answer questions about those claims, but spokeswoman Waddill said that we continuously listen to our employees needs and work to provide them an outstanding experience, including when it comes to the companys unique benefits packages. In recent years, Google has brought some contract positions in-house. Following criticism, in 2014 it announced that some security guards would become direct staffers. Most contractors do not work longer than two-year stints, according to multiple contract workers, but some serve multiple terms in the hope of becoming direct employees. Google did not provide data on how many achieve that. For many white-collar TVCs, the second-class status at the first-rate tech behemoth pays off. TVCs are asked to list their status as contractors on LinkedIn accounts but they can still mention Google. Chris Szymczak, a former TVC who worked on marketing for Google from Poland, said multiple full-time coworkers served as references for future work. They were just immensely supportive even past our work relationship, he said. The gig was a real springboard for me. That ladder is not available for everyone. One former TVC recalls an uncomfortable lesson: A new executive came to the division, sat down with each staffer and asked about his or her five-year plan, a standard managerial tactic. The next day, the manager returned sheepishly, explaining that he didnt realize his report was a contractor rather than full-time staff. He asked the person to forget their conversation entirely. Bergen and Eidelson write for Bloomberg. Movie recommendations from critics Justin Chang and Kenneth Turan. Ant-Man and the Wasp A bright, cheery distraction from darker, heavier Marvel Studios outings, this Peyton Reed-directed sequel to 2015s Ant-Man reunites Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly in a superhero caper of deliberately low stakes and enormous charm. (Justin Chang) PG-13 The Cakemaker A provocative, unexpected and very moving German-Israeli coproduction that is as unusual a love story as you are likely to find. (Kenneth Turan) NR Eighth Grade Starring a superb Elsie Fisher as a girl about to graduate from the eighth grade, writer-director Bo Burnhams debut feature paints a beautifully, painfully honest portrait of adolescent girlhood. (Justin Chang) R Advertisement Hereditary Anchored by a bravura performance from Toni Collette, writer-director Ari Asters devastating, implacably terrifying film depicts an American family coming apart after tragedy. (Justin Chang) R Incredibles 2 There is good news in the world tonight: Writer-director Brad Bird has brought everyones favorite superhero family back to the big screen, and we are all better off for it. (Kenneth Turan) PG Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Led by a vivacious star turn from Lily James, Ol Parkers sequel to Mamma Mia! is a thoroughly unexpected delight, an ABBA jukebox musical that improves on its dreadful 2008 predecessor in every respect. (Justin Chang) PG-13 Puzzle Kelly Macdonald, one of the best actors out there and a perennial costar (Trainspotting, No Country For Old Men), steps out and shows us what she can do on a bigger stage. Working with Indian star Irrfan Khan, she is a knockout as a suburban housewife who discovers herself through an unexpected mastery of jigsaw puzzles. (Kenneth Turan) R. RBG One of the great services that this clear-eyed and admiring documentary on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg provides is to emphasize not just her work on the court but also how extraordinarily influential she was before she even got there. (Kenneth Turan) NR Sorry to Bother You Rapper-activist Boots Rileys joyous dystopian cackle of a directing debut stars a superb Lakeith Stanfield as an Oakland telemarketer who stumbles into that arrestingly surreal zone where racial identity, class rage and corporate malfeasance intersect. (Justin Chang) R Three Identical Strangers A scientific and philosophical inquiry by way of a detective story, Tim Wardles intensely compelling documentary tells the twistier-by-the-minute story of identical triplet boys who found each other 19 years after being separated at birth. (Justin Chang) PG-13 Wont You Be My Neighbor? The goal of this exemplary documentary is not to tell the story of TV host Fred Rogers life but to show the way of someone whose formidable task was, in his own words, to make goodness attractive and made it happen. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13 ------------ See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Movie Trailers calendar@latimes.com @LATimesMovies In its first presentation at the Television Critics Assn. summer tour since acquiring Scripps Networks in the spring, Discovery Communications touted its fact-based programming delivered on a suite of networks such as HGTV, TLC and Animal Planet that specialize in unscripted shows. Also in that group is the true crime-tilted Investigation Discovery (ID), which premieres the feature-length documentary Sugar Town on Aug. 6. Set in New Iberia, La., the show looks at the tension that arose in the racially divided town after the shooting death of 22-year-old Victor White III while in police custody. In a story that has been repeated in various forms with encounters between unarmed black men and the police, White was stopped by officers in 2014 on suspicion of being involved in a fight at a convenience store, and he was arrested for possessing a small bag of marijuana. Law enforcement says White shot himself in the chest while his hands were cuffed behind his back in a patrol car. Directed by Shan Nicholson (Rubble Kings), Sugar Town was introduced by network head Henry Schleiff with the hopes of inspiring discussion and action. He acknowledged it stands as something of a departure for ID, which typically tilts toward the efforts of law enforcement to solve a crime. In Sugar Town, those efforts go under examination. Advertisement What is the quote, Go without hate but not without rage? Scheliff asked the TCA audience of journalists. This is the kind of story that needs coverage. In Louisiana we have a two-tiered justice system, said journalist Tony Brown, who was on the panel and appears in Sugar Town. As a result, we have lawmen that have become lawless, and its problematic not just for Louisiana but for America. Its a tragedy that must be addressed, and its a story that must be told. Whites father, the Rev. Victor White, appears in the documentary and was present for the panel, and he described some of the irregularities he encountered in New Iberia when he asked about the circumstances of his sons death and to see his sons body. Brown later outlined his conviction that there was a cover-up by the Iberia Parish Sheriffs Office and that White was beaten over the three hours he was in custody before his death. When asked about the issues surrounding Whites case existing alongside the regions well-documented history of diversity in food and music, Brown replied, Youre talking about New Orleans, and he drew a contrast between the way of life in Louisianas cities and the states harsher rural reality. Covering a number of issues that have been in recent headlines, the panel also touched on the racial inequities in drug laws and mass incarceration. The complex and undeniably pressing issues are a long way from the networks upcoming installment of American Murder Mystery, which will look further at the Pamela Smart story (a tabloid-friendly story depicted in 1995s To Die For starring Nicole Kidman), but still worthy of investigating. chris.barton@latimes.com Follow me over here @chrisbarton. One day in 1984, soldiers barged into Shadreck Ncubes classroom in western Zimbabwe, dragged him outside in front of his students and accused him of plotting against the government. Then they took him to a field and nearly beat him to death. Later, they came back and did it again. His beatings were part of a wave of state-sponsored torture and killings in the 1980s across a large swath of Zimbabwe aimed at flushing out political opponents. Code-named Gukurahundi, which in the Shona language means the early rain that washes away the chaff, the operation resulted in as many as 20,000 deaths, most of the victims from the Ndebele ethnic minority in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions. Advertisement The ruling party then, as now, was ZANU-PF which took power at independence from Britain in 1980 and never let go, even last year when the army ousted Robert Mugabe after 37 years as president. But in the run-up to presidential, parliamentary and local elections on Monday, the party appears vulnerable. And long memories are a big part of the reason. Zimbabweans poured into the streets of the capital, Harare, in November to celebrate the ouster of Mugabe, whose reputation as hero of the liberation war was eventually subsumed by decades of disastrous economic policies, soaring unemployment and shrinking political freedoms. ZANU-PF promised a fresh start. But the man the party appointed as Mugabes successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is a longtime Mugabe ally who was state security minister during the Gukurahundi violence. Zimbabweans celebrate outside the parliament building in November 2017 upon learning that President Robert Mugabe was leaving office. (Ben Curtis / Associated Press) Because of that history, many Zimbabweans believe he represents more of the same: a corrupt elite, economic collapse and political violence. Since Mugabe left, theres been a little change, but we dont see it, Ncube said in an interview along the dusty main drag of Inyathi, the village where he lives. The president needs to apologize. Ncube, now 75, said he plans to vote for a candidate from the opposition. Mnangagwa, who earned the nickname Crocodile during the countrys liberation struggle, has denied any culpability in state-sponsored violence. Like Mugabe, he has called Gukurahundi a moment of madness. Vowing to lead the country in a new direction, he signed legislation in January creating the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, an independent body aimed at helping the country reckon with its past. From the past, we must take the good that the past has in our history, Mnangagwa said in an interview this year with the Financial Times. And leave behind that which is bad. We dont want that to be repeated, ever. He has also courted international investors seen as crucial to kick-starting the moribund economy, promised to rebuild the countrys beleaguered infrastructure and agricultural sectors and reached out to white farmers whose land was seized in the early 2000s. The current president is saying, Look, Im prepared to listen. Im prepared to accept the mistakes we have made, said Paul Mangwana, ZANU-PFs acting national spokesman. We must look forward to a new way of doing things. Next weeks elections are seen as a crucial test for Mnangagwa and his party and whether they are sincere about self-correction. Mugabe held elections, but they were lopsided contests that outside observers said were neither free nor fair. The 2008 elections were followed by severe violence that human rights groups say was perpetrated by the ruling party and the military. Mnangagwa needs the upcoming polls to be deemed credible if he wants to pull in aid money and foreign investors. The weeks before the vote have been mostly peaceful, and scores of observers will be allowed to monitor the polls. The presidents most serious challenger, Nelson Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer from the largest opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has been campaigning openly across the country, unlike in previous elections. But he has already accused the government of trying to rig the balloting, and warned he will call his supporters to the streets if his concerns arent addressed. We have the numbers, Chamisa said at a rally Saturday in Bulawayo, the largest city in Matabeleland, according to state media. Right now, when I say shut down Bulawayo, the whole of Bulawayo will be shut down. When I say shut down Harare, Harare will indeed be shut down. Movement for Democratic Change leader and presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa speaks during a rally on July 26, 2018, in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) A poll of registered voters conducted this week by Afrobarometer, a nonpartisan research group that conducts surveys across the continent, showed 40% supported Mnangagwa and 37% backed Chamisa. The army has promised to remain neutral amid fears that its ousting of Mugabe set a dangerous precedent and that a win by the opposition could prompt another military intervention. If the opposition wins, then we are likely to have another coup on our hands, said Dewa Mavhinga, southern Africa director for Human Rights Watch. The military have been saying we would not risk our lives in November to hand over to an unknown person six months later. In Bulawayo, the smiling faces of Mnangagwa and Chamisa beam down from campaign posters plastered around the sleepy city, an old industrial hub where once-bustling factories have been shuttered for more than a decade. Some people say that since Mnangagwa took power, civil servants are more efficient and there are fewer police blocking the roads to demand bribes. But there is little doubt that Chamisa is the favored candidate here, with vendors lined up to sell Chamisa-branded flags, scarves, hats and T-shirts in his partys trademark bright red. At a rally here in June, Mnangagwa had just finished speaking and left the stage when an explosion that officials have described as an assassination attempt injured dozens of people. Though Matabelelands history has helped make the area an opposition stronghold, not everyone here feels wronged by the government. Outside the small city of Gwanda, 60 miles south of Bulawayo, retired civil servant Wellington Nyoni trudged through a field of recently harvested maize and pointed toward his herd of cattle, their neck bells clanging as they walked. A few months earlier, he received several cattle through a national agricultural program designed to benefit farmers. This is what you call bread and butter, said Nyoni, 60. If I die today, my children will not say, My father didnt leave us anything. Declining to say which party he planned to support in elections, Nyoni scoffed at the suggestion that the program was rolled out by ZANU-PF this year to woo rural voters like him. Im not worth so little to be bought by cows, he said. I am a human being. I am a Zimbabwean. Mahr is a special correspondent. This is the summer of the electric scooter. Which is to also say, it is the summer of chaos. Cities are struggling to regulate the new vehicle, dropped onto sidewalks last fall by tech companies that seemed to have no idea what they were unleashing. In some ways, the companies are as much surprised by how this is unfolding as we are, said Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole. How all this was going to work out is not something they thought about deeply. Advertisement Bird, the first company to land in Santa Monica, says its first priority is safety. It has distributed 40,000 free helmets to riders. (Sadly, no one seems to wear them.) Beverly Hills and West Hollywood have taken a drastic approach; both cities have banned the scooters for now. San Francisco, after some conniption fits, has also banned them as it works out details of a pilot program. Los Angeles, typically, is dealing with the issue slowly and in a manner that can only be described as confusing. In March, the City Council enacted a moratorium on the scooters while it develops a pilot program, which it is expected to vote on in August. The city sent an apparently toothless cease-and-desist letter last month to Bird, the biggest company in the app-enabled scooter rental space. Please remove any and all vehicles that you have in the City of Los Angeles immediately, wrote Seleta Reynolds, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. I was told by Bird that the letter was provoked by the arrival of several dozen scooters in the downtown Arts District, which Bird says were promptly removed. But thats not what the letter said. And damned if I can find a single person in L.A. city government who can explain to me why the entire city was included in the cease-and-desist letter, whether the order has been lifted, and why no one appears to be enforcing the laws that require scooter riders to wear helmets, be 18 or over, not ride double, and stay off sidewalks. Reynolds spokesman suggested I email Marcel Porras, LADOTs chief sustainability officer. He never responded. When I later emailed Reynolds, she told me she and Porras were traveling. I asked her if maybe she had access to a telephone. She didnt respond, but her spokesman got back to me. He was very pleasant and sent me a copy of the proposed pilot program, but was not able to tell me whether the cease-and-desist order had been lifted. I tried to reach Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents Venice and is chairman of the councils transportation committee. His spokesman returned my call and said hed try to arrange a call. Im still waiting. :: Santa Monica officials, bless them, were happy to talk about scooters. The city has neither banned nor ignored them. Since the fall, the citys 8.3 square miles have had to absorb the arrival of about 3,000 scooters owned by two companies. The city has given provisional permits to the start-ups Bird and Lime for the summer. In September, it will launch a 16-month pilot program that will involve just two companies, not necessarily Bird and Lime. About a dozen scooter companies are vying for the honor. The companies, which charge $1 plus 15 cents per minute per ride, will pay to be part of the program and will be forced to hand over all their usage data to the city, so that scooter usage patterns can be better understood and planned for. On Tuesday, I spent some time at Santa Monica City Hall with Cole and two of his colleagues, Deputy City Manager Anuj Gupta and chief communications officer Debbie Lee, who described the scooter business model as brilliant, yet flawed. All three were clear-eyed about the problems the scooters have wrought upon an already crowded city. The model requires them to use public space they dont have permission to use, and they really dont have a way of controlling the actions of their riders, Lee said. Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole drew a speculative graph based on current and future. Joyriding, he thinks, will spike and then fall, as more people will use scooters to get where they need to go. The vertical line represents where we are now. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times) But they know, too, that they cannot turn back the clock, that electric scooters are here to stay. Companies such as Lime and Bird say the scooters will help ease congestion and pollution by allowing riders to traverse that last mile between public transit and their jobs. I have said and been criticized by scooter fans that I believe this is wishful thinking. Most people, in my observation, use the scooters for fun, not work. Observation is not the same as data; unfortunately the data have not been released by the scooter companies. Cole and his colleagues, who have been deeply involved in developing regulations, agree with me. In fact, when the subject came up, the city manager grabbed a blank sheet of paper and drew a graph, with two lines. One represented joyriding and one represented urban transportation usage. Cole expects urban transportation usage to grow with time, but lets just say his joyriding line soared above it for now. Indeed, his hand-drawn graph comports with what anyone with two eyes and a brain can deduce: In beach cities like Santa Monica and Venice, where scooter concentration is highest, most riders are on these things for giggles. Likewise, there is no hard data yet on scooter injuries. But doctors are alarmed by what they are seeing. This scooter is no different than a motorcycle scooter, said Sam Torbati, medical director of the emergency department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. As a physician, I am very concerned about the public safety issues around people who ride without protective gear. I get particularly concerned when I see people with ear buds, carrying things while riding, and riding on the sidewalks. His ER, Torbati said, has seen an uptick in injuries associated with scooter crashes broken arms, legs, shoulders and hips (among older riders, especially), and lots of head injuries. :: It has fallen on cities and police departments to bear the burden of educating scooter riders. The Santa Monica Police Department has posted a modestly funny educational video on its Facebook page. The city has also put up signs on the bike path warning scooters to stay off. Im going to guess that the two gentle scooter crackdowns executed by Santa Monica police in the last week will be more effective than any signs. Last Friday, officers stationed themselves on the beachfront bicycle path where Pico Boulevard hits the ocean. They pulled over hundreds of riders many underage, most without helmets because motorized vehicles are forbidden on the bike path. So many riders abandoned their scooters that Cole, who happened to be at a picnic nearby, had to call around for a city truck to take them away. The next day, scooter riders were back on the bike path in force. And so were the police, who plan to be out every day, stopping, citing and educating riders, Cole reported. Even our harshest critics have acknowledged that the situation is noticeably improved, he said. On Wednesday, officers fanned out along Second Street near the Third Street Promenade. In two hours, said Lee, they stopped 105 scooter riders and issued 59 citations, 42 of which went to helmet-less riders. I watched some of the stops. Riders, many in shorts and flip-flops, seemed surprised to be nabbed, but were pleasant about it. Why shouldnt they be? Its not as if they were running late for work. robin.abcarian@latimes.com UPDATES: 1:10 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about enforcement in Santa Monica. This article was originally published at 3 a.m. Last year, Los Angeles Unified officials predicted an 80% graduation rate for the class of 2017 its highest ever based on preliminary numbers. That continued an upward trend that district officials said was the product of a concentrated push to graduate more students. But after a federal audit questioned the accuracy of how California schools count their graduates, the states Department of Education changed its formula for figuring out who completed high school. Using the new math, L.A. Unifieds graduation rate was 76.1% for the class of 2017. The state fared better as a whole, graduating 82.7% of eligible students last year. State and local district officials did not provide adjusted data for previous years, though, so it is difficult to know whether L.A. Unified is continuing to improve graduation outcomes despite the change. The state will release 2018 graduation data in December. Advertisement The change has to do with deciding who is counted as a student or a graduate. Under the old formula, students were counted as graduates if they transferred to adult education programs to earn their diploma or pass a high school proficiency exam, district spokeswoman Shannon Haber said in an email. But now those students are considered dropouts. And students who pass a high school proficiency exam without finishing at a traditional high school, or who later get an adult high school diploma, do not retroactively count toward that years graduation rate. Its good that the state is trying to more accurately keep track of how students are graduating, but the district needs to pay attention to the gaps and the students who need support, said Ryan Smith, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Education Trust-West. For LAUSD and all California school districts, this keeps them and us honest, Smith said. So the fact that were thinking more accurately about data means that well have a better sense how LAUSD students are actually doing. The state also began reporting the students who completed the classes necessary to enroll in the University of California and Cal State University systems. While L.A. Unified graduated a lower percentage of students than the state as a whole, those who did graduate were more likely to meet eligibility requirements: About 60% of L.A. Unified graduates completed the necessary classes, compared with 50% statewide. The next step is making sure that those students are also completing higher education in California as well, Smith said. That would require a commitment to keep track of college completion rates statewide, which has yet to happen, he said. Disparities remain between students based on race, income and language, the data show. White and Asian graduates were more likely to be eligible for a four-year university than black and Latino students, both in L.A. Unified and statewide. We have a long way to go and need help from everyone teachers, parents, administrators and community members to narrow these gaps, said state Supt. of Instruction Tom Torlakson. L.A. Unified officials said that if affiliated charter schools which receive public funding and are for the most part run by the school district, unlike independent charters are included in the districts count, the graduation rate for 2017 increases to 76.8%. And had L.A. Unified been allowed to use the old formula, it would indeed have been 80.6%, according to Haber. Last month, school board President Monica Garcia suggested the district might want to ask for an exemption from the states new way of calculating graduation rates. She said the district needed to notify the public that, because of the change, it wouldnt be fair to compare a rate calculated under the new formula with an older rate. We need to be clear that its apples and oranges, Garcia said. Times staff reporter Howard Blume contributed to this report. Reach Sonali Kohli at sonali.kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. Californias grim year of fire destruction just got worse. The Carr fire, which has destroyed countless homes in Redding and killed at least two people, is the latest inferno to spread from wildlands into urban areas, fueled by extreme heat and winds. Last fall, Northern Californias wine country was hit by the most destructive fires on record, destroying thousands of homes and killing dozens of residents. In December, the Thomas fire tore through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, becoming the largest single fire in state history. So why has the last year been so bad? Here are some answers from the pages of The Times: Advertisement California fires (Los Angeles Times) What do we know about the risk? The combination of heat and winds has long been the key factor for fires in California. But much of the state has seen record low rains and drought conditions for several years, making the situation worse. The danger often is the greatest in areas where open space gives way to development. Over time, the edges of cities have encroached on wild spaces. The close proximity between private property and wildlands allows fires to spread more rapidly and damage or destroy more property in the process. Many of these at-risk areas are in wildland-urban interface areas, or WUIs where housing and vegetation intermix or come within close proximity of each other. The Carr fire in Shasta County was burning in rural areas, but on Thursday, it crossed the Sacramento River and pushed into suburban tracts on the edge of Redding in Northern California. The patterns were similar in the wine country and Thomas fires. California fires (Los Angeles Times) What can we learn from Californias biggest fire? The Thomas fire became Californias largest by size since modern record-keeping began. It raced from the urban edge to deep into the Los Padres National Forest like no fire before, covering huge distances unobstructed and mostly unseen. The neighborhoods and cities that sit at the foot of these steep ranges the Santa Ynez, Topatopa and Sierra Madre had no vantage to the immense wilderness beyond the first ridge or two, no real grasp of what was seething out of sight. The fire then came over those ridges again and again eating homes across a 55-mile swath of civilization. A blob of high pressure, shifting back and forth, changed the direction of the air flow as it fought with the prevailing sea breeze, constantly pushing the Thomas fire into new territory and keeping it going for weeks. What was previously Californias largest modern-era blaze, the Cedar fire in San Diego County in 2003, followed a more typical Santa Ana pattern, racing to the coast through canyons running roughly westward. It was far more deadly and costly than the Thomas fire because the gentle tilt of San Diego County invited more development into the fire zone. The Cedars toll was 15 people and 2,820 structures. Despite its size, the Thomas fire claimed only 1,063 structures and one firefighters life. The terrain it consumed was more rugged, most of it protected or prohibitively steep to build on. An aerial view of the Coffey Park neighborhood detroyed by wildfire in Santa Rosa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) How about the wine country fires? Those fire also were fueled by unusually powerful weather conditions. Driven by hot, dry winds blowing a sustained 50 mph, the Tubbs fire one of the most destructive of the wine country blazes chewed across a small mountain range in a few hours on the night of Oct. 8 and roared into northeastern Santa Rosa. Officials estimated the city of 177,000 lost nearly 3,000 homes, or roughly 5% of its housing stock. Even big-box stores and a Hilton hotel next to Highway 101 went up in flames. Hot, dry winds from the interior are not uncommon in Northern California. The Bay Areas version of the Santa Ana winds are called Diablo winds, the kind that drove the 1991 Tunnel fire in the Oakland hills, leaving 25 dead and leveling 2,900 buildings. But in the grim record of the states worst wildfires, that was an outlier. Until last week, 13 of the 20 most destructive wildfires in modern state history and 16 of the 20 deadliest occurred in Southern California. What about climate change? Gov. Jerry Brown and many others have argued fires are getting worse because of climate change. Surveying the Thomas fire in December, Brown called it the new normal, declaring: This could be something that happens every year or every few years. A study earlier this year found that Californians should expect more dramatic swings between dry and wet years as the climate warms. UC researchers in essence found that Californias highly volatile climate will become even more volatile as human-caused climate change tinkers with atmospheric patterns over the eastern Pacific Ocean. The state veered from years of record-breaking drought that emptied reservoirs and prompted unprecedented urban conservation to a parade of atmospheric rivers that dumped record precipitation on Northern California during the 2016-17 rainy season. Portions of the main spillway at Lake Oroville, the states second-largest reservoir, collapsed, and the state narrowly escaped a dam disaster that would have sent a wall of water roaring through downstream towns. Such sudden swings between severe drought and intense storms will increase the threat to aging dams and flood-control networks, accentuate the threat of wildfires and make management of the states complex waterworks even more daunting. Riverside County prosecutors announced Friday that they have charged a 32-year-old man with starting nine separate fires, including a wildfire that has burned more than 11,500 acres in Idyllwild and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents as it rages through the San Jacinto Mountains. Brandon N. McGlover was charged with 15 felony counts connected to the fires, authorities said. He is charged with one count of aggravated arson, five counts of arson of an inhabited structure and nine counts of arson of forest or wildland. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to life in prison. Hes being held on $1-million bail. Prosecutors say McGlover started eight fires on July 25, two days before he allegedly ignited the Cranston blaze in Idyllwild. That fire has kept thousands of residents out of their homes for days as crews work to tame the flames. Brandon N. McGlover was charged with 15 felony counts connected to the fires, authorities said. (Riverside County Sheriffs Department) Advertisement Its the scariest feeling you can have because youre helpless, said resident Tamara Friemoth, 56, about the moment she watched the fire curl around the mountains in front of the gas station and auto shop she owns with her husband. Friemoth has lived in the area for four decades and although she ran home to grab clothes and family heirlooms, she kept her business open for firefighters seeking drinks and snacks. By Friday morning, the fire had scorched 11,500 acres and prompted the evacuation of more than 4,000 homes, authorities said. The fire is only 3% contained. A dusting of crimson retardant atop a ridge marked where the flames had retreated from Idyllwild, an enclave of artists and musicians and a tourist draw. The fire appeared to be spreading east of Mountain Center and into the San Jacinto Wilderness, as well as north of Lake Hemet. The blaze is expected to keep growing through Friday, especially in the wilderness and the Rattlesnake Spring areas, according to Chad Cook, operations section chief with the California Incident Management Team. The fire is laying down now, Riverside County Fire Chief Dan Talbot said during a morning briefing. But it looked like that yesterday morning too, and then it roared back to life. Keep that in mind. Response teams are keeping a close eye on the communities of Apple Canyon and Vista Ranch, which are threatened by the spreading flames. Fire-control efforts have been hampered by the extreme heat and low humidity and the other fires around the state. Although the mile-high community is not yet in the clear, advance planning by fire officials and local residents may have helped avoid a major disaster, said Patrick Reitz, chief of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District. Fire authorities have been warning for years about the buildup of tinder-dry trees and brush on all sides and the community took heed. Idyllwild was saved by years of preplanning, Reitz said. That includes removal of thousands of dead and dying trees, construction of miles of firebreaks and evacuation plans drafted by at least a dozen mountain camps that cater to thousands of youths, several town organizations and fire authorities. Before we pulled the cord on a formal mandatory evacuation shortly after the Cranston fire began around noon Friday, most of the youth camp folks were already off the mountain, he said. Following close behind were an estimated 6,000 residents who found themselves on traffic-choked two-lane roads that hug the ragged northern slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains, where suburbia meets the wilderness. The communitys disaster plan was based on a variety of fire scenarios that identified staging areas for firefighters and equipment and safety zones and escape routes for evacuees, officials said. It wasnt the first time this community, known for its art and music foundations and schools, has been shaken by fire. The first time Idyllwild was evacuated was in July 1996, when the Bee fire crept up the mountain. Residents returned to their homes on the July 4 weekend and held a parade led by local firefighters. A decade later, the arson-caused Esperanza fire triggered an explosion of heat and flames that killed four local firefighters and critically injured another. Relatives and neighbors in Idyllwild responded to their loss with strong emotions, flags at half-staff and an army of volunteers to help the affected families. The town was evacuated again in 2013, when it was attacked by the Mountain fire. Friday morning, authorities were cautiously optimistic that the Cranston fire had moved on, away from the community and into sparsely populated areas, Reitz said. The preparations we did with the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Riverside County and others enabled us to get defensive lines in place ahead of this fire. He worried, however, about the safety of stragglers who defied the evacuation order to leave the tourism-driven communitys tightly packed cottages, modest chalets, gift shops, restaurants and watering holes. We cut the power in Idyllwild due to the approaching fire, Reitz said. A few hours later, the main power lines into town were downed by the blaze. So the whole community is without power, and were working off generators. Fire authorities battling to save Idyllwild expressed guarded optimism Friday afternoon that the alpine resort had been spared three days after it was forced to evacuate. In the next day or two we should have full containment of this fire in the community of Idyllwild, Lee Beyer, a spokesman for the San Bernardino National Forest, said. But we still have a ton of work to do before its safe enough for residents and visitors can return safely. Firefighters are doing heavy mop-up operations in hot spots, he said. Power poles and power lines need to be replaced. Highway guardrails are in need of repair. As he spoke, helicopters and air tankers doused flames on fire lines a few miles north of Lake Hemet, and about 15 miles south of Idyllwild much of the black smoke that had filled the air a day earlier had turned to more benign shades of gray. Idyllwild and all its charms will still be there when the evacuation is lifted, he said. But the views along Highway 74 will be different because a lot of the green is gone. Fires also have struck Northern California, where firefighters have worked in 110-degree heat on the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley. Crews scrambled when a shift in the winds pushed the Carr fire three miles east in four hours, catching residents in Whiskeytown on their heels. The blaze reached the edge of Whiskeytown Lake, where local news outlets reported that 40 boats were burned along with a number of homes. Authorities placed 192 homes under mandatory evacuation orders, most of those in Whiskeytown and the community of French Gulch, according to Cal Fire. Authorities later expanded evacuations to parts of Redding. On Friday morning, authorities said 65 homes had been destroyed, 55 were damaged and hundreds more were threatened. The blaze was 44,450 acres and 3% contained Friday morning. But most of that containment was on the fires west and northwestern edge, not on its southern face where the residents are, said spokesman Chad Carroll. The blaze has been running along the north side of Highway 299 since a vehicle malfunction sparked it Monday afternoon, he said. While the Carr fire has been fueled by wind and topography, the Ferguson fire outside Yosemite National Park has been decidedly different, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jacob Welsh. Crews in the rugged forests in Mariposa County have been dealing with an inversion layer that has put the Ferguson fires smoke right on top of Yosemite Valley and other low-lying areas. Poor air quality and visibility have limited the ability for planes and helicopters to help fight the fire, Welsh said. At the same time, that smoky blanket keeps the fire from getting a breath of fresh air and growing, Welsh said. One of the biggest obstacles to containing the fire continues to be the terrain, a mix of steep cliffs with deep, inaccessible canyons loaded with vegetation and slopes of standing dead trees, killed off by a widespread bark beetle infestation thats killed 129 million trees since 2010. On Friday morning, the Ferguson fire had consumed 45,911 acres and was 29% contained, officials said. (Los Angeles Times) The strategy with the Cranston fire is to hack away at flammable vegetation along its perimeter to cut off the fuel supply, said Kate Kramer, a spokeswoman with the San Bernardino National Forest. Farther out from the fire line, she said, firefighters are clearing flammable brush to prevent it from spreading. The blaze is being directly attacked in areas covered in extremely dry grass, where the fire burns quickly and stays low enough to be extinguished safely. Cosgrove reported from Mountain Center, Newberry from Banning, Sahagun from Idyllwild and Serna from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report. UPDATES: 2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from fire officials. 1:05 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from fire officials. 11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with prosecutors charging an arson suspect. 9:55 a.m.: This article was updated with acreage and containment from the Ferguson fire. July 27, 9:35 a.m.: This article was updated with new information from state fire officials, including burn acreage and containment. 9:50 p.m.: This article was updated with new acreage and containment figures. This article was originally published on July 26 at 5 p.m. Los Angeles County prosecutors said they will not file criminal charges against Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick, who was accused of sexual assault by three women. One of the women, actress Kristina Cohen, described her allegations in a post on Facebook, claiming the British actor raped her at a West Los Angeles home while she was trying to sleep in a guest bedroom. Westwick adamantly denied Cohens allegations. On Friday, Blair Berk, Westwicks attorney, said her client had been vindicated. The evidence demonstrated from the start that each of the allegations made by the three women would be proven untrue, she said in a statement. It is a shame there are those who so publicly prejudged this case and that it took this long for Ed to be fully cleared. Advertisement I hope that those who made such quick judgment here not knowing anything about the abundant evidence of innocence in this case will hesitate next time before they so swiftly condemn before investigating the truth. Prosecutors said they declined to charge Westwick in two of the investigations because of insufficient evidence and declined in the third case because the woman stopped cooperating with Los Angeles police detectives. richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @LAcrimes Apart from the roar of a few generators keeping a handful of local businesses open, largely to serve firefighters but also residents who were waiting out evacuating, Friday morning was quiet in Idyllwild. Outside the Chevron Idyllwild Garage, Rick Holmes, 73, mounted his motorcycle, alongside his 7-year-old yellow Labrador mix Charlee, pre-napping in a red sidecar, ready to go home. Usually in the mornings, Holmes, who has lived in Idyllwild for 42 years, and Charlee are on the nearby mountain bike trails. On Friday, they had instead stopped to get gas for Holmes generator. Holmes has been through wildfires before and was cautioning other residents at the gas station that, although the Cranston fire looked like it had died down a lot, the mornings are always calmer. Its when the wind starts to kick up, and the temperatures start to rise, that firefighters start to face a more challenging opponent. Advertisement The fire had burned more than 11,000 acres as of Friday morning and was 3% contained. Officials were still trying to assess how many homes had been lost. Holmes watched Friday morning as small tufts of smoke rose on the south ridge of the San Jacinto Mountains near Idyllwild. Man charged with starting 11,500-acre Cranston fire and eight others in Riverside County On Thursday, the fire burned through a valley behind the south ridge, but it still remained too close for comfort for Holmes. This one theyre having more trouble with it, the retired schoolteacher said. People dont realize were still in dire straights. It still could be real, real bad. Fed by dry fuel on steep slopes, the fire headed into Apple Canyon and Bonita Vista and new evacuations were announced for McCall Park, south of Pine Wood, Cedar Glen, Pine Cove and Fern Valley. Steve and Suzanne Coffer were on their way to San Diego to hit the casinos when approaching flames made them return home to hurriedly pack up their belongings. They spent the night with their cat in their car, parked near a church. When they saw their house again, it was coated in retardant. The mess was no matter for Coffer, who had moved to Idyllwild 40 years ago, yearning for a place far from the city. The elation at finding his home still standing was difficult for him to express. I cant put it into words, he said. Many residents were without power, including Ruth Kleefisch, 52, who drove from her home in Pine Cove to Idyllwild in an attempt to charge her cellphone and try to get reception. Kleefischs husband has liver cancer and has been unable to eat for the past four days. She was desperate to reach his doctor to ask what she could do to ease her husbands nausea. She said she was less concerned about the fire, which hadnt reached Pine Cove, and more concerned about being without power, especially if it lasted more than a few days. The neighborhoods quiet, everything is quiet. Theres nobody here. Once all the tourists leave, theres not that many left of us, really. As the Carr fire moved into Redding on Thursday night and began burning homes, the live news feed from KRCR-TV was a lifeline of information. But after 10:30 p.m., the station went off the air, saying personnel had to evacuate the studio and building because of the fire danger. Right now we are being evacuated, said anchor Allison Woods during the broadcast. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here. Anchor Tamara Damante then ended the broadcast with this urging: Please evacuate everyone and stay safe. Advertisement The station was still providing regular news updates on its website. HAPPENING NOW: @KRCR7 is evacuating as the #CarrFire approaches their studio in #Redding, California. Horrible. Stay safe out there. pic.twitter.com/LRfRoVIdDI Nick Stewart (@NStewCBS2) July 27, 2018 The station has also continued to provide live coverage on its Facebook page, with reporters in the field filing reports. The coverage was being anchored by KRCRs sister station in Eureka. A post on the stations Facebook page read: BREAKING: KRCR News Channel 7 has been evacuated. We will work to keep our Facebook page and website updated once we are all out safely. The fire destroyed at least 15 structures in Shasta County, but that number is expected to rise as the blaze moved toward subdivisions and other populated areas. Officials were urging residents to flee the path of the fire, where hundreds of homes were under threat. A man considered a person of interest in a New York City homicide was charged this week with sexually assaulting a woman in North Hollywood, officials said. Danueal Drayton, 27, of Brooklyn, was arrested Tuesday by detectives from the Los Angeles and New York City police departments, authorities said. NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said Thursday that investigators think Drayton has used dating websites to target women and that there are potentially more victims out there, according to a report in the New York Daily News. In Los Angeles, investigators say Drayton choked and sexually assaulted a woman after a date, holding her captive inside her North Hollywood apartment on July 22 and 23, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Advertisement Drayton has been charged with attempted murder, forcible rape and false imprisonment, prosecutors said. He is expected to appear in a Van Nuys courtroom Friday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Police in New York were investigating Drayton in connection with the death of 29-year-old Samantha Stewart, who was killed July 17 in Queens, according to a spokesman for the New York City Police Department. Police there responded to a 911 call about an unconscious person inside a residence on 145th Road, near JFK International Airport. The person, later identified as Stewart, suffered trauma to her neck and head and was pronounced dead at the scene. An NYPD spokesman said he could not provide information on what, if any, relationship Drayton had with Stewart. NYPD personnel joined detectives from the LAPDs North Hollywood division when they arrested Drayton on Tuesday. He is being held in lieu of $1.25 million bail, according to jail records. A spokeswoman for the Queens district attorneys office said prosecutors there had not yet filed murder charges against Drayton or sought his extradition to New York. Court records show Drayton had multiple prior arrests in Connecticut. Between 2011 and 2018, he had either pleaded guilty or no contest to a range of charges that included strangulation, unlawful restraint, violation of a protective order and resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty to harassment in New Haven, Conn., in March and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Drayton was last arrested by the Nassau County Police Department in Long Island, N.Y., on June 30 and charged with strangulation, aggravated harassment, criminal mischief and trespassing, according to a Nassau County police spokesman. It was not immediately clear when he made bail or was released from custody. james.queally@latimes.com Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California. UPDATES: 2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background about Drayton. This article was originally published at 1:15 p.m. Redding Police Chief Roger Moore spent Thursday evening evacuating his neighbors from their River Ridge homes. As he and his fellow officers moved door to door shuffling residents out, Moore said he saw a whirling tower of flames reaching into the sky. I look up and see what I would describe as a fire tornado, said Moore, who took over as Reddings top cop in September. It was 400 or 500 feet tall, 100 feet wide and it was just destroying everything in its path. It was making a sound like a jet engine, making its own weather pattern. It was chaos, said Moore, who was working only on an hours night sleep Friday. Advertisement Moore and two other officers lost their homes to the fire. I would say Im on auto-pilot right now because a job has to be done, the chief said. But the wife and kids, theyre anxious and nervous and sad. Moore said they managed to save their valuables photos and important documents but hes not sure everyone in Redding was so lucky. I dont think we were prepared, he said. No one expected that, and we all thought it would be contained. He estimates at least 100 homes were destroyed in the terrifying hours overnight that the Carr fire overwhelmed crews, jumped the Sacramento River and raced into foothill neighborhoods in western Redding in Northern California. Not only was River Ridge hard hit, he said, but so were Sunset Terrace and Salt Creek, a new subdivision that just went up. Two firefighters have been killed and three injured along with several civilians, authorities said in enumerating the fires human toll. On Wednesday night, wind gusts drove the fire down from the mountains into Whiskeytown, where it burned dozens of boats at Whiskeytown Lake. On Thursday, the winds returned and pushed the fire into Redding, nearly doubling in size to 44,450 acres along the way. The fire was 3% contained Friday. Forecasters say firefighters wont see a break from the heat thats been hampering their efforts until at least the middle of next week and temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees every day through Tuesday, at least. For Moore, the takeaway for the community is to be prepared when fire approaches. He said some residents were reluctant to flee and when it came time to go, the rural towns roads were completely jammed. Get a box ready and know in your mind what you need to take and have a plan on where youre going to go, he said. As the days stretched into weeks, and the weeks gave way to months, Omar Marino Dominguez Mejia tried not to lose faith that someday he and his son would be reunited. I never lost hope that sooner or later I would be with my son again, he said. Their reunion came this week, as federal authorities raced to meet a court-imposed Thursday deadline to reunite more than 2,500 children separated from their parents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The parents and children were separated as a result of the Trump administrations zero tolerance immigration policy. Dominguez and his 8-year-old son, Arin, on Thursday recounted their reunion a day earlier and their tortuous journey to the United States. Dominguez, 46, and Arin had fled Honduras and arrived at a border bridge in south Texas about three months ago. Thats when father and son were separated. Advertisement I presented myself to immigration seeking protection to save my life and that of my son because we were always running, trying to find a safe place, Dominguez said. Dominguez was held at a detention center in Texas while Arin was sent to live with a foster family in New York. On Wednesday, they were reunited and taken to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, a massive shrine Catholic Charities has converted into a shelter for about 300 immigrants a day in San Juan. Its so crowded, some immigrants sleep on mats in conference rooms, hugging newly returned children. Volunteers from neighboring parishes bring meals on Wednesday, Dominguez and his son had hamburgers. At a news conference Thursday at the basilica, Arin and his father were joined by the Rev. Jorge Gomez, rector of the basilica, and Sister Norma Pimentel, who has been coordinating relief efforts for Catholic Charities. Omar Marino Dominguez Mejia looks on as the Rev. Jorge Gomez greets his son, Arin. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Arin said he was treated well by his foster family. In May, he celebrated his 8th birthday with them, and he showed off a gold chain they had given him as a gift. When they learned he would be returning to Texas, he said, his foster mother cried and offered to host him and his father. On Thursday, he chatted with his mother back in Honduras via WhatsApp as she cooked. The separation appeared to have been harder on Dominguez, who recalled in detail having his son taken away from him. We always went together. Being separated from my son was very hard; it hurt a lot. He had never been separated from me. When they told me they would take him, that I would be deported and he would be kept there, I felt like I couldnt live without him, he said. In that moment, Dominguez said, he was overcome with sadness. I couldnt breathe, he said. But, he added, he never lost hope and clung to that. Father and son now plan to travel to Kentucky, where Dominguez said he hoped to find work to support his wife and six children back in Honduras. Theres lots of hope and opportunities there, he said. molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com @mollyhf Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Friday, July 27, and heres whats happening across California: TOP STORIES A devastating brush fire barreled into the Northern California city of Redding on Thursday night, killing one person and destroying numerous structures as residents ran for their lives. The fire destroyed at least 15 structures in Shasta County, but that number was expected to rise as the blaze moved toward subdivisions and other populated areas. Officials were urging residents to flee the path of the fire, where hundreds of homes were under threat. Los Angeles Times -- It was little more than a grave of scorched remains. Appliances burned beyond recognition, a charred bathtub, twists of metal pipe. Slabs of concrete that once served as walls stood next to a chimney of blackened stone. Signs of a caring owner a filled birdbath, potted plants were suddenly stark symbols of the past, before the Idyllwild home had been consumed by the Cranston fire. Los Angeles Times Advertisement Deadline day With just hours left on a court-imposed deadline to reunify migrant families who were separated after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, government officials said Thursday that they had reunited 1,442 children with their parents. An additional 378 children had been released to sponsors, were reunited with their parents in other ways or have turned 18, according to a report filed in court Thursday afternoon. Los Angeles Times A wild story She had literary ambition. She threw fabulous parties. But she also had a hidden past. After one of these soirees at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, many of the more than 400 of L.A.s literati who were invited were left wondering: Who was Anna March? Los Angeles Times Get the Essential California newsletter LAPD dive team members use sonar to search the bottom of Echo Park Lake near downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. (Richard Vogel / Associated Press) L.A. STORIES Inquiry underway: Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has launched a comprehensive probe into secret deputy cliques and is looking into whether gangs that condone illicit behavior are operating within his ranks, he said Thursday. Los Angeles Times Worthy remembrance: This Saturday would have been Jonathan Golds 58th birthday, and several buildings and monuments around Los Angeles will light up in gold that evening to honor the late restaurant critic. Los Angeles Times Scooter wars: Santa Monica supports disruptive technology, but its not sitting idly back while electric scooters take over sidewalks, bike paths and the beach boardwalk. Its cracking down on scofflaws who dont wear helmets and ride double and violate the vehicle codes designed to keep the city safe, writes columnist Robin Abcarian. Los Angeles Times Grim discovery: A body was found in Echo Park Lake Thursday afternoon after a search that began in the early morning hours, Los Angeles police said. Los Angeles Times Powerful story: Trapped and suffering inside the Asian American mental health crisis. L.A. Times High School Insider POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT For years to come: Gov. Jerry Brown will keep his imprint on the powerful California Air Resources Board beyond his time in office after an agency vote Thursday. Los Angeles Times Slimming down the bill: Four years after approving a plan that charged ratepayers billions of dollars for the premature closing of the San Onofre nuclear plant, state utility regulators adopted a new deal Thursday that trims about $750 million from consumers electricity bills. Los Angeles Times By the Bay: Sent to work on a Superfund site, they were told they were safe. But the S.F. cops stationed at the old Hunters Point shipyard had good reason to doubt. San Francisco Chronicle Combatting corruption: How effective is the political watchdog Brown helped create? CALmatters Of course: Californias Rep. Dana Rohrabacher met with alleged Russian agent Maria Butina in 2015, her emails reveal, fueling more questions about his longstanding Kremlin connections. ABC News CRIME AND COURTS Big jury award: Jurors awarded $45.4 million Thursday to a girl who suffered two years of sexual abuse in an El Monte home where county social workers left her despite evidence that an accused molester lived in the house. Los Angeles Times Helping workers: The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday that employers must pay workers for the minutes they spend on brief tasks off the clock. Los Angeles Times Remember this scandal? Three former Los Angeles Police Department cadets will face criminal charges in connection with a scandal that rocked the departments signature youth program last year. Los Angeles Times THE ENVIRONMENT Saving the vaquita: To protect one of the most endangered species in the world, an international trade court judge ordered the Trump administration Thursday to ban all seafood harvested with gill nets in Mexicos northern Gulf of California. Los Angeles Times Tahoe blues: Climate change is gradually warming Lake Tahoe, clouding its clarity and threatening its fabled blueness, scientists at UC Davis warned Thursday. Sacramento Bee CALIFORNIA CULTURE Comeback story: How Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp rebuilt his body and reclaimed his reputation. Los Angeles Times Plus: A look at some of the pitchers the Dodgers could trade for. Los Angeles Times Bad day for Zuck: Facebooks stock, among the most widely held in the nation, dropped 19% after the company warned that its sizzling growth is slowing amid the user-privacy concerns and other controversies that have rocked the company in recent months. Los Angeles Times And: Facebooks stock plunge is shattering faith in the inevitable ascendance of tech companies. New York Times Yum: The fate of Chefd tells us where the meal-kit industry is heading. Los Angeles Times Changing the curricula: Native Americans are pushing local schools to include their story in California history classes. EdSource CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles area: Sunny, 88, Friday. Sunny, 87, Saturday. San Diego: Partly cloudy, 79, Friday. Partly cloudy, 78, Saturday. San Francisco area: Sunny, 68, Friday. Partly cloudy, 66, Saturday. San Jose: Sunny, 86, Friday and Saturday. Sacramento: Sunny, 103, Friday and Saturday. More weather is here. AND FINALLY Todays California memory comes from William MacNeil: In 1944, Uncle Harry was discharged from the Navy in Long Beach and arrived home extolling the virtues of the Los Angeles area. There were blue skies, great weather, terrific beaches, affordable education and reasonable housing. Thus was born a five-year plan by the Mother of each family to relocate to Southern California. A plan not exposed to all until well underway but acceptable, and on an early morning rainy day in September 1949, four adults and eight kids scrambled into a 1942 Beach wagon and proceeded to California. Driving cross-country we visited national parks and state attractions and have pleasant memories of seeing Niagara Falls, Mt. Rushmore and Notre Dame University. Eventually, 20 days later, we drove down Highway 66 into the San Gabriel Valley and began our California adventure with the fragrance of hundreds of beautiful orange groves that we now dearly miss in our lives. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad. Earlier this summer, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released the results of its first Contingent Worker Survey since 2005. With all the talk these days about the gig economy, observers thought the survey would reveal a sharp rise. Recent estimates done by worker groups and corporate think tanks like those by Upwork and the Freelancers Union, or by McKinsey & Co. suggested the number could be 30% to 40% of the workforce. So pundits, myself included, were shocked that the bureau reported that the share of contingent workers in the labor market actually fell from 10.7% to 10.1%. What gives? In 2005, Uber didnt exist, and now it claims to have 3 million drivers. Where are all the Uber drivers, let alone the Task Rabbits and the Upworkers? The answer lies in how we define our terms. There is no consensus on who qualifies as a contingent worker, and thats one reason the bureau is still missing the big picture on how increasingly insecure American workers are in their jobs. Full-time employees everywhere know that being replaced by a temp or a contractor is not just a possibility, but part of their HR departments plan. Advertisement The phrase contingent worker was coined in 1985 by Audrey Freedman. Shed been a supervising economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and had seen as clearly as anyone how the postwar world of secure, steady jobs was disappearing. The term then caught on among the academic set, who also were observing this fundamental change. The trick to measuring the impact of this shift was clearly defining contingent work. Defining the contingent workforce negatively that is, not normal 9-to-5 weekly paycheck jobs wouldnt do. Good definitions are positive, but that was harder. Contingent work, as Freedman used it, meant any kind of conditional and transitory employment. Under her definition, a case could be made for including part-timers, temps, freelancers, small-business owners, consultants, migrant farm workers and any number of other kinds of work that did not fit into the postwar corporate model. That was too broad for the bureau, however. Into the late 1980s, Bureau of Labor Statistics economists like Anne Polivka and Thomas Nardone wrestled with how to define the term, lamenting that the lack of an established definition made measurement impossible. Finally, the bureau advanced a definition based on the expectation of job security: If you didnt have a future in your current job, you were a contingent worker. Not until 1995 did the bureau conduct the first serious survey of contingent workers in the United States as part of its Current Population Survey, which examines tens of thousands of households. The bureau asked individuals how long a job would last. The persons job was categorized as contingent if the person was working only until the completion of a specific project, temporarily replacing another worker, being hired for a fixed period, filling a seasonal job or if other business conditions dictated that the job was short term. Equally important, if the worker seemed to choose short-term work, they were not really contingent. (This is how a later bureau study could contain the paradoxical phrase: only 24% of temps were contingent.) The headline numbers in 1995 were low between 3 million and 6 million Americans, or about 1% of the workforce. Contingent worker? What contingent worker? But that same year, using the same data, if you included all independent contractors (8.3 million), on-call workers (2.0 million) and temps (1.8 million), you could also say the contingent workforce was 12.1 million, or 10% of the workforce. The fundamental error, to my thinking, was suggesting that individual choice was driving this shift in employment. If the only jobs available were short-term, then of course people chose to take the only work to be found. By focusing on individuals, the BLS also missed the big story: the change in the corporation. Seen from the corporate angle, contingent workers werent then (nor are they now) temporary replacements. They were, and are, a permanent strategy for managing a companys labor costs. The consulting company Deloitte has calculated that paying people is 50% to 60% of expenses at a typical Fortune 500 company. That is a big, fat target for cost-cutting. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion For managers pushed to downsize, shifting work to a contractor or temp or freelancer (and showing the cost reduction in benefits) was an easy move. Rather than hire employees, companies began leasing workers from staffing agencies like Allegis and Adecco, or the more recognizable ManpowerGroup or Kelly Services. Further, these staffing agencies didnt just lease out administrative or manual labor, but increasingly technology specialists, professionals and creative workers. The federal labor data captured little of that. Bureau economists seemed to go out of their way to ignore the fact that contingent jobs werent a convenient personal choice, but an unwelcome necessity. The effect of this major shift has been felt throughout corporate America. Full-time employees everywhere know that being replaced by a temp or a contractor is not just a possibility, but part of their human resources departments plan. The definition of contingent worker remains unsettled and ineffectual today. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in an effort to make the categories from 1995 onward comparable, has not altered its survey definitions. In the meantime, for many millions of Americans, work has become even less secure. Reconciling government statistics with our lived experiences (and other surveys) will require new approaches. The bureau certainly will need to update and expand its definitions of contingent work. At the same time, we need to survey corporations to analyze how they are now using temps and contractors alongside traditional employees. If we want to understand why Americans are winding up in contingent work and what to do about that we need to first look at how extensively corporations are outsourcing their labor. Louis Hyman is a history professor at Cornell University. This piece is adapted from his forthcoming book, TEMP: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary, from Viking, on sale August 21st. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook In the 1990s, Vancouver, Canada, experienced an overdose crisis similar to the epidemic sweeping the United States. The surge was driven by a potent supply of China White heroin. The city saw more than 1,300 fatal overdoses over the course of the decade. During the worst year of the crisis, 1998, there were some 400 fatal overdoses across British Columbia. This rate of fatal overdoses was considered so unfathomable that Vancouver was galvanized into action. Activists marched in the streets and occupied City Hall, demanding that drug users have a say in drug policy. Advocates pushed for harm reduction, a set of strategies in which the goal is not to eliminate drug use, but rather to minimize its worst outcomes. As a result, Vancouver adopted a host of progressive programs, such as needle exchanges, and in 2003 opened North Americas first sanctioned supervised injection facility, Insite. There, people can use illegal drugs under the supervision of nurses without fear of apprehension by police. In the following decade, British Colombia saw a roughly 50% reduction in annual overdose deaths. Other Canadian cities followed Vancouvers lead. There are now more than 25 supervised injection facilities across Canada. Advertisement While its critical that unsanctioned sites exist, it is also absurd. When you compare the low points of Vancouvers previous epidemic 1,300 dead in the city over a decade, 400 across British Columbia at its peak to overdose rates in the United States right now, its shocking that more Americans arent marching in the streets. There were 1,217 fatal overdoses in Philadelphia in 2017 alone, and some 70,000 fatal overdoses across the country. The United States needs supervised injection facilities more than ever. But it is illegal to establish them because of the so-called crack house statute, a federal law that forbids the operation of spaces for the purposes of making, distributing or using controlled substances. Instead, drug users in the United States must rely on makeshift versions. In many cities, these spaces function similarly to Canadas sanctioned facilities. Just dont call them supervised injection sites. I recently traveled to a number of these places across the Northeast to learn how drug users and their allies are responding to fentanyl. The dangerous synthetic opioid was linked to about 40% of last years fatal overdoses in the United States, up from roughly 31% the previous year. (Fentanyl is behind a new epidemic in Canada as well, causing 84% of some 1,450 fatal overdoses across British Columbia last year.) In New York, I visited Washington Heights Corner Project in the Bronx. You cant inject drugs out in the open there, so people inject drugs in the bathrooms, behind closed doors. The staff cannot stop clients from using their bathrooms, though they know some clients will do drugs in them. So they make the situation as safe as possible, within the confines of federal law, providing clean needles and other supplies. If a client has been in a bathroom for too long and does not respond to a knock on the door, the staff will enter and, if necessary, respond to an overdose if thats what has occurred. In Boston, I visited the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, a one-stop-shop for those in need located on Methadone Mile. Their bathroom situation is similar to Corner Projects, but theyve added another service: the Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment. Its a simple room off the lobby where someone who feels they are at risk of an overdose can rest under the supervision of a nurse. In other words, users can obtain a clean needle and use drugs in a bathroom, then walk across the lobby to this room. I also visited a number of so-called crack dens and shooting galleries in Philadelphias Kensington neighborhood. At these informal gatherings, hidden along train tracks and in the forest, drug users take a strength-in-numbers approach by supervising one another. Outreach workers often circulate, handing out syringes, cookers and vials of clean water safer alternatives to used needles, dirty spoons and puddle water. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion While its critical that these unsanctioned sites exist, it is also absurd. Its absurd that Corner Project needs to provide a toilet and plumbing to clients who really only want to inject drugs. Its absurd that visitors to Boston Health Care for the Homeless must inject drugs behind closed doors on one side of the building and then, if they feel they are at risk of overdosing, stumble across the lobby to a different room. And its absurd that users in Philadelphia are providing each other with almost every service that a supervised injection site would, but must do so in filthy conditions, hiding in dark alleys and along train tracks. These shortcomings are not the result of drug use. They are the result of Americas failed war on drugs. With its annual death toll poised to surpass 70,000, the United States urgently needs to treat addiction as the healthcare issue it is. Several American cities are reportedly considering safe injection sites, but they still face legal hurdles. The United States simply does not have another decade to waste before legalizing these facilities. By then, the death toll will be in the hundreds of thousands. Travis Lupick is a journalist in Vancouver and the author of Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug Users Transformed One Citys Struggle with Addiction. Follow him on Twitter: @tlupick. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook. The failure of the U.S. government to reverse the kidnapping of thousands of children from their parents has been chalked up to incompetence. People want to believe that this act of extraordinary cruelty and the Trump administrations inability to fix it stems from our leaders lack of experience or common sense. But this too is a failure of our collective imagination. The separation of children from their parents at the Southwest border is not simply a policy that has resulted in immeasurable harm, but a policy designed to inflict it. The government blew its Thursday deadline to reunite these families because it never intended to do so. How else can we explain what has happened to these families? Some 14 million checked bags are managed by the Transportation Security Administration and thats just during Thanksgiving weekend. Even high school students can manage a coat check for an evening without losing everyones coats. They match each coat and owner with corresponding tickets, and do not store the coats outside the building, or even thousands of miles away from the event. This administration will harm children in order to force Congress to agree to its absurd immigration policies. Advertisement The administration did not take even these basic measures when it began to separate children not coats! from their parents. It did not use corresponding numbers for the files of parents and children, or take photos of families together, or hand out hospital-style bracelets. It did not house families near one another, choosing instead to hold mothers in California and daughters in Chicago, fathers in Texas and sons in New York City. In fact, the administration seems to have taken a comprehensive inventory of confiscated items sneakers, toothpaste, rosaries everything except which child belongs to which parent. These are the actions of a government that intended to separate families but did not intend to reunite them. It meant to inflict so much suffering that other families wouldnt make the dangerous trek. No matter how bad the violence might be in Central America, surely these families would choose to stay united rather than come and be separated. In fact, through all the blather, the Trump administration has admitted as much. I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly said in 2017. Even separate children from their parents, asked CNNs Wolf Blitzer? Yes. We expect that the new policy will result in a deterrence effect, Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Steven Wagner told reporters in June. Hopefully people will get the message, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said casually on Fox News in June. But according to the Department of Homeland Security, no one has been deterred. The number of families stopped at the border actually increased by 64% in the months after the administration began to separate families. So even if you could stomach traumatizing toddlers, this policy did not accomplish Sessions objective of sending a warning across the desert. Still, cruelty has its uses. Across the country, Republicans have made the Trump administrations immigration stance their rallying cry for reelection, running more than 14,000 campaign ads this year bragging about their efforts to stop illegals. And last month, Sessions spelled out the administrations plan to use all the bad press for good. We do not want to separate parents from their children, he clarified. If we build the wall, if we pass legislation to end the lawlessness, we wont face these terrible choices. In other words, this administration will harm children in order to force Congress to agree to its absurd immigration policies. But lets be clear: No lawmaker of any party should ever accede to a legislative demand in response to the intentional infliction of harm. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion The American people must also speak up. Our government has kidnapped children from their parents. It forces these lost boys and girls to say the Pledge of Allegiance while they are held captive in building wings named for U.S. presidents. (It is not hard to believe that President Reagan would be aghast.) This is not who we are, we want to say, but that isnt quite true. This policy reveals a darker side of America that has dehumanized black and brown people since our nations founding. Americans have stolen and enslaved black people, killed indigenous peoples and imprisoned Japanese Americans. The reason why this administration has pumped out racist rhetoric casting people as fish to be caught, infestations to be eradicated, and animals to be caged is because it has worked before. Will it work again? Thats up to us. Brian Schatz represents Hawaii in the U.S. Senate. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook To the editor: I read with interest your flattering article on Cardinal Roger Mahony, the former Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles who retired in disgrace but is still speaking out on immigration. I would like to clarify a few things. Although Mahony now says he told his successor that he would stay below the radar and try not to draw too much media attention to himself, the article fails to note that it was actually Archbishop Jose Gomez who, in the wake of the archdioceses ordered release of priest abuse records, wrote a public letter to the faithful admonishing Mahony for his failures in dealing with the abuse and announcing that he no longer would have any administrative or public duties. Readers should revisit past L.A. Times articles that recount how Mahony refused to report the allegations of abuse to authorities, selected therapists for some victims whom he knew would not report to law enforcement and advised some accused priests to stay away from California to avoid prosecution. As a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in child abuse, I have to set the record straight. Advertisement Colleen Friend, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Thank you for your excellent article about Mahonys long involvement in the immigration issue. It was good seeing The Times publish something positive about him. Ive always felt that The Times was unfair in the way it portrayed his involvement in the clergy sex abuse issue. While he made mistakes, he took steps after he became archbishop in 1985 to replace the informal practices he inherited from his predecessors with written policies and procedures that have become a model for other dioceses throughout the United States. He did this well before the scandal erupted in Boston in 2002. The great majority of cases that were involved in the $660-million settlement that is referred to so often occurred before he became archbishop. Richard P. Byrne, Los Angeles The writer, a retired Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, was the founding chairman of the archdiocesan Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board. .. To the editor: How lovely it is to hear that Mahony is doing well, tinkering with radios and growing vegetables. The feel-good tone of this article is disgusting. Heres a man who covered up decades of child abuse in the Los Angeles archdiocese so he could uphold his good reputation and that of the church. According to a 2013 Times report, Mahony documented countless reports of abuse, then turned a blind eye to the victims. Yet you choose to include him in todays political debate. Mahony said President Trump appeals at the bottom to peoples fears. How do you think those abused children ended up at the mercy of their pastors? Where is the self-reflection? The historical perspective? The pews erupted with applause after he spoke at a church recently. If this man can make anyone applaud, he is dangerous. There must be other ways to support immigrants. Anders Christensen, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook A federal judge said Friday that he was inclined to deny the request by Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, for a gag order to stop attorney Michael Avenatti from attacking him in the news media. At a hearing in Los Angeles, U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero said he was concerned about Avenattis frequent attacks on Cohen. Avenatti has called Cohen a dishonest thug and predicted he would soon be indicted. But Otero voiced skepticism about whether the court could impose prior restraint on Avenattis comments to the media without violating his 1st Amendment right to free speech. Im not sure you really appreciate the significance of the order that youre asking the court to issue, Otero told Brent Blakely, Cohens attorney. Advertisement Otero, who gave no indication when he would rule on Cohens request, is presiding over a lawsuit filed by porn actress Stormy Daniels to void the nondisclosure agreement that bars her from speaking publicly about what she says was a one-night stand with Trump in 2006. Avenatti is her attorney. Cohen, who orchestrated the deal in the closing weeks of the 2016 presidential race, is under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York for among other things potential campaign finance violations involving his payment of $130,000 in hush money to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Otero said Avenatti had an absolute right to raise questions about Cohens conduct in media interviews, admonishing Blakely for dismissing his adversary in court papers as a small-town carnival magician. This is serious business, Otero said. Blakely told Otero there were limits on free speech. You cant run into a movie theater and yell fire, he said. Avenattis rhetorical assaults threaten to prejudice potential jurors, Blakely argued. Otero, citing more than 70 Avenatti interviews on CNN alone, said he shared concerns expressed by U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in New York that Avenattis attacks could threaten Cohens right to a fair trial by tainting the jury pool. But in the Los Angeles case, Otero said, the lawsuit simply seeks to void a confidentiality pact. Avenatti told the judge that Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani had called Cohen a pathological liar Thursday on CNN, suggesting it was the presidents legal team that risked compromising Cohens rights and questioning why the gag order targeted only Avenatti. Otero responded that Giuliani was not involved in the L.A. lawsuit. He also questioned Cohens accusation that Avenatti had violated rules of professional conduct for lawyers. Cohen, the judge suggested, might have broken the rules by secretly taping conversations with his own clients, including Trump. The irony of all of this does not escape me, Otero said. After the hearing, attorneys for Cohen and Trump departed with no comment while Avenatti spoke to reporters on the courthouse steps. Americans deserve to know the truth about their elected leaders, what they knew, when they knew it and how they covered it up, Avenatti said. And what you witnessed today was a continued effort by the president of the United States and Michael Cohen to silence me and to prevent the truth from being exposed. Avenatti went on to predict that Cohen would be disbarred. This guy has no business having a law license, Avenatti said. michael.finnegan@latimes.com Twitter: @finneganLAT President Trump denied early Friday that he knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower, where his son Donald Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and campaign chief Paul Manafort huddled with an attorney with Kremlin ties offering dirt on his opponent, Hillary Clinton. NO, Trump tweeted. I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. The president was reacting to a report on CNN late Thursday that his former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, alleges that Trump was present when the scheduled meeting was discussed. That meeting is at the center of the special counsels ongoing investigation into possible collusion between Russian officials and Trumps campaign. Trump helped draft a statement last year that he didnt know about the meeting, which falsely claimed the encounter was about Russian adoptions. The statement is believed to be part of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs examination of whether Trump sought to obstruct justice. Advertisement Trump, in his tweet Friday, attacked Cohen, who is now facing a separate criminal investigation in New York and is said to be seeking to make a deal with prosecutors and testify against the president. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?), Trump tweeted. He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Cohen, whose interests in New Yorks taxi cab industry have come under scrutiny, signaled a break with his former boss weeks ago when he retained a new attorney, Lanny Davis, a Democrat who represented the Clintons in the 1990s. While his private recordings of Trump and others have been seized by investigators, he has not yet produced evidence to support his claim that Trump knew of the Trump Tower meeting. The FBI months ago raided Cohens home, office and hotel room, including in search of documents related to a $130,000 payment the attorney facilitated before the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had sex with Trump in 2006. Rudy Giuliani, the presidents attorney, trashed Cohen in a television interview Thursday night on CNN. I expected something like this from Cohen, Giuliani said to CNNs Chris Cuomo. Hes been lying all week. Hes been lying for years. Two months ago, Giuliani had described Cohen, before he had signaled a willingness to cooperate with prosecutors, as an honest, honorable attorney. Asked by Cuomo why Trump relied on Cohens services for so many years if hed known him to have been a liar, Giuliani replied that the president appears to have been duped. The latest from Washington estokols@gmail.com @EliStokols The White House said President Trump is open to visiting Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Friday and renewed the presidents proposal for Putin to come to Washington in 2019. On Wednesday, the White House announced it was postponing until next year the invitation that Trump extended last week for Putin to visit Washington this fall to continue the talks they began in Helsinki, Finland, this month. That invitation stunned his closest advisors, and the delay came after Congress Republican leaders expressed concerns that a Putin visit would generate controversy ahead of the November midterm election. President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The White House was responding to reports of Putins comments Friday that hes ready to invite Trump to Moscow and ready to visit Washington if conditions are right. Speaking to reporters during a visit to South Africa, Putin said he shares Trumps desire for more face-to-face meetings. Advertisement I am ready for that. We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries, Putin said at a news conference. We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. By all means. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him about that. Since returning from Helsinki 11 days ago, Trump has sought to quiet the political uproar sparked by his post-summit news conference, at which he accepted Putins denial of 2016 election interference over U.S. intelligence officials who say Russia did interfere in the election on Trumps behalf. Putin, standing beside the president, acknowledged that he wanted Trump to beat Hillary Clinton. But even as the president walked back his remarks in the face of intense political pressure and a dip in his poll numbers he has repeatedly contradicted his expressions of support for the U.S. intelligence findings by condemning the Russia investigation as a witch hunt and the allegations of interference as a hoax. At the same time, he has made clear his desire for future talks with Putin and an improved relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Because Trump and Putin met for more than two hours in Helsinki without any aides and only translators in the room, the details of their conversation have remained opaque. Moscow has provided more information, some of which the Trump administration has disputed. The White House did not say Friday whether Putin invited Trump to Moscow during their meeting, as the Russian president seemed to suggest. I am ready to go to Washington, Putin said. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created. The latest from Washington estokols@gmail.com @EliStokols For Yvon Nguyen, shopping for clothes had always been frustrating. At 4 foot 11, she rarely finds pants or dresses that fit and flatter her. So for years, almost everything she bought in a store ended up at a tailor for alterations. She even started making her own changes by adding design details, such as buttons or linings. Everything I started doing was out of necessity, at first because of my size, but then, out of a desire to add some personality to it, said Nguyen, 35. Nguyen enjoyed customizing her own clothes, but as the head of her own marketing firm, she never thought of designing for others. Then in 2015, she attended Viet Fashion Week an Orange County event showcasing Vietnamese fashion designers and inspiration hit. I was like, Wow, there are all these Vietnamese designers out there I could do this too, she said. The next year, she launched the Yvon Lux clothing line that offers custom-made pants, blouses, dresses, business suits, jackets and evening gowns that specifically but not exclusively caters to petite women who are under 5 foot 6. I wanted to end shopping woes for them, she said. Now, Nguyen, who is entirely self-taught, is introducing a new venture a subscription service for clients to receive individually designed and tailored pieces each month for a flat fee. While womens clothing subscriptions have become popular in recent years, Nguyen said that hers distinguishes itself in quality and personalization. Nothing is mass-produced, and everything is made-to-order with the specific client in mind. We want to be the go-to for busy, successful women who can have their own stylist, their own designer, and not worry about having to spend hours at the mall, she said. Nguyen, who lives in Yorba Linda, describes her style as minimalistic glamour, an approach that she said flatters the petite body. She uses solid colors and cuts that are designed to make a woman look leggy and slim, no matter her height. One of my goals for Yvon Lux is to disrupt the industry in that way, she said. The subscription service has three tiers lifestyle pieces for daily wear, such as pants and summer dresses; business attire, including suits, jackets and silk blouses; and a formal collection of evening gowns. Collections range from $119 to $339 per month. Clients submit their measurements and style preferences which colors, necklines and sleeve lengths they like, what industry they work in, how often they go out and Nguyen comes up with a profile of the types of pieces theyll enjoy and will look best on them. Newport Beach resident Cathleen Nguyen, who had Yvon Nguyen design several dresses for her in the past year, said that a subscription service is a good solution for busy women, especially those who have trouble finding their size at the store. Everything is so fast-paced, and we just dont have the time anymore, she said. You dont have to spend all those hours searching, trying on things. Theres always something you have to fix about it; theres always something you dont like about it. Plus, Cathleen Nguyen said, having a surprise each month can expand a persons taste. If you always pick out everything that you want, youre going to have similar stuff in your closet, she said. Having her design what she thinks looks best gives us more variety and allows us to see what else we look good in that we might not have known. Yvon Nguyen estimates that shell have several hundred subscribers nationwide after her launch this month. Over the next two years she plans to scale up to include even more. By taking her time to grow the service, Nguyen said shell be able continue playing a hands-on role with her clients. In addition to design work, she also acts as a stylist, advising what kind of shoes or jewelry to wear with her outfits if needed. Theyre not just filling out a form online, she said of her subscription service. Theyll feel like they have a stylist and a designer at their expense. Is real news weirder than fake news? Take the spat between Newport Beach activist Bob Rush and former Newport Beach mayors Keith Curry, Rush Hill and Mike Henn and former Mayor Pro Tem Jean Watt over whose statement should be used against an as-yet-unnamed measure slated for the November ballot. For the record: An earlier version of this column reported that Jean Watt is 92. She is 91. The measure, if passed, would require 55% of voters to approve a city charter amendment before the city can use a special type of financing certificates of participation for projects costing $50 million or more. Rush was quoted in a Daily Pilot story saying critics could kiss my ass. The online comment thread which I verified with those who made the comments got crazier, with Curry calling Rush a failed Democrat Assembly candidate who recently made the crazy assertion the city had an enemies list, and [is] a `shill for [political consultant] Dave Ellis and Councilman Scott Peotter. Rush fired back, disparaging Curry and his friends. I felt this was especially disrespectful as it pertained to Watt, a well-respected 91-year-old advocate. On Wednesday, Rush explained that his reference in the comment thread was meant for Hill, Curry and Henn, not Watt, as he had no idea she was involved. Rush isnt the only one Curry has a bone to pick with. Orange County Republican Party Chairman Fred Whitaker is another. Candidates have until Aug. 10 to pull official papers to run for City Council, yet the O.C. Republican Central Committee this week endorsed incumbent Newport council members Scott Peotter, Kevin Muldoon and Diane Dixon and Mayor Marshall Duffy Duffield. This didnt sit well with Curry, a staunch Republican. Curry wondered in a July 22 email to Whitaker whether endorsements were made before Duffield and Peotter voted for a property tax increase of up to $4,500 per year. Curry pointed out the city operating budget is now $56.5 million higher and the unfunded pension liability is $70 million higher than when Peotter, Duffield and Muldoon took office. I wanted to make sure you had all the facts so that you dont embarrass the party by saying they are anti-tax, for cutting spending, supportive of transparent voter rights, they are for strong law enforcement or that they stand up to tax raisers like [recalled state Sen.] Josh Newman. Because the facts tell a different story. Whitakers answer? They filled out questionnaires and got 32 signatures each to go directly to the Central Committee, he wrote to Curry. That happened at our June meeting. They met the bylaw requirements and got a unanimous vote. What about Dixon? Did she really agree at the Central Committee meeting to endorse her fellow incumbents, if asked? When we spoke last, she explained her intention was to wait until after the Aug. 10 filing date before endorsing. Last April, Dixon publicly chastised her fellow incumbents, calling out their alleged behind-the-scenes antics to pressure Newport City Manager Dave Kiff to leave before the end of his contract. I gave her kudos for championing the truth and felt she certainly heightened her political profile with this move, distancing herself from Team Newport. Now her party feels she needs to lend this positive profile to those same incumbents with an endorsement. Will she? I am a lifelong Republican, Dixon wrote in an email. I sought and obtained the Republican Party endorsement in 2014. I independently requested the endorsement again for my reelection in 2018. I support Republicans running for office in the November election. That statement didnt really answer my question. Rohrabacher appears on Showtime spoof Then theres Rep. Dana Rohrabachers appearance on comedian Sacha Baron Cohens new Showtime series, Who is America? The Costa Mesa Republican appeared to embarrass himself by apparently agreeing with the pretense of arming children as a way to reduce school shootings. Watching the satirical series trailer, its obvious to me that Cohen is heavily made up, and his accent is so off I cant imagine anyone taking him seriously. Rohrabacher, in a statement, called the show false news and said he was never interviewed by Cohen and that the editing inaccurately made it look like he supported arming schoolchildren. Cohens people apparently used footage from an interview I submitted to earlier this year for a bogus Israeli television company supposedly celebrating the countrys 70th anniversary, according to his statement. In that interview, which was not with Cohen, I spoke broadly of training young people at a responsible age in self-defense. At no time did I endorse training toddlers in handling guns. I find it funny that Rohrabacher and his handlers fell for this whole false news bit and yet theyre dancing around on agreeing to attend a Feet to the Fire candidates forum Sept. 2 with actual journalists. This week, Rohrabacher spokesman Michael Schroeder said he couldnt schedule a date two months out and that they were still going through many forum requests. They may accept the F2F invitation at the last minute. I feel Rohrabacher is afraid to face the real journalists of F2F, as well as his opponent, Democrat Harley Rouda, who has accepted the invitation. Will Rohrabacher ever answer some tough questions this election season? Or just look for a friendlier forum? Barbara Venezia is an opinion columnist writing political and social commentary since 2007. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com. Costa Mesa Sanitary District board members unanimously adopted a plan Thursday to divide the agency into voting districts for board elections. The chosen map referred to in board documents as Plan E, Revision 1 splits the district into five sections with populations ranging from 22,728 to 23,552. Beginning in 2020, residents in each region will choose one board candidate from that area to represent them. This Novembers election when three seats on the five-member board will be up for grabs will be the last using the current at-large voting system, in which residents throughout the district can vote for anyone running for the board, regardless of where they live. The sanitary district provides sewer and curbside trash collection services to about 116,700 ratepayers in Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach and unincorporated sections of Orange County. Board members selected their preferred map from a lineup of seven publicly submitted options. That configuration, they said, would keep the voting districts populations largely even and avoid splitting neighborhoods to the extent possible. It just seemed like it balanced out and people would be happier with it, said board member Arlene Schafer. Like many other agencies throughout the county and state, the sanitary district was threatened with a lawsuit if it didnt change its election method. Attorney Kevin Shenkman sent a letter to the sanitary district in March alleging that its at-large voting system dilutes the ability of Latinos to elect candidates of their choice or otherwise influence the outcome of the districts board elections and therefore violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001. He and his law firm, Malibu-based Shenkman & Hughes, have threatened or filed such lawsuits against governing agencies throughout Southern California in recent years, including the city of Costa Mesa, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and the Coast Community College District, all of which eventually agreed to move from at-large voting to district-based elections. The sanitary districts selected map carves out one area, District 4, where a majority of the residents are Latino and another, District 3, where that group makes up a plurality of the population. Since receiving Shenkmans letter, the districts board and citizens advisory committee have held five public hearings to collect input on the change in election method and solicit proposals for how to draw the new voting district boundaries. Still, some board members said they wished they could have spent more time studying the issue rather than having to rush to respond to potential litigation. This should have been a process that took six months or longer, said board President Mike Scheafer. Were all under the gun with this thing and thats just not fair, as far as Im concerned. luke.money@latimes.com Twitter @LukeMMoney A 61-year-old Newport Beach doctor pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday to a year in jail in connection with an alleged $22-million urine test billing scheme that authorities say operated through sober-living homes in Orange County until 2014. Dr. Carlos Montano also was ordered to serve five years formal probation and pay $57,500 in restitution, court records show. Montano, one of six people charged in the case, pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to two felony counts of insurance fraud. As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, original charges including conspiracy to commit medical insurance fraud, an additional count of insurance fraud and possible sentencing enhancements on allegations of property damage over $3.2 million and aggravated white-collar crime over $500,000 were dismissed Thursday, according to court records. Prosecutors alleged Montano and Dr. Suzie Schuder, 70, of Corona del Mar wrote unnecessary prescriptions for urine drug tests multiple times per week for employees of Compass Rose Recovery homes and affiliated businesses. In exchange for the test orders, the doctors received a per-patient fee of $200 and 20% of the net insurance proceeds from the billings, prosecutors say. Schuder has pleaded not guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to commit medical insurance fraud, four counts of insurance fraud and possible sentencing enhancements on allegations of property damage over $3.2 million and aggravated white-collar crime over $500,000, court records show. If convicted, she could face 17 years and eight months in state prison, according to prosecutors. She is expected in court for a pretrial hearing Nov. 13. Prosecutors allege that Pamela Ganong, 61, of La Jolla and Philip Ganong, 63, of Bakersfield, who operated Compass Rose Recovery homes throughout Southern California, including in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa, concocted a scheme to overbill insurance companies for the collection of urine for drug tests. Both Ganongs are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit medical insurance fraud, 13 counts of insurance fraud and 26 counts of money laundering, with possible sentencing enhancements on allegations of property damage over $3.2 million, money laundering over $2.5 million and aggravated white-collar crime over $500,000. They have pleaded not guilty to all charges. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @HannahFryTCN A Newport Beach couple pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges stemming from allegations that they stole more than $5.9 million in a real estate fraud scheme and laundered the money to buy a luxury car and invest in a winery. Ronald Cedric Touchard, 59, faces 54 counts of money laundering, three counts of grand theft and three counts of recording a false or forged instrument, as well as several possible sentencing enhancements, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Misty Denise Touchard, 43, faces 13 counts of money laundering and three counts of grand theft, as well as possible sentencing enhancements, court records show. If convicted, Ronald Touchard could face a maximum of 55 years and four months in state prison and Misty Touchard could face 24 years and eight months, according to prosecutors. Newport Beach police arrested the couple in May. Misty Touchard posted $400,000 bail on June 6 and Ronald Touchard posted $1 million bail on June 13. Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones on Thursday ordered Ronald Touchard to turn over his passport, according to court records. Prosecutors allege Ronald Touchard took over the titles of three Newport Beach residences that he did not own between June and July 2016 by submitting paperwork to Delaware indicating he was the sole officer of Capital Win Corp. and Gainquick LLC, investment companies based in Laguna Beach. Ronald Touchard convinced hard money lenders that, as president of Capital Win and Gainquick, he held the deed of trust for each residence and pulled $5.9 million in equity out of the properties, prosecutors allege. Prosecutors said the couple used the funds to make several large purchases and moved the money among various bank accounts in a pattern consistent with money laundering. The Touchards are expected in court for a pretrial hearing Oct. 11. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @HannahFryTCN By Yang Qingmin and Fan Daoheng MOSCOW, July 25 (ChinaMil) -- Reporters visited the camp of the Chinese participating team in "Road Patrol" competition of the International Army Games (IAG) 2018 at the Training Complex of the Noginsk Resque Centre of EMERCOM of Russia, in Noginsk, Moscow Oblast, on July 23. This is the first time for the Chinese PLA Army to participate in this competition in Russia. The "Road Patrol" competition is sponsored by the Main Military Police Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defence, while the participants are mainly the military vehicle supervisors. The competition has been formally included into the IAG in 2017. This year, the competition will be held in Noginsk from July 30 to August 5 and will include participating teams from Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Iran and Armenia. According to the competition rules, each participating country should send six participants to take part in. This year's competition includes seven parts: extreme driving, individual pursuit race, road traffic management, tyres replacement, and team relay race, etc. Chen Xiaoming, head of the PLA Army's participating team in Road Patrol, said they had carefully studied and analysed the competition rules and procedures and strengthened the psychological and adaptability training before the competition, in order to compete effectively. Two UC Irvine researchers recently began investigating why women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. Drs. Sunil Gandhi and Mathew Blurton-Jones were the winners of a $100,000 grant competition organized by UCIs Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) and the Womens Alzheimers Movement, a group founded by Maria Shriver. For the record: This article previously stated UCI MIND is Californias only state- and federally-funded Alzheimers Disease Research Center. In fact, UCI MIND is Orange Countys only state- and federally-funded Alzheimers Disease Research Center. Dr. Josh Grill, co-director of UCI MIND, said the move is meant to help focus some of the institutes best scientists on finding out what leads to the sex disparity in Alzheimers diagnoses. The idea with this recent partnership is to focus the energy of our best scientists on the relationship between Alzheimers and sex and gender, Grill said. Thisll let our scientists gather some preliminary data that will make them competitive for larger grants. Grill said researchers have traditionally traced the disparity to womens longer lifespans, considering they are more likely to live to the ages where the risk for Alzheimers increases exponentially. Grill said that while this is the biggest contributor to the imbalance, its not the entire explanation. New research published in June suggested that hormonal influences or pregnancy-related changes in the immune system may increase womens risk. Dr. Sunil Gandhi will be working with Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones to learn why women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. (Courtesy of UC Irvine) The study conducted by Gandhi and Blurton-Jones, who are both UCI associate professors of neurobiology and behavior, will look at the relationship between Alzheimers and microglia the brains primary immune cells. Blurton-Jones said microglia play a role in clearing toxic proteins from the brain, including the beta-amyloid protein linked to Alzheimers. Recent genetic studies show that more than half of the risk genes associated with Alzheimers are created by microglia, he said. For the study, researchers will extract donated skin cells from male and female participants, which will be reprogrammed and matured into microglia that can be compared. The microglia will also be put into the brains of male and female mice. Blurton-Jones said the transplants have already begun, but researchers will wait a few months before examining the effects in the brains of mice. Funding for the study is considered a pilot grant and the research is expected to last about a year. However, Blurton-Jones said theyre hoping to discover information about microglia that will lead to bigger grants from the National Institutes of Health so the research can continue. The quicker we know about why it is that women get Alzheimers more, the quicker we can start to create new therapies to treat it, Blurton-Jones said. Maria Shriver, far left, at a UCI MIND gala in January. Shes pictured with donor and Alzheimers research participant Ann Quilter of Laguna Beach, center, and Aimee Pierce, the medical director of UCI MIND. (Courtesy of Stan Sholik) UCI MIND is Orange Countys only state- and federally-funded Alzheimers Disease Research Center. The group is comprised of more than 50 UCI faculty members from various departments, including medical clinicians, biological scientists, statisticians, psychologists and bio-mathematicians. The interdisciplinary unit has served as the universitys center for aging and dementia research for more than 30 years, using novel approaches to study Alzheimers disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia and Huntingtons disease. The money for the grant was raised at a UCI MIND fundraiser in January, when the group also honored Shriver, who founded her nonprofit a few years ago to focus on womens cognitive health, in particular to raise awareness about and raise funds for research into the sex disparity in Alzheimers diagnoses. Though this is the most substantial partnership between the two organizations, Grill has worked with the Womens Alzheimers Movement in the past and serves on its scientific advisory board. Grill said hes hoping the partnership with the Womens Alzheimers Movement will grow. [Shriver] is amazing, and her organization is doing great work, Grill said. The former California first lady initiated the national discussion about the sex disparity in Alzheimers when The Shriver Report: A Womans Nation Takes on Alzheimers was published in 2009. Erin Stein, executive director of the Womens Alzheimers Movement, said the report was the first time the sex disparity was addressed in that way. benjamin.brazil@latimes.com Twitter:@benbrazilpilot Editors note: This is second in a series of interviews columnist David Hansen is doing with Laguna Beach City Council candidates who are challenging incumbents in November. It started with her grandmothers tan. Sue Kempf, Laguna Beach City Council candidate, remembered when she first started dreaming of California. She was just a kid in Fort Wayne, Ind., whose biggest attraction is, well, Fort Wayne, the historic military outpost. My grandparents went to California a lot when I was young, Kempf said. My grandmother would come back and always tell me how wonderful it was. She always came back with a beautiful tan, so I always wanted to go to California. It took Kempf some time, including a year at Indiana University with a volleyball scholarship, but she finally headed west and never returned. Now, the 12-year Laguna resident is running for one of three council seats in November. Shes already in her third term on the Planning Commission, so shes no newcomer to the citys quirky politics. I think its a consequential election, she said. Were going to have some flame-throwing; theres no question. But Im just going to stick to my answers. For Kempf, her answers are borne out of research and collaboration. Its one thing to launch bombs. Its another thing to sit up there and listen to the public, she said. You may have one point of view when you sit down in your chair at the dais. But at the end of the day you may hear from the public, or you may hear from staff or your colleagues, and you may change your mind. Coming from the high-tech wireless sector, its been a learning curve for Kempf to have the patience for government work. Shes done stints at AirTouch Cellular, Vodafone and others. Government is much more of a process than business, she said. For example, when youre running a company, you set out your strategic goals, and you make your plans around those. You make out your plans, you map out your timeline, figure out your budget and you get those things done. Theres also no real public participation in many private businesses, which eliminates a wildcard. In government, its heavily process, and theres public involvement as well, which is most times helpful sometimes not, she said. Its a lot more difficult to get things done, and in some ways unnecessarily so. The engineer in Kempf wants to get things done. She calls herself a linear thinker, who wants to help Laguna solves some of its challenges by narrowing the problems. I think, in general, governments and I think this is true of Laguna their ambition doesnt match the size of their budget or stomach, she said. They get too many things on their plate, so what happens is things dont get done. Kempf hears the complaints from citizens. She knows residents are sometimes frustrated by an apparent lack of action. She gave the example of parking. Parking is at the heart of nearly every issue that we have practically, she said. Well, we cant do this because of parking; we cant do that because of parking. But we never do anything about it. We put the way-finding signs in there, and we have the trolleys, but we dont do anything significant about it, like we dont build a parking lot at Act V, for example, and then trolley people in. We dont try to build discrete structures in north and central Laguna and get people parking in there. Fundamentally, Kempf believes Laguna needs to address the elephant that sleeps downtown. When I get out of Planning Commission meetings its always dark, maybe 9 or 10 at night, she said. I get in my car and drive down Ocean its dead. Then I make a left on Beach dead. Right on Forest dead. Theres nothing happening downtown because theres no one living down there. So for her, its a simple solution. I want to see more people in the downtown. I want to see more students. I want to see more artists. I want vibrancy, she said. People tell me all the time, its not cool in town anymore. These are 30-year-olds and 40-year-olds. Its not cool here. Its an old peoples town. I hear that all the time. Chris Quilter, emeritus council member of Laguna Beach Seniors, is endorsing Kempf. Ive seen Sue in action on the Planning Commission, and shes fair-minded, does her homework and has a track record, Quilter said. Sue impresses me as sane and prepared. In person, Kempf is soft-spoken but articulate. She credits her background. When you grow up in the Midwest youre pretty direct, pretty straightforward, she said. I would say most people have their feet on the ground there. You may not agree with their politics but as people theyre pretty solid. In Laguna, the City Council holds most of the power for significant change. Were quite myopic here, she said. You need to look up at the world around you and see whats happening. I like a little more progressive, out-of-the-box thinking. DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com. Now that Conor McGregor has left court in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a plea bargain that spares him from jail time, Khabib Nurmagomedov is itching for the deal-making to begin for their anticipated UFC showdown. Everyones talking about Conor not [yet] having a deal, for a fall fight. Khabib doesnt have a deal, either, Nurmagomedovs manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told The Times on Thursday. Khabibs the champ, and were easy to deal with it, but nobody has officially offered us a fight. Irelands McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion who earned a reported $100 million for suffering a 10th-round technical-knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, fastened the building rivalry with Russias Nurmagomedov in April. With Nurmagomedov (26-0) in Brooklyn for the pre-fight news conference before he officially claimed the lightweight belt stripped from McGregor for taking an extended layoff from UFC action, McGregor led a band of associates to a tour bus carrying Nurmagomedov and several other UFC fighters. Advertisement With cameras documenting the attack, McGregor flung a hand truck at a bus window and the flying glass caused injuries that forced flyweight Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa off the card. Both now have the opportunity to sue McGregor for damages in civil court following the New York prosecutors decision to reduce two felony criminal mischief charges against McGregor to disorderly conduct violations that require community service while allowing McGregor to escape a lifetime criminal record with no restrictions on his ability to travel to the U.S. McGregors Orange County-based agent, Audie Attar, said Thursday he expects to have information soon on McGregor. Abdelaziz said hes been told by the UFC, Have Khabib ready for Oct. 6, the UFC 229 card at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena. Everybodys assuming Khabib already has [an agreement] done. He doesnt. Were willing to fight. We want the fight. Its a big fight. With McGregors case now adjudicated, Abdelaziz said the hand-truck attack heightened the rivalry with Nurmagomedov to a blood thing. Its not only a cage fight now. Its a street fight. Its about whos going to defend his turf, Abdelaziz said. Khabib is saying, You come at me, insult me and try to trap my team with 30-40 people and there was three of us. So now its personal. Before, it was about promoting a fight, about making money. Its not about this at all anymore. Its about kicking somebodys [rear] for disrespecting you. Abdelaziz said Nurmagomedov originally laughed when McGregor attacked. This is fake, Nurmagomedov told Abdelaziz. If somebody wanted to come after me, why didnt he come at me before I got on the bus, or wait for me to get off the bus? He waits for me while Im on the bus, with a whole bunch of cameras and security. Nurmagomedov told Abdelaziz he wouldve settled his differences with McGregor, alone under the Brooklyn Bridge. Khabib meant it, Abdelaziz said. Everything Conor does he does for a stunt, for media, for all that. Part of the hype toward McGregor-Nurmagomedov will be the Russians push to proclaim the act is over. Today, I told people Conor wouldve been safer in jail, Abdelaziz said. Im not joking. [McGregor] didnt have gangsters, with him during the bus attack. He had posers. They had a camera guy. Who comes to commit a crime with a camera guy? When you want to beat somebodys [rear], do it on the downlow. No evidence. No witnesses. Theres no more act. Lets fight and move on. I got a king on the stone. Khabib is the king, the one with the belt, and hes on top of the mountain. Everybody else doesnt matter. Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we try and get a little ahead of the news. No announcements are currently planned but the lock of the day is that next years Breeders Cup will be at Santa Anita. And, even though its down the road, the next two after that will be at Keeneland in 2020 and back at Del Mar in 2021. Now, no contracts are signed and negotiations could always fall apart but I dont think anyone is expecting that to occur. The Breeders Cup really only has four viable tracksSanta Anita, Del Mar, Churchill Downs and Keeneland. Its too cold in New York in November, not that they havent run it there a few times. You could take advantage of the great Florida weather at that time of year, but Gulfstream doesnt have enough seats for a huge crowd since it became a racino. The Pegasus tops the facility out at 16,000-17,000 seats. Del Mar is back with Night Racing During the Daylight on Friday with its 4 p.m. post. There are eight races, three on the turf, plus a nice Cal-bred stakes race at about 6:30 p.m. The feature is the $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes, a seven furlong race for 3-year-old Cal-breds. The favorite is Smiling Angelo, at 8-5. Hes two for two, winning by 4 and 2 lengths. Mike Smith will ride the Phil DAmato ridgling. The second favorite is Take the One O One, who has only finished out of the money once in eight races. He has won three of those races. His last out, he won the Snow Chief Stakes on the turf at Santa Anita. Last year, he was third in the FrontRunner behind Bolt dOro and Solomini, both who ran in the Kentucky Derby, Brian Koriner trains and Joe Talamo rides. Comebacker from the Edward Freeman barn has been sidelined since a solid third-place effort back in November over this course. He was making his first start on turf that day and moved forward dramatically, so look for him to be very competitive with these Cal-bred maidens if ready to fire off the bench. Led by AQHA champion millionaires Heza Dasha Fire and J Fire Up plus 13 other stakes winners, and more than 50 additional runners with previous stakes experience, Californias best quarter horses will race in the 19th California Breeders Champions Night on Saturday at Los Alamitos. The 12-race card will feature 11 stakes races and will include three pick fours. First post is 7:15 p.m. The racing action will be headed by the running of the $380,000 Governors Cup Futurity featuring fastest qualifier Parsons Rocket and Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity runner-up Striver. The card will also include the $203,000 Governors Cup Derby with J Fire Up, one of the top contenders. The Jaime Gomez -bred and trained runner earned $1,430,411 in 2017 to be the highest single season earning filly or mare in Los Alamitos history. Named the AQHA champion 2-year-old and 2-year-old filly in 2017, J Fire Up has won eight of 10 career starts including her derby trial on July 15. That was also her first race of 2018. She came out of the race better than how she was doing going into the race, Gomez said. Shes doing perfect. Ive liked everything about her since that race. Weve taken her to the gates and she just looks so happy and comfortable. Shes settled in nicely. There are a few others in there that we have to beat, but were excited to be in the position that we are in, ODell said. All five of our horses are doing well. They drew on top of each other with Tac Me Up in the six post, Jess Bein Me in the seven, Powerful Favorite in the eight and Favorite Wise Lady in the nine. I dont know if thats good or bad. I guess well find out on Saturday. Parsons Rocket, who outdueled stablemate Powerful Favorite by a nose, had the top time of 17.58 seconds. He will start from the three while searching for his third win in five career starts. The biggest thing with Parsons Rocket is getting him to relax, ODell said. He can get a little hot. The last time [in the trials] he behaved perfectly. He didnt even break a sweat. He was pretty cool the entire time and ended up running a great race. We havent galloped him as much and instead weve been ponying him and hes been thriving with that plan. Heza Dasha Fire, the 2015 world champion, will headline the $100,000 Spencer Childers Handicap. Trained by Jose Flores , Heza Dasha Fire will be making his 2018 debut and his first start since his second in last years Champion of Champions. The $40,000 Matron Stakes for distaffers appears to be a showdown between Kiddy Up Cowgirl and Thermonuclear Energy. Weve bred Kiddy Up Cowgirl since then, trainer James Glenn, Jr. said. We got a couple of embryos out of her before bringing her back to the track. Well see how she does, but I expect a good race from her. Trainer Christopher ODell is loaded with talented 2-year-olds this year and this filly has much upside while only making her third lifetime start. In debut from the rail post, she lugged in solidly early after breaking slow and had much run in reserve during the final 1/8. She showed her ability with a quick break in last 1 -length maiden victory when posting the second fastest of five 300-yard wins on June 23. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter you can click here and sign up . Remember, its free, and all we need is your email, nothing more. Tell your friends, or even people you dont like that much. Any thoughts, dont hit reply as I wont see that email, instead you can reach me at johnacherwa@gmail.com . You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa Del Mar Charts Results for Thursday, July 26. Copyright 2018 by Equibase Company. Reproduction prohibited. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, California. All finishes confirmed by Plusmic USA. Official program numbers may not correspond with post position. 7th day of a 36-day meet. Clear & Fast FIRST RACE. 5 Furlongs. Purse: $36,000. Maiden Claiming. Fillies. 2 year olds. Claiming Prices $80,000-$70,000. Time 22.45 46.04 57.93 Pgm Horse Wt PP St 3/16 3/8 Str Fin Jockey $1 6 Boujie Girl 120 5 3 22 11 12 13 Van Dyke 0.40 4 Devils Dance 120 3 5 5 41 23 28 Talamo 7.40 5 Midnight Miracle 120 4 2 3hd 3 3hd 31 Maldonado 12.80 1 Staythirstymyamigo 120 1 1 1 21 46 47 Frey 18.80 3 Noonshine 120 2 4 41 5 5 5 Gutierrez 3.10 6 BOUJIE GIRL 2.80 2.20 2.10 4 DEVILS DANCE 4.40 2.80 5 MIDNIGHT MIRACLE 3.40 $1 EXACTA (6-4) $5.20 $2 QUINELLA (4-6) $10.40 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (6-4-5-1) $4.41 50-CENT TRIFECTA (6-4-5) $10.45 WinnerBoujie Girl Grr.f.2 by Flashback out of Super Girlie, by Closing Argument. Bred by Pedro Gonzalez & P. J. Gonzalez (FL). Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Rockingham Ranch. Mutuel Pool $158,212 Exacta Pool $61,840 Quinella Pool $3,899 Superfecta Pool $24,742 Trifecta Pool $41,666. ClaimedMidnight Miracle by Loooch Racing Stables, Inc. and Hess, Maria E. Trainer: Robert Hess, Jr. ScratchedLesley's Song. BOUJIE GIRL angled in and dueled outside a rival, took the lead and inched away leaving the turn, kicked clear in the stretch and proved best under a couple left handed cracks of the whip and steady handling. DEVILS DANCE broke a step slowly, chased off the rail then outside on the turn, came three deep into the stretch and was clearly second best. MIDNIGHT MIRACLE stalked the pace outside a rival then a bit off the rail leaving the turn and into the stretch and held third. STAYTHIRSTYMYAMIGO sent along early, dueled inside, stalked the winner leaving the turn and weakened in the stretch. NOONSHINE saved ground stalking the pace, dropped back leaving the turn, came out into the stretch and gave way. SECOND RACE. 1 Mile. Purse: $20,000. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $8,000-$7,000. Time 23.48 47.29 1:12.82 1:25.55 1:38.33 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 1 Banze No Oeste 120 1 4 3hd 4 4hd 1hd 1hd Pena 2.20 6 Exotic Ghost 120 6 2 4 3hd 21 23 26 Franco 5.40 7 Rprettyboyfloyd 122 7 6 61 51 52 45 3 Pedroza 2.10 2 Sense of Glory 113 2 1 1hd 1hd 1hd 3 412 Figueroa 3.40 3 Drummer 120 3 7 7 7 61 63 5 Quinonez 26.20 4 Bourque 120 4 5 21 22 3hd 51 62 Fuentes 7.70 5 Steel Plank 113 5 3 5hd 61 7 7 7 Payeras 44.50 1 BANZE NO OESTE (BRZ) 6.40 3.60 2.60 6 EXOTIC GHOST 5.60 3.20 7 RPRETTYBOYFLOYD 2.40 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (6-1) $11.80 $1 EXACTA (1-6) $20.40 $2 QUINELLA (1-6) $21.60 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (1-6-7-2) $13.08 50-CENT TRIFECTA (1-6-7) $26.45 WinnerBanze No Oeste (BRZ) B.g.7 by Elusive Quality out of New Rafaela (BRZ), by Royal Academy. Bred by Stud TNT (BRZ). Trainer: Steve Knapp. Owner: Bassett, Randy, Zolotas, Steven and Romo, Sabina. Mutuel Pool $194,141 Daily Double Pool $35,494 Exacta Pool $115,417 Quinella Pool $4,958 Superfecta Pool $46,645 Trifecta Pool $77,340. ClaimedBanze No Oeste (BRZ) by James Davis, III. Trainer: James Davis, III. ClaimedRprettyboyfloyd by Allen Aldrich. Trainer: Quinn Howey. Scratchednone. BANZE NO OESTE (BRZ) stalked inside then a bit off the rail on the backstretch, continued between foes into the second turn, came three deep into the stretch, gained a short lead outside the runner-up and gamely prevailed under urging. EXOTIC GHOST five wide into the first turn, stalked three deep then outside a rival, bid three wide on the second turn and alongside the pacesetter leaving that turn, took the advantage into the stretch, fought back just off the fence in the final furlong and continued willingly to the end. RPRETTYBOYFLOYD angled in and chased a bit off the rail the inside, came out into the stretch and edged a rival for the show. SENSE OF GLORY had speed between horses then dueled inside, fought back leaving the second turn, continued inside and was edged for third. DRUMMER (GER) broke a bit slowly, saved ground chasing the pace, continued inside into and through the stretch and lacked a further response. BOURQUE three deep early, dueled outside a rival then between foes midway on the second turn, stalked between horses leaving that turn, came out into the stretch and weakened. STEEL PLANK four wide into the first turn, stalked three deep then outside a rival, dropped back just off the rail on the second turn and also weakened. THIRD RACE. 1 Mile Turf. Purse: $35,000. Starter Allowance. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $50,000. Time 23.45 47.29 1:11.33 1:23.57 1:35.89 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 2 Worthy Turk 111 2 4 4hd 5hd 5hd 41 1 Figueroa 13.10 1 My Friend Tony 122 1 2 1 1hd 1 21 2nk Bejarano 14.10 4 Dr. Troutman 122 4 1 21 2hd 21 1hd 3nk Prat 0.90 6 Original Intent 120 6 5 62 65 64 5 4hd Van Dyke 7.90 3 Famous Rock Star 120 3 3 51 4 41 3hd 53 Conner 4.40 7 John and Montan 122 7 7 7 7 7 7 6hd Ceballos 22.90 5 Samdar 118 5 6 3hd 31 3 63 7 Franco 4.30 2 WORTHY TURK 28.20 11.80 5.20 1 MY FRIEND TONY 15.40 5.60 4 DR. TROUTMAN 2.40 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (1-2) $83.00 $1 EXACTA (2-1) $150.40 $2 QUINELLA (1-2) $185.40 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (2-1-4-6) $206.40 50-CENT TRIFECTA (2-1-4) $212.05 WinnerWorthy Turk Ch.g.3 by Lemon Drop Kid out of Worthy Cat, by Tale of the Cat. Bred by Jack Swain III (KY). Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Anatolia, Inc.. Mutuel Pool $260,183 Daily Double Pool $26,331 Exacta Pool $141,864 Quinella Pool $6,117 Superfecta Pool $53,500 Trifecta Pool $93,406. Scratchednone. $1 Pick Three (6-1-2) paid $102.90. Pick Three Pool $51,027. WORTHY TURK saved ground stalking the pace, cut the corner into the stretch, waited momentarily then bid along the rail past midstretch to gain the advantage under urging in deep stretch and gamely prevailed. MY FRIEND TONY dueled inside, came a bit off the rail into the stretch, fought back to a short lead between horses past midstretch held second second between foes. DR. TROUTMAN pressed the pace outside the runner-up then between foes into and on the second turn, was fanned out a bit into the stretch, put a head in front outside that rival in midstretch, fought back between foes in deep stretch and held third. ORIGINAL INTENT chased three deep then outside a rival, went three wide leaving the second turn and four wide into the stretch and finished willingly five wide on the line. FAMOUS ROCK STAR rank between foes and steadied early, stalked between horses then a bit off the rail, came out in the stretch and continued on willingly four wide between rivals late. JOHN AND MONTAN fractious in the post parade, settled off the rail to the stretch and lacked the needed rally. SAMDAR stalked outside foes, bid three deep on the backstretch and most of the second turn, came three wide into the stretch and weakened. FOURTH RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $34,000. Claiming. 3 year olds. Claiming Prices $25,000-$22,500. Time 21.90 45.42 57.94 1:11.25 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 4 Candy Crew 120 4 1 11 11 12 12 T Baze 3.10 6 Neighborhood Bully 120 6 4 7 7 41 22 Van Dyke 4.30 2 Treasure Hunter 122 2 3 21 2hd 21 32 Bejarano 1.60 7 Midnight Soot 120 7 2 61 52 51 4hd Talamo 5.70 5 Irish Sky 120 5 5 42 3hd 32 57 Conner 13.90 3 Fender Bender 113 3 6 3hd 43 64 66 Espinoza 7.20 1 Bright Autism Mind 120 1 7 53 61 7 7 Pereira 21.00 4 CANDY CREW 8.20 5.00 3.20 6 NEIGHBORHOOD BULLY 4.40 2.60 2 TREASURE HUNTER 2.20 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (2-4) $106.80 $1 EXACTA (4-6) $22.50 $2 QUINELLA (4-6) $23.60 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (4-6-2-7) $20.95 50-CENT TRIFECTA (4-6-2) $29.35 WinnerCandy Crew Dbb.c.3 by Twirling Candy out of Brenda Leigh, by Forest Wildcat. Bred by Jack Swain III (KY). Trainer: John W. Sadler. Owner: Hronis Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $246,024 Daily Double Pool $26,571 Exacta Pool $132,131 Quinella Pool $6,363 Superfecta Pool $43,149 Trifecta Pool $81,636. ClaimedCandy Crew by Mansor, Tom and Sherlock, Gary. Trainer: Gary Sherlock. ClaimedTreasure Hunter by Brophy, Brett, Kennedy Jr., Philip, Cavello, Vito and Saratoga West. Trainer: Jeffrey Metz. Scratchednone. $1 Pick Three (1-2-4) paid $197.60. Pick Three Pool $26,288. CANDY CREW had good early speed outside a rival, inched away and set the pace a bit off the rail, angled in on the turn, kicked clear and proved best under urging. NEIGHBORHOOD BULLY chased just off the rail, came out leaving the turn and four wide into the stretch and gained the place. TREASURE HUNTER had speed inside the winner then saved ground stalking the pace, came a bit off the rail in the stretch and bested the others. MIDNIGHT SOOT chased outside a rival or off the rail, came out into the stretch and lacked a rally. IRISH SKY stalked outside a rival then three deep into and on the turn and into the stretch and weakened. FENDER BENDER was in a good position stalking the pace a bit off the rail then between horses into and on the turn, found the rail in the stretch and also weakened. BRIGHT AUTISM MIND a step slow into stride, saved ground chasing the pace, came out a bit into the stretch and had little left for the drive. FIFTH RACE. 1 Mile. Purse: $24,000. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $20,000. Time 22.92 46.82 1:12.66 1:26.05 1:38.94 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 2 Arch Prince 124 1 6 7 7 7 1hd 12 Quinonez 3.30 6 Seau 124 5 1 3hd 3 2hd 2 21 Conner 3.00 8 Run Like Rhett 124 7 7 61 63 4hd 4 3 Van Dyke 10.30 5 Twirling Tiger 124 4 2 2hd 21 11 32 41 Elliott 6.10 3 Pioneerof the West 119 2 5 51 5hd 61 51 55 Espinoza 7.70 7 Kona Dreams 124 6 4 43 43 5hd 6 62 Pereira 4.10 4 Lymebyrd 124 3 3 1 1 31 7 7 Pedroza 5.00 2 ARCH PRINCE 8.60 4.20 3.00 6 SEAU 4.20 3.00 8 RUN LIKE RHETT 4.20 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (4-2) $54.80 $1 EXACTA (2-6) $13.80 $2 QUINELLA (2-6) $14.00 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (2-6-8-5) $46.42 50-CENT TRIFECTA (2-6-8) $54.80 WinnerArch Prince Dbb.g.4 by Arch out of Westling, by Gone West. Bred by Pin Oak Stud, LLC (KY). Trainer: Val Brinkerhoff. Owner: Page Performance Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $237,005 Daily Double Pool $28,567 Exacta Pool $123,874 Quinella Pool $7,489 Superfecta Pool $39,282 Trifecta Pool $73,305. ClaimedArch Prince by Bobby Grayson, Jr. Trainer: Bobby Grayson. ClaimedSeau by Aldrich, Allen, Olsen, Cindy and Titus, Andy. Trainer: Quinn Howey. ScratchedMonterey Shale. $1 Pick Three (2-4-2) paid $365.80. Pick Three Pool $47,686. 50-Cent Pick Four (1-2-4-2) 4 correct paid $566.90. Pick Four Pool $140,970. 50-Cent Pick Five (2/6-1-2-4-2) 5 correct paid $1,808.80. Pick Five Pool $465,622. ARCH PRINCE settled inside then a bit off the rail on the first turn and backstretch, came out leaving the second turn and five wide into the stretch, bid outside foes in the drive, gained the lead in midstretch and won clear under urging. SEAU pressed the pace three deep then stalked off the rail leaving the backstretch and outside a rival leaving the second turn, came three wide into the stretch, re-bid between foes in the drive, could not match the winner but bested the others. RUN LIKE RHETT four wide into the first turn, angled in and chased outside a rival, split horses leaving the second turn, came three wide into the stretch and edged a foe for the show. TWIRLING TIGER dueled between horses then outside a rival leaving the backstretch and on the second turn, inched away leaving that turn, fought back just off the rail in midstretch and lost third late. PIONEEROF THE WEST saved ground stalking the pace, awaited room off heels leaving the second turn, came out into the stretch, angled in past midstretch and lacked the needed rally. KONA DREAMS pressed the pace four wide then stalked outside leaving the backstretch and on the second turn, came four wide into the stretch and weakened. LYMEBYRD sent between horses early, angled in and set a pressured pace inside, stalked leaving the second turn and weakened in the drive. SIXTH RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $60,000. Maiden Special Weight. 3 year olds and up. Time 22.61 46.31 1:11.95 1:18.61 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 3 Terrible Ted 120 3 8 8 5hd 32 1 Desormeaux 3.10 7 Red Envelope 120 6 7 2 2 1hd 21 Van Dyke 4.50 5 Air Jockey 124 5 4 6hd 71 54 32 Conner 2.10 2 Big Bad Gary 113 2 3 4hd 1hd 2hd 42 Figueroa 7.30 4 Whoa Buddy 124 4 2 5 6hd 4hd 55 Roman 9.70 9 Valiant 124 8 5 71 8 73 65 T Baze 5.90 1 Lucky Mesquite 120 1 6 3hd 41 61 77 Stevens 16.10 8 True Regards 120 7 1 1 3hd 8 8 Franco 26.00 3 TERRIBLE TED 8.20 5.20 3.00 7 RED ENVELOPE 5.20 3.40 5 AIR JOCKEY 2.60 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (2-3) $83.20 $1 EXACTA (3-7) $26.90 $2 QUINELLA (3-7) $28.20 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (3-7-5-2) $45.63 50-CENT TRIFECTA (3-7-5) $35.15 WinnerTerrible Ted Grr.g.3 by Tribal Rule out of Aunt Gert, by In Excess (IRE). Bred by Tom Metzger (CA). Trainer: Hector O. Palma. Owner: Thomas F. Metzger, Sr.. Mutuel Pool $249,068 Daily Double Pool $32,003 Exacta Pool $136,520 Quinella Pool $7,584 Superfecta Pool $58,508 Trifecta Pool $94,296. ScratchedBaby Gronk. $1 Pick Three (4-2-3) paid $165.20. Pick Three Pool $39,570. TERRIBLE TED broke a bit slowly, chased just off the rail, came out leaving the turn and three deep into the stretch, bid three wide in the drive, gained the advantage past midstretch and gamely prevailed under urging. RED ENVELOPE pressed the pace outside then four wide on the turn, angled in and battled outside a rival into the stretch to take a short lead, fought back between horses in midstretch, drifted to the inside in the final furlong and continued willingly. AIR JOCKEY stalked between horses then three deep on the turn, came four wide into the stretch and bested the others. BIG BAD GARY stalked early then bid between horses to duel for the lead, fought back inside leaving the turn and in the stretch and weakened in the final sixteenth. WHOA BUDDY pressed or stalked the pace between horses, came out three deep into the stretch and lacked the needed late kick. VALIANT stalked four wide then off the rail on the turn, came four wide into the stretch and weakened. LUCKY MESQUITE tracked inside early then bid along the rail to duel for the lead, fell back some leaving the turn and weakened in the drive. TRUE REGARDS had good early speed and dueled off the rail then three deep between horses into and on the turn, dropped back leaving the turn, angled in some and gave way. SEVENTH RACE. 1 Mile Turf. Purse: $62,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $20,000. Time 22.97 47.06 1:11.02 1:22.82 1:35.02 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 8 Nice Ice 120 8 8 41 43 3hd 2 1hd Pereira 6.20 5 A Walk in the Park 118 5 2 2hd 2 22 11 21 Franco 3.90 10 Rolling Shadow 122 10 4 62 61 5 41 3nk Gutierrez 13.20 6 X S Gold 120 6 10 7hd 9hd 7hd 7hd 41 Desormeaux 2.00 2 Moonshine Annie 117 2 5 52 5hd 61 6 5 Espinoza 24.40 7 Ragazza Di Vola 122 7 6 10 7hd 82 82 61 Fuentes 10.80 9 Lemon Crush 118 9 9 8hd 8hd 10 92 7 Quinonez 16.90 4 Sea Smoke 122 4 3 31 31 41 5hd 8hd Talamo 6.80 1 Easy Song 122 1 1 11 11 1hd 31 93 T Baze 9.80 3 Inland Empire 118 3 7 91 10 9hd 10 10 Roman 22.80 8 NICE ICE 14.40 7.60 6.20 5 A WALK IN THE PARK 5.20 4.20 10 ROLLING SHADOW 7.80 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (3-8) $107.00 $1 EXACTA (8-5) $38.20 $2 QUINELLA (5-8) $38.00 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (8-5-10-6) $153.97 50-CENT TRIFECTA (8-5-10) $191.55 WinnerNice Ice Dbb.f.3 by Northern Afleet out of Fanny Chenal, by Popular. Bred by Dr. & Mrs. William T. Gray (CA). Trainer: Brian J. Koriner. Owner: Koriner, Brian and Lyons, Janet. Mutuel Pool $383,862 Daily Double Pool $43,403 Exacta Pool $221,457 Quinella Pool $11,425 Superfecta Pool $102,195 Trifecta Pool $153,525. ScratchedClearly Gone, Funny Bean, Sapphire Kid, Streak of Luck. $1 Pick Three (2-3-8) paid $402.50. Pick Three Pool $37,182. NICE ICE stalked outside a rival or off the rail, came out some in the stretch and rallied under urging to get up on the line. A WALK IN THE PARK close up stalking the pace outside a rival, bid alongside the pacesetter on the second turn, gained the advantage nearing the stretch, inched clear in the drive and held on well but was caught in the final stride. ROLLING SHADOW angled in and stalked just off the rail or outside a rival, came three deep into the stretch and edged a foe for third. X S GOLD broke through the gate before the start, was squeezed some at the break, angled in and chased inside, went between horses on the second turn and three deep into the stretch and was edged for the show. MOONSHINE ANNIE saved ground chasing the pace, came out in upper stretch, split rivals in midstretch and could not quite summon the needed late kick. RAGAZZA DI VOLA chased off the rail then went up four wide on the backstretch and three deep on the second turn, came four wide into the stretch and lacked the necessary rally. LEMON CRUSH settled three deep chasing the pace then outside a rival leaving the second turn and did not rally. SEA SMOKE saved ground stalking the pace, came out some in the stretch, went around a rival in deep stretch and lacked the needed rally. EASY SONG sped to the early lead, set the pace inside, fought back along the rail on the second turn and into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. INLAND EMPIRE settled between horses chasing the pace, found the inside leaving the second turn, came out some in the stretch and was not a threat. EIGHTH RACE. 5 Furlongs. Purse: $30,000. Maiden Claiming. 2 year olds. Claiming Price $50,000. Time 22.60 46.95 59.48 1:06.20 Pgm Horse Wt PP St 3/8 Str Fin Jockey $1 8 Eighty Proof 120 8 3 2hd 21 14 13 Mn Garcia 2.50 5 Handsome John 120 5 4 61 61 31 23 Frey 2.50 3 Silent Alarm 120 3 7 5 4hd 4 32 Conner 4.30 6 No New Friends 120 6 2 1hd 1hd 2hd 4 Fuentes 4.80 9 Red Clem 120 9 5 31 3hd 5 53 Pedroza 10.70 2 Warrensdirtydancer 115 2 10 91 81 73 61 Payeras 65.60 1 Acclamation King 113 1 1 4hd 51 63 72 Figueroa 35.40 10 R U Serious 120 10 6 8hd 91 91 83 Elliott 11.50 4 U S Lawman 115 4 9 7 7hd 82 92 Espinoza 21.80 7 Park Hill Diamond 120 7 8 10 10 10 10 Pena 76.10 8 EIGHTY PROOF 7.00 4.00 3.20 5 HANDSOME JOHN 4.00 3.20 3 SILENT ALARM 2.80 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (8-8) $85.00 $1 EXACTA (8-5) $12.60 $2 QUINELLA (5-8) $13.20 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (8-5-3-6) $18.16 $1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (8-5-3-6-9) $270.30 50-CENT TRIFECTA (8-5-3) $26.50 WinnerEighty Proof Ch.g.2 by Coil out of Spectacular Proof, by Idiot Proof. Bred by Ruis Racing, LLC. (CA). Trainer: Mick Ruis. Owner: Ruis Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $321,524 Daily Double Pool $138,023 Exacta Pool $194,290 Quinella Pool $8,271 Superfecta Pool $98,450 Super High Five Pool $16,476 Trifecta Pool $133,068. ScratchedIrish Terrier, Pretalk. $2 Pick Six Jackpot (2-4-2-3-8-8/11/12) . Pick Six Jackpot Carryover $35,481. $1 Pick Three (3-8-8) paid $365.40. Pick Three Pool $140,764. 50-Cent Pick Four (2-3-8-8/11/12) 4 correct paid $1,357.25. Pick Four Pool $525,387. 50-Cent Pick Five (4-2-3-8-8/11/12) 5 correct paid $11,944.15. Pick Five Pool $297,352. $2 Pick Six (2-4-2-3-8-8/11/12) 5 out of 6 paid $2,163.60. Pick Six Pool $226,801. Pick Six Carryover $165,583. $1 Place Pick All 8 correct paid $24,093.40. Place Pick All Pool $31,572. EIGHTY PROOF dueled between horses then outside a rival, took the lead leaving the turn, drifted out some into the stretch and drew clear under urging. HANDSOME JOHN chased between horses then off the rail on the turn and four wide into the stretch and gained the place. SILENT ALARM stalked outside a rival then between horses on the turn and into the stretch and bested the others. NO NEW FRIENDS had good early speed and dueled off the rail then inside on the turn, came a bit off the fence in the stretch and weakened. RED CLEM pressed the pace three deep then stalked three wide on the turn and into the stretch and also weakened. WARRENSDIRTYDANCER broke slowly and behind the field, settled inside to the stretch, came out some past midstretch and was not a threat. ACCLAMATION KING saved ground stalking the pace, continued inside in the stretch and weakened. R U SERIOUS chased outside then three wide, continued off the rail on the turn, came four wide into the stretch and lacked a further response. U S LAWMAN hopped slightly then bobbled some in a bit of a slow start, chased between foes then outside a rival on the turn, drifted inward in the stretch and had little left for the drive. PARK HILL DIAMOND broke a bit slowly, settled off the rail, angled in some on the turn and gave way. What is the real Hawaii? Three new exhibits of art and artifacts in Honolulu demonstrate that the answer depends on the era and whether a native Hawaiian or a tourist is asked the question. The reverse side of Aina Aloha, a 20-foot-long mural at the Bishop Museum, is painted primarily in red to reflect the pain inflicted on native Hawaiians over several generations. (Kathleen Connelly) Beginning a dialogue is at the core of Unreal: Hawaii in Popular Imagination, which opened July 14 at the Bishop Museum. Through a variety of media, the exhibition examines how commercial art has depicted Hawaii through time. A colorful picture book depicting native women in grass skirts was published during World War II and mainly sold to servicemen stationed on Oahu. (Bishop Museum) Advertisement The extensive show described as an experiential installation contains items such as a 1943 booklet whose cover features hula dancers beneath palm trees. It was primarily marketed to military personnel stationed on Oahu. In 1916, when this sheet music was published, Hawaii was a faraway, exotic destination few Americans ever reached. Even so, the islands allure is evident in artwork such as this. (Bishop Museum) A backdrop of sheet music is displayed at a listening station where visitors can hear early examples of authentic Hawaiian music. The cover for the 1916 tune, Im Going to Honolulu Some Day Dont You Want to Come Along?, shows a jaunty man being serenaded by two ukulele-strumming women. Many of the pieces in the show come from a private collection of Hawaiian ephemera, which have never been displayed together. Unreal images enticed people to visit Hawaii and to consume products infused with the imagined glamour and exotic allure of the islands, the museums website says. Six native Hawaiian artists contributed to Aina Aloha, a mural on display at the Bishop Museum. The front side, a portion of which is pictured here, depicts peace and reconciliation efforts among islanders. (Kathleen Connelly) On Kauai, where to eat for cheap: 20 places to chow down for $20 One half of the museums Long Gallery is filled by Aina Aloha (Beloved Land, Beloved Country), a contemporary mural created by six native artists. The two-sided, 20-foot-long piece shares stories from the islands past while also providing what a news release described as a hoped-for pathway to healing, from a Hawaiian viewpoint. Unreal continues through Jan. 27. Art and relics from the late 19th century, when King David Kalakaua ruled Hawaii, are the focus of an upcoming exhibit in downtown Honolulu. (Honolulu Museum of Art) Three miles away, in downtown Honolulu, the Honolulu Museum of Art is preparing for Hooulu Hawaii: The King Kalakaua Era, which will open Sept. 13. A period piece by artist Joseph Strong depicts Honolulu as it appeared in 1886, during the reign of King Kalakaua. (Honolulu Museum of Art) The exhibit of never-before-displayed pieces from several collections will highlight the forward-looking, 19th century monarchy led by King David Kalakaua. The artifacts will highlight an era during which the King encouraged people to help create a progressive, national identity. An 1890s painting by Ella Smith Corwine depicts a feather garment of the type worn by Hawaiian royalty. (Honolulu Museum of Art) In addition to paintings, other items to be displayed include government-commissioned clothing, the Kings scrapbooks and early telephones. Hawaiis royal residence, Iolani Palace in Honolulu, had phones and electric lights several years before they were installed at the White House. An ornately engraved early telephone for use by royalty is part of the art museum exhibit opening in September. (Honolulu Museum of Art) The exhibition will continue through Jan. 27. The sun is out and the surf is up in this whimsical painting by Katie Borden. On display at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, it is one of several new acquisitions that greet guests. (Queen Kapiolani Hotel) A mix of vintage and contemporary art blend together inside the Queen Kapiolani Hotel. Built in 1969 at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, the hotel is undergoing major renovations that include newly-commissioned playful paintings. Maka and Pineapple Boy by Katie Borden, can be found in the lobby. It depicts both a dog and a sunglasses-wearing pineapple atop a surfboard. On the hotels second floor, the new Royal Art Gallery is home to works that adorned the hotel walls when first opened nearly 50 years ago. The gallery is so named since the resort sits on land once the exclusive domain of Hawaiian royalty. ALSO Vegas Cakes stars teach you how to whip up masterpieces at home In Honolulu, a chance to sip premium sakes almost 500 of them A North Shore wave killed her father. Now she returns to the same Oahu waters to honor his photo legacy travel@latimes.com @latimestravel Fans of HGTVs Tiny House Hunters and similar shows can sample the small life with a nightly rental at locations from California to New York. Tiny houses range from 180 to 400 square feet in size. Some are made by Escape Homes, a Wisconsin company that was making the small, portable houses long before television created a craze. One of the tiny house communities is located just a few miles from the factory. Autumn is a gorgeous time to visit the many woods of Wisconsin, where the Canoe Bay tiny house resort is set on 100 forested acres near Rice Lake. (Escape Homes) Advertisement Canoe Bay Escape Village sits on 100 acres of hardwood forest with two private lakes near the town of Rice Lake in northwest Wisconsin. The idyllic setting is home to houses with three different designs, all of which are available for nightly and long-term rentals and purchase too. Nightly prices start at $195. Five varieties of homes can be found at Think Big!, a tiny house resort in South Cairo, N.Y. The Think Big! tiny house resort in upstate New York features five differently sized units overlooking Catskill Creek. (Escape Homes) Located a couple of hours outside New York City, the resort is perched on 28 cliff-top acres overlooking Catskill Creek. The houses feature private patios, charcoal grills, fire pits and dining tables. Various outdoor activities include kayaking and yoga. Prices start at $250 a night. Sixty miles away in the Hudson Valley, people seeking an off-the-grid experience may be inspired by the Escape home near Marlboro, N.Y. The 180-square-foot home, among the companys tiniest, is called The Glass House, thanks to its many windows. The solar-powered dwelling is close to apple orchards and vineyards. Its available from $169 a night. A tiny house with a mega view can be found off the grid in the Rocky Mountains just 25 minutes from Vail, Colo. (Escape Homes) Another off-the-grid experience can be found in the Rocky Mountains 25 minutes from Vail, Colo. Solar panels provide power for such necessities as cable TV and hot water. Set on 30 acres in a national forest, Snow Cross rents for $120 a night. Rentals can also be found in Las Vegas and San Jose, closer to home and cell towers. Dont expect seclusion at the Sugar Shack, a tiny house at the Gold Spike hotel-casino in downtown Vegas. The 344-square-foot unit is located in the Backyard, the resorts lively courtyard. It can sleep eight and costs $250 to $500 a night. A tiny house rental in San Jose demonstrates how a small space can provide all the necessities, including a fully functioning kitchen. (Escape Homes) The tiny home in San Jose unit sits in what Escape described as a quiet neighborhood close to downtown. The owners, however, kindly point out that the tiny house is on the flight path of the airport. Available for $115 a night. Other Escape Homes rentals can be found in Oregon, Texas and elsewhere in Colorado. Info: Escape Homes, (844) 696-3722 travel@latimes.com Twitter: @latimestravel North Korea on Friday delivered dozens of containers holding the remains of U.S. troops killed and missing since the Korean War, fulfilling a commitment its leader, Kim Jong Un, made to President Trump during their summit last month. The negotiated exchange involved 55 cases containing the remains of some of the more than 7,000 Americans who have been unaccounted for since the war, which ended with a cease-fire agreement in 1953. Though part of a diplomatic deal, the move, analysts noted, was a painless concession for North Korea, which has shown signs of souring relations with the United States since what appeared on the surface to be a positive summit in Singapore on June 12. The Trump administration had hoped that the meeting would lead to steps toward the abandonment of the totalitarian states nuclear and ballistic missile programs, though little verifiable progress has occurred since. Advertisement On Friday, Trump thanked Kim for the return of the remains. We have many others coming but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me and Im sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search, said Trump. These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil. The return of the troops remains keeps some momentum from the agreement, analysts said. It is a step forward, but a small one, said Robert Kelly, a political science professor at Pusan National University who blogs about East Asian security issues. We shouldnt be cold-hearted. We should bargain for these concessions. But we are still dancing around the serious strategic issues. Those issues, of course, remain the Norths illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which offer Kims dynastic regime security and negotiating power with adversaries such as the United States. Kim this year boasted that the North, which could have as many as 60 nuclear weapons, according to Western intelligence estimates, had the ability to strike the United States mainland with a nuclear-armed, long-range missile. His government test-fired three missiles last year that appeared to demonstrate this capability. The United Nations, South Korea and the United States have all imposed sanctions intended to punish Kims government for its nuclear activities, which have included dozens of missile launches and four underground detonations in defiance of the international community since Kim took power in late 2011. Kim, whose nation has an abysmal human rights record and inconsistent reputation on past agreements, has also said he would use the weapons only defensively against the United States. The United States has remained allied with democratic South Korea, now the worlds 11th-largest economy, and it maintains more than 28,000 troops who protect Seoul but also act as an additional regional security hub with its large military presence inside ally Japan. The North and South, sister countries that have been split by the war but share a common language, ethnic identity and history, still maintain a tense security relationship. Recent diplomatic meetings sparked by their shared participation in the Winter Olympics earlier this year in Pyeongchang, South Korea, have renewed hope that the nations might reach a formal peace settlement. Tensions on the surface have eased. Better diplomatic relations was the first point in Trumps agreement with Kim, which also called for an effort to formally end the war, a commitment to work toward peninsula denuclearization and the repatriation of the remains of missing American troops. The North seems to be taking the easiest step first, analysts said. This is the least risky agreement that the North Korean authorities can carry out, said Bong Young-shik, a research fellow at the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul. Its a good start. A peace deal, though, would require approval from the United States and China, the latter of which entered the Korean War in October 1950. That helped halt a rapid advance by American troops into the North. The United States, under the authority of the United Nations Command, and China were signatories to the armistice. The United States and China have decent diplomatic relations but maintain divergent regional security interests, and the Trump administrations threats of a trade war have strained the relationship lately. Kim has also visited China three times in recent months, suggesting the North is rebuilding a relationship with its historic neighbor that could challenge the United States influence in the region. Many of the troops whose remains were still unaccounted for died in the first year of the war, during brutal winter fighting as the Chinese attacked and the Americans got bogged down around the Chosin Reservoir in the North. The job of recovering the remains began Friday when the 55 cases of remains were delivered by the North Koreans. They were retrieved from Wonson, a port city in eastern North Korea that also doubles as a missile test site and a seaside resort. The remains were then flown to Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, U.S. Army officials said. A full honors ceremony was expected Wednesday with Gen. Vincent Brooks, who leads the United Nations Command and United States Forces Korea. Then the remains are expected to be flown to Hawaii for analysis by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which is charged with recovering and identifying troops from several past wars, including Korea and Vietnam. Forensic tests are required to identify the fallen troops and determine how many were returned in the cases, government officials have said. The process is complicated, but military officials heralded the exchange. It was a successful mission following extensive coordination, Brooks said in a written statement. Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home. The South Korean government, whose president, Moon Jae-in, has spearheaded much of the diplomatic progress made in recent months, said it welcomed Fridays repatriation as a humanitarian action that can contribute to healing the pains of the war. The government evaluates the return as meaningful progress that can contribute to trust building between the two countries, said presidential spokesman Noh Kyu-deok. Some observers remained skeptical that the move by Pyongyang signaled meaningful progress on the Trump-Kim agreement, which includes denuclearization. Others were downright dismissive of the move, which had been delayed longer than expected amid a squabble between Washington and Pyongyang after Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeos recent visit. The North Koreans, in state media, said the United States presented gangster-like demands. Pompeo said the parties were making progress. Outside groups who track North Korean satellite imagery, for example, said the nation appeared to be dismantling a missile testing site a move that could be reversible in months. This is something any civilized nation would have done decades ago, said Grant Newsham, a former American diplomat and military officer who is a senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies. Given the track record of dealing with North Korea, skepticism is warranted. I dont consider anything Kim has done since Singapore to be a genuine sign of good faith. Stiles is a special correspondent. UPDATES: 10:05 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from President Trump thanking Kim Jong Un for the return of the remains. This article was originally published at 6:25 a.m. In the wake of the deadliest wildfire in a decade, government officials in Greece wavered on taking responsibility for the more than 80 lives that were lost when a fast-moving fire roared through a popular vacation retreat. While a ranking government security minister said he could find little fault in how emergency crews responded to last weeks lethal blaze, the countrys prime minister on Friday offered contrition. I have called you here today first of all to take full political responsibility for this tragedy in front of my Cabinet and the Greek people, said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose government has been criticized for failing to have an adequate evacuation plan for such a disaster. Many perished while trying to outrun the fire, which may have been the work of an arsonist. Tsipras said hell shoulder the political responsibility, but he wont consider removing anyone from their posts, such as the fire chief, until the search and rescue operation is complete. Advertisement Tsipras comments came the day after Nikos Toskas, alternate minister for Citizen Protection, who is responsible for Greeces public security services, told reporters that no major mistakes were made in how officials responded and that, if faced with a similar crisis, they would not change their actions. I am trying for reasons of conscience to find the mistakes, but operationally I cant find major mistakes, he said. The wildfire tore through Mati, an upper-middle-class seaside town outside Athens and a popular destination for foreign tourists and nearby residents looking for a quick escape from city life. Many of the houses there are in forested areas outside city limits and were built without permits. These structures have become a nuisance because it can take decades for the courts to order their removal, said Costas Synolakis, professor of engineering at USC and member of the Academy of Athens. What people do is that they hope to hide it by not building roads, Synolakis said. Roads are narrow and twisted, and it makes it very difficult to evacuate by car. An aerial photo released July 27, 2018, shows the devastation wrought by the wildfire in and around Mati. (AFP/Getty Images) Greek authorities said they would need to come up with a national plan to address decades-old building violations, particularly in Mati. An overall redesigning of the town is needed. If things stay as they are, it is as if we are signing an open contract that the same things will happen all over again at some point, Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said Friday. Residents are also blaming the high death toll on a lack of pre-disaster planning and failing to have adequate evacuation plans in place. Many people who died evacuated last minute by car, but there were no evacuation maps, no pre-disaster planning and no disaster routes, Synolakis said. People didnt know about escape routes. About 1,000 people escaped by sea; others tried to get to the coast but they didnt know how. As the blaze roared toward homes, panic ensued as people tried to flee toward the ocean. But black plumes of smoke made visibility difficult and added to the confusion. Rescue workers said they found the remains of 26 people huddled together near a cliff, as there was no access to the beach below. Others tried to escape by car, but the flames caught up, destroying more than 80 vehicles. Still, hundreds of people did reach the ocean, where they were rescued by coast guard boats. Flowers are placed on a step where a 6-month-old baby died in the Mati wildfire. (Yannis Kolesidis / EPA/Shutterstock) Joanna Lagonika said she has fond memories of Mati. During the summer, the 18-year-old Athens resident travels to the seaside town with her family, where they visit family and friends. Only a few weeks ago Lagonika was there with her mother and sister, lounging at the beach drinking coffee. It was very calm. Everyone who lives in Athens goes there on the weekends. Its a nice place to relax, Lagonika told The Times. Its close to the city, but you feel like youre on an island. Its nice to be there. Lagonika said she believes the government could have done a better job at informing people to evacuate. There must be an escape plan. We didnt have that, so that was the problem, said Lagonika, who was not in Mati at the time of the fire. People like myself and my family who go there, we dont know the area well, so it would be hard to escape the fire. She said her friends in Mati recounted that the minute they saw the flames coming, they ran to the sea and got on a boat to leave. Thank God their house didnt burn down. We were so scared. Aris Miron, a 28-year-old graduate student from Athens, also blames the high death toll on the lack of an evacuation protocol. Im devastated. The situation affects us even if we didnt have any family there, he said. People in Mati didnt have any evacuation plans. Strong winds reaching 62 mph coupled with scorching heat and drought conditions fueled the fire, said Greek weather forecaster Panos Giannopoulos. The fire started at the top of a forest with the help of very strong winds. Many people were trapped and couldnt find their way to the sea, he said. From the start of the fire till the moment it passed was three hours. In 2007, Greece experienced a series of deadly wildfires that broke out in the Attica region and killed 84 people. The lesson from those fires should have been the pressing need for adequate evacuation plans for Greeces communities, said Demetres Karavellas, general manager of the environmental group WWF Greece. Sadly we are witnessing the same horror now, Karavellas said. melissa.etehad@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad A Mexican journalist held in U.S. immigrant detention since last year has been released. Emilio Gutierrez Soto fled to the U.S. with his teenage son a decade ago after Gutierrez said he was threatened by the Mexican military. The pair have been held at a detention center in El Paso since their asylum claims were denied by a judge in 2017. In May, the Board of Immigration Appeals found that additional information should be considered in the case and sent it back to immigration court for a new hearing. Lawyers for Gutierrez demanded he be released while he waited for the new case to be heard. They said President Trumps frequent attacks on Mexicans and journalists were evidence that Gutierrez, who has long been an outspoken critic of U.S. immigration policies, was a victim of discrimination. Advertisement They pointed to a document, uncovered in a public records request, that showed Gutierrez was on a list used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to target immigrants for arrest. The list typically includes the names of people suspected of violent criminal acts, not journalists seeking asylum, said Eduardo Beckett, an attorney for Gutierrez. Earlier this year, a judge agreed there was enough evidence to require the government to explain its continued detention of Gutierrez and his son. Days before the government was due to appear at a hearing to make its case for continuing to detain the pair, they were abruptly released Thursday night. Outside the detention center, Gutierrez and his son embraced in front of a smattering of news cameras. They are expected to be free until a judge rules again on their asylum claim. We are happy as can be, said William McCarren, executive director of the National Press Club, which led a campaign advocating for for the release of Gutierrez, and which awarded him the groups Press Freedom award last year. Gutierrez was also granted a Knight-Wallace Fellowship, which funds an academic year for a small group of journalists from around the world at the University of Michigan. He may now be able to begin the fellowship in Ann Arbor, Mich., this fall, fellowship director Lynette Clemetson said in a statement. There is a full community of support in Ann Arbor eager to welcome Emilio, to restore his well-being, and to help him resume the journalism work that means so much to him, Clemetson said. A former reporter for a small newspaper in the violent Mexican state of Chihuahua, Gutierrez said he received death threats after writing about a group of soldiers who had stolen money from migrants. Several days after publishing his stories in 2005, Gutierrez said he was summoned to meet with several military leaders. Youve written three idiotic stories, Gutierrez said a general warned him. There will not be a fourth. Gutierrez said his home was subsequently ransacked by dozens of soldiers. Another time, patrols of soldiers loitered threateningly in front of his house. Youve got to leave now, said a friend who knew one of the soldiers. In 2008, shortly before his 45th birthday, Gutierrez and his 15-year-old son Oscar asked for asylum at the U.S. border, telling a border agent: Were not afraid; were terrified. Mexico is one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists. Last year, reporters and photographers turned up dead here at a rate of about one per month. A journalist enrolled in a government protection program was shot dead this week in the resort city of Playa del Carmen, less than a month after the killing of another journalist who worked at the same news site. Ruben Pat, news director of the Semanario Playa News, complained last year that he was kidnapped and tortured by police for accusing a local police chief of ties to a drug cartel. A majority of the dozens of journalists enrolled in Mexicos federal protection program, which provides emergency evacuations, security guards and a panic button that summons authorities, have faced threats from government authorities rather than criminal groups, according to officials. At least 15 journalists have fled Mexico in recent years, according to press freedom advocates. A majority of them have sought refuge in the United States. Though a few won asylum during the Obama administration, denials or prolonged detention have been the norm under President Trump. Last May, Mexican journalist Martin Mendez dropped his asylum claim in the U.S. and agreed to be deported after being held in detention for nearly four months. Gutierrez and his son were detained for several months after they entered the U.S. in 2008. Eventually they were released on parole while they waited for their asylum case to be heard. For several years, they lived in Las Vegas, N.M., where Gutierrez ran a food truck. Their asylum claim finally came before a judge last November. It was denied, and Gutierrez and his son were detained again shortly afterward. More than seven months behind bars took a toll on Gutierrez, his lawyer said. He was broken and miserable, said Beckett. The harsh treatment of a journalist from a country known for its failure to protect members of the press sparked outrage among many U.S. journalists and immigrant advocates, who organized protests outside the detention center where Gutierrez and his son were being held. Andrea Edney, president of the National Press Club, said the release of Gutierrez was a victory for press freedom. Though it has been far too long an ordeal, especially for Emilio, she said, we are ecstatic and relieved to welcome him back into the ranks of a free press. kate.linthicum@latimes.com Twitter: @katelinthicum UPDATES: 12:35 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional background on Emilio Gutierrez Soto and comments from his attorney, Eduardo Beckett. This article was originally published at 8:05 a.m. The picture shows the opening ceremony of the Peace Train-2018 China-Laos humanitarian and medical joint rescue exercise at the Logistics College of Laos on the afternoon of July 24, 2018. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Zhao Zhihong) LAOS, July 25 (ChinaMil) -- The "Peace Train-2018" China-Laos humanitarian and medical joint rescue exercise kicked off at the Logistics College of Laos on the afternoon of July 24, 2018. As the first such joint exercise between Chinese and Laotian militaries' medical service troops, it is aimed at improving the two sides capability in conducting coordinated emergency medical rescue. Under the theme of humanitarian medical rescue in flood disasters, the Chinese and Laotian militaries medical service troops set up a joint commanding center during the exercise to command the medical rescue operations in the designated areas of the affected country. In the next few days, the two militaries medical service troops will focus on such exercise subjects as the treatment of a large number of wounded and sick patients at flooded sites, medical evacuation of critically-ill patients through land, air and water transport, epidemic prevention and elimination, disease source monitoring as well as joint command. Director of the Health Department of the General Logistics Department of the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) expressed gratitude to China for its assistance to Laos in health field in recent years during his opening speech. "This exercise is a great event in the history of the friendly exchanges between the two militaries, and an opportunity for the two sides to exchange ideas in technology and experience," the director said, adding that "it will promote the in-depth development of cooperation between the two sides in medical treatment." Senior Colonel Wang Dalin, Director of the General Office of the Health Bureau of the Logistic Support Department of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), said the Chinese and Laotian militaries medical service troops should take the important missions and shoulder the joint responsibilities to work together to strengthen humanitarian medical rescue capabilities, deal with disaster threats, as well as protect and improve people's lives and health. "As the first such joint exercise between the Chinese and Laotian militaries, the exercise marks an important step forward in the cooperation and exchange of medical service between the two militaries," Wang added. After the opening ceremony, Director of the General Logistics Department of the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) visited the new tent hospital system of the Chinese military. He spoke highly of the professional level of the Chinese participating troops, praised the advanced equipment carried by the Chinese side, and wished the exercise a great success. Representatives of the Chinese and Laotian militaries pose for a group photo after the opening ceremony of the "Peace Train - 2018"on the afternoon of July 24, 2018. (mod.gov.cn/ Photo by Zhao Zhihong) Science explore & share at 9th World Congress on Biopolymers & Bioplastics, London 27.07.2018 12:44:15 - (live-PR.com) - Explore & Share at 9th World Congress on Biopolymers & Bioplastics, London, UK (A solution for Current & Future Global Predicament) August 26-27, 2019 London, UK Since 2016, Biopolymer Congress has been contributing successfully to the global scientific research field. 8th World Congress on Biopolymers & Bioplastics was held during June 28-29, 2018 at Berlin, Germany with the theme Biopolymer- A Drug to - Explore & Share at9th World Congress on Biopolymers & Bioplastics,London, UK(A solution for Current & Future Global Predicament)August 26-27, 2019 London, UKSince 2016, Biopolymer Congress has been contributing successfully to the global scientific research field. 8th World Congress on Biopolymers & Bioplastics was held during June 28-29, 2018 at Berlin, Germany with the theme Biopolymer- A Drug to heal the nature". Active participation of Scientists, Engineers, Researchers, Students and Leaders from the fields of Polymer Science, plastics, Green technology, medical, and Biomaterials is highly appreciated and made this event a blast. Thanks to all of our Organizing Committee members, honourable guests, wonderful speakers, conference attendees and Media partners. With the success of Biopolymer Congress 2018 at Berlin, we are feeling proud to announce Biopolymer Congress 2019 conference with the theme A solution for current & future Global predicament", is going to held in London, UK, during August 26-27, 2019. Importance and Scope: Over the past few years, global economic activities have increased a lot. This tremendous growth has raised serious problems about current important patterns of production and consumption. As the current society has increased its attention in understanding of the environmental aspects and its industrial practices, greater attention has been given to the concept of sustainable economic systems that rely on energy from undepletable source and materials. The use of biologically derived Polymers become as an important component of this global world. The history of Biopolymer is not a long one. Various reasons are associated with the research and development of Biopolymers. Use of Bioplastics will make a tremendous change and will help rid of the conventional plastics, which is a welcome change. Why to attend? To take preventive steps for Global Predicament, Biopolymer Congress 2019 offers a fantastic opportunity to meet and make new contacts in the field of Bio materials, Polymer Science and engineering to discuss or to share ideas, by providing collaboration spaces and break-out rooms with tea and lunch for delegates between sessions with invaluable networking time for you. The organizing committee is gearing up for an exciting and informative conference program in upcoming year also which includes plenary lectures, symposia, workshops on a variety of topics, poster presentations and various programs for participants from all over the world. We invite you to join us at the Biopolymer Congress 2019, where you will be sure to have a meaningful experience with scholars from around the world. All members of the Biopolymer Congress organizing committee look forward to meeting you in London, UK. Target Audience Eminent Scientists of Polymer Science & Chemical Engineering, Green Chemistry Polymer Research Professors and research fellows Students from Material science, Polymer Science and Technology & Chemical Engineering Directors of Polymer Manufacturing companies, Green Chemicals Companies Biopolymer Engineers, Polymer Science Engineers & Chemical Engineers Members of different Biopolymer, Waste Management, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering associations Industry 40% Academia 50% Others 10% Major Biopolymer Associations around the Globe: British Plastics Federation European Council for Plasticizers and Intermediates American Coatings Association American Chemical Society (Division of Polymer Chemistry) American Physical Society Division of Polymer Physics (APS DPOLY) Polymer Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI Polymer Division) Belgian Polymer Group (BPG) Brazilian Polymer Association European Polymer Federation Bioenvironmental Polymer Society For more details of conference sessions and abstract submission, please visit heal the nature". Active participation of Scientists, Engineers, Researchers, Students and Leaders from the fields of Polymer Science, plastics, Green technology, medical, and Biomaterials is highly appreciated and made this event a blast.Thanks to all of our Organizing Committee members, honourable guests, wonderful speakers, conference attendees and Media partners. With the success of Biopolymer Congress 2018 at Berlin, we are feeling proud to announce Biopolymer Congress 2019 conference with the theme A solution for current & future Global predicament", is going to held in London, UK, during August 26-27, 2019.Importance and Scope:Over the past few years, global economic activities have increased a lot. This tremendous growth has raised serious problems about current important patterns of production and consumption. As the current society has increased its attention in understanding of the environmental aspects and its industrial practices, greater attention has been given to the concept of sustainable economic systems that rely on energy from undepletable source and materials. The use of biologically derived Polymers become as an important component of this global world.The history of Biopolymer is not a long one. Various reasons are associated with the research and development of Biopolymers. Use of Bioplastics will make a tremendous change and will help rid of the conventional plastics, which is a welcome change.Why to attend?To take preventive steps for Global Predicament, Biopolymer Congress 2019 offers a fantastic opportunity to meet and make new contacts in the field of Bio materials, Polymer Science and engineering to discuss or to share ideas, by providing collaboration spaces and break-out rooms with tea and lunch for delegates between sessions with invaluable networking time for you.The organizing committee is gearing up for an exciting and informative conference program in upcoming year also which includes plenary lectures, symposia, workshops on a variety of topics, poster presentations and various programs for participants from all over the world. We invite you to join us at the Biopolymer Congress 2019, where you will be sure to have a meaningful experience with scholars from around the world. All members of the Biopolymer Congress organizing committee look forward to meeting you in London, UK.Target Audience Eminent Scientists of Polymer Science & Chemical Engineering, Green Chemistry Polymer Research Professors and research fellows Students from Material science, Polymer Science and Technology & Chemical Engineering Directors of Polymer Manufacturing companies, Green Chemicals Companies Biopolymer Engineers, Polymer Science Engineers & Chemical Engineers Members of different Biopolymer, Waste Management, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering associationsIndustry 40%Academia 50%Others 10%Major Biopolymer Associations around the Globe:British Plastics FederationEuropean Council for Plasticizers and IntermediatesAmerican Coatings AssociationAmerican Chemical Society (Division of Polymer Chemistry)American Physical Society Division of Polymer Physics (APS DPOLY)Polymer Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI Polymer Division)Belgian Polymer Group (BPG)Brazilian Polymer AssociationEuropean Polymer FederationBioenvironmental Polymer SocietyFor more details of conference sessions and abstract submission, please visit biopolymers.insightconferences.com/ Contact information: Conference Series LLC LTD Contact Person: Sandra Lopez Program Manager Phone: 7025085200 eMail: eMail Web: http://biopolymers.insightconferences.com Author: Sandra Lopez e-mail Phone: 07025085200 27.07.2018 12:44:15 - Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. Senior Colonel Wang Yang, the defense attache at the Chinese embassy in Kenya, gives a speech during the 91st anniversary of the founding of Chinas People's Liberation Army (PLA) reception at the Chinese embassy in Kenya on July 26. Liu Hongjie/China Daily. China is committed to promoting international military exchanges and cooperation in effort to cope with the global security challenges, said the defence attache at the Chinese embassy in Kenya. Senior Colonel Wang Yang, who spoke during the celebration of the 91st anniversary of the founding of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), said the PLA will continue to implement the responsibilities and duties commensurate with China's international status as well as contribute to fostering of a community of shared future for mankind. "China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and an upholder of international order. The growth of Chinese military also means the growth of the world peacekeeping force," he said. Sun Baohong, Chinese ambassador to Kenya; Fatuma Ahmed, assistant chief of the Defense Forces in charge of Personnel and Logistics; and Senior Colonel Wang Yang (right), the defense attache at the Chinese embassy in Kenya, cut a cake to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the founding of Chinas People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the Chinese embassy in Kenya on July 26. Liu Hongjie/China Daily. Among the permanent member states of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Wang said China has contributed the largest number of troops to UN peacekeeping missions and the second largest share to the UN peacekeeping budget. He said China has participated in 24 UN peacekeeping operations since 1990 and has contributed more than 37,000 peacekeepers with 13 Chinese soldiers having sacrificed their lives on the peacekeeping front-line. "At present, there are 2,507 Chinese military personnel carrying out UN peacekeeping missions. Among them, 2,419 peacekeepers are in 13 peacekeeping contingents deployed in 7 UN missions and 88 military observers and staff officers are working with the UN department of peacekeeping operations," Wang said. Since 2008, China's PLA Navy has dispatched 29 escort task groups, involving 88 vessels and around 23,000 soldiers, for escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia. "To date, the Chinese PLA navy is still keeping the proud record of 100 percent safety for both the escort task groups and the merchant ships which have been escorted," he said. Wang noted that China has always been insisting on a path of peaceful development and has been pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and a national defense policy that is purely defensive. He said while the Chinese people love peace and never seek aggression or expansion, the world is not all at peace, and peace must be safeguarded. "China should therefore step up transforming of its armed forces into a world-class military that is ready to fight and win wars as the country will never compromise on defending sovereignty," Wang said. Noting that bilateral relations between China and Kenya have stood at a new historical point for a golden era, he said the bilateral military relationship, which is an important component of overall bilateral relations, will have more golden opportunities ahead. "During my tenure of duty in Kenya, I will do my utmost and make joint efforts together with my colleagues from the Kenya Defense Forces, to implement the outcomes of the exchange of visits by the defence ministers of the two nations and push forward the pragmatic cooperation between the two armed forces to a new height," he said. Since the founding of the PLA, Wang said it has been marching from one victory to another and has made indelible historical contribution to the Chinese people liberation socialist construction and reform, safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. This is in addition to maintaining world peace as well as promoting human progress. The Court of Appeals has junked the petition by online news website Rappler seeking to restrain the Securities and Exchange Commission from implementing its decision revoking the certificate of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp.for allegedly violating the constitution and foreign equity restrictions in mass media. In its decision, the CAs Twelfth Division, through Associate Justice Rafael Antonio Santos, denied the petition of Rappler and instead upheld the resolution of the SEC revoking its certificate of incorporation. The appellate court said that it did not find any grave abuse of discretion on the part of the SEC when it canceled Rapplers certificate of incorporation. The petition is hereby denied. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission is hereby directed to conduct an evaluation of the legal effect of the alleged supervening donation made by Omidyar Network of all its Philippine Depository Receipts to the staff of Rappler Inc. Accordingly, this case is hereby remanded to the SEC for this purpose, the CA decision said. Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas and Germano Francisco Legaspi concurred with the ruling. The SEC earlier canceled the registration of Rappler Inc., the mass media entity that sold control to foreigners, and Rappler Holdings Corp. being its alter ego, existing for no other purpose than to effect a deceptive scheme to circumvent the Constitution. The commission cited foreign equity restriction in the Constitution, Presidential Decree and the Securities Regulation Code that states that the ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations or associations wholly owned and managed by such citizens. The SEC en banc also declared Omidyar Philippine Depository Receipts void for being a fraudulent transaction within the ambit of Section 26.1 of the Securities Regulation Code. In ruling against the petitioners, the appellate court ruled that there was no denial of administrative due process with the SEC since notice and hearing was afforded to Rappler. Accordingly, the Court rules that in the present case, a substantial compliance with the requirements of due process was observed by the SEC, the CA said. It bears stressing that the foreign equity restriction on mass media implies zero foreign control. It thus includes any appearance of control that will influence the corporate actions and decisions of Rappler, it added. According to the appellate court, it does not matter whether the approval from Omidyar is required only when the actions taken by Rappler will prejudice the rights of Omidyar, because RHC, will still nonetheless be required to secure the approval of at least 2/3 of the PDR Holders before Rappler can carry out or implement any action which has the effect of altering, modifying or otherwise changing Rapplers Articles of Incorporation or By Laws.With Nat Mariano The CA junked Rapplers argument that Clause 12.2.2 is merely a negative covenant (requires a party to refrain from doing something) to safeguard Omidyars interests, saying that it found that the said clause is more than just a negative covenant. In loan agreements, the usual consideration why negative covenants are put in place is to ensure that the creditors will be paid of the loan. Here, the consideration for the insertion of Clause 12.2.2 effectively allows Omidyar to participate in the corporate actions and decisions of Rappler, the appellate court noted. In a petition for review, through Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz (ACCRA), lawyer Francis Lim represented the company, asking the appellate court to set aside the SEC en banc decision dated Jan. 11, 2018, noting that it violated Rapplers constitutional right to due process. They argued that the SEC came up with the revocation order in the absence of formal charge, which was supposed to be required in the commissions rules. There was also no formal administrative action filed against Rappler and RHC before the SEC. Without an administrative action, surely, no administrative action, including the suspension or revocation of the corporations franchise, could have been imposed by the SEC, the petition stated. Since no administrative charge was instituted against Rappler and RHC, they were not provided with sufficient notice of the formal charge against them (because none was issued) and the opportunity to be heard, it stressed. Rappler also said that the SEC erred in canceling Rapplers certificate of incorporation and voiding the Omidyar Philippine Depository Receipts (PDRs). The Omidyar PDR does not confer upon Omidyar control, much less ownership and management, over Rappler. As such, the SEC has no basis to declare void the Omidyar PDR, petitioners said. At most, Clause 12.2.2 of the Omidyar PDR is in the nature of a negative covenant put into place to protect the interest of Omidyar, as investor. This is why Omidyars approval is confined only to acts that may prejudice its rights under the Omidyar PDR, they added. Petitioner pointed out that the SEC has no finding that Omidyar had actually exercised control of the media outfit.Rappler added that the penalty imposed by SEC was too severe and grossly disproportionate to the alleged penalty. In October 2015, Rappler Holdings Corp. issued 7,217,257 PDRs covering shares of Rappler Inc. designated as ON PDRs because they were sold to Omidyar Network Fund LLC, a foreign juridical entity. Rappler Holdings publicly reported that it received an investment from Omidyar Network LLC. It also issued PDRs covering shares of Rappler Inc. to NBM Rappler L.P., a foreign juridical entity. NBM Rappler L.P. was founded and co-owned by North Base Media Ltd., a foreign juridical entity. The body conducted its investigation upon the request of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) wrote the agency in December 2016. Solicitor General Jose Calida said he asked the SEC to probe Rappler after reading the newspaper articles of former ambassador to Cyprus and Greece Rigoberto Tiglao, who disclosed in October 2016 that two American companies, Omidyar Network, Inc. and North Base Media, in 2015 made substantial investments in Rappler. Despite the adverse decision, Rappler chief executive officer and executive editor Maria Ressa on Friday lauded the decision of the CA ordering the SEC to take a second look at the revocation of the news websites certificate of incorporation. Ressa, who attended a hearing over a libel case against Rappler at the the Department of Justice, said that the CA ruling pointed out that our articles of incorporation should never have been revoked in the first place and remanded the case back to the SEC. The Rappler executive is hoping that the SEC would rule in favor of Rappler considering that American investment firm Omidyar Network has donated its Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDR) to 14 Filipino managers of Rappler. American Pierre Omidyar is founder of online trading website ebay. I leave it to the SEC. I continue to hope for the best and at the same time we will hold the line, Ressa said in an interview. Rappler had asked the CA to reverse the January 11 decision of the SEC to revoke the certificate of incorporation due to allegations that Omidyars PDRs violated the constitutional restrictions against foreign ownership. Ressa said the CA ruling agreed with Rappler over several points including that the SECs revocation of our certificate of incorporation is wrong. She added that the CA indicated that Omidyar never exercised its right to the allegedly questionable clause in its Philippine Depositary Receipt (PDR) and later even waived its right under that clause. Ressa added that the CA observed that the SEC failed to apply its own rules and practices to Rappler. Worse, the SEC went against the mandate of the law by not giving Rappler an opportunity to amend or correct any perceived error before revoking its certificate of incorporation, she said. Meanwhile, Malacanang has acknowledged the CA decision upholding the SECs ruling revoking the registration of online news site Rappler for violating foreign ownership rules. The decision of the Court of Appeals affirms that the SEC was correct to revoke Rapplers registration based on its previous investigation, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement. Roque said the decision supports the Palaces stance that the case against Rappler does not involve press freedom, but the regulatory powers of the SEC. We are confident that the SEC will be able to resolve the case with the same competence and objectivity as before, he said. President Duterte earlier criticized Rappler for being a purveyor of fake news operating using a foreign money. Duterte claimed that Rapplers content, such as the article about his aide Christopher Bong" Gos alleged intervention in a Navy weapon supplier procurement, was filled with innuendos and pregnant with falsity. Since the SEC decision in January, Rappler was banned from covering the Presidents activities inside and outside the Palace. British Pound Likely to Extend Declines The Big Picture FXOpen writes: The weekly chart of GBP/USD indicates that pair broke key support levels. On the other hand, EUR/GBP may perhaps move higher in the medium term. Key Points The British Pound started a major downward move from the 1.4375 swing high against the US Dollar. GBP/USD broke a key bullish trend line with support at 1.3720 on the weekly chart. EUR/GBP formed a short-term top near the 0.9300 level and declined. The pair is following a declining channel with resistance near 0.8930 on the weekly chart. GBP/USD Technical Analysis The British started a major upward move from the 1.2000 swing low in February 2017 against the US Dollar. The GBP/USD pair traded above the 1.3000 and 1.4000 handles in 2018. However, the 1.4375-1.4400 area acted as a strong resistance, resulting in a downward move. The pair started a strong decline and moved below the 1.4000 and 1.3500 support levels. Moreover, there was a break below the 38.2% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the 1.1972 low to 1.4376 high. More importantly, there was a break below a key bullish trend line with support at 1.3720 on the weekly chart. The pair also closed below the 50-week simple moving average to move into a bearish zone. The next support on the downside is near 1.2900 and the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the 1.1972 low to 1.4376 high. Should there be a break below the 1.2900 support, the pair may perhaps accelerate declines towards the 1.2800 and 1.2600 levels. On the other hand, if GBP/USD corrects higher, it is likely to face resistance near the 1.3400 and 1.3500 levels, which are close to the 21-week SMA. The overall bias is slightly bearish on the weekly timeframe, and only a close back above 1.3500 could push the pair back in a bullish zone. EUR/GBP Technical Analysis The Euro gained traction during the last 2017 and moved above the 0.8800 and 0.8900 resistance levels against the British Pound. The EUR/GBP pair traded close to the 0.9300 level where sellers appeared. The pair started a downside move and declined below the 0.9000 and 0.8900 support levels. There was also a break below the 50% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the 0.8313 low to 0.9306 high. However, the 0.8650 support area acted as a strong barrier for buyers. Moreover, the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the 0.8313 low to 0.9306 high also acted as a support. The pair is currently recovering and is following a declining channel with resistance near 0.8930 on the weekly chart. More importantly, the pair is trading above the 0.8800 pivot level and the 21-week simple moving average. Should the pair succeed in clearing the channel resistance near 0.8930 and 0.8950, there could be more gains in EUR/GBP in the near term. Above 0.8950, the pair may perhaps move above the 0.9000 resistance. On the flip side, if the pair fails to settle above the channel resistance at 0.8930, there may possibly be a downward reaction back toward the 0.8800 support. Below this, the pair is likely to test the channel support near the 0.8600 handle in the medium term. Overall, the British Pound is under pressure and it could decline further versus the US Dollar and Euro in the medium term. The market outlook is provided by FXOpen broker. FXOpen - true ECN/STP Forex and cryptocurrency broker. 2018 Copyright FXOpen - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. It may be a play on words but the impact is the same hundreds of the worlds top tech leaders converging on Missoula for a taste of Montana and a deep dive into what Advanced Technology Group does so well. Welcome to the second annual "Quote to Cast: Teaming for Success." http://quote2cast.com/ By Martin Kidston *** ATG set to begin office construction in Old Sawmill District, move by January Tom Stergios, who heads Advanced Technology Groups Missoula operations, announced the companys plans to relocate in May. ATG, which celebrated its 100th Missoula employee one year ago, now claims a local staff of 141. By Martin Kidston General Zhang Youxia (R), vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Peoples Republic of China, meets with the visiting Senior Lieutenant General Luong Cuong (L), member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee of Vietnam, permanent member of Vietnam's Central Military Commission and director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnams Peoples Army (VPA), in Beijing on the afternoon of July 25, 2018. (Photo by Li Xiaowei) By Yin Hang BEIJING, July 26 (ChinaMil) -- General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Peoples Republic of China, meets with the visiting Senior Lieutenant General Luong Cuong, member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee of Vietnam, permanent member of Vietnam's Central Military Commission and director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnams Peoples Army (VPA), in Beijing on July 25, 2018. General Zhang Youxia said China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors and important cooperation partners. Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Vietnam as his first destination of overseas state visits after the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, which fully demonstrated the high attention of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to the China-Vietnam relations. The Chinese military is willing to join hands with the Vietnamese military to carefully implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two parties and the two countries and continue to follow the principle of long-term stability, future orientation, good-neighborly friendship and comprehensive cooperation, as well as the spirit of good neighbors, good friends, good comrades, and good partners. The Chinese military also hopes that both sides will maintain strategic contact, promote practical cooperation and properly deal with differences, so as to contribute to the in-depth development of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, added General Zhang. Senior Lieutenant General Luong Cuong expressed that Vietnam and China are good neighbors with a long-established friendship. Vietnam will work together with China to carry forward Vietnam-China traditional friendship, further deepen practical exchanges and cooperation in various areas and try to promote the state and military relations between the two countries to a new high. Wang Jianwu, deputy director of Chinas CMC Political Work Department, and Dang Minh Khoi, Vietnamese ambassador to China, also attended the meeting. Senior Lieutenant General Luong Cuong started his visit to China on July 22 at the invitation of General Miao Hua, member of Chinas CMC and director of the CMC Political Work Department. Montana offers a variety of opportunities to help you make a difference in your community and further your career. We offer competitive benefits, work-life balance, and family friendly policies. As a service-oriented employer, we seek employees with a passion for customer service. Explore the links below to apply for a state job or learn more about our career opportunities and the benefits of working for the state. https://mtstatejobs.taleo.net/careersection/200/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en *** Montanas CIO Tim Bottenfield Forges Ahead to Improve State Government Through IT http://www.matr.net/article-83975.html A new historical tour is available in Butte thanks to the World Museum of Mining and two local businesses. The museum is partnering with Tucker Transportation and Lindsay and Scott Mulcahy of All Out Adventures to offer bus tours of Buttes historic headframes. The tours started in June and depart from the museum five days a week for an hour-and-a-half journey that features 14 of Buttes headframes. ANNIE PENTILLA [email protected] https://mtstandard.com/news/local/world-museum-of-mining-partners-with-local-businesses-to-bring/article_89046318-54b1-514f-b6e1-15b55c385036.html#tracking-source=home-top-story Azad Dhomun ete nomine pour les *Financial Afrik Awards* dans la categorie *Banquier de lannee*. Les mauriciens pourront voter en faveur de notre compatriote, qui est le directeur general de la Banque Federale de Commerce des Comores, sur les deux sites webs suivants:- https://awards.kapitalafrik.com/ https://awards.financialafrik.com/ Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of Chinas Central Military Commission (CMC), meets with Aleksandar Vulin, defense minister of the Republic of Serbia, in Beijing on the afternoon of July 25. (Photo by Li Xiaowei) BEIJING, July 26 (ChinaMil) -- General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of Chinas Central Military Commission (CMC), met with Aleksandar Vulin, defense minister of the Republic of Serbia, in Beijing on the afternoon of July 25. Wei Fenghe, Chinas state councilor and defense minister, also held talks with Aleksandar Vulin on the same day. During the meeting, Vice Chairman General Zhang Youxia said China and Serbia have had friendly relations for a long time. In 2016, during Chinese President Xi Jinpings successful state visit to Serbia, the leaders of the two countries jointly upgraded China-Serbia relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, driving the bilateral relationship to a new historical period. China has always viewed the bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work with Serbia to further consolidate mutual political trust, expand cooperation at all levels and in all fields, and build a community of shared destiny and interests for the benefit of the two peoples, General Zhang Youxia said. The bilateral military relationship is a key aspect to the two countries. In recent years, China and Serbia have witnessed a positive momentum in the development of military relationship, and exchanges and cooperation have made new progress with the support from both sides. We hope to join efforts with the Serbian side to explore ways to enhance cooperation between the two militaries, and make the bilateral military ties an accelerator for the development of the relationship between the two countries. Vulin said the Serbian people are sincere friends of the Chinese people. Serbia is committed to developing the Serbia-China comprehensive strategic partnership and looks forward to deepening cooperation in various fields including defense and military affairs and promoting the sustained and sound development of relations between the two countries and the two militaries. General Wei Fenghe, Chinas state councilor and defense minister, holds a welcoming ceremony for the visiting Defense Minister of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin and accompanies him to inspect the guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the afternoon of July 25. (Photo by Li Xiaowei) During the talks, General Wei Fenghe said the Chinese and the Serbian people have traditionally enjoyed profound friendship. In recent years, mutual political trust between the two sides has been consolidated, and the comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of development. Owning to the Belt and Road Initiative and the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries within the 16+1 platform, multi-field pragmatic cooperation has achieved fruitful results. Wei hoped the two sides to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields through joint efforts. In recent years, high-level exchanges between the Chinese and Serbian militaries have been frequent, and pragmatic exchanges and cooperation have developed smoothly. The Chinese military is willing to work with the Serbian military to fully implement the consensus reached by the two heads of states, continuously strengthen strategic cooperation in defense and security, and expand pragmatic cooperation, so as to contribute to deepening the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership, General Wei Fenghe said. Vulin said that Serbia has attached great importance to Serbia-China relationship, and supported the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Serbian side is willing to further strengthen high-level exchanges with the Chinese military, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in military health care, joint exercise and training, personnel training, and so on, so as to continuously push forward the relationship between the two militaries. Before the talks, General Wei Fenghe held a welcoming ceremony for Aleksandar Vulin and accompanied him to inspect the guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). General Wei Fenghe, Chinas state councilor and defense minister, holds talks with Aleksandar Vulin, defense minister of the Republic of Serbia, on the afternoon of July 25. (Photo by Li Xiaowei) July 27, 2018 'Western' Press Dislikes Imran Khan's Win In Pakistan's Election Imran Khan election win in Pakistan receives a hostile reaction in U.S. and British media. The headlines are generally negative and the descriptions of Imran cast a damning light of him. From the New York Times print edition front page: The word "Pakistan" was probably too long for the valuable front-page space. Thus the NYT shortened it to "Nuclear-Armed Islamic Republic". The attribute "unpredictable" for Imran Khan is curious. (If one cuts out the "Islamic" the headline fits to Trump's election victory. Was that the intended joke?) The piece by Jeffrey Gettleman repeats the "unpredictable" claim: Friends and foes describe Mr. Khan, 65, as relentless, charming, swaggering and highly unpredictable. But there is no evidence, not one example in the piece that supports that attribute. It describes how he, in the late 90s, entered politics: Mr. Khan seized on a single issue: governance. ... He focused on corruption, repeatedly stating that a few political dynasties had shamelessly enriched themselves. ... [H]e seemed adept at not letting the gossip pages distract him, and he kept hammering on about corruption. Corruption was also a main theme of his recent campaign. Imran's anti-corruption position has been a constant. His opposition to the U.S. war of terror also never changed. There is not one "unpredictable" bit in his political positions. Where then did that come from? Only in the very last paragraph that word returns: Many analysts wonder how long Mr. Khans friendship with the military will last. He is known to have erratic behavior and a very unpredictable personality, said Taha Siddiqui, a journalist and critic of the military who recently moved to France, saying he feared for his safety. Siddiqui worked for an Indian TV channel and for France24. He has long been critical of Pakistan's military. In January he claimed that "he was attacked by up to a dozen men en route to the airport in Rawalpindi but managed to escape". He clearly dislikes that Imran Khan has good relations with Pakistan's military. Why is that enough to make it in into a headline? The London Times takes up the theme in this cartoon: It's a cheap point. During the last 50 years there never was a prime minister of Pakistan who could act against the will of the powerful military. If the Bhutto clan and its PPP party or the Nawaz clan with PML-N had won the election their candidates would have had similar restrictions on foreign policy than Imran Khan will have. The losing candidates will protest against the election results. They assert fraud but have yet to give examples for such. The EU Election Observer Mission published its preliminary report. It lists some minor issues but seems satisfied. It reports no election fraud. It's most serious complain is the "uneven playing field". Via Dawn: Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, EU Chief Observer Michael Gahler [...] said, Despite positive changes to the legal framework with the new Elections Act, and a stronger and more transparent Election Commission, we consider that the electoral process of 2018 was negatively affected by the political environment. Candidates with large political appeal and financial means, the so-called electables were reported to often dominate the campaign. Uneven rules on campaign spending further undermined candidates equal opportunity, the EU EOM observed. Rich candidates spend more than poor ones and have a higher chance of winning elections. That is unfair. Have we ever heard of any other 'democracy' with a similar problem? Posted by b on July 27, 2018 at 18:47 UTC | Permalink Comments next page A fire that ripped through southeast San Martin burned 20 acres of vegetation and multiple homes, displacing 21 residents of the rural unincorporated community. The blaze started about 4:15pm July 25 as a vegetation fire in the area of the 12100 block of Church Avenue. The fire spread and destroyed a mobile home and three outbuildings, and damaged two houses, according to CalFire Fire Prevention Specialist Pam Temmermand. One of the destroyed buildings was an extremely large barn, Temmermand said. It appeared at least one greenhouse was overrun by the flames. Sixteen vehicles were also destroyed before crews were able to contain most of the fire. Southbound lanes on U.S. 101 were closed due to the thick smoke drifting across the freeway. The blaze was about 85 percent contained as of the morning of July 26, Temmermand said. Temmermand added that a total of 21 residents of the destroyed and damaged homes are temporarily displaced. Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services is working with American Red Cross and the countys Social Services Administration to assist the displaced residents. Units from CalFire, Gilroy Fire Department and San Jose Fire Department responded to the fire. As CalFire tankers dropped water from a reservoir to the east, firefighters desperately tried to save a two-story house on Lena Avenue where huge flames lapped at the back door step. An elderly woman in the house made it to safety. Other residents of the house had left earlier in the day for vacation. Although Temmermand said no livestock or other animals were reportedly caught in the fire, at least one resident said some chickens perished. About 30 horses were saved from the fire, firefighters on the scene said. Mike Sibley, 71, who rents a trailer on the Lena Avenue property, said he received a call from the owner of the house warning him of the fire. Sibley rushed back from a bar in Morgan Hill, where he had been hanging out with friends. He said he at times drove on the wrong side of the road to get to the fire several miles south. Sibley said he arrived in time to rush into the mobile home he has been renting for about eight years and save his 20-year-old dog, Oddie, and some valuables. He left his vehicle in front and headed to the scene of chaos. There was three or four cars on fire and I probably would have lost mine if I went back there, Sibley said. He also managed to lead out a kid goat. There were about 30 goats in there and that was the only one who wanted to follow me out, he said. The firefighters out here are doing an amazing job. Sibley did however lose several personal items when another of the buildings on the property burned. About 7pm, Santa Clara County Sheriffs deputies cleared onlooking pedestrians away from in front of the house on Lena Avenue and moved them back to Manna Way after an electric pole caught on fire and threatened their safety. A gray pit bull was picked up by animal control in the area, firefighters said. No injuries among people were reported, according to Temmermand. Plumes of black smoke were blown south by 10-miles-per-hour wind gusts toward Gilroy and Christmas Hill Park six miles away, where the Garlic Festival will be held this weekend. The wildfire never posed a danger for north Gilroy neighborhoods, or the park. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a sprawling $716 billion defense authorization bill that also aims to rein in China's investments in the United States and prohibits the U.S. government from using technology from major Chinese telecommunications firms. The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which must also be approved by the Senate, passed the House by a vote of 359-54. While the measure puts controls on U.S. government contracts with ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd because of national security concerns, the restrictions are far weaker than initially drafted. It also strengthens the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews proposed foreign investments to weigh whether they present national security concerns. The White House praised the House passage of the legislation and for including a pay raise for military troops. "It also takes positive steps that are consistent with the Administration's commitment to maintaining a strong and resilient manufacturing and defense industrial base," Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. The sprawling piece of legislation -- which is necessary to approve ongoing military operations -- has historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support. The strength of sanctions against ZTE Corp have waned. Earlier in July, U.S. lawmakers cut measures from a defense bill that would have reinstated sanctions on ZTE Corp, abandoning an attempt to punish the company for illegally shipping U.S. products to Iran and North Korea. North Korea analysts with the Center for Strategic an International Studies in Washington say it is a significant symbolic gesture to shut down the Sohae site that was used to test liquid fuel missile engines, and launch so called satellites into space that were widely seen as a cover for testing long-range ballistic missiles. The Trump administration also praised North Korea for taking unilateral action to dismantle key facilities used to develop engines for ballistic missiles at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station, that was revealed in satellite images released this week. Trump has said Kim promised to close the facility during their Singapore meeting. However, Pomeo cited the recent talks with North Korea as "verifiable evidence" of progress toward implementing the broad denuclearization agreement reached by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Singapore Summit in June. The secretary of state declined to answer other questions about whether the North is continuing to develop other facets of its nuclear program, along with its submarine-based ballistic missiles capability, saying he did not want to reveal potentially classified information. In response to a question from Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that North Korea is still producing fuel for nuclear bombs. "Yes, they continue to produce fissile material," Pompeo said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added to growing skepticism about North Korea's commitment to eliminate its nuclear weapons arsenal, while testifying at a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. But Sue Mi Terry, a CSIS Korea scholar and former CIA analyst, points out the Sohae site is seen as somewhat obsolete, as North Korea has advanced to develop solid based fuels that can be preloaded, and mobile launchers that make it more difficult to track their missile site locations. "You can make an argument that, yeah, this looks like a concession of sorts, but it is still a cosmetic concession. We are not really seeing active steps toward denuclearization," said Terry during a CSIS podcast on Wednesday. Nuclear nonproliferation expert Jeffrey Lewis agrees that dismantling Sohae does not limit the North's nuclear capability, or ability to strike the U.S. mainland with an intercontinental ballistic missile. "Removing the engine test stand doesn't mean North Korea has to stop producing ICBMs. It can continue producing ICBMs. It just cannot test them at that stand. It could still fire them and flight-test them off a launcher, if all of this collapses," said Lewis, who is the director of the East Asia nonproliferation program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California. Also concerning for Victor Cha, the CSIS Korea Chair, is that North Korea has not allowed in inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency or other independent organizations to verify that the denuclearization measures being taken are complete and irreversible. "The news that we hear of the Sohae satellite launch test site being taken down is largely coming from overhead commercial satellite imagery. There is no inspector from the IAEA or anywhere else on the ground," said Cha, who is a former director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council for President George W. Bush. Cha sees the Kim government's actions in closing down Sohae as a good trust building measure in response to President Trump's decision to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea. But nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, he said, has not yet begun in earnest as North Korea has not even taken the initial step to declare the extent of its nuclear program. The two sides remain sharply divided over U.S. demands for the North to completely dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missiles program before receiving any concessions, including the easing of tough UN sanctions that block 90 percent of the country's trade. North Korea wants a more phased-in approach with significant rewards, such as ending sanctions and beginning economic aid and investment, tied to incremental progress. Pyongyang is also pushing for a peace declaration this year from the U.S. and South Korea that would lead to an official peace treaty replacing the armistice in place since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Critics say that such a declaration could be used to undermine the justification for the U.S. military presence in South Korea. The Trump administration has criticized past U.S. presidents for providing North Korea concessions in exchange for denuclearization promises that were never kept. Two pedestrians were taken to the hospital following a two-vehicle crash near downtown Madison Thursday afternoon. The traffic crash occurred at the intersection of Regent and N. Park Streets at 3:47 p.m., according to the Madison Police Department. Northbound traffic on Park Street and westbound and eastbound traffic on Regent Street were closed briefly after the crash. Police are still investigating. North Korea will hand over the remains of some 50 U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War to the U.S. on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the armistice. A U.S. transport aircraft left Kalma Airport in Wonsan on Friday morning to take them home. The two sides agreed the handover at their summit in Singapore on June 12. A transport aircraft was on standby at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, according to the U.S. Forces Korea. U.S. officials traveling on the transport plane will briefly check the remains in Wonsan before flying back to Osan, where an honor guard will welcome them in a brief ceremony. They will then be taken to Hawaii around Aug. 1 for forensic identification. By Express News Service MUMBAI: In a significant move, Aditya Birla Groups Novelis Inc on Thursday said it will acquire Ohio-based aluminium sheet-maker Aleris Corp at an enterprise valuation of $2.58 billion. Novelis is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Birlas aluminium and copper producing business Hindalco Industries Ltd.Following the Aleris acquisition, Hindalco-Novelis will emerge as the worlds largest aluminium downstream player with a capacity of 4.7 million tonnes. Both firms signed a definitive agreement including a cash payment of $775 million and absorption of Aleriss $1.8 billion debt, making it a debt-funded buyout. Novelis, which makes car parts, cans and aluminium-based packaging, was itself acquired by Birla in 2007 for $6 billion. The deal is expected to close in 9-15 months, subject to regulatory approvals in the US, European Union and Asia. The acquisition is value accretive from the first year itself, both in terms of cash flows and net profit, which is rare for acquisition as big as this, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group. The company expects $150 million synergies on a recurring basis from the third year after the merger. Theres also an earn-out clause, which rewards both firms for performance beyond the base business plan during 2018-2020 for North America. Any excess revenue during this period will be split evenly between Novelis and Aleris, with the cap set at $50 million. The acquisition multiple we are talking about is only 7.2, given that EBITDA will be $360 million the year which we take over the company ... I believe, investors will view this as positive, Birla said. In FY17, Aleris had revenues of $3 billion and shipments of 800 kilo-tonnes. The combined entity will have pro forma revenue of about $15 billion and will operate 37 facilities with a workforce of 16,500, a Novelis statment said. The acquisition gives Hindalco, besides others, access to aerospace segment, where Aleris has long-term contracts with Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier. Aleris has manufacturing sites in North America, Europe and China that produce rolled aluminium sheets, plates and fabricated products for the automotive, building and construction, transportation, and consumer durables industries. Arshad Khan By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Projecting the current anti-dumping duty as ineffective to curb cheap Chinese imports, a key parliamentary panel on Thursday said the dumping has led to closure of many business units in the country, especially in the MSME sector, and has resulted in loss of employment. In the solar sector alone, the panels report notes, nearly two lakh jobs have been lost due to dumping of cheap Chinese solar panels. Cheap Chinese dumping has also decimated Indias export capability in the sector. It is disheartening to note that India was one of the major exporters of solar products during 2006-2011 to countries such as Germany, France and Italy, before China started dumping their products at the cost of Indian manufacturers. Presently, the exports from India have been decimated and brought to a standstill, the report said. The committee asked the government to take a strong note of such dumping. Early this month, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies has recommended imposing 25 per cent duty on solar cells imported from China and Malaysia for next two years. About 50 per cent of Indias toy industry has been badly affected by imports of finished toys from China and traditional toy-making skills are being lost with artisans shifting to other vocations. On the steel sector, nothing has been done to revise or rationalise the anti-dumping duty imposed, the report said. Around 75-80 per cent of Chinese steel products are covered by the countrys anti-dumping duties, but there was an increase of eight per cent in import of these steel products. By UNI MUMBAI: A special CBI court on Friday finally granted bail to Rajesh Jindal, then assistant general manager in PNB's (Punjab National Bank) Brady House branch, where the multi-crore fraud began. This was the third bail application filed by Jindal, after his two previous attempts to secure bail had been rejected by the same court. Jindal was general manager (Credit) in the bank's head office in New Delhi, when he was arrested in February this year. Jindal, the then assistant general manager, was posted and functioning as branch head of PNB's mid-corporate branch, Brady House, Mumbai from end-2009 to mid-2011. The central agency in its charge-sheet has stated that in criminal conspiracy with prime accused Nirav Modi, Neeshal Modi and some other accused, Jindal had allowed issuance of four letters of undertaking (LoUs) in March 2011, in abuse of his official position as public servant. This, the CBI says, was done knowing fully well that there was no sanctioned limit for issue of LoUs and without obtaining 100 per cent margin and without charging the required commission. It is in evidence, the agency says that Jindal had instructed Gokulnath Shetty in an unauthorised manner, saying that the borrowers will bring the margin subsequently. The PNB scam refers to an over Rs 13,000 crore scam, in which some officials of the public sector bank in connivance with companies of diamantaires Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi allegedly issued fraudulent LoUs, thus making the bank liable to the amount. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Is Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab heading for a split? As it is in fresh turmoil in the state, a day after of the Lead opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira was removed from the post of LoP by the national leadership of AAP today out of a total of twenty legislators of AAP nine party MLAs came in his favour seeking review to remove him from the post. Khaira is not known to take things lying down. Sources said that ten party MLAs held a one-hour long meeting today at his residence which included MLA Kanwar Sandhu and asked the party high command to review the decision to remove Khaira from the post of leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly. Khaira also announced to hold state-level worker convention in Bathinda on August 2. The choice of venue is interesting as Bathinda is part of the Malwa heartland that sent maximum AAP MLAs to the assembly. Flanked by the MLAs, Khaira called the party's decision arbitrary that had to be revoked. Sandhu said Khaira's removal was announced on Twitter without any intimation to Khaira. He said eight lawmakers have sent a signed letter to party head Arvind Kejriwal asking him to resolve the crisis. He also claimed many state office bearers and zonal leaders have sent their resignations, but none has been accepted so far. Sandhu has resigned from the post of the spokesperson of the AAP Legislative Party of Punjab. Meanwhile, both Kharia and Sandhu said, "Will express resentment but will not leave the party.'' Those who attended the meeting were Bhadaur MLA Pirmal Singh, Mansa MLA Nazer Singh Mansahia, Maur MLA Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Raikot MLA Jagtar Singh besides others. It is learnt that yesterday, out of the 20 MLAs, 15 had signed consent for replacing Khaira with Harpal Singh Cheema and one among them, Pirmal Singh was at Khaira's house for the meeting today. Later Bathinda city's MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby joined them. However, a party legislator on condition of anonymity said that efforts were also on to diffuse the situation by convincing Khaira to avoid further confrontation with the state and national unity. Earlier as he had been raising the voice of the AAP on all major issues in the state in the past more than a year and he had the support of 14 out of 20 party MLAs and one-time alliance partner Lok Insaaf Party (LIP). Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday removed Sukhpal Singh Khaira as the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly and announced Dirba MLA Harpal Singh Cheema would take his place. The Punjab leaders have been demanding functional autonomy while the Delhi leadership wanted them to show results. Already two of the four MPs of AAP continue to be under suspension. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Mumbai-based tug that had arrived in Vizhinjam from the Maldives three years ago has turned into a major headache for the minor port here. Knotty court cases have led to an inordinate delay in the departure of the tug. The stranded tug, MV Brahmekshara, poses a threat to the safety of the small harbour which is used by local fishing boats. Moreover, port officers said they have already spent a significant amount on repairing a portion of the quay which was damaged by the constant pounding from the vessels hull. "Hundreds of fishing boats use the harbour. So the tug is now a danger to other craft.There is always the threat of the tug slipping its mooring ropes in the heavy swells that are common in the monsoons, said Anitha A Nair, port conservator, Vizhinjam. Dragging court cases involving the crew of the tug, the bank and the owner have led to the tug ending up a liability for the busy minor port. According to port sources, wharfage and berth hire charge dues from December 2015 to December 2017 alone come to about `24 lakh. The tug had grabbed headlines on its arrival from the Maldives in December 2015 due to a dispute between the crew and the owners, Affable Fisheries Pvt Ltd, over salary. In fact, the tug had limped into the Vizhinjam port after a two-year detention in the Maldives over charges of damaging coral reef. Later, it again became the centre of controversy after the tugs Chief Engineer T S Sreekumar, a Keralite from Edapally in Ernakulam district, was literally marooned aboard it for over a year. He was involved in a dispute with the owners over salary, but he also could not leave the tug as he had no immigration clearance to disembark.At the time, the Ports Department had taken the stand that the officer cannot be cleared since that would leave the vessel without sufficient crew. By Express News Service GUNTUR: After the High Court took a serious view of illegal mining in Palnadu region on Wednesday by asking the government to take measures for the protection of natural resources, quarrying activity came to a standstill on Thursday. TDPs Gurajala MLA Yarapatineni Srinivasa Rao, is said to be behind the illegal mining as alleged by former MLC TVG Krishna Reddy who said the government was incurring a loss of `4,000 crore due to conduct of illegal mining by Yarapatineni. Krishna Reddy alleged that he had taken the issue to the notice of officials and the police several times but no action was taken. Hence, he said, he had knocked the doors of Lokayukta, High Court of Judicature of Hyderabad and National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking justice by stopping illegal mining in the villages of Konanki in Piduguralla mandal as well as Kesanupalli and Nadikudi of Dachepalli in Guntur district. He filed a complaint (No. 4101/2016 before Lokayukta) and submitted an application (No. 228/2016 before National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Chennai. Lokayukta In-charge Director of Investigation, K Narasimha Reddy, submitted a report stating that everybody knows that Gurajala MLA Yerapatineni Srinivasa Rao was behind the illegal mining of limestone in and around Dachepalli and Piduguralla areas. He further said that till June, 2014, the illegal mining activity was going on in a subdued manner but once the TDP came to power in June 2014 in AP, Yarapatineni started organising illegal mining on a large-scale with the support of the ruling TDP. He further stated that the Collector, SP and Deputy Director of Mines and Geology had turned a blind eye to illegal mining operations being carried out in Dachepalli and Piduguralla. Narasimha Reddy further mentioned in the report that no action was taken though the local Assistant Director of Mines had taken to the notice of the Deputy Director (Mining) and the State Director of Mining that a large-scale illegal mining was going on. A proposal was mooted by the Mines department for mining of limestone and invited tenders for excavation works. The Tribunal, having found force in the material placed before it, stayed the action of the Mining department and hence the tender process was called off. But, there was no action from the officials. Hence, the petitioner TVG Krishna Reddy filed a PIL (No. 170 in 2016) in the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. He submitted satellite imagery copies obtained from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, to the court. The evidence clearly indicated illegal mining of 23 lakh metric tons of white limestone at Konanki of Piduguralla mandal in an extent of 64 acres, private land of 24 acres at Kesanupalli and 640 acres of land in Nadikudi of Dachepalli mandal. He mentioned that the consequential loss caused to public exchequer amounted to `298 crore including royalty, other taxes, penalty and interest in the last three years. The residents of Piduguralla and Dachepalli said that illegal mining was continuing for the past few years but it was stopped on Thursday. Gurajala Assembly constituency YSRC in-charge Kasu Mahesh Reddy alleged that 42 lakh metric tonne of lime stone was mined illegally from the mines in and around Gurajala Assembly constituency. He said that the YSRC organised agitations against illegal mining and submitted a representation demanding action against MLA Yerapataneni Srinivasa Rao but no steps were taken to curb the illegal activity. Rochana BKN By Online Desk Grab your telescope and dont miss out the rare chance to witness the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century in the early hours of July 28. Popularly known as the 'Blood Moon', the celestial treat would last for one hour and 43 minutes. A partial eclipse will precede and follow during the entire phase, each lasting one hour and six minutes. The Moon will take three hours and 55 minutes to cross the Earth's dark shadow during its sojourn. It has been named 'Blood Moon' as the Moon gets a rusty orange or deep red colour, when the sunlight is scattered through the Earth's atmosphere. The Executive Director of Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Center shared details about 'Blood Moon' and the special arrangements made the Centre (situated in Guindy) for people to witness the eclipse. The Executive Director of TNSTC, Soundararajan Perumal said, "This time the moon will be at a distance of 4,60,000, so it's called micro moon as it will be slightly diminished. Since the moon crosses the earth's shadow, along the central region, it takes a longer time to cross it. The Super Moon Lunar eclipse, that happened on Jan 31, crossed the earth's shadow in 76 minutes. This time it will take 103 minutes to cross it." "We have arranged five telescopes for people to watch it. People who wish to watch the eclipse at home can also watch it with naked eyes," he said. READ | Clouds may eclipse blood moons full view The 'Blood Moon' is also known as Micro Moon eclipse, as the Moon will be at the farthest point from the Earth and may even look smaller. There will be another guest during the eclipse, as Mars will glow brightly, giving some unforgettable moments to skywatchers all over the world. A student from Sastra college shared his excitement about getting to witness the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century. "Tonight is a definite treat for any astronomer's eyes. Not only will we be able to observe the eclipse for the longest time in our probable lifetimes, at the end of it, we can just turn our telescopes around and watch Mars make its closest approach to us! I'd say this is a once in a blood moon event, but tonight is literally a blue moon, so it looks like nature has a sense of humour. We here at SASTRA are gearing up to get moonstruck," Rakesh Ramesh, a student from Sastra college said. Interestingly, some people feel that the longest lunar eclipse has its own disadvantages. A sky enthusiast from Chennai, Eashwar Mathur said, "It's going to be fun since it's a blood moon and also the longest eclipse. But longest lunar eclipse is technically not great, because you can't see the eclipse moving. If it's short, you can see the shadow moving for at least every five minutes. Hope it doesn't rain tonight." Time of the Lunar eclipse The eclipse will be witnessed in Africa, the Middle East, Southern Asia and the Indian Ocean region. In India, it will be seen in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, among other major cities from 11:44 pm IST, and the first phase is expected to set in from 11.54 pm IST and the entire eclipse from 1.00 am IST on July 28. Superstitions related to eclipses Superstitions have been long associated with the lunar eclipse since time immemorial and it was widely believed that our mind and body go through some changes during the eclipse. So, just listen to your grandmas advice like taking bath or observing fast. Jokes apart, here's a list of rituals that have been long followed by people: Avoid eating cooked food - The popular belief is that during the eclipse, the food that you consume would not get digested properly - leaving you feeling bloated and lethargic. People say one should avoid travelling during the eclipse. Pregnant women are asked to stay indoors too. Although there isn't any scientific reason behind these, it has been firmly engraved in our culture that the rays, which are more powerful during the eclipse, can affect the baby inside the womb. READ | Planetarium to make arrangements for viewing Blood Moon By ANI Mumbai: Gangster Abu Salem has slapped a legal notice on the makers of the movie 'Sanju', for allegedly portraying wrong information about him in the movie. Salem's lawyer has sent the notice to Raj Kumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the distributors and the production companies involved, demanding the removal of scenes which allegedly caused defamation to the gangster. In the notice, Salem also threatened the makers with defamation case if the scenes are not removed within a period of 15 days. Referring to a scene which was allegedly false, the notice stated, "The scene where Ranbir Kapoor (pictured as Sanjay Dutt) gives confessional statement about the possession of arms and ammunition during the communal tensions around our country in the year 1993 is defaming my client as my client never supplied the arms and ammunition as alleged to Mr. Sanjay Dutt as pictured in the said film." pic.twitter.com/Kn1FyyRLW0 The notice claimed that Salem never met actor Sanjay Dutt or supplied arms and ammunition to him. The gangster is serving a life sentence in jail after being convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. He has also been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment in 2002 extortion case by Delhi Court. 'Sanju' which is based on the life of actor Sanjay Dutt was released on June 29. Aishik Chanda By Express News Service KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that ruling BJP wants to bring in the presidential form of election to bring dictatorship in the country. Speaking to media after meeting former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah at state secretariat Nabanna here on Friday, the Trinamool Congress supremo said: "Federal Front is a broader coalition of all anti-BJP parties except a few regional parties that have their own state compulsions. BJP's strategy is to impose a presidential form of election to bring dictatorship in the country. We cannot let that happen. We can sacrifice anything for the sake of the country. Our ultimate aim is to defeat BJP in 2019." Speaking on the question of the front's Prime Ministerial candidate, Abdullah said: "Didi has done a great job in West Bengal. When needed, we will take her to the throne of Delhi. But these questions will be addressed after the Lok Sabha elections." "Federal Front is made of parties that don't have any differences. Whatever differences are there with other parties have to be put aside and they also have to be included to put up a united fight against the BJP in 2019 and defeat them. As a precursor to the 2019 electoral alliance, parties of the front can start raising each other's issues in the Parliament," he added. Responding to Pakistan election, Abdullah said: "He has given a positive message on taking two steps for every one step taken by India but it depends on the actions they actually take." Taking a dig at BJP, Abdullah said that the internal security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has deteriorated remarkably since 2014. Responding to Mamata Banerjee's allegations that BJP was attempting to bring dictatorship in the country, West Bengal BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu said: "There is no greater dictator than Mamata Banerjee in the country. Her party workers have killed 25 BJP workers in panchayat elections and her administration has filed over 1.5 lakh cases against 10,000 BJP workers in the state over the past six months." "Mamata Banerjee is daydreaming to become the Prime Minister but she should remember that no Congress-supported PM be it Chaudhary Charan Singh, Inder Kumar Gujral, Chandrasekhar or H D Devegowda lasted more than one year as the PM," he added. A left-front leader in West Bengal Assembly, Sujan Chakraborty said: "Mamata Banerjee has understood that the people of the country are not supporting the BJP. Instead of going around with the Federal Front business, she should take genuine steps to defeat the BJP. The Federal Front will only consolidate BJP's powers." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is still touring the country in an epic campaign to ready it for possible international investment, especially from China. Recently Kim inspected a food factory and a bag factory in Wonsan, Kangwon Province after his tour of some 20 facilities in the border provinces with China, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday. Kim spend almost a month in the Chinese border region immediately after his third visit to China in June, and now he is visiting Wonsan, which is being developed as an international tourist destination including the Masikryong Ski Resort. He has focused chiefly on economic development zones and areas being developed for tourism where he hopes to draw Chinese investment. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Overriding Congress opposition, the Centre on Thursday decided to honour all prime ministers of the country by building a new museum inside the Teen Murti Estate, which celebrates the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru. On Thursday, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library society decided to construct a new museum inside the Teen Murti Bhavan in honour of other PMs - both former as well as future ones. The Teen Murti Bhavan was the official residence of Indias first Prime Minister Nehru, who was in the office for 17 years. The NMML, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, was set up in his memory. The idea to give space to other PMs inside the Teen Murti Bhavan was strongly opposed by the Congress, which said this would dilute Nehrus legacy. However, many others who attended the 43rd annual general meeting of the NMML society supported the concept of a separate museum. Congress was represented by senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge who suggested the new memorial be constructed elsewhere. Government representatives, though, batted for the new museum inside NMML saying the story of Indias executive, as represented by the PMs, needs to be told for the benefit of future generations. Many members said there was no need to allot space to Nehru in the new museum since the entire structure celebrates his legacy. However, this was opposed by others who said Nehru being a prominent former PM, should feature in the mini museum, too. The final decision on whether Nehru will feature in the new museum is yet to be taken, according to sources. The meeting was chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh who said the move was not to dilute Nehrus legacy. Funds for state-of-art museum The vision behind the museum is to help encourage people to learn the history of independent India, sources said while quoting Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Responding to Kharges concerns, Singh said there was no question of diluting Nehrus legacy as Nehrus contribution as the countrys first prime minister was unparalleled. The Centre has sanctioned 280 crore for the construction of the museum. The museum will be a modern technologically advanced museum and will be constructed with the help of international consultants. Under the NMML Society supervision, which has the PM as its head, the NMML council has been managing the overall affairs of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Kanu Sarda By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday summoned the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking an explanation for lapses into the investigations of Manipur fake encounter killing cases. CBI is probing alleged extra-judicial killings and fake encounters by the Army, Assam Rifles and police in insurgency-hit Manipur. During the hearing, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Uday U Lalit orally observed that they are tired of the CBI's snake and ladder game and sought the presence of the CBI Director at 2 pm on Monday. "We are not satisfied with the pace of the probe. We want to know from the CBI director about the timeline and also about the manner of the probe," the bench in its order. The court said it wants the CBI chief to explain in person the issues in complying with the orders and also the long in-house process of the agency to approve final reports. The court was irate over the fact that in spite of a categorical statement to submit final investigation reports in four cases of extra-judicial killings by July 27, not a single report has been filed so far. ASG Maninder Singh, appearing for the investigating agency pointed the bench that there was no deliberate delay on the part of the CBI and that the process of vetting the chargesheet and approval took more time as many as 10 officers have a look at it before giving final nod. "It has become like snake and ladder and we are tired of this. Let all these officers in CBI sit together one day, apply their minds and finish it in one day. Let there be an exception to your manual," observed the bench. Representing the PIL petitioner, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves pressed his demand for setting up a special investigation team (SIT) and said, "CBI was supposed to file 41 FIRs by January 31 under the orders of this court. Only 27 FIRs filed till date and 14 are still realising." Ends. By IANS NEW DELHI: Fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by Indian investigative agencies in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, has denied "any truth in the allegations". In a statement issued to a Caribbean newspaper 'Antigua Observer', Choksi through his attorney David Dorsett said: "I can say categorically, that there is no truth in those allegations." On or about July 24, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) issued a press statement in response to an online story from an Indian media outlet reporting on certain allegations made against Choksi by the Indian authorities and the media. According to this CIU statement on Wednesday, Choksi was granted citizenship by registration in November 2017 and he swore the Oath of Allegiance in Antigua on January 15, 2018. The CIU also said that Choksi's application was granted "after robust due diligence and international investigation by reputable agencies, including the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)". The CIU also said that "the 2017 investigation revealed no derogatory information about Choksi". The owner of the Gitanjali group firms further said that in January 2018, "I had need to visit the US to receive medical treatment. Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence." "That being the case, I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, the country of my citizenship, and to abide by the laws of the country," he said. His remarks came three days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it had written to the Antiguan authorities seeking details of Choksi's whereabouts in connection with the PNB fraud case. On Tuesday it was revealed that Choksi had moved to Antigua from the US several weeks ago using an Antiguan passport. The revelation came from Antiguan authorities in response to a CBI diffusion notice circulated to foreign countries through Interpol. The CBI came to know of it last week and shared the information with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Both the CBI and the ED have been probing the multi-crore fraud allegedly committed between 2011-2017 by Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi. Choksi also said that "I can, however, state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. "During the course of my application I did all that was lawfully required of me to do," he claimed, adding, "My application for citizenship was in due course approved." Choksi also claimed that his application was motivated by his desire to expand his business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa free travel access to 130 countries. "That remains my reason for choosing to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda," he said. The red corner notice (RCN) request from the CBI to the Interpol against Choksi is still pending. Earlier in July, the Interpol issued the RCN against fugitive diamond jeweller Nirav Modi, his brother, a Belgian national, Nishal Modi and an executive of his firm Subhash Parab. By ANI FAIZABAD: A senior Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hari Om Pandey sparked a fresh controversy after stating that the cases of heinous crimes such as rape and murder are rapidly increasing due to the growing Muslim population in India. The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar also asserted that soon a new nation like Pakistan will be carved out from India if the government fails to curb the rising Muslim population in the coming days. "The menaces such as of terrorism, rape, sexual harassment prevailing in India is only because of the rising Muslim populations. If one looks closely, there is a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslim populants since the time of Independence," said Pandey. He also added that the increased population will result in unemployment and stagnant economic growth which in-turn will bring anarchy in India. Pandey was of the view that a bill pertaining to the matter should soon be introduced in the Parliament and the necessary measures should be taken at the earliest for curbing population growth. "I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition," he said. By IANS NEW DELHI: Declaring that it was "running out of patience", NDA constituent Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Friday warned of an agitation if an ordinance to strengthen the SC-ST Act was not promulgated and the Chairman of the National Green Tribunal was not removed by August 9. The development comes three days after it wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi apprising him of an expected backlash from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) over the government's inaction in resolving their issues. Addressing a press conference, Chirag Paswan, party MP and son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said people from the SC and ST communities were feeling betrayed as the BJP-led NDA government had not issued an ordinance "as yet" to overturn the Supreme Court's March 20 order that "diluted" the original SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The government appointed Justice A.K Goel, "who ruled against the Act", as NGT Chairman. "We are running out of patience as no action has been taken to restore the Act as yet. On April 2, agitations were held across the country. Similar agitations have been announced by some organisations on August 9. We want the government to bring an ordinance to restore the Act before that. Our Dalit Sena will take to the streets if it is not done," he said. "Also, we want removal of Justice Goel from the post of NGT Chairman. These steps will help in building SC, ST people's trust in the government," he added. He said the government's decision to appoint retired SC judge Goel as NGT Chairman had sent a message to these communities that the government had awarded the judge who was one of the judges of the two-member bench that 'diluted' provisions of the Act. "We have been asking the government to restore the provisions of the Act as soon as possible as people are sad and disappointed with the SC order. Also, Goel's appointment as NGT Chairman is being seen as an award," Paswan said. In the letter to Modi, Paswan said that people from SC and ST communities had taken to the streets after SC passed the order on March 20 and made a request to take "appropriate steps" in time as the August 9 agitations were expected to be "sharper" and "fiercer". The Chairman of the LJP Parliamentary Board demanded the introduction of reservation in private sector jobs and placing reservation in the 9th schedule of the Constitution to counter the Opposition charge that the government was bent on ending quotas in education and government service. Replying to questions, the Jamui MP said party President Ram Vilas Paswan would decide the party's next course of action based on the government's response to the demands. He said the party had faith in Modi but expressed concern if the government was listening to the appeals and demands made by the party. "Had the government been listening to us, the situation would not have come to this pass," he said. Paswan said the party had aligned with the National Democratic Alliance since it was assured that the interests of people from the SC and ST communities "would not be hurt". He also added that his party was still with the government and was pushing for its demands while being within the government. "We will not take any step like the TDP took", he said in reference to the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh which quit the NDA earlier this year over the demand for a special category status to the state. By PTI IMPHAL: The administration in Manipur's Jiribam district today imposed prohibitory order in the region under section 144 of CrPc, in the wake of protests against a bill that seeks to "protect the identity of indigenous people" of the state, an official said. The restrictions in the district, forbidding assembly of four or more people at one place, will continue till further orders, he said. The Manipur People's Protection Bill 2018, passed unanimously by the Legislative Assembly on July 23, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meitis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951. The rest, categorised as "Non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law. The prohibitory orders in Jiribam, bordering Cachar in Assam, came two days after a large number of people staged a rally in the district to denounce the state's decision to fix base year at 1951. The Bill is currently waiting for Governor Najma Heptullah's assent. Terming the Bill as "unconstitutional", Md. Ahmed Ali, a spokesperson of 'Joint Action Committee Against Base Year 1951', said it would deprive many people of their rights. "The committee will intensify its agitation if we do not receive the rights guaranteed to us under the Constitution," he claimed. A district official said Jiribam has witnessed a change in demography in the past two years due to influx of illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The all India truckers strike, which entered its 8th day on Friday, was called off in the evening after talks between the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, led to some concessions being made by the Government. READ | What, why and when of all-India truckers' strike The strike, which seemed set to intensify as repeated meetings with the Government had failed in the past, had severely affected industry across the country with losses of up to Rs. 10,000 crore per day estimated by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry for the state. According to a joint statement by The MoRTH and the AIMTC, the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI), on the request of the government, has agreed to discuss the demand for reviewing the premium for third party insurance for heavy vehicles and a meeting with the AIMTC will be held on Saturday to discuss the issue. The MoRTH has also said that it would put in place a mechanism using technology-based solutions to ensure seamless movement of transport vehicles across toll plazas within 6 months. "The Government will look into the feasibility of extending coverage of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana to the drivers and co-workers of commercial vehicles. The Government will also explore the possibility of providing health services under ESIC to the drivers and co-workers of commercial vehicles," the joint statement said. A demand for national permit scheme for tourist vehicles has also been agreed to by the MoRTH and the government would also consider other demands including a uniform height for transport vehicles and the increase of a validity of fitness certificates to 2 years. "A high-level committee under the chairmanshop of Secretary, MoRTH to facilitate expeditious resolution of the demands of the transport fraternity including e-way bill implementation, GST related issues and other issues," the statement said. The committee would submit its recommendations within 3 months for consideration by the Government, the statement said. "In view of the above, on 27th July 2018, the agitation by the AIMTC stands withdrawn immediately," the statement said. By Express News Service BHOPAL: In a significant development, two men were convicted for raping two minors and awarded death penalty by courts in separate cases in Gwalior and Katni districts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday. With this, five men have been convicted and sentenced to death by courts in the central Indian state for raping and killing minors over two and half months. In Gwalior district, a 25-year-old ice cream seller Jitendra Kushwah was handed over death sentence by a special court for kidnapping, raping and brutally murdering a 6-year-old girl on June 20-21 intervening night. Another special court in Katni district awarded death penalty to a 33-year-old auto-rickshaw driver Rajkumar Kol for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old school girl, who he daily drove to school with other kids. The court of Special Judge (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012-POCSO Act Cases) Archana Singh in Gwalior district, pronounced 25-year-old ice cream seller Jitendra Kushwah guilty for raping and brutally murdering a six-year-old girl, before dumping her body in the dense forests in Kampoo police station area of Gwalior district on June 20-21. Pronouncing the verdict in the case, the special judge awarded double death penalty to the convict after holding him guilty under Section 302 (murder) and 376 AB (rape) of IPC. He was also convicted for kidnapping the minor and slapped with Rs 6,000 penalty under other IPC sections. According to the counsel for the deceased girl's family Somveer Yadav, "it was a historic judgment delivered by the special judge, taking into account the gruesome crime committed by the accused. The justice was delivered in the case following 13 days of trial. A total of 33 witnesses recorded their statements in support of the prosecution's case." Importantly, the six-year-old girl who hailed from adjoining Bhind district had come with family to attend the marriage of a close relative at the community hall in Kampoo police station area of Gwalior district on June 20. The accused, Jitendra Kushwah (a native of Gwalior only) lured the girl out of the marriage function with an ice cream. He then took her to forests (around half km from marriage hall) and raped her, besides having anal sex with her. He subsequently murdered the girl brutally, inflicting 19 wound all around her body to kill her. The girl's face was hit a stone repeatedly to mutilate it beyond imagination. Meanwhile, a special court in Katni district also awarded death sentence to 33-year-old Rajkumar Kol for allegedly sexually assaulting a five-year-old school girl, who daily travelled in Kol's auto-rickshaw to the school. The Special Judge Madhuri Raj Lal Tamrakar pronounced the accused guilty and awarded death sentence to him for sexually assaulting the minor on July 4. According to Katni district prosecution officer DS Taran, it's the first time that death sentence has been awarded to anyone for raping a minor in Katni district, since the Narendra Modi government brought the ordinance in April 2018 paving the passage for death penalty as maximum punishment for those convicted for raping minors aged up to 12 years. The double death sentence awarded by the Gwalior special court to Jitendra Kushwah for raping and murdering the 6-year-old girl was the first double death sentence to an accused convicted under the law amended post the Modi government ordinance. Prior to this, a special court in Indore had on May 12 awarded double death penalty to a 26-year-old man for kidnapping, raping and murdering the four-month-old daughter of his nephew on April 20 early morning in the heart of Indore city. But the verdict, in that case, was not delivered under the amended law, as the ghastly act had taken place two days prior to the April 22 ordinance. With the special courts in Gwalior and Katni awarding death sentence in the two separate cases of rape-murder and sexual assault of minors on Friday, a total of five men have so far been awarded death sentence by courts for raping minors in MP over the last two and half months. May 12 - 26-year-old man gets a double death sentence for raping and killing nephew's 4-month-old daughter in Indore. May 17 - A 19-year-old man sentenced to death by a court in Dhar district for raping and killing a 4-year-old girl. July 7 - A 40-year-old man sentenced to death by a special court in Sagar district for raping a 9-year-old girl at a temple on May 21. July 27 - 25-year-old ice cream seller awarded double death sentence by a special court in Gwalior district for raping and murdering a 6-year-old girl on June 20-21 intervening night. July 27 - 33-year-old auto-rickshaw driver sentenced to death by a special court in Katni for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old school girl on July 4. By PTI NEW DELHI: In a unique initiative, the railways today launched 'Mission Satyanishtha' to sensitise its employees about the need to adhere to ethics and maintain high standards of integrity at work. It also organised a programme on 'Ethics in Public Governance' at the National Rail Museum. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal administered oath to the officers and supervisors at the programme. "People define an organisation and an organisation defines its people, hence, work culture has to be improved and transparency brought about," he said. Lack of interest towards work in any system may be termed as unethical, amounting to corruption," the minister said. Mission Satyanishtha aims at sensitising all railway employees about the need to adhere to ethics and maintain high standards of integrity at work, a statement from the railways said. Talks and lectures on the subject were also organised on the occasion, it said. Eminent personalities like Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdhary, IAS officer Prabhat Kumar and others delivered lectures on the subject. The event was also webcast live to all zonal, divisional and production units of the railways from the National Rail Museum. Balbir Punj By Reports said that an organisation in Kerala, packed with leftist intellectuals, had decided to observe Ramayana month during the monsoon month of Karkidakam. It involves the ritual reading of the Malayalam version of the Ramayana, translated by pioneering Malayalam poet Thunjath Ezhuthachan, at home for a period of 30 days starting on July 17 this year. Noticing that the Ramayana reading was immensely popular, the Left too jumped on the bandwagon. The avowedly atheist Marxists had already been lampooned for taking out processions to celebrate Sree Krishna Jayanti in the past few years. Now, after the CPM was again ridiculed, top CPM leaders denied that the party had any role in the Ramayana rendering. Perhaps the Marxist bosses, who are also leading the states Left coalition government, did not want to give the impression that the party cadres were beginning to come under the influence of religion, even as Karl Marxs assertion 150 years ago that religion is the opiate of the masses was being quietly dropped by the party. The background of this religious ritual that is haunting the ruling Marxists is in fact interesting. In Kerala, the monsoon months of the year see the land drenched in almost continuous downpour that virtually paralyses most of the outdoor activities. Thunjath Ezhuthachan was a 16th century poet who not only wrote the local version of the Ramayana, but also contributed a lot to Malayalam and standardised the language, creating an alphabet system equivalent to Sanskrit. Ezhuthachan is revered in Kerala as the father of the local language and the giver of the Malayalam Ramayana. His translation is called Adhyatma Ramayana thereby emphasising not only the literary, but also the spiritual value of his text. Though in the 20th century, the anti-Hindu and Left movements eroded the epics spiritual regeneration aspect, there has recently been a revival of the practice of this epic being read by the head of the family (usually a grandmother) and at some places even explained to the younger generations present at the reading. The revival of the Ramayana family readings has caused concern among die-hard Marxists and many anti-Hindu forces masquerading as rationalists in the state. They apprehend that such a revival might begin to tip the scales in favour of a Hindu renaissance and finally benefit the BJP. The Kerala economy was once known as a money-order economy when migration was largely within the country; now it is known as a remittance economy. One outcome of the remittance economy has been a reassertion of religious identity and public demonstration of religious rites among all communities. Thanks to money from abroad, including the Gulf, the number of various denominations of churches too has multiplied in the last few decades. Meanwhile, prosperity among Muslims has been accompanied by an increasing radicalisation of a section of the community and its share in the total population of the state has also been rising, while that of Hindus and Christians has declined. The share of Hindus has dropped from nearly 69 per cent in 1901 to 54.73 per cent in 2011. During 2001-11, Muslims in Kerala have grown by 12.8 per cent, Hindus by 2.2 per cent and Christians by 1.4 per cent. Muslims in Kerala do not lag behind other communities in literacy, urbanisation or prosperity. The Left has been dishonest on the issue of religion. In the name of promoting rationality and scientific temper, it has come down heavily on Hindu rites and practices. In contrast, several radical Islamic outfits have enjoyed the overt and covert support of Communists of various hues in the state. The creation of the Muslim-majority district of Malappuram in 1969 by the then CPM government is an example of such divisive politics. Such blatant duplicity on the part of the established political parties in the state practiced over decades has obviously created a backlash among other communities, particularly Hindus, cutting across ideological and party lines. With the BJP in power at the Centre, many Hindus are no longer apologetic about their religious identity and practices. In a state where Marxists had an early grip, this return to religion is a strong challenge to their anti-religion pretensions and consequently to their political influence, power and income. Even greater than this fear is the weakening of the partys grip even among traditionally Marxist households if religion re-establishes itself as the anchor of politics. Despite the Marxist contamination, the devotion of Hindus to their texts and temples, rites and festivals, have continued to receive mass support. In their heart of hearts the Marxists seem to realise the growing devotion to religion would also deflect the mass of Hindus from devotion to foreign ideology to more native thoughts. The attempt to co-opt the reading of Ezhuthachans Ramayana is a sure sign of this change. That explains the internal apprehensions in the ruling Marxist party. After all they know how the Russians overturned the Soviet regime and drove the Communists out of power after more than 70 years of indoctrination. Balbir Punj Former Rajya Sabha member and Delhi-based commentator on social and political issues Email: punjbalbir@gmail.com Genres : Action and Sci-Fi : Action and Sci-Fi Running Time : 138 min. : 138 min. Directed by : Kim Jee-woon : Kim Jee-woon Starring : Kang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo Synopsis : In 2029, after the governments of North and South Korea announce a 5-year plan to reunify the country, strong sanctions by the world's powerful nations cripple the economy and lead to a hellish period of chaos. By Express News Service ELURU: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has reiterated that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will continue its fight against the Centre, which failed to accord special category status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh as promised at the time of bifurcation. Speaking at a public meeting organised at Kovvur on Thursday as part of the Nagara Darshini programme, the Chief Minister exuded confidence that the TDP would succeed in its fight against the Centre for justice to the State. He alleged that the BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre had betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had denied special category status to AP citing the 14th Finance Commission report. He said that the TDP had joined the NDA with a view to develop the residuary AP on all fronts. Naidu said, I did not take a U-turn on the issue of special category status as alleged by the opposition parties. I have taken a right turn in the larger interests of the State. Actually, it is the BJP government at the Centre which took a U-turn on the issues pertaining to development of AP. Ours is a Dharma Poratam. The TDP has started the fight and it will continue it till justice is done to AP. It is the fight for the rights of people. In Dharma Poratam, it is Dharma which will finally win. We will not give up our fight against the Centre till all our demands are met, he said. The Chief Minister exhorted the people to support his fight against the Centre. It is not an ordinary fight. It is the fight against the injustice done to AP by PM Modi. We will end the tyranny of the Centre, which is detrimental to the federalism, the Chief Minister said. Naidu alleged that the YSRC MPs who quit their posts for special status, are now relaxing in their houses. The Chief Minister also lashed out at Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for levelling baseless corruption allegations against the TDP government. If the TDP achieves landslide victory in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections bagging all the 25 seats, it will be in a position to dictate terms and decide the next PM. In such a scenario, the State will get all the due from the Centre to achieve rapid economic growth, he said. Ministers KS Jawahar and Pithani Satyanarayana and others participated in the meeting. Earlier, the Chief Minister participated in the Grama Darshini programme at Pasivedala in Kovvuru rural mandal and conducted a padayatra in the village. He interacted with the people to know their problems and promised to redress them at the earliest. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Congress MP KVP Ramachandra Rao moved a private member resolution in the Rajya Sabha seeking debate on special category status (SCS) and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He said it will come up for debate on Friday evening. Speaking to mediapersons in Delhi on Thursday, he asserted that the fight would continue till SCS was achieved and expressed the hope that all political parties would give their support to his private resolution. As a citizen of Andhra Pradesh and leader of the Congress and partner of UPA, I strongly believe that we will be able to secure the coveted SCS, he said. As far as Andhra Pradesh is concerned, the special category status is going to be the agenda and all political parties except the BJP have announced their support to the State in this regard, he said. KVP said apart from the assurance given by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament while passing the AP State Bifurcation Bill, that special category status would be granted to Andhra Pradesh, Sonia Gandhi, in her capacity as the AICC chairperson, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 2, 2014 urging him to keep the promise. He further said that Sonia Gandhi again on February 19, 2015 shot off another letter to Modi reminding him of the need to accord SCS to the State. But, the BJP leaders were using the media to spread lies that the 14th Finance Commission recommended against granting SCS to AP. However, the Finance Commission officials rejected their claim, KVP said. By Express News Service Molakalmur MLA B Sriramulu has warned the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy that he might be forced to support the call for separate North Karnataka if he continues to neglect North Karnataka region. Speaking to reporters, he said that the Chief Minister continues to discriminate among the people of North and South. "He is frequently taunting the farmers, people and language and is indirectly trying to divide the state. This is nothing but a revenge politics, because his party failed to make its mark in North Karnataka," he said. Pointing out to the Chief Minister's statement against the Koppal farmers agitation, where he is allegedly said to have told them that they have sold their votes, he said, "People of North Karnataka do not sell themselves. You are not a Chief Minister for only four districts. You have ignored us in the budget. You have gone to the extent of saying that where there are no JD(S) workers there are no facilities." He said that the Government after announcing the loan waiver has not issued a notification in this regard, but has gone to the extent of questioning the farmers how come JD(S) did not come to their minds while casting their votes. "No Chief Minister has behaved in this manner. Before elections you used to say that you will die if you do not become a Chief Minister, now your Government is inactive. You are just focusing on Hassan, Ramanagara, Mandya. You have neglected Coastal region and North Karnataka, just because they voted for BJP," he blamed. Taunting the Congress party for dividing people in North Karnataka as Lingayats and Veerashaivas, he said, "Earlier the religion was divided and now (the coalition government) is dividing the state." Mocking at the government's way of functioning, he said, "Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha have become hub for middlemen and Kumaraswamy sheds tears, while his former trusted aide Jameer Ahmed Khan says, he uses Vicks to shed tears." He warned the Chief Minister that if there is no change in his approach, he will definitely back the demand for separate statehood as it was done in Telangana. Gopika I S By Express News Service KOCHI: The worst of social activism came to the fore as Malayalees, mostly men, hounded a 19-year-old girl for two days who dared to work against all odds to support studies and her mom. The news of Hanan Hamid selling fish in her uniform after college hours should ideally have been part of a curious in city columns of the local pages. But rudderless Malayalee men took hold of a feel-good story, spun it around and spewed venom. Reason? She was wearing decent clothes and had a ring on her fingers. What followed was a virtual hate-mongering bordering on online sexual abuse of an undergraduate student. When Facebook posts and live videos claiming Hanan to be a fake and part of a film promotion campaign went viral, Malayalam news portals jumped on the bandwagon giving rumours credibility of news. The backlash almost derailed a genuine effort to help by a film director. Branded a tout, Hanan, barely out of the hospital after a surgery, had to go in front of the TV cameras to claim innocence. Yet the vitriol, from those who spilt copious amounts of online blood in support of Kathua rape victim and stood virtually behind Hadiya, continued till the state government put its foot down. Sebastian Paul, a former legislator and media critic, called the Malayalee social media criticism nothing but unrestrained anarchy. The situation has come to such a pass where anybody can say anything about anyone, without giving heed to others privacy. This is highly irresponsible. We are getting into a situation where limiting the freedom of expression will find justification from among the public, he said. Some, like social media activist V K Adarsh, said passing off public relation materials as the news might have triggered the aggressive reaction. PR work getting mixed with news in the past has left a bitter taste on the people. This might have created the aggression when someone questioned the truthfulness of the girls story, he said. Yet there was no justification for the online abuses hurled at the girl, he said. Abuse posts pointed out she was wearing a decent dress, a disposable cap and gloves to sell fish. Forgetting the fact that she was minding her own business, online Malayalees wondered whether Hanan was faking her poverty as if she was not poor enough to command Malayalees collective sympathy. Fanning the fire was the rumour she was part of promoting an upcoming movie. The wild allegations broke out when director Arun Gopi offered a role to Hanan, who has also worked as a dubbing artist and an anchor. Gopi came out harshly against the detractors on his social media page. The only information I had of Hanan was from the news article about her. I respected her and shared the news. Someone asked me if I would give her a chance in my movie. I said yes and one of the journalists got in touch with me and gave Hanans number. I spoke to her and offered her a role. This is what happened. However, I must thank the person who theorised we staged the whole drama to promote our movie for which the shooting is yet to begin. You are the one who taught me we should ignore all these things, said Gopi on his page. Hanan did receive support online. Dear, Hanan please dont lose your courage and spirit, said wildlife photographer Seema Suresh. Some men think women are only worth to share their beds. With the keypads of their mobile phones, they like wounding women who live with pride. There is another section that maintains silence even after hearing this (online abuse), women... I hope you will bring those people who spread false news about you before the law, she wrote. Womens panel registers suo motu case The Kerala Womens Commission has registered a suo motu case against those who allegedly abused Hanan on social media. MC Josephine, the chairperson of the commission, also sought a report from State Police Chief Loknath Behera in connection with the incident. It will take further action after receiving the report. KWC writes to DGP The Kerala Womens Commission (KWC) has written to State Police Chief Loknath Behera seeking legal action against those who unleashed an online attack against KWC chairperson M C Josephine and her family. Ensure protection to Hanan: CMO The Kochi city police registered a case against a person identified as Nooruddin Shaik, who uploaded videos in his FB account, insulting the girl. The CMO also directed the Ernakulam District Collector to ensure protection to the student. In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister appreciated Hanan for her determination to support her family. Entire Kerala should come out in her support, Pinarayi said while criticising the social media for spreading half-baked information. Its a matter of pride when someone tries to be self-dependent and fund his/her studies with ones own earnings. Only those who have undergone such life experiences will be able to understand this. However, Hanan from Kochi is one step above. In addition to her studies, Hanan is also trying to support her family. I feel proud of her. Hanan. Go ahead with confidence. Entire Kerala stands by you, Pinarayi wrote. Pinarayi also warned social media activists about forwarding everything that comes across. CPM veteran Achuthanandan demanded legal action against those who resorted to cyberbullying Hanan. A case should be registered against those behind the cyber lynching, he said. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) president Archbishop M Soosa Pakiam on Friday termed the National Womens Commissions call for abolishing Church confessions as an attempt to create religious enmity. There is prejudice behind it. The approach expresses resentment and hatred, he said, terming the commissions approach weak and strange. The church has shot off a representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi protesting the commissions stand, he said. Confession is an integral part of Christian faith and life, and a practice that has been followed for centuries by the church, Soosa Pakiam pointed out. It helps to overcome and repent wrongdoing. We see it as a sacrament that helps to connect with God and experience his love, he said. The commission has made blanket statements without waiting for the results of the investigation into the alleged misuse of confession in the Malankara Orthodox Church. This is tantamount to insulting the Christian church and a violation of the Constitutional right to freedom of religion, he said. While wrongdoers should be punished, casting aspersions on the church on the basis of isolated wrongdoings is unacceptable, he said. "The commission has the freedom to make observations and arrive at conclusions after appropriate investigation and convey them to the authorities. But here, the commission has exceeded its mandate and demanded that womens confession should be abolished after a superficial investigation. It is this arrogance that we question," he said. The sanctity of the confession is such that the Church still teaches that a priest is bound to protect the secret of the confession with his life in the event of a conflict between the law of the country and loyalty to God, Soosa Pakiam said. Complaints against priests have come to his notice also, he said in reply to a question. On whether he had informed the police he said he had not considered them grave enough. The Church has mechanisms in place to take corrective and punitive action in the event of lapses, he said. Denial of freedom of belief: Prelate Kottayam: The deep resentment in the Christian community over NCW chief Rekha Sharmas call to do away with the holy sacrament of confession has now assumed a larger dimension with heads of various Christian denominations coming out against it. Taking strong exception to Rekhas demand, Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II, the Supreme Head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC), said the statement could be considered as a move to deny the freedom of belief of an individual, which is a breach of the Freedom of Religion enshrined in the Constitution. Confession is a custom followed by Christian communities, irrespective of man and woman, for their penance and spiritual development. If the allegation of misuse of confession secret, raised by an individual against some priests, is proved, the culprits should be punished. At the same time, innocent people should not be crucified, which has been the stand of the Church right from the beginning of the issue, he said. At the same time, it is not right to accuse the entire clergy in the name of this particular incident. We cannot accept the demand for banning a religious ritual, which provides solace to millions of people and has helped bring back several persons from the brink of suicide, he said. Catholic Association condemns NCW statement The Syro-Malabar Catholic Association on Friday called for the dismissal of National Womens Commission (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma, in the wake of her statement to ban the Sacrament of Confession. In a statement here, the association said the NCWs recommendation to abolish confession was condemnable and ill-motivated. Catholic Congress to observe protest day The Catholic Congress, under the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, will observe a protest day on Sunday against NCW chairperson Rekha Sharmas recommendation to abolish confession. Jaimon Thottupuram, its general secretary, said the NCW chiefs statement has hurt the sentiment of Christians, for whom the Sacrament of Penance plays a very important role. Krishnachand K By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the Kerala Technological University (KTU) chalked out a start-up incubation policy to promote entrepreneurship among engineering students in the state three years ago, the implementation in many colleges hit a rough weather. Sources said only very few engineering colleges have incubation centres and a major chunk of the colleges were not even informed about the policy. The policy was to cover students and alumni, irrespective of their streams, from all engineering colleges affiliated with KTU. However, the top government colleges in the state are struggling too to function the incubation centres owing to the lack of support from faculty members. As per the policy, every KTU programme was to set aside a few hours of its academic time where students and teachers will pursue certain activities for inculcating and amplifying the spirit of entrepreneurship. KTU had also extended financial support to the individual college Technology Business Incubator (TBIs) and student projects based on merit "within the availability of funds". The policy has also directed all the affiliated colleges to be provided with core infrastructure facilities like 5000 square feet floor area at their own colleges for entrepreneurship activity. Fully-furnished and ready-to-use plug-and-play infrastructure facilities, including minimum 100 Mbps internet connectivity were the infrastructure instructed to the colleges to set up incubators. According to office-bearers of Kerala Self- financing Engineering College Management's Association, the proposal by the KTU was not implemented so far and even many government engineering colleges did not have incubation centres. "Self-financing engineering colleges never get a support from KTU. In fact, many colleges have started the incubation centres on its own by collaborating with Kerala start-up mission. For instance, 'Entrepreneur clubs' were started in some colleges with the financial assistance of Industries department. Similarly, 'Technolodge', a start-up incubation concept with the larger involvement of faculty members was also begun at some colleges with the help of start-up mission. But the KTU's proposal is still hanging in balance", said KG Madhu, Secretary, All Kerala Self- financing Engineering College Management's Association. The association members said that only below 30 engineering colleges have a start-up ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship. KC Chandrasekharan Nair, former Chief Marketing Officer of Technopark and CEO of a Technolodge at Trinity College of Engineering at Thiruvananthapuram, said the incubation centres are must for the engineering students as most of the start-ups have been failed to hit the target. "The faculty members in the colleges are not well trained so that they could share their knowledge in entrepreneurial skills to the enterprising students. Sadly, most of the colleges have not taken any steps to follow the policy. It is learnt that College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET) 's incubation centre is not functioning properly due to lack of guidance from the faculty members. Hence KTU should give strict instructions to the colleges for the implementation. Once it is implemented, we could see a change in the start-up scene in the state", Nair said. Meanwhile, top officers of KTU told Express that the students should take up the initiative in beginning the incubation centres in their colleges rather than the college management. "We have initiated the policy and it is functioning successfully in some colleges. But we know that many colleges did not implement it. We can't force them to implement. The fund for starting such initiatives should be taken care of by the management itself. So it is the prerogative of the colleges to go on with the incubation policy. However, some private colleges have incubation centres", said GP Padmakumar, Registrar, KTU. R Sivakumar By Express News Service CHENNAI: As the messages and rumours about Karunanidhi's deteriorating health conditions began to surface from Tuesday evening, the Kauvery Hospital, which has been providing health care to him, issued a bulletin on Thursday stating that he was suffering from fever due to urinary tract infection. There has been a decline in the health of DMK President M Karunanidhi's due to age related ailments. He is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection. He is being given hospital level treatment at home: Kauvery Hospital (file pic) pic.twitter.com/b3SaOR5qBt ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018 There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments, the bulletin signed by Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, executive director of Kauvery Hospital, stated. The bulletin issued by Kauvery Hospital states that M Karunanidhi was suffering from fever due to urinary tract infection. It added, He is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. Saying that Karunanidhi was being monitored and treated round-the-clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at his home, the hospital informed that considering his medical condition, the treating team of doctors have strongly advised restriction of visitors. DMK supporters gather outside former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's residence at Gopalapuram in Chennai on Thursday. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath) AIADMK ministers visit Karunanidhi Led by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and coordinator of AIADMK O Panneerselvam, top party leaders and senior ministers SP Velumani (Municipal Administration and Rural Development), P Thangamani (Electricity) and D Jayakumar (Fisheries) visited Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence late on Thursday evening. It may be noted that Stalin had visited J Jayalalithaa (late Chief Minister) at the Apollo Hospitals while she was undergoing treatment. Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam along with other ministers met DMK's MK Stalin to inquire about DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's at latter's residence in Chennai. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath) Later talking to reporters, Panneerselvam said Karunanidhi was able to identify them. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan also visited Gopalapuram to inquire about the health conditions of Karunanidhi. Amid health concerns, M Karunanidhi enters 50th year as chief of DMK Amid concerns over his health conditions, DMK president and five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi enters 50th year as the chief of the party. By trumping his high-profile contemporaries and detractors in the party, he took the reins on July 27, 1967 following the demise of the party's founder and late Dravidian great CN Annadurai. Appealing his party men to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Karunanidhi entering 50th year as president of DMK, his son and the party's working president MK Stalin, in an epistle penned to the cadre on Thursday, said, Fifty years at the helm of affairs of a party is an unmatchable record in Indian political history. To achieve this, he has to weather several inclement situations, pass tests and face insurmountable crises, made astonishing victories and suffered worst defeats, he recalled. Saying that his unstinting fight for the rights of the states and social justice-based schemes were sore in the eyes of the opponents who utilised Emergency an opportunity to dethrone, Stalin said Karunanidhi has remained the fulcrum of the politics of Tamil Nadu irrespective of being in power or not. From 1967 to 2016 polls, he has faced 13 elections and won all of them, he pointed out. Enlisting his achievement and lifetime spent in the domains of politics, film industry and State Assembly, he stated that time has given him some rest as his health declined due to age-related problems. Everyone is longing to hear his magnetic voice, Stalin stated, hoping that time and medical science would fulfill the aspiration. V Nilesh By Express News Service HYDERABAD: ITS not just KBR Park. A similar fate awaits at least three other protected forests in the State Mrugavani National Park, Eturnagaram wildlife sanctuary and Pranahita wildlife sanctuary. The last two are home to endangered species like Tigers and Blackbucks. Telangana governments modus operandi Waiting for initial draft notification of a protected forest area to expire, without pushing for its finalisation within the stipulated 545 days, and later coming out with a new draft notification with the ESZ drastically reduced seems to have become modus operandi of Telangana government to get their way around environmental regulations. Similar to the KBR National Park, first draft notification of Eturunagaram, Pranahita and Mrugavani was declared in 2015. However, as per rules, the notification should have been finalized within 545 days of its publication which has not been done. Hence, Telangana forest department will have to come up with new draft notifications. As per reports, the SEZ in these protected areas are to be reduced drastically like in case of KBR. MoEF complicity? While the State government can be blamed for reducing ESZ in its new notification, what stops the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests(MoEF)? In case of all three sanctuaries, the expert committee gave a go-ahead nod to finalise the draft notification in 2016, but it has not been done till now. As per minutes of the meeting of MoEFs Expert Committee on ESZ accessed by Express. K Shiva Shanker By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Its official now. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Telangana would come up at Bibinagar a little over 40-km from the current major tertiary health care center i.e. Osmania General Hospital. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave the approval and communicated the same to the State Health Department on Thursday. However, the approval comes with certain riders. Listing down the conditions in an official communication dated July 26, the Ministrys Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana division's director Sanjay Roy stated that land free of encumbrances, along with the partially-completed hospital building, should be handed over by the State to the Central government. Besides, additional 49-acre of land adjacent to the site should also be acquired. Apart from water and power supply, the State government must also provide a four-lane approach road to the proposed site. It may be mentioned that an additional 50-acre of land had already been acquired and added to the existing 180-acre campus. Speaking to Express, State Health minister C Laxma Reddy said that he would meet the Union Health Ministrys team to assure them that resources mentioned would be provided. The premier institute has all health facilities under one roof and the campus is near the Outer Ring Road I will meet the team to discuss how to proceed. We are hopeful that the institute will start in six months, Laxma Reddy said. By AFP JERUSALEM: Israeli police closed the gates to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound Friday, an AFP photographer said, after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers. The Waqf, the religious authority that runs the mosque, confirmed the gates were closed after clashes broke out. Israeli police did not immediately comment. Entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was banned, the photographer said. The cause of the clashes was not immediately clear, but videos published by the Waqf showed police firing tear gas to disperse Palestinians. The site also includes the Western Wall, the most sacred site where Jews are currently allowed to pray, and the Dome of the Rock. It is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In July 2017 tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors after an attack. Palestinians say a visit to the site by right-wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this. A U.S. State Department official on Thursday urged South Korean businesses to slow down economic cooperation projects with North Korea. At the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Mark Lambert met 15 executives of companies like Hyundai Asan, KORAIL and KT that have been involved in business projects in North Korea. According to executives who were at the meeting, Lambert explained Washington's opposition to easing sanctions against North Korea in an assertive tone of voice. The key message was that the sanctions are continuing despite the atmosphere of rapprochement, and that executives should not rush ahead with projects in North Korea before sanctions are lifted. Lambert cited cases when the South Korean government obtained permission from the UN Security Council for temporary exemptions but warned that they must not be interpreted as an easing or lifting of sanctions. Seoul recently received approval from the UNSC to transport fuel, materials and vehicles to the North to repair a military hotline and facilities for the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. By PTI COLOMBO: A Kuwaiti couple has been held in Sri Lanka for assaulting customs officials while allegedly trying to smuggle in a pet dog at the Bandaranaike International Airport here today, police said. A woman, 32, and her partner, 29, assaulted five customs officials, including a woman, at the airport on being asked for quarantine formalities related to the canine, they said. The officials tried to prevent the couple from smuggling in the dog and when they insisted on quarantine formalities the duo tried to escape the airport, the police said. The accused woman bit a woman customs official. When the other officials responded to the situation, they were also assaulted, the police said. The officials were taken to a hospital for treatment, they added. Reports said the couple was being held at a police station near the airport and would appear before a magistrate tomorrow. By PTI JOHANNESBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is here to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months last evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached Wuhan," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe "plans to pay a friendly official visit to India" at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2. 6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. President Xi once again conveyed to Prime Minister Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism which would be established between the two sides will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Prime Minister Modi raised with President Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on August 21 and 22 for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this year. By AFP AMSTERDAM: Bill Clinton pleaded with the world Friday not to prematurely abandon the campaign to rein in the HIV virus, which still kills nearly a million people every year and infects twice as many. "There can be no Brexit in the fight against AIDS," the former US president told the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. "Through a combination of complacency in some places and outright hostility to global multinational cooperative efforts in others, there is a serious risk that many people will say: 'Let's quit doing this'," Clinton, a longtime anti-AIDS campaigner, told delegates. "That would be calamitous here." Clinton cited UN data showing that 1.8 million people were newly infected in 2017 with the immune system-wrecking virus that causes AIDS. The year saw 940,000 deaths. Among 36.9 million people estimated to be living with HIV last year, 15.2 million had no access to life-saving virus-suppressing therapy. "Approximately 35 people will die while I'm up here talking," said Clinton. "It's important not to let anybody suggest that we should basically engage in too much self congratulations or relax." Decades of research have yet to yield a cure or vaccine for HIV, which has infected almost 80 million people and killed 35.4 million since the early 1980s. "I am pleading with you," Clinton told the final day of the gathering of some 15,000 researchers, activists, and people living with HIV. "It is something you can't walk away from." Easing up on the battle, he said, could have "calamitous" consequences. "If we do what some people want to do and walk away from this, or cut back on this, the chances of a return to epidemic proportions with breathtakingly negative consequences... are big enough that it could derail any number of other health, economic, and social objectives in nation after nation after nation and leave a littered landscape." It is "almost certain" that an HIV vaccine and cure for AIDS is in the offing, said the ex-president. "But we are not there yet. We need to hold the line." By PTI ISLAMABAD: A multi-party meeting which included the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) today rejected the result of the general polls alleging rigging and demanded a "transparent" re-election, threatening country-wide protests. PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and Jamiat Uleme-e-Islam Fazal chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman jointly presided here the 'All Parties Conference', called to devise a joint strategy over the alleged rigging in the July 25 polls. ALSO READ | PTI chief Imran Khan wins Pakistan elections; promises to fight corruption Mostly smaller political parties badly thrashed in the elections turned up for the meeting. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan did not attend it. Rehman told media after the meeting that it was "not an election but selection" and the results were unanimously rejected by the parties attending the moot. "It has been decided to reject the elections of July 25 because these elections are not based on the mandate of the people but the people have been robbed of their mandate," he said. Referring to the victory Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), he said those claiming to have the right of representation of the people do not have this right. "We demand that new elections should be held and we will hold protests in the country for new polls," he said. Pakistani's protesting against the elction results on July 27, 2018. (Photo | AP) ALSO READ | Pakistan Election 2018: Imran Khan will need to form a coalition government However, the parties could not agree on a proposal to refuse to take oath of the membership of parliament due to non-commitment by PML-N. Sharif said that he would consult with his party over the issue of oath and inform other parties about it. Mutahida Majlis-e-Aml Pakistan, Awami National Party, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Qaumi Watan Party and some other smaller parties attended the meeting. PML-N with 64 members and MMAP with 13 members are the main parties in the group. Rehman is also chief of MMAP and his tough stance was due to deep personal differences with Khan. The two in the past have used strong words against each other. So far, Khan was inching closer to form the government in Pakistan with his party bagging 118 of the 270 seats. Supporters of Imran Khan's PTI celebrate after his win in Pakistan. (Photo | AP) Khan's PTI was followed by jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N with 62 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari's PPP with 43 seats. Independent candidates have won 12 seats, according to the election commission which has so far issued results for 265 seats of the National Assembly. Pakistan's National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected. A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total. The chances of any major challenge to the PTI forming its government will be slim because the PML-N will not be ready to leave Parliament. The groups have been already weakened as the PPP with 43 members has not joined them, apparently looking set to form the government in the Sindh Province and uninterested in protests. By PTI TUNIS: A Tunisian judge today ordered the provisional release of an alleged bodyguard of Osama bin Laden after he was detained in a terrorism probe following expulsion from Germany, a prosecution spokesman said. "Sami Idoudi appeared today before a magistrate who, decided on his provisional release as no charge has been filed against him," spokesman Sofiene Sliti told AFP. Idoudi had been taken into custody in Tunisia on July 13, upon his arrival in the country after being expelled by Germany. He was detained in Tunisia on suspicion of involvement in terrorist acts, taking part in training in Afghanistan and being a former bodyguard to bin Laden, anti-terror authorities said. ALSO READ | Osama bin Laden's bodyguard' held in Tunisia over terror probe But "after 15 days of preventative detention, Sami Idoudi has been investigated by the anti-terrorist branch who have found no proof of his implication in terrorist affairs", said Sliti. Sliti, however, said Idoudi remains under investigation by anti-terrorist authorities and that they have retained his passport. Before his expulsion to Tunisia, Idoudi had lived in Germany for more than two decades, staying in the country despite his asylum request being denied in 2007 as courts repeatedly cited the danger of torture in Tunisia. His expulsion from Germany on July 13 was overturned by a court ruling the same day, but the order was made only after his plane was already airborne. The German court added that authorities "knowingly" defied the order by completing the transfer to Tunisian security forces. Considered a security threat over his suspected ties to Islamist groups, Idoudi - identified by German authorities only as Sami A.- for years had to report to police but was never charged with an offence. He has always denied being the former bodyguard of late Al-Qaeda leader Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States. By AFP QZMISHLI: A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them, the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control most of the country after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority in the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". The SDF controls more than 27 per cent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syrian to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and in late May President Bashar al-Assad threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. By IANS WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has said that his client knew in advance of a June 2016 meeting between his aides and a Russian delegation that offered to help his campaign. Cohen said on Thursday that he was present when Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, informed his father of the Russians' offer, CNN reported on Friday. Trump's confidante who is now turning into a dangerous adversary said he was willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller investigating the alleged Russian election meddling. Cohen's claim would contradict repeated denials by Trump, Donald Trump Jr., their lawyers and other administration officials who had said that the President knew nothing about the Trump Tower meeting until he was approached about it by The New York Times in July 2017. The meeting at Trump Tower in New York City involved Trump's son, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and influential Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. By Cohen's account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, CNN reported citing sources. The meeting was set up after a Russian intermediary contacted Trump Jr with a promise to provide material that would "incriminate" Hillary Clinton -- the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election. According to reports, Cohen did not have any audio recordings to support his account but was willing to assert it as part of the ongoing investigations. In response to the allegation, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani told NBC that Cohen "was not credible". "It's not true," he said. "Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? A lawyer who would tape their own client is a lawyer without any character." His comments referred to reports that Cohen secretly recorded the President discussing payments to a former Playboy model. The tapes were reportedly discovered during an FBI raid on Cohen's property earlier this year in New York. Trump insists he has done nothing wrong and says such a recording would be "totally unheard of and perhaps illegal". The company said last week that it found the Dmitrii Donskoi, a Russian warship that sank off Ulleung Island during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, and even screened underwater video footage. But Choi added, "We do not know where the W150 trillion claim came from." Shinil Group CEO Choi Yong-seok in a press conference on Thursday said, "Some media outlets published speculative information without verifying it. We apologize for the irresponsible use of it." Shinil Group had been enticing investors since the beginning of this year by saying it found the fabled missing ship off the coast of Ulleung Island. But once controversy escalated about its real aims, it fired several executives and distanced itself from the claim. It also emerged that the former head of the company has been indicted on a separate fraud charge. A company whose share price skyrocketed in recent weeks after it claimed to have discovered a sunken Russian ship with W150 trillion worth of gold on board has predictably backed off its claim (US$1=W1,123). Experts had cast doubt on the claim, saying there were no records that the Donskoi carried gold and that the Russian Navy voluntarily scuttled the vessel when its boiler malfunctioned. But Shinil Group did not respond but continued to lure investors with the slogan "W150 Trillion Treasure Ship" on its official website. The company has now removed it from the website and replaced management. The company also claims it has nothing to do with the cryptocurrency Shinil gold coin which had been sold using the alleged treasure as collateral. "The coins were sold by the Shinil branch in Singapore," Choi said. But a Shinil Group affiliate, Donskoi International Exchange, was in fact recruiting investors until recently. A 48-year-old female executive surnamed Ryu, who had filed a trademark application for the cryptocurrency, did not show up at the press conference. She is rumored to be the sister of the 43-year-old chairman of the Singaporean branch. Another 64-year-old executive surnamed Yoo was jailed for 10 months for fraud earlier this month. Yoo had been the CEO of Shinil Group and contracted a foreign salvage company to handle the search for the Donskoi. Before leaving the job in May, Yoo signed a business contract with a news outlet that published what it claimed were exclusive reports about the find. Choi said, "I am the sole CEO now," and distanced himself from his predecessor. Shinil still insists that the ship it found is the Donskoi, but doubt has been cast on that claim as well. It looks remarkably similar to a wreck found in 2003 by Dongah Construction, which caused a sensation back then but was not salvaged in the end. Both Dongah Construction and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology believe the ship Shinil Group claims to have found is the same one they found in 2003 and the wreck still belongs to them. Jin Gyo-joong, a former Navy rescue diver, said at the press conference that the rudder is different. But Yoo Hae-soo from the institute, who took part in the search in 2003, said, "The rudder can break apart as time passes. The ship... is identical to the one we found in 2003 considering its position and shape." Investors are livid. One victim of the goldrush said, "Even today, the head of the cryptocurrency exchange said the value will keep rising and told me to wait." Police have launched an investigation. 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). Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 This weekend is the 31st annual Oregon Brewers Festival, running over four days July 26 through Sunday July 29, 2018 and The New School has already went and tried the 80 or so beers so that we can tell you what's worth trying and what to avoid. Between New School contributor Michael Perozzo and I, we each tackled one side of the fest running along waterfront park. Between the both of us we managed to try every single beer pouring this year, not all heroes wear capes, some wear ball caps, sport beards and glasses.What's different about this years OBF is they have added a separate tent to pour a few wines and ciders. For the purposes of this article we didnt venture over there, though I am sure they have some good stuff. OBF also shortened itself from 5 days to only 4 days by cutting the Wednesday. I thnk this did lead to an even busier start to the fest on Thursday. Some of the interesting beer trends at OBF this year are the rise of Dessert/Pastry beers and Milkshake IPA's. Not surprisingly there was a lot of fruit namely raspberry and lemon beers but the real surprise was orange/vanilla creamsicle beers and beers with Guava. There must have been a blowout sale on Guava at the International Market because we count no less than four guava beers at this years festival. Sure other fruits like lemon and raspberry may be more represented but those are more common summer beer ingredients while guava is still an obscure fruit from south and central America. We have broken up our beer picks into three categories; Worth Trying, Recommended and Avoid. RECOMMENDED Great Notion: Juice Jr.Many of you have probably already had this hazy IPA - one of Great Notion Brewing's flagships. For that reason it's not on the must try list but even including it in this lineup its a great example of what the Hazy/Juicy IPA trend is all about.Anderson Valley Brewing: Framboise Rose GoseCombining the red hot Rose beer trend with the already popular Gose-style and Framboise yields tastily predictable results. Refreshing, dry berry tartness with the raspberries dominating the flavor, finishes dry with briny salt that makes you want to have another. Good one for people who don't want to go full sour but enjoy a tart refreshing fruit beer sometimes.Double Mountain: La DomestiqueIt's nice to see more Grisette's being made, especially if they are good as this complex yet easy refresher. Notes of lemon, cereal, and stone fruit emerge from this light and slightly tart farmhouse ale that provides a much needed break from some of the other palate wreckers.Boundary Bay Brewing: Currantly Hip SourBeautiful ruby red kettle sour that really highlights the currants which adds a real fresh cranberry and raspberry kool-aid note without the sugar. Highly recommended if you enjoy fruited sours.Heretic Brewing: GooAnother of the many dessert beers in the festival lineup, this is actually one of the good ones. Be prepared to have your palate awash in gooey chocolate and coconut with a slick, creamy, milkshake consistency.New Holland Brewing: I like Pretzel DayI didnt expect to enjoy this Stout, pretzels in a stout just sounds too extreme to enjoy more than a sip, but I was wrong. There is a reason this beer had one of the longest lines, it's closer to a salted caramel stout in it's execution. More creamy, chocolatey and salty caramel than nutty, bready, crunchy. If you are going to go dark this weekend, go New Holland Brewing.Upright Berliner WeisseSoured with lactobacillus and finished with a unique strand of brettanomyces, the Oregon Brewers Fest website says this Berliner Weisse was brewed in February in order to give time for the full development of the yeast character. The result is nothing short of amazing. Just a touch of funk punctuates a delightful sour ale that I look forward to going back for. 3.6% ABV 0 IBU54-40 Rick & Mortmunder LagerI could get schwifty with this beer all ding-dong day. 54-40 does lagers very well - this is no secret. Going from pour after pour of peach-this, lemon-that, guava beer-guava beer-guava beer... this Dortmunder-style lager was a very welcome change of pace. While OBF has become more and more of a fruit fest in recent years, this takes me to a dimension in time and space where science was science and beer was beer. 5.2% ABV 25 IBUHeathen Raspberry Rhubarb Sour AleAs I tasted through the south trailers (1-4) of the festival, this stood out as the best of the fest. It looks great with it's deep crimson liquid, smells like rhubarb pie and is the perfect pucker-up pour. I'm no stranger to Heathen's kettle sours, but they outdid themselves with this one. This was one of the longer lines of the southern half of the festival - and for good reason. 5.7% ABV 10 IBUEverybody's Brewing Guango DeepI had to do double-take when I learned this beer was 9.3%. There are quite a few guava beers at OBF and this one rose above with the addition of mango (guava + mango = guango, get it?) and a bright hoppiness. As a hazy double IPA, it's quite quaffable. Noticeably, the fruit flavors in this beer are not all from guava and mango puree. I think Everybody's did an excellent job of creating a hop-forward, easy drinking summer boozer! 9.3% ABV 30 IBUCascade Belmont Street BrambleThis summertime sour sipper gave me all the feels. Goosebumps. Literally. This next-level offering is a blend of sour blonde ales aged for up to two years with raspberries and tangerine zest. It opens up all 5 senses from the first sip to the last. I'll be back in line for this one several times throughout the weekend. 6.5% ABV 7 IBUGoodLife Long AcronymI guess 'Dry-Hopped Oregon Wine Barrel-Aged Mixed Fermentation Blended Brett India Pale Lager' wouldn't fit on the trailer sign, so GoodLife chose to call this one 'Long Acronym'. This lager is maybe the most complex beer of the south side of the festival. It's tart and hoppy with distinct lager and brett flavors. Almost no two sips are alike as you discover new tastes to tickle your tongue. 7.8% ABV 45 IBU WORTH TRYING Freebridge Brewing: Summertime RadnessThough it doesnt say it in the name, this is a Rose beer. Well, it's actually a Berliner-Weisse since Rose isn't really a style, but this beer really goes for what it could be by using Merlot wine grapes and hibiscus for color and flavor. It's light, tart, winey and floral. Agua Mala: SirenaOne of the half dozen or so Mexican breweries at the fest, all who seemed to have solid beers. I chose Aqua Mala to highlight because all, or nearly all the other Mexican beers are Pales and high on the bitterness while this is a crisp refreshing Pilsner with restrained hops. We need more of these at the fest.Fortside Brewing: The Real Slim HazyAnother hazy/juicy IPA that gets it right. Its pretty thick and sweet and incredibly pulpy. If that's your thing then you will enjoy this beer.Migration Brewing Summertime in the 503Hot new hop varieties like Azacca, Motueka and Simcoe make up a refreshingly light Pale Ale packed full of citrus and tropical hop flavors. You cant go wrong if you just want an easy drinking and bright ale full of fresh flavor that you won't be surprised by.Golden Valley Brewing: This Train is Bound for HellA light smoked lager inspired by those from Bamberg. This is a really drinkable and quite beautiful take on the classic smoked lager with just enough smoke to pleasant but not hot box out someone not quite ready for a pillow of smoke.Hopworks: Completely ExcellentAll of Hopworks trials on making hazy IPA have paid off, Completely Excellent is just that. A bright, fruit and citrus peel packed hop flavor quencher that's plenty hazy but not chunky or yeasty but clean and juicy.Thunder Island Brewing: Fuzzy WitSimple, light, bright and refreshing wheat beer with lemon and juicy peach flavors. It's not too sweet with a subtle but noticeable peach juiciness.Belching Beaver Brewing: Orange Vanilla Milkshake IPALong lines dont mean the beer at the front of them is good. This creamsicle flavored one from Belching Beaver is a perfect example, but I cant completely pan it because it nails that flavor of orange-vanilla creamsicle/sherbert ice cream cups or pops. If you enjoy that dessert beer thing that doesn't taste like beer but accomplishes the flavors it's going for, then you may even love this beer. Ninkasi Fruited GoseEverything about this beer was light. Light salt. Light fruit. Light tart. The result is a very gulpable gose from this year's host brewery, Ninkasi. 4.2% ABV 10 IBUPelican To Peach Their Own!Pelican Brewing Company has created a fruited lager that is decided not sour or tart - unlike most you'll find at the festival. A light malt backbone puts 500 lbs of Oregon peaches on full display. 6% ABV 10 IBUZoiglhaus Elderberry Berliner WeisseAt just 2.8% ABV, this is as light and easy going as you might expect. The elderberry is right up front and carries through to a dry finish. It won't get you where you're going on your mission to get tipsy at a beer fest, but it was a welcome palate break and very enjoyable in the 90+ degree heat. 2.8% ABV 0 IBUBreakside Limon PepinoHoly cucumber, Batman. This lager packed 'em in there. And in no way am I upset about that. A light citrus zest complements the cucumber goodness in a beer that could be the very definition of "summertime". 4.9% ABV 19 IBUScout Beer Psycho Killer Qu'est-ce Que SaisonIf you haven't done your research (nor read this review), you'd likely be surprised to find this midnight-dark pour at the front of a line for a 'saison'. I'm happy to shed some light on this cold brew coffee-esque delight. The saison yeast and lager yeast combined with a seemingly higher carbonation level made this dark beer one of the lightest of the festival. 6.4% ABV 25 IBUFort George It Takes Two To MangoDo you like mango? Then you'll probably like this. 7.5% ABV n/p IBUOregon City Guavador DaliDo you like guava? Then you'll probably like this. 7% ABV 50 IBUOld Market Punchy PeachIt's a wonderful thing when a beer's name prepares you for exactly what's about to happen. Aptly named and delicious, Old Market's OBF offering is an organic imperial wheat ale that was aged in pinot barrels for 7 months and topped off with local Oregon tart peaches. It's peaches in the front, peaches in the back and punch of peach right where it counts in the middle. 7.8% ABV 5 IBUBayern Citra DumpTruck Summer BockLots of great hop character from a literal truck-load of Citra hops. Bayern's house lager yeast provides a lager profile that's just barely noticeable - even champagne like. It gives the Citra hops time to shine and shine they do. 7% ABV 44 IBUBackwoods Dreamcicle KolschGimmicky? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. Backwoods added Sunny D and vanilla to a Kolsch-style ale and the result will take you back to the days of chasing down the ice cream truck for orange creamcicles. That's likely exactly what the brewers at Backwoods were going for and they nailed it. This beer taps into one's inner child. 5% ABV 15 IBU AVOID McMenamins Edgefield: The Jester's NightcapDessert/Bakery stout gone wrong. It's an Imperial Stout with cacao and vanilla, should be pretty simple but the base beer is acrid and slightly tart, The nibs taste burnt. Not sure what all is going on in here but I would have thought there was some other strange ingredient.iSasquatch Brewing: American Aquarium DrinkerI will give this squid ink gose points for creativity but it just tastes gross. It might be exactly what the brewers were going for but the flavors just dont work - brininess and acidity and an acrid, astringent bitterness like a beer coming back up after a night of heavy drinkingWolf Tree Brewing: Spruce Tip GruitI like wolf tree brewing a lot but this overly sweet, cloyingly phenolic and weirdly sugar candy-herbal spruce makes for an interesting but difficult to drink beer that you will be done with after a couple sips.Kell's Mezcal-a-goseI went into this expecting the subtle smokiness of mezcal over fruit, but the smoke was thick. So thick, it was difficult to get past. If you could feel your way through the smoke, you found yourself lost in salty sweetness. The combo of smoke, salt and sweet was not something enjoyable. 4.7% ABV 13 IBUGreat Divide Heyday Modern IPA (Hazy IPA)This beer was billed as both "modern" and "hazy" yet turned out to be neither of those things. What I experienced was a dusty, piney and even sticky old school IPA. Murky? Sure. Hazy? Nope. It reminded me of the IBU wars of 2012 where the beer with the most residual bitterness would be crowned king of the castle. The OBF website description touts flavors of fruit, berry and melon - none of which I found in this beer. Who knows? Maybe I was handed the wrong beer altogether. 5.8% ABV 38 IBUIron Horse Crazy AuntBilled as a very fruit forward American IPA, I couldn't get passed the butter-like off-flavor. The taste of C 4 H 6 O 2 puts this one on the naughty list automatically.Crooked Stave Do You Even Zest?A beer name that left me asking the same exactly question of the beer itself. It wasn't zesty. It wasn't fruity. It wasn't bitter. It wasn't sweet. Not funky. Not tart. Not sour. It was just sorta... there. There's nothing offensive about this beer. It just didn't deliver on its description nor its namesake and left me wishing I had that token back. 7.5% ABV 31 IBU EVENT 31st Annual Oregon Brewers Festival VENUE Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 300 SW Naito Parkway, Portland, Oregon 97204Four entrances: SW Oak Street, SW Pine St, under the Morrison St Bridge and along the sea wall at Pine. DATES July 26-29, 2018: Always the last full weekend in July TIMES Thurs through Sat, taps are open from Noon to 9 pmSun, taps are open from Noon to 7 pmMug & tokens sales close one-half hour prior to the taps shutting off: 8:30pm every night except 6:30pm on Sunday. COST The Oregon Brewers Festival is not a ticketed event, and there is no admission charge to enter the festival grounds. In order to consume alcohol, the one-time purchase of a 2018 souvenir plastic mug is required and costs $7. Beer, cider and wine is purchased with wooden tokens, which cost $1 apiece. It costs four tokens for a full mug of beer or cider or one token for a taste; it costs five tokens for a five ounce pour of wine; no tasters available for wine. The purchase of mugs and tokens is made on-site at the Mug/Tokens tent just inside the Oak Street entrance. Mugs or glasses from past festivals will not be filled; however, tokens from past festivals may be reused. The mug/token sales booth is CASH ONLY and does not accept credit cards or checks. The festival does provide eight ATM machines on premise. MINORS AND PETS Minors are welcome all hours of the festival with a parent. Dogs and other pets are not allowed (except ADA). OFFERINGS The Oregon Brewers Festival provides an opportunity to sample dozens of craft beer styles from 80 craft brewers, plus two cider makers and two wineries. The event also offers live music, beer-related vendors, beer memorabilia displays, home brewing demonstrations and an assortment of food vendors. The Crater Lake Soda Garden presents complimentary handcrafted soda for minors and designated drivers. Minors are welcome all hours when accompanied by a parent. Animals are NOT allowed. DRINK RESPONSIBLY The Oregon Brewers Festival strongly encourages responsible drinking and is pleased to be working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) on its SAFE RIDE HOME program, which offers $20 vouchers toward taxi rides; and $5 vouchers toward Lyft and Uber rides throughout the Festival weekend. Vouchers will be available to everyone on-site. Or take advantage of TriMet MAX Light Rail line, located just one block west of the festival on SW Oak Street (plan your trip at trimet.org or m.trimet.org). Attendees who wish to bike to the festival can park at the onsite Hopworks Bike Corral, where volunteers watch over bikes for free. Go by bus, train, taxi, Uber or Lyft, just dont drink and drive! BENEFICIARIES This years festival has pledged $20,000 to two local beneficiaries. The House That Beer Built, a partnership between Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East and local craft breweries and beer-related businesses, will receive $10,000; as will New Avenues for Youth, an organization dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth homelessness. Look for both organizations to have booths at the festival, including a Brewer Dunk Tank and cornhole at the New Avenues for Youth booth! (Newser) A North Carolina man is facing up to life in prison for allegedly murdering his co-worker at a picturesque North Carolina inn, CBS News reports. The FBI says Sara Ellis, 29, never returned from a Tuesday hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway with her 20-year-old co-worker Derek Shawn Pendergraft. He reported Ellis missing and initially told investigators she had gone back alone when it began raining; he kept hiking, he said, and saw her umbrella on the ground when he returned. Investigators found her partially nude body near a parkway trail with bruising to her head and neck, and no signs of trauma caused by knife or gunbut an official cause of death is pending Friday's autopsy. story continues below The next night, Pendergraft reportedly visited the Pisgah Inn's manager and confessed to killing Ellis. The manager contacted law enforcement, and investigators sat down with Pendergraft yet againthis time hearing he had "blacked out" on the hike and found her dead, the Citizen-Times reports. "When I came to I felt like it had not been a single blink of my time," he apparently said. Now he's been charged with second-degree murder. The death of Ellis, a pantry cook, comes as summer tourism is peaking along the parkway. "Everyone is grieving; this is a dark cloud over us," says Pisgah Inn owner Bruce OConnell. "We're all in shock right now. As everyone always says, we never would've thought this would happen here." (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) Michael Cohen has some bombshell news about the Trump family's pre-election contacts with Russians and he's willing to talk to Robert Mueller about it, CNN reports, citing "sources with knowledge." The sources say Trump, despite his repeated denials, knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who was expected to deliver damaging information on Hillary Clinton. A source tells NBC News that Cohen is willing to tell Mueller that Trump Jr. told his father about the meeting. The sources say Cohen was present when Trump was told about the meeting, and heard him approve it, though he doesn't have any evidence. story continues below Rudy Giuliani, the president's attorney, reacted angrily to the report, calling Cohen a "pathological liar." "He's been lying all week, he's been lying for years," Giuliani told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "I don't see how he's got any credibility," Giuliani said of Trump's longtime personal attorney, calling him "the kind of witness that can really destroy your whole case." Cohen declined to comment on the issue to Reuters, while an attorney for Trump Jr. said his client, who told the Senate Judiciary Committee that his father didn't know about the meeting, "has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and congressional investigations." (Read more Michael Cohen stories.) The Chosun Ilbo spoke with former NPS chief Jun Kwang-woo who headed the fund from 2009 to 2013 and has been praised for improving its performance. The NPS is also rocked by jitters in emerging economies over the U.S. rate hike compounded by sluggish domestic stock market performance. It faces major changes in corporate governance, while the relocation of its headquarters to the small southwestern city of Jeonju has caused many talented staff to leave the organization. The top position at the NPS has been vacant for more than a year, and the rate of return on its investments has fallen to just around one percent. The National Pension Service, which manages W635 trillion in retirement funds for Koreans, is facing a monumental crisis (US$1=W1,123). How do you assess the situation facing the NPS? "It's tough. The rate of return on the NPS' investments translates directly into the livelihood of pensioners. The basic principle of operating the fund is security and the public interest, but the most important one is profitability. If the rate of return falls one percentage point, the fund will run dry five years faster. Amid the recent leadership vacuum, various audits and relocation have weakened staff morale and enthusiasm. There has been a dangerous drain of key staff. The NPS' overseas investment capabilities, which used to drive its profits, has also weakened. The service depends on the amount of pension contributions collected and return on investments. It's not easy to raise the contributions, so the rate of return needs to be improved. But that's not happening." What must be done to boost earnings performance? "We need to create a corporate governance structure where experts can independently operate the NPS' fund. The NPS already accounts for seven percent of the domestic bourse's market cap, and it owns more than 10-percent stake in around 90 listed companies. The time will come when these shareholdings must be sold off in order to cover pension payments and this could jolt the domestic stock market. This is why overseas investments and alternative investments are crucial. To succeed in overseas investments, we need to forge cooperative ties with global banks and keep abreast of the latest information. It must also be shielded from political influence to stay competitive. Any outside influence results in market distortion and the public ends up paying for this. Didn't we see an example of this recently? What is the most suitable governance model? "I believe the Canadian and Dutch pension models are ideal. The Canadian national pension fund is run as an independent entity. The Dutch pension fund is run by a private investment affiliate. Both are showing better rates of return on investments than the NPS." How will bolstering the NPS' shareholder rights with measures like the Stewardship Code help improve returns on investment? "The Stewardship Code aims over the long term to boost returns. There is a positive view that that will improve corporate governance, while skeptics say it will only violate management rights and decrease investment value. The structural source of controversy is a lack of independence in operating the NPS. The Stewardship Code is voluntary, so the devil is in the details. The NPS said it will bolster shareholder activity when it comes to dividends, but payout ratios differ from company to company, so a broad approach is not advisable. As a long-term investor, the NPS must place more importance on long-term profitability than short-term interests. We need to see if the Stewardship Code coincides with the big picture envisioned by the NPS." (Newser) An American military plane flew into North Korea on Friday and left with the remains of US troops who were killed during the Korean War, the White House says. It's not clear how many, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency estimates that 50 sets of remains were transferred. The plane brought the remains to the Osan Air Base in South Korea, where forensic tests will be conducted over the next few days, reports the Washington Post. After that, the remains will be sent to Hawaii ahead of a formal repatriation ceremony scheduled for Aug. 1. story continues below Todays actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home, said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a statement. The development comes out of the June summit between President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Friday is the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities. (Read more North Korea stories.) (Newser) The remains of US soldiers who died in the Korean War finally appear to be coming homea "modest diplomatic coup" for President Trump, reports Reuters. At a ceremony Friday at Pyeongtaek's Osan Air Base in South Korea, a US military plane arrived from North Korea's Wonsan city, bearing 55 small cases that were carried by soldiers decked out in dress uniforms and white gloves to silver vans. The remains were taken to an unspecified location ahead of a formal repatriation ceremony Wednesday. After that, the remains will head to Hawaii to be processed by the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. "It's [a] huge development for all of the war families," says the head of the DNA unit for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, per Time. "It's something they have been looking forward to and needing for the last 26 years, if not the last 60 years." story continues below "The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States!" Trump tweeted late Thursday. "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un." The repatriation of the remains comes after an agreement reached by Trump and Kim at June's summit. Time takes a closer look at what's involved in finding and bringing remains back to the US after decades overseas, including challenges like body decomposition and political tensions. The BBC also notes forensic testing is needed to determine if the remains really are those of US soldiers. Meanwhile, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson tells the Washington Post that he fears North Korea could eventually "milk" this. "They'll give a certain amount of remains for free right away ... and then they'll start charging," he says. (Read more North Korea stories.) (Newser) A drug-sniffing Colombian police dog with nearly 250 arrests under her collar recently tracked down more than 10 tons of coke from a major drug gang. The gang's reaction: a bounty on the pooch's head that may be up to $70,000. The Telegraph reports that Sombra (Spanish for "shadow") has had to be moved from the drug-trafficking hot spot of Turbo, in Colombia's Uraba region, to the relatively safer El Dorado International Airport in Bogota after what the BBC calls the country's "most powerful criminal organization" decided she should be killed. The 6-year-old German shepherd also now has a dedicated security detail, with extra officers keeping her and her handler safe from the Urabenos, aka the Gulf Clan. story continues below The Washington Post notes Sombra, who has been with the National Police of Colombia since she was a puppy, is "something of a folk hero" in the country due to her legendary drug busts, with local media dubbing her "the terror" of narcotics traffickers. The "friendly, calm canine" often shows up on TV and in pictures with fans, and the police boast about her on Twitter. Which is why Urabenos members were enraged enough to offer the bounty, which police intelligence reports note could range anywhere from $7,000 to $70,000. "The fact they want to hurt Sombra and offer such a high reward for her capture or death shows the impact she's had on their profits," a police rep tells the Telegraph. (Sometimes drug-sniffing dogs face danger from the drugs themselves.) (Newser) A toddler in Washington state who fell into a septic tank is alive because of his big sister. The AP reports the incident took place in the Tacoma suburb of Edgewood on Wednesday morning, when the boy, identified by KIRO-7 as 2-year-old Thorin Hess, plunged into the tank after stepping on a loose access cover on his grandparents' property. Thorin's mother, Marcia Hess, immediately jumped down after him. "I could see him dying, so I just called out to God 'Get me down there, get me to my son!'" she tells WBAL. And she did get to the unconscious boy, but she got stuck trying to get out of the holewhich is when she managed to hand the not-breathing toddler up to his 12-year-old sister, Madi, and implored, "Please save him!" Madi called 911, and dispatchers walked her through the CPR process. story continues below Soon after Madi started chest compressions on Thorin, he began gurgling, and he was conscious by the time emergency responders arrived. The toddler was taken to the hospital, where KIRO notes he's being treated for a potential lung infection from possibly breathing in sewage; other than that, he's said to be OK. "They were saying, 'Chief ... 10 years from now, you need to give her a job,'" East Pierce Fire Chief Bud Backer tells the News Tribune, adding that the girl followed all instructions "to a 'T'" and remained in control the entire time. "She saved her brother's life." Marcia Hess' take on her daughter's actions: "This is an absolute miracle," she tells WBAL. In the meantime, a warning for all from the fire department: "Make sure your septic access points are secure," East Pierce Fire & Rescue tweeted after Thorin's rescue. (Read more rescue stories.) (Newser) Residents of the small coastal town of Southport, North Carolina, won't be seeing any of their local police officers for a while. Instead, Brunswick County deputies will be taking over because the town's entire police department has been shut down amid a corruption scandal, reports WECT. It's a doozy: Prosecutors say Police Chief Gary Smith and Lt. Michael Simmons were regularly off working a second job with a trucking company while they were supposedly on duty. Sometimes they weren't even in the state, let alone the town, according to the charges against them. story continues below As a result, the department was like a leader-less "ghost ship," local district attorney Jon David tells WWAY. He adds that it was police officers who first came forward with complaints, which led to a joint state and federal investigation. Smith, 46, and Simmons, 48, face charges of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses, willful failure to discharge duties, and obstruction of justice. (Read more North Carolina stories.) (Newser) Everybody was flabbergasted that a little girl like me could fly these big airplanes all by oneself, Mary Ellis said at her 100th birthday party last year in Britain. But fly them she did, delivering British Spitfires and other warplanes to the front lines during World War II, reports the New York Times. Ellis' storywhich the 5-foot-2 aviator chronicled in her Spitfire Girl autobiographyis getting attention again this week because of her death at 101 at home on the Isle of Wright. Ellis estimates that she flew 1,000 planes during the war as a volunteer with Britain's Air Transport Auxiliary, reports the BBC. Only three other female ATA pilots are believed to survive now. Remarkably, most of their missions were flown solo and without compass or radio assistance, notes the Washington Post. story continues below Ellis' 2016 memoir recounts a flight in which a German fighter plane flew near her. With one hand I waved at this pilot to move away and get out of my sight, she wrote. I can picture his grinning face now. Then he cheekily waved back again and againand then suddenly he was gone. I wondered if it was my blonde curls that caused him to stare as I never ever wore a helmet during my whole career with the ATA. What was the point of a helmet when we couldnt speak to anyone? It didnt do much for the hairstyle either. Ellis took flying lessons as a teenager but flew for pleasure until hearing a radio ad in 1941 looking for ATA volunteers. She signed up and flew through the entire war. (Read more obituary stories.) (Newser) CNN and NBC came out with a potentially big story Thursday night, reporting that Michael Cohen says Donald Trump was fully aware of the infamous meeting between Russians and some of Trump's closest advisers ahead of the election. On Friday, the president himself emphatically denied the allegation made by his former attorney. "NO, I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr.," Trump tweeted. "Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?)." The latter is a reference to this. So is the Cohen allegation a big deal? Some opinions: story continues below Cohen's word: The allegation would indeed be a big deal if true, but Cohen's word alone is not enough, and he reportedly has no recordings or other forms of evidence to back it up, writes Adam Serwer in the Atlantic. Plus, Cohen may be looking for a deal to avoid prison time after the FBI raid on his offices, and thus "there may be reason to doubt that Cohens allegations are true." But one other thing to note: CNN says others were present at the meeting Cohen mentions, meaning Robert Mueller might be able to corroborate. The allegation would indeed be a big deal if true, but Cohen's word alone is not enough, and he reportedly has no recordings or other forms of evidence to back it up, writes Adam Serwer in the Atlantic. Plus, Cohen may be looking for a deal to avoid prison time after the FBI raid on his offices, and thus "there may be reason to doubt that Cohens allegations are true." But one other thing to note: CNN says others were present at the meeting Cohen mentions, meaning Robert Mueller might be able to corroborate. Bigger trouble? If true, the revelation "would directly implicate Trump himself in an effort to conspire with a foreign power to tip the election to him, and a subsequent effort to cover that up," writes Greg Sargent at the Washington Post. But even if Cohen's allegation can't be proven, Sargent sees a bigger problem for Trump: The story's "real significance may be that it signals a further unraveling of the Cohen-Trump relationship that could lead Cohen to share previously undisclosed information about other matters related to Trump and Russia that still remain shrouded in mystery." (Including this maybe-trip to Prague.) If true, the revelation "would directly implicate Trump himself in an effort to conspire with a foreign power to tip the election to him, and a subsequent effort to cover that up," writes Greg Sargent at the Washington Post. But even if Cohen's allegation can't be proven, Sargent sees a bigger problem for Trump: The story's "real significance may be that it signals a further unraveling of the Cohen-Trump relationship that could lead Cohen to share previously undisclosed information about other matters related to Trump and Russia that still remain shrouded in mystery." (Including this maybe-trip to Prague.) Giuliani scoffs: Hes been lying for years, Giuliani says of Cohen, per Politico. I mean, the tapes that we have demonstrate any number of very serious lies by him back a year and a half ago, including his fooling people, hiding tape recordings, telling them they werent recorded, lying to their face, breaking faith with them, taping his client, which is a disbarable offense. I dont see how he has any credibility. Hes been lying for years, Giuliani says of Cohen, per Politico. I mean, the tapes that we have demonstrate any number of very serious lies by him back a year and a half ago, including his fooling people, hiding tape recordings, telling them they werent recorded, lying to their face, breaking faith with them, taping his client, which is a disbarable offense. I dont see how he has any credibility. Pardon plea? Chris Cillizza at CNN wonders if Cohen, with this allegation and the earlier revelation of his recorded conversation with Trump, is trying to "strong-arm Trump into a pardon." These two things could be Cohen's way of signalling to the president that "he's not bluffing" and could reveal much more information in the near future. "That could be the stuff a pardon is made of." (Read more Michael Cohen stories.) New Delhi: Amid the BJP-led NDA governments aggressive approach towards the protection of cows, thirty-six cows were found dead at a cowshed in the Chhawla area of Delhis Dwarka, police said on Friday. According to the Delhi police, prima facie it was suspected that the cows died due to some disease. The cowshed where the incident happened, had 14,00 cows. A team of doctors rushed to the spot and the exact cause of the deaths will only be known after the post-mortem. A team of six veterinary doctors reached the gaushala and are conducting an enquiry into the cause of death and they will also conduct a postmortem of all the dead cows. Once their report is submitted further legal action will be taken, PTI quoted a police official as saying. Also Read | Kerala church writes to PM Modi, requests to reject NCW's proposal to abolish confessions Meanwhile, taking a serious view of the incident, the Delhi government ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident. A report will be submitted within 24 hours. The order issued by Development Minister Gopal Rai's Secretary Sanjeev Mittal read, "I am directed to request that an enquiry report in this regard. May kindly be submitted within 24 hours positively." The gaushala is run by the Acharya Sushil Gosadan Trust. It is spread over 20 acres of land which was allotted in 1995. Around 20 labourers are working there, a senior police officer said, according to PTI. Also Read | 200 cows died due to starvation in his gaushala, BJP leader blames own government (With inputs from agencies) Washington: Giving students access to an electronic device, such as a phone or tablet, for non-academic purposes during lectures may lower their performance in exams, a study has found. The research, published in the journal Educational Psychology, found that students who donat use such devices themselves but attend lectures where their use is permitted also do worse, suggesting that phone use damages the group learning environment. Researchers from Rutgers University in the US performed an in-class experiment to test whether dividing attention between electronic devices and the lecturer during the class affected studentsa performance in within-lecture tests and an end-of-term exam. As many as 118 cognitive psychology students at Rutgers University participated in the experiment during one term of their course. Laptops, phones and tablets were banned in half of the lectures and permitted in the other half. When devices were allowed, students were asked to record whether they had used them for non-academic purposes during the lecture. The study found that having a device didnat lower studentsa scores in comprehension tests within lectures, but it did lower scores in the end-of-term exam by at least five per cent, or half a grade. This finding shows for the first time that the main effect of divided attention in the classroom is on long-term retention, with fewer targets of a study task later remembered. In addition, when the use of electronic devices was allowed in class, performance was also poorer for students who did not use devices as well as for those who did. aThese findings should alert the many dedicated students and instructors that dividing attention is having an insidious effect that is impairing their exam performance and final grade,a said Professor Arnold Glass from Rutgers University. aTo help manage the use of devices in the classroom, teachers should explain to students the damaging effect of distractions on retention - not only for themselves, but for the whole class,a said Glass. This is the first-ever study in an actual classroom showing a causal relationship between distraction from an electronic device and subsequent exam performance, researchers said. For all the Latest Education News, Books News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg and discussed issues on international landscape, BRICS cooperation, and other mutual interests. aWide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. Indiaas friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia,a Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. Indiaas friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia pic.twitter.com/xMl1k6XWX9 a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2018 PM Modi had earlier held informal talks with the Russian president in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia. After that both the leaders met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. A aspecial privileged strategic partnershipa was elevated between both the countries during the meeting in Sochi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the BRICS Summit themed aBRICS in Africaa. BRICS comprises of five countries a Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa a representing above 40 per cent of world population. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. More individuals, companies seek patent protection From:Shine | 2018-07-26 02:29 The number of Shanghai patent applications during the first half of this year increased 14 percent, while the number granted to individuals or companies soared by 41 percent, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration said. Patent applications filed with the administration totaled 70,623 between January and June, of which 29,979 were patents for inventions, up 15.4 percent. More than 10,880 such patents were authorized by the administration, an increase of 6.7 percent. By the end of June, the city had 107,661 valid patents owned by individuals, ranking second among the regions of the nation on a per capita basis. Rui Wenbiao, deputy director of Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, told Shanghai Daily that these increases could be attributed to several factors. One is local enterprises demand for the protection of their intellectual property rights, and another is the improved environment for intellectual property protection. A large number of patent applications are submitted by foreign companies, which were the main source of patent applicants in the past, said Rui. But now, with the rise of domestic enterprises on the world stage, national companies have started to have a place in patent application and theyre applying for more patents. To better protect patents, the administration will launch a citywide campaign called Thunderbolt to crack down on the infringement of patents in commercial areas and distribution centers. In preparation for the upcoming China International Import Expo this November, the administration has been conducting research on exhibition patent disputes since the end of last year. They will participate in the expo via various methods like the running of a hotline, website and on-the-spot services with other related departments, as well as offering counseling and handling services for exhibitors in intellectual property disputes. The newly-built China (Pudong) Intellectual Property Protection Center, which has been running for more than five months, provides quick review, verification and rights protection services The center helps simplify the authorization process, and shortens the authorization period for invention patents from three years to three months, practical patents from eight months to one month, and design patents from six months to one week. It will expand to cover more industry fields and areas in the future. According to the center, earlier this year, it helped a local medical company attain a patent for its cancer-sequencing technology within three months. OrigiMed is a local medical science and technology transforming firm which focuses on developing new technologies and clinical applications for cancer patients. Now the company is seeking approval from the China Food and Drug Administration on innovative medical device examination for its product, which requires an invention patent for the products key technology. The company then filed an application with the center in March which went to the centers quick review channel on March 29 after pre-qualification. On June 6, OrigiMed received a notification and was informed that the patent had been granted. New Delhi: The Congress are ready to out a rally or morcha against the secrecy pact of the Rafale jet deal by the Central government, in Mumbai on July 30. The march is the part of protests that the party is planning to take out across the nation, senior party leaders said on Thursday. The rally is expected to start from Fashion Street and will end at Azad Maidan of south Mumbai. The Congress has been demanding the government to reveal the buying price of each Rafale jet in the ongoing Parliament Monsoon Session. The current NDA government was purchasing the fighter jets from France at much higher inflated price than the one negotiated by the UPA government, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said while addressing a press conference. During the monsoon sessions no-confidence motion debate, Defence Minister Niramala Sitharaman has clarified that the government cannot reveal the exact pricing details due to a secrecy pact in the deal. The Congress supremo Rahul Gandhi had alleged that no secrecy clause existed, but French government issued a statement and contradicted to Gandhis allegations. "The government cannot hide corruption under the guise of the secrecy clause. There is no transparency in the deal as it has been done without taking anybody into confidence. There is a lot of room for suspicion," Chavan said. He added that the people should be informed about the exact price at which the jets are being bought. "Secrecy is understandable for technical details and technology transfer, but not for the price of the aircraft," the former chief minister said. Chavan further alleged that the NDA government is buying the jets at an inflated price. "In 2012, the UPA government had fixed the deal at Rs 526 crore. We were going to get 36 Rafale jets for Rs 18940 crore. "However, Narendra Modi government renegotiated the deal under which each fighter jet will cost Rs 1670 crore. Moreover, India is not getting any technology transfer," he claimed. Earlier, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam had alleged that the Rafale deal is a "scam" worth Rs 41,205 crore. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a fresh ally trouble for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2019 general elections, Ram Vilas Paswans Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has threatened to join anti-government protests by Dalit organisation next month if their demands were not met. The LJP demanded the Centre to remove Justice AK Goel from his post of the National Green Tribunal chief. The party said that the retired judge was part of the Supreme Court bench that ordered the dilution of the SC/ST Atrocities Act. Earlier in April 2017, the apex court had laid down new guidelines that protect public servants from immediate arrest after a complaint is filed against them under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. "Our support to the NDA is issue-based. If our demand is not met by August 9, then LJP will join Dalit protesters, said Chirag Paswan, son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, during a press conference. Also Read | Monsoon Session: TDP to move no-confidence motion against Modi government However, Paswan ruled out speculations of the LJPs split from the NDA and said that his party will not walk out of the alliance like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) did. "We will fight for Dalit rights as part of the government. Our patience is running out, hope the PM will act on our demands," Paswan junior said. In March 2018, the TDP had walked out of the alliance with the BJP, accusing the party of deceiving the people of Andhra Pradesh by not fulfilling the promise of special status for the south Indian state. Chirag Paswan on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the removal of Justice Goel as chief of the NGT. In a separate letter, the father-son duo also demanded a bill to restore earlier provisions of the SC/ST Act. Also Read | Tirupati: TDP activists pelt stones at Amit Shah's convoy For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday expressed his concerned and said India is way behind in the overall happiness ranking in spite of having high GDP growth and being one of the top economic powers. According to a world survey, India ranks 133rd in the overall happiness ranking 2018, Mukherjee said. The former president added that the ranking indicates a holistic approach towards development in spite of high average life expectancy rate (68 years at present) and a massive jump in foodgrain production since independence, This (poor happiness ranking) indicates lack of holistic approach towards development... Quest for happiness is closely tied with the quest for sustainable development - a culmination for human well being, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, Mukherjee said at an Indian Chamber of Commerce event in Kolkata. He suggested that there should be focus on mental well-being of people and social welfare, with the needed push on economic growth. The Padma Vibhushan awardee also added economy should not revolve around profit making alone, but one has to consider about the planet and people for laying a strong foundation of industrial development and growth. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to reject the National Commission for Womens (NCW) proposal to abolish the practice of confessions in churches. In its letter to the prime minister, the church urged the central government to reject the NCWs recommendation, saying that this questioned the existence of minorities in India. We have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to reject the panels recommendations. This is the question of the existence of the minorities. On what basis has the panel made such a suggestion? What is its motive behind such an act? The Indian Express quoted Father Varghese Vallikkatt, spokesperson for the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference, as saying. The church also demanded NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma to withdraw her statement that confession should be abolished from the church. Confessions have been a long-standing tradition and hundreds of people experience spiritual solace by confessing their sins. These are kept confidential, even at the risk of the priests life, Alex Vadakumphala, the Bishop of Kannur said. Also Read | Delhi Archbishop leaves BJP furious with turbulent atmosphere remark Terming the NCW chairpersons statement irresponsible, Vadakumphala said that the womens commission should have discussed the issue with the church before making its recommendations to the government. The NCW chief should have held discussions with the church before making such recommendations to the government. It was absolutely irresponsible on her part and she must immediately withdraw her remarks, he said. On Thursday, the NCW had submitted its report on the two sex scandals in churches in Kerala and recommended to the government that the practice of confessions should be abolished as it comes in the way of security and safety of women. We have recommended that confession should be abolished from the church. It is being misused by the priests. Many women are suffering. Women cannot share their private life with priests, the English daily quoted Sharma as saying. The recommendation of the womens commission came in wake accusations of rape against the Bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mulakkal, and four priests of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in a separate incident. Also Read | Pope's envoys in Chile to 'ask forgiveness' over sex abuse For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who introduced the idea of a federal front to take on the BJP in 2019, on Friday said that no name should be picked for the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it would divide the unity of regional parties. Please do not pick and choose any particular name to divide us, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief told reporters in Kolkata. The remarks of the West Bengal chief minister came after meeting with National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah to discuss the Oppositions strategy to fight against the BJP in 2019 general elections. Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Abdullah also echoed Banerjee when asked weather the Opposition was ready to project the TMC chief as Oppositions PM candidate. It is too early to choose the Oppositions prime ministerial candidate. Our main focus should be to come together and put up a good fight against the BJP and then, we can decide on that, Abdullah said. Also Read | Will Rahul Gandhis She card turn the tables on BJP? Further, the Bengal CM said that all the Opposition and regional parties were together in their fight against the BJP. I think all the regional parties, all the political parties who are against the BJP are working together. Maybe one or two parties may not as they have their states compulsions, but a majority of them are working together. Our intention is very clear, Banerjee said. The remarks of Banerjee came days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi's statement during a meeting with women journalists that he would support any candidate able to defeat the BJP. During the interaction, Gandhi reportedly said that he was ready to select the leader of a regional party as the prime ministerial nominee if it is able to garner numbers in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections or if others dont agree on a Congress nominee. Read More | Mamata Banerjee or Mayawati as PM? Congress, Rahul Gandhi open to options For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Lucknow on July 28 and 29 and lay foundation stones of several development projects, according to an official statement. On the first day of his visit, Modi will attend an event on Transforming Urban Landscape to mark the third anniversary of three key government initiatives related to Urban Development- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transfornation (AMRUT), and the Smart Cities Mission. The prime minister will visit an exhibition on Flagship Missions of Urban Development and interact with 35 beneficiaries of PMAY (U) - one from each State/Union Territories. Also Read | Congress hits out at Modi for not raising Doklam issue at BRICS Summit Modi will also receive feedback from PMAY beneficiaries, via video link, from different cities of Uttar Pradesh. The prime minister will lay the foundation stone of various projects under the flagship missions in the state and address a gathering. On the second day, Modi will attend a ground breaking ceremony of projects Rs 60,000 crore which had materalised following the UP Investors Summit in February 2018. Also Read |Mamata Banerjees first response on being Oppositions PM face in 2019 The summit led to the generation of investment intent worth more than Rs 4.28 lakh crore across sectors like Renewable Energy, Infrastructure, Power, IT & Electronic Manufacturing, Tourism, according to the statement. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A day after BJP MLA Surendra Singhs irresponsible remark that Hindus should have at least five children to save Hindutva, another saffron party leader sparked a controversy by saying that rapidly growing Muslim population was the reason behind increasing incidents of rape and murder. The menaces such as of terrorism, rape, sexual harassment prevailing in India is only because of the rising Muslim populations. If one looks closely, there has been a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslim population since the time of Independence, ANI quoted senior BJP MP Hari Om Pandey as saying. Pandey, a parliamentarian from Uttar Pradeshs Ambedkar Nagar, said that if the government failed to take required measures to limit the rising Muslims population, another Pakistan would be created. Also Read | Fresh ally trouble for BJP as Ram Vilas Paswans LJP threatens to join Dalit protests The BJP MP also suggested that Parliament must bring a law in this regard. I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition, he added. #WATCH: Muslims marry 3-4 times & have 9-10 kids, they don't get any education& end up unemployed,it will obviously lead to anarchy.Their population is increasing rapidly,they are demanding Sharia now then later they will demand new Pakistan: Hari Om Pandey,BJP, Ambedkar Nagar MP pic.twitter.com/WW1Zi4LpvX ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 27, 2018 Earlier on Thursday, BJP MLA from Uttar Pradeshs Baria, Surendra Singh, had said that Hindus will soon be a minority as there was no balance in population growth. Children are Gods blessing Hindu population should increase. I believe Hindu couples should have at least five children, the Indian Express quoted Singh as saying. Also Read | Will Rahul Gandhis She card turn the tables on BJP? For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Yet another summit of BRICS leaders has taken placeathis time in Johannesburg in South Africaawhere familiar resolves have been voiced and terrorism has been condemned in no uncertain terms. But the world is where it was a year ago when the five member-nations (Brazil, Russia, India China, and South Africa) issued a declaration in Xiamen in China which voiced the same sentiments. It is not as though the grouping is helpless but in the name of the sovereign rights of nations it is not prepared to act to protect its resolves either as a grouping or as individual countries that command clout. There is no dearth of expressions of concern but no action on the ground. Indiaas concern Indiaas over-riding concern is with the brazen manner in which the Pakistan government connives in fuelling terror in Jammu and Kashmir. The perpetrators are terrorists trained and armed at the behest of the Pakistan Army in camps that are the hotbeds of terror but when it comes to applying pressure on Islamabad to desist from perpetrating terror even a country like China which enjoys immense clout with Pakistan fails to put a stop to the nefarious activities. One may well ask what good is a forum that persistently shows rank impotence but just as BRICS has no answer to it, other seemingly well-meaning groupings across the world are in the same boat in similar situations. Last year, there was much back-patting in the Indian delegation when the declaration named two terrorist groupsaLashkar e-Taiba and Jaish e-Mohammadaas perpetrators of terror along with other terror outfits that do not impinge on Indian interests. But what has it yielded? When it was identified by the US as a terror outfit responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 and also listed by the UN as a terrorist organisation, the optimists thought Lashkar e-Taiba would not be allowed to contest elections in Pakistan. But the optimists were proved wrong as Lashkar reincarnated as Jamaat ud-Dawa and later in a new garb as Allahu Akbar Tehreek and was first rejected but on pressure from the Pakistan Army accepted as a political party that was allowed to contest. That in the just-concluded elections, the Hafiz Saeed-supported obscure outfit has drawn a blank despite contesting over 250 seats in Parliament and State assemblies is a measure of the poor public support for the terror elements, which is a good sign. But that the alaadlaa (favourite son) of the people, Imran Khan, who is on the verge of becoming prime minister is apparently not ill-disposed towards Hafiz Saeed is ominous for India. The good sign That Prime Minister Narendra Modi put his best foot forward in dealing with terrorism at BRICS is as it should have been. There is little point in shunning useful groupings just because they do not and will not do anything beyond paying lip service to controlling terror and terrorists. In todayas world for a country of Indiaas size and stature, it is important to be associated with key groupings to serve some kind of a leadership role, at least as a regional power if not a world power. It is myopic to deny that BRICS is a useful forum in furthering Indiaas interests in trade and investment. Considering that the summit is being held in the backdrop of the US trade war which is likely to hit all five nations of the group, this is an opportunity to consolidate intra-BRICS trade through reduced tariffs. For India, the economic benefits could accrue from not only cultivating the Russia-China axis as a counterweight to the US which is becoming increasingly inward-looking, but also to project its market as wide open for a higher level of investments from these countries. The outreach to Africa, especially in the shape of China-India collaborative projects, could prove lucrative for both countries. That this was discussed by Xi Jinping and Modi first in Wuhan and now in Johannesburg is indeed a good sign. New Delhi: Several big scams hit headlines during the UPA regime. There were big ticket scams such as the 2G spectrum (Rs 1,70,000 crore), Coalgate (Rs 4,87,000 crore) and the Antrix Devas (Rs 2,00,000 crore) scams among others. Government institutions like the CAG, courts, CBI, CVC and ED were all involved in the investigation of the scams. Civil societies became active. Anna Hazares anti-corruption movement became a national phenomenon. Millions came out to support it. And, the Congress lost the 2014 general elections due to scams. Now, the Congress is gearing up to face another election in 10 months. It is desperately looking for a scam against the NDA, a big-ticket scam that could do to the BJP what the 2G spectrum scam did to the UPA. The party has zeroed in on Rafale deal. Congress party president Rahul Gandhi raised it in Parliament during the no-confidence motion. He later asked his party workers to take it to grass root level. The party has moved a privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman on Rafale. Now, the question is - Can Rafale deal become a scam? What is a scam? All financial irregularities or losses to public exchequer may not become scams. For intance, bank NPAs and companies going for bankruptcy under IBC is not a scam. Yet, in some cases it is pure looting of the common depositors and tax payers money to the tune of crores of rupees. Whereas, the 2G spectrum scam may be the biggest scam in the Indian history even after the CBI court saying that there was no proof of any financial irregularity. It is perception that matters. The Congress success depends on its ability to create an environment against the BJP on this issue. ALSO READ: Will Rahul Gandhis She card turn the tables on BJP? I am not privy to the details of the Rafale deal and I dont want to go into details of arguments of BJP and Congress on it. However, a simple anatomy of major scams in the last 15 years that embarrassed the incumbent governments shows that Rafale may not have basic elements required to catch the public attention. The Congress party may be barking at the wrong tree. Anatomy of scams during the UPA regime All big-ticket scams during the UPA regime started as corporate rivalry. For example, the 2G scam started when incumbent telecom operators Airtel, Idea and Vodafone opposed former telecom minister A Raja giving 2G spectrum to new operators, including RCOM and Tata Teleservices without auction. They had financial muscle to expose Rajas wrongdoing. It was a different matter that the incumbent operators themselves got spectrum without auction. There is not much corporate rivalry in the Rafale deal. In the absence of this rivalry, Congress party workers will have to take lead in educating the public. Hyperactive CAG Who can forget the Rs 1,70,000-crore 2G spectrum scam? After the CAG report, everyone was talking about the spectrum scam. It had caught the nations attention. For the first time, the public was hearing such astronomical numbers. It became headlines in domestic and global media. No one questioned the rationality behind these numbers. Encouraged by the response from the public and media, the CAG came out with bigger numbers for coal scam (Rs 4,80,000 crore) in draft report that was later reduced to Rs 1,87,000 crore and Antrix Devas (Rs 200,000 crore). Interestingly, all the reports were leaked to the media before they were tabled in Parliament. ALSO READ: BRICS blues and Indias concern With these reports, the then CAG Vinod Rai got immediate fame. He became a hero. He was later accommodated as chairman of the Banks Board Bureau by the NDA government. Later, Rais intentions and method of calculating losses both were questioned, especially after the CBI court gave the verdict in favour of A Raja rejecting the whole scam theory. It is highly unlikely that the present CAG Rajiv Mehrishi will come out with an adverse report against the government or attach astronomical figure to the loss to exchequer, if any. Judicial activism During the UPA regime, courts became active. They were suo moto taking note of the corruptions in government departments. They shot down the government policies, cancelled licences. PILs from civil societies were gospel truth. They were directly monitoring investigations in these cases. Investigating agencies were regularly submitting reports to them. This judicial overreach disappeared when the NDA came to power. It is highly unlikely that the courts will intervene suo moto on the issue of Rafale deal. Action in the foreign country In AgustaWestland chopper case, the UPA government was forced to investigate the case when the Italian Government arrested the president of the company and CEO of its chopper subsidiary. It is highly unlikely that the French Government will take any action against officials of the French company. The French Government has come out in support of the deal rebutting Rahul Gandhis claims of financial irregularity. ALSO READ: An opportunity for revamping the education system In the absence of all these elements, there are chances that Rafale may not become a scam. It can become a scam only if the Congress has some solid documented evidence to prove its claims, which it doesnt have. It may backfire as people may be reminded of the big-ticket scams during the UPA era. Instead, the Congress should focus on real issues such as unemployment, mob lynching, agriculture distress. It should challenge the government on its flagship schemes such as Digital India, Make in India, and Ujjwala Yojana. New Delhi: A star speeding close to the massive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy was observed for the first time by a team of European researchers. With giant telescopes pointed at the centre of our galaxy, the team observed a fast-moving star that got close to a monstrous black hole. They saw that the black hole distorted the light waves from the star in a way that agrees with Einsteins theory. Also Read | Albert Einsteins gravity theory passes another test yet again This was the first test of Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole. This was the first time we could test directly Einsteins theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole, Frank Eisenhauer, senior astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics said. Einstein who proposed the theory more than a century ago, suspected that a black hole might be powerful enough to lower the frequency of light under extreme circumstances. Einsteins theory of general relativity has passed another test yet again. How astronomers observed the star speeding close to the massive black hole A team of scientists at the European Southern Observatory had started monitoring the central area of the Milky Way using the Very Large Telescope and had been preparing to observe the motion of stars near the supermassive black hole for several years. We have been preparing intensely for this event over several years, as we wanted to make the most of this unique opportunity to observe general relativistic effects, said Reinhard Genzel of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, Germany, who led the international team. Also Read | Black hole exist in Milky way's center without dark matter The scientists, selected a star, S2, knew with an orbit of 16 years it would return close to the black hole in 2018. Scientists have been monitoring a black hole called Sagittarius A*, which dwells at the center of the Milky Way for decades. On May 19, 2018, the S2 passed through Sagittarius A*s gravitational field causing it to be subject to effects predicted by Einsteins theory of general relativity. The findings were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Crackdown on local polluters From:Shine | 2018-07-27 02:29 Hundreds of companies and organizations have been ordered to clean up their polluting ways this month by authorities in Huangpu, Minhang and Songjiang districts. The commands came after city-level environmental inspectors visited the districts on July 5 and required officials there to take action against rule breakers. According to a report issued yesterday by the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, district residents made 496 environmental-related complaints to inspectors during their visits. By Wednesday, 406 of these complaints had been resolved. In total, 475 companies and groups in the three districts were order to make changes or improvements. Among these, 340 received fines totaling 51.5 million yuan (US$7.6 million). Specifically, complaints were made against a construction-waste collection center on Xuejiabang Road in Huangpu for causing dust and noise pollution. Illegal parking by waste transport trucks also brought inconvenience to locals. The center was mainly used by Shanghai Shunteng Construction Company to store construction waste from renovated houses. Under the supervision of inspectors, Huangpu Districts landscaping and city appearance bureau suspended operation of the center this month. Some 2,000 tons of wastes were removed by July 12, and work is under way to relocate the center. In Minhang District, gas discharges from a water purification plant were found to have exceeded allowable standards. The plant, located on Jiangchuan Road E., is affiliated with Shanghai Yangchen Drainage Operation Company. Discharge standards were revised by environment authorities in 2016 and put into use this year. The company initially said it planned to shut the plant at the end of 2017, and therefore did not upgrade its gas discharge system. The company was fined 600,000 yuan and ordered to halt its illegal discharges. 2018-07-27 23:08:50 A Glimpse of His Holy Life From a young age little Iakovos (which was his name even at baptism) loved the Lord and His Bride, the Church. Born in Livisi, in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), he and his family were forced to immigrate to Greece during the exchange of populations. Eventually settling on the island of Evia, he lived with his family in a storehouse with other refugees, blankets separated the individual living quarters. Little Iakovos would lift these blankets in order to cense his neighbours with the toy censor he made out of a roof tile. His holines s was noticed very early, though he wasn t fully understood and suffered a great deal of derision; children would call him geronda and father. He would arise in the night for vigil, chant throughout the day, and was even entrusted with the keys to the village church since a priest came only twice amonth to serve the divine services. Throughout his life he lived in great poverty and fasting. As a young man he would chant in the church barefoot because he could not afford shoes. People ridiculed him but he often hadvisions of saints and angels which would comfort and strengthen him in his resolve to live for Christ. paraklisi Failure to procure a valid entry visa to Bahrain has prompted a man to enter the Kingdom illegally by hiding inside a wooden container. Police came to know about his adventure when he was arrested in Muharraq during a clampdown against beggars. The 45-year-old man, an Asian by nationality, revealed his story to prosecutors when he was asked to present his ID and visa. The man, according to police officers, was caught while he was asking for jobs while stopping cars. We saw a man stopping cars looking for a job. When we asked him his ID and visa permit, he admitted that he entered the Kingdom illegally, a police officer who participated in the clampdown told prosecutors. An Indian mother is desperately seeking the whereabouts of their son Mukul Arora, a native of Haryana state in India who was recently arrested by the local police from an apartment he was staying. An Indian couple Harjeet and Aman, who were living together in a sharing accommodation helped him obtain the visa. When the couple was on a trip to India, Mukul got arrested from their apartment, said Savita, a relative of Mukul. Amans sister and another man were also arrested along with Mukul, said Savita. Hoi Kong : The bloated carcasses of pigs and cows float in the knee-high flood waters covering the Laos village of Hoi Kong, as mud-caked residents pick through the remnants of homes destroyed by a dam collapse that they had little time to flee. Monday nights dam break inflicted an unprecedented catastrophe on Laos, a poor country with little capacity to manage remote, large-scale rescue operations. Twenty-seven people are confirmed dead, with 131 still missing, after the Xe-Namnoy dam broke, sending a wall of water rushing across a large swathe of southern Laos. Details of the damage have trickled out slowly in a country whose Communist authorities tightly control information and do not welcome media attention. But with the waters receding, the scale of the disaster is revealing itself. Residents in Hoi Kong returned to their flooded homes on Thursday, wading past vehicles pushed onto their sides by rushing water, with thick red mud caking everything they once owned. The people are in very bad condition, a Vietnamese military doctor helping with the relief effort told AFP, requesting anonymity. Really I dont know how they will overcome this devastation. They have lost everything. In crowded shelters across Attapeu province, survivors have recounted the terrifying moment water cascaded through their villages, saying they were given little warning of the impending disaster. It was Monday evening and many of those forewarned had only been given a few hours to evacuate. Others were told nothing, scrambling in the darkness to rooftops, trees, or escaping via boats to dry land. Many fled into the mountains seeking higher ground. A fire broke out at a building construction site in the city of Tama, Tokyo, on Thursday, killing five workers and injuring about 40 others, including more than 20 with severe wounds, according to police and firefighting authorities. The Metropolitan Police Department has launched an investigation for possible charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. A total of some 80 fire trucks and other vehicles were deployed to the scene, where plumes of black smoke rose from a building under construction. The fire was almost put out about six hours after it started at around 1:50 p.m. (4:50 a.m. GMT). When the fire occurred, there were about 320 workers at the construction site, about one kilometer west of Karakida Station of Odakyu Electric Railway Co.'s <9007> Tama Line. 540 26291040 Japan's Justice Ministry on Thursday executed all of the six remaining former senior members of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo on death row. The executions followed the July 6 hangings of Aum leader Chizuo Matsumoto, 63, who also went by the pseudonym of Shoko Asahara, and six other former senior members of the cult, which committed a series of deadly crimes, including the 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway system. All 13 convicted former Aum members on death row have now been executed. "The unprecedented and extremely heinous crimes should never be repeated," Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa told a press conference. "I ordered the executions after careful consideration." The former Aum members executed Thursday were Yasuo Hayashi, 60, Satoru Hashimoto, 51, Toru Toyoda, 50, Kenichi Hirose, 54, Kazuaki Okazaki, 57, and Masato Yokoyama, 54. Hayashi changed his family name to Koike and Okazaki to Miyamae after their arrests. Vegetable prices have spiked as much as 65 percent amid a grueling two-week long heat wave that drove temperatures Wednesday to records in some regions, including areas where recovery and cleanup efforts are underway after devastating floods and landslides. An agriculture ministry official in Tokyo warned against apretty severe price movesa for vegetables if predictions of more weeks of hot weather hold up. aItas up to the weather how prices will move from here,a the official said. aBut the Meteorological Agency has predicted it will remain hot for a few more weeks, and that we will have less rain than the average.a Temperatures in the cities of Yamaguchi and Akiotacho, Hiroshima Prefecture, reached record highs of 38.8 and 38.6, respectively, on Wednesday afternoon. In Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, one of the areas hit hardest by this monthas flooding, the mercury reached 38.7, just 0.3 degrees off an all-time high. As many as 65 people died in the week to July 22, up from 12 the previous week, government figures show. In Miyoshi, Aichi Prefecture, a prisoner in his forties died of a heat stroke. The room, like most in the prison, had no air-conditioning and the temperature on the floor of his cell was found to be 34 degrees shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities who found him unresponsive sent him to a hospital outside the prison, but he was soon pronounced dead, a prison official said. 'Since then the two planets have gone down very different evolutionary paths, but the chances of finding evidence of early life on Mars could be higher than elsewhere in our solar system,' Peter adds. In fact, it might be easier to find signs of very early microbial life on Mars than here on Earth, where plate tectonics and the abundance of life make rocks from this time a challenge to find and interpret. 'Although Mars is very far away, those early rocks with evidence of life may be easier to find on Mars than on the Earth because it is so pristine,' Peter explains. What do scientists expect extraterrestrial life to look like? While Hollywood offers great fuel for the imagination, scientists think it likely that evidence of life on Mars will be very small. 'When we talk about life on Mars what we are talking about is microbial life, because that's what we see on Earth at a similar time. 'Evidence for life about 3.5 to four billion years ago is primarily going to be morphological - meaning you look for patterns in rocks and supporting evidence so that you can make the argument that it was caused by life.' Searching for signs Part of Peter's role in the ExoMars mission is to look at the geological processes on Mars to help decide where missions should land to have the highest possible chance of encountering life. There are a number of factors that scientists look for and consider ingredients for life in space. 'One of the main things we to look for is long-standing liquid water,' Peter says. 'You might look for lake deposits or chemical evidence that water was there.' Festus Keyamo, Director of Strategic Communications for President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization, has reacted to former President Olusegun Obasanjos statement that he will support anyone who will take Nigeria to the promised land.Keyamo said Obasanjo by his statement implied that the former President did not take Nigeria to where it should be when he was in power.Obasanjo had revealed that he would only throw his weight behind any Nigerian who will turn the countrys fortune around for good.The former President said this on Thursday when he received a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, at the Olusegun Obasanjos Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.Reacting to Obasanjos statement, Keyamo, in a tweet wrote: We thank God he has finally admitted he and the PDP failed to take us to the promised land by this statement because he was former President himself2019: Ill support anyone that can lead Nigeria to the Promised Land. Olusola Adeyeye, the lawmaker representing Osun Central in the Senate, has explained why he was absent at a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and some Senators of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).Adeyeye, in a Facebook post on Thursday night, said the notice for the meeting got to him late.Buhari met with the APC Senators Wednesday evening after a mass exodus of senators from the ruling party on Tuesday.Adeyeye who is a professor said he was at the University of Ibadan College of Medicine on Wednesday, to deliver a public lecture when he got the invitation for the meeting.He said the notice got to him only around 7pm, while the university event was scheduled for over five months.Adeyeye said, it was logistically impossible for me to head to Abuja at the time he learnt of the meeting.My colleagues of the APC caucus were fully aware of my engagement at Ibadan. I also sent an apology to the President pertaining to my absence.For the avoidance of any doubts, I remain a firm member of the APC. I have never partaken of any formal or informal meeting with the r-APC, he wrote. Kathmandu, July 26 Doctors who have launched a protest programme in support of medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC got engaged in a clash with police personnel in Maharajgunj of Kathmandu on Thursday morning. The clash ensued after the security personnel tried to block the doctors from going towards the Prime Ministers residence in Baluwatar from the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj. After being blocked, the agitating health personnel chanted slogans against the government. They said citizens were children of the government, but the government failed to play the role of a guardian. The doctors staged a sit-in just outside the Teaching Hospital after police restricted their movement. Meanwhile, police detained around 30 doctors from the crowd and took them to Nepal Police Club. The umbrella organisation of Nepali medical doctors, Nepal Medical Association, and another organisation of Teaching Hospitals resident doctors have announced different protest programmes in solidarity with Dr KC, who has been staging a fast-unto-death for last 27 days. Twenty-three members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly on Friday passed a vote of confidence on the state Governor Ayodele Fayose, while dissociating themselves from the purported plot to impeach the Governor.Armed policemen allegedly laid siege to the Assembly premises on Wednesday night to pave way for the three lawmakers of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconvene the plenary, a week after the members have gone on recess.The move was condemned by Speaker Kolawole Oluwawole at a press briefing on Friday, where he alleged that the signature of the Assembly clerk was forged in a letter purportedly written to request for police cover.But the spokesman of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Samuel Omotoso, who spoke with newsmen on behalf of the 23 members at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti, said they came on a solidarity visit to Governor Fayose.He also expressed displeasure at the siege to the Assembly by security agents, saying that the members are solidly behind the Governor.Omotoso said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers were fully in support of the move by the party to retrieve Olusola Elekas mandate which was allegedly stolen from him at the recently-concluded governorship election.He said, We are here on solidarity visit to the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Ayodele Fayose and to show our displeasure to the stealing of the mandate freely given to Prof Kolapo Olusola. We also want to use this medium to register our displeasure to the illegality being perpetrated by security agencies threatening to make the state ungovernable.As you can see, we are 23 members and 21 is present here. Mrs Titi Owolabi is not here because she is bereaved, and one of us travels oversea. We are 26 members; three are on the other side. We are united and irrevocably committed to the cause of Fayose.We are solidly behind him and our party the PDP. We support the decision of the party to go to court to retrieve the stolen mandate and also to tell the whole world that if 23 members are on the same page, we want to see how they want to use three members to perpetrate illegality in the state.The tenure of this Governor runs out on October 16 and by the grace of God, he will complete his tenure. We are elected members by our constituents and we will do all the needful to make sure that the interest of our people will be protected. We are very loyal to the cause of our Governor. We are solidly behind him and he will triumph over all his enemies, he said. The battle for the control of the National Assembly seems to be getting tougher outside the two chambers. The battle for the control of the National Assembly seems to be getting tougher outside the two chambers.Despite the defection of some senators and members of the House of Representatives from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), APC senators are insisting on their simple majority, which they believe will soon be more consolidated.Besides, they are insisting that Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara must step down when they eventually defect to the PDP a move they are believed to be planning.Senators and members of the House of Representatives supporting President Muhammadu Buhari are back to the drawing board to sustain APCs majority in the two chambers.They are demanding that Saraki and Dogara must step down if the APC retains the majority in the National Assembly by September 26 when the lawmakers end their annual recess.The lawmakers, who are mostly members of the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG), may ask Saraki to quit if he is put on trial over the Offa robbery. The Senate President insists on his innocence.He was quizzed yesterday by detectives investigating the incident in which no fewer than 33 people died.PSG members and some strategists of the President have been meeting on how to consolidate APCs majority in the National Assembly.One of the issues on the agenda is Sarakis refusal to read letters of defection of three senators, who are defecting from PDP to APC. They are Hajiya Fatima Raji Rasaki; Hope Uzondima and Sunday Ogbuoji.A source, who spoke in confidence, said Nigerians have not heard the last word on the defections in the National Assembly.He said: We believe APC has the number to hold a simple majority in the two chambers, contrary to what our leaders have been telling the nation. Without Senator Saraki, APC senators are 53 and, of course, it is obvious that APC is in the majority in the House.Pro-Buhari/ APC members of the National Assembly have had some sessions in the last 72 hours and our ultimate goal is to sustain our majority in the two chambers.With the upcoming elections in two states and ongoing talks and reconciliation, we will certainly be up to 57 in the Senate.All we are waiting for is for Saraki and Dogara to tell the nation whether they are defecting or not. Once they defect, we will insist that they must step down as our leaders.By simple majority, we are expected to produce the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We will not take anything less than that.A PSG leader said: Deep in their hearts, Saraki and Dogara know that they have some hurdles to cross. The option for Dogara is to remain a member of APC and keep his office. Once he abandons APC for PDP, he has to step aside. And if he does not defect, he wont get any 2019 ticket in APC.The thinking is that once Saraki defects, he will face a tough battle to retain his seat because, the source said, we will draw a battle line with our simple majority. It is this dilemma that has delayed them in announcing their next plan of action, he added, pleading not to be named.A former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, confirmed the demand of APC Senators and Representatives.He said: If Saraki defects, he has to step down. That is what it should be. But, as of now, he has not announced, written or registered. He is only hobnobbing around with PDP. So that is what we have to wait for. If he announces his resignation from APC or his defection, he loses the Senate Presidents seat automatically.If Saraki defects to the PDP, he is still our colleague in the Senate, but he cannot remain the Senate President. That cannot work. But he will be a senator like me. The same thing applies to Dogara.You cannot participate in PDP primaries while you remain in APC; it is not possible and you cant remain in PDP and go and participate in APC primaries. Even the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines do not allow you to do that. You have to move to a certain party before a certain period and the period is usually before the primaries.I remember in my own case, I moved from ANPP to PDP but I had to do that before the expiration of my time.On the consequences of the defections on APC, Ndume said: In fact, now, we are better off because we now know clearly the colour of the moles and the names of the moles that were living with us and most of these people had issues, which is why they left. Some of them have issues in their constituencies, some with their governors. You cannot say they are not important but they cannot do any damage; they are not indispensable.Our meeting with the President has unified us. Before, some of the defectors were standing up to talk the way they wanted but now we have known true and committed APC senators and Representatives. Controversial senator, Dino Melaye has resurfaced after it was said he was kidnapped on Thursday, saying he spent 11 hours in the wilder... I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!! Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) July 27, 2018 One is appalled that police will deny the reportage of my attack by my brother yesterday morning. This is the statement of my brother. pic.twitter.com/SawEHikWaS July 27, 2018 Controversial senator, Dino Melaye has resurfaced after it was said he was kidnapped on Thursday, saying he spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized.Senator Ben Bruce (Bayelsa East) on his Twitter page said Melaye had been kidnapped.I have just been informed by Moses Melaye, @dino_melayes brother, that Dino has been abducted by unknown persons in a Toyota Sienna that blocked their car and overpowered them on their way to Kogi to answer to Dinos court case. Lets be on the watch out. Will keep you updated, Bruce tweeted.But in a tweet on Friday, Melaye, who represents Kogi West in the Senate, said he thanked God for escaping from another dangerous attack and that he spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized.I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME, he tweeted. Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday disclosed that the Federal Government had concluded plans to expand the broadband coverage of the country through the licensing of private broadband providers.He said this while inaugurating the Google for Nigeria event at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, on Thursday.According to him, the measure would improve the digital space and opportunities for innovation and technological advancement of the country.Next week I will launch a climate innovation centre in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre at the Lagos Business School, here in Lekki Village.All of these form part of our ICT road map in which the private sector is an important stakeholder.The challenge remains connectivity, extending broadband reach and making data cheaper.Our national broadband policy is the first step we are taking.And so through the Nigerian Communications Commission we are licensing a number of infrastructure companies who will invest in rolling out broad band infrastructure across Nigeria.I believe that we can extend broadband connectivity and reach significantly within a year or two and we will be partnering in whatever way we can with Google.And with Nigerian broadband providers like 21 Century Technologies, BCN, to quickly achieve the level of connectivity that is required to march the creative energy that is being released in our country on a daily basis.Our goal is to create a data-driven digital economy, one that will lead to the way not just in Africa but globally as well, he said. Detectives interrogated yesterday Senate President Bukola Saraki over the Offa, Kwara State, robbery. Detectives interrogated yesterday Senate President Bukola Saraki over the Offa, Kwara State, robbery.Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team of the Police met Saraki in his National Assembly, Abuja, office in the afternoon.Saraki was grilled for close to two hours, sources said he responded to questions raised by the police investigation team.Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris on Monday wrote to request Sarakis appearance on Tuesday to clear himself of alleged relationship with five principal suspects in the Offa bank robbery investigation.No fewer than 33 people, including policemen were killed in the robbery.Saraki failed to honour the invitation but wrote to ask the IGP to detail his men to come to his office to interrogate him as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.Apparently in compliance with President Buharis directive that Saraki should either be quizzed in his office or asked to give written information, the IGP drafted his officials to Sarakis office to quiz him on the incident.Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood, in a statement, said contrary to the insinuation by an online medium that Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami advised the police against pressing any charges against the Senate President for lack of evidence, the Minister of Justice recommended further investigation.Moshood said: The DPPs advice did not exonerate the Senate President; it only called for further investigations into the matterIt is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rd July, 2018 was sent to the Senate President to appear on 24thJuly, 2018 at 8.00am before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja.Consequently, the Force is hereby re-affirming that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has a case to answer by virtue of the facts that the statements submitted by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, earlier to the Investigation Team was not explicit and detailed enough, and was discovered to require further clarifications and interrogation, and coupled with the fact the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, in his statement, claimed that the full text of the statement of the suspects who indicted him in their confessional statements to the Police was not shown to him.The Force wishes to inform the media and the public that investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some of the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter. Beginning Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will reduce flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries. The new target flow for the St. Lucie Estuary will be reduced to a seven-day average of 1,170 cfs as measured at St. Lucie Lock & Dam (S-80) near Stuart, a release from the Corps states. The target flow for the Caloosahatchee Estuary will remain at 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), but will be measured at W.P. Franklin Lock & Dam (S-79) located near Fort Myers. This change in measuring location has the effect of reducing flows because basin runoff in the Caloosahatchee will now be incorporated in the discharge calculation. The water level in the lake has dropped slightly over the past two weeks, said Maj. Joseph Sahl, Jacksonville District deputy commander in the release. The guidance under LORS (Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule) calls for reduced flows under current conditions. The releases weve conducted have produced close to a foot in storage in Lake Okeechobee that wouldnt have existed without the discharges, said Sahl in the release. This additional storage could prove vital in the coming months should tropical weather influence the area. The Corps will continue to release water into the St. Lucie Estuary from the lake in varying degrees over the seven-day release period in pulse like fashions. The decision will take effect Friday and remain in effect until further notice according to the Corps. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has announced a series of public meetings to discuss the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project. Lee County will host one of these meetings on Tuesday, July 31, from 6-8 p.m. at the Lee County Mosquito and Hyacinth Control Districts in Lehigh Acres. According to a press release, the Corps is proposing an above-ground wetland attenuation feature and several aquifer storage and recovery wells in an area north of the lake. The plan also describes the restoration of 5,300 acres of wetlands in the area. This plan provides additional flexibility for managing water north of the lake in a manner consistent with Everglades restoration goals, said Lisa Aley, Planning Technical Lead for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project in a written statement. We hope that people join us for the public meetings, and look forward to hearing from people living and working in the area on this proposed plan. Spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District, John Campbell, said this plan can provide and alternative when it rains north of Lake Okeechobee. It will be able to store water north to hold when the levels rise in high water events. The intent (of the meeting) is to provide another forum, or channel, for the public to learn and ask questions about the project, Campbell said. Water releases are important to Lee County. This is one of many longer term solutions proposed, he continued. Cape Coral, Fort Myers and the surrounding communities in our county are on the receiving end of the Lake O discharges. The Army Corps of Engineers will take all public comment on the project into consideration when reviewing their project report. Comments can be made at the meeting, via email or U.S. mail. There will be an open house portion prior to the presentation where folks can ask questions. Following the meeting will be the public comment platform. Its important to hear the publics perspective, a non government perspective, on environmental impacts, Campbell said. The public has a huge role to play in identifying environmental impacts, he added. The Lehigh Acres venue was chosen in part because it came at no cost to the Army Corps of Engineers, their familiarity will holding prior events there and so that it may be close enough for Cape Coral and Fort Myers residents to attend, as well as servicing those in west Hendry county so they may attend as well. The two other public meeting locations will be in Stuart and Okeechobee. The Lee County Mosquito and Hyacinth Control Districts is at 15191 Homestead Road in Lehigh Acres. For more information on the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project and to email your comments to the Corps, visit www.saj.usace.army.mil/LOWRP/. Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj In August 2015, a 45-year-old woman from Surkhet of Karnali province approached the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with unusual complaints. The patient was tired after visiting hospitals in Nepal and India for the past few monthsnone could diagnose her condition. Most doctors she visited had told her that she had cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), but medication to fight the ailment had not worked. Finally, an investigation by a specialised team at the TUTH not only identified the disease but completely got rid of it in two weeks. This was the first properly confirmed case of human fascioliasis in Nepal, informs Dr Ranjit Sah, infectious disease specialist at the Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medicine, TUTH. Though this was the first confirmed case, research shows the disease has been prevalent among Nepalis for decades. So far, total 12 human fascioliasis cases have been identified though only two were reported internationally. Dr Sah, one of the handful of professionals who know the existence of the disease in Nepal, points to a problem which is many-fold serious than the ailment itself: most doctors do not know about this ailment and hence diagnose it wrongmost often as cirrhosis or liver cancer. I think we need to educate doctors and other health personnel first to save patients from this chronic suffering, he argues. So what is it? In the simplest terms, human fascioliasis is a medical condition in which worms named fasciola hepatica or fasciola gigantica find their way into the human body. This is a zoonotic disease; it spreads between animals and human beings. In the case of Nepal, the original source of this disease are cattle at our farms, Dr Singh explains, However, they do not directly transmit the disease. It comes to human beings through water and other aquatic plants. It means people who consume aquatic plants and rear cattle are more prone to the disease. When cattle drink water from rivers and ponds or graze on the banks, they leave fasciola worms in water and grass as they excrete their faeces there. The worms then find their place in roots of aquatic plants which human beings consume as vegetables and salad. How do humans get infected? According to Sah, a sizeable rural Nepali population regularly consumes watercress (simsaag in Nepali), as a form of curry. The grass is likely to carry worms if not cooked properly in heat above 60 degree centigrade. Drinking water directly from rivers and ponds where cattle also drink from may also result in the worm getting into the body. Then, the worms lay eggs in intestines. These eggs produce adult worms, which block the bile duct which connects the liver, gallbladder and the intestines. This is when you experience many usual and unusual health problems including jaundice, fever, and stomachache among others. Besides the lack of knowledge among the general public and medical professionals themselves, another problem in diagnosis of the disease is the apparent variation in the time the worms take to show up. While in some cases the symptoms are there as early as six months after the eggs are laid, some people do not seem affected for 10 to 15 years, Dr Sah says. Apparent symptoms are not enough to confirm the disease as they may indicate other problems too. For confirmation of human fascioliasis, doctors examine stool and if it shows fasciola eggs, the case is confirmed as human fascioliasis. Why wrong diagnosis? That human fascioliasis is very rarely heard of in Nepal is the greatest reason behind the fear of the wrong diagnosis. Parasitic infestations are common in developing countries. However, they are wrongly diagnosed as other medical or surgical conditions and remain untreated for long, reads an article about the case of Surkhet woman in BioMed Central Research Notes. Infections like fascioliasis can be diagnosed by simple stool routine microscopy examination and their treatment is simply a short course of anti-helminthic therapy. The second reason, according to Dr Sah, is the unavailability of medical equipment and technology. We need to carry out an ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) to fully confirm the case as fascioliasis. But, this is available only at a couple of government health facilities including the TUTH and Bir Hospital as well as a few big private hospitals in Kathmandu, Dr Sah says. Is right diagnosis enough? Diagnosing the disease correctly, of course, makes it possible to administer the right medication, but it does not ensure complete cure. In the case of Nepal, the right medicine is not available. There are two types of medication for fascioliasis cases. The World Health Organisation recommends the first type which has a proven record of almost 100 per cent effectiveness. The second one has a history of fighting the disease in around 60 per cent cases, Sah informs, The first type of medicine is not available in Nepal, India and any other countries nearby. The second type is not available in Nepal, but is available in India. Dr Sahs team has been applying the second type of medicine to patients so far. In the meantime, they are lobbying with the WHO to ensure easy access of patients to the best possible life-saving medicines. But, there is yet another problem. Nepals emerging problem is yet to blip on the global health agencys fascioliasis prevalence map. Sah says he, however, has reported two Nepali cases to the WHO headquarters in Geneva by publishing articles in international health journals. These journals will help Nepal get the WHO support for combating fascioliasis officially, he suggests, But again, the government has to take initiatives for greater changes. As of today, the government has not done anything about the disease, Dr Sah claims, adding there might be no one official at the Ministry of Health who knows about the existence of this disease in Nepal. What are the precautions? The golden rule that prevention is better than cure applies to fascioliasis as well. Therefore, Dr Sah suggests people be careful while drinking water and eating green vegetables. Always drink boiled water. The source of your drinking water should be different from the ones cattle drink water from. Then, cook green leaves above 60 degree centigrade, he says, If you cannot make sure that the temperature is right, just avoid consuming veggies collected from river banks or shores. Likewise, academic institutions like Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine can also contribute by correctly diagnosing cases. Though medical students frequently read health journals to get ideas about new issues and problems, the institutions can organise other programmes to give a momentum to the discussions on the topic, according to him. Fascioliasis is just a case in point. There are many diseases like this that can be easily diagnosed with the right equipment, he says, But, awarenessamong health professionals and publicis a basic necessity for both. Images courtesy: Dr Ranjit Sah Kathmandu, July 27 The Metropolitan Police Range in Kathmandu has launched a bicycle patrol project in a bid to control and combat criminal activities that are likely to occur in inner city areas. In the first phase of the project, 16 police personnel have been mobilised on bicycles in nooks and crannies, according to Ranges chief, SSP Bishwa Raj Pokharel. They will visit different places of the city from 9:30 am to 11 am and 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm everyday, according to him. They will be equipped with arms and ammunition. Pokharel says the teams are assigned to keep local hooligans and gangsters under surveillance, intervene in spats and fights and settle them. They are also authorised to make arrests and hand over the suspects to local police units. The bicycle patrol teams arrested 20 persons in past one weeks, he informs. Kathmandu, July 27 One of the promoters of Manmohan Memorial Medical College, which apparently was a major bone of contention between the government and medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC and a reason behind Dr KCs 27-day-long fast-unt0-death, says his institution is ready to abide by the agreement the government signed with the activist yesterday. Nepal Health Care Cooperative Ltd (NEHCO)s Vice-President Banshidhar Mishra says the agreement is a positive step towards reforms in the sector. The Cooperative has invested in the College, which has already acquired an expression of interest from the government for operation. However, the agreement signed with Dr KC yesterday forbids the government from granting the operation licence to the College for next 10 years. Instead, the College promoters have been offered two options: sell the institution to the government or relocate it to somewhere outside Kathmandu Valley as prioritised by the Medical Education Commission. What we want is just operating a medical college in the memory of our respected leader Manmohan Adhikari. We wanted to run it without earning profit through a cooperative, Mishra says, But we accept if the government runs it. Mishra says promoters of the College will hold a meeting and decide what to do next. A woman who has been trying to divorce her husband for three years was recently denied the right to do that by the UKs highest court, which ruled that an unhappy marriage that had broken down for years was not grounds for divorce. 68-year-old Tini Owens had been hoping to finally end her 40-year marriage to Hugh Owens, 80, but the five judges at the UKs highest court unanimously upheld rulings by a family court and the court of appeal that the two must stay married at least until 2020, when they will have been separated for five years and Tini will be eligible for a divorce without consent or evidence of fault. The decision has been met with criticism from divorce lawyers who believe it makes people more likely to falsely blame their partners and come up with embellished and inflammatory causes for divorce, to make sure they dont suffer the same fate as Tini. Photo: rawpixel/Pixabay Tini and Hugh Owens got married in 1978 and lived together in Broadway, Worcestershire, where they raised two kids together. The woman first contacted solicitors about a divorce in 2012, but despite her already having an affair with another man, the couple continued to live together for three more years. In May of 2015, Tini finally petitioned for divorce, citing her husbands focus on his job rather than his home life, his lack of love and affection toward her, the fact that he was always moody and argumentative, that he had disparaged her in front of others, and that she had simply grown apart from him, as primary causes for her desire to end the marriage. Her husband always denied these allegations, telling judges that while their marriage had never been emotionally intense, they had learned to rub along (get along in a satisfactory way) over the years. The 80-year-old man added that he hoped his wife would change her mind and come back to him, which she apparently never did. Still, judges always seemed to side with Hugh over Tini in the matter of their divorce. In the initial petition hearing, in October 2015, the judge dismissed the womans case as flimsy and exaggerated, adding that while her husband was somewhat old-school, she was more sensitive than most wives. Tini didnt give up though, appealing the judges decision at the court of appeals, where a panel of three judges again dismissed her case, arguing that she had failed to establish, in the legal sense, that her marriage had become irreparably broken down. How does one even do that? So she took her case to the UK Supreme Court, which, on Wednesday upheld the ruling of the previous two courts. This was Tinis last chance to have her request for divorce approved. According to UK law, she will now have to stay married to her husband until 2020, when they will have been living apart for five years, and she will be able to divorce him without consent or evidence of fault. One of the judges admitted that this divorce case was troubling, but added that it wasnt judges job to change the law. Unfortunately, UK legislation makes even consensual divorce difficult if, in the absence of a period of at least five years living separately, one of the parties doesnt provide evidence of adultery or unreasonable behavior. English divorce lawyer Simon Fisher told The Guardian that the ruling in this case could lead to a rise in divorce petitions containing embellished and inflammatory grounds for divorce to ensure that applications proceed without any issues as in the Owens case. Fraser Seitel Michael Cohen has a real problem. And its not just that Donald Trumps former friend and fixer finds himself in the crosshairs of attack dogs from the New York U.S. Attorneys office, investigating him for, among other things, falsified bank records, fraudulent business dealings and illegal hush-money payments to presidential paramours. No, Mr. Cohens real problem is that he recently fired his experienced but low key legal team and hired, in its place, a combination lawyer/PR man. And that particular counselor is none other than our old buddy and self-promoter par excellence, Lanny Davis. Look out below! Now whom, you may ask if you havent been paying attention, is Lanny Davis? The short answer is that Mr. Davis is the consummate Democrat D.C. swamp thing, a lawyer-turned-public relations pretender whose client list reads like a Whos Who of disgraced companies, corrupt politicians, ruthless dictators and virtually anyone else willing to pay his exorbitant fees. Topping the Davis client roster are a federally-subsidized Maryland additive company accused of putting useless fatty acids in infant formula sold to poor women, for-profit colleges accused of exploiting students, and at least two African despots condemned by the international community for assorted crimes against humanity. (Not to mention, Harvey Weinstein!) Davis got his start as a Bill Clinton White House lawyer who became one of the Presidents primary public defenders against Monica Lewinsky, right up until Clinton admitted lying about his sexual shenanigans in the Oval Office. Thereupon presidential alibi-er Davis wrote a book, Truth to Tell, in which, lo and behold, he extolled the public relations virtues of being honest all the time. Having found religion through his public relations epiphany, the former Clinton con man became a crisis communications counselor. My credibility, Davis humbly told The New York Times, is the only thing I have. Evidently, that was good enough for the cornered Cohen to drop his low profile, white-shoe lawyers from McDermott Will & Emery and sign on with loquacious Lanny. And ever since he did, Davis has been an omnipresent presence on cable TV, dropping bombshell after bombshell about his new clients treasure trove of Trump tapes. Heres why Cohens desperate hiring of Davis may likely prove fatal for the fallen fixer. Davis spotlight strategy is the last thing Cohen needs Michael Cohens best chance of avoiding jail is to cooperate with prosecutors behind the scenes, providing valuable information quietly so that those hes fingering (guess who?) are kept in the dark and off balance. Presumably, thats what his former lawyers were trying to do. And thats what experienced public relations counsel would recommend as well. But not Lanny, who claims to be guided always by a mantra of tell it early, tell it all, tell it yourself, which is admirable in theory, but often impractical, especially when revealing all early proves counterproductive to your client. Such is the case with Michael Cohen. When Davis launched his perpetual publicity machine, first leaking word that Cohen taped his client talking about playmate hush money and then revealing the tape itself on CNN and talking about it non-stop on all the other channels, he set Cohen up for a monumental fall. As Rudy Giuliani correctly concluded, the secret taping of a client destroys Cohen as a witness, leaving him with even less credibility than his spokesman. Even more important, if all Cohen has is a single, surreptitiously-recorded, garbled tape that may or may not suggest Trump lied about paying hush money to starlets, prosecutors may not be interested in striking a deal. In that case, the Davis strategy of breathlessly busting out the tape for all to dissect and dispute is a colossal public relations blunder. Lannys bombast on behalf of Cohen has destroyed any chance of a presidential pardon Say what you will about Donald Trump: hes a coarse, lying, cheating philanderer, who paid off strippers and starlets to hide his extra-marital meandering. Fair enough. But he has also proven himself loyal to his allies, as long as they dont cross him. Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, for instance, have remained true to their former employer, even in the face of a withering attack from a running-out-of-time special prosecutor desperate to get the goods on Trump. Both will be convicted of crimes, and both may well receive presidential pardons for their loyalty. Cohen, on the other hand, especially now that hes retained such a loud-mouthed Trump hater, will likely not be so pardoned when the governments wrath rains down on him. Even if Trump wanted to pardon Cohen, he couldnt because Davis is a proxy for the evil empire the Trump base will simply not abide: the Clintons Lanny Davis has been a Clinton toady for nearly three decades, first defending Bills sexcapades in the White House and then later toiling in the never-ending Hillary campaigns. The nadir for loyal Lanny probably came in 2010 when the government was forced to release a glut of Secretary of State Clintons private account emails. The most obsequious of all 2,100 released emails came from Davis, asking if his dear friend" Hillary might say some complimentary things to a reporter writing a news article about him. Bringing new meaning to the word unctuous, Lanny suggested that perhaps Hillary could cite his bipartisan approach to politics, inspired, of course, by my friend the great Junior Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton, whom my friend Lindsay Graham once told me was the nicest and most effective person in the U.S. Senate! Hows that for public relations? So, in recruiting such a high profile and, in the eyes of Trump supporters, repulsive, Clintonista to his team, Michael Cohen has effectively made it impossible for the President to pardon him. Lanny loves the limelight way more than he loves his clients Davis penchant for personal publicity has already and will continue to impair the Cohen case for clemency. The fact is that whether its due to chronic insecurity or the constant need to convince his D.C. peers that he, too, is a bone fide power broker, Davis lives for the media limelight. And with every new TV appearance or print interview or over-the-top public challenge to the president, Davis digs the hole deeper for his confused and beleaguered client. In one particularly revealing interview, Davis acknowledged, I dont need to speak any further or go on any more shows. The tape speaks much better than I do. And to whom did he acknowledge this new strategy of radio silence? Why, to the New York Times, of course, in a front-page story, complemented by a four-column beaming self-portrait, which he later washed down with interviews in the Washington Post and Politico. Lanny, it seems, just cant get enough of Lanny. So, the bet here is that poor, beleaguered Michael Cohen, like other similarly-panicked and put-upon suckers before him, ultimately sealed his fate the day he hired an ersatz crisis communications guru who has demonstrated time and again that his only real client is himself. *** Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for 40 years. He is author of the Pearson text The Practice of Public Relations, now in its 13th edition, and co-author of Rethinking Reputation" and "Idea Wise. He may be reached directly at yusake@aol.com. Home Just In Nepali Congress forces govt to table agreement with Dr KC in Parliament Kathmandu, July 27 The main opposition party Nepali Congress on Friday has forced the government to table the agreement it signed with medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC on Thursday. As soon as the House of Representatives meeting began today, lawmakers of the opposition party stood up from their seats to draw the attention of Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara. Then, Mahara allowed Congress lawmaker Minendra Rijal to speak on behalf of the party. Rijal, on the occasion, commented that the government bowed down to people yesterday. He also demanded that the government table the agreement at the meeting at the earliest. Then, Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel tabled the agreement. The opposition lawmakers, however, were still not satisfied. They demanded that they be provided with copies of the agreement. Consequently, Mahara halted the meeting for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the meeting is still underway. Minister Pokharel is scheduled to table the Medical Education Bill during the meeting today. A couple weeks ago, Cyndi Brannen of the Keeping Her Keys blog asked what is it that makes witchcraft witchcraft? Jason Mankey liked that idea so well he asked all the Patheos Pagan bloggers to write on what makes what we do what it is. My first thought was to write on Druidry. It would be both easy and timely to write on polytheism. But after further thought I want to explore this question at its broadest level: Paganism. What is it that makes Paganism Pagan? The origin of Pagan The English word pagan comes from the Latin word paganus, which means country dweller. It was used by the invading Romans as a term of derision (think hick) to refer to the native Britons who worshipped in sacred groves and wild places instead of in proper temples. When the Empire converted to Christianity, the term was used for those who kept their ancestral religions regardless of where they lived. The term stuck. When all the English-speaking world became Christian, it was used to refer to anyone outside the Abrahamic tradition (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) again, as a term of derision. It reached its worst during the days of the British Empire, when Imperial operatives, missionaries, and scholars lumped ancient Greeks, Celts, and Norse together with Hindus and Buddhists and with the remaining tribal religions of Africa and Asia. What do all those diverse Pagans have in common? They werent proper civilized English-speaking Anglican Christians. Thats it. When you read pagan in 19th and 20th century literature, it almost always means not us, and therefore wrong and in need of correction. No ancients called themselves Pagan Its not hard to imagine a conversation in southern Britain around 400 CE that went something like this. Paganus? Youre damn right Im paganus. Now get out of here before I go all Boudica on your Roman ass! Terms of derision often become a badge of honor. Other than that, though, no one ever called themselves Pagan. The Iceni were the Iceni. The Hellenes were the Hellenes. Religion wasnt a set of beliefs to be affirmed or denied, it was part of who you are and especially whose you are. We often speak of ancient Paganism but there is no such thing. There were many ancient religions, some of which were similar, some of which were syncretized (see Ptolemaic Egypt), and some of which have virtually nothing in common. It is a conceit of the modern West to assume that deep down its all the same when even a casual look at the foundations, core beliefs, and regular practices of different religions clearly show that they are, in fact, different. And that, too, is part of our heritage. Our more recent ancestors wanted to be Pagan In his excellent survey of Pagan philosophy The Earth, The Gods and The Soul, Dr. Brendan Myers said: People got tired of the austerities of Christian discipline and the misanthropy of the Doctrine of Original Sin. They maintained the appearance of being committed Christians, of course But they dramatized for themselves a world that never knew Original Sin, and so still existed in a state of original blessing. In that imagined world it was no sin to dance, sing, feast, make music, and love. The Europeans of the Renaissance and after didnt know exactly what they were looking for, but they knew they wanted something that wasnt proper civilized Anglican Christianity. And they had a word for it: Pagan. The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon, The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers, For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! Id rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn. The World Is Too Much with Us William Wordsworth (1802) Pagan or Neo-Pagan? Expressing Pagan yearnings and Pagan themes in a Christian context is one thing. Abandoning Christianity for a Pagan religion is something entirely different. That started happening in significant numbers in the second half of the 20th century. And when it did, some people began to realize they werent doing anything like what the Paganus were doing 2000 years earlier. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is generally credited with coining the term Neo-Pagan to describe the Wiccan and Wiccan-influenced religions that were growing in popularity from the 1960s forward and that focused on reverence for Nature, gender equality, sexual freedom, and magical practice. It was an attempt to say were reimagining ancient religions for our era. By the time I got here in 1993 Neo-Pagan was already fading. It doesnt exactly roll off the tongue. More than that, people began to understand that the Pagan movement was never going to be just one thing it was going to be many things. There was Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, and eclectic Wicca. There were several dozen forms of Druidry. Heathenry, Hellenism, Kemeticism, and countless other traditions were rising. We might or might not all call ourselves Pagans, but we knew that deep down we had some differences, and we saw no reason to ignore them. Some people didnt like this speciation and wanted unity, but at the cost of the distinctions that give our various traditions depth and meaning. In 2014 John Halstead tried to re-establish Neo-Paganism and set up a very nice website, but it doesnt appear to have been updated since its launch, and the term is rarely used among practitioners. Today we have Pagan music, Pagan books, and Pagan Pride Day. We wear Pagan jewelry and go to Pagan conferences. This website is called Patheos Pagan. I wrote a book called The Path of Paganism. Language is an organic thing that evolves on its own, and Pagan is the winner. The Big Tent of Paganism I first heard the phrase Big Tent in reference to the Democratic Partys attempt to appeal to voters with a wide variety of interests: labor unions, racial minorities, feminists, LGBTQ persons, economic liberals, and more. Its a place where groups who are too small to exert significant influence on their own can come together and use their collective power for the common good. I wrote about the Big Tent of Paganism in 2015. The Big Tent provides a visible, easy-to-find entry point for ordinary people who are looking for something their current religion isnt providing. And it makes it much easier for us to find others inside the tent who are doing the same things for the same reasons We are not one. There is no single Pagan religion and I have no desire to create one. But the Big Tent of Paganism is a useful and beneficial approach to grow and support our many Pagan religions. We understand that Wicca and Norse Reconstructionism arent the same things. We know that what modern Druids do probably isnt all that close to what the ancient Druids did. And perhaps most importantly, we understand that while there is much we can learn from Hinduism, African Traditional Religions, and other remaining tribal religions, they are not part of the Pagan movement and they are not ours to take. But where we can come together to support things like The Wild Hunt and Mystic South, and where we can raise our collective visibility far higher than we can individually, we are better off embracing the Big Tent of Paganism. Pagan currents And that brings us back to our original question: what is it that makes Paganism Pagan? The answer lies in all the complicated and at times, conflicting usages of this problematic word throughout the centuries. Its the beliefs and practices of our pre-Christian ancestors. Its their values and virtues and ways of seeing the world. Its their Gods. Its what was stolen from us by missionaries and empires, and it calls us to reclaim our heritage. Its the organic religions of the world, which arise not from the word of a prophet (not that theres anything wrong with prophets) but from the interactions of a group of people with the land and the spirits where they live. It calls us to put our faith in our lived experiences and the experiences of our co-religionists rather than in sacred texts or creeds that are frozen in time. Its living in a world that, despite its challenges and indifferences, is not fallen but good. Its dealing with the thorns to enjoy the beauty of the rose and then finding that the thorns are beautiful in their own way. It calls us to dance, sing, feast, make music, and love and to enjoy our time in this life as deeply as we can. Its the organic religions arising from the lived experiences of people in the industrial and post-industrial West. Its a reverence for Nature and its seeing the Divine in all genders. Its the magic of the learned scholars and the magic of the ordinary folk the paganus of today. It calls us to remember that good religion is a living thing, growing and changing to adapt timeless principles to where we are here and now. These four currents are what makes Paganism Pagan. Like currents in the ocean, they collide, combine, and comingle in ways that can be difficult to predict. Sometimes they are in conflict, and no one expression of Paganism can be all these things in full. This is why we cannot define Paganism, and why the best description of it uses a model with four centers. Self-identification and the Big Tent Some people who wander into the Big Tent of Paganism say Im not a Pagan. They find their primary identity as a Heathen or a Hellenist, as an animist or a polytheist. So be it. A big part of religion is who you are and whose you are, and if you dont identify as Pagan, Im not going to call you a Pagan even if you spend a lot of time inside the Big Tent. And even though Im inspired and at times informed by the tribal religions of the world, Im not going to insist that theyre Pagan. Their identity is their own and we have no right to claim them. My primary religious identity is polytheist the worship of the many Gods. But my polytheism is a Pagan polytheism it flows from the Pagan currents, from the many ways in which the word paganus has morphed and evolved over the centuries. This is what makes Paganism Pagan. Addendum: In a Facebook comment, Dr. Edward Butler took issue with the common belief that pagan meant country dweller. Edward Butler: Pagus is a district, not necessarily a rural one. We see its descendants in Romance languages such as French pays, which means a country or nation. I would argue that pagani, which as far as I know in its religious connotation originates with Christians, functions as a direct Latin translation for the Greek term ethne, nations, which is used in the New Testament to refer to the gentiles, the faiths which are particular to some nation, as opposed to the new church, which is catholic, from Greek kathholikos, pertaining to the whole, i.e., universal. John Beckett: I think I hear you saying that pagan was still a way of othering people who kept to their ancestral religions, though not in the way most modern Pagans think. Is that a fair assessment? Edward Butler: Yes, it was definitely a way of othering people by saying that they belonged to a religion that was particular instead of the one that was universal. That was the method of othering, not the charge of being rustic. Another common term that early Christians used for pagans in the East was simply Hellenes, which was used even for people who were not ethnically Greek in the modern sense, but who were seen as upholding the values of Hellenistic civilization as it had developed over the centuries since Alexander, which included polytheism. I say this because there is a tendency, greatly encouraged by Christians, to project the evils of Christianity as much as possible back onto the Roman Empire, as though what the Christians did in eradicating indigenous faiths was no more than what pagans had already been doing to one another, just business as usual. Pp. 101-126, chapter 9 This section is long. For that reason, Im adding section headings. That way you can tell whats where and skim if you need to. Jody Gets Flirty This week were at the Lansdowne Resort Hotel for the depositions of the Thomases, the Garvises, and Laura Frasier. This is an actual place, by the way. Unsurprisingly, the pictures on their website make it look rather pricey. The silver Jaguar pulled to a stop under the covered entryway just as Cooper opened the door to enter the grand lobby of the Lansdowne Resort Hotel. Randolph Suskins exited the car and nodded politely in the direction of his legal adversary, while taking the valet parking ticket from a young man with a trim haircut and a forest green uniform. The parking attendant quickly scampered around to the other side to open the door for a woman passenger who waited patiently in the front seat. First, in case we hadnt noticed, Suskins is very rich and cares very much about appearances. But we already knew this. (As Farris lets drop later in the passageway, Cooper simply parked his car, he didnt use valet parking.) Ill tell you what it is Im skeptical of. Its Jody thats in that car, waiting for the door to be opened. I dont think Jody would have waited. Jody doesnt seem to be the waiting kind of person. Cooper paused in the doorway, waiting to shake hands with Suskins and his co-counsel. The car door opened to reveal a pair of shapely legs swinging out of the camel-colored leather bucket seat onto the pavement. Jody Easler slid elegantly out of the Jaguar and turned to pull the seat forward so that Melissa VanLandingham could climb out of her uncomfortable position in back. Why is Melissa stuffed in the back? And why are we emphasizing how uncomfortable her seat is and how hard it is for her to get out? Is Melissa always getting the short shrift or something? Also, why is Jody even here? Is it normal for an ambassador to be present in depositions like this? Jody isnt the one who is bringing the case. The Childrens Defense Fund and the National Education Association are bringing the suit. Jody is Deputy Attorney General, UN ambassador, and director of the National Commission on Children. Almost as soon as theyre out of the car, Jody begins being very friendly toward Coopereven flirty. Were going to have to stop meeting like this, Mr. Stone, she said, with a laugh in her voice. Good morning, Ambassador Easler, Cooper replied politely. Jody, please, she corrected. We are not in Washington or Geneva, thank goodness, and so just let me be Jody for the morning, OK? Her voice exuded pure friendliness. Oh, OK Jody, he said, a bit bewildered. And it goes on like this. A lot. There are all sorts of weird back-and-forths here, as Cooper and Randolph try to one-up each other. Cooper asks whether this is all of Randolphs partywhether there are only the three of them todayand Randolph reminds Cooper that the reason theyre doing the deposition at the hotel and not in Coopers office is that Coopers office isnt big enough to fit everyone, so no, there are more of his lawyers coming, they just didnt all fit in one car. Randolphs frostiness is obvious enough that Jody begins rolling her eyes at him. As they walk to the conference room, theres more odd banter between Cooper and Jody. Did he grow up here? Jody asks. As they enter the room, Easler whispers to Cooper: OK, ready to put on your formal face? Its odd. Its out of place. Im all for people being friendly, but theyre on two opposite sides of this court case, and Cooper didnt do anything to bring on this camaraderie-inducing friendliness in Jody. What is Jodys game, exactly? Is she just sick of everyone elses stuffiness? (Not that Id blame her, entirely.) Farris tells us that in the conference room, the Thomases and Garvises are intimidated at having seven opposing lawyers and a U.S. ambassador in the room. Again I ask, why is Jody there? Is it normal for ambassadors to sit in on depositions? Perhaps shes doing it because her specialty area is childrens rights and this is the first case being tried under the U.S. directly involving the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. But couldnt Farris clarify that? Mrs. Thomas Talks Spanking And we are off to the deposition! Deanna is first. Do you spank your son, Layton? Yes, sometimes. When was the last time you did this? Last Sunday afternoon, as I recall. Did you use an implement to beat your son? I didnt beat my son, Mr. Suskins, sir. I spanked him. Ms. Thomas Deanna interrupted. Sir, I will ask you to call me Mrs. Thomas if it is not too difficult for you. We are in Virginia, not Washington, D.C., and many married women in Virginia still like to be called Mrs., not Ms.' As you can see, its going swimmingly. Im curious about protocol on Randolphs quick switch of beat for spank, given that he did use the word spank first. But as well see, Randolph is going to have lots of fun playing fast and loose with words in this deposition. Deanna says that the difference between beating and spanking is that beating implies a cold heart while spanking implies, to me, a loving heart, one that wants the best for the child. I find this definitional distinction unsurprising. It is what I was told growing up as well. This distinction, of course, glosses over the fact that both involve intentionally inflicting physical pain on a child. Randolph asks Deanna if she would stop spanking if ordered to stop under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. She says she would not. She says she would not stop even if a U.S. court ordered her to stop, and that she would not even stop if she was threatened with having Layton removed from her custody. I will not stop because God directs me to discipline my children in this manner, she says adamantly, thought not without some trepidation. Perhaps we would move to another country. But every nation in the world has also ratified the treaty, Mrs. Thomas, except Somalia. Would you go there? You mean you cant spank your own child anywhere in the world? No, Mrs. Thomas, you may not. This is not accurate. Weve covered this before, but the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child does not de facto ban spanking, and most countries that have signed the treaty do permit spanking. Would I like to see spanking eliminated? Yes, absolutely. But, as noted before, exactly what the treaty dictates in the area of spanking is a matter of interpretation. The Homeschool That Wasnt At this point Randolph moves on to questions about homeschooling. It is here we learn that Deanna homeschools under the religious exemption. This is telling. Virginia allows parents to homeschool in one of two ways, but its not actually meant to be a dual system. Every parent who homeschools is supposed to homeschool under Virginias homeschool law. This law requires annual assessments composed of a standardized test or a portfolio review. Its actually a fairly thorough law, all things considered. However, not every homeschool parent uses it. After the Supreme Court decided in Yoder that Amish parents didnt have to send their children to high school, the Virginia legislature created an exemption from the compulsory attendance laws for families with a religious objection to compulsory education. This is not a religious objection to public education. It is a religious objection to any education. No parent who intends to teach their child at home should be using the religious exemption. That is not what it is for. It was intended for groups like the Amish who have a religious objection to, say, the very idea of high school education (i.e. not an objection to public high schoolan objection to high school level academic instruction). Deanna and Rick are essentially informing the Virginia government that they object to the requirement that they must have their child educated at all (through any of the various means included in the states compulsory attendance law, including homeschooling), and then teaching him anyway. I cannot emphasize enough that it was not set up to work this way. Homeschoolers are supposed to use the homeschool law. Deanna tells Randolph that Layton is doing well academically: He is doing very well. Our achievement tests show he is testing well above grade level and in the highest percentiles in just about every subject except spelling. Why tell the state that you object to the idea that children must be educated at all, in order to avoid state-required testing for homeschooled students, if you are doing the testing anyway and your kid is above grade level? This makes no sense at all, and it is never explained, because Randolph apparently doesnt know that Virginia has an actual homeschool law, or at least never asks why Deanna isnt using it. This is a huge missed opportunity. Randolph next asks whether Deanna knows anyone who thinks Layton would be better off in a more traditional form of education. She says she doesnt know anyone who would say that, and then Randolph asks her whether its true that her parents think Layton would be better off in a private school they have recommended to you. This is seriously creepy, and Deanna understandably freaks out. She at first denies it and says that her parents only suggested enrolling Layton in a private school because they thought it world make the court case go away, but Randolph gets her to admit that shes obfuscating, and that her parents have been saying that for years. We are not told how Randolph knew any of this, but his goal is to argue that if there were a review of what is best for Layton there would be a divergence of views right within your own family. Deanna agrees, but notes that that is only true if you look outside of the parents to whom God has entrusted the authority over children. Randolph gets her to admit that sometimes parents disagree on education within themselves, but Im not sure what point hes trying to make. The Decentralized Southern Baptists After this, Randolph questions Rick. I promise you that Im skipping over a lot of mundane stuff, because this would be really boring and tedious if I wasnt. The main thrust of Randolphs questions to Rick have to do with the religious underpinnings of spanking. Essentially, Randolph gets Rick to admit that his denomination (the Southern Baptist Convention) does not have an official position on spanking, and that there is no authoritative interpretation of the Bible relative to corporal punishment. How, then, can Rick claim that spanking is mandated by his religion? Mr. Suskins, it seems you dont understand how the Southern Baptist church and, I guess, many other evangelical churches work. We dont have official doctrinal papers adopted by some centralized group convened to vote on what is right or wrong this year. We just believe the Bible on matters of right and wrong and faith and practice, and many other areas of life as well. And the Bible tells usb art good discipline of children includes spanking of children. When pressed on the question of authoritative interpretations of the Bible, Rick states that: In the Southern Baptist church and many other evangelical churches, we believe in the priesthood of the believer. This means that each believer is responsible before God to study and known live according to the Word of God. And so on. Im curious how this holds up to other cases where lawyers have had to question individuals about their religious beliefs, such as cases of faith healing. Rick is right, Randolph seems not to know how evangelical churches workhe seems to be taking a more liturgical church, with creeds and councils, as his model. Im not sure whether this is typical, or whether a lawyer tasked with asking these questions would be expected to do more homework beforehand. What Even Is Religious Intolerance? Randolph turns to the question of religious intolerance, and Rick gets in this zinger: What do you teach your son relative to other religions? What other religions do you have in mind? Islam, for example, Suskins said. We teach Layton pretty much what Islamic parents teach their children. We teach him that Christianity is the only true way to God. Islamic parents also teach their children that theirs is the one true faith. Smooth, Rick. I see what you did there. Im curious, though. Did Rick put any research into that answer? Im curious whether there is actually perhaps variation within Islam on this point. What follows next is an interesting exchange because it tells us a lot about how Farris views tolerance compared with how he thinks individuals like Randolph view it. How often is this attitude of intolerance taught in your church service or Sunday school classes? Intolerance? What are you talking about? You have just said that you teach your son that all other religions are wrong. My question is how often is Layton exposed to such intolerance? Objection, Cooper said. You appear to be operating with a different meaning of intolerance than Mr. Thomas. Historically, intolerance has to do with the refusal to allow another religion to have legal right to exist on an equal basis. You ache asked no question that could lead you to conclude that Mr. Thomas teaches his children that Islam should be banned or suffer any legal disability. Suskins shook his head and smiled with his practiced look fo condescension. Come, come, now, Counsel. History has demonstrated that if a person believes that another religion is wrong, then the natural outflow of such a belief is to seek to ban that religion, or at least that component of the other religion that manifests itself in a way that is contrary to your views. Hm-m-m-, Cooper mused. I guess that does make sense, given your presuppositions. You are trying to use the UN treaty as a vehicle to ban religiously motivated behavior like spanking and home schooling. So for a person who thinks like that, I guess it is reasonable to suppose that other people would try to use the law to ban religious views they dont like as well. But you have not established that Mr. Thomas thinks like that, so if you want to know if he embraces the philosophy of intolerance that is the predicate of your lawsuit, then you are going to need to ask him that directly and not merely assume that he shares your attitude. Yes, thats rightFarris appears to believe that people on the Left think that merely thinking someone is wrong about something is itself intolerant, because it will inevitably lead to trying to ban that belief. The core problem here, as I see it, is Farris focus on belief rather than harm, which is not an emphasis that is shared on the Left. Let me give an example. It is very true that those on the Left wants to ban faith healing as practiced on children (as well as anti-gay conversion therapy practiced on children). In each case, however, they do not want to ban the belief itself. People can go on believing that faith healing works, thats totally fine. Instead, they want to ban the practice (as practiced on children, who cannot consent), because the practice causes identifiable and measurable harm. Something comparable is going on hereJody and her colleagues want to ban spanking, a specific practice that causes harm to children, they dont want to ban fundamentalism. Now yes, they do also want to prevent the childrens church from teaching them that there is only one way to heaventhis is again because they believe that belief causes harm, I would argue that here they have gone too far, and I think most on the Left would agree with me. It is worth noting that despite what Farris claims, Jody et al are not actually trying to ban Rick and Deannas religion or outlaw the belief that there is only one way to heaven and all other religions are bound for hell. They only want to bar the teaching of this belief to minors. Suskins stated that if a person believes that another religion is wrong, then the natural outflow of such a belief is to seek to ban that religion. But theyre not trying to do that. Barring Rick and Deanna from teaching specific religious beliefs to their son is a threat to religious liberty, and I vehemently oppose doing this. An argument could be made that limiting what religious groups can teach their young about their beliefs is itself an attempt to ban religionand there are historical instances where that has been true, at least in a general sense (think Native American boarding schools). However in these cases, eliminating the religion by preventing it from being taught to the next generation is generally the transparent goal. Farris has given us no reason to conclude that this entire treaty is a mere rouse to ban fundamentalist religion (although he may actually think that). These issues can indeed become complicated. In some countries, there has been talk of banning pastors from preaching that homosexuality is sin, under the purview of hate speech laws. In this country, though, the general policy has long been to allow churches to preach things most Americans consider bigoted or wrongfor example, even during the civil rights movements churches were never barred from preaching in favor of segregation or against interracial marriage. Where things get dicey typically involves children. What all is included in anti-gay conversion therapy, for instance? Should an anti-gay pastor be barred from counseling a gay teen if, for instance, that counseling includes statements that gay people are going to hell and claims that sexual orientation can be changed? I tend to think that we should err on the side of caution and bar specific techniques (such as those described here) rather than banning the purveying of beliefs, and simultaneously work to ensure that that teen also has access to affirming adults and accurate information. Farris is treating this deeper conversation as a one-dimensional gotcha momentthe Left wants to ban biblical Christianity while Bible believing Christians simply want every religious group to have the legal right to exist. Farris ignores the fact that conservatives have worked to prevent the construction of Mosques (which rather belies his claim), or that conservatives (to return to the anti-gay comparison) banned consensual, private sexual relations between same-sex individuals and continued to support these bans until the Supreme Court struck them down in the early 2000s. The Testy Lawyers I need to go on, or well never finish. Suskins glared at Cooper. Shaking his head, he replied, I thought that Virginia lawyers were better trained than to attack other counsel on a personal level during a deposition. We will have to see what the Virginia Bar Associations disciplinary committee has to say about your little tirade, Mr. Cooper. Im confused. I dont know enough about courtroom (or deposition) etiquette to know whether Cooper was actually out of line in what he said (scroll up if youve forgotten). Yes, he did get heated, but Randolph wasnt defining his terms and was creating a very confusing situation for Rick (a bait and switch he did with Deanna, too). Interestingly, Farris has been sanctioned by a judge before, for actual reasons that I cannot recall at the moment. Farris stars in Battleground, by Steven Bates, which tells the story of Mozert v. Hawkins. Bates details at least one occasion, and maybe two (Im trying to remember), when Farris was sanctioned for inappropriate courtroom behavior. Laura Feels Threatened (by Jody) Good grief this is getting long. Dont worry, were nearing the end! There are only two more things of note in this chapter. Okay, three. But Im labeling them! Everyone takes a break for lunch, and the Thomases and Garvises are clapping Cooper on the back over his exchange with Randolph. Meanwhile, Melissa and Jody are whispering. What a jerk that Stone is. Its hard to believe that a guy who looks like that can be such a right-wing extremist, the ambassador whispered in reply. Ok. Cool. Meanwhile, Laura has arrived for her afternoon depositionshe sits on a seat outside the conference room and watches as everyone exits the room, Cooper with Jody trailing him. Ambassador Easler was right behind [Randolphs associates] but paused in the doorway, waiting. Laura studied her from the top of her well-coiffed head to the elegant black slings that caressed her toes. She heard Dr. Easler laugh melodiously and turn as Cooper walked out next to her. Laura, of course, notices. On the way to lunch, she asks about her. Who is that woman? Laura asked. Her name is Jody Easler. She is one of the U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations. She is in charge of our delegation in Geneva and is an expert on childrens rights. So shes on the other side? Laura asked incredulously. Yeah, sure, Cooper said. Why not? Well, she just seemed so buddy-buddy with you that I thought that she must be on our side of the cases somehow. Cooper blinked nervously, like he used to do when his mom was quizzing him about missing cookies from the cookie jar. Well, she is definitely more friendly than anyone else on that side of the case, and I am at a loss to explain it. Deanna paused at the top of the long staircase leading down to the hotels two restaurants. I think she thinks Cooper is cute, she drawled. Ok. Cool. Laura avoids talking about Jody any further because she doesnt want anything she says to be misinterpreted. But the seeds for future mistrust of Cooper vis a vis his interactions with Jody have been sewn, and they all be harvested. Which is all a bit odd, given that Laura is currently in a serious relationship with one Terry Pipkin. Out of curiosity, why does Cooper get to be named something all manly like Cooper Stone while Terry gets Terry Pipkin? Laura Is Threatened (by Randolph) This bit is weird. Im telling you, its weird. Randolph wants to know how Laura came to be both Emily Garviss third grade public school teacher and her third grade Sunday school teacher, both at the same time. Im not seeing how this is relevant to the case, but fine. Laura says that it was completely by coincidence. Its a small community, she says. These things happen. But then she adds this: The Garvises had been thinking about putting Emily in a Christian school or home schooling her. But when they found out that I would be her teacher this year, they decided to opt for another year of public schools. Is that right? Suskins asked stroking his cheek. How do you know that? They told me all this last June when they got their end of the year report card for Emily, which assigned her to my class for this school year. Where did you have this conversation? Suskins asked. In the hallway at church. Dont you find this mixture of public school issues and church issues to be just a little troubling, Ms. Frasier? No, she said shaking her head with a puzzled look. Why would ti be troubling? You have just admitted that you had a conversation about Emilys public schooling at church. Dont you consider that to be an improper mixture? I would never have thought of it that way, Mr. Suskins. Dont you respect the separation of church and state? A conversation about public school matters while in a church seems to be an inherent mixture of church and state. What in the what now? I dont know anyone who would call laypeople talking to each other about where theyre sending their kids to school in the hall after church a violation of the separation of church and state. This is bizarre. The only way to square any of this is to imagine that Randolph is a corporate lawyer with decades of experience getting wealthy friends business dealing through and not one bit of experience in constitutional law or anything else relevant. Laura responds that they live in a small community store and that she sees the parents of her students in a variety of venues, from church to the grocery store, and that talking to someone in a church isnt a mixture of church and state any more than talking to someone at Safeway is a mixture of groceries and state. Randolph disagrees. Well, Ms. Frasier, perhaps your school superiors should give you some direction explaining the constitutional difference between grocery stores and churches. We may pursue that later. But that is for another time. Today my concern is this At this, Cooper breaks in. He accuses Randolph of intimidating a witness, and it looks very much like that is exactly what he did. I almost want him to actually do it, thoughits not like the local school officials are going to do anything but laugh in his face. But then, thats the intimidation partRandolph likely doesnt plan to ever actually do such a thing, but putting the idea that he might go to her superiors out there keeps Laura in the hot seat. Cooper demands a statement, in writing, that neither Randolph nor any of his army of little helpers here will contact any person connected to the Loundoun County Schools about Laura. Randolph says thats ridiculous, so Cooper stands and says that he and Laura are leaving and the deposition is over, and that he is going to seek a protective order from Judge Holman barring you from contacting the school district regarding Miss Frasier. Randolph threatens to have Cooper sanctioned for delaying the deposition. Laura grabs Coopers arm, scared. A standoff ensues. Finally, Randolph turns to Rachel Hennessey, the childrens Guardian Ad Litem, who has been in the room during all of the days depositions but hasnt said a word. She has worked with Judge Holman, and tells Randolph that the judge wont grant his sanction, but he would definitely grant Coopers protective order. Randolph relents. Cooper, of course, comes off as a hero, the valiant defender of his client. Randolph comes off as an evil villain. I wonder though, what exactly makes Randolph tick. Clearly, hes status-hungry. But why did he take this case? What is he in this particular case forwhats in it for him? We know he has a beef with Cooper and dislikes small-own yokels, as he sees them, and religious fundamentalists, but we dont know much more than that. Kids and Hell Next, Randolph asks Laura questions about her Sunday school curriculum, and in particular what she teaches about other religionsshe says she doesnt. When asked in, response, whether she teaches that people from other religions were going to hell Laura says I dont think of it as discussing other religions. It is just what Christians believe. Interestingly, though, Farris does get to the real issues at hand. Randolph puts it like this: So you place this extraordinary burden on children. In fact, a double burden. First they must rescue their own souls from hell by believing what you tell them. Then you tell them that they must change the religious beliefs of every other person on earth, lest they end up in hell also. Do you think that carrying the burden for the eternal destiny of every person in the world is fair to a child and doesnt it teach them religious intolerance? Do you really believe that such a view is in the best interest of the child? Randolph doesnt even take it as far as he could. Its not just every person on earth, its classmates too. The fear that your friends will go to hell can be very real to a childespecially when that child is told she should be preaching the gospel to her friends, and inviting them to church and Bible club and such. Teaching kids that their friends will be tortured in hell for eternity because their parents go to the wrong church can be very traumatic. Farris offers his own justification, in Lauras words: Yes, Mr. Suskins, I believe, in fact, that it is in the best interest of the child. It is the best for the child because it reflects the truth. The truth is that some people die young. It is sad, but it is true. And if a person dies without Christ that person is going to hell. So as to the first half of the so-called double burden you say we are placing on the child, it is not a burden but a lifeline. And as far as the second half, telling others about Jesus, it is a simple act of love. I think that it is always right tot teach children to do things that show genuine love toward others. If we know something that will save another from hell, it is the most loving thing in the world to tell people. You may call it intolerance if you will, Mr. Suskins, but I call it love. See, the problem with this whole conversation is that that is the right answerif hell is real and every human who does not pray the sinners prayer really is doomed to eternal torture. If one starts with with that assumption, children absolutely do need to be told that their souls are in jeopardy, and that everyone elses are too. One place some of this breaks down is that it is very unusual for an evangelical Christian to actually act like this is true. Most evangelical Christians do not evangelize every person they come upon. Most dont devote their lives to missions and to saving souls. If all humans are doomed to literal, eternal torture apart from the gospel, what is the point of buying a house, or of going to work every day as an accountant, or of playing a board game with family? In some sense, adult evangelicals learn to sublimate their belief in a real and eternal hell to the more mundane realities of life. Children arent always able to do that. To children, things like this can appear even bigger and more looming, somehow scarier, than they do to adults (although it does depend on the individual child). Randolph believes that teaching children that all who do not belong to their religion will be tortured forever in hell is harmful because it creates emotional angst and turmoil. Laura believes that adults should teach children that all who do not belong to their religion will be tortured in hell because it is true. There is, of course, another way that has not been discussed. I can imagine a world in which adults teach children about Jesus, and that he is their savior, without especially emphasizing helleven if they believe that all those who are not saved will go to eternal torture. I remember being told, sometimes, that there were some adult things I didnt need to know about because they were too heavy for me to carry until I was older. These were generally things like the horrors of wars being fought, or what actually happened to people who were kidnapped. But I could see including hell in this. But on some level, Randolph and Laura are not really arguing about how to mitigate harms to children. Theyre arguing about who is Right. And given that Farris, as a bible believing Christian, very much believes that he is universally and absolutely Right, this lack of nuance or real and meaningful discussion should not be surprising. I have a Patreon! Please support my writing! U.S. judge rules return of Achaemenid-era relief to Iran: Prehistoric "Persian guard" on the way home 07/26/18 Source: Tehran Times A U.S. judge said on Monday an Achaemenid-era (550-330 BC) bas-relief should be returned to Iran, where the object was originally stolen from some 80 years ago. The limestone relief, which depicts a Persian guard, was confiscated in October from the Park Avenue Armory in New York, where it was being offered for sale at an art fair, the New York Times reported. Manhattan District Attorney sent me the pic of the Ancient Persian Limestone that a judge in NY ordered to be sent back to #Iran. It's 2500 years old with estimated value of $1.2M. Was stolen and taken out of Persepolis close to 80 years ago and ceased when was put on sale in NYC pic.twitter.com/xhPd8PxNEX Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) July 24, 2018 Investigators have said the item, valued at $1.2 million, was reported stolen from Iran in 1936 and stolen later in 2011 from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, to which it had been donated decades earlier. However, the two London-based owners of the relief, Rupert Wace and Sam Fogg, have claimed they acquired the object legally from the Montreal museum's insurance company. Wace and Fogg have pledged to surrender the item, the report added. The bas-relief is an eight-inch-square piece of carved limestone that was part of a long line of soldiers depicted on a balustrade at the central building on the Persepolis site. It dates to the Achaemenid dynasty - or the First Persian Empire - and experts said it was made sometime between 510 and 330 BC, when Persepolis was sacked by Alexander the Great. Iran Parliament hammering out details of long-awaited bill on rights of children 07/27/18 Source: Tehran Times TEHRAN - Finally after months of debates on the bill on children's right, the Iranian parliament (Majlis ) is considering the bill in detail. Majlis passed a law on children's right in 2002. However, a lack of clarity in the law and ineffective legislative strategies prompted the parliamentarians to start to revise the law in 2006. Six years later in 2012 a new bill on children's right was brought before the parliament, which is currently being discussed to be a law. The current law on children's right is ineffective in that in many cases of child abuse the punishment does not fit the crime. Releasing criminals on parole, giving remissions, and not granting responsible bodies the authority to fight violence against children are some of the shortcomings of the current law. Moreover, there is a need for establishment of special courts or child-friendly courts for cases of child abuse. There is no exact and unambiguous definition of "abuse" in the law, which opens up possibility of interpreting the word in different ways, and hence it might benefit the criminals in many cases. And now, at long last the parliament have approved some of the articles of the bill in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, IRNA reported. As per an article agreed by parliamentarians, offices for the protection of children's right, which will be affiliated to the judiciary, will be established in order to identify cooperation areas with other institutions, prepare case reports and periodic reports, conduct statistical studies, and monitor and evaluate provincial offices actions toward enforcing the law. Based on the article, the aforesaid offices will be set up in all provinces throughout the country, which operates under the supervision of the head office. As per another article of the law, any parents, legal guardians or whoever has the custody of the child that neglect their child or their responsibilities towards them, which leads the child to be subjected to any criminal misdemeanor or injuries to their physical, mental, social, moral, safety or negatively affect their educational achievement, and in general could result in harm to children, are liable to imprisonment. Such maltreatments will results in legal interference and protection of the child. Situations that could result in harm to children are including addiction of parents or legal guardians to harmful psychotropic substances or drugs, being infected with transmissible viruses, being involved in the business of prostitution, recurrent aggression and domestic violence. Moreover parents who refuse to register their child birth or denying to get identification documents for a child without any legal justification, may also face imprisonment. Other forms of child neglect such as truancy or not letting children to attend school is also punishable by the law. The law also will be applied to children who are stigmatized due to their physical or mental disabilities or gender identity disorder by their parents or guardians. MPs also considered involvement of children in illegal activities such as smuggling, as well as addiction to drugs, psychotropic substances or alcoholic beverages, as examples situation which do harm to children. As per the bill proposed, any harmful situation caused by extreme poverty, displacement, asylum seeking, immigration or statelessness; as well as abuse or sexual exploitation will be considered as dangerous and leads to a punishment fitting the crime which has become harsher under the new law. Moreover the parliamentarians tasked responsible bodies including Iran's Welfare Organization, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, Ministry of Education Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and Police to take necessary actions in child maltreatment cases where necessary. According to the World Health Organization, child maltreatment has enormous immediate and long-term repercussions. In addition to death, physical injury and disability, violence can lead to stress that impairs brain development and damages the nervous and immune systems which is associated with delayed cognitive development, poor school performance and dropout, mental health problems, suicide attempts, increased health-risk behaviors, victimization and the perpetration of violence. A quarter of all adults reported having been physically abused as children worldwide. One in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report having been sexually abused as a child. As part of efforts to prevent the most common causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in the Brong Ahafo Area, Midwives and Nurses from five health directorates in Asutifi North and South, Tano North and Sunyani Municipality have been taken through a weeklong Master Class to update them on new research in Helping Babies and Mothers survive using World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Newmont has been partnering with Project C.U.R.E, a US based NGO since 2013 to provide annual trainings as well as donating medical equipment and supplies to hospitals and health facilities within the Ahafo Mines catchment areas and beyond to support quality health care and prevent maternal mortality in the region. Newmont globally considers Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG) ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages as one of its five priority goals as it aligns with the business core health and safety value. As such Newmont Ghana has aligned its sustainability strategy to Ghanas SDGs while it globally contributes towards advancing sustainable development goals. The training essentially focused on modules from a refresher for Helping Babies Breath, to help those who have taken the course before refresh their skills, Essential Care for Small Babies, Helping Mothers survive through prevention of the most common causes of postpartum hemorrhage and blood pressure, as well as quality improvement classes. The Master Class training organized annually does not only provide the midwives with essential skills in child and mother care but also serves as a career development booster for them. Patty Kelly a registered nurse, mentor and Master Trainer for Helping Babies Breathe, Helping Babies Survive and Helping Mothers Survive who has taught the course in 12 countries and facilitated the Ghana class for the past 5 years described the training as rewarding and was expectant that at the end of the training the Midwives and Nurses will be able to automatically know how to handle emergencies when they happen. I know that Newmont Ghana and Project C.U.R.E hope to take this project nationally, so that all midwives, other health workers can continue to care for mothers and babies and keep them all safe and alive, Patty remarked. Joyce Agyeiwaa, a master trainer for Helping Mothers Survive from Sunyani Nursing and Midwifery College commended Newmont and Project C.U.R.E for organizing the training. We identified gaps in the Midwives knowledge and so this training has been very resourceful due to the introduction of new trends and low cost interventions. Speaking on behalf of Newmont Ghana Ahafo mine, Joseph Danso, the Social Responsibility Manager urged the trainees to make the best out of the training to help prevent mother and child mortality in the region. Newmont has been partnering with Project C.U.R.E for about 5 years to organize such trainings for our health workers in order to save mothers and babies within the region he said. More than 120 healthcare providers within Sunyani, Asutifi North & South as well as Tano North have received neonatal training since 2014. A research by health experts who evaluated the impact of the HBB training programme established that between 2015 and 2017 an estimated 157 deaths from birth asphyxia in the Brong-Ahafo region was prevented. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Government of Ghana has promised to help return the body of the late Ghanaian missionary who was gruesomely killed in Cameroon. This follows complaints by the family of the 28-year old missionary to the effect that the government had ignored their calls for help. The deceased, Apostle Isaac Attoh, who is survived by a young widow and a two-month old baby boy was shot dead in the troubled town of Batibo in Cameroon. The deceased was dressed with his clerical when he was killed. Observers have condemned the death of the pastor, but the church in Cameroon is yet to make an official intervention. Unconfirmed reports say Attoh was killed alongside two other Ghanaians who are yet to be identified. Efforts by some stranded Ghanaian pastors and friends in Cameroon to retrieve the body of the deceased had proven futile, as the military was unwilling to release the body to anyone. The late Isaac Attoh, the third of four siblings is survived by his wife and a 2-month-old baby boy. His family had earlier urged the Ghanaian government and the International community to intervene and get his remains ferried to Ghana for burial. It is unclear why the pastor will be shot, but there is currently a fast-escalating chaos in Cameroon after some activists began peaceful protests to request that English language be used in the courtrooms and public schools of the countrys two anglophone regions including Bamenda. Dozens of people have so far died, with hundreds imprisoned, and thousands escaping across the border to Nigeria as a result of the situation. If the situation is not defused through dialogue, the entire country could be destabilised ahead of elections in the autumn, according to the International Crisis Group. Source: citinewsroom.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo has picked the Deputy Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah as his best performing minister in the Akufo Addo administration. He described the young minister and MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, whos a lawyer by profession and a financial analyst as the rising star in the ruling government. In the Akufo Addo government I have a rising star and that is my good friend Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. Hes learnt very fast. He has a lot of institutional memory, unassuming but technically gifted, he told Bola Ray on Starr FM. He also passed judgement on the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta as the worst performing minister, adding that the numbers are speaking for his stewardship. He has collapsed our banking sector, when they inherited the supposed bankrupt economy, that economy in the first four months of 2017 which they said was the worst economy was able to give new loans of 2.8 billion to businessmen and expand. In this 8.5 expanded economy they are only able to give 600 million. So now, what are the banks doing, that is why they are laying off workers. Beige is sending off 500 workers, there are plans to lay off 5000 workers and you think this minister should still be sitting there? and they say he is an asset, I dont know what he would have been if he were a liability, Hon. Adongo who is a member of the Finance Committee of Parliament added. Source: kasapafmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, a former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Thursday urged politicians to emulate the humble posture of the late former Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur. Mr Owusu-Afriyie, made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the funeral of the late Amissah-Arthur in Accra, stressing that he was saddened by the demise of the former Vice President. "Here was a man, who even in death was as gentle and peaceful as he had always been. Anybody who knows the late Amissah-Arthur knows that this was a fine gentleman who would not respond even in extreme provocations," he added. Mr Owusu-Afriyie, who is also the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, said: "I think that politicians from all walks of life should emulate such shining example that he led even whilst he was alive". On behalf of the NPP and the Forestry Commission, Mr Owusu-Afriyie extended his condolences to the bereaved family, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and former President John Dramani Mahama, under whom the late Amissah-Arthur served as Vice President. The late Amissah-Arthur, died on Friday 29th June and his mortal remains had been laid in state at the foyer of the Accra International Conference Centre for public viewing. His funeral service would be held on Friday, July 27, from 0900 hours to 1200 mid-day at the main auditorium of the Accra International Conference Centre. This would be followed by internment at the new Military Cemetery at Burma Camp. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) John Boadu has eulogised the late former Vice President, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, describing him as a very restrained figure in politics. He said he was admired by all especially his opponents and there were important lessons to be learnt from his character. Part of his admirable traits, according to Mr Boadu was being able to hold on to himself without being pushed by party hawks and people that believe that you must answer to everything and respond in like manner. The NPP General Secretary was speaking to 3FM Thursday, when he led his partys delegation to file past the mortal remains of the former Vice President. As part of a three-day funeral service for Mr Amissah-Arthur, the public was allowed to file past his body at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Thursday. A burial service is scheduled to be held on Friday after which the mortal remains will be driven through some principal streets of Accra. Taking his turn as part of NPPs delegation, Mr Boadu, who won the General Secretary position earlier this month, said the late former vice president cut a good figure in his political life. But he added: Only that we believe he was in the wrong party. So with even that character it was a misnomer in their party. He said government is ready to collaborate with the Amissah-Arthur family to give the statesman a befitting send-off We expect them to come out with what they want to do in memory of him. Source: 3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tyson Foods Inc. is close to acquiring West Chester-based Keystone Foods LLC, a U.S. supplier of chicken nuggets to McDonald's Corp., according to two people familiar with the matter. Tyson is in exclusive talks with Keystone's owner, Brazil's Marfrig Global Foods SA, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Representatives of Marfrig and Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson declined to comment on the talks. Marfrig is seeking to raise more than $3 billion from the sale of the business, people with knowledge of the matter said in May. Marfrig said that month that it had selected five bidders for the final phase of the sale process, which included visits to Keystone factories in the U.S. and Asia and the submission of binding offers in June. Keystone had revenue of $2.8 billion last year and has operations in seven U.S. states as well as in South Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia. While its American assets account for almost 70 percent of sales, the food-service company has experienced stronger growth from its Asian arm. Marfrig said in April it would use some of the proceeds from the Keystone sale to pay for its $969 million acquisition of a controlling stake in National Beef Packing Co., the fourth-largest American beef-packing company. The rest of the cash will be used to pay down debt, which should slash the Brazilian meatpacker's leverage. Besides Tyson, Keystone has attracted bids from Cargill Inc., China's Cofco Ltd., and an unidentified Japanese firm, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said in June. George's Inc. a family-owned chicken producer based in Springdale, Ark. also presented a binding offer. Marfrig, controlled by Marcos Molina dos Santos, considered selling Keystone's U.S. and Asian operations separately, a person said in May. Marfrig hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to find a single buyer and would still prefer that outcome, the person said at the time. Cofco has close ties to Keystone. It has held a 15 percent stake in one of Keystone's four units in China for 25 years, according to Marfrig. And in 2011, Cofco formed a joint venture with Keystone as part of an effort to invest in food-distribution centers in China, although the plan was never implemented. (Clockwise from far left) Mia Sanchez, Angel Neco, Jacqueline Perez, Angel Gonzalez, Nitza Janet Neco, and Angel Neco Jr., shown here at their home, in Philadelphia, Thursday, July 26, 2018. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer. Read more As Angel Gonzalez greeted visitors to the Philadelphia Art Museum the other day, a quote played in my head: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Behind Gonzalez's smile, as bright as the gilded goddess on the grand stairway behind him, is the burden carried by a man caring for several family members who battle a rare and genetic condition. Called Von Hippel-Lindau disease, or VHL, it strikes only one in 36,000 people in the U.S. and riddles the body with fast-growing tumors and cysts, sometimes cancerous. Four of Gonzalez's family members carry the gene: His stepchildren, ages 33 and 32, raised as his own since they were children. And their children, his grandchildren, ages 11 and 7. In 1996, his stepchildren's biological father died of the disease. His sudden passing at age 28 made no sense to the family. Gonzalez's wife, Jackie Perez, vaguely recalls a doctor mentioning something about having their children tested. But that wouldn't sink in for years. Around 2015, the hard to pronounce, harder to understand disease made another appearance in the family's life, this time uttered by a doctor talking about Jackie's daughter, Nitza Neco. Nitza had been in a car accident. During a scan to make sure she wasn't more seriously injured, spots were found on her liver and then, over the next few years, tumors, in her head, behind her eyes. A tumor on her liver was malignant. After the removal of most of her right kidney, she's now cancer-free. Often, her older brother, Angel Neco, would ask her, "What do you feel?" He was concerned, of course. But he also suspected he too had VHL. He suffered through the same pains, the bloody noses that made the bathroom look like a crime scene. "I knew," he said. "I just didn't want to admit it." After a car accident of his own, doctors returned the diagnosis for him, too. A tumor on his kidney was cancer, so was one on his nose. It seems to have spread into his lung; he's getting more tests soon. For a month, Gonzalez, 50, drove his stepson to the hospital for radiation. Every morning, he'd drop him off, work a full day, and then pick him up before heading home, only to do it all again the next day. The disease is a ticking time bomb, in charge of everyone's life, even when they try as hard as they can to reclaim some control. A family vacation to Maryland ended early in an emergency-room visit for Nitza. The other day, his daughter started bleeding from her nose. On break from his post the other day, his hands trembling, Gonzalez showed me a photo that his wife sent to him of their granddaughter, Mia, with the nosebleed. For his family, it could be the new beginning of the disease that has marked their lives. "Day by day, tumor by tumor," Nitza said as we talked around their dining-room table. She and her brother have had to stop working, with the constant doctor appointments and tests making it impossible to hold down steady jobs. They've applied for disability, but were denied. They are reapplying. So, much of the financial toll falls to Gonzalez, who has worked for the museum for nearly 20 years, and his wife, who does housekeeping for the Marriott Courtyard in Center City. Like her husband, at work she tries to push away what's happening at home. She concedes that her husband is better at it. Nitza and her daughter live with them. Angel has his own place close by. But he spends a lot of his time there. At some point, he might have to move in with them, too. Gonzalez doesn't mind; he only wishes they had a bigger house so they could all fit comfortably. But looking around their rented place in Hunting Park, it's hard to imagine a cozier home, one filled with more love. He is lucky, he says. His bosses and colleagues at the museum have been supportive, always checking in, quick to offer a break when his smile falters, or time off or flexible hours so he can get everyone to appointments. A colleague, Ariel Schwartz, started a fund-raising effort for him on GoFundMe. "Truly, he is such a wonderful, funny, and caring person, and he is bearing this ordeal with amazing grace," he said. "I don't know how he's able to hold up." The museum. "My spot," Gonzalez says, is a big reason why. His post, at the entrance at the top of the Rocky steps, is his dream job, and now more than ever, his salvation. Many tough days have been made better by the sweeping view of the city, and by greeting visitors often fulfilling their own dreams of climbing up the steps into the museum where nearly every day they are greeted by Gonzalez. Always smiling, always kind. Morgan Waller and fiancee the Rev. Corey Johnson at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, 2800 W. Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. The couple will get married in front of between 3,000 and 5,000 people. Read more You'd better believe it's news when the daughter of the pastor at the state's largest Baptist megachurch not only decides to get married, but marries outside her religious tradition. Hundreds of guests are expected to pack the pews at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in East Mount Airy for the Aug. 5 fairy-tale nuptials of Morgan Waller and Corey Johnson. He's a Seventh-day Adventist minister. She's the daughter of the Rev. Alyn E. Waller, senior pastor at Enon. Even if it weren't newsy, I'd find an excuse to write about it. We need something to be happy about. We spend so much time wringing our hands over awful things that happen in Philly and the craziness in Trump's Russian-infused Washington, D.C., politics. It's important that we do that, but we need to spend just as much time celebrating the triumphs in life. And this is a story of a young couple deeply in love and bucking trends by getting married and by doing so across faith traditions. They met seven years ago when both were 20. Johnson, who was raised Seventh-day Adventist, visited Enon and spotted Waller. An undergraduate at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., he reached out to her via Facebook and they struck up a friendship. At the time, she was a student at Auburn University, also in Alabama. "We just became really good friends for about five years," Johnson told me. "I think at year six, I was finishing seminary [at Andrews University] in Michigan, and we had a conversation and I was, like, 'OK, I think this may be a transition in our friendship.' And then from that point on, you know, we began talking a little bit more seriously." They began dating in October 2016. By then, Morgan had obtained a master's degree in mental-health counseling from Johns Hopkins University and was working in Annapolis, Md., as a licensed family therapist. He's an assistant pastor at Trinity Temple SDA Church in Newark, N.J. While he was in Michigan and she was in Maryland, their relationship developed slowly during FaceTime chats as they asked each other important questions about their expectations and core values. The couple insist that their faith traditions aren't all that different. Seventh-day Adventists consider Saturday their main day of worship. Members typically refrain from shellfish and pork, among other things. Morgan already has made the switch. "I was raised with the understanding that when you grow up and you get married, you join your husband," she told me. "If Corey was pastoring a Baptist church, I still would have joined his church and I would be fellowshipping at his church." Rev. Waller was all for it. He will co-officiate at the wedding. After a honeymoon in St. Lucia, the couple will live in New Jersey. "My dad was Team Corey before Corey and me were even dating," Morgan said. "Seriously, that's how close of a friendship we had. There was one weekend two or three summers ago when I was in Maryland and he spent the day here with my parents and my sister and they went and got food. That's how kind of close we were as friends. So when we made the shift, our friends and family were like, 'What took you so long?' " Johnson proposed on his birthday, Nov. 27, inside 30th Street Station after all, the couple had spent so much time in train stations during their courtship. The bride and groom will each have eight attendants, and the couple has extended an open invitation to the members of Enon and also those of Johnson's church in Newark for the wedding ceremony scheduled for 3:30 p.m. It should be quite a day. Actor Jonathan Goldsmith, Dos Equis' former 'Most Interesting Man In the World,' is heading to Media in Delaware County to sign bottles of Astral Tequila. Read more The former "Most Interesting Man in the World" is heading to Delaware County this weekend, where he will sign bottles of tequila for fans. Actor Jonathan Goldsmith, 79, best known as beer brand Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man in the World," will appear at the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store in Media (1083 W. Baltimore Pike) on Saturday at 4 p.m. He will sign purchased bottles of Astral Tequila Blanco, which will be available to sample for fans aged 21 and older. Goldsmith is a partner in the tequila brand. Goldsmith's acting career spans 50 years, and features 500 film and television credits. His appearances include roles in Dallas, Dynasty, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, and Murder, She Wrote, as well as parts in John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films The Shootist and Hang 'Em High. He began working with Dos Equis in 2006 as part of the company's "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign, which featured outlandish statements about Goldsmith's character, such as "His personality is so magnetic, he is unable to carry credit cards." Goldsmith held the role until 2016, when his final commercial for the company sent his character to Mars. Goldsmith was later replaced as the "Most Interesting Man in the World" by French actor Augustin Legrand. Dos Equis retired its "Most Interesting Man in the Wold" campaign earlier this year. Goldsmith, however, has become an Internet meme thanks to the character. He's also starring in a current ad campaign for Astral that has him in a similar role to his gig with Dos Equis: "It feels like I've had a wonderful, wonderful journey with this. I feel like it was successful and I made a good contribution. I thoroughly enjoyed it," Goldsmith told the Hollywood Reporter of leaving the role in 2016. "And one door has shut and 10 open." Who doesnt want to look fit and perfect, right? I mean, almost all of us have been running in this... Caring for victims of sexual violence is often a challenge for medical professionals. They need to tend to the victim's medical needs as well as gather evidence for law enforcement. Above all, they need to do it with sensitivity and compassion. Ralph J. Riviello, recently named the chair of emergency medicine at Crozer-Keystone Health System in Delaware County, has long focused on the needs of sexual assault victims. Among his other associations, he is on the board of Women Organized Against Rape, where he received the Bridge to Courage Award for his work toward ending sexual violence. He has served on the Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Committee, the Pennsylvania Violent Crime Death Reporting System Advisory Panel, and the City of Philadelphia Sexual Assault Advisory Committee. He also serves as medical director of the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center. We spoke with him recently about his work. What prompted your interest in sexual violence? In 1999, I was working at the University of Virginia, and we had a sexual assault nurse examiner program. They needed a medical director. I didn't really know much about it, but I agreed to do it because I knew of the work they did. I took a course on how to perform the medical forensic examination. When I moved to Philadelphia, I took over a similar program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. I have continued developing expertise on the subject doing research, lecturing, and doing national committee work related to various aspects of the medical care of victims of sexual violence. Personally, I have seen how devastated the victims of sexual violence can be. There's a lot we can do for them in the emergency department. But there's also a lot we could do wrong. I didn't want to be one of those people who did it wrong. And I didn't want to work in a place that did it wrong. These are very vulnerable individuals. They don't need to be hurt again. They don't need to be let down. What is sexual violence, and how do you deal with it in the emergency room? Sexual violence is a big umbrella. It includes what most people would think of as rape. It also can involve things like unwanted touching or forced oral intercourse. There are other things, such as forced prostitution, forced sexual work, forced pornographic work, child pornography, explicit photographs, and sexual harassment. From a health-care perspective, we see adults and children who have been affected by forms of sexual violence that may leave physical evidence or injuries that would require evaluation, treatment, and documentation. Someone who was out with friends, got drugged and then sexually assaulted and maybe beaten up, is going to have a lot of medical, forensic, and psychological needs that can be taken care of in an emergency department. The process is very extensive. It starts like any other medical encounter, with a detailed medical history. Then, a detailed history of what happened during the sexual assault. Often, those questions get very personal. Sometimes, the victim doesn't know what actually happened, perhaps because they were drugged or given alcohol. But a lot of times, the body's response to the trauma of being assaulted causes problems with memory. After that, we move into the examination phase. We conduct a head-to-toe examination, looking for any physical or biological evidence. We look for injuries, such as cuts and scrapes and bruises, or perhaps something more serious. With anything that appears to be evidence-related, we'll collect samples. The last part of the exam focuses on the genital or anal area, where you would expect penetration to occur. For women especially, it involves a thorough examination of the outside of the genital area, looking for injuries or foreign debris. A speculum exam is done. We take specimens from inside the vagina and inside the cervix. Then, depending on what happened during the assault, an anal/rectal exam is performed. Often, articles of clothing are collected as evidence. This process can be difficult for the victim and for caregivers. But people who do this kind of work physicians and nurses see it as a necessary function. Several studies have shown that providing a good examination, one that's very victim-centric, helps the victim begin a healing process. The patient is who matters most, and everything should be centered around them and made as easy as possible. Are there any misconceptions youd like to address? It's not what the person wore or what they said or what they did or where they went or who they went with. Clearly, sexual violence is all the responsibility of the perpetrator. The victim is never at fault. I like to extend that to say that any of the victim's actions afterward don't impact the veracity or truth of what happened to them. People who are well-versed in taking care of sexual violence patients know that the response of every person is different. Not everyone is going to be crying. Some may be withdrawn. Some may report immediately. Some may report a day or two later. Some may never report, and we find out years later that it has been harboring in their memory. We see patients who will report to law enforcement; others don't want to. All those things don't negate or discredit what happened to them. You were involved in setting up an innovative program in Philadelphia. Tell us about that. Emergency departments are usually the best settings because they deliver care 24/7. But in Philadelphia, we changed that model. We designed and implemented a medical office space within the Special Victims Unit at Police Headquarters. Examination and care of the patient takes place in a private office setting. Several agencies are located there, including the Philadelphia Children's Alliance, which does forensic interviews with children who are victims. Then there are the abuse investigation division of the Department of Children's Services, Women Organized Against Rape [WOAR], and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. If victims don't have acute medical needs that require hospitalization, they could be taken there directly from the scene of the crime to be examined, have a police interview, be linked to a rape crisis advocate, and so on. They have everything done right then and there. One of the reasons we chose this model was the number of cases in Philadelphia. We would handle 400 to -450 cases a year involving victims ages 16 and older. The groups involved were the Sexual Assault Response Team for Philadelphia, which included police, the district attorney, and other agencies, plus WOAR and the Drexel University School of Medicine, where I was at the time. We started putting it together in 2010 and opened in April 2011. What changes would you like to see going forward? Victims should get the best possible care. It should be care that is victim-centered and trauma-informed. A lot of the stereotypes and misinformation how the victim acted, for instance need to be out of the vocabulary, especially out of the vocabulary of health care workers and other professionals who take care of the patients. The ultimate future for caring for victims of sexual violence starts with education and research communities. We really need to look at what are the best practices for caring for patients. What are the best practices for recovering evidence and documenting findings, for example. A lot of what we do is anecdotal. The best practice is what it is because we've done it this way and it works. But is that really the best way? There has to be a commitment to research so that we actually know that what we are doing will make a difference and will matter to victims. sandybauers10@gmail.com About 15 years ago, a hospital in New York asked me to investigate the case of an 11-year-old boy who died while under anesthesia. Justin Micalizzi was a healthy child who needed a routine surgical procedure to clean out an infection in his ankle. But the outcome of the operation was not routine. In the middle of the procedure, Justin's blood pressure inexplicably shot up to such dangerous levels that it caused his heart to stop. The medical team restarted Justin's heart but was unable to stabilize his oxygen and blood pressure levels. He was transferred to a nearby pediatric intensive-care unit, but he died the next morning. In an effort to determine what went wrong, the hospital hired me as an investigator. I examined the medical records of the operation but they offered no indication of how this could have happened. An autopsy was similarly unrevealing, and the cause of Justin's death remained a mystery. Several years later, Justin's family and I learned details of his case that were not provided to us during the initial investigation. Whenever an unexpected reaction occurs in a patient under anesthesia, the medication wastebasket in the operating room is examined. When we learned its contents in Justin's OR, we were finally able to determine his cause of death. Solution: The contents of the wastebasket revealed that the cause of Justin's death was human error. A vial of phenylephrine a potent drug that rapidly boosts blood pressure in critically ill patients was identified in the wastebasket but not marked on the medical records of the procedure. It was determined that Justin's anesthesiologist unknowingly administered the wrong drug. When Justin's anesthesiologist reached into his supply cart to retrieve ondansetron a drug that safely prevents postoperative nausea he mistakenly chose phenylephrine. The medication vials look very similar and were stocked next to each other. The information was not provided in the initial investigation but we learned of it years later from another doctor at the hospital. To understand how this tragic event could happen, we need to look at the working space of the anesthesiologist. Many people don't know that the operating room is the only area of the hospital where drugs are prescribed, prepared, and administered by the same person (the anesthesiologist). This happens every day without assistance or technological support, and sometimes under stressful or chaotic conditions. There are two ways in which the wrong drug can be administered. The anesthesiologist could accidentally choose the wrong drug vial, as happened to Justin. Vials can look similar, and it takes only a split-second loss of focus to pick the wrong one without ever knowing that it happened. The second type of error is when the anesthesiologist accidentally administers the wrong syringe after the drug has been removed from the vial. If operating rooms have not been equipped with the means to avoid these errors, patients have no choice but to rely on the anesthesiologist's vigilance to get it right, every time, many times a day. But, of course, human errors are inevitable. Therefore, the system of drug administration in the operating room must be engineered to prevent the error from occurring in the first place. So how can these mistakes be avoided in the operating room of the future? The mistaken-vial error can be eliminated by supplying the anesthesiologist with syringes that are pre-filled with a drug a process that more hospitals are investing in. This pre-filling process can be performed by the drug manufacturer, third-party drug distributors, or the hospital pharmacy. However, not all anesthesia drugs are currently supplied this way. The mistaken-syringe error is a harder problem to solve because there exists no system that would physically stop an anesthesiologist from accidentally administering the wrong drug. But bar-coding scanners could help to lessen this error. Every drug syringe contains a label that lists the name of the drug and its concentration. A bar code that is universally recognizable by electronic health records can also be added to drug-filled syringes. When the anesthesiologist scans the code, two important processes occur: first, the anesthesiologist is forced to take a more focused look at the syringe, thus confirming that it is the correct drug; and second, a screen will appear on the anesthesiologist's computer that confirms the name of the drug and can warn of any allergies or incompatibilities. Bar-coding drug systems have routinely used on hospital wards around the country but have only recently made their way into operating rooms. As the sophistication of electronic health records continues to improve and evolve, they will seamlessly integrate with the use of pre-filled syringes in the hope that tragedies like Justin's will never happen again. To learn more about the Pediatric Safety Project sparked by Justin's case, visit http://justinhope.tumblr.com . Ronald S. Litman, D.O., M.L., is the medical director of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, based in Horsham, and a pediatric anesthesiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Follow him on Twitter at @DrRonLitman. August is supposed to be the month you manage a vacation escape from the real or surreal world, including Trumpmania. But for those who can't let go and still schlep wonky books to the beach, here are my picks for relevant reading this summer, with a focus on democracy, Russia and Shakespeare. If the subject matter seems too depressing, you can always retreat to your favorite mystery novel. Given the state of the world and our country, you may want to read on. Because readers often ask me what to read about Vladimir Putin's Russia and/or election meddling, here's a Russia list that goes beyond the headlines. Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia by Peter Pomerantsev. This 2014 book (out in paperback) by a Russian-born British journalist reads like fiction but brilliantly portrays the dystopian Putin era, with a cast of oligarchs, Mafioso, and lost souls. Surreal is the operative word as Pomerantsev takes a job in the Russian TV industry and describes from the inside how state-controlled media mix fact and fiction to manipulate Russian minds. Funny, frightening, and too close for comfort. Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice by Bill Browder. This American-born financier, once a major investor in Russia, fought rampant government corruption under Putin. In revenge, Kremlin cronies arrested his Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, who was murdered in prison. Browder crusaded for a U.S. law, the Magnitsky Act, that sanctioned those responsible for the murder. Putin has been trying via the famous Trump Tower meeting with Donald Jr. and at the Helsinki summit with Trump to get the Magnitsky sanctions lifted. This thriller describes Browder's fight for justice for Magnitsky and describes how Putin's kleptocracy works. Messing With the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians and Fake News by Clint Watts. A former FBI special agent and cybersecurity specialist, Watts lays out in gripping detail how Putin's Russia manipulated U.S. social media, and how others can do likewise. You may think you've read everything about Russian meddling, but Watts' book can still surprise you. It is a primer on the present and future of information warfare, on the lack of effective pushback under Trump and on what needs to be done. Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump by Michael Isikoff and David Corn. This book is a useful backgrounder for those who want to keep straight the cast of characters and history of the Mueller investigation. I still remain dubious that Russian meddling decided the 2016 election. But Putin clearly favored Trump and masterfully exploited America's internal weaknesses, and these investigative reporters lay out all the details. Turning to the home front, the deep dilemma of our times is dissected in The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani, the former chief book critic for the New York Times. At a time when objective reality seems a quaint concept; when social media blare bizarre conspiracy theories that many Americans take as gospel; when a U.S. president damns real facts as "fake" while promoting fake news and falsehoods, we are in big trouble. The death of truth does indeed threaten democracy. As Kakutani puts it: "Without commonly agreed-upon facts there can be no rational debate over policies." Her book offers no miracle cure but does offer a fascinating and erudite look at how and why "truth" has become an endangered idea. Of the several other current books on threats to democracy, I found How Democracies Die, by Steven Levitskyand Daniel Ziblatt, the most intriguing. Its main focus is on the importance of democratic norms that form the basis of our system and are eroding. Other countries may enshrine democratic principles in their constitutions, but that doesn't mean they are followed. What makes America different, these Harvard professors argue, is that its democracy developed norms of tolerance and of institutional forbearance, which allowed Congress and the courts to function. When those norms are attacked and die, democracy can't function. Finally, if real politics sicken you, you can turn to Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt, who examines the bard's historical plays and the psyches of bad or mad rulers such as Richard III, Macbeth, Lear, and Coriolanus. With unmentioned reference to now, this Harvard University Shakespeare scholar describes how cynicism, opportunism, and demagoguery in Shakespeare's England fueled populist anger and led to the rise of tyrants. The comparisons may be a bit forced after all, one can use Shakespeare to illustrate almost any aspect of human nature but the quotes are fun and the psychological insights are all too relevant. As I am off to an August vacation, including a week of theater in London that includes seeing Ian McKellen play Lear, I particularly enjoyed reading Greenblatt. His book reminds us that, although it seems that today's political problems are overwhelming, others have seen their like before. Trudy Rubin is on vacation for the month of August. Read past columns here. Authorities work to extinguish a stubborn junkyard fire in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 11, 2018. The fire was reported around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and spewed thick smoke and flames that could be seen for miles. Authorities say the burning materials consisted mainly of metal, wood, and paper. Read more The Kensington junkyard that reopened just two weeks after a spectacular fire has been ordered to shut down by the Department of Licenses and Inspections. Until the junkyard, Philadelphia Metal & Resource Recovery, drastically reduces its scrap piles to 10 feet and creates clear fire lanes between piles, it cannot legally accept new materials, L&I spokesperson Karen Guss said late Wednesday. At the time of the fire, its scrap piles were as high as 30 feet. Guss said the order to cease operations comes as a result of the blaze two weeks ago that she said caused "further deterioration" of the property. L&I has cited it multiple times in the last 10 years for violations including "mislabeled storage containers" and an "excessive collection of tires," according to public records. The city has taken the junkyard to court twice, and a Common Pleas Court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30. The owner could not be reached for comment on the order to close. Rebekah Wilcox, who lives in the neighborhood, said she was glad the city issued the shutdown order but was skeptical the company would comply. "After I learned all of the violations they've been written up for, it makes me wonder if they're really going to make the changes," Wilcox said. "I'll be watching, for sure." Jon Yeagley makes a 12-hour round-trip drive to Canada every three months to buy a medication to treat his 20-year-old-son's alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. A year's worth of the medication costs $15k from Canada, versus $50k in the US. Yeagley poses in his home in Berwyn, PA on July 25, 2018. Read more Every three months, Jon Yeagley sets out from his Berwyn home at 5:30 a.m. for the six-hour journey to Canada. He crosses the border at Buffalo, stops at a Walmart a couple of miles into Canada, and turns around 30 minutes later with a small paper bag on the seat next to him. He's home by bedtime and can sleep easier, knowing his 20-year-old son has a medication that is helping restore the hair and the confidence the young man lost after being diagnosed with the skin condition alopecia areata as a teenager. The drug, Xeljanz, would cost the family almost $50,000 a year at home, in part because it isn't covered by their insurance plan. In Canada, a year's supply costs $15,000. As drug prices soar and patients with high-deductible health plans must lay out more cash, this kind of medication tourism is enticing. Importing prescription medication is prohibited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but the rules are not enforced for individuals buying small amounts of drugs for personal use. In a 2016 survey of 1,202 adults by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8 percent of people said they or someone in their household had traveled to another country for medications or used an international online pharmacy to skirt exorbitant U.S. prices. "The reason so many people feel compelled to engage in personal importation is because the prices of many of these drugs are unsustainable and unaffordable for many patients," said Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, who specializes in drug pricing. He was nervous the first time he faced the security checkpoint, and he considered claiming he was sightseeing. "The pharmacist said, 'Just tell them what you're doing.' I've done that every time since," Yeagley said. The family uses a $15,000 rebate card from Xeljanz maker Pfizer to pay for three months of the medication in the U.S. To cover the rest of the year, Yeagley makes three trips to Canada, each time spending about $3,700 for a three-month supply. The FDA has not enforced rules banning such purchases in part because it's too hard to keep track of it all, experts say, especially as the number of online pharmacies has grown. The FDA estimates that just under 22,000 FDA-regulated products, primarily drugs, were intercepted at international mail facilities in the last nine months. That's up 62 percent from about 13,500 such packages blocked in the prior 12 months. The FDA does not prosecute Americans who order medications from foreign pharmacies, but when packages are intercepted, it will return them to the sender or destroy them. "There's no way for the FDA or any federal agency to truly know the scope of the problem," said Jeremy Kahn, a spokesperson for the FDA, in an email. The agency staffs international mail facilities (IMFs) to provide a "frontline defense against illegal, illicit, unapproved, counterfeit, and potentially dangerous drugs entering the U.S.," he said. "However, the sheer volume of drugs that are being shipped through the IMFs far exceeds our interdiction capabilities." The FDA recommends sticking with American pharmacies because the agency can't vouch for the safety or efficacy of foreign medications it has not approved. Even medications that have FDA approval shouldn't be bought from foreign countries, the agency says, because they may have been manufactured in a facility that's not inspected by the FDA. So consumers are putting their trust in the regulatory authority of another country. But as prices in the U.S. continue to rise, widening the chasm between prices in Canada and Europe, patients are willing to overlook such cautions. "As long as the drug price discrepancies between the U.S., Canada, and other countries remain as high as they are, people will do what they need to do to afford medicine that helps them stay healthy or even to live," said Gabriel Levitt, president of PharmacyChecker.com, a website that vets international pharmacies for American consumers. Even doctors are raising the possibility with patients. "I ask all my patients, when I'm pretty sure that they're struggling to pay for their insulin, I ask them, 'Are you planning to take any trips?' " said Mark Schutta, the director of the Penn Rodebaugh Center for Diabetes at Penn Medicine. "For people who are paying these maximum prices for insulin, it makes sense." That's how Catherine Price, a writer who lives in Philadelphia, wound up filling her insulin prescription in the Netherlands, while on a business trip to promote her latest book, How to Break Up With Your Phone, in June. After talking to her doctor about rising insulin prices, Price, 39, said her doctor, a colleague of Schutta's, asked if she had any upcoming trips abroad. Price, who has type 1 diabetes, paid $100 for three vials of insulin at a little pharmacy in Amsterdam, plus $450 for her round-trip plane ticket, which in her case was already paid for. At home, a local pharmacy quoted her $645 for a single vial with her insurance coverage which would come to nearly $2,000 for three. "If you're going to pay that much for your medicine, you might as well get a weekend in Europe out of it and come out ahead," she said. How to safely buy medications online People considering buying medications in another country must be cautious, especially if shopping online. Canada, the United Kingdom, and European countries have their own systems for regulating pharmaceutical companies and ensuring patient safety, so purchases from brick-and-mortar stores there do have that layer of safety. But it's harder to verify the origin of medications purchased online. Independent organizations, such as PharmacyChecker.com, vet international pharmacies, but the group is not sanctioned by the federal government or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which represents state pharmacy regulators. "We in America take things somewhat for granted, in that all the protections the FDA puts in place are followed. We can't say that's necessarily the case in other countries," said Patricia Epple, CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association. Levitt, of PharmacyChecker, admits there are risks to buying medications online, but thinks the government's and pharmacy association's warnings are a scare tactic. Pharmacies vetted by PharmacyChecker are licensed with their applicable pharmacy board or licensing authority, do not sell controlled substances (which international pharmacies cannot ship into the U.S.), require a valid prescription, and encrypt personal financial information, he said. Yeagley isn't worried about the safety of the drug he buys in Canada. Rather, he's relieved to have found a way to provide his son a medication that has improved his medical condition without it costing the equivalent of a year's college tuition. "This is such a big deal for him," Yeagley said. "We'll do whatever we can to make sure he gets the drug." Share your own experience and what you paid at Philly Price Check or by emailing healthcosts@philly.com. Or leave a voicemail message at 215-854-2500 describing the billing issue you would like to share. At Drexel University, researchers study knee implants that were removed from patients, with bits of bone and cement still attached. Read more For every 100 people who get a hip or knee replacement, one or two will develop a serious, potentially debilitating infection in some cases, years after the surgery. To prevent some of those infections, would it make sense to pre-coat these high-tech artificial joints with antibiotics? It may seem like a good idea, but nearly 80 years after the first hip-replacement surgery, no one knows for sure. That question was among hundreds up for debate this week at a three-day conference at Thomas Jefferson University, concluding Friday. Researchers from more than 80 countries broke into teams to review evidence for each strategy to combat infections in artificial hips, knees, and other joint implants, then presented their findings to the assembled crowd for a vote. Does the use of opioids make a patient more likely to develop an infection? Should cell phones a potential breeding ground for bacteria be banned from the operating room? Are patients with poor dental hygiene at greater risk of joint infection? >> READ MORE: Medical Mystery: A knee replacement and a major infection "These are questions we face on a daily basis," said conference co-host Javad Parvizi, a surgeon and director of clinical research at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson. In addition to reviewing studies on hip and knee implants, which together account for more than 1 million surgeries each year in the United States, attendees at the meeting addressed strategies for surgeries on other joints, such as the shoulder, ankle, elbow, and spine along with solutions that could apply to any orthopedic procedure. One challenge the physicians face in preventing these infections: They are not common. Within five years of surgery, joint infections occur in just 11 out of 1,000 hip-implant patients and 14 out of 1,000 who get artificial knees, according to a study this year by Parvizi and Steven M. Kurtz, a Drexel University biomedical engineer. So if a certain strategy were to reduce that risk by say, 10 percent resulting in maybe 10 infections per 1,000 hip patients instead of 11 it would be very difficult to detect. Researchers would need to follow many thousands of patients for years to make sure any apparent benefit was not due to chance. For most potential strategies discussed at the conference, such a study would be prohibitively expensive. In some cases, that left researchers at the conference trying to come up with the best possible answer based on laboratory studies, or simply sound professional judgment. As for the potential link between opioid use and infection, the answer was yes though the evidence was judged to be limited, based on studies finding that the drugs can impair the immune system. Likewise, the evidence was lacking that patients with poor dental hygiene were more likely to get a joint infection. But reviewers said good dental care could be associated with better outcomes, on the theory that oral bacteria can migrate to the site of an artificial joint. And banning cell phones in the OR? Not enough evidence for that, though the reviewers called for regularly cleaning them. After the reviewers made each recommendation, the assembled throng generally voted in agreement. The results eventually will be compiled into a book of guidelines. The implications are huge, as the U.S. spends $1 billion a year to treat joint infections, sometimes with more surgery to remove diseased tissue and even replace the implant. In addition to debating strategies to prevent infections that occur deep in the tissue surrounding the implant, researchers also reviewed ways to prevent the less serious infections that can occur at the site of a wound. Should the surgeon put on a clean pair of surgical gloves every 60 to 90 minutes? Or perhaps wear two pairs? No studies have proven that these practices reduce infection, but they make sense, Parvizi said during a break in the conference. "Why not wear two pairs of gloves?" he asked. "Because if you wear one pair, it could get perforated." A striking image of a young black person with the word "STIGMA" written across his face lies on the side of the Fillmore music venue in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood. The art piece is the work created by a Baltimore street artist named Nether. MICHAEL Ares / Staff Photographer DIGITAL Read more Over the last year, I've seen a growing number of comparisons between the current overdose crisis and the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic three decades ago. The parallels are certainly striking: an escalating number of deaths, particularly among younger people; a sense of hard-hit communities feeling under siege; and a growing wave of new advocates demanding action and innovative solutions. As someone who participated in AIDS activism in the early 1990s, and now works on ending the overdose deaths, the lens through which I view these parallels begins with this insight: Every public health crisis must be understood as both a medical issue and a social issue. Health care is necessary but not sufficient to reverse the course of an epidemic. We must also fight to remove barriers to access, and tackle the policies that have put so many people in harm's way. As we grapple with the overdose crisis, communities and policymakers should heed three key lessons from the fight against AIDS: Stigma is the enemy, activism is the accelerator, and medicines work only when people have access to them. There's a growing recognition that pervasive stigma toward people with substance-use disorders hurts our ability to end overdose deaths. In the early days of the HIV epidemic, people with HIV and the groups perceived as most likely to have HIV, such as gay men, sex workers, and people who use drugs were widely condemned for behavior cast as immoral and illegal. The fear of HIV extended to casual contact, as though people who might have HIV represented a contagious and contaminating threat to society. When we dehumanize people, we not only push them away through shame and isolation; we turn to fear-based solutions by rationalizing the need to control, coerce, and punish them. We rush to support the sympathetic few cast as innocent victims, while casting others aside through discrimination or incarceration, protesting against siting life-saving services in our neighborhoods. By the mid-1980s, a majority of Americans supported quarantining people with AIDS; today, legislators call for forcing people who use drugs into treatment. Just as many law enforcement leaders proclaim that we cannot arrest our way out of the overdose crisis, neither can we shame our way out of it: our best solutions lie in recognizing the dignity and humanity of people who use drugs, and listening to what they tell us will help them survive. The second lesson from the AIDS crisis builds on the first: In the face of a government slow to respond, activism is the essential accelerator for change. The federal government was notoriously slow to address the AIDS epidemic throughout most of the 1980s, due in large part to stigma and politics. The current federal response to the overdose crisis might best be characterized as "too little, too late" neither Congress nor the Obama or Trump administrations has provided anything near the amount of funding necessary to bring down the overdose rates. Despite a flurry of legislation, we remain far off from modernizing our treatment system and building out capacity for harm reduction and recovery services. Moreover, officials are still playing catch-up, focusing energy on opioid prescribing when the leading case of overdose death is now illicit fentanyl. The AIDS crisis demonstrated that activism spurs government action and funding. We need advocacy, driven by people and families most directly affected by the overdose crisis, to demand bolder action from our elected officials to save lives. Deaths from AIDS-related causes only began to decline in the 1990s with the advent of effective medications. With the overdose crisis, we should have a head start: Effective medications to treat opioid-use disorder were already available when overdose rates began climbing. Yet they're woefully underutilized and difficult to access; it should be an outrage that due to cumbersome and restrictive regulations, it's still harder to prescribe methadone or buprenorphine for treatment of opioid addiction than it is to prescribe the painkillers that exposed so many people now struggling to opioids in the first place. When effective HIV treatment became available, health-care providers and policymakers recognized the importance of making them accessible and affordable. The Ryan White CARE Act provided not just financing, but an infrastructure of case management and social support for people with HIV; similarly, federal funding for housing programs was expanded to bring people in from the streets. We need a similarly comprehensive care and support model for people at risk of overdose, with multiple points of entry. At the federal level, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) have introduced the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, modeled after the successful Ryan White legislation. But securing this kind of federal response will require us to learn from the AIDS crisis by rejecting stigma and embracing activism. Daniel Raymond is the deputy director of planning and policy at the Harm Reduction Coalition In a 1990 file photo, an unidentified Liberian government soldier patrols the streets of Monrovia. On Thursday, Isaac T. Kannah, 51, a Liberian refugee living in Southwest Philadelphia, agreed to leave the United States as part of his sentence for lying under oath about the role he played in Liberia's first civil war between 1989 and 1997. Read more A Liberian refugee living in Southwest Philadelphia agreed Thursday to voluntarily leave the United States after becoming the latest target of federal investigators seeking justice for atrocities committed during the bloody civil war that gripped the West African nation in the 1990s. Isaac T. Kannah, 51, admitted last year that he had lied about the role he played in the multifactional conflict in sworn testimony he gave in 2011 on behalf of a former wartime ally who faced deportation proceedings. Kannah's sentence, approved Thursday by a federal judge in Rochester, N.Y., makes him the third member of the Philadelphia region's sizable Liberian expatriate community to be swept up this year in a push by U.S. investigators to root out and deport those involved in the many documented human rights violations that occurred during the fighting. Despite atrocities committed on all sides, no one has ever been held accountable in Liberia in the two decades since the end of the conflict that left more than 250,000 Liberians dead and millions more displaced. Many former military commanders are now living in the United States amid the flood of asylum-seekers who were welcomed into Philadelphia and other cities at the height of the crisis. Kannah a self-described military attache to the Liberia Peace Council, one of the many fighting factions first came to the attention of federal authorities in 2011, when he was called as a defense witness in immigration proceedings for the group's former leader, George Boley. Government lawyers had accused Boley, then working as an administrator in the Rochester school system, of lying about the fighting force he oversaw, which committed extrajudicial killings of civilians and conscripted children to serve as soldiers. Kannah, however, challenged that portrayal on the witness stand and insisted that the LPC was not engaged in fighting during the war. "I don't have any question in my mind," he said, according to transcripts. "I'm sure of what I'm saying." But in an indictment filed shortly after Boley was deported in 2012, prosecutors in Rochester accused Kannah of lying, pointing to a statement he had given immigration investigators just months before his testimony. In it, he had boasted of himself and Boley as the victors in a 1994 guerrilla-style military campaign against rival warlord Charles Taylor. Prosecutors also accused the two men of fighting alongside child soldiers during the attack. Kannah pleaded guilty last year to a lesser felony count, alleging he failed to notify authorities that he knew Boley had lied during the 2011 proceeding. Few details of Kannah's life since the war's end were available Thursday. Neither he nor his attorney Jeffrey L. Ciccone returned calls for comment. Court papers say only that Kannah arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum in 1997, shortly after Taylor was elected Liberia's president. Public records reveal few additional details except that he was living in Reading during Boley's court proceeding and moved to Philadelphia shortly afterward. U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Kannah in January 2017, around the time they were preparing for trial in cases against two of his countrymen living in the region. One of those men Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu, 73, of Collingdale, Delaware County was convicted this month of lying on a 2006 application for U.S. citizenship about the role he played as Taylor's top lieutenant and spokesperson. He faces sentencing in October. The other Mohammed "Jungle Jabbah" Jabateh, 51, of East Lansdowne is serving a 30-year prison term after a jury found him guilty last year of similarly deceiving authorities about his past as a vicious warlord who had committed numerous rapes, murders, and acts of cannibalism during the fighting. Justice Department officials have described the cases against all four men Boley, Kannah, Woewiyu, and Jabateh as part of a broader U.S. effort to protect the nation's political asylum system from abuse and to provide Liberia's war victims with justice they have been denied in their own country. Since the war's end, persistent calls for a homegrown war-crimes tribunal have gone unanswered by Liberia's elected leaders some of whom were directly involved in the fighting. Boley, for instance, returned home and went on to win a seat last year in Liberia's House of Representatives after his 2012 deportation. In Philadelphia, where 307 homicides were reported last year, arrests were made in just 55 percent of slayings from 2007 through 2016, and more homicides went unsolved in the city and nationwide during the decade when the victim was black, a new study has found. Read more In Philadelphia, where 307 homicides were reported last year, arrests were made in just 55 percent of slayings from 2007 through 2016, and in the city and nationwide during that decade, more homicides went unsolved when the victim was black, a study has found. According to the data, published in the Washington Post this week, the nation's 55 largest cities reported 54,990 homicides during that decade, half of which resulted in no arrests. When the victim was white, arrests were made in 63 percent of those slayings, compared with 47 percent when the victim was black, the study reported. Philadelphia reported 3,037 homicides and the vast majority of victims 2,359 were African American. Among the other victims, 373 were Hispanic, 256 white, and 48 Asian. >> READ MORE: West Philly woman seeks justice after man confessed to killing her daughter David Fisher, a retired Philadelphia police detective, attributed the lower arrest rate for black victims to "the silence of the community." "Everybody talks about the blue code of silence, but there's a community code of silence, too," he said. "It works both ways." Fisher, president of the National Black Police Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter, has been personally affected by the statistics. His nephew DeAndre Bing, 17, was fatally shot in the chest near 20th Street and Susquehanna Avenue on Jan. 23, 2015. Bing who would have graduated that spring from Eastern University Academy Charter School in East Falls had just left a friend's home when he was gunned down. More than three years later, no motive for the killing has been established and no one has been arrested. Fisher said the absence of justice in killings like his nephew's is common in Philadelphia especially in black neighborhoods partly because people are reluctant to help detectives solve crimes. "They don't have a problem, in a lot of black neighborhoods, knowing who did it," he said. "No one wants to talk to the police, because they don't really want to get involved. But everything is not CSI. At some point, you need people to say, 'I saw it,' and come to court and say, 'I saw it.' " Aleida Garcia, whose son, Alejandro Rojas-Garcia, 34, was murdered outside a Hunting Park bar on Jan. 24, 2015, agreed that the "no-snitch" mindset and mistrust of police help to drive down the arrest rate. The result is that killers walk free, and sometimes remain in the communities where they have killed, she said. "It's a horrible thing that you lose someone to violence, and it's compounded by the fact that you might be standing next to someone in a supermarket who is guilty of the murder," said Garcia, who co-founded the National Homicide Justice Alliance. "It's also a feeling that your loved one died and that person who killed them is out there having a wonderful life. It makes you feel, like, what was my child's life worth? It's a nightmare." At least she knows where her son's killer is. In May, Leonardo Rivera was tried in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, and was convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus seven to 10 years, said Garcia, noting that the case was solved after police released surveillance video of the gunman. Ben Waxman, spokesperson for District Attorney Larry Krasner, said the study exposes a portion of the criminal justice system that is broken. "I think we have a lot of people in this city in law enforcement who are working extremely hard with limited resources to solve these cases," Waxman said. "But they don't have the resources because we are spending time prosecuting people smoking marijuana." Waxman noted that Krasner announced in February that his office would no longer prosecute marijuana-possession cases. A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department declined to comment about the study's findings. HARRISBURG The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday ordered the release of a redacted copy of a highly anticipated grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse, one the court said identifies more than 300 "predator priests" but would conceal the names of a handful of clergy members who contend it is inaccurate or unfairly maligns their reputations. The order by the seven-member high court provided a temporary victory for about two dozen current and former clergy members who have waged a furious legal fight to prevent their names from being publicly disclosed. The high court's decision will allow them to remain unidentified for weeks, if not months, while the justices weigh their arguments. Some critics said that even a slight delay in publicly identifying any of the accused priests could enable them to escape criticism because public interest will wane. In their 31-page order, the justices agreed that the case and complaints by clergy implicated in the investigation raises due-process issues. In doing so, they signaled frustration with both the Attorney General's Office, which led the two-year inquiry, as well as Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III, who supervised the grand jury's work and has said the full, unredacted report should be made public. "There can be no doubt that the subject matter of the report is incendiary, and therefore, the stakes for individuals reproached therein are substantially heightened," Chief Justice Thomas Saylor wrote on behalf of the high court. But the justices said they were not "of one mind" on the best way to address concerns raised by the petitioners who are seeking to block or limit the report's release, and scheduled legal arguments on those issues in September. In the interim, they directed the office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro to begin removing identifying information about the petitioners from the more than 800-page document, which chronicles decades' worth of allegations of abuse and cover-ups in six of the state's eight Catholic dioceses. A limited version of the report could be made public as early as Aug. 8 if all parties agree to the redactions. If not, a special master will be appointed to resolve differences, with an Aug. 14 deadline to release the redacted version, the court ordered. "Our intent is to facilitate the publication as expeditiously as possible of as full a final report as may be released consistent with the protection of the petitioner-appellants' fundamental rights," said the opinion. The clergy challenging the document's release represent a small fraction of those named. The high court's order confirmed for the first time that it identifies or implicates more than 300 "predator priests" who served in the six dioceses. Jim VanSickle, a Pittsburgh-area man and grand jury witness who said he was abused as a teen by a priest who taught him in high school, said he was pleased to learn that nearly 300 abusers still could be publicly exposed. But VanSickle was conflicted over the fact that some accounts of abuse will remain shielded possibly forever. "It is a victory, although I still have a tear in my eye," he said. Lawyers for some petitioners seeking to block the report's full release said they felt gratified by the justices' decision. "The Supreme Court recognized that it was both possible and necessary to protect the constitutional due-process rights of a small group of wrongly accused individuals without undermining the public's legitimate interest in this grand jury report," said Stephen Stallings, who represents two such petitioners. He said the ruling presents "a path forward that protects everyone's interests." Another petitioner lawyer, David Berardinelli, echoed Stallings' remarks and said he was "pleased that the court gave such detailed and reasoned consideration to our arguments raising matters of constitutional concern with regard to the grand jury process employed here." The grand jury's investigation and conclusions have been at the center of a fierce legal battle that has played out for months, largely under court seal. The report is expected to document allegations involving clergy, their superiors, and others in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, and Scranton. The state's two other dioceses Altoona-Johnstown and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have already been scrutinized in past investigations. Court documents made public in recent weeks show that the nearly two dozen former and current clergy members claim the Attorney General's Office trampled on their due-process rights during its investigation. Many also contend that the grand jury's report is based on unsubstantiated accusations that will unfairly sully their reputations, a violation of the state constitution. Shapiro's office has pushed for the full report to be released and echoed that stance after the Supreme Court ruling. In a statement Friday, the attorney general praised the court's order but said he would "continue to fight to ensure every single victim is heard and every priest, bishop, and church official is held accountable for their abhorrent conduct." "No one victim's truth is any less important than another and no one's criminal conduct any less loathsome," he said. "Today is a victory for the survivors but our work is not yet done." Mayor Jim Kenney, seen here on July 4 during the Celebration of Freedom ceremony at Independence Hall. Read more Mayor Kenney won't renew a controversial city contract that allows federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to access a key law-enforcement database, known as PARS, and use that information against undocumented but otherwise law-abiding immigrants in Philadelphia. "I cannot in good conscience allow the agreement to continue," the mayor said. The decision, announced Friday, follows months of consultation with community groups, lawyers, and immigrant advocates, and weeks of tumultuous protests by anti-ICE demonstrators, who on Wednesday took over and held a City Hall stairway. ICE officials criticized the city's action as "needlessly compromising public safety," and Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Katie Waldman called it "an irresponsible decision that results in the city harboring criminal aliens." "Sanctuary city policies make American communities like Philadelphia less safe by putting the rights of criminal aliens over the safety and security of American citizens," she said in a statement. "Despite the misguided action taken by Philadelphia today, DHS will continue to work to remove illegal aliens and uphold public safety." Kenney made his announcement at City Hall, in a ceremonial room that quickly filled with raucous cheering by pro-immigrant groups that have insisted the PARS agreement must end. Blanca Pacheco came to City Hall surrounded by children, all of whom, she said, now know that raising their voices can create change. "They're part of the work," said the assistant director of New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia. Kenney said the loud, public demands of Occupy ICE demonstrators still encamped outside City Hall as he spoke played little role in his thinking. Crucial to him was the city's legal standing, affirmed after a federal court victory last month, and providing basic, humane treatment of people who came here from other lands. "All of us have ancestors who were once immigrants," the mayor said, choking up. "All of us." PARS is an acronym for a real-time computer database of arrests, operated by the city and shared via contract with ICE, the federal agency responsible for finding and deporting people in the country without documentation. Kenney said he had grown concerned that ICE was using the database "in inappropriate ways," including to conduct investigations of undocumented immigrants who had not broken any other laws. That sows fear and distrust in immigrant communities, he said, with the effect of discouraging crime victims and witnesses from coming forward. Discussions with ICE officials did not allay those concerns, but confirmed them, Kenney said. According to the Kenney administration: At a July 18 meeting, ICE officials conceded that the agency's use of PARS can result in immigration enforcement actions against city residents who have not been accused or convicted of a crime. ICE claimed it was impractical to adopt procedures that would prevent agents from arresting law-abiding residents for civil immigration violations when the agency acted on information found in PARS. Each day, ICE probes PARS to find people who were born outside the United States, then targets them for further investigation, even though the database does not list their immigration status. The agency produced no information to allay city officials' concerns about the profiling of residents by race, ethnicity, or national origin. In a letter to the city, ICE officials denied any profiling. Three city entities rely on PARS: the District Attorney's Office, the court system, and the Police Department, which is responsible to the mayor. In the past, consensus among the three allowed the agreement with ICE to continue. Now, both District Attorney Larry Krasner and the mayor have withdrawn their consent, and the court system, officials say, has abstained. Though PARS does not collect information on immigration status, advocates contend the database is dangerous because it notes country of origin and Social Security numbers enough for ICE agents to undertake an investigation. "Data and speed is the perfect combo for ICE to use Philly resources to hunt down immigrants," Juntos spokesman Miguel Andrade tweeted earlier this month. Kenney has been outspoken in support of immigrants, including filing a federal "sanctuary city" lawsuit against the Trump administration over the right to limit police cooperation with ICE. Last month, a federal judge ruled for Philadelphia, saying the city's position was based on policies that were reasonable, rational, and equitable. The PARS matter has simmered since the weather turned warm. This month, as many as 175 demonstrators massed outside the Center City office of ICE, calling for the agency to be abolished, the family detention center in Berks County to be closed, and the PARS agreement to end. Forcibly removed from those environs, an Occupy ICE encampment quickly relocated to the east side of City Hall. "PARS is over," activist Deborah Rose shouted through a megaphone as the mayor spoke inside on Friday. "It's done." The 33-year-old West Philadelphia protester led a dozen others into the street for a victory lap. Others felt the enthusiasm. "It's exciting that this movement has really pushed [the mayor] to recognize the issue and address it," said Michelle Ziogas, 27. ICE was told of the PARS cancellation on Thursday, in an emailed letter from City Solicitor Marcel Pratt. The contract expires Aug. 31. He wrote that the decision was consistent with the administration's "Welcoming City" policies, "which reflect the principle that our city is safer, healthier, and more inviting" when residents need not be in fear about their immigration status. District Attorney Larry Krasner, in his first financial disclosure report as an elected official, said he owed money to a former business partner whom he subsequently hired for a $160,000-a-year advisory position in the prosecutor's office. Krasner listed Michael Giampietro as a personal and business creditor in his statement of financial interests, which he filed in May and which covers his finances for 2017. Krasner's wife, Common Pleas Court Judge Lisa Rau, also listed Giampietro as a creditor in her statement. The disclosure form did not require Krasner to report how much he owed Giampietro. He did not list him as a creditor in his financial disclosure that covered 2016. Krasner, a former defense attorney who was elected on a progressive reform platform, declined to be interviewed. He would not reveal the nature or amount of the debt, or when or how it was settled. Through a spokesman, Krasner said this week that the "business-related financial obligation" to Giampietro "has since been completely satisfied." "Thanks to being in court nearly every day for 35 years, [Giampietro] has tremendous insight into and relationships with judges, police, prosecutors, sheriffs, defense attorneys, and court administration officials," Krasner spokesperson Ben Waxman said in an email. "He has had a longstanding personal and business relationship with Krasner and therefore is uniquely qualified to serve as a Senior Advisor in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office." Waxman said Giampietro, who started in his position in February, is a "roving supervisor" in the Criminal Justice Center who assists less experienced prosecutors. He also conducts job interviews, manages staffing issues, and handles juvenile resentencings, among other duties, Waxman said. Giampietro did not respond to requests for comment. Waxman said Krasner's office "reviewed the city code and found no ethics violations, including the conflict of interest section." He said the review was conducted by Richard Glazer, who is Krasner's ethics officer and the former chairman of the city Board of Ethics. Waxman would not say when the review was conducted, share its findings, or make Glazer available for an interview. Samuel C. Stretton, a lawyer and legal ethics expert, said he did not believe ethics rules prohibit the city's top prosecutor from hiring a creditor as long as the loan and job weren't part of a quid pro quo. "The fact that he owes Michael money, by itself, wouldn't be" a conflict, Stretton said of Krasner and Giampietro. Stacy Hawkins, an employment attorney and professor at Rutgers Law School, said such an arrangement could interfere with a manager's ability to supervise and evaluate a subordinate's performance. "It does raise, I would say, some cautionary flags, some yellow flags," Hawkins said, adding: "It may be that you are considering things outside of his job performance in keeping him in employment." Eric Meyer, an employment partner at the FisherBroyles law firm and president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law section, said there was nothing inherently wrong with hiring a creditor. But, Meyer asked, "what happens if that person is not the most qualified candidate? What if that person is not being hired because of a skill set, but because the decision-maker owes money to that person?" "It's odd," said David Thornburgh, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy government watchdog group. "I would think, in any setting public, private, or nonprofit the boss borrowing money from a subordinate creates the possibility for some odd dynamics in the office." Krasner's real estate businesses have repeatedly failed to pay taxes over the last decade. In March, the Inquirer and Daily News, WHYY, and City & State PA each reported on separate cases in which the city went to court seeking a total of $177,000 in unpaid taxes from businesses in which Krasner is a partner. Krasner has criticized the hiring practices of previous district attorneys, saying they were too often "more interested in politics than in professionalizing things." "If there is any legacy that this administration leaves, its most important legacy will be the people we bring in," Krasner said in testimony before City Council in April, later displaying a map of the United States and highlighting aspirations to recruit more heavily from California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois. Giampietro's listed address is in Delaware County, but Waxman said he moved into a Philadelphia apartment this month, in accordance with the residency requirement for city employees. Krasner also has hired several close campaign advisers as part of his inner circle. Campaign chair Mike Lee became interim director of legislation, a new position with a salary of $75,000. Arun Prabhakaran, a longtime friend who said he informally advised Krasner's campaign, left his job as a vice president at the nonprofit Urban Affairs Coalition in Center City to become the district attorney's chief of staff, which pays $160,000 per year. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a former community organizer who endorsed Krasner's candidacy, was hired as the interim supervisor of victim services with a salary of $96,000. And Waxman, the campaign spokesperson, was named communications director, with a salary of $90,000. A customer uses her food bucks to pay for produce at the farmer's market at Devereaux United Methodist Church in North Philadelphia. A federal report says the war on poverty was a success. Read more Nearly 1 percent of all the people in poverty in the United States live in Philadelphia one out of every 100 impoverished Americans. Simple math explains that stark story: Nationwide, around 40 million people are at or below the poverty line, $21,000 annual salary for a family of three. Here, in a city of 1.5 million people where the poverty rate is 26 percent, the highest among the country's biggest cities, there are nearly 400,000 residents living in poverty. That's why it surprised people in Philadelphia to hear the Trump administration declare this month: "Our War on Poverty is largely over and a success." If you stood on North Sixth Street in Fairhill, which is the poorest neighborhood in the city with a poverty rate of 61 percent 75 percent for children you might be forgiven if you looked around and asked, If this is victory, what does defeat look like? "Up here," said social worker Sandra Marrero, who works on the street, "you don't see childhoods and you don't see the American dream. Parents cry in gratitude if I give their kids a cookie. "If I were a crier, I'd cry every minute of every day." Hardship has fallen President Ronald Reagan once famously said that the "federal government declared war on poverty, and poverty won." He used that as an argument to dismantle antipoverty programs. On July 12, the White House Council of Economic Advisers issued a report that said the opposite: Poverty has been mostly defeated. But its follow-up suggestion was essentially the same as Reagan's: We must therefore limit programs like food stamps that help people in poverty. The report added that the country should expand work requirements for people on Medicaid and food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. This would result in fewer people getting government help, and, the council added, higher levels of individual self-sufficiency. >> READ MORE: Changes in food stamps could deny benefits to thousands "The vast majority of Americans are currently able to meet their basic needs such as housing and food," the report found. The council also concluded that "homelessness is rare," not many people are hungry, and "hardship has fallen drastically." The report dovetails with contemporary conservative beliefs that many people in poverty are not bereft of material benefits. They own cellphones, air conditioners, and televisions, which means to some observers that low-income Americans don't appear to be suffering. Compared with the bloated-belly, Third World-type starvation many in the United States experienced in the 1960s before President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs elevated such Americans out of abject indigence people today are much better off, conservatives say. In praising the report, Robert Doar of the American Enterprise Institute wrote that increasing work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid would still allow the very poor to get aid, just less of it: Government agencies, he said, "can do the equivalent of walking and chewing gum: They can both provide financial aid and help people get to work." Angela Rachidi, a research fellow in poverty studies at the institute, said the people who receive government help "should be willing to give something back" by working for their benefits. She added that safety-net programs create "a disincentive for people to work." People who study, live with, or battle poverty found several problems with the White House report. >> READ MORE: Hunger in Philadelphia increases while declining nationwide "We laughed when we read it," said Glenn Bergman, executive director of Philabundance, the local hunger-relief agency. He denigrated the report as "a political document" meant to forward the conservative agenda, not a scientific finding on poverty. First of all, said social work professor Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, "the evidence is abundant that poverty is still with us." He and others said that imposing work requirements on people receiving Medicaid and SNAP benefits could benefit some but runs the risk of causing people who really need help to lose it. Besides, he said, it would cost millions to create a bureaucracy just to check whether people are working. Beyond that, most SNAP recipients who aren't children, disabled, or elderly do have jobs, experts say. And there are more Medicaid recipients with "significant health issues" who cannot work than the council report indicates, said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, a director of the nonprofit Center for Law and Social Policy. Echoing Bergman, David Elesh, emeritus sociology professor at Temple University, said: "This report is hilarious. It's absolute Republican rubbish justifying cutting programs to assist people in poverty. No, the war on poverty is not a success. Absolutely not." Elesh, who spent nearly a decade compiling statistical reports on poverty with Temple's Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project, disputes the methodology used in the White House report. Others do, too. Every official federal or state program that measures poverty uses statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, according to Elesh and others. These come from surveys of 50,000 households, said Mark Rank, a poverty expert and sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis. The White House relied on information from 7,000 households for the report, Rank said. More important, the study followed a so-called consumption reporting model that Lower-Basch dismissed as "idiosyncratic" and virtually never used. To determine poverty, people are not asked how much money they made, as the Census Bureau does. They are instead asked how much they spent on food and rent. But Rank said people don't always remember accurately. And they often don't disclose that they may be paying for things with loans, which skews results. The report, Rank concluded, "cherry-picked facts that fit an ideological bent." One important result of using the consumption model is that the U.S. poverty rate comes out much lower just 3 percent as opposed to the official census figure of 12.7 percent, Rank said. (The Census Bureau has another way of expressing poverty, called the Supplemental Poverty Measure. It includes not only annual income but noncash government benefits people receive such as SNAP. That measure also differs significantly from the White House number, indicating that the U.S. poverty rate is 14.5 percent.) Rachidi of the American Enterprise Institute defended the consumption model, saying that it's a good way to learn whether people have decent shelter, money for basic necessities, and food to eat. By that measure, she said, "poverty is very low." The council report underscores the Republican notion that Americans should wean themselves off federal programs, experts said. But that thinking may be based on a fallacy. While those who receive federal largesse are often criticized for being lazy takers, it turns out that 96 percent of U.S. adults have received benefits from among 21 different social policies, including Social Security, Medicaid, the home mortgage interest deduction, and SNAP, according to the political scientist Suzanne Mettler in a new book, The Government-Citizen Disconnect. The Council of Economic Advisers' report underscored the wide gap between what the White House says about poverty, and what researchers know. "Anyone who believes what the Trump administration is saying about poverty is deluded," said Mariana Chilton, the area's leading hunger expert, whose recent research has shown that childhood hunger in North Philadelphia recently tripled. >> READ MORE: Childhood hunger in North Philadelphia more than triples "We should see this for what it is: a way to stigmatize people living in poverty, and to steal money from them." Post-traumatic stress In Fairhill, Sandra Marrero's husband, Pastor Juan Marrero, runs Crossroads Community Center, which serves the neighborhood in various ways, including fighting hunger. The other day, the couple were overseeing the feeding of 40 neighborhood children. The adults discussed the White House edict about the war on poverty's success. "Moms stretch those rice and beans meals, but it's hard," said Pastor Marrero, who once sold heroin to buy his mother a hot-water heater. He served five years' probation. "Need is growing here, and it never stops. Declaring a success against poverty is asinine. We got post-traumatic stress up here." A local parent, Camille McCalla-Muldor, 39, a school janitor, said she believes the White House goal "is to frustrate you, to get you off food stamps." What the Council of Economic Advisers doesn't know, and what President Trump doesn't know, she said, is a simple Fairhill fact: "You can't be happy in the daytime if you're focused on somehow finding food for the night. "People don't understand the hopelessness of being in this. How is the war on poverty over if people are going to bed hungry?" Philadelphia Media Network is one of 19 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city's push toward economic justice. Follow us at @BrokeInPhilly. Monica Perez-Reyes, 20, of Camden, shared her story during a listening session with other undocumented immigrant children and Camden Bishop Dennis Sullivan in Febuary. The ACLU of New Jersey took up the cause of immigrant children Thursday, suing a dozen schools that the ACLU says illegally prevented immigrant students from enrolling. Read more The ACLU of New Jersey is suing a dozen school districts in the state, including three in Camden County, saying they have discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant children from potentially getting an education. The 12 school districts require parents to provide a New Jersey driver's license or other state-issued forms of identification that undocumented immigrants likely would not possess, in violation of both the state and federal constitutions, the ACLU says in its suit filed Thursday. Under current laws and policies, schools may only request proof of a child's age, residence, and immunization record when registering them for classes, the ACLU says. "New Jersey's state Constitution calls for free public education, and that applies to every single child no exceptions," ACLU-NJ staff attorney Elyla Huertas said in a statement. "In a state where one in five residents is foreign-born, at a time when our president has made the exclusion of immigrants a key part of his policy agenda, it's more important than ever for every school district in New Jersey to meet its obligations, both to New Jersey's families and to the Constitution." In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that had denied undocumented immigrant children an education in the public school system. After a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Mexican school-age children who lived in Texas, the high court ruled that the law had violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In a landmark ruling, the high court held that "education has a fundamental role in maintaining the fabric of our society" and that it "provides the basic tools by which individuals might lead economically productive lives to the benefit of us all." The lawsuits were filed in state Superior Court in the individual counties where the districts are located, one month after thousands demonstrated in Washington to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies and separation of undocumented children from their parents at the Mexican border. The protest was organized by the American Civil Liberties Union and several other civil rights organizations. Three of the 12 school districts that the New Jersey affiliate is suing are in Camden County: Bellmawr, Sterling Regional High School, and Winslow. Dan Long, an attorney who represents the Bellmawr and Winslow Township school districts, said they are "currently reviewing the lawsuits and have no further comment at this time." Officials with the Sterling Regional High School district in Somerdale did not respond to calls for comment. Sterling and Bellmawr were among the districts previously cited by ACLU-NJ for violations in 2014. The lawsuits filed Thursday ask the court to order the 12 school districts to rescind the restrictive enrollment requirements and to pay legal fees. The ACLU said it selected the 12 districts because they had the most restrictive policies among the more than 500 school districts across the state that were surveyed. Over the last decade, the ACLU-NJ has conducted audits of school districts to determine whether they had restrictive policies, and in the last four years it sued 13 districts that the ACLU said were in violation of the law. All of the cases settled after the districts agreed to change their policies, the ACLU said. The policies "add up to a quiet, daily injustice that allows discrimination to metastasize and that tells families, incorrectly and unconstitutionally, that they can't access the fundamental rights they're entitled to," said ACLU-NJ executive director Amol Sinha. "Public schools exist to educate all of a community's children." President Trump this week embraced components of global trade deals he has rejected in the past, in a preliminary agreement with the European Union, American and European trade experts and diplomats said Thursday. Speaking to a crowd of steelworkers Thursday in Granite City, Illinois, Trump touted a "historic agreement" with the European Union, and said his administration's tough trade strategy is working, and making up for unfair trade deals in the past. "This is the time to straighten out the worst trade deals ever made by any country on Earth ever in history," he said. But the deals the administration has reached fall short of Trump's broad aim of rebalancing U.S. trade relations with the rest of the world and in some instances adopt elements of past agreements the president is intent on breaking. Trump's agreement this week with the European Union and a renegotiation earlier this year of a trade deal with South Korea bear similarities to deals that were in place or being negotiated before Trump took office, the analysts and diplomats said. A key piece of the agreement Trump reached with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to ease escalating trade tensions and forestall further tariffs called for both sides to "work together toward zero tariffs" on non-auto industrial goods, such as aircraft engines and turbines. That was also a goal of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, a proposed deal that the United States and the European Union were negotiating under the Obama administration and that subsequently withered. "There does seem to be a lot of similarity in what Trump wants to achieve and what the TTIP tried to accomplish," said Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University. Wednesday's joint statement from Juncker and Trump also called for easing trade barriers in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals, aims that were part of TTIP, said Anthony Gardner, who was U.S. ambassador to the European Union during the Obama administration. The Trump administration's reworking of a trade deal with South Korea included some improvements for Washington, including a Korean agreement to restrict its steel exports to the United States, trade experts said. But Jeff Moon, who was assistant U.S. trade representative to China during the Obama administration, said the new deal was largely similar to the previous one, "because it wasn't that bad a deal." During his hour-long speech at a U.S. Steel facility in Granite City, Trump gave a provocative, forceful defense of his approach to economic and foreign policy, arguing that his hardball tactics had worked with China, the European Union and North Korea. It is a message the White House is trying to reinforce after many business leaders and Republicans in recent days expressed concern that Trump's trade agenda was starting to backfire. Midway through the corporate earnings season, some of the country's largest companies have reported that they are feeling the pinch of the Trump administration's trade war. The executives, who lead companies across a broad array of industries, identified the tariffs especially on aluminum and steel as a potential drag on profits. They said the import taxes could lead to higher prices for consumers and force companies to make major changes in production lines, including moving some operations out of China. General Motors, Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson and Brown-Forman have all warned that the tariffs could push them to increase prices. Republicans also have raised concerns about Trump's trade strategy. Rep. Garland "Andy" Barr, R-Ky., said that although he is pleased with the EU agreement, he is concerned about the effects of the trade tensions on the bourbon industry, and on car plants in his state. "We appreciate the administration lowering the temperature with the EU, but to my question about retaliatory tariffs on Kentucky bourbon exports, I don't have a solution yet for my bourbon industry," Barr said. "I also stressed that there are a lot more jobs at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Kentucky that are negatively impacted by these steel tariffs than there are at the aluminum smelters and the steel production facilities in Kentucky," he added. Trump said that U.S. policy before he became president was "stupid" and that the economy during the Obama administration was "going to hell." At one point, he said countries used to look at the country as the "big, fat, sloppy United States." The rosy picture Trump painted of his agenda was only a partial reflection of where things stand. He characterized the EU negotiations, which began in earnest Wednesday, as nearly completed, but many differences remain. And relations with China are still chilly and uncertain amid an escalation of tariffs. In a room full of steelworkers in a revived steel town, those nuances weren't as important as the momentum Trump said he was fueling. U.S. Steel executives and employees are strong supporters of the tariffs Trump imposed on steel and aluminum imports this year. Bob Edwards, 60, was rehired by the Granite City steel plant in January 2017 after having lost his job 11 months earlier. "A regular paycheck and a booming economy when you are doing something, you are not worried about everything else," said Edwards, whose ponytail was tucked under his orange hard hat. He said he's a strong union supporter and also a strong Trump supporter. U.S. Steel's chief executive addressed the crowd of about 500 in the sweltering warehouse before Trump arrived, encouraging them to keep working together to help the company continue its growth. U.S. Steel's stock price has roughly doubled since Trump's election. "We have a president who believes in you," David Burritt said. "He's fighting for us." Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said negotiations to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement were proceeding at "an unprecedented speed." Lighthizer, who also met Thursday with Ildefonso Guajardo Villareal, Mexico's economic secretary, to discuss NAFTA negotiations, said he hoped to have an agreement in principle with Mexico soon. "My hope is that we will before very long have a conclusion with respect to Mexico and as a result of that Canada will come in and begin to compromise. I don't believe they've compromised in the same way the United States has or the way Mexico has," he said. Canadian officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Luis de la Calle, a former undersecretary in Mexico's economic ministry, said that the United States and Mexico have incentives to conclude the NAFTA talks soon. "On the Mexican side, there is the incentive of the outgoing government to conclude that issue, and for the incoming government, to not have to deal with it," he said, referring to the new presidential administration set to take office in December. The Washington Post's Quentin Aries in Brussels, James McAuley in Paris, Gabriela Martinez in Mexico City, and Erica Werner and Jeff Stein in Washington contributed to this report. President Woodrow Wilson denounced mob violence and lynching in a famous proclamation 100 years ago this week. He called on all Americans to "make an end of this disgraceful evil." Philadelphia wasn't really listening. White residents of Fitler Square had recently stoned the home of a Mrs. T. Lytle, an African American at 2504 Pine St. The same mob "burned two wagon loads of furniture" owned by African American tenants moving in at 2524-26 Pine Street." Lytle wanted to press charges but stayed silent when told that if she talked, her house would be torchedon Independence Day. Editors of the Philadelphia Tribune, the city's African American newspaper, drew a line in the sand: "We favor peace but we say to the colored people of the Pine Street war zone, stand your ground. If you are law abiding you need not fear. If you are attacked defend yourself like American citizens. When they tread upon your rights fight them to the bitter end." Something close to the bitter end took place a few weeks later the very same day as Wilson's speech on July 26. Adella Bond, a probation officer of the Municipal Court, had just moved into her newly purchased rowhouse at 2936 Ellsworth St. "The second time I went down that street, I was stoned," Bond told a reporter. "When movers arrived with her furniture," Bond "appeared in her doorway armed with a revolver. Her white neighbors claimed that by this action, she had invited conflict." "About 100 white men and boys gathered in front of my house" the evening of July 26, Bond later told reporters. "I heard them talk about having guns, and I saw the guns and cartridges. At last a man came along with a baby in his arms. He handed the baby to a woman, took a rock, and threw it. The rock went through my parlor window. I didn't know what the mob would do next, and I fired my revolver from my upper window. " The following night, violence erupted on 26th Street between Annin and Oakford. Jesse Butler shot and killed Hugh Lavery. The next day a mob at 27th and Titan Streets gave chase to Henry Huff, who lived nearby. Huff killed police officer Thomas McVay. Two others were shot and wounded. The entire neighborhood Washington Avenue to Dickinson Street, 23rd to 30th erupted. "In a series of street battles waged for twenty-four hours by more than five thousand white and colored men in a section covering about two square miles scores were seriously injured in the most terrific and bitter race riot that has ever taken place in this city. Half a hundred men were placed under arrest," reported the Inquirer, which listed 27 dead and wounded. And that was before the police beating of Preston Lewis and the station-house murder of Riley Bullock, two innocent African Americans. "We wish to deplore the fact that your police have not been able to protect our citizens from mob violence," read a protest letter to the mayor composed by African American leaders. "Your police have for a long time winked at disorder, such as the beating up of negroes, the stoning of their homes and the attacking of their churches." Bullock's family and friends buried him on Aug. 2. Saloons reopened the following day. Funeral Masses for Thomas McVay, Hugh Lavery, and Frank Donohue were held with police guards at the ready. In the following weeks, every last one of the officers assigned to the 17th District Station House at 20th and Federal were transferred. A judge rebuked the entire Police Department for "looseness in the investigation of the death of Riley Bullock." Murder charges against two officers, Robert Ramsey and John Schneider, made their way through the courts. In December 1920, a jury deliberated for 30 minutes and acquitted them. A century passed, allowing Philadelphians, and most historians, to bury this entire story in the deepest, dustiest recesses of public, and private, memory. Kenneth Finkel, professor of history at Temple University, blogs at PhillyHistory.org, where a version of this essay is posted. He is author of "Insight Philadelphia," published by Rutgers University Press. He can be reached at kfinkel@temple.edu. Pennsylvanians frustrated with a state legislature so dysfunctional it can't pass a bill that would lock guns away from kids but denied voters a chance to control who represents them can send a powerful message this November. They can run for office. Aug. 1 is the deadline for independent candidates to file nominating petitions, and there are plenty of important issues to campaign on. Surely, the legislature can use some new blood, especially since both political parties failed to make progress on significant issues before the session's break. They didn't pass bills to stop violent domestic abusers from having easy access to their guns. When it came to school funding, they added money but didn't fix historic inequities. They may brag, on the campaign trail, that they didn't raise taxes this year, but they didn't fix them either. Property owners continue to pick up an increasing share of the state's responsibility to fund education. But legislators' most egregious antics came as both Republicans, who control the legislature, and Democrats slow-walked redistricting reform until the clock ran out. In the final days, both parties larded up redistricting bills with so many amendments, the bills were impossible to pass. The deadline for putting a constitutional question on the ballot passed July 6. Voters who care about any of those issues as well as the environment, health-care reform, poverty and more should think about running for office. It's a great way to participate in democracy from the front lines. Those unable to run should consider supporting an independent. All 203 House seats and half of the 50 Senate seats are up for election as is the governor and lieutenant governor. Earlier this year, the state settled a lawsuit, the outcome of which reduced the number of required signatures for independent or third-party candidates to get on the ballot for statewide offices. That can be 300 to 712 signatures from registered voters residing in a district for a state House seat and 734 to 1,561 for a state Senate seat. For the executive-minded, the governor's job requires 5,000 signatures and lieutenant governor, 2,500. Some of these seats might even be an easy win Democratic Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, of West Philadelphia, is facing trial on corruption charges and doesn't have an opponent. An independent candidate could ask: How can Brown possibly give her full attention to her responsibilities in the Statehouse when she's fighting for her freedom in the courthouse? Philadelphia Democratic Sens. Christine Tartaglione and Anthony Williams are running unopposed. If Republicans are too weak to give voters a choice, an independent should go for it. Voter interest in public policy has increased since President Trump's election, with scores of well-attended protests across Pennsylvania for everything from the civil rights of minorities and women to the right not to be shot in school or on the street. With so much energy in the electorate, maybe this could be the year of the independent. There's one way to find out. KAMPALA A group of Members of Parliament on Thursday kick started what they described as a campaign to block the reappointment of Justine Bagyenda to the Board of the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA). On May 7, Minister Matia Kasaija wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, indicating that Bagyenda, who was in February sacked as director for supervision at Bank of Uganda (BoU), is being re-appointed to the board of FIA, which is currently investigating her following revelations that she had stashed billions on bank accounts. And now Kasambya County MP Louis Mbwatekamwa Gaffa, Manjiya Countys John Baptist Nambeshe and Ngora County MP David Abala have vowed to pressure Parliaments Appointments Committee to block Bagyendas reappointment. This is the board that is meant to oversee and control money laundering; it becomes a challenge, where person under investigation on money laundering is made a member, said Abala. Mr Mbwantekamwa questioned how Bagyenda, a supervisor of commercial banks, became a billionaire in such as short a time. We are here to appeal to members of the appointments committee that we are not going to accept this; Ugandans are watching and the population is becoming poorer, every other day, said Mbwatekamwa. Nambeshe said, You cannot confirm the appointment of Justine Bagyenda who has acquired wealth prematurely and we condemn her reappointment in the strongest terms possible and we call on the speaker to hear the cries of Ugandans because she will import her corruption tendencies to the Financial Intelligence Authority. Abala said, She does not qualify to be reappointed to that committee and she is a Christian and according to the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible it states, thee shall not steal and if she is a real Christian, she should tell us where she got the money and I call upon the powers in Parliament to block her from appearing before the appointments committee. According to Public Service standing orders, any officer of government under-interdiction is not fit for appointment for any other position until he or she is cleared. The move comes a day after a youth advocacy group asked Parliament to prevail on Finance Minister Matia Kasaija over his reappointment of Bagyenda. In a July 23 letter to Mr Abdu Katuntu, the chairman of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), Youth Power Research Uganda, said the committee is mandated to monitor the operations of government agencies and that Mr Kasaija should be summoned to explain the circumstances under which he reappointed Bagyenda to FIA, the same agency that is investigating her over allegations of money laundering. We, therefore, appeal to COSASE to summon the Finance Ministry, which is the line Ministry, to explain the circumstances which led to the appointment of a person to the board of an organization which is supposed to investigate her, which can jeopardize fair findings of a comprehensive investigations report as a result of conflict of interest. We appeal to COSASE to summon Hon Kasaija to apologise to apologise to investors for obstructing justice. It should be remembered that H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museven has often ridiculed government workers who suffocate government processes. In the petition, the youth also claim that the accumulation of wealth by Bagyenda led to the closure of three commercial banks, including Crane Bank. The same youth advocacy group in May petitioned Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda over what it perceived as failure by FIA to investigate Bagyendas source of wealth. A section of MPs have already drafted a motion that seeks to compel Parliament to set up a Select Committee to investigate the operations of Bank of Uganda and Bagyendas role in the closure of Crane Bank and it is already on the Order Paper. The Inspector General of Government (IGG) is also conducting a parallel investigation on Bagyenda over allegations of illicit accumulation of wealth. Following March reports that Bagyenda had Shs19 billion on three different accounts, which sparked a public debate on how she accumulated such amount of money within six years, a whistle blower petitioned FIA, demanding that Bagyenda be investigated. Whereas FIA executive director Sydney Asubo in March told journalists that the authority had opened inquiries into the matter, no report is yet to be produced. It was reported that she had Shs19billion on three different accounts, which sparked a public debate on how she accumulated such amount of money within six years. Barclays Bank Uganda and Diamond Trust Bank later apologized to her for exposing her accounts details in the media. Leaked Mobile Money transactions from her MTN account showed Ms Bagyenda had transacted a whopping Shs499,428,906 million in three years. MTN also apologised to Ms Bagyenda for the inconveniences, and assured the public that all confidential customer information is handled and protected with the highest duty of care and integrity. Related The Lone Survivor Foundation restores, empowers, and renews hope for our wounded service members and their families through health, wellness, and therapeutic support. Many may recognize the name "Lone Survivor" from the 2007 New York Times best-selling book telling the story of Marcus Luttrell's experience in Afghanistan during "Operation Redwing." Luttrell's own experience of recovery after that event is what inspired him to create the Lone Survivor Foundation. Luttrell wanted the foundation to be a means of providing more options of care for both physically and mentally wounded veteran from all eras. I first heard about the foundation through a friend who thought I might be interested in volunteering by doing wilderness events. I made contact with Morgan Sierrathe face of the Lone Survivor Foundation in Fayetteville, NCnear Fort Bragg. She was conducting an informational event at a local business to put people in touch with the organization. I met her that evening and identified myself as a veteran, local law enforcement officer, and the owner of a small wilderness activities company. I explained to her my interest in assisting the organization as best I could. I wanted to volunteer and assist our country's service members. I soon received a phone call from Mrs. Sierra, who asked me if I would be interested in attending a retreat in Texas for veterans who are now active law enforcement. I was interested in attending but honestly, I did not think that I deserved to attend a retreat as my military service had been during a time of conflict but it had not been in a combat zone. I spent the next few days thinking it over and with the help of a friendwho is the executive director of a local rape crisis non-profitI made my decision to attend. I really could not endorse the organization without knowing what kind of treatment they were providing. My friend, the executive director, also wanted to know about the retreat's activities from a person not connected to the organization who would attend and vet the organization and process before recommending military sexual trauma victims to attend. But in reality, I was needing a helping hand as the last 18 years of law enforcement has been a rough road. I've been through what most law enforcement officers have experienced. The critical incidents layered one on top of the other for so many years made me angry, self-destructive, and cynical. I was suffering from depression and was spiraling down the drain as it came to my career. I was cautious and unwilling to outright ask for help. If an agency feels you may be slipping, their action in most cases is to suspend you from the job, isolate you, threatening your livelihood and sending you deeper down that spiral. All of the above, either individually or collectively, may bring you to the edge of making a permanent solution to a temporary problem. As we know, too many of our brothers and sisters who wear the badge have already made that decision. During July of 2018, I was able to attend the Lone Survivor Foundation's Law Enforcement Officer Retreat for veterans at Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas. The foundation paid for the flight from Raleigh, NC, to Houston, TX. The Lone Survivor Foundation handled all expensesall I had to do was make the time to attend and get on the flight. My first impression of the staff was that they were friendly and caring. The ride was about an hour and a half to catch a ferry from Galveston to the peninsula. The ferry ride had dolphins swimming and jumping next to the boat on a perfect coastal day. As apprehensive as I was, the ride and surroundings had already begun to relax me. I arrived at the private retreat facility and looked out from the balcony and I could see the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The facility looked like a vacation home. Once all the participants had arrived we met for introductions and an overview of what to expect during the weekend. The staff made it clear that this weekend was not a recreational weekend as the days would be filled with opportunities to work on problems that you as an individual were dealing with. We were told that we didn't have to do any activity or treatment that made us uncomfortable. Once the briefing was over it was dinner time. The food was incrediblethis is not a retreat where you will lose weight. With our bellies stuffed, the rest of the night was ours and we were free to walk to the beach or unwind in our individual rooms. We all gathered by the firepit later that evening for a relaxing conversation. What impressed me the most that night was that the therapists who we would be working with us sat and participated in the conversations without judgment. I was expecting the staff to disconnect themselves from the group once the official activities had ended. Instead they hung out and a bond of friendship soon began to develop. Friday morning began with an early yoga session. Only four of the seven participated in the session. We followed our therapeutic yoga instructor lead on the upper deck of the house overlooking the gulf. It was picturesque, as the morning sun shined on us. Thirty minutes later it was breakfast time. We all sat at a large table, staff included, and had breakfast. We were then off to our first group educational session, which lasted an hour or so. We discussed post traumatic growth, chronic pain, and coping skills for everyday life. The session was educational and informative. But, as with all training, you have to be willing to have an open mind and accept the information being given. I was willing to do just that, sharing my actual thoughts as no one associated with my agency was listening. We then broke down into two groups of three and four and began our next sessions. One group did trauma-informed yoga while the other conducted Equine Assisted Learning using the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association method. My group began with Yoga aimed at assisting in coping with stress and physical pain. The sessions were not your typical yoga experience. There was no chanting, bell ringing, or "Namaste" that turns most "Type A" personalities off. The session provided information and techniques to assist in elevating chronic pain and breathing practices to reduce stress. Most of us experience those typical aging pains that are magnified by spending extended time sitting in a patrol car or at a desk. Next we were off to the horse arena to conduct our Equine Assisted Learning. It began with education on horses and how they are intuitive and mirror our own emotions and reactions. I unfortunately did not get as much of a benefit from the EAL as I have had horses and cattle in my life previously. But it was still an educational experience that I enjoyed because I was interacting with the horses, which I no longer am able to regularly be around. Back to the facility we went and enjoyed our second outstanding meal of the day. Comforted by food, we began our individual sessions. Mine began with Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an eye-movement counseling that works to stop distressful images from continuously running through your thoughts. I shared my experience of a shooting I had recently been involved in. I felt betrayed by my agency in the aftermath. The anger I felt fueled my depression and gave me a toxic personality to be around. The ART session was successful for me as I was able to isolate what was the major contributor to my depression. The next individual session was Neurofeedback. This is an advanced form of biofeedback using electroencephalography technology to measure brain activity through a non-invasive technique. The provider explained to me about my brainwave patterns and how to train our brains to function in a healthier state. Finishing out our first day was information on the Alpha-Stim, a cranial electrotherapy stimulation device that is used to treat depression, insomnia, anxiety, and pain. We each had been given an opportunity to use the device and information on how to obtain a device of our own through the Veterans Administration. Each day continued with more of the same treatments, from yoga in the morning to ending with light social conversations around the firepit. I found myself relaxed and I had created a bond with the other participants and the staff who worked with us. By the time I left the retreat I was a hundred times better than when I arrived. I was given the knowledge and tools to assist me in coping with the stresses of day-to-day work. My depression and anger toward my agency had dissipated though understanding. I have come to terms with my perceived betrayal and understand that it was only damaging me in the end. I was restored with a new feeling of hope. If you feelas I hadthat you need a hand up, please reach out to the Lone Survivor Foundationyou will not regret it. If you know someone who needs help, reach out to them and tell them about the Foundation. The story of my experience is only one of many. The information you will provide to the foundation is completely confidential and your agency does not have to know you are seeking assistance. Reaching out for assistance is OKyou are stronger for doing so. Embed from Getty Images The president of the Portland Police Association recently slammed the city's mayor for his response to the homelessness crisis, calling the City of Roses a "cesspool." Portland Officer Daryl Turner who has been a police officer for 27 years wrote: "Aggressive panhandlers block the sidewalks, storefronts, and landmarks like Pioneer Square, discouraging people from enjoying our City. Garbage-filled RVs and vehicles are strewn throughout our neighborhoods. Used needles, drug paraphernalia, and trash are common sights lining the streets and sidewalks of the downtown core area, under our bridges, and freeway overpasses. Thats not what our families, business owners, and tourists deserve." Other cities have similar problems. San Francisco where I live and work is one of the worst cities in America for chronic homelessness, so I routinely bear witness to the "cesspool" of which Turner writes. As with so many things, in the fight against homelessness, police have been thrust onto the front lines of a war they are ill-equipped to win. Police in America need help in solving the homeless problem. Sadly, in most places, the help they need is not forthcoming, or when help is there, it's not effective enough. That needs to change. A Massive Problem U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that there are more than 553,000 homeless people nationwide, according to data collected in 2017. California alone has an estimated 134,000 homeless individuals. Clearly, this is a massive problem. What can be done? Homelessness in and of itself is not a crime, but a lot of things that go along with it are crimes, and citizens rightly want those crimes taking place on the sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses to stop. Most citizen calls for service regarding the homeless are for low-level crimes such as littering, public urination / defecation, panhandling, public drunkenness, and so on. But many arrests are for more serious matters, such as assault, battery, robbery, car break-ins, illegal drug use, and other offenses. The trouble is, even for those more serious crimes, the offenders are highly likely to be back out on the street in days (if not hours) of being taken into custody. The whole process begins anew, with nothing really being resolved. We cannot fix the problem of homelessness through enforcement actions alone. Police are the people being called to deal with the issue at a street level, but they are not the people who have the capabilities to address the root causes of chronic homelessness the two most common being mental health issues and substance abuse. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, approximately 30% of people experiencing chronic homelessness have a serious mental illness, and around two-thirds have a primary substance use disorder or other chronic health condition. Officers should be equipped with ways to connect any given homeless individual on any given call for service with the resources that can best address that person's need. People with mental health issues could then be connected with available health care services. People with drug problems could then be connected with available rehabilitation centers. You get the idea. Here's the rub. It is those providers who should be actively reaching out to law enforcement to let them know what they offer cops are great at divining truth amid a murky morass of lies, but they cannot inherently know that the building down on 3rd and Main has a clinic offering mental health counseling to underprivileged individuals. The nonprofit and faith-based agencies that provide services such as family reunification, drug detoxification, family counseling, job training, veterans' services, and mental health counseling have to be better partners to police. They should proactively reach out to police and explain in full what they provide. Those services should be well known to police. In some places these partnerships are more successful, in part because they have been formalized and codified into organizations like Homeless Outreach Teams, comprised of representatives from myriad stakeholders. These organizations are like an army, with the social services equivalents of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Macro, Not Micro I concede that not everybody wants to be helped. Some people are perfectly content to live under a tarp under the freeway overpass, or in one of the "Tent Cities" cropping up in places like Los Angeles' so-called Skid Row, or the abovementioned Portland or San Francisco. Some homeless are "travelers" kids in their 20s drifting aimlessly from city to city. Those people will continue to primarily be the police officer's problem. But I would suggest that many homeless people would accept some form of help. For example, earlier this week, an officer in Tallahassee (FL) helped shave a homeless man's beard so the man could apply for a job at a local McDonald's restaurant. The moment was captured on cell phone video, and posted to Facebook. On a micro level, this single interaction may make a big difference in the life of that one man. That may have been is turning point to a better future. And it was certainly wonderful to know that millions of people across the country got to see the kind of compassion that police officers demonstrate every day in America. But we need to address the homelessness problem from a macro level, not a micro level. For that, we need more than an individual cop's kindness. We need an army. The Oregon Board of Public Safety Standards and Training voted 14-to-4 to revoke former Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea's police certification for 10 years for dishonesty. City investigators allege that O'Dea misled investigators about his 2016 off-duty shooting of a friend. The administrative investigation by Portland's Independent Review office "found that O'Dea delayed reporting the shooting and then lied to investigators about the shooting while he was still chief," said a report on OregonLive.com. In April, the same body refused to accept an earlier recommendation from its police policy committee to leave O'Dea's certification alone. In a prepared statement, the board said that "O'Dea's conduct impacts his ability to be employed as a public safety professional because it violates the Code of Ethics, sworn and affirmed by him, to safeguard lives and property; to protect all persons against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder.'' O'Dea retired in June 2016 while he was under criminal investigation for the shooting. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has launched a comprehensive inquiry into secret deputy cliques and is looking into whether gangs that condone illicit behavior are operating within his ranks, he said Thursday. McDonnells announcement at a meeting of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission comes two weeks after allegations surfaced that as many as 20 deputies at the Compton Station have matching tattoos featuring a skeleton holding a rifle, reports the Los Angeles Times. A Compton deputy recently admitted under oath that he was inked with the skull logo in June 2016, about two months before he was involved in a fatal shooting, the Times reported. McDonnell, who was elected in 2014 on a promise to reform a corrupt agency, said he is partnering with the Sheriffs Inspector General and county counsel to study why the groups form, whether they are exclusive, if members are required to act a certain way, and if they endorse bad behavior. BANGALORE, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Customized Printing and Publishing services for connoisseurs of quality Art 64Arts.in, a well-known brand name among art collectors, art lovers and souvenir fanatics has been in the Fine Art Prints business since 2008 has collaborated with Art Savoir, an Indian Luxury Printing and Publishing company in 2017 to form a single art and printing company in Bangalore. Their sister concern Paper Surf has launched its own brand of original, creative and unique gift wrapping paper for luxury brands in 2017. This art and printing collaboration of Art Savoir and Paper Surf is designed to indulge new home owners, art collectors, art lovers and souvenir fanatics with their exclusive customized services utilizing state-of-the-art superior printing technology. Art and design and printing and publishing are two sides of the same coin and both these companies are the brain child of a single art revolution. From printing and selling original museum quality fine art on imported canvas from the likes of Indian artists like Raja Ravi Varma and internationally renowned masters like Gustav Klimt, Monet to name a few, Art Savoir's in-house design and print team is also involved in finessed fine art photography and design of eclectic picture postcards, interior design panels, wooden panels along with interior and exterior advertising boards and signs. The museum quality art prints are a guaranteed hit with art aficionados as the former give one's home or workplace a sophisticated charm and panache. This is ensured by the use of pioneering German technology that matches the colours of the original painting. The final protective coat over the prints, warrants the art form's longevity. Ms. Lakshmi, the CEO of Art Savoir and Paper Surf quipped, "Owning a Renoir or Sisley or a Van Gogh is no longer a distant dream!" On the other hand, basking in the success of its gift wrap collection, Paper Surf has launched yet another innovation. It opened its printing technology of German precision to individual tastes and preferences. It has begun offering printing of artworks such as trademark, motifs, logos, tag lines and personalized messages on gift wrapping paper. The innovative approach uses novel printing technology to transfer any artwork on to gift wrapping paper allowing unique personalized gift wrapping for the client. The company promises a hitherto unavailable service of customizing gift wrappers to enhance the sentiments expressed in the concept of gifting - to both sender and receiver. Speaking about the creative gift wrapping paper, Ms. Lakshmi, the CEO of Paper Surf said, "We take pride in our innovative printing technology that allows people to express themselves through the medium of gift wrappers in a uniquely personalized way that conveys the true feelings of the sender better than just an ordinary gift wrapping paper. Customers can stamp their unique signature on gift wrappers that will enthral the receiver." About Art Savoir Art Savoir isn't just your run of the mill luxury printing and publications house but is the quintessential art aficionado of the great masters of art. Its cutting edge printing technology brings alive such masters as Vermeer, Manet and Raja Ravi Varma in its prints capturing every nuance, color, shade and brush stroke. This exclusive in-house company is also celebrated for its diverse roles as an Advertising Media House and an Art and Design Company. While the 'Krishna Series' in the form of Kerala Mural Art portrays a blend of aesthetics and spirituality, Raja Ravi Varma's artwork depicting Hindu deities spells a mystical charm. The company also deals in international artworks of different art genres that revolve around Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism styles of art to name a few most notably through the works of Gaugin, Kandinsky, Picasso, Margritte and more. Sundry artforms with Neoclassicism, Futurism, Romanticism and High Renaissance influences are also available to order. Printing services are provided on a host of materials including but not limited to imported canvas, ACP sheet, wood or MDF, Eco panel sheet, acrylic sheet and many more, thus spanning usages in indoor/outdoor advertising, interior designing, hoarding, sign boards etc. For more information, visit http://www.artsavoir.in . About Paper Surf Paper Surf, a Printing and Publishing Company in Bangalore, gives a new meaning to gift wrapping paper by using its cutting edge printing technology to offer a myriad of choices of gift wrappers to customers. Paper Surf put this innovation to work to transform the ostensibly routine and sometimes mundane task of printing gift wrapping paper. Drawing on the larger canvas of art and architecture for its design and motifs, Paper Surf uses its trademark style and approach to create incredible designs incorporating traditional and non-traditional, modern and contemporary designs that include mosaics, floral motifs, patterns and abstracts. Gift wrappers are available for various occasions with exquisite combinations of colors, designs and papers. Not resting on the laurels earned on the success of its gift wrapper series, Paper Surf achieves a level of printing unseen so far in Indian book publishing history. Art, lifestyle and coffee table books warm the cockles of discerning art connoisseurs with the excellence of printing. Paper Surf's children's books evoke awe and shrieks from children when they feel the power of its printing - especially the ferocious animals. Paper Surf's dairies and notebooks depict an ingenuity that makes customers preserve them for eternity. Paper Surf's offer of products is impressive with a wide range of products for companies and individuals alike. Its display graphics for commercial advertising banners and hoardings bring alive the photographer or artist's creations giving them a surreal feel and visual treat for people viewing the banners and hoardings. It offers a whole range of personalized stationery. In taking the quality of its printing to all types of customers, Paper Surf offers a range of printing options for products such as vintage souvenir bags, retail merchandise, luxury packaging, catalogues, flyers, leaflets, invitations, tickets and menu cards. Customers can opt for quality printing on posters, postcards, fine art prints and innovative labels. Paper Surf believes that quality of paper plays an important role in enhancing the quality of printing. Thus, it can advise customers on the paper type to give the best results for them. The company offers its products and services through its modern and contemporary store located in the heart of Malleswaram in Bangalore. The company runs a responsive and easily navigable online store under the URL: https://www.papersurf.in to customers throughout the country. For more information, visit http://www.papersurf.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperSurfIndia/ ;https://www.facebook.com/artsavoir.in/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/papersurf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paper_surf/ Media Contact : Lakshmi. S [email protected] [email protected] +91-9916600908 CEO, Art Savoir & Paper Surf SOURCE Art Savoir & Paper Surf SHANGHAI, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 10th meeting of BRICS leaders being held in South Africa, good news is coming about BRICS countries strengthening financial collaboration. UnionPay International signed a cooperation agreement with Standard Bank (SBSA), the largest bank in Africa, to jointly issue the first local UnionPay card in South Africa, and to enable UnionPay online acceptance at key ecommerce including the local hotel groups and airlines, supporting personnel exchanges between China and South Africa. The aforementioned is an epitome of the rapid progress UnionPay is making in BRICS countries. So far, UnionPay has reached about 100% acceptance in South Africa and Russia, and is accepted at all the ATMs and about half of merchants in India, as well as 70% of merchants in Brazil. Based on its acceptance, UnionPay International is promoting the issuance of UnionPay cards and its innovative products in these countries, supporting the payment interconnection of BRICS. UnionPay expands acceptance to facilitate personnel exchanges In recent years, economic, trade and tourism cooperation between China and other BRICS countries continue to deepen. In the first half of 2018, China's imports from and exports to Russia and Brazil grew by 16% and 15.4% respectively, and the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Africa and Russia is growing rapidly. With this trend, UnionPay International continues to expand its acceptance network in BRICS, bringing payment convenience for Chinese people visiting these countries. In India, for instance, UnionPay International achieved acceptance breakthrough through collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) last year. So far, UnionPay cards are accepted at local hotels, brand stores, airport duty-free shops, etc. It is expected that UnionPay will reach 100% acceptance in the top ten cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa by the end of this year. And by the middle of 2019, UnionPay will be accepted at 80% of POS terminals across India. Since this year, the transaction made with mainland-issued UnionPay cards in India has grown by over 90% year-on-year. Based on its expanding acceptance network, UnionPay International is accelerating its business localization in BRICS. This year, UnionPay chip cards are newly issued by Golden Crown Group and Oriental Express Bank in Russia. A total of 1.5 million UnionPay cards have been issued by 10 local banks so far. UnionPay International has also reached card issuing cooperation with the Russian National Payment Card Corporation (NSPK), which enabled the MIR card, originally available only in Russia, to be used in 170 countries and regions where UnionPay is accepted. UnionPay promotes innovative products to support smooth trade "Paying with UnionPay mobile QuickPass, I took the Moscow Aeroexpress for only 1 ruble, while the regular ticket price is 500 rubles," a Chinese blogger, Qiao Ke, shared on his Weibo his experience in Moscow in early July. The promotion and rollout of the UnionPay innovative products and services in BRICS countries is expected to be a driving force for payment interconnection and upgrading in the second "Golden Decade" of BRICS. To date, UnionPay mobile payment is available at one million POS terminals in Russia, accounting for 80% of the POS terminals accepting UnionPay. In September this year, Rosselkhozbank and Gazprom will launch UnionPay mobile QuickPass for local customers to meet the diverse payment needs of Russian customers. This year, UnionPay mobile QuickPass and UnionPay Online Payment will be launched in India. In addition, UnionPay Cross-border B2B Payment Service Platform is playing an increasingly important role in facilitating cross-border trade among BRICS countries. The platform is built to meet the demands of import and export enterprises such as global cross-border e-commerce companies and traditional trade companies, providing a range of services such as cross-border online payment, online payment collection, online foreign currency settlement and E-invoice order management. Since Cemarket, a mechanical and electrical products export platform in China, is connected to the UnionPay Cross-border B2B Platform, the number of orders and transaction volume from markets like Russia have increased significantly. www.ca-b2b.com, a large-scale China-Africa cross-border B2B e-commerce has also connected to the UnionPay platform, making it much easier for South African businesses to purchase goods from China. SOURCE UnionPay International If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here NEWSALERT-SUDAN-COUP-PM Military official: Detained Sudan Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, wife were allowed to return to their home in Khartoum. (AP)Military official: Detained Sudan Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, wife were allowed to return to their home in Khartoum. (AP) Moscow court releases defendant in major fraud case related to Defense Ministry RIA Novosti, Anton Denisov 11:59 27/07/2018 MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI) The Tverskoy District Court of Moscow has ruled to release from prison the former head of the Security and ommunications company Andrey Lugansky, a defendant in a case over crimes committed in Russian Ministry of Defense's utility company Slavyanka, a RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom. The courts decision is based on some recent amendments to the Russian legislation on pre-trial detention envisaging certain changes in the rules governing the set-off of the time spent in detention with respect to the calculation of prison terms. In this case, Luganskys term was recalculated on the basis of each day spent in detention being counted as 1.5 days he was in a penal colony. Earlier, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow refused to grant a parole request for the former Slavyanka head. The court granted a motion of the Defense Ministry, which runs Slavyanka, to deny the release of the defendant on parole. In 2016, Lugansky was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony for fraud on especially large scale. Embezzlement in the company came to light in relation to the 2012 investigation into Oboronservis, which revealed fraudulent activities carried out in the course of deals involving real estate, land and shares in Oboronservis. Totally, five criminal cases over damages exceeding 3 billion rubles ($48 million) were initiated as concerned this Defense Ministry company. No key figures of these cases have pleaded guilty. Seven members of Ingushetias law enforcement officers found guilty in torture case RIA Novosti, Igor Zarembo 15:59 27/07/2018 MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI) The Nalchik Garrison Military Court has sentenced seven employees of the Center for Counteracting Extremism (Center E) of the Interior Ministrys Directorate for the Republic of Ingushetia as well as regional Federal Security Service (FSB) directorate, to prison terms for a range of crimes, lawyer Andrey Sabinin has told RAPSI. The law enforcement officers, depending on their individual actions, were earlier charged with murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, theft of documents, forging of documents, and abuse of office using violence leading to grave consequences. According to investigators, the law enforcement officers used violence against a cashier of a bank and his wife, demanding their victims to confess to organizing and committing a robbery of Rosselkhozbank regional branch in Ingushetia. Investigators found that the victims were harshly beaten with the cashier being at one point asphyxiated, resulting in his death. Investigators believe that the criminals were responsible for numerous other crimes. The court sentenced the former head of the Centers regional directorate Timur Khamkhoyev to 7 years in a regular penal colony. The Centers employee Alikhan Bekoyev was sentenced to 10 years in a high security penal colony, while his former colleague Andrey Beznosyuk received a 6-year prison term. Yet another officer of the Center Isa Aspiyev was sentenced to 5.5 years in jail. Ex-FSB employee Mustaf Tsaroyev was sentenced to 5 years in a regular penal colony. Ex-head of a local police station received a 3-year prison term. A former deputy head of the Centers directorate Sergey Khandogin received a 3-year suspended sentence. Seventh defendant in Yaroslavl prison torture case put under house arrest Fotolia/ Africa Studio 17:11 27/07/2018 MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI) The Zavolzhsky District Court of the city of Yaroslavl has put under house arrest deputy head of the correctional department of the Yaroslavl Penal Colony One, Ivan Kalashnikov, seventh defendant in the criminal case over beating and torture of an inmate, the press-service of the court has stated. Earlier, the court has detained six defendants in the case over an abuse of office involving use of violence case, which is being investigated by the main directorate of the Investigative Committee. The crime may be punished by a prison term of up to 10 years. Earlier, Novaya Gazeta newspaper published a video showing an inmate being tortured by some persons wearing grey camouflage uniforms. Later, it was revealed that the victim in the video had been identified as Yevgeny Makarov, who is serving his term in the Yaroslavl penal colony. The video was filmed by one of the staff members according to lawyers representing Makarov. Irina Biryukova, the inmates attorney, who handed the footage to the media, has asked the Federal Chamber of Attorneys to ensure her safety because of threats from the prison staff. She also announced that she was leaving Russia. The Chairman of the Presidential Council for Human Rights Mikhail Fedotov visited the penal colony on July 23. The Council filed its reports to the Investigative Committee and the General Prosecutors Office. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate Apply the insurgent tests on what Ambani, Ramdev and Agarwal have done of late, and you will start seeing the similarities rather than obvious differences of industry, upbringing or social station, says Shailesh Dobhal. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com What do the countrys richest man Mukesh Ambani, yoga guru-turned-ayurvedic products seller Baba Ramdev and 20-something hotel rooms aggregator Ritesh Agarwal have in common? Chalk and cheese, did you say? Right and wrong. Read on. A recent in-depth report by management consultant Bain & Company on an exhaustive brand research it conducted in the United States -- How Insurgent Brands Are Rewriting the Growth Playbook -- got me thinking on the Indian market. Bain defines an insurgent brand as one that in relatively short time has captured a disproportionate share of growth and, in some cases, radically disrupting profit pools. It lists a host of American consumer products brands that have earned the moniker -- from mens razor Dollar Shave Club, e.l.f. Cosmetics to yoghurt brand Chobani. It is not so much market share capture -- though in some cases that too has happened like in the case of Chobani which has a fifth of the market in less than a decade -- that defines insurgents. It is more about what Bain calls a founder's mentality -- an insurgent mission, a frontline obsession and an owner mindset -- that ensures these brands meet consumers changing needs at an increasingly low cost and fast pace. These brands have a clear vision and almost an entrepreneurial mission, according to Bain. Though the Bain study was restricted to the American market, and specifically to consumer goods such as soaps, shampoos and the like, the parallel holds for any industry or market. It is also important to distinguish insurgents from challenger brands which are aplenty. Whilst the former works on unmet consumer needs, the latter -- much like what Pepsi was to Coke -- harps on being the other and grab territory from the incumbent leader. Apply all the above insurgent tests on what Ambani, Ramdev and Agarwal have done of late, and you will start seeing the similarities rather than obvious differences of industry, upbringing or social station. Ambanis bold Rs 2 trillion gambit with telecom service Jio has homed in on Indians unmet need for cheap and fast data; ditto for Ramdev who saw the urge to stay close to nature with everything from face creams to flour. And Oyos Agarwal tapped into the burgeoning travel lust among ordinary Indians, throwing in the comfort and surety a brand provides in a market with highly erratic rooms, quality and price. The Bain report also makes a point on why insurgent brands have succeeded at this point: A number of well-known factors have paved the way for insurgents. Digital technology, contract manufacturing and a ready pool of venture capital have lowered the barriers to entry. Think Jio (digital tech in IP-based telecom infrastructure), Patanjali (contract manufacturing) and Oyo (dollops of venture funding, total $473 million so far). And boy, are they successful! Ambanis Jio accounts for close to a fifth of the market in less than two years of launch, with incumbents bleeding and forced to change their voice-driven business models. And after the onslaught in the mobile data, Jio promises to upend the home-and-office broadband market with the launch of its GigaFibre service. Ramdev single-handedly made the biggest players in the Rs 2 trillion Indian consumer expendables space recognise the huge potential of natural and ayurvedic-led products, and though Patanjali has slowed down of late, Ramdev created a Rs 1,000 crore firm from nowhere in the last six-seven years. And Oyo was the first to brace the 100,000 rooms mark in the Indian hospitality market recently, just five years from its inception in 2013 and expanded to Malaysia, Nepal and China. The study also found that most GM foods did not disclose the fact on the label. A few also made false claims of being GM-free, the study by CSE said. Despite a wide ban on its production, genetically modified food may have become an inherent part of the Indian platter, a recent study by research and advocacy body Centre for Science and Environment has revealed. The study has found a wide presence of genetically modified ingredients in packaged food items sold in India. Edible oils, processed and packaged food and infant food items -- produced locally and those imported -- were found to contain genetically modified ingredients. While 32 per cent samples tested GM-positive, the rate went up sharply to 80 per cent for imported products. Also, 21 of 65 items tested had GM ingredients in them and 18 of them were imported. The study also found that most GM foods did not disclose the fact on the label. A few also made false claims of being GM-free, it said. Nearly 65 per cent of the samples that were found GM-positive did not disclose its genetically modified ingredients. Among popular food companies, Abbott and General Mills were found to be marketing GM foods. Two products by Abbott Laboratories, the American healthcare company, were found to be GM-positive. While one was for lactose-intolerant infants, the other was a hypoallergenic product. Both products were without any warning about their GM nature. Imported packed food items such as crispy corn snacks and corn puffs -- distributed by General Mills Inc, USA -- are GM-positive. All five GM-positive items, which had local origins, belonged to cotton seed oil brands such as Ankur, Ginni, Tirupati and Vimal. Most of the imported items were produced in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the UAE. While the CSE study was done based on tests conducted on samples from the National Capital Region, Punjab and Gujarat, experts said GM food items could be easily found in other parts of the country too. A GM crop is developed through inserting the DNA of another creature into the targeted plants DNA for the purpose of enhancing its productivity and/or increase its immune power. Apart from import of GM seeds and production of such food items, research and development of GM crops is also banned in India. Currently, the Environment Protection Act strictly prohibits import, export, transport, manufacture, process, use or sale of any genetically engineered organisms except with the approval of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee under the ministry of environment, forests and climate change. We were shocked to know the scale in which GM foods have penetrated the Indian market. The regulatory authorities are to blame here -- the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has not allowed any GM food on paper, but has failed to curb its illegal sales, said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, CSE. However, according to Pawan Agarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI, sales or imports of GM positive food items are not illegal in the country. The FSSAIs job is to ensure safe food to Indian consumers. Currently, there are no laws under our purview that prohibits use of GM ingredients in packaged food, he said. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters. Arsh Ali's work is about getting reliable evidence about the ancient Buddhist link between India and Egypt, discovers Veenu Sandhu. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com In April, Saqqara, an ancient burial ground in Egypt, had an unusual visitor: A young man who had come not to admire the famous step pyramid of Djoser but to unravel a mystery engraved on a particular tombstone. All of 17, he had travelled from Lucknow in search of a tombstone which he well knew no longer existed. But he also knew that even the original location of a lost piece of antiquity can reveal things. At least to an archaeologist. And that's what this young man is -- India's youngest archaeologist, Arsh Ali. Arsh's visit to Saqqara and, in fact, to several other places in Egypt, was another step towards seeking evidence of a historical connection that he is becoming increasingly convinced existed during the reign of one of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka. Arsh says he is discovering growing evidence that Ashoka sent Buddhism to Egypt during his time (268-232 BCE). While it is well established that the Mauryan emperor was instrumental in spreading Buddhism to Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka, the idea that he directed it even towards the Mediterranean is unique. Evidence of this has remained hidden and scattered in libraries and Buddhist sites in India but no one seemed to have made a correlation between what lies here and what exists in Egypt. Arsh could, for various reasons. He has been studying the Ancient Egyptian and Indian cultures, simultaneously, from a very early age. He knows Sanskrit, Brahmi (the script in which the Ashokan inscriptions are written), the Vedas, Ancient Egyptian history as also hieroglyphics (the Ancient Egyptian writing system). So strong is his hold of these scripts that he is currently translating the Vedas from Sanskrit to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Last month, Arsh delivered a lecture on 'Egyptian Buddhism' as part of the exhibition, India and the World: A History in Nine Stories, at the National Museum in New Delhi. Among the other speakers at the exhibition organised in collaboration with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, and the British Museum, London, have been historians Nayanjot Lahiri (the award-winning author of Ashoka in Ancient India) and Upinder Singh, art historians B N Goswamy and Naman Ahuja, and the British Museum's head of research, J D Hill. That a young Class 12 student should be one of the speakers in this space occupied by such authorities might seem curious -- even incredible. But those who know Arsh's work and have facilitated his research explain why it isn't. "He is a genius," says B R Mani, director general of the National Museum. "He has been giving lectures on archaeology to MA students." Mani says Arsh's topic, Buddhism in Egypt, related to the pre-Ashokan, Ashokan and post-Ashokan eras, is unique and that nobody in India has ever worked on it or interpreted its existing indications. Mani was the one who had issued a letter from the National Museum to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to allow Arsh unhindered access to the books and antiquities during his visit. Among others who have helped him is Syed Jamal Hasan, former director of excavations and exploration at the Archaeological Survey of India. He allowed Arsh access and permission to work at various excavation and exploration sites in India. Arsh has since worked at early historical sites such as Sinauli and Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh, Rakhigarhi in Haryana and Binjor in Rajasthan. Arsh was born in Allahabad to a Muslim father and a Sikh mother, who converted after marriage but stayed connected with her roots in Amritsar in Punjab. He grew up in an environment where his mother had a sound understanding of two religions, two cultures and two languages. Neither was forced on Arsh. The two existed in his world naturally. What his parents, Faisal and Fatima, however, stayed tuned to was his interests, the first signs of which he displayed when they were returning after visiting the Pashupatinath temple and the Ashokan stupas in Nepal. Arsh was three and a half years old. During a halt for lunch, he took his father's pen and on a paper napkin sketched the sites they had visited. The close likeness had his parents thinking that perhaps he would become an artist. During his early years in school, he won some scholarships from the state cultural department for his proficiency in art. By the time he was 12, his parents, who have a property business, felt they needed to move him to a bigger city where there would be more opportunities and better exposure. They shifted to Lucknow and enrolled him at the City Montessori School. By now he had already started self-learning the hieroglyphs. His interest in archaeology and history was also growing. "He clearly had something in him," says his mother. He was constantly researching, reading, probing. "All he wanted was books, books, books," she says. When he was 14, his parents felt he should take the advanced placement test, a programme created by the College Board in the US and Canada that offers college-level curriculum and examinations to high school students. He appeared for the world history test and scored 4 out of 5 (approximately equal to 95 to 99 per cent). His teachers were impressed but sceptical. "They weren't sure if it was a fluke or whether I really did have the aptitude for it," says Arsh, with a small laugh. They wanted him to take the exam again the next year, this time in European history. He again scored four on five. During a visit to Lucknow's Bara Imambara, where Arsh kept telling his mother about unknown facets of the monument, someone advised her to take him to ASI's regional office inside the monument complex. Surprised by his knowledge, the official they met directed them to Hasan at the ASI headquarters in Delhi. A conference of senior ASI officials from across India was underway in Delhi when Arsh arrived with his mother. Hasan, then director, sat him in a room and asked the experts to quiz and evaluate him about the methods and principles of archaeology, Indian history, epigraphy and scripts. "It was incredible," says Hasan. "He knew it all." Arsh was sent to an ASI excavation camp in Binjor near the Pakistan border. "Only those students who have completed an MA go for excavations," says Hasan, "but he knew even more than they did." Here on, his parents took him to several institutes and departments of archaeology across India. He also established contact with archaeology professors at various foreign universities -- Harvard, Cambridge, University College London, Cornell. Invitations to participate in and present papers at archaeology conferences in India have now become a regular feature. During one such conference in Assam last year, which was attended by scholars from Japan, South Korea, Myanmar and Bhutan, while searching for a topic to speak on, Arsh decided to research the Edicts of Ashoka. Scanning the inscriptions, he stumbled upon references that seemed to indicate that Ashoka was in touch with kings in Egypt and had sent Buddhist monks to their kingdom. These monks were to be given special privileges so that they could freely roam the country and preach Buddhism. The missing grave in Saqqara that he went looking for, Arsh believes, belongs to one such Buddhist monk who died in Egypt. Arsh has found historical references that the tombstone had the dharmachakra (the wheel of dharma), a Buddhist sign, engraved on it. The tombstone was lost during World War I, but its location can help determine whether the person for whom it was commissioned was important or not. And a Buddhist monk in that era, as Ashoka's edicts indicate, was immensely important. Arsh's research, which his parents have been funding, requires money. His mother says money, thankfully, is not a problem. For Arsh, who sounds much younger than 17, the concern is different. More than convincing others, for him his work is all about getting reliable evidence that will convince him that his quest about the ancient Buddhist link between India and Egypt is legitimate. For the young man who has chosen to straddle different eras and civilisations, it is a long journey into the past. But having embarked on it, he is determined to tread the path. 'I want to ask Modiji is the support price announced by him good enough to make a farmer's sons to start farming in their villages?' 'Can he swear by Bharat Mata and say that is true?' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi interact with sugarcane farmers, at Lok Kalyan Marg, June 29, 2018. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Between March and May, 2018 639 debt-ridden farmers in Maharashtra committed suicide. Yes, nearly 7 farmers a day. "Even if Modi comes to power again, the distress of farmers is not going to go," Vijay Jawadhia, a farmers' leader from Maharashtra and a former Shetkari Sangathna activist, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih. There are so many schemes that are announced by the government. Yet none of these measures are able to stop farmer suicides? What is driving the farmer to take such an extreme step? These schemes are announced, but they don't reach the farmer. For example, crop insurance -- we have integrated our economy to a high risk economy which has increased the risk factor in agriculture. Agriculture is an 'open to sky' sector because climate is not in the control of anybody. Globalisation has resulted in a lot of market fluctuation, and there is a lot of uncertainty in the farming sector. A high cost economy has made the farmer put all his money -- from sowing to harvest -- into the earth, the land. Unlike, say a shopkeeper, if he buys goods worth Rs 10,000, he can stock it in his shop and he will at least make Rs 9,000 out of it sooner or later. But, in the case of a farmer, there is no guarantee what price he will fetch or if the crop is going to get harvested or not. That is why insurance coverage is very important for a farmer. Insurance schemes are announced -- from Manmohan Singh's government to the current Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna that is being publicised. It does not address the farmer's problem -- and we don't even talk about the farmer's real problems. What are the problem with these schemes that we are not talking about? In Maharashtra, these schemes are implemented at the block level. 100 villages make a block or taluka or panchayat samiti. If you speak of insurance collectively to farmers of 100 villages, how will it reach them? Because each village gets different amount of rainfall. If you take the average of 100 villages, and based on that give Fasal Bima Yojana, how can it be justified to the farmer? I agree that you can't have insurance for individual farmers like in America or Europe who have very large land holdings per farmer, but in India we can at least have it at the village or gram panchayat level, rather than a block of 100 villages. There is a provision from Manmohan Singh's time and is there today also that it should be village or gram panchayat based, but it should be recommended by the state government. The Maharashtra state government did not recommended it at that time and the Devendra Fadnavis government is also not doing so. The farmer is also shying away from this. Why is the farmer who needs it the most shying away from the government's crop insurance? In Gujarat the (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated) Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has filed a writ in the high court against crop insurance. They say it should not be compulsory. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna is compulsory for all farmers who take loans from banks. The premium gets deducted from the bank loan they have taken. The BKS petition says that even though the farmers don't get benefit, the premium gets deducted. Hence, this Fasal Yojna is not giving any protection to farmers. What drives the farmers to such despair that makes him end his life? It has been going on from Manmohan Singh's time and continues till today. The reason for the suicides is not being addressed. In 2006, Dr Singh came to my village. He was there for an hour. We told him you waive our loan once, we don't want repeated waivers. We want the repaying capacity for the loan, so that we can repay the loan we take. He waived the loan and before the 2008-2009 election declared support prices which was more than what has been declared by Modiji. He increased the cotton support price from Rs 2,030 to Rs 3,000; paddy from Rs 645 to 850. He increased the support price by nearly 50% compared to previous year. Modiji has increased the paddy support price of Rs 1,550 by 200 while Dr Singh increased Rs 200 on 645 -- so what Dr Singh did was more. On cotton, Modiji has increased MSP by 26% to 27% while Dr Singh had increased it by a higher margin. It was a correct decision by Dr Singh, but it continued for only a year. When UPA II came to power there was no increase in the cotton support price for 3 years. Support prices of other crops were also only increased by 5% to 7%. It is all election politics. But the Modi government has announced an increase in the MSP? Why is Modiji talking about 50% on support price now? He didn't do this in four years. So how will farmers' suicides stop? They give speeches that the minimum support price has increased, but the farmer should get that in the market na? Last year, the support price for toor dal was Rs 5,675. But today the farmer is not getting more than Rs 3,500. Chana was Rs 4,400, but the farmer is selling it for Rs 3,500. Then how will the farmer's income increase? A high cost economy is increasing costs of education and living. All this is adding to the farmer's depression which leads him to taking his own life. Suicide is the tip of the iceberg. Agriculture is in crisis. Why are we in this crisis? We have integrated our economy with a high cost economy. A peon's salary which was Rs 2,550 in the 5th Pay Commission has become Rs 18000 to Rs 21,000 in the 7th Pay Commission. Every 10 years the wages of government employees is increased three times but nothing like this has happened to the minimum income of a farmer. If the minimum income of farmer has to be increased, then grain prices should also increase. Support prices are higher than the market price today. If the global markets prices fall, then in the developed countries farmers get a lot of subsidy. The American budget has a $4.6 billion provision for cotton farmers. They have enough cushioning. In such a global economy when you are not getting prices and you keep importing, then how will India's farmer survive? We have to think about giving direct subsidy to our farmers. We are also tight fisted about levying import duties, but are very smart when it comes to sugar. Irrespective of the Manmohan Singh or Modi Sarkar whenever there is a glut in sugar, then the import duty is increased. There is 100% import duty on sugar. We give subsidy on sugar export. The Manmohan Singh Sarkar gave Rs 5,000 per ton subsidy on sugar export when there was surplus sugar production in the country. For the buffer stock of sugar we give interest free capital to industries. Why don't we take similar measures for other crops? When we are not getting the support price, why don't we increase import duty to 100% to 150%? The import policy should be such that if we are not getting the declared minimum support price for agricultural produce, then no agricultural produce should be imported into the country at less than the declared support price. In three months, there have been 639 suicides in Maharashtra by debt-ridden farmers. This is shocking. Cotton and soya bean are the crops that are grown in Vidarbha. Last year, the soya bean support price was declared at Rs 3,050, but the farmer sold it for Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,400. 80% of the cotton was sold at Rs 4,200 to Rs 4,300 when last year it was sold at Rs 5,500. The market was doing well then. That farmer, this year, when cotton yield is less, had to sell for Rs 4,200, so will it not affect his mind? Since Gujarat had an election, Modiji gave them Rs 500 bonus which made farmers happy. Maharashtra farmers did not get this Rs 500 bonus. Modiji is increasing the cotton price now, why did he not do it last year? If he had done so, farmers would not be in this state. Farmers marched to Mumbai to make their voices heard, how did that help? All over India, farmers have many problems. With great dexterity Modiji has pushed agriculture issues towards the state. According to the Constitution, agriculture is a state subject, but the reality is that major decisions about agriculture rest with the central government. For example, price. Modiji is saying that he has given 1.5 times more price. He is saying that in Punjab, Bengal, Rajasthan. When you have the power to declare the price, then is it not your responsibly to ensure that farmers are getting that price in the market? Why are you shoving that responsibility onto the states? Like Manmohan Singh did, why don't you announce loan waiver for famers in the entire country? In Europe and America incentive is given directly to farmers, it should be done similarly in India. How will it work? Telengana has announced Rs 4,000 per acre direct subsidy each for kharif and rabi. They have started implementing it also. This is the way out. This will increase their risk bearing capacity. We can debate whether Rs 4,000 is less or more, but this provision is needed. Modiji should implement this at an all India level. What is this government's understanding of agriculture? Modi rode to power on the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'. He said we will give farmers 50% profit, but when they came to power they filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that we cannot add 50% profit in the support price. And now they have a new jhunjhuna (proclamation) that in 2022, we will double your earnings. Modiji sent letters to all chief ministers that the bonus that state governments gave on the support price to buy rice or wheat should be stopped. Why? The Madhya Pradesh government used to give Rs 150 bonus when it bought wheat. (Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr) Raman Singh paid Rs 200 bonus on rice. Why did Modiji stop that? Before the Gujarat election, Modiji announced a Rs 500 bonus! He is doing nothing new. It is the politics of elections. Not the economic politics of farmers. What is the biggest thing that can be done to make life easier for the farmer? There is no point in just declaring support price, farmers should actually get it. Waiving their loans is not enough. The economics of agriculture should be positive. I want to ask Modiji that he has implemented the 7th Pay Commission -- Rs 7,000 salary is now enhanced to Rs 21,000 -- have you increased farmers' or farm labourers wages on par? Keeping that increase, have you calculated A2+FL? And are you giving 50% price on that? If farmers are not getting that price, then subsidy should be given to farmers. Telangana has shown the way and should be followed. Even if Modi comes to power again, the distress of farmers is not going to go. The new generation does not want to stay in the villages. Modiji said at a BJP meeting in Bangalore that the kisan is willing to sell his land so that his son can get a peon's job. I want to ask Modiji is the support price announced by him good enough to make a farmer's sons to start farming in their villages? Can he swear by Bharat Mata and say that is true? 'The wheel does not need to be reinvented.' 'The question is whether we are prepared to put our shoulder to it to make it turn.' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi interacts with additional secretaries and joint secretaries in New Delhi, August 23, 2017. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Madhav Godbole served the country for 33 years as an IAS officer before resigning as India's home secretary after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. The author of several books and an important voice on the India of today, he discussed his latest book Indira Gandhi, An Era of Constitutional Dictatorship -- which he Dr Godbole presented to Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi on June 22 -- and Indira Gandhi's similarities and differences with Rediff.com's Archana Masih In this concluding segment of the interview, Dr Godbole, one of the finest bureaucrats to serve the nation, discusses the government's proposed changes in the Indian civil services. As a former bureaucrat, what do you think of the proposed change in the IAS of allocating services to selected civil service recruits only after adding to their scores their assessments during the Foundation Course. How will this impact the civil service? The pros and cons of this proposal are far from clear. It is not clear if it means allotment of candidates to various services. This is done today according to the merit of the candidates in the competitive examination and their individual preferences. There is no reason to change this. Short foundation training period can hardly provide an opportunity to judge the aptitudes of candidates. Neither is the training content designed for the purpose. As for allotment of IAS, IPS and IFS (Indian Forest Service) candidates to state cadres, the present method seems to work quite satisfactorily. It is designed to ensure that all states get meritorious candidates by turn and the interests of ushering in good governance all over the country are served. Tinkering with the civil service matters without adequate thought and public discourse would hardly be advisable. How will inviting professionals from outside the IAS at the joint secretary level change the existing way of functioning? Is this a good move? I have serious reservations. A number of reforms are necessary in civil services, but this certainly is not one of them. There is no dearth of highly qualified persons in the civil services. The question is of permitting them to give their best which is lacking due to the environment in which they have to function. Lateral entrants from the private sector will be faced with the same situation. Further, inducting persons at such a senior level directly will lead to demoralisation among regular officers as their chances of promotion and advancement will be adversely affected. The tendency to consider the other side of the fence greener and more attractive has been evident in the past too. When Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, he had initiated a scheme of deputation of officers of the rank of joint and additional secretaries from government to the private sector in the hope of improving the functioning of the government. This scheme failed miserably. I had criticised it in the past. Functioning of the private sector has its own pluses and minuses and by no stretch of imagination the functioning of government sector can or should be brought in line with it. Are these the reforms civil services need? Or reforms should include some other initiatives? I have written extensively on the subject over the years. My books Public Accountability and Transparency-The Imperatives of Good Governance (2003), and Good Governance: Never on India's Radar (2014) are a case in point. I had also filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court in 2004 with a plea that, like freedom of press, right to information, right to privacy etc, which are not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution as fundamental rights, but have been recognised as such by the Supreme Court, good governance should also be recognised as a fundamental right of every citizen. Unfortunately, I was ahead of time and the court did not admit the petition. I have been advocating a number of Constitutional and statutory changes to improve the functioning of the civil services which include, among others, amendment of Article 311 of the Constitution to take away the protection to persons who are charged in corruption cases, taking away powers of suspension of all India service officers from the state governments, weeding out officers at levels of joint secretary onwards if they are not found fit for promotion to the next level, doing away with extensions and re-employment after retirement, filling positions in statutory and Constitutional bodies by an open and transparent process in which the selection committees will include the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and so on, and providing for a cooling off period of two years for officers to join politics or take up employment in the private sector. A few months ago, 48 retired bureaucrats sent a letter to Prime Minister Modi expressing concern at the decline in the secular, democratic, and liberal values enshrined in our Constitution. I entirely share these concerns. I had commented on these issues at length in my book, Secularism: India At A Crossroads (2016). I have urged therein that India's future is inexorably tied to making a success of secularism. I have suggested a number of Constitutional changes towards this end which include, among others, defining the words 'secular' and 'minorities', deleting the provision pertaining to 'prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves' in Article 48 of the Constitution, and setting up of a commission on secularism to closely monitor policies and programmes not just of the government but also the private sector, media, educational intuitions, political parties and all other sections of society, which may detract from secular precepts. India cannot be called a secular country unless its whole society becomes secular. Do you think our institutions are failing and bureaucrats are not discharging duties fairly? Empowering institutions and ensuring their proper functioning must be accepted as a national challenge. People often wonder how officers appointed as election commissioners function so well and why their counterparts in other positions in the government are so ineffective. The answer is to be found in the Constitutional office which they occupy and the powers and independence which they enjoy. Are we prepared to give the same autonomy and independence to other officers? My public interest litigation in 2004, referred to earlier, had raised precisely this and other related issues. Gross political interference in the working of officers in states and the Centre and politicisation of services shows how the situation has steeply deteriorated over the years. Even the directions of the Supreme Court regarding restructuring of police departments in states and the Centre, given in 2006, have hardly been implemented. A series of contempt petitions had to be filed and the Supreme Court has in July 2018 reiterated its directions on the subject. The wheel does not need to be reinvented. The question is whether we are prepared to put our shoulder to it to make it turn. IMAGE: Image used only for representation. Photograph: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters A day after the National Commission for Women said it has recommended a ban on confessions in churches over fears they could lead to blackmailing of women, a Kerala bishops body has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the move, calling it 'shocking'. Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam, a Kerala native and a Christian, meanwhile 'rejected outright' the NCW's recommendation, insisting that the Modi government would never interfere in religious beliefs of people. "It was shocking not only for the Christian community but also to everyone who stands for the freedom of religion," Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council president Archbishop Soosa Pakiam told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram. He said a memorandum has been sent to the prime minister against the recommendation. Pakiam said the NCW had 'abused' its powers by submitting a 'one-sided' report to the Centre without consulting the church. He called it an 'irresponsible' act done 'with ulterior motives'. Pakiam also wrote to George Kurian, Member Secretary of National Commission for Minorities, requesting him to raise before appropriate authorities the concerns of the church. Kurian was learnt to have forwarded the letter from Pakiam to the prime minister and home minister. 'We strongly feel the recommendation is unwarranted and intended to tarnish the credibility of the Church. It is unfortunate that people in responsible positions make such statements which deeply wound the religious sentiments of the Christian minority community,' Pakiam wrote in the letter. Kannanthanam came out against the NCW recommendation after the Church in Kerala protested. 'It is not the official stand of the government. The Union Government has no connection with the stand taken by the NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma. It is a personal opinion of Rekha Sharma,' Kannanthanam, Union Minister of State for Tourism, wrote in a Facebook post. 'The Narendra Modi government would never interfere in religious beliefs,' he insisted. The minister said there was no need for making such a recommendation. "Since it has come, the Modi government rejects it outright," the minister told Malayalam news channels in New Delhi. Sharma had said the NCW had recommended abolishing the practice of 'confessions' in churches as it can lead to blackmailing of women. She said a central agency needed to do investigate the incidents of rape and sexual assault in the churches of Kerala. "The priests pressure women into telling their secrets and we have one such case in front of us, there must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg," she said. The recommendation came in the backdrop of a rape case against four priests of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who were accused of sexually exploiting a married woman by using her confession made before a clergyman. The issue came to the fore after the victims husband wrote to the church, alleging that the priests blackmailed and abused his wife. Pakiam told the press conference that a confession was a sacrament for the Christians and denying it will hurt their religious sentiments. "It amounts to insulting the practice of sacrament of confession in the name of an isolated incident which is yet to be proved. It also amounts to violation of the freedom of faith and religion guaranteed by the Constitution," he said. Pakiam said banning the practice of confession will trigger 'anxiety and suspicion' among the Christian community. Central agencies like the NCW have the right to point out errors but they cannot control the centuries-old practices and traditions of the church which,he said, was committed to adhering to the laws of the country. On the alleged sexual exploitation of the woman by four priests, he said, "Church is a body of humans. So, it is not beyond errors. The mistakes will be corrected within the church and the offenders punished." The NCW had constituted an inquiry committee to look into incidents of alleged sexual assault of women in churches and sent its findings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and the police chiefs of Kerala and Punjab. IMAGE: Maratha Kranti Morcha protesters pelt stones at police personnel during their statewide bandh in Navi Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo A protester, who was injured in the violence during the Maratha quota stir in adjoining Navi Mumbai, has succumbed to his injuries at the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai. Hospital Dean Dr Mukund Tayade said that 25-year-old Rohan Todkar had sustained multiple injuries on his head, hands and legs during the violence at Kopar Khairane on Wednesday. He was shifted to J J Hospital and was kept in the intensive care unit, but succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, Tayade said. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh called by Maratha organisations to demand quota for the community in government jobs and education. Over 150 vehicles, including 20 belonging to police, were damaged in the violence. Nine persons were injured when police caned protesters and fired pellets and rubber bullets on the violent mob, police had said. Police had fired 40 shotgun rounds, 22 rubber bullets, 42 teargas shells and 11 teargas grenades to disperse the violent mob in Navi Mumbai, an official had said. Internet services were suspended in Navi Mumbai as a precautionary measure on Thursday. Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation. The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation, however, turned violent after a 27-year-old protester jumped to his death in Godavari river near Aurangabad on July 23. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday. Photograph: @MEAPhotogallery/Flickr Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the 'momentum' generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months on Thursday evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue 'strategic guidance' to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe 'plans to pay a friendly official visit to India' at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. President Xi once again conveyed to Prime Minister Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism which would be established between the two sides will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Prime Minister Modi raised with President Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on August 21 and 22 for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this year. Investment in digital infrastructure crucial for emerging economies: PM Meanwhile, Modi on Friday said the digital revolution has offered new opportunities to the members of the BRICS grouping and other emerging economies and it is essential to invest in artificial intelligence and big data analytics to reap the benefits. Addressing the BRICS Outreach Session in Johannesburg, Modi called for more investment in the digital infrastructure and skill development in the area of digitisation. "Today we are once again at the historic turning point. Thanks to digital revolution, new opportunities are emerging for us and that is the reason why it is necessary that we be completely ready for the changes that will come out through AI and big data analytics," he said. Emphasising on India's historic and deep links with Africa, the prime minister said his government has accorded the highest priority towards maintaining peace, freedom and development in Africa. India's ties with Africa are time-tested and the Government of India has deepened its engagement with the continent he said. "Economic and development cooperation between India and Africa have touched new heights," Modi said at the meeting, also attended by Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Michel Temer. The prime minister said in the last four years, more the 100 bilateral talks and visits at the level of head of states and government have taken place which has taken bilateral cooperation and economic ties to a new level. He said 118 lines of credit worth $11 billion have been extended to over 40 African countries. He said that India welcomes the effort for regional economic integration by the countries in Africa. He said free trade and commerce in the last three decades has helped hundreds of millions people come out of poverty. To take the benefits of globalisation to them is the most important task, he said. Highlighting the challenges of globalisation, he said that inclusive development must remain at the core of all efforts. He said after the financial crisis of 2008, the threats of protectionism are hovering over this fundamental aspect of the globalisation. "The most profound effect of decrease in growth rate has been felt by countries such us ours who could not gain from the industrial progress made during the colonial time," the prime minister said. He said India will continue to share its experiences and learning under the South-South co-operation. He said that while addressing Uganda's Parliament this week he had outlined the 10 principles for India's engagement with African nations. This 10 principles, he said, formulated as per the needs of Africa are the guidelines for the development and strengthening of India's ties with the continent. He also noted that African students come to India to study and also receive Indian scholarships. Calling the multi-crore Rafale jet deal 'the biggest example of crony capitalism', the Congress on Friday alleged the Modi government has 'compromised national interest' by helping a private entity to the tune of crores of rupees in violation of rules. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must give answers to the nation on the deal and his party wants him to speak on this issue in Parliament during the current monsoon session. He alleged that the Modi government is 'deceiving' the country by not giving answers about award of contract to a private player in this 'mother of all defence deals'. The government has been rejecting all allegations about the Rafale deal. The Congress leader told reporters that shocking revelations have brought out lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the award of Rs 30,000 crore 'defence offset contract' to Reliance Defence as part of this deal. "The culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of the Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of the Rs 60,145 crore Rafale deal," he said. "The art of deceiving India is the Modi government's mantra in this mother of all defence deals. Intrigue, conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the government," Surjewala said. "Rs 1,30,000 crore lies is being peddled by Modi government. Reliance Defence has claimed to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation (maker of Rafale jets) for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent 'lifecycle cost contract' of Rs 1 lakh crore," he said. The Congres leader said even Dassault Aviation in its annual report for 2016-17 has claimed that offset contract is being executed by Reliance, while the defence minister has claimed that the offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation. "The simple question is, who is lying Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or Reliance/Dassault Aviation?," he asked. Citing rules, Surjewala said all offset proposals need to be approved by Defence Minister and be part of approval for the main procurement of defence product and the offset contract is required to be countersigned by the Acquisition Manager' of the defence ministry. He alleged that the defence offset contract went to a private company with zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircrafts. Besides, Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the prime minister in France on April 10, 2015 and did not have a licence to manufacture fighter jets, he said. A Reliance firm was given licence to manufacture fighter aircrafts by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence on February 22, 2016, Surjewala said, adding that the company was incorporated on April 24, 2015 -- 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. This, he said, was done after suddenly denying the biggest ever defence offset contract to public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which signed Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a Workshare Agreement' on March 13, 2014 till PM Modi 'unilaterally' announced an off-the-shelf' purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. Surjewala alleged there was 'mal-intent' of the prime minister and complete surrender of the defence minister vis-a-vis the interest of the only Government company having experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Does the prime minister represent the interest of private companies and private industrial houses or is his duty and obligation to protect an existing signed contract between an experienced government company as also the supplier of weapons system?" the Congress leader asked. The Congress leader asked whether Sitharaman was not aware that French defence minister met her and told her that she was going to Mehan where Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra government gave land to Reliance Defence for a joint venture for offset contract. "It only shows that the national interest was being compromised by the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India," Surjewala said, while alleging that guidelines on defence contracts have been violated. He also cited a rule that a contract should be audited by the defence ministry. "Why are Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Sitharaman lying on the issue? It is time for Prime Minister Modi to answer to the nation," he said. Surjewala cited an earlier press release from Reliance, claiming it quoted 7.87 billion Euros (over Rs 60,000 crore) as the cost of the Rafale deal after India and France signed a purchase agreement for supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2016. "The contract includes a 50 per cent offset obligation to the tune of approximately Rs 30,000 crore, which is the largest ever offset contract in the history of India. DRAL (Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited) will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations," he quoted Reliance as having said in the release. IMAGE: National Conference vice president and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah meets West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna (State Secretariat Building) in Howrah on Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who held a meeting with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in Kolkata on Friday, said no name should be picked as the prime ministerial candidate of the probable Opposition front in the next Lok Sabha polls as it would divide the unity of the regional parties fighting the Bharatiya Janata Party. She asserted that all the regional anti-BJP parties were together and they should sacrifice for the country's benefit. "Please do not pick and choose any particular name to divide us," the Trinamool Congress chief told reporters after her meeting with Abdullah. She said this when the reporters asked Abdullah, who was in Kolkata to take part in a forum discussion, whether the Opposition was ready to highlight Banerjee as the prime ministerial candidate of the federal front in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Echoing Banerjee, Abdullah, a former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, said it was too early to choose the Opposition's prime ministerial candidate. "Our main focus should be to come together and put up a good fight against the BJP and then, we can decide on that," he added. "I think all the regional parties, all the political parties who are against the BJP are working together. Maybe one or two parties may not as they have their states' compulsions, but a majority of them are working together. Our intention is very clear," Banerjee said. The TMC chief has been a vocal critic of the BJP and has been espousing a 'one-on-one' fight by the opposition parties against the saffron party, instead of contesting against each other in the coming general election. Alleging that the BJP-led government at the Centre was planning a presidential mode of election in the Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee said the saffron party was acting 'like a dictator' and all the anti-BJP parties should come together and "sacrifice" to save the country from it. "We (anti-BJP parties) cannot tolerate this. Let us sacrifice everything for the country. We cannot sacrifice our people. So let us fight for the people and this will ultimately be the 2019 government of the people, by the people and for the people," she added. Asked if the Congress would be a part of the anti-BJP front, Abdullah said, "All those parties who are anti-BJP will be included in the coalition. There will not be any condition on them." He added, "Mamatadi is still concentrating on improving and protecting West Bengal. Afterwards, we will pull her to do the similar kind of welfare (what she has done for the state) for the country. But if we continue discussing the name (of the prime ministerial candidate), we will lose our focus and our motto to defeat the BJP will be affected." Elaborating on the probable federal front, Abdullah said, "The parties in a true federal front do not have any differences. We (TMC, NC) have no differences to set aside. All we have to do is agree where possible. We have to cooperate with each other." TMC MP Derek O'Brien had been raising the issues related to Jammu and Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha since there was nobody to represent the state in the Upper House of Parliament, he added. "Other parties will also have to be included. We will try to put the differences aside and put the best foot forward in the fight against the BJP in 2019," Abdullah said. He was quick to add that the name 'federal front' was given by the media and not by the opposition parties. Speaking on the discussions he had with Banerjee, Abdullah said it centred on the prevailing situation in the country and the 'fear' that was there particularly among the minority community, besides the need to put together a united front to take on the BJP in the general election. He added that they also talked tourism. "As a chief minister, she has been very concerned about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly about the economic activity and the need of reviving tourism in the Kashmir valley. Bengal has traditionally been a strong supporter of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir," the NC leader said. "I felt it necessary to call on Mamata didi basically to discuss with her the prevailing situation in my state, because I know she has a great concern for what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly when she was the railway minister and I was in the same government at the Centre," he added. Ever since Mekhail had first entered the courtroom, he had, it would seem, never once looked at his mother, though they were a few metres away from each other. Curiosity, residual regard, memories, anger, none of it, could make him even look at the woman who gave birth to him. Was his hatred so overpowering? Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com How powerful can human hatred be? How crushing? Does time sometimes lack the authority to lessen it? Could the belief that Time heals all wounds be a bunch of twaddle. Maybe Hate truly is the most dominant of man's range of emotions, its powers outstripping any of the clout love mawkishly claims to flaunt. When you forgive you in no way change the past, it is said, but forgiveness is supposed to be still always possible and the way forward. A trip to court on Thursday, July 26, altered some of these long-held notions. Every trip to court is a lesson on life -- specifically about its mystifying greys, that are so much more essential than the vapid blacks and whites -- one has discovered. Thursday's hearing began a wee bit late and it was a short 15-minute one in the Sheena Bora murder trial at Courtroom 51, Mumbai city civil and sessions court, south Mumbai, before CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale. The lawyers and Prosecution Witness No 15 Mekhail Bora, Indrani Mukerjea's son from her first relationship, were there. CBI Special Public Prosecutor Bharat Badami had already shown up. So were the accused, well in time, from the Arthur Road and Byculla jails, central Mumbai. Accused No 2 Sanjeev Khanna, a Kolkata businessman and Indrani's former husband and father of her teenager daughter Vidhie Mukerjea, was in a jaunty black and red checked shirt and black jeans. Indrani looked especially feminine and young, nothing close to her 48 years, in a pale green floral kurta outfit and a light green bindi. It was CBI Special Public Prosecutor Kavita Patil who was delayed. She was finishing up a 2011 corruption case, two doors down, in Judge M G Deshpande's Courtroom 52 against a commissioner of income tax (appeals) who had been caught allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 25 lakhs. When she bustled in about 15 or 20 minutes later, wearing a sophisticated cream silk sari with a black and grey pattern, Patil was happy. She had just won a four-year sentence of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 25,000 fine for the IT officer and it was an important victory for her. Unlike the American thrillers you have read, where the district attorneys are the big stars in court, in India it is skewed oddly the other way. The money and fame goes to the muscular defence lawyers. A triumph by a government public prosecutor is rather hard won, since s/he is pitted against the power of batteries of well-paid defence advocates and Patil is one of the few or perhaps only woman CBI prosecutors in this court. Mekhail, 28, took the stand, wearing a white shirt and dark trousers, a pen poking out of his left shirt pocket. He was calm and composed, fully recovered from Wednesday's meltdown, even if the scars on his heart may never be obliterated. He said he had been called to the CBI office in Mumbai at the end of October in 2015 to give his statement in the murder investigation. At the CBI office they had asked to look at his cellphone. "Mere cellphone mein woh e-mails the Indrani (Mukerjea), Peter (Mukerjea, his stepfather) and Sheena. USB mein laga ke computer par lagaya. (On my cellphone were those e-mails between Indrani, Peter and Sheena. Using a USB cord they downloaded them to a computer)." His cellphone offered access to some of the e-mails that had circulated between his elder sister, their mother and Peter, because Sheena had probably forwarded them to him, since she told him about the non-stop troubles and squabbles she was having with her mother and stepfather. In 2012, in the months before she was killed, Mekhail had said in his revealing testimony on Tuesday to the court, that Sheena had been fighting battles with them over her relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, Peter's son from his first marriage. Indrani and Peter did not approve of her dating and living with him in a small flat in Marol, north west Mumbai, probably because they felt she and Rahul were too young and not yet established in their careers. It is not clear what Rahul was doing at the time. But Sheena was working at Mumbai Metro One, a job Indrani had helped her get. What was unsaid was that though Indrani and Peter disapproved, they appeared to be still supporting both Rahul and Sheena at the time, and in testimonies of other days or other witnesses it had already emerged that Sheena had been given a car and a television had been sent to their rented home. Patil: "Kitne SIM the aapke paas? (How many SIMs did you have?)"" Mekhail: "Do (Two)." Patil: "Number yaad hai? (Do you remember the numbers?)" He said he knew the last few digits. "Mobile toh nahin hai mere paas (I don't have the mobile with me)." Patil asked about the e-mail and SMS record: "Dekhoge toh pahchanoge? (If you see it, will you remember it?)" Mekhail nodded. The court clerks pulled out an orange file that Patil said contained 42 pages of e-mails and SMSes. Gunjan Mangla, Indrani's lawyer got up to object. "My lord, there is no mention of the e-mails (on the record). These printouts were taken from what source? It only talks about SMS." Judge Jagdale immediately tetchily told her: "You can raise that point later." Mangla persisted, even in the face of the judge's irritation: "They say printouts, but where are they taken from?" It was a valid point because -mails can be easily conjured, as has been discovered in an earlier testimony. Anoop Pandey, Peter's lawyer, added his weight behind Mangla'S objection. He has a louder voice and the judge took more notice of the issue brought up when Pandey raised his volume. The judge, after considering Pandey's take, finally impatiently told Mangla: "Your objection to the document cannot be decided now. Cannot decide if it is a piece of evidence now and it be rejected. It is premature." Patil: "Definitely." Mangla, not to be defeated: "The document has not been received from proper custody." Patil then asked if Mekhail remembered Sanjeev Khanna from the two not very happy meetings he had with him, the last in 2012. Mekhail had met Sanjeev at Indrani's INX office after which he took him to an unnamed Mumbai disco and then later they met in 2012 at Marlow, the Mukerjeas' flat in Worli, south central Mumbai on the night of Sheena's murder. It is unlikely that Mekhail could have forgotten him. Patil: "Yeh sab ko pahchanoge? (Will you recognise all of them?)" Mekhail nodded in assent. Without actually looking at the accused box, his eyes firmly averted, his face had a blank or maybe slightly distasteful expression pasted on it, he identified: "Sanjeev Khanna, Peter and Indrani." That moment said a lot. Volumes. It was the most significant and insightful few seconds of the hearing. Ever since Mekhail had first entered this courtroom on Monday, he had, it would seem, never once looked at his mother. Never actually seen her though they were a few metres away from each other, sharing breathing space. Curiosity, residual regard, memories, anger, none of it, could make him even look at the woman who gave birth to him when she was probably 19, 28 years ago. Was his hatred so overpowering? It seems there are no mixed emotions for Mekhail perhaps because, Indrani, he believed had taken away his closest relative, his Didi. Mothers, even if they are mothers, are not always forgiven. Mangla told the judge that she would set the cross-examination ball rolling with just one question and, with special emphasis, very formally addressed her client's son: "Mr Mekhail Bora, when did you receive summons to appear in this court?" Switching to Hindi she added, "Kab mila is court mein aane ke liye? (When did you receive the summons to appear in this court?)" Mekhail: "18th tareek (date)." It seemed clear why Gunjan chose to ask this question even as the next questions there on would be asked by Indrani's trial lawyer, the tough Sudeep Ratnamberdutt Pasbola, who handles the most tricky examinations. The defence and the prosecution have been in a continuous disagreement over the time given for them to prepare for the cross examination of Mekhail. It would seem possibly that Mekhail knew earlier than the defence when he was expected in court. August 1 was chosen for starting Mekhail's cross examination. Badami was trying to sort out Mekhail's scheduling issues given he needed leave from a new job and the judge said he needed a day off too. Witness costs (travel and stay) again came up. Kaushal Kishore Singh, the CBI investigating officer, always an enigmatic look on his face, said solemnly: "I already gave him his fare." Badami joked; "By 'I' he means the CBI!" A round of laughter. The judge also offered with a smile that the court would pay expenses up to August 1 and if the defence causes any delays after that it would be on their dime. Anoop Pandey said he needed to put in an application for his client about a food request and passport renewal. Apparently, Peter needed to renew his passport. Edith Dey, Indrani's family advocate, was in to see her. They pored over a thick, light green legal notice, word by word, painstakingly, Indrani meticulously writing notes. These were papers that had been drawn up towards Peter and Indrani's divorce filing. After Indrani left, Judge Jagdale curiously asked Dey what the status of that case was and wondered how continuous changes could be made once it had been filed. He said he only asked because he saw the number of trips Dey made to court to meet Indrani. Dey clarified that it had not been filed yet and something about the division of assets, if one heard right. She added that before they filed it they would take permission from him too. And then Indrani and Peter would have to undergo counselling. Judge Jagdale, his eyes widening comically: "Counselling? At their age?! No!" There was plenty of laughter this time, while Dey explained it was a court-directed formality. Canton, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/25/2018 --Expert in roofing, siding, masonry work, sunrooms, and porches, Tittle Brothers Construction now offers their services to homeowners in Canton. Always mindful of the area's challenging weather conditions, the company installs quality roofs with an attention to detail. Thus, the roofing contractors in Canton, Michigan are poised to become a market leader thanks to their commitment to good old-fashioned know-how and optimum customer service. To start the process, Tittle Brothers offers a free inspection to assess a roof's condition. The assessment is followed by a written report and an estimate for the roof repair or roof replacement. With minimal disruption for homeowners, the roofing services typically take a day or two to complete. In an area that usually sees winds, summer storms, persistent sun and an average of 44" of snow every winter, time and overall efficiency is of the essence. A representative of Tittle Brothers Construction said of the new roofing services in Canton, "We like to think of ourselves as craftsman in this area of construction. It's not just about slapping a new roof on a home. It's about doing it right the first time and guaranteeing our work without question. That's what we're about, and our track record shows our commitment." For more information visit https://www.tittlebrothers.com. About Tittle Brothers Construction Founded in 2004, Tittle Brothers Construction is a family-owned business based in Southgate, Michigan. The company is an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor roofing contractor. YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojkBwv6O6Qo Location Information: 15720 Fort Street Southgate, MI 48195 Contact: Carrie Tittle Tittle Brothers Construction ctittle@tittlebrothers.com 734-224-5434 Website: https://www.tittlebrothers.com Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/TittleBrothers https://twitter.com/Tittlebrothers https://plus.google.com/+Tittlebrothers VN Government looks to develop 4G networks The Government will prioritise licencing broadband networks to develop 4G services in Viet Nam. A customers tests VNPTs 4G speed. Photo xahoithongtin.com.vn This was announced at a meeting with ministries on broadband licences for 4G network deployment chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam held in Ha Noi on Thursday. At the meeting, representatives of ministries and relevant sectors agreed to work together to license the 2.6 GHz band as quickly as possible in order to help telecoms operators deploy the 4G network in accordance with the provisions of law. There are currently three of four telecom providers which were granted licences to provide 4G telecommunications services in Viet Nam, namely VNPT, Viettel and Mobifone, have been deploying 4G on the 1800 MHz bandwith, which had previously been used for 2G. Gtel has yet to announce its 4G rollout plans. The country now has more than 13 million 4G users, accounting for about 30 per cent of the total number of mobile phone subscribers. The 4G data users were mainly in cities and towns. Mobile data traffic in 2018 reached 136,934 subscribers per month, double that of 2016. However, the data traffic for 4G network on broadband 1800 MHz has been low compared with demand, affecting 4G speed. The average speed of Viet Nams internet was 75th in the world. This was why the Ministry of Information and Communications planned to auction the 2.6 GHz band so telecom services providers can boost the speed of their 4G network. Four telecom businesses have registered for the auction. Representatives from the ministries of Finance and Justice said there were no difficulties in term of laws and regulations relating to granting licences for 2.6 GHz broadband. The licencing or auction follows regulations of the Law on Radio Frequencies. Issues relating to financial duties were also stipulated. Deputy minister of Planning and Investment Vu Dai Thang said the losses of businesses and society for the slow implementation of 4G network were bigger than State budget collection from licencing. A representative from the Ministry of National Defence said the licence on 2.6 GHz broadband deployment would not only resolve difficulties for telecom providers but also ensure information in national security and defence activities. Deputy minister of Information and Communications Pham Hong Hai expected that ministries and sectors would join hands to grant licences to businesses as soon as possible. We can not accept a 4G network that is poor quality now, Hai added. Digital shift a must Innovation will be a decisive factor in the survival of businesses in the future, with the size of the company becoming less important for success, experts said yesterday at a seminar held in HCM City. Digital shift is a must during the fourth industrial revolution, said Phi Anh Tuan, deputy chairman of HCM City Computer Association (HCA), at the Viet Nam Information and Communication Technology Outlook seminar. No longer will the big fish eat the small fish, but the fast fish will eat the slow fish, he said, adding that enterprises which quickly adopt digital applications will be more successful. Opportunities for digitalisation are equal in all businesses, he said. Businesses should be innovative in their operations, especially in the sharing economy and ecosystem, and should connect with the start-up community. Businesses need to build in-house start-ups or invest in start-ups with cutting-edge technologies, Tuan said. To begin the digital shift, enterprises should start with something simple and easy to do. For example, they can start by digitising documents to reduce the printing of documents and save time for customers, he said. Enterprises can also digitise job assignment processes, while management of companies should be based on cloud computing. Lam Nguyen Hai Long, HCA chairman, said that new technologies like social networks, mobiles, data analysis, AI, big data, cloud computing, IoT, machine learning, and blockchain have revolutionised the way huge data is processed and used. Recent research by the US-based International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that the digital shift will contribute US$1.16 trillion to Asia Pacifics GDP, with an annual growth rate of 0.8 per cent. Last year, about 6 per cent of Asia-Pacifics GDP came from digital products and services. IDC forecasts that by 2021 the figure is expected to increase to 60 per cent of GDP in the region, which shows that the digital shift will bring huge benefits for the development of the economy in general, and enterprises in particular, Long said. According to IDC, about 84 per cent of enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region are transitioning to the digital shift, but there is no official data on the willingness for the shift among enterprises in Viet Nam. Most enterprises need to apply IT, but they do not know where and how to start the shift. HCA plans to promote the internationalisation of business activities and will support the business community with innovative products and solutions, Long said. At the same time, we are striving to improve consultancy, support and trade promotion in the IT community with local and foreign partners, he added. Speaking at the event, To Thi Thu Huong, deputy head of the Ministry of Information and Communications IT department, said that innovation is vital for businesses as well as new start-ups, but also for state agencies that need to improve management. The seminar, with the theme Innovation in the Digital Age, included a Smart City conference, a trade promotion roundtable, and a talk show about start-ups in the digital era. Some 1,500 delegates attended the event, including State leaders, representatives of associations, institutes, schools, consulates, trade promotion organisations, IT enterprises, and members of the start-up community. VNS French stocks were struggling for direction on Friday as investors digested a barrage of earnings and looked ahead to U.S. second-quarter GDP data due tonight for direction. The benchmark CAC 40 index was marginally higher at 5,481 in lackluster trade after rising 1 percent on Thursday. Carrefour soared almost 10 percent. The retailer confirmed its financial targets for 2020 and 2022 after reporting a rise in first-half operating profit. International consulting firm Capgemini tumbled 3 percent after its first-half profit dropped to 314 million from 375 million euros last year. Luxury group Kering slumped 7 percent. The company said it hasn't seen any slowdown in demand from Chinese clients but would remain "very vigilant." Personal care company L'Oreal dropped 3.6 percent after sales growth of its mass-market brands fell short of estimates. Construction group Vinci rose over 1 percent and Danone, the world's biggest yogurt maker, climbed 1.2 percent after posting encouraging financial results. Media conglomerate Lagardere advanced 5.2 percent. The company upgraded its 2018 group recurring EBIT after reporting a rise in first-half profit. Compagnie de Saint Gobain shares gained 2.5 percent. The building materials company retained its full-year targets after reporting a rise in first-half profit. In economic news, France's grew at a steady pace in the second quarter, the statistical office Insee said. GDP grew 0.2 percent sequentially, the same pace of growth as seen in the second quarter. Separately, French consumer spending increased for the second straight month in June, though marginally, survey data from the statistical office Insee showed. Consumer spending edged up 0.1 percent month-over-month in June, slower than the 1.0 percent rise in May, which was revised up from 0.9 percent. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Some way to go with AI in Vietnam Nearly two-thirds (62.5 per cent) of surveyed businesses have taken steps to transform their technology but only 13.6 per cent said that they have invested in artificial intelligence (AI) for some of their activities, according to a survey from Vietnam Report released at the Vietnam CEO Summit 2018 with the theme The Age of AI and Vietnamese Enterprises and held in Hanoi on July 25. The summit aimed to provide Vietnamese business leaders with a holistic view of emerging technology trends as well as management practices and governance practices to take full advantage of the opportunities created by AI. It attracted more than 400 delegates from leading firms in Vietnam as well as economic, financial, and AI experts. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Le Quang Manh told the summit that Vietnam has a good foundation for accessing high technology, new knowledge, and breakthrough opportunities. This foundation is made up of a large, young population interested in new technology and an increasing number of those with an academic background compared to the older generation, he said. Heads of companies should be pioneers in changing the capacity for adaptability, to make full use of their potential and deal with organizational obstacles. In a presentation, Mr. Jason Furman from Harvard University, who is in charge of the USs national AI strategy building, said that Vietnam should build and develop an AI-based government, which he believes will push it further than e-government. The government should support and create the conditions for the private sector and avoid the creation of any obstacles in license granting, he noted. It should also focus on investing in and researching basic sciences, to lay the foundation for the development of all AI technologies. Dr. Kazuo Yano, Chief Engineer at the Hitachi Group, an AI pioneer in Japan, presented the situation of AI application, ideas for economic and social development in Japan, and prospects for Vietnam. He noted that AI will bring people into the new era, from an era guided by rules towards an era driven by results. VN Economic Times U.K. stocks were modestly higher on Friday as the pounded extended its slide and remained on track for a third weekly drop ahead of U.S. second-quarter GDP data due tonight. The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 25 points or 0.33 percent at 7,688 in late opening deals after closing 0.1 percent higher the previous day. BP plc shed 0.7 percent after it agreed to buy U.S. shale oil and gas assets from Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton for $10.5 billion. BHP shares rallied 3.5 percent. Cenkos Securities rose half a percent. Sky News reported that activist investor Crystal Amber has told the company's chairman to put the up for sale. Rightmove, which runs online real estate portal and property website, fell 2.6 percent. The company has been slammed for an advertisement on its site offering a room to rent for a reduced price for females, if they performed special favors. Telecommunications holding company BT Group soared almost 4 percent after backing its FY guidance. Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser advanced 6.5 percent. The company lifted its FY18 revenue growth forecast after posting slightly higher first-half profit before tax. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Switzerland's financial regulator has launched proceedings against a company that issued a $100 million initial coin offering (ICO). The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) said on Thursday that it has launched enforcement proceedings against envion AG on suspicion of breaching financial market law in relation to an ICO. The proceedings focus on possible breaches of Swiss banking law resulting from the potentially unauthorized acceptance of public deposits from the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) for the EVN token. Investigations carried out by FINMA indicate that envion AG accepted funds amounting to approximately 100 million francs ($100.6 million) from more than 30,000 investors in return for issuing EVN tokens in a bond-like form. The New York Times reported in May that Envion was "melting down, with its creators accusing one another of fraud" following the apparent loss of control over the company on the part of its founders. Switzerland is a crypto-currency friendly country, which allows serious innovators to launch their ICO projects lawfully. FINMA published guidelines to this effect in February. However, it also consistently takes action against ICO models, which violate or circumvent supervisory law. FINMA has been frequently drawing the attention of the public to the risks that ICOs pose to investors. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Cryptocurrencies had yet another strong week that boosted market expectations for a repeat of the surge witnessed late last year, but the rally lost steam late Thursday on the news of the SEC's rejection of a Bitcoin ETF backed by the Winklevoss twins. Bitcoin and its peers built on the momentum from last week and the top cryptocurrency breached the $8,000 for the first time in two months on Tuesday amid a jump in trading volumes. At the start of the week, the Bitcoin dominance rate hit 46 percent on CoinMarketCap for the first time since December, suggesting that the demand for the top cryptocurrency is rising. Market sentiment rode on hopes of institutional money flowing into crypto assets and a possible regulatory approval for a Bitcoin ETF as soon as August, which was rejected later in the week. Last weekend, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors reiterated that crypto assets were not a global financial stability risk for now, but there was a need to remain vigilant. Overall cryptocurrency market capitalization also exceeded $300 billion mid-week, but retreated below that level Friday. As of 10.54 am ET, cryptocurrency market capitalization was $287.43 billion on CoinMarketCap. Here is a collection of main news from the cryptocurrency and blockchain space over the week. Bitcoin Crosses $8,000, Retreats After SEC Rejects ETF Bitcoin has climbed back above $8,000 Tuesday, clocking a two-month high of $8146. Cryptocurrencies suffered after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rejected a second attempt by crypto exchange Gemini, run by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, to list a bitcoin exchange-traded fund or ETF. Concerns about investor protection and market manipulation were the reasons for rejecting the proposal. Bitwise Files For Crypto Index ETF; PwC To Conduct Tezos' Audit Crypto asset manager Bitwise filed with the Securities Exchange Commission for a publicly offered cryptocurrency index exchange-traded fund or ETF. Elswhere, the Tezos Foundation announced that PriceWaterhouseCoopers' Switzerland branch (PwC Switzerland) will be the external auditor for the Foundation's finances and operations. Hashflare Shuts Down Bitcoin Mining Service Hashflare, a cloud cryptocurrency mining platform, abruptly shut down bitcoin mining service and canceled all active bitcoin contracts, citing weak profit amid difficult cryptocurrency market. In a Facebook post, the company noted that BTC mining continues being unprofitable and it started disabling SHA hardware on July 18. On July 20, the company stopped the mining service of active SHA-256 contracts. Coinbase Unveils Crypto E-Gift Cards; Gibraltar Opens Trading At GBX Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Inc. launched a new option for its customers in the EU and Australia, allowing them to instantly spend their crypto balances on e-gift cards. British Overseas Territory Gibraltar has opened up the Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange (GBX) to the public after a soft launch on June 4 that saw 300 participants gain early access to the exchange. Google Develops Blockchain-based Cloud Service Google will now allow its cloud customers to explore ways to use Blockchain's distributed ledger (DLT) frameworks on Google Cloud Platform (GPC) by using Digital Asset and BlockApps. Digital Asset is a New York-based startup which makes tools to build blockchain-based apps and BlockApps is another startup which helps people make decentralized apps. BBVA Inks Corporate Loan On Blockchain; Singapore Airlines Unveils Wallet Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA or BBVA, signed a new corporate loan using blockchain technology with Spanish civil engineering company ACS Group after the success of its first pilots of a loan and a corporate credit facility in late April. Singapore Airlines or SIA has launched a blockchain technology-based airline loyalty digital wallet, claimed to be the world's first of its kind. SIA's KrisFlyer frequent-flyer program unveiled miles-based wallet KrisPay. In India, the telecom regulator TRAI issued a directive to telecom operators to use blockchain technology to curb pesky telemarketing calls and SMSs, which are made despite the "Do Not Disturb" choice of customers. Catalonia Taps Blockchain; BRICS Banks' Consortium To Study Independent republic Catalonia is set to implement blockchain technology in public administration. The government also plans to promote the technology among companies and citizens. A consortium of five major state-owned development banks from the five member countries of BRICS agreed at its 10th annual summit to conduct collaborative research on blockchain's distributed ledger technology (DLT) to work towards developing the digital economy. Bill To Mandate FinCEN To Cover Crypto Crimes; Swiss Regulator Probes ICO A new bipartisan bill aimed at updating the mandate of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to ensure focus on emerging methods of terrorism and illicit finance, including cryptocurrencies, has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Switzerland's financial regulator FINMA has launched proceedings against a company, Envion AG, that issued a $100 million initial coin offering (ICO). India Court Hearing On Crypto Ban On Sept.11; Unocoin Halts Rupee Dealings The Supreme Court of India has set September 11 as the final hearing date on a set of writ petitions challenging the central bank's ban on the country's commercial banks from providing services to investors in digital currencies. Indian cryptocurrency exchange Unocoin temporarily disabled Indian Rupee deposits and withdrawals following the Reserve Bank of India's ban on providing banking services to firms or individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies. The RBI ban came into effect from July 5. Current Prices As of 10.55 am ET, Bitcoin was up 8.11 percent for the week at $7,830.01 and Ethereum was higher by 2.59 percent at $457.50 on Coinbase. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. India and South Africa signed three agreements, including in the areas of agriculture and space cooperation, following bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the annual BRICS Summit here. Addressing the media here on Thursday evening, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that both leaders expressed satisfaction at the growth of bilateral trade. India-South Africa trade stood at a little over $4.1 billion till the end of August last year. "Among the areas the Prime Minister said the South African companies should be exploring in India are defence, food processing and health insurance," Gokhale said. The two sides signed three agreements on cooperation in exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, setting up of Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Centre of specialisation for artisan skills, and agricultural research and education. This was Modi's first meeting with Ramaphosa after the latter assumed office in February this year. Dear Editor, Re: Creating division in Samoa Britain was able to make the average people submit through enclosures, which were the early stages of capitalism we are struggling under today. This created a class of desperate poor who would work for any pittance their labour awarded them from the upper class who had their class status given to them in the way of land by the royal elite, or god, for their blind faith, loyalty and devotion. If you understand sociology you know that people rarely leave the class they are born into. We can certainly see that this is true when you realize the middle class, that is a creation for the most part by governments/socialism, ie free universal education, well paid government jobs, and government permitted worker unions, is on the decline because of the collapse of global capitalism that Marx so clearly predicted in his critique of the capitalist system. This group are quickly returning to their normal place in the class structure of the poor and the working poor or the landless peasants and the working class. Lets hope a new government can take over in Samoa before all the land is owned by foreigners and the Samoans become the landless peasants and the working class rather than the agrarian poor. Autonomy is precious when thats all you have. Beware of those who awake from their slumber from false consciousness to class-consciousness. Wendy Wonder Dear Editor Re: Creating division in Samoa Lets break this down further. 1) Power and suppression has a trickling effect in any given groups whether you are a socialist, capitalist, Christian, atheist/agnostic, etc. Anybody who wields the power of data/information/metadata (i.e. includes studies, research, analyses, etc.) has the ability to move the argument within the confines of a given agenda. Precisely, why I cited Politics, Religion, and Media. 2) In the poor vs. rich socialist scenario that I intentionally phrased has to do with the pitting game of divide and conquer that is prevalent under socialist regimes, namely Marxism. Karl Marx didnt care for the poor; he simply hated the rich and he used the poor to drive his wedge of hatred. This is the skewed narrative that is too often leveled on air based on the contrived data and the anticipated results. 3) Im fully aware of studies coming out of the UN. Agenda 21 is one of them, which we are fighting tooth and nail to expose the ROT and STENCH seething from it. 4) Christianity and its affiliations/organizations have done fairly well throughout history in engaging and aiding the poor with their volunteerism and wealth of aid through various forms of community outreach. 5) Christ came through humbled beginnings in the most poorest of them all, and that message resonates in todays understanding of charity, compassion, and aid for the poor. There are NO political motivations and aspirations thatll ever dignify such pure form of LOVE than that of Christ. We are well aware of studies and your supposed cries for the rich vs. poor. Unfortunately, it is a method of removing God out of the equation and allow your agenda to flow. We understand you as Wolves in Sheeps Clothing! Nafanua Salamasina Muagututia A Supreme Court application by the Attorney General for an overseas judge to hear an appeal against a District Court decision has been dismissed. His Honour Chief Justice Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu, who presided over the application, heard submissions by lawyers representing the Attorney General and respondent, Fepuleai Atilla Ropati, before reaching the decision. Titi Rexona, counsel for the Attorney General, made a submission highlighting previous cases where members of the judiciary were tried by their own colleagues on the bench. But she submitted that this matter where District Court Judge Alalatoa Rosella Papalii discharged Fepuleai Atilla Ropati (currently president of the Land and Titles Court) of charges of assault, armed with a dangerous weapon and causing injury, and causing grievous bodily harm should be distinguished from the others. She further submitted that there is a risk of justice not seen to be done if the matter was handled by Samoan judiciary members. She argued that Fepuleai is a member of the judiciary by virtue of his appointment, his victim is an employee of the Ministry of Justice and knows Fepuleai, and it is the first time for the Office of the Attorney General to file such an application before the Supreme Court. But Aumua Ming Leung Wai, counsel representing Fepuleai, submitted that they strongly opposed the application as it lacked merit, is offensive and tarnishes the integrity of the Court. We submit that the application is offensive as it is an affront to the dignity and integrity of the Supreme Court, Aumua argued. However way the application is framed or worded, its effect undermines confidence in the judiciary and invites unnecessary criticism since the application presupposes that our local judges cannot be impartial and are not able to recuse themselves when they see fit to do so. We also submit that if the grounds raised by the application are genuine, then the same application for an overseas judge should have been made before the District Court. Following the submissions by the two counsels, Chief Justice Patu dismissed the application. Investigations into corruption allegations levelled at the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure Chief Executive Officer Afamasaga Sua Pou Onesemo are continuing. Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, in response to questions from the Samoa Observer, said both the Public Service Commission (P.S.C.) and the police are investigating. Last month a former Member of the Indian Parliament, Sh.P.K. Bansal, and his company Ascent Navals lodged an official complaint with the Public Service Commission against Afamasaga, who vehemently denies the allegations and has been suspended pending the investigation. He has since been charged by the P.S.C. but the nature of the charges remain unclear. P.S.C. Chairman, Aiono Mose Sua, has refused to give more information on the charges. Yesterday, Lemalu, in an email to the Samoa Observer said: Both the P.S.C. inquiry and the Police investigation are active, and continue to date. In previous police investigations involving Government officials, files are sent to the Attorney Generals Office for their review. But in relation to this particular matter, Lemalu said the file has yet to reach his office. Last month Lemalu issued a statement confirming formal police investigations were launched on June 6, 2018 by the Ministry of Police Criminal Investigation Division, in view of a complaint alleging corrupt practices by a Government C.E.O. The statement went on to say that the records of the allegations were sent to the Attorney General and received on June 5, 2018. After consideration it was referred by the A.G. to the Police Commissioner, with a recommendation that a criminal investigation commence immediately, given the nature of the allegations. Lemalu gave reassurance that as soon as the complaint was received, it was immediately acted upon by this office and the Ministry of Police in an effort to prevent any delays, remove any suggestion of preferential treatment, and to make it clear that no one can be considered to be above the law. The Papauta Girls College secured top honours in a cooking competition hosted by the National University of Samoas (N.U.S.) Faculty of Education. The colleges of Aleipata, Paul VI, Papauta, Sagaga, Anoamaa, Aana 1 and Aana 2 took part in the competition, which specifically targeted schools in the rural areas of Upolu. Each school had two participants who prepared a main dish that comprised healthy portions of meat, vegetables and fruits for four people. Each dish followed guidelines that would lead to the prevention of diabetes by using recipes that resulted in dishes that were low in fat, sugar, salt and were delicious. The judging criteria were based on presentation, taste, nutritional values, cost and originality. Based on the decision of the judges, Papauta Girls College took top honours followed by Aleipata College and Sagaga College. The competition focused on assisting Food Technology Year 13 students with their practical cooking internal assessment tasks, enhance students knowledge on healthy cooking and promoting healthy eating in order to control and prevent diabetes in Samoa and the Pacific. Faculty of Education Dean, Tofilau Dr. Faguele Suaalii, thanked all the supporters of the event. The children of Samoa for tomorrow, we want them to be happy so with this competition it not only promotes healthy cooking, healthy eating but also a healthy lifestyle. Like they always say, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, which is why it is significant for the children to be aware of the circumstances that Samoa, and also the Pacific are going through in terms of the increasing number of diseases like diabetes, he said. One of the judges and Izzys Restaurant owner, Friedrich Kruse, said part of the workshop is getting schools to learn ways that can better prepare their food. The food they came up with was great. They showcased interest and passion in this. They just need something to put it towards, everybodys an artist but cooking also helps to express them and it makes everybody happy. I applaud the imaginative side of all the contestants, some used local and others used overseas ingredients. Everyone was just shooting for gold, and yet they dont have any cooking experience. It was an opportunity for them to showcase whatever hidden potentials in creating masterpieces. The project was made possible with the help of Macdonalds Motor Distributors, Samoa Stationery and Books, Island Rock, Le Well, Chinese Embassy, U.N.E.S.C.O., W.H.O. office in Samoa, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Latter-day Saints Charities. The Salvation Army - Autau O le Faaolataga is celebrating its official opening in Samoa next weekend, start from 3 until 5 August. After months of preparations they are excited to be officially launching their mission of caring for people, transforming lives and reforming society through Christ at their worship and community centre in Motootua. Hundreds of people from NZ and Samoa will be attending the opening celebrations. People may not be aware that the Salvation Army is a Church as well as one of the largest providers of social services in New Zealand and Australia, said Lt. Colonel Rod Carey, Regional Leader and Pastor. We are an international movement, and an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Our message is based on the Bible. Our ministry is motivated by love for God. Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in his name without discrimination. The celebrations commence at the Motootua Church on Friday night at 6.00pm with a prayer meeting nothing happened without prayer says Colonel Carey. We have witnessed so many answers to prayer and lots of miracles as weve been establishing out services God is so good On Saturday morning there will be outreach concerts in SNPF Plaza from 10.30 -11.30am The National Salvation Army Choir, Spiritsong from New Zealand, and the Waitakere West Auckland Samoan Worship Band will bless and entertain people shopping in the plaza. Saturday afternoon at 2.00pm at the Samoa Tourism Authority Fale the official opening will take place. We are delighted that The Hon Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi will bring words of welcome. The Prime Minister was one of the first to extend an invitation for The Salvation Army to come to Samoa says Colonel Carey. Commissioners Andrew and Yvonne Westrupp our Territorial Leaders from NZ will bring words of greeting from the International Leader of the Salvation Army, General Andre Cox based in London and also from the Salvation Army in New Zealand. Everybody loves a free Gospel concert says Colonel Jenny Carey Regional Leader and Pastor so on Saturday evening at 6.00pm a Concert will be held at the Tourism Fale featuring the Apia Protestant Church choir, the Faatoia EFKS Youth Cultural Group, the Waitakere Salvation Army Samoan Worship Band and the Salvation Army National Choir from NZ. We will praise and celebrate giving thanks to God in for his goodness and love in providing all that we need to set up our ministry to the people of Samoa The Salvation Army Church has been holding services in Motootua since May and is attracting many people to its Sunday services. We preach the message of Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and coming again and emphasise the power of the Holy Spirit to help us witness and work for the Lord. says Colonel Carey. A church service to conclude the opening weekend is being held on Sunday at the Tourism fale at 10.00am. The Salvation Army is place where everybody is somebody and Jesus is Lord, so everyone is welcome to attend says Colonel Carey. Since arriving in Samoa they have established key partnerships with social service providers, Goshen Trust Samoa Mental Health Services, Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration Probation and Parole Services, and Samoa Victim Support Group. We havent come to compete with other churches or social service agencies but to partner and collaborate for the good of the people says Colonel Rod Carey. The first social service they will deliver is an Addictions Services, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme. They have employed two qualified and experienced Drug and Alcohol clinicians and mental health professionals from New Zealand. Aukusitino and Natalie Senio both worked for Pasifika services in District Health Boards in Auckland and come highly regarded. People needing help with Alcohol and Drug use and abuse can now find free, professional, confidential and credible help through accessing our services. says Colonel Carey. Addictions Services Team Leader, Aukusitino Senio says. We take referrals from family, social services agencies. Health, Justice and also self-referrals. If you need us were here to help Captain Miriama Simanu Pastor, runs a drop in centre every week day morning at the centre in Motootua. Drop by sometime for a cup of coffee and a listening ear says Captain Simanu. The Salvation Army is grateful to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade New Zealand and the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa for their generous support for the Alcohol and Drug programme through the International Partnership Aid Development Fund. Our vision statement is, The Army that brings Life says Colonel Carey, Life in all its fullness. We are an Army that cares for the least, the last and the lost. There are no guns in Gods Army. We fight with love, prayer, Gods Word, and serving people so they can be free from addiction, poverty, brokenness and despair. We are looking for more volunteers to help us in our work says Colonel Jenny Carey. If you are interested in finding out more about serving in the Salvation Army, come along to our opening weekend. You can also visit us at our centre at Motootua during the week or ring us on 7706666. Samoan General Practitioner (GP), Dr. Alainuanua Tupai will be recognised for her outstanding contribution to general practice at the forthcoming annual conference of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Dr. Tupai, who has worked with Bader Drive Doctors in Mangere for the last 16 years, will be one of only two New Zealand GPs to receive a prestigious Community Service Medal at the event at Aucklands Aotea Centre. Clinical Leader at the practice for the last 10 years, Dr. Tupai is a firm believer that community participation is key to health management improvements. As the Clinical Lead for the Alliance Health Plus PHO, and as part of the Counties Manukau Clinical Leadership Group, she is in an excellent position to exercise this vision. At the same conference, Fijian-Indian GP Shabrina Hussein of Westview Medical Centre in Glen Eden, will be recognised as a new Fellow of the College. Fellowship is the culmination of at least 11 years work, which typically includes six years medical study, two years pre-vocational training and three years completing the Colleges General Practice Education Programme (GPEP). The College is committed to supporting the GP workforce in improving health outcomes for Pasifika communities in New Zealand. Its Pacific Chapter is made up of members who identify as PaIsifika and the group also welcomes non-Pasifika doctors serving communities with large Pacific populations, or those with an interest in Pacific health issues. Chapter Chair Dr. Api Talemaitoga is proud of the work of these two GPs and on behalf of the Pacific Chapter membership, offers heartfelt congratulations to both Drs Tupai and Hussein. The Chapter appreciates the role-modelling these two women GPs show in attaining Fellowship (Dr Hussein) and in her advocacy work with the Pacific communities in Mangere, Auckland (Dr Tupai), says Dr Talemaitoga. The Chapter will continue to support all Pacific GPs in attaining their Fellowship qualifications as they continue to work with these under-served communities. College President Dr Tim Malloy adds: Congratulations to both Dr Tupai and Dr Hussein. We hope their achievements can help in the goal of attracting more PaIsifika doctors into general practice, to play a vital role in the health of their communities. Two aspiring Netball umpires have passed their Samoa Centre theory and practical assessment. Malama Simi Crawley, 19, and Solinuu Wilson, 20 were assessed by Louise Mataia Milo, Netball Samoa Technical Officials Coordinator, and Angela Jowitt, Taranaki Netball Region/ Netball New Zealand. Jowitt accessed via live video and worked with Mataia Milo. The two umpires have had both attended theory classes and practical clinics in the last two years. They will undergo a vigorous fitness programme and will be tested regularly starting from September. The next goal for these aspiring umpires is to pass the Samoa/ New Zealand Zone Theory and Practical tests, which will take place next year. Netball Samoa congratulates the two umpires for their achievement and continues to encourage other aspiring umpires to persevere in their training. We also encourage the general youth to choose netball umpiring as their sport. A group of girl friends from Christchurch and Palmerston North, New Zealand flew into Samoa to escape the winter back home. While they find Samoas climate more favourable, to be greeted with friendly faces and beautiful scenery in a place theyve never been to before adds to the package. Zen Gregor, who has done a bit of travelling around the Pacific, prefers Samoa because it is less commercialised. It is a lot friendlier and a bit more down to earth, cleaner environment and they seem to respect the place a lot more, she said. Zens impression of a clean environment is based on her experience in Fiji, where it is much worse, according to her. She describes Apia as relaxing like most cities around the region. It is always a shock anywhere you go because we are lucky where we come from, Zen said her thoughts of seeing village life in Samoa. The girls rented a car and visited To Sua Ocean Trench, Namua Island, Apia and the Papaseea Sliding Rocks. I think most people would come here to relax. The mix between relaxing and activities is pretty good, Zen said to the Dear Tourist team. The girls agreed that Samoa has the potential to develop and attract more tourists, but according to them, it depends on how much the locals want to become commercialised. To them, Samoa is perfect the way it is now. Holly Caird fears that over commercialising the island could result in the loss of culture, whereas for now, tourists are able to see the real everyday life of locals. They kind of invite you to their little world and then you go back to yours, Zen said. The group has left the island, but they look forward to returning and visiting Savaii. In a world so big, one click on a Facebook advertisement connected two businesswomen who share the same passion for jewelry. Their story and background may differ, but Alani Stunzner and Shehana Kimiangatau have a common value that has seen their business partnership thrive for almost two years now. Ms. Stunzner owns Adrianas Boutique, which was established in December 2016 and her New Zealand supplier is Ms. Kimiangatau. Yesterday, Adrianas Boutique held a Pearls & Champagne event to thank their VIP customers, bring women together and to celebrate Ms. Kimiangataus first visit to the boutique, located at Togafuafua. I originally was only stocking gold and silver pieces in my store, said Ms. Stunzner. But because I know Pacific women love pearls so I was trying to find a pearl supplier and it just so happened that I was on Facebook and one of her advertisements popped up on one of our pieces so I just clicked on it, went through her website and I loved all her jewelry collection she had." It was very modern and unique, so I just contacted her and we just went from there. Response from customers has been great with our Shahana pearls, like I said shes unique and has modern pieces that suit any type of women." You dont have to be small, you dont have to be big, it can suit any skin colour, and she makes for every type of women. Being women in business is a tough challenge, but the pair wouldnt have it any other way as they strive to overcome all odds. We are just two ladies trying to make it in business. It is hard being women in business but our whys are so much stronger, personally I think, we want to be able to support our families, travel, be independent, Ms.Kimiangatau said. Our husbands work too and have businesses but this is something we want for ourselves. To work with other women in businesses every day, were together so its like a community and we inspire each other in so many different ways, so its hard but we love the grind. Ms.Kimiangataus love for jewelry, specifically pearls, started from a very young age as her mother and grandad share the same passion. My mother was an avid jewelry collector, my grandad was an inventor, so I kind of grew up around him and jewelry at the same time, so when it came to a point in my life that I wanted to start a business for me, work with people I love, do what I enjoy, travel, it was really easy, it was jewelry because it was what I knew, so its been a big passion of mine. Im inspired by colours, luxurious textures, nature and my culture because Im Indian, Chinese, and Italian, so a lot of colours and textures come from there, but nature as well. I grew up in Fiji so I was always by the sea and surrounded by the beach. Most intricate detailing is what I work with, so I put that into my jewelry. For Ms.Kimiangatau, selling her jewelries in a boutique is important because she doesnt make masses. Thats what Adrianas Boutique is all about. Its about exclusivity so thats my market as well, I cater to that so once its sold out, we dont make anymore because if a womans bought it, then shes the only one thats got it and thats really important, thats what our customers want, Ms.Kimiangatau said. Our customers are successful business women who want to stand out in the crowd, its important for them because they work so hard, they dont want to go to meetings and see other women wearing the same thing because were exactly the same. Thats why it is easy for us to sell what we have and earn from it. Last nights event was also a time for the two ladies to give back to the community who contribute to the success of the business. We really want to thank them and also tonight Im displaying my new collections and Alanis got some that shes discounted as well where 30 percent is going towards the Samoa Childrens Pediatric ward, Ms. Kimiangatau said. Ms. Stunzner added: The Kids Pediatric ward theyve done a lot and Ive seen how much work they put in and theyre just always going the extra mile to help the kids. Its nice to give back to our doctors and our nurses to help them help us. She told the Weekend Observer she plans to expand her business to little boutique shops at the airport or hotels, but its all about the location. I have customers overseas asking for Adrianas jewelry, but we currently dont have overseas shipping, but there are quite a few people who request their families in Samoa to pick them up and bring the jewelry to them in Australia, New Zealand and Pago, she said. The women share a positive mindset towards other businesses in similar trades because they believe in their unique and quality designed products that distinguish them. Everyone sells different designs and its not always the same and our stories are different, Ms. Stunzner said. Supreme Court Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke has been appointed to preside over the hearing of an appeal against the District Courts decision to acquit the President of the Land and Titles Court, Fepuleai Atilla Ropati, of charges against him. The appointment was made by the Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu, this week. He revealed the appointment in the Supreme Court, when he dismissed the application made by the Attorney Generals Office for an overseas Judge to preside over the appeal. My reasons for the conclusion that I have reached for this matter will be produced in writing and given to counsels in due course, said Chief Justice Patu. But the conclusion that I have reached is that the application is dismissed and now it is a matter for setting a hearing date for the appeal." Now, I do intend to allocate Justice Clarke again to hear this matter." It was before him for hearing when this matter was last before this Court and now that it is back again before this Court in the form of an appeal. I will ask Justice to preside on the appeal. On Wednesday, Aumua Ming Leung Wai, the lawyer representing Fepuleai, strongly opposed the application for an overseas-based Judge. He said the application lacked merit, was offensive and it tarnishes the integrity of the Court. The way the application is framed or worded, its effect undermines confidence in the judiciary and invites unnecessary criticism since the application presupposes that our local judges cannot be impartial and are not able to recuse themselves when they see fit to do so, Aumua argued. We also submit that if the grounds raised by the application are genuine, then the same application for an overseas judge should have been made before the District Court. Titi Rexona, lawyer for the Attorney Generals Office, submitted at the time the risk of justice not to be done if the matter was handled by a Samoan judiciary member. She argued that Fepuleai is a member of the judiciary by virtue of his appointment, his victim is an employee of the Ministry of Justice and knows Fepuleai. She added that it is the first time for the Office of the Attorney General to file such an application before the Supreme Court. In the end, Chief Justice dismissed the application. The President of the Land and Titles Court remains suspended after he was charged over an incident where he smashed a bear bottle on the head of a security officer who was drinking alcohol on the job. Three men appeared at the Tuasivi District Court this week in connection to the ransacking of the Salelologa market earlier this year where public and private properties were destroyed. The accused are Junior Pauli Mark, Tony Fiu Tafea and Viliamu Touli Fagaese. Junior faces two charges of intentional damage, Tony faces one charge of being armed with a firearm and Viliamu faces charges of being armed with a dangerous weapon. They were to be sentenced this week. However, given the seriousness of the charges; District Court Judge Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma had asked for a probation report. He also referred the matter to be called in Apia for sentencing on 8 August. A matai from the village of Salelologa by the name of Fiu took the floor and told the Court that there had already been a reconciliation. Therefore I am seeking your honour for indulgence to have leniency on the defendants, he said. As you see, they are young and its their stupidity that has made them act the way they did." However, we have had our ifoga (traditional apology) and we apologise to the people that were affected. That is all I can say and at the end of the day it is up to your honour to make a decision on these boys. According to the police summary of facts that was read out in open court by prosecution Sergeant Khamthan Stanley, the three men are from Saletagaloa, Salelologa. Junior is a 31-year-old male of Salelologa, Tony and Viliamu are both 22 years old from the same village." The first victim of the offending is a 38-year-old female from the village of Salelavalu and she has a food stall at the Salelologa Market." The second victim is another female at the age of 28 and she also owns a stall at the same market and the last victim is a 41-year-old male who owns a barber shop as well as pool tables at the market." The incident occurred on 28th May, 2018 at the Salelologa Market where there was a dispute between the young men of Salelologa and Salelavalu." The said defendants went to the market on the day and started provoking and destroyed the belongings of the victims." The third defendant by the name of Viliamu was armed with a dangerous weapon namely a rock where he threw the rock towards the glass of the barber shop and the glass broke." The second defendant, Tony, was armed with a firearm namely a 12 gage and together with other young men started provoking the people." The first defendant, Junior, was the one who destroyed the food stall of the first victim. In its effort to help farmers best manage their animal waste, the Samoa Federated Farmers Incorporated (S.F.F.I.) has implemented the Mamoe Project. The US$30,000 (T$77,365) project is funded by the U.N.D.P. Global Environmental Finance (G.E.F.). S.F.F.I. has been given US$15,000 (T$38,656) of the total fund, which has been utilised by the association to set up model farms at Salelua, Ululoloa and Tufulele, and to also purchase materials for sheep farmers who are members of the association. The Mamoe project focuses specifically on sheep farmers and how they can better manage and dispose their sheep waste to create a more conducive environment for farming by turning waste into properly processed compost for farmers, especially vegetable farmers. Kirifi Pouono, a sheep farmer, told the Business team the project is good for the environment because when sheep numbers increase, their waste can be better managed rather than becoming an environmental problem. So its basically focusing on how best the waste can be managed because when the waste is there, it can be a source of foul smell, it can be a threat to the animal and people around the place, Kirifi said. The project focuses on sheltered animals only, including chicken and pigs, but for now Kirifi said the association has identified only sheep farmers. The concept and implementation of the project involves cementing the base of the shelter so the waste can be easily cleared and processed into compost. Up until now, weve done two weeks of processing already at the Salelua model farm. At Salelua, there is already 130-150 sheep, after a month you will have a heap of manure for processing to compost." This is still the beginning and we are still researching as to how long it will take to process. I think my estimation looking at the amount of waste for the month; we are probably looking at three-four cubic metres of waste processed into compost per month, Kirifi explained. He said not properly cementing the floor of the shelter can add to more labour costs. If its properly cemented, then you can bring that labour time down, say 30minutes. One week of labour trying to clear waste down to 30 minutes of labour. So it saves time, energy and money, Kirifi said. He explained the three model farms will be for sheep farmers who wish to grab the concept and implement it in their own farms. It can be difficult to explain things to the farmers unless they see whats happening and how its done and then it will be easy to deliver the message to them because when we talk to them, they think more of fencing and buying the sheep, but no thats not the purpose of the project." The focus of the programme is on sheep as an industry but the concept is applicable to other livestock like chickens, pigs and sheltered animals, where you expect to have an accumulation of waste in a location that you can get rid of not so much cattle because it may require a different strategy. Kirifi explained for the processing of waste, one must have a source of carbon. There is sawdust available from Vaitele, mix it with manure at a certain ratio, I think for the sawdust and manure, youre looking at 30 units of manure to one unit of sawdust and proper ratio of water, keep mixing it until its ready. So you may be looking at three weeks, he said. We are still keeping in touch with them (sheep farmers), and some of them still have problems with accessibility because of Tropical Cyclone Gita, so if we cant reach, then we cant deliver the materials and then we cant implement." We are still consulting with sheep farmers, whoever is ready then we deliver them the materials, we dont give any cash to farmers. At the moment weve decided that well develop the model farms and then training will be conducted for the farmers to go and see and then we continue to other farmers based on whatever funding is available. The major challenge with farming is cost, Kirifi highlighted, but it all comes down to a positive approach towards sustainable farming. It can be challenging in terms of going through the process, but positive farming helps in terms of utilising more of the potential resources of income for farmers, he said. There is a time frame for this project, we are supposed to put in a report in June, but there has been some delay because of Tropical Cyclone Gita, so the farmers were focusing on other recovery measures, especially with damages to fencing, accessing farmers especially those in Fiaga up until now is difficult. The roads are really bad, so there has been a delay in terms of implement ation. We implemented the project around May-June this year. Kirifi said they need to provide a report of the project and the utilisation of the funds before the other half is given to the association. In the long run, the compost will eventually be sold to farmers because thats the intention, however the product needs to be developed properly, he said. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A father and three children who were among nine members of a close-knit Indiana family killed in a tourist boat accident were remembered Friday during a nearly three-hour service attended by hundreds who showed up to support their surviving relatives. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, first lady Janet Holcomb and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson were among the dignitaries who attended the services at Grace Apostolic Church for 40-year-old Glenn Coleman, 9-year-old Reece, 7-year-old Evan and 1-year-old Arya. Tia Coleman, who was Glenn Coleman's wife and the children's mother, was one of only two survivors among 11 Coleman family members who boarded a duck boat that capsized and sank on July 19 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, killing 17 people . Suffragan Bishop Kevin Harrison of Grace Apostolic Church said that despite the tragedy, there has been an outpouring of support and messages of consolation for the family. He said it shows that "we still are a community of love." "This community stretched far beyond the boundaries of the city of Indianapolis and even the boundaries of the state of Missouri," he said, adding that "the love and support that has been shown in so many different ways to this family" has come from across the globe. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said Tia Coleman, who works in the child support division of the prosecutor's office, is "a gentle, wonderful young woman" who's part of the department's extended family. He said she's now struggling with an immense loss that raises "the age-old question of why bad things happen to good persons" but that he sees "a glimmer of hope." "It's difficult to talk about, that there's something positive, a glimmer of hope that comes out of this unimaginable tragedy that has befallen Tia and her in-laws. It reminds me that we are ultimately a good people despite the divisive, caustic rhetoric that we hear from some. We're still in touch with our good nature," he said. Master of ceremony Nicole Young Starks read statements prepared by the Coleman family about the victims. She described Glenn Coleman as man who cared for and provided for his family and believed that he and Tia, who wed in 2007, "were the most beautiful couple in the world." Reese had autism, was extremely smart and loved to sing, and would often search the internet for sing-alongs to purchase and take part in, Starks said. She said Evan "had a heart of gold but was very competitive" but good-spirited in that competitiveness. Starks said Tia Coleman was trying to raise Arya "the first girl in a family with many boys" as a princess, but that she discovered that the toddler was as tough as her brothers. "So we had to accept that she was a rough princess," she said reading from the family's statements, which said "each of the Coleman children had their own unique personality." A funeral will be held Saturday for the five other Coleman family members who died in the boat's sinking: 70-year-old Horace Coleman and his 69-year-old wife, Belinda, 76-year-old Ervin Coleman, 45-year-old Angela Coleman and her 2-year-old son, Maxwell. The nations economic growth surged this spring to top 4% for the first time in nearly four years, but analysts have some advice: Enjoy it while you can. The U.S. economy probably wont do that again for a while. For the record: An earlier version of this article said the U.S. economy grew at about a 3.2% annual pace in the first half of this year. The pace was 3.1%. Although President Trump promised that the amazing second-quarter figure isnt a one-time shot, an unusual combination of factors from April through June led to the strong 4.1% annual growth rate reported Friday by the Commerce Department. Stimulus from the large Republican tax cuts that took effect on Jan. 1 finally filtered into the economy, leading consumers to spend at a quarterly pace that hadnt been seen since 2014. Advertisement On top of that, exports of U.S. goods grew at a stunning 13.3% annual pace, the fastest in almost five years, as U.S. businesses apparently rushed to deliver their products before tariffs from other nations kick in amid simmering trade disputes. Foreigners snatched up U.S. soybeans this spring after Chinas move to put tariffs on them roiled global supply chains. U.S. soybean exports nearly doubled in May from the previous month to $4.14 billion. This is not amazing, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Analytics, said of the strong economic data. This is a mirage. It doesnt take a genius to figure out how to juice up growth: you borrow money and cut everyone a check, he said. A year from now or two years from now, there is a very dark side to all of this, and we will see it. The extra economic stimulus is driving up the risk for a recession in 2020, Zandi said. Longer term, the tax cuts are projected to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. But in the short term, the stimulus has worked. Though it was below analysts expectations of 4.4%, the latest report on total economic output, also known as gross domestic product, was undeniably strong. The last time the U.S. economy topped 4% annualized growth in a quarter was in 2014, when the figure was 4.9%. (Los Angeles Times) Some of the second-quarter gains were makeup for a mediocre first quarter. The economy grew at just a 2.2% annual rate in January through March, a figure that was revised upward by 0.2 percentage points by the Commerce Department on Friday. The first-quarter performance was down from the end of last year, a surprise result given the tax cuts. But it apparently took a while for larger paychecks and one-time bonuses from companies to filter into the economy. Consumer spending in the second quarter soared 4% on an annual basis, after inching up only 0.5% in the first quarter. Exports of goods and services also surged in the second quarter, growing at a 9.3% annual rate, way up from 3.6% in the first quarter. The growth rate of capital expenditures outside of the housing industry, a key measure of business investment, slowed in the second quarter to 7.3% from 11.5% in the previous quarter. But that is still considered strong, and was boosted by lower tax rates and higher energy prices that have lured more investment in oil and natural gas mining. Its a very nice quarter, Aaron Anderson, senior vice president of research at Fisher Investments. President Trump was much more impressed. He gathered top administration officials on the South Lawn of the White House Friday morning to tout the report. Weve accomplished an economic turnaround of historic proportions, Trump declared, though growth this year is on pace only to be marginally above the 2.9% achieved just three years ago in 2015. Trump and Republicans criticized President Obama for not having a single calendar year in which economic growth hit 3%, although there were three 12-month periods under his administration when growth reached that level. For the first half of 2018, the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 3.1%. These numbers are very, very sustainable, Trump said, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and other administration officials. I happen to think were going to do extraordinarily well in our next report, he said. Most economists dont agree. A poll of 55 economists released this week by Reuters found that they believe economic growth will be slower in the second half of this year as the stimulus effects from the tax cuts wear off over the next few quarters. And the Federal Reserve despite Trumps protests is likely to continue increasing its benchmark interest rate. The move, designed to stave off high inflation, would make borrowing more expensive and slow down growth, analysts said. Add in trade tensions between the United States and some key trading partners, and that would mean the tax cuts could fall short of the economic rocket fuel predicted by Trump and Republicans when they pushed through the legislation. Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, noted that economic growth began improving in mid-2016, before Trump won the presidential election. We see no signs of an upward inflection caused by the administrations policies, he wrote in a research note. He forecasts growth to slow in the third quarter to 3%. Anderson also doesnt think the 4.1% growth can be sustained. This is a good economic environment that has stable growth and low inflation, he said, but added: I dont see this marking a point where were in for high 3% to 4% growth persistently into the future. As Congress finished work on the tax-cut legislation in December, Trump said U.S. economic growth could go to 4, 5 or even 6%, ultimately. Since then, his advisors have lowered those estimates. Last week, Larry Kudlow, director of the White Houses National Economic Council, predicted that the annual growth rate might hit 4% for a quarter or two. The annual Economic Report of the President, released in February, forecast 3.1% growth this year, increasing to 3.2% next year. Growth would be at least 3% a year through 2024. But those forecasts are higher than others. The Congressional Budget Office estimated 3.3% growth this year, dropping to 2.4% in 2019 and 1.8% the following year. Federal Reserve policymakers said in June that they expected 2.8% growth this year, declining to 2.4% in 2019 and 2% the year after that. Muddying the waters is the governments growing budget deficit. On top of the tax cuts, Congress and the White House enacted a $1.3 trillion spending bill that blows through existing budget caps for military and domestic expenditures. That was reflected in a 5.5% increase in government defense spending in the second quarter, up from 3% during the first three months of the year. For those reasons, the deficit is expected to increase to $804 billion this fiscal year $139 billion more than the estimated amount before the tax cut and budget bills were signed, according to the nonpartisan CBO. The deficit will top $1 trillion in 2020, the CBO said. The deficit was $620 billion in 2016, President Obamas last year in office. Zandi warned a reckoning is coming from the large deficit-financed stimulus at a time the economy already has been expanding for several years. The recession odds are very high for 2020, he said. This is classic business cycle. Weve seen it 10 times since World War II, Zandi said. It will end the same way the 10 other cycles have ended, very likely in a recession. UPDATES: 2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from analysts. 7:10 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from President Trump. 6:20 a.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting and analysis. This article was originally published at 5:40 a.m. Apple is dropping Qualcomm as a chip supplier for new iPhone models coming out this fall, the San Diego cellular technology giant said. The news was not a surprise to investors. Qualcomm gave financial guidance in January that excluded cellular modem chip sales to Apple for new iPhones as the two tech giants fight an ongoing legal war over patent fees. During its earnings conference call this week, Qualcomm made the loss of Apples business official. We believe Apple intends to solely use our competitors modems rather than our modems in its next iPhone release, Chief Financial Officer George Davis told analysts Wednesday. We will continue to provide modems for Apple legacy devices. Advertisement Apple declined to comment. The companies are embroiled in a fierce courtroom battle over patent royalties that Qualcomm charges for use of its cellular technologies, with lawsuits pending across the globe. Apple contends Qualcomm leverages its dominance in cellular chips to overcharge for patents. It has stopped paying Qualcomm for its intellectual property, shaving as much as $500 million per quarter in patent licensing revenue from Qualcomm over the past year. Despite the legal battle, Qualcomm has continued to supply cellular chips for iPhones. They link smartphones to cellular towers. Apple uses Qualcomm chips for about half its iPhones, including those on Verizons and Sprints networks in the U.S., as well as other wireless networks globally. Intel supplies cellular modems for iPhones running on T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S., plus European networks and others around the world. Apple is the second largest seller of smartphones worldwide, shipping 216 million devices last year. It trails only Samsung with 317 million units sold, according to industry research firm International Data Corp. Ditching Qualcomm is not without risk for Apple at least from a marketing standpoint. Qualcomm and Samsung have begun touting faster Internet speeds for mobile users. According to Ookla, which makes a speed test app, Qualcomms latest Snapdragon 845 chips powering new Android phones beat Intels modems in a variety of speed tests. Ookla collected data from more than a million real world speed tests. During typical use, Qualcomm-powered Android phones achieved 37.2 megabits per second download speeds on T-Mobiles network, compared with 24.3 megabits per second for Intels top modem in iPhones. On AT&T, the latest Android phones typically hit 29.8 megabits per second download speeds, beating the 21.3 megabits per second for Intel modems. For Qualcomm, the loss of Apples volume is not expected to show up in the current quarter that ends Sept. 30. Qualcomm is forecasting chip shipments of roughly 215 million up from 199 million in the June quarter. But Nomura/Instinet Analyst Romit Shah predicts Qualcomms chip volume will fall 3 percent in the December quarter which is typically strong for chip shipments as smartphone makers ramp up for new releases. Qualcomms chip business has been performing well so far this year -- fueled by smartphone makers in China. Company President Cristiano Amon said during a conference call with analysts that Chinese firms are expanding their product lines to include more top-tier smartphones which is where Qualcomm is strongest. In addition, large Chinese smartphone makers have launched devices in more overseas markets, said Amon. As an example, some of our key customers now have products in the U.K., Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, which is a new geographical region for them, he said. While the loss of Apple is likely to hit Qualcomms modem volume to some extent, it is unlikely to hurt its revenue significantly, said Sravan Kundojjala, a market consultant with industry research firm Strategy Analytics. In recent quarters, Qualcomm has significantly improved its Snapdragon product mix with higher priced 600, 700 and 800 series of chips, which support advanced LTE modem features and also drive demand for Qualcomms radio frequency front-end components, said Kundojjala. Qualcomm shares ended trading Thursday up 7 percent at $63.58 on news that it would buy back up to $30 billion of its own stock after its proposed acquisition of NXP Semiconductors failed to win approval from Chinese regulators. Business mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com; Twitter:@TechDiego 760-529-4973 The body of missing 83-year-old Vista grandfather Francisco Larios was found Thursday night in Carlsbad, authorities confirmed Friday. Larios disappeared from his daughters Vista home early Sunday morning and family and friends had been leading searches for him around the clock ever since. At 6:31 p.m. Thursday, walkers on the Lake Calavera hiking trail in Carlsbad found a body and contacted the Carlsbad Police, according to Police Lt. Greg Koran, who is leading the investigation. When police reached the scene, they found a mans body in some brush down a steep embankment by the trail, indicating a possible fall. It appeared the body had been there for a while, Koran said. Advertisement The San Diego County Medical Examiners Office confirmed Friday afternoon that it was Larios. His body was found more than four miles away from the home he left on foot before 8 a.m. Sunday, while his daughter was away for a few hours at church. Larios granddaughter, Karla Vargas of Escondido, said her family is now in mourning and would appreciate privacy from the public, but she said they are all grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and law enforcement over the past several days. This included teams of searchers, canine teams and dozens of volunteers who handed out and posted Missing flyers around the area. We just want people to know that hes been found and thank you for all the support, Vargas said. We appreciate the kindness that everyone showed to us during the days of searching. Larios was a father of eight adult children who live with their families in the cities of Escondido and Vista. He was living full time in his native Mexico until a pair of strokes in 2017 left him unable to care for himself. In January, his children brought him to North County where he had been alternating short stays at his childrens homes. When he left his daughters home on Lado de Loma Drive in Vista Sunday morning, he wasnt carrying any identification, money or water. Because of the strokes he suffered, Larios could no longer speak or write. He also understood only Spanish and was hard of hearing, so the family became frantic with worry in their efforts to find him, particularly during a heat wave. A Facebook page entitled Search for Francisco Larios was set up this week and memorial information may be posted there in the coming days. Staff reporter Alex Riggins contributed to this report. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: 8:35 p.m.: This article was updated with official confirmation of Larios death. This article was originally published at 1:15 p.m. San Marcos North City development near Cal State San Marcos is picking up speed, with plans for a new university extension building, and a suite of road improvements underway over the summer. North City is an ambitious plan for a dense, urban village around the university campus, which would offer a mix of retail, dining, business office space, educational facilities and housing. The plan, envisioned as a sort of Gaslamp District for North County, spans about 150 acres, with construction completed on 15 of those, said Gary Levitt, whose firm Sea Breeze Properties is developing the district. It will start accelerating as weve proven the concept, Levitt said. I hope to build out in seven to 10 years. Advertisement In February, the company broke ground on a six-story structure that will house the universitys extension program, plus some of its student services, Levitt said. The building, to be located across from the campus on the north side of Barham Drive, will span 140,000 square feet of space, including 15,000 square feet of retail, he said. Its slated to open in August 2019, and will connect to the main campus through a long pedestrian bridge across Barham. Meanwhile, roadwork is underway to accommodate the new buildings, Levitt said. Were expanding Barham Drive and Twin Oaks Valley Road, widening it slightly and adding deceleration lanes, and acceleration lanes, and creating new intersections into North City, he said. We are putting in traffic lights into North City. Starting this summer, and continuing through summer 2019, construction on roads and other infrastructure in the area will be underway, the city stated on its website. On Barham Drive, the company will reconfigure the center median from Campus Way and Twin Oaks Valley Road, replacing 11 Italian Stone Pine trees with Torrey Pine trees to complement the new landscaping. Their plan will also add sidewalk, landscaping, and a new traffic signal to Twin Oaks Valley Road. Improvements to storm drains and water sewer mains on Twin Oaks Valley Road are underway, and crews will add a new intersection along North City Drive. While those upgrades ultimately promise better circulation for the area, residents should expect some traffic delays over the next year, the city noted. Although two-way traffic will be maintained, traffic delays are anticipated as motorists slow through work zones, the city stated. The North City area has been growing since 2012, when the company opened the QUAD, a student housing facility with apartments featuring private bedrooms, flat-screen TVs and sleek, modern furnishings. The complex, now completed, offers 850 beds, and is fully occupied for the 2018-19 school year, Levitt said. Next came Block C, market-rate apartment housing for young professionals, introduced in 2016. Its mixed-use model offers apartments in upper levels, along with ground floor retail and dining. Among its first tenants are dining and drinking establishments that contribute to the developers vision of an eclectic street scene for the area. This summer Prep Kitchen opened downstairs at Block C, bringing its signature farm-to-table menu and indoor-outdoor dining to North City. The company has existing locations La Jolla, Del Mar and Little Italy, and plans to open a venue in Los Angeles. In addition, the complex now includes FRESH Healthy Cafe, offering juices, sandwiches and acai bowls, Grit Coffee Shop, and Newtopia Cyder, a tasting room for draft cider. Among the districts other drinking and dining destinations is Urge Common House, a sprawling eatertainment complex located on Redel Road off of Barham, that opened in 2017, and offers a brewery, bocce ball and bowling. The PIMA medical building, which provides vocational training in health care fields, also opened last year on Carmel Road, next to Highway 78. Together, those new and upcoming facilities are the start of a pedestrian-friendly live-work community in San Marcos, that seeks to provide housing, dining, education and jobs within the existing city footprint, Levitt said. The message is that we are building a true urban development next to the freeway, he said. The future of the type of development that we think well see more of in Southern California. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan Buzz of The One Group-owned restaurant opening inside the Andaz hotel started surfacing in summer of 2016, and after much delay, the 8,300-square-foot space finally opened just in time to welcome last months Comic-Con crowd. Stop in and you may recognize some familiar faces around the restaurant. General Manager Reggie Robinson previously worked with the RMD Group, most recently with Rustic Root, and is a downtown resident himself. In bringing in a team to launch STK in San Diego, Robinson said it was all about finding locals with high energy to help differentiate the modern steakhouse from others in the market. Its the locals that really develop the buzz, Robinson said. And while the servers and bartenders are busy creating a buzzy atmosphere, its executive chef Dave Burke whos putting out the noteworthy food. About 70% of the menu is standard across all STK locations, but Burke gets free rein on the rest. Advertisement During its opening weeks, notable local items included a grilled octopus with crushed fingerling potatoes, capers, heirloom tomatoes and a black garlic aioli, as well as a wagyu carpaccio (which is available on all STK menus, but customized by location) with truffle parmesan crisps, capers, purple watercress and Temecula cold-pressed oil. SAN DIEGO, CA July 17th, 2018 | Grilled Octopus prepared by executive chef Dave Burke at STK restaurant on Tuesday at the Andaz Hotel in downtown San Diego, California. | (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) As for the star dishes steaks there are small, medium and large cuts to choose from with some being aged for 35 days for an earthier, nuttier flavor. And, if theres something youre craving thats not on the menu, be sure to ask what specialty items the chef has hiding in his pantry. At the bar, Robinson has his hands in the cocktail menu, overseen by head bartender Luis Silva, and wine list. STK staples such as the popular Cucumber Stiletto and Strawberry Cobbler top the cocktail list, which mixes in some locally inspired drinks as well. Enjoy half-off drinks during Social Hour from 3:30-6:30 p.m. on weekdays. SAN DIEGO, CA July 17th, 2018 | Dry-Aged Delmonico steak prepared by executive chef Dave Burke at STK restaurant on Tuesday at the Andaz Hotel in downtown San Diego, California. | (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) While the overall space is adorned with striking STK staples, including accents of purple and a horned art piece displayed on the wall above the bar, the San Diego restaurant welcomes guests to a more casual space that fits with the laid-back local atmosphere. Guests enter the restaurant in the front bistro area, which has high-top tables, exposed brick, industrial accents and lots of natural light during the day. For more high-end dining, the restaurants more softly lit back area is complete with luxurious booths and several private and semi-private spaces, including a luxurious open-ceiling atrium space which can seat up to 50 people or host 75-80 for cocktails. STK is open 3:30-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 3:30-11 p.m. on Friday and 5-11 p.m. on Saturday. On Saturdays and Sundays STK will host a weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. complete with such cocktails as the Salsa Verde Bloody Mary and dishes like Captain Crunch French Toast or Lobster Shakshuka Eggs. SAN DIEGO, CA July 17th, 2018 | This is the interior of the new STK restaurant featuring executive chef Dave Burke on Tuesday at the Andaz Hotel in downtown San Diego, California. | (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) 600 F St., downtown, 619.354.5988, togrp.com/venue/stk-san-diego July 27, 1899 The San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year. Thursday, July 27, 1899 In 1899, wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie offered to donate $50,000 ($1.4 million in today's dollars) toward construction of a public library building in San Diego. The Carnegie Library opened in 1902 at Eighth Avenue and E Street, and served the city for the next 50 years. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: GOOD FORTUNE OF SAN DIEGO ANDREW CARNEGIE OFFERS TO DONATE FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING The Munificent Gift Was Unsolicited and Does Not Come With Impossible Conditions Attached Letter to Mrs. A.E. Horton Andrew Carnegie, the multi-millionaire steel manufacturer, has offered to donate $50,000 for the erection of a public library building in San Diego. The offer is not clouded with impossible conditions, but is a plain and positive agreement to give the sum mentioned for a public library building in this city, provided the citizens of San Diego guarantee to maintain the library as heretofore, and donate a site for the new structure. The philanthropic offer from Mr. Carnegie was received yesterday morning by Mrs. A.E. Horton, a member of the board of library trustees, and was in answer to a letter she wrote to Mr. Carnegie some months ago, in which she gave a resume of the efforts that had been made to secure a permanent home for the library. No request for a donation was made in the letter. Mrs. Horton had previously written to Mr. Carnegie, asking for pictures of all the public buildings he had donated to various cities in this country. The letter reached Mr. Carnegie in Paris, and he cabled to his representative in this country to forward the pictures at his expense. They were duly received by the trustees here, and were on exhibition for some time in the library before its removal from the postoffice block. The idea of the trustees was to gather information that would be valuable in the interior arrangement of the local library, as well as ideas that could be used to advantage in the construction of a building at some future time. The second letter thanked Mr. Carnegie for his kindness in loaning the pictures, and reviewed the work that had been undertaken looking to the erection of a public library building in this city. It is needless to say that Mrs. Horton was greatly surprised when she received a letter yesterday from Mr. Carnegie in answer to her own, offering to donate $50,000 for a library building. More: View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories. Jurors awarded $45.4 million Thursday to a girl who suffered two years of sexual abuse in an El Monte home where county social workers left her despite evidence showing that an accused molester lived in the house. The Department of Children and Family Services, jurors found, ignored warning signs of potential abuse and failed to tell police what they knew, leaving the then-7-year-old to be molested by at least four men whom her mother invited into the home. Jurors deliberated four and half hours before deciding to make the massive award. They attributed 45% of the blame for the girls ordeal to DCFS, a finding that requires the county to pay more than $20 million of the verdict. She endured two years of sex abuse you cannot imagine, said David Ring, an attorney for the girls father, who sued the agency and the perpetrators on behalf of his daughter. The Department of Children and Family Services is the last line of defense for defenseless children, and they walked away here and let her be abused. Advertisement The girls mother and four men were previously convicted of sexual abuse in connection with the girls case. DCFS Director Bobby Cagle said in a brief statement that the jury reached the wrong conclusion and that the county remains steadfast in its efforts to protect the lives of children as we explore all our legal options. Nothing will shake our commitment to our mission of keeping kids safe. At the heart of the lawsuit was whether two DCFS social workers had reasonable suspicion the girl was being abused. Social workers started providing services to the child in December 2009 after her mother reported that a man she had a relationship with had physically abused her and her children. The lawsuit said the workers discovered that a different man living at the home, Louis Fluet, had previously been arrested on suspicion of child annoyance and molestation involving another child. He hadnt been charged in that case, but the social workers concluded that Fluets presence in the home placed the girl at a high risk of being sexually abused, according to court documents. The social workers did not refer the girl to see a forensic child abuse expert, who might have been able to discover that Fluet already had begun molesting her, Ring said. Social workers demanded Fluet leave the home after the child told them she was sharing a room with him. Despite claims by the girls mother that Fluet had left, the workers later learned from the girls teacher and grandmother that he was still at the home, but they took no action, the lawsuit alleged. The workers discovered that Fluet was taking the child to school and was sometimes alone with her, according to court documents. The lawsuit said the girls mother abused drugs and allowed sex offenders and other criminals to live in the home. From 2010 to 2012, the child estimated that about 15 men raped or sexually abused her in other ways, according to the suit. She had no idea how to act as a 9- or 10-year-old, Ring said. She will need a lifetime of therapy. In court, Ring said he argued that Elbis Severo, one of the main social workers handling the case, rushed to close it. They were mandatory reporters and they never reported it to law enforcement, Ring said. During the trial, county attorneys argued that the abuse occurred after DCFS closed its case. The lawyers contended that DCFS workers did all they could and did not know enough about what was going on in the home to remove the girl from her mother until 2012, when she told her fathers girlfriend about the abuse. Ring acknowledged that the county did not know that the other three men eventually convicted of abuse sometimes stayed at the home. In addition to finding the county legally liable for 45% of the award, jurors attributed another 45% to the girls mother and 10% to the four men convicted of sexually abusing her. Ring said he doubted the mother or the men would be able to pay the full amount. The entire award included $30 million for future emotional suffering, $15 million for past emotional suffering and $400,000 for the childs future therapy. richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @lacrimes UPDATES: 5:15 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from DCFS director. This article was originally published at 2:15 p.m. A mother at LAX threw her arms around her two teenagers, whom she had not seen in two months. Another waited anxiously in south Texas for her 7-year-old boy to arrive from New York. And in a village in Guatemala, a father who was deported in June did not know when he might see his 6-year-old daughter again. A court-imposed deadline that had government officials scrambling to complete the reunification of more than a thousand migrant families by Thursday led to emotional scenes across the country, as parents and children who had not seen each other for weeks or months were together again. But much remains unresolved after months of chaos and confusion resulting from the Trump administrations family separation policies. Under an order issued by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego, Thursday was the deadline for reuniting the more than 2,500 children who were taken from parents at the border. Advertisement With just hours left before the deadline, government officials said Thursday afternoon that they had reunited 1,442 children with their parents. An additional 378 children had been released to sponsors, were reunited with their parents in other ways or have turned 18, according to court filings. More than 700 were deemed ineligible by the government for reunification. Among them are 430 children whose parents have already been deported. Those that were reunited, meanwhile, face an uncertain future 900 of them have been ordered deported, according to court filings. The American Civil Liberties Union, whose lawsuit against the government led Sabraw to order the reunifications, is arguing that those families should be allowed to remain in the country for seven days in order to consult with lawyers. Hundreds of other families have been released from detention with the adults wearing ankle monitors, pending hearings on their asylum claims. And more than 200 families were sent to detention centers, where parents and children are being held together. On a call with reporters Thursday, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Health and Human Services described a much smoother reunification process than advocates and lawyers say they have seen firsthand. In preparation for reunifications, officials said, children were moved for short periods of time into detention center conference rooms and offices that were stocked with food, water and games. Some watched DVDs or played video games while their parents were processed. When we knew the parent was coming, we had them ready so kids could leave soon, said Matthew Albence, executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE. Officials said they were confident all families that it has deemed eligible would be reunited by the end of the day Thursday. But in addition to the deported parents, officials said nearly 300 children would not be reunified with their parents for various reasons. According to the governments filing, several dozen children had parents who failed a background check or other government review. And the parents of 120 children waived reunification. Officials said parents opted to leave children behind with spouses or other relatives and had been given the opportunity to change their minds. In court documents filed by the ACLU on Wednesday, a number of parents who waived reunification described signing forms they did not understand because of language or literacy barriers. Many of these parents in fact do want their children back and did not remotely understand their rights, the ACLU said in its filing. For those families that were eligible for reunification, chaotic scenes unfolded around the country as officials rushed to meet the deadline. In south Texas, hundreds of families were taken to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, a massive shrine that Catholic Charities has converted into a shelter. Demonstrators denouncing Trump administration immigration policies protest outside the federal courthouse in McAllen, Texas, on Thursday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The Rev. Jorge Gomez said the charity has opened the basilica to separated families and those released together, about 300 each night, including pregnant women. Some groups arrive in the early hours of the morning, and Catholic Charities has been serving meals not just at the shrine, but in the rectory where Gomez lives. Seeing the joy of people reunited with their families is my happiness, he said. One morning, Gomez said he went to wake a group of 80 sleeping in conference rooms, and found many of them still asleep, embracing their children. There are people who were in New York and their children were in Houston; there are parents who were in El Paso and their kids were in Chicago. Theres one today the child was in Wyoming and the mother was in Atlanta, and they reunited them in the [Rio Grande] Valley, he said. At a bus station in the Texas border town of McAllen, Houston lawyer Ruby Powers said she had spent the last couple of days scrambling to figure out where and when her client, a mother named Ana, would be reunited with her 7-year-old son. Powers received a message late Wednesday from a caseworker saying that the boy would soon be returned from a shelter in New York. She bought her client a $150 nonrefundable ticket to Louisiana, where the mother had planned to meet her son. And Powers flew from Houston with a booster seat for the boy. But after another conversation with the boys caseworker, it was decided to send the boy to Texas. On Thursday afternoon, Powers waited to hear when he would arrive before buying another ticket so mother and son could go to Louisiana. They said 10:30 p.m., McAllen, but Ill believe it when I get the flight confirmation, she said. In Los Angeles on Thursday morning, a volunteer group of mothers with the California chapter of Immigrant Families Together helped Merin Cardoza Cardona get a ride to LAX where she would see her children for the first time in two months. The group formed just one month ago to raise money to bail parents out of jail and buy plane tickets home. When Cardoza Cardonas children, Yensi, 17, and Edwin, 11, appeared down a long hallway amid a stream of travelers, the mother gasped and ran to throw her arms around her kids. It is the greatest joy to see them again, said Cardoza Cardona, who plans to seek asylum in coming months. She had been detained in Texas while her children were held in a shelter in Miami. I dont know where were going to live or whats next, but were together now, Cardoza Cardona said. I have faith that God will help us. The familys reunification is among a few that have taken place in Los Angeles in recent weeks. But advocates believe the city, home to a large Central American population, will soon begin receiving many families that were released pending the outcome of their cases. One group, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said it had already received word of 35 families that were recently reunited in Texas and are headed to Los Angeles. Most of them are immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala, coming via bus or plane from El Paso. Along with providing legal assistance, the group has a case manager on staff to connect families to services. County and city officials have also been meeting with nearly 40 agencies to work out a plan to help reunited families. Their aim is to connect parents and children to services such as housing, school enrollment and trauma counseling. With the deadline gone, one of the biggest questions that will remain is the fate of those children whose parents were deported. No plan has been put in place yet that paves the way for these reunions to happen. And finding the parents will take an extraordinary amount of work, especially for asylum seekers who may fear government prosecution and may not want their countrys government looking for them, said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt. Im under no illusions its going to be easy, he said. A consortium of nonprofit organizations including Al Otro Lado and Kids in Need of Defense recently announced it would step up efforts to find deported parents and reunite them with their children. Were doing the job of the government, said Nan Schivone, legal director at Justice in Motion, an immigrant rights group based in Brooklyn, N.Y., that is part of the effort. We shouldnt have to search high and low for the people the government separated from their kids. The government should have kept better track. Among those hundreds of deported parents is Nazario Jacinto-Carrillo, a 32-year-old potato farmer from Guatemala who said Thursday that he still doesnt know when hell be reunited with his 6-year-old daughter, Filemona, whom he hasnt seen since she was taken from him after they illegally crossed the California border in May. From his village in the western highlands of Guatemala, Jacinto-Carrillo said by telephone, he keeps in contact with an attorney and Guatemalan consular officials in New York who are trying to arrange Filemonas flight home. He has provided copies of birth certificates of family members. The consulate, he said, has provided her a passport. Filemona also appeared at an immigration hearing in New York last week. On Wednesday morning, Jacinto-Carrillos attorney called him to confirm what he already feared: There would be no reunification by the government deadline. He asked why it was taking so long. His attorney told him that immigration officials wouldnt tell her why. Ive done everything required, but theres still no explanation, Jacinto-Carrillo said. I have no idea when Ill see my daughter again. molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com richard.marosi@latimes.com jazmine.ulloa@latimes.com Hennessy-Fiske reported from McAllen, Bermudez and Ulloa from Los Angeles and Marosi from San Diego. Times staff writers Cindy Carcamo in Los Angeles and Paloma Esquivel in Riverside and San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Kristina Davis in San Diego contributed to this report. UPDATES: 6:55 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional quotes and details. This was originally published at 1:40 p.m. With just hours left on a court-imposed deadline to reunify migrant families who were separated after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, government officials on Thursday said they had reunited 1,442 children with their parents. An additional 378 children had been released to sponsors, were reunited with their parents in other ways or have turned 18, according to a report filed in court Thursday afternoon. Under an order issued by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego, Thursday is the deadline for reuniting the more than 2,500 children who were taken from parents. Government officials say they have worked diligently to meet the deadline, but officials have also deemed hundreds of families ineligible for reunification by the deadline including hundreds of parents who may have already been deported without their children. Advertisement In its filing Thursday, government officials said 711 families were ineligible for reunification; that includes 431 children whose parents have been deported. An additional 120 children had parents who waived reunification, according to the governments report. In court documents filed by the ACLU on Wednesday, parents who waived reunification described signing forms they did not understand because of language and literacy barriers. Many of these parents in fact do want their children back and did not remotely understand their rights, the ACLU said in its filing. As families were reunited nationwide, Merin Cardoza Cardona, an immigrant from Honduras, went to Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday morning to see her children for the first time in two months. When Yensi, 17, and Edwin, 11, appeared down a long hallway amid a stream of travelers, the mother gasped and ran to throw her arms around her children. It is the greatest joy to see them again, said Cardoza Cardona, who plans to seek asylum in coming months. She was detained in Texas while her children were held in a shelter in Miami. Their reunification is among a few that has taken place in Los Angeles in recent weeks as the government worked to meet at the court-ordered reunification deadline. Many of the estimated 3,000 detained families are expected to arrive in coming days to Los Angeles, home to a vast Central American population. Already, lead aid groups had begun to receive notice of incoming arrivals. At the downtown office of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, referrals began pouring in by phone and email two weeks ago. So far theyve heard of 35 families that were recently reunited in Texas and are headed to Los Angeles. Most of them are immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala, coming by bus or plane from El Paso. Weve been building our capacity to receive these families, said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of the law center. We want to make sure that all those families who mean to come to L.A. are able to make it here and that they dont end up in family detention. Aside from legal assistance, the law group has a case manager on staff to connect families to services. This month, county and city officials began holding a series of meetings with nearly 40 agencies to work out a game plan for receiving reunited families. Their aim is to connect parents and children to services such as housing, school enrollment and trauma counseling. When children are separated from their mothers and fathers, those families have needs, including financial and legal assistance, guidance navigating city and county services, and mental health support for their emotional well-being, said Andrea Garcia, spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Garcetti. On Thursday, Cardoza Cardona and her children planned to move out of a friends house in the Inland Empire to stay with another friend for a few days. The house is small and the landlord doesnt want us here, she said. That morning, a volunteer group of mothers known as Immigrant Families Together California Chapter helped her with a ride to the airport to bring her children home. The group formed a month ago to raise money to bail parents out of jail and buy plane tickets home. Im grateful to everyone, Cardoza Cardona said. I dont know where were going to live or whats next, but were together now. I have faith that God will help us. UPDATES: 4:11 p.m.: Updated with scene from LAX. Prosecutors have declined to file charges against prominent Democratic donor Ed Buck in connection with the fatal overdose last summer of a 26-year-old man at Bucks West Hollywood home, citing insufficient evidence, according to court records. In a document dated Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said that the admissible evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Buck gave Gemmel Moore drugs or is responsible for the mans July 2017 death. The document also cited an inadmissible search and seizure, but did not provide details. Seymour Amster, an attorney representing Buck, said Thursday that the move was a complete exoneration for Buck. Gemmel Moores death was a tragedy. Its now clear that Ed Buck had nothing to do with it, Amster said. Advertisement Los Angeles County coroners officials had concluded that Moore died from an accidental methamphetamine overdose in Bucks Laurel Avenue apartment, which was littered with drug paraphernalia. Paramedics found Moore naked on a mattress in the living room, the coroners report said. They ruled Moores death an accident, and an initial review by sheriffs deputies found nothing suspicious. But in August 2017, homicide detectives launched a new investigation after Moores mother and friends questioned whether the drugs that killed him were self-administered. A notebook found in Moores possession indicated he used drugs with someone whose name is redacted in the coroners report. The Times has reviewed pages of that journal, in which Moore purportedly wrote about using crystal methamphetamine. Ed Buck is the one to thank, Moore appears to have written. He gave me my first injection of chrystal [sic] meth. Moores mother, LaTisha Nixon of Texas, had questioned whether Bucks ties to elected officials and differences in race and class influenced the investigation. Buck, who is 63 and white, is a longtime political donor, onetime West Hollywood City Council candidate and a well-known figure in LGBTQ political circles. Moore, who was black, had been homeless and had worked as an escort. Homicide investigators presented their case to prosecutors July 10. The district attorneys office reviewed and rejected four charges: murder, voluntary manslaughter, and furnishing and possessing drugs. Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report. alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com Twitter: @AleneTchek Three former Los Angeles Police Department cadets will face criminal charges in connection with a scandal that rocked the departments signature youth program last year, sources told the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors filed charges in recent weeks against the teens, who were among a group of seven cadets accused of taking LAPD cruisers on joyrides and stealing department equipment in June 2017, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. The alleged thefts sparked an investigation that ended in the arrest of former LAPD Officer Robert Cain, who was charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old member of the cadet program. Luis Carrillo, an attorney representing Cains accuser, also confirmed that the Los Angeles County district attorneys office is pressing criminal charges against several of the cadets arrested last year. Prosecutors declined to charge his client, according to Carrillo, who said he did not know exactly what charges were filed. Advertisement The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the district attorneys office said the agency could not comment on the matter because of state confidentiality laws regarding criminal cases against juveniles. Seven cadets were arrested and accused of theft in June 2017. The three facing criminal charges include the supposed ringleader, a teen so highly regarded within the LAPD that he was featured in promotional materials for the program, a source said. Prosecutors are also reviewing possible felony theft charges against the only adult arrested among the cadets, 20-year-old Leonel Flores, according to Shiara Davila-Morales, a spokeswoman for the district attorneys office. The LAPD presented a case in connection with theft allegations in January, she said. A person who answered the phone at Flores home declined to comment. The sources declined to discuss the exact charges filed against the teens. The Times is not identifying those cadets because they were juveniles at the time the alleged crimes were committed. The Times has previously attempted to interview the cadets, who either declined to speak or did not respond to requests for comment. The cadet scandal surfaced last June, when an investigation into a pair of missing LAPD cruisers led detectives to a 16-year-old cadet assigned to 77th Street division, investigators have said. Detectives went to the teens South L.A. home and spotted the stolen cruisers, kicking off a car chase that ended in a pair of crashes. Ultimately, seven cadets were arrested and accused of taking at least three LAPD cruisers out on joyrides and stealing police equipment that included Tasers, radios and bulletproof vests. A search warrant obtained by The Times last year revealed that the cadets had access to the stolen cruisers for at least six weeks, driving as far away as Corona and Santa Clarita. They often drove with their lights and sirens blaring, at one point racing through South L.A. to Hawthorne to move one of the cadets personal vehicles in the hopes of avoiding a parking ticket, according to the warrant. The teens were blatant in their actions, according to the warrant, driving LAPD vehicles to several events that officers would have been present at. The stolen cruisers were also used to conduct motor vehicle stops in Huntington Park and Inglewood, according to the warrant. The alleged ringleader told other cadets he had special permission to drive the cars, and another said he was given access to a vehicle by the officer who ran the equipment room at the station, the warrant said. Ex-LAPD Officer Robert Cain has been charged with sexually abusing a teen cadet involved in the scandal. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) An LAPD investigation into the thefts also revealed evidence leading to allegations that Cain had sexually abused one of the cadets allegedly involved in the thefts. Cain was charged with oral copulation of a person under the age of 16, lewd acts upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse last year. He is due in court next month and has previously denied wrongdoing, records show. In January, Cain was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading no contest to illegal weapons charges in San Bernardino County. Police found a cache of weapons in Cains Rancho Cucamonga home just days after his arrest last year. The LAPD has also presented a case to prosecutors alleging Cain played a role in the theft of department property, according to Davila-Morales. The case remains under review, she said. Carrillo, who has filed a notice of claim against the city alleging that lax police oversight of the cadet program allowed Cain to abuse his client, praised prosecutors for deciding not to charge the young girl, who is now 16 years old and no longer in the program. She was the victim in all of this because of the negligence of the LAPD, he said. She was the one who was victimized by the man who was twice her age. In the months following the cadet scandal, the LAPD and its inspector general each launched reviews of policies governing the program, leading to a series of changes that tightened supervision and training. The policy changes also limited officers social media and phone contact with cadets. Times staff writer Nicole Santa Cruz contributed to this report. james.queally@latimes.com Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California. UPDATES: 5:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about an adult who was also arrested as part of the investigation into the thefts of LAPD property. This article was originally published at 4:15 p.m. One person was killed Thursday in a road-rage incident on the northbound 710 Freeway north of the 91 Freeway in South Gate, authorities said Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department detectives have learned that the victim, who was a passenger in a vehicle, was involved in a road-rage incident about 9:30 p.m. and that the suspect fired multiple rounds at the victim, who was struck at least once in the upper torso, according to Deputy Trina Schrader. The driver of the vehicle carrying the victim then exited the freeway at the 5800 block of Florence Avenue and drove to a parking lot to call for help, Schrader said. The victim was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, she said. Advertisement The driver was not hurt, she said. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has launched a comprehensive inquiry into secret deputy cliques and is looking into whether gangs that condone illicit behavior are operating within his ranks, he said Thursday. McDonnells announcement at a meeting of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission comes two weeks after allegations surfaced that as many as 20 deputies at the Compton Station have matching tattoos featuring a skeleton holding a rifle. A Compton deputy recently admitted under oath that he was inked with the skull logo in June 2016, about two months before he was involved in a fatal shooting, The Times reported. Watchdogs said the revelations were alarming given the departments long history of secret societies that promoted excessive force and enforced a code of silence. Advertisement McDonnell, who was elected in 2014 on a promise to reform a corrupt agency, said he is partnering with the Sheriffs Inspector General and county counsel to study why the groups form, whether they are exclusive, if members are required to act a certain way and if they endorse bad behavior. Renegade cliques erode public confidence as well as internal morale, and they will not be tolerated within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, McDonnell said. He said he wanted the deputy unions to join in the examination. He stopped short of calling his effort an investigation, but he added that a separate administrative probe into the 2016 shooting is still underway. In August 2016, Compton Station Deputy Samuel Aldama and another deputy shot at a man they said was holding a gun. An autopsy showed the man, Donta Taylor, was shot six times. Investigators didnt find a weapon on or near Taylors body, but said gunshot residue on his shorts suggested hed had a gun there at some point. The district attorneys office said the deputies acted lawfully. As part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Taylors family, Aldama admitted in a deposition in May that he is one of 10 to 20 of his colleagues who have the tattoo featuring the skeleton with the letters C P T for Compton. Aldama said the ink represented working hard and was not associated with an exclusive club or with using force. Priscilla Ocen, a Loyola Law School professor and member of the oversight commission, said McDonnells effort was a good first step. But the question is, if we investigate and find that there is a rampant culture of cliques or gangs in the Sheriffs Department, then what will be done about it? she asked. At the meeting, Ocen asked McDonnell if his inquiry would extend to his top-level executives and whether they have clique tattoos. McDonnell replied that it would, but he said hes confident that members of his command staff are people of integrity. Sean Kennedy, who also serves on the commission and is the executive director of Loyola Law Schools Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, said it would be statistically likely that some Sheriffs Department executives have the tattoos. I think the public has a right to know if high-level police managers are members of a gang, Kennedy said. Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida declined to say whether any Sheriffs executives have clique tattoos, saying the question makes assumptions that are unwarranted. She said while all deputies have the right to free speech, the department will not tolerate offensive behavior. Secret societies in the department date at least as far back as the 1970s and have had names like the Regulators, Grim Reapers and Jump Out Boys. Some of the cliques have been accused of endorsing highly aggressive policing. Nearly 30 years ago, a federal judge said the Vikings club was a neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang. The topic is divisive, with some deputies defending the groups as a way to honor hardworking, law-abiding officers. The discussion of deputy tattoos made for an especially contentious meeting. At one point, Robert Bonner, a commissioner and former federal judge, got up from his post and walked out of the room after sparring with a member of the public who made disparaging comments toward him and McDonnell. Kim McGill, an organizer with the Youth Justice Coalition, also spoke, saying the deputy cliques should be called gangs if they fit the statutory definition of a gang as a group of three or more people who commit crimes and adopt a common symbol or name. Nishida said the tattoo studys findings will be issued in a public report. McDonnell said he expects to be able to give a report on the review in about three months. At the end of the day, everyone, most importantly our public, should be confident that there are no gangs of deputies operating subversively anywhere within the department, McDonnell said. maya.lau@latimes.com Twitter: @mayalau To protect one of the most endangered species in the world, an international trade court judge ordered the Trump administration Thursday to ban all seafood harvested with gill nets in Mexicos northern Gulf of California a bold move with significant political and economic consequences. The order to save the vaquita porpoise, nicknamed panda of the sea for its chubby frame and black-ringed eyes, comes despite arguments from the U.S. government that a ban could negatively affect ongoing negotiations with Mexico. Earlier this week, the U.S. attorney generals office tried to get the court to delay its decision for 30 days. The ban, which affects an estimated $16 million worth of fish and shrimp, was a victory for conservationists who brought this issue to court in March after a decade of rescue efforts failed to prevent vaquita from getting fatally entangled in gill nets in Mexicos waters. Scientists say the vaquita population has dwindled from 567 in 1997 to fewer than 20 today. Its population drops by about half each year. The species range is about 1,500 square miles the smallest of any marine mammal. Its territory overlaps with commercial fisheries that catch shrimp, curvina, chano and sierra, as well as illegal fishing operations that target the endangered totoaba. Advertisement Conservationists hope the embargo will put pressure on the Mexican government to ban the use of gill nets vertical walls of mesh that snag fish by their gills when they try to escape and indiscriminately capture vaquita as well. For 20 years, the Mexican government has promised to save the vaquita but failed to take meaningful action. That has to change or well lose these animals forever, said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. With vaquitas on the brink of extinction, these economic sanctions are painful but necessary to push Mexican officials to finally protect these little porpoises. Trade experts said this ban, while addressing a serious environmental problem that both governments have failed to resolve, does not help the many other issues currently challenging U.S.-Mexico relations. With a difficult renegotiation of NAFTA pending, a trade skirmish over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs underway and potential auto tariffs on the horizon, the timing of this import ban is pretty awful in terms of bilateral relations, said Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center. But with the vaquita population dipping ... perhaps nearing the single-digits, the timing is clearly much worse for the porpoise. Although gill nets are used to catch specific species, other animals indiscriminately get caught as well. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) U.S. Court of International Trade Judge Gary Katzmann, in his call for a preliminary injunction, found that the cost of the vaquitas disappearance was greater than the cost of implementing a ban to save the species. What cannot be disputed is that the vaquitas plight is desperate, and that even one more bycatch death in the gill nets of fisheries in its range threatens the very existence of the species, Katzmann wrote. The ban will be in effect until the case is fully argued on its merits. To lift the ban, Mexico must meet U.S. standards, which conservationists say entail improving regulations and enforcement to ensure vaquita are not being killed in gill nets. Failure of the Trump administration to implement the ban would be illegal and a direct violation of a federal judges order. Katzmann issued the order after hearing arguments presented by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Agatha Koprowski, a Department of Justice attorney representing defendants such as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, and Chris Oliver, assistant administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Koprowski argued that a judicially imposed import ban could threaten high-level negotiations between the United States and Mexico regarding the fate of the vaquita and undermine Mexicos trust in the U.S. as a negotiating partner. As a result, Mexico might refuse to implement measures it would have otherwise considered, Koprowski said in court documents. The Department of Justice on Thursday declined to comment on the court injunction. Conservationists argument hinged on the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, a landmark 1972 law mandating the United States to protect not just domestic marine mammals, but also foreign whales, dolphins and porpoises. This includes requiring bans on seafood imports from foreign fisheries that kill marine mammals at a rate that would violate U.S. standards for domestic fishers. At a time where were seeing so many of our environmental laws under attack, its really great to see one being utilized by the court to do exactly what it was meant to do, said Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Giulia Good Stefani. We hope that this will catalyze the U.S. and Mexico negotiations and speed up Mexicos willingness to enact the regulations necessary to protect the vaquita. Embargoes, she said, catalyzed a similar transition to dolphin-safe tuna and turtle-safe shrimp trawling. In documents filed with the court in a related lawsuit, Mexicos National Chamber of Fisheries and Aquaculture Industries argued the protection act lacks the authority to impose an emergency ban on foreign fish products. A dismissal, it added, would provide Mexicos regulatory authorities with more time to improve vaquita protection measures. Read more: To save the worlds rarest marine mammal, conservationists seek ban on Mexican seafood imports A seagull stands on a large dead Totoaba fish, that was killed by illegal poachers for its bladder. (Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times) Tighter control of the fishing industry may also help reduce the number of vaquitas killed in gill nets that poachers use to snare a large endangered fish known as the totoaba, whose swim bladder is prized on the black market in China. Authorities say the illegal totoaba trade is more lucrative than cocaine trafficking. Tensions have been escalating among conservationists, Mexican fishermen, whose livelihoods are threatened by tighter fishing controls, and totoaba poachers. Theres no doubt that this embargo will have an impact on local fisherman, and we recognize that totoaba fishing is a big part of the problem, said Good Stefani, the Natural Resources Defense Council attorney. But we hope that a ban on gill nets, limited to this particular region, will also help enforcement of the totoaba fishery, because right now enforcement is complicated by the fact that some gill nets remain legal. Sunshine Rodriguez, who represents fishermen in the small seaside town of San Felipe, said Thursdays decision was unfair. He and other fishermen insist that the gill nets they use to catch shrimp and other small fish are not strong enough to entrap the much larger vaquita. The U.S. and these conservationists dont have any evidence whatsoever that our nets have caught a vaquita, he said. We are not the killers of the vaquita. Rodriguez said the ruling will hurt his community in the short term, but does not pose an existential threat to the regions fishing industry. Its a global market, and were going to have to find alternative buyers, he said, citing high demand in China. Ultimately, it might be U.S. businesses that feel the brunt of the ban, he said, because theyre not going to have access to white wild shrimp at a decent price. Times staff writer Kate Linthicum contributed to this report from Mexico City. rosanna.xia@latimes.com Interested in coastal issues? Follow @RosannaXia on Twitter. When the going gets tough, the Girl Scouts get busy. Because thats what Girl Scouts do. When faced with competition from the Boy Scouts (which has opened up membership to girls) and the need to show that there is more to the 106-year-old organization than cookies and crafts, did the Girl Scouts fold up their tents and retreat? Of course not. Instead, the organization unveiled 30 new badges dedicated to the future. In the largest new programming roll-out since 2011, Girl Scouts USA announced a new slate of badges last week that emphasize science, technology and the environment. The new lineup includes a series of cybersecurity badges, and at the request of the girls themselves, there is a new badge called College Knowledge, which will show them how to explore their college options and how to research the ins and outs of admissions and financial aid. Advertisement Whether it is a badge in Balloon Car Design or the multi-step Think Like an Engineer Journey, the new programming is all about looking ahead and preparing girls for a world where technology is king and women often end up on the wrong side of the employment moat. Girl Scouts has more than 100 years of working with girls and working in our society to figure out how to help girls grow and become more active members of society, said Sandra Banfield, a troop leader for Girl Scouts San Diegos Rancho Vista Service Unit. Math and science historically have lower numbers of women in their fields. I think this shows that we want to give our girls the practice of working with math and science when theyre younger, while not forgetting about the environmental and social needs in the world. These badges help girls figure out how to go out and solve problems in their community. Banfield has been a troop leader for 10 years. She is currently the leader of a Cadette troop, some of whom are also members of the Uni-bots, a Rancho Vista Service Unit program devoted to STEM projects. The name came from the girls love of unicorns and robots, a combination of magic and technology that came in handy when the service unit which includes scouts from Vista, Oceanside and San Marcos hosted a robotics workshop earlier this year. The event drew 150 girls of all ages, and the Uni-bots helped lead the workshop and taught the attendees how to program their robots. A group of Brownies took their robot to the San Diego County Fairs STEAM Maker Festival over the summer, and the experience made them feel super-human. When the Uni-bots were helping the girls with building the robot, it was challenging. They might build something, test it, have it not work, and then have to figure out how to fix it, Banfield said. It is creative. You have to think and work together as a team to figure out how to solve the problem. One of the girls said she loved, loved, loved the robotics workshop a million times (over), and she didnt really like STEM activities all that much. Like the STEM-oriented badges, the new badges dedicated to the environment are at least partly about the future. The badges which start with the kindergarten and first-grade Daisies and go all the way up to the 11th- and 12th-grade Ambassadors are designed to make sure there is still enough nature left for the next generations of Girl Scouts to camp in. This is exciting to me because we can do cross-education with the STEM programs and the outdoor programs, said Carolyn Shrake, interim outdoor project manger for Girl Scouts San Diego. They can do research and think about the outdoors in other ways than just being outside. It is about being a steward of the outdoors. It is not just about picking up trash after an event. It is thinking about how you impact the environment in everyday life. The badges are part of an image refresh that hopes to tackle a drop in membership by promoting girl power and diversity. There is a push to create new troops in low-income neighborhoods, and a new video showcases diversity by featuring such famous Girl Scouts as Queen Latifah, labor-leader and civil-rights activist Dolores Huerta, Venus Williams, model Karlie Kloss and Sen. Tammy Duckworth. At its heart, though, the Girl Scouts organization is about what it has always been about. While the girls are tackling the scourge of plastic pollution and the challenges of online living, they are getting the practical tools they need to take on the world and gaining the wisdom they will need to lead it. Because thats what Girl Scouts do. Twitter: @karla_peterson karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com In 1992, San Diego city voters approved a measure that limits council members to a maximum of two, four-year terms. But incumbent Lorie Zapf conceivably could serve two decades on the council. This is more than theoretical. Right now, shes running for a third term. San Diegos charter has a loophole that in a rare case like Zapfs allows a council member to stay beyond the two-term limit. However, a few things would have to happen, or not happen, to keep her in office for two decades: She would have get re-elected in November. In the June primary, Zapf received just over 40 percent of the vote, typically low for an incumbent, and she is a Republican running against Democrat Jennifer Campbell in an increasingly Democratic district. The redistricting based on the 2020 census would have to put her Bay Ho home in a different district, again. The City Council would have to reject a proposal by some of its members to put a measure on the November ballot closing the loophole. (If it gets on there and voters approve, that wouldnt prevent Zapf from serving a third term if she wins re-election, but it would keep her from running again.) Zapf would have to want to keep serving on the council well into the next decade. First and foremost, she would have to prevail in a lawsuit filed by attorney Bryan Pease, who ran against Zapf but lost in the June primary. Hes seeking to have the court take her off the November ballot and put him on it. The case goes before a Superior Court judge on Monday. Advertisement So, how did we get here? Heres a big surprise: Its complicated. When Pease filed his lawsuit earlier this month, the Union-Tribunes David Garrick nicely laid out why Zapf appeared to be eligible for a third term. First elected in 2010 to District 6, Zapf apparently became eligible for a third term when her home was shifted to District 2 in 2011 through the redistricting process based on the once-a-decade census. Being in a new district was thought to allow the term-limit clock to begin all over again upon re-election. In 2014 she won a second term, but it was her first in District 2. So if she wins in November, thats 12 years on the council and theres no question that would be her second and last term in District 2. But its entirely possible that her house, which is close to the district boundary, could be shifted back to a neighboring district through the 2021 redistricting process following the next census. That, in theory, could restart the term-limit clock again, giving her the potential to serve eight more years. Theres no guarantee that district would still carry the number 6, but even if it did, the argument could be made that it is a new district Zapf hadnt fully represented before because it had been changed from its previous incarnation. Pease contends that the rules in place in 2011 when her home was shifted to the new district determined that candidates would represent the district in which they reside. Thus, he argues, Zapf began representing District 2 in 2011 and should be termed out this year. Further complicating matters, a city charter change in 2016 says members whose district shifted because of new boundary lines will continue to represent the district they were elected to serve. Pease argues that cant apply to Zapf retroactively. But he agrees it could affect another council member going forward. Theres no question you could serve more than two terms as of now, said Pease, an activist attorney perhaps best known for his efforts to protect the seals at Childrens Pool in La Jolla. Zapfs campaign manager, John Hoy, doesnt think theres much to the lawsuit and believes that Zapf serving a third term is on solid legal ground. Theres big, practical, common-sense holes in his logic, he said of Peases lawsuit. After the district boundaries were changed in 2011, the city determined that Zapf would continue to represent District 6 and then-Councilman Kevin Faulconer would keep representing District 2. When Faulconer was elected mayor in 2014, lifeguard union leader Ed Harris was appointed to serve out the rest of his term. Hoy believes, and is hopeful that, the Pease lawsuit will fail and they can move on. To our way of thinking, this doesnt affect the current situation, he said, referring to Zapfs fall election against Campbell, a retired doctor. In the primary, Zapf finished first in the coastal district with just under 43 percent of the vote, advancing to November with Campbell, who topped 21 percent. Pease, also a Democrat, finished out of the running with nearly 20 percent of the vote. The City Council next month is expected to consider putting a measure on the ballot that makes it clear council members are limited to two terms, regardless of where redistricting puts their homes. When they started the process earlier this year, council members said the loophole is contrary to what voters intended in 1992 and that it allows some council members to serve longer than others. The language, for whatever reason, was unclear at that time, and it is just our intent to clear it up, Councilmember Barbara Bry said in April. Councilmember Zapf is inclined to support the ordinance, however, she has not reviewed the final language, her spokeswoman, Donna Cleary, said in an email Thursday. Whatever happens with that measure, it isnt likely to affect Zapfs political future. Both Hoy and Cleary said Zapf has told them and others that if she is elected to her third term, it would be her last. A sheriffs deputy accused of groping and fondling multiple women while on the job broke his months-long silence Thursday, holding a news conference where he denied the allegations. These charges against me are false, Deputy Richard Fischer told reporters outside the San Diego Central Courthouse. I vigorously deny them. They run contrary to my DNA as a proud member of law enforcement and the military. The 32-year-old deputy has pleaded not guilty to nine felonies and six misdemeanors involving 13 women. Many of the charges are related to assault and battery under the color of authority. Fischer, who was a Marine reservist and who had once been deployed to Afghanistan, remains on unpaid administrative leave from the Sheriffs Department pending the outcome of investigations into the allegations. Advertisement As he gave a short statement Thursday, he was flanked by his wife and his new criminal defense attorney Manny Medrano, who said that Fischers wife is in 100 percent solidarity with her husband. Medrano called the charges false, bogus and untrue. We vigorously and unequivocally deny these allegations, Medrano said. The defense attorney also questioned the credibility of the accusers, their statements and their backgrounds. We are unearthing significant ammunition to use when these victims step into a courtroom again, he said. Onlookers to Thursdays news conference outside the courthouse included at least two of the accusers in the criminal case. One of them spoke to reporters, saying she does not fear questioning at trial. Bring it, she said. He can cross-examine me all he wants. My story is going to remain the same. One of the attorneys representing the accusers in the separate civil suit gave a similar sentiment. I imagine this guy is going to try to smear my clients, attorney Marlea DellAnno said. But guess what we are not afraid of the truth. The District Attorneys Office declined to make a statement Thursday, citing a policy of not commenting on open cases. Aside from the criminal case, accusers have taken their claims to civil court. In all, a total of 19 women have filed claims against or are suing the county over the deputys alleged behavior. As of June, the county had settled four claims for a total of about $900,000, money that comes from county reserves. The remainder of the cases are unresolved. Some of the women had encountered Fischer after calling 911 to report crimes such as domestic violence. Others had been stopped by the deputy for a variety of reasons, such as a busted vehicle tail light. In court, the accusers gave similar descriptions of the deputys alleged behavior. Some said that they were fondled during hugs initiated by the Fischer. Many initially agreed to his requests, but said they quickly became uncomfortable. Last month, at the end of a preliminary hearing in the criminal case, Vista Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein said the gravity of the offense is psychological coercion. There is a tremendous amount of ability to exert coercion by the mere status (of being a law enforcement officer), the judge said. If a plumber asks for a hug, (a woman) is not going to feel the same psychological coercion. Goldstein also noted similarities in the allegations and circumstances described in court, including the ages of the victims many were in their 50s and that they were vulnerable, down on their luck, when they encountered Fischer. The standard of proof at a preliminary hearing is far lower than it is at trial, which requires prosecutors to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Medrano took over the case as Fischers attorney after the preliminary hearing. No trial date has been set yet. teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com (760) 529-4945 Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT San Diego Superior Court Judge Kerry Wells, who gained international attention as a lawyer when she successfully prosecuted Elisabeth Betty Broderick for murdering her husband and his new wife, has retired from the bench. Wells credits that notorious case for setting her on a path to help create and lead the first domestic violence and stalking units in the District Attorneys Office. It also triggered her career-long disapproval of television cameras in the courtroom. The Broderick trial in 1991 was one of the first aired gavel-to-gavel on Court TV over then-Deputy District Attorney Wells objection. The case drew reporters from around the world and spawned television movies and books. Advertisement After one trial ended with a hung jury, Broderick was convicted of second-degree murder for shooting ex-husband Daniel Broderick, a well-known medical malpractice attorney, and his wife Linda Broderick. In general, I am opposed to cameras in the courtroom, Wells said in an interview Thursday. It started with the Broderick case. Having cameras in the courtroom can have such an impact on the witnesses, knowing the cameras are on their faces. Wells said she never allowed cameras in her courtroom during a trial, but allowed them at sentencings. Wells is a graduate of the University of Arizona and the Whittier School of Law. She was a prosecutor in the San Diego City Attorneys Office from 1980-1982, then in the District Attorneys Office until 2002, when she was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Gray Davis. She stepped down from the bench last week. Among her memorable experiences, she said, was the bank robber who dropped his pants and relieved himself in her courtroom. That was my very first day on the bench! Wells recalled. At first I didnt understand what he was doing. He dropped down out of my sight. I had to stand up to see. There was sort of a gasp in the courtroom. Deputies quickly hustled him away, cleared the packed courtroom and called in a cleanup crew. Whether working as a prosecutor or as a judge, Kerry Wells brought to the job an unyielding commitment to justice, Presiding Judge Peter Deddeh said in a statement. She is a woman of strong convictions with a keen sense of fairness. Wells said she started gaining an understanding of the dangers of stalking through the Broderick case. Broderick had stalked her ex-husband for years before turning up at his Marston Hills home and shooting the couple in their bed. I tried a series of domestic homicide cases and started to recognize a pattern with them, Wells said. The vast majority were preceded by stalking. No stalking crimes were on the books in 1990. I started to want to intervene in these cases. She founded the multi-agency Stalking Strike Force that targets stalkers before they become violent. The concept has been adopted nationwide. Wells even was brought in as a domestic violence expert to train prosecutors in Mongolia as that nation tried to develop a post-Communist-rule penal code. Wells said, in a statement, that she looks forward in retirement to focusing on her health, writing music, playing piano and having time with her seven grandchildren. pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard The November runoff for a seat on the San Diego Community College District board heated up this month as San Diego Councilman David Alvarez unsuccessfully tried to block opponent Sean Elo from getting a key endorsement. Alvarez, who got more than twice as many votes as Elo in the June primary and has much stronger name recognition, tried to stop the county Democratic Party from endorsing Elo in the November runoff. Alvarez first tried to remove the endorsement of Elo from the consent calendar of the partys meeting so it could be debated. Then some of Alavrezs supporters werent there during the vote on the endorsement, potentially leaving the committee short of the number of ,members required for a quorum. Advertisement Both efforts failed and the county party followed through in endorsing Elo during the July 17 meeting, which was based on a recommendation the previous night by the partys Metro West Committee. The two Democrats are battling for the seat in District E, which includes downtown San Diego, Barrio Logan and North Park. Trustee Peter Zschiesche, who is retiring, has held the seat since 2002. Alvarez said by phone this week that his efforts were prompted by concerns and frustration that party leaders are being influenced by special interests instead of honoring the will of the community. He said his performance in the June primary 10,700 votes to Elos 4,900 shows that the voters spoke loudly and party leaders are choosing not to listen. Unfortunately, you are seeing that happen more and more with the party the influence of special interests, said Alvarez, who declined to specify which special interests he had in mind. I wanted to request that they consider a dual endorsement, said Alvarez, explaining the goal of his parliamentary tactics. I was requesting that we reconsider. Alvarez also said there was no coordinated effort to prevent a quorum. Elo, who works for the Mid City Community Action Network, said by phone that he made the runoff and got the endorsement because of his hard work and ability to connect with voters. We made it through because we organized in a way thats really uncommon for a race like this, said Elo, who lives in City Heights. Most folks had never had anyone knock on their door about a community college race. Elo says the $200,000 in student loan debt he faces, primarily from law school, gives him a superior perspective to Alvarez on the challenges that many community college students face. Alvarez, who lives in Logan Heights, said he should be elected based on the results hes achieved on the City Council, where he is termed out in December after eight years representing the South Bay. Alvarez has strong name recognition in San Diego partly because he lost a close special election for mayor to Kevin Faulconer in 2014. In the June primary, Elo edged out Cuyamaca College professor Rafael Perez by 23 votes to secure the second slot in the runoff. Both men got just over 21 percent of the vote, compared to nearly 47 percent for Alvarez. Alvarez faced criticism during the campaign for having expressed interest in running for the County Board of Supervisors in 2020, which would prevent him from serving out the full community college board term. After the primary, he said he is unsure whether he will pursue that opportunity. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick Add dementia and mild cognitive impairment to the growing list of risks associated with high blood pressure. The new findings of a study of 9,000 people were presented this week at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Chicago. A stronger-than-ever link between cognitive impairment and high blood pressure is thought to be of best use in family practice. I think it does serve as a sort of wake-up call for primary care physicians, said Dr. Michael Lobatz, a neurologist and medical director of the Scripps Rehabilitation Center. Advertisement According to the study, 9,000 patients who received intensive treatment to lower systolic blood pressure to 120 showed a 19 percent lower chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and a 15 percent lower chance of impairment and dementia than those who received a standard treatment regimen which sought a systolic rate of 130. The number refers to the number of millimeters of pressure within a persons blood vessels when their heart is beating. Diastolic pressure, the second number recorded during a blood pressure reading and the measure of pressure between beats, was not part of the study. A systolic pressure score of less than 120 is considered normal by the American Heart Association. In 2017, based on evidence of cardiovascular risk, the systolic threshold for treatment was lowered from 140 to 130. The information was released by a coalition of organizations including Wake Forest University, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Utah. The results are part of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial. Researchers worked with patients who met the guidelines for high blood pressure and explored the benefits of using medication and lifestyle changes to bring systolic pressure much closer to normal ranges. All participants in the study, which was conducted at 90 sites across the United States, had high blood pressure but had not been diagnosed with diabetes, dementia or prior stroke. The mean age of participants was about 68. About a third of participants were women. Lobatz at Scripps said the size of the study and its methods are impressive. The fact that this study has has demonstrated this connection in a randomized controlled trial, thats very good evidence, he said. Hector Gonzalez, a neuroscientist with Shiley-Marcos Alzheimers Disease Research Center at UC San Diego agreed. The researcher, who is doing similar work among Latinos, said the methods used are considered best practice. I think this is really a significant study, and Ive been following it a lot, Gonzalez said. Its important to note that the results dont say anything about Alzheimers disease but rather about mild cognitive impairment, a slight decline in memory, language capability, cognition and judgement that can be the earliest sign of dementia. Alzheimers is a type of dementia but is thought to be cause by a buildup of harmful proteins in the brain. Other forms of dementia have much more direct links to damage in the tiny blood vessels that keep brain cells healthy. For vascular dementia, Lobatz said, high blood pressure has long been on neurologists radars. It has sort of been intuitively obvious that, if high blood pressure is damaging your blood vessels, that puts you at higher risk, Lobatz said. Gonzalez said general practitioners currently warn anyone with high blood pressure that failing to lower their numbers significantly increases their risk of severe illness from stroke to heart attack. Now, the risk of memory impairment can be even more confidently included in the high blood pressure conversation. This adds to the list of reasons why we want to ensure that a lot of people are controlling their systolic blood pressure as well as their overall cardiovascular health, he said. It further strengthens an appeal that clinicians are already making to patients. Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1850 Twitter: @paulsisson A federal judge is considering a request to temporarily lift a ban against people living in vehicles as well as restrictions on the hours large vehicles can park on San Diego streets following a hearing Thursday. A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in November by 11 homeless people argues that the citys restriction against living in vehicles is vague and the restriction on parking large vehicles on the street is unconstitutional because it unfairly targets homeless people. With the case proceeding, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued for a temporary injunction against enforcement of the laws before Judge Anthony Battaglia on Thursday. Battaglia said he had concerns that lifting a citywide ban on parking on streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. could open a Pandoras box, meaning many recreational vehicle owners might take their RVs out of private lots and park them for free on the street. Advertisement Plaintiffs attorney Geoff Biegler argued that the city could come up with more narrow laws to address problems with RVs and other oversized vehicles on the street. Kathy Steinman, the attorney representing the city, asked the judge to delay a decision on the injunction request because the city is working with a nonprofit to create a parking lot where people in RVs could safely park at night without violating the law. At the end of the Thursday hearing, Battaglia said both sides have given him many facts to consider, and he would have a decision as soon as possible after some deliberation. The lawsuit was filed by Disability Rights California, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the Dreher Law Firm and other legal groups. Ann Menasche, senior attorney with Disability Rights California, said after the hearing that she did not think the citys plan to create a safe parking lot for RVs would solve the problem because it probably would not be large enough to accommodate the many homeless people who live in RVs. Denise Friedman, a member of the board of directors for the Pacific Beach Town Council, attended the hearing and said afterward that the parking restriction against large vehicles on the street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. had helped the community.. Homeless Playlist On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services gary.warth@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @GaryWarthUT 760-529-4939 At a conference Thursday affirming the U.S. commitment to global religious freedom, Vice President Mike Pence threatened economic sanctions against Turkey if its government fails to release an American minister being held there. Pence denounced Turkeys 2-year-long imprisonment of Protestant minister Andrew Brunson and threatened to impose harsh economic sanctions on the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan if Brunson is not freed. Brunson was released from Turkish prison this week but placed under house arrest. Turkey accuses him of having a role in a failed 2016 military coup that led to a government crackdown that has jailed thousands of people. President Trump later echoed Pence on Twitter, saying Brunson was a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being who was suffering greatly. Advertisement This innocent man of faith should be released immediately! Trump wrote. Trump said his government would impose large sanctions on Turkey, but gave no time frame or other details. Pence called the matter an example of the kind of religious intolerance that the U.S. wants to end. Those nations that reject religious freedom breed radicalism and resentment in their citizens, Pence said. They sow the seeds of violence within their borders violence that often spills over into their neighbors and across the world. His comments came at a State Department conference on religious freedom, which has become the centerpiece of the Trump administrations focus on global human rights, sometimes to the exclusion of other areas, such as reproductive or gay and lesbian rights, critics say. Citing what he called Trumps unwavering commitment to religious freedom, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said the right to worship without persecution is a fundamental American liberty that the administration seeks to promote internationally. The United States advances religious freedom in our foreign policy because it is not exclusively an American right, Pompeo told the conference. It is a God-given universal right bestowed on all mankind. The three-day conference, held at the State Department with dozens of international delegations in attendance, wrapped up Thursday. State Department officials had repeatedly declined reporters requests for a list of attendees until the final day. Though billed as a ministerial-level conference, many delegations were represented by ambassadors stationed in Washington. Several sufferers of religious persecution, including a Yazidi woman who escaped capture by the militant group Islamic State, also attended and testified. Among countries that Pompeo singled out for criticism was Myanmar, also known as Burma, where the military has committed what the State Department calls ethnic cleansing of thousands of Muslim Rohingya. He announced a State Department program that will bring to the United States foreigners working on the front lines of religious rights for workshops, training and other support. Pence cited the repression of Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uighurs by China; North Koreas unyielding, systematic and often fatal abuse of Christians; attacks on Jews in Europe; and persecution of all faiths in Iraq and elsewhere by Islamic State. Pence gave special attention to a newer problem: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortegas deadly attacks on the Catholic Church in the Central American nation. More than 300 people have been killed in Ortegas crackdown on anti-government protests over the last several months. Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who spoke Wednesday, accused the Obama administration of using our U.S. taxpayer dollars ... to discourage Christian values by withholding financial assistance from countries that ban abortion or gay marriage. Human Rights Watch, among other groups, condemned Mulvaneys comments as a false narrative to promote the administrations conservative agenda. Several conservative speakers suggested that laws that protect the rights of gays and lesbians impose unfair restrictions on practicing ones religion. Those comments brought rebuke from several activists. You can never gain religious freedom by violating the religious and human rights of others, said the Rev. Patricia Ackerman, director of the Ethics of Reciprocity Project, which advocates on behalf of the gay community. Other complained that by doubling down on religious freedom, the administration was neglecting other important human rights. How much room do you have to focus on other things, said Jeremy Kadden, senior international policy advocate for the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign. Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, has said that the emphasis on ending religious persecution will impact a variety of human rights. This is a foundational human right, Brownback said last month when he announced plans for the conference. You do religious freedom, and a whole series of better human rights come out of it. tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter San Diego homicide detectives were investigating a suspicious death in Barrio Logan on Thursday after a 911 caller reported a pool of blood outside a parked SUV emitting a foul smell, a lieutenant said. When police officers and firefighters arrived around 2:15 p.m. in the area of Boston Avenue and South 29th Street, they discovered a mans body inside the 2006 Chevrolet HHR, San Diego homicide Lt. Matt Dobbs said. The initial investigation could not explain the exact circumstances surrounding the males death, Dobbs said in a statement. Out of an abundance of caution, the San Diego Police Departments Homicide Unit was called to the scene. Homicide detectives were investigating the case as a suspicious death, Dobbs said. Advertisement As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, police did not know the victims identity. Anyone with information about the incident was asked to call the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293. Anonymous tipsters can also contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com Authorities on Friday identified a 53-year-old bicyclist who was struck and killed on state Route 163 in the Kearny Mesa area. Dispatchers received reports shortly before 5:15 a.m. Tuesday of a man lying in traffic lanes on southbound SR 163 near state Route 52, California Highway Patrol Officer Tommy Doerr said. The helmeted cyclist, 53-year-old David Sheridan of San Diego, was found unresponsive by paramedics and was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital,according to the Medical Examiners Office. His condition did not improve and he was pronounced dead at 11:38 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Medical Examiners Office. Advertisement Sheridan was struck by a Toyota Camry driven by a 63-year-old woman who was traveling around 60 mph, transitioning from westbound SR-52 to southbound SR-163, when she saw the vehicle in front of her swerve to the right, then spotted the bicyclist but was unable to avoid hitting him, CHP Officer Jake Sanchez said. Sheridan, who was riding in traffic lanes, was ejected onto the roadway, he said. The woman remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, Sanchez said. Police officers used bean bag rounds and a stun gun to subdue and arrest an uncooperative suspect who allegedly stabbed a 75-year-old man multiple times Thursday night at a busy El Cajon intersection, authorities said. Lester Riley, a 39-year-old El Cajon resident, was taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in the knife attack that left the victim hospitalized with several wounds, El Cajon police Lt. Jason Taub said. The injuries were not considered life threatening. The attack was first reported about 7:55 p.m. near Second Street and East Madison Avenue, where officers responded to find the victim bleeding on the ground, Taub said. Officers were told the suspect had fled west on East Madison Avenue toward Wells Park. Advertisement Witnesses followed the suspect and kept him under observation until officers found him near Orlando Street, about a block from the park, Taub said. When officers confronted Riley, he was allegedly still wielding the knife from the earlier attack. The suspect refused officers commands to drop the knife, and was taken into custody with the use of less-lethal bean bag rounds and a Taser, Taub said. Riley was expected to be booked into the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon. Jail records showed hed yet to be booked as of 11:15 p.m. The victim, who was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, was reportedly walking with his family, including at least one grandchild, when he was ambushed. El Cajon police said the assault was under investigation, and it was unknown if Riley and the victim knew each other. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com San Diego police homicide investigators on Friday released a sketch of a man suspected of murder in Old Town. The unidentified wanted man is described as light-skinned, of unknown race, 18 to 25 years old, thin, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a goatee and shoulder-length dark hair. He was wearing a light-colored shirt and tan Dickie-style shorts with red stripes. He carried a black backpack with white stripes and was riding a yellow OFO bicycle. He is suspected of fatally stabbing 65-year-old Steven Barnes, who was found lying on the sidewalk along Pacific Coast Highway, near an Interstate 5 overpass, about 2 a.m. on July 21. He had cuts and trauma to his upper body, and died a short time later, homicide Lt. Anthony Dupree said. Advertisement Crime Stoppers issued a request for the publics assistance in identifying the man depicted in the sketch. A reward of up to $1,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest. The police homicide unit can be reached at (619) 531-2293. Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line is (888) 580-8477 and its website is sdcrimestoppers.org. pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard A brush fire forced about 200 people to evacuate Thursday evening as it quickly burned through a 10-acre patch of overgrown vegetation near Lake Hodges and Interstate 15 in Rancho Bernardo, authorities said. The blaze erupted for unknown reasons a little before 4:30 p.m. near the freeways southbound lanes in a triangle-shaped area of brush between West Bernardo Drive, the on-ramp to southbound I-15 and an apartment complex. West Bernardo Drive near Pomerado Road and the the West Bernardo Drive off-ramp from southbound I-15 were shut down for most of the night even after fire crews had the burn area under control. Around 10:30 p.m., all road closures were lifted, according to the California Highway Patrol. Advertisement As the blaze grew quickly from one acre to 10, fire crews worried that flames would reach a nearby senior living facility, San Diego city spokesman Alec Phillipp said. About 200 people were evacuated from dwellings near the fire, San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Rick Ballard told OnScene TV. They were allowed to return to their residences just a few hours later. Nobody was injured, Ballard said. SDFD sent dozens of engines, brush rigs and other firefighting vehicles to battle the blaze, along with two helicopters. A San Diego Gas & Electric firefighting helicopter was also used. Fire crews from Escondido, Poway, Encinitas and Rancho Santa Fe all responded. As of 10:30 p.m., there were at least three engines and brush rigs that remained to monitor the blaze. When it first began, the flames sent a thick plume of dark smoke drifting over the freeway east of Lake Hodges. CHP officers reported the smoke was reducing visibility at one point and making driving conditions dangerous. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: 10:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 5:10 p.m. This month, the Trump administration quietly released a change to longstanding immigration policy that effectively converts many pathways to lawful status into high-stakes gambles that could trigger deportation. Among the pathways most affected are immigration remedies that Congress specifically created for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking who courageously report abuse and help U.S. law enforcement prosecute crimes. The new policy requires U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to initiate removal proceedings against anyone whose petition for immigration benefits is denied and who does not have legal status at the time of denial. This substantial change to the Homeland Security Act will move tens of thousands of abuse victims into removal proceedings, have chilling effects on crime reporting and harm community safety, directly contradicting the Trump administrations crime-fighting rhetoric justifying its immigration policies. As the director of the UC Irvine Law Domestic Violence Clinic, I have witnessed the triple jeopardy that immigrant abuse victims face. Immigrant women and girls suffer heightened rates of abuse and are twice as likely as non-immigrant females to experience domestic violence. They typically endure horrific histories of abuse and contend with compounded language, cultural and economic barriers to escaping abuse. Finally, fear of deportation, especially given the increased presence of immigration agents at courthouses, prevents many abuse victims from coming out of the shadows. In a bipartisan effort in 1994, Congress recognized immigrants vulnerability to abuse and difficulty seeking help from the justice system and enacted the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). With each reauthorization of VAWA during the past two decades, new immigration remedies were created or enhanced to better protect immigrant abuse victims and encourage them to report crimes, thus increasing community safety. Advertisement While early remedies protected victims who were married to abusive U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents (VAWA Self-Petitions and Battered Spouse Waivers), later remedies expanded beyond the marriage-based model to protect undocumented crime victims who experienced substantial harm from criminal activity in the United States, reported the crime and cooperated with the U.S. government (U Visas and T Visas). These immigration remedies have never been easy to access, and they carry stringent requirements for formal evidence and cooperation with police and prosecution. In order to submit a U Visa petition, law enforcement agencies or specified government officials must first certify that the petitioner was the victim of a qualifying crime, reported the crime to officials, and fully cooperated in the criminal investigation and prosecution. Certification is far from automatic; in 2016, San Diegos Police Department denied 41 percent of U Visa certification requests, and across California, approximately one-third of such requests are denied. Still, our clinic was able to reassure frightened clients about VAWA confidentiality provisions that had been carefully created to prohibit disclosures to abusive partners. We were able to explain to our clients that Congress, in enacting the Homeland Security Act, designed the immigration system to have three different agencies, each with a separate component: service, border control and enforcement. The affirmative immigration remedies for crime victims the VAWA Self-Petitions, Battered Spouse Waivers, and U and T Visas are filed with USICS, the service branch. Under policy guidance in place since 2011, even if immigration petitions were denied, the service agency did not refer cases for enforcement and removal. The Trump administration, undermining humanitarian efforts, contravening congressional intent to establish victim protections, and without congressional action, has now rewritten the Homeland Security Act to shift enforcement and removal to the service branch. Police departments and courts were already reporting sharp decreases in abused individuals seeking help, including relief for which they are eligible. Regarding the volume of U Visa cases affected by the new policy, over 200,000 certified crime victims have petitions pending, and each year, approximately 20 percent of U Visa cases are denied. The new policy to deport certified crime victims whose petitions are denied adds to the climate of fear, dramatically increases deportation, harms community safety and must be challenged. Stoever is clinical professor of law at UC Irvine School of Law and director of UCIs Domestic Violence Clinic. We have a mental health crisis brewing and its going to take all of us to manage it. The recent announcement that Tri-City Medical Center intends to close its Behavioral Health and Crisis Stabilization units within the next 60 days is not an isolated case, its a manifestation of underlying issues that no health care system can solve alone. We at Palomar Health, the neighboring health district to Tri-City along the State Route 78 corridor in North County, may be facing similar choices in the next year if mental health providers dont get more support. Whats at stake is longer wait times in the emergency department, fewer cops patrolling your neighborhoods and more people in crisis not getting the help they need. The reality is some form of mental illness likely affects your family. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly half of all U.S. adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime and the Journal of Psychiatric Services says more than 8 million Americans currently suffer from serious psychological distress. Most studies show mental illness is rising. Advertisement The causes for mental illness are many, but our attitudes about it shouldnt be any different than for cancer, heart disease or diabetes. The good news is with proper intervention and follow-up treatment, most people can manage their symptoms and live happy and fulfilling lives. The problem is many are not getting treatment because of negative stigma and lack of treatment funding. These coupled together have created the crisis were in today. Just like any medical issue, early intervention is the key. But unfortunately most annual physical exams dont include mental health screenings, so many go undiagnosed until it becomes serious. Of those with a diagnosed condition, up to 10 percent dont have adequate insurance to cover psychiatric services. Even those with coverage may have a hard time scheduling an appointment as there is a national psychiatrist shortage. All of these issues lead to a high number of mentally ill patients showing up in emergency departments competing for bed space alongside patients with broken limbs, serious wounds and heart attacks. Palomar Health operates one of the two busiest emergency departments in San Diego County, treating more than 9,000 patients a month of which about 450 have a diagnosable mental illness, many brought in by law enforcement for being a danger to themselves or others. And the problem is only getting worse as we are experiencing annual increases of 10 percent. Behavioral health professionals in the emergency department diagnose, treat and recommend placement. Options include sending the patient home, admitting them to our outpatient program, or placing them in our short-term Crisis Stabilization Unit or longer-term Behavioral Health Unit. These options are critical to stabilizing people going through a mental health crisis. Without these programs, more people would end up in trouble. However, the need is greater than we can provide alone. This is not hyperbole; it is what the data shows. Without treatment, the mentally ill end up homeless, jobless and sometimes in jail. This could be your child, friend or spouse as mental illness doesnt discriminate. However, as the impending closure of treatment beds at Tri-City illuminates, beds are drying up as the number of patients rise. Health providers all over the United States are reducing or eliminating behavioral health treatment beds because of rising regulatory costs and diminishing government reimbursements. Taking care of the mentally ill is a noble, but highly unprofitable venture. Palomar Health has spent in the neighborhood of $3 million in the past year upgrading three behavioral health units to conform to new regulatory requirements related to suicide risk. But capital improvements are small compared to the annual operating deficits that require Palomar Health to subsidize mental health treatment at the expense of other needed medical services. Palomar Health has remained committed to providing behavioral health services in inland North County, but we cannot do it alone. We need the cooperation of other healthcare providers. We need the collaboration of County Behavioral Health Services and our local city leaders. But most of all we need you, the community, to stay informed and engaged. Together we can make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. Myers is the director of Behavioral Health Services at Palomar Health in North San Diego County. Tragedies with questionable circumstances involving police arent common, but theyre also not rare. Its long been obvious that the best possible response from police agencies and the elected leaders who oversee them is to release all relevant information as soon as it is available not to try to manage controversies. If autopsies or video from body cams or dash cams reflect poorly on officers conduct, delaying the release of the information wont lessen its sting; it will only add to problems by creating or confirming the impression of a cover-up. Yet in the tragic case of Earl McNeil, those lessons are being ignored by officials in National City. The 40-year-old ended up dead after being arrested on May 26 outside the citys police station. The officers who came outside to speak with McNeil after he called a dispatcher said he was talking irrationally and appeared agitated, then became combative when they attempted to detain him. He was placed in a stiff nylon blanket restraint known as the Wrap and later suffered what police called medical distress while being examined by paramedics at the county jail. He was taken to a hospital, where he died June 11 after being taken off life support. Amid growing unrest in National City, police and county officials met with McNeils family on Monday. Family attorney Doug Applegate now says an autopsy by the county Medical Examiners Office has preliminarily concluded that McNeil had a heart attack and had a controlled substance in his system. But the autopsy wont be released publicly until mid-August, when it is expected to be complete. Meanwhile, Police Chief Manuel Rodriquez says his department wont release body-camera video of its officers dealings with McNeil while its investigation is continuing and while it waits for a toxicology report from the medical examiner. The department also has yet to elaborate on whether it has anything to add to the revelation in court records that McNeil was a paid informant for law enforcement. Advertisement Heres a basic question: Why? Whats to be gained by withholding any pertinent information? Council members may not appreciate that protesters have disrupted four straight National City council meetings over this, but the point they raise is right: The city must be more open about McNeils death. Now. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion With San Diego Countys median housing price reaching a record high of $575,000 in June, and with average county rent also showing a huge, long-term increase, the severity of the local housing crisis is only getting worse. Thats why The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board applauds the county Board of Supervisors for approving three housing projects Wednesday. Its Economics 101: The more housing stock there is, the more pressure there is to keep home prices and rents in check. The largest of the three the Otay 250 mixed-use project in Otay Mesa would build up to 3,158 residential units, 78,000 square feet of commercial space, and 765,000 square feet of industrial development on a 253-acre site east of state Route 125 near the Mexican border. The board also cleared the way for 779 homes in the Harmony Grove Village South and Valiano projects in the Harmony Grove/Elfin Forest/Eden Valley areas west of Escondido. In testimony before the board, no speakers raised objections to the Otay Mesa plan, which promotes walkability and manages transportation. But speakers expressed deep concerns about whether the projects near Escondido could imperil public safety because of access problems making it difficult to evacuate during a fire or some other type of emergency. Supervisors responded by saying they believed fire safety and evacuation concerns had been appropriately addressed in the planning process. But they must be open to additional concerns along these lines. More than ever, NIMBYism can seem myopic, but safety issues must be addressed. Thats the smartest way to respond to NIMBYs: Take them seriously. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a major change in the regulation of the states three huge investor-owned utilities. Brown says a utility should no longer be held liable for damages from wildfires linked to its equipment if it can be demonstrated the utility acted reasonably in maintaining the equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric all are pushing hard for such a revision of state law because of the growing risk of wildfires from the Wests hotter, drier climate. As illustrated by the fires raging around the state in recent days, their concerns are warranted. Reaction to Browns plan has been mixed. Lawmakers who want to protect the utilities financial health so long as they meet safety standards offered support. PG&Es CEO said it makes some progress but is insufficient. Utility critics said the governors proposal was an unnecessary giveaway. But The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has another view: We believe that Brown should have nothing to do with this critically important policy debate. If ratepayers trust him to treat them fairly, they havent been paying attention. The governor has appointed the entire board of the California Public Utilities Commission and has close relationships with both Michael Peevey and Michael Picker, the two men who have served as CPUC presidents in recent years. Brown has also fought efforts to make the CPUC more transparent and accountable. As such, he deserves direct blame for the regulatory bodys recent massive scandals. Advertisement The first involves the CPUCs 2014 decision to force ratepayers to pay 70 percent of the cost of the $4.7 billion tab for closing the San Onofre nuclear plant which is owned almost 80 percent by Edison and 20 percent by SDG&E even though the nuclear plants failings were due in large part to poor management. After it was revealed in 2015 that Peevey and an Edison executive improperly crafted the outline for the deal at a 2013 meeting in Poland a meeting that was never disclosed to the public the CPUC was eventually forced to reopen the settlement and accept terms that shifted $750 million of the cost from ratepayers to shareholders. The second scandal involves PG&E and the criminal behavior it displayed before and after a 2010 natural-gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. The utility was convicted in federal court of six felonies for the poor maintenance that caused the disaster and for its subsequent obstruction of a federal probe. But the CPUC was akin to an unindicted co-conspirator. Investigators said lax oversight by the state regulator led the way to the catastrophe. The commission wasnt done coddling PG&E. Facing immense pressure from lawmakers, it purportedly fined PG&E $1.6 billion over San Bruno. Yet more than half the fine wasnt actually a fine. It was a mandate that PG&E spend $850 million to improve its natural gas transmission system an upgrade that was already seen as necessary. Against this backdrop, neither Brown nor the CPUC deserve the benefit of the doubt. Lawmakers should hold off on regulatory changes until the next governor is elected in November. Then talks should begin on a policy that offers more fiscal protection for utilities. The policy must ultimately be crafted thoughtfully so it doesnt incentivize utilities to cut corners on public safety and reflects an awareness of the utilities recent history of bad behavior. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Since July 13, a wildfire that started in the Sierra National Forest in Mariposa County has been spreading through steep rugged terrain with few access roads available for firefighters working to stop it. What was known as of Friday was that the Ferguson Fire was near enough to affect Yosemite National Park and lead to closures in some areas as crews worked to contain it. Go here for the most up to date information: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/ As of Friday morning, the fire had burned 45,000 acres and was 29 percent contained. There are several other fires burning throughout California too, including the fast moving Carr Fire in Redding where at least two people have died. See a map with information on the latest incidents here. Here's what was known about the Ferguson Fire as of Friday. Whats going on near Yosemite? On Friday morning, officials in Sierra National Forest said more than 3,800 fire personnel were using 261 engines, 16 helicopters, 55 water tankers and 79 dozers to fight the Ferguson Fire. The fire grew by 1,688 acres Thursday night. The burning area is along Highway 140 near Hite Cove and El Portal southwest of the Yosemite Valley. Heres where it was burning through Thursday. National Park Service Mandatory evacuations were in place for areas including Anderson Valley, the Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground, Foresta, Old Yosemite Road, Yosemite West and Yosemite View Lodge on Thursday and into Friday. Other areas were under advisory evacuations. Check out the full list here. How is Yosemite affected? On Wednesday, Yosemite Valley, Wawona and the Mariposa Grove were closed to all visitors and are expected to remain that way until Sunday. For more information on park closures, go here. Visitors have canceled at least 1,000 campground and hotel reservations in an extremely unusual situation. The valley was last closed due to a fire in 1990, according to The Associated Press. Officials said the park isnt in imminent danger from the fire, but that the closures are part of an effort to allow fire crews to perform protective measures and avoid tourist traffic. Firefighters have been working to remove available fuels between the fire and the communities of Yosemite West and El Portal. What else do I need to know? The National Park Services is warning people in the area to expect poor air quality and visibility as a result of the fire. For the latest on air quality in the area, go here. The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) service has also been suspended to Yosemite Valley. The scene in Yosemite Check out these photos captured from inside Yosemite National Park where people have been packing up and leaving the area as air quality worsens and evacuation orders are issued. A sign warns departing campers of closures on Wednesday July 25, 2018, in Yosemite National Park, Calif. AP Photo/Noah Berger Lisa Salgado and daughter Alyssa, 19, break camp at the Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. AP Photo/Noah Berger Hannah Whyatt poses for a friend's photo as smoke from the Ferguson fire fills Yosemite Valley, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, in Yosemite National Park, Calif. AP Photo/Noah Berger A helicopter drops water to stop the Ferguson Fire from reaching homes in the Darrah community of unincorporated Mariposa County, Calif., Wednesday, July 25, 2018. AP Photo/Noah Berger Flames from the Ferguson fire crest a hill in Stanislaus National Forest, near Yosemite National Park, California on July 21, 2018. NOAH BERGER/AFP/Getty Images Visitors and other admirers of Yosemite are voicing their concern and support on Twitter. To learn more about the Ferguson Fire, visit InciWeb. For the latest information on Yosemite National Park, visit nps.gov/yose. Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @abbyhamblin UPDATE 2:55 p.m.: Fire spreading in southeasterly direction and has grown to 225 acres, Cal Fire Capt. Issac Sanchez said. SR-78 is closed between Haverford and Bandy Canyon roads. UPDATE 2:26 p.m.: The brush fire off the 18500 block of state Route 78 in San Pasqual Valley has grown to an estimated 20 acres, a dispatcher says. There are no immediate reports of structural threats, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Authorities have closed SR-78 between Bandy Canyon and Ramona Highlands roads due to the blaze. ORIGINAL REPORT July 27, 2:15 p.m.: Crews are at scene of a 3-acre vegetation fire near the 17000 block of San Pasqual Valley Road, Cal Fire reports on Twitter. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department reports fire is off the 18500 block of San Pasqual Valley Road. Officials are considering closing the road to westbound traffic at Weekend Villa Road. Update: As of 6 p.m. the fire was stopped at 10 acres burned in a vegetation-filled area between Interstate 15 and West Bernardo Drive. San Diego Fire-Rescue Spokesman Alec Phillipp said 200 residents (in Casa de las Campanas) were evacuated, but expected to return to their homes within an hour. Fire engines and brush rigs from several fire departments responded, as did at least two helicopters, which conducted drops. Calfire crews were also on scene. * * * * * A brush fire broke out Thursday afternoon on the west side of Interstate 15 in Rancho Bernardo near Lake Hodges and the Casa de las Campanas retirement community. The fire along West Bernardo Drive was reported at 4:27 p.m. and upon arrival of fire fighting units was estimated to be at around 1 acre in size, said San Diego Fire-Rescue Spokesman Alec Phillipp. There is a lot of smoke and visible fire, Phillipp said before 5 p.m. Thursday. Among the many responding units were San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and Escondido Fire Department, he said. It is progressing slowly, but has decent fuel, Phillipp said, adding the retirement facility was not threatened at that time. This story will be updated as details become available. Email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join Amending the United States Constitution remains a monumental act, even if such modifications were always intended from the moment that the document was designed. While every amendment has faced challenge and debate, few groups have inspired as much controversy and litigation as the so-called Reconstruction Amendments. Amendments 13, 14, and 15 came in the aftermath of the Civil War, and their implications and legacy have reached further than many expected. The ratification of the 14th Amendment, covering citizenship, due process and much more, and its certification were proclaimed by Secretary of State William H. Seward 150 years ago on July 28th. The birth of the 14th Amendment came out of a complicated dance of conflicting political priorities. The sudden influx of new citizens created by the 13th Amendment (which ended slavery) threatened to upend the power balance in the south in the House of Representatives because a larger population requires more representatives. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 passed Congress, guaranteeing citizenship to every person born in the United States regardless of race, color or prior condition of servitude. Andrew Johnson would veto the bill twice, but Congress overrode him, turning it into law. However, not everyone in Congress was satisfied that this solution should lie outside the Constitution. More than 70 proposals for a new amendment to address citizenship were written. Ultimately, after much debate and a number of counter-proposals, modifications, and compromises, the text of the 14th Amendment was codified and passed. Many in Congress were disappointed that the bill didnt go so far as to address voting rights for former slaves; fortunately, that would be covered less than two years later with the ratification of the 15th Amendment. Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today The Amendment contains five sections, and they cover an incredible amount of legal ground. Section 1 covers birthright citizenship, the right to due process, and equal protection for citizens under the law. Section 2 acknowledges that everyone (well, males at any rate) was a whole person rather than the three-fifths allotted to black Americans previously; it also establishes some voting protections. The third section works to prevent previous rebels (see: military and elected officials of the Confederacy) from holding office, military rank, or civil service jobs unless they would receive a 2/3 vote of Congress giving them approval. Section 4 more or less tells the South that theyre stuck with their debts in the wake of the war; if they accrued debt from borrowing to fund the unsuccessful rebellion or losses from having their slaves freed, that was, legally speaking, too bad. The final section simply affirms the authority of Congress to enforce the Amendment with legislation. Since its ratification, the Amendment has figured into elements of at least 90 Supreme Court cases, due in part to the large ground in covers. Some of the cases rank among the most important in U.S. history. The Amendment played a part in the school segregation breakthrough of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 due to the Equal Protection clause; that same clause was involved in the election-deciding Bush v. Gore in 2000. Issues of Substantive Due Process were raised by Roe v. Wade in 1973 when the court ruled in part that the right to privacy included a womans decision to have an abortion. Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 also invoked both Substantive Due Process and Equal Protection on the way to a decision that legalized same-sex marriage. Today, the issues surrounding the 14th Amendment continue to fuel considerable public and legal debate. As recently as July 19th, Johns Hopkins University historian and author of Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America Martha S. Jones spoke to The New York Times on how the protections of the Amendment figure into the current controversy surrounding immigration. In response to a question about whether or not the lessons of history can solve current problems, Jones says, I dont think history is a blueprint. It cant be. Theres too much thats particular to our own time and place. But I do think the debate about birthright citizenship is here, and you cant be well equipped for it unless you are familiar with where it begins. City of Industry, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/26/2018 -- This report studies the Fruit Processing Equipment market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2013-2017 and forecast data 2018-2025; This report also studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis. Fruit processing equipment is used to process fresh fruits into several products including fruit juices, fruit powders, fruit squash, canned fruits, jams, jellies, frozen fruits, dried fruits, and others Growing opportunities for expansion of fruit processing sector is one of the primary growth factors for the fruit processing equipment market. Developing countries that are agriculture-based offer high growth prospects for the fruit processing industry. For instance, regions such as Ethiopia which are major exporters of fresh fruits to the EU and the Middle East, due to their favorable climate for horticulture offer high growth potential for this market. Similarly, the fruit processing industry in South Africa produces high-quality and niche fruit-based products such as canned fruits. Also, regions such as Azerbaijan and Chile are contributing extensively to the growth of the fruit processing sector, fueling the growth of the juice processing machine market. The Americas will be the major revenue contributor to the juice processing machine market throughout the forecast period. This region witnesses growth due to the growing population, expanding fruit processing industry, and the increasing number of strategies implemented by vendors. Also, the rising demand for canned fruits will drive the need for canned fruit processing equipment, owing to their ease of use, increased shelf life, and concentrated flavor. The global Fruit Processing Equipment market was xx million US$ in 2017 and is expected to xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2018 and 2025. Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/606936/global-fruit-processing-equipment-market Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Fruit Processing Equipment in these regions, from 2013 to 2025, covering North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) South America (Brazil etc.) Middle East and Africa (Egypt and GCC Countries) The various contributors involved in the value chain of the product include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in this market include Bertuzzi Buhler FENCO Food Machinery Turatti Group By the product type, the market is primarily split into Pre-Processing Equipment Processing Equipment Weighing, Packaging, and Handling Equipment By the end users/application, this report covers the following segments Fruit Juice, Fruit Powder, and Fruit Squash Jams and Jellies Frozen and Dried Fruits Canned Fruits Click to view the full report TOC, figure and tables: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/606936/global-fruit-processing-equipment-market About QY Research QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), expert's resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc. Reports that cyber hackers have successfully attacked Cosco Shipping Lines Long Beach customer service centre, is very worrying indeed, Sela commented in a press release. While Cosco shut down its connections as a precautionary measure, we have to emphasise that ships are not islands, they are not self-contained units. This is a mistaken belief. Shore- and ship-operations are cyber-connected, he reiterated. Sela pointed out that if shore-based and ship-based IT systems are linked, it could open a gateway to the Cosco ships and leave them highly susceptible to an attack. Vessels do not need to be attacked directly but an attack can arrive via the companys shore-based IT systems and very easily penetrate the ships critical OT systems, Sela warned. Although Cosco has been quick to respond to this hack, the virus may have been dormant for some time, so I would not be surprised if other systems shore- and ship-based systems have been breached, he said ominously. Read More: Take cyber security seriously or face regulation USCG warns shipping This kind of attack could spread through the entire fleet and its consequences might be devastating, and certainly costly, especially in terms of insurance. We strongly recommend to whoever discovered the attack, to thoroughly verify the breach has been contained and has not infected any ships in the Cosco fleet, Sela added. This cyber-attack, like the Maersk attacks last year, will no doubt send shockwaves throughout the industry and encourage board members to take immediate, effective protection. Regulators need to implement workable rules and guidelines to help this vitally important global industry defend itself properly, he concluded. Naval Dome provides users with a maritime multilayer cyber defence solution for mission critical onboard systems. To be jointly operated with TG FESCO, the JRX service will feature unparalleled transit times, APL said in a press release. Russia-bound cargoes from Yokohama to Vostonchny and Vladivostock will be delivered in as soon as seven and nine days respectively. Shipments from Kobe to the two same Russian ports will arrive in just four and six days respectively. From Vostonchny and Vladivostock, cargoes onboard the JRX service may be easily moved via the Trans-Siberian Railway to Central Russia and into the European Union. Meanwhile, shippers from Japan and Russia may also plug into APLs extensive service network for global market access via Busan where the JRX service will make a port stop. Read More: APL launches new service to connect central Vietnam port of Chu Lai APLs JRX will commence sailing from Yokohama on August 24 with the following rotation: Vostochny Vladivostok Yokohama Shimizu Nagoya - Kobe Busan- Vostochny If theres a good opportunity that comes, well certainly consider. Were always on the lookout for that, ATI president Eusebio Tanco was quoted as saying in local media regarding the companys overseas expansion plans. Tanco added that ATI is investing quite a bit this year in its local operations. We have a lot of projects. We are expanding the South Harbour. And then we are expanding Batangas. And were moving into logistics, he said. Read More: ATI's Batangas terminal saw record volumes in 2016 ATI has earmarked at least PHP8bn ($150m) for capital expenditure this year, 74% higher than the PHP4.6bn capex in 2017 as it seeks to deliver better, faster, and safer ports and logistics services to the Philippines supply-chain. Aside from the Manila South Harbour and the port of Batangas, ATI also operates the off-dock container yards in Sta. Mesa in Manila and Calamba in Laguna which serve as the countrys marine transport infrastructure and economic trade gateways. #government S. Korea to cut fuel taxes by record 20 pct amid soaring oil prices South Korea said Tuesday it will temporarily cut fuel taxes by a record 20 percent in a bid to ease upward pressure on consumer inflation as oil prices have surged amid the global ... Press Release July 27, 2018 De Lima's son, siblings to accept 'Prize for Freedom' award on her behalf Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima's eldest son and siblings will receive the prestigious "Prize for Freedom" Award from the Liberal International (LI) on behalf of the Senator, who was recognized for her unwavering fight to defend human rights. In a simple awarding ceremony to be held at Novotel Manila, Araneta Center, Quezon City on July 28, De Lima's eldest son, Israel, her two brothers Vicente "Vicboy" de Lima II and Vicente "Nonoy" de Lima Jr., and her sister, Caroline de Lima, are expected to accept the trophy and plaque for the Senator. "Inasmuch as I personally want to grace the awarding ceremony to receive this prestigious Human Rights Prize, such is impossible because of my continued unjust detention under Duterte's murderous regime. But I am happy that my son and siblings will be there to represent me," she said. LI regarded De Lima as a "flag-bearer for human rights in the Philippines and beyond, setting a shining example for other human rights defenders." According to the London-based world federation of liberal and progressive democratic parties, De Lima will be conferred the "Prize for Freedom" award for her "exceptional contribution to the advancement of human rights" in the Philippines. De Lima will be the second Filipino to accept the Human Rights Prize, after then President Corazon Aquino in 1987, who was recognized "for her world-renowned advocacy of democracy, peace, and the empowerment of women." According to LI, the award is given to "a well-known personality of liberal conviction who has made outstanding efforts for the defence of freedom and human rights." LI's previous high-profile awardees include LI's former Argentinian President Raul Alfonsin (1985), former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (1989), Nobel Peace Prize laureate and now State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi (1995), Saudi activist Raif Badawi (2016), and prominent Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti (2017), among others. It will not be the first time for De Lima's son and siblings to receive an award on her behalf since she was detained on trumped-up drug charges fabricated by Duterte and his minions last Feb. 24. Israel, Vicboy and Nonoy De Lima accepted the "Most Distinguished Human Rights Defender" Award for 2018 given to the Senator by the Amnesty International in its first-ever "Ignite Awards for Human Rights" during the awarding ceremony held at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City last June 2. Prior to this award, De Lima was also recognized by the Foreign Policy magazine as one of the leading Global Thinkers for 2016 and 2017; by Time Magazine as one of 100 Most Influential People, one of the Icons, for 2017; by Fortune Magazine as 39th World's Greatest Leader; and by Amnesty International as the Most Distinguished Human Rights Defender for 2018, among others. Gatchalian challenges Reds to pursue peace like MILF, MNLF Senator Win Gatchalian on Friday urged the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) to take inspiration from the example set by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and engage the government in good faith peace talks to finally bring an end to the decades-old communist struggle. Gatchalian issued the challenge after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law yesterday the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). "Now is the time for the CPP-NPA-NDF to step up. The passage and signing of the BOL into law is proof that there is always a way to work out our differences and come together to achieve lasting peace," he said. "Instead of fighting, let us instead work together and channel our energies into more productive pursuits. Ito na pagkakataon na matapos ang ilang dekada ng rebelyon at makamit natin ang kapayapaan sa buong bansa," he added. The peace talks with the communist group have stalled a number of times, but Gatchalian said the Reds should look to the BOL as inspiration and follow the lead of both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). "Alam kong ilang beses nang naudlot ang pag-uusap pero ang BOL na ang pruweba na posible maayos ang anumang hindi pagkakaintindihan," he said. The BOL was crafted after consultations with different stakeholders, including the MILF and MNLF. According to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, President Rodrigo Duterte cancelled the planned peace talks between the government and the rebel group last month to allow more thorough public participation in the matter. Duterte also terminated peace negotiations with the rebels in November last year, accusing them of pushing for a power-sharing coalition government, which is not allowed under the 1987 Constitution. Press Release July 27, 2018 On the Newly-Signed Bangsamoro Organic Law More at: https://pinglacson.net/2018/07/27/on-the-newly-signed-bangsamoro-organic-law/ The Bangsamoro Organic Law is not perfect, but is a big leap towards peace in Mindanao. Or so we hope. Much credit goes to President Duterte and his strong political will in this regard. I would have wanted the creation of two sub-regions under one Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. I have in fact suggested that to the President in one of our small group meetings in Malacanang. It is my view that we could do away with the possible breakaway factions from the Tausog and other ethnic groups from the Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan group of islands. We should learn from history when the Maguindanaoans and Maranaws and others from Central Mindanao broke away and formed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) when the central government talked peace with Misuari's Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). SHEPHERDSTOWN Delegate John Overington, speaker pro tempore of the the West Virginia House of Delegates; West Virginia senator and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Charles Trump; and West Virginia University College of Law professor Robert M. Bastress, Jr. all have at least one thing in common their passion for fair redistricting. During a July 16 Civic Education Series event at the Robert C. Byrd Center, the three men spoke about the topics of redistricting and gerrymandering, explaining the steps they hope lawmakers will take to avoid gerrymandering during the redistricting in West Virginia, following the 2020 U.S. Census. In the three times Ive been in the redistricting process, its been extremely self-serving. The courts have realized that some extreme gerrymandering is unacceptable, while others, if the gerrymandering is less obnoxious, is considered acceptable by the courts, said Overington, who is retiring in November after 33 years in office. Overington said he tried to address the issue of gerrymandering this year by introducing a bill to create a fair redistricting committee in 2020, which would be governed by a series of checks and balances including public hearings outlined in the bill. His bill was passed over, but he said he hopes a similar bill may be introduced again, sometime in the future. According to Trump, one issue sets West Virginia apart from the majority of other states during redistricting residents tendency to identify with their counties. In West Virginia, perhaps more than any state Im aware of, people highly identify by their county, Trump said, mentioning districts should be drawn, as much as possible, to keep counties together. Agreeing on the need to divide districts by county, equal populations and geography to avoid gerrymandering, the panel said the Eastern Panhandle may experience some changes after the 2020 U.S. Census results come in, due to population growth. The demography is this in the Eastern Panhandle, the population is growing, so the districts are getting fuller, Trump said, mentioning the overall population loss in West Virginia will also influence redistricting. Trump and Overington agreed on the importance of having one representative for every district, to ensure equal representation in the state government. According to Overington, West Virginias district map shows some gerrymandering in more rural areas of the state, but does not appear to show any gerrymandering happening in the Eastern Panhandle. I think the Eastern Panhandle is well represented, when you look at our Legislature. We just have to hold them accountable, when it comes to redistricting, Overington said. According to Bastress, the likelihood for fair redistricting may increase in the future, due to modern technology being used to create districts. Software redistricting has been developed since the last redistricting, that should help even out redistricting, Bastress said. SHEPHERDSTOWN This summer, The Bavarian Inn has taken on several projects to update its dining experience. On July 11, The Bavarian Inn started using its updated bar in the Hunt Room, which now features a stainless steel specialty coffee maker, a stainless steel, pressurized nitrogen wine-on-tap system and a stainless steel wine keeper. According to Vice President David Asam, The Bavarian Inn selected the specialty coffee maker with the help of The Black Dog Coffee Companys husband-and-wife owners Jennifer Maghan and Brian Bircher. We purchased the machine with them, and have already done two days of training, and plan on doing more training with them as well in the future, David said, explaining the inn is gradually transitioning from using Colombian coffee to using Black Dog coffee. Currently, the inns drip coffee is the only Colombian coffee still being sold in the inn. David said the two new temperature-controlled stainless steel systems for wine will both benefit customers and the environment. We certainly do our best to be environmentally conscious, and these machines will cut down on our personal impact in a significant way, David said, mentioning the systems will decrease the quantity of glass bottles emptied at the inn, by serving glasses of wine from large kegs. Not only will these systems cut down on container waste, but they will also keep wine from going bad once a wine bottle is opened, the wine has a life expectancy of four days, according to David. Now that theyre putting more quality wine in kegs, its a great decision to sell high-end wines on keg, by the glass. We want to change peoples perceptions of wine in kegs these are good wines, but at a reasonable price point, David said, mentioning the four white and four red wine varieties offered from the keg will be regularly rotated. Starting at $7.50 and up, the wine will be sold at reasonable price points for 5 ounce, 8 ounce and 1/2 liter size pours. The Bavarian Inns President Christian Asam said he hopes customers will take advantage of the opportunity to taste a wider variety of wine at the inn, while staying within their budgets. People should not be intimidated by it. Be honest when you come into a restaurant. You dont have to be a big spender to have a fun wine experience you can really find something cool at any price point, Christian said. According to David, the inns final summer update, Bavarian Brothers Brewing, is set to open in early September. SHEPHERDSTOWN When the Contemporary Arts Theater Festival comes to town, the Potomac River Artists Guild gets busy, preparing for its Fine Arts Show and Sale on the third weekend of July. Fifteen of the guilds 20 artists, from around the tri-state area, showed and sold artwork at the War Memorial Building on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a free meet the artists reception held from 3-5 p.m. Saturday. For the last several years, weve been doing the show on this weekend, said charter guild member Mary Alice Bowers, of Honeysuckle Studio in Martinsburg. According to Bowers, every artist had 4-6 pieces of fine art ranging from pen-and-ink to collages, from realist animal etchings to abstract paintings hung on the walls, as well as a maximum of 10 unframed works of art each, which were all collected together for visitors perusal. Weve already had a good morning, and we only started the show at 10 a.m. today, Bowers said on Friday, mentioning one of the strengths of the guild is the variety of fine art the guild members produce. We have several men and many women in the guild, of all ages, which can make a difference in the variety of fine art people see in our shows. If it was all women, there would be way too many flowers, Bowers said, with a laugh. Fellow charter guild member Ronda B. Albright, of Martinsburg, who was an elementary school art teacher for 43 years, said the art show always attracts CATF visitors, which is something she looks forward to. I just met someone who came to CATF from Texas. There are definitely a lot of CATF people who have come in here so far, Albright, a member of the West Virginia Watercolor Society and the Baltimore Watercolor Society, said. I think theyre really excited to see the variety of different types of art weve got abstracts, loose watercolors, pastels. According to CATF visitor Carel Hedlund, of Towson, Maryland, viewing the art exhibit is a tradition she has enjoyed for many years. We come into the art exhibit every year. Its one of the things we do. Weve developed all of these tremendous traditions and things, for when we come to CATF, said Hedlund, who has been coming to CATF for eight years with her husband, Len Fass. Hedlund said she and Fass enjoyed CATF so much, they invited their friends, Paul Konka and Susan Dugan-Konka, of Baltimore, Maryland, to join them three years ago. And, as often happens with CATF visitors, Konka and Dugan-Konka became hooked, and have returned with their friends every year since. Each year, CATF seems to be getting better and better. You might think six plays in three days is too much, but its not, Konka said. Its impressive, and pretty neat, to think you can see plays here, before they get to the big city. On behalf of the DMK, I thank @rashtrapatibhvn & @PMOIndia for their enquiries about @kalaignar89 's health. I am extremely grateful for their offers of help. Thalaivar is getting the best medical care and treatment. We hope he will recover soon and thank everyone in his own words : There is a slight improvement in DMK chief M Karunanidhis health, his son MK Stalin said in Chennai on Friday. M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 27, 2018 His statement came hours reports claimed that political leaders cutting across party lines and DMK cadre made a beeline for the residence of Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection. Earlier politicians cutting across party lines visited Karunannidhi at his Gopalapuram home in Tamil Nadus capital Chennai. Hundreds of supporters of the 94-year-old leader too gathered outside his home amid prayer and high emotion on Friday. Doctors said the former chief minister is being treated for a urinary tract infection (UTI) and other geriatric complaints. A team of doctors from Chennais Kauvery Hospital is attending to him round the clock. Karunanidhi has been unwell for some time now with age-related health problems and has largely been confined to his home since late 2016. His tracheotomy tube was replaced last week. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail yesterday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N, expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported. : In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been "stolen" and warned that the "tainted and dubious' results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics. He said his party candidates in these areas were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated candidates. Thursday was a meeting day for Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, who were imprisoned after they were convicted by an accountability court over the family's ownership of four luxury flats in London. A number of party leaders, who visited the jail, quoted Sharif as saying that the Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been "made victorious' in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite its previous government's bad performance in the province. Sharif said that Khan's position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when last general elections were held. He said the polls had been stolen and the "tainted and dubious' results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics, the daily reported. PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Junaid Safdar (Maryam's son), Mahnoor Safdar and Meharun Nisa (daughters of Maryam), former federal minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi were among those who called on Sharif and his daughter. The personal physician of Sharif also visited him in the jail. The jail authorities, following the orders of the superintendent, brought Sharif, Maryam and Safdar from their cells to the conference hall where they met the visitors. Sharif and Shahbaz also held a one-on-one meeting lasting more than half an hour, later to be joined by Maryam, the daily said. During the meeting, post-elections scenario of the country was discussed, it said. The PML-N leaders said that no facilities were provided to Sharif in the jail as they met him in a room with no air conditioner while an air conditioner was running in the waiting room for the visitors, it said. The health of the former prime minister was not good, they said, adding that Sharif did not make any comment about his health but his condition was obvious from his physical appearance. Meanwhile, a team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which was to examine Sharif on Thursday, had to wait for over one hour and finally returned to the hospital as Sharif was meeting his family members. The team has been mandated to submit a report on whether Sharif should be shifted to hospital or not. Page Content Robert Boekhold has officially been appointed as Interim Mortgage Custodian and Acting Director of Kadaster. On Thursday July 26, Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of Finance Wilgo Lieveld handed Boekhold the Ministerial Decree. Boekhold is a Land Surveyor and has worked for Kadaster office for over 24 years. He will immediately take up his post and work with the support of former and retired Mortgage Custodian Boekhold was officially sworn as the Mortgage Custodian by his Excellency Mr. Reynold Groeneveldt Acting Governor for St. Maarten at 10:00am on July 26. As well as being the Interim Mortgage Custodian, Boekhold is also the Acting Director of the Kadaster which allows him to sign Meetbrieven for St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. Boekhold studied Kadastral Engineering and Law in The Netherlands. He has worked for the Kadaster Office in St. Maarten for over 24 years as a Land Surveyor and also provides technical Kadastral support services for the islands of Saba and St. Eustatius. A release issued by the Finance Ministry on Thursday explained the process that preceded Boekholds appointment. The initial intent to appoint an acting Mortgage Custodian could not be finalized once it was determined that the law did not make provisions for an acting Mortgage Custodian. At that point, the Supervisory Board of the Kadaster and Mortgage Custodian Registry led by its chairman Louis Crastell Gumbs recommended Boekhold to the Finance Minister as the Mortgage Custodian for three (3) months which may be extended if the need arises. Boekholdts appointment could not be finalized earlier since he as the candidate for the position required a Certificate of Good Conduct pursuant to Article 16 of the National Ordinance on the judicial documentation and on the certificates of good conduct. Once the judicial background check by local authorities was completed with no objections, the certificate of good conduct was issued. With these procedures executed Finance Minister Geerlings was able to finalize a workable solution and appoint a Mortgage Custodian. While Boekhold will hold the position in the Interim, the recruitment drive, for a permanent Mortgage Custodian, which started over a month ago, will be extended to include Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius and The Netherlands. The Ministry of Finance is committed to ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to avoid a repeat of the challenge faced by the notaries on St. Maarten, whose work depends heavily on the Kadasters Office and the Mortgage Custodian in particular for the execution of deeds. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd39b7190)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd393f8a8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd39b7190)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd393f8a8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd393cc78)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd393f8a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd393f8a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd2995550)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd3988b88)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd3988b88)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd2e68e28)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd2d869a8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd2e68e28)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd2d869a8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd2eba198)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd2d869a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd2d869a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fc7b84c78)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd2995940)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd2995940)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd3374360)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3b43328)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd3374360)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3b43328)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd3322df0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3b43328)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3b43328)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd2997108)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd3b51d48)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd3b51d48)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd2e68f20)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3713a60)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd2e68f20)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3713a60)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fd2eba320)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3713a60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd3713a60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd29953f0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd3920488)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fd3920488)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Fires spark biodiversity criticism of Sweden's forest industry Stockholm, July 27 (AFP) Jul 27, 2018 The ferocity of wildfires in Sweden has sparked criticism against the powerful forest industry, which is being accused of having rolled out a "red carpet" for blazes and sacrificing the nation's biodiversity for the sake of profit. Forests, sacred in ancient Norse mythology, still cover 70 percent of Sweden's territory. They play an important part in its modern economy by supplying the raw material to make Sweden the world's third largest exporter of paper, cellulose and wood products while employing 100,000 people. The central province of Ljusdal is one of the worst hit areas by the fires. It is 95 percent covered by forests and as in many northern regions, the forestry industry is vital for the local economy. The possessors of the "green gold" are of high status and powerful: Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf himself is a prosperous forest owner. Controversy spread as fast as the wildfires when industry operators were criticised for their role in the crisis. "Flat landscapes stretching long distances with closely situated pine forests are a red carpet for blazing storms and massive fires," writer Sven Olov Karlsson noted in a local newspaper column. "Maybe it wasn't so wise to get rid of leaf trees and create a monoculture of pine which can spread fire at 80 metres per minute." - 'Fire spreads no matter what' - Nearly all forests in Sweden are less than a century old. Described as "production forests", they are 83 percent conifers whose tall height deprives other species of sunlight. For Rolf Edstrom, spokesman for Norrskog, a forest owners association with over 12,000 members, "it doesn't matter whether the forest is new or old, the fire spreads no matter what", after weeks of drought and scorching temperatures as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit). According to Johan Sjostrom, a fire technology expert at the RISE Research Institute of Sweden, said wildfires are "very rare today because we extinguish them". "We didn't do that before because we didn't have the same resources," he told the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. Magnus Kindbom, director of forests at the influential Federation of Swedish Farmers, said "the entire forestry industry is generally working on increasing the amount of leaf forests." But environmental protection associations are sceptical and argue for the protection of woodlands. They claim the share of protected forest areas is as low as four percent while the industry says it's as high as 25 percent. - 'We are fighting money' - Non-governmental organisations warn that there are considerable challenges to ensuring biodiversity for plants and animals amid the fight against global warming. One in 10 species in the country's forests is on the red list of the Swedish Species Information Centre. Rolf Edstrom said that the forest industry is aware of this and on the path to a "cultural revolution". "Protected and ancient forests, bird populations, all the indicators are going in the right direction," he said. But Lina Burnelius, who is responsible for forest issues at Greenpeace's Sweden branch, disputes this claim and said the forest landscape is segmented. "In order for species to survive, they have to live together with other species, and if we only have trees of the same kind and age, nothing can exist around it," she told AFP. Neither can the reindeer in Lapland where Sami herders are fighting against the contorta pine. An invasive species, the fast-growing pine trees are smothering vegetation on the reindeer's grazing grounds, including lichen, the animal's main source of food. "The old forests that are still standing is partly thanks to us, but it is increasingly difficult," said Margret Fjellstrom, owner of hundreds of reindeer in Dikanas, a mountainous village located 800 kilometres (500 miles) north of the capital Stockholm. "We are fighting against money," she said. But for Magnus Kindbom of the Federation of Swedish Farmers, "the forest owners have the right to manage their property as they wish". Twitter dives in black week for social media Washington, July 27 (AFP) Jul 27, 2018 Twitter shares took a pounding on Friday amid a warning of a shrinking user base, extending a stock market bloodbath for what had been a sizzling social media sector. Shares in Twitter tumbled 18.7 percent to $34.93 in midday trade despite a record profit for the short messaging service, as financial markets focused on the new realities for social media firms moving to curb abusive behavior and boost privacy. The woes for Twitter came a day after Facebook lost an unprecedented $120 billion in market value following its earnings report, which left investors panicked over worries of cooling growth for the social network star. Twitter said it posted a best-ever profit of $100 million in the second quarter, following a loss of $116 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 24 percent to $711 million. But the San Francisco-based firm said its base of monthly active users fell by one million from the past quarter to 335 million in the period amid a purge of fake and abusive accounts and a crackdown on "bots" that manipulate the platform. Twitter said it also expected user declines in the current quarter which would likely be in the "mid-single-digit millions." The drop in users comes from "prioritizing the health of the platform, and, to a lesser extent, GDPR," Twitter said, referring to Europe's General Data Protection Regulations that limit how internet firms can handle user data. Analyst Daniel Ives at GBH Insights said markets have abruptly begun to consider "a new risk factor that has been introduced" on security and privacy. "It got the Street off guard in terms of the magnitude of the effect it had on earnings," Ives said. Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who specializes in social media, said the market is coming to grips with a tougher picture for social media companies as they seek to curb manipulation and abusive conduct while coping with new regulations on privacy and data protection. "What you're seeing is a market correction as the industry adjusts for increased operational expenses as governance and ethical business expectations have been raised globally," she said. "Social media is not going anywhere. What has changed is that the public and regulators are no longer buying into (the) rhetoric and myths that social media it too big to moderate." Chief executive Jack Dorsey said the past quarter's results reflect investments "in the long-term health" of Twitter, noting efforts to weed out abusive and inappropriate behavior. "We'll continue to invest heavily in making Twitter a healthier place because that's the right thing to do," Dorsey told analysts on a conference call. - New tools to fight abuse - Dorsey noted that Twitter is investing in "new tools to address problem behaviors that distort and distract from the public conversation." Twitter in recent weeks has stepped up efforts to weed out accounts that promote violence or hate speech, and some reports suggested this could lower the user base by millions. Earlier this week Twitter said it removed more than 143,000 apps from its service since April in a fresh crackdown on "malicious" activity from automated accounts. Twitter shares have more than doubled over the past year as it shows signs of sustaining profitability after years of losses. But a lingering concern has been the stalled user base, with Twitter struggling to move beyond its core of celebrities, journalists and politicians. Both Twitter and Facebook moved to crack down on bots and fake accounts after learning of efforts to manipulate the social platforms during the 2016 US presidential election. Dorsey told analysts Twitter had a "solid quarter" and suggested that daily usage was a better measure of its future growth. Twitter said daily active users rose 11 percent from a year ago, without giving a specific figure. Analysts say Twitter has been on a more sustainable track a year after it explored a sale of the company, although its user base is far below that of the 2.2 billion of Facebook and the billion-plus for Facebook-owned Instagram. But some say Twitter's unique position as a real-time network that allows users to follow news and events will eventually pay off. Brian Wieser at Pivotal Research Group said efforts to curb fake accounts "should be viewed positively because these efforts improve Twitter's position with regulators and with advertisers, who see the user base as higher quality when purges occur." RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney said in an upbeat note this week that Twitter is "one of the largest and most influential social networks" and provides "meaningful value to users." bur-rl/it North Korea marks war anniversary as US remains flown out Pyongyang, July 27 (AFP) Jul 27, 2018 In mist-covered hills, North Korean soldiers, sailors and civilians gathered Friday at a heroes' cemetery to commemorate their brothers in arms on the anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Hostilities between the US-led United Nations forces and the North Koreans and their Chinese allies ceased 65 years ago with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically still in a state of conflict. The two sides had fought each other to a standstill after the North invaded the South, Seoul had changed hands four times, millions were dead and Korea was a divided, war-ravaged ruin but the North's self-proclaimed victory has long constituted a key plank of the Kim dynasty's claim to legitimacy. Platoon by platoon, units gathered at the graveyard on the outskirts of Pyongyang dominated by a towering sculpture of a rifle muzzle and bayonet, adorned with the medal of a Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. They laid flowers before an oversized granite coffin, draped in a metal flag and topped with a submachine gun and cap. An announcer intoned: "Let us bow before the martyrs who took part in the Great Fatherland Liberation War" -- Pyongyang's name for the conflict -- before the troops doffed caps and bowed. According to Pyongyang's histories, the first of the cemetery's occupants to die, Jang Thae Hwa, 22, blocked a pillbox opening with his chest one day after the war began in 1950 so that his unit could advance. And they say Ri Hyon Jun, 20, the last soldier killed in the conflict to be laid to rest at the site, was a ground gunner who earned the Hero of the DPRK title for shooting down four enemy aircraft, only to die in a later engagement just five days before the fighting ended. Ceremonies complete, the soldiers strolled between the rows of graves, arranged chronologically in order of date of death. At the same time on the other side of the country, remains believed to be those of American servicemen killed in the war were being loaded onto a US aircraft for transportation to the South, in the first stage of their final journey home. - 'Shining victory' - Relations between nuclear-armed Pyongyang and Washington have undergone an astonishing turnaround in recent months. After exchanging personal insults and threats of war last year as tensions mounted, the North's leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands at an unprecedented summit in Singapore last month. The return of the US remains was part of their agreement. But whether the North is willing to give up the nuclear arsenal which it has spent decades developing, and at a cost of multiple sets of UN Security Council sanctions, remains unclear. In the Singapore statement Kim pledged to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a vague term open to interpretation on both sides, and there have been no subsequent confirmed moves by Pyongyang -- which has condemned US demands for its unilateral disarmament as "gangster-like". But it is looking to develop its impoverished economy and authorities are seeking to ensure that the newfound bonhomie endures. Unlike previous commemorations, AFP was not allowed to interview participants at the cemetery, nor at Mansu hill, where attendees laid flowers before the giant statues of Kim's predecessors, his father and grandfather Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, that look out over Pyongyang. The same restriction applied when 12,000 citizens gathered to perform choreographed mass dances on Kim Il Sung Square. Diplomats in the capital say that meetings with government officials are even harder to secure than usual. And propaganda posters focus on the heroism of the North's troops, rather than condemning -- or even naming -- the enemy. The North's official KCNA news agency made no mention of the US Friday, while the ruling party's Rodong Sinmun newspaper lauded "the gifted military wisdom and outstanding leadership of Kim Il Sung" and the "single-minded unity of the army and people". It was a marked contrast to last year's anniversary, when state media repeatedly referred to "the US imperialist aggressors" and newspapers proclaimed that the North would inevitably triumph over its longstanding enemy. "Still not coming to its senses, the US is persisting in the hopeless confrontation with the DPRK, plunging itself deeper into the abyss of ruin," read a commentary widely carried on July 27, 2017. The following day Pyongyang carried out its second launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. Pentagon chief: talks with Russian counterpart possible Washington, July 27 (AFP) Jul 27, 2018 Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Friday that he was considering a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as the leaders of their countries mull possible new talks. "I am considering meeting with my counterpart but there has been no decision," Mattis told journalists at the Pentagon. "I'm all for re-opening communications," he added. "It's most important that we talk with those countries we have the largest disagreements with." In Johannesburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was "ready" to travel to Washington to see Donald Trump, and revealed he had invited the US leader to Moscow, shortly after their July 16 summit in Helsinki. The White House said Friday that Trump was "open" to visiting the Russian capital, though it said earlier this week that any new meeting between the two leaders would likely not happen until 2019. Trump's performance at the summit earned howls of criticism at home, where he was seen as being too conciliatory towards Putin. Mattis said there were "no policy changes" with respect to Russia in the wake of the summit. On Tuesday, Mattis said there would be no cooperation with the Russian military in Syria -- at least for now. Russia and the US are conducting separate military campaigns in the war-wracked country. They operate a special hotline to make sure there are no mishaps involving the two sides' ground forces or planes. "We will not be doing anything additional until the Secretary of State (Mike Pompeo) and the president have further figured out at what point we are going to start working, alongside our allies, with Russia in the future," Mattis said at a press conference in California. According to the Pentagon, the last ministerial-level contact between US and Russian defense ministers dates back to a telephone call between Shoigu and Mattis's predecessor Ash Carter in September 2015. The last face-to-face meeting dates back to October 2013 between Shoigu and Chuck Hagel, shortly before Russia annexed Crimea. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Alliance of the Likeminded Germany's Anti-Trump Strategy Begins to Take Shape During an official visit to Japan, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas unveiled the first hints of Berlin's new plan for countering Donald Trump's nationalist policies: a network of countries with a shared belief in the rules of the postwar order. English26/07/2018 MUNICIPAL COUNCILORS AND MAYORS PROTEST IN SARAJEVO SARAJEVO, July 26 /SRNA/ - Fifty-ish municipal councilors and mayors of Bihac, Cazin, Buzim, Kljuc and Bosanski Petrovac gathered today outside the building of joint BiH institutions in Sarajevo to protest over the migrant crisis. Mayor of Bihac, Suhret Fazlic, has told reporters that they have been trying for months to make the BiH Ministry of Security and the Council of Ministers start working and doing their jobs in accordance with the law. "Unfortunately, we have not succeeded so far and this is the last attempt to draw attention to what is happening in Krajina, Bihac and part of Velika Kladusa," added Fazlic. He believes that the Council of Ministers is not fully aware of what is going on, of how big the pressure is and how much the migrant crisis affects Bihac and Velika Kladusa, and more and more other parts of the Una-Sana Canton. "Our request is not to re-locate migrants, we have accepted these people, we feed them for the eighth months, we have accommodated them and provided them with health care. The problem is the location where thousands of migrants live without conditions, and the BiH Ministry of Security does not want to manage it, added Fazlic. Fazlic points out that they do not seek that migrants leave Bihac, where there are three to four thousand of them, but to bring it in line with the law. He has added that 40 to 50 migrants arrive daily in Bihac, which makes life difficult for all. "We are asking the BiH Ministry of Security to do something about it in accordance with the Law on Asylum, to register these people, to set up a centre and to manage it. We are not against the centre to be set up on the territory of Bihac, we have already had one; the people live on the street, they do not live in one place as they should," he has added. Fazlic has emphasized that it is very important for Bihac to remove migrants from the streets. According to him, migrant families are accommodated in tents, some are staying in the Students Home, and some have also set up tents at the Partisan cemetery. Fazlic says that they are more concerned about the approach to the solution of this problem, and states that it is evident that the BiH Security Minister Dragan Mektic "takes more care of how he will neutralize the president of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik and contradicts him more than he shows the true will to solve the problem." "We want the Council of Ministers, the Presidency and others to get involved, because it is obvious that this goes beyond the capacities of the Ministry of Security which cannot solve this issue," said Fazlic, who after the press release, headed to a meeting with Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, Semiha Borovac. /end/vos According to speakers at Fruit Focus, the leading British event for the industry, labour is the single biggest concern affecting growers across the fruit and wine sectors. As the Government is stepping up its preparations for No Deal we need to understand how that works for us with access to workers, said Nick von Westonholz, director of EU exit and international trade at the NFU. We also need as near to frictionless trade as possible there are huge risks to navigate. Ali Capper, chair of the NFU horticulture board, said that in September last year there was a 29% shortfall in workers compared to vacancies and predicted a similar catastrophe this year, with top and soft fruit harvests likely to collide. Politically, we are no further forward than this time last year: We have a brick wall. Providing free movement of labour could be secured, those farms which had the best reputation would be the ones that attracted the best staff, explained John Hardman, director of Hops Labour Solutions. Farms which provide the best facilities, working conditions and pastoral care will always be the employers of choice. With labour making up between 30% and 70% of horticulture businesses costs, there were opportunities for robotics and artificial intelligence to trim costs and boost productivity, said Dr Debbie Wilson, head of horticulture knowledge exchange at AHDB. But they werent a replacement for farm staff. The pragmatic view is that it will be labour and robots working together. Examples included augmented reality crop monitoring, pest counting, and GPS picking platforms, as well as drone technology, once the regulatory environment caught up, she added. Demonstrating the value of autonomous tractors and new technology at the show were NP Seymour and Kirkland, with the latest equipment to boost efficiencies and reduce soil compaction. Industry research and development was front and centre at the show, attended by 1,200 growers and industry professionals. Visitors were impressed by the NIAB EMR Water Efficient Technologies (WET) Centre, which has reduced the use of water, fertilisers, pesticides and energy by 20% while increasing strawberry yields by up to 10%. With the dry summer focussing attention on water abstraction and use, adopting more precision techniques could help growers expand production without increasing their input costs, said Paul Dracott at NIAB EMR. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. The 2017 parliamentary elections are seen as the model for what to expect during the 2019 presidential elections, where the disabled (by a stroke and, at 81, old age) incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika appears to be the only major candidate. As he did in 2014 Bouteflika will cast his own vote, for himself, from a wheelchair. With Bouteflika largely a figurehead president the government runs on automatic seeking to keep themselves in power and out of trouble with an increasingly restless population. At this point half the 40 million Algerians are too young (under 30) to remember a time Bouteflika was not the president or what it was like to have a president who was alert and able to do the job. Bouteflika and his associates have eliminated all potential rivals (via forced retirement or arrest and prosecution for imaginary offenses). Bouteflika is also the last major politician who participated in the rebellion against French rule that led to Algerian independence in 1962. That ended 132 years of colonial rule (originally imposed to shut down for good the centuries of raids by Barbary Pirates and Saracen Corsairs operating from Algerian ports. The pirates did not return when the French left but the pre-colonial tradition of corrupt and inept rule by autocratic leaders did. In 1962 Algeria chose democracy, one of many bits of French culture the Algerians adopted (to one degree or another) during the colonial period. Democracy and the many personal freedoms the West takes for granted did not thrive in independent Algeria and one response to the inept post-colonial government was a call for an Islamic religious dictatorship (controlled by clerics). This led to a brutal and bloody civil war in the 1990s that made quite an impression on most Algerians and eliminated, for a few generations, any potential popular support for another Islamic solution. Meanwhile, Algerians have to put up with elections that are rigged, at least enough to ensure the ruling party maintains its controlling majority. Government efforts to get more people to vote have failed, with only 29 percent of eligible voters participating in 2017 compared to 34 percent in 2012. The greatest concern of the government was getting enough people to participate. The number of young Algerians participating in anti-government protests continues to rise. The government has been pretending to reform the political system but that is widely seen as another sad failure. In 2016 parliament passed much needed changes to the constitution. But reformers were not impressed because as long as power is monopolized by a few families (which were prominent in the 1960s rebellion against France) new laws will not change anything and in this case, they did not. Thats because some of the new reforms were implemented in the past but then canceled when it suited the corrupt ruling families. Unless the government introduces and enforces honest voting and then obeys the law, there can be no real reform. This is a common pattern worldwide and especially in the Middle East. Everyone knows that corruption and bad government are the main cause of stagnant economies and general unrest but not enough of those in charge are willing to give up enough power to fix the problem. In part, this is because of the well-founded (in history) fear that another group of corrupt officials will resume the practice of rigging elections. The government, mindful of what happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when rising unemployment and falling oil prices led to widespread unrest and eventually an Islamic terrorist uprising, is making a major effort to cushion the population from the impact of the current (and apparently long-term) decline in oil prices. For decades oil income allowed the government to provide enough prosperity to avoid a rebellion. There is also talk of doing something about the corruption, but there is not much action on that. The problem, for most Algerians, is that the government says the right things but does not follow up. This delays an explosive popular reaction and reminds Algerians that they have been tolerating this corrupt and ruthless ruling class since the 1960s. Then again students of Algerian history note that this form of government was common in what is now Algeria for thousands of years and played a role in giving the French an excuse to take over in the 19th century and run Algeria as a colony for over a century before leaving (involuntarily) in the early 1960s. Despite all the talk about a new beginning the post-colonial Algerian leaders promptly went old school and there it remains. The main reason Europe pays attention is that the return to the old school governing methods also meant the return of North African based criminal groups that found new ways to prey on Europe. Well, at least the pirate raids were gone. And so it came to pass Algeria found it could resume extorting cash and other favors from European states. That sort of thing has not been seen since the 19th century and before that flourished for nearly a thousand years. Ancient vices are difficult to shed. With no serious opposition apparent in the 2019 presidential elections Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has held the job since 1999, is apparently running again. Although confined to a wheelchair he can still appear at public events and on TV, but not frequently. Since he suffered a stroke in 2013 his close associates (family, friends and political allies) have managed to hold tight the reins of power with or without a lot of help from the elderly (now 81) and ailing president. Bouteflika will run for president again because he is still alive and his associates cannot agree on a replacement. Bouteflika has remained president since 1999 using a rigged system that blocks opposition candidates and generally guarantees Bouteflika will get reelected. Bouteflika has retained power by taking care of key groups (the security forces, key politicians and non-government leaders). At the same time Bouteflika is considered a more successful ruler than most others in the Arab world and that counts for a lot. July 15, 2018: Algeria refused to set up any illegal immigrant screening facility to decide who might be allowed to stay. Algeria sends illegals back, with or without the cooperation of the nation the illegals came from. At the same time Libya Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia turned down the latest EU proposal to set up EU migrant processing centers in a North African country where illegals would be screened by EU personnel to determine who is eligible for asylum (very few) in the EU and who is not. Those not given asylum could still pay smugglers to try and get them across the Mediterranean to Malta or Spain, the only two EU nations willing to cooperate with the people smugglers. As a result of this opposition the number of illegal migrants, largely from Libya, is down by half so far this year compared to 2017. But that means the number of illegal migrants stuck in Libya is increasing and is over half a million and rising. About 50,000 illegals made it to Europe so far this year, but about two percent of those attempting to reach Europe died getting across the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Germany has declared Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria nations that illegal migrants can be safely returned to (as opposed to nations where illegals would be in danger if returned). France has long had an agreement with Algeria to take back Algerians illegally in France or being expelled for Islamic terrorist activity. A growing number of these Algerian Islamic terrorists are being expelled from France after they complete prison terms. If these men have charges pending against them in Algeria, France will assist in the prosecution. July 10, 2018: The government expelled another 355 illegal migrants from Niger and sent them back to Niger. Algeria has an agreement with Niger to return the illegals, via trucks or busses, to the Niger capital where Niger officials take over. Most 0ther sub-Saharan nations refuse to take their illegal migrants back from Algeria so Algeria takes these illegals to the Mali or Niger border, gives then supplies of water and points them in the direction of the nearest town across the border. Soldiers remain at the release point for a day or so because the illegals were told they would be shot on sight if they tried to double back into Algeria. European media found out about this practice (which was no secret in Algeria and the nations the illegals were forced to return to) and accused Algeria of murder because some of the illegals sent back died along the way. Algeria told the UN that if they wanted to help they could set up aid stations in Niger and Mali near the Algerian border. Whether the UN does that or not Algeria made it clear it would continue the return policy because most of the illegals made it home and reported that Algeria was not a good choice if you were seeking to migrate illegally. Many of these illegals are headed for Europe but will often remain in Algeria if they must to raise more money to pay the people smugglers to get them into Europe. July 8, 2018: In the east (Constantine province), across the border in Tunisia a group if al Qaeda Islamic terrorists used explosives and gunfire to ambush a Tunisian army patrol. Six soldiers were killed and three wounded. Both the army vehicles were damaged as well. Both sides of the border are subject to violence by al Qaeda members in the area but the Islamic terrorists have found it safer to operate on the Tunisian side. Attacks like this trigger more counter-terror operations on both sides of the border. Algeria and Tunisia cooperate closely when it comes to this sort of thing. June 26, 2018: President Bouteflika fired a senior police general, Abdelghani Hamel, who has the head of the National Security Division and considered one of the few remaining potential rivals in the 2019 presidential elections. Hamels personal driver had been arrested on a cocaine trafficking charge but there was no apparent connection to Hamel. Since Hamel was seen a potential rival for Bouteflika any excuse would do to remove the rival candidate. Bouteflika has often eliminated potential rivals this way. There was a power struggle in 2013 that went public with the August 2015 arrest of Abdelkader Ait Ouarab. This was the guy who led the counter-terror campaign in the 1990s that defeated the Islamic terrorists. Ouarab continued serving until he retired (apparently under pressure) in late 2013. All this internal strife has been going on, quietly, for over a decade. Things heated up in early 2013 when Bouteflika had his stroke and was disabled. Pro-reform members of the senior leadership pushed for Bouteflika to resign followed by free elections. The Bouteflika clan and corrupt officials allied with the Bouteflikas got organized and resisted. No one wanted a civil war, but the two sides were sharply divided and a compromise was not possible. By late 2013 it was clear that most Algerians wanted the government to clean up the rampant corruption and that there was support for that on the inside led by several senior Intelligence officers. Most of the corrupt officials and their civilian allies belong to the extended family of the elderly Bouteflika. The clans of several other families that led the country after freedom was achieved in the 1960s have dominated government and the economy ever since. The Bouteflikas were apparently slow to realize that their most dangerous political enemies were the senior people in the intelligence and security agencies who had decided that some fundamental changes (cleaning up the corruption) were needed. There were also a lot of military officers who favored anti-corruption reforms. Fortunately for Bouteflika many senior military commanders were corrupt, some because they felt refusing the economic perks offered when they achieved high rank would be seen as disloyal. Bouteflika always believed the loyalty of the military was essential to keeping his corrupt crew in power. Yet by late 2013 many Bouteflika loyalists noted the split within the military and began moving more of their assets out of the country, just in case. Thats because if there are another large-scale uprising and the military refuses to suppress it (or, worse, splits or falls apart because of disagreements among officers) the current government is done. Bouteflika realized that most of the troops favored anti-corruption efforts. Now the more loyal intelligence services will devote most of their efforts to ensuring the loyalty of the army and police. There had already been hints of trouble after the 2013 stroke. In late July 2015 local media revealed that the government had unexpectedly replaced three of the most powerful generals in the military (the heads of counter-intelligence, the Republican Guard and presidential security). This was immediately linked with two other odd events. First, there was the large number of troops showing up at the presidential residence in July. Whatever was going on there was never made public. Finally, there is the fact that president Bouteflika had not spoken or appeared in public for months and many Algerians believed he was dying or at the very least not getting any better. Then in August general Ouarab was arrested and in mid-September came the news that general Mohammed Medien was retiring. In power since 1990 Medien headed the powerful DRS (intelligence and security department) and was always believed more powerful than the president. But he was only two years younger than Bouteflika and rarely seen. It is still unclear what his views on corruption and the current political situation were. Medien was mostly concerned with keeping tabs on Islamic terrorism and other threats to Algeria. June 25, 2018: In the far south (Tamenrasset province) near the Mali-Niger border three Islamic terrorists surrendered, with their weapons, to an army patrol. Since May Algeria has publicized border zones where Islamic terrorists seeking to surrender can cross while armed and not be shot on sight. Islamic terrorists seeking to surrender are advised what to do when they encounter troops. Intelligence indicates there are a growing number of Islamic terrorists in northern Mali who want to get out of the terrorism business. Algeria has about 80,000 troops guarding its 3,000 kilometer long border with Niger, Mali and Libya. In late June Shuren Qin, a Chinese citizen and permanent resident of the United States was arrested in the United States and indicted for purchasing 78 high-end hydrophones and illegally shipping them to NPU (Northwestern Polytechnical University), a Chinese research institute identified by in 2001 by the U.S. government as undertaking research in marine technologies for both commercial and military uses. That meant certain American technology, like the high tech hydrophones, could not be sold to NPU. Starting in 2015 Shuren Qin used a company he owns in China to import the hydrophones in a manner that avoided the American prohibitions and then transferred them to NPU. By 2017 Shuren Qin had delivered 78 of the hydrophones. Because of the illegal methods he used to do this, he is being prosecuted for conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws as well as visa fraud. This case is of particular interest to the U.S. Navy which has noted that Chinese submarine detection technology was advancing particularly fast, especially in areas that use underwater systems of underwater hydrophones to monitor large areas, like the South China Sea. In light of that since early 2017, the U.S. government ordered a more vigorous investigation of these continuing technology thefts by Chinese living in the United States. This caught several smuggling operations that were illegally obtaining American tech for Russia and Iran, as well as China. In fact, some of those caught were obtaining tech wanted by all three of those nations. For example, in January 2018 a Texas businessman (Peter Zuccarelli) was sentenced to 46 months in prison for conspiring to smuggle radiation hardened integrated circuits (microchips that can operate despite the increased radiation found outside the atmosphere) to China and Russia. These microchips were falsely labeled as touch screen components as the activities went on from June 2015 to March 2016. There were others involved, including a Pakistani man who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and was described as the middleman for this deal and similar schemes with others. The Pakistani agent apparently sought out Americans in a position to legitimately buy equipment that require an export license that the foreign customer knew they could not get. Zuccarelli owned an eyeglass lens coating company that was having financial problems and the Pakistani middleman got in touch and arranged the deal, which included paying Zuccarelli $1.5 million to cover the cost of the chips and profit for undertaking the illegal transaction. These radiation hardened microchips were apparently needed for Chinese and Russian space probes that spend long periods in deep space. Similar Chinese microchips proved unable to handle the radiation for long periods. Russia had much less ability to design and manufacture these items and has to smuggle them in or do without. These microchips are also needed in ICBM guidance and control systems. Some of the mislabeled microchips shipped to China were also being sought by Russia and any other country needing such export restricted components for space systems or other types of advanced military technology. In the case of China, the hardening technology could be developed and manufactured in China but that would be very expensive and time consuming and it was simply cheaper to use the existing network of smugglers to obtain the components faster and at much less cost. The Chinese government is shielded from involvement via the use of Chinese companies that have contracts to deliver certain components for larger projects and as part of Chinas new (since the 1980s) market economy these firms are free to get it done any way they can. At the same time, the Chinese government is not particularly cooperative in assisting foreign governments investigating these smuggling schemes. There continues to be a lot of this smuggling via China in part due to the role China has played as a smuggling conduit for all sorts of illegal tech going to a large number of countries. Heavy users of the China Connection included North Korea, Iran, Pakistan and Russia. Citizens of all those countries were often found (and frequently arrested) by Western nations that were being plundered for export restricted tech. Until 2015, when most economic sanctions were lifted, Iran was a heavy user of the Chinese Connection. Even as Iran was negotiating the mid-2015 treaty they were still actively smuggling tech and that is one of the reasons the U.S. decided in early 2018, to withdraw from the 2015 agreement. For example, at the end of 2014 a Chinese citizen (Sihai Cheng) flew into Boston from Britain, under guard, and was arrested for organizing a smuggling operation to obtain thousands of components (mostly American pressure transducers) Iran needed for enriching uranium (for nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons). Sihai Cheng was caught attempting to buy these items for a Chinese company and then smuggle them into Iran. Sihai Cheng was arrested in Britain in early 2014 and indicted for espionage in the U.S. two months later. Cheng fought the American extradition effort but lost and was sent to America for trial. Cheng was accused of working with an Iranian citizen and two Iranian companies to carry out the plan. The Iranians told Cheng that the transducers (made in China by an American company) were to be smuggled into Iran for a secret project. Cheng was caught, in part, because of help from the U.S. firm that makes the transducers. By 2014 the U.S. and Western nations had become well aware of the Chinese Connection and cooperated with each other to spot and shut down these smuggling operations. Because of decades of economic sanctions Iran came to depend on China to help smuggle forbidden items into Iran. China opposed the sanctions but went through the motions of observing them. Despite official sanction support, China has always been the ultimate source of forbidden military and nuclear research items for Iran. This included Western gear, especially stuff from the United States that the rapidly growing Chinese economy had legitimate buyers for. These American items are usually obtained by Chinese trading companies, who served as a one-stop-shopping source for many countries. The trading companies break American laws when they ship some types of restricted (by American regulations) gear to embargoed nations. This is done using forged documents and bribes that can mask these operations for years. These Chinese exporters have little fear of punishment at home because the Chinese government refuses to discipline its wayward firms. But these trading/smuggling companies can be hurt in other ways. Thats because U.S. regulators can reach just about every other country (even China) using the enormous U.S. presence in the international banking system. But the Chinese traders consider occasional fines and business interruption a cost-of-doing-business and pass these extra costs onto customers like Iran. Thus as the sanctions on Iran grow more formidable, prices Iran must pay go up and the Chinese profits increase even more. This kind of smuggling employs techniques that Iran has used successfully for a long time and apparently shared with some allies. Many Western suppliers will simply charge a much higher price to cover the risk of being found out and prosecuted. There are, as the Iranians know well, a lot of Western suppliers who are willing to take the risk. But as the risk of getting caught, and the penalties, increase a growing number Westerners abandon this lucrative business to the Chinese. The war on Iranian arms smuggling had been intensifying in the decade before the 2015 treaty. Most countries cooperated, but not all. While Turkey has been getting cozy with Iran, the Turks still enforced international trade sanctions against Iran. But as Turkey encourages its companies to do more business with Iran, there are more opportunities to smuggle forbidden goods to assist Iranian nuclear weapons and ballistic missile projects. Iran takes advantage of this whenever possible. Ever since the U.S. embargo was imposed in 1979 (after Iran broke diplomatic protocol by seizing the American embassy), Iran had sought, with some success, to offer big money to smugglers who can beat the embargo and get needed industrial and military equipment. This soon became a risky business, and American and European prisons are still full of Iranians, and other nationals, who tried, and often failed, to procure forbidden goods. The smuggling operations are currently under more scrutiny, and attack, because of Irans growing involvement in wars throughout the region and Islamic terror operations worldwide. The Iranians have found they can still profit from this smuggling network they have nurtured over the decades and continued access to an international smuggling network is useful to keep the goodies (tech or information) coming. With the Americans withdrawing from the 2015 treaty, many major suppliers in the West (not just the United States) will no longer deal with Iran because these firms fear losing their American connections, which are more important than a little extra business from Iran. The growing unrest in southern Iraq is spreading and in early July became more anti-corruption than anti-Iran. This switch in the target was not encouraged by senior Shia clerics and most of them were slow to give public support to the protestors. Tribal leaders were more in touch with how most Iraqis live and did not encourage protests but also refused government requests that tribal chiefs call for calm. The chiefs point out that the government does nothing for the unemployed tribesmen and if those tribesmen, especially the younger ones, complain, government officials accuse them of working for Iran, Israel. Saudi Arabia or the hated (by Shias) Saddam government. So far the violence has left fifteen dead and over 700 wounded. This outbreak of violent protests is not unexpected. Similar protests are going on in Iran and for the same reasons. There are differences though because Iraq has not been under any sanctions and is a democracy compared to the religious dictatorship in Iran. Yet its been fifteen years since the decades of Iraqi Sunni minority dictatorship was overthrown and democracy gave the Shia Arabs (60 percent of the population) control of the government. This was supposed to make life better for the Shia majority, and the Kurdish minority (20 percent of Iraqis). It hasnt, mainly because of corruption. When the Sunni dictatorship was in power they got 80 percent of the oil income and could, so to speak, afford corruption. Nearly all the best government jobs went to Sunni Arabs. The Sunnis were always the best-educated group in Iraq and that gave them opportunities to put that education to work and make a good living. The security forces were dominated by the Sunni minority because the main job of the security forces was to keep the Shia Arabs and Kurds under control and that was done using terror and just enough resources to survive. When the Shia took power after the first free elections were held in 2005 things were supposed to change. The Shia politicians who took power proved as corrupt as the Sunni ones and even though the Shia Arabs now got most of the government jobs, and lavished more oil income on the Shia Arabs that period of widespread prosperity for the Shia did not last because the Shia politicians got greedy and allowed many of the Shia to fall into poverty after a few years. Senior Shia clerics who were also politicians warned of the damage the corruption was doing to the Shia ability to rule the country at all. The violence in Basra, which has spread to the many Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad, is all about the Shia Arabs suffering higher unemployment (over 20 percent) and poverty (over 25 percent) rates than they did a decade ago. Unemployment and poverty rates are even higher in Basra province, where most of the oil comes from. There is a sense of desperation because most of these impoverished Shia Arabs know that a religious dictatorship like Shia Iran has, is no better than their corrupt Shia Arab politicians. The Shia Arabs are also not accepting excuses, like the need to repair the massive damage that (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) did to Iraq between 2014 and 2017. The areas that suffered the most were largely Sunni Arab and other minorities and those Iraqis are also angry at how reconstruction money is blatantly stolen by corrupt officials. In addition to being anti-corruption, the current Shia unrest is critical of Iran as well. In Iraq, many senior Shia clerics have openly encouraged the protestors and approved of their cause. One of the complaints the protestors have was the way Iran interfered in the recent (May) national elections. Because of that, the Iraqi government is in worse shape. The current parliament ended on June 30 and a newly elected parliament was supposed to take its place. That did not happen and it will be a few months before results of the disputed election are agreed on. At that point, the members of the new parliament have to form a new government. The two largest Shia coalitions (anti-Iran Sadr and pro-Iran Amiri) agreed to form a coalition that would control over 30 percent of the seats in parliament and make it possible, with a few minor coalitions added, to form a government. The Amiri faction control pro-Iran PMF (Popular Mobilization Force) forces and is seeking to repeat the Iranian success in Lebanon with the creation of a Hezbollah type organization. Amiri has used violence against those who oppose, secure in the fact that the police are controlled by a pro-Iran politician (who runs the Interior Ministry). These police are suspected of instigating political violence rather than containing it. Police are never around when groups hostile to Iran are attacked and police are the primary suspects in the recent warehouse fire that destroyed half the ballot boxes used in Baghdad. The fire makes it impossible to recount these disputed votes. All this contributed the outbreak of Shia protests in early July. The real reason for the disputed election results is popular anger at corruption. One thing that united all Iraqi voters was anger at the persistent and crippling theft by government officials. Moqtada al Sadr, who was the unexpected winner, had been openly and actively anti-corruption for years and that was why his victorious coalition contained so many non-Shia groups (including communists, who are anathema to Iran). Despite that many Iraqis (and foreign allies) believe Sadr is secretly allied with Iran because the Sadr family has long had ties with Iran and members of the Sadr clan often took refuge in Iran. But that was because the Sadrs were respected Shia clerics and Iran was where the best schools and scholars were. Yet the Sadrs, like most Iraqi Shia Arabs, are Arabs and Iraqis first and that has been proven time and time again. Moqtada al Sadr has seen up close and frequently how a Shia clerical dictatorship works in Iran and was not impressed. He largely kept quiet about this but it was no secret that Sadr did not want a religious dictatorship in Iraq, mainly because it would make the country even more difficult to rule. Sadr also noted that Iranian Arabs (and Arabs in general) are despised by most Iranians. Meanwhile, Iraq will demonstrate, over the next few months (or more) why it is considered the most dysfunctional country in the Middle East. Iraqi politicians will argue and negotiate in a lengthy effort to form a governing coalition and then for that coalition to select a prime minister and all the subordinate ministers. Sadr is often described as anti-American but he is generally anti-foreigner in general but is willing to work with other nations if it helps Iraq. Thus there was a recent visit by Sadr to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi leaders. The Saudis had long supported the Sunni minority rule in Iraq because it worked and helped contain Iran. With that Sunni minority government gone and not likely to return anytime soon Sadr believes the Saudis still want an Arab government in Iraq that will help keep Iran out of Arabia. Sadr and the Saudis agree on that as do the majority of Iraqis, including most Kurds and Sunni Arabs. Oil Production Surges July production has surged and looks live it will average over 4 million BPD (barrels per day). The rate at which production is growing could mean production of nearly 5 million BPD in the next month. The 2016 OPEC limits set on Iraqi production are 4.35 million BPD. Since late 2017 oil production from the southern oil fields has averaged 3.5 million BPD. In early 2017 Iraq, as a founding member of the OPEC oil cartel, had agreed to reduce its oil production by over a million BPD to help increase the world price for oil. Iraqi production hit a peak 3.51 million BPD at the end of 2016. Iraqi production increased in 2017, often to take advantage of the production cuts the Saudis had agreed to and were making. But the October offensive against the Kurds in Kirkuk shut down most of the oil production up there. The surprise Iraqi government attacks on Kirkuk in mid-October 2017 led to a sharp reduction in oil exported from the north by the Kurds. The Kurds were exporting 500,000 BPD before October and now that is running at about 200,000 BPD. Iraq has ten percent of the world's oil reserves and 2017 exploration efforts have that increased by 10 billion barrels. That makes 153 billion barrels, which more than a third larger than it was after the resumption of oil exploration a decade ago. Iran has reserves of 158 billion barrels, Saudi Arabia 266 billion and Venezuela 300 billion. These four nations have the largest reserves which are about 60 percent of the world total. What is keeping the world oil price low is fracking. The new American technology is making much more oil and gas available and it is expected that the U.S. and Canada will soon have proven reserves equaling a third of the current world total. The fall in oil prices since 2013 (from over $100 a barrel to as low as $30) cut foreign currency reserves to about $48 billion by the end of 2017, compared to $53 billion in mid-2016. By early 2018 the price of oil had climbed to $60 a barrel mainly because OPEC members were not cheating on their quotas and several members were producing less than their quota because of internal security problems. The ISIL crisis forced Iraq to be more prudent with its finances, and government operations in general. The Americans are no longer being blamed for all that goes wrong. Taking responsibility does indeed make it easier to deal with problems. But many Iraqi leaders and politicians still prefer to blame all the problems on America, Israel and so on. ISIL Goes Full Guerilla ISIL began switching to guerrilla tactics even before they lost control of Mosul and other Iraqi towns by the end of 2017. In the last few months, ISIL has increased its guerilla-type attacks and it is having an impact, especially in the area north of Baghdad (Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahuddin provinces). This can be seen by the growing number of attacks, especial along the main roads north from Baghdad to Kirkuk and the border with the Kurdish controlled north. Attacks involving kidnapping and murder (mainly to terrorize the population into not interfering with or reporting on ISIL activity) are more frequent. In March there were seven of these attacks. That increased to 30 during May and 83 in June. This increase shows how effectively ISIL has established base areas to operate from. Most of the bases are in the Hemrin Mountains, which extend from Diyala province through northern Salahuddin province and into southern Kirkuk province. About 500 ISIL members are believed to be operating in the Hemrins and another 500 in desert areas near the Syrian border from west of Mosul south to include Anbar province. ISIL is also trying to reestablish itself in Mosul and in the last few days, police arrested 18 members, including a known leader, in a town west of Mosul. July 24, 2018: The government sent $18 million from the emergency fund to Basra province to hasten the construction of 52 schools as well as emergency repairs on drinking water facilities. Kuwait sent seventeen mobile power generators and 18,000 tons of fuel to power the generators as well as existing power plants in Basra. Saudi Arabia is sending help as well. The U.S. revealed that several air strikes on ISIL targets in April and June had killed six ISIL members who were planning and supporting attacks in Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Sweden. July 21, 2018: In the autonomous Kurdish north (Sulaymaniyah Province) across the border in Iran (Kermanshah Province) PJAK Iranian Kurdish separatists attacked a border patrol base killing eleven Iranian border guards and destroying much of the facility. The PJAK attackers then fled back to their base in Iraq and apparently got across the border before Iranian troops pursuing them could catch up. Kermanshah Province is also largely Kurdish and frequent scene for clashes like this. Iran complained to the Kurdish government in northern Iraq but was told that the limited Kurdish security forces are concentrating from the continuing threat posed by ISIL and other Islamic terror groups. July 19, 2018: Senior Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr openly urged the government to quickly address the demands of the demonstrators in Basra and Baghdad. The Sadr coalition was the unexpected winner of the national elections in May. For years Sadr has been openly and actively calling for more vigorous and effective anti-corruption measures. This has had little impact, which is why the anti-government protests in Basra continue. Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province went public with support for the Shia demonstrators in Basra and Baghdad. Sunni and Shia both get treated badly by corrupt politicians. July 18, 2018: In the northwest (Nineveh province) the military was alerted by an informant that a large (about 60 vehicles) ISIL convoy had crossed the border from Syria near Baaj (160 kilometers southwest of Mosul, near the Syrian border). In mid-2017 Shia militias declared the border town of Baaj clear of ISIL forces and now occupied by government forces to keep it that way. Iraqi ground and air forces went searching for the convoy but it had apparently already dispersed after crossing the border and reinforced various ISIL cells operating in Nineveh province. July 17, 2018: In the northeast (Erbil province) artillery across the border in Iran fired on two DPIK (Iranian Kurdish separatists) bases just across the border in Iraq. Two DPIK separatists were killed. The firing continued overnight and into the next day causing hundreds of Iraqi Kurdish civilians to flee their homes. July 14, 2018: In the northwest (Nineveh province) the police chief in the city of Mosul banned the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. This gives Islamic conservatives and most residents of Mosul one less thing to complain about. Corrupt politicians, criminals of all sorts and some foreigners account for most of the alcohol consumed in the city and while alcohol has long been legal in Iraq its use has come to be associated with unpopular people. Similar bans were recently imposed in several Salahaddin province (between Baghdad and Mosul) towns. The alcohol ban in Mosul is part of an effort to prevent the unhappy population from getting violent (as in Basra). Reconstruction in Mosul has been slow and even more than Basra public services, especially medical, are in short supply. Corruption is seen as the main cause of all this. Billions have been pledged to rebuild Mosul and too many Iraqi politicians see that as an opportunity to steal, rather than make the reconstruction projects get done ahead of schedule and under budget. About a third of the pre-2014 population are homeless and many of the homes that are livable are either damaged or have little or no access to water, sewage and electrical services. July 13, 2018: The anti-government riots have not only spread (from Basra) to Baghdad but are spreading inside Baghdad. To deal with that the government has ordered Internet access in most of the capital blocked. This Internet ban was soon applied to the rest of the country and has caused even more popular anger and is harming the economy at the rate of over half a billion dollars a month. Demonstrators have also blocked the roads to Kuwait. July 12, 2018: The United States is building a third base in Anbar Province, near the Syrian border, to support counter-terror operations in western Anbar as well as across the border in the Euphrates River Valley of Syria. The other two American Anbar bases are at the Al Asad airbase and near the city of Ramadi. July 8, 2018: In the south (Basra) protests broke out over the unreliable electrical supply, poor government services and high unemployment. A protest near an oil field led to police opening fire on the unruly crowd, killing one and wounding three. The demonstrators were not violent and word (and cell phone images) of what happened quickly spread so that the next day even larger crowds of protesters appeared all over Basra. Pro-Iran political parties and militias were also attacked. The demonstrations did not stop and within a week had spread to Baghdad. Demonstrators also blocked the border crossings to Kuwait and Iran. July 7, 2018: In the northwest, Iraqi and American artillery near the Syrian border (west of Mosul) fired into Syria and hit three buildings in the town of Sousa (Deir Zor province). These buildings were used by ISIL as safe houses and the artillery fire killed the ISIL head of security along with up to twenty other Islamic terrorists, some of them foreigners (not from Iraq or Syria). There is apparently a combined Iraqi/U.S. 155mm artillery unit operating on the Syrian border and regularly firing on targets inside Syria. It is not known if the Iraqis are also using the GPS guided 155mm shells American artillery has used regularly in Iraq and Syria. GPS guided shells would make sense if trying to hit a few buildings and destroy them before the people in them can flee to take shelter. July 6, 2018: Iran shut down electricity deliveries to the southern Iraqi provinces of Ziqar (west of Basra) and Meysan (just north of Basra), exacerbating the anger of people in Basra and other southern areas. While the timing was embarrassing the power was cut off because the Iraqi officials in charge of importing electricity refused to pay for it. The money for the electricity was probably stolen before it could reach Iran. July 2, 2018: In June 76 civilians and policemen died due to Islamic terrorist violence. A quarter of the deaths occurred in Baghdad. Areas north of Baghdad (Diyala and Kirkuk) accounted for 34 percent of the dead. In May 95 died which was an increase from the 68 April deaths. March, when 104 died had been the deadliest month so far in 2018. That was up a bit from the 91 killed during February. The government has still not resumed reporting casualties among the security forces (military and militias). June 26, 2018: In Iran large demonstrations in the capital (Tehran) continued into their second day, triggered by a collapse in the value of the Iranian currency. People are also protesting the poor state of the economy and most Iranians. Israeli officials issued Farsi (Iranian) language messages on social media pointing out the Iranian government had agreed to spend at least $2.5 billion in 2018 supporting foreign terrorists like the Shia rebels in Yemen, the Assads in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and Shiite militias in Iraq. This is in addition to over $14 billion Iran admits it has already spent on supporting the Assads in Syria since 2012. The Iranian protestors need little encouragements as they have been shouting Down With The Palestinians and criticism of the Syrian War as well. This unrest, which has been occurring more frequently since late 2017, was noted by Shia Arabs in Iraq. A pipe and rebar coating company is returning to Sidney after a two-year absence. Commercial Resins, with a facility also in Henderson, Colo., had a location in Sidney from 2005 to 2016. The Sidney facility closed and the staff laid off when the oil industry went into hard times. Sidney Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard said the company recently signed an agreement with Adams Industries to reopen in an existing building at Adams Industries. She said the company will be hiring 10 to 15 employees directly and will need 10 to 15 more indirectly related to the company returning to S... LINCOLN Two Cheyenne County Volunteer Fire Departments are recipients of grant funds from the Nebraska Forest Service (NFS). The Forest Service (NFS) announced Sidney Volunteer Fire Department and Potter Volunteer Fire Department are among recipients of the 2018 Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) grant. This year, 109 rural fire districts will receive $330,000 in direct funding from the grant. Sidney VFD $4,320 in grant monies, and Potter VFD gets $4,500. The funds will be leveraged to complete $1 million worth of projects around the state. Awards are utilized for requests such as personal... CHADRON The seed of an idea planted more than 40 years ago came to fruition July 13 when Larry Young donated his plant collection of more than 1,000 specimens to the High Plains Herbarium at Chadron State College. Herbarium Director Steve Rolfsmeier said a conversation a year ago in which he updated another CSC alumni, Larry Trout, about progress at the herbarium prompted a discussion between Trout and Young that eventually led to the donation. Its a huge boost to the collection. The areas represented in Larrys collection are regions we are particularly interested in for our di... We can call it a 10-76 as it is his end of watch. Even though the call is primarily for road officers, and his sense of duty wasn't limited to the badge. The community can clearly say there are some big shoes to fill for he was involved in more to support the community than many will ever know. The life Randy ZoeRay "Chopper" Haddix, ended unexpectedly at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo., on July 9. He was born in Broken Bow, Neb., the fourth child of Delmer Abslum and Gertrude Louise Haddix. He enlisted in the Army National Guard-Nebraska, stationed with the Co C 1195th A... If anyone doubted the close relationship between Gibraltar and the area of Spain closest to it, or the friendship between Gibraltarians and their nearest Spanish neighbours, they would only have had to attend the University of Cadiz Summer Course on Brexit in San Roque (Cadiz) this week and, especially, yesterday when Fabian Picardo, the chief minister, gave a talk on how Britain's withdrawal from the EU would affect not only Gibraltar but the Campo de Gibraltar area as well. The large room was packed and the atmosphere was friendly, but the concern shared by all those present was almost palpable. What is Brexit going to mean for the Rock and for its closest neighbours? The chief minister began by reiterating that Gibraltar had not wanted the UK to leave the EU. In fact, 96 per cent voted Remain. However, as Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, it will be leaving together with the UK next year. Speaking in Spanish, he said that on 24 June 2016, the day after the referendum, he thought the result was a bad decision. "I think that even more, now," he said. "In the UK they are now talking about a plan to ensure there is enough food, in the case of no deal being agreed. And a special plan so that hospitals don't run out of medication. There hasn't been a situation like this since the end of the Second World War." "We hope to create a rainbow of opportunities which will bring even more benefits to all parts of the Bay" He also said that although Gibraltar doesn't want to leave the EU, it has no real choice. "We are going to, because the only other alternative would be to give up part of our sovereignty," he said. "My worst memory of 24 June 2016 wasn't the referendum result, or the resignation of David Cameron, it was the immediate statement by Senor Margallo, Spain's Foreign Minister, who appeared on television screens all over the world explaining that within four years the Spanish flag would be flying over Gibraltar. Populism, pure and hard." Picardo stressed that neither this, nor Brexit, has changed his government's attitude, which is that mutual cooperation is the way forward. He referred to the notorious Clause 24 in the EU negotiating guidelines, effectively giving Spain a 'double veto', describing it as an "act of enmity" towards Gibraltar and one which could in fact have negative repercussions for the whole Campo de Gibraltar area. With regard to Gibraltar's relationship with the UK, the chief minister said it has never been stronger. The basis for a single market for services between Gibraltar and the UK, "which will guarantee 90 per cent of our services market" has been established and the British government has confirmed its continuing support. The prime minister, Theresa May, said recently that she is negotiating on behalf of the "whole British family, including Gibraltar" and continues to insist that the transition period must apply to the Rock. With regard to the Campo de Gibraltar, he said his government wants to expand the synergies as much as possible post-Brexit. "We hope to be able to create here, in this area which has been castigated throughout history, a rainbow of opportunities which will bring even more benefits to all parts of the Bay," he said, to huge applause. It is now 82 years since Colonel Segui started an uprising in Melilla against the government of the Second Republic and led to the Spanish Civil War. Three generations later the consequences of his actions are still with us: it seems that almost every day articles in the media give information about that conflict, or demand restitution for its victims. Less attention, however, is paid to the way people ate during the war: this may be considered by some as a frivolous aspect, or one which is less politically important, but it had an enormous repercussion for the population, ranging from forced seizures of food to deaths from malnutrition, and of course a long period of rationing. Those sad ration books, for families or individuals, were used right up until 1952, so I dare anyone to tell me that 16 years of rumbling stomachs don't have a story to tell. Whether because of obligatory rationing (first decreed by the Republicans in 1937 and then adopted by Francoism), or due to lack of supplies, the point is that the Spanish people suffered severe hunger during the war years, and even more so afterwards. As a result, there was looting and an active black market, and dreams of roast chicken became (forgive the pun) our daily bread, much more than the inedible loaves made with millet and corn or the terrible porridge made with white vetch. The latter, a survival food in the worst periods of Spain's history, even caused an epidemic of athyrism in the 1940s, when it was still used even though it had already caused havoc before, during the War of Independence. All this meant that people needed some type of guide about what to eat, what not to eat, and how to prepare the dishes, at least to give a hint of flavour to the disgusting ingredients. Therefore, several books were published. Famous chefs, feeling they had a responsibility in the situation in which they had found themselves, rolled up their sleeves and set to work so that meals, although meagre, could be tasty and healthy. One of them was Joan Vila i Gelpi (1882-1958), a Catalonian chef who had trained in the best restaurants in Paris, London and Madrid and who was commissioned by the Catalan government to write two books for hard times: 'Menus de guerra', or 'Wartime menus', containing simple dishes made with the products which were still available in bombarded Barcelona, and 'El menjar en temps de guerra', meaning 'Food in times of war', which gave nutritional advice and guidance on how to recognise the symptoms of different illnesses. Also involved in the battle against hunger was a lawyer, politician and gastronomic expert from Alicante, Jose Guardiola y Ortiz (1872-1946). Using a pseudonym, in 1938 he printed two booklets of recipes called 'Platos de guerra', or 'Wartime dishes'. The first one, about sardines, said that "war brings with it deprivations and sacrifices, food being not the least important of them, and a duty of patriotism means we need to endure this, and try to make things as least difficult as possible." The second volume, about traditional Alicante cuisine, recommended contributing food to the war effort, and if that were not possible, to at least try to "eat everything with gusto, because every type of food is satisfying and nutritious if it is seasoned in a way which excites the appetite." Voluntary fasting, food donations and one dish per meal were some of the recommended ways of ensuring that there was enough food to supply those fighting on the fronts during the Civil War. However, without a doubt one of the most influential figures on the food scene in wartime was Ignacio Domenech Puigcercos (1874-1956), a very famous chef and the author of numerous recipe books. Accustomed to truly delicious food, he faced a serious challenge in the Barcelona of 1937 and 1938. In his book 'Cocina de recursos' (Cooking with few resources), published in 1941, he talked about the terrible time when the city lacked supplies and how people often used to talk about fantastic meals they had enjoyed in the past. Apologising for not being able to offer his readers his usual haute cuisine recipes, Domenech described the book as a way of using the imagination during a time "when we lacked just about everything". He often used to dream of waking to "the delicate fragrance of a potato omelette, made with two recently laid eggs, roasted lamb or chicken, ham, grilled steak, and a 1,000 other delicacies" which once passed through his hands in great abundance. However, he thought up recipes such as egg-free omelette (made with flour and water), potato-free chips (with orange peel), sauces with no oil, macaroni with breadcrumbs, rice cutlets, flower croquettes, fried squid with no squid (onion rings, in fact), simulated butter and coffee made with peanut shells. And now, let us all send up a word of thanks to heaven that we can think of these dishes as a horror which occurred in the past. A stray bullet can change a life. Or put an end to one. Nineteen years ago, Wilmer Arias was just a boy who liked to play innocently with his cousins in the street. He was an ordinary nine-year-old, who went to school and helped his grandfather in the fields. It was a normal childhood in his country, Guatemala, until one day a stray bullet hit him in his fragile neck and changed everything. Wilmer Arias appeared in Valencia this week, sitting upright in a wheelchair and with an enormous smile, thanks to the latest 'miracle' performed by Dr Pedro Cavadas and his team. The surgeon's most recent stroke of genius was to reconstruct a complete separation between someone's spinal column and pelvis, and that complex operation has meant that Wilmer, who is now 28, can sit for the first time without suffering pain. Cavadas and his patient appeared at a press conference at the hospital in Manises to share Wilmer's brave story and explain the complexity of the operation. Thanks to an agreement between the Manises hospital and the Cavadas Foundation, these hair-raising operations are now possible. Wilmer was wearing a polo shirt over a long-sleeved tee-shirt, jeans over his wiry legs, and highly-polished shoes. Beside him Dr Cavadas, smiling happily, wore old denims, hiking shoes and, as usual, a camouflage tee-shirt. He discarded his white coat years ago because he didn't like "dressing up as a doctor". It has taken two long operations, one of them involving eight hours of surgery, in order to see Wilmer sitting in a chair. His condition had reached an extreme point; he was desperate; his life was in danger. Dr Cavadas explained that his vertebrae were so damaged that his spine was "split in two". The doctor and his patient took it in turns to speak to the press. The bond they have come to share was obvious. What about that bullet? "Life is random and uncertain. Some lives are cut short because of bad luck," said the doctor. Nobody knows where the bullet which prostrated Wilmer for life came from. After exploratory surgery, he spent two and a half months in a coma. Nobody moved his delicate body during that time, and that caused ulcers on his back and a great deal of pain. "We didn't have money for medical treatment, so I just had to try and bear it," explained Wilmer. Cavadas said that as time passed the ulcers became infected because they remained open. The infection penetrated the sacral bone and 'ate' it, causing it to deform. The sacrum helps to shape the spinal column and the pelvis. "The situation was very complicated, because the aorta was just a few centimetres away. It was a wound which would never have closed. He would have died," said the surgeon. A providential nurse The operation was so complicated and delicate that some hospitals in the US told Wilmer he could die during surgery, and that it wasn't advisable to try it. That is when destiny placed Marta, a Spanish nurse who had collaborated with the Cavadas Foundation in Madrid, in his path. They had already met in Guatemala, and Marta immediately contacted Dr Cavadas to tell him about the case. Wilmer admitted that he had never heard of the reputation or fame of this specialist in plastic surgery, and started to search for information on the internet. "At first I was sceptical about him, but when I had the first operation, and they removed the ulcer and I didn't have the pain any more, I trusted him 100 per cent," he said at the press conference. The surgeon explained that two major operations were needed: one to clean up the area where the ulcers were, and the other to insert the bone. He did that with part of Wilmer's fibula, joining the remains of the pelvis with the remains of the spinal column. "The difficult part is adapting it, knowing what type of fixture to use, how to connect the arteries and the aorta," he said, before quoting one of his favourite sayings: "We weren't trying to invent the wheel; we just needed to find out where to put it". Wilmer, who at one point suffered severe lack of nutrition and pneumonia, is now starting a new life, one which is full of objectives. He will have to wear a corset for six months, but will gradually notice improvements. His perspective on life is completely different now, however. He has some short-term ambitions, such as finishing his university studies in Administration and Company Management in Guatemala, and cooperating with the Pequenos Hermanos Foundation, an international organisation which fights for children's rights and helps them in tragic times of their lives. Wilmer has rediscovered his will to live. "If you want a happy life, focus on a challenge, not on things or objects," he said. That is a lesson that Pedro Cavadas learned years ago: he is a successful surgeon now, but when he started out money and material things were what attracted him most. Until one day, when he had a change of heart, sold his Porsche and reorganised his priorities. The luxury car was replaced with a very basic jeep and, more recently, a bicycle. It is likely that no other Spanish doctor is as popular in the world, which is now accustomed to his surgical achievements. Like the arm stitched on to a patient's leg for nine days, the first hand and forearm transplant, the first facial reconstruction in Spain; milestones made possible by a stroke of luck back in 1983. Because Pedro Cavadas had wanted to be a veterinary surgeon, but that would have meant moving to Zaragoza and he didn't want to leave Valencia. Six years later he qualified in Medicine with honours and an award. He then specialised in plastic surgery, without really knowing what he wanted to do, apart from the fact that he detested, really detested, cosmetic surgery. Playing at survival Decades later, he has become one of the most important specialists in reconstructive plastic surgery on the planet. Where hope ends, Cavadas appears. Those who plead for help, lost cases, find it, even if it has nothing to do with his speciality. And his achievements reflect the bravery of the patients who come knocking on his door. This 'miracle doctor' devotes his whole life to medicine. Some days he carries out one operation after another, even forgetting to eat. His passion never abandons him, not even when he rests: that's when he reads books on reconstructive surgery. He only really relaxes with his children, Ruo, 17, and Xiao, 13 - whom he adopted in China - and on his charity trips to Tanzania, where he operates free of charge on dozens of patients with mutilations, tumours and a thousand other problems. A couple of times a year, in a remote hamlet called Engaresero, he sets up a field hospital with no electricity and water from the river. He doesn't rest from sunrise to sunset, when he puts his scalpel down because the insects start to appear. There, when he has a bit of time free, he escapes with a compass, a rucksack, a box of matches and a bow. It's time to play at survival. In inland Valencia province he has created a small wilderness of his own, a property in Villagordo del Cabriel, where he raised and bottle-fed Pan, a fawn born on St Pancras' Day. He is, however, always in a hurry to get back to the operating theatre. That's where he feels most at home, and saving patients like Wilmer is the real meaning of his existence. "We have given someone the gift of life," he said. Another 'miracle'. The Cudeca Foundation laid the first stone of its new training and education centre in Benalmadena on Friday. Thanks to a generous grant from Indian scientist and billionaire businessman, Dr Yusuf Hamied, the cancer charity will now be able to fulfill its longtime vision of opening a scientific research centre for palliative care. The 82-year-old doctor is renowned for his pioneering work with Aids patients and has a reputation for providing life-saving medicines - primarily to people in third-world countries - regardless of their ability to pay for the treatment. The ceremony of laying the first stone was held in the field adjacent to the Cudeca cancer care centre in Arroyo de la Miel, a plot that was donated by Benalmadena town hall. The event was attended by Dr Hamied, who laid the stone; Joan Hunt, founder of the charity, and several representatives of the Junta de Andalucia regional government and Benalmadena town hall. First of its kind in Spain The two-storey research centre will be the first of its kind in Spain and will cost approximately one million euros, of which, Dr Hamied, who has supported Cudeca for over ten years, has pledged around 75 per cent. The Dr Yusuf Hamied Training and Research Centre's main objective is to train professionals of all levels in quality palliative care, as well as to develop innovative models of intervention and research. In addition, it will generate a source of income that will help deal with the increase in patients, which has doubled in the past five years. Construction on the centre is due to begin in December and Cudeca expects it will be ready for use by 2020. Belen Moncada, spokesperson for the new centre, told SUR in English of Cudeca's joy at seeing its vision finally begin to materialise, while emphasising the importance of the project and the possibilities it will create for both patients and professionals: "The new research and education centre will be the first of its kind in Spain. We are all very excited that this will now become reality. The centre will educate professionals from all over the world and it will become a pioneer in palliative care research." Angel Krebbers, Cudeca communication officer, added, "Without Dr Hamied's help, this would not have been possible. His generosity has given Cudeca a unique opportunity to become innovators in this field of education and research." Since its inception in 1992, Cudeca has participated in the training of over 3,000 professionals, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and psychologists. In addition, every year postgraduate students from countries such as Sweden, Norway, Mexico, the UK and several cities in Spain visit the hospice to engage in courses and lectures concerning palliative care. Although the Mediterranean seems a calm sea, throughout history it has demonstrated that it is a destructive force. This is what can be deduced from remains found recently during an archaeological excavation in Estepona which shows that the town was hit by at least two tsunamis, one in the ninth century and the other between the first and fourth. 2,000 years of history in a two-metre wall Work being carried out on a building in Estepona's Calle Real, and its corresponding archaeological study, made this finding possible. The wall in which the sediment from these tsunamis is like a history book. It is two metres high, and contains 2,000 years of history. Municipal archaeologist Ildefonso Navarro says there is sediment dating back to the times of the Romans, Almohads and Nasrids in 18th- and 19th-century patios. And now, these two tsunamis. Once the material has been collected for testing, the works can begin again. Future construction and excavation in the area will undoubtedly produce more material which will help experts to carry out comparisons. Archaeological excavations normally bring to light information about ancient civilisations, but geo-archaeology is different: it studies geological phenomena such as the formation of rivers, mountains, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other natural occurrences. In one of the many excavations which are being carried out in the oldest part of Estepona, a layer of sediment has been found which could correspond to a seaquake. Experts from the Autonomous University in Madrid and the University of Cambridge have confirmed that Estepona suffered a tsunami in the ninth century, around the year 881, during the Moorish period, and they believe there could have been a previous one centuries before. If this is proven, it would be the first and only geo-archaeological finding of a tsunami in southern Spain at those times. University experts from Madrid and Cambridge have studied the remains Dr Carlos Arteaga, of the Autonomous University of Madrid, who is coordinating these works, believes the first seaquake took place in Roman times. Afterwards, the sediments showed that it formed a dune, the land stabilised and the second seaquake possibly took place in the ninth century. "Until now there was nothing to indicate that there had been this tsunami, only indications from the Moorish period," he says. In order to detect a paleotsunami and differentiate it from a major storm or wave there needs to be, as well as the sediment, material from very deep under the sea and continental material. According to Dr Arteaga, the material from a simple storm would only reach a depth of 20 metres and the waves no more than six metres, maximum. In a tsunami, however, the waves would be about ten metres high. They would go far deeper than 20 metres and also, as the wave retreated, it would drag continental material with it. It would also drag the base ground, which in geological language is called an 'erosive scar'. For the inhabitants of Estepona in the ninth century, this must have been a catastrophe because it would have destroyed a large part of the town. However, Dr Arteaga says that although a gigantic wave, 12 or 13 metres high, would have caused destruction, thanks to the city walls the population was protected. "The protective dykes they use in Japan today have the same effect as the ancient walls," he explains. The experts say these findings are important because they will help to predict future catastrophes, "because if they happen once they can happen again". They also provide extra information about the seabed. Sean Teylor and Sayontani Neogi, of the University of Cambridge, say more will be known when the findings are examined in a laboratory. They will remove complete blocks of the floor, using extreme caution, because they have a high sand content and could easily crumble. The archaeologists will then impregnate them with resin to solidfy them and cut them into very fine layers for examination under a microscope. "That way we will see what minerals there are, whether there are bones, and lots of small details which will provide us with a great deal of information," says Teylor. Arteaga stresses that it was a very "lucky" discovery, finding evidence of two natural and such outstanding events in the same place. The mayor of Estepona, Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, says this finding "puts Estepona on the international scientific map because anyone who wants to study these natural phenoma is going to have to come here to do it". The municipal archaeologist, Ildefonso Navarro, and the university experts say the work of the Arqueotectura company deserves praise, because these levels, where only earth can be seen, often pass unnoticed by the archaeologists who are looking for pieces of ceramics or iron. Navarro, who is an expert in the history of Estepona, says that a Moorish author in the 10th century mentioned this seaquake, but in a generic fashion for the whole of Al-Andalus. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which resembled a seaquake in the Atlantic, was documented, but in the Mediterranean the effects were only felt on land. They were serious enough to demolish the church of Los Remedios in Estepona. Velez-Malaga town hall has signed an agreement with land owners and property developers, Sociedad Azucarera Larios S. A. (SALSA), to improve flood defences along the east side of the Rio Velez, the river which runs into the sea to the west of Torre del Mar, paving the way for further development. The agreement, which was signed on Monday, states that SALSA is to pay for the flood defences. However, former mayor of Velez-Malaga, Francisco Delgado, criticised the current administration for not sharing the detail of the documents and said that in the end it would be home buyers who would "pay for the infrastructure." The project includes some 1,200 homes to be built on the east bank of the river, next to Torre del Mar, while on the west side, next to the village of Almayate, there are plans to construct 1,600 homes as well as hotels and a port area. The economic and construction crisis, as well as coastal protection laws, which have now been lifted by Spain's Supreme Court, had prevented the project from happening until now. Current Velez-Malaga mayor, Antonio Moreno Ferrer, said on Monday, "The agreement we are signing guarantees flood defence work on the left side of the river and allows us to start issuing building licences." The regional government has signed a contract with Sando-Acciona that permits that construction partnership to restart work on the metro line connector outside El Corte Ingles in Malaga next Tuesday, 31 July. The construction work is predicted to take 19 and a half months to complete and is funded by an investment of 27.69 million euros, pending the completion of investigations related to the discovery of the archaeological remains of a wall dating back to the Moorish era. Next Tuesday will put an end to three years of inactivity, after works were halted in 2015 due to economic discrepancies between the previous construction company, Ortiz, and the regional government. The stretch of metro will consist of 713m of tracks and a station, named Guadalmedina, which will be located in the Plaza Manuel Alcantara on Avenida Andalucia. The work is part of the city's larger metro project and is somewhat complex due to the fact that the delayed Guadalmedina station will house two separate lines. As of last Saturday, the conservative Partido Popular party (PP) has a new leader. At a special party conference arranged to choose the successor of former PM, Mariano Rajoy, 57 per cent of the appointed delegates voted for the party's former communications chief, 37-year-old Pablo Casado. Although Casado had come second to Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, the former deputy prime minister, in a first round ballot of members ahead of the conference, and both candidates had gone through to the final conference vote, Casado picked up almost all the votes of the earlier rejected candidates, especially third-placed Maria Dolores de Cospedal, former defence secretary. That was enough to give Casado a majority over Saenz de Santamaria. Casado is on the right of the party and called in his conference speech for the party to return to its roots. Observers said he had won as he had made a better connection with the grassroots, whereas his rival had a more bureaucratic approach to her candidacy and was too linked to the legacy of Mariano Rajoy, who had only recently been voted out of office as PM in a no-confidence vote led by the Socialist PSOE. "No need to negotiate" Despite signs by both leadership candidates that they wanted to integrate their respective teams after Casado's victory, there was surprise on Thursday when Saenz de Santamaria wasn't given a place on the party's ruling committee. At a brief meeting with Casado in parliament on Wednesday, Saenz de Santamaria told the new leader that she would only enter his top team if 43 per cent of it was made up with her supporters, matching the same percentage she got in her second-place leadership position.Casado told the media that he had refused as he was looking to "agree" a top team but, as newly elected leader, he had "no need to negotiate one". On Thursday, Casado held his first National Executive meeting in Barcelona, a clear signal of his pro-Spanish unity stance and defiance of Catalan separatism. 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 ... Navios Maritime Midstream Partners reports increased revenue Navios Maritime Midstream Partners saw revenue increase by $2.3 mill to $20.8 mill for the second quarter of this year, compared to $18.5 mill for the same period in 2017. This revenue rise was mainly attributable to the increase in available days from 463 in 2Q17 to 517 days in 2Q18, due to unscheduled off-hires among which the prolonged drydocking of one of the vessels incurred in 2Q17. EBITDA increased by around $2.3 mill to $14.7 mill for 2Q18, compared to $12.4 mill for the same period in 2017. This was mainly due to the $2.3 mill increase in revenue. Net income increased by around $2.3 mill to $4.3 mill for 2Q18, compared to $2 mill for the same period in 2017. This was mainly attributable to a: (a) $2.3 mill increase in EBITDA; (b) $0.5 mill decrease in depreciation and amortisation due to the sale of the Shinyo Kannika mitigated by the acquisition of the Nave Galactic in 1Q18; and (c) $0.1 mill increase in interest income; partially mitigated by a: (i) $0.6 mill increase in interest expenses and finance cost; and (ii) $0.1 mill increase in direct vessel expenses. The reserve for estimated maintenance and replacement capital expenditures for the respective quarters was $2.6 mill and $2.5 mill. Navios Midstream generated an operating surplus for 2Q18 of $8.9 mill. As for the first half of this year, revenue increased by $1 mill to $40.6 mill, compared to $39.6 mill for the same period in 2017. This increase was mainly attributable to the rise in available days from 1,003 in 1H17 to 1,039 days in 1H18, due to the unscheduled off-hires including the prolonged drydocking of a vessel. EBITDA was affected by a $32.4 mill book loss on the sale of the Shinyo Kannika. Excluding this item, adjusted EBITDA was $28.4 mill, compared to $27.1 mill for the same period in 2017. Net loss for the six month period of 2018 amounted to $25.3 mill, as a result of the above mentioned $32.4 mill loss on the vessel sale. Excluding this item, adjusted net income was $7.2 mill, compared to $6.5 mill for the same period in 2017. The reserve for estimated maintenance and replacement capital expenditures for the six month periods, respectively, was $5.4 mill and $4.9 mill. Navios Midstream generated an operating surplus of $16.7 mill for 1H18. Angeliki Frangou, Navios Midstream Chairman and CEO, stated, We are pleased to report results for the second quarter of 2018. In the second quarter of 2018, we reported $14.7 mill of EBITDA and $4.3 mill of net income. We also announced a distribution of $0.125 per unit, representing an annualised yield of about 14%. On 2nd July, 2018, Navios Midstream announced that its board of directors had received a proposal from Navios Maritime Acquisition Corp by which Navios Acquisition would acquire the publicly held common units of Navios Midstream not already owned by the company in a stock for units exchange. Subject to negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement, Navios Acquisition is proposing consideration of 6.292 Navios Acquisition shares for each outstanding publicly held common unit of Navios Midstream as part of a transaction that would be structured as a merger of Navios Midstream with Navios Acquisition. The proposed transaction is subject to the negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement, approval of the board of directors of Navios Acquisition and the necessary approvals of the conflicts committee of Navios Midstream under Navios Midstreams limited partnership agreement. Navios Midstream has currently contracted out 100% of its available days for 2018 and 40.8% for 2019 expecting to generate revenues, including the backstop commitment provided by Navios Acquisition, of about $83.7 mill and $40.8 mill for 2018 and 2019, respectively. The average expected daily charter-out rate for the fleet is $39,060 and $45,613 for 2018 and 2019, respectively. OCIMF releases Guidelines to Harden Vessels OCIMF has published a new information paper that recommends a layered defence methodology for hardening vessels to help prevent unauthorised boarding. These are: First layer: prevents unauthorised access to the vessel. Second layer: prevents or delays access to the accommodation block, stores and machinery spaces. Third layer: prevents or delays access to the citadel, which is a safe location for crews to retreat to if all other defences are breached. The guidelines also recommend using a Vessel Hardening Plan and the paper provides an example plan to help ensure vessels are prepared for operations in areas of increased security. Although the focus is on vessels underway, measures are also highlighted for vessels at anchor or alongside. OCIMF Director, Rob Drysdale, said: This guidance complements the recent industry publication Global Counter Piracy Guidance for Companies, Masters and Seafarers and regional best practices, such as BMP5: Best Management Practices To Deter Piracy And Enhance Maritime Security in the Red Sea, Gulf Of Aden, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Based on lessons learnt and shared best practice, this information paper will give those involved in the design and operation of tankers the tools they need to make an informed decision about security measures for their fleet, he said. Guidelines to Harden Vessels also complements OCIMFs information paper Ship Security Bridge Vulnerability Study, released in 2014. Saudi Aramco halts tankers transiting Bab el-Mandeb On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's state oil company, Saudi Aramco, announced that it is suspending transits through the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, following another attack on one of its tankers off the coast of Yemen. "In the interest of the safety of ships and their crews and to avoid the risk of oil spill, Saudi Aramco has temporarily halted all oil shipments through Bab El-Mandeb with immediate effect. The company is carefully assessing the situation and will take further action as prudence demands," Saudi Aramco said in a statement. Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Khalid Al-Falih, has confirmed that two VLCCs operated by Bahri were attacked by Houthi rebels on Wednesday morning in the Red Sea. One of the ships sustained minimal damage. No injuries or pollution were reported. Earlier on the same the day, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on an unnamed Saudi tanker off the contested port of Hodeidah, Yemen. The Saudi/UAE coalition backing the Yemeni government in the country's long-running civil war confirmed that the attack had resulted in slight damage to one vessel. In April, Houthi armed militias conducted a missile attack on the VLCC Abqaiq, resulting slight damage to her bow. At the time, Minister al-Falih said that the attack would not "affect economic activity or stall oil supplies." A Saudi oil tanker was reportedly attacked at 1.15 am local time by Iranian-backed Houthi militias in international waters, west of Hodeidah, which is controlled by the terrorist group. "Thankfully the attack failed, due to immediate intervention of the coalitions fleet. The tanker sustained minimal damages as a result of this terrorist attack," said Col Turki Al Malki, an official spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen "This terrorist attack is a dangerous threat to the freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab-El-Mandeb Strait, which might result in environmental and economic losses." he added. He said that the continuation of such attempts proves the real threat of this militia and the ones supporting it to regional and international security. Hodeidah is the the starting point of terrorist attacks, Col Al Malki said. He said claimed that the coalition command will continue its core role to stabilise and secure Yemen and contribute to protecting and securing regional, international security and economy. In a blog, McQuilling Services commented that a halt of flows through the Strait is sure to have significant impacts on the shipping markets as some other Middle East nations have expressed concern with Kuwait indicating a potential halt in flows, while Iraq will continue exports as normal, given it sells on a free-on-board (FOB) basis passing the transportation risk onto the buyer. Further analysis of our remotely sensed vessel position data tells us that 40 VLCCs have completed voyages from the Arabian Gulf to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2018, while 14 additional vessels are in transit on this same route, McQuilling said. Of these 54 ships, 17 were loaded in Saudi Arabia. In addition, 73 VLCCs stemming from the Arabian Gulf have discharged or are currently set to discharge in the Red Sea, with the a majority of these volumes likely bound for Ain Sukhna, the beginning of the Sumed pipeline, which connects the Red Sea and Mediterranean. The disruption of Bab el-Maneb is likely to negatively impact Middle East volumes into the European market, which in our view will result a small rise in volumes sent around the Cape of Good Hope, the consultancy said. While this may result in higher tonne/miles for specific voyages, we are reluctant to say the rise will be significant, as we project Arabian Gulf producers to focus on higher crude exports to the East, leaving European refiners to source barrels elsewhere. Given the current narrowing of the Brent/WTI crude differential to an average $3.06 per barrel this month, which has pressured US crude volumes to the East, we see a potential for US crude to serve the European market, in place of Middle East crude. We are certain to see volatility in the tanker freight markets for the foreseeable, as trade flows shift within the largest crude export region of the world. Volumes to the East are likely to remain in place or potentially rise, while exports to the West will have to take the longer voyage or refiners will source from alternative regions. Support for volatility will also stem from the supply side as internationally flagged fleets will likely be the preference for exporters in an effort to protect state-controlled tonnage, McQuilling concluded. samarth.bhatia BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sydney Posts: 450 Thanked: 450 Times View My Garage Day 4 - Krabi, Thailand - A Family Vacation - SAMBHA Day 4 A Road Trip Through Krabi, and a visit to the Emerald Pool & Hot Springs For this day's experience, check out the video below: Krabi Day 4 - Emerald Pool Hot Springs - SAMBHA Official It was finally the most awaited day of the trip. We would be driving approx. 80 kms away from our hotel to the Emerald Pool and the Hot Springs. As a team-bhpian, I don't need to explain what made me wait for this day We had a beautiful 200,000 kms old Toyota waiting for us in the driveway. With only a few thousand insects inside, same the crawling type, some the more adventurous flying type, this beast of a car seemed to have a life of its own. It even came with a 2-DIN head unit featuring an AUX point, and some awesome Thai radio stations. My Bose Mini II Soundlink was a perfect fit for these situations. As we drove away, I marvelled at the immense power of this beast. It enjoyed throwing people back in their seats when the throttle was lightly tapped in 1st gear. This made every little stop at a junction or a traffic light immense fun with my parents and wifey in the car. 65 year olds love being thrown back in their seats, as you can imagine. The Toyota even featured a grocery list in the trunk, left behind by the previous traveller undoubtedly. As we got out of the AoNang area, and got on Road 4 (highway), the car got filled with the shouts (of joy) from the people on the back bench. The drive itself was genuinely nice with good roads and even better road manners. We found ourselves in slow moving traffic only on a small patch where multiple lanes were being worked upon. After having driven extensively in many countries around the world, I found the road manners of drivers in Thailand comparable to most developed nations. This drive made me realise the peace of mind we miss out on in India. Our arrival at the Emerald Pool was interesting, to say the least. It was the first place we had to pay for parking (30 Bahts). The washrooms inside also required payment (10 Bahts per person), and our parking ticket allowed free use of the washroom for one person. Changing areas weren't too well equipped, but were clean. I also found a bunch of BMW GS1200s in the parking. They belonged to travellers from Malaysia. (Check out the video for more) The path from the parking lot to the Emerald pool took us through a forest. The walk is about 800 meters, and its recommended to take along mosquito repellant creams. Watch out for interesting mini dinosaurs along the edges of the path (more in the video). Wear appropriate footwear. Wifey had a bad fall on the slippery stones we had to walk over to reach the pool. This twisted her ankle quite badly, leading to ligament damage. To swim in the pool, its recommend to walk backwards, feet sliding on the slippery rocks, holding the knotted rope. We also saw others jumping in from another end of the pool. The water is very emerald-y. Hence, the name. The sand bed is slightly rough to walk on. And the fishes use up most of the room. There's a mini waterfall at one end. Standing near it can be a challenge if you're not into public nudity (read. the falling water pushes the swimming trunks off). On heading out, we found another path taking us back to the parking. This one was much prettier, with a narrow wooden boardwalk on the most part. It was deserted, and was perfect to enjoy the deafening noise of the crickets. It also had more water bodies to stare at. (Check out the video for more) Just before this parking lot, there's a small market with restaurants and a couple of shops. We stopped to have some refreshing coconut water, and to buy an alligator to swim with in our hotel pool. We then drove to the Hot Springs, which are about 7 kms away. An entrance fee of 200 Baht per head is applicable there, and another 20 Baht per head will get you a ride in the electric buggy - from the gate right to the hot springs. We gladly accepted the ride. The hot spring is basically a mini-river with water flowing into large rock crevices, and eventually forming a water fall leading into a brown basin of sorts. The brown colour results from the mud from the bed getting lifted in to the water. We lay in the warm spring water for about 30 mins. That afternoon, we got lucky being the first ones to arrive there. We blocked the best rock crevices to lay in. A swarm of Chinese and Indian tourist arrived a few minutes later, and whoosh! The calming silence with the water flowing turned into sounds reminiscent of a flight with a million crying babies on board. We made our way back to the entrance gate in the buggy. We weren't allowed to use the washrooms near the gate. Instead, we were asked to use the ones near the market outside. Now these washrooms were messy. We managed to change into dry clothes quickly. In the market, I got a lady selling fruit smoothies to cut up some fresh mango. She was happy to do so, but gave it to me in a plastic smoothie glass. With a very long toothpick. It was time to find a place to get some lunch. We decided to head back towards AoNang and stop at a dhaba on the highway. Dad drove till the dhaba. Now he's a very careful driver, and not too adventurous with speed or acceleration. This drive, though, was different. On the curvy roads leading back to the highway, he was driving in excess of 80 kmph. I had to point it out. He was quite surprised.. the smooth cambered roads didn't make one feel the speed at all. And the 'Etios like' centrally placed instrument console didn't help matters. On reaching the dhaba, we faced a bit of a language issue, which google translate helped with. We eventually got the food, and it was freshly made delicious thai cuisine. On the way back, we also stopped at The Outlet Village - a place selling branded apparel items on discount. Pretty reasonably priced, and good variety. The day ended with me and wifey booking our tattoo appointments for the next day. She opted for a traditional bamboo tattoo, and I for a machine tattoo. The next post will feature the video with that. Cheers, Sam. It was finally the most awaited day of the trip. We would be driving approx. 80 kms away from our hotel to the Emerald Pool and the Hot Springs. As a team-bhpian, I don't need to explain what made me wait for this dayWe had a beautiful 200,000 kms old Toyota waiting for us in the driveway. With only a few thousand insects inside, same the crawling type, some the more adventurous flying type, this beast of a car seemed to have a life of its own. It even came with a 2-DIN head unit featuring an AUX point, and some awesome Thai radio stations. My Bose Mini II Soundlink was a perfect fit for these situations.As we drove away, I marvelled at the immense power of this beast. It enjoyed throwing people back in their seats when the throttle was lightly tapped in 1st gear. This made every little stop at a junction or a traffic light immense fun with my parents and wifey in the car. 65 year olds love being thrown back in their seats, as you can imagine. The Toyota even featured a grocery list in the trunk, left behind by the previous traveller undoubtedly.As we got out of the AoNang area, and got on Road 4 (highway), the car got filled with the shouts (of joy) from the people on the back bench.The drive itself was genuinely nice with good roads and even better road manners. We found ourselves in slow moving traffic only on a small patch where multiple lanes were being worked upon. After having driven extensively in many countries around the world, I found the road manners of drivers in Thailand comparable to most developed nations. This drive made me realise the peace of mind we miss out on in India.Our arrival at the Emerald Pool was interesting, to say the least. It was the first place we had to pay for parking (30 Bahts). The washrooms inside also required payment (10 Bahts per person), and our parking ticket allowed free use of the washroom for one person. Changing areas weren't too well equipped, but were clean. I also found a bunch of BMW GS1200s in the parking. They belonged to travellers from Malaysia. (Check out the video for more)The path from the parking lot to the Emerald pool took us through a forest. The walk is about 800 meters, and its recommended to take along mosquito repellant creams. Watch out for interesting mini dinosaurs along the edges of the path (more in the video).Wear appropriate footwear. Wifey had a bad fall on the slippery stones we had to walk over to reach the pool. This twisted her ankle quite badly, leading to ligament damage. To swim in the pool, its recommend to walk backwards, feet sliding on the slippery rocks, holding the knotted rope. We also saw others jumping in from another end of the pool. The water is very emerald-y. Hence, the name. The sand bed is slightly rough to walk on. And the fishes use up most of the room. There's a mini waterfall at one end. Standing near it can be a challenge if you're not into public nudity (read. the falling water pushes the swimming trunks off).On heading out, we found another path taking us back to the parking. This one was much prettier, with a narrow wooden boardwalk on the most part. It was deserted, and was perfect to enjoy the deafening noise of the crickets. It also had more water bodies to stare at. (Check out the video for more)Just before this parking lot, there's a small market with restaurants and a couple of shops. We stopped to have some refreshing coconut water, and to buy an alligator to swim with in our hotel pool.We then drove to the Hot Springs, which are about 7 kms away. An entrance fee of 200 Baht per head is applicable there, and another 20 Baht per head will get you a ride in the electric buggy - from the gate right to the hot springs. We gladly accepted the ride.The hot spring is basically a mini-river with water flowing into large rock crevices, and eventually forming a water fall leading into a brown basin of sorts. The brown colour results from the mud from the bed getting lifted in to the water. We lay in the warm spring water for about 30 mins. That afternoon, we got lucky being the first ones to arrive there. We blocked the best rock crevices to lay in. A swarm of Chinese and Indian tourist arrived a few minutes later, and whoosh! The calming silence with the water flowing turned into sounds reminiscent of a flight with a million crying babies on board.We made our way back to the entrance gate in the buggy. We weren't allowed to use the washrooms near the gate. Instead, we were asked to use the ones near the market outside. Now these washrooms were messy. We managed to change into dry clothes quickly. In the market, I got a lady selling fruit smoothies to cut up some fresh mango. She was happy to do so, but gave it to me in a plastic smoothie glass. With a very long toothpick. It was time to find a place to get some lunch. We decided to head back towards AoNang and stop at a dhaba on the highway. Dad drove till the dhaba. Now he's a very careful driver, and not too adventurous with speed or acceleration. This drive, though, was different. On the curvy roads leading back to the highway, he was driving in excess of 80 kmph. I had to point it out. He was quite surprised.. the smooth cambered roads didn't make one feel the speed at all. And the 'Etios like' centrally placed instrument console didn't help matters.On reaching the dhaba, we faced a bit of a language issue, which google translate helped with. We eventually got the food, and it was freshly made delicious thai cuisine.On the way back, we also stopped at The Outlet Village - a place selling branded apparel items on discount. Pretty reasonably priced, and good variety.The day ended with me and wifey booking our tattoo appointments for the next day. She opted for a traditional bamboo tattoo, and I for a machine tattoo. The next post will feature the video with that.Cheers,Sam. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by samarth.bhatia : 23rd July 2018 at 17:49 . The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 27, 2018 08:14 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efe1090 4 Editorial #Editorial,Blasphemy-Law,Constitutional-Court,judicial-review,pluralism,religious-blasphemy,religious-freedom,Ahmadiyah,Ahmadis,minority-rights,persecution Free The Constitutional Court ruling announced on Monday assures the majority of its undisturbed right to worship, as the court rejected a judicial review petition to strike down the 1965 Blasphemy Law. The review was filed by nine Ahmadis from West and Central Java who claimed the law violated their constitutional right to freedom of religion. The ruling is lamentable but could we have expected anything different? This was the third attempt to annul the law, issued under then-president Sukarnos period of martial law, when the state faced a number of armed resistance movements. In 2009, the court upheld the 1965 Law while a Shiite leader also failed to have it annulled. The courts most recent unanimous ruling was backed by a similar reasoning: that the law does not violate the Constitution and that the country would be even more chaotic without a law that defined blasphemy, however vaguely, and that complaints about the law are merely a matter of implementation and not a matter of the constitutionality of the laws norms. Unsurprisingly, minorities are very confused. The court failed to recognize that local public order authorities and police have largely stood by the closing, vandalizing and razing of churches and mosques, and forced eviction of minority faith followers as they cite bylaws restricting these communities based on the 1965 Law. Extreme examples include the 2011 murders of three Ahmadi members in Cikeusik, Banten, which instead led to a provincial bylaw banning the Islamic minority, based on a government regulation restricting propagation of their belief which itself is based on the Blasphemy Law. Other examples are the persecution and eviction of Ahmadi communities of West Nusa Tenggara, which has continued under so-called moderate Islamic leader Governor M. Zainul Majdi, popularly known as Tuan Guru Badjang. To fundamentally change things, minority groups need creative campaigners to shape public awareness about glaring injustices against fellow Indonesians behind the national refrain of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) and equality for all as touted in the Constitution. As it stands, the mainstream Islamic majority has its religious interpretations uncontested as anything different is blasphemy. The Court stated that the law should indeed be revised to be made clearer. At least now law enforcers should restrain people from taking the law into their own hands. They should also ensure non-discrimination in public services for all citizens regardless of their faith, including freedom of worship. Of course, this includes ending the persecution of minorities. While eyeing a second term, President Joko Jokowi Widodo should not turn a blind eye to entire families and communities who are homeless just because of their different faiths and entire congregations with nowhere to hold their religious services. A more creative group should also learn to strategize better, to win one more battle for a nation priding itself on pluralism. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Darmawan Triwibowo (The Jakarta Post) Mataram Fri, July 27, 2018 09:32 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efe4d69 3 Opinion 2019-presidential-election,#2019PresidentialElection,vice-president,TuanGuruBajang,minority-groups,West-Nusa-Tenggara Free The vice president is only a heartbeat away from the presidency. Mark McKinnon, a seasoned American political advisor who worked for various prominent political figures in the United States (including former president George W. Bush), highlighted the importance of the position by saying: [In the US], there are three opportunities that you have during a general election campaign where you can substantially move the needle of public opinion. One, is your convention speech; two, are the base; three, is the selection of your vice president. Although many pundits still believe that the vice-presidential pick has limited impact on a campaign, a series of recent elections in the modern era shows that the right choice of running mates can either reinforce the broader narrative the presidential candidate is trying to sell or undermine the rivals narrative. The right vice-presidential pick can help the presidential candidate to offset his/her weaknesses, broaden the outreach toward voters and serve as an effective political attack dog that enables the candidate to stand above the fray and remain presidential during debates. Therefore, more often than not, vice-presidential vetting is a complex process that cannot be isolated from the rivals strategy. Real examples are plenty. According to Michael Grunwald and Jay Newton-Small, in the 2008 US election, John McCain picked Sarah Palin to reinforce his narrative of a maverick conservative crusader who had the guts to take on the Republican establishment but was not squishy about social issues. Palin would be the first woman on a Republican ticket, who could appeal to Hillary Clinton voters and help reduce Barack Obamas advantage among women. Palin was also a fresh face to counteract Obamas message of change. Similarly, as explained by MacAskill, Obama picked Joe Biden to compensate his relatively lack of experience in national politics and to deploy Bidens strength as popular figure among Democrats to unify the party after the divisive contest against Hillary. Post-New Order Indonesian politics has followed the same trend. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos election victory in 2004 and 2009, and Joko Jokowi Widodos own victory in 2014 were contributed by their decision to choose the right running mate who enabled them to solidify their base (and coalition), woo undecided voters and compensate their flaws. However, come 2019, Jokowi faces a more complicated task of vice-presidential vetting in his hands. The Constitutional Courts (MK) decision in January to reject a petition to scrap the presidential threshold in Article 222 of the 2017 Elections Law, could lead him to another showdown with former rival Prabowo Subianto. Nevertheless, as incumbent, he can no longer apply his previous strategy, especially when Jusuf Kalla could be forbidden by the law to run again as his VP. Article 169 of the 2017 Elections Law prohibits a president and vice president from seeking a third term in office, regardless of whether they hold office for two consecutive terms. Therefore, as each party in his coalition demands they be given the vice president slot, President Jokowi finally unveiled the list of his possible running mates recently. The figures include National Awakening Party (PKB) chair Muhaimin Iskandar, former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD, Golkar chairperson Airlangga Hartarto and Muhammad Zainul Majdi, widely known as Tuan Guru Bajang (TGB), a two-time West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) governor. No name in the list has raised more controversy than TGB. He grabbed the national spotlight after recently declaring his support for Jokowis reelection bid, a shocking decision that surprised his colleagues in the Democratic Party, which has yet to declare support for any presidential candidates, and angered Islamists who had tapped him as one of Jokowis strongest challengers. Less than two years after joining one of the massive demonstrations in Jakarta that demanded the imprisonment of the blasphemer of Islam, then Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, rallies which also displayed a brutal form of religion-based identity politics in the 2017 Jakarta governor election, TGBs changed position has won praise, both from the presidents camp and the neutrals. The Jakarta Post, for example, has cited him as an influential Muslim leader, an Islamic scholar who has continuously promoted the values of moderate Islam and a progressive governor who could act as Jokowis strongest ally against sectarianism. However, scrutiny of his record on protecting religious minorities as NTB governor raises serious doubt over his credentials. Read also: Who is TGB, Jokowis strongest ally against sectarianism? Under his watch, for example, the Ahmadiyah community in NTB has experienced continued repression against their beliefs. The community has endured repeated attacks in the province that started from 1998 in Keranji, Pemongkong village, East Lombok. It occurred again in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and forced most of them to leave their villages and became internally displaced persons (IDP). Their fortune did not change after TGB took office in 2008, as similar violence took place in 2010 in Ketapang, West Lombok, and 2011 in Sumbawa. Most of the Ahmadis IDPs have found safe refuge at Wisma Transito in Mataram since 2007. However, in 2013, and again in 2017, the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) detected strong indications of human rights violations behind the settlement of Ahmadi IDPs. The commission also found that the provincial administration had done little to provide solutions for the Ahmadis, with assistance still limited to providing temporary shelter and keeping antiAhmadi mobs at bay. Not only have the basic rights of the Ahmadis been systematically neglected, they could only get new ID cards in 2014, Komnas HAM also stated that the houses they were in were no longer fit to shelter the refugees. The latest attack on the Ahmadi community in Gereneng village, East Lombok, on May 19 and 20, further raises questions on TGBs commitment to protect religious minority rights in the province. Although he openly called for reconciliation and end to the violence, while promising to rebuild the destroyed Ahmadis people houses, TGB did not hesitate to blame the Ahmadis. He said the violence occurred because the Ahmadi broke their promise not to spread their teachings among the locals. Such a statement and point of view should not come from an Islamic scholar who has continuously promoted the values of moderate Islam. TGB may or may not be chosen as Jokowis running mate for the upcoming presidential race, but one thing is for sure: he is not the strongest ally against sectarianism that Indonesia desperately needs right now. *** The writer is a human rights activist who currently works as executive director of the TIFA Foundation. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin - (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Fri, July 27, 2018 11:00 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efe8d0d 4 Inforial Free Going on vacation is not the only reason for traveling. A large number of people have to travel for work. There are a number of things to keep in mind to help your trip run smoothly so you can stay focused and have peace of mind throughout your journey. Here are five things you need to do to get the most out of your business travel. 1. Arrange your work schedule properly Doing so will allow you to work in a more organized manner throughout your trip. Before your flight, you can arrange readable work materials in a special bag in your carry-on. This way, you wont have to waste time messily rummaging through all your belongings to find what you need to read for your flight. This also applies for your passports and other travel documents. Having an international data plan for voice and internet prior to traveling will be important to keep you connected once you reach your destination. Your mobile device will also serve as a data hotspot. You dont want to waste time trying to find a local data provider at your destination. Always be ready with a back-up plan for how to fill your time productively in case of a delay. 2. Pick tickets that give you flexibility Traveling to another city or country is usually characterized by uncertain schedules. This can result from sudden alterations in meeting schedules or the sudden inclusion of last-minute additional meetings that may conflict with your return travel schedule. That is why you need to consider purchasing tickets that offer high flexibility for customers, such as the ones offered by Traveloka, namely its High Flexibility Tickets. With these tickets, you can reschedule without being hit with a fee (specifics are dependent on the policies of each airline). You can even cancel and refund your tickets without getting too big of a fine. 3. Travel lightly Be sure to bring a bag that is small enough to be cabin luggage. Doing so can save you from wasting a lot of time waiting for your belongings to arrive at your destination airport. In order to avoid the need to gate check a bag, you can choose to bring two smaller bags instead of one big bag. That way, you can fit one overhead and another under your seat, instead of worrying whether or not your single big bag can fit in the overhead. Another tip is to pack matching clothes so that you can reuse specific items when in need. If possible, wear your heaviest clothing during your flight so that you can fill your bag with other important items. If you have a laptop with you, then you can use its USB ports to charge your devices so that you dont need to bring extra USB chargers that could fill your luggage with tangled cables. 4. Make use of technology Scheduling and arranging your business travel is easier than ever these days thanks to technology. The entire process can be done using the latest technology, from using financial app services to manage costs to using digital payment for easier reimbursements. Be sure to look up good frequent flier programs. Dont hesitate to use social media such as Twitter, to reach out to representatives of your airline for help in case you missed a connection. 5. Stay healthy Going to a different city or country can potentially make you fall ill if your body is not in top shape. This can result from changes in time zone or from the conditions of your new surroundings. Staying healthy during these business trips is important for the best possible results. Stay away from alcohol and heavy food both before and during your flight. If you want to sleep during the flight, consider getting a window seat to avoid being disturbed by other passengers. In conclusion Being on a business trip means you are traveling as a representative for your company. As such, you certainly want to be able to bring something positive for the office or your business. For this reason, you have to implement all of these travel tips to get the maximum benefits from your travel. In and around the Tunisian coastal city of Gabes, henna has long been a key driver of the economy -- so much so that the plant is known as "red gold". But a water crisis and changing consumer habits are making farmers think twice about planting henna shrubs, despite their coveted leaves that have for centuries been ground down to paint nails, tint hair and ink temporary tattoos, especially for weddings. "Gabes is dying because of the lack of water," says farmer Houcine Akrout, as he digs intricate channels around his green plants to maximise water flow in the early morning sunlight. Akrout is hard at work, because the local water supply will today run from a canal onto his land -- a rare thing nowadays, due to government rationing. Urbanisation and rapidly rising demand for water from industry and agriculture have put immense pressure on Tunisia's water reserves, according to the World Bank. And a 2016 study of Tunisia's water services funded by Sweden's government found that losses from the irrigation network reach 40 to 50 percent. For farmers like Akrout, that means waiting 15 to 20 days for access to the water supply. "It's very long for the henna plant which needs lots of water," he tells AFP. The situation is so bad he has uprooted most of his henna shrubs and replaced them with pomegranate trees -- a much less thirsty species. "Henna does not make me any money," he says. "It isn't profitable any more and I need to live and support my family." When it comes, the water supply costs 2.8 dinars ($1.10, 0.93 euros) per hour. In mid-summer, the wait can reach up to 40 days, admits Amel Ghiloufi, head of the region's plants department at the agriculture ministry. And pollution of the water supply from a chemical plant has seen farmers abandon land in the oasis on the Mediterranean coast in recent decades. Read also: How to use henna safely The water crisis is having a dramatic impact on henna output. Only 645 tonnes of the plant were harvested in the Gabes region in 2016/17 - down 20 percent from the previous season, Ghiloufi says. But other factors, including a labour shortage, are also driving the long-term decline. And it's not only supply side pressures that undermine the market -- demand for local henna is also falling, as people opt for foreign alternatives. Over the centuries, henna leaves have been dried and reduced to a fine powder before being mixed with water, to create the paste coveted by people in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The paste is used to colour hair, palms of hands, arms and feet with simple patterns that last for a month or so. But the process can be messy and people don't always want to keep the art work for that long. So imports of a treated version of henna from Sudan, Yemen and India are increasingly popular, with added chemicals limiting penetration of the skin and making it easy to wash from hands. Ahead of weddings, the ready-to-use dye is handed out in decorated boxes to guests at bachelorette parties. The processed imported versions are taking over from the local product. And while once popular as a grandmother's remedy for anything from migraines to skin problems, younger people are more sceptical of henna's healing powers. But for Ghiloufi the only way "to revive the sector is to break new ground", by promoting henna's natural benefits and diversifying into new markets. In the capital Tunis, shampoos based on the plant have begun to find their way into health stores. Only a few entrepreneurs sell Tunisian henna abroad -- and they do so without state support -- so exports are minimal, despite the "good quality" produced by Gabe's farmers, says Ghiloufi. Read also: Royal wedding venue steeped in British history - 'Out of fashion' - In Jara, the main tourist market in the centre of Gabes, huge stalls overflow with henna and incense -- but the streets are empty. Traders complain that the trickle of tourists is not enough to compensate for locals' disinterest. "Henna is sold all the year round. Our market was always full of clients who come from all over Tunisia!" says 85-year-old Hassen Mrabet, who has been growing and selling henna for half a century. "Now sales are limited to the wedding season in July and August," he adds. Another trader bemoans the rising popularity of other beauty products and treatments, as lifestyles change. New forms of "dye and manicures have replaced henna today", according to 49-year-old Ismail. "Tunisians have changed their habits and turned their backs on their traditions; henna is out of fashion." The effects of climate change mean the world can expect higher temperatures and more frequent heat waves, climate experts have warned, with poor communities likely to be worst affected. Heat is neglected because it is both an invisible and hard-to-document disaster that claims lives largely behind closed doors, they said, and because hot weather does not strike many people as a serious threat. The warning comes as hot weather has swept the northern hemisphere. Britain has sweltered in a prolonged heat wave, with temperatures set to test national records, the countrys Meteorological Office said. We will have to get used to these kinds of summers, said Friederike Otto, deputy director at the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University. There is no doubt that there is a link to climate change. We need to take heat waves seriously around the world as something that we need to adapt to, Otto told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Fires have also caused devastation in Greece, Sweden and the United States. In Greece, rescuers are searching scorched land and the coastline for survivors three days after a wildfire destroyed a village outside Athens killing at least 82 people. Health risks The past three years were the hottest on record, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization said in March. The World Health Organization says heat stress, linked to climate change, is likely to cause 38,000 extra deaths a year worldwide between 2030 and 2050. Two weeks into Japans blistering heat wave, at least 80 people have died and thousands have been rushed to emergency rooms, as officials urged citizens to stay indoors to avoid temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104F) in some areas. Read also: Canada heat wave death toll hits 54: Officials In a heat wave in May, more than 60 people died in Karachi, Pakistan, when the temperature rose above 40C (104F). Heat waves are becoming more frequent, and that is likely due to climate change because the global temperature is rising, Sven Harmeling, head of climate change and resilience policy at aid group CARE International, said by phone. He said climate change was altering weather patterns, and we have to prepare for more of these consequences. Stanford University researchers on Monday said hotter weather was linked to increases in suicides, after examining decades worth of temperature data against suicide rates in U.S. counties and Mexican municipalities, some dating back to the 1960s. The report projected that if global warming were not capped by 2050, there could be at least an additional 21,000 suicides in the U.S. and Mexico alone. Carbon emissions In 2015, countries signing the Paris Agreement set a goal of limiting a rise in average world surface temperatures to well below 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times, while pursuing efforts to limit rising temperatures to 1.5C (2.7F). U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to pull out of the accord, which would make his country the only one to do so. Nearly one in three people around the world are already exposed to deadly heat waves, and that will rise to nearly half of people by 2100 even if the world moves aggressively to cut climate-changing emissions, a University of Hawaii study found in 2017. Read also: Japan heatwave kills over a dozen, 12,000 rushed to hospital But poorer communities will suffer the most, said Frank Rijsberman, head of the Global Green Growth Institute, which helps developing countries adopt clean energy to boost their economies and reduce carbon emissions. In developed countries, we have resources, we have money, we have systems, we can manage. But in developing countries, where resilience is very low, people are hit much harder, he said in an interview. About 1.1 billion people in Asia, Africa and Latin America are at risk from a lack of air conditioning to keep them cool as global warming brings more high temperatures, the non-profit Sustainable Energy for All said in a study last week. The most vulnerable in society will be most affected because those are the people who do not have the air-conditioned offices to go to, the people who have to work outside to make a living, said Otto. They will be hit very hard by these increasing risks and heat waves, she said. Indonesian film Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku (Memories of My Body) by celebrated director Garin Nugroho has entered the Orizzonti competition at the 75th Venice International Film Festival slated to run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 8. Produced by Fourcolours Film, the film was inspired by the life of international dancer and choreographer Rianto, who experienced discrimination over his dance group. Film is a medium of expression that could be about ourselves, our aesthetical journey, what we see or feel in our social environment, politics, or even our criticism and statements regarding issues around us, said Garin as quoted by tempo.co on Friday. Read also: Indonesian short film enters Venice film festival's Orizzonti competition The film features a host of different actors, dancers and theater artists, including Sujiwo Tejo, Teuku Rifnu Wikana, Randy Pangalila, Muhammad Khan and Whani Dharmawan. Another of Garins films, Opera Jawa, featured at the same festival in 2006. Aside from Memories of My Body, a short film by Aditya Adit Ahmad, Kado (Gift), has also entered the Orizzonti Short Films competition. (wir/kes) The late Indonesian jazz great Riza Arshad once said of Mery, as quoted by Warta Jazz, Not only is she a good pianist, Mery Kasiman has immense talent as a music arranger and director. She will shine in years to come. The statement may be bold, but it rang true on one special night. At the latest edition of the experimental-music concert series, Alur Bunyi (Sound Flow), held at the Goethe Institut in Jakarta, Mery took to the stage with husband Julian Marantika (modular synths), Indra Perkasa (modular synths), Ranya Badudu (vocals), Windy Setiadi (accordion) and Karel William (drums). As the gentle synths began to caress the ear, Merys piano sang. It did not sing a lullaby, instead, the mood in the auditorium was hypnotic. Then the band followed suit with the buzzes of the synths dancing with Merys piano. The drums, with agile taps of the snare, sounded like an approximation, perhaps even an upgrade, to jazz. After a while, though, Mery was in the mood for softness, performing the song Waterfall, a jazz pop cut with several meandering touches of the other instruments. On vocals, Mery was accompanied by Ranya, who alternated between singing and vocalizing both crystalline vocal modes that may as well have been the paramount instruments of the concert. Merys piano was adventurous at times, though it could also become buried under the surrounding sounds. It took a backseat for one notable song, which Mery said remained untitled. The song started with Julians chattering synths, adorned with vocal samples that could have been plucked from AM radio. It was the nights most menacing cut the effect was hazy and challenging in equal measures. Into the flow: Pianist Mery Kasiman performs during the experimental music concert series Alur Bunyi (Sound Flow). (Goethe Institut/File) This see-sawing between brazen experimentation and conventional jazz was rooted in Merys desire to expand the limits of her music. If you want to have music thats wide, big and majestic, it can sometimes be expensive, she said during a discussion session held midway through the concert. One way to achieve that wide sound is through electronic music, with midi synths and all, she said. With musicians Petra Sihombing and Mono of the band Neurotic, she began working on the nights material during the fasting season. She said the music came together quickly and she gave a clear summation of her approach to building arrangements. Our melodies play on top of a carpet, she said. That carpet, she explained, was the one-two punch of the modular synths and drums. Behind the band, Berlin-based visual art duo Pfadfinderei provided an alluring visual backdrop. Subdued colors glided by never intrusive, never overbearing. It was a fitting addition to Alur Bunyis most dynamic edition yet. At the end of the concert, the audience clamored for an encore. Though at first confused about which song to play, Mery obliged. She warned that they had not practiced the song enough. Then, in the twilight, they performed the breezy jazz-pop song It Should Be Fine in which Mery sings: Hey it should be fine/stop thinking it through/ itll pass in the night. The story of Panji, a Javanese cultural hero whose full name is Prince Panji Inu Kertapati, has long been a topic of academic research. Lydia Kieven, a German academic, conducted her research into Panji in numerous temples in East Java starting in 1996. Her doctoral thesis at Sydney University was later adapted into the book Menelusuri Figur Bertopi di Relief Candi era Majapahit (Following the Cap-Figure in Majapahit Temple Reliefs). Lydia Kieven, a German researcher, conducted her research on Panji at numerous temples in East Java starting in 1996. She was a guest lecturer at Malang State University (UM) (JP/Nedi Putra AW) I use a methodology that covers iconography, iconology and symbolism interpretation according to the facts from historical traces on temple reliefs, said Lydia when speaking as a guest lecturer at Malang State University (UM) on Wednesday. The topic of her lecture was Analyzing the tale of Panji using the methodology of art research. Kieven thinks highly of the tale of Panji, as it is an example of a new style and creativity shown by artists, in response to art and literature in the Majapahit era. It is also distinguished by the fact that the story is not overshadowed by Indian epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is classified as folklore, but it is sacred, due to it being portrayed on the reliefs on such a sacred place as a temple, explained Kieven. She went on to point out examples of reliefs carved on the walls of Penataran temple in Blitar, East Java. The tale of Panji is portrayed on the terraces of pendopo (Javanese gazebos), while reliefs on the main temple depict the stories of the Ramayana and Kresnayana, which originated in India and are related to the gods. Panji is the guide who connects humanity with the realms of the gods. The tale of Panji itself focuses heavily on the romance between Panji and Candrakirana. It is about separation, a journey to look for each other and a reunification, said Kieven. However, she continued, there are many life values that can be extracted from the story, such as hard work and determination to achieve the goals of life. Kieven acknowledges different interpretations among researchers. Yet the differences are open to further discussion, making the topic material for interdisciplinary research to end up as academic and popular publications. The researcher thinks the preservation of Panji is already on track, at least through the revitalization of the Panji tradition in Java. Performances of masked dance theater and educational activities such as workshops, seminars or cultural discussions have taken place, as well as international Panji festivals in many Indonesian cities. The Topeng Bapang dance, performed as part of The Tales of Panji during a lecture by guest lecturer Lydia Kieven at Malang State University (UM) in East Java (JP/Nedi Putra AW) Read also: Panji, a shared legacy The legacy of Panji is embodied in new artworks based on tradition, and all the efforts to preserve this art have culminated in UNESCO listing it in the Memory of the World in 2017, said Kieven, agreeing that Panji is a product of local genius that has spread not only around the archipelago but also to Indochina. She thinks that at its core, ancient art forms could become the source of inspiration to learn about the meanings of life, more than merely a research topic. Get to know, understand, appreciate and maintain Panji to the point of transformation as a cultural identity, so that the reliefs on the temples are not merely backgrounds for taking selfies, said Kieven. (mut) We live in a world that has made steady progress toward achieving ambitious public health goals, allowing people to live healthier and longer lives. The evidence? We witnessed the lowest polio case count in history in 2017. Between 2000 and 2015, global malaria deaths fell by 60 percent and mortality caused by HIV and tuberculosis is progressively declining. However, despite these incredible milestones against several devastating diseases, we are seeing an alarming increase in deaths due to viral hepatitis. As we approach World Hepatitis Day on July 28, we must shine attention on the urgent need to scale up testing and treatment to better identify and protect those impacted by the disease. Hepatitis B and C caused 1.34 million deaths globally in 2015, 21 percent more than the number of deaths due to HIV in the same year. In developing countries, an alarming 90 percent of children below the age of 10 years have been infected with hepatitis A due to poor sanitary conditions and hygienic practices. Southeast Asia alone reports 49 million cases annually of hepatitis, demonstrating that this is not a disease solely impacting people on the other side of the world, but within our own borders. There is some good news. The World Health Organization has a goal of eliminating hepatitis B and C by 2030, and despite the very recent establishment of the first global health strategy in 2016, coverage of the recommended three doses of vaccine has already reached 85 percent globally. Many pathways exist to further improve and increase hepatitis coverage. We must expand access to top-of-the-line diagnostics and treatments to ensure those who are infected know their health status, and moreover, demonstrate health-seeking behavior towards treatment. A: Access to testing In line with the World Hepatitis Alliances campaign, Finding the Missing Millions, we must strive to increase access to hepatitis testing. Globally, out of the 325 million people who live with hepatitis, only 9 percent and 20 percent of those infected with hepatitis B and C respectively have been diagnosed. It is equally alarming that less than 5 percent of diagnosed patients who meet treatment criteria for hepatitis B are receiving antiviral treatment. Successful seroconversion the time where antibodies develop for hepatitis B also remains particularly low in children. B: Be aware of who is at risk We must recognize that specific populations, such as healthcare workers, migrants, indigenous populations and people who administer vaccinations, are at greater risk of contracting hepatitis. These populations require tailored plans of action, including proper infection control practices like the use of personal protective equipment, proper cleansing of infected tools and the use of blunt needles for certain surgical procedures in healthcare settings. C: Caring for our children Vaccination, one of most effective prevention methods, is a keystone approach to control the spread of hepatitis. It is crucial we continue our efforts to protect children by ramping up the initial birth dose vaccination, which remains low at 39 percent. While hepatitis A isnt a standardized immunization in countries such as Singapore, parents are encouraged to speak with their childs doctor if their child should be vaccinated. While eliminating a disease will never be as easy as learning your ABCs, a continued focus on vaccination, as well as improved diagnostics and treatment from both the public and private sector, are imperative to tackle this urgent public health initiative. A holistic approach will allow us to reverse the current trend in hepatitis deaths and bring us one step closer to eliminating hepatitis. (kes) *** Prof Marion Aw is currently a senior consultant at the division of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, National University Hospital, and associate professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. She is fully registered with the Singapore Medical Council and is on the Specialist Register for Pediatric Medicine, both in Singapore and the United Kingdom. In addition to general pediatric gastrointestinal disorders, her special interests include childhood nutrition, liver disease and liver transplantation. Comedian Roseanne Barr apologized on Thursday for her controversial Twitter comment that caused the cancellation of her U.S. comedy show Roseanne, but insisted she had been misunderstood and said the mistake cost me everything. Barr said in an hour-long television interview, her first since comparing a black former Obama administration official to an ape, that her May tweet was political in nature, not racist. I was so sad that people thought it was racist, Barr told Fox News host Sean Hannity. She said the tweet referencing former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett - muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj - was about the 2015 international agreement limiting Irans nuclear program. She did not clarify what she believed was Jarretts link to the agreement. I made a mistake obviously. It cost me everything, my lifes work. And I paid the price for it. But no, I did not know she (Jarrett) was black, she said. Jarrett was born in Iran to parents of European and African-American descent. She said on Wednesday she did not intend to watch Barrs interview. Read also: US TV's Barr blames sleep aid Ambien for racist tweet Addressing Jarrett directly, Barr said on Thursday: Im sorry you feel harmed and hurt because I never meant that. Barrs tweet caused a storm of outrage and the ABC network swiftly canceled the revival of her top-rated comedy series Roseanne about a working-class American family in the era of President Donald Trump. ABC has since announced the show will return in October as a spinoff called The Conners with all the main characters except Barr, who will have no financial or creative involvement. I have apologized a lot. I feel that I have apologized and explained and asked for forgiveness and made recompense, Barr said on Thursday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 27, 2018 12:39 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efed1a2 4 Business ASEAN,leaders,IMF-WB-meeting,bali,Gathering,#IMFWBG Free Representatives of all of the 10 ASEAN countries are scheduled to join a high-level ASEAN gathering ahead of the upcoming International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank (WB) annual meeting in Bali this October. "We are planning to hold a high-level ASEAN leaders' gathering on Oct. 11," taskforce chief and executive chairman for the IMF-WB annual meeting Peter Jacobs was quoted as saying by Antara. Speaking on the sidelines of an international seminar held by Bank Indonesia in Nusa Dua on Friday, Peter said the gathering would be one of the main events connected to the IMF-WB meeting, aside from the opening ceremony led by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the IMF committee meeting of central bank governors and the development committee meeting of finance ministers. Aside from the main events, the organizer would also hold a series of side events for the participants. More than 18,000 delegates from 189 countries are expected to join the annual meeting. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 27, 2018 13:31 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efee62a 1 City kali-item,Asian-Games,pollution,river-pollution Free While covering the polluted Sentiong Rriver dubbed Kali Item (black river) by residents of the area with a giant black net seemed like a last-minute decision to make Jakarta more presentable to Asian Games delegates, an observer on urban issues has said the city administrations decision was ineffective in tackling the real issue at hand: pollution. Last week, the city administration covered the river with a 689-meter-long nylon net reportedly worth Rp 580 million (US$ 40,002), saying it was worried that its rancid smell would reach the athletes village located across from it. The move was met with wide criticism, with various sides arguing that the city administration should be cleaning the river instead of covering it. An urbanist from Trisakti University, Nirwono Joga, said the administration should have temporarily shut down home industries in the area to prevent them from dumping more untreated waste into the river. Nearby tofu and tempeh industries reportedly have reportedly used Kali Item as a dumping site for years. The industries should be asked to stop producing ahead of and during the Asian Games, Nirwono told The Jakarta Post on Friday. The issue of river pollution resulting from industrial waste has been around for years and city administration has not done anything to sanction the businesses involved. Therefore, any efforts to clean the river were always fruitless, he added. Residents of the area must also be monitored as they, too, tend to throw their waste into the river. Nirwono went on to say that given Kali Items high concentration of E-Coli and other toxic substance, it was unlikely that the administration could clean and reduce the smell of the river in the near future. In the long term, the city administration should develop special sewers for industrial and domestic waste. The sewers should be separated from the citys sewer system, so the waste would not pollute the river, Nirwono said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java Fri, July 27, 2018 10:41 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efe72ff 1 Business exports,Jokowi,Jokowi-administration,revenue,dollar,rupiah,rupiah-against-dollar Free The government has asked major exporters to park their export revenue in Indonesia and convert it into rupiah to help bolster the currency's exchange rate. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo made the call during his meeting with 40 top Indonesian exporters on Thursday at Bogor Palace in West Java. Also present at the meeting were Indonesia's richest man, Robert Budi Hartono, Adaro Energy president director Garibaldi "Boy" Thohir and GarudaFood Group chairman Sudhamek Agoeng Waspodo Soenjoto. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the meeting was held to gather input from the businessmen on managing the prolonged global uncertainty. The government also asked how to channel export revenue to Indonesia. "We conveyed to them what we, the government, could do to [persuade] the businessmen to bring their export revenue [back] to Indonesia," she said after the meeting. Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said only 85 percent of export revenue returned to Indonesia, while the remaining 15 percent was parked overseas. Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman Rosan Perkasa Roeslani told The Jakarta Post that some of the revenue had to be parked abroad in order to buy raw materials and pay foreign debts. In addition, some foreign banks required companies to deposit money in their branches abroad in order to obtain loans. "Several businesspeople have offered solutions, such as using loans from foreign banks that have Indonesian branches. However, it is not final yet. We plan to have more intensive talks with the Finance Ministry and the Investment Coordinating Board [BKPM] soon," said Rosan. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kurniawan Hari (The Jakarta Post) Washington DC Fri, July 27, 2018 13:33 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efee86c 1 Business Indonesia,US,Trade,road-map,Enggartiasto-Lukita,Trade-Ministry Free Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita has met United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to discuss a trade roadmap between the two countries. The roadmap will include the private sector from both Indonesia and the US and is expected to increase the value of trade between the two countries. Enggartiasto claimed that the US had agreed to Indonesias offer on the trade value of US$50 billion, almost twice last years value of $25.9 billion. Besides discussing the roadmap, Enggartiasto said the Indonesian government had asked Ross about the review of the generalized system of preferences (GSP). He had also asked the US to exempt Indonesian products from import tariffs on steel and aluminum products, as they were of different specifications to US products. Our products are not competitors to US steel and aluminum products, he said Thursday. He said the US welcomed Indonesias requests and would give positive consideration to Indonesian products that were not produced in US domestic industries. Enggartiastos meeting with Ross is part of the governments trade mission to boost the countrys commerce with the US. The mission will lobby Washington following the US governments announcement to review its GSP for Indonesia, as the US government deems that Jakarta implements numerous trade and investment barriers that have serious negative effects on US commerce. (ris) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Asuncion, Paraguay Fri, July 27, 2018 06:56 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efdefad 2 World #PlaneCrash,#Paraguay,#dies Free Paraguay's agriculture minister and a deputy minister were among four people killed in an airplane crash near the Argentine border, rescuers said Thursday. The twin-engine light aircraft had taken off from the southern fishing town of Ayolas on Wednesday afternoon but crashed soon afterward, just eight kilometers (4 miles) from the airport. "There are no survivors," Roque Gonzalez, a member of a search and rescue unit, told AFP. The dead were identified as agriculture minister Luis Gneiting, deputy livestock minister Vicente Ramirez, civil servant Luis Charotti and pilot Gerardo Lopez. Gneiting was returning to the capital Asuncion, 300 kilometers away, after visiting his terminally ill mother, who died on Thursday just hours after her son. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 27, 2018 17:01 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9effedc1 1 Business RAPP,Riau-Andalan-Pulp-and-Paper,#AsianGames2018,Asian-Games-2018 Free PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) has said it is supporting the 2018 Asian Games by raising awareness on the dangers and impacts of forest fires in an effort to reduce the number of fire incidents in Riau. Through its Fire Free Village Programme (FFVP), RAPP educates villagers living in and near the company's concession areas about the dangers of the slash-and-burn method, which farmers commonly use to clear land for cultivation. RAPP president director Sihol P. Aritonang said the program was part of the company's support to the 2018 Asian Games. Indonesia is hosting this year's Asiad from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 in Jakarta and Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra. According to RAPP, 27 villages in five districts of Pangakalan Kerinci, Riau, have been involved in the program since it was implemented in 2014. The FFVP has provided agricultural assistance like tree seedlings, facilities and infrastructure, as well as training on alternative land clearing methods. The company said it has also cooperated with local branches of religious organizations such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and local environmental NGOs like the Laskar Alam Foundation and Perkumpulan Tapak in preventing fires. The program claims to have successfully reduced fire incidents in Pangkalan Kerinci, from 0.18 percent of burned areas in 2014 to 0.03 percent of burned areas in 2017. (ris/dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 27, 2018 14:57 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9eff9553 1 City kali-item,Sentiong-River,home-industry Free The owner of a tempeh home industry on the Sentiong River called the "Black River" for its heavy pollution has refused to stop operating ahead of the 2018 Asian Games, despite the Jakarta administrations calls for all home industries to do so to reduce water pollution. The small businesses have reportedly dumped untreated waste into the river for years, causing the river to become heavily polluted. The Sentiong has been dubbed kali item, which means "black river". Abdul Basir, 50, one tempeh business owner, said he disagreed with the Jakarta administrations call. How much can the city administration pay us? Just do the calculation. What should I eat? Will they be able to compensate me for my loss [of income]? Abdul said on Thursday, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com. Abdul said he produced around 6 quintals (600 kilograms) of tempeh per day, each quintal worth Rp 1.5 million (US$103.9). He added the he could make around Rp 9 million distributing tempeh to traditional markets in the capital. While he admitted to dumping waste in the river, he denied that the waste had made the river "smell bad". Instead, Abdul blamed the tofu businesses in the area for dumping the waste that made the river smell. Last week, the Jakarta administration covered a section of the Sentiong River with a 689-meter length of fabric that cost Rp 580 million ($40,000), concerned that the smell rising from the river would reach the cafeteria in the Athletes Village, which is located across the Sentiong. Trisakti University urbanist Nirwono Joga said the administration should have temporarily shut down the home industries to prevent them from dumping untreated waste into the river. (cal) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Sat, July 28 2018 Alice Mageza (Courtesy of The Zimbabwean Embassy) Zimbabwean Ambassador to Indonesia Alice Mageza is completing her 13-year tenure in Jakarta this month and will return to her home country on Saturday. Being the most senior envoy posted in Jakarta, she was the dean of the African Group of Ambassadors and the dean of the Diplomatic Corps. The Jakarta Posts Dian Septiari sat down with her on Thursday to discuss her continued efforts in marketing her country to Indonesia. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Vietnam News/ANN) Hanoi Fri, July 27, 2018 11:47 1187 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9efec143 2 SE Asia Vietnam,China,ASEAN,Trade,partnership,regional-economy Free Vietnam has for the first time ever become Chinas biggest trade partner in the ASEAN bloc, with two-way trade hitting over US$10 billion for every month of 2018. In June 2018, China-Vietnam economic turnover hit $11.2 billion, dwarfing the $9.3 billion between China and Malaysia, which has held the title of Chinas largest ASEAN trade partner for several years, said Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Hu Suo Jin during a press conference held Thursday on bilateral economic ties. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade grew by 28.8 percent compared with the same period last year, higher than the 15.5 percent growth rate achieved between China and Malaysia, the runner-up in the ASEAN bloc. Hu Suo Jin stressed that this has been the historic best period in economic ties between the two countries, and Vietnams trade deficit with China is being worked on by both countries agencies. The Chinese embassys trade official also said it has worked with border provinces authorities to facilitate the import of Vietnamese agricultural produce into China. The reported jams at the border gates were not due to a lack of policy mechanisms by the two countries authorities, but simply due to overwhelming growth rate of commodity exchange between China and Vietnam, Jin said. Charge daffaires of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Yin Haihon also announced that there will be several high-level visits made in the latter half of the year, and pledged that the embassy will do its best to encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Vietnam. Thermopower concerns Also present at the press conference, Chen Lienqing, a representative from the State-owned China Southern Power Grid (CSG), responded to press queries on recent reports of black smoke billowing out of the chimney of Vinh Tan 1 thermopower plant in the southern province of Binh Thun. CSG, the main investor of the $1.75 billion power project in Vietnam, said the phenomenon was the result of blowing highly compressed air to clean the chimney, before the trial run of the second unit. Its also not smoke and it does not contain any toxic substances. The residue inside the chimney was blown up to 30m but quickly fell down to just 10m around the chimney and was quickly collected, Chen said. On account of the black smoke, Binh Thun Province Peoples Committee on Wednesday asked Vinh Tan 1 power plant to suspend its trial runs of the second unit, saying that the plant has not notified the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources or local authorities of its operation plan. According to the provinces authorities, the trial runs will only be resumed once the environment ministry acknowledges that the plants environment protection facilities are working in order. Provincial authorities also demanded the Vinh Tan company submit a detailed plan on its treatment of ash and slag in line with Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) guidelines which include planting trees around the tightly sealed ash impoundment sites and cleaning of ash on trucks going in and out of the plant. CSGs representative reiterated that the Vinh Tan 1 power project is the first to have been built by a Chinese investor under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, after 25 years of operation, the power plant will be transferred to the Vietnamese Government. All environmental protection measures have been carried out at the highest standards set by the two countries since its construction and the company welcomed inspection and monitoring by concerned authorities and local media, Lienqing said. Coal-fired thermopower plants are receiving mounting criticisms around the world over their environmental impact. Vinh Tan 1 company, however, claimed that it uses Vietnams high purity anthracite coal, which generates 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide less than other thermopower plants. The 1,240MW Vinh Tan 1 is expected to generate more than 7.2 billion kWh of electricity per year, increasing the southern regions electricity supply capacity and helping reduce its dependence on hydropower, especially in the dry season or during droughts Highlights include Larks Killer #11, Dog Soldiers, and Little Girl #3. Source: Devils Due BITCOIN COMIC HANDBOOK FEB181474 (W) Josh Blaylock (A/CA) Josh Blaylock The Bitcoin Comic is a guide to understanding the world's newest super tech and the profound changes it may make in the near future. Covering topics from a simple explanation as to what the heck Bitcoin is, how it works and where to buy it, all the way to a fun, almost sci-fi look at where we may be headed with it. Oh yeah, and will it make you a millionaire? That may depend on how you define your wealth. In Shops: Apr 25, 2018 SRP: $5.99 DOG SOLDIERS (MR) AUG181816 (W) Matthew Fillbach, Shawn Fillbach (A/CA) Shawn Fillbach, Matthew Fillbach John Price has returned home after multiple tours of duty in the Middle East only to fight another war inside of his own mind: PTSD. With the urging from a supportive doctor, John adopts a service dog named Sarge. Can the companionship of Sarge and the love of his girl, Maria, save John from his inner demons? With as many as 22 American veterans committing suicide every day, the Fillbach Brothers approach a crucially important American subject with drama, compassion, humor, and love. In Shops: Oct 10, 2018 SRP: $19.99 LARKS KILLER #11 AUG181818 (W) Bill Willingham (A) Shawn McManus (A/CA) Travis Moore "Old Friends." In which Brenar and Ulmore (the Great and Terrible) reunite, after too many years have gone by. Now, how does a washed up swordsman and a drunken, no good sorcerer help poor Lark get safe, get revenge, and get home? 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Little did he know that it would end with a madman in a mask threatening to destroy his life, and murder everyone he's ever loved. In Shops: TBD SRP: $18.99 When Barack Obama decided to turn 'British Petroleum' into a political weapon in 2010, after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, he neglected to mention the oil major was as much American as British. A series of takeovers including Sohio and Atlantic Richfield meant that BP was among the biggest inward investors in the US and controlled several of the outfits carved out of John D Rockefeller's Standard Oil. The targeting of BP eventually ended up costing investors 49billion in penalties and court settlements and drove the company into the arms of Russia through its Rosneft stake. BP's willingness to return to the country of its humiliation owes more than a little to the world's top bogeyman Donald Trump, says Alex Brummer The return of softly spoken, tall Texan Bob Dudley to the US must be regarded as a seminal moment. The 9billion purchase of BHP Billiton oil shale deposits across several Southern states is a homecoming. These things do not just happen. BP's willingness to return to the country of its humiliation owes more than a little to the world's top bogeyman Donald Trump. Since he arrived at the White House Trump has delivered on his promises to deregulate energy and to defang the Environmental Protection Agency, one of the attack dogs deployed by Obama. Moreover, the rise in the oil price to $70 a barrel means that shale extraction once again looks a good bet. BP potentially could send a note of thanks to activist Elliott, which has been hassling BHP to simplify operations and release value. BP has made a good deal, since the fields being acquired in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas are carried in BHP books at 10.5billion and originally cost 15billion when oil was trading at above $100 a barrel. The decision by BP to jump into the breach comes after a period of rapid consolidation among shale drillers, which has racked up 87billion of deals this year as regulatory obstacles were vaporised. BP's return to America is unlikely to endear it to green campaigners in the US or enhance claims among big oil companies to be pioneers in non-fossil fuels. Still, after the Deepwater Horizon experience, it is highly unlikely that Dudley and his team will be cutting any corners when it comes to safety or restoring Deep South wilderness to pristine condition. Off the pace Triathlete TSB chief executive Paul Pester ought to shift to Iron Man. In spite of a mauling from the Treasury Select Committee, a reprimand from Andrew Bailey at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and a just-revealed 176million hit from the IT meltdown, he refuses to be shifted from the chief executive suite. The most remarkable aspect of the worst IT debacle to hit any UK bank is how little difference it has made. Most customers look to have shrugged off the diabolically poor response, frauds and the inconvenience. 'Iron Man': TSB chief executive Paul Pester Some 26,000 of the bank's 5million customers picked up their marbles and walked in a period when TSB was doing no promotion, but it gained 20,000 people who opened accounts through branches. Pester says this is all due to the brilliance of his 'partners' by which he means employees but one suspects it has far more to do with the stickiness of consumers when it comes to shifting banks. Truth is, for all of Pester's upbeat bluster about staying on and promoting savings and mortgage offers again, he is far from being out of the woods. The commissioned probe by Slaughter & May will probably deliver a withering verdict. On top of this one expects the FCA to come down on TSB like a ton of bricks. Most significantly of all owners Sabadell thought they were buying into safe challenger bank when they bought TSB, far away from the chaotic politics of Catalonia. It has been badly let down, trust between London and Barcelona shattered and Sabadell has been plunged into loss and its valued online expertise plundered. Pester is not going to win this event. Brief encounter That was short-lived. Anne Richards was hailed as the asset management genius who would turn M&G into a great force when she was hired two years ago. Now with the Prudential doing the splits and her own role in the mini old school Pru looking diminished, she is doing her own split and heading off to be boss of Fidelity International amid claims of jobs done. How splendid. Every once in a while, a product comes along and plugs a hole in the market which, in hindsight, was so gaping you think Dash it, why on earth wasnt I in on that? With Fever-Tree tonic, Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow hit upon a concept which was so long overdue, so ripe for success, everyone was left wondering why no-one had thought of it yonks ago. They have coined a brand which is bold, brilliant and, best of all, British. And boy has it made them rich. Warrillow, who remains the firms chief executive, is estimated to be worth 167million. Rolls, now a hands-off non-executive deputy chairman, 209million. Invincible duo: Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow came together in 2003 The pair came together in 2003. Warrillow was a fresh-faced, 28-year-old former advertising executive looking for a new career direction. He wanted to launch a premium brand of gin and arranged to meet Rolls, who had successfully grown Plymouth Gin, for a cup of tea and some advice. The pair hit it off immediately. Within ten minutes, Rolls persuaded his new friend it wasnt yet another pricey gin the market needed. It was some decent tonic. He was right, of course. For a country where gin and tonic is like mothers milk, the mixers at the time were a national embarrassment. Our legion of gin drinkers was faced with a choice of syrupy Schweppes or, worse, some supermarket own-brand abomination. It helped that Rolls, a tweedy gent with silver Donald Sutherland locks, had a spare 1million on hand for a new venture after enjoying success relatively late in life. Having started out as a consultant, he had a crack at entrepreneurship selling exercise cycles. It didnt work. At 35, he was asked to be boss of struggling Plymouth Gin in return for a 25 per cent share of the business. It was a great brand but brewers couldnt shift it. Rolls sunk his savings into a new recipe and redesigned the bottle. By 2000, he was flogging 80,000 cases. Absolut Vodka pitched up and bought it for 25million. He bought himself a boat and a plane he owns a beautiful Piper Seneca V but soon hankered after another challenge. In Warrillow, a cheery cove with a toothy smile and Sloane Rangers wardrobe, he discovered a like-minded soul with endearing enthusiasm and a youthful exuberance. Since tonic takes up more than half of your evening sharpener, they agreed they would concoct a mixer to outdo all others. Tales abound of their Dr Livingstone-style treks over the following 18 months to discover the right ingredients. Bitter orange oil was found in Tanzania. Green ginger in Ecuador. For the tonics key component quinine (harvested from the bark of the cinchona, the so-called fever tree) they travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, wads of money stuffed firmly in their socks. Passing through a checkpoint, Warrillow had the muzzle of an AK-47 poked in his face. Marketing jibber-jabber? Of course. But having rediscovered our tastebuds in the past 20 years, us Brits, with our new-found Jamie Oliver obsession with ingredients, absolutely lapped it up. Within six months, Waitrose, who some brands spend years persuading to stock their goods, were the ones chasing them. Almost unheard of. The business has been on the up and up ever since. Growth has exceeded expectations almost year on year. In 2014, they floated the company at 134p a share. Today they are twenty-seven times that figure. Both are married with four children apiece. Warrillow lives in Putney with wife Gemma. Rolls is in a waterfront home in Chichester with wife Jan, a cookery writer who is niece of English Patient author Michael Ondaatje. This week, Fever-Tree announced half-year sales had reached 104.2million, up from 71.9million during the same period in 2017. Fifteen years since they first met in that Chelsea cafe, Warrillow and Rolls perennial good news story shows no sign of losing its fizz. TSB swung to a hefty half-year loss after a botched IT upgrade that impacted 2 million customers cost the bank 176.4m. BT profits surged a healthy 68 per cent to 704m in the last three months, despite a slight sales slide. Meanwhile BP has struck a $10.5bn deal with BHP Billiton for its oil assets. And, across the pond, Amazon unboxed its biggest ever quarterly earnings - 1.9bn. Telecoms giant BT said growing numbers of EE mobile customers and cost savings helped spur profits in its first quarter. The British behemoths bottom line lifted 1 per cent to 1.8bn in the last three months, while sales fell 2 per cent. Despite pressure on BTs broadband business, its EE mobile unit proved resilient, with mobile customer numbers rising 4 per cent. Last month, BT said that its chief executive Gavin Patterson would step down, after he lost the faith of shareholders. British Telecom's headquarters are in London but the firm hires 900,000 across 61 countries Patterson announced 13,000 jobs cuts in May as part of an ambitious 1.5bn cost savings programme, but the move left investors cold and prompted the ongoing search for his successor. Today, in what could be his final market update, Patterson said the firm was making positive progress. We are making positive progress against our strategy. Our customer experience metrics continue to improve and we have seen the successful launch of new converged products including BT Plus, he said. In the update, which exceeded expectations, BT reaffirmed its guidance for the year that sales will fall 2 per cent and profits will come in between 7.3 and 7.4bn. However, some City watchers are concerned that BT still has many plates to spin in before it can drive progress. Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said BT has been a work in progress for some considerable time. Of course, the hope is that the new boss will transform the prospects of the lumbering, if not slumbering, beast which BT had become. Earlier this month, more than a third of shareholders voted against outgoing boss Gavin Patterson's remuneration package 'The scale of the task ahead should not be underestimated. There is continuing pressure on cash flow - Wholesale and Openreach reported declines in adjusted earnings - whilst the pensions situation lurks in the background. The lack of significant progress in recent years has finally led a decision that the CEO needs to be replaced, and there are a host of competitors waiting to make life hard for BT, particularly in the fibre networks space. Likewise, Graham Spooner, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: For now, there are clearly still challenges on a number of fronts so the shares are no better than a hold. Shares rose 3.6 per cent on the news, but BTs price has fallen 28 per cent over the last year and around 45 per cent in the last two years. Shares in Rightmove didn't follow its 'gravity-defying' results yesterday, as analysts sounded a note of caution over a weakening housing market. Though the online property portal saw its profit soar by 12 per cent over the first half of the year to 98.2million, shares slipped by 3.1 per cent, or 158p, to 4934p. Rightmove said it had 1.2million properties advertised on its portal, significantly more than any other, while house-hunters spent a total of 1.1billion minutes per month on the website. Share price fall: Rightmove fell today despite posting 12% rise in profits Jefferies analyst Anthony Codling said the results 'defy gravity again', at a time when estate agents are facing challenging markets and tightening their belts. But Hargreaves Lansdown's Nicholas Hyett warned the company needed to beware of placing too much pressure on the estate agents it relies on. All adverts on Rightmove's site have to come from an agency, rather than individuals. Rightmove charges those agents on a per-office basis, so Hyett pointed out that office closures could be a particular concern. He said: 'Rightmove simply is the UK property market. If you're buying a property it's the first place you go. 'It's all very well arguing that estate agents have no choice but to pay, but if conditions don't improve some will find they still can't. Rightmove may have found the goose that lays the golden egg, but it needs to make sure it doesn't squeeze it too hard.' Despite Rightmove's fall, the FTSE 100 ended up 0.50 per cent, or 38.14 points, at 7701.31, as sizeable gains for Reckitt Benckiser and BT Group propped up the index. At the close of a busy reporting week for blue-chip companies, the index failed to climb back to Tuesday's peak and lost 3.5 per cent of its value over the week. Fund manager Jupiter continued the disappointing trend for UK investment firms, as it had 3.1 per cent, or 13.5p, shaved off its share price to end the day at 429.3p. It announced a hefty 2.3billion flowed out in the first half of the year, as investors withdrew cash. Nearly all of these outflows were from one product, the dynamic bond fund, as a reversal in the popularity of bonds saw customers pull out more than a quarter of its current 7billion value. Earlier this week, Schroders' shares fell 4 per cent as it reported slower growth and though Rathbones climbed marginally when it reported its half-year results on Wednesday, its shares are now 5.7 per cent lower than last Friday. Over at housebuilder Bellway, long-serving chief executive Ted Ayres was forced to stand down after a bout of ill health. The 55-year-old, who had been at the business for 16 years, five as the boss, had been on a leave of absence for almost a year. Bellway decided to bump up its chief operating officer Jason Honeyman to fill the post. Shares stayed relatively flat as they lost a marginal 0.1 per cent, or 2p, to 2905p. Posh chocolate shop Hotel Chocolat was enticing investors, as it hinted that its treats were going down well in Scandinavia. The business said it was selling its three shops in Denmark to franchisee Retail Brands, which would roll out the brand across Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Hotel Chocolat retained the option to buy the business back after five years, but the price will be dependent on how well the franchise performs. Shares climbed 5.3 per cent, or 17.5p, to 347.5p. The largest UK-based musical instrument retailer, Gear4Music, struck a chord with investors as it climbed 2.7 per cent, or 18p, to 676p. Chief executive Andrew Wass said that 'revenue growth continues to be strong into what is a highly competitive market'. Oil giant BP is splashing out 8billion on thousands of acres of land containing 4.6billion barrels of oil and gas in the United States. It is snapping up miner BHP Billiton's shale operations in Texas and Louisiana in its biggest deal in 20 years, with bosses and analysts saying it would transform the business. The wells in the oil-rich Permian, Eagle Ford and Haynesville basins produce around 190,000 barrels of oil a day. The deal puts BP at the heart of the boom in production from US shale rock The deal puts BP at the heart of the boom in production from US shale rock that has upended global markets, putting the US on course to become a net oil exporter by 2025. Bernard Looney, head of BP upstream, said: 'It's a transformative deal. It gives us access to what we believe are some of the very best acreage and the very best basins. It takes us into the very heart of the most talked about oil play today.' The deal marks a major turning point for BP after years of retrenchment following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Some 11 people died when a rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, costing the company around 49billion. BP has swooped for 5,500 drilling locations across 470,000 acres of land in a major bet on assets that BHP had to offload under pressure from shareholders after blowing billions. BHP bought at the peak of the oil boom in 2011 and invested heavily until the oil price collapsed. Doubts have been raised over whether growth in the Permian basin will slow as the pipes and other equipment aren't being built fast enough. David Lawler, boss of BP's US Lower 48 onshore oil and gas explorer, said his teams had spent the last four years improving how efficiently they get oil and gas out of the rocks. The oil price has also risen to around $70 per barrel. He said: 'We have some very talented teams. We have really modernised the organisation so we can compete with the US onshore players. We are ready to take on this challenge.' Looney added: 'We believe that they are very high quality resources in terms of returns.' BP is paying for the wells in cash, of which about half will be raised by issuing shares. It will then sell about 4.5billion worth of other assets to buy back shares in return. Bosses also announced a rise in its quarterly dividend to shareholders, paying out 10.25 cents per share, up by 2.5 per cent, its first increase in 15 quarters. BP beat rivals including Shell and Chevron to clinch its biggest deal since buying Atlantic Richfield Co in 1999. Chief executive Bob Dudley said: 'This is a major step in delivering our Upstream strategy and a world-class addition to BP's distinctive portfolio.' BP's profits jumped 71 per cent during the first three months of the year to 1.9billion and it started seven projects during 2017, including gas production in Egypt and Oman. Shares have climbed nearly 60 per cent since lows of around 322p following Deepwater Horizon. Maxim Petrov, senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said: 'This transforms BP's US business it will immediately raise its US production by almost a fifth while providing competitive returns and volumes growth.' Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch Disney has won shareholder backing for its blockbuster 54.3billion takeover of most of 21st Century Fox. Foxs own shareholders gave the deal the go-ahead as media tycoon Rupert Murdoch looks to sell the Fox empire. Assets being bought by Disney in the cash and shares deal include Foxs film studio and some of its best-known TV networks. Disney will also get Foxs 39.1 per cent stake in UK TV firm Sky. Two major global car rental companies have been caught changing their prices depending on where drivers are from. An investigation has found Europcar and Avis charge British customers more to hire a car abroad than drivers from Afghanistan, India and Australia. Industry experts have branded the price differences a 'rip off' for Brits, while both firms insist the variation in prices are 'dynamic and market-driven'. The probe revealed Europcar bill Britons 124 to hire a Holden Spark in New Zealand for five days. For motorists from Afghanistan, India or Australia it costs just 95. Avis were also caught charging British drivers 150 to hire a Toyota Yaris in New Zealand for five days, while Afghan, German and Indian customers only had to pay 98. The differences in price only emerge if you are using the generic international site and fill in a form to say where you are from. But by using the local, UK-specific site instead of the global one, Brits can save money and avoid any discrepancies. A screenshot shows Europcar bill Britons 124 to hire a Holden Spark in New Zealand for five days. For motorists from Afghanistan, India or Australia it costs just 95 A screengrab shows the price of hiring the same car over the same time period in New Zealand for customers from Afghanistan or India (125 USD or 95) Drivers in Germany would be charged even more than ones in Britain with Europcar - 125 for the same time period - and drivers based in America would pay 119. Nic McBride, of consumer group 'A Spokesman Said', added: 'This is an absolute rip off, no two ways about it. 'Why should someone's country determine the price they pay for the exact same product? 'As for 'dynamic pricing' - we conducted multiple quotes over various days and the difference between countries was present each time. 'Consumers are left unaware of price variations because they have to use the.com website to reveal them. 'Instead, most people are directed to a country specific site like.co.uk, where the prices appear the same regardless of what country you put as your residence.' The difference in price comes from one section on the rental car company websites, which asks drivers where they are from. But it only emerges if drivers use 'incognito' mode on their browser and use the international website rather than the country-specific one. Avis were also caught charging British drivers 150 (218 New Zealand dollars) to hire a Toyota Yaris in New Zealand for four days Afghan, German and Indian customers only had to pay 98 (143 New Zealand dollars) for the same car over the same period in New Zealand Britons visiting the USA would pay cheaper rates than their international counterparts from Germany, who would be charged 258. Drivers booking from Australia and India would both be charged 283, and motorists booking from Japan would pay 285, if they visited Washington DC for five days and hired a Toyota Yaris from Europcar. And international visitors to the UK found themselves facing the same fluctuating prices depending on where they live. Someone booking a Fiat 500 from Europcar for five days, collecting and returning it to Heathrow, would fork out 161 if they chose America as their location when they made the booking. But drivers booking from Australia would be able to hire the same car for 130. Someone booking from India, Japan, and Afghanistan would be charged 134. But those booking from Germany, Italy, France and Spain would be charged 125 for the five days with Europcar. A screenshot shows a Europcar customer from India would be charged just 95 (8,620 Indian rupees) to hire a Holden Spark in New Zealand for five days, while Brits would pay 124 Renting with Avis, a Fiat 500 hired for five days would cost someone choosing Germany, Italy, or France as their location 99. Someone arranging it from America would be charged the least, at 73, while somoene from Australia would pay 79. Those booking from India, Japan, and Afghanistan would pay the highest rates of 128. Avis was also caught charging different rates for international travellers coming to the UK. Hiring a Fiat 500 for five days would cost someone booking from America 73 and someone booking from Australia 79. But those booking from Germany, Italy, and France would have to pay 99. Drivers in Germany would be charged even more than ones in Britain with Europcar - 125 (140 euros) for the same time period - and drivers based in America would pay 119 Once again, those booking from India, Japan, and Afghanistan would pay the highest rates of 128. A spokesman for Europcar said: 'The price may be different, even if it's just a few minutes between each search, because Europcar's dynamic pricing means that rates are never static. 'The other point is that all bookings are quoted in the local currency of the country which will also change the price.' The company offered no explanation as to why the local currency of each country would affect the overall price once adjusted. A spokesman for Avis said: 'Similar to airline and hotel pricing, car rental pricing is market-driven and very dynamic. 'Many factors determine price, including level of demand, cost of service and currency exchange rates. 'Travel companies may offer promotional rates to take advantage of growing markets or other fluctuations in demand, or simply to respond to competitive pricing.' MBABANE Do not be surprised when you to learn that a single grave is now used for multiple burials in the capital city. This unfamiliar burial practice is one of those Mbabane Mayor Zephaniah Nkambule encouraged Mbabane residents to consider, following that the city burial space was running out. Nkambule said this during the official completion of Mahwalala Cemetery yesterday. The cemetery measures 81 hectares and will be the new burial area for the city, following that Mangwaneni and Sidwashini are now full. Nkambule said running out of space presented a challenge for all communities to rethink age old burial practices and open their minds to new ones that could help them preserve space. He asked the residents to embrace new burial practices like cremation and having multiple burials in a single grave. He acknowledged that the suggested practices were foreign and hard to embrace at first. Nkambule said repeatedly driving campaigns that sought to change peoples mindsets would ensure impressive results and subsequently change attitude towards the new practices. He asked burial homes and insurance companies to partner with the Municipal Council of Mbabane and be agents of change. Acting Ludzidzini Governor Lusendvo Fakudze, said bakaNgwane had their own burial space where they removed remains to bury another person. He said this during an interview yesterday. Fakudze said it was evident that burial space was running out everywhere and cremation could be one of the solutions. He said even in neighbouring countries people were concerned about burial land and had embraced the methods suggested by Nkambule. He said the countrys authorities had to be approached for guidance on the matter. Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza said he had heard the call for a paradigm shift for communities to realise that local government authorities were faced with a serious challenge of burial space. Mabuza, speaking at the event, attributed this to the rural urban migration phenomenon. The challenge is great and is only going to intensify going forward, Mabuza said. The minister said almost all emaSwati originated from rural areas and relocated to urban areas for a better life and employment opportunities. He said some people had established homes in urban areas and would die and be buried there, adding that this then puts extreme pressure on the cemeteries in urban areas. He warned that it was up to municipal councils to make the public more receptive to new burial ways, while being mindful of peoples of beliefs and matters of human dignity. MBABANE A burnt body of a woman was found in a shallow grave shortly after she was lured to Lomahasha by two men who were allegedly in a love relationship her. The body of Nozipho Dlamini (34) was discovered at Mpundvwini Mountain by a group of men who were searching for beehives. Patrick Mahlalela said they saw something protruding from the ground and suspected that it was the hand of a monkey. He said they tried to pull it out but discovered that it was an arm of a human being. The incident happened at Matfuntini in the Lubombo Region in 2016. The veracity of these allegations, which are contained in an indictment, is still to be tested in court. Dlamini had travelled to Matfuntini from her parental homestead in Hlatikulu after she was allegedly invited by Vusi Magagula, who was a kombi driver, to visit him. Magagula is one of the men who were allegedly in a love relationship with Dlamini. The other man is allegedly Zama Simelane of Mbelebeleni under Chief Mtfonga. Magagula alleged that he proposed love to Dlamini after she separated from Simelane. The conductor in the kombi that was driven by Magagula, Tsepo Gamedze of Mambane in the Lubombo Region, alleged that he knew about the relationship between Magagula and Dlamini as she would visit him from time to time. According to the conductor, while Dlamini and Magagula were relaxing in the kombi, she received a call from a man and the latter was infuriated. Magagula dialled the number to establish who the caller was and he discovered that it was Simelane. Gamedze stated that Magagula and Simelane arranged to meet at a later date to discuss the issue of being allegedly double-crossed by Dlamini. The conductor alleged that the two men met and discussed the matter in Magagulas kombi and hatched a plan to lure Dlamini to Lomahasha to sort her out for making fools out of them. Magagula, according to Gamedze, allegedly volunteered to call Dlamini and invite her to visit him. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Improved liquidity conditions, taking into consideration private sector deposit flows and banks access to financial markets The European Central Bank lowered the ceiling on emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) Greek banks draw from the domestic central bank by 1.9 billion euros to 8.4 billion euros, the Bank of Greece said on Thursday, according to Reuters. Greek banks have relied on emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) since February 2015 after being cut off from the ECBs funding window. Emergency funding is more costly than borrowing directly from the ECB. Read more at ekathimerini.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: DaveOinSF~commonswiki License: CC-BY-SA Greece is a very beautiful country and it is important to say this to all the media, people must come here and see how beautiful it is, Fergie said Sarah, Duchess of York has offered her unmitigated support and promised to assist in efforts to provide relief to those affected by the deadly Attica fires in a meeting on Wednesday with Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura in Athens, ANA reports. The British writer, film and television producer and former wife of British royal Prince Andrew, who is actively involved in charity work, expressed her deep sorrow and sympathy for the tragedy that has struck Greece and said she will provide every possible help. Sarah Ferguson @SarahTheDuchess In deepest sympathy to all families in the tragedy of the fires in Greece. Thank you to @ElenaKountoura, the Greek people and services who are working tirelessly in such difficult circumstances #Athens #Greece RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report They put a sign in the entrance of their fire station saying, Our hearts and our prayers go to Greece in the Greek language with latin characters Australian firemen voiced their grief for the fire victims in East Attica and showed their support to fellow firefighters in Greece. We are thinking of everyone being affected by the fires in Greece. Big respects to our brother and sister firefighters doing their best to save and protect those in need, the Newtown, New South Wales firemen noted on Twitter. They also put a sign in the entrance of their fire station saying, Our hearts and our prayers go to Greece in the Greek language with latin characters. Read more at greekreporter.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report ATHENS he National Bank of Greece opened a relief account for the victims of the wildfires in Attica this week, through the banks crowdfunding platform act4Greece. General Manager of Retail Banking of National Bank of Greece Mrs. Nelli Tzakou talked to The National Herald about the new banks initiative to help needy people who are victims of the recent wildfires. Mrs. Tzakou stated: During the previous couple of days, fast-moving wildfires near Athens have killed over 80 people and have forced thousands of residents to flee in cars and buses, on foot, aboard boats and on makeshift rafts. In desperation, some people plunged into the Aegean waters and tried to swim to safety. Gale-force winds have fanned a pair of fires that tore through seaside areas, leaving behind a trail of charred homes, burned out cars and smoldering farms, while wrapping the region in a pall of smoke. Emergency services are stretched to capacity, as more than 600 firefighters and 250 fire engines were deployed to the sites of the two largest fires, in and around Rafina, about 20 miles east of Athens, and Kineta, about 30 miles west of the capital. Many citizens have volunteered and many companies have provided support through various means. National Bank of Greece has traditionally been and should be in the forefront of the relief efforts. To that, we have opened an account to be used as a relief fund. The account will be part of a larger initiative to be registered with our crowdfunding platform act4Greece (acc 080/ 006855-14 (: GR6501100800000008000685514 / BIC: ETHNGRAA) , where every citizen can contribute. The act4Greece program is a pioneering initiative for the promotion of social and developmental banking. An online platform enables the gathering of resources from anyone interested, wherever they may be in the world. The resources are then directed to specific projects undertaken by implementing bodies. The amount raised will be used to provide immediate medical assistance, as well as food and shelter to those in need. Furthermore within the next year it will be used to reconstruct critical infrastructure such as public schools, hospitals, elderly homes, as well as reconstruct the damaged ecosystem of the area. To that we are already in close cooperation with the relevant municipalities. Read more at thenationalherald.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York fundraiser will be held on July 27. Photo: The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York ASTORIA The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York announced on July 24 an open meeting on raising funds for Greece which will be held on Friday, July 27 at the Stathakion Center 22-51 29th Street in Astoria. We all have seen the results of the devastating fire that plagued Attiki, Greece. The Federation of Hellenic Societies and its members, with the help of the Greek community and all of the tristate area will do our best to help the people that are now suffering, said Federation President Cleanthis Maimaroglou. The Federation has created a bank account at Atlantic Bank for donations and online donations can also be made on the Federations website: hellenicsocieties.org. More information is also available by phone: 718-204-6500. Read more at thenationalherald.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Messages of support for Greece from Turkey have also flooded the social media, where the hashtag #Yunanistan (the Turkish name for Greece) was among the top global trends Hundreds of Turkish citizens rallied outside the historic building housing the Consulate General of Greece in Izmir with candles, placards and flowers in a show of support for the country following the devastating fires and their heavy death toll, ANA reports. Greece's Consul General Argyro Papoulia posted pictures of Izmir Turks and members of trade unions that gathered outside the consulate on Thursday night with a banner that read "Hold on neighbours", copying a front-page headline run by the Greek newspaper "Eleftherotypia" on August 17, 1999 after a disastrous earthquake in Turkey. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Ingo Mehling License: CC-BY-SA You can opt out of certain types of cookies (e.g. those used in social media sharing) by choosing "I do not accept". The website will still largely function well, but with slightly less functionality in places. To manage your cookie preferences in future, visit the "Cookie Statement" link at the bottom of any page. | By Malissa Carroll Nearly 200 community members, health care providers, and researchers came together at the University of Maryland BioPark on July 20 to celebrate PATIENTS Day. The interactive health fair offered attendees an opportunity to learn from and teach each other how to create and sustain healthy individuals and communities in West Baltimore and nationwide. It was hosted by the Patient-Centered Involvement in Evaluating the Effectiveness of Treatments (PATIENTS) Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP). One of the most valuable lessons our team has learned is that health is more than physical wellness it is a state of well-being, says C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research and director of the PATIENTS Program at UMSOP. PATIENTS Day takes what we have learned about building healthy communities and combines it with what we want community members to know about their health, the PATIENTS Program, and our partners. Daniel Frye, JD, left, spoke about his experience as a blind patient participating in research during a panel moderated by Michelle Medeiros, MS, MA, CCRP, director of research for the PATIENTS Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, right. The half-day event featured three panel discussions that highlighted some of the physical, mental, and social factors that impact community members health. Panelists included entrepreneur Robert Wallace, MBA, who recently was appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan to the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland, and poet Kondwani Fidel. They were among speakers who took on an ambitious topic: Health 360: Baltimore Authors Discuss How to Create Health and Wellness in Every Area of Your Life. There also were conversations focused on the communitys perspective of research. We as a community want to give back, said Daniel Frye, JD, vice president for public sector engagement strategy at Aira Tech Corp, who spoke about his experience as a blind patient participating in research. We want to render the world in which we live a better place, and were happy to do it if were embraced and welcomed by those who are interested enough to do the work in a way that is respectful of who we are. Baltimores own Ernestine Shepherd who, at age 82, has achieved international fame as Guinness World Records Worlds Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder, shared how the unexpected loss of her sister inspired her to take her fitness journey to the next level. We wanted to inspire others to live a healthy, happy lifestyle by exercising, said Shepherd. My sister asked me, If something happened to me, could you continue what were doing? Little did I know that she was already sick. She had a brain aneurysm, and when she died, I knew I had to continue on, as she wanted. However, it was the panel discussion highlighting the impact of gun violence on the health of Baltimores residents and neighborhoods that elicited the most impassioned response from attendees, with panelists sharing their experiences growing up in neighborhoods affected by this tragic epidemic. I was 12 the first time that I was awakened by gunshots, recalled Erricka Bridgeford, mediator and community organizer for Baltimore CeaseFire 365. When I was younger, I assumed this must be what people like me and neighborhoods like mine deserved. You dont realize that violence is a symptom of the oppressive systems that are happening to your neighborhood. You just think theres something wrong with the people in your neighborhood. She added, It has been a constant, intimate journey with violence and murder, but what Im learning is that murder doesnt get to have the last say, my resilience does. Attendees also were invited to take advantage of free blood pressure and HIV screenings, as well as learn more about other support services to empower them to take charge of their health. There are a lot of health disparities in Baltimore, so it was great to have this opportunity to attend PATIENTS Day and learn more about resources that we can share with our patients, said Marquita Carroll, a community health worker at the University Health Center Clinic. We want to get this knowledge out to the community to help our patients live healthier lives. The PATIENTS Program partners with patients and care providers to answer questions about the best treatment options to improve health and quality of life. Funded through a five-year infrastructure development grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the program conducts and funds patient-centered outcomes research, which aims to engage people from all communities particularly those from underserved populations in every step of the research process. Dhaka, July 27 (UNI) Bangladesh Awami League (AL) president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday alleged her arch rivals Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami would just destroy the Bangladesh with their unbridled looting and corruption if they return to power as they did in the past." "They'll just eat up the country through their looting if they get back to power...there'll be no change in people's fate," she said. The Prime Minister said this when leaders and activists of ALs voluntary wing Awami Swechchhasebak League met her on the occasion of the founding anniversary of their affiliated body at the prime ministers official residence Ganabhaban in the capital. United Nations, July 26 (UNI) Major progress has been made on preparations for the upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but conditions for a level playing field are not yet in place, said the most senior United Nations official based in the country. While significant progress has been made to respect the stages of the calendar process, the electoral process continues to suffer from suspicion and mistrust between the majority and the opposition, and, between the opposition and the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Leila Zerrougui, the UN Special Representative for the country and head of the Stabilization Mission, MONUSCO, told the Security Council on Thursday. She noted that preparations have reached an important turning point with the opening, on Wednesday, of candidate reception offices for presidential and legislative elections, due to take place on December 23. Johannesburg, July 27 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reiterated Indias unstinted support to African nations. In his address at BRICS Outreach dialogue here, Mr. Modi informed that in the past four years India has prioritized development and peace in Africa. Pointing out how India has lent a helping hand to developing countries across the world, Mr. Modi said: ``We have designated 180 line of credits worth 11 billion dollars which are continuing in more than 40 countries. Indian private sector has invested 54 billion dollars in the African countries. Emphasising on fostering peace and development in the African counties, Mr. Modi said Indias ties with Africa were deep and historic. The Prime Minister said that his government has accorded top priority to Indias efforts directed at promoting development, peace and freedom in Africa. ``Our economic relations and cooperation for development have touched new heights in the past four years through more than 100 visits and meetings at the level of Heads of State and Government, he said. He said that every year 8000 African students were being given scholarships in India and capacity building was continuing in 48 African nations through e-network and telemedicine. Lauding the initiative of African Continental Free Trade Area, Mr Modi said also welcomed manifold efforts in Africa for regional economic integration. He said that free trade and commerce had pulled out hundreds of millions from poverty over the past three decades. He said taking the fruits of globalization and development to the people was an important component of this process. However, he cautioned that the basic structure of globalization was under threat from forces of protectionism. Prime Minister Modi said:``We are again at a historic turn of events as digital revolution was creating new possibilities. This is all the more important that we ready ourselves for the changes that will be ushered in due to automation, artificial intelligence and big data analytics. It will be necessary for us to invest in skilled workforce and digital infrastructure. He said that inclusive global value chains, workers mobility, portable social security frameworks and efficient remittance corridors are also being given priority. Under the South-South Cooperation, he said, Indias foreign policy has given an important place for sharing its experiences of development with other developing nations for technical cooperation, training and capacity building. Mr. Modi said that India has been giving financial support to developing nations in accordance with their needs and priorities in upgrading infrastructure and supporting efforts in sectors like power, agriculture, education, health, Information Technology. ``India will continue to accord priority to sharing its development experience with other developing nations in future as well, he declared. UNI VT/ 1710 Constitutional developments post Art 370 revocation leading to integration of J&K with rest of India: Speakers 27 Oct 2021 | 12:59 AM Jammu, Oct 26 (UNI) Highlighting the role Jammu and Kashmir in the civilizational development of India, Prafulla Ketkar, Editor Organiser (Weekly) on Tuesday said that the constitutional developments in Jammu and Kashmir after August 5, 2019 (Art 370 revocation) are strengthening the process of democratization and leading towards integration of J&K with rest of India. see more.. Pune Collector organises Vigilance Awareness Week' 27 Oct 2021 | 12:59 AM Pune, Oct 26 (UNI) In an anti-corruption drive, Pune Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh on Tuesday launched Vigilance Awareness Week' which will continue till November 1. see more.. Gunthewari demolitions paused due to partys agitation: Aurangabad Congress 27 Oct 2021 | 12:58 AM Aurangabad (Maharashtra), Oct 26 (UNI) The Congress here on Tuesday claimed that the state government relented before the partys agitation hence paused the demolition drive of gunthewari structures. see more.. HP Bypoll: Election Commission bans exit poll till Oct 30 27 Oct 2021 | 12:57 AM Shimla, Oct 26 (UNI) Chief Electoral Officer, Himachal Pradesh, C. Palrasu said that pre-poll or exit polls by the print or electronic media till polling day on October 30 has been banned. see more.. Kampala, July 27 (UNI) The Constitutional Court in Uganda has cleared the way for President Yoweri Museveni to stand for a sixth term if he wants to, said a BBC World Service report on Friday. It upheld a constitutional amendment, approved by parliament in December, to scrap the presidential age limit of 75. Mr Museveni, who is 73, has led Uganda for more than 30 years. He has been in power since 1986. Back in 2014 we shot down to Louisiana to meet up with leaders of the UTV mud riding culture, Scott Smith and his High Lifter family to experience what the Mud Life was all about! What we learned is that we are all victims of our own environments. While mudding is a foreign and at times taboo form of off-road for many outside of the south, for them its a way of life! READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM THIS EPIC ADVENTURE HERE: https://www.utvunderground.com/muddin-with-high-lifter-in-louisiana-21039.html The mud riding lifestyle is something we have been intrigued by now for many years. While many in the sport dont understand why anyone would want to build a bad ass RZR only to sink it in the mud, there is a whole bunch of enthusiasts who cant imagine doing anything but that! To find out why this genre of UTV riding is taking off, UTVUnderground.com took a trip to Louisiana and hooked up with our friend Scott Smith and his crazy crew of muddin buddies at High Lifter to see just what makes this lifestyle so much fun. What we found out is, its not only what they do, its who they are that make muddin so much fun! Be sure to subscribe to this channel and LIKE our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/utvunderground https://www.twitter.com/utvunderground https://www.instagram.com/utvunderground 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED // A UTVUNDERGROUND PRODUCTION Polaris Industries is not responsible for the content in this video. Polaris RZR is a registered trademark of Polaris Industries Inc. Adult models 16 and older. Be sure to get safety training. The vehicle displayed in this video is not intended for on-road use. Driver must be 16 years old with a valid drivers license. Passenger must be 12 years old, and tall enough to use hand holds and plant feet firmly on floor. Always use cab nets, wear seatbelts, helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Do not operate on public roads. Avoid excessive speeds, sharp turns, and difficult terrain. Riding and alcohol/drugs dont mix! Never carry more than the appropriate amount of passengers. Follow all warnings/instructions in owners manuals and on product. UTVUnderground and their affiliates are not responsible for injuries that may occur from emulating or copying the riding, driving, or stunts performed in this video. Visit www.rohva.org for more information on safe operation off-road vehicles. Eight UW Students to Test Themselves in Gannett Peak Excursion Course Students in Mark Jenkins Gannett Expedition summer course climb one of the couloirs in the Snowy Range to prepare for their summit climb of Gannett Peak beginning this weekend. (Mark Jenkins Photo) In most college classes, its up to the individual student to decide how hard he or she wants to work to obtain a desired grade. When you climb Gannett Peak, its a whole different ballgame. In almost every other class at UW, it doesnt really affect you personally if your fellow classmate is doing well or performing poorly -- she could get an F in the course, and you could still get an A. In mountaineering, youre only as good, and as safe, as the person youre tied to, says Mark Jenkins, University of Wyoming writer-in-residence, adventurer and course instructor. Each student is dependent on all the others to have the necessary skills to catch a fall or stop a slide. There are mortal consequences for even small mistakes. Starting tomorrow (July 28), Jenkins leads eight students in the culmination of a six-credit summer course, where ascending Wyomings highest point -- the 13,809-foot Gannett Peak in the Wind River Range -- will serve as the final exam. This is the second summer he has offered the Gannett Expedition course. The team has trained now for two months, practicing snow-climbing techniques, running stairs and humping heavy packs uphill. So, theyre physically and technically ready to climb Gannett, but nothing is guaranteed in mountaineering, says Jenkins, a renowned mountaineer, UW graduate and field staff writer for National Geographic. Last year, we were just down from the summit when it started snowing hard. There are so many variables -- snow conditions, precipitation, wind, cold and altitude. You always need a little luck to summit. To prepare, students spent 40 hours in class learning geomorphology, glaciology, alpine ecosystems, and map and compass. Students spent close to another 40 hours in the field, learning to climb rock and snow. This is technical mountaineering training with ropes, rock shoes, ice axes and crampons. Then, the students had two months of physical training where they ran hills or stairs at least three times a week throughout the summer. Because of its distance from a trailhead, Gannett Peak is the most remote of all of the 50 states high points -- even more than Alaskas Denali, the tallest U.S. peak at 20,310 feet above sea level. In addition to the lengthy hike carrying 50-pound packs, the group must traverse the glacier and use ice axes, crampons and other gear to reach the summit. Last year, the group climbed Gannett Peak from the east side, coming in from Dubois. This year, the group will attempt the mountain from the west side, entering from Green River Lakes. They hope to ascend either the north face or the west face, depending on conditions. Jenkins says this approach will be more difficult. From the east, there is a trail all the way to Dinwoody Glacier. From the west, we have almost 10 miles of rock hopping and boulder scrambling, Jenkins explains. The snow on the upper portion of the mountain also is steeper from the west and north. Students look upward as they climb one of the couloirs in the Snowy Range as part of their training for Gannett Peak this weekend. (Mark Jenkins Photo) The students participating, listed by majors and hometowns, are: -- Brittney Buckler, a senior Spanish and elementary education major from Sheridan. -- Ryan Burns, a senior geography major from Laramie. Burns says this will be a good experience because he hopes to make a living exploring Earths untrammeled places. -- Sarah Devine, a senior marketing major from Cheyenne. I took this class because it was a major personal growth opportunity and also a bucket list item of mine, Devine says. -- Kaley Holyfield, a senior business management major from Montrose, Colo. Its not every day you get to learn from two experienced mountaineers, make great friends and climb the highest peak in Wyoming, Holyfield says. Signing up for this class was a no-brainer. What were learning this summer is invaluable. -- Nick King, a junior wildlife and fisheries biology and management major from Cheyenne. This class gave me an opportunity to do something I wouldnt have normally tried, he says. -- Devan LaMere, a junior nursing major from Jackson. Why not get college credit to learn how to do something Ive always wanted to do? she says. -- Joseph Bailey Moore, a computer science and environmental systems science major from Clifton Park, N.Y. Moore says the class allows him to learn the necessary skills so he can experience the freedom of the hills. -- Danny Stanley, a junior majoring in both biology, and environmental and natural resources from Wakanda, Ill. For the second consecutive summer, the group will be accompanied by guide Bridget Belliveau, of Beartooth Mountain Guides, based in Red Lodge, Mont. But the students will pack and cook their own food, and haul their own camping and climbing gear. The end goal is for students to be capable of planning and executing their own mountaineering trip, Jenkins says. He explains this knowledge can be broken down into four categories: academic, physical, technical and field. Academic covers basic geomorphology, glaciology and alpine ecosystems. Physical is essentially training your body to go uphill for long periods of time with a heavy pack, Jenkins says. Technical is learning how to belay, catch a fall, perform various crampon and ice axe techniques, and self-arrest. Field is to put it all together -- the weather, the snow conditions, the morale of the team, the strength of the team, the technical ability of the team, the number of hours of daylight, the aspect of the slope or wall, everything. In the field, the most important skill is knowing when to turn around. Conquering a summit is an experience Jenkins believes students will carry with them throughout their lives. There are so few real consequences for mistakes in everyday life. We are surrounded by a vast safety net, he says. In the mountains, you must recognize the consequences of your actions and learn to make difficult decisions under difficult circumstances. This ability transfers over to the most seminal moments in life. Those who complete the course successfully will receive four credits from the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR 4890/5890: Gannett Expedition) and two credits from the Division of Kinesiology and Health (KIN 4074/5587: Independent Fitness Training). The UW Outdoor Program also has contributed to the effort. For more information, call Jenkins at (307) 760-4731 or email mark.jenkins@uwyo.edu. UW Personnel Bring Philosophy Coursework to Inmates Wyoming Womens Center inmates Sandra and Tiffany (their last names were not released) take part in a Wyoming Pathways from Prison course. Wyoming inmates also are receiving instruction on the philosophy of stoicism from University of Wyoming instructors. (Wendy Perkins Photo) One day, a prison guard came to a Wyoming inmates room and said he was taking the chair from the room. It had been in that inmates cell the entire time he was incarcerated, but now the officer said it wasnt his. At first, a flood of anger overtook the inmate. Then, he remembered his stoicism education, brought to him by University of Wyoming Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies lecturer Robert Colter, Wyoming Pathways from Prison (WPfP) co-coordinator Alec Muthig and recent UW graduates. The inmate realized the chair being removed was beyond his control, and the chair didnt belong to him in the first place. Instead of confronting the officer, he sat peacefully on the floor. Its just one of many positive benefits inmates and Wyoming Department of Corrections officers have reported since stoicism classes began in summer 2017. Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that teaches that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that the wise are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain. I study ancient Greek philosophy and, for the ancient Greeks, philosophy was always very much about living a good life, Colter says. I think thats a good thing to bring to people in general. Also, the prison setting is sometimes one in which people dont have much of a clue about what it means to live a good life, which is why theyre there. It struck me as a pretty exciting place to try to bring this. Colter, who also leads a stoicism retreat open to the public each May, says there are a few central principles to stoicism. One is that some things are under our control -- such as our thoughts, actions, responses and attitudes -- and most everything else is not. If something is under our control, we should deal with it. If not, we should let it go, Colter says. Theres also a deep commitment to the idea that were all citizens of the universe. Were all bound together, he says. Our actions and our choices should aim at the good of everybody. It provides an ethical foundation. Muthig, who is a co-founder of the WPfP program, also serves as UWs information technology trainer and program manager. WPfP started, in part, because education programming is proven to lower recidivism. Inmates who participate in correctional education programs have 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison and a 13 percent higher chance of employment after release, according to a 2013 RAND Corp. report. All WPfP courses are funded via grants. Muthig holds a masters degree in philosophy and says it was an important study to add to the programs lineup. Stoicism is actually the philosophical foundation to cognitive behavior therapy and rational emotive behavior therapy, Muthig says. Its also found in anger management and substance abuse programs. Last summer, Muthig and Colter offered a noncredit stoicism workshop at the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp in Newcastle to a group of minimum-security inmates and a group from the Youthful Offender Program. After positive feedback from inmates and officers alike, nearly all of the correctional facilities in Wyoming placed stoicism at the top of their wish lists. So, this summer, the UW instructors taught credit courses at the Wyoming Womens Center in Lusk and, for the first time, at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins. The one-credit course lasted a week, with students reading from Marcus Aurelius Meditations and Epictetus The Enchiridion. Students discussed and were given exercises to try on their own. They then wrote up their experiences and reflections to turn in. The course culminated in a final essay, with two video sessions to answer questions and provide feedback. Theyre hungry to learn, Muthig says of the inmates. For the most part, they really want to make themselves into better people. Colter agrees that the inmates are very engaged students and adds that several expressed that studying philosophy taught them they could disagree civilly without taking things personally. A number of them have said they want to take more philosophy courses, because it helped them clear their thinking and approach things rationally, says Muthig, who will teach an upcoming course on ethics. Student comments included the following: -- The most valuable thing that I found was the opening of a door to higher education in the prison system. -- I didnt just learn history; I learned tools which can be used for a lifetime. -- The students were engaged, myself included, and the instructors not only had wonderful personalities, but the messages they all delivered were extremely helpful and enlightening. This course has the potential, through its valuable precepts, to make not just my life better or people incarcerated like me, but also, people in general, from all walks of life. -- It was nice to be so engaged on a subject and also being pushed at every step to go further and expand on our thoughts and ideas. Both Muthig and Colter hope to offer more philosophy credit courses at Wyomings correctional facilities in the future. To learn more about the WPfP program, visit www.uwyo.edu/wpfp. UW Pivots in Biodiversity Science The University of Wyoming is working to position itself as a national and global leader in biodiversity science. The goal is to develop a world-leading, sustainable, integrated research, education and outreach enterprise that will serve the state and the nation, says Vice President for Research and Economic Development Ed Synakowski. Resources that will support this include the recently approved Science Initiative facility, as well as state and federally supported research programs. These programs span the scales of biodiversity, ranging from soil microbes to migrations of large mammals, all informed by the science of water distribution that is at the foundation of biodiversity. The potential is for UW to lead the nation in developing an understanding of biodiversity from its scientific foundations, Synakowski says. This will be invaluable in providing information to policymakers, business leaders and citizens as they make decisions in matters ranging from water resource management to environmental impacts and land remediation strategies. Further, enabled by the Haub School at UW, we have the opportunity to convene constructive discussions with these stakeholders in matters where an understanding of biodiversity is essential. Key to elevating the profile of biodiversity science has been the Biodiversity Institute (BI). The BI was established in 2012 with generous funding from Robert and Carol Berry through the Wolf Creek Charitable Foundation. Their earlier donations -- matched by the Wyoming Legislature -- made possible construction of the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center on the UW campus. However, Synakowski says, campuswide biodiversity research and outreach need to be grounded in a broad base of federal, state and private support -- and well-coupled to the science that is the universitys educational and research focus -- if it is to flourish. We have a chance to pivot off of the successes enabled by the generosity and vision of the Berrys toward a tremendous future. But that requires that we evolve as an institution, he says. In this transition, the BI will close in December, university leadership decided earlier this week. We have to put biodiversity research and outreach on a robust path that is strongly linked to the research thrusts of the campus, Synakowski says. We will leverage the public awareness that the Berrys contributions have enabled with UWs research in biodiversity and its renewed commitment to public engagement and outreach as outlined in UWs strategic plan, Breaking Through. The Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, the building that hosts the BI, will be home to an enlarged set of activities that is essential to enable this new vision. In recent years, the BI has focused on citizen science programs and K-12 outreach in Wyoming, with such activities as regular moose counts and programs for elementary students to visit the Berry Center. There are five staff members presently affiliated with the BI. Gary Beauvais, who has been serving as interim director, will move back as the full-time director of the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD). A component of UWs foundation in biodiversity research, WYNDD offers the most complete source of data for species and vegetation communities of conservation concern in Wyoming. The university will explore whether the BIs other staff members can move into other positions at UW. An Air China flight returned safely to Paris after receiving a suspected terrorist threat on Thursday (Jul 26). (Photo: AFP/WANG ZHAO) Air China said flight CA876 had returned to Paris after the airline "received suspected terrorist information," giving no further information on the nature of the threat. "To ensure safety, CA876 flew back to Paris and landed safely," the airline said on one of its social media accounts. But state news agency Xinhua soon after issued a brief dispatch quoting the carrier's Paris office saying the terror alert was "considered false". The carrier had said earlier that it would arrange to resume the flight as soon as possible "after safety is ensured." The flight had been scheduled to depart Charles de Gaulle Airport at 12.30pm Paris time (1030 GMT). The carrier did not say how far the aircraft flew before turning back to Paris. China Food and Drug Administration said the problematic rabies vaccine had not left the factory, but the company admitted it had shipped a separate sub-standard vaccine. (Photo: AFP) The State Drug Administration said in an announcement issued late Wednesday (Jul 25) that it had dispatched inspection teams "to thoroughly investigate the whole process and entire chain of vaccine production of all vaccine producers". The move comes as authorities rush to bolster public confidence in the country's vaccines, which have been hit by repeated questions about safety and reliability over the years. China's latest product-safety scare emerged more than a week ago with news that major pharmaceutical manufacturer Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology had fabricated records and was ordered to cease production of rabies vaccines. The case leapt to the top of the national agenda last weekend as parents and other consumers vented their anger and frustration at manufacturers and the regulators tasked with supervising them. The government said the problematic rabies vaccine did not leave Changsheng's factory and was not put up for sale. But anger and fear over the failures were quickly exacerbated by additional revelations: the company's vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) had also failed to meet quality standards, with 250,000 doses sold to Shandong province last year. Further damaging public confidence, authorities in the northern province of Hebei announced Monday that nearly 150,000 people had received sub-standard DPT vaccines made by another firm, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. "VILE" ACTIONS The problems have rekindled already deep fears over domestically made medicines and driven worried parents online to swap information on obtaining imported vaccines, with some vowing not to give their children Chinese-made drugs. The depth of public outrage revealed on social media appeared to have caught authorities off-guard, and national leaders have scrambled in recent days to vow a thorough safety clean-up of the pharmaceutical sector. Police in the northeastern city of Changchun announced on Tuesday that 15 people, including the company's chairwoman, had been arrested on "suspicion of criminal offences". President Xi Jinping - on a trip to Africa - weighed in earlier this week by calling the vaccine company's actions "vile in nature and shocking", according to state media. In a further demonstration of government concern, China's cabinet - the State Council - sent a team to Changsheng's home province of Jilin to investigate the case with a mandate "to resolutely guard the safety bottom line and maintain social security and stability", the official Xinhua news service said Thursday. China is regularly hit by scandals involving sub-par or toxic food, drugs and other products, despite repeated promises by the ruling Communist Party to address the problem. The event held in Hanoi is expected to contribute to the deeper international friendship between Germany and Vietnam (Photo: reissner-band.de) The musicians of Reiner will carry with them their instruments, including tuba, trombone, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, as well as a joyous mood. With a variety of traditional instruments and vast repertoire of songs, Bavarian folk music represents a unique tradition within the cultural landscape of Germany. Bavarian culture is a deeply rooted tradition of music, costumes and way of life. Bavarian folk music is made famous worldwide through folk festivals such as the Oktoberfest in Munich, and played at weddings in Oland and in the city. The event held in Hanoi is expected to contribute to the deeper international friendship between Germany and Vietnam. The bands leader is Reinhardt Reiner, whose father founded and led a brass band. Reinhardt himself taught at a public school in the beautiful city of Neuburg on the Danube (an hours drive away from Munich) until 2012. With his school orchestra and his big band, Reinhardt has been touring abroad for twenty years, including trips to Australia, China, Malaysia and Singapore. Highlights in the bands history include a concert during a general audience of Pope John Paul II in Rome, their participation in the Venice Carnival and a concert with 2,000 students playing wind instruments in Bavaria. His ensemble plays both brass band music as well as classical dance and light tunes. A customers tests VNPTs 4G speed.- Photo xahoithongtin.com.vn This was announced at a meeting with ministries on broadband licences for 4G network deployment chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam held in Hanoi on Thursday. At the meeting, representatives of ministries and relevant sectors agreed to work together to license the 2.6 GHz band as quickly as possible in order to help telecoms operators deploy the 4G network in accordance with the provisions of law. There are currently three of four telecom providers which were granted licences to provide 4G telecommunications services in Vietnam, namely VNPT, Viettel and Mobifone, have been deploying 4G on the 1800 MHz bandwith, which had previously been used for 2G. Gtel has yet to announce its 4G rollout plans. The country now has more than 13 million 4G users, accounting for about 30 per cent of the total number of mobile phone subscribers. The 4G data users were mainly in cities and towns. Mobile data traffic in 2018 reached 136,934 subscribers per month, double that of 2016. However, the data traffic for 4G network on broadband 1800 MHz has been low compared with demand, affecting 4G speed. The average speed of Vietnams internet was 75th in the world. This was why the Ministry of Information and Communications planned to auction the 2.6 GHz band so telecom services providers can boost the speed of their 4G network. Four telecom businesses have registered for the auction. Representatives from the ministries of Finance and Justice said there were no difficulties in term of laws and regulations relating to granting licences for 2.6 GHz broadband. The licencing or auction follows regulations of the Law on Radio Frequencies. Issues relating to financial duties were also stipulated. Deputy minister of Planning and Investment Vu Dai Thang said the losses of businesses and society for the slow implementation of 4G network were bigger than State budget collection from licencing. A representative from the Ministry of National Defence said the licence on 2.6 GHz broadband deployment would not only resolve difficulties for telecom providers but also ensure information in national security and defence activities. Deputy minister of Information and Communications Pham Hong Hai expected that ministries and sectors would join hands to grant licences to businesses as soon as possible. We can not accept a 4G network that is poor quality now, Hai added. Digital shift a must Innovation will be a decisive factor in the survival of businesses in the future, with the size of the company becoming less important for success, experts said yesterday at a seminar held in HCM City. Digital shift is a must during the fourth industrial revolution, said Phi Anh Tuan, deputy chairman of HCM City Computer Association (HCA), at the Vietnam Information and Communication Technology Outlook seminar. No longer will the big fish eat the small fish, but the fast fish will eat the slow fish, he said, adding that enterprises which quickly adopt digital applications will be more successful. Opportunities for digitalisation are equal in all businesses, he said. Businesses should be innovative in their operations, especially in the sharing economy and ecosystem, and should connect with the start-up community. Businesses need to build in-house start-ups or invest in start-ups with cutting-edge technologies, Tuan said. To begin the digital shift, enterprises should start with something simple and easy to do. For example, they can start by digitising documents to reduce the printing of documents and save time for customers, he said. Enterprises can also digitise job assignment processes, while management of companies should be based on cloud computing. Lam Nguyen Hai Long, HCA chairman, said that new technologies like social networks, mobiles, data analysis, AI, big data, cloud computing, IoT, machine learning, and blockchain have revolutionised the way huge data is processed and used. Recent research by the US-based International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that the digital shift will contribute US$1.16 trillion to Asia Pacifics GDP, with an annual growth rate of 0.8 per cent. Last year, about 6 per cent of Asia-Pacifics GDP came from digital products and services. IDC forecasts that by 2021 the figure is expected to increase to 60 per cent of GDP in the region, which shows that the digital shift will bring huge benefits for the development of the economy in general, and enterprises in particular, Long said. According to IDC, about 84 per cent of enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region are transitioning to the digital shift, but there is no official data on the willingness for the shift among enterprises in Vietnam. Most enterprises need to apply IT, but they do not know where and how to start the shift. HCA plans to promote the internationalisation of business activities and will support the business community with innovative products and solutions, Long said. At the same time, we are striving to improve consultancy, support and trade promotion in the IT community with local and foreign partners, he added. Speaking at the event, To Thi Thu Huong, deputy head of the Ministry of Information and Communications IT department, said that innovation is vital for businesses as well as new start-ups, but also for state agencies that need to improve management. The seminar, with the theme Innovation in the Digital Age, included a Smart City conference, a trade promotion roundtable, and a talk show about start-ups in the digital era. Some 1,500 delegates attended the event, including State leaders, representatives of associations, institutes, schools, consulates, trade promotion organisations, IT enterprises, and members of the start-up community. Scorching hot weather set the conditions for Greece's deadly wildfires. (Photo: AFP/Valerie Gache) Ten EU countries have mobilised firefighters and equipment to help battle the fires in Greece as well as Sweden and Latvia. Here is a roundup of the devastation. GREECE The fires in Greece, which broke out Monday (Jul 23), are the deadliest in living memory. At least 82 people have been confirmed dead, while emergency crews were Thursday searching incinerated homes and vehicles for at least 27 missing, who include nine-year-old twin girls from the village of Mati. Coastal villages near Athens popular with holidaymakers were especially hard hit, with at least 300 homes destroyed or badly damaged. SWEDEN Sweden, experiencing an unprecedented drought and the highest temperatures in a century, is battling 23 fires across the country, down by half since last week. The fires have laid waste to at least 25,000 hectares including 13,000 hectares in the central Karbole region alone. Temperatures are still rising, with Pierre Schaller, the head of a French contingent helping the Swedes, telling AFP that with Thursday's predicted high of 34 degrees Celsius the fires could "take off again". But cooling rains are forecast for the weekend, when two Italian water-dropping aircraft that were deployed in Sweden last week will head to Greece, Swedish authorities told a news conference. LATVIA A Belarusian helicopter was headed to Latvia on Thursday to help Latvian and Lithuanian firefighters battle a blaze that broke out on Jul 17. It has ravaged around 1,000 hectares of peat bog, forest and scrubland in the west of the Baltic state but has not claimed any lives. Latvia has turned to neighbouring Belarus for help because EU resources are stretched fighting the wildfires in Greece and Sweden, according to the local Baltic News Service BNS. BRITAIN Britain has been in the grip of its longest heatwave in decades, sparking wildfires in northwest England, water restrictions in Northern Ireland and record-breaking temperatures in Scotland. Sun worshippers in London's Hyde Park lounged in deck chairs set out on parched grass. The city's fire chief Dany Cotton remarked: "I never thought I'd say this, but we are praying for rain." A new British temperature record may be set on Friday, topping the 38.5 degrees Celsius registered in Kent in August 2003. With just 47 millimetres (1.8 inches) of rain recorded in Britain between Jun 1 and July 16, fire chiefs have warned that parks and other grasslands are like a "tinderbox". THE NETHERLANDS The Dutch meteorological institute on Thursday officially declared the Netherlands' first heatwave in three years, with the mercury hitting 36 degrees Celsius. The spell has lasted 12 days, making it the sixth longest heatwave since 1901. Authorities are planning for water shortages in several parts of the country. ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE In Norway, which experienced its hottest May temperatures on record, one firefighter was killed on Jul 15 while battling one of a string of fires. Unaccustomed bikini weather has also come to Finland's northernmost Lapland province, the legendary headquarters of Father Christmas. Vietnamese students receive Japanese language course before going to Japan to work as care workers.(Photo: Kyodo) Japan first aims to receive 3,000 Vietnamese within one year through an existing training programme for foreigners, Kyodo cited a government official. Vietnam and Japan are expected to sign an official agreement soon. The two countries have been holding talks on bilateral cooperation in the field of nursing care. In June, they agreed to put in place a system to enable more Vietnamese caregivers to work in Japan. Besides, Japan is considering the recruit of caregivers from other countries, including Indonesia and Cambodia. Japans labour ministry estimates the need for an additional 550,000 caregivers in fiscal 2025 compared to the fiscal 2016 total due to the countrys rapidly aging population. As an effort to receive more foreign workers in the nursing sector, Japan enacted a new law in November, 2017 to add nursing care to the list of fields in which foreigners can work under a training programme. The training programme for foreigners was introduced in 1993, aimed at transferring skills to developing countries by training workers who would then return home The High Command of Military Region 5 of Vietnam joins rescue and relief efforts in the dam collapse incident in Laos. (Photo: VNA) The company disbursed 200 million VND to purchase essential goods for local residents affected by the incident, while K53 team under the Military Command of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, which was on duty in Laos, was requested to coordinate with Lao forces to search for missing people and help affected residents to overcome the aftermath. Kon Tum provinces Military Command was also required to prepare personnel, vehicles and materials to coordinate with relevant forces of Laos in surmounting the consequences of the floods when it is ordered by the High Command. The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam burst at 20:00 on July 23, causing flash floods in 10 low-lying villages and completely isolated Sanamxay district. Five of Sanamxay districts villages namely May, Hinlath, NhaytheSanong Tay, Thasengchan, and Thahin were entirely submerged. Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith told media on July 25 night after inspecting the disaster-hit sites that initial figures showed 131 people were missing. The Attapeu Provincial Administration Office had previously confirmed the death toll from the incident amounted to 19. The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower plant was being constructed by the XePian-XeNamnoy Power Company (PNPC). PNPC is a joint venture between Republic of Koreas SK E&C and Korea Western Power, Thailands Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, and Laos Holding Sate Enterprise. The project, estimated to cost 1.02 billion USD, is the first build-operate-transfer (BOT) model to be undertaken by Korean companies in Laos. On July 24, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding issued a press release announcing that unexpected heavy rains caused the dam to collapse. High volumes of rainwater fractured the dam and caused a deluge in the downstream area of Xe-Pian River, it said. Attapeu authorities had previously urged the Party, government, organisations, businesses, officials, police and military forces, and the public to provide emergency aid for the victims of the disaster, such as clothing, food items, drinking water, medicine, cash, and other relief items. Neo Gim Siong Bennett will be general director of Sabeco in 2018-2023 The Board of Management of Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) has just announced who will take the positions of chairman and general director for the period 2018-2023. Neo Gim Siong Bennett, former deputy general director has been appointed as general director and the second legal representative of Sabeco, replacing Nguyen Thanh Nam, who was appointed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) one year ago. Born in 1946 in Singapore, Neo Gim Siong Bennett studied at Singapores Nanyang University before gaining 22 years experience working in the sectors of beer, oil and gas, maritime, and supply chains across Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Thai Beverage first proposed to the MoIT to appoint Bennett as general director of Sabeco in April 2018, however, at that time the proposal was not approved, and he became deputy general director instead. Bennett is also chairman of Saigon Beer Trading Company Limited, established last week with VND10 million ($440) in charter capital, and chairman of Chuong Duong Beverages JSC (code: SCD), a subsidiary of Sabeco. Meanwhile, Koh Poh Tiong will continue as chairman of Sabecos Board of Management, and the first legal representative of Sabeco. The new appointments are the result of the Board of Managements meeting which took place right after the annual general shareholders meeting (AGM) on July 21. At the AGM, shareholders approved a new seven-member board of management, including four members recommended by the Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi namely Koh Poh Tiong, Tran Kim Nga, Michael Chye Hin Feh, and Pramoad Phornprapha. The three remaining members are Nguyen Tien Dung (chief accountant of Sabeco), Luong Thanh Hai (deputy general director of Saigon Beer Trading), and Nguyen Tien Vy (vice chairman of the Vietnam Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Association). Earlier, in December 2017, Thai Beverage, the corporation owned by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, acquired 53.59 per cent of Sabecos charter capital. Since then Sabeco has targeted over VND4 trillion ($176.52 million) of 2018s after-tax profit, down 19 per cent in comparison with 2017s performance. The rate of dividends is expected at 35 per cent, equivalent to that of 2017. Sabeco has also restructured and removed some of its business sectors, including trade advertising and its domestic and international travel business. Many Vietnamese agencies and companies have sent in their donations to help the victims in the dam collapse in Laos. (Source: VNA) He also instructed the National Committee for Incident, Disaster Response and Search and Rescue, to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to work out measures to assist Laos on the site of the incident and report back to him before July 30. Many Vietnamese agencies and companies have also sent in their donations to help the victims in the incident. On July 25, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung handed over about 2,200 USD contributed by the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and its agencies in Laos to the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to support the victims. Later the same day, representatives of the General Association of Vietnamese People in Laos and the Vietnamese Association in Vientiane also presented 50 million LAK (about 5,950 USD) to victims. Cao Anh Son, General Director of Vietnams Star Telecom Company donated 300 million LAK (35,700). The High Command of Military Region 5 of Vietnam asked its South Laos Friendship Co. Ltd. to send 10 medical workers and hundreds of personnel to join rescue and relief efforts. The company disbursed 200 million VND(8,645 USD) to purchase essential goods for local residents affected by the incident, while K53 team under the Military Command of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, which was on duty in Laos, was requested to coordinate with Lao forces to search for missing people and help affected residents to overcome the aftermath. Kon Tum provinces Military Command was also required to prepare personnel, vehicles and materials to coordinate with relevant forces of Laos in surmounting the consequences of the floods when it is ordered by the High Command. The Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam collapsed at 20:00 on July 23, releasing 5 billion cu.m of water which completely isolated Sanamxay district. Lao Prime Minister ThonglounSisoulith said at a press conference on July 25 that the dam collapse has already affected 13 villages and is now affecting six others as the flood is still flowing. He informed that 587 families with 3,060 people have been made homeless, and 131 people are still missing. The Sepien-Senamnoi hydro electric power plant is being constructed by the Sepien-Senamnoi Power Company (PNPC), which is a joint-venture of SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO), Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH) and Lao Holding State Enterprise (LHSE). SK E&C holds a 24 percent stake in PNPC, LHSE 26 percent and RATCH and KOWEPO equally split the remaining share in the project. The project, which is estimated to cost 1.02 billion USD, is the first build-operate-transfer (BOT) project to be undertaken by Korean companies in Laos. Construction of the project began in February 2013 and commercial operations were expected to begin this year. On 16 July 2018, the Islamic Republic of Iran filed an action against the United States of America before the International Court of Justice. This court is the internal judicial organ of the UN and is tasked with settling disputes between UN member states. Teheran considers that the sanctions that Washington has taken against it after withdrawing from the 5+1 agreement (JCPoA) violate articles IV 1), VII 1), VIII 1), VIII 2), IX 2) and X 1) of the Bilateral Treaty on Friendship, Economic Relations and Consular Rights of 15 August 1955. Barcelona Cultural Photographic Trip The Gibraltar Youth Production Team (GYPT youth project) have recently returned from a cultural photographic trip in Barcelona. To add to their learning experience, the group of 8 young people were also heavily involved in the trips coordination, from choosing the location, arranging accommodation, travel needs, excursions, as well as various fundraising activities over a period of 12 months (which included offering portraiture to dancers, families and individuals) to help finance the same. Mark Galliano, accomplished dance photographer, attended a GYPT session to share his skills and tips with the team in preparation for their photography dance fundraiser. In addition, Stephen Hermida, from the Photographic society, shared his travel photography experience and tips on how to prepare for a photographic trip. The Barcelona cultural experience also saw the GYPT team immersing themselves in the wider surrounding areas of Barcelona, on what became one of their favorite days, involving a day trip to Girona and then Figueres to visit the Dali Museum. Upon their return, the young people prepared an installation piece (a rubix cube inspired piece) showcasing their favorite images of the trip. The installation piece was presented to family and friends as part of this years Rags 2 Riches showcase (a fashion showcase held at the Gibraltar Youth Centre in Line Wall Road, for the Rags 2 Riches summer participants). The Cube will also be exhibited at the Gibraltar Photographic societys annual competitive exhibition at the Gustavo Bacarisa gallery at the end of this September. The society have also been kind enough to judge and give feedback to the young people on their images. They will be selecting a winner and announcing it on the opening night of their exhibition. Photo: HBO This story discusses theories for HBOs Sharp Objects, and not Gillian Flynns 2006 novel that inspired the series. Please dont reveal any book spoilers in the comments! Between all of those beautifully edited flashbacks and the dynamic duo of Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson plus the music, swoon, the music! its easy to forget that Sharp Objects is, in fact, a disturbing murder-mystery. With Camille Preaker (Adams) back in her spooky hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, to investigate the murder of two teen girls, its now clear that both the old money and trash inhabitants of the Bootheel town have motives to kill, even if it seems, with one episode to go, that Adora is Suspect No. 1. Ahead of the Sharp Objects finale on Sunday, here are the most prominent murder suspects on our list. Alan Crellin Photo: HBO Dont even think about loading up another virtuosic classical arrangement into your incredible $112,000 stereo system, Alan! Although the stronger case can be made for Adora after the penultimate episode, too many incriminating things have stacked up against the Crellin patriarch and his tasteful pastel sweaters to go unnoticed. Think about Alans role in the household and how that can relate to the two murdered girls: His home life isnt great. Abysmal, even. He only gets rare affection from his daughter Amma (Eliza Scanlen), even less affection from his wife, Adora (Clarkson) theyve been sleeping in separate bedrooms for a while now and he seems to only get enjoyment when hes sitting alone in his music room, ears blissfully cocooned in headphones. But most importantly, hes aware that Adora has been poisoning their daughter for awhile now Go listen to your music, Adora coos when Alan sees her concocting that medicine in the kitchen yet turns a blind eye to it. Alan needs a catharsis for his emasculation, he needs a release to feel like a man in control of his life, and perhaps it comes in the horrific form of torturing and killing teen girls. The killer is targeting girls around Ammas age who have healthy, enviable relationships with their own fathers something thats unattainable to Alan, at least so long as his wife keeps poisoning Amma. Personally, Im waiting for our onscreen Eureka! moment when Alans unveiled as the psycho killer and he changes out Paris Jazz Piano to Talking Heads: 77. Chief Bill Vickery Photo: HBO To put it lightly, Wind Gaps reigning king of one-liners doesnt seem good at his job. Hes incapable of believing anyone other than an out-of-towner, a Mexican, or John Keene would do such terrible crimes, eschewing the reasonable theory from Detective Richard Willis (Chris Messina) that both murdered girls are connected by crimes of passion from people they already knew: Passion doesnt always have to equal sex. This type of thing can scratch a different kind of itch. Power. Control. The simple version of Vickerys aversion to thoroughly investigating all angles of the crimes, or using Willis and Camille as useful assets in the investigation, is that hes the murderer himself and hes trying to cover his tracks. The more complex version is hes in cahoots with Adora, whos blackmailing him to assist with depositing the girls bodies in a way that puts any blame off her. Lest we forget, the chief is quite handy when it comes to pliers the same tool used to remove Natalies teeth, implying only a man with incredible strength could succeed in such an act. Adora Crellin Photo: HBO Theres no use of skirting around the issue here: Adora sure looks guilty, huh? She slowly poisoned her daughter Marian to death, and it looks like shes doing it again to Amma now, too. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a serious mental disorder, and thered be nothing better than seeing the Princess of Wind Gap brought to justice for killing her daughter after all of these years. But we have to consider the other issue: Just how involved is she in the deaths of Ann and Natalie? We already know Adora had maternal relationships with both slain girls, whom she took an interest in thanks to their outsider, Camille-esque nature. But their deaths definitely dont follow the Munchausen by proxy playbook, and its doubtful Adora could muster up the strength to rip out Natalies teeth with a plier. Our bet is if Adora is indeed involved in the killings, she has a strong-armed accomplice helping her. Whether that accomplice is willing or blackmailed is another story. Amma Crellin and her roller-skating girl gang Photo: HBO Never underestimate the brutal strength psychological and physical of a teenage girl. Or three teenage girls. Even though shes currently being, uh, poisoned by her mother and unable to hang with her friends, Amma was raised in an incredibly repressive Southern Gothic household that can account for her schismatic behavior. Its not outrageous to think that when free from the constraints of her mothers care, Amma might choose to rebel in ways that are abnormal, in order to assert her dominance, especially when her devoted posse of friends are willing to do anything for their queen bee. Take this bit of dialogue between Camille and one of Ammas pals in episode two, when the elder sister gives the teens a few bucks for their vodka-Sprite combo: Amma, Momma wants you home and I want you home. Its dangerous out there, people are killing little girls. Not the cool ones. Is this the voice of a stupidly delusional teen, or one who let slip that theyre out of harms way because theyre the ones doing the harming? It doesnt help that Amma admitted she was friendly with both murdered girls, especially since they didnt fit the profile yes, looks and behavioral of her other friends. But the most reasonable theory is this: If Amma is the killer, shes continuing the circle of trauma brought forth by her mother. Jackie ONeill Photo: HBO We initially passed Jackie (Elizabeth Perkins) off as a boozy, quasi-spiritual presence in Wind Gap, whod much rather kick back a dozen gins and don the finest muumuus than float among the towns drama. (Why get directly involved when you can just gossip about it, anyway?) Her pill-roulette meeting with Camille changed all of that, though. And quick. Not only did we discover Jackie had personally investigated the death of Marian and knows the truth about Adora, but she did nothing about it, owing to the odds stacked against her going up against the towns golden woman. (Who the fuck was gonna believe me?) But wouldnt someone have believed Jackie in another town, another police jurisdiction, or another hospital, if she tried to get the word out? A life of isolation and alcoholism in her empty home with no apparent family in the immediate area coupled with years of harboring this dangerous secret couldve lead her to lash out against teenage girls of Marions age, teenage girls who were developing special relationships to Adora, no less. Dont you believe she could wield some pliers if she put her mind to it? Everybody in Wind Gap Photo: Courtesy of HBO Bless this Reddit user for adding a bit of levity to an otherwise very gruesome murder-mystery. What if the town, in an act of Hot Fuzzesque defiant behavior, banded together to rid themselves of its most undesirable to them, those who dont live up to their high southern standards of decorum young people? It would provide easy alibis for everyone if the townspeople had a constant carousel of murderers, thats for sure. Southern Charm Reunion Part 2 Season 5 Episode 16 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * * Previous Next Photo: Bravo I dont even know where to start with Ashley, a car alarm that never stops going off. She is just the nastiest, meanest, most pathological mushroom-backed river troll that I have ever met in my life. And by met I mean that she lives in my best friend, the television. She is not just a piece of work, she is an entire career. The confusion, delusion, and a third word that ends in ion other than resolution that she exhibits is just confounding. Shes like the three see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkey emojis put in a blender, poured into the mold of a toad princess and then frozen into something that resembles a woman. It was almost painful. Even more painful was the first third of this episode when we were just waiting for her to come out and just receive a bukkake of hatred from everyone who was sitting around her, including our supposedly partial master of ceremonies Master Andrew R. Cohen, Esq. I mean, what did we even learn during those minutes? Kathryn is good in bed. She and Shep hooked up five times. Chelsea is dating someone now. Austen is dating someone now who looks sort of like Chelsea if Chelsea is a real person and this new girl is a Cookie Puss from Carvel. None of the guys ever want to get a job and Naomie, for the one time this whole season, didnt wear too much highlighter. The one fact that we learned that I might even want to linger on for a second is that Shep and Austen have never had a three-way with a girl. Everyone was very concerned that this might happen and for that concern I feel like I should write some erotic fan fiction where Austen and Shep have a three-way with a woman who pegs both of them and they love it so much that they fall in gay love and get married at Patricias house wearing caftans with dogs printed on them. Then Ashley comes out and she does not look good. I dont mean that her hair, makeup, outfit, and jewelry are not on point, because they all are. But she looks sickly and frail. She looks like all of her nerves are jumbled up like the cords behind your television screen and there is nothing she can do to smooth them out. She also looks like shes not trying to flip her hair in that annoying way that she does when she gets worked up. Andy even addresses the rumors that she might be anorexic, but she says its just nerves from filming the show and its aftermath that have made her look that thin. That is awful if that is true, and if it is she needs to seek counseling and professional help, because she does not look well. I think that the cause of that is Thomas. All joking and cruelty aside, Ashley sounds like the quintessential person who is in an abusive relationship. She tries to minimize how he treats her, she tries to blame herself, she tries to tell everyone that they dont see the sweet side of him. The most alarming story was one that Chelsea heard from a client of hers, where Thomas and Ashley were arguing outside of a restaurant and he threw his leftovers at her. That is how this man treats her in public. Ashley says we dont know what hes like behind closed doors, but I assume its much worse, but not better. When Andy asks her about the incident she says, That was my fault. I was behaving like a brat. She basically says that she deserves it. Let me make this clear: You do not deserve that. No one deserves that. You do not deserve to be treated poorly by someone, no matter if he has as much money, privilege, status, and fame. You do not deserved to be slagged off by a man on national television and then be told that he loves you. You do not deserve it. You do not deserve any of it. And if your man treats you like that, get the hell out of there and do something to change it. What was so weird about this whole interaction was that at one point Ashley asked, Is this an intervention? and they all said no, but it kind of was. These guys are Thomass friends and theyre all telling her that he is bad for her and she should get the hell out of there. Kathryn, who has been down exactly this same road, is telling her that it is only going to lead somewhere bad. Ashley is a jackal who chased them all into the darkness of Hades, and yet theyre still trying to warn her to get out of there while she still can. Ashley is so damaged by him (and maybe all sorts of other things in her past, who knows) that instead she turns their concern outward. She lashes out with hatred against all of them. The problem is that none of her arguments make sense. The worst is when they talk about the conversations in Hilton Head where she really turned on Kathryn and called her a bad mother and told her she didnt want to spend time with her kids. She apologizes and says that she should have pulled Kathryn aside and had the conversation between the two of them somewhere quiet. But when Andy and others ask if she would take back what she said, she says no, she still believes every word of it. What in the great pumpkin patch Charlie Brown is that all about? Andy even questions if Ashleys ideas about Kathryn come from her interactions with her or things shes heard about Kathryns past behavior. She acknowledges that it is all things that she heard from Thomas about Kathryn. Thats what is insane to me. Kathryn never did anything to upset Ashley other than be the woman Thomas is still in love with. Shes seen her treat her kids with nothing but respect and be a responsible person. Wouldnt she do as everyone says and get some outside information about Kathryn? Yes, Kathryn was a crazy monster in years past, but it is absolutely clear to everyone she has gotten her act together and passed all of the drug tests that Thomas has made her take. Speaking of which, Ashley gets all uppity about that and warns her about how she almost missed the deadline to take the last one. Yeah, but she didnt miss it. What is Ashley all upset about? Shes just working herself up over nothing because she almost finally got what she wants which is Kathryn out of the picture. Is that what she wants? What does Ashley even want? What is her endgame here? She claims to not like being on the show and that it is making her physically ill. She claims that she doesnt want Thomass money. Then why is she here? Is she really in love with this guy? If she is, what does it say about her? And what does it say about us that were blaming her? What does it say about her that shes taking the blame? Were all missing the real villain here, which is the giant wimp that is Thomas Ravenel, a man who cant even be there to defend himself because of how poorly he treats women. There is no way that Bravo can let him back on this show, not after hes treated not one woman but two of them this way. This master of the dark misogynist arts just gets to hide at home between these women, brand them as crazy, and then bilk the whole enterprise to only enrich himself and support him more. We shouldnt be talking about and blaming Ashley, who needs help, we should be talking about and blaming Thomas, the snake who offered all of these women an apple and them blamed those women when they got bitten. Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday that Russians unsuccessfully attempted to hack her Senate computer network. McCaskill's acknowledgment was in response to a report from The Daily Beast that there was a phishing attempt against her office last year mirroring the tactics used successfully against John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman in the 2016 presidential election. The US intelligence community has accused Russia of perpetrating the hack against Podesta and others in an effort to sway the election in favor of President Donald Trump. "While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that they think they can get away with this," McCaskill said in a statement. "I will not be intimidated. I've said it before and I will say it again, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is a thug and a bully." Thursday's report said hackers sent forged emails to targets in the Senate with malicious links as part of an effort that Microsoft picked up. It said there was nothing to suggest the hacking attempt was successful. CNN has rated the Missouri Senate contest a "toss-up," as the Democratic senator seeks re-election in a state that went for Trump in 2016. At the Aspen Security Forum last week, Microsoft corporate vice president for customer security and trust Tom Burt said Russia had attempted to hack into the online accounts of staffers on three congressional campaigns ahead of the midterm elections this year. The allegation from Microsoft in addition to The Daily Beast report marked the first major public accusations of attempted interference by Russia in the 2018 elections. Top US national security officials have sounded the alarm about potential threats to the US in cyberspace. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said earlier this month that the situation was critical and went as far as comparing the "warning signs" to those faced ahead of the attacks on September 11, 2001. "The warning signs are there," Coats said. "The system is blinking. It is why I believe we are at a critical point." Calhoun Community College will host an Instant Admission Day on both campuses on August 8th for prospective students for the fall semester. Instant Admission Day is an annual event where students who are interested in attending Calhoun Community College can apply and be accepted in one day. The prospective students are required to have graduated from high school or obtained their GED. Students will have the opportunity to apply for admission, schedule or take placement exams, register for fall classes and meet college advisors. After just over a decade at Research Park, Verizon's call center is getting ready to close it's doors. The company announced back in February that they would be fulfilling the terms of their lease obligation and then would vacate the building. Verizon opened the call center in Huntsville back in 2007. Spokeswoman Carolyn Schamberger told WAAY 31 in an email that they are transitioning to a work-at-home style of business model instead of maintaining some of their brick and mortar stores. Schamberger said about 660 employees will work at home. She added that those who can't work with that option, but want to remain at the company have options like finding another position in the company or relocating to a brick-and-mortar store. Huntsville is just one of six such call centers that Verizon announced it will close. Others exist in Little Rock, AR; Mankato, MN; Albuquerque, NM; Hilliard, OH; and North Charleston, SC. The Communication Workers of America represents 700,000 workers in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The CWA raised concerns about the closure back in March and said the move would eliminate 3,000 customer service jobs. The union argues that "The new home-based jobs require workers to be able to work split shifts, weekends and holidays, have high-speed internet at home and an extra room with total quiet -- conditions that many working families cannot meet." "If this is not a layoff, as Verizon Wireless claims, all workers at the six affected centers should get to keep their jobs. If workers don't qualify for home-based positions, Verizon should provide nearby office space and not force workers to relocate hundreds or thousands of miles away from their current jobs," said Dennis Trainor, CWA District 1 Vice President and chair of CWA's Wireless Workers United. The change marks the second notable shift in jobs at the Huntsville site in the past two years. In 2016, 175 Verizon jobs in Huntsville were moved to Maryland as part of a broader company plan that involved closing five call centers. On 21 July 2018, the Pacific Alliance, a trade bloc formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of their respective Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), within the framework of the XIII Presidential Summit of the Pacific Alliance. This plurilateral MRA is the first of its kind, ensuring movement of goods by strengthening the security of the international supply chain, and improving trade facilitation within the region. A regional/plurilateral approach to MRA reduces/eliminates the need for a number of bilateral MRAs and the associated administrative costs of negotiations and implementation of bilateral MRAs. Such an approach not only decreases the number of MRAs but also introduces a greater degree of harmonization and standardization of AEO programmes. It also improves coordinated border management, as well as creates mutually agreed common understanding and solutions towards regional challenges. The WCO, with its range of tools such as the recently developed MRA Strategy Guide, has been supporting its Members with planning, negotiating, and implementing MRAs, including through the adoption of a strategic and regional/plurilateral approach. The WCO is assisting the Palestinian Customs Administration in its initiative to strengthen its tariff classification infrastructure in order to better align it with the international standards and guidelines promoted by the WCO, while ensuring that it is adapted to fit the local environment. The initiative will allow the administration to perform its tasks more efficiently on a long-term basis. The WCO visited Palestine to carry out a diagnostic assessment of the current Palestinian tariff classification control system. The visit to Ramallah, from 15 to 19 July 2018, was successfully carried out thanks to funding from the WCO Reserve Fund and support from the General Directorate of Customs, with clear engagement from management. Over the course of the visit, the WCO expert held a series of work sessions with those responsible for the various departments concerned on a number of subjects related to the clearance procedures involved for goods imported to Palestine as a final destination. A visit to a clearance office was also organized. Both the work sessions and the on-site visit allowed for a clearer vision of the current control system and related infrastructure as well as of the role that should be played by a proper central office responsible for tariff classification policy. It was also an opportunity to plan the various steps to be taken and set out priorities in line with WCO guidelines on tariff classification. An interactive session with Customs officials was also organized at the Palestinian Public Finance Institute. This was an opportunity to discuss both challenges and future prospects for the Palestinian Customs Administration when it came to sustainable capacity building and tariff classification in general and provided the chance to plan the steps to be taken on that basis. A meeting with private sector representatives was set up by the Palestinian Customs Administration and held at the Federation of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. The open atmosphere in which the dialogue took place allowed representatives from both the private sector and Customs to exchange views and discuss various obstacles encountered and the main challenges faced when it came to improving Customs clearance procedures. This meeting served as a reminder of the role played by the WCO in bringing together all stakeholders in commercial transactions and clearance operations as well as to highlight the importance of identifying and classifying goods in facilitating and accelerating the clearance process. During the closing ceremony, the Director General for VAT and Excise, Mr. Louay Hanash stressed the importance of tariff classification and the implementation of an efficient and sustainable tariff classification control system that would run parallel to control systems for other taxation types. He also recognized the importance of sharing knowledge with those working in the field. He thanked the WCO for its continued support and reaffirmed his commitment to following WCO recommendations and utilizing WCO support to improve, develop and increase the standing of the Palestinian Customs Administration, on a level with other administrations. Land Between the Lakes has new area supervisor Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. A drug operation has landed more than two dozen people in jail from one Eastern Carolina county. Carteret County deputies, along with Morehead City and Havelock police, made the arrests as part of 'Operation East to West'. Deputies say the year-long undercover operation targeted dealers in and around Carteret County who sold heroin, meth, prescription meds, cocaine, and marijuana. A news release says many of those arrested are repeat drug offenders and detectives plan to charge more suspected dealers in the coming weeks. Here is a list of those arrested so far: Bobbi Joanne Brown, 22, Newport, NC Bond: $5,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell a schedule II controlled substance, and deliver a schedule II controlled substance. Kerri Starr Daniels, 57, Cedar Island, NC Bond: $1 million secured Two counts each of trafficking opium, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, conspiracy to sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to traffic opium. Tammy June Dudley, 49, Beaufort, NC Bond: $20,000 secured Three counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, deliver methamphetamine, and one count of possession, sell and deliver methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a park. Kirsten Ericson Fagiano, 45, Havelock, NC Bond: $15,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, and deliver methamphetamine. Charles Dylan Frivance, 25, Beaufort, NC Bond: $5,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, and maintaining a dwelling that was used for keeping and selling a controlled substance. Zachary Lee Fulcher, 27, Smyrna, NC Bond: $20,000 secured Two counts of sell and deliver of a schedule III controlled substance, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule III controlled substance, one count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, deliver methamphetamine, and possession, sell and deliver methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school. Jasa Vetter Gaskill, 35, Cedar Island, NC Bond: $1.03 million secured Three counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, two counts of trafficking opium, one count each of conspiracy to sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance and conspiracy to traffic opium. Jaleel Dontarius George, 24, Beaufort, NC Bond: $20,000 secured Two counts each of possession with the intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell cocaine, deliver cocaine, possession, sell and deliver methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a park, one count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell a schedule II controlled substance, and deliver a schedule II controlled substance. William Stacy Greene, 35, Cape Carteret, NC Bond: $75,000 secured Four counts of deliver methamphetamine, three counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, manufacture methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, and two counts of conspiracy to sell methamphetamine. Laura Lynn Haas, 35, Newport, NC Bond: $20,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, sell heroin, deliver heroin, sell methamphetamine, and deliver methamphetamine. Keith Leon Herring, 33, Kinston, NC Bond: $50,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, deliver methamphetamine, and conspiracy to sell methamphetamine. Wanda Faye Hill, 62, Smyrna, NC Bond: $15,000 secured Two counts of conspiracy to sell and deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, one count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, manufacture a schedule VI controlled substance, sell a schedule IV controlled substance, deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, possession, sell and deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, and maintaining a dwelling that was used for keeping and selling a controlled substance. Robert Clayton Hinson, 51, Atlantic Beach, NC Bond: $4 million secured Eight counts of trafficking opiates. Tonya Marie Juarez, 33, Atlantic, NC Bond: $1.515 million secured Two counts each of trafficking heroin, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, one count each of manufacture methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, deliver methamphetamine, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, sell and deliver heroin, conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, manufacture marijuana, maintaining a dwelling that was used for keeping and selling a controlled substance, possession, sell and deliver methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a park, and possession of a stolen firearm. Tonya Lee Lester, 45, Bettie, NC Bond: $2.5 million secured Five counts of trafficking opiates, one count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, sell and deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, and sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance. William Eugene McMillion, 38, Gloucester, NC Bond: $20,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, and deliver methamphetamine. Matthew Carlton Neal, 28, Atlantic, NC Bond: $1 million secured Three counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, two counts each of trafficking opiates, conspiracy to sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, one count each of possession with the intent to sell and deliver cocaine, and conspiracy to traffic opiates. Michael Patrick O'Neill, 37, Beaufort, NC Bond: $20,000 secured One count each possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule I controlled substance, sell a schedule I controlled substance, deliver a schedule I controlled substance, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell a schedule II controlled substance, and deliver a schedule II controlled substance. Louis Michael Romero, 31, Belhaven, NC Bond: $1 million secured Three count each of possession with the intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell cocaine, deliver cocaine, and two counts of possession, sell and deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a park. Kevin Gene Small, 51, Havelock, NC Bond: $75,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, manufacture methamphetamine, sell methamphetamine, deliver methamphetamine, conspiracy to sell methamphetamine, conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, and maintaining a dwelling that was used for keeping and selling a controlled substance. Carlos William Taylor, 45, Beaufort, NC Bond: $20,000 secured Two counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, and maintaining a dwelling that was used for keeping and selling a controlled substance. Ernest William Thompson, Jr., 31, Beaufort, NC Bond: $2.5 million secured Five counts of trafficking opiates, one count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, sell heroin, deliver heroin, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, sell a schedule II controlled substance, deliver schedule II controlled substance, possession, sell and deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, and possession, sell and deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a park. James Edward White, Jr., 24, N.C. Department of Corrections Bond: $25,000 secured One count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, sell and deliver heroin, and conspiracy to sell and deliver heroin. Breanna Lee Willis, 20, Gloucester, NC Bond: $17,500 secured Three counts of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule III controlled substance, two counts of sell or deliver a schedule III controlled substance, and one count of conspiracy to sell or deliver a schedule III controlled substance. Steven Orlando Wilson, 37, Beaufort, NC Bond: $2 million secured Four counts each of trafficking opiates, maintaining a vehicle that was used for keeping and selling a controlled substance, two counts each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance, manufacture a schedule II controlled substance, sell a schedule II controlled substance, deliver schedule II controlled substance, possession, sell and deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, one count each of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule VI controlled substance, manufacture a schedule VI controlled substance, sell a schedule VI controlled substance, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, manufacture marijuana, sell marijuana and deliver marijuana. We are all connected Wits scientists share humanitys common heritage with Heads of State during 10th BRICS Summit. Wits Universitys world renowned hominin discoveries Homo naledi, Little Foot, and Australopithecus sedibas Karabo were for the first time displayed together at Maropeng, the official visitor centre for The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, during the 10th BRICS Summit open session on Thursday. The aim was to showcase the remarkable discoveries of humankinds hominin ancestors made by Wits palaeoscientists in South Africa via video link to President Cyril Ramaphosa and his fellow BRICS leaders: Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Via a special livestream from Maropeng to the Sandton Convention Centre, the BRICS leaders and delegates were introduced to the Cradle of Humankind, the world's richest hominin site that is home to around 40% of the world's human ancestor fossils. Ramaphosa told his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India and China before the live crossing that the site symbolises the unity of the people of the world. It also profiles our continent of Africa as the birthplace of the human species, and indeed more than 200 million years ago, our continents were all joined in the single continent, Laurasia. We have differences in language, culture and beliefs but we are one species bound together by a single ancient history, Ramaphosa told delegates before crossing live to Maropeng where Higher Education Minister Naledi Pandor and a Wits delegation led by the Universitys acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tawana Kupe, and the Director of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences at Wits, Professor Bruce Rubidge, unveiled the fossils. Pandor told the Heads of State that the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is widely recognised as the place from which all of humankind originates. Our countries all have sites that connect our ancient history. Twelve years prior to the listing of this, the important Peking Man site was listed in the Peoples Republic of China. Earlier this year, research was published of the discovery of stone tools, dating back to 385 000 years ago in India." In Russia, the Denisova hominin discovery is of immense palaeontological importance. Brazil and South Africa share very important ancient reptile fossil species, elucidating the distant ancestry of mammals, which demonstrates that our continents were once linked in the ancient continent Gondwana. "All our countries have sites that connect us to our ancient history," she said. Minister @NalediPandor opens with a quote from the late Dr Phillip V. Tobias Africa gave the world humanity, Africa gave the world its first human culture and THAT is no small feat @Wits_News @WitsUniversity @MaropengSA #BRICS2018 #BRICSAfrica pic.twitter.com/1qjngwk93b CoE in Palaeosciences (CoE_Palaeo) (@CoE_Palaeo) July 26, 2018 Homo naledi In 2013 Professor Lee Berger and the Rising Star Expedition from the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits discovered the first of more than 1 550 numbered fossil elements the single largest fossil hominin find yet made on the continent of Africa - in a cave known as Rising Star in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Unveiled to the world in 2015 at Maropeng, Homo naledi is another example of the exceptional research conducted at Wits University in search for human origins - one that celebrates all humankind's common origins on the continent of Africa. Little "Miss Perfect" Foot After 20 years of painstaking excavation and preparation, Professor Ron Clarke from the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits introduced the most complete Australopithecus fossil ever found to the world in 2017. Little Foot, the countrys oldest, virtually complete fossil human ancestor was given the nickname of Little Foot by South Africa's most renowned scientist, Professor Phillip Tobias, based on Clarkes initial discovery of four small footbones. This is the first time that Little Foot has been on public display after 20 years of painstaking excavation, cleaning and reconstruction by Clarke and his team at the Sterkfontein Caves. The 3.67 million year old fossil of Australopithecus prometheus is undoubtly the most complete and significant South African hominid find since Raymond Dart's discovery of the skull of the Taung child in 1924, says Clarke. "She may not be perfect in formed body, with some bones missing, but Little Foot is our great-great aunt many times removed and she is perfect to me," Clarke told the BRICS leaders. Australopithecus sediba's child Karabo The site of Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site came to the worlds attention in 2008 when Wits Professor Lee Bergers young son Matthew discovered the first pieces of what would become one of the most complete early human skeleton ever discovered, part of a juvenile skeleton that was named Karabo ("The Answer" in seSotho), and the type specimen of a new species of hominin Australopithecus sediba - named by Bergers team in 2010. The discovery by Berger, a palaeoanthropologist, and his team from the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits, launched one of the largest and most intensive research programmes ever conducted in palaeoanthropology involving over 100 scientists from around the world, which has recovered hundreds of remains of at least four other skeletons. Experience lab Professor Tawana Kupe, acting Vice-Chancellor of Wits, introduced Karabo as well as the new Experience Lab at Maropeng. The lab is a partnership between the University and the Gauteng Provincial Government and designed to educate and entertain children. Looking in the glass laboratory, visitors can see a Wits scientist at work preparing fossils discovered by Wits scientists. Apart from being a growing tourism hub, the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is also an extremely important site for ongoing research, Kupe said. Wits scientists part of a global coalition to eliminate hepatitis B virus It is World Hepatitis Day on 28 July. Two research entities at Wits University are part of the International Coalition to Eradicate Hepatitis B Virus (ICE-HBV). Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver, which can be caused by viruses including hepatitis B virus (HBV), which is prevalent in Africa. The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. HBV can cause both acute and chronic disease and it is a root cause of liver cancer and cirrhosis. A persistent infection in Africa At least one-quarter of the more than 250 million chronic carriers of HBV in the world reside in Africa. However, this is probably an under-estimate because of under-reporting and lack of extensive surveillance. Africa is the only continent where HBV infection has a constantly high prevalence in certain regions. Exposure to HBV stands at: 35% to 75% in southern Africa 65% to 85% in eastern Africa more than 85% in western Africa. There is a correspondingly high annual incidence of liver cancer, which ranks second and fifth as the leading cancer-associated deaths for men and women, respectively. Two research entities in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University are directly involved with research into HBV epidemiology, molecular biology, and antiviral therapy. The Hepatitis Virus Diversity Research Unit at Wits Professor Anna Kramvis directs the Hepatitis Virus Diversity Research Unit (HVDRU), a research entity within the Department of Internal Medicine in the School of Clinical Medicine at Wits. The HVDRU studies the molecular virology of HBV. Specifically, the unit studies uniquely African HBV strains their epidemiology, molecular and functional characterisation, and their role in the clinical manifestation of a disease. No infectious diseases research in Africa can neglect the pandemic of HIV, which causes AIDS. Thus, the HVDRU also researches HBV/HIV co-infection and develops bioinformatics tools to facilitate the study of these infections. Our research has shown that the strains of HBV that prevail in Africa differ both molecularly and functionally from those outside of Africa. We have developed tools that enable us for the first time to be able to screen existing and new anti-HBV therapies against these strains. This is significant because studies on strains that prevail outside Africa do not necessarily always apply here, says Kramvis. The Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit The Wits/South African Medical Research Council Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU), directed by Professor Patrick Arbuthnot, is developing gene therapy to counter serious viral infections such as HBV of public health importance in sub-Saharan Africa. Gene therapy refers to the introduction of genetic material (DNA or RNA) into cells as a mode of treating disease. Because gene therapy is based on rational drug design [the development of medications based on the study of the structures, functions and genetic makeup of target molecules], the technology is very powerful and potentially applicable to many previously undruggable diseases of South African importance. The AGTRU focuses on advancing a cure for persistent infection with HBV. The International Coalition to Eliminate HBV and the search for a cure Both the HVDRU and AGTRU at Wits are part of the International Coalition to Eliminate HBV (ICE-HBV). This global group of researchers, patient representatives, and health organisations calls for the integration of an HBV cure in global plans to eliminate viral hepatitis. A safe and effective vaccine to prevent HBV infection has been available since 1982. The universal delivery of this vaccine is essential for the elimination of HBV as a public health threat. Additionally, those already chronically infected need lifelong treatment, but only some five percent of those who need this treatment can currently access it. Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, members of ICE-HBV published a paper in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology for the need for appropriate cure research and preparedness to complement the World Health Organizations global elimination strategy, the HBV vaccine, and the well-tolerated but poorly accessed therapy. ICE-HBV calls for increased investments in HBV cure research and cure preparedness to save the lives of the 290 million people living with chronic hepatitis B worldwide, most of whom are unaware of their infection. Five facts about Hepatitis B Virus in South Africa The Oregon Farm Bureau is raising money to help farmers and ranchers impacted by a deadly blaze burning just east of The Dalles. The Substation Fire has burned close to 80,000 acres, according to fire officials. A great deal of that acreage was farmland. At least one farmer, identified as 64-year-old John Ruby, died in the blaze, firefighters say. Ruby was trying to protect his neighbor's land. Additionally, four homes were destroyed, four homes damaged and another 48 other buildings damaged beyond repair, fire officials say. The Farm Bureau hopes to raise funds to help area farmers and ranchers recover from the damage. People interested in contributing should make a check out to "Farm Bureau Fire Relief Fund" and send it to Oregon Farm Bureau, care of Patty Kuester, 1320 Capitol Street, Northeast Salem, OR 97301, the nonprofit says. The Oregon Farm Bureau Board of Directors will consult with the Wasco County Farm Bureau to decide how to best use the funds. Columbia Bank in The Dalles has created a fund for people who want to help John Ruby's family directly. The bank can be reached at 541-298-6647. VERONA - An alert has gone out to local gun dealers after two gun shops were stolen from over the past couple of days. State Police say they are looking into a burglary which took place Friday morning at The Gun Works of Central New York, located on State Route 31 in Verona. Investigators are asking anyone who may have been in the area of Route 31 between VVS High School and Route 365 between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Friday morning and may have information regarding the burglary to call State Police at (315) 366-6000. Troopers say all calls will remain confidential. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also says they are assisting local law enforcement with the investigation into a burglary at a gun dealer in Yorkville. The name and exact location of that store has not been released. The ATF says there is no danger to the public, but if you find any firearms stolen or if someone tries to sell firearms to you that seem to be lost or stolen, you are asked to call 888-930-9275. It's time to meet the newest members of our morning mug club...brought to you by Holland Farms Bakery and Deli. The Saint John Lutheran Church will be hosting an ice cream social on Tuesday, July 31st from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The church is located at 502 West Chestnut Street in Rome. The social is a free offering! ALBANY - New York regulators have revoked their approval of Charter Communications' merger with Time Warner Cable and ordered the company to find another cable provider for its more than 2 million customers in the state. The state Public Service Commission on Friday claimed the company is not meeting public benefit conditions agreed to in 2016. A key complaint centers on the company's commitment to expand its broadband network to underserved areas. They ordered Charter, doing business as Spectrum, to file a plan within 60 days to ensure an "orderly transition to a successor" provider or providers. Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, who is running for Congress this fall, has pushed for Charter/Spectrum to live up to the promises the company made when it took over Time Warner Cable. He released a statement Friday afternoon, saying: "Its high time New York cut the cord with Spectrum Cable and provided residents with more competition. Over the past several years, I have heard from literally hundreds of constituents who have called me and signed my online petition, and they are absolutely fed up. Theyve had it with poor customer service; sudden surprise rate hikes they cannot afford; and promises that are not being kept by Spectrum. What is just as bad is that thousands of New Yorkers who are waiting for the broadband access Spectrum keeps advertising it is providing are still stuck with 20th Century technology. I am pleased that the PSC is taking these serious concerns to heart, and is looking out for the hundreds of thousands of Spectrum customers across the state being shortchanged when it comes to cable and Internet service. Charter says it remains focused on expanding broadband and said "rhetoric often becomes politically charged" in election years. Charter provides cable service in the greater Utica area and throughout the state, including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens and parts of Brooklyn. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) A Tippecanoe County jury convicted Manford Girten Jr., 31, of nine counts including rape, criminal confinement, intimidation, strangulation, domestic battery and invasion of privacy. On September 30, 2017, Lafayette police went to the hospital in response to a victim of rape. The victim told police she had been dating Girten for about two months before the incident. In October, the victim was able to record Girten apologizing for the crimes. That's when she got a protection order. Girten didn't stop contacting her through texts, calls and messages on social media. His sentencing is scheduled for August 24th. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Fire service thanks public for food & drink donations no more needed for now due to overwhelming response This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 27th, 2018 Donations have been flooding in to help sustain firecrews fighting the mountain fires above Llangollen, with such a tremendous response they have been asked to be paused for now. There are 12 appliances at the fire in Llantysilio, tackling the fires in what are described as difficult conditions. With the fire ongoing for several days a local collection was started at Wrexham Morrisons with donations dropped off at the fire and rescue station to help our firefighters that are battling the Llangollen wild fire. This afternoon the North Wales Fire and Rescue service said: Big thank you for donations of food and drink to our firefighters tackling the fire at Llangollen really appreciated by staff. We currently have enough supplies so kindly ask not contact us to offer any more we will let people know if this changes. #Thanks #TrulyAppreciated This morning police closed off the Horseshoe Pass to avoid sightseers interfering with the firefighting effort. Earlier Simon Clemence from the Pondarosa Cafe at the top of the pass said: All emergency are doing a fantastic job in very difficult conditions we are keeping them all fed and watered. Llangollen website Llanblogger has a longer article on the local efforts to support the firecrews, including details of one woman from a local business who has co-ordinated an appeal to keep the supplies flowing which had raised over 1,000 within hours of being set up. You can read their exclusive report in full, with extra images, here. Pedal power for COPS fundraiser This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 27th, 2018 A group of North Wales Police officers and staff will be taking part in a national cycle ride to honour the service and sacrifice of fallen UK police officers. Starting today through until Sunday 13 members of Team North Wales Police will cycle approximately 210 miles from Police Headquarters in Colwyn Bay to the National Police Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to raise money for COPS (Care of Police Survivors). COPS is a UK registered charity dedicated to helping the families of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, rebuild their lives. It aims to ensure that survivors have all the help they need to cope with such a tragedy, and that they remain part of the police family. Chief Inspector Owain Llewellyn, who is taking part in the cycle tour said: Whilst realising the dangers of policing, nobody expects to die in the line of duty. When such a tragedy does occur, the surviving family endures emotions including denial, bewilderment, anger and depression. The police service does not have the resources to maintain support for these families beyond the immediate aftermath of the death. That is where COPS comes in. Each rider will be issued a blue memorial bracelet inscribed with the name and information of a Police Officer who died in the line of duty, which we will carry to the finish line. COPS is a wonderful charity and we hope to raise as much money as we can for them. The Police Unity Tour was started in 1997 in New Jersey, USA, to raise awareness for officers killed in the line of duty, honour their sacrifices and raise funds for their families. Now, 20years on, police personnel from across the world participate in bike challenges as part of the Police Unity Tour. If you would like to sponsor the team donations can be made via their Just Giving page Social media users can follow the tour via #WeRideForThoseWhoDied #COPS2018 #UKPUT The Venture to celebrate 40th anniversary tomorrow with The Big Reunion event This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 27th, 2018 The Venture will be celebrating its 40th anniversary tomorrow and to mark the occasion they will be taking their trusty minibus around the Spring Lodge area of Caia Park with music and singing before returning to the adventure playground to carry on the celebrations. Local band Spencer, Turner & Holmes Live will be playing a set before the finalists of The Ventures Got Talent take to the stage. Several community organisations will also be on hand with information including: Menter Iaith Fflint Wrecsam, The Wrexham Family Information Service, Communities For Work and Europe Direct. They are hoping to see some old familiar faces from the past four decades and invite those who have never been before to use the opportunity to see what they are about. Free, open-access Play provision will also be taking place, as it is throughout the Summer from Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm 6pm. A spokesperson got in touch with their potted history of the Venture: In 1978 a radical idea was proposed to try and tackle crime an adventure playground! The idea was that young people referred from Social Services would not only benefit from being creative and constructive but also help their younger siblings, heading them off at the pass. On 31st July 1978 a fire was started (purposefully) and the primeval flames drew in crowds of children curious to find out what was going on and so, The Venture was born! Since 1978, The Venture has flourished and expanded its operations to include an Early Years Centre which opened in 1986 and The Venture Alternative Learning (VAL) project which opened in 2007 in 2003 it was adopted by the Welsh Government as a model for Integrated Childrens Centres. Most recently The Venture has announced Seidiau Y Fenter | Vens Sheds a new project, in partnership with Mens Sheds Cymru, aimed at adults over 50 to compliment the work of the childrens centre that will launch in September. It has not been an easy ride for The Venture many will know the name from the sea of yellow placards that adorned Wrexham and its villages calling people to SAVE THE VENTURE in the 00s. This was due to a large cut in funding by Wrexham County Borough Council and was a tactic that has been utilised more than once to save the childrens centre from certain closure. When funding was later completely withdrawn for play provision by the council, the Welsh Governments Communities First programme was suitably positioned to keep it going but that too fell victim to times of austerity when it came to an end in March of this year. A life line has been thrown in the form of a Legacy Fund from Communities First will be distributed to The Venture for play via the Wrexham Youth & Play Partnership (WYPP) but the battle continues to secure long-term funding. But for one day they hope to put aside the worries of the adult world and focus on celebrating 40 years of survival and, most importantly, generations of children being given a space to play. The day starts at 1pm and runs until 5pm and there will be free food and drink to keep you going. For more information visit www.theventurewrexham.com, www.facebook.com/TheVenture78, @TheVenture78, email sedwards@the-venture.co.uk or call 01978355761 or 07508822309. Five federal by-elections across the country this Saturday look set to intensify the instability wracking the Australian parliament. A poor showing for either the Liberal-National Coalition government or the Labor Party opposition could trigger leadership challenges in the lead-up to a federal election due to be held before next May. Four of the five polls were sparked by the forced resignation of sitting MPs resulting from the ongoing purge of federal parliamentarians entitled to dual citizenship. In a reactionary nationalist campaign, the corporate press and all the parliamentary parties have demanded that parliamentarians demonstrate unqualified allegiance to Australia, including by providing detailed genealogical records. This is aimed at whipping up an atmosphere of jingoism and militarism. The elections are part of a deepening crisis of the official political establishment. Virtually every election over the past decade, at the state and federal level, has been characterised by swings against the major parties. The breakup of the two-party set-up, through which the Australian capitalist class has ruled for over a century, is the product of immense popular disaffection with declining or stagnating wages, a rapidly rising cost of living, and the dismantling of public healthcare, education and welfare by successive governments, Labor and Liberal-National alike. Fears that the by-elections will feature unpredictable swings have been exacerbated by the fact that they are taking place across four states, encompassing up to half a million voters in total. The Liberal-Nationals are not contesting the Western Australian seats of Fremantle and Perth, so they will almost certainly be retained by Labor. In the semi-rural electorate of Mayo, near South Australias capital Adelaide, Rebekha Sharkie is seeking to regain a seat she won from the Liberal-Nationals in 2016 as a representative of the right-wing populist Nick Xenophon Team, since renamed the Centre Alliance. Senior Liberal-National figures have campaigned heavily for her government opponent, Georgina Downer. In the seats of Braddon, in northwest Tasmania, and Longman, north of Queenslands capital, Brisbane, Labor is seeking to head off Liberal-National challengers. Both electorates are among the most impoverished in the country. They are microcosms of the social crisis confronting broad sections of the population, encompassing suburbs and rural areas with high rates of poverty, unemployment and distress. In their campaigns, Labor and the Coalition have competed to establish themselves as the toughest on immigration and immigrants. This is aimed at diverting attention from their own responsibility for the social conditions and scapegoating the most vulnerable sections of the working class. Liberal-National Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has touted his governments role in reducing Australias migration intake to its lowest level in a decade by cracking down on visa rorts. Other government figures have called for even more stringent visa restrictions. The government has helped stoke a racist campaign alleging, without any evidence, that Melbourne, the countrys second largest city, is in the grip of a violent crime wave perpetrated by African gangs. Last week, Turnbull declared there was real anxiety about crime perpetrated by African immigrants. On Wednesday, former Coalition Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the country had stirred up trouble for ourselves by letting people in who are difficult to integrate. For his part, federal Labor leader Bill Shorten has denounced foreign workers as responsible for growing unemployment, and called for a crackdown on temporary work visas. Both the major parties are seeking support from right-wing populist outfits and individuals, who have played an increasingly prominent role amid the worsening breakdown of the two-party system over the past decade. In Longman, the Liberal-Nationals will receive the second vote preferences of the xenophobic Pauline Hansons One Nation party that, according to some surveys, is polling at over 10 percent. Since the last federal election in 2016, One Nation has provided crucial support for the Coalition, voting with the government in parliament 83 percent of the time this year. In another indication of the increasingly dysfunctional character of official politics, One Nations campaign in the seat has been bolstered by the support of former Labor Party leader Mark Latham. He has participated, alongside Hanson, in robocalls to Longman voters denouncing Shorten as dishonest. Labor, which was a beneficiary of One Nation preferences when it won Longman in the 2016 federal election, is also courting unpredictable populists. In Braddon, Labor will receive the preferences of Craig Garland, an anti-politician independent who has demagogically denounced both the major parties. If Garland replicates his result in the March Tasmanian state election, where he won 2,000 votes, his preferences could secure the seat for Labor. Labor and the Coalition have resorted to blatant pork-barrelling in a desperate attempt to win votes. According to an analysis by the Guardian, the two parties combined have made promises worth more than $450 million in the three contested electorates of Mayo, Longman and Braddon. The empty promises, which will inevitably be shelved after the discovery of budgetary black holes, have only heightened the popular contempt for the political establishment. In campaign appearances Shorten has pledged that Labor will increase funding to healthcare, education and ensure the provision of jobs, accusing the government of only serving the interests of the corporate elite. Shortens tepid rhetoric has done nothing to overcome widespread disaffection over the role played by the previous Rudd and Gillard Labor governments in propping up the banks and imposing on the working class the burden of the 20082009 global financial crisis. Shorten is, at the same time, attempting to assure the financial elite that a Labor government would best serve the national interest, i.e., the interests of big business and the banks. A significant swing against Labor, or the Liberal-Nationals, in any of the contested seats could intensify moves against Turnbull and Shorten. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese is widely tipped to be preparing a leadership challenge. He has sought to capitalise on anxiety in corporate circles over Shortens bogus populist posturing. Delivering the Whitlam Oration late last month, Albanese called on Labor to engage with business and don the mantle of the Hawke and Keating Labor governments, which spearheaded the deregulation of the economy and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the 1980s and early 1990s. Turnbulls leadership has been wracked by rumours of prospective challenges from Abbott and other figures in the most conservative sections of the Coalition. The governments fragility has been exacerbated by ongoing frustration in corporate circles at its failure to impose the full extent of the austerity measures demanded by the financial markets. For all the mud-slinging and infighting, the campaigns have underscored the unanimity of the political establishment behind an assault on the democratic rights of the population and an alignment with Washingtons militarism. In the lead-up to the by-elections, Labor joined forces with the government to push through sweeping foreign interference laws that constitute the most significant attack on civil liberties since World War II. The legislation seeks to criminalise alleged links with China and opposition to US-led plans for war against Beijing. Australias role in those preparations was underscored this week when Australias defence and foreign ministers met with their US counterparts to commit to even deeper military ties aimed at shoring up Washingtons dominance in the Indo-Pacific. Previous Labor governments played a central role in integrating Australia into the US military build-up in the region. Several members of the Democratic Partys congressional delegation dropped in on Flint, Michigan last week for a photo-op where city residents still suffer from a health crisis four years after the lead poisoning of their water supply. The July 20 event included Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the US House of Representatives, and her colleagues Dan Kildee and Debbie Dingell (Michigan), Jim McGovern (Massachusetts), and Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas). The trip was the prelude to a campaign visit Saturday by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the Democratic gubernatorial primary backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialists of America member who won the Democratic primary in New Yorks 14th Congressional District. The trips to Flint, which has become a national and international symbol of government indifference, are part of the Democrats efforts to feign sympathy for working-class and minority voters in the run-up to the mid-term elections. The Democrats share full responsibility with the Republicans for the disaster in the city. Democratic State Treasurer Andy Dillon, appointed by Republican Governor Rick Snyder, approved the moneymaking scheme to build a redundant water pipeline to the city, which set into motion the decision to switch the citys water supply to the polluted Flint River. President Obama came to the city in 2016, sipped a glass of water and essentially told the residents to get over it, while the Democratic mayor and Democratic-controlled city council have overseen the continued neglect. Pelosi, Dingell and others donned hard hats and posed for the cameras at a Flint home that was having its pipes replaced. To date only 6,725 pipes have been replaced with at least 7,000 remaining. Residents responded to the visit with the contempt it deserves. Typical was the commenter on the online publication MLive.com who said, How insulting. I guess Flint is the new Political Tourist location. Nothing like visiting the poor victims and doing nothing about it. I remember the bus tours of the ninth ward after Katrina and how demeaning the residents felt as people rode by in their air-conditioned buses and shook their heads as they returned to the luxury hotels of the French Quarter. Well, at least we have the photos in MLIVE to look forward to... During a press conference they made no concrete proposals to relieve the citys working-class residents, who saw the value of their homes plummet, their health and the health of their children compromised and their savings eliminated. Instead Pelosi focused her remarks on Russian meddling! Answering a reporters question about Trump, Pelosi did not denounce the Republican president for neglecting the victims in Flint or Puerto Rico, or for dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency or cutting food stamps and other programs vital to Flints largely impoverished population. Instead she blurted out, The President of the United States owes an apology to the American people for his behavior toward Vladimir Putin, adding, We cant afford this blackmail. Pelosi went on to parrot the unsubstantiated charges of the Russian governments interference in the US 2016 elections, It is the consensus of our entire intelligence community that the Russians interfered with our beautiful right to vote, the sacred right to vote, and Putin himself ordered it, Pelosi said. That is an assault on our democracy Presumably, the appointment of unelected emergency managers to rule over cities like Flint and extract massive payments on behalf of Wall Street and wealthy bondholders is part of the democratic paradise in the US. At one point, Pelosi passed the microphone to Representative Denny Heck of Washington state who serves on the House Intelligence Committee. Heck said of congressional Republicans, They need to stand up for Americathey need to put country over partybecause our country is in fact, being attacked by Russia. One would think from these hysterical statements that the switch to the highly polluted Flint River had been ordered by the Kremlin. The poisoning of the citys population was a conspiracy, but not by the Russian government. One of the largest public health disasters in American history was set into motion as a result of the deliberate policies of Democratic and Republican politicians on all levels of government. The water source was switched to the toxic Flint River in April 2014 without adding corrosion control chemicals to the antiquated water treatment plant. In spite of hundreds of residents protesting the foul-smelling water, which was producing deaths from Legionnaires disease, rashes and countless other health problems, the lead-tainted water coursed through the bodies of residents for 15 months until the citys water supply was switched back to Lake Huron. While Pelosi denounced Trumps broken promises to provide funding for the infrastructure, she made no mention of the paltry amount of money the Obama administration provided. The visit coincides with continual efforts by the authorities and the corporate media to downplay the current disaster in Flint. While residents are advised to only drink the tap water if filters are in place, the majority of residents do not drink the water, even with a filter. The state of Michigan stopped the distribution of free bottled water, leaving families to rely on charitable handouts or buy their own water to cook, drink and bathe in. Moreover, days before the congressional visit, there was a warning that steep water rate increases are coming. Flints rates are already among the highest in the nation. An estimated $300 million is needed over the next 20 years, or approximately $15 million a month for capital improvements like replacing water mains and fixing leaks in the distribution system. Adding insult to injury, the people of Flint are expected to pay for upgrades to a nearly 100-year water treatment plant. According to John Young, a consultant for the Flint City Council, If we do not improve anything with collections, or the water theft rate, analysis shows us that we need three rate increases over the next three years. They would be 20 percent, 16 percent, and 10 percent. Two days after Pelosis charade, the New York Times published an opinion piece claiming that Flints children were not poisoned at all but were merely exposed to lead. The article was co-authored by Hernan Gomez, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, and emergency medicine pediatrician and medical toxicologist at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Principled scientists describe Gomez as a rented white coat. The basis for Gomezs argument is that the CDC recommends medical treatment for high blood lead levels at 45 micrograms per deciliter and that Flint children did not test this high. The article concludes, It is therefore unfair and inaccurate to point a finger at Flint and repeatedly use the word poisoned. All it does is terrify the parents and community members. Gomez does not address if the lead levels that exist in the water will do or have done damage to Flint residents, but only repeats that the word poisoned should not be used. The timing of the NYT article is curious. Gomezs initial report was made public in May and appeared in the Pediatric Journal in June. There is a concerted effort on the part of the political establishment, and the Democratic Party in particular, as well as the media to totally abandon Flint. A lie is being pushed that the Flint water crisis is over, and that its seriousness and deleterious effects are being exaggerated. In May, the WSWS reported on Gomezs study and interviewed two health experts, Dr. Bruce Lanphear and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who both disagreed with his findings. Lanphear told the WSWS, It is true that blood lead levels have come down. But it is proven that every six years, 24 million IQ points are lost at the lowest level of exposure to lead. While children of two-to-three months are the most vulnerable, children arent the only ones vulnerable to lead poisoning. Workers living in Flint and elsewhere have every right to be outraged at any amount of lead in their water. No amount of lead is safe. The cost to fully repair Flints water system has been estimated at $1.6 billion. While joining the Republicans in claiming that there is no money for critical infrastructure improvements or to meet the economic, social and health needs of Flint residents, the Democrats approved over $700 billion to meet Trumps military funding request. A laid-off worker set himself on fire Wednesday amid a general strike and protests against the destruction of hundreds of jobs by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN agency tasked with assisting impoverished Palestinian refugees in the Israeli-occupied Gaza and West Bank, as well as Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. In addition to 125 workers who saw their contracts terminated outright, another 800 were reduced from full-time to part-time positions, or transferred to other programs. UNRWA claimed that the layoffs were made inevitable by Washingtons recent massive cut to US funding for the agency. Earlier this year, the Trump administration ordered the suspension of more than half of the annual funding provided by the US to the refugee agency$65 million out of $125 million. The action was taken, however, after UNRWA announced that the agencys budget deficit had been reduced from $466 to $217 million and as the World Bank signaled that it will increase its annual funding for Gazas and the West Banks economies from $55 to $90 million. For the workers protesting the layoffs, the destruction of jobs by UNRWA is seen as an arbitrary and reactionary decision that condemns hundreds more families to joblessness and hunger. The cuts have been ordered under conditions in which the official unemployment rate in the blockaded coastal enclave stands at 56 percent, and destruction of infrastructure by successive Israeli wars and bombings has led to 18 hours of power blackouts on most days during the intense heat of summer. Nickolay Mladenov, the UNs special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement Wednesday that Gaza is on the verge of a total economic and social collapse. Security forces used stun grenades Monday against protesting Palestinian workers who had surrounded the office of UNRWAs Gaza operations director, Matthias Shamali, blocking him from leaving. Workers have charged that, while the layoffs will barely make a dent in UNRWAs deficitsaving barely $4 millionit will have a wide impact on extended families who depend upon the jobs that are being eliminated and cut back. The UNRWA cutbacks are also taking a severe toll in the West Bank, where the refugee agency said that it will terminate its employment program in the Israeli-occupied territory by the end of this month, while the distribution of food coupons will be halted by the end of the year. The agency is also shutting down its psychological assistance program at the end of August and its mobile clinics by the end of October. The attacks on jobs and social conditions in Gaza are unfolding under conditions of escalating Israeli aggression and collective punishment of the people of Gaza. On Wednesday, three Gazans were killed by Israeli shelling east of Gaza City. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the attack was in retaliation for shots fired at its troops along the security fence separating Gaza from Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman convened a special security meeting Wednesday night in Tel Aviv to discuss operations against Gaza with senior IDF officers. There is mounting speculation that Israel is on the brink of launching yet another major war against the besieged territory. Earlier this month, Israel shut down the Kerem Shalom crossing, the only commercial conduit between Israel and Gaza, allowing in only basic food and medical supplies. It cut off all fuel supplies to Gaza for one week. While the blockade has been slightly eased, it can be retightened at any moment. The slashing of US funding to Gaza and the West Bank is part of a deliberate US strategy, elaborated in close collaboration with Tel Aviv, to starve the Palestinians into submission. The Trump administration, with the backing of the Democratic Party, has given unconditional support to the Israeli state as it has carried out the massacre of unarmed protesters in Gaza, where at least 142 have been gunned down by IDF snipers and thousands more have been wounded. The latest death from the March of Return protests, in which tens of thousands marched to the border fence, demanding their right to return to the lands from which Palestinians were driven out 70 years ago, came on Tuesday, when Majd Suhail Akil, 26, died from gunshot wounds inflicted by the IDF on May 14. More than 60 Palestinian protesters were killed outright that day, which was when the US opened its embassy in Jerusalem, in defiance of international law. The Trump administration has also given a green light to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with a nearly three-fold increase in the number of new settlements since it took office. Behind the unconditional US backing for Israeli aggression against the Palestinians lies the drive by Washington to forge an anti-Iranian axis with Israel and Saudi Arabia, along with the other reactionary Persian Gulf oil monarchies. President Donald Trumps unilateral withdrawal in May from the Iran nuclear accord signed in July 2015 by the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China has set the stage for a military confrontation, even as Israeli warplanes are carrying out airstrikes against Iranian assets in Syria. The Trump administration assembled what amounted to a war council against Iran on Thursday, with National Security Adviser John Bolton summoning top Pentagon and intelligence officials to the White House to discuss strategy, just days after Trump tweeted that if Iran dared to threaten the US, it would SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. Citing senior government officials Thursday, the Australian media reported that the US is preparing to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities as early as next month, and that Australias top-secret Pine Gap spy base would be used to help select targets. The head of Irans Quds Forces, Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, made a speech on Thursday, warning that the US may start this war but we will be the ones to impose its end, and stating that Iran is prepared to wage an asymmetric war against US forces. In one of the cruelest and most outrageous violations of human rights in American history, the Trump administration has refused to reunite nearly a thousand of the immigrant children forcibly separated from their parents under the zero tolerance policy Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began to carry out in early May. The deadline of Thursday, July 26, elapsed for the court-ordered reunification of the more than 3,000 children separated from their parents, with the Trump administration declaring at least 711 families ineligible for reunification, affecting nearly a thousand children. The administration now claims that it has met the burden of the court order, issued by District Judge Dana Sabraw of the Southern District of California, but only by classifying as ineligible all the families it failed to reunify. In the Orwellian terminology of the spokesmen for Trumps immigration Gestapo, families are rendered ineligible when the US government deports them to another country, loses track of them in its vast system of prisons and detention camps, or releases the parents while keeping the children in detention. The parents are ineligible because the US government has made it impossible for them to find their children. Many of these parents will never see their children again. As for the children and parents restored to each other, most of these reunifications have taken place behind prison walls. According to the official filing with the court in San Diego, of the 2,551 children aged five years or older who have been taken from their parents since early May, 1,442 have been reunited with their parents within the detention system. In other words, the parents and children are now being held in the same prison, instead of different ones. Only 378 of the children aged five or older have been released from custody entirely, either placed with another family member or friend living in the United States, or restored to parents who have themselves been released from custody. This represents only 15 percent of the total. Lawyers for the parents and children have given numerous accounts of the horrific conditions facing both those who continue to be separated and those now reunited behind prison walls. Leah Chavla described the impact of reunification on an 11-year-old boy in an interview with CNN: The boy would barely speak through the entire interview, only sometimes slightly nodding or shaking his head to answer simpleyes or noquestions. He only stared forward with an intent expression that looked like he was concentrating so as to not cry. His mother repeatedly told him to speak to us, but he could not speak. In a conference call with reporters, officials of the Department of Health and Human Services, which has custody of the children, and ICE, which holds the parents, arrogantly defended the conduct of the administration, and even complained that the government was spending far too much time and money on the plight of these families. Matthew Albence, chief of the Enforcement and Removal Operations division of ICE, said his unit had been working 24/7 to reunify families. ICE and especially ERO has made a concerted effort and dedicated an inordinate amount of resources to ensure these reunifications did occur, he said. He claimed that parents who were deported without their children did so after being provided an opportunity to have that child accompany them on the way home, which they had declined. He added cynically, We cannot force a parent to take a child with them. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, many of the deported parents had signed forms agreeing to be deported without their children, without understanding the documents, which they could not read. In many cases these immigrants, mainly refugees from Central America, are illiterate, or speak indigenous languages like Mayan, rather than Spanish. In some cases, ICE agents have told parents that signing the form is the only way to ensure that their children stay in the United States where they will be safe from the violence of drug gangs and military death squads in their home countries from which the families originally fled. In response to the question of how ICE would locate these parents in order to restore their children, Albence said callously, Theyve been deported. We dont keep track of individuals once theyve been deported to foreign countries. Such statements only confirm the conclusion that must be drawn from the entire experience of the past three months. The family separations that followed the announcement of zero tolerance were not an inadvertent consequence. Just the opposite: zero tolerance was declared in order to initiate large-scale family separations in order to terrorize immigrants and asylum seekers and provide a disincentive for them to cross the border into the United States. Even more cruel, it is clear that the failure to collect the information necessary to ensure family reunification was not a matter of disorganization or incompetence, but a deliberate effort to ensure that the zero tolerance policy was implemented with the maximum of trauma for both the children and the parents. It was politically motivated savagery, an act of mass kidnapping that constitutes a crime against humanity and meets the legal definition of genocide. Federal officials and ACLU lawyers will meet in Judge Sabraws courtroom this afternoon to discuss the various categories of reunified and separated parents and children. The ACLU is seeking a further court order to halt the deportation of reunited parents and children for seven days in an attempt to forestall the Trump administrations plan to deport nearly all the reunited families as soon as physically possible. Deportations have been temporarily stayed since July 16 pending a decision by the judge on the ACLU motion. A total of 223 reunited families are now awaiting deportation at an ICE center in south Texas. China has hit back at the US in its ongoing and deepening trade war, with Beijing effectively scuttling a $44 billion takeover by the American technology giant Qualcomm of a Dutch chipmaker NXP Semiconductors. Qualcomm announced late Wednesday that it was pulling out of the deal after it became clear that the Chinese government was not going to sign off on the takeover. China was the last of nine national jurisdictions whose approval was needed under anti-monopoly provisions for the deal to go ahead. At $132 billion last year, China is the worlds largest semiconductor market with most of the revenue going to companies based in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the US. According to widespread reports, Chinese regulators responsible for vetting takeover deals had signed off on it earlier this year and it was only waiting for the final go-ahead from the Beijing government. But the approval never came and just hours before the deadline was due to expire Qualcomm announced it was pulling out. The official Chinese government position is that the lack of approval had nothing to do with the China-US trade conflict. As far as I know, the case is a matter of antitrust law enforcement, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said. But as one source told the Financial Times, echoing reports in other media, all the technical issues had been resolved and that from Qualcomms perspective everything that was needed to be done was done. The deal had been two years in the making, starting under the Obama administration. The turning point came in May with the announcement by the Trump administration that it was going ahead with tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese products, especially those connected to Beijings made in China 2025 plan. The White House invoked Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act on the grounds that China was engaging in intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers. The decision came just three days after a high-level meeting in Washington with members of the Trump administration and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He. Following that meeting, in which China had agreed to increase its imports from the US by as much as $100 billion, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the trade war had been put on hold. So Washingtons about-face and imposition of tariffs was in essence a public slap in the face for Chinas chief trade negotiator. The mood in Beijing changed and, while there was no official statement, it was clear that final takeover approval was going nowhere. We obviously got caught up in something that was above us, said Steve Mollenkop, Qualcomm chief executive. The company will now have to pay a $2 billion breakup fee to NXP and has announced a $30 billion share buyback program in order to meet the demands of financial investors. The collapse of the takeover has far-reaching implications for chipmakers and other high-tech companies that had been waiting for the outcome of the Qualcomm-NXP deal before going ahead with their own merger and acquisition (M&A) moves. It certainly raises concerns about future M&A, analyst Michael Walkley told Bloomberg. Theres increasing uncertainty in how long the issues with China will last and if theyll continue to block deals. In its report on the collapsed deal, the Financial Times cited one industry analyst who said it had put a big red light on any big M&A in the semiconductor industry in the short term. The stakes in technology are obviously very, very high, particularly given that semiconductors are a huge strategic priority for China. More than $200 billion worth of M&A deals were reported in 2015 and 2016, including the Qualcomm-NXP agreement. Smaller companies were seeking to improve their position in the face of a slowdown in the PC and smartphone sectors and to best prepare for the 5G wireless technology which is now about to be rolled out. That activity slowed down in the past year and has now pretty much come to a screeching halt, according to another industry analyst cited in the Financial Times . Qualcomm has been at the centre of the shifts in the industry and the conflict between the US and China over high-tech development. In March, US President Donald Trump directly intervened to prevent a $142 billion takeover of Qualcomm by the US company Broadcom on national security grounds. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) intervened in the process, at the invitation of Qualcomm. It found that Broadcoms practices after takeovers, based on cutting costs in order to finance thema very common practice on Wall Streetwould mean that Qualcomms spending on research and development would be reduced. This would open the way for Chinese companies such as Huawei to expand their influence in setting standards for 5G development. While the United States remains dominant in the standards-setting space currently, China would likely compete robustly to fill any void left by Qualcomm as a result of this hostile takeover, CFIUS said. But having saved Qualcomm four months ago on the grounds of ensuring national security against China, the actions of the Trump administration on tariffs, invoking the same grounds, have now dealt it a significant blow. It is likely not to be the last of such measures. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on up to $500 billion worth of Chinese products, covering its entire exports. Chinese imports of US products are some $350 billion less and so it does not have scope for retaliatory tariff measures. This means that it will increasingly seek other ways to hit back. The scuttling of the Qualcomm deal may be the first of such measures and signals the escalation of the trade war into other areas. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that longtime Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg has been summoned to testify before the New York grand jury that is probing President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Weisselberg, who currently serves as the Trump Organizations chief financial officer, was subpoenaed by the US Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, although it is not yet known when the subpoena was served. The move appears to be connected to Tuesdays release of a September 2016 phone conversation with Trump that Cohen secretly taped, in which the two discuss a plan to pay for the silence of a Playboy model named Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006. The National Enquirer purchased the rights to publish McDougals story for $150,000 in August 2016 but never published anything on the allegations. On the tape, Trump and Cohen discuss purchasing the rights from the tabloids publisher, American Media Inc., for about $150,000. Cohen can be heard telling Trump that he spoke with Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up and when it comes time for the financing. However, it appears Cohen never actually followed through on the purchase. The tape was seized during the April raids of Cohens office and residences by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Weisselberg was allegedly responsible for reimbursing Cohen for a separate payment to porn film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence over an affair she claims to have had with Trump over a decade ago. The subpoena of Weisselberg appears aimed at gaining information from a source who has long been intimately involved in the finances of the Trump Organization and the personal finances of Trump himself. The 71-year-old Weisselberg first served as an accountant for President Trumps father, Fred Trump, in the 1970s and has since risen to become the top accountant in the Trump Organization. When Trump was elected president, his lawyers created an investment trust jointly managed by Weisselberg and the presidents two eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr. Weisselberg will be compelled to answer questions from prosecutors under oath regarding any aspect of Trumps dubious business and charitable dealings they deem relevant to the investigation of Cohen, unless the accountant exercises his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The subpoena of Weisselberg represents an escalation of the factional infighting in Washington, signaling an expansion of the Cohen investigation to involve President Trumps business dealings. Trump previously stated that investigating his business operations represented a red line, though he did not specify what he intended to do in the event this line was crossed. The move follows the filing on Wednesday by Republican lawmakers of articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for failing to produce documents relating to the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state, and the initiation of the probe into supposed Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election. Thirteen House members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus introduced the articles of impeachment as a maneuver to compel Rosenstein to hand over the documents they sought. While the articles were withdrawn Thursday following consultation with Republican leaders, the move elicited expressions of outrage from Democratic Party politicians. Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote in a Wednesday tweet: These articles of impeachment against Rod Rosenstein were filed in bad faith and show extraordinary lengths to which House Republicans will go to protect Trump. Schiff is playing a major role in the campaign by the Democratic Party and the military-intelligence apparatus for Internet censorship under the pretext of combating alleged Russian meddling and fake news. Europe Ryanair hit by biggest strike in its history Cabin crew and pilots at Ryanair, the Irish-based budget airline and Europes largest carrier, struck this week for improved pay, seniority rights and consistent working hours. Other demands included parity of conditions across the companys bases and access to a universal pension scheme. The strike is the largest in the companys 34-year history. The members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association struck July 24, in a third one-day action that forced the cancellation of 16 flights between Dublin and the UK. Another strike is set for August 3. The company responded by threatening to transfer up to 20 percent of its Irish-based flights and six aircraft to Poland, underscoring the critical importance of a unified international movement amongst Ryanair workers. More than 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew positions are threatened by the move. Cabin crew in Spain, Belgium and Portugal also struck July 25 and today. Six hundred flights have been cancelled, including 400 in Spain alone, in a coordinated action for better pay and conditions. Cabin crew are seeking the right to sick pay, an end to victimisation for missing in-flight sales targets, pay equality across contracts, union recognition and an end to payroll anomalies. Workers across Europe are paid in Ireland and must open an Irish bank account. Demonstrations of cabin crew have taken place at Spanish airports. Irish pharmacy staff strike Workers at 40 branches of pharmacy chain Lloyds are due to strike Friday for a seventh day of action. The Mandate trade union members are demanding union recognition and improved pay and conditions. They are paid on average 30 percent less than their counterparts at Boots. Some 270 out of 900 workers have joined Mandate. Management of Dublins Mill Shopping Centre previously banned picketing outside Lloyds. Irish ambulance staff threaten strike ballot Ambulance workers in Ireland are considering a strike ballot over union recognition. Their employer, the Health Service Executive (HSE), refuses to deduct union dues from the wages of National Ambulance Representative Association (NASRA) members. HSE has threatened NASRA with an injunction. Irish building workers protest in Dublin A group of building workers protested last Friday at Hanover Quays, Dublin, over pay and conditions at Cairn Homes sites. The members of the Bricklayers and Allied Trade Union say some sites dont fully comply with the Sectoral Employment Order. Under it, workers pay should be between 13.77 and 18.36 per hour, with an employer-employee contribution pension, death-in-service contribution, sick pay and other benefits. Unions sell out council workers dispute in Scotland The GMB, Unison and Unite unions have called off a planned strike by East Dunbartonshire council waste workers against cuts in their terms and conditions. The cuts include reduction of annual leave by three days, removal of enhanced overtime pay, cutting payments for unsocial hours and slashing terms for voluntary redundancy. Workers planned to strike July 12-15 following a four-day strike in June, after a 93 percent strike vote. They have been on a work-to-rule since July 2. In the July newsletter calling off the strike, Unison stated, To mitigate the cuts to T&Cs [terms and conditions] we have offered a commitment to work jointly with management to identify cost efficiencies across services. UK Britvic soft drink workers prepare strike over plant closure Workers making soft drinks for Britvic are due to strike to protest the closure of their plant and loss of 242 jobs in Norwich, England. The General Municipal and Boilermakers union has limited the action to 18 days and the demands to increasing the size of redundancy payments. To ensure that the strikes are as ineffective as possible, the GMB is staggering the action, with different sections of workers in the plant striking at different times. Technical operators will strike on August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 and September 5; operators will strike on August 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 and September 6. Drive site staff will strike on August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 and September 7. Paramedics strike in northwest England After an 84 percent vote, 160 ambulance staff in the counties of Lancashire, Cumbria, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester struck for 12 hours last Saturday. The members of the General, Municipal and Boilermakers union are demanding job reevaluation. Cleaners to strike for London living wage Cleaners at the Ministry of Justice and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council have voted to strike August 7-9 for the London Living Wage of 10.20 an hour. They are members of the United Voices of the World. North Sea oil workers strike against Total, causing price rise Oil rig workers employed by Total in the North Sea struck on Monday, bringing the Elgin-Franklin and Alwyn natural gas field areas to a halt. Gas production fell to 13 million cubic metres, and the gas price rose. The Unite union said, No further talks are planned at present, and invited management to come back with a better offer. Further strikes are planned for August 6 and August 20, and 12-hour strikes on July 30 and August 13, along with an overtime ban. Unite members have threatened to strike at the Equinors Mariner oil platform. Last week, the Safe union, representing Norwegian drilling workers, ended a 10-day strike over pay and conditions following state-appointed mediation. Greek casino workers 24-hour strike Workers at the casinos of Rio, Alexandroupolis, Corfu and Syros struck for 24 hours last weekend. The OSETYP union members are demanding back pay and benefits owed. German care workers strike to demand parity Care workers at a clinic in the German town of Bad Langensalza are on indefinite strike after a 95 percent vote to demand improvements in their pay and conditions. The clinic is owned by the French multinational ORPEA. The company fired two Verdi union members and locked out five others. French farmers protest stops Tour de France Police tear-gassed French farmers who temporarily halted the Tour de France on Tuesday. Many, including competing cyclists, had to wash their eyes with water. The police also manhandled protesters. The French government and European Union plan to cut the number of areas classed as disadvantaged that qualify for financial aid. Many farmers fear they will go out of business. The farmers blocked the cycle route for 15 minutes with hay bales and tractors at stage 16 of the race between Carcassonne and Bagneres-de-Luchon. Teachers to strike in Cyprus State school teachers in Cyprus are to strike in September against cost-cutting measures, including an increase in teaching hours. Education Minister Costas Hambiaouris ended the reduction in teaching hours for teachers after eight years service. Teachers had a maximum reduction of six hours after 20 years experience. The minister also removed the requirement that union leaders be paid from state funds to carry out union activities without working as teachers. Unions have planned a demonstration for August 28. Middle East Iranian railway workers take over headquarters in Tabriz Iranian railway maintenance workers in the northwest province of Azerbaijan have occupied rail headquarters in Tabriz to demand back pay and oppose the worsening of their terms of employment. They have not been paid since April and are suffering cutbacks. Their insurance has been reduced after management changed the rating level of danger in their work. Most have been agency workers for the last 10 years. UN staff protest against casualisation of workforce in Gaza Strip Members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) held a protest in the Gaza Strip to oppose the suspension of work contracts for 951 employees. UNWRA ended the jobs of 13 percent of its emergency programme workers, transferred 57 percent into part-time contracts, and moved the rest into temporary contracts lasting only until later this year. The UN is breaking up operations to help Palestinian refugees at a time when they are under siege by Israel as never before. Africa South African footwear workers strike continues Ten thousand footwear industry employees in South Africa are continuing their two-week long strike, with further factories closing. The employers are sticking to their final offer of a 6.25 percent pay rise. The members of the National Union of Leather and Allied Workers (NULAW) are demanding a 9 percent pay increase. The NULAW claims that individual companies in the Southern African Footwear and Leather Industries Association (SAFLIA) are rejecting an industry-wide settlement. The SAFLIA claims the industry contracted for the first time since 2011 by 17 percent last year. Liberian steel workers take wildcat action Liberian workers embarked on a wildcat strike this week at the Mountgangra and Torkadeh mining company over unfair labour practices. The plant is owned by Arcelormittal steel. The stay at home action is to avoid a confrontation with company police, with workers fearing they will be shot with live ammunition. Workers want better housing and medical provision for themselves and their families, a guaranteed payment of half a US dollar a day lunch money and an end to the zero week12 hours work for 8 hours pay. Union sells out Ethiopian train drivers strike Around 100 Ethiopian train operators struck for 24 hours July 18 at the Addis Ababa Light Railway Transit (AA-LRT). Workers demanded a wage increase, improved travel allowance, telephones, change in shift times, the renewal of their dormitories and better meals. The union ended the action claiming many of the demands were met. However, the CEO of AA-LRT said, Some of the complaints could not be resolved within a short period, such as installing new dormitories, and the provision of telephone allowances as a lot of money is needed. He added, salary increments require structural adjustments. Kenyan nurses and teachers threaten strike Health workers at Kenya National Hospital are threatening to resume strike action on August 6 over non-payment of allowances. The members of the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers ended a previous strike over the same issue in May 2017. Management have avoided meetings with the unions. Members of the Kenyan National Union of Teachers are also threatening action over performance appraisals on the Internet. Teachers must travel miles to gain access, as schools are not online. Appraisals are used by the Teachers Service Commission to humiliate and bully teachers. Nigerian polytechnic staff strike spreads over unpaid wages Polytechnic colleges across the Nigerias Oyo state are striking over unpaid wages. At the Ibarapa Polytechnic in Eruwa, Oyo State, workers struck last week over unpaid wages of up to 24 months and other entitlements. Staff locked the college gates and turned students away from lectures. The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics and Non-Academic Staff Union said the strike is indefinite. Other colleges on strike are the College of Agriculture and Technology in Igbo, College of Education in Lanlate, and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education in Oyo, along with Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki and Eruwa Polytechnic. South African rail workers vote to strike over wage claim Workers at Gautrain rail in Pretoria and Johannesburg have voted to strike on July 30 for a 10 percent wage increase. The United National Transport Union members also want overtime payments for night working, increases in housing and travel allowances, an R20,000 bonus and a 55/45 percent employee/employer medical fund. The employers are offering a wage increase of 8.5 percent. Malawi hospital staff told there is no money for wages Newly recruited hospital staff are on a go slow at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, demanding unpaid wages. The 33 nurses and midwifery technicians say comparable staff recruited at the same time at other hospitals have been paid. The new staff have gone three months without pay, cannot subsist and do not have the fare to travel to the hospital. Hospital management claims there is no money for pay. Ontarios new right-wing Conservative government passed legislation (Bill 2) Wednesday that illegalized a five-month strike by 2,000 graduate teaching and research assistants at York University in Toronto. The legislation mandates that the union representing the strikers, the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3903, and York University enter into binding arbitration. It includes a draconian clause forbidding arbitrators from prohibiting the university from taking reprisals (i.e., firing and other disciplinary action) against the strikers. The conflict broke out on March 3, when more than 3,000 contract faculty, teaching assistants and research assistants, who are responsible for 60 percent of the teaching at the university, struck against low pay and precarious work. The virulently right-wing government of Doug Ford has defended the new law by posturing as a defender of students interests. This preposterous claim is belied by the fact that the Ford government is planning to enact sweeping social spending cuts, including $100 million to desperately needed public school repairs. Already in its first month since taking power the government has announced a full review of all public spending, laying the groundwork to go far beyond even Fords election campaign pledge to reduce spending by $6 billion per year. The union, which in late June offered to voluntarily submit major outstanding issues to arbitration, immediately complied with the legislation and has announced it is considering a court challenge as to its constitutionality. The union bureaucracy has repeatedly urged workers to place their faith in the bourgeois courts to uphold their rights, even though the courts are a key instrument for enforcing the interests of big business and will take years to rule on the latest dispute. The York strike was the longest at an English-language university in Canadian history and the third such strike at York University since 2009. As in the case of the previous two strikes, the unions acted to isolate the struggle and provide the provincial government the time needed to enact legislation for its criminalization. Even though it was clear from the outset that the provincial government would intervene on the side of the employer to enforce attacks on the strikers, CUPE refused to warn of this prospect, let alone call for a political struggle against it. This is because CUPE and the union bureaucracy as a whole were deeply hostile to the expansion of the strike into a counteroffensive against the growth of precarious work, poverty wages and attacks on education and social spending. The York strike took place amid massive cuts to post-secondary spending by the provincial Liberal government. Less than six months earlier, in November 2017, the Liberals outlawed a strike by 12,000 college instructors. The strike also underscored the vast gulf separating high-level university administrators such as the York University president and vice chancellor, Rhonda Lenton, who took home $369,497 in 2017, and students and university staff, who face steep hikes in tuition and crippling debt on the one hand and precarious employment and poverty wages on the other. Coinciding with the strikes outbreak in March, 800 support staff at Carleton University in Ottawa, also represented by CUPE, struck to oppose major assaults on their pensions, yet the union did nothing to unify the two struggles. Nor did it make any appeal to students to mount a joint struggle to make free post-secondary education for all a social right. In June, as in the 2015 strike at York, after which the university eliminated 700 jobs, CUPE connived with management to agree to a separate contract for the 1,100 York contract faculty, dividing the strikers and isolating the teaching and graduate assistants. In response to the tabling of the legislation last week, CUPE National President Mark Hancock attempted to cover for the unions complicity with grandiose bluster entirely at odds with the unions complete inaction to prevent the defeat of the strike. He stated, An attack on any CUPE members in Ontario is an attack on all 650,000 CUPE members nationwide. The trade unions as a whole have maintained a close political alliance with the Liberal Party over the past twenty years, even as federal and provincial Liberal governments have engaged in a vicious onslaught on the working class including drastic austerity measures and attacks on democratic rights. More recently, and especially since last months electoral debacle for the Liberals, the unions have oriented towards the social-democratic New Democratic Party, which carried out far-reaching attacks on public and social services in the early 1990s under Bob Rae and provided parliamentary support for a minority Ontario Liberal government between 2011 and 2014 that imposed austerity and illegalized teacher job action. The unions shift behind the NDP is bound up with concern within the union bureaucracy that the brewing popular opposition to Fords far-right program could escape their control. As the World Socialist Web Site noted back in March, CUPEs principal fear is that the [York] strike could become the catalyst for a much broader mobilization of the working class. Kuwaiti social media personality Sondos Alqattan has been dropped by several global cosmetics brands after she uploaded a video slamming new labor laws in the country entitling Filipino domestic workers to a weekly day off. Recent changes to Kuwaiti regulations for Filipino domestic workers also require that employees be allowed to keep their passports with them. Before the reforms, employers could confiscate the passports of domestic help. Alqattan, a makeup artist, blasted the new regulations as "pathetic" 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 Instagram followers. Brands distance themselves On Friday, Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido told CNN that it did not support Alqattan's recent statements. "In pursuit of its mission to 'inspire a life of beauty and culture,' Shiseido aims to be an important and trusted corporate entity, accepted by society and consumers worldwide. Shiseido understands that it must respect the human rights of all persons as a prerequisite to conduct business activities for its sustainable growth together with the global society," the company said. "Shiseido is not currently working with Sondos. We have no plans to work with her again in the future," it added. Mac Cosmetics told CNN in a statement Friday that it is not currently in partnership with Alqattan and "will no longer be working with her on any brand activities." Max Factor Arabia said it was "shocked" by Alqattan's comments and emphasized that her remarks did not reflect the values or principles of the brand. "Max Factor Arabia is taking this incident very seriously and have immediately suspended all collaborations with Sondos," the company said in a statement Wednesday. Global haircare brand Phyto described the "cruel comments" as troubling in a statement posted to its Instagram account. "Soon after finding out about her dreadful actions, we contacted our local distributor in Kuwait and requested that any partnerships with Ms. Alqattan were put to an end effective immediately. We take our brand's values very seriously and will not support such behavior or have it associated with our products," the statement said. US cosmetics company Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) responded to a customer questioning the brand's affiliation with Alqattan on Facebook, writing: "Sondos is not affiliated, employed by, or collaborating with ABH. As a result of her statements, ABH has unfollowed Sondos and removed her from our PR list." Meanwhile Chelsea Beautique, a London-based makeup company, told a patron on Twitter that the company had removed any videos associated with the Instagram personality. "We believe that decent working conditions should be provided to everyone and such behavior does not represent our brand's core beliefs," it wrote. Alqattan yet to apologize Following the online backlash, Alqattan posted a lengthy statement on Instagram again defending the rights of Kuwaiti employers to retain the passports of domestic employees. "Due to the spreading rumors it was only necessary to make a responsive clarification. The passport of any expat employee should be in the possession of the employer to protect the employer's interest. Irrelevant of the employee/employer nationality," she wrote. Alqattan's inflammatory remarks caused an immediate outcry from social media users, many of whom called for others to join them in boycotting any brands known to have collaborative partnerships with the social media influencer. Social media user Jaja Caringal was harshly critical of Alqattan. "Her expensive stuff and pretty face cannot mask her rotten attitude. Shame on that lady. #sondosalqattan #moderndayslavery," Caringal wrote. Caringal later tweeted that after she sent Alqattan a private message, the Instagram star blocked her on the platform. Alqattan did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment. What's behind Kuwaiti changes? 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 refrigerator 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' death. He said he was ready to take "drastic steps" to protect Filipinos working abroad. Of more than 250,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, 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. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly paraphrased Mac Cosmetics' statement about whether it had a partnership with Alqattan. Mac Cosmetics said that it is not currently in partnership with Alqattan. LAWRENCEVILLE, Ill. (WTHI) - Last time News 10 talked with John Cox he was frustrated with United Methodist Village. Since then not much has changed. Cox says, "I've been very watchful of my visits with my parents. Seeing how things are being done. Seeing if there is any improvement. If there's no improvement. If things are deteriorating." Now a new report released by the Illinois Department of Public Health has John and many others like him upset. LINK | LAWRENCEVILLE TAKES ACTION AGAINST UNITED METHODIST VILLAGE Cox says, "I'm very...very... I'm not sure if angry is the word or if it's just upsetting. I don't see a justification for it." A state inspector interviewed staff members and looked at financial records. According to the report, the United Methodist Village has been pulling money from resident's trust funds. Staff members said the money was moved to pay bills. The report also states that the CEO has been the one requesting this movement of funds. According to the report, this first began in October of 2017. The total amount moved was $17,000. The report states that there have been a number of similar transfers in the last year. LIKE | "WE'RE NOT GETTING PAID AND PEOPLE ARE QUITTING...OUR RESIDENTS ARE BEING NEGLECTED" The Illinois Department of Public Health says these are violations of state code. The facility now must submit a plan of correction to the state. Meanwhile, John still wants the transparency he was asking for weeks ago. Cox says, "I would love to see an entire audit done to the facility. Right down to the last nickel if they can. You know money is being spent, is it being spent wisely? Is it being thrown away?" TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - American Rental in Terre Haute hosted a back to school bash on Thursday morning. The business gave away 30 backpacks, complete with folders and pencils. Another 20 were given away on Facebook and to those who signed up for new rental agreements. "We know that there are some kids that are unfortunate and can't get the stuff they need...and we like to provide at least a little bit for them, especially backpacks," Marketing manager Paige Johnson said. If you missed out of the bash, you have two more chances. 50 more backpacks will be given away on Friday and then 60 more on Saturday. OLNEY, Ill. (WTHI) - 5G coverage. Experts say speeds could be ten times faster than 4G. But Olney mayor Mark Lambird says the new technology could be invasive. Lambird says, "In that technology, they have smaller antennas. They go on top of utility poles, like your light poles or your telephone poles in your neighborhoods." 5G is small and compact. However to get the coverage you need more antennas then previous coverage. Lambird says, "That 5g technology will only go about eight or nine hundred feet. So as this gets deployed across the united states you're going to have to have a whole lot more antennas." For this reason, the city of Olney has passed an ordinance regulating cell phone companies. Lambird explains, "If you don't have some type of regulation it becomes the wild west you can just slap them up anywhere. We have always felt, traditionally, with utilities, there needs to be some type of regulation as to where you place them. That we can make sure they're in the right of way and that they're being utilized fairly." The ordinance lays out a permitting process. There is also a yearly fee the companies must pay the city for each antenna. Lambird says, "This is really just us being proactive in saying that we're ready for this. So if AT&T or Verizon or whoever it may becomes in and says we want to put 5g in your community. We're ready to go. We already know how it's going to work." TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A Terre Haute Police Officer has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit against him. Last month, Quintin Towles filed a lawsuit against Vigo County, the Terre Haute Police Department, and Officer Lance Sanders. Sanders shot Towles during an incident in October of 2015. The prosecutor's office determined Sanders' use of deadly force was justified. Towles is in prison on a number of charges, including possession of a handgun. Attorneys for Sanders filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on Thursday. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -Working hard to keep you and your family safe...that's been on the minds of our local law enforcement and fire departments this week. The Terre Haute Fire Department has been hard at work training. Firefighters were holding live-fire training on Thursday. They geared up to fight the controlled fires. The world has become so numb to the words of the President of the United States that it even dismisses threats of war as either a political distraction or a Trumpian negotiation tactic. Indeed, Donald Trump's threat to inflict on Iran "CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE" may very well have been an effort to divert attention from the Russia investigation. Others have dismissed the danger of the tweet since Trump did an about-face on North Korea, going from calling the North Korean dictator "rocket man" to a "very honorable" man. And, on Tuesday, Trump stated once again that he's "ready to make a deal" with Iran. But there are five reasons why a pivot from threats to diplomacy with Iran will be much harder -- and why Trump's reckless threats may trap the United States in yet another war. 1. Saudi Arabia and Israel oppose diplomacy. Japan and South Korea advocated it. The geopolitical circumstances around North Korea differ vastly from that of the Middle East. In the North Korean case, America's allies -- and even its Chinese competitor -- strongly opposed any military confrontation with Pyongyang and pushed for diplomacy. In fact, the pivot to diplomacy with North Korea had far more to do with the South Korean President's maneuvering in the background than Kim Jong Un fearing Trump's "fire and fury" or his sanctions. In the Middle East, the situation is the opposite: American allies, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have long opposed US-Iran diplomacy (with an impressive track record of sabotaging attempts at US-Iran dialogue). Mindful of their influence in Washington and the Trump administration's deference to them, any attempt by Trump to pivot to diplomacy with Iran will likely face a formidable challenge by these Middle Eastern powers. Moreover, there is no obvious "South Korea" in the Middle East today that can quietly do behind-the-scenes shuttle diplomacy to bring the United States and Iran together -- at least not one Trump would engage. Former President Barack Obama needed a go-between to make diplomacy with Iran bear fruit. In that case, it was the country of Oman, which helped establish a secret diplomatic channel with Iran, paving the way for the historic nuclear deal of 2015. But Trump is unlikely to turn to Oman precisely because Obama did so. 2. Trump thinks pressure will force Iran to negotiate. He's wrong. Trump has stated that verbal escalation and sanctions will force Iran to come to the table. The logic is based on a misread of what brought about the nuclear deal of 2015. The conventional Washington narrative reads that Obama crippled Iran's economy till the rulers of Tehran grudgingly agreed to negotiate. But the secret negotiations between the US and Iran in Oman reveals a very different picture. While Obama's sanctions were truly crushing -- Iran's GDP contracted more than 35% between 2012 and 2015 -- Tehran did not lack leverage of its own. Its response to the sanctions was to double down on its nuclear program and move ever closer to a nuclear weapon. Just as sanctions put pressure on Tehran, more centrifuges put the squeeze on Washington. It wasn't until the Obama administration secretly made a major concession to Iran -- agreeing that Iran could continue to enrich uranium on its own soil -- that diplomacy started to bear fruit. In other words, a policy solely centered on sanctions and pressure did not bring about the desired breakthrough in the talks. Ultimately, it was American flexibility that ended the standstill and elicited Iranian flexibility. Two conclusions can be drawn from America's past diplomatic experience with Iran. First, pressure alone will not work. Second, Iran will meet pressure with pressure. And herein lies the danger of Trump's approach: Even if he does not intend to draw this to a conflict, he may quickly lose control over the situation once the Iranians decide to counter-escalate by, for instance, reactivating their nuclear program. 3. North Korea has a one-man dictator. Iran has politics. North Korea is run by a one-man dictator with the political maneuverability to dramatically shift policy from testing nuclear weapons to sitting down with the man who hurled insults at him -- without facing any domestic political consequences. Iran, on the other hand, has a complex political system where power is dispersed and not controlled by any single person or institute. Even Iran's Supreme Leader -- the most powerful man in Iran -- cannot act alone without taking into consideration both public and elite opinion. Iran's fractured politics and factional infighting renders any dramatic policy shift -- particularly involving diplomacy with the United States -- all the more difficult. President Hassan Rouhani is already paying a political price for having been so "naive" as to negotiate with the "untrustworthy" Americans. The political space needed to restart negotiations, particularly after Iran adhered to the previous deal and Trump pulled out of it, simply does not exist right now and Trump's rhetoric is not moving matters in the right direction. 4. Don't forget: Trump hates Obama. As Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group has pointed out, Trump's antipathy toward Obama and his obsession with undoing Obama's policy legacies should not be underestimated. As a Trump official told the Atlantic, "There's the Obama Doctrine, and the 'F--- Obama' Doctrine," he explained. "We're the 'F--- Obama' Doctrine." On Iran, that may not just translate into Trump killing the nuclear deal against the advice of his Secretary of Defense. It may also mean that Trump will pursue a nuclear deal with North Korea at almost any cost (a problem Obama left largely untouched) while rejecting a deal with Iran (the country Obama decided to negotiate with). More than striking a "better deal" with Iran, Trump may think that truly sticking it to Obama necessitates burying diplomacy with Iran altogether. 5. Trump advisers don't want a deal; they want regime collapse. The members of Trump's inner circle have changed dramatically over the past few months. The so-called "adults in the room," who had a moderating effect on Trump, have largely been replaced with ideological hawks, such as National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And uber-hawk Tom Cotton has emerged as one of the senators whose advice and viewpoints Trump pays close attention to. All three of these have a long track record of advocating confrontation with Iran. Bolton famously penned an op-ed in the New York Times at the height of the nuclear negotiations titled "To Stop an Iranian Bomb, Bomb Iran." As a congressman from the state of Kansas, Mike Pompeo quipped that bombing Iran would only take 2,000 fighter jet attacks, which he said "is not an insurmountable task for the coalition forces." Cotton, in turn, is the author of the unprecedented letter in the midst of the nuclear talks, telling the leaders of Iran not to trust the President of the United States. Going forward, the moderate voices inside the Trump White House will essentially be absent, while new advisers will likely egg on Trump to escalate tensions further -- even though the Trump administration continues to claim that its goal is not regime change. All of this amounts to a sobering reality: Trump is embarking on a path of escalation without having the exit ramps he had with North Korea. The danger now is not to overestimate the risk of war, but to underestimate it. At 18, Ram-n Bedoya already has two bodyguards and a bulletproof vehicle provided by the Colombian government for his protection. But he says it's not enough. He fears for his life and that of his family after his father, Hern-n Bedoya, was threatened on numerous occasions before being killed in December. His father was reportedly shot 14 times for protecting community lands from businesses interested in palm oil agriculture in the western region of Colombia's department of Choc-. The younger Bedoya remembers fighting alongside his father since he was 8, defending the territory despite being displaced from their land twice. "I decided to keep fighting because he always showed me the way," Bedoya says of continuing the struggle after his father's death. "He always wanted me to follow his steps, to take care of nature, the land, human rights, and that is what I do," he told CNN in a voice message. "I continue to fight." Report points to agribusiness link to activists' deaths Global Witness, an environmental nongovernmental organization, released findings Tuesday highlighting 2017 as the deadliest year for environmental activists on record, with at least 207 people killed. Its 72-page report is called "At What Cost? Irresponsible business and the murder of land and environment defenders in 2017." Nearly 60% of these killings occurred in Latin America, Global Witness reported, with 57 deaths in Brazil and 24 in Colombia. According to its investigation, "more massacres occurred in 2017 than ever before." On one occasion, an assault in Brazil by farmers against an indigenous community left 22 injured, "some with their hands cut off." The report blasts Brazil's government, saying "nobody had faced justice for this appalling incident, reflecting a wider culture of impunity and inaction to support defenders by the Brazilian government." In a statement, Brazil's government said the report findings were "wrong, inflated, fragile and methodically doubtful," calling the denunciations in plain English "fake news." Ben Leather, a senior campaigner at Global Witness and author of the report, told CNN that agribusinesses are surpassing mining sectors as the main link to the activists' killings. "What we have pretty clear in our research is that governments and businesses are colluding to grab land for large-scale agribusiness in the hope of turning a quick profit, responding to consumer demand," Leather said. In the case of Bedoya and his family, palm oil is of high value and a commodity in many products consumers buy around the globe such as soap, makeup and even ice cream. "One of the most shocking facts outlined in this report is the number of killings committed by government security forces at the behest of their political bosses and in league with industry," Global Witness says. Data from Global Witness allege that security forces "were linked to around a quarter of the murders last year -- 30 linked to the army and 23 to the police," its report says. "Standing up to powerful actors to protect your land or the environment should not mean having to put your life on the line," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, director of the Americas at Amnesty International, in response to the Global Witness report. Colombia's dark past Colombia's situation has worsened since the 2016 peace treaty between the government and rebel group FARC, according to Global Witness, which finds a "power vacuum" in land once operated by the guerrilla group. People who had been displaced from their lands are returning to find new groups occupying the areas. "This scenario is complicated further as criminal groups move into areas the FARC once occupied, to carry out illegal logging, mining and cattle ranching. The government's push for foreign investment has also intensified this scramble for land," the Global Witness report says. Every year, Colombia is in the top three deadliest countries for land defenders, according to Global Witness. Bedoya says guerrilla factions and paramilitaries continue fighting, displacing more people. "I want the world to know what is happening internally in Colombia," Bedoya says. "The government says they're giving back the land, but they're not." Last week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also condemned the violence and "murders of human rights defenders and social leaders in Colombia," urging the government to take measures for protecting those who fight defending their country. "(Forty-six) human rights defenders were murdered in the country during the first quarter of 2018," said the commission, an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States. CNN reached out this week to Colombia's Interior Ministry multiple times for comment but did not receive a statement. Bedoya's fight is far from over, but he says he refuses to give up. His father "always fought for human rights, for the water, for nature, so that no one would exploit it," he says. Leather says that "people should not have to die or be threatened just for protecting their land -- our environment." "The reason why they're at risk is because governments around the world are consistently colluding with big business to turn a big profit at the expense of human life. We the consumers need to stand up and say that is not acceptable." British and Ecuadorian authorities have held discussions over the future of Julian Assange, the Ecuadorian president said on Friday, fueling speculation that the WikiLeaks founder may soon be stripped of the country's diplomatic protection in London. Speaking in Madrid, President Len-n Moreno suggested Ecuador was seeking guarantees that whatever Assange's eventual fate, he would not face the death penalty. Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 when he was facing allegations of sexual assault in Sweden. The case was eventually dropped but Assange has always feared being extradited to the US, and in the past his lawyers have claimed he could face execution there. Moreno said the previous Ecuadorian government granted Assange asylum because it agreed his life was in danger. "The death penalty does not exist in Ecuador, and we knew that possibility existed... The only thing we want is a guarantee that his life will not be in danger," Moreno said. In a statement Friday, Moreno's communication's office stressed the President "hasn't ordered, at the moment, the removal of Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London." Ecuador's government has no desire that Assange remain "in asylum his whole life" and urged "a solution to a problem we inherited," the statement said. Assange's lawyers claim that, for the past eight years, US officials have maintained a secret grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks, which published a trove of secret US diplomatic cables in 2010. In 2011, arguing against a Swedish extradition request, Assange's lawyers said he feared execution in the US, although they did not give any legal basis for the claim. Moreno, who was in London earlier this week for a disability summit, confirmed talks had taken place with British authorities over Assange's fate. "We are continually speaking with the British government, with the ambassador, their representative in Ecuador. The only person I have never spoken to is Mr. Assange," Moreno said. Moreno made it clear that he did not support Assange's work. "I have never agreed with what Mr. Assange does. I have never supported the interception of private emails to be able to obtain information, regardless of how valuable it may be, to bring to light certain undesirable actions carried out by governments on people." The government of British Prime Minister Theresa May played down any suggestion of an imminent change in Assange's status. A Downing Street spokesperson told CNN that discussions were "ongoing" but that a time frame for Assange's departure from the embassy had not been discussed. Discussions had not taken place during Moreno's recent visit to the UK, the spokesperson said Swedish investigators dropped their case against Assange last year but he chose to remain at the embassy as British authorities could still detain him for violating bail conditions. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last April that the Department of Justice was preparing charges against Assange, and that his arrest was a "priority." Under the terms of an extradition treaty between the US and the UK, US authorities could request Assange's detention in London. British authorities have refused to say whether the US has submitted a formal extradition request. Moreno has been under pressure from the US to expel Assange, sources told CNN earlier this year. In March, Ecuador cut his internet access, accusing him of failing to commit to an agreement not to release messages interfering with other nations' affairs. His communications had previously been cut in October 2016 after a dump of WikiLeaks documents that Ecuador said targeted the 2016 US presidential election campaign. In a television interview in January, Moreno described Assange's stay as an "inherited problem" and "more than a nuisance." OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) - A federal judge sentenced a Hattiesburg man to 30 years for human trafficking. The man is identified as Raymorris Asencio, 32. He was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Oxford. He was convicted for human trafficking and transporting a minor across state lines to engage in prostitution. "I want to thank the private citizens in Oxford who noticed the minor with Asencio and notified the Oxford Police Department of their concern for the minor's safety," said U.S. Attorney William C. Lamar. HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) - Houston police are searching for a man accused of robbing a Good Samaritan in late June. The man is identified as Vidal Smith. He's wanted for strong-arm robbery. Police say Smith and Demetrius Brackins met the victim as the person was leaving the C-Spire store off North Jackson Street. The two reportedly asked for a ride. The two are accused of forcibly robbing the victim at a location north of Houston. Brackins was recently taken into custody on a warrant for strong-arm robbery. Anyone with information about Smith's location is urged to contact Houston police at 662-456-2554. TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - Saltillo residents may have to wait a little longer for clean water. Board Members of the Northeast Mississippi Regional Water Supply District tabled the city's request to reconnect to river water at their meeting Thursday in Tupelo. The city made the decision in 2017 to disconnect from the supply district and switch to well water. Since the decision, residents have experienced brown water. The board said in Thursday's meeting they need more time to discuss the request. They will be considering the city a new customer and will have to draw up a contract. If approved to be reconnected, the city would have to pay over $50,000 for a new meter plus other costs caused by their decision to disconnect. The board hopes to make a decision within a week or so and then call a meeting for a vote. PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) A shipbuilding firm in Mississippi is hiring hundreds of skilled workers after it was awarded several contracts for the U.S. military. The Sun Herald of Biloxi reported Thursday that Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is searching for test engineers, first class welders, pipefitters, pipe welders and shipfitters. Company spokesman Bill Glenn says Ingalls is planning to hire 500 people by the end of the year. The newspaper reports Ingalls is the largest employers in Mississippi and the solitary builder of U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutters. Ingalls is hosting a hiring fair Aug. 4 for on-site interviews. Applicants must apply beforehand on the company's website. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 00:57:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JUBA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Thursday defended a decision to facilitate its lawmakers with 40,000 U.S. dollars each to purchase state-of-the-art cars despite economic hardship caused by more than four years of violence. President Salva Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Xinhua that decision will help enhance the effectiveness of parliament since many MPs have been using commercial motorcycle taxis to go to work. "This is to enhance the effectiveness of parliament by giving members a loan which will be paid within five years," Ateny said in Juba, adding that this is not strange since other governments have done the same. Ateny said the expenditure on parliamentarians is from the South Sudan Treasury. South Sudan's parliament now has 440 members, a number expected to reach 550 when the warring parties finally conclude a peace agreement on Aug. 5 in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. "South Sudan is a sovereign country and you do not need to question the source of the money. It is South Sudan money," he said. Several South Sudanese civil society members and locals have questioned the decision to award MPs exorbitant cash as the majority of people wallow in poverty amid UN agencies' warning that about 7 million people need emergency food aid. Marial Awou Yol, a lecturer of economics at University of Juba, said the loan would be costly as it will trigger demands for salary increase from other government employees, which the country cannot afford at this time. And the lawmakers may not be able to repay the loans because of their low salaries, he added. "How can somebody who gets a salary of 40 to 50 dollars per month pay a car loan of 40,000?" he asked. South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world. A 2015 peace agreement was shattered when the warring parties renewed fighting in July 2016 in the capital, forcing rebel leader Riek Machar to flee into exile. The UN estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally. Enditem A Turkish police officer walks near the house of U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson (unseen) prior to his arrival at his house on July 25, 2018 in Izmir, Turkey. (AFP Photo) WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said here on Thursday that the United States will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases a detained U.S. pastor. Pence said Turkey should take immediate action to free Andrew Brunson or "be prepared to face the consequences." U.S. President Donald Trump also tweeted earlier that Ankara should release Brunson, calling the cleric's detention "a total disgrace." The 50-year-old pastor, who was detained two years ago on spying charges, faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty. A Turkish court on Wednesday decided to move him from prison to house arrest under judicial control due to his health problems. However, he was not allowed to leave the country. Turkish authorities accuse him of espionage and having links to the network led by U.S.-based outlawed cleric Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Ankara accuses Gulen and his network of being behind the failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government in 2016, an accusation that Gulen has denied. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 02:28:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey arrested a former police officer for suspected connection with assassination of former Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in 2016, daily Hurriyet reported Thursday. The police officer Ufuk G. was suspected of being a member of the same terror organization with the assassin Mevlut Mert Altintas. Ufuk G. reportedly refuted the accusations. Andrey Karlov was killed by Altintas, then an off-duty police officer, when delivering a speech at an art exhibition in Turkey's capital Ankara on Dec. 19, 2016. Altintas was later shot dead in an exchange of fire with security personnel. About five people have been detained so far, including three police officers and Guru Media Broadcast Group Chairman Hayreddin Aydinbas. The investigation focused on links of the assassin with what Turkish authorities labelled as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization. The authorities believe that the group is headed by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of masterminding the 2016 failed coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 03:28:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- More than 600 miners were successfully evacuated on Thursday after a fire broke out underground at a gold mine in South Africa, authorities said. The fire broke out on Thursday morning at the Gold One's Modder East operations in Springs, Gauteng Province, according to the Department of Mineral Resources. At the time of the accident, 644 employees were underground, department spokesperson Nathi Shabangu said. All of the employees were evacuated to the mine's refuge bays wherein they were rescued from and brought to surface, he said. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The rescue operation drew immediate applause from Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe. "We commend all the rescue teams involved, as well as the mine employees and management, for their swift action in ensuring that we avert a potential disaster," the minister said. He reiterated a call on mining companies to prioritize the safety of mine-workers and to ensure that everyone adhere to the guidelines provided for safety at the mines. South Africa has seen a rise in mine disasters in the past two years. In February, about 900 mine workers were trapped underground after a power failure at the Beatrix Mine in the Northern Free State. All the miners were rescued later. Since the beginning of this year, the mining industry has reported 26 fatalities. Last year, the number of fatalities on South African mines surged to 88, the first rise in a decade, compared with the 73 deaths recorded in 2016. Enditem Syrian soldiers hold Syrian flags on the Tal al-Harrah in the northwestern countryside of Daraa Province, Syria, July 19, 2018. (Xinhua) DAMASCUS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Special Envoy for Syria Xie Xiaoyan on Thursday renewed the Chinese government's calls for respecting and preserving the unity of Syria. Speaking at a press conference in the capital Damascus, the envoy said that the Chinese government has always called for preserving the territorial integrity of Syria. Xie stressed that China rejects any fragmentation of Syria while supporting a political solution to the country's over seven-year-long crisis. "We always say that the sovereignty, independence and its territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and preserved," he said. The Chinese envoy said the prolonged crisis in Syria has created a tough humanitarian crisis, noting that the international community must do more to provide assistance to Syria. He pointed out the fact that the crisis left "large destruction in Syria for both the country and the people," urging "the international community must offer more assistance to Syria in order to enable it to overcome this severe crisis." Xie highlighted China's willingness to participate in the reconstruction process with the international community, adding that China has held a reconstruction training course for Syrian officials, business people and scholars in Shanghai in May. He underlined that the reconstruction work takes joint efforts of the international community and should be considered a comprehensive systematic project integrated with economic development, social progress, and real reconciliation. "we care a lot about the reconstruction process after the war and we encourage the Chinese companies to participate in this process," he said. Xie also condemned the wide-scale offensive and bombings carried out by the Islamic State in Syria's southern province of Sweida a day earlier, which left over 215 people killed and 180 others wounded. He stressed that there should be a unity to confront terrorism. Firefighters watch as an air tanker drops retardant while battling the Ferguson fire in the Stanislaus National Forest, near Yosemite National Park, California on July 21, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO) LOS ANGELES, July 26 (Xinhua) -- California's Governor Jerry Brown declared Thursday a state of emergency in two counties in Southern California due to fast moving fires in the western U.S. state. Brown issued emergency proclamations for Riverside and Shasta counties due to the effects of the fires, dubbed the Cranston and Carr fires, which have destroyed homes and structures, threatened critical infrastructure and caused the evacuation of residents. High temperature, low humidity, and erratic winds have further increased the spread of the fires, according to the statement of Brown. The circumstances of the fires, "by reason of its magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat," read the statement. The Cranston Fire erupted around noon on Wednesday in the San Jacinto Mountains in the Riverside County, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. It exploded to around 4,700 acres with only 5 percent containment as of Thursday noon, according to the latest update from the U.S. Forest Service. At least 3,000 people were asked to evacuate more than 2,000 homes in the area. Law enforcement officers said they arrested Brandon N. McGlover, 32 of Temecula for allegedly setting multiple fires, including the Cranston Fire, in southwest Riverside County Wednesday. Another wildfire, the Carr fires, has burned 20,000 acres with only 10 percent containment in the Shasta County as of Thursday noon. The fire became very active overnight with a significant increase in size. Firefighters will be working throughout the day to reinforce containment lines and constructing new line around the fire. Weather forecasters predict continued high temperatures and low humidity this week conducive to even more fires, adding to the difficulty of firefighters in Southern California. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 09:05:09|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Bangladeshi Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor (3rd L) and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo (5th L) visit the "Silk Road" exhibition in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 26, 2018. An exhibition portraying the history and culture of "Silk Road" has achieved apparently great success as it has attracted widespread praise from visitors including high-profile dignitaries. The exhibition titled, "Colorful Clouds over Silk Road" opened on Sunday at the Zainul Gallery of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Bangladesh's leading Dhaka University in capital Dhaka. (Xinhua)DHAKA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition portraying the history and culture of "Silk Road" has achieved apparently great success as it has attracted widespread praise from visitors including high-profile dignitaries. Local and foreign public officials, professors, journalists, academicians, researchers, businesses and groups of students from universities, colleges and schools visited the exhibition which concluded on Thursday. The exhibition titled, "Colorful Clouds over Silk Road" opened on Sunday at the Zainul Gallery of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Bangladesh's leading Dhaka University in capital Dhaka. The exhibition featured dozens of striking photographs and dresses that take visitors to the golden eras of the Silk Road that served as a trade route bringing together civilizations since ancient times. The exhibition was organized by the Yunnan University, Dhaka University, Bangladesh-China Center for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Confucius Institute at Dhaka University and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University in collaboration with Overseas Chinese Association in Bangladesh and Institute of Modern Language, University of Dhaka. Teachers and representatives of the respective organizations were present during the closing program of the exhibition, which was aimed at paving an opportunity for students and academicians specially to see landscapes along the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Belt and Road Initiative was highly praised by the discussants at the exhibition's closing program. They expressed the hope that countries like Bangladesh have ample opportunity to immensely benefit from the initiative. They further mentioned that China is now in a position to support countries in dire need for development assistance, as it has emerged as a major economy on the world stage. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 09:50:20|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close XI'AN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Food safety watchdogs in northwest China's Shaanxi Province are using delivery persons to help spread information on food safety and supervise restaurants for possible hazards. More than 100 delivery men were asked to distribute food safety handouts while delivering food to clients from Thursday. Ren Yanbao, deputy chief of the provincial food and drug safety supervision bureau, said the delivery persons had wide access to customers and restaurants, making them effective for food safety work. Ren said they would look out for poor sanitation conditions or other food safety problems, with inspection authorities rewarding them if their reports were verified. Food delivery is burgeoning in China, with over 20 million daily orders taken by China's top three online food delivery companies. WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Thursday said a U.S. military aircraft carrying the remains of U.S. soldiers who died in the Korean War had left the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) earlier on the same day. According to a statement issued by the White House press secretary, a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members has departed from the DPRK's Wonsan. It said the C-17 is transferring the remains to U.S. Osan Air Base in South Korea, where a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on Aug. 1. The returning showed that Pyongyang is fulfilling part of its commitment made in the Singapore meeting, and Washington is encouraged by the actions "and the momentum for positive change," the White House added. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this month that the United States will receive the first sets of soldiers' remains from the DPRK soon. Washington and Pyongyang also agreed to restart field operations in the DPRK to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans missing in the 1950-1953 Korean War. As part of the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK leaders' Singapore summit in mid-June, Pyongyang and Washington agreed to commit to recovering the remains of the U.S. war dead and those missing in action during the war, including an immediate repatriation of those already identified. CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Vulnerable residents of Australia's Northern Territory (NT) have been warned to stay indoors due to "very poor" air quality. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Winnellie, just 5.6 km east of Darwin, was 201 on Thursday while in Palmerson City, another 15 km east, was 174. By comparison, Los Angeles (LA) had an AQI of 150 on Thursday despite being home to 40 times as many people as Darwin. According to the AQI a rating from 150 to 200 is considered "unhealthy" while 201 to 300 is "very unhealthy." Hugh Heggie, the NT's chief health officer, on Friday advised those likely to be affected by the poor air quality to stay inside where possible and avoid excessive exercise over the weekend. "I'd recommend staying indoors, particularly if you are very young, or elderly or frail - or if you have chronic lung conditions," he told News Corp Australia on Friday. "It's important that people who know they have asthma have their medicines available and use them if they're feeling unwell or breathless." Heggie said that the smog, caused by low cloud cover and smoke in the air, was likely to continue for at least a few days. "We've had quite a lot of biomass burning, which is from bushfires and burn-off," he said. "The biomass particles are very small and have been gathering over the last few days because we haven't had the normal wind, and also we've had higher humidity." SEOUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. aircraft carrying the remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War arrived in a military base in South Korea on Friday, Yonhap news agency reported. The U.S. C-17 Globemaster military transport plane arrived in the Osan air base, about 60 km south of the capital Seoul, at about 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). It brought 55 remains of U.S. troops killed in the Korean War after leaving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) earlier in the day. Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump to repatriate the remains of U.S. troops during their summit in Singapore on June 12. Under the agreement, the two leaders agreed to commit to recovering the remains of prisoners of war (POW) and those missing in action (MIA) during the Korean War, including an immediate repatriation of those already identified. The DPRK was reportedly to have identified about 200 remains, believed to be U.S. troops killed in the war. The U.S. side allegedly planned to hold an official ceremony to return the 55 remains to the United States on Aug. 1 after going through its own identification process. Military officials from the DPRK and the United States held general-level talks on July 15-16 at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom to discuss the return of U.S. troops' remains. SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States is tightening its grip on Cuba and other leftist Latin American countries, Cuba's ex-president Raul Castro warned here on Thursday. Speaking at a ceremony marking the National Rebellion Day, Castro, who continues to serve as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, said Washington's attempt to isolate the country calls for a strong response. "For us, as well as Venezuela and Nicaragua, it is clear the grip is tightening and our country must be clear about responding with force," Castro told a crowd of more than 10,000 gathered outside the historic Moncada Barracks in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was also present, honoring the day that kicked off the Cuban Revolution. "Since July 26, 1953, we Cubans have been forged in a constant battle. History has demonstrated that we could, we can and we will prevail," said Castro. Havana and Washington officially resumed diplomatic ties in 2015 under the Obama administration. However, their relationship has deteriorated since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. Tensions between the two countries have grown since August 2017, when the United States accused Cuba of carrying out "acoustic attacks" against its diplomatic personnel, "which nobody has been able to substantiate," said Castro. The U.S.-led trade embargo against Cuba has been stepped up, with countries or companies that have financial transactions with the island nation sanctioned especially, Castro said. He also condemned U.S. efforts to undermine Latin American regional organizations. The way to counter U.S. efforts to dominate the region is "to never neglect the unity of the revolutionaries," Castro said, expressing solidarity with Venezuela and Nicaragua, as well as Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of people arriving in Australia as migrants has hit a record high, statistics have revealed on Friday. New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that 539,000 international migrants arrived in Australia in financial year 2017, the highest-ever figure for a single year. Of the 539,000 people, 315,000 arrived on temporary visas, including 150,000 international students, 50,000 on working holiday visas and 32,000 as workers on temporary skill visas. The figure was offset by 276,000 people who left Australian shores in the same period, resulting in a net migration gain of 263,000 people, slightly lower than the record net overseas migration rate of 300,000 people in 2008-09. According to the ABS, 377,000 people moved interstate within Australia, the highest figure in 13 years. New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, had the largest net overseas migration rate with an additional 103,000 people but lost a net 15,200 people to other states, the largest loss of any state. Victoria, the nation's fastest-growing state, had the largest gain in population from interstate migration followed by Queensland. "In 2016-17, 86,700 people moved from another state or territory to Victoria and 68,500 people from Victoria moved interstate. This produced a net gain of 18,200 people, Victoria's highest ever figure," Myles Burleigh, Director of Migration Statistics at the ABS, said in a media release on Friday. CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Government has announced a major review of a tribunal which it says is allowing serious criminals to retain their Australian visas. Christian Porter, Australia's Attorney-General (AG), on Friday said that former High Court Justice Ian Callinan would conduct a review of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). Porter's announcement comes after Peter Dutton, the Minister for Home Affairs, accused the AAT of activism after it overturned a series of government decisions to cancel the visas of serious criminals. In one case, the AAT overturned a decision to deport an Irish priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor after he was released from prison, saying his age meant he was unlikely to re-offend. The tribunal also set aside a government ruling to deny entry to a Palestinian man who had been convicted of planning a bomb attack by an Israeli court. "People should have their day in court, but at the moment the way in which the AAT is operating in many of these cases is completely unacceptable for the community," Dutton told reporters on Thursday. "This review will look at ways to better address community standards because it is not right that these people are here committing multiple offences, serious offences against multiple Australian victims and somehow they're allowed to stay." Announcing the review on Friday, Porter said that Callinan was the ideal candidate to conduct the review with his experience in the justice system. "The review seeks to identify whether the operations of the Tribunal can be further improved to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Commonwealth merits review jurisdiction and support high quality and consistent government decision making," Porter said on Friday. "It also a timely opportunity to ensure that the Tribunal is meeting its statutory objectives, in particular that it is promoting public trust and confidence through its decisions and that decisions reflect community expectations." Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 11:25:38|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close GABORONE, July 26 (Xinhua) -- High growth rates in China and the United States offer positive economic opportunities for Botswana, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) leader said Thursday. "There is a pickup in diamond prices, and sales and production are on the rise," Deputy Managing Director of the IMF Zhang Tao said during a luncheon hosted by Bank of Botswana in the country's capital Gaborone. As China and the United States, the top diamond jewelry markets, see rapid economic growth, Zhang said the IMF is cautiously optimistic about Botswana, a leading producer of diamonds around the world. "We expect a rebound in growth this year and next to about 4.5 percent - rising further to 5 percent over the medium term," he explained. As of now, global growth is projected by the IMF to remain unchanged, compared with its April forecasts, at 3.9 percent this year and next. The IMF, however, believes that downside risks have increased. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 11:25:39|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian young man was shot dead on Thursday night after he stabbed three Israelis near an Israeli settlement, south of the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Israeli army and the Palestinian Health Ministry said. An Israeli army spokesman said in a press statement that the man was shot dead right after he carried out a stabbing attack in the settlement of Adam near Ramallah and wounded three Israelis. The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said in a short press statement that the identity of the Palestinian young man was still unknown. Israeli media reported that the Palestinian young man went into one of the houses in the settlement and stabbed three people, two of them in critical condition and the third slightly injured. The reports said that the three Israelis were immediately taken to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment. Palestinian social media activists published photos of the young man, which showed that he was called Ahmad Abu Ayoosh, 17 years old, from the village of Koober, north of Ramallah. Israeli media reported that the Israeli army was chasing a local car in the area which was believed to be carrying another Palestinian who provided assistance to the Palestinian who stabbed the three Israelis. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 11:30:40|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close CHENGDU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Around 13,000 passengers were stranded in Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in southwest China's Sichuan Province, due to thunderstorms Friday morning. Airport authorities said six flights were canceled, 113 outbound flights were delayed, and eight inbound flights landed at alternate airports. The thunderstorms hit Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, from 3:40 a.m. Friday. The airport's runways, which were closed for hours, have now reopened. The number of affected flights is likely to rise throughout Friday as the thunderstorms continue. CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of Australia's major political parties have hit the campaign trail ahead of the crucial "super Saturday" by-elections. Hundreds of thousands of Australians will head to the polls in five by-elections on Saturday, four of which were triggered when the sitting Members of Parliament (MP) were forced to resign after it emerged their dual citizenship made them ineligible to sit in parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader Bill Shorten have spent much of July in the marginal electorates pushing their cases in the by-elections which have been described as a referendum on their leadership. With the seats of Perth and Fremantle in Western Australia (WA) considered safe for the ALP and the fringe Centre Alliance expected to retain Mayo in South Australia (SA), the focus of the nation is on Longman in Queensland and, to a lesser extent, Braddon in Tasmania. Polling in both seats, which are both held narrowly by the ALP, has Turnbull's Liberal National Party (LNP) ahead in Longman and only narrowly trailing the ALP in Braddon. If the LNP is successful in either Longman or Braddon it would be the first time in 98 years that a sitting government has won a seat off the opposition in a by-election. A failure by the LNP to win either seat would leave the government with a one-seat majority in parliament and on the brink of losing power. Despite the strong poll results Turnbull on Friday said that history was stacked against his party, going on to declare that a general election would be held in early 2019 regardless of Saturday's results. Shorten's position as leader of the ALP if they lose either seat has been the subject of intense speculation but Wayne Swan, the incoming president of the party, on Friday dismissed any talk of a change of leadership. "What we have had, over a period of five years, has been an unprecedented degree of unity," Swan told News Corp Australia on Friday. "We've got a very courageous policy program. We came within a whisker of winning the last federal election. The party absolutely understands the importance of unity." Anthony Albanese, the man considered most likely to succeed Shorten as leader of the ALP, pledged on Thursday that he would not challenge Shorten for the leadership if Labor lost any seats on Saturday, a promise Swan said he believed. However, Griffith University political commentator Paul Williams said the result in Longman would likely decide the future for both Shorten and Turnbull. "Bill Shorten has the most to lose," Williams told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday. "So if Longman goes down for the Labor Party, Bill Shorten will go down too." It is the second time in 2018 that Shorten's future has depended on the result of a by-election after the party looked certain to lose the Melbourne seat of Batman in March before Ged Kearney pulled off a stunning upset on election day. SEOUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to hold general-level military talks next week, Seoul's Defense Ministry said Friday. The DPRK side proposed the talks, which the South Korean side accepted, according to the Defense Ministry. The general-level military dialogue would be held on July 31 at Peace House, a South Korean building at the border village of Panmunjom. The South Korean delegation would be led by Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun who will talk with his DPRK counterpart Lt. Gen. An Ik-san leading a five-member delegation. Issues to de discussed were expected to be the disarmament of the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the Panmunjom and the withdrawal of troops and equipment from guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas. After their first summit on April 27 in Panmunjom, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed to stop all hostile acts near the border area to reduce military tensions. Other issues to be on the dialogue agenda could be the joint excavation inside the DMZ of the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea could reportedly raise the issue for turning the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a de-facto inter-Korean sea border, into a maritime peace zone. The DPRK has not acknowledged the NLL as a sea border as it was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led UN Command after the Korean War. On June 14, the two Koreas held the first general-grade military talks in over a decade, agreeing to restore military hotlines along the eastern and western regions completely. Villagers row a boat in flood after an under-construction dam collapsed in Attapeu province,Laos, on July 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun) by Zhang Jianhua, Wang Shan ATTAPEU, Laos, July 26 (Xinhua) -- On the way to southern Laos' Attapeu province hit by a flash flood triggered by Monday's hydroelectric dam collapse, Xinhua reporter received a call from Hu Yong, secretary of the party working committee of the China Railway No.5 Engineering Group. Hu, working with his colleagues on the construction of China-Laos railway in northern Laos, was rushing on Wednesday to deliver relief food and equipment collected from his company to the disaster site. Unfamiliar with local conditions, he was asking Xinhua reporter for the shortest route so as to bring the aid to the disaster-stricken area in the least time possible. "Please feel free to contact me if anybody has inconvenience to send disaster relief materials to Attapeu. As a Chinese company in Laos, we are willing to help," said Zhang Xinlu, general manager of Laos Global Insurance Company based in southern Laos. Reports from the Lao New Agency said on Wednesday that 26 people were confirmed dead, while Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said some 131 people were still missing after the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy dam collapsed, triggering flash flood. The Lao government has designated the areas affected as a national emergency area. Amid the deadly disaster, Chinese people in Laos are ready to help. "Taking advantage of the outlets coverage in southern Laos, we have arranged a truck, transporting instant noodle and other disaster relief materials to Attapeu," said Ma Xu, general manager of Lao-China Hongta Good Luck Tobacco Company. "Our company has started raising money and contacting the local government to help the victims in a timely and effective manner," said Ma. As the largest Chinese company in Laos, Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) immediately sent staff in project sites closest to the flood-hit zone to deliver the relief materials to the scene. "The Chinese Embassy in Laos asked all Chinese companies here to conduct safety investigations immediately and to provide assistance to the disaster-stricken areas after the dam collapse," Shen Yi, director of PowerChina's disaster relief team and a manager of its representative office in Laos, told Xinhua on Wednesday. "Operating for more than two decades here, PowerChina should do our best to help the Lao people go through the difficulties and provide the most effective help and services to the affected villagers," Shen said. "Our staff near the disaster-stricken area have been dispatched to the scene on Tuesday, together with a large number of materials, to ensure the basic living of the affected locals," said Shen. "Rescue machinery and equipment at the project sites are also on standby, ready to carry out emergency repairs on roads and bridges damaged by floodwater. Besides, we set up several rescue spots for distributing relief supplies," said the director. At the same time, PowerChina also organized dam and hydrological experts to provide on-site assistance and support to the Lao government. On Wednesday, Chen Jianjun, safety director of the Nam Kong hydropower project in Attapeu, drove more than 100 km to the disaster area to deliver relief materials. "This is what we should do. How can we just watch and do nothing when such a disaster occurred?" he told Xinhua. Lu Zhenzhen, who came from China to Laos two years ago to start her own food and beverage business in Vientiane, decided to drive to the disaster-stricken area, carrying tent and food raised among Chinese shop owners in Laos. "I am living here, building my future here. I need to offer my help in face of this disaster," she said. She told Xinhua that she hopes every Chinese in Laos will join hands and help the affected Lao people to go through the difficulties. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 13:15:54|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said that China and the United States are "still in the same boat" despite multiple challenges. Cui made the remarks on Wednesday at the 8th U.S.-China Civil Dialogue hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a U.S. think tank. The theme of this year's dialogue is "Navigating Through the Uncertainties in U.S.-China Relations." SAME BOAT Saying that the two nations are still faced with "fierce wind and huge waves," Cui said that "I believe we are still in the same boat. We still live in this small global village, this planet of ours, unless someday we find a way to send people onto Mars." "The common challenge is to navigate this boat through the uncertainties or uncharted waters, for the benefits of both our countries, and for the entire world," he said. "Hopefully dialogues like what we have today will help the two governments to develop policies that are pragmatic, constructive, and beneficial for both countries," the Chinese envoy said. "For those arguments that we are in different boats, should ride in different boats, or even have a head-on collision, they are not supported by facts. It does not serve the good of anyone," he said. "Unfortunately, there are those who are trying to rock the boat. For instance, they are painting a distorted picture of our economic and trade relations. Some of them have even gone further by playing fire on issues of Taiwan and others that concern China's territorial integrity. These are very dangerous developments. We have to be very careful about it," Cui added. MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL There are also those in the United States who believe that over the years in China-U.S. economic and trade relations, Washington has got all losses while China got all gains, Cui said. This is, once again, not in line with realities, he said. "Our economic and trade relations are interdependent and mutually beneficial." "We should not focus so much on the trade deficit, because there are a lot of structural reasons behind this deficit. Moreover, trade deficit does not mean all losses to the country that has deficit. And surplus does not mean all gains to the country that has surplus," he explained. Over the last 20 years, there are groups of people in both nations whose lives are not better off, he said. "But this is not an issue of foreign trade, but rather an issue of domestic economic and social policy, including the distribution of wealth," he said. "How can we take care of these vulnerable groups? It will not help anybody to put the blame on other countries or on foreign trade." NOT FOR DOMINANCE For those who said the two nations should not be in the same boat, because as China develops, it will try to challenge the U.S. position and dominance in the world, Cui said this is a wrong interpretation. Some are worried about what China is saying, such as China entering a new era of development, Cui said. "There are many misunderstandings and misinterpretations about China's goals and intentions. What we mean by this new era is that China has entered a new stage of development, with the major challenge being to meet the people's ever-growing needs for a better life and address unbalanced and inadequate development." "Of course, China will have to develop itself in an open environment. We cannot close our door," he said. "But this new era is mainly for China's own development, not for global dominance," he added. NEW DELHI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The state-owned Indian Railways has introduced five state-of-the-art track maintenance machines in a bid to reduce train accidents across the country. "Inducted 5 new track maintenance machines which will completely mechanize the monitoring, relaying and maintenance of tracks for the safety of commuters," Indian Railways Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted Thursday. A senior railways official said on Friday efforts were being undertaken to bring down the number of train accidents in this country that claimed the lives of many people every day. The Indian Railways is one of the world's largest train networks, criss-crossing the country from north to south. It operates some 9,000 passenger trains and carries nearly 23 million passengers every day. However, train disasters are common in India as much of the colonial-era rail infrastructure is out of date. A number of people are killed in train accidents, mostly derailments, across the country every year. In 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government pledged 137 billion U.S. dollars over five years to modernize and expand the railways. SUVA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and former governor of U.S. state California, applauded Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama's climate leadership and congratulated him on hosting a critical gathering of the region's leaders. The Climate Action Pacific Partnership (CAPP) Conference in Suva saw the launch of the Pacific Talanoa Dialogue, as part of a series of dialogues directed to raise ambition in implementing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. "Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, I want to congratulate you for this great event ... I'm currently shooting 'Terminator 6' and so this is why I'm not there. Otherwise, I would have been there, because this is a terrific event," Schwarzenegger said in a video address. "And you have shown terrific leadership. Unbelievable, I mean, you're really kicking some serious butt, so we are very, very proud of you. So thank you very much for everything that you do and you're a great leader in the environmental movement. Thank you." Schwarzenegger and Bainimarama, both known worldwide for their climate advocacy, established a warm relationship at the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Chiange (COP 23), according to a Fijian government statement on Friday. "While he wasn't able to be here in person, Governor Schwarzenegger's presence was certainly felt on the ground in Suva this week as delegations from throughout the Pacific gathered for our regional Talanoa Dialogue in Suva," said Bainimarama. "While the world best knows him for his roles in movies, or as the Governor of California, I'm confident that Arnold's most meaningful legacy for mankind will be because of his fight for our planet. Arnold plays a hero on the big screen, but his climate advocacy makes him a hero for future generations." While opening the two-day CAPP in Suva, Bainimarama said no nation, no matter how powerful it is, can protect its citizens from the effects of climate change on its own. SEOUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea welcomed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s repatriation of U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War, calling it a meaningful move in building mutual trust between the DPRK and the United States. A U.S. military transport aircraft carrying the 55 remains of U.S. troops killed in the 1950-53 war arrived in a military base in South Korea Friday, after visiting the DPRK's eastern region earlier in the day. After the arrival, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it very much welcomed the return, a humanitarian measure that can contribute to healing the scars of the war dead and the bereaved families. The statement said it was a meaningful move in helping build mutual trust between Pyongyang and Washington as the return was part of the agreement reached between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump at their Singapore summit on June 12. Under the agreement, Kim and Trump agreed to commit to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War, including an immediate repatriation of those already identified. The Seoul ministry said it anticipated the parties concerned, who wish to enhance peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, speed up efforts further. It noted that it would continue to talk with the DPRK side to let the remains of South Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War be returned as early as possible through the excavation with the DPRK. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 14:11:09|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu said Thursday that the implementation of the Colombian peace agreement involves many issues and requires unremitting efforts of all parties in the country as well as the international community. Ma made the remarks during a speech at the UN Security Council's meeting on Colombia. Recalling progress made in the Colombian peace process, Ma cautioned "healing war wounds is not an easy task." The Colombian government resumed earlier this year peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas after months of suspension. It reached a peace deal in August 2016 with the FARC rebels, once the country's largest guerrilla group, after four years of negotiations. The comprehensive implementation of the peace agreement involves many issues such as politics, security, development, and social integration, he said, adding it is a long-term systematic project that requires unremitting efforts of all parties in Colombia as well as the international community. China hopes that all parties in Colombia will persist in advancing the peace process and resolve possible problems through dialogue and consultation, he said. The Chinese envoy underlined that in supporting the peace process, the UN Security Council should respect the leadership of the Colombian government and people and provide constructive assistance. He said China appreciates the important role played by UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Colombia Jean Arnault and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia in advancing the peace process. He expressed hope that the mission will continue to strengthen communication with the Colombian government and FARC, enhance mutual trust and promote the implementation of the peace agreement between the two. Concluding his speech, Ma pledged China's willingness to work with other members of the Security Council to contribute to the continued advancement of the Colombian peace process and the early realization of comprehensive peace and stability in the country. SYDNEY, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Papua New Guinea has geared up its land, sea and air security support services for hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, defense authorities said on Friday. "It is a tremendous undertaking and a giant lead for us and therefore at this stage with a number of months to go, it is important that we (PNG Defense Force) understand our capabilities right now and test them accordingly," PNG Defence Force chief of force preparations Colonel Siale Diro told local media. The deployment of a dedicated special forces is already being tested to help police and other agencies provide safety and security for the international event, the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier newspaper quoted Diro as saying. The main force element consists of infantry and other supporting elements "that can bring our military capability to the fore when and where it is required", he said. Defense forces also rolled out a major exercise earlier this week covering the various locations planned for APEC events in the capital Port Moresby as part a comprehensive security package, the newspaper quoted Police Commissioner Gari Baki as saying on Friday. The exercise will help ensure that defense and security elements involved in the meeting are up to the mark, said Baki. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 14:36:16|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (Front) waves to supporters during a massive rally of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in Phnom Penh July 27, 2018. Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the CPP, led the rally on Friday to mark the end of a three-week campaign for the July 29 general elections. (Xinhua/Sovannara) PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), led a party's massive rally on Friday to mark the end of a three-week campaign for the July 29 general election. Some 250,000 CPP supporters attended the rally held at the Diamond Island in capital Phnom Penh before marching through streets across the city. Speaking before a sea of supporters, Hun Sen said the CPP is the only party that has enough capacity to govern Cambodia and to maintain the country's peace and development, and the party has ruled the country for 39 years. "I'd like to send a message to the more than five million members of the Cambodian People's Party that our party plays a very important role in building and defending the motherland, especially in maintaining peace and development," he said. "We all have to continue to win the election for our own fate," he added. The prime minister said the CPP would pay "at any cost" to maintain the country's hard-earned peace, not allowing any foreign power or group to destroy it. Meanwhile, Hun Sen called for all eligible voters to cast their ballots, saying that people who vote are the supporters of democracy, and those who do not vote following the appeal of the former opposition party group are the destroyers of democracy. He predicted that a majority of the eligible voters will cast their ballots on Sunday. On the closing day of the election campaign, other parties also gathered in other parts of the city. The Funcinpec Party, led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh, held a rally with about 1,500 supporters, according to the National Election Committee (NEC). The prince was still unable to join the campaign due to his serious injury in a road accident last month. The League for Democracy Party, led by former opposition lawmaker Khem Veasna, held a gathering with tens of thousands of activists, as the Khmer National United Party, headed by former deputy prime minister Nhek Bun Chhay, rallied with about 450 supporters. Twenty political parties will contest for the 125-seat National Assembly in the Sunday's general election, which will see some 8.38 million people cast their ballots, according to the NEC. Political analysts predict that Hun Sen's party will continue to win a landslide victory in the election. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 14:36:17|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Photo provide by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 27, 2018 shows top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un visiting the Martyrs Cemetery of the Chinese People's Volunteers in Hoechang County, South Phyongan Province in central DPRK. Kim Jong Un paid tribute to martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. (Xinhua/KCNA) PYONGYANG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un paid tribute to martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. Kim visited the Martyrs Cemetery of the Chinese People's Volunteers in Hoechang County, South Phyongan Province in central DPRK, said KCNA. He said with deep emotion that during the last Fatherland Liberation War, the party, government and people of China dispatched their fine sons and daughters to the Korean front without hesitation despite many difficulties in the early period of building a country to help the Korean people in their cause of justice at the cost of blood and made an immortal contribution to the victory in the war, according to KCNA. "The blood of the Chinese comrades permeated the mountains and streams, trees and plants on this land and the soul of the Korean revolutionaries settled on the vast land of China," he was quoted as saying. Kim said the DPRK-China relations are developing into "special and durable friendly relations unprecedented in history," according to the report. The relations were forged in firm militant friendship and genuine trust deepened at the cost of blood and life, not merely for the reason that the two countries are geographically close to each other, Kim said. It is the due responsibility, moral sense of obligation and noble mission of the Korean people to add eternal luster to the exploits performed by the service personnel of the Chinese People's Volunteers who found themselves on the Korean front and displayed matchless bravery and self-sacrificing spirit, Kim underlined. LOS ANGELES, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Many Silicon Valley firms are famous for offering delicious free lunches to employees. However, San Francisco might ban these free lunches in order to protect the local food industry, media reported. Two local legislators, Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safai, introduced the legislation on Tuesday which prohibits cafeterias in new office buildings and tech campuses, but not retroactively. The legislation will be heard in Committee at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in September. There are currently 51 companies that offer free lunch to employees in San Francisco, but new companies might not offer the same perk to their employees. "It's great we've had an amazing economic boom where jobs have located into San Francisco over the last several years, but many of these new jobs come with full-scale kitchen operations that make it difficult for restaurants to have a good lunch business and find workers," Gwyneth Borden, the director of a local restaurant trade group who firmly supports the proposal, told the Guardian. "This is also about a cultural shift," Safai told local media San Francisco Chronicle. "We don't want employees biking or driving into their office, staying there all day long and going home. This is about getting people out of their office." San Francisco is not the first city to limit free lunches offered by tech companies. Mountain View, where Google's headquarters lie, prohibits companies from fully subsidizing meals inside offices, encouraging employees to engage with the local community and businesses. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 15:21:23|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China Great Wall Asset Management Co., Ltd, one of the country's four distressed debt managers, has announced plans to introduce strategic investors to raise a fund of 12.12 billion yuan (about 1.78 billion U.S. dollars). The National Council for Social Security Fund will make the biggest investment of 7 billion yuan, said Zhou Liyao, the company's chief executive officer. China Property & Casualty Reinsurance Co., Ltd. and China Continent Insurance will together contribute 5 billion yuan to the cash injection. China Life Insurance (Group) Company, a current shareholder, will increase its stake by investing another 121 million yuan. The fund will be used to replenish capital and help business development, Zhou said, adding the deal is subject to official approval. In the first half of the year, the disposal of bad assets by Great Wall Asset Management totaled 36.2 billion yuan, with financial assets accounting for more than 70 percent. It purchased 100.6 billion yuan of bad assets in the period. The company aims to spend 120 billion yuan on buying bad assets this year and improve the asset disposal to 100 billion yuan, Zhou added. In 1999, China set up four asset management companies, Cinda, Huarong, Great Wall, and Orient, to deal with the toxic assets of the country's four big state-owned banks in a bid to help them transform into market-oriented financial institutions. Great Wall Asset Management was restructured into a joint-stock firm in 2016, the last of the four companies. MALE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives state-owned Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) said it is seeking interested public relations corporations to boost tourism in the Maldives, local media reported Friday. The MMPRC said the target PR corporations they are looking for are from China, China's Macao and China's Taiwan, and the selected companies would be hired on a one-year contract. Currently, the Maldives government is carrying out a mega campaign to promote the holiday islands through its foreign offices and embassies across the globe. Four diplomatic public relations corporations have also been hired to promote the Maldives as an ideal tourist destination. The MMPRC is also digitally marketing the Maldives on various platforms, tourism ministry officials said. According to statistics from the Tourism Ministry, a total of 726,515 holiday-makers have visited the Maldives during the first six months of 2018, marking a 10.5 percent increase in tourist arrivals when compared to the same period last year. Over 127,000 Chinese tourists have visited the Maldives so far this year. WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, for returning the remains of U.S. soldiers who died in the Korean War. "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," Trump tweeted late at night. Earlier on Thursday, the White House said a military aircraft carrying the remains of U.S. soldiers had left the DPRK and was transferring the remains to the U.S. Osan Air Base in South Korea, where a formal repatriation ceremony is scheduled on Aug. 1. The move showed that Pyongyang was fulfilling part of its commitment to recovering the remains of the U.S. war dead made during the Trump-Kim Singapore meeting on June 12, and Washington was encouraged by the move and "the momentum for positive change," the White House said. Washington and Pyongyang also agreed to restart field operations in the DPRK to search for the estimated 5,300 soldiers unaccounted for during the 1950-1953 Korean War. MALE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- President Abdulla Yameen of Maldives said his government will soon launch a new project which will connect capital Male to the suburban island of Villimale to solve the housing issue, local media reported Friday. In his address to the nation to celebrate the 53rd Independence Day of Maldives, Yameen said his government was yet to provide a full solution to the issue of housing and overcrowding in Male, despite many other achievements over the past five years. Hence the government will develop "Villimale 2" as another city, along with the ongoing development of Hulhumale's second phase, Yameen said. Under this new project, Male City, Villimale and Gulhifalhu will be connected which would accommodate a population of 315,000. The president vowed that, by the Independence Day of 2030, every person over the age of 18 would be provided with an apartment or land plot of no less than 1,000 square feet under this social housing program. He further said the government would also soon launch work on a new bridge to connect Male, Villimale and Gulhifalhu. Housing is a hot-button issue in the Maldives, where 39 percent of the country's 341,256 population lives on the 2.2 square mile capital island of Male. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 17:51:52|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army has scored progress in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in the Yarmouk basin area in the countryside of the southern province of Daraa, a military source told Xinhua Friday. The army on Friday captured the Wadi Saisun and the Sahem al-Golan dam after battles with the IS militants in the Yarmouk basin, the source said on condition of anonymity. This comes a day after the army captured the strategic Tal Al-Gumou hill as well as the towns of Jalin, Hait, and Tsil as well as the Sahem al-Golan the town of Edwan in the Yarmouk Basin area. Most of those areas are close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Yarmouk basin is the remaining militants-held region in Daraa, where the army has made major progress since starting a military campaign on June 19. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has said recently that over 90 percent of Daraa province fell back under the government control through military actions and Russian-backed reconciliation deals since June 19. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 17:56:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HARARE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) on Friday deployed 44 short-term observers throughout Zimbabwe for Monday's polls, its third contingent following the core team and the 44 long-term observers who arrived in Zimbabwe early June. "The short-term observers will cover all ten provinces in both, urban and rural areas. Together with the other EU EOM observers they will be the eyes and the ears of the mission on election day, during polling, counting and tabulation of results", said Chief Observer Elmar Brok. Prior to deployment the short-term observers received a two-day in depth briefing on the electoral background, voting procedures, the political environment and other topics. The observers will also be joined by the Delegation of the European Parliament and EU diplomats accredited in Zimbabwe on polling day. In total, the EU EOM will comprise on election day 140 observers from all 28 member states as well as Norway, Switzerland and Canada. "Although the EU EOM observers will be visiting many polling stations from the opening to the closing of the polls, they will not interfere in the process. They are there to watch and take note of how the voting is conducted," said Brok. The EU EOM will issue a preliminary statement two days after the elections with the final report - with technical recommendations for future elections - to be published later. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 18:47:03|Editor: ZX Video Player Close KUNMING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A six-nation joint campaign on drug crime along the Lancang-Mekong region will continue next year, law enforcement personnel from the countries said Friday. The anti-drug campaign was launched by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in 2013, with Cambodia and Vietnam joining in 2015. As of this July, a total of 33,000 drug-related cases have been cracked, with 53,000 suspects captured and 99.3 tonnes of drugs seized, according to the law enforcement personnel attending a meeting held in Jinghong, southwest China's Yunnan Province, to mark the end of the latest anti-drug operation. The personnel agreed to strengthen cooperation in intelligence, transnational law enforcement, monitoring key drug-trafficking routes and regulation of drug precursors. An Guojun, deputy secretary-general of the China National Narcotics Control Commission, said that 2018 was the last year of a three-year joint drugs control action plan, and each country had cracked a series of major drug cases. But drug production and trafficking are still rampant in the region, with stronger anti-drug efforts needed, participants at the meeting agreed. Permpong Chaovalit, consultant at Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said that the joint campaign should focus on the Golden Triangle region, one of the world's major drug-producing areas. The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, runs through the six countries and is an important waterway for transnational shipping. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 18:57:06|Editor: zh Video Player Close LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Five people have been killed and five others were injured as a minibus collided with a car on a road in Scotland, Sky News reported on Friday. The accident took place on the A96 between Huntly and Keith in Moray in Scotland just before midnight, Sky News quoted Police Scotland as saying. Casualties have been taken to various local hospitals. Police had to closed the road as the vehicles were being removed. An investigation into the accident has been carried out, and local police were looking for witnesses. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 18:57:08|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China has closely watched Pakistan's general election and hopes for a smooth political transition in the country, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday. Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf party, claimed victory in the election on Thursday. He spoke highly of relations with China during a television address, noting that Pakistan's new government would continue to develop friendly exchanges and cooperation with China. "China has kept an eye on the general election of Pakistan and sincerely hopes the country can realize a smooth political transition and keep stability for better development," spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a regular press conference. "Imran Khan has reiterated that relations with China are the footstone of Pakistan's foreign policy that 'no matter which party takes office, a friendly policy towards China will not be changed.'" In his address Khan said that China had given a chance to Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and Pakistan could learn from China on such areas as reducing poverty and anti-corruption. "China has noticed the positive remarks by Imran Khan and believes people from all walks of life in Pakistan are firm supporters of the China-Pakistan friendly relationship," Geng said. "The China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership will not be shaken despite how the situation changes." SUVA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The entire population on Vanuatu's volcanic island of Ambae has been asked to evacuate compulsorily following the Vanuatu government's recent reimposing of a state of emergency on the island. According to Radio New Zealand on Friday, Esline Garaebiti, director of Vanuatu's Meteorological and Geo-Hazards Department, said that its staff were closely monitoring the volcano at the island's center of Manaro, which she said was in its fourth phase of activity since last September. "We're seeing very significant impacts on the island at the moment," she said, adding that after the latest eruption, there was particularly heavy ashfall in Ambae's southern parts. "Our technical team on site has estimated about 200 millimeters of ash on some parts," she added. The Manaro volcano has been erupting in phases since last year. But its activity intensified in the past week, causing ash fall so severe that the sun was blocked. The department raised the threat level to three (the maximum level is five) last weekend. This time it was different from a previous, voluntary evacuation earlier this year. After two earlier evacuation exercises, Vanuatu's Council of Ministers has decided to implement a two-month evacuation plan which asks more than 11,000 population on the island to evacuate compulsorily. The last significant eruption on the Ambae island happened in 2005. Vanuatu lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 19:42:15|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A 31-year-old Israeli man died after he was stabbed by a Palestinian attacker at the town Adam near Jerusalem, said Israeli Hadassah Hospital statement on Friday. Yotam Ovadia, a father of two small children, was killed in a terror attack Thursday night by a 17-year-old Palestinian, according to Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The attacker broke into a small Israeli fenced settlement Adam, close to the Palestinian city Ramallah, and stabbed with a knife three random residents. After a fight, one of the attacked Israelis shot him dead. After the stabbings, the IDF operated in the attacker's Palestinian village of Kauber close to Jerusalem. IDF questioned family members of the attacker, according to the IDF. IDF troops conducted security checks at the entry and exit in the village of Kauber. The entrance of Palestinian workers to Israeli communities in the area will not be permitted presently, the IDF said. During the operation at Kauber, a violent riot of 150 Palestinians was instigated. The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tires at IDF troops, who responded with riot dispersal means, according to the IDF. KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people including seven militants and two police personnel were killed as military aircraft targeted a Taliban vehicle in Dasht-e-Archi district of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province on Friday, an eyewitness said. "The sorties launched against a vehicle of Taliban rebels in Daftani area of Dasht-e-Archi district today morning killing seven insurgents on the spot," the eyewitness told Xinhua, but refused to reveal his identity. Two police personnel were also killed and two others injured, said the man. Meanwhile, a local official on condition of anonymity, confirmed the airstrike, saying investigation is underway to determine the facts and casualties. Airstrikes against Taliban on Daftani area of Dasht-e-Archi district in April had left more than 150 people mostly civilians dead and injured. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:07:20|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday praised the Mongolian government's efforts in eliminating hepatitis B and C as a good example in the global fight against the diseases. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sent a congratulatory video message to an official event held here on Friday for World Hepatitis Day, saying Mongolia is a country with the world's highest rate of liver cancer caused by hepatitis B and C, and also a good example for the world to eliminate the viral diseases. Mongolia's government has shown great commitment to addressing hepatitis through its "Whole-Liver Mongolia" national program, therefore,the WHO is organizing an official event for World Hepatitis Day in Ulan Bator in cooperation with the Mongolian government, Ghebreyesus said. He also called on all countries to work energetically towards the goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030, and stop new infections. According to the Mongolian Health Ministry, more than 10 percent of Mongolia's population are living with hepatitis B and C, and the country lost over 1,600 people to liver cancer last year caused by the diseases. About 80 percent of liver cancer cases in the country are diagnosed at a late stage, the ministry said. Mongolia has a population of some 3 million. It aims to stop new cases of hepatitis B and C, and dramatically reduce the mortality caused by liver cirrhosis and cancer by 2020. To achieve the goal, Mongolia launched the "Whole-Liver Mongolia" national program in May 2017, and over 350,000 people aged 40-65 were tested for hepatitis B and C for free in the first phase and over 70 percent of the people diagnosed with hepatitis received treatment. In the second phase of the program this year, 1.8 Mongolians aged 15-39 and over 65 would get free tests for the hepatitis B and C virus, Mongolian Health Minister Davaajantsan Sarangerel said at the opening ceremony of the event. During the event, cancer specialists from the National Cancer Center of Mongolia offered free medical check-ups to 2,000 people, and provided information about cirrhosis and liver cancer caused by hepatitis B and C to enhance people's awareness of hepatitis infections and help early detections of infections or cancer. World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year with an aim to raise awareness of viral hepatitis. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:07:20|Editor: ZX Video Player Close XIAMEN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chen Shulong, former vice governor of Anhui Province, stood trial Friday for bribery, power abuse, insider trading and disclosing inside information, at a court in Fujian Province. Chen was accused of using his positions to seek benefits for others in business operations, obtaining projects and bank loans, investments and personnel promotions, and in return accepting money and property worth over 275.8 million yuan (40.6 million U.S. dollars) personally or through his family members between 1994 and 2016. When he served as party chief of Wuhu City in Anhui between 2009 and 2011, Chen illegally granted subsidies for equipment or land-transferring fees to certain enterprises, resulting in economic losses totaling 2.9 billion yuan, said the prosecutors in the city of Xiamen. Chen was also accused of illegally buying and selling shares as an insider and gaining nearly 137.5 million yuan between 2009 and 2015. Meanwhile, he disclosed inside information to others and helped them obtain over 30 million yuan during the same period. The prosecutors, defendant and his lawyers cross-examined evidence and gave full testimonies. Chen confessed and expressed remorse in court. Legislators, political advisors, journalists and members of the public attended the trial. The verdict will be announced at a later date. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:07:20|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Malaysia and Singapore, and attend a series of foreign minister meetings in Singapore from July 31 to August 5. Wang is visiting at the invitation of Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the announcement Friday at a press briefing. Geng said the meetings to be held in Singapore include a China-ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, meetings between foreign ministers from China, ASEAN, Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as foreign minister meetings of the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum. Malaysia and Singapore are important members of ASEAN, as well as China's friendly neighbors and important cooperation partners, said Geng, adding that China's relations with the two countries have been developing very well. "Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir attaches importance to relations with China, and supports the Belt and Road Initiative," said Geng, adding that State Councilor Wang's visit will convey China's sincere will to develop friendly relations with Malaysia, discuss ideas and measures to promote bilateral relations, and exchange views on cooperation and issues of common concern. "China and Singapore have established a partnership of all-round cooperation keeping with the times and they have achieved fruitful achievements under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," Geng said. He said Wang's visit is designed to implement consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, enhance strategic communication, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and exchange views on bilateral relations, cooperation on the Belt and Road, China-ASEAN relations, as well as issues of common concern. Geng said the ASEAN has always been placed on the front page of China's foreign cooperation agenda, the priority direction of China's neighborhood diplomacy and the major area for the construction of the Belt and Road. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership between China and ASEAN, as well as the China-ASEAN's innovation year. "China-ASEAN relations have established the most successful and dynamic example of the Asia-Pacific regional cooperation," Geng said. China stands ready to continue to work with ASEAN to deepen cooperation, enhance the synergy of development plans, further promote pragmatic cooperation, enhance political and security cooperation, and build a closer community with a shared future for humanity, Geng said. He expressed the hope that the two sides will properly handle the South China Sea issue, strengthen pragmatic maritime cooperation, and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:07:20|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Zheng Jianghua, Ren Ke BRUSSELS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The meteoric rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the German political landscape since last September's parliamentary election has rattled traditional political parties, which often tag the AfD, among others, as "far-right", "populist", "xenophobia". In an exclusive interview with Xinhua recently, Petr Bystron, 45, an MP from AfD in the Bundestag, or German Federal Parliament, contests these tags and tries to present a different image. Beyond German politics, the AfD bigwig pulls no punch on the deficiencies of the European Union (EU), saying he expects to build up a new Europe on the ruins of current one. REJECTING LABELS At the Bundestag office building in Berlin, Bystron, who is also AfD spokesperson on Committee on Foreign Affairs, tells Xinhua that the AfD is indeed an anti-establishment political party, but he rejects most of the labels other parties stick on it. Bystron spoke about the achievements of the AfD established in 2013, hailing it as "the youngest" and "the most successful" political party in Germany. However, this is also why its political competitors slapped on it labels such as "far-right", "populist", and even "neo-Nazis", he observes. "Most of them are false," he insists, defining the AfD as an anti-establishment party criticizing everything. Bystron tilts at German mainstream parties for being afraid of discussing "their failures", because "this is very uncomfortable for them". "It's much easier to put us in a kind of ghetto, to make us untouchable, so that the people don't get in contact with us; so that all the voters have some kind of fear to touch us," Bystron says, slamming it as a deliberate tactic. "You can poison every argument in Germany with, if you say, it's coming from a Nazi," he notes. The AfD, in one fell swoop, crossed the 5-percent threshold of the Bundestag and became the third-largest political force in the legislature, after securing 12.6 percent of votes in the parliamentary elections last September. Referring to the party's jaw-dropping rise from obscurity, Bystron says a sum of 1.5 million "non-voters", who were loath to vote in previous elections, carried a lot of weight in last year's election. "They have some hope that there is somebody who takes care of them," he says. And besides, the AfD siphoned support of more than 1 million disaffected voters from its competitors like the SPD, the Left Party, and the Green Party, according to Bystron. "We are the alternative to the old system. We are the hope. The hope for a better Germany, for a better Europe. This is what we represent," Bystron said, stressing the party's name has expressed its label. HITTING OUT AT EU When asked his views on the EU, Bystron, though rejecting the "Euroskeptic" tag, strikes a sour tone. The AfD leader delivers a broadside at the soon-to-be 27-member bloc. The first target he shoots is the euro, the EU's currency in a selected 19-member zone. The German lawmaker seems indulged in good old days when the Deutsche Mark typified the "economic strength" and cultural identity of Germany. He laments that Germany gave up its own currency for a "political construction", referring to the euro. "They set up the euro as a political construction, but economically it still doesn't work. For the southern countries in the EU, the euro is too strong; but for the northern countries, it's too weak," he says. Painting a gloomy picture of the euro, Bystron warns that "the euro will collapse, this is sure. it's just not sure when." "When the financial system collapses, it will have very negative implications on a high number of the population across all Europe, in Germany especially," he continues. To dodge being scapegoat of established parties, Bystron says, he hopes the establishment parties will stay on power till the system crashes down. "We can then take over the power. On the ruins of their doing, we can start to build up a new Europe," he says. Another EU target in his crosshairs is what he calls the "open border". That refers to the mass influx of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa in the past few years. Citing Schengen Treaty, based on which the EU set up the world's largest visa-free area, Bystron underscores that "throwing down the inner border within the European Union should go hand in hand with strong control of the outer border." But "what happened is totally the opposite. we had all the borders open," Bystron says, noting that it had begun to bite. He mentions the worsening public security in Germany and financial burden for the Germans. By Bystron's account, the German government shells out 50 billion euros per year for up to 2 million immigrants, who have arrived in Europe since the peak of the refugee crisis in the summer of 2015. Arguing that the funds should be used in other areas, Bystron lamented: "What Germany gave up is invest into high technologies, in education, and in other tasks." The migration and border control issues have returned to the fore in Germany and the EU since June. The German ruling coalition was stuck into a crisis as Chancellor Angela Merkel disputed and later reconciled with the CSU, her Bavarian ally, on tougher migration policy. At the EU summit in late June, European leaders forged a hard-won compromise on dealing with migration issues, including ideas such as setting up "disembarkation platforms" in non-EU countries to shelter immigrants rescued at the Mediterranean. However, the implementation is far from simple. Scathing though his remarks on the EU may have been, Bystron recognizes a handful of saving graces of the bloc, such as freedom of movement within the EU, and the large-size market, which makes the EU on a par with the United States and China. "It makes sense if you make the economic entity bigger," he says. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:37:27|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), met with 48 student interns from south China's Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao Friday at the Palace Museum in Beijing. Beginning July 17, the month and a half long internship allows students to get involved in relics restoration, exhibition planning, curation, architectural surveying, and mapping, with positions provided by 11 departments at the Palace Museum. Accompanied by Shan Jixiang, curator of the Palace Museum, Lam thanked the Palace Museum for its unreserved support in the Hong Kong Palace Museum Project and its efforts in holding joint exhibitions in Hong Kong in recent years, adding that these have given Hong Kong residents access to the museum's collections and history. In the past ten years, the Palace Museum has received hundreds of student interns from Hong Kong and Macao, said Shan, who also expressed his hope for more young students to participate in the program and thus enhance their understanding of cultural relics preservation and work related to museums. The internship program was initiated in 2017 and had 30 students from Guangdong and Hong Kong participate last year. Lam also visited an institute of cultural asset digital application, an exhibition hall for royal furniture as well as an exhibition featuring works of Qi Baishi, a prestigious Chinese painter. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:47:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presides over a bi-weekly seminar to advise on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, in Beijing, capital of China, July 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese national political advisors convened a bi-weekly seminar on Friday to advise on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The building of the Great Bay Area is a major decision taken by the Communist Party of China leadership, and a new practice of the "one country, two systems" principle in the new era, said Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who presided over the meeting and made a speech. "Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao can combine their advantages to build a dynamic and internationally competitive bay area and world-class city cluster," Wang said. He urged political advisors to explain the policies to the public and help nurture consensus so that people from all walks of life will focus their wisdom and strength on the building of the Great Bay Area. A total of 16 political advisors and representatives from academia put forwards their suggestions, according to a press release issued after the meeting. Political advisors agreed that the development of the bay area will be conducive to promoting cooperation among the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, the statement said. They suggested that more attention should be paid to the connectivity of infrastructure, the free and efficient flow of goods, services, capital and personnel, removal of institutional and legal barriers, and industrial upgrading. They noted that efforts should be made to facilitate Hong Kong and Macao residents, particularly young people, to study, work, start businesses, and live on the mainland. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:52:37|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MADRID, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron showed skepticism on a trade agreement between the United States and the European Union (EU) after their meeting here on Thursday, Spanish Radio and Television Corporation RTVE reported. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday agreed to mitigate the transatlantic trade tensions over Washington-launched tariffs. The two agreed to work together towards "zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods." However, Macron said in his first official visit to Spain that he's not in favor of a trade negotiation right now. "A good commercial dialogue can only be made under a balanced and reciprocal relationship, not under threat, at all circumstances. I am not in favor of starting to negotiate a broad trade agreement now, because it's not allowed by the context," said the French president. Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez expressed concerns over the U.S. trade protectionism. "We will not stay calm... we are going to defend the Common Agrarian Policy as it is defined," the Spanish PM said, underlining the government's determination in supporting Spain's agricultural products export against U.S. trade protectionism. "We do not want any trade war, but the goals that the European Union has accomplished should be preserved," Sanchez stressed. Moreover, both countries refused to lower their labor, health or environmental standards in order to reach an agreement with the United States. "We can not ask our industrialists or our farmers to move towards a sustainable model meanwhile sign trade agreements that would not respect those standards," Macron argued. The French president also urged Trump to give "clear gestures" that U.S. would withdraw tariffs on steel and aluminum. The Spanish PM noted that all agreements negotiated by the European Commission should also be approved by the European parliament and all the member states before they are finally carried out, implying that the agreement that Trump made with Juncker on Wednesday doesn't have any actual effect now. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:52:38|Editor: ZX Video Player Close KUNMING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province have detained nine drug trafficking suspects and seized 23 kilograms of heroin, authorities said Friday. On July 24, police intercepted a car at a toll station in Changning County, Baoshan City after hearing that the dealers were planning to transport drugs from Myanmar to Sichuan Province through the county. Two bags of heroin weighing a total of 23 kg in the car were seized and two suspects arrested, according to police in Changning county public security bureau. Another seven suspects were caught in Baoshan and Chengdu, in Sichuan, later that day. Yunnan is a major front in China's war against drugs, as it borders the Golden Triangle area known for drug production and trafficking. A total of 5,648 suspects were arrested and more than 11 tonnes of drugs seized by police in the province between January and May. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 20:57:39|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday urged more support to more than 970,000 people have been internally displaced by conflict in Ethiopia's largest Oromia region and Southern region in the past few months. According to the UN migration agency, roughly 970,000 people have been internally displaced by conflict in Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone in the Southern region and West Guji in Oromia region during the past four months, the majority being displaced in June alone. "With so many people becoming displaced in such a short time period, IOM and humanitarian partners have been scaling up their presence to provide urgent, live-saving assistance," IOM indicated calling for more support in order to meet the humanitarian needs of the displaced Ethiopian. "Many of whom have found shelter in unfinished buildings or in unhealthy conditions with just a sheet of tarpaulin for protection from the elements," the statement read. "Access to safe sanitation and clean water is of concern, as is ensuring health needs are met," it added. IOM further revealed that in order to improve the overall delivery of humanitarian assistance, it is currently providing displacement tracking and site management support, in which IOM is currently providing shelter assistance and essential aid items, facilitating access to water and sanitation services and raising awareness about hygiene to the displaced populations in both areas. Earlier this week, IOM released a much-needed appeal for 22.2 million U.S. dollars to continue its humanitarian operations in Gedeo and West Guji zones in the two regions. Noting that most of the displaced people fled their homes "with little more than the clothes they were wearing," IOM further commended the latest support from the UKAID which delivered 200 tonnes of aid for the internally displaced people in the two zones. "We are extremely grateful to the donors, who have shown great support for the people and government of Ethiopia, but more funding is urgently required to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands displaced people in Gedeo and West Guji," said Maureen Achieng, IOM Ethiopia Chief of Mission and Representative to the AU, IGAD and UNECA. "Without additional funding, lives will be at risk. The needs are immense - the international community's response must match them," Achieng added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:02:39|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close SHANGHAI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Greenland Group, a real estate giant based in Shanghai, signed an agreement with five international business associations on Thursday to build a park area for trade. Dubbed the "Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub," the project features a 40-hectare park area in Qingpu District of Shanghai. Foreign companies will be invited to set up operations in the hub to showcase their products and services, according to Zhang Yuliang, chairman of Greenland Group. The project is part of Shanghai's efforts to promote imports as it prepares to host the first China International Import Expo, to be held from Nov. 5 to 10. John Edwards, British Consul-General in Shanghai, said at the signing ceremony that he had encouraged British companies to do business in China and hoped an increasing number of Chinese customers would show interest in British products and services. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:07:41|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close This image shows Jinbao, the mascot of the China International Import Expo (CIIE). China unveiled the mascot and the logo for the expo in east China's Shanghai on July 27, 2018. (Xinhua) SHANGHAI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The organizer of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Friday said Jinbao, a scarf-wearing giant panda, is the mascot for the event in Shanghai in November. "Jinbao sounds like 'Jinbo,' the abbreviation of the CIIE in Chinese, and means 'treasure of the CIIE' as well as 'bringing in wealth,' said Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Bingnan at a press conference. "The panda is China's national treasure and name card. Adored by all for its chubby and lovely image, it has become China's envoy for friendship and contributed to China's friendly ties with other countries," Wang said. The mascot wears a blue-yellow scarf embroidered with the logo of the CIIE. While the color yellow stands for the Silk Road Economic Belt, blue stands for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. A four-leaf clover in the mascot's hand represents the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, where the expo is to be held. It is also believed to bring luck to people. The slogan of the CIIE, "New Era, Shared Future," was also unveiled Friday. The expo logo is comprised of the Earth surrounded by a light-blue ring, with the expo's name in Chinese and in English, and the abbreviation CIIE. "The earth in the middle means that the CIIE is inclusive, diverse and has broad coverage, and that it will become an open cooperative platform for countries to demonstrate themselves and trade with each other," Wang said. The green China on the earth embodies the idea of green development, while the surrounding ring in light blue represents solidarity and cooperation with all countries, and China's efforts to support economic globalization, he said. China on Friday announced the 100-day countdown to the opening of the CIIE, which will be held from Nov. 5 to 10. Over 130 countries and regions and more than 2,800 companies have confirmed participation in the CIIE. More than 150,000 domestic and international buyers are expected to attend. TOKYO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga said Friday that he has ordered procedures to be started to retract his predecessor's approval of landfill work for the central government's plan to relocate a U.S. military base within the prefecture. "I will take whatever measures and do my utmost to realize my election pledge of preventing the construction of a new base," Onaga told a press conference on Friday. Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference in Tokyo that the central government will respond "appropriately." "Our intention to proceed with the relocation construction is unchanged," he said. The incident is expected to reignite conflicts between Okinawa and the Japanese central government over a plan to transfer the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the Henoko coastal area of Nago from a crowded residential district in Ginowan. Onaga, elected governor of Okinawa in 2014, revoked in October 2015 an approval issued by former governor Hirokazu Nakaima for the landfill work of the relocation plan, saying that the approval was legally flawed. He was forced to withdraw his order to suspend work on the site, however, after the Supreme Court ruled in 2016 against the governor's attempt to revoke the land reclamation work approval. The central government has since resumed construction work for the relocation plan. Onaga's new retraction order will be issued on the ground that situation had changed and the central government had failed to protect the environment of the coastal area since resuming the construction work. Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land mass. Japan's central government had said that the relocation plan is "the only solution" for removing the dangers posed by the Futenma base to the crowded residential area of Ginowan without undermining the Japan-U.S. alliance. The Okinawa people, however, have called for the base to be moved out of the prefecture, complaining of sufferings caused by aircraft noise, crimes committed by the U.S. servicemen as well as safety concerns. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:32:48|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- BASF Group has witnessed an increase in its revenue during the second quarter (Q2) of 2018, figures published on Friday by the German chemical producer show. Gross revenue was measured by BASF at 16.8 billion euros (19.5 billion U.S. dollars) in Q2, marking an increase of 3 percent over the same period last year. Quarterly earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) at the Ludwigshafen-based company rose by 5 percent to 2.4 billion euros. BASF attributed the development to rising sales prices across all of its divisions which offset adverse currency effects experienced in Q2. A strong performance of the Oil & Gas unit, in particular, hereby contributed to an increase in the company's half-year EBIT by 160 million euros to a total of 4.9 billion euros. Revenue was up by 307 million euros at 33.4 billion euros between January and June 2018. By contrast, earnings at the Functional Materials & Solutions- and Chemicals divisions both fell in Q2 over the same period last year. BASF blamed the relative underperformance of the two units on higher fixed costs and lower margins due to a rise in raw material costs. Looking ahead, BASF highlighted a growing risk of global trade conflicts as a potential threat to its business model. "Risks in the global economy have increased significantly in the course of the first half-year", chief executive officer (CEO) Martin Brudermueller warned. He added that BASF was consequently "monitoring developments and their potential implications for our business very carefully." In spite of these risks, the DAX-listed company confirmed an earlier forecast for continued revenue and EBIT growth in the course of 2018. The company plans to finalize its 7.6-billion-euro acquisition of business units with combined revenue of 2.2 billion euros from German rival Bayer for 7.6 billion in August. "We already look forward to welcoming around 4,500 new colleagues with their future-oriented and innovative work fields at BASF," Brudermueller said. The deal in which Bayer will shed several crop-science related divisions was a key condition set by international antitrust regulators to allow the Leverkusen-based company to complete its own fusion with U.S. agrichemical producer Monsanto. Brudermueller further announced on Friday that BASF would open a brand-new integrated Verbund site in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. BASF plans to complete the project in Guangdong by 2030 at a total cost of up to 10 billion dollars, subject to further negotiations with local authorities. "A company like BASF which sets itself the goal to be the leading chemicals company must participate in this major growth market," Brudemueller argued. BASF is the world's largest chemicals manufacturer by revenue, recording global sales worth 64.5 billion euros in 2017. The Ludwigshafen-based company employs a total of 115,000 staff across the world. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:37:51|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close An Afghan security force member talks with a man during a military operation in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Sept. 15, 2018. The increasing insurgency and counter-insurgency in Afghanistan have left more than 40 people dead from both militants and government forces elsewhere in the militancy-plagued country over the past 24 hours, officials said Sunday. (Xinhua/Abdul Aziz Safdari) KABUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Up to 14 militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) outfit have been killed in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province and 20 others have given up fighting and handed over their weapons to police in the northern Jawzjan province over the past 24 hours, officials said Friday. Afghan forces have stepped up operations against IS militants' hideouts as government forces from ground and air targeted the hardliner group's positions in the eastern Nangarhar province since Thursday, killing over a dozen fighters, spokesman for provincial government Attaullah Khogiani said. According to Khogiani, 14 fighters of IS group have been killed in Haska Mina, Ghani Khil, Nazian and Achin districts over the past 24 hours. During the operations which also involved aircrafts, several more IS fighters have been injured, the official added. Confirming the operations, the National Army Corps in the eastern region, in a statement released Friday, said that a weapon cache of IS outfit had also been destroyed during the ongoing operations. IS outfit has yet to make comment on the report. Similarly, the ongoing crackdown on IS militants and fighting with the rival Taliban group in the northern Jawzjan province has forced 20 fighters to give up fighting and surrender to local authorities. According to Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for Jawzjan provincial government, a 20-member group of IS militants under Mohammad Tahir have given up fighting and handed over their weapons to police in Darzab district over the past 24 hours. Darzab district has been the scene of fierce fighting between IS and Taliban group over the past two weeks, which has left some 300 fighters dead from both sides, officials said. The government forces, according to Afghan officials, would continue to fight IS militants elsewhere in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan. JAKARTA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Shipment of Indonesia's crude palm oil and its derivative products offshore drifted down in the first half of this year as demand dropped amid import tariffs, the industry association said here on Friday. Data from the country's palm oil grower association showed that the cumulative exports of the commodity by June edged off about 2 percent to 15.30 million tons. The downshift on the country's crude palm oil export was largely attributed to the decline of shipment to India and European Union, said Mukti Sardjono, executive director of the association. The imposition of import tariff by India, and campaign on deforestation issues and scraping of policy in usage of food-based biofuel by the European Union have nudged and hemmed in the shipment of the crude palm oil and its derivative products to the nations, he said. Export to China, the United States, Pakistan, the Middle East and Bangladesh increased, Sardjono said. Indonesia is the world's largest producer and exporter of crude palm oil. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:47:53|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close GAZA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- For the 18th consecutive Friday, clashes broke out Friday between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers close to the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel amid fear of military escalation between Hamas and Israel. Medical sources said that dozens of young Palestinians demonstrated at five different locations in eastern Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel as part of the rallies and protests they carry out every Friday since March 30. They called the rallies "The Great March of Return and Defying the Israeli Blockade." They formed a commission that organizes the rallies and protests, which include clashes, releasing arson balloons and kites and burning tires at the border. Medical sources said that at least three Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli soldiers' live gunfire as demonstrators burned tires and released dozens of arson balloons and kites into Israel, which caused huge fires in various areas into Israel. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses and local media reports said that an Israeli drone fired a missile at a group of Palestinians who were flying and releasing arson balloons from eastern Gaza City into Israel. No injuries were reported. Earlier on Friday, organizers of the Great March of Return called on Gaza Strip populations via mosques loudspeakers to join Friday protests which called "Friday of Children killed by Israel." Observers in the Gaza Strip said that Friday's rallies and protests may escalate tension between Israel and Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, amid a fragile Egyptian and international brokered ceasefire deal reached last week between the two sides. On Thursday evening, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said in an official statement that since the start of rallies and protests on March 30, the Israeli army killed 152 Palestinians and wounded more than 16,000 others in eastern Gaza Strip. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:52:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Maria Spiliopoulou ATHENS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the wildfire which swept through a once idyllic seaside resort in eastern Attica on Monday has risen to 87 by Friday, according to the latest update from local authorities. Meanwhile, the government said the deadliest tragedy in over a decade in Greece was most probably the result of a well prepared plan by arsonists. Autopsies have been carried out on 86 bodies recovered from the Mati, Neos Voutzas and Kokkino Limanaki settlements, the head of the Athens coroner's service Nikos Karakoukis announced on Friday. The process of identifying the dead will continue at the police forensics labs, he said. Moreover, a 62-year-old burn victim died in hospital, the health ministry announced. According to the medics, 11 of the 187 injured in the wildfire are still in intensive care because of their critical conditions. Greek officials have not yet released the number of the missing, as search among the charred remains of homes and cars and the sea area, where thousands of people fled to escape the blaze, continued. Amid the pain and the agony, an investigation into the causes of the disaster was underway. "There is serious evidence pointing to criminal action," Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas, told a press briefing here, citing satellite image analysis data and "suspicious findings" on the ground inside the pine forest where the fire broke out on mountain Penteli on Monday afternoon. The Greek officials did not elaborate, but according to a report published on local "Ethnos" (Nation) newspaper citing Fire Brigade sources, remains of nine incendiary devices where discovered in the area. Greece suffers each summer from wildfires which are mainly attributed to the heat waves or arsonists. In the case of Mati, investigators will look thoroughly into all the factors that were believed to have contributed to this major catastrophe. Deputy Regional Governor of Eastern Attica Petros Philippou said on Friday while speaking to a local radio "Thema" (Story) that authorities never gave a clear notification to people to evacuate the settlement. The alarm never sounded. During the press briefing, Fire Brigade and Police chiefs argued that due to the unprecedentedly strong winds which were blowing in the area, the flames spread 2-3 kilometers within just a few minutes, and there was no adequate time to react. Another major factor which was considered to have contributed to the disaster was the town plan which included narrow streets, dead ends and fences which blocked the escape to the sea. The town plan in Mati and in similar areas needs to be fully redesigned in order to avoid a calamity similar to the disastrous fires occurring in the future, Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said on Friday after a meeting at the nearby Rafina-Pikermi City Hall. "An overall redesigning of the town is needed. If things stay as they are, it is as is we are signing an open contract that the same things will happen all over again at some point," the minister said, according to Greek national news agency AMNA. "There have to be public spaces, roads and the access to the beaches must open," he stressed. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 21:57:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called Friday for forming a new government and meeting the recent protesters' demands about anti-corruption reforms, jobs and better basic service. Sistani's representative Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai urged the current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to respond urgently to the protesters' demands for jobs and better basic services to reduce peoples' suffering. Meanwhile, Sistani called on to form a new government as soon as possible, and to be strong and courageous enough in the fight against financial and administrative corruption, Karbalai said during the weekly Friday prayer in the holy Shiite city of Karbala, some 110 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The new prime minister must consider his main duty is "to wage a relentless war against the corrupted and those who protect them," Karbalai added. Sistani called for the next government to work in effective ways, including amending the laws that are currently in force, fighting against corruption, and carefully selecting and appointing senior officials. Sistani warned that the Iraqi people would develop means of peaceful protests to impose their will on the officials, if the new authorities refrained from meeting the demands of the protesters. The comments of Sistani came after about two weeks of demonstrations in Iraq's oil-hub province of Basra in southern Iraq, as well as several Iraqi cities despite a series of measures taken by Abadi aimed at quelling the street anger. The measures included allocating 3.5 trillion Iraqi dinars (about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars) to carry out several major projects for public services, such as electricity and water facilities, in addition to providing thousands of jobs in government institutions. Meanwhile, Abadi, as the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, issued an order of high alert for the security forces in the central and southern provinces in response to the protests. The demonstrators accused the influential political parties of being behind the wide-spread corruption that led to high rates of unemployment and failure in rehabilitation of the country's electricity, water and other basic services. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 22:13:00|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DUBAI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Residents, whether nationals or foreigners living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can travel from July 26 on visa-free to the Republic of Azerbaijan, the UAE daily Khaleej Times reported on Friday. Citing a tweet by the UAE Embassy to Azerbaijan in the Caucasus country's capital Baku, the report said "anyone with valid residency in the UAE can obtain a tourist visa for one month upon arrival at the airports of Azerbaijan." In March 2018, UAE's national carrier Etihad Airways launched three direct flights per week between the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and Baku. The UAE has a total population of approximately 10 million inhabitants of which 80 percent are foreign residents. MANILA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 22 inmates escaped Friday from a police jail in Bacoor, a town in Philippines' Cavite province, south of Manila, police said. Police said the prisoners rushed out of the police jail's gate around 4:30 p.m. local time (0830 GMT) while a jail guard was taking a mugshot of an inmate. Out of the 22 detainees, police said three had been re-captured. A manhunt has been launched to re-capture the remaining 19 inmates. MANILA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The League of Cities of the Philippines and UNAIDS signed on Friday a cooperation agreement that commits the network of member cities to advocating and supporting local leaders to fast track the response to HIV to reverse the current trend of the epidemic in the country. Both sides vowed to strengthen the engagement of civil society, including people living with HIV and key populations, to scale up and expand local responses. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said in its newly released report that the annual new infections have more than doubled in the Philippines in the past seven years to an estimated 12,000 in 2017. With a 174 percent increase since 2010, the report says the Philippines has become the country with the fastest growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific. Cities and urban areas are particularly affected by HIV, according to health authorities. "The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country is an issue that needs urgent action among local governments, especially since key populations at risk of infections reside mostly in the cities. I encourage my peers at the League of Cities to also take action and contribute in controlling and, ultimately, ending HIV/AIDS in the country," said Taguig Mayor Ma. Laarni Cayetano, national chair of the League of Cities of the Philippines. While the Philippines has for many years had HIV services focusing on female sex workers, the report says there is now a need to scale-up services tailored to other key populations and where they are located. UNAIDS data show that more than 90 percent of new HIV infections are occurring among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people (TG). Condom use among men who have sex with men and transgender people is low at 50 percent and 37 percent respectively and HIV testing is also low. Only 16 percent of MSM knew their HIV status in 2015. In 2016, the Philippines adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals and committed to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. To achieve this commitment, UNAIDS encourages cities to accelerate their HIV response by reaching critical HIV prevention, treatment and zero discrimination targets by 2020. Local governments in the Philippines are already working to provide resources and implementing innovative HIV prevention services. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 22:33:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOGADISHU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Somali soldiers on Friday killed six al-Shabab militants and injured several others during an operation near Wajid, a town in the southwest Bakool region, officials said. "Southwest State Special Forces killed senior al-Shabab official Moalim Derow and five other fighters," Security Minister for Southwest State in Somalia Hassan Hussein Mohamed told reporters. "Several others were injured and the forces recovered eight AK-47 rifles at Lafale location near Wajid district in Bakool region this morning," he added. The military operations to flush out militants would continue, Mohamed said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 23:13:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A regional asylum agency, dedicated to assist the government with tasks such as carrying out deportations, opens in Bavaria's town of Manching on Friday amid protests. The opening ceremony for the controversial organization was personally attended by Bavarian governor Markus Soeder (CSU), who voiced his desire to create such an agency in April. The move, however, has been criticized by some in Bavaria as an attempt by the Christian Social Union (CSU) to win back voters from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) by copying their far-right rhetoric on immigration. As a consequence, the Bavarian Refugee Council and other non-governmental organizations (NGO) gathered in Manching on Friday to protest the opening of the new agency. "Deportations and the right-wing election strategy of the CSU are no reason to celebrate for us," brochures handed out by demonstrators read. Soeder has explicitly described swifter deportations of asylum seekers who have failed to obtain legal resident permits in Germany as a key objective for the Manching-based organization. The agency will only be able to perform an auxiliary function in this context, however, as the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) remains responsible for the conduct of asylum application procedures under German law. Responding to criticism, Soeder insisted on Friday that Bavaria would be "much more open" and "use all available room for deliberation" on asylum procedures to facilitate the stay of well-integrated refugees in the country. He argued that just as citizens expected criminal asylum seekers to be deported quickly, they also wanted individuals who had shown a "willingness to integrate" to receive a fair chance in Germany. The new facility is scheduled to become fully operational from Aug. 1 and will eventually reach a total headcount of 1,000 civil servants. In a further sign that the Bavarian government is keen to bolster its state-level control over asylum policy, the state also reactivated a defunct regional border police unit in July. The CSU and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) traditionally form a conservative legislative alliance at the federal level but have recently become embroiled in a heated cabinet conflict over the trajectory of German asylum policy. At the height of the spat, interior minister and CSU leader Horst Seehofer went as far as to threaten to either implement his "migration master plan" without the consent of Chancellor Angela Merkel or resign. The ultimatum thus imposed by Seehofer constituted an unprecedented display of cabinet disobedience in Germany and was widely-interpreted as a step which could lead to the violent unravelling of the wider "grand coalition" government. At the time, the German Social Democrats (SPD) publicly attacked the CSU for attempting to drag Merkel's cabinet to the "right-wing spectrum of politics" in a desperate attempt to ward off a challenge from the AfD in looming Bavarian elections. Nevertheless, polls suggest that the CSU's attempts to toughen its stance on immigration have not done much to improve its electoral prospects so far. In a ZDF "Politbarometer" survey published in June, Seehofer's rating in the poll fell from plus 0.3 to minus 0.3 between June and July. During the same period, the rating of Bavarian governor Markus Soeder (CSU) slumped from a rating of 0.1 to minus 0.5. Soeder hereby received the worst rating of any CSU politician recorded on the "Politbarometer" scale from plus five to minus five during the past 10 years. By contrast, Merkel only witnessed a slight loss of popularity in the cabinet dispute with a rating of plus 0.9. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 23:18:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close XIAMEN, July 27 (Xinhua) --- Listening to the music Radetzky March, Marianna Donner, a Russian ballet teacher, teaches three girls ballet moves at Banlam Grand Theater, in Xiamen, southeast China. Donner, who started learning ballet as a seven-year-old, has been a dancer for 24 years. In April 2017, she left her hometown Yaroslavl to work as a ballet teacher in Xiamen. During her year in Xiamen, Donner has taught more than 50 students. "Ballet to Russia is what Beijing Opera is to China," said Donner, "I am honored to act as a cultural ambassador in Xiamen." Donner said she came to China because the country is quite strange to her and has many opportunities, and she fell in love with Xiamen due to its good weather, nice environment, and friendly people. Xiamen hosted the BRICS summit in September 2017, featuring cooperation between the world's major emerging markets: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In her opinion, BRICS has promoted people-to-people exchanges to embrace cultural diversity. "I am interested in China's Kung Fu tea and I would also like to learn yoga," said Donner, "With closer ties between BRICS countries, we can know each other much better." Wilma Hugo, a South African student at Xiamen University, has spent more time than usual on the internet looking at news about the BRICS Summit in recent days. After studying Chinese language teaching at the university for more than two years, she is about to start an internship as a Chinese teacher in her hometown Worcester, a city 1,000 kilometers south of Johannesburg. Hugo has been interested in Chinese Kung Fu movies since childhood. In 2010, she started to learn Chinese at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. In 2016, Hugo won a scholarship offered by the Chinese government to study at Xiamen University. "The more Chinese I learn, the better I get to know China," said Hugo, "The country is developing fast and is more open than ever. In addition, it has developed good bilateral relationships with many African countries." Hugo was happy to see the BRICS Summit is being held in South Africa. "The event will help more Chinese learn about Johannesburg just as South Africans learned about Xiamen last year. People from both countries need to know each other better. The event is like an incentive," she said. In 2016, South Africa's Department of Basic Education announced that they planned to open Chinese classes in 500 primary and high schools in five years. "There is a Chinese fever in South Africa. However, more Chinese teachers are needed," said Hugo, "I am paying attention to the discussions on educational exchanges at this year's BRICS Summit. I hope we can have more trained Chinese teachers from both countries." In May this year, Hugo passed the HSK 6, the highest level Chinese language test designed for non-native speakers. "I was glad that I passed the difficult exam, it makes me more confident to start my career teaching Chinese," she said. Hugo reads ancient Chinese classics, including The Analects of Confucius. "The stories teach us many principles on how to conduct ourselves. They are meaningful even today," said Hugo, "I will introduce them to my students in South Africa to show them the charming Chinese culture." Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 23:23:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a positive political atmosphere in Cambodia before Sunday's general elections. As Cambodians prepare to go to the polls, the secretary-general said that an inclusive and pluralistic political process remains essential for safeguarding the progress made by Cambodia in consolidating peace, said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres' spokesman, in a statement. The UN chief called on all political actors to reduce tensions and political polarization, according to the statement. He called on the government to uphold international human rights standards and in particular to ensure guarantees for civil society actors and political parties to exercise their democratic rights, said the statement. Guterres has reiterated the continued commitment of the United Nations to support a peaceful and democratic Cambodia that fully respects the human rights of all its citizens, it said. Twenty political parties will vie for seats in the 125-seat National Assembly in Cambodia's general election on Sunday. Political analysts predict that Prime Minister Hun Sen's party will win a landslide victory in the election. Steve Daines (2nd L), a senator from U.S. state of Montana, and Cui Tiankai (L), Chinese Ambassador to the United State, speak with Fred Wacker and other cattle ranchers at the Morgan Ranch House, near downtown Bozeman, Montana, the United States, on Sept. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Yan Liang) WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said that China and the United States are "still in the same boat" despite multiple challenges Cui made the remarks on Wednesday at the 8th U.S.-China Civil Dialogue hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a U.S. think tank. The theme of this year's dialogue is "Navigating Through the Uncertainties in U.S.-China Relations." SAME BOAT Saying that the two nations are still faced with "fierce wind and huge waves," Cui said that "I believe we are still in the same boat. We still live in this small global village, this planet of ours, unless someday we find a way to send people onto Mars." "The common challenge is to navigate this boat through the uncertainties or uncharted waters, for the benefits of both our countries, and for the entire world," he said. "Hopefully dialogues like what we have today will help the two governments to develop policies that are pragmatic, constructive, and beneficial for both countries," the Chinese envoy said. "For those arguments that we are in different boats, should ride in different boats, or even have a head-on collision, they are not supported by facts. It does not serve the good of anyone," he said. "Unfortunately, there are those who are trying to rock the boat. For instance, they are painting a distorted picture of our economic and trade relations. Some of them have even gone further by playing fire on issues of Taiwan and others that concern China's territorial integrity. These are very dangerous developments. We have to be very careful about it," Cui added. MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL There are also those in the United States who believe that over the years in China-U.S. economic and trade relations, Washington has got all losses while China got all gains, Cui said. This is, once again, not in line with realities, he said. "Our economic and trade relations are interdependent and mutually beneficial." "We should not focus so much on the trade deficit, because there are a lot of structural reasons behind this deficit. Moreover, trade deficit does not mean all losses to the country that has deficit. And surplus does not mean all gains to the country that has surplus," he explained. Over the last 20 years, there are groups of people in both nations whose lives are not better off, he said. "But this is not an issue of foreign trade, but rather an issue of domestic economic and social policy, including the distribution of wealth," he said. "How can we take care of these vulnerable groups? It will not help anybody to put the blame on other countries or on foreign trade." NOT FOR DOMINANCE For those who said the two nations should not be in the same boat, because as China develops, it will try to challenge the U.S. position and dominance in the world, Cui said this is a wrong interpretation. Some are worried about what China is saying, such as China entering a new era of development, Cui said. "There are many misunderstandings and misinterpretations about China's goals and intentions. What we mean by this new era is that China has entered a new stage of development, with the major challenge being to meet the people's ever-growing needs for a better life and address unbalanced and inadequate development." "Of course, China will have to develop itself in an open environment. We cannot close our door," he said. "But this new era is mainly for China's own development, not for global dominance," he added. WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The White House said here Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow. According to a statement released by the White House press secretary, "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation." Earlier on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he's ready to invite Trump to Moscow and is ready to visit Washington himself if conditions are right. The White House said on Wednesday that the next meeting between Trump and Putin will be delayed till next year, citing the ongoing probe into Moscow's meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections. Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin said Putin and Trump may meet on the sidelines of international events, and that no preparations were underway for a proposed summit between them in Washington. Trump has been widely attacked after his Helsinki meeting with Putin, due to his reconciliatory remarks that many saw as a sign of siding with Moscow against the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. elections. Photo taken on July 27, 2018 shows the site of a traffic accident in Chitwan, Nepal. At least seven people died and 22 others were injured when a passenger bus collided head-on with a lorry along the Prithvi Highway in Chitwan district of central Nepal on Friday, police said. (Xinhua) KATHMANDU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people died and 22 others were injured when a passenger bus collided head-on with a lorry along the Prithvi Highway in Chitwan district of central Nepal on Friday, police said. The passenger bus skidded off the highway at Chumlingar area in Chitwan district, and plunged some 70 meters down into gorge after it collided with the lorry coming from the opposite direction. Four people died on the spot while three critically injured were pronounced dead in course of treatment in local hospital Friday evening, senior police official Diwas Dhakal told the media. The injured have been undergoing treatment in Chitwan-based different hospitals. The ill-fated bus was en route to Syanja district of western Nepal from capital city Kathmandu. Police and villagers helped recover injured people and bodies from the wreckage on the site, which is 120 km from Kathmandu. Road mishaps are frequent in Nepal due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles, reports say. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 23:43:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan parliament on Friday passed new legislation aimed to regulate faith-based organizations in the central African country. The new law requires pastors to have a theology degree before they can start their own churches. It also requires faith-based organizations to declare grants to the regulator, Rwanda Governance Board. Under the new law, any financial support to a faith-based organization must be channeled through the organization's account in a bank or a financial institution in Rwanda. The law, which replaces an older one enacted in 2012, will come into force after being assented to by the president. It gives a period of five years for those already in service to acquire qualifications or be kicked out. The law was drafted by Rwanda Governance Board and submitted to the Rwanda Law Reform Commission last year for scrutiny before being sent to the parliament. Lawmakers argued that the new legislation will create order and control the mushrooming of churches, some of which are formed by pastors driven by greed. The passing of the new law comes months after the government closed thousands of churches across the country which authorities said did not comply with building safety standards. Most of the affected churches belonged to Pentecostal church. Justus Kangwagye, the head of political parties and civil society department at the Rwanda Governance Board, told the media then that places of worship have to meet basic requirements including safety, hygiene, and infrastructure. Some Rwandans who talked to Xinhua on Friday said strict measures are necessary. "Some pastors live off their followers; others enrich themselves using grants meant to support church projects because there is no accountability," said Clarisse Mukasine, a follower of a Pentecostal church. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-27 23:43:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The South African government described the 10th summit of the world's leading emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), which concluded on Friday, as "successful." BRICS leaders, business delegates and representatives from countries including Togo and Rwanda attended the events of the summit. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told a press conference following the summit that the BRICS Summit is not a talk shop but a forum of five countries that want to see actions, adding that the BRICS countries would work together to be a leading edge in the 4th industrial revolution. He stressed the grouping of BRICS is truly alive and has an impact on the people as a whole. South Africa hosted the BRICS summit for the second time. The theme for the 10th BRICS Summit is "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution." Ramaphosa said South Africa represented the African continent in the summit, doing more than one way to employ the event as a leverage for the collective development of the continent. WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said on Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier talked with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu over the release of a detained U.S. pastor. According to a statement released by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo spoke on Thursday with Cavusoglu, when Pompeo "underscored that it is well past time for this innocent Pastor Andrew Brunson to come home." U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that the United States will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases Brunson. In response, Cavusoglu tweeted later that Turkey will never tolerate threats from anybody, noting "no one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone, no exception." Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin also said that "threatening language is unacceptable," and the United States shall "adopt a constructive position." Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay joined the chorus, identifying Washington's move as "cheap threat." Brunson, a 50-year-old Christian pastor, was detained two years ago on spying charges, faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty. He was indicted on charges of having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO), which Turkey accuses of being behind a coup attempt in 2016. A Turkish court ruled for continuation of Brunson's detention on July 18, but the same court ruled on Wednesday to move Brunson from prison to house arrest citing a "health excuse." However, he was not allowed to leave the country. The Brunson case has been a sensitive issue between Washington and Ankara, causing serious congressional interventions against Turkey. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 00:08:29|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close BRUSSELS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China has faithfully fulfilled its accession commitments, substantially opened its market to the world, and firmly upheld the multilateral trading system since its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, a Chinese envoy wrote in an article published on EUobserver Thursday. Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese mission to the European Union, in the article titled "China Firmly Supports and Upholds The Multilateral Trading System", gave a rundown on what China has done to this end. ACCESSION COMMITMENTS FULFILLED After its accession to the WTO, China significantly lowered import tariff rates and non-tariff barriers, liberalized the right to trade, boosted the services sector and reduced restrictions on foreign investment, he wrote. Citing official data, he noted that China has reviewed and revised 2,300 laws, regulations and departmental rules at the central government level, and 190,000 policies and regulations at sub-central government levels By 2010, China had fulfilled all of its tariff reduction commitments, reducing the average tariff level from 15.3 percent in 2001 to 9.8 percent, he underlined. Meanwhile, China has built an Intellectual Property Right (IPR) legal system that conforms to WTO rules and suits its national conditions. Since 2001, intellectual property royalties paid by China to foreign right holders has registered an annual growth of 17 percent, reaching 28.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, he wrote. FREE TRADE UPHOLDER Since joining the WTO, China has played an active role in liberalizing and facilitating trade and investment and firmly upheld the authority and efficacy of the multilateral trading system, he wrote. China explicitly opposes unilateralism and trade protectionism, he underscored, adding that China supports the independent and impartial role of the WTO Appellate Body. With a view to better safeguarding free trade and adapting to the changing tides of global economy and trade, China and the EU are actively engaged in communication and coordination on the modernization of the WTO, he wrote. LIVING UP TO RESPONSIBILITY As a major power, China is willing to provide more public goods to the international community, he wrote. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013, more than 80 countries and international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China, he noted. From 2013 to 2017, the total value of China's trade with other Belt and Road countries exceeded 5 trillion U.S. dollars, and total investment by Chinese enterprises in these countries exceeded 70 billion U.S.dollars, he wrote. By the end of 2017, Chinese enterprises had set up 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in relevant countries, and created 220,000 local jobs, he added. FIRM STEPS TO EXPAND OPENING-UP Fulfilling China's WTO commitments has never been the end point of its opening-up, he wrote, underlining that China commits itself to opening up even wider and deeper. In recent years, China has self-initiated significant reductions to import tariffs for multiple times, he noted. According to the WTO, China's trade-weighted average import tariff rate had fallen to 4.4 percent in 2015, only 1.5 to 2 percentage points higher than those of developed economies such as the United States and the EU. In the meantime, China has witnessed an impressive improvement in terms of trade facilitation. The average time for customs clearance has been reduced to less than 20 hours for imports, he wrote. By March 2018, all items for non-administrative license approval had been canceled. In the first half of 2018, revision of the negative list for foreign investment was completed, substantially widening market access for foreign investment in the financial sector, among others, he added, "China, as it opens wider to the world among efforts to pursue high-quality growth, is bound to contribute significantly to the stability of the world economy and the wellbeing of people of all countries in the world," he wrote. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 00:13:31|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close CHANGCHUN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- An investigation of Chinese vaccine maker Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Limited found evidence that the company had illegally produced rabies vaccines for human use. The State Council's investigation team seized 1,138 pages of documents as evidence, and recovered actual and forged production records via seized computers. Criminal suspects discarded and intended to destroy 60 computer hard drives. But the police have recovered them, according to the investigation team. The company was found to have violated the approved production process to reduce costs and improve the success rate of rabies vaccine production. Violations included blending different batches of vaccine fluid for product packaging, using expired fluid to produce some batches of products, falsifying dates of production, and conducting certain product testing before the entire production process was completed. To cover up such violations, the company "systematically" fabricated production and inspection records and issued invoices with false dates to meet inspection requirements. The company was ordered to immediately stop production after drug regulatory authorities found illegal production behavior during an unannounced inspection from July 6 to July 8. Soon after the inspection, the company replaced internal surveillance video storage cards and some computer hard drives to cover up and destroy potentially incriminating evidence. On July 15, the State Drug Administration conducted an on-site investigation of the company. The public security organs have initiated investigations into the case. As of July 25, the police have detained 16 suspected criminals, including the chairperson of the company, and have frozen relevant corporate and personal accounts. Further investigation is in progress. According to data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of adverse reactions caused by the rabies vaccine produced by Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Limited was about 2 per 100,000 cases, and no serious adverse reactions were observed. In 2017, there were 516 rabies cases in China. The incidence rate has been gradually decreasing in recent years. NEW DELHI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 27 people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours, officials said Friday. "While five people lost their lives in Agra, four deaths were reported in Mainpuri, three each in Muzaffarnagar and Kasganj, two each in Meerut and Bareilly and one each in Kanpur Dehat, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Jhansi, Rae Bareli, Jalaun and Jaunpur," a state government official told the media. Meanwhile, 12 people sustained injuries as heavy rains lashed the state since Thursday morning, another official said. State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to carry out relief and rescue work, he added. The weather department has predicted more rains in the state in the next 48 hours. Rain-related deaths are common in northern India during the monsoon every year. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Pledge to America's Workers event at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The White House said here Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow. According to a statement released by the White House press secretary, "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation." Earlier on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he's ready to invite Trump to Moscow and is ready to visit Washington himself if conditions are right. The White House said on Wednesday that the next meeting between Trump and Putin will be delayed till next year, citing the ongoing probe into Moscow's meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections. Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin said Putin and Trump may meet on the sidelines of international events, and that no preparations were underway for a proposed summit between them in Washington. Trump has been widely attacked after his Helsinki meeting with Putin, due to his reconciliatory remarks that many saw as a sign of siding with Moscow against the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. elections. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 00:43:42|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close by Xinhua Writer Wang Xiaopeng JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- On the 40th anniversary of its reform and opening-up this year, China's overtures of opening up further as it enters a new stage of development are a positive signal to the market, said a South African business leader on Friday. In an interview with Xinhua, Martin Kingston, vice president of the Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and chief executive officer of Rothschild (South Africa) Proprietary Limited, said investors want safeguards and assurances, so the emphasis on protecting intellectual property while also adopting a market-friendly stance will ensure that China remains competitive. At the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia this year, China outlined a new policy that highlights more measures for free trade and investment, including lower tariffs for automobiles and other imports. The commitment made by China might also open opportunities for greater economic collaboration within BRICS, according to Kingston. Kingston hailed the great success of China's economic transformation through the reform and opening-up policy, saying that China's remarkable growth, manifest on its rising living standards, bears tangible testament to the success and efficacy of its opening up policy. "Out of all the BRICS countries, China has attracted investment from top Fortune 500 companies, with some home-grown successes making it on the elite group of companies whose market capitalisations exceed some countries' GDP." China on Friday announced the 100-day countdown to the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. More than 2,800 companies from overseas will participate in the expo, including over 200 businesses on the Fortune Global 500 list. Commenting on significance of the event, Kingston said it is a welcome move of reassurance from China, as it is a key player in global trade. "Opening up its markets and collaborating in these areas will further enhance its economic potential," he said. According to Kingston, it is a positive and reassuring statement that China remains ready to work and collaborate with its trade partners for mutual benefit, stressing that in the BRICS context, China is South Africa's biggest trade partner and South African business circle welcome China's commitment to these objectives. Amid trade protectionism rising in the West, Kingston said, "the efficacy of the global economy, and by extension world trade, is premised on multilateralism." Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 00:43:43|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close PRAGUE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar said that he will not resign over his alledged thesis plagiarism, while defending his university diploma thesis at a press briefing in Prague on Friday afternoon. The prime minister apologised for flaws in the thesis, but said it was not plagiarism. The University of Ostrava, where Metnar graduated, concluded after an analysis that the thesis of Metnar is not plagiarism, according to its spokesman Adam Soustruznik earlier on Friday. The analysis showed Metnar only did not quote sources properly in his thesis. Referring to the analysis, Metnar apologised to the public and also to the author of a book from which he cited in his thesis without marking the given parts as citations. He said he made a mistake 14 years ago, and was sorry about it. Metnar said he also had his thesis checked by the Czech Police Academy, and that all the expert opinions, worked out by the Police Academy, the University of Ostrava, as well as the University of Economics' specialist Jan Mach, agreed that his thesis is not plagiarism. He said he decided not to offer his resignation to Prime Minister Andrej Babis after assessing the situation and all available information. Metnar graduated from the Faculty of Education at the University of Ostrava, north Moravia in 2004. According to the report of Czech Television (CT) on Tuesday, Metnar failed to properly quote all sources listed in his 2004 diploma thesis. Two other ministers resigned over diploma thesis plagiarism since June 27 when Babis's coalition government was appointed by President Milos Zeman. Police security forces gather in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 25, 2018. Nearly 70,000 security personnel will be deployed at all 22,967 polling stations during Cambodia's general election. (Xinhua/Sovannara) UNITED NATIONS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a positive political atmosphere in Cambodia before Sunday's general elections. As Cambodians prepare to go to the polls, the secretary-general said that an inclusive and pluralistic political process remains essential for safeguarding the progress made by Cambodia in consolidating peace, said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres' spokesman, in a statement. The UN chief called on all political actors to reduce tensions and political polarization, according to the statement. He called on the government to uphold international human rights standards and in particular to ensure guarantees for civil society actors and political parties to exercise their democratic rights, said the statement. Guterres has reiterated the continued commitment of the United Nations to support a peaceful and democratic Cambodia that fully respects the human rights of all its citizens, it said. Twenty political parties will vie for seats in the 125-seat National Assembly in Cambodia's general election on Sunday. Political analysts predict that Prime Minister Hun Sen's party will win a landslide victory in the election. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 01:28:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NICOSIA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus has won a landmark international arbitration related to the 2013 fiscal crisis and the resolution of the banking system that resulted in the winding down of the island's second largest lender, Cyprus Popular Bank, Attorney General Costas Clerides said on Friday. He said that a ruling by the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) in Paris, set up by the International Chamber of Commerce, cleared Cyprus of any responsibility in the closing down of the bank and at the same time dismissed claims for compensation totaling almost 1.1 billion euros (1.28 billion U.S. dollars). He added that the decision could be a landmark one, as it not only cleared Cyprus of considerable monetary claims, but it would also be considered a precedent in relation to other applications for arbitration before the court. Legal experts said the decision will act as a firewall against court actions against the state of Cyprus by people who lost their money in the 2013 dual economic and banking crisis. The case was brought before ICA by Andreas Vgenopoulos, a former strongman in Greece, who controlled large sections of the country's economy through his Marfin Investment Group (MIG), which included a bank, a shipping firm, a private hospital and Greece's former state airline, Olympic. A former champion fencer and self-made businessman, Vgenopoulos died of a heart attack in November 2016. He had claimed before ICA that Cyprus, by closing down the state owned Cyprus Popular Bank, commonly known as Laiki, had violated its obligations in a mutual investment protection agreement with Greece, resulting in the loss of his investment in the lender, and in the loss of investments by 19 other people and legal entities. "The Court dismissed all arguments put forth by the plaintiffs and ordered them to pay Cyprus 5 million euros for legal expenses," Clerides said. Vgenopoulos, a man of controversy who clashed with successive governments of Greece, was widely considered to be responsible for the collapse of Laiki. He acquired the majority share of Laiki allegedly under dubious circumstances for which a former governor of Cyprus Central Bank is being tried for receiving 1-million-euro bribe from a Vgenopoulos shadowy firm. Vgenopoulos led Laiki from 2006 to 2011 when the bank lost its capital and was acquired by the state which recapitalized it with 1.8 billion euros in 2012. The money pumped into the bank drained the public coffers and forced Cyprus to apply for bailout by the Eurogroup the same year, after the island was cut off from financial markets. By that time many billions of euros were transferred to the Laiki's branches in Greece, which offered loans to friends and associates of Vgenopoulos, without adequate security, in order to invest in MIG shares. At the height of the financial crisis, Laiki was wound down in March 2013 and folded into Bank of Cyprus, in what became the most dramatic episode of Cyprus's twin fiscal and banking crisis. Shareholders lost their investment, depositors lost all their money above 100,000 euros and the value of high-return bonds held mostly by thousands of pensioners was wiped out. Laiki also burdened Bank of Cyprus with a debt of over 9 billion euros in the form of Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) offered by the European Central Bank. Investigations showed that most of the ELA money was tunneled to Laiki branches in Greece and vanished. Vgenopoulos and several of his associates at Laiki were charged before a criminal court in Cyprus and a verdict was expected last month, after Vgenopoulos name was taken off the charge sheet following his death. However, in one of the surprising twists that have become common during the unfolding of the Cyprus crisis, the court said this week that prior to a verdict it had to clear a point of law. The accused argued that they should benefit from a lighter penalty following a change in the law after the events for which they had been on trial. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 01:33:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GENEVA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of asylum requests filed in Switzerland fell by 14.3 percent to 7,820 in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period of the previous year, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said Friday. SEM said the drop in asylum requests was even bigger in June, down 23.7 percent on the same month of last year, in line with recent trends in other European countries. The SEM nevertheless warned that despite the decrease, "the evolution of the situation in conflict regions and on the migration routes remains uncertain." The countries of origin of asylum seekers have not changed significantly. Out of 1,246 asylum seekers filing requests in June, there were 222 Eritreans (-52), 122 Afghans (+31), 112 Syrians (-2), 101 Georgians (+12) and 71 Sri Lankans (+15). SEM said that by the end of June, Switzerland had received 972 of the 2,000 particularly vulnerable people from Syria and neighboring countries it agreed to take by the end of 2018 as part of a resettlement program of the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Also as part of an emergency plan, SEM said 37 people evacuated from Libya via Niger arrived on June 27 and would be included in the statistics for July. The Swiss government agreed in December to take up to 80 vulnerable people from Libya as part of a UNHCR emergency plan to evacuate migrants from Libyan detention centers. Forty people arrived earlier this year, at the beginning of April. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 01:43:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led Arab coalition stepped up military operations by launching a series of airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea coastal city of Hodeidah on Friday, a military official told Xinhua. Since the Houthi attack against two Saudi Arabia's giant crude carriers on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition has intensified airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Hodeidah, the local military source said on condition of anonymity. Intensive airstrikes are targeting military police headquarters and other bases controlled by the Houthi fighters in Hodeidah, causing damage to the city's infrastructure, according to the source. The airstrikes also badly affected a number of houses and factories near the Houthi-controlled sites in Zabid, Durayhmi and Zayidiyah areas in Hodeidah, he added. On Thursday night, residents told Xinhua by phone that numerous Houthi-held areas in downtown Hodeidah were struck by Saudi-led airstrikes. Dozens of families were forced to flee their homes following the intensive airstrikes. There was no immediate word on casualties. The pro-Houthi Al Masirah television station said on Friday that warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition shelled Hodeidah's seaport, providing no further details. Officials of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government based in the southern port city of Aden refused to verify such reports. Meanwhile, the media center of the pro-government Giants Brigades reported that several battalions were mobilized to storm Houthi-controlled areas in Hodeidah, including the historic city of Zabid. An army commander told Xinhua by phone that the anti-Houthi forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), received instructions to advance militarily and liberate the city from rebels. The intensifying fighting came just hours after the United Nations special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths left the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa following a three-day visit aimed at reviving the stalled peace process between the two warring rivals. Griffiths held meetings with high-ranking Houthi leaders in Sanaa, but they refused to accept an initiative demanding their full withdrawal from Hodeidah as a precondition for resuming peace negotiations, according to local Yemeni sources. Observers say the UN envoy failed to stop the ongoing fighting and the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi might order the armed forces to resume the offensive particularly after the latest military escalation started by the rebels. On Wednesday, two oil tankers belonging to the Saudi National Shipping Company, each carrying two million barrels of crude oil, were attacked by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea when crossing the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb. The Houthi attack forced Saudi Arabia to suspend all shipments of crude oil through the strait until navigation could be secured. Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen described the Houthi attack against Saudi oil tankers as a deliberate terror attack aimed at disrupting the maritime traffic and obstructing the tireless efforts the UN envoy is making for peace. On June 13, the Saudi-led Arab coalition, in support of the internationally-recognized government of President Hadi, declared a major assault to recapture Hodeidah and Yemen's western Red Sea coast from Houthis. The Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly accused the Houthis of using the port to smuggle in Iranian weapons. Both Houthis and Iran have denied the accusation. Humanitarian agencies have warned of any attack on the port, saying it would lead to the world's biggest humanitarian catastrophe in modern history. Hodeidah is the single most important point of entry for food and basic supplies to Yemen's northern provinces controlled by Houthis, including the capital Sanaa. The United Nations reported that more than 121,000 residents have fled the war-torn city of Hodeidah and other parts of the namesake province since June 1. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 01:48:56|Editor: ZX Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,500 artists across the world on Friday assembled for an international culture and art festival that will last nine days in Istanbul. The 19th International Buyukcekmece Culture and Art Festival began with a symbolic ceremony held in Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square under the slogan of "Love to each other, peace for all." The Ukrainian, Polish, Brazilian and Iranian folk dance groups performed some of their outstanding shows at the square, attracting interest from locals and tourists. An international sculpture symposium, photo contest, folk dance competition, traditional handicrafts exhibition, display of musical instruments and several other cultural events top the agenda of the festival, organized by the district of Buyukcekmece. Musicians, performers, dancers, sculptors, photographers, and artisans from a total of 64 countries joined the festival. Hasan Akgun, the district's mayor, said the festival has now been transformed into a world-known event. "Our primary target is to serve the development of culture and art in the world," Akgun said at a press release. The participating artists and groups will also stage their shows at several open-air locations in the district of Buyukcekmece throughout the festival. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 02:54:10|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The emerging market bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) can act as the key financial arm to planned infrastructure projects in African countries, an Ethiopian expert said on Friday. Speaking to Xinhua, Gedion Jalata, CEO of the Center of Excellence International Consult, an Ethiopian consulting firm, said with South Africa being a member of BRICS group, there are bound to be some commitments to support African countries, while the increasing strength of BRICS bloc means an extended infrastructure commitment for African countries. "I foresee possible commitments in terms of soft and hard infrastructure development like education, health, ICT and to confront rising challenges such as how to mitigate and adapt to climate change," he said. Jalata's comment comes as the 10th BRICS summit concluded in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jalata said with Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation at around 100 million people, engaging in ambitious infrastructure projects, the role of emerging blocs like BRICS in financial and other sectors is invaluable. "China has a promising economic relationship with Ethiopia based on mutual benefits. The interest of Ethiopian government is about structural transformation of the economy, through an effective and inclusive growth and development. China through BRICS or the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and other bilateral and multilateral forums can be an even more key developmental partner to Ethiopia," he said. Jalata mentioned China's help in Ethiopia's industrial park development as one area the Asian economic powerhouse can further assist Ethiopia either through bilateral means or multilateral institutions like BRICS. He said BRICS could help developing African economies like Ethiopia in future projects like ICT development, space exploration and aerospace engineering. "The ongoing BRICS summit in Johannesburg is discussing the bloc's National Development Bank (NDB), which is expected to be an alternative financial development partner to developing countries, helping create an economic setting for efforts to create an inclusive, multipolar international relations," said Jalata. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 02:59:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech titled "Turn Our Vision into a Reality" at the Plenary Session of the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 26, 2018. The session, hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was also attended by Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg is highly praised by scholars and observers of BRICS members and other countries. The summit of the bloc of emerging market economies on July 25-27 gathered leaders from its members -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- to discuss ways in seeking common development and prosperity amid new global challenges. Macharia Munene, a professor of international relations at the United States International University-Kenya, said President Xi's proposal to strengthen economic cooperation among the bloc's five members, such as in areas of trade, investment, financing and interconnectivity, will help forge a fairer global economic order. Political security cooperation, he added, is an important part of the BRICS cooperation. In this regard, President Xi's call for a strong commitment is of great significance for promoting world peace. President Xi's appeal for firmly safeguarding international peace and security as well as resolving disputes through dialogue are inspiring amid increasing security challenges worldwide, said Shepherd Mpofu, a senior lecturer at the University of Limpopo in South Africa. Mpofu said that development and prosperity can be possible only when security is guaranteed. President Xi "has been consistently advocating the 'BRICS Spirit' of cooperation and partnership with values such as mutual trust, mutual respect, equality at its core," said B.R. Deepak, a professor with the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. In the opinion of Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, multilateralism, dialogue and coordination are the key notes for the BRICS countries to advance their relations. Currently, the five BRICS members have worked out a multilayer and wide-ranging dialogue mechanism, Lins said, which has enabled them to use various dialogue platforms to seek solutions and tackle disputes, showcasing an international relationship of win-win cooperation and mutual benefits. In his speech, President Xi proposed to explore BRICS Plus cooperation within the United Nations, the G20 and other frameworks to advance the common interests and boost the development space for emerging markets and developing countries, thus contributing more to world peace and development through broader partnerships. His view is agreed by some experts, who believe that the BRICS Plus model will help unite more developing countries and build a fairer and more reasonable global order. Vasily Kashin, a researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, said President Xi's initiative is very important, and that China is making efforts to explore multilateral mechanisms, including the BRICS Plus. Oliver Stuenkel, an expert of international relations at Brazil's Getulio Vargas Foundation, said the wide-ranging friendship will allow developing countries to cooperate more broadly. Expanding the BRICS Plus cooperation is conducive to promoting the dialogue between emerging market economies. In his speech, Xi stressed that the BRICS should aim at greater people-to-people connectivity and more popular support for BRICS cooperation through extensive exchanges in cultural, educational, health, sports, tourism and other areas. "This way, we can spread the BRICS story far and wide to further enhance the mutual understanding and traditional friendship among our people," Xi said. Stuenkel said "with joint efforts, intra-BRICS cooperation has flourished in various fields, especially in terms of people-to-people exchanges." William Jones, Washington Bureau chief of the U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review, highlighted President Xi's call for more cultural exchanges among BRICS members. "President Xi has placed a premium on the dialogue of cultures, emphasizing a greater spread of each other's cultural achievements for the world to see. The idea of a community of shared destiny implies also the universality of human culture, although this may be expressed in different languages and in different art-forms," Jones said. "The proposal for the construction of BRICS museums to highlight the cultures of each of the members is an important aspect of the BRICS exchanges," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 03:29:19|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attends a conference marking the 100-day countdown to the opening of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, July 27, 2018. Li Qiang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, also attended the conference. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) SHANGHAI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on Friday called for sound preparations for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled for November. Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a conference marking the 100-day countdown to the opening of the expo. The expo is planned, proposed and pushed forward by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Hu said. It is an important decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core to pursue a new round of opening-up at a higher level, Hu said. Hu added that holding the expo is also an important move to firmly support trade liberalization and open China's market. Hu called for more thorough, detailed and solid preparations, stressing that coordination is needed to ensure the expo a success. Hu also inspected the venue of the expo and unveiled the logo and mascot for the expo. The expo will be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 03:34:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LA PAZ, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people were killed in less than 24 hours in two separate highway accidents in Bolivia, police said on Friday. The first accident occurred Thursday night when two public transit minibuses collided head-on along a tract of the Potosi-Uyuni Highway in the northwest town of Chanca, in Bolivia's plateau region. Nine people were killed and 13 others were injured, according to a police report. The second accident occurred early Friday when a passenger bus crashed into a roadside ditch along the highway linking the departments of central Cochabamba and eastern Santa Cruz. Nine people were killed in this accident, with six others injured. Oscar Ayala, the police commander of Sacaba, where the crash took place, said the accident occurred when the bus fell into a ditch, resulting in eight people killed on the scene and a little girl dead at hospital. Police speculated the accidents could have been caused by brake failure or speeding. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 03:44:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ALGIERS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Friday condemned the assault that targeted two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea on Wednesday, which Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for. "Algeria ... considers it (the attack) a serious violation of international maritime law and the right of free navigation, as it would have negative impact on international trade," APS news agency quoted a statement of the Foreign Ministry as saying. "The attack ... was perpetrated amid efforts by the special UN representative to revive the peace settlement of this conflict which is tearing Yemen apart, " the statement noted. The Foreign Ministry concluded its statement by reiterating "the solidarity of Algeria with the people of Yemen, and reaffirming its full support for the efforts of the United Nations for a political settlement of the crisis" in Yemen. Houthi rebels on Wednesday morning attacked two Saudi oil tankers passing by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, causing minor damage to one of the two tankers. The Saudi authorities later announced the suspension of all oil shipments through the strait until navigation could be secured. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 04:04:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHICAGO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural commodities closed mixed on Friday, with soybean futures rising, bolstered by signs of strong export demand. The most active corn contract for December delivery went up 0.5 cent, or 0.13 percent to close at 3.7625 dollars per bushel. September wheat delivery fell 6 cents, or 1.12 percent to close at 5.305 dollars per bushel. November soybean delivery added 9.25 cents, or 1.06 percent to close at 8.8525 dollars per bushel. U.S. President Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a press conference in Washington earlier this week that the EU will buy more soybeans from the United States. They also said they're working toward reducing or eliminating tariffs. CBOT futures fell as investors turned to technical selling, while corn futures rose on strong export data. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced fresh corn and soybean sales. Private exporters sold 270,000 tonnes of corn for delivery to unknown destinations during the 2018-2019 marketing year that starts on Sept. 1, and 154,100 tonnes of soybeans, to unnamed buyers, for delivery in the 2018-2019 year. As for weather forecast for agricultural crops, it's another relatively quiet day on the weather maps, though the potential for storms remains high in parts of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 04:09:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Central Emergency FUND (CERF) has approved 10 million U.S. dollars for the "urgent food needs of 382,000 people in Chad," including 22,000 starving children, the UN spokesperson said on Friday. Of the 382,000 people in need of the aid are 72,000 children under the age of five needing nutritional support, 22,000 of them "suffering from severe acute malnutrition, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson. "In June, more than 1 million people in Chad were assisted with food support," he said. "Chad's food security and nutrition situation is showing a marked deterioration compared to last year as a result of severe rainfall deficits in 2017 which have compounded conflict dynamics and high food prices," Dujarric said. The CERF was established 12 years ago as the world organizations' global Emergency Response Fund to deliver aid quickly to humanitarian responders and bring greater balance to emergency assistance. Since 2006, donors to CERF have enabled UN agencies, funds and programs, and their implementing partners to provide over 5 billion U.S. dollars worth of life-saving assistance to 100 countries and territories. Some 126 UN member states and observers, regional government groups, corporate donors, foundations and individuals contribute to the fund. It is administered by its own secretariat, under the UN's Chief Emergency Relief Coordinator, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he would travel to Hawaii on Aug. 1 to receive the remains of U.S. soldiers who died in the Korean War. In an announcement, Pence said President Donald Trump had asked him to travel to Hawaii "to participate in the Honorable Carry Ceremony and receive the remains as they return to American soil." The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "committed to return the remains," he said. "This agreement was deeply meaningful to so many families across America." He added that it is deeply humbling to be part of this "historic" moment. Earlier on Thursday, the White House said a military aircraft carrying the remains of U.S. soldiers had left the DPRK and was transferring the remains to the U.S. Osan Air Base in South Korea, where a formal repatriation ceremony is scheduled on Aug. 1. Also on Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the move is a "coordination effort" over the last month. For his part, Trump thanked the top leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, for returning the remains. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 04:14:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a speech to an outreach dialogue grouping leaders from the BRICS, the "BRICS Plus" and African countries at the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao) JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on emerging market economies and developing countries to enhance cooperation in addressing common challenges. Xi made the remarks in a speech to an outreach dialogue grouping leaders from the BRICS, the "BRICS Plus" and African countries at the 10th BRICS summit here. The leaders discussed international development and cooperation, as well as the important cause of South-South cooperation, and reached broad consensuses. The world is undergoing great developments and transformation, during which emerging markets and developing countries are faced with shared opportunities and challenges, Xi said, stressing that it is increasingly important for them to enhance solidarity and cooperation. First, he said, the BRICS countries and their partners should jointly deepen their mutually beneficial partnership. We should understand, support, stay forever with and help each other, taking "BRICS Plus" cooperation as an opportunity to build an open, inclusive, cooperative and win-win partnership and create a platform for deepening South-South cooperation, said the Chinese president. Second, the BRICS countries and their partners should jointly explore new driving forces for development, Xi said. We should together seize the opportunity of the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution set up at this summit to take the high ground of development, and release our potential in complementarities and coordination, so as to achieve innovative, interconnected and inclusive development, he said. Third, the Chinese president urged the BRICS partners to jointly create a positive external environment, protect the multilateral trade regime, build an open world economy, continue to promote global economic governance reform, and strengthen the representation and voice of emerging market economies and developing countries. Fourth, we should build a new type of international relations together, firmly safeguard multilateralism, push the development of international order toward a more just and rational direction and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Xi said. We should stick to the international development and cooperation model of regarding North-South cooperation as the main channel, and South-South cooperation as a complement, he said. President Xi stressed that it is significant that the BRICS summit was once again held in Africa, noting that we should take it as an opportunity to comprehensively deepen the partnership between BRICS and African countries. China and Africa have been good friends, good partners and good brothers, said Xi, adding that with joint efforts, the China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has developed rapidly, having formed a pattern of all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation that benefits billions of people. Regardless of how the international order changes, China will continue to maintain the policy of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and uphold justice and shared interests to continuously support Africa in achieving prosperity, he said. China and Africa will jointly hold the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September. Xi said he is looking forward to meeting African leaders in the Beijing summit and called for injecting new impetus into the China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. He also pointed out that the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, with China still being the world's largest developing country. China will stay as a developing country no matter how it develops, staunchly support the development of developing countries and be committed to building close partnerships, according to the Chinese president. We should pull together and work hand in hand to strive ahead advancing greater development for emerging markets and developing countries, he noted. Leaders invited for the dialogue commended the BRICS leaders for carrying forward the practices from last year's Xiamen Summit by conducting such a dialogue, saying it reflects the inclusiveness of the BRICS cooperation. They pledged support to institutionalize the dialogue and build extensive development partnerships in a bid to advance South-South cooperation. Under the current circumstances with the challenges of rising unilateralism and protectionism, all parties believe in the need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries, promote development of cooperative partnership between the BRICS countries and Africa, enhance practical cooperation in various fields and jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, so as to gain inclusive growth, sustainable development and benefits to all. Besides Xi, other BRICS leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the leaders or representatives of the leaders from Angola, Argentina, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Jamaica, as well as heads of regional organizations in Africa attended the dialogue. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 04:34:38|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, presides over a symposium on rectifying problems exposed by disciplinary inspections in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 27, 2018. Zhao made an inspection tour in Heilongjiang from Tuesday to Friday. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) HARBIN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top anti-graft official has called for solid efforts to rectify problems exposed by disciplinary inspections. Zhao Leji, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said that fixing the problems will demonstrate the seriousness and credibility of disciplinary inspection and supervision. Zhao, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the comments during an inspection in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province from Tuesday to Friday. Visiting disciplinary and supervisory authorities of the province and cities of Daqing and Fuyuan, Zhao urged officials to focus their work on addressing corruption and misconduct that occur on the people's doorsteps, especially corruption in poverty alleviation, education, medical care, food and drug safety, as well as corruption behind gang crime. Those who were found to be corrupt and involved in misconduct would be severely punished, Zhao said. Full and strict governance over the Party should reach grassroots Party organizations to maximize the people's sense of fulfillment, Zhao said. Zhao emphasized the importance of the inspection work in safeguarding the core status of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. Zhao also called for more efforts to formulate rectification plans and requirements, and to raise the quality of rectification. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 04:59:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GABORONE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's vice president Slumber Tsogwane said Friday the southern African nation was happy with the support the Chinese government has continued to render to its development programs and projects. Slumber Tsogwane said the support in sectors such as infrastructure development, health and the economy in general was a clear indication of the long-time warm bilateral relations between the two countries. Tsogwane was speaking when addressing members of the Chinese community living and working in Francistown, Botswana's second largest city. According to Tsogwane, China has remained one of Botswana's reliable development partners. "We will forever be appreciative of the assistance we have been getting from China especially in the construction sector," Tsogwane said. He said Chinese business operators have created the much-needed employment opportunities in Botswana. Tsogwane also said the Botswana government is working to address some of the bottlenecks bedeviling the country's immigration and home affairs departments. During her recent visit to China, Botswana's International Affairs and Cooperation Minister Unity Dow spoke highly of the tremendous achievements China has made in its development, saying Botswana stands ready to strengthen exchanges of experience in state governance and administration. She said Botswana will continue to promote cooperation between the two countries in various fields to better benefit the two countries and the two peoples. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 05:29:49|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) inspects the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony held by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth at the airport in Port Louis July 27, 2018. Xi arrived in Port Louis on Friday for a friendly visit to Mauritius. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) PORT LOUIS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Mauritius on Friday for a friendly visit to the country. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were received by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his wife, Kobita Ramdanee, at the airport in the capital Port Louis where Jugnauth held a grand ceremony in Xi's honor. The two leaders had a cordial talk. Xi said he felt the profound friendship the people and the government of Mauritius have towards the Chinese people upon arrival. China and Mauritius have enjoyed friendly bilateral relations, Xi said, adding that he looks forward to exchanging views with Jugnauth on bilateral relations and on international and regional issues of mutual concern. Extending warm welcome to Xi, Jugnauth said it is his honor to receive the Chinese president and he looks forward to meeting with Xi on Saturday. Mauritius is the last stop in Xi's first overseas trip after he was re-elected Chinese president in March. He visited the United Arab Emirates, Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa. He also attended the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-28 05:54:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RABAT, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Royal Air Maroc (RAM), Morocco's flag carrier, was forced to cancel 10 more flights on Friday because of a partial strike by the airline's pilots. It is the 10th day in a row that the Moroccan airline has to cancel flights due to the pilots' strike. The cancellations on Friday were routes between Morocco's largest airport in Casablanca and the airport of the tourist hub Marrakesh as well as airports in France and Guinea. Since last Wednesday, the strike has led to the cancellations of 66 flights as well as the delay of dozens of others. Most of the cancelled flights were between Morocco and European countries, especially France, Spain and Italy. These countries are of crucial importance to the Moroccan airline as they are the main sources of foreign tourists for the North African kingdom and where the highest number of Moroccans live abroad. The pilots protest last Wednesday led to the cancellations of 2 flights, reaching its peak on Tuesday with a record 12 flights cancelled. Tensions between RAM and its pilots have intensified since Monday after months-long bilateral talks 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." The association demands a rise in wages, increasing monthly holidays from four to five days like their foreign peers working for the company. In a letter to the pilots association, RAM Director Abdelhamid Addou criticized what he calls "the absence of willingness to see the company's development," saying organizing a strike "will have devastating effects" on the company. According to the leading financial daily L'Economiste, the partial strike has cost the state-owned company at least 2 million U.S. dollars every day. More than a week into the strike, worries have started to mount. Local media said Minister of Tourism and Air Transport Mohamed Sajid has intervened in an attempt to bring the two parties to the negotiating table again. The parliament has also reacted to the alarming situation. A lawmaker from the largest opposition Authenticity and Modernity party questioned the tourism minister on the potential effect of the pilots protest on the Moroccan pilgrims heading for Islam holy sites in Saudi Arabia. The first flight carrying the first group of pilgrims left the country on Thursday without any problems, but it is not clear whether the next fights will be disturbed as the protesting pilots are planning to carry out their strike until their demands are met. Syrians gather at the Tahrir Square in the old part of Quneitra city, Syria, to celebrate the return to home, on July 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Jian) QUNEITRA, Syria, July 27 (Xinhua) -- For the people of Quneitra city in southern Syria, returning to their homes brings indescribable happiness that almost left them speechless. Scores of people gathered on Friday at the Tahrir Square in the old part of Quneitra city, holding the Syrian flags and chanting for the Syrian army and President Bashar al-Assad. The crowds included people who have just returned home after Quneitra was declared liberated from the rebels, who accepted a deal to evacuate toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria. Yaser Karim, a man who had been forced out of Quneitra for seven years, told Xinhua that he misses his home and is happy to have returned. "I left the city seven years ago, and my feelings today are indescribable. It's the feeling of succeeding in coming back to my land," he said. The Syrian man described the day he returned home as a new chapter of his life. "We are opening a new page to restore the country to what it used to be and for the displaced people to return home. Today is the beginning of a new life," Karim said. Meanwhile, Tamer Haj Ahmad, another man from the city, said the last seven years were the toughest in his life. "Life was so difficult but now with the return of people to their homes, we are extremely happy and we hope that all other areas get liberated to make other people feel the same happiness," Ahmad said. Muhammad Dahouk from Quneitra also expressed his happiness for returning home for the first time in nearly eight years. "It's been nearly eight years since I left here ... we have hoisted the Syrian flag and this is an indescribable happiness for us," he said. Located near the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, Quneitra has almost fully returned to the government's control after a deal was reached with the rebels for their departure from the province. The deal over Quneitra came in the light of the recent summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who met last week in Finland's capital Helsinki, where they discussed the situation in Syria, mainly in the southern region near the Golan Heights. Putin highlighted the need to defeat terrorists in southwestern Syria while keeping the forces of Syria and Israel separated. He referred specifically to the treaty of 1974, which officially ended the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and designated the lines of separation between Israel and Syria. Enditem Urgent: Suspicious packages found at Trump Tower in New York: report Source: Xinhua 2018-07-28 06:50:03 NEW YORK, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The New York Police Department is investigating several suspicious packages found at the Trump Tower in Manhattan on Friday, local media reported, citing officials. Editor: Mu Xuequan Related News Back to Top MEXICO CITY, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Mexico, the country's central bank, on Friday recommended that the nation's financial institutions step up safeguards against online hacking, following a spate of cyberattacks. In a statement, Banxico called on institutions signed up for the Interbank Electronic Payment System (SPEI) to "establish additional obligations" in security measures, especially in transfer procedures to private companies. "The Bank of Mexico will continue to ensure the proper functioning of the payment systems, as well as the protection of public interests," Banxico said. Several banks were the target of cyberattacks on April 17, 24 and 26, as well as May 8, that compromised the SPEI applications, leading to losses of about 300 million pesos (16 million U.S. dollars), according to Banxico. The payment system allows those signed up for the service to send and receive fund transfers round the clock, without relying on banking hours. California-based cybersecurity firm Fortinet warned at the beginning of the year that Brazil and Mexico, Latin America's No. 1 and No. 2 economies, register the region's highest number of cyberattacks against financial systems. Tian Guifen, 56, has no idea where Arabia is, but knows the robes she weaves will be delivered and worn there. A pro-government columnist agrees with PM Orban that the closure of the West Balkan migration route is the common success of Hungary and the Balkan countries. During his visit to Podgorica, Mr Orban said that the closure of the so-called Balkan route was achieved jointly by Hungary and the Balkan countries. He also offered further help to Montenegro to protect its borders, and expressed his hope that Montenegro can soon join the EU. In Magyar Idok, Laszlo Szocs is optimistic about the chances for what he calls the Europeanization of the Balkan countries to continue. The pro-government columnist thinks reconciliation has been successful by now, two decades after the post-Yugoslav wars. Szocs agrees with Mr Orban/s claim that the closure of the Balkan migration route can be ascribed to a great extent to Hungarys policies. He hopes that border patrolling in the Balkans will be successful in the future, and there will be no further wave of undocumented migrants reaching Europe from the South. Szocs also notes that Hungary has important diplomatic ties to the Balkans region, partly due to the existence of Hungarian minorities in Serbia and in Croatia. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online Click here to Share Your Story Hungarian universities and colleges accepted 75,230 students this year, 2,500 more than in 2017, the human resources ministrys deputy state secretary for higher education said. The higher education institutions announced their acceptance thresholds late on Wednesday. The most popular faculties are technical and information technology courses. Medical courses had the sixth place, while nurse and teacher training were among the 15 most popular, Zita Horvath said. The courses popularity mirrors the governments strategy for higher education, she said. Koloman Brenner, MP of the opposition nationalist Jobbik party, called on the government to give up its anti-intelligentsia policies and increase higher education spending. Speaking at a press conference, Brenner insisted that Hungarys ratio of university graduates was among the lowest in the European Union, while, as he said, the number of students in higher education was shrinking. Jobbik demanded the establishment of an independent education ministry and said the government should ensure more places in state-financed higher education and more scholarships. Brenner also called for higher pay for lecturers in higher education. The Socialist Party has called for employers, unions and parliamentary parties to sit down for talks on Hungarys adoption of the euro. Addressing a press conference, Socialist MEP Istvan Ujhelyi noted that national business association MGYOSZ earlier this week called on the government to start focusing on Hungarys euro-zone accession. He said the government had a duty to discuss the potential introduction of the single currency with members of society. Hungary must not miss out on joining the euro zone, Ujhelyi said, adding that the government should consider the opinions of unions and employers on the matter. He noted that Slovakia and Slovenia were already euro-zone members and that Bulgaria has also applied to join. Ujhelyi said his party would propose a schedule for the trilateral talks in early September. By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] Voters in four townships in Gogebic County will be asked on Tuesday, Aug. 7, to renew millages to fund township operations. The Aug. 7 election is a primary election in Michigan for local, state and federal offices, but there are also a number of ballot proposals, including millage renewals for general township operating purposes in Erwin Township, Marenisco Township, Wakefield Township and Watersmeet Township. Wakefield Township is asking to renew its 3 mills for four years. One mill translates to $1 per every $1,000 of taxable value. Supervisor John Cox said it will raise about $100,000 of the townships $190,000 budget. The township also receives a 1.6 mill allocation from a countywide millage renewed last year. The rest of the budget comes from revenue sharing, PILT payments and other items. Cox said the Wakefield Township has the lowest millage in the county. It contracts its plowing and lawn mowing. He said passage of the renewal is paramount. Without it, we wouldnt be able to meet our state obligations. Marenisco Township Supervisor Dick Bouvette echoed the idea about the importance of the millage renewal to his township. General township operations includes all sorts of things like water and sewer, police department and fire department. Bouvette said while the ballot asks voters to approve 8 mills for 6 years, he said the township will levy about 6. The township receives 2 mills from the countys allocation. This adds up to $450,000 of the townships $600,000 budget. Marenisco Township voters have been renewing the millage for 30 years, said Bouvette, adding the levy has remained the same for 20 years. Mike Rogers, Watersmeet Township supervisor, said the renewal is essential to the townships operations. The renewal of 3.5 mills for four years will raise $572,000 annually. The budget is just over $1 million, he said. With that, we do everything, Rogers said. Fire department, police department, ambulance, sewer and water. They have a small township park and other property to mow, as well. Watersmeets allocation from the county is 1.7 mills. State revenue sharing helps make up the difference, said Rogers. Erwin Township is asking voters to approve 10 mills over four years. Supervisor Larry Grimsby said the townships allocation from the county is 1 mill. The millage will allow the township to continue its general operations, said Grimsby, including paying for lawn maintenance, plowing and salaries. Voters in Ironwood Township and Bessemer Township will not find this general operating fund renewal on their ballots. An Ironwood Township official said the township plans to ask for its renewal at the coming November general election. Bessemer Township Supervisor Jeff Randall said its not time to renew their millage. Editors Note: This story is part of the Daily Globes ongoing election coverage prior to the August primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin. Wisconsin voters head to the polls Aug. 14. A NEW sign marks the entrance to Ironwood's Mt. Zion Park. The sign, seen here Thursday, is the latest of several improvements volunteers have come together to make at the park. Other improvements made in the park include a viewing platform at the top of the hill. By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - Those visiting the overlook at Ironwood's Mt. Zion park near Gogebic Community College this summer will notice a new sign at the entrance to the hill. Ironwood City Manager Scott Erickson said the sign was the latest in a series of improvements that have been completed at the overlook park over the past year and a half. These included the construction of a new deck, improved seating and paving the road to the top of the hill. Most of the improvements came through donations from local residents and volunteer efforts. "The city ended u... Chennai: South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to launch an electric SUV in India in the second half of next year, a top company executive said. The company, which is present in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary, said it aims to leverage its global technology prowess to bring in the most appropriate and relevant EV to India. "We will launch an electric SUV in second half of 2019. We will import it as completely knocked down unit," Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO YK Koo said. In the long term, the company would produce EV models from its Chennai plant, he added. Koo said company's strategy for EVs is in line with government's vision of making India an EV market by 2020. Hyundai had showcased EV models Ioniq and Kona during the auto expo earlier this year in Delhi. Koo said the company plans to launch eight new models in the country by 2020 and also enhance production capacity to 10 lakh units a year by first quarter of 2021. Hyundai aims to roll out 7 lakh units this year from its Chennai plant while next year it plans to enhance the production capacity to 7.5 lakh units per annum, he added. During the first half of the current year, the company sold 2,75,136 units in the domestic market, a growth of 8.6 per cent over same period of 2017, Koo said. Mumbai: Haryanvi beauty Sapna Choudhary, who did a special song titled Mere Samne Aake for Ravi Kishan starrer Bairi Kangana 2, sizzled on stage with the Bhojpuri megastar during an event earlier this year. The two were seen grooving to the track Chaska Red Ferrari Ka by Raj Manwar. A video of the two dancing to the peppy desi track has gone viral in which they have set the dance stage on fire with their sizzling 'thumkas'. In the video, one can see Sapna doing some Bhangra moves and some thumkas along with Ravi Kishan. Dressed in a pale Pista green Patiala Shalwar Kameez, Sapna looks very pretty while Ravi looks dapper in a copperish T-shirt and glittery black jacket teamed up with black pants. The former Bigg Boss contestant made the Haryanvi song Teri Aakhya Ka Yo Kajal so popular that it has become a wedding anthem of sorts. She made her Bollywood debut with an item number Hatt Ja Tau in Veerey Ki Wedding and also featured in a song titled Love Bite. Sapna had a huge fan following even before she made her presence felt in the house of Bigg Boss 10, but the show hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan made her a household name. A lot of has been said about surgical strikes by the Indian forces to avenge the Pathankot attack, where the Indian Government felt betrayed. Many political leaders challenged the Government's claim in September - October 2016. While some political leaders did criticize the muscular approach of the government, a naive one like Mr Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister, sought proof of the same. There were many claims and counter claims. On many TV channels the Congress spokesperson claimed that they had also done many surgical strikes during the tenure. It happened that time in October 2016. Recently, TV news channels aired video footage of the surgical strikes the Indian army conducted two years ago in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), inviting cheers from the ruling BJP for 'proof' to the 2016 military operation and ridicule from the opposition Congress for the government seeking 'cheap publicity'. Safeguards taken before any attack Now, let me explain to the readers that before any attack or surgical strike, whatever may be the magnitude, certain precautionary safeguards have to be taken. This is prescribed through detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which is codified and titled as a book. This is the magna carta of the security establishment. It prescribes to the minute detail the responsibility of taking several safeguards by the Ministry of Defence in respect of their area of responsibility and Ministry of Home Affairs in their area of responsibility. Suffice to say that these steps have to be necessarily taken to safeguard the national assets, vital installations, hospitals, airports, key strategic assets, etc, in the event of a counter attack by the enemy state. Now that the proof is out on the public domain, surely the security establishment would have taken these measures as per the SOP. Have surgical strikes happened before? Yes, they have happened. Not many know. Here are the details - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister and George Fernandes, the Defence Minister, decided to soften Pakistani positions using the IAF before the Special Forces went in. Militants had stormed the Indian Parliament just seven months earlier, in December 2001, triggering a massive military mobilization and standoff on both sides of the border and along the Line of Control (LoC). They were positioned eyeball to eyeball. India called it Operation Parakram. Between May and June 2002, tensions between India and Pakistan were at their height, following the Kaluchak massacre in May 2002. Mediation efforts by Russian President Vladimir Putin had failed. After the Kargil betrayal by the Pakistanis, India's defence apparatus was suspicious of a Kargil-like troop build-up situation near a border post in the Kel area in the Kupwara sector. Moreover, Pakistani troops were also raining shells on Indian positions from there. The security apparatus felt that there was a need for strong retaliation. Initially, the plan was to send in the India Army to attack the Pakistani positions. But the plan was changed after quick consultation with then Army Chief General Sundararajan Padmanabhan. It was decided to soften Pakistani positions using the IAF instead of a ground assault before the Special Forces went in. 'Light up' is military talk for designating a target on the laser guidance system. They grasped the implication immediately: Indian fighter jets would lock on and hit the Pakistani post, something the IAF has rarely done during peace time. Is the author of the strikes the same? One coincidence I would like to share here. The author of 2016 surgical strikes was also a key person in the Indian security and intelligence establishment at that time of the 2002 strikes. If the authorship of both attacks are attributable to him, I salute this brave son of India. No orders for any safeguards One thing I can say with certainty. Between 2006 and 2010, when I was posted in the Internal Security establishment of the Ministry of Home Affairs, there were no surgical strikes on Pakistan-controlled territory as claimed by some spokespersons of the party then in power. Soft approach of the dispensation What to talk of the use of physical force. We would not even repudiate our friends from Pakistan and even Bangladesh in a strong manner. Remember the Late Mr Jeevan Kumar. He was a BSF Commandant whose dead body was handed over to us in 2005, after being mutilated by the Bangladesh Rifles. We were not even willing to convey a proper protest. All the reservations of the nation were conveyed in a IG level meeting, and that's it. Many may challenge as to why I am so certain. Let me clarify. I might not have held a position as to entitle me to be privy to such a decision by the government to execute a surgical strike. But the decision having been taken, I would have surely been associated with the execution of SOP to put the safeguards in place. No such orders to invoke these safeguards codified in the SOP were received. Only surgical attack was 26/11 Mumbai If surgical strikes happened during the previous dispensation, it was not by the government. The surgical precision with which the attack happened was the Mumbai attack of 26/11/2008. If one can connect the dots then the participation of many Congressmen in this surgical attack is evident. Interesting facts that betray political support Now, there are certain questions I have flagged in my book 'Hindu Terror'. There was overwhelming, actionable and pinpointed intelligence inputs that was pouring in from agencies about a potential attack from the coastal route, with possible targets mentioned. This input was diligently shared from time to time with the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. By the laid down procedure, after the Chief Secretary the input would have gone directly to the table of the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of the Government of Maharashtra. Still, the incumbent officer was present at Taj Mahal Hotel, one of the targets. Was it by design or default? It is now a matter of public knowledge that India's top security establishment were held up in Pakistan when these attacks occurred. In the build up to the talks, certain developments which occurred are captured in detail in my book. I am recapturing them in brief below: - Why was the Additional Secretary (Border Management), who is conventionally not a member of the Indian delegation, included? - Who lobbied for inclusion of the Additional Secretary in the delegation? - Why did the delegation not stick to the predetermined time schedule? - Why did the leader of delegation not pay heed to his two vital assets, instead overwhelmingly going by the suggestion of his Number 2? - Was there any hidden agenda in the orchestrations of the Number 2 of the delegation? - Terrorists entered Mumbai through the Colaba area walked through a well-habituated colony which was buzzing with activity in the evening, with arms, ammunitions, communication equipment etc. But no one noticed? Or did someone guide them? Was there a local guide? Ajmal Kasab had in his interrogation stated so. But due to political interference, this lead was not taken forward. Is it not a giveaway about the involvement of party assets in the attack? - P Chidambaram told the Lok Sabha that the Indian Navy had sighted the ship in Pakistani waters, but since no further intelligence was received they abandoned the surveillance. Coastal surveillance is the mandate of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. They don't wait for intelligence. Indeed intelligence is a force multiplier. But no surveillance is abandoned for lack of further intelligence. They must have been ordered to abandon the surveillance. - Now, Mr Shivraj Patil delayed the departure of NSG by more than two hours, enabling strategic advantage to terrorists. He also did not respond or clear proposals for deployment of locally stationed security forces as an interim measure. Was this also a part of the surgical strike strategy? - After the attack, the Minister for Minority Affairs gives an interview to a magazine, where he tries to skirt and divert the main issue of Mumbai attacks and focus on death of Hemant Karkare. Cover-up narrative In 2010, a book named '26/11: RSS ki Sazish' written by Aziz Burney (Editor-in-Chief of leading Urdu newspaper Roznama Sahara) was released by Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh. The book claims the RSS and BJP are behind the 26/11 terror attack. Other notable luminaries, some of whom appear in TV studios as the 'moderate' Muslim face, seen at that book launch were Maulana Mahmood Madani, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP; Mahesh Bhatt, Bollywood director; K Rehman Khan, Congressman and Deputy Speaker, Rajya Sabha; Meem Afzal, former ambassador and journalist; Qalb-e-Jawad, Shia leader; and Maualana Tauqeer Raza, prominent Barelvi cleric. The book launch was moderated by Akhtar-ul Wasey, director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University. Incidentally, it is alleged by many sources that this book was already in print when 26/11 happened. Conclusions I do not want readers to either jump to conclusions or impute motives. What I have captured above are established facts. May I also share that ever since my book has come out, no person belonging to a different genre has ever repudiated the facts on merits with evidence. Hence, should you have an alternative view, please show the narrative with facts and corresponding evidences. But surely, the above details do betray the fact that while ISI planned, designed and executed the 26/11, some Indian nationals did collaborate and give local support in the execution of the attack and had strategically planned to attribute this attack to involvement of RSS, like they did for the Mecca Masjid and other attacks. (RVS Mani is a former Central government officer who shot to prominence as a whistleblower in 2009, when he alleged he had been forced to sign documents that fabricated a narrative of 'Saffron Terror'. His book, 'Hindu Terror: Insider account of Ministry of Home Affairs', was released recently.) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) New Delhi: In a startling turn of events, desi girl Priyanka Chopra, who was earlier set to make her comeback in Bollywood with 'Bharat' has left the project. After speculation caught fire, filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar confirmed the news on social media wishing her well. Ali, who has previously worked with PeeCee in YRF's 'Gunday' wrote: Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of @Bharat_TheFilm & and the reason is very very special , she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her ... Team Bharat wishes @priyankachopra loads of love & happiness for life. Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of @Bharat_TheFilm & and the reason is very very special , she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her ... Team Bharat wishes @priyankachopra loads of love & happiness for life ali abbas zafar (@aliabbaszafar) July 27, 2018 Well, if you read between the lines, looks like Priyanka has a special reason to leave a huge project like 'Bharat' midway. Reports are rife that the actress is apparently all set to marry her current beau Nick Jonas. Yes! And if that is true, then it's celebration time for the talented actress. Of late, there has been a lot of buzz about Priyanka and Nick as they are regularly spotted hanging out with each other. The buzz about Priyanka and Nick being a couple has been going on for quite some time now. Priyanka's recent spotting at Nick's cousin's wedding raised many eyebrows. Also, the two have often expressed their fondness for each other on social media. Well, the rumours had first begun back in 2017 when Nick was seen posing with Priyanka at the Met Gala 2017. He had even shared a picture on Instagram. Both wore Ralph Lauren for their 2017 look at the event. However, the stars have not spoken about dating each other publicly as yet. 'Bharat' stars Salman Khan in the lead and now all eyes will be set on the next actress who bags the huge project. Earlier, Katrina Kaif was speculated to star in the film but later PeeCee's name was finalised. Now that Priyanka has quit the project, looks like the next best ideal choice to star opposite Salman is Katrina. Their on-screen chemistry spills magic and the two have a massive fan following to too. Who do you think should be cast opposite Salman in 'Bharat'? New Delhi: The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has certified Irrfan Khan's upcoming film 'Karwaan' in the 12A category, which is equivalent to 'U/A' in India). The 12A rating mandates that the film cannot be viewed by a child under the age of 12 unless accompanied by an adult. The British Censor Board listed the film in the category due to the infrequent sex references and usage of strong language in the film. The official Twitter handle of the board wrote, "KARWAAN (12A) infrequent moderate sex references, implied strong language http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AZF364728." Noted film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh too shared the news adding that the approved runtime of the film is 114 minutes. #Karwaan certified 12A by British censors on 26 July 2018. Approved run time: 114 min 19 sec [1 hour, 54 minutes, 19 seconds]... #Overseas taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 27, 2018 The film has been helmed by Akarsh Khurana and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Priti Rathi Gupta respectively. Last week, the makers unveiled a behind-the-scenes (BTS) dialogue promo video. Irrfan, who happens to be one of the most brilliant actors of the current generations, will leave you smitten his acting prowess in the dialogue promo clip. He plays a character named Shaukat in the venture. The film marks the Bollywood debut of south sensation Dulquer Salmaan and Mithila Palkar. The brimming camaraderie between Irrfan and Dulquer is unmatched. Their journey together makes for an interesting watch, especially because of Irrfan's classic act and funny one-liners. 'Karwaan' is set to hit the screens on August 3 this year. 'Karwaan' happens to be a slice-of-life entertainer which promises some power-packed performances by the lead actors. In August 2013, it was reported that Akarsh Khurana would be making his directorial debut with a dramedy written by Bejoy Nambiar, the story of which would revolve around three characters, going on a road trip. Then, it was reported that Arvind Swamy and Nawazuddin Siddiqui would be playing two of the three lead characters, but in May 2014 Bejoy Nambiar informed that as a result of modifications made in the script, Swamy would not be part of the project and Rajkummar Rao had been brought in to do the film which was titled 'Focus' at that time. In June 2014, Akarsh opted out of the project owing to creative differences with Bejoy Nambiar, the writer and producer of the film. Later, Nambiar brought in Heeraz Marfatia as a replacement for Akarsh but the shooting of the film failed to take off and after several delays, the film was postponed for a year. In April last year, a report said that Ronnie Screwvala had decided to revive Nambiar's film through his new production house RSVP Films and Akarsh had been brought back to direct the film with Irrfan Khan and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles. In June 2017, Abhishek parted ways with the film because the shooting schedule was clashing with that of 'Paltan', another project of his that he was doing with JP Dutta. In August 2017, Akarsh informed that Dulquer Salmaan and Mithila Palkar had been finalized to play the central characters in the film along with Irrfan. On September 1, 2017 the first look of the film was unveiled, through which it was revealed that the film had been given the name 'Karwan'. CHENNAI: Top political leaders from Tamil Nadu including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and actor-politician Kamal Haasan paid a visit the residence of ailing DMK chief M Karunanidhi to enquire about his health. The leaders made a beeline at the DMK chief's Gopalapuram residence after the doctors attending him described a "slight decline" in his health. O Panneerselvam, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Electricity Minister P Thangamani, Minister for Municipal Administration SP Velumani and Kamal Hassan were among those who visited the 94-year-old leader. Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam along with other ministers met DMK's MK Stalin to inquire about DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's at latter's residence in Chennai. DMK chief is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection& is being given hospital level treatment at home. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/DaAPpIWXzR ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018 The leaders met DMK working president MK Stalin to inquire about the health of his ailing father M Karunanidhi. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too enquired about the health of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M Karunanidhi and prayed for his quick recovery. The Prime Minister also spoke to Karunanidhi`s son MK Stalin and daughter Kanimozhi regarding the same. "Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health," he tweeted. Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 Several political leaders including MDMK general secretary Vaiko, DMK`s Dayanidhi Maran have also visited Karunanidhi at his residence in Gopalapuram. Karunanidhi is currently undergoing treatment for fever due to Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. He is also being monitored and treated round the clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at his home. On July 18, Karunanidhi was admitted to Kauvery Hospital in the city for a tracheotomy procedure. (With ANI inputs) New Delhi: Oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries on Friday reported record quarterly net profit of Rs 9,459 crore ($1.4 billion) on record earnings from petrochemical and retail business. The consolidated net profit of Rs 9,459 crore April-June was 17.9 percent higher year on year, the company said in a statement. Here are the Key Highlights New Delhi: The nation is gripped by the festive fervour of Guru Purnima which is celebrated with much gusto every year. A guru can either be a human who has helped you evolve as a better person or even a spiritual being whose path takes you towards enlightenment. This year, it falls on July 27. It is the day to pay respect and show gratitude to all our gurus (teachers/mentors/guides) in life. The day is celebrated at various temples where devotees offer their prayers to the lord they see as their eternal Guru. In Shirdi, Sai Baba's revered temple, the day calls for huge celebrations. It's a 3-day affair which begins on Guru Purnima and people from across the world visit Shirdi Temple to seek the blessings of the Lord. There are several mysteries, miracles and legends associated with Baba and how he came to Shirdi. But little do people know about the story behind beautifully carved Sai Baba idol seated at the famous temple. Miracles, Mysteries behind Shirdi Sai Baba idol: Baba is seen as a guru, spiritual saint, fakir or even satguru by devotees. People seek his blessings and believe that hurdles vanish if you pray to the lord with utmost devotion and faith. Shirdi Sai took samadhi on October 15, 1918. After 36 years from the day he took to the heavenly abode, Baba's murti or idol was placed near his samadhi. Much before the murti sthapana took place, a picture of Sai Baba was placed in the temple and devotees would come take his blessings. It's said that because of the huge number of people coming to get a glimpse of the lord, Shirdi Sai Sansthan decided to place an idol of Baba instead of a picture. The authorities of the sansthan wanted a life-like murti of the lord to be made. Therefore, three best sculptors were called for the task. They wanted the three selected men to first create a clay-idol of the lord; after which whoever makes the best one would be given the task to create a rock idol of the lord. However, there was only one black and white picture of Sai Baba for reference and to form the idol from it was next to impossible. The first clay model of Baba's idol was beautifully made and several bhakts who had seen and met the Lord in person were called to see it. Baba's devotees included Rani Laxmibai. Balaji Vasantrao Talim created the idol and interestingly, the first clay modal of Baba's idol is still preserved and displayed at the Mumbai art studio of Talim family. It is said that Satguru Sai Ram came in his dream before he could start making the idol. Miracles: After the clay idol was created, the next task was to find the finest of fine stone. A devotee from a Port Trust official came to know that a marble stone has been discharged for last one and a half years at a port in Mumbai and none has come for one and a half years to claim it. It was the marble of the best quality that came from Italy. But for whom did the Italian Marble come and why did it come from Italy? Nobody knows. When Balaji Talim came to the port to see the stone he was surprised to see that the stone was of exactly the same size as they wanted for Baba's idol. (This is the picture of Balaji Vasantrao Talim) About 4 months later, the work of the idol was almost done. Balaji Taleem, his son and other workers were constantly working to make the idol perfect just when one worker suddenly appeared and saw a big crack near Baba's feet, fearing an air pocket. The problem was that the removal of air pocket could damage the leg by going straight ahead of the crack, in such a way that the idol could also be broken. This created tension amongst the workers. Then they prayed to Baba together and, as it was, Baba himself conveyed that 'go ahead and do nothing'. After this, when Balaji Taleem took his hammer to take out the air pocket, the extra stone was destroyed in a miraculous manner without causing any damage to Baba's idol. After this yet another miracle while creation of Baba's idol, it was finally ready in its full glory. It was established on October 7, 1954, with Pran Pratishtha at Shirdi's Samadhi Temple on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. Today 64 years after the idol establishment, Baba's idol is exactly like the sameglowing beautifully. Every day Baba's temple is visited by thousands of devotees. The idol of Baba bathed with hot water every morning and his clothes are changed four times a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered in the form of naivaidya. After the first aarti in the morning, an Abhishekham is done with water, milk, curd and ghee. Not only this, the idol is also covered with mosquito nets at the time of Baba's sleep during the night. It is removed at 4 o'clock in the morning and a glass of water is also kept for the lord. Several devotees throng the Shirdi Sai Baba temple to seek blessings of the lord and feel the divinity come alive. Om Sai Ram! New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima is celebrated across the country with utmost devotion and fervour. This year, it falls on July 27. It is the day to pay respect and show gratitude to all our gurus (teachers/mentors/guides) in life. A guru can either be a human who has helped you evolve as a better person or even a spiritual being whose path takes you towards enlightenment. This mantra is often recited as a mark of reverence to the guru or Lord. Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheshwarah Guru Saakshaata Parabrahma Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah In life, there is immense importance attached to a guru, as they even say 'Guru bin gyaan nahi'. So, on this let's find out what all gift items we can present to our modern-age gurus as a token of love. Remember the age-old practice of Guru Dakshina? We thought of listing some cool gift ideas which you can present to your guru on this special day: Diary If you are in school or college, then gifting a dairy to your teacher can possibly be the best gift. Remember all your queries were solved on a piece of papers? So, now is the time for you to give it back to your mentor! Coffee Mugs How about gifting a coffee or a tea mug to your teacher? Now that the times are changing, our gurus too have evolved over a period of time. So, if you happen to surprise your teacher on this day, then possibly gift him/her a coffee or tea mug which has some cool quotes written on it. This one will surely surprise your Guru! Special letter Paper will always hold a special place in anyone's heart. So, if you take some time out from your busy lives and write a heart-warming letter to your Guru, he/she is bound to be teary-eyed with love and memories. What better way than say 'Thank You Teacher' on a special note. Try it once! Flowers A huge bouquet of flowers is bound to make your teacher happy. Imagine what better than gifting a beautiful bunch of fresh flowers sprinkled with water and perfume to your Guru. Take their blessings and start your day afresh! Greeting Cards No amount of material gifts or pricey exquisite items can take away the charm of a greeting card filled with little scribble here and there. Be it a colourful one or a plain greeting card, what matters is the emotion with which it has been presented. Get one or even try making one yourself. Thank your Guru in the most creative way! New Delhi: The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it will not reconsider the One Rank One Pension (OROP) formula as it has already decided on the scheme. Maintaining its stand on the decision on the OROP scheme for retired military personnel, the Centre said that it has done more than it could and if there is interference the financial burden will increase on the government. The apex court will next hear the case after four weeks. The statement comes at the backdrop of a petition filed by the Association of Ex-Servicemen in the Supreme Court expressing dissatisfaction over the government's OROP formula. The petitioners said that the OROP scheme implemented by the government isn't based on the recommendations of the Koshiyari committee. It also alleged that the government has softened the recommendations of the Koshiyari committee. It has also said in its plea that the recommendations of the committee have not been fully agreed upon. They want that the One Rank One Pension scheme should be entirely based on the Koshiyari committee. The Narendra Modi government had in September 2015 announced the One Rank One Pension scheme for soldiers of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement. Announcing the scheme, the then defence minister Manohar Parikar had said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled his commitment... I would like to mention that the contribution of military veterans in nation-building in the past 67 years has been immeasurable. Now that OROP is hopefully behind us, I urge the veterans to contribute to the vital task of nation-building and development." The estimated cost to the exchequer for the scheme was announced at Rs 8,000-10,000 crore. "Pensions will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of the minimum and maximum pension in 2013," Parrikar had said. Santosh Yadav was receiving treatment at a hospital in Nepal. His family had already paid Rs 8 lakhs for his medical care despite limited resources at its disposal. Then came a demand for another Rs 4 lakh. Left with absolutely no money, Santosh's family pleaded on humanitarian grounds but instead of listening to their cries, the hospital authorities reportedly detained many of his family members who have been stranded in the premises for four months now. This shocking tale was recently revealed by Santosh's wife and brother-in-law who managed to escape from the hospital and return to their home village in Bihar's Katihar. Santosh's wife - Renu, revealed to the utter shock of villagers in Katihar that her family had already sold all their land and assets to pay Rs 8 lakh for his treatment. Nepal's Golden Hospital allegedly then demanded another Rs 4 lakh to continue treatment and when it wasn't paid, detained several family members of the patient - including his ageing mother. While the treatment itself was stopped, the family members have been kept in a room and in an atrocious condition with little food and water to go by. The most shocking allegation by Renu though has been that her family members have been threatened that their kidneys and eyes would be taken out if the balance payment is not made. She said that the main in-charge at the hospital made both the demand and the threat, and its is only because of some local staff that she and her brother managed to escape. Renu now wants the local administration and Indian authorities to intervene and free her family members, and to also ensure that Santosh gets proper medical care. Mumbai: Serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 Bombay blasts, gangster Abu Salem recently sent a legal notice to the makers of Bollywood movie Sanju seeking publication of contradiction to the wrong information about him in the movie. News agency ANI reported that Salem, through his lawyer, has pointed to incorrect information on him depicted in the movie and has also sought an apology for the same. He has given the moviemakers 15 days to act on his notice and in case they don't, he would file a defamation case against them. The notice names filmmakers Raju Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and several others. According to reports, Salem has taken objection to a scene in which Ranbir - playing Sanjay Dutt in the movie - confesses to possessing arms around the time of the 1993 communal riots in Mumbai. Salem's lawyer has cited that his client's involvement is implied in the scene and said that he never supplied Sanjay Dutt with any weapons. Sanju is a biopic based on Dutt's life and has been one of the biggest hits of the year. Ranbir plays the main character in the movie which boasts of a strong cast. It has earned almost Rs 334 crores since its release on June 29. Johannesburg: India and China have reiterated their commitment to maintain peace and tranquillity along their border by enhancing communications between their militaries during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the annual BRICS Summit in South Africa's Johannesburg. "Both leaders have reaffirmed once again their readiness to give their militaries the necessary directions to enhance communications between them and to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a media briefing late on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also later tweeted a picture of PM Modi's meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit here. Taking forward the spirit of cooperation following Summit meetings in Wuhan and Qingdao, PM @narendramodi had a substantive meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg on the sidelines of #BRICS Summit. Discussed steps to further build trust & cooperation. pic.twitter.com/S8JlIqpy1w Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) July 26, 2018 Besides Xi, PM Modi also met Russian President Vladimir Putin and held talks on a wide range of issues. Never too late! Last bilateral meeting of the day, between PM @narendramodi & Russian President Putin got over at midnight local time. Both leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, specially in trade & investment, energy, defence and tourism. pic.twitter.com/mgnJpKT1Nx Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) July 26, 2018 The ties between India and China were hit due to a stand-off between their armies for over two months on the Doklam plateau at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction last year. The stand-off began in June when the Indian troops objected to the construction of a road by the Chinese Army in the area, citing the disputed status of the region and its close proximity to India`s artery in the northeast. New Delhi objected to Chinese road building in Doklam because of the disputed status and its proximity to the Siliguri Corridor which links India`s northeast to the rest of the country. The stand-off ended in August after both sides retreated from the point of the face-off. Thursday`s meeting was the third between Modi and Xi after their informal meeting in Wuhan, China, in April initiated by Xi, and on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) last month. During the Wuhan meet, both Modi and Xi pledged to keep the India-China border quiet and personally guide their respective armies to avert a Doklam-like military stand-off in future. According to Gokhale, during the meeting in Johannesburg, both sides saw "forward movement in the sense of delegations going to have specific talks on imports by China". He said that a delegation representing the Indian pharmaceutical industry will visit China on August 21-22. He also informed that Beijing had given the approval to import of generic Indian cancer-treatment drugs earlier this year. "In addition, a number of Indian mills in the non-Basmati rice sector have been cleared by a Chinese delegation on the grounds of phytosanitary and quarantine requirement," the Foreign Secretary said. Following the Modi-Xi meeting in Qingdao, the 2006 Protocol on phytosanitary requirements for exporting rice from India to China was amended to include the export of non-Basmati varieties of rice from India. Gokhale described the bilateral meeting as "very productive". "The two leaders will meet again on the margins of the G20 Summit in Argentina at the end of this year," he added. Modi and Xi earlier in the day participated in the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit here. Prime Minister Modi had reached South Africa on Wednesday evening on the final leg of his three-nation visit to Africa. PM @narendramodi welcomed by the host of the evening South African President @CyrilRamaphosa on the eve of the 10th #BRICS Summit beginning tomorrow. #IndiaatBRICS pic.twitter.com/PryEA3UK6S Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) July 25, 2018 He had earlier visited Rwanda and Uganda. India is likely to sign MoUs in the fields of education, skill, health and agriculture with South Africa. For the very first time, a BRICS leaders' retreat is being organised wherein the leaders will deliberate and take stock of BRICS co-operation during the decade and on its future prospects. (With IANS inputs) New Delhi: Indian Navy is all set to get a new category of warship in its arsenal in the near future. The Navy is looking to lay its hands on underwater drones or unmanned submarines with the capability to track and attack enemy submarines in the next three years. According to Russian news website Sputnik as well as Defence, Security Intelligence and Analysis portal Jane's 360, the Indian Navy wants the mini unmanned submarines or underwater drones equipped with passive sonar device to ensure that its nuclear-powered attack submarines can perform a more offensive role. Sputnik claims the Navy's draft tender document says, "The underwater drone should be capable of missions lasting a minimum of 15 days at an economical speed of 3 knots." The Navy wants to complete the acquisition of the unmanned submarines by 2021. Jane's 360 had on June 1, 2018 reported that the Indian Navy had issued two separate requests for information (RFIs) for unmanned underwater and surface vessels. The Navy wants 12 unmanned surface vessels (USVs), no longer than 12 metres each, with replaceable mission modules along with a simulator to train its personnel in mine countermeasures (MCM) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. On the other hand, there is a requirement for eight high endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (HEAUVs) or underwater drones along with a simulator for training. Apart from MCM and ASW missions, the drones should also be capable of collecting oceanographic data collection. The Navy wants transfer of technology under the "Make in India" plan as part of the deal if the warships are provided by a foreign company. Sputnik reports that the Chinese navy has been operating Qianlong III and Haiyan underwater drones for the last several years. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already developed an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) as technology demonstrator. The AUV platforms were being tested for a variety of roles including surveillance and mine countermeasures, the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar had told the Lok Sabha in March 2015. New Delhi: Aerospace major Boeing on Friday said that it has carried out the first flights of India`s Apache and Chinook helicopters destined for delivery in 2019. "First flight of India`s Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening Indian armed forces capabilities," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar was quoted as saying in a statement. India will receive the most advanced versions of both the AH-64E Apache and the CH-47F Chinook. "Indian industry partners such as Dynamatics is building large sections of Chinook, and the Tata Boeing joint venture in Hyderabad is building the complete fuselage of the Apache," it said. India will ultimately receive 22 AH-64E Apache attack, and 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook transport, helicopters. The contract for the Indian Air Force`s 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks was finalised in September 2015. Additionally, six Apaches were cleared for purchase for the Indian Army in 2017. Fuselages for this Army order will be produced by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, the joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad. Chennai: He was all of 14 when he first dabbled into politics. At the time, he was reportedly inspired by anti-Hindi agitations and even set up an organisation for local youth in his colony. M Karunanidhi would go on take politics even more seriously with each passing year and right from being a key member of the Dravidian movement to heading the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party, the veteran leader has been in the thick of things for several decades. Little wonder then that he now has the distinction of being the first in the country to lead a political party for half a century. The five-time CM of Tamil Nadu was first elected chief of DMK on July 27 of 1969. He was 45 at the time and heading a political party that had previously been launched without a president as the post had been left vacant for Periyar E.V. Ramasamy. For Karunanidhi though, there has been no looking back since being put on the helm of the party. It was not easy though. Karunanidhi - widely recognised from his dark glasses and yellow shawl - suffered several defeats in elections to nemesis MG Ramachandran and while he had had stints as Tamil Nadu CM, it was not until a strong sweep in 1996 that the DMK leader established a solid footing in the state. While he lost the next elections - in 2001 - to AIADMK, allowing Jayalalaithaa to take the realms of Tamil Nadu, DMK and Karunanidhi were back in power in 2006. Known for his interest in arts, poetry and Tamil culture, Karunanidhi has had his share of sworn supporters and staunch critics over the last many years. For DMK though, he has been a pillar - withstanding the ups and downs of Indian politics with resolve. At 94 though, he may not be anywhere close to the figure he once was. Currently in Kauvery Hospital, Karunanidhi is suffering from urinary tract infection and has fever. And while there have been rumours in the past about his death, he has shown a steely determination to push forward regardless. And all his supporters would now be praying that Karunanidhi continues to guide and bless DMK and the state of Tamil Nadu for still many more years. New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on Friday met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata hinting that she will be the prime ministerial candidate of the anti-BJP front. After meeting Mamata at Nabanna, the West Bengal Secretariat, Omar said that "we will take Mamata to the national capital so that she can replicate the work that she did in Kolkata for the entire country". The former CM who reached Kolkata on Friday acknowledged CM Mamata's concern for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and said the current situation of his state was discussed. "We had a discussion about the present situation in the nation and about the fear that prevails in minorities throughout the country," he added. Speaking on their respective parties, Omar's National Conference (NC) and Mamata's Trinamool Congress (TMC), he said that there is no difference between the parties. Amidst speculations over a grand alliance of opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Omar said that they haven't decided what their alliances would be called. However, he clearly said "all those who are against BJP can join us. We will try to defeat the BJP". He also said, "let us not talk about the prime minister as the dates for the Lok Sabha elections have not been announced yet". Speaking to reporters, CM Mamata said leaving a few most of the regional parties are against the BJP. She said that the anti-BJP front will stand for all the people. In a jibe to the BJP, Mamata said that the behaviour of the Central government is shameful. She added that the TMC is being threatened by the BJP and termed the BJP rule as dictatorship. She assured that the after the 2019 elections if the anti-BJp front wins then it'll be a government of the people, for the people and by the people Wishing Omar, the chief minister said, "We wish him all the best. He is a young leader. I'm grateful that Omar has come down. I want to see him grow as a leader of the country. Mumbai: A day after violent protests brought Maharashtra to a standstill, members of the Maratha community once again took to the streets on Friday demanding - among others - reservation in government jobs and in the education field. Women protestors took to the streets armed with lathis in Parli town in Beed district, demanding that detained protestors from the community be released and all cases registered against the Maratha Kranti Morcha workers should be withdrawn. In another incident, a youth consumed poison in his house in Parbhani to demand reservation for the Maratha community. Rameshwar Murlidhar Gaekwad decided to take the extreme step to show his support for the cause. He was immediately rushed to a local hospital by his family and is receiving care in the intensive care unit. Protests were reported in Marathwada region too with Hingoli witnessing massive demonstrations. The protesters even stopped an ambulance carrying a patient in Parbhani district's Jintur while in Dhule the Marathas took out a march. There were also reports of stone pelting from Amdura and Punegaon villages in Nanded where protestors clashed with security personnel. It has been learnt that five police cars were also destroyed in the ensuing violence, forcing security personnel to lathi-charge the demonstrators. More than 20 protestors have been injured while there are also reports of injuries among police and administrative ranks. In Shirpur, two state transport buses and a truck was vandalised and additional police force has been deployed to prevent any untoward incident. Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, previously denied reports that any of its members had indulged in violence, arson and/or acts of vandalism. But on Friday, it stopped vehicular traffic in parts of Jalna district in Aurangabad division and the road traffic was disrupted in Ambad town of Jalna too. Several pro-reservation protesters shaved their head in Jafrabad and Shahapur. The week has seen several incidents of similar violence with mobs clashing with police forces and destroying public property. PTI adds: A protester, who was injured in the violence during the Maratha quota stir in Navi Mumbai, has succumbed to his injuries at the government-run JJ Hospital. Navi Mumbai has seen rampant violence with reports of 150 vehicles being torched here since protests on Wednesday. Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding a 16 percent reservation. The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. NEW DELHI: A day after a BJP lawmaker urged Hindus to produce more kids to keep 'Hindutva' intact, another lawmaker from the saffron party has said that Muslims will soon press for a new Pakistan if their population continues to grow at a rapid pace. ''Muslims marry 3-4 times and have 9-10 kids, they don't get a formal education and end up unemployed. This situation would obviously lead to anarchy,'' Hari Om Pandey, the BJP MP from Ambedkar Nagar, said. The BJP lawmaker further warned that ''their (Muslims) population is increasing rapidly. They are demanding Sharia law now and will soon press for a new Pakistan.'' #WATCH: Muslims marry 3-4 times & have 9-10 kids, they don't get any education& end up unemployed,it will obviously lead to anarchy.Their population is increasing rapidly,they are demanding Sharia now then later they will demand new Pakistan: Hari Om Pandey,BJP, Ambedkar Nagar MP pic.twitter.com/WW1Zi4LpvX ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 27, 2018 The remarks from the Ambedkar Nagar MP came a day after BJP legislator Surendra Singh, who is known for making controversial statements, said that every Hindu couple must produce at least five children to keep 'Hindutva' intact. The Ballia BJP MLA said this while speaking to ANI. Singh opined that what he said is necessary to keep Hindutva intact and advocated that Hindus must increase their population in India. "It is the desire of every spiritual leader (mahant) that every Hindu couple should have a minimum of five children. This way the population will be under control and Hindutva would remain intact," Singh noted. Surendra Singh, who has drawn flak for his controversial and pro-Hindutva remarks, had earlier this month triggered a controversy by saying that even Lord Ram would not have been able to put an end to the rising rape incidents. "This is natural pollution, which has not left anybody untouched. It is people's responsibility to treat others as their family, as their sisters. We can only control it through values, not the constitution," Singh said when asked about the sudden spurt in incidents of sexual abuse in Uttar Pradesh. It is to be noted that in the aftermath of the Alwar lynching incident, several BJP and right-wing leaders have issued statements directed at the minority community. RSS ideologue Indresh Kumar had triggered a controversy by saying that if Muslims stop eating beef, the incidents of mob lynching will automatically cease. Backing Indresh Kumar, Shia Central Waqf Board chief Waseem Rizvi too urged the Muslims to stop eating beef and respect the sentiments of Hindus. Bihar BJP lawmaker Giriraj Singh had last year said that those who sympathise with Pakistan should and get settled there. There is no place for them in India, Singh had said in an indirect swipe at the Muslims. In view of the Alwar lynching incident, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan had appealed to the Muslims to stay away from cow and the dairy business for the safety of their upcoming generations. It is to be noted that PM Narendra Modi had repeatedly urged his Council of Ministers and party leaders to refrain from making controversial statements directed at a particular community as it shows the party in a bad light. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of "cruelly neglecting" the MGNREGA and the Food Security Act, saying the two legislations were brought by the previous UPA government to put an end to hunger deaths like that of the three minor girls in Delhi. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a social security employment generation legislation which guarantees employment to the poor ensuring livelihood security and the National Food Security Act aims to provide subsidised food grains to the poor. "MGNREGA was intended to put an end to hunger. FOOD SECURITY ACT was intended to put an end to starvation. Both have been cruelly neglected by the BJP government," Chidambaram tweeted. The former finance and home minister said as long as there were children who tragically starved to death, "we have to hang our heads in shame and grief". Three minor girls died allegedly due to starvation in east Delhi on Wednesday leading to a huge uproar. The Arvind Kejriwal government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragic deaths of the three sisters who were found dead in east Delhi's Mandawali area. The post-mortem report of these girls, aged two, four and eight, confirmed that they died due to malnutrition. The three sisters were taken to the hospital by neighbours where they were declared brought dead. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter expressing shock and grief over the incident. Speaking about the incident, Pankaj Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (east), said, "A board of doctors conducted a re-examination at the GTB hospital. According to the initial autopsy report, the girls died due to starvation and its complications." The father of the girls is a labourer who has not returned home since Tuesday. The mother of the deceased is mentally unstable. NEW DELHI: The nation on Friday paid homage to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who is fondly remembered as the 'People's President' and the 'Missile Man of India' on his third death anniversary. Born on October 15, 1931, in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram, Dr APJ Kalam served as the 11th President of India between 2002 and 2007. Kalam, who had penned several books and inspired millions through his philosophy of 'simple living and high thinking', died due to a cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong on July 27, 2015. As an eminent scientist, educationist, author, visionary, philanthropist and orator, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam donned several hats in his life. Fondly known as the 'missile man', he played a crucial role in the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. He was also associated with India's space program and missile development program. After serving his full term as the President, Kalam did what he loved the most till he breathed his last teaching. In the honour of the late scientist and 'People's President', Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu last year. He was honoured with several prestigious awards including India's highest civilian honour "Bharat Ratna" in 1997. He was very popular among the children and the country's youth and inspired them to think big in life. He also penned nearly 25 books, including India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, Wings of Fire: An Autobiography, Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India, Mission of India: A Vision of Indian Youth. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes -Dont take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck. -"Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action." -"To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal." -"If you fail, never give up because FAIL means "First Attempt In Learning". -Creativity is seeing the same thing but thinking differently -"If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun." -"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." -"All of us do not have equal talent. But , all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents." Interesting facts -Kalam gave away his salary to charity: Dr Kalam donated his entire salaries and savings to a charitable trust PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas) he had founded. He argued that after becoming the President of India, the government will take care of him till his death, so why not use his salary for better things. -The story of his cobbler in Thiruvananthapuram: During an official visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kalam took out time to meet his old cobbler, George. The two would often chat while the cobbler repaired his shoes. -Distributed newspapers after school: Young Kalam would distribute newspapers after his school hours to add to his father's income and support his poor family. -A man of little things: Dr Kalam led a simple lifestyle. He never owned a television. His few personal possessions included books, veena, few clothes, CD player and a laptop. At the time of his death, he left no will and all his possessions went to his older brother. -Powering Rashtrapati Bhavan with solar energy: Dr Kalam tried to power the entire Rashtrapati Bhavan with solar energy. Unfortunately, his proposal could not be fully implemented before his term ended. NEW DELHI: Last few days, it's been a sight to behold. Nature's fury saw rains lash across the country, creating havoc all around. As heavy downpour threw normal life out of gear in Delhi-NCR on Thursday, a section of the main rain caved in leading to a massive a waterfall-like situation. The incident took place outside Vartalok Apartment in Vasundhara area in Ghaziabad. The video of the incident, which has now gone viral, shows the road turns into a waterfall with the rainwater running on it flowing into a big dug up part of a road, has gone viral. Owing to the gaping hole that was created due to the caved in the road, residents of the apartments in the Vartalok Society have been asked to move away from the area. In the second incident, incessant rainfall led to a massive swelling in the water-level in Mussoorie's Kempty Falls on Friday. A video, tweeted by news agency ANI, shows the famous fall cascading with heavy waves amid rain. Heavy rains have lashed out at various locations across Uttarakhand and Delhi. Severe water-logging was reported from several parts. NEW DELHI: Taking a swipe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who had caught everyone's attention by giving an unexpected hug to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a recent debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, a BJP lawmaker has now said that their wives will leave them if they hug the Gandhi scion. Nishikant Dubey, the BJP MP from Jharkhand, said that his party members fear that hugging Congress president Rahul Gandhi might lead to divorce. "Yes, we do fear giving a hug to Rahul Gandhi. Our wives might divorce us after that,'' Dubey said. He, however, said that if Rahul gets married, they will hug him. ''Section 377 has not been scrapped as yet. If he (Rahul) gets married, we will hug him," Dubey said taking a swipe at the Congress president. #WATCH: Yes we do fear hugging Rahul Gandhi as our wives might divorce us after that. Also, Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet. If he gets married, we will hug him: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Rahul Gandhi statement 'Now BJP MPs take 2 steps back thinking I'll hug them' pic.twitter.com/gUVMeyjcgw ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018 The remarks from the BJP MP came in the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi's comment that BJP MPs should take two steps back if they think he will hug them too. Rahul's comments came at an event in New Delhi to launch the most recent book by journalist Karan Thapar. The event saw the participation of a number of key Congress faces such as former PM Manmohan Singh, Shashi Tharoor, Sheila Dikshit and Digvijaya Singh, apart from former Vice President Hamid Ansari and others. "The atmosphere in politics, we tend to see the world as either them and us and this is not my nature. But this is the design of our politics, its confrontational and winner takes all," said Rahul in his speech at the book launch. The Congress president had taken everyone by surprise after he walked up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seat and hugged him after concluding his fiery speech in the Lok Sabha over the no-confidence motion. During his speech, Rahul Gandhi made a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government but said that he and his party will handle all negativity of the ruling side with love and compassion. While Rahul Gandhi was praised by his party colleagues and other political leaders for hugging the PM, the ruling BJP termed it as a drama and cheap publicity stunt, which lowered the dignity of the PM's chair and the Parliament. NEW DELHI: The Government of Antigua has thrown indications that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back the multi-crore Punjab National Bank scam accused Mehul Choksi. Choksi, who is the uncle of fugitive diamantaire and co-accused in the PNB scam Nirav Modi, has reportedly taken citizenship of Antigua. According to 'The Daily Observer', during a Cabinet press briefing, the Chief of Staff, Lionel "Max" Hurst, had stated that Antigua and Barbuda government will make every effort 'as per law' to honour a "legitimate" request from India. The statement was issued following a meeting of the Cabinet during which the issue of Choksi getting a getting citizenship in Antigua in November last year was discussed, the daily said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also earlier requested the Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice against Choksi, which is still and may be granted soon. During the meeting, the Cabinet underlined that they do not have an extradition treaty with India and that Choksi has not been charged for any crime, the daily reported. The Cabinet also noted that no formal request has been received by the Antigua and Barbuda government for any action against Choksi from India. The daily also slammed the Citizenship by Investment unit of Antigua for allowing Choksi to get a passport of Antigua in November last year. In its reply, the CIU said that Choksi's request was allowed after "due diligence" and detailed background check from Interpol. The CBI has, however, denied that the Interpol ever approached it regarding background checks on Choksi, who was facing inquiries from various agencies last year. The Congress-led Opposition has recently sharpened its attack on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for not taking any action against Choksi and Nirav Modi. Through a tweet, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had asked the Centre to explain how Choksi managed to get a passport in Antigua despite facing criminal proceedings in the country. Posing a series of questions to the BJP government on Wednesday, the Congress party tweeted, ''Getting an Antiguan passport takes 3-4 months and people who are subject to a criminal investigation are ineligible.'' Getting an Antiguan passport takes 3-4 months and people who are subject to a criminal investigation are ineligible. How did Mehul 'Bhai' get an Antiguan passport in double quick time?#DeshKaChowkidarYaKisiAurKa pic.twitter.com/TWyWUjENtn Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2018 ''How did Mehul 'Bhai' get an Antiguan passport in double quick time?'' the party sought to know from the government. The Congress also clubbed its tweet on the PNB scam with a hashtag #DeshKaChowkidarYaKisiAurKa (watchman of the country or someone else). Tha main opposition party also claimed that ''on 20 April 2018, PM Modi had tea with the Antiguan PM and soon after, Mehul 'Bhai' escaped to Antigua on an Antiguan passport. Was it a Coincidence?'' On 20 April 2018, PM Modi had tea with the Antiguan PM. Soon after, Mehul 'Bhai' escaped to Antigua on an Antiguan passport. Coincidence?#DeshKaChowkidarYaKisiAurKa pic.twitter.com/gUuUQv3iAE Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2018 The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday moved to a special court in Mumbai seeking to declare Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi 'fugitive economic offenders' which will enable them to seize their assets in India. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with the purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with the renewal of letters of undertaking, sources said. He escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15, they said. (With Agency inputs) (Reported by Vihang Thakur) Pune: In a shocking case in Maharashtra, the Maulana of a Madrasa allegedly sexually assaulted his minor students in Pune's Katraj suburb area. More than 36 students who studied in the Jamiatul Khairiya al-Islamiya madrasa were rescued on Friday and kept in remand homes. The Maulana, Rahim Shaikh, was also arrested. According to the police, a case has been registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. Further investigation is underway. On Saturday, the police conducted a search and recovered certain things from the Madrasa. In the view of the seriousness of the situation, a special investigation team has also been set up. The Maulana used to sexually exploit the children at night and when they protested he would beat them up. Unable to bear any more, two children, aged 1o, ran away and reached the railway station. After the Railway Protection Force (RPF) with the help of an NGO questioned them, they revealed their plight. Rahim had started teaching at the Madrasa only a week ago. For the last 9 months students from the state of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra have been staying in the Madrasa. Earlier this year in January, a minor girl was allegedly raped and three others sexually assaulted in a Madrasa in Nanded, Maharashtra. The first case against the madrasa was filed by the mother of the minor girl on January 14. According to the complainant, her 11-year-old daughter was allegedly raped while her other daughter was sexually assaulted. On January 15, another case was filed against the madrasa wherein it was alleged that girls face sexual exploitation in the institution. The madrasa schooled over 100 students and was taught by Maulana Saber Farooqui. In December 2017, 51 girls were allegedly held hostage and sexually abused by the manager of a madrasa in Lucknow's Shahadatganj area. More than 125 girls studied at the madrasa, said the police. Some girls filed a complaint against the manager for sexually harassing them. At the time of the raids conducted by a joint team of Lucknow police, 51 girls were held hostage in the premises of the madrasa, all of whom were rescued. NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Kumar Verma has been summoned by the Supreme Court in the Manipur extra-judicial killings cases after the agency failed to comply with the orders of the apex court. Expressing its anger and displeasure over CBI's laxity in following its orders and failing to file charge sheets in seven cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur, the Supreme Court bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and UU Lalit directed Verma to appear before it on June 30 (Monday) at 2 pm and explain the reasons behind the delay. The court said it was "not satisfied" by the slow progress in the investigation and also directed to CBI Director to come up with a timeline about the investigation and its likely completion. Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the CBI, was told by the court that the CBI Director needs to appear before the bench and explain as the reasons behind the non-compliance in filing the charge sheets. The court issued the summons after the CBI failed to submit final investigation reports in four cases of extra-judicial killings by July 27 even though it had made a promise to do so. However, not a single charge sheet has been filed till date with the CBI seeking more time Manipur, which has been an insurgency-hit state for the last several decades, has seen many encounters in which scores of alleged terrorists have been killed. Following allegations of many of the so-called encounters being fake, the CBI was entrusted with investigating extra-judicial killings in which Army, Assam Rifles and Manipur police personnel were involved. BENGALURU: In controversial comments, former Union minister and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has dubbed intellectuals in the country as "dangerous" and said he would have ordered them shot, if he was the Home Minister. "Thousands of crores of Indian money paid by people of India as tax goes for the sake of development. They eat what is given by us and they shout slogans against our soldiers and India," Yatnal said, without elaborating. Addressing a Kargil Vijay Diwas event at Vijayapura yesterday, he said, "Tragedy is that the intellectuals and seculars within our country are more dangerous than them. What kind of statements they give...If I was the Home minister, I would have asked to make them stand and shoot them." Referring to an alleged statement by a senior Congress leader, Yatnal questioned human rights activists and groups on their silence about human rights violations when soldiers are killed. "A leader of opposition in this country says Indian soldiers are harassing women and innocent youths," he said. "People in this country speak about human rights, no one comes forward and speak about human rights when a soldier is killed, they don't condemn it. But if there is action against someone who is involved in anti-national activity, they speak about human rights violation from soldiers and police," he added. Yatnal is not new to making such controversial remarks. Earlier he was in the news for instructing corporators to work only for Hindus, who have voted for him, and not for Muslims. Yatnal has served as an MP and as minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is BJP's main face in the state and extremely popular, had an accidental slip while addressing a event in Chhatarpur on Thursday. According to reports, the Chief Minister slipped from the stairs of the stage after addressing a rally in Chhatarpur and fell down. The BJP veteran escaped unhurt and did not receive any injury. Chouhan had earlier reached Chhatarpur from Panna on the second day of his "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" in the Bundelkhand region of the state. After addressing several rallies on the way, he had reached the Chandla constituency in Chhatarpur district. After concluding his speech there, Chouhan was coming down from dais when he slipped. The BJP leader's security personnel escorting him and several party workers immediately rushed to his help. Chhatarpur District Magistrate Ramesh Bhandari later said that the Chief Minister, by mistake, skipped a step on the stairs, due to which he lost his balance and slipped. On Wednesday, he visited Damoh and Panna districts. MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has invited party leaders of both houses for a meeting in Vidhan Sabha on Saturday over the ongoing agitation over reservation for Marathas. Speaking to ANI, Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra Minister, said, ''Law and order in state due to Maratha quota stir should be discussed by all. So, CM Fadnavis has invited party leaders of both houses for a meeting in Vidhan Sabha on Saturday.'' Law&order in state due to #MarathaReservation should be discussed by all https://t.co/xhVBF5fbxz,CM Fadnavis has invited party leaders of both houses for a meeting in Vidhan Sabha on Saturday: Chandrakant Patil,Maharashtra Min after CM's meeting with state BJP leaders & Ministers pic.twitter.com/2IFvCx8Eqn ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2018 Patil made the statement after CM's meeting with state BJP leaders and ministers over the issue on Thursday. After the meeting, CM Fadnavis said that his government was making "sincere" and "serious" efforts to grant reservations for the Maratha community in the state. "Some Maratha leaders are trying to get political mileage from the quota stir," he claimed and exhorted BJP workers to ensure masses get to know about the government's efforts to bring about reservations. Meanwhile, five MLAs have so far resigned over the Maratha quota demand. Bharat Bhalke (Congress), Rahul Aher (BJP) and Dattatraya Bharne (NCP) resigned as legislators on Thursday, PTI quoted Maharashtra Assembly sources as saying. Bhalke, who represents Pandharpur in Solapur district, said he was resigning to express solidarity with quota protests. Talking to reporters, Bhalke said he had visited the family of Maratha activist Kakasaheb Shinde, who committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari in Aurangabad district on July 23. "The sentiments of the Maratha youth are intense. There is lot of unrest over the lack of (job) opportunities. Promises made to them have not been fulfilled. I have decided to resign to express my solidarity with the Maratha quota protesters as well as in support of the demand for quota by the Dhangars and other deprived communities," Bhalke said. "I am quitting membership of the assembly to highlight the unrest among the Marathas, Dhangars, Muslims and Mahadeo Koli communities," he said. Bhalke said the Maharashtra government has stayed the previous Congress government's decision to allot quota for Muslims even though the (Bombay) high court had not passed any adverse comment on the Muslim reservation. The Bombay High Court in 2014 stayed implementation of the Congress-NCP government's decision to provide reservation to Marathas. It also stayed the decision to provide five per cent reservation to the Muslims in government service, but allowed quotas for them in educational institutions. Aher, who represents Chandwad in Nashik district, announced in Nashik city that he was resigning as MLA. He handed over his resignation letter to Maratha Kranti Morcha activists who were fasting in protest outside the district collector's office. "Please treat this letter as my resignation. Whenever required, the Maratha community members could hand it over to Assembly Speaker," he stated. Yesterday, Harshvardhan Jadhav (Shiv Sena) and Bhausaheb Patil Chikatgaonkar (NCP) from Aurangabad district had offered to resign in support of the quota demand. Jadhav, who represents Kannad assembly constituency, submitted his resignation letter to the office of the Assembly Speaker on Thursday morning. Chikatgaonkar (Vaijapur constituency) said he had e-mailed his resignation to the Speaker. Later in the day, Dattatraya Bharne, the NCP legislator from Indapur, also sent his resignation to the Speaker as well as to party leader Ajit Pawar. "Despite oral as well as written promises by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, no concrete decision on the reservation was taken to date which is a serious matter," Bharne said. A Vidhan Bhavan official said an MLA who wished to resign was not required to specify the reason, but some of the MLAs who have quit have stated the reason - that they were quitting in support of the agitation. The resignation letter, which should be in a prescribed format, needs to be addressed to the Speaker, the official said. The agitation of the Maratha community for reservation in jobs and education turned violent on Thursday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, one more Maratha Kranti Morcha riot victim who was injured in an outrage between protestors and police in Navi Mumbai, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. (With Agency inputs) Mumbai: Director-producer Karan Johar who is happy with the success of his recently-released film "Dhadak", on Thursday praised filmmaker Shashank Khaitan saying that this is the best film that he has directed till date. Johar was interacting with media at success meet of "Dhadak" along with film's actors Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and director Khaitan. Asked what was his reaction after watching "Dhadak", he said: "When Shashank told me that he wants to remake (Marathi film) 'Sairat', I was bit scared because that film has its own individuality. The kind of tone that filmmaker (Nagraj Manjule) has been able to hold is very difficult to capture but confidence of Shashank is very infectious so, when we decided to make the film, I know it had to be with new talent. "When I saw end of 'Dhadak', it made me shake a little bit but when I again watched it, I felt Shashank has done an exceptional job in adapting the source material." Praising Khaitan further, Johar added: "He has taken lot of sequences from the original one but he made a new film and characters for pan India audience. It his third film as a director but in all three films that Shashank made, I think 'Dhadak' is his best film directorially. "There are certain scenes where he has tried to take extra pauses and also added energy from his side. He has been very graphic, intelligent, strategic & emotional. As a director myself, I feel this combination is very rare to achieve so, I am very proud of him." Asked whether he was nervous when his production house decided to remake the Marathi film in Hindi, Johar said: "I wasn't nervous, I was petrified and I still am because I think every time, you touch piece of art and recreate or adapt it, there is always monumental fear but I never looked at it like that. I have always said that this film is not anywhere meant to be compared with 'Sairat'. "It's fan boy's homage to original source material so, if making 'Dhadak' is wrong, then every fan in the world is also wrong who appreciate great piece of art. In fact, I see so many people going back to watch 'Sairat' after they have seen 'Dhadak' and that is an achievement of homage. You cannot ever compete with brilliance of that filmmaker because he conceived it, wrote it and executed it so, we are just big fan of that film." "Dhadak" has managed to mint a total of RS. 48.01 crore at the end of 6th day since its release and is expected to cross Rs 50 crore mark soon. New Delhi: The gorgeous Nora Fatehi set the internet on fire with her killer belly dancing in the song 'Dilbar' from the upcoming film 'Satyamev Jayate' which stars John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee in lead roles. The song created a storm and has crossed 135 million views so far. Nora has also been roped in for Ali Abbas Zafar's 'Bharat'. The movie has an ensemble star-cast including Salman Khan, Disha Patani, Tabu and Sunil Grover to name a few. Nora took to Instagram to share a dance video, celebrating the success of Dilbar song and her being a part of 'Bharat'. Check out the video here: A post shared by Nora Fatehi (@norafatehi) on Jul 25, 2018 at 6:56am PDT Talking about 'Bharat', Nora had told IANS "Excited to be a part of project of this magnitude. It`s a dream come true! The team is impeccable and the combination of Ali sir and Salman sir is the perfect combination. For me these were reasons good enough to willingly come on board. I am looking forward to begin shooting soon," 'Bharat' is jointly produced by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Khan Agnihotri and Bhushan Kumar and is a remake of the 2014 South Korean film 'Ode to My Father'. It is scheduled for a theatrical release on Eid 2019. Priyanka Chopra was also a part of the project but in a startling twist, the actress backed out even before she began shooting for the film. Reports are that her marriage to international pop-sensation Nick Jonas is the reason behind Priyanka pulling out of the film. However, there has been no official confirmation of Nick and Priyanka's marriage or engagement The word Guru means teacher in India and as per the Sanskrit verse Mata Pitah Guru Daivam the role of a teacher is placed before than that of the God. Our Gurus have often helped us selflessly and this is the day to thank them for whatever they have done for us. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be who we are today. Interestingly, the Sanskrit word Guru itself means one who removes ignorance (Gu meaning ignorance and Ru means remover). The auspicious day of Guru Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Ashadha as per the Hindu calendar. This year, the day falls on July 27. On this day, students thank their teachers for nurturing values, morals and instilling the sense of right and wrong besides imparting education. In ancient India, parents entrusted the responsibility of their children to the Guru because they knew only a teacher could help a child evolve holistically. The Guru Shishya Parampara which was wonderfully woven in the social fabric witnessed a beautiful bond between the teacher and a student. Even today, teachers are counted upon by parents to instil good values in the child. Moreover, the importance of significance of a Guru has also been clearly established in our great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The bond shared by Sage Vishwamitra and Lord Rama or Arjuna and Dronacharya are classic specimens of the Guru Shishiya parampara. Other significant features of the Guru Purnima day are as follows: This day, is also celebrated as Buddha Purnima by followers of Gautama Buddha. It is on this very day the founder of Buddhism gave his first sermon at Sarnath. The author of the Maharbharata was born on this day and hence it is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima. Guru Purnima is of great significance for the Jains too. On this day, the 24th Tirthankara Mahavira made Gautam Swami (earlier known as Indrabhuti Gautam) his first disciple. He thus became a Guru and hence the day is observed as Guru Purnima. New Delhi: The executive producer of the popular television show 'Ek Veer Ki ArdaasVeera' Mukesh Mishra, who was accused of raping a 31-year-old junior artist in a makeup room after offering her a lift on his two-wheeler, has been found guilty under IPC. A report in Free Press Journal claimed that a special women's court while holding Mishra, 33, guilty for the crime, considered the statement of a sweeper, who had seen him entering the makeup room. It sentenced the executive producer to seven years of imprisonment and Rs 5000 as a penalty. The incident took place on an uneventful day in December 2012 after she accepted his favour to take a bike ride with him to the shooting location. The actress in her complaint alleged that Mishra offered her a lift on his two-wheeler from a bus stop saying that the bus would be arriving late. After they reached the location, he followed her inside a makeup room where he forced himself on her and assaulted her sexually. The victim claimed that the accused continuously threatened her of dire consequences if she told this to anyone. The accused also threatened to kill her daughter and began seeking sexual favours from her which she declined, she alleged in her complaint. The report said that in 2013, the victim narrated the incident to her husband, who is a journalist and a small-time director. They filed a complaint against Mishra following which he was arrested on charges of rape and criminal intimidation. The accused was also sacked as the executive producer by the show management. Recently, 35 military servicemen of the Ukrainian naval forces that left the occupied Crimea four years ago, wrote an open letter to the President. As it turns out, this is not their first address. The previous one happened at the end of last year, however, no response from the President came (the official reaction from the Ministry of Defense). The plea remains the same to solve the housing issue for those servicemen that lost their homes and apartments as the result of the annexation. The Defense Ministry does not care about our problems. Such actions lead to the ultimate loss of trust towards the management of the state, as well as to increased social tension and psychological exhaustion of our families, - the letter reads. They point out the fact that the majority of the apartments, along with private property, was seized by the Russian military, There is no future for the solution to the issue in Crimea. At the same time, the promises regarding the right to obtain permanent housing in the non-occupied territory of Ukraine still remains just promises, there have been no changes made to the legislation in the 4 years. Hence, we are considered as having accommodation we in fact do not have, - military servicemen add. Also, they hinted that the absence of housing may encourage the military to return to Crimea and become Russian citizens. When and How did it all happen? As of March 2014, close to a thousand of soldiers in Crimea were occupying official accommodation units provided by Ukraines defense ministry, some of them had privatized them. At the time of the occupation, Russian Federation offers them to stay in Crimea, and to join the Russian side. In exchange, they are offered positions, apartments and decent salary or pension. The majority of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Crimea violate their oath and stays on the peninsula. However, 3991 Ukrainian servicemen (1649 officers and 2432 private corps and dockyard staff), 2638 of them being naval force servicemen leave the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to enter the continental Ukraine. After that, the Russian army captures not only military bases and territory, but also the private property belonging to Ukrainian servicemen, their housing, which it now considers its own. In order to not let it happen, the Cabinet of Ukraine publishes a decree dated 10 September 2014, which allows Ukrainian military men that left Crimea to privatize their official accommodation, where they were living as of 1 January 2014 (On the setting of a Procedure for the privatization of housing units in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol by Ukrainian military servicemen). The hopes of the private property not getting "nationalized" did not come to fruition. "We have many cases when housing is captured along with the furniture, private belongings, and there are Russian military servicemen living there with their families. If the Cabinets decree paralyzed us, as we have lost the right to obtain permanent accommodation in Ukraine, as we have already received, but how do we give it back? Maryna Kanalyuk, the advisor to the commander of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, told 112.ua in an interview. According to the official response from the Officership of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, military sailors were able to privatize some 100 apartments in the annexed Crimea, but the privatization papers are not recognized by the occupational authority. "The servicemen have to pay for utilities and court fees regarding the housing they have no access to. However, representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry consider it their property and take action on seizing it. Apart from that, the servicemen of the Naval Forces of Ukraine have lost their right to acquire permanent housing from the state, - the response reads. What does the "have lost their right to acquire permanent housing from the state actually mean? For the Armed Forces of Ukraines servicemen there is a housing queue from the defense ministry, and, according to a report on the execution of the passport budgetary program, as of 1 January 2018, it included some 47097 names. Naval Forces servicemen that privatized apartments in Crimea were removed from the list, as they have used their right to housing. According to the ministry's official account, as of 1 April 2014, some 4,952 families of military servicemen and reserve forces required improved housing conditions, 3282 of which were the families of Naval Forces servicemen. Only 823 of those families were living in official apartments, 435 of which were the families of the Ukrainian Navy. This is why 112.ua asked the Apartment Usage Directorate of the Ukrainian Armed Forces how the leadership of the ministry and its specialist branches plan to solve the housing issue for the Crimean servicemen. To that, we received a long reply, which also contradicts the Navys position. We publish the Directorates reply without amendments. "The procedure for providing servicemen and their family members with housing is set by the requirements of the Instruction on the organization of provision of housing to the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their family members, stipulated by the Defense Ministrys order from 30 November 2011 #737 (amended), registered at the Justice Ministry on 10 January 2012 under #24/20337. The Instruction was amended in sections pertaining to the provision of Crimean servicemen according to their desire to join the housing queue while maintaining the previous inclusion in the queue and exercising all rights to provision of accommodation from the defense ministrys fund disregarding the obtained residential facilities (regardless of the estate) in the territory of the autonomous republic. It also stipulates the opportunity to receive a monetary compensation for renting accommodation, if the servicemen have housing on the temporarily occupied territory. It should also be noted that in order to provide a safety net for the aforementioned category of servicemen and their family members, a number of legislative acts have been introduced by the government. They include the Law of Ukraine On the provision of civil rights and freedoms and the legal process on the temporarily occupied territory, Article 15 of which says that the acquisition of a private property to housing located on the temporarily occupied territory by military servicemen and their family members does not prohibit their right to privatize the housing located in other parts of Ukraine. Judging from the aforementioned, the issue of providing military servicemen that served in Crimea and their families with housing from the defense ministrys fund has been solved. MrPasichny, a representative of the Directorate, also explained that the servicemen of the Naval Forces are just returning to the housing queue and that their turn they had at the time of the privatization of Crimean apartments are maintained. They simply switched the station. What is the difference between a relocation of a soldier from Feodosia to Dnipro different from his relocation from Zhytomir to Rivne? There is none. This is why they re-join the main queue, - MrPasichny said. In the four years between April 2014 and April 2018, Naval Forces servicemen were fiven a total of 22 official apartments and 2 permanent apartments paid for by the ministry. Another important figure there are some 100 soldiers living in the Armed Forces' ships. It is also the official response from the officership of the Navy. Although in July 2016, President Poroshenko claimed that around 600 sailors in Odesa now have to live in their ships as they have no accommodation. And those people are waiting for their turn too. The queue keeps growing In the article entitled The housing question. How the defense ministry has been providing the army with housing over the last five years we wrote that between 2013 and 2017 the authority assigned 3868 apartments to the military. The cost of the construction or acquisition of housing stood at UAH 117.1 million in 2013, at UAH 189.4 million in 2014, at UAH 870.8 million in 2015, at UAH 715.1 million in 2016, at UAH 691.1 million in 2017. As of the beginning of 2018, the housing queue included some 46.3 families of the military. In its report on the execution of the budgetary program of the ministry, as of 1 January 2018, the figure was at 47,097. The increased number of homeless military servicemen by 1915 individuals that are in the housing queue happened due to the inclusion of university graduates, the higher number of private corps serving under a contract, and other reasons, - the explanatory addendum to the data reads. That is in order to understand how fast the queue is moving. The percentage of individuals provided with housing out of those on the list is 1%. Also, the same report that is published on the defense ministrys website the number of apartments were commissioned by the authority. It is visible that due to various reasons, the ministry received 50% less apartments than it had expected. Open source The number of apartments that resulted from the reconstruction of the facilities that started in the previous years: the main fund 155 apartments, 4 obtained; the special fund 52 apartments, 0 obtained. The number of apartments that have the status of an official housing unit. Out of the main fund, 242 apartments were going to be allocated over 2017, it turned out to be 88; out of the special fund 102 were planned for new status, 0 were allocated with it. It is explained by: a) the ministry has constructed less housing than expected; b) apartments that were acquired in December 2017, were not divided into permanent and official ones. If the state is not capable of providing you with an apartment, it is capable of compensating you for renting it. Last year, a total of 62 individuals were lucky to get compensated. The average amount of compensation stood at UAH 479,000 ($18,000). Is the housing being built? As the Directorate responded to the request, in 2018, construction of three apartment blocks of 72 flats each is expected in Mykolaiv region (Southern Ukraine) is expected to be financed by the state budget. In particular, it will be for those Naval Forces servicemen that left Crimea. Not too long ago, the Chief of Naval Operations of Ukraine Ihor Voronchenko informed that the construction of an 80-apartment building for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a dormitory for servicemen under contract is about to be completed in Odesa. A building for 120 people has already been built in Odesa, another one is being built now, it will be followed by a third one. The construction process is still ongoing in regards to the housing fund for private corps and offices. There are also issues that require solution, we are working on them, - the vice-admiral noted. Chied engineer at the Yuzny branch of the Directorate colonel Yuriy Pidgaetsky told that facilities for marines are being builta at the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky and Mykolaiv posts. Generally, problems here arise as the result of the contractors inability to fulfill their obligations. Particularly, that is the situation we encountered during the construction of a dormitory for 340 individuals in Odesa for the Navy base. We need to do everything in order to relocate the personnel that is currently accommodated on their ships, - Mr Pidgaestky said. Another massive project (at least referred to as such by the officership) is going to take place in Dachne (Odesa region, Southern Ukraine), where a military town accommodating over a thousand of marines is about to be built. The works here started 9 months ago, and, according to Ihor Voronchenko, the approximate cost of the construction is supposed at UAH 240 million ($9 million), it is about halway finished. Of course, it has not been all that simple. Certain tender participants did not wish to lose in a competitive fight, thats why, for example, were dumping to such levels that were impossible to fulfill. Or they disputed the tender results. Hence, a long paperwork procedure ensued, negatively impacting the construction process. Everything has been normalized now, - he added. StepanPoltorak, the defense minister, visited Dachne in April. "This is the first of the kind infrastructure project in line with NATO standards, which includes the construction of separate dormitories for army conscript and contractual staff and their family members. Also, it provides for the construction of a new cafeteria, a boiler house, as well as training buildings, - the minister pointed out. He hopes the construction of the main items will be completed by the year's end. *** "We hope the state leadership does not stay away from solving the hosuing issue for the military sailors and it does not encourage the servicemen of the Naval Forces to return to the occupied Crimea and to get Russian citizenship in order to solve their lodging problem, which threatens the private lives of the sailors and their families", - the letter to the President reads. It is understood that the letter is filled with resentment towards the state that is incapable of appreciating the loyalty of those who left Crimea. They are asking why, when they ended up in such a situation and having lost almost everything, they have to live in ships deprived of any benefits for a sooner acquisition of housing. It is obvious that the housing situation for servicemen is far from the best. However, the situation is the same with Crimean displaced individuals, as well as with those from Donetsk and Luhansk not only in the Armed Forces, but also in other security agencies. Similar concerns could be voiced by those servicemen who, upon arrival from the Anti-Terror Operation, lived in tents instead of warm barracks. These are the rights that officers that have been renting apartments for 20 years could voice. As well as 47,000 other families. Two Russian mercenaries lost their lives as well, another two sustained wounds Open source On Thursday, July 26, the illegal armed units of Russian militants attacked Ukrainian positions in Donbas 32 times. One Ukrainian fighter deceased, and one more was wounded in action, the HQ of the Joint Forces Operation reported. No heavy weaponry was used over the mentioned period, except for an attack near Hnutove, where the enemy fired an anti-tank guided missile. The militants opened fire in the areas of Krymske, Hirne, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Svotlodarsk, Yuzhne, Novhorodske, Pisky, Vodyane, Lebedynske, Hnutove, Chermalyk and Shyrokyne. Since the early hours of Friday, pro-Russian mercenaries have landed attacks on Hirne, Mayorsk, Mariinka and Shyrokyne. The Ukrainian military intelligence reports that two Russian mercenaries lost their lives, and another two sustained wounds. Earlier on July 26, Russian armed proxies shelled the waste pond of Toretsk phenolic factory in Donetsk region. The said attack causes a grave threat of the environmental disaster in the area. The Joint Control and Coordination Centre, JCCC, reported that on Thursday, with the HQ of the Joint Forces Operation quoting them later that day. Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, the Commander of Joint Forces operation urged Thomas Greminger, the OSCE Secretary-General to strengthen the efficiency of the OSCE SMM in occupied Donbas as the press service of the Joint Forces operation reported on Facebook. The sides discussed the issues on the observing of the comprehensive, stable and termless cease-fire regime announced on July 1, 2018, during the meeting in Bakhmut. Moreover, Nayev familiarized Greminger with the humanitarian situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. During the meeting, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev noted the contribution of the OSCE in the bringing peace to Donbas. At the same time, he urged Thomas Greminger to strengthen the efficiency of the OSCE SMM in Ukraine at the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied by the Russian occupation forces, the message said. Also, Nayev noted that the pro-Russian militants used the weaponry banned by the Minsk Agreements and constantly violate the cease-fire regime. Earlier Ukraines representatives in the Trilateral Contact Group appealed to the OSCE with a request to hold an investigation of the messages on the possible stealing of the personal data of the OSCE SMM members. As we reported the OSCE SMM in Ukraine expressed the concern that its internal documents, including the dossiers on the OSCE staff, were passed to the Russian side. It was said that they contained a lot of personal information about the OSCE workers, including the types of women they were attracted to, their financial situation and whether they were susceptible to alcohol. Later it was specified that the OSCE SMM did not collect personal and financial information about its workers. Social media The militants continue firing at the peaceful settlements in Donbas. In particular, as a result of attacks at Katerynivka the power lines were damaged, as Yury Klymenko, Deputy Chairman of Luhansk City Administration, stated. A peaceful Katerynivka came under fire again. The power lines are damaged again. The Emergency Service team went to the site. We are deciding on the access to the damaged network for the region operation team and safety of the repair works, he wrote. He also reminded that over the past 24 hours the militants attacked at Krymske six times. Fortunately, it has been without victims and destructions this time. This is the grain ceasefire! he noted. Earlier, one Ukrainian soldier died, one more was wounded over the past 24 hours. During today, the militants have fired at the Ukrainian positions near Hirne, Mayorsk, Marinka and Shyrokyne five times. Oleksandr Donets, Head of the plant said they were planning to build two-three planes by the end of the year Open source Antonov State Company is intended to cooperate with Aviall, the subsidiary of Boeing and to finally solve the question of the dependence on Russia. Reuters report with the reference to the data of Oleksandr Donets, Head of Antonov.State Company. Antonov is planning to resume the serial production by the end of the next year owing to the deal with Boeing, in particular, cooperation with Aviall. They are intended to build eight planes a year and to build the first two-three planes by the end of 2018. Although, they note that Oleksandr Donets hadnt said anything about the future clients. Along with this, he announced the development of the common hangar. The deal with Aviall gave us two advantages. We are developing a common hangar situated on the territory of Ukraine in Hostomel city. The hangar will deal with goods, supplies, metal, and nonmetal, with all components, which we cant get from our former partner the Russian Federation, Donets claimed. According to him, the hangar may cost Aviall dozens of millions USD. It is expected that Aviall will support the manufacturing program for building AH planes and will exclusive right for planes maintenance. Reportedly, Antonov stated on the agreement concluded with Aviall, they did not specify the details though. Read the original text at 112.ua. Provision of Tomos of Autocephaly for Ukrainian Orthodox Church is postponed. According to 112.ua sources among the clergy, months of talks allowed the official Kyiv, to enlist the support of the majority of Orthodox churches, but autocephaly will not be granted at the end of July: the Russian and Serbian churches are against it. However, Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy stated that autocephaly will be provided before the end of the year. Ideas about the creation of the Ukrainian local Orthodox Church have been voiced since the nineties but without much success. The topic was raised during a meeting of the leaders of parliamentary factions with President Petro Poroshenko (March 17). During it, the head of state announced that he would appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I with a request to grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Tomos - permission for autocephaly (independence). And, according to the meeting participants, it was a real surprise for them. "As president, I decided to ask the Ecumenical Patriarch to provide Tomos of the local autocephalous church and I would ask you, dear colleagues (because there are things that unite us all), that the parliament supports this appeal as soon as possible," the head of state claimed then. According to one of the participants in the meeting, Poroshenko hinted that he had already conducted preliminary work and highly estimated the chances of obtaining an autocephalous status. "The president said that everything has been already decided with Bartholomew," the source said. The interlocutors believe that the key reason for the intensification of this issue is an attempt to increase the ratings of the head of state in light of the forthcoming presidential elections in May. Poroshenko then said that he expects to receive an autocephalous status already in July this year. However, 268 votes of MPs under the statement of support for the autocephaly did not bring autocephaly. In the first half of July, the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate did not consider the relevant issue, and its next meeting will be held only in August. The reason for the postponement of the issue is the continuation of informing Orthodox churches about the intention of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Informing the local churches by the delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople began in April (after the relevant appeal of the authorities and part of the clergy). The delegation should visit all 13 local churches and receive their reaction and suggestions. Based on these trips, a report must be prepared. The final decision on granting autocephaly is taken by the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. According to the 112.ua sources among the clergy that support autocephaly, currently, the provision of Tomos to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is supported by 10 local Orthodox churches. As noted by our interlocutors, the Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches are against it. The former, according to the representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan of Prussia Elpidophor, conducts an information campaign against the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian church. However, according to the procedure, the decision to grant Tomos is made by a majority of the members of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Our sources hope that the upcoming celebration of the anniversary of the Christianization of Rus in the capital, which is planned to be visited by delegations of 12 local Orthodox churches and, possibly, the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarch, will bring Tomos closer to Ukraine. "Mass participation of Ukrainians in the procession will be a signal for Constantinople to support this idea in our country," the interlocutors note, considering that the chances of obtaining Tomos are high. It should be noted that the priests asked some parishioners of the churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) about their presence at the celebrations on the occasion of the anniversary of the Christianization of Rus. However, according to the supporters of autocephaly, we are not talking about any compulsory attendance at events. However, the mass participation of the Ukrainians in the events may not help its initiators. The barrier to granting autocephaly is the lack of official recognition of the UOC-KP and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), whose clergy asked for autocephaly. Yes, and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has imposed anathema on Patriarch Filaret in the 90's. However, this decision was appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), in turn, is skeptical about the prospect of providing Tomos and note that the local Orthodox churches share the position of the UOC-MP. "In August they will say that the consideration of the issue (about granting Tomos) will be postponed until September," Mykola Danylevych, deputy chairman of the External Relations Department of the UOC-MP, wrote on his Facebook page, noting also that the UOC-KP and the UAOC are not officially recognized. However, the provision of Tomos is not only a religious question but also a political one. The media have been publishing information about the contacts of Presidents Poroshenko and Erdogan on this issue - allegedly the Ukrainian head of state asked the Turkish counterpart to contribute to a positive solution to the problem. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners. The closer are the elections, the more often we hear the question about how many real voters are in Ukraine Read the original text at 112.ua. Open source The closer are the elections, the more often we hear the question about how many real voters are in Ukraine? And this question is definitely not rhetorical, but rather a strategic one. In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers commissioned a pilot population census in two districts in 2019. A full-fledged procedure was set for 2020. However, experts have doubts that the authorities are capable of organizing it. And most importantly, whether they want to. If the methodology is tested at the end of next year, analysis of the results and preparation of the toolkit will take at least six months. Let me remind you, Ukraine is the only state in Europe where the population census has not been conducted for 17 years. Although the UN Census requires conducting a census every 10 years. In Ukraine, it was conducted in 2001. Then there were 48 million 457 thousand people. Various ministries and departments annually submit the corresponding statistics, which is contradicting. It seems that all the "numbers" are just created. And no one really cares. After all, for many years, billions of hryvnia taxpayers are allocated for these imagined figures. For example, the number of employed Ukrainians, according to various departments, reaches 3 million. The huge number of people who are eligible for transport benefits (12 million) is primarily due to the lack of adequate accounting. And no one is following the dynamics of the migration processes because of Donbas conflict. The Ministry of Social Policy is limited to the official registration of IDPs - about 1.5 million. But it does not know how many of them actually live on the territory, controlled by Ukraine. The wrong amount of the population means errors in the forecast of domestic consumption, inaccuracies in calculating the volume of social assistance, the inability to calculate the load on the infrastructure and the compilation of forecasts for the development of labor potential. All this makes it impossible to build an adequate economic policy. Especially when we speak about the social programs. It is no coincidence that for all the years of Ukraines independence a single register of beneficiaries has not been created. It is hardly appropriate today to debate whether we need a census of the population. The question of the reliability of the demographic data and information contained in the bases of various ministries and departments was especially acute after 2014. According to scientists, from 2015 to mid-2018 about 5 million people left the country. The number of those who went abroad for permanent residence is estimated at hundreds of thousands. A lot of people today are labor migrants. How can you plan and implement any reforms, if you do not know how many people actually live in the country? We proceed from the data of the State Statistics Committee, which claims that they have 17 million citizens registered, of which 16 million are employed. But if a population is 42.5 million, the able-bodied segment should be about 23 million. That is, we have not one million unemployed people, but seven. At the same time, we are planning a large-scale pension reform without having an idea of how many people can pay contributions to the Pension Fund! After all, if we really have 7 million potential payers, then the outlines of the reform are very different: we must not raise the retirement age, but simply give people jobs. We also proceed from the fact that labor reserves are exhausted, because we do not have reliable data on the demographic situation. In particular, in the absence of reliable figures on the number and composition of the population, healthcare reform, monetization of benefits, the social housing program, etc., are also unjustified. Are there any political contexts here? Sure. After all, all these "registrations" allow you to receive budgetary financing for imagined figures of beneficiaries, and also to raise funds from international donors for various "reforms." In addition, it is easier to hide the scale of the extinction of the country. Every year, there are less and less Ukrainians. The main causes are high mortality, low birth rate, the outflow of people of working age, armed conflict. It is interesting that the forthcoming elections will also be held in the absence of objective information on the number of voters. And here is a great opportunity for falsification. The authorities are not interested in publishing the real numbers. After all, "ghost votes" in particular allow manipulation of election results. Presidents Administration realizes it. The presidential elections are very close. Nobody wants bad "statistics". We need to conduct a census as soon as possible, and preferably before the elections. To make it objective, we should involve independent international expert organizations in carrying out and analyzing the results. This will help us to finally understand the real demographic picture and eliminate a number of corruption loops in the social and economic sphere. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners. According to him, the meetings of the Russian and U.S. president are useful for the whole world President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has invited U.S. President Donald Trump to Moscow. He claimed this at the press conference on the results of BRICS summit as TASS reported. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow, he has, by the way, such an invitation, I told him about that. I am ready to come to Washington if the proper conditions for the work will be created there, Putin said. He claimed about his desire to meet again as well as about Trumps desire. At the same time, Russias president emphasized that it is important to create the conditions for this. Putin reminded that he will be able to meet the American leader during the international events, including the G20 summit. According to him, despite the difficulties in the domestic political life of the US, the meetings of the presidents will continue. The Russian president expressed the opinion that his meetings with Trump are useful not only for the US and Russia but also for the whole world. According to him, different issues needed to be discussed, some of the concern different states and Europe, particularly, the extension of the agreement on the restriction of the strategic offensive arms. The whole world is interested in this: if the talks are not begun today, New START agreement will stop to exist in 2021, Putin noted. He also expressed the opinion about the Syrian crisis. We need to satisfy the interests of all states in this region: Syria, Iran, Israel, Turkey and others Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and so on. We will talk about this at the high political level or we think that these issues are of the secondary nature? he said. According to Bolton, Trump thinks that his next meeting with Putin will take place when the hunt on witches overs. During this time, they will be expecting the end of the investigation into the possible interference of the Russian Federation in the US Presidential elections in the USA in 2016. Reportedly, American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Helsinki and have been talking one-on-one for more than one hour. The meeting was criticized by mass media and politics. They called Trump Putins poodle and traitor, and the meeting as a whole was a "shame." Later it was reported that Trump postponed the next appointment with the Russian President to 2019. The solemn events take place in the Ukrainian capital on July 27 and 28; dozens of thousands of believers come to Kyiv from all over Ukraine to join the festivities As Kyiv hosts the events timed to the 1030th anniversary of Christianization of Kyiv Rus', a number of holy relics reach Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra - the main shrine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reported that on Facebook. Among the holy items will be the remains of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (the ancient monarch who baptized Kyiv Rus, - 112 International), St. Andrew The First-Called, St. George The Conqueror and other saints, respected among Christians of the Eastern Rite. The holy relics will be available for the worshippers at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on July 27 and 28, around the clock. They will also be seen publicly during the procession in Kyiv, which is slated for Friday. The worshippers will walk across the downtown city. Kyiv police expect up to 100,000 people to join the festive events on Friday; the city centre is shut down, and road traffic is limited in that area - for public safety reasons. Last years religious procession started in Ternopil and Donetsk regions, brought the two groups of believers to enter Kyiv on July 26, meet on July 27 in Kiev at St. Vladimir's Hill, and together with the Orthodox Kyiv citizens and pilgrims proceed to Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The expected number was 30 000 participants, however, there were more than 4,500 pilgrims at Volodymyrska Hirka a year ago and around 6 000 people took part in celebration of Baptism of Rus last year. Law enforcers expected a high number of provocations by pro-Russian activists or Kremlin-backed militants, tightening preventive measures, however, there were no serious violations reported. According to an expert, the employment in Poland is a complicated action, especially if the issue is about the relocation with family and children Open source Poland changes a legislation at the state level and if you are a foreign citizen, you will be paid less. Kateryna Kryvoruchenko, the Head of Expert-Analytical Center HeadHunter said this as 24 Channel reported. Now the legislation is changed in Poland. At the level of the state, there is an initiative to pay less if you are a foreign citizen. In other words, it is particular state regulators that influence you anyway. Moreover, when we talk about the difficulties (the difficulties of the work for the Ukrainians in Poland, - 112 international), there was an impossibility to work for the profession. It is uncomfortable for people, she added. According to the expert, the employment in Poland is a complicated action, especially if the issue is about the relocation with family and children. If you are going to be alone, it is one situation. You can afford to live for some time in the conditions you are not used to. But if you move with your family then you need more. It is a medical insurance, school, and education. We understand that it is connected to many spheres of our life. So the move and work are not so easy, she added. Earlier we reported that Ukraine is losing not only the workforce but also a part of an active population due to a labor migration. In just a few months since its creation, the online platform UkrainianPeopleLeaks.com recorded 350,000 people who left the country. As it was reported earlier, the population of Ukraine shrinks because of the labor migration, which often turns into the de facto migration, which means people choose to stay abroad rather than to return to their motherland. The research says that highly-educated Ukrainians go to Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and settle for the work in factories and fields. '39.2 percent of them carry out the most primitive work; 24.7 are involved in the handicraft, and another 16.5 work in the sales area. They earn less than the locals', reads the survey. The passengers are re-directed to other flights; they will depart to Ukraine later Several flights were canceled or delayed in Italy, as the passengers were going to leave to Ukraine. The press service of Lviv airport reported that on Facebook. According to the message, flight EG223 Milan Bergamo - Lviv, which was supposed to arrive in Ukraine in 11 a.m., was canceled. All passengers of this flight are re-directed to flight EG423 Milan Malpensa - Lviv (ETA 8.40 p.m. Friday). While they await the boarding, they stay at a hotel in Malpensa, with some hod food provided. EG224 flight (Lviv - Milan Bergamo) was cancelled, too. The tickets will be re-booked to flight EG424 (Lviv - Milan Malpensa), which is to depart at 9.25 a.m. Another two flights operated by Ernest are delayed; EG278 (Lviv - Naples) is expected to depart at 00.35 Saturday, while EG277 (Naples - Lviv) is to depart at 21.35. Previously, dozens of Ukrainians stuck at Barcelona airport due to the delayed flight; later, they got back home safely. Sknyliv air show tragedy, July 2002 112 International On July 27, Ukrainians pay tribute to the compatriots who perished in the Sknyliv air show tragedy of 2002. On Friday, they are to honor their memory, bringing flowers and candles to the crash site at Sknyliv air field in Lviv region. The horrific accident that occurred at the airfield in western Ukraine, took lives of 77 people; 28 of them were children. On that day in 2002, the 14th Aviation Corps of Ukraine's Air Forces celebrated its 60th anniversary. The said air show was the key event timed to this solemn occasion. About 10,000 people gathered at the airfield to watch it. The show included a number of aerial stunts performed by Pilot First Class Volodymyr Toponar and second pilot Yuriy Yehorov, the members of Ukrainski Sokoly (Ukrainian Hawks, - 112 International), a stunt crew of the Air Force. At 12.52 a.m., Sukhoi Su-27 fighter pilots completed an aerial stunt improperly and lost control over the aircraft. The fighter trapped over the tree, then its wing hit the asphalt surface of the landing strip. The aircraft ran into a Sukhoi Su-17, which stood idle on the ground, hitting a navigational flashlight of Ilyushin Il-76, and, eventually, ran into a crowd of bystanders, exploding and catching fire. The terrible crash resulted in 77 fatalities and injuries of more than 200 people. Both pilots survived, as they ejected immediately after the plane hit the ground, suffering minor injuries. Open source Volodymyr Shkidchenko, the-then defense minister, immediately asked for resignation; however, it was not approved, and he remained in office. The-then Air Force Commander and the commanding officer of the 14th Aviation Corps were sacked. Another three generals were arrested by the military prosecutor's office. The investigation considered several reasons of the tragedy, including the aircraft's technical malfunction, a piloting error as well as the negligence during the planning of the flight schedule and poor organization of the air show. The latter was officially defined as one of the two reasons by the Prosecutor General's Office. Both pilots were charged with negligence and the lack of professionalism - along with divergence from flight conditions. Neither of them pleaded guilty, pointing out that their flight maps differed from the actual landscape where the show took place. Toponar and Yehorov also said they had to perform the maneuvers that they did not practice in advance. Eventually, the court found ten people guilty, which included the pilots and the air show organizers. All were sentenced from five to 14 years in prison. Fines and compensations for the victims' families were also ordered. The European Court for Human Rights considered 33 cases, based on the appeals filed by the families of the deceased. In two particular cases, the citizens lost the case in favor of the government, as the authority ruled that Ukraine's Cabinet never concealed the incident and performed a due investigation. In one of the cases, the ECHR ruled that Ukraine pay 3,600 Euros to the family, as it couldn't get the due compensation from the Ukrainian government - despite the verdicts by the domestic courts. Open source However, the celebration started earlier, from the beginning of the week. On Tuesday, July 24, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church has conducted its Cross Procession. According to the capitals law enforcers, 100 000 people are participating in tomorrows and todays Cross Processions. Restricted traffic is expected in downtown. Todays date is under discussion not only because a large-scale celebration, but also due to the church topic it is about a possible creation of a Unified Ukrainian Autocephalous Church in Ukraine. A little bit later on what is known about this. For now, we will look upon this holiday and define what it is. What day is it? Open source Its official name in Ukraine is Christianization of Kievan Rus (in Russia, it is called Christianization of Rus). The decree of the President Viktor Yushchenko established the celebration on July 25, 2008. The holiday is being celebrated on July 28 annually. This date has a reason behind it. According to the legend, on this day in 988, Vladimir the Great (the ruler of Kievan Rus' from 980 to 1015, - ed.) got a new religion and came back to Kyiv to christen Russ people. What is known about the Christianization? Open source It should be emphasized that the exact date of the Christianization has not been determined. It was indicated allegedly August 14 (under the old calendar) in 988. It is known that Vladimir the Great decided to christen Rus due to the political reasons, primarily hoping to unite warring territories and strengthen his power. He was receiving offers to get Muslimism, a Hebrew religion, Catholicism, but he chose Orthodox Christianity. Vladimir was christened in Chersonesus and got a new name Vasyly. He also christened his children and the lieges and got married to Anna from Byzantium. Mass Christianization of the people was held in Dnipro. However, not all the people wanted to refuse from paganism, but they were convinced. Sometimes, with the use of a weapon. How Ukraine celebrates the 1030th anniversary of Christianization of Rus? Divine worship, prayers, Cross Processions. On Friday, July 27, a prayer with the participation of Metropolitan Onufriy will take place on Saint Vladimir Hill. The Celebrant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will hold a prayer to Saint Vladimir with a request to bless Ukraine and send peace for the Ukrainians. The Cross Procession from the Saint Vladimir Hill to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra will start at 1:30 pm. On Saturday, July 28, a Cross Procession Prayer for Ukraine and Ukrainian Unified Orthodox Church on the following route: St Volodymyr's Cathedral Shevchenko Boulevard Vladimirska Street Sofyiska Square Mykhailivska Square Vladimir Hill park. Kyiv Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. What about the tomos? Open source As the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus Filaret thinks, the Archbishop of Constantinople Bartholomew will grant tomos an autocephaly for to Ukraine this year. For now, the decision is being postponed. International law must be upheld, Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, - Norways Foreign Ministry said. The Foreign Ministry of Norway has supported the declaration of the U.S. State Department that stands against the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia as it reported on Twitter. Norway welcomes and supports statement by U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo reaffirming US stance against Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. International law must be upheld, Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, the message said. As we reported that Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that the U.S. would never recognize Crimeas annexation and would continue insisting on the restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity. The UK has officially supported this position as well as other EU countries. Russia has already reacted to this statement stating that it doubts its life-changing nature. In particular, Maria Zakharova, the Spokesperson of Russias Foreign Ministry claimed the uncertainty of the American foreign policy reminding about the situation with the nuclear deal with Iran and the Paris Agreement. As she wrote, the decision Obama made was re-decided by Trump. On July 26, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations supported the resolution, which blames the illegal attempt of occupation of Crimea by Russia. The delegation arrived in Kyiv to participate in the celebration of the 1030th anniversary of the Christianization of the Kievan Rus President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has met a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople that arrived in Ukraine to participate in a celebration of the 1030th anniversary of the Christianization of the Kievan Rus as the press service of the president reported. Poroshenko expressed the gratitude to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I for constant care of the Mother Church about Ukrainian believers that have difficult times due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and illegal annexation of Crimea. Also, Ukrainian president thanked the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate that they arrive to celebrate so special event for the Ukrainians. I am so thankful for this pray. So thankful for such support and that we will celebrate this important anniversary together tomorrow, he said. In his turn, Metropolitan Emmanuel Gaulish, the representative of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I emphasized that came to Ukraine on behalf of the Patriarch. He also emphasized that the situation in Ukraine is in the spotlight of Bartholomew I. As we reported Ukraine celebrated the Christianization of Kievan Rus on July 24. The traffic will be restricted on July 24, 27 and 28 because of the events timed to the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus-Ukraine. On July 27, eight holy relics reached Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra - the main shrine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The holy relics will be available for the worshippers at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on July 27 and 28, around the clock. They will also be seen publicly during the procession in Kyiv, which is slated for Friday. The worshippers will walk across the downtown city. Later it was reported that at least 250,000 people took part in the Cross Procession in Kyiv downtown on Friday, July 27. Earlier Poroshenko held the meeting with the primates of the Orthodox churches and accepted the appeal to Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch on the provision of the tome on the autocephaly for the Ukrainian church with the signs of all bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The U.S. House of Representatives has adopted the bills on U.S. budget for 2019 for the national defense needs Open source The U.S. House of Representatives supported the allocation of $250 million to Ukraine for the security and defense as Ukraines Embassy to the US reported on Facebook. The number of funds allocated to the U.S. Defense Secretary for the provision of the security support to Ukraine is $250 million. $50 million of these funds should be allocated for the lethal weaponry, the message said. As the Embassy reported, the point about the cooperation with Ukraine in the cyber-security sphere is also included in the document. Particularly, the U.S. State Department is ordered to provide the report to the Congress on the state of the cooperation with Ukraine in the cyber-security to find new directions of such interaction and support. In the future, the bill on U.S. budget for 2019 for the national defense needs should be supported by Senate and passed for the signing of the U.S. president, the Ukrainian Embassy said. As we reported the United States in the near future will help Ukraine to strengthen its defense capacity by allocating 100 million dollars. Ukraines Defense Minister of Stepan Poltorak stated. Earlier, the United States House Committee on Armed Services of the US Congress presented the draft law on the US budget for 2019 national defense, which provides for the allocation of 250 million dollars to Ukraine. The Grammy-winning jazz legend plays live. 2017 NEA Jazz Master, three-time Grammy and Tony award winner and UN Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, Dee Dee Bridgewater is truly a jazz giant who has, over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists. Putting her unique spin on standards, as well as re-envisioning jazz classics, she is a fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, and throughout her career, has always bridged musical genres. She earned her first professional experience as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band, and in the 1970s performed with Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie. After a foray into the pop world during the 1980s, she relocated to Paris and turned her attention back to Jazz. Bridgewater began self-producing her recordings in 1993 with her album Keeping Tradition and created DDB records in 2006 when she signed with the Universal Music Group as a producer. Releasing a series of critically acclaimed CD's, all but one, including her wildly successful double Grammy Award-winning tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Dear Ella - have received Grammy nominations. Her latest 2017 release, MemphisYes Im Ready is a return to her roots which offers ground-breaking reimagining of American Blues and R&B classics, where she puts her love of vintage soul and blues front and center. Bridgewater has pursued a parallel career in musical theater, winning a Tony Award for her role as Glinda in The Wiz in 1975. Other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen, Cabaret and most recently, the Off-Broadway and West End Productions of Lady Day, for which Bridgewater received the British Laurence Olivier Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. As a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), she continues to appeal for international solidarity to finance global grassroots projects in the fight against world hunger. Joining her tonight are Michael King, piano; Tabari Lake, bass; and Kush Abadey, drums. The author talks about and sign his N.M.-based non-fiction effort, Historic Movie Theatres of New Mexico. Santa Fe author Jeff Berg, who has written for several southwestern magazines, will be at Page One Books 4:00 pm Saturday, July 28, to talk about and sign his NM-based non-fiction effort, "Historic Movie Theatres of New Mexico." The book is described as such: "New Mexico's theatrical ties span more than 100 years. The Fountain Theatre, once a Civil War hospital and headquarters, produced plays, opera and vaudeville performances until 1929, when the venue started airing talkies. Today, it holds the title of oldest operating theatre in New Mexico. Albuquerque drive-in attendees enjoyed personal screens for each car at the Circle Autoscope. And Rio Grande Theater operated for more than 70 years before showing its final screening of U.S. Marshals in 1998. Author Jeff Berg details the Land of Enchantment's iconic movie houses, including Albuquerque's KiMo Theatre." Berg is the author of "New Mexico Filmmaking." Previously he was a board member, special events coordinator and film series programmer for the Mesilla Valley Film Society in Mesilla. He also worked at George RR Martin's Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe as assistant manager. Bergs real love, and area of expertise, is exploring the overall history of filmmaking in New Mexico. The states profile as a filmmaking location was raised exponentially by the multi-year run of Breaking Bad on AMC. Berg's work has been featured in numerous publications including "Film Comment," "True West," "New Mexico Magazine" and "ABQ: The Magazine." He lives in Santa Fe. Page One Books is located at 5850 Eubank Blvd NE, Suite B-41, in Albuquerque's Mountain Run Shopping Center (southeast corner of Eubank and Juan Tabo). The Berg event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 294-2026 or visit www.page1book.com. Americans love to preach from their self-proclaimed pedestals. From there, cocooned in a cozy shroud of worldly and spiritual comforts, we have free reign to leisurely peruse world news and give unasked-for, half-assed advice on the right way to do things. We assume that America, and us as part of it, set the par for excellence in all thingsas if our country is the paragon of enlightenment and success. As if we are not plagued by, and purveyors of, all sorts of injustice. As if we know what is best. Current events are beginning to disturb this chimerical vision of America that so many hold dear to their hearts; only the most insulated or undiscerning of us can afford to be untroubled by the once-unfathomable political and social landscape which has unfolded over the past year and a half. Yet our eyes stay plastered to screens that reveal an inverted, everted and disconcerted country. Scared or unaware of our own potency, we content our anxious nerves with retweets and distract our uneasy minds with memes. We resign ourselves to a bewildered, perverse fascination with the bumbling man at the countrys helm. But Trump in himself does not pose a real threat to the country; he is a diversion, a sideshow. As long as America remains preoccupied with Trump as a spectacle, his administration has free reign to covertly actualize the dystopic, distorted America we all pretend could never exist. But that America can exist. It does exist surreptitiously, in the shadows, taking advantage of those without the money and power to fight against it. And the hold of that America on our America, our founders America, grows stronger by the day. The private prison industry was hardly flailing before Trumps election, but its vital signs were beginning to fail. One judge in Mississippi condemned a private youth facility as a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions. Reports of rampant violence and abuse grew increasingly common. In the face of the lowest imprisonment rates in 20 years, politicians (including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) publicly called for an end to all privately-owned correctional facilities. Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department announced in August 2016 their decision to phase out the use of private prisons and detention centers, denouncing them for failing to maintain expected levels of safety and security and failing to save substantially on costs. Trump, for his part, signaled his support for privatization, stating that private prisons seem to work a lot better. A day after the historic decision from the Justice Department, GEO Groupone of the two large private prison companies in the country, along with CoreCivicdonated $100,000 to the pro-Trump super-PAC Rebuilding America Now (bypassing a legal ban on pay-to-play contributions from federal contractors by using their subsidiary, GEO Corrections Holding Inc.). Another $125,000 soon followed, as did a $250,000 contribution to Trumps inaugural celebration. And, lo and behold, GEO Group was rewarded generously, receiving the new administrations first federal contract: a 10-year, $110 million grant to build immigration detention centers in Texas. That was only the tip of the iceberg. Making good on his campaign promises, Trumps zero-tolerance policy demanded the expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity, prioritized all illegal immigrants for enforcement, and pushed for partnerships that would encourage local and state governments to contract with for-profit detention companies. The first nine months of Trumps presidency saw a 42% increase in the number of immigrants detained by ICE, with a whopping 74% of detainees sent to privately-owned, for-profit facilities. ICE expects to hold a record 51,379 immigrant detainees in their confines over the course of 2018. They also spend over $2 billion a year on private detention for immigrantsmoney that flows directly into the coffers of GEO Group and CoreCivic. In 2017 alone, these two companies spent $2.6 million on federal lobbying to influence immigration policy and pursue federal contracts. Their efforts are workingTrumps administration continues to push for more and more federal detention facilities and increased numbers of beds for detainees. And the expenses needed to exert their influence have been absolutely dwarfed by the profits they have realized: together, the two companies accrued over $4 billion in revenue in 2017. Those numbers will continue to grow, and grow, and grow under Trumps zero-tolerance immigration policya policy that exists in almost full force despite the end of his heinous family-separation policy. The repeal of that policy was perceived as a resounding success for the people and for the nation, inspired by a national outcry that was refreshing in its swiftness, strength and effectiveness. It was construed as a major loss for Trump. If you look at Trump not as a blunderingly inept and evil leader, however, but as a master of diversionyou uncover some dangerous truths. Trump knows power. Trump knows money. Maybe most importantly, Trump knows controversyand how to use it. Public response to his immigration policy been so dominated by the valiant notion of reuniting families that we have almost entirely ignored the fundamental structures and motivations underlying Trumps immigration policy. Trump doesnt have any real investment in separating families. He doesnt even have any real investment in stemming the flow of immigration to this countryin fact, he has shamelessly milked cheap labor from undocumented immigrants to build his own construction projects. And while he clearly feels no moral responsibility to anyone, at allhe might not even understand the concepthe is not the very manifestation of evil, enacting these policies purely out of twisted, sadistic spite. What he and his camp feel responsibility for, what they are motivated by, what they are truly invested in, is quite simple: money and power. These are the two things which have given his life meaning; they are the two things that determine success for him personally and professionally. And they are two things that are deeply, inextricably intertwined. Without money, Trump could never have attained this degree of power, nor the Presidential position. I dont even necessarily mean his own exorbitant stacks of money, though that clearly played its own role. No, I mean the money of his benefactors, the people who understood what they stood to gain from the election of an unscrupulous president. The people whose interests and status have been systematically elevated and codified since January 20, 2017. There was one industry in particular that stood to gain or lose it all. The same industry that subjects humans to humiliation, abuse and degradation in the name of cutting costs. The same industry that threatens to subvert American ideals in the name of profit. The same industry that pulls our Presidents puppet strings in the name of power. BANFF, Alberta, July 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iconic Sunshine Village has launched an outreach campaign and website asking Canadians to provide comments to Parks Canada to modify the draft plan it has developed which will guide development of the resort for decades to come. Parks Canadas draft plan, called Site Guidelines, is currently in public review. Comments are being accepted until August 19. Sunshine Village asked for the deadline to be extended, as many skiers are away on summer holidays, however the request was rejected by Parks Canada. The Parks Canada plan fails to address the resorts major issues such as parking, secondary access lift from the base area, and removes ski terrain presently skied and lifts that have been planned for years. Such as Bye Bye Bowl, Meadow Park, and Wildside. Presently there are several gaps in the Parks Canada draft plan that if changed would make it work result in stronger environmental gains, and a better visitor experience, said Dave Riley, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. We have reviewed the draft site guidelines and the changes we at Sunshine are proposing offer better options for a secondary lift access out of the base area and better parking options for National Park guests that do not impact wildlife corridors or lands designated wilderness, added Riley. As part of the consultation process, Parks Canada says it will listen to what people have to say about the draft site guidelines including Sunshines proposed satellite parking lot located on roadside right-of way leading up to the resort. None of the land is zoned wilderness. Parks Canada commits it will compile, review and carefully analyse all public comments which will inform the final version of the Sunshine Village Ski Area Site Guidelines. We are one of Canadas most famous resorts both domestically and internationally. The Parks Canada plan will guide the resort until at least 2060. It is important we get it right for the environment and Canadians, said Riley. We ask Canadians to review our reasonable options and encourage Parks Canada to adopt them. Sunshine has launched a website that illustrates all the issues with Parks Canadas draft plan and proposes solutions. It can be found at www.sunshinesiteguidelines.com The website has both summary and detailed information and provides an easy way to provide comments to Parks Canada and elected officials. This year Sunshine celebrates its 90th season. Over the past 90 years we have been excellent stewards of the land, said Mr. Riley. Now we need public help to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy the beauty and recreation offered by Sunshine Village. We ask winter enthusiasts to provide comments to Parks Canada by August 19th." For more information, contact: Kendra Scurfield at kscurfield@skibanff.com, 403-830-7946 English German Sika has agreed to acquire Polypag, a leading Swiss-based manufacturer and developer of polyurethane foam systems. This acquisition will enhance Sika's expertise in the area of polyurethane foam development, expand its product portfolio and production capacity, and drive forward the specialist trade business. Last year, Polypag recorded annual sales of some CHF 40 million with a workforce of 120 employees. The transaction is subject to approval by the competition authorities. Polypag was founded in Altstatten, Switzerland, in 1980. Today the company is a leading supplier of specialist foam systems, and has positioned itself as a strong specialist trade partner with an impressive product range. Foams based on polyurethane are construction materials used whenever something is insulated, sealed, bonded, or fitted. They are used in professional construction applications such as building shells, building structures, and building protection, as well as in the DIY market. The transaction encompasses Polypag's headquarters along with the production site in Altstatten, a research and development center in Canton Appenzell, and a production site at Landsberg am Lech, Germany. Ivo Schadler, Sika EMEA Regional Manager: "The acquisition of Polypag will significantly strengthen our Sealing & Bonding business. The combined technological and development expertise will open up new cross-selling opportunities. Moreover, by expanding the specialist trade business we will drive forward market penetration and establish growth platforms for both companies. We look forward to a successful shared future and would like to extend a very warm welcome to Polypag employees as they join the Sika team." Gottfried J.Peichl, Board of Directors, FLM Holding: "I am extremely pleased to hand over Polypag to Sika and to open up a great development and growth opportunity for the PU activities. I would like to thank all employees for their achievements and wish them and the company every success and a good future." CONTACT Dominik Slappnig Corporate Communications & Investor Relations +41 58 436 68 21 slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com SIKA AG CORPORATE PROFILE Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 18,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 6.25 billion in 2017. The media release can be downloaded from the following link: English Dutch Beter Bed Holding announces that Hugo van den Ochtend (1978) will assume his position as CFO on September 1st 2018. He will succeed Bart Koops who will leave the company effective August 1st 2018. The by the Supervisory Board proposed appointment of Hugo as Statutory Director will be on the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of 11 September 2018 in accordance with the articles of association and legal statutory requirements. This EGM will take place at the Beter Bed Holding headquarters and commences at 2 p.m. CET. The notice and agenda are available on www.beterbedholding.com. Following the appointment the Management Board will be comprised of John Kruijssen (CEO) and Hugo van den Ochtend (CFO). Dirk Goeminne, Chairman of the Supervisory Board: 'We are pleased with the appointment of Hugo. We consider him very qualified to carry out the position of CFO at Beter Bed Holding. Hugo has more than 15 years of experience in finance roles of which three years as Finance Director with overall responsibility. His management experience, his international knowledge of retail and his experience in digital change projects will be of great use to Beter Bed Holding. Together with CEO John Kruijssen Hugo will further sharpen the strategy for the coming years.' John Kruijssen, CEO of Beter Bed Holding N.V.: 'I am delighted that Hugo is joining us as our new CFO and have every confidence in our collaboration. Through the appointment of Hugo, we are concluding a period during which we both appointed new members to the Management Board and renewed and strengthened the management teams in the Netherlands and Germany with professionals who have the diverse competence sets and experience required to lead the company energetically, skilfully and with fresh vigour.' Hugo graduated in Econometrics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In 2003 he started his career as Financial Analyst at Procter & Gamble, where he held various management positions in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. In 2011 Hugo pursued his career at Ahold Delhaize in various senior financial management positions at Ahold's corporate headquarters, Albert Heijn and, recently in the position of Finance Director with overall responsibility at Gall & Gall. Profile Beter Bed Holding is a European retail organisation that strives to offer its customers a comfortable and healthy night's rest every night at an affordable price. The retail formats ensure products of good quality, offer customers the best advice and always the best possible deal. Beter Bed Holding is also active as a wholesaler of branded products in the bedroom furnishing sector via its subsidiary DBC International (M line). In 2017, the company achieved net revenue of 416.4 million with a total of 1,188 stores. For more information: John Kruijssen Dirk Goeminne CEO Chairman Supervisory Board +31 (0)413 338819 +31 (0)413 338819 +31 (0)6 13211011 bbholding@beterbed.nl john.kruijssen@beterbed.nl For the Pdf version of the press release please click on the link below. SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziyen Inc., a Scottish-American oil and energy company, announced the appointment of Dean Holter as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel to Ziyen Inc. As CFO, Mr. Holter will work alongside CEO, Alastair Caithness and will also be a member of the Board of Directors working closely with our leadership team to transform the future of the company. He will play a key role in overseeing all financial aspects of Ziyen Inc. such as financial planning and analysis, financial reporting and investor relations functions. Dean has many years experience serving businesses as both General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Ziyen, Dean served as General Counsel and CFO to Christensen Global Strategies, an international consulting firm whose clients have included United Nations Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Duke Energy, FEMSA, and Microsoft, among other Fortune 500 companies. Dean Holter, CFO and General Counsel said, Ziyen has an exciting mission: to use legacy energy sources to fund new and virtually maintenance free energy sources. Until now, there have been two camps in the U.S., the fossils energy crowd and the renewables energy crowd, who have viewed each other with some justifiable suspicion. But the tipping point has been reached and Ziyen intends to marry the two because they are perfectly complementary. Fossil fuels are labor intensive and create excellent cash flow, and therefore incur taxes, in the relative short-term. Renewable energy creates tax credits and virtually maintenance free cash flow for decades. This game-changing opportunity has been overlooked. Ziyen will help create a self-reliant U.S. energy market structure by using fossils to drive and fund the decades long transition into renewables. While at Christensen Global Strategies, Dean also served as the project lead in the successful purchase of several commercial scale solar projects in California and Oregon. Prior to Christensen Global Strategies, Dean served as the General Counsel and General Manager of Idaho Capital, a private collateralized real estate lending group. Alastair Caithness, CEO said, At Ziyen Inc. we are very excited to have Dean join the company as the new CFO and General Counsel. His experience in being involved in large renewable energy projects is a key asset in the development and funding of the Ziyen Advantage aspect of the business. His business acumen and financial market related experience working with Fortune 500 companies will also assist with providing new avenues of creating liquidity for the company in order to accelerate the growth plans for the company. For information on investing in Ziyen, please visit the company website at www.ziyen.com, or for a copy of the latest company overview, please email support@ziyen.com About Ziyen Inc.: Founded in 2016, Ziyen Inc. is a Scottish-American company focused on delivering 100% Energy Independence to the USA. Initially launched as a software company providing information on oil and gas related procurement contracts, Ziyen Inc. diversified in 2017, instating Ziyen Energy Division with intent to produce oil in the U.S. with advanced extraction methods and technology implemented and guided by career experts in the oil and gas industry. In 2017 Ziyen acquired the mineral rights to its first oil field in Indiana, and now has thirteen oil assets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently qualified Ziyen Inc. in November 2017 for our second round of funding, with a pre-IPO share price of $1.50. More information may be found in its Offering Circular filed with the SEC, or on their website www.ziyen.com. Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements related to anticipated commencement of commercial production, targeted pricing, performance goals, and statements that otherwise relate to future periods are forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail in the Companys periodic reports filed with the SEC- specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made and based on information available to the company on the date of this press release. Ziyen Inc. assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release. Contact: Josh Berg Berg Capital Markets josh@bergcapitalmarkets.com Dean Holter, Esq. Berg Capital Markets dean@bergcapitalmarkets.com LONDON, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With over 30 years of experience in the market, Inversiones Security has transformed itself into one of the best-recognised investment banks in the industry. Due to its outstanding performance, Inversiones Security has received the World Finance Banking Award for Best Private Bank in Chile, 2018. Chile has been described as South Americas most prosperous and economically stable nation. Its market-oriented economy boasts the third largest stock market on the continent, as well as the second largest fixed income market. Chile is one of the most attractive investment destinations in South America, and Inversiones Security is perfectly positioned to help clients take advantage of the growing opportunities in the market. Inversiones Securitys principle task is to serve its clients, and it does so through strong personal relationships, transparency, fluid communications and customer service. Investment proposals are highly personalised, and are designed to fit the needs of specific clients, whether they are individuals or companies. This is partly achieved through a harmonisation of customer service and business intelligence units within the company, which allows feedback from clients to be collected and performance to be adjusted accordingly. Combining its in depth knowledge of global markets with its commitment to technology, Inversiones Security is in the process of incorporating technology to its business in phases, as it meets the needs of clients in an ever more demanding digital age. In February, it launched its website, which it developed with the needs of clients in mind, and acts as a platform on which to build future technological advancements. With the current governments focus on attracting foreign direct investment, now is the best time to invest in Chile, and there is no better bank to help in that venture than Inversiones Security. To read more about Inversiones Security, check out an exclusive article by Commercial Director of Wealth Management, Piero Nasi Toso, in the latest edition of World Finance, available in print, on mobile and online now. www.worldfinance.com World News Media is a leading publisher of quality financial and business magazines, which enjoys a global distribution network that includes subscriber lists of prominent decision-makers around the world. CONTACT INFORMATION World News Media Elizabeth Matsangou Editorial Department +44 (0)20 7553 4162 elizabeth.matsangou@wnmedia.com FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Visium Technologies Inc. (OTCPink: VISM) announced today that it has entered into a Patent License Agreement with George Mason Research Foundation, Inc. (GMRF), a non-profit organization formed for the benefit of George Mason University (GMU). The Agreement has broad applications in the cybersecurity arena. Mr. Mark Lucky, the CEO of Visium Technologies Inc., commented that, The cybersecurity market is extremely competitive, and the real value-add to customers comes from advanced algorithms that transform data into meaningful, actionable insights. This technology license, which is backed by 8 patents, provides precisely these kinds of advanced algorithms developed by world-leading researchers at George Mason University. This technology from GMU will provide Visium with exceptional capabilities that can address a wide range of cybersecurity needs including comprehensive network risk assessment, vulnerability assessment, threat detection, and intelligence correlation. This technology also enables customers to control costs, better utilize capital assets, prevent unplanned downtime and control maintenance costs, while improving operational efficiencies across the enterprise. We have developed a business plan which outlines the revenue potential of this technology and how it will become a significant capability in our cybersecurity portfolio. We expect to generate revenues from this license and the additional initiatives that we have in the works in the very near term. About Visium Technologies, Inc. Visium Technologies, Inc. (VISM) is a Florida based company focused on global cybersecurity, advancing technology and cybersecurity tools and services to support enterprises in protecting their most valuable assets - their data, on their networks, in the cloud, and IoT. For more information please visit www.visiumtechnologies.com. Safe Harbor Statement: Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements that reflect management's current views with respect to future events and performance. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "project" and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Investors should be cautious in relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, whether the reverse stock split will be beneficial to the Company and its shareholders, any inability to meet the NYSE American continued listing standards in the future for any reason, and those other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any responsibility to update forward-looking statements is expressly disclaimed. English French Michelin Luxembourg SCS (CSSF number E-0102): publication of the Half-yearly Financial Reports (07.27.2018 2:00pm CET) Press Release Regulated Information The Half-yearly financial reports of Michelin Luxembourg SCS, comprising the non-audited half-yearly accounts, the management declaration and the management report are available on the internet site of the Michelin Group at the following address: www.michelin.com/eng, under the heading Finance , Regulated Information - Michelin Luxembourg SCS - CSSF . On Friday, environmental non-profit Time's Up! holds one of its Critical Mass bike rides, bringing cyclists to Union Square for a (potentially wet!) ride. But they'll also be marking a significant anniversary: Ten years ago this week, a police officer violently shoved a cyclist during a ride in Times Square, then falsely accused the cyclist of hitting him. The police officer was eventually firedthough only because the incident was caught on video. The group, which predates the #MeToo Time's Up, describes Critical Mass as a "fun group bike ride [that] helped change New York City into the bicycle friendly city that we see today." But after an August 2004 Critical Mass ride turned into an anti-President George W. Bush rideand 250 bicyclists were arrested as some New Yorkers mobilized during the Republican National Conventionthe rides became more activist in nature, with hundreds participating to promote the cause of complete streets. On July 25th, 2008, the Critical Mass participants rode through Times Square under the watchful eyes of the NYPD. Officer Patrick Pogan, who had been on the job for 11 days, claimed that cyclist Christopher Long rode right into him, knocking him down and causing "lacerations" to his arms. Long was held for 26 hours and charged with attempted assault and resisting arrest. However, video from a tourist contradicted Pogan's account: Gothamist first publicized the video, which shows Pogan deliberately targeting Long and then shoving him off his bike, on August 28, 2008. Soon after, the NYPD stripped Pogan, a third-generation police officer, of his gun and assigned him to desk duty. Charges against Long were dropped a week later, but Pogan wasn't indicted until December 2008. By February 2009, Pogan left the NYPDthe department fired him, but his lawyer claimed he quit. The trial started more than a year later,in April of 2010. Pogan was found guilty of filing a false criminal complaint and acquitted of assault and harassment. His punishment: A conditional discharge. Critical Mass meets at the north end of Union Square tonight, July 27th, at 7:00 p.m. Our Gothamist House series returns! You can visit past episodes here. As anyone who attended an American college sometime in the past 30 years can attest, there are few more nightmarish questions than, "Can you come to my a cappella showcase?" Somehow, a cappella music became distinctly the realm of uber-sincere college kids doing their best to ruin "Free Ride" and "Your Song" and "No Diggity" for generations to come. With the exception of the occasional "Sweet Child O' Mine" rendition or brilliant Key & Peele sketch, a cappella wasn't just uncoolit could be physically painful to experience. So when you come across an actual artist working in the medium, it is all the more credit to their vision. And there is no more impressive artist making a cappella sound cool again than Madison McFerrin. "It's freeing to remove the other instruments," McFerrin told Gothamist on a hot day in July. "One, from a logistical I-don't-have-to-carry-things-around-with-me standpoint. So that's definitely freeingfreeing of literal space. But it's also freeing to rely on just my natural instrument. I don't have to worry about tuning an instrument, I just have to tune myself. Which is also very scary. But there's a freedom to fear in certain ways." McFerrin has released just two EPs over the last year or so, Finding Foundations Vol I & II, but with brilliant, melodically complex tunes such as "No Time To Lose" and "Insane," she has found a special niche combining funk, soul, jazz, and R&B into a flurry of vocals. She plans to release a piano-based EP next, and a full-length album eventually, but she expects to return to the Finding Foundations series throughout her life. "Part of why the series is called Finding Foundations is the first real song that I wrote, I wrote a cappella because I couldn't figure out the chords on the piano but I could hear them in my head," she said. "So it's kind of like finding foundations back to thatalso it's an ode to my father as well, because he's part of my foundation. And so I was like, oh I have these a cappella tunes, I really like them, I can put these out before I put out this produced project that I have in mind, and then it just kind of stuck." Her father certainly knows something about a cappella music as well: Bobby McFerrin is a Grammy-award winning jazz musician best known for the ubiquitous hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy." And McFerrin's grandfather was Robert McFerrin Sr., the first black man to sing with the Metropolitan Opera. "[A Cappella] wasn't the intended path, but I'm in no way surprised that it has happened just given that that's been my entire life in a familial sense," she said. Even so, she didn't feel pressure to enter the music industry due to her family, though she has picked up some foundational wisdom from her dad. "He didn't give me voice lessons growing up," she said. "He doesn't deal with a lot of the business end of things. He actively avoids it, so there was a lot of that that I didn't get from him, but the main thing was definitely being true to yourself, because he has always done that, and he's even turned down a lot of things that probably would have made him more money and more famous so to speak, but he turned them down because they didn't align with his values and they took him away from his family. Having that example has been really informative in my own decision making about how I go about my career. Sticking to yourself and being true to yourself is really, really important, particularly in this day and age where it seems like there is a big focus on stuff that is not real. So, I'm trying to be as real as possible." The process of watching McFerrin layer her vocal harmonies with a loop pedaladding in her own rhythm section made up of clicks, vocal noises and mic bops along the wayis nothing if not as real as possible. It all adds up to a warm, intimate sound that sticks with you as you go about your day. Check out McFerrin performing her singles "No Time To Lose" and "Insane," along with an interview, up above. Below, there are a few more excerpts from our conversation with her. Do you find that your songwriting tends to be more inward looking or more external? I would say for the most part my songwriting is more inward looking, which is something that I'm actively trying to work on, because I think that while it is still very honest to look inward, it's also important for artists to look outward and reflect things that are happening not just to them, but to society as a whole. Songwriting is definitely a very personal introspective process. I'm trying to expand that just so that I'm not speaking to my own experiences, but to the experiences around me, because I think that's equally important. Has the Trump era and everything that's happened over the last two years affected your process? I would definitely say the era of 45 has affected the inward vs. outward writing process just because it's become that much more apparent that it's necessary to write not just from an inward perspective, but from an outward perspective, which I think is one of the silver linings of this administration, and something that I definitely realized when he got elected. Because I think a lot of amazing art is going to come out of this era just as it did in the '60s and '70s, because people feel a greater need to speak truth. I think artists have a really important role in doing that for society and holding up a mirror to society. So, in the era of 45 I try and take that fear that he attempts to impart on all of us and use it as an outlet of sorts. This is a question from my colleague Rebecca Carroll: Do you feel pressure to present a certain kind of sexuality or sex appeal in the age of Nicki and Cardi B? There are parts of me that feel pressured to sexualize myself, but I would say mostly I do not feel pressured to sexualize myself in this era of over-sexualization. It's interesting because looking back, I can see as a kid noticing the sexualization of women and desiring that, but because I had been told that that was part of being a desirable woman. I've definitely shied away from that as I've gotten older just because I don't feel [it's as] necessary to me, particularity given that I feel like I'm talented enough from a vocal standpoint that I don't necessarily need that. I think that with some artists they use that to kind of cover the fact that they may not be the best in their field otherwise. I don't feel that pressure. There is a level of femininity and sexuality that I am attracted to within myself that is more or less part of who I am, but I don't feel the need to post a bunch of pictures of my ass, or my breasts, or whatever just for the sake of getting attention. I would much rather draw the attention to my artwork and my songwriting and my singing, and I'm pretty confident in that. I don't feel much of a pressure to over-sexualize myself as a means of getting attention. What is your craziest or most memorable subway experience? Oh, my goodness. My most recent memorable subway experience was [when] my boyfriend and I were going back to Brooklyn from Harlem and we got on the train, and there were only two people on the trainone of [whom] was eating food and the other one was potentially a homeless person. But the entire car smelled like literal poop. Like just feces. And we were so surprised that somebody could be eating in the car at the same time, because it was straight feces. As soon as the train stopped, we immediately got onto another car and like stopped people from getting on the particular car. We were like, "It smells like poop!" We just talked about that the other day actually, because it was bad. You know you're a hardcore New Yorker when you just eat through it. Yeah, I was like, 'can this person not smell?' I did not understand how it was humanly possible to sit through that. What was he eating? I don't know. He was eating though. That's really all that matters. If you could change one thing about the city, what would be your utopian way to improve the city? I say that I wish that people communicated with one another a little more. I'm always struck by the fact that you encounter hundreds of different people on a daily basis, particularly if you're commuting, and there's not much of an acknowledgement of one another. I find that really fascinating. I went to a Quaker school growing up, and there's this thing called meeting for worship, and once a week, you sit in this room in total silence and if you feel moved by the light of God, so to speak, you stand up and you speak. The day after 45 got elected, I was in the subway car and everybody was so down, and I stood up and I just told everybody on the train that I loved them and that I hoped they had a good day. Mainly that I loved them. And that was the only time, especially on a subway car, that I've felt connected to a broader [group], outside of just like somebody's sitting next to me on the train. People really responded to the fact that I was telling people that I loved then after this really shocking thing had happened. Then I tried to repeat it again that same day on another train, and people weren't digging it as much. So, I guess it was really just that first morning commute that was into it, but I would really love to just have more personal interactions versus just people going places and needing to get some place and you don't really just stop and smell the trash. What's your favorite thing about living in New York? My favorite thing about living in New York is the people and the art that the people make, which is part of what drew me to New York after college. I moved to New York five days after I graduated from college because Boston was not a city that I wanted to stay in. I went to school near there, and I feel that. Way too many white people, and the kind of white people that I don't vibe with. But in New York, you can see any kind of art at any time of day. You can eat great food and it doesn't have to be a five star restaurant. There are plenty of things on the side of the street that are delicious. I mean, the amount of dollar slice pizzas that are on pointtry eating pizza anywhere else in the world outside of Italy and it's not a thing. People can really mess up pizza and it sucks and it hurts my heart. But the fact that I can go to a show on a Wednesday night and it's a friend of mine and they're making incredible art and it's inspiring me to make incredible art, or the fact that I can just stumble into a gallery and learn about an artist that I've never heard of before or somebody who's up and coming, or that you can just sit and people watch and see the most beautiful looking people and people who are wearing really awesome clothing. There's just so much culture in this city and so much to take in. I think that's probably my favorite part of living in New York. People are cool except for when they're not cool, and then they really suck. I feel like we probably have a better ratio of cool to not cool people here then they do in a lot of the other parts of the country. Oh totally, totally. 1000% higher ratio of cool here. That's why it also sucks that 45 is from here. It's like, "Dude, you just suck, you just suck all around." You can catch Madison McFerrin performing at 8 p.m. at S.O.B.'s, located at 204 Varick Street, on Wednesday, August 1st with Saint Mela and NAIMA. You can purchase tickets here. CHEESE ICE CREAM, a creation which can only be typed in ALL CAPS, is coming to New York, albeit briefly, as all good things will be ruined if you add time to the equation. Here's what we know: next week Murrays Cheese is celebrating Annelies 2nd birthday. Annelies is not a person, but one of their Cavemaster Reserve cheeses, "made exclusively for Murrays by Walter Rass, a Swiss cheesemaker (meaning you cant get this anywhere else)." To help celebrate the cheese (all cheese should be celebrated every day, btw), the shop partnered with Oddfellows Ice Cream Co. to create an Annelies ice cream. Will this be too much of a good thing? You can find out for yourself they'll be serving up scoops at all of their NYC locations for $5 a scoop, but they'll only be doing it Thursday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 5th. After that you'll just have to choose between either cheese, or ice cream, never both at the same time unless under the supervision of ice cream making professionals. If you just want a tiny taste, they'll also be giving out samples at their Bleecker Street flagship store and Grand Central Market location on August 2nd. "They're in the process of making the ice cream right now," a publicist for Murray's told us. "It's going to be crazy delicious." You can find Murray's Cheese locations here. Three years after they first considered one, the City Council is mulling a cap on Uber and other ride-hail services. In the time since 2015, Uber rides officially outpaced NYC taxi rides; ride-hail companies are clogging city streets; and the MTA is now blaming them for a drop in subway and bus ridership. Most alarming, the ride-share apps have decimated the taxi industry, with numerous yellow cab drivers facing bankruptcy because of declining business Some have tragically taken their own lives. Listen to WNYCs Stephen Nessen discusses the proposed legislation: The NY Times reports, "The proposal supported by the City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, would halt the issuance of new for-hire vehicle licenses, except for vehicles that are wheelchair accessible, while the city conducts a yearlong study of the industry." Politico adds,"A draft bill circulating among industry stakeholders would bar the city's taxi regulator from issuing any new for-hire vehicle licenses for a year, during which time the regulator would report to the Council on the bill's impact." Johnson, who admitted that the city made a mistake in not regulating Uber earlier, said in a statement, "This is the plan that we came up with and in my heart I believe its the best path forward. Our goal has always been to protect drivers, bring fairness to the industry and reduce congestion. Thats what this proposal does, and it represents the broad outlines of what we think our next steps should be as a city to help the industry." Council Member Stephen Levin (Brooklyn) is sponsoring the bill, which is being paired "with a measure sponsored by Council Member Brad Lander... that would establish a minimum fare for drivers dispatched by a 'high-volume' for-hire service," according to Politico, which also got a PDF of Levin's draft bill. Mayor Bill de Blasio had encouraged the 2015 cap on Uber, writing in an op-ed, "Our goal is to ensure that our streets aren't flooded with tens of thousands more cars before we can stand up new rules to govern the marketplace." This time around, his spokesman Eric Phillips told the Times, "The mayor was out front on this issue when few people were. He is pleased its getting the attention it deserves from the Council." (Governor Cuomo, in 2015, urged the Council not to cap Uber and praised the company.) An Uber spokesman said, "The City Council's Uber cap will leave New Yorkers stranded while doing nothing to prevent congestion, fix the subways and help struggling taxi medallion owners. The Council's cap will hurt riders outside Manhattan who have come to rely on Uber because their communities have long been ignored by yellow taxis and do not have reliable access to public transit." "This would take New York back to an era of standing on the corner and hoping to get a ride. Wait times would increase significantly and driver earnings and job opportunities would shrink," a Lyft spokesperson said. "Worst of all, the proposals prioritize corporate medallion owners above the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers." After being found guilty of public corruption for a second time, former NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday. The 74-year-oldonce one of the most powerful people in New Yorkwas also sentenced to three years of supervised release. Silver was found guilty of wire fraud, mail fraud, extortion, and illegal monetary transactions related to accepting $4 million in kickbacks for referring tax and asbestos cases, as well as developer clients, to law firms. He had originally been convicted in 2015, and then sentenced to 12 years in prison. But an appeals court threw out the conviction last year after a Supreme Court involving the former governor of Virginia raised the bar for public corruption trials. Silver, a Democrat representing the Lower East Side and Chinatown, was elected to the Assembly in 1976 and served as speaker from 1994 until his arrest in 2015. As one of Albany's "three men in a room" (the others being the governor and the Senate Majority Leader), Silver wielded incredible power over the city and state with his ability to make or break projects and budgets. During the latest sentencing phase, Silver's legal team suggested ways to shorten a possible prison sentence, with possibilities that included "staffing a help desk assisting New York citizens to navigate their way through the state bureaucracy" to "maximize their chances of receiving benefits to which they may be entitled," according to the Times-Union. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement, "When he assumed his powerful position at the top of New York State government, Sheldon Silver took an oath to do the work of the people. Instead, he leveraged his tremendous influence to pad his bank account and line his pockets...We hope todays fittingly stiff sentence sends a clear message: brokering official favors for your personal benefit is illegal and will result in prison time." Last week, Silver told the court, "Everything I ever accomplished has become a joke and a spectacle. I pray I will not die in prison." Silver's former colleague, ex-Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Long Island Republican, was convicted (for a second time) of corruption earlier this month. Forget it, Jakeit's Albany. A Spirit Airlines flight out of LaGuardia was diverted on Thursday on account of a potentially hazardous "dirty socks" smell, which reportedly caused chest pains and complaints of burning throats in some passengers. Around 200 people were on the Fort Lauderdale-bound plane when the foul stench was unleashed, according to WNBC, and at least seven of them required medical treatment. The flight was diverted to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as Hazmat crews swept the plane for the unknown substance. One passenger told the NBC affiliate that the mysterious odor was reminiscent of "dirty socks." Others feared it was coming from a chemical on the aircraft. Once the passengers deplaned, authorities could locate no trace of the substance. After specific monitoring and hazmat crews entering into the fuselage no substances were found, Myrtle Beach Fire Department Lt. Christian Sliker told the outlet. The plane is all clear. Fire officials said that seven to 10 passengers were transported to an area hospital in unknown condition. Spirit airlines said they were also investigating the rancid odor, and that they'd sent a supplemental aircraft to pick up the passengers in Myrtle Beach. According to FlightAware, the plane landed in Florida just under five hours after its scheduled arrivalwhich, by Spirit's standards, is not even that bad. Unrelated?: YEREVAN, JULY 26, ARMENPRESS. A Yerevan court has adjourned the hearing over the motion to remand former President Robert Kocharyan in custody. The hearing is set to continue 01:30, Kocharyans attorney Aram Orbelyan said. He said that Kocharyan wasnt notified about the hearing beforehand and his client did not make an appearance. Orbelyan said they will deliver a press conference tomorrow after scrutinizing the case. Earlier criminal charges were pressed against Kocharyan over the March 1 case, and prosecutors requested a court to issue an arrest warrant. In an interview to a local news media, Kocharyan denied any wrongdoing and said he doesnt accept the charges. It was the decision of the Constitutional Court which acknowledges the legitimacy of the elections and this is final. Before pressing such kind of charges against me, at least half of the Central Electoral Commission shouldve been jailed, it shouldve been proved that they had committed fraud and have committed a crime while making a decision. There shouldve been some kind of acts, solutions, punishments and others at least regarding the Constitutional Court, the former president said. Kocharyan is charged with paragraph 1 of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code (breaching Constitutional order). The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Shots were fired at armed police from a car during a chase through the streets of east London, BBC reported. Officers responded to reports of people armed with a gun in the evening of July 26. Shortly after a car failed to stop for officers who set off in pursuit. Scotland Yard said "a number of shots were fired towards officers" and police also opened fire. Three people have been arrested. A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police said the trio arrested on suspicion of attempted murder had been taken to an east London police station and remained in custody. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. A soldier of the Artsakhs Defense Army has been wounded by Azerbaijani gunfire in the evening of July 26 while on duty in a northeastern base. The wounded soldier has been identified as Davit Miloyan, 20. He is currently being treated at a military hospital, the defense ministry of Artsakh said. An investigation has been launched over the incident. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan St.PETERSBURG, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The regular session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council has kicked off in St. Petersburg, Russia, with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan in attendance. The narrow format session of heads of government of EEU countries has already begun, chaired by Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev. An expanded format session will follow this meeting. Issues concerning the development and strengthening of integration processes in the Eurasian area are expected to be discussed. The Armenian PM will later visit the Kamsky Park, where he will lay flowers at the statue of Komitas. Pashinyan will also visit the Hermitage. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Amid an ongoing investigation into the March 1 case, the Special Investigative Service (SIS) of Armenia has charged CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian general who served as deputy minister of defense in 2008, with article 300.1 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code breaching constitutional order in conspiracy with others the same accusation faced by former President Robert Kocharyan. The SIS has filed a motion to court seeking an arrest warrant to remand the general in custody. In a statement, the SIS said it charged Khachaturov based on sufficient evidence. Khachaturov was appointed head of CSTO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, in 2017. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Supreme Body of the ARF party has reacted to the indictment of former President Robert Kocharyan. In a statement, the ARF welcomed the ongoing steps for establishing the rule of law and eliminating the atmosphere of impunity, at the same time it strictly highlighted that the process must take place in the legal arena, in line with the spirit and letter of law. ARF said that the government must implement a function of uniting the people, and not a single type of seeking any issue should jeopardize this unity. It said that it views the impartial and comprehensive investigation into the March 1 events in the abovementioned context. ARF expressed concern over the indictment of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and other then-officials over the March 1 events. ARF said the indictment could be interpreted as political repression. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Earlier criminal charges were pressed against Kocharyan over the March 1 case, and prosecutors requested a court to issue an arrest warrant. Kocharyan is charged with paragraph 1 of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code (breaching Constitutional order). Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan was summoned to the Special Investigative Service on July 26 over the ongoing investigation into the March 1 case, the SIS said. No other details are available at the moment. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Gevorgyan served as Secretary of the National Security Council during that time. Former President Robert Kocharyan and incumbent CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov are indicted in the case. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a step closer to being evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after President Lenin Moreno said the whistleblower must "eventually" leave the facility, RT reports. Assange will eventually need to leave the diplomatic mission in London, where he has been living for six years since 2012, Moreno said at an event in Madrid on Friday. The news came on the heels of earlier reports that the founder of the whistleblowing portal would be handed over to British authorities. Assanges relationship with Ecuadorian officials had appeared increasingly fraught, with the country, which provided him with asylum and citizenship, cutting off his internet connection in March. The official reason behind the move was to stop Assange from interfering in the affairs of other sovereign states, Ecuador said at the time. Efforts to have an arrest warrant against Assange dropped by the UK failed earlier this year. The whistleblower is feared to be facing extradition to the US over troves of leaked documents. In 2010, WikiLeaks published classified US military footage entitled Collateral Murder. It featured a US Apache helicopter gunship opening fire on a number of people killing 12, including two Reuters staff, and injuring two children. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. If the government were not to declare a state of emergency on March 1, 2008 it couldve led to additional victims, according to former minister of justice Davit Harutyunyan. The situation in those days in downtown Yerevan was such that not declaring state of emergency could have led to additional victims. I am saying this as a citizen whose house was nearby the very actions, Harutyunyan told reporters today in parliament. Harutyunyan said the declaring state of emergency is part of the tools of the president granted to him by the Consitutiokn, and a president must not answer for his actions during his tenure after his term in office ends. The presidents duties obliges him to ensure the security of Armenia. And these very powers, which are granted to the president for solving tasks, any action stemming from this, cannot imply responsibility in the future for these steps. Otherwise any president at the most decisive moment when the latter has to declare martial law, right up to war, can be constrained, thinking what will happen after a regime change, argues Harutyunyan. Speaking about the charges against former President Robert Kocharyan, Harutyunyan says he doesnt see a legal language in the statement of the Special Investigative Service. I dont see a legal part here, he said, adding that he voiced the same opinion about the SISs statement concerning Michael Harutyunyan. The former justice minister says criminal prosecution of the second president of Armenia is extremely concerning. He said that a state of emergency regime implies the use of the military during state of emergency. The law was adopted in 2012, and the bill passed the expertise of the Venice commission, and there was no objection in this regard, because similar approach is adopted in numerous countries, he said. Harutyunyan says the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), his party, will soon present its political assessment over the issue. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Earlier criminal charges were pressed against Kocharyan over the March 1 case, and prosecutors requested a court to issue an arrest warrant. Kocharyan is charged with paragraph 1 of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code (breaching Constitutional order). Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) has expressed deep concern over the criminal proceedings and arrest motion against former President Robert Kocharyan. The charges leave an impression of an exclusively political persecution, while from a legal perspective it is absurd, HHK said in a statement. HHK says the situation is a threat to the democratic development of Armenia and a blow to the processes of building a complete lawful state. The criminal proceedings launched on political motives and the charges jeopardize the constitutionality in Armenia. We view the fabricated and artificial charges against the former commander-in-chief who has displayed unquestionable decisiveness in the Artsakh conflict and one of the decisive actors of the Artsakh Liberation War victory to be an attempt to silence oppositionists of possible developments which fundamentally differ from existing approaches for many years over the Artsakh conflict, the statement says. The ARF had earlier also released a statement. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The court adjourned the hearing over the motion to remand CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov into pre-trial detention, the generals attorney Mihran Poghosyan told reporters. The hearing was adjourned with the purpose to provide the right to defense and sufficient time for studying the charges, the attorney said. He said his client has not been issued with a clarification over the nature and grounds of the indictment. He said that two hearings have already taken place today. The first hearing took place 11:30, and Khachaturov was not informed about it. Only after my notification Khachaturov arrived at court at 15:00, the attorney said. He said that the adjourned hearing will resume today after 18:00. Amid an ongoing investigation into the March 1 case, the Special Investigative Service (SIS) of Armenia has charged CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian general who served as deputy minister of defense in 2008, with article 300.1 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code breaching constitutional order in conspiracy with others the same accusation faced by former President Robert Kocharyan. The SIS has filed a motion to court seeking an arrest warrant to remand the general in custody. In a statement, the SIS said it charged Khachaturov based on sufficient evidence. Khachaturov was appointed head of CSTO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, in 2017. He denies wrongdoing. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. As any democracy, Armenia is devoted to exclusively peaceful solution for Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to Talk to Al Jazeera program of Al-Jazeera TV, reports Armenpress. The Armenian PM said Azerbaijan became more aggressive after the revolution in Armenia. We have big success in making Armenia democratic country, in fighting corruption, monopolies, creating equal conditions. I think Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has some fears that the Azerbaijani people can be inspired by the Armenian revolution and try to make similar changes in Azerbaijan. So I think the increase of the aggressive rhetoric by the Azerbaijani government is connected with this situation, PM Pashinyan said, adding that the Azerbaijani government is trying to distract the attention of its own people from their domestic problems to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We are ready for peace negotiations. I want to make clear that point: I am ready for negotiations with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan said, adding that he is ready to meet Aliyev. Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the OSCE Minsk Group format in the conflict settlement. I think this format is able to solve this conflict peacefully if the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments will have a respective political will for peaceful solution. I can assure you and all international community that as any democratic government, we have real will and real desire to solve this conflict peacefully and we are ready for negotiations. But I want to insist that we arent going to make anything in the atmosphere of intimidation. Its very important to create atmosphere of peace in our region, he said. He stated that no one in Armenia can hear any hate speech connected with Azerbaijan and its people, but unfortunately, one can hear every day hate speech from Azerbaijan towards Armenia, and what is dangerous is that one can hear that hate speech personally from Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan ST. PETERSBURG, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Implementation of agreements reached during the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council will enable to provide necessary conditions for the activities of the bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) taking into account the features of the Unions member states, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his remarks during the Councils extended format session in St. Petersburg, Armenpress correspondent reports. PM Pashinyan firstly thanked Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev for the reception and high-level meeting, as well as chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EAEU) Tigran Sargsyan for the agenda of the session summed up by the Commission. During my remarks at the May session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Sochi, I affirmed Armenias commitment to international obligations, also within the EAEU. I expressed our readiness and interest for active cooperation with the EAEU partners, aimed at reaching the free movement of goods, services, labor and capital by the use of principles which are based on the agreement on the EAEU, as well as modernizing the national economies of the member states and increasing competitiveness, the PM said, adding that they have already exchanged views on wide range of issues during the narrow format session. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan ST.PETERSBURG, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Eurasian Digital Platform international competition of innovative projects, with nearly 300 participants at this moment, is expected to take place within the framework of the upcoming Eurasian Week annual forums preparations, which will take place October 22-24, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his remarks at the ongoing Eurasian Intergovernmental Commissions expanded format session in St. Petersburg, Russia. Naturally, we are focused on not only cooperation issues in the high technology sector but also traditional directions of partnership. These are first of all directions with which we must access common markets, he said. According to Pashinyan, a single gas market will boost economic cooperation between countries, will raise the integration level and competitiveness of member states, the level of gas supply reliability for consumers, accessibility and quality, will contribute to development of honest competition in the union and will have positive effect on price formation. In terms of creating an investigative body for aviation incidents, I would like to mention that according to expert assessments the harmonization of this issue can be completed already this year. It is important to orientate in this regard in order to rule out that the new bodys functions duplicate the International Aviation Committees functions, he said, adding that he hopes the agreements which were reached at the session will contribute to increasing EEU productivity and consistent development of member states. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Secretariat of CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) has no information about the charges pressed against its Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, CSTO spokesperson Vladimir Zaynetdinov has said, according to TASS. As reported earlier, CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov departed for Yerevan in July with the purpose of testifying as a witness over the 2008 March 1-2 events, the CSTO Secretariat doesnt have any other information, Zaynetdinov said. Amid an ongoing investigation into the March 1 case, the Special Investigative Service (SIS) of Armenia has charged CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian general who served as deputy minister of defense in 2008, with article 300.1 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code breaching constitutional order in conspiracy with others the same accusation faced by former President Robert Kocharyan. The SIS has filed a motion to court seeking an arrest warrant to remand the general in custody. In a statement, the SIS said it charged Khachaturov based on sufficient evidence. Khachaturov was appointed head of CSTO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, in 2017. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The new Armenian government will guarantee the equality of all citizens before the law, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to Al-Jazeera TVs Talk to Al Jazeera program, reports Armenpress. We are going to make economic reforms to liberalize our economy, to make it more attractive for foreign investors and domestic investors. We are going to guarantee security of any investment, we are going to create infrastructures with high-quality, the Armenian PM said. He considered possible holding snap parliamentary elections in 2019. PM Pashinyan highlighted the importance of holding democratic, transparent and free elections. He also talked about the fact that the recent political events in Armenia have been carried out without any foreign interference. We saw within our revolution that our partners Russia, the United States, Iran and the European Union, respect our independence and sovereignty and they didnt interfere to our domestic affairs, Pashinyan said. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. An unprecedented growth of apricot export volumes has been registered in Armenia during 2018, the ministry of agriculture told Armenpress. Nearly 50.258 tons of apricots have been exported from Armenia, which is an increase of over 76.5% compared to the previous year. As of July 27 the export volumes increased by nearly 68% compared to the previous year. As of July 27, 2018 11.349 tons of fresh fruit-vegetables have been exported from the country and 12.837 tons of the same products have been sold. Compared to the same period of the last year, the export volumes increased by around 45.000 tons or 67.8%. The Armenian fresh fruit-vegetables were mainly exported to Russia (nearly 104.318 tons), and the rest to Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Belgium, Romania, Kuwait, Qatar and the US. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Kamsky park in St. Petersburg where he laid flowers at the Komitas monument and the cross-stone dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the PMs Office told Armenpres. PM Pashinyan was welcomed by Armenian Diaspora representatives at the park who wished him success for the benefit of Armenias development. Thereafter, the PM visited the Hermitage Museum where he was welcomed by director of the Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky. Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with a group of cultural figures and then toured the Museum. He considered a great honor the meeting with artists and stated that the Armenian government is interested on constant development of the Armenian-Russian relations. Our relations have always been at a high level, and I think that they are based on rich cultural ties which exist between the Armenian and Russian cultural figures. These are not only professional, but human ties: the professional ties strengthen the human ties and vice versa. We consider it necessary the further deepening of the cultural ties and attach importance to the fact that there are multiple exhibits in Hermitage with Armenian traces, the PM said, stating that St. Petersburg has key significance for the Armenian people: numerous renowned Armenians lived, studied and carried out activity here. Thereafter the PM answered to questions of the cultural figures which related to the Armenian-Russian relations, cultural cooperation, the ongoing changes in Armenia, the Armenian-Turkish relations and etc. As for the Armenian-Turkish relations, the PM said Turkey ties these relations with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and considered strange that the Turkish side links the relations with Armenia with the relations with a third country. The border between Armenia and Turkey has been closed by Turkey, it can be considered as not closed by Armenia. The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is very important for us, and now Armenia is one of the leaders in fight against genocides, Nikol Pashinyan said. We are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without any precondition. The PM also left a note in the honorary guest book. Pashinyan has completed his working visit to Russia. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. 7 Armenian tourism companies will participate in Tourism Expo Japan 2018 from September 20 to 23 in Tokyo, the Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Development National Center foundation told Armenpress. On July 27 SME DNC executive director Arshak Grigoryan, president of the Tourism Committee Hripsime Grigoryan and executive director of the Tourism Development Foundation of Armenia Ara Khzmalyan signed a memorandum of cooperation for properly preparing and successfully participating in the expo. According to the document, the sides will exchange their experience, knowledge and information with each other. The Tourism Development Foundation of Armenia will provide financial aid for the formation and equipment of the Armenian national pavilion at the expo. The Tourism Committee will control the targeted use of financial resources provided by the Foundation. The SME DNC will cover the total travel costs of tourism companies and will co-finance the rent of the pavilion. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. A Yerevan court has granted bail for indicted CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian generals attorney Mihran Poghosyan told reporters outside a courthouse after middnight. The court remanded Khachaturov into custody until the bail is posted, the attorney said. Prosecutors had earlier requested the court to issue an arrest warrant for Khachaturov to remand him into pre-trial detention. Amid an ongoing investigation into the March 1 case, the Special Investigative Service (SIS) of Armenia has charged CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian general who served as deputy minister of defense in 2008, with article 300.1 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code breaching constitutional order in conspiracy with others the same accusation faced by former President Robert Kocharyan. The SIS has filed a motion to court seeking an arrest warrant to remand the general in custody. In a statement, the SIS said it charged Khachaturov based on sufficient evidence. Khachaturov was appointed head of CSTO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, in 2017. The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Sixty years ago, spurred by competition with the Soviet Union, the United States created NASA, launching a journey that would take Americans to the moon within a decade. Since then, the US space agency has seen glorious achievements and crushing failures in its drive to push the frontiers of space exploration, including a fatal launch pad fire in 1967 that killed three and two deadly shuttle explosions in 1986 and 2003 that took 14 lives. Now, NASA is struggling to redefine itself in an increasingly crowded field of international space agencies and commercial interests, with its sights set on returning to deep space. These bold goals make for soaring rhetoric, but experts worry the cash just isn't there to meet the timelines of reaching the moon in the next decade and Mars by the 2030s. And NASA's inability to send astronauts to space -- a capacity lost in 2011 when the space shuttle program ended, as planned, after 30 years -- is a lasting blemish on the agency's stellar image. While US private industries toil on new crew spaceships, NASA still must pay Russia $80 million per seat for US astronauts to ride to space on a Soyuz capsule. - How it started - In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space with Sputnik 1, while US attempts were failing miserably. The US government was already working on reaching space, but mainly under the guise of the military. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appealed to Congress to create a separate, civilian space agency to better focus on space exploration. He signed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act into law on July 29, 1958. NASA opened its doors in October 1958, with about 8,000 employees and a budget of $100 million. - Space race - The Soviets won another key part of the space race in April 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth. A month later, John F. Kennedy unveiled plans to land a man on the moon by decade's end. "No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish," the US president said. The Apollo program was born. In 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. In 1969, NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. American astronauts of the era were national heroes -- military pilots with the combination of brains, guts and grit that became known famously as "The Right Stuff," the title of the classic Tom Wolfe book. Armstrong's words as he set foot on the lunar surface -- "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" -- were heard by millions around the world. "Apollo was a unilateral demonstration of national power," recalled John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University's Space Policy Institute. "It was Kennedy deciding to use the space program as an instrument of overt geopolitical competition that turned NASA into an instrument of national policy, with a very significant budget share," he told AFP. A total of five percent of the national budget went to NASA in the Apollo era. Now, NASA gets about $18 billion a year, less than a half percent of the federal budget, "and it is no longer the same instrument of national policy," Logsdon said. - New era - More glory days followed in the 1980s with the birth of NASA's shuttle program, a bus-sized re-usable spacecraft that ferried astronauts into space, and eventually to the International Space Station, which began operation in 1998. But what is NASA today? President Donald Trump has championed a return to the moon, calling for a lunar gateway that would allow a continuous stream of spacecraft and people to visit the moon, and serve as a leaping off point for Mars. Trump has also called for the creation of a "Space Force," a sixth branch of the military that would be focused on defending US interests. NASA has long been viewed as a global leader in space innovation, but today the international field is vastly more populated than 60 years ago. "Now you have something like 70 countries that are one way or another involved in space activity," said Logsdon. Rather than competing against international space agencies, "the emphasis has shifted to cooperation" to cut costs and speed innovation, said Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator at the National Air and Space Museum. - 'How can NASA take advantage of this?' - NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told a recent panel discussion he is keen to work with other countries that are striving toward space. He mentioned the possibility of boosting cooperation with China, and how he recently traveled to Israel to meet with commercial interests that are at work on a moon lander. Bridenstine said the reason for his visit was to find out "how are you doing this, what are you doing and is there a way NASA can take advantage of it?" NASA is backing away from low Earth orbit, looking to hand the space station over to commercial interests after 2024, and spending millions in seed money to help private companies like SpaceX and Boeing build capsules to carry humans to space in the coming years. In this environment, Bridenstine said figuring out what NASA does, versus what it buys as a service from commercial providers, will be "one of the fundamental challenges I think I am going to face over my tenure." Bridenstine said Trump's budget requests for NASA have been "very generous." With its eyes on a crew mission to the moon in just five years' time, NASA plans to devote about $10 billion of its nearly $20 billion budget for 2019 to lunar exploration. Bridenstine's predecessor at NASA's helm, retired astronaut Charles Bolden, sounded a note of caution against repeating the mistakes of the shuttle era, when the United States ended its human exploration program without another spacecraft ready to take its place. "We cannot tolerate another gap like that," Bolden said. "It is really critical for NASA to facilitate the success of commercial entities to take over" in low Earth orbit, some 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the planet. "And then for NASA to do what it does so well. Be the leader in lunar orbit." NASA is struggling to redefine itself in an increasingly crowded field of international space agencies and commercial interests, and has set its sights on returning deep space A full-scale replica of the world's first artificial satellite Sputnik, which was launched by the Soviet Union from a testing range in Kazakhstan on October 4, 1957 Neil Armstrong, pictured in an undated NASA handout photo, became the first man to set foot on the moon NASA lost the ability to send astronauts to space when the space shuttle program ended in 2011 NASA is backing away from low Earth orbit, looking to hand the space station over to commercial interests after 2024, and spending millions in seed money to help private companies like SpaceX and Boeing An Armenian court on Friday granted prosecutors an arrest warrant for former president Robert Kocharyan on charges of "overthrowing constitutional order" by rigging presidential polls over a decade ago in favour of his hand-picked ally. During a late-night session, a Yerevan court granted a motion by the Armenian special investigation service for the 63-year-old to be held in pre-trial detention, his lawyer Aram Orbelyan told journalists. Kocharyan has denounced the charges as "false and politically motivated." "I will go to prison and will fight to the end... I am confident that ultimately I will win because the criminal case is completely falsified," he told Yerkir Media television network earlier. He could face up to 15 years behind bars if found guilty of tipping a 2008 vote in favour of his political ally Serzh Sarkisian, in what investigators said earlier amounted to a coup. Supporters of the defeated opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan came out to protest after he denounced the vote as fraudulent. Tensions then erupted into violent clashes between riot police and Ter-Petrosyan's supporters, in which eight protesters and two officers were killed. Pashinyan was arrested in 2009 for organising the protests and sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released as part of an amnesty in 2011. Sarkisian led the South Caucasus nation until April this year, when he was forced to resign because of mass protests against his rule. Pashinyan -? who led the protests -- became Sarkisian's successor in May and launched a sweeping, anti-corruption crackdown on former elites. A pro-Russian politician, Kocharyan served as Armenia's second post-Soviet president from 1998 to 2008. His presidency saw the bloodiest event in Armenia's post-Soviet political history -- the terrorist attack on the Armenian parliament in 1999. Opposition parties have accused Kocharyan of organising the attack in which five gunmen killed his political foes, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan and parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, pictured in 2008, has denounced the charges as "false and politically motivated" A pro-vaccination message written by an Australian doctor has struck a chord with parents around the world after it was spotted in a Colorado waiting room. Dr Rachel Heap, who works in the NSW Northern Rivers region, has never minced her words when it comes to vaccinating children. A fierce pro-vaccination campaigner, Dr Heap in 2016 wrote a confronting message on the Northern Rivers Vaccination Supporters website a message that is now being shared all around the world. Denver resident Sunni Mariah was waiting for her appointment when she noticed the sign which she described as throwing some serious shade. New sign at my Drs office is throwing some serious shade vaccinateyourkidsEdit: the original poster was written by Northern Rivers Vaccination Associationhttp://www.nrvs.info Posted by Sunni Mariah on Friday, July 20, 2018 Not vaccinating your kids leaves them vulnerable to disease their whole lives, the note reads. When your daughter gets rubella when pregnant, how are you going to explain that you chose to leave her at risk? What do you tell your son when he breaks the news to you that he cannot have kids, thanks to the mumps that he got as a teenager? Ms Mariah snapped a photo and shared the message to Facebook. It has since been shared nearly 200,000 times. Dr Heap, an intensive care specialist, has spent years dispelling mistruths spread by anti-vaxxers. Dr Heap said it is the ghosts of people she has previously treated that drives her pro-vaccination message. Source: Getty She told Mamamia its the ghosts of the people shes looked after that keeps driving her. Ive got countless, endless other ones, because people dont count the adults, she said. The 28-year-old guy who died of late complications of whooping cough. The people whove died of influenza young, healthy people as well as the older and more frail, she said. Name a vaccine-preventable disease, other than polio, and Ive seen it directly. Earlier this year Australia clamped down on its no jab, no pay policy by issuing further fines for parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. Back in 2016, the initiative withheld end of year tax benefits from families which refused to vaccinate their children. But in a bid to crack down on even further, stricter sanctions kick-started in July. Now, parents who refuse to keep up to date with immunisations face losing $28 from their family tax benefits every fortnight. Emma Thompson is suddenly feeling her age. The change sweeping Hollywood in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement has left the British actress and director musing on the "primitive model" males that women of her age have had to grapple with. "I feel like I was still part of a really backward generation, which was very binary in its views on males and females," said the double Oscar winner whose film performances include star roles in "Love Actually", "Nanny McPhee", "Sense and Sensibility" and the Harry Potter series. "I feel like I grew up surrounded by quite primitive, raw models," she told AFP. But the Weinstein scandal has been a massive catalyst for change. "We've got a long way to go. But it is very interesting at the moment, there is a lot of changes occurring," said Thompson, who has long campaigned for equal rights and pay. "I think the generation below mine, and with my daughter's generation (her daughter Gaia is 18) you are going to see quite a lot of changes soon, because they are writing new stories," she added. That said, Thompson who plays a judge struggling to fight her corner in the male-dominated higher courts in her new film, "The Children Act", insisted that women are still excluded from large parts of the movie industry. "I think I've seen (only) one woman electrician. You try to be an electrician as a woman, impossible!" she said. A human rights activist as well as a feminist, Thompson, 59, made her name playing strong and enigmatic women in the 1990s when she and former husband Kenneth Branagh were the golden couple of British cinema. - 'We can't have it all' - But the feminism of that time, "that dreadful period of 'Women can have it all'" appalled her. "I screamed loudly at the top of my voice in public, 'No we can't!' "The whole point is there's an imbalance. When men were going out to work, they didn't do the domestic work as well. When women go out to work they still have to do all of that," she added. "It's not about everybody having everything. it's about us understanding what our priorities are, how we are going to change the world of work." For Thompson that means first all not falling in the trap "about us being like men. Forget men. We've been talking about men for centuries, they need to come to us. It's for us to bring the feminine into the world, and to rebalance all this shit... "Those old men, they're all going now, they're all dinosaurs. Thank God." Thompson -- the daughter of "The Magic Roundabout" creator Eric Thompson and renowned actress Phyllida Law -- is well aware of her own privilege. "I had access to a drama career, to some very great feminist literary critics and all of that. So you know, I was lucky, much luckier that my mother's generation." Outside her "small bubble of privileged, white, highly-educated women", she said there "is a long way to go for very many. For the women of colour, it is very hard." And the problems women face go deeper than gender discrimination, Thompson argued. - Husband asks for affair - "People don't want to work all the time, they want to do a job that they can live on. It would be really nice if the word job actually meant what it used to mean. It used to mean that you could also have time for yourself and you would earn enough to live. "Now people have to do two or three jobs in order to survive. Both parents. It's impossible... but it suits our political structures at the moment. And it's not working." Her character Fiona Maye in "The Children Act" -- which is adapted by Ian McEwan of "Atonement" fame from his own novel -- is "not someone who went into a posh school or a posh university... She has had to be better than a man, she has had to be twice as brilliant, just to get where she is." Directed by Richard Eyre, the former director of Britain's National Theatre, it turns on a legal dilemma over whether she has the right to force a teenage boy in the Jehovah's Witnesses to have a blood transfusion that would save his life. Thompson said that decision comes as the judge's own life is falling apart, with her husband asking her permission to have an affair with a younger woman. "In her private life she has developed a kind of blindness, because in the family court in which she works every day you witness some terrible suffering, cruelties, stupidities, brutalities, really awful things. And you have to create a barrier between you and this suffering." The film is released in the UK and much of Europe in August and in the US and South Africa in September. Still part of a "backward" generation Emma Thompson says her daughter Gaia's generation won't have to put up with the same 'primitive' model males There will be a rare treat for skygazers around Australia this weekend, with the longest total lunar eclipse this century and an intense blood moon coming our way early Saturday morning. Right across Australia, everyone will be able to see the moon enter Earths shadow, starting around 4.25am AEST with the total eclipse starting around 5.30am. Totality when the moon will become a reddish-orange colour is estimated to last well over an hour. The entire event, beginning when the moon passes through Earths stratosphere, will last more than six hours, according to NASA. Australians will be able to view a blood moon in the early hours of Saturday morning. Photo: Getty Images Yahoo News Australia spoke to astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker from the Australian National University Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, about what to expect from this special event. What is a blood moon and what causes it? The moon turns red during totality, which is the period during which the moon is fully in Earths shadow, Dr Tucker said. Imagine the sun lights up one part of Earth, and that casts a shadow out into space. At the same time, a little bit of light will get to Earths atmosphere. Australians will be able to catch a glimpse of a rare blood moon lunar eclipse on Saturday. Source: AAP We get sunrises and sunsets because the light changes a little bit differently when its very far or near to the horizon. That light actually keeps going off into space, so a beam of red light from Earths sunrise goes out into space and a beam of red light from the sunset goes out into space. Those two beams actually fall on the moon, so what youre seeing is literally Earths sunrise and sunset lighting up the moon 350,000km away. Where is the best place to see the blood moon in Australia? Western Australia is the only place where youll be able to see the entire eclipse. On the east, the moon will set below the horizon and the sun will rise, cutting off the last phase, Dr Tucker said. WA will start around 1am, with totality around 3-3.20am, and that will last more than an hour. In the Eastern States, totality starts at about 5-5.20am. Youll need to look west above the horizon; as long as you have a clear view youll be able to see it, weather permitting, but its expected to be clear. Wherever you can see the sun set is a great spot: an oval, the beach, out on a boat. Story continues Saturday morning will see the longest total lunar eclipse so far this century. Photo: File/Getty Images How often does a blood moon occur? Lunar eclipses are not so frequent and a blood moon is even more rare, occurring around twice every three years. The general amount of total lunar eclipses in a year ranges from one to three, but the number of total lunar eclipses during a year varies. The last one we saw was a super blue blood moon, which happened earlier this year, on January 31. The next total lunar eclipse isnt until May 2021, although there will be a partial lunar eclipse in July next year, Dr Tucker said. Is it safe to watch? A lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch and you dont need any special equipment, Dr Tucker said. With a solar eclipse, you need glasses and with other astronomical events youll need telescopes and so on. The blood moon is a rare lunar event. Photo: Getty Images Here, its accessible to everyone, you just need your eyes! You can literally roll out of bed on Saturday morning and see the blood moon. Why is this total lunar eclipse so long? A lunar eclipse happens when Earth is between the sun and the moon and Earth casts a shadow out into space and the moon passes into the shadow of Earth, Dr Tucker said. So, why dont we get a lunar eclipse every time we have a full moon? The answer is that the orbit of the moon changes, wobbling by about five degrees; sometimes its closer and sometimes its further away. This time, we have it wobbling into the right position. The orbit of the moon can actually vary up to about 50,000 km in distance, which is about two times the width of Earth. That determines, of course, how long the moon is in the shadow. Thats whats causing this lunar eclipse to be very long. Why are people so fascinated by lunar eclipses and blood moons? In astronomy were often talking about stuff that most people cant see with the naked eye. With a lunar eclipse, its easy and accessible. Solar eclipses are more rare, but a total lunar eclipse is still a unique event. Its the same reason people go out and look at meteor showers its beautiful, and special. Higher oil prices drove increased profits for US oil giant ExxonMobil, but the earnings report Friday missed analyst expectations due to natural gas outages and refining downtime. Net income jumped 18 percent in the second quarter to $4.0 billion compared to the same period a year earlier. That translated into 92 cents a share, well below the $1.27 expected by analysts. Revenues rose 26.6 to $73.5 billion, the company announced. The results follow jumps in profits for Royal Dutch Shell and Total reported Thursday and illustrate the bounce from oil prices. Crude mostly traded in a range of $65 to $75 a barrel during the quarter, up from the $45 to $50 range in the year-ago period. But ExxonMobil reported another significant slide in oil and gas production, which dipped seven percent to 3.6 million barrels a day of oil-equivalent. The company said natural gas output was especially weak, diving 10 percent, due in part to downtime in Qatar, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Downtime in refining also hit results, due mostly to an unusually high number of planned refining outages at various plants and some unplanned maintenance following incidents at facilities in the first quarter, the company said. ExxonMobil shares slumped 4.0 percent to $80.84 in pre-market trading. Higher oil prices drove increased profits for US oil giant ExxonMobil, but the earningsreport missed analyst expectations due to natural gas outages and refining downtime The German government said Friday it took a minority stake in electricity transmission firm 50Hertz for "national security" reasons, thwarting Chinese investors from buying into the strategic company. "On national security grounds, the federal government has a major interest in protecting critical energy infrastructure," the finance and economy ministries said in a joint statement. Berlin has therefore tasked a public bank with purchasing a 20-percent stake put up for sale by Australian infrastructure fund IFM and which has been sought by China's State Grid. The unusual step comes as Germany views China's huge interest warily, following a string of high-profile investments by the Asian giant in sectors ranging from robotics to automobiles to finance. The Chinese group had already tried to take a minority stake in 50Hertz earlier this year. But their first attempt was blocked as 50Hertz's majority shareholder -- Belgian power transmission system operator Elia -- snapped up the stake and expanded its holdings to 80 percent. As part of a spending spree across Europe, Chinese companies have bagged airports, harbours and engineering firms. Germany, with its high-tech firms, has been a prime target. Earlier this year, Geely's billionaire boss Li Shufu shocked the country's coveted automobile sector when he took almost 10 percent in Daimler, which owns the Mercedes brand. A study by consultancy EY found Chinese companies bought 54 German firms last year and invested $13.7 billion in Europe's largest economy. Underlining German concerns over the spate of Chinese acquisitions, domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen had said in May that "one won't need to spy if one simply buys up entire companies." - 'Critical infrastructure' - But Beijing has insisted that it has no ulterior motives. During a visit to Germany in July, Prime Minister Li Keqiang urged Berlin to grant Chinese companies the access that German firms enjoy in China. "Our investments do not threaten your national security. Through joint projects, we want to learn from your experiences and technologies," he said. Not only Germany, but the European Union as a bloc, has been watching the Chinese advances anxiously. Chancellor Angela Merkel has also raised concerns over China's heavy investments in the western Balkans as part of Beijing's plans for a modern-day Silk Road. Current legislation in Germany allows the government to block an investment from a non-EU country only if the investor wants to take 25 percent or more. Berlin last year toughened rules for foreign takeovers, by extending the range of companies eligible for a probe under "critical infrastructure" provisions or considered to be developing "key technologies". In the case of 50Hertz, the government was unable to block the purchase outright as the stake concerned fell below the 25-percent threshold. It has therefore deployed the rare tactic of simply buying the stake. But Berlin said the measure would be "temporary" and that it intended to sell off the shares again in the future. Welcoming the government's move, 50Hertz said it showed "how fundamentally important the transmission network is as part of the critical infrastructure of our country." 50Hertz is one of four transmission system operators in Germany and ensures that 18 million people are supplied with electricity. Its grid covers the states of Brandenburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. - First veto? - Friday's announcement came a day after media reports that Berlin is preparing for the first time to veto the takeover of a German company by Chinese investors for strategic reasons. Business weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported the economy ministry will prevent Chinese investor Yantai Taihai Corporation from buying Leifeld Metal Spinning. The 200-employee firm produces high-strength parts for the car and aerospace industries that also have nuclear applications. "The cabinet will make the decision on August 1," the magazine said. China's foreign ministry said Friday it was "paying close attention to the issue". It also said it "hoped Germany can take an objective view of Chinese investment and create a fair and open market, a mainstream environment, and a stable institutional framework for Chinese companies willing to invest in Germany." 50Hertz is one of four transmission system operators in Germany and ensures that 18 million people are supplied with electricity A woman who went missing as a baby 24 years ago has been found alive and well. Aleacia Stancil, from Phoenix in the US state of Arizona, disappeared in December 1994 after her mother Toni handed her to friends for a few days to clear her head following a battle with drug addiction. AZfamily.com reports the nine-month-old child was passed around among friends before falling into the hands of authorities, where she was put up for adoption. Despite being reported missing by her mother months later in 2015 after spending a short stint in prison, a search for her whereabouts proved fruitless and authorities failed to make the connection between the two incidents, local news site KTAR News reported. Arizona toddler Aleacia Stancil reported missing in 1995 has been found 24 years after her disappearance. Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Toni Stancil was murdered in 1995, with police later saying her death left them very limited with continuing investigations. Despite a series of age-progression images produced, years passed without any progress into her case until 2014 when a nurse became suspicious of a patient who presented herself at a hospital in Connecticut. The nurse says she showed up without any ID and she knew very little of her personal history. The curious nurse then checked a national missing persons list and the details of Aleacia Stancil matched with the girl in the hospital. She contacted police who then took the girl for DNA testing to see if it matched with DNA previously collected from Ms Stancils family members. Regular age-progression images were released of Aleacia Stancil. Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Three years later, the results revealed the young woman was in fact Aleacia Stancil. Ms Stancil had been adopted and went by a different name. She said she didnt want to be identified and the revelation to disrupt her life however was open to meeting family members. She later met with her grandmother, Frances Ford, who now lives in Georgia. Even after 20-plus years, happy outcomes can come, Phoenix Police Sergeant Armando Carbajal told KTAR News. She doesnt want it to interfere with her life, but she has indicated that shes happy that she was able to find out who she was. A group of flight attendants have been praised for their role in saving three girls from potential human trafficking. Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant Wesley Hirata noticed an older Asian man boarding a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu with three much younger Caucasian girls and suspected something wasnt quite right, KITV reports. After chatting to the group on board the flight, he asked other attendants to check in with them and see what they thought. A group of Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants identified a potential case of human trafficking. Source: KITV The flight attendants managed to confirm that one of the girls was underage and that all three were listed under the same name on their passenger documents. When the flight landed in Honolulu, local sheriffs questioned the group. Suspecting human trafficking, a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant started talking to a group of passengers. Source: File/AAP The man suspected of human trafficking is now under investigation by the FBI. Mr Hirata said people who encountered such situations should trust their instincts. Trust your gut and prior experience [and] report the situation without alarming or confronting the passengers in a suspicious manner, he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday of a serious cash shortfall at the United Nations, telling staff in a message that cost-cutting measures are in store. Guterres said the cash crunch was caused primarily by the failure of UN member states to pay their dues on time, adding that he had asked countries to quickly pay their share of the UN budget. "Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer," Guterres wrote in the message posted to the UN's internal communications website. The UN chief said "we will need to take measures to reduce expenses, with a focus on non-staff costs" and added that he had tasked the UN management department to come up with ways to cut spending. The General Assembly in December approved a $5.4 billion two-year budget for the United Nations, which is separate from the UN peacekeeping budget. A total of 112 out of the 193 countries have paid their dues in full as of July, but this list did not include the United States, the UN's number one financial contributor. The United States pays 22 percent of the UN budget, but the payment occurs later in the year, in line with its national budget cycle. During last year's gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, President Donald Trump complained that the United States was shouldering too much of the cost of the world body. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "no one is withholding dues" from the United Nations but that the shortfall was bigger this year because of late payments. Japan, China, Germany and France -- which rank just behind the US in the list of top financial contributors to the United Nations -- have all paid their dues. At the end of June this year, the amount of money paid by member states was nearly $1.5 billion -- some $200 million less than at the same time last year. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres -- shown at a Moscow press conference in June 2018 -- has warned the world body may face a serious cash crunch A pregnant woman stabbed multiple times during a northern Sydney home invasion was found slumped on her neighbours front step, distressed and covered in blood. She just knocked on our door and said Ive been attacked help me, help me, neighbour Mark Bolger said. We could see blood but not her actual wound. The 33-year-old who is reportedly seven months pregnant was stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen after confronting a teenage boy in her Mount Colah home on Thursday evening. After the attack, she managed to stagger bloodied and screaming to Mr Bolgers home where she desperately banged on the door for help. Neighbour, Mark Bolger, told reporters on Friday that he found the stabbed pregnant woman slumped on his front step. Source: 7News Mr Bolger said they tried to help the stricken woman inside their home but she stayed slumped in his doorway and swaddled her with blankets until police arrived. He said her screams rang out through the stately cul-de-sac. She was just totally distressed as we tried to ask her questions to get more information but she was so stressed she just couldnt speak about many other things. Mr Bolger said the mother-to-be appeared to have fought off and disarmed her attacker. Shes supposedly disarmed him so one would assume the bloke had raced away, he said. Droplets of blood on the ground show a path as she staggered to her next-door neighbours home desperately looking for help. She was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital where she remains in a serious but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. The 33-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen after confronting a teenage boy in her Mount Colah. Source: 7News About an hour after the Thursday evening incident NSW Police arrested a 14-year-old boy with hand injuries at a nearby home. He is undergoing surgery and is expected to be charged, a police spokeswoman told AAP. Drops of blood can be seen in the gutter outside the two-storey home where the boy was arrested. Detectives spent Friday morning door knocking the area while forensic police remain on scene dusting for fingerprints and collecting evidence. The womans partner was away from home at the time of the attack, AAP understands, with Mr Bolger saying the young couple worked 24-7. Story continues He said he had only met them in passing since they moved into the street earlier this year and he thought they were expecting their first child. The most important thing shes well and the baby is well, Mr Bolger said. Another neighbour, Forozan Faraee, said she would be praying for the woman and her unborn child. Its a very safe area, weve been living here for seven years and weve never ever had this kind of tragedy, she said. I just hope shes getting better soon and back to her house. On a strip of pavement in the southern Iraqi city of Kut, a gaggle of amateur comedians pulls in the crowds every Friday -- drawing chuckles, smiles and knowing nods. With a rich repertoire of skits, Khaled al-Atbi and his peers poke fun at politicians more interested in lining their pockets than rebuilding a country devastated by decades of war. "Theatre is a message," said the 42-year-old al-Atbi, director and actor in the seven-strong troupe. "With our satire, we condemn... corruption, lack of public services and tribal activities," he said, citing those factors as central to discontent in Iraq. Since the US-led ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has been plagued by graft and sectarian fighting, culminating in the Islamic State group seizing around a third of its territory in 2014. As Iraq seeks to move beyond the brutal war that last year finally defeated the jihadists, al-Atbi is determined to embarrass officials who pocket bribes and hand out plum civil service jobs to relatives. The father-of-two hopes his little troupe can help trigger a culture change, even as he juggles his satirical ventures with a full-time job as a policeman. - Rubbish piles vanish - In one sketch, al-Atbi plays a diligent official obliged to work with incompetent but politically connected colleagues. The scene did not require much in terms of props -- just a table and a few chairs, which were quickly encircled by rapt onlookers. "Our audience is very receptive because they know what we are enacting exists in reality," said al-Atbi. Less than two years after they began working the streets, the group's efforts have already brought about change, according to Kut residents. "We can challenge leaders and solve social problems," said 48-year-old teacher Abu Ali, who never misses a Friday skit. Where rubbish was once piled high, roads are now clean and refuse is collected regularly, Abu Ali added -- thanks at least in part to pressure created by street plays. But not everyone is a fan. The group has attracted online trolls, and while street audiences are generally very supportive, hecklers make their presence felt. "'You exaggerate!' 'Stop insulting the parties and leaders!'" are common refrains, al-Atbi shrugged. - 'Breath of air' - But the performers are not discouraged. Once a week, they set up on "Tigris Culture Street", among stalls of second-hand books lining the banks of the river running through the agricultural region. The plays are the only "breath of air... for people of culture" in the area, said hairdresser Karim al-Bahadli. "They express the feelings that are inside," said al-Bahadli -- a must, he believes, for a turbulent country that is ranked by Transparency International as the world's 12th most corrupt. Southern Iraq was the epicentre of protests in July against corruption and poor public services. Iraq's state human rights commission said Monday at least 14 people were killed in the demonstrations, which spread from Basra to Baghdad, before waning under pressure from the security services. For fans of al-Atbi and his troupe, laughter is something of a social safety valve. They scored their "greatest success" with a series of skits in the lead-up to May 12 elections, said troupe member Jalal al-Chati, who works as a reporter. No shade of political sentiment escapes the group's ridicule. In one scene, the actors play two politicians -- one a devout man offering voters access to the afterlife, the other promising to fend off government efforts to shut down shops selling alcohol. To avoid sailing too close to the political wind, they use no names. But appreciative murmurs and giggles among the audience indicate they know exactly who is being mimicked. An Iraqi man performs a theatrical skit on a street in the southern Iraqi city of Kut An Iraqi man performs a skit on the Corniche Street in the southern Iraqi city of Kut Iraqis look at books on the Corniche Street in the southern Iraqi city of Kut Israel is to build hundreds of new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis, one fatally, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Friday. The announcement came as two Palestinians including a child were shot in the head by Israeli soldiers in separate incidents in the southern Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said, the latest deaths in the long-running conflict. "The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements," Lieberman wrote on Twitter, announcing 400 new housing units in the Adam settlement north of Jerusalem a day after the deadly stabbing. Israel rejects the widely held view that settlement expansion is one of the greatest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians, while attacks against Israelis in the West Bank are supported by many Palestinians as pushing back against settlement growth. The teenage assailant sneaked into Adam Thursday evening by climbing a fence, Israeli media reported. He stabbed three people seemingly at random before being shot dead, the army said, naming the dead Israeli as Yotam Ovadia, 31. Israeli media said he had two young children. The attacker was later identified by official Palestinian media as Mohammed Dar Youssef, 17, from the village of Kobar. The army said Friday it had raided the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid Friday morning, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas. "The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tyres at (Israeli) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means," an army statement said. The clashes were over by mid-morning Friday, an AFP photographer said, though the army had established a checkpoint at the edge of the village. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said three people were arrested. The army added it was "reinforcing the defence" of Adam and other settlements. - US decries 'barbaric attack' - US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah movement leads the government in the West Bank, to condemn the attack. "Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence?" he wrote on Twitter. There was no response from Abbas' government, which has cut ties with the Trump administration over its stance on Israel. "Terror must be condemned by all," the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, wrote on his Twitter account. "Such horrible acts serve only those who stand in the way of peace." All Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal by the international community. Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years in the West Bank, Jerusalem and elsewhere. The West Bank attack came after a period of relative calm. The last such assault in a West Bank settlement was in April, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. In Hamas-ruled Gaza, however, there has been recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in which at least 156 Palestinians have been killed in border protests since late March. - Two Gazans shot dead - One of the Palestinians shot dead on Friday was 12-year-old Majde al Satari, hit during border confrontations east of Rafah, the Gaza health ministry reported, correcting a previous statement which gave his age as 14. Earlier the ministry also reported the killing of Ghazi Abu Mustafa, 43, and said he was shot near the frontier fence, east of Khan Yunis. The Israeli military did not comment directly on the deaths but said about 7,000 Palestinian "rioters" threw rocks and rolled burning tyres at soldiers, and at the fence itself, at several locations along the border. "Troops are responding with riot dispersal means and firing in accordance with the rules of engagement," an English-language statement said, without elaborating. Hamas pledged revenge after Israeli air and artillery strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. In a statement late Thursday, it praised the "courageous operation" in the Adam settlement without claiming responsibility for it. "The West Bank is ready and able to avenge the blood of the martyrs." Israeli security forces at the Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank on July 26, 2018, after a stabbing attack An Israeli border guard during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the village of Kobar, in the occupied West Bank, on July 27, 2018 A Palestinian protester throws stones at Israeli security forces during clashes in the village of Kobar, in the occupied West Bank, on July 27, 2018 Israeli police closed the gates to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound Friday, an AFP photographer said, after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers. The Waqf, the religious authority that runs the mosque, confirmed the gates were closed after unrest broke out. All entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was prevented, the photographer said. Police did not confirm the closures but said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as "rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police". "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," a statement said, using the Jewish name for the site. It added police were still seeking to arrest a number of suspects who had fled into the Al-Aqsa mosque inside the compound. The Waqf published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound, which also includes the Dome of the Rock. The compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The site is also holy to Jews, who believe it to be the location of the first and second temples of Judaism and refer to it as the Temple Mount. An outer wall of the site is the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews are allowed to pray. The wall was not sealed off Friday. The mosque is a rallying point for Palestinians and Muslims generally, who fear Israel is seeking to change the so-called status quo arrangement at the site. Under that agreement, Jews can visit but only Muslims are allowed to visibly pray at the site. In July 2017 tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at al-Aqsa. Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this. Fresh Palestinian protests were expected along the Gaza-Israel border Friday evening, a week after an Israeli soldier was shot dead there. Members of the Israeli security forces close down a street in the Old City of Jerusalem on July 27, 2018, following clashes in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound A knife attack by a Palestinian in a West Bank settlement on Thursday killed one Israeli and wounded two others, while the assailant was shot dead, authorities said. The 17-year-old attacker entered the Adam settlement near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Thursday evening, Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said. "A terrorist infiltrated into (the Adam settlement) and stabbed three civilians," the army said in a statement. "The terrorist was shot and killed," it added. One of the wounded, a 31-year-old, later died from his injuries after having arrived at hospital in critical condition, the hospital treating him announced. A 58-year-old victim was said to be seriously wounded but stable. The third victim, who also shot the Palestinian, was slightly wounded in the leg. Conricus said the attacker, from the Palestinian village of Kobar, had been shot by a civilian who was passing at the time and witnessed the incident. The Palestinian managed to jump the fence of the settlement and stab two passersby, Israeli media reported. Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April 2018, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. - Gaza tensions - Thursday's attack comes amid recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian groups in the besieged Gaza Strip, but the West Bank has remained relatively calm. Earlier in the day, Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, promised revenge after Israeli strikes on the coastal enclave killed three of its members. Israel said the artillery fire late Wednesday was in retaliation for shots fired at troops along the border that injured one soldier. "The enemy shall pay a high price in blood for the crime which it commits daily against the rights of our people and our fighters," said the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. The flare-up came five days after the United Nations and Egypt brokered a deal to halt a July 20 surge in violence that claimed the lives of four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier -- the first killed in the area since the last war in Gaza in 2014. On Tuesday, Israel partially reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip, after a two-week closure prompted by border tensions and incendiary kites had sparked fears of a severe fuel shortage in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. Tensions along the Gaza border increased in late March when Palestinians launched a mass protest movement. At least 149 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire since March 30. Israel says its blockade is necessary to keep Hamas from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used for military purposes. But UN officials and rights groups have repeatedly called for the blockade to be lifted, citing worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave, home to two million people. Israeli forces patrol the Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank on July 26, 2018, shortly after a stabbing attack A woman, who police believe may have been murdered after her body was found dumped in a garage, has been remembered as a devoted mother to her three children. Samantha Fraser, 38, was found at her home on Seagrove Way in Cowes on Phillip Island, southeast of Melbourne, on Monday after she failed to pick up her three children from school. Homicide detectives are investigating the death and whether there was any interference with the crime scene. Samantha Fraser has been described as a kind and caring woman. Source: 7 News Ms Fraser had been working as a psychologist at the Cowes Medical Centre and colleague Alice Bradley paid tribute to her friend following the tragic news of her death. She said the news devastated the tight-knit community. Were all in shock. Its just devastating. We dont expect those sorts of things to happen in a small community, particularly to somebody so young and so loved, Ms Bradley told 7 News. Neighbours said Ms Frasers parents were living with their daughter and her three children, two girls and a boy, about a week before her death. Ms Fraser was found dead at a property on Victorias Phillip Island. Source: 7 News They were in New York visiting Ms Frasers brother when she died. She was kind and caring, generous with her time, a devoted mother, Ms Bradley said. She lived for the children. Ms Bradley has also set up a Facebook page for people to donate money to Ms Frasers children. A friend wrote on the page Ms Fraser was so beautiful inside and out. Our coffee date last week will be treasured forever, she wrote. Ms Frasers neighbour Toni Smith told the Herald Sun the mother was a sweetie. I would sometimes pop over for a coffee. She was beautiful, she said. Detectives have been told Ms Fraser dropped her children off at school on Monday morning and then had coffee with friends ahead of a midday appointment that she failed to show up for. Police are attempting to piece together her movements between 11am and 3.30pm on Monday. Investigators have spoken to a 42-year old Paynesville man who was known to Ms Fraser, but he was released without charge and enquiries were ongoing. Story continues They are keen to speak to anyone who may have been seen entering the Seagrove Way property on the day Ms Fraser died, or who may have seen suspicious activity in the days leading up to her death. Police are also calling for dash camera footage taken on Monday at Phillip Island in the vicinity of Seagrove Way or around Seagrove Way, and San Remo on the mainland. Anybody with information or CCTV footage from the area is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 33 000 or lodge a report online. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has outraged people while campaigning in Tasmania and it has nothing to do with his policies. During a visit to the southern state this week, Mr Turnbull decided to take a break at Olivers Bakery & Cafe in Ulverstone to eat a pie like any true Aussie would. But people have ridiculed him for his pie-eating technique. As the Prime Minister sits down to eat his pie, he pulls out a knife and fork. Malcolm Turnbull has been ridiculed for eating a pie with a knife and fork. Source: Instagram A video of the incident was posted to Instagram by the Prime Minister himself, and some accused him of butchering the Australian delicacy. It is suggested the Australian way to eat a pie is by picking it up with your hands and biting into it all at once. Pictures of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard eating a pie the right way were posted to Twitter to show Mr Turnbull how its done. Julia Gillard eats a pie the Australian way. Source: Getty Images A pie that small should, and always will be, only eaten by a technique that is learned when you go to a school with a tuck shop, one person wrote on Twitter. Two hands. Gently press down on the far side whilst slightly slurping the near side. Another accused Mr Turnbull of being out of touch for his pie-eating technique, but one said it was still better than biting into an onion, referring to former Prime Minister Tony Abbotts impressive onion-eating skills in 2015. Mr Turnbull has since moved campaigning to Longman in Queensland, where he was stopped by a woman angry over a range of issues. Toni Lea, 68, said she was angry about the Captain Cook statue funding, funding for Caboolture hospital and other matters. Several other members of the public at the Sandstone Point Hotel also heckled Mr Turnbull and his Longman candidate Trevor Ruthenberg, with one yelling, wheres your medal Trev! Mali holds crucial polls on Sunday with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita seeking re-election in a country reeling from jihadist violence and ethnic attacks. The international community hopes the poll will strengthen a 2015 accord that Mali, a linchpin state in the troubled Sahel region, sees as its cornerstone for peace. But violence has peppered the election, with the final days of campaigning marred by an attack on a candidate's convoy and renewed killings of civilians. Despite the peace deal, which gathers the government, government-allied groups and former Tuareg rebels, a state of emergency remains in force and heads into its fourth year in November. Jihadist violence, meanwhile, has spread from northern Mali to the centre and south and spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, often exacerbating communal conflicts. - 'No more war-mongering' - Twenty-four candidates are in the race for the presidency, and over eight million people are eligible to vote. Keita, elected in 2013, is accused by his opponents, including several former ministers, of poor governance and security failures. Nearly 300 civilians have died in ethnic clashes this year alone. On Wednesday, at least three Fulani civilians were killed in central Mali in an attack by suspected traditional hunters, according to civil society and security sources. The Fulani community regularly denounces abuses against them by Bambara and Dogon farmers in the fight against jihadists, accusing authorities of ignoring or even taking part in them. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Keita, 73, defended his record and branded the attacks as "pockets of violence and remnants of terrorism". "There's no more war-mongering in Mali today," Keita said. He acknowledged that the violence had "metastasised to central Mali", but said the state was making a "colossal financial effort" to combat it. - Rivals - Keita's challengers are headed by Soumaila Cisse, a former finance and economy minister, who lost by a large margin in the second round of the 2013 election. Others are Modibo Kone, a rural development expert at the West African Development Bank, and Hamadoun Toure, who runs the "Smart Africa" initiative to drive development on the continent via technology. Another candidate, businessman Aliou Boubacar Diallo, said IBK had "failed miserably". Diallo's convoy was attacked by armed assailants while he was campaigning. "Everywhere we have been, it is this insecurity which tops Malians' concerns," Diallo said. Other contenders include astrophysicist and former prime minister Cheick Modibo Diarra. There is only one female candidate -- Djeneba Ndiaye, a 55-year-old businesswoman. - Fraud claims - Amid concerns that the vote could not be held in some restive parts of the country, over 30,000 security personnel have been commandeered to ensure security. In the north, where the state is largely absent, armed groups who signed the peace agreement have also been roped in. The campaign unfolded amid tight security and marked by a controversy over the electoral roll -- with the opposition warning of possible fraud. Cisse's team claimed there were two electoral lists and hundreds of fake polling stations listed. The European Union is expected to deploy around 100 observers on Sunday. Its chief observer, Italian Euro-MP Cecile Kyenge, called on Wednesday for "more transparency" and access for all observers, including 3,000 Malians. Turnout is traditionally low in Mali during the first round of voting, hovering around 50 percent. If Keita -- widely known as IBK -- or any of his contenders fail to secure more than half of the ballots, a second round will take place on August 12. The first results are expected within 48 hours of the vote, with official results following on August 3 at the latest. On the stump: President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has campaigned to Malians in Gabon, home to many of the country's large diaspora Opposition presidential candidate Soumaila Cisse arrives in the city of Gao for an election rally Mali lies in the heart of the Sahel, a vast region that straddles the southern edge of the Sahara Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday said he is asking the United Nations for help combatting corruption and human rights abuses. Lopez Obrador successfully campaigned on a zero tolerance policy towards endemic corruption in Mexico, promising to save millions of dollars in public funds. "The UN is going to help us, we're going to lean on them because they have" an anti-corruption office, said Lopez Obrador at a press conference. The president-elect also asked for the UN's assistance in preventing "human rights violations... like the disappearance of the Ayotzinapa youth." On the night of September 26, 2014, a group of 43 students from a rural teaching school in Ayotzinapa, southern Mexico, disappeared after they were arrested by police in the nearby city of Iguala. They had been heading to the capital Mexico City to take part in commemorations for a 1968 massacre of students and civilians that left hundreds dead. Prosecutors said the police handed over the students to drug traffickers who subsequently killed them, burned their bodies and spread their ashes in a river. But that version of events was questioned by independent expert investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, amid speculation that various other government forces were involved. Lopez Obrador presented former health minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente as his choice for Mexico's ambassador to the UN, an appointment that still needs to be ratified by the Senate. Lopez Obrador, known by his initials AMLO, is due to take over the reins from President Enrique Pena Nieto on December 1. He was elected president on July 1 with a resounding victory, securing more than 50 percent in the first round. Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is asking the UN for help tackling corruption and human rights abuses Mongolian authorities grounded a suspected Turkish air force jet Friday after witnesses said assailants snatched a Turkish man associated with a religious group Ankara has branded as terrorists. In recent weeks, Turkey's intelligence agency has conducted operations abroad against associates of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen -- who Ankara says was behind a 2016 failed coup. As many as five men grabbed Veysel Akcay from outside his home in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar Friday morning and threw him into a minibus, according to friends and eyewitnesses. The 50-year-old is director of a school in Mongolia that is alleged to be associated with Gulen, although teachers there denied the connection in response to questions by AFP. When he failed to show up for work, concerned family and friends notified the police. Meanwhile, Akcay's abductors had taken him to Genghis Khan international airport, where a small passenger jet landed around 1.00 pm (0500 GMT). The plane -- with call sign TT4010 -- is operated by the Turkish Airforce, according to data on flight tracking site flightradar24.com. It was the beginning of a more than eight-hour standoff between the captors and Mongolian authorities, who refused to allow the plane to leave the runway. As authorities summoned Turkish officials from their embassy in Mongolia, parliamentarians and protestors clutching signs demanding Akcay's release gathered at the airport. As the standoff dragged on, Mongolian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh warned Turkish embassy officials that any attempt to abduct a person from Mongolia's territory would constitute "a serious violation of Mongolia's independence and sovereignty". Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu denied the accusations during a telephone call to his Mongolian counterpart Tsogtbaatar Damdin, according to the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But officials were not convinced: "We are an independent nation. Do you think anyone can do abductions in our country?" parliamentarian Baasankhuu Oktaybri wrote on Twitter. The plane took off at 9:25 pm. Akcay was not on it, a Mongolian transportation official said on Twitter. Turkey accuses Gulen of ordering the July 2016 failed overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He strongly denies the claims. Gulen's movement built up significant influence in Turkey and overseas, particularly in Central Asia, Africa and the Balkans, especially via its education network. Ankara has outlawed the movement as a terror organisation but followers insist they promote peace and moderate Islam. Turkey has carried out a series of overseas operations against suspected members of the movement in places such as Kosovo, Gabon and more recently Ukraine. Last week a Turkish blogger accused of links to Gulen was deported from Ukraine as part of an operation by MIT while another individual was detained in Azerbaijan recently and sent back to Turkey. In Turkey over 77,000 people were arrested over alleged links to the movement during a two-year state of emergency imposed after the coup bid in a crackdown criticised by Ankara's Western allies. A passenger jet believed to be operated by the Turkish Air Force was grounded at the airport in Ulaanbaatar after a suspected kidnap attempt Students hold up banners in support of their teacher, Turkish school director Veysel Akcay, at the airport in Ulaanbaatar A US military aircraft flew the remains of more than 50 American servicemen out of North Korea on Friday, prompting a personal "thank you" from Donald Trump to Kim Jong Un. The return of the remains -- on the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- marks the partial fulfilment of an agreement reached between the US president and North Korea's leader at their historic summit in Singapore last month. "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," Trump said in a tweet. The White House said it was "encouraged" by the return of the remains and the "momentum for positive change". "Today's actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home," it said. After leaving the North Korean port city of Wonsan, the C-17 cargo plane landed at the Osan US Air Base in South Korea, where American soldiers stood in ceremonial ranks. The plane -- which had 55 sets of remains on board, according to the United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea -- came to a halt next to a group of 10 honour guards carrying the flags of the UN, the US and South Korea. After the rear door was opened, other uniformed guards went aboard and re-emerged each carrying in their arms a box draped in a white-and-blue UN flag. They then slowly walked to awaiting vans, put the boxes in the vehicles and saluted, before the vans left the scene. "It was a successful mission following extensive coordination," General Vincent Brooks, commander of the UNC and United States Forces Korea, said in a statement. "Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home." More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still considered missing, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, according to the Pentagon. Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets of remains from the North were repatriated, but those operations were suspended when ties deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The remains flown to Osan on Friday are expected to be sent to Hawaii for forensic identification, following a formal repatriation ceremony next Wednesday. - 'They'll milk this' - Trump has hailed his summit agreement with Kim as effectively ending the North Korean nuclear threat, although it contained only an ill-defined commitment on Pyongyang's part to the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" -- a long way from the complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament demanded by Washington. The issue of repatriating remains of American war dead was seen as a far less contentious one, and the summit agreement specified the immediate return of those remains "already identified." According to US officials, North Korea is estimated to have as many as 200 sets of remains ready for delivery. Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who has worked on repatriation issues and visited North Korea several times, warned that Pyongyang might hold up further repatriations in order to squeeze some cash out of the United States. "They'll give a certain amount of remains for free right away," Richardson told the Washington Post. "But then they'll say, 'The next ones, we need to find them, locate them, restore them.' And then they'll start charging, and they'll milk this." The initial repatriation provides the White House with a tangible result from the Singapore summit, which has otherwise failed to deliver on the denuclearisation expectations raised by the US president. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was despatched to Pyongyang in early July to nail down the North's summit commitments -- including returning the remains of US servicemen. Pompeo described the talks as "constructive" but the North Korean foreign ministry condemned his "gangster-like" demands for rapid nuclear disarmament. The White House said it was 'encouraged' by the return of the remains and the 'momentum for positive change' A soldier carries a casket containing the remains of a US soldier killed during the Korean War, after they were returned by North Korea US soldiers salute vehicles transporting the remains of 55 US soldiers killed during the Korean War, after they arrived in South Korea from the North More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war The plane had 55 sets of remains on board, according to the United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea The repatriation of US Korean War dead was part of the Singapore agreement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Friday that he was considering a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as the leaders of their countries mull possible new talks. "I am considering meeting with my counterpart but there has been no decision," Mattis told journalists at the Pentagon. "I'm all for re-opening communications," he added. "It's most important that we talk with those countries we have the largest disagreements with." In Johannesburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was "ready" to travel to Washington to see Donald Trump, and revealed he had invited the US leader to Moscow, shortly after their July 16 summit in Helsinki. The White House said Friday that Trump was "open" to visiting the Russian capital, though it said earlier this week that any new meeting between the two leaders would likely not happen until 2019. Trump's performance at the summit earned howls of criticism at home, where he was seen as being too conciliatory towards Putin. Mattis said there were "no policy changes" with respect to Russia in the wake of the summit. On Tuesday, Mattis said there would be no cooperation with the Russian military in Syria -- at least for now. Russia and the US are conducting separate military campaigns in the war-wracked country. They operate a special hotline to make sure there are no mishaps involving the two sides' ground forces or planes. "We will not be doing anything additional until the Secretary of State (Mike Pompeo) and the president have further figured out at what point we are going to start working, alongside our allies, with Russia in the future," Mattis said at a press conference in California. According to the Pentagon, the last ministerial-level contact between US and Russian defense ministers dates back to a telephone call between Shoigu and Mattis's predecessor Ash Carter in September 2015. The last face-to-face meeting dates back to October 2013 between Shoigu and Chuck Hagel, shortly before Russia annexed Crimea. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he was "considering" meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu The longest "blood moon" eclipse this century dazzled skygazers across the globe Friday, coinciding with Mars' closest approach in 15 years in a thrilling celestial spectacle. As Earth's constant companion slowly sailed across the skies, crowds gathered around the world to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon. Beside Lake Magadi, 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, young members of the Maasai community watched the eclipse through a high-powered telescope provided by a local couple. "Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of scientists," Purity Sailepo, 16, told AFP. "But now I've seen it I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer to tell other people." Unlike with a solar eclipse, viewers did not need protective eye gear to observe the rare display. For about half the world, the moon was partly or fully in Earth's shadow from 1714 to 2328 GMT -- six hours and 14 minutes in all. The period of complete eclipse -- known as "totality", when the moon appears darkest -- lasted from 1930 to 2113 GMT. At the same time, Mars hovered near the moon in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye. Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere were best-placed to witness the rare sight, especially in southern Africa, Australia, and Madagascar, though it was also visible in Europe, South Asia and South America. More than 2,000 people including many children armed with binoculars gathered in the Tunisian capital of Tunis. "I hope this eclipse will bring us happiness and peace," said Karima, 46, without taking her eyes off the sky. However, bad weather thwarted the cosmic display in several parts of the world. Widespread monsoon rainstorms and thick clouds hid the moon across much of India and its neighbours, which should have had a prime view. Similarly, eager observers who had assembled on cliffs and beaches in the English county of Dorset were left in the dark due to an overcast sky. "It's disappointing," Tish Adams, 67, told AFP. "I took a few photos but there was nothing but a streak of pink in the sky." Meanwhile frustrated crowds of would-be moon admirers gathered on a hill in cloudy north London consoled themselves by breaking into a rendition of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler's 1983 hit "Total eclipse of the heart". Those in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro had more luck, snapping the red moon in the clear night sky with their phones and cameras. "I thought it was very pretty and I liked the planet Mars even more, which you could see right next to the moon," said Talita Oliveira, 34. - Celestial bodies align - Mars appeared unusually large and bright, a mere 57.7 million kilometres (35.9 million miles) from Earth on its elliptical orbit around the sun. A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow. The moon travels to a similar position every month, but the tilt of its orbit means it normally passes above or below the Earth's shadow -- so most months we have a full moon without an eclipse. When the three celestial bodies are perfectly lined up, however, the Earth's atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun while refracting or bending red light onto the moon, usually giving it a rosy blush. This is what gives the phenomenon the name "blood moon", though Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland said the colour can vary greatly. It depends partly on "how cloudy or transparent those parts of the Earth's atmosphere are which enable sunlight to reach the moon", he told AFP. "During a very dark eclipse the moon may be almost invisible." The long duration of this eclipse was partly because the moon made a near-central passage through Earth's umbra -- the darkest, most central part of the shadow. "For those alive today, it's a unique event," said Sven Melchert, head of a local society of astronomy enthusiasts in Heppenheim, western Germany, cited by the DPA news agency. - 'Eerie and beautiful' - The moon was also at the farthest point on its orbit from Earth, making its movement across the sky slower from our perspective, thus spending longer in the dark. NASA, meanwhile, called out social media hoaxers claiming that Mars would appear as big as the moon during the eclipse. "If that were true, we'd be in big trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our moon!" the NASA website stated. Mars instead appeared as a very bright star. "In the middle of a lunar eclipse it can look as if a red planet has taken up residence near the Earth -- they are both eerie and beautiful," said Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society in London. Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere were best-placed to witness the rare sight Observers in the Greek city of Corinth enjoyed prime views of the "blood moon" over the temple of Apollo This picture shows Friday's lunar eclipse in the sky over Gaza City Young people watched the eclipse through a telescope beside Lake Magadi in Kenya A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and the sun The eclipse was also visible from the city of Najaf in central-south Iraq The parts of the world that able to view the total lunar eclipse Mars appeared as a very bright star Romania faced a long search Friday for a new anti-corruption chief following the controversial sacking of star prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi earlier this month. The Justice Ministry on Friday rejected four senior prosectors who had applied for Kovesi's old position as head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (DNA), saying none of the met the relevant criteria. President Klaus Iohannis approved the dismissal of Kovesi -- considered a symbol of the fight against graft in one of the European Union's most corruption-plagued members -- on July 9 after long resisting attempts to remove her by the ruling Social Democratic Party. A second one-month selection process to fill the vacancy will start on August 6. The opposition National Liberal Party called on Justice Minister Tudorel Toader to explain his reasons for rejecting all four candidates. The former head of Romania's Constitutional Court, Augustin Zegrean, told AFP that in his opinion all four candidates were qualified for the post. "Probably the minister wants someone else", he said. Three of the four applicants already work at the DNA and are known to have had good working relations with Kovesi during her tenure. The government had claimed victory in May after the Constitutional Court ordered the president to fire Kovesi. But Iohannis delayed approving the decision, leading prominent figures in the ruling party to raise the prospect of his impeachment. An emotional Kovesi confirmed in a televised statement after the sacking that she would no longer be working for the DNA but said she would remain a prosecutor and urged Romanians not to give up the fight against corruption. With Kovesi at the helm, the DNA had led a crackdown on corruption among local and national elected officials in recent years, earning accusations of abuse of power and the enmity of many in Romania's political class. Despite Kovesi's sacking, Zegrean told AFP that the DNA "has all the conditions to go forward, as it's very trusted and appreciated by the society." Laura Codruta Kovesi, pictured in 2016, was considered a symbol of the fight against graft in Romania The search for missing twin girls following the devastating fires in Greece has taken another turn following claims from their father he saw them on TV in a rescue boat. Nine-year-olds Sofia and Vasiliki Philippopoulos have been missing since the bushfires swept through a resort in Mati on Monday night which left at least 83 people dead. Their father, Yiannis Philippopoulos, searched for his daughters across the area, including at morgues, and believed he spotted his daughters on a boat during a news report on Greek television. Despite being adamant the girls he saw on TV were his own, another father has since come out and said the girls in the footage are his daughters, the BBC reported. Twins Sofia and Vasiliki Philippopoulos remain missing following Mondays devastating fires in Greece. After Greek media began circulating the image of the girls on the boat, the man went to police to confirm the case of mistaken identity. Mr Philippopoulos had initially taken the footage to police but was unable to find any further information regarding their whereabouts. He was convinced the girls were his after being shown higher resolution footage by police, The Sun reported. Yet the Greek coast guard said it had no record of the girls whereabouts or their condition, despite the names of those who disembarked rescue boats having been recorded. The twins father thought he had seen his daughters on a news report on Greek TV. Source: Skai Mr Philippopoulos pleaded on national TV to help find his daughters following what he believed to be a sighting of them on a TV news report. Source: Skai TV The boat captain reportedly told a local TV station he thought the girls in the video were on board with their parents. When the fire broke out near Mati the twin girls were with their grandparents who are also missing. Many still missing near Mati The number of missing people is still unknown, but is believed to be around 40. Authorities are unsure if the reported missing people are deceased as they continue to identify the bodies. Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said there were serious indications that the fires were caused by arson. We have serious indications and significant findings of criminal activity concerning arson, he told media on Thursday. Slovak prosecutors said on Friday that they had charged the leader of a far-right party that holds seats in parliament with promoting extremism after he handed out cheques for a figure allegedly known as a neo-Nazi symbol. Lawmaker Marian Kotleba was charged with "promoting sympathy towards a movement aimed at suppressing fundamental rights and freedoms," prosecutor's office spokeswoman Jana Tokolyova told AFP on Friday. The charge stemmed from a 2017 charity event organised by the Kotleba-People's Party Our Slovakia (LSNS), where Kotleba handed out cheques to families in need made out for 1,488 euros ($1,733). "In a school located in Banska Bystrica, Kotleba handed out the three larger-than-life, symbolic cheques for 1,488 euros to three families in front of nearly 400 guests," Tokolyova said. "The number 1,488 is a well-known neo-Nazi symbol," she added. If a court accepts the charges, Kotleba will be tried and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. The former governor of his native central region of Banska Bystrica, who has been charged with hate speech in the past, is known for having led street marches with party members dressed in black neo-Nazi uniforms. He is hostile to both Slovakia's large Roma minority and the established elite and has spoken warmly of former president Jozef Tiso, who agreed to deport tens of thousands of Jews to Nazi Germany during World War II. His party has campaigned heavily against letting migrants into the country and won seats in parliament for the first time in March 2016. Last year, prosecutors also set in motion a case asking the Supreme Court to ban the LSNS. There is evidence that it "is an extremist political party with fascist tendencies," Andrea Predajnova, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor general, said at the time. Marian Kotleba, leader of the Slovak far-right party LS-Nase Slovensko, pictured in 2016, was charged with promoting extremism after he handed out cheques for a figure allegedly known as a neo-Nazi symbol President Donald Trump said the European Union would soon become a "massive" importer of US natural gas, but some energy analysts expressed skepticism at such an outcome. Trump, joined by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, said Wednesday that the two key economies reached agreement to boost trade of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and soybeans as they defused an escalating trade dispute. But exporting LNG is an expensive business and likely will not be a big part of European energy anytime soon, experts said Thursday. "What counts for the European consumer is the price," said Thierry Bros, a researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, who noted the lofty costs of US LNG. After Europe liberalized its energy markets, "the price is set between buyers and sellers at the exchange in Holland," he added. Unlike oil, which already is in liquid form, natural gas must first be liquefied at a factory in the United States before it is shipped and then re-gasified in Europe at another plant. By contrast, conventional natural gas can just be sent to the EU via pipeline. "I don't see how the US can force European clients to buy US liquefied natural gas that is more expensive," said Matt Smith, analyst at ClipperData. A senior EU official agreed with that assessment. "We are not going to turn into a Soviet style economy" that can order up more imports, the official said. "The EU wants to increase imports... the text does not say that the EU is committing to increase imports. It is not a declaration of intent." - US shale boom - The spotlight on US natural gas exports comes as supply of the commodity remains robust amid an American shale boom that has elevated US standing in the world of oil and gas. LNG exports from the US quadrupled in 2017 and the country became a net exporter of natural gas for the first time in 60 years. Boosting exports further would lower the US trade deficit, a focal point for Trump. "The European Union wants to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States to diversify its energy supply," the joint agreement said. Juncker said the EU was prepared to invest to build additional infrastructure for LNG. But analyst Bros notes that is not really the issue: current LNG import facilities are only running at about 26 percent of full capacity. European gas imports have been on the rise for a while, increasing 4.3 percent in 2017 to 467 billion cubic meter as production fell 5.3 percent to 118 billion cubic meters. The trading bloc has sought to diversify supply away from Russia, which currently accounts for about one-third of the region's gas. Europe has embraced gas from Azerbaijan as part of this strategy. But LNG also is a promising source of additional supply, whether from Qatar, Mozambique, Australia or the United States. Trump has repeatedly touted US gas as a solution to Europe's conundrum, while castigating the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that could double gas shipments from Russia to Germany. US exporters until now have sent most gas to Asia and Latin America. In 2017, more than 50 percent of US LNG exports went to three countries -- Mexico, South Korea and China. But "the ramp up in US LNG exports has only just begun," said S&P Global Platts, which projected that LNG exports from the US would more than quadruple by 2020 following construction of new liquefaction plans, according to S&P Global Platts. US natural gas producers have become more efficient in extracting natural gas, another factor that "would likely raise the competitiveness of US LNG," said S&P Global Platts. Reservoirs of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal are seen in Dunkerque, northern France US President Donald Trump meets with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2018 If you want to keep your messages safe from prying eyes, update your phones immediately. Experts warn that a security flaw could allow hackers to access data sent over a Bluetooth connection between two paired devices. Technology experts at Carnegie Mellons US Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) posted a warning on a database that provides information about software vulnerabilities. The experts said the flaw could affect Apple, Google and Microsoft phones. Bluetooth connections allow people to securely transfer files between two paired devices over short distances. However, CERT has reported that there is a vulnerability which may affect the data encryption process between two devices. If you want to keep your messages safe from prying eyes, update your phones immediately, experts warn. Source: Getty The flaw may allow a unauthenticated, remote attacker within range of the Bluetooth connection to determine the encryption keys and access a users data. Hackers may be able to intercept and decrypt and/or forge and inject device messages, of people using these flawed Bluetooth connections. When Bluetooth data is encrypted, a public and private key are created by a mechanism called the Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange. The flaw means an extra layer of security is missing and there is no validation check before the shared key is computed, making it easier for hackers to access the private key and your messages. The experts advise smartphone users to immediately update their phones and be aware of any software and firmware updates from their providers in the coming weeks. A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control some 90 percent of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority over much of the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". - Western ally - The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State (IS) group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF, whose Kurdish units have pulled back. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. - Cultural rights - Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and President Bashar al-Assad in late May threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. The SDF backs a federal Syria made up of autonomous cantons in the various regions, including the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh and Kobane. It has already set up cantonal administrations in areas under its control which raise their own revenues and operate their own police and other services. In a first for Syria, the SDF runs Kurdish-medium schools, although it also recognises the rights of other linguistic groups, including the Assyrian Christians. A Kurdish lawmaker who sits in the national parliament in Damascus said the talks with the SDF would focus on confining its ambitions to the cultural sphere with central government control restored in areas under its control. Damascus wanted the SDF to "facilitate the entry of the Syrian army and the return of state institutions into Kurdish-majority areas east of the Euphrates", lawmaker Omar Usi said. In return, it was offering "constitutional recognition for the Kurdish community and its cultural rights." It is likely to be a tough pill for the SDF to swallow as it continues to take losses in fighting with IS in desert areas close to the Iraqi border. The alliance has implemented much of the leftist ideology of its main Kurdish component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), including strict equality for women in all public offices. The Kurdish flag and images of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan are ubiquitous in SDF-held areas. Syrian Democratic Forces commander Rojda Felat celebrates the October 2017 capture of the Islamic State group's notorious de facto Syrian capital Raqa Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces, trained by the US-led coalition, take part in a graduation ceremony in the suburbs of the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, on May 21, 2018 Syrian Kurds carry Kurdish flags and portrarits of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan during a rally in the nouthern town of Jawadiyah on January 18, 2018 A kind-hearted young man found dead at a farm outside Melbourne had bought a ring and planned to propose to his girlfriend. At just 20 years old, Nathan Khoury had so much to live for, but on Thursday his young life was cut short. His body was found at a property in Bulla, near Sunbury, with a large rifle lying just metres away. Mr Khoury was one of five brothers, and worked at the family funeral parlour as Melbournes youngest mortician. Nathan Khourys body was found at a property in Bulla, near Sunbury, with a large rifle lying just metres away. Source: 7 News His family told 7 News he was kind-hearted and popular, and had recently bought a ring to propose to his girlfriend. His loved ones say they dont know what happened, but believe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Your smile lit up the room, you comforted so many families, you gave your all to everyone and did everything you could to make everyone happy, the family business K&S Funerals wrote on Facebook. Nathan Khoury had bought a ring and planned to propose to his girlfriend. Source: 7 News Thornburys our Lady of Lebanon church wrote: Nathan was a dedicated and supportive member of the parish who would be dearly missed by all. On Friday, Police and SES crews searched the property believed to be the family farm for a second day. They combed the long grass for clues and took several items away in evidence bags, but revealed little about the progress of their investigation. Police and SES crews search the Bulla property, believed to be the family farm. Source: 7 News The homicide squad is investigating, but detectives remain tight lipped about the circumstances of Mr Khourys death. Police have now been on scene for more than 24 hours and given the size of the property, it is likely to remain a crime scene for quite some time. The family funeral business is now facing the harrowing task of burying one of their own. The day after Stormy Daniels high-profile lawyer Michael Avenatti announced that he will now represent three additional women who, he says, were paid off by associates of Donald Trumpincluding one who said she was pregnant at the timea judge heard a request by Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to shut Avenatti up. As this Court has probably already surmised, Mr. Avenattis actions are mainly driven by his seemingly unquenchable thirst for publicity, Cohen and his attorney Brent Blakely asserted in their motion to gag Avenatti. Cohen filed the motion in the currently delayed lawsuit against him and Trump by Daniels. Federal Judge S. James Otero of the Central District of California in Los Angeles had not yet issued a ruling on the gag order request by early Friday afternoon. According to reporting from inside the courtroom by Nathan Solis of Courthouse News Service, Otero appeared unlikely to grant Cohens request. [Otero] leaned pretty heavy that he wasn't going to issue a gag order against Avenatti, because that would chill First Amendment rights, Solis reported via Twitter. He recognized the irony of a request for a gag order from Cohen. Earlier this week Cohen shared an audio recording with CNN of a conversation Cohen and Trump had about a possible payment to buy the rights of a story for another alleged affair. Solis was referencing the recording released by another Cohen lawyer, Lanny Davis, earlier in the weeka recording on which Trump can be heard instructing Cohen to pay off former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal with cash. As AVN.com reported, McDougal in April settled a lawsuit against Trump over a payoff she received from The National Enquirer, a tabloid newspaper whose owner is closely aligned with Trump. We applaud Judge Otero for clearly understanding the ramifications of the First Amendment in these proceedings, Avenatti said outside the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. We are confident based on his statements that the efforts by the President of the United States and Michael Cohen to silence me and prevent me from presenting the truth and evidence to the American people, that those efforts are going to fail. Blakely, in a statement read aloud by the judge, compared Avenatti to a small-town carnival magician [who] attempts to somehow justify his conduct by pulling the First Amendment out of his tiny bag of tricks. But Otero, according to Soliss account, appeared to brush aside that characterization, saying that the First Amendment was not a trick, but that this is serious business. Avenatti also asked that if the judge were to grant the gag order, that a similar order be placed on Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani, noting that Giuliani had recently, in a nationally televised interview, described Cohen as a pathological liar. If he is hurting Cohen's chance for a fair trial by his comments to the media, so are Trump and Giuliani, argued Avenatti, Solis wrote. The evening prior to the Friday morning hearing, Avenatti spoke on a human rights panel in West Hollywood, California, and announced his three new clients. "There are three additional female clients of mine that have not been disclosed that were paid hush money prior to the 2016 election, whether it be from Michael Cohen on behalf of the president, an entity that Michael Cohen formed, or AMI," Avenatti said, according to Los Angeles TV station KABC. AMI, or American Media Inc., is the parent company of The National Enquirer. Avenatti added that one of his new clients claimed to be pregnant at the time of the payoff, but he gave no further details, and did not specify whether the women were paid hush money as a result of sexual encounters with Trump. But Avenatti added, "Last time I checked, they weren't just handing out checks to anyone whether they had a relationship or not. At the event, Avenatti again declared his intention to run for president in 2020but only if I do not get a sense that the Democratic Party has the right street fighter and the right person to go up against Donald Trump, he said, according to KABC. In that eventuality, Avenatti said, I will absolutely run and I will defeat himperiod. Image via YouTube Live News Screen Capture ZWAAGDIJK, The NetherlandsElvie Trainer is a pelvic floor trainer and has won more than 12 awards and is recommended by more than 1,000 health professionals worldwide. Now, Elvie is in stock and shipping from adult distributor Eropartner Distribution. 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Compatible with iPhones 4S, iPad 3 and Android phones 4.3 and newer versions that support Bluetooth Smart/Bluetooth Low Energy (excluding Huawei phones). For more information, visit Eropartner.com. CYBERSPACE The hot MILF fantasy is as close to reality as it can get in DDFNetwork VR's latest release entitled "Virtual Step Mom Fantasy." The Hungarian MILF pornstar Tiffany Rousso is a nymphomaniac stepmom with a huge sex drive that needs quenching fast. Viewers receive a sensual striptease, the blowjob of their life, the ability to pleasure her with their fingers, and the best view in the house during cowgirl and doggy style. For those without VR Gear, DDF Network provides VR vids in 2D Original Format as well. Council said changes didn't require public hearing and focused mainly on making sidewalks friendlier to disabled visitors and residents The Raleigh City Council once again has changed the rules of outdoor seating for downtown diners, but some business owners say they were never consulted before the changes were made.On May 1, the City Council unanimously - with the exception of Dickie Thompson who was absent - approved changes to the outdoor dining ordinance for downtown establishments.The new requirements ban outdoor seating which creates a meandering path. Instead, there must be a straight, clear path on the sidewalk for pedestrians, with medallions marking off dining areas.Other changes distinguish whether outdoor seating is allowed along the curb or by the edge of a building, depending on the width of the sidewalk. While the previous ordinance required a seating buffer of five feet from a tree, the revised ordinance only requires outdoor seating to be at least two feet from a tree grate.These changes arrived as restaurant and bar owners were set to renew their outdoor seating permits. A few will have to rethink their plans with new rules in order. Many felt blindsided by the quick process and the lack of public input sought by city officials.Zack Medford, who owns downtown establishments including Isaac Hunter's Tavern and Paddy O'Beers, said he was surprised by the changes.Medford said.Travis Crane, assistant planning director with the Department of City Planning, said four out of the 29 establishments that have applied for a permit renewal will lose seats. Sitti will go from 11 to eight seats, Treats will go from eight to seven, and Woody's will go from 18 to 16 seats.Crane said Isaac Hunter's Tavern, which will go from 21 to 10 seats, voluntarily reduced its seating beyond the requirement.Joseph Hatch, the owner of Woody's at City Market, posted his frustrations on Twitter with the new rules.Hatch tweeted Regulating outdoor dining was a contentious issue not long ago, with complaints in May 2015 over noise and overcrowding along the Fayetteville Street corridor spurring the City Council to action. The debate, which was often heated, eventually led to a compromise in 2016 and an ordinance outlining rules for outdoor dining.Medford said.Council member Stef Mendell said the changes shouldn't have come as a surprise. When the original ordinance went into effect, the council said it would re-evaluate the rules and make adjustments as necessary.Mendell said.In February, the council asked staff to look into possible changes in the outdoor dining ordinance and return with recommendations in April. Since changes were made to the City Code and not to the Unified Development Ordinance, the planning commission didn't have to review them and a public hearing wasn't required.Council member David Cox didn't respond to emails requesting comment on the issue, but his tweets said the changes were made to accommodate those with disabilities.Cox tweeted Critics say council members should look in the mirror when talking about making the city more accessible for those with disabilities.Medford said, speaking of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.Mendell said the city is working to ensure all city buildings comply with the ADA, but that shouldn't preclude improving access so the disabled can use public sidewalks.Mendell said.Brent Woodcox, special counsel to Republicans at the General Assembly, took issue with the City Council's line of argument. He cited a tweet from Mendell which questioned,Woodcox said.But the biggest issue, according to Woodcox, is with the process itself and how business owners were seemingly left out.Woodcox said.City Council members said there was plenty of engagement with downtown establishments. The staff was told to schedule a meeting with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing downtown. Council member Nicole Stewart is the liaison to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.Stewart said at a July 3 City Council meeting.Stewart declined to comment further on the subject.Kris Larson, the president and CEO of DRA, said a meeting took place before the May 1 vote on the outdoor seating ordinance. The meeting, which focused on accessibility in public spaces, was with several business owners and the Alliance of Disability Advocates.Larson said.Larson said he wishes there had been more interactions with business owners to expand accessibility while keeping disruption to downtown establishments at a minimum.Medford also called for collaboration between City Council and downtown business owners.Medford asked. On Saturday, the FBI released a heavily-redacted version of the FISA warrant application against former Trump foreign policy advisor Carter Page. That FISA warrant application, which was granted in October 2016 and thus allowed FBI surveillance against Page, doesn't show much we don't already know - hundreds of pages are blacked out. Here's what we do know from the application:The dossier compiled by British spy Christopher Steele at the behest of the Hillary Clinton campaign and Fusion GPS was allegedly handed over to the FBI in September 2016, and served as a key component of the FISA warrant application. It didn't play a minor role; it played a major role. With that said, most of the Steele dossier had to do with Trump and onetime Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort - and none of that material appears in the application.Republicans have suggested that the Steele dossier was used in its entirety and was not corroborated in any way. We simply don't know that, since corroborating details could be found behind the redactions. If the FBI simply used the Steele dossier without any corroboration, that would certainly be troubling.Dueling interpretations of the memo by House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) have emerged. On the one hand, Byron York of The Washington Examiner says that Nunes was correct - that the funding of the Steele dossier wasn't fully conveyed to the Court. On the other hand, the application contains clear references to "Candidate #1" being targeted by "Candidate #2." In my opinion, it's a massive stretch to suggest that the court didn't know that Hillary had paid for the dossier. The application openly states that aThis is obviously the case, but it's also true that his activities during the time he was a foreign policy advisor on the campaign were being investigated. While Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) suggests that the FISA warrant against Page had nothing to do with the campaign, therefore, that's a stretch, too.The application stated that thePage admitted yesterday on Jake Tapper's CNN show that he was an "informal advisor" to the Kremlin in 2013. "Informal having some conversations with people," Page stated. Page has never been arrested for his supposed connections with the Kremlin.One of the accusations leveled has been that the dossier was used as a source, and that Steele then leaked the information to another news source, which was used as a second source. That's untrue. The application only references the Yahoo! News article leaked by Steele in order to show Page's response to the dossier information.So, what does this new release actually show? Not much. If you believe that the Steele dossier and FISA warrant were used by the intelligence community to target the Trump campaign, nothing in the FISA application will change your mind - the Steele dossier is central. If you're convinced the FISA warrant wasn't used to target Trump, nothing will change your mind - most of the document is redacted. The real question is why Trump doesn't just declassify the whole thing if it shows what he says it shows. Now that it is fully apparent, to all who have the ability to pay some modicum of attention, that Imposter President Biden has extreme cognitive issues, in addition to being an inveterate liar: Can OUR Republic continue with this Executive Office that has completely failed, so many times, on far too many issues here at this early date in this abysmal presidency? No, Joseph R. Biden is completely unqualified, morally and cognitively, to represent real Americans, and lead this Republic of disparate peoples. Yes, Joseph R. Biden has started whispering again, even softer now than before; so, I know he still cares, plus, OUR media will soon stop reporting on Afghanistan in favor of OUR Socialist ideals. This resource is no longer available This resource is no longer available. Return to previous page. Our world is dominated by mobile devices, some of which can even outperform laptops. When it comes to tablets, in particular, no one can seem to get their eyes off Apple's iPad. Whether the Mini or the Pro, iPads have long been some of the bestselling tablets to date. But as with all Apple products, READ THE REST When I'm in Calgary, there's a coffee shop that I like to work at, located in the Chinook Centre Mall. It's part of a local chain that knows how to make a great iced latte. I'm not in often, but they know me. They know my face. Apparently, they're not the only ones. According to the CBC, the management company that tends to Chinook Center Mall, Cadillac Fairview, has been using facial recognition software to track the sex and age of visitors on the down low. From The CBC: A visitor to Chinook Centre in south Calgary spotted a browser window that had seemingly accidentally been left open on one of the mall's directories, exposing facial-recognition software that was running in the background of the digital map. They took a photo and posted it to the social networking site Reddit on Tuesday. The mall's parent company, Cadillac Fairview, said the software, which they began using in June, counts people who use the directory and predicts their approximate age and gender, but does not record or store any photos or video from the directory cameras. Cadillac Fairview said the software is also used at Market Mall in northwest Calgary, and other malls nationwide. In Alberta, collecting biometric data, so long as no images are recorded and stored, is allowed, without having to let anyone know that you're doing it. That's frigging greasy. For their part, Cadillac Fairview says that they aren't required to let visitors to their property know that they're being profiled, as the software they use, MappedIn, doesn't store any photos or biometric information. But here's the thing: we're already watched on cameras when we enter most malls. If you're like many people, you connect to mall-sponsored wi-fi while you're shopping (please use a VPN while doing so, for your own good). When you start combining the information gleaned from these things and combine it with what Cadillac Fairview, and most likely, other building management companies would like you to believe is innocuous data collection, it's possible to begin building a relatively comprehensive profile on an individual wandering a mall, based on their location according to their wi-fi connection, camera data, and whatever facial recognition suite they might be running. Will this data be used by the property management to provide a better shopping experience? Sure. Is there a guarantee that the data won't be sold to other interests in the name of profit? Absolutely not. It's another fine example of technology outpacing the laws designed to keep our private lives, private. Image: by Abyssus Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link The Chinese slang term jingfen means "spiritually Finnish." It was coined thanks to the popularity of an online comic called Finnish Nightmares. Liang Chenyu speculates why so many Chinese millennials identify with the comic. Children who grew up under the one-child policy got used to a certain amount of isolation, which contrasts with how they are expected to be socialized, especially in crowded cities. As Chen Si told Sixth Tone: Finnish social norms are primarily a product of the country's low population density, Chen says: "You don't expect someone to sit beside you if there are other seats available." The creator of "Finnish Nightmares," artist Karoliina Korhonen, says she is surprised by its popularity among Chinese millennials. "I thought Chinese people might be used to crowded places," she writes in an email reply to Sixth Tone. Korhonen thinks jingfen is a fantastic buzzword. "I said once that everyone can have a little bit of [the comic's protagonist] Matti in them, regardless of where they are from," she adds. Socially Awkward Millennials Claim They're 'Spiritually Finnish' (Sixth Tone) When Donald Trump entered the election race, it brought Bloom County creator Berkeley Breathed out of a much-deserved retirement to lampoon Cheeto Hitler as only Milo, Opus, Bill and the gang could; the first collection chronicled the 2016 campaign, and a second collection, Brand Spanking New Day is a comic snapshot of one of the weirdest, worst years in living American memory. I missed this book when it first came out (it's a year old!) and only found it at the IDW booth at Comic-Con last week. But I'm weirdly glad to have come to this so late, because it's a timely reminder of just how much and how little have changed since the election, and it made me laugh so, so hard. The rebooted Bloom County features classic BC's cast of characters, with some very welcome additions, like Sam the Lion, a terminally ill child whom Steve ended up semi-adopting in a bid to impress his hot mom that ended with Steve finding a compassionate side to his own character. The election brought the return of the Meadow Party, much-loved from the Reagan/Bush I/Clinton years, as well an an effort to draft both Bill and Opus to front the Democratic and Republican presidential bids. The Boingers try to get booked to play the RNC. Opus gets a new, smart-tie. As always, the Bloom County gang are at their best when they're mixing silliness with trenchant political commentary (Opus's "pregnant pauses" are a particularly hilarious/wince-inducing running gag), and Breathed, having cut his teeth lampooning Ronald Reagan, has been in training for this moment for nearly 40 years. My favorite moment in the book is the series of strips that follow from election day, 2016: a rain of cows. I laughed loud and long enough at this book to annoy my family. I've pre-ordered the next collection, Bloom County: Best Read On The Throne, which is only a month away! Bloom County: Brand Spanking New Day [Berkeley Breathed/IDW] Two New Orleans police officers were charged with battery this week after beating up a man they decided was a "fake American," reports CBS News. The officers were white and the victim hispanic; they told him they "didn't like his camouflage clothing." Spencer Sutton and John Galman were booked on one count each of simple battery in connection with the beating of Jorge Alberto "George" Gomez early Tuesday, reports CBS affiliate WWL-TV. Gomez said the two off-duty officers, who are white, began harassing him inside Mid-City Yacht Club, saying they didn't like his camouflage clothing and asking him whether he had served in the military, reports the New Orleans Advocate. Gomez said he told the men he was born in the U.S. but was raised in Honduras before he returned to live in New Orleans and served in the National Guard, but the men wouldn't accept his answer. WWL-TV confirmed that Gomez, who is Hispanic, served with the Louisiana National Guard. When last we met the Four Thieves Vinegar collective a group of anarchist scientists who combine free/open chemistry with open source hardware in response to shkrelic gouging by pharma companies they were announcing the epipencil, a $30 DIY alternative to the Epipen, Mylan's poster-child for price-gouging and profiteering on human misery. It's been two years since the epipencil and Four Thieves has been been busy. Michael Laufer is one of the founding Four Thieves, and he's just presented a wide-ranging look at the Collective's technical accomplishments at HOPE, the Hackers on Planet Earth conference held every two years at New York's Hotel Pennsylvania. Their main accomplishments involve the Apothecary Microlab, a DIY automated chemistry robot that you download and 3D print and assemble, using common hardware, electronics, and chemistry components. With the Microlab and the right chemicals, you can synthesize a variety of lifesaving drugs. Home pharma manufacturing is not without risks you could easily end up making poison instead of medicine. But as Daniel Oberhaus points out in his Motherboard profile of Laufer, the Four Thieves have made amazing strides in harm reduction in drug synthesis. Using a database from a startup called Chematica, they mined 250 years' worth of organic chemistry history to find the safest-possible synthesis paths to the molecules they were trying to synthesize (unfortunately, Merck bought out Chematica and took the database proprietary, though there's a darkweb site with a password-protected, leaked version of the Chematica database that Laufer would like your help in breaking). Right now, the Microlab can produce five drugs, including Naloxone (which saves the lives of people dying of opiod overdoses, and which uses oxymorphone bought on the street as a precursor, "making medicine from poison"); and cabotegravir (an experimental drug that prevents the spread of HIV from needle-sharing, which the collective makes available to heroin dealers to cut their products with). They've got all kinds of ambitious plans, too. They're investigating using books as a medium for growing GM mycelia that could devour the cellulose in the paper and produce precursors; these books could be mailed at media rates between biohackers in a postal P2P system they call "biotorrents" (they're also thinking of using CDs as petri dishes, taking advantage of standard mailers and packaging). They're planning a work-focus on rare and orphan disease, and blockbuster drugs like Solvadi, the $84,000, one-shot Hep C cure. The whole thing has the ring of OG hacker groups like Cult of the Dead Cow, as brilliant at media as they were at tech. As for the DEA, none of the pharmaceuticals produced by the collective are controlled substance, so their possession is only subject to local laws about prescription medicines. If a person has a disease and prescription for the drug to treat that disease, they shouldn't run into any legal issues if they were to manufacture their own medicine. Four Thieves is effectively just liberating information on how to manufacture certain medicines at home and developing the open source tools to make it happen. If someone decides to make drugs using the collective's guides then that's their own business, but Four Thieves doesn't pretend that the information it releases is for "educational purposes only." "The rhetoric that is espoused by people who defend intellectual property law is that this is theft," Laufer told me. "If you accept that axiomatically, then by the same logic when you withhold access to lifesaving medication that's murder. From a moral standpoint it's an imperative to enact theft to prevent murder." "So yeah, we are encouraging people to break the law," Laufer added. "If you're going to die and you're being denied the medicine that can save you, would you rather break the law and live, or be a good upstanding citizen and a corpse?" Meet the Anarchists Making Their Own Medicine [Daniel Oberhaus/Motherboard] - The government cannot afford to expand the countrys nuclear power operations at present but remains open to possible future deals with Russia - This was the assessment of ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile - Mashatile said the government would be cautious about any future expansion and was not looking for a big-bang approach PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! The South African government cannot afford to expand the countrys nuclear power operations at the current time but remains open to possible future deals with Russia, this is according to African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Paul Mashatile. Mashatile was speaking at a business forum linked with the 2018 BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He said the government would be cautious about any future nuclear expansion and was not looking for a big-bang approach to expanding the countrys nuclear power capacity. READ ALSO: Jacob Zumas supporter flock to Pietermaritzburg High Court ahead of Friday appearance Mashatile said the government would assess the merits of any future nuclear deals and if those deals proved to be cost effective and value for money they would be given proper consideration. Briefly.co.za gathered that Mashatile might not be active in the government but as one of the ANCs top six leaders, he is one of the most powerful people in the country in terms of influencing the economic policies which are ultimately adopted by the government. President Cyril Ramaphosa scrapped the highly-controversial and immensely costly nuclear deal which was being chased by former president Jacob Zuma. The former president seemed to defy all logic in his attempt to have the nuclear deal with Russia passed. Zuma defied a court order and the wishes of the ANC to abandon the project and continued to chase the deal. Some even speculated that Zuma's last cabinet reshuffle was done at the insistence of the Russian government in order to save the deal. Zuma's appointment of David Mahlobo as energy minister was highly controversial and it was thought Mahlobo would fast-track the nuclear deal which his predecessor had tried to block. Ramaphosa decided to abandon the deal because he said the country could not afford it and did not actually need the power capacity which the project would have provided. EWN.co.za reported that Mashatile echoed this sentiment and said the original deal which would have provided around 10,000 megawatts was much too ambitious in terms of capacity and cost. He said any possible future deal would be a lot smaller in terms of scale and cost and would have to provide exceptional value for money to justify its cost. Mashatile also discussed Eskom and said the government was looking at possibly dividing Eskoms various operations in order to help stem losses at the power utility which totalled R2.3 billion for the last financial year. Mashatile said the government would intensify efforts to secure greater private sector investment in Eskom. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa recently secured around $20 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These investments will be largely in the energy sector and in particular will increase the country's renewable energy capacity. At least R10 billion of that investment will be used to build new wind and solar farms. READ ALSO: NHI will cost more than R350 billion according to Solidarity researchers For more amazing, funny and informative videos, please visit Briefly South Africa's YouTube Channel. Do you have a story to share with Briefly? Visit our Facebook page where you can send us a message or leave us a comment. Your story could be shared online. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on iTunes or GooglePlay today. Source: Briefly.co.za News / National by Simbarashe Sithole MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa pledged to work with ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa if he wins the Monday election.Chamisa said these remarks while addressing his legions of supporters at Chibuku stadium yesterday where he was bubbling with confidence of winning the polls."I went to white city where it was filled to capacity where I met my old man Dabengwa and was excited when he joined me, I told him old man I am a young man the speed is too much when I am leading I want war veterans who can stabilize the country and when I am leading consulting you for wisdom so that we able to connect between the liberation promise and the transformation promise," he said.The youthful leader said he is different from the late MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai who had a soft heart saying his heart is hard."Zimbabweans are waiting for change now, these people should understand that the case of undermining people for 38 years this far and no further, I am different from Tsvangirai who had a hard heart mine is hard," bellowed Chamisa.He called himself a man of God and Mnangagwa a man of wrath saying he moved around the country receiving resounding support."I moved around this country I went to Beitbridge, the stadium was filled to capacity,I was in Sakubva stadium last week and I saw Ngwena (Mnangagwa) feared to enter and chose to conduct his rally outside the stadium and I say said where a man of God has entered you man of wrath should not enter you will perish."Today Chamisa takes his bullet train campaign to Mashonaland Central , Chipadze stadium in Bindura with three days to go before the polls. News / National by Staff reporter INTRATREK Zimbabwe this week donated $100 000 to a charity organisation headed by First Lady Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa and environmental sustainability initiatives being spearheaded by Government through the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.City businessman Wicknell Chivayo, owns Intratrek Zimbabwe. First Lady Amai Mnangagwa was the guest of honour at the launch in Harare on Wednesday of the environmental sustainability initiative, The Diamond Land Ecohub, also attended by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and other high profile delegates from Government ministries, environment and conservation institutions.Intratrek Zimbabwe first donated $50 000 as kind gesture to the First Lady's charitable cause, Angel of Hope, which has done a lot to alleviate the plight of Zimbabweans living in remote areas and later another $50 000 to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate's green initiatives, specifically the set of the Ecohub.The main purpose of the Ecohub initiative is to create a youth, women and girls oriented sustainable and environmentally conscious business prototype for Zimbabwean businesses.The Ecohub initiative seeks to mitigate three key challenges namely lack of access to information on environmental services/opportunities for the youth, lack of resources and funding for ideas and lack of coordination in the environmental sector, despite several national and international organisations and public entities spending huge sums on the issues.A budget of $600 000 (for renovations, equipment and capital expenditure) has been prepared for the establishment of the Diamond Land Ecohub, which will be established in Manicaland Province, where Special advisor to the President Mr Chris Mutsvangwa has already availed land (with existing building).Speaking at the event, Intratrek Zimbabwe chairman Wilson Manase, who was standing in for Mr Chivayo said that by rewarding and recognising innovators in environmental, water and climate affairs, the Government (through ministry) was motivating and celebrating disruptive excellence.He said that his company had noted that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate had adopted an inclusive approach to environmental sustainability that promoted collaboration between Government and the private sector in the true spirit of President Mnangagwa's popular mantra that "Zimbabwe is Open for Business"."As a trailblazing pioneer in the Green Energy sector, Intratrek Zimbabwe has carefully scrutinised the opportunities contained in the excellent Diamond Ecohub proposal."The synergies between the 6 million-strong youths constituency and service providers like ourselves in providing appropriate solutions that impact on ordinary Zimbabweans are clearly demonstrated. The proposed centre presents a confluence of vision and ideas, backed by technology, human resources and infrastructure. It seeks to create a green ecosystem that promotes agriculture, wildlife management, renewable energy use and development. It will impart game changing knowledge that changes lives and is based on international practice."We therefore pledge our full support in the form of resources, networks and intellectual capital to this multi-faceted initiative, which will have positive impact on the Manicaland Province and rebrand it as the centre of renewable energy and environmental management excellence in Zimbabwe and indeed the Sadc region," Mr Manase told delegates.Mr Manase also read a speech on behalf of Mr Chivayo who said that the response to the invitation by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate was without any hesitation, as Intratrek Zimbabwe was proud to be associated with the ministry's environmental initiatives."We the youth from a vibrant and dynamic constituency, Zimbabwe, thrive on disruption, innovation and adrenalin. We are technologically driven and communicate via social and other online media. I am therefore delighted that the envisaged hub aspires to promote youth participation in their own future and that of their planet. I am also gratified green ambassador (Dereck Mpofu) is a patriotic youth like myself," Mr Chivayo said. News / National by Staff reporter BULAWAYO-BASED commercial radio station, Skyz Metro FM, has sued the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) over a $15 000 advertising debt.The station filed the summons at the Bulawayo High Court, demanding full payment of the arrears."Plaintiff's claim is for payment of the sum of $15 900 in respect of services being provision of advertising space of defendant's programmes by plaintiff to defendant at the latter's specific instance and request at or near Bulawayo in or about the period extending from July 1, 2017 to September 30, 2017 and which despite demand dated August 24, 2017 defendant refuses, fails or neglects to pay," the summons read."Alternatively, payment of the sum of $15 900 on the basis of unjust enrichment arising from advertising services of defendant's programmes by and on plaintiff's radio station advertising defendant's 2017 August academic intake done between July 1 2017 to September 30 2017.""Interest on the said sum of $15 900 at 5% per annum calculated from date of demand August 24, 2017 to date of payment in full."Skyz Metro FM claimed that in September 25, 2017 it duly delivered its invoice for the services rendered to the defendant."Plaintiff followed up on the payment issue with delivery of its letter to defendant on August 24, 2017. Despite demand the defendant refuses, fails or neglects to pay the amount demanded by the plaintiff," the declaration read.Nust is yet to respond to the summons. News / National by Staff reporter MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa yesterday claimed his legal team had concluded talks with key State institutions to ensure a smooth transfer of power from Zanu-PF after his expected victory in Monday's general elections.Chamisa, through his legal adviser Thabani Mpofu, said a transitional framework for the transfer of power from President Emmerson Mnangagwa to him was now in place."A transitional framework, one which cannot fail, has also been put in place. To that end, I wish to assure you, on my name and honour, that I and our legal team are going to superintend over the imminent smooth transfer of power to the incoming president," Mpofu said."The necessary assurances from the security apparatus are to hand as they exist as a matter of law. Power will be relinquished. Power will be taken, even though mountains will be moved, albeit, this shall be a peaceful and tranquil process."This came amid fears that the military might refuse to recognise an opposition candidate victory and block the transfer of power.But Mpofu said he was not at liberty to divulge the details of the power transfer deal and the brokers' identities."The transitional mechanism is a composite arrangement which, at this stage, is confidential in nature. It involves so many people, it involves so many things. It is a matrix, it is a programme which, by its nature, cannot be divulged beforehand. But I wish to assure you that that matrix exists as a matter of fact and has been superintended by some of the brightest legal brains in the land," he said.Mpofu added that his legal team had also put in place adequate mechanisms to foil Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)'s planned rigging machinations."Dear Zimbabweans, on the 30th of July 2018, the business is going to be decided and decided forever. I urge you to express your views, to restate your dreams, to articulate your aspirations without fear in the fullest assurance that such expressions will take effect."Your votes, as sharp instruments, will reduce the swindling power of evil to chaff and with your assistance they cannot be negated by any rigging mechanism, however, pernicious," he said.Chamisa has been accusing Zec of cutting corners in a bid to rig elections on Mnangagwa's behalf.The MDC Alliance has tabled several electoral reform demands which have, however, been ignored by Zec.Contacted for comment, Zanu-PF legal secretary Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana scoffed at Chamisa's claims, saying the youthful opposition leader would soon wake up from his deep slumber after losing next week's polls."Dreams don't reflect reality. He is entitled to his dreams. Zanu-PF is winning hands down, so there is no talk about transfer of power. Transferring from who to who?" he queried.Mangwana said there was no need to talk to the military over transfer of power because they (military) were not a factor in the election."We don't even talk about the military. They are not a key player in the transfer of power. It is the people of Zimbabwe through the democratic process of the election who determine who shall rule the country," he said."Nelson Chamisa should count himself out of the equation because Emmerson Mnangagwa is popular. We are not worried about the military because they have made their position very clear. They have said they will defend the sovereignty of Zimbabwe."Political analyst and academic Ibbo Mandaza said the transfer of power could happen as Zanu-PF was powerless to stop it and if the party resisted, the international community would intervene."If Chamisa wins, it's unavoidable. There is enough international presence like never before to ensure that it's done," he said."If they try and stop that process, they will be stopped in their tracks and they know that and they have been told that by Sadc, AU [African Union], EU [European Union], and Commonwealth. They have been told that by all the major factors pertaining to the Zimbabwe situation, they know that. They put themselves in the spot. They were over-confident. They are the ones who pledged themselves to a free, fair and credible election and they are too thin on the ground. They will be foolish to try and resist."Mandaza said Chamisa had a 90% chance of winning the election ahead of Mnangagwa, although his party could struggle in the parliamentary race."He has 90% chance. I am not so sure with the parliamentary (race), but with the presidential, I give Emmerson Mnangagwa no more than 11%." News / National by TimesLive The Beitbridge border post will be upgraded to improve traffic movement between South Africa and Zimbabwe the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) said on Thursday.Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona said the plan was to establish a one-stop border post at the transit point which is South Africa's primary gateway by road into the rest of the continent.According to Sanral an average of 15,000 people and 500 trucks cross the border every day."The N1 freeway connects Beitbridge with Limpopo and into the Gauteng economic core.Just to the south of the border post construction of the Musina ring road - an 8km single-way road - is nearing completion" Mona said.He said the upgraded border post would contribute to a better flow of people and goods within the southern African region."A decision was taken to upgrade the border post and expand the infrastructure through a $240m contract awarded to the Zimborders consortium.The project includes upgrades to the roads to and from the crossing perimeter fencing gate controls parking areas and upgrades to security and lighting systems."Mona said the border post will fall under the jurisdiction of the newly established Border Management Agency.He added that the new border arrangements will also enable Sanral to collect tolls on traffic travelling in a southerly direction from Beitbridge.The busy border post is at times a conduit for the movement of illicit goods.Customs officials at Beitbridge intercepted explosives and illicit cigarettes last week.The South African Revenue Service (Sars) said that customs officers had intercepted them in a foreign-registered panel van travelling from Zimbabwe to South Africa in a random search.One person was arrested for possession of suspected explosives. News / National by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa has spoken glowingly about the late MDC founding father Morgan Tsvangirai while mocking the former trade unionist's successor, Nelson Chamisa who he is squaring up against at the watershed polls on Monday.Wrote Mnangagwa in The Washington Times, "The choice before the country next week is stark. This election is making clear that my opponents have a very different understanding and meaning of the word "change". Up until the untimely passing of the opposition MDC-T's admirable principal - Morgan Tsvangirai - the change that party proffered held clarity. At its root was democracy that is both sustainable and certified."All political parties and candidates should have equal opportunity to put their agendas to the nation under not just the law as written, but through those laws as practised. A future that can be sustained rests on this very foundation. Yet the opportunity a free and fair election offers does not ensure every party seizes it."In that regard, the new opposition leadership has surprised: they have campaigned across all corners of the country and reached out and into districts few might have expected them before. But their prospects seem wasted when they talk so much of the past, rather than promoting a cogent platform for the future. When they have presented their plans, they are replete with high-speed bullet trains, vast motorway networks, and villages transformed into cities overnight; all complete - they insist - in the next five years." News / National by Staff reporter MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has put together a team of experts in an attempt to forestall any form of rigging that may arise before, during and after the Monday poll.Harare lawyer Thabani Mpofu is leading the team whose identities could not be disclosed to the media for fear of reprisals.Meanwhile, Chamisa yesterday claimed his legal team had concluded talks with key State institutions to ensure smooth transfer of power from Zanu-PF after his expected victory in Monday's general elections.Chamisa through his legal adviser said transitional framework was now in place. News / National by Staff reporter People's Rainbow Coalition (PRC) presidential candidate Joice Mujuru has ordered her council and parliamentary candidates to fund their own campaigns ahead of next weeks' elections.In correspondence to the party's aspiring candidates last week, Mujuru's PRC said the alliance had failed to raise money for its election campaign.In a letter following a meeting of the coalition's principals in Harare last week, the coalition's secretary-general, Gorden Moyo, said it was agreed that owing to circumstances beyond its control, the party would not be able to help its candidates financially.Moyo expressed regret that the lack of resources had led to some of the party's candidates failing to adequately reach out to the electorate."PRC would have wanted to fully support the campaign, materially and financially, but circumstances beyond its control have led to the de-funding of the campaign which has resulted in the candidates failing to fully reach out to the electorate. This is regrettable," Moyo said.He directed that all the PRC candidates must "do their best under these difficult circumstances".He, however, promised "some small support in terms of fuel" and election agents' assistance "shall be availed to the MPs in due course".Moyo also revealed that the PRC had failed to provide an adequate number of polling agents. The PRC would "only be able to support just one election agent per polling station"."Therefore all MPs and councillors are required to stick to this requirement except where the candidates are able to personally support extra agents."All Senators and PRs are also advised to work very closely with, and support MPs and councillors in all campaign programmes, both materially and financially," the letter said.Moyo also announced that one of the PRC's principals, Gilbert Dzikiti, is now the coalition's spokesperson."All members are advised that Dzikiti has been appointed to beef up the publicity team. He shall assist (Gift) Nyandoro as the spokesperson of PRC up until the immediate post-election period."In his new role Dzikiti shall also assist Michael Phiri in handling the election-related logistics."All PRC spokespersons in all our five parties are required to ratchet up their publicity at national and provincial levels."On this note, the principals would like to thank the few youths who have kept the PRC flag high in the social media. But these need to be complimented by spokespersons."The PRC also expressed concern that it continues to lose supporters to other parties while some of its candidates are allegedly campaigning for other parties.Moyo threatened that "stern measures will be taken against all those found working against PRC as soon as the security concludes its investigation countrywide"."Principals noted with concern that there are areas where some of our candidates are supporting independent candidates and candidates from other parties. The security team has been tasked to provide a full report on this sad development and measures will be taken before or after the elections," the letter said.The 62-year-old Mujuru was former president Robert Mugabe's deputy for a decade and seen as the veteran leader's shoo-in successor until he fired her in 2014, accusing her of leading a plot to oust him.She launched the National People's Party in March 2016 to challenge her ally-turned-adversary, and has been campaigning as a presidential candidate for the PRC coalition in next week's election, promising to revive the economy and repair strained relations with the West. News / National by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa has spoken glowingly about the late MDC founding father Morgan Tsvangirai while mocking the former trade unionist's successor - Nelson Chamisa - whom he is squaring up against at the watershed polls on Monday.Writing for the Washington Post yesterday, Mnangagwa who is spending big on his campaign regretted that the country lost a stable opposition leader in the form of Tsvangirai, who died on February 14 after a long battle with cancer of the colon."Up until the untimely passing of the opposition MDC-T's admirable principal - Morgan Tsvangirai - the change that party proffered held clarity. At its root was democracy that is both sustainable and certified," he gushed."All political parties and candidates should have equal opportunity to put their agendas to the nation under not just the law as written, but through those laws as practiced. A future that can be sustained rests on this very foundation," opined Mnangagwa.The Zanu-PF leader then took the gloves off - blasting Chamisa's party for failing to seize freedoms ushered in by his administration, which ascended to power in November last year following the dramatic ouster of Robert Mugabe through a soft military coup.He castigated Chamisa's leadership of dwelling in the past and coming up with utopian dreams that are not compatible with the obtaining environment."Yet the opportunity a free and fair election offers does not ensure every party seizes it. In that regard, the new opposition leadership has surprised: they have campaigned across all corners of the country and reached out and into districts few might have expected them before," said the Zanu-PF leader."But their prospects seem wasted when they talk so much of the past, rather than promoting a cogent platform for the future. When they have presented their plans, they are replete with high-speed bullet trains, vast motorway networks, and villages transformed into cities overnight; all complete - they insist - in the next five years," added Mnangagwa.Tsvangirai led the original MDC from its founding in 1999 until his death in February this year, coming close to tasting power in 2008 when he out-polled Mugabe in the first round of voting but came just short of reaching the threshold required to be declared the winner.He then pulled out of the run-off which followed due to widespread violence that killed over 200 MDC supporters and officials, thus, handing an easy victory to Mugabe.The fierce contestation for power that ensued resulted in the formation of an uneasy inclusive government in which Tsvangirai was prime minister.Despite the applauses from Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF used not to hide its hostility towards Tsvangirai and his movement.The MDC leader was arrested on trumped-up charges on several occasions, and was charged with treason in the early 2000s.The charge was later dismissed.At one time, he was left for dead after he was attacked by the police in Highfield.Zanu-PF only started warming up to him towards the tail-end of his life when Mugabe's successor made a courtesy call on him at his Highlands home, a few weeks before his passing.During the surprise visit, Mnangagwa - who was in the company of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga - went on to pledge medical fees for the MDC leader, charming many in the opposition.In the aftermath of Tsvangirai's death, the 40-year-old Chamisa assumed the MDC leadership after outwitting his opponents in the opposition movement.Since assuming the reins, he has been a thorn in the flesh for the so-called new dispensation.He has led mass demonstrations against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, which he says is in the claws of Zanu-PF.Recently, Chamisa threatened to shut down Zimbabwe if the ruling party rigs the forthcoming elections.A fortnight ago, a visibly frustrated Mnangagwa threatened to throw Chamisa into jail if he dared the authorities.Pollsters are suggesting that the Monday election would be a close call.Chamisa's spokesperson, Nkululeko Sibanda, reacted angrily to Mnangagwa yesterday."This is beyond pathetic; this guy does not even understand democracy. Democracy is not someone who is accused of killing over 20 000 people. Democracy is not someone who was in government when the likes of Tsvangirai were brutalised by the State," he said."Chamisa was in government only for a few years and during that period the economy recovered. For his whole life ... Chamisa has been fighting for democracy; he can shout democracy while Mnangagwa can just mumble."Mnangagwa was at the top table when things like Gukurahundi took place; when there was Murambatsvina he was there at the top table. Mnangagwa cannot represent change, he is part of the old and that is why he is losing this election."When the president (Chamisa) spoke of spaghetti roads he meant every word, it now seems there is discord in government because even Chiwenga knows that we need spaghetti roads - that is why he was talking about ring roads. One will not have infrastructural development by going to China to beg because that way you open the country to exploitation," said Sibanda.In the same opinion piece, Mnangagwa said the choice before the country next week was stark, saying his opponents were not change agents as they proclaim."This election is making clear that my opponents have a very different understanding and meaning of the word change'," he said."Of course, it is not my place to question such vaulting ambition - even when the identities of those who may address the practicalities, or provide the funding, are yet to be revealed. Zimbabweans have, however, already been informed that they are not from China: the opposition has announced they will eject Chinese engineers and investors from Zimbabwe once they assume office," opined Mnangagwa."Whether this is 'visionary,' as the leader of the opposition declares, or, as others describe, fantasy,' it is certainly an original approach. Similarly, it is unique for a political leader, as the opposition candidate has repeatedly done, to claim he has been promised $15 billion from the Americans (which they manifestly did not, and have publicly denied ever committing). To then contend he guided Rwanda's national ICT development by personally advising that country's head of State provokes incredulity compelling President Paul Kagame to state, on the record, the two have never even met."My opponent is neither the first nor the last political figure to stretch his CV. This is a consequence of holding such high party office when still a relative political novice. That, at least, is plain for all to see," said Mnangagwa. News / National by Staff reporter The High Court yesterday dismissed an application by opposition leader Nelson Chamisa seeking an order barring President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF from interfering with the independence of traditional leaders.Chamisa had dragged his main rival in next Monday's crunch national elections to court for remarks that the Zanu-PF leader made at a ruling party campaign rally earlier last month.The MDC leader took exception to Mnangagwa's utterances at a Zanu-PF rally in Mutoko on June 9, where he was quoted saying that chiefs held the keys to the National Assembly for aspiring ruling party MPs which necessitated that the traditional leaders be treated well."If there is a clever MP ... if you want to be, let me tell you a secret. Those of you who were greeting me here, the prospective MPs, if you go to the chief in your constituency ... you should bring with you a new blanket and groceries, and a goat in tow."You should then say, chief, I want to work in your area of jurisdiction' ... clapping hands, right? ... humbling yourself. If they accept your gifts, then you should know you are 50 percent done."As for you chiefs, you must always remember there is a political party called Zanu-PF. Remember that ... as a chief you only have jurisdiction in your area ... but Zanu-PF is spread across the whole breadth of the country."So you must always remember to be one with Zanu-PF, to work together for us to have peace and prosperity in our communities," Mnangagwa told his supporters.Chamisa, in his application handled by chairperson Morgen Komichi, had said the president's remarks were "dangerous" and could affect the freeness and fairness of the forthcoming national elections.Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF and the president of the National Council of Chiefs Fortune Charumbira, as well as chief Alfred Tome, were cited as the respondents in the matter.Electoral Court judge Mary Zimba-Dube dismissed the application yesterday. She said her reasons for the verdict will be issued soon.The MDC wanted the court to bar Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF from "interfering with the independence of traditional leaders"."Third respondent (Charumbira) be and is directed to circulate this provisional order widely through the auspices of the National Council of Chiefs and Provincial Assemblies of Chiefs and may seek applicant's assistance in this respect if he so desires."All traditional leaders under the purview of the National Council of Chiefs led by 3rd respondent be and are hereby ordered not to engage in partisan political activities such as attending partisan political rallies and/or uttering partisan political statements," read other parts of the order being demanded by the MDC.The MDC also cited another political rally at Sabina Mugabe School, where it says Tome chanted Zanu-PF slogans."Attendance by chiefs at partisan political party gatherings is a violation of their statutory and constitutional obligations. Uttering political statements and slogans of a certain political party ... is equally a violation of the Constitution and the law," the MDC argued further. News / Regional by Stephen Jakes The City of Bulawayo has advised residents that due to the Election Day which has been promulgated as a national holiday, all areas whose refuse was supposed to be collected on Monday, 30 July 2018 will now be collected a day earlier on Sunday, 29th July 2018 as from 7am."The following suburbs will be affected by this change:- Emakhandeni- Emganwini- Entumbane- Nketa- Makokoba- Riverside, Sunninghill, Waterford, Selbourne Park (north), Manningdale- Bradfield, Famona, Ingutsheni Hospital, Hillcrest- Highmount, Harrisvale, Richmond, Trenance, Sauerstown," said the council."The Central Business District and Belmont areas will also be affected on Monday, 30 July 2018 and service will resume on Tuesday, 31st July 2018 and Monday, 6th August 2018 respectively."The council said the changes are only for the mentioned week. Normal schedule will continue in the following week."Bulawayo City Council wishes to apologise to its valued residents for the inconvenience likely to be caused. Keep Bulawayo Clean. Put litter in a bin," said the council. Opinion / Columnist SINCE Last November, the world has watched as citizens of my country chart a new course for themselves and a new Zimbabwe. Change is all around us. Barriers to free expression are being brought down.Today, I am rightly criticised, questioned and certainly satirised. So, too, are politicians on all sides and those in positions of authority - as indeed we all should be - at a volume few, myself included, could have predicted reaching so soon.At the centre of this nationwide debate, the party I now lead is reaching out across communities with policies both credible and capable of building on changes we have instituted in just eight months: Revealing plans for 99-year farm leases - tackling the issue of access to, and stewardship of, our nation's land - to resolve racial and economic divisions; extending dialogue directly to all minority groups; and unveiling opportunities for women's economic empowerment through a newly launched venture capital fund.Step-by-step, we continue to explain our agenda for lasting change in these final weeks before Zimbabwe's historic harmonised election. And we will continue right up to polling day. Then it will be for the citizens of Zimbabwe to decide: Have my party and I convinced the voters that real change only comes when we move forward together? Or will they choose another path?The choice before the country next week is stark. This election is making clear that my opponents have a very different understanding and meaning of the word "change". Up until the untimely passing of the opposition MDC-T's admirable principal - Morgan Tsvangirai - the change that party proffered held clarity. At its root was democracy that is both sustainable and certified.All political parties and candidates should have equal opportunity to put their agendas to the nation under not just the law as written, but through those laws as practised. A future that can be sustained rests on this very foundation. Yet the opportunity a free and fair election offers does not ensure every party seizes it.In that regard, the new opposition leadership has surprised: they have campaigned across all corners of the country and reached out and into districts few might have expected them before. But their prospects seem wasted when they talk so much of the past, rather than promoting a cogent platform for the future. When they have presented their plans, they are replete with high-speed bullet trains, vast motorway networks, and villages transformed into cities overnight; all complete - they insist - in the next five years.Of course, it is not my place to question such vaulting ambition - even when the identities of those who may address the practicalities, or provide the funding, are yet to be revealed. Zimbabweans have, however, already been informed that they are not from China: the opposition has announced they will eject Chinese engineers and investors from Zimbabwe once they assume office.Whether this is "visionary," as the leader of the opposition declares, or, as others describe, "fantasy," it is certainly an original approach. Similarly, it is unique for a political leader, as the opposition candidate has repeatedly done, to claim he has been promised $15 billion from the Americans (which they manifestly did not, and have publicly denied ever committing).To then contend he guided Rwanda's national ICT development by personally advising that country's head of state provokes incredulity compelling President Paul Kagame to state, on the record, the two have never even met.My opponent is neither the first nor the last political figure to stretch his CV. This is a consequence of holding such high party office when still a relative political novice. That, at least, is plain for all to see. More importantly, it is neither right nor fair to the voters.The election is about the next five years. The challenges facing Zimbabwe are neither difficult to know nor hard to see. How does this put food on the tables of our people? Or foster respect for minorities in our society? Or help Zimbabwe attract the foreign investment critical to our economic recovery? There are signs the opposition is aware of this, too.Yet still, they present no cogent plans for addressing citizens' concerns. Instead, they organise rallies outside the Zimbabwe Election Commission premises declaring "No Reforms, No Elections".Zimbabweans deserve the forthcoming free and fair election - even if the opposition appears intent on squandering that opportunity for themselves. My offer is real change that is delivered - because it can be - in the next five years. The alternative is unreal change - change that is not delivered, because it cannot be - not in the next five years or beyond.This does not lead to a new Zimbabwe. It leads to a Zimbabwe that is not new. For when there is no change, nothing changes at all. Emmerson Mnangagwa is the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.This article was first published in The Washington Times on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Opinion / Columnist Following the demise of the MDC-T founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, in February this year, MDC-Alliance Presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa did not waste time and strategically positioned himself to take over power by hook and crook, disregarding party constitutional provisions.The novelty of his candidature seemed to be succeeding in the beginning as the electorate wanted to hear what he had to offer, but, alas nothing of substance was on offer. Halfway through, he also realised that something was not adding up. He started asking why President Emmerson Mnangagwa was not holding rallies.All this time President Mnangagwa was busy solving economic issues and re-engaging the international community. When President Mnangagwa hit the campaign trail, Chamisa started to complain about how ZANU-PF was carrying out its voter mobilisation. In the process, Chamisa turned his vitriol against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) demanding electoral reforms before the polls could be held. Then Chamisa's electoral world started to collapse around him.White constituency Addressing a rally in Mutare last Friday, ED decided to put Chamisa in his rightful place. He commented that Chamisa's whining on the design of the ballot paper was out of place."Chamisa is on number two on the ballot paper and I am on number 15, but he is still complaining. MDC Alliance inongopopota ichingopopota, isu tichingotonga," said President Mnangagwa.President Mnangagwa pulled the electoral rag under Chamisa's feet after he (the President) held an interface with the white community at the Borrowdale Racecourse in Harare.Chamisa and his allies in the MDC Alliance erroneously assumed the white constituency was already in the bag as per happenings in the past and little did they know that the new dispensation had an ace up its sleeve - inclusivity in the new Zimbabwe. Having failed to find anything wrong with the initiative, the MDC Alliance ended up criticising ZANU-PF for providing decorated chairs, tea and biscuits for the attendees which they said contrasted with the party's other campaign gatherings. To Chamisa and his cronies' embarrassment, it turned out that the meeting had been organised by the white community and the tea was an enterprising private individual's project which had nothing to do with ZANU-PF.Unconstitutional demands The electoral demands made to ZEC were not relevant at law as they lacked legal basis or needed to be resolved through constitutional amendments first. ZEC chair Justice Priscilla Chigumba chose to stick to her mandate and refused to budge on unconstitutional demands. Stung by this, Chamisa threatened ZEC and Justice Chigumba with post-election violence if his demands were not met."Hakudyiwi rinopisa muno . . . mukaita zvokutamba ndinodira jecha muupfu. Hamuridyi sadza iroro," charged Chamisa while addressing his supporters in Mkoba, Gweru, over the weekend. Chamisa had so much faith in the Council of Elders when he heard that it was heading for Harare.The Kofi Annan-led group did not mince its words regarding the MDC-Alliance's demands."What is important is that we all play by the rules and we make reasonable demands; if we make demands which are unreasonable and which cannot be fulfilled, we are complicating processes," said Annan on behalf of the Elders.Yesterday the Commonwealth observer mission hammered a similar point home. Its head, former Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama, said there were no "unreasonable demands" ahead of elections, but then added; "And so I think it's for ZEC to listen to those complaints and where it is possible, within the law, to address those complaints. But if it takes ZEC outside the ambit of the law, I don't think it's something that ZEC can contain."Chamisa has also become infamous for hailing obscenities against the fairer sex and his latest victim was Justice Chigumba. His foul mouth attracted the attention of other bodies and European Union (EU) Ambassador Philippe Van Damme who commented that "gender-based violence #GBV starts with abusive language and disrespect for personal integrity".President Mnangagwa, as a tried and tested politician, held separate meetings with chiefs, church leaders, youths, students, whites and the business community as well as farmers. The President realised that for his message to be sector appropriate, he had to meet these interest groups separately to understand their needs.What boggles the mind is that Chamisa, as learned as he purports to be, failed to properly segment his market which will be his downfall come July 30. His frustration, which is born of anger and evident political failure, does not sit well with his background as a trained pastor.Chamisa's careless talk makes him a very odd lawyer let alone an advocate. His electoral theatrics over the past few weeks have sold him for who he really is, more than the over 60 campaign rallies he has held so far. His candidature has been made an open book from which the electorate needs to carefully study before casting their votes next Monday. Opinion / Columnist Fellow Zimbabweans the time to reflect and map out our future has arrived. This is the golden opportunity we have been waiting for. It is not time for vengefulness or witch-hunting, but all voters have a crucial decision to make.I urge all Zimbabweans to forgive for whatever has happened to them in the past but we also all must be equally ruthless mapping forward a prosperous and progressive Zimbabwean society where everyone has opportunities to prosper.This is the time to take stock of our government before casting your vote. Let us look back and see if our government has fared well in the past particularly on decision making and social services. Why do we have bond notes and long queues at the banks? Is Mr Chinamasa or Mr Mangudya capable in managing the Zimbabwean economy and cash crisis? Why do we constantly have fatal road accidents killing our relatives and loved ones? The state of roads, hospitals, schools, clinics is deplorable.Most graduates from colleges and universities are jobless and virtually all industries and factories have closed. Worse still all this is from the same Zanu PF party which unleashed Murambatsvina, Operation Mavhotera Papi and Gukurahundi. It is still the same shameless corrupt and ignorant ministers siphoning millions of dollars out of our country, buying mansions, sending tuition for their numerous children, paying foreign medical fees and cruising on luxurious vacations.This is not a time for revenge, vindictiveness or hidden emotions but let us be calmly ruthless and send a reverberating message across Africa.Frazer MuzondoROHR ZIM/ MDC UK Opinion / Columnist I know many Zimbabweans in the diaspora. I am one of them.Many such exiled Zimbabweans have written public break-up letters with the country of their birth and "filed for divorce" because the relationship had become too "toxic". With each passing election, nothing changes despite all the promises. Yet with every election, that tortured relationship is rekindled with hope. Perhaps this one will deliver the chance to return home.You see, no one likes being far from home. Even with all the sweet trappings of life abroad, and in spite of everything that drove them out in the first place, for some, in phone calls home, members of the Zimbabwean diaspora still always ask: "Kwanaka here tichidzoka? (Are things now alright for us to return?)"This election on July 30 is no different. Among many of us, hope for change has been revived. We saw historic change when the man who led Zimbabwe to this crisis point was sent packing. That political change inspired new hope that we might now finally have arrived at a turning point for real change in our lives. Hope that perhaps this election will deliver a better economy. That maybe, with this vote, we can return home. Possibly now, after this poll, the roads will be fixed, things will work. Imaginably after the vote is done, there will be jobs and we shall all pack up our belongings, fill airports, bus stations and train stations with our "diaspora children", and end this business of monthly cash transfers to support families left behind. That we can at last bid goodbye to those tags: "illegal immigrants", "documented foreigners", "economic refugees", "political violence victims". We are people, we are from somewhere, we have a country and many of us want to go back to it. These are our collective hopes.When the nation votes in these presidential and parliamentary elections, it will be the first time that the familiar face of former president Robert Mugabe is not featured. With his raised fist and giddy smile, Mugabe was on the ballot in every election for 37 years; on the election campaign posters, in state media, on billboards and buses, on T-shirts. He was everywhere.Now we have a new face, that of Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's longtime ally until he was fired, which triggered a coup (that was not really a coup). We were euphoric and free at last from the clutches of his predecessor Mugabe and all the suffering he orchestrated. Fellow Africans envied us. Our military coup was clean and educated, they said. That's what many among us thought. The goal was to be done with Mugabe understandably so by all means necessary. But that exhilaration has long died down now. Coups, even the civilised ones cloaked in intelligence or education, rarely deliver freedom.This coup has changed little. There are fewer police harassing citizens on the streets and fewer arrests of human rights activists. There are more business deals on paper being signed with investors. But that's about where it ends. The enabling mechanisms for repression by the past brutal regime are still in place; they are more rooted. The laws have hardly been touched, the economy is still on its knees, and the country has no active currency yet is still dabbling in the strange and dubious practice of printing "monopoly money" banknotes that have no value and cannot be used or exchanged anywhere outside the country. Zimbabweans are barely coping.Civicus Monitor, a tool that tracks threats to civil society in countries worldwide, rated Zimbabwe as "repressed" before the coup. It remains repressed and is just one step away from the lowest rating closed a rating applied to only one other country in the Southern African Development Community, the Democratic Republic of Congo.The soldiers are now even more entrenched in government business, claiming to be assisting the police. But this time they are careful not to brutalise citizens. Those images of bleeding Zimbabweans will not be good publicity for the new government. The election is a legitimacy stamp needed by the military regime. They will need to secure the poll neatly, an exercise that is not difficult, given the uneven playing field.Still we have hope. Revolutions sometimes come when they are least expected. So transportation companies will make considerable business as the hopeful among us Zimbabweans trek home to join our compatriots in voting. The election could again crush so many hopes. But still we hope. That is the human (and Zimbabwean) spirit. We live in constant hope.----------Mawarire is a Zimbabwean and an advocacy and campaigns coordinator with global civil society alliance Civicus Opinion / Columnist In a few days time Zimbabweans will be casting their votes to select a new president and everyone is just hoping for a win for the right candidate. A win that will see a turnaround of the economy for the better.In this hope and optimism I'm thinking about the security guard, is there hope for the thousands of men and women who secure properties and ensure a good night's sleep for the property owners, who will go to sleep knowing that their properties are well secured by these men and women?Just being a guard invites scorn and abuse and you are often looked down upon by society and this is compounded by some indigenous companies that can't even provide a decent uniform for their guards.With virtually no industry to talk about many young men and women straight from school have joined these security companies in direct contradiction of the 1977 control act which say this job is for pensioners, people who would be earning their pensions and supplement it with what they would be earning working as security guards. These people, it was believed didn't have many responsibilities as it was believed that as pensioners their children would have made their own way in life.This control act has ensured that the guard is lowly paid. "Ko penjeniya mari anoida yakawanda yei"?The last time guards got an increament was in 2012 or 2013 a 7% of $200 which brought the basic pay for the lowest paid guard to $214 and they got a housing allowance of $12 and and transport allowance of $10. These men and women have soldered on in these harsh conditions and without recognition for their good job, only to take the blame when things go wrong.What pains the most is that we have indigenous security companies (vana "Museyamwa"-so called because their majority don't pay their workers ) who are paying well below the $214 and that is if they want to pay, otherwise the majority of them go months without paying their employees. Usually they take advantage of their political connections and they have a sense of invincibility. Ko vanoitwei, nani and thats probably why NEC for security industry is tolerating this because if these companies are not paying salaries nothing is also being remmited to NEC from the mandatory NEC deductions from employees.So the question that bergs to be answered is, who will save the guard? On their own they are voiceless and are prone to intimidation as any form of complaint can be termed indiscipline and with the anti labour winds that have been blowing in Zimbabwean courts, kuchema chete chete.The 1977 control act must be revisited, action must be taken againts the indigenous security companies under Zinsa who are paying below the minimum wage, some of them are going for months without paying salaries.Other wise it will be suffer continue for the guard. Opinion / Columnist Recently, the main opposition MDC Alliance leader's 40-year-old presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa, who is challenging the ruling Zanu-PF's Emmerson Mnangagwa for the presidency, has been threatening to boycott elections scheduled for July 30.Chamisa's threats, on one hand, reflect serious doubts among his supporters, that the governing party, as in previous elections, will take seriously the will of the people. And, on the other, this restive behaviour indicates that some in the opposition have become weary of participating in elections whose outcomes are almost always pre-ordained. Also those who have been pushing for the boycott in the opposition understand the devastation that his party's absentation can cause on the legitimacy of the vote.However, probably emboldened by huge crowds at his rallies, the most recent Afrobarometer survey which shows that his support has jumped by 6%, pressure from a determined group within the opposition that desperately wants an election, and probably pressure from one or two foreign governments, the ruling party's prayers seem to have been answered - Zanu-PF was thrilled, a development that should be telling - when on Wednesday, Chamisa announced, through a press conference that he and his party would participate in the elections.This decision by the MDC Alliance is unwise for two main reasons: First, Zanu-PF has already "won" the elections.All they are working on are the logistics of the margin (by what percentage should the result come? Should it be an ouright win, or should there be a second round of presidential elections for appearances' sake?); on how to make the result acceptable to voters and international community; and lastly, on strategies to contain potential post-election violence.Second, even if we are confronted by a highly hypothetical situation in which the opposition wins, the ruling party and the security sector, despite their assuarances to the contrary, have already indicated in various ways, and using several proxies, that they will not concede.Rigged electionsWhile Mnangagwa has been desperate to paint a picture of a nation that will have credible elections for the first time in years, the reality about the post-Robert Mugabe electoral environment is complicated. Indeed, there are a number of pre-electoral violations which prove that rigging started well before the nation even began talking seriously about elections.First, rules, if one could even speak of rules in the upcoming sham election, are staked against the opposition. For example, constitutionally, particularly during election periods, every political party is supposed to have access to state media, which the opposition has hardly been given.Even less excusable is the fact that on the few occassions that Chamisa and the opposition have appeared in state print media, television or radio, they have been featured only when the reportage was largely negative or skewed against them, giving Mnangagwa's party an unfair advantage over his rivals.Second, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is an electoral body that is constitutionally mandated to adminster elections. But, it appears to have little control over the electoral process. Indeed, the opposition underestimates the extent to which the security sector, in particular, the military, controls elections. The electoral body exists only for appearance purposes and to act as an announcer of what the military would have decided.Third, intimidation has been going on across the country with reports of the military having been deployed in the rural areas several months in the run-up to the elections. And, there are also reports that ruling party officials have been recording voter slip bar codes, with the aim of intimidating those who might vote for the opposition - Zanu-PF officials have claimed that they will be able to trace voter preferences through these slips.Fourth, Zanu-PF has also used state resources to fund its campaign. The use of security sector resources is a case in point. During their primary elections, Zanu-PF used police officers as polling officers, and police vehicles to carry ballot papers accross the country.Mnangagwa and his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, have used state helicopters to carry them to various campaign destinations. Not only are these violations of electoral laws, but they also give Zanu-PF a greater advantage over the opposition, creating an unlevel playing field.Lastly, and most worrying, are serious concerns with allegations that the new electoral register includes up to 250 000 "ghost voters". Some estimates claim that there are far more ghost voters than that. These figures constitute more than 10%, huge enough to sway the election outcome in favour of the incumbent and ruling party. Zec has refused an independent audit to be carried out of the voters' roll, and this is enough reason for the opposition to boycott elections.Such electoral malpractices, whose cumulative effects usually have hidden but devastating impact on electoral outcomes, are just a microcosm of a systematic and staggering rigging process that has been underway since the 2013 elections. This makes balloting on Monday an event less deserving of being understood as an election.Military factorIn theory, though Mnangagwa's deep unpopularity presents the best opportunity for the opposition for years, the painful reality is that the architects of the current regime - Mnangagwa, Chiwenga, the war veterans and the military - see their roles in post-Mugabe Zimbabwe not as a function as most political societies would do, but as an entitlement that should not be disturbed even by an electoral upset. Resultantly, an electoral outcome not favourable to them will simply be subverted.There is substantive evidence to support this proposition.The president, apparently contradicting himself to have "free, fair and credible" elections, has on various fora been leading with rhetoric that gives clear indications that regardless of the outcome of the elections, he and his party are not prepared to move an inch from power.For example, he has since accepted the "prophecy" by a local church that he will win the July presidential election. Also, Mnangagwa told industrialists in Gweru in June this year that he would still be leading the country in 2030, an utterance which election watchers have taken to mean that he, and his government are unlikely to concede in the event of losing the elections.As if not to be left out, some of his liutenants in government and party have even been more open about the ruling elite's position. For example, Deputy Finance minister Terence Mukupe has warned the opposition that the military will not allow Chamisa to run the country. These utterances echo the 2008 election developments in which, though widely believed to have been won by the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the military and Mnangagwa are believed to have blocked a transition of power to the opposition.Aware of the impact of these utterances on the world's perception of the regime, in a convoluted and striking stunt, the military has since issued a press conference. However, its statement actually left more questions than answers. For example, they did not denounce their past statements that they will not salute a leader without war credentials, nor have they been clear about how they will respond to Chamisa's victory, other than saying that they will "salute him".In other words, despite these attempts at reassurances by the military, it would take a pathological form of optimism to entertain the possibility that the unreformed security sector that is backing a coup government will hand over power to the opposition.Why boycott?A senior bureaucrat who was at the centre of the November 2017 coup, and who also doubles as a permanent secretary and presidential spokesperson, George Charamba, has already warned that this year's elections have very little to do with contestantions between the opposition and ruling party, but are about the government's attempts at re-engagement with the international community, and also legitimacy. The opposition would do well to heed such a warning.What Chamisa's aim should be in this presidential election is to deny Mnangagwa the legitimacy that he is desperately seeking by boycotting the elections. Due to his large support, Chamisa's boycott is likely to result in a large section of voters who might vote for him staying away. This move will not only undercut efforts to gin up enthusiam for an election which Mnangagwa and coup leaders are meant to showcase as a "new dispensation", and also deny Mnangagwa the margin of victory that his aides and the military have already planned for him, but the resultant lowering of the turn-out by a wide margin, could also make a difference between an acceptable level and an election that falls short, which in turn could expose the lack of legitimacy of the electoral system.However, there is an argument being made by those who support the opposition's participation in the elections; the usual retort that is often thrown around is that giving up a vote in order to voice a larger grievance is a gamble that has worked in very few instances. An oft-cited study is that of Matthew Fankel 2010, in which he found out that out of 171 cases of election boycott, only four cases were successful.But analysts should understand that there are dangers in comparing Zimbabwe - and other states run by liberation movements in Africa for that matter - to other cases. Its politics is highly exceptional. As in Angola, Mozambique or South Africa, the southern African nation's political class is a liberation movement that has an astounding sense of entitlement. Its group of politicians, according to sociologist Max Weber, who understood politics as a vocation; politics is the politicians' whole life. As a result, the protection of power is more important than interests, property and life.MDC has spent the last two decades attempting to break the regime's hold onto power through participation in flawed elections. The results have been the same; in a sophisticated way, elections have served to strengthen the regime.Yet, the only time that Zanu-PF was seriously weakened in post-colonial Zimbabwe, was when the opposition abstained from elections in the second round of the 2008 presidential elections, compelling a desperate Mugabe to negotiate for a coalition government with the opposition. To date, out of the seven liberation movements in Africa, Zanu-PF remains the only one to be forced to share power with the opposition. And, it was the pressure of a strong opposition's absentation coupled with international pressure that almost defeated the ruling party.What to boycott?Boycotts are not wasteful and tragic if the opposition has a strategy to make them hurt the regime. In the case of the Monday elections, the MDC does not need to embark on a blanket boycott. But the abstention needs to be targeted exclusively at the presidential elections, and Mnangagwa in particular. This is for two reasons:First, Mnangagwa is the man who is behind the push for a "new dispensation". In other words, he is the one who is therefore desperately seeking legitimacy through piecemeal political and economic reforms and promise of a free, fair and credible election.Also, for a man who is very much conscious that the world is aware of his atrocious past human rights record and now coup regime, Mnangagwa is a man who is seeking redemption. Abstentation from the elections will deny him both - international legitimacy and redemption. In fact, the boycott might have a strong "pyschological" impact on the president and his regime, forcing them to default into the Zanu-PF mode of repression and economic mismanagement.Second, Zimbabwe is a presidential democracy, with the executive having powers to run the country even if he has weak legislative assembly support. As previous experiences demonstrate, Zanu-PF is likely to hold on to the presidency at all costs and let go of council and parliamentary seats. As a result, it is futile to participate in a presidential election which everybody knows that the ruling party will rig.LegitimacyThere is a compelling story to tell about election participation, but not in Zimbabwe. If Chamisa takes part in the presidential election, he would have demonstrated that he has learnt and forgotten nothing from his party's previous bitter experiences.Tinhu is a political analyst based in Harare. Opinion / Columnist After months of campaigning, Election Day is almost upon us. Supporters of both main candidates are expectant and confident, and the country is delicately poised.Both candidates are imperfect. Both have strengths and weaknesses, but fundamentally, both want what is best for Zimbabwe. The debate is over who can make it happen.The most recent high quality poll, by international research group AfroBarometer, shows ED with a small but clear lead over Chamisa. Most crucially, it shows that up to 20% of Zimbabweans are yet to make up their mind on who to vote for.I wanted to write an article for those voters, setting out what I believe are the main differences between the two men.But then, over the course of this week, they wrote the article for me. For when I looked at the conduct of each man during the final week of the campaign, I realised that one stands head and shoulders above the other when it comes to what I believe is the most important thing we need in our next president the ability to make things happen.First, lets look at the main challenger, Nelson Chamisa. For him, this has been a week dominated by disputes over the conduct of the election. This time last week, fresh from a boost in the polls, I expected him to spend the week focussed on his message of change and making his final pitch to the voters.Instead, he has been side-tracked by his 'will he, won't he' saga over boycotting the election. Finally, after months of going back and forth, and multiple 24 hour deadlines that were later amended, he announced that he will in fact be competing.It's not that I have an issue with this decision. My concern is more with a leader that seems incapable of following through on his promises and threats. For weeks Chamisa has been threatening ZEC that if they don't accede to his demands he will boycott the polls. They have ignored his threats, and in the end he has gone along with it all. Hardly the sign of leadership.Of course, it wouldn't be Chamisa without a few silly comments. This week's most absurd were the claims that Tsvangirai was murdered by the state and that an election can only be free and fair if he wins!So, those hoping for a powerful and persuasive final week were left disappointed. In the biggest week of his life, Chamisa has failed to deliver.In contrast, ED has had a quietly effective week. Not of fantastical claims, but of action.ED has taken the decision that irrespective of the election, he will continue to govern right up until Election Day. So given the choice between campaigning and working to improve Zimbabwe, he has chosen the latter.This week has seen the start of the airport expansion, the ground-breaking of the biggest mining project in Zimbabwe's history, the launch of the huge African Chrome Fields plant and a massive student loans facility, worth $1.5bn, which will revolutionise Zimbabwe's tertiary education sector.As if this wasn't enough, he ended the week at the BRICS Summit, a meeting of five of the world's fastest growing economies, pushing our economic and trade interests. Travelling to an international forum three days before an election is unheard of, but for ED, the country's needs come first.And so, for any undecided voter, the last week has been highly instructive. For they have been presented with a clear choice concrete actions or hollow words. Strong leadership or an empty vessel.I believe that this contrast will help to make up a lot of minds in the final few days, and with the 20% of undecided voters leaning towards ED, a decisive first round victory is imminent. Opinion / Columnist When the military occupied the streets of Harare and parked their tanks on every corner of the streets of Harare, the people of Zimbabwe celebrated in anticipation of a better Zimbabwe. The military, under the command of general Chiwenga announced through S. B Moyo on national radio and television that his excellency, the president was safe and they were only targeting the criminals around him.The people celebrated not because they liked the presence of the military on the streets in a country that was not at war, but they were celebrating the fall of a dictator, a self-crowned Hitler of Africa in the name of Robert Mugabe. They also celebrated on the promise of "Targeting the criminals around his excellence ". These criminals in the words of S.B Moyo were the ones who had caused untold suffering and misery among the ordinary Zimbabweans, but unfortunately little did we know that seven months down the line, only one small unfortunate criminal in the name Samuel Undenge will be prosecuted and sent to jail.The general population expected the likes of Ignatius Chombo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Grace "Gucci" Mugabe, Jonathan Moyo, Augustine Chihuri, Obert Mpofu, Phillip Chinyangwa, Chivhayo and many more others to be behind bars. Unfortunately, none of them have been prosecuted until to date. So, who were the criminals that the military were targeting? No wonder why the people of Zimbabwe are still suffering and haven't seen any real change because all the criminals are still walking scot-free and still causing untold suffering to the people of Zimbabwe. Some of them are still serving in your current coup cabinet courtesy of your appointment. Mugabe might have gone but his legacy is still very much alive because of the people still serving in this coup government through your personal appointments.Your inauguration speech on the 24th November 2017, was greeted with so much optimism and anticipation by all Zimbabweans and the world over. But to date its only the words that you said and not much change in your actions. The general population of Zimbabwe haven't seen much in terms of improvements in the basic things that matters in their lives. Healthcare provisions hasn't improved in fact your deputy even unilaterally fired some fifteen thousand nurses for voicing their concerns through industrial action. Still people cannot get their hard-earned cash from banks. They still have to spend hours in bank queues to get a paltry $30-$50 bond coins. The cost of most basic goods has in fact gone up since you took office. No significant industries or factories have been opened to create employment for the unemployed youth. You have gone around the world with "Zimbabwe is open for business" mantra, but we haven't seen any businesses that have benefited the economic recovery of Zimbabwe.Unemployment is still as high as it was during Mugabe's era. Vending is the only job available to our educated youths. No road map to recovery of this economy since you took office is evident. Still no cash in banks. Still no medication in our hospitals. You and your colleagues still fly to neighbouring countries for medical treatment. What about the general ordinary Zimbabwean public? Still there isn't enough electricity for domestic consumption. These are basic things you could have prioritised instead of buying cars for chiefs and aspiring Zanu PF MPs.Mr President, you failed to accept responsibility for Gukurahundi, right. The least you could have done was to issue an apology and say sorry to the people of Matabeleland and Midlands and set up a commission of inquiry as soon as you took office. You should also just have said sorry for the part you played in 2008 post-election violence and said sorry for the part you and the army played in denying the people's president Morgan Tsvangirai the right to take over power from Robert Mugabe in 2008.In your inauguration speech, you said let us not dwell in the past, but why is it that your colleagues like Christopher Mutsvangwa who is your special advisor seems to have nothing to offer to the electorate. His slogan is "We went to war, so you should let us rule". We then begin to wonder what special advice he is giving you in private. Its now 38years after independence and it seems Zanu Pf only has got war veterans credentials to offer to the electorate.Surely, Mr President you could have done better, and you had time to prove to the world and to the people of Zimbabwe that you're better equipped than Mugabe to deal with the basic needs of Zimbabweans. You had an opportunity to show the world you are changing course and ready to mend the wrongs that were done by Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF. But as it is, Mugabe may have gone but his legacy is still very much alive. You therefore missed an opportunity to extend your sell by date which is due on the 30th of July 2018.Instead of hitting the ground running by repealing oppressive laws like AIPPA and POSA, you hit the ground running by legalising mbanje. This was your opportunity to concentrate on bread and butter issues and implement electoral reforms that would have made this election free, fair and credible. Unfortunately, you chose to ignore them, you will live to regret this missed opportunity to make Zimbabwe great again.BY FRAZER MUZONDO(ROHR ZIM/MDC ACTIVIST) Photo - Art Prize winners Gina Passfield, Jill Liepertz, Margaret Pearce After five wonderful years of the Basil Sellers Midge Point Art Prize the local arts community got together to continue this art prize scheduled for 11.00am tomorrow - Saturday 28 July at The Point Tavern over a morning tea. The arts community met last November for a cuppa at Gina Passfield's farm setting everything in place. This includes entries, logistics, planning, display and the like. Paintings get delivered. The judging is arranged. The unveiling of the finalists is organised. Excitement is in the air for tomorrow. This year there is a north and south collection point. South is at Calen and north is in Midge Point. Past winners 2013 - Jill Liepertz 2014 - Gina Passfield 2015 - Margaret Pearce 2016 - Jill Liepertz 2017 - Jill Liepertz Photo - Art finalist 2017 Background of the Art Prize This is one of three Basil Sellers Art Prizes the first I established in 2004 in Moruya on the NSW south coast, the second was Basil Sellers $100,000 Sport-Art Prize in Melbourne and this at Midge Point is the third initiated in 2013. My wife and I had established the Basil Sellers Laguna Quays Respite ministry for missionaries and those in ministry at Midge Point on the Whitsundays in 2011. It became apparent to us after two years the community was a small one, people knew each other well, and there was a very active arts community. It seemed to us at least, an art prize would value-add to the community and having approached Mr Basil Sellers AM he agreed to support this small rural region. The Point Tavern likewise saw this as something they would support providing a morning tea and a venue. 2013 set the pace The inaugural art prize was set for the last weekend of July and sop it was 24 entries were received the judging took place and the winner was announced at the launch. A month later Basil Sellers visited providing a lunch for the eight finalists which set a pattern for the following years. In recent years the local real estate agent Terry and Cathy McMullen collected Basil Sellers at Proserpine airport and provided a tour of the region including a detailed account of the area's real estate. Photo - Art finalist 2017 2018 Art Prize Inas Jackson has been the mainstay of the annual Art Prize in the region - extended to rural regions on the Bruce Highway towards Mackay places such as Calen and Kuttabul. This was broadened the intake of the region's art prize with good will which has allowed this art prize to develop to the joy it has become. This annual art prize is one of the areas that we serve this community there is an annual business meeting and a fancy dress afternoon, a high tea for the art ladies put on by Delma and a weekly online news which replaced the hard copy in 2012 with the same person, Kim Hanson, running it. These are examples of ministry in a small rural community. Photo - Art finalist 2017 Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html FRIDAY, July 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A feeling of breathlessness is the hallmark of the respiratory ailment known as COPD. Now, Canadian researchers say vaping marijuana failed to ease that symptom for most people in their study. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a progressive respiratory ailment, often tied to smoking, with characteristics of bronchitis and emphysema. The incurable disease remains the third biggest killer in the United States. As marijuana becomes more available and accepted, people with COPD may believe it can help, noted study author Sara Abdallah. She's a graduate student in exercise physiology at McGill University in Montreal. "We first became aware of the therapeutic potential of cannabis in managing COPD symptoms from patients themselves," Abdallah explained in a news release from the American Thoracic Society. "We decided to pursue this study because patients were reporting symptomatic relief of their COPD symptoms after cannabis use." But would those anecdotal reports match the results of a clinical trial? To find out, Abdallah and her colleagues tracked outcomes for 16 people with advanced COPD who were already taking medications for their lung disease. The patients inhaled either a single dose of vaporized cannabis or a placebo before exercising on a stationary bike. The study was "double blinded," meaning neither the patients nor the researchers knew who was inhaling the cannabis or the placebo. For most people in the trial, vaporized cannabis had no clinically significant effect -- either negative or positive -- on their symptoms of breathlessness during exercise or on their exercise performance, the Montreal team reported. Only 4 of the 16 participants noted some improvement of breathlessness after using the vaped product, the researchers said, while the other 12 showed no effect or felt worse. Despite the findings, this study was small and preliminary, so further "clinical trials are warranted and should evaluate the therapeutic potential of various doses of vaporized and oral cannabis, including oils and pills, administered over longer periods of time in patients with mild to moderate COPD," study senior author Dennis Jensen said in the news release. He's associate professor of kinesiology and physical education and a scientist in the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program at McGill. Two U.S. experts in COPD care agreed the trial was sorely needed, because treatment options are few. In COPD, "the bronchial tubes become narrow and as can be imagined it is more difficult to push or pull air through an obstructed tube than it is through a much larger-diameter tube," explained Dr. Theodore Maniatis, medical director at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. "This is almost like thinking about a new pipe versus an older rusty pipe with sludge buildup within the pipe," he said. Besides giving up smoking, certain medications can help keep breathing passages open. In COPD's latter stages those include opioids, Maniatis said, "but as can be imagined the use of opiates has other significant associated side effects and concerns." So, people have turn to cannabis-linked medicines, since these agents "have been suspected of having effects at both the bronchial tube level and the neurological level," he explained. "In this most recent study however, it has been found that -- at least in patients optimally treated with other forms of therapy -- the addition of an inhaled cannabinoid did not decrease the sensation of breathlessness," Maniatis said. Dr. Ann Tilley is a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She applauded the new study, since it "aims to meet a real need in clinical practice." She said patients often inquire about alternative therapies, including medical marijuana, but there's been little data on their effectiveness. Unfortunately, "while this study can't rule out the idea that a different dose or inhalation method could produce benefit, it doesn't support the use of cannabis to relieve shortness of breath in severe COPD," Tilley said. The findings were published July 27 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. More information The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more on COPD. The 2nd Young Superintendent of Police Conference was held in New Delhi on July 26, 2018. The 2-day conference was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The conference was organized by Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D). Young Superintendent of Police Conference The theme of two day conference was Predictive Policing and Contemporary Challenges for Indian Police Forces It was attended by over 100 Superintendents of Police (SPs) & senior officers from the States & CAPFs. The purpose of the 2-day conference is to create awareness among young SPs and Commandants regarding latest technologies in areas of artificial intelligence (AI), predictive policing, crime analytics, dig data analytics, geospatial technology, cybercrime, surveillance tracking & UAVs, CCTV equipment, for effective delivery of police services to citizens. Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) BPR&D was established in 1970 in furtherance of objective of Union Government for the modernisation of police forces. It is nodal national police organisation to study, research and develop on subjects and issues related to policing. It functions under the aegis of Union Home Ministry. It is headquartered in New Delhi. Since its formation, it has evolved as multifaceted, consultancy organisation. At present it has 4 divisions Research, Development, Training and Correctional Administration. India: Draft coastal regulation zone notification opposed by Joe C Mathew July 27,2018 | Source: Business Today National Fishworkers Forum (NFF), an umbrella body of the traditional fishing communities across India, has demanded the withdrawal of a draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification issued by the environment ministry recently. In an interaction between the Members of Parliament and traditional fishing communities, their unions and local community leaders from across the country in Delhi, NFF alleged that the draft, if notified, will be counterproductive as it will destroy the coastal ecosystem instead of protecting it. The government has brought in the changes in the existing CRZ notification to help develop infrastructure projects like Coastal Industrial Corridors, Sagarmala, Bharatmala, economic zones, power plants, petroleum and manufacturing plants along India's coastlines without consulting the fishing communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on the existence of the coastal ecosystem, NFF leaders said. "The CRZ Notifications of 1991 and 2011 have been amended 38 times mostly for tourism and industrial purposes and never for the benefit of those dependent on the coast for their livelihoods" says T. Peter, General Secretary, NFF. NFF seeks the enactment of a comprehensive law to replace the CRZ notification. The fish workers interaction saw parliamentarians cutting across party lines offer their support. While Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu assured the government's commitment towards the fisher people, Congress leader K.V. Thomas expressed his solidarity with the steps that NFF has taken in bringing the issue of CRZ to the forefront. BJP MP from Daman and Diu Lalubhai Patel wanted the government to sensitise the officials who prepared the notification about the implications of CRZ. Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut wanted the government to ignore the Shailesh Naik Committee report that recommended the CRZ amendment and define separate CRZs for the east coast and west coast in consultation with local bodies, community organisations and fishworking community. He also pointed out that the notification should be supplied in various regional languages so that people are able to read this and understand the implications clearly. Narendra Sawaikar (Goa), Mohammed Salim (West Bengal), Pradeep Bhattacharya (West Bengal) and Rajendra Gavit (Maharashtra) were among the Paliamentarians who expressed solidarity with the fishing community. The Delhi government also sent their solidarity message in NFF's fight to scrap the draft CRZ Notification 2018. Myanmar: Prices for bran and broke rice hit record high by Theingi Win Tin July 27,2018 | Source: Eleven Myanmar Prices for bran and broken rice used for the production of animal feed have reached a record high, according to the information at the regular meeting held at Myanmar Fishery Federation on July 24. Dr Thet Hmu, chair of Myanmar Fish and Prawn Feed Manufacturers Association said: Bran is mainly used as raw material for the production of animal feed. In the last week of July, price for bran hit a record high during five years. Bran price is similar to price for broken rice. Now there are poor road transportation and climate changes. Bran price reached a record high of Ks-480 per viss in 2016. It stood at Ks-335 in 2017 and Ks-522 in 2018. Bran price is expected to continue to increase due to climate conditions. It is difficult to store bran. The government allows exports of rice, broken rice and bran. Anyway, bran price will not decline. It will continue to rise in August, September and October. Price for broken rice hit Ks-506 per viss in 2016 and Ks-517 in 2017. Now price for broken rice hits a record high of Ks-640 per viss. But the quality of broken rice is low, Dr Thet Hmu added. Hsan Htike, a CEC member of Fish Breeders Association said: Fish market is down after Saudi Arabia has suspended imports of fish from Myanmar. Breeders are facing difficulties due to rising animal feed prices. Recently, a large volume of writing has taken place discussing the merits and demerits of executing the death penalty imposed upon prisoners languishing in the country's jails for committing a variety of capital offences. When I read those comments my mind immediately went back to the note of resignation submitted by Her Majesty's executioner, Albert Pierrepoint, which he later had included as a preface to his Autobiography. In that note he wrote" I do not believe that anyone of the 400 executions I carried out has in any way acted as a deterrent against future acts of murder. Capital Punishment, in my view, achieved nothing except revenge". Aside from any number of ethical, religious or such other reasons for decrying the execution of Capital penalties there is a Constitutional hurdle that one has to leap before legally, a noose is put around the neck of a human being, in Sri Lanka. Article 11 of the Sri Lanka's 1978 Constitution reads: "No person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment". Those very same words are found in Article 11 of the present South African Constitution. In The State vs Makwanyanne and Another, reported at (1995)3 South African Reports at page 391, the two accused were convicted of the offence of Murder, under the South African Penal Code, by a Court sitting in the Province of Witwatersrand. At their conviction they were both sentenced to death. The sentencing judge wrote on the report that the murders they had committed were so gruesome that they do not deserve to be commuted. They both appealed to the South African Court of Appeal, but the hearing was held back until a constitutional issue as to the constitutional validity of capital punishment was determined, by the South African Constitutional Court. Learned counsel argued that Article 11, of the South African Constitution, which as pointed out earlier was identical with the same Article of our constitution, made capital punishment unconstitutional, it being "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment." Last execution As it is in the Sri Lanka Constitution, what constitutes "cruel, in-human or degrading conduct" has not been defined and that it was up to each court upon a case by case basis to determine, if and when that matter came before them. Therefore, the 1st question that required to be determined, before any executions takes place, is whether under Article 11 of the Sri Lanka constitution, capital punishment is constitutional? The last execution in Sri Lanka took place in 1976 which was 2 years prior to the promulgation of the 1978 Constitution. There was no determination of the constitutional validity of the imposition of capital punishment, under Article 11. Returning to Makwanyane, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, after examining a very large number of authorities held that Article 11 of their constitution made capital punishment, unconstitutional. As for the present trend regarding the abolition of the death penalty, there is a large measure of material which learned counsel in several jurisdictions had utilized. The 1st question we have to seek answers from our Apex Court is whether under Article 11 of our own Constitution the imposition of capital punishment was valid under Article 11. Unless the answer to that question is first obtained any rush to put into effect a sentence of death may well change the nature and character of that act, from one of a judicial execution to one of an extra judicial act of murder. In such an event a large contingent of persons from the executioner, in the 1st degree, and other officers as participating in a criminal act may become liable under the Criminal Law and also under the Civil Law for the payment of compensation. Above all the degree of international criticism to which Sri Lanka may be targeted will not be a suitable proposition to face. Decision of the Supreme Court As for the present trend regarding the abolition of the death penalty, there is a large measure of material which learned counsel in several jurisdictions had utilized, and are available for our courts and our learned counsel to consider. In the Caribbean, the Bahamian and the Courts in other Islands have found against the retention of capital punishment. So have the courts in Africa: Uganda, Malawi and Kenya. In a seminal judgment delivered by the Privy Council in The Attorney General for Belize v Reyes [2002] 2 Appeal Cases 235, the Law Lords, after an extensive perusal of the available law found that sentences of death were unconstitutional where there is in any Constitution, as we have" a fundamental human right to life." Therefore, it is important that a decision of the Supreme Court is first obtained, before the State rushes to execute convicts under sentences of death, for whatever offences they may have committed. The basic question therefore is, is capital punishment, in keeping with Article 11 of the Constitution? That question could be answered only by our Apex Court to which resort could be had by anyone of the 19 persons earmarked for execution, or some other interested party, or by His Excellency himself under Article 129 of the Constitution. Source: Daily Mirror , Opinion, Lakshman Marasingeauthor, July, 2018. The writer is a Professor of Law from the University of Winsdor. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Tennessee can use controversial drugs to execute inmates on death row despite concerns from defense attorneys and experts that doing so is "akin to burning someone alive," a Nashville judge ruled Thursday. The ruling is a blow to 33 death row inmates who had challenged the state's lethal injection protocol, saying it led to cruel and unusual punishment forbidden by the U.S. Constitution. Among them is Billy Ray Irick, who is scheduled to be executed Aug. 9. But the ruling won't be the final word. The inmates' attorneys quickly announced they would appeal. Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle issued the 51-page ruling on the case Thursday evening, forcefully denying the inmates' claims and saying they failed to meet two critical bars necessary to overturn an execution method. Attorneys for the death row inmates needed to prove: There is a different means to carry out the execution that is readily available and substantially less painful; and The drugs the state plans to use would cause the inmate to be tortured to death. Lyle ruled the attorneys proved neither during a two-week trial, which closed Tuesday. "Although dreadful and grim, it is the law that while surgeries should be pain-free, there is no constitutional requirement for that with executions," Lyle wrote, echoing an argument made by attorneys for the state. Kelley Henry, a federal public defender who led the inmates' case, said in a statement that Lyle's ruling included an "important finding" that would support their case on appeal. Leigh Ann Apple Jones, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee attorney general, said, "we are pleased with the court's carefully reasoned decision." Challenge stemmed from change to lethal injection drugs Lethal injection is the primary means of carrying out the death penalty in Tennessee, although the electric chair is also legal. The state had used pentobarbital, a barbiturate, but manufacturers have largely stopped selling the drug to anyone using it for executions. In 2017, the general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Correction said the state did not have the drugs needed to carry out an execution but could get them if they needed. In January, the state adopted a new lethal injection protocol that called for a three-drug cocktail. The inmates, who filed the suit against the state in February, did not argue against the death penalty itself. Instead, they focused on the use of midazolam, the first drug in the state's new protocol, that is meant to put an inmate to sleep before two other drugs stop the heart and lungs. Experts who testified on the inmates' behalf said midazolam is often ineffective, leaving people awake and aware of the acidic poison that kills them. The experts pulled examples from executions across the country, in which witnesses saw inmates thrashing, moaning and crying as the drugs coursed through their veins. "That is akin to burning someone alive. That is not hyperbole. That is not an exaggeration," said Henry. "That's avoidable." Lyle acknowledged that the inmates' case included testimony from "well-qualified and imminent experts," and she conceded "the inmate being executed may be able to feel pain from the administration of the second and third drugs." In her statement, Henry said this portion of Lyle's finding could offer an opening for the inmates. Henry cited a U.S. Supreme Court case in which Chief Justice John Roberts "held that if an inmate was able to feel the effects of these two drugs, then the method of execution violates the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution." But, Lyle wrote, the inmates' attorneys did not prove that the three-drug protocol would lead to prolonged periods of "needless suffering," one of the key factors that could lead to unconstitutional torture. She pointed to the relatively brief executions cited by the inmates' attorneys, which ended after an average of 13.55 minutes. Midazolam part of ongoing effort to make executions more humane, state argued Deputy Attorney General Scott Sutherland, who represented the state and the Department of Correction, tied midazolam to ongoing work to make executions more humane. He pointed to rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and other judicial panels that upheld executions using midazolam. And he said that the inmates had failed to prove pentobarbital was readily available to be used instead of the three-drug protocol. Lyle agreed. "It is not enough, the United States Supreme Court has held, for the inmate to claim that the States method of execution is cruel and unusual," Lyle wrote. "The inmate must also make a claim in the lawsuit he files and must prove at trial in his case that there is a known and available method to execute him that, in comparison to the States execution method, significantly reduces a substantial risk of pain." Inmates to appeal judge's ruling, ask for stay of Aug. 9 execution As both sides gear up to face the Tennessee Court of Appeals, attorneys for Irick plan to ask the Tennessee Supreme Court for an emergency stay of execution. The request would ask the court to delay carrying out Irick's death sentence until after the appeal is heard. Gov. Bill Haslam said earlier Thursday his office is reviewing Iricks mental health as it weighs his petition for clemency. Advocates argue Irick was in a psychotic state when he committed the rape and murder for which he was convicted and should therefore not be executed. Haslam said he and his staff are watching for Lyle's decision and how the appellate court handles the case. It's still unclear when the governor will make a clemency decision on Irick's case. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde A startup founded by IIT Madras alumnus Rajesh Kumar has launched 'Flash', an artificial intelligence powered dashboard with voice support to enable to process the big data. Chennai: Genisights, a startup founded by IIT Madras alumnus Rajesh Kumar has launched 'Flash', an artificial intelligence powered dashboard with voice support to enable to process the big data. Launching the AI tool, Lakshmi Narayanan, former chairman of NASSCOM said, Data analytics and business insight solutions have become a major field. Flash provides the path for AI integration into analytics and business insights. It understands user's voice commands and provides intelligence from analyzing data. Flash is an AI driven product that empowers the business users to quickly experience advanced analytical insights thereby significantly bringing down the development time, said Rajesh Kumar, managing director, Genisights. Users can get recommendations and relevant insights based on the past behaviour/patterns. A very powerful AI program is designed to always run in the background to learn from the user's past query. The self-learning AI program helps the user to derive insights from the data. The visualization layer, data insights get automatically generated by the AI program which is possible only because of its learnings, he added. A user can simply say Flash, get me the trend of 3 years and further add Flash, zoom in time period weekly, and it will produce the requested results. Flash learns from the data and guides the user to quickly uncover the insights. The best part of being FLASH is it eventually understands the user and becomes their analytics assistant, said Parvathy Sarath, chief analytics officer, Genisights. Users can further upgrade or downgrade these AI learnings for the program to tune into the user's choice. The AI also decides the type of charts, what level of detail is required for the business user. There is great potential to develop gas-fired power projects in the Mekong Delta and a number of investors are seeking opportunities to do so, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said. The Prime Minister was speaking at a reception this week for investors seeking to set up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant in the southern province of Bac Lieu. The plant is expected to have a capacity of 3,200 MW, cost around $4 billion and sell its power at 7 US cents per kWh. If advocated by the government, its 1,000 MW first phase is expected to go on stream by 2021. The investors said the LNG-fueled project would produce less emission than a coal-fired thermal plant and no pollutants. Leaders of Bac Lieu Province stated that the project was feasible due to the reasonable selling price of 7 cents, which is lower than that of coal-fired plants and solar and wind farms. The PM instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to coordinate with Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the countrys monopoly distributor of power, and other stakeholders to consider adding the project to the countrys revised Power Development Plan VII. Evoking the spirit of administrative reforms, Phuc asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Bac Lieu Province, and other ministries to help the investors complete investment procedures. Since the project would be a large one, all processes must be carried out diligently and precisely, its environmental impact should be minimized, its power selling price must remain highly competitive and progress has to be monitored closely, he said. In May Bac Lieu and U.S.-based Energy Capital Vietnam, LLC signed a memorandum of understanding for the project after the southern province flatly rejected a coal-fired power plant proposal. Under the countrys revised Power Development Plan VII, Vietnam looks to increase its power capacity to some 129.5 GW by 2030, 19 GW of which will come from plants fired by gas, including LNG. Nguyen Manh Hung, 56, the new leader of Vietnam's information ministry. Photo courtesy of Viettel Nguyen Manh Hung, acting Minister of Information and Communication, is a long-standing army man. Hung was born on July 24, 1962 in Phu Tho Province, two hours northwest of Hanoi. He graduated from the Military Technical Academy in 1979 and was selected by the Ministry of National Defense to pursue a bachelors degree in electronics and telecommunications in the Soviet Union in 1980. Later, he obtained a Masters in telecommunications from the University of Sydney in Australia and another one in business administration from Vietnams National Economics University. Hung was one of the first officers assigned to work at military telecom firm Viettel when the firm was established in 1989 under the name Sigelco. He started as a technical assistant and went on to become deputy head, and later, head of the investment and development office in 1995. In 2000, he was appointed as a deputy director of Viettel when it was still a company. He became deputy CEO of Viettel Group in 2010. Two years later, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 2014, he replaced his retired predecessor as CEO of Viettel Group. In 2016, he was voted to become a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and assigned to be the first chairman of Viettel Group in June this year. Through his 20 years at Viettel, Hung has contributed significantly to Vietnams leading telecom firm making successful forays to foreign countries, investing in Cambodia, Laos, East Timor, Haiti, Mozambique, Cameroon, Burundi, Tanzania, Myanmar and Peru. Hung is also vice chairman of the Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Military Bank) and board member of the Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Corporation. Bui Van Thanh, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Public Security is facing punishment for violations regarding state secrets. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh Seven senior officials of the Ministry of Public Security were irresponsible and violated rules on protecting the states secrets, Party inspectors say. The officials, who worked for the ministrys General Department of Logistics-Engineering, failed to supervise and manage their staff, leading to many violations in the management and use of public land and public property, according to the Partys Central Inspection Commission. Lieutenant general Le Van Minh, head of the department, has to take full responsibility, the commission reported to the Politburo, the highest body of the Communist Party of Vietnam, at a July 24-26 meeting in Hanoi. Lieutenant General Bui Xuan Son, former deputy head of the department, is also responsible for letting those violations take place when he was still in charge, as is Lieutenant General Bui Van Thanh, Deputy Minister of Public Security since August 2014. Thanh also violated rules on protecting state secrets when he signed documents proposing the sale of several properties and land lots that belonged to the ministry, the commission said. It also fingered Senior Lieutenant general Tran Viet Tan, former deputy Public Security Minister for being irresponsible and failing to manage his staff. Tan also signed several documents that go against the regulations on protecting the state secrets, causing serious consequences. Tan used to be deputy head and then head of the ministry's General Department of Intelligence before he was chosen as deputy minister in October, 2011. The other two officials on the list are Lieutenant Generals Nguyen Van Chuyen and Ksor Nham, two deputy heads of the logistics-engineering department, and Lieutenant General Vu Thuat, former deputy head of the department. Nguyen Van Thanh (L), former chief of the Air Force's Party unit, and Phuong Minh Hoa, the unit's former deputy chief. Photo courtesy of the Air Force Two senior Air Force officers and the Party units they were affiliated to have received official warning for mismanagement of military land. Colonel General Phuong Minh Hoa, former Vice Chairman of the Political Bureau of the Vietnam People's Army, former deputy Party unit chief and former Commander of the Air and Air Defense Force, received an official warning on Saturday. The Secretariat of the Central Committee Communist Party of Vietnam, the Party's highest implementation body, imposed the punishment as it deemed Hoa's violations, as exposed by the Party's Central Inspection Committee, were "serious." Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Thanh, former Party unit chief and Political Commissar of the Air and Air Defense Force, also received an official warning at a three-day meeting of the Central Inspection Committee that closed in Hanoi on Thursday. Vietnam's Party has four modes of punishment against members: reprimand, warning, demotion and expulsion. Disciplinary action has also been recommended against the Standing Committee of the Air and Air Defense Force's Party unit for the term 2010-2015. Last month, the committee had concluded that the Standing Committee of the Air and Air Defense Force's Party unit had committed several serious violations. It had violated the principle of democratic centralism as also working regulations, and been negligent in leading, managing, inspecting and supervising the Air and Air Defense Force. These violations in turn enabled further violations in the management and use of military land, including its illegal use for economic purposes and irregularities in a housing project for soldiers. Inspectors held Hoa mainly responsible for the violations of the standing committee. He was also found to have directly signed papers to give up military land illegally for economic purposes. Thanh was also deemed responsible for the committee's violations as its leader, and found to have allowed unqualified people to benefit from the military's housing projects. Inspectors concluded that the violations of Hoa, Thanh and the Standing Committee of the Air and Air Defense Force's Party unit were "serious," damaging the reputations of the Party and the Army. The Party inspectors this week also urged disciplinary actions against seven top officials of the Ministry of Public Security for violations in protecting state secrets. A series of dismissals and warnings against high-ranking officials are adding heat to Vietnam's corruption crackdown spearheaded by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Scores of top officials and businesspeople have been put under probe or sent to jail over the past couple years. Trong, 74, has repeatedly said that the corruption fight would keep up momentum and continue moving forward, sparing no one. Some Vietnamese bank customers have reported receiving emails and phone calls asking for credit card information. Photo by Reuters Several banks in Vietnam have warned customers about credit card info being stolen using scam emails or phone calls. The warnings have been issued in light of recent reports in which customers have received emails and phone calls, supposedly from the police or even the banks themselves, asking for personal information, including credit card and card verification numbers. Thanh of HCMC recently received an email from the Vietnam Prosperity Bank (VPBank) asking for her name, home address and password to gain access to her bank account. These are all private information of card holders, so theres no reason why the bank would email us to ask for them, she said. Thu, 68, from the central province of Quang Ngai, recently received a phone call from a man who claimed to be working for the police who said she was suspected of being part of a drug trafficking ring in Hanoi. Thu was asked to provide all information regarding the money she had stored in banks, and to transfer an undisclosed amount of money to an unknown account for a lesser sentence. I panicked and intended to do what they said at first, but then I thought, if I was staying home all day, how can I be involved in a drug trafficking ring? So I calmed down and said that I would discuss this further with my son before calling back. No other call came after that incident. In response to such news, the Maritime Bank has told its customers that banks would never require personal information from customers, for example bank account numbers, PIN, Internet Banking usernames or passwords. It also warned customers that any email or phone calls requiring them to provide such info are scams. Additionally, customers should be wary of phone numbers beginning with +31385 or +36022, as they are most likely to do with staged kidnappings to demand ransom. The HCMC branch of the State Bank of Vietnam has also asked all banks to reassess their internal control processes, issue warning to customers and alert the police about potential scam cases. In Thanhs case, VPBank immediately rechecked its systems and sent out warnings to other customers not to provide their account info to any other entities. The bank has also pledged to develop countermeasures to prevent future cases from happening. A woman in Sanamxai, Attapeu, Laos, stands by what is left of her belongings after a dam collapse on Monday. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday handed $200,000 in aid to Laos as it struggled with a dam collapse disaster. At a ceremony held at the ministry's headquarters, Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung emphasized that the leaders and the people of Vietnam are closely following the incident and expressed deep sympathy and condolences for the Lao people. "The Party, the State and the people of Vietnam are ready to do anything possible to help Laos overcome this difficulty and swiftly recover from the consequences of this incident," Trung said. Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Thongsavanh Phomvihane expressed his gratitude for Vietnam's timely assistance. According to official reports, flooding triggered by the collapse of a partially-constructed hydropower dam in Laos's southeastern Attapeu Province on Monday night have so far killed 27 people, left 131 missing and more than 3,000 people stranded. As of Thursday, there has been no report of Vietnamese casualties and no Vietnamese is listed among the missing people. 15 Vietnamese families living in the affected area have all been evacuated to safety, and a group of 26 Vietnamese stranded in a plantation in the area were rescued by helicopter on Wednesday. The Vietnamese foreign ministry has instructed its diplomatic missions in Laos and Cambodia to closely monitor the situation, proactively implement necessary measures to support Vietnamese families and coordinate with local and Vietnamese agencies in order to promptly handle any problem that might arise. The collapsed dam is part of a hydropower project being built by the Vientiane-based Xe Pian Xe Namnoy Power Company, or PNPC, a joint venture between Laos, Thailand and South Korea formed in 2012. Work on the $1.02 billion dam had started in February 2013 and was scheduled to be completed later this year. The 410MW hydropower plant was to export 90 percent of its electricity output to Thailand, and send 10 percent to the national grid in Laos. Vietnamese students leave a test room after the national high school exam in June. Photo by VnExpress Son La has become the second province to be implicated in the national high school exam fraud, prompting a criminal probe. Members of the northern province's national high school examination board that are suspected of involvement will also be investigated for "abuse of power or position in performance of official duties." The criminal investigation was launched after inspectors from the education ministry concluded on Monday that the province's examination board had committed multiple violations. Upon re-grading 110 Literature test sheets that had unusually good results, inspectors found that the original scores for 42 sheets were higher than what they should've been, 12 of them by as much as 4.5 points. Inspectors also found that a number of multiple-choice answer sheets were altered prior to being submitted to the ministry for grading. They concluded that Son La's national high school examination board had violated regulations in grading, storing and transferring the candidates' test sheets. Specifically, the board had copied scans of the candidates' answer sheets on to a CD disc without authorization and taken it out of the designated secured area. They also failed to properly secure the grading area and did not seal the room and boxes used for storing the candidates' physical test sheets, as well as the computer used for grading, as required. Inspectors said five members of the board were involved in the violations, including Tran Xuan Yen, deputy director of Son La's Education Department. This criminal investigation follows just a week after the first one was launched in Ha Giang Province, also in the northern highlands. The investigation in Ha Giang has resulted in the arrests of two senior education officials. Vu Trong Luong, deputy head of the Testing and Quality Assurance unit in Ha Giang's Education Department was found to have heavily altered the results of over 330 test sheets belonging to 114 candidates to increase their scores. Luong's direct superior Nguyen Thanh Hoai was arrested for enabling Luong to commit his crime by giving him the key to the room where candidates' test sheets were stored. Hanoi nude exhibition does not go far enough, artists say While the destigmatization of nudity is welcome, exhibition organizers still played it safe, they feel. The first ever exhibition of nude photographs in Hanoi has elicited mixed responses from the artistic community even as it attracts hundreds of people every day and up to 2,000 on some days. Photographers are elated that the authorities have been progressive enough to permit a nudity exhibition which they had previously labeled as inappropriate for Vietnam. But the photos on show are old and lackluster, they feel. "It is a pity that the works selected for display are not my favorites, said photographer Duong Quoc Dinh, who has seven pictures on display. They are quite old and were widely shared many years ago." Painter Le Thiet Cuong said the organizers have played it safe by only displaying old works and not putting up bolder ones. Dung Art, one of the participating photographers, said he did not send bolder pieces fearing censorship. Ngo Thanh Duong, a spokesperson for the organizers, said age had not been a criterion in selecting the works and the organizers chose the best ones that reflected artists originality, meaning some old photographs were selected. Some works of Duong Quoc Dinh and Thai Phien have been published or won international awards, but they were only seen in personal shows. We wanted to promote them on a national scale. The organizers chose 52 works highlighting the beauty of the human body based on originality, visual effect, space, and lighting, he said. The artists also said it was understandable that the capital citys first nude exhibition was a low-key affair, with the organizers focusing on what they thought would not shock conservative viewers. Dinh said: Nudity has been considered sensitive for long, so the organizers had to be cautious. They have to make safe choices, since the public may not fully understand the fundamentals of this art form. Vi Kien Thanh, director of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, said he had difficulty organizing the event. When he had first suggested it, there was opposition from his colleagues who said it would cause a controversy, he said. He had to guarantee that selection of the works would be done prudently to avoid any fallout, Thanh added. The exhibition is a step toward destigmatizing nude artworks, he felt. "The works help viewers distinguish between aesthetic nudity and vulgar nude pictures permeating social networks." Cuong said the event possibly marks a turning point for nude art in Vietnam. Art critic Quynh Nhu agreed, saying, "The exhibition holds artistic and educational value for the public, especially young people." The photographers said they hope to see similar exhibitions not only in Hanoi but other places. "The exhibition offers professionals the opportunity to stop keeping their art inconspicuous or being embarrassed by the sensitive' label that the public has for nude photographs," Dinh said. The exhibition, at the Center for Art Exhibition and Exhibitions of Fine Arts, Photography, 29 Hang Bai Street, remains open until July 27. In the past, artists have had trouble getting permission for nude photo exhibitions in Hanoi. Photographer Thai Phien made three unsuccessful attempts over 26 years before eventually holding one in HCMC last month. The first ever exhibition of nude pictures in the country was held in HCMC last September, when photographer Hao Nhien displayed more than 50 of his works. Passengers wait to check in at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo by Reuters/Kham National carrier Vietnam Airlines is the nations sole presence in the top 100 carriers list, but it has slipped to the 50th position. Skytrax, a U.K.based airport and airline rating organization, released these figures as it announced winners at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards. It bills these awards as the Oscars of the aviation industry. The top carriers list is based on reviews by more than 24 million passengers from over 100 countries. Vietnam Airlines is 50th on the list, down three spots from last year while Singapore Airlines continued to remain on top, followed by Qatar Airways and ANA All Nippon Airways. Making it to the top 10 are other world-famous airlines like Emirates, EVA Air, Cathay Pacific, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, Thai Airways. Vietnam Airlines, the fourth 4-star commercial carrier in Southeast Asia, has won recognition from other international quarters. In April this year, it was voted for by TripAdvisor readers as one of the top airlines in Asia. The World Travel Awards, often dubbed "the tourism Oscars," last year named Vietnam Airlines as the worlds leading airlines in the premium economy class. Founded in 1956, Vietnam Airlines operates 93 planes, including the new top-end Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and the long-haul Airbus 350-900. Vietnam's aviation industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The country served more than 53 million air passengers in the first half of this year, up 14 percent from a year ago. Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, experienced torture and saw the death of many family members at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Photo by AFP Youk's organization aims to help victims of the brutal regime come to terms with their ordeal while ensuring that future generations do not forget the events. A Cambodian who has devoted his life to documenting the killing of almost two million of his countrymen in the 1970s was named Thursday among the winners of this year's Magsaysay Awards, widely regarded as Asia's version of the Nobel prize. Youk Chhang, 57, was given the award for his role as head for more than two decades of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an institute that investigates atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was a murderous organisation that killed one quarter of Cambodia's population from 1975 to 1979. Youk's organization aims to help victims of the brutal regime come to terms with their ordeal while ensuring that future generations do not forget the events. Youk, who experienced torture and saw the death of many family members at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, said he undertook the work for his mother, who also suffered extensively during the genocide. "I want her to be a free woman, not to carry all the tragedy in her heart and in her life," he was quoted as saying. The Manila-based Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after a Filipino president killed in a plane crash, was established in 1957 to honour people and groups tackling development problems. Two Indian nationals were separately honoured this year: Sonam Wangchuk, 51, who promotes alternative education systems in his home Himalayan region Ladakh; and Bharat Vatwani, 60, a psychiatrist who started a foundation to rescue people living on the streets with mental health problems. Polio victim Vo Thi Hoang Yen, 52, was awarded for her work in assisting the disabled in Vietnam, while 56-year-old Maria De Lourdes Martins Cruz received an award for founding an institute to help the poor in her native East Timor, the organisers said. Another awardee, Howard Dee, 87, was once head of a major Philippine drug company but gave up his career to help the poor including through peace efforts with local communist guerrillas and Muslim separatists. A firefighter walks among burned cars, following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece, July 24, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Costas Baltas Greece's government said there were "serious" indications the fire in which most of the 82 people who perished may have been started deliberately. "A serious piece of information has led to us opening an investigation" into possible "criminal acts" behind the starting of the fire on Monday that ravaged the coastal region of Mati east of Athens, Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said on Thursday. He said authorities were also examining whether another fire, which broke out hours earlier on Monday near Kineta to the west of the Greek capital, was "intentionally" lit. No one died in the Kineta fire. "There are testimonies but I cannot say anything more now," Toskas added at a news conference in Athens, which was attended by government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos and fire and police chiefs. Toskas also stressed that "climate conditions were extreme due to climate change". Officials citing information from satellite maps have said that 13 fires broke out at the same time across the region of Attica -- which includes Athens -- on Monday. As family members helped to identified the bodies of the dead on Thursday, anger has mounted over how authorities could have let the disaster happen. Government spokesman Tzanakopoulos sought to address the criticism, saying that "the evacuation of Mati was not possible because the phenomenon only lasted an hour and a half". He added that the winds, which reached 120 kilometers (75 miles) an hour, were "the strongest recorded in the last eight years". The government has also announced a raft of measures to compensate those affected by the fires. An expert marks with paint a burnt house following a wildfire at the village of Neos Voutzas, near Athens. Photo by AFP Death toll rises An 82nd person was pronounced dead Thursday by a fire service spokeswoman, without specifying whether they were found by rescuers or died in hospital. After waiting for rain to put out the fires, heavy downpours on Thursday afternoon caused flash floods that stranded dozens of motorists and damaged dozens of cars. But no-one was hurt in the flooding, authorities said. The fires struck coastal villages popular with holidaymakers and burned with such ferocity that most people fled to the safety of the sea with just the clothes on their backs. Survivors spoke of harrowing scenes including entire families burned alive in their homes. "We were alone, there was nobody to help us. Everybody did what they thought they had to do to survive on their own," resident Evi Kavoura told AFP. "I feel a pain in my heart, a very heavy load." There was still no official word on the number of people missing after the catastrophe, but the death toll of 82 already makes this Europe's deadliest fire outbreak this century. The fire service said firefighters were still searching for people reported missing by their relatives, while public ERT television said around 30 bodies had been formally identified. A website set up by residents lists 27 people still unaccounted for, including nine-year-old twin girls. 'Greeks help each other' The swiftly moving flames on Monday evening overtook some terrified residents and tourists in their homes and others as they tried to flee in cars or on foot. AFP photographers saw the burnt bodies of people and dogs. Some 187 people were hospitalised, with 71 still being treated as of Wednesday evening, including almost a dozen children, most of whom were in a "serious condition", the fire services said. In addition to 10,000 euros to the immediate relatives of someone who died, the government said it would provide 5,000 euros per property affected. It said that of the almost 2,500 homes surveyed by experts after the fire, almost half were now uninhabitable. The widow of Greece's most renowned filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos said the late director's house and personal archives had been lost in the fire. The disaster unleashed a wave of solidarity and many survivors were being looked after by voluntary organisations, who were providing them with accommodation, clothing and food. Amid mountains of food and baby nappies in a gymnasium in Rafina, near Mati, one of the volunteers, Joanna Kefalidou, an English teacher on vacation, said: "We're Greeks and Greeks tend to come together in times of need and help each other as much as they can." 'Left to God's mercy' The government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has announced a relief fund open to donations worth an initial 40 million ($47 million) euros to help affected areas. But the measures did little to assuage anger over how such a disaster could happen just a few kilometres from Athens. Defence Minister Panos Kammenos was heckled Thursday as he visited the scene of the fires. "You left us to God's mercy, there's nothing left," shouted one resident. But Kammenos went on the counter-attack, telling the BBC that illegal construction in the past was also to blame for the disaster. The "majority" of houses on the coast had been built without the proper licences, he said. "After this tragedy I think it is the moment to understand that it's dangerous for them and for their families to not follow the rules and the laws," the minister said. The wildfires come as record temperatures in northern Europe have also seen blazes cause widespread damage in recent days. The report says "Russian government hackers last year compromised dozens of U.S. energy firms, including their operational networks." Russia, as well as China and Iran, is ramping up theft of trade secrets and proprietary information from U.S. companies, government labs and universities to hurdle America's competitive edge, that's according to a new government cyber report, released Thursday by the U.S. National Counterintelligence Security Center. The report offers recent examples of the economic espionage it says poses a significant threat to U.S. prosperity and security, according to the New York Times citing the Associated Press. "In 2016, a hacker known as Eas7, told Western news reporters that she had collaborated with the Russian Federal Security Service, formerly the KGB, on economic espionage missions. She estimated that "among the good hackers, at least half" work for government agencies, suggesting that Moscow employs cyber criminals so they can deny being behind the operations," the findings read. The report adds that "Russian government hackers last year compromised dozens of U.S. energy firms, including their operational networks." Read alsoRussian hackers got into control rooms of U.S. utilities media The operations were conducted "to collect intelligence, gain access so the hackers could later launch service disruptions and provide sensitive U.S. intellectual property to Russian companies." The experts also note the Russian "state-sponsored cyberoperation known as APT28" which has been gathering intelligence on U.S. and European defense and geopolitical issues "since at least 2007." "Obtaining sensitive U.S. defense industry data could give Russia economic and security advantages as it seeks to strengthen and modernize its military," the report says. Ukraine enterprises fined US$51,782 in 1H 2018 for violating consumer protection law Officials checked over 2,500 business entities operating in the field of trade, restaurant business and services, having revealed violations in 40.4% of cases. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, whos been charged with usurping state power during the March1-2, 2008 public protests in Yerevan that claimed the lives of ten individuals, has said that the newly launched court case delving into those events would be a curse hanging over the head of the Armenian people if prosecuted in such a manner. The protests followed the contested election of Serzh Sargsyan as president to replace Kocharyan. Kocharyan, in an interview with Yerkir Media, described the charge as a fabrication. "It never crossed my mind that it would be possible to create such a fabricated criminal case in our time. One based on facts that are evident to all and that were totally with the scope of the law and the constitution, Kocharyan said. Kocharyan blamed Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Armenias first president, and his supporters for overthrowing the countrys constitutional order in 2008 by organizing almost two weeks of demonstrations after Ter-Petrosyan lost the election. As president, I adhered to the constitutional order and ensured that order. To say that I somehow overthrew that order and that the top army brass participated in that processIt was the opposition who violated the constitutional order. It was Levon Ter-Petrosyan. He wasnt elected and received only 21.5% of the vote. They said they had been elected and that they must overthrow the state system. One must have a sick imagination to say that we overthrew the constitutional order, or to even assume that such a thing is possible, Sargsyan said. As to the widespread belief that the February 2008 presidential election was fraudulent, Kocharyan said that the first to be investigated should be the members of the Central Electoral Commission to see if they rigged the election results. The ex-president said that the Constitutional Court should also be investigated because it ratified the election results. I see this as a bomb placed under our government since reviewing or mocking the Constitutional Courts decision in such a manner is like a bomb under our republic that will explode. Our entire legal system is under threat today, Kocharyan said. Kocharyan refuted allegations that before leaving office he ordered the army onto the streets of Yerevan to maintain public order, claiming that on February 23, 2008, he met with the military brass and instructed the defense minister to keep the army out of domestic politics. Early this month, Armenias Special Investigative Service issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikayel Harutyunyan, the defense minister during the 2008 protests, charging him and other top government officials of disregarding several articles of the constitution in an attempt to quash the unrest following the contested February 19 presidential election. A Yerevan court must now decide whether to keep Kocharyan in pre-trial detention. It now plans to build eight planes a year thanks to a deal with Aviall, Boeing's parts, equipment and services unit, with the first two or three planes ready by the end of 2019. Ukrainian plane maker Antonov, known for producing the world's biggest aircraft, plans to restart serial production by the end of next year thanks to a deal with Boeing that will end Antonov's dependence on Russia. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Antonov, which imported more than 60 percent of its plane parts from Russia, halted serial production two years later. It now plans to build eight planes a year thanks to a deal with Aviall, Boeing's parts, equipment and services unit, with the first two or three planes ready by the end of 2019, Antonov chief Oleksandr Donets told Reuters in an interview. He gave no details on future customers. Antonov's main sales markets have been Russia, the former Soviet republics and Africa. Read alsoUkraine's Antonov, Turkish Aerospace Industries to create JV to develop An-188 military aircraft The companies will jointly set up storage facilities in Ukraine by November, he said. "(The agreement with) Aviall has given us two gains. We are setting up a joint warehouse, located on Ukrainian territory in (the city of) Gostomel," Donets said. "This warehouse will deal with products, materials, metals, non-metals with all the components which we are not able to get from our former partner, the Russian Federation." The warehouse could cost tens of millions of dollars, Donets added, to be funded by Aviall. Antonov was founded in 1946 and has manufactured some 30 different types of airplane including the two biggest air cargo planes the An-124 Ruslan and An-225 Mriya. Mriya, built in 1988 for the Soviet space shuttle programme is still the world's largest and heaviest plane which is able to carry a cargo of up to 250 tonnes. Read alsoUkraine's Antonov to build up to 10 aircraft in five years Ukraine's leaders are pushing the country on a pro-Western course, aspiring to join the European Union and NATO while cutting trade and diplomatic ties with Russia and weaning itself off dependence on Moscow in sectors like defence and energy. Ukraine no longer imports any gas directly from Russia and in July completed another milestone as, for the first time, a unit at one of its nuclear power plants was fully loaded with fuel from U.S. firm Westinghouse rather than from Russia. Aviall will support Antonov's new manufacturing programme to build the AN-1X8 planes and will have exclusive rights to help service the planes, Donets said, envisaging that Aviall will source parts from the United States, Canada, Israel and Europe. Antonov also wants Aviall to procure equipment for Antonov to produce more parts domestically, he said. Boeing rival Airbus also made a recent foray into Ukraine, announcing an agreement in July to sell 55 helicopters to the interior ministry for search and rescue, public services and emergency medical service missions. As UNIAN reported earlier, the world's largest An-225 Mriya cargo aircraft designed by a Kyiv-based state-owned Antonov has successfully completed its 12th flight to deliver the load across South America, completing the largest project in terms of the number of consecutive flights in the history of this aircraft type. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a message for the people of Iran who have suffered for almost 40 years under tyranny: The United States hears you; the United States supports you; the United States is with you. Secretary Pompeo said the fruit of the 1979 Islamic revolution has been bitter for the Iranian people: Forty years of kleptocracy. Forty years of the peoples wealth squandered on supporting terrorism. Forty years of ordinary Iranians thrown in jail for peaceful expression of their rights. Regime leaders, he noted, line their own pockets, while Iranians cry out for jobs and reform and for opportunity. He named some of those leaders: head of Irans judiciary Sadeq Larijani, worth at least $300 million dollars; former IRGC officer and Minister of Interior Sadeq Mahsouli, nicknamed the Billionaire General; Grand Ayatollah Makaram Shirazi, known as the Sultan of Sugar; Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose personal, off-the-books hedge fund is worth $95 billion. On foreign policy, Secretary Pompeo said, the regimes mission of exporting the revolution has produced a decades-long campaign of ideologically-motivated violence and destabilization abroad, while the Iranian people shout slogans like Leave Syria, think about us. At home, the regimes absolute adherence to the Islamic Revolution means it cannot endure any ideas that would contradict or undermine it, said Secretary Pompeo, which is why it so heartlessly represses its own peoples fundamental freedoms. In response to the regimes abuses, Iranians are taking part in the most enduring and forceful protests since 1979, Mr. Pompeo declared: The proud people of Iran are not staying silentThe United States under President Trump will not stay silent either. The U.S., he promised, will take decisive steps to cut off the funds the regime uses to enrich itself and support death and destruction. He noted, however, the United States is willing to talk with the regime in Iran. But relief from American pressure will come only when we see tangible, demonstrated, and sustained shifts in Tehrans policies. Ultimately, said Secretary Pompeo, it is up to the Iranian people to determine the direction of their country; it is Americas fervent hope that the next 40 years of Irans history will not be marked by repression and fear but with freedom and fulfillment for the Iranian people. In a written statement issued on July 25th, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clearly and unequivocally rejected any possibility that the United States will accept Russias attempted annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. On February 27th, 2014, Russian forces, wearing masks and no military insignia, infiltrated Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, took over the Supreme Council of Crimea and proceeded to capture strategic sites across the peninsula. Ultimately, this action led to the installation of a pro-Russian government in Crimea, and in March, an illegitimate, fabricated referendum there that attempted to legitimize Russias purported annexation of Ukrainian territory. Russia, through its 2014 invasion of Ukraine and its attempted annexation of Crimea, sought to undermine a bedrock international principle shared by democratic states: that no country can change the borders of another by force, said Secretary Pompeo. Nearly 80 years ago, the United States issued the Welles Declaration, which refused to recognize the then-Soviet Unions invasion of the Baltic countries--Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. For the next five decades, the declaration remained a cornerstone of U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union. The people of the United States are opposed to predatory activities no matter whether they are carried on by the use of force or by the threat of force, states the Welles Doctrine.They are likewise opposed to any form of intervention on the part of one state, however powerful, in the domestic concerns of any other sovereign state, however weak. That principle has not changed, said Secretary Pompeo. As we did in the Welles Declaration in 1940, the United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlins claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law. In concert with allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russias attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraines territorial integrity is restored. The United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea, he said. Through its actions, Russia has acted in a manner unworthy of a great nation and has chosen to isolate itself from the international community. Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13 Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide 1217 new cases Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch "Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel Google Ad Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden. "The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer Generation A 13 your chance to be the change President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev "uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion Armenpress. PM Pashinyan expresses willingness to meet and negotiate with Aliyev As any democracy, Armenia is devoted to exclusively peaceful solution for Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to Talk to Al Jazeera program of Al-Jazeera TV, reports Armenpress. The Armenian PM said Azerbaijan became more aggressive after the revolution in Armenia. We have big success in making Armenia democratic country, in fighting corruption, monopolies, creating equal conditions. I think Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has some fears that the Azerbaijani people can be inspired by the Armenian revolution and try to make similar changes in Azerbaijan. So I think the increase of the aggressive rhetoric by the Azerbaijani government is connected with this situation, PM Pashinyan said, adding that the Azerbaijani government is trying to distract the attention of its own people from their domestic problems to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We are ready for peace negotiations. I want to make clear that point: I am ready for negotiations with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan said, adding that he is ready to meet Aliyev. Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the OSCE Minsk Group format in the conflict settlement. I think this format is able to solve this conflict peacefully if the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments will have a respective political will for peaceful solution. I can assure you and all international community that as any democratic government, we have real will and real desire to solve this conflict peacefully and we are ready for negotiations. But I want to insist that we arent going to make anything in the atmosphere of intimidation. Its very important to create atmosphere of peace in our region, he said. He stated that no one in Armenia can hear any hate speech connected with Azerbaijan and its people, but unfortunately, one can hear every day hate speech from Azerbaijan towards Armenia, and what is dangerous is that one can hear that hate speech personally from Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. Explaining why ex-Armenian president Robert Kocharyan didnt show up for his court hearing today to decide whether hes to be held in pre-trial detention, his defense lawyer, Ruben Sahakyan, told reporters that his client wasnt avoiding appearing in court but that he must receive proper notification. Armenias Special Investigative Service (SIS) yesterday charged Kocharyan with usurping state power during the March1-2, 2008 public protests in Yerevan that claimed the lives of ten individuals. Kocharyan has ridiculed the charge as a fabrication. Aram Orbelyan, another Kocharyan lawyer, said that Armenias second president enjoys immunity under the law and cannot be held responsible for actions resulting from his post as president. The House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress has adopted the draft budget providing the allocation of $250 million to boost Ukraine's security and defense, the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States has reported. "The House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress passed a bill on "U.S. budget for 2019 for national defense needs," the embassy said on Facebook on Thursday. It specifies that the amount allocated to the U.S. Department of Defense on security assistance to Ukraine is estimated at $250 million, of which $50 million is to be directed at lethal weapons. In addition, the diplomatic mission of Ukraine in Washington noted that the document includes the main provisions of the draft "Law on Cooperation with Ukraine on Cyber security," which provides assistance to Kyiv in strengthening its own capabilities to protect against cyber attacks. "In particular, the State Department was instructed to report to the Congress on the state of cooperation with Ukraine in the field of cyber security with a view to seeking new directions for such interaction and support," it says. Next, the draft of the "National Defense Authorization Act 2019" has to be supported by the Senate and handed over to U.S. president to be signed. As reported, on July 23, the U.S. Congress proposed extending financial assistance to Ukraine for defense needs in the fiscal year 2019. According to a report on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which was published on Tuesday, the Congress recommends extending security assistance to Ukraine by $200 million. Public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia is delaying the signing of a contract with Kriukov Car Building Works (KCBW, Poltava region), which won the tender on July 16 to supply 54 passenger wagons. The company several times postponed a meeting for signing the protocol, explaining it by the necessity of getting the new analysis of prices of wagons on the market, the press service of KCBW has reported. As reported, according to the tender results, the proposal of the KCBW for the amount of UAH 1.52 billion for 54 passenger cars was recognized the best (the second participant was the Kharkiv Car Building Works). "The tender committee should compare the prices of the participants and sign the protocol. It was scheduled for July 17, July 19, and then July 23. The new meeting is scheduled for August 8. And all because 13 people of the tender committee cannot make a simple decision because they decided to conduct a new analysis and comparison of prices in the market. As they say, after the fight," the press service of the KCBW reported. At the same time, the press service reminds that Ukrzaliznytsia, based on the monitoring results and the technical characteristics of the rolling stock, set the expected purchase price of a passenger compartment car in the amount of UAH 28.04 million, and then, even before summarizing the results of the tender, called this price overstated by KCBW, accusing it of abusing a monopoly position. After the tender, KCBW published on its website an analysis of prices for passenger cars, including Belarusian and Russian manufacturers, taking into account all technical characteristics, as evidence that its prices are below market prices. At the same time, the press service said, on July 22 the plant received a new price analysis from Ukrzaliznytsia, which it considers manipulative, but Ukrzaliznytsia does not react to the initiative of the KCBW to settle this situation. The Weight-in-Motion (WiM) systems will be involved in the preselect work of inspectors of the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety until a law permitting weight-in-motion control on roads is adopted, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday. "Despite the fact that there is no legislative regulation of weight-in-motion control, we operate completely legally. Automatic WiM systems will do preselection work - isolating from the flow those trucks that violate the legislation. "And on the next post, where an inspector of the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety will stand, they will be weighed and fined," Omelyan said. He said that the ministry wants to demonstrate the quality of the system to the government in order to convince it of the need for its full implementation. "In August, we intend to develop a large package of decisions that relate to the automatic speed recording, weight control and the responsibility of carriers. I hope that the parliament will find the time and the opportunity to vote in September," Omelyan said. Both bills - on automatic speed fixation and on increasing responsibility for overload - according to the minister are already under consideration by the Verkhovna Rada. According to him, the purpose of the pilot project is that in 2019 no truck weighing more than 40 tonnes could neither enter nor leave Kyiv, and in the three-year outlook, that the weight of trucks on all roads of Ukraine does not exceed 40 tonnes. Biopharma, a blood products maker, intends by the end of 2018 to open two plasma centers in Kharkiv and one in Dnipro, it is also planned to build a center in Cherkasy, President of Biopharma Kostiantyn Yefymenko has told Interfax-Ukraine. "Now we are engaged in the construction of two plasma centers in Kharkiv. We have already rented premises with an area of 700 square meters and plan to rent another facility with an area of 1,500 square meters. We are also planning to build one more center in Dnipro, where we have already rented premises (733 sq m) and Cherkasy. In time, we will build in other regional centers," he said. Yefymenko said that at present conceptual projects, construction projects have been approved for plasma centers in Kharkiv and the Dnipro, permissions have been obtained and dismantling work commenced. "We plan to launch our first center in Kharkiv in autumn, in Dnipro in December," he noted. Biopharma, which currently collects about 4 tonnes of blood plasma per month, expects that the opening of new plasma centers in the first quarter of 2019 will increase the amount of plasma collection to 20 tonnes a month. Biopharma is one of the ten largest Ukrainian producers of medicines. It produces more than 20 immunobiological preparations from donor blood, preparations obtained by recombinant DNA technology and probiotics. Norway has supported the official declaration of the U.S. State Department on Crimea, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. "Norway welcomes and supports statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. reaffirming US stance against Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. International law must be upheld, Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," the Foreign Ministry of Norway said on its official Twitter page on Thursday evening. As reported, on July 25, the U.S. State Department issued the Crimea Declaration, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In this document, the United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea. "As we did in the Welles Declaration in 1940, the United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin's claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law. In concert with allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored," reads Pompeo's statement. In this document, the United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea. The declaration notes that "as democratic states seek to build a free, just, and prosperous world, we must uphold our commitment to the international principle of sovereign equality and respect the territorial integrity of other states." "Through its actions, Russia has acted in a manner unworthy of a great nation and has chosen to isolate itself from the international community," the declaration says. At a meeting of political directors of the Normandy Four's Foreign Ministries (Germany, France, Ukraine, Russia) in Berlin, the parties discussed the modalities of the future UN peacekeeping operation in the conflict zone in Donbas and agreed to continue work. In fulfillment of the agreements reached during the Berlin meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Normandy Four on June 11, 2018, the first meeting of the MFA political directors took place in Berlin on July 26, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. "A substantive discussion took place on the modalities of the future peacekeeping operation under the UN mandate, which should contribute to the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," it says. It is noted that "despite the existence of significant disagreements with the Russian side, the representatives of Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia agreed to continue work on determining the basic principles of the peacekeeping operation in the conflict zone." "Among other things, it remains fundamental for the Ukrainian side that the mandate of the future operation should extend to the entire temporarily occupied territory, including the state Ukrainian-Russian border in the conflict zone, and to include the withdrawal of foreign armed formations, military equipment and mercenaries, and to promote peace in the region," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reminded. Head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) Pavlo Degtiarenko has said that the dispute with Canada's MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) in the project on the creation and launch of the first Ukrainian telecommunications satellite Lybid could be settled and the Canadian company could return to the project. "Despite the fact that we applied to the London Court of International Arbitration [LCIA] we still hope that MDA would adopt a constructive approach and return to the contract," Degtiarenko told Interfax-Ukraine, commenting on the decision of the government to approve the financing to the State Space Agency to pay the costs of Ukrkosmos state enterprise for a judicial settlement in the LCIA of a dispute with Canadian MDA. As reported, the government of Ukraine has approved the issue of UAH 28 million (about $1 million) from the reserve fund of the national budget to the State Space Agency to pay the costs of Ukrkosmos state enterprise for a judicial settlement in the LCIA of a dispute with Canadian MDA within the project of creating and launching a satellite of the national satellite communication system Lybid. The satellite was created under a contract signed by SSAU and Canada's MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) in December 2009. A loan worth $254.6 million was raised from Export Development Canada (EDC) against government guarantees to build the satellite on the Express 1000NT platform, developed by Russia's Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev Company. Since summer 2014, the satellite has been in safe custody at the Russian developer, as was instructed by the Canadian general contractor. The implementation of the project was under a threat of a failure due to the annexation of Crimea and the loss of land infrastructure involved in the project by Ukraine. Taking additional financial liabilities, Ukraine has overcome force majeure: in 2014-2015 a new spacecraft control center was built on Ukraine's mainland. Ukraine's government in October 2017 supported SSAU's proposal for additional financing of the project in the amount of $17 million, taking into account increased costs. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) deputy and representative of Ukraine's president on the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Jemilev has met with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, who discussed with him the U.S. Declaration on Crimea. "They discussed the adopted document, which states that the United States reaffirms its policy regarding the refusal to recognize the Kremlin's claims to establish sovereignty over territory seized by force contrary to international law. Together with its allies, partners and the international community, the United States rejects Russia's attempt to illegally annex Crimea and pledges to support this policy until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored," Jemilev said on Facebook on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly. As reported, on July 25, the U.S. State Department issued the Crimea Declaration, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In this document, the United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea. "As we did in the Welles Declaration in 1940, the United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin's claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law. In concert with allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored," reads Pompeo's statement. In this document, the United States calls on Russia to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea. The declaration notes that "as democratic states seek to build a free, just, and prosperous world, we must uphold our commitment to the international principle of sovereign equality and respect the territorial integrity of other states." "Through its actions, Russia has acted in a manner unworthy of a great nation and has chosen to isolate itself from the international community," the declaration says. The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has recommended the adoption of a resolution condemning the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea by Russia. "The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has approved and recommended for approval by the upper chamber of the United States Congress of a resolution condemning illegal attempts by the Russian Federation to occupy Crimea," the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States said on Facebook. It is noted that the document confirms the position of the Senate that Crimea is part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. It is emphasized that the U.S. policy should lie in countering attempts to change the status, demographic map or political nature of Crimea. "The resolution condemns the violation of human rights in Crimea and underlines that Russia is liable for such crimes during the Russian occupation of the peninsula," the message reads. At the same time, the Ukrainian embassy informed that the senators are calling on the U.S. government to continue applying powers in terms of sanctions against the Russian Federation, imposed, in particular, according to the "Law Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" of 2017, and welcome further efforts by the American side to encourage the EU to impose additional sanctions related to Crimea. Russia's hybrid military forces have mounted 32 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another one as wounded in action (WIA), the press centre of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported. "The enemy opened fire on the positions of our troops 32 times. Heavy weapons were not used ... Over the past day, one soldier of the JFO was killed and another one was injured during hostilities," the press center of JFO said in its update on Facebook on July 27, 2018. In addition, it reported that Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire at the defenders of Krymske, Hirne, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Svitlodarsk, Pivdenne, Novhorodske, Pisky, Vodiane, Lebedynske, Hnutove, Chermalyk and Shyrokyne. The enemy also used anti-tank guided missiles near Hnutove. "Since Friday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted five attacks on the Ukrainian positions near Hirne, Mayorske, Maryinka and Shyrokyne," it says. According to Ukrainian intelligence, two enemy troops were killed and another two were wounded. The Supreme Council of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation released a statement today describing the charges levied against former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and other officials of usurping state power in March 2008 as very troubling and that they can be interpreted as political persecution. The statement says that while the steps recently taken by the Armenian government to establish the rule of law and the principle that all are equal under the law are to be welcomed, it is imperative that the process be conducted according to the law and in the name of national unity. The tense military-political situation surrounding Artsakh and Armenia must rule out any manifestation that undermines faith towards all state institutions, above all the army, the statement reads. Continuing, the ARF says it is confident that the authorities must perform the function of uniting the people, and that the investigation of any matter must not threaten that unity. Lawyers for fugitive MP Onyshchenko informed that pretrial investigation of 'gas case' is over Detectives of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on July 26 completed a pretrial investigation against Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deputy Oleksandr Onyshchenko, who is suspected of organizing a corrupt scheme to steal public funds during the extraction and sale of natural gas in the framework of agreements on joint activities with the PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia. The investigation has been dubbed "the gas case." NABU's website said, "Since the suspect is outside Ukraine, his lawyers are notified about the completion of the investigation, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 24-1 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine," NABU said. Currently, suspects and their advocates have been granted access to the investigation materials for review. After that, an indictment will be drawn up for further referral to the court. As earlier reported, Onyshchenko is suspected of organizing a scheme to steal funds during the extraction and sale of natural gas as part of joint venture agreements with PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia, which caused about UAH 3 billion in losses to the state. The SBU also announced the launch of a pretrial investigation against Onyshchenko on the grounds of high treason. Ukraine's parliament on July 5, 2016, gave consent to prosecute, detain and arrest Onyshchenko. However, before the voting, taking advantage of the status of a deputy, Onyshchenko left the territory of the state. He was placed on the national wanted list on August 8, 2016. Participants of the procession on to mark the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus are marching down Khreschatyk Street in Kyiv, where car traffic has been blocked. The believers, accompanied by priests, are scheduled to arrive at European Square, from where they will walk to Volodymrska Hill, where there will be a prayer session. Policemen are monitoring the procession and barricades have been erected with checkpoints. The situation in the center of Kyiv is calm, police report. Ukroboronprom informs about successful completion of next stage of state testing of new Ukrainian 152-mm ammunition for artillery armament State Concern Ukroboronprom informs about successful completion of one of the stages of tests of the military state customer of new domestic 152-mm ammunition for the artillery armament used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the conflict zone. The new 152-mm shells for the Giatsint (Hyacinth) artillery system, developed by the state-owned artillery joint-stock company Artem, successfully passed one of the stages of the military department's tests at the military range in Chernihiv region, the press-service of the state concern said on Thursday. "The shooting was conducted by Ukrainian artillerymen in Chernihiv region, and the result was assessed by a commission of the Defense Ministry. High-explosive shells were used in the course of firing. And advanced ballistic radar produced by one of the NATO member countries was used to assess the ballistic characteristics of the shells," the message reads. New domestic large-caliber projectiles are designed for one of the most long-range army artillery systems - Hyacinth, which has a range of firing up to 30 km, the press service of the state concern said. The Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) has said that Russian armed groups, despite the agreements on the withdrawal of weapons, are actively increasing military presence near the contact line of the parties. "Observers record numerous facts of the movement of military equipment outside the designated sites for storage of weapons, as well as the work on arranging positions in areas beyond the control of the Ukrainian government," the press center of the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a report posted on its Facebook page on Friday morning. In the zone of actions of the Sever (North) separate territorial administration on July 21 and 22, 2018, an OSCE SMM unmanned aerial vehicle recorded the movement of the equipment of the Russian armed formations outside the allocated areas of withdrawal, in particular three multiple launch rocket systems, 46 towed howitzers, 12 self-propelled howitzers, and 45 tanks. In the zone of actions of the Vostok (East) separate territorial administration on July 23 and 24, observers recorded the movement of the equipment of the Russian armed formations outside the designated areas of withdrawal, in particular three 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers and 21 T-64 and T-72 tanks. "JCCC regards these measures carried out by the enemy despite all the agreements and obligations on the disengagement of the sides and the withdrawal of military equipment as a sign of the preparation of the Russian armed formations for active operations with the aim of further escalating the situation on the contact line," the report says. Firefly Aerospace Inc., a private American developer of rocket and space equipment, ties prospects and filling cooperation with the Ukrainian rocket and space industry with its reform and the abolition of existing restrictions on work of private companies in the space sector of Ukraine. "Often, new opportunities open up as a result of industry reform and industry management. Changing the legislative framework, assisting private companies in the industry, updating approaches and tasks will entail the arrival of both investors and customers in the Ukrainian rocket and space industry," the owner of Firefly Aerospace Inc., the founder of Noosphere Ventures, a native of Ukraine, Maksym Poliakov, said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "Post-Soviet management, as a rule, is closed to cooperation and is not ready to issue any guarantees for investors. The state should guarantee not loans attracted by state enterprises for the project, but comfortable working conditions for investors and partners in Ukraine," he said. "First of all, the work of the Ukrainian office of Firefly will be aimed at interaction in R&D (Research & Development) tasks that arise during the development of Alpha and Beta carrier rockets by the main U.S. office of the company in Texas. We have so far limited ourselves to the willingness to involve in the solution of these problems Ukrainian specialists who have a significant experience and knowledge in this field. But in future we plan to consider Ukrainian companies of the industry as contractors," he said, asked about the tasks of the Ukrainian office of Firefly Aerospace in Dnipro, whose work the head of state has recently seen. Firefly Aerospace (originally Firefly Space Systems) was created in Texas in 2014. It is a private American company, which deals with the development of next generation light class carrier rockets. Firefly is headquartered in Texas. The company's offices operate in Washington, Tokyo (Japan) and Dnipro (Ukraine). Firefly funding is provided by Noosphere Ventures (Menlo Park, California), founded by businessman from Ukraine Maksym Poliakov, which is primarily known for projects in the IT sector. About 5,000 law enforcement officers and National Guard servicemen are on site at the cross procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to mark the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of the Kyivan Rus-Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukrainian First Deputy Interior Minister Serhiy Yarovy has said. "Policemen, national guardsmen, and State Emergency Service specialists are carefully coordinating their actions to ensure the safety of the many people out on the streets of the city. Bomb disposal experts and police dog handlers inspected the route of the cross procession this morning to prevent any terrorist attacks. The current situation is calm and under control," the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's press service quoted Yarovy as saying on Friday afternoon. Law enforcement will be patrolling until the event ends on Friday evening, Yarovy said. "Tightened security measures will be still in effect in the capital tomorrow, when believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate will undertake a cross procession for the united local orthodox church," he said. Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova has sent a letter to Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova with initiatives to free Ukrainian political prisoners with the simultaneous release of 36 Russian citizens held in Ukraine. "Following the discussion at a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group that was held in Minsk on July 25, the Russian side proposed outlining the essence of the Ukrainian initiative in a letter to the Russian human rights commissioner," Denisova wrote on her Facebook page on Friday. According to her, the letter also mentions the possibility of holding the next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group with the participation of the Ukrainian and Russian ombudsmen "to discuss the organization of humanitarian visits to check the conditions of detention of prisoners, as well as the movement of prisoners from prisons in temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions." The Ukrainian Interior Ministry and the National Police have noted that law enforcement agencies have coped with the task of ensuring the safety of a religious procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which was held in Kyiv on Friday on the occasion of the 1030th anniversary of the Christianization of the Kyivan Rus-Ukraine. "In total, about 5,000 Interior Ministry employees were involved. If we talk about the number of participants in this event, according to preliminary estimates, there were up to 20,000 people. I emphasize that we did not have any significant incidents and violations of law and order," First Deputy Interior Minister Serhiy Yarovy told journalists in Kyiv on Friday after the UOC-MP procession. Head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv Andriy Kryschenko said that three people had been detained outside the building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine during the procession. "They did not fulfill some legitimate demands of police officers. These individuals were walking in front of the column, delaying the movement, and the police had reasonable suspicions that they could commit a provocation," he said. Kryschenko stressed that a more accurate assessment of the actions of these people and the reason for their detention would be established a little later. He also noted that the level of security during the procession had not been reduced compared to previous years. Yarovy, in turn, said that law enforcement officers had improved methods of work in recent years. "We carry out additional preventive measures, in particular, in the places where the participants of mass events gather, and we already have a lot of experience here," he said. UOC-MP Metropolitan Antoniy (Pakanych), in turn, said that according to the UOC-MP estimates, 250,000 people had taken part in the procession. "According to our first estimates, more than 250,000 people took part in the procession," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday. In addition, according to him, representatives of 12 local churches took part in the event. According to an Interfax-Ukraine reporter, a column of believers descended from Saint Volodymyr Hill to the European Square for about 90 minutes. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he hopes that the process on granting a Tomos about autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine will continue. "I hope that the process will soon continue, and this is confirmed by your visit today," Poroshenko said at a meeting with a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Kyiv on Friday. The head of state expressed hope that on Saturday, July 28, during the events dedicated to the 1030th anniversary of the Christianization of the Kyivan Rus-Ukraine, all the churches will show their unity. "I believe that the unity of all churches will be demonstrated during events tomorrow," he said. As reported, on April 17, Poroshenko talked about his intention to appeal to Archbishop of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, asking him to issue a Tomos (an official church document) granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and called on the Verkhovna Rada to support it. On April 19, 268 MPs supported the appeal of the president of Ukraine to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant a Tomos about the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople accepted the president's appeal for granting a Tomos about the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and decided to begin the procedure needed to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Commander Serhiy Nayev has informed Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Thomas Greminger about the situation with militants' non-compliance with the ceasefire in Donbas. According to a report posted on the Facebook page of the JFO, a respective meeting was held in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, on Friday. "During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the observance of a comprehensive, sustainable and lasting ceasefire declared on July 1. In addition, the Joint Forces commander briefed Greminger on the humanitarian situation in Donbas and called for strengthening the effectiveness of the OSCE SMM to Ukraine in the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied by the Russian occupation forces," the report says. Nayev also drew attention to constant violations of the established ceasefire by militants, using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements. Armenias Special Investigative Service (SIS) has charged Yuri Khachaturov with usurping state power during the March 1-2, 2008 public protests in Yerevan that claimed the lives of ten people. Khachaturov was Armenia's Deputy Minister of Defense at the time of widespread demonstrations in the Armenian capital following the February 2008 presidential election that resulted in Serzh Sargsyan replacing the outgoing Robert Kocharyan. The SIS states that Khachaturov colluded with others to violate Article 300 of the Criminal Code: Usurping state power, i.e. seizure of state power, in violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, or keeping it with violence, as well as, actions aimed at the overthrowing of constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia, or the violent breach of territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said his government must reveal the truth about the March 1 events and prosecute those responsible. A Yerevan cout must now decide whether to hold Khachaturov in pre-trial detention or release him on bail. He faces 10-15 years imprisonment if found guilty. Illegal armed groups violated the ceasefire in Donbas nine times from 07.00 until 18.00 on Friday, and one Ukrainian serviceman was killed in a trip wire explosion during engineer reconnaissance, the press center of the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has said. "During the current day from 07.00 to 18.00, Russian occupation troops violated the ceasefire nine times [...] A Joint Forces serviceman was killed in a trip wire explosion during engineer reconnaissance," the JFO HQ said in a report on its Facebook page. Militants opened fire from IFV weapons, grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms on the positions of the Joint Forces near Krymske, Zolote, Mayorsk, Avdiyivka, Maryinka, Lebedynske, Hnutove, Pavlopil and Shyrokyne. "The situation in the area of the operation remains under control," the press center said. The head of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Ali Jafari, says, "Weaknesses and threats originating from inside Iran are more serious than threats from abroad." Speaking on July 27, Jafari called U.S. threats against Iran "absurd and hollow," warning that such talk would be "costly for America and would "disrupt America's soft war game," the IRGC-linked Fars news agency quoted him as saying. Jafari did not explain the nature of the domestic threats, but he accused Iranian officials, without naming anyone, of being disillusioned and overwhelmed by the media hype about the current situation. Jafari made the comments a day after IRGC's Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani said in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats against Iran, "The Red Sea is no longer safe for Americans," and directly addressed Trump, adding, "I would stand against you single-handedly." Trump had warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on July 23, "Never, never threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before." He made the remarks to answer threats by Rouhani who had called "a war with Iran, the mother of all wars," and warned Trump "not to play with the Lion's tail." Previously, and before Rouhani's shift to belligerent rhetoric, hard-liners close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Rouhani of attempting to normalize Iran's ties with the United States, using the opportunities created by the nuclear deal with the West. Last year, Khamenei's representative to the IRGC, Ali Saeedi, accused Rouhani and his aides of "pursuing the idea of symbiotic co-existence with the West." Regardless of the escalation of war of words between Iranian and U.S. officials in recent days, some Iranian officials have ruled out the possibility of a military confrontation between Iran and the United States, and one member of the Iranian Parliament has characterized the exchange of threats as "dialogue between the two sides." Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the chairman of the committee for national security and foreign policy, told the press in Tehran, "The two sides are not interested in going to war against each other in spite of the escalation of a war of words between them." "The two sides talk to each other through delivering speeches, as diplomatic routes are closed, and there are no diplomatic considerations whatsoever in this kind of dialogue," Falahatpisheh told the Iranian State TV's Arabic channel, Al-Alam. Explaining or possibly downplaying Rouhani's comments about fighting back at "many straits" in case the United States attempts to stop Iran's oil exports, Falahtpisheh once again stressed that neither Iran nor the United States has any strategy regarding attacking the other. "What Rouhani said meant that sanctions against Iran will also affect the region," Falahatpisheh explained. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 95 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said July 27. 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 Details added (first version posted on 13:21) Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Russia welcomes any positive agreement between the parties of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told reporters in Baku July 27. She stressed that meetings are held at various levels between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "We welcome any meeting where both countries agree and which are constructive, and the most important thing is that if any positive result is achieved, we welcome that," Zakharova said. 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. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing funding for the construction of the Jayirli-Alpout road in Goychay region. Under the presidential order, 8 million manats will be allocated to the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency for the construction of the road connecting 11 residential areas with a total population of 21,000 people. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: A meeting with representatives of the Organization of Veterans of War, Labor and Armed Forces has been held at Trend international news agency. The sides exchanged views on mutual cooperation. The exceptional merits of Trend in delivering Azerbaijan's realities and the truth about Nagorno Karabakh conflict to the world community, were emphasized during the meeting. Then, Deputy General Director of Trend INA Arzu Nagiyev was awarded a medal established by the Presidium of the Organization of Veterans of War, Labor and Armed Forces. The medal was presented by the Deputy Chairman of the Organization, the Reserve Colonel Jalil Khalilov. Details added (first version posted on 13:37) Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Azerbaijan and Russia have agreed to intensify consultations, spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told reporters in Baku July 27. "The traditional form of our cooperation through the press services of the Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministries has proven itself - this includes exchange of views on information problems, protection of journalists, the work we are doing for Russian journalists in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani journalists in Russia to work effectively and constructively. We have agreed to exchange opinions more intensively." Zakharova also touched upon the issue of anti-Azerbaijan campaigns. "We need to do something about that, she said. We have all the tools in the form of international organizations, specialized international bodies, in which Russia and Azerbaijan participate to counteract these very negative, destructive tendencies," she said. In his turn, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said there is a program of actions between the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia. "In accordance with the program, consultations are held between the foreign ministries of the two countries, he said. There is a mechanism for consultations, consultations on consular issues. We are very pleased that the consultations on information issues are held in Baku. Today's discussions were very constructive." --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: To introduce UNEC to applicants more closely and to support them in the selection of specialty the Discover the UNEC project has launched. For this purpose, the doors of UNEC, the largest economy oriented university and the university conducting the education in 4 languages will be open to the applicants within the specialty selection days. Within the framework of the project the applicants will be able to get the detailed information about the specialties, faculties taught at UNEC, the admission score and tuition fees. At the same time, they will be supported in their specialty selection, the advantages of their specialty and future career opportunities. The applicants will be informed about the advantages they have been given by the UNEC, about the special scholarships, dual diploma programs with European universities and the Intra-university Dual Diploma Programs, as well. They will also be able to get acquainted with the buildings and auditoriums of the specialty they want to study. The applicants, living in the regions of Azerbaijan, who dont have the opportunity to come to UNEC, can address the questions they are interested in at the official Facebook page of UNEC. At the same time, they can share their application on their facebook page with the hashtag #ask UNEC. For this purpose, the post they share the question should be open to everyone. It should be noted that the UNEC conducted the students admission in I, II, IV and V specialty groups on 20 specialties in Azerbaijani, English, Turkish and Russian languages. The detailed information: (+994012) 497-58-63 You can see the promotional video of UNEC from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqKgPHn2WJc Baku, Azerbaijan, July 28 Trend: Celebrities have walked the red carpet as Zhara-2018 International Music Festival continues at Sea Breeze Resort in Baku. Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva was among the guests of honor of Zhara-2018. People`s Artist of Azerbaijan Emin Agalarov and his son were the first arrivals on the red carpet. Agalarov said the festival will be unforgettable for both the participants and audience. Host of the festival presented Leyla Aliyeva as the muse of Zhara. In a brief talk with journalists, Leyla Aliyeva said she has very good impressions of the festival. "My wish is that participants and audience of Zhara-2018 spend time beautifully," she said. The Russian President`s spokesman Dmitry Peskov and his wife were also among the guests of honor. Peskov told journalists that the festival was excellently organized. "The festival is held in a magnificent city of Baku, which increases its importance." "Baku is a very beautiful city, I love it," he said. The organizers of the festival are People`s Artist of Azerbaijan Emin Agalarov, Honored Artist of Russia Grigory Leps, founder of Russkoye Radio and Zolotoy Grammofon award Sergei Kozhevnikov. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Azad Hasanli Trend: "Maxim" car-hailing service plans to expand its activities in Azerbaijan, the company told Trend July 29. Maxim currently operates in four cities of Azerbaijan: Baku, Sumgayit, Ganja and Mingachevir. The company did not specify in which new cities it plans to start working, yet said that it seeks to make service available in all residential settlements. The car-hailing services in Azerbaijan began to appear actively during the last two or three years. Many different companies have appeared, "Maxim" entered the Azerbaijani market as one of the latecomers. Nevertheless, the company's services are in demand in the country despite the competition. For example, the company noted that, 15 times more orders were received in July as compared to May. Such high growth rates are conditioned by the high demand for Maxim services, the Russian company added. As for the competition in Azerbaijan, the company believes that a large number of participants is normal for the taxi market. "We consider taxi companies and individual carriers as our current and potential partners. We offer them modern software and orders. This is a mutually beneficial cooperation that allows both parties to develop business and make the service better," Maxim said. The company considers the availability of several ways to order a taxi - through the application, website or by phone number as its advantages over other market participants. "Orders by phone number are accepted by professional operators around the clock. Unlike other companies that offer users either a phone number, like most Azerbaijani firms, or only a mobile application, people can choose with the "Maxim" service the method of ordering depending on the situation." In addition to Azerbaijan, Maxim operates in 10 countries: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Bulgaria, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Italy and Indonesia. Maxim plans to enter the markets of other countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle and Far East, Latin America. In particular, Maxim wants to enter the Chilean market in late July early August. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Armenias Special Investigative Service yesterday interviewed Armen Gevorgyan in conjunction with the ongoing investigation of the March 1-2, 2008 public protests in Yerevan that claimed the lives of ten individuals. Gevorgyan served as secretary of the National Security Council from June 2007 to April 2008. The SIS confirmed the news with Hetq, but did not say whether Gevorgyan was interviewed as a witness or possible suspect in the case. The SIS has already charged several officials, including former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and ex-deputy defense minister Yuri Khachatryan, of usurping state power at the time of widespread demonstrations in the Armenian capital following the February 2008 presidential election that resulted in Serzh Sargsyan replacing the outgoing Robert Kocharyan. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Ali Mustafayev - Trend: Azerbaijan may increase wine exports twice by the end of 2018, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Wine Producers and Exporters Association Elchin Madatov told Trend July 19. "The export of Azerbaijani wine products exceeded $4 million in the first half of 2018, which is 80 percent more than in the same period of 2017," Madatov said. "By the end of 2018, we expect a 100 percent increase in wine exports." The main export destinations for Azerbaijani wine are Russia (85 percent), China (7 percent), Europe, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, he noted. "On average, annual wine production is expected in the volume of about 14 million bottles, 5 million of which will be exported and 9 million will be sold in the domestic market," Madatov said. In accordance with the State Program for the Development of Winemaking in Azerbaijan for 2018-2025, approved by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the country plans to increase wine exports fivefold by 2025. Exports of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as wine vinegar, stood at $7,161,660 in January-June 2018, which is 36.44 percent less than in the same period of 2017, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. Imports, in turn, amounted to $35,835,160, which is 17.92 percent more than in the first half of 2017. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Ali_Mustafayev_ Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Fikret Dolukhanov - Trend: Uzbekistan is planning to increase the volume of agricultural exports by more than twice and bring it up to $ 5 billion by 2020, a representative of the Uzbek joint stock company "Uzagroexport" told Trend July 19. The company also announced that, "Uzagroexport" is planning to significantly increase total agricultural production - to 25 million tons. The company said that Uzbekistan increased the volume of agricultural exports by 3.5 times during its first 25 years of independence: from 5.6 million tons in 1991 to 19.7 million tons in 2016. "The country produces more than 180 types of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, which are supplied to the markets of more than 80 countries. At the moment, the country ranks second in the world in exports of dried and fourth in exports of fresh apricots. Uzbekistan also ranks seventh in the world in terms of plum exports and eighth in terms of cabbage exports," the company noted. The growing production and exports create a need to expand and improve the productive base and infrastructure, the representative of "Uzagroexport" said. "Some 160,000 farms and procurement bases are operating in Uzbekistan at the moment. The acreage for fruit and vegetable products is 721,400 hectares. These products are stored in 1300 cold stores and storage facilities with a capacity of over 800,000 tons," the company stated. The construction and reconstruction of 197 modern refrigeration chambers and storage facilities for fruits and vegetables with a total capacity of over 100,000 tons have been planned for 2018 in Uzbekistan, the representative of "Uzagroexport" said. The "Uzagroexport" joint-stock company was established in accordance with the decree of the president of Uzbekistan dated April 7, 2016. The main objectives of the new organization - to ensure the promotion of domestic fresh and processed fruits and vegetables for export, establishing permanent links with reliable foreign buyers, search and development of new markets, study of supply and demand in foreign markets, as well as conducting in-depth market research. The unified UzAgro brand has been created in the framework of activity of "Uzagroexport" for export of fruits and vegetables, which is intended to be a guarantee of high quality of products and services for partners in any part of the globe. It is expected that, the fresh and processed products of agricultural sector and food industry of Uzbekistan will be able to take a worthy place in the international market thanks to the single stable UzAgro trademark. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Ilkin Shafiyev Trend: The Azerbaijan Beekeepers Association, together with the countrys Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Agriculture, has prepared a new state program on development of beekeeping, Badraddin Hasratov, head of the Association, told Trend July 24. "The state program is designed for 2018-2022," he said. "It is designed to eliminate existing shortcomings in this area." "The state program has already been prepared, and if adopted it will be a very positive factor," Hasratov said. "There are complex problems in the countrys beekeeping sector that should be eliminated. In particular, qualified personnel should be trained and bee breeding should be improved." Azerbaijan exported honey, as well as dairy products, eggs and other kinds of food products of animal origin worth $4.71 million, and imported products worth $66.45 million in January-June 2018. Exports increased by 23.6 percent, and imports - by 11.54 percent in January-June 2018, compared to January-June 2017. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: Prices for precious metals in Azerbaijan changed over to decline on July 27, according to the data published by the countrys Central Bank. The price of gold decreased by 12,0445 manats to 2081,633 manats per ounce in the country on July 27, compared to the price on July 26. The price of silver decreased by 0,2755 manats to 26,2471 manats per ounce. The price of platinum decreased by 21,352 manats to 1408,9345 manats. Meanwhile, the price of palladium decreased by 5,967 manats to 1582,938 manats in the country. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: Uzbekistan utilized only 26 percent of the total planned investments in 1H2018, the press service of the president of Uzbekistan stated referring to a video conference on implementation of projects involving foreign investments, held by Shavkat Mirziyoyev on July 26 In 2018, it is planned to implement 2,612 investment projects worth over $6.85 billion. Of these, $4.9 billion are foreign investments, including $2.3 billion in loans from international financial institutions and $2.6 billion in direct investments. The president criticized the unsatisfactory state of utilization of these funds and implementation of projects. In 2018, within the framework of 82 projects, involving international organizations and foreign countries, it is planned to utilize $2.283 billion. In 1H2018, only 26 percent of this amount was utilized. One of the main reasons is reluctance of industry leaders and enterprises to take responsibility, as well as the practice of postponing utilization of large bulk of the funds (up to 70 percent) to the end of the year. Another reason is that credit resources are not attracted to carefully designed projects with ready-made documentation, but rather under the principle of first getting the funds, and then flowing by the stream. The head of state also noted that many procedures were unnecessarily complicated under the pretext of coordinating and controlling the implementation of investment projects. Mirziyoyev instructed the prime minister and his deputies to approve new industry schedules for utilizing the main part of the funds of international and foreign financial organizations in August-October 2018 and fully implementing the forecast figures by the end of 2018. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Tehran, Iran, July 27 By A. Shirazi - Trend: Iran exported $250 million worth of non-oil goods to Qatar during the eight months to March 20, registering a remarkable increase compared with the same period last year, said Adnan Mousapour, a board member of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture. The value of Irans exports to Qatar before Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut relations with Doha stood at $70 million, Mousapour told Fars news agency on July 27. He added that the amount has now reached $250 million as bilateral ties between the two countries have been facilitated. The official, however, noted that the volume of Irans trade exchange with Qatar is very little compared to Tehrans trade with Iraq. By 2020, Irans exports to Qatar will hit $800 million, he said. Mousapour further called on the government to improve the countrys infrastructures in the sector of transportation and help boost the volume of trade between the Tehran and Doha. Last June, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain imposed an embargo on Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The four states cut diplomatic and transport ties. Qatar, which had many of its imports trans-shipped from the UAE and received the bulk of its fresh food across the Saudi border, denied the accusations against it. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: The seventh meeting of the Uzbek-French Intergovernmental Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation was held at the Foreign Ministry of France, Uzbek media reported. More than 50 representatives of official, business and expert circles of the two countries took part in the meeting. The delegation of Uzbekistan was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Sukhrob Kholmuradov, the French side was represented by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The French foreign minister noted that a new page opens today in diplomatic relations between the two countries. He expressed full support for Tashkent's regional policy for ensuring peace and stability in Central Asia, including efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. Secretary of the French Foreign Ministry Jean Baptiste Lemoine expressed his country's readiness to assist Uzbekistan in implementing joint projects in such areas as aviation and other industries, oil and gas and mining, textile and agriculture. Sukhrob Kholmurodov and First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Uzbek Parliament Sadik Safayev briefed the audience on current social and economic situation in Uzbekistan and conditions for foreign investors. During the event, the representatives of Airbus, Thales, Veolia, Sagemcom, BPIFrance, the National Center for Space Studies of France, the French Development Agency, the Finance Ministry made presentations. From the Uzbek side, the presentations were presented by the National Bank, State Committee for Tourism, State Committee for Investments and a number of other companies. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: Kazakh automotive industry requires pre-export financing of foreign supplies and state subsidies for entering the Uzbek market, Uzbek media reported, referring to the head of the KazAvtoProm union Oleg Alferov. There are prospects for realizing the potential of our industry in Uzbekistan, but there remain some internal barriers, which are connected with high transportation costs, and certification. To solve these problems, state support is needed. It concerns pre-export and export financing of foreign supplies, transportation subsidies, insurance for the supplies and receivables, Alferov said. According to him, all this is now being implemented in Russia. "It could also be adopted in Kazakhstan, and we want this experience to be realized in our country, we need state support for implementation of export supplies. Access to foreign markets in significant volumes is hardly possible without that, the head of the union underlined. In the 1H2018, over 14,600 vehicles were produced in Kazakhstan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: A company to implement the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) project will be established until September 2018, Director of SOCAR Balkan company Murad Heydarov told Trend. The head of the company noted that the process of IAP implementation is proceeding well. "The work on the creation of a company for the IAP project continues. SOCAR is not a participant of the project, but acts as a technical consultant, cooperates with participants and provides them with assistance. By September, IAP member countries will have created a project company, and this will be a very big step in the development of the project," Heydarov said. The establishment of a company for the IAP project, involving the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is provided for in the letter of intent signed by the companies Plinacro (Croatia), Albgaz (Albania) and Montenegro Bonus (Montenegro). The document was signed at the fourth meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku. IAP is planned to connect in the Albanian city of Fieri to the TAP gas pipeline, which is intended for the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Europe. Through IAP, Azerbaijani gas will be supplied to several countries of Southeastern Europe. The 516-kilometer pipeline will pass through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and will end in Croatia. The pipeline will have a flow capacity of five billion cubic meters of gas per year. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MTsurkovTrend Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 27 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov sent a letter to participants of the opening ceremony of the 110 kV power transmission line (PTL) Rabat-Kashan - Kalay-Nau (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan), the Turkmen government said in a statement July 26. Millions of kilowatthours of Turkmen electricity have already been transmitted to the neighboring country along the routes of ImamnazarAndkhoy and Serkhetabat-Herat, which created conditions for improving the social and living conditions of Afghan consumers, opening new production facilities and jobs, the message says. In addition to the already existing lines, the new transmission line will become the first in providing additional electricity supplies in Kerki-Hamyap-Garkyn, Marchak (Turkmenistan)-Marchak (Afghanistan) and Rabat-Kashan - Kalay-Nau areas. Its transmission capacity will amount to 100 megawatts per hour. The commissioning of power transmission lines along these directions will help to boost electricity supplies to various provinces of Afghanistan. Earlier it was reported that, the capacity of "Rabat-Kashan" substation in Mary velayat (region) and "Atamyrat" substation in Lebap velayat of Turkmenistan have been expanded in order to ensure sustainable electricity supply. Armenias Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) calls the charges levied against former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan in conjunction with the March 1, 2008 public protests as deeply troubling and legally ridiculous. Kocharyan, Armenias second president, has been charged with usurping state power in an attempt top quash public protests following the contested February 2008 presidential election. The RPA, in a statement released today, says the charge leads one to believe that Kocharyan is being politically persecuted by the new Armenian government. We regard the situation as a threat to the development of democracy in Armenia and a blow to the processes of building a true legal state. The politically motivated criminal case that has been launched and the charge levied threaten the constitutionality of the Republic of Armenia, reads the RPA statement. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: The solemn ceremony of commissioning of a 110-kV power line Rabat-Kashan Kalay-Nau has taken place July 26 in the city of Kalay-Nau of Badhyz province of Afghanistan. The ceremony was attended by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and a delegation of Turkmenistan led by the Minister of Energy Charymurat Purchekov. A brief meeting of the delegation of Turkmenistan with the President of Afghanistan was held at the beginning of the ceremony. The parties noted during the meeting the need for further development of cooperation between the two countries in the field of electricity. Then, the solemn commissioning of the power transmission line Rabat-Kashan Kalay-Nau took place with the participation of delegations of the two countries. After the ceremony, the Governor of the Badhyz province Abdul Ghafoor Malikzay expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side on behalf of the residents of the province for the supply of electricity and congratulated the residents on occasion of this event. Then the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani spoke, who noted that the supply of electricity to the city of Kalay-Nau is an indicator of the inviolability of friendship between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, and the huge assistance from Turkmenistan to the Afghan people. Ashraf Ghani expressed his sincere gratitude to President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Then the Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan delivered a speech and read out a welcome address of the President of Turkmenistan to the brotherly Afghan people. The participants of the ceremony perceived enthusiastically the address of the President. Also, during the ceremony, the Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan Charymurat Purchekov and the acting Minister of Energy and Water of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Gul Khulmi signed a Protocol of intent on construction of power transmission lines Kerki-Hamyap-Garkyn. A solemn dinner was given at the end of the ceremony in honor of the Turkmen and Afghan delegations with the participation of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: Azerbaijan's National Academy of Sciences and Azercosmos OJSC may establish cooperation aimed at manufacturing new gamma-radiation detectors and ionizing particles based on micropixel silicon photo amplifiers for small-size satellites, vice-president of the Academy, Academician Ibrahim Guliyev said. He made the remarks at a meeting with representatives of Azercosmos and the Center for Strategic Scientific Research of the Academy in Baku. Guliyev, head of the Center for Strategic Scientific Research, doctor of political sciences Fatali Abdullayev, chairman of Azercosmos OJSC Rashad Nabiyev, representatives of the Institute of Radiation Problems of the Academy, and the National Academy of Aviation took part in the meeting. During the event, head of the laboratory #2 of the Center for Strategic Scientific Research, Farid Ahmadov made a presentation on the production of new gamma-ray detectors and ionizing particles based on micropixel silicon photo amplifiers for small-size satellites. Stressing the strategic importance of the project, head of the Center for Strategic Studies Fatali Abdullayev said the issues related to its implementation should be reconsidered and the main attention should be paid to establishment of ties with companies within the project. Chairman of Azercosmos OJSC Rashad Nabiyev emphasized the need to support research in this area and stressed that the study of the Academy's experience in this field is of great importance. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Despite an agreement between Azerbaijan and Egypt about the launch of direct flights, this process is delayed for some reasons, Egyptian ambassador to Azerbaijan Adel Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim said at a press conference in Baku July 27. So, the airlines think they can face big financial losses as a result of launching direct flights, which is leading to a delay in this process, he added. Moreover, the diplomat stressed that relations between the two countries should be promoted in tourism sector, the flow of tourists should increase and thereby a ground for launching direct flights should be created. "There must be a big tourist flow between the two countries, he said. Moreover, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Egypt is not at a high level due to the lack of direct flights." Then, the ambassador said that mutual high level visits between the two countries are expected in the near future to be made. He added that preparation for these visits is currently underway. "The relations between Azerbaijan and Egypt are at a high level, he said. I have been entrusted with a great responsibility in further strengthening the bilateral relations." The diplomat added that the relations between Azerbaijan and Egypt are developing on the basis of agreements signed during a meeting of the interstate commission in Cairo in February. For five months of my activity in Azerbaijan, political relations between the two countries have reached a good level, he said. "Presently, work is underway to expand trade relations between Azerbaijan and Egypt." According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Egypt amounted to $8.05 million in 2017, of which $1.48 million accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products to Egypt. Egypts Air Cairo launched a direct Baku-Sharm El Sheikh-Baku flight in June 2016, thereby creating conditions for increasing the flow of tourists from Azerbaijan. However, later the airline decided to temporarily suspend the flight from this resort city to Baku, explaining its decision by the insufficient number of passengers. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 Trend: China intends to launch a large-scale production of unrefined sunflower oil in Kazakhstan, the Kazakh media reported July 27. The plant with a processing capacity of up to 300 tons of sunflower seeds per day will be built in the village of Zhetekshi, the message says. It will be able to produce up to 30,000 tons of unrefined oil during the year, which will be exported together with the oilseed residues to China. Later it will be processed into refined oil in China. As it appears from the reports of the State Revenue Committee of Kazakhstan, the supply of sunflower oil to China amounted to 27,000 tons last year. If the new plant is operated at full utilization rate, the export of Kazakh oil to China may double. It is noted that the construction of the plant in this region is not accidental. The processing of sunflower has virtually not been established here, and therefore no competition for raw materials exists here, unlike, for example, East Kazakhstan or Kostanay regions. In addition, the border regions, for instance, the Altai Territory, where the missing amount of seeds can be bought to load the plant, are situated nearby. The volume of investment in new production will be $1.5 million, the General Director of "Greenland Invest" LLP Zhang Yan Qiu said. "It is planned to establish production of refined oil at the next stages, then the investor plans to process flax and rapeseed into oil. The total amount of investments has not been announced yet. Raw materials are planned to be purchased throughout Kazakhstan," Ruslan Tleulesov, Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Agriculture of Pavlodar city said. The official exchange rate on July 27 was 345.91 KTZ / USD Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 27 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: A meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary Peter Santo has been held in Ashgabat, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The sides exchanged views on further strengthening of cooperation, development of bilateral relations in trade and economic areas, and expressed interest in enhancing trade, economic and investment cooperation. The parties noted the active and multi-level political dialogue, which is held on a regular basis, the message says. In this context, the parties noted the role of visits at the highest levels, as well as discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation within international organizations. A meeting of the Turkmen-Hungarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was held in June 2017 in Ashgabat, at which special attention was paid to the prospects of Turkmen natural gas supplies in the European direction. Hungarian delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the country Istvan Mikola. Negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been underway since 2011. The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the Caspian Sea bottom to the shores of Azerbaijan, as previously noted by the interested parties, is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market. Turkmen fuel can further find its way to Turkey, which borders with European countries. An Armenian court ordered former President Robert Kocharyan should be detained on charges of usurping power, Kocharyans lawyer Aram Orbelyan said, Reuters reported. Kocharyan, who served as Armenias second president from 1998 to 2008, was in court and taken into custody, the lawyer added. Investigators have charged Kocharyan with attempting to overthrow the constitutional order after 2008 elections, when his ally Serzh Sarksyan was elected his successor. Kocharyan has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. The import of timber will be exempt from value-added tax (VAT) in Georgia in order to prevent illegal tree felling in the country, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has announced, Agenda reports. This means that there will be less motivation for cutting trees in Georgia. At the same time important restrictions will be imposed on exporting wooden logs and wooden planks. These regulations will be healthy and will meet the challenges that we face today. Thanks to these regulations we will be able to restore green cover and foster the re-foresterisation process, said Bakhtadze. Bakhtadze noted that the Investigation Service of Georgias Ministry of Finance has arrested 15 individuals for the illegal sale of wooden materials by using fake tax documents. Earlier this year the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia announced thatlaws that concern forests and relevant legislative amendments had been proposed to the parliament of Georgia. The amendments will make an individually criminally accountable for tree felling if they have already faced administrative measures. The sanctions will also be tightened against illegally cutting trees from the Red List and this action will be criminally prosecutable. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that at the moment he was against the launch of negotiations on a comprehensive trade agreement between the European Union and the United States as there were no conditions for such talks yet, according to Sputnik. "A good trade dialogue can only be held on the basis of reciprocity and equilibrium, and not under any circumstances on threats I am not in favor of launching a large-scale trade dialogue since the context does not allow it," Macron said at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The French president stressed he wanted to see "clear signals" from the United States over steel and aluminum tariffs. Macron, who stressed that France had never wanted a commercial war, was speaking a day after a meeting in Washington between European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and US leader Donald Trump, during which the sides announced "a new phase" in relations between the United States and the European Union, and agreed to work "toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods." In late May, the United States said it would impose tariffs on metals imported from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. Brussels responded by opening a dispute settlement case within the World Trade Organization. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must ultimately leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Ecuadors President Lenin Moreno stated during an event in Madrid, broadcast by the Europa Press agency, TASS reports. "Yes. But it must be reached through dialogue," the president said in reply to the question about whether Assange must leave the embassy. "The only thing we want is a guarantee that his life would not be in danger." Earlier, the Independent daily reported that during his official visit to the UK, Moreno held talks with British officials on turning Assange over to the UK police. In 2012, Assange asked Ecuadors embassy in London for asylum in order to avoid extradition to Sweden, which had issued a warrant for his arrest on sexual harassment and rape charges. Assange dismissed the accusations as politically motivated. His worst fear was that Sweden might deport him to the United States, where he would face 35 years in prison or capital punishment for publishing secret documents of the Department of State. Since that moment, Assange has remained on the premises of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Moreno, who serves as Ecuadorian president since May 2017, has stated several times that Assange cannot make any political statements from the countrys embassy in London. In March of this year, the Ecuadorian officials deprived Assange of Internet and mobile connection, as he continued to make political statements. Germany is stepping up efforts to prevent companies in critical industries from falling into Chinese hands, taking a stake in a high-voltage network operator and planning to veto the sale of a machine-tooling business, Reuters reports. State bank KfW agreed on Friday to take a 20 percent stake in high-voltage energy network operator 50Hertz, fending off an offer from Chinas State Grid. Berlin also plans to veto the planned sale to Chinese investors of Leifeld Metal Spinning, customers of which include companies in the aerospace, chemicals and automotive industries, according to a government source familiar with the matter. Talks are ongoing, but the cabinet is likely to announce its objection to the proposed deal next week, the source said. The planned veto was first reported by German magazine WirtschaftsWoche. The measures come amid concerns in some countries - such as the United States, Germany, France, Australia and Britain - that China and other rivals are gaining access to key technologies via takeovers. Germanys economy ministry this week said that it wanted better tools for hindering takeovers of German companies by investors beyond the European Union that do not conform with market regulations. Britain also plans to tighten foreign takeover rules. The German government had already tightened controls on foreign investments last year after a series of high-profile takeovers by Chinese companies, making it possible for Berlin to intervene if a buyer amasssed a shareholding of 25 percent. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing on Friday that the ministry had noted the Liefeld report and expressed its concern. We hope the German side can objectively view Chinese investment and create a fair, open market access environment for Chinese companies investing in Germany, Geng said. With 50Hertz, which supplies electricity for about 18 million people, it was the second time Chinas State Grid had tried to gain a foothold after a 20 percent stake was put on the block this year by Australian infrastructure fund IFM. That stake was acquired by Belgian majority shareholder Elia (ELI.BR). IFM then put another 20 percent stake in Germanys 50Hertz up for sale and State Grid this month made an offer worth almost 1 billion euros, people close to the matter have told Reuters. Elia said on Friday that it exercised its right to buy the holding but will sell it on to KfW on the same terms. For security reasons, the German government has a strong interest in protecting critical energy infrastructure, the finance and economy ministries said in a joint statement. They said the acquisition of the 50Hertz stake by KfW was a temporary solution and that it intended to sell it on in the future. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier had said in June that he saw a problem in letting critical infrastructure fall into the hands of investors whose motivation and background were not clear, citing 50Hertz as an example. Elia said the acquisition of the 20 percent stake was on similar financial conditions to a 20 percent holding it acquired from IFM in April. It paid 976 million euros ($1.14 billion) for that stake. IFM and Elia bought 50Hertz from Swedish utility Vattenfall [VATN.UL] in 2010 for 810 million euros. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018. Citi acted as financial adviser to Elia. I want to do a list of prominent ethnic/national unification movements (they don't have to be successful, just prominent) throughout history. Thus, here goes: -The unification of Greece between the 1830s and the 1910s. Greece also made some territorial gains after the end of World War I but quickly lost these territories to Turkey. -The unification of Italy between 1859 and 1924. -The unification of Germany between 1866 and 1871. Also, the Nazi German annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938 can be included in this category--though these were ultimately reversed in 1945. -The unification of all South Slavs other than Bulgarians into one country--known as Yugoslavia--after the end of World War I in 1918. Of course, the break-up of Yugoslavia eventually undid this unification (though Serbia got to keep Vojvodina). -The unification of all Romanian lands into one country in 1918. This was partly undone as a result of the loss of Bessarabia (unlike the loss of Bessarabia, the loss of Northern Transylvania was temporary) later on, though. -The reunification of Poland after the end of World War I. Poland was previously split between Germany, Austria, and Russia. -The unification of all Eastern Slavs into one country after the end of World War II in 1945 when the Soviet Union ensured that the far western Ukrainian territories (the Budjak, northern Bukovina, Galicia, Volhynia, and Subcarpathian Ruthenia) would become a part of the Soviet Union. -The unsuccessful attempt to unify all Somalis into one country after decolonization. This was evidenced by Somalia's unsuccessful invasion of Ethiopia's Ogaden region in 1977 and by Somalia's support of Kenyan Somali separatists in the 1960s. -The various unsuccessful attempts to unite various Arab countries after decolonization. Anyway, which prominent ethnic/national unification movements am I forgetting to list here? For the record, these movements don't have to be successful--just prominent. El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. has withdrawn its petition to Israel's High Court over its demand for fair competition with Air India, Globes reports. In March, Air India was granted permission by the Saudi authorities to fly between India and Israel over Saudi Arabia. This was the first time ever that Saudi Arabia had given such permission, which shortens flight times to Israel by as much as two hours. However, El Al is still required to fly around the kingdom, which it says creates unfair competition. El Al has withdrawn the petition following a court hearing on July 18, in which the Israeli carrier was given to understand that its case has no chance. El Al had insisted that it was the victim of discrimination by the State of Israel and unjust competition with Air India. In a recent interview with "Globes," El Al chairman Eli Defes claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was behaving BDS-style towards El Al and that a fundamental term of its privatization was that the carrier should be allowed to compete under fair conditions. Meanwhile, the status-quo will continue on Israel-India air routes with Air India flying the short route and El Al the much longer one. It is expected that other Asian carriers will be permitted to fly over Saudi Arabia en route to Israel. Russias Agriculture Ministry eyes exporting meat and fish products, butter and sugar to South Africa, Minister Dmitry Patrushev said at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, adding that an agreement on cooperation in the fishing and mariculture sectors is planned to be signed by governments of the two countries in the near future, TASS reports. "We are currently expecting South Africas veterinary regulator to provide accreditation for Russian producers of fish and meat products. The plan is to sign a cooperation agreement between the governments of Russia and South Africa in the fishing and mariculture field in the near future," the minister was quoted as saying in a statement released on Friday. Patrushev added that Russia is interested in exporting meat and fish products, as well as butter and sugar from South Africa. He also held a few meetings on the sidelines of the summit and signed an agreement between Russian and in South African governments on cooperation in agriculture covering a number of areas, the ministrys press service said. According to the data provided by Russias Agriculture Ministry, bilateral trade between the two states grew by 25% in the first half of 2018 year-on-year. Russia is now South Africas largest wheat supplier, accounting for around 30% of its imports. A refugee action center is expected to be set up in Syria to address problems of Syrian refugees returning home, deputy chief of the Russian Centre for the Reception, Allocation and Accommodation of Refugees in Syria Alexei Posunko said on Friday, TASS reports. "Our proposals have been referred to the Syrian government. Now a decree of President Bashar Assad is being prepared to set up a refugee action center. The ministries concerned are agreeing their delegates," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The US envies the relations between Turkey and Russia, which are at a high level, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported July 27. Erdogan noted that, Turkey and Russia are supporting each other in all spheres. "There are no problems in relations between Turkey and Russia currently. Trade turnover between our countries is also growing," Erdogan said. He noted that, the goal of Moscow and Ankara is to increase the volume of trade turnover to $100 billion. "This figure increased by 40.5 percent, amounting to $22 billion last year," Erdogan said. The president of Turkey noted that, the relations between the two countries will continue to strengthen. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The U.S. will not achieve anything by threatening Turkey, the administration of the President of Turkey told Trend July 27, when commenting on the appeal of the US President to apply sanctions against Ankara in connection with the detention of an American priest Andrew Brunson. The administration noted that, Turkey is a democratic country and demands from the United States to respect its laws. "The United States has not yet taken steps to extradite the leader of the terrorist organization "FETO" Fethullah Gulen", the administration of the President of Turkey said. The US President Donald Trump promised the day before to impose "big sanctions" against Turkey for the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is accused of aiding the coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. "The US will impose great sanctions on Turkey for the long-term detention of pastor Andrew Brunson, a wonderful Christian, a family man and a great person. He's suffering. This innocent believer must be released immediately!" - Trump wrote on Twitter. Vice-President Mike Pence stated the possibility of imposition of sanctions previously. The court in the Turkish province of Izmir decided July 25 to transfer under house arrest American pastor Andrew Brunson, whom Ankara suspects aiding the coup attempt in 2016. Branson has also been prohibited to leave the territory of Turkey by the court decision dated July 25. The same court rejected a week ago the motion for release of the pastor's defense. The next hearing on Brunsons case has been scheduled for October 12. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The Turkish media has reported the death of the leader of the terrorist organization "FETO" Fethullah Gulen. Gulen died of oncological disease about a month ago, and was buried in an unmarked grave, the media reported. Fethullah Gulen and his supporters are accused of a military coup attempt in Turkey. A group of rebels attempted a military coup on the night of July 16, 2016 in Turkey. The main fighting took place in Ankara and Istanbul. More than 250 Turkish citizens were killed, more than 2,000 people were injured, the rebellion was suppressed. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The US should respect the laws of Turkey, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yildirim said, Turkish media reported July 27. "President Donald Trump thinks that by threatening Ankara, he can affect Turkish justice. Trump should give up on statements about sanctions against Turkey," Yildirim said. Trump promised earlier to impose "large sanctions" against Turkey for the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is accused of aiding the coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. "The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being. He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!" Trump tweeted. Vice President Mike Pence stated the possibility of imposition of sanctions previously. A court in the Turkish province of Izmir decided July 25 to transfer under house arrest American pastor Andrew Brunson, whom Ankara suspects aiding the coup attempt in 2016. Branson was prohibited to leave the territory of Turkey by a court decision dated July 25. The same court a week ago rejected the motion for release of the pastor. The next hearing on Brunsons case has been scheduled for October 12. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu North Korea handed over remains of American soldiers who died in the 1950-1953 Korean War to US, the White House announced, according to Sputnik. White House said that the US Air Force transport plane with remains of US soldiers killed in Korean War is heading to a US air base in South Korea. Earlier, local media reported that the plane left Osan Air Base in the northwestern city of Pyeongtaek early on Friday and was expected to land in North Koreas Wonsan soon. Some 50 sets of remains are reported to be waiting to be transported back to the base, from where they will be flown to Hawaii for forensic identification the Yonhap news agency said. The repatriation marks the 65th anniversary of the US-Korean armistice which ended the Korean War, although the two parties never signed a final peace accord. US President Donald Trump negotiated the repatriation of soldiers remains last month at the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore. KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2018 - 16:10 | All, Japan Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga said Friday he has asked local officials to start procedures to retract his predecessor's approval of landfill work for relocating a U.S. military base within Japan's subtropical island prefecture. The order by Onaga, whose current term will expire in November, is seen as a last resort to block the central government's plan to transfer U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the Henoko coastal area of Nago from a crowded residential district in Ginowan. "I will take whatever measures and do my utmost to realize my election pledge of preventing the construction of a new base," the governor told a press conference. He accused the central government of not presenting measures to protect the environment of the coastal area and failing to fulfill conditions required for the approval. The landfill work was scheduled to begin as early as Aug. 17 after the Okinawa defense bureau completed the building of seawalls earlier this month in preparation for bringing soil to the site. Many residents in Okinawa remain opposed to the relocation plan as they want the U.S. military base moved out of the prefecture. Onaga's announcement came ahead of the Okinawa gubernatorial election slated for November. However, Onaga recently underwent pancreatic cancer surgery and has not clarified whether he will run for another term. In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference, "Our intention to proceed with the relocation construction is unchanged." The top government spokesman, as well as Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, said Tokyo will respond "appropriately" to the local government's decision. The prefectural government is likely to inform the Okinawa defense bureau next week about holding a hearing for the agency. After the notification, the actual retraction is expected to come in two or three weeks. The bureau is expected to attend the hearing, but counter the governor's attempt to retract approval, possibly by filing a lawsuit. (People hold up a banner in support of Onaga outside the Okinawa government office) Both sides have already fought a number of times in court. The central government believes the base is necessary for Japan to maintain the perceived deterrence provided by the United States, while many in Okinawa regard it as an unfair burden on the island hosting the bulk of U.S. forces. In October 2015, Onaga revoked his predecessor Hirokazu Nakaima's 2013 approval of the central government's request for landfill work in Nago, saying that it is legally flawed. But the Supreme Court in December 2016 ruled against Onaga's position, which led the central government to resume construction work. KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2018 - 13:08 | All, World U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Thursday he plans to hold a first round of trade talks with Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan's economic and fiscal policy minister, "in the next 30 days." In a Senate hearing, Lighthizer reiterated his eagerness to strike a free trade agreement with Japan, a deal Tokyo does not seek given its preference for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an 11-member regional FTA. (File photo) Referring to the ministerial talks, likely to be held in Washington, Lighthizer said, "We have a fairly aggressive agenda" and that Japan is willing to "work on a variety of issues," but provided no further details. However, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said in Tokyo on Friday that the country "has no intention to conclude (an FTA with the United States), as we have been saying from the start." Washington will likely prioritize holding trade talks with China and the European Union, and a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, over discussions with Japan, given its bigger trade deficits with those partners, Aso also said. Lighthizer and Motegi will meet as U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported cars and parts. If invoked, the new duties would significantly affect major car exporters such Japan and South Korea. The U.S. trade representative said that Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have a "very good relationship," but expressed frustration about Washington's "chronic" trade deficits with Tokyo. Lighthizer also cited the U.S. position that Japan maintains "unfair" trade barriers in a number of areas such as beef, suggesting he will push Motegi to remove or reduce tariffs on U.S. agricultural products. U.S. and Japanese officials have said the two governments are expected to discuss how best to realize free, fair and reciprocal trade in the upcoming talks. Filling those three slots on the ballot denied any opportunity for Cook County GOP Chairman Sean Morrison to gather enough petition signatures to get his non-partisan election referendum before this year's General Election voters. CHICAGO - The option for Cook County voters to express their views about setting up an open primary system for countywide candidates was squelched Wednesday when the Cook County Board pushed in three advisory referendum for the November 6th ballot. Despite an announcement on the Cook County GOP website still indicating Friday morning a petition signature gathering event planned for August 6th, Morrison's staff indicated Friday morning the petition drive was "effectively cancelled." The overwhelming majority of Democrats that make up the Cook County Board were more inclined to ask voters' opinions about whether their municipalities should raise the minimum wage to $13 per hour require employers to pay for sick time off place more restrictions on the county's gun shop owners Over 100 of the County's municipalities' councils have rejected the county's minimum wage and paid sick leave resolutions set into motion earlier this year. The advisories are described HERE : The state's most-populated county will deal with those advisories on the November 6th election ballot. KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2018 - 22:24 | Urgent, All, Japan (EDS: ADDING DETAILS) A window fell off a U.S. military helicopter Friday at a U.S. base southwest of Tokyo, but no one was injured, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said. The incident at the U.S. Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture follows a similar incident last December, in which a window of a U.S. military helicopter fell onto an elementary school playground in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa. "While no one was injured (on Friday) and it's a case that happened inside a U.S. military base, a window falling is a serious problem," Onodera told reporters. In the latest case, the window fell from a U.S. Navy MH-53E inside the premises of the U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi at around 11:50 a.m. after taking off for refueling, according to the U.S. military and officials of a municipality hosting the base. It dropped from around a height of 2 to 3 meters, they said. The helicopter will stay at the base for checks for the meantime, they said. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, which jointly uses the Atsugi base with the U.S. military, noticed that a part fell from a helicopter shortly after takeoff and made an inquiry with the U.S. military, Onodera said. Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa told reporters in Tokyo he was "very shocked about the frequency of accidents involving the U.S. military." The Defense Ministry has called on U.S. military forces in Japan to provide more information on what happened and to take measures to prevent similar incidents. In December, a 7.7-kilogram window fell off a CH-53E transport helicopter as it was flying over an elementary school just outside U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. No one was injured, but the incident heightened concerns among people in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan. In February, a part from a U.S. military Osprey transport aircraft was found drifting near an islet in Okinawa, while an antenna fell off a U.S. F-15 fighter belonging to the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. A U.S. F-15 plane also crashed into the sea off Okinawa in June, with the pilot picked up by a search-and-rescue crew from Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2018 - 14:43 | All, Japan Japan will strengthen its oversight of suicidal posts on social media after what was described as the worst case of serial murder targeting young people contemplating taking their own lives happened near Tokyo last year, officials said Friday. Holding a meeting at the prime minister's office, the government adopted a plan aimed at strengthening internet safety for juveniles and improving education about the risks of using smartphones and other digital devices from early elementary school years. (The apartment complex in Zama, near Tokyo, where nine dismembered bodies were found in October 2017) Under the plan, online posts related to suicide will be added to the list of "harmful information" and the government will encourage social networking site operators to delete such contents, as well as promoting "cyber patrols" by private organizations. The government said it will also create material aimed at raising awareness about internet safety among parents with children, including preschoolers, and inform the public about online filtering systems through schools and kindergartens. During the meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who heads a task force on child education, ordered Cabinet members to "create an environment in which young people can use the internet with security and make utmost efforts toward the realization of the plan." In the murder case that came to light last October, Takahiro Shiraishi has admitted to killing and dismembering nine people aged between 15 and 26 at his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The victims posted suicidal thoughts on Twitter before being approached by him online. In the plan, to be revised every three years in light of the changing online environment, the government referred to the case and said that "new challenges" have emerged. To better assess internet use among children, the plan said the government will conduct a survey also covering parents with children under 10 years old in addition to those aged between 10 and 17. By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Jul 27, 2018 - 17:55 | World, All North Korea commemorated the 65th anniversary Friday of the suspension of open hostilities in the Korean War in 1953, with Pyongyang urging the United States to agree to formally terminate the conflict as soon as possible. From the early morning, many citizens laid flowers and bowed before giant statues of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il, the current leader's grandfather and father, on Mansu Hill in the heart of Pyongyang. Also, around 300 people -- including North Korean top officials such as Kim Yong Chol, a close aide to leader Kim Jong Un, and officers of the nation's military and bereaved families -- visited the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery in the capital. Later in the day, women wearing the country's high-waisted, long-skirted traditional dresses danced together and celebrated the anniversary across the city. Following a historic summit last month between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, North Korea on Friday repatriated the possible remains of some U.S. soldiers who died in the war, the White House said. By arguing that the return of the remains is an important step in improving bilateral relations, North Korea is likely to call on the United States to declare an end to the 1950-1953 Korean War and provide security guarantees to Pyongyang. But it is uncertain whether Washington will accede to North Korea's requests, amid lingering skepticism about whether Kim will really implement concrete measures to achieve "complete" denuclearization as promised. At the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in June, Kim also agreed with Trump on the repatriation of the remains, while they confirmed that they will work together to build a "lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula. Kim has reiterated that the denuclearization of the peninsula can be achieved if the United States and South Korea create an atmosphere of peace and stability. Meanwhile, China, which fought alongside North Korea in the war against the U.S.-led United Nations Command set up to support South Korea, sent Kong Xuanyou, the country's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, to Pyongyang. During his stay, Kong, who doubles as deputy foreign minister, met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Deputy Foreign Minister Ri Kil Song. China has sought to play a pivotal role in any discussions on replacing the Korean War armistice with a peace treaty, as the Asian power has warned against the U.S. leading negotiations with North Korea. In Pyongyang, flowers were placed at the "Friendship Tower," which was built in memory of Chinese volunteers who fought in the war, Kyodo News confirmed. At the Martyrs Cemetery of the Chinese People's Volunteers in Hoechang County, South Pyongan Province, Kim laid a wreath to mark the 65th anniversary, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Friday. China-North Korea ties are "developing into special and durable friendly relations unprecedented in history as they were forged in firm militant friendship and genuine trust deepened at the cost of blood and life," Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying. "The Korean people would as ever take pride in having the creditable fraternal country and the great friend like the People's Republic of China," the leader said, according to the news agency. North Korea designates July 27 as a holiday. In the nation's capital, slogans to celebrate the "victory" in war appear in public spaces, but make no criticism of the United States and South Korea. Kim has recently pledged to bolster economic growth, instead of pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. The ruling Workers' Party of Korea said in April, "We will concentrate all efforts on building a powerful socialist economy and markedly improving the standard of people's living through the mobilization of all human and material resources of the country." During the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, with a North Korean invasion, the United Nations forces led by the United States fought alongside South Korea against the North, supported by China and the Soviet Union. Hostilities ceased with an armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953, by the U.S.-led U.N. Command, North Korea and China. South Korea was not a party. The Korean Peninsula has since been split in two by the Demilitarized Zone, a 4-kilometer-wide strip of land that runs for 250 km across the peninsula and has come to be known as the world's last Cold War frontier. The Kerala team reminded the Tamil Nadu team of the 139.99 ft recommended by the Supreme Court in 2018. 'The situation now is worse than what it was then,' Roshy Augustine said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday , July 23, 2018, that Trump is looking into the clearances of former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice and former CIA Director Michael Hayden under President G.W. Bush. According to Sanders: The president is exploring the mechanisms to remove security clearance because theyve politicized, and in some cases monetized, their public service and security clearances." McCabe was investigating the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns while his wife, a candidate for office, was accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from friends of Hillary Clinton. It is obvious that when individuals with security clearances have very vocal differences with the president, it wrongly gives authority to their claims. About CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI Director James Comey, Sanders had this to say: "These officials have made 'baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia'" and that their clearance offers 'inappropriate' legitimacy. Sean Hannity interacts with Joe diGenova Last week, former U.S. attorney Joe diGenova told the Fox News Channels Sean Hannity that Brennan is responsible for the sharing of false information about Trump and Russia with American intelligence agencies. Hannity said he thinks Brennan knew all about the Democrat-funded dossier of unproven claims about Trump that was used to obtain a warrant to spy on the Trump campaign and helped prompt the special counsel investigation, to which diGenova responded: "John Brennan is a traitor and I will tell you why. He is the real traitor. What he did and what he has had recently about the president of the United States is despicable." Brennan now gets paid as an analyst for NBC and MSNBC. Senator Rand Paul and his role Sanders July 24th announcement came only hours after Sen. Rand, R-Ky., said he would meet with the president and ask him to remove Brennans clearance based on Brennan accusing the president of treason. Rand Paul on Twitter: Is John Brennan monetizing his security clearance. Is John Brennan making millions of dollars divulging secrets to the mainstream media with his attacks on Donald Trump." his security clearance? Is John Brennan making millions of dollars divulging secrets to the mainstream with his attacks of [Donald Trump]? The senator just days earlier raised questions about Brennans security clearance At the time, Paul said, If he has top-secret clearance as unhinged as he is now, hes calling the president treasonous, saying he is for the death penalty of the president, this is alarming. Democrat response to Sander's announcement After the announcement by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Democrats acted in their typical unhinged way toward anything Trump purposes. Nancy Pelosi and other of her colleagues slammed President Trump for considering revoking securing clearance for mostly top Obama-era intelligence and law enforcement officials. Said Nancy Pelosi: This is so extraordinary. The last thing you want in intelligence is partisanship, and we were able to avoid that for such a long time. The above was said as Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers introduced a resolution condemning Trump's statements during his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. Not to be undone, California representative Adam Schiff called Trump's consideration as 'cowardly action' of someone who's afraid of critics. Republican swamp dwellers join Democrats But is wasn't only Democrats who rebuffed President Trump for even thinking about reducing security clearances. The ever predictable Republican Speaker Paul Ryan, who as part of the Republican establishment and Washington D.C. swamp has never embraced the Trump agenda to Make America Great Again, but instead is part of the Trump resistance, accused Trump on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 when talking to NBC News' Kasie Hunt of trolling people with his threat to revoke the security clearances from former top national security officials who have criticized him and his policies. Two other establishment Republicans likewise followed in Ryan's footsteps. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn. told MSNBC's Garrett Haake on Tuesday, July 24th, that he couldnt believe that the White House thought seriously about pulling the security clearances of former Obama-era staff because they criticized the president recently. Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. had this to say: I'd like to see the reason. Did someone breach protocol in terms of classified material, or break a law, then it would certainly be appropriate. If it's not, it would just look to be just kind of political retribution. John and Andy Schlafly, sons of the late Phyllis Schlafly, add their thoughts Read here an excerpt from the weekly 07-25-2018 commentary, Revoke the Deep States Security Clearances by John and Andrew Schlafly, which details why six former security officials, all part of the Obama's Resistance Movement, should have their security clearance removed as participating members of the shadow government referred to as the Deep State. "Sarah Huckabee Sanders, our wonderful White House Press Secretary, sent liberals into a tizzy on Monday with her announcement that President Trump is considering revoking the security clearances of several Deep State leaders. John Brennan, a liberal mouthpiece who became Obamas CIA director after having once voted for the Communist Party for president, would be among the first to lose his security clearance. Oh my. The Left has not panicked so much since the 2016 Election Night returns put Donald Trump into the White House. Another candidate for revocation is Susan Rice, who was Obamas national security adviser thought to have improperly obtained the identity of General Michael Flynn on a wiretap. The since-replaced national security adviser H.R. McMaster allowed Rice to retain her security clearance, waiving the customary need-to-know requirement to allow Rice unlimited access to anything she ever reviewed or received when in office. In addition to Brennan and Rice, revocation is being considered for the discredited FBI officials James Comey and Andrew McCabe, the former National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, and the former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. It was Clapper who famously lied under oath to Congress about his secret surveillance program of Americans. Sanders is precisely right that the fact that people with security clearances are making these baseless charges provides inappropriate legitimacy to accusations with zero evidence. Those who repeatedly make false accusations against our Commander-in-Chief are unfit to be trusted with confidential information about our national security. The Never-Trumpers will always enjoy their First Amendment rights, but they should not have access to our national secrets while they are writing books and profiting from their irresponsible, false claims about our president. Some of them respond by saying their ability to see classified information has already been terminated, but those security clearances could be easily reinstated unless Trump revokes them. Americans voted for a new direction for our country under President Trump, in repudiation of the path that Obama was taking us, so why are the losers still around pretending to speak with authority? Many Americans are probably wondering why the security clearances of these acolytes of Obama were not fully revoked long ago. Tossing out the entrenched insiders who are so determined to defeat President Trump requires, at a minimum, taking away the special authority they unjustifiably continue to enjoy. John Brennan and James Clapper would still be able to pontificate all they like on television, but they should not be able to do so with the implied authority of an active security clearance." President's Constitutional authority to revoke security clearances As to why an individual might need to keep their security clearance after their time of service 1) If the person is actively involved in the present government or 2) if advise is requested by the current administration. With the latter, the individual can be issued a security clearance on a temporary basis. Here is what Lindy Kyzer, editor of ClearanceJobs and a former Defense Department employee wrote regarding the ability of the president to revoke security clearances: . As stated by Sean Bigley, national security attorney and managing partner at Bigley Ranisy: Per longstanding Supreme Court precedent, the presidents authority over security clearance matters is both constitutional and polenary." While there is no precedent for a president making a unilateral decision to revoke a former officials security clearance, former officials have previously been accused of inappropriately maintaining access to classified information following their government employment. Former CIA Director John Deutch, who served during the Clinton administration, was found to have several incorrectly labeled laptop computers containing classified information in his possession after he was ousted from the agency. Then Attorney General Janet Reno required an investigation into Deutchs security clearance, and recommended revocation. Deutch pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling government secrets. He was later pardoned by Clinton. Thursday night's debate can be seen on Fox 32's Facebook Page. The live debate took place at the Union League Club with about 200 people in attendance. Fox 32's Mike Flannery was the the moderator, and was assisted by morning anchor Scott Schneider. The event was sponsored by the Lincoln Forum headed by former Illinois GOP chairman Pat Brady. The future of the House of Representatives could be partially decided based on Thursday night's Fox 32 debate between IL's 6th Congressional District. Republican incumbent Peter Roskam faced off against Democrat challenger Sean Casten. The race is so close that as of this week, national political commentator Larry Sabato moved the 6th CD race to the "Toss Up" column from "Leans Republican." In the one hour long debate, the two candidates discussed President Trump, taxes, immigration, gun control and abortion, among other topics. Most notably, Roskam expressed support for the president, indicating Trump was good on the economy but jumbling on other issues. Casten vehemently disagreed, Trump Is the worse president of our generation. Casten also did not deny he would raise taxes while Roskam led the effort to cut federal taxes. Roskam said several times, Im pro life. Casten said abortion was the choice of the mother. Casten also said, I view abortion as a medical procedure like a gall bladder surgery. "Abortion is not gall bladder surgery," Roskam replied. Outside before debate, two groups of protesters gathered across the street on Jackson Boulevard, one for Roskam, the other against. About 35 Roskam supporters held Roskam for Congress" signs while about 50 anti-Roskam protesters held a variety of signs. Planned Parenthood had people out in the protest, as did Indivisible Chicago. Despite a Roskam Protest Facebook event page showing over 778 anti-Roskam people going or interested," only about 50 showed up. Some protesters complained the Union League venue was too far from the 6th district to get people downtown. Mark Weyermuller owns a small business, is a real estate professional and conservative activist in Chicago. He is a citizen journalist and regular contributor to Illinois Review. Mark can be heard weekly on the radio in a "man in the street segment" at 5:31pm as a regular guest on the Stephanie Trussell Show heard Saturday afternoons 3-6pm on 50,000 watt WLS 890-AM. CORAL GABLES, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 26, 2018 / Marijuana stocks continued to hold a slightly sideways trend leading up to the big day when Canada opens its doors to recreational sales for cannabis. Sources suggest that medical marijuana studies are also set to explode in Canada after the use and sale of cannabis become legal in October. It is only the second country, after Uruguay, to fully legalize the drug for recreational purposes. As this is the case, several marijuana stocks are in focus ahead of this big industry event Companies like LeafbuyerTechnologies (LBUY) are taking a direct approach at the marijuana consumer. The company works alongside businesses to showcase their unique products and build a network of loyal patrons. Leafbuyer's national network of cannabis deals and information reaches millions of consumers every month. Leafbuyer is the official cannabis deals platform of Dope Media, LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. Its flagship outlet, Leafbuyer.com is one of the most comprehensive online sources for cannabis deals and information. Leafbuyer has been called a "Game-Changer" by NBC and "The Priceline of Pot" by the TheStreet.com (owned by Jim Cramer). Like Priceline.com, Leafbuyer allows consumers the ability to find the very best deals on all things Cannabis. Companies like Leafbuyer empower the consumer and allow them to get behind an industry, powerfully. To this end, the company recently announced that it continuesto see strong sales growth. That sales growth has increased by over 50% from Q4 2017 to Q4 2018. ForMore Information On Leafbuyer Technologies, Click Here On the other end of the spectrum, there are companies like Canopy Growth (CGC) (WEED.TO), which focus on the plant itself. Earlier this month, Canopy Growth entered into a supply MOU with the BC Liquor Distribution Branch to make available 5,719 kg of high-quality cannabis products in the first 12-months following October 17, 2018. The quantity referenced is a delivery requirement agreed to in the MOU, not an internal allocation. Story continues "Investing in a reliable, national production footprint early has made all the difference as provincial partners assess potential supply sources," said Mark Zekulin , President & Co-CEO. "We've established a strong presence in BC with state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities in Delta and Aldergrove and we can't wait to see the BC bud we're currently growing and harvesting at both sites readily available on store shelves." ForMore Information On Canopy Growth, Click Here Finally, Tilray (TLRY) has gotten a boost of momentum this month. Having recently gone public, the company has seen mixed trading. Cowen and BMO Capital Markets acted jointly as book-runners for the IPO. Cowen was the sole book-running manager for the IPO in the United States, and BMO Capital Markets acted as the sole book-running manager for the IPO in Canada. Eight Capital was lead manager for the IPO in Canada. In the United States, Roth Capital Partners was lead manager and Northland Capital Markets was a co-manager for the IPO. As one of the newest marijuana stocks on a major US listing, Tilray, Inc. is a vertically-integrated and federally-licensed cannabis cultivator, processor and distributor looking to take advantage of this latest boom and industry green rush. ForMore Information On Tilray, Click Here About marijuanastocks.com MarijuanaStocks.com is the leading web destination for all things cannabis. Investors can find marijuana related financial, medical, legal, and social news anytime day or night. Writers are invited to submit cannabis related articles for publication. Legal Disclaimer Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. MAPH Enterprises LLC which owns www.MarijuanaStocks.com, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. MAPH Enterprises LLC, which owns www.MarijuanaStocks.com, may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and may increase or decrease such positions without notice. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. MAPH Enterprises LLC, which owns www.MarijuanaStocks.com, may be compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation or equity securities in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. Pursuant to an agreement between MIDAM VENTURES, LLC an affiliate of MAPH Enterprises, LLC owner of MarijuanaStocks.com and Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc, we were hired for a period from 2/2/2018 5/2/2018 NOW EXTENDED TO 10/2/2018 to publicly disseminate information about (LBUY) including on the Website and other media including Facebook and Twitter. We are being paid $100,000 (CASH) for & were paid "77,000" shares of restricted common shares. We own zero shares of (LBUY), which we purchased in the open market. Once the (6) Six month restriction is complete on 8/2/2018 we plan to sell the "77,000" shares of (LBUY) that we hold currently in restricted form during the time the Website and/or Facebook and Twitter Information recommends that investors or visitors to the website purchase without further notice to you. We may buy or sell additional shares of (LBUY) in the open market at any time, including before, during or after the Website and Information, provide public dissemination of favorable Information. Contact Information: pr@marijuanastocks.com SOURCE: MarijuanaStocks.com A supermoon appears after a total "supermoon" lunar eclipse in Brussels. The moon is a reliable friend. It waxes and wanes on a regular schedule and helps us mark the passage of time. It lights up the night sky, glowing white and providing relief through the darkest hours. So its no wonder that, once upon a time, when the moon glowed red and disappeared during a lunar eclipse, humans were terrified. The second blood moon of 2018 will occur on July 27. Before and after the moon is obscured completely for an hour and 43 minutesthe longest totality of the 21st century, NASA predictsit will seem to bleed, glowing an eerie red. Now we know the strange occurrence simply means the moon is transiting through the shadow of our planet and not reflecting the light of the sun. And though we may find it amazing to observe, we mostly arent afraid that a lunar eclipse is a bad omenexcept for those who believe a blood-moon prophecy in the Bible predicts the end of days. Historically, however, the disappearance of the moonand the accompanying bloody hue of a lunar eclipsewas experienced as extremely meaningful and disconcerting, according to the 1899 book, The Story of Eclipses (pdf) by George Chambers. In the chapter entitled Eclipses of the moon mentioned in History, Chambers tells the sometimes scary tale of blood moons over millennia. The first record presents a sign The first record of a total lunar eclipse comes from China. It occurred on Jan. 29, in 1136 BC, Chambers writes, or in the 35th year of Wen-Wang on the day Ping-Tzu. He cites the Chou-Shu, or book of the Chou Dynasty for the record, saying it was found in 280 AD in the tomb of an emperor deceased for centuries. This chronicle of early Chinas Warring States Period found in the tomb of King Xiang of Wei that Chamber references is better known as the Bamboo Annals ( Zhushu Jinian). The text actually refers to a total lunar eclipse thought to have taken place in 1059 BC, during the reign of the last king of the Shang dynasty. Reportedly, the moons disappearance was regarded as an important omen, signaling to the vassal king Wen of the Zhou dynasty that it was time to challenge his Shang overlord. Story continues The gods announce great calamity On Aug. 27 in 413 BC, or the fourth year of the 91st Olympiad by the ancient Greek calendar, a lunar eclipse led to disaster for the Athenian army. The troops were in Sicily fighting Syracusan forces and doing poorly. Sickness broke out among the soldiers and their commander Niclas decided that the Athenians should leave the island. Plutarch, in his Life of Nicias, writes: Everything accordingly was prepared for embarkation, and the enemy paid no attention to these movements, because they did not expect them. But in the night there happened an eclipse of the Moon, at which Nicias and all the rest were struck with a great panic, either through ignorance or superstition. As for an eclipse of the Sun, which happens at the Conjunction, even the common people had some idea of its being caused by the interposition of the Moon; but they could not easily form a conception, by the interposition of what body the Moon, when at the full, should suddenly lose her light, and assume such a variety of colours. They looked upon it therefore as a strange and preternatural phenomenon, a sign by which the gods announced some great calamity. The calamity came to pass, as expected. Chambers protests, But only indirectly was it caused by the moon! The Syracusan army captured the panicking Athenian soldiers before they could flee. Doctor Profundus and the witchs eclipse The 19th-century scholar and clergyman archdeacon Edward Churton tells a story of what may have been one of the first attempts to gain power with fake news. But the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Bradwardinealso known as Doctor Profundusused astronomy to thwart the tricks of a witch. As the story is told, one fine summers night in 1349, while the moon was suddenly eclipsed, a witch tried to take responsibility for its dramatic disappearance. Churton writes, Make me good amends, said she, for old wrongs, or I will bid the Sun also to withdraw his light from you.' Bradwardine, a mathematician and philosopher who had studied with Arab astronomers, wasnt duped by the ruse. He was familiar with both solar and lunar eclipse predictions. Churton explains, Tell me, he said, at what time you will do this, and we will believe you; or if you will not tell me I will tell you when the Sun or the Moon will next be darkened, in what part of their orb the darkness will begin, how far it will spread, and how long it will continue.' With this, Bradwardine proved that the greatest witchcraft and most powerful magic is knowledge. A blood-moon hoax In 1504, Christopher Columbus pulled off an eclipse trick not dissimilar to the one the witch attempted in the 14th century, using knowledge of the kind Bradwardine wielded to thwart her manipulations. As Duncan Steel explains in his book Eclipse: The Celestial Phenomenon that Changed the Course of History, in June of 1503, a shipworm epidemic destroyed two of Columbuss four ships, forcing him to land on the Caribbean island now known as Jamaica. The islands indigenous Arawak people for six months fed the uninvited guests. Eventually, however, they grew annoyed and stopped wanting to give up their cassava and fish. Columbuss Spanish sailors mutinied, massacred Arawaks, and stole food. Columbus had to do something. Three days before a lunar eclipse was to occur on the night of Feb. 29, he told the Arawak chief his Christian god was angry because the locals were no longer being generous. Evidence of his gods displeasure would be revealed in three days time, when the moon would disappear from the sky and turn red with fury. He based this on knowledge of a coming lunar eclipse, noted in the 15th-century astronomer Johannes Muller von Konigsbergs almanac with astronomical tables, which sailors relied upon. Indeed, three days later, the moon disappeared and seemed to bleed. Terrified, the Arawaks came running to the Spanish ships laden with provisions and beseeching Columbus to intercede with his god on their behalf. The Spaniard pretended to consider the requests while he waited in private for the moon to re-emerge from the Earths shadow. Finally, Columbus said hed negotiated a peace, premised on the Arawaks continuing to feed the Spanish. Nearly a year and a half after they landed on the island, the Spanish headed home. Soon after, the conquest of the Caribbean and the North and South American continents began in earnest. If Columbus hadnt tricked the Arawaks, its possible neither he nor his crew would have made it back to Spain. The world might be very different today. Magical hues Its unlikely that the July 27 eclipse will have a similarly dramatic effect on history. We can still hope for a colorful show like the one of Oct. 13, 1837. Chambers writes that the range of hues the moon displayed that night were very remarkable. The celestial orb went beyond blood moon, transforming from copper to sea-green to a neutral tint to silvery. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Idaho tops the list of states with the highest bilateral trade exposure to the U.S.-China trade war, according to a Fitch Ratings report. Fitch says Idaho's bilateral trade exposure represents 2.7 percent of the state's gross domestic product. China purchases Idaho's alfalfa hay, dairy products and even nonfarm goods such as semiconductors and computer parts. Some of those farm sectors such as dairy and hay are now feeling the impacts of tariffs, but not its famous Idaho potatoes. Idaho is the state most exposed to fallout from the U.S.-China trade war, even though its most famous product, potatoes, has so far been spared from the wrath of Beijing's retaliatory strikes, according to a new study. China, which buys Idaho's frozen potatoes for its fast-food restaurants, also has been a major purchaser of the state's alfalfa hay, dairy products and even nonfarm goods such as semiconductors and computer parts. And some of those agriculture sectors such as dairy and hay are feeling the impact of tariffs, including weaker pricing. The Trump administration earlier this month announced 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods , a move that followed two earlier rounds of tariffs aimed at the world's second-largest economy. China has issued tit-for-tat tariffs on a wide range of U.S. goods, from automobiles to agriculture and farm products. "For the majority of U.S. states, the expansion of tariffs to $200 billion of Chinese products, will affect trade totaling less than 1.2 percent of their state gross domestic products," said Michael D'Arcy, a Fitch Ratings director of U.S. public finance. However, Idaho topped the list with bilateral trade exposure of 2.7 percent of the state's GDP, according to Fitch's report released last week. In terms of Idaho's signature crop, the U.S. Department of Agriculture valued the 2017 Idaho potato crop at more than $1.1 billion , or about 23 percent higher than the prior year's harvest. But when including the processing side of the business the economic impact of the industry is even larger. Story continues Using data from the Commerce Department's U.S. Census Bureau and International Trade Administration, Fitch Ratings measured the overall trade exposure of all 50 states to China as a percentage of gross state products, or essentially the state's individual GDP. They also looked at the total amount of imports and exports of the various states involving China, as a percentage of the state economy. D'Arcy noted that the data can skew to a show a larger exposure for states with smaller populations and modest economies if they have a few industries "that are a fairly sizable presence and they are exporting products to China to the tune of few billion dollars." According to Fitch, Idaho was one of only four states where bilateral trade with China is 2 percent or more of state GDP. The others are California , Georgia and Tennessee . The state having lowest exposure is Maine , with a mere 0.1 percent of state's GDP. "Approximately one-quarter of Idaho's exposure is in computer and electronics products while plant and animal products also contribute," said D'Arcy. Idaho's largest electronics company has a significant export business to China, but there have also been blowups along the way. Last year, Boise-based semiconductor company Micron Technology MU had sales outside the U.S. of $17.56 billion, with almost 60 percent of that total from customers in China. But Micron also has been a target of China's alleged intellectual property theft after rejecting a takeover bid from a Chinese state-owned company in 2015. President Donald Trump has complained about China's unfair trade practices and accused Beijing of providing state aid for the theft of American companies' intellectual property. It led him in March to impose tariffs on about $60 billion in Chinese imports , a move that followed the administration's duties on imported steel and aluminum products. Last Friday, Trump threatened that hes "ready to go" with tariffs on $500 billion in additional Chinese products. China already has showed it's willing to target U.S. farm goods with "double whammy" tariffs , so economies such as Idaho that are dependent on agriculture could take a hit. University of Idaho figures show Idaho's agriculture industry is by far the biggest single sector of the state's economy and directly and indirectly responsible for about 16 percent of the state's total GDP. By comparison, production agriculture such as soybeans, corn and pork represents about 7 percent of Iowa 's state GDP, but when including ag-related industries, it approaches as much as 25 percent, according Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University in Ames. "Agriculture is a very important sector of the economy for Idaho," said Robert Spendlove, senior economist at Zions Bank, which operates in Idaho and other Western states. "One of the largest employers is Idaho is Simplot, which is the company [that] essentially created the process of freezing french fries and is a leading producer of frozen french fries around the world." Besides the state's potato industry, Idaho's other major ag exports include cheese, butter, milk powder and the dairy ingredient whey. In April, China slapped a 25 percent tariff on whey and certain milk powders, a move that led Chinese buyers to go elsewhere for those products, according to analysts. The Gem State's large alfalfa hay industry helps supply feed to the local dairy industry but also has been a lucrative product for export to China. Even so, alfalfa was one of the U.S. products Beijing targeted in recent tariffs. China ranks as the world's largest foreign market for U.S. hay , according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Experts say sales from hay producers to processors have declined in recent weeks as the industry waits to see how the situation develops with tariffs. The top three hay export states are California, Idaho and Washington. "Any hay that would have traded from a grower to a processor intended for China, that trade has slowed in a wait-and-see mentality," said Jon Driver, an industry analyst with Northwest Farm Credit Services in Spokane, Washington. At the same time, he said tariffs have softened prices for a variety of hay popular with the Chinese. Yet Idaho has faced tariff fallout not only from China but from two trading partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement Mexico and Canada . In retaliation for steel import duties, Mexico targeted American potatoes and cheeses and Canada imposed duties on a range of products, including U.S. yogurt. The good news for Idaho, though, is China and Canada have spared frozen potatoes from tariffs. Both countries are major buyers of American frozen potatoes, primarily for the fast-food industry. "China is the largest export market that we have in the United States for ag products, but that's not so with Idaho," said University of Idaho agricultural economist Garth Taylor. "Canada and Mexico, our NAFTA partners, far outweigh our China connections." Canada shares a 45-mile border with Idaho but that hasn't meant Idaho is a big exporter of dairy products to Canadians. Idaho is home to the world's largest yogurt plant operated by Greek yogurt giant Chobani. The company broke ground in November on an expansion at the Twin Falls facility. But Canada imports only about $3 million annually in yogurt from the U.S., and most of it comes from a plant in Wisconsin . Indeed, Canada supplies most of its own dairy needs and the country's high tariffs on dairy have been a bone of contention with the U.S. when it comes to agricultural trade issues and NAFTA talks. In milk production, Idaho ranks in the top 4 states but has been struggling to cope given low prices and increased competition from global competitors. About a quarter of the industry's revenue comes from exports. Over a third of the Idaho's farm gate cash receipts are from the dairy segment and over half of receipts are from livestock such as beef another commodity that the Chinese have targeted with U.S. tariffs. China's duties on U.S. beef exports comes as more of the product is piling up in cold storage . More From CNBC STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire -- At the request of Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Sunniva Inc. (CSE:SNN) (OTCQX:SNNVF) (Sunniva or the Company) wishes to confirm that the Companys management is unaware of any material change in the Companys operations that would account for the recent change in market activity. Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Sunniva Inc. Sunniva, through its subsidiaries, is a vertically integrated cannabis company operating in the world's two largest cannabis markets Canada and California where we are committed to delivering safe, high-quality products and services at scale and creating trusted Sunniva branded cannabis products. Our vision is to become one of the lowest cost, highest quality vertically integrated cannabis producers in the markets we serve by building large scale purpose-built current cGMP designed greenhouses and expansion of retail locations, offering better quality assurance with cannabis products free from pesticides, providing better customer access to cannabis education and sourcing better therapeutic delivery devices. Sunniva's management and board of directors have a proven track record for creating significant shareholder value both in the healthcare and biotech industries. For more information please visit: www.sunniva.com Contact Information: Dr. Anthony Holler Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ir@sunniva.com ASKER, NORWAY (26 July 2018) - TGS will release its Q2 2018 results at approximately 07:00 CEST on 2 August 2018. CEO Kristian Johansen and CFO Sven Brre Larsen will present the results at 09:00 CEST at the Felix Conference Center, Aker Brygge, Oslo, Norway. The presentation is open to the public and can be followed live at www.tgs.com. The slides from the presentation will also be available in PDF format at both the TGS and Oslo Stock Exchange websites. CEO Kristian Johansen and CFO Sven Brre Larsen will host a conference call on 2 August 2018 at 15:00 CEST (09:00 EDT). Attendees may want to call 5-10 minutes before to ensure registration and access. Norwegian attendees are invited to call 800 51084 or +47 2100 2610 International attendees are invited to call 800 358 6377 or +44 (0) 330 336 9105 US attendees are invited to call +1 800 239 9838 or +1 323-794-2551 Participants will need to quote the following confirmation code when dialing into the conference: 7777090. A Q&A session will follow a short introduction, based upon the presentation issued in the morning. To pose a question, please press *1. A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after. To access replay of the TGS conference call, dial: +47 23 50 00 77 or 800 196 72 (Norway) +44 (0) 207 660 0134 or 0 808 101 1153 (International) +1 719-457-0820 or 888-203-1112 (US) replay access code 7777090 followed by # (pound-sign). A replay of the conference call will also be available at www.tgs.com. Company summary TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) provides multi-client geoscience data to oil and gas Exploration and Production companies worldwide. In addition to extensive global geophysical and geological data libraries that include multi-client seismic data, magnetic and gravity data, digital well logs, production data and directional surveys, TGS also offers advanced processing and imaging services, interpretation products, and data integration solutions. For more information visit TGS online at www.tgs.com. Forward-looking statements and contact information All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include TGS' reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers, TGS' ability to continue to expand markets for licensing of data, and TGS' ability to acquire and process data products at costs commensurate with profitability. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason. TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSLO:TGS). TGS sponsored American Depositary Shares trade on the U.S. over-the-counter market under the symbol "TGSGY". For additional information about this press release please contact: Sven Brre Larsen Chief Financial Officer Tel: +47 90 94 36 73 Email: sven.larsen@tgs.com Will Ashby SVP Investor Relations, HR & Communication Tel: +1 713 860 2184 Email: will.ashby@tgs.com This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to 5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act) 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 But Trump followed up that tweet by declaring that he was ready to negotiate with the Iranians and make a new deal that would presumably replace the nuclear agreement from which Trump withdrew in May. This arguably lends credence to those commentators who tend to regard the presidents assertive and blustery statements as efforts to project an image of strength in advance of serious diplomatic outreach. Trumps interactions with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un provide a case study in this strategy, but some have insisted that North Korea and Iran cannot be regarded as parallels, in the sense that Iran cannot be expected to respond to the same sort of outreach. Recent developments have lent credence to this view, as well. Prominent among them is Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemis declaration on Wednesday that Tehran will never take part in what he characterized as one-sided and under the shadow of a threat. Al Jazeera reported upon the remarks and noted that they were issued specifically in response to Trumps supposed willingness to pursue a new deal between the two countries. But whereas Trumps tentative outreach provided a sort of counterbalance to his bellicose language on Sunday, there has apparently been no comparable shift in the language used by Iranian officials in general or by the administration of so-called moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Quite to the contrary, the broader commentary surrounding Qassemis rejection of negotiations suggests that Tehran is only stepping up its own rhetoric as the deadline nears for the full-scale re-imposition of US sanctions that had previously been suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal. For example, Qassem Suleimani, the head of the foreign expeditionary Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that Iranian forces are ready to confront the US, according to USA Today. Suleimani also highlighted recent concerns about the Trump administration starting a war, but went on to say that if that happens, we will end it. In addition, Suleimani used his speech in the central Iranian city of Hamedan as an opportunity to extend veiled threats against American military forces to areas beyond the Persian Gulf. In the past, various officials including President Rouhani have suggested that Iran might close off the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation against Western measures aimed at halting Irans oil exports or otherwise weakening the Islamic Republic. But Suleimani seemed to hint at plans to impede the American presence in the Red Sea, as well. Reuters quoted him as telling supporters and allies of the Iranian regime that the vitally important waterway is no longer safe from the US. On one hand, it is easy to disregard Iranian threats, especially such vague threats against a global superpower, as mere bluster. But on the other hand, Suleimanis apparent warning was made more salient on Thursday when Business Insider reported that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had launched attacks on Saudi Arabia oil tankers in the Bab al-Mandeb, leading the Saudis to close the strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been engaged in a proxy war in Yemen for roughly three years, and Houthi attacks have variously reached beyond Yemeni territory, even targeting an American warship in surrounding waters on at least one occasion, albeit unsuccessfully. It may only be coincidence that Suleimanis remarks regarding the Red Sea were made in such close proximity to the attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb, or it may be indicative of an emerging strategy whereby Iran would use its proxies, allies, and IRGC operatives as part of a campaign of asymmetrical warfare against the US and its allies. In the meantime, Tehrans efforts to project strength in foreign territorial waters while shoring up existing alliances were seemingly underscored by its deployment of two missile boats to participate in Russias International Army Games. The Iranian Students News Agency quoted one Iranian naval official as explicitly putting the war games in context with prospective conflict between Iran and the United States. Americans are always trying to wage psychological warfare against Iran in the region, he said at a ceremony for the boats launch. But by adopting the guidelines determined by our Supreme Leader, we will overcome the challenge. But Qassem Suleimanis speech in Hamedan seemingly made it clear that Irans readiness to confront the United States involves the use of more than Iranian naval power and regional proxies. The Quds Force commander at one addressed the US directly to say of Iranian forces, we are near you, where you cant even imagine. Such remarks strongly imply the intent to utilize terrorist operatives inside Western territory a threat that is especially alarming in light of the fact that at least four individuals were arrested in June and July for planning and attempting to carry out a bombing of the international gathering of the National Council of Resistance of Iran near Paris. Two scholars at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies published an article on Wednesday that highlighted this terror plot and its implications for Western policy toward the Islamic Republic. The authors decried the fact that European governments have so far maintained the status quo, even welcoming President Rouhani for a visit to Vienna, despite the fact that the alleged mastermind of the plot was a leading Iranian diplomat working in that same city. The article made the argument that terror threats against Western targets will continue to emanate from the Islamic Republic unless the nations of Europe take an assertive approach to Iran policy and help the Trump White House in mounting a comprehensive international pressure campaign that compels Iran to shut down its terrorism, spy and assassination network. But even this does not describe the full range of persistent Iranian threats against the US and its allies. On Thursday, the Associated Press published an article highlighting the threat of foreign-based hacking to Western national defense and economics. The report named Iran, Russia, and China as three principal sources of such threats, and specifically indicated that an Iranian hacking collective known as Rocket Kitten had been identified as repeatedly targeting US defense companies in order to steal information about American weapons technology and possibly adopt it into their own military capabilities. One would assume that American congressional lawmakers are generally aware of the above threats and have taken them into consideration when determining that there is no known justification for war with Iran. That fact, as much as the existence of those threats themselves, goes a long way toward undermining Qassem Suleimanis claim, and many other peoples worry, that if there is ever a war between the two countries, it will be the US that starts it. There has been a heavy toll on the U.S. military in the past few decades under all of the recent administrations. The opinion of the majority is that no more people should risk adding to the tens of thousands of wounded and killed servicemen and women in recent history. Furthermore, these Americans were not all killed or injured on the front lines of war. A large number of them were killed during peacekeeping efforts, humanitarian missions and rescue operations. No-one wants a war with Iran, not least the Trump administration, contrary to what some believe. Many see the war on words that took place between President Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani a few days ago as an invitation to war. Trump very angrily told the Iranian president that Iran must remain cautious. His message on social media read: To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS! Rather than saying that he is keen to start a war with Iran, it is more of a warning that he will do what he needs to do to protect the United States. He is saying that the United States will not sit back and accept provocation from Iran in the way the previous administration did. He is warning Iran that if the United States or its interests were in danger, he would respond. Iran has renewed its threats to block the Strait of Hormuz if its oil gets blocked. Regime officials have explicitly said that if Iranian oil cannot pass, then no countrys oil will pass. Iran is threatening to do this because it wants foreign countries to be affected so that they can intervene and urge the Trump administration to change its policy. However, many are doubting that Iran has the actual capability to block the strait. Its technology is no match for that of the West, so would it even dare? Since before even taking office, Trump has made it very clear that he will not be intimidated by Iran and that he will not accept its belligerence or any attacks. In any case, war is not needed because the fall of the regime will happen naturally. The will of the people is enough if they are supported by the United States. He said that for almost 40 years, the people of Iran have endured kleptocracy and have seen their wealth squandered on supporting terrorism. He also said that the people of Iran have been jailed for peacefully exercising their right to protest. Pompeo highlighted that the regime forcefully pushed itself into power in 1979 and has been spreading its ideological agenda since, leaving the welfare of the people to the side. Regarding the nuclear deal, Pompeo said that the people should have been able to benefit from the lifting of sanctions, but again, the needs of the people were put to one side and the regime squandered the money on terrorism. Furthermore, he pointed out that an Iranian firefighter makes two to three times less than an average Hezbollah member. He said: The level of corruption and wealth among Iranian leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government. The Secretary of States rhetoric has gone up a level since his speech in Many where he listed 12 conditions that Tehran must adhere to as well as the Trump administrations strategy for moving forward. As well as being under immense pressure on the domestic front, Iran is facing much pressure on an international level. Although the Trump administration has said that it is not specifically pursing policy for regime change, it has said that it will support the people in making their voice heard. In his May speech, Pompeo said: While it is ultimately up to the Iranian people to determine the direction of their country, the United States will support the long-ignored voice of the Iranian people. And this is exactly what the people of Iran need. In 2009, the people of Iran were ignored by the Obama administration. This was a move that essentially blocked the people of Iran from progressing in their plight. The Trump administration has alluded to this and it is clear that it will not be acting in the same way. At the end of December last year, President Trump took to Twitter to call the regime out on its suppression of the people. This is bad news for the Iranian regime because it puts weight behind the peoples demands for regime change. The people are no longer hoping for reform and moderation. That boat has sailed. It is very clear that the regime is incapable of both. The main opposition points out that the biggest uprising in recent history is taking place right now in Iran. Protests have been continuing since December last year and the people are no longer protesting about the Iranian regimes corruption and mismanagement. Now they are taking to the streets to make their desire for regime change known. The NCRI is confident that the regime will fall all by itself if the people are supported by the United States. For those fearing the consequences of regime change and the collapse of a government, it is helpful to look to history to see how it progressed on previous occasions. The government of Iran saw major government changes in 1953 and 1979. Of course, it did not go smoothly, but it was not horrifically violent either. Last month, Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations and Reuel Marc Gerecht of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal. They said that regime change in Iran is nothing to fear. They too advised that looking into the history of the country can be reassuring. They wrote: The U.S. can draw on Persian history and on experience with the Soviet Union. The Islamic Republic (. . .) is probably internally weaker than the Soviet Union was in the 1970s. If the people of Iran had been supported by the United States during the 2009 uprising that shook the regime to its core it is almost certain that it would have toppled. However, the previous administration lost out on a major opportunity to bring great change to the Middle East. Former President Barack Obama was adamant that his policies of appeasement would be exactly what brought the Iranian regime towards what was expected of it by the international community. Obama conceded to the Iranian regime on countless occasions and gave into numerous demands during the negotiations of the nuclear agreement. Instead of moderating the regimes behaviour, the appeasement policies emboldened the regime. Its interference and meddling in the region stepped up to the next level. It was unacceptable, but even faced with this the administration failed to take appropriate action. Iran enjoyed what has become known as the golden years of Obama. It knew that no matter how it acted, Obama would turn a blind eye because he did not want to jeopardise his legacy the nuclear agreement. A change of government should never be taken lightly, and in the case of Iran, it isnt. The people have suffered for almost 40 years and moderation is completely impossible. The group of 10 senators, who all opposed the 2015 accord, wrote an open letter to the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany, which explained that the US would be particularly troubled by any efforts by its European allies to undermine the sanctions and warned that any such attempts could be met with congressional action. The senators, including Ted Cruz (Texas), Marco Rubio (Florida) and Tom Cotton (Arkansas), said that these sanctions were enshrined in US law and had only been lifted because the previous administration approved of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The letter read in part: We write to urge you to comply with all American sanctions but also to emphasize we would find it particularly troubling if you sought to evade or undermine American statutes. These laws were passed by Congress, signed by President Obama and will be enforced by President Trump. It continued: Any attempt to evade or subvert them could well prompt congressional action, in coordination with other elements of the U.S. government, to ensure their integrity. The US sanctions that were lifted under the deal by then-President Obama will begin rolling back on August 4, while the second set of sanctions will be re-imposed on November 4. The US has consistently warned its allies to end its trade with Iran by this deadline or they and their companies will be subject to US secondary sanctions and potentially even blocked from the US financial markets. While Europe has struggled to keep the deal alive and vowed to protect its companies from US sanctions, many European businesses have already pulled out of Iran or have made plans to do so by the November deadline. The US aims to cuts Irans oil exports, which constitute a great deal of their economy, to zero by November. In response, Iran repeatedly threated to close the Strait of Hormuz, when one-fifth of global oil exports, flow through and even threatened the US with the mother of all wars. Trump responded on Sunday in an all-caps tweet, telling Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to never threaten the US ever again or else be prepared to face consequences the likes of which no country has ever faced before. The families of the victims are suffering much distress because the individual and mass graves of their loved ones are being destroyed. They are also afraid of facing further persecution if they speak out. Photo and video evidence has revealed that the concrete structure marking the mass grave as well as dozens of individual graves have been smashed. Now, the graves are hidden under piles of dirt and debris. According to an official sign at the site, the purpose of the project is to build a boulevard and create a 21-acre park, and that the project is supervised by the Municipality of Ahvaz. Amnesty International previously received information from human rights defenders outside Iran that municipal officials had promised the families that the road under construction would not go over the individual and mass graves. However, visiting families at the site on July 20th, 2018 said that that graves had been destroyed. Eyewitnesses report that barbed wire now surrounds the site, and it is under heavy surveillance. AIs report says further that the destruction of the graves follows a three-decade-long campaign of enforced disappearance by the authorities which has involved concealing the truth about the fate and whereabouts of those extrajudicially killed in 1988. The families have been denied the right to receive and bury their loved ones according to their traditions, and the grave-sites have been desecrated by turning it into a rubbish dump. As well, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) president-elect Maryam Rajavi has called for urgent action to prevent the destruction of the graves of victims and removing the traces of the 1988 massacre in Iran. Mrs. Rajavi urged the UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and international human rights organizations to take immediate action to prevent the Iranian regimes systematic destruction of the graves, and the removal of evidence of this massacre throughout the country, but particularly in Ahvaz. The clerical regime has tried to prevent the growth of the Call-for-Justice movement but has failed. Now, in an attempt to evade the consequences of this genocide, they are desperately trying to remove the traces of this massacre, according to Mrs. Rajavi. She warned that the destruction of the graves of the martyrs is a major crime in itself, whose perpetrators must face justice and be held accountable. The regime demolished the graves of PMOI martyrs in Vadi-e Rahmat Cemetery in Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan Province In late June. The mass graves of the martyrs of the 1988 massacre and other PMOI martyrs in Behesht-e Reza Cemetery in Mashhad, capital of Razavi Khorasan Province had been destroyed on the orders of the clerical regimes officials over the past months. On Thursday, Time Magazine reported that the IRGC had actually been using German front companies to buy advanced printing machinery, watermarked paper and specialty inks to print counterfeit Yemeni bank notes in violation of European export controls. This was confirmed by US Treasury Department officials who said that these forgeries were potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The money was used to help the Houthis wage war on the internationally recognised government of Yemen and the US-backed Arab Coalition to reinstate said government, which has led to what Time called the worlds worst humanitarian conflict. The US officials who uncovered Irans scheme met with their German counterparts at the Federal Ministry of Finance in April 2017 to express their concerns. They hoped that this would convince Germany about the need to counter Irans illicit activity in the Middle East, that Iran cannot be trusted, and that Germany should join the US in imposing sanctions on Iran.however this did not happen. The German intelligence agencies issued several reports in 2017 documenting Irans use of front companies in Germany to procure nuclear and missile technology and the US designated the IRGC a terrorist entity, but Germany has refused to act. Theyve even allowed a former IRGC member to run an Iranian regime-controlled Islamic Center of Hamburg. The US even presented Germany with detailed blueprints that explained how the US would be waging war on Irans economy, but the European state did nothing. According to sources familiar with US-German talks on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the US withdrew from in May, Germany is widely considered the least cooperative in confronting Irans bellicose activities. In fact, German exports to Iran rose from 2.6b. in 2016 to 3.5 billion in 2017, despite warnings from the US and German intelligence agencies. In July, the Hamburg intelligence agency released a 211-page report, which revealed that Iran is continuing to seek weapons of mass destruction. It read: [Iran is] still making an effort to obtain products for the manufacture of atomic, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction (proliferation) and the corresponding missile carrier technology (rocket technology). They also listed Syria, Pakistan and North Korea as other countries of concern, all three of which have ties to Iran. Banning Huawei from playing a role in Australia's 5G rollout would put Optus and Vodafone at a massive disadvantage vis-a-vis Telstra and create chaos in the local telecommunications market, a respected network analyst says. Dr Mark Gregory, associate professor in network engineering at RMIT, told iTWire in response to queries that each of Optus and Vodafone would probably have to spend hundreds of millions to replace the Huawei equipment they had in their 4G networks with equipment from either Ericsson or Nokia. The Australian Government is set to decide in the next couple of months whether to give Huawei a role in the 5G network rollout. It has been under enormous pressure from the US to ban the company from participation, with the Americans making allegations that Huawei could indulge in spying on behalf of the Chinese Government, though they have not offered a shred of proof. Huawei has strongly denied these claims and offered to set up a security assurance testing centre in Australia, as it has done in the UK and Canada, and is building in New Zealand. Optus has 6940 mobile sites, of which about 60% to 70% are run on Huawei equipment, according to industry sources. In the case of Vodafone, all 5387 sites run on Huawei equipment, these sources told iTWire. Gregory said the last thing that Australia needed especially in view of the mess created by the rollout of the national broadband network, the NBN was chaos when 5G was introduced. He said newcomer TPG which has a single site at the moment, running on Huawei equipment would also be affected, given that it would have planned its mobile deployment based on a certain set of numbers. Huawei equipment is much cheaper than that sold by either Ericsson or Nokia. The fourth company capable of handling a job as large as a 5G rollout is ZTE but, as it is also a Chinese company, is unlikely to be considered by Australia. "Optus and Vodafone would be behind by 12 to 18 months and Telstra would benefit. But consumers would lose out as prices would not fall, rather they would go up," Gregory said. He pointed out that he had proposed the idea of a security assurance centre for some time, even writing to senior politicians about it recently. He said such a centre would make it possible for all equipment to be tested and verified, removing the spectre of suspicion from a product once and for all. "That is the way to go in the long term," he added. Dr KC ends hunger strike after 9-point agreement with govt Senior orthopedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC has ended his hunger strike after signing a nine-point agreement with the government on Thursday, 27 days after he resorted to his 15th fast-unto-death. Police intervene in rally of docs, medical students; 25 arrested Police have intervened in a rally organised in the Capital on Thursday by medical students and professionals to pressurise the government to immediately fulfill the demands put forth by Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging an indefinite hunger strike for the past 27 days. By: Heather Adkins, Betsy Beyer, Paul Blankinship, Ana Oprea, Piotr Lewandowski, Adam Stubblefield Can a system be considered truly reliable if it isn't fundamentally secure? Or can it be considered secure if it's unreliable? Security is crucial to the design and operation of scalable systems in production, as it plays an important part in product quality, performance, and availability. In this book, experts from Google share best practices to help your organization design scalable and reliable systems that are fundamentally secure. PDF MOBI EPUB Buy from Google Books Brooklyn Man Charged with Rape, Attempted Murder A 27-year-old man has been charged with sexually assaulting and trying to kill a woman in her North Hollywood apartment, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office announced. Deputy District Attorney Elan Carr said Danueal Drayton (dob 10/29/90) of Brooklyn faces one count each of attempted murder, forcible rape, false imprisonment by violence and sexual penetration by foreign object. Arraignment is scheduled today in Department 100 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys Branch. Case LA088839 was filed on July 26. ADVERTISEMENT On July 22 and 23, Drayton allegedly strangled and sexually assaulted the 28-year-old victim and refused to let her leave her apartment after a date, the prosecutor said. Drayton faces a possible maximum sentence of more than 23 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged. Bail is set a $1.25 million. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, North Hollywood Station. Helicopter Noise Complaints Deserve Federal Funding, CA Politicians Say A coalition of California lawmakers called today on the federal government to continue to pay for a system that allows Los Angeles County residents to complain about helicopter noise. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and several other members of Californias congressional delegation sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration asking it to reverse a decision to terminate funding for the Los Angeles Automated Complaint System. They also asked for improvements that would more accurately track helicopters across Los Angeles County. The residents of Los Angeles deserve the continued support of the FAA in maintaining the Los Angeles Automated Noise Complaint System. Excessive helicopter noise remains a problem in the Los Angeles County, and we ask the FAA to continue working toward solutions, including by supporting and improving the noise complaint system, the letter reads in part. ADVERTISEMENT It was also signed by Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, Brad Sherman, D-Porter Ranch, Tony Cardenas, D-Los Angeles, Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, and Ted Lieu, D-Torrance. The system costs $30,000 annually, according to the California delegation, which pointed out that Congress recently approved an additional $1.6 billion in FAA spending, nearly a 10 percent increase to the federal agencys budget. The decision to terminate the noise complaint system appears to be less about its very modest expense and more about not wanting to hear complaints from the public of excessive noise, the letter states. In addition, the group wants to see the system incorporate data from Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems, required for all helicopters by 2020, and be available in Spanish and other languages. The system was set up in 2015 in response to legislation sponsored by Feinstein and Schiff and allows federal regulators to track complaints about helicopter noise. It is intended to sort out which operators are responsible for excessive noise. Information on enforcement and effectiveness was not immediately available. Complaints can be lodged online at www.heli-noise-la.com or by calling (424) 348-4354. ADVERTISEMENT Statistics on the website show that hundreds of complaints are filed weekly. Support for the system ended June 30, according to a note on the site. LA County Offers $10,000 Reward in Carson Shooting The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $10,000 reward for information leading to whoever gunned down a 53-year-old woman on her familys front porch in Carson last month. ADVERTISEMENT Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recommended the reward in the killing of Tauvaaga Judy Lauvai, who was visiting from Arizona to celebrate Fathers Day with her family. Just before 9 p.m. on June 16, a light-colored, four-door sedan stopped in front of the familys home in the 22700 block of Island Avenue and someone inside the car opened fire. Lauvai was shot in the chest and died at St. Francis Medical Center. Another family members leg was grazed by a bullet. Lauvai worked at Arizona State University as an administrative assistant. The Carson High School graduate lived in the city for more than 50 years before moving out of state. She is survived by her husband of 28 years and four grown children. Ridley-Thomas said investigators have received no viable clues, but believe that there are witnesses who may have seen the suspect or know his identity. He urged anyone with more information to call sheriffs Lt. Joe Mendoza at (323) 890-5564 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477). Lauvai was one of two women shot within a five-hour period in Carson that evening. ADVERTISEMENT About 1:30 a.m. June 17, deputies received a call of a person down in the 18200 block of Towne Avenue, about 3 1/2 miles away from where Lauvai was shot. They found 46-year-old Lucrecia Phillips dead at the scene. Sheriffs homicide detectives could not be reached to update the status of that investigation. Mark Ruffalo and Common Call Trump Administrations Failure to Reunify Families at the Border a Humanitarian Crisis We Stand United released a new video featuring Mark Ruffalo and Common about the ongoing humanitarian crisis of family separation and abuses at the border. The Trump Administration failed to meet a court order to reunify families they separated at the border by July 26. Many families have not been brought back together. Children are still being kept in cages and abuses continue. The short video features distraught parents and children at the U.S. border, humanitarian workers describing the conditions they are facing, and also includes moving footage of a mother being reunited with her child. Oscar nominated actor, director, and advocate Mark Ruffalo says in the video, We are in the midst of a humanitarian crisis here on U.S. soil. The Trump Administration has failed to comply with the court order to reunify all the families that have been separated at the U.S. border. ADVERTISEMENT Oscar and Grammy Award winning musician and actor Common states that, Families are still being kept apart, and children are still in cages. We need to help these families. We will not rest until all the children are out of cages and back in their parents arms. Andra Days Grammy-nominated song Rise Up, which she offered in support of the video, is also featured. The video asks viewers to donate to Families Belong Together (at www.ReunifyFamilies.org) to help reunite families, including transportation costs. Many parents are being forced to pay to get their kids back, sometimes thousands of dollars, and many of them came here with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Rebecca Chaiklin and Bruce Cohen, of We Stand United, said, We made this video to show the human cost of the Trump Administrations despicably inhumane immigration policies. The Trump Administration must immediately comply with the court order to reunify every single family they separated. This is Whats Trending Today The longest lunar eclipse of the century will happen late Friday or early Saturday, depending on where you live. The American space agency NASA says the moon will move into the Earths shadow on Friday night. For four hours, it will be partly in the Earths shadow. The total eclipse will last 1 hour 42 minutes and 57 seconds. The eclipse will be visible to people in Europe, Africa and the Middle East on July 27 between sunset and midnight. Those who live in Asia and Australia will be able to see the eclipse between midnight and sunrise on July 28. The eclipse will turn the light color of the moon to deep red. Scientists call this kind of moon a blood moon. Andrew Fabian is with the University of Cambridge. He spoke with the Reuters news agency. Its called a blood moon because the light from the sun goes through the Earths atmosphere on its way to the moon and the Earths atmosphere turns it red in the same way that when the sun goes down, it goes red. Unlike a solar eclipse, people can look at a lunar eclipse directly with their own eyes. On the same day as the eclipse, the planet Mars will be at its brightest as it travels close to Earth. The eclipse, however, will not be visible from North America or most of the Pacific. The next lunar eclipse of such length will happen in 2123. Im Dorothy Gundy. Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on NASA reports. Ashley Thompson. was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story lunar eclipse - n. an occasion when the moon looks like it is completely or partially covered with a dark circle because of the Earth's shadow is on it visible - adj. able to be seen shadow - n. a area of darkness created when a source of light is blocked bright - adj. filled with light Cambodians vote Sunday for all 125 seats in the country's National Assembly. Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party is expected to stay in power. The party has won every election for the past 20 years. In the 2013 election, the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (or CNRP) disputed the results. It accused the ruling party of fraud and refused to enter parliament to claim its 55 seats. The boycott set off protests against the government that resulted in violent attacks on demonstrators by security forces. The protests ended in July 2014 when the opposition party met with government officials and agreed to enter parliament. Since then, the government has put intense pressure on the opposition. Its leader Sam Rainsy was accused of insulting the government and lost his parliamentary right. He is barred from returning to Cambodia or running in elections. In February 2017, Rainsy gave leadership of the opposition party to Kem Sokha. Seven months later, Kem was arrested and accused of planning a U.S.-backed revolution in Cambodia. While 20 parties are expected to run in Sunday's election, the CNRP was seen as the only serious threat to Hun Sen's party and leadership. The United Nations has called the election flawed because of the governments actions against the CNRP and its leaders. The United States and the European Union have withdrawn financial support for the election. The Cambodian government has also pressured independent media in the past year. The Cambodia Daily newspaper announced in September that it would go out of business after getting a $6.3 million tax bill. The newspaper's publishers said the tax bill was driven by politics. The pressure has also affected radio stations, including the Phnom Penh office of Radio Free Asia, which also closed in September. Two journalists who worked for Radio Free Asia were arrested and accused of spying. Cambodia's government said about 220 election observers from 52 countries will watch for problems with Sunday's vote. But critics say many of the observer groups are linked to the ruling party. On Wednesday, Cambodia's armed forces made a show of power with anti-riot equipment and assault rifles. Cambodian forces had used such equipment in an attack on anti-government protesters in January 2014. The Phnom Penh police chief told Reuters that security forces will be stationed across the capital city to keep order during Sunday's vote. He said police will stop any protests or anyone urging others not to vote. Im Susan Shand. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English from VOA News reports. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Three large airlines have given in to pressure from China and changed the way they identify the island of Taiwan on their websites. The three companies -- American, Delta and United are based in the United States. They joined other international air carriers to remove the name Taiwan from their website and internet searches. Instead, the three now list Taipei the capital of Taiwan in all searches. China had demanded that airline websites be clear that Taiwan is not a separate territory from China. The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan a rebel province and believes the island must someday be reunified with the mainland, even if by force. China has used its economic and political influence to pressure other businesses and countries to stop recognizing Taiwan as a separate entity. Chinese officials threatened to punish airline companies that failed to make the changes by July 25. The Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of Chinas Communist Party, reported that all 44 airlines asked by China to remove Taiwan descriptions did so. They included British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Qantas and Air Canada. Chinas foreign ministry praised the airlines for accepting the demand, calling the changes positive progress. American Airlines and United Airlines said they made the changes because they respect and obey the rules of the countries in which they operate. The U.S. government had criticized Chinas demand and urged Chinese officials to negotiate another solution. Several U.S. lawmakers and Taiwanese business leaders called on the American companies to stand up against Chinas demand. In Taiwan, officials condemned China for making demands of foreign businesses. "Taiwan's existence in the international community is an objective fact. It will not disappear because of suppression by Chinese authorities," a statement said. A U.S. spokeswoman said the United States opposes foreign governments demanding that private businesses make changes to please those governments. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story entity n. something that exists apart from other things positive adj. good or useful objective adj. based on facts rather than feelings or opinions A huge lake of salty water appears to be buried deep in Mars, scientists reported this week. The presence of water raises the chances of finding life on the red planet. The discovery is based on observations by a European spacecraft. It has excited experts. Water is necessary for life, and scientists have long hoped to prove that it is present on Mars. Cassie Stuurman is a geophysicist at the University of Texas. In 2016, she found evidence of a huge ice deposit on Mars. If these researchers are right, this is the first time weve found evidence of a large water body on Mars, Stuurman said. Scott Hubbard, a professor of astronautics at Stanford University, is also excited about the discovery. He served as NASAs first Mars program director in 2000. He said NASA has long believed in following the water. He is pleased that the new discovery supports that idea. The study was published in the journal Science. Researchers are not yet sure how deep the area of water is. So, they cannot say whether it is an underground pool, an aquifer-like body, or just an area of soft, wet soil. To find the water, Italian researchers examined radar signals. The signals were collected over three years by the European Space Agencys Mars Express spacecraft. The results suggest that a 20-kilometer-wide water body lies below ice that is 1.5 kilometers thick. They believe the area is close to the planets southern pole. Researchers spent at least two years examining the data to make sure they had found water and not ice or another substance. I really have no other explanation, said astrophysicist Roberto Orosei of Italys National Institute of Astrophysics in Bologna. He is lead writer of the study. Mars is very cold, but salt in the water may have kept it from freezing. It is the same as when you put salt on a road to prevent ice from forming, said Kirsten Siebach. She is a planetary geologist at Rice University. She was not part of the study. This water would be extremely cold, right at the point where its about to freeze. And it would be salty. Siebach added that such conditions are not ideal for life to form. But, she said, there are bacteria on Earth that have been able to survive in similar conditions. Roberto Orosei said it is easy to think that the water body is the first place where life could exist on Mars. But he believes the planet may have other hidden bodies of water, waiting to be discovered. Mars has been a popular planet for exploration, with some groups placing instruments on its surface and others examining it from space. In May, NASA launched another spacecraft, the InSight Mars lander. It will dig under the surface after it reaches a flat area of the planet in November. Im Lucija Millonig. Emilio Rodriguez Mega reported this story for the Associated Press. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning Engish. Ashley Thompson was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story spacecraft n. a vehicle that is used for travel in outer space geophysicist n. a scientist whose study deals with the physical movements and forces of the Earth deposit n. an amount of something (such as sand, snow, or mud) that has formed or been left on a surface or area over a period of time astronautics n. the science and technology of human space travel and exploration pool n. a small area of water aquifer n. a layer of rock or sand that can absorb and hold water pole n. either end of the imaginary line around which something, such as a planet, turns geologist n. a scientist who studies rocks, layers of soil, et cetera, in order to learn about the history of the Earth and its life ideal adj. exactly right for a particular purpose, situation, or person Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Taiwan yesterday denounced Chinas latest moves to increase its global isolation, saying residents of the self-governing island would reject attempts to deny its existence. China in recent days has forced international airlines to stop referring to Taiwan as a separate country on their websites. It also allegedly prompted the Asian Olympic Committee to withdraw the islands right to host a youth competition scheduled for next year in the central city of Taichung. These are attempts to destroy Taiwans sovereignty, and erase it from the world map, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee told reporters at a news conference. I believe that no Taiwanese people would accept such a thing, Lee said. Beijings action is aimed at increasing Taiwans isolation and prodding it toward a political union with China. Taiwan is already excluded from the United Nations and other major international organizations, and China has been steadily poaching away the self-governing islands dwindling number of diplomatic partners. Beijing has also stepped up its military threats by sending warplanes on patrols around the island and staging war games on its side of the Taiwan Strait. It has also offered preferential terms for talented young people from the high-tech island to work in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing that offer much larger potential markets than those available in Taiwan. China has taken an increasingly hard line since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who has refused to endorse Beijings insistence that Taiwan is a part of China to be brought under its control eventually. Tsais office issued a statement criticizing the move to cancel the 2019 East Asian Youth Games in Taichung as brazen and crude political meddling in sports. Taiwan condemns Chinas behavior in the strongest possible terms, the statement said. BEIJING UNSATISFIED China said the changes U.S. airlines have agreed to make on how they refer to Taiwan is incomplete with the carriers seeking two more weeks to fully implement the requirement. American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc. and Hawaiian Holdings Inc. are the last four foreign airlines out of 44 that didnt fully comply with an order to reflect the island as part of China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement. The deadline was yesterday. The regulator didnt say what changes the airlines promised were incomplete. U.S. airlines were altering their website displays for Taiwan, and refer to the island only by the city names of Taipei and Kaohsiung, or by airport codes. Route maps may no longer display a country label for Taiwan. The White House in May dismissed Chinas directive as Orwellian nonsense, saying it was part of a trend by the Communist Party to impose its political views on U.S. citizens and private companies. CAAC sent a letter in April to more than 40 foreign airlines telling them that they shouldnt place China, Hong Kong and Taiwan on an equal footing, and must refer to China Taiwan or the China Taiwan region. Maps must display the territories in the same color as mainland China, the order said. MDT/Agencies Mattel, hurt by the closing of Toys R Us stores, said Wednesday that it will cut more than 2,200 jobs as the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars seeks to save money. Like other toy companies, Mattel has lost sales as Toys R Us faltered. The toy retailer filed for bankruptcy protection last year, announced it was liquidating its business in March and then closed all its stores last month. Mattel rival Hasbro, however, reported better-than- expected second-quarter financial results earlier this week, a sign that the maker of Monopoly and Play-Doh is rebounding from the demise of Toys R Us. A Mattel spokesman said the job cuts will affect mainly its office workers worldwide and are part of the companys efforts to slash at least USD650 million in costs. Mattel, which is based in El Segundo, California, has about 28,000 employees. Mattel Inc.s stock fell nearly 9 percent to $14.85 in after-hours trading Wednesday, after dropping 1 percent during the regular trading day. The company had other bad news: Its financial results between April are June were worse than what Wall Street analysts had expected. It posted a loss of $240.9 million, or 70 cents per share, in the second quarter. Losses, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 56 cents per share, far larger than the loss of 32 cents per share analysts expected, according to Zacks Investment Research. Revenue fell 14 percent to $840.7 million, below the $863.1 million analysts expected. There were some bright spots: Barbie and Hot Wheels sales rose, even as Toys R Us shuttered its doors. Other brands didnt fare as well. Sales of its American Girl dolls fell, as did sales in its Fisher-Price brand. Ynon Kreiz, who was named CEO in April, said Wednesday that he expects the negative impact of Toys R Us to subside by next year. Mattel, he said, is working closely with other retailers and looking for more ways to sell its toys online. Mattel is a company with great potential, Kreiz said in a conference call. AP Kem Monovithya, a Cambodian political activist, was visiting Switzerland in September when she got a phone call from her father. Kem Sokha, the leader of Cambodias main opposition party, told his daughter that government agents were raiding their familys home in Phnom Penh. He told me: Theyre handcuffing me now, Kem Monovithya, 36, recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. Months later, her father remains in prison, facing charges of treason, and she is in the United States. She said she cant go home because she fears she, too, will be arrested as part of a government crackdown that has banned the political party her father led, shut down news outlets and scattered hundreds of Cambodian politicians, human rights activists and journalists into exile in the U.S., Australia, Thailand and other countries. Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling party, the Cambodian Peoples Party, has stepped up actions against media organizations and opposition politicians over the past two years as national elections which are set for Sunday have drawn closer. Hun Sen, who had held power for three decades, vowed last year that hed be willing to eliminate 100 to 200 people to protect the nations security, suggesting his opponents prepare coffins. Spokespeople for the ruling party and the government did not answer questions from the AP for this story. In February, the government issued a 132-page book that asserted that real democracy is not being reversed [] On the contrary, only fake democracy is being uprooted. The international watchdog group Human Rights Watch says the civil and political rights environment in Cambodia has markedly deteriorated since the start of 2017. The group says the regime has engaged in arbitrary arrests and other abuses and worked to portray peaceful dissent over corruption, land rights and other issues as attempts to overthrow the government. Kem Monovithya and other exiled members of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party are keeping the party alive from abroad. They are trying to convince the U.S., the European Union and others to place an embargo on international travel by top Cambodian officials, but avoid a general economic embargo that would hurt average Cambodians. They are also asking voters boycott this months elections, using social media to urge Cambodians to embrace a clean finger campaign. In Cambodia, voters must dip their fingers in ink after casting their ballots. The National Election Committee warned that anyone urging a boycott or otherwise interfering in the polls could face criminal charges. BEYOND WORDS Kem Monovithya and other exiles have traveled around the U.S. and to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere to spread their message, talking with diplomats, lawmakers, media and Cambodians living abroad. As they advocate for change from afar, Cambodias political exiles are also struggling with a sense of loss and dislocation. I miss my family, my kids, said Sia Phearum, a Cambodian land rights activist who fled the country for the U.S. in late 2017, leaving behind his wife and three children, ages 5 to 11. The pain is beyond words. Kem Monovithya told the AP that her exile is a test of my strength and endurance. I am almost homeless. She stays with friends and she isnt sure where shell be from week to week. I go where my advocacy takes me, she said. A month after her fathers arrest, one of his deputy party leaders, Mu Sochua, was tipped off by two government officials that she was also going to be arrested. Mu Sochua, 64, said she wanted to stay, but her children convinced her that she should she leave the country and work from abroad for democracy in Cambodia. In late May, Mu Sochua and Kem Monovithya traveled to Norway to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum, a gathering of human rights and democracy advocates. In a speech at the forum, Mu Sochua urged the international community to impose sanctions on those who are engaging in the oppression in Cambodia. The democracies of the world should not recognize a government from an illegitimate election, she said. The U.S. has expressed grave concern about the Cambodian governments actions and questioned whether this months elections will be free and fair. In March, the Trump White House said it was withholding USD8.3 million in funding for Cambodias government as part of an effort to ensure that American taxpayer funds are not being used to support anti-democratic behavior. The EU has threatened a trade embargo and Germany has restricted travel visas for Cambodian government officials. Japan has continued to provide funding to help underwrite the general election. Exiled Cambodian opposition leaders have appealed to the Japanese government to withdraw the funding. Cambodian authorities claim that opposition leaders, community activists and journalists are working with the U.S. and other superpowers to bring down the government. Hun Sen and other government officials use the term color revolution to describe these efforts. All armed forces are obliged to absolutely ensure that Cambodia is free from any color revolutions, Hun Sen wrote in a Facebook post in 2016. Such a revolution will harm peoples happiness and peace in Cambodia. Armed forces shall protect the legitimate government. AUTHORITY OF THE STATE Despite the cooling of its relations with the U.S., the Cambodian government has cited Donald Trumps attacks on what he calls the fake news media as justification for tighter controls on journalism in Cambodia. President Donald Trump thinks that the news reported by these organizations did not reflect the truth, which is the responsibility of the professional reporters, a Cambodian government spokesman said in a statement weeks after Trumps inauguration. This means that freedom of expression must respect the law and the authority of the state. In September, the Cambodian Daily, an English language newspaper known for its aggressive reporting on corruption and abuses of power, announced it had been forced to close as the result of what it said were extra-legal threats and a sham tax bill from the government. The papers final front page included the headline Descent Into Outright Dictatorship and the news that Kem Monovithyas father, Kem Sokha, had been arrested and charged with conspiring with the U.S. to overthrow Hun Sens government. Hun Sen publicly called Kem Sokha a foreign puppet. In May, the Phnom Penh Post, which was considered the last independent daily in Cambodia, was purchased by a businessman who is chief executive of a public relations firm that has worked for Hun Sens government. After the sale, several top journalists at the paper were fired or resigned. The government has also closed about 20 radio channels and arrested two former reporters with U.S.-backed Radio Free Asia. The journalists, Uon Chhin and Yeang Southearin, were initially accused of running an unlicensed karaoke studio but were later charged with providing a foreign state with information which undermines national defense. These troubles are the latest in a country that has endured genocide, civil war and oppression over the past half century. Nearly 2 million Cambodians died in the killing fields operated by the Khmer Rouge, the communist regime that controlled the country from 1975 to 1979. Hun Sen took power as Cambodias prime minister in 1985, but violence between competing factions continued until a peace accord was signed in Paris in 1991. Over the past decade or more, citizen protests have proliferated over land rights, widespread logging in Cambodias forests and working conditions in the countrys garment factories. In response, the government has arrested dozens of protest leaders, convicting some in court proceedings that Human Right Watch said failed to meet even the most rudimentary fair trial standards. Sia Phearum, the land rights activist, said the powerful and the rich profit from development and land grabs while poor people get little compensation for their losses. The government and the companies are doing business together, he said. When you hear of a place being developed, there will be tears and suffering. TIGERS AND SNAKES Some observers trace the regimes increased efforts to curb dissent to the killing of Kem Ley, a political commentator and critic of the regime. He was gunned down in Phnom Penh in 2016 two days after he spoke on radio about a report by the watchdog group Global Witness examining the wealth that Hun Sens family has accumulated. His death was widely seen as a politically motivated murder. Throngs of people took to the streets to join his funeral procession. Opposition politicians believe the turnout surprised the government. Kem Leys widow, Bou Rachana, had never been involved in politics, but since her husbands murder, she has begun speaking out about her countrys political and social ills. She left Cambodia and was granted asylum in Australia earlier this year. I could not live in a country full of tigers and snakes, she told AP. Bopha Phorn, Washington, AP Following a public outcry over the greyhounds welfare, the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome has partnered with animal rights group Anima Macau to work on a project that will accommodate the remaining 553 greyhounds at the Canidrome. In a press conference today (Friday), the two parties announced that the plan on The International Center for the Rehoming of Greyhounds has been submitted to the government and that they are only currently waiting for a response. According to the plan, the center will be located at a private lot in Largo de Pac On. Angela Leong, executive director of the Canidrome made a financial commitment to subsidize the rent of the standalone building that costs HKD800,000. The two parties believed that the center and its environment will provide better living conditions for the greyhounds in accordance with the international standards. As it takes at least 60 days to complete the improvement works of the relevant facilities of the new center, the Canidrome is need to submit an application the requests a 60-day extension of the greyhounds stay at the previous racing track. Meanwhile, Albano Martins, president of Anima Macau believed that they will be granted an approval of the project soon, describing the project as a very good news for the greyhounds. All expenses incurred during the period for feeding and caring of the greyhounds will be borne by the Canidrome. Martins, who will administer the center for a minimum of two years, also announced that those whose adoption applications have been approved are required to pay MOP1,500 per month while waiting for the greyhounds to end its quarantine period. Almost two years after China pledged USD24 billion in investment to the Philippines, barely any projects have materialized, prompting deepening concerns that President Rodrigo Duterte has undermined the countrys sovereignty with little to show in return. Of the 27 deals signed between China and the Philippines during Dutertes visit to Beijing in October 2016, China originally agreed to provide $9 billion in soft loans, including a $3 billion credit line with the Bank of China, with a further $15 billion worth of direct investments from Chinese firms in railway, port, energy and mining projects. It didnt specify a timeline. Since then, the Philippines has completed only one loan agreement with China worth $73 million to fund an irrigation project north of the capital, Manila, according to Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia. Two bridges in Manila to be funded with Chinese grants worth up to $75 million were inaugurated last week. The process of securing loans from China seems to be moving slower compared to getting assistance from other countries such as Japan, Pernia said at a briefing earlier this month. Duterte has repeatedly touted Chinas financial help as a key reason for pivoting away from the U.S. and Europe, which he says havent produced material gains for the Philippines. Yet while Beijing remains the Philippines largest trading partner, when it comes to foreign direct investment, China is outranked by Japan, the U.S., the Netherlands, South Korea and Singapore. As the Philippines only treaty ally, the U.S. also remains a key security partner, providing crucial assistance to the countrys armed forces last year as they struggled to defeat hundreds of Muslim militants who had laid siege to the city of Marawi. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs disputed the assertion that it had not followed through on its investment commitments in the Philippines, pointing to the bridge and irrigation projects. China-Philippines relations are continuously strengthening and deepening, it said in an emailed statement. China attaches great importance to friendly cooperation with the Philippines and enthusiastically supports President Dutertes Major Construction, Strong Construction plan. Dutertes visit to Beijing in 2016 served as a turning point for his administration, reinforcing his separation from the U.S. and cementing his shift toward China. His critics have accused him of failing to respond forcefully after Beijing landed bomber aircraft on territory claimed by the Philippines and asserted its presence at Sandy Cay in the Spratly Island chain. Under Duterte, the Philippines has forward deployed its geopolitical concessions, Richard Heydarian, non-resident fellow at ADR-Stratbase Institute, a think-tank, said in an interview. We have been used by China. Chinas popularity has suffered in the Philippines, with net trust in the country plummeting to its lowest since April 2016, the month before Duterte was elected president, according to a Social Weather Stations survey of 1,200 voters conducted over the last weekend in June. Almost nine in 10 said they wanted the Philippines to assert its claims against China in the South China Sea. For Alvin A. Camba, a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University, timing isnt the issue. The real measure is the annual foreign direct investment from China and Hong Kong, which has already reached $800 million, nearly two-thirds of what it was during the previous administration, Camba said. There shouldnt be any expectations for these deal to be completed, or to be close to completion, Camba, who has written extensively on Chinese investment in the Philippines, said in an email. Opening the economy to Chinese FDI was the correct move. Still, many of the biggest deals dont seem to be happening at all. Greenergy Development Corp., which is based in Mindanao, signed an agreement to develop a $1 billion, 300-megawatt hydropower plant with Power China in October 2016. When China Power asked for the initial project deadline to be extended several times through January last year, Cerael Donggay, chief executive of Greenergy, agreed. The last extension was in February 2017 and still nothing happened, so we terminated the agreement, Donggay said in a phone interview, adding that his company was now in talks with a Hong Kong-based company to try to complete the project. One of the Philippines largest nickel miners, Global Ferronickel, signed an agreement with Baiyin Nonferrous Group in October 2016 to explore the construction of a stainless steel plant in the Philippines for up to $700 million. It was put on hold, Global Ferronickel president Dante Bravo said in an interview, because the government was yet to lift an executive order banning new mining projects. It was exploratory. We have to convince them that its really viable, Bravo said. Another agreement signed in October 2016 was a $780 million proposal to raise three islands from a waterlogged area of Davao, Dutertes hometown. That was canceled in July last year after the citys mayor and presidential daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, said a review of the project found that it was not commercially viable. After the wave of euphoria which greeted those announcements in 2016, we realize now that those Chinese investment claims were hugely inflated, said the ADR-Stratbase Institutes Heydarian. Looking forward, I expect Japan, the U.S. and other partners in Europe to remain the main suppliers of foreign investment to the Philippines. Jason Koutsoukis, Cecilia Yap, Bloomberg This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Its the new business address for several US companies going public on the Canadian Securities Exchange circumventing prohibition at home * Movies: Adrift * Book: How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs * Music: Science Fiction by Tom Bailey * Wine: The pride angus * F&B: Grilled Caesar steak salad DOWNLOAD PDF Extra 3098 Pot Land, Canada A man exploded a small homemade bomb outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing yesterday, injuring only himself, according to police and an embassy spokesperson. Photos on social media showed a large amount of smoke and police vehicles surrounding the embassy shortly after the incident. Apart from a heightened security presence, the scene outside appeared to be normal by early afternoon. The Beijing Police Department posted a statement on its website identifying the suspect only by his surname, Jiang, and said he was 26 years old and a native of Tongliao city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia. He was injured on the hand by the explosive device, which was made from fireworks and was detonated at about 1 p.m., police said. There was no word on a motive and the statement said the investigation was continuing. No damage was done to embassy property and no other injuries were recorded, a U.S. embassy spokesperson said, speaking on routine condition of anonymity. Only one person was involved and police responded to the situation, the spokesperson said. Neither the police nor the embassy had any comment on a report by the ruling Communist Party newspaper Global Times that said officers had earlier removed a women from outside the embassy who had sprayed gasoline on herself in a suspected attempt at self-immolation at around 11 a.m. China and the U.S. are in the middle of a trade dispute, but America remains a hugely popular destination for travel, education and immigration for Chinese citizens. On weekdays, large lines of visa applicants form outside the embassy, which sits in a busy corner of the city hosting numerous diplomatic installations as well as hotels and stores. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP Over 100 teachers from the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau are participating in a Mandarin training course in Chinas northwest Shaanxi Province. The 10-day training course, beginning on Tuesday, included Mandarin learning and tests, and academic lectures. Besides language study, the teachers will visit several historic places of interests in Xian, capital of Shaanxi, such as the famous Terracotta Warriors. The course gave us an opportunity to improve our Mandarin and deepen understanding of our culture, said Tse Lai-Wah, a primary school teacher from Hong Kong. The first course was held in 2016 and more than 300 teachers have been trained since then. Authorities deny design flaw on new bridge Hong Kong authorities have denied that there is a design flaw in the passenger clearance building of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, despite the flooding of a power supply room in April. According to RTHK, critics had alluded that it was a design flaw to locate power supply facilities in low-lying areas prone to flooding. But a government representative from the citys Highways Department refuted that there was any problem, explaining that it is a common design to locate such facilities below ground level. The HKSAR government says that the equipment affected during the April flood has been replaced. Hong Kong book fair records 1.04m visits This years Hong Kong book fair, which concluded on Tuesday, recorded a record 1.04 million visits, according to the citys public broadcaster RTHK. The visitation figure represents a five percent increase over last year, mainly attributed to the fact that the 2017 edition was disrupted by a typhoon. At the same time, average spending during the fair was slightly down this year, from HKD812 to HKD810 per person. The book fair sells all genres of books, from romance novels to comics, as well as educational textbooks and politically controversial material bought by visiting mainlanders. Myanmar relaxes entry requirements for Chinese visitors The government of Myanmar is relaxing its entry requirements for citizens of China, who will now be able to apply for visas-on-arrival. Starting from October 1, eligible passengers from China, Hong Kong and Macau will be able to apply for visas-on-arrival at Yangon International Airport, Mandalay International Airport and Nay Pyi Taw International Airport. Costing USD50, these visas will allow tourists to stay within the country for up to 30 days. Chinese tourists will be required to present a return or onward travel ticket and USD1,000 to demonstrate that they are able to cover their own expenses. The new policy comes as the government looks for ways to boost tourism after Western visitor arrivals were negatively impacted by the controversial Rakhine crisis, reported the Myanmar Times. A fast-moving wildfire believed to have been sparked by arson tore through trees, burned five homes and forced evacuation orders for an entire forest town as California sweltered under a heat wave and battled ferocious fires at both ends of the state. The so-called Cranston Fire, which erupted yesterday [Macau time] in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles, turned into a wall of flame that torched timber and tinder-dry brush. In a matter of hours it grew to 19 square kilometers. It was threatening an estimated 600 homes, authorities said. The fire was the largest of at least five that police believe were purposely set by a man whose car was reportedly spotted at the starting point of the blaze in Riverside County, officials said. Brandon N. McGlover, 32, of Temecula was booked on suspicion of five counts of arson, state fire officials said. It wasnt clear whether he had an attorney. Authorities ordered residents to leave Idyllwild and several neighboring communities, home to about 12,000 people. William Blodgett of Idyllwild said he couldnt get home because of the fire and had to wait along with others at a gas station in nearby Mountain Center until the fire hopped a highway and began to move in his direction. We were all peeling out of there as fast as we could, he told KNBC-TV. It was apocalyptic. Horses and other animals were taken to shelters as were several hundred children who were evacuated from summer camps. About 200 were at a local high school serving as a shelter, KCAL-TV reported. The fire in the San Bernardino National Forest sent up a cloud 50,000 feet high that was so enormous it created its own weather in the form of lightning, the National Weather Service reported. Throughout the day, helicopters and planes dumped water and fire retardant that turned swathes of land and homes pink. Fire engines also were stationed to protect homes. The fire is one of several across California amid a heat wave that has seen days of triple-digit temperatures. To the north, in the San Francisco Bay Area, at least one home burned in a fast-moving blaze in Clayton, where houses are spread out around windy roads. Yosemite Valley, the scenic heart of the national park, was closed at noon Wednesday during the height of tourist season as smoke cast a pall on the region from a fire in the Sierra Nevada. The closure was heartbreaking for travelers, many of whom mapped out their trips months in advance to hike and climb amid the spectacular views of cascading waterfalls and sheer rock faces. We had one guest who planned a weeklong trip, said Tom Lambert, who owns a vacation rental property near Yosemite Valley. It was a father-daughter trip, for her high school graduation [] Now its done. Its sad. Another guest had to delay plans to climb Half Dome. Officials emphasized that Yosemite wasnt in imminent danger from the fire. Authorities decided on the shutdown to allow crews to perform protective measures such as burning away brush along roadways without having to deal with traffic in the park that welcomes 4 million visitors annually. AP Scientists and activists warned Friday that anti-abortion conditions attached to US aid under the Donald Trump administration threatened programmes to halt the spread of HIV. Stipulations approved in Washington in May last year deny US aid to organisations which provide abortion information, referrals, or serviceseven with their own money. This includes grants from PEPFAR, the programme set up under former president George W Bush in 2003 and now a major funder of HIV testing, counselling and treatment worldwide. New rules under the policy dubbed "Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance" denies funding even to organisations that advocate for abortion services, International AIDS Society (IAS) president-elect Anton Pozniak said in Amsterdam. Formerly known as the Mexico City policy, but commonly called the "global gag rule", the conditions already applied to family planning clinics in the US. "Now, under the Trump administration, it applies to almost all US global health bilateral assistance, including PEPFAR," Pozniak told journalists on the final day of the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. "The reach of this policy has been greatly expanded, and has the potential to roll back progress on HIV." The provisions mean that clinics which provide services such as HIV testing and family planning, must rescind US funding if they also provide abortion services, counselling or even referrals. It will be too late Jennifer Kates of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research NGO, said the altered policy "will likely affect hundreds of recipients" of US funding. It is too early to quantify the effects. "Some of the greatest harms of the global gag rule will not be measurable... until it's too late to reverse course," said Chloe Cooney of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Clinics have already started to cut staff, some closing altogether, said Tikhala Itaye of the "Global She Decides Movement", an activist group for women's rights. "Some of the girls accessing family planning services or contraception now cannot have those services," she said. Activists at the conference cited the global gag rule as one of many reasons for insisting that the IAS reconsiders its decision to host the next AIDS conference in San Francisco. "No AIDS conference in Trump's America," said a coalition calling itself AIDS 2020 for All. "The US government bans the entry of sex workers and people who use drugs, has criminalised immigrants and detained activists at airports, has denied HIV care to people in prison and immigrant detention centres," it charged in a statement. But Pozniak said the IAS was "committed to moving forward." "We've had conferences in many places of the world where there are issues," he said. 2018 AFP In this file photo taken Nov. 22, 2014, Blue Bridge Benefits LLC agent Patricia Sarabia, right, and Adolfo Briceno, left, with Spanish Speaking LLC, help a potential customer with Blue Cross Blue Shield at a kiosk promoting Obama Care at Compare Foods in Winston-Salem, N.C. A new poll finds that more than half of Hispanic adults have encountered a communication barrier in the health care system. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, file) Nearly 6 in 10 Hispanic adults have had a difficult time communicating with a health care provider because of a language or cultural barrier, and when they do they often turn to outside sources for help, according to a new study conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey finds that half of those who have faced those barriers turned to a family member or to another health care provider for assistance. In addition, more than 1 in 4 looked to a translator, public resources in their community or online sources for help when they faced those issues. Antonio Torres, 53, of Orlando, Florida, who is bilingual and legally blind, told The AP he regularly struggles to understand the medical terms used by doctors and nurses. "When I tell them I don't understand them, they'll bring someone over to speak to me in Spanish and I don't understand them, either," said Torres, who is Puerto Rican and was raised in New York. "We didn't grow up speaking that formal Spanish, so I have no idea what they are saying." At times, Torres said he even gets medicine with his name misspelled on the bottle. "And I don't know if I'm taking my medicine or someone else's," he said. The language and cultural barriers in health care for Latinos are something advocates have been pointing out for years. In 2014, for example, the Obama administration faced criticism following the rollout of the Spanish version of the federal health care website, CuidadoDeSalud.gov. The translations were so clunky and full of grammatical mistakes that critics say they must have been computer-generated. The website also translated "premium" into "prima," the Spanish word more commonly used to mean a female cousin among Mexican-Americans and Mexican immigrants. Along with communication challenges, many Hispanics are concerned about language or cultural accommodations for people in their community who seek long-term care services. Fewer than half say it would be easy for older Latinos in their area to find a nursing home or assisted living facility with staff that speaks their language, or to find a home health aide who does. Even fewerless than 3 in 10say the same about finding long-term care providers who can prepare the kind of food they are used to. Some have concerns about finding nursing homes and assisted-living facilities that will respect their religious or spiritual beliefs, though fewer have the same concern about home health aides. Torres said he's not confident he'll find a culturally sensitive nursing home when he's gets older. "I'd rather just live alone and poison myself by accident rather than stay in one of those homes right now," he said. Like other older Americans, many Hispanics age 40 and older expect to rely on government programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to pay for long-term care services, even though Medicare does not cover most nursing care or home health aides. But only about 2 in 10 think any of these programs will still be providing at least the same level of benefits five years from now. Just 15 percent of older Hispanics are very confident they will be able to pay for their own future long-term care needs. In this Dec. 27, 2017, file photo, Community Council health care navigator Fidel Castro Hernandez, left, hands a Spanish help line phone to legal U.S. resident Maria Ana Pina, right, as she signs up for the Affordable Care Act with her son Roberto Pina at the Community Council offices in Dallas. A new poll finds that more than half of Hispanic adults have encountered a communication barrier in the health care system. (AP Photo/LM Otero, file) The survey also finds that a large majority of older Hispanics are open to using at least one type of telemedicine to receive care, including phone consultations, text messages or video services like Skype, although older Hispanics are somewhat less likely than others in their age group to say they'd be comfortable using some types of telemedicine. Gabriel Vargas, 41, of Lancaster, South Carolina, who is from Veracruz, Mexico, said he felt these resources in his area already were helping Latino residents. The growth of online options, he said, is breaking down the stigma held by Hispanics around regular checkups and preventative care. "There's a nonprofit group here that goes out of its way to help," said Vargas, whose first language is Spanish. "Maybe 10 years ago, it was tough. But today I think it's become easier." The survey was conducted March 13 to April 5 by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, with funding from the SCAN Foundation. It involved interviews in English and Spanish with 1,522 adults nationwide who are members of NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population, including 458 Hispanic adults. Results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points, and plus or minus 9.5 percentage points for the Hispanic sample. Explore further Poll: Latinos see health care communication barriers 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Neoplastic cerebral organoid with GFP-positive tumor regions (green), which demonstrates glioblastoma-like cellularity. Credit: Austrian Academy of Sciences For the first-time, researchers at IMBA- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences develop organoids, that mimic the onset of brain cancer. This method not only sheds light on the complex biology of human brain tumors but could also pave the way for new medical applications. Brain tumors are among the most aggressive and deadly cancers and a leading cause of cancer-related death in children and young adults. Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive form of brain tumor that is characterized by a very rapid tumor growth of glia cells the most abundant cell types in the central nervous system, that surround and support neurons. The tumor is notoriously difficult to treat as it forms tentacle-like structures, that make it difficult to remove the tumors surgically. Also, glioblastoma tend to liaise with blood vessels, helping cancerous cells to grow and spread very quickly. With each cell division, they accumulate mutations that can render them resistant to drugs. Because of the molecular characteristics of the human brain, it has been very difficult for scientists to find a suitable model organism to study brain cancers. Organoid technology could now lead to a paradigm shift in studying glioblastoma and other forms of brain cancers. In recent years, researchers have managed to develop more and more lab grown organ like structures, or organoids. Already in 2013 Jurgen Knoblich and his team at IMBA were the first ones to use brain- organoids from iPS cells for studying molecular and developmental characteristics as well as neurological diseases of the human brain. Now, they have succeeded to grow one of the deadliest cancers, brain cancer, in a dish. The novelty: this method allows the researchers to replicate the process of brain carcinogenesis in a dish, where they can observe brain cancer onset already at its early stages and watch the brain-organoid growing a tumor in a dish. In a publication in the current edition of the journal Nature Methods the group reports on the new neoplastic cerebral organoids they have developed to study brain tumors. These organoids faithfully reproduce unique aspects of the human brain, such as its diverse cell types and the stages by which it develops, allowing scientists to get a handle on the ways tumors arise, and also provide a system to try out new cancer therapies. "For the first time, we established a human model for brain cancer to rapidly test or screen for the tumorigenic potential of gene mutations found from cancer genome sequencing projects. Using genome-editing techniques, we introduced clinically-relevant mutations into the cerebral organoids. With this method, we are trying to mimic the brain tumor onset in vivo by only mutating a very small population of cells," explains Shan Bian, postdoc at IMBA and first author of the study. Over the past few years, huge cancer genome sequencing projects have catalogued thousands of mutations found in patient tumors. Such genetic defects arise through natural mistakes in the copying of DNA, through the consumption of carcinogens or other causes. They trigger fundamental changes in healthy cells that cause them to spin out of control, reproducing at an astounding pace. Each time such a cell divides it may generate new mutations, leaving scientists with a huge puzzle to assemble. The novel brain-cancer or neoplastic organoids now offer a means to investigate, how some of these mutations are driving forces in tumors, crucial in triggering the onset of cancer, and necessary to address through treatments, while others are simply side effects. From bench to bedside The scientists carried out studies of these miniature tumors to identify additional changes they had undergone, identifying new markers that may help in diagnosing the disease and classifying the tumor a patient has. Once a tumor has developed, the scientists can target a specific mutation to determine whether the defect is also essential for the long-term survival of the tumor. Any change that causes it to shrink or disappear makes a good candidate for future therapies. The scientists tested this principle by applying a drug called Afatinib, which is currently being used in clinical trials as a treatment for glioblastoma. They found that after 40 days, administration of the drug significantly reduced the number of tumor cells in two combinations of mutations, but not in the third or in cells with too much MYC. Afatinibinhibits a molecule called EGFR which is specifically overexpressed in those two types of tumors. When testing four additional EGFR inhibitors used in therapies, a drug called Erlotinibsignificantly reduced the number of tumor cells as well, while the effects of others were minimal. "These results show that brain organoids also have significant impact for cancer research and public health. We can now develop organoids from brain tumor patients allowing us to test the efficacy of different combinations of therapies," says stem cell pioneer Knoblich, who is interim director of IMBA. "As a next step it will be important to foster clinical partnerships, so we can work towards translating our findings from the bench to the bedside." Explore further Scientists develop a new model for glioblastoma using gene-edited organoids More information: Shan Bian et al. Genetically engineered cerebral organoids model brain tumor formation, Nature Methods (2018). Journal information: Nature Methods Shan Bian et al. Genetically engineered cerebral organoids model brain tumor formation,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41592-018-0070-7 Provided by Austrian Academy of Sciences (HealthDay)A guideline published in the June 4 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association, provides updated evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Hemant Shah, M.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a focused literature search to update the evidence base used in the 2015 guideline. The resulting guideline was developed to assist physicians and other health care professionals in the management of adult patients with chronic HCV infection. The Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver recommends the following: birth cohort screening for individuals born from 1945 to 1975; a pretreatment evaluation of infected patients that includes clinical evaluation, viral load, genotype, and a fibrosis stage assessment; the use of all-oral regimens for all infected patients, not interferon-based treatment regimens; the individualization of treatment, particularly for difficult-to-cure populations; and life-long surveillance for the development of hepatocellular cancer among patients with cirrhosis. "In the coming years, the major challenge of HCV management will not be treatment, but rather prevention, screening and linkage to care," write the authors. "Although many novel models of care have been developed, the optimal strategies, particularly to reach vulnerable populations, are not clear and must be a major research priority." 2018 World Hepatitis Day is Saturday, July 28. Explore further Hepatitis C guideline recommends screening for all people born 1945-1975 Copyright 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: George Hodan/public domain The woman arrived at the emergency department at Huntington Hospital on New York's Long Island after she was hit by her boyfriend during an argument. Her situation raised concerns among the medical staff, which had recently been trained to be on the lookout for signs of sex trafficking. An undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, she worked at a local "cantina" frequented by immigrants. Her job was to get patrons drinks and to dance with them, but many workers in those jobs are expected to offer sex, too. Her boyfriend didn't want her to work there, and that led to the fight, one doctor recalled. As part of the intake process, the emergency staff asked the 36-year-old woman a series of questions about whether she'd ever had sex for money, or whether she had to give someone else part of what she earns, among other things. The screening questions were part of a new program at Northwell Health, a 23-hospital system in the New York metro area that includes Huntington Hospital, to train staff and provide them with tools to identify and support victims of human trafficking. There are no hard figures for how many people are involved in human trafficking, the term used when individuals are forced to work or have sex for someone else's commercial benefit. Polaris, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for these people and runs help lines for them, said calls and texts to its national hotlines have steadily ticked up in recent years, increasing the number of cases 13 percent between 2016 and 2017, to 8,759. But health care providers frequently fail to recognize these patients' situation. According to a 2014 survey of about 100 survivors of sex trafficking, 88 percent said that while they were being trafficked they had contact with a health care provider, typically someone in an emergency department. "When trafficking victims come through the health care system but we don't identify them, it's a big missed opportunity," said Dr. Santhosh Paulus, a family physician who is the site director of the Huntington Hospital's family medicine residency program and who started the program at Northwell. Northwell is one of a growing number of hospitals and health care systems that are putting such programs in place. They want to alert staff to be on the lookout for trafficking, much as they watch for signs of child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse. Since last spring, nearly 300 staff members at Huntington Hospital and a family clinic have received training in how to spot trafficking victims and how to help them. Training is given not only to doctors and nurses but also to registration and reception staff, social workers and security guards. Restore NYC, an organization that assists people caught up in sex trafficking, provided the initial training to key staff, and a hospital task force trains the others. During the next few years, similar efforts will be rolled out at all of Northwell's 23 hospitals, Paulus said. Identifying victims of trafficking is not unlike identifying victims of other forms of violence, said Dr. Wendy Macias-Konstantopoulos, director of the human trafficking initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital. One of the big red flags is when people delay coming in for medical care, such as waiting weeks to come in to get an injured ankle or sexually transmitted infection checked out, Macias-Konstantopoulos said. Or it may be a pattern of injuries that don't make sense. Sometimes people are reluctant to explain their injury, or they come in with someone who seems overbearing. "Having a high index of suspicion is the first step," she said. "If we're not asking about it, we're just not going to see it." Starting in October, health care providers can also use new diagnosis codes in their records that differentiate trafficking from other types of abuse. This will help track the number of victims and provide appropriate treatment. Asking may not be enough, however. Depending on what's going on in their lives, these patients may not be willing or ready to acknowledge that they need help, said Holly Gibbs, human trafficking response program director for Dignity Health, a health care system with nearly 40 hospitals in California, Nevada and Arizona. Gibbs knows the issue well. She was forced briefly into prostitution in Atlantic City, N.J., after meeting a man at a shopping mall as a 14-year-old and running away with him. The man persuaded Gibbs to go with him with promises of a new, glamorous life as a musician or model. At the time, Gibbs said, she thought that what happened to her was her own fault, a result of choices she made. No health care or law enforcement professional connected her to social services that could have helped her understand otherwise. She was reunited with her family by law enforcement personnel, who arrested the man. He was was later convicted. Dignity Health has implemented a human trafficking response program in the emergency departments and labor and delivery areas of each of its hospitals. Now it's rolling out the program at clinics and physicians' offices as well. A key priority is to help clinicians know how to talk to patients about any violence they may be facing and to connect the patients with outside sources of help. But in the end, if these patients don't want assistance, "you respect their wishes," Gibbs said. "They may not be ready to accept help now, but you may plant seeds so they'll be able to accept it later on." Explore further Need for medical care offers chance to aid trafficking victims 2018 Kaiser Health News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The figure shows two views, frontal and lateral, of the image obtained by CT of the lungs of a mouse with fibrosis (grey areas) before and after receiving nano-therapy directed at senescent cells. Credit: Guillem Garaulet and Francisca Mulero, CNIO. Senescent cells are damaged cells that no longer perform their normal roles, but are not deadhence, they are commonly known as "zombie cells." These cells interfere with the functioning of the tissue in which they accumulate. Senescence is a cellular program that is triggered by many types of damage, and senescent cells are present in many diseases. They accumulate in diverse types of tissues during aging, thus contributing to the progressive deterioration associated with becoming elderly. Eliminating these zombie cells is one of the challenges facing science today. In the Cellular Plasticity and Disease lab headed by the ICREA researcher Manuel Serrano at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, researchers are devising strategies to eliminate senescent cells. In a study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, they present a proof of principle of a drug delivery system with selectivity for tissues that harbour senescent cells. In collaboration with a team headed by Ramon Martinez-Manez at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, the IRB Barcelona scientists have exploited a particular hallmark of senescent cells in order to design a delivery system that specifically targets them. They have demonstrated its efficacy in cells in vitro and in two experimental mouse models, namely pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. These diseases are characterized by the presence of damaged cells, which is particularly relevant for cancer patients after treatment with chemotherapy. In these models, the senescent cells take up the carrier more efficiently than other cells. Once inside the cell, the casing of the carrier degrades to release the drug cargo. When the nano-vehicles contain cytotoxic compounds, the senescent cells are killed, resulting in therapeutic improvements in mice with pulmonary fibrosis or cancer. "This nano-carrier may pave the way for new therapeutic approaches for serious conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis or to eliminate chemotherapy-induced senescent cells," explains Manuel Serrano. Another outcome of this study is that these nano-carriers could be used for diagnostic tests of senescence as they can transport a fluorescent compound or marker. Explore further Senolytic drugs reverse damage caused by senescent cells in mice More information: Daniel MunozEspin et al, A versatile drug delivery system targeting senescent cells, EMBO Molecular Medicine (2018). Journal information: EMBO Molecular Medicine Daniel MunozEspin et al, A versatile drug delivery system targeting senescent cells,(2018). DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201809355 A world-first study by QUT researchers concludes men can and do suffer from Postcoital Dysphoria (PCD) which results in feelings of sadness, tearfulness or irritability following sex. Masters student Joel Maczkowiack and Professor Robert Schweitzer from QUT's School of Psychology and Counselling said that while the condition had been recognised in women, no studies had previously identified the phenomenon among males. Their paperPostcoital Dysphoria: Prevalence and Correlates among Males has been published by the international Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. "The study breaks down the results of an international anonymous online survey of 1,208 men from Australia, the USA, the UK, Russia, New Zealand, Germany and elsewhere," said Mr Maczkowiack. "Forty-one per cent of the participants reported experiencing PCD in their lifetime with 20 per cent reporting they had experienced it in the previous four weeks. Up to four per cent suffered from PCD on a regular basis." Mr Maczkowiack added that some of the comments from men who participated and who had experienced sadness following sex described experiences ranging from "I don't want to be touched and want to be left alone" to "I feel unsatisfied, annoyed and very fidgety. All I really want is to leave and distract myself from everything I participated in". "Another described feeling "emotionless and empty" in contrast to the men who experienced the post coital experience positively, and used descriptors such as a "feeling of well-being, satisfaction, contentment" and closeness to their partner," he said. Professor Schweitzer said the results indicated the male experience of sex could be far more varied and complex than previously thought. It also had implications for future therapies and more open discourse on the male sexual experience. "The first three phases of the human sexual response cycleexcitement, plateau, and orgasmhave been the focus of the majority of research to date," Professor Schweitzer said. "The experience of the resolution phase remains a bit of a mystery and is therefore poorly understood. "It is commonly believed that males and females experience a range of positive emotions including contentment and relaxation immediately following consensual sexual activity. "Yet previous studies on the PCD experience of females showed that a similar proportion of females had experienced PCD on a regular basis. As with the men in this new study, it is not well understood. We would speculate that the reasons are multifactorial, including both biological and psychological factors." Mr Maczkowiack said anecdotal evidence from clinical settings as well as personal accounts posted on online blogs suggested that PCD did occur amongst males and had the potential to interfere with couple interactions following sexual activity "It has, for example, been established that couples who engage in talking, kissing, and cuddling following sexual activity report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction, demonstrating that the resolution phase is important for bonding and intimacy," he said. "So the negative affective state which defines PCD has potential to cause distress to the individual, as well as the partner, disrupt important relationship processes, and contribute to distress and conflict within the relationship, and impact upon sexual and relationship functioning." Professor Schweitzer added that in Western cultures in particular, men faced a range of expectations and assumptions about their preferences, performance, and experience of sexual activity. "These assumptions are pervasive within masculine sub-culture and include that males always desire and experience sex as pleasurable. The experience of PCD contradicts these dominant cultural assumptions about the male experience sexual activity and of the resolution phase," he said. The participants were recruited via social media, online articles, and psychological research websites to voluntarily complete a cross-sectional online questionnaire. More information: Joel Maczkowiack et al. Postcoital Dysphoria: Prevalence and Correlates among Males, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy (2018). Joel Maczkowiack et al. Postcoital Dysphoria: Prevalence and Correlates among Males,(2018). DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2018.1488326 NOTICE: TO BE CLEAR: WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. OUR DATABASE CANNOT BE USED TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT CONSUMER CREDIT, EMPLOYMENT, INSURANCE, TENANT SCREENING, OR ANY OTHER PURPOSES THAT WOULD REQUIRE FCRA COMPLIANCE. MUGSHOTS.COM PARTICIPATES IN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS WITH VARIOUS COMPANIES. WE MAY EARN A COMMISSION WHEN YOU CLICK ON OR MAKE PURCHASES VIA LINKS. MUGSHOTS.COM IS AN AGGREGATOR OF THE TODAYS CRIME NEWS. IN EACH FRONT-PAGE POST, THE HYPERLINK TO THE PRIMARY SOURCE IS SPECIFIED. ALL TRADEMARKS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, ALL MATERIALS TO THEIR AUTHORS. IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF THE CONTENT AND DO NOT WANT US TO PUBLISH YOUR MATERIALS, PLEASE CONTACT US BY EMAIL mugshots.com1@gmail.com. THE CONTENT WILL BE DELETED WITHIN 48 HOURS. MUGSHOTS.COM IS A NEWS ORGANIZATION. WE POST AND WRITE THOUSANDS OF NEWS STORIES A YEAR, MOST WANTED STORIES, EDITORIALS (UNDER CATEGORIES - BLOG) AND STORIES OF EXONERATIONS. OUR CONTENT REVOLVES AROUND CRIME, ARRESTS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT. WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PUBLISH UNPOPULAR SPEECH. OPEN RECORD LAWS WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC; BY INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF ARRESTS AND TO HOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ARRESTEES. MOST OF, IF NOT ALL MUGSHOT LAWS WERE CRAFTED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM FEES FOR REMOVAL OF ONLINE MUGSHOTS AND TO FURTHER PROTECT THE PRESS FROM THOSE VERY SAME "MUGSHOT LAWS".WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR REMOVAL OF ARREST INFORMATION AND/OR BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHS. MORE... Eastman, GA - A suspect in the killing of rapper XXXTentacion has been taken into custody by US marshals, according to a spokesman for the agency's Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. Robert Allen, 22, was located Wednesday in Eastman, Georgia, hundreds of miles from Broward County, Florida, where he lives and where the 20-year-old rapper was shot and killed last month. Allen, who was indicted on murder charges last week, was booked into the Dodge County Jail, according to the local sheriff's office. He is awaiting extradition to Broward County. His arrest comes more than a month after the rapper, whose given name was Jahseh Onfroy, was gunned down in an apparent robbery as he left a motorsports store in Deerfield Beach, Florida. US marshals began staking out the Eastman home of one of Allen's relatives Monday, said Stewart Cottingham, supervisory inspector for the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force of the US Marshals Service. After conducting hours of surveillance, authorities believed Allen arrived at the home either late Tuesday or early Wednesday, Cottingham said Marshals went to the door, and a relative confirmed that Allen was inside, he said. He was taken into custody without incident, Cottingham said. CNN was unable to determine if Allen was represented by an attorney. XXXTentacion skyrocketed to fame after his song "Look at Me" went viral in 2016. He was featured in XXL magazine's 2017 freshman class alongside other up-and-coming artists, and his album "?" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts when it was released in March. His death prompted an outpouring of grief on social media by other prominent rappers such as Big Sean and Kanye West. 4 suspects indicted Police arrested Dedrick Devonshay Williams two days after the June 18 slaying. Another suspect, Michael Boatwright, was arrested earlier this month on unrelated drug charges before later being served with an arrest warrant for first-degree murder. Last week, a Broward County grand jury indicted Williams, Boatwright and Allen on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm, according to the sheriff's office. A fourth person, Trayvon Newsome, 20, was also indicted but remains at large. Boatwright and Newsome were the two armed suspects who confronted the rapper when he was shot and killed, the sheriff's office said. Boatwright discharged the weapon, killing Onfroy, according to the indictment. According to an affidavit for Boatwright's arrest warrant, XXXTentacion was robbed of $50,000 that he'd tucked into a small Louis Vuitton bag in his BMW when he was shot and killed. He had just withdrawn the money -- all $100 bills in bank wrappers -- before going to the motorsports store. While he was inside, an SUV pulled up, according to the affidavit. Two men got out and passed Onfroy and his friend shopping in the store, the affidavit said. One of the men -- whom authorities later identified as Williams -- brought a black mask. The two men left and got in their vehicle. The SUV parked at a nearby residence for several minutes before cutting off Onfroy's BMW as he left the store, the affidavit said. The rapper was shot after a brief struggle. Allen, who was seen entering the store with Williams, was initially identified as a person of interest in the case. He's also the subject of a felony warrant charging him with flakka possession, carrying a concealed firearm and a probation violation, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Voice and text chat service Discord recently launched a server region in South Africa. Discord is a free service aimed at gamers that lets you create virtual servers in which you can host several voice and text chat channels. Given the appropriate invitation link, users of the platform may join a server and participate in any of the chat rooms created or join a voice chat channel if the server has one. South African servers mean that Discord users from South Africa will see a dramatic reduction in latency when using the platform. Latency Latency, or ping, is the time it takes for packets of data to travel from a clients computer, to a server, and back again. NetBeez states that at latencies of around 100 milliseconds (ms), voice chat participants start talking over each other. This was previously evident in channels on Discord. Before it launched local servers, the nearest Discord regions to South Africa were Western and Central Europe. These offered voice communication latencies of between 180ms and 250ms, depending on whether you used fibre, ADSL, or wireless technologies to connect. Using an Ethernet cable to connect a computer to your router, rather than Wi-Fi, may also offer faster and more stable latencies. Switching to the South African region, however, reduces ping to between 1ms and 50ms depending on the type of Internet connection. This represents a massive improvement in latency, which will improve the quality of Discords voice communications for local clients. Based on NetBeezs report, the lower latency may not improve the crispness of the audio, but it will reduce the tendency of voice chat participants to speak over one another. The local server region may also reduce the variation in ping from clients, and reduce instances of choppy audio and other temporary glitches. Screenshots of Discords South African servers in action are included below. Discord server region selection Discord latencies server in Western Europe vs South Africa Now read: Discord adds support for linked Xbox Live profiles The Presidency website was defaced in the first week of July 2018, and its office has not responded to requests for comment or issued a follow-up statement about the attack. A group calling themselves Black TeamX claimed responsibility for the hack, modifying the websites front page to display a message: Hacked by Black Team. Sahara is Moroccan. And Morocco is ur Lord! The Citizen reported that the message is about a land dispute in the Western Sahara, which South Africa and the ANC recognise as an independent region and have accused Morocco of occupying. After taking the website down after the attack, it was repaired and brought back online. MyBroadband was able to establish that the Presidency website is operated by Absol Internet Business Solutions, and asked the company technical questions about the attack. Absol chief executive Mac Anamourlis said the issue was being handled by the Presidency, however. This included feedback to the media. It would be inappropriate for us to comment while an official report is being compiled and reviewed by all stakeholders before being released to the public, said Anamourlis. MyBroadband asked the Presidency how its website was compromised, whether any sensitive information was affected as a result of the attack, and if it will try to track down the culprits. The Presidency did not respond to requests for comment. Denial of service Following the defacing, a hacktivist who calls themselves paladin and goes by @VirusSec on Twitter launched a denial of service attack against the Presidency website on 19 July 2018. According to the attacker, the denial of service was part of a protest against the lion bone trade. Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa recently announced that 1500 lion skeletons may be exported from South Africa per year. The same attacker also claimed responsibility for a denial of service attack against the Presidencys website in August 2017 for allowing the sale of rhino horn and lion bones. Now read: Liberty hackers go silent after big threats Istanbul changes name of street named after famous Armenian engineer again US supports Taiwan's participation in the United Nations' system Armenia's economic activity indicator continues to decline Armenia President Armen Sarkissian pays historic visit to Saudi Arabia Turkey's Erdogan: If Armenia "solves problems with Baku", there will be no other obstacle for normalization of relations Honorary Citizen of Yerevan title bestowed upon cultural figures on occasion of city's 2,803rd birthday Yerevan Council of Elders decides to place memorial plaques for four famous people Mayor: There are three times more vaccinated citizens in Yerevan than in the whole country Yerevan mayor: There is no alternative to conservation of trash chutes in apartment buildings Latvia President recovers from COVID-19 Armenia Health Ministry: Foreigners and stateless persons can receive AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines Tert.am: Resident of Armenia's Goris: Azerbaijanis stopped my car, hit it and used swear words Australian MP talks about Azerbaijan's aggression, calls for maintenance of ceasefire Yerevan mayor says he has never made exception for anyone since first day of office Armenia Deputy PM presents Government's Action Plan to ambassadors and representatives of international organizations Trade turnover between Eurasian Economic Union countries grows by 31.3% in eight months of 2021 armtimes.com: Armenia ruling party's candidate in Vedi is ex-governor of Ararat Province Garik Sargsyan MP says only 7% of Armenia's population is vaccinated Turkish FM threatens to resign due to scandal over ambassadors Armenia opposition MP: 11% increase of military budget is rather low indicator in post-war period Armenia removed from list of countries whose citizens are permitted to enter Italy Armenia emergency situations minister receives Poland Ambassador New generation business is founded in Armenia Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees Armenian legislature speaker meets with Cyprus-Armenia parliamentary cooperation committee chair Aliyev, Erdogan attend groundbreaking of Zangezur corridor in occupied territories of Artsakh Driver of Armenia MOD truck runs over female pedestrian in Yerevan who dies at hospital China FM calls on US to lift sanctions against Afghanistan Armenia legislature concludes closed discussion of situation on line of contact with Azerbaijan Armenia former deputy PM, now MP Gevorgyan not ruling out petitioning to international courts to protect his rights Armenia Police: Criminal case is launched in regard to police beating citizen in front of his children's eyes Dollar stable in Armenia How 2 sisters died in Armenias Aragatsotn Province? Armenia opposition MP candidate not elected vice-chairman of parliamentary committee for ninth time Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM and now MP Gevorgyan criminal case judge denies self-recusal motion Substitute for General Affairs of Holy See to visit Armenia Armenia PM sending deputy environment minister to Great Britain for 16 days Armenia Gegharkunik Province governor has new deputy Armenia PM dismisses head of one of divisions of Office of High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Armen Sarkissian: Armenia-Uzbekistan cooperation will be further strengthened through joint efforts Fotis Fotiou: Armenia-Cyprus-Greece trilateral relations are one of Cyprus' priorities Armenia parliament holding closed discussion on situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact Aliyev, Erdogan launch international airport in Artsakhs occupied Varanda-Fizuli Tense situation in Armenia parliament Government proposes to reduce Armenia citizenship application review period World gold prices dropping Armenia ex-President Kocharyan, former deputy PM and now MP Gevorgyan criminal case court hearing resumes 2 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh Dead body of Armenia village girl, 11, taken to hospital Lawyer: Armenia military given time to either submit vaccination certificate or resignation from service World oil prices going up 1,517 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia State minister: It will be possible to reach final settlement of Karabakh conflict through long, difficult struggle Armenia official on reducing New Year holidays: I saw every day how unprepared we were for war Azerbaijan border issue to be discussed in Armenia National Assembly behind closed doors Russia MFA: Moscow is optimistic about prospects of investing in Armenia Armenia opposition MPs greet released fellow opposition lawmaker with applause in legislature 2 foreigners get lost in forest near Armenia lake 3 dead, 1 injured after SUV falls into gorge in Armenia Armenia parliament kicks off regular sessions Elephant tramples poacher to death in South Africa's famed Kruger National Park Newspaper: Amnesty to be declared in Armenia Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc to run in Vanadzor local elections? Famous Istanbul Armenian linguist is deported from Greece Erdogan renounces threats to expel ambassadors of 10 countries Official: Armenia universities to hold classes online, schools to extend autumn break for a week Commemorative fountain unveiled in memory of Armenia serviceman who fell in 44-day Karabakh war 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 China FM to meet with the Taliban in Qatar 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 Iran, Armenia reach agreement on use of alternative routes for transport of goods 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 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 One more person dies of coronavirus in Karabakh Artsakh state minister, US lawmaker discuss cooperation Armenia opposition MP, ex-defense minister: 'Unblocking of transport roads' will lead to deeper blockade Premier: Armenia has no intention to conquer territories 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 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the regular meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (EIC) in Saint Petersburg. The narrow-format meeting of the heads of EAEU-member States was followed by a joint photo session, after which the prime ministers attended the plenary session of the Council. After taking note of the status of previous meetings assignments, the Council proceeded to the agenda. The Prime Ministers discussed issues related to the furtherance of integration cooperation in economy, customs administration, energy, transport and other spheres. They specifically referred to the unified digital agenda, industrial cooperation, interaction in the field of customs administration, and the betterment of the applicable legal and regulatory framework. The meeting next considered the possibility of establishing an aviation investigation authority and a common gas market. The Council decided to set up a high-level working group to deal with integration cooperation and import substitutions in industry. In conclusion, the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council decided to hold the Councils next meeting this fall in Belarus. *** Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans remarks, delivered at the plenary session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting Dear Colleagues, First of all, I would like to thank Head of RF Government Dmitry Medvedev for hospitality and high-level organization of todays meeting, as well as to express my appreciation to Tigran Sargsyan for the Commission-drafted Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting agenda. Addressing the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting, held in Sochi in May, 2018, I reaffirmed Armenias commitment to its international obligations, including the ones assumed in the frame of the Eurasian Economic Union. I assured of our readiness and commitment to active cooperation with EAEU partners in a bid to ensure free movement of goods, services, labor and capital under the principles set out in the EAEU Treaty, as well as to modernize and uplift the national economies of member countries. During the narrow panel session, we exchanged views on a wide range of issues. I am confident that the agreements reached today will allow us to take into account the peculiarities of our countries and thereby provide the conditions necessary for the activities of Eurasian Economic Union bodies. Now, I will briefly touch upon some agenda items. The promotion of the digital agenda is a priority for both Armenia and other EAEU-member States. Our joint efforts in this area are aimed at ensuring the effective functioning of governance systems, a new level of public services which in the end will provide more favorable conditions for achieving the four degrees of freedom declared within the Union. Decentralization and offering equal opportunities for all member States, monitoring of the use of resources, taking account of individual countries peculiarities and other principles will allow us to achieve the expected results. This will also help select the sequence of steps and measures based on economic realities and information security priorities. In this context, it would be highly beneficial if we could share experiences in the field of digital transformation, paying special attention to the digitization of public administration, as well as to integration-targeted and cross-border processes. For instance, the Digital Agenda concept has already been developed in Armenia, account taken of harmonization processes within the EAEU. This specifically concerns such topics as the monitoring of the movement of goods, the establishment of a common digital platform, and so on. In the framework of the digital agenda, we intend to achieve such key indicators as the twofold reduction of public spending in the tertiary sector by 2025, 80% availability of online services for citizens, 100% for businesses, 80% broadband internet accessibility for the population and more. Also, I wish to advise that as part of the ongoing preparations for the Eurasian Week annual forum to be held in Yerevan on October 22-24 this year, an international contest of innovative projects referred to as Eurasian Digital Platforms is scheduled, with the number of participants currently reaching 300. Indeed, our focus is not only on the cooperation in the field of high technologies, but also on the traditional areas cooperation. First of all, I mean the paths leading to the shared markets. We believe that the common gas market will give fresh impetus to economic cooperation between our countries, increase the level of integration and competitiveness of Member States, as well as the reliability, availability and quality of gas supply for domestic consumers. It will also promote healthy competition within the Union which, in turn, will help streamline the pricing process. As regards the establishment of an air accident investigation authority, I would like to note that according to experts indications, harmonization in this field may be completed as soon as by this yearend. In this regard, it is crucial for us to rule out the overlap of functions with the International Aviation Committee. In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that the agreements reached today will help enhance EAEUs effectiveness and provide for our countries sustainable development. Second President Robert Kocharyan has been charged, the press service of the Special Investigative Service reported. Based on the sufficient evidence acquired during the investigation over the 2008 March 1-2 events in Yerevan, Robert Kocharyan has been charged under the Article 300.1 part 1 of the Criminal Code for breaching the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia with a preliminary agreement with other persons. Motion has been filed to remand Kocharyan in custody. Criminal charges have been brought against Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and in connection with the criminal case into what had occurred in Armenias capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008. Based on sufficient evidence that was gathered during the ongoing investigation along the lines of the aforesaid case, criminal charges were brought against Khachaturov on Thursday, for breachingand with prior agreement with other personsthe constitutional order of Armenia, informed the Special Investigation Service (SIS). The investigator has filed a motion with the court to remand Yuri Khachaturov in custody. Former police chief of Armenia, MP Alik Sargsyan arrived in the Special Investigative Service. He told reporters that he came to the SIS to testify on the report on extortion case. Asked whether he may be involved with any status in the 2008 March 1 case investigation, the MP said he has no link with the March 1 case, adding that this case should be definitely revealed. He told reporters that he normally reacts to the corruption discoveries of the law enforcement agencies. I have always stated and state that anyone should be held accountable, if not today, then tomorrow, he said. Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan decided not to give evidence any more, he stated in an interview with the Yerkir Media TV channel. "The charge is fabricated. I can imagine the enthusiasm that will be experienced in Azerbaijan. Give them such a gift, "Kocharyan said. Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan links the charge brought against him in connection with the events of March 1, 2008, with an attempt to neutralize his active participation in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections. Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) Defense Army serviceman Davit Miloyan (born in 1998) sustained a gunshot wound Thursday, at around 8:45pm. The soldier was wounded at the protection area of a Defense Army military unit, and as a result of the shots fired by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The wounded serviceman was taken to a military hospital, the Artsakh Ministry of Defense informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. He is in critical but stable condition. An investigation is underway to find out the details of this incident. Former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan on Thursday was called to the Special Investigation Service (SIS) of Armenia, and in connection with the criminal case into what had occurred in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008. The SIS has informed about the aforementioned. No other details are announced yet. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Kamsky park in St. Petersburg where he laid flowers at the Komitas monument and the cross-stone dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the PMs Office reported. Thereafter, the PM visited the Hermitage Museum where he was welcomed by director of the Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky. Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with a group of cultural figures and then toured the Museum. He considered a great honor the meeting with artists and stated that the Armenian government is interested on constant development of the Armenian-Russian relations. Our relations have always been at a high level, and I think that they are based on rich cultural ties which exist between the Armenian and Russian cultural figures. These are not only professional, but human ties: the professional ties strengthen the human ties and vice versa. We consider it necessary the further deepening of the cultural ties and attach importance to the fact that there are multiple exhibits in Hermitage with Armenian traces, the PM said, stating that St. Petersburg has key significance for the Armenian people: numerous renowned Armenians lived, studied and carried out activity here. Thereafter the PM answered to questions of the cultural figures which related to the Armenian-Russian relations, cultural cooperation, the ongoing changes in Armenia, the Armenian-Turkish relations and etc. As for the Armenian-Turkish relations, the PM said Turkey ties these relations with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and considered strange that the Turkish side links the relations with Armenia with the relations with a third country. The border between Armenia and Turkey has been closed by Turkey, it can be considered as not closed by Armenia. The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is very important for us, and now Armenia is one of the leaders in fight against genocides, Nikol Pashinyan said. We are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without any precondition. The PM also left a note in the honorary guest book. Pashinyan has completed his working visit to Russia. Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed readiness to negotiate with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, he said in an interview to Al-Jazeera TV. "I am sure that democracy is the most important factor for establishing peace in our region, because I am sure that there is no democracy that would like to start a war or use force to solve any problems," Pashinyan said. The Armenian PM said Azerbaijan became more aggressive after the revolution in Armenia, because Armenia has big success in making Armenia democratic country, in fighting corruption, monopolies, creating equal conditions. "I think Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has some fears that the Azerbaijani people can be inspired by the Armenian revolution and try to make similar changes in Azerbaijan. So I think the increase of the aggressive rhetoric by the Azerbaijani government is connected with this situation, PM Pashinyan said, adding that the Azerbaijani government is trying to distract the attention of its own people from their domestic problems to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We are ready for peace negotiations.I am ready for negotiations with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan said, adding that he is ready to meet Aliyev. Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the OSCE Minsk Group format in the conflict settlement. I think this format is able to solve this conflict peacefully if the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments will have a respective political will for peaceful solution. I can assure you and all international community that as any democratic government, we have real will and real desire to solve this conflict peacefully and we are ready for negotiations. But I want to insist that we arent going to make anything in the atmosphere of intimidation. Its very important to create atmosphere of peace in our region, he said. He stated that no one in Armenia can hear any hate speech connected with Azerbaijan and its people, but unfortunately, one can hear every day hate speech from Azerbaijan towards Armenia, and what is dangerous is that one can hear that hate speech personally from Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. Al-Qaeda's Mali Branch Vilifies France and Urges Muslims Join in Expelling it from Country Regina Mossotti, a former zoology graduate student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, holds a three-week-old cheetah cub. Her recently published study shows that female cheetahs can use urine to detect which males would make the best mates. The study could lead to better captive breeding programs. (Photo provided) Female cheetahs detect suitable mates from males urine, study by SIU researcher shows by Tim Crosby CARBONDALE, Ill. It turns out, female cheetahs are quite picky about their mates. And when theyre allowed to choose them, the chances of healthy offspring improve. A former graduate student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale recently published a study that explains at least one factor female cheetahs use to make those choices. The findings may lead to improved captive breeding programs for the big cats. Regina Mossotti began work on her masters thesis in zoology at SIU back in 2009. In the time since, shes conducted research on wolves in Yellowstone National Park and mountain lions in California. She currently works as director of animal care and conservation at the Endangered Wolf Center near St. Louis, a world-renown facility that has helped save three species from extinction. Findings show female cheetahs preference for certain mates Her recently published masters thesis has garnered attention in biology circles for its potentially game-changing findings regarding cheetah mating preferences. In what was the first ever mate-choice study using urine with a mammalian carnivore, Mossotti tested whether female cheetahs expressed a preference for certain males. Interest was measured by the amount of time the female cheetahs spent investigating the males urine scent. Along with her research partners, Mossotti discovered the females were most attracted by urine from male cheetahs that were unrelated to them, and therefore the best choice for mating. Since its June publication in the journal Zoo Biology, the study has gained national attention from other high-profile media such as The Scientific American. Captive breeding key to conservation Mossotti said she undertook the study at SIU because animals in human care, in zoological and conservation centers, play a critical role in wildlife conservation. Having a genetically healthy population in zoos is vital to these conservation efforts, she said. And that means breeding has to be successful. Genetic variation in cheetahs has become low because of population decline and fragmentation, mostly due to human activities. And hough zoos throughout the world manage captive cheetahs with breeding programs aimed at maximizing genetic diversity, they have not been consistently successful. Current methods offer limited success In most cases, captive breeding programs rely on a genetic database to choose cheetah mates. On paper, so to speak, the male and female look like a good match. But what we were seeing is that the females were at times rejecting males, she said. Sometimes when the new mate was introduced the animals would fight, which occasionally lead to injury and even death. Such failures hurt conservation efforts. The loss of one individual in an endangered population is devastating, Mossotti added. Finding a way to increase compatibility of the pairs for the breeding program is essential. Mossotti knew that larger institutions with larger cheetah populations were having more success, likely owing to their larger populations, which in turn makes it possible for females to choose their own mates. But she wanted to understand how they were making their choices. Findings promise better methods We have seen from other small mammal studies mice, for instance that urine can share a lot of information, she said. Its basically the Facebook or Tinder of the animal world. The urine can tell a female if they are related to the male, if the male is healthy, and other aspects about the male that can help her make a choice. There were significant challenges: Unlike mice, getting an appropriate number of samples is difficult with captive large carnivores. Mossotti found herself driving all over the United States, working with more than 20 zoos. And all of these institutions were willing to step up, donating their staffs time and effort to help because of how important breeding is to successful cheetah conservation efforts, she said. Wildlife scientists are hopeful this new insight will improve captive breeding efforts. This study was the beginning steps to see if urine could be used as a proxy for a male, Mossotti said. Instead of shipping an animal across the country which can be stressful on the animal, and incredibly expensive and possibly just to have the new pair potentially not be compatible we could, in the future, send urine instead to see if she reacts more favorably to one males scent over another. Mossotti foresees further inquiry in which female cheetahs are presented with three good matches to see whether the cheetahs urine preference matches her real-life preference. The Indian prime minister is set to attend the BRICS summit. He inked deals worth US$ 200 million with Rwanda and US$ 205 million with Uganda. For India, Africa offers huge strategic and economic opportunities. New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Uganda and Rwanda ahead of the summit of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which starts today in South Africa. In Uganda, the Indian leader said Africa will be at the top of our priorities. During his short stay, Modi signed a number of important trade agreements. For analysts, by coming so soon after Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to the continent, Modi is signalling Indias intention of challenging Chinas geopolitical and trading pre-eminence in Africa. Before Uganda, Modi visited Rwanda. His next stop will be Johannesburg (South Africa) for the BRICS summit. Peace and international security, global governance and trade wars will be the main topics. On Monday in Kigali, he signed a defence agreement with Rwanda. He also pledged US$ 100 million in lines of credit to develop industrial parks and US$ 100 for agricultural irrigation schemes. Finally, he donated 200 cows to eradicate poverty in villages. In Uganda yesterday, the Indian leader announced that Indias intention of opening at least 18 embassies in African countries. He also announced loans worth US$ 205 million dollars to expand Ugandas electricity grid and boost commercial farming. For India, Africa offers huge strategic and financial opportunities. At present, Indias economy is growing at 7.4 per cent in 2018. "The visit of the Prime Minister to these three countries is a reflection of the intensity of our engagement with Africa and the priority we attach to our relations with African countries," said T. S. Tirumurti, secretary in charge of economic relations at India's Ministry of External Affairs. "As regards China, I don't think we see ourselves in a competition in Africa at all, he added. Experts note that Indias interest in African is relatively recent. Bilateral trade between Africa and India stood at US billion for March 2016-17, with India mainly exporting raw materials as well as selling items such as automobiles. By contrast, trade links between China and Africa stood at around US$ 220 billion in 2014 and are growing thanks to Chinas new silk road, the Belt and Road Initiative. "Africa is important for various reasons, in terms of market resources, the (Indian) diaspora and maritime. Defence cooperation has not been intense, but we are trying to focus on that area, said Nivedita Ray, research fellow at the New Delhi-based Indian Council of World Affairs. "The eastern part of Africa (for instance) is important for India's Indo-Pacific vision. It is part of an extremely important maritime neighbourhood and is critical to India's security," she added. Baseless attack: The North Carolina state bar has taken steps to sue the nations leading vaccine rights attorney Theres no doubt that the issue of vaccination is a truly loaded one, with people who have very strong opinions on both sides of the argument. Irrespective of whether they are strongly in favor of or vehemently opposed to the idea of vaccines, however, most people would agree that they would like the right to choose for themselves whether or not to vaccinate their families. A legal witch hunt which is threatening this freedom in North Carolina should therefore be of concern to every American citizen. As reported by Green Med Info, the North Carolina State Bar the institution responsible for the licensing of attorneys in that state has filed a lawsuit against Alan Phillips, one of the countrys foremost vaccine rights attorneys, in an attempt to compel him to release client files dating back several years. Should Phillips refuse to comply, he risks jail time for civil contempt. Legal witch hunt in the 21st century As noted by the website VaccineRights.com, Phillips practice is the only one in the country which is solely focused on vaccine exemptions and legislative activism. He is a nationally recognized expert on vaccine law and policy, and assists legislators, activists, clients and other attorneys countrywide with legal matters related to vaccinations required at birth and at other milestones during childhood, as well as other vaccine issues related to employment and so on. (Related: North Carolina State Bar targets vaccine rights attorney with unprecedented bullying lawsuit.) It is hardly surprising that the State Bar is pursuing Phillips, since North Carolina is known as Vaccine Central, with several companies based there winning awards for accomplishments in the vaccine industry. It would seem that the aim is to get Phillips disbarred for his work in assisting his clients to legally avoid vaccines with all their side effects and long-term risks. As Green Med Info warns, this is not an attack on a single individual, but on the entire vaccine awareness movement. Furthermore, it is a baseless attack: The NC Bars lawsuit and underlying investigation are both unlawful for several reasons, according to Phillips. First, the Bar lacks the legally-required allegation of misconduct. There is also a blatant conflict of interest, Phillips points out, as he filed a good-faith complaint against State Bar attorneys for their fabrication of facts and law in a February 2017 Letter of Warning to Phillips. NC Bar attorneys cant lawfully investigate Phillips while Phillips has an unresolved complaint open against Bar attorneys; both matters must be addressed by outside, independent people to avoid the obvious conflicts of interest. But the NC Bar is ignoring that conflict; it is suppressing Phillips complaint against Bar attorneys, and aggressively pursuing Phillips. Phillips has the support of other attorneys and witnesses for his claim that NC Bar officials fabricate facts and have used these fabrications to get other attorneys disbarred. Other associations around the country have also filed complaints against the NC Bar in recent months, although the association is doing its best to suppress and hide this fact. (Related: North Carolina to deny children an education if they dont submit to dangerous vaccine shots.) Phillips also asserts that the Bars demand for his clients files is nothing more than a fishing expedition, and is not based on any concrete evidence of wrongdoing. Any who wish to speak out against this unlawful action can sign the Change.org petition. Please be sure to circulate this article among those in the vaccine awareness community, and if you wish to make a contribution to Phillips legal defense you can do so at his Go Fund Me page. Sources for this article include: GreenMedInfo.com NCBiotech.org VaccineRights.com A Constitutional court sitting in Mbale has validated a constitutional amendment that removes an age limit for presidential aspirants, clearing the way for long-serving President Yoweri Museveni to remain in power for life. After more than 11 hours of debate, 4 out of the 5 justices on the Constitutional court rejected a challenge to the amendment that prevented anyone 75 or older from holding the presidency. Justice Kenneth Kakuru was the only dissenting judge Museveni, who is now 73, would have been ineligible to run again when his current term expires in 2021 if the court had not ruled as it did. Many critics opposed the lifting of the age limit citing Musevenis 32-year rule, which has been punctuated by corruption scandals, human rights violations and poor social services. One dissent Justice Kenneth Kakuru, who was on the panel, voiced his opposition to the ruling. I find and declare that, one, the entire constitutional amendment act one of 2018 is unconstitutional and therefore null and void. All its provision ought to be expunged from the Constitution of Uganda, he said. During last years amendment process, legislators voted to have their tenure extended to seven years from five. But all five judges on the panel ruled against that move, saying it was selfish and goes against the principles of good governance. The judges noted that an extension of the terms of members of parliament would only be acceptable in a state of emergency or war, and even then they would only allow a only a six month extension. Lesson for legislators Winnie Kiiza, the leader of the opposition in parliament and one of the petitioners, said the judgment is an important lesson for legislators. Our colleagues who thought possibly President Museveni meant well for them, have now known that the law was just about himself, getting his age limit and therefore ditch them along the way, she said. Attorney general Mwesigwa Rukutana was pleased with the outcome. It was largely a balanced judgment. And it really painted a good picture for our rule of law. It was a win-win situation. We won in some of the issues. The petitioners also won in some issues, Rukutana said. Ugandans will now have to wait for the 2021 general elections and use their vote to bring the change they desire. UNCLE MO, real name Moses Kiboneka, is a youthful engineer, actor and comedian whose satirical take on trending issues has turned him into an online sensation. It is quite easy to settle into bad sexual habits, especially as newlyweds, setting the pace for the rest of your marriage. Those are hard to break once the... I did not enjoy bao Reply Thread Link Everyone said how they teared up and when I watched it it just reminded me of emotional abuse lmao. I was like run boy run. Edited at 2018-07-27 07:49 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah. I understand it's a metaphor but it was horrific. Reply Parent Thread Link Love this post, OP! Reply Thread Link Thank you, I'm glad Reply Parent Thread Link Wish I was in Canada to watch this. If you're in Canada please support this show. oh, and TY to the mod who added a few tags! Edited at 2018-07-27 03:39 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link I hated the animation of Bao. Reply Thread Link I wish the Canadian film/television/music community was stronger and more present and supported by the public. I understand why it's not - it's hard to compete with America and it's easier for Canadians to just go work down south on American projects and for the Canadian public to consume American media. It's hard to be distinct and compete against America's Top 40 and channels like HBO. But at the same time, I wish we really nurtured our creators and had an entertainment industry that was easier for the public to engage in. Something a little more insulated from American influence to give Canadians from all walks of life more of a chance to tell their stories and present art that has more of a distinctive Canadian quality to it. Reply Thread Link not OC, but thanks for the link! Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, that's not really what I'm talking about though. 2 or 3 shows that happen to be doing well at the moment isn't what I'm after. I don't care about international attention either. Edited at 2018-07-27 06:01 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link When I heard what happens to that poor dumpling....no. Just no. Reply Thread Link I was shocked at that scene in Bao. Even as an Asian, it was not the most captivating Pixar short for me Reply Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link I loved Bao. I was legit tearing up at the revalation tbh Reply Thread Link Same, was not expecting to legit cry before watching the incredibles Reply Parent Thread Link Joyce Wong and Amanda Parris were both at a TIFF event for female creators I attended a few weeks back (Joyce on the panel, Amanda in the audience). The q&a got pretty wild. Not in a bad way, though. People just had a lot of feelings. Reply Thread Link Awesome post, OP! Reply Thread Link Here for this. Reply Thread Link Yay! Me too. It's good to be reminded that women creators ARE out there, I hope they can continue to get more support and recognition for their work. a few in particular on this list i'm really excited about. Reply Parent Thread Link I feel like way too many people still joke about what (canadian/) female film makers can do and like..nothing is going to change until you put your money where your mouth is. Reply Parent Thread Link you are so right Reply Parent Thread Link *Regina voice* I know! Reply Parent Thread Link LMAOOOOOOOOO Reply Thread Link is she insecure of her ass or something? whats the point of always wearing jackets like that Reply Thread Link seems uncomfortable and inconvenient Reply Parent Thread Link lmao this fucking gif Reply Parent Thread Link omg I randomly thought of her the other day and wanted to search for a life update but didn't want to get sucked into her crazy life and videos. Reply Parent Thread Link Shes still a mess Reply Parent Thread Link i just checked the other day and i'm pretty sure nothing has really changed. she has a 4 year old daughter and she's made a few videos this year. i think her latest one was an 'ASMR' except it was just her whispering about her make up??? lol Reply Parent Thread Link LOL Reply Parent Thread Link I love you for posting this gif. Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Link I knew MGK was gonna be the next one as soon as I saw the casting (and because I think they make sense together; at least more sense than Ariana/Pete), but I didn't think it was gonna happen this soon. Here for MGK and Pete fighting on set at some point. Also, MGK isn't a terrible actor, but part of me thinks that he was just acting as himself in the movie I saw him. Reply Thread Link was it beyond the lights? bc mte but also at that point i didn't even know he was an actual rapper oop Reply Parent Thread Link It was some movie with Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. I think it was called Nerve. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The "next one"? Reply Parent Thread Link He was fantastic on Roadies, honestly surprised to find out he was a musician when I looked him up. Then I was sad, because his music was trash Reply Parent Thread Link What if theyre just friends? Pete is friends with this guy Edited at 2018-07-27 08:30 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I knew that was a Wegmans before I even scrolled down lmao, best grocery store Reply Thread Link I only came into this post for the Wegmans love Reply Parent Thread Link I saw Syracuse and grocery shopping and just knew. Suddenly I believe in these kids. Reply Parent Thread Link Fuck I miss Wegmans so much. D: Reply Parent Thread Link lmao same Reply Parent Thread Link IA Reply Parent Thread Link part of me thinks this speculation is unfair to ariana and pete. part of me thinks it's my fault for that expose i did about ari's cheating ways. regardless, all this mess hasn't stopped me from preordering sweetener so she won Reply Thread Link She either has busted it wide open for Kelly...or she will. But I love her cheating thot ass and I preordered Sweetener w/ a crewneck bundle. I love her. Reply Parent Thread Link That's the Wegmans where I shop. She better have kept her tongue off any goods she deems below her. Reply Thread Link which one is it, the one over in dewitt? Reply Parent Thread Link that is my wegmans forever and forever (and the one that stood before it in the 80's). when i visit syracuse to see my family my brother and i go to wegmans still. (usually after midnight, hello savant mike!) Reply Parent Thread Link Nnnnnnnn i'm so here for the whole ass mess that will happen if she dates MGK Reply Thread Link Lol I've been to that Wegmans before Reply Thread Link I didn't know MGK was an actor...unless he's just playing himself or something like that. Anyway, it's not fair to assume foul play or anything but this dude screams her type. Reply Thread Link so she cheatin' already Reply Thread Link this is my assumption as well Reply Parent Thread Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link No... MGK and Pete have been friends for a while now, it's more likely that Pete was resting/filming something and Ariana/MGK went to go get some food. Reply Parent Thread Link Shes just getting her parachute ready Reply Parent Thread Link it's just filming of pete's new film lol but i wouldn't be surprised of course Reply Parent Thread Link The global oil market is once again in flux as geopolitics and regional conflicts take an increasingly heavy toll on oil supplies. Since the OPEC meeting in Vienna, warning signs that oil markets are heading for a shortage in supply, due to low spare production capacity and growing security threats in and around the Persian Gulf, have not been taken into account. The perceived oil production increase from the OPEC and Russia agreement has not materialized in full. Analysts are even reporting that the spare production capacity of Saudi Arabia is less than 500,000 bpd. This lack of production capacity must now become a major point of focus as, in addition to the ongoing Iran-U.S. confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian backed Yemeni Houthi rebels have once again attacked Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. In response, Saudi Arabia has suspended oil shipments through the Bab El-Mandeb Strait for an undisclosed period of time. Aramco stated that in the interest of the safety of ships and their crews and to avoid the risk of oil spill, Saudi Aramco has temporarily halted all oil shipments through Bab El-Mandeb with immediate effect. The Company is carefully assessing the situation and will take further action as prudence demands. Even though no casualties have been reported, the current situation is undeniably dangerous and has been escalating this year. So far in 2018, the Houthis have threatened to increase their attacks on Saudi or Arab Alliance owned vessels. On April 3, a Saudi tanker was shot at with a projectile from Houthi fighters. Several other Houthi attacks have been reported against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Bab El Mandeb area lately. Related: Are Oil Markets Underestimating Irans Threats? (Click to enlarge) The Saudi reaction to these attacks is likely to lead to an upward oil price movement as it has emphasized the level of risk in the area. Around 1.2 million bpd of Saudi oil and petroleum products pass through the strait. For Saudi Arabias customers this development in undoubtedly going to cause problems. A slowdown of Saudi products to key markets in the U.S. and EU will have an impact on prices. The market may soon realize that the time of secure oil supplies is now behind us. Tightening supplies and geopolitical risks need to be reassessed and revalued in todays market. Without high crude storage levels and an almost diminished spare production capacity, the slightest disruptions can start a price run. Bulls have been warning market observers about the tightness of global markets for several months now yet markets are barely reacting to new outages and threats. Related: Saudi Arabia Halts Oil Shipments At Key Chokepoint If the Bab El Mandeb situation deteriorates further, putting all other vessel movements at risk, or increasing insurance costs substantially, the market will soon be facing the prospect of a renewed oil price rally. Shortages in the market have already been forecast, but these were all centered around the prospect of Iran sanctions. If you add to that the tensions in the Bab El Mandeb region, we are looking at a far more bullish market. While Irans threats to close the Strait of Hormuz did stir some fear in analysts, it is not as significant as the Bab El Mandeb area. The Bab El Mandeb is not militarized by U.S.-NATO naval forces which means it is far more exposed to attacks than the Strait of Hormuz. Oil markets are already tight and geopolitical tensions across the globe seem to be rising, but the latest development in the Bab El Mandeb Strait should be treated as a key warning sign that analysts need to reevaluate risks in the oil market. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Global discoveries of conventional oil and natural gas are seeing an exciting recovery with discovered resources already surpassing 4.5 billion boe in H1 2018, Rystad Energy analysis shows. The average monthly discovered volumes YTD are estimated at 826 million boe, up approximately 30% compared to 625 million boe in 2017. (Click to enlarge) During H1 2018, Guyana led the top five countries in terms of total discovered resources added followed by the United States, Cyprus, Oman and Norway. These five countries hold three-fourths of the total resources discovered this year. The discoveries in Guyana, the United States and Cyprus are located in ultra-deepwater and are 100% owned by oil majors, indicating indicates that oil majors have started to re-focus on deepwater exploration. The biggest offshore discovery to date this year is believed to be the Eni-operated Calypso gas find offshore Cyprus, while the largest onshore discovery, a gas-condensate find, was reported on the Mabrouk North East prospect, operated by Petroleum Development Oman. Guyana ExxonMobils spate of oil discoveries continue in Stabroek block with three major oil discoveries reported in 2018 - Ranger, Pacora and Longtail, which together could hold almost 1 billion barrels of oil or more. These finds followed previous major discoveries on the block at Liza, Payara, Snoek and Turbot. United States The United States reported oil discoveries at Ballymore and Dover prospects in the Norphlet play in deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The Norphlet play, which is characterized by high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) conditions accompanied with complicated and elusive structures revealed to be fortunate for Chevron and a prevailing success for Shell. Chevron discovered a significant oil play at the Ballymore prospect with its first exploration well in the subtle play whereas the Dover discovery located 13 miles from the Appomattox host was Shells sixth discovery in the play. Related: Strong Dollar Could Cap Oil Prices Cyprus Cyprus marked its entry in the list owing to Enis promising gas discovery at Calypso 1 NFW ultra-deepwater well in Block 6. The discovery well encountered an extended gas column in rocks of Miocene and Cretaceous age, confirming the extension of Zohr-like play in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone. Oman Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) announced a giant gas-condensate discovery at Mabrouk North East prospect in the northern part of its concession area located west of Saih Rawl field. Norway In the Norwegian Sea, significant discoveries were reported by OMV and Wintershall in the Aasgard and Aasta Hansteen area respectively, with combined recoverable resources close to 240 million boe. While in North Sea, Aker BP and Equinor made the other two discoveries which together added 75 million boe. The discovery trend is expected to continue in H2 2018 backed by ongoing exploration in emerging offshore provinces and many promising high-impact wells targeting potential resources in the millions. An uptick of 30% from the abnormally low levels in 2017 might seem encouraging, but E&P players are currently facing a low reserve replacement ratio, on average of less than 10%. This is worrisome considering the impact on global oil supply in long term, says Espen Erlingsen, Head of Upstream Research at Rystad Energy. By Rystad Energy More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices started the week moving upwards after geopolitical tensions threatened both Iranian and Saudi Arabian oil, but a rising rig count on Friday has all but erased those gains. (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) Friday, July 27, 2018 It was mostly a quiet week for oil prices, rising on the back of geopolitical tensions at the start of the week before losing those gains on Friday as the oil rig count increased. Earnings reports started trickling in this week, with strong performances across the board. The recovery of oil markets in the last year is starting to be reflected in earnings, although some share prices were battered as Wall Street had expected more. Shell posts strong earnings, initiates $25 billion share buyback. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) nearly tripled its profits in the second quarter, year-on-year, and announced the beginning of a $25 billion share buyback program. Investors werent convinced, and Shells stock sunk nearly 4 percent on the news. The skepticism may have been the result of the 1.5 percent decline in production, which stemmed from field declines and asset sales. Also, Shells earnings came in a little under expectations. Shells gearing, or debt ratio to capitalization, declined from 24.7 percent in the first quarter to 23.6 percent in the second, another sign of progress. BP to pay $10.5 billion for BHP shale assets. BP (NYSE: BP) agreed to purchase BHPs (NYSE: BBL) shale assets for $10.5 billion. BHP has been trying to unload its shale assets for a while, after losing some $19 billion on shale, so the sale is welcome. For BP, the acquisition is an enormous splash, making it a major player in U.S. shale. The assets are located in the Eagle Ford, Permian and Haynesville shales. This is a transformational acquisition for our (onshore U.S.) business, a major step in delivering our upstream strategy and a world-class addition to BPs distinctive portfolio, BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said in a statement. BP also hiked its dividend for the first time in almost four years and also announced a $6 billion share buyback. Related: The Three Best Oil Majors Of 2018 Chevron doubles earnings, Exxons up 18 percent. Chevron (NYSE: CVX) reported earnings of $3.8 billion for the second quarter, more than twice as much as a year earlier. Like some of the others, earnings still came in a bit under expectations shares were down 2 percent on the news. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) fell 4 percent in early trading on Friday after undershooting expectations. The oil major said that production fell 7 percent in the second quarter, year-on-year, even as Permian and Bakken production jumped. Exxon earned just under $4 billion for the quarter, up 18 percent from a year earlier. Saudi Arabia halted shipments through Bab el-Mandeb. Saudi Arabia halted shipments through the crucial chokepoint of Bab el-Mandeb this week after Houthi rebels attacked two Aramco tankers. Nearly 5 million barrels per day of oil volumes pass through the narrow strait between the horn of Africa and Yemen. Airlines cutting capacity because of fuel costs. Many of the largest U.S. airline companies are trimming flights and raising fares in reaction to rising fuel prices. Trump calls off trade war with Europemaybe. President Trump boasted about a breakthrough in trade relations with Europe this week, seeming to support a free trade proposal that resembles the one that the Obama administration and Europe had been considering. He said the two sides would have talks on zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods. Trump also suggested that Europe would buy up American soybeans hit hard in the current trade fight with China and American LNG. Light on details, the market did not know what to make of the announcement, but welcomed the easing of relations. But already, the vague breakthrough is running into trouble, with both sides far apart on whether or not agriculture should even be considered as part of the negotiations. Saudi Arabia pressures Aramco to take on debt. With the IPO of Saudi Aramco on ice, the Saudi government is pressing Aramco to raise tens of billions of dollars in debt to fund the countrys economic transformation, according to the WSJ. Saudi officials want Aramco to raise debt to buy a controlling stake in SABIC, a Saudi petrochemical company, currently owned by the sovereign wealth fund. The move would effectively transfer $50 to $70 billion to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, handing a mountain of cash to the government. CNPC to spend $22 billion through 2020 to boost production. Chinas state-owned CNPC announced plans to spend $22 billion by 2020 to boost oil and gas production in its western region of Xinjiang, according to Reuters. The move would help offset declining production from mature fields in Chinas northeast. Related: The Most Important Waterway In The Oil World Occidental Petroleum considers sale of pipeline assets. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) is exploring the sale of its pipeline assets, which could be worth as much as $5 billion. The move would give the company resources to boost exploration and production. The sale of pipeline assets is timely given the high valuation for midstream assets. Indian refiner cancels purchase of Iranian oil. Indias Hindustan Petroleum Corp. cancelled the purchase of an Iranian oil cargo because it couldnt obtain insurance for the shipment, due to U.S. sanctions. The cancellation suggests U.S. sanctions will be more effective than once thought. Deepwater drilling picks up. The broad-based recovery is now also reaching the offshore market, Patrick Schorn, executive vice-president of wells at Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB), told analysts last week. We are preparing ourselves further for deepwater. Schlumberger, along with Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), warned investors that the Permian could see a slowdown. But Schlumberger, more internationally-focused than Halliburton, struck a more optimistic tone regarding offshore drilling, noting that drilling could rise by 10 percent this year. According to analysts at Bernstein, there could be 40 final investment decisions on offshore projects this year, up from just 29 in 2017 and 14 in 2016. Chesapeake Energy to sell $2 billion Utica assets. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) is selling its remaining assets in the Utica shale for $2 billion in order to slash the companys debt. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Despite continued takeaway capacity constraints, Canadas top two oil producers raised their production in the second quarter, as demand for heavy Canadian oil among U.S. Gulf Coast refiners has been rising at a time when Venezuelan heavy oil supply is dwindling. Due to the transportation bottlenecks, the discount at which Western Canadian Select (WCS)the benchmark price of oil from Canadas oil sands delivered at Hardisty, Albertatrades relative to WTI has been US$20, and at times US$30 a barrel this year. However, the desperate state of the Venezuelan oil industry has reduced heavy Venezuelan oil exports to the United States, and refiners are looking for more Canadian barrels to buy. Cenovus Energy reported on Thursday a 61-percent surge in second-quarter production, to 518,530 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed). Oil sands production jumped by 49 percent on the year to 390,000 bpd, and the company boasted record low oil sands operating costs of US$5.60 (C$7.32) a barrel. As WCS prices improved into the second quarter, the company ramped up its oil sands production to above normal operating levels to recover the stored barrels in a higher pricing environment, Cenovus said today. Referring to the market access of Canadian oil, Cenovus said: Cenovus continues to work with rail providers to resolve a shortage of locomotive hauling capacity, so the company can more fully realize the benefits of its Bruderheim crude-by-rail facility. The company is beginning to see increased activity at its Bruderheim facility as well as across other rail loading facilities in the province. Related: Are Oil Markets Underestimating Irans Threats? Another top Canadian producer, Suncor Energy, reported on Wednesday total upstream quarterly production of 661,700 boed in Q2 2018, compared to 539,100 boed in Q2 2017. Husky Energy, however, chose to shield itself from the wide Canadian oil price discounts by boosting refining, and its upstream production dropped by 7.5 percent on the year in Q2. Once again, the physical integration of our Upstream and Downstream businesses, including our committed pipeline capacity, shielded us from location and quality differentials, and the stability offered by our term contracts in Asia delivered strong financial results, CEO Rob Peabody said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iran has started to offer India cargo insurance and tankers operated by Iranian companies as some Indian insurers have backed out of covering oil cargoes from Iran in the face of the returning U.S. sanctions on Tehran, Reuters reports, quoting industry sources. Iran is looking to continue to sell its oil to Indiaits second-largest single oil customer after Chinaeven as some Indian refiners are said to be thinking of reducing oil imports from Iran for fear of running afoul with the U.S. sanctions and having their access cut off to the U.S. financial system. United India Insurance has already stopped providing insurance cover for crude oil cargoes out of Iran, a source at the company told Reuters. According to Reuters industry sources, Iran has recently insured crude oil cargoes en route to India on tankers operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), as western insurers, as well as Indian ones, have stopped providing cargo insurance for Irans oil sales. The two top Indian refiners, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp, have started to purchase Iranian oil in Iran-owned tankers and insured by Iran, the industry sources told Reuters. Earlier this week, Hindustan Petroleum was said to have cancelled a crude oil shipment from Iran after its insurer refused to provide coverage for the cargo on concern about U.S. sanctions. Related: The Most Important Waterway In The Oil World Hindustan Petroleum, Indias third-largest state-owned refiner, ordered the 1-million-barrel shipment earlier this month, and after the refusal of its insurance company to cover a cargo loaded on an Iranian tanker, it tried to sell it on but could not find buyers, the sources said. The Indian refiner imports about 20,000 bpd of Iranian crude, which is a relatively small part of its daily consumption, which amounts to 316,000 bpd, but other Indian refiners could run into the same problem. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Japanese utilities have resorted to starting up old crude oil- and fuel oil-fired power plants and ramping up the capacity of already operating oil-powered facilities as utilities try to cope with record demand amid a two-week heat wave that has killed more than 80 people across the country. In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Japan switched off most of its nuclear power plants to have operators inspect and upgrade them. At present, just six out of 40 available nuclear reactors are operational in the country. The heat wave of the past two weeks has made households and businesses crank up air conditioning, and demand for electricity is on the rise and power prices have hit record highs. To cope with the surge in electricity demand, utilities are returning to the use of mothballed fossil fuel-fired power plants that have been placed on standby, or are ramping up the capacity at operational fossil fuel plants. Kansai Electric Power, a utility operating in the western industrialized area which was also the hardest hit by the heat wave, has started up two old oil-fired plants with a total capacity of 1.2 gigawatts (GW), a spokesman for the company told Reuters on Friday. Japans biggest electricity provider and the operator of the former Fukushima nuclear power plantTokyo Electric Powerhas been running its oil, coal, and gas power plants at rates higher than their typical maximum capacity, a Tokyo Electric Power spokesman told Reuters. The heat wave pushed electricity prices in the Kansai region to the highest on record this week. The heat wave could roll on into August, which is typically the hottest month in Japan, and utilities see electricity demand this month and next possibly exceeding earlier estimates. Our old thermal power plants are working hard. We must get our act together to keep them well maintained, Satoru Katsuno, president at Japans third-largest utility, Chubu Electric Power, said at the end of last week. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The agreement between the United States and the European Union to work together toward zero tariffs is setting the stage for increased U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Thursday at the opening of the second U.S. LNG export facility at Cove Point, Maryland. It is a new day and I think a very bright day, Secretary Perry said. Our allies, they can count on, no strings attached that U.S. energy will keep flowing their way, he added, as quoted by Houston Chronicle. After a meeting with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the two agreed to work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods. The parties also agreed to boost energy cooperation. The European Union wants to import more liquefied natural gas LNG from the United States, and theyre going to be a very, very big buyer. Were going to make it much easier for them, but theyre going to be a massive buyer of LNG, so theyll be able to diversify their energy supply, which they want very much to do. And we have plenty of it, President Trump said. The completion of the Cove Point LNG export expansion project makes it the second LNG export facility in the continental United States, after Sabine Pass in Louisiana. Related: Saudi Arabia Halts Oil Shipments At Key Chokepoint These two facilities now ship U.S. LNG to 30 nations on five continents, with a combined export capacity of 3.6 Bcf/d. U.S. LNG exports increased from 0.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2016 to 1.94 Bcf/d in 2017. Another four LNG export projects are underway across the U.S.Elba Island LNG in Georgia, Freeport LNG in Texas, Corpus Christi in Texas, and Cameron LNG in Louisiana. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Trump administration is pressing Israel to go ahead with a gas pipeline deal it signed with Jordan a few years ago, writes Israeli reporter Barak Ravid for Axios, citing Israeli and U.S. officials. The deal has been frozen due to a rekindling of tensions between Tel Aviv and Amman resulting, apparently, from a division of opinions within the Netanyahu cabinet. Notably, the Israeli Prime Ministers chief economic adviser, Avi Simhon, is a staunch opponent of the Red-Dead pipeline that will link the two seas, believing it is not worth the US$150 million to be invested. Of this, the United States has undertaken to provide US$100 million. After the commitment made at the signing of the deal, Jordan reached out to the United Statesa key partner of both parties to the initiativeto complain about Tel Aviv going back on its promise to build the pipeline, which is supposed to send natural gas worth US$10 billion to Jordan over 15 years. This would result in savings for Jordans state utility of US$300 million annually, the Times of Israel reports. Some in Jordan, which has been suffering from recession for several years now, did not need much prompting to get out on the streets, protesting the normalization of bilateral relations with Israel. A news outlet reported that a Jordanian company had picked back up a sand cargo that was to be used in the construction of the pipeline, again in demonstration of its opposition to the normalization of Israeli-Jordanian relations. Related: The 4 Key Chokepoints For Oil And yet work on the pipeline is already under way. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that the pipeline should be completed by the end of next year, citing a Jordanian source: the director general of Jordans National Electric Power Company. The pipeline will source natural gas from the giant Leviathan field in the Mediterranean, which is the subject of controversy between Israel and its coastal neighbor Lebanon. The Red-Dead pipeline is shaping up as the biggest infrastructure project in Jordan to date and will also be instrumental in the normalization of Israeli-Jordanian relations. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: " " Muhammad is depicted riding a camel, mostly likely during his flight to Medina in 622, an event known as the Hijrah, or Night Journey. Nastasic/Getty Images Without Muhammad, there would be no Islam. Orphaned at a young age, Muhammad was a successful merchant before receiving the startling angelic revelations that would make him the first and last prophet of the Muslim world. Muhammad was born in 570 C.E. in the Arabian town of Mecca, already a popular pilgrimage site. The people of Mecca belonged to familial tribes and mainly worshipped many different gods and idols, although there were also some Christian and Jewish settlements [source: Sinai and Watt]. Advertisement Muhammad's father died shortly before his birth, and his mother passed away when he was 6. Muhammad was raised by other family members and trained as a merchant. At 25 years old, he married a wealthy widow named Khadijah who had hired him to do some trade for her. Together they had four daughters (and two sons who died in infancy) [source: PBS]. At the age of 40, Muhammad was meditating in a cave near Mecca when he was visited by the angel Gabriel, who commanded him to "read" or "recite in the name of your Lord." (This saying would become part of the Quran, the Islamic sacred book.) Muhammad fled the cave in awe and fear, and ran to tell Khadijah. She believed and comforted him, and took him to her cousin, a learned Christian, who confirmed that the angel's visitation qualified him as a prophet [source: Sinai and Watt]. Muhammad continued to receive revelations from God but didn't go public with them for three years. When he did, his monotheistic preaching angered the idol-worshiping tribes in Mecca, stirring up the first tensions between Muhammad's early followers and the leaders of those tribes. Muhammad and his followers eventually fled to Medina, in North Africa, for refuge in 622, but only after Muhammad experienced what's known as his Night Journey. According to one version of the story, Muhammad was transported from Mecca to Jerusalem by the angel Gabriel on a mythical winged creature where he met with the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and briefly ascended to heaven to learn at the throne of Allah. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is believed to be the site of the Night Journey [source: Oxford Dictionary of Islam]. Muhammad was both a spiritual preacher and a political and military leader. After several battles and broken treaties with the tribes of Mecca, he eventually returned to Mecca triumphant and secured the town as a Muslim stronghold before his death from an unknown illness at age 60 in 632 [source: PBS]. Within the religious tradition of Islam, Muhammad is a spiritual giant and miracle worker on par with Jesus or Moses. The Quran is a collection of every revelation that Muhammad received from Allah. Examples and stories from Muhammad's life form the basis of the Sunnah, a collection of traditional social and legal customs in the Islamic community. This, along with the Quran, is the source for most of the laws governing Muslim life. Outside of the Muslim religious tradition, Muhammad was for centuries dismissed as a power-hungry charlatan who invented the revelations recorded in the Quran [source: Sinai and Watt]. Considering the global spread of Islam, most religious scholars place him among the most influential religious and cultural figures in human history. Research from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture indicates that a trade agreement with Japan is crucial for the US beef industry. Credit: T. Johnson, UTIA. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture projections indicate that the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in March 2018 could disadvantage U.S. beef exports to Japan, a stumbling block that U.S. beef producers can ill afford. Beef-exporting countries party to the trade agreement, such as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Canada, will benefit from an immediate reduction and phase-down of tariffs from their current levels over a 15-year period. The U.S. was once a CPTPP member, but in January 2017, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum officially withdrawing from the trade agreement. Under the CPTPP, Japan agreed to significant tariff reductions on beef, with reductions from 38.5 percent to 9 percent for muscle cuts. Tariff reductions for select offal products will be phased out completely. Meanwhile, U.S. beef will continue to face tariffs of 38.5 percent to 50 percent, as well as a global safeguard tariff of 50 percent when imports exceed a specified level. Understandably, the tariff advantage for CPTPP countries has raised concerns in the U.S. beef industry about its future in Japan. Although the U.S. has free trade agreements with several CPTPP countries, it does not have one with Japan, which is the leading market for U.S. beef exports. In 2017, U.S. beef exports totaled $7.3 billion, with Japan accounting for more than 25 percent of this total. Projected import shifts due to tariff reductions are substantial. For chilled beef, lower tariffs appear to benefit Australian beef, at the expense of U.S. beef. The projection range suggests that Australian beef could increase by as much as $139 million, while U.S. beef could decrease by as much as $143 million. Although Canada, Mexico and New Zealand also face lower tariffs, the projected increase for these countries is small at $4 million. Australia also gains in the frozen beef market at $162 million. Prior to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) ban in the early 2000s, U.S. beef exports were comparable to, and at times exceeded, Australian exports. Following the BSE ban, U.S. beef exports declined 74.7 percent, taking the industry eight years to rebound. While U.S. beef exports have since recovered, Australia now accounts for the greater share of Japanese beef imports. The research indicates that CPTPP will result in considerable increases in Australian beef exports to Japan, largely at the expense of U.S. beef. However, similar tariff reductions for U.S. beef could eliminate these negative effects and even result in an increase in beef imports from both countries. If the U.S. also received tariff reductions, the total benefit is $287 million, which is the avoided export loss of $70 million and the export gain of $217 million. UTIA research indicates that market access for U.S. beef in Japan is needed to counterbalance the effects of the CPTPP. "As exporting countries, other than the U.S., aggressively pursue free trade agreements or FTAs, U.S. agricultural sectors such as beef could be disadvantaged, if we stay out of the FTA game," says UTIA trade expert and Blasingame Chair of Excellence Andrew Muhammad. "Overall, the report highlights why it is important for the U.S. to stay engaged in international trade negotiations in order to maintain its competitive edge in global markets." The UTIA report, which was authored by Muhammad and his colleague Andrew Griffith, is available online as UT Extension publication W 656. At the farm level, higher tariffs will likely cause a decline in U.S. beef exports to Japan that could negatively impact returns to every segment of the industry, from the cow-calf producers to the packer. Alternatively, if the U.S. is able to establish a trade agreement with Japan that is identical to competing countries, then returns at the farm level should be influenced positively. Explore further Retaliatory tariffs could cost billions in reduced US soybean exports Provided by University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture REMAP is a free online mapmaking tool that allows users to detect environmental change over time using satellite images. Credit: REMAP UNSW scientists have created a mapmaking app that can fast-track large-scale ecosystem analysis from months to minutes, giving conservationists a way to monitor decades of human impact, hotspots of biodiversity and vulnerable ecosystems. Less than a year after its launch, REMAP a free online mapmaking tool that allows users to detect environmental change over time using satellite images has been used in 140 countries and is now applied in a range of contexts. The app is now an integral part of an international effort to map Myanmar's ecosystems. Dr. Nicholas Murray from UNSW's School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences created the app because he saw the potential of harnessing remote sensing data to support land conservation and mapping ecosystem loss. Remote sensing refers to techniques for observing earth from space or air to obtain information about it. "We wanted to empower people to map just how much the ecosystems around them have been changing," says Dr. Murray. "The fundamental motivation that led to the app was to allow people to create maps of their environment to identify what ecosystem types occur there, and how they've changed over the last 15 to 20 years." The UNSW scientists built the program to allow quick analyses of Landsat satellite data gathered by NASA and the US Geological Survey. Landsat is a series of satellites imaging the whole Earth every two weeks since the 1970sit is one of the longest continuous space-based record of global change. The database of images is free, and when pieced together forms an intricately detailed image mosaic of the Earth. The REMAP program allows users to identify ecosystems, shown here mapping mangroves of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Credit: REMAP Dr. Murray explains that just half a decade ago, building a map from raw satellite data from scratch required extensive work. "In the past it has been a technical process to produce high-quality maps suitable for tracking environmental change such as deforestation and ecosystem loss. It really has been sitting in the hands of experts," says Dr. Murray. "We aimed to remove the technical steps required to monitor ecosystems from space. Now, if I want to map an area the size of Sydney using satellite data that would require a fraction of the time in REMAP." REMAP was designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for everyone at the frontline of environment conservation, from national park rangers and ecologists to citizen scientists. The program gives users a high level of control and ability to map an ecosystem type, analyse specific areas and even the timeframe of their choosing. The app uses machine learning to develop a map: users train REMAP to classify specific ecosystems types by identifying a few pixels from Google Earth, or by uploading their own field data. From that little bit of data, REMAP can apply that information to recognise ecosystems in a selected area and then returns results that let users know the final extent of the ecosystem and how much it has changed over time. It is possible to tailor the program to detect ecosystem changes, such as witnessing the boundaries of forests shrink over the decades due to deforestation. The REMAP program allows users to identify ecosystems, shown here mapping deforestation. Credit: REMAP Generous access to the Google Earth Engine gave the team access to sufficient computing power to process the high volume of Landsat images and run the machine learning analyses that are the foundation of REMAP. The team has also joined forces with the Wildlife Conservation Society to map Myanmar's ecosystems. According to the IUCN, Myanmar is a strategic country in terms of biodiversity conservation but does not have a lot of data to identify critically endangered ecosystems. The country is home to 10% of the world's freshwater turtles and tortoises on just over 1% of the world's land area, and at least 250 mammal species and more than 1,000 bird species. Its forests are some of the most extensive and intact in Southeast Asia. "We are pleased to be collaborating with Dr. Murray and his team and using REMAP in our efforts protecting and educating the public about Myanmar's ecosystems," says Dr. Hedley Grantham from the Wildlife Conservation Society. "Myanmar is host to a rich biodiversity unique to south-east Asia but there is currently little data to guide conservation efforts. The REMAP app will be an important tool to provide a comprehensive assessment of vulnerable ecosystems to help the Wildlife Conservation Society's mission in biodiversity monitoring and protection." The REMAP program allows users to analyse human impact over time, shown here mapping the coast of Dubai. Credit: REMAP Dr. Murray is a member of the team that developed the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, a single global standard for assessing environmentally threatened ecosystems for policy-makers and scientists around the globe. In 2015 the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems team was awarded the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. Dr. Murray and his team developed REMAP at UNSW with conservation biologist Professor David Keith and Professor Richard Lucas, a remote sensing scientist. Recently, the team published their first scientific paper about the app in Methods in Ecology and Evolution. Since REMAP was publicly released in December 2017, over 6500 people from more than 140 countries have used the program. "We are at an exciting time on earth where we really have the computing power to do this. This application makes the world's best practice remote sensing method accessible to everyone," says Dr. Murray. "People all around the world are going to be able to make really high-quality maps with the right data and identify places that are changing for the worse or for the better." Explore further New ecological maps show a wider range of functional diversity More information: Nicholas J. Murray et al. Remap : An online remote sensing application for land cover classification and monitoring, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2018). Journal information: Methods in Ecology and Evolution Nicholas J. Murray et al. Remap : An online remote sensing application for land cover classification and monitoring,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13043 A man looks through a telescope set up to let the local community at Lake Magadi in Kenya watch the lunar eclipse on Friday "Mars, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, VenusMercury, that's the one I really wanted to see," said Chu Owen as he used an app on his mobile phone to locate planets above. "It's the planets I'm really excited to see." Owen, 39, and his wife Susan Murabana set up their high-powered telescope at Lake Magadi, 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday to let the local community to watch the lunar eclipse. East Africa, along with the Middle East and parts of Europe, was forecast to have some of the best views of the lunar eclipsethe longest one this century. "We've done this before for the solar eclipse in 2016," said Murabana, 39. For that eclipse, some 300 members of the local community who are mostly Maasai turned out to experience looking through the telescope. "It's good to give people who wouldn't otherwise get to use a telescope like this an opportunity," added Murabana as Owen manuevered the mechanical telescope into position. The couple, who co-founded the Travelling Telescope Africa organisation, chose Lake Magadi as it is an isolated area far from the light pollution of towns and cities. 'Really have to see it' Murabana pointed to planets with a laser pen as a young local boy wearing shorts and a dark jumper climbed a small step-ladder to be the first to look through the telescope. The "blood moon"the longest this centuryviewed in Kenya on Friday "I saw moons of Jupiter, and some stars. Yes I liked it," smiled Memusi, seven. Around him, young peoplesome wearing traditional Maasai outfits and armed with alem daggerslaughed and pointed as the moon turned dark red and became obscured by Earth's shadow. "This is my first time to see a red moonit's very exciting," Murabana told a crowd of local people on a loudspeaker. "The moon is going into the shadow, the shadow that the earth is always casting," added Owen as a shooting star crossed the sky. Purity Sailepo, 16, said that she had been inspired by the visiting telescope to become an astronomer. "Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of scientists," she told AFP. "But now I've seen it I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer to tell other people." The line to get a chance to look through the telescope at the eclipse Nearby, sky-gazers of all ages queued excitedly for a chance to take the eyepiece and see the cosmic display for themselves. Across the largely clear sky, distant stars and the Milky Way became starkly visible as the light reflected by Earth's satellite was temporarily extinguished. "You don't anticipate how pronounced the change is," said Mudit Sharma, 40, who travelled from Nairobi to witness the eclipse. "You know it makes sense, but you really have to see it," he added as the moon became a faint amber silhouette. 2018 AFP A U.N. honor guard carries a casket containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arriving from North Korea, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, July 27, 2018. The U.N. Command says the 55 cases of war remains retrieved from North Korea will be honored at a ceremony next Wednesday at a base in South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool) The U.S. military remains released by North Korea on Friday will be sent to a military lab in Hawaii, where they'll enter a system that routinely identifies service members from decades-old conflicts. Identifications depend on combining multiple lines of evidence, and they can take time: Even after decades, some cases remain unresolved. Dog tags found with the remains can help, and even scraps of clothing can be traced to the material used in uniforms. Teeth can be matched with dental records. Bones can be used to estimate height. And the distinctive shape of a clavicle bone can be matched to records of X-rays taken decades ago to look for tuberculosis, said Charles Prichard, a spokesman for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. If a DNA analysis is called for, samples are sent to a military DNA lab at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Tiny samples of bone or teeth, no bigger than the amount of bone in the last joint of the pinkie finger, are enough to yield usable DNA, said Timothy McMahon, who oversees the Dover lab as director of Defense Department DNA Operations. Each sample is sanded to remove surface contamination, ground to the consistency of baby powder, and then treated with a substance that dissolves the bone and leaves the DNA for analysis. That DNA is then compared with genetic samples from living people who are related to the missing. The military has been collecting DNA from such family members since 1992, and has reached the relatives of 92 percent of the 8,100 service members who were listed as missing at the end of the Korean War, McMahon said. The goal is to find bits of DNA in common between the known relatives and the unidentified remains, suggesting both belong to a particular lineage. One analysis develops a profile that combines what's found at 23 spots in the DNA, for example. By analyzing different kinds of DNA, lab scientists can look for markers passed down by generations of women, or of men, or of both sexes. The lab once linked remains to a great-great-great-great-grandniece who initially had no idea she was related to the missing service member, McMahon said. Once a link is made, the lab estimates how strongly it suggests the remains belong to a particular person, and send the results back to Hawaii. There, it's combined with the other lines of evidence. "We're just one spoke in a wheel to make the identification," McMahon said. "We all work together." Since Oct. 1, the Hawaii lab has identified 25 service members from the Korean War, part of the 119 identifications made overall in that time period, Prichard said. For the 12 months before that, 42 sets of remains from the Korean War were accounted for, which includes briefing the relatives in person, out of 183 overall. The agency identifies remains from not only the Korean War, but also World War II through the first Gulf War in Iraq. How long does it take? If a clavicle bone can be matched to an X-ray, it might be done in just three days, Prichard said. But in other cases, it can take decades. He noted some remains recovered from North Korea from 1990 to 2005 are still awaiting identification. For Jan Curran, of Gilbert, Arizona, the new remains turned over by North Korea have stirred hope. Curran has no memory of her father, naval aviator Lt. Charles Garrison, who was shot down over Korea and captured in May 1951. He died in captivity, and no remains have been identified. Curran, 70, has spent decades working to give him a proper burial. She's attended scores of meetings for families of those missing in action in Korea. She was the driving force in the late 1990s in getting several of her family membersincluding her sister, an aunt, an uncle and cousinsto join her in giving DNA samples to the military in an effort to identify her father's remains, should they be found. Will their long wait now come to an end? "We know it's a small chance, but we can't help but hope," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "It would be wonderful. It's too much to hope for. "It's amazing, after all these years, how much it can still hurt not to have him." 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. JPFO's "DON'T INSPIRE EVIL" INITIATIVE The link between saturation media coverage of mass murder, spree killing, jihadi attacks and copycat crimes is well established. It must stop. News-media organizations that persist in literally glorifying these villains beyond any reasonable news value are complicit in encouraging further crime. They know it. That fact has been established by the medical and law-enforcement communities. Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, along with a growing list of national co-sponsors is encouraging the journalism industry to cease and desist from repeatedly flashing the names and faces of mass murderers' and jihadis' in their reports. You can join this effort---and help make America a better place. Join with us. You don't have to be Jewish to work with JPFO, you just have to love liberty. 1. JPFO HAS PARTNERS IN THE DON'T-INSPIRE-EVIL INITIATIVE See some of the outstanding national organizations -- you could be one of them -- that have joined us in the quest to adopt a new ethical journalism guideline: "Refrain from gratuitous or repetitious portrayal of mass murderers' names and images." 2. HOW TO JOIN THE INITIATIVE Three easy steps and your organization can join in calling for an end to mass-media glorification of mass murderers. Print the statement on your letterhead as a testimonial, make it a company policy, have your participation recognized in local media. It's all spelled out. Send us a copy to help promote you and your support. Click here to learn more. 3. INITIATIVE HEROS (Coming soon!) More and more journalists and experts are calling for an end to mass-media promotion of criminals and mass murderers. It doesn't matter if they join with JPFO or figure it out on their own, these are champions of safety, ethics and human decency -- take a look at their fine work. Volunteer to help us gather them all. 4. MEDIA VILLAINS PROMOTING MASS MURDERERS (Coming soon!) With no concern for the damage they do, the lives they cost or their immoral behavior, mass-media outlets persist in promoting detestable villains by name and image. Here is a rogues gallery of the worst---pandering for dollars and the lowest dregs of an audience. These people and outfits have earned your scorn and derision -- including network and cable TV stations, major newsprint outlets, national magazines -- all of whom promote vicious killers. They perpetuate mass murder, use it to attack your right to arms, and they must be stopped. Don't let them get away with promoting murder. Youd think that studying online would make it easier to cheat. But dont jump to conclusions. Credit: Christin Hume/Unsplash More university students are choosing to study online rather than face-to-face, prompting concerns about academic integrity. If you're tempted to cheat in face-to-face courses, even during exams, how much easier would it be to pass off work that isn't your own when you're online? But research by us and others shows how university courses are delivered is less important in predicting which students are more likely to cheat. A better predictor is students' demographic characteristics, particularly their age. Students choosing online courses In Australia, the number of external (or online) students grew from 213,588 in 2015 to 224,662 in 2016, the latest available figures. There has been particular growth in online postgraduate education, as people juggle study with professional and personal commitments. Deakin University's Cloud Campus, for example, now enrols more students than its two Geelong campuses and its Warrnambool campus combined13,054 versus 12,868 enrolments. What's the evidence on cheating? Evidence for whether online or face-to-face students are more likely to cheat is inconclusive. A 2006 paper, for example, found more cheating in online classes than courses using traditional lectures. Other studies, some looking at specific disciplines and others at general student populations, found less cheating online. In yet another study, students who took only online classes were less likely to cheat than students who took only face-to-face classes. This is consistent with Swinburne's experience. Based on internal (unpublished) figures from 2016 and 2017, online students were ten times less likely to be involved in academic misconduct, including exam violations, compared to their on-campus counterparts. These figures may simply mean the design of online courses makes it more difficult for students to plagiarise. Alternatively, it may just mean we're better at detecting plagiarism when it happens face-to-face, rather than online. If not online students, who then? So other factors seem to be more important in academic integrity than how courses are delivered in particular, a student's age. We know students aged 25 or over are less likely to engage in academic misconduct, like sharing work. And, as online students are generally older than their on-campus peers, this could explain how some researchers have found they're less likely to cheat. At Swinburne, there are about five times as many students who are over the age of 25 as under. The average age of online students is 32. Of course, it may be that older students are more accomplished at concealing cheating, but this seems unlikely. Swinburne's experience backs other research that shows younger students are more likely to cheat and engage in more "collaborative cheating"like copying another student's work and submitting it as their owncompared with their older peers. But we need to be careful not to reinforce stereotypes. As anyone who has sat on disciplinary panels will know, academic cheats come in many shapes, sizes, disciplinary cohorts and ages. How do we support a culture of academic integrity? Universities certainly need to update and adapt their approach to academic integrity to suit online teaching, technological changes and globalisation. For instance, this may mean changing assessments to reduce the likelihood of cheating. Students may need to demonstrate solutions to problems in-person or via video. And it means using text-matching software to minimise contract cheating, where students outsource their assessment to third parties. However, the overall approach needs to be the same, regardless of how courses are delivered. We need to support and communicate to students about an overarching culture of academic integrity. This involves actively engaging with our students, explicitly teaching the norms of academic writing and research. This might be achieved through compulsory modules covering academic integrity, providing academic support services, and regularly reinforcing messages about ethics as a key part of academic and professional life. All this needs to be backed by appropriate policies and processes, including training and support for academic and professional staff. We need to move beyond the idea that online courses are beset by academic integrity problems, or we need special measures to "fix" online learning. Online learning is, itself, not necessarily a contributing factor to an increase in academic misconduct. Explore further High achievers in competitive courses more likely to cheat on college exams This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa (L) greets French President Emmanuel Macron as he arrives for the Energy Interconnections Summit at the European Maritime Safety Agency in Lisbon France, Spain and Portugal agreed Friday to build an undersea power line in the Bay of Biscay as they up electricity links aimed at helping the Iberian peninsula out of its energy isolation. Speaking after a meeting in Lisbon, the three country leaders welcomed a deal signed on the sidelines of the gathering on financing construction of the 370-kilometre (230-mile) long power line linking France to Spain. It's "a very important step," said Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The European Commission will finance 30 percent of the project by bringing 578 million euros ($675 million) to the table, an unprecedented amount in the European Union for an energy project. The power line should start operating in 2025, almost doubling the capacity for electricity exchange between France and Spain. Spain and Portugal have long called for an end to their isolation from European networks of electricity and gas distribution. Portugal has a surplus of electricity production that it could export further afield than Spain if there were more links with the rest of Europe. Madrid and Lisbon would also like to be better connected to the European gas market by building a pipeline in Catalonia in Spain's northeast. That would complement another pipeline that has already been built west of the Pyrenees mountain range, linking Spain to France. Both countries import gas from Algeria via a pipeline that became operational in 2011. They also have seven ports that can handle liquified natural gas (LNG), which they import from Qatar and increasingly from the United States as it develops shale gas. They say better connections would reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas. But a study commissioned by the European Commission found that the pipeline in Catalonia, which would cost more than 440 million euros, would not be viable given other European countries already have many LNG ports that aren't operating at full capacity. As such, France has been reticent. But French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he was open to moving forward on gas, although he cautioned "we will only build more pipelines if gas consumption in Europe remains significant." He said the pipeline in Catalonia would be built if it were shown to be cost effective in a scenario where demand for gas would increase as coal power plants are progressively shut down. Explore further Solar seeks its place under Spanish sun 2018 AFP Models of genetic parasites in a population of hosts. Credit: Iranzo and Koonin. 2018 EPL Nearly half of the human genome is composed of genetic parasitestransposons, plasmids, viruses, and other genetic elements that have one thing in common: they don't make any beneficial contributions to their hosts, and can sometimes have harmful effects. Genetic parasitessometimes called "selfish genes"originated early in the history of life and today are present in nearly all living organisms. The discovery that genetic parasites are so ubiquitous and abundant is one of the many surprising findings in the field of genomics, but many questions remain unanswered. One of the most basic questions is simply how genetic parasites have managed to persist for so long, despite the evidence that they are harmful at evolutionary timescales. Typically, natural selection results in deletions of harmful genes, so the main question is, why hasn't natural selection wiped out genetic parasites? In a new study published in EPL, researchers Jaime Iranzo and Eugene V. Koonin at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, have found that horizontal gene transfer may be one of the keys to understanding the persistence and spread of genetic parasites over evolutionary timescales. In horizontal gene transfer (HGT), genetic information is transferred to an organism by a variety of mechanisms other than the traditional parent-to-offspring process of transferring DNA. For example, an organism may receive genetic material directly from another organismeven one of a different speciesor pick up genetic material from the surrounding environment. For genetic parasites, HGT offers a way to infect new hosts, providing a potential mechanism to compensate for the losses due to natural selection. Early studies have shown, however, that it's unlikely that HGT alone could enable genetic parasites to persist for long periods of time, assuming typical HGT rates. Later research suggested that random fluctuations in the HGT rates might allow for the persistence of some genetic parasites. Now in the new study, the researchers analyzed large amounts of data on the spread of genetic parasites in microbial populations, and used it to estimate the minimum HGT transfer rates required for the long-term survival of genetic parasites. The analysis involved using mathematical modelling and comparative genomics to quantify the effects of various factors on the spread and persistence of genetic parasites. The researchers found that, although the critical HGT rate depends on the strength of natural selection and the rate of gene deletion, the typical HGT rates of genetic parasites are generally high enough to guarantee their long-term survival. The findings provide evidence that genetic parasites may use HGT to overcome natural selection and persist in their hosts' genomes for billions of years. Their results also help explain why different types of genetic parasites use different strategies. "By quantifying the cost of genetic parasites and the minimum HGT rate that parasites require to persist, we gained a fundamental understanding of why selfish genes differ in their parasitic strategies," Iranzo told Phys.org. "For example, genetic parasites that are very deleterious need very high HGT rates, which can only be achieved by evolving autonomous mechanisms for HGT (the case of viruses and conjugative plasmids) or by piggybacking on another parasite that is autonomous for HGT (the case of toxin-antitoxin modules). Mild genetic parasites, such as transposons, have more options, such as evolving mechanisms that allow them to proliferate within their host genomes." Although genetic parasites do not provide any functional benefits to their hosts, the competition between early living organisms and genetic parasites may have played a vital role in some of the major evolutionary events in the history of living organisms. For example, this competition may have been one of the driving forces behind cell compartmentalization as well as the origin of multicellular life forms, and may have also made living organisms more resistant to other parasite invasions. Understanding the persistence of genetic parasites has implications for understanding these events, as well as to help answer other questions. "A natural extension of our work is to study the interactions among different classes of genetic parasites," Iranzo said. "How does the presence of a genetic parasite affect the long- (and short-) term survival of other genetic parasites? What ecological and evolutionary factors promote cooperation and/or competition among genetic parasites? A second focus would be capturing the transient dynamics observed at the scale of multiple populations and species, where genetic parasites seem to be proliferating in some species and declining in others." Explore further Genetic diversity helps protect against disease More information: Jaime Iranzo and Eugene V. Koonin. "How genetic parasites persist despite the purge of natural selection." EPL. DOI: Journal information: Europhysics Letters (EPL) Jaime Iranzo and Eugene V. Koonin. "How genetic parasites persist despite the purge of natural selection.". DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/122/58001 2018 Phys.org 50Hertz is one of four transmission system operators in Germany and ensures that 18 million people are supplied with electricity The German government said Friday it took a minority stake in electricity transmission firm 50Hertz for "national security" reasons, thwarting Chinese investors from buying into the strategic company. "On national security grounds, the federal government has a major interest in protecting critical energy infrastructure," the finance and economy ministries said in a joint statement. Berlin has therefore tasked a public bank with purchasing a 20-percent stake put up for sale by Australian infrastructure fund IFM and which has been sought by China's State Grid. The unusual step comes as Germany views China's huge interest warily, following a string of high-profile investments by the Asian giant in sectors ranging from robotics to automobiles to finance. The Chinese group had already tried to take a minority stake in 50Hertz earlier this year. But their first attempt was blocked as 50Hertz's majority shareholderBelgian power transmission system operator Eliasnapped up the stake and expanded its holdings to 80 percent. As part of a spending spree across Europe, Chinese companies have bagged airports, harbours and engineering firms. Germany, with its high-tech firms, has been a prime target. Earlier this year, Geely's billionaire boss Li Shufu shocked the country's coveted automobile sector when he took almost 10 percent in Daimler, which owns the Mercedes brand. A study by consultancy EY found Chinese companies bought 54 German firms last year and invested $13.7 billion in Europe's largest economy. Underlining German concerns over the spate of Chinese acquisitions, domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen had said in May that "one won't need to spy if one simply buys up entire companies." 'Critical infrastructure' But Beijing has insisted that it has no ulterior motives. During a visit to Germany in July, Prime Minister Li Keqiang urged Berlin to grant Chinese companies the access that German firms enjoy in China. "Our investments do not threaten your national security. Through joint projects, we want to learn from your experiences and technologies," he said. Not only Germany, but the European Union as a bloc, has been watching the Chinese advances anxiously. Chancellor Angela Merkel has also raised concerns over China's heavy investments in the western Balkans as part of Beijing's plans for a modern-day Silk Road. Current legislation in Germany allows the government to block an investment from a non-EU country only if the investor wants to take 25 percent or more. Berlin last year toughened rules for foreign takeovers, by extending the range of companies eligible for a probe under "critical infrastructure" provisions or considered to be developing "key technologies". In the case of 50Hertz, the government was unable to block the purchase outright as the stake concerned fell below the 25-percent threshold. It has therefore deployed the rare tactic of simply buying the stake. But Berlin said the measure would be "temporary" and that it intended to sell off the shares again in the future. Welcoming the government's move, 50Hertz said it showed "how fundamentally important the transmission network is as part of the critical infrastructure of our country." 50Hertz is one of four transmission system operators in Germany and ensures that 18 million people are supplied with electricity. Its grid covers the states of Brandenburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. First veto? Friday's announcement came a day after media reports that Berlin is preparing for the first time to veto the takeover of a German company by Chinese investors for strategic reasons. Business weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported the economy ministry will prevent Chinese investor Yantai Taihai Corporation from buying Leifeld Metal Spinning. The 200-employee firm produces high-strength parts for the car and aerospace industries that also have nuclear applications. "The cabinet will make the decision on August 1," the magazine said. China's foreign ministry said Friday it was "paying close attention to the issue". It also said it "hoped Germany can take an objective view of Chinese investment and create a fair and open market, a mainstream environment, and a stable institutional framework for Chinese companies willing to invest in Germany." Explore further Chinese billionaire Li Shufu buys biggest single stake in Daimler 2018 AFP Credit: NASA Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai came back to earth last month but is still dreaming of space, especially after the discovery of an underground lake brought mankind one step closer to unravelling the mystery of life on Mars. "I was so excited about the news," the 41-year-old doctor told AFP in an interview on Friday, calling it "a major discovery that inspires dreams". International astronomers announced Wednesday they had detected the largest body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet, a breakthrough that may hold clues to whether life has ever formed on Marsor even exists today. Kanai, who spent 168 days on the International Space Station, is firmly convinced that we're not alone in the universe and there is life out there. "I believe there is," he said. "In the vast universe, anything could be possible." "I have high hopes that finding extraterrestrial life forms could open a new page in learning." The soft-spoken spaceman, nicknamed "Nemo" for his background as a diving medical officer in Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, blasted into space for the first time in December. Growing pains Following in the footsteps of other media-savvy astronauts, Kanai tweeted about his stay at the space station in Japanese. But his social media foray came with some growing pains: he was forced to apologise and issue a correction after mistakenly claiming he had grown by nine centimetres just weeks after he arrived. When a colleague suggested the growth was unlikely, despite the fact that astronauts' spines do extend in the zero-gravity environment of space, Norishige had himself remeasured. It turned out a mix-up over centimetres and inches was to blame, and he said Friday that he had in fact grown by just two to three centimetres during his stay. He has been shrinking since he arrived back on Earth on June 3, but is still one centimetre taller, he said. "It's interesting to see how long it will take to get back to my original height." Kanai, whose Twitter profile depicts him in cartoon form with a broad grin, concedes he wasn't always the likeliest candidate to join Japan's space agency JAXA, though he is now the agency's youngest astronaut. He was a "reserved, cautious" boy, rather than adventurous. "I was a granny's boy," he said. "When she was sewing, we did it together. I had a rather 'girlie' childhood." But one of the skills he picked up as a child turned out to have a surprising application during the strict JAXA screening process. In the final selection stage, 10 candidates spend a week in a capsule performing various tasks including folding paper cranes, which the agency says tests patience and steadiness under stress. Luckily Kanai was a dab hand at origami from his childhood. Space for all "I don't know if it gave me an advantage... but I knew how to do it. I'm dexterous and like to do repetitive small tasks. That task was easy for me," he said. Even as he spoke, he deftly folded a piece of origami paper into a crane, without so much as leaning on a table for support. He so enjoyed making small cranes that he folded more than 100 of them in the test capsule. While Kanai now belongs to an elite group of astronaut alumni, he is eager to see space become more accessible. "I think space is not only for astronauts and space-related corporations but is for everyone," he said. "I welcome the idea of 'enjoyable' space or interesting ideas of private companies to use space." He doesn't yet know if he'll be chosen for new missions, and admits that he had mixed emotions as he headed back to Earth last month. "I felt sorry that it was ending. But I was also happy that I was finally going back to Japan, because six months is a long time. "I had complex, half-happy, half-sad feelings." 2018 AFP The moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse in Giv'atayim, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Skywatchers around much of the world have begun watching a complete lunar eclipse that is the longest of this century. The so-called "blood moon," when it turns a deep red, is visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. The total eclipse lasts 1 hour and 43 minutes, with the entire event lasting closer to four hours. Across Africa people turned to the sky, watching the reddish shadow slide up the moon's surface. In Somalia, some hurried to mosques for special prayers often observed during lunar eclipses. In South Sudan, some dared to take photos in a war-torn country where using a camera in public is discouraged. In Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, people at an open-air restaurant admired a rare clear view during the rainy season, comparing a live NASA webcast to what they saw above. Then clouds rolled in. "Dem yelebesech chereka," some murmuredAmharic for "blood moon." "The reason that the moon turns red is because atmospheric scattering causes red light to pass through the atmosphere and the composition of the atmosphere can change if volcanic eruptions or forest fires occur," said Tom Kerss, an astronomer with the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (Harald Tittel/dpa via AP) "And the density of dust increasing in the atmosphere can cause the moon to appear a particularly deep red, and indeed it has the same effect on our sunsets and sunrises." In a special treat, Mars is also at its closest approach to Earth this week since 2003, making it appear bigger and brighter. Excited skywatchers on social media shared photos of the bright planet just to the right of the moon. North America missed out on Friday's lunar eclipse but can look forward to the next one on Jan. 21, 2019, according to NASA. A blood moon rises over Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey, late Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) People watch the moon turn red during a lunar eclipse in Giv'atayim, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The moon is framed by the Colosseum during a complete lunar eclipse, in Rome, Friday, July 27, 2018. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) The moon turns red over Sydney during a lunar eclipse Saturday, July 28, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) The moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse, as seen from Lucerne, Switzerland, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP) A blood moon is seem with Mars on the bottom right (white dot), in Nairobi, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Sayyid Abdul Azim) A blood moon rises over Gaza City, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) People line up to watch the lunar eclipse through a telescope at the Children's Civilization and Creativity Center in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) The moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse in Giv'atayim, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The moon rises past the Colosseum during a complete lunar eclipse, in Rome, Friday, July 27, 2018. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) The moon is framed by the Colosseum during a complete lunar eclipse, in Rome, Friday, July 27, 2018. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) The moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse, as seen from Lucerne, Switzerland, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP) A full moon rises next to the Colosseum during a complete lunar eclipse, in Rome, Friday, July 27, 2018. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) A full moon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon in cape Sounio, about 65 kilometers (40miles) south of Athens, Friday, July 27, 2018. The complete lunar eclipse Friday when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly to cast Earth's shadow on the moon, will be the longest this century. It's called a "blood moon" because it turns a deep red and will be visible at different times around the world. Additionally, Mars and the sun will be on exact opposite sides of the Earth and will shine its best. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Full moon rises over the ancient temple of Poseidon in cape Sounio, about 65 kilometers (40miles) south of Athens, Friday, July 27, 2018. The complete lunar eclipse Friday when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly to cast Earth's shadow on the moon, will be the longest this century. It's called a "blood moon" because it turns a deep red and will be visible at different times around the world. Additionally, Mars and the sun will be on exact opposite sides of the Earth and will shine its best. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) People watch the lunar eclipse at the Children's Civilization and Creativity Center in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) A blood moon rises Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) A blood moon rises over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) A blood moon rises over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) A blood moon rises over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) A blood moon rises over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Explore further Mars making closest approach to Earth in 15 years 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Most of what we know about the corona is deeply rooted in the history of total solar eclipses. Parker Solar Probe will fly through this very region, seeking clues to the Sun's behavior. This photo was taken in Madras, Oregon, during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Gopalswamy Something mysterious is going on at the Sun. In defiance of all logic, its atmosphere gets much, much hotter the farther it stretches from the Sun's blazing surface. Temperatures in the coronathe tenuous, outermost layer of the solar atmospherespike upwards of 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while just 1,000 miles below, the underlying surface simmers at a balmy 10,000 F. How the Sun manages this feat remains one of the greatest unanswered questions in astrophysics; scientists call it the coronal heating problem. A new, landmark mission, NASA's Parker Solar Probescheduled to launch no earlier than Aug. 11, 2018will fly through the corona itself, seeking clues to its behavior and offering the chance for scientists to solve this mystery. From Earth, as we see it in visible light, the Sun's appearancequiet, unchangingbelies the life and drama of our nearest star. Its turbulent surface is rocked by eruptions and intense bursts of radiation, which hurl solar material at incredible speeds to every corner of the solar system. This solar activity can trigger space weather events that have the potential to disrupt radio communications, harm satellites and astronauts, and at their most severe, interfere with power grids. Above the surface, the corona extends for millions of miles and roils with plasma, gases superheated so much that they separate into an electric flow of ions and free electrons. Eventually, it continues outward as the solar wind, a supersonic stream of plasma permeating the entire solar system. And so, it is that humans live well within the extended atmosphere of our Sun. To fully understand the corona and all its secrets is to understand not only the star that powers life on Earth, but also, the very space around us. A 150-year-old mystery Most of what we know about the corona is deeply rooted in the history of total solar eclipses. Before sophisticated instruments and spacecraft, the only way to study the corona from Earth was during a total eclipse, when the Moon blocks the Sun's bright face, revealing the surrounding, dimmer corona. The story of the coronal heating problem begins with a green spectral line observed during an 1869 total eclipse. Because different elements emit light at characteristic wavelengths, scientists can use spectrometers to analyze light from the Sun and identify its composition. But the green line observed in 1869 didn't correspond to any known elements on Earth. Scientists thought perhaps they'd discovered a new element, and they called it coronium. Not until 70 years later did a Swedish physicist discover the element responsible for the emission is iron, superheated to the point that it's ionized 13 times, leaving it with just half the electrons of a normal atom of iron. And therein lies the problem: Scientists calculated that such high levels of ionization would require coronal temperatures around 2 million degrees Fahrenheitnearly 200 times hotter than the surface. The coronal heating problem remains one of the greatest unanswered questions in astrophysics. Learn how astronomers first discovered evidence for this mystery during an eclipse in the 1800s, and what scientists today think could explain it. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center For decades, this deceptively simple green line has been the Mona Lisa of solar science, baffling scientists who can't explain its existence. Since identifying its source, we've come to understand the puzzle is even more complex than it first appeared. "I think of the coronal heating problem as an umbrella that covers a couple of related confusing problems," said Justin Kasper, a space scientist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Kasper is also principal investigator for SWEAP, short for the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons Investigation, an instrument suite aboard Parker Solar Probe. "First, how does the corona get that hot that quickly? But the second part of the problem is that it doesn't just start, it keeps going. And not only does heating continue, but different elements are heated at different rates." It's an intriguing hint at what's going on with heating in the Sun. Since discovering the hot corona, scientists and engineers have done a great deal of work to understand its behavior. They've developed powerful models and instruments and launched spacecraft that watch the Sun around the clock. But even the most complex models and high-resolution observations can only partially explain coronal heating, and some theories contradict each other. There's also the problem of studying the corona from afar. We may live within the Sun's expansive atmosphere, but the corona and solar plasma in near-Earth space differ dramatically. It takes the slow solar wind around four days to travel 93 million miles and reach Earth or the spacecraft that study itplenty of time for it to intermix with other particles zipping through space and lose its defining features. Studying this homogenous soup of plasma for clues to coronal heating is like trying to study the geology of a mountain, by sifting through sediment in a river delta thousands of miles downstream. By traveling to the corona, Parker Solar Probe will sample just-heated particles, removing the uncertainties of a 93-million-mile journey and sending back to Earth the most pristine measurements of the corona ever recorded. "All of our work over the years has culminated to this point: We realized we can never fully solve the coronal heating problem until we send a probe to make measurements in the corona itself," said Nour Raouafi, Parker Solar Probe deputy project scientist and solar physicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. Traveling to the Sun is an idea older than NASA itself, but it's taken decades to engineer the technology that makes its journey possible. In that time, scientists have determined exactly what kinds of dataand corresponding instrumentsthey need in order to complete a picture of the corona and answer this ultimate of burning questions. Above the surface, the corona (illustrated here) extends for millions of miles and roils with plasma. Eventually, it continues outward as the solar wind, a supersonic stream of plasma permeating the entire solar system. View animated GIF: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/sunloop1.gif Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Lisa Poje/Genna Duberstein Explaining the corona's secrets Parker Solar Probe will test two chief theories to explain coronal heating. The outer layers of the Sun are constantly boiling and roil with mechanical energy. As massive cells of charged plasma churn through the Sunmuch the way distinct bubbles roll up through a pot of boiling watertheir fluid motion generates complex magnetic fields that extend far up into the corona. Somehow, the tangled fields channel this ferocious energy into the corona as heathow they do so is what each theory attempts to explain. One theory proposes electromagnetic waves are the root of the corona's extreme heat. Perhaps that boiling motion launches magnetic waves of a certain frequencycalled Alfven wavesfrom deep within the Sun out into the corona, which send charged particles spinning and heat the atmosphere, a bit like how ocean waves push and accelerate surfers toward the shore. Another suggests bomb-like explosions, called nanoflares, across the Sun's surface dump heat into the solar atmosphere. Like their larger counterparts, solar flares, nanoflares are thought to result from an explosive process called magnetic reconnection. Turbulent boiling on the Sun twists and contorts magnetic field lines, building up stress and tension until they explosively snaplike breaking an over-wound rubber bandaccelerating and heating particles in their wake. The two theories aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. In fact, to complicate matters, many scientists think both may be involved in heating the corona. Sometimes, for example, the magnetic reconnection that sets off a nanoflare could also launch Alfven waves, which then further heat surrounding plasma. The other big question is, how often do these processes happenconstantly or in distinct bursts? Answering that requires a level of detail we don't have from 93 million miles away. "We're going close to the heating, and there are times Parker Solar Probe will co-rotate, or orbit the Sun at the same speed the Sun itself rotates," said Eric Christian, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and member of the mission's science team. "That's an important part of the science. By hovering over the same spot, we'll see the evolution of heating." A closeup of the Suns convective, or boiling, motion, with a small sunspot forming on the right, from Hinode, a collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The outer layers of the Sun are constantly boiling and roil with mechanical energy. This fluid motion generates complex magnetic fields that extend far up into the corona. Credit: NASA/JAXA/Hinode Uncovering the evidence Once Parker Solar Probe arrives at the corona, how will it help scientists distinguish whether waves or nanoflares drive heating? While the spacecraft carries four instrument suites for a variety of types of research, two in particular will obtain data useful for solving the coronal heating mystery: the FIELDS experiment and SWEAP. Surveyor of invisible forces, FIELDS, led by the University of California, Berkeley, directly measures electric and magnetic fields, in order to understand the shocks, waves and magnetic reconnection events that heat the solar wind. SWEAPled by the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusettsis the complementary half of the investigation, gathering data on the hot plasma itself. It counts the most abundant particles in the solar windelectrons, protons and helium ionsand measures their temperature, how fast they're moving after they've been heated, and in what direction. Together, the two instrument suites paint a picture of the electromagnetic fields thought to be responsible for heating, as well as the just-heated solar particles swirling through the corona. Key to their success are high-resolution measurements, capable of resolving interactions between waves and particles at mere fractions of a second. Parker Solar Probe will swoop within 3.9 million miles of the Sun's surfaceand while this distance may seem great, the spacecraft is well-positioned to detect signatures of coronal heating. "Even though magnetic reconnection events take place lower down near the Sun's surface, the spacecraft will see the plasma right after they occur," said Goddard solar scientist Nicholeen Viall. "We have a chance to stick our thermometer right in the corona and watch the temperature rise. Compare that to studying plasma that was heated four days ago from Earth, where a lot of the 3-D structures and time-sensitive information are washed out." This part of the corona is entirely unexplored territory, and scientists expect sights unlike anything they've seen before. Some think the plasma there will be wispy and tenuous, like cirrus clouds. Or perhaps it will appear like massive pipe cleaner-like structures radiating from the Sun. "I'm pretty sure when we get that first round of data back, we'll see the solar wind at lower altitudes near the Sun is spiky and impulsive," said Stuart Bale, University of California, Berkeley, astrophysicist and FIELDS principal investigator. "I'd lay my money on the data being much more exciting than what we see near Earth." Artists concept of NASAs Parker Solar Probe. The spacecraft will fly through the Suns corona to trace how energy and heat move through the stars atmosphere. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL The data is complicated enoughand comes from multiple instrumentsthat it will take scientists some time to piece together an explanation for coronal heating. And because the Sun's surface isn't smooth and varies throughout, Parker Solar Probe needs to make multiple passes over the Sun to tell the whole story. But scientists are confident it has the tools to answer their questions. The basic idea is that each proposed mechanism for heating has its own distinct signature. If Alfven waves are the source of the corona's extreme heat, FIELDS will detect their activity. Since heavier ions are heated at different rates, it appears that different classes of particles interact with those waves in specific ways; SWEAP will characterize their unique interactions. If nanoflares are responsible, scientists expect to see jets of accelerated particles shooting out in opposite directionsa telltale sign of explosive magnetic reconnection. Where magnetic reconnection occurs, they should also detect hot spots where magnetic fields are rapidly changing and heating the surrounding plasma. Discoveries lie ahead There is an eagerness and excitement buzzing among solar scientists: Parker Solar Probe's mission marks a watershed moment in the history of astrophysics, and they have a real chance of unraveling the mysteries that have confounded their field for nearly 150 years. By piecing together the inner workings of the corona, scientists will reach a deeper understanding of the dynamics that spark space weather events, shaping conditions in near-Earth space. But the applications of this science extend beyond the solar system too. The Sun opens a window into understanding other starsespecially those that also exhibit Sun-like heatingstars that could potentially foster habitable environments but are too far to ever study. And illuminating the fundamental physics of plasmas could likely teach scientists a great deal about how plasmas behave elsewhere in the universe, like in clusters of galaxies or around black holes. It's also entirely possible that we haven't even conceived of the greatest discoveries to come. It's hard to predict how solving coronal heating will shift our understanding of the space around us, but fundamental discoveries such as this have the capacity to change science and technology forever. Parker Solar Probe's journey takes human curiosity to a never-before-seen region of the solar system, where every observation is a potential discovery. "I'm almost certain we'll discover new phenomena we don't know anything about now, and that's very exciting for us," Raouafi said. "Parker Solar Probe will make history by helping us understand coronal heatingas well as solar wind acceleration and solar energetic particlesbut I think it also has the potential to steer the direction of solar physics' future." Explore further NASA prepares to launch Parker Solar Probe, a mission to touch the Sun The Winklevoss twins again failed to win approval for a new cryptocurrency investment vehicle US market regulators on Thursday again rejected a proposal to allow trading in the first Bitcoin-based exchange-traded fund created by noted tech entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The Securities and Exchange Commission denied the request in a 3-1 vote, upholding the rejection handed down last year. The value of Bitcoin, a digital currency not overseen or guaranteed by any central bank, has fluctuated wildly in recent months, with some price movements this week driven by hopes the SEC could approve an ETF tied to the currency. The SEC reportedly is considering applications for a handful of other bitcoin-based exchange-traded funds. But the SEC said BZX, an equities market operated by CBOE Global Markets, failed to demonstrate that its proposed change to market rules would not create the risk of fraud and "manipulative acts." BZX had not entered into "surveillance-sharing agreements" with other regulated Bitcoin markets or shown it could find other ways of complying with securities laws, the SEC said in its decision. "Because BZX has failed to carry its burden, the proposed rule change must be disapproved," it said. Following the announcement, exchange rates for bitcoin fell from 2.2 percent $8,086, according to figures compiled by Bloomberg. SEC officials told reporters the denial did not reflect any judgment on the intrinsic value of Bitcoin or the blockchain technology used for cryptocurrencies. But they said market data showed more than 75 percent of all trades between Bitcoin and traditional currencies occur outside the United States, with annualized volatility in 2017 of 94 percentcompared to about 11 percent for gold. The agency has taken an aggressive stance on Bitcoin investment vehicles such as initial coin offerings as they have seen cases of outright fraud explode in recent years, and has launched a public education campaign to encourage investors to be skeptical. Explore further Bitcoin futures soar amid frenzy over virtual currency (Update) 2018 AFP Community Stories Journalists Feel Like Tall Trees Buffeted by Wind A crackdown on free expression has seen media outlets shuttered, journalists jailed or exiled, and Cambodians wary of speaking their minds in public before the July 29 election. A year ago, Morm Moniroth was one of the best-known voices in Cambodia, his trademark tenor booming out from Radio Free Asias nightly news broadcast as he reported on hot-button issues like border disputes, politics and court cases. Today, he is a farmer, eking out a living on a small plot of land where he grows mangoes and lemons. He asked VOA Khmer not to reveal the location of his farm, for fear of being targeted by local authorities. Moniroths decision to leave journalism for agriculture wasnt a choice, but a necessity, he says. Amid an ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and the media in Cambodia, Radio Free Asia (RFA) was hit by the Cambodian government with an enormous tax bill. The radio station shut down its operations in the country, citing mounting intimidation against its reporters, but that did not satisfy the government, which declared it would be considered illegal for anyone to maintain any association with the organization. Now, RFAs former reporters and radio technicians roughly 50 employees are living in fear. Some are in hiding. Others have quit journalism and do not foresee a future in which they can return to their careers. Two of them are living out their colleagues worst nightmares: they were arrested in November and thrown into prison, accused of espionage for reasons the government has declined to explain. I devoted my life to my work, Moniroth said. Now I want to remain silent and live my life as an ordinary person. Being too well-known is like being a tall tree, first to be affected by the wind. Trees in the Wind It is not just RFA that has felt the heat. In the months leading up to the countrys sixth general election, scheduled for July 29, press freedom has taken a severe hit. Journalists and media advocates say the current situation is the worst in memory, with many reporters self-censoring, leaving journalism for less contentious careers and in a few cases even fleeing the country. The Cambodia Daily bannered a pull-no-punches headline in its last edition. (Cambodia Daily) One of the countrys leading English-language newspapers, The Cambodia Daily, was forced to shut down in September after being hit with a $6.3 million tax bill from the government. Its crosstown rival, the Phnom Penh Post, was taxed so heavily that its Australian owner sold it in May to the owner of a public relations firm that has done work for Prime Minister Hun Sen. In the most recent World Press Freedom Index, released in May, Reporters Without Borders dropped Cambodia 10 places in its rankings, to 142nd out of 180 countries. The group said the decline was one of the steepest in the region, adding, Cambodia seems dangerously inclined to take the same path as China after closing dozens of independent media outlets. Political issues are like heat and the media is like ice, said Phak Seangly, a reporter at the English-language Phnom Penh Post. Seangly has been with the Post for eight years, and says that the current political climate is the most difficult of his career. His wife, Chhiev Hong, has begged him to stop doing journalism for the sake of their 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. Although Seangly wants to continue, he has become more tentative about publishing hard-hitting stories. I have many stories in hand, but the election is approaching, so we have to be careful and think of our safety, he said. No one prohibits us from reporting, but due to the situation, I feel that I need to step back from reporting critical issues. Pov Meta, the news editor for independent radio station Voice of Democracy (VOD), said his reporters have also become more cautious due to fear that they would get into trouble. VOD has already faced pressure, with many of its stations abruptly taken off the air by the government in August last year, along with stations broadcasting VOA and RFA. Just as troubling to Pov Meta is the fact that many sources who used to be unafraid to speak freely are now clamming up. He said this has been the first time in his career that he has faced so much fear among Cambodians about speaking out. They dont dare to comment like before, he said. They just speak off the record, not on the record. In a statement issued in June, U.N. human rights experts said they were also seriously concerned about the media environment ahead of the July 29 national elections, citing a highly restrictive new code of conduct for journalists issued by the National Election Committee as well as various statements made by the government. Among other restrictions, the code says that journalists cannot create confusion and loss of confidence, and are forbidden from expressing personal opinion or prejudice, provisions that press freedom groups said were worryingly vague. The prohibitions on the media in the code raise serious concerns relating to media freedoms, the U.N. said. These prohibitions use broad and imprecise terminology that could lead to sweeping restrictions on the media that would be incompatible with international standards. (In defense of the code, the government said it was important to ensure transparency and responsibility in the news media.) Similar rules were applied to journalists in advance of last years commune elections, with chilling consequences in at least one case. Aun Pheap, a reporter who worked at The Cambodia Daily before it closed, is seeking political asylum in the United States. (Cambodia Daily) Jail and Exile Like his counterparts at RFA, Aun Pheap was riding high a year ago. The 54-year-old was a senior reporter at The Cambodia Daily, widely respected for his reporting on illegal logging, land grabs and issues facing ethnic minorities. Then, on a trip to Ratanakiri province to report on the June 2017 commune elections, he and his reporting partner, Canadian journalist Zsombor Peter, were detained by police for asking villagers simple questions about their political preferences. Although this is not against the law, local officials claimed that they were guilty of violating the National Election Committees pre-election rules. The two were ultimately charged with incitement to a felony, which can carry prison time of up to two years. Peter left the country permanently, while Pheap fled to Bangkok in October and was granted U.N. refugee status in January. He has resettled in the U.S., but is still waiting for his wife and children to receive permission to join him. Until then, they are living a bare-bones existence in Thailand. Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, journalists formerly with Radio Free Asia (RFA), arrive in a police vehicle for a bail hearing at the Appeal Court in Phnom Penh on April 19, 2018. (Samrang Pring | Reuters) Even more disturbing is the plight of Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin, the ex-RFA reporters jailed in November last year for reasons that remain unclear. The government has accused them of espionage, but has provided no evidence for the claim. It has also claimed that they had continued to work covertly for the radio station, but has not explained whether or how that constitutes espionage. Amnesty International has called the charges trumped up. Sothearins wife, Lam Chantha, said her husband stopped working for RFA as soon as its Cambodian bureau closed and that she could not imagine why he was jailed, other than in retaliation for his previous journalistic work. I think he reported the truth and it affected someone, she said. Since my husband has been in trouble, I cant even sleep, she said. I am concerned about him and dont know who can help him. I am not educated and hes been accused and I dont know when he will be released. Local journalists have been especially shaken by the plight of Sothearin and Chhin and the suffering their imprisonment has caused their families. Chhiev Hong, the wife of Post reporter Seangly, said the situation made her frightened for her husbands safety. I am terribly worried about him. We are worried about his safety when he comes home late at night. And if he goes to a provincial area, I cant even sleep, waiting up for him, whatever time he comes back, she said. Pov Meta, of Voice of Democracy, said the fear of going to jail like Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin was affecting his teams work. Journalists are scared of reporting sensitive stories, he said. Yeang Sothearin (Left) and Uon Chhin (Right). (Radio Free Asia) A Push to be King of Facebook In May 2017, when Southeast Asian leaders gathered with foreign investors, bankers and financial experts for the World Economic Forum in Phnom Penh, Prime Minister Hun Sen publicly dressed down reporters from The Cambodia Daily and Radio Free Asia for being too critical of him and his government. The Cambodia Daily was opposing me all the time, he said, while Radio Free Asia was radio against the government. Now, just over a year later, and shortly before the critical July 29 election, both outlets have been forced to shut down in Cambodia. Media experts say this is not a coincidence. The prime minister and his government have long had a tendency to see independent media as an arm of the opposition, said Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sens Cambodia, who spent years as a journalist based in Phnom Penh. Strangio said the recent increase in pressure on independent media appeared orchestrated to eliminate sources of information ahead of the July 29 elections, which the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has virtually guaranteed it will win by dissolving its closest competitor, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). The media crackdown kicked into gear shortly after the 2017 commune elections, in which the CNRP posted a strong showing, garnering 46 percent of the popular vote. The CPP still won the majority of commune council seats, but the results indicated that the opposition party would be a strong challenger to the CPP in the national elections. I think it speaks to the governments paranoia as to how the July 29 election will play out even absent the CNRP as well as representing its final reckoning with the independent forces unleashed by the Paris peace settlement in the 1990s, Strangio said of the media crackdown. In addition to suppressing traditional media that is not pro-government, the CPP has made a push to dominate the internet, which the CNRP used to its advantage during the 2013 elections, attracting many young people through its mastery of platforms like Facebook. The government has ordered internet service providers to block The Cambodia Dailys website, and in May announced the formation of an inter-ministerial task force to prevent the spread of information that can cause social chaos and threaten national security. A number of Cambodian citizens have been arrested or detained for making political statements on Facebook, including several people who fell prey to a new lese-majeste law that criminalizes criticism of the king. Sharing information about a CNRP-spearheaded initiative to boycott the election has also been declared illegal. Hun Sen, on the other hand, has enjoyed undiminished free speech, including hours of political orations that he regularly broadcasts via his Facebook page, Samdech Hun Sen, Cambodian Prime Minister, during which he makes promises and blasts his opponents. These opinions are then duly shared by pro-government news sites and ruling party officials. Instead of using independent media to find out what is happening in Cambodia, the premier now turns to Facebook to communicate with both his subordinates and members of the public, whom he has encouraged to file complaints to him using the social media site. The premiers Facebook page also brims with photographs of him posing with garment workers and students, or relaxing at home with his growing brood of grandchildren, in a seeming effort to make him seem more approachable to Cambodias young and increasingly tech-savvy population, 40 percent of whom are avid Facebook users. Paralleling his offline consolidation of power, Hun Sen also reinforced his position as Cambodias king of Facebook during the last eight months, said Astrid Noren-Nilsson, a lecturer at Lund University in Sweden who specializes in Cambodian politics. But it is unclear whether these Facebook activities are doing much to improve Hun Sens public image. Judging from the results of the June elections, the benefit has been minimal, Strangio said. No amount of Facebook spin can replace economic and politics reforms designed to improve the livelihoods of ordinary Cambodian people. Khem Sreymom, a 38-year-old former garment worker in Phnom Penh, said she was not interested in following news via the prime ministers Facebook page and missed broadcasts from RFA and other shuttered media outlets. When they had the radio, I could listen, she said. It was easy to turn on. I dont follow news like before, now that it is on Facebook. Sometimes, I miss the programs. When I listened to RFA news, I knew about social issues, injustices, violations and abuses of the law. News that the government-affiliated media doesnt report, RFA reported. San Sel is a onetime RFA reporter based in Phnom Penh. Now working in marketing, he worries about what limited media options will mean to Cambodians. (Khan Sokummono | VOA Khmer) San Sel, another former RFA reporter, took a job in marketing after the crackdown, and is not sure he will ever be able to return to journalism. His career may have taken a hit, but his biggest fear is that the clampdown on media will cause fewer new ideas to be shared and constrict social development in Cambodia. When press freedom is dead, freedom of speech of the people is also affected, he said. When there is little independent news, few new ideas are formed. Ideas are small, he said, adding, Is this a good or a bad idea for our society? Spotlight: Hun Sen After Hun Sen, What Next for Cambodia? The prime minister says his party and ordinary Cambodians are uncertain about what will happen once his decades-long rule ends. Like many Cambodians, Prime Minister Hun Sen is uncertain about what will happen to the country once his rule ends. After more than three decades in power, the 66 year old faces no challenge at the July 29 national elections. His government jailed the main opposition party leader in September, then dissolved the party in November. 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. However, in an unreleased segment of a 2015 interview with American filmmaker Robert Lieberman, the prime minister said the question of what post-Hun Sen Cambodia will look like is uncertain. The thing that we have to think of is what is the stage after Hun Sen? he said. That is the question among the Cambodian people, and the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP). I am wondering myself, too: Who will come after Hun Sen? What is the post-Hun Sen era like? The prime minister then appeared to suggest that younger leaders should take charge after he leaves power. Now, Ive been thinking about the younger generation. Its them who will push the reform and they have a higher ability to do that because they have the opportunity, more opportunity, to learn during the age of technology, including IT, he said. Hun Sen rarely gives media interviews but granted one to Lieberman for his documentary Angkor Awakens. VOA recently obtained the interview from the filmmaker. It was shot in a New York hotel. The issue of Hun Sens political succession is sensitive among CPP members and those contacted by VOA have, in the past, tiptoed around the question. Hun Sen is one of the longest-ruling leaders in the world. Last September, he reportedly vowed to rule for another decade to maintain stability, just days after the arrest of Cambodia National Rescue Party (CRNP) leader Kem Sokha on trumped-up charges of treason. Hun Sen became prime minister in 1985 as part of a Vietnam-backed, communist government. He and the CPP have held onto power since with shrewd political maneuvering and the use force against the opposition. In some countries, such as those that experienced the Arab Spring, decades of strongman rule ended with massive street protests, followed by political crises and oftentimes, chaos. In the interview, Hun Sen waved away such concerns, playing down the large street protests that followed the CPPs narrow victory over the CRNP in the 2013 elections, the results of which were disputed. Its normal for democracy, Hun Sen said when asked about the protests that his security forces crushed. They would like us to step down. But I just told them that I come to this position by the constitution, I have to go down through the constitution. That is the situation. Sebastian Strangio, a journalist and author of Hun Sens Cambodia, has previously told VOA that, barring any health problems, Hun Sen is likely to rule for many years to come, though it seems he is grooming his sons for his succession. Strangio told VOA last year, The question is: Are any of his sons in a position to take over? Are they prepared enough? Are they skilled enough at politics? And the second question is: Would the rest of the party accept that decision? When Hun Sen does leave power, through natural causes or political pressure, senior CPP members could be waiting in the wings to challenge his sons. Hun Sen's children are seen as possible successors. Left: Hun Sens oldest son, Hun Manet, was recently promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. Middle: Hun Many is a CPP member of parliament. Right: Hun Manith is an army brigadier-general. Not pictured: Hun Mana, controls a major media company. (VOA News) Hun Sens oldest son, Hun Manet, is seen as a likely successor. He was recently promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. He also heads the Defense Ministrys counterterrorism department and is the commander of his fathers several thousand-strong Bodyguard Unit. His political profile is rising in Cambodia and abroad. Another son, Hun Many, is a CPP member of parliament, while a third son, Hun Manith, is an army brigadier-general. Hun Sens daughter, Hun Mana, controls a major media company. Key party members who could challenge a Hun family dynasty include Defense Minister Tea Bahn, and two CPP deputy presidents, Say Chhum and Sar Kheng, who are senate president and interior minister respectively. Politicians Voices Hun Sen Circles Opponents Abroad and At Home Members of Cambodias opposition who have fled to Thailand say their whereabouts, activities are monitored. For the second time in his life, Tharo has been forced to flee a political environment in Cambodia that is so toxic he fears for his life. He first escaped to a border camp here in Thailand as a teenager running from the political turmoil of Cambodia in the early 1980s. Almost four decades later, Tharo, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, had been working in a senior capacity for the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in the lead up to Cambodias election this week. That was until the CNRP was dissolved in November and 118 members of the party were banned from politics for five years on allegations they were fomenting a treasonous color revolution. Tharo left swiftly, back to Thailand, certain he was now considered an enemy of the state. Many high ranking politicians or political activists in the past have been killed, have been jailed and many of them have been exiled, he told VOA. So we know that anything could happen to us especially when they decide to dissolve the CNRP, Tharo said. Then we know that time is becoming tough for us and there is no way that we can hang around. Thailand makes for a precarious refuge. Tharo lives in a building with locking doors controlled by facial-recognition technology. When Thai police paid him a visit, he said his landlord told them they could not enter without proper papers. Later in the week when he visits an associate from a rights organization, Tharo says someone is there photographing him. As Tharo and an unknown number of other CNRP members in Thailand watch under these conditions, Cambodias election campaign rolls on. Nineteen minor parties are also represented in the July 29 election. Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled for more than three decades, hopes the fireflies will help legitimize the ballot. So incensed is Tharo by that suggestion that he wants to risk speaking out to proclaim the election a sham and those participating fundamentally compromised. He fears the Thai police because even though Tharo says he holds refugee status through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), he is all too aware that Sam Sokha, a woman who shared the same protection, was extradited to Cambodia by Thai authorities in February. Her alleged crime was throwing a pair of shoes at a poster of the leaders of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party. Rights monitors argued the extradition violated international law but as Thailand is not a signatory to the United Nations refugee convention, there was little that could be done. Charles Santiago, a member of Malaysias parliament and chairperson of the group ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said he had visited some of the Cambodian political exiles in Bangkok about two weeks ago. And from what I hear they are being followed. Every move is being supervised or monitored. And therefore [this is] indirect intimidation against their right to free movement, he said. Theyre very worried for their political safety. And also its not very clear how long theyll be able to stay in Thailand and whats going to happen to them after that, Santiago said. Targeting CNRP exiles during an election campaign all about legitimizing Hun Sens rule would backfire in a big way, he said. Hannah Macdonald, associate external relations officer at UNHCR office in Bangkok, said there was no national framework to protect refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand. Due to the irregular and uncertain situation for all refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand, while awaiting long lasting solutions, their lives can be difficult, she said in an email to VOA. At the same time, as persons of concern to UNHCR, refugees and asylum seekers are protected by the principle of non-refoulement, which is customary international law, she said. Non-refoulement is the practice of not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country where they are likely to be subjected to persecution or punishment. Cambodias Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin said surveillance or not it was the normal activity of the police to investigate the banned CNRP members if they were undertaking political activities, even outside the country. So, now there is no legal action against those people. But the authorities are also studying on them. I dont guarantee that there is no action at all. This is because the investigation is done secretly, he said. Busadee Santipitaks, director-general of the Department of Information at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told VOA via email that while she could not comment on specific questions, Thailand considered each case on its individual merits. Having said that, although Thailand is not a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, we have long provided shelter to those with genuine protection needs and have hosted a large number of asylum seekers in the past, she said. The Thai government has plenty to gain by cooperating with Cambodia. Members of Thailands Red Shirt opposition movement have in the past taken refuge in Cambodia, where their spiritual and political leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, was once welcomed with open arms by Hun Sen. Those who fled the country be informed, dont come to Asia. Dont come near Asia, Hun Sen told local media, while going so far as to threaten using rocket launchers against them. Thailands new military junta and Hun Sen have since become friends though, and in February after Sam Sokha was extradited, representatives of the two countries met to strengthen their prisoner exchanges. That same month Hun Sen warned he could track down CNRP members anywhere in Asia, claiming the party was terrorist organization. Those who fled the country be informed, dont come to Asia. Dont come near Asia, he told local media, while going so far as to threaten using rocket launchers against them. Please, dont have hope. I just want to tell you, dont force someone to put nails in your coffin. If its in the courts hands, its another issue, but if it is a secession issue, the BM-21 can be used to attack your area, he said. Some never made it out of Cambodia. When the CNRP was dissolved, Sok, a unionist and former CNRP activist whose name has also been changed, was told by CNRP party officials he should to leave Cambodia. But he decided to remain because his family is in debt and without his contribution, who is helping my family?, he said. After more than 18 years of enduring threats and occasional beatings from police as a union organizer affiliated with the CNRP, Sok said the CPP-affiliated provincial governor paid him a visit, took his photo and finally convinced him to defect to the ruling party. They made me believe that if I defected the situation regarding our financial issues will get better, and if I dont make that decision, my house and land will possibly get withdrawn to payback the debt, Sok said, adding a court order for the confiscation of his familys land followed the provincial governors visit. So I decided to defect, if I didnt do that I knew that theyd arrest me, Sok said. So yeah, their target is to arrest me. If I dont join with them, Ill have big challenges, I can say that. Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice. " " If your first memory is from age 2 or before, there's a good chance it's not real, study says. Sue Barr/Getty Images Think you remember having your diaper changed, taking a bottle or Heaven forbid getting circumcised? Think again the odds are strongly against the legitimacy of such memories. In fact, research out of London, published in the journal Psychological Science found that nearly 40 percent of first memories are likely not true at all, since those respondents claimed them from extremely early in life. Of the 6,641 participants in this large-scale, web-based study, 2,487 (almost 40 percent) claimed their first memory to date at age 2 and younger. In fact, 893 of those note a memory from age 1 and younger. This is in stark contrast with a significant body of existing research, which places the age of encoding between 3 and 3-and-a-half years old. Advertisement "The established view is that the distribution around mean age at encoding is truncated, with very few or no memories dating to the preverbal period, that is, below about 2 years of age," the authors write in the study. Now, no one's implying that the super-early memory-makers are lying. In fact, the respondents truly believe that their first memory was on the up and up. The researchers hypothesize that a number of factors play into this misremembering, such as misdating the first memory. For others, compilation of memory fragments and information from others over time turns into a very real-seeming portrait of something that they couldn't have possibly remembered on their own. Co-author Martin Conway, director of the Centre for Memory and Law at City, University of London, explains what that looks like in a press release. "When we looked through the responses from participants we found that a lot of these first 'memories' were frequently related to infancy, and a typical example would be a memory based around a pram," he says. "For this person, this type of memory could have resulted from someone saying something like 'mother had a large green pram.' The person then imagines what it would have looked like. Over time these fragments then become a memory and often the person will start to add things in such as a string of toys along the top." Interestingly, the study found that more of the respondents with extremely early memories are middle-aged or older. Prior studies focused largely on younger adults. The researchers think older people might have had more time to incorporate memories from other people into their own life stories. Conway notes that when people are told those early memories must be fictional, they often don't believe it. "This is partly due to the fact that the systems that allow us to remember things are very complex, and it's not until we're five or six that we form adult-like memories due to the way that the brain develops and due to our maturing understanding of the world." Now That's Cool You're probably not going to unlock infantile memories anytime soon, but there are ways to make your current memory stronger, a definite concern as we age. A few tried-and-true methods include meditation, exercise, getting plenty of sleep and even chewing gum! Three Israelis were wounded Thursday in a knife attack in a West Bank settlement close to Ramallah, the Israeli army said. "A terrorist infiltrated into (the Adam settlement) and stabbed three civilians," the army said in a statement. "The terrorist was shot and killed," it added. Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the attacker was aged 17 and from the Palestinian village of Kobar in the Ramallah area. He added that the attacker had been shot by a civilian who was passing at the time and witnessed the incident. According to emergency services, two of the injured Israelis were evacuated to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. The third, slightly wounded in the leg, was evacuated to another hospital. Hadassah Hospital said the two wounded had been admitted to intensive care. A 31-year-old was in critical condition, while a 58-year-old patient was not in danger, it said. Israeli soldiers headed to the scene after the attack to search the area. Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April 2018 when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. Thursday's attack comes amid recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian groups in the besieged Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, promised revenge after Israeli strikes on the coastal enclave killed three of its members. Israel said the artillery fire late Wednesday was in retaliation for shots fired at troops along the border that injured one soldier. "The enemy shall pay a high price in blood for the crime which it commits daily against the rights of our people and our fighters," said the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. The flare-up came five days after the United Nations and Egypt brokered a deal to halt a July 20 surge in violence that claimed the lives of four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier -- the first killed in the area since the last war in Gaza in 2014. On Tuesday, Israel partially reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip, after a two-week closure prompted by border tensions and incendiary kites had sparked fears of a severe fuel shortage in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. Tensions along the Gaza border increased in late March when Palestinians launched a mass protest movement. At least 149 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire since March 30. Israel says its blockade is necessary to keep Hamas from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used for military purposes. But UN officials and rights groups have repeatedly called for the blockade to be lifted, citing worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave, home to two million people. Chinese woman found not guilty of drug trafficking by Hong Kong court after three years of uncertainty Li Dandan pulled her mother in a tight embrace as soon as she emerged from a Hong Kong courts cell holding unit, free at last from a drug trafficking case hanging over her head for nearly three years. Beside them stood prison chaplain Father John Wotherspoon, who had waited anxiously for Lis release, having spent the past two years helping the Guangzhou native prove her innocence. Im very happy, he said tearfully after learning of Lis acquittal. Im hoping her case can help the [other drug mules] appeal. Wotherspoon since 2013 has been working on a name and shame project, identifying and exposing drug lords operating through and in the city. His efforts came as he travelled the world to help drug mules facing trial. The Roman Catholic priest claimed about 20 mainland women had fallen victim to African drug lords over the past decade and Li was one of them. On November 7, 2015, Li was intercepted at Hong Kong International Airport while en route to Malaysia to help deliver clothing samples for her Nigerian boyfriend, IK, who said he would set up business in her home province of Guangdong. In a backpack she carried were 1,983 grams of crystalline solids stored in a hidden compartment sewn into its linings. Hong Kong prosecutors said the single mother, now 33, had trafficked 1,934 grams of methamphetamine, a drug more commonly known as Ice, worth HK$580,000 (US$73,900). But Li told a different story: of a love scam in which she was conned into making deliveries for a man she trusted. I dated this Nigerian man because he did not smoke or drink. He struck me as a hardworking person, she wrote in a letter to Wotherspoon in July 2016. I could not believe he was a drug trafficker. She thought he was a real boyfriend Rev John Wotherspoon, prison chaplain Wotherspoon said Li was highly vulnerable in light of her divorce. So when he offered her a relationship, she trusted him, he said. She thought he was a real boyfriend. Story continues To help prove her innocence, Wotherspoon travelled to Malaysia, Bangkok, Thailand, and Guangzhou to track down IK, with the Nigerians picture in hand. He visited the restaurant and hotel where they stayed together, found his address in Malaysia, and passed on the information to Hong Kong police. At trial, he testified for the defence as a character witness. Meanwhile, Lis counsel, Leung Chun-keung, argued it was possible his client did not know about the hidden compartment as she was not professionally trained like customs officers to detect abnormalities in bag linings. On Thursday, Li was found not guilty of drug trafficking by a unanimous jury verdict following a week-long retrial held after the previous jury had returned a split verdict of 4-3. She cried and clutched both hands at her chest, nodding and bowing to jurors while her family and friends applauded and breathed audible sighs of relief in the public gallery. Im very thankful, she said after hugging Wotherspoon outside court. Ive come a long way in the past three years. According to the Department of Justices website, the government is prepared under certain circumstances to pay compensation to those who have spent time in custody due to a wrongful conviction or charge. Those who are interested must write to the department. The government may make an ex gratia payment, but only in exceptional circumstances when a judge, police or other public authority has committed a serious fault causing a wrongful conviction. This article Chinese woman found not guilty of drug trafficking by Hong Kong court after three years of uncertainty first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Proving that nobody is above the law, the Singapore Police Force fined one if its own after dashcam footage showing an officer running a red light went viral, The Straits Times reports. The video, taken back in June and later shared online by Singapore Road Accident, was taken by a car facing perpendicular to the T-junction at Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 and Bukit Batok Street 31, where the offense occurred. The clip shows the officer in question lurching forward several meters despite the traffic light being red. Fortunately, the cop realized his mistake before reaching the pedestrian crosswalk which had people crossing the street. He reverses his vehicle, going back behind the stop line, presumably embarrassed by the whole thing. Although no one was injured, the officer was later identified and has been fined S$200 and given 12 demerit points for failing to obey the traffic light, TODAY reported. Officers of the Singapore Police Force are not only expected to uphold the law but maintain the highest standards of conduct, said an SPF spokesman. Anyone who commits an offence will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The post Cop who was caught awkwardly running a red light in viral video gets fined appeared first on Coconuts. Did you feel that? Does it suddenly feel a little bit stuffier in here to you? Does it feel like, I don't know outer space just got 12 miles (20 kilometers) closer? Nothing actually moved, of course (unless you count the constant and increasing expansion of the universe). But according to a new study published online this week, it might be high time Earthlings shifted our mental and mathematical ideas about where, exactly, Earth's atmosphere ends and outer space begins. [Earth from Above: 101 Stunning Images from Orbit] If astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell's calculations are correct, the cosmic boundary where the laws of airspace suddenly give way to the laws of orbital space might be a lot closer than we think a full 12 miles closer than previous estimates suggest. "The argument about where the atmosphere ends and space begins predates the launch of the first Sputnik," McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, wrotein his new paper, which will appear in the October issue of the journal Acta Astronautica. "The most widely accepted boundary is the so-called Karman Line, nowadays usually set to be 100 km (62 miles) altitude." Here's the problem: According to McDowell, that Karman line that many scientists accept today is based on decades of misinterpreted information that doesn't actually take real orbital data into account. Luckily, data is McDowell's business (and his pleasure in his free time he keeps meticulous records of every rocket launch on Earth) and he knew just where to look to find an evidence-based answer to the question, "Where does space begin?" A photo taken aboard the International Space Station captures the divisions of Earth's atmospheric layers. The mesosphere is the upper band of blue; at the top of this band (about 50 miles above Earth) orbit is possible. Ron Garan/ NASA Where satellites fall In his new study, McDowell pored over data describing the orbital paths of some 43,000 satellites, which he collected from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which monitors aerospace in the United States and Canada. Most of these satellites were negligible to McDowell's study they orbited far higher than the proposed Karman line, and were well within the grasp of orbital space. Story continues About 50 of these satellites, however, stood out. While re-entering the atmosphere at the end of their missions, each of these satellites successfully completed at least two full rotations around the Earth at altitudes below 62 miles (100 km). The Soviet Elektron-4 satellite, for example, circled the planet 10 times at around 52 miles (85 km) before tumbling into the atmosphere and burning up in 1997. It seemed clear from these cases that the physics of space still held sway well below the Karman line. When McDowell used a mathematical model to find the exact point at which various satellites finally broke loose of their orbits and made a fiery return to the atmosphere, he found that this could occur anywhere between 41 to 55 miles (66 and 88 km). Usually though, when a craft dipped below the 50-mile (80 km) mark, there was no hope of escape. Space: It's closer than you think. Mike Fossum/ NASA Astronaut wings For this reason, McDowell chose 50 miles as the true lower edge of space. The number fit neatly with several other cultural and atmospheric factors, as well. For example, McDowell wrote, in the 1950s, U.S. Air Force pilots were awarded a special set of "astronaut wings" for flying their planes above 50 miles, this being considered the outermost edge of the atmosphere. Atmospherically, the choice fits, too: The mesopause the coldest belt of Earth's atmosphere stretches roughly between 52 and 62 miles above the planet's surface. Here, the atmosphere's chemical composition begins to change drastically and charged particles become more abundant. (In other words, things look a lot spacier.) It's clear that, below the lower edge of the mesopause, Earth's atmophere becomes a stronger force for airborn objects to reckon with, McDowell wrote. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere from Top to Bottom] "It is noteworthy that meteors (traveling much more quickly) usually disintegrate in the 70 -100 km (43 miles to 62 miles) altitude range, adding to the evidence that this is the region where the atmosphere becomes important," McDowell wrote. So, what does it mean if the boundary between Earth and space is 20 percent lower than is generally accepted? It won't change the way rockets are launched or any other physical interactions with space, McDowell wrote, but it could raise some important political and territorial issues. The airspace above a given country is generally considered part of that country; outer space, on the other hand, is for everyone. If space is defined as beginning at 62 miles and the U.S. flies an unauthorized satellite at 52 miles over China, for example, that could be (justifiably) construed as an act of military aggression. For this reason, the U.S. has frequently opposed setting any universal space boundaries. That means that McDowell's proposed 50-mile line probably won't become a legal, universally accepted border anytime soon. Still, if the daily drudge of life on Earth starts to get you down, look up and take heart that you may be a little bit closer to the heavens than you were last week. Originally published on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations An external view of the entrance to the Singapore State Court in Singapore on March 5, 2015 A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) engineer who failed to disclose that he was involved in the companies he recommended to the RSAF for contracts was jailed 25 months and six weeks on Friday (27 July). Rajkumar Padmanathan, 49, had earlier pleaded guilty to 28 counts of corruption, cheating and breaching the Official Secrets Act. Rajkumar joined RSAF in 1989 and became Bay In-Charge of Fire Control Flight Tengah Air base between 2008 and 2012 before he resigned on 31 July 2012. Part of his job scope as Bay IC included raising requests for repair or maintenance works, which required independent contractors to tender for works. He would propose the contractors that submitted quotations to his superiors, who relied on his recommendations to award the contracts. While still an RSAF engineer, Rajkumar set up Goodwill Aviations System (GAS) on 19 May 2010 with his wife Jayashree, who was fronting as the sole director and shareholder. The actual owner was Rajkumar, who directed his wife to oversee the jobs that GAS tendered for. GAS had submitted quotations for aircraft repair and maintenance works required by the RSAF. Rajkumar, who was familiar with the lowest price to quote, would then recommend GAS for works. As a result, between October 2010 and June 2012, GAS was awarded 99 jobs with a total value of $868,994. Rajkumar used the profit for his personal uses, including funding another business. In late 2010, Rajkumar approached his friend, co-accused Jeevan Arumugam, to register a company for the same scam. Jeevan would lead the company while Rajkumar would assist him and eventually join him after leaving the RSAF. They incorporated the company Eagle Flight Aviation Services (EFAS). Between April 2011 and June 2012, EFAS was awarded 67 jobs totalling $632,528. Rajkumar also entered into an agreement with another company, Duratech, to submit quotations for RSAF repair and maintenance works and to subcontract the works to GAS and EFAS. The director of Duratech, Ng Meng Heok, was not aware that Rajkumar was involved in the two companies. Story continues After he left RSAF, Rajkumar joined One Marina as a Technical Officer at Sembawang Air Base with a similar job scope. Rajkumar continued the scheme, with EFAS being awarded 14 jobs worth $29,090 between 16 December 2013 and 18 August 2014. While working at One Marina, Rajkumar became acquainted with the director of Global Trade Well (GTW), Kamal Kishore, and agreed that GTW would bid for RSAF works. The two agreed to split the profit equally between themselves. Although Kamal knew that Rajkumar worked in Sembawang Air Base, Rajkumar did not tell Kamal about his job scope. As a result, between May and December 2014, GTW was awarded 10 jobs with a total value of $27,506.87. The total value of contracts awarded to GAS, EFAS, Duratech and GTW is $1,817,379.87. In 2014, Rajkumar came to know Sung Way Xiong, a fellow RSAF engineer who had access to confidential pricing information in the RSAF system. He suggested to Sung to provide him with the prices of items in RSAFs inventory and said that if his aviation business were to perform well, he would employ Sung and give him a good pay package after his RSAF career was over. Rajkumar also promised to share the profits with Sung. Sung agreed to the scheme and gave Rajkumar confidential information. However, he was not employed by Rajkumar and did not receive any of the profits. Sung was sentenced to 10 weeks jail in May for his role in the scheme. Jeevan, who is accused of conspiring with Rajkumar to cover up his interest in EFAS, has claimed trial. His hearing will be heard in August. Jailed former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang Yam-kuen is making a last attempt to clear his name, but will not apply for bail while he pursues a final appeal against his conviction for misconduct in public office. A source close to the matter revealed on Friday that the appeal had been filed, as the 73-year-old former chief executive was discharged from hospital, where he had spent a week after being jailed again following the rejection of an earlier appeal by a lower court. The Department of Justice confirmed that Tsang had applied to take his case to the Court of Final Appeal. In a further reflection of his fall from grace, Tsang was filmed and photographed by the media sitting in a wheelchair, wearing handcuffs and prison garb, as he was transferred from the custodial ward at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam to Stanley Prison. He was hospitalised after suffering an asthma attack following the rejection of his case by the Court of Appeal last Friday. The former leaders conviction centred on a conflict of interest involving a three-storey luxury penthouse in the fashionable district of Futian in Shenzhen in mainland China. Tsang, who served as chief executive from 2005 to 2012, had planned to make the penthouse his temporary retirement home. He began negotiations to rent the property, which belonged to a company chaired by mainland businessman Bill Wong Cho-bau, at a time when Tsang was in charge of approving licence applications from radio station Wave Media, of which Wong was a majority shareholder. He was found guilty of misconduct by an 8-1 jury verdict in February last year for failing to disclose the penthouse deal. While Tsang argued there was nothing corrupt about his conduct, the appeal justices ruled he was still criminally liable for deliberately keeping it quiet. However, they reduced his original 20-month jail sentence to 12 months, of which he has already served two. Story continues A high-ranking government official who deliberately conceals a conflict of interest must know, with respect, what he is doing, and that what he is doing is wrong, Justice Andrew Macrae wrote in a 95-page ruling handed down last week. The judge said the evidence was as formidable as it was compelling, adding: These are frankly obvious consequences which [Tsang], of all people at the very top of the government administration, after decades in public service, would have readily and instinctively understood. While out on bail earlier pending his appeal hearing, Tsang re-emerged on the fringes of the citys political scene, weighing in on Hong Kong-mainland relations in television interviews and in articles written for the Post. He even turned up alongside his predecessors Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying, and their successor, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, at the annual flag-raising ceremony on July 1 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the citys return to Chinese rule. Lam on Friday was asked during her official trip to Beijing whether she felt sorry for Tsang, her former boss and a devout Catholic. As I have said previously and a long time ago, I will keep praying for him, replied the chief executive, a Catholic herself. This article Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang lodges final appeal against misconduct conviction first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday of a serious cash shortfall at the United Nations, telling staff in a message that cost-cutting measures are in store. Guterres said the cash crunch was caused primarily by the failure of UN member states to pay their dues on time, adding that he had asked countries to quickly pay their share of the UN budget. "Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer," Guterres wrote in the message posted to the UN's internal communications website. The UN chief said "we will need to take measures to reduce expenses, with a focus on non-staff costs" and added that he had tasked the UN management department to come up with ways to cut spending. The General Assembly in December approved a $5.4 billion two-year budget for the United Nations, which is separate from the UN peacekeeping budget. A total of 112 out of the 193 countries have paid their dues in full as of July, but this list did not include the United States, the UN's number one financial contributor. The United States pays 22 percent of the UN budget, but the payment occurs later in the year, in line with its national budget cycle. During last year's gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, President Donald Trump complained that the United States was shouldering too much of the cost of the world body. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "no one is withholding dues" from the United Nations but that the shortfall was bigger this year because of late payments. Japan, China, Germany and France -- which rank just behind the US in the list of top financial contributors to the United Nations -- have all paid their dues. At the end of June this year, the amount of money paid by member states was nearly $1.5 billion -- some $200 million less than at the same time last year. Bus falls into Trishuli River after colliding with truck A passenger bus fell into the Trishuli River after colliding with a truck at Chumlingtar of Ichyakamana-3 in Chitwan district along the Prithvi Highway on Friday. By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for a government to be formed as soon as possible to tackle corruption and poor services as further protests took place in the south of the country on Friday. In a sermon delivered by a representative, Sistani - who is revered by millions of Shiites in Iraq and elsewhere - told the incumbent caretaker administration of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to respond to protesters' complaints. "The current government must work hard, urgently, to implement citizens' demands to reduce their suffering and misery," Sistani's representative said in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala. Shortly after the speech, thousands of people protested in cities in the long-neglected south, Iraq's Shi'ite heartland, against the lack of proper government services and jobs. In Basra, the main southern oil hub city at the edge of the Gulf, about 2,000 people gathered outside the headquarters of the provincial governorate. "We need to launch a new war. But this time it should be against corrupted government and not terrorism," said unemployed Wathiq Abdul Ameer, 32. Protests were also held in the southern cities of Amara and Nasiriya. Demonstrations over the same issues have occurred in the past but the recent unrest has been more widespread. STRUGGLE TO FORM GOVERNMENT Anger is mounting at a time when politicians are struggling to form a government after the May 12 election, which was marred by allegations of fraud, prompting a recount. Abadi, who is seeking a second term in office, is heading a fragile caretaker government, in place until a new administration is formed. A political bloc led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr won a majority in the poll on an anti-corruption platform which had wide appeal among voters. Sistani's representative said the next prime minister "must launch a relentless war against the corrupted and those who protect them". Story continues Abadi said he supported Sistani's remarks and guidance, according to a statement from his office. Sistani, who rarely intervenes in politics but has wide influence over public opinion, proposed a roadmap with guidelines which the next government should follow to ease economic hardship and fight corruption. He said the new government should not include officials accused of corruption and the misuse of power, or officials who promote sectarian separation. Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis said Sistani had sent a clear message that Abadi's government had failed to put an end to corruption or provide basic services. "Sistani made it clear Abadi's government has failed to do the job and the new government must fix the unresolved issues. This is a really tough obstacle ... for Abadi." (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Andrew Bolton) Mali holds crucial polls on Sunday with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita seeking re-election in a country reeling from jihadist violence and ethnic attacks. The international community hopes the poll will strengthen a 2015 accord that Mali, a linchpin state in the troubled Sahel region, sees as its cornerstone for peace. But violence has peppered the election, with the final days of campaigning marred by an attack on a candidate's convoy and renewed killings of civilians. Despite the peace deal, which gathers the government, government-allied groups and former Tuareg rebels, a state of emergency remains in force and heads into its fourth year in November. Jihadist violence, meanwhile, has spread from northern Mali to the centre and south and spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, often exacerbating communal conflicts. - 'No more war-mongering' - Twenty-four candidates are in the race for the presidency, and over eight million people are eligible to vote. Keita, elected in 2013, is accused by his opponents, including several former ministers, of poor governance and security failures. Nearly 300 civilians have died in ethnic clashes this year alone. On Wednesday, at least three Fulani civilians were killed in central Mali in an attack by suspected traditional hunters, according to civil society and security sources. The Fulani community regularly denounces abuses against them by Bambara and Dogon farmers in the fight against jihadists, accusing authorities of ignoring or even taking part in them. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Keita, 73, defended his record and branded the attacks as "pockets of violence and remnants of terrorism". "There's no more war-mongering in Mali today," Keita said. He acknowledged that the violence had "metastasised to central Mali", but said the state was making a "colossal financial effort" to combat it. - Rivals - Keita's challengers are headed by Soumaila Cisse, a former finance and economy minister, who lost by a large margin in the second round of the 2013 election. Others are Modibo Kone, a rural development expert at the West African Development Bank, and Hamadoun Toure, who runs the "Smart Africa" initiative to drive development on the continent via technology. Another candidate, businessman Aliou Boubacar Diallo, said IBK had "failed miserably". Diallo's convoy was attacked by armed assailants while he was campaigning. "Everywhere we have been, it is this insecurity which tops Malians' concerns," Diallo said. Other contenders include astrophysicist and former prime minister Cheick Modibo Diarra. There is only one female candidate -- Djeneba Ndiaye, a 55-year-old businesswoman. - Fraud claims - Amid concerns that the vote could not be held in some restive parts of the country, over 30,000 security personnel have been commandeered to ensure security. In the north, where the state is largely absent, armed groups who signed the peace agreement have also been roped in. The campaign unfolded amid tight security and marked by a controversy over the electoral roll -- with the opposition warning of possible fraud. Cisse's team claimed there were two electoral lists and hundreds of fake polling stations listed. The European Union is expected to deploy around 100 observers on Sunday. Its chief observer, Italian Euro-MP Cecile Kyenge, called on Wednesday for "more transparency" and access for all observers, including 3,000 Malians. Turnout is traditionally low in Mali during the first round of voting, hovering around 50 percent. If Keita -- widely known as IBK -- or any of his contenders fail to secure more than half of the ballots, a second round will take place on August 12. The first results are expected within 48 hours of the vote, with official results following on August 3 at the latest. Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Getty Following the chaotic tenure of Scott Pruitt, the new acting administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Andrew Wheeler, is trying to bring more competence and transparency to the job, but all signs indicate hes continuing to carry out President Trumps assault on regulations. Wheeler, unlike Pruitt, is a longtime insider who understands the machinations of Washington. Hes unlikely to unilaterally overturn environmental protections the way Pruitt did, and more likely to dismantle them slowly through the appropriate channels. Wheelers know-how and political sophistication suggest he will be less vulnerable to lawsuits and less prone to gross ethical violations meaning he could be far more successful. Whereas Pruitt was careless and hasty and made dozens of mistakes, if not more, Wheeler as a polished lobbyist, well connected on K Street, well connected on the Hill, has the potential of being very dangerous. He wont be as careless and sloppy as his predecessor, Melinda Pierce, the legislative director for the Sierra Club, told Yahoo News. Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said Wheeler is much smoother in how he presents the EPA publicly and even to his own employees. Pruitt came in saying, We know the EPA is a terrible place, and Im going to fix it all, and he didnt really buy into the mission. I think theres more finesse in Mr. Wheeler, but I dont think his actual policy agenda is any different, Rosenberg told Yahoo News. Wheeler, who was sworn in as the EPAs deputy administrator in April after a heated confirmation process, was a top aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., from 1995 until 2009. Inhofe was outspoken in rejecting the overwhelming scientific consensus behind anthropogenic climate change and notoriously tossed a snowball on the Senate floor as proof that climate change is not real. Wheeler spent 12 years on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works fighting government regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Story continues Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler speaks to EPA staff two days after taking the top job, July 11, 2018. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP) Starting in 2009, Wheeler worked for the Faegre Baker Daniels law firm in lobbying for coal producer Murray Energy, which is owned by prominent Trump supporter Robert E. Murray, and he actively opposed former President Barack Obamas proposals to protect the environment and address climate change. He has also dismissed the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes science as politically motivated. Pruitt was a fiercely ambitious outsider from Oklahoma, whereas Andrew Wheeler is a Washington, D.C., insider, Pierce said. Heres a guy thats swampy as it gets in terms of being a D.C. lobbyist insider working for K Street and a noted climate change denier. Wheeler was sworn in as acting head of the EPA on July 9 following Pruitts resignation two days earlier. He kicked off his first day at the helm with an 18-minute speech to the agencys employees. It was essentially a charm offensive in which he went through his abridged biography. He defended his work as a coal lobbyist by emphasizing how he fought to protect the pensions and health care benefits of coal miners: I did work for a coal company, and Im not at all ashamed of the work I did for the coal company. Wheeler said the EPA has made tremendous progress over the last year and a half thanks to the leadership of Trump and Pruitt. Under his leadership, Wheeler continued, the EPA would continue to keep cleaning Superfund sites (which have been contaminated with hazardous substances), investing in the nations water infrastructure, improving air quality and updating the chemical safety review process. Wheeler used much of the same language Pruitt had when he came to the EPA. Both emphasized returning to the EPAs original mission, taking a narrower view of the agencys responsibilities than previous administrators. Scott Pruitt during his Senate confirmation hearing, Jan. 18, 2017. (Photo: Mark Reinstein/MediaPunch /IPX/AP) Were also restoring the rule of law, reining in federal regulatory overreach and refocusing EPA on its core responsibilities, Wheeler said. As a result, the economy is booming, and economic optimism is surging. To Rosenberg, Wheeler sounded more concerned about risks to industry and the economy than about risks to communities. [He said] that EPA needed to communicate risk. Actually, EPA needs to address and mitigate the risks to communities. Thats their job. Its not just communicating Youre about to be sick, or Theres about to be a toxic waste explosion. Its actually doing something about it, Rosenberg said. I was nervous he wasnt speaking to the real mission of EPA, which is to protect public health and safety. Rosenberg added that most of what Pruitt touted as regulatory rollbacks were merely giveaways to the oil and gas industries. The career professional staff, theyre the ones that have continued to try to push forward with real public health protections in spite of the administration, he said. Rosenberg said Wheeler has been a little more open to the press than Pruitt and less obsessed with secrecy, security and ostentatious displays of prerogatives such as having his driver use his siren to cut through traffic on his way to a restaurant. Wheeler promised greater transparency, but neither Rosenberg nor Pierce was too impressed by these slight changes. That shouldve been status quo, Pierce said. Im not going to give you a gold star for transparency for doing whats expected but somehow surprising in the wake of Scott Pruitt. The former coal lobbyists first major act as EPA acting chief was to overhaul the rule for how toxic waste from the burning of coal should be disposed of at power plants around the country. It was the first of several expected revisions to Obama-era rules for handling toxic waste to avoid contaminating waterways. The Obama-era regulations were inspired in part by two disastrous coal-ash spills in Tennessee (2008) and North Carolina (2014). Part of a drainage system that was involved two years earlier in a major coal-ash spill in North Carolina. (Photo: Gerry Broome/AP) The [Obama-era] rule wasnt as protective as the environmental and public health community wanted it to be, but it was still a huge step forward, Becky Hammer, the deputy director of federal water policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Yahoo News. Hammer said the new standards required owners and operators of coal-ash disposal sites to publish groundwater monitoring data, but the EPA hasnt made this information easy for anyone to find. Rather than creating a central database, the EPA is directing the public to each individual facilitys own website in order to see its data. The Environmental Integrity Project, an environmental nonprofit, downloaded and compiled all the data from each facilitys website and determined that almost every single site roughly 95 percent of them identified groundwater contamination from coal ash. Coal ash, the material left over after coal is burned for electricity, is the second largest waste stream in the country after household garbage. Coal-fired power plants produce roughly 140 million tons per year. There are a number of heavy metals in it that are very dangerous to human health: lead, arsenic, radium, hexavalent chromium, all kinds of things you dont want to come into contact with under any circumstances because theyre carcinogenic, theyre neurotoxic, theyre poisonous, Hammer said. Coal-ash landfills are enormous, typically 120 acres with an average depth of over 40 feet, and sometimes quite close to houses. The problem is that about half of all the ponds and landfills dont have any liners or safeguards to prevent this dangerous material from leaking downward into the groundwater, Hammer said. We already know of about 200 sites across the country where coal ash has been found to definitively taint water supplies. There are probably a lot more than that, but a lot of the older sites arent monitored at all. Hammer pointed out that an Obama-era EPA study found that people who live near coal-ash disposal sites have a one-in-50 chance of getting cancer from drinking water contaminated by arsenic, and they have increased risks of liver, kidney and lung disease. The coal industry petitioned the EPA to reconsider the regulations, arguing that the cost of compliance was excessive and would result in significant financial loss. Amy Adams, North Carolina campaign coordinator with Appalachian Voices, shows her hand covered with wet coal ash from the Dan River swirling in the background, in Danville, Va., in 2014. (Photo: Gerry Broome/AP) They didnt want the cost of more secure areas. Effectively, theyre just dumping the cost onto the public by saying, OK, you clean it up, as opposed to We, the ones that created the waste, should clean it up, Rosenberg said. Pruitt was sympathetic to their case and in September 2017 started the reconsideration process that Wheeler completed. These amendments 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. Hammer said Wheelers new rule allows groundwater monitoring standards to be waived and extends the deadline for facilities to close coal-ash pits that are known to be contaminating groundwater. The 2015 rule said those facilities have to close by next April, but now that deadline has been pushed back one and a half years. The EPA didnt even consider what the health effects of this would be. They just didnt look at it at all. All they considered was how much money it would save the coal industry, Hammer said. Sources have told Bloomberg and others that Wheelers EPA is preparing to roll back Obama-era emission targets for cars, which were among Obamas major regulatory efforts to control greenhouse gases. Under Wheeler, the EPA reportedly plans to revoke Californias authority to regulate its own car emissions, which it has done since the 1950s. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told Yahoo News that his state would not stand idly by while the Trump administration took away its ability to set stricter emissions standards. We also have a long history of the federal government respecting Californias right, as a state, to regulate our own air. When I was governor, the EPA thought they could stop us, and we won. The EPA even tried to claim that greenhouse gases were not a pollutant, and we took them all the way to the Supreme Court and we won that, Schwarzenegger said. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at the R20 Austrian World Summit in May 2018. One of the summits aims is to further the Paris Climate Agreement. (Photo: Ronald Zak/AP) Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, has taken the lead among members of Congress in calling on Wheeler to restore the trust of the American people in the EPA after Pruitts scandal-ridden tenure. In an open letter, Carper urged Wheeler to follow in the footsteps of former EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus, a Republican who earned an emotional heros welcome from EPA staffers when he took over the agency (for the second time) in 1983, replacing the scandal-tarnished Anne Gorsuch. Ruckelshaus, who was also the first EPA chief, appointed by President Nixon in 1970, promised to follow environmental laws, making no Big P political decisions and seeking help from scientists and environmentalists. The damage Scott Pruitt has done to the Agency will not easily be undone, Carper wrote. While you and I have not always agreed, and will not always agree, on every environmental policy matter, it is my hope and expectation that you will carefully consider the lessons of the past as you prepare to chart the Agencys future. Wheeler is surrounded by Pruitts top aides, many of whom have strong industry ties, including Richard Yamada, who worked for Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, Nancy Beck, who was an executive at the American Chemistry Council, and William Wehrum, who was an attorney for the oil and coal industries. Under Wheeler, Rosenberg said, expect to see more or less the same goal of slashing regulations unless he gives very strong different direction to his folks many of whom I believe have serious conflicts of interest. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: FILE PHOTO: President Emmerson Mnangagwa greets supporters of his ruling ZANU PF party gather for an election rally in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo/File Photo By Joe Brock HARARE (Reuters) - It is hard to imagine Robert Mugabe standing in line for fried chicken and chips at a provincial fast-food outlet. That is exactly what Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa did last month as he tries to bury the memories of his long ties to Mugabe and rebrand himself as a 'man of the people' ahead of what is expected to be a tight election on Monday. Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old who came to power after Mugabe was removed in a de facto coup last November, has campaigned on a promise to mend divisions in Zimbabwe and rebuild the economy. "Some have eyes but they do not see, others have ears but cannot hear that we are in a new Zimbabwe," Mnangagwa told ZANU-PF supporters at a rally last week, draped in his trademark scarf in the colours of the national flag. "Together we will rebuild our nation, a new prosperous Zimbabwe for our people." Mnangagwa, known as "the crocodile", an animal famed in Zimbabwean lore for its stealth and ruthlessness, was removed as vice president by Mugabe last November to make way for his wife, Grace, to seize power. This was too much for army generals who rolled military vehicles through the streets of the capital Harare and kept Mugabe, 94, under house arrest until he resigned facing imminent impeachment. For all his talk of a 'new' Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa's opponents are at pains to remind people that he was a trusted lieutenant of Mugabe for five decades and has failed to deliver on promises of change in the past. "Mnangagwa has been in politics for 60 years and in power, as the chief enforcer of Zimbabwe's first republic for 38 years," Jonathan Moyo, the main voice of Grace Mugabe's political faction, said this week on his Twitter feed. "Lies come easy to him. It's time for generational change. Creators and enforcers of the old dispensation cannot lead the new dispensation." ONE PEOPLE Yet there is cautious optimism among diplomats and foreign investors that things are slowly improving. Story continues Mnangagwa invited international observers to watch the election and allowed the opposition far more freedom to campaign, although his main rival, Nelson Chamisa, says the process is still being rigged by a biased electoral commission. Mnangagwa has even reached out to white Zimbabweans, including promising farmers there will be an end to the violent farm evictions that began in 2000 in what Mugabe defended as a way to address post-colonial racial imbalances. "I'm humbled," said Christine Moorcroft, one of more than a hundred white Zimbabweans addressed by Mnangagwa last week. "He is talking about us being 'one people'. We've never heard that from ZANU before. I will vote for ED (Emmerson Dambudzo) next week." Mnangagwa survived an attempt on his life last month when a grenade was thrown at the stage during a campaign rally. In a measured response, he said he suspected dissidents from his own party were behind the attack. Those who know him say his reaction to the attack was typical of a man trained as a lawyer who leads with a quiet authority that surprises many who meet the feared former intelligence chief. "If I had to describe him, the first word that comes to mind is 'calm'," a senior Western diplomat in Harare said. "He has control of a room without having to shout. A little look or a wry laugh is enough to tell people his mind." Son of farmers, Mnangagwa learnt his politics in prison in the 1960s after being sentenced to death for sabotage by British authorities. He was captured while in one of the earliest guerrilla units fighting white colonial rule in what was then Rhodesia. Only 19, he was spared the noose by a law prohibiting the execution of convicts under 21. "TEARS OF THE DEAD" After a decade in prison, often sharing a cell with Mugabe, Mnangagwa became personal assistant to the leader of the liberation struggle, and went on to head the guerrilla movement's feared internal security bureau. Mnangagwa backed Mugabes economic nationalism, especially a drive to force foreign firms to hand majority stakes to local blacks, suggesting he may not be the pro-market pragmatist many investors were hoping for. He has been in every administration since independence, holding posts as varied as minister of state security, defence and finance, as well as speaker of parliament. Most controversially, Mnangagwa was in charge of internal security in the mid-1980s when Mugabe deployed a North Korean-trained brigade against rebels loyal to his rival Joshua Nkomo. Rights groups say 20,000 civilians, mostly from the Ndebele tribe, were killed in what has become known as the massacres of Gukurahundi, meaning "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains". Mnangagwa's role remains shrouded in mystery. Always a political operator, he trained as a communist guerrilla in China in the 1960s and stayed in the shadows behind Mugabe. Mnangagwa denies responsibility but prior to the killings he said the government needed to bring "DDT" to rid itself of "cockroaches". "Mnangagwa knows only too well about his genocidal involvement in gukurahundi," Jonathan Moyo said. "He must be haunted by "cockroaches" & "DDT"; the screams of torture victims and the tears of the dead." (Additional reporting by Ed Cropley; editing by Anna Willard) A rights group in Nicaragua on Thursday called on President Daniel Ortega to disband paramilitary groups accused of killing, torturing and kidnapping anti-government protesters. The head of the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights, Alvaro Leiva, told a news conference that if Ortega wanted to prove his assertion that the paramilitaries were not under government control, "he should step up to guarantee citizens' right to security." In interviews this week with US and Venezuelan television networks, Ortega denied persistent allegations that the armed and masked paramilitary gunmen seen operating in coordination with police were under his government's command. Each time he was asked about the armed groups, Ortega switched attention to anti-government militias he accused the opposition of running with US funding, accusing them of killing dozens of police officers. Three months of unrest in Nicaragua have claimed more than 300 lives, according to rights groups. Protesters demanding Ortega step down have been countered with repression by police and paramilitaries firing live ammunition. Ortega said on Monday that he believed that the "turmoil has stopped" and "matters are becoming more normal" in the country, one of Latin America's poorest. But since then, at least four more people have been killed, including a Brazilian medical student, and Leiva said "citizens are in a deep state of fear" over actions by the paramilitaries. The Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights alleged anti-riot units and government shock troops were among the members of the paramilitary squads, which went around masked and armed. Paraguay's agriculture minister and a deputy minister were among four people killed in an airplane crash near the Argentine border, rescuers said Thursday. The twin-engine light aircraft had taken off from the southern fishing town of Ayolas on Wednesday afternoon but crashed soon afterward, just eight kilometers (4 miles) from the airport. "There are no survivors," Roque Gonzalez, a member of a search and rescue unit, told AFP. The dead were identified as agriculture minister Luis Gneiting, deputy livestock minister Vicente Ramirez, civil servant Luis Charotti and pilot Gerardo Lopez. Gneiting was returning to the capital Asuncion, 300 kilometers away, after visiting his terminally ill mother, who died on Thursday just hours after her son. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. In this photo taken Wednesday July 25, 2018, the waters of Zegrze Reservoir made green by cyanobacteria bloom that has led authorities to ban bathers from getting into the water, in Zegrze, near Warsaw, Poland. Authorities in Poland on Thursday july 26, 2018, banned swimming at over 50 beaches along its Baltic coast, after hot weather led to the toxic growth of bacteria in the unusually warm sea.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) WARSAW, Poland (AP) Thinking of a dip in the Baltic Sea to cool off from the unusually scorching European summer? It's too hot for that. Authorities in Poland this week banned swimming at over 50 beaches along its Baltic coast, after hot weather led to the toxic growth of bacteria in the unusually warm sea. Baltic Sea water temperatures exceeded 23 degrees Celsius (73.4F) in some places Thursday. Emergency water rescuers told vacationers on hot sandy beaches from Swinoujscie in the west to Gdynia in the east not to enter the sea, where thick green-brown cyanobacteria colonies have grown and pose a health threat. Regional sanitation authorities have issued warnings that contact with the bacteria may cause allergies and rashes. Drinking contaminated water can also lead to serious digestive problems. The Baltic Sea has not seen such intense growth of cyanobacteria for 12 years. It results from exceptionally high air temperatures of 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit) that have raised the temperatures of the usually cold Baltic. A similar ban has been issued for some inland lakes and reservoirs, such as the Zegrze Resevoir near Warsaw. In neighboring Germany, authorities issued a warning about the higher than usual growth of vibrio bacteria in the warm Baltic that can cause deadly illness in people with compromised immune systems. They said a 70-year-old man with a chronic illness died of vibrio infection over the weekend, and warned elderly people and those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or HIV to avoid contact with the sea or brackish water. In Finland, the Loviisa nuclear power plant said in a statement it briefly reduced energy production in both its units Wednesday to prevent the Baltic Sea water that cools its infrastructure from getting too warm. It said there was no danger to people or the environment. Troops searched for survivors in the remote southern tip of Laos on Thursday, three days after the collapse of a hydropower dam sent a torrent of water charging across paddy fields and through villages, as rescuers rushed aid to thousands of homeless. The scale of the disaster was still unclear, in part because of the inaccessibility of the area but also because reports from the communist countrys state media have been scant and sketchy. (Reuters) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr. NCP briefs its lawmakers about deal signed with Dr KC Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has briefed its parliamentary party about the agreement signed with Dr Govinda KC regarding medical Education Bill. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma said on Friday his lawyers had faith they would get the case against him dropped after making his third appearance in court on corruption charges relating to a $2.5 billion arms deal. Zuma, who wore a dark suit and red tie, faces 16 charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a deal to buy European military hardware to upgrade South Africa's armed forces after the end of apartheid in 1994. The case in Pietermaritzburg, the capital and second-largest city in KwaZulu-Natal province, is a rare example of an African leader being held to account for his actions. Zuma, who was ousted by the ruling party, denies any wrongdoing. Judge Mjabuliseni Madondo adjourned the case to Nov. 30, giving time to Zuma's new legal team to file an application to throw out the case against Zuma. "A permanent stay is a very realistic option and has great prospect of success," said Zuma's lawyer Mike Hellens, who is part of a legal team that replaced a previous one led by the former president's long-time lawyer Michael Hulley. Zuma later addressed hundreds of his supporters in the city, saying the case against him has been pending for a long time. "Justice delayed, is justice denied," he told the crowd, saying he now had a top-notch new legal team. "They, the lawyers, have faith that they will win this case so that it ends." The former president led the crowd in song, including a rendition of "Umshini wami", made popular by the ANCs armed wing during South Africas decades-long struggle against apartheid and which translates as "Bring my machine gun". His supporters carried placards emblazoned with the words: "Zuma is us. We are him" and "Solid ANC Leader". Zuma, whose nine years in power were marked by economic stagnation and credit rating downgrades, has previously said he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt. Story continues The charges against Zuma were originally filed a decade ago but then set aside by the National Prosecuting Authority shortly before he successfully ran for president in 2009. After his election, his opponents fought a lengthy legal battle to have the charges reinstated, finally succeeding in 2016. Zuma countered with his own legal challenges. The speed with which prosecutors have moved against Zuma is a sign of his waning influence since he was replaced as head of state by Cyril Ramaphosa, his former deputy, in February. Ramaphosa has made the fight against corruption a priority as he seeks to woo foreign investment and revamp an ailing economy. (Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Stephen Powell) By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - A senior Syrian Kurdish official is in Damascus this week for talks with Syrian government officials at the head of a delegation including members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an official said, their first declared visit to the capital. The visit points to moves by the Kurdish-led authorities who control roughly one quarter of Syria to open channels to President Bashar al-Assad's administration as they seek to negotiate a political deal that preserves their autonomy. The delegation in Damascus is headed by Ilham Ahmed, executive head of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), said Riad Darar, SDC co-chair, speaking by phone from Vienna. The delegation arrived two days ago. The meetings were expected to primarily discuss matters of service provision in the areas controlled by the Kurdish-led authorities, but Darar said that there was no set agenda and the talks might widen to political and security matters. While the meetings did not mark the start of negotiations, Darar signalled that this was the aim, saying it was time to "solve our problems ourselves". "We have a basis for negotiations," he added. Any negotiations between Damascus and the SDF would raise new questions for U.S. policy in Syria, where the U.S. military has deployed into SDF-held territory during the campaign against Islamic State. Assad says the U.S. forces are occupiers. For the first time, Assad said in May that he was "opening doors" for talks with the SDF. He also threatened force and said the Americans would leave one way or another. The Syrian Kurds have grown wary of the United States, put on guard by conflicting statements over its plans in Syria. The area controlled by the SDF, spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG, spreads across much of northern and eastern Syria and includes farmland, oil resources, and water. MOVING CAUTIOUSLY The territory expanded well beyond the predominantly Kurdish regions of the north into Arab areas such as Raqqa during the campaign against Islamic State. Story continues The main Syrian Kurdish groups have mostly avoided conflict with Assad during the war, at times even fighting common foes -- including rebels that his forces are gradually crushing with help from Russia and Iran. The outcome of the Damascus meetings was not yet clear, Darar said, adding that he did not know which officials the delegation would meet. It was not clear how long they would stay. Talks recently began over a return of state employees and repairs to one of Syria's most important pieces of infrastructure: the Tabqa dam, Syria's largest, which the SDF took from Islamic State last year. Darar said those talks had been held with delegations that had come from Damascus. Referring to the Damascus visit, he said: "This is certainly the first visit that happened." The Kurds have been consistently left out of U.N.-led diplomacy in line with the wishes of NATO member Turkey, which views Syria's dominant Kurdish groups as an extension of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Darar forecast the failure of U.N.-backed efforts currently focused on setting up a constitutional committee grouping the government, the opposition and independents. "I don't think this committee will carry out its role," he said. "The door of Geneva will be shut." Syria's Kurds, which the state systematically persecuted for years, say they do not seek independence, but hope a political deal will safeguard the autonomy. Syrian Kurdish leaders have moved more cautiously than Kurds in Iraq who voted for independence in a referendum last year. The vote, which Washington opposed, plunged them into crisis and regional isolation. Eventually, they were forced to backtrack. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Tens of thousands of people in Ukraine on Friday took part in events marking the 1,030th anniversary of the Christianisation of the country, marching through Kiev in a religious procession backed by arch enemy Moscow. Clergymen, several pro-Russian opposition lawmakers and ordinary people who took part in the procession through central Kiev amid a heavy police presence were supporters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church backed by Moscow. According to police, 20,000 people took part in the event, while organisers put the turnout at 250,000 people. Some 5,000 police were deployed to ensure order amid fears of possible clashes with Ukrainian nationalists. On Saturday, President Petro Poroshenko is expected to take part in a rival religious procession backed by the breakaway Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Kiev was the capital of the ancient pagan Slavic state of Kievan Rus which was converted to Christianity by Prince Vladimir in 988. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared autonomy from Moscow's religious leadership after the country gained independence from former master Russia in 1991. The outbreak of the separatist conflict between Kiev and Kremlin-backed rebels in the east of the country in 2014 has exacerbated those tensions, with Patriarch Filaret of the Kiev-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church famously saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was "possessed by Satan." Friday's procession provoked criticism in Ukraine, where many view members of the Moscow-backed Church as agents of the Kremlin. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill warned against attempts to drive a wedge between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Moscow. "Attempts to artificially tear the Ukrainian Orthodox Church away from the Moscow Patriarchate can lead to a catastrophe," he said. The Kiev-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church supported a bloody popular uprising that ousted a Kremlin-backed government in 2014. A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control most of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority in the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syrian to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and in late May President Bashar al-Assad threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. FILE PHOTO: Opposition lawmaker Jose Manuel Olivares shouts next to others, as they clash with riot security forces during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas FILE PHOTO: Opposition lawmaker Jose Manuel Olivares (C) shouts next to others, as they clash with riot security forces during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo By Alexandra Ulmer CARACAS (Reuters) - Opposition lawmaker and oncologist Jose Manuel Olivares, who led protests over Venezuela's crumbling health sector, has fled for neighbouring Colombia after being told that his relatives could be arrested unless he quit politics. Olivares said the SEBIN intelligence service grew increasingly aggressive after his brother was arrested last year and detained for several months in what Olivares called an arbitrary detention meant to intimidate him. At the end of last week, Olivares received a phone call from a man who identified himself as a member of the SEBIN. "He said I had not learned my lesson with my brother, and informed me that they had arrest warrants against my wife, my mother, and my brother," Olivares told Reuters on Friday, adding that SEBIN patrols were also regularly visiting his relatives' homes. After that phone call, the 32-year-old lawmaker who represented the coastal state of Vargas decided to flee. Over the weekend, Olivares and his wife, brother, and three-month-old son drove 18 hours to the Colombian border, which they crossed illegally because the baby had not been granted a passport. Colombia's centre-right government, a fierce critic of leftist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has allowed them in despite the child's lack of papers and the family is now in the capital Bogota, Olivares said. "We left the country in a traumatic way. I am going to have to work now, hopefully as a doctor but I might have to do anything, like so many other Venezuelans around the world," Olivares said in allusion to impoverished Venezuelan immigrants who increasingly wait tables, construct buildings and sell street food across Latin America. Olivares' departure further swells the ranks of opposition activists forced into exile, arrested, or barred from politics during Maduro's crackdown on dissent. The lawmaker had been at the forefront of protests decrying medicine shortages, crumbling health infrastructure, and a mass emigration of doctors. He also helped organise research into the state of hospitals after the Health Ministry stopped publishing key data on disease and infant mortality. Story continues "Maduro's government thinks that with this persecution they hurt me or weaken me, but it is the complete opposite," Olivares wrote on Thursday night in a letter posted on Twitter announcing his departure. "They are the ones exposing themselves, because of their evil and cowardice as they persecute my family and newborn son, as well as because of the fear they have of people protesting and demanding their rights." Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Maduro says the opposition is a coup-plotting elite seeking to topple him by sabotaging the economy. Most economists instead blame Venezuela's creaking state-led system for shortages, hyperinflation, and five years of economic contraction. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Additional reporting by Vivian Sequera; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and James Dalgleish) Daman Ayed, a 20-year old former rescue worker with the White Helmets holds a document at a temporary camp in Aleppo countryside Daman Ayed, a 20-year old former rescue worker with the White Helmets holds a document at a temporary camp in Aleppo countryside, Syria July 23, 2018. Picture taken July 23, 2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi By Khalil Ashawi MIZANAZ, Syria (Reuters) - Fearing for his life, Daman Ayed registered to be evacuated from Syria along with hundreds of other members of the White Helmets rescue service, hoping for a new life in Canada. But the 20-year-old was not among the several hundred people who were spirited out of the country last weekend over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and into Jordan. When the list of names approved for evacuation arrived, his was not on it. "They told us at midnight that the names had come. We were surprised how many names had not been approved," said Ayed. Only two of the people working at his rescue centre were on the list. Instead, he joined thousands of other people boarding buses for opposition territory in northwest Syria under the terms of the rebels' surrender to the government. Many of the rescue workers and their families originally supposed to join the evacuation were not able to reach the frontier because of fighting, the White Helmets said. Of about 800 people, including about 250 White Helmets, along with 550 family members, in the plans, only about 100 rescue workers and about 300 relatives were able to cross through the Golan Heights and Jordan. However, other White Helmets, including Ayed, were never cleared for evacuation. "We sent these lists...and some names were refused and some names were accepted," said Ammar al-Selmo, a White Helmet working at the group's headquarters in Turkey. Britain, Canada and Germany were among the countries that offered resettlement and helped to arrange the evacuation. Asked why some White Helmets were not included in the evacuation plans, a British Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "This was a response to a specific and urgent situation". "We have worked, alongside our partners, to use our diplomatic channels to evacuate the maximum number of White Helmets and their families as was possible in an extremely constrained security context." Story continues German officials declined to comment. Ayed, who has arrived in the northwest along with his parents and younger brother, said he still sees leaving Syria as his best hope of surviving the war. "Regarding our departure for Canada, I consider it the only solution to save our lives," he said. IDENTIFICATION PAPERS The northwest is the last major area still held by rebels. Idlib faces frequent bombardment and President Bashar al-Assad has said it is now his target. Rescue workers with the White Helmets, which operates only in opposition-held parts of Syria, are at great risk if captured by the government, Ayed said. "Our fate is worse than that of army defectors," he said. Assad has accused the White Helmets of being an al Qaeda front, and his government says they fabricated chemical weapons attacks as a pretext for Western air strikes. The group, which receives funding from Western governments, says it is a civilian rescue organisation that works under bombardment to pull people from the rubble. Adding to his fear of capture by Assad's forces, Ayed said when the army advanced into his district of the southwest this month, it seized paperwork at the White Helmets base. "The most important thing is the names and identities of the volunteers, and our special identification cards. This is what damages us the most. The papers and the names were not destroyed, but stayed as they were and are in the hands of the regime," he said. SHELLING Assad has crushed one centre of the rebellion after another in recent years and last month turned to the opposition stronghold straddling Deraa and Quneitra provinces in the southwest. Air strikes were followed by ground attacks and offers of surrender in return for safe passage to northwestern Syria for any who refused to come back under government control. Ayed, who said he has been a White Helmet for 16 months, was based in Lajat, the first rebel area in Deraa to come under attack. As the army closed in, it shelled the White Helmets centre and the rescue workers fled before it was captured, he said. Its 30 staff split up, heading for different parts of the remaining rebel territory. Some sought refuge in towns that were later captured by the government. "They were surrounded and their fate is unknown," he said. Ayed and his family ended up in Quneitra, near the frontier with the Golan Heights, the last patch of rebel ground in southwest Syria to surrender to the government. He worked at the White Helmets centre there for several weeks. Then one evening all its rescue workers were called in for an urgent meeting. They were told to submit their names for evacuation through Israel and Jordan with the prospect of resettlement in Canada, he said. When the names came back, Ayed was not among them. (Additional reporting by Thomas Escritt in Berlin and Andrew MacAskill in London; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Angus MacSwan) The DC Takes UK 2018 Tour has just touched down in the UK, with demos and signings planned for Bristol, Brighton and London over the next week or two. In the van will be Wes Kremer, Tiago Lemos, Madars Apse, Tristan Funkhouser, Jaakko Ojanen, Josef Scott Jatta, Thaynan Costa and John Shanahan, which in our books guarantees good sessions at each leg. The Bristol leg sees them at Fifty Fifty before heading to Lloyds and Brighton both The Level shop and skatepark, before culminating in a release for the OG Lynx shoe at Slam City Skates followed by a session at a pop up park being built next to DCs headquarters at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. This will also involve a cash for tricks jam, an exhibition on the history of DC and live music, making for a solid Saturday out in East London. Ingest further details below and get to one (or more) of these legs if you can! In the meantime, hype yourself up by scrolling past the flyer and finding Tiago Lemos DC Promo part The dates are set, so get ready because the DC Shoes Skate Team will be descending on the UK for a packed 2018 skate tour. Touching down on the 26th July, watch out for them on the streets of Bristol, Brighton and London where theyll be hitting all the top skate spots and core skate shops, before heading to East London for a massive takeover in the centre of Shoreditch. DCUKs own skaters will be joined by Wes Kremer, Tiago Lemos, Tristan Funkhouser, Thaynan Costa, Madars Apse, John Shanahan, Jaakko Ojanen and Josef Scott, as well as renowned photographer and videographer, Mike Blabac and Chris Ray. This epic ten day tour will culminate on the 4th August with a full on invasion of the Old Truman Brewery for The Taking London. In conjunction with DCs Yours for the Taking campaign, theyll be creating a one-off park setup focused around a massive black-cab-gap which will be open to local skaters, with demos from the pros and a classic skate jam plus Cash for Tricks comp. The event will also feature a unique exhibit exploring the history of the brands skate and streetwear fashion heritage back to the days of Droors Clothing followed by an exclusive gig in the evening from Mancunian hip hop artists, Levelz. UK SKATE TOUR DATES / STOPS BRISTOL, 28 JULY FiftyFifty Team Signing 2PM Skate Demo 4PM BRIGHTON, 29 JULY LEVEL Skatepark Team Signing & BBQ 2PM Skate Demo 4PM LONDON, 4 AUGUST Slam City Skates EAST 11.30AM 12.30PM EXCLUSIVE Early Global New LYNX OG Release THE TAKING 4 AUGUST 1PM til LATE ELYS YARD OLD TRUMAN BREWERY LONDON E1 6QL Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade. Upcoming webinars on turning misinformation into an educational opportunity Posted on 27 July 2018 by John Cook Since starting Skeptical Science in 2007, I've been researching how to counter misinformation. One answer is inoculation - you can neutralize misinformation by exposing people to a "weak form of misinformation" (e.g., explain the techniques used to mislead). But how do we put this into practice? One of the most powerful ways to teach science and counter science denial is in the classroom through misconception-based learning. I've been lucky enough to collaborate with several organizations to provide educational resources using this approach. The Skeptical Science team worked with UQx to develop the online course Making Sense of Climate Science Denial. Now I'm based in the U.S., I've been lucky enough to collaborate with the National Center for Science Education and the Alliance of Climate Educators to develop a set of lesson plans teaching key facts about climate change while addressing five of the most common climate myths. With Brad Hoge (Director of Teacher Support at NCSE) and teachers from around the country who field-tested the lessons, we'll be presenting a five-part webinar series on how to teach our five lessons. Each webinar will focus on a single NGSS-aligned lesson plan. You can sign up for free to any or all five to get the full complement of lessons. All participants will receive a certificate that can be used for continuing education units. The webinars will be at 7:00-8:30 pm Eastern Time via Zoom. Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/EuBowp9HYUmbzuBz8uGZdw2 July 31: Scientific Consensus on Climate Change In this lesson, students create their own scientific consensus on climate change through direct interpretation with climate data, as well as examining a popular climate myth. August 7: Climate Models Some of the most common climate skeptic arguments focus on climate models. In this lesson, students examine climate model data and learn how climate models are developed, as well as debunk common misconceptions about climate models and their capabilities. August 15: Past vs Present Climate Change "Climate has always changed. Why is today any different?" With Milankovitch cycles (what?!), ice cores and other paleoclimate data, students explore the logical fallacy behind this misconception. August 21: Local Climate Impacts Let's take a gamble... In this lesson, students delve into local impacts of climate change and try their hand at beating the odds to see how climate change really is loading the dice and increasing the odds of more extreme weather. August 29: Climate Solutions What do wedges have to do with solving climate change? Turns out, everything. Students play the "Wedges Game" to balance various greenhouse gas-reductions strategies to achieve net zero emissions. Students also explore local climate solutions that works in their community. Register now! Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from Silicon Valley, has introduced an ambitious new bill that would offer work to virtually any American struggling with a long spate of unemploymentbut whatever you do, dont call his plan a job guarantee. After all, despite some of the headlines about it, Khanna himself doesnt. The federal job guarantee, as you may have heard, is the breakout lefty policy idea of 2018. The notion is simple and radical: Its advocates want to make unemployment a thing of the past by having the government provide a job to anybody who wants one for as long as they need it. In theory, fans say, it would wipe out involuntary joblessness (recessions would never be as bad) and force companies to treat employees better by giving every worker the option to walk and get a job from Uncle Sam. After long languishing in academic obscurity, the concept broke into the Democratic mainstream this year, and has been embraced by potential presidential contenders such as Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanderseven as some liberals have criticized the various proposals that have emerged as undercooked or unrealistic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khanna, a first-term congressman who has quickly established himself as one of the more progressive voices in the House, has jumped into the conversation around the job guarantee with a related idea thats fundamentally narrower in its goals and easier to imagine one day being implemented. He prefers to call his legislation, which he first previewed in May, a job opportunity bill. It would be overpromising to say this is going to make sure everybody is going to have a job, Khanna told me. I dont want this to be represented as more than it is and then have people say its not delivering. What it does promise is a doorway back into the workforce for those whove been locked out of it. Under Khannas plan, the government would pay employers to hire Americans who have spent at least 90 days without a job or whose earnings during the last half a year left them under the poverty line. The positions would be temporary, lasting up to 18 months, long enough for people to gain new experience and a foothold in the labor market (many workers, such as those who lack a college degree, would be eligible for an extra one-year extension). People could be fired for performance issues, and would be allowed only three stints in the program per decade. Its not a plan to revolutionize the entire economy. Rather, its a program to help people with the most trouble finding or holding a job. Khanna told me he envisions it helping up to 1.5 million people initially, which is about how many Americans are currently stuck in long-term unemployment. Advertisement Advertisement Where would people go to work? Potentially anywhere. Khannas legislation would try to place participants in jobs at businesses, nonprofits, and in the public sector. This is another big difference between his proposal and the most popular job guarantee plans that have floated around, which envision putting participants to work either directly for the government or at nonprofit community groups. But Khanna argues that giving people a chance to find jobs in the private sector will make the program more popular, since some people simply dont like the government and dont want to work for it. He also suggests his approach would be more in keeping with Franklin Roosevelts New Deal vision that all Americans should have the right to useful and remunerative work, which jobs guarantee advocates regularly cite as inspiration. Advertisement Advertisement When [FDR] talked about a right to work, it was a right to work in the public sector, but it was also a right to work in industry and in farms and in small businesses, Khanna says. What I am all about is giving people choice. One obvious disadvantage of Khannas proposal is that it lacks the job guarantees elegant messaging and exciting sweep (You need a job? Youve got one!). An advantage is that, unlike the job guarantee, we have a pretty good idea of what it might actually look like in practice. After all, no modern, developed economy has really tried to outright eradicate unemployment. Job guarantee fans tend to cite precedents like Roosevelts Works Progress Administration or Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed millions during the Great Depression. They also bring up the Jefes y Jefas plan, a straightforward workfare program that Argentina used to aid families during its early 2000s financial crisis, or Indias rural job guarantee, which promises up to 100 days of paid work per year to families. None of those, however, really tells us much about what would happen to Americas economy if the federal government offered employment to every single adult in 2018, and none answers basic, unresolved questions like what jobs people would actually do. As progressive economists Dean Baker and Jared Bernstein have noted, one version of the job guarantee would likely require expanding the federal workforce by a factor of at least 10, which makes lots of critics worry that millions of adults would just get shunted into menial make-work jobs, a problem Tucker Carlson would no doubt rant about nightly on Fox News. Advertisement Advertisement In contrast, giving workers a hand by subsidizing regular jobs in industry and government is already common practice in Europe. As Matt Bruenig of the Peoples Policy Project points out, Khannas plan looks quite similar to Denmarks program for helping the long-term unemployed. The United States also has some experience with jobs subsidy experiments, most recently the TANF Emergency Fund, a piece of President Obamas stimulus bill that gave states money to fund jobs for low-income families, and which served as a partial inspiration for Khannas bill. The program quickly placed about 262,000 individuals into jobs at a cost of $1.3 billion. (Just over half were summer jobs for youths, while the other half were year-round positions for adults.) State workforce agencies managed to match beneficiaries with all sorts of employers, from pharmacies to construction companies to call centers to government agencieseven a nonprofit that was creating a digital library. Khannas plan would operate similarly, sending grants to state and local governments that would run the program on the ground while also shouldering a portion of the cost. (The local part is important, since, as the saga over Obamacares Medicaid proves, some conservatives states might turn down the funding.) Indivar Dutta-Gupta, the co-executive director of Georgetown Universitys Center on Poverty and Inequality, whose work provided a template for Khannas bill, put it to me simply: We know how to do this. We know how to do this well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Could Khannas proposal have its own unintended consequences? Of course. Some businesses might be tempted to abuse it, for instance. To incentivize hiring and cover their overhead, the bill would pay employers up to 120 percent of workers wages (unionized employers would get as much as 150 percent). In other words, it would provide companies with cheap or even free labor, meaning some would obviously be tempted to hire a short-term, subsidized worker instead of a regular employee. That may not have been much of a problem when companies couldnt afford to hire during the Great Recession, but it almost certainly will be now that workers are harder to come by and business owners are complaining that they cant find help at the price they want to pay. Khannas bill includes a number of safeguards designed to prevent that kind of misuse, but some employers would almost surely try to skirt them. Advertisement Still, that issue seems relatively small compared with the good a bill like Khannas could do for the chronically unemployed, or the open questions still circling around a job guarantee. It doesnt hurt that its price tag is relatively modestprobably a few tens of billions per year instead of the hundreds a full job guarantee would costwhich makes it less likely to scare off more moderate Democrats, many of whom are still skeptical of the partys rising democratic socialist wing. And while some important job guarantee backers have written it off as a watered down cop-out, others, such as Pavlina Tcherneva of Bard Colleges Levy Institute, have suggested that theyre open to Khannas approach in the near-term, so long as it isnt treated as a long-term substitute for their favored policy. The left could be wooed by the fact that his plan also provides money for a handful of cities to pilot full-fledged job guarantee programs, similar to a bill Cory Booker introduced in the Senate. I think this is one proposal that can unify both wings of the party. Khanna told me. I think this can get Sanders Democrats, Obama Democrats, and Hillary Democrats on board. Of course, that also is not quite a guarantee. You dont need much to make a Mission: Impossible movie: just Tom Cruise, a few obstacles for him to climb over or jump off of, and a rubber mask or two. But an increasingly vital element is Christopher McQuarrie, who with Fallout becomes the first director in the franchises 22-year history to return for a second go-round. McQuarrie made his first foray into directing after winning an Oscar for his screenplay for The Usual Suspects in 1996, but the resulting film, The Way of the Gun, was a stiff (as youll seen below, even McQuarrie isnt especially fond of it), and it took 12 years for him to get back behind the camera. Advertisement When he did, with 2012s Jack Reacher, the result was a lean, sparse action movie and the cementing of a fruitful partnership with its star, Tom Cruise. McQuarrie went on to write the screenplay for Edge of Tomorrow and write and direct both Mission: ImpossibleRogue Nation and its follow-up. (He also has a screenplay credit on The Mummy, but no one bats a thousand.) McQuarrie, who also did uncredited screenplay work on Ghost Protocol, has been instrumental in revitalizing a franchise that felt like it was out of gas and taking it to new, deliriously absurd heights, importing a sense of knowing wit alongside its mandatory action sequences. In an interview this week, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, he talked to Slate about embracing the chaos of making a modern blockbuster, why its a directors job to attack a screenplay rather than protect it, and how watching a Mission: Impossible movie is a lot like making one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youve said one of the strengths of the Mission: Impossible series is that theres a different director with every film, and you wanted to uphold that tradition with Fallout and approach it as a new director even though its the second one youve made. How is the director of Fallout different from the director of Rogue Nation? On the surface, I came with a different crew. I came with a different set of collaborators, some of whom had never worked on a movie of this scale. Under the hood, I was coming at this story from a more emotional, more character-based direction than the last film. Id noticed that of the five previous films, including the one I directed, Ethan was kept at arms length. You were never inside Ethans head. Hes a bit of a cipher. And what we know about Ethan is based on what people around him speculate. And I was determined to put the audience right inside Ethans head from the opening frame of the film and put them in a place where they knew more about Ethans innermost secrets than his team did. Advertisement You wrote the line in Rogue Nation where Ethan is described as the living manifestation of destiny. Thats not a description you can give to an actor and say, OK, play that. Advertisement Exactly. Over the course of three M:I moviesyou did uncredited script work on Ghost Protocol before writing and directing the next twoyouve developed the idea that you want the movies to reflect the experience of making them, which often means reworking major parts of the story on the fly. Oh, yes. That started with Rogue and continued into this movie, for sure There are several moments in Fallout where Ethan runs headlong into a situation without quite knowing what hes doing, and his attitude is always, Ill figure it out. Advertisement Advertisement Right, and theres another moment when Benji asks Ethan, How are you not gonna let that happen? And Tom thinks for a minute and says, Im working on it. We find ourselves in creative meetings all the time with my team looking at me and saying, What are we gonna do when we get to New Zealand? And I said, Im working on it. Just give me the set and Ill know what to do on the set when I get there. First, show me where Im shooting and Ill tell you whats gonna happen when we get there. Advertisement A movie going into production without a completed script is usually reported as a sign that a movie is in trouble, but it seems that the more experienced you are at making these kinds of movies, the more thats the way you work. Advertisement It is, and its never by choice. I would much rather have a script going in and have that plan and not have to spend my weekends staring at a blank screen and trying to figure out what the movies going to be. But what Ive learned over the course of working on three of these movies is that if the major pieces are in place, you can keep the train moving without actually knowing whats going to be said in the locations before you get there. As long as everybody knows, OK, this is where were going to be shooting on this day, and this is roughly what were going to be shooting. The information, the story, thats being conveyed on top of that is malleable. So a lot of times well shoot scenes out of order and those scenes will tell us what the scenes around them need to include in order for the scene you just shot to make sense. You start with an infinite number of possibilities, and with everything you commit to film, your possibilities are reduced. The boundaries are created and the infinite possibilities for where the story [is] going become immediately finite. And your choices are made for you by the end of the film. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When someone starts out as a writer and moves into directing, you can often tell from the movies they make: They end up being dialogue-heavy and essentially feel like they were filmed as written. Whereas with Jack Reacher and M:I, the memorable moments are largely visual. You seem to be someone who cuts dialogue out rather than trying to keep it in. Yeah, and Ive learned that the hard way. I mean, you look at my first film [The Way of the Gun], and I did just that. I shot the screenplay. The camera is constantly at eye level. Its not what I would call a visually arresting movie. It really relies heavily on the dialogue and on the intellect of the movie as opposed to the emotion. Its a lot of head and very little heart. Its somewhat austere. Advertisement I was learning over time that a directors job is not to protect the screenplay. The directors job is to challenge the screenplay, defy the screenplay, know when to ignore the screenplay. A writers job is just to provide all the information that you can possibly ever needbut thats not a guarantee that you need that information. Those are two very different skillsets, and you have to be able to switch from one to another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the role of the director is to challenge and defy the writers script, is it hard when both of those people are you? Not really, no, because as the writer, Im just giving myself all of the material I need to make the storynot only emotional, but to give it a functioning internal logic. The challenge you run into is when youre putting these movies together and you start to test them, audiences dont want all that information. They want to know whats going on, but they dont want the movie to stop for you to explain it to them. They get very bored, very quickly. So you have to find the balance between information and confusion and boredom. If I dont have enough information, I get confused. And if I have too much, I start to disconnect. I start to tune out. Advertisement Advertisement You lampshade that a little bit when you have Henry Cavills character yell at the movies villain, Why do you have to make everything so fucking complicated? Yeah, and believe me, there are two things happening there. The first is, that scene, theres a version thats a full two minutes longer, and it explains everything in the movie, every question you could ever have, who he was and what happened in the backstory, and where was the plutonium, etc., etc. And nobody wanted it, and everybody just felt like that part of the movie was sagging. Quite frankly, if it was a 90-minute movie, you could have that scene, but it wasnt. It was a two hour and 27 minute movie when we cut it to the bone. Advertisement The other thing thats happening in that scene is when Walker said that line, part of me, immediately in my mind imagined reading a review the first sentence of which is, In the second act of Mission Impossible: Fallout, Henry Cavill says to Sean Harris, Why do you have to make things so fucking complicated? Which is exactly what I was thinking as I was watching this movie. [Editors note: Actually it was the end of the fourth paragraph.] I realized I was giving people a stick to beat me with. And I had to be very careful if I was gonna have a line like that in the movie to make sure that it wasnt that fucking complicated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What was the best thing you cut out of the movie? Nothing. OK. There was nothing I cut out that didnt need to go. There were shots that I loved. There were moments that I love. There were performances I love. There is nothing in terms of story. Anything that could go went. What I did for the DVD is I put together I dont like deleted scenes. To me, the directors cut is the movie you see, however that movie came to the screen. Thats what the process ultimately produced. But there were shots that we really loved. So Eddie Hamilton and I put together a deleted shots reel, as opposed to deleted scenes. And youll see everything I wished I could have found a way to put into the movie, but they didnt need to be there. Advertisement So its all images, and not I wish I could have found a way to tell people this or that. No, no. Its all just images. And youll see it. Youll see very clearly. Like, yeah, that looks really cool, but no. Where that was coming in the movie that wouldve just slowed things down. Advertisement Theres a tradition in the M:I movies of devising the big set pieces and building a story around them: OK, so Tom Cruise is climbing the tallest building in the world. Whats he doing there? What were the things you knew you needed to have in Fallout? We knew we were gonna have a helicopter chase. That was Toms baby. And I knew I was gonna have some kind of a breakout sequence. That was the very first idea we talked about, when we were still shooting Roguethat what Ethan managed to achieve at the end of the last movie by capturing the villain created an opportunity for that villain to come back. And I thought, What better way than to have Ethan be the one to break him outwhich of course then spilled into the motorcycle chase, which spilled into the car chase. Advertisement Advertisement So I knew what that sequence was. And because I knew what they were, or I knew at least roughly what they were going to be, I put them aside and I focused on character first, which is not what we did on Rogue. Rogue was very much, Got a motorcycle chase, got an underwater scene, got the A400. We know we need another action sequence, but we dont know what it is or where it goes in the movie. Go. Everything that happened in that movie was just trying to create rationalizations for why the characters were jumping through the hoops they were. Advertisement Advertisement And you wanted to approach Fallout differently? Yeah, I didnt want to be living in fear of a big explain-y scene that was gonna make the whole plot of the movie come together. Of course, thats unavoidable. We have that scene. We have a scene like that when Alec Baldwin shows up in London. So I asked myself, How do I make this scene exciting? How do I give this scene life? And thats where we got the very late notion of it being conflict instead of information. That Hunley comes in and is not there to support the team, is not here to help Ethan. In all the versions prior to that I was like, I love the idea that Hunley was showing up to warn the team and to help them and to be something of a father figure there. And I realized, thats getting in the way of what makes the scene work. Hunley has got to be there almost as another kind of antagonist, another kind of pressure. So the scene immediately became one of conflict. And that conflict, you feel it beginning to fracture the team. Hes not only reaming Ethan, hes going off on Benji, hes going off on Luther. And of course, we know more than the characters in the scene. We know whats really creating the pressure. And so, were watching the team dissolve. That suddenly took a scene thats normally the information dump, the obligatory scene that says, Let me explain to you why youve been watching this movie for the last hour and a half, [and instead] it comes across as drama and not information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now for an extremely nerdy question: Fallout is set into motion by Ethans refusal to sacrifice Luthers life to keep plutonium out of the hands of terrorists, even though that could result in the deaths of millions of people, and the idea of choosing, or refusing to choose, between saving one life and saving many is threaded throughout the moviewhich kind of makes it a version of the trolley problem with exploding helicopters. You even have Ving Rhames character make reference to the greater good, which is the foundation of utilitarianism. Is it important to you to get those kinds of ideas into an action blockbuster, even if theyre ultimately not that important to the plot? Or is it just a matter of your villain has to believe in something, so it might as well be that? Advertisement First and foremost, yeah, the villain has to have a reason. And the stakes have to be as big as you can possibly make them. What we never get to see in a movie is the villain win. These movies are safe and the stakes are never felt. Theyre discussed, but you dont get to see the catastrophic results. You dont get to see Ethans worst nightmares played out. What youre seeing in the opening sequence of the film, leading up to the credits, is Ethans worst nightmares being fulfilled, not only personally, but also professionally. So youre allowed to experience all of those things in their worst possible way and then I reboot the movie, and the movie starts again with a clean slate. Theres, hopefully, a sense of palpable relief as you go into the credits going, Oh, my God. For a minute there I thought this was really gonna be an awful Mission: Impossible movie. And now I get it. Now Im watching Mission Impossible. That was the design. This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy. The cover of the June 18 issue of Time magazine depicts President Donald Trump gazing in a mirror that reflects an image of himself wearing a crown and an ermine-trimmed robe. The illustration is plainly meant to satirize the presidents kingly self-regard, but if special counsel Robert Mueller will not indict Trump, as one of the cover stories asserts, the presidents vision of absolute power may not be as delusional as the illustration suggests. A month earlier, the New York Times and the Washington Post reported that, according to Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Muellers office had advised Trumps legal team that the president would not be indicted. Giuliani said that Mueller would adhere to Justice Department policy barring the prosecution of a sitting president. Advertisement The special counsels office declined to comment, and because Giuliani has proven to be an unreliable messenger, the question remains whether or not Mueller will actually indict Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Time cover story, Jack Goldsmith, who was head of the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel from 2003 to 2004, argues that Mueller will not indict Trump because he cannot. The reason he cannot indict, Goldsmith explains, is because he is bound to follow two opinions on presidential immunity written by the OLC, which provides legal advice to the president and executive agencies. The most recent opinion was issued by the OLC in 2000, at the end of President Bill Clintons term, and it reaffirms a Nixon-era OLC opinion on presidential immunity, concluding that a sitting President is constitutionally immune from indictment and criminal prosecution. Advertisement The almost 20-year-old special counsel regulations state that Mueller shall comply with the rules, regulations, procedures, practices and policies of the Department of Justice. The regulations permit removal of the special counsel by the attorney general for good cause, including violation of Departmental policies. The view of most, but not all, of the legal experts who have examined the question, including the view of Neal Katyal, who wrote the regulations while serving in the office of thenDeputy Attorney General Eric Holder, supports Goldsmiths assertion that DOJ policies include OLC opinions, which are therefore binding on Mueller. Samuel Estreicher and David Moosman, in a recent Just Security article, present an elaborate and carefully reasoned argument, based on the text and history of the special counsel regulations, for concluding that the OLC opinions and their bar to indicting a sitting president apply to Mueller. Advertisement When can the impeachment process be regarded as ineffective? However, it does not follow that either the special counsel regulations or the Constitution itself prevents Mueller from prosecuting Trump. The regulations allow Mueller, in extraordinary circumstances, to ask Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, as the Justice Department official supervising the investigation, to approve a departure from any departmental policy. The regulations favor granting such a requestthe attorney generals supplementary information appended to the regulations require great weight to be given to the views of the special counselunless Rosenstein determines that prosecution would be so inappropriate or unwarranted that it should not be pursued. Advertisement A careful reading of the 39-page legal memorandum supporting the 2000 OLC opinion yields the surprising conclusion that, in the current political climate, there are extraordinary circumstances that warrant an exception to the policy of presidential immunity. The logic of the memorandums own reasoning supports the conclusion that the Constitution permits prosecution of a sitting president when the impeachment process no longer provides an effective means for upholding the rule of law. Advertisement The OLC memorandum, dated Oct. 16, 2000, begins by acknowledging that neither the text nor the history of the Constitution provides a definitive basis for determining whether a president can be prosecuted while still in office, and that the Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue. The constitutional analysis adopted by the memorandum, written by thenAssistant Attorney General Randolph Moss, is based on a balancing test, which Moss notes has been adopted as the appropriate mode of analysis by the [Supreme] Court for resolving separation of powers issues. Advertisement The test, as applied by the memorandum to the issue of presidential immunity, considers whether the burdens imposed by indictment and criminal prosecution on the presidents ability to perform his constitutionally assigned functions are justified by an overriding need to promote legitimate government objectives. These objectives include an important national interest in ensuring that no person including the president is above the law (emphasis added). Advertisement The memorandum devotes a lengthy discussion to the dramatically destabilizing effect a prosecution would have on the presidency. But while acknowledging the important governmental interest in upholding the rule of law that would be served by prosecution, the memorandum does not actually weigh that interest against the burden imposed on the presidency. This is because, according to the memorandum, impeachment provides an alternative means for enforcing the rule of law, and if the alternative would serve that purpose, the government must use the alternative. The constitutionally specified impeachment process ensures that the immunity would not place the president above the law. Advertisement Fair enough. However, when the availability of an alternative means for accomplishing an important governmental objective is sufficient to prohibit the governmental action in question, the test that is actually being applied is a version of the constitutional standard of strict scrutiny. And strict scrutiny requires that any alternative means of accomplishing the objective must be effective. Even if one does not accept the categorization of the OLC analysis as strict scrutiny, the impeachment process is able to ensure that the immunity would not place the president above the law, as the memorandum argues, only if impeachment can actually work to remove a culpable president from office. In short, prosecution of a sitting president is permissible, according to the memorandums own reasoning, when impeachment becomes an ineffective means of holding him accountable. Advertisement Advertisement When can the impeachment process be regarded as ineffective? An objective and ascertainable standard can be found in a test that would make the impeachment process ineffective if, despite the availability of sufficient evidence for the Senate to convict, the House declined to even initiate an impeachment inquiry. There is already sufficient evidence in the public record for the Senate, sitting as a jury, to find the president guilty of attempting to obstruct justice. Alex Whiting, in a March 2018 analysis of the case against the president for Just Security, concluded that the known facts are sufficient to convince a jury that by firing thenFBI Director James Comey, Trump attempted to obstruct justice in violation of Section 1512(c)(2) of Title 18 of the United States Code. The failure of the Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee to respond to any of the repeated requests by Democrats to hold the president accountable signifies an unwillingness, rather than an inability, to begin impeachment hearings based purely on partisan considerations, and not the insufficiency of the evidence against the president. Advertisement Advertisement Even if Democrats were to take control of the House in Novembers midterm elections and vote for articles of impeachment, the prospect of obtaining the two-thirds majority required to convict in the Senate is so unlikely in this era of hyperpartisan polarization that, barring disclosure by Mueller of evidence of egregious criminal conduct, removing Trump from office can be fairly characterized as very near impossible. Under these circumstances, there is no way to enforce the national interest in upholding the rule of law unless the president is held accountable by prosecution before he leaves office. Advertisement Advertisement The OLC memorandum suggests that the ability to prosecute the president after he leaves office provides an effective means for enforcing the rule of law. But consider the murder hypothetical presented by Giuliani in an interview with HuffPost, in which he said the president could not be prosecuted while he remains in office even if he had shot and killed Comey instead of firing him. If the president began to order the killing of his political enemies, would anyone seriously argue that the rule of law remains in force so long as Trump could be prosecuted after he leaves office? If members of Congress were too fearful to try to remove him by impeachment, would the president, in effect, have a license to kill for the duration of his presidency? Immunity would mean that the president would not even be subject to arrest. Advertisement Clearly, the memorandum never contemplated anything as unprecedented as a broken impeachment process. However, when the unprecedented occurs, the argument that immunity, if only temporary, would not violate the rule of law, as the memorandum suggests, becomes unwarranted, even absurd. Lawlessness would rule whether the crime the president was free to continue committing is murder or obstruction of justice or any other felony. Advertisement Its time for the special counsel to take over from a supine Congress the responsibility for vindicating the rule of law by prosecuting the president for attempting to obstruct justice and any other crimes for which Muellers team has sufficient evidence to indict. Or so Mueller should argue in presenting Rosenstein with the case for making an exception to the DOJ policy of following the OLC opinions, which dictate presidential immunity. Advertisement Advertisement Prudence may counsel waiting for congressional reaction to Rosensteins report to Congress, which is likely to include the special counsels interim findings on obstruction. Muellers team might consider following the example of four of the lawyers on the staff of the Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. Contending with a legal staff that was divided over the issue of presidential immunity, these four lawyers submitted an extensive memorandum to Jaworski, setting out the legal arguments for indicting President Richard Nixon for obstruction of justice. Jaworski later explained why he rejected their recommendation: [T]here was serious doubt that the United States Supreme Court would have permitted an indictment of a sitting president for obstruction of justice, especially when the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary was then engaged in an inquiry into whether the President should be impeached on that very ground. The emphasis is in the original quote. The proper constitutional process, Jaworksi added, appeared to us to be that of letting the House Judiciary Committee proceed with its impeachment inquiry. Advertisement Advertisement But this route is not available today. Instead, the House is paralyzed by extreme partisan polarization, leaving criminal prosecution as the only means of enforcing the rule of law against a president the special counsel has probable cause to believe is guilty of attempted obstruction. There is a popular assumption that it is perfectly normal for impeachment, being a political process, to turn into a no-holds-barred partisan fight, with members of Congress voting along party lines, rather than deciding the merits of the case. But this is not how the Framers of the Constitution viewed the impeachment process. The great danger inherent in any effort to remove the president from office, Alexander Hamilton observed in Federalist No. 65, is that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of the parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt. The Senate was thought by the Framers to be the most fit depositary for the decision about guilt or innocence after the House of Representatives, acting as prosecutor, voted articles of impeachment, because the Senate was regarded as the body most likely to preserve, unawed and uninfluenced, the necessary impartiality. Advertisement Advertisement The House also has a constitutional duty to act impartially. Charles L. Black, one of the leading authorities on impeachment, in his classic work Impeachment: A Handbook expressed the view that both the House and the Senate are duty-bound to act as free as may be of partisan political motives and pressures. Cass Sunstein thinks that if the president has committed an impeachable offense, the House is obliged to vote to impeach him and the Senate is obliged to vote to convict. The reason Sunstein is not more definitive, he writes in Impeachment: A Citizens Guide, is because by analogy to prosecutorial discretion, We the People, acting through our elected representatives, might have prosecutorial discretion with regard to the impeachment power as well. But if impeachment is to serve as a means of upholding the rule of law, there must at least be an articulable and objective reason for exercising the discretion not to impeach. Advertisement Advertisement Todays Republican-controlled House has not only proved itself unwilling to conduct an impartial bipartisan inquiry into the commission of impeachable offenses by this president; House Republicans are also trying, through various efforts by Rep. Devin Nunes of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committeeand othersto destroy the credibility of the special counsels investigation. Bashing Muellers probe is designed not only to undermine any criminal prosecution, but to defeat impeachment by discrediting any report Mueller will submit to Rosenstein, and that Rosenstein could submit to Congress, and possibly release to the public. Nobody is going to consider impeachment if public opinion has concluded this is an unfair investigation, Giuliani has said. Conservative Republican leaders in the House have finally filed articles of impeachment, but they are against Rosenstein, charging him with failure to adequately respond to subpoenas requesting hundreds of thousands of pages of documents related to the Russia investigation and Hillary Clintons use of a private email server, and failure to recuse himself from authorizing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court application to wiretap former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Advertisement Advertisement Our system of checks and balances is threatened as never before by unprecedented partisan polarization in Congress, for which the Republican Party is primarily responsible, and which has produced efforts by House Republicans that can be fairly characterized as complicity with the president in destroying the credibility of Muellers investigation. If there is one instance in which we can say the impeachment process is not working as constitutionally designed, it is when Republican members of the House, willing to support the president at almost any cost, become implicated as potential co-conspirators in the presidents misdeeds. What we are witnessing in Congress today is the kind of partisan fight to the death that has destroyed democracies elsewhere in the world, including Europe in the 1930s and South America in the 1960s and 1970s, as described by Harvard government professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt in their book, How Democracies Die. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When impeachment fails, the constitutional principle it embodies should compel criminal prosecution as the only effective means for upholding the rule of law. One more difficult issue remains for Mueller and Rosenstein to confront in deciding whether a request to indict should be approved, and that is the role the Supreme Court will almost inevitably play following any indictment of President Trump. Even if prosecuting the president can be justified by a rationale consistent with the logic of the OLC opinion, an indictment would still be vulnerable to challenge in the court, which is not bound by OLC opinions and may have a different view of what is required by the Constitution than the one held by the author of the 2000 OLC opinion. How the court would decide the question of presidential immunityan issue that was argued by the Watergate special prosecutor, but avoided by the court in United States v. Nixonremains uncertain. Advertisement It is possible that, in a historic confrontation over the issue, a majority of the court would conclude that a sitting president has an absolute immunity from prosecution without regard to the effectiveness of the impeachment process. The court might be convinced that it cannot assess the effectiveness of the process in deciding whether the president is immune from prosecution, because impeachment is a political or nonjusticiable issue and therefore is committed solely to Congress to resolve in whatever manner it sees fit. Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court, in a 1993 case refusing to review the impeachment conviction of a federal judge, broadly stated that the judiciary, and the Supreme Court, in particular, were not chosen to have any role in impeachments. Nevertheless, three justices, in concurring opinions, cautioned against imposing an absolute bar to justiciability, suggesting that judicial review of the impeachment process may be warranted in what Justice David Souter described as unusual circumstances, in which Congress were to act in a manner seriously threatening the integrity of the process, and the consequent impact on the Republic [were] so great as to merit a judicial response despite the prudential concerns that would normally counsel silence. Advertisement There are many legitimate reasons to account for congressional inaction on impeachment that would not impair the integrity of the process, including higher legislative priorities, insufficient evidence to sustain articles of impeachment, or an estimate of ultimate failure, for evidentiary reasons, to garner the two-thirds vote required to convict in the Senate. But the failure to impeach the president and remove him from office when there is compelling evidence of an impeachable offense, as the previous discussion explains, undermines the probity of the process, especially when the inaction is accompanied by the kind of efforts perpetrated by House Republicans to sabotage the criminal and counterintelligence investigations. Advertisement Advertisement Katyal has described the dynamic equilibrium between impeachment and prosecution: If impeachment is on the table, then indictment must be off. But if impeachment is off the table because of nefarious congressional activity, then indictment must be on. Although Katyal is not convinced that the activity of Republicans in Congress has descended to the level of nefarious, he believes that an analysis taking account of the political realities affecting the functionality of the impeachment process reflects the genius of our system, and [is] the only way to insure we remain a government of laws which no one is above. Advertisement Advertisement Moreover, a majority of the Supreme Court might well conclude that Trump can be prosecuted by applying a balancing test without even addressing the effectiveness of the impeachment process. In a unanimous decision in United States v. Nixon, the court rejected an absolutist view of presidential power in favor of a general balancing test, declaring that the presidents interest in maintaining the confidentiality of tape recordings of conversations with White House aides must be considered in light of our historic commitment to the rule of law. The court concluded that the unique nature of a presidents activities under Article II of the Constitution cannot be read to mean in any sense that a President is above the law and found the presidents interest in confidentiality was outweighed by the primary constitutional duty of the Judicial Branch to do justice in criminal prosecutions. Advertisement Advertisement Whatever the court might ultimately say about the issue of presidential immunity, the possibility of losing a challenge to an indictment should not be a reason for deciding not to prosecute Trump. Indeed, it can be argued that the special counsel has not only the power, but the constitutional duty, to prosecute when the impeachment process fails to fulfill the check-and-balance function it was designed to serve. The governmental objective described by the OLC memorandum as the national interest in ensuring that no person including the president is above the law is not merely an important or compelling interest. It is an interest dictated by the Constitution itself, specifically, by the Impeachment Clause contained in Article II, Section 4, which provides that the President shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Advertisement The very fact that the majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 prevailed over a minority who resisted any provision at all for removing a president, signified a triumph for the applicability of the rule of law to the president himself. Responding to the minority in words that continue to strike a deep chord in the hearts and minds of Americans, Virginia delegate George Mason declared, Shall any man be above justice? Above all, shall that man be above it, who can commit the most extensive injustice? When impeachment fails, the constitutional principle it embodies should compel criminal prosecution as the only effective means for upholding the rule of law. If men were angels, no government would be necessary, James Madison famously observed in Federalist No. 51, but human nature being what it is, the great difficulty in framing a government to be ruled by men over men, he warned, lies in the difficulty of first enabl[ing] the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. Without indictment and prosecution, the principle that no personnot even a presidentis above the law will endure as little more than an empty slogan on a tattered flag flying over a nation ruled by a dangerously out-of-control and legally uncontrollable president. This is what the founders would surely have regarded as tyranny. More From Just Security The Use of Child Spies by the U.K. Locking In Transparency on the Vulnerabilities Equities Process I love Hindu was how Donald Trump put it, speaking to a cheering audience of Indian Americans at an election rally in 2016. We are going to be best friends, he added of his hopes for U.S. ties with India. There wont be any relationship more important to us. And yet, as with so often in the Trump era, things are not quite going according to plan. Many U.S. foreign policy thinkers see India, the worlds largest democracy, as a crucial future balance against a rising China. And at first it appeared that Trump would go on to become an unusually pro-Indian president. Advertisement There was good reason to think so. For starters, the Trump Organization has deep ties there. With five buildings under construction, it is the companys most important foreign market. Trump warmed to Indias controversial nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi. And, in his own way, he seemed to admire Indian culture toohence I love Hindu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lately, though, there has been a rough patch. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis suddenly canceled a big meeting with their Indian equivalents, to the great annoyance of New Delhi. Pompeo said he had to visit North Korea, but the Indians still viewed it as a snub. This added to complaints elsewhere, stretching from rows about intellectual property rights and Iranian sanctions to Trumps desire to clamp down on Indian companies using U.S. tech visas. Most worrying is Trumps rhetoric on trade, which threatens to draw India into a broader trade war. Advertisement These new U.S.-India frictions were not meant to be part of the plan. Trump and Modi started out with a manly bear hug, as the two leaders embraced during Indias prime minister visit to Washington in mid-2017. Barely a year and a half later, Trump unveiled the concept of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific as a new cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, designed to rope India more firmly as a counterbalance to China. For scores of reasons, India needs to be central to what we do, Pompeo said last month of Washingtons deepening ties with New Delhi. Yet Trumps affinity went deeper, given its now clear that Trumps business heritage leaves deep imprints on his political judgment. Only last month he talked up a North Korean nuclear deal via a glowing assessment of the countrys future economic growth. Think of it from a real estate perspective, he told a press conference in Singapore after his summit with Kim Jong-un, extolling the commercial development potential of the countrys long shorelines. Advertisement These new U.S.-India frictions were not meant to be part of the plan. More than any other market, India also embodies a change that came over Trumps businesses at the beginning of this decade, as financial difficulties at home forced him to focus on licensing the Trump brand to buildings developed by real estate companies abroad. Advertisement Perhaps the most prominent of those, the 75-story Trump Tower Mumbai, now stands largely completed in a bustling midtown corner of Indias financial capital, even if its angular silhouette remained half-obscured when I visited last month by thick monsoon rains. The 400-apartment building, which is being built by Lodha, a major Mumbai-based property group and one of the Trump Organizations local partners, was officially topped-out earlier this year during a visit to the city by Donald Trump Jr. The golden curtain-wall facade planned for the finished buildings exterior, however, only currently reaches a little over halfway up. Advertisement Advertisement If Trumps Indian enthusiasm was partly a story about his own finances, it was also story about changes in India itself. Having thrown off the shackles of British colonialism in 1947, the countrys leaders built a horrendously inefficient centrally planned closed economy. During that era the economy was largely closed to global trade, and the amount of goods companies could import and produce was strictly controlled by governments licenses, permits, and quotashence why it became known as the license Raj. That system ended only in 1991 as India reopened its economy, quickly growing much richer and more globalized in the process. Indias middle class remains modest in size: Only around 8 million of the countrys 1.3 billion population earn more than $19,000 a year, according to research from French economist Thomas Piketty. But its super-rich have grown rapidly. Indias billionaire population ballooned from a handful in the mid-1990s to over 120 today, more than in any country bar the U.S. and China. Advertisement This is the face of a new India that I have called The Billionaire Raj, which is precisely what drew in the Trump Organization in the first place. A three-bedroom property in Trumps Mumbai tower was recently listed at just over 70 million rupees ($1 million)an unimaginable fortune for most Indians, although not outrageous in a city where premium properties often go for five times as much. Advertisement Advertisement This new era of wealth had a dark side, as multibillion-dollar graft scandals rocked India during the late 2000s, roughly around the time Trump first began to seek potential partners. The Trump Organization has consistently denied any wrongdoing relating to its own Indian projects, although some of its local partner organizations have faced police investigations and allegations ranging from tax irregularities to fraud. Advertisement Real estate in India is a notoriously complex and dirty business, says Reuben Abraham, chief executive of the IDFC Institute, a Mumbai-based think tank. With so many onerous regulations, it is hard to imagine any major property development succeeding without underhand deals of some sort. (Spokespersons for the Trump Organization and the White House did not reply to requests for comment.) The Trump familys Indian business dealings come with diplomatic risks too, as demonstrated when Donald Trump Jr. touched down in New Delhi for his promotional tour earlier this year. Full-page advertisements greeted him splashed across the front pages of nearly every major daily newspaper: Trump has arrived. Have you? one asked, showing Trump Jr., arms crossed and unsmiling, promoting a condominium complex on the outskirts of New Delhi. Advertisement The problem arrived at a conference in New Delhi, where Trump Jr. was due to speak on a panel entitled Reshaping Indo-Pacific Ties: The New Era of Cooperation. Critics pounced: The familys businesses are meant to be kept separate from President Trumps administration, so was it not inappropriate for the presidents son, hardly a geopolitical expert, to be talking about the regional balance of power in such a venue? Sensing a diplomatic incident, the panel was swiftly stripped of its political content and rebranded as a mere fireside chat. Advertisement Advertisement Rather than a conflict of interest, though, President Trump appears to think that his business dealings give him an inside track on what makes India tick. Advertisement Mumbai is a place that I love, it is a place that I understand, he said during his second trip in 2016. Advertisement In return, India has warmed to Trump too. There is a certain section of Indian society who associate the Trump name with success, one senior figure involved in a Trump-branded Indian development told me. Polls show a steep Trump-era fall in U.S. popularity around much of the world. But Indians maintain a broadly positive view, according to Pew data showing roughly half viewing the U.S. favorably. Last year, one rural hamlet in the northern state of Haryana even renamed itself Trump Village. There is then a strain within Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party that sees a kindred spirit in Trumps nationalism too. In India, hard-line Hindus view their countrys traditional, secular, center-left elite with disdain. In Trump, by contrast, they see a fellow populist and strongman. Where Trump talks of America First, so Modi makes thunderous stump speeches talking about India First as well. Advertisement All this means mean U.S.-India ties are likely to grow far more complicated. Relations between two democracies have grown closer over recent decades, beginning in after Indias economic reopening in 1991. Both Presidents Bush and Obama tried to improve Indian ties via trade deals and military cooperation. There is also an undeniable logic to this pro-Indian turn, not least because of China. If Asias future feature two great powers rather than just one, neither will dominate the Eastern Hemisphere as America has long dominated the West. Americas bet on India should be strategic, but Trump cannot see beyond the most recent transaction. Milan Vaishnav, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace In many ways this idea has grown ever more compelling of late: As Americas quarrels with China grow more pronounced, from trade policy to the South China Sea, the more tempting it looks to draw India closer for balance. Last December the Trump administration officially took a further step in that direction, welcoming Indias emergence as a leading global power in its National Security Strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Yet all of this simply makes Trumps more recent rumblings the more self-defeating, beginning with moves to tighten H-1B visas for technology workers, which have often been used by Indian outsourcers. More recently there have been threats of possible secondary sanctions against India, if it continues to buy oil from Iran, one of its most important energy suppliers. Advertisement Indias bilateral relations with Iran stand on their own and are not influenced by Indias relations with any third country, said Gen. V. K. Singh, Indias minister of state for external affairs, in Parliament earlier this monthin effect politely telling the U.S. to back off. Then there are growing disputes over trade flowing from Trumps attempts to pressure China and rip up the existing global trading system. India has already introduced retaliatory steps against Trumps recent tariffs on aluminum and steel. Trump has complained about Indian tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles in return. Advertisement As a still-poor country, India wants the kind of international stability that will allow its economy to grow. Broadly speaking, Modi backs the current global order that Trump is tearing down. The more that destruction continues, the weaker ties between the U.S. and India are likely to become. Raja Mohan, one of Indias most respected foreign policy analysts, put his finger on the brewing anti-U.S. mood swirling around New Delhi in a recent article. For many in India, it is tempting to align with Trumps critics, at home in America and his allies in Europe and denounce the US presidents disruptions, he wrote. Advertisement This should be an alarming warning. India is not a formal U.S. ally and is unlikely to become one, at least partly because New Delhi understands only too well that it should not needlessly antagonize China. It can be a prickly country to deal with. Advertisement Advertisement Americas bet on India should be strategic, but Trump cannot see beyond the most recent transaction, said Milan Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Asking what have you done for me lately? will lead to bad outcomes when it comes to India. The notion of a long-term formal alliance between the worlds two great democracies is fanciful. But closer and warmer ties should be in the best interests of both nations, especially as China slides toward a worryingly autocratic future. Actually making this happen looks increasingly tricky. Speaking just before Trumps trip to Asia last year, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the most pro-India speech given by any senior American official in recent memory. Well never have the same relationship with China, a non-democratic society, that we can have with a major democracy, Tillerson said. Yet the risk is that if Trump continues in his current vein, the U.S. will find democratic India turning against it as autocratic China has already donein effect wrecking relations not just with one emerging Asian giant, but two. On Thursday, CNN reported a seemingly bombshell claim that Michael Cohen was in the room with several others when Donald Trump was told in advance of his sons 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. CNN, citing sources with knowledge, further reported that Trump approved of the meeting and that Cohen was willing to testify to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation to that effect. As stunning as this news might seem, if Cohen were to offer such testimony, it does not prove a crime on its own, and its impact depends heavily on other evidence, other witnesses, and later events. The case of obstruction against Trump is already strong without Cohens allegation, but Cohen could strengthen a growing case against Trump of conspiracy against the United States under 18 U.S.C Section 371. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its important to note that without knowing who CNNs sources with knowledge are and what their interests might be, its difficult to assess this report. Its similarly important to acknowledge that Cohen might not be the most credible witness in the world, even if the report is true. Any good prosecutor would be wary of presenting Cohens allegation by itself. Further, prosecutors might already have the key evidence that Trump Jr. told his father. The son made a phone call to an undisclosed number when he learned of the meeting. If prosecutors have already obtained the identity of the person who took Trump Jr.s call, and if it was Trump, then Cohens allegation would be helpful but only marginally so. If Trump Jr. did not call his father, a prosecutor would want a second witness to corroborate Cohens allegation. Advertisement Also, on its own, it is probably not a crime for Trump to have known and approved of a meeting with Russians. Interpreting such a decision as a crime would be overbroad and would likely run into First Amendment problems, such as chilling effects on core political speech by candidates seeking information. When the reports of the Trump Tower meeting first surfaced, I wrote that such a meeting with Russian nationals for informationeven dirtshould not be prosecuted as a felony under campaign finance laws that prohibit receiving a thing of value from a foreign national. I offered a hypothetical in which a newspaper published a fake document during the 2012 election purporting to be a Kenyan birth certificate for Barack Obama. Under such a stringent interpretation of campaign finance law, an Obama campaign official in that case might be prosecuted for traveling to Kenya to obtain the certificate, or for speaking with Kenyan officials about how to prove or disprove the authenticity of the certificate, as these might be considered a thing of value. I also noted what was perhaps a more apt hypothetical given this specific case: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [L]ets say in the summer of 2016, a Russian official contacted the Clinton campaign with information that the Russian government was behind the hacking. Such information would be a thing of value to the campaign. Maybe the most appropriate reaction should be to direct the Russian informant to the FBI, but surely it would not be criminal for a Clinton official to meet with the informant to make sure to get the information as soon as possible. Approving of the Trump Tower meeting, in and of itself, is not incriminating for President Trump, just as it wasnt criminal for Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, or Jared Kushner to attend such a meeting. If the Russians had presented a thoroughly researched opposition file, that file would probably be a thing of value under a fair statutory interpretation and not just information protected by the freedom of speech. Advertisement Prosecutors would need to show more than just a meeting to prove such a conspiracy, but Trump has provided some of that evidence in broad daylight. The real problem for President Trump would be any subsequent conduct that might point to a conspiracy to defraud the United States or to obstruction of justice. While collusion might not be a crime under any federal statute, any collusive conduct by the Trump campaign could be prosecuted as a conspiracy against the United States under 18 U.S.C. Section 371. Advertisement Mueller charged Manafort and Rick Gates under this statute for financial fraud against the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department, related to their alleged efforts to cover up lobbying work for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party. Gates has already pleaded guilty to this charge. In 1924, the Supreme Court ruled that this statute covered schemes to interfere with or obstruct one of its lawful government functions by deceit, craft, or trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest. Former government fraud prosecutor Randall Eliason has explained how such conspiracy charges might be tried, citing a series of previous election-related cases. Running a free and fair Presidential election is a core lawful function of the federal government, Eliason wrote. Any agreement to secretly and dishonestly attempt to interfere with a federal election would fall squarely within section 371s prohibition on conspiracies to defraud the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors would need to show more than just a meeting to prove such a conspiracy, but Trump has provided some of that evidence in broad daylight and on national TV. If Trump did know of the Trump Tower meeting, then his subsequent public statements encouraging Russian cooperation could be viewed as a signal to the Russians, particularly given that they seemed to actually follow through. Advertisement After receiving a request for a meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, Trump Jr. responded with an email saying, I love it on June 3. On June 7, at around 5 p.m., he confirmed a meeting with the Russians for June 9 at Trump Tower. That same evening, Trump announced a major speech for the following week on all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons. Advertisement There was ultimately no major speech the following week, but we know now that soon after this chain of events, the Russians went into further action. As Jennifer Taub observed following Muellers indictment earlier this month of 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of targeting the election through hacking efforts, the timing here is remarkable: on June 8, a day after Trump announced his planned speech, Russian agents allegedly launched DCLeaks.com and started disseminating their criminally hacked information. From this set of facts, it might be argued that Trumps approval of the Russia meeting and his announcement of the Hillary speech might have sent an unmistakable public signal of cooperation, to which Russian agents responded by going public with their criminal anti-Clinton campaign. Advertisement If Trump recognized such a direct cause-and-effect link (approval of a meeting with Russians, followed immediately by criminal leaks of Clinton material), he would have reason to know that his public statements would trigger Russian cooperation. In that light, his public statement on July 27 is all the more damning: Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. As Muellers latest indictment alleged, Russian agents started a new round of spear-phishing directly targeted at Hillary Clintons personal office and the Clinton campaign that same day. This could all be used as evidence of a conspiracy to defraud the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moreover, if Trump knew of and approved the Trump Tower meeting, it would make all of the potential obstruction charges more concrete and powerful. It particularly would strengthen an obstruction case I identified last month in Slate: possible witness tampering of Trump Jr., specifically about the meeting itself. Trumps lawyers acknowledge that he dictated to Trump Jr. a statement about the meeting, and that statement appears to be false, based on Trump Jr.s emails and Manaforts notes from the meeting. Advertisement If Trump dictated that statement, he might have been witness tampering not only for his sons benefitalready a crimebut also for his own benefitan even deeper one. He may have been putting his own son in criminal jeopardy to protect himself. Ultimately, Cohens reported allegations, if uncorroborated by other witnesses or phone records, would be too risky for prosecutors to present on their own because of the potential witnesses own credibility problems. But if there are corroborating phone records or witnesses, then Cohens reported allegations could be a helpful piece of a criminal case directly against President Trump. Read more from Slate: The Legal Case for Prosecuting a Sitting President Adam Schiff Blames Paul Ryan for Republican Efforts to Impeach Rod Rosenstein Why Kavanaughs Criticism of United States v. Nixon Should Worry Robert Mueller Its Time to Accept How Unpopular Donald Trump Really Is CNN is reporting a potentially explosive development in the Russia investigation that for the first time explicitly links President Trump to Russian interference on his behalf in the 2016 campaign. According to CNN, Trump was informed ahead of the notorious June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his top campaign brass and a handful of Kremlin-linked Russian operatives pushing dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump had previously denied knowing about the meeting beforehand, saying he only learned of it shortly before news broke revealing the interaction a year later, once he was already in office. Now weve learned that Trump was potentially not only aware of the meeting, but instructed his advisers to take the meeting after Don Trump Jr. was contacted about a Russian lawyer that had potentially damaging information about Clinton. The source of the information is former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who says he was present when the discussion took place, along with several other people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If true, its hard to overstate the legal peril this puts the president in. The meeting itself was already a blazing red flag, even without Trumps explicit knowledge of and involvement in making it happen. It brought the absolute innermost circle of the Trump campaigncampaign head Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Trump Jr.into contact with Kremlin-linked operatives on the explicit pretense of discussing information on Clinton that could be passed from the Russian government to the Trumps. The documents would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father, reads the introductory email written by the intermediary, publicist named Rob Goldstone. This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump. If its what you say I love it, Don Jr. responds. Advertisement The Trump family has been all over the map about the Trump Tower meeting, appearing to lie essentially from the start. Don Jr. lied consistently about the content and tenor of the exchange until confronted by a New York Times story that was about to drop last July blowing a lid off the meeting. Don Jr.s response evolved and his final statement is believed to have been dictated from President Trump himself aboard Air Force One, which everyone involved denies. Don Jr. also testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee last year that President Trump was unaware of the meeting. He wasnt aware of it, Trump Jr. told lawmakers. And, frankly, by the time anyone was aware of it, which was summer of this year, as I stated earlier, I wouldnt have wanted to get him involved in it because it had nothing to do with him. On the larger existential question of collusion, while the CNN story says Cohen does not have tapes of the meeting, he and other witnesses were present for it. The fact that President Trump may have actively directed his campaign to take a meeting known to be with Russians trying to boost his campaign with Clinton dirt, a meeting that took place just one month before Wikileaks started dropping hacked emails that detonated the race, could be presidency-ending news for Trump. It is the definition of collusion. The next question is: is this just the beginning? Welcome to the Hot Seats, Slates weekly guide to the seven midterms races that everyone is talking about now. Our wonderful July of few primaries is about to give way to a frustratingly busy August. On Tuesday, well finally see the results of a special election thats growing in national attention (and cost), and by the end of next month, well have some blockbuster primaries in Arizona and Florida. Most general-election campaigns will get into full swing in August, especially as the House leaves for its six-week recess. Hopefully youve enjoyed whats been a relatively quiet week in campaign news. It will get worse. 1. Ohios 12th District Republicans get the Nancy Pelosi slip-up they wanted. Just as Tuesdays special election seemed to be trending toward Democratswith prognosticators moving this longtime red district to toss-up status, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into itthe partys nominee, Danny OConnor, gave Republicans the opening they wanted. In an interview with MSNBCs Chris Matthews, OConnorwho had previously said he wouldnt support Nancy Pelosi for leaderwas pressed over whether he would support her in a hypothetical speakers vote between her and a Republican. I would support whoever the Democratic Party puts forward, OConnor eventually conceded. This was on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee had already put out two ads. 2. Pennsylvanias 17th District Conor Lamb takes a big lead in his new district. Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb, the original boyish anti-Pelosi, New Deal Democratic hero who won a special election in Trump country, will be running in a new, and more favorable, district this fall after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew the states congressional map. The new lines mean Lamb will be running against a fellow incumbent, Rep. Keith Rothfus. Its never easy for Conor Lamb! Unless it is: A Monmouth University survey this week showed Lamb with a 12 percentage point lead, 51 to 39 percent, in this new R+3 district outside Pittsburgh. Cook Political moved the race toss-up to lean Democratic, a category in which Rothfus joins Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock as the most vulnerable Republicans in the country. 3. Georgia Governor Do Democrats have a chance against the GOPs interesting nominee? Here we have a race in which the two candidates dont appear to be running in the same galaxy, let alone the same state, for the same seat. In May, Democrats nominated Stacey Abrams, former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, for governor. Shes the first African-American woman to win a major party gubernatorial nomination in history, and shes running on a progressive platform that includes expanding Medicaid, decriminalizing marijuana, and ending cash bail. Her Trump-backed opponent, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, won his runoff Tuesday night. Judging by Kemps campaign ads, Abrams could not have drawn a whiter opponent. Several involve terrorizing a teenager named Jake who wants to date one of his daughters; in one, Kemp points a shotgun at the young suitor. A separate ad depicts Kemp in a truck offering personally to round up criminal illegals. Folks, I dont even know. But Cook did move the race to lean Republican, with toss-up potential, after Kemps victory. 4. Michigan Governor Bernie Sanders gives a last-minute boost to a progressive challenger. In 2016, Bernie Sanders won the Michigan presidential primary, despite some polls showing him trailing by as much as 20 percentage points. A similar level of historic polling error is what Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Sanders-esque progressive whos earned national attention with his bid to become the first Muslim governor of any U.S. state, will need to see if hes going to win the primary on Aug. 7. Sanders announced his endorsement for El-Sayed, who also has the backing of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, this week. The most recent survey, commissioned by the Detroit Free Press, showed El-Sayed only 3 percentage points behind another candidate, Shri Thanedar. The problem is that theyre both trailing former state Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer and her 49 percent. 5. Texas Senate Ted Cruz and Beto ORourke will debate between infinity or infinity-plus-one times. Earlier this year, Democratic Rep. Beto ORourke challenged Sen. Ted Cruz to six debates in the Senate race, two of which would be in Spanish. (Someones Spanish is a little better than the others.) Cruzs campaign sent ORourke a counteroffer this week of five debates, beginning in late August, each on separate policy areas, and to be conducted solely in English. Thats a lot of one-on-one time for a supposedly safe incumbent to be offering an upstart, but Cruz, who was on the debate squad at Princeton, has a high opinion of his debating skills as well as of himself. Meanwhile, ORourke has continued with his unusual strategy of agreeing to profiles in New York glossies. This one is in Town & Country magazine and calls him Kennedyesque, right there in the subheadline. Stop! 6. West Virginia Senate Don Blankenship will fight to the death in his quest to solidify Joe Manchins re-election. It didnt pan out for ex-con coal baron Don Blankenship in the Republican primary this spring. But he wont let a decisive loss deter him from glory. After hinting that he might try to run as a third-party candidate against Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, Blankenship made it official this week. Its now a legal question of whether he can get on the ballot: West Virginia has a sore loser law that blocks primary losers from running third-party campaigns, one that Blankenship likens to something the Communist or Nazi party would do. (Both possible third-party options for him.) The West Virginia secretary of state blocked Blankenships bid on Thursday, but Blankenship will now challenge the law in court. Don Blankenship is one of the countrys great bozos of our time. Manchins team would welcome his inclusion on the ballot. 7. North Dakota Senate Kevin Cramer walks a fine line on Trumps farm bailout. The Trump administration announced this week that it would throw $12 billion at farmers whove suffered from retaliatory tariffs as part of Donald Trumps omnidirectional trade war. The question is whether that will be enough to ease the angers of Trump voters in keys districts and states this November. Earlier this week, for example, Vice President Mike Pence visited North Dakota to campaign for the GOP Senate candidate, Rep. Kevin Cramer. While there, he held a roundtable with agricultural leaders, who tore into him over their inability to sell their crops. Its a delicate balance for Cramer, whos trying to maintain his support for Trump even while Trumps pro-tariff policy stance is actively hurting Cramer. Its the sort of tension that produces wishy-washy statements like this from Cramer, in which he argues that we want trade not aid, but also takes credit for the emergency aid, praises Trump, and calls out China. The cardinal has labeled the law as "ignoble, anti-democratic and anti-pluralist". An appeal to the UN to guarantee the rights of Palestinians according to international decisions. Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The law voted by the Knesset, which defines Israel as "the nation-state of the Jewish people" is "inadmissible because it excludes the two Christian religions (Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant) and Muslim". This is what the Maronite Patriarch Card. Beshara Rai said yesterday, during a mass dedicated to the hermit St. Charbel at Faraya (Kesruan). The law, passed last July 19 by 62 votes in favor and 55 against, immediately found opposition from Palestinian parliamentarians in the Knesset. The patriarch's comment is the first official comment by a Catholic personality. Cardinal Rai denounced the law as "ignoble, anti-democratic and anti-pluralist", linked to the previous decision of the Israeli parliament to proclaim Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The patriarch pointed out that "in this land [Israel and occupied territories] we have episcopates, parishes, institutions and a people. The Jewish people - and the states that support them - do not have the right to push their aggressions and their acts of exclusion further and further." The Cardinal said he wanted to address "an appeal to the UN and the Security Council to take a decision to annul the Knesset law on the basis of previous international decisions relating to" Palestinian rights. The law has been accepted amid the silence of many Arab countries. So far, only Palestinians and Arab parliamentarians in Israel have criticized it as legalized "racism" and "apartheid". Several groups of Israeli activists have stood against the law because it undermines minority rights. The European Union, expressing its concern, also called for the rights of minorities to be respected. Draft bill doesnt fully adhere to global practices The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has welcomed the governments initiative towards amending the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons and Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, while calling for making the amendment bill fully consistent with Nepals obligations under international law. President Trump has often touted his personal chemistry with leaders like Xi Jinping of China or the royal family of Saudi Arabia as the key component of his foreign policy approach. He has described his handshake with Kim Jong-un in Singapore as more important than the terms of the agreement they signed. He has suggested that if Vladimir Putin were readmitted to the G-8, he could ask the Russian leader to do me a favor by withdrawing forces from Syria or Ukraine. But the latest news from Turkey suggests the limits of this approach. Advertisement After weeks of seeming improvement, U.S.-Turkish relations took a nosedive this week, with Trump threatening on Twitter to impose large sanctions on the country over the ongoing detention of American pastor the Rev. Andrew Brunson. Vice President Mike Pence made a similar threat the same day, and the Senate Foreign Relations committee this week unanimously passed legislation that would use U.S. influence on the World Bank to prevent financial assistance to Turkey as long as Brunson and other U.S. citizens are detained. Turkeys foreign minister responded to the threats, No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a dozen Americans were among the thousands of people who were jailed in Turkey, often on the flimsiest pretext, as part of a sweeping security crackdown that followed an attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government in 2016. Brunsons case in particular, which I wrote about last year, has become a major cause among evangelical Christians in the U.S. Pence has taken a particular interest in the pastor, and Brunson is represented in the U.S. by the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group led by attorney Jay Sekulow, who is also part of Trumps personal legal team. Advertisement The pastor, originally from North Carolina, had lived with his family in Izmir for 23 years until he was arrested in October 2016. He has been charged, with virtually no apparent evidence, with having ties to Fethullah Gulenthe U.S.-based exiled cleric whom the government accuses of orchestrating the coupas well as the outlawed Kurdish militant group, the PKK. Brunsons supporters charge that he is being used as a bargaining chip by the Turkish government in its disputes with the U.S. There are certainly plenty of those disputes. Erdogan has explicitly linked Brunsons fate to Turkeys attempts to get the U.S. to extradite Gulen, who currently lives in Pennsylvania. Give [Gulen] to us. Then we will try [Brunson] and give him to you, Erdogan said last September. The Turkish government has also been angered by U.S. military support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG, an armed group with links to the banned PKK. Congress, meanwhile, has been working to block the Turkey from acquiring U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets. Advertisement Advertisement Amid the squabbling, Erdogans government has also charged a Wall Street Journal reporter with supporting terrorism and arrested a U.S. Embassy employee for espionage, and Erdogans bodyguards were filmed beating protesters in Washington during a visit last fall. Advertisement There had recently been signs of improvement, however. In early June, the U.S. and Turkey agreed to a plan to remove U.S.-backed Kurdish forces from Manbij, a northern Syrian town that has become a major flashpoint in the conflict. The agreement handed a significant victory to Erdogan a few weeks before last months election, in which the president won a new five-year term with significantly expanded executive powers. The White House has also lobbied congress against holding up the F-35 sale. Advertisement According to a Washington Post report Friday, Trump also had reason to believe hed reached a deal that would secure Brunsons release. Under the agreement reached at the recent NATO summit in Brussels, Trump reportedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask him to release a Turkish woman detained on charges of smuggling for Hamasan arrest Erdogan had publicly criticizedin exchange for Brunsons release. Haaretz has also confirmed the phone call. But on July 18, a few days after Israel deported the woman back to Turkey, a Turkish court rejected Brunsons appeal for release.* Trump called it a total disgrace on Twitter. This week, Brunson was moved to house arrest, a move that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called welcome, but not enough. Advertisement Advertisement Through all the tensions of recent months, Trump has, to a fault, continually praised and flattered Erdogan, describing him as a friend of mine and saying the U.S. and Turkey are as close as weve ever been. Trump has congratulated Erdogan on a controversial referendum that cemented his autocratic rule and praised his efforts at fighting terrorismefforts that, according to Turkey, include attacks on Americas Kurdish allies and the imprisonment of a U.S. pastor. According to one account of the NATO summit, Trump, during a diatribe against Americas European allies, turned to Erdogan and praised him for doing things the right way and then fist-bumped him. The move got heavy coverage from Turkeys pro-government media. Trump seems to have been under the impression that all of this flattery would make his good friend Erdogan more likely to do him a solid by releasing a U.S. citizen. Instead, it seems to have led Erdogan to conclude that he could jack up the price a little more. Who knows what was going through President Trumps head when he tweeted out an all-caps threat at Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier this week. Perhaps even the president himself doesnt know. It is possible that Trump has visions of regime change in his mind. Or he may be looking to repeat his North Korea gambit: a self-inflicted crisis followed by a theatrical summit that allows him to assume the mantle of statesman. Either of these scenarios could come to pass. Both would leave the United States worse off than if Trump had instead stayed in the Iran nuclear agreement. Advertisement The pathway Trump most likely will follow is toward confrontation. Iranian politics may simply not allow for rapprochement with Trump even if that is something he wants. President Rouhani made the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the centerpiece of his presidency, and since the American withdrawal he has come under withering attack from hard-line opponents in Iran. If he were to now meet with the man who walked away from the deal and re-imposed sanctions, he would be pilloried. Iran is certainly not a democracy, but factional politics exit and put limitations on its politicians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the Trump administration, it may also be less motivated to pursue a high-profile summit with Iran than it was with North Korea because it sees a more appealing alternative. National security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Vice President Mike Pence all seem to have convinced themselves that the Islamic Republic is on the verge of internal collapse, and that increasing economic pressure and pursuing peaceful regime change is a viable and cheap option. It is certainly better than going to war, which remains a deeply unpopular choice with the American public. Advertisement A third factor working against a U.S.-Iran breakthrough is Americas regional partners. In the North Korea case, South Korea was invested in de-escalating the situation and finding a diplomatic solution. It played a critical role by bringing the offer of a summit directly to Trump. Israel and Saudi Arabia are not going to play such a role. They are deeply invested in a confrontational approach toward Iran that would weaken the regime or, even better, bring it down altogether. Bibi Netanyahu and Mohammed Bin Salman will do everything they can to discourage a spectacle like the one we saw in Singapore last month. The lack of international unity to pressure Iran will also make this situation difficult. Any consensus to isolate Iran has frayed, as our European partners, Russia, and China all opposed the American move to walk away from the JCPOA and are now pursuing negotiated alternatives with Iran to keep the JCPOA alive and limit the impact of Americas re-imposed sanctions. As long as this remains the case, Iran will probably prefer to engage with the other members of the P5+1 and exacerbate a rift between the United States and its partners. Advertisement The lack of international unity to pressure Iran will also make this situation difficult. Given these limitations, the most likely scenario is that the Iran situation will just continue to putter along. The Trump administration will try to induce regime change via sanctions, a strategy that is unlikely to succeed. And even if it does, it could bring unpredictable and not necessarily positive results. As we saw during the Arab Spring, regime change could bring about significant instability or even civil war. In the case of Iran, the most likely scenario would probably be the replacement of a clerical regime with one ruled by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps with little change to Irans foreign or domestic policy. The Iranians will negotiate with the other members of the P5+1, though as the impact of the U.S. sanctions becomes more acute, they will also likely retaliate for U.S. violations to the JCPOA by restarting elements of their nuclear program in violation of the agreement. All sides will continue to try to avoid a major war. And the president will continue with angry tweets that will have little effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is an alternative reality in which President Trump dreams of a high-stakes summit with President Rouhani, or even better with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This would play to the Trumps instincts as a showman and may be more plausible than people believe. The pathway to such a spectacle likely goes through Trumps favorite foreign leader: Vladimir Putin. One of Putins strongest motivations is to present Russia as an indispensable player on the world stage, a superpower at parity with the United States. Convening a historic summit that includes the presidents of both Iran and the United States would be a major coup for Putin that would further cement that perception. Russia also has an interest in preventing either a U.S-Iran confrontation or a nuclear-armed Iran. That is why during the Iran nuclear negotiations of 201315, Russia and the U.S. found common ground on Iran even as the U.S.-Russia relationship deteriorated badly in other arenas. The Russians were a critical player. They often took the Iranian side and made things more difficult for the United States, but there were times in the negotiations when they also put the screws to the Iranians and succeeded in wringing concessions that none of the other players could. Advertisement Advertisement The Russians are also deeply invested in a successful end to their military intervention in Syria. Consolidating their military victory requires a political agreement among the key actors, including the United States and Iran. Despite years of meetings and processes in places such as Geneva and Astana, Kazakhstan, thus far all efforts at negotiation have failed. Therefore, a summit that yields progress on this front should be appealing to Putin. Putin may also be able to bypass all of the objections of Trumps advisers, as well as those of our Israeli and Saudi partners, by going to the president directly. One need only look to the presidents performance at the Helsinki summit for evidence that Putin can get Trump to agree to things that all of his advisers object to. And Trumps persistent mistreatment of European and Asian allies should give our Israeli and Saudi friends some pause. Would he really not turn on a dime if Vladimir Putin offered him a high-profile diplomatic spectacle that allows him to play to the media on the global stage? Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps the biggest question is whether Putin could sell this to the Iranian leadership. He would have to make the case that Trump, as he did in North Korea, will come unprepared and make major concessions without getting anything substantive in return. If the talks with the other members of the P5+1 are failing to get Iran meaningful sanctions relief, this option could also be appealing. At a minimum, a Rouhani-Trump summit would further weaken international compliance and implementation with U.S. sanctions as the world sees that Iran and the U.S. are re-engaging. And in the ideal world, Putin may even be able to get Trump to resume implementation of the nuclear agreement while declaring that he has wrung additional concessions out of Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this less likely scenario, the big winner would be Russia. Putin would come out with a major international victory enhancing Russias reputation. Trump would get his big photo-op. Iran and the U.S. would return to where they were before the president needlessly walked away from the JCPOA. And so ultimately, this is where we stand two months after the president foolishly threw relations with Iran into chaos. The most likely scenario is that the U.S. pursues a fruitless regime change strategy and becomes more internationally isolated while Iran gradually restarts its nuclear program. The perhaps slightly better scenario is that by giving Vladimir Putin a huge win, we restore the chilly but functional peace with Iran that President Obama achieved in 2015. Neither of these possibilities are appealing, and both are the result of a president who is more invested in his public image than in Americas national security. After a lot of hemming and hawing, Facebook is finally giving Alex Jones and his InfoWars network a slap on the wrist. On Thursday evening, the company shared that it will ban the far-right conspiracy theorist from accessing and posting to his pages for the next 30 days. CNBC reported Friday afternoon that Facebook is now considering removing Jones pages from the platform for repeated violations of its community standards. But as of publication of this story, the official InfoWars page is still chugging along, as is Jones verified page. Thats because the 30-day timeout is for Jones personal account, which means he cant manage the verified pages. His fellow admins, however, can continue to pilot the pages in his absence. Jones verified show page counts 1.6 million followers, and InfoWars has nearly a million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The temporary ban comes after Jones violated Facebooks community standards, a spokesperson told CNET. The social network said it had received complaints about four different videos, which have been removed, though we dont know what was in them. It comes after Facebook had warned Jones that he was on the brink of a suspension, following weeks of media pressure about InfoWars remaining on Facebook despite the companys efforts to clean false news off the platform. On Wednesday, YouTube also took action to remove four of Jones videos (its not clear if those were the same ones that led to Facebooks actions) and blocked him from live broadcasting for 90 days. Still, Jones surrogates quickly found a way around the block. Ron Gibson, a self-described member of Jones network, started airing InfoWars livestream from his YouTube channel after the ban. And, of course, Jones is still airing his daily broadcasts on his own site, where hes imploring Patriots to Spread the Word About Big Techs Murder of Free Speech, as one recent headline reads. In this narrative, Jones is the victim and Facebook is the enemy. He argues that the supposed censorship of conservative voices is the reason why the social networks stock took a historic dip on Thursday after its earnings calls. Advertisement Advertisement To be clear, that isnt true at all. Facebooks stock took a plunge after failing to increase user numbers this quarter, which certainly isnt due to the censorship of conservative voices. Fox News, after all, has a daily show on the new Watch platform, not to mention the torrent of conservative commentary that spreads on Facebook daily. But conspiracy theories are Jones product, and the 30-day suspension plays right into his hands. Now he can play the victim while drumming up pressure on Facebook to be even more reticent about taking meaningful action against pages like InfoWars that work to amplify false news, for fear of appearing biased against conservative voices. It was just last week that executives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter all sat through an hours long hearing with the House Judiciary Committee where Republican lawmakers continued to insist that Facebook prioritizes a left-leaning stance on issues like LGBTQ rights and immigration. Advertisement Advertisement For years, Jones has been using his Facebook and YouTube pages to spew dangerous conspiracy theories, false news, and hate speech, including most recently the unfounded claim that special counsel Robert Mueller has a history of pedophiliawhich Facebook said didnt violate its community rules. Then there was the allegation that the teenage survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting were paid actors working on behalf of gun-control advocates, the false claim that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, and his role in spreading the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. Advertisement The issue as to whether Facebook would continue to host Jones pages came to a boil earlier this month after the company told reporters that it would continue to allow Alex Jones and InfoWars on the site despite Facebooks ongoing efforts to fight the deluge of false news that floods the platform. That led some tech critics, including me, to call out Facebook for its unwillingness to do more to prevent the spread of false news. And while its good that Facebook is starting to do more, the way it executed Jones punishment is likely only going to empower him when he comes back next month. Advertisement During his suspension, Jones will likely continue to rally his massive number of followers against Facebook, claiming theres a conservative bias, and fringe lawmakers may seize on this as just another example of the so-called bias. This shoehorns Facebook into inaction when it comes to taking meaningful steps to punish pages that promote hate speech and false news and encourages Facebook to continue with what appears to be ad-hoc decisions to take action only after media pressure . So what should Facebook have done instead of suspend Jones? As the biggest social network in the world, Facebook has the responsibility of making sure that its serving the information needs of its users and keeping us safe. Sometimes that means not just warning repeat violators or putting them in timeout, but kicking them off for good. Milo Yiannopoulos was permanently banned from Twitter after leading a racist troll campaign against actress Leslie Jones in 2016, for example. Jones trolling of victims and survivors of mass shootings on Facebook for years might fall into a similar category. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear how the videos that Facebook removed on Thursday violated standards while his previous posts hadnt. If Facebook does end up banning Alex Jones network of pages, as CNBC reports it is considering, the company should clearly explain what was in violation and why it took so long to take actioneven if that means admitting that it was wrong for not doing more sooner. Until Facebook clearly explains its process for determining when something violates its standards, and enforces its policies against such violations consistently, this cat and mouse game is likely only going to get worse. Earlier this month, Elon Musks online outbursts led the normally staid Wall Street Journal to describe the Tesla CEOs tweets as extreme even by his standards. Perhaps Musk took this light admonishment to heart, as he seems to have calmed down in the ensuing weeks just in time for his girlfriend, pop star Grimes, to take over the mantle of most unpredictable tweeter in their relationship. Yes, two months after the world was alerted to the existence of Grusk, Grusk gruskes on. The two, who met at least in part due to Twitter itself, have now reached that relationship stage, familiar to any newish couple, where one party proves her devotion to the other by mimicking his combative style and relentlessly defending his honor in public social media posts. Ah, young love! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When she first emerged, Grimes presented herself as an indie artist with, seemingly, the fight-the-man politics to match. So it has been surprising to see her with someone like Musk, and it remains surprising, months later, that when asked about some of his views and political decisions by a fan this week on Twitter, she explained away Musks major donations to Republicans as apparently just the price of doing business in [A]merica. It is perhaps equally surprising that she would choose to say this on Twitter, the very same platform that got her boyfriend into such hot water not even a month ago. every aerospace company has to donate to republicans in order to function. in fact most major companies across the board do, in some capacity. its the price of doing business in america. e donates way more money, like absurdly more, to environmental causes Grimes (@Grimezsz) July 23, 2018 Advertisement (Before this more substantive exchange, the same fan tweeted at Grimes, commanding her to break up with elon NOW. [N]o, she answered. Well, it was worth a shot, as one writer on Twitter pointed out.) hey..u can ask for an interview instead of taking deleted tweets out of context.. id appreciate if youd reach out 2 us 4 comment before posting articles based partial info _(ps i dont support donating to republicans) Grimes (@Grimezsz) July 26, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement In a later tweet, Grimes added that she [doesnt] support donating to [R]epublicans. The strange thing about that tweet, along with several others, was that its a response to a media outlets post covering her tweets. Grimes asked that the outlet request an interview instead of taking deleted tweets out of context. Advertisement While not full-on proposing starting a company called Pravda to fight back against the holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies, as Musk did in May, Grimes tweets still display a troubling attitude about journalism. Why do journalists need to go through the proper channels to reach out to her so she can correct the record when all theyre doing is transcribing and reporting her own social media posts? What exactly are they twisting? And if theyre getting it wrong, why cant she use Twitter to explain what she really means? (Slate reached out to Grimes for an interview and will update this piece if we hear back.) Advertisement One of the deleted tweets Grimes may have been referring to was the one in which she claimed that at Tesla she tried to instigate [a] union vote so yall would lay off. That is quite a claim! Grimes deleted this tweet where she claimed she tried to instigate a unionization vote at Tesla, a thing that definitely happened pic.twitter.com/8B8a1TZEqF Bryan Menegus (@BryanDisagrees) July 26, 2018 Grimes hasnt accused anyone of being a pedophile yet, as Musk did at the height of his most recent Twitter frenzy. But if her tweets this week prove anything, it might be that she and Musk are more perfect for each other than anyone realized. When Julie VanCleave was laid off from Maytag a decade ago, as the appliance manufacturer pulled all of its operations out of Newton, Iowa, she was anxious about what was next. For nearly two decades, she had worked as a secretary. She lacked a college degree. She was 50 years old. And now she was expected to go back to school with students half her age to get retraining for a new career. I was the only one in my class with white hair, she recalls about the courses she took at Des Moines Area Community College for a management degree. Advertisement Going back to school was a decision she made reluctantly after a job search failed to produce any results. The classroom was so different from work, and I didnt really know how to study, said VanCleave, who eventually received her associate degree and a new job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The situation VanCleave faced after getting laid off from Maytag is one that many low-skilled workers without a college degree are facing these days. The world of work is undergoing significant change, and many workers feel unease about the futureone where, they are told, theyll need continual education to remain gainfully employed. There is good reason for that anxiety: the rise of automation and artificial intelligence. One frequently quoted but controversial 2013 study from Oxford University predicted that nearly half of American jobs are at risk of being taken over by computers by 2033. While experts predict that few occupations will be totally automated, most jobs are likely to have many of their basic activities performed by a computer in the future. Another study by McKinsey concluded that 30 percent of the activities people are paid to perform today can be done by a technology that is already available. Low-skilled jobs will fade first. Many jobs, particularly in manufacturing, have already evaporated. Nearly 9 in 10 manufacturing jobs lost since 2000, for instance, disappeared because of automation, not trade (which is often blamed), according to an analysis by Ball State University. Advertisement There is widespread agreement among labor economists that workers need access to continuous education to stay one step ahead of rising automation. Half of workers already prefer to learn at the point when they need to, according to a LinkedIn survey of 4,000 human resources and learning and development executives. In recent years, a bevy of new educational providers have entered the market to provide such upskilling for workers, from LinkedIn Learning to boot camps like General Assembly, as well as edX and Coursera, the two big suppliers of massive open online courses, or MOOCs. But many of these new educational resources are focused only on students interested in certain in-demand career fields, like computer coding or data analytics, or those who already have a college degree. To help workers develop new skills to keep a job or get a new one and to reach people with only high school degrees, providers need to expand their programs to a wider array of occupations and potential students. Otherwise, the concern is that just-in-time education throughout a persons lifetime will just contribute to widening the economic divide that exists. Advertisement Advertisement For generations, colleges and universities have had a monopoly on credentials. Plenty of learning opportunities exist for people already adept at navigating the market of education, said Michelle Weise, chief innovation officer of the Strada Institute for the Future of Work, a nonprofit group that researches the intersection of education and work. But for people who are not adept or who left school short of a credential, its going to be a serious problem to try to figure out what they need in terms of education and training, when they need it, and where to get it. Take MOOCs as an example. When they were introduced earlier this decade, they were often heralded as way to increase access to education. But research shows that MOOCs have mostly benefited those who already have an education. The largest study of open online courses to date, with more than 4.5 million participants, found that nearly three-quarters of participants already hold a bachelors degree and that their median age is 29. That is a far cry from the unemployed factory worker in his 40s or 50s with only a high school diploma who is often at the center of debates over retraining. Advertisement Advertisement Such workers have little interest in going back to school, at least in the traditional sense. Some of them tried college without success. Many are older and dont want to be in classrooms with younger students, even online. Colleges also dont make it easy to enroll, with academic programs mainly designed for students right out of high school. There are cultural hurdles to getting them over the finish line, said Jane Oates, who was an assistant secretary in the Labor Department during the Obama administration. Part of that, Oates said, is finding ways to help displaced workers explore new careers before they commit to a lengthy degree program at a college. Advertisement To appeal to that group of students, community colleges nationwide are increasing their offerings of noncredit courses, which follow the boot camp model and are shorter and cheaper than enrolling in full-fledged degree programs. On average, students complete these noncredit courses at higher rates than traditional classes and, if they decide to pursue a degree, can often get retroactive credit for the courses. Advertisement People want a job more than a degree, said Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technology College System. Maybe so, but credentials still matter to employers. In the next six years, according to Georgetown Universitys Center on Education and the Workforce, the United States will be home to some 16 million openings for middle-skill jobs in technology, health care, and constructionpositions that require more education than a high school diploma but typically not a bachelors degree. Advertisement For generations, colleges and universities have had a monopoly on credentials. But as the global economy demands more skills and competencies for individuals to keep up with an ever-expanding base of knowledge, were going to need more recognition for the learning and skills development that happens outside the higher-education system, said Sean Gallagher, executive director of Northeastern Universitys Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy. Advertisement Colleges are already experimenting with new credentials. In addition to easily recognized names, such as the bachelors and masters degrees, a handful of institutions are now offering so-called nanodegrees and badges to recognize learning beyond traditional academic programs that result in legacy credentials. But the problem with these new credentials is that there is no easily understood taxonomy for those responsible for hiring. Were in a period of some chaos in the credential marketplace, Gallagher said. Since the 1980s, the wage premium for attending collegethat is, how much more a typical bachelors degree recipient earns than a high school graduatehas widened greatly. In 1983, the wage premium was 42 percent. Today, it surpasses 80 percent. Given the trends in automation, the wage premium will likely only grow in the decade aheadeven among those with college degrees, depending on the skill level of their jobs. The changing nature of work requires that higher education figure out new approaches to reach workers left behind and new credentials to recognize their learning. Otherwise, the growing economic divide between those with a college education and everyone else will only continue to expand. New York announced Friday that it is forcing cable and internet provider Charter Communications Inc., better known as Spectrum, to leave the state. The New York Public Service Commission accused Spectrum of failing to abide by the terms the state set when the provider merged with Time Warner Cable in 2016. The alleged infractions include skirting obligations to serve rural communities, repeatedly failing to meet deadlines, unsafe practices, and purposeful obfuscation of its performance and compliance obligations. In a release, commission Chair John B. Rhodes said, Charters non-compliance and brazenly disrespectful behavior toward New York State and its customers necessitates the actions taken today seeking court-ordered penalties for its failures, and revoking the Charter merger approval. Advertisement A particularly noteworthy allegation in the announcement is Spectrums apparent failure to expand its high-speed broadband network offerings to 145,000 homes and businesses in underserved areas with sparse populations, which was a condition of the 2016 merger. New York has had difficulty convincing providers to invest in infrastructure in rural parts of the state, because such companies often do not think that the revenue from these areas will make up for the high construction costs. Commission officials conducted an audit in March that found that the new deployments that Spectrum said would fulfill the terms of the 2016 merger actually covered areas in the state that the company was supposed have been serving prior to purchasing Time Warner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apart from banning Spectrum from New York, the commission is also fining the company $3 million. Before Spectrum goes, however, it will have to continue operating for 60 days so a replacement can step in. By leaving the state, Spectrum would also effectively have to sell off components of its New York operation. Responding to the news, a Spectrum spokesperson told ABC7, In the weeks leading up to an election, rhetoric often becomes politically charged. But the fact is that Spectrum has extended the reach of our advanced broadband network to more than 86,000 New York homes and businesses since our merger agreement with the PSC. Our 11,000 diverse and locally based workers, who serve millions of customers in the state every day, remain focused on delivering faster and better broadband to more New Yorkers, as we promised. Advertisement Its unclear at the moment what Spectrums next move will be. The company provides internet, cable, and phone services to more than 2 million customers in New York. Over the past year, the company has repeatedly run afoul of both state officials and unions. Local Union 3 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in particular has fought with Spectrum over a number of issues, including retiree medical coverage and the use of local vendors. In 2017, approximately 1,800 union cable technicians went on strike when negotiations stalled. The union urged New York City not to renew the Spectrum franchise. New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio and New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is responsible for appointing officials to the Public Service Commission, have both expressed their support for the union. Expert: client prefers to build a personal relationship to a vintage Porsche than to government bond Nr 229 Paintings, archive wine and vintage cars also appeal to Slovak investors The current sound economic growth, increasing demand for high-end pieces of art and the high level of the offer on the market make art an interesting investment alternative. In 2017 alone the average value of art sold at auctions raised by 21 percent based on the Wealth Report 2018. Even though Slovaks are rather conservative in terms of investments, banks active in private banking are reporting that their interest in investing into art has increased, too. The Slovak market follows the development abroad and the interest of our clients in investing into art is unambiguously growing from year to year, said Roman Hajduk, director for private clients at UniCredit Bank in Slovakia. They especially prefer Slovak art and the prices of art works by Slovaks are growing at a similar pace. He used as an example the works of Milan Dobes. While his kinetic art was sold for 1,500 some time ago, now it is worth about 15,000 and is highly appreciated and sought after in the world. In terms of alternative investments, Slovaks prefer art, more concretely visual art, but they invest in vintage cars, coins, jewelry and investment-grade wines. Popular pieces of art include paintings by well-known Slovak artists as well as beginning and less-known artists, said Michal Orlovsky, director of Erste Private Banking in Slovakia. Art is for patient investors Investing into art as well as other alternative investments are suitable as an addition to an investors portfolio with the aim of diversification. They stabilise the investment portfolio at a time when traditional financial assets may be in a crisis, Stanislav Panis, analyst of J&T Banka told The Slovak Spectator. A problem in some cases might be the relatively high entrance price of such investments since it may start at some tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of euros. Panis also points out that such collectibles have significantly lower liquidity than traditional financial instruments. This means that when the investor wants to sell them, he is usually searching longer for a buyer than in case of, for example, shares or bonds, said Panis. 27. Jul 2018 at 16:50 | Jana Liptakova Were tracking a remarkable mystery right now here at Sprudgeand no, we dont mean Daniel G. a case were updating regularly as it unfolds. Someone broke into Sense of Place Cafe in Arlington, Virginia, which by itself isnt entirely national newsworthy; sadly people steal from coffee shops all the time. But what did the burglars take from Sense of Place? A notebook of secret recipes and roast profiles. According to WUSA9, the robbery took place Tuesday, July 10th, with the burglars smashing through the door and [bypassing] expensive electronics and machines to steal a book of secret recipes. Per Anna Seo, the niece of the shops owner, the notebook contained baking recipes along with roasting times and other family secrets. The burglars also made off with an undefined amount of petty cash. But if the past week of researching Daniel G. have taught me anything, its that nothing is as it seems. The burglars wanted that notebook and took the cash just to throw us off the scent; its the oldest trick in the book. The Arlington County Police currently have no description of the perpetrators at this time, so if you have any leads, Im sure the ACPD would love to hear from you. Be careful, yall, theres some weird energy in the coffee cosmos right now. Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. San Franciscos Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters was all set to provide coffee catering services to Dreamforce, a Bay Area conference hosted by Salesforce that saw some 160,000+ attendees last year. Contracts had been drawn up, compensation agreed upon ($40,000), and everything seemed good. That is, until news broke that Salesforce had been contracted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agency, leading Wrecking Ball co-owners Trish Rothgeb and Nick Cho to decline the pay day pending changes in the relationship between Salesforce and Customs. As told by the San Francisco Chronicle, Rothgeb and Cho had been contacted by George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, the firm in charge of acquiring vendors for the conference set to take place September 25-28. They agreed on a $40,000 fee for the event, which would pay for [Wrecking Balls] raw coffee supply for about two months, per Cho. Then on July 19, news came down that the nonprofit Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services rejected a $250,000 donation from Salesforce due to the companys involvement with CPB, the agency the SF Chronicle notes is responsible for enforcing the Trump administrations policy of separating the children of asylum seekers from their parents. According to the article, the news has led to thousands of Salesforce customers signing a petition requesting the company end the contract. And to Wrecking Ball backing out. It feels kind of odd, Stephanie Barnes, a Salesforce spokeswoman, said Thursday of Wrecking Balls action. Theres not a widespread thing here. This is a decision theyve made, apparently. She said she did not know of any other contractor who has canceled a contract or refused to provide services. But Wrecking Ball is standing by their decision. Business is going to have to be the resistance we want to see, Rothgeb said. Thats the truth. You cant get anything done unless business is going to take a stand. Because we do occupy a thought leader position, theres more attention on what we do, and therefore theres a burden of leadership, Cho said. Rothgeb and Cho state they would be willing to honor the original contract, under one condition: We respectfully ask that Salesforce discontinue providing tools for CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the two wrote. We are requesting this discontinuation as a precondition of our agreement to provide coffee services at Dreamforce 2018. It remains to be seen if Salesforce will respond to the pressure being applied by Wrecking Ball and their own customers. This story is developing and we will provide any updates here when they are made available. Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. Top image via the San Francisco Chronicle. FM Gyawali meets his Portuguese counterpart Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali had a meeting with Augusto Santos Silva, the Portuguese foreign minister, at the latters office in Lisbon on Wednesday afternoon. Made In Chelsea concludes its summer special in Croatia this evening but when does it start and who's on the cast? Season 16 of the E4 series started last month and here's all you need to know about the show, as the gang head out to Hvar Island. Advertisements Made In Chelsea: Croatia start time The air time of the new series of Made In Chelsea in Croatia has now been confirmed. Made In Chelsea will be back on E4 for its new series TONIGHT, Monday, September 10 at 9PM with its final episode. Made In Chelsea 2018's Croatia special aired on E4 for 6 episodes, starting in August. Made In Chelsea 2018 cast Back for series 16 will be MIC favourites Harry Baron, Sam Thompson, Ollie Locke, Digby Edgley, Liv Bentley, Jamie Laing, Mark Francis Vandelli and Victoria Baker Harber. Also a part of the cast for the summer getaway will be Sophie Habboo and Melissa Tattam. After returning to the show last series, Sophie Hermann will be joining the group once again, alongside newbies Miles Nazaire, Tabitha Willett and Jamie's new girlfriend, Heloise 'Ell' Agostinelli Advertisements Meanwhile, jetting out later will be Sam's sister Louise Thompson. She revealed to the Daily Mail newspaper: "I have been coaxed out to Croatia. I've been getting reports back from Hvar about some of the new people. "You'd never imagine that some of the stuff could happen but then it goes and happens. It's why the show remains fresh I guess." Louise teased of her appearance: "I need to go out there and deal with my brother's bulls**t. Just like I had to in Ibiza. "Every time Sam strays from the nest on his own he seems to create havoc." Made In Chelsea spoilers In tonight's final episode, it's the end of the summer and Digby is happily planning his future with Liv back in London, but will Liv believe a summer in Croatia has healed their relationship? Meanwhile, Sam returns to the island with his notoriously protective sister Louise, planning to confront Habbs with proof of her own secret betrayal. And will the fallouts of the summer between Melissa, Harry and their best friends finally be resolved or will these feuds be returning to the Royal Borough? Advertisements Made In Chelsea airs on E4 at 9PM, Monday nights. A new full series is expected to start later this year. 10 hours ago The Top 3 Materials Stocks to Buy in November These Materials Stocks Can Protect Investors From Inflation Exploring areas of the market that dont get a lot of attention from the majority of investors can be a rewarding strategy, especially if you can pick up on a sector that is showing relative strength. Read Article Govt presents National Medical Education Bill in Parliament The government on Friday presented the National Medical Education Bill in the Parliament. Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship. Have no fear Laws to protect victims and witnesses are essential to ensure a fair judicial process New documentary series The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill will screen on the History channel from late August. Produced by Essential Media the 6 part series traces Cooks exploration through Tahiti, NZ, Australia, Tonga, Canada and Hawaii. The Pacific made Cook and it killed him too they are forever bound together. He stitched its islands, its continental borders and its indigenous peoples into the fabric of the global community we know today. Admire him or abhor him, James Cook cannot be banished from its history even now, as peoples of the modern Pacific, we make our own history, Sam Neill said. Group General Manager, Factual, Jim Buchan said Foxtel is delighted to have acclaimed actor Sam Neill, a brilliant raconteur with a lifelong passion for Captain Cooks story, hosting this epic series for Foxtels History channel. It couldnt be more timely, as Australia as a nation debates what has become a very controversial topic the apparent discovery of Australia by Cook, his legacy in terms of the Indigenous peoples left in his wake and our national day being associated with settlement. 250 years after Captain James Cook began his epic exploration of the Pacific, Sam Neill journeys in the wake, uncovering stories that resonate from those times on both sides of the beach. Visiting the islands and lands where Cook went and meeting the descendants of the people Cook met, Sam hears their stories from oral tradition. What did Cooks arrival mean to Pacific island cultures then and now? Across six stunning episodes without a re-enactment or fake quill in sight, Sam takes an epic and thoroughly modern look at 250 years of Pacific history. Sam begins with a disclaimer he is merely an actor but the story of Cook, and the impact he has had on the Pacific in the 250 years since his first voyage, has always fascinated him. Cook first set sail to the Pacific in 1768. These vast waters, one third of the Earths surface, were uncharted but not unknown. A rich diversity of people and cultures navigated, traded, lived and fought here for thousands of years. Before Cook, the Pacific was disconnected from the power and ideas of Europe, Asia and America. In the wake of Cook, everything changed. On the 250th anniversary of the HMS Endeavours departure from England, actor Sam Neill takes a deeply personal, present-day voyage to map his own understanding of James Cook, Europes greatest navigator, and the immense Pacific Ocean itself. Setting sail on a great ocean tanker as well as many a smaller craft, Sam crosses the length and breadth of the largest ocean in the world to experience for himself a contemporary journey in Cooks footsteps. Shot in high definition with lush aerial photography, the series will excite the mind and senses with an untold story of our own backyard. The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill is directed by Sally Aitken (David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, Streets of Your Town, Getting Frank Gehry) and Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Australia Day, Why Anzac with Sam Neill, The Go-Betweens: Right Here) and produced by Essential Media & Entertainment and Frame Up Films with the support of NZ On Air (NZ) and Screen Australia, in association with Create NSW. Mondays 7.30pm from August 27 on History. On Four Corners on Monday night, Sophie McNeill reports how Australia is accused of failing to stand up for democracy in Cambodia, as it descends into dictatorship. You dont drink champagne with the dictators. Opposition Leader For more than three decades Cambodia has been ruled by one man, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who came to power in the countrys first democratic elections after the horror years of the Khmer Rouge. Australia played a key role in the peace deal that ended the bloody civil war, but the once bright hopes for democracy have long since faded. We were tremendously successful in bringing peace to Cambodia, but we werent at all successful in bringing democracy and human rights. Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans Ahead of this weekends elections, the Hun Sen regime launched a ruthless crackdown on the political opposition and free press. On Monday, in her first story for Four Corners, reporter Sophie McNeill travels to Cambodia to confront the man whose political opponents have been imprisoned and assassinated in mysterious circumstances. Sophie McNeil: The world says this is not a democracy Hun Sen: No, no, no. No this is not (right). While steadily cementing their grip on power, Hun Sen and his family and cronies are accused of amassing enormous wealth through a corrupt and nepotistic system. Theres nothing that happens there that they dont control, and that is corruption in its most egregious form. Thats what its like in Cambodia. It is a Mafia state. Patrick Alley, Director Global Witness Four Corners has uncovered evidence of how the regimes wealth has been used to buy properties and businesses in Australia, where some of Hun Sens relatives have established a base for building support, sometimes through threats and intimidation. They allow this foreign government to intimidate our people, Australian citizens, and those who come here to study. This is not right. Hong Lim, Victorian MP Since 2014, Australia has granted the regime $40 million in additional aid, in return for taking some of Australias unwanted refugees, and the Turnbull government upgraded ties with Cambodia last year. While the US has begun moves to sanction the regime by freezing assets and blocking visas, international observers accuse the Australian government of cosying up to Hun Sen. I would like to see Australia take a strong stance, (to) come out openly and condemn the Hun Sen regime. Theyre not doing that. US Congressman While hopes for democracy have disintegrated, China has moved to dramatically expand its presence and power in the country. Cambodia has the coast, Cambodia has minerals, Cambodia has forest, Cambodia has a dictator. You can buy it all. Opposition Leader As Hun Sen prepares to tighten his grip on power after this weekends elections, Cambodias democracy campaigners say they feel abandoned. Cambodia look up at the people of Australia. We envy you. You live in a world of democracy, but your government is disappointing. Very disappointing. Opposition Leader Monday 30th July at 8.30 pm on ABC. High in the sky As NAC is poised to enter a new era, it should clean up its tarnished image FILE PHOTO: The GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) logo on top of GSK Asia House is seen through vertical louvres in Singapore, March 21, 2018. Picture taken March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Loriene Perera Thomson Reuters DHAKA (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline will shut its drug manufacturing operations in Bangladesh by the end of this year and will continue with its healthcare business, the managing director of its local businesses said on Friday. Globally GSK's pharmaceuticals business has seen sluggish growth in recent years. The company on Wednesday unveiled a new restructuring program to deliver annual cost savings of 400 million pounds by 2021. Nakibur Rahman said the board of GSK Bangladesh Ltd on Thursday decided to close the drug making factory in Bangladesh. He said GSK Bangladesh Ltd would continue with its profitable consumer health care business that produces items like Horlicks, Sensodyne and Glaxose-D. "All of our medicines are substitutable with generic and therefore patients should be able to access a range of suitable alternatives," Nakibur said. He also said the company's decision would impact about 1,000 employees. GSK Bangladesh will now seek shareholders nod for a final decision. GSK will run pharmaceuticals in our emerging markets region as an integrated operation, putting in place the right commercial structure in markets to deliver a sustainable growth ambition," Nakibur said without elaborating further. The state-run Investment Corporation of Bangladesh owns 12 percent stake in the company, while 6 percent of the shares are held by public and different institutions. (Reporting By Serajul Quadir; Additional reporting by Nazimuddin Shyamol; Editing by Nidhi Verma and Jane Merriman) See Also: FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives at an European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 28, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Thomson Reuters BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A new European Commission is needed with a new approach to the migration policy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday, adding that the days of the current EU executive were "counted" with its mandate expiring next year. Orban, one of the strongest opponents of the EU's migration policy, said the new Commission should not punish those countries protecting their borders from migrants. "We need a new Commission... with a new approach," Orban told state radio. European Parliamentary elections will be held next year. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) See Also: BERLIN (AP) Swiss police say a Canadian wingsuit flyer has died after crashing when his parachute failed to open. Police in northeastern St. Gallen canton (state) said the 38-year-old man took off from the Hinterrug peak on Thursday afternoon. They said Friday that the man's parachute failed to open as he came in to land, and he crashed into a forest. The man, who wasn't identified, died at the scene. It wasn't immediately clear why the parachute didn't work. See Also: BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) is holding talks with Syrian government officials in Damascus this week, accompanied by representatives of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia, SDC co-chair Riad Darar said. It marks the first declared SDC visit to Damascus. The delegation is led by top Syrian Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed, added Darar, speaking by phone from Vienna on Friday. Darar said the talks were initially expected to focus on matters of service provision, but added: "I believe matters will develop to what is wider than that." "There could be some political and some security meetings," he said. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Hugh Lawson) See Also: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during a joint statment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (not seen) at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, July 19, 2018. Debbie Hill/Pool via Reuters BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that a new European Commission is needed with a new approach to migration policy, adding that the days of the current EU executive are "numbered" with its mandate expiring next May. Orban, one of the strongest opponents of the EU's migration policy, told state radio the next Commission should not punish countries that protect their borders from migrants. The European Commission earlier this month stepped up a legal battle with Hungary over EU migration rules, declaring illegal a new Hungarian law that criminalises support for asylum seekers. It referred Hungary to the EU Court of Justice "for non-compliance of its asylum and return legislation with EU law". Orban said the Commission's decision was insignificant as its mandate was running out soon. He said the current decisions and proposals of the Commission were like "the last movements of frogs' legs in biological experiments which we saw when we were at school, which no longer had significance." "We need a new Commission... with a new approach," Orban told radio. "We need a Commission after the European elections which does not punish those countries that protect their borders like Hungary," he added. He said the EU executive should instead punish those who let millions of migrants into Europe in violation of the existing rules of the EU. He did not name any member states. European Parliamentary elections will be held in May 2019. Orban's right-wing nationalist Fidesz party has a strong lead in opinion polls after it won national elections in April with a landslide, and he was re-elected for a third consecutive term. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Hugh Lawson) Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev speaks during a news conference at the end of the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia January 30, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin BEIRUT (Reuters) - A senior Russian official on Thursday urged Syrian refugees to return to Syria where he said they faced no threat from President Bashar al-Assad's government or the Syrian security apparatus. Alexander Lavrentyev, Russia's Syria envoy, also said the Syrian government was not able to provide much financial help to returnees and urged foreign donors to provide assistance, saying the issue should not be politicised. The United Nations says that conditions for returns to Syria are not yet fulfilled, more than seven years into a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since spiralling out of an uprising against Assad's rule. While some refugees are trickling back, many Syrians who fled the country fear persecution by the Assad government. Russia, whose military has helped Assad defeat insurgents across much of Syria, last week declared it had set up a refugee centre in Syria to help refugees return. Lavrentyev, who met Assad in Damascus on Wednesday, said people were returning to Syria every day. "People understand that there is no threat from the government and from the governmental security apparatus and they are returning to their homes, to their territories which are now under the control of the government," he said on a visit to Lebanon. Some 5.6 million Syrians are registered as refugees in the region, around 1 million of them in Lebanon, where Lavrentyev met President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday. "People are returning," Lavrentyev said. "It is a good sign, and it is a good signal for all those refugees who are still in Lebanon, in Jordan, in Turkey, that it is time to think it over, and to decide to return to their home," he said. The Syrian government was "really willing to accept all those who want to come back to their homes", he said. A Russian official said last week that preliminary assessments indicated 890,000 refugees could return to Syria from Lebanon in the near future, 300,000 from Turkey and 200,000 from European Union countries. Story continues Aoun told Lavrentyev that Lebanon welcomed the Russian initiative, a Lebanese presidential statement said. Aoun expressed "Lebanon's readiness to offer the necessary assistance to implement the Russian proposals", the statement said. Aoun has described the refugees as an existential threat to Lebanon, and has been calling for their voluntary return to secure areas of Syria before a political settlement to the war. Lebanon's General Security directorate has worked with Damascus to coordinate the return of hundreds of refugees in recent weeks. The names of those wishing to leave Lebanon must be approved by Damascus before they can go back. In April, a Syria conference hosted by the European Union and co-chaired by the United Nations in April said conditions for returns were not yet fulfilled, and that present conditions were not conducive for voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. Assad has recovered control of most of Syria in the last few years. Much of the north and a large part of the east remains outside his control, however. The Syrian war is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Western states have said they will not help rebuild Syria until a negotiated political transition is under way. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alison Williams) Reuters LONDON (Reuters) -Bank of England interest rate-setter Silvana Tenreyro said she needed more time to judge how the end of the government's job-saving furlough scheme was affecting the labour market, adding to signs that she sees no urgency to raise rates. "Uncertainty over the effects of the furlough scheme should be resolved over the coming months, which should help paint a clearer picture of the position of the labour market," Tenreyro said in a speech to the Centre for Economic Policy Research. Around 1 million workers were probably still on the government's job retention scheme when it expired at the end of September, according to estimates, raising the risk of a rise in unemployment and under-employment. Spot the difference: The New Zealand flag, left, and Australia's flag The acting prime minister of New Zealand has called on Australia to change its flag, claiming the neighbouring country stole their banner's design. The two nations' flags are both dark blue with the Union Jack emblem in the top left corner. The only clear difference is that the Australian version also has six white stars, while New Zealand's has a constellation of four red stars. Winston Peters, who is temporarily leading the country while Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is on maternity leave , raised the issue earlier this week and complained: "We got there first with this design." The 73-year-old said: "We designed it and they borrowed it and if we wanted to clear the matter up they should change their flag." He added: "It must be patently obvious that all over the world people are confused. I've been in places like Turkey and elsewhere where they've confused our countries on the basis of those flags. It's not helpful." Opposition leader Simon Bridges ridiculed Mr Peters' flag preoccupation, accusing him of populism and labelling him "a poor man's Donald Trump". Bridges said New Zealanders he has spoken to are more concerned about issues such as the economy and healthcare. He said: "They never raised with me changing the Australian flag. That's weird by even his (Peters') standards." New Zealand adopted its flag in 1902, while Australia's was not officially recognised until 1954. However, the Australian version had been used informally since 1901 and both countries say similar designs were common throughout the late 1800s. New Zealand held a referendum on changing its flag to a silver fern design in 2016, with the proposal defeated 43% to 57%. Illegal logging on the rise in Kailali Timber smuggling has gone unchecked in Kailali district. People say various national and community forests in the district are being stripped unbeknown to the authorities. Low-cost African airline Fastjet , which last month raised $10m in an emergency placing after warning it could go bust, on Friday said it had started daily flights on Zimbabwe's sought-after Harare-Bulawayo route. Chief executive Nico Bezuidenhout told the company's annual meeting the airline planned to increase its network and capacity in Mozambique and Tanzania "in the next few months". Fastjet in June warned investors in June that fundraising issues could lead it to halt trading. The placing was completed only days later. Bezuidenhout said Fastjet had continued to make progress in 2018, and build on the success of its stabilisation plan and the previous year's financial results - which saw a substantially reduced operating loss as a result of total costs being reduced by 48% as load factor grew 17pp. Fastjet felt the performance would provide the group with a foundation for "prudent growth". Fastjet said the markets continued to "offer potential for growth", and the company had "significantly increased frequencies" between Maputo and Beira since launching in Mozambique in November 2017. "We remain focused on further reducing losses and on delivering our objective of being cashflow positive during the second half of 2018. Fastjet remains committed to becoming a successful pan-African airline accessible to everyone," Bezuidenhout said. Fastjet shares were down 1.49% to 8.25p. As part of the new agreement, Retail Brands - an operator of international franchises in the Nordic region - will take over the company's operations of three Danish stores and expand the brand throughout Scandinavia. Hotel Chocolat, which opened its first store in Copenhagen in 2012, said Retail Brands is "ideally placed" to further grow operations in Scandinavia. Retail Brands will aim to grow the business in accordance with a development agreement, with Hotel Chocolat retaining an option to buy back the business after a period of five years, pursuant to a pre-agreed formula. Goods will be sold to the partner on wholesale terms, and a royalty levied on sales. Co-founder and chief executive Angus Thirlwell said: "Having proven the popularity of the Hotel Chocolat brand with Danish consumers we are excited to be entering our next phase of Scandinavia-wide growth. By combining the strengths of our products and brand with the operational skills of an in-country partner, our goal is to deliver sustainable growth in Denmark and the wider Nordic region." Tobias Johan Toft, co-founder and chairman of Retail Brands, said: "We are delighted to add Hotel Chocolat to our brand portfolio. We are well advanced with our plans to open new stores and expect to open at the Bruuns Galleri shopping mall in Arhus and Ro's Torv mall in Roskilde this autumn." Liberum said the rationale for the deal is sensible and plays to the strengths of both parties but should form a solid platform on which to deliver sustainable growth across these geographies. "We reduce our sales numbers in FY19e by circa 2m, but the lower wholesale cost base means we upgraded out FY19e profit before tax by 1.7% and FY20e profit before tax by 2.9%. "The recent share price weakness is unwarranted especially as growth is now being diversified across multiple channels. This deal follows on from the wholesale and franchising developments last year which all have the benefits of being capital light." At 1015 BST, the shares were up 5.3% to 347.50p. Sterling Energy reported a narrowed first half losses but saw revenues take a hit from the divestment of the loss-making Chinguetti project in Mauritania. The exploration and production company saw pre-tax losses reduced to $1.1m from $2.2m, driven by a 21% cut in expenses to $1.5m as the company cut down on administrative expenditure. Meanwhile, revenue for the first half of the year, generated by activities in the Chinguetti offshore field in Mauritania, fell 76% to $0.5m. In 2016, Sterling reported recognised a loss of $2m in respect of the Chinguetti Field and a loss of $0.97m in the six month period to 30 September 2017, leading to the projects abandonment. The company had no direct equity interest in Chinguetti, but through a funding agreement with the Mauritanian government, the company and Societe Mauritanienne Des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimoine Minier (SMHPM) shared the revenue and costs related to SMHPM's 12% equity interest in the project. Through the termination of its funding agreement for the Chinguetti oil field in Mauritania, Sterling now has a cleaner and simpler platform from which to grow the business. We have a sizeable cash position, are free of abandonment liabilities and have no debt, said chairman Michael Kroupeev. The firm has a net cash position of $46.9m as of 30 June, compared to $83.5m at the same point in 2017. The company said it is very optimistic about the possibility of finding new acquisitions in the second half of the year, with chief executive David Marshall saying activity had doubled on opportunity and asset screening. He added that the company was "gaining deal traction due to the renewed focus and simplicity of the group's financial position. Sterling Energy shares were down 2.60% at 12.97p at 0942 BST. Berenberg lifted Computacenter 's price target to 1,850p from 1,450p on Friday as it reiterated its 'buy' stance on the stock following its unexpected trading update earlier this month. The bank noted that Computacenter said 2018 results would be ahead of expectations, adding that this followed Softcats profit upgrade just two days earlier, reaffirming the fact that UK and European IT infrastructure is performing exceptionally well. "With upgrades to numbers of circa 6% across the board, our confidence is only building in our medium-term investment case," Berenberg said. "Due to Computacenters consistent financial history, steady margins and strong cash generation we believe it should be valued with a discounted cash flow. We assume long-term EBIT margins of 2.9% and sales growth of 3.5% - deriving a valuation of 1,850p." Berenberg said investors are focusing on the fact that Computacenter has low EBIT margins, but should instead focus on gross profit, i.e. the commission it makes on a given transaction rather than revenue. It pointed out that since 2005, there has not been a single year in which gross profit has fallen. Analysts at Canaccord Genuity lifted their target price on Howden Joinery to 525p from 515p but downgraded the group to 'hold' from 'buy' as it sought clarity on where group growth would come from. With Howden continuing to deliver "a good performance" in a difficult UK market while flexing its pricing and volume focus, new chief executive CEO Andrew Livingston alluded to further opportunities to build on the firm's core business model by expanding its product range, upgrading its IT and digital offering. Canaccord expects some gross margin improvement in the second half of the year and stated that it believes Howden remained "well-positioned" to continue to outperform the wider UK market "given its strengths". However, the Canadian broker was still reviewing Howden's European arm. The analysts were not expecting an imminent decision as to whether or not the group would make any substantial investment to grow its small French business, with Brexit further clouding the process. "After the strong share price run over the last twelve months as well as the current valuation, we move to a 'hold' (from 'buy'). We await more details on where a potential next leg of growth might come from once the CEO has fully reviewed Europe and settled in more, allowing him to fully consider the nuances of the business model," said Canaccord. Reckitt Benckiser has reached the end of a long downgrade cycle, UBS believes, though the shares are around "fair value" after recent strength. The consumer products group beat City forecasts with 4% growth in second-quarter like-for-like sales, up 5% on a pro-forma basis including its Mead Johnson Nutrition acquisition. First-half EBIT margin was down slightly but still beating consensus forecasts, meaning first-half EPS of 140p, 2% above consensus, and full year guidance was raised slightly. "This quarter marks the end of a long downgrade cycle for RB, in our view," said UBS analysts in a note to clients. At 18 times 2019 forecast earnings, Reckitt shares trade at a 5% discount to the EU consumer staples sector, UBS said, having in the past five-years ranged between a 15% discount to a 20% premium. The shares yield around 2.9%. "In light of improving (albeit still lacklustre) growth, we think this multiple looks fair." BT Group reported a 2% decline in underlying revenue and a 3% improvement in adjusted profits as regulated price reductions in Openreach and declines in its enterprise businesses offset growth in the consumer business. BT said its independent actuaries, Willis Towers Watson, miscalculated the accounting deficit in March, with an "isolated human error" underestimating its size by 0.5bn, meaning the restated pension deficit stands at 3.9bn as at the end of June. The FTSE 100 telecoms giant's net debt rose 2.4bn to 11.2bn, thanks to a 2bn bond issue that was used to plug the pension deficit ahead of a further 1.25bn that needs to be paid in the next year. BT directors said the error has had no impact on the companys profits, cashflow, or the triennial valuation of its pension deficit conducted last year. For the first quarter of the year, the group posted a 1% gain in adjusted EBITDA to 1.8bn, beating the average analyst forecasts, as adjusted revenue fell to 5.72bn despite a 2% rise in adjusted revenues from the consumer division. Adjusted profit before tax rose 3% to 816m thanks to stronger handset margins and restructuring-related cost savings. Normalised free cash flow shrank 9% to 507m, again better than the market expected, mainly driven by increased cash capital expenditure, partly offset by the timing of working capital movements. Capital expenditure was broadly flat at 839m. On the operational front, BT launched its new converged products including BT Plus and 4G Assure during the period, and announced plans for its EE division to launch the UK's first live 5G trial network in East London in October. It said the conclusion of the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, and Ofcom's approach to future regulation, provide positive progress towards enabling fair returns for infrastructure investment. Openreach announced new wholesale pricing discounts during the period to accelerate superfast and ultrafast broadband uptake. More than 1.7m total premises were now supplied by BTs ultrafast broadband infrastructure, with the company building fibre-to-the-premises to around 10,000 premises per week. BT said it made "continued improvements" in its customer experience metrics during the quarter, though some analysts have bemoaned that these new KPIs, which do not include standard industry measures such as broadband or mobile net adds, are perhaps obfuscating the true performance of the business. The groups net promoter score up 1.9 points and right first time up 3.1%. Customer churn remained low at 1.2%. Mobile customers were ahead 4% in the business and public sector groups. External broadband lines were down 6% in wholesale and ventures, and 3% in business and public sector. Monthly fixed average revenue per user rose 1% to 37.90, with an increased mix of SIM-only reducing postpaid mobile average revenue per user by 1% to 21.70. The board said initiatives to transform its operating model were on track, with a new enterprise senior leadership team in place. POSITIVE PROGRESS, PENSIONS PROCEDURES We've made a good start to the year, said BT chief executive Gavin Patterson, who is due to stand down later in the year. We are making positive progress against our strategy. Our customer experience metrics continue to improve and we have seen the successful launch of new converged products including BT Plus, our first consumer converged offering and 4G Assure, for business customers. Patterson said initiatives to transform the companys operating model had seen a gross reduction in around 900 roles across the group, and improved cost performance. He added that EE was continuing to maintain its "network leadership", and would switch on the UK's first live 5G network trial in October. New Openreach wholesale pricing will incentivise communications providers to encourage more of their customers onto better services and ultimately move the vast majority of Britain's homes and businesses onto superfast and ultrafast platforms. Our outlook for the year remains unchanged. On the pensions deficit error, finance chief Simon Lowth said: We have received assurances from Willis Towers Watson that there are no other errors. As you would expect we are undertaking further review procedures around that calculation. We spent a lot of time with WTW making sure we understand what created the error. It was an isolated human error that they identified. We are also working on what they need to do to strengthen their controls. Lowth said the error has no impact on the companys profits, cashflow, the triennial valuation of its pension deficit conducted last year, or on any members of the BT pension scheme. Nevertheless, following the Italian scandal, another financial error was the last thing BT needed. POSITIVE MARKET REACTION BT shares rose almost 4% to 233.35p on Friday morning. Analysts at RBC Capital Markets said it was a "decent" set of results with revenue in line with City expectations and EBIDTA circa 3% ahead of consensus, with capex also 3% better, normalised free cash flow circa 2% better. RBC noted that BTs new KPIs do not give fixed and mobile subscribers. Based on disclosed fixed line revenue and ARPU analysts estimated a loss of circa 66k subs. "This is likely to be a mixture of fixed line losses and broadband losses." Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at broker Hargreaves Lansdown, said "times are still tough" for the formerly monopoly, as the consumer business was "keeping the whole ship moving forward" as regulatory pressures hit Openreach, with revenues from business and the public sector in decline and the pension scheme taking up significant cash. On the pensions miscalculation, he said: "The accounting deficit tells us more about bond yields than it does pension obligations, and has no effect on cash flows, but clearly this slip doesnt exactly help to inspire confidence." On the group's operational progress, Khalaf said BT was "banging up against the side of the fish tank" with the potential for further broadband penetration, "so further revenue expansion will be led by pushing through price increases, and getting its customers to sign up to more services" via quad-play packages that bundle up fixed line, broadband, mobile and TV, which increases sales and makes for stickier customers. "CEO Gavin Patterson is on the way out, which makes BT somewhat rudderless at a time when it is undergoing a major restructuring. New chief execs like to stamp their authority on a business too, so there is little visibility on the future of BT right now." BT shares recently slipped to a 6 year low and expectations of 10% annual dividend increases have been banished. Indeed the stock yields almost 7%, whichsuggests the market has some doubts the dividend can be maintained. Investment in BT right now is a long term recovery play, and as ever with this sort of strategy, things can get worse before they get better. The European Union will never accept Theresa Mays plan for a bespoke customs deal, Michel Barnier said yesterday as he wrapped up Brexit negotiations before the summer break. The move by the EUs lead negotiator kills off a key element of the prime ministers Chequers white paper and had been feared by the British side. - The Times Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg was facing pressure to abandon his dual role as chairman and chief executive after over $120 billion was wiped from the value of the group in the single biggest one-day loss of value for any company in US market history. - Telegraph Rain clouds and thunderstorms could prevent skygazers from seeing the blood moon lunar eclipse in some parts of the country as forecasters warn of torrential downpours across eastern parts of Great Britain. - Guardian Two major global car rental companies have been caught changing their prices depending on where drivers are from. An investigation has found Europcar and Avis charge British customers more to hire a car abroad than drivers from Afghanistan, India and Australia. - Daily Mail President Trumps former lawyer has claimed that Mr Trump knew in advance about a meeting between his top campaign officials and a Russian woman promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. Sources close to Michael Cohen told CNN that he was willing to make that claim to Robert Mueller, who is leading the special counsel investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin. - The Times Sajid Javid has been forced to suspend Britains intelligence-sharing with the US over two alleged jihadis after the mother of one of the men began legal action against the Home Office. - Telegraph House of Fraser faces the threat of a cash squeeze after a key Chinese investor warned of a delay to a planned rescue deal following a legal challenge in Scotland. - Guardian Last week, Virgin Media customers lost 10 UKTV channels including Dave and Gold after a dispute between the two companies. It has now been reported that some ITV channels like ITV2 - home to Love Island - and ITV4 - home to Tour de France coverage - could also go. - Daily Mail The European Union was divided over its trade truce with Donald Trump last night as the US president celebrated the deal with farmers. News of an agreement between the United States and the EU was tentatively welcomed by Britain while German politicians hailed it as a breakthrough that could save millions of jobs. - The Times Sky has beaten sales and profit forecasts in its final year as a listed business as it prepares to appeal to City authorities to force Disney to bid more in its the battle with Comcast for control of the company. Revenues were up 5pc to 13.6bn in the year to June on strong take-up of services such as its latest Sky Q set-top box, streaming service Now TV and Sky Mobile. - Telegraph British households spent around 900 more on average than they received in income during 2017, pushing their finances into deficit for the first time since the credit boom of the 1980s. - Guardian Addressing investors at Wembley Stadium last month, Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman made crystal clear that, despite being a much-loved British brand, M&S does not have a 'God-given right to exist'. Not pulling any punches, the retail veteran warned that M&S is now standing on a 'burning platform', after being too slow to evolve over the last two decades. - Daily Mail Soaring demand for cloud computing helped Amazon to report its first quarterly profit above $2 billion last night. Amazon Web Services, the companys fast-growing cloud computing division, reported its first operating profit above $1 billion. - The Times Diageo is to reward investors with 2bn worth of share buybacks after reporting a rise in revenue and profits, partly thanks to the booming popularity of gin. - Telegraph Spotify recorded an 8m rise in its number of paid subscribers in the second quarter as it attempts to stave off mounting competition from deep-pocketed rivals Apple and Amazon. - Guardian Nationwide is scrapping a vital service that allows customers to make payments easily over the telephone. It means that from October 8, vulnerable customers who do not use the internet will have to visit a branch when they need to transfer money or pay bills. - Daily Mail Peel Hotels swung to a pre-tax loss in its last financial year as turnover and EBITDA both fell. For the trading year ended 28 January, Peel turned in a pre-tax loss of 734,986 - a 227% swing from the 575,387 profit made a year earlier, principally as a result of a 1.16m impairment to the net book values of two leasehold properties and an exceptional expense related to its Strathdon Hotel. Peel also turned in a loss per share of 6p, versus the earnings per share of 3.1p reported a year earlier. Turnover fell 4.1% to 16m, leading to an 18.5% decrease in EBITDA to 1.8m. Peel successfully narrowed net debt by 11.5% to 8.45m. Chairman Robert Peel, said, "Demand has slowed in many of the provincial areas of the United Kingdom, and together with upwards pressure from increases in the living wage, business rates and energy costs this has created challenges to the profitability of the company." "However, it is not unreasonable to suppose that once the terms and conditions of Brexit are clear, that stability and growth will return," he added. Musical instrument and equipment retailer Gear4music told shareholders that revenue growth was still strong amid a highly competitive market on Friday, ahead of the annual general meeting during the afternoon. The AIM-traded firm said projects to relocate its Swedish distribution centre and upgrade its UK distribution facilities remained on-track to be delivered ahead of our peak trading period. The board remains confident in meeting their expectations for the financial year, said chief executive officer Andrew Wass. Gear4music said it would announce a trading update in relation to the six months ending 31 August in early September, followed by the half-year results in October. LED solutions provider Holders Technology told investors it had swung to a profit when turning in its interim results on Friday. Holders saw revenue increase 6.8% to 6.2m, helping boost the AIM-listed firm's pre-tax profit to 65,000 from the loss of 53,000 seen in 2017. The group said that 2.3% of its revenue improvement was as a result of the Euro strengthening against the Pound. While printed circuit board margins dropped from 23.9% to 23.2%, overheads as a percentage of sales decreased from 17.2% to 16.4%, leading to a 1.2% improvement in the division's pre-tax profit of 159,000. Over at its LED wing, revenues grew by 17.9% to 1.42m and gross margins moved from 31.4% to 33.7%. Despite this, Holders' LED division still turned in a loss of 38,000, although this was significantly narrowed from the 194,000 loss reported a year earlier. Holders' chairman, Rudolf Weinrich, said: "The board is encouraged that a profitable result overall has been achieved for the first half." "The PCB divisions operate in a mature sector, but we see potential growth opportunities from a number of new products and efficiency gains from additional investments. The LED divisions have made good progress and achieved a strong order book," he added. Kidnappers murdered Ankit after taking Rs 6.4 million ransom from his father Nine-year-old Ankit Gupta of Jitpur Simara Submetropolis-7, Bara, was murdered by his kidnappers even after his parents paid Rs 6.4 million ransom for the boys safe release, police investigation has revealed. Water is essential for the survival of life, as we know it. Since the colonization of Mars is on the agenda of most of the space agencies like NASA, and ESA, the availability of water on the distant planet was a major constraint that had to be resolved. The possible discovery of water in liquid form on the red planet is a positive sign. ESA can take credit for this because the possible presence of water was discovered by MARSIS, a radar instrument on board the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express orbiter. BBC reports that the body of what the scientists suspect is water is below the south polar ice cap of Mars at a depth of 1.5-kilometer and is about 20-Km across. The depth of the 'water' is estimated to be about one meter. These are based on preliminary findings of the Mars Express orbiter. A new study maps out evidence of a body of liquid water on Mars similar to lakes found beneath Greenland on Earth https://t.co/tBiFtBOYsq pic.twitter.com/GlklWGyXkk CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 25, 2018 The shape of future Mars missions The search for water on Mars has always been a priory because life depends on it and earlier research had found telltale signs of water on the surface. NASA's Curiosity rover found lake beds that indicated the presence of water in the past. However, the revelation of the Mars Express orbiter can be considered to be a milestone in mans mission to conquer the red planet. However, according to ABC Net AU, whether the Martian subsurface lake is mostly pure water or sludgy sediment remains to be seen. It will be necessary to evaluate the quality of the water available on Mars. The findings reveal that it is some sort of liquid form. This is impossible when temperatures are in the range of -10 and -30 Celsius. Discuss this news on Eunomia Obviously, the precious substance is likely to have salts dissolved in it. In order to establish the usefulness of this find, a robot will probably have to be sent there to drill through 1.5-Km of ice to reach the source of water and take samples for analysis. But BBC noted that "while the findings suggest water is present, they don't confirm anything further." Mystery of water on Mars deepens Scientists are excited about the discovery of water on the red planet by Mars Express spacecraft which had been designed to search for underground water. It transmitted pulses of radio waves below the surface and measured their reflections. Scientists are keen to know whether this is a one-off find or if there are multiple such subterranean lakes. According to ABC News, Gretchen Benedix, an astrogeologist at Curtin University who wasn't involved in the study, has said that "based on what we know about how water behaves, it can't exist [as a liquid] on the surface of Mars." Of course, there is a similar body of water on Earth. It is Lake Vostok, a freshwater lake that lies beneath the ice of East Antarctica. It is nearly 250 kilometers long and is buried nearly four kilometers below the surface. The discovery of water on the planet Mars will be an impetus the for colonization of Mars by NASA, ESA and others. "90 Day Fiance's" Danielle Jbali spoke out about the cheating scandal that got her up and furious with Mohamed. She spoke to In Touch Weekly about the big bust-up drama that followed her marriage to the Tunisian, and the resulting divorce. Followers of "90 Day Fiance" know the couple married and were off to live their new life together. But Mohamed stayed faithful just long enough to get his green card and then allegedly took off on a cheating mission. Danielle was suspicious and went off to do some of her own investigations. Danielle investigated her husband through social media Danielle told all to In Touch Weekly this week and explained how and why she was suspicious. According to In Touch, Danielle said that she messaged women on social media to ask them straight up what was going on. At least one person did respond back after a bit of time, saying, "Look, if I was married to this person, I would want to know the truth." She then admitted to messaging him and even sent him money. They were planning a business deal up in Canada. That made her so mad, and she continued her investigations, thinking she had been duped into a marriage fraud. If she could prove it, then Mohamed would get deported back to Tunisia. Danielle was determined to prove he just came into the country to get his green card. Anger makes people do things they wouldn't usually do, and maybe she earned that "crazy ex-wife" reputation. Fans will recall that she got a lot of bad comments on her Instagram. Many people accused her of being really dumb for not seeing Mohamed for what he was. More to the story of the Mohamed marriage and divorce Whether she was dumb or not is beside the point now. Danielle smacked back her haters on Instagram and then opened up to In Touch. Discuss this news on Eunomia There's more about the story and she's determined to have her say. One example is the argument and street shouting match. She explained that TLC didn't show everything about the incident. According to Danielle, there was another person in the place and they wouldn't leave. That's why she took her private business outside. The worst part about the person who wouldn't leave was that Danielle thought she was her friend. The woman was a new friend she found on Facebook. According to In Touch, that friend turned out to be friends with Mohamed as well. When Danielle went to the Miami apartment, she discovered the friend had been visiting Mohamed. Feeling betrayed, she let rip. Fans hit the nail on the relationship long back Damage control is all Danelle can really do now. In fact, fans were very critical of her for going through with the sham. During the show, Danielle insisted Mohamed loved her, and it was obvious she was in love. Now she's been left looking a little wild and unstable. But the truth is, she is probably feeling like a bit of a fool. She will obviously be devastated. But judging by her candid honesty with In Touch, and her latest Insta posts, she is trying to get some closure and make something positive out of a really bad experience. What do think about Danielle's explanations? Do you think she was duped or just dumb? Remember to follow the Reality TV Channel on Blasting News to stay up to date with "90 Day Fiance" spoilers and news. The latest updates and spoilers for "Spider-Man: Far From Home" reveal that Peter Parker will likely end up joining S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Screen Rant theorized that Peter's encounter with Nick Fury in the movie will open new doors for the next chapter of the web-slinger's story. New cast member, Numan Acar, announced that Fury's right-hand woman, Maria Hill, will appear in the movie. "Far From Home" will take place after the events of "Avengers 4" and it is the first movie in MCU's phase 4 projects. It features Peter and his friends going on a sponsored trip to Europe, but their trip will be met with danger as Mysterio steals Tony Stark's last invention and it is up to Spidey to stop him. Maria Hill joins 'Far From Home' movie According to Digital Spy, Numan Acar announced that Cobbie Smulders will reprise her role as Maria Hill in "Spider-Man: Far From Home," via Instagram. He also revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal has been cast as Quinten Beck (Mysterio) and his role as Dimitri (Chameleon) in the movie. Maria Hill is Nick Fury's second-in-command within S.H.I.E.L.D. and helped the organization fight internal and external threats from terrorist group HYDRA to the alien Chitauri. Both Hill and Fury were seen in the post-credits scene of "Avengers: Infinity War" as the victims of Thanos's universe-wide genocide after using the full power of the Infinity Stones. It was previously reported that Fury will serve as Peter's new mentor in the MCU after Tony Stark sacrificed himself to save the whole universe from Thanos and Infinity Stones. Peter will feel lost and guilt over the death of Tony, and it will test his resolve as a hero in the "Homecoming" sequel. Spidey as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? According to Screen Rant, Spider-Man will likely end up joining the revamped S.H.I.E.L.D. under the leadership of Nick Fury. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige stated that "Far From Home" will introduce audiences and comic book fans to the next incarnation of the MCU and Spidey will inspire other young superpowered individuals to become a hero. Discuss this news on Eunomia The Website also added that Spidey's invitation to the new S.H.I.E.L.D. will have something to do with Avengers' second disbandment after Tony's death. The super-spy agency has been around the MCU since the first "Iron Man" film and they have been secretly saving the world in the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series led by agent Phil Coulson. Every summer the mainland and the numerous islands of Greece are filled with tourists, from all over the world, who bask in the country's history, food, museums, nightlife, and weather. But a few days ago, in Athens, huge fires have killed many tourists and local Greeks, consuming all in its wrath. Recent news has revealed that there is an investigation going on that the fires could have been started deliberately by criminals. 82 dead and rising Athens, Greece has been subject to fires, but fires in other places, like one at Yosemite National Park, have destroyed a lot of acres in California. California and other areas frequently get wildfires from the extreme heat and dry weather. However, the death toll from the fire in Athens has reached 82 people, with a lot of damage to homes and cars, according to an article by CBS News. The incident is one of the worst in decades for the country. The strong winds made the situation worse, as the flames spread very quickly across the area, making people rush to the nearby sea for safety. According to the article by CBS, "During the fire on Monday, hundreds fled to nearby beaches, with many swimming out to sea to escape the ferocious flames and choking smoke. Several of the dead were people who drowned." The fire consumed the vacation resort along with nearby cars and homes. The fire took many by surprise, as people ran for their lives, but some could not find an escape route through the narrow streets and "hundreds of homes were burnt in the blaze." The fire even managed to burn trees and vegetation nearby. Some have blamed the authorities for not preparing enough to rescue tourists and others. Discuss this news on Eunomia Fire believed to be caused by arson A recent story done by ABC News indicates that the huge fires could have been caused by arsonists. ABC News lists the whole situation as a "fire trap," because there were not many escape routes and poor safety guidelines. A minister suspects that the fire could have certainly been caused by criminal activity, as satellite images have shown that other fires were started in other areas. Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas said that "We have serious indications and significant findings of criminal activity concerning arson." This would not be the first time that criminals have set fires in the country. In addition, the US has been assisting Greece with drones to get images of the aftermath. Many lost family members and friends due to the fire and Greece is getting assistance to identify bodies. Courtesy of Eugene Kalenkovich - Fotolia.com For an educational and fun outdoor adventure for the entire family, head to the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. The unique experience lets you see a more in-depth side to the 40-acre rainforest reserve while coming across the diverse flora and fauna that reside within it. The walking tour will put you up close and personal with the lush grassy wetlands, creeks overflowing with salmon, and animals such as eagles, seals, and bears. There are many activities along the way too; you can try your hand at crossing suspension bridges, axe throwing, or ziplining. Other things youre able to see and do at the sanctuary include visiting a historical Alaskan sawmill, exploring the Alaska Raptor Centers aviary exhibits, and observing a native master totem pole carver at work. 116 Wood Rd, Ketchikan, AK 99901, Phone: 907-225-5503 You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Ketchikan, Alaska" Back to Top Richard Randolph will graduate from Virginia Tech next spring. Lisa Carter Ellison finished her bachelors degree in 1986. Thirty-three years separate these two Hokies graduation years. A June trip to Havana, Cuba, brought them together. Ellison and Randolph were two of 18 alumni, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff who together traveled to Cuba for seven days in June for the first cultural immersion trip hosted by the universitys Black Male Excellence Network. The purpose of the excursion, funded in part through Virginia Techs crowdfunding campaign this past spring, was to provide a way for students to travel abroad and connect with Hokie faculty, staff, and alumni. From the alumni side, it makes you feel attached and engaged with the university when you know the students who are there, said Ellison, who learned about the trip through the Virginia Tech Alumni Association. Tommy Amal, assistant director of the Student Success Center at Virginia Tech, organized the excursion, which the center spearheaded. The more relationships students have with faculty, staff, and alumni, the greater chance they have to be successful, Amal said. Crowdfunding played a large role in making this trip possible for students. Through the universitys spring JUMP crowdfunding campaign, the Black Male Excellence Network raised about $7,000 to cover most of the trips costs for undergraduate students. The Student Success Center funded the rest. Modis foreign tour delays Indo-Nepal report The fate of joint report prepared by Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India relations has been shrouded in uncertainty because of the hectic schedule of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Marina Bolotnikova in Harvard Magazine: WHEN PEOPLE DESCRIBE feeling angry or distressed or dejected, what do they really mean? Psychologists vigorously debate whether the words individuals use to describe their emotions actually reflect fixed states in the brain, or are merely convenient fictions for talking about feelings. Are anger, sadness, and disgust really distinct, universal emotions, asks Erik Nook, a fourth-year doctoral student in clinical psychology, or is it the case that, because we have learned different concepts for different emotions, we produce those emotions? Nook particularly wants to understand why some people seem to have more precise, granular emotional conceptsthey distinguish among feeling disappointed, frustrated, or discouraged, for examplewhile others describe a general, undifferentiated negativity. Disentangling what emotional concepts mean, and how people understand them, is part of Nooks work with Leah Somerville, an associate professor of psychology whose lab focuses on how the mind develops in adolescence. A new paper in Psychological Science by Nook, Somerville, and colleagues at the University of Washington examines how emotional differentiation (peoples ability to separate emotional experiences into different types) changes from childhood into early adulthood. Their subjects, 143 recruits ranging in age from five to 25, were each shown a set of images designed to elicit negative emotions, such as a baby crying or a cemetery, and asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 100 how strongly they experienced five different feelingsangry, scared, disgusted, sad, and upset. Measuring emotion is a tricky business, Nook concedes, and image prompts are probably not a perfect way to evoke emotions. But the photographs come from a standard repertoire of images used in psychological research (so the results can be compared to other work in the field), and, he adds, theres a lot of good evidence that showing people pictures makes them feel things. More here. Nearly 6 in 10 Hispanic adults have had a difficult time communicating with a health care provider because of a language or cultural barrier, and when they do they often turn to outside sources for help, according to a new study conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey finds that half of those who have faced those barriers turned to a family member or to another health care provider for assistance. In addition, more than 1 in 4 looked to a translator, public resources in their community or online sources for help when they faced those issues. Antonio Torres, 53, of Orlando, Fla., who is bilingual and legally blind, told AP he regularly struggles to understand the medical terms used by doctors and nurses. When I tell them I dont understand them, theyll bring someone over to speak to me in Spanish and I dont understand them, either, said Torres, who is Puerto Rican and was raised in New York. We didnt grow up speaking that formal Spanish, so I have no idea what they are saying. At times, Torres said he even gets medicine with his name misspelled on the bottle. And I dont know if Im taking my medicine or someone elses, he said. Along with communication challenges, many Hispanics are concerned about language or cultural accommodations for people in their community who seek long-term care services. Fewer than half say it would be easy for older Latinos in their area to find a nursing home or assisted living facility with staff that speaks their language, or to find a home health aide who does. Even fewer less than 3 in 10 say the same about finding long-term care providers who can prepare the kind of food they are used to. Some have concerns about finding nursing homes and assisted-living facilities that will respect their religious or spiritual beliefs, though fewer have the same concern about home health aides. Torres said hes not confident hell find a culturally sensitive nursing home when he gets older. Id rather just live alone and poison myself by accident rather than stay in one of those homes right now, he said. Like other older Americans, many Hispanics age 40 and older expect to rely on government programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to pay for long-term care services, even though Medicare does not cover most nursing care or home health aides. But only about 2 in 10 think any of these programs will still be providing at least the same level of benefits five years from now. Just 15 percent of older Hispanics are very confident they will be able to pay for their own future long-term care needs. Prev 1 of 6 Next Whimsical images have always danced around in Michelle Tapias head. Dogs and cats race across her mind. There are also relicarios (small and large devotional pieces) and Day of the Dead imagery. Each piece has Tapias unique style. The jewelry maker takes pride in using those images as the inspiration for her art. I dont have to push myself, she says of her work. Honestly, everything just comes out of me. All of the designs have been in my head. Thats the one thing Ive never had to worry about, is the inspiration. Tapia will be one of dozens of artists showing their work at the 32nd annual Contemporary Hispanic Market in Santa Fe. The events take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29, in downtown Santa Fe. Tapia is also celebrating a milestone this year with the market this is the 20th year she has been juried into the event. This is the only market that I do all year, she says. Preparing for market takes a lot of work, and then you have to be able to sell your pieces. I used to do a lot more of the markets. Ive put my focus on this one for many years. Tapias forte is the painstaking scrimshaw technique. She learned it after working with famed Native American jewelry artist Denise Wallace (Chugach Aleut). She is quick to say that no walruses died to make her jewelry the ivory is dug off St. Lawrence Island, west of Alaska, and can be up to 20,000 years old. She etches her pieces with ink, often adding turquoise, coral and moonstones to her pendants, earrings and pins. She has created a line of relicarios, including Catholic saints and Tibetan Buddhist deities, When Cats Dream (cats as mermaids, fairies and butterflies) and Los Muertas Bonitas (skulls). Tapia began her own line when Wallace moved from Santa Fe to Hawaii. She works from home in Santa Fe, carving each of her pieces by hand from fossilized walrus tusk. The designs are hand-inked and set in fine metals. Animals and nature, her Spanish upbringing and her Tibetan Buddhist philosophies inspire her pieces. Shes also been named Best in Show at Traditional Spanish Market. I make a huge variety, she says. I love animals, and when I first started making jewelry, the pieces went to different auctions for various animal places. Tapia was influenced by the many artists in her family. Growing up in Santa Fe, she realized at a very young age that her life was going to be in art. I like creating and writing things, she says. My favorite thing to do as a child was to find rocks and paint them. Then fashion became a big interest of mine. I got lucky with knowing the Wallaces. They taught me everything and were very generous with studio time. I got very lucky. Skip the mimosas and bloody marys and opt for a local craft beer to wash down your brunch. Vintage 423, in collaboration with La Cumbre Brewing Co., created its first special beer brunch menu available on Saturday July 28, and Sunday, July 29. I feel their beers have gained a lot of popularity over the years, Vintage 423 executive chef J. Martin Torrez said of La Cumbre. I wanted to have something different like a beer brunch where we pair specialty beers with our amazing brunch items. These are special brunch items that arent regularly on the menu. On the light side, the menu offers cherry wood-smoked mahi-mahi served with avocado cilantro rice, grilled squash and zucchini with pink grapefruit salsa. Get Cherried Away, a Berliner Weisse kettle sour fermented with cherries, is the suggested pairing. Pork lovers will love the cochinita pork pibil tacos served with borracho beans. The pork is slow-braised with anchiote spices and lots of citrus. The beans are cooked for several hours with bacon, beer and garlic. Im a big fan of that style of (Mexican) cooking, Torrez said. I like the Oaxacan and the Yucatan style, and Im a big pork eater, so I figured, why not pork pibil? You get the borracho beans, and then on top you get the pickled pineapple and roasted habeneros. Thats just love right there. Sun Fade New England-style India Pale Ale is the suggested accompaniment for the cochinita pork pibil tacos. Its a super-sessionable beer, said Spencer Aragon, distribution manager for La Cumbre Brewing Co. Its hazy, its juicy, not bitter. We dry- hop the crap out of it. Theres 4 pounds per barrel. The dry hop doesnt add bitterness. You get this juicy essence of lemon peel, orange peel, pineapple and orange juicy characteristic. Torrez is infusing chicken and waffles as well as the accompanying country gravy with La Cumbres American-style lager, BEER. We use corn as it is in the lagering process for more sweetness without adding the heaviness of a malty, sugary beer, Aragon said of BEER. Its super-clean, easy to drink and not overly sweet. One of La Cumbres most popular IPAs, Elevated, is suggested for the carne adovada huevos rancheros, served over a flour tortilla. Patrons get their choice of egg style as well as housemade red or green chile. The course also comes with borracho beans and hash browns. (Elevated) has a huge aroma, lots of tangerine, orange, scents of grapefruit, scents of grapefruit peel, Aragon said. It has a bitterness thats balanced out by a great maltiness. So you get sweet bready malts that float across the tongue as youre drinking it. Its not overly carbonated. Its a killer beer. On the sweeter side is the Froot Loops-encrusted beignets served with sunny side up eggs, apple wood-smoked bacon and red chile raspberry syrup. A Slice of Hefen is the recommended beer pairing. The aroma is huge on this beer, Aragon said. Theres banana, clove, vanilla, big flavors. The body is super-rich and creamy. This beer is more carbonated then the rest of our beers. It finishes really dry with the clove, and its super-refreshing. Its hard to find a better example of a Bavarian (beer) in this state. La Cumbre Beer Brunch WHEN: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29 WHERE: Vintage 423, 8000 Paseo del Norte NE HOW MUCH: $5 La Cumbre beer offerings. Prices vary for brunch menu items. For information, call 821-1918 While walking through his home studio in midtown Santa Fe, Justin Gallegos Mayrant pulled out a book he described as the bible of tinwork. He flipped to a page in New Mexican Tinwork: 1840-1940, which he first saw when he was 12, that featured a Rio Arriba County-made, late-19th-century sconce. The ornate sconce was accented with designs of several roses in the middle. I always said one day Ill be able to do something like that, he said. Last year, the now 33-year-old artist paid homage to this centuries-old piece, creating a pair of sconces made of 1930s, lead-coated tin that took two months to create. His roses were all constructed from small, individual pieces of tin and he weighed down the sconces with sand from a local arroyo. At last years Traditional Spanish Market, the pair was purchased by the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. This years market marks the 20th year since Gallegos Mayrants first time as an artist at the annual event. He has been at the market each year, with the exception of two years between his transition from youth to adult artist. Hes now a full-time tinsmith and spends a majority of his time doing commissioned works such as light fixtures and mirrors for historic homes or restoration work for galleries or collectors with antique tin pieces. He considers Spanish Market a time to express himself creatively. Its stuff I want to make . Its what I feel like making, he said. This year, items hell be bringing along include a two-tier chandelier, a small box designed with butterflies, sconces and a 55-by-38-inch frame with hand-carved, walnut inserts. Though many Spanish Colonial artists get into the traditional craft through family ties, the born-and-raised Santa Fean whose Hispanic ancestors came to New Mexico as early as the mid-17th century said he is the first artist in his family. Though, as a child, Gallegos Mayrant enjoyed other kinds of art forms, like painting, he stumbled across tin when he was 12 as a student at the now-closed Alameda Middle School, which offered a class on New Mexico folk art. Each week, they taught a different segment, he recalled. One week was retablos, one week was straw applique, then there was tin work week. He made a sconce, which he simply saw as another class assignment. But his mother, working for a local bank at the time, put it up in her office. A Spanish Market artisan soon saw it and recommended she sign up her son for market. And the rest is history. Today, Gallegos Mayrant has pieces in collections in Santa Fes Museum of International Folk Art and the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. A violin covered in tin design that he made is on loan at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. It found me, to be perfectly honest, he says of his attraction to the craft. I was very drawn to structural work with it, which a lot of tinsmiths dont do. Thats where my work really varies from a lot of other stuff. The traditional style would be very flat. He spent his early years as a tinsmith trying to master the basics with the help of his mentor, Santa Fe tinsmith Michael Griego. But over the past decade or more, hes tried to take the art form in a new direction. Ways he sets his work apart, he said, include his use of negative space to create a minimal, clean look. He pointed to a cabinet insert commission hes been working on in his studio. Theres a main design in the middle hummingbirds hovering around several flowers and a decorated border that includes a classic dotted line punch, but the space in between is left untouched. I believe the material (the tin) itself is gorgeous; fortunately, I have good material, said Gallegos Mayrant. Gifted to him by a private donor, the artist has matte, old-style tin that he said isnt available anymore. He also is known to infuse woodwork into some of his tin pieces, a skill he honed while working in a 17th-century-style frame shop for four years before making the transition to art full-time. He said he likes to incorporate carved walnut or mahogany to complement his main material, including in a mirror hell be bringing to market. Going 3-D Something he does in just about all of his work is make his designs three-dimensional. Taking inspiration from woodcarvers and painters, and veering away from the classic, flat tinwork style which utilizes a lot of stamping, Gallegos Mayrant noted, something that he said can often distort the tin he first draws his designs onto his material. He then cuts out all of the pieces, sculpts them using a ball-peen hammer and puts them together with a seamless solder. I want it to jump out at you, he said. And I want people to engage with the work. Griego, a tinsmith for 30 years and Gallegos Mayrants former teacher, considers Gallegos Mayrants work to be a more contemporary style. But he said it is still rooted in the classic traditions thanks to Gallegos Mayrants use of such things as traditional punches. Griego met him as a boy while teaching a class for Spanish Markets youth artists, and gave him his first set of tools and materials. I think hes got it, Griego said. Maurice Dixon, a local artist and co-author of the New Mexican Tinwork book that Gallegos Mayrant keeps in his studio, said the same. He has followed Gallegos Mayrants work for about 15 years and described him as a tinwork trailblazer, commending his 3-D designs and ability to think conceptually as bringing the art form into the 21st century. He synthesizes the best of 19th-century classic tinwork and takes it another step, said Dixon. Griego pointed out that as a 30-something artist, Gallegos Mayrant is in somewhat of a dead space for market tinsmiths. From what Griego has seen while attending market annually, not as many youth artists today continue with the craft or Spanish Market long term the way Gallegos Mayrant has. Gallegos Mayrant echoed that thought. He said there are not many tin artists in his age range, like there were when he started 20 years ago. He attributed the situation to former peers leaving Santa Fe or putting art aside to focus on other careers. What keeps him at it, he said, is simply that the ideas keep coming. Thats really my biggest drive, he added. Pushing the boundaries. Raising perceptions Going forward, Gallegos Mayrant said its always been a long-term goal of his to continue elevating the perception of tinwork. It was my experience talking with a lot of people when I was younger, any time you told them you did tinwork, it was Oh, you punch tin cans, right? It was thought of as folk art in maybe not the most positive light. Dixon, the art historian, said many tinsmiths face the same issue. Thats one of the reasons he wrote his book about the craft decades ago, he said. He didnt want tinwork to be seen as a poor mans craft or looked down upon because the artwork is made with tin and not silver. Like other folk art, he said it is a serious art form made by serious artists. I always saw it as something that could be refined and have more of an elevated status, said Gallegos Mayrant. Its been my goal to refine it and make every detail as fine as it can be and thought out. Correction: An earlier version of this story described Gallegos Mayrants home studio on the south side of Santa Fe. It has been corrected to say midtown. If you go WHAT: 67th annual Traditional Spanish Market WHERE: Santa Fe Plaza WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29 COST: Free Erik Litzenberg was confirmed as city manager during Wednesdays meeting of the Santa Fe City Council. Litzenberg, who as fire chief who has also been serving as acting city manager since April, was nominated to the position by Mayor Alan Webber last month after a nationwide search. Under a strong mayor form of government that went into effect at the same time Webber took office in March, the mayor is responsible for the hiring of the city manager, city attorney and city clerk, subject to the approval of the City Council. The city manager is responsible for all other hires. Litzenberg has worked for the citys fire department for more than 20 years and was named fire chief in 2013. His contract approved by the council calls for Litzenberg to be paid at a rate of $155,000 per year this fiscal year and $170,000 beginning July 1, 2019. The council engaged in a lengthy discussion over the salary, as the previous city manager, Brian Snyder, who was asked to resign in April, earned $146,000 per year. The contract was approved 8-1 with Chris Rivera, also a former fire chief, cast the lone no vote. He said the salary was concerning to him given that the city now also has a deputy city manager and mayoral chief of staff. I agree we have the right man, Rivera said. I dont agree we have the right contract. Police say a man fired a pistol at a family in a pickup truck Tuesday nightshooting the driver in the handand fled into a southeast Albuquerque neighborhood before being found by officers hiding in a backyard. Police say a man fired a pistol at a family in a pickup truck Tuesday night striking the driver in the hand and fled into a southeast Albuquerque neighborhood before being found by officers hiding in a backyard. Mariano Gallegos, 18, was booked into jail on charges of shooting at or from a motor vehicle, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, child abuse, aggravated assault, trafficking controlled substances and drug possession, among others. Officers responded to the shooting around 9 p.m. outside the Lindo Mexico restaurant, near Wyoming and Central NE, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metro Court. Police found a man with a gunshot wound to the hand, who told officers he and his 14-year-old brother had just picked up their mother from work when a man identified as Gallegos walked in front of the truck while mad-dogging him. The driver told police Gallegos then pulled out a pistol and shot out the drivers side window, hitting him in the hand, before running into a nearby neighborhood. Police say officers surrounded the area and found Gallegos near Louisiana and Copper NE. A gun was found in an adjacent backyard. According to the complaint, officers found separately wrapped bags of methamphetamine near Gallegos feet in the holding cell after he was detained. Police say that although Gallegos wasnt seen dropping the meth, he was the only one in the cell at the time. Gallegos refused to speak with officers and asked for a lawyer. Its being billed as a landmark ruling that could reshape New Mexicos education system and how it gets funded. Some advocates and policy experts say Native American students are among those who could benefit the most as the state has been tasked by a district judge to follow through with promises made years ago under New Mexicos Indian Education Act. Adopted in 2003, the act calls for an equitable and culturally relevant learning environment in schools that serve Native American students. The goal was to boost academic performance and promote culture, but the ruling issued last week found that New Mexico has fallen short of its obligations. It will be up to New Mexicos governor and legislators to come up with a fix that will undoubtedly require more money and policy changes. Regis Pecos, co-director of the Leadership Institute at Santa Fe Indian School, said the ruling provides a monumental opportunity for tribes in New Mexico and potentially elsewhere to define their vision of what education should look like. Pecos talked about the troubled past between tribes and the U.S. government, and efforts of assimilation that started more than a century ago with the establishment of boarding schools. The effects continue to be felt, he said, pointing to high dropout rates, truancy problems and suicides among Native American youth. This decision now affirms and validates what we have known for decades, and now is a new beginning, a new era, Pecos said, prompting cheers from a crowd that gathered Monday near downtown Albuquerque to celebrate the ruling. Congress took a hard look at the hurdles faced by Native students, detailing inadequate facilities, irrelevant curriculums and indifferent attitudes in a 1969 report that included numerous recommendations. Passage of the federal Indian Education Act soon followed. In the years since, more than a dozen states from New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada in the Southwest to others across the Plains have passed their own laws or set mandates to address the needs of Indian students. But expectations have yet to be met. Nationally, only 22 percent of Native American fourth-graders met proficiency levels in math, according to a 2016 report by the National Indian Education Association. That dropped to 17 percent for eighth-graders. The group also reported that nearly one-third of Indian students attend high-poverty schools and many live in isolated areas miles from the nearest school. In Montana and Utah, the report says Native American students are more likely to be expelled than their white peers. The situation is similar across Indian Country as general health, welfare and infrastructure issues present challenges to teaching and learning, said Bryan Brayboy, a professor at Arizona State University. Even a 45-minute bus ride down a long, dusty, unpaved road to and from school every day can take a toll on a childs ability to learn, he said. While the judge in New Mexico wants state leaders to ensure an equitable education for all students by next April, there are still many unanswered questions and policy experts say it could take years to reshape the system. Were used to saying we want year-over-year improvement and it needs to be better and get fixed right away, Brayboy said. Well, the truth is this is 150 years in the making. The expectation you can fix it in a few years isnt entirely fair. State education officials say New Mexico has made progress as Native American students marked record gains this year in math and reading proficiency. They also say more money than ever before is being spent on public schools and that overall graduation rates have reached a high of 71 percent. Ahniwake Rose, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, said the ruling is drawing more attention to the existing disparities in Indian education. New Mexico gets to serve as a turning point, she said. There are going to be a lot of people paying attention to how New Mexico manages this and what happens next, and more importantly how tribes are going to be at the table as those decisions are made. SANTA FE A bipartisan group of U.S. senators from five states, including New Mexico Democrats Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, is urging Amtrak to keep train passenger service over all of the route of the Southwest Chief, which runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles. New Mexicos delegation also joined senators from Kansas and Colorado in introducing an amendment to an appropriation bill approved by the Senate on Wednesday that states long-distance passenger rail routes and services should be sustained to ensure connectively throughout the countrys rail network. Amtrak is considering replacement of train service on the Southwest Chief route between Albuquerque and Dodge City, Kan. with chartered bus service. It says the financial investment of the magnitude needed to retain this portion of the route is not prudent. Amtrak is under the gun to meet certain rails safety standards by the end of the year. The change would eliminate New Mexico Amtrak stops at Raton, Las Vegas and Lamy southeast of Santa Fe. Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson has also backed off a commitment to contribute $3 million for its share of a so-called TIGER grant to upgrade hundreds of miles of track, most of it through northeast New Mexico. In a letter to Anderson, senators say they are deeply concerned about the potential for Amtrak to suspend the rail service along the 2,265-mile route, saying that they fear it could lead to eliminating rail service to rural communities across the country. The potential suspension of rail service has raised serious concerns among our constituents who depend on the Southwest Chief, the senators wrote. We strongly disagree with such a decision and urge you to uphold Amtraks commitment to intercity rail service across the entire national network, particularly through our rural communities. The senators also ask Amtrak to uphold its commitment to the TIGER grant and urges Amtrak, created by Congress in 1970 to preserve intercity passenger rail service, to seeking further funding through a Federal Railroad Administration program that has more than $318 million in grant funding available. The letter is signed by Heinrich, Udall, and fellow Democratic senators Michael Bennet, of Colorado; Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, of Illinois; Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, of California; and Republicans Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, of Kansas; and Cory Gardner, of Colorado. When I hear someone say our food system is broken, it stings. I think about my mom, who has farmed my whole life, and about my friends, and the countless other farmers and ranchers who work hard every day to grow our food. The broken food system narrative implicitly blames them for problems like environmental degradation, obesity, so-called food deserts and the gutting of rural communities. But the sad truth is that our food system is working exactly how it was designed to and, right now, Congress is reconfiguring it to become even worse. Whats broken is the 2018 House Farm Bill, which passed in June with little news coverage. This is only the second time in history that Congress has considered a farm bill while Republicans control both the executive and legislative branches. The result is a bill that serves Washingtons fattest wallets and most powerful special interests. Its goal can be summed up as: Deregulate the rich and police the poor. While the national eye was focused on the bills punitive SNAP, or food stamp, work requirements, Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas and other Republican leaders worked hard to attack American family farmers. By drafting a more than 600-page behemoth that overwhelms even the worlds experts, the writers of this omnibus bill hid devastating legislation in plain sight. Why is this bill so bad? The House Farm Bill, which goes to conference committee with the version passed by the Senate, is a giveaway to corporate interests at the expense of programs that improve our environment and help family farmers. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which represents over 100 grassroots agriculture organizations across the country, said that the bill undermines decades of work by farmers and advocates to advance sustainable agriculture. The House bill removes federal subsidy caps so that mega-farms and millionaires can collect more of our tax dollars. It eliminates the enormously popular Conservation Stewardship Program, which has helped farmers implement sustainable farming practices on over 70 million acres of productive farm and forest land. Perhaps most troubling of all, it strays from food and agricultural policy and into a full-frontal attack on the environment by gutting key protections in the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act. Theyre digging up their wish lists and trying to pass things that would be otherwise unacceptable, said Mark Lipson, a California farmer who has worked on organic farming policy for over 30 years and who served in President Obamas Agriculture Department. These provisions are a raw exercise of power to fulfill a long-term anti-environment agenda. The Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act are two of our most important environmental policies, and they are among the few that have legal teeth to protect individual species and their ecosystems. The House Farm Bill, however, allows toxic chemicals to be used, even if they kill endangered species, and even if theyre dumped directly into rivers and streams. It also eliminates our right as citizens to comment on logging projects and does away with scientific review of logging proposals, no matter the potential environmental consequences. These injurious provisions are hard to find in the voluminous House bill. A stand-alone bill that eviscerates the Endangered Species Act or Clean Water Act would be unlikely to pass, but theres so much in this bloated bill that any single destructive act gets drowned out. I grew up on a farm, operated my own farm for seven years and work now as an agricultural researcher. Ive gotten to know family farmers across all walks of life, from large to small, conventional to alternative, and not one of them wants to see our waters more polluted or our landscapes destroyed all of which this bill enables. Its time for a different farm bill, one that redirects the nearly $200 billion of proposed non-nutrition spending (about 70 percent of farm bill funding goes toward nutrition programs, the rest funds agriculture) away from corporate agribusiness and toward family farmers who steward the land. The farm bill could help new and more diverse farmers succeed. Environmental stewardship programs could reward farmers for sequestering carbon and increasing biodiversity. We could start to value our farmland as a public good to preserve for future generations. We dont yet know if the final bill, a mash-up of the House and Senate versions, will be signed by President Trump before the upcoming midterm elections. Either way, theres still time to pressure our representatives to do whats right for farmers and the land we all depend on. So please stop saying our food system is broken and do what you can to help fix it. Call Congress, get involved in local politics and go vote. Our farmers and our future depend on it. Margiana Petersen-Rockney is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News (hcn.org). She is a Ph.D. student studying climate change adaptation in agriculture at the University of California, Berkeley. NC lawmakers demand action against Prasai Lawmakers of main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) have demanded action against Durga Prasad Prasai, executive director of Jhapa-based B&C Medical College Teaching Hospital, for his remarks about female Nepali students studying in Bangladesh. Is it really over? A spokesman for assorted negotiating parties said this week that the Entrada is finished. He said there will no longer be a re-enactment on the Santa Fe Plaza of Spaniard Don Diego de Vargas reoccupation of Santa Fe in 1692, 12 years after the Pueblo Revolt pushed the Europeans out of what is now northern New Mexico. At this writing, we havent heard from a couple of key players in the debate over the Entrada, which has drawn increasing numbers of protesters over the past three years when staged during the Fiesta de Santa Fe in September. The Fiesta Council and the Caballeros de Vargas, which organizes the Entrada, have defended the religious pageant where de Vargas veneration of the Virgin Mary is prominent. They say it was intended to celebrate a peaceful moment in history between Spaniards and the pueblos, as well as the origins of northern New Mexicos cultural mix. Script changes in recent years made the Indian characters in the Entrada stronger and had them standing up for their own religion. But Native American activists, and many others, saw the Entrada as celebrating conquest, by violence and the threat of violence, and oppression of indigenous people. At Entrada protests, they shout the name of Pueblo Revolt leader Popay, while the Fiesta includes a procession from the cathedral to the Cross of the Martyrs, which commemorates Franciscan friars killed in Popays rebellion. The Entrada takes place on the city-owned Plaza, gets city taxpayer support and is secured by Santa Fe police (who arrested eight people last year after establishing separate free speech zones for protesters). This week, Regis Pecos, a former Cochiti Pueblo governor and co-director of the Leadership Institute at Santa Fe Indian School, said discussions over the past 10 months with representatives from the All Pueblo Council of Governors, the mayors office, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, the Fiesta Council and the Caballeros recently culminated in a decision to end the Entrada. Pecos, designated to speak for the group, called the agreement a profoundly significant event in the history of New Mexico. I think its unequivocally the consensus that for the health and benefit of the public, its an event that is best that we let go of because of the controversy that it continues to create, he said. A lot of Santa Feans undoubtedly will be sad about the loss of the Entrada, which had become so woven into local affairs that portraying de Vargas in the pageant was a stepping stone to political success, including in recent years. Until March, there were three de Vargases among the nine people serving as city councilor or mayor. But the pageants continued performance in a publicly owned space had become untenable. What the Entradas organizers saw as a celebration of local culture and history couldnt stand against todays celebration of diversity and inclusion. As weve said before, the Fiesta Council and the Caballeros shouldnt be lumped in with the throwbacks or outright evil people who, in other parts of the country, have a soft spot for or outright idolize or want a return to a racist past. But an event that, any way you dress it up, in fact celebrates subjugation of Native people and thanks a higher power for success in that endeavor, is not proper grounds for a community celebration now. Pecos suggests some kind of new event may take the Entradas place to promote reconciliation and diversity. Maybe it should just be something thats fun. The Entrada was started in 1911 as part of the 400-year-old Fiesta, as a tourist attraction. We dont need it anymore. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Three years ago, the state Legislature made it illegal for a local government to take ownership of property from a defendant before that person is convicted of a crime, like DWI. But the city of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County have claimed that the state law doesnt apply to them. The two local governments have continued to take vehicles from DWI drivers who are charged with new offenses. The Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office now says it will comply with the state law, but Santa Fe city government has taken the issue to the state Court of Appeals. A federal judge in Albuquerque says in a recent court decision that the DWI forfeiture ordinance in New Mexicos largest city, which is similar to Santa Fes, does not pre-empt the state statute. The judge also says his findings would have an impact on Santa Fes and Las Cruces forfeiture ordinances. But the federal judge didnt take action against local forfeiture laws, saying he wanted to let state courts rule first in ongoing litigation over the ordinances. The 2015 state statute also requires law enforcement agencies to provide detailed reports of all the property and currency they take ownership of. But it appears that the State Police is the only agency that has consistently filed any kind of report since the law went into effect. The statute mandates that the state Department of Public Safety publish reports from law enforcement agencies about seized and forfeited property or money on the DPS website by April 1 of each year. That hasnt happened, either. State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg, whose office is responsible for collecting forfeited property and auctioning it, says the 2015 statute is broken and wont be enforced until its fixed. Lawmakers have tried twice to revise the law, in 2017 and 2018, but both attempts failed. The cash and proceeds from the auction of seized cars and other property are supposed to be deposited into the state general fund. Theres no telling how much money the state missed out on and that local governments kept by the 2015 state law not being enforced. The statute, sponsored by Rep. Zachary Cook of Ruidoso, says property can be forfeited only after a conviction. Once a conviction occurs, then the same jury that heard the case is supposed to decide whether the state has proven whether the property is subject to forfeiture. Forfeited property and currency is then supposed to be taken to the state treasurers office. The treasurer is to auction the property and deposit the proceeds, along with the forfeited cash, into the general fund. A law enforcement agency shall not retain forfeited or abandoned property, the state law says. The annual reports that law enforcement agencies are directed to submit to DPS and local district attorneys offices are supposed to include the number of forfeitures, the amount of currency taken, the market value of seized property and the crimes that resulted in the seizure of property or money. The Las Cruces Police Department, the Santa Rosa Police Department, the state Department of Game and Fish, and the Union County Sheriffs Office submitted detailed reports on forfeited property, like cars, in 2015, according to records on the DPS website. No agency has reported on forfeited property since then. State Police, which is run by DPS, is the only agency to consistently report on forfeited money since the law took effect, but hasnt reported on any property taken. DPS spokesman Herman Lovato in a recent interview did not directly confirm if State Police has taken control of any property since 2015. What do the reports say? Lovato said. The Santa Fe Police Department and the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office have never submitted forfeiture or seizure reports to the DPS. 2016 Santa Fe case In 2016, a Santa Fe city prosecutor lost a forfeiture case against Robert Boulanger in District Court, then filed an appeal. State District Judge Francis Mathew ruled that language in the city ordinances safe harbor provision on alternatives to forfeiture was ambiguous and ordered the city to return Boulangers car. The case is pending in the Court of Appeals. The city initially took Boulangers car because he was arrested for driving with a revoked license, after the license was apparently taken away following a previous DWI conviction. Boulanger said in a court motion that the city should return his car because he was found not guilty of driving with a revoked license. The city argues in a 36-page court brief filed at the appeals court that the state statute doesnt apply to the city ordinance because the city ordinance doesnt mention the statute. The brief was supplied by city spokesman Matt Ross recently in response to Journal questions as to why the city wasnt following state law. The Ordinance does not specifically apply the Forfeiture Act, Assistant City Attorney Alfred Walker wrote. The Ordinance does not mention the Forfeiture Act or make reference whatsoever to the Forfeiture Act. Any attempt to make the Ordinance subject to the Forfeiture Act would require this Court to ignore the Legislatures use of the limiting phrase specifically apply; an interpretation that would violate the most basic tenets of statutory construction. Santa Fe continues to file vehicle forfeiture petitions in district court against DWI drivers who re-offend. Arlene Harjo filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Albuquerque in 2016 when her car was taken after her son was arrested for driving it while drunk. Albuquerque made similar arguments about the state law not applying to the city ordinance, but Judge James O. Browning said in a March court ruling that a local ordinance cannot ignore a state law by not mentioning the statute. Such an interpretation would allow non-criminal forfeitures to continue in New Mexico despite the New Mexico Legislatures expressly stated purpose that it wished to ensure that only criminal forfeiture is allowed in this state, Browning wrote. Such a pre-emption ruling also suggests that city officials cannot pass any more civil forfeiture ordinances and it also has implications for local authorities throughout the state, Browning continued. For example, in addition to the City of Albuquerque, the City of Santa Fe and the City of Las Cruces two of New Mexicos largest population centers outside the City of Albuquerque also have similar forfeiture ordinances. Any ruling against the Albuquerque forfeiture law would call into doubt the state constitutionality of those ordinances, too, Browning added. But Browning said he wasnt going to practice supplemental jurisdiction over the issue because its still under consideration at the state appeals court. SF County will comply Santa Fe County sheriffs spokesman Juan Rios said it was the county attorneys interpretation that the sheriffs office didnt need to report forfeitures to the DPS, but the department will now comply with the law after receiving inquiries from local reporters and the Institute for Justice in Arlington, Va. If there is anything that is going to be forfeited under the state Forfeiture Act, we will submit a report to the Department of Public Safety and to the district attorney from this point forward, Rios said Wednesday. He added that, while seizing vehicles continues, no property or cash has actually been forfeited to the county since the law went into effect in July 2015. All the vehicles that have been seized for DWIs still belong to the title owner, said Rios, apparently pending resolution of forfeiture proceedings. Santa Fe County spokeswoman Kristine Mihelcic confirmed that the sheriffs office would no longer be enforcing the countys forfeiture ordinance while the county determines the future of the program. In April, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller a political ally of Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber announced his city would no longer even seize cars from suspected drunken drivers who havent been convicted. Previously, the cars were taken upon arrest. No enforcement provision Rep. Cook, the sponsor of the 2015 state law, said there wasnt supposed to be any ambiguity in his bill. I didnt intend there to be any exceptions to the general rule that property couldnt be forfeited until a conviction, Cook recently told the Journal. Where theyre reading the exception into the law, I dont understand. I dont believe there is any ambiguity, but apparently there is. Treasurer Eichenberg said the law is broken because its an unfunded mandate and doesnt give him enforcement powers. He said it can be enforced only if its changed. Its been an unworkable law for law enforcement and the treasurers office, Eichenberg said. They made me responsible to oversee law enforcement. I have no authority or powers to force law enforcement to do what I want them to do. They just put me in charge of collecting the money. Were not doing anything until we get the law fixed. There are a lot of problems with the law, in my opinion. That first year after the law passed, we did nothing. I have no staff for it, I dont have the ability to enforce it. The statute doesnt lay out who or what agency is supposed to enforce the law. Lovato, of DPS, didnt directly say if DPS asks local police departments for their reports, even though DPS is responsible for uploading the reports to its website. Does the law say we have to? Lovato said. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal A proposal to build a senior housing development at the intersection of Paseo de Peralta and Old Taos Highway is moving on to the Planning Commission after receiving the unanimous endorsement of the Santa Fe Historic Districts Review Board, despite opposition from several area residents. Normally, you would go to the Planning Commission, then the review board, said Al Jahner, CEO of El Castillo, which already operates a senior living community in downtown Santa Fe. We did it the other way around, because its very expensive to do a development plan, with all the engineering and things that need to be done. We wanted to make sure we got approval from the Historic Districts Review Board first. Jahner said that El Castillo will now start working on a development plan for the 68-unit senior living facility to submit to the commission. In the meantime, it will also work on putting together the financing to purchase the 2.5 acres at the northeast corner of the intersection and most recently the site of Ghost Ranch II conference center from the Presbyterian Church. The selling price for the property at 401 Old Taos Highway is listed at $4.2 million, according to several online sources. Jahner said the estimated cost to build the facility is $39 million, which he says would result in about $3.5 million in gross receipts tax revenue for the city. Jahner added that nothing will be submitted to the Planning Commission until the state Environment Department signs off on remediation work at the site, which he said was once the location of a gasification plant that helped fuel gaslights in the downtown area. He said lead paint and asbestos from the Ghost Ranch II buildings demolished last year were also a concern. If everything fell perfectly in place, Jahner said the yet-to-be-named senior housing facility could open in late 2020. Creating new housing But not everyone is happy about the plans for the facility. Opponents have spoken at both an Early Neighborhood Notification meeting last week and again at Tuesdays meeting of the Historic Districts board. Among their objections were that the facility would bring increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic to what they say is an already a dangerous intersection and that the complex would include three-story buildings. The matter before the Historic Districts board Tuesday night was a request for a height exception to build a 36-foot tall structure on property where the maximum allowable height is 23 feet, 10 inches. One elderly women who used to live at El Castillo but 10 years ago moved into the Plaza del Monte retirement community, which would share a driveway with the proposed facility, said the development will attract wealthy newcomers who are strangers to the community. Jahner said thats not true. He said about 85 percent of residents at El Castillo are from Santa Fe and the immediate area. We think this is an extremely good project for the city of Santa Fe, he said. Were bringing in a lot of seniors to the downtown area, not only for the events and things that go on in the city, but also to the businesses downtown. The written proposal emphasized that point, while also saying the new facility would help meet Santa Fes housing shortage. Downtown residential development is a balance between fulfilling housing needs within the limitations of smaller parcels, while accommodating the required parking. The proposed design accomplishes this in a sensitive, historically harmonious manner, reads a memo from the developers included in the Historic Districts boards meeting packet. The character of the historic districts is not limited to buildings; it is about people and people living downtown. The vibrancy and economic vitality of the downtown is greatly enhanced through the creation of new housing opportunities. An important feature of the proposed facility is a 160-space, nearly 60,000-square-foot underground parking garage. Surface parking would present unacceptable security and accessibility problems, and wouldnt be in keeping with the citys objective to promote its historic integrity, the applicants say. A fit with SF style Tuesday was the third time the proposal was presented to the Historic Districts Review Board, sometimes called the H-Board, by the project management firm JenkinsGavan, Inc. Several modifications to the design have been made during the process, including downsizing from the originally planned 73 units to 68 units, with units ranging in size from 900 to 1,300 square feet, Jahner said. Some of the three-story structures were moved farther away from the streets and closer to the center of the complex to be further from the streetscape. More than 2,100 square feet of open space was added. A driveway off Old Taos Highway was moved farther away from the intersection with Paseo de Peralta to lessen congestion. And yard walls facing those streets were lowered to increase visibility. The building would be designed to fit Recent Santa Fe Style, with vigas, beams and traditional wood corbels. Walls would be covered with buckskin colored stucco, windows, door cladding and fencing would be colored medium bronze, and stain and wood elements would be done in Danish walnut. The complex will include three separate outdoor courtyards, a lobby and communal spaces, a multipurpose room, a fitness and wellness room, and offices. In asking for the height exception to build up to 36 feet, the applicants argued that the planned buildings were in keeping with two buildings located across Paseo de Peralta. But the 35-foot-8-inch Federal Building housing the post office and the 57-foot historic Federal Courthouse, as federal government-owned buildings, are not subject to the citys height restrictions. And the Scottish Rite Temple next door to the site of the proposed facility, constructed before the city had building height restrictions, stands at more than 40 feet, with its tower measuring 67 feet, 4 inches tall. Jahner said three stories were necessary to make the project financially feasible based on debt service ratios. To make a long story short, were a nonprofit, he said of El Castillo. We dont have much of a profit margin. Keeping the trees An existing approximately 50-foot sequoia tree located on the property is also sketched into the design, but in an artists rendering of the complex, its not located where it is today. A letter from JenkinsGavin to the citys Historic Preservation Division says the tree would be moved to the southwest corner of the property to allow pedestrians to enjoy the landmark tree of the previous Ghost Ranch property. Jahner said it would cost approximately $170,000 to move the sequoia and four other trees, at least two of them ponderosa pines, to other spots on the property. He said a representative from a company out of Houston specializing in moving full-grown trees has visited the site. While theres no guarantee the sequoia would survive the transplant, he was told theres a close to 95 percent chance of success. We realized that its a unique tree and my board agreed to spend money to move it and some other trees to a place they could remain for the rest of their existence, he said. Richard Thompson, the citys parks director, said there are about 25 redwood trees, including sequoias, in Santa Fe. Most of them surround the Roundhouse and one is used as the state Christmas tree. Its an unusual tree for this area, but it proves the point that with a little science and a little faith you can grow something just about anywhere, he said. Thompson said his best guess is that the sequoia near the intersection of Paseo de Peralta and Old Taos Highway is between 80 and 100 years old. Its unclear how the tree got there, but there is speculation it may be tied to Georgia OKeeffe, who before moving to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu lived at a home on Canyon Road where another sequoia stands. However it got there, Jahner said the tree pays homage to the history of the property and would serve as an elegant showpiece for the senior housing facility. If we put it in a place to make it more prominent, it would make it so other people can enjoy it too, he said. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller celebrated National Disability Independence Day on Thursday by announcing $3.7 million in street and sidewalk improvements in the citys International District in an effort to improve accessibility for residents. The improvements will take place in the districts Trumbull neighborhood, courtesy of funding from the Community Development Block Grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Updates to the neighborhoods infrastructure include street rehabilitation work, removal and replacement of concrete curbs and gutters, widening and repairing sidewalks to improve walkability and construction of ramps at intersections to meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project will also include new paving and traffic control improvements. We want people with disabilities to be able to navigate all of our neighborhoods and public spaces, Keller said in a statement. These improvements will go a long way to ensuring the Trumbull neighborhood is safer and more accessible for everyone. The Trumbull neighborhood is bordered by Zuni Road to the north, Pennsylvania Street to the east, Southern Avenue to the south and Louisiana Boulevard to the west. National Disability Independence Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. Its the nations first comprehensive law that guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else. Many of the millions of Americans who served in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s were just teenagers when they deployed to the other side of the globe. After the terrifying ordeal of battling the guerrilla Vietcong in dense jungle and returning home to a truly hostile reception from many in the American public, troops were often left wounded, physically and emotionally. On Thursday morning in Albuquerque, some of those who returned home were recognized and honored wholeheartedly for their service in Vietnam, more than 50 years later, during a ceremony at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial in Albuquerque. From my perspective one of the most shameful things in United States history is the way we treated our Vietnam veterans upon their return to the United States, said speaker Maj. Gen. Kenneth Nava, Adjutant General of the New Mexico National Guard. To all of you, I want to tell you, Welcome home. Jack Fox, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services, said 398 New Mexicans were among the 58,000 Americans killed in Vietnam. Twelve New Mexicans are still missing in action. Some people say, What are we doing? Are we glorifying war? Fox said. No, we are not glorifying war. We are glorifying the American spirit of men and women that have always stood and answered the call. The Department of Defense started a nationwide initiative to hold events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the war in 2008 and it was extended through 2025 a few years later. While the veterans are getting more recognition these days, they still bear the scars of the conflict. I just never really came back 100 percent, said Robert O. Hickey, a veteran of the Marine Corps who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. Hickey said hes often reminded of the war: when the full moon over the Sandia Mountains echoes those nights in Da Nang when the enemy could see well enough to launch a rocket attack from Monkey Mountain. Or the smells when his wife, a Filipina woman, prepares rice. But on Thursday, Hickey said he felt good. I feel that Im with people who are like me. We dont have to really say anything, its just quietly understood, Hickey said. We are brothers. Las Cruces has joined the ranks of municipalities around the state in opposing a proposed interim storage facility for the nations spent nuclear fuel in southeast New Mexico or at least opposing the transportation of the radioactive material through respective communities. The Las Cruces City Council voted narrowly this week to approve a resolution opposing the Holtec International site. We have a lot of problems already that come from all the nuclear testing in New Mexico . I just feel that we get dumped on, Councilor Yvonne Flores said. I personally feel that it would be immoral for me to vote in support of this project. Albuquerque and Bernalillo County have each passed legislation opposing the fuels transportation through the city and county on its way to the site. Council members asked questions and debated the project for over two hours Monday night before ultimately voting 4-3 to pass a resolution to oppose the transport of high level nuclear wastes and the construction and operation of nuclear waste storage facilities in New Mexico. At the heart of the concerns, as at most public meetings and hearings regarding the project, was the logistics and safety of transportation of the highly radioactive fuel. Theres really no upside to Las Cruces. The downsides could be huge, said Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima. Im supportive of your interests as long as your interests dont interfere with mine, which is the safety and welfare of Las Cruces residents. Others on the council felt that more information was needed before a decision could be made. My reasoning was that I was hoping for more information of a scientific nature coming to us, said Councilor Jack Eakman, who opposed the resolution, in an interview Tuesday. In my mind, we should not be afraid of atomic energy in any way. I was looking at the feasibility of the project and I wasnt going to rule it out just because it contains the word nuclear. The council will submit the resolution to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is accepting public comment on Holtecs license application until July 30. The state House and Senate each passed resolutions in support of the project in 2016; Gov. Susana Martinez wrote a letter of support in 2015. The city governments of Carlsbad and Hobbs, and Lea and Eddy counties, the communities in closest proximity to the project, have also legislated support of the site. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal EL PASO Concepcion arrived at the airport with her three children Thursday morning, weary but relieved they were together again. I felt like I came back to life when I was reunited with them, she told the Journal at El Paso International Airport. The Salvadoran mothers children are among hundreds of kids returned to their parents as the federal government rushed to meet a court-ordered deadline Thursday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 1,442 children were reunited with their parents by the deadline, but at least 693 were not because more than 450 parents had been deported. Others had criminal records or other reasons they were not eligible for reunification. HHS had said nearly 3,000 children could be reunited with their parents. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in El Paso, San Antonio and Phoenix served as the primary locations where the Trump administration reunited parents in custody with their kids and then released them together. Weve been running 24-7 at many of our detention facilities to help facilitate the reunifications, said Matthew Albence, executive associate director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations during a conference call with media Thursday evening. We made our facilities as family-friendly as possible to ensure reunifications could occur any hour of the day. The families were reunited in conference rooms and offices, not where the parents were detained. During a recent interview with the Journal inside the ICE detention center in El Paso, Concepcion talked about the pain of being separated from her children. She spent most of her time detained in the Otero County Prison Facility in Chaparral under the zero-tolerance crackdown on all illegal border-crossers. Charges against her were later dismissed. Her son, 11, and daughters, 9 and 8, were at a shelter in New York City. They were flown to El Paso and reunited with her Wednesday evening after being apart nearly two months. Last night, they woke up calling, Mama!, Mama! Theyre afraid, Concepcion said. I told them Im right here. At the El Paso airport, her youngest daughter clung to her mothers arm. Her son smiled and said he had recognized a friend, another boy from the childrens shelter in New York, who was also at the airport with his parent waiting for a flight. Concepcion was flying with her three kids to Virginia to join her husband, a former police officer whose asylum claim is before immigration court. Thursday was the court-ordered deadline to reunite children 5 and older as part of a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Children under 5 were supposed to be returned to their parents two weeks ago. In one of the last reunions before the court-ordered deadline expired four-year-old Franco was back in his mothers arms late Thursday night. A social worker arrived on a flight with the Guatemalan boy. At first he looked bewildered but then ran to his mother Maria when she called out, Come here Papi! Earlier in the day, Wendy, a mother from Honduras, was reunited with her 15-month-old son, Brian, after being apart three months. She was waiting at the airport for a flight to New Orleans to join relatives. I just want to be with my family, she said after a long sigh. Annunciation House, an organization that helps migrants and refugees, worked with churches in El Paso and Las Cruces to provide temporary shelter for reunited families. Volunteers escorted them to the airport. There was one group of 18 parents and children catching flights Thursday morning. Theyve treated us like were from this country, said Carlos, a father from Honduras who was traveling with his 9-year-old daughter. We greatly appreciate all the support. Many of the kids had donated backpacks and clothes. One small boy held a stuffed Spider-Man doll. All waited near the airline ticket counter as a volunteer listed a last set of instructions. Hold your boarding passes in your hand, she said. Throw away any bottled water or other drinks before reaching security. Get off the plane in Dallas and look for your connecting gate. Then she had each parent say the name of their final destination. Leonel, a father from Guatemala, struggled to pronounce Gainesville. His 11-year-old daughter stood at his side, wearing a small silver backpack. Most of the parents released by ICE including Concepcion, wore GPS ankle monitors and had temporary travel documents and orders to appear in immigration court at their final destination. Though many are seeking asylum, they still face deportation proceedings. I know theyre scared, said the Rev. Arturo Banuelos, a Catholic priest who happened to be catching a flight at the same time. As the group walked toward the security checkpoint, he offered a blessing. Go with God, he said. Albuquerques role in the national reunification effort of immigrant parents and their children got national coverage Wednesday night when Mayor Tim Keller appeared on CBSN, the 24/7 streaming news service of CBS News based in New York. Keller provided the latest information available about the local community response to the reunification efforts and had some harsh words about the federal governments role. He also was asked about a visit he and his wife made to a refugee shelter in El Paso last month. This issue is very important to our community, and we carried really the heartache and the anger that a lot of folks felt as those children were pulled apart from their parents, he said. And for us, we have deep multicultural roots in Albuquerque, were also very strong in terms of families and blended families, and we went down to stand and say, This isnt right. Keller said he was at the shelter earlier this month with 40 other mayors to view the conditions of the El Paso detention facility, but all were denied access inside. Keller also criticized the Trump administration policy of separation and detention. There really is no plan, and Im just grateful that in our city we have an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and a community thats willing to help these folks, because right now, the federal government really isnt, he said. Dona Dalton, spokeswoman for Lutheran Family Services, Rocky Mountains, said that as of Thursday, 57 immigrant refugees, children and adults who had been reunified at the Otero County detention facility were provided services in Albuquerque. All were in the care of Lutheran Family Services for 24 to 32 hours before being taken to the Albuquerque International Sunport to travel to their final destinations within the United States, Dalton said Thursday in an email to the Journal. The relief organization was contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last Friday and asked to set up an emergency transitional services center in Albuquerque to accommodate up to 300 people. Those services were in place by Saturday at noon, but the first group of 12 reunited immigrants didnt arrive until about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Two other groups followed at 11 p.m., and 2 a.m. Wednesday, bringing the total to 57. While in Albuquerque, the reunited family members were provided with temporary lodging and food, as well as backpacks containing clothing, toiletries, snacks, gift cards and other items all donated by the Albuquerque community. In addition, medical professionals from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center offered medical and behavioral screenings. WASHINGTON What youre seeing and what youre reading is not whats happening. When the history of the Trump era is written, this quotation from our president will play a prominent role in explaining the distemper of our moment and the dysfunction of his administration. Trump was talking about media coverage of his trade war, but he was also describing his genuinely novel approach to governing: He believes that reality itself can be denied and that big lies can sow enough confusion to keep the truth from taking hold. This has advantages for Trump, because it dulls the impact of any new revelation. Old falsehoods simply get buried under new ones. Take the recording of his September 2016 conversation with his one-time lawyer Michael Cohen that was released Tuesday night. Cohens attorney put out the tape, which, as The Washington Posts Carol Leonnig and Robert Costa reported, shows that Trump appeared familiar with a deal that a Playboy model made to sell the rights to her story of an alleged affair with him. Karen McDougal sold her tale to the National Enquirers parent company, American Media Inc. The tabloid never ran her account, which clearly protected Trump from this embarrassing tale before the election, although its management has denied that this was its intention. Trumps lawyer and battering ram Rudy Giuliani insisted the recording portrayed a Trump who doesnt seem that familiar with anything that was discussed. This was, shall we say, an eccentric way of hearing the conversation. Obfuscated in this back-and-forth is the fact that four days before the 2016 election, Hope Hicks, Trumps campaign spokeswoman, denied the affair altogether and said the campaign had no knowledge of any payoff. Trumps behavior would be bad enough if it were only about his personal life and his treatment of women. But the big lie strategy extends to policy and national security as well. For example, the Commerce Department, which runs the census, claimed earlier this year that it added a question asking if respondents were citizens in response to the Justice Departments desire to enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The question is a terrible idea. Six former Census Bureau directors under both Republican and Democratic presidents urged Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross not to include it. They warned doing so will considerably increase the risks to the 2020 enumeration. The fear is that many immigrants, documented and especially undocumented, would be reluctant to answer the census if the question were part of it, leading to an undercounting of places with substantial foreign-born populations. But for the Trump administration, this is not a problem. Its the goal. Undercounting immigrants would have the effect of shifting political power as well as federal money largely to Republican areas that have lower immigrant populations. And documents turned over this week in response to a lawsuit against the addition of the citizenship question showed that Ross lobbied for its inclusion much earlier and more actively than his later sworn testimony had indicated. Lying to Congress is a serious criminal offense, and Secretary Ross must be held accountable, said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon had also pushed for the question when he was in the White House. The Justice Department acted months later, a clear sign that the departments alleged concern for civil rights was simply a pretext for a politically motivated skewing of valuable public information. Distorting data collection is an attack on the truth, too. And when it comes to creating new and unhinged narratives to displace those rooted in fact, Trump has no equal. Thus did the man who stood next to Vladimir Putin when the Russian leader said he wanted Trump to win in 2016 declare this week with no evidence whatsoever that Russia will be pushing very hard for the Democrats in this falls election. Contrary to liberal fears, most of the country doesnt believe him. Trumps core support, measured by the proportion in Wednesdays NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist Poll who strongly approve of him, is down to 25 percent. The bad news is that among Republicans his strong approval number stands at 62 percent. Trumps hope of clinging to power rests on the assumption that he can continue inventing enough false story lines to keep his party at bay. His theory seems to be that a lie is as good as the truth as long as the right people believe it. Dionnes columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at abqjournal.com/opinion look for the syndicated columnist link. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group; e-mail: ejdionne@washpost.com. Twitter: @EJDionne. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexicos congressional delegation is close to passing language in a major budget bill that would shore up Los Alamos National Laboratorys role in producing plutonium cores for nuclear weapons. In a portion of a $727 billion defense bill passed by the House on Thursday, LANL would be tasked with implementing surge efforts to make more than 30 plutonium pits a year to meet national defense and nuclear weapons policy. Also, using round-the-clock labor shifts for plutonium work at Los Alamos would be assessed as a way to ramp up pit production quickly. Where the softball-sized weapon cores should be made has become a contentious political issue. And some critics maintain the nation doesnt need to build any new pits, with thousands produced during the Cold War still in storage. In May, the Nuclear Weapons Council certified the National Nuclear Security Administrations plan to repurpose the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to make 50 pits a year coupled with an enduring mission to produce at least 30 pits per year at Los Alamos, currently the only place in the country set up to make the weapon cores. The NNSA is under a congressional mandate to make 80 pits a year by 2030 as part of an extensive and expensive nuclear weapons modernization plan. New Mexicos congressional delegation has been fighting to keep all the pit work and the billions of dollars of facility and operational dollars that come with it, at Los Alamos. The language in the defense bill calls for another look at where pits should be made and includes other provisions that support Los Alamos, which has faced scrutiny over safety lapses in work with radioactive materials in recent years. The bill calls for the NNSA to produce plans for LANL to make 30 pits annually by 2026 or to make all of the mandated 80 pits per year, in case the South Carolina facility is not operational and producing pits by 2030. The defense bill also directs the Department of Defense, in consultation with the NNSA, to hire an independent contractor to review an NNSA engineering study that determined that dividing pit-making duties between Los Alamos and the Savannah River Site was the way to go. The review would assess making 80 pits a year at Los Alamos alone through the use of multiple labor shifts and additional equipment at PF-4 (the labs existing plutonium facility) until modular facilities are completed to provide a long-term, single-labor shift capacity. A statement from the office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said the senator remains concerned that halting plans for new underground modules at LANL for the riskiest plutonium work in favor of pushing most pit work to South Carolina will set back our militarys life extension programs (for nuclear weapons) and stretch the labs existing facilities and workforce to its limits. Greg Mello of the Albuquerque-based Los Alamos Study Group expressed concern that the mandate for more study of where to make pits is intended to produce a predetermined result favoring Los Alamos and reassure lobbyists and officials we can justify spending billions ASAP. With the long life of the pits now in storage, theres no need to make more for decades, he said. The upside-down priorities embodied in this plan only makes sense as part of a growing military-oriented federal budget that betrays progressives and conservatives alike, Mello said. Thousands of pits were made during the Cold War, but none have been made since 2011, when LANL completed the last of 29 for submarine missiles. The most ever made at LANL in a year is 11. The new defense bill also would authorize $361 million an increase of $140 million over the current fiscal year for LANLs plutonium research and pit production for the 2019 budget year. The defense bill now heads to the Senate. The language about Los Alamos has already been through the joint House-Senate conference process. The fate of pit production at Los Alamos has become intertwined with events at the Savannah River Site, outside Aiken, S.C., which like LANL is a Department of Energy facility overseen by the NNSA. South Carolinas political leaders are fighting the NNSAs plan to repurpose Savannah Rivers mixed-oxide fuel project for pit production. In a suit brought by South Carolina state government, a judge recently issued an injunction against stopping the MOX project, putting NNSAs plans to make pits in South Carolina on ice for now. The MOX plant is intended to turn weapons-grade plutonium from dismantled warheads into fuel for nuclear reactors as part of a nonproliferation agreement between the U.S. and Russia. But the project has faced delays, litigation and costs ballooning from an early estimate of $4 billion to a projected $17 billion. The MOX project is generally considered more lucrative than making pits. LANL is transitioning to new management. A partnership of the University of California, Texas A&M University and the giant scientific nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute will take over the $2.2. billion operating contract in November, replacing a private consortium that includes UC and the Bechtel Corp. Nepal-India think tank summit to be held on July 31 Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDA) and Nehru Memorial Museum Library (NMML) is going to jointly host NepalIndia Think Tank Summit 2018 for the first time in Kathmandu on coming Tuesday. Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity rocket hit new altitudes and speeds in its third powered flight test Thursday morning, moving the company one step closer to passenger flights from southern New Mexicos Spaceport America. The rocket soared to 170,800 feet, or 32.3 miles, above the Mojave Desert after breaking away from the WhiteKnightTwo mothership, which carried the Unity on its underbelly to about 46,000 feet. At that point, rocket pilot Dave Mackay fired up the ships hybrid motor and the vehicle shot upward to a Mach 2.47 velocity, or more than twice the speed of sound. That pushed the Unity into the mesosphere, the next level beyond the stratosphere. The flight was still well short of space, at 264,000 feet, or 50 miles, up, according to NASAs definition of suborbit. But its far higher than the Unitys last flight, in May, when it reached 114,500 feet, or 22 miles. And it was significantly faster than the Mach 1.9 speed the rocket reached in May, thanks to 11 more seconds of rocket burn on Thursdays flight, said Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. It went substantially faster and higher than weve done in the past, Whitesides told the Journal. It puts us another step closer to space. To get to suborbit, the rocket motor must burn for about 60 seconds to achieve needed thrust. Thursday mornings flight was planned for a 41-second burn, up from 30 seconds during the May flight. Well go into data review now to look at everything and to plan what well do in the next flight, Whitesides said. We hope to achieve longer burns and faster speeds next time. Were doing it in incremental steps to achieve a safe journey into suborbit, but obviously, were not too far away from a long-duration burn. Once the company successfully reaches suborbit and has fully assessed all flight effects on the vehicle including inside the cabin, where paying passengers will eventually sit Virgin Galactic will begin moving its operations to New Mexico. It currently manages all operations at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where Virgin Galactic has its headquarters. Virgin Galactic has sold about 700 tickets at $250,000 apiece for space tourists seeking a few minutes in microgravity and spectacular sights of Earths curvature below. Those flights will be managed at Spaceport America, near Upham, about 50 miles north of Las Cruces. Virgin Galactic is the spaceports anchor tenant, but the company no longer gives a timeline for when commercial operations will begin, especially after the fatal 2014 crash of Virgins first rocket, the SpaceShipTwo Enterprise. That rocket broke apart in flight after the co-pilot prematurely ignited the vehicles braking system, killing him and injuring the pilot. The newly designed VSS Unity has automatic safety features built in to protect against such human error. In the latest flight, chief pilot Dave Mackay flew the rocket on its upward trajectory and co-pilot Mike Sooch Masucci brought it back to ground using the vehicles feathering system, in which its wings shift upward, slowing the rocket and allowing it to safely re-enter the atmosphere. The spacecraft then glides down and lands on a runway. It was a thrill from start to finish, Mackay said after the flight, according to a blog post on Virgin Galactics website. Unitys rocket motor performed magnificently again and Sooch pulled off a smooth landing. This was a new altitude record for both of us in the cockpit, not to mention our mannequin in the back, and the views of the Earth from the black sky were magnificent. Sooch said in the post that the view at 170,000 feet was amazing. The flight was exciting and, frankly, beautiful, he said. We were able to complete a large number of test points, which will give us good insight as we progress to our goal of commercial service. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal A Bernalillo County man has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. subsidiary of Chinese telecom giant ZTE Corp., alleging that one of the companys cellphones set his home on fire and that the resulting blaze gave him permanent and life-altering injuries. According to the 1st Judicial District Court lawsuit filed this week in Santa Fe, Jose Perez plugged his ZTE Zmax Pro Blu into a charger on the evening of Nov. 8, 2017. He alleges that he fell asleep with the phone on the edge of the bed and that when he awoke in the middle of the night, he discovered his bed was engulfed in fire. Joses life would be forever changed, the complaint says. He remained hospitalized or in (a) skilled nursing unit from the night of the fire until just recently. He sustained third-degree burns so significant he is unable to walk for any period of extended time without assistance. The lawsuit alleges that the ZTE phone in question was designed in a way that makes it susceptible to overheating, and that Perezs phone ignited as a result of this design. Defendants named in the suit are ZTE USA Inc., as well as MetroPCS Texas LLC and the Santa Fe- and Albuquerque-based Ultimate Wireless CSR LLC, entities the lawsuit claims are liable for purportedly selling and distributing the phone to Perez. ZTE and MetroPCS did not respond to a request for comment. Calls to multiple numbers associated with Ultimate Wireless either reached a message saying the number had been disconnected or rang without answer. Perezs attorney, Michael Lyons of the Texas-based firm Deans and Lyons, said Perezs medical bills have totaled more than $1 million, and that his client lost all of his possessions and savings in the fire. Outside of dying, I cant imagine a worse situation for a human being to encounter, he said. The lawsuit does not give a specific location of the home, but Lyons said it was in the Albuquerque area. The lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages, including those for economic loss, future medical expenses and future pain and suffering. ZTE isnt the only technology company to deal with allegations of device-related fires in recent years. In 2016, Samsung recalled about 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones globally after reports of the device igniting while it charged. It was the largest phone recall in history. Earlier this year, the Trump administration banned U.S. firms from exporting technology to ZTE after the company admitted shipping U.S.-made parts to Iran and North Korea, a violation of American trade sanctions against those countries. The company has since replaced its corporate leadership, and the U.S. has allowed it to resume certain business activities with organizations here. WASHINGTON At the expiration of a court deadline to reunite migrant families separated during its zero tolerance border crackdown, the Trump administration said Thursday that it has delivered 1,442 children to parents detained in immigration custody, and is on track to return all of those deemed eligible for reunification. But 711 children remain in government shelters because their parents have criminal records, their cases remain under review or the parents are no longer in the United States, officials said. The latter group includes 431 parents. Chris Meekins with the Department of Health and Human Services, which has led the reunification effort, told reporters that hundreds of staff have worked 24-7 to meet the courts 30-day deadline. Administration officials said they would work with the court to figure out how to return the remaining children, including those whose parents have been deported. Another 120 parents declined to be reunited with their kids, the government said, a decision some parents make to allow their children to remain in the United States with other relatives while their immigration claims are adjudicated. President Donald Trump ordered an end to family separations June 20 amid public outcry and spreading criticism within his own political party, as searing accounts emerged of traumatized children and anguished parents. Within days, Judge Dana Sabraw of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, a Republican appointee, ordered the government to return children to their parents as quickly as possible. Sabraws order set off a bureaucratic scramble across multiple federal agencies, as workers sorted through case files by hand to match children to parents and plan their reunions. He set July 26 as a deadline but allowed the government latitude to determine which parents would qualify for expedited reunions. The judge has praised the governments progress so far as a remarkable achievement, and Sabraw is expected to rule Friday on a motion by the plaintiff, the American Civil Liberties Union, to make the government wait at least a week before attempting to deport families whove been reunited. The families have had virtually no chance to talk to each other about what decision they want to make, ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said Thursday. Those are incredibly difficult legal decisions to make for parents and children who havent seen each other, and we believe seven days is more than reasonable. In many cases, those families will have to decide whether to be deported together or to leave their children behind in the United States to pursue their asylum cases. Government attorneys have told Sabraw they are proud of the round-the-clock reunification effort. But Gelernt said the government was praising itself for meeting benchmarks it set, and that it would take far longer to sort out the cases of children still in government custody. They shouldnt be proud of work theyre doing, he told reporters. It should just be: we created a cruel, inhumane unconstitutional policy. Now were trying to fix it in every way we can and make these families whole, Gelernt said. The ACLU said in court documents filed Wednesday that many migrant parents separated from their children may have unknowingly signed away their reunification rights. Some parents said they thought they were signing paperwork that would, in fact, allow them to reunite with their children, according to their lawyers. Others described being crowded into rooms with dozens of people, given only a few minutes to fill out forms that would determine whether they would reunite with their children or leave them behind in the United States. They signed the forms out of fear, or confusion, or a belief that they had no other choice, lawyers wrote in the court filing. One father was told that if he didnt sign the form presented to him, then he would not see his daughter again, lawyer Kathryn Shepherd wrote in a court affidavit. These testimonies, described by more than a dozen lawyers, were part of the ACLU ongoing class-action lawsuit over the U.S. governments separation of migrant families. As Thursdays court deadline approached, the Trump administration faced increased scrutiny from Sabraw over its inability to sort out how many migrant parents have already been deported or released from federal custody. The government is seeking to resume deportations and the administration has challenged the ACLUs motion, insisting the migrant parents it deported gave their consent. But Wednesdays filing paints a picture of confusion and misinformation. Gelernt accused immigration officials of distributing paperwork to migrant parents in a coercive and misleading manner, creating a chaotic reunification process. Many of the parents speak indigenous languages, of which there are more than two dozen in Central America. Interpreters are scarce. And even among those migrants who speak Spanish, many do not know how to read or write. This means that many migrants have very little understanding of the current status of their asylum case, the whereabouts of their children or their legal options moving forward. Luis Cruz, a lawyer counseling with migrant parents in Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, described speaking with five fathers who were on the governments list of people who had relinquished their rights to reunification with their children. All of the five fathers wish to be reunited with their children, Cruz wrote in an affidavit as part of the ACLUs court filing. All five said they cant read or write in Spanish or English. Each of the fathers told me that they were not given the opportunity to ask questions. . . . Each described feeling hopeless and believing that they had no alternative but to sign the form. One broke down in tears, saying he hadnt spoken to his son in 25 days and was uncertain of his location. Leah Chavla, who has been counseling reunited families at a residential center in Dilley, Texas, said it takes hours just to get basic information from families about the stages of their cases. This is in large part, Chavla says, because of the trauma these families have experienced. Chavla described the struggle of clarifying information during an interview with a mother and her 11-year-old son. The boy would barely speak through the entire interview, only sometimes slightly nodding or shaking his head to answer simple yes or no questions, Chavla said. He only stared forward with an intent expression that looked like he was concentrating so as to not cry. His mother repeatedly told him to speak to us, but he could not speak. A Native American activist accused of raping unconscious women and recording the assaults on video has been arrested in Phoenix after police in New Mexico issued a warrant for his arrest, according to online jail records. Redwolf Pope, a lawyer who has been described as having served as a liaison for elders, veterans and legal representatives during oil pipeline protests in North Dakota two years ago, was taken into custody late Tuesday night by Phoenix police. He was being held at the Maricopa County jail. An arrest warrant filed Monday in Santa Fe accused Pope of both sexually assaulting females who appeared to have been slipped a date-rape drug and surreptitiously recording guests at apartments in Santa Fe and Seattle. He had residences in both cities, police said. In a police interview last week, one woman told a Seattle detective that she had known Pope for years and had trusted him in the past because of his standing in her tribe, which is Tlingit. Pope appeared on The OReilly Factor on Fox News in the past to discuss Native American perspectives on Thanksgiving, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported. The show identified his tribal affiliation as being Western Shoshone. He also delivered a TEDx Talk in Seattle last year about oil pipeline protests at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. He is charged in a criminal complaint in New Mexico with rape, false imprisonment and other crimes. Police in both Seattle and Santa Fe are investigating the case. His attorney, Amy Sirignano, declined comment on his behalf Wednesday afternoon, saying she had not yet had the opportunity to communicate with him following his arrest. Police said the Washington state woman interviewed last week had travelled in August 2017 to Santa Fe when she encountered Pope at a party and he offered her a ride. The last thing she remembers from that night was sipping a can of alcoholic iced tea he had given her, she said. She recalled waking up confused the next morning in a Santa Fe hotel room, and Pope telling her that she had expressed her love for him the night before, which she did not believe. Eventually, she knew, she just wanted to get out of there and not deal with it, the warrant said. The Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual assault. Police reviewed roughly two dozen photographs and four videos initially recorded on cameras they obtained after one of Popes roommates reported she had found a small video camera in his Seattle apartments bathroom. The roommate turned the cameras memory card over to police after travelling to Santa Fe. While in Santa Fe, the roommate also found an iPad belonging to Pope that contained videos of him sexually assaulting multiple females who appeared unconscious, police said. City and county leaders and developers celebrated the completion of the $13.6 million mixed-income Sterling Downtown apartment project today with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The 107-unit apartment building at 800 Silver Ave SW, was developed by the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership, thanks to financial backing from the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. The building has 28 efficiency, 67 one-bedroom, and 12 two-bedroom units. Move-ins began two weeks ago, and the Sterling Downtown already is 37 percent occupied and 57 percent leased, said a GAHP spokesman. According to GAHP, the four-story Sterling is home to individuals and families with incomes at or below 30 to 60 percent of the Albuquerque median income. To get the project rolling, the county issued an $8.6 million Multifamily Housing Revenue Note; the city contributed $4 million through the Workforce Housing Trust Fund; and the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority awarded $1 million through the New Mexico Housing Trust Fund. Separate from the development costs are New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority low-income housing tax credits totaling $594,000. The architect was Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, and the general contractor was Bradbury Stamm. Today we are excited for all the residents who have chosen to call Sterling Downtown their home, said Felipe Rael, executive director of GAHP, in a statement. The best part is that residents will keep more money in their pockets thanks to the energy-efficient design and affordable rents. Resident amenities include bike storage and repair space, indoor dog wash area, exercise room, bulk storage and a 4th-floor internet cafe with a rooftop deck. The lobby area includes a coffee shop that will be operated by Plata Coffee. Each apartment home includes a washer and dryer, a built-in desk and stainless-steel appliances. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants a federal court to toss a lawsuit filed by Utah, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation seeking the repayment of cleanup costs for a mine spill in Colorado that polluted rivers in three states. The EPA said in a motion Wednesday that the court doesnt need to intervene because crews are already working on the cleanup of water contaminated with heavy metals that was accidentally released from an EPA-monitored mine. Granting any relief in New Mexico, within the Navajo Nation, or in Utah would conflict and interfere with EPAs exclusive jurisdiction over its on-going response action activities and cleanup remedies, the federal government said in court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. Utah is seeking for $1.9 billion in damages from the EPA. The Navajo Nation filed a claim for $162 million, and the state of New Mexico is seeking $130 million. The 2015 Gold King Mine accident in southern Colorado occurred at an inactive mine where polluted water had been accumulating for years before an agency crew accidentally released it during cleanup work. The spill sent a yellow-orange plume of toxic heavy metals into rivers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and on Native American lands. The EPA had no rules for working around old mines when agency workers triggered the spill, government investigators said in 2017. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas showed no signs of giving up on the lawsuit after the EPAs motion. We look forward to continuing our efforts to protect our water, environment and unique culture as we prepare our responses to these claims, Balderas spokesman David Carl said in a statement. Navajo Nation Council Speaker LoRenzo Bates said tribal officials still dont know the full extent of any possible long-term effects from the spill. But we do know that many Navajo people were negatively impacted in terms of their agriculture, livestock, and other means of providing for them and their families, Bates said. There remains a need for accountability for the spill that occurred. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn plans to drop his campaign for U.S. Senate and Libertarians are hoping they can get a familiar name to take his place on the November general election ballot. That would be former New Mexico governor and two-time presidential candidate Gary Johnson, who confirmed Friday that he would give the race a close look. If the opportunity arises to run for the Senate, I will give it serious consideration, Johnson told the Journal in a statement. To be clear, though, I will not run unless I believe I can win. If he ultimately decides to jump into the race, Johnson would still have to win the vote of Libertarian Party insiders to officially fill the partys vacancy and become its nominee, though that would likely be a given. But he would be getting into the race late, with Election Day just over three months away. Johnson, a Taos resident, was a Republican when he served as New Mexicos governor from 1995 through 2002. He later switched his party affiliation to Libertarian and ran for president in 2012 and 2016. After the 2016 presidential race, Johnson vowed he was done with political races, though he said he would remain politically active. Libertarians have major party status for this years state election cycle, largely because Johnson received 9.3 percent of the New Mexico votes in the 2016 presidential race. His best showing was in Los Alamos County, where he and his running mate received nearly 14 percent of the vote. Taking advantage of their newfound status, Libertarian candidates have qualified to be on the ballot for three statewide offices attorney general, secretary of state and land commissioner and in two of the states three congressional districts. But the party has also encountered organizational challenges, as its write-in candidates for governor and lieutenant governor failed to get enough votes in the primary election to make it onto the Nov. 6 ballot, even after Libertarians paid for a vote recount. Dunn, who changed his party affiliation earlier this year from Republican to Libertarian, was elected land commissioner in 2014 and is currently the only Libertarian holding statewide elected office in the nation. He could have run for re-election to land commissioner this year, but instead set his sights on the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Martin Heinrich, a Democrat. Dunns decision to withdraw from the race would leave just Heinrich and Republican Mick Rich, an Albuquerque contractor whos making his first run for elected office, in the race for now. Although no Libertarian has ever won election to the U.S. Senate, Johnsons possible return to New Mexico politics could shake up the Senate race and help other Libertarian candidates. A successful businessman before he got into politics, Johnson created waves and opposition from some other Republicans in 1999 when he publicly advocated for the legalization of drugs, including marijuana. In addition, his propensity for vetoing bills passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature earned him the nickname Governor No. An avid skier and triathlete, Johnson recently completed a 2,800-mile Continental Divide bike race from the town of Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rockies to the Mexican border at Antelope Wells. Customer Logins Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice. DHL Global Forwarding and Ethiopian Airlines are to form a joint venture company to build the leading cargo logistics provider joint venture company in Africa. DHL-Ethiopian Airlines Logistics Services will be based in Ethiopia but will conduct business on the entire African continent, said the two companies in a statement. Ethiopian Airlines, with a majority stake in the joint venture, will provide regulatory and operational support as DHL Global Forwarding establishes air, ocean, and road freight connections between Ethiopias main trade hubs and the rest of the world. In early July, an Ethiopian newspaper, citing Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam, said that Ethiopian would own 51% and Germany-headquartered DHL 49%. Few details were outlined in the joint statement, but Ethiopian Cargo is an ambitious freighter operator, With six B777 and two B757 freighters serving 39 cargo destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia the Americas and Europe. In January this year, Ethiopian announced that it is to lease two converted Boeing 737-800 freighters from lessor GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). Tim Scharwath, chief executive of DHL Global Forwarding, said: By bundling our global network expertise with Ethiopian Airlines profound knowledge of the regulatory and operational environment, we are opening up an important access to international trade for Africas fastest growing economy and at the same time strengthening our position in the African continent. Pramod Bagalwadi, a DHL veteran with over two decades of experience in management roles within the logistics industry, has been appointed to lead the new organization. This will be an additional portfolio for Bagalwadi, who currently leads the industrial projects team for DHL in Sub-Saharan Africa. Amadou Diallo, chief executive of DHL Global Forwarding, Middle East and Africa, said: With its GDP growth, Africa is stepping into the spotlight as production hub. Recent moves to open up the economy will continue to boost Ethiopias position as the fastest-growing economy in Africa Under Pramods leadership, the company will be able to provide a scalable and durable logistics infrastructure to safely handle the sensitive needs of its core industries. GebreMariam said: Logistics is key to support Africas fast economic growth and industrialization drive. Ethiopian has, therefore, partnered with DHL who has a proven expertise and experience in the logistics sector, with a view to avail the right logistics solutions in terms of cost, time and quality. We have had a longstanding and mutually rewarding partnership with DHL, and with this Joint venture we aim to make the country a logistics hub for Africa. The joint venture is another step in an extended partnership between DHL Global Forwarding and Ethiopian Airlines since 2010. DHL Global Forwarding has been supporting the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations of Ethiopian Airlines commercial segment. Read more freight forwarder and freighter operator news Sign up to receive Air Cargo News direct to your inbox for free Share this story Mainland China gets airlines to stop referring to Taiwan as a separate country, convinces Asian Olympic Committee to cancel youth competition scheduled next year in the Taiwanese city of Taichung. The Taiwanese will not accept this, says spokesperson for Taiwans Foreign Ministry. Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) The Chinese government is trying to isolate Taiwan internationally, but the people of Taiwan will not accept the mainlands attempts to destroy Taiwans sovereignty, and erase it from the world map, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee said. Taiwan has been de facto independent since 1949, when the nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-shek was defeated by the People's Liberation Army led by Mao Zedong. Immediately after the military debacle, the Generalissimo fled with his government and army to the island. Since then, Beijing has considered Taiwan "a rebel province", whilst for decades Taipei has declared itself the real capital of the real China. Taiwan was recognised as the legitimate government of all of China until 1971, the year when Sino-American detente enabled Beijing to take Chinas seat at the United Nations. Since then, Taiwan began to lose diplomatic recognition from other states. At present, only 19 countries formally recognise it. In recent weeks, China has put pressure on international airlines to cancel "Taiwan" as a separate country. In addition, Beijing has succeeded in getting the Asian Olympic Committee to withdraw the islands right to host a youth competition scheduled for next year in the central city of Taichung. These are attempts to destroy Taiwans sovereignty, and erase it from the world map, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee. I believe that no Taiwanese people would accept such a thing, Lee added. For its part, the Chinese government said that Taiwan was to blame for the cancellation, claiming that the actions of Taiwan independence elements on the self-ruled island had led to political interference. Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife. There is a war going on within the Iranian presidential palace, where two leading members of the administration are striving to force First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri out of the government. On one side of the confrontation is presidential Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi and government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, who also doubles as head of the Management and Planning Organization. The two men are founding members of the Moderation and Development Party under the leadership of President Hassan Rouhani. On the other side are Jahangiri and his Reformist Executives of Construction Party. The Moderation and Development Party was established in 1999, while the Executives of Construction Party came into existence in 1996. Both had the support of the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former two-time president (1989-97) who passed away in 2017. Prior to Rouhani's initial election in 2013, Vaezi and Nobakht served as deputies of Rouhani at the Expediency Councils Center for Strategic Research. Back then, Jahangiri, who was close to Rafsanjani, was a prominent Reformist figure who had prepared himself to run in the 2013 election. But as he saw Rafsanjani nominating himself, he ultimately stepped back. In Rouhanis first presidential term, Jahangiri was proposed as first vice president by Rafsanjani. What ought to be noted here is that Rouhani has long been considered Rafsanjani's protege and served as the Ayatollah's deputy or adviser in a variety of positions over the years. Meanwhile, Vaezi appeared as a diplomat in the televised presidential debates on foreign policy ahead of the 2013 polls and expected to be appointed as foreign minister by Rouhani. However, the "diplomat sheikh" rather appointed Mohammad Javad Zarif the chief diplomat while naming Vaezi minister of information and communications technology. In the wake of Rouhani's re-election in 2017 and amid increasing pressure on his then chief of staff, moderate-conservative Mohammad Nahavandian, Vaezi a member of the presidents inner circle was appointed the new chief of staff. As Vaezi's position in the presidential palace was strengthened, Reformists criticized him for limiting their access to the president and acting on his own rather than on Rouhanis behalf on some issues. In late December 2017, Ghasem Mirzaei Nekou, a senior Reformist parliament member, indirectly accused Vaezi of being the reason why no meetings were being held between Rouhani and his camp. He also criticized Vaezi for having signed letters or orders in response to a number of letters that had been written to the president. "This increase of power can have political consequences," Nekou warned. However, the empowerment of the chief of staff is, in fact, a legacy of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was locked in confrontation with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the naming of his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, as first vice president. Mashaei was long accused of having appropriated undue power. While Vaezi is believed by some to be a Reformist, he is, rather, a moderate-conservative; in the past, he has even voted for hard-line figures such as Morteza Nabavi in parliamentary elections. In this vein, his alleged meddling in parliaments internal elections over the speakership and speaker deputies in the past two years has repeatedly angered the Reformists. On June 19, 2017, prominent Reformist figure Hossein Marashi accused Vaezi of having gone behind the Reformists' back in parliament and strengthening the conservatives in line with a grand strategy of forging a coalition with the conservatives against Reformist lawmakers. Now, tensions between the Reformists and the Moderation and Development Party have mounted as Vaezi and Nobakht both appear to be attempting to undermine Jahangiri and consequently forcing him to resign. This is reputed to almost have succeeded since the first vice president recently orally told the president that he wants to step down. According to local media, Vaezi has taken over much of Jahangiri's duties and authority, turning him into a powerless vice president. This is while many assumed that Jahangiri would be given a bigger role owing to his strong and notable defense of Rouhani in the televised debates ahead of the 2017 presidential election. In this vein, Vaezi's apparent effort to gain more influence has gone to the extent that, rather than Jahangiri, the chief of staff has been playing a key role in appointing provincial governors around the country. Moreover, divisions between the Moderation and Development Party and the Executives of Construction Party entered a new phase amid the worsening of the economic crisis in Iran. According to Abdullah Naseri, a figure close to Reformist leader Mohammad Khatami, Jahangiri has been in disagreement with Rouhanis economic team, which is in the hands of Nobakht. Rouhani has apparently not heeded Jahangiris warnings, leading to Jahangiris resignation, which was not accepted by the president despite the consent of the first vice presidents rivals. Given the dire economic conditions in Iran, many among the public are calling for the resignation of the government's economic team including Nobakht. Intriguingly, while having no important economic role, Jahangiri has been depicted as the man behind the administration's economic plan. Of note, he was chosen in April to announce the most important economic decision of the government this year on live television namely, the unification of the official and open market currency rates. As the rial unification failed and the diversion between the official and open market rates skyrocketed, people pointed the finger at Jahangiri, leading to his public image being tarnished. This is while he had turned into a popular figure after the 2017 presidential debates for his frankness and role as a shield in the face of the attacks of Rouhanis rivals. Amid the ongoing public pressure for change, Rouhani appointed Abdul-Naser Hemmati as the new head of the Central Bank of Iran, ending Valiollah Seif's five-year term. Yet, despite the rising demands for a reshuffle, the president has kept Nobakht, who is considered one of the main pillars of his economic team. As partisan quarrels have persisted, Sazandegi newspaper, which belongs to the Executives of Construction Party, on July 7 called for Nobakhts resignation. In response, Aftab News, which is believed to be close to the Moderation and Development Party including Nobakht savaged its rivals, arguing on the same day, "The key concept of changing the economic team of the government is just a pretext to damage the administration in order to dictate their [Executives of Construction] party and political designs to the government and the president." Another news website close to the Moderation and Development Party also portrayed Jahangiri as the leader of Rouhani's economic team and claimed that he wants to resign. Amid the infighting within his own inner circle, it seems as if Rouhani has managed to enforce a cease-fire as he recently appointed Jahangiri the head of the Special Economic Campaign against the US Economic War. Meanwhile, Nobakht has tweeted in support of Jahangiri's "logical positions" in the Cabinet. However, it remains unclear whether the truce is just temporary and whether the disagreements within the presidential palace will surface once again. Hadera Mayor Zvi Gendelman returned to his office July 25 surrounded by several dozen supporters and feeling reinvigorated. It was his first time back after being suspended from office for a month and a half. Gendelman, a brigadier general in the reserves, was arrested in early June together with other prominent figures in the municipality on suspicion of bribery, fraud and the violation of public trust. The very fact that this highly regarded officer was brought to court for an extension of his arrest left a bitter feeling. The main reason he won the 2013 election in the first place was because he waged a campaign against corruption in his city. Now, he is allegedly guilty of it, too. Hadera citizens are no strangers to corruption scandals. In 2005, their previous mayor Yisrael Sadan (1998-2005) was convicted of bribery and sent to prison. Stepping in to replace him was Haim Avitan, but just before the 2013 election, he, too, came under suspicion of bribery, which led to his arrest and interrogation. Then he ran against Gendelman in the last election and lost. This left the people of Hadera feeling like they had just entered a new era free of bribery in politics. In 2015, the State Attorneys Office decided to close its case against Avitan, who later claimed that Gendelman stole the election. Now, Gendelman himself is in trouble. He was arrested and later kept under house arrest for a lengthy period. In an interview with the Kan TV network on the day he returned to office, Gendelman claimed that political forces were behind his interrogation and announced that he was planning to run for another term in the upcoming municipal elections on Oct. 30. There is a phenomenon in Israel in which the heads of local government who get entangled in criminal charges will not hesitate to run again in the next round of elections. Events in Hadera bring this issue right back to the forefront of the public agenda. Gendelman is innocent, of course, until he is convicted and so far, he hasnt even been indicted. It looks like it will take a long time before the State Attorneys Office decides what to do with him. There is even a chance that they will decide not to indict Gendelman at all. Nevertheless, it is hard to ignore the uneasy feeling accompanying the upcoming municipal elections. At least 12 mayors and other heads of local authorities, including Gendelman, are embroiled one way or another in criminal affairs, and yet they plan to run for another term. For example, Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg is suspected of fraud and violation of public trust (she already staffed her election campaign), and the mayor of Rishon Lezion, Dov Tzur, is suspected of bribery, fraud and the violation of public trust. In both cases, it has yet to be decided whether they will be indicted. Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni was indicted for bribery, fraud and tax fraud in 2017. Although he suspended himself, there is every indication that he plans to run again, even though his trial is currently underway. As strange as it seems, the existing law does not prevent him from running. Many of the problems that these mayors face involve contractors and tenders, but several local politicians are also suspected of committing sex crimes. For example, Benny Biton, the mayor of Dimona, was interrogated over accusations of sexual harassment, yet he still plans to run again in the upcoming election. Over the last two decades, dozens of Israeli mayors have been investigated for crimes involving ethics violations. Some were indicted; a few even spent time in prison. There can be no doubt that this is a disturbing phenomenon and that the country is struggling to deal with it or is it that the country has no interest in dealing with it? That is why a piece of newly proposed legislation submitted by the chair of the Kulanu Knesset faction, Roy Folkman, on the final day of the Knessets session on July 26 was both refreshing and important. Folkman spends much of his time dealing with the war against government corruption. His new law hopes to fix a problem in the existing law in order to prevent mayors from running again once they are suspended as a result of an indictment against them. According to the existing law, whenever the head of a local authority is suspended, the local council or municipality elects a replacement from among its members, who will then hold office until the end of the suspension or until the next election. The problem is that if the election takes place during the suspension period and the person elected is the suspended mayor, the deputy mayor automatically steps in to replace him. In the amendment proposed by Folkman, even in the event that a mayor under investigation is re-elected, the local council will be the one electing a replacement from among their members. This is intended to prevent a situation in which the suspended mayor picks a straw man to replace him, which in most cases means picking someone loyal to him and who will do his bidding. Knesset member Folkman argued in an interview with the press, If this law passes, it would help in some way to purge local government of corruption. As of now, the law is still in its infancy; however, and of course, it will have no bearing on the upcoming elections in October. Folkman has another, private law, which he proposed last May to prevent conflicts of interest in municipal committees overseeing tenders. In this case, too, however, it will take time before the law is passed, if it is passed at all. Another proposed law, signed by 50 members of Knesset from the left and the right would require municipalities to disclose their financial reports online, in an effort to reduce the scope of corruption. The proposed law was submitted last June and is still in the earliest stages of legislation. The most obvious conclusion to all this is that despite the rising tide of corruption in local government, legislators have very little motivation at best to enact legislation that would rein in the phenomenon. On the other hand, during the final week of the Knessets session, which just ended, the prime minister himself put all his weight behind the controversial Nationality Law, which is tainted with racism against Israels Arab population. There is no doubt that the war against corruption in local government is a much more pressing issue than the Nationality Law and much more deserving of government attention. Many studies even show that local government corruption is the pounding heart of government corruption overall. And yet, when was the last time that Benjamin Netanyahu or any of his ministers advanced legislation to rein in this phenomenon? There is no doubt that the populist Nationality Law will win Netanyahu and the Likud far more voters than, for example, legislation to limit mayors to two terms in office, as proposed in the past by Knesset member Ilan Gilon of Meretz. The problem is that legislation such as that would infuriate mayors, and those same mayors also happen to be the electoral base in the big cities for parties like the Likud. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The European Union expressed concern over the national law that was approved by the Israeli Knesset July 19. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini clarified that the law grants Jews alone the right to self-determination in the country and will hinder a two-state solution. Weve been very clear when it comes to the two-state solution, we believe it is the only way forward and any step that would further complicate or prevent this solution of becoming a reality should be avoided, stated Mogherini July 19. The Jewish nation-state law reads: Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it. It demotes Arabic from an official language to a secondary language. There are 1.8 million Arabs in Israel, 20% of the total Israeli population of 9 million people. Maja Kocijancic, Mogherinis spokesperson, asserted in a July 13 press conference that the EU does not recognize Israels sovereignty over the areas it occupied in 1967 and does not consider them Israeli territories. The conference came against the background of a diplomatic dispute between Ireland (an EU member) and Israel over a bill banning the importation of products from Israeli settlements to Ireland. On July 11, the Irish Senate voted 25 to 20 in favor of a bill banning Irelands importation of products from Israeli settlements. The bill will be presented to parliament for approval, though the ruling party in Ireland opposes it. The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Irish ambassador to Israel July 12 to protest the bill and threatened to close the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv. Rights activist and campaign director for Avaaz in the Palestinian territories Fadi Quran posted the result of the vote on Facebook from Ireland. He called it a historic victory for the Palestinian people and an accomplishment honoring the victims of the Great March of Return protests in Gaza and the resilience of the people of Khan al-Ahmar and Palestinian refugee camps. Quran told Al-Monitor that he is currently lobbying for a similar law in Spain. He explained that the objective is to hurt Israel economically by boycotting settlement products and institutions. Israel stands to lose billions of dollars and could be forced to abide by international law, he added. Meanwhile, the head of the political science department in Al-Azhar University in Gaza, Mkhaimar Abusada, told Al-Monitor that the EU stance has remained unchanged since the issuance of UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967, when Israel annexed Palestinian territories and the EU declared them occupied lands. Abusada said the EU stances are just formalities that will not change the status quo in a state like Israel. He recalled the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in July 2004 on the illegality of the construction of a separation wall in the 1967 territories and the need to remove the wall and compensate Palestinians for the losses incurred. The wall still stands. The EU is also sending the message that Israels settlement expansions are illegal, like the development in Khan al-Ahmar that stirred angry European reactions. Israel sought to bulldoze the Bedouin village in East Jerusalem. Walid Modallal, a political science professor at the Islamic University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that Europeans understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and must balance it with their interests in the region. He added that the EU is far from uniform, as many European states sympathize with the Palestinian cause and support the two-state solution, while others are more aligned with Israeli politics. Modallal said, European diplomacy is under a lot of pressure from Israel and the US to give supportive stances. But Europe is well aware that Israel is taking unilateral measures that oppose the international communitys inclinations. He went on, The EU is worried about [Donald] Trumps steps and the 'deal of the century.' Therefore, it is anticipating matters with stances that would spare it future embarrassment and allow it to maintain its role and protect its interests in the Middle East. He added, The EU considers the settlements illegal. The Irish bill entails putting special labels on Israeli settlement products to single them out. However, this bill does not bind other EU states to refrain from importing Israeli settlement merchandise." Modallal noted that the economic, cultural, diplomatic and academic boycott has been effective. The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is active in Europe and other European countries will probably follow in Irelands footsteps, he said. Europeans are increasingly sympathizing with the Palestinian cause, with the Great March of Return protests and the unjustified Israeli violence against protesters. International reports have contributed to revealing Israeli crimes, which pressures European parliaments to condemn Israeli abuses. French Ambassador to Israel Helene Le Gal told the Israeli Maariv newspaper July 14 that France will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem only if the Palestinians and Israelis reach a peace agreement that considers Jerusalem the capital of Israel. She asserted that the celebrations over moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem fueled the bloody protests on the borders between the Gaza Strip and Israel, and reiterated that France supports the two-state solution. Thirteen years since the expulsion, 13 years of complete darkness in the razed Jewish settlements of Homesh, Sa-Nur and Kadim. Tonight, we turn on the light in Sa-Nur once again. We say: This place still belongs to us, we are committed to this place and to all the area around it. This impassioned speech was delivered by Knesset member Shuli Moalem-Refaeli of HaBayit HaYehudi, on the ruins of the West Bank Sa-Nur settlement that Israel demolished in 2005. Sa-Nur was demolished as part of the 2005 disengagement from Gaza, which included the disengagement from four West Bank (north Samaria) settlements. Some 200 former residents of Sa-Nur joined Moalem-Refaeli, arriving at the site under cover of darkness on July 24. Moalem-Refaeli explained that Sa-Nur was chosen for the symbolic event because it was the farthest and least accessible of the four destroyed settlements. The effort to get there illustrates the settlers determination to resettle this land, she explained. HaBayit HaYehudi lawmakers are hoping to nullify the 2005 Disengagement Law, the legal framework for the evacuation of Jewish settlements, also called the eviction-compensation law. The bill set out the compensation to those evicted from their homes and banned them from returning to the area, which was declared a closed military zone. The settlers who took part in the recent protest at Sa-Nur thus violated the law, with the support of Knesset members Moalem-Refaeli and Bezalel Smotrich. Opposition Knesset member Saleh Saad, from the Zionist Camp faction, urged the Knesset Ethics Committee to punish the lawmakers who violated the law and caused 200 extreme right activists to do so as well. Anyone violating the law should be jailed for two years, he said, adding, We are at a time of heightened security sensitivity, and such action could ignite a clash that would endanger many lives. Smotrich responded derisively, Ive already spoken with my brother who lived in Sa-Nur and he promised to have Knesset member Saad over for coffee at his home once we return there. The return to Sa-Nur, Smotrich added, will be the first step toward our return to the settlements of the Katif bloc, as the 21 Israeli settlements in Gaza were collectively called. The settlers have launched a campaign in the Knesset and elsewhere to annul the Disengagement Law and rectify what they describe as a historic injustice. They have brought around two government ministers from the ruling Likud party, Knesset members Gila Gamliel and Haim Katz, and hope to mobilize the entire Likud party for what they have designated as a top national priority. The settlers are also trying to generate public pressure on Likud leader and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Social Equality Minister Gamliel termed the 2005 withdrawal a tragedy and appealed directly to Netanyahu: We, as a national government, must pass a law annulling the disengagement from northern Samaria. She defined the resettlement of the vacated communities as a national priority that the government and the Likud movement must implement. Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Council and a former Sa-Nur resident, claimed that most Likud lawmakers support an annulment, adding that the settlers would not give up until the Israeli flag flies over these settlements once more. In 2005, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon focused his withdrawal plan on an Israeli pullout from Gaza, but he also decided to evacuate four West Bank settlements in order to placate the administration of US President George W. Bush. He hoped that by doing so he would ward off implementation of the American road map for peace in the Middle East designed to culminate in the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank. Sharon initiated the disengagement from Gaza in order to save almost all of the settlements in the West Bank. For the sake of that far larger goal, Sharon added the four small settlements in northern Samaria to show the Bush administration that Israel intended to focus on building West Bank settlement blocs rather than dispersed distant communities. The settlers of northern Samaria went quietly at the time, virtually without opposition. Most eyes were on the Gaza Strip Katif bloc, specifically on Kfar Darom, where settlers mounted a violent protest against their eviction. What moved the settlers to renew their protest and demand a return to the Samaria settlements now, 13 years after the withdrawal? Activists at the campaign operations center told Al-Monitor that the desire to return to the homes from which they were uprooted never abated and claimed the protest had never stopped. This, however, is not exact. The operations center started its activity and the mobilization of lawmakers on the right only recently, sensing that in the prevailing political climate they could effect change in the law. They have also been encouraged to believe their goal is feasible by the supportive policy of the Trump administration, which has displayed a forgiving attitude toward continued Jewish settlement in the West Bank and the freeze in peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Pressure on the prime minister is thus expected to increase. Netanyahu has proven vulnerable to heavy pressure by the settlers in the past, easily giving in to their demands. He is familiar with their current demand to return to Sa-Nur and the three other razed settlements. In early May, he met in his office with leaders of their campaign. He listened but did not make any promises. The activists know Netanyahu well. They believe the prime minister is awaiting the right moment to accede to their demand, which has been gaining traction not only on the radical political right but also among many in his Likud party. There are numerous examples of such surrender on his part. In June 2017, Netanyahu announced his intention to push forward with construction of 300 housing units in the West Bank settlement of Beit El. Initially, he actually rejected the plan for fear of angering the US administration by expanding Beit El. However, after the settlers mounted protests, erecting a tent near his Jerusalem office, mobilizing HaBayit HaYehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett and former Likud minister Gideon Saar, Netanyahu folded and informed the head of the local Alon Council with great fanfare that he was agreeing to the demands. Netanyahu also generally announces new construction in the West Bank after terror attacks against Israeli settlers. During the wave of terrorism that broke out in October 2015, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman approved construction of hundreds of housing units as a salve to the settlers. Will the evacuees of northern Samaria return to the settlements they vacated? Based on current government policy, its safe to assume that the answer is yes. It will happen when Netanyahu can present his decision as a reaction to Palestinian terrorism rather than as an Israeli initiative. Qatari Ambassador to the Palestinian territories Mohammed al-Emadi had a series of press interviews in July in which he expressed new positions that surprised many Palestinians and perhaps embarrassed Hamas. Emadi took some unprecedented stances in the history of Qatari diplomacy toward the Palestinian cause. On July 17, Emadi, serving as head of Qatars Gaza Reconstruction Committee, told Al Jazeera, Hamas and Israel reached a tacit understanding to keep their military confrontation at low intensity and avoid a full-scale war, noting that there is an understanding between Hamas and Israel not to commit to killing from each side. Emadi further stressed that it is very difficult to fund the reconstruction of Gaza in an event of yet another destructive war, adding that he had discussed a maximum of five- to 10-year cease-fire with Hamas, pointing out that the latter no longer trusts the Egyptians. Speaking to Israeli channel Kan on July 8, Emadi mentioned a proposal he had made to Israel to allow 5,000 workers from Gaza to work in Israel, but the latter never responded. He told Xinhua New Agency on July 1 about indirect talks between Hamas and Israel to improve the situation in Gaza and prevent a new war. He noted that he had agreed with Israel that should it wage a war, Qatari projects would remain intact unless it was targeting Hamas. Despite the great uproar that Emadis statements have raised among Palestinians, he refrained from explaining himself and refused to comment to Al-Monitor in this regard. However, Hamas leader in Gaza Mahmoud Mardawi told Al-Monitor, Only Hamas spokesmen and leaders express the movements positions. No state or diplomat speaks in its name, no matter how strong our ties. Regardless of our deep-rooted political relations with Qatar, it does not speak for Hamas. Mardawi added, Emadis words were misunderstood by some, and thus his opponents will use them against him. Hamas is on good terms with most Arab countries, Egypt and Qatar included, and we do not believe we are party to their differences or any other bickering between Arab countries. Emadis statements were poorly received by Palestinians, both at the popular and factional levels. Speaking to al-Mayadeen on July 4, Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad denied negotiations with Israel or any sort of mediation between the two, noting that Hamas welcomes any party offering humanitarian projects in Gaza without a political price. Fatah spokesman Atef Abu Seif said on July 9 that the only party with the right to talk about the situation of the Palestinian people is the Palestinian people themselves, represented by their legitimate leadership and no one else. The Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza said in a press statement on July 2 that Palestinian blood is worth more than Qatari projects, and that Emadis statements seem to go in line with international initiatives on the Gaza Strip. Our liberation project will not be traded for humanitarian aid, the statement added. Zulfiqar Swairjo, a member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said on July 2 that Emadi takes himself for a Palestinian leader who controls the fate of the people, and his statements are inaccurate. On July 1 and 2, activists took to social media to mock Emadis statements. One meme read, Those who take refuge in Qatari projects in Gaza are safe. Others believed this to be a prelude for an Israeli war on Gaza, and some interpreted it as part of the Arab role in rooting for the United States and Israel to pressure the Palestinians to accept the so-called Deal of the Century that Washington is expected to propose. Tayseer Nasrallah, a member of Fatahs Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor, Fatah is skeptical of Qatar's policy in Gaza. Emadi needs to deal with the Palestinian Authority (PA), not Hamas, which he singles out to establish the state of Gaza. His statements go in line with the 'Deal of the Century,' and we are concerned about Qatars efforts to promote Hamas regionally and internationally at the expense of Fatah and the PA. Nasrallah added, We believe that Qatars humanitarian projects should not serve Qatari interests, and we call on Qatar to direct Emadi toward the legitimate Palestinian authority. Although the US administration has not officially revealed the "Deal of the Century," leaked reports claim the forthcoming proposal will include establishing a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank while donor countries provide financial assistance to the Palestinian state, and holding peace talks between Israel and Arab countries. Perhaps some Palestinians linked Emadi's comments to the "Deal of the Century," given how Al Jazeera's July 17 article mentioned that Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, advisers to US President Donald Trump, visited Qatar on June 23 to discuss with Qatari officials several infrastructure projects to ease Gaza's worsening economic crisis and create jobs for residents of the enclave. Emadi's statements can be perceived as a Qatari desire to demonstrate its ability to influence the deadlock in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, all Palestinian parties fear a military confrontation between Hamas and Israel, and if Qatar succeeds in stopping this explosive path, it will be praised by all these parties. Emadi's mention of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel may prompt the PA to hasten reconciliation with Hamas. The PA might be led to think that Hamas efforts might make Israel see the movement as a replacement to the PA and thus keep the situation in Gaza as it is. Perhaps Qatar is trying to use the Palestinian dossier in the context of its regional differences, especially with the Egyptians, by saying that Hamas does not trust Egypt and show the decline of its role. In return, Qatar is stepping up its action in Gaza by holding political meetings with Hamas and expanding housing and infrastructure projects. On July 19, Hamas agreed to the Egyptian initiative for reconciliation with Fatah during a visit by a delegation to Cairo, which began on July 9 under the leadership of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas political bureau, and lasted for several days. Hussam al-Dajani, a political science professor at Al-Ummah University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Emadi might not have been tactful in his recent statements and wants Hamas and Egypt to go back to estrangement. He broke diplomatic norms by warning of Qatars unwillingness to rebuild Gaza in the event of war with Israel. Dajani added, Emadi was out of line when he gave the Palestinians the ultimatum of either responding to Israeli aggression or having Qatari support. He ought to have used softer words because those he used do not comply with the Qatari foreign policy. Qatar has always supported Gaza silently, and this is what gave the Qatari state a prominent role in the region. Qatar is aware of Hamas' alliances and ties in the region and the world, which may make it imagine based on Emadis behavior that the movement would give it the green light to speak and negotiate with Israel on its behalf. However, Emadi might be mistaken to believe so. ALEPPO, Syria The Afrin area of Aleppo's northwestern countryside has long been known for its beautiful landscape, and is tentatively reclaiming its role as the regions favorite touristic spot now that there is relative security. Domestic tourism around Afrin had stopped in the months before and during the fighting between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Turkish army against the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The area regained relative stability after it came under the control of the FSA and the Turkish military following Operation Olive Branch. In the last three months, things have been gradually returning to normal, including in the recreational areas that Aleppans traditionally visit during the summer. Along with its lakes and mild climate, the Afrin area boasts a number of archaeological sites such as al-Nabi Houri, an ancient city near the picturesque Maydanki Lake and the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites. Before the unrest, Syrian families drove to the region to relax by its lakes, enjoy a barbecue in the orchards or have a simple meal in the open-air restaurants. Today, very few of these places are open, but the day visitors and domestic tourists who could not visit the region due to the YPG's tight control over visitors and passers are returning. Maydanki Lake used to be a popular picnic site northeast of city. Today, only two of the 10 cafes and restaurants around the lake are open, but that does not stop people who come to picnic or swim. Mohammad Shasho told Al-Monitor as he fished with his family, Cafes and restaurants will start operating again at this beautiful site when the Afrin area is properly secured and a significant portion of the owners of those facilities return and reopen their business. All we can do is wait. Ein Dara, a village just a few miles outside of Afrin city, is surrounded by beautiful plains and has a spring that flows into Afrin River, which passes through its west. Several families were gathered around the spring, some cooking while others sipped tea in the orchards. Visitor Mohammad Hassano told Al-Monitor, Due to the limited tourist facilities, we have to prepare our own picnic food at home or we bring some meat and grill it here. My family and I visit Ein Dara village and sit by the spring water in the afternoon. We do this about twice a month. He went on, Many residents come here to Ein Dara village. Many come from nearby cities and towns in the Aleppo countryside. Among the visitors are Syrians displaced from eastern Ghouta and elsewhere. Abdou Nabhan, the vice president of Afrin's local council, extolled for Al-Monitor the virtues of the many beautiful sites around Afrin like "Al-Basouta village, a picturesque location where there are apple, cherry and apricot trees." There's also "Kafr Jana, located to the east of Afrin, where you can find cafes and restaurants. Some of those facilities have reopened for customers and visitors. The council encourages owners to open their doors again so they can provide services for the people who come here to spend their vacations. He went on, Afrins popularity is on the rise as more and more Aleppo countryside residents come here to spend their time at natural parks and by the rivers. We believe that the need for security is mounting as more people are visiting and gathering in Afrin, which is why we coordinate with the police and general security forces to maintain security in the area and encourage more people to frequent parks and tourist sites in Afrin. The director of police and general security in Afrin, Capt. Yasser, told Al-Monitor, We are making great efforts to protect the public and tourist facilities and parks in the area. We are trying to provide security and safety in the area by running constant patrols at tourist places to prevent theft or assaults on visitors. We also have checkpoints scattered across the public roads that lead to the tourist sites from Afrin city. The checkpoints were created to stop the gangs who once blocked roads and robbed people in Afrin. Yasser noted, Visitors come here from the various opposition-held areas in north Syria, from the Aleppo countryside, and we are striving to secure those areas and other gathering points so residents can enjoy a pleasant summer vacation, especially considering that these areas are the only retreats available to them. On July 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. As was anticipated ahead of the talks, their agenda was dominated by Syria and bilateral Russia-Turkish relations. The need for the meeting was motivated by serious concerns on part of the Turkish leadership over the situation around Idlib as well as the Kurdish issue in Syria. Ahead of the meeting, the two presidents had a few phone conversations where these issues were thoroughly discussed. Turkey is preoccupied by the low-profile talks between the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Damascus that may result in the PYD maintaining its power in northern Syria. Turkey considers the PYD to be a terrorist organization. Facing the possibility of a US drawdown from Syria, the Kurds seem to be inclined to negotiate their future status with the Syrian regime. A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry who spoke with Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said that during the meeting with Putin, Erdogan drew Putins attention to the need to inform him of such contacts with Kurdish representatives and to coordinate any moves on the Kurdish issues in Syria with Turkey as a guarantor state. The PYD is also allegedly discussing with Damascus the possibility of opening its branch offices in other Syrian regions and integrating its fighters into the regime forces. To make matters for Ankara worse, the PYD appears to be prepared to join the Syrian state army in a possible regime offensive on Idlib. In return, the Kurds expect Damascus to return control over Afrin and Manbij the two areas the Kurds conceded to Turkish forces. PYD representatives have maintained a presence in the area. The Tel Rifaat region, which still hosts some PYD units, is under protection by the regime and allied Russian forces and is seen in Turkey as a potential foothold for a joint Kurdish-Syrian army offensive against the groups that are under Turkeys patronage. The situation over Idlib is indeed worrisome for Turkey given its yet another de-escalation zone of which Turkey, along with Russia and Iran, is a co-guarantor and around which Turkey has established 12 observation points. Although the evacuation of Shiite enclaves in the towns of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya had first seemingly decreased the possibility for such an offensive, Bashar al-Assads forces have launched deployments on the opposite flank of the de-escalation zone in Idlib. The Putin-Erdogan meeting in Johannesburg was taking place against the backdrop of reports of Syrian government reinforcements in Latakia and Hama the regions that neighbor the opposition-controlled so-called Greater Idlib. The start of the Assad offensive on Idlib may virtually annul agreements with Turkey on the de-escalation zone. Yet Damascus and its allies have their own reasons to strike as quickly as possible. The Syrian regime enjoys the momentum of military successes. Damascus clearly understands that in order to make the triumph complete, there needs to be the final spurt on Idlib. The Baath Party leadership sees the latest victories in eastern Ghouta, eastern Qalamoun, Homs, most of Daraa and Quneitra as severely demoralizing for opposition forces in Idlib. Many in the opposition are already seeking opportunities to leave the country fearing the northwest of Syria will soon end up under Assads control. Hence, given the speed with which the opposition militants are dealt with in the south of Syria, Russia and Syria would want to take advantage of this momentum. With no further operative delay, they would begin the operation as soon as most combat-capable units especially the Tiger forces and the 4th tank division arrive at this front. Syria and its allies apparently dont think much of the Turkish observation points in the area, and Turkey is seemingly not ruling out the possibility of an offensive in Idlib and has been fortifying its observation points with cement walls. There is a precedent of offensives being waged with little regard to Turkish military observation points. On July 9, Ansar al-Islam and Fursan al-Iman launched a raid in the Turkmen Mountain region in north Latakia killing at least 25 pro-government soldiers. The Turkish military post located in the area failed to prevent the attack. Some opposition sources told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the operation was in Assads interests because it had no military significance but created a precedent for future regime offensives with no regard for Turkeys military presence. The regime can now begin an operation in the areas located in-between the Turkish observation points and under a pretext of response to rising activity from the HTS [Hayat Tahrir al-Sham] terrorists, one source said. Remarkably, the Russian military already announced that HTS as well as Jabhat Tahrir al-Suriya, Faylaq al-Sham and some other anti-government groups had established joint operations headquarters to plan an offensive against Syrian government forces in Latakia. Opposition groups have not released any such statement, which they would usually do in cases like this. This may be Moscow setting the ground for a preventive strike to disrupt the terrorists plan. Russia may also want to provide security for the Russian Khmeimim air base from increasingly frequent unidentified drone attacks. That said, Moscow fully realizes that without diplomatic preparation, the military offensive in Idlib runs serious risks. With all its desire to end the Syrian conflict, Russia remains interested in continuing bilateral cooperation with Turkey that goes far beyond the Syrian settlement. Thus, it can be presumed that Putin was more flexible on Erdogans requests and is open to work toward decreasing tensions over Idlib. Erdogan adviser Yasin Aktay said that Turkey will abandon the Astana format should the offensive on Idlib be launched. Ankara would then resume its full-scale military support for the Syrian opposition in Idlib. This, in turn, could gravely complicate the initial goals of an Idlib offensive for Damascus and its allies. So most likely in Johannesburg, Putin and Erdogan did not reach a settlement to the Idlib issue strictly within the trilateral Astana framework. The issue will be further discussed both at the Sochi meeting due in a few days as well as during the summit between Putin, Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that is scheduled to take place in Iran presumably at the end of August. Its clear that it will be extremely difficult for Moscow and Ankara to find a consensus on Idlib. Russia will most likely push for the coercion to peace scenario it applied in southern Syria, making moderate opposition groups reconcile with the regime. This approach is unlikely to be accepted by Ankara, which, according to some reports, has already sent its own counterproposals to Moscow. These proposals involve holding a Turkey-sponsored conference that would bring together all opposition groups, the inclusion of militant factions into an Ankara-supervised Syrian National Army, the passage of all heavy arms under control of the Turkish military and the formation of a united civil service that would conduct and oversee daily activities of the settlements within the de-escalation zone. The proposals may also serve as a basis for a further Turkish-Russian protectorate over the M5 highway that crosses through opposition-dominated areas. The highway would need to be open for transportation of goods between Damascus and Aleppo. Some sources argue that Russian military police may also be deployed along the road. While all of this is still under discussion, the key question following the Johannesburg meeting remains whether Moscow is prepared to agree to such half-measures. If yes, for how long? And at what length is Ankara prepared to ensure that Idlib remains under opposition control? ALEPPO, Syria The families of Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters who died in Operation Olive Branch which resulted in the FSA seizing Afrin in northwest Aleppo from the People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18 have obtained death gratuity payments from the Turkish government. Col. Moataz Erslan, the commander of the FSA's Elite Army in Aleppo countryside, told Al-Monitor that the Turkish government dispersed payments to the families of the fallen FSA militants July 1-19. He explained, Each bereaved family obtained 60,000 Turkish liras (about $12,500) in addition to ongoing monthly payments of $100. There are also other benefits, such as being granted Turkish citizenship, but they have yet to be implemented and are still being examined in Turkey. Erslan noted, I was one of those in charge in the gratuity committee, along with some others who are Turks. The payments took place in the city of Azaz in the northern Aleppo countryside. Each of the FSA factions presented us a list of its militants killed in the battle. There were 300 FSA militants killed in Operation Olive Branch. For those who were married, their widows obtained the gratuity, and the mothers or fathers of the single ones were given the money at the distribution office in Azaz. He explained that the Turkish government also plans to pay the families of fallen militants in Operation Euphrates Shield, conducted by the FSA and the Turkish army against the Islamic State in the northern and eastern Aleppo countryside in 2016. He said the FSA factions involved have not yet finished counting the dead. Al-Monitor met Abdallah Bakour, the commander of the Levant Front, who said, There are no figures on the number of FSA militants killed in Operation Euphrates Shield. We will do the count if the Turks ask for these figures, and we really hope that their families obtain gratuities like those in Operation Olive Branch. He emphasized, Nothing is certain in this regard so far, and we really hope to hear the news very soon. The payments met with approval among the area residents, who perceived the move as appropriate to meet the needs of bereaved families many of which are destitute. Al-Monitor encountered Samira al-Hashem, the mother of an FSA fighter killed in Operation Olive Branch in Afrin. Hashem currently resides in Azaz city after being displaced from Aleppo city in late 2016. She received the gratuity, as she is a widow and her son was unmarried. She said, Nothing can bring back my son Mohamed. It is a nice gesture, though. I am going to donate part of it to orphans in memory of my martyred son and use the rest to pay my rent and daily living expenses in Azaz. The gratuity has a godsend to single mothers who have been left alone with several small children to raise. Some of these women see the gratuity as a chance to set up businesses, as they say the monthly sum that the Turkish government has promised to pay them is barely enough to make ends meet. Al-Monitor spoke to Nour Barakat, whose husband was killed in Operation Olive Branch in Afrin. She lives with her five children, the eldest of whom is 10, in al-Bab. She explained, The Turkish government gave me 60,000 Turkish liras a few days ago, and those in charge promised that we will be also paid a monthly sum of about $100. I am thinking about investing the money in a small business. Perhaps my brother can help me open a grocery store in the city and we can split the profits. Following the death of her husband Mohamed, Barakat relied on the aid that charities provided in al-Bab as well as help from her family. She said that the aid was never enough to cover her bills, though, as her living expenses add up to more than 100,000 Syrian pounds ($200) per month. DIYARBAKIR, Turkey In April 2011, Turkeys Cilvegozu crossing on its border with Syria suddenly became inundated with throngs of people massing there, trying to escape the one-month-old Syrian civil war. More than 250 Syrians were in the first group to be given refuge in Turkey, marking the beginning of Turkeys involvement in the war. Those first immigrants were soon followed by myriad others who grew into a community of almost 4 million people. These immigrants have become a major concern for Turkey over the past seven years. Now, a statement from New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) is heightening the rest of the world's awareness. HRW claims Turkey has stopped registering new Syrian refugees in Istanbul and in nine provinces bordering Syria, though Turkish officials deny it. Before going public with its accusation July 16, HRW interviewed 32 Syrians who had applied for temporary protection in Hatay, Istanbul and Gaziantep. In the interviews in Hatay, Syrians said Turkish police have been deporting Syrians in groups of 20 because the refugees dont have temporary protection documents. The people also said that even if they were allowed to stay they couldn't access medical, educational or similar services without those papers. This is how HRW explains in its statement the importance of a temporary identification permit: A permit protects Syrians from arrest and the risk of deportation. It also entitles them to get health care and education, to work, and to seek social assistance, including the EU-funded Emergency Social Safety Net for the most vulnerable Syrians. According to HRW, the Hatay governorate on Oct. 30 announced that it was discouraging smugglers from helping Syrians trying to enter Turkey and that no more Syrians would be registered. The Ministry of Interior in February 2018 followed by announcing it would no longer register Syrians in Istanbul. But when HRW shared those findings earlier this year with officials of the Immigration Administration in Ankara, they responded June 13 saying registrations haven't been halted in any of the country's 81 provinces. Although Turkey recently completed construction of a 564-kilometer (350-mile) wall on its border with Syria, illegal Syrian crossings can't be prevented. Citing the example of Hatay province, HRW says Syrians enter illegally mainly via gaps in the wall. Syrians living illegally in Hatay are now trying to reach other parts of Turkey. As of June 28, Turkey had registered 3.56 million Syrians. Those who haven't been registered face the worst situation. These are people who cant go back, stay in Turkey or go to Europe, Gerry Simpson, deputy director of HRW's Refugee Rights Program, told Al-Monitor. He noted that the locations where registration allegedly has been suspended have especially high concentrations of Syrians. "I think the administrators of those provinces may be reacting to that heavy presence. They might [be trying] to compel other provinces to take in more Syrians, he said. In the EU, there is the Dublin Regulation, which requires immigrants to remain in their first place of entry to the EU. That creates massive pressure on Italy and Greece. Turkish administrators may be thinking along the same lines. There's also a question of whether Ankara has the authority to influence the refugee registration policies of provinces. Is this a dispute between Ankara and the provinces? We dont know the answer to that important question," he added. Three years ago, Turkey signed an accord with the EU to block its northern and western borders with the EU. If I were Turkey, I would close all my borders, he said. (Turkey is bounded by eight countries.) If nobody is going to Europe, then they should not come to Turkey also. Logically, Turkey halting registering those who cross the border has created the impression that the real European concern is to prevent the immigrants and refugees from accessing Europe. One way to stop that is to erect a wall or force them to go back, or if they cross the border, refuse to register them. Nowadays, all attention is on Idlib, where jihadist groups are assembling. If there is an attack against this area by Russia or the Syrian regime, where will the civilians go? Turkey is worried about a new wave and is calling for European assistance. Will Turkey open its gates to these civilians or tell them to stay in Idlib? To deny civilians access would place Turkey under international scrutiny. Of course we understand Turkeys concern about accepting more Syrians. That is why we are calling on Europeans to receive more Syrians. If another 300,000 to 500,000 Syrians come to Turkeys gates, that country will have to spend enormous amounts of money, Simpson added. HRW has shared its research findings with EU officials and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. It also called on EU officials to take steps to change Turkeys attitude. What does Turkey have to say to these criticisms? Al-Monitor first approached the Department of Disasters and Emergencies (AFAD), which handles Syrian affairs in Turkey. AFAD officials said they know nothing. Another relevant body is the Immigration Administration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. One of its officials who didnt want to be identified said HRWs charges are baseless. So far, Turkey has not responded at all to the HRW statement of July 16. It is often said that Turkey uses Syrians as bargaining chips against Europe after accepting more than 3.5 million refugees on its territory. Could Turkey now be saying, Help me or I wont take in any more? Nepal to import fertiliser under govt-to-govt deal The government has decided to formally request India to provide chemical fertiliser under a government-to-government (G-2-G) deal to avoid long procedural hassles and prevent a possible shortage of the farm input. It's time to celebrate Krispy Kreme's birthday and what better way to do that than with donuts. The donut chain is celebrating its 81st birthday Friday with a sweet deal. Customers who buy a dozen donuts can get a second dozen of original glazed for $1. Krispy Kreme will also be offering a limited-edition vanilla birthday cake-flavored glazed confetti donut starting on July 27 and available through Aug. 2 while supplies last. "One of our favorite times during the year is when we get to celebrate our birthday with our fans," said Mike Tattersfield, Chief Executive Officer of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. "In addition to offering a delicious dollar deal on an extra dozen of our Original Glazed Doughnuts, we've 'birthday-ed' up our awesome Original Glazed Doughnut, creating a whole new experience." The restaurant is asking fans to share their Krispy Kreme birthday celebrations with the hashtag #KrispyKremeBirthday and tagging @krispykreme on social media. A 4-year-old girl was sexually abused by another young child at a Shelby County daycare for more than an hour in an incident captured on video, according to a lawsuit filed by the girl's parents. The lawsuit was filed in Shelby County Circuit Court by attorneys Shane Sears and Andrew Ladores on behalf of the girl and parents, Tracy and Allen Moore. The young victim is listed in court records only as A.M. The girl had attended Covenant Classic School Valleydale - a religious-based program with multiple area campuses - since June 2013 when she was just 1-month-old, according to the lawsuit. The suit contends that on May 23, 2017, the parents were notified by school representatives that videotape existed showing their child being sexually assault by a 4-year-old boy who was in her class. The alleged incident took place for 90 minutes during nap time while under the supervision of school worker Bailey Robinson. Covenant officials said they said they are appealing DHR's findings in the case and fighting the claims. They released this statement to AL.com: "Student safety and well-being serve as overriding priorities at our school. We are aware of a situation concerning a classroom incident between two preschool children at one of our schools. The school took prompt action to address the situation and to involve and fully inform the parents of the two children. We immediately conducted a thorough investigation to gather the facts and determined this was an isolated occurrence between two students. It would be inappropriate to provide further details at this time, as this is an ongoing legal matter and we must safeguard the privacy of our students." The parents viewed the videotape in its entirety. The lawsuit states that the video showed Robinson walking around the room, attending to other children and ignoring the sexual assault of the victim. At one point, Robinson left the room for at least nine minutes, leaving all of the children in the class alone and allowing the sexual assault to continue. The parents were "shocked and appalled" at the behavior of the school worker, and immediately asked that the boy be expelled from the daycare, or at least removed from the victim's class. They also requested that Robinson be fired, and that Shelby County Department of Human Resources be notified. School officials refused to expel the boy or remove him from the victim's class, and also refused to fire the employee, the suit states. The school also refused to notify DHR of the sexual assault despite being a mandatory reporter under Alabama law. Instead, they promised to "keep an eye on the children" so the boy would have no further contact with the victim. The parents ultimately contacted DHR themselves. The following day - on May 24, 2017 - the parents noticed their daughter was still in the same class as her young assailant and was still being supervised by Robinson. The little girl told her parents that the boy "continued to chase her around the playground and again attempted to touch her inappropriately, this time during recess,'' even though she told the worker and told the boy to leave her alone, the lawsuit states. On May 25, the parents removed their daughter from the daycare, the only school she had ever known. According to the suit, DHR investigated the allegations and concluded that school officials and Robinson were guilty of "abuse and neglect" among other violations at the facility. A letter dated July 11, 2017 notified the parents of DHR's findings. Those findings were affirmed two months later by an administrative hearing officer. A court filing by Robinson last week appealing DHR's findings states that Robinson was the lead teacher in the classroom with 24 students. The filing states that Robinson observed a male student inappropriately touching a female student under the back of her pants. Robinson immediately intervened and ensured the touching was discontinued. She then used a classroom telephone to call an administrator. Robinson's filing says the video footage shows that male and female student engaged in touching for a period of time prior to being confronted by Robinson while Robinson was in the room, but attending to other students or classroom items. The lawsuit notes that Covenant's advertised mission is to "transform the world one child at a time by instilling a love for Christ, a love for each other and a love for learning. The lawsuit claims breach of contract, negligence, gross negligence, recklessness and wantoness, negligent hiring, retention and supervision and intentional infliction of emotional distress on the parents as well as the victim. The parents are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. "This is a parent's worst nightmare. You trust someone with your child and that trust is violated in the most horrific way because they failed to protect them,'' according to a statement from Sears and Ladores. "To compound matters, the daycare allowed the perpetrator to remain in the same classroom with the victim, did not terminate the teacher, or report the incident to DHR." A 68-year-old Russian national has been arrested on child sex abuse charges involving a young female family member. Valentin Belevich was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Thursday, jail records show. He is charged with sex abuse of a child under the age of 12, which is a felony. Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said the case was reported to detectives in late June. Investigators learned the alleged crimes - in which a young family member was the victim - took place between 2012 and 2015. Additional details were not released because of the age of the victim and the nature of the crime. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office in Bessemer issued a warrant for Belevich's arrest on July 10. He was featured on Crime Stoppers "Wanted" list and the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force launched a search for him, but he surrendered on Thursday. His bond was initially set at $250,000 and Circuit Judge David Carpenter ordered that Belevich, who lives in south Birmingham, surrender his passport. Upon his surrender Thursday, District Judge Jill Ganus reduced Belevich's bond from $250,000 to $2,500 and wrote in a document to the jail that Belevich be allowed to sign his bond without a state ID or any ID, records show. Belevich's attorney, Ross Kinder, said his client maintains his innocence and says the charges are false and fabricated. "I feel confident the case will be dismissed and Mr. Belevich will be exonerated of any allegations of wrongdoing,'' he said. Kinder said the bond reduction is reflective of the strength of the case against Belevich. "I believe the bond reduction strongly suggests that what was alleged was not based in fact or truth,'' Kinder said. "The complainants have a long history of filing charges that we believe are an attempt to harass him and get him deported." Court records show Belevich was arrested in 2016 on a misdemeanor charge of violating a protection from abuse order against a woman. The warrant said he violated the order by attempting to skype the woman. Court records do not reflect a disposition for that case. Belevich was booked into the county jail at 6:40 a.m. Thursday, and released at 1:36 p.m. Anyone with additional information about this case should call Hoover Detective Courtney Pittman at 205-444-7614. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has announced his first appointments to a major city board of directors. Woodfin is appointing Shipt founder Bill Smith, ex-Alabama Power executive Bobbie Knight, Regions executive David Germany and small-business owner Darlene Wilson to the Birmingham Airport Authority board of directors. The Birmingham City Council approved the appointments and gave the mayor kudos for his picks at its regular meeting on July 31. "The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is a vital part of the region's economic competitiveness," Woodfin said. "We spent an extensive amount of time considering the type of leadership we truly need for this responsibility. I am so very excited to see such incredibly accomplished professionals offer themselves for public service." The four new members will replace board chairman Michael Bell, John McMahon, Aaisha Muhammad and Ruffner Page. Their terms expire at the end of the month. "These appointments are an incredibly diverse and talented group of individuals, who all carry a great passion for Birmingham," Woodfin said. "We are very thankful to the departing board members and are appreciative of their service." Bobbie Knight Airport authority board of directors are appointed for six year terms. The board has seven members all appointed by the mayor. The board's duties are: to acquire, expand, improve, maintain, operate and lease airport and related facilities. The new board's first major task will be to complete the search for a new chief executive officer. The search started after long-time CEO Al Denson retired in late January, but it has failed to produce a new CEO. Board members haven't released what has called the delay. The current board scheduled a special-called meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday to appoint an interim CEO. Woodfin's appointees are well-known in Birmingham. Knight formerly served as vice president of Birmingham division at Alabama Power. She was the co-chair of Woodfin's transition team. Knight has served in many leadership roles during her long career including vice president of public relations and general manager of supply chain. Knight has served on the board of trustees for Miles College. She has also served on the boards of Red Mountain Theatre Company, REV Birmingham, the United Way of Central Alabama and VOICES for Alabama Children. Germany is a senior vice president at Regions Bank. Since 2007, he has David Germany negotiated and structured commercial banking deals totaling more than $2 billion throughout the state. Germany serves on the A.G. Gaston Girls and Boys Club Capital Campaign Committee, the Birmingham Business Alliance Board of Directors and the University of Alabama Community Affairs Board of Directors among others. Smith founded Shipt, a member-based grocery delivery service, in Birmingham in 2014 to simplify the grocery shopping experience. Shipt was acquired by Target in 2017. The company recently announced its headquarters will remain in Birmingham. Smith is also a licensed pilot. Wilson is managing principal of Relay Accounting Management. Wilson is currently the board chair for REV Birmingham, supporting startup and small business education. She was recently chosen as a mentor for Bizwomen Mentoring Monday and was recognized among the Birmingham Darlene Wilson Business Journal's Women to Watch in 2017. Article updated on July 31 to indicate the appointments were approved by the Birmingham City Council. Completion of the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in northeast Alabama will have an economic output of more than $12 billion and create more than 8,000 jobs. That's according to a statement Friday by Shelia Shepard, president and CEO of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority. Plans for completing the mothballed plant - sold by TVA at auction in 2016 for $111 million - will be unveiled Monday. "According to a University of Alabama economic impact analysis, the completion of Bellefonte would generate $12.6 billion in economic output and create more than 8,000 jobs," Shepard said in a press release announcing the meeting. "Significant economic development opportunities like Bellefonte don't just happen as a result of a single person's efforts. Rather, this project is a culmination of years of hard work by a team of dedicated professionals that include investors, nuclear industry leaders and public officials." The plant was purchased by Nuclear Development LLC, which is owned by Chattanooga developer Franklin Haney. The sale is scheduled to close in the fall and TVA officials have said the purchase remains on course for completion. Big numbers associated with the completion of the plant are nothing new. Nuclear Development said in its proposal to buy the plant that it would provide 12,000 jobs and an annual economic impact of $1 billion. The numbers are also consistent with a letter sent to President Trump earlier this year by several members of Congress - including U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, whose north Alabama district includes Bellefonte. Such a development would be a jolt to its home in largely rural Jackson County, which has a population of only 52,000. "For many years, I have been committed to the Tennessee Valley, having invested billions of dollars in a region that continues to outpace the rest of the country in terms of job creation and economic growth," Haney said in the announcement. "I have eagerly awaited the opportunity to invest in clean, carbon-free energy projects that will offer people safe, clean and affordable sources of power. That's exactly what Bellefonte will offer the people of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and the surrounding region. I'm excited to announce that the finest team of nuclear engineers will take over the project and bring Bellefonte to a long-awaited completion." Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin was selected to manage completion of the construction project last month, according to the announcement. Preston Swafford, a former TVA executive vice president and chief nuclear officer, is now the chief nuclear officer at SNC-Lavalin. "The impetus to complete the Bellefonte plant signifies that nuclear power has regained interest as an energy source that is necessary as part of the overall energy portfolio in the US," Swafford said. President Trump's dream of a "Space Force" to protect American satellites either had a setback or made "significant progress" this week, depending on your perspective. An Alabama congressman pushing for the new military branch, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), stands in the "significant progress" camp. That's even though no money for the new force was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 before Congress this week. National press reports about the funding omission used headlines like "No space force for Trump in big Pentagon policy bill" and "Congress fails to fund Trump's 'Space Force' in defense budget bill." Reporters said in their stories that Trump's plan to create a separate, sixth branch of the military had hit a "roadblock" and didn't "blast off." But Rogers pointed to sections in the budget authorization bill establishing "a sub-unified command for space," ordering the Pentagon to develop an alternative acquisition system for "national security space" and a "plan to improve the quality of the space cadre within the Air Force." "It also directs the DoD to deliver a space warfighting policy and readiness plan," Rogers said in a statement. "All of these steps lay the groundwork for implementing President Trump's direction to establish a Space Force." Rogers said Congress can flesh out the new force after these reports are finished. "The existing organizations that will be organized under the Space Force will be on a much stronger footing than when this process started," he said. Rogers is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of its Strategic Forces Subcommittee. He is trying to help Trump succeed in his vision of a separate branch of the military devoted to space defense. The president ordered the Pentagon to create the new force in June. He agrees with Rogers and other supporters of a separate force who say America can't function without the satellites that support systems such as finance, communications, defense, transportation and weather forecasting. Those satellites and other assets need a defensive force focused on them and not also focused on air defenses like the Air Force. But opponents say the new force will mean more bureaucracy, more expense and more confusion among America's military forces. The Army and the Air Force are already heavily involved in space defense, these skeptics say, and the current time of global tension isn't the time to sort out which responsibility goes where. U.S. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville and Bradley Byrne of Mobile have already suggested publicly that the new force should be headquartered in Huntsville. Commands already at the Redstone Arsenal there are heavily involved in missile defense. If a local board of education wants to arm an administrator under Gov. Kay Ivey's Alabama Sentry Program, they will need to purchase the gun, the specially-designed vest the administrator will have to wear when using the gun, and the biometric safe the gun has to be stored in on a school's campus. Those details are among others outlined in a memo sent by Alabama state superintendent Eric Mackey on Friday to all school superintendents. The memo includes a "suggested" step-by-step process to participate in the program. The Sentry Program, enacted in May by Ivey in an executive memo, is a stop-gap security method for schools without a school resource officer, or SRO. The program allows an administrator in a school without an SRO who has been deputized by the local sheriff and trained by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to keep a firearm secured on campus for use if an armed intruder threatens the school's campus. The program, according to the memo, is essentially an agreement between the local board of education and the local sheriff. The sheriff is required to determine whether an administrator is fit and will put the administrator through the required testing. Training for the Sentry will be provided by ALEA, according to the memo, but no further details about what the training will require were included. State education organizations have said it is preferable to have a properly trained SRO in a school, but recognize there may be some schools that cannot afford SROs and need the option the Sentry Program provides. In a statement to AL.com Friday morning, Mackey reiterated his preference for having an SRO at every school but said his office is trying to provide options for school officials who need options to provide security for their students and will provide support for districts who want to use the Sentry Program to arm an administrator. "The Sentry program might be a part of that [school security] plan for some of them," Mackey said, "but we are receiving more inquiries on building security, cameras, and threat assessment training right now." Jackson County Superintendent Kevin Dukes told AL.com in May that more than half of the principals in his rural northeast Alabama district expressed interest in the Sentry Program but were waiting for more information. Communities will not have to be told if an administrator is armed, and Alabama's public records laws allow agencies to withhold documents and plans related to a school's security. It's unclear how many schools are eligible to participate, as no data exists showing how many schools do not have SROs. According to federal civil rights data from 2014, the most recent year data are available, 33 school systems in Alabama had no sworn law enforcement officers in any of their schools. That same data, now four years old, showed 730 of Alabama's 1,300-plus schools had no law enforcement officers on campus. That number is likely off the mark, though, as many communities have added SROs since the tragic shooting deaths of 17 students and faculty at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day and the May 18 shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas that killed 10 students and faculty and wounded 13 others. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states have a state-level law allowing anyone with permission from the school authority to carry a gun on a school campus: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Vermont. An additional seven states specifically allow school employees to have a gun on K-12 school grounds: Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming. Four of those 25 states (Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and South Dakota) require school employees to complete training programs. Alabama Sentry Program memo to superintendents July 27, 2018 by Trisha Powell Crain on Scribd The Alabama Supreme Court today ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by State Auditor Jim Zeigler that claimed a state software contract was illegal because it was awarded without competitive bids. Today's ruling does not address the question of whether the state should have sought competitive bids but said state law does not allow any path for the lawsuit to proceed. An attorney for Zeigler said they would ask the court for a rehearing. State Finance Director Clinton Carter, a defendant in the case, said, "We are pleased with the court's decision today and think it provides a permanent resolution to the issue." Zeigler filed the lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court in 2016 challenging the state Finance Department's contract with CGI Technologies and Solutions to install a financial software package called State of Alabama Accounting Resources System, or STAARS. The state did not seek bids for the project but instead amended a 30-year old contract. Besides seeking a declaration that the contract was illegal, Zeigler sought repayment of the funds paid to CGI as restitution. Zeigler said he filed the lawsuit on behalf of taxpayers. Carter and CGI, who were defendants, asked the circuit court to dismiss the case. In May 2017, Circuit Judge James Anderson dismissed six of the seven counts but did not dismiss Count 1, which asked the court to declare that the STAARS contract violated the bid law. Carter and CGI then petitioned the Supreme Court to order dismissal of the final count. In an 8-0 decision today, the court granted that request. The opinion, written by Justice Brad Mendheim, does not address the issue of whether the contract was competitively bid. It concludes that under state law there is no legal basis to proceed with the claim because CGI completed its work in November 2017 and the contract has been terminated. The state hired a new software vendor, Infiniti, through a competitive bid process last year. "Because performance under the 1982 contract, including the STAARS amendments, has been completed, there is no performance to enjoin, and there is no further remedy available to Zeigler for the alleged violation of the Competitive Bid Law," Mendheim wrote. "Therefore, we agree with the petitioners that Zeigler's claims are now moot." The opinion outlines the lawsuit and the software contract, which dates back to 1982, when the state purchased software from American Management Systems Inc. through competitive bids. CGI acquired American Management Systems in 2004. In 2012, the state amended the 1982 contract to extend the software license by 15 years. It was the first amendment to the contract since 1994. Starting in 2013, the state used a series of additional amendments to the 1982 contract to purchase the STAARS software and services from CGI, rather than seek new bids. Zeigler's lawsuit maintains that the original 1982 contract with American Management Systems expired in 1997 and that the new software system and services should have been competitively bid. "It seems kind of curious that it's obvious the competitive bid law was violated when the contract was entered into but there's nothing you can do to rectify that wrong," Susan Copeland, an attorney for Zeigler, said this morning. Mendheim's opinion notes that state law authorizes taxpayers to legally challenge contracts they believe were awarded in violation of the bid law. But it says the law authorizing those challenges only allows a court to stop the execution of a contract and provides no remedy after a contract is completed. "The legislature has considered the issue of whether taxpayers should have a legal remedy for an alleged violation of the Competitive Bid Law by the State, and the legislature has provided the taxpayers with a specific remedy for such violations," Mendheim wrote. "This court has no authority to create an additional taxpayer remedy." Updated at 1:13 p.m. with comment from Clinton Carter. Jim Zeigler vs. Clinton Carter Ruling by Mike Cason on Scribd The Birmingham City Council this month considered revoking a Shell station's business license after Antonio Taylor, 28, was shot and killed outside of the station on June 10. The Council eventually sided with the station owner to keep them in business, but City Councilor Steven Hoyt disagreed with the decision. And on March 27, the City Council voted to revoke the business licenses for the Texaco Super Deli on Oporto Madrid Boulevard after a store employee gunned a man "down like a dog" inside the store. Birmingham is not the only city shutting down businesses for what happens with their customers on their property. In Louisville, Kentucky, owners of a BP gas station were forced to close their doors after multiple shootings, WLKY reported. An officer for Metro Louisville called the area where the gas station is "the armpit" of his beat - a troubled area. Maher Ghareen told WLKY that he had called the police department many times for assistance but received none. The owner's attorney, George Shunnarah said it wasn't the owner's responsibility to regulate crime in the city. Similarly, owners of a gas station in Baltimore, Maryland, told their local TV station they believed the city was trying to shut them down. Two months prior to the story's publish, a shooter fired at a vehicle in the parking lot of the station. The owner's son, Faisan Shahid, said the family has had to fight to keep their business open since the shootings. He said they want police presence, but the extra security is deterring people from shopping or getting gas. Sometimes a shooting leads to closure without any action by the city. AJ Jaber, manager of a gas station in Michigan, told the News-Herald of Lincoln Park that a rumor about a shooting caused him to lose business, despite the claim being "fake news." He said business was down and people were afraid to stop in. The shooting actually occurred outside of Lincoln Park, where the gas station is, and the victim was driven to the gas station where a distress call was made. Jaber said reporters covered the initial threat but did not return to update the story, leaving them with rumors that killed business. "We want customers to know that no crime was ever committed, and we are open for business," he told the News-Herald. "This is a very safe place to buy your gas." The family is hoping business will return and have asked the city to help make the area look more inviting to those who fear stopping to get gas or a snack. Rather than shutting down businesses entirely in response to shootings, city officials in Hartford, Connecticut, recently moved to clock business requests to stay open all night. The Hartford Courant reported that 12 of 19 24-hour requests. Similar to Birmingham, complaints were made at city meetings that led to the consideration of closures. Police in Hartford said when the businesses were closed overnight, fewer reports were filed. In Birmingham, gas stations aren't the only businesses taking the fall for crime. In October 2017, the City Council revoked Onyx Lounge's business license and did the same to Skky Nightclub in September. Both closings were a reaction to violence on the property. Etowah County's six judges have recused themselves from presiding over failed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore's latest lawsuit. Moore is suing several people and political action committees, alleging they ran or contributed to misleading and defamatory commercials about sexual misconduct allegations. Moore filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Etowah County Circuit Court. Moore is already involved in lawsuits in Montgomery and Etowah counties relating to the sexual abuse allegations, which were publicized about a month before the December special election in Alabama. Moore vehemently denied the allegations but lost to Democrat Doug Jones. Etowah County's six judges today filed their recusals with interim Alabama Chief Justice Lyn Stuart. They are requesting a judge from another county be appointed to the case. The judges already have recused from Moore's other Etowah County lawsuit, which has been assigned to retired Russell County Circuit Judge Albert L. Johnson Sr. In their earlier recusal, the Etowah County judges cited two reasons: Moore is a former circuit judge in the county, and presiding Circuit Judge David Kimberley is a member of the state Judicial Inquiry Commission that suspended Moore as chief justice in 2016. That suspension effectively removed Moore from the high court after he refused to adhere to a federal court ruling on same-sex marriage. The judges who filed the motion to recuse are circuit judges Kimberley, George Day, William Ogletree and William Rhea, as well as district judges Will Clay and Joe Nabors. Part of the lawsuit deals with TV commercials that stated Moore had been banned from the Gadsden Mall since the 1970s, an ad Moore's campaign last year called "patently false." Another ad referenced in the suit was eventually removed from YouTube. It suggested that a record of how citizens voted in the Senate election would be kept on file. The defendants named in the lawsuit included four men who worked with Longleaf Strategies of Montgomery, Highway 31 Super Pac and Bully Pulpit Interactive, Waterfront Strategies and Priorities USA, Washington, D.C.-based entities the suit says worked with Highway 31. Senate Majority PAC was the primary backer of Highway 31, which spent $6 million on the campaign against Moore. Because of reporting and payment schedules, Highway 31 didn't disclose its donors during the campaign despite its heavy spending. In April, Moore filed a political conspiracy lawsuit against five people - including three women who made accusations that Moore made unwanted romantic or sexual advances against them. The lawsuit alleges the defendants worked together to make the accusations against Moore and sabotage his attempt to win the Senate election. The accusers have said they did not know each other and did not talk with each other before making their claims. Moore also has an appeal before the Alabama Supreme Court to relocate another lawsuit - filed by one of his accusers, Leigh Corfman - from Montgomery County to Etowah County. Moore's attorneys have argued that the case should be moved to Etowah because that is where both parties live and that is where the sexual encounter alleged by Corfman occurred. A judge in Montgomery County denied Moore's request to move the case to Etowah County, leading to his appeal to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals - which transferred it to the state Supreme Court. Moore has filed a counter lawsuit against Corfman in that case. Judges Recuse From Roy Moore's Latest Lawsuit by Ashley Remkus on Scribd Nepals trade deficit with Bangladesh grows Nepal has been facing a widening trade deficit with Bangladesh and Bhutan in the last three years. In the past, Nepal used to have a surplus with these countries. This is an opinion column. Failed senate candidate Roy Moore is suing again. He's suing PACs that ran ads in last year's senate race. Just like he's suing four women who told the world of their unspeakably unpleasant run-ins with him. Just like he's threatening to sue TV trickster Sacha Baron Cohen. Because Lord knows what that guy got Moore to say in front of a camera. So Moore sues, and sues, and sues. Breaking news. Breaking like tired waves lapping up on the beach. I don't know what to say anymore. Because every word seems a waste. Because every word seems to embolden Moore and his dubious lawyers to make more noise so they can raise more money. Fortunately, I can see the future. I've seen Moore and his lawyers enough to imagine what will happen when real judges look at their work. I can see it now. It goes something like ... Ahem. This: In the above-styled case of Roy Moore vs. Anybody He Can Think of to Remain Relevant, the "court" rules as follows: Plaintiff Moore comes before this court - again - arguing that men and women involved in the political process chose to oppose him, and used political advertising to spread information that reflected badly on him. When viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff Moore, the court must say ... duh. Politicians using PACs to submarine other candidates? Are you kidding? These are things, one would think, that Moore might have thought about when he was Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and not simply a sore loser searching for a hot mic and a tax-deductible contribution. Plaintiff further contends that said political ads - some of which he claims made false statements about his good standing at the Gadsden Mall, where he was known as a creeper - cost him the senate election against Democrat Doug Jones. The court has not seen evidence to determine whether or not Moore was ever "banned" from the Gadsden Mall, as an ad claimed and Moore shrieked about like a coyote caught in a bear trap. The court would, however, conclude that it is more likely that Alabama's long history with Judge Moore played a larger role in his defeat, along with the tiny gun he wielded on stage, the Midnight Cowboy costume he wore and the fact that women from all over Etowah County came forward with believable stories about Moore's penchant for the young ones. Effective immediately, and sooner if possible, plaintiff is enjoined to stop talking and to walk away from any and all microphones. Plaintiff is urged to find the self-awareness to see himself as he is seen by the rest of the known world: as a self-serving blowhard with narrow religious views and a wide interpretation of what kind of behavior is acceptable with teenage girls. He is known by evidence and testimony to be a man in denial of his own faults, a man who seeks unreasonable tolerance for his actions while offering little tolerance to those who see things differently than he. The court further enjoins plaintiff Moore to move on, to get a life of his own, to have just an itty-bitty bit of shame. He's earned it. Upon review of the indisputable facts in this case and throughout plaintiff Moore's long stain on the state of Alabama, the court finds him contemptible and orders him to go away. Now. Done and ordered this 27th day of July, 2018 Signed: The Honorable Judge Knot Les Yebejujd John Archibald is a columnist for Reckon by AL.com. His column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Write him at jarchibald@al.com. OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea - A U.S. Air Force plane carrying what are thought to be the remains of Americans killed during the Korean War arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea on Friday morning, the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting. The U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft departed for the Kalma Airport in the North Korean city of Wonsan before 6 a.m. on Friday morning. It returned around 11 a.m. local time, where it was greeted by a crowd of several thousand U.S. servicemen and their families - all American servicemen in South Korea had been invited to the event. IThe exchange means that one part of the agreement reached between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 has been partially fulfilled - albeit more slowly than many had anticipated. "Today's actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Thursday night. The remains are expected to remain at Osan for a few days for initial testing, before a repatriation ceremony is held on Aug. 1 and they are sent on to Hawaii. Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday that North Korea has accepted 100 wooden transit caskets that it plans to use to return the remains. The U.S. military command in South Korea moved the caskets into the demilitarized zone that splits the Korean Peninsula in late June. Earlier Thursday, the expected recovery was greeted with cautious optimism by Rick Downes, executive director of a group of families whose loved ones never came home from the Korean War. They have watched discussions in recent weeks with a mixture of hope and cynicism, he said. "These are poker chips, unfortunately," said Downes, who runs the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs. "These guys, these missing men, are still serving. The war still goes on, and they are being negotiated and used as a bargaining tool." A U.S. official told The Washington Post last week that North Korea has agreed to hand over about 55 sets of remains. Friday was suggested as a likely date for the repatriation due to its symbolic importance as the anniversary of the armistice, but the official cautioned that the date could change and that the number of remains would need to be checked after they are handed over. Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who has worked on repatriation issues and visited North Korea several times, said Thursday that he sees the potential recovery as a positive first step. But he warned that Pyongyang could stall in delivering other remains and attempt to use the issue as a way to make money. "They'll give a certain amount of remains for free right away," Richardson predicted. "But then they'll say, 'The next ones, we need to find them, locate them, restore them.' And then they'll start charging, and they'll milk this." Though the United States has a policy of refusing to pay for the repatriation of remains, in the past it has agreed to provide some funding for expenses incurred by the North Koreans. The Pentagon estimates that nearly 7,700 U.S. troops are unaccounted for from the war; among them are 5,300 believed to have been killed north of the 38th parallel, which largely coincides with the boundary between North and South Korea. The North Korean government is believed to have somewhere between 120 and 200 sets of U.S. military remains in its possession and ready to deliver, but there are thousands more still in the North Korean countryside, said Mickey Bergman, vice president of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement that the former governor founded. Some remains were buried by U.S. troops in cemeteries that were intended to be temporary until China's entry in the Korean War forced U.S. forces to withdraw farther south. Other remains are at sites where aircraft crashed or in unmarked graves, Bergman said. "One of the things that is so important is for the American people to understand that this is just the beginning," he said. "This is going to take years. It's going to take interviews and sight surveys and teams on the ground. My fear is that we will get these remains and once again say 'Mission accomplished!' And it's not." After the remains are returned, scientific testing will be needed to confirm that they belong to American soldiers from the Korean War. In the past, North Korea has been accused of deliberately including non-American bones - even animal bones - in a bid to fool U.S. authorities. The remains will be sent to Hawaii, where the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency runs a laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The identification process there could take years, U.S. officials have said. It often includes a review of archival information that determines where certain U.S. troops were likely to have gone missing or been buried. After the historic summit between the two leaders last month, Trump and Kim agreed to work together to recover U.S. remains left in North Korea and to implement the "immediate repatriation of those already identified." Only a few days after meeting Kim, Trump portrayed the return of the remains as something that had already happened. "We got back our great fallen heroes, the remains," he told a campaign rally in Minnesota. "In fact, today, already 200 have been sent back." However, while the U.S. military had moved caskets into the Korean Peninsula's joint security area in anticipation, no remains had been sent back. Soon, negotiations were dragging out longer than many had expected. "That it took this long to secure such low-hanging fruit is a bad sign that North Korea intends to lean on its traditional negotiating posture," Van Jackson, a former Pentagon official who teaches at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, said of the prospective repatriation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was expected to return with remains when he visited Pyongyang for an overnight stay July 6. But after his team was criticized by the North Korean Foreign Ministry, his visit only highlighted tensions between the United States and North Korea over the return of the remains and issues surrounding denuclearization. On July 12, North Korean military officials left their U.S. counterparts waiting for hours at the joint security area before belatedly calling to request that they reschedule their prearranged meeting. Only after this meeting and subsequent ones was practical progress made. One part of the holdup appeared to be North Korean requests for payment. The last time North Korea's military returned likely remains of American troops was in 2005 amid escalating tensions with Pyongyang, when the United States halted a program that had been running since the 1990s. In 2007, Richardson visited North Korea on a private mission that had the approval of the Bush administration. Richardson returned with the remains of six servicemen. The return of the remains now would come after commercial satellite imagery appeared to show that North Korea had destroyed part of a satellite-testing facility that was part of the country's missile-development program. Trump, who told reporters in June that North Korea had agreed to destroy that facility, said Tuesday that the United States appreciated the move. (c) 2018, The Washington Post. . In an open letter, Mayor Randall Woodfin expressed his disappointment in comments made by Arnold, Pennsylvania Mayor Karen Peconi for suggesting protestors be sprayed with high-pressure hoses, the same way civil rights marchers were sprayed in the streets of Birmingham in 1963. Peconi made the suggestion on Facebook when she shared a video of protestors being sprayed with hoses and an image taken during the civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham in 1963. She commented, saying "we need one of these for tomorrow." "I'm posting this so the authorities every where [sic] see this... I agree with Tom.. bring the hoses." She continued in another comment, saying "They don't care about jobs for Pgh.. [sic] none of them work now. That's how they can do this at 7am.... [sic] Very sad." She posted the images and comments in reaction to a series of demonstrations in the Pittsburgh area after 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr., a black teen, was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in the city of East Pittsburgh. The officer who fired the fatal shots will be prosecuted for his actions. In Woodfin's letter, posted on Medium.com, he recounts the May 1963 events in Birmingham, where black youth were attacked with firehoses as they marched through downtown. "As I have noted, this seems to have been a deliberate misrepresentation on your part of the purpose of the 1963 demonstrations in Birmingham. Those demonstrations -- and the oppressive manner in which our city government of the time chose to respond to them -- raised the consciousness of Americans to the injustices being protested. They brought about the end of segregation in Birmingham and played a large role in paving the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965." Woodfin continues, calling Birmingham a city that takes pride in it's role in advancing the Civil Rights movement and a city focused on the future. "All of which makes your recent actions a cause for disappointment and concern. I am, of course, aware that the officer responsible for the death of Antwon Rose is being prosecuted, and I pray that justice will be served by the outcome of that case. I also am aware of calls for you to resign your position as mayor of Arnold, of your refusal to do so and of actions your city council is taking pursuant to having you removed from office," Woodfin said. He declined to comment on efforts to have Peconi removed from office and acknowledged her apology to the city. "I love this community, I would do anything for the people here. I don't take my position as Mayor lightly and deeply regret the comments I made on Facebook. It was never my intention to offend anyone, and for those who I offended I am sincerely sorry," Peconi wrote in an apology, Pittsburg news station WTAE reported. Woodfin did, however, urge her to reflect on the choice she made to post those comments and images on Facebook. "With that in mind, I am asking that you take the time to understand and reflect on why your use of an image of sacrifice and heroism that took place in Birmingham more than a generation ago was a disservice to those who demonstrated in Birmingham then, to those who demonstrate in the Pittsburgh area now and to the spirit and principles that represent America at its finest," Woodfin said. He concluded the letter with strong words on reconciliation spoken by civil rights leader -- and no stranger to Birmingham -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "The method of nonviolence seeks not to humiliate and not to defeat the oppressor, but it seeks to win his friendship and his understanding. And thereby and therefore, the aftermath of this method is reconciliation." Read Woodfin's full letter here. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened a 45-day public comment period on a $388 million plan to enlarge the Mobile Ship Channel. The project was initiated by the Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA), whose director, Jimmy Lyons, says it's needed for the Port of Mobile to stay competitive as larger cargo ships become the norm. That's particularly true of container ships, as the Mobile container terminal is a fast-growing part of the port's business. But the project has raised concerns from at least two groups. Some in the seafood industry worry that a deeper and wider channel will adversely affect seafood harvesting in the bay. Advocates for Dauphin Island residents say the channel causes erosion of the island's shores and that the Corps' handling of dredge spoil misses an opportunity to replenish lost sand. In Corps terminology, the newly released document is a draft version of a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) that contains a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. According to the Corps, the document "is being circulated to federal, state and local agencies and interested public for a 45-day comment period." A Corps spokesman said at least one public meeting on the project is planned. That likely will take place in September, though details haven't yet been finalized. Most of the ship channel is 45 feet deep and 400 feet wide. Since beginning its $7.8 review in 2015, the Corps has considered a variety of options, up to a depth of 55 feet and a width, at least in areas, of 550 feet. More recently the Corps had indicated that in order to achieve an "economically justified project" it was likely to recommend a depth of 48 to 51 feet. The "Tentatively Selected Plan" in the draft GRR specifies the following: Deepening the existing Bar and Bay Channels (including the Choctaw Pass Turning Basin), and a portion of the River Channel by 5 feet to project depths of 52, 50, and 50 feet, respectively; with an additional 2 feet for advanced maintenance plus 2 feet of allowable overdepth for dredging. Incorporating minor bend easings at the double bends in the Bar Channel approach to the Bay Channel. Widening the Bay Channel from 400 feet to 500 feet from the mouth of Mobile Bay northward for 3 nautical miles to provide a two-way traffic area for passing. Expanding the Choctaw Pass Turning Basin 250 feet to the south (at a depth of 50 feet) to better accommodate safe turning of the design vessel and other large vessels. The report also specifies offshore sites where material dredged during improvements, and during future maintenance, will be dumped. The draft report estimates the project will cost $387.8 million and bring average annual net benefits of $34.5 million "by transportation savings through the use of larger ships to transport the projected cargo volumes." In its executive summary, the report goes on to say that "Results of the detailed analyses suggest that, overall, no substantial impacts in aquatic resources within the study area are anticipated due to channel modifications." It says "overall effects to essential fish habitat and protected species would be temporary in nature" while the work is done. The full report and supporting documents can be found at the Corps of Engineers website for the project: http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Missions/Program-and-Project-Management/Civil-Projects/Mobile-Harbor-GRR/ According to the Corps, "Individuals and agencies may present comments relevant to the Draft GRR/SEIS by mail at the address above or email (MobileHarborGRR@usace.army.mil) by September 10, 2018 or request a public hearing. The comments received during the comment period will be considered in the preparation of the Final GRR/SEIS." Hun Sen, who has led the country for 33 years and is accused of eliminating the opposition, is expected to retain power. Phnom Penh, Cambodia With Cambodia heading to the polls on Sunday in what rights groups have said is one of the most oppressive elections since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, here are five things you need to know: Why is this election important? Following a near upset in the 2013 elections, Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power for 33 years and is one of the longest-serving rulers in the world. Over the last two years, he has disbanded the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and jailed its members, silenced critics and forced the closure of most independent media. Since UN-supervised elections in 1993, observers and international bodies including the United Nations believe Hun Sen has moved the country towards authoritarian rule, declaring these elections as a sham. After the recent political crackdown by Hun Sen, democracy is definitely dead in Cambodia. Even its facade has crumbled. Sam Rainsy, the former CNRP leader For decades, Cambodians have been robbed of their land, robbed of their countrys natural wealth, and robbed of their voice. Now they are being robbed of their vote, said Emma Burnett, a campaigner for London-based rights group Global Witness. This is a betrayal not just of Cambodians, but of all of the countries that have together contributed billions of aid dollars to helping Cambodians build a democratic system from the devastation of the Khmer Rouge genocide one that respects the rule of law and basic human rights. Whats expected? There may be 20 parties on the ballot this year, but none can compete with the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), which is expected to dominate the polls. The prime minister has stacked election monitoring positions with close allies. Of the 107 domestic groups registered by the National Election Committee to monitor the vote, nearly half are reportedly subjugated by the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, a group headed by Hun Sens own son and ruling party legislator Hun Many. Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) members meet in Phnom Penh on July 26 [Manan Vatsyayana/AFP] Observers have also noted allegations of voter intimidation. Equally worrying were reports that local authorities have threatened to withhold public services to those who do not vote for the ruling party. This only creates a climate of fear and confusion, Rhona Smith, the UNs special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, said in a statement posted on Facebook. [I] encourage the government to condemn in very clear terms voter intimidation and to clarify that calling for a boycott in a non-compulsory vote is permitted. Has there been any resistance? With the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) disbanded in Cambodia and its leader Kem Sokha in prison over treason allegations, its top members abroad are calling on their followers to boycott the elections. {articleGUID} After the recent political crackdown by Hun Sen, democracy is definitely dead in Cambodia. Even its facade has crumbled, said Sam Rainsy, the former CNRP leader who ran in the contested 2013 elections. We call our supporters to boycott this sham election. In the present circumstances, an election without the CNRP as the only credible opposition party is meaningless. The remaining opposition parties have yet to call for popular protests and wish to avoid the same violence that took place following the last elections, after the CNRP accused Hun Sen of election fraud. Does Cambodia enjoy good relations with China and the US? Anti-Western sentiment has grown in advance of the elections. US soft power in the region had helped facilitate international aid following the countrys destruction at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. However, as US influence has weakened, China has stepped in to provide billions of dollars in loans and new infrastructure projects. By the end of 2017, China was by far the biggest investor in Cambodia, having sunk $12.6bn in foreign direct investment, according to Chinese state media. China has also provided a total of $5.27bn in financial aid to Cambodia from July 2001 to June 2018, while also becoming its biggest trade partner reaching $5.8bn in 2017, up 22 percent from a year earlier. Cambodia goes to the polls on July 29 in an election devoid of a serious opposition after they were disbanded by a court and barred from running [Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP] As those figures went up, Hun Sen, considered increasingly autocratic by the West, earned the scorn of the international community. Last August, Hun Sen expelled the US-funded National Democratic Institute amid accusations it was colluding with the opposition CNRP. Radio Free Asia has closed its Phnom Penh office, The Cambodia Daily was shuttered and CNRP leader Kem Sokha was jailed on allegedly flimsy charges of treason and collusion with the United States. Nevertheless, Beijing has remained committed to Hun Sen. Asia is increasingly a region dominated by China and contested by other key regional players like India and Japan, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Wilson Centers Asia Programme in Washington, DC. As for the US, dont expect it to play much of a role at all. What will happen after the election? Hun Sen and the CPP are primed to win in a landslide. Observers believe the rulers autocratic ways might threaten a new government that neither the international community nor his opponents believe to be legitimate. There is widespread popular disaffection with the CPPs crackdown, said Sebastian Strangio, author of the book, Hun Sens Cambodia. Cambodias social problems will continue to simmer on into the new political era, posing the CPP with potentially grave problems in the years to come. But with the economy humming along and little recourse for political opponents on the ground, Hun Sens rule is likely to remain uncontested for the foreseeable future. The CPP government may not be seen as legitimate, but the absence of opposition leaders from Cambodia make it unlikely that there will be any broad-based protest against it, Strangio said. Syrians fleeing the war in their country have found a new home in the heart of Turkeys biggest city. Istanbul, Turkey With shop signs in Arabic, Syrian food served in restaurants and fashionable abayas and Arabic perfumes available in shops, Malta Market Street reminds more of Damascus to its residents than Istanbul. The conservative Fatih district in Turkeys largest city has been home to Syrian refugees since the early days of the war in neighbouring Syria. Dubbed the Syrian or Damascus Bazaar, the area in and around Malta Market Street in Fatih is home to a multitude of restaurants offering all kinds of Syrian delicacies. Syrian-owned confectioneries, coffee shops and bakeries also dot the neighbourhoods streets, in which Arabic is the primary language of communication. Standing outside the mobile phone shop he works for, Omar Rassam says he left Syria six years ago, right after the fighting started. {articleGUID} Turks here got used to Syrians in the course of years. It is not the same in other parts of Istanbul, the 25-year-old told Al Jazeera. After leaving his hometown of Damascus, Rassam said he spent two years in Lebanon before coming to Turkey. It was hard to survive in Lebanon, with no government help and people were not friendly. I have been living here for four years without problems, he said. I have a residence permit here, but I would like to get Turkish citizenship in order to bring my fiance and family to Turkey. It is hard to get visas for Syrians these days. Desire for citizenship Metres away, Ali Najib is busy tending to customers orders at a Syrian-owned sweets shop. Like Rassam, 32-year-old Najib says he feels at home in Fatih, where hes lived for five years and seen the Syrian population grow. I like my life in Istanbul, there is peace here, he told Al Jazeera. The only thing I need further is to be able to bring my family over and for that I need citizenship. A 2017 survey showed that 74 percent of Syrians living in Turkey seek Turkish citizenship. A Syrian falafel restaurant in the area [Umut Uras/Al Jazeera] Turkey opposed the Syrian governments policies after the Syrian war started in 2011. In the following years, it backed the moderate opposition, while opening its border to Syrian refugees running away from violence. Ankaras total open-door policy towards Syrians went on until January 2016, when it began imposing visa restrictions towards the ones entering the county by air or sea. According to human rights groups, Turkeys border stayed largely closed from 2016 on, with reports of refugees getting deported or even shot at while trying to enter the country. Turkish officials denied the claims. {articleGUID} The Turkey-Syria border dynamics have significantly changed after Turkey and allied rebels, the Free Syrian Army, captured various towns in northern Syria in the west of the Euphrates in 2017 and the northeastern Syrian region of Afrin in 2018. Since then, the focus of the government in Ankara has been on developing those areas and the voluntary return of Syrian refugees instead of keeping them in the country. Hundreds of thousands of people have returned to Syria from Turkey after Ankaras operations in northern Syria and Afrin. High rents Despite the calm and settled atmosphere in Fatih, there has been some frustration among some Turks who believe that the Syrians received better financial support and incentive policies by the Turkish government than the countrys own citizens. Furthermore, some people in the poorer parts of the society see the arriving refugees as rivals for low-wage jobs and customers. Official statistics say there are more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey as of June, and according to a recent study the figure keeps rising as well as hostility towards them. Incidents of intercommunal violence increased threefold in the second half of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016. At least 35 people died in these incidents during 2017, including 24 Syrians, the study said. The shop signs in the area mostly in both Turkey and Arabic [Umut Uras/Al Jazeera] Back in Malta Market Street, a Syrian from Hama, who asked to remain anonymous, stands inside his own confectionery store. It was not easy to open this shop, he told Al Jazeera. Turkish landlords ask for illegal and significantly high fees from Syrians before they let us rent commercial spaces, he added. The rents asked from Syrians are higher, as well. I spent a lot of money to open this place, but now my life is in order, he said, joining voices with the others in his desire to get Turkish citizenship. He says his customers are predominantly Syrian, but sometimes Turks buy his sweets too. Hasan Aziz, who works for Alraii, a restaurant chain with three branches in the area, agrees. Most of our customers are Syrians, said the 21-year-old. Syrians like their meat fatty and greasy, whereas Turks not that much. So, when we have Turkish customers, we try to make it according to their likes. Cambodians will go to the polls on 29 July but these are clearly not free and fair elections. In the run-up to the July 29 vote, the now officially dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) is calling for a boycott of the election. They argue, as do many analysts, that while there are 20 other parties on the ballot, many are linked to the ruling party and there is no viable opposition to Hun Sens ruling Cambodia Peoples Party (CPP). As such, it is a foregone conclusion that CPP will win. Certainly, the absence of any credible opposition makes a mockery of the election process. But how did we get here? And what happens next for the country? Decimating the opposition The CPP has ruled Cambodia for decades. But in recent elections, the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) had made surprising gains. Gaining more than 40 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections in 2013 and local elections in 2017, the CNRP offered a viable alternative to the ruling party. {articleGUID} In response, Hun Sen has overseen an intense crackdown on the political opposition. This situation was further compounded when Cambodias Supreme Court, in November 2017, ordered the dissolution of the CNRP, banning its 188 members from politics for five years. With one decision, which was not open to appeal, the court allowed Cambodia to essentially become a one-party state. As a result, the CNRP not only lost their seats in the National Assembly but many opposition politicians, such as the former leader of the CNRP, Sam Rainsy, and deputy leader Mu Sochua, who fled the country and are now in exile. Opposition leader Kem Sokha remains in jail, charged with treason, and was recently denied bail. It is clear that this repression was intended to consolidate Hun Sen and the CPPs leadership and to maintain the political and economic status quo. However, the repression extends far beyond the political opposition. Any dissenting voices are at risk. In the last few years, Hun Sens government has unleashed a range of legal actions and restrictions against civil society, journalists and others seen to be critical of his leadership and actions. For example, in September 2017, the Cambodia Daily, an outspoken critic of the ruling party, was presented with a $6.3m tax bill, which resulted in their forced closure. More recently, in May 2018, the Phnom Penh Post was sold to a businessman with alleged links to Hun Sen. The response of the West The dissolution of the opposition met strong criticism from the EU. The bloc expressed its concerns about the undermining of democratic rights and warned of economic consequences. In particular, it highlighted that the continued erosion of democratic norms could see the country removed from the Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement, which is designed to help less developed countries export duty-free goods into European markets. {articleGUID} For Cambodia, the EU is its main export destination, accounting for 40 percent of all overall exports. The EBA has had a significant effect on job creation and growth, particularly in the garment sector. A leaked document from the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance, as reported in the Phnom Penh Post, noted the damage that restrictions could cause up to $676m in tariffs alone. The EU could use the EBA as leverage to force changes. But the reality is that it would be local workers of which there are over 600,000 in the garment sector alone and those who depend on them who would be most affected by any suspension. As such, it is unlikely that the EU would actually take such steps, severely limiting the effectiveness of the EBA as leverage. Relations with the US will also continue to be strained. The US initially withdrew all funding for the National Election Committee, arguing the 2018 elections could not be free and fair. Most recently, in June 2018, the US Treasury sanctioned Cambodian General Hing Bun Hieng for complicity in serious human rights abuses. This is important because it marks the first time that a Cambodian official has been sanctioned under the US Global Magnitsky Act. And just a few days ago, the House of Representatives passed the Cambodia Democracy Act which, among other things, can impose sanctions and visa bans on Hun Sen, his family and closest allies. However, it is hard to assess whether these financial actions will have any material influence on Cambodia given the high level of economic support they receive from China. Relationship with China For China, Cambodia is important for two reasons. Firstly, China has a long-term investment strategy for the country. In the last few years, Chinese investment has started to outstrip US investment nearly five billion dollar in loans and investments between 2011 and 2015 with the yearly amount ballooning to $200m in 2016 alone, making it the single largest investor in Cambodia. Just last month, China also invested $100m in the Cambodian military, and its no strings attached approach suits Hun Sens autocratic tendencies. Secondly, a foothold in Cambodia can be used by China to leverage economic interests for political influence. For example, Cambodia has often resisted signing up to ASEAN statements on the South China Sea which are critical of Chinas actions. Chinas influence is likely to continue and grow particularly as other countries, such as the US, pull away from Cambodia. But this type of relationship can be a double-edged sword. Hun Sen may want to exercise some caution rather than putting all the countrys economic eggs in Chinas basket. Much like Myanmar under the old military junta, there may come a point where it needs to diversify its investments and cutting off ties with Western countries that have previously supported Cambodia may not be a viable long-term strategy. What next Cambodias government has said about 220 election observers from 52 countries will be on hand to watch for irregularities in Sundays vote. But critics say many of the observer groups have ties to the ruling party and their presence will not mean a free and fair election. Interestingly, Japan, which had contributed financially to the election commission and provided technical assistance despite the obvious shortcomings in the election process, has decided not to send observers. What is clear is that Hun Sens win will lack credibility. Despite attempts to corral people to vote, there is no masking how deeply flawed the election process has been. With no real viable opposition, there is only one possible outcome. However, civil society, youth, journalists and others will not necessarily fade away. People will still continue, even in difficult circumstances, to press for a genuine and legitimate say in how their country should work. By dissolving the opposition, silencing his critics and shutting down dissent, Hun Sen may have secured himself another term but he will also have increased the pressure on himself to meet the needs of the people. And as Cambodia deals with economic and social issues, endemic corruption and poor governance, Hun Sen may well have created the conditions for ongoing resistance in the future. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The upcoming election should be the dawn of a new era, not the continuation of Mugabes warped unconstitutional values. As it prepares to hold landmark general and presidential elections on July 30, Zimbabwe is also trying to come to terms with the legacy of its former president and longtime leader Robert Mugabe. When he resigned on November 21, 2017, the nonagenarian leader, who had been ruling the mineral-rich former British colony, first as prime minister and later as president, since its independence in 1980, left behind a divided nation and a long-running financial crisis. His long overdue resignation brought the curtain down on a political career which saw early successes ultimately wiped out by a litany of tangible and agonising failures. His undeniable past achievements freeing the country from the grip of colonialism, establishing a renowned education system and overseeing equal redistribution of land have all been tainted by irregularities, abuses and human rights violations over the years. Mugabe engineered the Gukurahundi massacres, used thuggery and violence to win elections, repressed opposition, oversaw forced disappearances, mismanaged the countrys natural resources and turned a blind eye to corruption. His rule relied heavily on ethnic electoral machinations established and manipulated by provincial strongmen such as the late Edison Zvobgo, Sydney Sekeramayi and Emmerson Mnangagwa. This ethnic gerrymandering has resulted in expressions of tribalism rising to the surface of Zimbabwean politics and marginalisation of minority ethnic groups in the country. The emergence in 2014 of secessionist Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) is symptomatic of Mugabes divisive and weak leadership and failure to unite the nation behind common economic and social objectives. The MRP regularly references the marginalisation of minority ethnic groups from Matabeleland in the mainstream economy and wants to establish a breakaway state. Beyond fanning the flames of tribalism and unashamedly embedding ethnic divisions into the fabric of Zimbabwean society, Mugabe also normalised political violence and the regular use of youth militias for political ends. The attempted assassination of the former vice president of Zimbabwes main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai (MDC-T), during the funeral of former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on February 19 clearly demonstrates how violence has become a common political tool in Zimbabwe. MDC-T youths attacked former VP Thokozani Khupe and even attempted to set her on fire because she had resisted Nelson Chamisas controversial ascendancy to the presidency of MDC-T after Tsvangirais death. The July 23 bombing at the ruling ZANU-PF partys election rally in the countrys second-largest city Bulawayo is yet another indication that following Mugabes disastrous tenure, all is not well in Zimbabwean politics. For Zimbabwe to return to some form of normalcy, the country needs to reconcile with Mugabes crimes. The victims of the former presidents political madness thousands of villagers that were slain in Gukurahundi massacres and their descendants, as well as the thousands who were subject to politically motivated violence, torture and illegal detention by the police, army and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officers must be acknowledged, compensated and offered rehabilitation services. Following the July 30 elections, strong and highly independent institutions of justice should be established and lawful accountability and transparency should be introduced to the political arena. All this can only be achieved if the victors of the upcoming election are ready and willing to confront Mugabes legacy. Yet the former presidents legacy now appears to be receiving a makeover, thanks to fresh alliances, tremendous wealth and spin efforts by close family members and former allies who served under him. Both the current administration and the opposition seem to be willing to whitewash Mugabes murderous legacy and collaborate with the former president when it is in their interests. Mugabes redemption In January, President Emmerson Mnangagwa claimed Mugabe never made any mistakes in his long and turbulent rule. In May, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa described him as a principled leader. Even MDC-T leader and presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa spoke positively of the former leader on July 2, when he declared that Mugabe would vote for him in the upcoming presidential poll. Chamisas surprising declaration came after media reports claiming the MDC Alliance (an electoral bloc formed between seven political parties led by MDC-T) had held secret talks with the National Patriotic Front (NPF), a fringe political party established by disgruntled former ZANU-PF members in March. The NFP is associated with Mugabe and reportedly funded by none other than former First Lady Grace Mugabe. Former NFP President Ambrose Mutinhiri and spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire were pictured with Mugabe at his Blue Roof palatial mansion in March. Later, Mugabe tried to justify his open dalliance with NFP officials in an interview with a local private newspaper putting Chamisa in an awkward position. Amid reports that a political pact between the MDC Alliance and the NPF was in the offing, Chamisa had to rebut accusations that he planned to make Grace Mugabe vice president. Mrs Mugabe had allegedly offered to donate $24m and 12 vehicles to the MDC Alliance electoral campaign in return for the vice-presidential position and 82 parliamentary seats for the NFP. Cometh the hour, cometh the man Such actions by the oppositions, if they continue, do not bode well for its political future. They can only lead to Zimbabweans losing faith in the capacity of the MDC Alliance to introduce change. Chamisa shouldnt be entertaining underhand deals with a political villain or his dubiously wealthy wife Chamisa should instead be seeking justice for overlooked and voiceless Zimbabweans. He should publicise the details of the immunity deal Mugabe reportedly got (but doesnt deserve) and expeditiously reverse that wrong. Chamisa should show robust leadership and launch comprehensive and transparent investigations into historical injustices committed under Mugabe and stand ready to push for the prosecutions of top government officials, such as Mnangagwa. The July 30 elections should be the beginning of a new era, not the continuation of Mugabes warped unconstitutional values. As a new age dawns, Chamisa shouldnt help rebrand Mugabes disgraceful legacy; he should help rehabilitate a fractured Zimbabwe. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. On a per capita basis, this is one of the deadliest years yet because fewer people are trying to reach the continent. More than 1,500 people have died so far in 2018 trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean, the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said, adding that this is the fifth consecutive year that the grim benchmark has been reached. The vast majority of the 1,504 deaths were drownings that occurred as people tried to cross from Libya to Italy (1,111), according to the data collected for the Missing Migrants Project. This was followed by 304 deaths on the route to Spain and 89 on the way to Greece. In a statement on Friday, the IOM said 304 fatalities were recorded between January and July 25, far outpacing the 124 recorded in the equivalent period of 2017 and the 224 recorded as drowned or missing during all of last year. The number of people who have arrived in Europe this year is 55,001, a decrease of 50 percent compared with the same period last year. However, on a per capita basis, 2018 is one of the deadliest years yet because the number of people trying to reach Europe is significantly lower. For the fifth year in a row, more than 1,000 migrants have died in the #Mediterranean: 2014: 3,283 2015: 3,783 2016: 5,143 2017: 3,139 2018: 1,504 (until 27/7) pic.twitter.com/YejQavW8pS IOM UN Migration (@UNmigration) July 27, 2018 Spain more popular The IOM said that in recent months there was a big increase in the number of people trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Spain instead of Italy. Arrivals to Italy trail Spain by almost 3,000; a week ago the gap was less than 200, the statement said. Additionally, 3,125 migrants have attempted to enter Spain irregularly via the countrys African enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, according to Spanish authorities, it added. {articleGUID} With this months figures, Spain is the Mediterraneans most-sought destination for irregular migrants travelling by sea, surpassing Italy and Greece. Greece, which was the main destination for many people before the European Union struck a deal with Turkey which halted the number of refugee arrivals, has seen a 50 percent increase compared with the same period last year. In total, more than 5,000 people have arrived in Greece so far this year. Italy on the other hand, has seen a dramatic drop in the number of migrants arriving. More than 640,000 people have reached Italy by boat from Africa in the past five years. Divided EU In recent months, Italys new populist government has turned away several rescue vessels patrolling the Mediterranean to save refugees crossing the sea from drowning. {articleGUID} Since taking up his post in early June, Italys far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also one of the countrys two deputy prime ministers, has pushed the divisive issue of migration to the forefront of the EU agenda by refusing to open his countrys ports to migrant rescue ships. Under the European Unions so-called Dublin rules, asylum seekers must be processed in the country where they first arrive usually Italy, Greece or Spain. In an attempt to reduce the number of refugees trying to reach Europe, the leaders of Italy and France have urged the EU to set up asylum processing centres in Africa to prevent refugees and migrants from undertaking the journey across the Mediterranean, a move widely criticised because of the often dire circumstances in those countries. Argentines protest against decree allowing military on streets Memories of the military dictatorship the ruled Argentina in the 1970s and 80s have brought Argentines out to protest against a decree that would allow the military to intervene in domestic problems. Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years. Calls in Iceland to ban commercial hunting of whales Iceland does not publicise its whale hunting industry much, and with declining public support, graphic images of what could be a Blue Whale being slaughtered is a PR nightmare for the country. Officials say they have received no harassment complaints in centres, while refugees allege abuse in new HRW report. Pregnant women and new mothers are among those fleeing war and economic devastation only to arrive in appalling detention-like conditions in Greek reception centres, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. Published on Friday, the report accuses Greek authorities of subjecting thousands of newly arrived refugees and migrants, who entered the country by via land borders, to living conditions [that] do not meet international standards. The report highlights accusations of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of Greek police in three government-operated centres in northern Greece. Among the thousands of refugees and migrants enduring decrepit living conditions in the reception centres are pregnant women, new mothers and survivors of sexual assault, the report alleged. Reported problems in the facilities were compounded by a lack of translators, it added. Based on interviews with 49 asylum seekers and migrants, HRWs new report accused authorities of warehousing new arrivals in malodorous, dark cells. People told us they were being treated so poorly in these facilities that they felt less than human, said Hillary Margolis, womens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. Greece has a responsibility to uphold basic standards of care for everyone in its custody, regardless of their immigration status. Identified in the report as Leila, a pregnant 24-year-old Syrian said: I desperately need to go to the doctor to see how my baby is, but the doctor here said, When you move to another camp, youll see a doctor there.' {articleGUID} Several interviewees told the rights group that they were subjected to or witnessed verbal harassment, while two alleged that police officers had beaten asylum seekers. In response, Hellenic Police said they have received no complaints of violence, adding that they have zero tolerance for human rights abuses. Stranded The accusations come at a time when other European countries have voiced their desire to return more asylum seekers to Greece in accordance with the so-called Dublin rules. Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants are bottlenecked in Greece, unable to leave owing to sealed borders across the so-called Western Balkan route. Those who do leave are only able to do so with the assistance of smugglers. Women and children sit at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos [File: Elias Marcou/Reuters] As of May, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) estimated that 60,000 refugees and migrants were in the country, including at least 14,000 who were stuck on Greek islands. More than a million people arrived in the country in 2016, according to the UNHCR, while upwards of 15,000 have arrived by sea so far in 2018. This year, a growing number of refugees and migrants have reached the country by crossing the land border with Turkey in the north. Last week, Greek media reported that four people went missing after their boat capsized on the Evros River, situated on the Greece-Turkey border. {articleGUID} Earlier this year, the Greek police said that 1,658 refugees and migrants were detained in March after crossing into Greece through the Evros River, which is situated on the Turkish border. That number was more than five times higher than the same period in 2017, which saw only 262 people detained on the countrys frontier with Turkey. Greek authorities have been accused of push backs on the border with Turkey. Bahrain has stripped hundreds of people of their citizenship since 2012, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). In total, 738 people including journalists, human rights activists and religious scholars had their citizenship revoked through executive orders or court decisions, Fridays report said. While authorities claim that these acts are linked to national security, they are in fact punishing many people merely for peacefully voicing dissent, Eric Goldstein, HRWs deputy Middle East director said in a statement. Bahrain seems intent on earning the dubious honour of leading the region in stripping citizenship. {articleGUID} Out of the 738 revocations, 232 were carried out in 2018, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), which collected the data. What Bahraini authorities have done in stripping away hundreds of peoples citizenship clearly violates international norms, Goldsteins statement said. Once a person is stripped of their citizenship, they effectively become stateless. At least eight of those stripped of their citizenship were deported to Iraq, the report said. A law amended in 2014 allows the interior minister to strip the citizenship of any person that aids or is involved in the service of a hostile state or causes harm to the interests of the Kingdom or acts in a way that contravenes his duty of loyalty to it. Many of the cases are dealt with by civil or military courts, which have repeatedly violated fair trials according to HRW. {articleGUID} Bahrain is a signatory of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which says that every person has the right to a nationality, and no citizen shall be deprived of his nationality without a legally valid reason. One of the people stripped of his nationality is Shia spiritual leader Sheikh Isa Qassim of his nationality, one of the leaders of massive anti-government that took place in 2011. The Shia-led protests erupted across the country. That led to Sunni Gulf allies suspicious of Iran and opposed to growing Shia influence in the region to intervene, quashing the protests on behalf of Bahrains rulers. Following those protests, in which dozens of people died, hundreds of people were arrested and put on trial. Authorities have refused to listen to opposition demands for reforms, including the establishment of a real constitutional monarchy with an elected prime minister independent of the ruling royal family. How influential can social media users be in China? China is known to monitor social media, but in the wake of a rapid government response to a fake-vaccine crisis, when does monitoring social media users become listening to social media users? Israeli defence minister says new homes would be the best answer to the killing of Israeli by a Palestinian. Israels defence minister has announced to build 400 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank after an Israeli settler was killed and two others were wounded in a knife attack. Avigdor Lieberman said in a tweet on Friday that the construction of new homes would be the best answer to the killing of 31-year-old Yotam Ovadia by a Palestinian teenager in the Geva Binyamin (Adam) settlement the night before. Israels settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is regarded as illegal under international law. {articleGUID} Palestinians say that continued construction of illegal settlements on their land will ruin the chances of future Palestinian state constituting of the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem as its capital, which was occupied during the 1967 war. According to the Israeli military, 17-year-old Ahmad Tareq Youssef Abu Ayyush snuck into the settlement situated some 20km northeast of Jerusalem on Thursday evening before entering a house and stabbing three people. Abu Ayyush, from the Palestinian village of Kobar, was later shot and killed at the scene. The Israeli army said on Friday it had set up security inspections around the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. Four other Palestinians were detained for questioning. Illegal settlements Hamas, the group that rules the Gaza Strip, issued a statement praising the attack but did not claim responsibility for it. Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Abu Ayyushs actions represented a brave operation that responds to the daily ugly crimes the occupation commits against our people. {articleGUID} Thursdays attack came after a period of relative calm in the West Bank, although at least 154 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since late March during protests calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Earlier this month, Israels parliament passed a new nation-state law stating the land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people. Opponents of the bill allege it marginalises Israels Arab Palestinian citizens and people living throughout the occupied territories. PTI wins at least 116 out of 272 National Assembly seats but, monitors say election not fought on a level playing field. Islamabad, Pakistan Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emerged as the single largest party in the Pakistani lower house of parliament, as international observers declared the polling process less fair than the countrys previous general election. The PTI won at least 116 out of the 272 directly elected National Assembly seats in Wednesdays election, official results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) showed on Friday with results from four constituencies still awaited. Khans party will need 137 seats to form the government, and has begun approaching smaller political forces with the aim of putting together a coalition. With 64 seats, imprisoned former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will almost certainly be relegated to the role of opposition for the next five years. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 43 seats, with independents and smaller parties taking the remaining seats. Voter turnout was reported to be 51.78 percent of the more than 105 million eligible voters, a slight drop from the 2013 general election. Polling was suspended in two constituencies after violent attacks during the campaign, and elections will be held there at a later date. {articleGUID} The PML-N on Friday led a multiparty conference in the capital, Islamabad, after it and several other parties including the PPP and religious party coalition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alleged widespread irregularities in the vote-counting process. Those in attendance rejected the election result, according to Fazl-ur-Rehman, Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (JUI-F) party chief. Other parties, including the PML-N, said they had not yet decided whether to join the JUI-Fs call for nationwide protests. On Thursday, Khan said his party would fully support any investigation into the allegations of poll rigging. Not as good as 2013 On Friday, the European Unions observer mission said the election suffered from the lack of a level playing field, and that irregularities had been reported in the vote-counting process. Our assessment is that, overall, the elections of 2018 were not as good as in 2013, Michael Gahler, the EUs chief observer who has monitored several general elections in Pakistan, said in a press conference in Islamabad. The EUs assessment declared that there appeared to be a systematic effort to undermine the former ruling party (PML-N) through cases of corruption, contempt of court and terrorist charges against its leaders and candidates. {articleGUID} Sharif, the PML-N chief, was convicted by an anti-terrorism court in early July, and jailed shortly after. In the run-up to the polls, the PML-N, as well as other political parties and rights groups, had alleged widespread incidences of intimidation of candidates by the countrys powerful military, as well as censorship of the press on political and security issues. Concerted efforts by state and non-state actors to stifle the reporting environment were evident, read the EU observer missions preliminary report. The report further declared that while voting was assessed as well-conducted and transparent in the 446 polling stations observed, there were issues in the vote-counting process. Counting was sometimes problematic polling staff did not always follow procedures and had difficulties completing the result forms. The Free and Fair Elections Network (FAFEN), a Pakistani observer network that deployed more than 19,600 staff to observe the polls, said that while there were significant improvements in the overall process, questions remain regarding the results. It reported that in at least 35 constituencies, the number of rejected votes was larger than the winning partys margin of victory. Regarding the role of the military, the EU observer mission said that security personnel were observed recording and transmitting the results, giving the impression of parallel tabulation. {articleGUID} The PML-N has alleged that the deployment of more than 371,000 troops during the elections was an attempt by the countrys military which has ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its 70-year history and has clashed with the party in recent times to manipulate the election results. The military denies any involvement in the polling process beyond providing security. Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim Leaders of the BRICS bloc oppose protectionism Donald Trumps threats and tariffs have given the BRICS countries even more reason to increase trade and cooperation among themselves, as their leaders meet in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mali election: Opposition candidate Soumaila Cisse gains momentum Cisse came in second to President Keita in 2013, but instability in Mali may provide him the circumstances to win this time around. Experts say fear of attacks by armed groups could force voters to stay away from Sundays election. Malians go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president amid growing concerns over the countrys fragile security situation due to ongoing attacks by armed groups. Voters will decide whether to give President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 73, a second term or replace him with one of his 23 rivals. Opposition leader Soumaila Cisse, 68, is seen as his main challenger. Mali has struggled to deal with armed groups and sectarian infighting despite international military interventions and a 2015 peace deal, and much of the countrys north remains beyond government control. The election takes place against the backdrop of high-profile attacks by a number of armed groups, while accusations of heavy-handed counterterror operations by Malian troops and deadly communal clashes between wary ethnic groups add to the insecurity. {articleGUID} Meanwhile, the local branch of al-Qaeda warned voters this week to stay away from the polls. Adama Djiguiba, a shopkeeper in a village in central Mali, said he is very scared for the elections. There is a great risk that there will be terrorist attacks or inter-communal clashes, he told The Associated Press news agency. Experts say people may be forced to shun the process if security does not improve. I think this situation of insecurity will push the voters not to participate in the vote, Ibrahim Maiga, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies said, told AP. The government and the electoral commission have promised a smooth vote, but many among Malis eight million registered voters are still worried. If you want to make fraud possible, it is enough for political parties to give money to office agents to corrupt them and they will accept people who come with voter cards that do not belong to them, Hamadou Guindo, a student in the capital, Bamako, told AP. Fraud could lead to post-election violence, he added. Soumaila Cisse, opposition presidential candidate, is President Keitas main rival in the July 29 polls [The Associated Press] High-profile attacks On Wednesday, armed protesters from Malis Arab community fired shots into the air, burned tyres and torched vehicles in Timbuktu, bringing the desert city to a standstill, officials said. The youths, mostly petty traders, were protesting against worsening insecurity and alleged ill-treatment by security forces in the north. {articleGUID} Experts say the country is less secure than in 2013, after French-backed forces pushed separatists in the north from their strongholds. Deadly attacks have become more brazen in recent months as they take aim at French and Malian forces and the United Nations peacekeeping mission. But Keita, also known as IBK, has played down the countrys security problems. There are pockets of violence, residues of terrorism that even [French forces] havent managed to vanquish from Malian soil. Are you going to blame all that on IBK? he said. Mugabes economic legacy overshadows Zimbabwes election Robert Mugabe might be gone, but Zimbabwes economy is still struggling and with the election approaching, both the ZANU-PF and the opposition are promising changes. Nine people die in Timure landslide Nine people died and 12 others sustained injuries in a massive landslide at Timure in Gosaikunda Rural Municipality-2 of Rasuwa district on Wednesday night. Five critically injured people were taken to Kathmandu for treatment. Nicaraguans mark 100 days of deadly protests A human rights organisation in Nicaragua says that at least 448 people have been killed in the anti-government protests that began 100 days ago. North Korea has returned the suspected remains of more than 50 US soldiers killed during the Korean War, according to the White House, in the first step in implementing an agreement reached in a landmark summit in June. A US Air Force transport plane flew the remains from Wonsan, a coastal city in North Korea, to the US-operated Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul, the White House said on Friday. Fifty-five servicemen were returned as part of the operation, according to South Koreas Yonhap news agency. A formal repatriation ceremony is expected to be held in Pyeongtaek on Wednesday, after which the remains will be flown to the US for forensic examination. A great moment US President Donald Trump said the repatriation would be a great moment for so many families and thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States! After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018 The return of the remains was agreed at a landmark summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June. Both leaders signed an agreement at the summit committing their respective countries to the recovery and repatriation of remains belonging to prisoners of war, or those missing in action, dating back to the Korean conflict. Around 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the war, with more than 5,000 of the remains believed to still be in North Korea. North Korea also pledged to work towards denuclearisation as part of the agreement, in addition to making a shared commitment with the US to pursue better relations and build a lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula. Symbolic gesture Robert Kelly, an inter-Korean affairs analyst at South Koreas Pusan National University, told Al Jazeera that agreeing on the return of remains allowed Trump to secure an immediate deliverable from the summit, which produced no timeline for denuclearisation. This (the return of remains) is something thats not particularly costly for the North Koreans to do. Its difficult for North Korea to do it for technological reasons but it isnt actually strategically or politically costly for them, Kelly said. It symbolises North Korea wants to work with the outside world, but without making any significant concessions on things that are more important, such as nuclear weapons. Fridays move coincided with the 65th anniversary of the signing of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting between North Korean and Chinese forces on one side and South Korean and US-led forces under the UN Command on the other. Kutama residents say they have nothing to show for Mugabes long reign and they do not miss Zimbabwes former president. Kutama, Zimbabwe Something rare is happening in Kutama, a small farming village about 85km west of Zimbabwes capital, Harare. Kutama is the birthplace of Robert Mugabe, who ruled the southern African country for nearly four decades. During every election season since the countrys independence in 1980, Mugabes posters used to be seen everywhere here from tree trunks to car windows. On polling day, the result would always be the same: an overwhelming Mugabe win. But the 94-old-year is not on the ballot this year. {articleGUID} After resigning in the wake of a military intervention last November, Mugabe was replaced by his one-time close aide and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa. On Monday, people in Katuma and across Zimbabwe will head to the polls in a closely contested general election that will see more than 20 candidates running for the presidency. Mnangagwa, Zimbabwes current president and leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party, and Nelson Chamisa, of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) alliance, are seen as the top two contenders. Mugabe was a son of Katuma but Katuma has nothing to show for it. There is no running water, while electricity is a luxury. Grinding poverty is all too visible, with most scrambling to make a living from the land growing maize, tobacco or keeping cattle. {articleGUID} Most of Katumas residents say they do not miss the former president. In fact, they say they are happy he is not on the ballot. The people around here, they did not like him any more, Tinashe Magudu, a tobacco farmer, told Al Jazeera. During Mugabes time in power, election periods used to be a time of heightened tensions amid fears of communal violence. But days before the vote, the mood in the village centre is one of calm. There is no violence. There is peace, said Magudu, 27. There is freedom to say whatever you want to say. There is no reign of terror. It is quite good. In previous years, it used to be rare to see opposition posters in Kutama, but now MDC banners are a common sight. Furthermore, opposition candidates come here almost dailies to hold election rallies. When people used to campaign in the past, there was violence. But now, they are doing what they are doing and its being done in peace, Agnes Mazhambe, a local vendor, told Al Jazeera. If there are rallies happening, it doesnt really matter which rally it is people just come to their rallies and return home peacefully, so I see this as different from before, she added Nhamo Maradza is running for a seat in the local council [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera] Many in the village have long hoped for a new beginning and a change in their living standards. What Id really like to see with this election is a change in the economy, Mazhambe told Al Jazeera. Things needs to change in our country so we can get money if we just get money then things will go well for us. Kutama is not just the birthplace of Mugabe, it is also home to the school that the former leader attended but most parents are unable to send their children to Kutama College because of the prohibitive fees. Those wanting to change the situation were either too afraid or were not given the party tickets they needed to contest elections but now things have changed, they say. {articleGUID} The political space has been open with the going out of the previous president, Nhamo Maradza, who is running for a seat in the local council with ZANU-PF, told Al Jazeera. A trained accountant and a farmer, the father of two has lived in Kutama for more than 20 years. He says he never thought the day will come when he will be free to run for an elected office in his village. It gives people a lot of confidence about the future. We have endured a very difficult time with for the past 20 years having to go with one leader, said Maradza. In advance of Mondays crucial poll, many in Kutama express optimism about a brighter future. We hope the one who is coming now after Mugabe can bring change, Mazhambe, the vendor, said. I hope that he can bring change to the people so we can see the difference between Mugabe and him. Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa The offensive comes a day after claim by Houthi rebels of attack on Abu Dhabi international airport using a drone. Aircraft belonging to a Saudi-Emirati military coalition fighting Yemens Houthi rebels have launched air raids on Hodeidah, a city hosting a strategically important seaport which is the main entry point for most of the war-ravaged countrys food aid. The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said in a series of tweets on Friday that coalition air strikes had targeted a radio station inside the Red Sea city and a fishing pier. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The apparent resumption of military operations on Hodeidah came a day after Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone attack on one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) main airports. According to the al-Masirah television channel, the Sammad-3 drone launched three attacks on Abu Dhabis international airport. {articleGUID} Abu Dhabi airport tweeted on Thursday that there had been an incident involving a supply vehicle but added that operations were not affected. It was unclear if it was related to the reported drone attack. A Houthi military source said the armed drone flew 1,500km before it reached Abu Dhabis airport. General Abdullah al-Jafri, a spokesman for the Houthis, said the drone attack showed the movement was capable of launching attacks against vital civilian infrastructure of the Saudi-Emirati-led military coalition. Our attack on Abu Dhabi airport shows our forces are no paper tiger like our enemies claim, Jafri told al-Masirah TV on the phone. An unidentified UAE official told Reuters news agency that the attack did not occur. Speaking to Al Jazeera, defence expert Andreas Krieg said it is difficult to establish what might have happened as both sides have a long track record of not telling the truth. If you look through social media and if you look through the evidence thats out there, whatever the Houthis have provided is fake these are photoshopped images which have nothing to do with the reality in Abu Dhabi, Krieg said on Friday. {articleGUID} Equally, the UAE havent done enough to provide evidence that it [the attack] did not happen or to provide an explanation that somewhat logically and credibly explains the disruption of flights yesterday, he added, noting that the UAE is renowned for being very secretive about whats going on in their country and for having quite good control of their social media domestically. Krieg noted, however, that the large distance and the size of the drone raised questions about whether the rebels claim was valid. The distance between a potential control centre of the Houthis in Yemen to the Abu Dhabi is around 1,300-1,500km depending on where you measure, he said. The Sammad-3 is quite an extensive drone so having such a huge vehicle penetrating the airspace quite deeply and then thinking that the air defence system wouldnt issue a warning and pick it up before it actually reaches a critical infrastructure such as the Abu Dhabi airport seems to be very unlikely. Critical lifeline Hodeidah has been under the control of the Houthis since 2014, along with other west coast ports and much of northern Yemen. The citys seaport was responsible for delivering 70 percent of Yemens imports mostly humanitarian aid, food and fuel pre-2015. Yet, the Saudis say that the Houthis, who reportedly generate $30m to $40m a month in revenue from the port, are using it to smuggle in weapons from Iran. The war in Yemen, the regions poorest country, started in 2014 after the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and began pushing south towards the countrys third-biggest city Aden. Concerned by the rise of the Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab states launched a military offensive in 2015 in the form of a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Since then, more than 10,000 people have been killed and at least 40,000 wounded, mostly from Saudi-led air strikes. In retaliation, the Houthis have launched dozens of missiles at the kingdom. Saudi authorities say over the past three years 90 ballistic missiles were fired by the rebels. Multiple rounds of United Nations-brokered peace talks have all failed to achieve any breakthrough. US-backed Kurdish forces, which control more than a quarter of Syrian territory, will likely push for regional autonomy. A delegation from the United States-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is in Syrias capital for talks on the future of the large swath of territory it holds in the countrys northeast. The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) officials are paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government. They will seek to address the future of the areas under the groups control, which extends beyond the minoritys historical heartland. We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria, the councils Arab co-chair Riad Darar said on Friday. We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive, Darar added, noting that they were being held without preconditions. The delegation arrived in Damascus two days ago. It is headed by Ilham Ahmed, the SDCs executive head. While the talks will revolve primarily around service provision in the areas controlled by the Kurdish-led authorities, Darar said there is no set agenda with the talks possibly widening to include political and security matters. Analysts say the visit could be used by the Kurdish leadership to preserve the regions status quo and the minoritys aspirations for regional autonomy within the framework of a decentralised, federal structure. While the meetings did not mark the start of negotiations, Darar signalled that this was the aim, saying it was time to solve our problems ourselves. We have a basis for negotiations, he added. Dispute with Turkey The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqqa, which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group had previously self-declared as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. {articleGUID} The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates River. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF, whose Kurdish units have pulled back. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Constitutional recognition Damascus also views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and President Bashar al-Assad in late May threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. The SDF backs a federal Syria made up of autonomous cantons in the various regions, including the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh and Kobane. It has already set up cantonal administrations in areas under its control which raise their own revenues and operate their own police and other services. In a first for Syria, the SDF runs Kurdish-medium schools, although it also recognises the rights of other linguistic groups, including the Assyrian Christians. A Kurdish legislator who sits in the national parliament in Damascus said the talks with the SDF would focus on confining its ambitions to the cultural sphere with central government control restored in areas under its control. Damascus wanted the SDF to facilitate the entry of the Syrian army and the return of state institutions into Kurdish-majority areas east of the Euphrates, legislator Omar Usi said. {articleGUID} In return, it was offering constitutional recognition for the Kurdish community and its cultural rights. It is likely to be a tough pill for the SDF to swallow as it continues to take losses while fighting with ISIL in desert areas close to the Iraq border. The alliance has implemented much of the leftist ideology of its main Kurdish component, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), including strict equality for women in all public offices. The Kurdish flag and images of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan are ubiquitous in SDF-held areas. JD Gordon acknowledges Russian interference, but says alleged collusion between Russia and Trump is a hoax. Former Pentagon spokesman and Trump campaign national security director, JD Gordon, conceded that Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential elections in an exclusive interview on Al Jazeeras Head to Head programme. I do believe that the Russian Government interfered in the US election, so that is not a hoax to investigate that, Gordon told Al Jazeeras Mehdi Hasan in front of a live audience at the Oxford Union. I think that Hillary Clinton as secretary of state was trying to destabilise Russia in 2014. I think that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] saw her as an enemy, and I think that he felt he wanted to attack the United States, and this is the way they did it, Gordon said during the interview, which airs Friday at 20:00GMT. It was cheaper than fighting a war with the US, he added. However, Gordon said he does not believe Russia impacted the election as far as swinging the vote. He insisted that accusations of collusion between Russia and US President Donald Trump himself were a hoax and referred to it as the witch-hunt of the century. You had people doing things they should not have been doing, taking meetings they shouldnt have taken, travelling to places they should not have travelled to, but thats not collusion; it is poor judgment, but its not collusion, Gordon said. {articleGUID} Thirty-two people have so far been indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. Of the 32 indicted, 26 are Russian nationals, five are American and one is Dutch. Mueller has also brought criminal charges against three companies. Those charged include Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, who pleaded guilty last year to lying to investigators about his contact with Russian officials, as well as former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manaforts longtime buisness partner and deputy campaign chair Rick Gates and campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. All three worked out plea deals and have pledged to cooperate with the investigation. Manafort has also been charged on several counts. He has pleaded not guilty. Trump and his administration have repeatedly described the Mueller probe as a witch-hunt. National Security Adviser John Bolton announced on Wednesday that Trump will postpone a second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin until next year after the federal investigation into alleged Russian meddling is over. The president believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, Bolton said in a statement. He does like foreigners In the Head to Head interview, Hasan also asked Gordon what it was like working for a former reality television star who has come under fire for what some say is his lack of knowledge about the world and reported racist and bigoted comments about Mexicans, Muslims and African countries. Gordon called Trump a brilliant man, adding that he disagreed with the accusations of racism and claims that Trump dislikes foreigners. He does like foreigners, he said. Melania is from Slovenia. This Head to Head interview with JD Gordon will air on Friday, July 27 at 20:00 GMT and will be repeated on Saturday, July 28 at 12.00 GMT, Sunday, July 29 at 01:00 GMT and Monday, July 30 at 06.00 GMT. General Honore Traore in charge of West African nation after violent protests force President Blaise Compaore to resign. Blaise Compaore, the president of Burkina Faso, has been forced to leave power after days of protests by tens of thousands of people calling for his ousting. It appeared that the chief of the countrys armed forces took power after the presidents resignation. Compaore announced his resignation in a statement on Friday and called for a 90-day transition to free and transparent elections in the West African country. I declare a vacancy of power with a view to allowing a transition that should finish with free and transparent elections in a maximum period of 90 days, said the statement, read on local radio and television by presenters. Crowds danced and cheered in the capital, Ougadougou, blowing on whistles after Compaores statement was broadcast. The mood cooled, however, as it became plain that military chief General Honore Traore had taken over the reins of power. In line with constitutional measures, and given the power vacuum I will assume as of today my responsibilities as head of state, Traore said in a statement. Protesters dissatisfied Arsene Evariste Kabore, the former editor-in-chief of Burkina Fasaos state TV, told Al Jazeera that protesters remained in gathered in a square outside the military barracks after Traores announcement. KEY FACTS Population: 16.9 million. Nearly half the population lives on less than $1 a day. Landlocked state bordering Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo and Ghana. Became independent from France in 1960. Economy based on agriculture. Main exports are gold and cotton. People are not satisfied, he said. They are waiing for another president. The general is linked to Compaore, and they dont want anyone linked to Compaore to lead the country. They say they will not leave the streets. Kabore and foreign diplomats said the deposed president had left the capital on Friday, travelling towards the southern town of Po, near the border with Ghana. Compaore had been in power since a 1987 coup against then-President Thomas Sankara, Compaores longtime friend and political ally, who was shot dead. He has donned civilian clothes ever since but really has precided over a soft military regime, Mark Schroeder, an Africa analyst of the geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor, told Al Jazeera. He added that Compaores departure was expected to bring little change, calling his replacement by Traore a transition of personalities, not of the regime. Compaore was elected four times after seizing power, though the opposition has disputed the results. In recent years, he has fashioned himself as an elder statesman who brokered electoral disputes and hostage releases throughout West Africa. Domestically he kept a tight leash on any opposition. Ougadougou riots Protesters stormed the parliament building in Ougadougou on Thursday and set part of it ablaze in a day of violence around the country aimed at stopping a parliamentary vote that would have allowed the president to seek a fifth term in office. In a concession to the protesters, the government withdrew the bill from consideration. But the move did not calm protesters, and General Honore Traore, the armys joint chief of staff, later announced that the government and parliament had been dissolved and a new, inclusive government would be named. At least one person was killed and several others wounded during the unrest, authorities said. Opposition figures said up to 30 people were killed. Imad Mesdoua, a political analyst speaking to Al Jazeera from London on Friday, said the opposition was demanding civilian rule, but the army was expected to take on a central role in the countrys near future. There are reports of looting and unrest in other parts of the country, outside of Ouagadougou. The army will continue to play a strong role, he said. The EU called on Friday for the people of Burkina Faso to have the final say in who rules their country. The European Union believes that it is up to the people of Burkina Faso to decide their own future. Any solution must be the result of a broad consensus and respect the constitution, a spokesman for the blocs diplomatic service said. Israeli police close Al-Aqsas gates after firing tear gas and stun grenades at worshipers gathered for Friday prayers. Israeli forces have reopened the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem after closing them for several hours, preventing all entry into one of Islams holiest sites. Earlier on Friday, Israeli soldiers stormed the compound, firing tear gas and stun grenades at Muslim worshipers who had gathered for prayers. At least 50 policemen raided the Al-Qibali Mosque, attacking worshipers and arresting 20 others, Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for al-Waqf, Jerusalems Religious Endowments Authority, said in a statement. According to the Jordan-run body, a total of 15 Palestinians were injured, including three mosque guards, in the melee. Al-Dibs said the Israeli authorities sealed Al-Aqsa Mosque with iron chains and prevented Palestinian worshippers from entering it. The closure consequently led to confrontations with worshipers, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1022803622835486720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1022801676393177089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Translation: The occupation launches tens of sound grenades toward worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque, a short while ago. Al Jazeeras Andrew Simmons, reporting from the entrance of the al-Aqsa mosque compound, said there was a five-hour standoff with the security forces in which they surrounded the entire with barricades. He added that there was a very tense atmosphere inside the compound. There had been an attack, as it was described by the custodians of this mosques complex, who said it had been an invasion by Israeli security forces. However, the Israeli security forces accused some people of throwing rocks and fireworks and that was the reason that back-up was called and so many security forces opened fire with sound grenades and also tear gas at some point, added Simmons. People were told evacuate the whole complex but many refused, and that led to a situation whereby four gates stopping people from getting in or getting out. The unrest coincides with the first anniversary of the Al-Aqsa protests in July 2017 when tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside the compound for nearly two weeks, protesting against the new metal detectors installed by Israeli authorities. The Al-Aqsa compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Al-Aqsa is the name of the silver-domed mosque inside a 35-acre compound referred to as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, by Muslims, and as the Temple Mount by Jews. For Muslims, the Noble Sanctuary hosts Islams third-holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, a seventh-century structure believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jews believe the compound is where the Biblical Jewish temples once stood, but Jewish law and the Israeli Rabbinate forbid Jews from entering the compound and praying there, as it is considered too holy to tread upon. The compounds Western Wall, known as the Wailing Wall to Jews, is believed to be the last remnant of the Second Temple, while Muslims refer to it as al-Buraq Wall and believe it is where the Prophet tied al-Buraq, the animal upon which he ascended to the sky and spoke to God. Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community. In late 2000, a visit to the Al-Aqsa by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked a years-long popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians lost their lives. Officials enjoy junkets on taxpayers money Defying the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) explicit order, many ministry officials continue go on foreign junkets funded by taxpayers money. Khieu Samphan is one of only three people convicted in relation to the governments brutal four years in power. At long last President Trump finally discovered, thanks to Senator Rand Paul, the most potent weapon against large numbers of "swamp creatures" a.k.a., the abusive senior leaders of critical sections of the Federal bureaucracy. Trying to fire a senior civil servant not appointed by the president is almost impossible and it often is a double-edged sword when successful because nothing stops them from publicly stirring up trouble after the fact. However, if the security clearance rules are used properly, they can become the president's greatest clean-up weapon against the "swamp." Clearances are a true leash that can keep otherwise disruptive executive bureaucrats to heel. For the Trump Administration to effectively use security clearances as a means of preventing corrupt swamp creatures from abusing the system for their own ends, President Trump must not abuse this tool, either. Otherwise, pathetic and impotent threats from Congress will become real threats. To prevent such an occurrence, it is vital that both the Trump Administration and his voting supporters understand: 1) how security clearances work; 2) the myths commonly believed; and 3) why the senior civil service fears the loss of clearances. For instance, not one article in the media that I found researching this article accurately explains clearances and or how clearances relate to Obama officials. Thats not surprising given the lack of expertise of the media on most subjects most of the time. This lack has provoked colorful comments based on inaccurate assumptions from the media articles and commentators. The biggest myth is the public perception derived from these press reports that a security clearance is a get-access-to-all-secrets-free card, and that the government foolishly forgot to turn off the Obama officials' clearances once they left office. In reality, a security clearance has two components and the clearance only gives a person access to classified information when both components are activated. The term describing the first clearance component is 'eligibility' and the term describing the second component is 'access'. In government rules, terms are critical to understanding a system and the media misuses the terms like "access" so badly that it cannot be known if the Obama officials still receive classified information based on the news accounts alone. The eligibility component is when the government conducts a background investigation and evaluates a person's fitness to be entrusted with government secrets. If the person passes, the person is granted eligibility, meaning the government says the person is trustworthy to qualify to see classified materials -- but the person still cannot see or handle the secrets yet because the person has not yet been given the second component of clearances: access. Access is when the government activates a person's clearance to actually view or handle classified material. The access is granted by the leader of the organization the person is assigned to, and the access is based largely on three criteria: mission, government position, and need to know. These criteria determine the limits of what a person can see. A personal example: as an Army security officer for a military police unit, I had to grant Top Secret access to military police officers who would guard Guantanamo Bay prisoners in the court room as classified material is read out. My clearance access was higher than the guards' access, but I did not need to know what was said in the courtrooms to complete my mission or duty position, so I was never granted access to the Top Secret court proceedings. So, even if a person has the highest eligibility and access granted, that person will still only see snippets of the classified world based on access criteria (with a few exceptions). In the Department of Defense, only the President, Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and perhaps a dozen or so others have access to every military secret. So, despite common perception, it is in fact very difficult to see classified material, even in the highest echelons of the bureaucracy. Which leads to the situation of President Obama's former officials. It is a fact of life that no system will ever apply the rules equally to everyone, because the politically connected make the rules and there are few examples of rule makers emphatically following their own rules. If the rules were followed properly, then Mr. Brennan and company should have been debriefed when they left their government positions -- which is a fancy term of having their access portion of the clearance shut off. This would mean they should not have access to any classified material any longer. The eligibility component of their clearance would still be valid for two more years and this is, I suspect, what they mean when the media are talking about Brennan's security clearance. The reason the government allows people to keep their clearance eligibility for two years is that many advisors, technical experts, and contractors are people who left federal service and usually get private security related jobs within two years. It saves the government a lot of money because they don't have to pay for a new security background investigation. If the rules were followed, then Mr. Brennan still has eligibility, not access as the news media often imply or state. If not, then Mr. Brennan has violated the rules and should lose his access anyway. Taking the eligibility component away from Obama's officials will put them in de-facto exile in DC because they can no longer freely lobby or use their former connections, a real hit to their pocket book. And yes, it does in fact impact senior leaders as much as mid-level ones. This takes us to the final point of why clearances are the most powerful tool President Trump has against corrupt bureaucrats, and this can be made most clearly with an example. If Rod Rosenstein is found in contempt of Congress, President Trump could immediately suspend Mr. Rosenstein's access based on derogatory personal conduct as stated in the Executive Order's criteria. This means that Rosenstein's clearance is not removed, just the access, so Rosenstein still has no permanent blemish on his record. However, because his access is suspended, he can no longer perform his duties; he can't even get into most of the FBI building. He is now in administrative limbo because he is not fired but he can't do his job either. The president can then require Mr. Rosenstein to demonstrate he is trustworthy to get his access back, usually through an adjudicative investigation. If Rosenstein resigns out of frustration before the final determination, he risks a negative determination and could get his clearance suspended, which could endanger his pension. This is the key part, since security clearances are an administrative privilege and not a legal right. In other words, Mr. Rosenstein is guilty until proven innocent. Mr. Rosenstein has to convince the president, not a judge, not the attorney general, not the inspector general, but President Trump that he is trustworthy, since Trump is the ultimate grantor and remover of US Government security clearances. Some people will complain that the president cannot dismiss people because they disagree with the president or politically attack him. In fact, as stated in the original Executive Order 10450 that is the basis for all follow on Executive Orders, one keeps a clearance by being considered trustworthy and aiding the interests of the government. If that person actively undermines the president's ability to effectively govern, then the president can no longer trust them, therefore the clearance can be removed. The system is designed to protect the state, not the individuals in this case, and the functioning of the government trumps the individual (so to speak). Suspending civil servants' access without terminating eligibility can cripple any government executives because their only legal recourse is to appeal to the leader who removed it. Since this is so high up in the government, the leader is the president himself. If President Trump truly believes that a Deep State is hindering him, then suspend their access to see if they conform. If they do not, then terminate their eligibility by formally submitting a determination to remove access due to derogatory conduct. If that happens, these civil servants will never be contractors or CEOs or lobbyists for anything that has federal government security requirements. Seeing the red letters of "derogatory information found" in the database during the background check kills any hope of that. Nothing like endangering pensions and future lucrative private sector job offerings to get corrupt politicized bureaucrats to come to heel. Now you know the secret weakness of senior residents of the swamp, hopefully Trump's staff are learning this on their own as well. Aaron Hirschi served in the US Army and formerly worked in the Pentagon, and now works in a non-descript Federal building somewhere in Washington DC. Another housing bubble is beginning to burst. Its financial characteristics are different from the 2007-8 housing bubble but it shares one thing in common -- that it is caused by government policies. The 2007 bubble was caused by the Federal government insisting on home loan qualification standards changes. Buyers who were not qualified to obtain traditional home loans were encouraged and even subsidized to get loans in states such as IL, CA, NJ, PA, and all other areas. The details of these changes were documented by Pinto and Wallison. The bubble burst because the easy money home loan qualification changes created two prongs of financial instability: 1) persons who were not qualified were allowed to obtain mortgages and 2) the easy money policies rapidly escalated home prices and placed many mortgage holders underwater when the artificially high housing prices crashed. This bubble now being created in the biggest Blue states, while being driven by government policy, has a completely different financial dynamic. This dynamic is best understood by looking at the financial condition of Illinois. The financial insolvency of Illinois is directly linked to its public-sector pension system. The unfunded public pension liability of the state is $251 billion. But that one fact is only part of the story. In addition to having this unfunded pension liability, the state now dedicates one-fourth of its annual state budget to pension costs. In order to finance the ongoing demands of the public pension system (Illinois has 650 pension plans throughout the state) the state seizes state grant money and state funds lawfully appropriated to pay for public services throughout the state and puts those into the pension fund located in the state capital, Springfield. Since there are 4.8 million households in Illinois the average household owes $52,269 to the unfunded pension costs, and these go up every hour. And in addition to that one-fourth of the Illinois state budget goes to pensions. The amount of money the state has seized from public services can be seen by the fact that in 2016 the state owed vendors $15.9 billion and another $2.8 billion was seized from funds allocated to pay for health care vendors. This means the state literally seizes lawfully appropriated funds from state-mandated health care programs such as nursing homes and medication and places them in its pension fund. Illinois has two state statutes that allow the state to seize both state grant money passed by the General Assembly allocated for state grants and another statute that allows the pension fund to seize state funds. In addition to these seized state funds, the Illinois Policy Institute, a watchdog group in Illinois, audited all 110-plus cities of Illinois and found that in the ten biggest cities, including Chicago, all the property taxes people pay go only to pay pensions, not to fund public services such as water and sewer, police and fire protection, and other essential services. The core issue then is whether the demand for property-tax revenue made by the public pension plans will have an effect on housing values, and if this effect will be strong enough to create a housing bubble. The best illustration of the current housing bubble can be seen with a specific example. I know a person on the northwest side of Chicago, a middle-class neighborhood, who recently received, in his July 2018 property tax bill, a raise of $10,000 on his annual tax payment. This was not a raise in the assessed value of his house, this was a raise in the tax that is due. The house is 2,200 square feet and since the owner now wants to sell the house, it was recently assessed as having a fair market value of $348,000. Before this $10K property tax increase, the property tax bill of the house was already at $13,800. So if anyone wants to buy a house worth $348,000 they have to pay $1,983 per month in property taxes. The mortgage will be about $1,350. per month, so the total payment will be $3,333 a month for a house worth $348K. And each year the property tax will only go up. What this means is that anyone who buys this house will already be paying a 7% property tax rate on the market value of the house. That monthly property tax bill normally is for a house worth $1.2 million dollars at a 2% property tax rate. No matter how one looks at this, it is foolish for a person to pay a property tax bill for a $348K house when at a 2% tax rate they could have a house worth $1.2 million. While this is a quick back-of-the-envelope financial analysis, the trend is clear: Illinois has the highest tax burden of any state. The Chicago Federal Reserve bank should be doing a precise analysis of this impending housing crisis, but instead recently suggested a 43% property tax hike. This is the bubble: homeowners are losing most, if not all, of the equity they have in their homes. And once again it is being done by government. This time it is not the federal government that is changing home mortgage loan lending standards but the Illinois state pension fund that is literally seizing home equity value to pay their pension demands. And while this is happening, Illinois wastes over one billion dollars on interest needed to service what they've borrowed. To understand how great the demand for tax revenue is in Illinois consider the fact that the largest pensions go to retirees from SURS the State University Retirement System. The actual facts from Taxpayers United show that of the 200 top pensions going to university retirees, the lowest is $199,000 per year and the highest is $581,000 a year. This is not a projection, this is the information from 2017. To finance these pensions, young people who take out student loans are also seeing a drop in their long-term incomes. The Illinois Policy Institute reported that in Illinois public universities, half of the tuition goes to pensions. So when students graduate from an Illinois public university, half their monthly student loan payment will go to extravagant pensions, and the voters of Illinois have no say in these pensions. This means these graduates have less money to purchase a home. As a result, the young people in Illinois are the largest age group that is fleeing the state. They see the writing on the wall and cannot imagine they could ever afford a home and family in Illinois. More than 80% of Illinois counties saw population losses in 2017. The bubble is bursting right now in Illinois and in CA, PA, MA, CT, NJ, NY, and all other big Blue states. California alone has a half-trillion-dollar unfunded pension liability. The financial mechanics are the same and cannot be stopped. Image courtesy of Pixabay. Liberal MSNBC talking head Chris Hayes recently committed what political wags call a Washington gaffe: He spoke the truth. He responded to one of his Twitter followers who was complaining that television networks, and Hayess own program All In in particular, did not devote commensurate energy to the disaster of supposed man-made climate change by constantly braying about it. Hayes said: Almost without exception[,] every single time weve covered [climate change] its been a palpable ratings killer. So the incentives are not great. Gee, Chris, thanks for that admission. Maybe you and your journalistic colleagues can draw a lesson from the failure of this media-foisted canard and apply it to the other canard you and your fellow travelers have been peddling: that Donald Trump and his campaign somehow colluded with the Russian government to throw the 2016 presidential election to Trumps favor. In an hysterical television ad from 2012, preserved by the wonderful folks at Media Research Center, Hayes lets us know that Climate change is the biggest governing challenge we face. (Apparently, nuclear annihilation from North Korea or Iran, China overtaking the United States economically, Islamist attacks on American soil -- these governing challenges all pale in comparison to the 0.3-degree Celsius increase in mean global temperature that dubious climate computer models predict will occur over the 21st century.) And to save us all from climatic destruction, Hayes was henceforth going to bicycle to work. In Manhattan. I am not making this up. (I wonder if Hayes is still pedaling to the studio every day.) Climate change as a concern for Americans is now so low as to barely register in public-opinion surveys. In a recent Gallup Poll asking respondents What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today? climate change didnt even make the list among the 36 concerns cited. Immigration/illegal aliens topped the chart at 22 percent. And yet the left in this country, and particularly the mainstream media, as reflected in Hayess surprisingly candid tweet, lament the fact that the American people have ignored the dire warnings of the Global Warmistas to the point of actually changing the channel when the programming directors run a segment on Al Gores latest histrionics at another global warming conference -- typically held in a city that is hit with an anomalous snowstorm. (Proving once again that God does have a sense of humor.) It is the same common sense demonstrated by the American people in the Gallup survey that resulted in the election of a man of demonstrated real-world accomplishments over a demonstrably felonious woman with zero accomplishments in the presidential election of 2016. And the efforts by senior officials in the Obama administrations law enforcement and intelligence apparatus, the Hillary Clinton campaign and the mainstream media to undermine first Donald Trumps presidential campaign and now his presidency, based on fabricated allegations of collusion, are so obvious in light of everything we have learned as to require one to be either hopelessly obtuse or so blinded by political ideology to not see the frameup that is occurring. Thanks to the voluble lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, the FBIs star-crossed dynamic duo hell-bent on saving the Republic from some imagined disaster should a Donald Trump presidency befall the country, we have a lengthy texting record, which illustrates a deranged mindset comparable to those afflicted by Man-Made Climate Change Disorder. And in the same way that empirical data show that the planet hasnt actually warmed appreciably in the last century, predictions of Donald Trumps presidency leading to calamity havent panned out. In fact, by most measures, it has been a rousing success. Certainly it puts Barack Obamas disastrous tenure to shame, with President Trumps roaring economy having reduced black unemployment to the lowest level since the government has tracked that data, Trump crushing ISIS in Iraq in the span of a few months, and Trump achieving second quarter 2018 GDP growth expected to be announced shortly at an astounding 4.6 percent. That is a growth rate above the prediction of four percent, which candidate Donald Trump said in October 2016 he could achieve as president, and which liberal economists derided as impossible to meet. Democratic politicians, their media confederates and many rank-and-file Democrats (not to mention some #NeverTrump Republicans) cannot abide this success. So they pound a narrative that President Trump somehow colluded with Russians to defeat their beloved Hillary Clinton, despite presenting absolutely no evidence that it actually occurred. For them it is an article of faith, just as man being the cause of disastrous climate change is a matter of faith -- with liberals producing the flimsiest of evidence, if any at all. They dont realize that their religious fervor on these subjects is itself suspicious. The bulk of the American people, I believe, see through the smoke the political-media class in the New York-Washington bubble produce regarding both matters. That is why opinion-polling even by the liberal CBS News is showing that a majority of Americans -- by their count 53 percent to 44 percent -- now view the Mueller investigation into alleged Trump collusion with Russia as being politically motivated, which is an even higher percentage of Americans who believed the investigation was a political farce in December 2017, when 48 percent felt it was politically motivated and 46 percent did not. The numbers will only get stronger in the Presidents favor as the media continues its incessant, deluded collusion coverage, and the American peoples belief in the credibility of the Mueller investigation will continue to wane, just as the belief and/or concern about man-made climate change has reached near zero among the American electorate at large. As a purely partisan matter, I never thought I would see a tough New York real estate billionaire become the object of sympathy for so many Americans. That is something that only a disconnected, elitist media and political class could achieve, working with corrupt senior law enforcement and intelligence officials. Al Gore might call it an inconvenient truth. William F. Marshall has been an intelligence analyst and investigator in the government, private and non-profit sectors for over 30 years. Presently he is a Senior Investigator for Judicial Watch, Inc. (The views expressed are the authors alone, and not necessarily those of Judicial Watch.) Image courtesy of Wikimedia Is this a warning shot to the mullahs of Tehran? Or is the U.S. quietly lining up its allies in preparation for military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and therefore a potentially total war with the Islamic Republic? News.com.au (the Australian branch of the Murdoch empire) reports: The United States is reportedly prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear capability as early as next month and Australia will have a role to play. According to senior figures in the Turnbull Government, the US is almost ready to pull the trigger on sites related to Iran's nuclear program, in a move that would no doubt impact the wider region. The unnamed sources told the ABC that Australian defence facilities would likely help identify targets in Iran, as would British intelligence agencies. Pine Gap, the top-secret spy base in the Northern Territory, is considered crucial for its role in directing American spy satellites. Sources said Australian agencies could potentially help isolate targets as part of our ongoing Five Eyes intelligence pact with the US, the UK, Canada and New Zealand although they noted Canada and New Zealand would be unlikely to play a military role in the conflict. The sources are all anonymous, of course. And Australia's government has not been favorable toward a confrontation with Iran: Australia has separated itself from rising tensions between the US and Iran, instead urging the Middle Eastern giant to take a peaceful role in the region. "Australia is urging Iran to be a force for peace and stability in the region," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told ABC radio yesterday. "The relationship between the United States and Iran is a matter for them. "What we are looking to do is to ensure that all parties embrace peaceful and stable principles to ensure that our region is safe." The Australian Broadcasting Corporation indeed has the report mentioned above: Senior figures in the Turnbull Government have told the ABC they believe the United States is prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, perhaps as early as next month, and that Australia is poised to help identify possible targets. To be sure, tensions are rising. A strike on Iran could have catastrophic consequences, unless the regime crumbles under a simultaneous uprising. Is the U.S. trying to nudge Australia? We are looking through the mirror, trying to understand the subterranean currents that might be behind this leak to the media halfway around the world. Update: My colleague Rick Moran speculates that this could be scare-mongering by anti-Trump forces in Australia. Given that the ABC (Australia's, not America's ABC) trends very left, this could be true. Hat tip: John McMahon Image via Pixabay. The left long has recognized that lawsuits can be more effective than government actions in achieving its goals. Different standards of evidence and different protections for defendants can make a lawsuit a better tool for uncovering confidential information than a formal inquiry from government officials. Fusion GPS, the firm at the heart of the "dossier" used to obtain a FISA warrant to spy on the Trump campaign and presidency, will now be forced to submit to a deposition under oath and answer potentially explosive questions. The Daily Caller's ace reporter Chuck Ross writes: Representatives of Fusion GPS must answer a broad array of questions about the opposition research firm's role in creating, investigating and disseminating the infamous Steele dossier, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro issued the decision Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit a Russian tech executive filed against BuzzFeed News, which published the dossier on Jan. 10, 2017. The trial is scheduled to begin in Miami in November. Ungaro ruled that attorneys for the executive, Aleksej Gubarev, can ask Fusion GPS representatives in a deposition about the firm's dossier clients, its efforts to verify the dossier, its decision to hire dossier author Christopher Steele and its interactions with government officials and media outlets, including BuzzFeed. Fusion GPS has claimed that commercial secrecy and First Amendment protections should shield it from answering certain questions. Judge Ungaro did not buy it: Ungaro largely rejected Fusion's First Amendment objection, saying the firm's business relationships with its clients "are not protected from disclosure by the First Amendment even though the opposition research it conducts on behalf of clients may be political in nature." The litigation is based on mentions of the plaintiff in the dossier that was published by BuzzFeed: Gubarev is mentioned in the last of 17 memos in the dossier. The final memo, dated Dec. 13, 2016, claims Gubarev's web hosting companies used viruses and malware to infiltrate the DNC's computer networks. The dossier also alleges Gubarev worked for Russian intelligence services. Gubarev has vehemently denied the allegations and claims that BuzzFeed was negligent in failing to investigate the claims before publishing the dossier. Aside from embarrassing Fusion GPS and the FISA warrant writers with the lack of checking of the sensationalist allegations, another point may come to light with politically embarrassing implications: Fusion GPS has denied being BuzzFeed's source. It has been widely speculated that a longtime associate of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain provided the dossier to BuzzFeed. David Kramer, a former Department of State official, was with McCain when the Republican was first told about the dossier by Sir Andrew Wood, the former U.K. ambassador to Russia and an associate of Steele's. In late November 2016, Kramer traveled to London on McCain's behalf to meet with Steele. Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson has testified to Congress that he and Steele discussed whether to provide the dossier to Kramer. Simpson told Congress he had long known Kramer and trusted him with the dossier. McCain provided an incomplete copy of the dossier to then-FBI Director James Comey on Dec. 9, 2016. McCain did not know at the time that Comey and the FBI had already reviewed the Steele reports. Let the sun shine in! Here is a supposed disaster: the economy is growing, unemployment is plunging, manufacturing jobs are up, full-time jobs are up, wages are rising, corporate profits are soaring, corporate sales are up more than 8%, exports are up over 8%, and consumer and business confidence is high. What are Democrats to do, since an election is coming up? The answer is obvious. They need to get with the media to essentially hide the current economic data and predict doom and gloom in the near future to depress the public. This is what seems to be the story now. These days, the media frequently go to the supposedly independent Mark Zandi in their commentator pools to support Democrat policies and to trash Republican policies. Zandi works for Moody's Investors Service. This is quite a coincidence, because a major shareholder of Moody's is Warren Buffett. Zandi and Buffett have been consistent supporters of President Obama and Hillary Clinton for the past ten years, so Zandi is about as independent as the Justice Department and IRS under Obama. More important, he has a rather egregious history of being wrong. His record as a prognosticator isn't good. In the Associated Press, Zandi predicts 700,000 job losses and a slow economy next year. Somehow, such an expert as Zandi don't seem to think that Canada, Mexico, Europe, and China will adjust their punitive tariffs and taxes to protect their economy. They seem to lack vision as they exhibit groupthink. Here's what goes out instead: Moody's Analytics estimates that if the tariffs were imposed on autos and most Chinese imports and other countries retaliate as expected, annual U.S. growth would slow by 0.5 percentage point by mid-2019. It expects that 700,000 jobs would be lost. In 2016, Zandi said Trump's policies would cost 4 million jobs as he was shilling for Hillary Clinton. Was he right? Hardly. Instead, we will have between four and five million new jobs in Trump's first two years. Zandi was only 8 to 9 million jobs off, and now we are supposed to believe his 2019 predictions? Now there's this: An economic model of Trump's proposals, prepared by Moody's Analytics at the request of The Washington Post, suggests Trump is half-right about his plans. They would, in fact, sock it to China and Mexico. Both would fall into recession, the model suggests, if Trump levied his proposed tariffs and those countries retaliated with tariffs of their own. Unfortunately, the United States would fall into recession, too. Up to 4 million American workers would lose their jobs. Another 3 million jobs would not be created that otherwise would have been, had the country not fallen into a trade-induced downturn. Zandi in October of 2017 said the Republican tax plan wouldn't add significantly to economic growth. Here he was then: In 2016, during the election campaign, Zandi said Hillary Clinton's plan would create millions of extra jobs and fast economic growth. Why the economy was so slow under President Obama and why it would all of a sudden speed up under Clinton seem to go unaddressed. How do higher taxes, more regulations, and transferring more power to the government stimulate economic growth? Yet here is what Moody's was putting out back then: Moody's Analytics estimates that if the Democratic presidential nominee's proposals are enacted, the economy would create 10.4 million jobs during her presidency, or 3.2 million more than expected under current law. Here's another thing: Zandi was a vocal supporter of the stimulus package President Obama deployed during the financial crisis of 2009. Zandi supported Obama over GOP challenger Mitt Romney. He continually supported Obama's policies and we got the slowest economic recovery in seventy years. Zandi never worried about debt while pushing Obama's plans. He actually liked the Obama jobs plan. Zandi hasn't just been wrong about his economic predictions. He was massively wrong. Somehow, neither Moody's nor the other ratings agencies spotted the looming housing crisis and kept their high ratings. In a 2010 hearing, Zandi and Buffett said they didn't spot the problems with junk mortgages. How possibly could they anticipate that negative amortizing loans, no-document loans, and more than 100% loan-to-value loans would cause problems? Naturally, they were caught by surprise. The ratings agencies also missed the problems with Enron. In 2015, Moody's said it blew its credit ratings on mortgages, because its model was wrong, starting in 2001. Maybe these experts could exhibit some common sense instead of relying on computer models. Moody's, nearly seven years too late, admits miscalculation in subprime ratings Moody's is finally admitting it made an error in calculating the ratings of hundreds of subprime, alt-a and other mortgage bonds that were issued in the run up to the financial crisis. Moody's says it recently discovered the error even though it had to do with bonds that were rated as early as 2001. Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch are significantly responsible for the economic collapse in 2008, businesses and banks failing, and millions of jobs lost. If they had not improperly rated junk debt for mortgages, high pension funds, mutual funds, Fannie, and Freddie, banks and others wouldn't have been able to buy those bonds. Their economic models were not off. They essentially sold their souls for cash, and greed got in the way of accuracy and common sense. Why would anyone trust any of Zandi's predictions when he has been off so often, and why would anyone pretend he is independent? It is clear that Democrats are doing everything to get their power back, and it is not "for the people." It is for themselves. They have amassed a tremendous amount of power over the years, and they cannot stand an interloper like Trump transferring the power, purse, and freedom back to the people as fast as he can. It is not always easy for parents to answer their young kids' questions. I'm not talking about the typical questions about the birds and the bees, or where babies come from. Rather, I am talking about more specific and unconventional questions. The most recent one, which was quite timely, went something like this: what is wrong with the Democrats, why do they hate the president, and why are some encouraging their followers to fight with those who support the president? How are we, as parents, supposed to answer such questions? On the one hand, it is obvious that not all Democrats promote, or engage in, such conduct. Some are smart and open to discussing matters in an intellectual manner. These Democrats make it easy when talking to our children. We simply explain that they are good, nice people who don't agree with some of the president's policies and who have different views and perspectives about different issues. Sadly, the old-school, traditional Democrat is no longer easy to find. Rather, the Democratic Party has been redefined. These days, many members of the party share a dangerous hatred of the president. Some in the party have publicly called for "engagement." Some opponents of the president have kicked patrons out of bars simply because they wore MAGA clothing. Others have mocked or confronted members of the president's staff or his supporters while they peacefully ate at a restaurant or attended a movie. Conduct of this nature and calls for socialist-type behavior by some new and younger Democrats make it difficult to answer our children's questions. Our children see the hatred on television, hear it in their schools by some of the very teachers who play a role in shaping their minds, and experience it with their classmates and friends. Not too long ago, a child was being harassed by one of his "good" friends and some of their mutual friends because of his political affiliation. The child was a Trump-supporter and was quite conservative. He was being laughed at, ridiculed, teased, and ostracized by several kids who came from liberal homes and whose parents had brainwashed them to think the president is a terrible human being. Despite efforts to speak with some of the parents, nothing was done! Not all Democrats are like this. Some are kind, smart, and receptive. Sadly, as this story shows, some aren't. This did not make much sense to the child. On the one hand, the kids who teased him consistently used terms like "kindness," "compassion," and "acceptance." On the other hand, they acted in a manner that did not coincide with this message. They were mean, angry, unaccepting, intolerant, and foolish. They weren't being taught how to intelligently discuss points of disagreement. Rather, they were being taught to hate and talk down to someone simply because they did not agree with him. This is a dangerous precedent and is a classic example of poor parenting. Considering these things, how do we as parents respond to our children's questions? Do we tell them we really have no explanation? Do we tell them that those Democrats who engage in such hateful rhetoric and conduct are not a reflection of the Democratic Party as a whole? Do we tell them the truth, which is that many in the party simply hate the president so much that they are willing to go to any lengths to see him lose? There is no easy answer that can explain the behavior that we are witnessing. What is even more worrisome is that kids are asking such questions at a young age. When many of us were younger, we spent most of our time playing outside, riding our bikes, going out to eat, and having sleepovers. We did not discuss politics. These days, we have no choice! Teachers improperly discuss and impose their personal political opinions at school, parents brainwash their children that the president and his supporters are terrible people, kids discuss politics at school and team up against those with opposing views, and the biased news networks consistently demean the president of the United States. Kids are impressionable. They emulate what they see and hear at home, at school, and with their friends. In answering the questions above, parents might be better served by taking the high road and putting extra emphasis on teaching respect, kindness, strong values, and the ability to intelligently discuss items of contention. By doing this, parents can show them the right way to act. After all, isn't this what they should be learning as kids? Mr. Hakim is a writer and a practicing attorney. His articles have been published in World Net Daily, American Thinker, Sun-Sentinel, and other online publications. Blog: https://thoughtfullyconservative.wordpress.com Twitter: @Elad3599 San Francisco, home of the metaphorical "free lunch," is looking to ban employers from offering on-site free lunch to employees. The free lunch is a longstanding perk for employees at tech companies, but it has also had a negative effect on local restaurants. CBS News: "We see thousands of employees in a block radius that don't go out to lunch and don't go out in support of restaurants every day," said Ryan Corridor, owner of Corridor, a restaurant blocks from San Francisco's city hall. "It's because they don't have to." On the other hand, when Square, a nearby payment processing company, closes its cafeteria every other Friday, Corridor sees such a surge it sometimes has to increase its staffing, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. "You can't compete with free. Free food is a wonderful amenity but doesn't do anything to extend the community around it," said Gwyneth Borden, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. Let's see if we can follow the logic of this proposal. The city jacks up the minimum wage to $15 an hour, making it nearly impossible for many restaurants to make any money. Instead of realizing their mistake and reducing the mandatory wage, city fathers have decided to coerce businesses into forcing their employees to travel off campus to eat. All in the name of "supporting the community" of course. And by God, if you don't want to "support the community," we'll force you to. San Francisco Supervisors Ahsha Safai and Aaron Peskin introduced legislation Tuesday prohibiting in-house cafeterias in new office buildings and tech campuses. They insist the city has the legal right to do this through a zoning amendment using certain planning and public health codes. "This is the beginning of a conversation," said Safai. "We think it's an appropriate conversation to have now." If passed, this new law would only apply to new companies, not existing companies in the city like Google, Twitter and Levi Strauss & Co. There are currently 51 such employee cafeterias in San Francisco. So the law wouldn't necessarily ban cafeterias. It would change the zoning law to make it illegal to set up kitchen equipment in your place of business. Safai painted the measure as a boon to work-life balance. "This is also about a cultural shift," he told the Chronicle. "We don't want employees biking or driving into their office, staying there all day long and going home. This is about getting people out of their office," he said. Welcome to our future under "democratic socialism." Forget freedom of choice. Forget freedom, period. You will be required to spend money at local establishments to support someone's idea of "community" because city government has made it impossible for those businesses to turn a profit. Tom Knighton at PJ Media spells out the consequences: Part of the allure of on-site cafeterias is the cost and convenience. You can get a good meal just steps away from your desk. If you take that away, they're not going to flock to sit-down restaurants in the city where there's going to be a rush, possibly a wait for seating, then a wait for food. Those are all things that take away that time from the workers. Instead, they'll grab fast food just to avoid being rushed. In other words, not only is this rent-seeking, it's not even well thought out rent-seeking. It doesn't understand why these cafeterias are popular with employees. Couple that with this being a perk employees enjoy that is economically feasible to the companies. Companies will have to find new perks for their staff now, who may just decide to find a new job. It should be noted that the companies could still offer free lunch by subsidizing employees who have to go off campus to eat. Obviously, that's more expensive and time-consuming. I worked in offices for fifteen years and used to brown-bag it every day, largely for the reasons Knighton mentions above. When I worked in D.C. especially, bringing your lunch from home was a necessity. Capitol Hill has many fine restaurants all of them geared toward lobbyists with expense accounts. It would have been impossible to live in the D.C. area if I was forced to eat at nearby establishments. Remember: You will be forced to care. 7 killed, 22 injured in Chumlingtar bus-truck collision At least seven persons died and 22 others were injured in a bus-truck collision at Chumlingtar near Kurintar along the Prithvi Highway in Chitwan on Friday. Daniel Silva's books are amazing...or were. Since his first novel that introduced his main character, Gabriel Allon of the Israeli secret service, who is also a gifted art-restorer, every book has been not only riveting but educational. His readers have learned about art, the science of art restoration, and most importantly, about the current tools of the international espionage business, and about Israeli history, often true stories made exciting by his gift for fiction. With his latest book, however, Silva has destroyed his brand, probably once and for all. This new book is so infused with a newly revealed leftist ideology and anti-Trump sentiment and a reliance on blinkered fake news, it is bound to be a shock to at least half of his loyal readers. Not only is the novel saturated with the author's personal politics, but the story is formulaic and predictable. Every reader will know the identity of the "mole" long before that meant-to-be surprise revelation. Such a disappointment. For years, Silva fans have looked forward to each new book with a fervor not matched by many authors. No more. Silva's wife is Jamie Gangel. She worked for NBC for many years and moved to CNN in 2015. Is this move what has corrupted her husband's novelistic skills? Could be. No one survives at CNN who is not a willing tool of DNC propaganda. It appears to me that Silva succumbed to the perquisites of his wife's position at CNN. No one who is affiliated with the cable not-news outlet can have an opinion that differs from the party line. As many media analysts have observed, CNN (and MSNBC, NBC, CBS, and ABC) has superseded the DNC as the arbiter of acceptable opinion. The DNC is now servile to the leftist media no dissenting opinions allowed. For Gangel to work there would have been possible only if she and her family capitulated to the political directives of those who run the place. Silva's once-non-ideological fantastic storytelling was reduced in this new book to doctrinaire mediocrity. It is impossible to adequately express my sadness at Silva's betrayal of his readers, his die-hard fans. His first novel, The Kill Artist, introduced Gabriel Allon and was about Golda Meir's order to have killed each and every surviving assassin of the Israeli Olympic team in 1972 in Munich. It was an edge-of-your-seat read, as has been every book since, until now. The fans of a favorite author can forgive a weak story now and then. But this book is not only weak but an assault on any reader with views in opposition to CNN and the establishment left that still clings to the false notion that Trump colluded with Putin to steal the election from Clinton. We now know it was Hillary, the DNC, the DOJ, CIA, and the FBI that colluded with Russia to sully Trump's record and reputation to destroy his candidacy and, once inaugurated, his presidency. The truth of this was available to Silva before this book went to the publisher. He ignored it. Perhaps Silva has arrived at the point where he considers it a compliment to be called out for his leftism. That sentiment certainly describes every single anchor and guest on CNN, MSNBC, and the networks. If a deplorable criticizes your work then you must be doing something right. This is how insulated our elites are; they still believe that Trump-supporters are morons, so why should they worry about offending them? Silva may discover that those morons like to read just as much as his pals on the left probably more. Given the ignorance of the left on all things historical and factual, that is probably a given. As the word gets around, the thriller-reading Trump-supporters will not buy this book. The author may think he has disguised his insults so well we morons will miss them. Ha! Check out the reviews at Amazon. It is astonishing that after nineteen months of presidential successes the growth of the economy, the end of joblessness, the massive reduction of dependency on food stamps, the quiescence of North Korea, the near collapse of terrorist Iran, pronounced toughness on Russia, etc. that any writer as popular as Silva would stoop to insulting his fans as he has in this new book. But he did. He must think he slipped the lefty stuff in under their noses. He is hardly alone is his belief that Trump-supporters are idiots; it is the default position of all media and Hollywood types. They cannot discern a joke when they hear it, but we are dumb! Silva will rue the day he stooped to write a predictable tale shot through with his (or his wife's) leftist moonbattery. I will miss looking forward to the next book. OnePlus on Friday started distributing a new update to its 2017 Android devices, the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, delivering it in the form of OxygenOS 5.1.4. The companys latest software revision debuts camera and Bluetooth performance improvements, addresses a number of known bugs, and comes with a range of other tweaks, changes, and feature additions meant to improve the overall user experience of the two devices. The default Camera app pre-installed on the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T should now deliver clearer photographs, the Chinese phone maker said, without elaborating on the matter. The software package also comes bundled with the July Android security update, as well as an automated sleep standby optimization mechanism. The latter can be activated in the Battery section of the system Settings app. From there, tap Battery optimization, open the Advanced optimization interface, and youll be able to enable the Sleep standby optimization option on the following screen. The default Gallery app found on the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T has also been reworked, with the Shenzhen, Guangdong-based smartphone manufacturer specifically focusing on eliminating bugs from the mobile tool. Group messaging support is also part of the package, together with improved Android Auto performance as OnePluss latest OxygenOS version eliminates a known ringtone bug that often occurred due to unspecified Bluetooth issues. As is always the case, the new custom Android implementation designed for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T is being distributed over the air and is now rolling out in stages, meaning it might take several days until a system notification prompts you to download and install the latest firmware. Users who are feeling particularly impatient can always attempt to trigger the download manually through the Settings app. OnePlus is still planning to continue supporting its 2017 devices for the foreseeable future, the company said as part of its OxygenOS 5.1.4 announcement. Qualcomm Chief Executive Officer Steven Mollenkopf is facing pressure from investors following the collapse of the companys proposed acquisition of NXP Semiconductors, a Dutch silicon manufacturer and NFC pioneer. The deal, valued at $44 billion, was called off on Thursday after its final deadline passed before China sent its approval, something the Far Eastern country likely wasnt planning to do regardless of how long Qualcomm kept delaying the proceedings and extending its tender offers. As a result, the San Diego, California-based tech giant will now pay a $2 billion termination fee to NXP and is forced to look toward the future on its own, without being able to buy its way into having a significant foothold in emerging technology segments such as mobile payments and connected vehicles. Wisconsin Capital Management founder Tom Plumb told Reuters he believes Mr. Mollenkopf has approximately two more years to prove he can continue growing Qualcomm without major M&A deals taking place or face the risk of being replaced. Qualcomm used China as an excuse to gain the U.S. governments help to fight off Broadcoms hostile takeover attempt from earlier this year, with one of treasury departments panels ruling the deal would allow China to take over the U.S. in the 5G race as it believed Broadcom would engage in aggressive cost-cutting efforts following the acquisition, as it traditionally does after every tie-up. It was precisely China that ended up blocking Qualcomms expansion ambitions in the end, with Beijing reportedly being uncooperative in regards to advancing its antitrust probe of the companys bid. The development is believed to be a result of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China but may also be partially related to Qualcomms previous maneuver that attracted focus to China as Washingtons tech and economic adversary in an attempt to save the company from being taken over. Following the latest turn of events, Qualcomm is expected to make an all-in bet on 5G. Samsung is up for another round of mocking videos aimed at the Apple iPhone X and its rivals Genius Bars, as the company has released three new video ads sharing the title Ingenius as an obvious play on words. Each video tackles a specific feature, or lack thereof multitasking, Apples different approach toward offering varied storage options, and the display notch flaunted by the iPhone X. The videos that can be seen below encapsulate Samsungs usual sense of humor when it comes to picking on its biggest rival headquartered in Cupertino. It has become a sort of a tradition for Samsung to create humorous ads designed to push its brand further into the spotlight while attempting to mock some of the choices made by Apple, or the products and services the smartphone giant has to offer. Now, with IFA closing in fast and Samsung likely introducing a new Galaxy Note model during the event, the Korean tech giant has released a series of new ads, but the main focus here is painting the ongoing Samsung Galaxy S9 as a better option for customers compared to the iPhone X. One of the videos points out that Apples product lacks the ability to multitask in real time, i.e. run two applications simultaneously in a split-screen environment without requiring an additional application from the App Store. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S9 offers this feature out of the box. Another video highlights the fact that the iPhone X, or any other iPhone for that matter, lacks a microSD card slot for storage expansion, leaving customers who may need additional storage with only two options: either rely on cloud storage or buy a more expensive iPhone model with more built-in memory. Finally, Samsung has once again picked on the idea of a display notch by painting an Apple customer who argues to an Apple Genius that this particular design choice has a negative impact on watching videos in landscape mode. The punchlines are best left unspoiled and experienced first-hand in the videos below. All in all, although the new ads pit the iPhone X specifically against the Samsung Galaxy S9, judging by their mocking tone, its fairly safe to assume that split-screen multitasking, expandable storage, and a regular-shaped display will continue to be a part of Samsungs Android smartphones moving forward. Advertisement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3RwxpahHo0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDo4wmQ0HQ&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPhetlu3f2g&feature=youtu.be Samsungs effort to establish a more significant presence in the stateside wireless market continued earlier this week as the company confirmed Verizon selected it as its main supplier of network equipment for its experimental 5G service that will be coming to Houston in the final quarter of the year. The Texan metropolis was announced as Verizons third 5G testbed several days back, with Samsung being set to provide the telecom giant with both routers and radios meant to enable the next generation of connectivity in the area. Samsung and Verizon previously partnered on a wide variety of 5G tests, having experimented with everything from millimeter-wave communications to tablets capable of using the new wireless standard. The South Korean technology giant will also be supplying networking gear to Verizon in Sacramento, another major U.S. city thats scheduled to receive the network operators experimental 5G service later this year. While Samsung faced significant difficulties in penetrating the U.S. wireless market due to spectrum incumbency during the 3G and 4G LTE eras, the fifth generation of mobile networks is providing the company with an opportunity to start anew and establish its presence in the industry from the very beginning, the firms Marketing Director Derek Johnston said in a statement to Mobile World Live earlier this week. Samsung and Verizons 5G plans in the United States are presently focused on fixed wireless access solutions meant to rival broadband Internet services, though the firms previously signaled theyll be looking to build on their existing collaboration moving forward. Following limited deployment set to take place in late 2018, large-scale 5G buildouts in the country are expected to start next year, with all national carriers previously promising to reach countrywide coverage by 2020. Samsungs arrival makes the wireless market more competitive and may end up reducing 5G deployment costs, at least in terms of routers and radios compatible with the wireless standard thats promising to revolutionize telecommunications and drive massive economic growth by enabling a broad range of new technologies. Twitter on Friday published its consolidated financial report for the second quarter of the year, revealing a minor user drop but touting maintained profitability as one of its largest achievements over the three-month period ending June 30. After more than a decade of continuous losses, the company recently concluded its third consecutive profitable quarter, with its Q2 bottom line being $100 million in the black on a revenue of $711 million. Its turnover increased 24-percent annually, whereas its monthly active user count ended on 335 million people, down a million sequentially but up nine million compared to the same period last year. The sequential drop still ended up disappointing investors, especially as most industry watchers were predicting a minor user base increase instead of a drop. The San Francisco, California-based company acknowledged the fact that it missed its targets but pointed to the General Data Protection Regulation which went into effect in the European Union in late May and forced to it reallocate some of its resources that were previously dedicated to user growth toward ensuring its platform is in full compliance with one of the strictest legislative frameworks regulating digital data collection on the planet. While the move affected growth in the near term, Twitter remains adamant it made the right call, having told investors the GDPR teams and those seeking to improve the overall quality of the platform will eventually return to the task of growing the service. Twitters decision to not embrace paid SMS carrier partnerships in favor of Twitter Lite and other solutions in certain markets also affected its second-quarter growth but wont affect its count of daily active users as that metric only includes accounts operated through the companys own apps. Investors appear to be skeptical about Twitters promises, especially given the timing of President Trumps latest attack on the platform, with its stock presently trading at nearly 19-percent down. MadridThe legal probe into the Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein leaked tapes is ticking along. On the recordings, the businesswoman and close friend of King Juan Carlos can be heard telling police superintendent Jose Manuel Villarejo currently held on remand that the former King of Spain used her as a figurehead to conceal his assets abroad. On Thursday the retired superintendent was questioned for just over one hour by Justice Diego de Egea in Madrids Audiencia Nacional court. This is the same judge who ordered the police officers arrest in November last year, in the wake of Operation Tandem. The retired policeman testified that he had met Corinna on a State mission that aimed to resolve the problems which the German aristocrat was having with King Juan Carlos at the time. According to an Efe newswire report, citing a court source, Villarejo claimed that he was acting on orders at all times and he never sought to profit himself (which the Audiencia Nacional is investigating); rather, he assured the court that his objective was to solve certain conflicts between the Spanish king and Corinna. Last week the examining magistrate decided to open up a separate probe as part of the Corinna tapes case and, immediately afterwards, he requested a copy of all the audio material published by media, which implicates both the former king, Juan Carlos, and the CNI, Spains intelligence service. Yesterday the head of the CNI, Felix Sanz Roldan, appeared before the Spanish parliament and gave his assurance that the assets and businesses of King Juan Carlos hadnt been looked into because no government had ever requested it. Podemos found Roldans explanations before the official secrets committee unsatisfactory and they continue to demand, together with Catalonias separatist parties, a formal parliamentary probe, which the PSOE and the PP have both vetoed. Specifically, Justice De Egea is investigating whether Villarejo attempted to sell to Corinna secret, sensitive, confidential information that had been sourced illegally. This is allegedly the same method he used in Operation Tandem, which landed him in pre-trial detention in November last year. Even though the separate probe is secret, in the aftermath of Operation Tandem Villarejo was accused of receiving large sums in exchange for confidential information obtained thanks to his contacts in law enforcement and other government institutions. In other words, confidential information such as wire tap recordings and tax statements that in some cases had been obtained illegally. Villarejo travelled to Madrids Audiencia Nacional in an ambulance after his lawyer had asked the day before that he be allowed to testify via a video feed due to the severe backache that his client has been suffering from. However, Justice De Egea dismissed the motion and the retired superintendent testified for one hour on Operation Tandem and then just over an hour more about the Corinna tapes. Villarejo refused to answer the questions posed to him by the special anti-corruption prosecutor and only replied to the questions asked by his legal counsel and the judge himself. Villarejos statement comes only a few days after superintendent Enrique Garcia Castano and inspector Antonio Bonilla were arrested for having allegedly sold secret information to the retired superintendent. After being questioned in the Audiencia Nacional, the judge set bail and seized the police officers passports. Shortly afterwards, he dropped the investigation into another police superintendent, Carlos Salamanca. At present Villarejo and his former business partner, Rafael Redondo, are the only members of the alleged criminal ring that are still being held on remand. According to the Jewish News Syndicate website, new Israeli air defense missile system David's Sling was used this week for the first time in action on the border with Syria. The David's Sling Weapon System were officially declared operational in April 2017. David's Sling air defense missile system launcher unit (Picture source IDF) Currently, the Israeli Defenses Forces use different types of air defense missile systems including the Iron Dome, Arrow, Patriot and David's Sling. The Iron Dome is used to destroy short range rockets and artillery ammunition, the Arrow is used to intercept ballistic missile while Patriot and Davids Sling work together to destroy traditional aerial threats at short distance for the Patriot and missile threats at intermediate range for the Davids Sling. The David's Sling also formerly known as Magic Wand is an Israeli-made air defense missile system jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon, designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 km to 300 km with speeds of up to mach 7.5. The David's Sling air defense system uses the Stunner, a two-stage interceptor missile developed to intercept short-range ballistic missiles, large caliber rockets and cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft systems. It is equipped with electro-optical/IR sensors and a EL/M-2084 AESA multi-mission radar from Elta Systems for targeting and guidance, and control systems by Elbit systems. The David's Sling can be mounted on ground, naval, and aerial platforms, including existing rail and canister launchers, and the firing units allow for 360 coverage through vertical launch of the missile. During trial tests, the David's Sling has shown its ability to destroy large salvos of high-caliber rockets and short-range ballistic missiles at high success rates. A few weeks ago we posted a link in ArtsJournal to a piece in the Toronto Star under the admittedly provocative headline: Time To Retire Beethovens Ninth? In the piece, John Terauds, who used to be the Stars staff classical music critic, suggested it might be time to put away the Ninth Symphony for a while. Why? In his words: We have the 19th-century ideal of strength in unity expressed in the Ode to Joy scraping up uneasily against a 21st-century ideal of strength in diversity. The change in perspective makes some people afraid and angry. It makes others hopeful and optimistic. Until we see whether we can achieve a paradigm shift or whether we fall back into something like the genocidal chaos of the mid-20th century, I think we should press pause on Beethovens Ninth. Heretical? Sure The Star ran it under a note that explained that this was the inaugural piece of a new series called The Heretic in which critics would express a wildly unpopular opinion. No kidding. Within a day, some 120,000 people had viewed our tweet linking the piece. And thousands and thousands responded. A few examples: Id ask what the hell is wrong with you, but Im pretty sure I dont have the time for what would be an extraordinarily long list. Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) June 29, 2018 Show me on this doll where Beethovens 9th hurt you pic.twitter.com/ptla8fCqaG Lt. Aldo Raine (@DLMooney69) June 29, 2018 Beethovens 9th is about 200 years old and yet is still more relevant than print journalism, especially your journalistic rag. David Germain (@d_m_g_daffy) June 29, 2018 LOL The Arts Journal News = pic.twitter.com/xlSSzO6hsf Cash Tumbles (@CashTumbles) June 29, 2018 You get the idea. There were a few thoughtful replies, but very few. Twitter stats show that fewer than 7000 about five percent of those who saw the tweet actually clicked through to the story to read it. While Terauds piece was intended to be controversial, he was making a subtle argument: Powerful art defines paradigms, and perhaps because the Ninth is so powerful, we have been stuck in its paradigm and ought to examine why. One might argue with the premise or conclusion, but its a thoughtful question worth entertaining, posed by someone who has spent a lot of time listening to and writing about the music. The Twitter hordes were utterly uninterested in engaging with the argument but overjoyed to be able to hate on something. So 120,000 Twitter followers are rabid Beethoven defenders, outraged someone would take away their beloved music? Unlikely. We post heretical pieces on ArtsJournal almost every day many far more outrageous than this, and they dont go viral or provoke such reaction. So why this? The drug is in the hating. Beethoven is a cultural icon at the pinnacle of Western Civilization. He transcends music, a seemingly unassailable symbol of achievement in all of human history. It doesnt matter if you like to listen to Beethoven or not. To dispute Beethoven is to threaten the fundamental values the Twitter hordes believe are universal. Another example of elites trying to tear down core beliefs. But the outrage also speaks to something more. Two things, actually: When we feel powerless, when we feel threatened and unable to be heard in real life, we lash out reflexively us versus them. Whos the them? People in our lives seen and unseen who have control over us, over the economy, over our politics, over the ways things work, over our culture. Were just trying to get along but larger forces beyond our control are keeping us down as others are getting ahead. We have to fight them, to blame them. Whos the us? Heres the interesting part: theyre not necessarily people we know in a traditional sense. Theyre people online who defend a matrix of values or ideas, usually in the shorthand of social media, where the objective is not to be deep but to be clever or cutting or cool. The incisive black-and-white quip gathers the most moss and the viral mob that gathers and retweets your cleverness affirms your value. Cue the dopamine hit. The Twitter mob becomes your tribe, even though you dont know them in a conventional sense. Traditional values are easy to defend they can be vague and idealized, and sometimes not even real, but they can define a better time, when things supposedly worked. Your community is this nostalgic time rather than the reality of the people around you. Defending these is fun, and the outrage, the grievance, the bullying, it makes you feel powerful. The drug is so, so easy to tap into, a way to penetrate the numbness of the internet and your daily life. Social media is designed to promote and reward the reflexive response. The quick one-note hit. Ever notice that the emails you get that require the most thinking about are the ones you respond to last? Social media doesnt reward thoughtfulness. But its worse than that. Algorithms are built to make the provocative response more powerful by promoting it. On social media, attention is currency and you dont get rewarded with an audience unless youre outrageous or simplistic or tribal. We equate popularity with value. So in Twitter terms the Beethoven story is our most valuable post of the year. Is it? Nope, and the viral audience response to the Beethoven tweet is of way less value theres practically nothing useful in the discussion that Twitter provoked. And thats a problem. If Twitter is set up to encourage and reward bad behavior, thats what it will get. And this is just Beethoven. Theres a backlash building against social media right now. I think its because the algorithms that determine the value of tweets or likes are misaligned with the value people are looking for. Ultimately, if more and more thoughtful people determine that Twitter or Facebook or Instagram arent rewarding them with value, theyll leave. For years, most online publications ran comments under their stories. Over time most comments sections turned into a cesspool of LCD (lowest common denominator) behavior, and many publications have dropped comments. Where comment sections are thriving (The New York Times, for example) its because editors curate, organize and reward thoughtful response. In effect, they changed the algorithm that determined what got traction and what didnt even make it to the site. Readers see that value. Right now, much social media is a toxic scourge, one that has damaged our politics and coarsened public discourse. Until the platforms figure out how to radically reconfigure algorithms so they reward better behavior and filter the bad, theyre going to continue being toxic. And ultimately their massive communities will decline and die colony collapse. Both Facebook and Twitter are losing significant numbers of users for the first time, and theyre fast approaching a tipping point. Its in their interest to figure this out soon. If they dont, we will continue to suffer in the short term. But they will ultimately pay the price longterm. MySpace anyone? An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2019 provides readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Singapore and... Powerful people, weak government Nepal has failed to create institutions to counter the power wielded by select elites A federal magistrate judge in the US thinks that litigation tactics used by parties before her court have gone too far. The court has indulged the parties abusive litigation tactics for long enough, US Magistrate Judge Nancy Koppe said in a 19 July order, according to the American Bar Association Journal. The Nevada judge denied the pending discovery motions of the parties and required them to present their disputes using just two joint statements. The 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 in the grand tourer from Maranello is almost as torquey as the Aventador SVJ (718 Nm or 530 pound-feet), but when it comes to horsepower, the 800 Italian stallions trump what can be described as the most extreme Lamborghini ever made for the public road. And thats somewhat underwhelming if you remember that the Ferrari isnt even special edition.Come on, Lamborghini! Even the Aventador-based Centenario has 770 ponies on tap at the expense of torque (690 Nm or 509 pound-feet), making the Aventador SVJ seem like it hasnt unlocked its full potential because the higher-ups didnt let the engineers breathe their know-how upon the engine. Moving on to another aspect, are you curious how heavy the Super Veloce Jota is compared to the SV?As it happens, the coupe tips the scales at around 1,525 kilograms (3,362 pounds; dry) and the figure is mirrored by the Super Veloce Jota. So to speak, the weight-to-power ratio of 1.98 kilograms per horsepower comes as a result of the increase in output. A simple look at the ALA 2.0 system alongside the Forged Composite panels will make you understand that Lamborghini did shave off as much weight as it could without taking away too many creature comforts.Capable of producing 490 kilograms (1,080 pounds) of downforce at maximum velocity, the Aventador SVJ is equipped with unpadded carbon buckets similar in design to the uncomfortable seats we know from the Super Veloce. Theres no word on pricing for the time being (expect the Super Veloce Jota to cost more than $500,000), but more surprisingly, production wont be limited to 600 examples of the breed.At the Vallelunga circuit near Rome where Lamborghini invited the motoring media to try out the Aventador SVJ, the automaker made it clear that the Super Veloce Jota is more Huracan Performante than Aventador SV in terms of exclusivity. Be that as it may, dont expect to see too many of these babies on the street because Lamborghini has always been more exclusive than Ferrari regarding build numbers. The latest comes after a massive wild fire killed at least 82 people and injured over 180. A small town near Athens very popular with tourists was completely burned down, and police are still looking for survivors while investigating the causes of the fire.Torrential rains caused flash floods, and the suburb of Maroussi was hit particularly hard. One car park turned into a muddy lake in which cars floated around, as footage from the scene, included below, can confirm. The Independent reports that rescue crews were dispatched immediately to the area, as calls from people came in, to make sure there were no drivers caught in the vehicles. As of the time of writing, no victims were reported.However, the damages caused to the vehicles is impressive and it is yet to be fully appraised.Fire crews headed to a car park in the suburb of Maroussi to ensure there were no people trapped in cars that were bobbing in a muddy lake that was suddenly created, the publication notes. Authorities urged drivers to avoid the area and shut down a side road off the main highway leading north out of Athens.Authorities are still working to clean up the mud brought with the flood.Meanwhile, police believe that the deadly fired that burned through Mati in what is one of the deadliest blazes to have plagued Athens in recent years could have been deliberately set. The warm weather and a change in the wind caused it to spread at rapid speed.The fact that authorities failed to evacuate the area at the first sign of trouble made the death toll rise considerably. World Wildlife Fund Greece director Dimitris Karavellas says this was the only thing that could have saved all those people. But still, some customers just want a bed instead of a trunk. And thats the magic of the Ridgeline, combining the traits of a passenger car (its based on the Honda Pilot ) with those of a pickup truck.On the American continent, the Ford Motor Company used to offer a pickup-bodied Fiesta called Courier. The small coupe utility vehicle was replaced by the Ranger thats coming back to the United States for the 2019 model year, but the Blue Oval might be planning to jump once again onto the unibody pickup truck bandwagon.According to Automobile Magazine , Ford is working on a new compact pickup that could find its way into the U.S. product lineup by 2022. Citing sources familiar with the automakers future product plan, the newcomer would slot below the Ranger in the lineup while being bigger than the current Brazilian Courier.And now, for the big news. In the words of Automobile Magazine, the Courier replacement might be built on the next-generation Focus platform. As a brief refresher, the Focus IV on sale in Europe rides on the C2 vehicle architecture, which has been described as a Holy Grail thanks to its modularity.Why would the Ford Motor Company even consider a Focus-based unibody pickup truck for the United States? On the one hand, the Ridgeline is selling by the bucketload. And on a more serious note, Ford is falling behind General Motors in terms of sales in the segment. The first half of 2018 saw GM sell more pickup trucks, besting FoMoCo with 478,671 deliveries compared to 451,138 The profit margin from a unibody design isnt as high as that of a body-on-frame pickup truck, but then again, Ford is the type of automaker that would do anything to laugh in the face of General Motors. If the plan goes through, the Focus-based pickup would be built alongside a C2-based crossover at the companys Cuautitlan assembly plant in Mexico. As for the name, would Ranchero be fitting for this application? And they made it happen. The actor will soon voice messages on etiquette that will play on public transit vehicles in his hometown Vancouver, British Columbia. In a video posted by TransLink BC on YouTube (which is also available at the bottom of the page), the actor explains how thrilled he is by the new collaboration.When Rogen says hes thrilled, he means it and you can almost feel it. Coming from the city himself, he used public transit all his life. He still does when hes in town, he admits because its much more convenient than having to look for a parking spot until you go mad.In fact, Rogen is so happy to be able to do this for his fellow Canadians that he wont even ask for money in return. That alone is proof that hes a nice, down to earth guy: though hes not exactly Hollywood A-list, he can still command hefty paychecks for his movie roles and endorsements.This is one he does for free for his people. He also wrote the texts for all the messages, so at the end of the day, TransLink BC only had to foot the bill for studio time and editing, CBS News reports.Morgan Freeman, aka God, previously did voice work for TransLink BC and you can bet he didnt come this cheap.As for what you should expect from the partnership, the video below will offer you a clue. In one message, Rogen tries to talk passengers into occupying less space than they need, saying, I know your bag is probably very nice and you care deeply for it. But that doesn't mean it needs own seat.Preach. Caught On Camera: Suspect On Top Of Moving Police Car In Texas: https://t.co/jVnRHWK6TI (courtesy: Jason and Jennifer Mustain) pic.twitter.com/5hnvFFEQuF CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) July 26, 2018 Sadly for him, thats where the story ends because he is still in custody now facing even more charges and more jail time.Martin Gregory Estrada, 31, was being transported from a hospital facility in Wichita Falls to Abilene, because he had assaulted someone at the hospital. The ride is about 150 miles long and, at one point, he somehow managed to wriggle out of his handcuffs.He shattered the window in the back and climbed on top of the car, CBS Local reports. Only he knows what he imagined he could do next, now that he was up there. However, chances are he didnt imagine the police officer in the front would continue speeding down the highway with him on top.Yet this is precisely what the officer did. He first asked for help through the radio and continued driving at the same speed, because this was the only way in which he could prevent the inmate from escaping.Video of the incident was caught by a couple driving behind the patrol car and posted online. It went viral almost immediately, as these things tend to do.Help arrived soon and only then did the officer driving the car pull over to let the inmate down. He was taken into custody again and slapped with a few more charges, including escape and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.According to the report, Estradas other charges include aggravated robbery, possession of meth with intent to sell and evading arrest. He is, if anything, not the kind of man you can hope to reason with in case of a face-to-face meeting.After his latest stunt, his bond was set at $680,000. Good luck with paying that. Doc flight engineer Don Obreiter proposed marriage on the way from Wichita to Madison on the run-up to Oshkosh earlier this week. A delighted Diane Myers could only say yes, and the latest B-29 engagementthis one matrimonialis now in the record books. Both Don and Diane live in Altus, Oklahoma. Don is an Air Force contracts administrator and works on the KC-46 tanker program. On Wednesday, the European Aviation Safety Agency published new safety rules that aim to better support the mental fitness of air crew. The new rules mandate that all pilots working for European airlines will have access to support programs to help them recognize, cope with and overcome problems that might degrade their ability to safely do their jobs, EASA said in a news release. The new rules also mandate alcohol testing of pilots and cabin crew for all airlines that operate in the European Union. Pilots for European airlines also are now required to complete a psychological assessment before the start of employment. The new rules were proposed in response to the crash of Germanwings Flight 952 in March 2015. Investigators determined the first officer, Andreas Lubitz, locked his captain out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the Airbus A320 into a mountainside, killing all 150 people on board. With these rules Europe introduces the right tools to safeguard the mental fitness of air crew, said EASA executive director Patrick Ky. The rules will be implemented over a two-year transition period. Aviation enthusiasts who arent in Oshkosh this week or who may be passing through Colorado on their way home have a new destination to visit, with the official opening of the Exploration of Flight campus on the south side of Centennial Airport. The 19,000-square-foot Boeing Blue Sky Aviation Gallery, a project of the Wings Over the Rockies Museum, opened to the public this week. The venue offers a variety of options to help visitors experience the world of flight a ride in a tumbling gyro chair will make clear the effect of G-forces on the human body, an operating wind tunnel is available for visitors to test their own designs and virtual-reality flight experiences invite visitors to try their wings. On the second level, visitors can learn about all the elements that mesh together to create todays aviation system. A viewing lounge overlooks the nonstop action at Centennial Airport, the second-busiest general aviation airport in the U.S. Guests can listen to the chatter from Centennial Tower, try out flight simulators or go for an introductory flight, through a partnership with Aspen Flying Club. The Gallery is openFridaysandSaturdaysfrom10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,andSundayfromnoon to 5 p.m. The hangar is located at 13005 Wings Way, Englewood. Durga Prasai faces slander charge Durga Prasad Prasai, executive director of Jhapa-based B&C Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Center Pvt Ltd, has been charged with slander for suggesting publicly that female Nepali students in Bangladesh were sleeping with their professors to get medical degrees. A former pilot for Alaska Airlines was sentenced on Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison, for flying two flights in 2014 with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. David Arntson, 63, pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of operating a common carrier while under the influence. Prosecutors said Arnston had been an alcoholic during a substantial portion of his 20-year airline career, and had concealed his drinking from the airline and the FAA. Arnston also was assessed a $10,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the felony is 15 years in prison. In a statement from the U.S. Attorneys office in Los Angeles, prosecutors said Arnston flew from San Diego to Portland on June 20, 2014, and then from Portland to John Wayne Airport, in Orange County. After landing, Arnston was selected for random drug and alcohol testing by airline personnel. Two breathalyzer tests showed Arnston had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.135 percent and 0.142 percent. The federal limit is 0.04. Arnston later retired from the airline, and the FAA revoked his certificates. This case sends a message to everyone in the aviation industry that passenger safety is paramount, and we will aggressively investigate and prosecute any threat to that safety, said U.S attorney Nicola Hanna. Two new courses for drone pilots and several for aircraft mechanics are joining the lineup of online aviation training resources at King Schools. John and Martha King announced at AirVenture 2018 that they will be offering recurrent drone training and Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) courses beginning this August. The LAANC course will be available for free as a stand-alone and included as part of the schools Flight Instructor Refresher and Drone Pilot Training courses. The Kings also announced that updated versions of their general, airframe, and powerplant courses are now available for aspiring aviation mechanics. These courses are ideal for busy aviation mechanics who are preparing for their A&P exams, said King Schools CEO Barry Knuttila. They are accessible from any computer or device and allow the completion of a new lesson in just 15 minutes. With lifetime access and free updates, the courses will continue to provide a great refresher for mechanics long after passing their exams. King Schools has been providing training courses for 43 years now. At Sun N Fun this year, they moved to delivering all of their courses solely online. The killing of an unarmed black man by a white man in Florida last week during an argument over a parking spot has reignited debates of the states controversial "stand your ground" law, which authorities said prohibited them from detaining or arresting the shooter. Flashback: The law gained international attention following the acquittal of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin. The shooting triggered widespread debate about racial profiling and unjust treatment under the law. What's happening: Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the family of Markeis McGlockton, the 28-year-old victim and father of three, called for changes to Floridas stature on Thursday, reports NBC News. Under the law, a person fearing for their life is justified in using deadly force to stop an attack. "It's still ludicrous how you can claim you have fear for your life, yet you approach and start the confrontation with the individuals," Crump said at a news conference, per NBC News. The case: The police report said the deadly attack took place outside a food store after McGlockton's girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, parked in a handicapped-accessible spot while McGlockton and their 5-year-old son went inside. A white man by the name of Michael Drejka then approached the vehicle and started an argument with Jacobs over parking in the spot without a permit. Surveillance footage shows McGlockton walked out of the store and pushed Drejka to the ground. He stepped back and Drejka, sitting on the ground, drew his a gun and fired it once. McGlockton stumbled away and later died from the gunshot wound in the chest, police said. What they're saying: Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri had said video appeared to show Drejka protecting himself as the stand your ground" law allows. The deadly heat waves, floods and fires occurring from Japan to the Middle East, and North America to Europe have clear links to human-caused climate change, according to climate scientists, and this summer's abnormal weather is just the beginning of what's in store for us in coming years. Why it matters: The biggest near-term impacts of climate change on society come in the form of weather and climate extremes, so this summer illustrates the danger of even a relatively small amount of warming. So far, the planet has only warmed by close to 1C, or 1.8F, above preindustrial levels. We're on a trajectory to reach 3 degrees Celsius, or 5.4F, by 2100. The big picture: All-time high temperature records, along with heavy rainfall milestones have fallen as a warmer, wetter climate exerts its influence on day-to-day weather. Here are just a few of the records set so far: In North America: Los Angeles set an all-time high temperature record of 111F on July 6. Montreal, Canada also set its all-time high temperature record, during a deadly Quebec heat wave in early July. This week, Death Valley, California, has broken three straight daily records with a high of 127F. Update, July 31, 2018: Death Valley is poised to set a record for the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, with an average temperature of 108F, breaking last year's record by about half a degree. Los Angeles set an all-time high temperature record of 111F on July 6. Montreal, Canada also set its all-time high temperature record, during a deadly Quebec heat wave in early July. This week, Death Valley, California, has broken three straight daily records with a high of 127F. Death Valley is poised to set a record for the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, with an average temperature of 108F, breaking last year's record by about half a degree. Several locations are reporting that July was their warmest all-time month , including the normally temperate Caribou, Maine. , including the normally temperate Caribou, Maine. In Europe: Unprecedented heat led to a wildfire outbreak in Scandinavia, and record highs have been set all the way above the Arctic Circle this month. According to the U.N., Sodankyla, Finland hit 89.2F, or 31.8C, on July 17, which was an all-time record for that location. Unprecedented heat led to a wildfire outbreak in Scandinavia, and record highs have been set all the way above the Arctic Circle this month. According to the U.N., Sodankyla, Finland hit 89.2F, or 31.8C, on July 17, which was an all-time record for that location. On Sunday, Sortland, in far northern Norway , saw the temperature reach 87.8F, or 31.0C, which was an all-time high for any month at that location, according to meteorologist Etienne Kapikian. , saw the temperature reach 87.8F, or 31.0C, which was an all-time high for any month at that location, according to meteorologist Etienne Kapikian. July 27 was the hottest temperature on record in Amsterdam, at 34.8C, or 94.6F. Remarkably, in northern Norway , Makkaur, set a new record high overnight low temperature of 25.2C, or 77F, on July 18. , Makkaur, set a new record high overnight low temperature of 25.2C, or 77F, on July 18. Heat records have also fallen in the U.K., Ireland and France. In London, high temperatures hit 35C on Thursday, and were forecast to potentially eclipse that on Friday. The U.K. is suffering through one of its driest years on record. In London, high temperatures hit 35C on Thursday, and were forecast to potentially eclipse that on Friday. The U.K. is suffering through one of its driest years on record. In Asia, Chinese media is reporting that "22 counties and cities" have had their hottest July on record. South Korea set its all-time high temperature record on Aug. 1, when the temperature soared to 40.7C, or 105.2F, in Hongcheon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. It was the highest ever recorded across the country since the KMA started compiling the data in 1907. The previous high of 40 degrees Celsius was logged at the southeastern city of Daegu in North Gyeongsang province on Aug. 1 in 1942. Temperature in the capital Seoul reached a daily high of 39.6 degrees Celsius in midday, marking the highest in 111 years. The previous high was 38.4 degrees Celsius recorded on July 24, 1994. In the Middle East: Quriyat, Oman, which likely set the worlds hottest low temperature ever recorded on June 28, when the temperature failed to drop below 109F, or 42.8C. Quriyat, Oman, which likely set the worlds hottest low temperature ever recorded on June 28, when the temperature failed to drop below 109F, or 42.8C. In Africa: Ouargla, Algeria, may have set Africa's all-time highest temperature on July 5, with a reading of 124.3F, or 51.3C. Ouargla, Algeria, may have set Africa's all-time highest temperature on July 5, with a reading of 124.3F, or 51.3C. In Asia: Japan set a national temperature record of 106F, or 41.1C, in a heat wave that followed deadly floods. According to an analysis published Friday, climate scientists found a clear link between climate change and extreme heat in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia, although year-to-year variability prevented researchers from making definitive statements. "We found that for the weather station in the far north, in the Arctic Circle, the current heat wave is just extraordinary unprecedented in the historical record, said Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, senior researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Expand chart Comparison between maximum June land temperatures in 1976, when Europe had a major heat wave, and 2018. Adapted from Zeke Hausfather/Berkeley Earth; Graphic: Axios Visuals And it's not just heat records that are noteworthy this summer. Large expanses of forests are burning in response to hot, dry conditions, from Scandinavia to Siberia, and California to Oregon. The Ferguson Fire forced Yosemite National Park to close this week at the peak of tourist season. Another conflagration killed at least 84 outside Athens earlier this week. In addition, extreme precipitation events have struck, which is another expected consequence of climate change since warmer air holds more water vapor. Between the lines: Climate scientists told Axios that while they are not surprised by the simultaneous extremes observed so far this summer reports have warned about this for years they are taken aback by the severity and number of these extreme events. "Even for somebody who understands extreme weather and how climate change affects extreme weather, what's happening this summer is incredible," said Bernadette Woods, chief meteorologist and climate matters program director at Climate Central, a nonpartisan climate science research and communications group. Likewise, Michael Wehner, a climate researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, called 2018 "an unusual year." "While I expect that high temperatures records will continue to be broken at abnormally high rates because of global warming, I would not have guessed that so many would be broken in the same year," he said via email. Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University, published a study last year that found a fingerprint of climate change in heat milestones worldwide. The study found that climate change has boosted the odds of record-breaking heat across more than 80% of the surface area of the globe for which reliable observations were available. "Not only should we not be surprised to see the increasing frequency of the hot extremes and wet extremes, but even more directly they actually should be expected" Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University The bottom line: One point climate scientists emphasized is that as average global temperatures increase, the impacts of climate change are becoming more visible. Daniel Swain, a climate researcher at UCLA, told Axios: "From my perspective as a climate scientist, one of the most striking (and disconcerting) aspects of this is that were now seeing decades-old scientific predictions being validated in the real world, right before our eyes," he said via email. "And now were seeing these changes manifest themselves in a very tangible sense in London, and Tokyo, and Delhi, and Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.places where hundreds of millions of people live." Daniel Swain, climate scientist at UCLA Go deeper: Yosemite National Park evacuated as wildfire worsens Heat records fall in the Arctic as fires erupt in Sweden and Siberia Special report: A 30-year alarm on the reality of climate change Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional temperature records in Maine and China, and to correct the name of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The United States is the most dangerous country in the developed world to give birth in, according to a new study by USA Today. By the numbers: Most women in the country give birth without incident, but nearly 50,000 are severely injured during birth annually and about 700 die. Much of it has to do with hospitals not using best practices during deliveries, the study says. The details: Hypertension and hemorrhages are the two leading causes of childbirth death and injury and 90% of the deaths could be prevented. "USA TODAY repeatedly contacted 75 hospitals in 13 states to press for specific answers about whether they are following the [Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Programs] Programs recommended practices for hemorrhage and hypertension....Half wouldnt answer the questions." Be smart: This isn't a new problem. Pro Publica reported similar statistics on childbirth death and injury last year. The solution: More hospitals are advised to follow best practices and proper training protocols. Hospitals in California who follow AIM's recommended practices have cut maternal death rates in half, but many are hesitant to adopt those measures. Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited President Trump to Moscow, Reuters reports, adding that while he and Trump are ready to pick up where they left off in Helsinki, the conditions must be right for a meeting to take place. Trump said on Friday he is "open to visiting Moscow," the Associated Press reports, after he receives a "formal invitation" from Putin. The backdrop: Trump initially invited Putin to the White House for a summit in the fall, but the potential meeting was delayed by national security adviser John Bolton. He said in a statement on Wednesday that Trump "believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year." Why it matters: The relationship between the two leaders has stunned many in Washington, and their Helsinki summit has drawn criticism from people across the political spectrum even those typically supportive of the president. But Trump continues to insist that positive relations with Russia is a good thing, and additional talks between them is his way of proving it. Investigators moved to arrest Armenias former President Robert Kocharian on Thursday after filing criminal charges against him stemming from a deadly 2008 crackdown on opposition protesters in Yerevan which was ordered by him. The Special Investigative Service (SIR) charged Kocharian with overthrowing constitutional order of Armenia during the final weeks of his rule. The SIS asked a Yerevan court to remand him in pre-trial custody. The extraordinary move followed Kocharians first-ever interrogation by SIS officials investigating the use of lethal force against supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in the February 2008 presidential election. Ter-Petrosian staged nonstop demonstrations against what he regarded as fraudulent results of the vote that gave victory to Serzh Sarkisian, Kocharian's preferred successor. Eight protesters and two police servicemen were killed as security forces quelled the protests on the night from March 1-2, 2008. Nobody has been prosecuted in connection with those deaths so far. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who was a key backer of Ter-Petrosian in 2008, told the SIS to finally solve the killings when he appointed a new head of the law-enforcement agency, Sasun Khachatrian, on June 12. Shortly afterwards, the SIS decided to question Kocharian as a witness in the case. The SIS gave no details of the interrogation which apparently lasted for between two and three hours. Khachatrian told reporters earlier in the day that it will be videotaped. He made clear that the video will not be made public. Journalists waiting outside the main entrance to the SIS headquarters in Yerevan did not see Kocharian. The 63-year-old ex-president, who governed Armenia from 1998-2008,made his way into the building through another entrance. Kocharian has repeatedly defended the post-election crackdown in the past, saying that it prevented a violent of seizure of power by the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition. Earlier this year, he blamed Pashinian for the post-election bloodshed. Pashinian was the main speaker at the anti-government protest broken up on that night. Early this month, the SIS issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikael Harutiunian, who served as defense minister during the 2008 unrest. It charged Harutiunian with illegally using the armed forces against the protesters, saying that amounted to an overthrow of constitutional order. Kocharian declared a state of emergency and ordered army units into downtown Yerevan late on March 1, 2008 amid vicious clashes between protesters and security forces trying to disperse them. According to the SIS, Harutiunian started illegally deploying troops in the Armenian capital a week before the unrest. On July 9, a spokesman for Kocharian denounced the accusations levelled against the fugitive ex-genera l as a mockery of the law Armenias former top army general currently heading the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has also been charged in a renewed criminal investigation into the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. The Special Investigative Service (SIS) formally accused Yuri Khachaturov of involvement in an overthrow of the constitutional order after interrogating him on Thursday. In a statement released on Friday, the SIS said it has also asked a court in Yerevan to allow Khachaturovs pre-trial detention. The SIS also levelled the same accusation against former President Robert Kocharian. The latter ordered the violent dispersal on March 1-2, 2008 of nonstop opposition protests staged in the wake of a disputed presidential election. The crackdown, which left eight protesters and two police servicemen dead, came just over a month before Kocharian served out his second and final term in office. Kocharian denied the charges as politically motivated later on Thursday. Early this month, the SIS issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikael Harutiunian, who was Armenias defense minister during the 2008 unrest. It alleged that Harutiunian had illegally used the armed forces against the protesters, saying that amounted to a coup detat. Khachaturov was a deputy defense minister in March 2008. The newly elected President Serzh Sarkisian appointed him as chief of the armys General Staff in April 2008. Khachaturov, 65, briefly spoke to RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) before being questioned by SIS investigators. He said he does not expect to be prosecuted for the 2008 crackdown. The retired general served as the Armenian armys chief of staff from 2008-2016. Russia, Armenia and four other ex-Soviet states making up the CSTO appointed him as secretary general of the Russian-led defense pact in April 2017. The CSTO and its non-Armenian member states did not immediately react to the criminal proceedings launched against Khachaturov. The TASS news agency quoted a spokesman for the CSTO Secretariat in Moscow as saying that it has not yet received official information about them. The SIS bases its accusations on a secret order which Defense Minister Harutiunian issued to the Armenian military during the post-election demonstrations organized by Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in the 2008 ballot. It says that military units began moving into Yerevan before Kocharian declared a state of emergency late on March 1, 2008. According to the law-enforcement agency, that violated constitutional provisions guaranteeing the political neutrality of the Armenian armed forces. In televised remarks aired late on Thursday, Kocharian insisted that the army was simply put on high alert in order to prevent some of its soldiers and officers from heeding Ter-Petrosians repeated calls for the military to join his opposition movement. The ex-president also argued that army units were not involved in vicious clashes between security forces and protesters which were followed by the introduction of emergency rule. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who played a key role in the Ter-Petrosian-led movement, was the main speaker at a March 1, 2008 rally that took place several hundred meters from the scene of the deadly violence. Pashinian subsequently spent nearly two years in prison for organizing mass disturbances in the Armenian capital. He denied the accusations as politically motivated. Pashinian appointed a new head of the SIS shortly he swept to power in May in a wave of mass protests against Serzh Sarkisians continued rule. He told the SIS to reinvigorate its long-running criminal investigation into the unrest and punish those responsible for the ten deaths. By Rashid Shirinov The statements of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his interview with Echo of Moscow radio station confirm once again that Armenia is not an independent country, has historically been in a slave position and cannot exist without the protection of other states, Head of the Ombudsman Office of Azerbaijan Aydin Safikhanli told Trend on July 27. He noted that by saying that the Turkish-Armenian border is guarded by Russian border guards, Pashinyan acknowledged that Armenia is a state that cannot protect its borders. Protection of the state border is an important attribute of statehood, the basis of state independence. Pashinyan actually admitted that Armenia as a state is not able to protect its borders and is a colony, Safikhanli said. He added that in the interview Pashinyan admitted that the situation in the region is tense and the probability of a war is high, and that the hope of the Armenians, including himself, is Russia, and that Armenia is confident that Russia will dissuade Azerbaijan from war, that they are afraid of the Azerbaijani army and are not able to defend themselves. Pashinyan actually admitted that Armenia is an aggressor country by saying that Armenian servicemen, including his son, are serving in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Thus, he, being the head of the government, admits that Armenia violates the requirement of the UN Charter, and having violated the territorial integrity of another country, it committed aggression, Safihanli said. The head of the Ombudsman Office added that the UN Security Council should not overlook these statements of the Armenian official and, in general, the war crimes committed by Armenia for about 30 years as a result of its occupation policy. Thus, according to article 51 of the UN Charter, aggression against a UN member must be immediately and decisively stopped by the UN Security Council, he noted. The solution of international problems and conflicts must be based on the norms and principles of international law. If the international community continues to take a wait-and-see attitude on the issue of suppression of aggression against Azerbaijan, then Azerbaijan, in accordance with the UN Charter, using the right of defending itself from aggression, will itself respond to the aggressor, Safikhanli stressed. Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Natalia Kanem The decision to start a family is one of the most important choices a person can make. It is also a fundamental human right; only individual adults should have the power to decide whether, when, or how often to conceive. And yet, for millions of people around the world, this right remains unrealized. More than 200 million women in developing countries who want to delay or avoid pregnancy are not using modern contraception. Women who are poor, less educated, or live in rural areas can face significant economic, cultural, and institutional barriers to birth control, and often turn to dangerous forms of pregnancy prevention out of desperation. If women had universal access to voluntary family-planning information and services, maternal deaths could be reduced by as much as three-quarters and infant deaths by as much as a fifth. But family planning does more than save lives; it also saves money. For every dollar invested in reproductive health services, $2.20 is saved in pregnancy-related health-care costs. Moreover, the longer a woman waits to have children, the longer she can participate in the paid labor force, thereby boosting the economic health and prosperity of poor communities. Some governments have already recognized these benefits and are allocating funds accordingly. In Thailand, for example, the Ministry of Health has increased its family-planning budget on the grounds that the added spending now will reduce health-care costs later. The Thai authorities assessment is correct; when developing countries make investments that empower young people to start a family only when they are ready, birth rates fall and the share of the working-age population increases relative to the dependent population. These so-called demographic dividends are forecast to be particularly high for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where roughly a third of the population is between the ages of ten and 24. Still, despite the many advantages associated with family-planning services, too many countries continue to underfund this vital portion of their health-care systems. The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, a global research and advocacy group, estimates that developing countries face a $793 million funding gap for contraception supplies over the next three years. For poor women in particular, government-funded services are often the only option for safe and effective family-planning solutions. When public programs are not available, the ability to plan for a family is weakened and the rate of unintended pregnancies increases. Investment in human capital, when accompanied by sound economic policies and robust labor markets, produces significant gains for developing economies. Fully funding the family-planning needs of poor countries would lift millions out of poverty, improve rates of educational attainment, and help close the gender pay gap in the Global South. For these and many other reasons, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is fully committed to supporting countries efforts to uphold the right of individuals and especially women to choose whether and when to have children. By 2030, UNFPA aims to ensure that women everywhere can access family-planning services without fear of consequence or cost. But we cannot do this alone. Leaders in government, the private sector, and civil society must join us in working toward this ambitious goal. Developed countries could solve the global family-planning funding shortfall for a mere 20 cents per person per year, a bargain given the projected returns for individuals, families, and economies. In addition to increased spending, new policies, laws, and implementation of existing regulations will be needed to help protect women and to empower young couples. Efforts to broaden access to family-planning services and care are not new. Fifty years ago, at the International Conference on Human Rights held in Tehran, the global community declared that parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children. At the time, that idea was visionary; we now know that realizing it is a condition of successful development. Copyright: Project Syndicate: The economic benefits of family planning --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Purna Thapa is acting chief of Nepal Army The government on Thursday promoted General Purna Chandra Thapa as acting Chief of Nepal Army after August 10. The incumbent Nepal Army Chief General Rajendra Chhetri is all set to retire on September 11. By Trend Prices for precious metals in Azerbaijan changed over to decline on July 27, according to the data published by the countrys Central Bank. The price of gold decreased by 12,0445 manats to 2081,633 manats per ounce in the country on July 27, compared to the price on July 26. The price of silver decreased by 0,2755 manats to 26,2471 manats per ounce. The price of platinum decreased by 21,352 manats to 1408,9345 manats. Meanwhile, the price of palladium decreased by 5,967 manats to 1582,938 manats in the country. Precious metals July 27, 2018 July 26, 2018 Gold XAU 2081,633 2093,6775 Silver XAG 26,2471 26,5226 Platinium XPT 1408,9345 1430,2865 Palladium XPD 1582,938 1588,905 --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova A restoration of Sheikh Dursun mausoleum, a historic tomb located in north-east of Agsu in Azerbaijan, has already started. The restoration work began on July 23 as part of the project "Sheikh Dursun Mausoleum: Conservation, Culture and Society" with the participation of the Public Association "Miras" and the international youth association YOKOKU. Lectures by experts from universities of Romana Albini and Laura Rivaroli, expert Andrea Makkia and doctors of historical sciences Fariza Khalili and Habiba Aliyeva were delivered. Restoration work in the mausoleum will continue in August. The work is carried out with the consent and with the organizational support of the State Service for the Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture. This eight-sided pyramid built of white stone is a wonderful handicraft monument. The width of each side is 1,6 meters and its height is 3 meters. The top of the monument is also in the shape of eight-sided prism. The entrance of the tomb consists of three whole hewn stones: two side portals and the upper part of the entrance is built of white stones. The top part of the monument is covered with cone-shaped arch. There is an inscription on the tomb which consists of two lines. According to these writings, Ahmed Padar's son Sheikh Dursun, who died in 1399 is buried inside of the mausoleum. Persons buried in the famous "Seven domes" in Kalakhana village of Shamakhi region are from his 32 generations. There is writing in the fund of Russian orientalist academic B.Domun about the sheikhs of Shamakhi: "Sheyx Dursuns generation is from Shirvan, from Khanchobani region. He is from Padar kin. Sheikh Dursun ibn Ehmed Padar was an honorable person; his children were buried in the west side of Kalakhana inside of seven famous domes". Sheikh-Dursun mausoleum is an architectural monument of history and culture of national importance. Agsu boasts some of the most beautiful nature and ancient monuments. According to some sources Agsu city was founded by Nadir Shah, in 1735. The remainders of that city ("Ruined city") is situated in the south of Agsu. The name of the city is derived from "Agsuchay" which flow through the city. The statues of ram built in the Middle Ages bring the great interest of historians and travelers. The figures of ram on the graves are observed in Padar and Mustafa villages. The early information about stone ram figures comes from the foreign travelers who visited Azerbaijan in the 18th-19th centuries. In ancient times, ram was the symbol of abundance, victory and strength. These statues are related to the Middle Ages historical Azerbaijani governments Aggoyunlu and Garagoyunlu. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan has always been an art lover's paradise. Many Azerbaijani painters have received global recognition and their works are exhibited at best galleries in the world. One of such painters was Nadir Abdurahmanov. An outstanding painter has left his mark on art history of Azerbaijan. Abdurahmanov was born on December 5, 1925 in Lachin, a picturesque corner of Azerbaijan. In 1933 the Abdurahmanov's family moved to Baku to a new place of work of the head of the family - the head of the Pharmacy Department. Although his father, Gambar Abdurahmanov, wanted his son to become a doctor, but was not against his passion for painting. Nadir already felt the beneficial effects of his cousin, the famous sculptor, the national artist Jalal Garyagdi . At first, Abdurahmanov took painting lessons at the Baku House of Artistic Education of Children, and in 1940-1941 he was sent to study in Moscow, to a special art school for gifted children. When the war broke out, the young man returned to Baku and immediately entered the second year of the Art College named after. A. Azimzadeh (1941-1944). However, the time was military, and needed a completely different profession. N. Abdurahmanov entered the Medical Institute. But the irresistible love of painting took over, Nadir transferred to the evening department of the medical institute and again returned to the art school. At the republican exhibition in 1944, his first exhibited painting was "Refugees". Abdurahmanov graduated from the art school, and in 1947 received a doctor's diploma. In the same year, he entered the Leningrad I.E.Repin Academy of Arts (1947-1953). In the city on the Neva he was taught by such famous masters of the brush as A. Mylnikov, V. Oreshnikov. His aesthetic taste was influenced by the magnificent museums of Leningrad: the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and others. In additional to his art, Abdurahmanov was active in public activities. He was elected a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan, held the post of Chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Artists and taught for a long time. Abdurahmanov was a professor and headed the creative laboratory at the Academy of Fine Arts. Among his pupils there was recognized masters of the brush, many of whom are highly awarded. In 1960, Nadir Abdurahmanov received the honorary title "Honored Artist", and in 1964 became People's Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan. For a series of works dedicated to the people of Karabakh, Abdurahmanov was awarded with the State Prize of Azerbaijan. His paintings are exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world. The creativity of Nadir Abdurahmanov served as a guide through which the broad sections of the population received information about the history, culture, nature of Azerbaijan. Life depicted by the artist is extremely truthful, optimistic and beautiful is a reflection of his rich inner world. His works are valuable examples of national art. His works, were demonstrated in permanent exhibitions of the Azerbaijan State Museum of Art, as well as other museums and galleries. In December 2015, the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan hosted an exhibition of works by People's Artist Nadir Abdurhmanov, timed to his the 90th anniversary. The incomparable beauty of Azerbaijan was the most important source of inspiration in the work of the great painter The paintings of Nadir Abdurahmanov, distinguished by the compactness of the composition and memorable due to the strength of their emotional impact, are of great importance from the point of view of the education of young generations in the spirit of patriotism.. Nadir Abdurahmanov died on July 26, 2008 and was buried in Baku. The memory of Nadir Abdurahmanov will always remain in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan after the break again returns to the "Junior Eurovision Song Contest-2018" (JESC). A participant from Azerbaijan will be determined in the near future. Azerbaijan debuted in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. In 2008, ITV announced that Azerbaijan would take part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Limassol, but then withdrew before the contest. After taking part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013, Azerbaijan withdrew from the contest because of unspecified reasons. On July 25, 2018, it was announced that Azerbaijan will return to the song contest. Azerbaijan at was represented by duo Suada Alakbarova & Omar Sultanov (2012) and Rustam Karimov. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is a song competition which has been held by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003. This year the song contest will take place in the Belarusian capital city, Minsk on November 25. It will be the second time that the contest will be held in Belarus, after it staged the 2010 edition. The highest number of countries in the history of the competition will take part in the 2018 Junior Eurovision Song Contest at the 15,000 seat Minsk Arena. Nineteen countries have confirmed provisional participation. Along with Azerbaijan, France and Israel will also return to the song contest. Kazakhstan and Wales will both take part for the first time. The slogan this year is the hashtag #LightUp. The logo of the contest is based around a morning star made of vertically inverted sound waves. The source of inspiration was the artistic potential and creative aspiration of the young participants who fill the scene like a star. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The statements made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during an interview with Russias Echo of Moscow radio are biased and do not stand any criticism, Fikret Sadikhov, political analyst and professor of the Western Caspian University, told Trend July 26. During the interview, Pashinyan stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast "withdrew" from Azerbaijan in accordance with the laws of the Soviet Union. "Pashinyan is grossly mistaken, at least because during the Soviet period the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in accordance with the Soviet laws did not have the right to withdraw from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, he added. No autonomous region within a Soviet republic had such a right, even if the regional council, consisting of several people, voted for withdrawal from Azerbaijan without taking into account the opinion of the huge number of Azerbaijanis who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for centuries," Sadikhov said. Pashinyan also stressed that no violent actions were taken against Azerbaijanis in Armenia. This is also another stupidity because there were dozens of killed, wounded, crippled Azerbaijanis, Sadikhov added. Moreover, 250,000 people who lived in their historical lands in the territory of present-day Armenia were expelled. This is so primitive and biased that it does not require comment." 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The most interested party in the soonest peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanis, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend July 26. Hajiyev was commenting on the statement of the Armenian prime minister and his wife about peace. As a side subjected to military aggression and occupation, the Azerbaijanis have been suffering from this war most of all for more than 25 years, he said. "In an interview with Echo of Moscow radio, Armenian prime minister, as well as his spouse said they want peace, Hajiyev said. If they really want peace, they must put an end to the war being waged by Armenia against Azerbaijan, withdraw the Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and ensure the return of Azerbaijani internally displaced people to their houses. The status quo based on the occupation should be changed and the very fact of military occupation should be eliminated, he said. This is the main issue: Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that in this case it is possible to establish a lasting peace and stability in the region. And this is precisely the essence and formula of the talks being conducted with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs." However, on the one hand, continuing the occupation, pursuing a policy of annexing the occupied Azerbaijani territories, not allowing hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people to return to their homes, and on the other talking about peace is an insincere approach and nothing but false propaganda, not based on reality, he said. "I hope that these peaceful intentions of new Armenian prime minister and his wife will be realized not in words but in deeds in the directions which we have mentioned," Hajiyev said. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Sara Israfilbayova The average monthly size of labour pension in Azerbaijan increased by 5.2 percent, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population reported. Thus, on July 1 the size of the pension reached 219.15 manats ($128.9), moreover the size of the pension by the age increased and reached 246.36 manats ($144.9). By the order of President Ilham Aliyev, the total amount of labour pensions was reindexed in accordance with the growth rate of the average nominal wage in 2017. Along with this, the insurance part of the pension capital in the private accounting system of citizens has been recalculated. As of for July 1, 2018, the number of pensioners in Azerbaijan is 1.311 million people. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on May 2, 2017 approved amendments to the law On Labour Pensions. The amendments provide for the elimination of the concept of the basic part of the labour pension and the 12-year service required for the appointment of a pension, as well as the gradual increase in the retirement age for women and men up to 65 years. The retirement age will increase every six months until 2021 for men, until 2027 for women. In view of the elimination of the concept of basic part of the pension, the law introduces the concept of minimum pension. The size of the minimum pension from January 1, 2017 is 110 manats ($64.7). Another change is connected with the compulsory social insurance. So, now 90 percent of the deductions paid by employee on compulsory state social insurance will be reflected in his/her account. Deductions are formed from two sources: the deductions made by the employer in the amount of 22 percent of the salary fund of the enterprise, and the deductions worth 3 percent of the employees wage. Formerly, only 50 percent of these deductions were reflected in employees account. --- Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A meeting with representatives of the Organization of Veterans of War, Labor and Armed Forces has been held at Trend international news agency. The sides exchanged views on mutual cooperation. The exceptional merits of Trend in delivering Azerbaijan's realities and the truth about Nagorno Karabakh conflict to the world community, were emphasized during the meeting. Then, Deputy General Director of Trend INA Arzu Nagiyev was awarded a medal established by the Presidium of the Organization of Veterans of War, Labor and Armed Forces. The medal was presented by the Deputy Chairman of the Organization, the Reserve Colonel Jalil Khalilov. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Oil prices continued to rally on Thursday as Saudi Arabia suspended oil shipments through a key Red Sea strait, Xinhua reported. Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that it was "temporarily halting" all oil shipments through the strategic Red Sea shipping lane of Bab al-Mandeb after an attack on two big oil tankers by the Houthi movement, according to CNBC. Analysts worried that the suspension may reduce global oil supplies as Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest oil exporter. Meanwhile, investor sentiment was still buoyed by last week's much-bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude stockpiles. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a weekly report on Wednesday that the country's crude stocks fell by 6.1 million barrels to 404.9 million barrels last week, marking the lowest level since February 2015. The West Texas Intermediate for September delivery rose 0.31 U.S. dollar to settle at 69.61 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for September delivery added 0.61 dollar to 74.54 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Sara Israfilbayova Azerbaijans energy giant SOCAR has increased its crude oil export by 18 percent and made 6,1 million tons in the second quarter of this year. SOCAR reported that export of the crude oil in June this year prevailed the indicators of last year by 24 percent and reached 2.1 million tons. Export of oil products increased by 19 percent, while 350,000 tons of oil products were exported in April-May-June last year, this figure exceeded 410,000 tons this year. Export of diesel fuel increased by about 48 percent, absolute isopropyl alcohol 69 percent, liquid pyrolysis resin 27 percent, propylene 30 percent, while export of whole butylene butadiene fractions - by 37 percent. Speaking about positive dynamics of oil and oil products exports Elshad Nasirov, vice president for investments and marketing of SOCAR, said, that increasing of SOCAR share from 11,65 percent to 25 percent on Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) fields increased the amount of crude oil exported by SOCAR. Moreover, it was reported that SOCAR's oil production increased by 3.6 percent up to 1.9 million tons. During the six months of the year, SOCAR produced 3.7 million tons of oil, 3.2 billion cubic meters of gas. Thus, compared to the same period of the previous year, oil production increased by 1.2 percent and gas production by 3.1 percent. According to the company, stabilization and increase in production is connected with the ongoing plan of complex measures at strategically important fields. The increase in drilling works in this direction also occupies an important place. In January-June, 2018, about 80,000 meters of wells were drilled, which is 8.4 percent higher compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. More than 39,000 meters of drilling operations fall on the second quarter of 2018. SOCAR is a wholly state-owned national oil company headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan. The company produces oil and natural gas from onshore and offshore fields in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea. The company includes three production associations, one oil refining and gas processing enterprise, an oil flotilla, a deep-water base plant, two trusts, one institute, and 23 structures. SOCAR established joint companies (including Georgia and Turkey), alliances, operating in various sectors of oil and gas spheres. It has representative offices in Georgia, the U.S., Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Iran, Germany, Ukraine, Belgium and Canada. --- Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz According to the authorities, the new link with China will reduce the cost of exports, consumer goods and promote socio-economic development. The companies involved in the project foresee its realization by 2021. The government had announced 291 million US dollars to be distributed starting from last June. Ventiane (AsiaNews / RFA) - Thousands of Laotian families, forced to abandon houses and land to make way for a railway that connects the country with China, are still awaiting the compensation promised by the government. Nonetheless, construction continues reports Rfa reports, citing local sources. The Chinese companies involved in the project envisage its construction by 2021, despite the challenges posed by the creation of tunnels in the mountainous areas of the north of the country. A landlocked nation, Laos expects the railway to reduce the cost of exports and consumer goods while at the same time fostering its socio-economic development. A decree issued in April 2016 states that citizens whose land is forcibly requistioned for development projects must be compensated for loss of property and income. The proponents must also ensure that the living conditions of displaced persons are the same as before the beginging of work. A resident of the village of Chaengsavang, in the district of Na Xaythong (Vientiane), says that the teams of workers have already begun to build a section of the railway link. However, no one has yet discussed the due compensation with the displaced families. "There are at least 20 houses that will have to be demolished and the families who live there will have to move elsewhere," says the woman. The village school was demolished at the beginning of last year. This forced the children to attend classes at another institution, located in a nearby. Another source reports that 12 families from the city of Muang Xay, in the province of Oudomxay, had to be compensated last month. However, the authorities have announced that the payment will be postponed "to a date to be defined" and the villagers doubt that it will be made. Over 1000 families living in villages along the railway line, which runs from the northern province of Luang Namtha to Vientiane, have not yet received any reimbursement. However, many of them have already been evicted from their homes. Speaking at the National Assembly at the beginning of the year, the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Bounchanh Sinthavong, said that the payments would start in June and that the funds would have amounted to 291 million US dollars. The privilege to choose Its increasingly clear that our liberal standards come with the freedom to choose our protests By Kamila Aliyeva The Kazakh car industry requires pre-export financing of foreign supplies and a number of subsidies from the state in order to enter the Uzbek market, said Oleg Alferov, head of Kazakhstans Union of automotive industry enterprises KazAvtoProm. There are prospects for realizing the potential of our industry in Uzbekistan. But there are barriers of an internal character. They are associated with the need to reduce transportation and certification costs. Solving these problems requires comprehensive support of the state. We are talking about pre-export and export financing of foreign supplies, subsidizing transportation, insurance of these supplies and receivables, he said. All these instruments are now being implemented in Russia, according to the head of the union. They could be used in Kazakhstan. And we advocate that this experience has been realized in our country. It requires state support for the implementation of export supplies, without it, in significant volumes, access to foreign markets is hardly possible, he stressed. In the first half of 2018, more than 14,600 vehicles were produced in Kazakhstan. Kazakh automakers have been eyeing Uzbekistan for several years in anticipation that the country will open borders for exports. Progress was outlined in the autumn of last year, when business liberalization began in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan reduced the excise tax rate for new vehicles manufactured and imported from Kazakhstan since October 1, 2017. Under the document, the excise tax rate for new vehicles manufactured and imported from Kazakhstan (other than those intended for medical purposes) was reduced to 2 percent of the customs value. Earlier, Kazakh automakers complained to Uzbek National Economy Minister Timur Suleimenov that since 1996 the enterprises of the Uzbek automobile industry exported to the Kazakh market more than 85,000 cars worth $720 million. Cars of Uzbek manufacturers are not subject to customs duties and excises when crossing the border of Kazakhstan. However, supplies of Kazakh automotive equipment to the Uzbek market equaled to zero as the access is blocked by harsh customs and tariff barriers. KazAvtoProm suggested then to consider the possibility of introducing response measures in relation to Uzbekistan. The union asked the ministry to find negotiating opportunities for revising the Uzbek tariff policy in relation to Kazakh car industry products and assist in organizing its access to the Uzbek market in accordance with the principles of free competition. Previously, media reported that production of trucks and buses Hyundai, as well as special vehicles will be established in Namangan, Uzbekistan. Within the framework of the project, Evergreen Motors Group planned to assemble trucks with carrying capacity from 1 to 50 tons, as well as intercity, international and tourist buses, special vehicles. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Turkish media has reported the death of the leader of the terrorist organization "FETO" Fethullah Gulen. Gulen died of oncological disease about a month ago, and was buried in an unmarked grave, the media reported. Fethullah Gulen and his supporters are accused of a military coup attempt in Turkey. A group of rebels attempted a military coup on the night of July 16, 2016 in Turkey. The main fighting took place in Ankara and Istanbul. More than 250 Turkish citizens were killed, more than 2,000 people were injured, the rebellion was suppressed. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Kamila Aliyeva Uzbekistan will launch the largest portland cement plant in Central Asia in late August, Podrobno.uz reported. The plant, located in the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region, with a total value of more than $212.8 million, will produce 1.5 million tons of products per year after reaching full capacity. The other day the facility has already made a test launch, releasing the first trial lot of products. The project is financed at the expense of own resources of Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine in the amount of $ 24.4 million, a loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan for $ 90 million and another $ 110.6 million of loans from commercial banks. Earlier, Uzbekistan started the sale of cement at fixed prices to prevent speculation in the market. There are five big cement facilities and several small ones with total capacity of 8.5 million tons in Uzbekistan. Qizilqumsement JSC with capacity of 3.1 million tons and Akhangarancement JSC with capacity of 1.7 million tons are the biggest of them. In the next five years, Uzbekistan plans to increase the volume of cement output by half - to 17 million tons per year. Representatives of the cement industry only in the next few years intend to build several large plants. For example, Russian holding company Eurocement Group will invest $ 220 million in cement production in a dry way with the capacity of 2.4 million tons per year. Two more cement plants will be built by Chinese investors. The first will appear on the basis of the Xin Lei enterprise in the Akhangaran region and will have an annual capacity of 1 million tons and cost $ 108 million; the other - on the basis of Akhangaranshifer with a capacity of 1 million tons and a cost of $ 100 million. Cement holds a significant share (76 percent) in the total volume of the construction materials production in Uzbekistan, according to Ozqurilishmateriallari JSC. Uzbekistan exports cement to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Kamila Aliyeva Uzbek Association Uzbekipaksanoat and Italian Silk Association have agreed on the establishment of an Italian industrial park in Uzbekistan, Podrobno.uz reported. Enterprises specializing in the processing of cocoons, the production of silk products, as well as equipment and necessary components will operate in the park. The parties have already agreed on the creation of the first joint venture to produce finished silk products. The appearance of the park, according to experts, will allow increasing the export of silk products to the European Union, as well as entering new markets. In addition, the association is negotiating with Turkish textile companies to produce new products for the country - silk carpets and the painting of silk fabrics. Within the framework of the program of measures on integrated development of the silk industry until 2021, approved by the government, 20 plants for the production of grena and about 30 plants for the processing of cocoons are currently being modernized in the country. Also, work is underway to organize 11 new profile enterprises for deep processing of the silkworm cocoon with a total cost of $ 83.2 million, most of which are planned to be commissioned this year. As part of the modernization, agreements were signed for the purchase of new equipment from such well-known companies as Van De Wiele, Picanol and Reggiani. As a result, in three years it is planned to increase the production of raw silk by two times and increase the figure to 3,000 tons per year, and also through the deep processing of raw materials to increase the production of silk fabric by eight times, reaching 11.2 million linear meters per year. In 2016, the level of use of production capacities of silk-processing enterprises in Uzbekistan was only 17 percent, and in 2017 54 percent. In 2016, products for $ 20.9 million were sent for export, and last year - for $ 37.7 million. To date, the enterprises are already producing four types of products: raw silk, silk wool, silk fabric and finished silk products, while last year the production was concentrated only on raw silk. By 2021, it is planned to establish production and export of at least five types of products. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Kamila Aliyeva Natural gas, fruit and vegetable products and cotton yarns were included in the top three exported products of Uzbekistan in the first half of 2018. Uzbekistan exported about $ 1.14 billion of natural gas in January-June 2018, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade. The volume of exports of fruit and vegetable products amounted to $ 463.2 million in the reporting period and cotton yarn - $ 381.04 million. The top 20 exported products of Uzbekistan include polyethylene ($ 219.5 million), finished textile products ($ 216.8 million), cotton fiber ($ 166.08 million), cathode copper ($ 147.6 million), electricity ($ 105.98 million), natural uranium ($ 98.92 million) and black metal rolling (90.37 million). Russia, China and Kazakhstan became the main trading partners of Uzbekistan in the first half of 2018. According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Russia in January-June of 2018 amounted to $ 2.83 billion, which makes 16 percent of the total commodity turnover of Uzbekistan. China took the second place. The trade turnover between the countries in the mentioned period amounted to $ 2.81 billion, which is 15.9 percent of the Central Asian nations total commodity turnover. The share of Kazakhstan in the total commodity turnover of Uzbekistan was 8.1 percent. The total volume of trade between the countries was $ 1.43 billion. The five largest trade partners of Uzbekistan in January-July 2018 also included Turkey ($ 940 million and share in the total commodity turnover of Uzbekistan - 5.3 percent) and South Korea ($ 762.4 million and 4.3 percent). --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Crude advanced as an attack on Saudi Arabian tankers combined with dwindling U.S. stockpiles helped bulls push oil higher. Futures in New York rose 0.5 percent on Thursday. The geopolitical risk premium in the market crept higher as Saudi Arabia temporarily halted oil shipments via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after it said two tankers were attacked by Yemeni Houthi militia. Adding fuel to the rally are U.S. crude inventories at the lowest since 2015 and softening trade tensions between the U.S. and the European Union. "These are all really bullish events for the barrel," said Michael Loewen, a commodities strategist at Scotiabank in Toronto. "The market is starting to realize the geopolitical risk is not going away anytime soon." This month, investors have assessed tariff concerns between the U.S. and China and how they might weaken oil demand. At the same time, traders are also looking at OPEC's pledge to pump more oil and U.S. sanctions against Iran. U.S. policies may weigh on crude prices in the near term, but that doesn't represent a reversal in oil's bull trend with crude likely to retest $80 a barrel later this year, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery rose 31 cents to settle at $69.61 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. WTI second-month futures implied volatility dipped to the lowest level since March after hitting the highest since 2017 earlier this month. Brent for September added 61 cents to end the session at $74.54 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Brent traded at a $4.93 premium to WTI. Options on the September Brent contract expire Thursday. The two vessels, each with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil, belong to the Saudi National Shipping Co., Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, off the shores of Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea, connects the Red Sea with the Arabian Sea and is one of the world's major waterways for crude oil and other petroleum products. Saudi Arabia can still use its East-West mega-pipeline to transport crude from its fields in the Persian Gulf to the city of Yanbu on the Red Sea, bypassing the strait and keeping the European market within regular reach. Other oil-market news: Gasoline futures climbed 1.9 percent to settle at $2.1623 a gallon, the highest level in more than three weeks. U.S. President Donald Trump says he's close to granting a waiver that would allow year-round sales of E-15 blend ethanol. OPEC shipments will decline to 24.47 million barrels a day in the four weeks to Aug. 11 versus the period to July 14, tanker-tracker Oil Movements said in a weekly report. WTI Midland crude traded at the lowest level in nearly four years as growing Permian production strains available takeaway pipeline capacity. ConocoPhillips is in talks with Petroleos de Venezuela SA to settle a $2.04 billion arbitration decision and end a global legal war between the two oil producers. --With assistance from Kintan Andanari, Sharon Cho and Alex Longley. 2018 Bloomberg L.P. A pipeline company plans to divert hundreds of thousands of gallons of water from Village Creek in the days before next Saturday's popular Village Creek Classic canoe and kayak race. In all, six acres of water, or 1.95 million gallons, will be taken from the creek near Texas 327 over about three weeks for the hydrotesting of an existing pipeline, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Water extraction is just beginning this week, a spokeswoman for the Trunkline Gas company said. TCEQ capped the rate of extraction at 1,000 gallons a minute. "That's a lot of water to be pumped out of the creek," said Bruce Walker, executive director of the Big Thicket Association preservation group. Walker said the project "raises a lot of concerns." "Creeks have their ebbs and flows," Walker said. "Sometimes they're pretty low." Village Creek, which Texas Parks and Wildlife recognizes as one of the only free-flowing creeks in the state, features a 21-mile paddling trail popular for day trips or camping along the banks. With the upcoming third annual Village Creek Classic Canoe and Kayak Race on Aug. 4, Kayla Bishop, Silsbee Chamber of Commerce executive director, said she was "not too worried" about water levels unless they get "extreme." Local canoe companies have been busy throughout the summer, Bishop noted and are continuing to "put people out on the water." "We still plan on moving forward," Bishop said. "Part of the race and adventure in canoeing or kayaking is if the water level is a little low, you just get out and pull." The pipeline work is part of the company's routine management program, spokeswoman Lisa Dillinger said in an email. "This is similar to performing preventative maintenance on your car. Specific to your area, we are currently hydrotesting our pipeline, which uses water to test the integrity of the pipeline at higher-than-normal operating pressures," Dillinger wrote. "This is done on a periodic basis with all our lines." TCEQ, tasked with "protect(ing) our state's public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development," authorizes temporary water rights permits so long as they "do not interfere with or adversely affect ... environmental flow needs," the agency's rules state. "I feel confident our races will be just fine. It'll just be a little more of an adventure," Bishop said. The Village Creek Classic was launched by the Silsbee Chamber of Commerce three years ago "to highlight Village Creek as Silsbee's greatest recreational asset and promote the sustainable use of Village Creek," according to the chamber. The pipeline project is "happening outside the boundaries" of the Big Thicket National Preserve, Jason Ginder, the preserve's spokesman, said the Big Thicket is consulting with National Park Service hydrologists "to better understand this project and any potential impacts." Phoebe.Suy@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/PhoebeSuy When he's not managing Orange's Texas State Optical office, Keith Doucet drives an ice cream truck. The Bridge City native started his ice cream truck side gig about five years ago "just on a whim" to supplement another business venture, Cool Breeze Ice Cream Truck &Sno Cone Stand on Texas Avenue. While studying business at the University of Memphis in the 2000s, Doucet said he didn't gain much exposure to how businesses "really run." Now the father of four boys, the 46-year-old said he hoped the family's ice cream truck would give his sons a peek into the business world. Most of Doucet's younger customers have never seen an ice cream truck, he said, though adults love the "nostalgia" of hearing the music play down the street as kids run inside to grab a dollar. While Doucet frequently visits neighborhoods in the Orangefield areas, he said that one of the novelty business's biggest challenges is that "some cities don't allow them." Ice cream trucks are banned within Orange and Nederland city limits as well as Groves residential areas, according to city ordinances. However, all may not be lost for mobile sweet treats in Orange. At this week's City Council meeting, Mayor Larry Spears Jr. asked the city manager to see how the ordinance might be changed "so we can allow those types of vendors to work and do nice things for our children in the city." Both Doucet and Terrell Reed, 44, of Terrell's Ice Cream Truck, said they receive texts, calls and even Facebook messages from families asking them to drive down their streets Reed began his Beaumont-based business in 1999 and went at it full-time in 2004, working most days from 11 a.m. to dark. He said he enjoys the job's flexibility and interacting with his customers. Doucet and Terrell have served up ice pops and ice cream sandwiches anywhere from small town neighborhoods to the City of Beaumont's Fourth of July celebration to work events at Motiva Enterprises and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. "There ain't no age limit on ice cream," said Reed, adding that the adults love it just as much, if not more, than the kids. Although the trucks are a rarity, ice cream manufacturers are keeping up with the times, according to Doucet and Reed. Popular ice creams include Blue Bunny's Pink Panther or Minion bars, made popular by the "Despicable Me" films. Phoebe.Suy@Beaumont Enterprise.com Twitter.com/PhoebeSuy Two fatal shootings within four days has prompted several area religious leaders to call for a community prayer Friday afternoon. The Southeast Texas group Faith Unified has asked Beaumont residents to gather on the sidewalk of the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1149 Pearl Street, from 1-3 p.m. Friday for prayer. Traders exploring Japanese markets for fresh ginger Nepali ginger traders are exploring the Japanese market to export fresh ginger in a bid to boost exports. Sonoma (Calif.) Valley Hospital, a 75-bed hospital that is part of the Sonoma Valley Hospital District, will close its obstetrics department as a cost-cutting move, according to the North Bay Business Journal. On July 25, the hospital's board voted 4-1 to close the obstetrics department Oct. 31. The vote came after Sonoma Valley Hospital CEO Kelly Mather said hospital leadership recommended the facility end obstetrics and skilled nursing services and transfer home healthcare services to another local nonprofit. Sonoma Valley Hospital recorded a $3 million net loss on revenue of $59 million in fiscal year 2018, according to recently released unaudited numbers. A decline in births at the hospital contributed to the hospital's loss. The number of births at Sonoma Valley Hospital dropped from 218 in fiscal 2010 to 111 in fiscal 2018, according to the report. The board was initially slated to consider closing the hospital's skilled nursing department at the July 25 meeting, but the vote was postponed to give hospital leadership more time to get input from staff, physicians and residents. More articles on healthcare finance: Mississippi hospital shuts down ER, unable to pay employees CMS' proposed outpatient payment rule for 2019: 10 things to know CHS sees net loss narrow to $110M, pursues $2B hospital divestiture plan CMS ended its provider agreement with Blackfoot-based Idaho Doctors' Hospital July 20. Under rules enacted last September, a healthcare facility must average at least two inpatients per day and an at least two-night average length of stay to be considered an inpatient hospital for Medicare reimbursement. In April, CMS determined Doctors' Hospital is not primarily engaged in providing care to inpatients and does not meet the new federal requirements for Medicare participation. The agency subsequently sent Doctors' Hospital a Medicare termination notice. "To go from being OK just 18 months ago, when we had our last survey, to now being told that we don't meet the CMS conditions of participation because of new interpretations of the regulations is just difficult to comprehend," Dave Lowry, administrative manager at Idaho Doctors' Hospital, told KIFI earlier this month. "Like any business that is regulated by government agencies, we fully expect there to be changes to rules and their interpretations, but this drastic level of change just goes to show how much uncertainty there is in healthcare right now." After receiving the termination notice from CMS, Doctors' Hospital sent letters to all patients affected by the contract termination, a spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review. "We have worked with other area hospitals who provide the same services, and our staff provides this information for any patients who call with questions on where to go for care," the Doctors' Hospital spokesperson said. More articles on healthcare finance: CHS sees net loss narrow to $110M, pursues $2B hospital divestiture plan CMS' proposed outpatient payment rule for 2019: 10 things to know For-profit hospital operators by the numbers: A look at HCA, Tenet, CHS, LifePoint and UHS Less than one week after the medical staff at Bridgton (Maine) Hospital issued a unanimous vote of no-confidence in the health system's CEO, staff at a second hospital within the system voted the same way, according to the Portland Press Herald. Roughly 15 to 20 staff members at Rumford (Maine) Hospital attended a meeting July 24 to participate in the vote. Several staff members, who asked to remain anonymous, told the publication a few abstained, while the rest voted no confidence in Jeff Brickman, the CEO of parent company Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare. The vote indicates two of the health system's three hospitals have issued a vote of no confidence in Mr. Brickman. Staff members at Rumford Hospital told the Portland Press Herald they recognize the health system's need for change and to save money, but they dislike Mr. Brickman's management style and are concerned about ongoing fiscal issues and cuts in service across the system. Mr. Brickman was named CEO of CMHC in 2016. Since he began his tenure, several key health system administrators have left the institution, the report states. One Rumford Hospital physician told the publication the no-confidence vote does not extend to R. David Frum, president of Bridgton and Rumford hospitals. The physician said staff does not feel Mr. Frum is to blame for the hospitals' challenges and that they appreciate his leadership. Rumford Hospital's no-confidence vote was scheduled to be presented to CMHC board members during a July 25 meeting, which was not open to the public. The health system declined to comment to the Portland Press Herald about proceedings during the meeting. In a prepared statement to the publication July 27, a CMHC spokesperson said: "We take very seriously the recent activities at Rumford and Bridgton hospitals, which we understand is an expression of medical staff concerns regarding the necessary changes made to ensure the long-term financial health of our hospitals and health system. We are steadfast in our commitment to all CMH hospitals, and our team of clinicians and staff who are devoted to providing the highest-quality care to the communities we serve. "We realize that the changes have been hard, but we also know that healthcare is changing rapidly and hospitals must adapt to ensure a strong future. Our board members, senior leadership and providers continue to be actively engaged in ongoing efforts to address these concerns and lay the groundwork for a successful future." Staff at Lewiston-based Central Maine Medical Center, the third hospital in the system, are scheduled to hold their own vote on the issue within the coming weeks, the report states. To access the full report, click here. UN rapporteurs question intent of Integrity Policy Four independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have drawn the governments attention to the controversial National Integrity Policy (NIP) that the government is preparing to introduce. If the ACA fails, the majority of Americans will hold the Trump administration responsible, according to a recent poll. Fifty-eight percent of Americans said they feel the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are responsible for any future issues with the ACA because they have made changes to the law, according to a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The poll was conducted July 17-22 among a random sample of 1,200 adults ages 18 and older living in the U.S. Most respondents 56 percent also felt the administration was trying to make the law fail, and of those with this view, most felt it was a bad thing. However, 32 percent said they felt the Trump administration has been trying to make the law work. Meanwhile, CMS Administrator Seema Verma has a more fatalistic view of the issue. When asked if the administration wanted the ACA to fail at a July 25 appearance at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, she said despite changes that have been made, the law is not designed to succeed. "[The ACA] was failing long before this administration came into office, and the reality is it's not going to get fixed and it's not going to get better until Congress addresses it," she said, later adding, "The program has some underlying structural flaws, and we can try to take action one way or another, but the bottom line is the program is not going to work." More articles on leadership and management: AHA applauds hospitals' efforts to cut health costs, challenges others 5 things to know about T. Denny Sanford, who's donated nearly $1B to Sanford Health Trump administration unlikely to approve single-payer waivers, says CMS head Amid declining reimbursements, increasing consolidation and heightened pressure to reduce costs, Children's hospitals must address challenges related to national healthcare trends while simultaneously tackling issues unique to pediatric providers. Many children's hospitals are turning to technological advancements, coupled with data and analytics, to achieve more efficient workforce, financial and supply chain operations, along with increased cost savings. In a June 28 webinar sponsored by Workday and hosted by Becker's Hospital Review, Spencer Kowal, vice president of financial strategy for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Robert Shoemaker, executive director of finance at Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital, discussed how intelligent enterprise resource planning technology can help children's hospitals address broader healthcare challenges, as well as challenges specific to children's hospitals. Why children's hospitals are well-positioned to benefit from technology optimization Children's hospitals contain several unique characteristics that make them well-positioned to benefit from an intelligent ERP system. For one, children's hospital haven't gone through significant merger and acquisition activity, according to Mr. Kowal. "We often don't have hospitals in multiple states [with] multiple ERP systems," he said. "This means the culture and mission in our organizations is fairly well-established." Such a contained environment allows children's hospitals to more quickly adapt to a new ERP structure and see improvements faster compared to more expansive health systems. Mr. Kowal acknowledged children's hospitals also face many of the same operational challenges as typical acute care hospitals, including siloed reporting, inconsistent business processes and little transparency into cost and operational data all of which could be solved with the help of an intelligent ERP system. The benefits of an intelligent ERP system CHOP and Dayton Children's Hospital represent two leading children's hospitals using intelligent ERP to optimize human capital management, supply chain and financial operations. Before adopting the solution, Mr. Shoemaker said Dayton Children's relied on many disparate systems across its network. The hospital was spurred to implement the ERP system after its human resources and payroll system were scheduled to sunset in March 2018. "Our original plan called for just replacing those two systems, but we quickly determined we needed a whole ERP solution," Mr. Shoemaker said. "This change was a great opportunity for us to keep pace with the growing complexity of human resources and financial functions and eliminate many manual processes that had been in place for years." Another key driver for the implementation was the desire for access to more timely information. Mr. Shoemaker said staff members used to dump hospital data from various sources into an Excel sheet to analyze. Now, the hospital relies on Workday's reporting functionality to build custom reports with more accurate data and send them straight to managers and directors. Mr. Shoemaker believes this real-time data will help hospitals prepare for future challenges like bundled payments and risk-sharing. Mr. Kowal said CHOP was looking for an ERP system to help improve the hospitals' financial operations by restructuring the hospital's charge accounts, standardizing business processes and increasing data transparency. While CHOP has not gone live on Workday's system yet, Mr. Kowal expects the ERP solution to help the hospital achieve its goal of identifying and implementing $120 million in financial improvements over the next three years. Workday's ERP solution also appealed to CHOP for its workforce management and supply chain benefits, including dependable management reporting capabilities, an improved end user experience and support for sustained behavioral change among staff members, according to Mr. Kowal. "We wanted an ERP system that allowed the hospital to dynamically change business processes as the organization changed. We were also looking for a user-driven approach that provided a better overall human resources and finance experience for employees," he said. "We need excellent supply chain infrastructure to ensure we can quickly fill these needs ... with less manual intervention and at a lower price point." To view the webinar, click here. The Pittsburgh City Council on July 24 postponed a vote on Pittsburgh-based UPMC's $2 billion expansion plan until next week, according to Trib Live. Here are four things to know: 1. Hundreds of protesters gathered July 17 at a public city council hearing on UPMC's proposed plan to a create a trio of specialty hospitals. They called on the council to reject the plan until the health system guaranteed all city residents access to healthcare, the right for UPMC employees to form a union, and a minimum wage of $15 per hour or higher for employees, among other demands, according to the report. 2. The councilman who requested the postponement told Trib Live he is working with UPMC officials to come to an agreement. The council rescheduled the vote for July 31. 3. UPMC announced its intent to build the trio of hospitals in November 2017. The health system also plans to work with Microsoft on the facilities' construction. UPMC officials said at the time of the announcement that they aim to open UPMC Vision and Rehabilitation Hospital in 2020 and UPMC Hillman Cancer Hospital in 2022. It is unclear when construction will be completed on the third facility, the UPMC Heart and Transplant Hospital. 4. Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto weighed in on the debate for the first time July 24, stating he supports UPMC's expansion plan. "I support plans for the new Mercy Vision and Rehabilitation Hospital because of the world-class and unparalleled vision and therapeutic services it will provide critically ill patients, and the transformative effect it will have on Uptown and the Hill District," he said, adding the plan would also create "good union jobs for local residents." Healthcare policy has become the focus of discussion in an Ohio Senate race, according to the Dayton Daily News. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, has been criticized for attempting to repeal the ACA during his time in Congress and for supporting a proposal to freeze Medicaid expansion in Ohio. Mr. Renacci is running to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Mr. Renacci's team criticized Mr. Brown for failing to substantially change healthcare policy during his congressional career. "Career politician Sherrod Brown has had 25 years in Congress to fix healthcare and has failed, said Leslie Shedd, a spokesperson for Mr. Renacci, according to the Dayton Daily News. "Instead, he helped force through a disastrous government takeover of healthcare that drove premiums through the roof while slashing benefits." In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Robert Rubinowitz, director of revenue cycle management business integration at MaineHealth. Mr. Rubinowitz will speak on a panel during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference titled "Revenue Cycle Solutions and Trends," at 3:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago. Question: What do you see as the most vulnerable part of a hospital's business? Robert Rubinowitz: Payment policies implemented by commercial payers that fall outside of the base contracts. These policies can have a tremendous impact on reimbursement, patient volume and operations. Most of the time these policies are published in newsletters and on very short notice of implementation. Q: What is the biggest barrier to price transparency in the healthcare industry? RR: Accessing and understanding appropriate data. How services, supplies and medications are documented, coded and charged will dictate the complexity of the data. Once that level of understanding is identified and mastered, you need to take the patient into consideration. There are so many variables that can [influence] the same procedure: demographics, chronic conditions, severity of illness, etc. The final step is then applying the cost that you just calculated against patient benefits and their deductible balance to determine an accurate out-of-pocket estimate. Q: How has your organization improved the revenue cycle process in the past year? Or, if your organization hasn't improved its revenue cycle process, how would you go about it? RR: We have implemented a lean process, going through 26 kaizen events over the past three years. Additionally, we have created a revenue cycle management business intelligence team and have built over 25 analytics apps. In one example, we reduced denial amounts in labor and delivery by 67 percent by changing the charge methodology all while maintaining revenue neutrality. Milwaukee-based Children's Hospital of Wisconsin hospitalists and neonatologists will staff Racine, Wis.-based Ascension All Saints Hospital's pediatric and neonatal intensive care units under a new contract, according to a Journal Sentinel report. Pediatric hospitalists and neonatologists from Children's will replace short- or long-term contracted independent physicians from Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care Network. A contract between Ascension and Advocate ended in December 2017 for hospitalists and in February for neonatologists, an Ascension spokesperson told the publication. Ascension contracted with Children's Hospital for temporary physicians until Children's could hire permanent staff. All Children's Hospitals physicians were placed by July 1. More articles on integration and physician issues: Independent primary care physicians are more productive, study finds Top 25 internal medicine residencies, ranked by physicians U of Pennsylvania offers med students course in empathy Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health, the 28-hospital spinoff of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, entered into a definitive agreement to sell a 45-bed hospital in Tennessee, the health system announced July 27. Under the agreement, Quorum will sell McKenzie Regional Hospital to Memphis-based Baptist Memorial Health Care. Officials expect to complete the transaction by the end of the third quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory approval. The sale of McKenzie Regional was among several discussed under a letter of intent during the company's first quarter 2018 earnings call. Maine Medical Center, a 637-bed facility in Portland, will buy local restaurant Pizza Villa as part of its $512 million expansion project, the Portland Press Herald reports. Hospital officials said the institution entered into a purchase agreement with Pizza Villa owners Tony and Phil Regios to acquire the shop and its three-story building for an undisclosed price. The hospital, which will also help find a new operator for the restaurant, expects to close on the deal in March 2019. "We've been a part of this community for a long time, and we'd like to thank all our customers and friends who have come through our doors over the years," Tony Regios said in the prepared statement obtained by the Portland Press Herald. "The medical center was the logical organization for us to sell to. They are very interested in seeing the business continue to operate and thrive." Zoning laws governing the hospital's expansion stipulate the first floor of the Pizza Villa building house "community oriented/retail uses," the report states. The expansion project aims to add three floors to the hospital's visitor garage, two floors to the hospital's east tower, 128 single-occupancy patient rooms, and 19 procedure rooms for surgery and other treatments. Democratic attorneys general from 11 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its final association health plan rule. The AGs filed their 56-page lawsuit in the U.S. States District Court for the District of Columbia July 26. The lawsuit claims the final association health plan rule "upends a decades-old understanding of a foundational employee benefits law for the purpose of exempting a significant portion of the health insurance market from the ACA's consumer protections." The AGs also claim permitting some plans that do not comply with certain ACA protections to sell health plans puts states at a greater risk for fraud. This will require states to redirect "significant" resources to ensure consumers are protected, according to the lawsuit. The final association health plan rule, issued June 19, gives more leeway to small businesses looking to create health insurance plans that bypass many ACA regulations, but lower member expenses, according to The New York Times. The rule is in response to an executive order signed by President Trump Oct. 12. The association health plans allow groups such as community organizations, churches and professional associations to band together to purchase or offer health insurance. However, offering coverage for "essential health benefits" like emergency services, maternity and newborn care, mental health, and prescription drugs is not a requirement. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: California hospital VP sues facility over alleged harassment by physician exec 2 caretakers charged in connection to patient injury at Virginia behavioral center Dallas hospital co-founder admits to bribing physicians for high-volume surgeries From an ex-drug company executive sentenced to prison for his alleged role in a $50 million drug diversion scheme to the co-founder of a Dallas hospital pleading guilty in a kickback case, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines. 1. Dallas hospital co-founder admits to bribing physicians for high-volume surgeries In an alleged $200 million healthcare fraud involving Dallas-based Forest Park Medical Center, one of the hospital's co-founders is pleading guilty, saying he recruited high-volume specialty physicians and paid them millions in bribes and kickbacks for surgeries. 2. Ex-drug company executive gets 15 years in prison for $50M pill distribution plot The former president of a Houston-based pharmaceutical distribution company was sentenced to 15 years in prison July 16 for his alleged role in a $50 million drug diversion scheme. 3. Hospital mishandled Legionnaires' test of dying Illinois VA home resident, lawsuit says Quincy, Ill.-based Blessing Hospital faces a lawsuit accusing its staff of mishandling tests of a veterans' home resident dying of Legionnaires' disease in fall 2017. 4. California hospital VP sues facility over alleged harassment by physician exec A vice president at Ventura, Calif.-based Community Memorial Health System filed a lawsuit against the hospital for allegedly failing to protect her from discrimination and bullying at the hands of another executive at the institution. 5. 1.2K patients may receive up to $150K in settlements after Flowers Hospital data breach More than 1,200 patients who visited Dothan, Ala.-based Flowers Hospital may be eligible to receive settlement payments resulting from a four-year-old class-action lawsuit. 6. Michigan hospital, 3 patient relatives must mediate Facebook post lawsuit A court ordered Kalkaska (Mich.) Memorial Health Center and three relatives of a patient treated at the hospital to mediate their dispute over a critical Facebook post made by the relatives. 7. 2 caretakers charged in connection to patient injury at Virginia behavioral center Two employees at Leesburg, Va.-based North Spring Behavioral Healthcare were charged in connection to injuries sustained by a 16-year-old female patient at the facility June 11. 8. Pharmacy owner gets jail time for $1.5M kickback scheme with NY hospital employee The owner of a New York pharmacy was sentenced to six months in jail for participating in a $1.5 million Medicaid kickback scheme with a former hospital employee from East Meadow, N.Y.-based Nassau University Medical Center. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Man allegedly assaults nurse with bodily fluids, then claims to be HIV positive 2 surgeons indicted in $950M kickback scheme in California SEC proposes $30M cap on whistle-blower awards Wedding planning firms find love from couples Wedding planning companies are seeing more and more couples who want help in bringing their dream weddings to life. These companies handle all the nitty gritty that comes with planning a wedding from venue arrangement, decoration services, catering, beauty and makeup among others. A vice president at Ventura, Calif.-based Community Memorial Health System filed a lawsuit against the hospital for allegedly failing to protect her from discrimination and bullying at the hands of another executive at the institution, the VC Star reports. Here are five things to know: 1. Kimberly Bridges, BSN, RN, vice president of CMHS' Centers for Family Health clinic network, filed a lawsuit with the Ventura County Superior Court April 20 against the hospital and Richard Reisman, MD, co-founder and former medical director of the center's clinic system, and current vice president of ambulatory medicine at CMHS. 2. In the complaint, Ms. Bridges alleged she was mistreated by Dr. Reisman for years. Ms. Bridges contended Dr. Reisman repeatedly berated her in front of others, cursed at her and threatened to take action that could jeopardize her job. The complaint also alleges Dr. Reisman complained about working with women and people of other nationalities. 3. Attorneys for CMHS denied Ms. Bridges' allegations in court responses filed earlier in July. The lawyers also claim Ms. Bridges' lawsuit should be thrown out because her complaint was filed after the statute of limitations for the case expired, and because she did not "exhaust her administrative remedies" before filing litigation, the report states. 4. A CMHS spokesperson told the VC Star neither the system nor its leaders can comment on pending litigation. 5. A hearing for the case is scheduled for Sept. 14. To access the full report, click here. A 37-year-old man stole an ambulance while leaving Mesa, Ariz.-based Banner Desert Medical Center late morning July 26, and attributes his decision to not wanting to walk home in the heat, Fox News reports. Todd Shell had just been released from the hospital after being treated for a "heat related situation," according to the Mesa Police Department's crime blog. "When officers interviewed [Mr.] Shell after his arrest, he said when he came out of the hospital he thought it was too hot to walk home," the blog post reads. "He walked back towards the hospital when he found the ambulance running in the bay while the crew was dropping off another patient. [Mr.] Shell decided to take the ambulance at that point so he wouldn't have to walk." Mesa Police found Mr. Shell driving in the stolen ambulance at normal speeds on the freeway. Once he exited the vehicle, police surrounded the stolen ambulance and arrested Mr. Shell on one count of unlawful use of means of transportation and one count of unlawful flight from law enforcement. He said he intended to return the stolen ambulance, which was not damaged and has been returned to service. Pocatello, Idaho-based Portneuf Medical Center's emergency room physicians are out of network with the state's two largest health insurers after the ER physicians reorganized under a new group, according to the Idaho State Journal. The ER physicians created a new practice, Rocky Mountain Physician Group, to move management from an out-of-state group into their own hands. However, this required the physicians to negotiate new contracts with Blue Cross of Idaho and Regence BlueShield of Idaho. Now, Blue Cross and Regence BlueShield members are facing higher medical bills for getting treatment from RMPG physicians, as negotiations have been unsuccessful. However, RMPG physicians are optimistic that if new contracts are signed, they will be retroactive and reimburse patients for any out-of-network charges. In a notification to members, Regence BlueShield allegedly said RMPG had not told them about the management switch, and blamed the physicians for any occurrences of balance billing, according to the Idaho State Journal. Blue Cross told the publication: "The previous emergency room physician group at Portneuf Medical Center reorganized under a new name, and did not notify Blue Cross of Idaho until recently. We have had discussions with the new group; unfortunately, they want a significant rate increase. Their request is inconsistent with our commitment to provide affordable healthcare to our members." RMPG contends it attempted to contact both insurers ahead of the switch to request new contracts. RMPG said it was disappointed by Regence's letter, and said it is looking for a "fair and reasonable market rate for physician services," Bill Carns, COO of RMPG's administrative agent, said. "To date, Blue Cross of Idaho has not responded with a reasonable proposal." More articles on payers: Centene CEO: Physician acquisition spree not in playbook Blue Cross to offer North Carolina members up to $500 rebate for choosing cheaper physician Anthem expands AI, automation agreement with IBM Health officials confirmed four more cases of hepatitis C at Puyallup, Wash.-based Good Samaritan Hospital, bringing the total to 12, The News Tribune reports. The source of the outbreak is unknown. The 12 cases are each genetically linked to the same virus strain. Since local and state officials began investigating the hospital's hepatitis C cases nearly three months ago, 1,858 patients of an estimated 2,758 have been tested for hepatitis C. Most results were negative. The 12 patients linked to the same virus strain received treatment at Good Samaritan between Aug. 4, 2017, and March 23, 2018. Eleven of them were treated last December in the hospital's emergency department. All the patients received intravenous injections from former hospital nurse Cora Weberg. Police arrested Ms. Weberg in early May on suspicion of second-degree assault, but she was later released without criminal charges being filed. Although Ms. Weberg acknowledged diverting injectable drugs to aid in a suicide attempt, she denied injecting patients with needles she had used. Ms. Weberg's nursing license was suspended after an investigation. An attorney representing Ms. Weberg said her blood test concluded "undetective for hepatitis C virus. That means should does not have hep C." The investigation of Ms. Weberg did not complete the inquiry of hospital, and Health Department experts tested two other Good Samaritan employees, but only Ms. Weberg showed signs of prior exposure to the virus. In June, experts from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said the source of the outbreak remained unclear. "I'm not sure we'll ever know," said communicable disease division director Nigel Turner. Catholic hospitals' right to refuse healthcare services based on religious or moral grounds can threaten access to high-quality, comprehensive reproductive care for Americans living in rural communities with limited hospital options, according to a report from FiveThirtyEight. "In a growing number of communities around the country, especially in rural areas, patients and physicians have access to just one [Catholic] hospital," the report's authors wrote. "Catholic hospitals are bound by a range of restrictions on care that are determined by religious authorities, with very little input from medical staff. Increasingly, where a patient lives can determine whether Catholic doctrine and how the local bishop interprets that doctrine, will decide what kind of care she can get." Here are seven things to know: 1. While many independent rural hospitals are closing amid greater financial pressures, Catholic health systems have managed to weather the tough financial climate, in part due to their nonprofit status, the authors noted. Estimates suggest one in six hospital beds are Catholic-owned or even affiliated, along with most of the nation's nonprofit heath systems, according to 2. In 2011, about 29 communities nationwide had one Catholic hospital to use for their care, and in 2016, that number grew to 45 communities according Merger Watch. 3. Ms. Thomson-DeVeaux and Ms. Barry-Jester said it is difficult for patients to know what services are offered due to each facilities' interpretation of Catholic doctrine, which is decided by local bishops. While decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, treatments including abortion, birth control, vasectomies, tubal ligations, some types of end-of-life care, emergency contraception and procedures related to gender transition are can be forbidden at these hospitals, according to the report. 4. Several physicians working for Catholic institutions told FiveThirtyEight about instances they could not provide patients with the best treatment possible due to their employers' religious restrictions. In one case, , such as an instance where a bishop banned tubal ligations after a C-section, which could have killed a patient. 5. Some states have laws protecting individuals' or institutions' right to refuse services based on ethical and moral beliefs. 6. Physician organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, express concern over the growth in Catholic health systems compromising availability and quality of reproductive care. 7. The California Medical Association, representing 43,000 physicians, attempted to intervene in a California lawsuit over a denied tubal ligation. CMA's president-elect said patients and physicians, not hospital administrators, need to make the primary decisions when it comes to health outcomes. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declined to comment on the lawsuit. However, in a statement earlier this year, the president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association said, "The conscience of Catholic healthcare does not allow us to participate in certain procedures we feel are an assault on the dignity of human life, such as abortion and euthanasia. That same conscience compels us to love and respect others who feel differently," according to the report. More artilces on clincal leadership and infection control: US hospitals often fall short on childbirth care, USA Today investigation finds New York's sepsis treatment mandate linked to lower in-hospital mortality Hospital Compare spotlights hospitals' sepsis performance Roughly 50,000 women are severely injured every year during childbirth, while 700 mothers die. Approximately half of those deaths could be prevented with adequate care. However, a July 26 USA Today investigation found hospitals nationwide skip essential safety practices to prevent such outcomes. USA Today investigators obtained more than a half-million pages of internal hospital quality records and examined more than 150 childbirth cases that went wrong. Reporters also contacted 75 birthing hospitals and conducted staff interviews to uncover if they follow recommended procedures for care. Here are four findings from the investigation: 1. The publication obtained records through federally funded quality programs for dozens of hospitals in New York, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas for 2015 and 2016. Those records indicated less than 50 percent of maternity patients were promptly treated for high blood pressure that put them at risk for stroke. In Pennsylvania, data for roughly a dozen hospitals show mothers were treated for childbirth-related complications 49 to 67 percent of the time. 2. Several agencies, including Medicare and The Joint Commission, require hospitals to disclose relevant information, such as complication rates, and post the findings online. Medicaid, which helps pay for an estimated 50 percent of the nearly 4 million births that take place per year, has not set standards for childbirth complications. The Joint Commission, which sets safety standards for U.S. hospitals, does not require hospitals and health systems to report how often their healthcare providers fail to follow proper safety procedures related to childbirth, researchers discovered. 3. However, one state has reduced maternal death rates by 50 percent. In California, patient safety experts and hospitals have implemented practices now endorsed by leading medical societies as the gold standard of care. 4. USA Today cites several specific cases of patients who suffered severe complications from childbirth but were not provided proper care. In 2013, a patient in Ohio bled internally for hours. By the time she was admitted to another hospital for surgery, her delivery hospital had nearly run out of blood and the patient's heart stopped. In South Carolina, one of the nation's leading birthing hospitals sent a patient home with her newborn despite the patient exhibiting high blood pressure. When she returned to the emergency room with even higher blood pressure, hospital staff allegedly made her sit in the waiting room where she suffered a stroke and ultimately died. "Our medicine is run by cowboys today, where everyone is riding the range doing whatever they're wanting to do," Steven Clark, MD, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told the publication. "It's a failure at all levels, at national organization levels and at the local hospital leadership levels as well." To access the full USA Today investigation, click here. Fifteen years ago, an 11-year-old boy died mid-operation due to a blood pressure spike, causing his heart to stop. The cause? His anesthesiologist unknowingly administered the wrong drug. Ronald Litman, DO, a pediatric anesthesiologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses this medical case and offers solutions on how to reduce anesthesiologist-related medication errors in an op-ed for The Inquirer. Here are six things to know: 1. In the medical case, the boy's anesthesiologist gave him phenylephrine a drug that quickly boosts blood pressure in severely ill patients instead of the anti-nausea drug ondansetron. Both medications look similar and were stocked next to one another. 2. Litman notes anesthesiologists are responsible for prescribing, preparing and administering drugs in the operating room without assistance or technological support, sometimes during extremely stressful or chaotic situations. 3. He said wrong drug administration happens two ways: the anesthesiologist accidently chooses the wrong drug to administer, or the anesthesiologist administers the wrong syringe after the medication is removed from the vial 4. Hospitals must implement better drug administration protocols to prevent these errors from occurring, according to Mr. Litman. "If operating rooms have not been equipped with the means to avoid these errors, patients have no choice but to rely on the anesthesiologist's vigilance to get it right, every time, many times a day," he wrote. "But, of course, human errors are inevitable. Therefore, the system of drug administration in the operating room must be engineered to prevent the error from occurring in the first place." 5. A mistaken-vial error can be avoided by supplying anesthesiologists with pre-filled syringes, which can be created by drug manufacturers, drug distributors or hospital pharmacy, according to Dr. Litman. 6. There is currently no system to physically stop mistaken-syringe errors from happening. However, strategies like bar-coding drug-filled syringes require anesthesiologists to scan the syringe, allowing a computer to confirm if the drug is correct and warn the anesthesiologist of any allergies or drug incompatibilities, according to Dr. Litman. More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: How Catholic hospitals may restrict healthcare access for rural Americans US hospitals often fall short on childbirth care, USA Today investigation finds U of Wisconsin to open physician addiction hotline NTR programme manager Martin Sweeney and Fionnuala Brennan of First Trust Bank at the wind farm A 50 million wind farm project along a remote part of the Tyrone-Donegal border is nearing completion. Castlecraig Wind Farm, which has 10 German-made 125 metre turbines, will be up and running by the end of the summer. The original application for the project dates to 2006 and sought permission to build 25 turbines each up to 127 metres high at the site nine miles from Castlederg. Owned by sustainable infrastructure investor NTR, the company said it will produce enough energy to meet the needs of 18,500-plus homes annually. The project has been financed with support from First Trust Bank, and is being managed by RES, the world's largest independent renewable energy company. RES is involved in more than 100 wind farms, including a number scattered throughout Northern Ireland. The company, which is headquartered in Kings Langley, England, will continue to manage the project over the next 25 years. Construction started in June 2017, with a number of local firms involved. They included Adman from Omagh, which undertook the civil construction works; B McCaffrey & Sons Ltd and Colton Quarries, which provided stone; Tracey Concrete from Enniskillen; Lisburn based Mar-Train Heavy Haulage, along with staff from Barton Industrial Services and Omexom from its Belfast offices. NTR programme manager Martin Sweeney said: "We are delighted to see construction successfully completed at Castlecraig Wind Farm thanks to the hard work of all our partners, including RES and its suppliers. "The expertise of the team, coupled with the recent good weather, saw an average of two turbines erected each week, a fantastic feat, bringing the project ahead of schedule. "NTR is selective about the markets, technology and contractors we work with, and we have been impressed by the performance and expertise demonstrated by all the businesses involved in this development." He said that its advisers at First Trust "know the local contractors and suppliers we are working with and this first-hand sectoral experience is always a benefit when it comes to a diverse development like this". First Trust said Castlecraig was the latest in a series of renewable projects it had supported. Alongside single turbine developments with Simple Power and anaerobic digestors, the bank said it had funded over 150MW worth of energy. First Trust's Fionnuala Brennan said: "It's great to see Castlecraig hit this significant milestone and we are proud to have supported the construction of a key infrastructure project that is enabling substantial inward investment to the local area and across Northern Ireland. "For projects like this, we often find that businesses think they have to go to Dublin or elsewhere in the UK to get the industry and financial sectoral expertise they need. "We, however, have an expert energy team on the ground, as we are keen to support the transition to a low carbon economy. We can play a major role in addressing this issue by how we run our bank, how we invest in our own business and in how we support our customers. "Whether it's small or large-scale onshore wind projects, anaerobic digestors or solar projects, we have helped many local businesses harness the power of renewable technologies." Shares in News Letter publisher Johnston Press have soared amid speculation about its future, but the company has issued a statement saying it is unaware of a reason for the share price movement. (PA) Shares in News Letter publisher Johnston Press have soared amid speculation about its future, but the company has issued a statement saying it is unaware of a reason for the share price movement. The publisher's shares spiked by more than 70% in afternoon trading, following reports suggesting the board might put the company into administration. Johnston Press, which also publishes eight local titles in Northern Ireland, is trying to refinance its bonds, but said it had not received outside proposals for its debt restructuring and that no agreement on potential options had yet been reached. In a statement, the company said: "The board of directors of Johnston Press notes the rise in the company's share price today and confirms that it knows of no operational or corporate or other reason for the price movement. "The company continues to explore a number of strategic options for the restructuring or refinancing of its bonds and confirms that no agreement on these potential options has been reached." The publisher of The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post said it had received a letter from Custos Group, which owns more than 20% of Johnston Press. The confirmation comes after it was reported that Custos Group, which is headed up by Norwegian entrepreneur Christen Ager-Hanssen, said there was speculation that Johnston Press was going to be put into administration. Mr Ager-Hanssen reportedly wished to know whether Johnston Press' board was opting for a pre-pack administration, and said he was a prospective bidder for the business. Johnston Press is looking at ways to refinance 220m of debt that becomes repayable in June next year. Golden Tree owns the majority of the debts owed by Johnston Press. Johnston Press recently signalled a fresh round of cost-cutting, saying a challenging market has put pressure on revenues, which dropped nearly 10% over 2017. This week Business Telegraph revealed that Belfast Media Group has put its print hall on the market, after outsourcing its printing to Johnston Press' Carn operation in Portadown last year. The Hannahstown Hill print hall, which formerly printed the titles North Belfast News, Andersonstown News and South Belfast News, is on the market for 300,000. The company said the closure of the print hall marked "the end of an era" but that it was confident the property could be put to good use. Britain remains the biggest market for Northern Ireland's food and drinks processing sector, according to a report Britain remains the biggest market for Northern Ireland's food and drinks processing sector, according to a report. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed that the value of produce heading across the Irish Sea increased to 2.2bn in 2016, accounting for 50% of the 4.478bn total sales that year. The 'Size and Performance of the Northern Ireland Food and Drinks Processing Sector, Subsector Statistics' study also reported that the Republic of Ireland is the most important export destination for the sector. Cross-border trade south accounted for 646m in 2016, which amounted to 15% of total sales. Signalling the crucial nature of exports for the sector, the report confirmed that in both 2015 and 2016 the size of value of the Northern Ireland domestic market was smaller than those markets outside of the UK. DAERA's report revealed a resurgent food and drink processing sector in 2017. After the total value of sales in Northern Ireland dipped from 4.415bn in 2015 to 4.365bn in 2016, provisional figures for last year show that the sector had added 113m in turnover, bringing it to just under 4.5bn. The total number of people directly employed in food and drink processing increased 4% from 20,555 to 22,413 full-time workers. The figure is estimated to increase 4.8% for 2017 to 23,479 full-time employees. Within the sector, beef, lamb, milk and milk products represented the largest subsectors for gross turnover in both 2015 and 2016. Together they account for 48% and 49% of the sector's total gross turnover in these years respectively. Charlie Kerlin, head of agri-food at business advisory firm Grant Thornton, said the new data provided "welcome reading" for the food and drinks processing sector. However, he said performance "varied widely" across the subsectors, with firms processing sheep and beef meat estimated to have increased turnover by 40.9m compared to a provisional 8m decline in turnover in the pigmeat sector. "The statistics also show an overall growth in employment in the sector, up 4.7% to 23,479 full-time equivalents. This is a reminder of the importance of the sector for local employment," he said. "The report also includes a useful snapshot of the relative size of Northern Ireland's export markets, ahead of the UK's exit from the European Union. "Finalised figures for 2016 show that around 75% of sales are in the domestic market, with Great Britain continuing to be our primary market. However, exports to the Republic of Ireland amounted to 646m or just under 15% of overall turnover," said the agri-food advisor. "It illustrates how much of the sector is likely to be most impacted should a 'no deal' Brexit occur and the possible imposition of World Trade Organisation tariffs, dramatically increasing the costs of selling to markets outside the UK." Whitley Horning from Lexington, Kentucky in the USA. The first woman to demolish the monster. An American tourist has become the first woman to demolish a monster fry at a cafe in east Belfast Whitley Horning, from Lexington in Kentucky, took on the Goliath XXL challenge fry at the Newton Cafe on the Newtownards Road yesterday, becoming only the sixth person to manage the feat. Ms Horning, who is studying at university in Dublin, said: "I wasnt surprised at all that I did it, and neither is anyone who has ever accompanied me to an all-you-can-eat buffet. "I knew I wouldnt set a time record because Ive never done any type of contest so I dont have technique, but I have an appetite. Expand Close Whitley Horning from Lexington, Kentucky in the USA. The first woman to demolish the monster. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Whitley Horning from Lexington, Kentucky in the USA. The first woman to demolish the monster. She added: "Women are expected to eat small portions slowly and politely, and leave a little on the plate. I want women to see food as a means of shaping, not reducing, ourselves. "Not to say we should do eating challenges every day, but that we should see food as a contribution to our performance, strength, and well-being, and not an enemy." David Gough, owner of the cafe, said roughly 800 people have taken on the massive Ulster Fry since the challenge was born in 2014. The humongous fry, which costs 15, consists of four soda, four potatoes, four pancakes, four sausages, four rashers of bacon, four fried eggs, four rounds of toast, chips, mushrooms, beans, hash browns, black pudding and fried tomato. The contestants get 45 minutes to eat and if they clear the tray, they eat for free. Expand Close Whitley Horning after finishing the monster fry. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Whitley Horning after finishing the monster fry. Mr Gough, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, said: From the cafes point of view it was a welcome and tremendous achievement. We have been waiting for a long time for number six to beat it. Since the turn of the year we have had a few tourists from Asia to America call in and try it out. The challenge must be on a website to do list or something. Whitley called in yesterday and asked if a women had ever completed it and after I said no.. there was no turning back. She was determined and cheered on by the other customers. She finished it with less than a minute to spare. I was definitely surprised and while I was making the fry I said she will never do it but I was delighted she did. The current record holder is a competitive eater from America known as Notorious B.O.B who dismantled the Goliath in just seven minutes and 46 seconds. Anyone looking to take on the Goliath has to ring up the cafe before hand in order to prepare the mammoth feast. The victim was named locally as 32-year-old Brian Phelan from Bessbrook. Pics Newray Police have recovered a car believed to have been involved in the murder of Brian Phelan. The 33-year-old father-of-two died following an incident at Carrivekeeney Road between Newry and Camlough on Thursday afternoon. Police are questioning a suspect. A 27-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the incident and remains in custody. A blue-coloured Peugeot 206 has been recovered by police. Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan said: "We thank the public for their assistance with this matter and continue to appeal that anyone who was in the area of Carrivekeeney Road or the general Newry area or who has any dash-cam or mobile phone footage of the Peugeot car to get in touch with us." Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives in Newry on 101 quoting the reference number 845 with the date 26/07/2018, or alternatively to contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A Co Down man banned from contacting children allegedly went online for sexual chats with a police decoy posing as a schoolgirl, the High Court heard. Kenneth Menagh, 48, thought he was asking a 14-year-old to undress for him and to become his girlfriend, prosecutors claimed. Menagh, of Lisburn Street in Ballynahinch, faces charges of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, attempted sexual communication and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He was granted bail on tight conditions including a complete prohibition on accessing any social media or dating sites. Menagh is currently barred from associating with anyone under the age of 16 following a conviction at Croydon Crown Court last year. Crown lawyer Kate McKay said on that occasion he had travelled to England in a bid to meet with a child. She claimed he breached the terms of the Order on April 10 this year through chats on an online platform. "He engaged with what he believed to be a 14-year-old female child who was, in fact, an adult police decoy," Mrs McKay told the court. According to the prosecutor Menagh immediately began a sexual conversation and indicated a strong intent to meet. "He asked if she was a virgin before introducing himself as Kenny," she said. Lord Justice Treacy heard the defendant told the decoy he wanted to be her first meeting, and for her to become his girlfriend for real. At one stage he accused her of being a paedophile hunter, but then continued with the exchanges. It was claimed he requested photographs and expressed a desire to see how she undressed. Menagh allegedly asked her to pull her bra straps down, before then enquiring how it made her feel. Opposing bail, Mrs McKay contended that the potential risk he poses cannot be properly managed. Defence counsel described Menagh as suffering from deteriorating mental health and alcohol abuse since his marriage broke up. He is also registered disabled, taking a cocktail of medication for diabetes and heart problems, the court heard. Despite expressing concerns over the alleged offences, Lord Justice Treacy granted bail based on the time Menagh has now spent behind bars. Imposing an alcohol ban and prohibition on internet access, the judge warned Menagh any further breaches will result in an immediate return to custody. A DUP MLA is co-sponsoring a Stormont event which will be addressed by a drag queen who once wore a tiara coated with dried HIV-infected blood. Belfast drag queen Electra (28) is set to appear at the inaugural Alternative Queer Ulster event, sponsored by the DUP's North Belfast MLA Paula Bradley, Sinn Fein's Newry and Armagh MLA Megan Fearon and South Belfast Green Party MLA Clare Bailey, at Parliament Buildings tomorrow night. Ms Bailey is the primary sponsor, while Ms Bradley and Ms Fearon are co-sponsors. The drag queen will deliver a talk entitled "Stop asking for acceptance" from a platform at the bottom of the stairs in the Great Hall. In 2016, as part of her outfit at the Belfast Pride parade, Electra reportedly wore a tiara coated with dried HIV positive blood in a bid to "fight bigotry and encourage conversation around the subject". LGBT+ website PinkNews said that the tiara was "coated in the blood of a consenting HIV+ donor, taken by a qualified doctor, then applied to the crown to dry, letting the virus die with it". The performer told the publication that her aim was to "fight against the stigma" suffered by HIV positive people. Experts said that the dried blood posed an exceptionally small risk, but TUV leader Jim Allister said it was "irresponsible" to permit her to speak at Stormont. He said: "Is there anything to say she won't do this again? "She has been given the ultimate platform to do whatever she likes, and those who have sponsored the event need to explain themselves. "It's irresponsible. I think Stormont is a venue totally unsuited to that sort of escapade. "She thinks it's appropriate to crown her head with HIV-infected blood as a means of making some sort of twisted commentary. "I find it sick and disgusting that someone who would do that would be elevated to the point of being a guest speaker at an event." But organiser Malachai O'Hara of the Queer Greens described Electra's actions in 2016 as "performance art" and said he had been aware of them when she was invited to speak. He revealed that all 180 tickets for the event had sold out. "We invited people to forward submissions to talk about the things that are not being talked about in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity," he said. "Myself and a panel of four others filtered through submissions and selected 20 speakers. "They will descend the steps in the Great Hall and there will be a stage at the bottom of the steps. "Some people will perform, there will be poetry and speakers. Electra will just speak. "Guidelines have been put in place for the speakers which encourage them to be respectful. "Almost two people a week are diagnosed with HIV - it's essential we talk about it. "Historically, the Executive parties have failed to advance LGBT equality, and we want to give LGBT people the chance to speak." A DUP spokesperson said Ms Bradley had not been "privy to specific details, including participants" and was "acting as a co-sponsor in good faith". He said: "The primary sponsor for any event in Parliament Buildings is the person responsible for the event under the Assembly's guidelines. "Paula Bradley is one of the co-sponsors for this event and as such was not privy to specific details, including participants. "She is acting as a co-sponsor in good faith that the event will comply fully with all policies and guidelines laid down by the Northern Ireland Assembly and it is expected that this will be the case." The spokesperson added: "Event organisers agree to the terms and conditions produced by the Assembly Commission which includes agreement that the event will be conducted in a responsible manner and that guests will comply with the Assembly's policies on conduct and behaviour of visitors in Parliament Buildings." Green Party MLA Ms Bailey said she was "more interested in what Electra has to say" than her actions in 2016. "I have no concerns about sponsoring the event," she said. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm more interested in what Electra has to say, in hearing marginalised voices in the seat of power where MLAs have the power and opportunity to make conditions and lives better." Electra declined to comment, but Sinn Fein's Megan Fearon, who is the party's equality spokesperson, said: "What is really irresponsible is Jim Allister's continued denial of rights to our LGBT brothers and sisters. "If Jim Allister had any real concern for the LGB and T communities he would attend and support Pride events and help to bring an end to the disgraceful denial of rights enjoyed by people elsewhere on this island and in Britain." An Assembly spokesperson said that "all events and tours with hospitality must be sponsored by at least three members to reflect cross designation support approved by the Assembly Commission" and that tomorrow's event "fully conforms to this requirement". The Glider system is to come into effect in September. DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly has written to Transport NI to express her "serious concerns" about the naming of a stop on the new Belfast Rapid Transit Route. The South Belfast MP said she was contacted by a constituent concerned about the naming of a stop on the Albertbridge Road as 'Short Strand'. Read More She said that that the name "does not reflect either the area or the history of the area in which the stop is situated" and was "clearly not a Short Strand stop". However a Translink spokesperson confirmed to the Belfast Telegraph that the new stop "replaces a Metro shelter which has traditionally been named 'Short Strand'". Mrs Little-Pengelly has been informed by Transport NI that the stops had already been named and would not be changed. The name was chosen as the stop was paired with the halt at Short Strand. She has now requested a meeting with Transport NI alongside East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson to discuss the naming policy and express her concerns. "I am therefore not happy that the halt has now been physically named in such an inaccurate way," Mrs Little-Pengelly wrote in a letter to a constituent. She said that she would be speaking with constituents to gauge their views on the issue and setting up a petition for the renaming of the stop. After revealing her feelings on the issue on Twitter, Mrs Little-Pengelly attracted criticism for her attempt to rename the stop. Expand Close DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly Oh, calm down. Are place names only allowed to be important for some people? Albertbridge has a lot of history. Retaining such means something. It is a small, local issue. I am here to represent. So sad you read into it with prejudice. Emma Little-Pengelly (@little_pengelly) July 26, 2018 The halts are in pairs, though. Hence the naming convention. They're effectively the same stop: one country-bound halt, one city bound, but both with the same name/location descriptor. Honestly trying to understand why it's an issue to use the name alreasy given on the stops? Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) July 27, 2018 It is a small local issue - so much so that the people in the small locality didnt actually warrant consultation? Short Strand has lots of history too, including a history of this stop/halt having always been called Short Strand. #Mixer https://t.co/OFvyo2UkBb Senator Niall O Donnghaile (@NiallSF) July 26, 2018 Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said she could not understand why the name of the stop was an issue, while Sinn Fein Senator Niall O Donnghaile said that there was a history of the stop being named 'Short Strand'. The South Belfast MP defended her position saying "there has been confusion about this issue". "My letter references the Halt at the Lower Woodstock side of the Albertbridge Road, South Belfast," she wrote. "I have never made any representations about the name of the Halt at Short Strand, East Belfast on the other side of the Albertbridge Road. "Local South Belfast residents had contacted me to see if the Halt at Lower Woodstock could be more accurately named as it is in an area that would not be considered Short Strand. The naming is part of the pairing policy of Translink NI. This is what I was working locally on." The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland with heavy showers expected on Saturday. The weather warning will be in place between 6am and 4pm on Saturday. Read More Temperatures will be cooler across Northern Ireland this weekend with highs of 18C on Saturday and 19C on Sunday. A Met Office spokesperson has warned that flooding of homes and businesses is likely. Bus and train services will probably be affected with journey times taking longer and motorists warned to be aware of spray and flooding on roads. "Slow moving heavy showers will affect parts of Northern Ireland on Saturday morning, easing later on Saturday afternoon," the spokesperson said. "There may even be the odd rumble of thunder. Rainfall accumulations of 10mm in an hour and 30mm in a 3 hour period are possible. However many places will see much lower rainfall amounts." A fundraising campaign has been launched for a 10-year-old girl facing a six month stay in a German clinic after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Kodi Brown from Killinchy, Co Down is undergoing pioneering immunotherapy at the clinic because the treatment is not available on the NHS. Family friends have launched a crowdfunding campaign called 'Kodi's Krew' to help pay for the expensive medical treatment and for accommodation for Kodi's family in Germany. The group are aiming to raise 150k and the campaign raised 15k in just one day. The family have been in Germany for two weeks and have self funded the treatment so far. Each week of treatment costs 6,000 (5,320), each MRI scan costs 950 and this week Kodi had an IV port fitted at a cost of 2,500. Kodi's treatment is expected to last six months in total and her mum Gemma is staying with her in the clinic, but her dad Andy, brother Blake and grandparents are staying in a nearby village. The Killinchy Primary School pupil first became ill when playing at a friends house on February 20. She was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with a viral infection and given antibiotics, antivirals and anti-seizure medication, After spending three weeks in hospital she returned home to continue her recovery, but the seizures continued. Kodi seemed to be recovering and her family were hopeful she would be able to return to school for the last month of P6. She received an MRI scan in May and her family were devastated to discover that the swelling had not gone down. After four weeks in hospital Kodi was diagnosed with a brain tumour. A number of events are being planned in the coming months by the team behind 'Kodi's Krew' to help Kodi and her family. Her brother, Blake currently plays for Glentoran U10s and the club have lent their support to the fundraiser. "We are appealing to everyone connected with ours and other clubs and businesses who would like to help to please donate what you can to the funding page which has been set up for her," a Glentoran FC spokesperson said. "Kodis family are suffering great pain at the moment as we all would if it was one of our own children. So anything the Glentoran Family can do to help save this young girls life will be greatly appreciated." By Ivan Ssenabulya The opposition Forum for Democratic Change camp in Njeru Municipality has accused police of conniving with the NRM to bribe voters. The partys Deputy Secretary General Herold Kaija says some candidates agents are moving around dishing out money to voters at different polling stations. He adds that even those who were arrested yesterday were released under unclear conditions. However Ssezibwa regional police spokesperson Hellen Butoto has told KFM that she is not aware of any such reports. The FDC flag bearer Amos Kivumbi is running against the NRMs Yasin Kyazze for the mayoral seat. In Apac, some candidates and voters have complained of irregularities, voter bribery and intimidation. Police have confirmed the reports of irregularities, saying some boda boda cyclists have allegedly been hired by some political parties to transport voters to the polling stations. Independent candidate Rev John Robert Atim Etime says at Acekene Trading Centre, Arocha Division, a party mobiliser was seen distributing money to the youth, women and older persons this morning. The North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, David Ongom, says they have deployed adequately in the municipality and are encouraging people to report genuine cases of violence Former State minister for Tourism Jovino Akaki Ayumu is among seven candidates contesting for newly created Apac Municipality MP seat. The others are FDCs George Okello Ekwaro, UPCs Patrick Ochan and three other Independents. A heroin addict who brandished syringes at police trying to arrest him has been given a three-month suspended prison sentence. Officers had to spray Connor Haughey with CS during the encounter at his home in west Belfast, a judge was told. The 27-year-old, with a current address at HMP Maghaberry, admitted possessing Class A, B and C drugs, along with resisting police and assaulting a PSNI constable. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard officers attempted to detain him after arriving at his former residence on August 30, 2016. "He approached police with two syringes, and CS spray was discharged to incapacitate him," a prosecution lawyer said. Searches at that stage led to the recovery of quantities of heroin and cannabis. A further amount of diazepam was discovered on him in police custody. Haughey was then taken to the Mater Hospital in north Belfast, spitting on a police officer's arm en route. Defence counsel Michael Boyd described it as a "deeply unedifying episode" for which his client is genuinely sorry. "His memory is very poor to say the least," the barrister said. "It was the behaviour of a young man in the throes of a heavy addiction to drugs, prescription and non-prescription, Class A, B and C." Mr Boyd told the court Haughey comes from a respectable family in the west of the city, and is now working in custody to overcome his dependency. Passing sentence, Deputy District Judge Trevor Browne told the defendant: "The offences themselves are bad enough, but spitting on people, no matter what the reason, is disgusting, it's inexcusable." However, Mr Browne said he was prepared to give Haughey a chance to deal with his problems. Suspending the three-months imprisonment for 18 months, the judge explained: "He's got himself in a very dark hole, but he's trying to climb out of it." A young Irish couple caught up in the wildfires in Greece have told how they ran for their lives to escape the inferno. Chloe Sugrue (19), from Cahersiveen, Co Kerry, and boyfriend Sean Davis (21), from Finglas, Dublin, were enjoying their first holiday together as a couple when they were caught up in the disaster. They were on their second day in the resort of Mati when the wildfires began to rage in the mountains above the hotel where they were staying. At least 83 people have died in the tragedy and the search for the missing continues. Sorrow has turned to anger in the country as desperate relatives of those missing appeared on television to plead for help. Some blamed authorities for the disaster, the country's deadliest blaze in decades, as one official suggested the residents of Mati should have been evacuated from the resort earlier. "This shouldn't have happened, people perished for no reason," a woman in tears shouted at defence minister Panos Kammenos as he visited the village and nearby fire-ravaged areas. "You left us at God's mercy." Last night citizen protection minister Nikos Toskas said that there are "serious indications" that the blaze was caused by arson. Ms Sugrue told the Irish Independent that initially staff in her hotel thought that the situation was not that serious but it soon became apparent it was a "matter of life or death". She said: "They told us to stay in the hotel but then 10 minutes later they told us to get out of the hotel, to get on to the beach. "The fire was coming from the mountain. We heard a big bang so we ran to the beach - we ran for our lives to the water. "There were people running around us. It was very scary. "The fire was fast approaching our hotel. We were wondering how were we going to make it." She added: "Our holiday went from the happiest time of our lives to 'how are we going to survive this, how are we going to get home?'". Ms Sugrue, who is studying childcare at Marino College in Dublin, and Mr Davis, a pharmaceutical science student at DCU, fled the flames and sat on a bench on the beach surrounded by distraught families, with many adults and children weeping. Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of Independent News and Media (INM), Michael Doorly, has spoken of the devastating sadness that has gripped the company in the wake of the disaster. Injured Zoe Holohan, who is recovering in hospital, works in the advertising department of the Sunday World which, along with this newspaper, is published by INM. Her new husband Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp lost his life in the wildfires in Greece, where the couple were celebrating their honeymoon. Mr Doorly said: "The chat and excitement around a happy wedding day last Thursday has given way to the dreadfully sad death of Brian, husband of our colleague Zoe who remains in hospital." He added: "We are doing everything we can to support Zoe and her family." A senior NHS health director has warned the "taps aff" culture will have to end if the UK is to expect longer periods of sunshine (Kirsty OConnor/PA) A senior NHS health director has warned the "taps aff" culture will have to end if longer periods of sunshine are to be expected in the future. Professor Jason Leitch issued the warning amid the ongoing hot weather being experienced across the UK, and specifically in his jurisdiction of Scotland. He said the 'taps aff' culture was particularly prevalent in the west of Scotland. Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Prof Leitch said: "We don't want to be the killjoy national health service telling everybody not to do anything, but maybe as you walk around Glasgow the 'taps aff' culture might not be something that we should encourage too much. "As soon as the sun comes out we wear shorts, no tops and flip-flops - we might have to reconsider that if we're going to have consistent hot weather over the next few years." He also said there were health benefits to the better weather but that people had to be cautious. 'Taps aff' is an expression common across Northern Ireland and Scotland, and is a counterpoint to 'taps oan' weather - associated with cooler conditions. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Niamh Smith and Emilee Warren from Hertfordshire enjoy the hot weather in Bangor, Co Down, yesterday www.paulmcerlane.net Martha Sanz and her son Roque Sanz at Botanic Gardens in Belfast Annalisa Leonae and Federica Banfi in Belfasts Botanic Gardens A girl sunbathing on her car in a Co Antrim shopping centre Photopress Warm weather continues across Northern Ireland with very little rainfall with as seen here at Spelga Dam in the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, where the water level has dropped to show the old bridge and road which ran through the area before the dam was built. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Warm weather continues across Northern Ireland with very little rainfall with as seen here at Spelga Dam in the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, where the water level has dropped to show the old bridge and road which ran through the area before the dam was built. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 02-07-2018: 10 year old Cora Knocker from Belfast pictured in Belfast enjoying the Beautiful weather in Northern Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press 28/06/2018 Cooling down at the water fountain during the hot weather in Belfast on Thursday, that is thought to be the hottest day of the year, as the sunshine continues. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Adrienne Maginness from Belfast. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Katie Shearer and Joshua Reid from Ballyclare. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Joshua aged 9 and mum Tanya McClelland from Lisburn. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Sophia McKillion from Dungannon. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Francesca McKillion, Sophia McKillion and Marion McKillion all from Dungannon. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Peter Lawther from Carrickfergus. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Phil Graham from Moira. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Anna Mc Cavana aged 11, Sarah Gaw aged 3 and Catherine Gaw aged 11 all from Randalstown. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Anna Mc Cavana aged 11, Sarah Gaw aged 3 and Catherine Gaw aged 11 all from Randalstown. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Anna Mc Cavana aged 11 and Catherine Gaw aged 11 from both from Randalstown. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Jarek Stanczak enjoying the sun. Press Eye - Weather Pictures - Portstewart Beach - 30th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Tanya McClelland from Lisburn Pacemaker Press 28/06/2018 Cooling down at the water fountain during the hot weather in Belfast on Thursday, that is thought to be the hottest day of the year, as the sunshine continues. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 28/06/2018 Cooling down at the water fountain during the hot weather in Belfast on Thursday, that is thought to be the hottest day of the year, as the sunshine continues. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press Belfast 28-06-2018: Northern Ireland weather is to be hot or very hot, perhaps the hottest day on record. The Met Office say the hottest day on record currently stands at 30.8 Celsius. Walkers pictured enjoying the early morning weather in Hazelbank Park near Belfast. Picture By Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 28-06-2018: Northern Ireland weather is to be hot or very hot, perhaps the hottest day on record. The Met Office say the hottest day on record currently stands at 30.8 Celsius. Walkers pictured enjoying the early morning weather in Hazelbank Park near Belfast. Picture By Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 28-06-2018: Northern Ireland weather is to be hot or very hot, perhaps the hottest day on record. The Met Office say the hottest day on record currently stands at 30.8 Celsius. Walkers out enjoying the early morning weather in Hazelbank Park near Belfast. Picture By Arthur Allison. (L-R) Louise McFredrick and local boxing star Michaela Walsh in Botanic Gardens / Credit: Press Eye/ Declan Roughan Press Eye - Weather Pictures Botanic Gardens - Belfast - 27th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Lorenzo Rogers Camarena aged 1, Karla Rogers Camatena and Domnic Corra. Press Eye - Weather Pictures Botanic Gardens - Belfast - 27th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Weather Pictures Botanic Gardens - Belfast - 27th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Dennis Kurmis from Lithuania enjoys the sun in Botanic Press Eye - Weather Pictures Botanic Gardens - Belfast - 27th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Dennis Kurmis from Lithuania enjoys the sun in Botanic Press Eye - Weather Pictures Botanic Gardens - Belfast - 27th June 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Charlie Nesbitt and Georgia Gorman having fun in the sprinkler system. Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott From L-R Hilary Robinson , Pat and Donald Nesbitt enjoying the warm weather at Castle gardens in Antrim on Wednesday, as the nice weather continues. Pic Pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 29th May 2018 People enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens in Belfast as Northern Ireland continues to get good weather. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 29th May 2018 People enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens in Belfast as Northern Ireland continues to get good weather. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Pacemaker Press 30/5/2018 A Dog cools down during the warm weather at Castle gardens in Antrim on Wednesday, as the nice weather continues. Pic Pacemaker Catching rays on Ballycastle Beach on Monday as part of the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival which runs from now until the 3rd June with a packed programme of activities on Rathlin Island and Ballycastle. Pic Steven McAuley/McAuley Multimedia (L-R) Alphie Mc Cormack aged 10 from Lisburn and Charli-Jo Phoenix aged 9 from Lisburn. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION Aaron Conolly aged 9 from Belfast. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION Tom Wade aged 18 months from Belfast. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION Aaron Conolly aged 9 from Belfast. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION (L-R) Micah Wylie aged 4 from Belfast and Lucy Boucher aged 5 from Antrim. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Sarah Dornan from Belfast, Margaret Mitchell from Belfast and Bobby and Sandra McKay from Holywood. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION (L-R) Tara Janssen, Matthew Curliss and Desmond King, all from Belfast. Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Crawfordsburn Beach - Weather Pictures - 28th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Pacemaker Press 28/05/2018 Enjoying the hot weather at Hazelbank Park in near Belfast on Bank holiday Monday, which is thought to be the warmest day of the year. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 28/05/2018 Enjoying the hot weather at Hazelbank Park in near Belfast on Bank holiday Monday, which is thought to be the warmest day of the year. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 28/05/2018 A sun hat for the hot weather at Belfast City Hall on Bank holiday Monday, which is thought to be the warmest day of the year. PIC Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 28/05/2018 Enjoying the hot weather at Hazelbank Park in near Belfast on Bank holiday Monday, which is thought to be the warmest day of the year. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 28/05/2018 Enjoying the hot weather at Hazelbank Park in near Belfast on Bank holiday Monday, which is thought to be the warmest day of the year. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 28/05/2018 Enjoying the hot weather at Hazelbank Park in near Belfast on Bank holiday Monday, which is thought to be the warmest day of the year. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Sunseekers enjoying a beautiful hot sunny day in the grounds of Botanic Gardens in Belfast. Photopress Belfast Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan People enjoying the weather at Botanic Gardens, Belfast Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan Marie Byrne aged 3 from Belfast Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Conor Gormley and Caolan Teague busking and enjoying the weather at Botanic Gardens, Belfast Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan No Photo Permission Obtained Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Clare Quinn from Cookstown Lorna Loughran from Newry and Kiera O'Neill from Lurgan enjoying the weather at Botanic Gardens, Belfast Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Katie Sugrue from Newtownbutler and Eimear Cassidy from Derry enjoying the weather at Botanic Gardens, Belfast Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan (L-R) Clare Quinn from Cookstown Lorna Loughran from Newry and Kiera O'Neill from Lurgan enjoying the weather at Botanic Gardens, Belfast Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 25th May 2018 Photograph by Declan Roughan People enjoying the weather at Botanic Gardens, Belfast Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Insanity Tan Miss Northern Ireland finalists Lucy Spratt (White top / Pink stripe bikini), Nicole Beggs (Blue and white top / White Bikini) and Saha Boyle (Yellow top / Pink Bikini) enjoying the sunny weather at Helen's Bay ahead of the grand final organised by ACA Models taking place on Monday 28th of May at the Europa Hotel (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott Carnew near Katesbridge. Credit: Glynis Herron. Tom Wallace (2) enjoying an ice cream in Botanic gardens during the warm weather. Pic by Peter Morrison Hundreds of people enjoy the warm weather at Botanic gardens. Pic by Peter Morrison Poodles play and paddle at Benone Strand in Co-Derry as temperatures soar to mid-twenties on Wednesday. Picture Margaret McLaughlin 23-5-18 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Niamh Smith and Emilee Warren from Hertfordshire enjoy the hot weather in Bangor, Co Down, yesterday Temperatures in Northern Ireland this summer have soared into the high twenties, with the warmest June in more than 150 years. While the public have enjoyed the hotter spell, it has created a spike in hospital admissions for people receiving treatment for sun burn, with it reported earlier this month more than 200 individuals had presented to hospital since the start of the heatwave. Bikers from across NI and beyond attended the bike show in Londonderry in previous years Bikers from across NI and beyond attended the bike show in Londonderry in previous years Bikers from across NI and beyond attended the bike show in Londonderry in previous years A high-profile bike show has been cancelled after some bikers said they would boycott it following claims that two of the event organisers were supporters of far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The Roaring Meg custom, classic bike, trike and scooter 10th anniversary show, part of the Gasyard Feile community festival in Londonderry, was due to take place on Saturday. In previous years thousands of visitors had flocked to the event, which saw hundreds of custom and classic bikes converge on the city's walls. Organisers have long used the show to raise money for local charities. But yesterday its organisers took to Facebook to say that 'due to matters out of their control' this year's event has been 'postponed'. The boycott came after Larne-based Roaring Meg event organiser Barbara Shaw lent her support to Robinson. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the English Defence League, a 'far-right street protest movement opposed to the spread of militant Islam', in 2009. In May of this year, he was jailed for contempt of court after live-streaming a report of a trial in Leeds. He was arrested following a judge ruled that media reports of proceedings should be postponed until the end of all related cases. Robinson's arrest sparked a mass protest outside Downing Street as supporters called for his release. Some members of the biking community were outraged after Mrs Shaw changed her Facebook profile picture to that of Robinson with the hashtag #FreeTommy as well as sharing other posts relating to him. Her husband Stephen - a fellow organiser of the Roaring Meg event - also shared a video from controversial Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting of a 'free speech rally' backing Robinson. Last night Mrs Shaw said that her support of Robinson was solely 'because of his journalistic work exposing paedophiles' and not because of his racist and right-wing views. "It's absolutely crazy," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "I shared that on my own personal Facebook page months ago. "I'm not in support of Tommy Robinson at all. The Government were stopping him from reporting on child sex trafficking rings. "That is what I'm against - the paedophile rings that the media are not allowed to report on, because I have a close relative who was sexually abused as a child." However, the posts were controversial, with some bikers saying they would boycott this weekend's event. But Mrs Shaw said the show should not have been brought into it. "It's nothing to do with the Roaring Meg," she added. "I mean I could support men dressed as fairies and share it and it would have nothing to do with the organising of the Roaring Meg at all." Mrs Shaw said that they would 'not be back in Derry' and that a special charity bikers 'ride-out' due to take place today in memory of tragic teenager Alexandra Johnston, who died of cancer in January, was also cancelled. On her support for Robinson, Mrs Shaw said: "They have totally got it wrong. "That wasn't the only post I shared. I've shared a lot of posts and you can clearly see the sentiment from what I'm sharing is that I'm against these paedophile rings. "I couldn't give a toss about Tommy Robinson - this goes deeper underneath it all." She added: "We're not Catholic, not Protestant, not anything, it's all about the bikes. "And what I have on my own private Facebook page is my own personal opinion." The Gasyard Feile was contacted by the Belfast Telegraph but was unavailable for comment on the matter at the time of going to print. Emergency crews tackle the wildfire near Tollymore Forest Park in Co Down Emergency crews tackle the wildfire near Tollymore Forest Park in Co Down Emergency crews tackle the wildfire near Tollymore Forest Park in Co Down A gorse blaze that ripped through 10 acres of land in Co Down was started deliberately, the Fire Service believes. The fire at Drinnahilly Mountain near Tollymore Forest Park, close to Newcastle, broke out on Wednesday. More than 60 firefighters are involved in the operation. An appeal has been made to people to stay away from the area for safety reasons. The outbreak was contained overnight, and a small number of crew remained at the scene yesterday morning. The Fire Service said: "Five appliances, the specialist rescue team and specialist wildfire officers are currently at the scene." Firefighters are working in co-operation with the Forest Service. Despite having the situation under control, there are concerns the fire could end up spreading. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said some roads were now inaccessible to the public. "All way-marked trails and forest roads past the Shimna River are closed to public access until further notice," it said. "The public should also be aware of additional emergency services and forestry vehicle traffic throughout Tollymore Forest Park." Thick smoke filled the air in the Drinnahilly area, with people saying they could "taste the ashes". Others described how the smoke had caused haze-like conditions in the area. DUP councillor Glyn Hanna said that there has been concern in the area recently because of anti-social behaviour. He added: "It was a substantial fire. "I know there's a lot of problems in the Mournes at the minute with young people just running about and they don't know what to be at. "The parents need to take their responsibilities with their children seriously. "I know it's the summertime, but they do need to know what their children are at. "At the end of the day, if their children are causing all sorts of problems, we all suffer for it." Rain is forecast in the area over the coming days, with heavy downpours expected in the latter stages of the weekend. It is the second blaze the Fire Service has had to deal with in the area in the last week. A Northern Ireland man who was part of a criminal gang who attempted to flood the UK streets with millions of smuggled cigarettes and launder the proceeds by buying and selling high-value cars has been jailed for five years. The rest of the members of the gang are from the North West of England. Sean Dolan, 43, from Annaghmare Road in Newry, Ian Pritchard, 51, of Church Green in Merseyside, Paul Smith, 47, from Rutherup Lane in Liverpool and Ian Hindle, 39, of Edge Lane in Merseyside were behind smuggling more than 17 million non-UK duty paid cigarettes and 1.4 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco into the UK from Southeast Asia from January 2014. The duty and VAT evaded totalled 4,308,832. The gang used a rented flat in Liverpool as their base to plan the 20-month smuggling scam, which was busted when HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers moved in to arrest the men in late 2015. Expand Close Cigarettes seized during HMRC operation. Credit: HMRC / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cigarettes seized during HMRC operation. Credit: HMRC Antony Capon, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: This gang was aiming to undercut legitimate retailers with this large quantity of smuggled cigarettes and tobacco. "They thought that by setting up a fake business and funneling cash through it they would somehow stay under HMRCs radar. They were wrong and it was foolish of them to believe they could get away with committing such a large-scale fraud. Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clampdown on the illicit tobacco market. This is theft from the taxpayer, denying public services much needed money. We urge anyone with information about this, or any other tax evasion to contact HMRC online or our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887. The seizure of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco took place at the Port of Felixstowe in September 2014, when two shipping containers were stopped by Border Force officials. The goods were described as furniture on paperwork to try and evade detection. Expand Close Cigarettes seized during HMRC operation. Credit: HMRC / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cigarettes seized during HMRC operation. Credit: HMRC During a later search of Dolans home, 949,600 American Legend brand cigarettes were also found hidden in the garage. The fraudsters tried to hide the dirty cash from the illegal tobacco sales by buying high-value vehicles and selling them on. They set up and fronted a UK-based business, and hijacked the identity of a legitimate business, in order to launder the proceeds and avoid paying VAT. The gang bought 102 vehicles totalling 1,138,029 more than 500,000 of which was paid in cash. The money was then deposited into the businesses. One in particular, headed up by Pritchard, received a further 308,000 in cash over a seven-month period in 2015. A carrier bag containing 41,000 in used notes was found under a mat in Hindles car on his arrest. The cash was seized and forfeited. Hindle, Pritchard and Smith were convicted after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Dolan admitted guilt. Expand Close Money seized during HMRC operation. Credit: HMRC / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Money seized during HMRC operation. Credit: HMRC The gang was sentenced to more than 25 years in total at the same court on Friday. They received the following: Ian Pritchard was sentenced to ten years in prison Ian Hindle was sentenced to five and-a-half years in prison Sean Dolan was sentenced to five years in prison Paul Smith was sentenced to five years in prison HMRC has now begun proceedings to reclaim the stolen tax. 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. A Belfast man with more than 130 motoring offences and who was banned from driving for a decade in 2012 had his licence restored yesterday after launching a successful court application. Kevin Cassidy, who was released from prison last October after serving a "substantive" sentence, was disqualified from driving for 10 years at Belfast Crown Court. He appeared before the same court yesterday where he told Judge Paul Ramsey that he had been offered employment on the grounds that he possessed a driving licence. The father-of-three, from New Farm Lane in the north of the city, was called to the witness box by his barrister Steven Keown. When Mr Cassidy was asked what he had been doing in the nine months since his release from prison, the 42-year-old said: "Actively seeking employment and looking after my family." Confirming that he completed a number of courses in prison - including victim awareness, drugs awareness and cognitive thinking - Mr Cassidy told the court he was currently living with his ill father. When Mr Keown asked how he coped with the "day-to-day requirements" of caring for this father, Mr Cassidy said he had to rely on taxis and buses in order to look after his father's daily needs. Addressing his client and citing his criminal record as "extensive", when Mr Keown asked: "Since your release from prison nine months ago, have you been in any trouble with the police?" Mr Cassidy replied: "No." He also replied no when asked if he has had any dealings with police since October of last year. When asked what steps he has taken to seek work, Mr Cassidy replied: "Basically anything, but a lot require you to have a driving licence, such as delivery jobs. There's a guy who's willing to give me a job if I have a licence." He also said that while he can't change his past, he was now doing all he could to change the course of his future. Mr Keown ended his application by telling the court that Mr Cassidy was eligible to seek restoration of his licence as over half the time period for the ban had now been served. However, a Crown barrister said while this was technically true as six years of the disqualification had lapsed, there had only been a nine-month period that Mr Cassidy "has the physical possibility of driving". The barrister said this was not a sufficient period of time to determine whether Mr Cassidy had adhered to the driving ban. Expressing police concerns due to his "extensive" offending, the Crown barrister said the 134-strong criminal record "speaks for itself". Judge Ramsey said he had read a statement from Mr Cassidy's potential employer and took into account both the offences that led to the ban and the fact he had not reoffended in the nine months since release. The judge said he was "on balance" granting the application to restore Mr Cassidy's licence to enable him to work. Sinn Fein has rejected a claim from the DUP's Gregory Campbell that the party is holding Northern Ireland back. It comes after Mr Campbell said that there are "exciting times" ahead for Northern Ireland and the north west with the invitation for Londonderry to bid for a City Deal. Read More The East Londonderry MP said progress was being made on a number of fronts but that Sinn Fein's "triple boycott" of the House of Commons, Assembly and the Executive was halting progress. Mr Campbell staked a claim the City Deal for Derry - something Chancellor Philip Hammond raised the prospect of during a visit to Northern Ireland earlier in the week - was part of the DUP's Confidence and Supply agreement with the Conservative Party. "With the Open coming next year, pioneering research at the University, the enterprise zone and visitor numbers soaring there are exciting days ahead," the DUP stalwart said. "Bringing the Chancellor of the Exchequer to Limavady was a great way for him to hear the stories first-hand and also see the potential. He was able to see why we were insistent that City Deals be part of the Conservative-DUP Confidence and Supply Agreement. "It is shameful that with so much potential, the one millstone dragging people back, is the lack of Ministers to make decisions. Everywhere the Chancellor travelled he was met with the same message, we need decisions made. " Mr Campbell said that Ministers needed to be in place to allow decisions to be made for the benefit of Northern Ireland. "Whilst Sinn Fein doesnt want anything resembling direct rule, they are running out of options. They are out of step with public opinion. People are losing patience. They should enter an Executive on Monday morning with nothing but their mandate. Every other main party is prepared to do that," the East Londonderry MP said. "From public sector pay to institutional abuse victims. From the Bengoa reforms in hospitals to infrastructure spending in our schools. Every part of our community is hurting because they are waiting on Ministerial decisions. It cannot continue and the Government need to receive that message loud and clear." Expand Close Phillip Hammond meets apprentices in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Phillip Hammond meets apprentices in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA) A Sinn Fein spokesperson said that the DUP should concern themselves with matters within their own party. This is distraction politics from Gregory Campbell who would rather talk about anything other than the scandal over Ian Paisleys links to the Sri Lankan government," the spokesperson said. The DUP have plenty to say about other parties and bus stops but are strangely tight-lipped on that issue. If the DUP were genuinely interested in restoring the power-sharing institutions then they wouldnt be continuing to deny citizens their rights and they wouldnt have walked away from the draft Agreement in February and collapsed the political talks." The SDLP's proposal that an anti-Brexit candidate stand against Ian Paisley in a by-election is one of the most foolish ideas that could be put on the table. If the party is serious about unseating the DUP MP, this is totally the wrong way to go about it. North Antrim is not a pro-Remain constituency. It voted to leave the EU by a significant majority - 65%. More importantly, as TUV leader Jim Allister noted, any anti-Brexit unity candidate plays right into the hands of the sitting MP. "It's probably the best news Ian Paisley has heard in what must be a very dark week for him," Mr Allister said. "He would love to turn this election (if there is one) away from what it's about, namely sleaze, to Brexit in a constituency that's overwhelmingly in favour of Brexit. "It's a gift to Ian Paisley if this election is diverted from sleaze to Brexit." A unity pro-Remain candidate would rally the unionist troops behind the DUP man in much the same way a unity anti-Sinn Fein candidate would have done in May's West Tyrone by-election. Mr Paisley has a massive majority. He was returned with a whopping 59% of the poll in the last Westminster election. His 28,500 votes gave him a majority of more than 20,000 over the Sinn Fein runner-up. Loyalty to the Paisley brand runs deep in North Antrim. Still, he surely has been damaged by his failure to declare two luxury holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government. The big question is, by how much? Amnesty International has said the focus shouldn't be on Mr Paisley's failure to fill in the paperwork about his holidays. It's what he was doing hob-nobbing with the Sri Lankan regime in the first place, and why he was attempting to have the British government oppose a UN investigation into the horrific war crimes committed on the island. In reality, such global concerns are unlikely to fire up North Antrim voters. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Paisley family at home in 1988. From left to right Ian Junior, Cherith, Rhonda, Kyle. Pic Pacemaker Ian Paisley hurdles a fence during canvassing for 2010 election. Pic Charles McQuillan Pacemaker Ian Paisley with Donald Trump. The North Antrim MP has supported the US president. Ian Paisley and Ian jnr eating buns in the campaign trail in March 1982. Ian Paisley at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena after retaining his seat in the 2015 general election Kevin Scott / Presseye Ian Paisley junior left pictured with his father during the Drumcree stand off in 1996. PACEMAKER BELFAST 15/04/98 Ian Paisley MP at a Remembrance Day commemoration in Kenya Pacemaker Belfast - Archive Ian Paisley Jnr with "Justice for the UDR Four " at his Ravenhill office. 19-12-90 1053-90-BWC Ian with Arlene Foster after she was made DUP party leader 9 / 6 / 17 PACEMAKER PRESS Ian Paisley Jr celebrates with his son Matthew and wife Fiona after winning his seat for North Antrim in the UK Parliamentary Elections. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS Ian Paisley Jnr, whose father founded the DUP in 1971, says, 'everybody hates us but we've got the cash' [Photo: Marc McKormick, www.independent.co.uk] Ian Paisley with his late father. Credit: Stephen Davidson/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST. Ian Paisley and Ian Junior in Studio. 16/8/94. 704/94/bwc PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 14/1/2011: Ian Paisley Junior pictured at the Adelaide Racer awards at the Ramada hotel PICTURE BY CHARLES MCQUILLAN Paisley with Miss North West 200 Jillian Frew 3/5/2010. PACEMAKER BELFAST. IAN PAISLEY JR POSES FOR THE OFFICIAL ELECTION ARTIST, SIMON ROBERTS WHILST CANVESSING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OUTSIDE BALLYMENA THIS AFTERNOON. PICTURE CHARLES MCQUILLAN/PACEMAKER. Pacemaker Press Belfast 22-03-2013: Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Jr, MP is the Member of Parliament for North Antrim and member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the Democratic Unionist Party and an author. He is the son of the DUP's founder and former leader, Ian Paisley. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Ian Paisley Jr met Amari Wijewardene, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, in Parliament to discuss a post-Brexit trade deal PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 11/7/2018: North Antrim MP, Ian Paisley at motorcycle racer William Dunlop's funeral at Garryduff Presbyterian church outside Ballymoney. Dunlop was killed in a crash during practice for the Skerries 100. PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON PACEMAKER BELFAST 20/04/2017 Ian Paisley speaks to the Irish Times at Stormont Hotel in Belfast, about his father. Photo Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Press Ian discusses the legacy of his father Photo Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker Press Ian Paisley Getty Images Pacemaker Belfast 18-06-2007: Junior Minister Ian Paisley Junior pictured at photocall at Stormont where ministers were encouraging people to cycle to work. PACEMAKER BELFAST. Copy pics from the book about the early years of the life of Ian Paisley. 13/8/86. 1197/86/bw PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 8/5/2015:DUP's Ian Paisley celebrates his victory in the North Antrim constituency count in Ballymena . PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON A picture posted by Ian Paisley (right) of Arron Banks (second left), Sammy Wilson (second right) and Leave.EU campaigner Andy Wigmore Pacemaker press 21/4/15 The Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian paisley Junior launches election manifesto at Wrightbus in Co Antrim. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Paisley with Melania Trump Ian Paisley Junior PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 8/5/2015:DUP's Ian Paisley celebrates his victory in the North Antrim constituency count in Ballymena . PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON DUP's Ian Paisley celebrates victory in the North Antrim constituency count in Ballymena in the May 2015 General Election. Picture Stephen Davison Pacemaker 8/5/2015. PACEMAKER BELFAST. Ian Paisley and Ian Jnr. PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 8/5/2015: DUP's Ian Paisley celebrates his victory in the North Antrim constituency count in Ballymena by singing the National Anthem. PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 8/5/2015: Ian Paisley arrives at the North Antrim constituency count in Ballymena with his wife, Fiona. PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON 9 / 6 / 17 PACEMAKER PRESS Ian Paisley Jr celebrates winning his seat for North Antrim in the UK Parlimentary Elections. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS 3/5/2010. PACEMAKER BELFAST. IAN PAISLEY JR AND IAN PAISLEY SR IN HARRYVILLE, BALLYMENA. PICTURE CHARLES MCQUILLAN/PACEMAKER. Pacemaker Press 8/5/2017 DUP's Ian Paisley Jnr during the Launch of the DUP's General election campaign launch at the Castlereigh Hills Golf in East Belfast on Monday, ahead of the election on the 8th of June. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker PACEMAKER, BELFAST, 8/5/2015:DUP's Ian Paisley celebrates his victory in the North Antrim constituency count in Ballymena . PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON Pacemaker Press: 22th December 2017: Ian Paisley Jr pictured with his new and old Passport Picture By: Arthur Allison. Ian Paisley Pacemaker Press Belfast 31-03-2014: Launch of North-West 200 road races at Titanic Belfast . Pictured at the launch Ian Paisley, Jr. and Arlene Foster, MLA Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. PICTURE BY: STEPHEN DAVISON Pacemaker Press Belfast 31-03-2014: Launch of North-West 200 road races at Titanic Belfast .Pictured at the launch Ian Paisley, Jr. and Arlene Foster, MLA Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. PICTURE BY: STEPHEN DAVISON 9 / 6 / 17 PACEMAKER PRESS Ian Paisley Jr celebrates winning his seat for North Antrim in the UK Parlimentary Elections. PICTURE MATT BOHILL PACEMAKER PRESS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Paisley family at home in 1988. From left to right Ian Junior, Cherith, Rhonda, Kyle. Pic Pacemaker But some will be angered that their MP is on holidays valued at up to 100,000 while they struggle to make ends meet. One former Protestant worker at the JTI Gallaher tobacco factory remarked that just one of Mr Paisley's holidays was worth more than his entire redundancy payment. Such voters will either switch to another unionist candidate or stay at home. Mr Allister seems a cert to run in any by-election. It would be an opportunity for him to take on the DUP MP at his weakest. The odds overwhelmingly still favour Mr Paisley. The TUV's best result in recent years is securing 18% vote with the DUP's worst 41% . So, even allowing for some drift from the outgoing MP, Mr Allister would still have a mountain to climb. Yet it would be a fascinating contest and one the TUV leader would undoubtedly relish. Expect Mr Paisley to do his utmost to re-invent himself over the summer and put the Sri Lankan holidays scandal behind him. But if anything further emerges about him in the media, we will be in uncharted territory. A teenager has been remanded in custody accused of being behind the wheel of a car involved in two collisions amid a police pursuit in Belfast. Tom Mongan was arrested after a female pedestrian was hit by the vehicle on Thursday afternoon. The 18-year-old, of White Rise in the Dunmurry area, appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with 11 motoring offences. Police said they began their pursuit of the car at Clifton Street, before it struck the woman and made off. The vehicle then allegedly collided with another car on the Newtownards Road. Both the pedestrian and a woman who was driving the second vehicle received hospital treatment, but are not believed to have any life-threatening injuries. With the Police Ombudsman informed about the incident, Mongan was one of two men subsequently arrested. He faces three counts of dangerous driving - at Clifton Street, on the Westlink and along the Newtownards Road - as well as failing to stop for police. Further charges include failing to stop, report or remain at the scene of an accident where injury was caused to someone else. He is also accused of driving while disqualified and driving a Volkswagen Passat without insurance. Dressed in a grey tracksuit, Mongan spoke only to confirm he understood the allegations against him. A detective constable said he could connect the accused to the charges. No application for bail was made during the brief hearing. Instead, District Judge Fiona Bagnall remanded Mongan in custody to appear again by video-link in two weeks time. As the defendant was being led back to the cells some female relatives left the court in tears. Meanwhile, a 32-year-old man charged with permitting use of a car without insurance and failing to give information regarding a driver is due to appear at the same court next month. The organisation responsible for collecting the TV licence has said it had "no involvement" in the decision to jail a chronically-ill west Belfast grandmother. The organisation responsible for collecting the TV licence has said it had "no involvement" in the decision to jail a chronically-ill west Belfast grandmother. On Thursday it was reported Annie Smith (59), from Poleglass, who has serious mobility issues and is waiting on a double-hip replacement, was ordered to present herself to police by 5pm on Wednesday to begin a six-day jail sentence. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to pay a court fine of just over 1,100 - issued as the result of the non-payment of her TV licence. The Irish News reported Mrs Smith had engaged a solicitor and contacted the court to try and pay the fine but was unable to settle it as the bench warrant had already been issued. In a statement, a spokesperson for TV Licensing - which collects the licence fee - said prosecutions were only pursued as a "last resort when all other options are exhausted" and the maximum fine for an unpaid television licence was 1,000, along with associated court costs and a victim surcharge. "Newspaper reports say Mrs Smith has been sentenced to prison for non-payment of court fines for TV Licence evasion. The sentence is a matter for the courts and TV Licensing has no involvement in this decision," the spokesperson said. "The majority of first time offenders are not prosecuted if they buy a licence within a specified time. There are many ways to pay, including weekly cash payments and we are currently trialling the Simple Payment Plan which offers even more help to those who might struggle to pay. "We work with nearly 500 organisations across the UK, including many in Northern Ireland, to offer advice and support. SDLP councillor Tim Attwood said it was an "appalling misuse of tax payers' money" to jail individuals in financial difficulty for failing to pay their TV licence. "This case is another clear indication that the TV licensing scheme requires a root and branch review," he said. "Given the host of welfare changes that have been introduced lately- plunging many individuals and families into debt- it is absolutely appalling that people are facing prosecutions of this weight for something so trivial." Two men were arrested following the collision. Two men have been arrested after police discovered a quantity of drugs following a road traffic collision in Carrickfergus. A 39-year-old and 22-year-old were arrested on suspicion of motoring and drug offences in the early hours of Friday Morning. Detective Sergeant Wallace Reducing Offender Unit said: At approximately 1.15am police were called to the scene of an RTC on the Larne Road in Carrickfergus. "On arrival at the scene it was discovered that some of those involved were possession of a quantity of drugs which were seized. Police subsequently arrested two men who are currently assisting with enquiries. "Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 69 27/07/2018. Or, if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111. Martin and Gerard Harte, who were shot dead by the SAS in 1988 A woman who lost two close relatives during the Troubles has criticised a commemoration event scheduled to take place tonight in Co Tyrone in honour of three IRA men killed 30 years ago. Shelley Gilfillan said yesterday that the dinner dance - which is to be attended by 300 people and boasts Gerry Adams as its guest of honour - was akin to "dancing on victims' graves". Former Sinn Fein president Mr Adams will deliver an address at the event, which is being held in Loughmacrory on the outskirts of Omagh in memory of brothers Gerard and Martin Harte and Brian Mullin. The three were shot dead by the SAS near Drumnakilly, Co Tyrone, on August 30, 1988. The incident took place 10 days after the IRA carried out the Ballygawley bus massacre, which claimed the lives of eight soldiers. It is understood that tonight's republican event will be the first in a series taking place in the run-up to the actual date of the anniversary of the three men's deaths. Ms Gilfillan's uncle Hugh 'Lexie' Cummings, a part-time UDR member, was murdered by the IRA in 1982. Eleven years earlier her brother Kenneth was also shot by the Provos. She said the dinner dance was "rubbing salt in the wounds" for families like hers. "It just beggars belief. The victims left behind are living out the sentence day in, day out," she said. "Our relatives aren't there anymore and the murderers are left walking the street." Her criticism comes just days after Sinn Fein was condemned by relatives of IRA victims for planning a major hunger strike parade in Castlewellan on August 4. The party defended its right to mark the anniversary of the deaths of 10 republican hunger strikers in 1981. Last night a spokesperson for Mr Adams said: "There are many different narratives arising out of the years of conflict. "Sinn Fein accepts and respects the right of others to tell their story and remember their loved ones. Republicans have the same right. "The Good Friday Agreement in addressing this issue said that 'it is recognised that victims have a right to remember as well as to contribute to a changed society'." However, Ms Gilfillan said Mr Adams's role in the affair was "laughable" given the TD had recently hit out at dissident republicans who threw explosive devices at his west Belfast home in an attack that also saw the house of his party colleague Bobby Storey targeted. She said: "Afterwards he came out and said that he wanted to ask whoever threw the bombs why they did it. "A lot of victims' families out there would've liked to have asked Gerry the same question, but can't. "It seems to be one rule for them and one rule for others. He's been asked to speak to many relatives of victims and he's refused. "It's hypocritical and the saying 'pot calling the kettle black' comes to mind." The Co Tyrone woman, who participated in a counter-protest against a republican parade honouring local IRA men held in Castlederg in August 2013, also branded Sinn Fein's equality agenda a "sham". "They're trying their best to rewrite history to their own tune," she claimed. "There's a terrible lot of people grieving, children without parents, their mother or father ripped from them. Innocent people. "Those (IRA) men were out with their faces covered, creeping out at night, attempting to take lives of men and women trying to do an honest day's work. "So many victims' families are being forgotten and these boys are being made into heroes. I don't think they should be allowed to hold parades or dinner dances for them." Her words were echoed by Kenny Donaldson, director at victims' group South East Fermanagh Foundation, who said Sinn Fein had once again shown scant regard for relatives of republican terrorism by participating in another high-profile commemoration event. "The reality is that those killed in the SAS ambush at Drumnakilly were on their way to carry out further murder when they were halted in their tracks," he said. "It is clear that these individuals were systemic terrorists who carried out many operations on behalf of the Provisional IRA. "Where is Sinn Fein's concern for the innocents whose lives were stolen as a result of the actions of these men? "'Remembering our patriot dead' is an often-used phrase by members of the republican movement, but where is the patriotism in murder?" Michel Barnier also made clear that Brussels still has reservations about Mrs Mays proposed backstop arrangement for the Irish border (Niall Carson/PA) The EUs chief Brexit negotiator has blown a hole in Theresa Mays Chequers plan by flatly rejecting a key element of her proposals for future relations following UK withdrawal. Central to the Prime Ministers plan, set out in a white paper a fortnight ago, is a facilitated customs arrangement under which tariffs charged at the border would be passed on to either the British or EU authorities depending on the destination of imported goods. Appearing alongside new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab following their second round of talks in Brussels, Michel Barnier left no doubt that this was not acceptable to the EU. The EU cannot and the EU will not delegate the application of its customs policy and rules and VAT and excises duty collection to a non-member who would not be subject to the EUs governance structures, he said. Any customs arrangement or union must respect this principle. Anti-Brexit campaigners seized on the comments as proof Mrs Mays exit strategy is dead and described the press conference as a drive-by. Mr Raab signalled that he is looking for compromise from Brussels in response to Mrs Mays white paper, noting that the EU was able to take an innovative approach when the political will has been there. He added: With ambition and pragmatism and energy on all sides, we can get there in October. And he appeared to be making an attempt to separate the thorny issue of the Irish border from the rest of the Withdrawal Agreement which is due to be settled by October, repeatedly referring to a protocol on Northern Ireland. "We are clear that our proposals respect the core principles of the EU. And we have considered the innovative approaches the EU has taken in the past with other third countries - when the political will has been present." - Secretary of State @DominicRaab pic.twitter.com/n7dj4L2yyH Department for Exiting the EU (@DExEUgov) July 26, 2018 The EU negotiator bluntly rebuffed Mr Raabs suggestion that the UK might tear up its promise to pay a 39 billion divorce bill unless it got a good deal on future trade. Mr Barnier told him that, while the commitment to a financial settlement made by Mrs May in December was not yet in its final legal form, the 27 remaining EU members and European Parliament regard it as agreed for good. He also made clear that Brussels still has reservations about Mrs Mays proposed backstop arrangement for the Irish border, which would see the whole UK matching EU trade tariffs for a period if a trade deal is not reached by 2021. We have no objection in principle to this but we have doubts that it can be done without putting at risk the integrity of our customs union or commercial policy or regulatory policy, said Mr Barnier. The Chequers agreement has been studied carefully and there are some areas of common ground, he said. There are other points on which we have a problem because they contradict, they clash with, the European Council guidelines, Mr Barnier added. They contradict my clear negotiating guidelines. Indivisibility of the four freedoms, the integrity of the single market, these are key points. This is our main asset. We are not going to negotiate on that. The United Kingdom has known that from the outset. Constructive and frank discussions today with @DominicRaab and the #UK team. Work continues over the coming weeks to reach a #Brexit deal. Next meeting will be in mid-August: https://t.co/DEtmslMjJk pic.twitter.com/b4HiZ7zNKv Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) July 26, 2018 Labour former Cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw, a supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign for a fresh referendum, said: The white paper is dead. It has expired. It has ceased to be. It has gone to join the choir invisible. Once again the chaos and confusion at the heart of Brexit is exposed. Mrs Mays scheme could not command a majority in the Commons two weeks ago when she allowed the Brextremists to mutilate it. Now we know that hardly mattered because it was not acceptable to the EU in any case. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokeswoman Christine Jardine said: This leaves the Prime Ministers deal struggling to survive. Time is running out and still, despite another press conference, the Tories have no long-term solution to the Northern Ireland border issue. It is therefore no surprise that momentum is shifting towards giving the people the final say on the deal, and an opportunity to exit from Brexit. Labour MP Virendra Sharma, who supports the anti-Brexit Best for Britain group, said: This is the press conference equivalent of a drive-by. Barnier has savagely slapped down the Governments already broken Brexit plan. Theresa May will have been watching the press conference through her fingers. Its incredibly embarrassing having to be told, once again, that the key element of your proposal is unworkable. Restoring powersharing in Northern Ireland is crucial to preventing a drastic worsening of Anglo-Irish relations post-Brexit, former Stormont first minister Peter Robinson has warned. In a stark message to the current generation of politicians in the region, Mr Robinson stressed the need to put their differences aside, claiming it was intolerable some of them appeared to have turned their backs on the electorate. In a speech in Co Donegal, the ex-Democratic Unionist leader said there was the potential for a marked deterioration in the relationship between the UK and Irish governments once the kinship fostered by their respective membership of the European Union was gone. Mr Robinson said already fraying relations between politicians north and south of the border in Ireland would also worsen once Brexit occurs and cautioned that communities within Northern Ireland had become more polarised due to the hysteria whipped up over the UKs exit from the EU. Expand Close Organiser of the MacGill Summer School in Co Donegal, Dr Joe Mulholland, left, and Peter Robinson (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Organiser of the MacGill Summer School in Co Donegal, Dr Joe Mulholland, left, and Peter Robinson (PA) Addressing the MacGill summer school in Glenties, he said tensions had been exacerbated by the collapse of Stormont, highlighting that the implosion of powersharing had also put associated north-south and east-west political structures bodies into cold storage. Central to protecting the helpful and cordial set of relationships, that have been built up over many years, is the rebirth and smooth operation of the Northern Ireland Assembly, its Executive, along with the North-South and East-West institutions, he said. Without each and all of those parts being in place, and working, relationships will suffer perhaps drastically. The absence of the complete network of connections leaves us all vulnerable to a downward spiral which may lead to toxicity. On the risks to Anglo-Irish relations, Mr Robinson said the EU had provided a common room where the UK and Irish Republic had kept in regular contact, fostering a sense of friendship and conviviality. The former East Belfast MP said there was comradeship of being part of the same team, adding: Distance and detachment will inevitably cool the kinship. It is easy to imagine circumstances, in the future, where the Republic takes up cudgels alongside the other EU states which are hostile to the United Kingdoms interestsPeter Robinson There is no question that the two governments will continue to claim everlasting friendship and affection complete with copious commitments to maintaining their unique bond, but any lucid thinker will realise that the more remote the new relationship becomes the more it will involve a greater level of competition which will cause the gap to grow. He said a shared outlook on certain issues would give way to more competition and greater protection of separate national interests and warned that such rivalry would undoubtedly lead to clashes and struggles in the future. It is easy to imagine circumstances, in the future, where the Republic takes up cudgels alongside the other EU states which are hostile to the United Kingdoms interests, he said. It is just as easy to envisage the impact that the resultant resentment will have on the ties between the two nations, particularly if a pattern of opposition develops. Mr Robinson said the network of arrangements and structures linked to the devolution settlement such as the North South Ministerial Council and the British Irish Council were finely balanced. The arrangements have allowed unionists and nationalists to participate fully within a framework of relationships and do so in a relaxed manner with mutually beneficial outcomes, he said. It worked, and moreover, no-one felt threatened by it. Mr Robinson said unionist relations with the Dublin government had undoubted worsened throughout the disruptive, distracting and wearisome Brexit process. Unionists believe Dublin has been completely self-serving and unnecessarily bellicose during this process, he said. I believe the absence of a working North-South institution has exacerbated the situation. If, at the end of the negotiations, there is the potential of UK and RoI relationships cooling and a worsening in unionist relationships with Dublin the spill-over consequences on relationships within Northern Ireland are clear and alarming. He added: Unquestionably the parties and traditions in Northern Ireland have become more polarised as a result of the Brexit hysteria much of it was avoidable but an absence of the political cohesion that a functioning Executive has provided in the past has intensified the division. Mr Robinson did not single out any of the present day leaders in Northern Ireland as he expressed frustration at the failure to find a way forward. It is intolerable that there are politicians who appear to have turned their backs on the will and needs of the community they are elected to serve, he said. It does not matter which section of the community I talk to, the views are identical. The message is clear: the public believe that the consequences of not having a functioning Assembly the impact on our health service and education system, the infrastructure projects that need to be started, the needs of those who have suffered institutional abuse and await action, those who need ministers to be searching for jobs and investment to get the country buzzing again and the countless other priorities are far more urgent and of greater importance than any of the given reasons for refusing to operate the Assembly. Mr Robinson suggested that if the differences dividing the DUP and Sinn Fein could not be overcome prior to restoring Stormont, they should be resolved in a parallel process, with devolution returning in the interim. There is no more important task for Assembly Members to perform than working to restore the institutions, he said. I contend that the revival of the Assembly and Executive is an imperative in a post-Brexit era. It represents our best hope of peace, stability and reconciliation. Sinn Fein is to unveil its presidential election candidate in September six weeks before Ireland makes it choice. The chairman of the partys presidential election committee, David Cullinane, outlined the selection process on Friday. Nominations will open on August 20 and close on September 10 while the partys Ard Chomhairle will meet on September 16 to select the candidate for the presidential election. The Sinn Fein candidate will challenge current President Michael D Higgins after he announced his intention to seek a second term in office earlier this month. We want this to be a contest. We want this to be about the future of Ireland and a discussion about what type of society, what type of country we wantSinn Fein's David Cullinane There may be a number of other candidates in the running, however no one has officially put their name forward. Under the Sinn Fein selection, the cuige regional group can nominate two candidates which must be backed by the six cumann. Sinn Fein is in this campaign to win, the TD said. We want this to be a contest. We want this to be about the future of Ireland and a discussion about what type of society, what type of country we want. We want this to be a national election, its a pity people in the north dont have a vote but we will mobilise people from all over Ireland, all 32 counties, to get behind our candidate. Mr Cullinane said the Sinn Fein candidate will embody the changes that were seen in the same-sex marriage and abortion referendum. A lot of women came out in big numbers in the last (abortion) campaign, he added. There are still massive issues in relation to gender pay and the patriarchal society women still live under. Women and men are demanding more social change and we want to see that. We want a candidate who can embody that, can reach out and speak to those people. He denied that unveiling the candidate just six weeks before the election was an attempt to avoid full scrutiny. There will be plenty of time to put any and every question to that prospective candidate, we are not in the business of hiding, he said. We want this to be a very high-profile campaign, we will mobilise our party membership and all of our representatives. A six-week campaign is a long enough campaign, we are confident those six weeks will be plenty of time for our candidate to make a difference, for the people to get to know the candidate and take part in any hustings and debates. While Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour have all backed the current president, a number of others have expressed an interest in running for the presidency. Senator Gerard Craughwell indicated his interest saying it was important that an election would take place, however he withdrew from the campaign earlier this week. Another possible candidate was former GAA president Liam ONeill, however he also ruled himself out saying he did not have the logistical group to support a campaign. Independent senators Padraig O Ceidigh and Joan Freeman have also expressed an interest in contesting the election. Alex Salmond is no longer being proposed as a new chair for Johnston Press (Chris Radburn/PA) Alex Salmond has been dropped from plans for a takeover of the newspaper group which publishes the Scotsman and the i, it has emerged. Norwegian investor Christen Ager-Hanssen had previously said he planned to make the former Scottish first minister the chairman of the board at Johnston Press. But now he said he wanted someone wth more knowledge and understanding about the technology element of the media, rather than a public figurehead. It comes after the newspaper publishing firm confirmed it received a letter from Mr Ager-Hanssens Custos Group in Friday. The Custos Group, which owns more than 20% of Johnston Press, said there was speculation the company was going to be put into administration. Mr Ager-Hanssen explained on Twitter it was the change in circumstances and the skill set now needed to save the ailing Johnson Press that made me change my mind about Mr Salmonds involved in his planned takeover. The BBC journalists @BBCDouglasF tweet is taken out of context to what I actually said about @AlexSalmond. Fact is that it is the change in circumstances and the skill set now needed to save the ailing Johnson Press that made me change my mind. See attached my full quote: pic.twitter.com/d72iX6ptaC Christen Ager-Hanssen (@agerhanssen) July 27, 2018 He stated: Now we are going into restructuring, wed like to have a board with more knowledge and understanding about the technology element of the media rather than a public figurehead. He added the former SNP leader, who lost his seat at Westminster in the 2017 snap general election, is a great guy, stating: I see Alex as a friend and I have a lot of respect for him. Johnston Press, which also publishes the Yorkshire Post, is currently looking at ways to refinance 220 million of debt that becomes repayable in June next year. The firm recently signalled a fresh round of cost-cutting, saying a challenging market has put pressure on revenues, which dropped nearly 10% over 2017. Earlier in July the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom ruled Mr Salmonds chat show on the Kremlin backed RT TV channel had breached rules by presenting messages as having come from viewers when they had been written by members of production staff. Speaking about The Alex Salmond Show, an Ofcom spokesman said: We found this programme broke our rules by misleading its audience. Police Scotland said five people died in the crash (Andrew Milligan/PA) Five people have been killed and five more are being treated in hospital after a crash between a minibus and a car in the north east of Scotland. The accident happened on the A96 between Huntly and Keith, in Moray, shortly before midnight on Thursday. One of the five people injured is said to have life-threatening injuries. Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said the A96 was one of Scotlands busiest roads and the loss of life was difficult to take in. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident at this very sad time. We would urge anyone who was in the area last night leading up to the incident at 11.50pm to please get in touch as our enquiries at the scene continue. Please quote ref. no. 5002 of July 26 https://t.co/FsVAwOMp7Z North East Police (@NorthEPolice) July 27, 2018 He said: This is a truly horrific accident that has shocked the community given that so many people use the A96 day-in-day-out. The fact that there are so many casualties has been difficult for people to take in and with such a loss of life everyones thoughts are with those affected and their loved ones and friends at this difficult time. I pay tribute to the emergency services who dealt with what was a major road traffic accident. The A96 is the key route through Moray and anyone heading north from Aberdeen is likely to use this route. Its one of Scotlands busiest roads and a horrific accident of this nature with so many lives lost and people injured is difficult to take in. Terrible news this morning. Five people were killed on the A96 last night and another five injured. Our thoughts are with all affected at this time. https://t.co/bC2QynT0H1 Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) July 27, 2018 Moray MP Douglas Ross tweeted: Terrible news this morning. Five people were killed on the A96 last night and another five injured. Our thoughts are with all affected at this time. A section of the A96 remains closed with local diversions in place. Expand Close Police at the scene on the A96 between Huntly and Keith in Moray PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police at the scene on the A96 between Huntly and Keith in Moray Police Scotland road policing sergeant Peter Henderson said: Motorists are thanked for their patience at this time and we would urge anyone who was in the area last night leading up to the incident at around 11.50pm to please get in touch as our inquiries at the scene continue. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident at this very sad time. A web designer responsible for killing his date who died in a speedboat crash on the River Thames is facing jail. Jack Shepherd, 30, had been trying to impress 24-year-old Charlotte Brown after meeting her on dating website OkCupid, the Old Bailey heard. But their champagne-fuelled first date ended in tragedy when his boat capsized on the River Thames in central London and she was thrown into the cold water in December 2015. Expand Close Jack Shepherd has been found guilty of Charlotte Browns manslaughter by gross negligence (Metropolitan Police/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jack Shepherd has been found guilty of Charlotte Browns manslaughter by gross negligence (Metropolitan Police/PA) Shepherd, originally from Exeter, was convicted in his absence of the manslaughter of Ms Brown by gross negligence. But her family have pleaded with him to attend court to face sentence on Friday. Ms Browns sister Katie Brown said in a statement on behalf of the family: The immense pain and anguish we feel will never pass and our grief will last a lifetime. Expand Close Charlotte Browns sister Katie and mother Roz Wicken arrive at the Old Bailey (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlotte Browns sister Katie and mother Roz Wicken arrive at the Old Bailey (Yui Mok/PA) She added: We now appeal to Jack Shepherd wherever he is in the world to return and assume the responsibility of his guilt and the devastation he caused by his actions that fateful night we appeal to Jack Shepherds family and friends to appeal to him and urge him to face the consequences of his actions. The court had heard how Shepherd had bought the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO from Gumtree to pull women. Expand Close The speedboat owned by Jack Shepherd (Metropolitan Police/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The speedboat owned by Jack Shepherd (Metropolitan Police/PA) In the months before Ms Browns death, Shepherd had entertained up to 10 women on the 1980s model, having invited them back to his houseboat in Hammersmith. During that time, he had been caught speeding by marine police more than once and advised on the importance of wearing life jackets. Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip visit Desenzano del Garda on a previous visit to Italy (Antonio Calanni/PA) As Theresa May completes the latest round of Brexit negotiations ahead of her summer holidays in Europe, her Conservative colleagues were also packing their bags for a getaway. A Brexit trend emerged, with Remainers seeming content to stay in Europe whereas Brexiteers headed towards the US or stayed within the UK. ERG chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg will be going to the US, as will fellow Brexiteer and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, after a trip to Japan. Expand Close PA Graphics Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PA Graphics Environment Secretary and Vote Leave leader Michael Gove will be spending some of his summer holidays in Scotland. Meanwhile, Remainer Anna Soubry will be holidaying in Europe next month, her office confirmed. Ever the one to buck the trend, former Brexit secretary David Davis, who quit the Cabinet over Mrs Mays Chequers deal, will be holidaying in Europe. I always stay with my in-laws in Hungary, he said. Expand Close Michael Gove will be heading north to Scotland (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Gove will be heading north to Scotland (Andrew Milligan/PA) Mr Davis holiday destination neighbours the Prime Ministers current location of Austria, where she has held Brexit negotiations ahead of her holiday in nearby Italy. Mrs May will attend a music festival in Salzburg as a guest of the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. As well as enjoying the musical performances on offer, which include Mozarts The Magic Flute, Mrs May will hold rounds of talks with Mr Kurz and Czech prime minister Andrej Babis. Expand Close The Magic Flute will be one treat for Theresa May in Salzburg (Dave Thompson/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Magic Flute will be one treat for Theresa May in Salzburg (Dave Thompson/PA) It is part of several meetings across Europe which the PM and her ministers are carrying out to win over support for the Chequers Brexit blueprint, although the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has rejected the customs proposals that form a key plank of the plan. After a turbulent political year that has seen Mrs May lose a wave of ministers for personal misdemeanours and political opposition to her EU exit strategy, the PM will be hoping for a restful time as she heads off for the summer. Expand Close The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest. Ex-Brexit secretary David Davis will be in Hungary for his holidays (Adam Davy/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest. Ex-Brexit secretary David Davis will be in Hungary for his holidays (Adam Davy/PA) The premier and her husband Philip will spend around a week in Italy before she returns to work in her constituency and Downing Street. Mrs May is also due to attend a First World War memorial event to mark the battle of Amiens, which began on August 8 1918 and helped to secure victory. She will then jet off for two weeks in Switzerland. Expand Close Some Brexiteers will take a break in the US (Martin Keene/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Some Brexiteers will take a break in the US (Martin Keene/PA) The holiday plans are a repeat of last years getaway for the couple. Although the PM remains in charge, a number of Cabinet ministers are expected to deputise for her while she is away. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is not expected to reveal his holiday plans. The Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trumps presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously admitted to, documents have revealed. Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents reviewed by the Associated Press paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected lawyer who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior interior ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. The data was obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovskys London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Centre, which is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption. Expand Close Bill Browder has become a leading critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bill Browder has become a leading critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP) Ms Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Donald Trumps eldest son, Donald Jr, met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government and was offering Moscows help in defeating rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Ms Veselnitskaya denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met the Trump team, telling US congress that she operates independently of any government bodies. However, the Dossier Centres documents suggest her ties to Russian authorities are close and they pull the curtain back on her campaign to overturn the sanctions imposed by the US on Russian officials. The emails show that Ms Veselnitskaya was mixed up in the Russian governments attempt to extract financial information from the former law firm of Bill Browder, the American-born British businessman who was a long-time critic of the Kremlin. Expand Close Ms Veselnitskaya is said to have promised Donald Trumps presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ms Veselnitskaya is said to have promised Donald Trumps presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent (AP) An email dated October 31 2017 shows Ms Veselnitskayas office preparing a draft version of Russian deputy general prosecutor Mikhail Alexandrovs affidavit to Cypriot authorities. This is needed by tomorrow, she wrote to a subordinate. Two weeks later, a finalised version of the same document was sent by a Russian diplomatic staff member to a Cypriot counterpart, the Dossier Centres files show. Mr Browder, who has often clashed with Ms Veselnitskaya in and out of court, said this reinforced the idea that she was enmeshed with Russian officialdom. He said: If her office is drafting replies for Russian-Cyprus law enforcement co-operation, in my opinion that effectively shows that shes an agent of the Russian government, and not an independent lawyer as she claims. In a written statement, the Russian Embassy in Cyprus called the APs question a provocation and said it had no idea who is Nataliya Veselnitskaya and what she sends or doesnt send to the Cypriot officials. BREAKING: Russian government announces opening of a new criminal case against me and various US officials involved in the creation of the Magnitsky Act and the investigation into Russian organized money laundering in US connected to Magnitsky case https://t.co/mYsij26msl Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) July 26, 2018 Mr Alexandrov refused to answer questions on the matter. Ms Veselnitskaya also appears to have received government support, the files show. When Swiss officials arrived in Moscow on September 2015 to interrogate Denis Katsyv, one of her key clients, they were met not just by Ms Veselnitskaya but by Lt Col AV Ranchenkov, a senior interior ministry official previously known for his role in investigating the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. Lt Col Ranchenkov devoted a chunk of the interview to questions about the legality of Mr Browders actions, according to a transcript of the interrogation reviewed by AP. The emails also show how Ms Veselnitskaya tried to extend her influence to the United States, where she was working to overturn the Magnitsky Act, a sanctions law championed by Mr Browder after his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, died under suspicious circumstances in a Russian prison. Moscow responded to the sanctions with a ban on US adoptions of Russian orphans. That prompted lobbyists to court groups such as Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption Including Neighbouring Countries (FRUA), a charity that supports families who adopt children from former Soviet bloc nations. The idea was to use the issue of adoptions to help them reverse the sanctions. Expand Close Donald Trump has repeatedly denied there was any collusion between Russia and his presidential campaign (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump has repeatedly denied there was any collusion between Russia and his presidential campaign (AP) Jan Wondra, FRUAs chairman, said she attended a meeting in Washington on June 8 2016 with a group of people that included Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who was working with Ms Veselnitskaya to overturn the sanctions. The group told her there was evidence that the Magnitsky Act was propelled by bogus claims spread by Mr Browder, Ms Wondra said. It promised that the revelation could lead to the overturning of the Russian adoption ban. Ms Wondra said she was suspicious and feared that the lobbyists wanted FRUAs endorsement for their own purposes. Emphasising that she spoke only for herself, not her organisation, she said: My antennae were out. I looked at this as an attempt to put public pressure on Congress to rescind all or a part of the Magnitsky Act. The conclusion I drew was that FRUA should not participate. And we didnt. The emails leave some unanswered questions. In particular, the Dossier Centres investigation turned up almost no messages about the Trump Tower meeting itself. The group said it received only a few messages dealing with the media queries when the meeting became public in mid-2017. There is also no mention either of the Russian hack-and-leak operation which hit the Democrats immediately following Ms Veselnitskayas visit. In this April 11, 2007, photo, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, left, and Anthony Principi, former US veterans affairs secretary, second from left, pay respects to the remains of six American soldiers from the Korean War (AP Photo/Foster Klug, File) North Korea has returned the remains of what are believed to be US servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said. A US military plane made a rare trip from a US base in South Korea to a coastal city in the North to retrieve the remains. The handover follows through on a promise Kim Jong Un made to US president Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. The White House confirmed that a US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, North Korea, on its way to Osan Air Base, outside Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there on August 1. At Osan, US servicemen and a military honour guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue United Nations flags. Expand Close Returning US war remains was a commitment made by Kim Jong Un during his meeting with Donald Trump in Singapore (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Returning US war remains was a commitment made by Kim Jong Un during his meeting with Donald Trump in Singapore (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) Details of what specifically the US had picked up were unclear, but reports said previously that Pyongyang would return about 55 sets of remains from the 1950-53 Korean War. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearisation ahead of their meeting, Mr Trump and Mr Kims summit ended with only a vague goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. Fridays handover will be followed by a lengthy series of forensic examinations and tests to determine if the remains are human, and whether they are actually American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Fridays repatriation could be followed by strengthened North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions with the United States on reaching a declaration to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Koreas Defence Ministry also said that the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. The remains are expected to be flown to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for scientific testing to identify them. Expand Close North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) The US military last month said that 100 wooden temporary transit cases built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a stand-off over North Koreas nuclear program and a previous US claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint US-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. Mr Putin made the comments during the BRICs meeting in South Africa (AP) Russian president Vladimir Putin is ready to invite his US counterpart Donald Trump to Russia and said he is willing to visit Washington if he feels the conditions are right, reports said. Mr Putin made the comments at a news conference at the summit of leaders of the of BRICs countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Interfax news agency said he expressed readiness to invite Mr Trump. The agency quoted Mr Putin as saying: He has, by the way, such an invitation, and I told him about it. It is not immediately clear if Mr Putin was referring to a formal invitation or a verbal one in spirit. Interfax quoted Mr Putin as saying he is ready to visit Washington if the appropriate conditions are created there. In his report in January into the deaths of five children in Northern Ireland hospitals from hyponatraemia, Mr Justice O'Hara recommended that health professionals should have a duty of candour imposed on them In his report in January into the deaths of five children in Northern Ireland hospitals from hyponatraemia, Mr Justice O'Hara recommended that health professionals should have a duty of candour imposed on them. He had pointed out that he had found it impossible to determine exactly what happened during an operation on one of the children. It may not be exactly what he had in mind, but the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust yesterday evening issued a uniquely frank statement into the treatment of some patients at Muckamore Abbey Hospital. Read More In the statement the Trust "apologised unreservedly" to patients and their relatives for treatment which "falls significantly below acceptable professional standards". This reads like an admission that patients were treated inappropriately, an approach health trusts usually only take after exhaustive inquiries have produced compelling evidence. The statement goes on to refer to this "regrettable and unacceptable situation" and to the Trust's "profound sadness" at the situation. Investigations into alleged inappropriate behaviour and alleged physical abuse of patients in two wards by staff began last September and four members of staff were suspended. Now, another nine, mostly nurses, have been suspended following fresh complaints and a review of archived CCTV footage. It is encouraging that the Trust has acted swiftly on the foot of complaints and that it is to meet relatives to explain what measures are being taken and how the safety and welfare of vulnerable patients remains a priority for the Trust at this hospital. An expert panel has been formed to independently review the standard of care at Muckamore, although whether this will be sufficient to allay the concerns of relatives and patients remains to be seen. A better model would be a judge or QC-led inquiry - similar to the Sir Desmond de Silva review and report into the murder of Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane. While the Finucane family continue to press for a public inquiry, the de Silva report was exhaustive yet delivered in a relatively short time at a reasonable cost. At a time when the NHS is celebrating its 70th anniversary, allegations like those at Muckamore, the damning report into the Dunmurry Manor care home and the hyponatraemia report in January, which found four of the deaths were avoidable, cast a shadow over the sterling lifesaving work of so many. When the dentist says not to worry, this will only hurt a bit, that's the time to start worrying, because it will probably hurt quite a lot. Likewise, when Simon Coveney, Dublin's minister for foreign affairs, tells unionists not to worry and that his government has no sinister designs on Northern Ireland, it's not unreasonable to wonder what he's up to. Most politicians don't have to issue these soothing messages when attending meetings with their counterparts in other jurisdictions. It's simply taken for granted that they come in peace, with no designs on their neighbours. That the Irish Tanaiste felt the need to go out of his way to put unionists' minds at rest before this week's British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in London is as sure a sign as any that a black shadow has been cast on the relationship between Belfast and Dublin. That being so, wouldn't the minister's time be better spent wondering what his own government might have done to incite such suspicion? He needn't look far for an answer. Since Enda Kenny stepped down as Taoiseach in June last year, the Irish government, under the direction of Fine Gael's new leader, Leo Varadkar, has ratcheted up the anti-British, anti-Brexit rhetoric to such an extent that it's necessary sometimes to double-check that it hasn't been secretly taken over by a delegation from Sinn Fein. It's prompted plenty of fanciful speculation that Fine Gael's sudden veer towards knee-jerk nationalism is a way of buttering up Sinn Fein before the next general election. Numbers in the Dail are finely balanced. Right now, there's a so-called "confidence and supply" agreement between the government and the largest opposition Fianna Fail party, but no government likes being beholden to its main rivals. Alternatives are always welcome. It seems unlikely, though, that the canny Leo Varadkar is credulous enough to believe that such a cunning plan could work, not least since there remains stringent hostility within his party to the notion of entering coalition with Sinn Fein at all. Whatever the real reason, Simon Coveney has played a central role in the shift towards confrontation. He's repeatedly sided with Sinn Fein over the issues which still separate that party from the Democratic Unionists, while telling the folks back home that he would "like to see a united Ireland in my lifetime - if possible, in my political lifetime". All Irish leaders since partition have longed for a united Ireland and so does Fianna Fail's Michael Martin, but to put a timeframe on it and to do so at a moment when political institutions remained deadlocked in Northern Ireland, was perilous, to say the very least. A foreign minister's job is usually to smooth over tensions rather than provoke them. Coveney has not only brushed aside those sensitivities, he actually doubled down on them at the end of last year with his call for the convening of the Intergovernmental Conference, insisting there can no longer be "British-only direct rule", while appearing to suggest that Dublin was seeking some kind of joint authority over Northern Ireland. That's why the Corkman had to murmur those conciliatory words the other day about unionists having "nothing to fear", acknowledging that the conference was "consultative, not executive, in form". This was a muddle of his own making, since it was he who specifically raised the spectre of the British-Irish body being beefed up as an alternative to direct rule should devolution at Stormont fail to be restored. The change in tone from Dublin over the past year certainly came as a shock in London, where it was assumed that mutual interest would prevail during Brexit talks and that the Irish would be allies at the negotiating table, rather than enemies - but it shouldn't have been a surprise. Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney did not suddenly cool on Anglo-Irish relations as a result of listening to too many rebel songs, but because they were faced with a serious threat to the country that they lead. Brexiteers have dismissed the latest round of predictions about the consequences of a "no deal" scenario as just another instalment in "Project Fear", and some of the scare stories being put about of late have undoubtedly veered off into the realms of whimsy. The BBC even ran a story on Thursday headlined: "The Brexit threat to sandwiches." The mind boggles. But that doesn't mean there aren't genuine risks to jobs and prosperity. The Irish agri-food sector, in particular, relies heavily on exports to Britain. It cannot afford any disruption to trade, however temporary. The Irish could hardly be expected to take the prospect of their economy being damaged by the UK's exit from the EU lying down. Dublin had every right to hang tough. What was reckless was doing that at the same time as talking up the prospects of a united Ireland. Sinn Fein might have lost its head after the Brexit vote, allowing itself to dream that a majority vote for Remain in Northern Ireland would translate automatically into support for a united Ireland inside the EU; but there was no excuse for the Irish government to get carried along on that giddy wave, too. It's Simon and Leo's original decision to wrap themselves in the green flag which now hangs over Dublin's relations north and east. Obediently backing the European negotiators' insistence that Northern Ireland must remain in the "territory" of the EU after Brexit, effectively dividing the United Kingdom internally, only made matters worse. Dublin's bullishness has proved popular in opinion polls in the Republic and is cheered on by northern nationalists, who fear the impact of Brexit on cross-border movement and business. But it's still an extraordinary stance for the foreign minister of a supposedly friendly nation to take towards its nearest neighbour. Given the tangled history on the island, he can't be unaware of the implications. Simon Coveney appears to have belatedly realised the dangers of the Irish government's stance. He's started talking in much softer terms about "helping" Britain get a good deal with the EU, while simultaneously, and absurdly, trying to pin the blame on Sinn Fein for not taking its seats at Westminster to stop Brexit from happening at all. Whether he's left it too late to repair relations with unionists is what remains to be seen. Suffice to say that if, after a year in the job, you still need to urge those with whom you're dealing not to be afraid of you, then it suggests things aren't going tickety boo. Has the Minister for Foreign Affairs never heard of the old adage: "When you're explaining, you're losing"? Novel Baswedan, an investigator for the Corruption Eradication Commission (center) delivers a speech upon arrival at the commission's headquarters in Jakarta , Feb. 22, 2018. An Indonesian anti-corruption investigator who lost an eye in an acid attack while probing one of the countrys largest corruption cases returned to work on Friday, to cheers from officials and co-workers in Jakarta. Novel Baswedan, a police officer working for Indonesias Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was investigating a case that implicated then-House Speaker Setya Novanto, among other officials, when two unidentified men on a motorcycle attacked him with acid in April 2017. Those who fight corruption will face hostilities, whether in the form of physical threats or slander, Baswedan told his supporters and colleagues gathered at the KPK building in the Indonesian capital. I have no desire for vengeance, Baswedan said, as tears rolled down his cheeks. This is not just from my lips, but also from my heart. But I will not stop calling for this case to be resolved. Baswedan said he had no regrets and had forgiven his attackers. But the case must be resolved, he said, as he urged President Joko Jokowi Widodo to set up an independent team to investigate the attack that left him partially blind. Police released sketches of two suspects, but no arrests have been made. Baswedan was the lead investigator in the embezzlement scandal that saw more than $170 million (2.3 trillion rupiah) disappear from a national project to issue new biometric identity cards. The scandal led to the political downfall of Setya, who lost the House speakership before he was sentenced in April to 15 years in prison for his role in taking kickbacks during the development of the e-ID cards program. Setya has twice been forced to resign as speaker over corruption-related allegations. He stepped down in December 2015 after the leader of mining company Freeport McMoran in Indonesia told a parliamentary ethics panel that he had secretly recorded a meeting, where Setya asked for a 20-percent stake in the company. Setya denied the allegation and the attorney general later dropped an investigation. He was reappointed as speaker in 2016 but resigned after the charges in the e-ID case were filed against him. Baswedan accused the police of dragging their feet in the investigation. He has previously said that a powerful figure in law enforcement, whom he did not name, was behind the acid attack. I appeal to Mr. President, why the president and not the police? Because the police had no willingness to solve this case all along, he told reporters. Baswedans co-workers and supporters cheered as they displayed placards and posters demanding that his attackers be brought to justice. Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said the investigation was continuing. No member of the public has come forward with information about the attackers. Does anyone know? We are still looking for the perpetrators. Were still working hard, he said. Baswedan underwent a series of eye surgeries in Singapore before returning to a heros welcome in February. He returned to Singapore for further treatment. Baswedan said his vision was improving faster than he had expected. I thought I wouldnt be able to see again, he said. As you can see, I can see, I will use my vision to do good. Malaysian police use tear gas to break up a rally by ethnic Indians demanding racial equality, in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 16, 2008. A loose coalition of 350 Malaysian NGOs on Friday accused the new government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of marginalizing the nations Muslim majority and warned that recent appointments of non-Malays to high-ranking positions could fuel Malay anger. Gerakan Pembela Ummah, a Malay name for the grouping of non-government organizations, also attacked three laws being proposed against discrimination and religious hatred, alleging that the pieces of legislation were meant to suppress the Malays and Islam. We feel that in less than 100 days, Pakatan Harapans government has already sidelined the Malays, as well as Islam as the official religion of this country, Aminudin Yahya, Gerakan chief secretary told BenarNews. He was referring to the coalition that handily won the May 9 general election against the Barisan Nasional bloc, which ruled Malaysia for nearly 61 years. Barisan was anchored by the Malay Muslim-dominated United Malays National Organization party (UMNO). We want to send a clear message to PH that we not happy with the way Islam and Malays are being treated, he said. To protest what it perceives as efforts to undermine Malay Muslim interests, the coalition, which was established in May 2017 in effort to empower Malays, said it would organize a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, less than two weeks after the Malaysian king appealed for calm amid growing racial tensions. Police told BenarNews they would allow the Gerakan to hold the rally, but authorities would monitor it. The country is being controlled by DAP, Aminudin said, using the acronym for the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party, whose secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, became finance minister after the May 9 general election catapulted Mahathir back to power. The Malays are feeling it, Aminudin said. On July 17, King Sultan Muhammad V urged Malaysians to preserve and strengthen the nations peace and unity, in an inaugural address to lawmakers that underscored that race and religion were closely intertwined with Malaysian politics. Aminudin said the proposed bills would not lead to racial harmony in the nation, which experienced deadly Sino-Malay sectarian riots in May 1969. These laws are meant to suppress the Malays and Islam. We can no longer express our dissatisfaction and if we do, we will be charged under the law, he said. This is dictatorship." Malays and other indigenous groups account for nearly 70 percent of Malaysias population of 32 million, with ethnic Chinese making up 23 percent and ethnic Indians and others the remainder. Aminudin criticized the appointments of Tommy Thomas, who is of Christian-Indian descent, as the countrys attorney-general; and Richard Malanjum, who was sworn in this month as chief justice minister, and Liew Vui Keong, as minister in the Prime Ministers Department. Malanjum and Keon are non-Muslims. Those appointments are among many reasons that may fuel the Malay anger, Aminudin said. Last month, the king assured Malaysians that the appointment of an ethnic Indian Christian did not threaten Islam or herald the end of special protections for Malays and indigenous people. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong [the king] also called on all Malaysians to accept that the appointment of the Attorney-General should not create religious or racial conflict as every Malaysian should be fairly treated regardless of race and religion, a palace statement said. On Wednesday, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, minister in the PMs Department in charge of religious affairs, announced that the government was planning to table three new bills in parliament the Anti-Discrimination Act, National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Act, and the Religious and Racial Hatred Act. Under the new laws, those guilty of humiliating any religion and race can face a jail sentence of up to seven years or a fine of 100,000 ringgit (about U.S. $25,000), Mujahid told reporters. Guerrillas with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are seen with civilians in Tangkal, a municipality in Lanao del Norte province, southern Philippines, May 28, 2018. The European Union on Friday welcomed the Philippine presidents signing of a law giving Muslims in the south expanded autonomy, but some observers said it would not automatically bring about peace in the sprawling region where militancy remains a problem. The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which President Rodrigo Duterte signed a day earlier, represents a unique opportunity for people of the predominantly Muslim Mindanao region to embrace peace and stability after decades of strife, the European bloc said in a statement. It underlines both parties commitment to peace and their ability to tackle a variety of complex matters through a comprehensive and inclusive law, said Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for the European Union (EU) on its foreign affairs and security policy. The EU has long backed peace talks between the Philippines and the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and is part of an International Monitoring Team established 14 years ago to ensure that ceasefires and other negotiated agreements are implemented. Malaysia heads the monitoring team, whose members also include Indonesia and Brunei. Kocijancic said all those involved in crafting the law worked hard to ensure that it brings stability and well-being to Mindanao, a mineral-rich but deeply impoverished region. The EU remains a staunch supporter of the peace process and is prepared to support the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in the future, Kocijiancic said. Duterte: Fighting is no longer an option Official copies of the new law have not been made available to journalists in Manila. But it is understood that the BOL will give an estimated four million Muslim Filipinos in the south an area they can govern through an elected parliament. It will also give southern Muslims control over many aspects of their lives, ranging from having Islamic courts to controlling their own taxes and school system. The law also aims to widen a Muslim autonomous area in the south that was offered to the MILFs precursor, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), in 1996. On Thursday, Duterte told a crowd in the southern city of Ipil that he had signed the BOL, but he did not offer specifics. He said, however, that he was expected to meet with MILF chief Murad Ebrahim and his political affairs chief, Ghazali Jaafar, for a ceremony related to the laws signing. The president said he would also seek a meeting with MNLF founding leader Nur Misuari about creating a separate autonomous rule for him. Duterte did not explain what he meant by this, and many were left wondering about what he actually intended to do. Misuari became governor of the autonomous region after the 1996 deal was struck between the government and his MNLF, but the region remained mired in poverty and corruption. To derail the government-MILF peace process, forces aligned with Misuari attacked the southern city of Zamboanga in 2013, burning about 10,000 homes and leaving about 200 people dead. Misuari escaped and has been fugitive until the courts cleared him on Dutertes order shortly after he won the presidency in 2016. Im trying to talk to everybody. I talked to the enemies of the state. Im talking to Nur. Nur, if you are my brother Nur, if you are listening, I would like to thank you for just reining in your forces, Duterte said Thursday. Let us talk because we are old. Fighting is no longer an option for you and me. It also is unclear what Misuaris role will be in the deal which calls for the MILF to gradually disarm its military forces, estimated to number about 11,000. The new law calls for expanding the autonomous region, which would be governed by its own parliament. A transitional authority of former MILF rebels would lead the body in the interim. Former MILF camps would be transformed into civilian communities where the national government would retain police and military powers. In Sabah, a nearby state in neighboring Malaysian Borneo, a resident of Filipino descent who identified himself as Munir M, hailed the laws signing. But, he cautioned, it could bring challenges too. This is a great success for the Muslim Filipinos in Mindanao, where I still have lots of relatives, he told BenarNews. But now a challenge has begun for the Bangsamoro. Power is a very hard test and, in fact, in Islam, power is the hardest test for Muslims. Master of deception Drieza Abato Lininding, founder of the recently formed Moro Consensus Group, cautioned against totally embracing the BOL under the Duterte regime. More than ever, we feel worse under his administration, said Lininding, who lost his home in southern Marawi city during a five-month battle last year between pro-Islamic State militants and government forces. We thought that under his presidency we would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he has proven himself anti-Moro. Since Duterte became president, theres conflict everywhere in Muslim areas in the south, he said. Lininding noted that fighting had spread between remnants of the militants who staged the Marawi attack to Maguindanao province. He is the master, if not the king, of deception, said Lininding, who rallied Muslim support for Duterte in the 2016 polls. He tricked us during the election campaign, and made Moro lands as his sacrificial lambs for his selfish political ambitions. Ayesah Uy Abubakar, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), praised the signing of the new law. It is an unprecedented achievement in itself because of the long years of consistent hard work and very active participation of not only the two actors but civil society groups, politicians and international groups that supported the peace process, she told BenarNews. Political analyst Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said that while he welcomed the BOL, it was not a guarantee that other Muslim factions would lay down their weapons. Security forces, he said, would still have to contend with other militant groups, including those who had fled Marawi. MILF fighters would also be hesitant to surrender their arms knowing that there are other fighters that could grab their territories. The BOL is another political experiment for the Bangsamoro people to enjoy their right to self-determination, he said. I just hope that this political experiment will work. If not, let us try another political experiment in the future. Banlaoi argued that the BOL could be used by foreign militants to lure other fighters in Southeast Asia to establish themselves in Mindanao. With its opposition to the BOL, the BIFF, specifically the Turaipe Group, will intensify its military activities to entice new recruits and to attract foreign funding, he said. He was referring to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a splinter group of the MILF who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, and to BIFF commander Abu Turaipe, one of its most senior members. Those opposed to the BOL will find ways to cooperate or coordinate in order to multiply their fighting forces, he said. Jeoffrey Maitem and Froilan Gallardo, in Cotabato City and Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, and Zam Yusa, in Kuala Lumpur, contributed to this report. Satur Ocampo (right), joined by activist Bonifacio Ilagan, holds documents after petitioning the Supreme Court to hold the heirs of Ferdinand Marcos and officials in contempt for burying the late dictator at a heroes cemetery, Nov. 21, 2016. Four leftists who face arrest warrants in the northern Philippines claimed on Friday that the court action was part of the governments persecution of political opponents. The former members of the House of Representatives, Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casino, former agrarian reform chief Rafael Mariano and national anti-poverty commission secretary Liza Maza were ordered arrested earlier this week by a local judge in Nueva Ecija province. The four allegedly played a role in the killings of leftist critics in the province, their lawyer Rachel Pastores said, describing trumped-up murder charges filed more than a decade ago. From the very start, it is clear that this was an incredible story, Pastores told reporters, adding the issue was first used against her clients in 2007, when they ran for Congress. The governments independent elections commission threw out the charges after doing its own investigation. What is happening is a big injustice and we are preparing for this case, Pastores said, adding that her clients would file a motion for consideration next week seeking to dismiss the indictments. Mariano branded the charges against the four as baseless, malicious and fabricated. Political persecution under the Duterte regime is a part of the worsening attacks on the fundamental rights and freedom of genuine agrarian reform advocates and human rights defenders, he said. The charges, Mariano said, were meant to stop legitimate dissent against President Rodrigo Dutertes regime, which has overseen the killings of thousands of alleged drug pushers and addicts in its war on drugs. I demand the dropping of this trumped-up case to rectify the injustice committed against an innocent person like myself who is falsely charged with a criminal case, Mariano said. Maza, for her part, said some of Dutertes supporters in government could have orchestrated the move because they want me out of my position. She did not name anyone, but several left-leaning members of the government were forced out of office under intense lobbying by his close political supporters. Almost from the very beginning, the rightists and militarists have tried to make it difficult on us myself and other progressives who have joined the Duterte government opposing or obstructing the reforms that we have pushed for, and maneuvering to have us removed one by one, from our positions, Maza said. She was referring to Mariano, who had tried to implement agrarian reform law but clashed with political leaders. He was removed from his post after the commission on appointments rejected his qualifications. Apart from Mariano, another prominent leftist, Judy Taguiwalo, was removed as social welfare secretary. Ocampo served three terms in the house, leaving office in 2010, while Casino left in 2013. Duterte, a self-described leftist, courted members of the political left when he assumed the presidency in 2016. He appointed several leftists to his government and immediately launched peace talks with the countrys communist insurgents. That soon soured after leftist organizations questioned some of his policies, including his drug war and the decision to transfer the remains of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to a heroes cemetery in Manila. He subsequently canceled peace talks with the left, and engaged exiled communist party founder Jose Maria Sison his one-time college professor in a war of words. Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report. For Immediate Release, July 27, 2018 Contact: Sarah Baillie, (520) 345-5708, sbaillie@biologicaldiversity.org 10,000 Endangered Species Condoms Handed Out for 'Earth Overshoot Day' Special-edition Package Highlights Role of Safe Sex in Reducing Ecological Footprints TUCSON, Ariz. More than 10,000 free Endangered Species Condoms will be given away next week by the Center for Biological Diversity for Earth Overshoot Day. The condoms will be distributed by volunteers in the 10 U.S. cities with the largest carbon footprints to encourage people to have safe sex as part of reducing their ecological impact. The colorful condom packages feature species threatened by population growth and catchy slogans. For Earth Overshoot Day, the Center is partnering with the Global Footprint Network for a special-edition design that says: Before your seduction, think footprint reduction. Earth Overshoot Day is the day humanity exhausts the resources the planet can replenish in a year. This year the day falls on Aug. 1, five months too soon and the earliest since the world first went into ecological overshoot. As human population continues to rapidly grow, we clearcut trees, burn fossil fuels and bulldoze wild spaces. The Earth cant keep up, said Sarah Baillie, the Centers Endangered Species Condoms coordinator. We see evidence of this in shrinking habitat, the global climate crisis and crashes in wildlife populations. Were blowing through natures capital, and wildlife and the planet are suffering for it. In New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Jose, Calif., Houston and Washington, D.C., volunteers will hand out Endangered Species Condoms to raise awareness of overshoot. These are the 10 cities with the largest carbon footprints in the United States. The Global Footprint Network calculates Earth Overshoot Day by dividing the amount of ecological resources the planet generates each year by humanitys ecological footprint (the amount of land and water needed to produce the resources we consume and absorb the waste we create). That number is multiplied by 365 to determine the number of days that the Earths resources will last at humanitys current rates of consumption. This year the planets resources lasted 213 days, or until Aug. 1. The rest of the year is in overshoot. If everyone lived like Americans, wed use five Earths, said Baillie. Since we only have one Earth, this clearly isnt sustainable. Our condoms are a striking way to start the conversation about how each of us can help move the date. In addition to the Endangered Species Condoms, the Centers Population and Sustainability program promotes a wide range of solutions to address overshoot, including reducing meat consumption, developing wildlife-friendly renewable energy sources, and universal access to birth control and family planning. For Immediate Release, July 27, 2018 Contact: Vera Pardee, (858) 717-1488, vpardee@biologicaldiversity.org EPA Withdraws Decision Not to Enforce Cap on Super-polluter Trucks Proposal to Remove All Pollution Limits for 'Glider' Trucks Still Not Withdrawn WASHINGTON The Environmental Protection Agency late Thursday night abruptly withdrew its decision to stop enforcing production caps on super-polluting diesel glider trucks. The reversal comes just days after the D.C. Circuit Court ordered a stay of the non-enforcement decision following an emergency motion filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Fund and Sierra Club. The utter lawlessness of Scott Pruitts gambit to foul our air with thousands more ultra-dirty trucks was obvious to all, said Vera Pardee, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute. But Andrew Wheeler didnt stop Pruitts last-gasp mayhem until the court stayed his hand. The withdrawal notice, signed by Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, reverses former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitts last-day-on-the job decision to allow companies to ignore the cap. Before filing the lawsuit last week, the Center and its allies had requested that Wheeler rescind Pruitts decision but received no response. Thursdays notice came just days before the EPAs deadline to defend its non-enforcement decision in court. A glider is a diesel freight truck assembled by installing a used engine and powertrain in a new truck body. Because their engines were built under outdated pollution standards, the EPA estimates that glider trucks emit 20 to 40 times more smog-forming nitrogen oxide and soot-causing particulate matter than new trucks on the market. Using the EPAs own conservative estimates, every year of uncapped glider production could cause up to 1,600 premature deaths from fine-particulate-matter emissions alone. The current law limits glider manufacturers to producing no more than 300 super-polluting glider vehicles per year, but the companies are free to produce unlimited glider trucks as long as they use engines meeting current emission standards. However, Pruitts proposed 2017 rule would eliminate all limits on their production and declare them outside of the EPAs regulatory authority. Wheeler still hasnt withdrawn Pruitts unconscionable proposal to eliminate all pollution limits for these zombie trucks, Pardee said. Until he does, he and his predecessor are birds of a feather. The new therapy can be administered at home with SIM card technology to remotely monitor patient progress. A group of researchers at the University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Trust has developed a lamp for the treatment of chronic ulcers. The Arthritis Research UK-funded trial was led by Dr Michael Hughes who tested the therapy, which combines infrared, red and ultraviolet light, on finger ulcers caused by systemic sclerosis, a condition which causes the immune system attacks the bodys fingers and toes. The new therapy can be administered at home with SIM card technology to remotely monitor patient progress. The lamp has 32 different bulbs that emit infrared, red or ultraviolet light. According to the research group, the results of the trial were very significant and the device could be a potential treatment for other ulcers, including diabetic and venous ulcers. Thursday, July 26, 2018 The United States government is not likely to comply with a second court-ordered deadline of July 26, 2018, to reunify migrant families forcibly separated at the border, Human Rights Watch said today. Only about half of the more than 2,500 families forcibly separated as a consequence of the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy are expected to be reunited by the deadline, leaving hundreds subject to unexplained delays. These unconscionable delays are causing severe harm to children and families. A dozen parents and separated children interviewed at the border and in Honduras by Human Rights Watch in recent weeks described weeks of agony and despair. Parents report being unable to speak to their children, or only being able to speak briefly if they could pay for calls. In some cases, parents spent weeks without knowing where their children were; in other cases, they were deported alone with no information about their separated children, who remained in the US. Some parents said that immigration officials induced them to waive their rights, including to seek asylum, telling them it was the only way, or the fastest way to be reunited with their children. Even for those who have been reunified, the harm to children and family relationships may be severe and lasting. Each moment of delay in reunifying these families compounds the extreme harm of ripping them apart, said Michael Bochenek, senior counsel in the childrens rights division at Human Rights Watch. The US government does not appear to be taking seriously its responsibility to immediately address the enormous damage it has caused and is still causing. Pablo Z., who asked to be identified by a pseudonym, was deported alone to Honduras without his 4-year-old. He told Human Rights Watch he could not communicate with his son for two weeks after they were forcibly separated. One week after his deportation, he finally spoke to his son. He said he didnt want to talk to me because he said I left him there, Pablo said. When he says this, it makes me cry. I cant speak. I just want to see him and hug him. Lawyers for the Trump administration told a federal court on Monday it had reunited 879 parents with their children so far and another 538 parents had been cleared for reunions and were awaiting transportation. The government also reported that 463 parents of migrant children are no longer present in the US, meaning that they may have been deported or departed the country after signing a voluntary return agreement. KJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2018/07/human-rights-watch-us-separated-families-report-trauma-lies-coercion.html Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. Friday, July 27, 2018 July 25, 2018 (ABC News): 'Handmaid's Tale' march for Argentine abortion rights, by Debora Rey, Associated Press: Demonstrators wearing red cloaks and white bonnets like the characters from Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" demonstrated Wednesday in Argentina in favor of legalizing abortion. They silently marched with their heads bowed through the streets of Buenos Aires until they reached the Palacio del Congreso, the Congress building. During heavy rain, one of the demonstrators read a letter by "Handmaid's Tale" author Margaret Atwood, who voiced her support for the effort led by Argentine feminist groups. Argentina's lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, approved a bill that would legalize abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The Argentine Senate will vote on the measure on August 8. President Mauricio Macri has said that despite his personal opposition to abortion, he would not veto the bill if approved by the Senate. Earlier this year, Atwood clashed with Argentine Vice President Gabriela Michetti, who has said that she is anti-abortion. Atwood tweeted to Michetti: "Don't look away from the thousands of deaths every year from illegal abortions. Give Argentine women the right to choose!" Argentina currently allows abortion only in cases of rape or risks to a woman's health, but abortion rights advocates say doctors and judges often block women from carrying out the procedure. A 2016 report by Argentina's health ministry estimated that between 370,000 to 522,000 Argentine women undergo illegal abortions each year. Thousands of women are hospitalized for complications. The report found complications from unsafe, illegal abortion as the main cause of maternal death in Argentina. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2018/07/handmaids-tale-march-for-abortion-rights-in-argentina.html Select board members and some municipal staff toured the property last week. Scarborough Leader A bond for up to $1.9 million to renovate it will be on the Nov. 2 municipal ballot. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe By Padraig Hoare The number of British visitors to Ireland continued to rise in June, official figures have shown, while there was a further sharp rise in north American visitors. Despite the almost 2% rise in Britons to more than 315,000 compared to a year earlier, tourism industry figures said the overall number was still down significantly in the past two years. The drop in sterling has led to a marked decrease in numbers from the UK since the Brexit vote in 2016, leading to calls for a tourism industry Brexit-support fund. Visitor numbers from the UK have increased since April this year, but are still well down on mid-2016, CSO figures show. Irish Tourism Industry Confederation chief executive Eoghan OMara Walsh said a more than 6% increase in visitors from the US and Canada in June from a year earlier should not camouflage the worrying falloff in British tourists. Numbers in June were indeed up from Britain, but that 2% rise was far less than other markets such as the US and Europe. A hard Brexit would be devastating. After next March if there is no deal, we will be very vulnerable. The British market still makes up four out of 10 visitors, he said. A confederation report this week suggested a hard or no-deal Brexit would directly cost 260m to the tourism sector in its immediate aftermath, and potentially reach 500m in the medium-term. The Border, southeast, Midlands and mid-east regions are relatively more dependent on the British market than Dublin, accounting for 40% of income from overseas tourism in each region, said the confederation. The north American market has proved very lucrative because of the spending power of US and Canadian visitors, Mr OMara Walsh said. It is a great market thankfully and is performing very strongly, he said. The CSO showed trips by European visitors other than by Britons rose 2.7% to 366,000 in June, compared to a year earlier. The total number of trips to Ireland by overseas residents overall rose 3.4% to 1.26 million, an increase of 33,700 against a year earlier, the CSO said. Crust & Crumb, the manufacturers of chilled pizzas, pizza bases and flatbread, today announces plans to build a new, state-of-the-art factory in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan. 5 million will be invested in the new facility, which is supported by the Government through Enterprise Ireland. The development will enable expansion into the large and growing chilled pizza market in mainland EU countries. Approximately 80 full-time jobs will be created at the facility. "This is a great day for Crust & Crumb, the surrounding communities and the entire county of Cavan," said Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD. "Ensuring we have the right conditions in place to encourage job creation in the regions is a big priority of mine, so I am delighted to see such a significant investment going into Ballyconnell. "I would like to warmly congratulate Crust & Crumb on this fantastic announcement and look forward to seeing them reaching new heights with the talented workforce here in the local area." Crust and Crumb Bakery Limited (NI), the parent company, supplies retailers with chilled pizzas, pizza bases and flatbreads and has been in operation since 2011. It operates two premises in Derrylyn Co. Fermanagh. One of these is dedicated to gluten-free products, the second plant manufactures all other products in the portfolio. The portfolio of products includes ranges of chilled pizzas of various shapes and sizes, generally as Retailer Luxury Private Label with the use of novel bases such as pea flour bases to satisfy demand for low-carb, high protein pizzas for the likes of the Muscle Food brand. "We are hoping to have the factory operational by December 2018 and will start our employment recruitment campaign over the next coming months," said Mark McCaffrey, Company Spokesperson, Crust & Crumb. Since announcing this expansion to our customers, we have been able to attain 6 million orders by having a presence in Europe. This project is paramount to our survival after Brexit. Digital Desk By Padraig Hoare A Cork home and business heating firm is eyeing opportunities in the US Midwest following an expansion that will see up to 70 jobs created over two years. NRG Awareness launched a new patented containerised heating system it says is the first of its kind, that will provide heating and domestic hot water supplies in any new building or home, as well as older buildings. The company, which plans to create 70 new jobs, claims its system can help reduce energy bills by up to 70%. The Little Island-based firm said it will grow from seven to 30 in Cork by the end of 2019, as well as up to 50 new heating installer jobs around the country. It is targeting turnover of 5m by the end of 2020, and has already completed prototypes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ther are also plans for exporting to Europe in the short-term, having already begun marketing and selling into the UK market. The company was formed 20 years ago by plumber Harry Rea after developing a plan to making heating homes more efficient, and he was joined by his son David Rea in 2005. The business was acquired by Sea Box EMEA in September 2016. Managing director of the firm, Patrick Hogan said it had significant plans for growth over the coming years that would provide major investment. NRG said it will have sold approximately 6,000 units by the end of 2019 and expected to reach 20,000 by the end of 2020. Clients include a number of community hospitals in the Munster region, which the firm says have reduced heating bills by up to 40%. The world's second largest Irish whiskey brand has won the Worldwide Whiskey Trophy. Tullamore Dew won at the International Wine & Spirits Competition for its 18-year-old single malt. The Worldwide Whiskey Trophy has not been won by an Irish whiskey since 2009. Now in its 49th year, the annual IWSC was created by wine chemist Anton Massel, who, in 1969, had the idea of creating a wine and spirit competition which was based not just on organoleptic judgement but where all entries also had to undergo chemical analysis. "Working on the Tullamore Dew 18 Year Old Single Malt was a two-year mission to craft an extraordinary whiskey that embodies the complex character, subtle sweetness and triple distilled smoothness that define the best of Irish Single Malt," said Brian Kinsman, Tullamore Dew Master Blender. "The quality of the aged stocks is comparable to the very best Highland single malts, but the triple distillation and our four-cask finish are what set this whiskey apart as one of the best in the world. The Tullamore Dew single malt range has already collected an impressive array of awards. Tullamore Dew 18-year-old single malt was awarded a Master at the 2016 Global Irish Whiskey Masters competition. Tullamore Dew 14-year-old single malt won Gold medals at the 2016 Global Irish Whiskey Masters and International Spirits Challenge Awards 2016. "We have a treasure chest of outstanding aged single malt, most of which is used for our core triple blended range," said John Quinn, Global Brand Ambassador of Tullamore Dew. However, we released a limited amount for the enjoyment of single malt enthusiasts. It's so good, I signed my name to every bottle. "This award recognises that Tullamore Dew continues to be at the forefront of innovation, elevating the overall quality of Irish whiskey." Tullamore Dew 18-year-old single malt is a 41.3% ABV triple distilled, single malt whiskey, available now in a limited volume release. Up to 270 Lloyds Pharmacy workers will stage a strike in Dublin today. The action will be the seventh strike by the workers but it is the first time workers from 40 different stores attend one picket. Louise Roseingrave The jury at an inquest into the death of a barrister under threat of legal action arising from a perceived mistake at work has returned a verdict of suicide. Colm OBriain (48) a barrister from Sandymount, Dublin 4 became acutely stressed after losing a case around ten days before his death on May 25 2016. Dublin Coroners Court heard he became a different person after the incident relating to his work. He told doctors he was fearful of the outcome any legal action against him might have on his professional and financial situation and on his family. Previously, the inquest heard that a 'dark cloud' descended over Mr OBriain and he lost weight rapidly in the days leading up to his death. A third day of evidence at the inquest resumed from May 30, heard that on the day of his admission to St John of God's hospital Mr OBriain told his wife, Bernadette Kirby, he had written a note which he had left in their home. Ms Kirby relayed this information to a St John of Gods staff member but this did not alter his risk profile, the court heard. Ms Kirby said she told a staff member about the note in a conversation outside her husbands room on the evening of his admission on May 24 2016. In response, she was told staff would keep a close eye on him. When I left he was in the care of the hospital, he was to be looked after. He was to have a good nights sleep, then therapy and Id have my husband back, she said. My sister-in-law and I had not left him alone that morning because I was frightened what would happen. I was told a close eye would be kept on him, thats what I expected, she said. Shortly after midnight, Mr OBriain was found in a collapsed state in his room at St John of God's and an ambulance was called at 12.11am. He was rushed to St Vincents Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The jury returned a verdict of suicide and recommended that consideration be given to removing personal items from patients that could be used to self-harm on admission such as ties and belts. The jury further recommended that consideration be given to creating a standardised list of personal property including a list of clothing and accessories on admission. A legal representative confirmed the family is taking civil action in relation to the case. By Ann O'Loughlin Update: The State's chief medical officer told the fourth day of the NMH's case challenging an inquiry arising out of the death of Malak Thawley that the raising of governance concerns at the hospital did not arise out of anger or annoyance at the taking of the legal action. Dr Tony Holohan also denied, under cross-examination, that he only began to justify his claim of the need for another inquiry because of the NMH taking this case and that was then used to put the co-location of maternity services to St Vincents' grounds on hold. He agreed engagement with the NMH over the co-location ceased after the hospital launched its case in January and no Department of Health representative attended meetings on the issue since last February. Malak and Alan Thawley He said a letter from his department earlier this month expressing unhappiness with the case in the context of the co-location plans was not a threat. It was an expression of concern over governance issues in the light of the hospital's attitude to patient safety and the experience of engagement between the department and the NMH. Earlier, he repeatedly insisted the purpose of a further investigation was to find answers to questions which had not been answered by the HSE review of the NMH's own investigation following the Thawley death. It was also being done to assuage outstanding concerns of the minister and others. He refused a number of requests from Mr Gallagher to withdraw his "unexplained circumstances" claims because, counsel said, they had all been explained in previous reports. He insisted there were and remained unexplained circumstances which needed answering. He said one of the main objectives of an inquiry would be to look at situations, where there is not a full complement of staff in a hospital, whether there is a procedure and checklist for actions which help increase patient safety. These can be monitored rather than have an arrangement whereby phone calls take place between staff which makes for very little auditing to ensure best practice. The question arose in the Thawley case whether they were in existence in the NMH during the Thawley case, whether they were followed and whether there was room for improvement, he said. Dr Holohan said an early warning score system, such as had been adopted after the Savita Halappanavar in Galway in 2012, had saved hundreds of lives. It brought formality to vital sign measurements by nursing and medical staff which meant it was not just left to the judgment of individual doctors or nurses and was "much more superior to the total judgments" of staff. Dr Holohan also told the court the proposed HIQA investigation would cost 328,000. However, it could be done in one year rather than the three it was expected to take because it would only examine the NMH rather than the wider maternity services, he said. In its judicial review action, the NMH says a statutory HIQA inquiry will be highly disruptive, demotivate staff and undermine public confidence in all maternity services. The Minister denies the claims. The case resumes before Mr Justice Charles Meenan on Tuesday. Earlier: Co-location of maternity hospitals not on hold, chief medical officer tells court The State's chief medical officer has denied a plan to co-locate the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) with St Vincents in Dublin has been put on hold because of the hospital's High Court challenge to the setting up of an inquiry into patient safety. Dr Tony Holohan said however that the Minister for Health had to consider what the governance arrangements of a new co-located service in light of his ongoing "genuine concerns" about the NMH's attitude to patient safety. This was in the light of engagements so far with the NMH over the setting up of a statutory inquiry by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) "which have not given us confidence", he said. He disagreed with NMH's senior counsel Paul Gallagher that the whole co-location project was on hold because the hospital had initiated these legal proceedings. He agreed however that no Department of Health representative has attended meetings on the issue since last February. The legal proceedings were launched in January. He said a letter he co-signed earlier this month expressing unhappiness with the legal case in the context of the co-location plans had not been a threat but an expression of concern over governance issues in the light of the hospital's attitude to patient safety. The inquiry was set up in the wake of the death of Malak Thawley during surgery for an ectopic pregnancy in the NMH in 2016. Dr Holohan also told the court that the lack of ice to cool Mrs Thawley during her surgery was due to a policy preventing hospitals keeping ice due for infection reasons. During the settlement last year of her widower Alan Thawleys case over her death, the High Court was told there was a "cascade of negligence" including the lack of ice to cool Mrs Thawley's brain and two doctors were sent ot a nearby pub to get some ice. The late Malak Thawley Today, Dr Holohan agreed the coroner's report into the death had noted the reason for hospitals not having ice was because they were not allowed to keep it for infection reasons. He also agreed there was no issue about lack of blood for Mrs Thawley because she had received 33 of the 55 units of O-negative blood available that day. This was compatible with her blood type. There was however an issue about her blood type not having been cross-matched before she required surgery, Dr Holohan said. Earlier, Dr Holohan said the HIQA investigation would cost 328,000. However, it could be done in one year rather than the three it was expected to take because it would only examine the NMH rather than the wider maternity services, he said. He was continuing to give evidence in the NMH's action to quash the Minister for Health's decision to hold a statutory inquiry into practices affecting patient safety at the hospital in the wake of the death of Malak Thawley. The NMH says it will be highly disruptive, demotivate staff and undermine public confidence in all materniity services. The Minister opposes the action. Tony Holohan Dr Holohan repeatedly insisted the purpose of a further investigation was to find answers to questions which had not been answered by the HSE review report and to assuage those outstanding concerns. It was a "never event with unexplained circumstances" and the aim of an inquiry was to find out about what exactly happened from the time Mrs Thawley entered the hospital to when she underwent surgery. He said one of the main objectives of an inquiry would be to look at, when in situations where there is not a full staff on in a hospital, whether there is a procedure and checklist for actions which help increase patient safety. These can be monitored rather than have an arrangement whereby phone calls take place between staff which makes for very little auditing The question arose in the Thawley case whether they were in existence in the NMH in the Thawley case or whether they were followed and whether there was room for improvement, he said. Dr Holohan said an early warning score system, such as had been adopted after the Savita Halappanavar in Galway in 2012, had saved hundreds of lives. It brought formality to vital sign measurements by nursing and medical staff which meant it was not just left to the judgment of individual doctors or nurses and was "much more superior to the total judgments" of staff. The court has heard the NMH carried out its own internal inquiry which resulted in the implementation of 18 out f 19 recommendations to improve services. That was reviewed by a HSE panel which said the NMH investigation not only complied with national guidelines but exceeded them in some respects. The was also a coroner's inquest which approved the recommendations in the NMH report. Dublin City Council has raised serious concerns about plans for a Garda command and control centre near Heuston Station. The Office of Public Works has to find a new home for the HQ which is currently on Harcourt Street. Olivia Kelleher A mother who had to endure three murder trials before she saw the killer of her beloved daughter jailed for life has spoken of her anguish and despair after another appeal has been lodged in relation to the conviction in the case. Darren Murphy (41) of Passage West, Co Cork has lodged an appeal on his conviction for the murder of play school teacher and youth leader, Olivia Dunlea, who was originally from Victoria Avenue in Cork city. Mr Murphy tried to smother Olivia (36) before stabbing her multiple times and setting fire to her home on February 17, 2013. She was in her bed which he set on fire. He also set a second fire downstairs at her home in Passage West before leaving. Mr Murphy was jailed for life following his conviction by a jury at a Central Criminal Court Sitting in Cork last month. The two previous murder trials in the case had resulted in a hung jury and a conviction which was overturned on a legal issue. In an interview on the Neil Prendeville show, on Cork's Red FM, Ann Dunlea, mother of Olivia, said they felt utter despair at the decision by Mr Murphy to appeal his conviction. We are back to square one. Demented again. There is no end to it. It is a punishment for us. He is grand. He is up in the hotel (prison) being looked after. It shouldn't be allowed. We are just after getting over all the trial business again. We were delighted with the conviction but Olivia wasn't coming home. Ms Dunlea said her daughter Anne gave birth to a baby girl days before the murder of their beloved Olivia. From the elation of the birth of little Charlotte they suffered the devastation of the loss of a daughter, mother, and sibling. "I was staying down with Anne on account of her coming out of hospital. During the night we got a phonecall to say the house was on fire. Anne ran over. I was minding the two children and she rang me to say Olivia wasn't in the house. "I was ringing Olivia's phone to say the house was on fire. Anne came back with a guard and said the fireman had gone in with the heat lamp and were after finding her remains." She said she went from the relief of thinking that Olivia wasn't in the blazing house to the utter horror of finding out that she was at home when the blaze broke out. Olivia had to be identified from her dental records and the family never saw her again. They didn't get to dress her for her funeral and the coffin was closed for the requiem mass. Darren Murphy. Ms Dunlea said that since then they have suffered through the mental torture of three trials which has compounded the grief for a much-loved member of the family. This is the second appeal in the case. Ann says it is "condescending to the jury" to have another appeal and that it is disrespectful to the system for the matter to come up again in this manner. The appeal has been confirmed by the Courts Service. The grounds of the appeal are not known at this juncture. Ms Dunlea said Mr Murphy could have got an "Oscar on the spot" for the lies he told in court. "Dragging my daughter's name through the muck just because he is down there." Ms Dunlea said she was indebted to gardai for their support but that ultimately it was all about the rights of people like Mr Murphy. Click your fingers. Apply for an appeal. We are sitting the court listening to three trials and we can't open our mouth. Some days I felt like standing up and saying "That is my child you are talking about." And they are all lies out of his mouth. In all my life I never expected this to happen to us. Ms Dunlea said that Olivia was "very bubbly" and lived for her children and helping others. "She was in the youth club in Passage and wouldn't miss a night there. She was all about family." The Central Criminal Court in Cork heard during the trial that as Olivia lay dying in her bed with multiple stab injuries Mr Murphy set fire to her quilt before going downstairs and lighting a fire in the middle of the table. The blaze was an attempt to conceal his crime. Clothes had to be bought for the children of Olivia Dunlea because they literally didnt have a shirt on their backs after the fire. Some of their pets died in the blaze. The family managed to retrieve a few photographs and personal items from the loft of the house in Pembroke Crescent in Passage West. However, they have very little in the way of possessions relating to their loved one. Olivia Dunlea. Ann Dunlea, who has been the backbone of her family even amid her immense sorrow, says that Darren Murphy "should never walk the streets of Ireland again." Mr Murphy of Dan Desmond Drive, Passage West, Co Cork had pleaded not guilty to murder but conceded that he had committed manslaughter. The DPP declined to accept his plea. Olivia Dunlea was discovered lying face down on her bed having incurred six stab wounds prior to the blaze. Two lockers on either side of Miss Dunlea's bed were burned and the ceiling had collapsed. The ceiling joints in her bedroom were charred and the ensuite was badly burned. The trial was told that Mr Murphy reacted so strongly to the break up of an earlier relationship that he slashed his wrists and required admission to a psychiatric unit. Witnesses in the trial had indicated that he had wanted to control his girlfriend. The pathologist in the case, Professor Marie Cassidy, said that she was of the view that Olivia was still alive when the fire started. The postmortem revealed that Olivia had six stab wounds, two behind the right ear and four to the front of the neck. One of the wounds behind her ear penetrated into her spinal canal, causing bleeding inside her skull which would have caused paralysis. Professor Cassidy said that Olivia could have died from the stab wounds alone but 24% carbon monoxide suggests she was breathing in some of the fumes. No date has been set for the appeal in the case. The appeal was lodged on July 11. Olivia is survived by her three children Aaron, Megan, and Darragh. Ann Dunlea says that Olivia lives on in her "incredible children." On the eve of the fourth anniversary of his disappearance, the family of a South Dublin man have appealed to anyone with information about his death to come forward. 36-year-old father of seven Mark Burke was last seen on Corrig Avenue in Dun Laoghaire on July 28 in 2014. A woman has been elected as president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities for the first time. Dr Isabel Capeloa Gil was elected at the 26th General Assembly Meeting in Saint Patricks College, Maynooth. Update 1pm: Ryanair is calling for the FORSA union to remove an Aer Lingus pilot it claims is interfering in the negotiation in the Irish pilot's row. The airline says the union is being misled and is deferring to Ialpa President Captain Evan Cullen for decisions in the process which benefit Aer Lingus. However, FORSA says its team in talks with the airline is made up solely of Ryanair pilots. A 4th strike day is planned for next Friday and 20 Ryanair flights have been cancelled. Speaking in Rome, Leo Varadkar says he is concerned at the escalation in tensions between the union and management. He said: "Particularly the impact it's going to have on holidaymakers, on everyday people who have spent months saving up for their holiday who may now find themselves discommoded or rescheduled or perhaps not being able to take that holiday," he said. Earlier: Forsa ready to get back to talks with Ryanair to resolve ongoing dispute Update 9.53am: Pilots union Forsa says they are ready to get back to talks with Ryanair to try to resolve the ongoing dispute. 20 flights out of 300 will be cancelled next Friday as around 100 Irish-based pilots stage a 4th day of industrial action. It is part of a row over seniority, base transfers and annual leave. The 3,500 passengers affected will get a refund or be accommodated on another flight. Ryanair Spokesperson Kenny Jacobs says next Friday's cancellations will go ahead. He said: We asked Forsa to meet us on Wednesday, they refused that and called another strike. The small number of cancellations next Friday will go ahead. We have always been open to meeting Forsa and we want to get down to proper negotiations and end this charade. Let's just get on with this. - Digital Desk Update 1.05pm: Irish Water has extended the national hosepipe ban for another month, until August 31. Night time restrictions in the Greater Dublin area have also been extended for another two weeks. Irish Water says the situation will remain critical up to and possibly beyond mid-August. It comes as Met Eireann has issued a status yellow rainfall warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal and Waterford, which comes into effect at 9pm. But Kate Gannon from Irish Water says it is not enough to restore supplies. She said: "We would really need 2-3 weeks of heavy rainfall to get our sources back up. One weekend of rain, even if it is a lot of rain will not give us enough water that we need nationally to help all our sources recover. Earlier: Irish Water meeting to discuss potential extension of hosepipe ban Update 11.22am: Irish water is meeting this morning to discuss the potential extension of the hosepipe ban. It was due to finish on July 31, but with water supplies still, at critically low levels, there is a chance it could continue for the foreseeable future. Rain is forecast for the weekend, but it is not expected to be enough to restore supply. However, Liz Gavin from Met Eireann says it will improve soil moisture. She said: "We are going to see some heavy bands of rain pushing in from the west later on today and overnight as well. Water deficits are still remaining high in parts of Leinster and Munster but we will see some improvement over the weekend." - Digital Desk Santiago Bluguermann/LatinContent/Getty ImagesRob Zombie and Marilyn Manson are currently on their Twins of Evil: The Second Coming co-headlining tour, but their show in Toronto Thursday was down a twin after Manson pulled out due to "unforeseen illness." In honor of his absent tour mate, Zombie performed a rendition of the Eurythmics classic "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" in the style of Manson's hit cover of the song. You can watch fan-shot footage of the cover of a cover now on YouTube. The Twins of Evil tour continues Saturday in Montreal, and Manson is expected to perform on that date. If you need more collaborative Zombie-Manson action, the duo recently released a joint cover of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Update 1.25pm: The Dublin Rape Crisis centre says reforming our rape laws will give victims more confidence to report the crime. Currently, somebody accused of rape can use the defence that he honestly believed that a woman was consenting to sex. The Law Reform Commission has published a number of options in relation to consent - with the public urged to have its say. As part of this review - the Commission suggests that the words 'reasonable belief' could be added to the definition of rape. CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Noeleen Blackwell thinks its a good move. She said: When victims understand that a person's bizarre beliefs may actually acquit them of the crime it is another reason not to trust the justice system. This would give victims a little bit more trust in the justice system. Earlier: Issue of consent the main focus of review of Irish rape laws The issue of consent is the main focus of a review of Irish rape laws. The Law Reform Commission has published a paper looking at options for reform in the area - including whether someone should be charged if they did not make sure their partner consented. Irish law on rape says an accused is only guilty when a sexual act occurred and they knew there was no consent. The LRC is asking for the public's view on the issue and is appealing for submissions. CEO Of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Noeleen Blackwell says a review of our rape laws is essential. She said: "A person will be acquitted of rape if they reasonably believe that the other person was consenting. Currently, no matter how strange the belief is if someone really believes it they will be acquitted. The trouble is they walk out of court free and if they have this strange system of belief, they can commit the crime again. Tom O'Malley, a senior law lecturer at NUI Galway and a member of Law Reform Commission said: This paper is dealing with just one aspect of the law of rape. That is, the question of whether a person should be entitled to be acquitted of rape if it is found that he honestly believed that the complainant was consenting even though his belief might have been unreasonable in the circumstances. - Digital Desk Ann O'Loughlin The 37-year old mother who has cancer and is suing over the alleged misinterpretation of her cervical smears feels let down, the High Court heard today. Psychiatrist Dr John Hillery who met Ruth Morrissey and her husband Paul in their Limerick home last month said she feels let down by the system and the medical practitioners she had seen. Paul and Ruth Morrissey. Photo: Courtpix He was giving evidence on the third day of the action by the Morrisseys over two cervical smears taken under the CervicalCheck screening programme in 2009 and 2012. Ms Morrissey and her husband Paul Morrissey of Kylemore, Schoolhouse Road, Monaleen, Co Limerick have sued the HSE and the US laboratory Quest Diagnostics Ireland Ltd with offices at Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin along with Medlab Pathology Ltd with offices at Sandyford Business Park, Dublin 18. It is claimed there was an alleged failure to correctly report and diagnose and there was an alleged misinterpretation of her smear samples taken in 2009 and 2012. A situation it is claimed allegedly developed where Ms Morrisseys cancer spread unidentified, unmonitored and untreated until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in June 2014. It is further claimed a review of the 2009 and 2012 smears took place in 2014 and 2015 with the results sent to Ms Morrissey's treating gynaecologist in 2016, but she was not told until May this year of those review results which showed her smears were reported incorrectly. The HSE the court has heard admitted it owed a duty of care to Ms Morrissey but not to her husband and it admits the results of her smear reviews should have been made known to Ms Morrissey. The laboratories deny all claims. Ms Morrissey suffered a recurrence of her cervical cancer this year and was also diagnosed with breast cancer. In evidence today, Dr John Hillery told the court he met with Ruth and Paul Morrissey on June 11 this year when their daughter was at school. He said he would have expected Ruth to talk about the diagnosis of a recurrence of her cervical cancer but the discussion "was about the things she should have been told and that she was let down". Dr Hillery said she talked about her 2009 smear and if it would have made a difference to her and she had noted her mother would have been alive at the time to support her. "She told me the anger was gone. She did not present as angry or bitter but as a stoic person," he said. Ruth, he said also was worried how her husband Paul was going to cope without her and she worried about her daughter growing up without a mother. Dr Hillery said "the three of them" did everything together. He said Ruth's father, when he was ill, had had shared everything with her and she had resolved not to do that with her daughter and she tried to hide how she feels. Dr Hillery said when he asked Ms Morrissey how she sees the future her answer was a positive one where she has a picture of the three of them together in a life that goes on as before. Referring to Ms Morrissey's husband Paul, he said for him it is like he is living under a dark cloud and one of the achievements he considers in life is their family unit. The recurrence of the cervical cancer he said was a watershed for the Morrisseys. Ruth's multidisciplinary team were meeting today to discuss her future treatment and whether it could have an effect on her prognosis. When the court has that information it will decide when during the upcoming courts vacation to continue the hearings. By Jessica Magee A 52-year-old man found guilty of raping his young cousin on a weekly basis in the mid-1980s has received a nine-year sentence. Mr Justice Michael White said he would suspend the final year of the sentence if the man engaged with the Building Better Lives programme for sex offenders. He noted that the man maintains his innocence. The Central Criminal Court heard that the man's cousin was seven years old when he first tried to rape her in the south-east of the country while the rest of the family attended a 21st birthday party in a local hotel. The man, who cannot be named to protect his victim's identity, was found guilty by a jury of one count of attempted rape in January 1984. He was also convicted of five sample charges of raping the girl on a regular, weekly basis between mid-1985 and mid-1986. The father-of-four had denied all charges against him but a guilty verdict was returned after trial last month. Alex Owens SC, prosecuting, told the court that the repeated abuse began when the accused, then aged 17, came to live with the girl's family. Mr Owens said the man would use the opportunity of the child's parents going out every Friday night to rape her in the front room on a regular basis, week in, week out. In her victim impact statement which was read out in court on her behalf, the woman said her childhood was taken away from her and she suffered in silence. She said this pain continued into adulthood with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. The woman said the anxiety really took over in the last 15 years after she had her own children when she thought that as she had not been able to protect herself, she would be unable to protect them. I became over-protective of my children; I felt I had no control. My confidence was shattered, she said. After meeting the accused in a pub in 2014, the woman said her trust went completely and she was afraid to be alone in her own home, always making sure all doors and windows were locked. However, she said that since her abuser was convicted, her health and emotional well-being had improved, she no longer took medication and wanted to rebuild her life. Today, Mr Justice White noted that when victims are abused so horrifically as a child it's like a broken mirror, and the pieces can never be put together properly. He said the headline sentence was 13 years but he reduced this to nine, taking into account the man's youth at the time and his otherwise blameless life. Garda Daniel Whelan said the complainant, now aged 42, made a statement in 2014 after her husband contacted the guards on her behalf. In her statement, the woman recalled going to her grandmother's house in January 1984, while most of her family went to a hotel to celebrate the 21st birthday of a family member. The accused was babysitting the girl and he said he had something to show her and carried her upstairs to a bedroom. He attempted to rape her and she gave evidence of feeling very sore for days afterwards. She said he was aggressive and threatened her not to tell anyone or there would be big trouble. The accused came to live with the girl's family the following year and used to babysit her and her brother once a week when their parents went out to music sessions. She said her brother would be allowed out to play and she would be left on her own with her older cousin. She said he would lock the back door and empty the contents of his pockets on the mantelpiece, always giving her gifts of sweets or money when he abused her. The abuse started with sexually inappropriate contact, leading eventually to rape on a weekly basis. In her victim impact statement, the woman said she was roaring with pain the first time and suffered so much physically that she found it difficult to walk at times. The man has no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention since this offence. Colman Cody SC, defending, said this of itself was evidence of self-rehabilitation. He also pointed to the 30-year gap between offending and sentencing, commenting that there was a greater degree of information and education around sexual matters today. The court was handed numerous testimonials from the accused's adult children, neighbours and friends, amongst whom he was in remarkably good standing, counsel said. Mr Cody maintained that the accused was still entitled to the benefit of the doubt in the context of sentencing. He said his client had a good work history here and in the UK until he separated from his wife in 2007 and was left with the care of his children. This is undoubtedly a fall from grace and he will suffer fallout in the eyes of his family, counsel said. By Tom Tuite An Armagh man accused of the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe in a shooting in 2013 has been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court. Aaron Brady, 27, from New Road, Crossmaglen, was served with a book of evidence when he appeared before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court today. He had been charged earlier that he murdered a member of an Garda Siochana, namely Adrian Donohoe, in the course of his duty at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth on Jan. 25, 2013. The charge was contrary to Section Three of the 1990 Criminal Justice Act and Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act 1964. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers he said morning judge as he entered the courtroom but remained silent for the rest of the hearing. A four-volume book of evidence was served on him in court by Det Sergeant Mark Philips. It was Mr Bradys seventh hearing since being charged earlier this year. Judge Blake noted the DPP was requesting that Mr Brady would be returned for trial to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court on the single charge in the book of evidence. Judge Blake warned him that if he intended to use an alibi in his defence he must tell the State solicitor for Co. Louth, Fergus Mullen within 14 days. He told him he was sending him forward for trial, in custody, to the next term of the Central Criminal Court which begins in October. The late Adrian Donohe He acceded to a request from defence counsel Conor Fegan (instructed by solicitor Neil Manley) to grant legal aid to include representation of junior and senior counsel representation at the trial. Judge Blake also directed the prosecution to furnish the defence with copies of video evidence. Det Garda Donohoe, a married father-of-two, was killed while on duty. He had been on a cash escort with colleagues when he was fatally shot during a botched robbery at a credit union. Mr Brady had been arrested in Dublin on Feb. 25 and was detained for a week at Dundalk Garda station under the provisions of section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. He was charged on March 4 and remanded in custody following an appearance before Dundalk District Court. At his first hearing, Det Inspector Patrick Marry said when Mr Brady was charged with the murder, he replied: I strongly deny any involvement in the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. Bail can only be granted by the High Court in murder cases. By Declan Brennan and Aoife Nic Ardghail A Dublin man has received a partially suspended eight-year sentence for sexually abusing two little girls in what was described as gratuitous, depraved and exploitative acts. The man (46), who cannot be named to protect the victims' identities, was convicted last February of 24 counts of sexually assaulting one girl and one count of sexually assaulting her younger sister. The trial heard that the abuse took place while the children were staying over in their granny's home. He sexually assaulted the first girl by intimately touching her while she slept on a date between July 2000 and July 2002, when she was six or seven years old. The man, who is married to their aunt, would come into the second victim's bedroom as she slept and molest her by intimately touching her. This happened from 2005 to 2010, with the incidents diminishing in frequency as the girl got older and avoided the man. The girl was aged six or seven years at the time of the first assault. The man had pleaded not guilty to 33 charges. After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last February a jury convicted on 25 counts. He was acquitted by direction of the trial judge of eight charges. Today, Judge Martina Baxter said an aggravating factor was that the abuse had divided a once close family. She noted the jury had rejected the lies told by the man's partner and her mother during the trial to discredit the victims' evidence about staying over in the house. The judge described the man's acts as gratuitous, depraved and exploitative and said the victim impact reports confirmed how bright and articulate these young women are. She noted both women have moved out of their home area because of the man's residence there. She suspended the final 12 months of the eight-year sentence. In a victim impact statement, the younger woman said the abuse had a major impact on her life and tore her family apart. She said she had often thought about killing herself and had attempted to do that on some occasions. Defence counsel Paul Carroll SC told the court that his client didn't have any previous convictions and he did not accept the jury's verdict. He said the man had led a productive life, working and rearing a family. The father-of-two, who went into custody after the verdict, wrote a letter to the judge saying please don't make me miss any more of my children's childhood. Judge Baxter noted that this letter only detailed the man's concern for himself and his own children. By Ann O'Loughlin The Irish Times has apologised before the High Court to Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe under a settlement of defamation proceedings. The apology also stated the newspaper had made "appropriate amends" to Sgt McCabe, who had sued over an article published in the newspaper on February 20, 2017. On Friday, Michael McDowell SC, with Paul OHiggins SC, instructed by Sean Costello solicitor, for Sgt McCabe, who was not in court, told Mr Justice Bernard Barton the matter had settled. Counsel said that no order was required, except one for taxation of the plaintiffs costs, on the basis of an apology being read by Cian Ferriter SC, with Ray Ryan BL, instructed by Hayes Solicitors, for the Irish Times. Mr Ferriter then read the apology. It stated: On the 20th February 2017, the Irish Times published an article in its print edition headed: Woman behind alleged complaint about McCabe wants her day before inquiry and, in its online edition headed: When Can I Get on With the Rest of my Life? Woman at the centre of the McCabe case. It continued: The Director of Public Prosecutions determined, after a careful and professional investigation, that no offence of any kind had been disclosed against Sgt McCabe and that there was no basis in fact or in law for any prosecution. Contrary to what was suggested in the articles, the Director of Public Prosecutions did not base his direction on insufficient evidence. The apology went on:: The Irish Times fully accepts the DPPs determination and it was never intended for the article to suggest otherwise. The Irish Times wishes to apologise to Sgt. Maurice McCabe and his wife and family for the great hurt and damage caused to them by the publication of this article, hand has made appropriate amends to Sgt. McCabe. The judge agreed to make the order sought. It has been 20 years since Kildare woman Deirdre Jacob went missing. She was 18-years-old when she vanished in the Summer of 1998. Deirdre Jacobs family say they are totally in the dark as to what happened to her. The then 18-year-old was last spotted in her hometown of Newbridge at around 3pm on July 28, 1998. She then vanished. A number of women went missing around the time of Deirdres disappearance which has led to endless speculation. Her father Michael though says he would prefer if people could keep an open mind. Gardai have taken around 2,500 statements and followed 4,500 lines of inquiry. Despite this, they are no closer to knowing what happened to Deirdre All it may take would be one person coming forward with the crucial information. Deirdre's father Michael is reminded of her all the time. He said: Every day since there are reminders all along the way and you never know when you're going to get a real jolt into the realisation of what has happened. - Digital Desk. By Gordon Deegan A consultant psychiatrist who had his car hi-jacked by a machete wielding man who was on bail has hit out at Ireland's bail laws. Four days before last Christmas Day, Dr Narayanan Subramanian and his wife, Anju Sara Alex had just returned home at 11.20pm from a scan from the maternity hospital for their first child when they were confronted outside their front door by Declan Sherlock armed with his machete that had a 29cm blade. Mr Sherlock (23) held the machete up to the stomach of Dr Subramanian and in his victim impact statement read out at Ennis Circuit Court, Dr Subramanian said: This man made one of the best days of our life after the scan of our unborn on that day in to one of the worst we could have ever imagined in our life." Dr Subramanian said Mr Sherlocks threat to stab putting the machete on my tummy at my doorstep and threatening to stab my wife and our unborn baby would be hard to forget for us in years to come. During the evidence in the case, Garda Noelle Bergin agreed with barrister for Mr Sherlock, Pat Whyms BL that the threat to stab the Ms Alex and her unborn baby wasnt part of the State case and didnt appear in the Book of Evidence. Mr Sherlock lived in the same Dromard estate in Ennis as the couple at the time and in her victim impact statement, Ms Alex - who is a nurse - said that the threat posed by Mr Sherlock to my life, my husbands and our unborn baby is unspeakable. In the incident, Mr Sherlock who has 24 previous convictions - demanded the keys of the couples car and high on Zanax drove the car down the motorway towards Limerick and crashed it after a high speed chase with Gardai. Traumatised by the event, the couple fled their home and Ms Alex said that Mr Sherlock totally ruined our Christmas celebrations and made it one of the worst Christmases of our life. She said: It would possibly take me years to get over the psychological impact of the threat and knowing that this man is supposed to be behind bars for not complying with bail conditions when he threatened to stab us and steal our car and crash it which makes it worse. Mr Sherlock has pleaded guilty to nine separate charges from the incident including hi-jacking the car, threatening to kill Dr Subramanian on Enniss Lahinch Rd at the Dromard housing estate, criminal damage, possession of a weapon and dangerous driving. Mr Sherlock was on bail at the time having secured High Court bail after being refused bail in the district court in relation to an assault causing harm charge. In his victim impact statement, Dr Subramanian said: It baffles me to this day to find out after his criminal activity that this man had a few convictions in the past, was on bail - after being refused bail initially, and skipped bail a week earlier only to threaten to stab his innocent neighbours and steal their car to crash it, whose only fault was being his neighbour. He said: Obviously, there is something not right with the criminal justice system and it appears that the rights of repeat offenders is more important than the safety and rights of the larger public and innocent victims like us. Dr Subramanian went on: It can be understood of course that first time offenders should be treated with compassion and given another chance. However, I cannot understand how a repeat offender like this man would be able to roam freely after a few convictions, pending criminal charges in the courts only to commit more crimes. He added: I always wondered who will be held accountable for the psychological and financial trauma incurred by repeat offenders like him with pending charges committing more criminal activity. Dr Subramanian said: To flee our house on the eve of Christmas only to desperately look for another house to live, buy another car for work and take leave from work due to the stress caused by this mans callousness for our life and property and worry about the safety of your wife and unborn child is impossible to describe in words. He added: It is sad that victims like us end up fleeing criminals like him and suffer the psychological trauma and financial impact of such criminal activity and live in fear while repeat offenders continue to offend as appears to be the case with this man. Dr Subramanian said that there needs to be more accountability in the criminal justice system in relation to repeat offenders, otherwise they will continue to offend and not much will change in the longer run. Counsel for Mr Sherlock, Patrick Whyms BL said that his client wishes to make a fulsome apology to the couple and has written a letter to that effect. Mr Whyms said that there was no evidence of a threat against Ms Alex. Mr Whyms said that the evidence was that Mr Sherlock was off his his brains on drugs and what he did was completely irrational as he didnt require a car to go anywhere. Sherlocks previous convictions include one for assault and the unlawful seizure of car; 10 under the Theft Act; four under firearms and offensive weapons; three unauthorised takings of cars and five traffic offences. Garda Bergin said that when Mr Sherlock is not under the influence of drugs, he is a pleasant man to deal with. Judge Gerald Keys remanded Mr Sherlock in continuing custody to October for sentence. A teenager arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing in Waterford has been released without charge. 25-year-old Jack Power from Brownstown in Dunmore East was discovered with stab wounds at Shanakiel in the early hours of yesterday morning. By Tom Tuite A 49-year-old woman has been accused of stealing about 65,000 from a Dublin credit union over seven years years. Susan Redmond, with an address at Thornville Drive, Kilbarrack, Dublin 15, faces 11 counts of thefts of various sums totalling 65,500 from Larkhill & District Credit Union. It allegedly happened over 11 dates between 2006 and 2013. She faced her second hearing when she appeared before Judge Brian OShea at Dublin District Court on Friday. The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed she was to face trial on indictment in the circuit court. However, her solicitor Niall Walsh told the judge his client could be sent forward to the circuit court on signed plea of guilty. This means a trial would not be necessary and a book of evidence and would not have to be served as she would be sent to the higher court for sentencing. Judge OShea noted she had indicated her plea. He acceded to the defence request to adjourn the case until a date in September when the signed plea would be ready. Legal aid has been granted. The charges are contrary to the Theft and Fraud Act Authorities in El Salvador say 234 people are known to have died in a major earthquake which struck Central America on Saturday. At least 122 people are believed to have been buried alive in a mudslide triggered by the earthquake in San Salvador's Las Colinas neighbourhood. Many more are missing after 7.6-magnitude earthquake and the Red Cross says that about 1,200 people are unaccounted for in that disaster. National Police in El Salvador also said that 2,000 people were injured in the mudslide. Officers added that 16,000 houses were damaged, 4,200 destroyed and that 87 churches and 39 other buildings were damaged. "It was like a wave of dirt that covered us," said Emilio Renderos, 60, a watchman employed in Las Colinas. "It was horrible." Pope John Paul II has urged the international community to come to the aid of the earthquake's victims. Mexico has sent an air force plane with aid and promises of help have come from the United States, Spain and Taiwan. The quake shattered buildings in several cities in El Salvador. Smaller aftershocks were felt in San Salvador late on Saturday but there was no immediate information on their magnitude. Centred off the country's southern coast, the tremour also rocked Honduras and Guatemala. Buildings swayed as far away as Mexico City. Salvadoran President Francisco Flores declared a national emergency and appealed for international help to search for survivors. Gardai have recaptured a prisoner who escaped from custody this morning during a hospital visit. The 32-year-old was on a routine visit to St James's Hospital in Dublin. He managed to escape through a window shortly before midday, but was recaptured in the Kilmainham area of Dublin just after 3pm. He was serving a 18-month sentence at the Central Mental Hospital for larceny and minor drug offences. The man was due to be released tomorrow. Robert Garrigus had a one-shot lead in the opening round of the RBC Canadian Open before play was suspended for the day due to dangerous weather. The American, who had completed his round before thunderstorms interrupted play, carded a blemish-free nine-under 63 - including five straight birdies in his first six holes. He added four more on the back nine, helped by a stroke of luck on the 13th when his ball hit a rock to save it from the water. Closest rival Adam Schenk shot 10 birdies and two bogeys to finish on 62, while compatriot Chris Stroud was third with 65. Ian Poulter, Hudson Swafford and Byeong Hun An all finished a shot further back, while Kevin Tway was also sitting on six under with three holes left to play. Two-time defending champion Jhonattan Vegas was two under through 16 holes. Play was suspended due to the weather at 4.30pm ET (9.30pm Irish time) and resumed just over two hours later. It was stopped again for the day at just after 8pm ET (1am Irish time). Following the first break, Tommy Fleetwood shot up the leaderboard after hitting two eagles and two birdies in four holes. He finished the day on five under with two holes still to play. The round is due to resume at 7am ET (12pm Irish time) on Friday, with round two scheduled to get under way half an hour later. PA Geraint Thomas ticked off the final mountain test on the Tour de France and snatched six bonus seconds to extend his lead in yellow as Sky team-mate Chris Froome slipped off the podium two days from Paris. Primoz Roglic took victory on stage 19 to Laruns by 19 seconds, enough to propel the Slovenian above Froome into third place overall going into Saturday's decisive time trial. Thomas was second on the stage, nabbing six bonus seconds to extend his lead over closest rival Tom Dumoulin to two minutes and five seconds. With his own bonus seconds applied, Roglic moved into third place, 13 seconds ahead of Froome who slips to fourth, two minutes and 37 seconds behind Thomas. Team Sunweb's Dumoulin may be the world time trial champion, but Thomas will be confident of defending his advantage in Saturday's 31-kilometre race against the clock which will settle the general classification fight. This was the stage that worried Team Sky more - a 200.5km test from Lourdes that included over 5,000 metres of climbing and took on the Aspin, Tourmalet and Aubisque. The race came to life at the foot of the Tourmalet, as Ilnur Zakarin of Katusha-Alpecin attacked and drew out Movistar's Mikel Landa, AG2R La Mondiale's Romain Bardet, and Bora-Hansgrohe's Rafal Majka. Sky looked unruffled but over the course of the Tourmalet's 17km, at an average gradient of 7.3 per cent, the group pulled more than two minutes clear, and that advantage only grew as they caught the day's breakaway on the descent. What a ride from @GeraintThomas86. Faultless in the mountains, he sprints to second place, taking six bonus seconds and extending his race lead ahead of tomorrow's deciding time trial #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/eogQxgY3PH INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) July 27, 2018 Landa was second on the virtual classification at that point, within 80 seconds of yellow, but their advantage would begin to dwindle as they started to attack one another on the Aubisque. As the yellow jersey group closed in on those up the road, Roglic's LottoNL-Jumbo team-mate Steven Kruijswijk and then Dumoulin launched attacks to test Thomas. The Welshman was quick to respond but Froome looked in trouble, at one point dropping a full 30 seconds behind as his legs span furiously and his tongue hung out. The four-time Tour winner needed the help of the tireless 21-year-old Egan Bernal to pace back on, and as he caught the yellow jersey, Landa and Bardet were being brought back. A terrifying descent followed as they raced down the mountain in poor visibility. It was in the mist that Roglic attacked, the former junior world ski jump champion launching from the side of the mountain to move into the podium places. Thomas looked in control as he followed his team-mate down the descent and then, as has become his style in this Tour, he produced a sprint in the final few hundred metres, hoovering up the six bonus seconds that come with second place to pad what looks to be a commanding lead. World champion Peter Sagan, struggling hugely after a nasty crash on Wednesday, was dropped on the Col d'Aspin and looked in a world of hurt as he hauled himself over the climbs. However, the Bora-Hansgrohe rider, needing simply to make it to Paris to win the points classification, made it inside the time cut - more than 38 minutes down - and now looks set for a sixth career green jersey. PA Donald Trump's administration says they have reunited 1,800 migrant children with their families after they were separated at the US-Mexico border. Last month, footage emerged of toddlers being taken away from their parents and put in cages at US detention centres. Police in the UK are investigating the death of a six-year-old boy following what is believed to have been a "pellet gun injury". Humberside Police said they were called to Church Lane in Sproatley, East Yorkshire, on Thursday afternoon to reports that the boy had been seriously injured. Macquarie Group used to be known for taking risks, but the outgoing boss, Nicholas Moore, changed that during his decade-long tenure after the bruising experience of the global financial crisis. The firm is now much less reliant on revenue from volatile investments in listed markets, with about 70 per cent of earnings coming from annuity-style investments, its infrastructure investments, financial services and corporate finance business. Loading Analysts are upbeat about the prospects for Macquarie, one of Australia's few truly global success stories. Offshore income now accounts for more than half of group profits. About 62 per cent of its operating income is sourced overseas, with 24 per cent coming from North America alone. Australias embattled new electronic property e-transfer platform cannot efficiently handle the bulk property settlements required by property developers, sparking fresh concerns about its looming mandatory use in October. The shortcomings in the e-transfer platform will create a lot of angry developers .. and some very upset purchasers if using it becomes mandatory in two months, a peak developer body has said. The new online property title transfer and payment system will be rolled out in the middle of this years peak spring property selling season, one month before a state election in Victoria. Some developments needs to settle 1000 apartments over a short period. Credit:Jessica Shapiro Any hiccup would cause havoc with thousands of eager home owners bidding at auctions each weekend and trying to settle their purchases. After all the controversy Facebook has generated in recent months, it seemed almost inevitable that at some point, the social media giant would get what it had coming. A reckoning. Wednesday's disappointing earnings report and Thursday's historic 19 per cent share plunge appeared to be a fitting conclusion to an easy narrative. But the story isn't that simple. Yes, the privacy protections the company put in place after a series of scandals played a role in the dismal earnings. But the company's bigger problem is that the main social network - the invention that made it a corporate behemoth - simply can't grow much more. It's the days of reckoning for Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg Credit:New York Times And the new dollars Facebook will mint in the next few years will have to come from businesses that are less certain, like ads in chat applications, virtual reality, television-like video content and social media updates that disappear. Carrying in his hand luggage some sheets of Melbourne-made artificial skin, an Australian burns specialist will fly to Greece on Friday night on a mission to help survivors of the country's devastating wild fires. Dr John Greenwood, a former South Australian of the Year celebrated for his work in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings, will assist surgeons in Athens treating a number of severely-injured patients who have suffered full-thickness burns. Nicole Briguglio with some synthetic skin made at PolyNovo's Port Melbourne plant. Credit:Chris Hopkins The wild fires, which broke out on Monday in coastal areas around Athens, have been described as a biblical disaster. A blaze all but wiped out of the popular holiday town of Mati where a group of 26 people died, huddled together, caught by the flames in their attempt to reach the sea. More than 80 people have died in the fires and as many as 200 have been injured. A man has dragged himself to a quad bike and ridden to his farmhouse to call for help after cutting his leg with a chainsaw while chopping logs on his property north-west of Brisbane. LifeFlight's Toowoomba-based Rescue Helicopter responded to the man's call for help on Friday afternoon and flew to his property located north of Dalby. The man is airlifted to hospital after the chainsaw mishap. The victim had used his belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The LifeFlight critical care doctor and Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic assessed and treated the man's injuries at the farm. A man who was shot and dumped on a Gold Coast road last week has had his leg amputated in hospital due to the "extensive injuries" inflicted by the gunshot, according to police. Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said detectives have identified and spoken with all three men allegedly involved in the shooting and charged two with several serious offences. The scene on Helensvale Road after 42-year-old Luke Tomlinson was shot on Thursday, July 19. Credit:Nine News Gold Coast - Twitter Emergency services were called to Helensvale Road in Helensvale about 2.30pm on Thursday, July 19, and found a man with a gunshot wound to his lower right leg. He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Detective Inspector Thompson said on Friday that the victim remained in hospital after having one of his legs amputated. It is not clear whether the entire leg has been lost or just part of it. Life will never be the same for Neville Limbrick after the 73-year-old was viciously beaten in his home, leaving him without the full use of his legs. He had been an energetic grandfather enjoying life on his property at Bearii, near Cobram, until April 27 last year, when Jamie OToole, 45, dragged him out of bed across the concrete floors at 2.30am. The beating he received was brutal. OToole, in his own words, lost it as he hit the elderly man over and over with an iron pole. Mr Limbrick was found gagged and bound with duct tape and rope, his face and body swollen and bleeding. The haemorrhage to his brain was so serious he was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with his life under threat, but he held on. A Perth photographer who was a convicted member of the Evil 8 has completed his sentence and will be subject to a post sentence supervision order. Benjamin Simon Clarke was sentenced to three years in prison in 2016 after he became involved with a father and his daughter on Craigslist. Clarke was an amateur photographer at the time of his arrest. Clarke was 47-years-old and living in Bedfordale when he negotiated to photograph the mans daughter both clothed and unclothed, and bought her outfits from a sex shop for her to pose in. Clarke then distributed the photographs to others online and by a USB, and at one point indecently assaulted the girl by masturbating over her as she lay on a bed. Police are searching City Beach and surrounding suburbs for missing Piara Waters man who has not been seen since Thursday morning. Police are searching City Beach for missing man Nicholas Richard Henihan. Credit:WA Police Nicholas Richard Henihan, 46, was last seen near his Piara Waters home about 8.25am on Thursday and police hold concerns for the missing mans welfare. Information from police inquiries led to them searching the City Beach area, and officers are currently at Reabold Hill, next to Oceanic Drive. Mr Henihan is described as fair-skinned, about 179cm tall, with a medium build, red hair and blue eyes, and is understood to be wearing a black polo shirt, brown trousers and blue shoes. Canberra will play an important role in the Australian space race, even if the new Australian Space Agency moves elsewhere, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says. Mount Stromlo Observatory: Canberra is already home to a high level of public and private space infrastructure. Credit:Daniel Spellman However Mr Barr warned any decision not to base the headquarters in the ACT would be a political one. The agency will be based in Canberra for its first year, but its head - former CSIRO boss Dr Megan Clark - has been tasked with finding a permanent home. Mr Barr said he'd met Dr Clark twice and provided the Canberra prospectus to her. Labor MP Peter Russo will write to Speaker Curtis Pitt to allege a physical altercation occurred during estimates hearings. The complaint relates to an allegation LNP MP James Lister pushed Mr Russo, the chair of the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee, on the left shoulder during Thursday's session. Labor MP Peter Russo claims he was pushed during a break of estimates hearings. Credit:Chris Hyde Mr Russo, a respected lawyer who defended Gold Coast doctor Mohamed Haneef and former federal Speaker Peter Slipper, said Mr Lister pushed him on the shoulder "to get my attention". "I'm trying to focus on what's going on and what people are saying and what the questions and responses are," he said. Taxpayers paid $13,600 for a now-shelved 12-metre sign and scaffolding to commemorate former Labor deputy premier Terry Mackenroth at Suncorp Stadium. But Sport Minister Mick de Brenni lashed out at the LNP's questions about the proposed new name for the stand during estimates, arguing it was "morbid". Queensland Sport Minister Mick de Brenni lashed out, describing a "prop" used by an LNP member as "disgusting". Credit:Darren England/AAP In July, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the stand would be named to commemorate the former politician, known as "The Fox", who died in April and was a leading player in the redevelopment of the Suncorp Stadium. However, within a week, Ms Palaszczuk announced she was scrapping the plan after his family was surprised, hurt and disappointed by the reaction. Government ministers including Attorney-General Martin Pakula are under pressure to stand down after police opened a fresh investigation into the misuse of almost $400,000 in taxpayer funds before the 2014 election. The explosive revelation on Friday that police would reopen the investigation into the "red shirts" rort just four months out from the November poll has rattled some Labor MPs who fear it could be fatal to their hopes of re-election. Victoria's Ombudsman found hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars were used to pay for Labor campaigners called the "red shirts". Credit:Scott Barbour Opposition Leader Matthew Guy leapt at the police announcement, saying it was untenable for the ministers involved in the rort to continue in their roles while police investigated the matter. One Labor MP said the investigation would be a massive distraction from Labor's campaign if it was not resolved soon in the government's favour. Washington: North Korea transferred the remains of an unspecified number of soldiers killed in the Korean War, the White House said on Thursday, a first step by Pyongyang to implement an agreement made in a landmark summit in June in Singapore. Kim Jong-un during the meeting with Donald Trump. Credit:AP The repatriation of remains of US soldiers missing in the 1950-53 conflict is seen as a modest diplomatic coup for US President Donald Trump because it was one of the agreements reached during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12. "Today, (Kim) is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," the White House said in a statement. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Cops are searching for the cyclist who they said rode into a guy and sent him crashing to the ground in Sunset Park last month, then fled the scene. The bicyclist slammed into the victim on June 4 as he crossed a crosswalk on 53rd Street at Seventh Avenue around 5:50 pm, knocking the man to the pavement and causing blunt-force trauma to his head, according to police, who said the bike rider pedaled away on 53rd Street towards Sixth Avenue. Paramedics rushed the victim to NYU Langone HospitalBrooklyn in critical condition, authorities said. Officers described the man they want to question as black-haired and in his late teens to early twenties. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 5778477 or in Spanish at (888) 5774782. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All tips are confidential. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Some brute attacked a livery driver with a blade in the middle of a Greenpoint street on Tuesday, before grabbing the victims keys from his car and fleeing, cops said. A passerby recorded a video of the tussle, which shows the fiend swipe at the driver with his weapon in the middle of the road as other motorists honked around them, and police circulated the footage via social media the next day in an attempt to track the maniac down. This viral video might be key in helping us catch his violent suspect, officers from Patrol Borough Brooklyn North wrote on Facebook. The lout driving a white Hyundai with Florida plates allegedly tailgated the 24-year-old ride-hail driver on McGuinness Boulevard near Norman Avenue, and when traffic stopped for a red light around 1:30 pm, the goon jumped out of his car and started screaming the victim cut him off, according to Police Department spokeswoman Det. Sophia Mason. The jerk then pulled out a box cutter on the driver, Mason said, and the video shows a good Samaritan tried to intervene as the sicko lunged at and chased the victim in the street, dancing around his black sedan with Taxi and Limousine Commission plates as the guy held his hands up in defense while other motorists laid on their horns. And as the baddie rounded the drivers vehicle, he pulled open its front passenger-side door and grabbed the keys from its ignition before hopping back into his ride and hitting the gas pinning the victim against another truck as he sped off, the footage shows. Paramedics took the victim to Woodhull Hospital, where doctors treated him for bruises and cuts, according to Mason, who said police know the man theyre looking for based on the video, but have yet to arrest him. Everyone sees his face but we dont have anyone in custody, she said. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 5778477. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor India's Sun Gold and China National Gold are launching a joint gold mining project in Russia's Siberia region, the two companies said in a joint statement during a Johannesburg summit of BRICS member states. In 2016, the sides agreed that Sun Gold would sell a 70-per cent stake in the project, the Kluchevskoye gold deposit, to China National Gold, a major global gold producer. The Chinese gold company would, in turn, contribute to its development expertise. However, the deal was delayed for various reasons, including red tape issues in Russia. A pre-production ... Reliance Industries, which operates the world's largest single-location refinery processing about 1.4 million bpd, on Friday said it will stop Iranian crude imports from November if the US sanctions kick in. It also said this won't lead to supply disruption as it sources a very small quantity of its total crude imports from now. According to sources, RIL's from had surged by about 45 per cent to 67,000 bpd in 2017 after it began sourcing crude from the country in April 2016 and in the January-April 2018, it imported about 96,000 bpd. Trade sources said recently RIL booked about 8 million barrels of US crude following the threat to re-impose sanctions. is the second largest importer for Iranian crude after China. "Our shipment from has come down to much smaller portion of our overall imports now. And by November our thinking could be to comply with the sanctions," V Srikanth, RIL's group deputy chief financial officer told reporters. Without elaborating further and disclosing how much it imports from Iran now, he ruled out the possibility of supply disruptions. "We source from all over the world and there are plenty of other crudes available in markets like and Saudi Arabia, among others," he said. The US, in March this year, unilaterally withdrew from its 2015 nuclear deal with and re-imposed economic sanctions on the country. It also threatened to penalise other countries dealing with Iran from November. RIL began to import crude from Iran in April 2016 after a six-year hiatus after the then sewed up nuclear deal with At its peak, RIL used to source as much as 5 million tonne a year from Iran. Bowing to international pressure to isolate Iran over its nuclear programme, RIL had in January 2009 stopped exporting petrol to Iran and from February 2010, it had stopped buying crude from it as well. RIL, which has substantial investments in US shale gas projects, besides being a big supplier of fuel, cannot afford to overlook the sanctions. It also has other telecom businesses in the US. RIL exports most of its 62 million tonne output from the Jamnagagr refinery, making it the single largest source of export earnings for the nation. It ships petrol to the Middle East, the US, Southeast Asia and Australia while diesel is exported to Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia. RIL's statement assumes importance as so far the official government position has been that it will follow the national interest. Yesterday media reports said Iran was reportedly planning to provide ships as well as insurance cover to continue exporting crude to Earlier this month, Hindustan Petroleum had cancelled Iranian oil cargo after it faced insurance issues. (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.) SoftBank Group Corp said on Friday it will team up with India's Paytm to launch a digital payments service in Japan. SoftBank, which has invested in Paytm, said the service will be launched in autumn through a joint venture with Yahoo Japan Corp. Japan is lagging far behind other countries in areas such as fintech, SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said last week. The Japanese government is trying to promote the uptake of digital payments. Technology firms, telecoms operators and banks are increasingly offering such services in Japan. has said that it is working with regulatory authorities to fast-track restart of operations at its copper plant in Tuticorin. The government had in May ordered permanent closure of Vedanta's unit in the state after 13 people among protesters, demanding its shutdown on environmental concerns, were killed in police firing. "At Tuticorin, our copper smelting operations were shut at the end of March, initially for scheduled maintenance activities. The shutdown has since been extended as the company's annual renewal of its consent to operate was rejected by the State Board, pending additional clarifications," Vedanta said in its Annual Report 2017-18. The company, it said, is working with the relevant regulatory authorities to expedite the restart of the operations of the plant. On its acquisition of Electrosteel Steels, the company said: "We see favourable market dynamics for in India, and together with integration efficiencies with our iron ore business in Jharkhand, this acquisition is value-accretive for Vedanta." The (NGT) had earlier this month sought response from the state government and the State Board on a plea moved by the metals and giant challenging the order to permanently close the plant. In April, the board rejected Sterlite's plea to renew the Consent To Operate, saying the company did not comply with the stipulated conditions, following which the government issued a permanent closure order on May 28. The cancellation of land allotment for the proposed expansion of the plant had come a day after the government ordered the state Pollution Control Board to "seal and permanently close" the unit. Tagging as a priority growth state, said it expects to create at least 30,000 local jobs by setting up 15 stores in the state. Walmart India, which already runs four Cash and Carry stores in UP, recently launched a fulfilment centre (FC) in Lucknow, which created 1,500 new skilled jobs. In the UP Investment Summit held earlier this year, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government to open 15 wholesale Cash and Carry stores. "Each store is likely to create 2,000 direct and indirect jobs, thereby generating at least 30,000 local jobs in the state," Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajneesh Kumar who represented in the Investment Summit, told PTI from Mumbai. Walmart India will attend the ground-breaking ceremony in Lucknow on Sunday where Prime Minister and Chief Minister will take stock of the progress in the implementation of the MoUs signed during the UP Investment Summit. The mega ground-breaking event is billed to see a launch of various projects worth Rs 600 billion by large like Walmart, Reliance, Adani, Mahindra, PayTm, TCS and GAIL. When PM Modi will lay one brick here in Lucknow, ground-breaking for the projects would be done digitally in the districts concerned, said UP Minister for Industries Satish Mahana. Kumar, who will be present at the ceremony on Sunday, said, "UP is a priority growth state for us. Walmart is making deep investment in agriculture supply chain, enhancing small farmers capabilities and sourcing from them for its stores in UP and other states." Through our Cash and Carry stores and FC in Lucknow, we are not only creating new jobs but supporting and enabling small kiranas, farmers and local SME suppliers to succeed, he said. "We are delighted to bring best practices in retail to our kiranas, best practices in farming and food safety to our farmers and SME suppliers," he added. We are confident of making a difference to the lives of thousands of farmers, kiranas and local suppliers as we grow our business in line with government vision of bringing inclusive prosperity, Kumar said. In addition to existing stores and FCs at Lucknow, Agra and Meerut, the company is bringing its wholesale Cash and Carry stores to Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur and other cities. ALSO READ: Walmart to use blockchain technology to procure farm produce in UP Kumar said these stores can also become a great platform for saree weavers in Varanasi and many such artisans who struggle for market access. "The company can help create an ecosystem for these artisans just like it has been able to do with small farmers and other small suppliers in UP and other states," he pointed out. Walmart recently acquired a 77 per cent stake in Flipkart. In future, it is highly likely that it will leverage Flipkart to give wider visibility of such artisan/weaver clusters. This will not only improve lives if these neglected groups, but also provide visibility to their products to millions of consumers directly, Kumar said. Walmart runs Sunhara Prayas in UP to support farmers in enhancing their productivity and income by connecting them to the market. The Centre has asked the CBI to probe the alleged misuse of data of India's users by British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a significant move ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Prasad said the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) will determine whether violated the Information Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code(IPC). The data mining and analysis firm earlier faced allegations it used personal information harvested from 87 million accounts to help Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential election. As members in the Upper House expressed concern over social media platforms being used to spread rumours and fake news, Prasad also said the government has asked them to provide technological solutions so that verified fake news and provocative messages can be filtered. Cambridge Analytica(CA) is at the centre of a storm in the country over the alleged breach of user data seeking information about its clients in and whether it had harvested their user profiles. The controversy had triggered a war of words between the BJP and the Congress. Prasad while responding to the concerns by members during a calling attention notice on the misuse of social media and propagation of fake news causing unrest and violence referred to the reported breach at Facebook where the data of a large number of users were allegedly compromised by He said notices were immediately issued to the two companies and their response sought. "Facebook responded that they will streamline their internal processes regarding the handling of personal data. They stated that the case of was a case of breach of trust. They promised to take various other steps to ensure that such breaches do not recur," Prasad said. However, he said, Cambridge Analytica gave an initial response that data of Indians was not breached but this was not in conformity with what was reported by Facebook. Cambridge Analytica also did not respond to a subsequent notice. "The Government has entrusted this issue to be investigated by the CBI for possible violation of Information Act, 2000 and IPC," Prasad said, adding it is suspected that Cambridge Analytica may have been involved in illegally obtaining data of Indians which could be misused. He said there were also reports that user data was "illegally accessed by hardware manufacturers who had tie-ups with Facebook. In regard to this issue, Facebook has reported that they are not aware of any misuse of information, including Indian users' information." Prasad also said that the Centre will strengthen the legal framework to ensure that significant social media and instant messaging service providers targeting Indian users, do not deprive them of the right to hold proceedings in and protecting Indian laws, the Electronics and Information Technology(IT) minister said. He said the government was seriously considering appropriate rules requiring all social media platforms to locate their grievance officers in "The duty of such grievance officer should cover not only to receive grievances in real-time basis but also to inform law enforcement agencies," Prasad said. Earlier, members including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad had raised serious concern over the incidents relating to abuse of social media leading to mob lynchings, with some of them even accusing the government of inaction. In his response, Prasad said "these (incidents) are deeply painful and regrettable, as well as a matter of deep concern for the Government. The Government has taken prompt action". However, he said "a challenge has emerged (but) in its wake, we cannot abolish the existence of social media. India has emerged as a digital power. Even a common Indian is armed with the power of information and can raise questions. "We should see both aspects. Social media is helping many students, small groups are exchanging information, farmers are using it. We need to introspect if you question the relevance of social media." He said the government planned to issue directives in public interest requiring all social media platforms to ensure that they "do not become vehicles for promoting hatred, terrorism, money laundering, mob violence and rumour mongering."These platforms should provide technological solutions so that verified fake news and provocative messages can be filtered by technical solutions. They should also "bring in a more effective mechanism for receiving grievances and report to the law enforcement agencies. They should seek to provide the facility of verifying fake news on the platform itself," he said. Observing that the government does not regulate content appearing on social networking platforms, Prasad said these platforms however are required to follow due diligence in accordance with the Information Act and the Rules. "They (social networking platforms) have also to follow Article 19(2) of the Constitution and ensure that their platforms are not used to commit and provoke terrorism, extremism, violence and crime," he said. A protester, who was injured in the violence that occurred during the stir on Wednesday at Kopar Khairane in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, succumbed to his injuries on Friday. With this, the death toll in the violence that erupted across the state during the quota agitation earlier this week now stands at three. Doctors at the JJ Hospital said Rohan Todkar (25), who had sustained multiple injuries to his head, hands and legs, died today after being shifted to the state-run hospital at Byculla on Thursday. Facing flak from the Maratha community representatives and Opposition, who have accused him of dillydallying on the issue, Chief Minister has decided to convene an all-party leaders' meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister late last night and attended by senior BJP ministers, including Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh and the party's state unit chief, Raosaheb Danve. Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Patil and some of his colleagues met Maharashtra Backward Class Commission Chairman Justice (retired) MG Gaikwad this evening in connection with a survey report that ascertained the backwardness of the Maratha community. The report is to be placed before the Bombay High Court, which is hearing a case in connection with demands for reservation for the community. Former chief minister Narayan Rane, who met Fadnavis and also some protesters few days ago, today said the government was "capable of giving quota". Rane added that he would facilitate a meeting between the chief minister and the community leaders in a day or two. Rane, however, also advised the protesters "to not stretch things beyond a point" to ensure that the community did not suffer. "I will facilitate communication between the chief minister and the in a day or two. I will convey the demands of the protesters. If the CM is okay with it, will facilitate the meeting," he told reporters here. Rane said he would urge the chief minister to take a stand on the issue that the community could trust. Amid the heightened activities centring around the reservation issue, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray made a strong pitch for proffering reservations based on economic status rather than caste. His comments came a day after a decade-old video showing former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh making similar recommendations went viral on the social media. Addressing partymen in Pune, Thackeray said, "I have been saying this for long that economic condition, not caste, should be the only criterion to give reservation. "Because when one community gets reservation, another one comes forward and that leads to conflict and creates hatred between communities...and there is no end to it." So far, six MLAs have announced their resignation, expressing solidarity with the quota protesters. However, only one of them, Shiv Sena's Harshvardhan Jadhav, has tendered his resignation personally in the office of Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade. Marathas, a politically dominant community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding a 16-per cent reservation. The community members had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands. The stir, however, turned violent earlier this week with the protesters pelting stones, torching vehicles, blocking roads and stopping train services in several parts of the state. The violence began after a 27-year-old protester from Aurangabad jumped to death in the Godavari river on July 23. Another demonstrator from the same district had consumed poison and died a day later. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the in Johannesburg and said the friendship between the two countries is deep-rooted. The meeting between the two leaders comes after their informal meet in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. Indias friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia pic.twitter.com/xMl1k6XWX9 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2018 During their meeting in Sochi, India and Russia had elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day The theme of the summit is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the Iran is offering to insure oil cargoes to India after some local insurers stopped providing the service in the face of impending US sanctions, industry sources said, a move that would help Tehran continue supplying its second-biggest oil client. Most refiners in Asia, Iran's key market for oil sales, are gradually reducing the amount of oil they take from the OPEC member as they want to maintain access to the US financial system when the sanctions kick in. Tehran recently insured oil cargoes to India in tankers operated by National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) as the threat ... After several weeks of speculation regarding the recommendations of the committee of experts on data protection, headed by Justice B N Srikrishna, it appears that a copy of the committees proposed legislation has finally leaked to the Caravan. One of the issues covered by the Caravan, in its report on the draft Bill, is the recommendation of the expert committee to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005. As per the Caravans reporting, the committee has recommended amending the existing Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act in a manner that supposedly tilts the law in favour of ... The US bankruptcy court has asked Nirav Modi and two of his aides Mihir Bhansali and Rakhi Bhansali to appear before it after Punjab National Bank (PNB) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) filed petitions to this effect. Mihir was head of the US arm of Firestar Diamond and Rakhi was a director in the firm. PNB and MCA had filed a petition to issue subpoena or witness summons in the court. This writ is issued by a court to compel testimony by the accused. For PNB and the MCA, this also means access to 13 million documents of the companies that are ... The US and India are working together "hand in glove" diplomatically and militarily to build dimensions of the critical bilateral relationship ahead of the "two-plus-two" dialogue, a State Department official has told American lawmakers. During a Congressional hearing, Alice Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said the US is looking forward to the "two-plus-two" dialogue with India in New Delhi in September. She said she expects substantial progress will be made in the bilateral relationship during the dialogue. "On India, we're looking ahead to the September 6th two-plus-two and the joining of forces between Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo and (Defence) Secretary (James) Mattis to help define what (is) major defense partnership," Wells said, responding to a question from Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera. "We're working together hand in glove diplomatically and militarily to build out the dimensions of what Secretary Pompeo said is one of our most critical relationships," she said. The September meeting will be the first "two-plus-two" dialogue between India and the United States. Last month, the US had postponed the dialogue due to "unavoidable reasons". The dialogue, a vehicle to elevate the strategic ties between the two countries, was announced last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump. It has been rescheduled at least twice since then. Indicating that the two countries are close to signing the long-pending foundational agreements, Wells said, "We're going to be able to demonstrate both in terms of the progress we make on the agreements we can reach that will make it easier for US to share classified information and undertake logistical activities together." ALSO READ: US designs waiver plan for India to purchase weaponry from Russia The dialogue is expected to give meaning and definition to how major purchases and on-the-ground activities such as the Malabar Exercise can work together to secure the Indo-Pacific region, Wells said. Congressman Bera said it was important for the US to continue sending the message that it sees India as a major defence ally and "incredibly important" in helping the US stabilise the strategic region. US President Donald Trump accused Twitter Inc on Thursday of restricting the visibility of prominent US Republicans, without providing evidence, and the avid user of the social media platform promised to investigate. Trump accused the company of targeting fellow Republicans with a practice dubbed "shadow banning," limiting the visibility of a Twitter user including in the platform's auto-populated dropdown search box. Twitter denied "shadow banning" anyone. "Twitter 'SHADOW BANNING' prominent Republicans. Not good. ALSO READ: ... A powerful commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that Donald Trump should address any threats against Tehran directly to him, and mocked the US president as using the language of "night clubs and gambling halls". The comments by Major-General Qassem Soleimani, who heads the Quds Force of the Guards, were the latest salvo in a war of words between the two countries. "As a soldier, it is my duty to respond to your threats ... If you wants to use the language of threat ... talk to me, not to the president (Hassan Rouhani). It is not ... Hours after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired a meeting of ministers over the Maratha reservation row, two MLAs have resigned. Bharat Bhalke, Congress MLA from Pandharpur constituency (Solapur) and Dattatray Vithoba Bharne, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Indapur constituency (Pune), submitted their resignations to the Vidhan Sabha speaker on Thursday night. Prior to that, Shiv Sena MLA from Kannad (Aurangabad) constituency, Harshvardhan Jadhav, offered his resignation amid Maratha community's protest across the state demanding reservation in government jobs and education. In a show of solidarity with the Maratha Reservation agitation, the Pune Bar association on Thursday said that people arrested in connection with the protests will not be charged by advocates of the association for the cases filed against them. The quota for Marathas has been a highly contentious issue, with the community comprising of around 30 per cent of the state's population. In 2017, a huge rally was held by the Maratha Kranti Morcha over the issue in Mumbai. Besides reservation for the Maratha community, loan waiver, Kopardi rape and unemployment are some of the other issues against which the community is protesting. On a related note, a Maratha community member, Jagannath Sonavne, who attempted suicide during the protest here, died on Wednesday. Sonavne, who consumed poison, was undergoing treatment at a hospital. Earlier on Monday, another Maratha protestor, Kakasaheb Shinde, jumped to death in the Godavari River in Aurangabad district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A total of 36 students, who were allegedly sexually assaulted, were rescued by the police from a Madrasa here on Friday. The Maulana of the Madrasa was also arrested on charges of sexual assault in Pune's Katraj suburb. The police has initiated an investigation into the matter. "Maulana of a Madarsa has been arrested for sexually assaulting his students in Katraj, Pune. Total 36 students have been rescued. We have registered a case against him. Further investigation underway," said Kondhwa police inspector, Milind Gaikwad. The Madrasa reportedly houses students between the ages of 5 to 14 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Friday dismissed the reports which suggested that Congress is mulling to abolish income tax for people under 35 years of age if it comes to power in 2019. "I was asked the same question in the morning and I said no. So, I am going to say the same thing. There's no such plan," said Surjewala during a press briefing here. Earlier, reports emerged that the Congress is contemplating to abolish income tax for people under 35 years of age if it wins 2019 general elections. The plan was reportedly proposed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at a party meeting on July 13. India is set to see around 15 million first-time voters casting their vote next year during the general elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached foreign currency worth USD 8000 and Nepalese Rupees worth 4067, which was recovered from Mohd. Umer Madani, an active member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). As per the ED, the said foreign currency was meant for undertaking terrorist activities in India. A criminal case was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) against the accused on the basis of an FIR filed by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police under Section 489 (c)/120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 17, 18, 20 and 23 of the Unlawful Activities (P) Act. The Delhi Police had recovered fake Indian currency equivalent to Rs. 50000, USD 8000, and Nepalese Rupees 4067, besides other incriminating documents, from Nepal-based Madani, who was working as an organiser for the LeT and motivating youths for terrorist activity in India. Madani was allegedly given the task of recruiting youth for terrorism and funding them. He was found involved in hatching conspiracy with other LeT militants in order to carry out terrorist and disruptive activities in India. After the filing of a case, Delhi's Tis Hazari Court had convicted him for the alleged offences and awarded five years imprisonment. The attachment of foreign currencies has been made under Section 5(1) of PMLA, 2002. Further investigation is underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American stars Ellen Burstyn and James Caan are all set to star in Michael Lembeck' rom-com 'Welcome to Pine Grove!' Burstyn will play the role of a widow who moves into the Pine Grove Senior Community and discovers it's just like high school, full of cliques and flirtatious suitors. Whereas Caan will portray the role of the new guy at Pine Grove and Burstyn's love interest, confirmed Variety. The screenplay, written by Donald Martin, is based on a story by Powell, which was inspired by his grandmother's own experience of moving into a retirement community. Powell, Dominique Telson and Fred Bernstein will produce the flick with Rick Jackson and Claudine Marrotte. Meanwhile, Burstyn is all set for Noah Hawley's 'Life on Earth' at Fox Searchlight. Caan will next be seen in BBC Films' crime drama 'Out of Blue'. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following Apple's footsteps, Google has updated its Play Store policies to ban apps that mine cryptocurrencies. The updated policy explicitly ban apps which mine cryptocurrency on devices. However, the new policy permits apps that remotely manage the mining of cryptocurrency, Mashable reported. Of lately, a lot of apps have been reported as discreetly using a smartphone's processing power to mine the new-age currency. Another issue plaguing apps today is cryptojacking, when scammers insert crypto-mining software into other apps. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On July 26, China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) and Chinese Internet security company Qihoo 360 struck a strategic agreement to conduct cooperation in vehicle cybersecurity. At the same time, both parties announced the establishment of the CATARC-360 ICV Cybersecurity Joint Lab (joint lab) and the Vehicle Cybersecurity Monitoring Center. Reportedly, the joint lab focuses on the research of vehicle cybersecurity technologies and the construction of cybersecurity attack and defense system, aiming to become the industrial-leading lab in vehicle cybersecurity test and assessment whether at home or abroad. In addition, the Vehicle Cybersecurity Monitoring Center co-built by both parties is designed to analyze and handle threat intelligence data relating to vehicle cybersecurity from multiple dimensions. Under the agreement, both signers will help the joint lab identify automobile network anomaly and illegal hacking events by monitoring the domestic vehicle cybersecurity status. To be specific, CATARC provides vehicles, while Qihoo 360 works on automobile data attack and defense. Furthermore, CATARC and Qihoo 360 will jointly release a vehicle cybersecurity testing report, which draws materials from the production vehicle cybersecurity tests made by the joint lab. Moreover, both parties will co-launch tailored automobile cybersecurity products, which will be utilized to protect vehicle terminals from being hacked, by making use of technical achievements from the joint lab under the current law architecture. A civilian and one security guard were injured after two terrorists barged into a bank and opened fire in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Friday. The terrorists forced their entry into the Mohamadpora branch of Jammu and Kashmir Bank in an alleged attempt to loot cash. However, the bank guard opened fire to stop them. According to reports, the gunmen retaliated by firing their guns, injuring two people including the bank guard. The two injured were taken to Kulgam district hospital for treatment. While the civilian, identified as Ashiq Hussain, sustained a bullet injury in his hand, the bank guard suffered a bullet injury to his leg. Meanwhile, a search operation is still underway. Further details in the incident are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice BN Srikrishna submitted its report on "Data Protection Framework" to Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad. The Committee was constituted by the union government in July last year to deliberate on a data protection framework. Prasad said that the report submitted by the Justice Srikrishna Committee will be a milestone in the larger narrative of digital development. While addressing a press conference here, he said, "India proactively took a bold step on the issue of net neutrality and firmly upheld that right of internet access is not negotiable. Today's report of the Justice Srikrishna Committee will be a milestone in the larger narrative of digital development." Prasad further said that India's data protection law should be a blend of security, safety, privacy and innovation and a model for the whole world. "The Centre will take stakeholder comments along with taking cabinet approval before finalising the legislation. Being a very monumental law, the government will like to have the widest parliamentary consultation possible," he added. On the other hand, Justice Srikrishna said that the interests of the citizens and the responsibilities of the state have to be protected, but not at the cost of trade and industry. "We held meetings with stakeholders at major IT hubs of India. We also put out a white paper on the subject after looking at the laws world over and raising a number of issues. We discussed all these issues and prepared this report," he added. Justice Srikrishna further said that the draft bill has been prepared through an open process where the members of the committee consulted all stakeholders. He also highlighted the need for efforts to protect privacy as it is an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty, as data is not a matter of property, but a matter of trust. "We leave our footprint everywhere, we leave our data everywhere. Somebody is making money out of it. So let's control it and make sure that the country is empowered and citizen is empowered. We have dealt with the issue of consent. We have gone into the extent to which the state can intrude into the privacy of citizens. We have also looked into concepts like the Right to Recall Data and Data Portability," he said. Justice Srikrishna noted that a three-fold approach was taken with regards to the location where data should be stored. "In this report, we have left it to the sectoral regulator to identify the critical data relating to their respective sectors," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference on Friday sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Commission of Women's (NCW) proposal to abolish the practice of confessions in church. Archbishop of Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, Soosai Pakiam, said, "NCW chairperson should not dictate to abolish this practice." He even condemned the 'irresponsible statement' made by the NCW, saying that a responsible commission should not hurt the feelings of the followers of a particular religion. Earlier in the day, the NCW recommended abolishing the practice of confessions in churches as it increases the chances of blackmailing of women. The recommendation came in the wake of the recent rape case against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, where the accused allegedly threatened to disclose the victim's confessions, made in church. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Friday threatened the Centre that they would join the agitation led by the Dalit outfits if amendments are not made in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by August 9. While addressing the media, LJP leader Chirag Paswan raised an objection on the appointment of retired Justice AK Goel as the chief of the Green Tribunal, who as per the party acted against Dalit interests by passing judgment on diluting provisions of the SC/ST Act. "We wanted the Centre to bring an ordinance about SC/ST Act. But it could not be done now. So, we have asked the Centre to reintroduce it as a bill in the Parliament on August 7 and restore the previous law, as Dalit protests on August 9 could be more aggressive than April 2 protests," Paswan said. "If our demand is not met by August 9, then LJP will join Dalit protesters and we could see a repeat of April 2," he added. LJP, which is an ally of the Democratic Alliance (NDA), had earlier demanded to introduce an ordinance or executive order to restore stringent arrest rules in SC/ST Act. In April, Dalit organisations across the country staged a massive protest against the judgment of the top court. The apex court, on March 20, introduced the provision of anticipatory bail in the act while directing that there would be no automatic arrest on any complaint filed under the law. On April 3, the Centre filed a review petition against the ruling, which went in vain as the top court refused to stay its order and asked all parties to submit detailed replies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Conference (JKNC) leader Omar Abdullah on Friday stressed on the need to form an alliance of opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the forthcoming 2019 General Elections. Abdullah comments came after he met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Howrah to discuss the prevailing situation in the country, the fear that prevails particularly among the minority communities of the country, and the need to form an alliance to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. When asked if a federal front comprising of all regional parties will be possible as they will have differences of their own among themselves, Abdullah said that a true federal front would be one where there are no differences. "There are parties that have a leadership role in their particular areas. For example, take my party and Mamata Didi's party, we don't have any differences. But going ahead, other parties will have to be included. We will try our best to set our differences aside and put the best foot forward in terms of taking the fight to the BJP," Abdullah told the media. He further stated that one of the BJP's biggest failures has been J-K, saying that the internal situation in the state had "remarkably deteriorated" since 2014. "The reality is that the BJP government at the centre was unable to conduct even a parliamentary by-election for the seat that was vacated by Mehbooba Mufti. He swatted away questions related to the name of the alliance or its Prime Ministerial candidate. Meanwhile, Mamata stressed on the need of all regional parties working together, saying, "Please don't pick and choose the individual names to divide us. All regional parties have to work together against BJP. Our intention is very clear. It's a fight for 2019 against BJP." Discussions were also held between the two leaders regarding the prevailing situation of Jammu and Kashmir (J-K), with Abdullah saying that Mamata has always been concerned about the state, particularly about the economic activity and Jammu and Kashmir's tourism. He also said that she has been a great supporter of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in various capacities, citing the support she extended to the state when she was the Union Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government , and recently as the Chief Minister of West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany announced the opening of the application period for the 'Merck More Than a Mother' Media recognition Awards 2018. The applications are invited by media professionals to showcase their work to raise awareness about infertility prevention and break infertility stigma in Africa. The awards were introduced last year to recognize the outstanding health journalism and to recognize individual professional journalists who have produced accurate, informative, and compelling stories about infertile women or couples in Africa. "I strongly believe in the critical role media play to sensitize communities. Therefore we have created these media awards with the aim to recognize the outstanding journalistic coverage that enhances the public engagement and understanding of infertility, breaking its stigma and emphasizing the need to change the social perception of it in African communities. We have also started two relevant hashtags #MenToo can suffer infertility not women only, and #NoForInfertilityStigma to appeal to all our media partners to start this movement across their platforms," said Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck More Than a Mother. Who can apply? Journalists from print, online, radio and multimedia platforms. Last date of submission: Entries can be submitted till 31st March 2019. How to apply? Entries can be submitted via email to mystory@merckmorethanamother.com. Merck Foundation recently concluded a ceremony to announce the winners of the 'Merck More Than a Mother' Media Recognition Awards 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya. The ceremony was attended by over 200 journalists from 17 African countries. Here are the details of first award winners from profession journalist's category from each segment: The Award from the Multimedia Segment was given to Ms. Namukabo L Werungah and her team from NTV Kenya for their excellent story named 'A tale of pain and shame of childless women in Busia'. The First Award from the Print Media Segment was received by Mr. Gardy Chacha, Senior Health and Science Reporter from Standard Newspaper, Kenya. He was selected for his soul-stirring story named 'Cecilia Wairimu: One woman, Three marriages, 11 years of Infertility'. The First Award from the Online Media Segment was given to Ms. Molatelo Mainetje, News and Current Affair Producer and Documentary Filmmaker from South Africa for her short film called 'Womb Man'. Asha Bakidusa, Journalist with Royal Media Services Limited, Under Bahari FM, Kenya was given the First Award for the Radio Segment for her program on 'How family men supporting their spouses in cases of Infertility'. All the award winners were present during the ceremony to collect their award. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, that held its meeting in Washington this week, has expressed serious concerns over restrictions on religious freedom in China, particularly on the minority groups such as Uighurs, Hui, Kazakh Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Falun Gong. In a statement after its three-day deliberations, the Ministerial in a statement said that these groups are facing severe repression and discrimination in China. The Ministerial, held from July 24-26, was hosted by US Secretary of State, Michael R Pompeo. It saw interaction between various stakeholders, including foreign ministers, representatives from international organisations, religious leaders and members of civil society who discussed the challenges and ways to fight religious persecution and discrimination. The concluding session was also attended by US Vice President Mike Pence. At the end of its three-day discussions, the Ministerial released specific statements on China, Iran and Burma. "As representatives of the international community, we are deeply concerned about the significant restrictions on religious freedom in China and call on the Chinese government to respect the human rights of all individuals. Many members of religious minority groups in China- including Uighurs, Hui, and Kazakh Muslims; Tibetan Buddhists; Catholics; Protestants; and Falun Gong- face severe repression and discrimination because of their beliefs. These communities consistently report incidents in which the authorities allegedly torture, physically abuse, arbitrarily arrest, detain, sentence to prison, or harass adherents of both registered and unregistered religious groups for activities related to their religious beliefs and peaceful practices. Authorities also restrict travel and interfere with the selection, education, and veneration of religious leaders for many religious groups. We are concerned by the government's longstanding efforts to suppress Uighur Muslim and Tibetan Buddhists' religious, linguistic, and cultural identities," the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, backed by the US State Department, said in its statement on China. The statement was released following the State Department's meeting with religious leaders, civil society groups, survivors of religious persecution, and delegations from foreign governments for this Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, in which Vice President Mike Pence and other senior Trump administration officials also participated. The statement mentioned that reports of the Chinese government's deepening crackdown on Uighurs and members of other Muslim minority groups were worrisome. It mentioned undue restrictions on freedom of religion, destruction of mosques, high level of surveillance and efforts to pressure other governments into forcibly returning of Uighurs to China or to coerce family members of Uighurs still in Xinjiang to encourage their community members living aboard to return. Besides, detention of hundreds of Uighurs and members of other Muslim minority groups in facilities ranging from makeshift holding centers to prisons under the banner of "political re-education," in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region was also a cause of concern. "There are reports of deaths in these facilities. We call on the Chinese government to release immediately all those arbitrarily detained," the statement said. This grouping also expressed concerns over the Chinese government destroying or limiting access to houses of worship, including Protestant and Catholic churches and community buildings. "Authorities evicted at least 11,500 monks and nuns from Tibetan Buddhist institutes at Larung Gar and Yachen Gar since 2016. Officials also restrict access to, confiscate, and destroy Bibles, Qurans, and other religious materials. We remain concerned about the impact of amended regulations to govern the activities of all religious groups and the draft regulations on foreigners' religious activities in China," the statement said. "We strongly urge the Chinese government to protect the religious freedom of all individuals and to respect the human rights of all members of religious groups in accordance to China's international commitments to respect freedom of religion. Such developments will only further peace, security, and stability in China and among its neighbors," the statement said. Earlier, Pompeo, in an Op-Ed article in USA Today, had called for putting an end to religious persecution in countries like Iran and China. "Around the world, adherents from innumerable faith backgrounds suffer similar violations of their most fundamental human rights. Earlier this year, the State Department hosted six United States-based Uighur journalists with Radio Free Asia's Uighur Service. Their reporting indicates that Chinese authorities are likely detaining, at least, hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in internment camps in Xinjiang. One journalist, Gulchehra Hoja, shared that 23 of her family members have been detained in the region. She, like others, have little to no information about her family's well-being," Pompeo wrote in the article, a copy of which is also posted on the US State Department's website. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is likely to join Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. The decision was taken following consultations between PTI leader Jahangir Tareen and MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, The Dawn reported while quoting sources. The alliance will be formalised after a formal meeting between the leaders of the PTI and MQM-P, sources added. The MQM-P has won six seats in the current general elections so far, according to the ECP. The ECP has released results of 268 out of 270 National Assembly (NA) constituencies. As per the ECP's preliminary results, PTI has won 115 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who are in the second (63 seats) and third positions (43 seats) respectively. Meanwhile, Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan has tasked Tareen with recruiting independent Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA). The decision was made after an advisory meeting was held in Islamabad. The PTI will also hold discussions with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) to form the government in Punjab province. PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar has announced that the party would not participate in a multi-party conference called by PML-N and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), in order to form a joint strategy against alleged rigging in the general elections. The Dawn quoted Babar saying, "The PPP leadership will devise its own political strategy [over alleged poll irregularities]." The ECP on Thursday announced that final results of Pakistan elections would be out within 24 hours. It further clarified that the Pakistan polls were conducted free and fair. The electoral body said that the overall voter turnout was 51.85 per cent. An additional director of the ECP said that the voter turnout in Punjab stood at 55.9 per cent, followed by 48.11 per cent in Sindh, 45.52 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 44.79 per cent in Balochistan respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 8 people, including an Indian passenger, died in a road accident on Friday afternoon. The mishap took place when a commuter bus en route to Pokhara from capital Kathmandu collided with a truck in Nepal's Chitwan district. The deceased Indian passenger was identified as Firoz Miya from Betiya, Bihar, the police informed. "We felt like that the driver had hit the brake of the bus but it went forward and collided. The bus fell into the river bank," one of the injured, identified as Pramod, told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Returning Officer (RO) on Friday accepted a plea filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Saad Rafique challenging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan's triumph in the NA-131 (Lahore 9) constituency. Rafique, who lost to Imran in a closely-fought contest, filed a complaint citing irregularities in vote-count process. In his plea, Rafique claimed that the presiding officer deliberately rejected hundreds of votes to make Imran win while also demanding a recount of votes in the NA-131 seat. Furthermore, the PML-N leader demanded that unless the votes were counted again, the results should not be declared, Geo News reported. According to unofficial results, Imran won the constituency with 84,313 votes, defeating Rafique, who managed to get 83,633 votes. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released results of 268 out of 270 National Assembly (NA) constituencies. As per the ECP's preliminary results, PTI has won 117 seats, followed by PML-N and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who are in the second (64 seats) and third positions (43 seats) respectively. The PML-N and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Friday chaired an all-party meeting in Islamabad to discuss the future course of the action of all the political parties on the results of Wednesday's general elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington D.C. [U.S.A.], July 28 (ANI): The United States of America has raised concerns with regards to the Pakistan General Elections 2018 which were held on Wednesday this week. In a statement, the US Department of State pulled up the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan regarding flaws in the pre-voting electoral process. "These (concern) included constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities' stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election," the statement read. US Department of State further stated that they are in agreement with the conclusion of the European Union Election Observation Mission, whose report notes that while there were positive changes to the legal framework for elections in Pakistan, these were overshadowed by restrictions on freedom of expression and unequal campaign opportunities. It further expressed concerns about the participation of terrorism-affiliated individuals contesting elections but applauded the citizens for rejecting them in the elections. "The United States commends the courage of the Pakistani people, including many women, who turned out to vote and showed resolve to determine their country's future," the statement read. It also condemned the terrorist attacks that 'marred' the election process, and offered condolences to the victims and their families. The US announced that it will continue to 'encourage broadening opportunities for political participation for all Pakistanis, and for the further strengthening of legitimate, democratic institutions." "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia." Yesterday, the US Department of State expressed concern over the alleged rigging of the Pakistan elections. In response to a question put forth by ANI about 'Free and Fair' elections in Pakistan, a US Department of State spokesperson said the US was hopeful of working with the new government towards achieving prescribed goals of security and stability in South Asia. Pakistan went to polls on Wednesday and the counting of votes began soon thereafter in the evening. Various political parties and journalists have alleged that the elections were rigged in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan. The unofficial results of the general elections have portrayed Khan as the next Prime Minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is currently lodged in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail for a corruption case, has said that the mandate of the people of the country has been snatched. Sharif, whose comments came during a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, played down the results of the recently-concluded general elections saying that his party rejected it. Criticising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who are enjoying a dominant lead in the Pakistan general elections, Sharif added that PTI party chief Imran Khan was "handed victory on a platter." The three-time former prime minister stated that he believes in his stance of 'respecting the vote' and standing for reinstatement of civil supremacy. Expressing shock over the loss of political heavyweights from their constituencies such as his successor Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Sharif underscored that there were some seats where the PML-N could never lose. On July 6, Nawaz and Maryam were convicted in connection to the Avenfield reference case by the Accountability Court. While Nawaz was given ten years of imprisonment and fined eight million pounds, Maryam was awarded eight years in jail and fined two million pounds. Meanwhile, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif's son, Hamza Shahbaz expressed confidence on forming a government in Punjab province. Former interior minister Chaudhary Nisar, who was contesting the elections on an independent ticket, lost from both NA-59 and NA-60 constituencies in Punjab province for the first time since 1985. Nisar, who also contested from Punjab's two provincial seats (PP-10 and PP-12), won only the PP-10 seat. Recently, Nisar parted ways with PML-N after several differences cropped up. Pakistan went to polls on Wednesday and the counting of votes began soon thereafter in the evening. The ECP has released results of 268 out of 270 National Assembly (NA) constituencies. As per the ECP's preliminary results, PTI has won 117 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who are in the second (64 seats) and third positions (43 seats) respectively, The Dawn reported. Various political parties and journalists have alleged the elections to be rigged in favour of Imran Khan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday enquired about the ill health of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M. Karunanidhi and prayed for his quick recovery. The Prime Minister also spoke to Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin and daughter Kanimozhi regarding the same. "Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health," the Prime Minister tweeted. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also wished former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi for a speedy recovery. Meanwhile, DMK working president MK Stalin informed that party president Kalaignar M Karunanidhi's health has improved and that he is recovering steadily. Addressing the media in Chennai, Stalin said, "he (Karunanidhi) is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down." Earlier, several political leaders including Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, DMK's Dayanidhi Maran visited Karunanidhi at his residence in Gopalapuram on Thursday. Karunanidhi is suffering from high fever due to Urinary Tract Infection and has been admitted to Kauvery Hospital since July 18. He is on intravenous antibiotics. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday re-affirmed India's support to African countries. Addressing the 10th annual BRICS summit in Johannesburg in South Africa, Prime Minister Modi emphasised on fostering peace and development in the African counties. Prime Minister Modi said, "Since the past four years my government has prioritised development and peace in Africa." Talking about how India has lent a helping hand to developing countries worldwide, he said, "We have designated line of credits worth $11 billion to more than 40 countries. Further, the Indian private sector has invested $54 billion in the African countries." The theme of this year's BRICS summit is - 'BRICS in Africa - collaboration for inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th industrial revolution'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz on Friday expressed confidence of forming government in Punjab province. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PML-N won 127 seats out of results declared on 289 seats so far. The Punjab Assembly comprises 295 members. Speaking at a press conference here, Hamza who is the son of party president Shehbaz Sharif was quoted by Geo News saying: "The PML-N has emerged as the biggest party in Punjab [in the elections], and we will form a government in Punjab. We will fight back if any obstacles are [hurled in our way]." Thanking the people of Pakistan for voting for PML-N, Hamza underlined that under the leadership of Shehbaz and jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the party would continue to discharge its constitutional duties. Taking on the ECP for delaying the results of the general elections, Hamza asserted that it was the first time in the history of Pakistan that the results had been delayed by over a day. "The Results Transmission System (RTS) also failed despite (Pakistani) Rs. 21 billion invested in it," he further said. The ECP on Thursday announced that final results of Pakistan elections would be out within 24 hours. It further clarified that the Pakistan polls were conducted freely and fairly. Pakistan went to polls on Wednesday and the counting of votes began soon thereafter in the evening. The ECP has released provincial results of 260 out of 270 National Assembly (NA) constituencies, which shows that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is leading with 116 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who are in the second (59 seats) and third positions (42 seats) respectively, according to Geo News. Other parties are leading in 30 seats, while independent candidates have 19 seats. Various political parties and journalists have alleged the elections to be rigged in favour of Imran Khan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hari Om Pandey sparked a fresh controversy after stating that the cases of heinous crimes such as rape and murder are rapidly increasing due to the growing Muslim population in India. The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar also asserted that soon a new nation like Pakistan will be carved out from India if the government fails to curb the rising Muslim population in the coming days. "The menaces such as of terrorism, rape, sexual harassment prevailing in India is only because of the rising Muslim populations. If one looks closely, there is a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslim populants since the time of Independence," said Pandey. He also added that the increased population will result in unemployment and stagnant economic growth which in-turn will bring anarchy in India. Pandey was of the view that a bill pertaining to the matter should soon be introduced in the Parliament and the necessary measures should be taken at the earliest for curbing population growth. "I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI):The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Preet Vihar in East Delhi in his report on Friday said that the three girls who died in Mandawali recently were given some unknown medicine mixed in hot water by their father, Mangal Singh, before they died. Three sisters aged 8, 4 and 2 years were found dead on July 24 morning in Madawali area in East Delhi. Their post mortem report claimed that the girls possibly died due to starvation as their stomach was empty. Following their death the Delhi Government had ordered a SDM level inquiry to find the possible reasons behind the deaths. "The facts, that all the three children died during the same day in the morning hours of July 24, her father Mangal Singh gave some unknown medicine by mixing in the hot water to all the three children during the night of July 23, and the father Mangal Singh has not returned since the morning of July 24 raise an element of doubt of matter and require further investigation in the matter," SDM Arun Gupta said in his report, that was accessed by ANI. SDM Gupta further said that the three girls were suffering from loose motions and vomiting which may have been due to some stomach infection but they were not provided proper medicines or adequate ORS solution which may have caused dehydration. Mother of the children, Benu Singh, is mentally unstable and not in a position to depose before the SDM. The report added said that the elder girl, who was 8 year old, appeared ill on Monday (July 23) and was also vomiting. She was also provided mid-day meal in the school but she could not eat that due to ill health. The report further pointed out that the 8-year-old had a bank account in her name in the Corporation Bank that had an amount of Rs 1,805. However, the money was not withdrawn from the bank. Copies of attendance register and admission form too have been collected by the SDM. "Considering the living condition of the family and above statements, it seems that nutritional condition of the deceased children was not quite well although the children were getting some food items regularly," the SDM report said. The SDM report was submitted to District Magistrate (East) Shahadara Zone K. Mahesh who has recommended a full-fledged inquiry by police in the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) of Kerala on Friday directed the State Police to take action against those who allegedly posted insulting comments on social media platforms against a 21-year-old-girl Hanan Hamid, who was trolled for selling fish to meet her needs. The CMO has also directed the District Collector to give protection to Hanan. Union Minister of State KJ Alphons has also extended his support to Hanan. Alphons posted on Facebook: Kerala sharks stop attacking #Hanan. I'm ashamed. Here is a girl trying to put together a shattered life. You vultures!" Hanan, a native of Kerala's Thrissur, is the latest victim of cyberbullying. Since past few days she is apparently receiving a lot of flak after a video clip of her selling fish went viral on social media. Hanan, a BSc in Chemistry student, lives with her mother and brother in a rented house. She sells fish after her college hours. This college girl has become a fish seller out of necessity. She sells fish in the busy Thammanam junction in the city to meet the household expenses and college fees besides study material. Hanan follows a daily routine. She wakes up at 3 a.m. Then she goes to Chambakkara riding her bicycle in the wee hours to buy fishes. After that she returns to a place in Thammanam junction to stock the fishes. Back from the college, she comes to Thammanam again and starts selling fishes. Hanan's story was broadly shared on social media platforms by users, which included film artistes and politicians too. But, like always a section of viewers has raised questions on the authenticity of her story, and called it "fake" or a "publicity stunt". A filmmaker, Arun Gopy, reportedly saw the video clip and offered her a role in a forthcoming film. Since then a twist in the tale has taken place. Viewers of the video clip on social media started trolling her and started a malicious campaign by accusing her of trying to promote the film. A section of people on social media has also accused her of trying to make money by giving her bank account number through the media. After receiving so much criticism, Hanan with teary eyes responded to the allegations and said, "People are making false allegations that it was for promotion of a movie. I am not a fraud. I have no other income. My main aim is to continue studies and support the family. Hanan further said that she is ready to pay back the amount credited in her account. She further requested people not to torture her mentally and also not to send her any money. Hanan also refuted claims of her working on a film. Yesterday, Hanan arrived at her regular spot at Thammanam junction to continue her job of selling fishes but as ousted by the police as crowd thronged the area to catch a glimpse of Hanan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A United States court on Friday issued summons to diamantaire Nirav Modi and his aides at the heart of the multi-billion Punjab Bank scam. Sources say that the order also authorises gathering of documents from Nirav Modi and others. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has labeled chairman of Gitanjali Group, Mehul Choksi as the "mastermind" behind the PNB fraud case, calling it a "huge economic scam brewing since 2015." In a charge sheet filed in a Mumbai court on June 28, charges of money laundering under Section 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were lodged by the ED against Choksi. The ED stated that three Indian entities, Gitanjali Gems, Gili India and Nakshatra were involved in obtaining a total of 376 illegal Letters of Undertakings (LOUs), amounting to a total of Rs 5822.02 crore from 2015 to 2017. The ED claimed in the charge sheet that the Vice President of the Gitanjali Group, Vipul Chitalia, had pinned the entirety of the blame on Choksi in his statement to the ED. Chitalia also said that the valuation of goods, which were declared at Rs 3840 crore but were actually worth Rs 103.06 crore, was decided by Choksi without any physical verification of the goods. Labeling Choksi as the "mastermid" behind the behemoth scam, the ED said that Choksi designed the entire scheme of the fraud, along with the movement of the money, under the garb of import and export. The ED also mentioned that Choksi had adopted another modus operandi to defraud the banks, which was revealed upon the scrutiny of the books of accounts of the Gitanjali Group of Companies. According to the ED, the exports from Gitanjali Gems and Gitanjali Export Corporation were made to two Hong Kong based companies, M/s Trans Exim and M/s Tradewell Enterprises. However, the payments for the exports were made by Hong Kong-based M/s 4C's Diamond Distributors and M/s Shanyao Gong Si Ltd, resulting in an under reporting of actual exports to the beneficiaries of the LOUs and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs) that were obtained by Choksi and his aides, whereas over-reporting of exports to M/s Trans Exim and M/s Tradewell Enterprises. The ED stated that Choksi adopted this modus operandi to manipulate transactions to avoid getting detected by banks or auditors, project inflated sales and turnover, to create phony debtors in the books of Gitanjali Gems to enhance credit limits, among other objectives. Earlier today, Choksi issued a statement, saying that he had lawfully applied for citizenship in Antigua to expand his business and to obtain visa-free travel to 130 countries. This came two days after the CBI wrote to Antiguan authorities demanding details about him. The ED had initiated the money laundering case against Choksi in February, on the basis of an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The PNB had detected the multi-crore scam earlier this year wherein Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi had allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of USD 2 billion, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in a statement has claimed that he lawfully applied for citizenship in Antigua to expand his business and to obtain visa-free travel to 130 countries. He said, "I can state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application, I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved. My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa free travel access to 130 or so countries. That remains my reason for choosing to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda." "In January 2018 I had a need to visit the United States to receive medical treatment. Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda," he added in a press statement through his lawyer. This comes two days after Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) wrote to Antiguan authorities demanding details about him. The CBI in its communication sent to Antiguan authority also cited diffusion notice by Interpol against Choksi, seeking details of his movement and his present location. However, India does not have bilateral extradition or mutual assistance legal treaty with Antigua. Keeping that in mind, India which is a member of the Financial Task Action Force reportedly might seek cooperation from the money-laundering watchdog. India may also seek assistance under the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Earlier Choksi refused to return to India, saying he fears "mob-lynching". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The world is witnessing Blood Moon or Total lunar eclipse, the longest of the 21st Century. The rare celestial event can be seen in its entirety from all parts of India. The century's longest total lunar eclipse, which began on July 27, will last till the early hours of July 28. According to NASA, the total lunar eclipse will last for close to one hour and 43 minutes, starting late at night and continuing till the early hours of July 28. "This total lunar eclipse is significant because it is the longest," Director of Delhi's Nehru Planetarium, Ratnashree, told ANI. At some point, when the moon will move into earth's shadow, the sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere will turn the moon red. In Varanasi, devotees are taking a dip in the Holy Ganges at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Blood Red moon was also spotted in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram and Assam's Guwahati city. The day is all the more special in India, as both lunar eclipse and Guru Purnima are falling on the same day. Celebrated on the full-moon day in the 'Ashadh' month of the Hindu calendar, Guru Purnima is a day dedicated to spiritual teachers. Since the festival is celebrated by both Hindus and Buddhists, there are no set rituals that are followed during the day. While some people observe fast to show respect to their gurus, others visit temples to offer prayers and seek blessings. People, who follow living gurus, pray for the long life of their spiritual teachers. Students, on the other hand, celebrate this festival in schools where they worship their teachers and ask for their blessings. In one such instance in Vadodara, children celebrated the festival by worshiping their parents and giving them presents. "We worshiped our parents today because our parents are our first teachers," said a child. Ironically, according to the Hindu tradition, no religious or auspicious practice is performed at the time of the lunar eclipse. Going by this tradition, many famous temples across the country also remain closed for darshan during the period. People performing puja are instructed to do it before or after the eclipse. People following the Hindu religion are advised to take a bath before and after the lunar eclipse. They also avoid cooking or consuming food during that period. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior (BJP) MLA from has stirred controversy by saying that he would have ordered the police to shoot intellectuals, had he been the Union Home Minister. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an MLA from Vijayapura, also branded liberals and intellectuals as "anti-nationals". "These people (intellectuals) live in this country and use all the facilities for which we pay tax. Then they raise slogans against the Our country faces grave danger from intellectuals and seculars than anyone else," Yatnal said at a Kargil event here on Thursday. The MLA had earlier courted a controversy when he told local party municipal members to not help Muslims. Yatnal was a MLA between 1994 and 1999. Between 1999 and 2009, he served as the MP from Bijapur. Under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Yatnal served as minister of state for and Railways between 2002 and 2004. In 2010, Yatnal had quit the BJP to join the (Secular) (JD-S). A year later, he became an independent MLC after quitting the JD(S). However, Yatnal returned to the BJP in 2013. Headline indices of the Australia stock market inclined on Friday, 27 July 2018, with every sector traded higher, led by materials and energy companies on the back of jump in crude oil and base metal prices, followed by financials and consumer goods stocks. Around late afternoon, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index added 49 points, or 0.8%, to 6,293.50. The broader All Ordinaries Index rose 47.72 points, or 0.75%, to 6,385.30. Shares of energy and materials sectors were key contributor to the index rally, on the back of solid gains in crude oil and base prices. Base metal prices rose by up to 0.7% on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday with nickel up the most, exception being Zinc which was down by 0.1%. Global crude oil prices rose again on Thursday after Saudi Arabia temporarily halted oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lane in the Red Sea after an attack on two oil tankers. Investors were also encouraged by the EU-US trade talks. Brent crude rose by US61 cents or 0.8% to US$74.54 a barrel and the US Nymex rose by US31 cents or 0.4% to US$69.61 a barrel. Among Energy stocks, Santos, Woodside Petroleum, and Oil Search inclined in a range of 0.4% to 2%. Index heavyweight BHP Billiton gained after the company agreed to sell its under-performing onshore U. S. oil and gas assets to BP and Merit Energy for $10.8 billion and also said it expects to incur a one-time charge of about $2.8 billion in its full-year results. Shares of gold miners were mixed after gold prices declined overnight. The gold futures price fell by US$6.10 an ounce or 0.5% to $1,223.70 an ounce. The spot gold price was trading near US$1,223 an ounce in late US trade. Evolution Mining lost almost 4%, while Newcrest Mining gained 2% after reporting a 15% increase in fourth-quarter gold output. Shares of banks and financial companies were up, with big four banks - ANZ Banking, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac - higher in a range of 0.4% to 1.3%. AMP shares fell after announcing that it expects H1FY18 underlying profit to be in an estimated range $490-500 million & Targeting an FY18 dividend payout at lower end of 70-90% guidance range. The results are expected to include a provision of $290 million (post-tax) for potential advice remediation in relation to recent ASIC reports. CURRENCY NEWS: The Australian dollar weakened against greenback and other major currencies on the back of rising commodity prices. In Asian trade, the local unit was at US73.80 cents. The Aussie dollar fell from highs near US74.45 cents to lows near US73.70 cents. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On a consolidated basis, Bharti Airtel's net income fell 73.5% to Rs 97 crore on 8.6% decline in total revenues to Rs 20080 crore in Q1 June 2018 over Q1 June 2017. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. ITC's net profit rose 10.1% to Rs 2818.68 crore on 6.9% increase in net sales to Rs 10554.66 crore in Q1 June 2018 over Q1 June 2017. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. Hindalco Industries announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Novelis Inc, announced signing of a definitive agreement to purchase Aleris Corporation, a global aluminium rolled products major, headquartered in the United States, for $2.58 billion in a debt finance deal. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India's leading port infrastructure developer and part of the Adani Group, said it had signed a long term agreement with GAIL (India), the state run gas company, to provide Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification services on a use or pay basis, at its upcoming LNG import terminal at Dhamra in Odisha. As per the contract, GAIL India has booked 1.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) regasification capacity for a period of 20 years. GAIL plans to supply the gas to its portfolio of customers located in the eastern region and along the under development Jagdishpur- Haldia gas grid. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. On a consolidated basis, Biocon's net profit rose 47.23% to Rs 119.70 crore on 21.18% increase in net sales to Rs 1123.80 crore in Q1 June 2018 over Q1 June 2017. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. On a consolidated basis, Tata Coffee's net profit fell 30.48% to Rs 31.22 crore on 14.84% increase in net sales to Rs 422.16 crore in Q1 June 2018 over Q1 June 2017. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. Reliance Industries, HCL Technologies and ICICI Bank will declare April-June 2018 result today, 27 July 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Key benchmark indices saw a gap-up opening triggered by positive Asian stocks. At 9:23 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 199.38 points or 0.54% at 37,184.02. The Nifty 50 index was up 53.85 points or 0.48% at 11,221.15. The Sensex and the Nifty scaled record high in early trade. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.52%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.39%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 804 shares rose and 325 shares fell. A total of 45 shares were unchanged. Overseas, Asian stocks edged higher following a series of steps by China shifting to stimulus mode. US equity indexes closed mostly lower Thursday thanks to Facebook Inc.'s historic plunge, as gains in the energy and industrial sectors weren't enough to offset the social network's meltdown. Back home, ICICI Bank shed 0.47% ahead of its June 2018 quarterly result today, 27 July 2018. Reliance Industries rose 0.46% ahead of its June 2018 quarterly result today, 27 July 2018. Bharti Airtel rose 0.41%. On a consolidated basis, Bharti Airtel's net income fell 73.5% to Rs 97 crore on 8.6% decline in total revenues to Rs 20080 crore in Q1 June 2018 over Q1 June 2017. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. ITC gained 2.86%. The company's net profit rose 10.1% to Rs 2818.68 crore on 6.9% increase in net sales to Rs 10554.66 crore in Q1 June 2018 over Q1 June 2017. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. Hindalco Industries jumped 4.68% after the company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Novelis Inc, announced signing of a definitive agreement to purchase Aleris Corporation, a global aluminium rolled products major, headquartered in the United States, for $2.58 billion in a debt finance deal. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 26 July 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A labourer from Bihar was killed and five others were injured in an explosion in Arnia sub-sector of the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, police said. The labourers were transplanting paddy saplings in Jabowal area of Jammu district when some explosive device went off killing one of them on the spot. The injured were shifted to hospital, a police officer said. The Arnia sub-sector of the IB has been witness to heavy firing and shelling by Pakistan Rangers. Sources said it is quite possible some unexplored shell went off when the labourers were working in the paddy field. --IANS sq/in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as 36 cows were found dead in a cowshed here on Friday, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka, Anto Alphonse, said that a call reporting the incident at a cowshed in Chhawla area's Gumanhera village was received around 12.30 p.m. A team of veterinary doctors from Kakrola, Goyla dairy, Najafgarh, Dichaun Kalan, Chhawla and Nangli dairy arrived at the cowshed, which is being run by Acharya Sushil Gosadan Trust. "The doctors are conducting the enquiry into the cause of death and they will also conduct post-mortem of all the dead cows," Alphonse said, adding nothing can be said as of now. This cowshed is spread over 20 acres of land, which was allotted to the Trust in 1995. With about 1,400 cows sheltered at the cowshed, there are 20 labourers to look after them. "Once their (doctors') report is submitted, further legal action in accordance with the prevalent laws will be taken," Alphonse said. --IANS mg/vd (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.) Five Indian-origin men in Singapore were on Friday slapped with the charge of slashing another Indian-origin man and causing severe injuries. The accused -- Sharvin Raj Suraj, Haresh Shanmuganathan, Arjun Retnavelu, Victor Alexander Arumugam and Dinesh Kumar Ruvy -- were charged with one count of rioting with deadly weapons. They were accused of attacking 26-year-old Dhines Selvarajah with baton, a chopper and a parang in ethnic district of Little India on Wednesday. Earlier reports had claimed a samurai sword was also used in the attack but there was no mention of that in court documents, Channel News Asia reported. If found guilty, the men can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned. Two other men were yet to be charged as investigations against them were ongoing. The incident was believed to have occurred over a personal feud. The victim was taken to a hospital with multiple slash wounds on the back of his head, body, hands and legs. All men will be back in court on August 3. Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam called the attack "horrific" and praised the police for their swift action. --IANS soni/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Friday urged the young Superintendents of Police (SP) to act according to law without waiting for orders from their superiors. "Young police officers should be always remain true to the spirit of serving the police force since it concerns the safety of life, liberty and well-being of every citizen. Always act according to the letter and spirit of law without waiting for orders from their superiors," Bedi said in her valedictory address to the second Conference of Young SPs. The conference was organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ficci). Bedi, a former Indian Police Service officer, said that the SPs shoulder a great responsibility as they are the leaders on the ground while senior officers play supervisory role. "Urged the young Superintendents of Police to 'break free' of anxiety of the next posting. Instead give their best to any position they get. Enjoy the work by upholding of law. Have a day plan. Visit the field daily, interact with the staff and take a regular feedback. Keep learning," she said later in a tweet. Bedi was all praise for the BPR&D for bringing together young police officers and technologically advanced companies dealing in security equipment besides the experts in this field. Recalling her days with BPR&D as its chief, she expressed her satisfaction over its subsequent growth. "This should be made mandatory for every SP instead of limiting it to only 100 of them," she said about the two-day conference of young SPs. She further suggested that BPR&D should start one-time training for the benefit of the entire police force on relevant subjects by use of appropriate technology. Director-General of BPR&D, A. P. Maheshwari hailed Bedi as a symbol of women's empowerment besides being a Magsaysay Award winner and an extraordinary police officer. "An institution like the BPR&D should be set up at the State-level to meet the growing needs of the State Police Forces and train the police personnel as per the local needs and conditions," he said. The first Young SPs Conference was held in 2017 and this was the second such event. The conference was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday. --IANS bns/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has woken up, finally! But not before collapese of houses killed several persons, rains washed away a road, flats were evacuated for fear of more building collapse and vehicles drowned in parking lots. Now the GDA has started taking steps to fix the infrastructural errors in both low- and high-rise buildings across the city. GDA Vice Chairperson and District Magistrate Ritu Maheswari on Friday directed builders, contractors and authority's engineers to launch a survey on a war-footing to detect violation of building construction norms. V.N. Singh, GDA Chief Engineer, said: "We have launched a survey of haphazardly developed buildings and infrastructures without the approval of GDA. In the first phase, our teams found 139 buildings with violation of rules. All the 139 buildings have since been sealed." "Even the buildings of influential persons have been sealed," Singh emphasised. "Since the "Kanwar Yatra" is going to begin, the demolition drive has been put off. Once the annual pilgrimage is over, the GDA will resume the drive to demolish illegal buildings," the Chief Engineer added. On the other hand, Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner C.P. Singh has opened a 24-hour help centre, with Assistant Municipal Commissioner Pramod Kumar Singh as the nodal officer. His can be reached at mobile number 8178016801. Some assistants have also been deputed to attend public complaints. They can be reached on 8178016820 and 9219555568, while the toll-free number is 18001803012. On the second day of rains on Friday, a wall collapsed in Raj Nagar Extension area adjoining a housing society. The repair work was initiated instantly even as filling of land near two societies in Vasundhara -- that had caved in on Thursday -- was progressing satisfactorily. Meanwhile, people in Vijay Nagar locality here were forced to hire divers to get their vehicles out of flooded parking lots. The divers charged anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 to bring out each vehicle from the flooded areas, depending on the size of vehicle as well as the owner's pocket. During the day, District Magistrate Ritu Maheswari also called media persons to the elevated road -- parts of which were said to be flooded after the downpour on Thursday to show them the reality. She said that the videos showing knee-deep water on the newly-constructed road were fake and aimed to create panic. There were no traces of waterlogging on the UP Gate-Raj Nagar Extension Elevated Road on Friday and it was fully operational. --IANS sps/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday urged all anti-BJP parties to put their differences aside and unite against the ruling party at the centre in the 2019 General Elections. Abdullah, who called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here during the day, said they had mainly talked about the prevailing situation in the country and the need to form a united front to take on BJP in next year's Lok Sabha polls, besides discussing the issue of unrest in Kashmir. "...Of course no discussions between the two of us would be complete without discussing the prevailing situation in the country. The fear that prevails among the minority community in the country and also the need that is there for us to be together for a united front, a united force and take on the BJP in the forthcoming General Election next year," he told reporters at the state secretariat Nabanna. "Going ahead the other parties also have to be included. We will try to set aside the differences as far as possible and go for the best in terms of taking the fight to the BJP in 2019," he said. Asked whether Congress would be a part of the proposed federal front, Abdullah, while refusing to give a name to the proposed alliance, said it would be wrong to pick and choose between the parties, stressed on the importance of assembling all the anti-BJP forces together. "We haven't given the alliance any name yet. The names are being given by the media. All parties that are against BJP, will be made a part of this initiative. There is no restriction on any parties. "It will be wrong to say that we will allow certain parties to be in the alliance while some others will be left out. Our attempt would be to assemble all the parties that are against BJP to put up a fight against them in the coming election," he said. However, he refused to comment on whether the opposition should opt for a one-on-one fight with the BJP in the poll. Abdullah, Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir based political party National Conference, also refused to comment on whether Banerjee could be a possible Prime Ministerial candidate stating it was too early and said focusing on names even before the elections would damage what the opposition parties are unity trying to achieve. "Neither the election dates are announced nor the nominations have been filed, so it makes no sense to talk about the Prime Ministerial candidates right now. Our initial aim should be to take our fight to the BJP. It is not correct to thing about names right now. If we start doing that, we will spoil the thing that we are trying to achieve," he added. --IANS mgr/ssp/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A high-ranking Russian Foreign Ministry official on Thursday claimed that a woman who had been arrested in the US for allegedly spying on behalf of the Kremlin was a political prisoner. Artyom Kozhin, the Ministry's Deputy Information Director, said that the arrest of Maria Butina, who was detained on charges of conspiracy against the US and acting as an unregistered foreign agent, was arbitrary and politically motivated, Efe reported. "We demand that the US put an end to arbitrarity and release Maria Butina, whose arrest was solely motivated by the motives of the US' domestic and foreign policy, therefore making her a political prisoner," Kozhin said during a Moscow. The diplomat added that Butina had been imprisoned on trumped-up charges just because of her country of origin. "What is this if not a witch hunt?" the Ministry official rhetorically asked, adding that Russia had formally complained to the US about her treatment and the "strong psychological pressure" she had allegedly been subjected to during the eight-hour search of her residence. Butina, 29, could face a sentence of between 10 and 20 years in prison if found guilty of conspiring against the US and unlawfully acting as an agent for a foreign nation. She was arrested on July 15 in Washington, after an affidavit in support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's criminal complaint accused her of infiltrating organizations such as the National Rifle Association, the National Prayer Breakfast and multiple conservative and religious groups with the purpose of advancing Russian interests. While in the US on a student visa, Butina also allegedly spun a network of contacts linked to the campaign of US President Donald Trump, whom she coincided with at the right-wing libertarian FreedomFest conference in the summer of 2015. After Trump gave a speech at the event, she asked a question from the audience about ending sanctions on Russia, to which the then-candidate replied: "I don't think you'd need the sanctions." She pleaded not guilty on July 18, after which a District Court judge ordered her imprisoned until her pending trial. --IANS qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor, author and former professional body-builder Arnold Schwarzenegger applauded Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama's climate leadership and congratulated him on hosting a critical gathering of the region's leaders. The Climate Action Pacific Partnership (CAPP) Conference in Suva saw the launch of the Pacific Talanoa Dialogue, as part of a series of dialogues directed to raise ambition in implementing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Xinhua news agency reported. "Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, I want to congratulate you for this great event ... I'm currently shooting 'Terminator 6' and so this is why I'm not there. Otherwise, I would have been there, because this is a terrific event," Schwarzenegger said in a video address. He added: "And you have shown terrific leadership. Unbelievable, I mean, you are really kicking some serious butt, so we are very, very proud of you. So thank you very much for everything that you do and you are a great leader in the environmental movement. Thank you." Schwarzenegger and Bainimarama, both known worldwide for their climate advocacy, established a warm relationship at the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 23), according to a Fijian government statement on Friday. --IANS dc/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Delhi Police suffered a bullet injury in a shootout on Friday between a group of five criminals and the police in east Delhi's Mandawali area, officials said. Acting on a tipoff that five criminals have planned to commit robbery at a house, police had deployed its personnel, including ASI Lokesh Sharma, at around 2 a.m. During the encounter, one criminal snatched Sharma's service revolver and fired a bullet, injuring him on his left shoulder. The robbers managed to escape. Sharma was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is undergoing treatment. Efforts are on to nab the accused persons, police said. Police said three or four such gangs, which are active in the area, come by train late in the night and commit snatching and robbery in a posh area near railway track. --IANS Sp/anp/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Inclement weather on Friday forced Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to cancel his day-long visit to Himachal Pradesh. Gadkari was scheduled to inspect the construction of Rohtang tunnel, one of the world's most challenging motorable projects at 3,000 metres above sea level, which will provide an all-season connectivity to the landlocked Lahaul Valley from Manali. Gadkari was also coming to review other central government projects, particularly the national highways, during the visit, the Chief Minister's Office told IANS. The most ambitious and expensive undertaking of its kind, the excavation of the 8.8-km long horseshoe shaped tunnel under the 3,978 metres Rohtang Pass in the Himalayas was completed in October 2017. Now civil engineering work is on, an official said. "As per the current pace of work, most likely we will complete all civil engineering work by December 2019," an engineer involved in the tunnel construction told IANS. "In all probabilities, the tunnel will be made operational by May-June 2020," he added. The project is being built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Defence Ministry, in collaboration with Afcons, a joint venture with Strabag AG. The tunnel's foundation stone was laid by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 28, 2010 in the picturesque Solang Valley. --IANS vg/in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bad weather on Friday forced Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to cancel his day-long visit to Himachal Pradesh that included inspecting the upcoming strategically important motorable tunnel project at 3,000 metres above sea level beneath the Rohtang Pass. The most ambitious and expensive undertaking of its kind, the excavation of the 8.8-km long horseshoe-shaped tunnel under the 3,978-metre Rohtang Pass in the Himalayas was completed last October. Only some civil engineering work is pending, officials said. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur visited the Rohtang tunnel and inspected the construction work. He said Gadkari was to visit Rohtang to review the progress, but due to bad weather he could not reach there. The total cost of the tunnel project is Rs 4,083 crore. The biggest hinderance in construction is managing the Seri rivulet. Completion of work on a stretch of about 600 metres took about four years, he told reporters. The Chief Minister said the tunnel would not only provide all-weather connectivity to the Lahaul valley, but also enable the tourists to enjoy the serene beauty of Lahaul-Spiti district. "The tunnel is also of strategic importance as it would provide all-weather road link up to Leh-Ladakh bordering China. This tunnel is a scientific marvel and on completion would attract tourists from all over the world," an official statement quoting Thakur said. This ambitious project would be completed by November next year, he added. "As per the current pace of work, most likely we will complete all civil engineering work by December 2019," an engineer involved in the tunnel construction told IANS. "In all probabilities, the tunnel will be made operational by May-June 2020, he added. The project is being built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Defence Ministry, in collaboration with Afcons, a joint venture with Strabag AG. The tunnel's foundation stone was laid by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 28, 2010 in the picturesque Solang Valley. --IANS vg/prs/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bank guard and a civilian were injured on Friday when gunmen tried to loot a bank in Kulgam district, police said. Gunmen forced their entry into the Mohamadpora branch of J&K Bank in Kulgam district with an intention to loot the bank, according to the police. "The alert bank guard fired to foil the robbery. Gunmen also fired back, resulting in injury to the guard and a civilian." The injured guard and civilian were shifted to hospital where doctors said their condition is out of danger. The attempt to loot the bank has been foiled, a police officer said. --IANS sq/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal government on Friday announced naming one of its five upcoming universities in the state after Mahatma Gandhi. The university will be built in the East Midnapore district. "The university to be built in the East Midnapore district will be named after Mahatma Gandhi. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lay its foundation stone on October 2, this year," state Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters here. "Four other state-run universities will be built in the districts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad. All these universities have been approved in the state assembly today (on Friday)," he said. Chatterjee said the state Department has identified land for four of these universities by talking to the respective District Magistrates. "Onece the spots choosen for these universities are approved,the department will initiate the necessary infrastructural development and try to make the universities functional as soon as possible," he added. --IANS mgr/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Friday hit back at Congress over its allegations on the Rafale fighter jet deal, saying it had been "profitable" to the country. THe party said the Modi government negotiated the deal with France at nine per cent less cost compared to that done by the former UPA. The BJP posted a video with headline "Facts you need to know about Rafale deal!" on its official twitter handle claiming that the "most ambitious fighter aircraft aquisition project" from France was fixed at Euro 91.75 mn/aircraft (Rs 733.66 crore, as per current exchange rate: one Euro equals to Rs 79.96). According to the video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team put their best efforts to rework the Rafale deal with France in 2016 and "it successfully finalised the deal at 9 per cent less cost" by buying 36 aircraft at Rs 733.66 crore apiece." The video also claimed that in 2011 the price negotiated by the UPA for 126 Rafale aircraft was Euro 100.85 mn/aircraft (Rs 806.43 crore/aircraft). Earlier, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi rejected the fresh allegations as "baseless" , saying the opposition party is repeating same claims in "frustration" which has already been rebutted by Union Ministers and the French government. "The BJP never levelled allegations in defence deals. It was members of Congress government or foreign countries which first alleged corruption in cases like Bofors deal or AgustaWestland chopper purchase," Trivedi said at a press conference. He said those levelling allegations should first hear defence experts and refrain from politicising such deals. The BJP leader said the Congress-led governments never allowed defence production in the country so that it could strike "deals" with foreign suppliers. "Now, they are levelling baseless allegations after the Modi government has started working towards domestic production," he said. Earlier in the day, the Congress accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" on Reliance Defence Limited, which it said didn't have the experience in manufacturing fighter jets, having secured an offset contract from Dassault Aviation for Rs.30,000 crore and a consequent 'Lifecycle Cost Contract of Rs. 1 lakh crore in the Rafale deal. Stressing that national interest was being compromised by the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, Congress demanded that Modi must "break his silence over whether he represented the interest of private companies and industrial houses."--IANS bns/ps/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By increasing productivity and reducing cost, has the potential to create the value of up to $5 billion in in the next five years, a top official of IT industry's apex body has stressed. "The ecosystem is evolving in Creating awareness on how this is simpler and easier to use with the existing and Cloud can go a long way in helping the country realise its potential," KS Viswanathan, (Industry Initiative), Nasscom, said in an interview. Based on the distributed storage of data, technology can enhance the speed of transactions while increasing transparency. It is widely recognised as having the potential to transform several sectors of the economy, including banking, and insurance (BFSI) industry, travel, retail, and supplsy chain, among But despite its potential, the response of Indian organisations to adopt this technology has been far from enthusiastic. The primary factors that are holding back the widespread deployment of this tehnology in is lack of awareness, unavailability of adequate skilled persons and insufficient computing infrastructure, Viswanathan, who also head Nasscom's 10,000 Startups initiative, said. "There are currently just 20-30 good Blockchain startups in the country," Viswanathan said, adding that one way to increase investment in Blockchain is to invest in startups. To create awareness on the importance of the technology and develop skill sets for Blockchain adoption and deployment in India, in February tied up with Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), The two entities agreed to collaborate on various activities, including joint webinars and knowledge sharing. The industry body earlier this month also launched a platform, called FutureSkills, for skills development in eight varied technologies -- (AI), (VR), robotic process automation, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics, 3D printing, Cloud computing, and social and mobile. This platform was launched with the aim of up-skilling two million technology professions and skilling another two million potential employees and students over the next few years. While cybersecurity was later added to the list as the 9th skill, Viswanathan said that Blockchain will be added to the list as the 10th skill by October this year. In collaboration with BRI, also started the first Nasscom Industry Partnership Programme (NIPP) Blockchain challenge from June this year. The shortlisted teams will come together for a 36-hour session in Bangaluru, to be held on July 28-29, to explore new opportunities for co-creating innovative solutions in the areas of For the challenge, eight large corporates including Fidelity Investments, (LTI), ICICI Bank, Amdocs, SAP Labs, and (which is also the knowledge partner) have joined the initiative as strategic partners. "Boosting skill levels, creating awareness on how this technology is simpler and easier to use with the existing and Cloud technology, organising multiple hackathons and getting international research papers on Blockchain published are among the priorities that Nasscom is focusing on to increase deployment of the technology," Viswanathan said. He said that time is not yet ripe for India to think about a regulatory framework specifically for Blockchain as it can come under the ambit of regulations on data security and privacy. Rapper Cardi B has pulled out of an upcoming tour with Bruno Mars. She said that she has made the decision to take additional time to recover "mentally and physically" from giving birth. Cardi wrote on Instagram: "I underestimated this whole mommy thing... I hope you guys understand .This have been such a hard decision. I want to thank Bruno Mars for understanding." Mars in return also sent a message via social media: "Most important thing is you and your family's health. You are absolutely doing the right thing... We love you Cardi and will play 'Bodak Yellow' every night in your honour." Cardi B and husband Offset of the rap trio Migos recently had a daughter, Kulture, whose birth was announced on July 11. The trek was due to kick off on September 7 at Denver, Colorado's Pepsi Center and hit arenas across North America. It is unclear as of yet who might replace Cardi in the opening slot. --IANS dc/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Friday called for innovative steps and multi-pronged strategy to wage a war against pendency of over three crore cases largely in the lower judiciary and the High Courts while a SC judge proposed raising the retirement age of judges in the higher courts. Calling for waging a war which he said was not "physical" but against the "mind-set", Chief Justice Misra said there has to be a team efforts coupled with a plan and strategy to directly attack the cases by bunching them together and other innovative means. In his inaugural address at two day conference on 'National Initiative to Reduce Pendency and Delay in Judicial System', he said that a number of cases involving land acquisition can be decided by adjudicating a notification issued in a particular year that is at the root of many cases. Taking a dig at lawyers seeking adjournment even citing headache, the CJI said: "Adjournment is a disorder." Pitching for the same retirement age for the Supreme Court and the High Court judges, Justice Kurian Joseph - one of the senior most judges of the top court and member of collegium for the appointment and transfer of judges - also said that government should not delay the appointment of judges. In the case of High Court judges, the Central government should not take more than three months on acting on the recommendation of the collegiums and 15 days in the case of Supreme Court judges as most of them before begin elevated to the top court are already judges of the High Courts, he said. "Don't make delays in the appointment of judges," Justice Kurian told the government, and also called for increasing the existing strength of the judges. In the allocation of the cases to the benches in the High Courts, Justice Joseph said that since Chief Justice of the High Courts are from outside the state, they should consult other senior judges of the High Court while allocating the cases - an issue on which Justice Joseph along with Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice J. Chelameswar (since retired) had an issue with Chief Justice Misra. Justice Gogoi - the senior most top court judge after Chief Justice Misra - said at times questions are asked as if the justice delivery system "run its course". "Has it become inserviceable. Does it cater the classes and not the masses?" Referring to 120th and 245th Law Commission reports of 1989 and 2014 respectively on the issue, he said: "We seemed to have moved only a little. Not only because they (figures of pendency) are stunning but they refuse to budge." Urging that we have to start on a positive note, Justice Gogoi said what needs to be identified is how many pending cases raise an alive issue. He said that many of the pending cases are "non-existent or of no consequence". Advocating that "what is pragmatic should be done", Justice Gogoi said: "Once we have figures (of pending cases raising alive issues), then it would be possible to deal then in a "systematic and chronological order". Justice Gogoi pitched for using artificial intelligence in the management of the court and assured that it would produce spectacular results. Saying that the focus of reducing the pendency of cases should be on the lower courts, Justice Lokur said that there are 2.75 crore cases pending at the lower echelon of the judiciary at district level and stressing on the need for concentrating at this level to deal with the problem of pendency. He also pointed to the nearly 30 per cent or more vacancies in the lower judiciary and lack of infrastructure. He said that more than 200 lower courts were functioning from dilapidated buildings and 323 courts building were on rent. The conference has been organised by Supreme Court in collaboration with Indian Law Institute. --IANS pk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Renowned chef, author and restaurateur Ritu Dalmia is going to be part of the ninth edition of the Mountain Echoes literary festival. In her maiden trip to Bhutan, the culinary diva will talk to audiences about her journey as a chef, how she draws inspiration from Italy and what drove her to bring the flavours of Italian cuisine to India. Her session will be an insight into how the culinary experience forms a major part of the modern Indian lifestyle. She will give global audiences a glimpse of how the Indian culinary culture is witnessing a delicious revolution, right from reinventing traditional recipes to introducing foreign cuisines to its palette. The session will serve up a platter of newly acquired tastes and appetites, seasoned with the restaurateur's braising-broiling explorations, said a statement. Speaking about Ritu's session, Mita Kapur, Festival Producer and CEO of Siyahi said: "Food narratives, and archiving of food traditions are seeing a serious revival world over. If you notice, even when strangers meet and if the conversation moves towards food, the connections made, and the bonds formed always lead to lasting friendships because food is a great equalizer and instinctively acts as a leveler. "Ritu's stories and her experimenting with cuisines from different cultures showcases the osmosis between societies. Talking about food adds a joyous note to the Mountain Echoes festival which is already a celebration at many levels." Commenting on the same, Dalmia said: "I am excited to be invited as a guest speaker at 'Mountain Echoes', Thimphu 2018. In my opinion, it is a unique platform to witness a rich cultural affair that is beyond boundaries and connects two strong nations. I am extremely honored to be part of this project and looking forward to it dearly." Honored by the Ordine della Stella d'Italia in 2017, Dalmia has also been featured on the Forbes W Power Trailblazers List in 2017. She was recognized as one of India's 25 Biggest Chefs by the Indian Federation for Culinary Association in 2016. An initiative of the India Bhutan Foundation and India's leading literary agency, Siyahi, the festival celebrates Untouched Beauty, Unexplored Ideas and Unstoppable Voices from the heart of the Himalayas. This edition will also celebrate 50 years of formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India across its sessions. Key themes at this year's edition include Environment and Wildlife, Spirituality and Philosophy, Theatre, Poetry and Food traditions among others. --IANS nv/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China has denied any misconduct in the scrapping of $44 billion Qualcomm-NXP deal, saying the proposal failed to meet the country's anti-monopoly concerns. San Diego-based chipmaker Qualcomm on Thursday terminated its acquisition of Dutch tech firm NXP Semiconductors after the Chinese regulators let the final deadline pass and did not grant approval to the deal. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, China's State Administration for Market Regulation said the Qualcomm-NXP proposal failed to address competition concerns. The regulator added that they had "extended their own deal-review deadline till October 14". The two companies entered into one of the largest tech deals in October 2016 and the deadline to close the deal was extended several times as they waited for China to approve or deny the merger. Eight of the nine countries where Qualcomm has businesses had approved the deal. With no answer from China as the deadline passed on Thursday morning, Qualcomm announced to scrap the deal. Paving the way for a $30 billion stock buyback, the company also announced to pay a termination fee of $2 billion to NXP Semiconductors that makes automotive, security and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. "We will continue to focus on our strong momentum in new growth industries with projected revenues of approximately $5 billion for fiscal year 2018 -- up greater than 70 per cent from fiscal year 2016," Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, said in a statement. --IANS na/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jharkhand Police's CID has begun investigations into a case involving the sale of several newborns at the Nirmal Hriday home of the Missionaries of Charity here, official sources said on Friday. The Crime Investigation Department's Inspector Mohammad Nehal, appointed the Investigating Officer, began the probe on Thursday and took into custody documents and a copy of the FIR from Kotwali police station. A CID official said after going through the case files, shelter home officials and the couples who "purchased" the babies will be questioned. The racket in the sale of infants at the Ranchi shelter home came to light on July 3, with reports of the sale of at least six children to childless couples in the past one year. A police case was registered on July 4. The Missionaries of Charity is a philanthropic organisation founded by Mother Teresa. The FIR said that a child born to an unwed girl staying in the home was sold to a couple from Uttar Pradesh. Two sisters of Nirmal Hriday, Konsilia and Meridian, were questioned in the case and police claimed they "confessed" to their crime. Sister Konsilia and a staffer of Missionaries of Charity were arrested and four children recovered, based on their information. The Missionaries of Charity claimed implication in a false case. --IANS ns/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Friday saying that India has not approached his country on fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi who has secured citizenship of the Caribbean country, Congress alleged complicity on part of Modi government and the investigative agencies. "The tragic part is that Modi government has been lax bordering complicity in ensuring that thousands of crores of money duped by the Indian fugitive are brought back within the ambit of law," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. "We ask Prime Minister Modi and BJP's departmental organisations like CBI and ED as to how Mehul Choksi was permitted to travel to Hong Kong, UAE, Belgium, the UK, the USA and Antigua," he asked. Surjewala said despite that no red corner notice was issued by the Interpol. "Was it on account of some complicity on part of CBI and ED so that he is permitted to take care of his business all over the world?" he asked. "PM Modi who had a close bonhomie with the prime minister of Antigua, needs to answer as to why doesn't he pick up the phone and urge him to detain and arrest Mehul Choksi. "...hand him over to us through the normal process of deportation of criminals that is followed in international diplomacy." "The very fact that the Prime Minister is not doing so raises a doubt about the seriousness and bona fides of Modi government," said Surjewala. Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case along with nephew Nirav Modi, had taken Antiguan citizenship last year. --IANS sid/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former South African President Jacob Zuma, facing charges on multiple counts of corruption, was able to postpone on Friday a court trial after his new defence team argued it had not had enough time to prepare for the case against him. Zuma, who served as the fourth President of South Africa between 2009-18, appeared at the KwaZulu-Natal region high court in Pietermaritzburg, only to have his team of lawyers successfully negotiate for the trial to be postponed until November 30, despite protests from the prosecution that the time period given was too long. The politician has used many tactics to avoid trial, including dismissing his entire legal team in what local media have described as a "Stalingrad Defence", Efe news reported. Zuma fired his long-time attorney Michael Hulley earlier in the month and replaced him with Daniel Mantsha, former chairman of state-owned arms company Denel who has been linked to the powerful Gupta family. The Indian-born Guptas, who own a business empire in South Africa, were close associates of Zuma when he was in power and were involved in many of the controversies and corruption allegations that dogged the ex-President's career. The 76-year-old politician bowed to party pressure in February and stepped down as President and African National Congress leader, ceding the role to Cyril Ramaphosa. Two months later, Zuma was charged with 16 counts of corruption, including criminal association, two counts of corruption and 12 of fraud and one count of money laundering based on almost 783 fraudulent operations allegedly carried out in relation to a multi-million dollar arms deal struck in the 1990s when he was deputy President. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar is looking forward to perform with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in the US and Canada next month. Farhan on Friday took to his Instagram account and shared a picture with the popular Indian music composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, announcing their reunion ahead of the tour. In the photograph, they are seen at an airport lounge. Along with the photo, the "Rock On!!" actor wrote: "Bumpity bumped into my favourites Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy at Delhi airport, many airport moments await us gentlemen,US and Canada tour coming up. Happy reunion." From movies "Don 2", "Karthik Calling Karthik", "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" to live concerts, the collaborative work of Farhan and the trio has been widely appreciated. --IANS sim/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 10 acres of agricultural land, on which paddy was sown, sank in Surajpur village in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, on Friday following a downpour. Farmers said they had suffered losses running into lakhs. The affected farmers complained that no official had visited them till Friday evening to assess the damage or find the cause of the sinking of vast tracts of land after heavy rains. Mohan Lal, who was among the affected farmers, said they were shocked to find that parts of their agricultural land had sunk between two and three feet, and even more at certain places, when they visited their fields in the morning. He said his two acres were affected. "It was all fine till Thursday evening. When we went to see our paddy this morning, we were shocked to see what had happened," Mohan told IANS. "We complained about the situation to the patwari (revenue official) and he assured us he will pay a visit. However, we are waiting for him since morning but he is nowhere to be seen," the farmer complained. Even the brick-lined approach road that connected the village to the farmland was damaged due to sinking of the earth below. An electricity pole bore the brunt of the cave-in. "We were not receiving electricity for the last 3-4 days. When we contacted the electricity department officials, they said power supply will resume when rains stop. Now, since the pole too has fallen to the ground, the supply line has been disconnected," he said. The area has recorded heavy rainfall since Thursday, which the villagers said had caused the land cave-in. A road in Ghaziabad's Vasundhara area too caved in on Thursday after heavy rain. Several residents were asked to evacuate. --IANS nks/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and seven states to fill up the vacancies in the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the state level bodies in a time-bound manner. The top court also asked the Centre to explain why the posts in CIC, for which an advertisement was issued in 2016, still remain vacant. A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan expressed concern over the vacancies in CIC and State Information Commissions (SICs) and asked the governments to file affidavits within four weeks, giving complete details -- the number of vacancies and the timeline for completing the appointment process. Posting the matter for hearing after four weeks, the court clarified that no further time will be given for filing affidavits and any failure will be viewed serously. The seven states are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha, and Karnataka. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Right To Information activist Anjali Bhardwaj, told the bench that there are four vacancies in the CIC and four more will be created by December 2018. The court said it will ensure that the posts of information commissioners are filled. Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre, said that another advertisement has been released recently for filling up the four vacancies in the CIC. The court had earlier asked the Centre why the appointments were not being made despite a huge backlog of 23,500 appeals and complaints were pending in the CIC. The court is hearing a PIL filed by rights activists Anjali Bhardwaj, Air Commodore Lokesh K. Batra and Amrita Johri on the CIC and SIC vacancies. "The government of India and the state governments have attempted to stifle the implementation of the RTI Act by failing to perform their statutory duty of ensuring the appointment of Commissioners in the CIC and SICs in a timely manner," the PIL said. Pointing out that the CIC and the SICs were set up to decide on appeals and complaints against public authorities for non-compliance with the RTI Act, 2005, the petitioners contended that the "proper functioning of these institutions is essential for its effective implementation". While the Andhra Pradesh SIC is non-functional in the absence of any Information Commissioner, Maharashtra SIC has four vacancies and a backlog of 40,000 appeals and complaints. In Kerala, there are 14,000 pending appeals and complaints. There is just one Information Commissioner and six vacancies. Karnataka has a backlog of 33,000 appeals and complaints. Odisha is functioning with only three Information Commissioners while Telangana has two Information Commissioners. They have backlogs of more than 10,000 and 15,000 appeals/complaints respectively. The West Bengal SIC is functioning with only two Commissioners and is hearing appeals/complaints filed 10 years ago, the PIL said. The petitioners said that the Information Commissions in Gujarat, Nagaland, and Maharashtra are functioning without their respective heads, even though under the RTI Act they have a crucial role in the administration and superintendence of the commissions. --IANS gt-pk/tsb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facing intense scrutiny in India over the spread of misinformation and fake news on WhatsApp, its parent company Facebook has said it is waiting for a green signal from the government to roll out peer-to-peer payments feature for over 200 million users on the instant mobile messaging platform. In an earnings call with analysts after reporting its Q2 2018 results, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company has been testing the payment feature on WhatsApp in India for some time. "It gives people a really simply way to send money to each other and contribute to greater financial inclusion. The feedback and usage have been strong. All signs point to a lot of people wanting to use this when the government gives us the green light," Zuckerberg said. Earlier this year, WhatsApp launched a beta version of its Payments feature in India for nearly one million users. The move -- set to give a tough competition to market leader Paytm -- evoked criticism from digital payment services who sought fair play, claiming WhatsApp has custom-implemented Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system which is not secure and flouts norms laid out by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that has developed the UPI system. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma also demanded a level-playing field for all UPI-based apps. Clearing the air on the issue of "lack of fair play", the NPCI in February said that the full-scale public launch of the feature will be permitted only after the Facebook-owned platform meets all the required norms. "Currently, NPCI has given its consent to roll out WhatsApp BHIM UPI beta launch with limited user base of one million and low per transaction limit," said the corporation. "Four banks will join the multi-bank BHIM UPI model in phases and full feature product shall be released after the beta test is successful," the NPCI added. Beta testers in India found their WhatsApp interface displaying a large list of supported banks and they can see a payments feature appear in their WhatsApp Settings menu. But there was no news from WhatsApp after that. According to Zuckerberg who lost almost $17 billion within an hour after the company reported slow users' growth in Q2 2018, "we've broadened our focus to building this [Payments feature] for other countries so we can give more people this ability faster". Hauled up this month by the Indian government on its failure to check the spread of fake and provocative content on its platform amid growing lynching episodes, the Facebook-owned platform on July 20 launched a test to limit message forwarding to five chats that will apply to its users in India. At least 30 people have lost their lives by lynch mobs after rumours, including that of child lifting, triggered via messages on WhatsApp. --IANS na/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in the wildfire which swept through a once idyllic seaside resort in eastern Attica rose to 87 on Friday, according to the latest update from local authorities. Meanwhile, the government said the deadliest blaze in over a decade in Greece was most probably the result of a well prepared plan by arsonists. The fire started on Monday. Autopsies were carried out on 86 bodies recovered from the Mati, Neos Voutzas and Kokkino Limanaki settlements, the head of the Athens coroner's service Nikos Karakoukis was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency. The process of identifying the dead was continuing at the police forensics labs, he said. Moreover, a 62-year-old burn victim died in hospital, the Health Ministry announced. According to the medics, 11 of the 187 injured in the wildfire were still in intensive care because of their critical condition. Greek officials have not yet released the number of the missing as the search continued among the charred remains of homes and cars and the sea area, where thousands of people fled to escape the blaze. Amid the pain and the agony, an investigation into the causes of the disaster was underway. "There is serious evidence pointing to criminal action," Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas told a press briefing here, citing satellite image analysis data and "suspicious findings" on the ground inside the pine forest where the fire broke out on Penteli mountain. The Greek officials did not elaborate, but according to a report published in the local "Ethnos" (Nation) newspaper citing Fire Brigade sources, the remains of nine incendiary devices were discovered in the area. Deputy Regional Governor of Eastern Attica Petros Philippou while speaking to a local radio "Thema" (Story) said that authorities never gave a clear notification to people to evacuate the settlement. The alarm never sounded. During the press briefing, Fire Brigade and Police chiefs argued that due to the unprecedentedly strong winds which were blowing in the area, the flames spread 2-3 kilometres within just a few minutes and there was no adequate time to react. Another major factor which was considered to have contributed to the disaster was the town plan which included narrow streets, dead ends and fences which blocked the escape to the sea. The town plan in Mati and in similar areas needs to be fully redesigned in order to avoid a calamity similar to the disastrous fire in the future, said Interior Minister Panos Skourletis. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior IPS officer Amit Lodha is a strong votary of the saying that 'you set a thief to catch a thief'. And to outwit and catch a notorious outlaw, you have to think like him, he says. Lodha is presently courting fame by penning 'Bihar Diaries', which tells the story of how Bihar's most dreadful criminal (named antagonist Vijay Samrat in the book) was arrested due to Lodha's courage and perseverance while he was posted in Bihar as a Superintendent of Police. "The dreaded criminal tried all ways and means to pressurise me -- he kept an eye on my son's daily schedule as well as my own. I have mentioned this in the book to make people understand the professional hazards policemen face on a daily basis," the officer currently posted as Border Security Force DIG in Jaisalmer told IANS. "Having a huge fan following and strong political connections, he made me think like a criminal since I wanted to outsmart and outwit him. I also followed Chanakya's well-known principle of 'Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed'(using thought, money, punishment and weakness) and promised myself that I will nab this criminal one day." Although Lodha doesn't name the dreaded gangster, because of threats to his family, media reports say it was Pintu Mahto (part of Ashok Mahto gang) who was also responsible for the murder of Congress MP, Rajo Singh. The criminal was finally ensnared and was handed out a life term by court, with his criminal record in Tihar Central Jail dubbed "dreadful". The criminal was notorious for extortions, kidnappings and murders. "The decision to catch this criminal was like inviting a lot of risk to my career as well, because the world is constantly looking for scapegoats if something goes wrong. Although there were risks, those were beautiful days," the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi passout said. Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey is willing to produce a movie based on the book, the officer said, adding thet the concept and the contract was ready. "Bahubali actor Rana Daggubati is keen to play the role." Lodha said that he was thankful to Bollywood actor Imraan Hashmi, who after listening to his experiences, called up publication house Penguin, which in turn contacted him to pen down his experiences. "Hashmi, in fact, helped me meet author S. Hussain Zaidi, who in turn inspired me to write down my encounter with such dreadful criminals," the police officer said. "The book is not only a police-chases-criminal stuff. It is a thriller with a lot of humour thrown in. I have tried to show how normal, routine events can be twisted into something funny," the tough cop signed off with a smile. (Archana Sharma can be contacted at arachana.g@gmail.com) --IANS arc/tsb/hs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aiming to expand its presence in the US, HMD Global -- the Finnish company which sells the Nokia brand of phones -- is hiring a team, the media reported. According to a few job listings on LinkedIn, HMD Global is looking to hire an e-commerce lead to deal with its online distribution partners like Amazon and Best Buy. It needs a technical account manager to handle customer requirements, PhoneArena reported late on Thursday. "This is actually an interesting move considering the fact that Xiaomi hasn't yet entered the US market. Most of HMD's Nokia smartphones available in the US belong to the mid-tier range, which would've made Xiaomi a fierce competitor," the report added. According to the job postings, the company also needs a product lead, to talk to carriers and decide on a roadmap, anticipating trends in the market. Without the help of the carriers, it will be hard for the Nokia smartphones to compete with the likes of Samsung, LG, and Motorola, which have long-standing partnerships with all operators in the country, said PhoneArena. --IANS ksc/mag/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Friday extended 2.1-billion Nepalese Rupee (NR) aid to Nepal as reimbursement of the first tranche of housing support to 42,086 government of India-supported beneficiaries in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts. As part of India's commitment towards Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction, the two countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for $100-million grant to support reconstruction of 50,000 private houses in the Himalayan nation's Nuwakot and Gorkha districts. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over the amount to Nepal's Finance Secretary Rajan Khanal. In September 2016, both countries had agreed to utilize an additional amount of $50 million from the $750 Line of Credit towards payment of third tranche of housing grant to 50,000 hosing beneficiaries supported by the government of India. As per those previous commitments, India on Friday provided the first tranche to the Nepal government. India, during the international conference on Nepal's reconstruction had pledged US $1 billion aid and soft loan. India announced the largest amount in aid -- NRs 100 billion (US $1 billion) -- for Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction. One fourth of the amount has been extended as grant assistance. The money that ambassador Puri handed over on Friday is part of the Indian aid pledged during the conference. The money will be reimbursed directly to the house owners. The government of Nepal has expressed its appreciation to the government of India for providing generous humanitarian support for the post-earthquake reconstruction programme and recalled the prompt support from the southern neighbour in the rescue and search operations immediately after the earthquake, a statement issued by the Finance Ministry said. --IANS giri/nir/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aerospace major on Friday said that it has carried out the first flights of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters destined for delivery in 2019. "First flight of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening Indian armed forces capabilities," India President Pratyush Kumar was quoted as saying in a statement. "India will receive the most advanced versions of both the AH-64E Apache and the CH-47F Chinook. "Indian industry partners such as Dynamatics is building large sections of Chinook, and the Tata joint venture in Hyderabad is building the complete fuselage of the Apache," it said. India will ultimately receive 22 AH-64E Apache attack, and 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook transport, helicopters. The contract for the Indian Air Force's 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks was finalised in September 2015. Additionally, six Apaches were cleared for purchase for the Indian Army in 2017. Fuselages for this Army order will be produced by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, the joint venture between Boeing and in Hyderabad. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Friday said that the Indian government has not approached them on fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi who has secured citizenship of the Caribbean country, but promised all cooperation on the issue. Speaking to television channel CNN News18, Browne also said Choksi, who got the citizenship when there was no case against him, can lose the citizenship if he gave any false information at the time of application. Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case along with nephew Nirav Modi, had taken Antiguan citizenship last year. "At the time when he applied about August last year, there was no derogatory information on him. In fact, up to this point I do not believe that your law enforcement agencies in India would have posted anything on Interpol ... So in essence, my country did nothing wrong," Browne said. He said Choksi at the time of application had claimed that he left India to escape from political persecution and an investigation will have to be conducted to confirm its veracity. "The gentleman (Choksi) has claimed that he actually left the country ... 'I am literally trying to flee political persecution'. We don't know what the facts are," said the PM. However, Browne said the Indian authorities will have to follow the due process and Antigua will conduct an investigation and then there will be a decision on revocation of citizenship. He said there are certain clauses under which if it is found Choksi furnished false information at the time of application or did any fraud or lied at the time of the oath of allegiance, his citizenship can be revoked. "My government will cooperate fully with Indian government," he added. --IANS mgu/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold general-level military talks next week, Seoul's Defence Ministry said on Friday. North Korea had proposed the talks, which South Korea accepted, according to the Defence Ministry. The general-level military dialogue would be held on July 31 at the Peace House, a South Korean building at the border village of Panmunjom, Xinhua news agency reported. The South Korean delegation would be led by Major General Kim Do-gyun who will talk with his North Korean counterpart Lt. General An Ik-san, leading a five-member delegation. Issues expected to be discussed include the disarmament of the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the Panmunjom and the withdrawal of troops and equipment from guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas. After their first summit on April 27 in Panmunjom, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to stop all hostile acts near the border area to reduce military tensions. Other issues on the agenda could be the joint excavation inside the DMZ of the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea could raise the issue for turning the Northern Limit Line (NLL) -- a de-facto inter-Korean sea border -- into a maritime peace zone. North Korea has not acknowledged the NLL as a sea border as it was unilaterally drawn by the US-led UN Command after the Korean War. On June 14, the two Koreas held the first general-grade military talks in over a decade, agreeing to restore military hotlines along the eastern and western regions completely. --IANS mag/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to DMK leaders to enquire about the health of party President M. Karunanidhi and offered necessary assistance. "Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhi's family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery," the President tweeted. The Prime Minister also enquired about Karunanidhi's health and offered assistance to his family. "Spoke to Thiru M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi. Enquired about the health of Karunanidhiji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health," Modi tweeted. The remarks came a day after it was revealed that the 94-year-old veteran leader was suffering from urinary tract infection and is being treated at home. The Kauvery Hospital which is monitoring his health on Thursday said that there has been a slight decline in Karunanidhi's health due to age-related ailments. "He is currently being treated... with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. He is being monitored and treated round the clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at his home," Kauvery Hospital's Executive Director Aravindan Selvaraj said. --IANS aks/mag/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Friday slammed Rohini-based Adhyatmik Vidyalaya for allegedly not allowing parents of the female inmates lodged on the premises to meet them and said that abandoning parents is not spiritual knowledge. The court also asked the ashram management to educate the girls on sanitation and personal hygiene after Delhi Commission for Women Chair Swati Maliwal urged for directions to provide sanitary napkins to girls housed in the ashram. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar said: "What is spiritual awakening?" Leaving parents and family is not spiritual knowledge, it added. "Teach the women at the Vidyalaya to respect humankind, including parents," the court advised its counsel and said that the bench had met the inmates and their parents in the chamber who have apprised the court about the situation on the campus. The bench called a couple in front of the dais and asked the Vidyalaya's counsel to look at their pathetic condition as they were not allowed to talk with their daughter. The couple broke down. "Today is Guru Purnima. The first teacher of every child is parents. Show them respect," the court remarked. A court-appointed committee and the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Science (IHBAS) have submitted a report after inspection of the premises and found that the conditions there have changed significantly, though there are no security measures in place in case of an emergency. The court directed the institute to take this into account and work to improve the situation. The court was hearing a plea filed against the Adhyatmik Vidyalaya by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment The ashram counsel told the court that NGO members faced charges of trespassing into the institute. The court asked the two counsels to settle such issues amicably and directed the mediation centre to conduct daily hearings to settle such complaints. The court listed the matter for August 10. The Central Bureau of Investigation informed the court that it is doing its best to trace ashram founder and self-styled godman Virendra Dev Dixit. The CBI has registered three cases against Dixit for allegedly keeping several women and minor girls hostage at the ashram. Earlier, the High Court had transferred the case to the CBI and asked it to forthwith set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the charges that girls and women were lured to the ashram on the pretext of spiritual guidance but raped. On the High Court's directions in December 2017, a committee inspected the institute and submitted that the inmates were kept in "unhygienic and animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing". --IANS akk/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra government has convened an all-party meeting on Saturday in a bid to disentangle the tangled knot of Maratha reservations which sparked a statewide agitation, at least three deaths, and resignations by five legislators. While the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance has assured suitable reservations to the politically significant Maratha community during its current tenure, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to hammer out the nitty-gritties of the issue at the meeting. There has been a clamour from several Maratha groups, the opposition Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and even some leaders of the ruling combine to convene a special session of Maharashtra legislature to discuss and resolve the issue, besides involving the Central government. On Friday evening, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil met and deliberated on the issue in detail with retired Justice M. G. Gaikwad, the head of Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC). On Thursday night, Fadnavis chaired a meeting of his senior cabinet ministers and BJP state president Raosaheb Danve-Patil to work out a solution to the Maratha reservations issue on which sporadic protests continued for the fifth day on Friday. "Our government is fully committed to providing reservations to the Maratha community and has even promulgated an Ordinance on this. However, there is a court stay on this. We will submit a report of the MSBCC to the court and plea to decide the issue soon," Patil said. To ensure that the state government's proposal to give a 16 percent reservations in government jobs and education sector pass the court test, the MSBCC has been entrusted with the job of collecting data on the socio-economic status of the Maratha community. He said so far the MSBCC has received over 187,000 representations and the survey work is likely to be completed by August-end. Meanwhile, Congress state President Ashok Chavan on Friday called upon Shiv Sena to withdraw support to the BJP government in order to build pressure on it to resolve the Maratha quota issue. "The previous Congress-NCP regime had given quotas to the Marathas and Muslim communities, but the BJP-Sena government could not protect it, and it took them 17 months merely to file one affidavit," Chavan said in a fresh salvo. He demanded that the state government withdraw all cases filed against Marathas for the recent agitation in the state and stop the ongoing combing operations in which innocent youth are being targeted. So far, five legislators from various parties have either quit or offered to quit on the ticklish issue that has snowballed into a major political crisis ahead of the 2019 elections. The include Harshawardhan Jadhav (Shiv Sena), BJP's Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher, and opposition Congress' Bharat Bhalke and NCP's Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar and Ramesh Kadam. --IANS qn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the centre's ruling BJP of dictatorship, claiming that a Central Minister threatened her state after the Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek o' Brien posed a question related to information technology. "Yesterday Derek O'Brien informed me that one minister threatened him. Derek raised a question about IT and then the minister replied that if you raise like this, then we will not spare Bengal. Like this they are threatening the state and they are threatening all," Banerjee said after her meeting with the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, here. The Trinamool Congress supremo said most of the opposition political parties are working together barring one or two, with a clear intention to oust the BJP from centre. Banerjee also urged the media not to create division among the opposition, in an apparent reference to some journalists asking Abdullah whether she could be the Prime Minister if the BJP was defeated in the Lok Sabha polls next year. A journalist had also asked Abdullah if the Congress could be a part of the Federal Front proposed by Banerjee. "We are saying whatever we said earlier. We are for all. Please do not pick and choose a particular name to divide us," Banerjee said. "All the regional parties and political parties who are against BJP are working together. May be one or two parties have their own state compulsion. That depends on them. Majority of the opposition political parties are working together and our intention is very clear," she claimed. Banerjee further accused the BJP of trying to resort to a presidential form of election and claimed that she and her party would not tolerate any harm to the country and its people. "They are going for presidential form of election. That is their strategy- dictatorship and threatening," she alleged. This we cannot tolerate. We can sacrifice everything for the country but we cannot sacrifice our country, we cannot sacrifice out people. "We will keep fighting for the people. and ultimately in 2019 we will form a government with the people by the for the people," she added. --IANS mgr/ssp/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed concern over DMK chief M.Karunanidhi's health and wished the veteran politician a speedy recovery. "Concerned about the health of Kalaignar. Hope and pray that Karunanidhiji recovers soon @mkstalin," she wrote on Twitter. The 94-year-old former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has been suffering from urinary tract infection and is currently being treated at home. The Kauvery Hospital which is monitoring his health on Thursday said that there has been a slight decline in Karunanidhi's health due to age-related ailments. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also enquired about Karunanidhi's health. --IANS mgr/in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man from Bhopal climbed a tower here on Friday, carrying a placard demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. A police official said the man, Uma Maheshwar, climbed the tower at the headquarters of Delhi Fire Services on Barakhamba Road here around 11.40 a.m. "AP Need(s) Special Status", read the placard. Later, the police reached the spot and forced him to come down. Protests demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh have been going on since January 2017. The special status was promised to the state by the Congress government during the state's bifurcation. Later, the promise was reiterated by the Bharatiya Janata Party. --IANS mg/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Shutter Island" fame actress Michelle Williams revealed she has secretly married musician Phil Elverum. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the former lady love of late actor Heath Ledger disclosed that the wedding was a secret ceremony with friends and family in attendance in Adirondacks, reports people.com The 37-year-old actress has a 12-year-old daughter, Matilda, with Ledger. Elverum is father to a 3-year-old from his marriage to Genevieve Castree, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2015. Talking about her husband, the actress said: "Obviously I've never once in my life talked about a relationship, but Phil isn't anyone else. The way he loves me is the way I want to live my life on the whole. I work to be free inside of the moment. I parent to let Matilda feel free to be herself, and I am finally loved by someone who makes me feel free." Ledger died in New York City in 2008 after taking a fatal mix of prescription drugs. They had dated for three years after meeting on the set of their 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain". "I never gave up on love. I always say to Matilda, 'Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes'," added Williams. --IANS sim/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the 2018 BRICS Summit here, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday. "Discussed enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing and pharma," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted following the meeting that ended late on Thursday night. Argentina will host the annual G20 Summit later in 2018. In the meeting with Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the two sides discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing, pharmaceuticals, oil and natural gas, Kumar said in a separate tweet. On Thursday, following the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit here, a Johannesburg Declaration was issued calling for sustainable growth of global trade and expressing determination to work together to strengthen multilateralism. --IANS ab/in/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit here on Friday. "PM congratulated President Erdogan on his re-election as the President," Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Last month, Erdogan won a new five-year term after securing outright victory in the first round of a presidential poll. Erdogan visited New Delhi in 2017 and expressed his country's full solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism. The meeting with Erdogan was the last of Modi's bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit hosted by South Africa. On Thursday, Modi held bilateral meetings with the leaders of South Africa, China, Russia, Argentina and Angola. --IANS ab/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Lucknow on July 28 and 29 and lay foundation stone of several development projects. This will be Modi's third visit to Uttar Pradesh in a month, signifying the importance being attached to the state, which has 80 parliamentary seats, by the BJP in run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Modi will attend an event on "Transforming Urban Landscape" on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of three key government initiatives related to Urban Development - Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transfornation (AMRUT) and the Smart Cities Mission. He will visit an exhibition on Flagship Missions of Urban Development and interact with 35 beneficiaries of PMAY (U) - one from each state and union territory. He will also receive feedback from PMAY beneficiaries, via video link, from different cities of Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister will lay foundation stone of various projects under the flagship missions and also address a gathering. On July 29, Modi will attend a ground breaking ceremony for projects involving an investment of Rs 60,000 crore which have materalised following the UP Investors Summit earlier this year. According to an official release, the summit had led to generation of investment intent worth more than Rs. 4.28 lakh crore across sectors such as renewable energy, infrastructure, power, Information Technology, electronics and tourism. Modi had visited Varanasi, Azamgarh and Mirzapur districts of Uttar Pradesh on July 14 and 15. He had visited Sant Kabir Nagar on June 28. --IANS ps/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea has returned the remains believed to be of 55 American troops killed during the Korean War (1950-53) as part of an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un during the Singapore Summit. A US Air Force C-17 aircraft on Friday carried the remains of the soldiers from Wonsan (North Korea) to Osan airbase in South Korea where a repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1, Yonhap news agency reported. Onboard the aircraft were also members of the UN Command Korea. It is believed that the remains of the 55 soldiers were returned this time, but their remains will need to be forensically tested to ensure they were indeed slain US troops. The White House immediately hailed the move as a "momentum for positive changes" by the communist nation in line with the bilateral summit agreement between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un in Singapore on June 12. "Today, (Kim) is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," the White House said. General Vincent K. Brooks, chief of the command and US Forces Korea, said the mission was successful and added: "Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home." US President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to the North Korean leader, saying it was a "great moment for so many families after so many years". "Thank you to Kim Jong Un," he tweeted. The South Korean government called it "meaningful progress" conducive to building mutual trust. "(We) expect efforts by parties concerned to further accelerate for promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said. The Defence POW (Prisoners of War)/MIA (Missing in Action) Accounting Agency will inspect the remains before a formal repatriation ceremony. Then the remains will be sent to a forensic lab in Hawaii. It may take months of detailed DNA analysis to determine how many American service members can be identified. The repatriation came as the two Koreas and the US marked the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War. More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the war to support the South against the Communist North. Thousands of US military personnel from the Korean war remain unaccounted for and most of them -- about 5,300 -- were lost in what is now North Korea. The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for. Since 1990, North Korea has repatriated the remains of 340 US troops. The repatriation was welcomed by relatives who have waited decades for progress. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rome, 28 July (IANS/AKI) Elections in Libya -- Italy's former colony -- should not take place until warring factions in the turmoil-wracked country achieve reconciliation, populist premier Giuseppe Conte told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview on Friday. "I have said to Emmanuel Macron (France's president) that Italy is not in favour of forcing the situation and will not back any ill-considered moves in Libya - elections should only be held after the country's rival factions have reconciled," Conte stated. His comments came after a visit to Libya this week by France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to drum up support for a deal to prepare for polls in the war-torn country that its main political leaders have agreed to hold in December. At a major international peace conference in Paris on 29 May, the leaders of Libya's four key factions agreed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on 10 December, to establish the constitutional basis for elections and adopt the required electoral laws by 16 September. The four leaders included premier Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli, 75-year-old military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army militia dominates the country's east, the Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh; and the head of Libya's Council of State advisory body, Khaled al-Mishri. The four men, who represent a large chunk of Libya's rival factions, also agreed to "accept the results of elections, and ensure appropriate funds and strong security arrangements are in place". --IANS/AKI qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The setting up of the Odia University at Satyabadi in Puri district of Odisha was approved on Friday by the first Heritage Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, official sources said. The state will provide 25 acres to set up the varsity, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said. Approval was also given to the formulation of an Odia Culture and Heritage Policy to facilitate preservation and proliferation of the state's art, culture and classical Odia language. "The draft policy will be prepared by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department to preserve, promote and research on the subjects," said Padhi. The Cabinet also approved the creation of a corpus to convert Anand Bhawan Museum and Learning Centre, former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik's ancestral house, into a trust. The museum at Cuttack will be converted into a trust in line with the Netaji Museum Trust, the official said. For the smooth and smart functioning of all public libraries, the Cabinet also approved a separate post of Director to manage such libraries. --IANS cd/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa's Animal Husbandry Minister Mauvin Godinho on Friday told the Assembly that the BJP-led government in the state was not against meat-eaters, and that efforts were being made to reopen the state's only legal abattoir soon. The Minister blamed vested interests for trying to create an impression that the government was against non-vegetarians. "We believe in carrying everybody along and there is no objection in meat being consumed either by tourists or locals," Godinho said during Zero Hour. Several legislators have complained of beef scarcity in the coastal state, where the beef-eating minorities account for nearly a third of the state's population of 1.5 million. Godinho alleged that non-government organisations from outside the state were responsible for scuttling the operation of the meat complex and holding the regular supply of red meat to ransom. "It is the NGOs from outside the state (who are responsible)," Godinho said. On July 25, Deputy Speaker and BJP MLA Michael Lobo had criticised the state government for failing to ensure regular beef supply to local residents and tourists. "Some so-called cow protectors are standing at the border and blocking the beef supply being brought into the state. I think we have failed on this. The Goa Meat Complex has been shut. For our feasts, there is a shortage of beef," Lobo had said in the Assembly. Earlier this year, beef traders in Goa went on a strike alleging harassment by cow vigilante groups. Goa on an average consumes around 20-25 tons of beef every day, according to the local meat traders association. The Goa Meat Complex, the state's only government-run abattoir, has not been functional for several months due to a litigation and technical snags. --IANS maya/prs/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As part of its initiative to enhance employability of its graduating students, Osmania University will facilitate assessment of 100,000 final-year students of its nearly 600 colleges through HireMee, a digital assessment and recruitment platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for the purpose by Osmania University's Registrar Gopal Reddy and HireMee's Advisor Wg Cdr Krishnan Kuppuswamy (Retd). HireMee will serve as a catalyst between recruiters and aspiring applicants from all colleges under this 100-year-old university in Telangana. HireMee will approach colleges and invite students to be assessed using a 100-minute test on the digital platform. Companies have access to the same platform and the assessment results. Students also put up a short video resume making it more likely for recruiters to spot the candidates they want to interview and possibly hire. No cost is involved in the programme for either the students, colleges or businesses as HireMee is supported by its parent company, Vee Technologies, a company from the Sona Valliappa Group, HireMee said in a statement. The idea is to present career opportunities for students completing from the University as well as expand the pool for recruiting managers looking for talent for their companies. In September 2017 HireMee signed an MoU with AICTE covering nearly 10,000 technical colleges in the country. --IANS ms/mag/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rome, July 26 (IANS/AKI) Other European countries besides Italy must open their ports to ships that rescue migrants in the Mediterrnanean, Italy's Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said on Thursday. "It is no longer justifiable to bring all those who are rescued to Italian ports," Moavero told the parliament's foreign affairs committee. "Other countries must open their ports too," he added. Italy does not want to end its participation in the European Union's Sofia anti-trafficking mission in the Mediterranean, but has demanded changes to the mission's rules of engagement which currently require ships that rescue migrants to dock at Italian ports, Moavero said. "There is no wish to abandon the Sofia operation but we ask that the operation be brought into line with the conclusions of the EU Council summit (in late June)," he said. Italy will keep however keep its ports open to EU mission vessels that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean during the discussions with the EU on revising Sofia's rules of engagement, Moavero said during a visit to Berlin on Monday. In a letter to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini last week, Moavero said that his country did not want to be the only one "where migrants saved at sea by its own naval units disembark". At their fractious June 28-29 summit in Brussels, under pressure from Italy, European leaders controversially agreed to set up secure centres for migrants in the bloc, to tighten the EU's borders, create 'disembarkation platforms' outside the bloc and to redistribute refugees among member states. --IANS/AKI vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday rejected the election process and claimed the General Election 2018 was not free and fair. Bilawal, while addressing a press conference on Friday, demanded the resignation of the chief election commissioner over failure to conduct transparent polls, Geo News reported. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is responsible for carrying out transparent polls and that the electoral body failed in its task. "We don't accept the results of the elections," he said. "The PPP scion further added that the party will take the matter to parliament. "PPP will sit in opposition in the centre," he added. The PPP did not attend the All Parties Conference (APC), which was held in Islamabad on the call of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Earlier, the APC rejected the results of the July 25 General Election result, with JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman saying that "people have been robbed of their mandate" and "people claiming victory in the elections, we reject their claims as well". He said people who think they have won fairly should know that they have no real power and that they will organise protest demonstrations in different parts of the country till elections are held again. --IANS qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A multi-party conference (MPC), called to devise a joint strategy over alleged rigging in the 2018 general elections of Pakistan, on Friday rejected the poll results, demanding a "transparent" re-election. Attended by leaders of various parties, the MPC was chaired by PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman. It was held at the Islamabad residence of MMA leader Mian Aslam, Dawn reported. "The APC (all parties conference) has completely rejected the July 25 elections with consensus," announced Rehman while addressing the media after the conference concluded. "We do not consider this election to be the mandate of the public." The Pakistan Peoples Party had earlier on Friday decided not to attend the conference, with a spokesperson saying its leadership will devise its own strategy regarding alleged poll irregularities. In attendance at the MPC were Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq, Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, National Party's Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo and several MMA leaders. PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ayaz Sadiq, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Chaudhry Tanveer and Khurram Dastagir and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leaders Mustafa Kamal, Raza Haroon and Waseem Ahmed also participated. Interestingly, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar also showed up to the conference, despite reports that his party has agreed to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government in the centre after a contact between PTI leader Jehangir Tareen and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Speaking at the MPC, Sattar alleged that the July 25 polls were "rigged massively" and the results were altered. "Results of their choice were devised and the party of their choice was made to win," he claimed. The MMA had on Thursday rejected the poll results outright, calling for declaring the entire electoral exercise "null and void". The recently revived alliance of five religio-political parties suffered a drubbing in the elections and even its chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and JI chief Sirajul Haq tasted defeat in their native constituencies. The PML-N too had decided to take all major parties, including the PPP and obviously excluding the PTI, on board to formulate a joint strategy to take up the rigging issue that it believes has deprived it of majority in the coming National Assembly. --IANS ahm/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A multi-party conference (MPC) and Pakistan Peoples Party late on Friday rejected the just-concluded Pakistan election results, demanding a transparent and free and fair re-election. A multi-party conference (MPC), called to devise a joint strategy over alleged rigging in the 2018 general elections of Pakistan, demanded a "transparent" re-election and said the polls were "rigged massively" and the results were manipulated. Attended by leaders of various parties, the MPC was chaired by PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman. It was held at the Islamabad residence of MMA leader Mian Aslam, Dawn reported. "The APC (all parties conference) has completely rejected the July 25 elections with consensus," announced Rehman while addressing the media after the conference concluded. "We do not consider this election to be the mandate of the public." The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had earlier on Friday decided not to attend the conference, with a spokesperson saying its leadership will devise its own strategy regarding alleged poll irregularities. The chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari rejected the election process and claimed the General Election 2018 was not free and fair, Geo News reported. Bilawal, while addressing a press conference on Friday, demanded the resignation of the chief election commissioner over failure to conduct transparent polls. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is responsible for carrying out transparent polls and that the electoral body failed in its task. "We don't accept the results of the elections," he said. In attendance at the MPC were Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq, Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, National Party's Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo and several MMA leaders. PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ayaz Sadiq, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Chaudhry Tanveer and Khurram Dastagir and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leaders Mustafa Kamal, Raza Haroon and Waseem Ahmed also participated. Interestingly, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar also showed up to the conference, despite reports that his party has agreed to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government in the centre after a contact between PTI leader Jehangir Tareen and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Speaking at the MPC, Sattar alleged that the July 25 polls were "rigged massively" and the results were altered. "Results of their choice were devised and the party of their choice was made to win," he claimed. The MMA had on Thursday rejected the poll results outright, calling for declaring the entire electoral exercise "null and void". The recently revived alliance of five religio-political parties suffered a drubbing in the elections and even its chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and JI chief Sirajul Haq tasted defeat in their native constituencies. The PML-N too had decided to take all major parties, including the PPP and obviously excluding the PTI, on board to formulate a joint strategy to take up the rigging issue that it believes has deprived it of majority in the coming National Assembly. --IANS ahm-qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A young Palestinian man has been shot dead after he stabbed three Israelis near their settlement, south of this West Bank city, the Israeli Army and the Palestinian Health Ministry said. A statement issued by the Israeli Army said the man was shot dead right after he carried out the stabbing attack on Thursday night in the settlement of Adam near here. The identity of the 17-year-old Palestinian has not been officially confirmed, Xinhua news agency reported. Photos of the young man published by Palestinian social media activists though said he was called Ahmad Abu Ayoosh, and was from Koober village, north of here. The Israeli media reported that the attacker went into one of the houses in the settlement and stabbed the three -- two of whom were said to be in critical condition. It also reported that the Israeli Army was chasing a car which was believed to be carrying another Palestinian who provided assistance to the attacker. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All political parties, including the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, on Friday strongly condemned the demolition of the statue of Tripura's iconic communist leader Baidyanath Majumder by miscreants late on Wednesday night. The police are yet to arrest the culprits. Majumder was a founding member of the communist base in Tripura and was Deputy Chief Minister of the state from 1993 to 1998. The incidednt occurred late on Wednesday night in Unakoti district headquarters Kailashahar, 180 km north from here. Tripura BJP's general secretary Nitish Dey, opposition Congress Tripura Pradesh chief Birajit Sinha and all top leaders of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have separately demanded the arrest of the miscreants. All these parties have organised protest rallies in Kailashahar and asked the police to arrest the perpetrators. CPI-M leader Biswarup Goswami has blamed BJP activists for bulldozing the statues of Lenin, Marx, Bhimrao Ambedkar, former Tripura Chief Ministers and father-figures of Communist movement in Tripura, Dasaratha Deb and Nripen Chakraborty. The BJP has denied the charge. Former Education and Law Minister and senior CPI-M leader Tapan Chakraborty said the life-size statue was installed in 2012 after the death of Majumder in June 2011 at the age of 88. Majumder, who was elected to the state assembly five times between 1977 and 1998, was the member of the undivided Communist Party of India and state secretary of CPI-M for many years. He began his political career in 1942 and was a founding member of the communist movement in Tripura and was also a member of the CPI-M central committee. --IANS sc/prs/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by Indian investigative agencies in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, has denied "any truth in the allegations". In a statement issued to a Caribbean newspaper 'Antigua Observer', Choksi through his attorney David Dorsett said: "I can say categorically, that there is no truth in those allegations." On or about July 24, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) issued a press statement in response to an online story from an Indian media outlet reporting on certain allegations made against Choksi by the Indian authorities and the media. According to this CIU statement on Wednesday, Choksi was granted citizenship by registration in November 2017 and he swore the Oath of Allegiance in Antigua on January 15, 2018. The CIU also said that Choksi's application was granted "after robust due diligence and international investigation by reputable agencies, including the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)". The CIU also said that "the 2017 investigation revealed no derogatory information about Choksi". The owner of the Gitanjali group firms further said that in January 2018, "I had need to visit the US to receive medical treatment. Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence." "That being the case, I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, the country of my citizenship, and to abide by the laws of the country," he said. His remarks came three days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it had written to the Antiguan authorities seeking details of Choksi's whereabouts in connection with the PNB fraud case. On Tuesday it was revealed that Choksi had moved to Antigua from the US several weeks ago using an Antiguan passport. The revelation came from Antiguan authorities in response to a CBI diffusion notice circulated to foreign countries through Interpol. The CBI came to know of it last week and shared the information with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Both the CBI and the ED have been probing the multi-crore fraud allegedly committed between 2011-2017 by Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi. Choksi also said that "I can, however, state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. "During the course of my application I did all that was lawfully required of me to do," he claimed, adding, "My application for citizenship was in due course approved." Choksi also claimed that his application was motivated by his desire to expand his business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa free travel access to 130 countries. "That remains my reason for choosing to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda," he said. The red corner notice (RCN) request from the CBI to the Interpol against Choksi is still pending. Earlier in July, the Interpol issued the RCN against fugitive diamond jeweller Nirav Modi, his brother, a Belgian national, Nishal Modi and an executive of his firm Subhash Parab. --IANS aks/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is not going to be a part of superstar Salman Khan starrer "Bharat" any more. Director Ali Abbas Zafar broke the news saying the reason for her opting out in the "Nick of time" is "very special". Zafar took to Twitter on Friday to announce the new development. "Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of 'Bharat' and and the reason is very very special, she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her... Team 'Bharat' wishes Priyanka Chopra loads of love and happiness for life," he tweeted. Details about the actress coming in place of Priyanka have not been revealed yet. The shooting for the film has already begun. The first schedule includes shooting for a grand circus sequence. The director has previously worked with the "Dabangg" star in blockbusters like "Sultan" and "Tiger Zinda Hai" The film is an official adaptation of a 2014 South Korean film "Ode To My Father". It is produced by Atul Agnihotri's Reel Life Production Pvt Ltd and Bhushan Kumar's TSeries. "Bharat", which will be shot across locations in Abu Dhabi and Spain, besides Punjab and Delhi, is slated for an Eid release in 2019. --IANS dc/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major relief to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, a Vigilance Bureau court in Mohali on Friday acquitted him and 17 others in a 10-year-old corruption case involving transfer of a prime land in Amritsar. The others acquitted include former Punjab Speaker Kewal Krishan and two former ministers -- all the three are dead. The case was registered by the state Vigilance Bureau on the recommendation of the Punjab Assembly, alleging a scam in granting exemptions to transfer of 32.1-acre prime land of the Amritsar Improvement Trust to a private realtor. Additional District and Sessions Judge Jaswinder Singh accepted the Vigilance Bureau's cancellation report. "I accept the cancellation report," the judge said. Amarinder Singh was present in the court. "Justice has finally prevailed after a decade in the Amritsar Improvement Trust case. It's been proved that allegations were motivated, borne out of sheer political vendetta," the Chief Minister tweeted. "Politics has no place for such motivated action against opponents. Thank the almighty and my legal team," Amarinder said. The Vigilance Bureau had registered the case at a police station in Mohali on September 11, 2008. It had filed the cancellation report in October 2016 when the Akali government was in power in the state. The trial court verdict followed a further investigation ordered by the High Court, whereby the Vigilance Bureau had found that there was "no undue favour granted to any developer" and sought cancellation of the first information report against all the accused. Amarinder Singh said the entire case was clearly politically motivated from the outset. As many as 500 hearings were held in the case, which caused a lot of inconvenience not only to him but also the general public, the Chief Minister told reporters outside the court premises after the verdict was pronounced. "Such things (political vendettas) should not happen, they are not healthy for democracy," he said. At the centre of the allegations in the case was an executive decision taken by the Urban Development and Housing Department in the Amarinder Singh-led government, during its previous tenure (2002-2007), to grant licence to a colonizer to promote development in Punjab. Since the colonizer had applied for licence prior to the notification by the Amritsar Improvement Trust for land acquisition, as per the government's policy decision, the licence was granted to him on a 'first come first served' basis. The opposition parties at that time had objected, alleging the exemption was not as per government policy and it had favoured an individual. Earlier, the Vigilance Bureau had given a clean chit to Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh and others in the case, known as Rs 1,144-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam. --IANS vg/prs/sed (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.) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that he had invited his US counterpart Donald Trump to visit Moscow, and was ready himself to go to Washington for a new round of talks, the media reported. "I fully understand that President Trump has a desire to hold further meetings. And I am ready for this. But necessary conditions for work should be created... We are ready to invite him to Moscow... I am also ready to go to Washington - if there are appropriate conditions for work," Putin told a press conference after a summit of leaders of BRICS group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Johannesburg. The Russian leader said that he might also meet Trump at other international fora, including the G20, Sputnik news agency reported. Putin said that the fight against terrorism, coordination of trade and economic policies remained the main areas of BRICS work. At the same time, he noted that there were no plans to increase the number of BRICS member-states yet, the agency reported. Earlier reports said that the White House pushed to next year Trump's planned meeting with Putin, amid intensifying criticism of the US President's conflicting statements on Russian interference in US elections. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday congratulated Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk on their winning the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award this year. "Two Indians, Bharat Vatwani, who has devoted his life to serving the mentally ill on the streets and Sonam Wangchuk, a Ladakhi inventor, are recipients of the prestigious Magasaysay Award, 2018. I congratulate them both and salute their achievements," Gandhi tweeted. Gandhi's remarks came a day after Vatwani and Wangchuk were named for this year's Ramon Magsaysay award, along with four others. The board of trustees recognized Vatwani, for "his tremendous courage and healing compassion in embracing India's mentally-afflicted destitute, and his steadfast and magnanimous dedication to the work of restoring and affirming the human dignity of even the most ostracized in our midst". Wangchuk, the inspiration behind the hugely popular Bollywood movie "Three Idiots", has been recognized for "his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world. The Ramon Magsaysay award, widely known as Asia's premier prize, is now in its 60th year of "honouring greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in selfless service to the peoples of Asia". --IANS aks/mag/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Declaring that it was "running out of patience", NDA constituent Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Friday warned of an agitation if an ordinance to strengthen the SC-ST Act was not promulgated and the Chairman of the National Green Tribunal was not removed by August 9. Addressing a press conference, Chirag Paswan, party MP and son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said people from the SC and ST communities were feeling betrayed as the BJP-led NDA government had not issued an ordinance "as yet" to overturn the Supreme Court's March 20 order that "diluted" the original SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and on top of that appointed Justice A.K Goel, "who ruled against the Act", as NGT Chairman. "We are running out of patience as no action has been taken to restore the Act as yet. On April 2, agitations were held across the country. Similar agitations have been announced by some organisations on large-scale on August 9. We want the government to bring an ordinance to restore the Act before that. Our Dalit Sena will take to the streets if it is not done," he said. "Also, we want removal of Justice Goel from the post of NGT Chairman." He said the government's decision to appoint retired SC judge Goel as Chairman of National Green Tribunal (NGT) had sent a message to these communities that the government had awarded the judge who was one of the judges of the two-member bench that 'diluted' provisions of the Act. "We have been asking the government to restore the provisions of the Act as soon as possible as people are sad and disappointed with the SC order. Also, Goel's appointment as NGT Chairman is being seen as an award," Paswan said. The Chairman of the LJP Parliamentary Board demanded the introduction of reservation in private sector jobs and placing reservation in the 9th schedule of the Constitution to counter the Opposition charge that the government was bent on ending quotas in education and government service. Replying to questions, the Jamui MP said party President Ram Vilas Paswan would decide the party's next course of action based on the government's response to the demands. He said the party had faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi but expressed concern if the government was listening to the appeals and demands made by the party. "Had the government been listening to us, the situation would not have come to this pass," he said. Paswan said the party had aligned with the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) since it was assured that the interests of people from the SC and ST communities "would not be hurt". He also added that his party was still with the government and was pushing for its demands while being within the government. "We will not take any step like the TDP", he said in reference to the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh, which quit the NDA earlier this year over the demand for special category status to the state. --IANS spk/vsc/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Film: Saheb Bibi Aur Gangster; Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia; Starring Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Sheirgil, Mahie Gill, Chitrangda Singh; Rating: ***(3 stars) It is tragically absurd to hear Lata Mangeshkar's ethereal flawless voice floating into the murky morally compromised dark and sordid world that Tigmanshu Dhulia insists on creating a third time around. Why a third film based on a premise that mocked Guru Dutt's imperishable classic Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam? I don't know. Only Dhulia and writer Sanjay Chauhan can answer their need to flog what is clearly a dead cause. Having said that, it is equally true that the third Sahib Bibi Gangster film is the most engaging film Dhulia has made in recent years. Here he abandons the phoney commercial language he adopted in the disastrous Bullet Raja and the even more ersatz patriotism of his last work Raag Desh. There is something tragically credible about the flawed and over-sexed characters in the Sahib Bibi Gangster axis. They are disarmingly disingenuous about their appetites and have no qualms in bringing their greed home. In an early episode the royal libertine Madhavi (played with lascivious authenticity) brings home a toy boy and then forgets about his presence. The next morning she sends him packing with a stern rebuke. I have no idea who the young actor who plays the excitable toy-boy is. But he plays his appetite with relish in a movie that celebrates appetites. After coming out of jail Madhavi's husband Aditya Pratap Singh (Jimmi Sheirgil, powerful as ever) makes love to his promiscuous wife explaining, "I had to make up for lost time." Both the Gills, Mahie and Jimmy, pastmasters at projecting decadent promiscuity, bring a crackling electricity to a work that insists of bring on a short-circuit due to overloading. There are too many characters floating freely in Dhulia's moral world, caring little for how little sense their presence makes to the plot. Why, for instance, is Shergil's faithful bodyguard Deepraj Rana's daughter brought in? She serves no other purpose than to crowd a cast populated with more people than it can handle. The worst sufferer is Sanjay Dutt. Supposedly the star of the show, Dutt's lines and presence are so shaky they make him look like a gangster who is afraid to lose his place in a game of musical chairs. Nafisa Ali struts around as the Rajmata. She barely gets time to speak two lines in a row. Dutt is neither convinced nor convincing as a Londoner (he runs a pub called, ha ha, House Of Lords in London) who must return home to face his nemesis, Dutt seems happy enough with his sketchily written role. But Chitrangda Singh is a miscast. By the time she gets down to performing a Mujra she seems to represent that desperation in some of our filmmakers who insist to master the commercial language even when they know zilch about it. If it wasn't for Jimmy and Tara's screen presence where would this film be? (Subhash K Jha can be contacted at jhasubh@gmail.com) --IANS skj/qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday showcased teaser videos for the upcoming Galaxy Note 9 smartphone -- highlighting improved performances in terms of battery, storage capacity, and speed. Under the title "A lot can change in a day," the South Korean tech giant advertised the showcase event slated for August 9 through three different video clips, each depicting everyday problems people face when using smartphones. The videos described situations where users can get frustrated due to low battery, lack of storage space and slow download speed, Yonhap news agency reported. "The newest addition to the Galaxy family's most premium line has been optimized from the inside out to keep up with users' busy lives, with technologies that raise the bar for smartphone power, performance and speed," the company said on its website. "Together, these enhancements make Samsung's newest flagship its most powerful yet, and the only device you need to manage work, play and everything in between," the company added. Industry watchers expect the new Galaxy Note 9 to come with 4,000mAh battery and 512GB data storage capacity, along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 chipsets. --IANS ksc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Anil Kapoor has congratulated Tom Cruise on the success of his latest film "Mission Impossible-Fallout" and said that there has never been an impossible mission for the Hollywood star. Anil, who has starred alongside Cruise in the 2011 "Mission Impossible" franchise -- "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol", tweeted: "Inspiring us with his power and stunts in every film and always bringing his A game! There's never been an impossible mission for this guy! Congratulations, Tom Cruise on the tremendous success of 'Mission Impossible-Fallout'!" Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, in "Mission Impossible-Fallout" Cruise will be back as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. This time, he is trying to avert danger which is threatening a large population of three countries. The Paramount Pictures movie is distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. It released in India on Friday in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. --IANS dc/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump is open to accepting an invitation frm Russia's Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow, the White House said on Friday. "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," Efe quoted spokesperson Sarah Sanders as saying in a statement. The Russian President said on Friday that he had extended an invitation to Trump to meet with him in Moscow, and that he is equally disposed to travel to Washington, but "only if the appropriate conditions are created there". "We are ready for such meetings, we are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. He has an invitation already and I told him about it," Putin said in Johannesburg, where he attended the summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) group. Just a few days after the first bilateral summit between Putin and Trump, held July 16 in Helsinki, the White House revealed the US President's decision to have a second meeting with his Russian counterpart in Washington before the end of the year. But after the deluge of criticism from both the Democratic opposition and his own Republican Party, Trump announced through his National Security Adviser John Bolton that he will not see Putin at least until early 2019. "The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," Bolton said on Wednesday in a statement. The US President regularly uses the expression "witch hunt" to describe Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. --IANS qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were sentenced to death by trial courts in Madhya Pradesh in separate cases of rape of children below the age of 12, a lawyer said. The trial lasted for only five and 13 days in the two cases. Lawyer Somvir Yadav, who represented a victim in one of the cases, told the media in Gawalior that a city court had convicted Jitendra Khushwaha for the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl who had gone missing from a wedding function in Amkho area on June 20. Her body was found the next day in Kensar Pahadia area. The trial of the case in the fast-track court of Special Judge Sangeeta Singh was concluded in 13 days through videoconferencing. The trial had concluded on Tuesday, during which 33 witnesses were examined. DNA proof nailed the convict. Katni Additional District and Sessions Judge Madhuri Raj Lal convicted auto-rickshaw driver Raj Kumar Kol and handed him a death sentence after a trial that concluded in five days. Additional District Attorney D.D. Taran told the media that Raj Kumar had sexually assaulted the five-year-old child whom he used to drop at school. He was booked after the child's father lodged an FIR on July 7. In December, 2017, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly had unanimously passed a bill to amend the Indian Penal Code to enable awarding of death penalty to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below. --IANS hindi/tsb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has expressed concern over the participation of terrorist-affiliated people in Pakistan's elections but commended the voters for rejecting them. In a statement on Friday afternoon, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert also noted with concern the the "flaws in the pre-voting electoral process". "The US also has deep reservations over the participation of terrorist-affiliated individuals in the elections, but we commend Pakistani voters for fully rejecting these candidates at the ballot box on Wednesday," she said. About the conduct of the election, she said that Washington shared the concerns of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan that the flaws "included constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities' stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election". She said that the US also concurred with the European Union Election Observation Mission's findings "that while there were positive changes to the legal framework for elections in Pakistan, these were overshadowed by restrictions on freedom of expression and unequal campaign opportunities". "The US commends the courage of the Pakistani people, including many women, who turned out to vote and showed resolve to determine their country's future," she added. While avoiding any mention of the front-runner in the election, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, Nauert said, "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the US will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) Arul LouisCorrespondent | United Nations | New York --IANS al/qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin expressed optimism on Thursday about reaching accord quickly with Canada and Mexico on revising the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). "We hope to have an agreement in principle, clearly, very soon. That's the first priority," Mnuchin said. "I think we're making a lot of progress." US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, meanwhile, assured lawmakers that negotiations with Mexico and Canada were advancing at an "unprecedented speed", Efe reported. "Hopefully we are in the finishing stages of achieving an agreement in principle that will benefit America's workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses," he said at a hearing of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo is due in Washington on Thursday for talks on NAFTA with Lighthizer. Jesus Seade, designated as Mexico's future NAFTA chief negotiator by President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is expected to take part in the conversation. The process of revising NAFTA got under way in August 2017 at the initiative of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the pact as a "disaster" for American firms and workers. After successive rounds of talks, the parties remain far apart on key issues such as automobiles and on Washington's insistence -- reiterated on Thursday by Lighthizer -- that the pact include a five-year sunset clause, a demand flatly rejected by Mexico and Canada. --IANS qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US is tightening its grip on Cuba and other leftist Latin American countries, Cuba's former President Raul Castro has warned and said must be met a strong response. "For us, as well as Venezuela and Nicaragua, it is clear the grip is tightening and our country must be clear about responding with force," Castro told a 10,000 strong crowd gathered outside the historic Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. He was speaking at a ceremony marking the National Rebellion Day, Xinhua news agency reported. Castro, who continues to serve as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, said Washington's attempt to isolate the country will be faced with resistance. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was also present, honouring the day that kicked off the Cuban Revolution. Havana and Washington officially resumed diplomatic ties in 2015 under the Barack Obama administration. However, their relationship has deteriorated since US President Donald Trump took office. Tensions between the two nations have grown since August 2017, when the US accused Cuba of carrying out "acoustic attacks" against its diplomatic personnel, "which nobody has been able to substantiate", said Castro. The US-led trade embargo against Cuba has been stepped up, with countries or companies that have financial transactions with the island nation sanctioned especially, Castro said. He also condemned US efforts to undermine Latin American regional organisations. The way to counter US efforts to dominate the region is "to never neglect the unity of the revolutionaries", Castro said, expressing solidarity with Venezuela and Nicaragua, as well as Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Friday said that land can be utilised for constructing houses for homeless people or building hospitals and other basic infrastructure facilities instead of allotting it for making graveyards. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar made the remarks while dismissing a plea for a study on the available space in the cemeteries in Delhi and finding an amicable solution to the growing lack of burial space to the members of the Christian community. The plea was filed by advocate Shashwat Bhardwaj who had also sought directions to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to allot land on a priority basis for usage as a graveyard by the Christian community. The bench told the advocate that he must file some public interest litigation for the welfare of the homeless people instead of seeking land for dead people. The bench also questioned the advocate whether he has been to Saudi Arabia, pointing out that the country has not constructed any graveyard. --IANS akk/nir/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A window fell off a US military helicopter on Friday at a US base near Tokyo, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said. The window fell immediately after the helicopter took off from the Atsugi base in Kanagawa prefecture. No one was injured in the incident, Onodera told reporters. It was not clear yet which type of the helicopter it was and the Defence Ministry asked the US military to provide more information and prevent similar incidents from happening again, Onodera was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency. A similar incident happened in Okinawa last December, as a window fell off a US military CH-53E transport helicopter when it was flying over an elementary school near a US base in the southernmost prefecture. Though the incident caused no injuries, it added fuel to the anti-US base sentiment of local residents in Okinawa as they complain about sufferings caused by aircraft noise, crimes committed by US servicemen as well as safety concerns. --IANS soni/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As much as 30 to 40 per cent of males and 11-16 per cent of females among those afflicted with malignancies in India are head and neck cancer patients, experts said here on Friday, expressing concern over the younger population now falling prey to the malady. "Head and neck cancer patients pose a significant problem in our country, constituting 30-40 per cent of all cancers in male and almost 11-16 per cent in females and there is a need to spread proper awareness," surgical oncologist Gautam Mukhopadhyay said here at the launch of the West Bengal Head and Neck Society. Mukhopadhyay, a senior trustee of the society, said annually over 200,000 such cancers occur in India out of which 80,000 are oral cancers. According to him, lifestyle behaviour like chewing tobacco, betel leaves and also smoking remain the main reasons for such a high incidence of oral and pharyngeal cancer. The symptoms of head and neck cancer can be any persisting ulcers inside the mouth, change in voice, problem in swallowing food, a painless lump inside the neck for almost 4 weeks, chronic coughing, bleeding from ears, nose or throat and so on. According to P.N. Mahapatra, a senior oncologist and senior trustee of the society, maximum number of mouth cancer is seen in patients after the age of 55. "But there is an alarming trend towards the younger patient population. Malignancy of thyroid gland affecting all age groups is also rising and India stands second in prevalence of oesophageal cancer after China." Mukhopadhyay said the newly formed society would create awareness about head and neck cancer in the state. "Our primary focus is on cohesive work, communication between Public and Private sector, through scientific seminars, awareness camps, conferences and workshops to give world-class facilities to patients," he said. Another senior oncologist Aniruddha Dam said the society would try to fill up the gap between city and district-based diagnosis of such cancers. According to him, there is a need for a population based cancer registry for head and neck cancer, and the society aims to reach out to the maximum number of hospitals in that regard. He also said that training of the upcoming doctors will help in early diagnosis and give the best treatment to the patients of head and neck cancer. This year, the World Tour of International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies will be held in Kolkata from October 26-28. --IANS bnd/ssp/vd A (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) July 22 I have to travel to Chhattisgarh on work, a trip involving a flight to Hyderabad, another flight to Raipur and then a five-hour train ride to Raigarh. I am excited because I have never been to the state before. Our work there is with the adivasis of the area whose lands have been bought by private companies running thermal power stations. The land has been appropriated in violation of the Atrocities Act, whose provisions the Supreme Court so dislikes (without, of course, knowing much about how the Act is actually implemented). The adivasis have filed criminal ... The Congress effort to make the 36-jet Rafale deal the Bharatiya Janata Partys Bofors, and to snare Narendra Modi in its exhaust fumes just as Bofors flattened Rajiv Gandhi, may or may not succeed. Not because pay-offs did or did not exist. Almost all defence deals of this kind involve pay-offs at different levels--as anyone who is not a babe in the wood knows. But it is hard to get conclusive facts, and there is no evidence available of bribes in the case of Rafale. The difference between the two cases is that the Bofors scandal erupted following a Swedish radio broadcast and a ... Bloomberg, by Saudi Arabia temporarily halted oil shipments via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping lane for crude at the southern end of the Red Sea, after the country said two tankers were attacked by the Yemeni Houthi militia. Heres why this waterway is starting to become a focal point for the global economy. What is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait? The Bab el-Mandeb, or "Gate of Tears", is a narrow neck of water that separates the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean. Its bordered to the northeast by Yemen and to the southwest by Eritrea and Djibouti. The strait is divided into two channels by Perim Island. Larger vessels use the wider and deeper western channel, which at its narrowest point is around 16 miles (25 kilometers) wide and 170 fathoms (310 meters) deep. A smaller channel along the Yemeni coast is two miles wide. Shipping through Bab el-Mandeb is separated into inbound and outbound channels, each two miles wide. The Bab el-Mandeb waterway, an unavoidable transit point for merchant ships that use Egypts Suez Canal Source: Energy Information Administration. Based on 2016 data Why is it important? Bab el-Mandeb forms a vital link on the trade route between the Mediterranean and Asia. Vessels carrying goods between Europe and Asia, as well as oil from the Middle East to Europe and North America, pass through it if navigating Egypts Suez Canal. The EIA estimates that in 2016 -- the last year for which it published data -- 4.8 million barrels a day of crude and petroleum products flowed through the strait, with about 2.8 million going north toward Europe, and another 2 million moving in the opposite direction. How important is Bab el-Mandeb to Saudi Arabia? It sent 600,000 barrels a day of crude from the Persian Gulf to buyers in Europe and North America this year, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. An additional 330,000 barrels a day were shipped from the countrys main export facility at Ras Tanura to its Red Sea port of Yanbu. On top of that, 120,000 a day went in the opposite direction, to Asia from Yanbu. The kingdoms total exports have been about 7 million a day this year. How serious could a disruption get? Theres no suggestion that the Bab el-Mandeb could be closed, and it is rare for companies to avoid it. That happened at the height of a piracy crisis about a decade ago, during which a Saudi Arabian supertanker was among dozens seized, and owners of different types of vessels said they would divert elsewhere. The kingdoms decision was announced late Wednesday in response to attacks on its own vessels, so it may well remain a localized issue. How long could the suspension last? Saudi Arabia has said the suspension is temporary. Its unlikely to reverse the decision until its confident that crew, ships and cargoes are safe. Can oil exporters bypass the strait? Ships carrying oil from the Persian Gulf to Europe and North America can avoid the Bab el-Mandeb by traveling around the southern tip of Africa. The voyage from Fujairah, at the exit from the Persian Gulf, to Houston would increase by 2,660 nautical miles, or 28 percent. The distance to Rotterdam would rise by 4,800 nautical miles, or 78 percent, while a journey to Augusta in Italy would be nearly three times as long, at 10,860 nautical miles. The increased distances would add to shipping and fuel costs, and also disrupt supplies. A voyage from Saudi Arabia to Rotterdam takes about 22 days via the Bab el-Mandeb and Suez Canal, compared with 39 days around Africa, according to data compiled from Bloomberg tanker tracking. Can Saudi Arabia ship more from its Red Sea ports? Saudi Arabia could pump more of its crude across the country by pipeline to its Red Sea port of Yanbu, from where the barrels could be loaded on tankers for delivery through the Suez Canal. That would bypass the Bab el-Mandeb. The 1,200 kilometer (746-mile) East-West pipelinehas a capacity of 5 million barrels a day, but its also used to deliver crude to four refineries along the Red Sea coast that can process as much as 1.4 million barrels a day. Saudi Aramco exported an average of 650,000 barrels a day from Yanbu this year, according to Bloomberg ship-tracking data. Supplies to the refineries and shipments from Yanbu indicate that Aramco is only using around 2 million barrels a day of capacity along the East-West pipeline. In other words, theres a theoretical 3 million barrels a day spare. At least 10 persons including four police personnel were injured when a mob attacked the police at Lalpani area in Jiribam district today. Six protesters were also injured in the clash, police said. They said the incident occurred at around 1.30 pm after a large number of protesters tried to stage a sit-in demonstration protesting against the Manipur People's Protection Bill 2018 which was passed by the state Assembly recently. The Bill seeks to protect the identity of indigenous people of the state taking 1951 as the base year for treating people as natives of the state. The protesters have been demanding a change in the base year to 1972. "Since Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in the district since morning, the police had asked the protesters to get permission for their sit-in from the district administration," said a senior police officer. In an unexpected turn of events, the protesters hurled stones at the police forcing the cops to retaliate with tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the agitators. During the clash, four personnel including the SP and a woman personnel received minor injuries. Six of the protesters were also injured. Later, reinforcements comprising of state police commandos and Indian Reserve Battalion personnel were rushed to the site to bring normalcy and establish law and order. The issue began on Wednesday after the Joint Action Committee (JAC) took out a rally to denounce the Manipur People's Protection Bill 2018 which was passed unanimously by the Assembly on Monday. JAC spokesperson Md. Ali had earlier denounced the Bill as "unconstitutional" and claimed it deprived them of their constitutional rights. The Bill had sought to regulate the entry and exit of the outsiders in the state. It maintains that those who are not ethnic Meiteis, the Pangals Muslim and STs recognised by the state will be considered as non-Manipuris. Jiribam, which shares border with Assam, has witnessed large influx of Bangladeshis and ethnic Rohingyas over the years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons have been arrested for vandalising a statue of veteran Communist leader Baidyanath Majumder at Srirampur in Unakoti district of Tripura, located about 185 km from here, police said today. District Superintendent of Police Lucky Chauhan said the incident took place late on Wednesday and two youths have been arrested in this connection. However, we have not found any political angle into the incident, she said. It may be recalled that soon after the BJP came to power in the state, a group of miscreants had bulldozed the statue of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin at Belonia, the headquarters of South Tripura district, in May this year. Locals informed Wednesday's incident to police who accordingly tried to identify the miscreants. "Two youths, identified as Litan Sarkar and Ranjit Nama were arrested in this connection," Chauhan said. Baidyanath Majumder's statue was set up in 2012 after his death the year before. Majumder was the Deputy Chief Minister of the state in the cabinet of veteran Communist leader Dasharath Deb from 1993 to 1998. Former Education and Law Minister Tapan Chakraborty, also a senior leader of (CPI-M), alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists had knocked down the statue. "He was the most respected mass leader in the state irrespective of political affiliations, Chakraborty said. BJP state secretary Nitish Dey demanded arrest of the miscreants behind the incident, irrespective of their political colour. The saffron party also took out a procession yesterday at Kailashahar town protesting against the incident, Dey said. State Congress president Birajit Sinha alleged that the BJP government has created a "terror-like" situation in the state. The CPM today took out a protest rally at Agartala protesting against the incident. Speaking to reporters, former Deputy Speaker Pabitra Kar, who led the rally, said, The ruling BJP is leading a series of attacks against the Communists here. They demolished our party offices and then started bulldozing them by government decision. They vandalized statues of many great leaders. But Communists cannot be wiped out from Tripura by these acts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thirty-six cows were found dead at a cowshed in the Najafgarh area in Dwarka today, following which the Delhi government ordered an inquiry into the matter. The Chhawla police station received information around 12.30 pm that 36 cows have died at the gaushala in Ghumanhera village. The police visited the spot and found that out of 1,400 cows sheltered in the gaushala, 36 have died. The gaushala is run by the Acharya Sushil Gosadan Trust. It is spread over 20 acres of land which was allotted in 1995. Around 20 labourers are working there, a senior police officer said. As per the procedure, the police department sent a letter to Special Development Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Gangar to form a team of veterinary doctors for the inspection of the spot and post-mortem of the cows to establish the cause of death, the police officer said. "A team of six veterinary doctors reached the gaushala and are conducting an enquiry into the cause of death and they will also conduct postmortem of all the dead cows. Once their report is submitted further legal action will be taken," the officer said. Development Minister Gopal Rai took a serious view of the incident and ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter within 24 hours, an order said. The order issued by the minister's Secretary Sanjeev Mittal read, "accordingly I am directed to request that an enquiry report in this regard. May kindly be submitted within 24 hours positively." It has also been reported that the carcasses were lying in the gaushala, the order said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of a police constable and snatching his weapon from the residence of a separatist leader here earlier this year, police said today. Constable Farooq Ahmad was killed while he was guarding Hurriyat conference leader Fazal Haq Qureshi's residence in Soura area of the city on February 25. The four accused -- Umar Noor Bhat, Waseem Ahmad Sofi, Ubaid Zoji and Adil Majid Bhat -- were apprehended yesterday, a police spokesperson said. He said initial investigations revealed the role of local militant Isa Fazli, but later it was found that two more militants -- Syed Owais Shafi and Tawseef Ahmad -- were involved in the attack along with the four associates. The spokesperson said the conspiracy was hatched at Adil's house in Chatabal area. The associates had carried out reconnaissance of Qureshi's residence on the day of the attack,. Umar carried the three militants in a car, while Waseem checked the presence of any security forces in the area, the official said. After carrying out the attack, they fled away with Ubaid and Waseem on motorbikes after which Umar transported them out in the car, he added. The three militants were later killed in an encounter at Hakoora in Anantnag district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five Singaporeans of Indian origin were charged today with rioting and assaulting an Indian-origin man with deadly weapons in the Little India precinct here. Victor Alexander Arumugam, Arjun Retnavelu, Haresh Shanmuganathan, Dinesh Kumar Ruvy and Sharvin Raj Suraj, who are aged between 17 and 28, were charged over the slashing incident on Wednesday in Little India that left one man injured. If found guilty, they can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned, reported Channel Asia. Two other men, also Singaporean, have yet to be charged as investigations against them are ongoing. The men are accused of assaulting Dhines Selvarajah, 26, also of Indian origin. Arjun, 23, was allegedly armed with a chopper and a baton, while Dinesh, 28, had a machete. Haresh, 22, is said to have punched the victim, while Sharvin, the youngest at 17, allegedly attacked him with a baton. All seven suspects were arrested by the police yesterday. The incident is believed to have occurred over a personal dispute, according to the report. Singapore's Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam called the attack "horrific". This is the first incident in Little India since the December 2013 riot which involved some 300 migrant workers, mostly from India, in what was Singapore's worst violence in decades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fresh batch of 782 pilgrims today left for the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 60-day of yatra commenced from the twin routes of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on June 28. Till yesterday, a total of 2.49 lakh pilgrims had paid their obeisance at the 3,880 m high holy cave shrine. Over the past week, the number of pilgrims joining the yatra has marked a sharp dip. The pilgrims left in a convoy of 26 vehicles under tight security arrangements and are expected to reach the twin base camps of Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal later in the day, the officials said. The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 26, coinciding with the 'Raksha Bandhan' festival. On the 29th day of the ongoing Amarnath yatra, 2,553 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave and till date 2,49,220 pilgrims had the darshan of the Shivling at the holy cave, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Plunging the AAP Punjab unit into deeper crisis, eight of the party's 20 MLAs today came out against the decision to remove firebrand leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira as the Leader of the Opposition and demanded that it be reviewed. The party has appointed Dirba MLA Harpal Singh Cheema, a Dalit face, as new Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly replacing Khaira, who had been made the LoP a year back. Khaira paraded at a press conference here eight party MLAs who backed him and wrote a letter to the party high command about present situation in the AAP Punjab unit and sought its intervention to resolve the crisis in the interest of the state and its people. Khaira, MLA from Bolath, too described his removal as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) "undemocratic", and sought review of the decision by the party high command. "I was not interested in becoming the LoP... But they (party high command) took an undemocratic decision (to remove him as LoP) and they will have to review that. They should review it," he told media in a defiant mood at a press conference here after being removed as the LoP yesterday. "One or two persons through tweet cannot take a decision," he said apparently referring to AAP leader Manish Sisodia's tweet yesterday mentioning that Khaira has been removed as the LoP without assigning any reason for the same. Khaira said the party high command did not follow the convention in removing him from the post. "The convention is that the views of MLAs should have been taken (before any decision)," he said. Rejecting suggestion that his move was anti-party, he said that there is a crisis in Punjab unit of the AAP and need it to strengthen the party at this juncture. In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, the AAP, which is the main opposition, has 20 legislators. Party MLAs including Kanwar Sandhu, Pirmal Singh, Nazer Singh, Jagdev Singh and Rupinder Kaur Ruby were present on the occasion and they demanded that party should review its decision to remove Khaira as LoP. A volunteers' convention will be held in Bathinda on August 2 where the issues facing Punjab and crisis which the AAP is facing in the state will be taken up, senior leader Kanwar Sandhu said. Punjab AAP Co-president Balbir Singh, had, however, welcomed the move, saying it was a decision of legislators of AAP from the state. Khaira's removal came days after he had accused Balbir Singh of making false allegations of accepting money from party workers in a bid to remove him from the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. Khaira also reached out to other MLAs who were not present, saying he understands their situation, but would appeal to them to stand with him as he has taken up the cause to fight for people of Punjab. "In today's political culture which is full of sycophancy, full of money power, goondaism, I am indebted to the MLAs who have come in my support," he said. "I don't have any regret of being removed as the Leader of Opposition. I am here to serve and protect the interests of people of Punjab. If one has to pay price for raising voice for Punjab, its people and issues which the state faces, then I am willing to sacrifice hundreds of such LoP posts," he said. Sandhu said the AAP in Punjab is passing through a crisis and Khaira was removed from the post by the high command without any notice or warning. He said eight party MLAs have together petitioned to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia to intervene to resolve the crisis in the party in the interest of the state and for its people. Sandhu demanded the "undemocratic" decision of removing the LoP must be reviewed. MLA Nazer Singh said that he received a communication from Sisodia saying that he should sign a letter as they have decided to remove LoP. "I suggested the high command to convene a meeting of party MLAs...serve show cause notice (to Khaira), but such procedure was not followed," he said. "I was pained at learning that Khaira was removed as LoP yesterday," he said. MLA Jagdev Singh also echoed similar sentiment. The eight MLAs, however, clarified that they will remain part of the party and would strive hard to strengthen it. Khaira said not only party activists, but people aligned with SAD and Congress have expressed their sympathies with him after AAP leadership removed him as LoP. He assured that he would continue his fight against mining, drug, land, transport, liquor mafia and corruption. Khaira said that six different cases registered against him during the SAD regime had fallen flat in the courts. He said that when he launched a scathing attack to fight tooth and nail the Amarinder Singh government he was framed in a concocted case. "Conspiracies were hatched against me...but it pains when I learnt that some people within my own party opened fronts against me," he said. Khaira said that there were chain of events against him and he knew who were conspiring against him. He said that he had apprehended that he may be removed as LoP. Talking about his party, he said AAP's graph is down but they will work to strengthen it. He gave a clarion call to like minded parties to come together to strengthen third alternative, which the AAP has emerged. Khaira reiterated that they will strengthen the party. "It is time to move forward with a strong will," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Katni court sentenced a man to death today for raping a minor, following a trial that lasted just five days. A special court of Additional Sessions Judge Madhuri Raj Lal convicted Rajkumar Kol (34), an autorickshaw driver, after finding him guilty under section 376 (A)(B), introduced under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, as well as relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Kol raped the five-year-old girl on July 4 while taking her to school. He was arrested on July 7. Police filed the charge sheet on July 12 and the hearing in the case started on July 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AirAsia India (AAI) today said it has flown 1.82 million passengers in the April to June period, registering an 82 per cent growth over the year-ago period. The no-frills carrier - a joint venture between the Tata Sons and Malaysia's AirAsia Berhad - had carried a little over one million passengers in the same period last year, a company release said. The Bengaluru-based airline, whose one of the directors, R Venkataramanan, along with AirAsia group chief Tony Fernandes are under CBI investigation for allegedly trying to manipulate government policies, also saw an 87 per cent increase in the number of seats it deployed to 2.09 million during June quarter, against 1.11 million seats offered in the same period last year. Venkataramanan is the managing trustee of the Tata Trust and nominee of Tata Sons, which holds 49 per cent in the budget carrier, on the board of Air Asia India. In the April-June quarter, AirAsia operated 87 per cent more services at 11,643 flights, compared with 6,222 services offered a year ago, according to the release. It, however, reported a three per cent dip in the passenger load factor to 87 per cent in the June quarter, owing to massive increase in seat capacity. Passenger load factor is a measure of seat occupancy. AAI ended the quarter with a fleet of 18 Airbus 320 aircraft after adding two planes during the period, it said adding, the airline commenced operations on six new routes, of which four were from Kolkata and one each from New Delhi and Bengaluru. Frequencies were increased on two routes from Kolkata and two from Bengaluru, the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court here discharged Punjab Chief minister Amarinder Singh and 17 others today in a decade-old case of alleged corruption in the transfer of land to a private developer, accepting the closure report filed by the probe agency. Those cleared by the court included former Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kewal Krishan and former ministers Raghunath Sahai Puri and Jagjit Singh. All three are dead now. Mohali Special Judge Jaswinder Singh accepted the closure report filed by the state's Vigilance Bureau (VB) while clearing the 18 accused of wrongdoing in the transfer of 32.10 acre of Amritsar Improvement Trust's prime land to a private developer. The Vigilance Bureau had registered the case against them in 2008 on the recommendation of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Amarinder Singh, who was present in the court along with the other accused, welcomed the verdict as a "victory of truth. "It was political vendetta as the VB had acted on the directions of its then political masters," he said, in a reference to then Akali Dal-BJP government. The Vigilance Bureau had filed a cancellation report before the Special Court in October 2016 after conducting a further investigations as directed by the high court. It also sought the discharge of all the accused. The bureau had then submitted that "neither any malafide nor any offence had been committed". It told the court that no incriminating evidence had been found during the fresh investigation to prove the charges. The judge, in his brief verdict, read out the allegations and concluded that the second investigation was correct. The court accepts the cancellation report, the judge said. Amarinder Singh said the acceptance of the cancellation report by the court had proved that the charges were nothing but a fabrication of the previous regime to further their agenda of political vendetta". Five hundred hearings were held in the case, which caused a lot of inconvenience not only to him but also the general public, the chief minister told reporters outside the court premises after the verdict. He stressed that the cancellation report was filed under the erstwhile SAD-BJP regime after the bureau reinvestigated the matter on court orders. I had no role to play in the cancellation, he said. The case is over an executive decision taken by the Urban Development and Housing Department in the Amarinder Singh-led government, during its previous tenure (2002-2007), to grant a licence to a private developer. Since the developer had applied for licence before the notification by the Amritsar Improvement Trust for land acquisition, it was granted to him on a first come-first-served basis under a policy decision, a government spokesman said. However, the opposition parties at that time had objected to this, alleging that the exemption was not according to the government policy and favoured an individual. After the Akali government took over, a committee led by the then MLA Harish Dhanda was set up by the Vidhan Sabha. The Dhanda committee submitted a 95-page report recommending Amarinder Singh's disqualification from the House for its remaining term. It also recommended an inquiry and its report to be submitted to the Speaker within two months. The disqualification was set aside by the Supreme Court, and the high court ordered a further investigation into the corruption charges. The investigation revealed that no loss had occurred to the exchequer in granting the exemption to the developer, the spokesman said. The exemption was granted under section 56 of Punjab Town Improvement Trust Act, after obtaining a non-objection certificate from the Trust as per government policy, the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 65-year-old woman from Rajasthan's Barmer district died in Pakistan where she had gone to meet her elder sisters, following which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj assured help to her family members in repatriation of mortal remains. Swaraj in a tweet asked Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria to help the family members after which he replied: "We are getting in touch with the family in this sad case. Will facilitate the repatriation of remains." Reshma, a resident of Agasadi village in Barmer, had gone to Pakistan with her son Syab Khan on June 30. She was supposed to return tomorrow but passed away on July 25. The bereaved family members here arduously engaged in seeking help to get Reshma's body back for performing the last rites. Reshma's another son Jadam had met the district officials and also local MLA Manvendra Singh to seek his intervention. "Family members in Pakistan have been contacted. Efforts are on to help them with the assistance of the External Affairs Ministry. However, chances of receiving the remains by the Thar Express are sheen as the visa of the family expired on July 26," the MLA said. He said that the deceased's relatives in Pakistan are trying to get the extension of their visa. The body would be brought to India next week if their visa is not extended this evening, Singh said. Singh said that the permission to receive the body at Munabao in Barmer has been granted. Now, family members will not have to travel to Jodhpur, he added. The Thar Express doesn't halt at Barmer and passengers have to board or deboard the train from Jodhpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The upcoming Bengali film 'Uronchondi', from Prosenjit Chatterjee's production, may have to be screened without subtitles as the makers claim that the CBFC Kolkata office has only issued certification for the film without any mention of subtitles. The film's associate producer Srijoni Roy told PTI that the certificate issued by the CBFC Kolkata office only mentioned 'Uronchondi (Bengali) (Colour) (2-D)' though they had submitted the subtitled version of Uronchandi for online certification on July 11/12. "In the given situation we are being forced to release the film without subtitles on August 3 which will deprive us financially as a large segment of non-Bengali audience will not be able to watch the film in theatres and the film cannot be distributed digitally," Roy said. 'Uronchondhi', revolving around the journey of three women in search of freedom, has been directed by Abhisek Saha. Chatterjee has shot off a letter to the CBFC and the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) over the issue, Roy said. Elaborating on his points, the associate producer said, after the makers found the words 'with subtitles' missing from the censor certificate, they had approached the CBFC Kolkata. "We were told to give it in writing in stamp paper that we wanted the words 'with subtitles' written in the Censor card. We had done accordingly and got acknowledgement receipt of the written letter. But finally when we got the certificate, 'with subtitles' words were missing," she said. When the local Censor office was approached by the producers once again, "We were asked by CBFC Kolkata to get a letter from UFO, QUBE and Scrabble (digital movie distribution networks) on a revised certificate. "But they (digital movie distribution networks) informed us that every other regional Censor board in India and the CBFC Mumbai issue certificate card bearing the words 'with subtitle' and the ball is in the court of CBFC Kolkata." she said. The EIMPA has also shot off a letter to the CBFC Kolkata on the issue yesterday, EIMPA sources said. Prosenjit Chatterjee, who was not happy with the developments, said he was hoping for a positive outcome before the film's release. "I have mailed to CBFC urging them to issue a new certificate for Uronchondi for referring it as a Bengali film with subtitles. If that is not done before August 3, we can't run the subtitled version in halls and plexes and that will deprive the increasing number of our non-Bengali audience from watching the film," Chatterjee said. Roy said the Censor Board has said the new certification card can be issued on August 7, "But our film will be released before that." CBFC Regional Officer East Partha Ghosh could not be contacted. As per Rule 22 (3) of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, only the final version of a film is to be shown to the examining committee for certification purposes. The rule stipulated that all the applicants must submit an undertaking along with the application clearly stating either that subtitles are included or subsequently no subtitles will be added once the film is certified by the CBFC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prateik Babbar would love to have a biopic on his mother Smita Patil and he even has a title in mind. It should be called "Ek Thi Smita". "People have talked about a biopic on my mother. And I am excited about it. In such a short span, it was one hell of a life lived. It is special. I would love to have a biopic made on her," Prateik told PTI. Regarded as one of the finest actors in Hindi and Marathi cinema, Patil acted in over 80 films in her career that spanned over a decade. "I am ok with it. I don't know if my family is. I am not the only one to give a green signal to it...it has to be a collective decision of the family. It is a sensitive thing. But it is a beautiful thought," the actor said when asked whether there were any apprehensions in telling the story. Patil, who was married to Raj Babbar, passed away in 1986 at the age of 31, barely two weeks after giving birth to Prateik due to some complications. "I miss her a lot even today. She has been very inspiring. I have seen all her films, but I loved her the most in 'Bhumika'." Prateik is currently busy promoting his upcoming film "Mulk", directed by Anubhav Sinha. It is set to release on August 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hours after backing those demanding separate statehood for North Karnataka leaving his party embarrassed, BJP MLA B Sriramulu today retracted his statement,saying he never supported division of the state. Much to the state BJPleadership's embarrassment, Sriramulu told reporters earlier that he would support those who gave a bandh call on August 2 demanding separate statehood for the region. "We will not keep quite if injustice is meted out to North Karnataka. We the MLAs from North Karnataka are holding discussions. Just wait and watch, what we will do next. Like separate Telangana, this (movement) will also become a big 'revolution'. The coalition government has ignored North Karnataka. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is practising the politics of partiality," Sriramulu said at Ballari. As the party disapproved of his stand, he retracted, saying he actually meant that it was unfortunate that demand for separate statehood to northKarnataka has been made. "It is unfortunate that the struggle for separate statehood has begun due to the step-motherly attitude of the coalition government," Sriramulu said in a statement. He said present day Karnataka was unified due tothe sacrifices of people like Chennabasappa, Haraginadoni Sanna Basavanagouda and Ramzan Saab from Ballari. "It is far from truth that I, the one who belongs to the same district (Ballari), would support a separate state. I have huge respect for unified Karnataka. Without discriminating between east, west, north and south, I believe in one Karnataka." The coalition government should also respect undivided Karnataka by giving due preference to North Karnataka, Sriramulu said in his statement. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had earlier flayed those demanding separate statehood, saying such a demand will not lead to any solution. Party MP Shobha Karandlaje too dismissed the demand for separate statehood. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an embarrassment to the BJP in Karnataka, its party Molkalmoru MLA B Sriramulu today batted for separate statehood for North Karnataka, alleging injustice to the region. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had earlier flayed those demanding separate statehood, saying such a demand will not lead to any solution. Party MP Shobha Karandlaje too dismissed the demand for separate statehood. Sriramulu said he would support the bandh call given by some organisations on August 2 demanding separate statehood for the region. Some leaders, including Congress leader H K Patil, from the region have accused the state government of having done injustice to North Karnataka in its state budget. Organisations like Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti and Uttara Karnataka Vikasa Vedike have also accused the state government of ignoring the region's interests. "We will not keep quite if injustice is meted out to North Karnataka. We the MLAs from North Karnataka are holding discussions. Just wait and watch, what we will do next. Like separate Telangana, this (movement) will also become a big 'revolution'. The coalition government has ignored North Karnataka. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is practising the politics of partiality," Sriramulu said. Sriramulu said Kumaraswamy should not forget that he was the chief ministerof the state and not a few regions. "Kumaraswamy is behaving as if he is the chief minister of a couple of districts. He is ignoring the people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region," the BJP MLA said. Speaking to reporters at Mysuru, Karandlaje said the demand for statehood was not appropriate and she would not agree to it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ambedkar Nagar BJP MP Hari Om Pandey today blamed the growing population of Muslims in the country for rising crime, adding to the controversial remarks by his party leaders in recent days. "Cases of heinous crime such as rape and murder are rapidly increasing due to the growing Muslim population in India," Pandey told reporters here. He said there had been a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslims in the population since Independence and called for the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to save India from becoming another Pakistan. The MP's remarks echo that of Alwar (Urban) MLA Banwari Lal Singhal who, while condemning the lynching of a Muslim man on suspicion of cow smuggling, blamed the victim's Meo community for crime in the district. Other BJP and RSS leaders have in recent days urged Muslims to shun beef and cow smuggling. "Muslims have three to four marriages and give birth to nine to ten children. The kids are left to roam around and this gives way to lawlessness," Pandey said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American aerospace giant Boeing today said it has completed the first flights of Apache and Chinook military helicopters which will be delivered to India next year. India is procuring 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift choppers from Boeing. "First flight of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening Indian armed forces' capabilities," Boeing India president Pratyush Kumar said. He said India will receive the most-advanced versions of both AH-64E Apache and CH-47F Chinook helicopters. "Indian industry partners such as Dynamatics is building large sections of Chinook, and the Tata Boeing joint venture in Hyderabad is building the complete fuselage of the Apache," he said in a statement. India had finalised a contract with Boeing for 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks for the air force in September 2015. Additionally, the defence ministry had last year approved procurement of six Apache helicopters, along with weapons systems, from Boeing at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore for the Army which will be its first fleet of attack choppers. AH-64E Apache is one of the leading multi-role attack helicopters globally and is flown by the US Army. Its latest features include joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision-aiding, a Boeing official said. The Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transport of troops, artillery, equipment, and fuel. It is also used for humanitarian and disaster-relief operations, in missions such as transportation of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees. Fuselages for this Army order will be produced by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, the joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad. Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. The US government-to-government sales to India in recent years have included C-17 transport aircraft, 155 mm light-weight towed howitzers, UGM-84L Harpoon missiles, support for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) support equipment. In addition to these foreign military sales (FMS) cases valued at USD 1.62 billion, India has purchased USD 2.82 billion in defence articles since 2013 via the direct commercial sales process. These include aircraft, gas turbine engines and electronics, among other categories of major defence articles. In 2016, India was also awarded the status of a US major defence partner, which allows India to receive licence-free access to a wide range of military and dual-use technologies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American defence major Boeing has carried out the first flights of the Apache and Chinook military helicopters and delivery to the Indian Air Force will commence next year, officials said today. India is procuring 22 AH-64E Apache attack choppers and 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing. "First flight of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening Indian armed forces capabilities," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said in a statement. Officials added that the delivery of the military helicopters are likely to begin next year. According to Kumar, India will receive the most advanced versions of both the AH-64E Apache and the CH-47F Chinook helicopters. "Indian industry partners such as Dynamatics are building large sections of Chinook, and the Tata Boeing joint venture in Hyderabad is building the complete fuselage of the Apache," he said in a statement. The government had finalised the contract for IAF's 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks in September 2015. Additionally, the defence ministry last year approved the procurement of six Apache helicopters along with weapons systems from Boeing at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore for the Army. This will be its first fleet of attack choppers. Fuselages for this Army order will be produced by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, a joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad. The AH-64E Apache is a leading multi-role attack helicopter and is flown by the US Army. Its latest features include joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding, said a Boeing official. The Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transport of troops, artillery, equipment and fuel. It is also used for humanitarian and disaster-relief operations, in missions such as transportation of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Boko Haram fighters aboard dozens of vehicles raided a base near a key city in northeast Nigeria, in their latest assault on the security forces, police and local militia said today. Following the attack, the Nigerian army announced a "major" redeployment of senior officers, naming a new commander to lead counter-insurgency operations against the jihadists. It was the third commander to be named for the miltary operation in the space of a year. The Islamists late yesterday stormed a base on the outskirts of Jakana, a village 30 kilometres from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades. They then sacked and burned down a police station before fleeing, local militia said. "Yesterday at about 1742 hours, Boko Haram terrorists in about 30 vehicles launched (an) attack on Jakana," Borno state police spokesman Edet Okon said in a short statement. "The police combat units were deployed for reinforcement. The insurgents were successfully repelled by security forces," Okon said without giving details on casualties. Local militia leader Babakura Kolo said the attackers took over the base for "more than an hour" before reinforcements arrived from Maiduguri. "They (Boko Haram) took control of the military base after overpowering soldiers and burned down the police station," he said. "Details of casualties are still sketchy but the bodies of two policemen and a civilian were recovered while nine residents were injured from stray bullets." The attack comes just two weeks after the jihadists overran a military base in nearby Yobe state and ambushed troops near the group's Sambisa forest stronghold. On July 14, jihadists believed to be loyal to Boko Haram factional leader Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi, raided a base in Jilli village. Dozens of troops were said to have been killed or missing. The day before, 23 troops went missing after a military convoy was ambushed by fighters in the Bama area of Borno state, where the Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram is strong. The attacks underline the threat Boko Haram still poses despite repeated military claims the group have been defeated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three alleged Naxal supporters were today arrested when they were putting up posters in support of the proscribed outfit's "martyrs week" in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, police said. "The three Maoist supporters, identified as Shivraj Mandavi, Dukhlal Salaam and Dharmendra Anchla, were held from Jungletola village in Mohla area when a police team was out on a search operation," said Prashant Agrawal, Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police. He added that the three, hailing from Jungletola, were caught when they were putting up Maoist posters and banners in the forest adjoining their village in support of the so-called martyrs week. The official said that the three have revealed that they were given this task by Mohla "local operation squad commander" Gendsingh Kovachi. The three were booked under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, he added. Officials said that security had been beefed up in view of the martyrs week, organised by the Naxals between July 28 to August 3, in districts like Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Sukma and Kanker. An official said that no untoward incident had been reported so far in connection with martyrs week, which is held to "commemorate" Maoist rebels killed in police action. Police said that Naxals could create disturbance during the week in view of police action on July 19 in which eight Naxals, including six women, were gunned down in Bijapur district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid allegations of formalin being used as preservative in fish transported from Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today wrote to his Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland counterparts, requesting their support to ascertain the genuineness of the claims and to restore good "fish trade relations". Naidu said the allegations were being made to defame the state's brand in fish business and discourage supplies. Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland had imposed a ban on fish imported from Andhra Pradesh after traces of formalin, a chemical substance used to preserve dead fish, were found in the imports from the southern state last month. He said the state government had set up teams to "conduct quality checks for formalin, but no cases of fishermen using formalin or ammonia have been reported so far". "Aquaculture farmers and merchants of Andhra Pradesh have strongly denied the allegations, saying it's a ploy to defame the state and reduce the market price (of fish)," the letter read. The Andhra chief minister said his government would ensure quality checks at the levels of farmers, traders, transporters and "up to the borders of Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya". Naidu requested support to ascertain the genuineness of the allegations and restore good fish-trade relations with Andhra Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Giving students access to an electronic device, such as a phone or tablet, for non-academic purposes during lectures may lower their performance in exams, a study has found. The research, published in the journal Educational Psychology, found that students who don't use such devices themselves but attend lectures where their use is permitted also do worse, suggesting that phone use damages the group learning environment. Researchers from Rutgers University in the US performed an in-class experiment to test whether dividing attention between electronic devices and the lecturer during the class affected students' performance in within-lecture tests and an end-of-term exam. As many as 118 cognitive psychology students at Rutgers University participated in the experiment during one term of their course. Laptops, phones and tablets were banned in half of the lectures and permitted in the other half. When devices were allowed, students were asked to record whether they had used them for non-academic purposes during the lecture. The study found that having a device didn't lower students' scores in comprehension tests within lectures, but it did lower scores in the end-of-term exam by at least five per cent, or half a grade. This finding shows for the first time that the main effect of divided attention in the classroom is on long-term retention, with fewer targets of a study task later remembered. In addition, when the use of electronic devices was allowed in class, performance was also poorer for students who did not use devices as well as for those who did. "These findings should alert the many dedicated students and instructors that dividing attention is having an insidious effect that is impairing their exam performance and final grade," said Professor Arnold Glass from Rutgers University. "To help manage the use of devices in the classroom, teachers should explain to students the damaging effect of distractions on retention - not only for themselves, but for the whole class," said Glass. This is the first-ever study in an actual classroom showing a causal relationship between distraction from an electronic device and subsequent exam performance, researchers said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US has identified China, Russia and Iran as "aggressive" and "capable" collectors of its sensitive economic information, trade secrets and technologies, particularly in cyberspace. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center in its annual report 'Foreign Economic Espionage in Cyber' released yesterday said countries with closer ties to the US have also conducted cyber espionage to obtain US technology. "Despite advances in cybersecurity, cyber espionage continues to offer threat actors a relatively low-cost, high-yield avenue of approach to a wide spectrum of intellectual property, it said. "We anticipate that China, Russia, and Iran will remain aggressive and capable collectors of sensitive US economic information and technologies, particularly in cyberspace. All will almost certainly continue to deploy significant resources and a wide array of tactics to acquire intellectual property and proprietary information, said the report. China, according to the report, has expansive efforts in place to acquire US technology to include sensitive trade secrets and proprietary information. It continues to use cyber espionage to support its strategic development goalsscience and technology advancement, military modernisation, and economic policy objectives, the report said. "China's cyberspace operations are part of a complex, multipronged technology development strategy that uses licit and illicit methods to achieve its goals, it said, noting that Chinese companies and individuals often acquire US technology for commercial and scientific purposes. At the same time, the Chinese government seeks to enhance its collection of US technology by enlisting the support of a broad range of actors spread throughout its government and industrial base, it said. The report running into more than 15 pages said that while next generation technologies will introduce a range of qualitative advances in data storage, analytics, and computational capacity, they also present potential vulnerabilities for which the cybersecurity community remains largely unprepared. The solidification of cloud computing over the past decade as a global information industry standard, coupled with the deployment of technologies such as artificial intelligence and internet if things, will introduce unforeseen vulnerabilities to US networks, it said. Noting that cloud networks and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure are rapidly expanding the global online operational space, the report said threat actors have already demonstrated how cloud can be used as a platform for cyber exploitation. "As IoT and AI applications expand to empower everything from 'smart homes' to 'smart cities' billions of potentially unsecured network nodes will create an incalculably larger exploitation space for cyber threat actors, it said. Building an effective response demands understanding economic espionage as a worldwide, multi-vector threat to the integrity of both the US economy and global trade. Of the view that China will continue to be a threat to US proprietary technology and intellectual property through cyber-enabled means or other methods, the report warned that if this threat is not addressed, it could erode America's long-term competitive economic advantage. An aggressive and capable collector of sensitive US technologies, Russia uses cyberspace as one of many methods for obtaining the necessary know-how and technology to grow and modernise its economy, it said. Russia uses cyber operations as an instrument of intelligence collection to inform its decision making and benefit its economic interests, it added. We believe that Iran will continue working to penetrate US networks for economic or industrial espionage purposes, it said adding that Iran's economystill driven heavily by petroleum revenuewill depend on growth in nonoil industries. We expect Iran will continue to exploit cyberspace to gain advantages in these industries. Iran will remain committed to using its cyber capabilities to attain key economic goals, primarily by continuing to steal intellectual property, in an effort to narrow the science and technology gap between Iran and Western countries, the report said. Further new and enhanced cyber, national security, and import laws in effect in foreign countries are posing an increasing risk to US technology and propriety information, it said. For example, in 2017, China and Russia aggressively enforced laws that bolstered their domestic companies at the expense of US companies and also might allow their companies access to US intellectual property and proprietary information, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stating that investments made in a state belong to government and not to any political party, Uttar Pradesh Industries Minister Satish Mahana today said the BJP government will honour the commitments made to investors in the previous regime. "The investments made (in a state) belong to government and not to any political party. Government is a continuous process," he said. So, the investors who were committed of incentives in the earlier regime, and if they fulfil the criteria, will see the commitments getting honoured, Mahana told PTI here today. In other words, there is no politics when it comes to development, he said. The minister also exuded confidence that in two years time, total investments in the state will exceed the investments made in last 15 years. "Our aim is to bring more investment in two years of our government in the state (March 2019) on ground than what had come to UP in the last 15 years," he said. Investments worth Rs 60,000 crore will begin soon with participation from sectors including housing, power, IT, sugarcane, horticulture, electronics, textiles and animal husbandry. This investment is likely to generate around 2 lakh jobs. Referring to investments made by global giant Samsung, he said in this case over Rs 1,900 crore worth MoU was signed during the previous regime, but they were facing some problems and finding it difficult to operate. "We resolved their problems, and expansion plan came up in our regime," Mahana said. Industrialists now feel assured on the law and order front in the state, which he claims is attracting more investors now. Sharing an experience, Mahana said an industrialist from Gujarat told him that earlier he used to refrain from coming to UP on the advice of his family members, but things changed after the Yogi government took the reins in 2017. "We are trying to rectify the system, and the investments which are coming are an indicator that situation is improving in UP," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after the National Commission for Women said it has recommended a ban on confessions in churches over fears they could lead to blackmailing of women, a Kerala bishops body has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the move, calling it "shocking". Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam, a Kerala native and a Christian, meanwhile "rejected outright" the NCW's recommendation, insisting that the Modi government would never interfere in religious beliefs of people. "It was shocking not only for the Christian community but also to everyone who stands for the freedom of religion," Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council president Archbishop Soosa Pakiam told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram. He said a memorandum has been sent to the prime minister against the recommendation. Pakiam said the NCW had "abused" its powers by submitting a "one-sided" report to the Centre without consulting the church. He called it an "irresponsible" act done "with ulterior motives". Pakiam also wrote to George Kurian, Member Secretary of National Commission for Minorities, requesting him to raise before appropriate authorities the concerns of the church. Kurian was learnt to have forwarded the letter from Pakiam to the prime minister and home minister. "We strongly feel the recommendation is unwarranted and intended to tarnish the credibility of the Church. It is unfortunate that people in responsible positions make such statements which deeply wound the religious sentiments of the Christian minority community," Pakiam wrote in the letter. Kannanthanam came out against the NCW recommendation after the Church in Kerala protested. "It is not the official stand of the government. The Union Government has no connection with the stand taken by the NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma. It is a personal opinion of Rekha Sharma," Kannanthanam, Union Minister of State for Tourism, wrote in a Facebook post. "The Narendra Modi government would never interfere in religious beliefs," he insisted. The minister said there was no need for making such a recommendation. "Since it has come, the Modi government rejects it outright," the minister told Malayalam channels in New Delhi. Sharma had said the NCW had recommended abolishing the practice of "confessions" in churches as it can lead to blackmailing of women. She said a central agency needed to do investigate the incidents of rape and sexual assault in the churches of Kerala. "The priests pressure women into telling their secrets and we have one such case in front of us, there must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg," she said. The recommendation came in the backdrop of a rape case against four priests of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who were accused of sexually exploiting a married woman by using her confession made before a clergyman. The issue came to the fore after the victims husband wrote to the church, alleging that the priests blackmailed and abused his wife. Pakiam told the press conference that a confession was a sacrament for the Christians and denying it will hurt their religious sentiments. "It amounts to insulting the practice of sacrament of confession in the name of an isolated incident which is yet to be proved. It also amounts to violation of the freedom of faith and religion guaranteed by the Constitution," he said. Pakiam said banning the practice of confession will trigger "anxiety and suspicion" among the Christian community. Central agencies like the NCW have the right to point out errors but they cannot control the centuries-old practices and traditions of the church which,he said, was committed to adhering to the laws of the country. On the alleged sexual exploitation of the woman by four priests, he said," Church is a body of humans. So, it is not beyond errors. The mistakes will be corrected within the church and the offenders punished." The NCW had constituted an inquiry committee to look into incidents of alleged sexual assault of women in churches and sent its findings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and the police chiefs of Kerala and Punjab. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not raising the Doklam issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. "The truth is that Prime Minister Modi meets the Chinese president on the sidelines of the BRICS summit and holds talks, but forgets to talk about Doklam. When will this government show the 56-inch chest and red eyes and have the courage to raise the issues concerning security and nation's borders?...the 132 crore people of the country want to know," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. He said the United States Congressional Committee has stated that China has made a headway in Doklam and was raising its infrastructure and Army strength there. "This is a direct threat and challenge to national security," he said. The Congress leader said the way Chinese Army strength of Brigade-level was there in north Doklam and in southern Doklam in the Siliguri corridor, China has constructed a road, but the "prime minister and defence minister did not speak anything on it". "The truth is that the one who claimed having a 56-inch chest and dared to show 'red eyes' to China, has gone back on his promise and has turned silent on national security. "The prime minister, who dared to show China his red eyes, gave swing rides to the Chinese president. But when he goes to China with an agenda-less visit, he forgets to even raise the issue of Doklam which is linked to national security," Surjewala said. The Congress leader said China, which does not have any diplomatic ties with Bhutan, visited the nation and discussed Doklam with Bhutan without involving India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the 10th BRICS Summit agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is here to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months last evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight armed criminals were arrested while they were planning to commit serial crime including killing of a politician and contractor in the steel city here last night, a senior police officer today said. A police team has recovered two semi-automatic pistols, two country-made pistols, 45 live cartridges of 7.65 bore, 12 rounds of .315 bore, four motorcycles and mobile phones from their possession, Senior Superintendent of Police, Anoop Birtharay said. Addressing a press conference jointly with Superintendent of Police (city) Prabhat Kumar, Birtharay said they had specific information that a group of criminals had gathered at a company quarter in a farm area under Kadma police station last night. A police team headed by Kumar was formed to apprehend the criminals. Accordingly, the team comprising several police station officers-in-charge conducted a raid and arrested eight criminals while six to secen others managed to escape under the cover of darkness, he said. The arrested told the police during interrogation that they had planned to kill one contractor, he said adding that they had also opened fire on one person of Kadma locality to mislead the police. The criminals also confessed that they were involved in the firing on a Congress leader recently in Sakchi. A case has been registered under Kadma police station in this regard and further investigation was on, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ongoing supply glut in India's dairy sector is a matter of "great concern" and the government should look at more initiatives to tide over the crisis, a top official of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) said today. "The dairy sector is still facing a crisis. It is a matter of great concern to all of us because a few states had surplus stock of milk, which they converted into milk powder (skimmed milk powder). "Now, they are saddled with huge quantity of the powder and are unable to get a good price for it," NDDB Chairman Dilip Rath told PTI here. Rath said capital will also be blocked for maintaining the excess stock of the milk powder, which will be a burden on the central government. He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of an automatic milk collection system software developed by NDDB for dairy cooperative societies affiliated to the Sundarban Cooperative Milk and Livestock Producers' Union. The states bearing the maximum impact of the supply glut were Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In Maharashtra and Punjab milk farmers had recently emptied tankers on the streets as part of protests to press for a hike in procurement prices. "The situation in Maharashtra is stable now, as the government has announced a few schemes for milk and powder subsidies," Rath said. He said that the NDDB has made a host of suggestions to the Centre to address the current crisis and assure milk farmers. Some of the the recommendations made to the government include raising the Merchandise Exports from India (MEIS) Scheme incentive from 10 per cent to 20 per cent and providing low-cost working capital to the cooperatives, he said. "There should also be a nation-wide programme to distribute the excess milk to schools as 36 per cent of our children are malnourished. We have also recommended donating some of the milk powder to the SAARC countries which have deficient milk supply," Rath said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A on Friday reserved for July 30 its order on whether to summon RJD supremo and former railway minister Yadav, his wife and son as accused in a case related to alleged irregularities in granting operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm. Special judge Arvind Kumar fixed the date for pronouncing the order after being told by the CBI, which had on April 16 filed the charge sheet in the case, that there were enough evidence against them. "Let me go through the documents. I will pronounce order on Monday," the judge said. The also informed the court that sanction has been procured from the authorities concerned to prosecute Additional Member of Railway Board B K Agarwal, who was then the group general manager of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Besides Yadav and his family members, former union minister Prem Chand Gupta and his wife Sarla Gupta, B K Agarwal, then managing director of IRCTC P K Goyal and then IRCTC director Rakesh Saxena were also named in the charge sheet. The other names in the charge sheet include then group general managers of IRCTC V K Asthana and R K Goyal, Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel. Delight marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and Sujata Hotels Private Limited, have also been named as accused companies in the charge sheet. The had registered a case in July last year and carried out searches at 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Gurugram in connection with the case. The charges in the case include criminal conspiracy (120-B), cheating (420) under IPC and corruption, the central probe agency had said. According to the charge sheet, between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of Indian Railways, located at Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to the IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, it was given on lease to Sujata Hotel Private Limited, which is based in Patna. It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated, and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party (Sujata Hotels). It also claimed that Vinay Kochhar on February 25, 2005 sold commercial property in the form of three acres of land in Patna through 10 sale deeds for Rs 1.47 crore to Delight Marketing, in which Sarla Gupta was a director as a front benami holder on behalf of Between 2010 and 2014, this land was further transferred, the alleged. In 2001, it was decided to handover the management of catering services of Indian Railways, including of its hotels, to the IRCTC. Two such hotels -- BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri -- were also identified and an MoU was signed between the Railways and the IRCTC on March 19, 2004. According to an FIR flied by the CBI, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then railway minister, entered into criminal conspiracy with the owner of Sujata hotels Sarla Gupta, the wife of his close associate Prem Chand Gupta, an RJD MP in the Rajya Sabha, and IRCTC officials for "undue pecuniary advantage to himself and others". The probe agency also alleged that BNR hotels were transferred to Sujata Hotels through a rigged and manipulated tender process managed by P K Goel, the then MD of IRCTC. The CBI enquiry shows that the Railways sought bids for developing, operating and maintaining Rail Ratna Hotels on September 16, 2006. The probe agency has alleged that Lalu Prasad Yadav, as the railway minister, was aware about the whole process and was keeping a track of the tender proceedings. It surfaced that while over 15 bid documents were received for both the hotels, IRCTC has no records of bidders other than Sujata Hotels. It was also alleged that with an intention to render undue pecuniary gains to Sujata Hotels, the bid of another hotel was deliberately and unreasonably given low marks under technical evaluation. "As a result, Sujata Hotels remained the only bidder in financial evaluation and was qualified," the CBI has alleged, adding after the tender was awarded to Sujata Hotels, the ownership of Delight marketing also changed hands from Sarla Gupta to and Tejaswi Yadav between 2010 and 2014. By this time had demitted the office of railway minister. Rajya Sabha MP and Dhangar community leader Vikas Mahatme today warned of an agitation by his community members if they are not granted the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status in Maharashtra. The Dhangar (shepherd) community has been for long demanding the ST status which will allow them to avail reservation in government jobs and education. The community is currently classified as a Nomadic Tribe (NT) in the state and Mahatme's comments come in the backdrop of the ongoing protests by the Marathas over their demand for reservation in government jobs and education. Mahatme said he raised the ST status issue in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. Talking to PTI over the phone, Mahatme said, "The issue of granting ST status to the Dhangar community has been pending since the last 70 years. The BJP, in its election manifesto, had promised ST status to the Dhangar community." The state government should recommend to the Centre to include the Dhangars in the list of STs, said Mahatme. "This is necessary otherwise the Dhangar community may hit the roads and start aggressive protests as being done by the Marathas," said Mahatme. Last year, the Maharashtra government had said in the legislature that it is committed to include the Dhangar community in the ST category. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Events like Digifest help people to experiment with innovative ideas as well as associate with the government, a senior official said. Rajasthan is bigger than many countries. We need to have such fairs (Digifests) in the state for people to get associated with us - whether it is a start-up, a common man, youth who wants to leverage the tools like IT and who can come out with innovative ideas, Akhil Arora, Principal Secretary at the Department of IT and Communications, told PTI. Speaking about the response to the Digifest, Arora said "in the last two days more than 30,000 people have come here." Most local and nearly 3,000 youths from other states of country have come to participate in the Hackathon, which is a major attraction of the Digifest, he said. Hackathon gives an opportunity to various individuals from the field of information technology and e-governance to showcase their skills. Rajasthan DigiFest Bikaner hosted five events under the fest - Hackathon, Tec Rush, Startup Fest, IT expo and job fair. Being organised by the state government's Information Technology and Communications department, the fifth edition of Rajasthan Digifest, which started here on July 25, concludes today. While the first edition of the event was organised by the state government in Jaipur in 2016, the second and third were organised in the following year in Kota and Udaipur, respectively. The fourth edition was held earlier this year in Jaipur. "We have got seven divisional headquarters. Even with this frequency, as of now, we have been able to cover only four of them, including Jaipur," Arora said. "If we cover all the divisional headquarters, what we can ensure is that even the adjacent districts are able to participate and we take the message, the information, the service delivery mechanism and the opportunity to engage with us to all the concerned parties," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bill Clinton pleaded with the world today not to abandon the campaign to rein in the HIV virus which still kills nearly a million people every year and infects twice as many. The world must "hold the line" until a vaccine or cure is found, or face "calamitous" consequences, the US ex-president told the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. "There can be no Brexit in the fight against AIDS," said the founder of the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, referring to Britain's decision to leave the European Union. "Through a combination of complacency in some places and outright hostility to global multinational cooperative efforts in others, there is a serious risk that many people will say: 'Let's quit doing this'," Clinton told delegates. "That would be calamitous." He cited UN data showing that 1.8 million people were newly infected in 2017 with the immune system-wrecking virus that causes AIDS. The year saw 940,000 deaths. Among 36.9 million people estimated to be living with HIV last year, 15.2 million had no access to life-saving virus-suppressing therapy (ART). "Approximately 35 people will die while I'm up here talking," said Clinton. Decades of research have yet to yield a cure or vaccine for HIV, which has infected almost 80 million people and killed 35.4 million since the early 1980s. "I am pleading with you," Clinton told the final day of the conference which saw some 15,000 delegates -- researchers, activists, and people living with HIV -- rub shoulders with celebrity activists Charlize Theron, Elton John, Prince Harry, and Conchita. "It is something you can't walk away from," the statesman insisted. His own country came under fire in Amsterdam for policies researchers and activists say will put the global HIV fight at risk. Anti-abortion conditions attached to US aid under the Donald Trump administration threatened programmes to halt the spread of the virus, they said. Stipulations approved in Washington in May last year denies US aid to organisations which provide abortion information, referrals, or services -- even with their own money. This would cut off other services they provide as well, including HIV counselling, testing, and treatment. Commonly called the "global gag rule", the policy now "applies to almost all US global health bilateral assistance," said International AIDS Society president-elect Anton Pozniak. "The reach of this policy has been greatly expanded, and has the potential to roll back progress on HIV." Hundreds of recipient organisations risk losing their funding, according to research presented at the conference. Clinics have already started laying off staff and some have had to close, community representatives said. Activists called for the 2020 AIDS conference to be moved from San Francisco, citing the global gag rule and other policies they say are discriminatory. "No AIDS conference in Trump's America," insisted a coalition calling itself "AIDS 2020 for All". Speaker after speaker in Amsterdam warned there was a high risk of losing control of the epidemic, with infections rising in some 50 countries as anti-AIDS funding dwindled. Eastern Europe and central Asia saw a 30-percent surge in new HIV cases since 2010, which researchers say is fuelled by repressive laws leaving intravenous drug users without access to clean needles or help. At the same time, the gathering heard that the scientific quest for an AIDS cure remained far off. No longer a death sentence, infection with the virus commits people to a lifetime on ART, if they can access it. For Clinton, the most important message is to not give up on research, funding, and rolling out prevention and treatment. Walking away from the fight now threatens "a return to epidemic proportions with breathtakingly negative consequences," he insisted. "It could derail any number of other health, economic, and social objectives in nation after nation after nation, and leave a littered landscape. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2018 notification will not have any impact on Goa's ecology, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today said. No village in Goa falls in the No Development Zone (NDZ) as defined in the notification, he told the Legislative Assembly here. Activists, under the banner of 'Goa Against CRZ', are protesting against the draft notification which reduces NDZ from 200 metres from the high-tide line to a mere 50 metres in certain areas. The reduction will adversely affect the environment as it will lead to construction closer to the coast, they fear. Replying to a question in this regard by Congress MLA Francis Silveira in the Assembly, Parrikar said, "Not a single coastal village in Goa comes within the ambit of NDZ. Further, the draft CRZ notification cannot be implemented unless the state government finalises the Coastal Zone Management Plan, he said. "The apprehensions raised are unwarranted. If you read the draft CRZ notification, not a single coastal village from Goa comes within its ambit of the population density...as per the Census Report 2011," Parrikar said. "There is no question of implementing the draft notification until we finalise the CZMP, which will not be done without public consultation," he added. A Chennai-based agency was drafting the CZMP for the state which would be placed in the public domain, he said. He also denied the allegation that hotel lobby will benefit by the new CRZ notification. "Draft CRZ notification 2018 does not give any special permission or exemption for hotel projects," he said. The Goa government has approved the draft CRZ notification 2018, prepared by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight persons, including two children, were killed and 23 others injured in two separate road accidents in Nepal today when a bus and a car fell into the Trishuli river, police said. Seven persons were killed when a bus, carrying 28 passengers, fell into the river at Chumlingtar in Ichhakamana of Chitwan Rural Municipality in Chitwan, about 60 km west of Kathmandu, this morning. According to police, the accident happened when the bus, en route Syangja from Kathmandu, veered off the road after hitting a truck that had suddenly entered the highway from an open space used for parking vehicles. Seven passengers, including two children, died in the accident while 21 others were injured, police said, adding that injured were rushed to hospitals in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitawan. In another incident, driver of a private car was killed while two others injured after the vehicle plunged into the Trishuli river at Gajuri rural municipality of Dhading district. The car was going to Pokhara from Kathmandu when it veered off the road and fell into the river, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission of India has accepted the suggestion of the Mizoram government that electoral roll revision for Bru community, lodged in the six relief camps in Tripura, would be conducted only after they return to Mizoram, a senior state official today said. Principal Secretary of Home Department, Lalnunmawia Chuaungo said that the Election Commission had earlier instructed the state election department to undertake revision of voters' lists in the Bru relief camps which was objected by the state government. The state government had suggested to the Commission that the revision of electoral rolls should be taken up after the Brus return to Mizoram from Tripura, Chuaungo said. Civil societies have all along been objecting the conduct of revision of voters' lists and exercise of franchise by Bru displaced people in the relief camps outside the state. He said that the repatriation of Brus lodged in the six relief camps is scheduled to commence from August 14 and would be completed by September 10 and preparations were in full swing in the three districts where the repatriated Brus were proposed to be resettled. At least 32,876 Brus belonging to 5,407 families would be resettled in 48 villages in Mamit district, 10 villages in Kolasib district and four villages in Lunglei district. The state government would go ahead with the road map for Bru repatriation approved by the Centre and following the agreement inked between the centre, Mizoram and Tripura state governments and the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) apex body of the Bru refugees in the relief camps on July two, even if the inmates are not willing to return to Mizoram, he said. The Centre had convened a meeting of chief ministers of Mizoram and Tripura on July two in which it was agreed that repatriation of all the 32,876 Brus belonging to 5,407 families lodged in the six relief camps should be completed by September 30. The Centre would deposit Rs 4 lakh in the bank account of each repatriated family which could be withdrawn after three years and a housing assistance to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh would be disbursed to each family. Each family would also be provided with monthly assistance of Rs 5,000 for two years and free ration for the same period. Thousands of Brus are lodged in the Tripura relief camps since late 1997 in the wake of a communal tension triggered by the brutal murder of Lalzawmliana, a forest guard inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve on October 21, 1997 by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants. Though some Bru families had already returned to Mizoram during a number of repatriation processes and on their own will, many of them continued to refuse to leave Tripura till date despite many attempts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has overseen the reunification of feuding wings of the one of the world's oldest Christian churches, his top aide said today. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church split in 1991 over the naming of a new patriarch after the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) removed the Derg military junta from power. The patriarch Abuna Merkorios, seen as hostile to the new regime, was forced to abdicate and later escaped the country to settle in the United States. There, where dissidents founded a breakaway church under him, claiming his ouster violated rules that say the role of patriarch is held for life. Talks between the two synods have been going on for years. Abiy, a reformist new premier, is credited with speeding up the peace process, which culminated yesterday in his maiden visit to the United States. Abiy oversaw a reunification ceremony in Washington, attended by priests in flowing black and red robes, according to images his top aide shared on social media. "After significant mediation efforts, PM Abiy witnessed in DC the reunification of the 2 Synods of the #Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The 2 Synods are reunited into one Holy Synod after 27 years," his chief of staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter. According to details of the reconciliation published by an Orthodox Church website, Merkorios "will return to the holy land of Ethiopia with the rank and dignity of Patriarch, and resume the patriarchal throne." Meanwhile the resident Ethiopian patriarch, Abuna Mathias, "will lead the church by carrying out administrative duties." Both their names will be mentioned in prayers and as long as both are alive "our holy Church will regard their patriarchal honour as equal." The Holy Synod expressed gratitude to Abiy for his work to "restore peace in the country and the unity of the Orthodox Church."Tracing its roots back to the fourth century, the Orthodox church is Ethiopia's largest, gathering 38 million people, according to the World Council of Churches. The country is also home to a Muslim minority and a growing protestant population that includes the prime minister. "While noting that the reconciliation event marks a historic jump, the Prime Minister emphasised that this has been something overdue," the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said. Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has prioritised reconciliation between dissidents and the EPRDF, which has held power unopposed for 27 years. He has released numerous jailed dissidents from Ethiopian jails, and sometimes met them personally upon their release. Earlier this week, he called for "multi-party democracy," a stunning shift for the EPRDF which has been in power continuously since 1991 and holds every seat in parliament together with its allies. He has also opened the doors to historic reconciliation with neighbouring Eritrea The visit to the US is set to be something of a charm offensive for Abiy. After his arrival in Washington, Reuben E Brigety II, a former American ambassador to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, tweeted a photo showing the prime minister smiling and holding hands with a lone protester who greeted him outside the Ethiopian embassy. He is also visiting diaspora communities in Los Angeles and the state of Minnesota in a visit the Ethiopian government has titled "Tear down barriers, and build bridges!" Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live in the US, among them numerous journalists and politicians who have fallen out with the EPRDF. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The EU insisted today that proposed trade talks between Europe and the United States would not include farming, in contradiction to a claim by President Donald Trump. "I have been very clear on that... Agriculture is not part of it, only the things that are explicitly mentioned in the statement," EU Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters in Brussels, in reference to a joint communique after White House talks on Wednesday. "When you read the joint statement ... you will see no mention of agriculture as such, you will see a mention of farmers and a mention of soybeans, which are part of the discussions and we will follow up that," she said. The clarification came a day after Trump hailed the agreement as a major victory for US farmers, who have seen their exports plummet due to Washington's protectionist policies. "We just opened up Europe for you farmers," he said at a rally in the farm state of Iowa, where Trump has seen his strong support in opinion polls dim. Led by farming powerhouse France, the EU is under pressure to underline that no such concession was made to Trump, especially amid widespread opposition in Europe to seeing an influx of genetically modified imports from the US. In the US on Wednesday, Trump and Juncker announced their plan to defuse a festering trade row, that in effect saw Washington back off a threat of auto tariffs against Europe, at least for now. A statement mentioned very briefly that further trade talks would seek to "increase trade" in soybeans. An senior EU official insisted this would have no consequence in the talks and that markets alone will decide on the level of US soybean imports to Europe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An employee of a paper mill under Sikheda police station limits in Muzzaffarnagar district was killed today after a tin shed in the factory came down on him during heavy rains, police said. The deceased was identified as 43-year-old V V Tiwari, who worked as a production manager in the paper mill, they said. After the collapse, he was rushed to hospital but doctors there declared him dead. At least 27 people were killed since yesterday, including three in Muzaffarnagar, as heavy rains wreaked havoc in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, according to a government spokesperson. Incessant rains have thrown normal life out of gear in Muzaffarnagar and its neighbouring districts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation that sparked violence in parts of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to convene a meeting of leaders of all parties here tomorrow to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister at his cabinet colleague Vinod Tawde's residence late last night which was attended by BJP ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh, the party's state unit chief Raosaheb Danve, among others. The meeting started around 11 pm and continued for about three hours. "Invitation for tomorrow's meeting, to be held at Vidhan Bhavan, will be sent across today. We will try and come up with a solution to the issue of Maratha reservation," Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said. Danve said the BJP government in the state was committed to providing reservation to the Maratha community and hence has passed an ordinance to the effect. "However, the court had put a stay on the government's decision. We will submit the report of the state Backward Classes Commission to the court and request it to decide on the issue soon," he said. Slamming the Opposition, the state BJP chief claimed that the Congress and the NCP "dilly-dallied" over the issue for years, but the present government has taken steps to provide reservation to the Marathas. According to a source in the government, "To ensure that its decision (to give 16 per cent reservation to the Marathas) stands scrutiny in the court, the government will provide all possible assistance to the Backward Classes Commission to expedite its survey work." The government will provide additional manpower and technical support to the commission so that it can submit its report by the end of August, a month before the scheduled date, the source said. The commission has been tasked with collecting data about the socio-economic condition of the Maratha community. Six MLAs in the state have so far offered to resign over the Maratha reservation issue. After Shiv Sena MLA Harshawardhan Jadhav and NCP legislator Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar offered to quit on Wednesday, four others -- Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher (both BJP), Bharat Bhalke (Congress) and Ramesh Kadam (NCP) have offered to resign over the issue yesterday. The Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation. The community had been taking out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation turned violent on Wednesday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The (FDI) in the food processing sector rose 24 per cent in 2017-18 to $904.9 million, according to an official data. FDI inflow into the sector stood at $727.22 million during 2016-17 financial year. The sector attracted FDI worth $505.88 million and $515.86 million in 2015-16 and 2014-15 respectively, the data showed. The government had in July last approved American e-commerce major Amazon's proposed $500 million investment in retailing of food products in India. At present, 100 per cent FDI in food processing sector is allowed through automatic route. In 2016, the Centre allowed 100 per cent FDI through approval route for retail trading, including through e-commerce, in respect of food products manufactured and produced in India. Food Processing Minister had in February this year said FDI in the sector could touch $1 billion in 2017-18. The sector would attract an investment of $14 billion over the next 2-3 years as committed by the domestic and during the world food summit, she had said. ALSO READ: Inbound FDI from tax havens shoot up in FY18 The World Food India 2017, organised by the ministry, attracted participation from 61 countries, 60 Global CEOs and more than 200 global companies. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today hailed the All India Motor Transport Congress's decision to call off its strike. Talking to the media here, Gadkari said he and the finance minister were in constant discussions with the transport unions in this regard. "People were facing problems due to the transport unions' strike. Today we had success (in finding a breakthrough) in our discussions with the transport unions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also guided us in our talks with the unions," he added. "I want to assure the transport unions that the government will take positive steps towards their demands discussed during our meetings and we regret the problems faced by the public due to the strike," Gadkari said. The government will notify a national permit scheme for tourist vehicles to facilitate seamless movement of such vehicles across the country, he added. "There will also be seamless traffic movement at the toll nakas within the next six months. Trucks will be allowed to move in less than three minutes at the toll nakas and they will be given fast-track stickers. "The government will also explore the possibility of providing health services under the ESIC to the drivers and co-workers of commercial vehicles. It will also look into the feasibility of extending the coverage of the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana to the drivers and co-workers of commercial vehicles," Gadkari said. A high-level committee under the chairmanship of the secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will be set up for expeditious resolution of transporters' demands, he said, adding that the panel will submit its recommendations to the government within three months. The truckers' body that claims the support of 93 lakh truckers across the country had gone on an indefinite strike on July 20 to press demands such as reduction in diesel prices, low third-party insurance premiums and a favourable toll collection system. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former BJP leader and president of newly founded Bharat Vahini Party, Ghanshyam Tiwari today accused Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia of "stealing" the name of her upcoming 'Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra'. Tiwari alleged that it was a "deliberate conspiracy" of the BJP-led state government to rechristen the programme from the earlier 'Suraj Gaurav Yatra' to the present 'Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra'. It shows the intellectual bankruptcy of the party, he said at a press conference here. Raje's 40-day yatra is aimed at seeking the people's mandate in the upcoming state assembly elections and will cover all the divisions in the state. BJP national president Amit Shah will flag off the yatra from Charbhuja Nath temple in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district on August 4. The event was earlier named Suraj Gaurav Yatra, which was yesterday renamed as Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra. Tiwari had earlier taken a dig at the Suraj Gaurav Yatra, saying that it was 'Kuraj' (bad governance) Gaurav Yatra. BJP state media cell in-charge Vimal Katiyar, however, said the change of name was not a deliberate attempt. Tiwari also alleged that the Scindias have looted the desert state and its people for generations. Such people can never raise the pride of Rajasthan, he said. The former BJP leader also hit out at the chief minister's decision to start the yatra from Charbhuja Temple as he quoted a book by historian Gaurishankar Ojha which reportedly stated that the Scindias looted the temple and 22 heroic warriors sacrificed their lives for the structure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sonal Sachdev Patel and Jemma Wayne-Kattan are passionate about working on improving mental health in young children and they thought of nothing better than the teachings of the Gita to draw inspiration for their book, which is a modern-day instructional manual for kids. "Gita: The Battle of the Worlds" talks of important life lessons and, with meditation at its core, equips young readers with accessible mental health tools. British-born Sonal and Jemma, who was born into a Jewish family, emphasise the universality of the Gita and transforms it into a story for children aged 8 to 14 with an aim to promote greater religious understanding and tolerance from an early age. "We draw out the tool of meditation as something all children can use to bring about peace and calm. We also weave the concept of introspection and karma throughout the story itself these ideas help the child to empower themselves in choosing their actions, as well as their emotional reactions to whatever their lives throw at them," says Sonal. "We have found that children and adults alike have been particularly drawn to the aspect of meditation that we bring out in the story. Meditation has been proven to actually change the grey matter in the brain as well a whole host of other benefits such as increasing empathy and calmness," Sonal told PTI. She cites statistics around mental health in children, saying 1 in 10 children in the UK is being diagnosed with a mental health order, and a student commits suicide every hour in India. "There is a need for a book like this and it feels right that the answer should come from our holy scriptures. Children instinctively are drawn to these messages of good winning over evil and the desire to be kind and loving," she says. Her partnership with Jemma made for a wonderful and dynamic collaboration. "Together we were able to bring out the universal messages of the Gita in a way that we hope will appeal to Hindus and non-Hindus alike. The wisdom of the Gita goes far beyond religion and is for all humanity," she says. Sonal's knowledge and passion for her guru's teachings combined with Jemma's talent and experience in writing led to lively brainstorming sessions and ultimately the book was born. "We could then take our characters, and the reader, on the adventure of meditation, through the chakras - which in the book became magical realms with all sorts of creatures and challenges to overcome - and we could show all of those difficult concepts from the Gita, through a compelling adventure story," she says. The story begins with a young boy named Dev, who is consumed by grief after the tragic loss of his father. He's angry, lost, is lashing out at those around him. Until he meets a sprite-like being named Sanjay who claims the incredible: that there is a battle raging inside his body. Sanjay, who represents divine introspection, then persuades Dev to let him go inside his body and up his spine. He begins in total darkness at the bottom of the spine, then travels on a perilous journey through the chakras. His mission is to find the noble warrior Arjun, leader of the good tendencies, and urge him to fight the leader of the bad tendencies (Duryodhana who is called Prince Ego), in order to help bring peace to Dev. Eventually, Sanjay reaches the famous point in the Gita - Krishna and Arjun together on the battlefield with the impending war about to take place. According to Sonal, through these two parallel stories - the emotional turmoil of Dev's life, and the adventure that is taking place within him, we see some of the important messages in the Gita play out, and also how the internal self and the external life we inhabit are inextricably linked. Illustrations are a key part of the book, published by HarperCollins, and the sketches are done by Soumitra Ranade. Sonal says Ranade did a phenomenal job of combining some of the traditional images we are used to seeing with a totally new modern twist and it has led to a unique story with equally unique illustrations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa government today decided to withdraw anti-corruption cases against three senior Congress leaders including two former chief ministers in connection with an alleged Special Economic Zone (SEZ) scam. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, a senior minister said. The cabinet also decided to seek out-of-court settlement with five SEZ promoters by paying them Rs 256 crore. In 2008, the erstwhile Digambar Kamat-led government scrapped SEZ proposals following protests by local people and allegations of irregularities and corruption. The SEZ promoters moved the Supreme Court against the decision. The Apex court, in February this year, directed the Goa government and promoter companies to work out an amicable solution while fixing the next hearing in July. In 2012, the state government had filed cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, former industries minister Luizinho Faleiro and former chairman of Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) Chandrakant Kavlekar, as the land allotment had taken place during their tenures. Faleiro has been a chief minister too. "The cabinet today decided to drop the cases against all three leaders after a settlement with SEZ companies is worked out and the land is returned to the state," a senior minister told PTI on the condition of anonymity. He said the cabinet also decided to direct the GIDC to pay Rs 256 crore to the five SEZ promoters as a part of amicable settlement. "It comprises the principal amount of Rs 133 crore and interest," he added. SEZ promoters K Raheja & Corporation, Peninsula Pharma Research Centre, Planetview Mercantile Co, Inox Mercantile Company and Paradigm Logistics & Distribution had stated that they were ready to return the land if the government refunded them the purchase amount with 15 percent interest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa government will serve notice to Karnataka for 'diverting' the water of Mahadayi River to Malaprabha basin even as the two states are locked in a dispute over sharing the river's waters, minister Vinod Palyekar told the Legislative Assembly today. The minister told the House that, following the serving of this notice, the Goa government would file an interlocutory application (application moved in the main petition for urgent relief or to bring new facts to the knowledge of the court) in the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal. He said that he was making this statement as a correction to the assurance he had made in the House on Wednesday. "I had said (on Wednesday) that we will be filing interlocutory application before the tribunal in next two days. But now I would like to clarify that it would be done after serving notice to Karnataka," Palyekar told the House today. The minister on Wednesday had told the House that Karnataka had diverted the water of Mahadayi river by constructing conduits to Malaprabha basin and had claimed that it was a violation of the order of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. The river is known as Mhadei or Mandovi in Goa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa Police has provided security cover to writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner Damodar Mauzo following intelligence inputs from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka police, probing the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, about a threat to his life, a senior official said today. "Security (cover) was provided to the writer after we received intelligence inputs about a threat to his life. The cover will continue till a further review of the threat perception," the official attached to the state police's Security Branch told PTI. He, however, refused to divulge any other details. When contacted, Mauzo (73) confirmed the development. "I did not want to take security cover. Personally, I have never received any threat. I came to know about it from the police department," he said. Mauzo, known for his progressive writing in Konkani, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel "Karmelin" in 1983. He played an important role in the 1967 Opinion Poll, a referendum on whether or not Goa should merge with neighbouring Maharashtra. He was also part of a movement which demanded that Konkani be made the official language of Goa. The co-founder and co-curator of the Goa Art and Literary Festival, an annual event that started here in 2010, Mauzo has written several novels and is a regular contributor to newspaper columns. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa Police has provided security cover to eminent writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner Damodar Mauzo following intelligence inputs from the special investigation team probing the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh in Karnataka about a threat to his life, a senior official said today. "Security (cover) was provided to the writer after we received intelligence inputs about a threat to his life. The cover will continue till a further review of the threat perception," the official attached to the state police's security branch told PTI. He, however, refused to divulge further details. When contacted, 73-year-old Mauzo confirmed the development. "I did not want to take security cover. Personally, I have never received any threat. I came to know about it from the police department," he said. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar also told the state Legislative Assembly that Mauzo had been provided police protection following intelligence inputs about a threat to his life. Parrikar was responding to a question from Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco in this regard. "I had received a message from the Union Home ministry that some names had emerged during the interrogation of suspects in Gauri Lankesh murder case," Parrikar told the House. "I have acted immediately. I told police to provide protection to Mauzo and protection has been given," he informed the Assembly. Mauzo, known for his progressive writing in Konkani, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel "Karmelin" in 1983. He played an important role in the 1967 opinion poll, a referendum on whether or not Goa should merge with neighbouring Maharashtra. He was also part of a movement which demanded that Konkani be made the official language of Goa. The co-founder and co-curator of the Goa Art and Literary Festival, an annual event that started here in 2010, Mauzo has written several novels and is a regular contributor to newspaper columns. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A golden pot, placed atop the historic Ram Janki temple at Khaniyadhana near here in Madhya Pradesh and said to be worth nearly Rs 15 crore, has been stolen by unidentified thieves, police said today. The incident came to light yesterday morning when Shailendra Singh Judeo, a local resident who is also Nagar Panchayat president, found the "kalash" (pot) installed atop the temple missing. He informed the police about it. Soon after the police reached the spot along with a dog squad and fingerprint experts, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), Pichore town, R P Mishra said. Judeo, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Khaniyadhana, said the temple was constructed by his forefathers and is about 300 years old. The pot weighed around 55 kg, he said. This "kalash" and a similar one in Orchha's famous Ram Raja temple were installed simultaneously, Judeo said. The SDOP, quoting the temple's patrons, said the golden pot was worth around Rs 15 crore. A case has been registered and a search launched to nab the thieves, Mishra said. The incident has caused anger among local residents who staged a protest outside the temple yesterday and closed shops. They warned to intensify their agitation if the thieves were not caught soon. The temple was renovated sometime back by labourers brought from Nanded in Maharashtra and a police team has been sent there to question them, the SDOP added. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Hingankar has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 to anyone providing information about the thieves. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several people, including policemen, were injured and over a score arrested following clashes between police and locals in Sardarnagar area here, officials said today. While residents have accused a raiding police team of using excessive force and assaulting people in the locality, a senior police official claimed that residents first attacked the police team that had raided the area looking for liquor vends. The incident took place yesterday in Chharanagar area of Sardarnagar locality and 29 people had been arrested so far for rioting and attacking police personnel, Inspector R N Virani of Sardarnagar police station said today. He said an FIR has been registered against a mob of about 150 persons and further investigations into the incident were underway. A local resident and well-known stage artiste, Daxin Bajrange, alleged that a police team which barged into the area late last night vandalised parked vehicles and assaulted residents with batons. Several videos, shot on mobile phones, purportedly show police personnel damaging vehicles and hitting people. He further alleged that the police raid was a fallout of a clash between two youth from the locality and police sub-inspector D K Mori a day earlier. Bajrange said that among the residents who were assaulted included a photo-journalist, two advocates and several women. The claims were rubbished by Assistant Commissioner of Police, J P Raol, who said that some persons pelted Mori with stones during the raid meant to ferret out illegal liquor. "Some persons first hurled stones on Mori and his team during the raid. They even tore Mori's clothes and thrashed him. Upon learning about the attack, more police teams were sent. However, locals attacked these policemen with sticks," he told reporters. "The police had to resort to a baton charge in self defence. PSI Mori was not at fault," Raol added. Bajrange alleged that 30 persons had been arrested from the area on false charges. Officials said that Chharanagar area has been on the police radar for some time now for allegedly being at the centre of an illegal liquor trade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he held "wide-ranging and productive" talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin here on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, and emphasised that the friendship between the two countries was deep-rooted. Modi was meeting Putin for a third time after their informal summit in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. The two leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially in trade, investment, energy, defence and tourism, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet later. The Modi-Putin meeting got over at midnight local time, he said. During their meeting in Sochi, India and had Russia elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A hardcore narcotics smuggler was slapped with the Public Safety Act (PSA) and detained in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district today, the police said. Umar Jaan, a resident of Ramnagar, was one of the main suppliers of narcotics to youths in Udhampur. He was detained under the PSA, Udhampur SSP Rayees Bhat said. The smuggler was a habitual offender. He was arrested many times in the past for heinous crimes and other offences such as narcotics and bovine smuggling, attempt to murder, house breaking and theft, he said. Bhat said that a dossier with regard to Jaan's criminal activities was prepared and submitted before Udhampur District Magistrate Ravinder Kumar who issued orders of the smuggler's detention under the PSA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Allahabad High Court directed today the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Kaushambi district to present on July 31 during hearing of a PIL alleging that certain people are not allowing the members of Christian community from attending Sunday School and also undertaking the Sunday Prayers. The bench comprising Justice Govind Mathur and Justice C D Singh passed the order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Roshan Lal and 44 others who are residents of Kaushambi district. The bench further directed that petitioners may also file rejoinder affidavit to the counter affidavit filed on behalf of the respondents by the next date of hearing. In the petition it was alleged that certain people were not letting the members of Christian community from attending Sunday school and undertaking the Sunday prayers. It was alleged that the district administration is not taking any adequate care to protect the people who are having faith in Christianity and they are not being allowed to practice their religion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court today took strong note of the teachings at the ashram of absconding preacher Virender Dev Dixit, asking whether a daughter refusing to talk to her parents or treating them badly was its concept of "spiritual awakening" which was taught to the inmates. Even criminals are not treated the way the parents of the women inmates were being treated, the court observed. "What type of spiritual awakening is this? You leave your family, parents and say this is spiritual awakening? ... Is this spiritual awakening that a daughter does not want to talk and meet her parents ... You bring 15 women here who talk so bad about their parents," an anguished bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and C Hari Shankar said. The court was hearing a matter relating to alleged confinement of girls and women at the Adhyatmik Vidyalaya, run by its founder Dixit in Rohini area of Northwest Delhi. The bench said it did not want that Interpol alerts are issued against someone who is running a spiritual organisation, but a blue-corner (Interpol) notice had to be issued as Dixit had fled from the law. The court was informed by CBI that it was trying to execute the warrants against Dixit but has not got any specific information about him till date. "How can a daughter say I will not talk to my parents? Is this your teaching? What have you taught them? We are appalled. Teach your women to respect human beings. You bring 15 women here who talk so bad about their parents. What is this teaching? They turn their faces away from parents. We were really upset," the bench told the counsel representing the ashram. Even criminals are not treated the way these parents are being treated, the court said, while asking DCW chief Swati Maliwal and advocate Nandita Rao to educate the women inmates of the ashram on health and menstrual hygiene. The court had earlier appointed a three-member panel, comprising Maliwal and advocates Rao and Ajay Verma, to inspect the ashram and its other branches in Delhi. The committee had said the institute was making the inmates write letters and complaints making allegations of sexual assaults against their family members. These letters were being used to pressure the family members from initiating any action against the ashram or Dixit, it had said, adding that the inmates were being kept in "animal-like" conditions behind metal doors in a "fortress-like" building surrounded by barbed wire fence. The bench also referred to mediation of disputes between the ashram management, the women inmates and their parents to help them reconcile. The Institute of Human Behaviour and Applied Sciences (IHBAS), which was earlier asked to nominate some experts to visit the ashram and inspect the conditions there to ascertain the physical and mental health of its inmates and submit a report in the court. In the report, IHBAS director said the overall living arrangement and physical space at the ashram seemed adequate and the experts did not find any resident living under coercion. It said that, of the 162 residents, those with medical conditions were already receiving treatment from nearly government hospitals. "No behavioural oddities, signs of psychological distress or psychiatric disorder could be elicited on mental state examination. They themselves also did not report any such problems in the part as well as presently. "The residents, as a group, had overvalued ideas (religious belief system) which could be attributed to their long-term association with the organisation," the report said. The bench listed the matter for further hearing on August 10. The bench was hearing a PIL in which an NGO alleged that girls and women were illegally confined at the "spiritual university" in Rohini. The court had ordered the CBI to probe the matter by setting up a special investigation team (SIT) to take charge of all records and documents pertaining to the case. At the first hearing of the matter, the court had said the situation at the Rohini ashram was "similar" to the one run in Sirsa, Haryana, without making any direct reference to Gurmeet Ram Rahim or the Dera Sacha Sauda sect led by him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court today issued notice to the Centre on a PIL against the proposed Rs 20,000-crore Bengaluru-Chennai expressway project. A division bench comprising justices M Venugopal and M Nirmal Kumar, before which the public interest litigation petition of S Gnanasekaran came up for hearing, posted the matter for further hearing to August 9. The petitioner has claimed that the expressway will reduce the distance by only 20 km compared to the existing highways and that it was an unnecessary burden of Rs 20,000 crore on the state exchequer. Instead, he has submitted, the government can think of improving the present national highway, stretching from Bengaluru to Krishnagiri, which can cater to the needs of all concerned. Contending that the proposed expressway would entail acquisition of a huge tract of agricultural land for reducing the distance by only 20 km, the petitioner has said the government should give up the project. Referring to the two existing routes from Chennai to Bengaluru, he said the one through Kolar, Chittor and Ranipet was only 335-km-long while the other was 349-km-long. But, he claimed, the highway authorities erroneously calculated the distance as 372 km and proposed the project for 349 km by saying it would cut down the distance by 20 km. He said the public did not face discomfort or inconvenience with the present routes and hence, there was no need for the new project. Further, he said the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had issued a notification for acquisition of land in Sriperumbudur taluk and Kancheepuram district. Though he had made representations against the project, the highway authorities did not pay heed to them, the petitioner said. Hence, he prayed to the court to consider his representation on merit and direct the government to scrap the project. Already, petitions have been filed in the high court against the Rs 10,000-crore Chennai-Salem greenfield corridor project. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court today sought the Centre's response on a PIL seeking direction to utilise biometric and Aadhaar details of missing persons, including children, aged and mentally challenged, so that they can be re-united with their families. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs on the plea which also sought direction to the authorities to spread awareness in this regard to track the pre-existed biometrics and Aadhaar details for re-uniting missing persons with their families across country. The bench asked the ministry to file an action taken report on the representation made by petitioner advocate Amit Sahni to the authorities and listed the matter for further hearing on November 13. The petition said the Centre be directed to issue appropriate and mandatory directions to the authorities for utilising biometric/Aadhaar of missing children, old aged persons and mentally challenged persons immediately for the purpose of tracing and re-uniting them with their families as and when they are rescued by any department. It said the petitioner was not challenging any question of law, which is already pending adjudication before the Supreme Court, that is, the constitutional validity of Aadhaar. "There have been many debates regarding Aadhaar and the issue of its constitutional validity is pending before the Supreme Court of India but the same is very useful for tracing missing persons, if the Aadhaar of such missing persons is pre-existed," it said. The plea referred to the statistics of National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) 2016 as per which the total missing persons are 5,49,008 and untraced ones are 3,19,627. "There is no greater vacuum or void than the helplessness felt by parents whose children have gone missing and the significance of timely recovering of the missing child can only be understood if one empathies with feelings of the missing child or that of a mother, who is unable to locate her child irrespective of the circumstances under which a child goes missing," it said. Sahni also referred to a judicial order in which by the intervention of a trial court, a 31-year-old mentally challenged woman was re-united with her family in Rajasthan through Aadhaar. In that case, a mentally challenged woman was rescued by Delhi Police and produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra, who directed the authorities to help the victim to undergo the process of Aadhaar, which revealed that her biometric records pre-existed in the Aadhaar database. The police obtained her details from the Unique Identification Authority of India after which she the woman was re-united with her family. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following are the top stories from the northern region at 8.45 pm LUCKNOW DES20 UP-RAINS Lucknow: As many as 27 people were killed as heavy rains wreaked havoc in different parts of Uttar Pradesh , a government spokesperson said here today. LUCKNOW DEL35 UP-PM VISIT Lucknow/New Delhi: In back-to-back visits to the Uttar Pradesh capital on Saturday and Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in urban development programmes and attend a mega groundbreaking ceremony to launch projects worth Rs 60,000 crore. MOHALI LGD15 PB-LD-COURT-AMARINDER Mohali: A court here discharged Punjab Chief minister Amarinder Singh and 17 others today in a decade-old case of alleged corruption in the transfer of land to a private developer, accepting the closure report filed by the probe agency. SRINAGAR DES13 JK-ARREST Srinagar: Four people have been arrested for the alleged involvement in the killing of a police constable and snatching his weapon from the residence of a separatist leader here earlier this year, police said today. LUCKNOW NRG10 UP-SUMMIT-MINISTER-OPPN Lucknow: Opposition parties in the state, especially the SP, that accused the BJP of just inaugurating projects initiated by previous governments, should in fact congratulate the saffron party, UP Industries Minister Satish Mahana said today. JAIPUR DES18 RJ-LYNCHING-RSHRC Jaipur: The Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission (RSHRC) has sought a report from the state government over the death of a 28-year-old man in Alwar district after he was allegedly thrashed by a mob on the suspicion cow-smuggling. JAIPUR NRG2 RJ-RESHUFFLE Jaipur: The Rajasthan government today transferred 131 officers, including four IAS, 34 IPS and 93 RAS officers, according to an order of the Department of Personnel. DEHRADUN DES8 UKD-ALCOHOLISM-SURVEY Dehradun: The tourist districts of Dehradun and Haridwar are in the grip of an alcohol problem, a study published by AIIMS, Rishikesh has indicated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij today ordered a probe into the allegations that an HIV-positive woman was initially denied admission by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) Rohtak even as the hospital authorities rubbished the charge. The woman, a resident of Sonepat, died at the hospital on Wednesday, days after she was admitted following the intervention of the district child welfare committee and social organisations. "I have given the orders for a probe into the matter. The incident will be examined and only after that any action can be taken," Vij told reporters here. The woman had been sitting outside the emergency ward of the hospital since July 10 along with her HIV-positive husband and two children, one of whom is also HIV-positive. On July 14, her husband passed away, reports said. She was allegedly not given admission to the hospital for the next eight days and she continued to sit outside the hospital, the reports said. She was finally admitted on July 22. The social organisations blamed the alleged delay by the hospital in granting admission to the woman for her death. PGIMS Rohtak Director Prof Nitya Nand, however, denied that there was any delay in admitting the woman or any callousness shown towards her. "Her husband was brought on July 14 to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) centre, but the doctors declared him brought dead. The ART centre collected money and arranged for his funeral," Nand told PTI. He said after her husband's death, the woman told the hospital authorities that she too was HIV-positive. "On July 16, a senior resident examined her, but later she left. She reported back late evening on July 21 and had multiple complications. When she was admitted on July 22, the doctors found that she was also suffering from extensive tuberculosis in both lungs, besides other complications," he added. "She died on July 25 during treatment. No one came to claim her body. Again in her case, we provided free ambulance and other help pertaining to her last rites," he said, adding that the hospital was not to be blamed in the case. "We have given custody of both (of the couple's) children to the social welfare department," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to launch an electric SUV in India in the second half of next year, a top company executive said. The company, which is present in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary, said it aims to leverage its global technology prowess to bring in the most appropriate and relevant EV to India. "We will launch an electric SUV in second half of 2019. We will import it as completely knocked down unit," Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO YK Koo said. In the long term, the company would produce EV models from its Chennai plant, he added. Koo said company's strategy for EVs is in line with government's vision of making India an EV market by 2020. Hyundai had showcased EV models Ioniq and Kona during the auto expo earlier this year in Delhi. Koo said the company plans to launch eight new models in the country by 2020 and also enhance production capacity to 10 lakh units a year by first quarter of 2021. Hyundai aims to roll out 7 lakh units this year from its Chennai plant while next year it plans to enhance the production capacity to 7.5 lakh units per annum, he added. During the first half of the current year, the company sold 2,75,136 units in the domestic market, a growth of 8.6 per cent over same period of 2017, Koo said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to launch an electric SUV in India next year as it prepares to test the country's EV market before going full throttle with local manufacturing for such vehicles, a top company executive said. The company, which operates in India through a wholly-owned subsidiary, plans to bring the vehicle as a completely knocked down (CKD) unit. "We will launch an electric SUV in the second half of 2019. We will import it as completely knocked down unit," Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO YK Koo said. In the long term the company will produce EV models from its Chennai plant, he added. Koo said the company's strategy for EVs is in line with the government's vision of making India an EV market by 2020. However, he sought more liberal policies on taxation for the EV segment in the country. When asked if the company could look at collaboration with Kia Motors for the vertical, Koo said: "Many items are required, so (with only) one party investment the cost is very high. So, if we find a good partner we can consider also." Hyundai had showcased EV models Ioniq and Kona during the auto expo earlier this year in Delhi. Koo said the company plans to launch eight new models in the country by 2020, including the electric SUV next year. "Out of eight, two are new segment products, one electric SUV and other five full model changes to replace current vehicles," Koo said. When asked about sales growth expectations for the current year, he said: "We are targeting at 8-10 per cent growth this year." Last year the company had sold around 5.27 lakh units in the domestic market. During the first half of the current year, the company has sold 2,75,136 units in the domestic market, a growth of 8.6 per cent over same period of 2017. On production side, Koo said Hyundai aims to roll out 7 lakh units this year from its Chennai plant while next year it plans to enhance the production capacity to 7.5 lakh units per annum. "This capacity would be enough for us till 2020. Some of the export markets are showing decline. So we can use that extra capacity for the domestic market," Koo said. The company aims to achieve a cumulative production milestone of 10 million cars by first quarter of 2021. When asked about company's plans for a new production facility in India, Koo said the company is yet to finalise any concrete plan on the matter. "Till 2020 we can manage product volume and beyond 2020 depending on the market situation we will review the situation," he said. When asked about exports, he said trend has changed in Asian markets with preference for CKD units over CBUs. "We have already started exporting CKD units to Vietnam. By September we plan to start shipments to the Philippines. Our aim is to to export 50,000 units by next year end," Koo said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma today said she has "reservations" about the reservation system, arguing that women should make their own way in politics as quotas would only help the daughters and wives of some politicians. Her remarks come at a time opposition parties are urging the government to ensure that the women's reservation bill, which calls for reserving 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women, is passed in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. "If you ask me, I have reservations about reservation, actually. It will be difficult for people like me and you to enter politics with the help of reservation. We have to pave our own path... (It will help only) daughters or wife of some politicians," she said at a discussion on "Political participation and representation of women in India' organised by the NCW. Sharma also stressed on the need to empower women, "the other 50 per cent of the population". "How can we grow if 50 per cent of the population is not empowered politically? It is not possible at all. It is the right of women to elect and get elected," she said. The women panel chief rued that "women still discuss with their husband before exercising their franchise". "They are generally oblivious to the candidates contesting the elections. They do not know on what basis a person should be elected. If we do not how to elect the right person, who will we ensure that we get our rights?" she asked. According to Sharma, many women who have been elected at the panchayat level "have no clue about their work". "They do not know how much money the government gives to a panchayat and what it is meant for. In many cases, their husbands, brothers or fathers put stamps on papers and attend meetings on their behalf," Sharma said. The NCW chief appealed to women to keep their family concerns aside if they want to make a foray into politics. She also stressed the need to change the mindset that husbands are not supposed to help women in their daily work. "Power is needed to bring about a change" and it comes from politics, Sharma said. "I understood this point when I was very young. To bring a significant, important change, you need power and it comes from politics. If you want to make new laws, you have to enter Parliament," she said. The NCW chief said many educated people, especially the younger generation, are averse to joining politics, but "you have to get you hands dirty if you want to clean the sewer". Sharma urged the women to "go beyond writing about on Facebook" and become part of the system. The 108th Constitution Amendment Bill, or the women's reservation bill, has been passed by the Rajya Sabha and awaits the nod of the Lok Sabha. The seats are to be reserved for women on a rotation basis and would be determined by draw of lots, in such a way that a seat would be reserved only once in three consecutive general elections. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been urging the NDA government to ensure the passage of the Bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the US government said it had reunited every immigrant family it could, Josefina Ortiz Corrales remained in an immigration detention center and her adopted son in the care of her elder daughter. Paulina Gutierrez was in her hometown in Guatemala, earning less than USD 2 a day preparing strings for candle wicks while praying for the quick return of her 7-year-old daughter from government custody in Arizona. She cries every night without fail as she thinks about her decision to agree to be deported in the mistaken belief that the girl would come home with her. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursday's court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Lawyers and advocates sharply criticised the US government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl that's made it difficult to reunify families and created a scenario where some may never see their children again. "There is no question that there may be families that are permanently separated as a result of this policy," said Michelle Bran, director of migrant rights at the Women's Refugee Commission. The government had until the end of day Thursday to reunify more than 2,500 families separated at the US-Mexico under President Donald Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy that stoked a global outrage. The government said it had reunited more than 1,800 children over the age of 5 with parents or placed them with sponsors who are often relatives. That leaves 700 who remain apart, including what is believed to be more than 400 cases where the parents have been deported. The government will have to come up with a plan for completing those foreign reunions by flying children back to Central America, but advocacy groups are already stepping in to fill the void. The American Civil Liberties Union plans to start looking for all the parents on their own while going back through all of the cases of those not yet reunified to see if they could put more families back together. The advocacy group Kids in Need of Defence has deployed staff to Honduras and Guatemala to facilitate reunions. "I think it's going to be really hard detective work," said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney. The government says the mothers and fathers of 120 children "waived reunification" and dozens more weren't eligible to get their children back because they had criminal records or weren't the biological parent. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say some of the parents who were deported had the chance to take their children and declined after already paying smugglers thousands of dollars to make the dangerous journey from Central America and wanting a better life for their kids to stay in the US. "And once their children are here, they are generally not going to give up the opportunity for their children to remain in the country," said Matthew Albence, the executive director of ICE's enforcement and removal operations. Many parents say that's not true. Several have told The Associated Press and immigration lawyers that they were told in detention to sign paperwork that they didn't fully understand. Gutierrez, 26, says she crossed the Rio Grande about two months ago with her 7-year-old daughter, Antonia. Under the terms of the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, she was subject to arrest and prosecution for entering the country without permission. She was eventually sent to a detention center in Arizona. She accuses immigration agents of lying to her so that she would agree to be deported. "If not, you will spend months here," she recalled agents telling her. "They said, 'It's not us who want to do this to you. It's the president who is ordering this.'" Gutierrez does video chats with her daughter, regularly looks back at photos of her and hopes she can be returned by her 8th birthday. The ACLU this week filed affidavits from several attorneys that detail what it considers flawed procedures, including limited phone access and strict visitation policies, language barriers and being given only a few minutes to decide whether to leave their children in the United States. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Imran Khan was inching closer to form a government in Pakistan with the support of allies and independents even as a multi-party meeting called to devise a joint strategy over alleged vote rigging today rejected the results of the polls and demanded "transparent" re-election. So far Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has bagged 118 of the 270 National Assembly seats on which elections were held and was leading in another two constituencies where counting was still on. Khan's party was followed by jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 62 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 43 seats. Independent candidates have won 12 seats, according to the election commission which has so far issued results for 265 seats of the National Assembly. Pakistan's National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected. A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total. PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif today reiterated his party's allegations, saying the polls had been "stolen" and the "tainted and dubious" results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics, according to a number of his party leaders who visited the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to meet him. A multi-party meeting called to devise a joint strategy over alleged rigging in the general elections today rejected the results of the poll, demanding a "transparent" re-election, Dawn reported. Attended by leaders of various parties, the meeting in Islamabad was chaired by PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) president Maulana Fazlur Rehman. "We do not consider this election to be the mandate of the public," the paper quoted Rehman as saying. "The APC (all parties conference) has completely rejected the July 25 elections with consensus," he said. The meeting was attended by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq, Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair, Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, National Party's Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo and several MMA leaders. Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of traditional religious parties like Jamat-i-Islami, has clinched 12 seats while Pakistan Muslim League of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi won 5 in the parliamentary polls. Karachi-based Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has won 6 seats. Senior PTI leader Jahangir Tareen made calls to MQM leaders after which the party decided not to attend a meeting of political parties called by the PML-N. However, senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar was present in the APC meeting. In his first speech that was broadcast live via video link yesterday, Khan had claimed victory in the elections and said that he was ready to probe allegations of rigging in the polls. In the 342-member National Assembly, the PTI's strength will be 160 after acquiring 29 women's reserved seats and 4 or 5 reserved seats for minorities, according to experts. Khan's ally PML-Q has won five seats and it can also have one seat reserved for women. Sheikh Rasheed of the Awami Muslim League is already supporting Khan. The PTI is in contact with MQM, which has assured its support to Khan. Some independents are in talks with PTI and they are likely to extend their support to Khan, helping him attain the figure of 173 which is a simple majority, they said. Some smaller Baloch parties could also support Khan. PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that they have the required numbers to form government in center, Dunya TV reported. The elections for the parliament and four provincial assemblies were held on Wednesday and the announcement of the results has been marred by delays in transportation of results from polling stations to centralised election offices. Early today, Khan chaired a meeting of the top PTI leaders at his Bani Gala residence where he was assured by them of having the numbers to form the government. The meeting also discussed possible Cabinet names. The results showed that in the provincial assemblies PML-N was leading in Punjab - the most populous province - with 127 seats in the house of 297, but fell short of a majority. Khan's PTI with 123 seats is negotiating with independents, most of whom parted ways with the PML-N before the polls and contested independently. The independents with 29 seats are the third largest group and will play a crucial role in the formation of the next government in Punjab, which has been ruled by the PML-N for the last two terms from 2008-2018. Khan's ally PML-Q has got seven seats in the province. In the 297-member House, 149 seats are required to form the government. The PTI has already announced to form the government in Punjab, a move which may lead to allegations of horse trading. In Sindh assembly, the PPP has got a clear majority by winning 74 seats in the house of 131. It is followed by PTI with 22 seats and MQM by 16. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI has won a two-thirds majority by bagging 66 seats in the assembly of 99 members, whereas MMA is the second largest party with 10 seats. In Balochistan, the newly-formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is on top with 13 seats but failed to get a majority in the House of 51 members. MMA is the second largest party with 9 seats. Balochistan National Party and independents have won five seats each while PTI received four. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Imran Khan was inching closer to form a government in Pakistan with the support of allies and independents as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party leaders today met to discuss the next step and the future Cabinet formation. Khan chaired a meeting of the top PTI leaders at his Bani Gala residence where he was assured by them of having the numbers to form the government. So far his party has bagged 118 of the 270 National Assembly seats on which elections were held and was leading in another two constituencies where counting was still on. Khan's party was followed by jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 62 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 43 seats. Independent candidates have won 12 seats, according to the election commission which has so far issued results for 265 seats of the National Assembly. Pakistan's National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected. A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total. Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of traditional religious parties like Jamat-i-Islami, has clinched 12 seats while Pakistan Muslim League of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi won 5. Karachi-based Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has won 6 seats. Senior PTI leader Jahangir Tareen made calls to MQM leaders after which the party decided not to attend a meeting of political parties called by the PML-N. In the 342-member National Assembly, the PTI's strength will be 160 after acquiring 29 women's reserved seats and 4 or 5 reserved seats for minorities, according to experts. Khan's ally PML-Q has won five seats and it can also have one seat reserved for women. Sheikh Rasheed of the Awami Muslim League is already supporting Khan. The PTI is in contact with MQM, which has assured its support to Khan. Some independent winners from the tribal region are in talks with PTI and they are likely to extend their support to Khan, helping him attain the figure of 173 which is a simple majority, they said. Some smaller Baloch parties could also support Khan. PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that they have the required numbers to form government in center, Dunya TV reported. In his first speech that was broadcast live via video link yesterday, Khan had claimed victory in the elections and said that he was ready to probe allegations of rigging in the polls. "Anyone who has issues of rigging; we will help you facilitate and we will open up any constituency that you want for investigation," Khan said, amid allegations by the six major parties, including PML-N and PPP, of foul play in the counting process. However, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif reiterated his party's allegations, saying the polls had been "stolen" and the "tainted and dubious" results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics, according to a number of his party leaders who visited the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to meet him. The elections for the parliament and four provincial assemblies were held on Wednesday and the announcement of the results has been marred by delays in transportation of results from polling stations to centralised election offices. According to media reports, the meeting at Khan's residence also discussed possible Cabinet names. Asad Umer and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were being considered for the post of finance and foreign ministers, respectively. Senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari's name was doing the rounds for the defence minister's post, while Shafqat Mehmood was a leading contender for interior minister's job. The results showed that in the provincial assemblies PML-N was leading in Punjab - the most populous province - with 127 seats in the house of 297, but fell short of a majority. Khan's PTI with 123 seats is negotiating with independents, most of whom parted ways with the PML-N before the polls and contested independently. The independents with 29 seats are the third largest group and will play a crucial role in the formation of the next government in Punjab, which has been ruled by the PML-N for the last two terms from 2008-2018. Khan's ally PML-Q has got seven seats in the province. In the 297-member House, 149 seats are required to form the government. The PTI has already announced to form the government in Punjab, a move which may lead to allegations of horse trading. In Sindh assembly, the PPP has got a clear majority by winning 74 seats in the house of 131. It is followed by PTI with 22 seats and MQM by 16. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI has won a two-thirds majority by bagging 66 seats in the assembly of 99 members, whereas MMA is the second largest party with 10 seats. In Balochistan, the newly-formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is on top with 13 seats but failed to get a majority in the House of 51 members. MMA is the second largest party with 9 seats. Balochistan National Party and independents have won five seats each while PTI received four. PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif has convened an All Parties Conference (APC) later today in Islamabad and PPP, MMA, MQM and several smaller parties are expected to attend it. The election marks the second democratic transition of power in Pakistan's 70-year history. The military has ruled Pakistan through various coups for nearly half of the country's history since independence in 1947. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India today extended an aid of 2.1 billion Nepalese rupees to Nepal as reimbursement of the first tranche of housing support to over 42,000 government of India-supported beneficiaries in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts to rebuild houses damaged in 2015 earthquake. Central Nepal's Gorkha district was the epicentre of the devastating earthquake which struck the Himalayan nation in April 2015, claiming over 10,000 lives and flattening thousands of houses. India and Nepal had in February 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for USD 100-million grant to support reconstruction of 50,000 private houses in the two districts of the Himalayan nation. "Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjiv Singh Puri handed over a cheque of 2.1 billion Nepalese rupees to Nepal's Finance Secretary Rajan Khanal, towards reimbursement of first tranche of housing support to 42,086 government of India-supported housing beneficiaries in Nuwakot and Gorkha," an official statement said here. "In September 2016, both the countries agreed to utilise an additional amount of USD 50 million from the USD 750 Line of Credit towards payment of third tranche of housing grant to 50,000 hosing beneficiaries supported by the Government of India," it said. Since March 2018, in India partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Office for Project Services is working to provide socio-technical facilitation to the housing beneficiaries in the two districts and to ensure that houses of the beneficiaries comply with Nepal's earthquake resilient norms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's increased by $67.7 million to $405.143 billion for the week ended July 20, mainly due to a rise in foreign currency assets and gold reserves, data showed on Friday. The overall had decreased by $734.5 million to $405.075 billion in the previous reporting week. In the week under review, foreign currency assets, a major component of the overall reserves, increased $46.8 million to $380.049 billion, the data showed. Expressed in US dollar terms, foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US currencies such as the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves. Gold reserves increased for the second consecutive week, up $24.9 million to $21.140 billion. The special drawing rights with the (IMF) decreased by $1.8 million to $1.480 billion, while India's reserve position with the also declined by $2.2 million to $2.474 billion, the central bank said. (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.) Union minister Hardeep Puri lauded today the works undertaken by the Yogi Adityanath government stressing that the country will succeed only when Uttar Pradesh develops. At a programme organised to mark the completion of three years of the Smart City Mission, AMRUT and Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojna (urban), the minister of state for housing and urban development claimed that massive works have been undertaken for urbanisation in the past four years. The three level strategy adopted by the country in this urbanisation sector has won praise all over the world, Puri said. Poverty alleviation, reasonable housing, cleanliness are three key issues of development in over 4,200 cities and towns added in the first level, while in 500 cities potable water and sewerage have been included in the next level, he said. In the third level, 100 smart cities are being developed in a manner so as to encourage smart urbanisation, the minister said. "The Yogi Adityanath government has done important work in every area in the past one year.. The success of the country will be achieved only through the success of Uttar Pradesh," the union minister said. On the Smart City Mission, Puri said 100 cities have been selected where 5,151 projects at the cost of Rs 2 lakh and five thousand crores have been proposed. Uttar Pradesh's Urban Development Minister Suresh Khanna was also present also spoke on the occasion. An exhibition on 'Transforming Urban Landscapes" has also been organised here in the field of urban development being carried out in different parts of the country has been depicted though models. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian-driven gold mining project in Siberia has been hailed at the BRICS Summit here as the first practical implementation of the objectives of the grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The Kluchevskoye Gold Mining Project, initiated by India's SUN Gold Ltd, is being seen as the first-ever industrial public-private partnership investment project to be undertaken by partners from all BRICS member-states. China National Gold Group Corporation, the Russian Sovereign Investment Fund, Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund (FEDF), and leading private investment and business leaders from Brazil and South Africa, are partnering in the project located in the Chita region of eastern Siberia. The multinational joint venture will see the transformation of the Kluchevskoye gold deposit into a significant open-pit mine, with an expected gold production of more than 6.5 tonnes per annum. Pre-production investment of up to USD 500 million is planned, with China National Gold as the major shareholder and technological partner. CNG, one of the world's leading gold companies, will provide management and development expertise, while the century-old Indian SUN Group brings 60 years' of experience of working in Russia, having built several significant businesses in the country, including SUN Brewing, one of the region's largest beer companies. FEDF's involvement will bring regional investment and political support for the project, and opportunities for further growth in the gold and copper mining sector in the Russian Far East. The South African and Brazilian investors seek to add a dimension to create a joint investment and industrial platform for growth in Africa and Latin America. "This project has given us an understanding of how BRICS can actually work in a practical manner where we can use complementary strengths," Shiv Khemka, vice chairman of the Indian-owned SUN Group, told PTI at the summit. "It's just a different way of looking at things through two different lenses to bring the expertise of all these countries together to work as a team on something that we hope will be very successful." He said his company bought the Siberian mine in 2007 as it looked around for old mines which presented opportunities. "The local government was also very supportive, so that was important for us," Khemka said. He has lived in Russia for 25 years and started up several companies there. Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of TransAfrica Capital, said the project marked a critical step in the evolution of BRICS. "It is projects like this that make a real economic impact not only on economic growth, but more importantly by creating jobs which impact on citizens' lives while at the same time bringing the BRICS collective closer together," Ichikowitz said. Iqbal Surve, chairman of BRICS Business Council, was hopeful about the venture serving as a model for multilateral cooperation for other countries as well. "This innovative model of public and private partners from BRICS countries coming together can be used as a model to tackle significant projects in non-BRICS countries as well, creating a sustainable model for cooperation, collaboration and investment-led economic growth, boosting industrial development and providing turnkey, sustainable job creation," Surve said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IPS officer Vipul Aggarwal, an accused in the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case, today sought discharge, claiming parity with former Gujarat ATS chief D G Vanzara and others who have got a similar relief. Aggarwal, whose discharge plea was rejected by a special CBI court here last November, has moved the Bombay High Court. The trial court had held that there was sufficient material against him to frame charges for participating in the conspiracy to kill Prajapati and to destroy evidence. Aggarwal's petition has said that his case was similar to that of Vanzara and four other officers of the Gujarat and Rajasthan police, who were discharged in the Prajapati-Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter cases. Senior advocate Shirish Gupte argued Aggarwal's case before Justice A M Badar today. The trial court had noted in its November order that the CBI charge sheet established, on the face of it, that at Vanzara's behest, Aggarwal summoned ATS officer Ashish Pandya, who was on leave, to carry out Prajapati's fake encounter. Aggarwal later destroyed Pandya's leave record to suit the police's story of Prajapati's encounter death following his 'escape' from custody, according to the Central Bureau of Investigation charge sheet. The fact that the trial court recorded that Aggarwal was following Vanzara's directions showed that he was only "performing his official duty", advocate Gupte argued. Since Vanzara has been discharged, Pandya should get the same relief, he said. The high court should also consider that all key prosecution witnesses in the case have turned hostile, Gupte said. Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, defending the discharge granted to Vanzara and others, had made the same point before Justice Badar last month. The judge had, however, said that at this stage, the high court can only rely on the CBI charge sheet and cannot take into consideration developments in the trial court. The CBI opposed Aggarwal's plea in the high court today. The agency's lawyer is likely to argue on Tuesday. Shaikh, a gangster with alleged terror links, and his wife Kausar Bi were killed in a "fake" encounter by the Gujarat Police in November 2005. Prajapati, an alleged eye witness to the encounter, was killed in another alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police in December 2006. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli police closed the gates to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound today, after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers. The Waqf, the religious authority that runs the mosque, confirmed the gates were closed after unrest broke out. All entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was prevented, an AFP photographer said. Police did not confirm the closures but said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as "rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police". "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," a statement said, using the Jewish name for the site. It added police were still seeking to arrest a number of suspects who had fled into the Al-Aqsa mosque inside the compound. The Waqf published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound, which also includes the Dome of the Rock. The compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The site is also holy to Jews, who believe it to be the location of the first and second temples of Judaism and refer to it as the Temple Mount. An outer wall of the site is the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews are allowed to pray. The wall was not sealed off today. The mosque is a rallying point for Palestinians and Muslims generally, who fear Israel is seeking to change the so-called status quo arrangement at the site. Under that agreement, Jews can visit but only Muslims are allowed to visibly pray at the site. In July 2017, tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at al-Aqsa. Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this. Fresh Palestinian protests were expected along the Gaza-Israel border this evening, a week after an Israeli soldier was shot dead there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israel is to build hundreds of new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis, one fatally, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said today. "The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements," Lieberman wrote on Twitter, announcing 400 new housing units in the Adam settlement north of Jerusalem a day after the deadly stabbing. The teenage attacker sneaked into the settlement yesterday evening by climbing a fence, Israeli media reported. He stabbed three people seemingly at random before being shot dead, the army said, naming the dead Israeli as Yotam Ovadia, 31. Israeli media said he had two young children. A 58-year-old victim was said to be seriously wounded but stable. The third victim was lightly injured. The attacker was later identified by official Palestinian media as Mohammed Dar Youssef, 17, from the village of Kobar. The army said today it had raided the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid this morning, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas. "The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tyres at (Israeli) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means," an army statement said. The clashes were over by mid-morning Friday, an AFP photographer said, though the army had established a checkpoint at the edge of the village. Official Palestinian agency Wafa said three people were arrested. The army added it was "reinforcing the defence" of Adam and other settlements. All Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal by the international community. Israel rejects the widely held view that settlement expansion is one of the greatest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians. Attacks against Israelis in the West Bank are supported by many Palestinians as pushing back against settlement growth. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah movement leads the government in the West Bank, to condemn the attack. "Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence?" he wrote on Twitter. There was no response from Abbas's government, which has cut ties with the Trump administration over its stance on Israel. "Terror must be condemned by all," the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, wrote on his Twitter account. "Such horrible acts serve only those who stand in the way of peace." Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years in the West Bank, Jerusalem and elsewhere. The attack came after a period of relative calm in the West Bank. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. In Hamas-ruled Gaza, however, there has been recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in which at least 155 Palestinians have been killed in border protests since late March. The latest death was on Friday, when Ghazi Abu Mustafa 43, was shot in the head by Israeli troops near the border fence, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the Gaza health ministry said. Hamas has pledged revenge after Israeli air and artillery strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. In a statement late yesterday, it praised the "courageous operation" in the Adam settlement without claiming responsibility for it. "The West Bank is ready and able to avenge the blood of the martyrs," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israel's national carrier El Al has withdrawn its plea filed in the country's top court against the government's decision to allow Air India to fly over Saudi Arabia's airspace on the Delhi-Tel Aviv route, which it had claimed gave its competitor an unfair competitive edge. Israel's High Court of Justice had urged El Al to drop the petition it filed in March this year, days after Air India's inaugural flight landed in Tel Aviv on March 22. In a statement to the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the airlines said its decision was made following a hearing on the matter on July 18. No further details were provided, but it seems the airlines decided to pay heed to the court's request. El Al had filed an urgent petition to the court against the Israeli government, Transportation Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority, claiming that granting the Indian airline permission to fly the route, which significantly reduces the cost and flight time, gave a foreign company an unfair competitive advantage and violated the state's commitment to Israel's national carrier. The Air India flight between Delhi and Tel Aviv flies over Saudi and Omani airspace, two countries with which Israel doesn't have diplomatic relations. The permission by the two countries to allow Air India to fly through their airspace on the way to Tel Aviv was hailed as "historic" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz. It was also projected in the Israeli media as a sign of warming ties between Israel and the Gulf countries, something that Netanyahu keeps hinting at when he talks about his country's growing acceptance worldwide under his leadership. El Al in its petition argued that allowing Air India to cross over airspace that is closed to Israeli-owned airlines violated the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation as well as various Israeli government decisions. The airline noted in its petition that in a December 1994 decision to privatise El Al, the government said that Israeli civil aviation policy must ensure "equal opportunities between Israeli airlines and foreign airlines on a competitive basis" and ensure "sound and fair competition". The airline also argued that the new route also violates a bilateral agreement Israel and India signed in 2016 that obliges Jerusalem to allow El Al "an equal and fair opportunity" to operate the flight route between the two countries. Meanwhile, Air India has increased its frequency of weekly flights on the route to four times a week, starting with three, amid reports that it may soon become a daily flight given the "spectacular" response. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli police closed the gates to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound for several hours today after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers at the flashpoint site. For around four hours all entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was prevented by Israeli officers, an AFP photographer said, following clashes inside. The compound was reopened in the early evening, with worshippers flooding in to pray, the photographer said. Police said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as "rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police". "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," a statement said, using the Jewish name for the site. The Waqf, the religious authority that governs the site, published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound. Police later surrounded the Al-Aqsa mosque, which shares the compound with the gold-topped Dome of the Rock, before entering they said to arrest "several dozen rioters who continued to blockade themselves" in the building. Jordan, which is recognised as the custodian of religious sites in disputed Jerusalem, criticised the Israeli measures. In a statement, a government spokesman condemned the "ongoing violations and provocations against the holy Al-Aqsa mosque, especially the Israeli police storming the mosque today and its aggression against the worshippers". The compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The site is also holy to Jews, who believe it to be the location of the first and second temples of Judaism and refer to it as the Temple Mount. An outer wall of the site is the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews are allowed to pray. Ahmed Tibi, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, accused Israeli officials of over reacting. After the fireworks were thrown, he told AFP at the site, "it was calm, why did they close the gates?" "There is nothing justifying closing them." The mosque is a rallying point for Palestinians and Muslims generally, who fear Israel is seeking to change the so-called status quo arrangement at the site. Under that agreement, Jews can visit but only Muslims are allowed to visibly pray at the site. In July 2017 tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at al-Aqsa, eventually forcing a government u-turn. Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this. Fresh Palestinian protests were taking place along the Gaza-Israel border this evening, a week after an Israeli soldier was shot dead there. One Palestinian was shot dead near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the health ministry in Gaza said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu today said the IT industry should focus on innovation and developing new technologies, apart from skilling the youth to provide gainful employment. "There is also a need to infuse an entrepreneurial spirit among the youth and give a fillip to start-up ecosystem, he said at the 26th Annual Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA) Summit 2018. The future lies in creating intellectual property (IP) and generating value for end-customers, he said. "While large IT services companies, no doubt will continue to play significant role in the growth and sustenance of the industry, the future lies in creating IP and generating value for end-customers," Naidu said. Hyderabad has been a major hub of IT in the country, he said, expressing happiness that there has been a significant growth in Hyderabad IT exports, which stand close to Rs 97,000 crore as against Rs 55,000 crore in 2014. "I am aware that the growth is in line with the governments vision to reach Rs 1,20,000 crore by 2020," he said. The IT industry in the country has generated tremendous number of jobs and gainfully employed lakhs of youth, he said. "I understand that about 4.75 lakh people are employed by the IT industry in Hyderabad directly and about three to four times that number indirectly," he said. Naidu urged the IT companies in the city to create Corporate Social Responsibility programmes that will ensure the well-being of the local communities. Noting that sedentary lifestyles of youth, including those in the IT sector, are leading to many health concerns, he said the situation calls for a huge focus on ensuring the physical and mental wellness of employees. The IT companies must encourage the employees to practice Yoga daily as it would help in overall health of an individual, he said. Economic disparities and urban-rural divide are some of the grey and challenging areas in the country and it is the society's duty to work towards addressing them, he said. "The philosophy of India is to wish prosperity of all (Sarve Jana Sukhinobhavanthu)," he said. "....Indias GDP was 27 per cent of the worlds GDP ...before others came and looted us...but, India never attacked any country anywhere in the world in history," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Diversified conglomerate ITC Limited has adopted an innovative approach to maximise farm utilisation for 12 months in a year, a top company official said today. Speaking at the company's AGM here, chairman YC Deveshwar said "an integrated scheme named 'Baareh Mahine Hariyali' was aimed at maximising farm utilisation over 12 months of the year with the view to multiply farmers' income in locations piloted in select areas of the company's operations." He said around 30,000 farmers who had adopted the elements of the integrated approach reported doubling of income, and those who done it partially saw income rising 30 per cent to 75 per cent. The company had earlier introduced the e-choupal programme as a part of ITC's intervention into the agriculture sector. To reduce agri-wastage, he said that the company was "actively pursuing a long-term strategy to build cost effective cold chain which would also contribute to raising rural incomes". Deveshwar said that ITC was making ongoing investments in setting up the Integrated Consumer Goods and Logistics Facilities (ICML) through a network of cold-chain infrastructure. Replying to shareholders queries, Deveshwar said last year, 30 new products in the FMCG segment. He said the company had taken 'an audacious vision' of earning Rs one lakh crore from branded consumer products by 2030. Regarding ITC's entry into the healthcare care as announced earlier, he said ITC had hired a chief executive for running the hospital. He said regarding launch of new products in future the board would take a decision depending on the value proposition which it accrues. Deveshwar said that ITC has adopted the 'the triple bottomline' for sustainable development. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court here today sentenced a man to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with a more than a year-old gangrape case of a 15-year-old girl. The court of District and Sessions Judge Devendra Kumar Pathak pronounced the verdict, sentencing Punam Yadav to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment in the gang-rape case of the girl that was reported from Manatu in Palamau district on March 16, 2017. The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. The convict will have to spend an additional six months in jail if he fails to pay the fine. The case of the other accused, Upendra Yadav, is under the consideration of the juvenile board. As per the FIR registered in connection with the incident, the victim and both the accused were schoolmates. Punam had raped the victim on multiple occasions after promising to marry her, the FIR said. When it came to the notice of the victim's family, they filed a case against the two accused at the Manatu police station in June last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a setback for the PDP, the party's youth wing vice president Vikram Singh today joined the BJP with over 10 supporters. BJP state president Ravinder Raina welcomed them to the party. The ceremony, held at the party headquarters here, was attended by BJP's state general secretary Yudhvir Sethi and former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta. Raina lauded the decision of Singh and his supporters to join the BJP and said such youth leaders will help the party win every election. The youth should have a say in policy making in India, a country which has the world's largest youth population, he added. Singh said today he has come to the right place and alleged the PDP had neglected Jammu and Ladakh after coming to power. The BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir last month and the state was placed under Governor's rule for the fourth time in the last one decade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Justin Theroux is in negotiations to voice star in Disney's live-action/CG hybrid remake of 1955 classic "Lady and the Tramp". If finalised, the 46-year-old actor will be the voice of the Tramp and will join Ashley Jensen, who will provide vocals for the Scottish Terrier Jackie, in the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The studio had recently hired Charlie Bean to helm the live-action/CG hybrid remake from a script by Andrew Bujalski. Brigham Taylor will produce the project, which will be available exclusively on Disneys own digital streaming service scheduled to be launched late next year. The 1955 classic followed two dogs, an upper-middle-class American cocker spaniel named Lady and a a street smart, downtown stray mongrel called the Tramp, as they embark on many romantic adventures. The film featured several popular songs, including "Bella Notte", "Hes a Tramp" and "The Siamese Cat Song". Chaz Salembier and Jessica Virtue are overseeing the remake for Disney. Theroux will next appear with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in the upcoming comedy "The Spy Who Dumped Me", which is scheduled for a release on August 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi today took a fresh jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging that the joint venture of "Mr 56's friend" received "USD 20 billion actual benefits" through offset contracts in the deal. The Congress has launched an offensive on the prime minister and his government over the Rafale deal, alleging favouritism in granting the offset contract to Reliance Defence, in violation of the rules and has accused Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" to the nation on the issue. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said he forgot to mention earlier about the offset contracts of USD 16 billion to the private entity's joint venture, and said the actual benefit is of USD 20 billion, equivalent to Rs 1,30,000 crore. "Dear Trolls, I apologise for my earlier tweet in which I stated Mr 56's friend's JV, received 4 Billion US$'s of 'off set' contracts. "I forgot to add the 16 Billion US$ RAFALE lifecycle contract. 20 BILLION US$, is the actual benefit. So Sorry!!," he tweeted, using the hashtag "130000CroreRafaleScam". The Congress has also given a notice for breach of privilege in Lok Sabha against the prime minister and the defence minister on the Rafale issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran rally driver Jagat Nanjappa of Karnataka retained his top spot in the Isuzu RCF India and was leading in the off-roading competition, being held in Goa from last week. After the announcement of provisional results of stages 18-21, which were held in the forests here, Nanjappa(co-driver Chetan Changappa) retained his top position with 1,614 points out of 2,100. With his experience, Nanjappa emerged as the top performer in the two stages of the four and walked away with 100 points each from them. The stages, which included a water challenge and difficult in nature, among others, tested the skills and the patience of the drivers and their team. The competition is the India version of the Rainforest Challenge Malaysia. Defending RCF India winner Gurmeet Virdi (co-driver Kripal Singh Tung), from Chandigarh, was placed on the second position with 1,490 points, while Malaysian driver Mervyn Lim (co-driver Alex Tan), who is driving for team G O A Fairmont, was positioned at the third spot with 1,411 points. Nanjappa, who hails from Coorg, told reporters that compared to the last year, there were more sprints involved this time and the completion was tough. "I am very happy with my performance," he said. In the entire race, there is only one woman driver Shruti Ranjan Pai, who came from Bengaluru (with co-driver Sara Fleming). "I am participating for the first time and for women the completion is difficult, but not impossible and most of the challenges have been difficult, Pai said, adding she had to rent her car unlike others who make their cars as per required specifications. The stages 22-25 are being currently held in Quepem in South Goa. Tomorrow, the final stage of the competition will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat in Dona Paula near Panaji after which the winner will be announced. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DMK president M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection, was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai early today, the party said. Karunanidhi, 94, was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of Kauvery Hospital at 1:30 am. The hospital in a statement said he was brought there after his blood pressure had dropped. "His blood pressure has been stabilised with medical management and he continues to be monitored and treated by the panel of experts," the hospital said. Several senior DMK leaders, including working president M K Stalin and his estranged elder brother M K Alagiri were at the hospital. Other frontline leaders such as Duraimurugan, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and former Union minister A Raja were also there. Party cadres had poured in near the hospital complex after receiving the about Karunanidhi being admitted there. They were chanting "long live Thalaivar" (leader). Some of them were holding Karunanidhi's photos as they waited outside the hospital. The DMK leaders had visited Karunanidhi at his home in Gopalapuram area before he was taken to the hospital. Among the visitors was Alagiri, who was expelled from the party by the DMK chief in January 2014 after a prolonged struggle for power with Stalin. Hours before Karunanidhi was moved to the hospital, Stalin had said the former Tamil Nadu chief minister's health was improving. On Wednesday, he had assured people that there was nothing to worry about his father's health. Security was tightened at the former Tamil Nadu chief minister's residence as DMK cadres kept pouring in there as well. For the past two years, the DMK president has not been making any public appearance owing to his ill health, but he still holds the top post in the Dravidian party. Karunanidhi has not been keeping well since October 2016. A few days ago, he underwent a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube to help him in breathing. Karunanidhi, who is addressed as 'Kalaignar' (artiste) by his supporters, followers and some politicians, entered his 50th year as party chief yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DMK president M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection, was shifted to a private hospital from his residence in Chennai early today, the party said. Karunanidhi, 94, was admitted to Kauvery Hospital around 1:30 am. An official update on his health condition is awaited. Several DMK leaders, including party working chief and Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin, visited him at his residence in Gopalapuram area before he was taken to the private hospital. Among the visitors was Karunanidhi's estranged son and former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M K Alagiri, who was expelled from the party by the DMK chief in January 2014 after a prolonged struggle for power with his younger brother Stalin. Hours before he was moved to the hospital, Stalin said the former Tamil Nadu chief minister's health was improving. On Wednesday, he had assured people that there was nothing to worry about his father's health. Security was tightened at the former Tamil Nadu chief minister's Gopalapuram residence as DMK cadres kept pouring in there. For the past two years, the DMK president has not been making any public appearance owing to his ill-health, but he still holds the top post in the Dravidian party. Karunanidhi has not been keeping well since October 2016. A few days ago, he underwent a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube to help him in breathing. Karunanidhi, who is addressed as 'Kalaignar' (artiste) by his supporters, followers and some politicians, entered his 50th year as party chief yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today met Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and discussed several issues, including the proposed DMRC Phase-IV. There approval for the Phase-IV of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been pending with the city government. "Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal came to see me this evening. We reviewed different issues relating to Delhi, including DMRC Phase-IV, where action is pending from Delhi Government & the way forward," Puri tweeted. In February 2016, the AAP government had given in-principal approval for the construction of Phase IV project, but the Delhi Cabinet is yet to take a final decision on it. In March this year, Kejriwal had said there were "issues of financial viability" on some of routes falling under the proposed Phase IV. The Delhi Finance department had also made objection on some routes which may not be financially viable. In May this year, Puri had said the Centre would take a decision on the execution of the much-awaited metro's Phase-IV project if something was "lacking" on the Delhi government's side. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after she was bullied by some people on social media, the Kerala government today came out in support of a college student who sold fish to raise money for her studies and to take care of her family. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed police to initiate action against those who launched the abusive propaganda on social media platforms against 21-year old Hanan whose story went viral after a Malayalam daily reported about her struggles. He also asked the Ernakulam district collector to provide adequate protection to Hanan, who sold fish in a local market at Thammanam in the city after college hours. A final year B.Sc (Chemistry) student at a private college in Thodupuzha, Hanan's touching story was widely shared on social media by several people, including film artistes and politicians. But, a section of social media users expressed doubts about her story and termed it as "fake", after which she was viciously trolled. Coming down heavily on the cyber bullying, the chief minister said everyone should keep in mind that many propaganda on social media platforms were "double-edged swords". "People should be more cautious while using social media. It is improper to circulate anything which they get through cyber platforms. This will only help push the society towards further danger," he said in a Facebook post. Sharing a picture of Hanan selling fish in her college uniform on his Facebook page, Vijayan said he was proud of the student and the government was with her. He also wanted the entire state to support the woman. "Hanan has not only tried to find resources for her studies but also to support her family by doing various jobs. Feeling proud of her after coming to know about her life's experiences. Extending whole-hearted support to Hanan to go forward", Vijayan added. Marxist veteran V S Achutanandan also supported the woman, hailing from Thrissur, and demanded action against those behind the cyber attack. Kerala Women's Commission chairperson M C Josephine termed the social media abuse as "cyber goonadisam" and said police had been directed to register a case in this regard. Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam had also come out in support of the student yesterday and wrote on social media, "Kerala sharks stop attacking #Hanan. I'm ashamed. Here is a girl trying to put together a shattered life. You vultures!" Meanwhile, Hanan today said she was thankful for the government's support. She said she would like to continue with the fish business to look after her family and studies. With the abusive comments pouring in on social media, a teary-eyed Hanan had yesterday appealed to her critics with folded hands to leave her alone. "I do not want any help. Kindly leave me alone and allow me to do any kind of menial jobs to earn my daily bread," she said. However, Hanan's college principal and neighbours had come out in her support and said she was not lying about her background. Principal of Al Azhar college at Thodupuzha, S G Pillai, said though financial support was pouring in for her from various quarters, she had rejected it. He also deplored the "unjustified" and "insane" attack on Hanan on the social media. Film director, Arun Gopi, who had offered to give Hanan a role in his upcoming film, said it was unfortunate that she was being attacked people who claimed that she was selling fish as part of promotion of his film. "I had commended her work. She is an inspiration to today's youngsters," he said. Hearing Hanan's story, Gopi had offered her a role in his forthcoming movie starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal's son Pranav. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Bill passed recently by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to "protect the lineage and indigenousness" of its tribe has come in the eye of storm, with several women's organizations today voicing their opposition to its provisions. On July 25, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) - one of the three self-governing bodies in Meghalaya - passed a legislation that aims to strip a Khasi woman of her tribal status once she marries an outsider. The legislation - Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) (Second Amendment) Bill - also entails that children born out of the mixed marriage would not be able to enjoy the constitutional protections that come with the tribal status. "Any Khasi woman who marries a Non-Khasi as well as her offspring(s) born out of such marriage(s) shall be deemed as Non-Khasi, who shall (then) lose the Khasi status and all privileges and benefits as a member of the Khasi Tribe who cannot claim preferential privileges under any law," it said. The Bill, a copy of which is with the PTI, defines non-Khasi man as "a person who does not belong to indigenous Khasi Tribe classified as Scheduled Tribe under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribe) Order, 1950 (Part III - Rules and Orders Under the Constitution) Part XI - Meghalaya". The hill state of Meghalaya is divided into three autonomous councils - Khasi, Jaintia and Garo. The legislation, if approved by the governor, will be applicable in West Khasi Hills, East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi - the districts that come under the purview of KHADC. Terming the Bill "insensitive", Meghalaya State Women's Commission chairperson Theilin Phanbuh today said the council should have arranged for a public debate on the matter before tabling the Bill. "The Bill is gender-biased as it talks only about women. What about men who chose to marry a non-tribal wife? This is a sensitive issue," she said. Echoing similar sentiments, Agnes Kharshiing, the president of a civil society organisation, said marriage is a fundamental right of every person and the KHADC move is aimed at "ostracizing" women. "Does this Bill stand the legal tests? I have a serious doubt about it," she said. Several women's organisations here have also threatened to move court against the Bill. Defending the Bill, KHADC chief executive member H S Shylla said the move is aimed at protecting their lineage. "The Bills is targeted at providing a rule to protect the 'Khasi Social Custom of Lineage'. It would go a long way in preserving the traditional matrilineal system of society." Shylla also alleged that "unscrupulous persons" often claim Khasi status, "purely for its benefits and privileges". "Those opposing the move hail from urban areas. In the tribal belts, organizations, including Khasi Students Union, have come out in support of the Bill," he added. D V Thabah, the president of Khasi Students Union, said non-indigenous residents have taken advantages over the years by settling down with a tribal woman "to escape" the provisions of Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, which prevents them from owning land here. "We welcome the Bill. It is important to curtail the influx of outsiders, who marry tribal women for the sake of owning land and doing business here." According to the 2011 Census, around 1.4 million Khasis reside in Meghalaya. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kolkata Metro Railway general manager Ajay Vijayvargiya today made an on the spot assessment of construction work of Bimanbandar metro station yard, the largest such underground facility in the country. Metro spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said that Vijayvargiya reviewing the construction work of the underground Bimanbandar station yard, stressed on speedy completion of the work and instructed all concerned to take steps in that direction. "Bimanbandar station yard will be the biggest underground yard in the country and is the integrated station of two allignments - New Garia-Airport and Noapara-Barasat lines," Banerjee said. The station will serve the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International NSCBI Airport and work on the New Garia-Airport line is expected to be completed by mid-2021. Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani had in March this year said that the entire East-West Metro route from Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V passing under the Ganga, New Garia to NSCBI Airport and a nine-km stretch from Joka to Majherhat in the Joka-BBD Bag route will be completed within approximately the next three years. Stating that construction work is on in full swing, Banerjee said that the yard consists of six tracks and has a width of 41.6 metres and a length of 550 metres. The diaphragm wall and plunge piles are nearing completion and work of the top slab is under progress, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Higher Education minister G T Deve Gowda today said the government aims to do away with political nominations to state run university senates and syndicates. The education department has decided to fill 5,000 vacant posts of teaching staff in degree colleges of the state insix months, he told reporters here. "Our intention is that syndicate and senate members should be experts in education, those who have eligibility should be selected for the posts," Gowda said. Asked whether the government will completely stop political appointments to university syndicates and senates, he said the intention was to avoid such appointments. "But there may be some cases of exceptions as there may be somepoliticians who are also subject experts," he said. The state government had recently decided to withdraw thenominations made by the previous government to syndicates of state-run universities despite a letter from former chiefminister Siddaramaiah to his successor H D Kumaraswamy askinghim to retain the nominees. Defending the decision, Gowda said last time when the new government came to power with Siddaramaiah as chief minister, they too had withdrawn the nominations even though the members were appointed six months ago. About filling5,000 vacant posts of teaching staff, including principals, the minister said, the finance department has sought a proposal regarding this. "It may take about six months time to complete the process," he said. The minister stressed the need to bring inchanges in higher education to provide quality educationto students to make them compete in a fast changingworld. Gowda said there were plans to start skill development as a subject. About 102 degree colleges do not have own buildings, he said, adding that the department was in talks withseveral corporates to involve them and use CSR fundstowards various activities including development ofinfrastructure. Speaking about the allocation made in the budget for infrastructure like buildings, the minister saidtalks were on with NABARD for higher allocation of funds. "Talks are on with the World Bank to get funding for the purpose," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Kuwaiti couple has been held in Sri Lanka for assaulting customs officials while allegedly trying to smuggle in a pet dog at the Bandaranaike International Airport here today, police said. A woman, 32, and her partner, 29, assaulted five customs officials, including a woman, at the airport on being asked for quarantine formalities related to the canine, they said. The officials tried to prevent the couple from smuggling in the dog and when they insisted on quarantine formalities the duo tried to escape the airport, the police said. The accused woman bit a woman customs official. When the other officials responded to the situation, they were also assaulted, the police said. The officials were taken to a hospital for treatment, they added. Reports said the couple was being held at a police station near the airport and would appear before a magistrate tomorrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With political leaders cutting across party lines making a beeline for the residence of M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever, party working chief and son M K Stalin today said his condition is improving. "There is good improvement in his health, the fever and infection is receding," he told reporters. President Ram Nath Govind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquired about the 94-year-old DMK chief's health. The president tweeted: "Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhis family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery #PresidentKovind. Modi also wished him a quick recovery. "Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 (sic)," the prime minister tweeted. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja also enquired about Karunanidhi's health. Chief Minister K Palaniswami, referring to the visit of deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and other ministers last night, said "they (DMK) have conveyed that Karunanidhi is doing better." As anxious cadres, political leaders, film personalities and well-wishers thronged the nonagenarian leader's Gopalapuram residence, more police personnel and barricades were put up to regulate the crowd. Stalin's estranged brother and former union minister M K Alagiri arrived at the residence along with his son Durai Dayanidhi. DMK frontline leaders, including Duraimurugan, were also present. Party workers began arriving at Karunanidhi's residence after Kauvery Hospital, which is providing medical treatment for the leader, said in a bulletin last night that there has been a "slight decline" in his health. MDMK chief Vaiko, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, CPI leader D Pandian and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan visited the residence and enquired about his health from family members and Stalin. Several film personalities, including veteran director Barathiraja, film-makers T Rajendhar and Vetrimaran visited the residence. Visitors are not allowed to meet the ailing leader. "Such fever after a tracheostomy procedure is usual. Stalin told me that he is fine. I am confident that he will bounce back with the same magnetic voice," Vaiko told reporters. Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan said, "Kalaignar should get back to active life and that is my prayer. He presided over my marriage..." Tamilisai is the daughter of veteran Congress leader, Kumari Ananthan, who is also a former Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee President. Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan said he prayed for the leader's recovery. Several well-wishers took to Twitter and other social media platforms to wish Karunanidhi well. Thanking the president and prime minister, Stalin tweeted: "I am extremely grateful for their offers of help. Thalaivar is getting the best medical care and treatment. We hope he will recover soon and thank everyone in his own words." He also thanked Rahul Gandhi, and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja for calling up to enquire about the leader's health. "The concern and wishes from everyone will surely aid @kalaignar89's recovery and we hope he will be able to meet everyone soon," he said in another tweet. Kauvery Hospital said in its a bulletin last night, "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments." Karunanidhi has been not keeping well since October 2016, and some days ago he had undergone a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube, provided to help in breathing. Stalin had on Wednesday said Karunanidhi was suffering from fever and doctors were providing medication, as he assured people that there was nothing to worry about the leader's health. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 10 Chinese fugitives wanted in their country for economic crimes, Internet fraud and smuggling will be immediately deported after their arrest in Metro Manila and Pampanga, the Bureau of Immigration said Friday. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the arrested Chinese nationals are now detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. BI Intelligence Officer Bobby Raquepo, who heads the Bureaus fugitive search unit, said the Chinese nationals passports were already canceled, and have become undocumented aliens subject to summary deportation. He said the seven Chinese were arrested on July 18 during a raid in a condominium unit along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. They were identified as Li Tian Feng, Duan Tingting, Li Miao, Zou Wang, Zhang Hailong, Wang Liao, and Huang Zongyou, and wanted in China for economic crimes and cyber fraud that victimized many of their compatriots. On July 19, BI agents arrested a Chinese woman named Cai Miao Ling inside her unit at the Tuscany Private Residences in McKinley Hills, Taguig City.Last July 17, FSU agents and airport anti-smuggling operatives arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport a certain Wang Xiaobo, who is a subject of an Interpol red notice for his involvement in smuggling. Also arrested was Ji Jingxiu who was apprehended on July 22 along the Friendship Highway in Angeles City, Pampanga. He is also wanted for cyber fraud and economic crimes. There will be no letup in the BIs campaign to catch foreign fugitives so long as there are aliens who go to the Philippines to avoid arrest and punishment for crimes they committed in their homelands, Morente said. We are in close coordination with our foreign counterparts to ensure that justice will be served, he added. Political leaders cutting across party lines and cadre on Friday made a beeline for the residence of M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection. Prime Minister wished the 94-year-old chief a quick recovery. "Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 (sic)," he tweeted. Security has been beefed up at Karunanidhi's Gopalapuram residence as cadre kept pouring in there. Kauvery Hospital, which providing medical treatment for the nonagenarian leader, said in a bulletin last night, "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M due to age-related ailments." MDMK chief Vaiko, BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan visited the residence of and enquired about his health from his family members and the DMK working president M K Stalin. Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 Visitors are not allowed to meet the ailing leader. After visiting Karunanidhi's residence, Vaiko told reporters, "Such fever after a tracheostomy procedure is usual. Stalin told me that he is fine. I am confident that he will bounce back with the same magnetic voice." Karunanidhi has been not keeping well since October 2016, and some days ago he had undergone a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube, provided to help in breathing. Stalin had on Wednesday said Karunanidhi was suffering from fever and doctors were providing medication, as he assured people that there was nothing to worry about the nonagenarian leader's health. Some of the country's top leather and footwear manufacturers have evinced keen interest in setting up ventures in Punjab, an official spokesman said here today. A delegation of the manufacturers, accompanied by representatives of the Council for Leather Exports, met Invest Punjab CEO Rajat Aggarwal in New Delhi, he said. Aggarwal assured them of full support for setting up leather, footwear and accessories units. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had already asked the Industries Department to explore the feasibility of setting up a special purpose vehicle at Jalandhar under the Centre's Mega Leather Cluster scheme, which would help the leather manufacturers by providing infrastructure, besides other incentives. Apprising the delegation about the incentives being extended to the entrepreneurs under the new industrial and business policy, Aggarwal said is offering lower power tariff at the rate of Rs 5 per unit with 100 per cent exemption on electricity duty, along with 100 per cent exemption of stamp duty and property tax. Responding to the delegation's demand for plug and play facilities on the pattern of flatted premises for factories, the Managing Director of Punjab Small Industries Export Corporation (PSIEC), D P S Kharbanda promised to examine the modalities for evolving such a model. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP today turned up the heat on the Modi government, saying its support to the BJP is issue-based as it sought a law to restore the stringent measures of an Act on atrocities against Dalits and removal of NGT Chairman A K Goel by August 9. Party MP and Paswan's son Chirag Paswan said patience of many within the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) is running thin as circumstances raising concerns of the Dalits and tribals have emerged of late. Protecting interests of these communities was at the root of the LJP's tie up with the BJP in 2014, he told a press conference here. His party has been demanding for over four months now an ordinance to restore the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act but the government has not done so. He, however, stayed away from issuing any direct threat to the BJP and said the LJP has faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his government had done a lot for Dalits. "We will cross the bridge when it comes," he said when asked if his party would consider walking out of the BJP-led NDA if its demands are not met by the August 9 deadline. Various Dalit and tribal groups have called for a 'Bharat bandh' on August 10 to press their demands, including restoration of the Act. They have said a Supreme Court order in March weakened the law. Chirag Paswan said incidents of atrocities against the community have risen following the verdict and FIRs were not being registered by police. Goel was one of the two top court judges who delivered the verdict and he was appointed the National Green Tribunal chairperson earlier this month immediately after his retirement from the Supreme Court. The LJP has criticised his appointment with Chirag Paswan writing to Modi seeking his removal, saying it has sent a wrong message. Dalits believe that he has been rewarded for his judgement, he said. His father has also written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue. Chirag Paswan expressed the hope that the prime minister will take appropriate decisions once he returns from his foreign visit later in the evening. He said the opposition has been working to give an impression that the government was being "anti-Dalit" and the Modi dispensation should take strong measures to dispel it. Blowing hot and cold, he said the LJP strongly remains a part of the government as it makes it easier for his party to carry out its Dalit agenda. He noted that it was the Modi government which had made the Act more stringent by expanding its ambit. Chirag Paswan said if the demands are not met, then the protests during 'Bharat bandh' could be much worse than what happened on April 2, when Dalit outfits had given a similar call. More than 10 persons had died during the protest. He was joined by Ram Chandra Paswan, an LJP MP and the chief of the 'Dalit Sena', an outfit affiliated to the party. The Dalit Sena will be forced to join the protests on August 10 if the government does not take appropriate action, he said. The LJP, which has six MPs in the Lok Sabha, draws its core support from the Dalits in Bihar and has often switched sides between rival alliances ahead of elections. The party was in the UPA before it joined hands with the BJP in 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today expressed her concern over the health condition of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to an urinary tract infection. Banerjee prayed for a quick recovery of the 94-year-old veteran politician of Tamil Nadu. "Concerned about the health of @kalaignar89 Hope and pray that Karunanidhi Ji recovers soon @mkstalin," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle. Karunanidhi has been not keeping well since October 2016, and some days ago he had undergone a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube, provided to help in breathing. Karunanidhi's son and working president of DMK Stalin had on Wednesday said his father was suffering from fever and doctors were providing medication and assured the people that there was nothing to worry about the nonagenarian leader's health. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man was arrested for allegedly making an attempt to rape a woman at gun point in Kandhamal district, police said today. The incident occurred on July 24 at Kumbharapada and the accused Jagdish Mahananda (52) was arrested yesterday after the woman lodged a complaint on July 25. The accused, stated to be in a drunken state, entered the house of the woman when she was alone. He tried to rape brandishing a gun at her, they said. The woman raised an alarm and the villagers rushed to the spot and rescued her, while the accused fled. Acting up on the FIR lodged by the woman, the accused was arrested. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 32-year-old man involved in Munirka human trafficking case where 16 Nepali women were rescued has been arrested, the police said today. The accused, identified as Naushad, was arrested from Munirka and a car used in commission of crime has been seized, they added. On interrogation, the accused accepted his role in the trafficking network. In his statement to the police, Naushad said he used to ferry girls between airports, bus stands, railway stations. His main task, besides transportation, was to ensure secrecy of the movement, said Devender Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (southwest) Delhi. The accused has also given leads to the police following which a police team has been sent to Uttar Pradesh to nab the remaining accused persons, he said. Active cooperation has also been sought from the Nepal Embassy in India in connection with the case, the DCP said. The statements of the victims have been recorded before the magistrate, Arya said. On July 25, the Delhi Commission for Women along with Delhi Police had rescued 16 women who were allegedly trafficked from Nepal and to be taken to Gulf countries from southwest Delhi's Munirka. The Police were informed by the DCW at around 9 pm on July 24. Subsequently, the police conducted a raid in the area at around 1:30 am on July 25, following which 16 women were rescued. The DCW had alleged that these women were promised jobs in Kuwait. The state woman's panel had alleged that the traffickers had been running the racket in Munirka for the last eight months, and several women had already been sent abroad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A case was registered against the manager of a cowshed at Jaitpura village in Ambala district of Haryana after seven cows died there under mysterious circumstances two days ago, police said. The manager and one more person working at the cowshed were booked under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act City, they said. SP, Ambala, Abhishek Jorwal said the Ambala Police had received a complaint from the villagers in this regard. He said that investigations were underway. Three persons had been running the cowshed for the last eight months, the police quoted a zila parishad, who is also a resident of the same village, as having said. He said that the villagers had been giving donations to the cowshed for the purchase of fodder for the bovines. But there was no proper arrangement of fodder and sheds available there, he alleged. Some of the villagers alleged that seven cows had died on Wednesday night due to starvation while a few were sick. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Manila-bound Philippines Airlines flight was diverted to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here early this morning due to a medical emergency, sources said. A woman passenger complained of breathing problem on board the aircraft and the pilot sought permission to land at the airport here, the sources added. After landing, doctors at the airport treated her and declared her fit to fly, they said, adding that the Riyadh-Manila plane then took off to the Philippines. "The flight was diverted to Hyderabad at 2.30 am due to medical issues with one woman passenger on board. She was treated at the airport and the aircraft took off again at 5.30 am," the sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even as Maratha outfits have revived the agitation for reservations, a Maharashtra Government official today said the state OBC Commission will take another four months to complete its survey of 'social and economic backwardness' of the community. The commission's findings are to be provided to the Bombay High Court, which is examining the legality of the quota in jobs and education for the Marathas. The commission has statutory powers to recommend the inclusion of any community in the OBC category. Social justice department's secretary Dinesh Waghmare told PTI that the commission is unlikely to submit the report by August 14, the next date of court hearing. "Justice (retd) Maruti Gaikwad was appointed as chairman of the commission in November 2017, and five agencies were appointed to conduct division-wise surveys. Surveys are being conducted in all districts. Reports from all five agencies are expected by July 31," Waghmare said. Therefore, compilation of the final report will take four months, he said. Report of the Narayan Rane committee has been submitted to the court, but that committee had no power to recommend the inclusion of any community in the OBC category, he said. "The OBC Commission had rejected the demand for Maratha reservations in 2008," the official added. Subsequently, the previous Congress-NCP government set up a committee headed by Rane, then industries minister, to study the issue. The Rane committee recommended 16 per cent reservation for the Marathas, barring the creamy layer (those earning Rs 6 lakh and above per year), and the government accordingly gave reservations to the politically influential committee. The decision was stayed by the high court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced a new transatlantic plan to make our planet a better, more secure, and more prosperous place by lowering tariffs, trade barriers, and regulations between the U.S. and the EU. Heres what you need to know. What did the two leaders announce? The U.S. and EU signed a joint statement of intention to pursue four goals: First of all, to work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods. We will also work to reduce barriers and increase trade in services, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical products, as well as soybeans; The EU pledged to strengthen our strategic cooperation by opting to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States; The two sides announced a new dialogue to ease trade, reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and slash costs. Some believe this means the revival of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, something hinted at by trade officials on both sides of the Atlantic; and The U.S. and EU will lobby the World Trade Organization to take action over unfair trading practices, including intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, distortions created by state-owned enterprises, and overcapacity. These are common practices of China, which U.S. tariffs intended to combat. However, European officials said the problem could only be tackled through multilateral efforts. What would a U.S.-EU free trade agreement mean? The United States and the European Union together count more than 830 million citizens and more than 50 percent of global GDP, the joint statement reads. If we team up, we can make our planet a better, more secure, and more prosperous place. The U.S.-EU $1 trillion trade relationship is already the worlds largest. A trade agreement between free, prosperous, democratic nations that increases their economic dynamism would benefit the world economically, philanthropically, and politically. How does the new statement affect the transatlantic alliance? Until Wednesday, the U.S. and EU stood on the brink of a trade war. President Trump imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminum in the name of national security, and Juncker promised to target a comparable amount of U.S. goods. This statement brings both sides back from the ledge. What short-term benefits can each side expect? The EU will not have to worry about the U.S. levying a 20 percent tariff on imported automobiles, as President Trump had threatened. All tariffs will likely be removed, as the joint statement promises to resolve the steel and aluminum tariff issues and retaliatory tariffs. The U.S. has opened an immediate market for its soybeans and LNG. At their joint press conference, President Trump said, The European Union is going to start, almost immediately, to buy a lot of soybeans theyre a tremendous market. Trump told a group of Iowa farmers on Thursday afternoon, You have just gotten yourself one big market. We just opened up Europe for you farmers. Youre not going to be too angry with Trump, I can tell you. Why is President Trump so focused on soybeans? Exports of soybeans and other crops have fallen dramatically thanks to the trade war. In March, the president imposed tariffs against $34 billion of Chinas exports to the U.S. China then applied additional tariffs against $34 billion of U.S. exports targeting soybeans, beef, pork, and electric cars. The lost trade caused Trump to offer U.S. farmers $12 billion in compensation this week. Can the EU make up for the farmers lost trade with China? The agreement will scrape back only a fraction of the lost trade. China consumes one-third of the worlds soybeans and purchases 60 percent of global soybean imports. China imported 95 million tons of soybeans in 2017 including 33 million tons from U.S. farmers. By means of comparison, all 27 EU member states combined imported a total of 14.5 million tons the same year. Did the threat of huge tariffs cause the EU to buckle? Perhaps but not with soybeans. An analyst at Londons Rabobank, Michael Magdovitz, predicted last month: If China implements tariffs, we believe the EU will import more U.S. beans than Brazilian origin. Its simple supply-and-demand. Lost trade with China created a massive surplus supply, which has lowered U.S. prices. Iowa farmers already have 220 million bushels of soybeans an amount equal to 40 percent of last years crop lying in storage. As a result, U.S. soybean prices have crashed from a March high of $10.83 per bushel to a low of $8.19 on July 13. At the same time, Chinese tariffs shifted its imports away from the U.S. to Brazil, reducing the supply and raising the price of our strongest competitor. Lower U.S. prices, plus higher competitors prices, mean that importing U.S. soybeans serves the EUs self-interest. The fact that it can aid an ally, and extract concessions at the bargaining table, does not hurt, either. Will this open the door for the EU to import other U.S. crops? Officials have given mixed signals about whether the EU is backing away from its restrictive Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which shields European farmers through a robust system of tariffs, subsidies, and regulations. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the final agreement will include all agricultural products. But an EU representative said Thursday that agriculture is not part of the scope of the talks. Why is LNG important? Juncker agreed to build terminals in the United States to import LNG. Trump hopes both to export U.S. surplus energy and to combat growing Russian influence in the region, which is furthered by the building of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany. He raised EU dependence on Russian energy as one of two key issues at this months NATO summit. How do EU tariffs compare to those of the U.S.? The EU is by no means the paradise for free traders that it likes to think, said Gabriel Felbermayr, director of the ifo Center for International Economics in Munich. The unweighted average EU customs duty (5.2 percent) is nearly double the U.S. rate (3.5 percent). Who won politically, Trump or Juncker? Predictably, both sides have declared victory. President Trump tweeted that he had cemented a breakthrough that nobody thought possible. Meanwhile a conservative European Parliament MP from Germany, Markus Ferber, said, This is the success of Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU. He added, Pressure has a sort of learning effect on Donald Trump. Its good that theres now increasing recognition of the fact that the U.S. can only be strong if it has strong partnerships. What would a Christian think of these developments? A Christian would be heartened that Western democracies intend to increase trade in a way that would raise living standards and increase prosperity. Christians would applaud the end of diplomatic hostility between allies. Most of all, Christians should support anything that may lead to lower food costs, which benefit the poor and needy most of all. (Photo credit: Public domain.) The camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday branded the position of the Commission on Elections opposing the 50-percent threshold rule in the revision of votes in the vice presidential election in 2016 as not only patently illegal but at best meant to justify the cheating done to favor Vice President Leni Robredo. Marcos is contesting the result of the vice presidential election in 2016 that Robredo won and has demanded a recount, claiming Robredos camp had cheated. In other developments: The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday slammed Marcos spokesman Vic Rodriguez over his accusations that the Comelec was a co-conspirator in the alleged cheating in the 2016 vice presidential election. Its laughable how Mr. Marcos and his spokesperson seem to be pulling every stunt out of the Cheaters Playbook, getting more desperate in the face of proof that they are lying to the public, Robredos legal adviser Barry Rodriguez said in a statement. Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said he was confident the Presidential Electoral Tribunal would do the right thing in the election protest filed against Robredo now that the Comelec had spoken on the issue of the 25-percent threshold. With no less than the Comelec saying that the 25-percent threshold should be used in the manual recount, we expect the PET to use it as a guide in making the right decision, said Aquino, campaign manager of Robredo in the 2016 elections.Rodriguez said they were not at all surprised with the Comelec position backing Robredos plea for the reversal of the ruling of the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, that set the 50-percent shading threshold for the validity of the votes in the ongoing recount of the votes in the vice presidential election. As it was made suspiciously four months after the May 2016 elections and as an afterthought in support of Robredos belated assertions, Comelecs position on the threshold percentage is not only patently illegal but at best meant to justify the cheating done to favor Mrs. Robredo and sway the public opinion to generate support on her continuing attempt to cheat even more, Rodriguez said in a statement. The conspiracy is so clear and the co-conspirator is not expected to admit it. Rodriguez said the purpose of the election protest filed by Marcos against Robredo was primarily to question how the Comelec, then under Chairman Andres Bautista, had misconducted the election, undertaken a false canvassing and manipulated the transmission of the results in favor of the vice president. By Comelecs own admission that it is only the Supreme Court, sitting as the Electoral Tribunal, that has sole and exclusive jurisdiction to try and decide cases involving the qualification, election and returns for the position of vice president, it had effectively divested itself of any legal standing to rule on any matter pending before the PET, he said. In a 13-page comment, the poll body insisted on the 25-percent shading threshold it used in the canvassing of the votes cast during the May 9, 2016 elections as stated in its Minute Resolution No. 16-0600 that was submitted to the PET by Robredos camp for her appeal. Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane today hoped that the state government would take such a decision on the Maratha reservation which the community could trust. He, however, also claimed that there was a "negative reaction" over the issue from the government's side. Rane, a Rajya Sabha MP on a BJP ticket, told reporters that he had met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis when the Maratha reservation stir was gaining momentum in the state. "Some persons have committed suicide, there is violence. There is a negative reaction about reservations from the government's side. I appealed to the chief minister that this should stop," he said. "Fadnavis also wants the agitation and violence to stop. I met a few protesters who told me that they expect the government to take an immediate decision. I will meet Fadnavis again in this regard," the BJP leader said. "I expect the government to take a decision which the community will trust.. I am not mediating since I belong to the community," Rane said. The parliamentarian claimed that the state government was competent to provide reservations for the Maratha community, and accused the Shiv Sena, a constituent in the Fadnavis government, of opposing reservations for the community. Rane had earlier headed a special committee formed during the tenure of the previous Congress-led Democratic Front government to study Maratha reservations. The committee had recommended reservations for the community and submitted its report to then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in February, 2014. Rane, a former Sena leader, also extended birthday greetings to the saffron party's chief Uddhav Thackeray today, adding that "my wishes are more important than that of Rahul Gandhi". Rane had left the Sena in 2005 reportedly over differences with Uddhav. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had wished Thackeray on his 58th birthday, raising eyebrows in political circles. "Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always," Gandhi tweeted this morning. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Information Service officer E Mariappan today assumed charge as the Additional Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) here. The 1990 batch officer was previously Additional Director General of PIB in Hyderabad. Mariappan will also be the Additional Press Registrar of the Registrar of Newspapers for India in Chennai Office, besides heading the Regional Outreach Bureau (ROB) of the Information and Broadcast Ministry, a PIB statement said. "Mariappan will also look after the Directorate of Publications Division (DPD) in Chennai," the statement said, adding the officer had worked in different media units including the All India Radio and Doordarshan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lanka's proposed deal with India over the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport will "unnecessarily" embroil the island national in India-China "regional power games", former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today. The Sri Lankan government earlier this month had announced that it would go ahead with the deal with India to jointly operate the airport in the southern Hambantota district. The country has also entered a 99-year lease with China to develop an industrial park and an oil bunkering facility at the Hambantota port. "We are opposed to the selling of national assets," Rajapaksa said while in Tangalle town of his home district Hambantota. "Our country will be unnecessarily caught in regional power games due to this," he added. Rajapaksa was underlining the concerns that the current government in a bid to balance India in Sri Lanka's "over dependence" on China is to handover the Mattala airport to serve New Delhi's interests. The USD 210 million facility, 241-km south-east of Colombo, is dubbed the "world's emptiest airport". The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is to enter a deal with the Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority to run the Mattala airport, named after Rajapaksa, in his home district. The airport was built with high interest commercial loans from China. The AAI is to have a 70 per cent stake while Sri Lanka's CAA will invest 30 per cent. The private public partnership will see AAI entering a 40-year lease agreement to take up he management control of the airport. However, India's Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha yesterday told Parliament that there was no proposal under consideration for the AAI to buy a controlling stake in the airport. Sinha also clarified that there were no plans for the AAI to build a flying school and a maintenance, repair and overhaul unit at the airport. On July 19, Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had told the country's Parliament that the AAI has been asked to submit its business plan for operating the loss-making Mattala airport. The airport was officially opened in March 2013. The only international flight operating from there was halted in May due to recurrent losses and flight safety issues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The MEA is developing a portal where summons and warrants against absconding NRI husbands would be served, and if the accused does not respond he would be declared a proclaimed offender and his property would be attached, Union minister said on Friday. She said for coming up with such a portal, there needs to be amendments in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) that would allow district magistrate to accept such summons and warrants put on the portal to be "deemed as served". The External Affairs minister said the Law Ministry, Legislative Assembly, Home Ministry and the Women and Child Development Ministry have agreed on the proposal. Swaraj said the move aims to prevent NRI marriages where husbands abandon their wives and abscond or mentally and physically abuse them after marriage in a foreign country. ALSO READ: Tough KYC norms for NRI investors a classic case of double standards According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 3,328 complaints have been received during the last three years (January 2015 to November, 2017) from distressed Indian women deserted by their NRI spouses. In a bid to prevent such fraudulent marriages, the Ministry of External Affairs is developing a portal, where summons and warrants against absconding NRI husbands would be served, and if the accused does not respond he would be declared a proclaimed offender and his property would be "attached", Swaraj said. Attachment is a legal process by which at the request of a creditor, designates specific property owned by the debtor to be transferred to the creditor, or sold for the benefit of the creditor. The creditor, in this case, would be the victim. "We are trying if the amendments could be introduced in the Cabinet and we would try to get it passed in the next Parliament session," she said at the national conference on NRI Marriages and Trafficking of Women and Children. But in the meantime, an inter-ministerial committee has been established for which the Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal authority. The committee also has members from the Law Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs and based on their recommendations lookout notices against eight absconders have been issued and their passports have been cancelled. "The accused whose passports were revoked have surrendered," she added. A Women and Child Development official has said the committee has received 70 complaints in the last two months based on which the National Commission for Women conducted its probe and recommended cancellation of eight passports. A mediation cell has been opened on the website of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights for complaints of Indians who fled with their children from abroad, Union minister Maneka Gandhi said today. Addressing a national conference of the state women commissions, Gandhi said the cell consisting of members of the Ministry of External Affairs and NCPCR would contact the embassies of the respective countries and try to reach a solution after consultations with them. About why India should not become a signatory of the Hague Convention, she said If India was a signatory then the child would have to be sent back and the woman apprehended. "We refused that we would not send our women back so their child is snatched away from them," the minister for Women and Child Development said. She said her ministry has been desperately looking for a solution for women who eloped from abroad with their child to escape domestic violence or for some other issue. "We haven't come to a solution, but till a solution is reached this cell has been formed," she added. The Hague Convention is a multi-national treaty that seeks to protect children wrongfully removed by one of the parents from the custody of the other parent. She recommended members of the women commissions to follow three things - release a book on the performance every year, identify single cases and try to solve them and hire lawyers for women who cannot afford it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The MeT department today warned of heavy rainfall in some districts of Gangetic West Bengal and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the state till tomorrow. The heavy rainfall is likely to occur due to a cyclonic circulation prevailing over Malda, North and South Dinajpur districts and an active monsoon trough passing through Bankura and Birbhum districts. "Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in the districts of West Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia till tomorrow," regional MeT director G K Das said. Owing to a cyclonic circulation prevailing over Malda, North and South Dinajpur districts and an active monsoon trough passing through Bankura and Birbhum districts, "heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places" is very likely in the western areas of the state, Das said. Heavy rain is also likely in the other districts of Gangetic West Bengal, including Howrah, Hooghly, South and North 24 Parganas and East and West Midnapore till Sunday morning, he said. Normal life was affected in the metropolis yesterday owing to incessant rain. Several arterial roads in the city, such as Chitta Ranjan Avenue, the IT hub in Salt Lake, Rajarhat-New Town and Dum Dum were waterlogged, causing inconvenience to office-goers and students. With the intensity of rain being higher in the northern outskirts of the city compared to the south, low-lying areas in Dum Dum, the IT hub at Salt Lake's Sector V and Rajarhat-New Town were the worst affected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three people were injured as militants opened fire inside a bank branch in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district today after their bid to rob the bank was foiled by an alert sentry. Two civilians and a bank guard sustained injuries in the attack in Mohanpura area of the district, a police spokesperson said. "Terrorists in the afternoon barged in a branch of J&K Bank in Mohanpora of Kulgam district. Terrorists opened fire, in which some people got injured. However, no cash could be looted," a police spokesperson said. However, in another press release, the spokesman said the people present at the branch foiled the militants' bid to loot the bank. "People resisted the attempt of the terrorists and forced them to flee from the spot. Infuriated by this, terrorists fired resulting in injuries to two civilians and a bank guard," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam today "rejected outright" the National Commission for Women's recommendation for banning confessions in churches over fears they could lead to blackmailing of women, and asserted the government would not interfere in the religious beliefs of people. The Kerala Catholic Bishop's Council (KCBC) has, meanwhile, written to George Kurian, Member Secretary of National Commission for Minorities, requesting him to raise before appropriate authorities the concerns of the church. Kurian was learnt to have forwarded the letter from KCBC chief Archbishop Soosa Pakiam to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. "We strongly feel the recommendation is unwarranted and intended to tarnish the credibility of the Church. It is unfortunate that people in responsible positions make such statements which deeply wound the religious sentiments of the Christian minority community," Pakiam said in the letter. Kannanthanam came out against the NCW recommendation after the Church in Kerala protested, calling it an "attack on the Christian faith and spiritual practice". "It is not the official stand of the government. The Union Government has no connection with the stand taken by the NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma. It is a personal opinion of Rekha Sharma," Kannanthanam, Union Minister of State for Tourism, wrote in a Facebook post. "The Narendra Modi government would never interfere in religious beliefs," he insisted. The minister said there was no need for making such a recommendation. "Since it has come, the Modi government rejects it outright," the minister, a Kerala native and a Christian told Malayalam channels in New Delhi. Sharma, while referring to incidents of rape and sexual assault in churches of Kerala had said yesterday that priests pressure women into revealing their secrets and exploit them. "We have one such case in front of us. There must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg," she had said. The head of Kerala-based Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, assailed the NCW recommendation, saying it violated the freedom of religion, a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of India. The Kerala Catholic Bishop's Council (KCBC) termed as "shocking" the NCW's recommendation to the Union Home Ministry to ban the "Sacrament of Confession" among Christians. "The chairperson has ventured into something which is totally out of her prerogative, and without any consultation with the Christian churches and communities, and without considering the moral, theological or psychological aspects of confession among the Christians," the KCBC said in a statement in Kochi. It said the NCW Chairperson has "crossed the boundaries of her statutory powers of jurisdiction. It is an attack on Christian faith and spiritual practice". The statement said the recommendation was unwarranted and violated the honor and credibility of the Christian community. "We suspect communal and political motives behind this interference in the spiritual affairs of the Church," the KCBC said, insisting that a confession was a "holy sacrament" in Christianity and "a way to spiritual progress and salvation". The sanctity of the seal of confession was held so high in the history of the Church that there are instances of priests having sacrificed their lives to protect it, the bishops' body said. The NCW recommendation came following an allegation by the husband of a homemaker that four priests of an Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala used her confession to blackmail and sexually exploit her. The case is being investigated by the local police. "The National Womens Commission based on this incident conducted its own inquiries and has now come up with the strange recommendation to ban the Holy Sacrament of Confession among all Christian denominations and communities of India. "We believe that the motive of the Commission is to spread tension and religious unrest among the minorities and to create division and polarization among people for political gains," the KCBC statement said. The church in Kerala is facing a string of sleaze allegations these days. In a complaint to the Kottayam district police chief last month, a nun had alleged that Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal raped her and had unnatural sex with her multiple times at a small town near Kottayam between 2014 and 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The superintendents of police (SPs) in 24 districts of the state will be appointed as nodal officers for monitoring social media content and checking incidents of mob lynching, a top officer said today. The move comes two days after the Centre, in its bid to curb incidents of mob violence, asked the states and Union territories to appoint a SP-level nodal officer in each district for gathering intelligence. Additional Director General of Police R K Malik said the deputy superintendents of police will be assisting the SPs in the endeavour. "As nodal officers, the SPs in 24 districts of Jharkhand will look into cases of mob violence over rumours of child lifting, cow theft and witchcraft. The Dy SPs will be assisting them," Malik told PTI. The orders to appoint nodal officers will be issued shortly, he said, adding that the SPs will hold a meeting every month and a DGP-level meeting will be organised once in three months to discuss security measures. The country has been witnessing a surge in incidents of lynching, the latest being a case in Rajasthan, where a man was beaten to death on suspicion that he was a bovine smuggler. In Jharkhand, two men were allegedly lynched last month on the suspicion of stealing cattle. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader P Chidambaram today accused the Narendra Modi government of "cruelly neglecting" the MGNREGA and the Food Security Act, saying the two legislations were brought by the previous UPA government to put an end to hunger deaths like that of the three minor girls in Delhi. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a social security employment generation legislation which guarantees employment to the poor ensuring livelihood security and the National Food Security Act aims to provide subsidised food grains to the poor. "MGNREGA was intended to put an end to hunger. FOOD SECURITY ACT was intended to put an end to starvation. Both have been cruelly neglected by the BJP government," Chidambaram tweeted. The former finance and home minister said as long as there were children who tragically starved to death, "we have to hang our heads in shame and grief". Three minor girls died allegedly due to starvation in east Delhi on Tuesday leading to a huge uproar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Davao CityMayor Sara Duterte on Friday denied allegations that most of the members of the PDP-Laban have transferred to the regional party she organized, the Hugpong ng Pagbabago. HNP is a region XI political party. HNP was not made to go on a national level. We just wanted to create a strong region XI. We did not forsee this growing interest of other politicians from other regions, Duterte said. She said that she has no intention to make the party national at the moment. Even the other officers are not keen on deciding on this. But we are set to create alliances with other groups to help each other. I do not have the list with me. There are no talks with national parties, only local parties, she added. In February, the mayor and four governors from Davao Oriental, Occidental, del Norte and Compostela Valley Province launched the HNP. Governors Claude Bautista of Davao Occidental, Nelson Dayanghirang of Davao Oriental, Anthony del Rosario of Davao del Norte and Tyrone Uy of Compostela Valley province all said that they all left their national parties and pledge allegiance to HNP. We are all members of the local party in our different provinces, but we agreed that if we run, we will run under HNP, Duterte said during the launching of HNP. In the Davao region, only Gov. Douglas Cagas of Davao del Sur is not an HNP member. The head of the Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Friday laughed off speculation of an impending exodus of PDP-Laban members, most of them congressmen, from Presidents political party. Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez, head of the bloc and a ranking PDP-Laban leader in the House of Representatives, also denied he will lead fellow PDP-Laban congressmen in abandoning the party. He said leaving the Presidents PDP is tantamount to political suicide. It will be politically unwise to let go out of PDP-Laban party as it has established a formidable network of leaders from the grassroots to the national level, Benitez said. Benitez made the statement as Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. claimed that disenchantment in the party leadership may prompt PDP members to jump ship. Andaya also said earlier raised the possibility that Arroyos then political party, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, will be the new vehicle of resigning party members. Andaya said Lakas-CMD, a political party founded by current Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, will likely forge an alliance with HNP. But Benitez described Andayas statement as incredulous. He said Duterte-Carpios father is no less than President Duterte who heads PDP as party chairman. I see no reason why the President will abandon the party, Benitez, chairman of the House committee on housing and urban development, said.I definitely feel it will be counterproductive to the administration as well as to their allies to make such ill-advised decision, he added. Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said the reports on a PDP exodus were expected, saying such would be the necessary consequence in the change in the House leadership. Being as a veteran politician I can almost presume, I can almost surmise that jumping ship will be the natural occurrence, said Umali, who has earned the reputation of siding with whoever is in power. Umali said the ouster of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez may trigger mass disenchantment in some PDP members. Meanwhile, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said the bid by some rogue members of the party to oust him provided comic relieve on a Friday with heavy traffic. He said he was sad that some rogue members of the PDP-Laban were sowing chaos. They just wasted their expenses. They could have just used [the moiney] to help the fire victims in Sulu, he said. Ronnie Munsayac, PDP-Laban information committee officer, said the rogue members would be dealt with in accordance with party rules. We have already expelled some of them and after a thorough investigation will expel a few more, he said. He said there is no need to expel the others because they arent legitimate party members. Theres a process to becoming a party member, and many of them did not complete the process, he said in Filipino. He said anyone with doubts about the leadership of the party can check with the Commission of Elections. Some members of PDP-Laban; claiming to be genuine party members, on Friday elected their new leaders that included Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go. Rogelio Garcia was elected president; Abbin Dalhani, executive vice president; Willy Talag, secretary general, and Go, auditor. On a possible exodus, Pimentel said those who wanted to leave the party were free to do so. He added there was no need for a loyalty check among members. He also said the gathering at Amoranto Stadium to elect new leader was not officially sanctioned by the PDP-Laban and described the rogue members as usurpers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit here and congratulated him on his re-election. Earlier in the day, Modi met Russian President Valdimir Putin and also held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Argentina and Angola. "The last engagement in Johannesburg! PM @narendramodi met the Turkish President Recep Erdogan on the sidelines of #BRICSSummit2018," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. "PM congratulated President Erdogan on his re-election as the President. #IndiaatBRICS," he said. Erdogan, 64, was re-elected for a new five-year term in June after securing outright victory in the first round of a presidential poll. Kumar also shared two photographs of Modi's meeting with the Turkish President. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is here to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months last evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe "plans to pay a friendly official visit to India" at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. President Xi once again conveyed to Prime Minister Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism which would be established between the two sides will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Prime Minister Modi raised with President Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on August 21 and 22 for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today lashed out at Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi for her remarks that certain regions of the union territory were not in favour of statehood, saying she must resign her post if she wanted to do "She (Bedi) should explain as to who from Karaikal or the two other regions told her that the people of these regions are not interested in statehood...she is overstepping her limits," he told reporters here. Narayanasamy was referring to Bedi's remarks in Chennai yesterday, days after he had led a delegation of leaders of political parties to New Delhi to press the statehood demand with the Centre. Bedi had said it was a decision of the Parliament and a complex matter. "Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe (enclaves of the union territory) don't want to be part of it. So within the elected representatives, there is no unanimity nor among the people...," she had told reporters. Narayanasamy said the demand for statehood was for the overall benefit of all the enclaves and it was a political decision. The Chief Minister said no part of Puducherry would be kept out once that status was granted. "All the regions constitute one entity of Puducherry, so they all would be within it and no section of people needs to have any reason for apprehension," he said. The Chief Minister said the delegation of Ministers and legislators, he had led, has apprised the Union Ministers and leaders of various political parties in New Delhi of the need for statehood. "Statehood is necessary to overcome the hiccups the elected government is now facing on various counts. We are not able to deliver on our promises given to the people with the present status of Puducherry," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly 60 per cent of households overuse electricity in Goa, putting additional load on transformers, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the assembly today and suggested hiking tariff for customers with higher power usage. Responding to the demands of grant of the electricity department, Parrikar said more than 50-60 per cent of the households exceed their electricity limits. "If a house has connection for five kilowatts, they install four air conditioners, geyser, cooking range, heater and other appliances so that the electricity consumption touches 20 KW. "And this is not done by single household, almost everyone does that because of which the transformer gets loaded and starts developing problems," he said. Parrikar said the state witnessed frequent power outages due to unseasonal rains and winds. "Unseasonal rains and winds have resulted in uprooting of 650 poles. Due to lightning, 45 transformer centres and three power transformers had conked off," he said. The chief minister said the government has worked out a standard operating procedure (SOP) so that issues which arose this year on the power front don't recur next year. "I have asked them to trim trees by February-March rather than waiting for the last month. I have also told them to take police force along with them as a SOP. If anyone obstructs the linesman from trimming trees, he would be arrested," he said. The chief minister suggested that tariff for customers with higher power usage should be increased. "There is a limit to who should not consume after certain unit. You will have to pay. This year the government's budgetary support to electricity is Rs 317 crore because of various subsidies," Parrikar said. "While we speak about green electricity (cleaner sources), you don't get cheap green power," he said. Parrikar said right now 6 MW power is being drawn from renewable energy which is generated at places like the Solid Waste Treatment Plant at Saligao (North Goa) and by private companies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With thermal power generation creating environmental concerns, Senior AIADMK leader M Thambidurai today stressed on the need for innovation and new technologies in the renewable energy space to push India's economic development. "There is a resource shortage in hydro sector, while thermal creates pollution and environmental concerns. So, the innovations and new technologies in the renewable energy sector will usher a new era in the country's economic development," the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker said. He was speaking at the inauguration of the first edition of Policies for Action (P4A), an initiative of Ashden India Collective (AIC). There is a commitment to increase the share of non-fossil fuel-based electricity to 40 per cent by 2030, he said, adding that the government is extending full support to make it happen. The encouraging sign is that India has been ranked among the top five countries for investment in renewable power projects after China, the US, Japan and the UK, he added. Power supply should be given free to farmers and pro-farmers. Here, projects on the lines of Saubhagya and Kusum are important for providing free energy to farmers," he added. The government had earlier announced a Rs 48,000-crore KUSUM scheme to incentivise farmers to run solar farm water pumps and also use their baron land for generating solar power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier launched a Rs 16,320-crore scheme Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana Saubhagya' to provide electricity connections to over 4 crore families in rural and urban areas by December 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NITI Aayog said today that it is in discussions with the water resources ministry for establishing an authority to clean and rejuvenate the Yamuna river in the capital. Almost 60-70 per cent of the pollution in Yamuna comes from the Najafgarh drain alone and if that single drain could be handled, it is possible to enliven the river again, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said. Speaking at the 3rd Kalam International Youth Conclave here, he said: "We at NITI Aayog have decided to formulate/ establish Yamuna Water Management Authority. It is almost a dead river now and that is why I have been talking with Nitin Gadkari (on this)." Gadkari, the Minister of Water Resources, is completely on-board with respect to establishing such an authority and project will start soon on this direction, Kumar said. Besides, he said, the government is planning to use the funds of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme to desilt water bodies such as ponds in villages an in hinterlands to conserve water in a better way. He said India needs to take a giant step in making its agriculture sector more water efficient than it is today and the effort should be towards shifting focus from conserving water in urban areas to conserving water in agriculture sector as it consumes a huge amount of water. Kumar said the enormity of water crisis is not being recognised in India and technology can help find the solution to this problem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Legislative Assembly today that his government wanted to remove casinos from Mandovi River but had not yet found a feasible site for their relocation. The state has six casinos which are currently anchored on Mandovi River. "The government has decided to remove casinos from River Mandovi but till today no alternate feasible site has been finalised. The matter is under examination," he told the House. In his written reply, Parrikar also said the state was in the process of drafting a policy on casinos. Parrikar, replying to a private member's motion tabled by Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, said that the state would draft rules for a gaming commission by December this year. A gaming commissioner would be appointed after that, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who held a meeting with senior National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah here today, said no name should be picked as the prime ministerial candidate of the probable Opposition front in the next Lok Sabha polls as it would divide the unity of the regional parties fighting the BJP. She asserted that all the regional anti-BJP parties were together and they should sacrifice for the country's benefit. "Please do not pick and choose any particular name to divide us," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief told reporters after her meeting with Abdullah. She said this when the reporters asked Abdullah, who was in the city to take part in a forum discussion, whether the Opposition was ready to highlight Banerjee as the prime ministerial candidate of the federal front in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Echoing Banerjee, Abdullah, a former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, said it was too early to choose the Opposition's prime ministerial candidate. "Our main focus should be to come together and put up a good fight against the BJP and then, we can decide on that," he added. "I think all the regional parties, all the political parties who are against the BJP are working together. Maybe one or two parties may not as they have their states' compulsions, but a majority of them are working together. Our intention is very clear," Banerjee said. The TMC chief has been a vocal critic of the BJP and has been espousing a "one-on-one" fight by the opposition parties against the saffron party, instead of contesting against each other in the coming general election. Alleging that the BJP-led government at the Centre was planning a presidential mode of election in the Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee said the saffron party was acting "like a dictator" and all the anti-BJP parties should come together and "sacrifice" to save the country from it. "We (anti-BJP parties) cannot tolerate this. Let us sacrifice everything for the country. We cannot sacrifice our people. So let us fight for the people and this will ultimately be the 2019 government of the people, by the people and for the people," she added. Asked if the Congress would be a part of the anti-BJP front, Abdullah said, "All those parties who are anti-BJP will be included in the coalition. There will not be any condition on them." He added, "Mamatadi is still concentrating on improving and protecting West Bengal. Afterwards, we will pull her to do the similar kind of welfare (what she has done for the state) for the country. But if we continue discussing the name (of the prime ministerial candidate), we will lose our focus and our motto to defeat the BJP will be affected." Elaborating on the probable federal front, Abdullah said, "The parties in a true federal front do not have any differences. We (TMC, NC) have no differences to set aside. All we have to do is agree where possible. We have to cooperate with each other."TMC MP Derek O'Brien had been raising the issues related to Jammu and Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha since there was nobody to represent the state in the Upper House of Parliament, he added. "Other parties will also have to be included. We will try to put the differences aside and put the best foot forward in the fight against the BJP in 2019," Abdullah said. He was quick to add that the name "federal front" was given by the media and not by the opposition parties. Speaking on the discussions he had with Banerjee, Abdullah said it centred on the prevailing situation in the country and the "fear" that was there particularly among the minority community, besides the need to put together a united front to take on the BJP in the general election. He added that they also talked tourism. "As a chief minister, she has been very concerned about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly about the economic activity and the need of reviving tourism in the Kashmir valley. Bengal has traditionally been a strong supporter of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir," the NC leader said. "I felt it necessary to call on Mamata didi basically to discuss with her the prevailing situation in my state, because I know she has a great concern for what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly when she was the railway minister and I was in the same government at the Centre," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today denied any rift between him and his deputy O Panneerselvam, saying both of them were working unitedly. Even yesterday, both attended a function together and there was also no internal fight within the ruling AIADMK as being made out, he told reporters in Salem, 160 km from here. He was replying to a specific question on reports about 'rift' between him and Panneerselvam. As per the accord reached at the time of merger of the factions led by them last year, Panneerselvam is the coordinator of the AIADMK while Palaniswami is co-coordinator. When asked whether the AIADMK would have an alliance with the BJP, Palanisamy said a decision on alliances would be taken at the time of elections considering the prevailing situation. He also said his party was ready to face elections at any time. On Mettur Dam reaching its full capacity, Palanisamy it was the result of his prayers made at the famous lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati recently. The dam reached its full level of 120 feet "by the grace of the God," he said. Similarly, the God will also bestow good sense to his the Karnataka counter part (on sharing of the Cauvery waters), he said referring to H D Kumaraswamy's visit to the hill shrine yesterday. The Supreme Court verdict was clear on Karnataka releasing Tamil Nadu's rightful share, which would be specified by the Cauvery Water Management Authority at its monthly meetings, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Diversified conglomerate ITC's non-tobacco business has been showing progress in terms of registering higher gross profit and the company would adopt the "asset-right" model for hotels, a top official said today. ITC Managing director Sanjiv Puri said the revenues from the non-tobacco business was 59 per cent of the overall revenues and operating capital employed was Rs 19,000 crore. "There is progress in the newer businesses in the non-tobacco segment. Categories in the non-tobacco business which had acquired scale now has the capacity to provide better financial returns going by the EBIDTA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization)," Puri told reporters at a conference here today. "We are investing in a new ITC by creating a new efficient supply chain. There are gestating costs in fast moving consumer goods. We would be watchful of the costs structure involved," he said. Puri said that company would enter new categories this year, like the previous year. Regarding the hotels business, he said the company would follow the asset-right model by owning properties and managing for others. Presently, 60 per cent of the hotels were owned and 40 per cent managed. This proportion would go to 50:50 in the next few years, Puri said. ITC has a pipeline of six new properties including the only overseas one at Colombo, he said. Puri said that there was pressure on tobacco business due to regulatory environment and smuggling from abroad. On the proposed forray into healthcare, he said that the board had authorised the management to study the segment and submit a plan in a year's time. Earlier, speaking at the company's AGM here, chairman YC Deveshwar said an integrated scheme named 'Baareh Mahine Hariyali' was launched which was aimed at maximising farm utilisation throughout the year with a view to multiply farmers' income. Deveshwar said that ITC was making ongoing investments in setting up the Integrated Consumer Goods and Logistics Facilities (ICML) through a network of cold-chain infrastructure. He said the company had taken 'an audacious vision' of earning Rs 1 lakh crore from branded consumer products by 2030. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iraqi Airways has dismissed two of its pilots after the pilot and co-pilot on a flight from Iran to the Iraqi capital Baghdad traded fists in a scuffle over a food tray. The airline took sanctions against Captain Ali Ahmed Yaqub and Captain Ali Ahmed Salih after the duo on board a flight of the airline bound for Bagdad from the Iranian city of Mashhad began tussling over a meal, reports say. Conversation with the pilot became heated because he forbade an air hostess from bringing me a meal tray, under the pretext that I hadnt asked him for authorization, the co-pilot said in a letter addressed to Iraqi Airways management. The co-pilot took the meal but the fight went on in the cockpit prompting security intervention to separate the two who managed to land the aircraft, which was carrying 157 people including the crew. The fight according to accounts continued on the ground. The airline on Thursday decided it will take disciplinary action against the two men. Iraqs Ministry of Transportation committee said that Captain Ali Ahmed Yaqub will retire and Captain Ali Ahmed Salih will be dismissed, reports say. The incident drew mockery on social media. The EU has refused to grant license to the airline to use its airspace since 2015 over non-compliance with safety regulations. North Korea today returned the remains of the US troops killed during the Korean War 65 years ago, giving a new momentum to the diplomatic relations between Washington and Pyongyang that had shown signs of stalling in recent weeks. A US Air Force plane carrying the remains of an unknown number of US soldiers who died during the 1950-53 war arrived in Osan Air Base in South Korea from North Korea, the White House said. The repatriation followed an agreement reached between North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1. Trump thanked the Korean leader for the action taken. "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un," the US president tweeted. July 27 this year marks the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean war. North Korea celebrates it as the day of victory in the fatherland liberation war. Sanders said at the "historic meeting" in Singapore, Trump and Jong-un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the US and North Korea and establish enduring peace. "Today, the chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," she said. The move, Sanders said, represents a significant first step to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home. As per media reports, about 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean war, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Between 1996 and 2005, joint US-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets, according to a media report. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Army troops today paid tributes and homage to the soldiers killed in Operation Kargil, a day after the 19th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Divas, by lighting of candles at the Udhampur-based Northern Command. Lt Gen Paramjit Singh, Chief of Staff, Northern Command, along with a number of military and civil officials, including all ranks and families, paid their homage at the Shardanjali Park in Udhampur. The Kargil war is regarded as a testimony of the Indian Army's grit and determination, in which the soldiers exhibited dauntless courage, resilience, valour and fought against all odds in bone-chilling temperatures of the high altitude mountains in Kargil. Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on July 26 to commemorate India's resounding victory over Pakistan in Operation Vijay, 1999. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Northern Railway has decided to extend two trains to Haridwar to clear the extra rush of passengers and for the convenience of kanwarias, according to a statement of the Railways. The Northern Railway (NR) has extended the 74023 Delhi- Shamli DEMU. It will leave Shamli at 11.02 pm on its onward journey to Haridwar, where it will reach at 1.55 am the next day. The arrangement has been made from July 28 to August 9. On its return journey, the 74022 Haridwar-Delhi DEMU will depart from Haridwar at 2.05 am and reach Shamli at 5.30 am. It will proceed on its onward journey to Delhi at 5.40 am. On the extended portion, the train will stop at Thana Bhawan, Rampur Maniharan, Tapari, Roorkee and Jawalapur stations. The NR has also extended the 64557 Delhi-Saharanpur MEMU. It will reach Saharanpur at 9.50 pm and depart on its onward journey to Haridwar at 10.35 pm, where it will arrive at 00.45 am. On its return journey, the train will depart from Haridwar at 01.10 am to arrive at Saharanpur at 03.30 am. It will proceed on its onward journey to Delhi at 04.25 am. On the extended portion, the train will stop at Roorkee and Jawalapur stations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To check pollution of water bodies, the Goa government is mulling to enact a law to make not having sewerage connection to the house an offence. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar made this announcement in the Legislative Assembly today. He was responding to a private member's resolution moved by Congress MLAs Pratapsinh Rane and Luizinho Faleiro demanding an ordinance to stop construction activity along the river banks. Constructions along the banks are the main source of pollution of rivers, they said. Parrikar said the government will consider bringing a law, under which not having one's house connected with sewerage line would be a cognisable offence. Release of untreated waste in rivers and other water bodies is the main reason for pollution, he said. To a question about pollution of the river Sal, he said the construction of sewerage treatment plants at Navelim, Davorlin, Dicarpale, Talaulim, Aquem and Rawanfond is in progress, and once these plants start operating, it will stop release of untreated waste in the river. The Centre had given Rs 3 crore as the first instalment of Rs 61.74 crore for this project under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), he said. However, the funds were not used as the project is now being financed with the state's own money due to a delay in sanctioning of the NCRP, Parrikar added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several north-eastern states which share borders with Assam have kept their police forces on alert to thwart possible infiltration of illegal immigrants after the final draft of NRC is published in Guwahati on July 30. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated to identify illegal immigrants in Assam bordering Bangladesh. Assam is the only state in the country having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951. The state shares its boundaries with Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur. The Arunachal Pradesh government has asked the police department to maintain a vigil at all the check gates, while the Meghalaya Police has been kept on alert along the interstate border with Assam, officials of the two states said. The Nagaland government is deploying additional forces along the border, while Mizoram officials said that no specific instruction has been issued to the police on this occasion. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated in Assam with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January 1, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people. Meghalaya Director General of Police S B Singh said SPs of adjoining districts with Assam have been asked to keep liasoning with each other to prevent any spillover effect. "As was during the last NRC publication (on December 31), this time also the state police is on alert," Director General of Police S B Singh told PTI in Shillong. All the check gates of Arunachal Pradesh have been put on high alert and asked to go for rigorous checking of everyone entering the state, Deputy Inspector General of Police Tusar Taba said. "We have adequate police personnel in all the check gates of the state and wherever there is apprehension of possible infiltration, we will deploy additional manpower," the DIG said in Itanagar. The Nagaland government is deploying additional forces along the border with Assam as a preventive measure. Home and police departments under the chairmanship of Nagaland Chief Secretary Temjen Toy held a meeting on Wednesday to decide on the preventive measures to be adopted, the state government said in a bulletin in Kohima. The Mizoram government, however, is not anticipating any law and problem in the state due to publication of the final draft of the NRC. "We have not issued any specific instructions due to the coming final publication of the NCR as there have been no specific threats in the state till date," Additional Secretary for Home Lalbiakzama said. The Centre has already sent over 22,000 central paramilitary troops in order to beef up security in Assam and adjoining states in view of the publication of the final draft of the NRC. The Home Ministry has also asked the Assam government not to take any action against those whose names do not figure in the NRC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam government today announced cancellation of leaves and trainings of officials of all ranks and employees with immediate effect till August 15 in view of the final NRC draft release and the Independence Day, a government order said here. The order issued by Chief Secretary T Y Das covered "all officers of the IAS, ACS, IPS, APS, ALRS, all police officers and other ranks of police, other officers and staff of district establishments and SPs offices". Das issued the order "in view of the publication of draft NRC on July 30, 2018 and forthcoming Independence Day". The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January 1 this year, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people in Assam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over-regulation of prices is always detrimental to the patient as it restricts the industry's ability to invest in developing new drugs and has a negative impact on accessibility of medicines, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Limited chairman K Sathish Reddy said today. Addressing shareholders at the annual general meeting here, he urged policy-makers to take a holistic view of price control for the benefit of the industry as well as the patient. Reddy said when arbitrary control continues to squeeze prices, they may also end up driving these services and products out of the market leaving the patient as the net loser. "In recent years, pricing control has become a cause for concern. Our policy-makers tend to look at affordable healthcare through a single lens price control on drugs and medical devices," he said. Affordable healthcare is a goal which pharmaceutical companies wish to achieve but the responsibility should not be laid on their shoulders, Reddy added. "Regulatory benchmark is now higher than ever, which creates an impact on the cost of medicines and price control, and achieving the right balance between access and affordability becomes all the more testing for the industry," he elaborated. The ultimate fallout was that the companies would becomeselective about the markets they enter, he said. Some of the plans such as the reference pricing method, which was practised in Europe and some emerging markets like South Africa, may deter companies from launching their products in those markets because the pricing may not be viable in business terms, Reddy said. Industry bodies like the Indian Pharmaceutical Association were reaching out to the major regulatory authorities to facilitate a structural shift in quality standards, he said. The Indian pharmaceutical sector, despite all the present challenges, is poised for exponential growth in the next 10 years, he said adding Dr Reddy's was gearing up to ride this wave. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court today expressed concern over incidents of mob lynching in India triggered by messages spread through social media and said it appears that no one is "bothered". A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit observed this when it was hearing a related to blocking of videos of sexual offences on social sites. "So many things are coming now a days on social media. People are getting lynched but no one seems to be bothered," the bench observed. On July 17, another bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had said that "horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be allowed to overrun the law of the land and had asked the Parliament to consider enacting a new law to sternly deal with mob lynching and cow vigilantism. During the hearing today, the counsel representing internet search engines and social networking applications -- Google, Yahoo India Pvt Ltd, Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt Ltd, Facebook Ireland Ltd and Whatsapp Inc -- informed the court that they had filed their reports on status of progress made by them in the matter. The counsel appearing for the petitioners claimed before the bench that the Centre was not complying with the apex court's directions passed in the matter. "It is the Union of India which has to comply with the law and the order of this court. People of India expects this at least from the Union of India," the bench observed and posted the matter for further hearing in fourth week of August. The apex court was earlier informed that the Centre had identified keywords for child pornography, rape and gang rape content search and a list of keywords in English language has been compiled and circulated to content providers for further action. The court was hearing the matter following a letter sent in 2015 to then the Chief Justice of India H L Dattu by Hyderabad-based NGO Prajwala, along with two rape videos in a pen drive. The court had on its own taken cognisance of the letter and asked the CBI to launch a probe to apprehend the culprits. Earlier, cyber security officials, functioning under the CBI, had told the bench that Internet was a "wild highway" and blocking objectionable content at the source was a technical challenge for which clear guidelines needed to be issued to stop circulation of such material. The NGO's letter had also mooted the idea of maintaining a national sex offender's register which should contain details of persons convicted for offences like eve-teasing, stalking, molestation and other sexual assaults. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A perception was being created that the state's BJP-led government is against "meat eaters", Goa Animal Husbandry Minister Mauvin Godinho told the Legislative Assembly today. He was replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Glenn Ticlo who wanted to know why the state-run slaughterhouse Goa Meat Complex Limited (GMCL) was non-functional. Godinho said that a perception was being created that since the state has a BJP-led government, it was against "meat eaters" and, therefore, was not allowing the GMCL to operate. Speaking in the House, Godinho said, "This (perception) is totally false. The GMCL's operations halved in October last year when animals were not allowed to be brought there due to an NGO." "An NGO, which was not even from Goa, tried to project that we were subjecting animals to cruelty. Lot of pressure was mounted on us," he told the House. The minister said that by the time these issues at GMCL were sorted out, permissions from agencies like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Goa State Pollution Control Board and the Inspectorate of Factories and Boilers had expired. He said that these permissions had been obtained again and the state-run slaughterhouse was ready to restart on August 22, coinciding with Bakri Eid. He informed the House that beef was, at present, being procured from Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ltd, India's biggest liquefied natural gas importer, has submitted a firm proposal to set up an LNG import facility in Bangladesh at an of about $1 billion, its Managing Director & CEO Prabhat Singh said. Petronet had last year signed an MoU with Petrobangla to set up a 7.5 million tonnes a year project to receive and regasify LNG on Kutubdia Island in Cox's Bazar and lay a 26-km pipeline to connect it to the consumption markets. The firm has now made a formal proposal with techno-economic details including the cost to the Bangladesh government for approval, Singh said. "We have told them that we can build the land-based LNG receipt facility in 42 months from the date of receiving all approvals," he said. The project envisions future expansion and can be used for supplying LNG through small barges and LNG trucks to users which are not connected by the gas grid. Once Bangladesh government accepts the proposal, a formal pact will be signed between Petronet and Petrobangla, he said. Kutubdia islands have a natural harbour with a good draft and a natural breakwater, ideal for setting up LNG terminal. The proposed terminal is beside the one Bangladesh is looking to set up at Matar Bari in Moheshkhali Island of Cox's Bazar district or Anwara, Chittagong. The terminal, to be set up on the build-own-operate basis, will supply gas to power plants. Bangladesh has a lot of unmet demand. Gas demand is projected to more than double to 45 million tonnes from the current 20 million tonnes in the next 20 years. Excelerate Energy is looking at setting up a floating terminal at Moheshkhali. Originally, Petronet was one of the five global energy firms shortlisted for setting up the LNG import terminal. The others shortlisted included Anglo-Dutch super-major Shell, China's Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering, Tractebel Engineering of Belgium and Japan's Mitsui. Only Petronet now remains in fray for the project. Bangladesh is looking at importing gas to ease its energy crisis in southeastern Chittagong region, which was once almost self-reliant in natural gas but started facing a supply crisis in 2006 as output diminished from the Sangu gas field. The country's sole offshore gas well, Sangu-11, was permanently closed in October 2013. As a result, some plants are running below the capacity and a few have been shut due to non-availability of gas. The LNG terminal will supply gas to a proposed 1,000 Mw combined cycle power plant as well as the existing power plants in Raozan and Sikalbaha through a planned pipeline. Bangladesh is also looking at setting up a floating LNG import facility in the Bay of Bengal. The Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) of 500 million cubic feet a day capacity can, however, meet only a part of the growing demand for gas in power, fertiliser, factory, and industry. Authorities in Dubai emirate will start rating medical centers both public and private, from next year as they seek to improve health care services and facilities for the safety and wellbeing of the patients. The plan, floated by Dubai Health Authority (DHA), will begin early next year and will encompass public and private hospitals and day-care health centers located in the emirate, local media Arabian Business reports. The future rating system will take into account five pillars namely patient safety, clinical quality, patient happiness, financial and operational indicators. The system according to the DHA will contribute to improving quality across the healthcare system in Dubai while providing consumers with information to help empower them to make better choices about healthcare providers. Another beneficiary of the plan will be medical tourism as patient travelers will have access to trustworthy, independently validated information about Dubais healthcare quality. Benchmarking and measuring the quality of care is fundamental to help build a robust health system where patient-centric care and patient safety is the cornerstone, said Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector. A 62-year-old man, running a petty shop, was today arrested for allegedly selling banned lottery tickets, police said here. Mohan, who has been selling lottery tickets, had brought them from Kerala, they said, adding that 350 lottery tickets have been seized from him. He had been arrested for the offence in 2010 and had served a jail-term for a few months, the police said. After coming out of jail, he resumed selling the tickets and was caught, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court today seeking a direction to fix doors on suburban and MRTS trains to ensure safety of commuters in the wake of the recent accident that claimed five lives at St Thomas Mount here. The public interest litigation (PIL) filed by K Sathish came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justice M Venugopal and Justice Nirmal Kumar. The bench issued notice to the additional government pleader and the railways standing counsel to file a counter by August 7. The petitioner referred to the accident on July 24, in which five people were killed and 10 others injured while travelling on the footboard of a suburban train. He submitted that the railways was not taking any effort to prevent such accidents and sought fixing of doors on the compartments like the ones that the Metro Rail has. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray turned 58 today and leaders across political parties including Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished him but the warm greetings for the first time from Congress president Rahul Gandhi raised eyebrows in political circles. Besides Modi and Gandhi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his West Bengal counterpart and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee greeted Thackeray. The leaders took to Twitter to extend their birthday wishes. "Birthday wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of society," Modi, who is in South Africa for the BRICS Summit, tweeted. The greetings from Modi came amid strains between the saffron allies with the Sena being openly critical of the BJP-led government and the prime minister over polices and the handling of crucial issues. Sena's MPs in the Lok Sabha stayed away from voting in the no-confidence vote brought against the government by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the Lok Sabha last Friday and supported by various opposition parties. The Sena had also praised Rahul Gandhi's speech during the debate in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi had launched a blistering attack on the Modi government after which Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the Congress chief has now graduated from the "real school of politics". It was for the first time that Rahul Gandhi publicly greeted Thackeray on his birthday, according to Raut. "Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always," Gandhi tweeted. Reacting to Gandhi's gesture, Raut said, "Uddhavji gets birthday greetings from all over the country and outside. This time, he (Rahul Gandhi) has openly greeted him on Twitter." A Congress source said, "The gesture (birthday greetings) can also be seen as an effort to prove that he can go beyond political rivalry to built personal relations." State Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said, "Rahul Gandhi has greeted the head of another political party. Nothing more should be read into this.""Wishing Uddhav Thackeray ji a very happy birthday," tweeted Banerjee. The TMC chief's outreach comes at a time when she is making a determined bid to bring together a multi-party front to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Banerjee had met Thackeray during her visit to Mumbai last year. "Heartiest birthday greetings Shri #UddhavThackeray ji !Wishing you a long life and good health," Fadnavis said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left for home after concluding his three-nation Africa tour during which he attended the BRICS Summit in South Africa and he held bilateral meetings with several world leaders including presidents of China and Russia. "Gratitude to President @CyrilRamaphosa and the people of South Africa for the excellent organisation of the BRICS Summit. The deliberations in the Summit were fruitful. I also got the opportunity to interact with other world leaders and discuss bilateral relations," Modi tweeted. On the last leg of his trip, Modi visited South Africa where he attended the BRICS summit and also held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Ramaphosa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 4o per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. Earlier, Modi travelled to Rwanda on a two-day visit, becoming the first Indian premier to visit the East African country. Modi held wide-ranging talks with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and the two sides signed a defence cooperation agreement. India also extended a USD 200 million lines of credit to Rwanda for its economic development. From Rwanda, Modi travelled to Uganda - the first bilateral tour by an Indian prime minister since 1997 - where he held wide-ranging talks with President Yoweri Museveni and also addressed the country's Parliament. India extended two lines of credit worth nearly USD 200 million to Uganda in energy infrastructure, agriculture and dairy sectors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "misleading" the people about increasing the MSP of kharif crops. Her comments come in the backdrop of the Union Cabinet approving a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for all 14 kharif crops, including paddy, earlier this month. "The prime minister is spreading misinformation. He is misleading the people on the issue of increasing the MSP (of kharif crops). The Centre has hiked the MSP by only Rs 200, but is claiming that it has increased it by 50 per cent, which is totally false," Banerjee said in the Assembly. "The prime minister is saying that the Centre will double the income of farmers by 2022. But we have already doubled the income of our farmers," she said. Nearly 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country, Banerjee said, adding that not a single farmer from West Bengal figured among them. The chief minister, a known BJP detractor, demanded that the Centre increases the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) limit to Rs two lakh and criticised the proposal to put Modi's photo on the KCC form saying the states pay the larger share of money for the initiative. "We give 60 per cent of the money and the Centre gives 40 per cent. But recently we saw a report which said that the prime minister's photo will be given on the form," she said. She said her government had provided relief to more than 30 lakh farmers in the state who had suffered due to floods last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the publication of the final NRC draft, the Assam Police is carrying out community engagement programmes to avoid misunderstanding and keeping a strict watch on social media so that no fake or hate message is circulated, a top police officer said today. The police's main intention is to prevent build-up of any sort of fear psychosis in the society after publication of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on July 30, Assam Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia told PTI in an interview. "We are doing community engagement programmes to avoid any misunderstanding and lack of faith on the system. Our teams are regularly meeting village elders, student leaders and respectable persons in communities," he said. "We are doing lots of campaigns in this regard. Police is visiting markets, village haats for this," Saikia said, adding that there is no tension as such. The top cop said the Assam Police is also keeping a strict vigil on social media so that no fake or hate massage is circulated. "We have requested all communities to remain alert for this. We have launched a campaign on social media to avoid any provocative message by anyone. We are giving very important focus to social media," he added. Saikia informed that after the lynching of two youths in Karbi Anglong district last month due to fake of child-lifters, the Assam Police has formed a Social Media Cell and it is being headed by Additional Director General of Police (Security) Harmeet Singh. "We are trying to make people aware of social media platforms as an interactive place for all. It should be used for positive purpose," the DGP said. When asked about the preparedness of the police force, Saikia said the Assam Police is fully prepared and alert to maintain peace and order in the society at any cost after the final NRC draft is out. "Considering vulnerability of different areas, we have prepared a sectoral plan to maintain law and order in the state. We have asked all the SPs to prepare their own plan to avoid any situation. To maintain peace, senior officers have been placed on different jobs," he added. Saikia said additional forces from the Centre have started reaching the state and they have taken positions, while the entire strength is expected to reach within next 1-2 days. "We are not expecting any untoward situation post-July 30. No person with vested interest will be allowed to play his game. If anyone tries to create any problem or takes law into own hand, he will be dealt with iron hand," the DGP asserted. According to officials, the Centre has sent over 22,000 central paramilitary troops, comprising 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), in order to beef up security in Assam and adjoining states. The largest contingent among the forces is from the CRPF (53 companies), followed by Sashastra Seema Bal (41), BSF (40), ITBP (27), CISF (20) and Railway Protection Force (5). A total of 34 companies of the special auxiliary police are also being sent, officials said. One company of paramilitary force comprises 100 personnel. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January 1 this year, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people in Assam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All private hospitals in Maharashtra run by public charity trusts have been asked to add "charitable" to their names so that poor patients easily know they can avail free or concessional treatment under the reserved quota. There are 430 charitable hospitals in Maharashtra, including 74 are in Mumbai. State Charity Commissioner Shivkumar Dige issued a directive to this effect to all such hospitals last week. "It is difficult for patients to know if the hospital is charitable or not in the absence of the word. Therefore, mentioning the word "charitable" is mandatory so that poor patients can avail free or concessional treatment they rightfully deserve," the directive issued on July 19 says. It is applicable to all the government-aided private hospitals. The commissioner's office also asked all these hospitals to inform it about the compliance of the order. Over the past few years, the charity commissioner's office had received complaints about the charitable hospitals' reluctance to admit poor patients under the quota reserved for them. As per section 44 A of the Maharashtra Public Trust Act, private charitable hospitals are mandated to reserve 10 per cent of their beds for poor patients and 10 per cent for economically weaker sections of the society. While those with income below Rs 85,000 per annum are given free treatment at these hospitals, those with income of Rs 1.6 lakh per annum are charged at concessional rates. "The state, therefore, has 5,000 beds for poor patients and 5,000 for the weaker sections these are clearly mentioned on the commissioner's website. But it has been noticed that most of the time, these beds of these charitable hospital remain vacant," it said. "Since the word charitable does not appear in the names of these hospitals, poor patients are often clueless whether these are charitable hospitals or not. But if "charitable" or "dharmaday" is added in the name of these hospitals, there will be no doubt in the minds of the patients wanting to get admission in these hospitals," it added. When asked about the order, an administrator of a prominent hospital in Bandra, said, "We have received this order. Our only concern is that we will have to make changes in our bank accounts. We will try to make our stand clear before the charity commissioner soon." However, the move has been welcomed by the organisations working in the field of health-care. Virendra Mishra, general secretary of NGO Srijan, which holds medical camps in the city for needy people, said, "The move is commendable. It is better late than never. It will empower the poor patients." "We all know that charitable hospitals get several benefits, including discounted land on long lease and subsidies in utility bills, waivers and exemptions from income tax etc, but most of them hardly pass these benefits to the needy patients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calling the multi-crore Rafale jet deal "the biggest example of crony capitalism", the Congress today alleged the Modi government has "compromised national interest" by helping a private entity to the tune of crores of rupees in violation of rules. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must give answers to the nation on the deal and his party wants him to speak on this issue in Parliament during the current monsoon session. He alleged that the Modi government is "deceiving" the country by not giving answers about award of contract to a private player in this "mother of all defence deals". The government has been rejecting all allegations about the Rafale deal. The Congress leader told reporters that shocking revelations have brought out lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the award of Rs 30,000 crore 'defence offset contract' to Reliance Defence as part of this deal. "The culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of the Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of the Rs 60,145 crore Rafale deal," he said. "The art of deceiving India is the Modi government's mantra in this mother of all defence deals. Intrigue, conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the government," Surjewala said. "Rs 1,30,000 crore lies is being peddled by Modi government. Reliance Defence has claimed to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation (maker of Rafale jets) for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent 'lifecycle cost contract' of Rs 1 lakh crore," he said. The Congres leader said even Dassault Aviation in its annual report for 2016-17 has claimed that offset contract is being executed by Reliance, while the defence minister has claimed that the offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation. "The simple question is, who is lying Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or Reliance/Dassault Aviation?," he asked. Citing rules, Surjewala said all offset proposals need to be approved by Defence Minister and be part of approval for the main procurement of defence product and the offset contract is required to be countersigned by the Acquisition Manager' of the Defence Ministry. He alleged that the defence offset contract went to a private company with zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircrafts. Besides, Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the prime minister in France on April 10, 2015 and did not have a licence to manufacture fighter jets, he said. A Reliance firm was given licence to manufacture fighter aircrafts by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence on February 22, 2016, Surjewala said, adding that the company was incorporated on April 24, 2015 -- 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. This, he said, was done after suddenly denying the biggest ever defence offset contract to public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which signed Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a Workshare Agreement' on March 13, 2014 till PM Modi 'unilaterally' announced an off-the-shelf' purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. Surjewala alleged there was "mal-intent" of the prime minister and complete surrender of the defence minister vis-a-vis the interest of the only Government company having experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Does the prime minister represent the interest of private companies and private industrial houses or is his duty and obligation to protect an existing signed contract between an experienced government company as also the supplier of weapons system?" the Congress leader asked. The Congress leader asked whether Sitharaman was not aware that French defence minister met her and told her that she was going to Mehan where BJP's Maharashtra government gave land to Reliance Defence for a joint venture for offset contract. "It only shows that the national interest was being compromised by the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India," Surjewala said, while alleging that guidelines on defence contracts have been violated. He also cited a rule that a contract should be audited by the Defence Ministry. "Why are Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Sitharaman lying on the issue? It is time for Prime Minister Modi to answer to the nation," he said. Surjewala cited an earlier press release from Reliance, claiming it quoted 7.87 billion Euros (over Rs 60,000 crore) as the cost of the Rafale deal after India and France signed a purchase agreement for supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2016. "The contract includes a 50 per cent offset obligation to the tune of approximately Rs 30,000 crore, which is the largest ever offset contract in the history of India. DRAL (Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited) will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations," he quoted Reliance as having said in the release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Railway Claims Tribunal here has awarded a compensation of Rs eight lakh each to the families of four passengers killed in an accident here on Tuesday, after they hit a wall and fell off a suburban train. The Chennai Bench of the Tribunal has suo motu (on its own) directed that Rs eight lakh be deposited for each of the "four cases of death," and Rs two lakh to the five people injured in the accident, a release from the RTC Additional Registrar J Arundathi said. "This order is the first of its kind where the compensations are directed to be deposited by the Railways even without any formal application by the victims or their families," the release said. The tribunal has ordered release of Rs two lakh in each of the cases of death and Rs 50,000 for injuries from the amounts deposited, which will be adjusted against the final outcome of the awards when full particulars are gathered, it said. Further, notices have been issued to Government Railway Police), Railway Protection Force and the Southern Railway to furnish copies of all the police records regarding the "gruesome incident," it said. Four passengers travelling on the footboard of a crowded suburban train were killed after they hit a wall and fell off at the St Thomas Mount railway station on July 24. The state government has already announced a solatium of Rs one lakh each to the bereaved families. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Heavy rains lashed northern parts of the country, claiming 27 lives in Uttar Pradesh and leading to water logging and traffic snarls in several areas. Mathura and Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh recieved 19 cm and 18 cm rain respectively. Aligarh recorded 13 cm rainfall as the state was wreceked by heavy rains since yesterday. Twenty-seven people were killed and 12 injured in thr rains. Five people died in Agra, four deaths were reported in Mainpuri, three each in Muzaffarnagar and Kasganj, two each in Meerut and Bareilly and one each in Kanpur Dehat, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Jhansi, Rae Bareli, Jalaun and Jaunpur. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to launch relief and rescue work on a war footing. Rains also pounded the national capital which led to water logging in several areas and contributed to traffic snarls at various intersections. The Safdarjung observatory, recording of which is considered the official figure for the city, recorded 45.8 mm rainfall till 8.30 am and after which it received 2.5 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm. The humidity oscillated between 100 and 87 per cent. Heavy to very heavy rains were witnessed in most parts of Himachal Pradesh with Solan recording 100.4 mm rainfall, followed by 64.7 mm in Sundernagar and 56.5 mm in Mandi. Eight people, who were stuck on an island in the middle of a river in Himachal Pradesh due to high water level last night, were rescued today. A landslide was reported in the outskirts of Shimla city trigerred by heavy rains which affected traffic. Heavy rainfall occured at isolated places in east Rajasthan with Bharatpur recording a maximum of 11 cm rainfall in last 24 hours. Kaman, Kumher, Pahari, Deeg and Rapbas of Bharatpur district received 5 to 7 cm rainfall. Various places in east Rajasthan recorded 1 to 5 cm rainfall. No rainfall was recorded in western part of the state during the period. Kelyong in Lahaul and Spiti district remained the coldest place in the state as the lowest temperature at 10.7 degrees Celsius was recorded here during the last 24 hours. Rains continued to lash parts of Punjab and Haryana, with mercury today again hovering below normal limits. In Haryana, Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Karnal and Kurukshetra received rains and in Punjab, Patiala, Mohali and Rupnagar. Train services were affected in Asansol division of the Eastern Railway following a landslip at the edge of a minor road overbridge near Kulti station due to rain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Tayyip Erdogans office and the foreign minister Thursday indicated that the United States will not attain the release of US pastor Andrew Craig Brunson with threats. The reaction came after President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence threatened to impose economic sanctions on Turkey. The U.S. administration will not reach desired results by threatening Turkey over an issue, which falls within the jurisdiction of our countrys independent judiciary, said Ibrahim Kaln, spokesman for the Turkish President. Kalin urged the Trump administration to reconsider its approach and adopt a constructive position before inflicting further damage to its own interests and alliance with Turkey, Turkish media, Daily Sabah notes. The Foreign Minister also in the same tone lambasted the U.S. for the threats. We will never tolerate threats from anybody, twitted the Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The Turkish top diplomat reportedly held a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart, Mike Pompeo, but no details of the conversation were revealed. President Trump earlier in the day drew the ire of Turkey after he tweeted that the NATO ally will face economic sanctions if it does not free the North Carolina Pastor held in Turkey for two years now, on terror charges. Trump was seconded by his Vice President Mike Pence who promised consequences. The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being. He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately! Trump wrote on Twitter. Release Pastor Andrew Brunson NOW or be prepared to face the consequences. If Turkey does not take immediate action to free this innocent man of faith and send him home to America, the United States will impose significant sanctions on Turkey until Pastor Andrew Brunson is free. Brunson, an evangelical Pastor from North Carolina, who was leading a church in Izimir for around 20 years, has been held following July 2016 failed coup over terrorism charges. The American Pastor is suspected for having contact with members of Erdogans U.S.-based foe Fethullah Gulens organization FETO accused by Turkish authorities for being behind the failed coup. He also allegedly harbors in his church members of PKK, a militant group opposed to Ankara and which has been blacklisted by the west as terror group. Brunson was expected to be freed last week but a court remanded him in prison. An Izimir court this week ordered the conversion of his imprisonment to house arrest and prohibited him against leaving the country. The court also requested he wears an ankle monitor. He is expected to appear in court for another hearing in October. The Pastor could be sentenced to up to 35 years in prison if he is found guilty. Brunsons case has compounded strained relations between both NATO members. Ankara has filed for Gulen but Washington has not nodded to the request. A group of U.S. lawmakers also tried to push sanctions against Ankara for its plans to buy Russian S-400 missile system. The Rajasthan government today transferred 131 officers, including four IAS, 34 IPS and 93 RAS officers, according to an order of the Department of Personnel. The transfers of two Indian Administrative Service, two Indian Police Service and three Rajasthan Administrative Service officers were annulled and 22 RAS officers were kept under awaited posting order, as per the last night's order. IAS Manoj Sharma was made special secretary of the Tribal Area Development Department in Jaipur, Lakshminarayan Meena was transferred as Ajmer divisional commissioner, Rajesh Sharma was made commissioner school education and Ravi Jain was given the charge of commissioner of the Department of Information and Public Relations. Six additional director general of police (ADG) were transferred among 34 IPS officers, the order said. Rajeev Sharma was made ADG (economic and cyber crime), Hemant Priyadarshi as ADG (SCRB), Govind Gupta as ADG (Vigilance), Sunil Dutt as ADG (Telecommunications), Amrit Kalash as ADG (Anti-trafficking). Anti-Corruption Bureau Inspector General V K Singh was made IG Jaipur Range, Special Operations Group (SOG) IG Dinesh M.N was made IG Bikaner Range and Ashok Rathore was transferred on his post. IPS Biju George was transferred as Ajmer range IG and Alok Vashistha was made Jodhpur commissioner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sikandar Ram, one of the 11 convicts in the Ramgarh district beef lynching case, who was later granted bail by Jharkhand High Court, was today electrocuted near his home in Ramgarh town, police said. The incident happened at Bazaar Tand locality, under the jurisdiction of Ramgarh Town police station, when Sikandar Ram was walking towards a market, the police said. He died on the spot after he came in contact with a live wire that had snapped from an electric pole and fell on the ground, the Officer-in-Charge of Ramgarh Town police station, Rajesh Kumar, said. Ram's body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination, a senior police officer said. Sikandar Ram was one among the 11 convicted in the Ramgarh beef lynching case. They were awarded life imprisonment by a fast track court in Ramgarh in March this year. Later, on June 29 this year, the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to 8 out of the 11 convicts, including Sikandar Ram. Two more convicts were granted bail as well recently. Deepak Mishra is the only one behind bars at present. The Investigating Officer of the case, Vidhywati Ohdar had filed a charge sheet against 12 of the 17 accused, including Sikandar Ram. Since one of the accused was a minor, he was forwarded to a remand home. A group of people had lynched 40-year-old Alimuddin Ansari in Bazaar Tand locality of Ramgarh town on June 29, 2017, on the suspicion that he was carrying beef in his car. Forensic tests later confirmed that the meat he was carrying was beef. Alimuddin's wife Mariam Khatoon had lodged an FIR against 17 persons, including Sikandar Ram, a day after Alimuddin's lynching. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ride-hailing firm Grab insisted today its takeover of Uber's businesses in Southeast Asia has not substantially eroded competition in Singapore after a threat from the city-state's anti-monopoly watchdog to reverse the deal. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) earlier this month threatened to overturn the deal, and called for changes to be made as it infringed competition rules. Grab -- Southeast Asia's dominant ride-hailing firm, operating in eight countries -- said it has submitted a written response to the commission defending the transaction. "Grab disagrees with the CCCS finding that the Grab/Uber deal has led to a substantial lessening of competition," the company said. It said some of the measures proposed by the commission were "unwarranted" but vowed it would continue to cooperate with the watchdog in their ongoing review. Singapore-headquartered Grab in March agreed to buy Uber's ride-hailing and food business in Southeast Asia, ending a bruising battle between the ride-hailing companies. But Singapore's competition commission found that the deal created a virtual monopoly in the city-state's ride-hailing market, with Grab raising prices after the merger was completed. It asked Grab to revert to pre-merger pricing and end its exclusive contracts with drivers so other players would find it easier to enter the market. Grab however said this was "one-sided" as the commission allows other industry players to enter into exclusivity arrangements. "Grab believes that this double-standard goes against the spirit of increasing choices for drivers and riders," it said. Grab also said it has maintained its pricing and driver commissions, citing data showing that the average fare per ride fell by 3.4 percent since the merger. The Grab-Uber deal has come under scrutiny across the region, with Malaysia and the Philippines also launching investigations. In return for selling its Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food operations, California-headquartered Uber received a 27.5 per cent stake in Grab. Since the merger, several new players, including India's Jugnoo and Singapore-based Ryde, have entered Singapore's ride-hailing market. Indonesian firm Go-Jek has also said it plans to launch in the city-state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nobody's rights and privileges will be curtailed if his or her name does not figure in the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be published on July 30, senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said. "A draft is a draft. Nobody's rights and privileges will be taken away on the basis of the draft NRC. No one will be sent to any detention camp," he told a press conference. After the final publication, there will be claims, objections and correction procedure and people will be able to avail these services, Sarma who is the finance minister of the state, said. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had yesterday stated that no one will be treated as foreigner if his or her name does not figure in the final draft. Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia told PTI that the police are carrying out community engagement programmes to avoid misunderstanding and keeping a strict watch on social media so that no fake or hate messages are circulated. The police's main intention is to prevent build-up of any sort of fear psychosis in the society after publication of the final draft of the NRC. "We are doing community engagement programmes to avoid any misunderstanding and lack of faith on the system. Our teams are regularly meeting village elders, student leaders and respectable persons in communities," Saikia said, adding that there is no tension as such. "We have requested all communities to remain alert for this. We have launched a campaign on social media to avoid any provocative message by anyone. We are giving very important focus to social media," he added. The DGP said that they are trying to make people aware of social media platforms as an interactive place for all. It should be used for positive purpose, he said. When asked about the preparedness of the police force, Saikia said the Assam Police is fully prepared and alert to maintain peace and order in the society at any cost after the final NRC draft is out. Meanwhile, several neighbouring states have kept their police forces on alert to thwart possible infiltration of illegal immigrants post-July 30. Assam shares its boundaries with Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura. The Arunachal Pradesh government has asked the police department to maintain vigil at all check gates, while the Meghalaya Police has been kept on alert along the inter-state border with Assam, officials of the two states said. The Nagaland government is deploying additional forces along the border. Mizoram Additional Secretary (Home) Lalbiakzama said no specific instructions have been issued as there have been no specific threats in the state till date. The Centre has already sent over 22,000 paramilitary forces personnel to beef up security in Assam and adjoining states. The union home ministry has also asked the Assam government not to take any action against those whose names do not figure in the NRC. The NRC is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people in Assam. Assam is the only state in the country having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph today asked the Centre not to delay appointments in higher judiciary and clear the names in a time-bound manner after getting the recommendations from the collegium. Amid speculation that the Centre was mulling increasing the age of superannuation of judges of the apex court and the high courts, Justice Joseph suggested that the age of retirement be raised to 70 years. At present, apex court and high court judges demit office at the age of 65 and 62 years respectively. "Just making a passing observation -- as far as appointment to high courts are concerned, once the high court has sent some request, or the high court collegium creates an appointment of a judge, to high court, there should not be a delay of three months. "As far as the Supreme Court is concerned, since it is an appointment from among the judges serving in the country for quite a long time, there must not be a delay of more than two weeks," Justice Joseph, who has been vocal about the delay in elevation of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph to the apex court, said. He was speaking at a conference on 'National Initiative to Reduce Pendency and Delay in Judicial System' organised by the Supreme Court of India in collaboration with the Indian Law Institute. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, who made the inaugural address, said shortage of judges was a factor responsible for pendency but at the same time some courts are functioning and performing better in same conditions. Justice Misra asked the high courts and districts across the country to share ideas and suggestions to perform better. "Shortage of judges is a factor responsible for pendency but at the same time some courts are functioning and performing better in same conditions. Take such courts as models. This conference is for learning and sharing. Take suggestions and ideas. Conditions may be different but ideas may work over there," he said. While discussing over the various factors of pendency, the CJI said he is of the view that adjournment is a disorder. He suggested that since the legal aid advocates are paid by the courts, they should take up matters to argue in the summer vacation to reduce the pendency. "High courts may form think tanks with judges, lawyers, academicians etc., so that they can discuss innovative modes and initiatives to reduce delays," Justice Misra said. Justice Joseph, in his address, also said, "My suggestion to government is to increase the retirement age of high court and Supreme Court judges should be made the same and should be 70. It's the more productive years as far as the experience of a judge is concerned, we can well utilise them up to the age of 70." Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who made a special address at the function attended by all high court judges and many district court judges from across the country, said that the trial length needs to be cut short to use make use of the judicial time. "Substantial time is taken on procedural matters like summons, adjournments, recording of evidence and statements etc. He asked the lower judiciary to make use of the technology and said that most of the district courts don't even have a wi-fi," Gogoi said. Justice M B Lokur observed that over 2.5 crore cases are pending in district courts where as HC have a pendency of 43 lakh and hence the focus must be on district courts as the concentration on grass root level will help the litigants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant for the time being 'custody parole' to Sanjay Chandra, the jailed managing director of firm Limited, and ordered disbursal of money on "pro rata" basis to those who have judicial orders in their favour. A bench headed by considered the fact that around Rs 420 million had been deposited today with the apex court registry after the sale of some assets of the firm. The bench, also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said the home buyers, who have secured orders in their favour from the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and the Regulatory Authority, be refunded money on "pro rata" (proportional) basis after proper verification of the documents by lawyer Pawanshree Agarwal, who is assisting the court as the amicus curiae. So far, nearly Rs 1.02 billion has been deposited with the apex court registry. "I am not seeking bail at the moment. I am seeking custody parole. Please consider this," senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the jailed directors, said, adding that within a few days, the accused would complete one year in jail having been arrested on August 9 last year. The senior lawyer said that the directors were unable to arrange funds smoothly as they were in jail. The bench, however, refused to pass any order to this effect for the time being. and his brother Ajay are at present in jail. The bench also directed the firm to file within a week the "status report with regard to the projects where major part of the work is complete and suggest a plan how to complete the balance work." It also made clear that the Justice S N Dhingra panel would continue with its task of auctioning the properties of Ltd for ensuring refund to the Earlier, the court had asked the panel headed by former judge Justice Dhingra to proceed with the auction of Ltd's unencumbered properties at Agra and in and Sriperumbudur in to refund money to The top court had set up the three-member panel for "expeditious" auction of over 600 acres of land of the real estate firm for refunding money to home buyers who do not want possession of their homes or flats. It had also directed Unitech Ltd to submit a list of all properties of the company, its subsidiaries and personal properties of all the directors. Sanjay Chandra, the MD, was seeking interim bail from the apex court after the had on August 11 last year rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home buyers of Unitech projects -- 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project' -- situated in Gurgaon in Markets regulator Sebi today ordered USK India and its three directors to refund within three months the investors' money that the company raised through an illegal collective investment scheme (CIS). The regulator has also barred the four entities from the capital market "till the directions for refund/repayment to investors are complied with... And for a further period of four years from the date of completion of the refund". Moreover the directors -- Sanjay Verma, Shiv Ram Singh Tomar and Umesh Narwariya -- have been restrained from holding position as directors or key managerial personnel of any listed company for a period of four years, Sebi said in an order. According to an interim order passed by Sebi in 2015, the entities were engaged in carrying out a scheme of Purchase, development and maintenance of land' under various plans, wherein money was mobilised from the public. After noting that the fund mobilising activity of the firm fell within the parameters of CIS, which was being carried out without getting registration from Sebi, the regulator had directed the company and its directors not to collect fresh money from investors from the existing scheme, among others, in the interim order. In the fresh order, Sebi reiterated that the activities of the firm and its directors constitute a CIS and these have been carried out without seeking a registration from Sebi, thereby contravening the CIS norms. The firm and its directors are "jointly and severally" liable to wind up the USK's collective investment scheme and refund the money collected under the scheme with returns which are due to the investors within a period of three months, Sebi said. The firm and its directors failure to comply with Sebi's directive, would initiate recovery proceedings against them, added regulator. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sebi today barred more than 30 entities from the securities market for at least ten years for alleged fraudulent transactions in the shares of SMS Techsoft. In February-March 2013, there was a burst of Short Text Messages (SMSs) mentioning buy recommendation for SMS Techsoft shares. An investigation found that various entities portrayed fraudulent transactions as genuine preferential allotment of shares. Further, they offloaded the shares allotted in the preferential allotment in the market thereby earning illegal profit. Sebi had passed an order in the matter in 2013. In its order today, Sebi said that over 30 entities have been banned from the securities market for a "period of 10 years from the date of completion of disgorgement" of illegal gains. Besides, they have been restrained from associating themselves with any listed public company and any public company which intends to raise money from the public, among others. They have also been directed to disgorge an amount of "Rs 6,78,85,716" along with a simple interest of 12 per cent per annum from the date of end of investigation period -- November 5, 2013 -- till the date of payment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sebi today imposed a total fine of Rs 37 lakh on seven entities for failing to make relevant disclosures with regard to change in their shareholding in Oregon Commercial. In three separate but similarly worded orders, the regulator said it conducted an investigation in the scrip of Oregon Commercial, now known as Saianand Commercial in two phases, one from January to August, 2010 and another during August 2010-January 2011. During the investigation, it was found that seven entities acquired and disposed shares of Oregon on several occasions, said Sebi in an order. Moreover, the seven entities in different combinations on various occasions acquired the shares as person acting in concert (PAC). The inter-se transfer of shares of the company triggered disclosure requirements under the PIT as well as SAST. Under PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations and SAST (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) norms, they were required to make necessary disclosures to the Oregon and the exchange where the shares of the company are listed within two working days. Additionally, entities as PAC were also obliged to make disclosures accordingly. However, they failed to make disclosures under PIT and SAST norms and thereby impose monetary penalties on the Entities, Sebi said. The penalties on the entities -- Dhirenkumar Dharamdas Agarwal and Shweta Dhiren Agrawal ( Rs 7 lakh), Krupa Sanjay Soni, Sanjay Jethalal Soni and J M Soni Consultancy (Rs 24 lakh) and Jimish Jitendrabhai Soni and Vaishali Jimish Soni (Rs 6 lakh). The total penalty also includes a separate fine for disclosure violations relating to PAC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The administration in Manipur's Jiribam district today imposed prohibitory order in the region under section 144 of CrPc, in the wake of protests against a bill that seeks to "protect the identity of indigenous people" of the state, an official said. The restrictions in the district, forbidding assembly of four or more people at one place, will continue till further orders, he said. The Manipur People's Protection Bill 2018, passed unanimously by the Legislative Assembly on July 23, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meitis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951. The rest, categorised as "Non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law. The prohibitory orders in Jiribam, bordering Cachar in Assam, came two days after a large number of people staged a rally in the district to denounce the state's decision to fix base year at 1951. The Bill is currently waiting for Governor Najma Heptullah's assent. Terming the Bill as "unconstitutional", Md. Ahmed Ali, a spokesperson of 'Joint Action Committee Against Base Year 1951', said it would deprive many people of their rights. "The committee will intensify its agitation if we do not receive the rights guaranteed to us under the Constitution," he claimed. A district official said Jiribam has witnessed a change in demography in the past two years due to influx of illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Authorities at Abu Dhabi airport Thursday brushed off statement by Yemen-based Shia Houthi rebels that they hit the airport of the Emirati capital in a drone attack, one day after they attacked two Saudi oil tankers. Operations at the airport are business as usual, a UAE official told Reuters. Houthis earlier in the day issued a statement on their media noting that a Sammad-3 drone had launched three strikes on the facility, disrupting air traffic. The rebels however did not provide evidence of the damage they claimed they caused. The airport however on Thursday tweeted that there had been an incident involving a supply vehicle in Terminal 1 airside area of the airport at approximately 4:00pm. This incident has not affected operations at AUH and flights continue to arrive and depart as scheduled, the operator said. It is unclear whether it was the same incident. The Iran-backed rebels said they targeted Abu Dhabi because it is part of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition supported by the west. The coalition is engaged in Yemen to restore the rule of President Mansour Hadi who has lost control of much of the North of the country including capital Sanaa, seized since 2014. The Saudi-led coalition entered the Arab poorest country in 2015. The Thursday Houthi-claimed attack followed a Wednesday attack by the rebels on two Saudi oil tanks belonging to the kingdom oil giant Aramco. Two oil tankers carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil each, came under attack in the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The incident prompted Saudi authorities to temporarily suspend oil shipments through the Strait. Security forces carried out today a search operation in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk here amid heightening of security measures following killing of a CRPF jawan at Batamaloo on Tuesday. A joint team of security forces cordoned off the area around Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower) and carried out searches of buildings and vehicles in the area, a police official said. He said no arrests were made in the operation, during which movement of people through the cordoned area was suspended. Security forces started random frisking of vehicles entering the city following imposition of governor's rule in the state last month but the sanitisation and area domination exercises have been intensified since Tuesday when militants shot dead a CRPF jawan and injured another at Batamaloo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today said there were doubts over the seriousness and bona fides of the Narendra Modi government in bringing back Mehul Choksi, who is accused of committing frauds of crores of rupees and has fled the country. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also alleged complicity on the part of the government in ensuring that the fugitive was not brought back to the country. "The tragic part is that the Modi government has been lacking, bordering on complicity, in ensuring that the Indian fugitives who have duped the banks of thousands of crores of rupees are brought back within the ambit of law," he said. Surjewala said the prime minister, who had good relations with his Antiguan counterpart in March, needed to answer why did he not pick up the phone and call the latter, asking him to detain and arrest Choksi and hand him over to India through the normal process of deportation of criminals followed in international diplomacy. "The very fact that the prime minister is not doing so raises a doubt in our mind about the seriousness and bona fides of the Modi government," he added. Surjewala asked Modi and the "BJP's departmental organisations of the CBI and the ED" as to how Choksi was allowed to travel to Hong Kong, UAE, Belgium, UK, USA and Antigua and yet, till today, no red-corner notice was issued against him by the Interpol. "Was it on account of some complicity on the part of the CBI and ED that he was permitted to take care of his business all over the world and to ensure that whatever money was sent through whatever channels was appropriately consumed in a manner that it would never be discovered and to finally secure the citizenship of Antigua?" the Congress leader asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Realty firm Signature Global, which is into affordable housing, today said it will invest Rs 100 crore to develop its first shopping mall at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh (UP). In this mall, the Delhi-based company is also developing 80-rooms serviced apartments/suites to be managed by hospitality firm Clarks Premier. The total saleable area is 1 lakh sq ft in this shopping mall, which is expected to be operational by the end of the next year. This is the first project of the company in UP. Signature Global is coming up with its maiden retail venture 'Signature Global Mall' at Vaishali, Ghaziabad with a total investment of Rs 100 crore, the company said in a statement. The investment would comprise of land and construction cost which will be met by internal accruals, it added. The company in the last year had raised Rs 200 crore fund from private equity player KKR. The Delhi-based firm had raised Rs 150 crore from ICICI Prudential in 2016. "Location being the key to the successful investment, Signature Global Mall is opening at the very close vicinity to the residential areas of Vaishali and other parts of NCR," said Pradeep Aggarwal, co-founder and chairman of Signature Global. The company has launched 9 affordable housing projects, comprising about 9,400 units in Rs 15-25 lakh price range, in Gurugram, in the last three years of its operations. All projects are under the Haryana Affordable Housing scheme. It has also started one housing project at Karnal in Haryana comprising of the 350 units. In these 10 projects, the company is constructing 2.5 lakh sq ft of commercial area as per the rules. On execution, Signature Global said it would deliver about 2,800 units in this fiscal. The company said it targets to build 1 lakh affordable homes in Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra by 2022. With affordable housing segment getting infrastructure status in the last year's Budget, the real estate developers are focusing on low cost homes. The government is also providing an interest subsidy on loans for affordable housing, besides levying lower GST of 8 per cent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As much as 80 per cent of the construction work on the Rs 520-crore Sindhudurg airport in the state is over, while the remaining work is expected to be completed by the next month,an official release said today. Significantly, the work on taxi way, apron and isolation bay has already been completed, it said. The greenfield airport is being constructed at Parule Chipi in the Sindhudurg district of the state by IRB Sindhudurg Airport on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer basis for the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. With a 2,500-metre long runway, the airport will have a capacity to handle 200 departing and 200 arriving passengers during peak hours. The civil aviation ministry had earlier said it was expecting the airport project work to be completed by June. Once functional, Sindhudurg will be the state's 14th airport. At present, it has three functional international and 13 domestic airports. During a review meeting of the under-construction airports at Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, chaired by civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu yesterday, the officials also said that the land issues were hampering the work at Ratnagiri airport, following which the minister directed the concerned officials to take up the matter with their counterparts in the state government, the release said. Prabhu also said that he will personally talk to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to resolve the issue, it added. "Eighty per cent work on construction of passenger terminal building, ATC tower and technical building has been completed and the remaining work will be finished in a month's time," the release said. The construction work of ancillary buildings is almost nearing completion and will take a month to finish, it added. The airports in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri will provide better connectivity to the Konkan region of Maharashtra, parts of Goa, north Karnataka and western Maharashtra, the release quoted Prabhu as saying. Besides, they will also boost the tourism in the region, the minister said adding the air connectivity to this region fulfills the objectives of making air travel more affordable for the common man, the minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slovak prosecutors said today that they had charged the leader of a far-right party that holds seats in parliament with promoting extremism after he handed out cheques for a figure allegedly known as a neo-Nazi symbol. Lawmaker Marian Kotleba was charged with "promoting sympathy towards a movement aimed at suppressing fundamental rights and freedoms," prosecutor's office spokeswoman Jana Tokolyova told AFP today. The charge stemmed from a 2017 charity event organised by the Kotleba-People's Party Our Slovakia (LSNS), where Kotleba handed out cheques to families in need made out for 1,488 euros (USD 1,733). "In a school located in Banska Bystrica, Kotleba handed out the three larger-than-life, symbolic cheques for 1,488 euros to three families in front of nearly 400 guests," Tokolyova said. "The number 1,488 is a well-known neo-Nazi symbol," she added. If a court accepts the charges, Kotleba will be tried and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. The former governor of his native central region of Banska Bystrica, who has been charged with hate speech in the past, is known for having led street marches with party members dressed in black neo-Nazi uniforms. He is hostile to both Slovakia's large Roma minority and the established elite and has spoken warmly of former president Jozef Tiso, who agreed to deport tens of thousands of Jews to Nazi Germany during World War II. His party has campaigned heavily against letting migrants into the country and won seats in parliament for the first time in March 2016. Last year, prosecutors also set in motion a case asking the Supreme Court to ban the LSNS. There is evidence that it "is an extremist political party with fascist tendencies," Andrea Predajnova, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor general, said at the time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A society has been set up in Singapore in honour of former Indian president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and to advance his vision for the world. The Abdul Kalam Vision Society (AKVS) will organise knowledge-enhancing events, lectures and essay competition to convey the ideas and values that Dr Kalam espoused. Nearly 400 people, including the late president's scientific adviser Dr V Ponraj, attended the launch of the society on July 21. He (Dr Kalam) gave sustainable solutions to may of the world's problems in areas such as healthcare, environment, agriculture, energy, water and infrastructure, Dr Ponraj recalled and hoped that the AKVS would play a vital part in making the vision of the former president a reality. Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf, who officiated the launch, proposed organising knowledge-based events, including annual distinguished lectures and essay competition for school students here. Singapore's former Indian-origin diplomat K Kesavapany highlighted many of the values that Dr Kalam espoused, such as meritocracy, religious harmony, tackling income inequality, science for the benefit of society and inspiring youth. These values are in line with those of Singapore's, he said. Dr Kalam's inspirational life in itself is a great lesson. He was not only the leader of India. He was a world leader, there is much for Singaporeans to learn from his teachings, values and life. And that would be the objective of this organisation, said Kesavapany, who is also the AKVS president. Dr Kalam grew up from a humble background to become an eminent space scientist and occupied India's highest office. July 27 marks the third anniversary of his passing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SoftBank Group Corp today said it will launch a digital payments service in Japan, and has partnered Paytm for the service. The service PayPay will be launched by SoftBank's joint venture PayPay Corporation (with Yahoo Japan) in fall this year, SoftBank said in a statement. "PayPay Corporation will team up with India's largest digital payments company Paytm, a SoftBank Vision Fund portfolio company, to utilise Paytm's technology and expertise in mobile payments," it added. In Japan, cash is still the mainstream payment methodology, with the current cashless payment ratio remaining at 20 per cent, SoftBank said adding that the Japanese government is taking measures to raise the cashless payment ratio to 40 per cent by 2025. To aid these efforts, SoftBank and Yahoo Japan established PayPay Corporation in June this year and will launch its user-oriented payments platform in fall of 2018, it added. "This will promote the broader use of cashless payment in Japan and provide highly convenient services to both consumers and affiliated stores," SoftBank noted. "We want to build a Paytm model on local AI that allows us to take mobile payments to a large population where other digital methods have not fully penetrated," Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO - Paytm, said. Paytm offers seamless mobile payments to over 300 million customers and 8 million merchants in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Garhwal Rifles soldier was killed and two of his colleagues were seriously injured today when the car they were travelling in fell into a 150-metre deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Pauri district, police said. Havildar Raghuvir Singh along with Lance Naiks Pramod Singh and Matbar Singh were on their way to Lansdowne in a Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre (GRRC) vehicle when the accident occurred near Deriyakhal tiraha, Lansdowne police station incharge M P Purval said. All the three occupants sustained grievous injuries and were rushed to Lansdowne military hospital by GRRC officers and jawans, he added. Due to the grave injuries, the trio were referred to Roorkee military hospital but Raghuvir Singh died on the way while, Pramod Singh and Matbar Singh were undergoing treatment in Roorkee, Purval said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court today refused to grant 15 days parole to a life convict, who is also facing trial in the sensational 2008 murder case of TV journalist Soumya Viswanathan. A bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan termed the conduct of Ravi Kapoor in jail as "unsatisfactory" and set aside the order of Delhi High Court granting him parole and bail. The high court had granted him bail and paroles in three different cases on the ground of allowing him to file appeal in apex court against his life sentence awarded to him in one case. The bench said though it is very liberal in granting parole to the accused but in the instant case, Kapoor can easily file appeal in apex court from jail as per the prison norms. The counsel for Kapoor said that there are some technical points which need to be looked into and a 15-day parole should be granted to him. Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for Delhi Police, opposed the parole plea and said that Kapoor was involved in the murder of two single working women. He said, "The convict was held guilty in one case and trial court had awarded him death penalty considering the crime as rarest of rare. The death penalty was later commuted to life sentence." Singh said that the accused may run away, if he is allowed to go out of jail on parole. To this, the bench said, "we have to ensure that he doesn't run away. He is a life convict. Let him make alternate arrangements for filing the appeal." Kapoor's counsel said that the court may release him for just 15 days on stringent conditions. The bench while refusing to grant him parole said that he cannot be release on this ground and even his conduct in jail is "unsatisfactory". The apex court had on July 13, stayed three orders of the high court granting parole and bail to Kapoor and sought his response on the plea of Delhi Police challenging his release. Police has contended that Kapoor was a dreaded criminal involved in various cases. Kapoor was also convicted in the 2009 murder case of business executive Jigisha Ghosh and awarded death sentence by a trial court. But the capital punishment was later commuted to life term by the high court earlier this year. The trial in the Soumya murder case is pending before a trial court here. Soumya was shot dead on September 30, 2008, when she was returning home in her car from office in the wee hours. The police had earlier claimed robbery as the motive behind the killing of both Jigisha and Soumya. On January 4, the high court had reduced to life sentence the death penalty awarded to two of the three convicts in the Jigisha murder case, saying the crime did not qualify as "rarest of rare" warranting capital punishment. The high court, while modifying the death penalty awarded to Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, had also confirmed the life sentence to the third convict, Baljeet Malik, in the murder case. Twenty-eight-year-old Jigisha, an operations manager in a management consultancy firm, was abducted and killed on March 18, 2009, after she was dropped by her office cab around 4 am near her home in Vasant Vihar area of South Delhi. Her body was recovered three days later from a place near Surajkund in Haryana. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government has notified fitting of speed governors in commercial transport vehicles, including light passenger vehicles, registered prior to October 1, 2015, limiting the maximum speed to 80 kmph. On July 17, a notification to this effect was issued as per Central Vehicles Rules, 1989, and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, by the transport commissioner on behalf of the Lt Governor. The move will bring down road accidents caused by speeding vehicles, a senior transport department official said. "The new notification will replace an earlier notification (issued) by the Delhi government in 2003, meaning the annual maintenance certificate (AMC) will no longer be required and only a certificate from the manufacturer will be required," the officer said. The AMC requirement was a deterrent for permit holders to go for fitting of speed governors. According to the notification, all commercial vehicles having all-India tourist permit, inter-state permits and national permits will have the maximum speed limit of 80 kmph on the city roads. School buses and transport vehicles permitted to ply in Delhi-NCR will have a speed limit of 40 kmph. Dumpers, tankers and vehicles carrying hazardous goods will have a maximum speed of 60 kmph, whereas the speed limit of airport buses will be 30 kmph, the notification said. The installation of a speed-limiting device has also been extended to light passenger vehicles including taxis and mini buses, the officer said. The owners or drivers of vehicles fitted with speed governors will have to produce a certificate issued by the manufacturer confirming the maximum preset speed specified in the notification at the time of fitness test. The retrofitting of speed limiting devices will be in accordance with the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Supreme Court's Committee on Road Safety. The speed limiting devices act like a cruise control system in motor vehicles. Models of devices manufactured in the country range from Rs 2,000 to upwards of Rs 10,000. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ugandas constitutional court on Thursday endorsed the parliaments decision to remove the presidential age limit of 75 years that could allow President Yoweri Museveni to extend his three-decade rule. Yoweri Museveni, a former guerrilla commander, is vying to run eternally the landlocked country, Africas biggest coffee exporter, which is planning oil production in two years. The removal of age limit may encourage an incumbent to wish to keep himself in office perpetually but the citizens still retain the power, Elizabeth Musoke, one of three judges who endorsed the amendment said. In December, when the legislators passed the controversial age limit bill, they also voted to extend the terms of office for the president, local governments and the parliament from five to seven years. However on Thursday, all five judges nullified the extension of the terms of office and also ruled that restoration of term limits was unconstitutional. Museveni whose rule of the east African country has been marked by corruption scandals, human rights violations has yet to say whether he intends to run in the next vote. In December, activists, campaign groups, religious leaders and even some members of Musevenis own ruling party have objected to the proposed change to the constitution, saying it is undemocratic. Museveni won plaudits in the early years of his rule for restoring stability after years of turmoil, and became a key Western ally who sent Ugandan troops to fight Islamist militants in Somalia. The Opposition targeted the ruling AAP today over the starvation deaths of three girls in east Delhi, with the Congress taking out a candle march and BJP legislators meeting the LG to highlight the "failures" of the city government. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, along with other leaders and workers of the party, will stage a fast at Jantar Mantar over the incident tomorrow. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken led the candle march taken out by the party in the Mandwali area, where the girls died due to hunger on July 24. The march aimed to highlight the plight of the poor people, who were either starving or compelled to die of starvation, Maken said. "Under the rule of the AAP in Delhi and the BJP at the Centre, the worst sufferers are the poor and the marginalised people, who are fighting to earn two square meals a day," he added. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta (BJP), accompanied by party MLAs, met Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal and complained against the "irregularities" related to ration cards to the latter. "The delegation submitted to the LG that due to the mishandling of the ration system and the inability to issue new ration cards of the AAP government, Mandwali-like incidents cannot be stopped," a statement from Gupta said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission (RSHRC) has sought a report from the state government over the death of a 28-year-old man in Alwar district after he was allegedly thrashed by a mob on the suspicion cow-smuggling. Yesterday, the National Human Rights Commission sent a notice to the Rajasthan government over the death of Akbar alias Rakbar Khan. On July 21, Rakbar and his friend Aslam were taking cows to their villages in Haryana through a forest area in Ramgarh area of Alwar, where a group of people allegedly accosted them. While Aslam managed to flee, Rakbar was allegedly beaten brutally by the group on the suspicion of cow-smuggling. Taking cognisance of the alleged lynching case, the state human rights panel has sought a report from the Rajasthan chief secretary by August 8. RSHRC chairperson Justice Prakash Tantia has asked the state government to give its view point on effective prevention of such similar incidents considering the Supreme Court guidelines. Alwar District Collector and SP have also been asked to submit a factual report in the matter, the chairperson said, adding that the state government has been asked to send the report by August 8. The RSHRC had registered a case following a complaint lodged on July 24 by state secretary of Rajasthan Muslim Mahasabha N D Kadri and others in the alleged lynching case in Alwar. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Minority Commission has said it will give its suggestions to the state government based on the Supreme Court guidelines to curb lynching incidents. "We are studying the guidelines of the Supreme Court and will submit our suggestion by next week to the state government and the police," Rajasthan Minority Commission Chairman Jasbir Singh told PTI. He said that the commission will give its suggestions on preventive, remedial and punitive measures to take all the sections of society together for maintaining peace and harmony in the state. Nobody has the right to take laws into his hands and it is also a responsibility of humans to protect animals, he added. The Supreme Court had on July 17 asked the Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents of mob lynching, saying "horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be allowed to become a new norm. On September 6, 2017, the apex court had asked all states to take stern measures to stop violence in the name of cow protection, including appointment of senior police officers as nodal officers in every district within a week and acting promptly to check the cow vigilantes from behaving like they were "law unto themselves". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Phillips Carbon Black Ltd (PCBL) today said it was "rethinking" on Tamil Nadu as the destination for its proposed Rs 600 crore plant and evaluating Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as alternate locations. PCBL chairman Sanjiv Goenka said the "rethink" was compelled by the Sterlite incident that rocked Tamil Nadu in May. Violent protests had erupted in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin in May this year demanding closure of Sterlite's copper smelter plant that killed 13 people. "We are rethinking on the site of Tamil Nadu and evaluating other two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telengana for the 1.5 lakh tonne greenfield plant. However, we have not written-off Tamil Nadu," Goenka said. However, Goenka said, PCBL would zero in on the location by September this year. The company holds land in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the greenfield and brownfield expansions at Mundra and Palej in Gujarat would raise the country's largest carbon black maker's capacity by another 50 per cent to seven lakh tonnes, Goenka said. He said the company is open to raise capital through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) but it would not comie in the way of funding greenfield project. "The projected cashflow for the next two years is Rs 700 crore, so there is no constraint of funds. But, still we are looking to reduce overall long-term debt close to nil," Goenka said. The company was evaluating raising Rs 400-600 crore through equity route, possibly through QIP. Meanwhile, PCBL's Q1 net profit ended June was up 103 per cent to Rs 97.54 crore. Revenue from operations during the period under review was at Rs 781.42 crore, as against Rs 640.24 crore during the corresponding period of FY18. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An MBBS student at AIIMS here allegedly committed suicide last night, just four days after taking admission to the prestigious institute. Rashmi Yadav (20), who belonged to Alwar district, had been accommodated in the hostel on the AIIMS campus. "In a suicide note, she advised a teacher to behave properly with students," Station House Officer, Shastri Nagar, Amit Sihag said. Sihag said Yadav had taken admission to AIIMS, Jodhpur, on July 23. On Thursday night at about 10.30 pm, we received information that a girl had committed suicide in her hostel room. She was not seen around after 8 pm. When other students came calling her for dinner, the door of her room was found latched from inside," said the officer. The staff was called in and the door of her room was broken after no response to the calls was received from inside. Yadav was found hanging from a ceiling fan. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was declared dead. This was the third such case of suicide at AIIMS, Jodhpur, in the past three years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Startup Your-Space, which is into student housing segment, has started 7 new facilities comprising 1,000 beds to cater to the rising demand for accommodation around colleges and will achieve four-fold jump in revenue to Rs 20 crore during 2018-19. Launched in 2016, Your-Space has so far raised USD 1 million fund from angel investor and HNIs. The company, co-founded by Shubha Lal, Karan Kaushish and Nidhi Kumra, has now 11 facilities with around 1,200 beds. In its recent report, property consultant JLL India said the demand for student housing is expected to see a rapid growth in India. It also advised real estate firms to tap this opportunity to beat current slowdown in the residential market. "With start of new academic session, we have launched 7 co-living facilities across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, and Pune with a capacity of around 1,000 beds," said Lal, one of the founders. The company charges anywhere between Rs 10,000-30,000 per bed per month depending on the location, she said, adding this price does not include electricity bill. With the launch of 7 new properties, Lal said the company's revenue would increase to about Rs 20 crore in 2018-19 from Rs 5 crore in the previous year. "We always open new properties at the beginning of academic session. We are in talks with property owners across various cities including Jaipur, Bangaluru, Indore and Kota to open more facilities next year," she said. On further fund raising, Lal said the company would require funds next year for further expansion. Your-Space partners property owners and developers on a fixed lease, revenue-sharing, or management contract basis, for a period of 5-12 years. Earlier this year, its rival Placio raised USD 2 million from Singapore-based private equity fund Prestellar Ventures for expansion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Harsh Vardhan today said the government has set a target of doubling the tiger population in the country. Speaking at an event here in the run-up to the 'International Tiger Day' on July 29, Vardhan said if tigers are conserved, the country will then also be able to protect and deal with environmental threats that exist in the world. "To conserve tiger, it is necessary to increase their population. We have a target of doubling the tiger population," the minister of Forest and Climate Change said. He said that India has 70 per cent of the world's tiger population. The preliminary census data of the ongoing tiger census is showing rise in the population of the big cats in the country, which is a "big thing", he said. Vardhan said children should play a vital role in protecting tiger and Earlier this week, the government had, while quoting preliminary census data, said that the population of tigers is on the rise. Vardhan had also informed the Rajya Sabha that advanced strategies are being adopted to tackle the human-animal conflict and detailed advisories were being issued to the state governments. At the event, children took part in various programmes and senior officers of the ministry were also present. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a long gap, procession of deities of a temple in a nearby village today passed through a Dalit locality despite protests from a section of the villagers. The procession of deities of the Putru Mariyamman temple at Keezhavanjur village was taken through the locality with police protection following the intervention of District Collector R Kesavan based on a petition by the Dalits, officials said. In the petition submitted early this month, the Dalits of the village sought steps to ensure that the temple procession passed through their streets. An official team led by Karaikal Sub-Collector spoke to different sections of the villagers, including the festival organising committee, and decided to conduct the procession through the Dalit colony, Kesavan told PTI. While the Dalits claimed that the procession had not gone through their locality for nearly 25 years, the Collector said he was not aware of the exact number of years. A section of non-Dalit residents lodged their protest by 'leaving' the village. The Dalits of the village hailed it as a historic moment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of devotees of Lord Appanna, presiding deity of Varaha Lakshminrusimha Swamy Temple atop the Simhachalam Hill, walked barefoot today to complete the 32-km circumambulation of the hill, as part ofthe annual 'Giri Pradakshina' ritual. The devotees walked back to Jodugullapalem through Adivaram and Arilova to the beach for a holy dip. It is believed thatgoing around the Simhachalam Hill was equivalent to circumbulation of the world. Some believe it is equal to 'Kailash Pradakshina', circumambulation of the holy mountain of Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva. Over 2,000 policemen were deployed for bandobust. Apart from setting up hundreds of mobile bio-toilets and ambulances, the government made arrangements for water and food kiosks along the 32-km route. After 'Giri Pradakshina', the devotees offered prayers at the temple. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Threat to religious freedom comes not only from authoritarian regimes but also from free societies, US Vice President Mike Pence has said, as leaders from around the world gathered to discuss the issue at an event here and come out with a common plan of action to address it. "While religious freedom is always in danger in authoritarian regimes, threats to religious minorities are not confined to autocracies or dictatorships. They can, and do, arise in free societies, as well - not from government persecution, but from prejudice and hatred," he said at the event organised by the State Department with an aim to advance religious freedom. In Europe, where religious freedom was born as a principle and is enshrined in law, religious intolerance is on the rise in many quarters. Just 70 years after the Holocaust, attacks on Jews, even on aging Holocaust survivors, are growing at an alarming rate, he rued. "Last year, hate crimes against Jews hit a record high in the United Kingdom. And in the same period of time, there were an average of nearly four attacks against Jews every day," he said. More than 80 foreign delegations and religious leaders attended the event. There was no participation from India. Organisers did not respond to questions whether India was not invited or India decided against attending the event. Pence announced the launch of an International Religious Freedom Fund, which would be used to support those who fight for religious freedom and suffer from religious persecution. Urging other countries to join US in this fund, Pence said the Trump administration will not lose sight of the importance of religious freedom. He also announced that the US will launch a Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response initiative in the coming months. At the conclusion of three-day mega event, the participating countries issued Potomac Declaration and the Potomac Plan of Action. The declaration is a formal affirmation that the US takes religious freedom seriously, that it will work with others around the world to help those under attack for their beliefs, and that its expect leaders around the world to make it their priority as well, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Sam Brownback, ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom, told reporters that the administration is very serious about this. "We believe this is such a foundational right it will really help in other places if we can get this one right, and so this conference is a big kickoff for that," he said. The Potomac Plan of Action is a framework proposed by the US for activities that the international community can draw from to promote religious freedom. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, allegedly involved in over USD 2 billion scam in Punjab National Bank, claims he had taken Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation provides visa-free travel to 132 countries, local media in Antigua reported. In a statement issued by his attorney David Dorsett on the diamantaire's behalf, Choksi said there was no truth in the allegations levelled by the Indian government, the Daily Observer, a newspaper in Antigua, reported. Choksi who was allegedly the partner-in-crime of his nephew Nirav Modi in the banking fraud refused to say anything further on the issue, on the advice of his lawyers. "I can however state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved," the statement published in the newspaper said. Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua in November 2017, and oath of allegiance on January 15 this year, according to a local newspaper Antigua Observer. "My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa-free travel access to 130 or so countries," the statement said, adding that he was in the United States in January 2018 for medical treatment. "Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda," it read. After it emerged that Choksi had moved to the Caribbean country in July and also taken a local passport, the CBI wrote to Antiguan authorities seeking the whereabouts of the fugitive diamantaire. The CBI, in its communication sent to Antiguan authority, cited diffusion notice issued by the Interpol against the fugitive businessman and sought details of his movement and his present location. The Antigua Government indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Nirav Modi fled India in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with renewal of letters of undertaking, sources had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senegals jailed former mayor of capital Dakar, Khalifa Sall, plans to run for president in February 2019, Reuters reported on Friday. Khalifa Sall, mayor of the capital Dakar, was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling $3.4 million, charges that the 62-year-old politician had denied. His conviction bars him from next years elections, where he was predicted to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall. Khalifa Sall claimed his trial was politically motivated, following his refusal to cut deals with the government. Yes I am a candidate for the presidential elections on February 24, 2019, Sall said in an email to supporters on Thursday. Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in West Africa. The country is the only country on mainland West Africa never to have had a military coup. It has seen two peaceful transfers of power following elections, most recently in 2012, when Macky Sall became president. A dissident member of the Socialist Party, Khalifa Sall began his political activism at the age of 11. After holding various ministerial portfolios under then Socialist President Abdou Diouf, he was elected mayor of the capital in 2009. The nationwide truckers' strike, which entered the eighth day today, has impacted industries such as e-commerce, FMCG and automobile, besides hitting the supply of cotton, grains and spices. The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) started the indefinite strike on July 20, with demands to reduce diesel prices by bringing it under the GST and reforming the "flawed and non-transparent" toll collection system. E-commerce major Amazon said the strike has affected its product deliveries in some cities. "Owing to the ongoing difficulties caused by the strike, the delivery of products in a few cities has been impacted and we are working closely with these customers to get their orders to them quickly," its spokesperson said. Flipkart, however, declined to comment on the issue. FMCG major Dabur India's executive director - operations, Sharukh Khan, said the company had put in place appropriate measures and ensured adequate inventories to meet the demand in anticipation of the strike. "However, if the strike continues, the entire industry would be staring at supply disruptions," he warned. Vinay Singh Kushwaha, vice-president - supply chain, Britannia said the prolonged strike has adversely impacted both inbound and outbound stock movements. "This has resulted in a complete slow-down of sales over the last few days. The situation is getting out of hand and need a quick resolution," he added. Kushwaha said the strike has also resulted in factory stoppages in some locations leading to idle manpower and associated issues, and warned that if the situation does not improve, "we will have irreversible losses". Industry body Assocham today said the strike has already caused direct and indirect estimated loss worth over Rs 50,000 crore to the economy, with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) being worst affected. Automobile industry body SIAM today said companies have had to adjust production as the strike affected both parts supplies and distribution of vehicles. "Our members are facing unprecedented crisis as it is affecting the movement of vehicles and components supply because of the strike," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) deputy director general Sugato Sen said in a statement today. Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) chairman Ujwal Lahoti said the transport strike has started adversely affecting textiles exports. "There is sharp disruption in the movement of raw materials to the factories and finished goods to the ports for exports," he added. Lahoti said there are strict shipment schedules given by the foreign buyers for exports and many of the textiles exporters will miss these schedules which may result in the loss of export orders. Cotton Association of India (CAI) president Atul Ganatra said ginning factories are on the verse of closing down because of the lack of raw material. "The traders are not able to move the cotton sold and in turn all payments are stuck up due to non-movement of yarn," said Ganatra. Anil Chavan, secretary, Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Mumbai, said the grains and spices market were affected due to the transport strike, with only 12 trucks and tempos of spices and 145 trucks and tempos of grains arriving at the mandi today till 4 pm, compared with 193 for spices and 308 for grains on July 20. Similarly, in vegetables, 612 trucks and tempos arrived in the mandi today, compared with 636 on July 20. However, Chavan said fruits and vegetables supply remained unaffected during the strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump today denied knowing about a 2016 meeting between top members of his election campaign team and a Russian lawyer, disputing reported claims by his former attorney. "I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr," Trump said in a tweet. "Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam," Trump said, referring to a federal investigation into his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who has fallen out with the president. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump today praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "keeping his word" and handing over the suspected remains of more than 50 American servicemen. "I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word," Trump said, announcing that Vice President Mike Pence would meet families of soldiers killed in the Korean war when the remains land back in the United States. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Tunisian judge today ordered the provisional release of an alleged bodyguard of Osama bin Laden after he was detained in a terrorism probe following expulsion from Germany, a prosecution spokesman said. "Sami Idoudi appeared today before a magistrate... who decided on his provisional release as no charge has been filed against him," spokesman Sofiene Sliti told AFP. Idoudi had been taken into custody in Tunisia on July 13, upon his arrival in the country after being expelled by Germany. He was detained in Tunisia on suspicion of involvement in terrorist acts, taking part in training in Afghanistan and being a former bodyguard to bin Laden, anti-terror authorities said. But "after 15 days of preventative detention, Sami Idoudi has been investigated by the anti-terrorist branch who have found no proof of his implication in terrorist affairs", said Sliti. Sliti, however, said Idoudi remains under investigation by anti-terrorist authorities and that they have retained his passport. Before his expulsion to Tunisia, Idoudi had lived in Germany for more than two decades, staying in the country despite his asylum request being denied in 2007 as courts repeatedly cited the danger of torture in Tunisia. His expulsion from Germany on July 13 was overturned by a court ruling the same day, but the order was made only after his plane was already airborne. The German court added that authorities "knowingly" defied the order by completing the transfer to Tunisian security forces. Considered a security threat over his suspected ties to Islamist groups, Idoudi - identified by German authorities only as Sami A. - for years had to report to police but was never charged with an offence. He has always denied being the former bodyguard of late Al-Qaeda leader Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With increasing economic ties with India, the UAE has committed USD 75 billion towards infrastructure development in the country, the commerce ministry said today. It also said that the UAE is India's third largest trading partner. "The UAE has invested over USD 5.3 billion in India and infrastructure is one of the top five focus sections of UAE-India bilateral trade. The UAE has committed USD 75 billion towards infrastructure development in India," the ministry said in a statement. Further it said that Invest India and the UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI) signed an agreement for India-UAE Artificial Intelligence Bridge here today. "This partnership will generate an estimated USD 20 billion in economic benefits during the next decade for both countries. The MoU will spur development across areas like Blockchain, AI and Analytics as data and processing will be a catalyst for innovation and business growth," it said. It added that by 2035, AI can potentially add USD 957 billion to the Indian economy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi today wished Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on his 58th birthday, raising eyebrows in political circles. "Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always," Gandhi tweeted this morning. Reacting to it, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "Uddhavji gets birthday greetings from all over the country and outside. This time, he (Rahul Gandhi) has openly greeted him on Twitter." Gandhi's birthday wishes to Thackeray for the first time come days after he hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. A Congress source said, "The gesture (birthday greetings) can also be seen as an effort to prove that he can go beyond political rivalry to built personal relations." State Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said, "Rahul Gandhi has greeted the head of another political party. Nothing more should be read into this."The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, despite being an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre, has been a vocal critic of Modi, the government and the BJP. However, in the no-confidence vote brought against the government recently by the Telugu Desam Party and supported by various opposition parties, the Sena MPs in the Lok Sabha had stayed away from voting. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also greeted the Sena chief on the occasion. "Birthday wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of society," the prime minister tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Train service between Britain and France was hit by the heatwave today, with passengers warned to expect delays and problems with the air conditioning. "It's a very busy day, it's the day when everyone leaves on holiday," a said a spokesman for Eurotunnel, which operates a drive-on train service for cars and trucks going through the Channel Tunnel. "We are in a heatwave, and added to this is the problem of air conditioning in our shuttles." The Channel Tunnel runs for 50 kilometres between Kent in southeast England and northern France. Opened in 1994, it is the world's longest uninterrupted undersea link. "The high temperatures are affecting the operation of air conditioning on our trains resulting (in) delays. We recommend you stock up with drinking water before you arrive," Eurotunnel said on its Twitter account. The hottest temperatures of the year in Britain were recorded yesterday. The mercury hit 35.1 degrees Celsius in Wisley on the southwest edge of London. Yesterday, Eurotunnel delays hit four to five hours. Today, "we are at around one hour and 30 minutes, only on the British side. This is because all the shuttles are in service," the spokesman said. Different services run through the Channel Tunnel: Eurostar passenger trains, Eurotunnel vehicle shuttles and goods trains. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain has suspended cooperation with the United States over two Islamic State terror suspects, the government announced today, following concerns that they could face the death penalty. Britain said Monday it was sharing intelligence to help the United States bring to trial two fighters captured in Syria, who were part of a group of British jihadists nicknamed the "Beatles". But Home Secretary Sajid Javid, the interior minister, faced intense criticism after agreeing to share intelligence without seeking assurances the men would not face execution if they were extradited. The Home Office said it had agreed to a "short-term pause" of the mutual legal assistance process with the US over Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. "We received a request from the legal representative of the family of one of the suspects to pause the MLA response," a spokesman said. "We have agreed to a short-term pause. The government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the government's longstanding MLA policy." On Monday, Security Minister Ben Wallace told MPs that a British trial was unlikely for the pair, who were seized earlier this year by US-backed Syrian forces. He also said the pair were not British citizens, without giving further details. reports had said that the government had unusually stripped them of their nationality. Kotey and Sheikh were part of a four-member kidnapping gang within the Islamic State group dubbed "The Beatles" by their captives due to their heavy British accents. The cell is also believed to have included Mohammed Emwazi -- known as "Jihadi John" -- who was killed in an air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey. They were notorious for videotaping beheadings and are believed to have killed US journalist James Foley and many Western aid workers. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces caught Kotey in January as he tried to flee Syria for Turkey, while a US defence official said in February that Sheikh had also been captured by Syrian rebel forces. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A leading public health charity in the UK has launched plans for a month-long digital detox drive with 'Scroll Free September'. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is calling for all social media users, young and old, to take a break from all personal social media accounts throughout September work use and instant messaging apps being exempt. A good relationship is one of balance, and 'Scroll Free September' is here to help you gain that with social media both on and offline, the RSPH campaign message reads. By going Scroll Free for a month, you'll have a chance to reflect on your social media use what you missed, what you didn't, and what you got to do and enjoy instead, it adds. The charity admits that going "cold turkey" on social media would be a huge challenge and therefore it is offering a range of detox options for the month of September. The aim is that by the end of the month we will be able to reflect back on what we missed and what we got to enjoy instead of scrolling through our newsfeeds, said Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health. The charity highlights emerging evidence which has raised concerns about the potential impact of social media on mental health and wellbeing. In 2017, its Status of Mind' report found a range of potential negative effects of social media, including anxiety and depression, negative body image, cyberbullying, poor sleep and FOMO, or 'fear of missing out'. By taking notice of and learning which elements of social media make you feel good and which make you feel bad, participating in Scroll Free September could help you build a healthier, more balanced relationship with social media in the future a relationship where your use is conscious and mindful, and where you are the one in control, RSPH said. The campaign, in the works since earlier this month, has found the backing of the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS). Scroll Free September is right to highlight growing concerns that social media is contributing to increasing mental health issues in young people, and a major ramp up of services will be needed to deal with the problems as part of the NHS 10-year plan, said Claire Murdoch, National Director for Mental Health, NHS England. We need to see concerted action, with everyone taking responsibility, including social media giants, so that the NHS is not left to pick up the pieces of a mental health epidemic in the next generation, she said. A survey for RSPH undertaken by Populus found that, in a representative sample of 2,057 adults, 65 per cent would consider taking part. The charity has listed out various ways of getting involved including 'Cold Turkey', or a complete social media blackout for 30 days; 'Social Butterfly', or a break at social events to interact with people directly; 'Night Owl', or a ban after 6 pm; 'Busy Bee', or a break from social media at school or work; and 'Sleeping Dog', or giving up social media in the bedroom for a better night's sleep. For many children, teenagers and young adults, social media can help develop positive relationships, but it's clear it can also create an emotional strain, said Chris Elmore, chair of an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Media and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing, a cross-party group of MPs and peers looking into the issue. 'Scroll Free September' follows similar monthly drives in Britain such as 'Movember' (to promote men's health), 'Stoptober' (to encourage smokers to quit smoking) and 'Dry January' (to avoid alcohol after a heavy drinking holiday season). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A key Congressional committee has unanimously passed a crucial bill on Tibet under which Chinese officials responsible for discriminating against Americans who try to enter Tibet would be banned from entering the US. The bill titled 'The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act', seeking unhindered access to Tibetan areas to US officials, journalists and common citizens, something which is routinely denied by the Chinese government, now moves to the House of Representatives. The legislation seeks to ensure that Americans are given the same access to Tibet that Chinese citizens have to the US. It was passed by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. "Moving this bill is the right thing to do," Congressman Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary committee said. "It is time that Congress take a stand with regard to access by foreign nationals to the Tibetan regions, he said. "If Chinese officials, journalists and other citizens are able to travel freely in this country, it's only fair that their American counterparts are able to do the same, Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, ranking member of the Committee, said that the bill is important because it can help expose human rights violations taking place in Tibet. For Tibetans, restricted access to the region leaves them in virtual isolation from the rest of the world...while also precluding international witnesses to the Chinese government's continuous violations of the Tibetans' human rights which include arbitrary arrests, torture, heightened surveillance and severe restrictions on religious freedom," he said. The bill, which was introduced by Congressmen Jim McGovern and Randy Hultgren, now has more than 50 cosponsors in the House. A companion bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senators Marco Rubio and Tammy Baldwin and has now eight co-sponsors. In his remarks, Congressman Steve Chabot warned that China is seeking to undermine the rules-based international order virtually every day. Although China tries to keep the rest of the world out of Tibet, the Chinese government is sending a growing number of state delegations to Western countries and creating new state-controlled media outlets in capitals around the globe, including Washington DC, he said. Congressman Zoe Lofgren aid the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act would help make sure China's relationship with the US is fair and reciprocal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday told Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country is not ready to sign a nuclear power deal as its economy is stagnant and not growing at the rate that we want it to. Ramaphosa who was speaking at a private meeting with the Russian leader on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg said while his country remains committed to an energy mix that includes nuclear, it is not yet at the point where it is able to sign on the dotted line. Ramaphosa has put nuclear expansion on the back burner since taking office in February, saying it is too expensive. Russian state firm Rosatom was one of the front-runners for a project to increase South Africas nuclear power-generating capacity championed by former President Jacob Zuma. President Zuma and Putin enjoyed close relations. Rosatom has signed agreements with African countries with no nuclear tradition, including Rwanda and Zambia, and is set to build a large nuclear plant in Egypt. Rosatom officials on Thursday said they are still interested in any deal to expand South Africas nuclear power-generating capacity The firm signed an agreement with South Africas state nuclear firm on Thursday to explore joint production of nuclear medicines and other ways of harnessing nuclear technology. The deal will involve the construction of two small reactors and a commercial cyclotron to produce medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals at a facility near Pretoria. The US and India are working together "hand in glove" diplomatically and militarily to build dimensions of one of America's most critical bilateral relationships ahead of the 2+2 dialogue to be held in New Delhi in September, a senior State Department official has told lawmakers. During a Congressional hearing, Alice Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said the US was looking forward to the 2+2 dialogue with India. Welles said she expected substantial progress will be made in the bilateral relationship during the dialogue. "On India, we're looking ahead to the September 6th 2+2 and the joining of forces between Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo and (Defence) Secretary (James) Mattis to help define what (is) major defense partnership," Wells said, responding to a question from Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera. "We're working together hand in glove diplomatically and militarily to build out the dimensions of what Secretary Pompeo said is one of our most critical relationships," she said. The September meet will be the first 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States. Last month, the US had postponed the dialogue as Pompeo had top travel to North Korea. The dialogue, a vehicle to elevate the strategic ties between the two countries, was announced last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump. It has been rescheduled at least twice since then. Indicating that the two countries are closer to signing the long-pending foundational agreements, Wells said, "We're going to be able to demonstrate both in terms of the progress we make on the agreements we can reach that will make it easier for US to share classified information and undertake logistical activities together". The dialogue is expected to give meaning and definition to how major purchases and on-the-ground activities such as the Malabar Exercise can work together to secure the Indo-Pacific region, Wells said. Congressman Bera said it was important for the US to continue sending the message that it sees India as a major defence ally and "incredibly important" in helping the US stabilise the strategic region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States is not planning air strikes on Iran and any such reports are fictitious, its Defence Secretary James Mattis said today. "I have no idea where the Australian people got that information. I'm confident it is not something that's being considered right now," he told reporters during a press gaggle. He was responding to a report in the Australian media that the US is planning a air strike on Iran. Mattis trashed the report as "fiction". Tensions between the US and Iran have been brewing for the past a few months since America announced withdrawal from the historic nuclear deal, signed during the previous Obama administration. The deal was meant to curb Tehran's sensitive nuclear activities in return for lifting of crippling sanctions. US President Donald Trump on Sunday had sent out a tweet to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, saying "Never, ever threaten the united states again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before." His tweet was apparently in response to comments Rouhani made that day cautioning Trump about the devastation of a US-Iran conflict. He had also warned Trump against interfering with his government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two radio hosts in New Jersey, who called America's first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal "turban man" on air, have apologised for their racist remarks and have been slapped with a 10-day suspension for using "demeaning and inappropriate" language. Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the "Dennis and Judi Show" on NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewal's decision to suspend marjiuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they repeatedly called him the "turban man" yesterday. In the remarks termed as "xenophobic and racist", Malloy had said he was never going to know Grewal's name and will instead just call him "guy with a turban". As the audio of their show went viral, the radio hosts drew widespread criticism for their remarks against the state's top law enforcement official. Malloy issued an apology on Franco's and his behalf in a video message. "On behalf of Judy and myself, I want to convey our very heartfelt apology to the state attorney general of New Jersey for the comments that came out on our show. "He certainly deserves much more respect than that and importantly to the Sikh and South Asian community of New Jersey with which we've had a very strong and close relationship with over the past 20 years," Malloy said. The radio staton announced that it had suspended the pair for 10 days, and they will not be on air until August 6. New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM president Ron deCastro said in a statement that the station took the comments "seriously" and echo the pair's sincere apology to Grewal and his family, as well as the Sikh and Asian communities. "Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken brand of humor, but in this case, the language used was clearly demeaning and inappropriate. New Jersey is a state that is rich in diversity, and our radio station has served as the people's voice for nearly 30 years," deCastro said. The station will use the incident as a "learning moment" to further a dialogue of inclusiveness for all residents of the state. Malloy said in a statement on the station's website that their show had been unscripted and free form and they use humour and sarcasm to make a point and add colour to the broadcast. "In this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners," Malloy said. He said they cherished the relationship they have with the Sikh and South Again communities. "We feel very bad for any hurt that we may have caused or undue attention that they certainly didn't want or ask for," Malloy said. Hours after the radio hosts made the comments, Grewal, 44, posted on Twitter that he had faced such "indignity" before and called on people to end small-minded intolerance. "This is not the first indignity I've faced and it probably won't be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. Yesterday, all of New Jersey heard it. It's time to end small-minded intolerance," Grewal tweeted yesterday. Grewal, who was previously Bergen County Prosecutor, became the nation's first Sikh state attorney general after the state Senate approved his nomination this year. Grewalis born to Indian immigrant parents in Jersey City and was raised in the state's Hudson and Bergen counties. In a sharp response, Grewal later tweeted, "My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. I'm the 61st Attorney General of NJ. I'm a Sikh-American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio". Several top state government officials and advocacy groups rallied behind Grewal, extending their support and expressing outrage against the show's hosts for their remarks. Grewal thanked New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Senate President of New Jersey Steve Sweeney and US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker for their support. "You've got my back and the backs of all New Jerseyans. Others have faced far worse. We rise above this. Now let's get back to business," Grewal said. Murphy, who had appointed Grewal, had strongly condemned the language of the radio hosts, demanding action by the station. Twitter users too slammed the racist remarks saying there is no place for such language. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Trump administration is working with its allies and partners to force Iran to change its behaviour and stop its actions, the White House has said, days after President Donald Trump warned Tehran that it will face dire consequences for threatening America. White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley's remarks came amidst an unconfirmed report in an Australian media outlet saying the US was preparing to launch a strike on Iran. "I can't confirm that report. I'd refer you to DOD (department of defense) on that matter. What I can tell you is the President has been very clear about where he stands on Iran," Gidley told reporters abroad Air Force One yesterday. Trump warned Hassan Rouhani on Monday that Tehran risked "consequences the likes of which few throughout history have suffered before" if he threatened the US again, hours after the Iranian President cautioned that America's hostile threats may trigger "the mother of all wars." Rouhani had also warned Trump to stop "playing with the lion's tail" and threatening Iran, "or else you will regret it". Trump in May pulled the US out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement struck by the Obama administration by calling it the "the worst" deal ever negotiated. "Their actions - their destabilisation of the region, their desire and efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon - it's one of the reasons that he called the Iran deal the worst deal he'd ever seen, the worst deal in history, and why he got out of it," Gidley said. "We know that the Iran deal did not prevent a pathway to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon; it actually paved it. But we're working with our partners and allies to try and get Iran to change its behaviour and stop its action across the region. And we're working with Israel to do the same thing," he said in response to a question. Trump has alleged that the nuclear deal did not restrict Iran's "destabilising activities" in the region enough, and could not detect or prevent any breaking of its terms. The agreement forced Iran to curtail its uranium enrichment capacity to prevent it developing nuclear weapons, and imposed stringent verification processes, in exchange for relief on crippling sanctions. Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, and its compliance with the deal has been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has said Iran is honouring its commitments. Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said he wanted to try to stop countries importing Iranian oil by November as part of stepping up pressure on Tehran. The US Treasury has said there will be wind-down periods of 90 and 180 days before sanctions are implemented. The first deadline, on August 6, will affect the purchase of US dollars, trade in gold and certain other metals, as well as aviation and the car industry. The next, on November 4, will target Iran's financial and oil institutions. Iran is one of the world's largest oil producers, with exports worth billions of dollars each year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Catholics can now listen to Pope Francis' speeches live in five languages following the launch of a new smartphone app, the Vatican announced today. Vatican Audio translates Francis, who usually addresses the faithful in Italian, into Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese, also offering Italian when he speaks in his native Spanish. A Vatican spokesperson told AFP that the app will work for the pope's Angelus speech this Sunday, finally enabling the thousands of people who will flock to St. Peter's Square from around the world to understand the pontiff. Vatican Audio will also work on Tuesday, when Francis will meet 60,000 altar boys and girls -- mainly teenagers -- taking part in a week-long pilgrimage to Rome from over a dozen countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Centre's special representative for dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma today called on Governor N N Vohra here. The governor and Sharma discussed the problems being faced by the administration and the steps required to regain the local youth's trust, an official spokesman said. "Sharma briefed the governor on the programme of his current visit to the valley, which will be followed by visits to Kargil and Padum," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today told the Legislative Assembly that tariff on drinking water in the state was "subsidised" and people should be ready to "pay more for it" in the future. He also informed the House that the state government had appointed a consultant to map the existing water supply and its report would be considered while laying new pipelines. He said that the government was in the process of augmenting water supply by 152 million litres per day (MLD) in the state. "The water provided to consumers is at a much subsidised rate. We get only Rs 150 crore from consumers annually while the actual expenditure is Rs 800-900 crore," he informed the House. "But in the future, we should be ready to pay more for it after providing some water, up to certain units, at a cheaper rate," the CM said. He was responding to a question on water supply tabled by Congress legislator Philip Neri Rodrigues during the monsoon session of the Assembly. He ruled out that there was shortage of water in Goa and added that it was people living at the "tail end" (of the supply) or those located at elevated areas who were facing this problem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States will "look for opportunities" to work with the new leaders of Pakistan after they form the government, and will try to advance security, stability and prosperity in South Asia, a US official said today. The US is awaiting the full official results to declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan and observer missions to release their preliminary findings, the State Department spokesperson said. Imran Khan has claimed victory in the general election after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single-largest party in the National Assembly, amid allegation of rigging of the poll in his favour. Khan's party had won 105 of the 272 directly-elected seats, according the latest official results. "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the State Department spokesperson told PTI. The spokesperson also said that the US was "concerned by reports of constraints placed on freedoms of expression, association, and the press leading up to the elections." Eliot Engel, ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to expressed concern about the "outsized role" the military played in the election, saying this has been another missed opportunity for the people of Pakistan. "I want to congratulate the people of Pakistan who braved various hardships to cast their votes yesterday. I was hopeful that Pakistan would build upon its 2013 elections which saw the country's first successful democratic transition from one civilian government to another," he said. "But I take very seriously the allegations that Pakistan's military played an outsized role in shaping the electoral environment in advance of the elections," Engel said. He, however, said that he looks forward to working with "whatever government comes to power" but note with disappointment the missed opportunity to advance democracy in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States on Thursday warned President of Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila that the time for posturing is over. DR. Congo is in the grip of a crisis over whether Kabila will run in crucial, long-delayed elections in December. Kabila, who took over from his assassinated father in 2001, presides over a country with a history of corruption, poor governance and armed conflict. He is yet to state whether or not he intends to run. Candidates must declare their bid between July 25 and August 1. According to U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Cohen, Kabila is not eligible under Congolese law to seek a third term. The United States regrets that President Kabila did not use his July 19 address to parliament to lift the veil on his intentions. President Kabila has repeatedly committed to respect the constitution and implement the December 2016 agreement. Were a mere five months away from Election Day. The time for posturing is over, Cohen told the United Nations Security Council. The election commission must take steps to ensure voters can cast their votes via a mechanism that is tested, trusted, and that guarantees secrecy of the vote namely paper ballots, said Cohen. The U.N. Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council last week jointly called upon all political stakeholders to remain committed to the 31 December 2016 Agreement. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde asked today the Maharashtra government to withdraw police cases filed against Maratha reservation protesters, saying the action smacked of "vendetta". In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council said Maratha protesters were being falsely implicated in criminal cases related to stone pelting, arson and attempt to murder. "The government should stop this vendetta and withdraw all the cases (against protesters)," Munde said and slammed the BJP-led administration over its handling of the Maratha protests, which turned violent. The Maratha community had taken out 58 silent marches all over the state in the past in support of their demand for reservation in government jobs and education, he said. These rallies were peaceful and a fine example of how to highlight a particular demand, but the government did not respond to the issue raised by the community, Munde said. "The government's attitude towards the silent protests was that of apathy which is why the situation has taken a violent turn. "The protesters decided to stop the chief minister from participating in the annual Vitthal-Rukmini puja on Ashadhi Ekadashi (in Pandharpur town on July 23). "Fadnavis' comments regarding this step (threat of protest by Maratha groups if he visited the town) added fuel to the fire," Munde said. The present situation is because of "irresponsible and insensitive" behaviour of the BJP-led government, he said. "Instead of taking action against those responsible for instigating violence, Maratha youths are being falsely implicated," the NCP leader said. He assured his party's cooperation to the government in extending the benefit of reservation to the Marathas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 55-year-old woman was beaten to death today by her neighbour for allegedly practising black magic in Palamau district, police said. The accused has been arrested immediately, the Superintendent of Police of the district, Indrajeet Mahatha, said. The accused believed that his family members were not keeping well because of witchcraft allegedly practised by the victim Lalitha Devi, Mahatha said. An FIR has been lodged on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim's son and an investigation has been initiated to find out the truth behind the incident, the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first comprehensive map of ocean wilderness has revealed that just 13 per cent of the world's oceans remain untouched by the damaging impacts of human activities, scientists said today. The researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia and international colleagues identified marine areas devoid of intense human impacts by analysing 19 stressors including commercial shipping, sediment runoff and several types of fishing. They said most of the remaining marine wilderness was unprotected, leaving it vulnerable to being lost. "Marine areas that can be considered pristine are becoming increasingly rare as fishing and shipping fleets expand their reach across almost all of the world's oceans, and sediment runoff smothers many coastal areas," said Kendall Jones, a PhD candidate at UQ. "Improvements in shipping technology mean that even the most remote wilderness areas may come under threat in the future, including once ice-covered places that are now accessible because of climate change," said Jones. In the study published in the journal Current Biology, the researchers found little wilderness remaining in coastal habitats such as coral reefs, because of nearby human activities. Most marine wilderness was located in the Arctic and Antarctic or around remote Pacific island nations such as French Polynesia. The findings highlight an immediate need for conservation policies to recognise and protect the unique values of marine wilderness. "Marine wilderness areas are home to unparalleled levels of life, holding massive abundances of species and high genetic diversity, giving them resilience to threats like climate change," said James Watson, a professor at UQ. "We know these areas are declining catastrophically, and protecting them must become a focus of multilateral environmental agreements. If not, they will likely disappear within 50 years," said Watson. Jones said preserving marine wilderness also required regulating the high seas, which had proven difficult historically, as no country had jurisdiction. "Late last year the United Nations began developing a legally binding high seas conservation treaty, essentially a Paris Agreement for the ocean," he said. "This agreement would have the power to protect large areas of the high seas and might be our best shot at saving some of Earth's last remaining marine wilderness," said Jones. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Reuters) - Bank of Baroda Ltd on Friday reported a more than two-fold rise in quarterly profit, as India's third-largest state-run lender saw provisions for bad loans fall. The company's net profit jumped to 5.28 billion rupees ($76.92 million) in the first-quarter ended June 30 from 2.03 billion rupees a year.Analysts on average had expected a profit of 747.2 million rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.Provisions for bad loans fell 18.4 percent to 17.60 billion rupees.($1 = 68.6400 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates and Vyas ... By Roslan KhasawnehSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Contaminated marine fuel that clogs and damages ship engines has been found in Singapore, the world's largest ship refuelling hub, according to sources and an alert sent to clients by a marine fuel surveying company. Singapore-based marine fuel surveyor and consulting firm Maritec Pte Ltd warned clients this week that six samples of ship fuel sold in Singapore had "resulted in severe sludging at centrifuges, clogged pipelines, overwhelmed fuel filters". The Singapore findings follow reports of more than 100 vessels that loaded similarly contaminated ... By Maggie Fick and Aaron MaashoADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has embarked on a root-and-branch overhaul of its economy, though its currency will not be devalued any time soon and liberalising the state-dominated banking sector will take years, the recently appointed head of its central bank said. Yinager Dessie took the helm last month as one of the main players in a far-reaching programme of political and economic reforms that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is pushing though. In a candid interview at odds with the secretive traditions of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), the 47-year-old ... A massive milk glut in India could hit international prices for dry milk powder after government subsidies aimed at supporting local farmers look set to spur a ninefold surge in exports, industry officials told Reuters. India's skimmed milk powder (SMP) exports are expected to rise to 100,000 tonnes in the 2018/19 fiscal year as rare government incentives spur overseas sales and make shipments from the world's biggest milk producer competitive on the global market. The rise in shipments from India could weigh on global SMP prices that have more than halved in four years ... (Reuters) - ICICI Bank Ltd, India's third-largest lender by assets, reported its first quarterly net loss in at least 16 years on Friday on higher provisions for bad loans and hurt by bond losses.Net loss was 1.2 billion rupees ($17.5 million) in the three months to June 30, compared with a profit of 20.49 billion rupees a year earlier, the bank said in a statement.Analysts on average had expected a net profit of 14.62 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.Gross bad loans as a percentage of total loans was 8.81 percent at the end of June, compared with 8.84 percent at the end ... (Reuters) - The ongoing strike by truckers in India has disrupted production and sales of vehicles in the country, as well as exports, resulting in losses for carmakers, an industry body said on Friday.The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said its members were facing "unprecedented crisis" as the strike was affecting the movement of vehicles and components supply."Many of domestic consignments are held up on roads, which has disrupted the supply chain and completely derailed the production at assembly lines of some companies," SIAM's Deputy Director General Sugato Sen said in ... __________________________________________________________________________ I am now back home and back to fast Internet which gives me a chance to catch up on my blog posts from the second photo tour in Africa. We had some unbelievable experiences on this trip and I am excited to share them with you all.Before we ever made it to Botswana, the plan was to fly to Zimbabwe to photograph Victoria Falls in the late afternoon light, when it is best. But as you may have read on my Facebook or Instagram pages, we ended having a cracked windshield on our South African Airlines plane and having to turn around. This meant that, by the time we got another flight out, we missed our photo opportunity.But, knowing that the morning light would be bad for photographing the falls (rising right in front of us), myself and one of our guests, Patsy, made our way over to the falls before sunrise to see if we could get some nice photos.I hurried to get this slow shutter shot of the falls, trying to beat the rising sun, which you see coming up on the right of the image. I used my new Tiffen HT ND filter to darken the scene and get a shutter speed of 1.6 seconds to blur the water.I moved quickly from one fall to the other to get some different shots. The water was flowing at a record level, so the rising mist made it very difficult to get a clean shot of the falls. I had to wait for the wind to blow just right to get a clear view.There are many separate falls with Victoria Falls, but we only saw the first three since the mist was so all encompassing. Right before leaving the falls, I saw this rainbow pop up and grabbed one last photo.Later in the morning, we made another trip to the falls, but the light wasn't as good and the mist was still overwhelming. It was time to head to Botswana for our first safari.Unlike all game drives that I have done before, this time we were on a boat to capture images along the Okavango River.And as you can see from this photo, the boat was specially outfitted for photographers with custom-made gimbals. These were very handy for shooting video, although unlike most of our guests, I actually preferred to shoot handheld.It was so awesome, cruising along the shoreline and seeing so much wildlife!We watched as a heard of African Buffalo grazed in the swampy grass.The best part of being on the water, was the opportunity to photograph the animals in the water from the water.These two young elephants were playing around and giving us one great photo after another.We enjoyed the wildlife, both big and small.As we coasted along the shoreline, it was really fun to spot so many different animals to photograph. Our guide spotted this Monitor Lizard walking along the bank of the river. He pulled the boat in nice and close for a better view.I kept my Canon 1D X Mark II camera and Canon 100-400mm lens trained on the lizard, waiting for him to smell with his tongue. I wanted to get a photo with the forked tongue very visible.It was late in the afternoon and the sun was low, giving us really pretty light to photograph these Yellow-billed stork. I not only loved the colors on the birds, but also the warm light on the grass and surrounding hills.As we were photographing the storks on the ground, one of them flew by with some nest-building material. I quickly moved my lens to the flying stork and got this shot of it flying by us.At one point, as we pulled away from the shoreline, I saw all of our long shadows and thought that it would make a good photo. I know that you can't see it from this photo, but I know that we all had big smiles on our faces!This was one of my last photos of the day. The sun was very close to setting when we saw this huge crocodile resting along the edge of the water. Our guide was able to get the boat VERY close to the crocodile. I got down low on the boat and shot this image at it's eye level. I really love the bright yellow eye on this prehistoric beast.And this was just day one of our trip!!! I have so many more photos to share with you all. Stay tuned!__________________________________________________________________________Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE __________________________________________________________________________If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.__________________________________________________________________________Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Europe, Asia, India and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours. @alextdaugherty Daniel Ortegas biggest foes in Washington are trying to draw more attention to Nicaraguas ongoing human-rights crisis, though they acknowledge that military action by President Donald Trump against the leftist leader is unlikely. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Sen. Marco Rubio of Miami are leading efforts in the House and Senate to publicly rebuke violent attacks by masked gunmen linked to Ortegas government who have killed 97 people since July 11. This week, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution written by Ros-Lehtinen that condemns the violence and calls on the use of sanctions for individuals that are connected to the killings. Rubio has proposed a similar resolution in the Senate. The retiring Miami congresswoman said the successful resolution was the first step in a four-part plan to rebuke Ortega. Additionally, shes angling for the Senate to pass her bill that limits U.S. loans to Ortegas government until the longtime president carries out democratic reforms; more sanctions for individuals who can be connected to violent acts against anti-Ortega protestors, and overturning the Trump administrations decision to end a temporary immigration program that allowed 2,500 Nicaraguans to live and work in the U.S. without the fear of deportation. I would not want to compare atrocities, but Nicaragua is a smaller country than Venezuela, smaller population, and they had almost 400 people killed and the international community shrugs, Ros-Lehtinen said. If were going to say that its terrible in Nicaragua, why are we going to deport Nicaraguan Americans to Nicaragua when we are saying that its in political chaos? The Trump administration decided to end Nicaraguas Temporary Protected Status in November 2017, a designation that was made in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch killed nearly 4,000 people and uprooted land mines around the country. Nicaraguans who have been living in the U.S. with TPS since 1998 now have until January 2019 to seek another form of legal residency or else return to Nicaragua. By next year, they will all be deported, Ros-Lehtinen said. These are law-abiding people, they are legal, they have permits to work, theyre being educated, theyve got drivers licenses and now were going to deport them to the violent hell that is Nicaragua? Thats just not right. Ros-Lehtinens letter to Trump urging him to change Nicaraguas TPS designation was signed by four of Miami-Dade Countys five House members, including Republicans Carlos Curbelo and Mario Diaz-Balart. Miami-Dade is home to about one-third of all Nicaraguan Americans. Rubio said there is already work being done to sanction individuals and entities in Nicaragua that are responsible for the violence. Ortegas recent decision not to move up elections that were scheduled for 2021, as requested by the nations business community and Catholic clergy, moved him past the point of no return in Rubios eyes. There is a direct national security interest for the United States in seeing a return to democracy and stability in Nicaragua, Rubio said in a statement. The message from the U.S. to the Ortega regime was very clear: Call for early elections and allow legitimate elections. That did not happen. As Nicaragua follows Venezuelas dangerous path, the U.S. should be prepared to take further action with our regional allies to address the threat of Ortegas regime. Read more here. By Sarah White and Pascale DenisPARIS (Reuters) - L'Oreal is still struggling to kickstart sales growth at its mass market unit that makes products like Garnier shampoo, and those challenges hit the company's shares on Friday even as its luxury brands posted strong revenues. The company has been buoyed in recent quarters by demand for its luxury brands like Lancome or Kiehl's, particularly in China, while its active cosmetics division, which makes treatments for sensitive skins, has also done well. But the French cosmetics group disappointed after reporting weaker-than-expected sales growth ... By Sarah White and Pascale DenisPARIS (Reuters) - L'Oreal shares fell on Friday as the cosmetics firm struggled to fire up sales of its mass market beauty products like Garnier shampoo and revenues in western Europe faltered. The French company posted higher operating income in the first half of the year late on Thursday. Its luxury arm extended its strong run, with labels like Lancome doing well in China in an encouraging signal for rivals like U.S.-based Estee Lauder , which is more squarely focused on premium brands.But L'Oreal reported lower-than-expected comparable sales growth of 2.3 ... SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, on Friday said its recently developed unbreakable, bendable screen has passed safety testing in the United States, a step that will help the South Korean firm market the product.Samsung Display, an Apple Inc supplier, said the screen can be used in devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, portable gaming machines and consoles in automobiles.The firm and rivals such as compatriot LG Display Co Ltd have long been developing flexible screens as they compete to make more innovative devices.Samsung Display's ... By Neha DasguptaNEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian state-owned miner NMDC is the highest bidder in a government e-auction for a gold mine in Andhra Pradesh, beating resources conglomerates Vedanta and Adani, NMDC Chairman Baijendra Kumar told Reuters.NMDC is expected to invest about 4 billion rupees ($58.3 million) in the project, Kumar said without providing further detail on the company's bid. The mine has an estimated 2.2 million tonnes of gold.The state government is likely to notify NMDC as the bid winner some time next week, said Sreenivas Chowdary, deputy director of mines for Andhra ... FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp is planning to invest $150 to $250 million in a new U.S. headquarters for its elevators business, an executive told Reuters."We see no indication that the (elevators) boom is waning," unit head Andreas Schierenbeck told Reuters. Thyssenkrupp, which employs 20,000 staff in the Americas, is planning to build a new site including a test tower in Atlanta by 2022, he added. While new installations of elevators remain a core business, a large part of earnings from the business are generated with maintenance services. The elevators ... By Roberta RamptonABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department will continue its probe into whether auto imports pose a national security risk despite ongoing trade talks with the European Union, but President Donald Trump asked that no action be taken at this time, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday."We've been directed by the president to continue the investigation, get our material together, but not actually implement anything pending the outcome of the negotiation," Ross told reporters aboard Air Force One.The Trump administration in May launched a probe into ... BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese unit of U.S. co-working space provider WeWork Cos said it has raised $500 million from investors including Temasek Holdings and SoftBank Group Corp as it looks to expand in the market for shared office space in the country.It is the second $500 million investment the unit has received since it was launched a year ago in China where it is competing with local firms such as UrWork, which WeWork sued in September alleging trademark infringement.Other investors in the latest round include private equity firm Trustbridge Partners and Chinese fund Hony Capital, ... Star Cement Ltd Star Cement Limited (formerly known Cement Manufacturing Company Limited) was incorporated in November 02 2001 is one of the largest cement manufacturers in North Eastern India. The company is engaged in manufacturing and selling of Cement Clinker & Cement. The company's manufacturing units are located at Lumshnong Meghalaya and Guwahati Assam. The company sells its product across north eastern an...> More The strong first quarter results of the country's top IT firms like TCS, Wipro and Infosys have raised hopes of a sectoral turnaround. But despite that, the news on the hiring front remains far from optimistic for the industry. According to NASSCOM, the industry is expected to add one lakh new jobs in 2018-19. In comparison, last June the body had predicted 1.3-1.5 lakh new jobs in the IT-BPM industry for FY18, although it had lowered estimates to one lakh new jobs. So, in the best case scenario, incremental hiring will stay flat this year. The industry's net hiring had stood much higher at 1.7 lakh in 2016-17. According to Debjani Ghosh, the software body's president, a majority of the new jobs will be in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things, and big data analytics. "The total demand for AI and big data analytics in 2018 will be 5.11 lakh, which will increase to 7.86 lakh by 2021," she told the media on the sidelines of a two-day NASSCOM HR Summit in Chennai. The industry is reportedly expected to employ nearly 40 lakh people by the end of the year. "Cyber Security would also provide new employment opportunities," she added. According to experts, increasing automation is putting pressure on margins, and, as a result, companies are trying to squeeze costs. "At the same time IT companies have also increased the utilisation rates from the previous 70 to 72 per cent to the new norm of 80 to 82 per cent. In other words, you are using the same manpower and getting more work from them," Kris Lakshmikanth, founder and CEO of The Head Hunters India, an executive search company, told The Week, recently. Increasing automation is also playing a big role in reduced hiring. According the Hindu Business Line, Ghosh acknowledged that every industrial revolution has caused job displacements and the same is happening currently. "The reason we suddenly taking note of this is because it is happening at a pace that we are not used to. Every single research shows that while routine jobs that do not require thinking and softer skills, will be automated. However, there will be more jobs created," she said, adding, "We can worry about jobs that gets displaced. However, we believe that it is the wrong problem to focus on. What we need to focus is on re-skilling workers so that they are ready for the new jobs that are going to be created." NASSCOM also claims that the demand for emerging technologies is increasing with the brimming need for a robust talent pipeline, and upskilling is becoming indispensable for IT professionals. So, with an aim to position India as the talent hub for emerging technologies and as the pioneer in global digital capabilities, the body today showcased a roadmap for their pilot reskilling initiative, called FutureSkills. "An industry utility for skills development in 9 emerging technologies, 66+ job roles and 155+ skills, the platform is a complement to the government's Digital India initiative. The programme is pivoted on 9 emerging technologies: Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Robotic Process Automation, Internet of things, social & media, Virtual Reality, 3D printing and Cloud Computing," NASSCOM said in a statement. Ten of its member companies, including Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Genpact, Purpletalk and Kellton, have enrolled in the first phase of the initiative. "Personifying co-creation and collective collaboration of the industry, these companies will work along with NASSCOM to curate the courseware and leverage the content to re-skill their employees," said the industry body, adding, "Currently we have a user base of 200,000+ from member firms who have committed to re-skill their employees, from the 30,000+ content pieces available on the platform". In the second phase, the initiative will include universities and colleges. The FutureSkills programme, which was launched in February, ultimately aims to reskill one million professionals along with skilling 1 million potential employees and students in the industry over a five-year period. With PTI inputs (Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal) In a relief to those facing issues under the GST framework, the GST Council has given its nod to the formation of Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) in four cities of India. The higher judicial forum for businesses means taxpayers will have a platform where they can raise tax disputes if they are not satisfied with appellate authorities or orders from the revisional authorities. The national bench of the appellate tribunal will be set up in Delhi, while three other mega cities of India -- Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai -- will have regional benches, the Economic Times quoted a senior official as saying. The tribunal, replacing CESTAT (Central Excise and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal), will bring consistency related to rulings, which would serve as legal precedents. Under the newly drafted rule, the appellate tribunal president is qualified for the post only if he/she has served as a Supreme Court or high court judge for minimum five years. The new forum will be beneficial for businesses as sometimes people are not satisfied with the first-level appellate orders. The availability of second-level appellate forum will give them a platform to raise their objections. Experts suggest the second-level appellate forum will help both assesses and the tax department to resolve legal issues arising out of the new tax framework. Meanwhile, GST rates for several items were rationalised by the GST Council on July 21, out of which 17 items saw tax rates slashed from 28 per cent to 18 per cent. The GST Council exempted sanitary napkins from the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and reduced the rates of consumer electronics such as TVs, washing machines apart from kitchen appliances. No decision was taken on including petroleum products in the GST regime. The GST Council, however, did cut down the tax rate for ethanol, which is used for blending in petrol and diesel, from 18 per cent to 5 per cent. (Edited by Manoj Sharma) Aiming to do with a traditional tribal drink what Amul did for milk - albeit with a little alcohol content - the government is planning to bottle and sell mahua in markets across the country. Mahua is an alcoholic drink made out of flowers of the mahua tree and is a popular summer drink. The government plans to sell it as a mildly-alcoholic drink - think Breezer - infused with flavours. "We plan to add various flavours to mahua such as ginger, pomegranate and ajwain (carom seeds), and sell it in the market like a mildly-alcoholic beverage, on the lines of the (Bacardi) Breezer," said Pravir Krishna, Managing Director, Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED). To carry this forth, TRIFED has signed a MoU with IIT-Delhi. The drink would be mostly sourced from Bastar and sold under the brand name Mahua. Besides this, the government is also planning to sell de-seeded tamarind and amla as candies and jams. The marketing plan will be done under the Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram that was launched earlier this year by PM Modi in Chattisgarh's Bijapur. Under this program, Rs 500-Rs 600 crore has been earmarked to train tribal clusters across the country to sell their produce with packaging that will lead to an increase in their income. The Bijapur facility, the first of more to come, was set up at a cost of Rs 43 lakh and has a capacity to train 300 people. It will focus on tamarind brick making, chironji cleaning and packaging and mahua flower storage facility. "What Amul did for milk, we want to do for non-timber forest produce through this scheme. Milk sold as milk wouldn't have got the people of Anand anything. But if you turn it into yoghurt, ice-cream, desserts, the income increases manifold. That's the model we will replicate," said Krishna. TRIFED tied up with IIT-Delhi to use the syrup of mahua flower to create jam, squash, chutney and non-alcoholic beverages. The Tamarind-Mahua candy that was the result of this process has been picked for bulk supply to Air India. The mahua drink, however, is the first time they are trying their hands in bottling and selling of alcoholic drinks. According to Krishna, the product is expected to be out this year. Ministry officials are also set to travel across the country and visit tribal areas in an attempt to pick products that can be adopted under the program. An estimated 30 products are expected to undergo a facelift under the scheme. (Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya) 27 Jul 2018, 2:12 PM Bharti Airtel turns a surprise profit of Rs 97 crore in June quarter due to tax gains Indian telecom conglomerate Bharti Airtel managed to defy street expectations and come out with a profit in the June quarter. After the slim profit the telecom major managed in the March quarter of the last fiscal, it seems to be finding its feet back in the competitive Indian telecom industry. Bharti Airtel posted a sequential rise of 17.37 per cent in its profit attributed to owners, which rose to Rs 97.3 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2018. In the previous quarter, this figure stood at Rs 82.9 crore. CBI to conduct investigation on Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data theft The government has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe political consultancy Cambridge Analytica's misuse of Facebook user data, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told parliament on Thursday. "It is suspected that Cambridge Analytica may have been involved in illegally obtaining data of Indians which could be misused," Prasad said. Facebook has faced increased scrutiny in the United States and the European Union over how Cambridge Analytica obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the deadline of filing income tax returns from July 31 to August 31. The decision comes days before the deadline and provides relief to individuals who were required to file returns by the month end. In a couple of tweets, The finance ministry said, "Upon consideration of the matter, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) extends the 'Due Date' for filing of Income Tax Returns from 31st July, 2018 to 31st August, 2018 in respect of the said categories of taxpayers." Truckers' strike hits Amazon deliveries, commodity trade A truckers' strike across the country has affected deliveries for e-commerce firms such as Amazon and Snapdeal, hurt cotton trade in the world's biggest producer of the fiber and disrupted the movement of grains and vegetables. The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), the body which has organized the strike, is demanding a cut in federal and state levies on diesel by bringing the fuel under the scope of the nationwide Goods and Service Tax. Snapdeal said the slowdown of long-haul transportation had hit some of its deliveries in northern and western India. "The delivery of products in a few cities has been impacted and we are working closely with these customers to get their orders to them quickly," an Amazon spokeswoman told Reuters. Domino's in trouble over GST Pizza chain Domino's has found itself in trouble with anti-profiteering authorities for not passing on a cut in goods and services tax to consumers. Anti-profiteering provisions make it compulsory for companies to pass on any benefits from a lower GST rate to consumers. As reported by the Economic Times, the Directorate General of Anti-Profiteering found that Domino's had not reduced the prices of all its food products after the GST Council cut the tax rate on restaurants last November, and instead passed on the benefit selectively. The government has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe political consultancy Cambridge Analytica's misuse of Facebook user data, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told parliament on Thursday. "It is suspected that Cambridge Analytica may have been involved in illegally obtaining data of Indians which could be misused," Prasad said. Facebook has faced increased scrutiny in the United States and the European Union over how Cambridge Analytica obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users. The consultancy allegedly used the data to support U.S. President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. The social network has promised to introduce reforms to its policies. Facebook was not immediately available for comment. Earlier this month, Britain's information regulator slapped Facebook with a small but symbolic fine for breaches of data protection law in connection with the Cambridge Analytica data theft. India's telecom regulator has said that the existing framework for protection of personal data by companies and service providers is insufficient and recommended stricter rules to tackle data breaches following the scandal. Facebook reported disappointing second-quarter results on Wednesday, saying its profit margins would plummet for several years due to the costs of improving privacy safeguards in the wake of the scandals. India was supposed to be one of the first markets to get the WhatsApp Payments feature. But with the service hitting a roadblock over the ongoing domestic debate on data localisation, parent company Facebook has said that it has started looking at rolling it out in other countries. Nonetheless, Facebook's co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg remains bullish on India - it is, after all, the largest market for WhatsApp, accounting for over 200 million of its total 1.3 billion user base. "We've been testing payments on WhatsApp in India," Zuckerberg said on an earnings call with investors and analysts on Wednesday, after the company announced its second quarter financial results. "Of the people who have tested this, feedback and usage have been very strong. All signs point to a lot of people wanting to use this when the government gives us the green light," he added. Significantly, Zuckerberg revealed that the company has already "broadened" its focus towards building this service in other countries in order to "give more people this ability faster". According to him WhatsApp Payments "gives people a really simple way to send money to each other and contributes to greater financial inclusion". The payments feature has been in Beta since February and is being tested by around a million users across the country. But the formal launch, which was expected to happen at the beginning of June, has been repeatedly pushed back due the current lack of clarity on India's data protection norms. The ministry of electronics and information technology last month had asked the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to clarify whether the new WhatsApp UPI payment method is violating any RBI rules but a response is reportedly still awaited. In the meantime, a senior government official recently told PTI that the information technology ministry wants WhatsApp to prioritize curbing of fake news on its platform over its plans to launch the payments service. "WhatsApp has been told that the fake news issue is far more important than other plans in the current circumstances," said the official, who was privy to the recent discussions. The matter was discussed in a meeting between IT secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney and top WhatsApp executives, including COO Matthew Idema, on Monday. The source added that the meeting saw the executives outlining the steps initiated by the Facebook-owned firm recently to combat circulation of fake news, which has incited multiple instances of mob lynchings in several parts of the country and caused several deaths. The topic of WhatApp's payment service was also reportedly touched upon. The official noted that there are outstanding concerns over the feature, including storage of user data in the backdrop of the RBI's instructions mandating that data be stored in India. "The government wants greater clarity on how the storage issue is being handled by WhatsApp and these matters are under discussion," said the official, adding that despite the ongoing concerns, the IT ministry remains keen on new technology and innovation coming in. WhatsApp has previously defended its payments feature saying that while it uses Facebook's infrastructure for the service - which is a crux issue since that means user data is not stored in India - the parent firm does not use any payment information for commercial purposes. Moreover, sensitive user data such as the last 6 digits of a debit card and UPI PIN is not stored at all. The roadmap for the payments sector will become clearer once the much-delayed Justice BN Srikrishna Committee report on an overarching data protection and privacy law is out. (Edited by Sushmita Choudhury with PTI inputs) The Irish Central Bank head advised the government on Friday to target more ambitious fiscal surpluses for the next three years to ensure the rapidly growing economy does not tip into an "unsustainable overheating phase". Ireland is on the verge of balancing its books for the first time in over a decade after its budget deficit as a percentage of economic growth hit double figures during the financial crisis but it will still run a small deficit this year and next. The government argues that it needs to maintain the deficit to catch up on investment that nearly ground to a halt during the downturn but central bank governor Philip Lane said it should be running a surplus now given current booming growth. "While the central bank is intent on building the resilience of the financial system to cyclical reversals, it is clear that fiscal policy must take the lead role in ensuring that the current strong growth performance does not tip over into an unsustainable overheating phase," Lane said in a speech. "In particular, more ambitious fiscal surplus targets for 2019-2021 may be advisable in containing cyclical risks." Ireland's finance department is targeting a budget deficit of 0.2 percent of gross domestic product this year and 0.1 percent next year before moving to a surplus of 0.3 percent in 2020 and 0.4 percent in 2021. Lane said that in the finance department's own plans setting out those forecasts, it referred to other open European economies with similar unemployment rates to Ireland's 5.1 percent that were already comfortably running fiscal surpluses. He warned that if fiscal buffers are not built up in good times, there is a risk of "repeating the costly experience of past episodes by which economic downturns were amplified by pro-cyclical fiscal austerity." The sharp fall in unemployment in recent months, while very welcome, also showed that the economy may be more cyclically advanced than assumed, Lane added, saying some capacity constraints were emerging in the labour market. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that Crust & Crumb plans to build a new factory in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan. The manufacturers of chilled pizzas, pizza bases and flat breads will invest 5 million in this new facility, which is supported by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. The development of the company into its new location at Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, will enable expansion into the large and growing chilled pizza market in mainland EU countries. Approximately 80 full time jobs will be created at the facility. Crust and Crumb Bakery Limited (NI), the parent company, supplies retailers with chilled pizzas, pizza bases and flat breads and has been in operation since 2011. It operates two premises in Derrylyn Co. Fermanagh with a total floor area of 25,000 ft2. One of these is dedicated to gluten free products, the second plant manufactures all other products in the portfolio. The portfolio of products includes ranges of chilled pizzas of various shapes and sizes, generally as Retailer Luxury Private Label with the use of novel bases such as pea flour bases to satisfy demand for low-carb, high protein pizzas for the likes of the Muscle Food brand. Officiating at the announcement, Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys said, "This is a great day for Crust & Crumb, the surrounding communities and the entire county of Cavan. Ensuring we have the right conditions in place to encourage job creation in the regions is a big priority of mine, so I am delighted to see such a significant investment going into Ballyconnell. I would like to warmly congratulate Crust & Crumb on this fantastic announcement and look forward to seeing them reaching new heights with the talented workforce here in the local area." Source: www.businessworld.ie The wheel production line of Citic Dicastal is seen at a factory in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, in March 2013. Photo: VCG Car-wheel maker Citic Dicastal Co. Ltd. signed a 350 million euro ($409 million) deal to build two factories in Morocco as it looks to capitalize on Chinas growing ties to the North African country, Chinese state media reported. The factories, to be built in the northern cities of Kenitra and Tangier, will produce 6 million wheels a year, 90% of which will be exported, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The Kenitra factory will open in 2019 and supply a plant that French auto brand Peugeot is also building in the city. The Tangier factory will open at a later date. Dicastal Chairman Xu Zuo signed the deal with Moroccan officials Mohamed Boussaid, minister of economy and finance, and Moulay Hafid Elalamy, minister of industry and trade, in a ceremony in Moroccos capital of Rabat on Thursday, Xinhua reported. Citic Dicastal is the worlds largest producer and exporter of aluminum wheels, according to its website, and is owned by a unit of Citic Group, Chinas state investment company. China and Morocco have grown closer in recent years. In November, the pair signed an agreement to collaborate on projects as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to expand infrastructure and trade links between China and developing countries with the help of Chinese companies. While Morocco has not signed any major Belt and Road infrastructure deals on the scale of its African neighbors, it has become a major destination for Chinese tourists since its government introduced visa-free access to the country in June 2016. Tourist numbers have ballooned from around 20,000 a year to 118,000 in 2017, according to the Moroccan tourist office in China. Chinese banks also increasingly recognize the potential of the Moroccan city of Casablanca to become a leading center for doing business across Africa, with state-owned Bank of China opening its first representative office there in 2016, according to Xinhua. Chinas central bank has also signed a bilateral currency-swap agreement with the Moroccan government. There are also strong reasons for developing ties in the automotive business. It was Moroccos fastest-growing industry in 2016, and China is the worlds biggest automotive market, Florence Eid-Oakden, founder of consultancy Arabia Monitor, noted (link in Chinese). Contact reporter Ke Dawei (daweike@caixin.com) news, latest-news You can't keep a good woman down. And "publicist extraordinaire'' Coralie Wood is one of the best. The much-loved Canberra and Queanbeyan theatre identity is thankfully on the mend after recently suffering a bad fall at home. She had a spell in the Canberra Hospital and is now at a rehab hospital in Melbourne, where her son lives. "I had a bump on my brain,'' she said. But she wants everyone to know: "Look, I'm fine''. And, to her greatest surprise, she is even embracing this whole rehab thing. "I never believed I'd be doing this, but I'm about to go swimming. And the physio, oh dear. Next I'll be in the Olympics,'' she said, with her trademark mischief. "I mean, when I was at school, I was the one who sat on the side and sold lollies during sport. I was never involved.'' Yep, that's our irrepressible and positive Coralie. And she has felt the love from Canberra. "I really want to say how wonderful all my friends were,'' she said. "I'm so grateful.'' Her publicity business is still operating under the guidance of Tim Dalton, the shows are still on and she is planning on being home again soon. Our very best wishes for a speedy recovery Coralie. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/0def128e-6c79-4006-8111-49066beb2917/r0_1553_2832_3153_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg comment, editorial Reports America may just be weeks away from bombing Iran's nuclear facilities and that Australian-American defence facilities may play a role come as a timely reminder there are more important things happening right now than the "Super Saturday" by-elections. That news comes after months of rising tensions between the two nations fuelled by President's Trump's opposition to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement negotiated during the Obama administration. While many world leaders feel the deal is worth persevering with, Mr Trump has made no secret of his belief it has not delivered and that the US was no longer bound by it. That view is apparently supported by the opening of a new nuclear enrichment facility in Iran last month. While Iran's leaders have repeatedly claimed the installation complies with the letter of the 2015 nuclear agreement others aren't convinced. Israel, unsurprisingly given Iran refuses to concede its right to exist, is feeling nervous. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made reference to the Begin Doctrine, under which the country reserves the right to use military force to block any of its enemies from acquiring nuclear weapons, in May. It is now more than 30 years since the Israeli defence forces, acting on the orders of the then Prime Minister, Menachim Begin, began planning a raid to blow up an Iraqi nuclear reactor under construction near Baghdad. That raid, ironically made possible by information supplied by the Iranian Government, was carried out on June 7, 1981. In the years since the Israelis have gone on to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities in ground raids in 2011 and to bomb nuclear facilities in Syria. There is no reason to doubt Israel, which has never supported the 2015 nuclear deal, would strike decisively if they felt the need was there. This raises the possibility Mr Trump is attempting to forestall an Israeli strike that would further destabilise an already almost impossibly fraught situation in the Middle East by throwing the full weight of America's military might behind calls for Iran to abandon any lingering nuclear weapons ambitions. Another, more disturbing, alternative is that in the wake of his apparent success in initiating a "denuclearisation" process on the Korean peninsula, the President thinks he can repeat that performance in the Middle East. His rhetoric, which included what appeared to be a thinly veiled threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran, has been remarkably similar to the language he was employing against Kim Jong un in 2017. "Never, ever, threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before," he shouted in an all-caps Tweet on Monday. It has also been suggested the entire exercise has been intended as a diversion to draw attention away from the ongoing FBI investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. Whatever his motives, the President is playing a very dangerous game which involves enormous risks for little or no obvious reward. The world would be a much safer place for all of us if both Mr Trump and his Iranian counterparts stepped out of the ring, took a few deep breaths, and returned their focus to domestic matters. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/7eab9106-2b89-4382-a645-71488fa7d293/r0_46_900_554_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg comment, editorial The ACT Government could not have done a better job of alienating a diverse range of community interests with its proposed bus timetable changes if it had tried. Pensioners, people with family and friends in the Alexander Maconochie Centre, families with school aged children and commuters hoping to reduce their carbon footprint, all say they will be significantly worse off if the reforms, which would take effect in 2019, proceed. The Australian National University appears set to lose its bus service all together. While Transport Canberra's bureaucrats have made the all-too-familiar noises about consultation and taking on board "a record influx of community feedback" the punters aren't happy. We have seen protests by the elderly, objections about changes to school bus scheduling and a flood of letters to the editor written by people right across the ACT who say their suburb is going to be worse off if and when the new arrangements come into force. These include many of the residents of the Goodwin Retirement Village near Crace who have said that when the changes take place they will have to walk up to a kilometre to catch the bus. "That's too much for a lot of older people who are in their 70s, Sue Brudenall, the secretary of the Crace residents committee, said. If, as we are told, the proposed changes were "guided by the feedback from Phase 1 consultation and has applied a data-driven approach to design a seven day, every day, modern network", the ACT Government needs to explain how it appears to have got this so wrong. It seems fair to assume that either the consultation process itself was fatally flawed or that the politicians and those making the decisions weren't interested in listening. A third option is both of these assumptions are correct. Passengers, it seems, come a distant third behind the unions, who have the power to veto any user friendly schedule changes that may eat into their members' weekends, and the administrative convenience that comes from a streamlined operation built around the shortest distance between two points rather than where the passengers are and where they want to go. This counter intuitive reversal of what most organisations regard as their optimum business model would seem to have contributed significantly to the poor financial performance of the bus service over many years. What now needs to happen is for the ACT Government to take some time out to listen to what hundreds, if not thousands of people, have been trying to tell it and then commit to restructuring services on the basis of what the users want. This is not an unreasonable request given the majority of the negative feedback has come from people who say they have no choice but to rely on the bus to get around. The government has an opportunity to show it is listening. Whether it takes this opportunity remains to be seen. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/717a89df-9b6e-47c8-9618-91032e139ff0/r0_46_900_554_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, act-politics The former Northern Territory chief minister who was instrumental in legalising voluntary euthanasia has warned it could take years to lift restrictions on the territories if the latest push to repeal Andrews Bill falls over. Marshall Perron has also urged the ACT's parliament to adjourn while the Senate debates restoring the territory's right to make laws on assisted dying next month, and head across to Parliament House to shake some trees. Speaking at an ACT parliamentary hearing on end-of-life choices on Thursday, the former Country Liberal party politician said the elephant in the room was the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, which nullified his voluntary assisted dying scheme and knocked on the head an attempt by the ACT's parliament to introduce one too. The private member's bill from Senator David Leyonhjelm is the latest in a series of attempts over the last decade to give the ACT and Northern Territory back the power to legalise euthanasia. Mr Perron said unless that bill passed both houses of federal parliament, he suspected it would take "many, many years, possibly decades" before the federal parliament addressed the issue. He said while there was a lot going on behind the scenes ahead of the vote, those who felt strongly about restoring territory rights had only weeks to "badger" their federal MPs to support it. "The issue at this point is not yes or no to voluntary assisted dying, the issue is the rights of territorians to make that decision for themselves through their parliamentary representatives. Thats what the issue is about," Mr Perron said. "Unfortunately the federal politicians in 1997 and I believe on this occasion most of them, probably 90 per cent, will base their decision on their views on voluntary assisted dying. Thats unfortunate because that is not the issue before them. Its a matter of state and territory rights thats before them not whether they can do it, they certainly can under the constitution over territory legislation, its whether they should." Despite this, Mr Perron said he believed the bill could pass the Senate in August. "However if it fails in the House of Representatives or the Senate I believe that this issue will be dead, excuse the pun, for many many years for territorians," Mr Perron said. He urged ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr to do "everything possible" to ensure the bill passed. Mr Barr wrote a letter to federal parliamentarians advocating the repeal of the bill, but Mr Perron said he had the resources of the entire government behind him to do more. "I would think the sort of thing a chief minister determined to do everything possible would do is move a motion in the Legislative Assembly and have a motion pass for all members to physically adjourn the Assembly and adjourn to federal Parliament House during the course of debate, with a view to influencing whatever federal members from across the country that they could during the course of the debate starting on the 14th of August. Thats what I would probably try and do," Mr Perron said. A spokeswoman for Chief Minister Andrew Barr said while it was an interesting idea, the Assembly had important work to do. "The Chief Minister has directly put the ACT Assemblys position to members and senators and will continue to do so when opportunities present themselves," she said. Had federal Liberal backbencher Kevin Andrews not introduced the Euthanasia Laws Act in 1997, Mr Perron believes at least 1000 people would have used the Northern Territory's scheme in the last 20 years. He said he met with Mr Andrews in the lead-up to the passage of the so-termed Andrews Bill, as well as a number of other federal politicians. "It was no secret about Kevin Andrews intention. He was urged by, I understand, then Prime Minister John Howard to take an interest in what was happening in the territory and there was concerns obviously from John Howard and Kevin Andrews about it," Mr Perron said. "He was driven by the fact that the territory had done something no parliament in the world had done and that he believed it was immoral . Kevin Andrews, I was aware then and still am, is a powerfully religiously motivated man so I understood where he was coming from and he was one of those people that believed only God can give life and only God can take it and obviously I had different views to that." Mr Perron said Labor figures were also working furiously to kill the Northern Territory's assisted dying scheme "Tony Burke at that time wasnt a federal politician but he was working behind the scenes with the Labor religious networks and Kevin Andrews was doing the same on the Liberal side and between them they were very effective," Mr Perron said. In hindsight, he believes it was a mistake not to include a residential status clause in the scheme. Three of the four people who died by voluntary euthanasia when it was legal were from interstate - two from NSW and one from South Australia. Mr Perron said they did not restrict the scheme to Northern Territory residents because it seemed cruel to give one person access and not another. "At that stage, the motivation for the legislation was one of compassion, for removing the suffering," Mr Perron said. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/4a9a4d1d-b927-4c22-ab93-c886f94f0a9d/r0_18_353_217_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news The Labor party's national executive committee will appoint a solicitor to oversee an investigation into the smear campaign against one of the party's preselection candidates. The decision replaces the original plan to have the distribution of flyers and documents making allegations against Kel Watt investigated by a panel of three former MLAs and MPs. The investigator is yet to be appointed. The smear campaign against Mr Watt stepped up a notch this week, after a flyer making personal allegations against the greyhound lobbyist was sent to female party members last week. Documents continuing the allegations against Mr Watt were sent to female ACT members of parliament on Tuesday, and to Fairfax Media on Thursday, marking a new angle in the campaign to discredit him. ACT Policing has confirmed they are assessing a complaint about the flyer. ACT Labor secretary Matt Byrne said he welcomed the decision and would work with the investigation. "In terms of the appointment of the investigator I welcome the role the national executive committee wish to play to get to the bottom of the circulation of this egregious material and we'll work closely with them to ensure the investigation is conducted to the highest possible standard." The powerful national executive committee also reversed part of the decision by the ACT branch administrative committee's decision to restrict access to the party's membership lists. Following the use of the membership list to send out the flyers, the decision was made to allow public office holders and party officials access to a database from which they could contact party members without seeing their contact details. Now Mr Byrne will be compelled to pass details of members to public holders on request. Mr Byrne has defended the decision of the administrative committee as a bid to use members' information responsibly. "As the country debates the merits of the My Health Record system, we as a party should remember to conduct ourselves with integrity," Mr Byrne said. "Our branch acted quickly to protect members' information in light of clear misuse. I'm disappointed some of these protections have been unwound." Senator David Smith, who is from an opposing faction to Mr Byrne, confirmed the decision was made by the national executive committee after a request from him. Senator Smith said it was critical that he be able to talk to constituents and party members and to be able to contact people to do that. Former ACT Labor minister John Hargreaves told 2CC radio the flyers were "the worst example of muckraking I have ever seen in my 30 years in the party". "This person has to be politically executed," Mr Hargreaves said. It was unlikely the flyer and the document were the work of just one person, the party elder said. He also said Labor party members should be vigilant against the national executive committee taking away the option for a rank and file preselection ballot. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/d2dfe7e5-18f6-4bc9-9018-c8c25a557a94/r0_138_2729_1680_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Lelectricite est devenue, de nos jours, un besoin dune importance majeure, et cela, dans tous les domaines dactivite. Que ce soit dans les maisons ou [] The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), which is one amongst the entrance examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is conducted for selecting candidates for Assistant Commandant positions. The recruitment of candidates will be based on the written examination followed by the physical efficiency test. Annually, the examination will take place in August. The written examination consists of two papers, namely, General Ability and Intelligence (paper I) and General Studies, Essay and Comprehension (paper II). Paper I will be objective in nature and paper II consists of an essay and comprehension questions. Hardly, two weeks left for the preparation. Hence, we have decided to provide last-minute preparation tips for UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant aspirants. General Ability And Intelligence Last-minute Preparation Tips Practise a lot of questions on simplifications and data solving to score well in the general mental ability section. Pick up a good year book and start reading all the important events for the current affairs section. One should give special attention to current affairs related to sports, business, governance and persons in news. Read all the synopsis in the NCERT textbooks for general science because a direct question is expected. The Constitution of India is very important and more than three direct questions are expected. Be familiar with the political system, social systems and public administration under Indian polity. During the last days before the exam, focus on the freedom movement and independence to score well in the history section. Map pointing and facts related to economic and physical geography are important. The NCERT textbooks will help a lot in the geography section. General Studies, Essay and Comprehension Last-minute Preparation Tips In paper II, there will be two parts. Part-A consists of an essay and part-B consists of comprehension and precis writing. Candidates should focus on modern Indian history, especially the freedom struggle and human rights issues. One has to hone their language skills to get good marks in the essay. There is no need to panic about the comprehension section and precise writing because they will consider only the language skills. Simple grammar with good analytical skills will help you ace this part of the paper. Read the editorial columns in the newspaper which will help you in both essay writing and with the questions related to current affairs. The UPSC CAPF notification will be released for vacancies in the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force(CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). How To Prepare For The UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant? Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the posts of Agriculture Deputy Director and Agriculture Officer. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government jobs here. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 40000 per month. The last date to apply for the government jobs is Aug 7, 2018. Apply online only. MPSC Recruitment 2018 For Assistants: Apply Before Aug 31 MPSC Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Agriculture Deputy Director, Taluk Agriculture Officer and Agriculture Officer Organisation Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Educational Qualification BSc, BTech or BFSc in the relevant subject from a recognised university Experience Freshers can apply Skills Required Managerial and technical skills Job Location Maharashtra Salary Scale INR 9300 to INR 40000 per month Industry Civil services Application Start Date July 24, 2018 Application End Date August 7, 2018 Age Limit 18 to 38 years (Relaxation in age for the reserved categories will be provided according to the government norms) Application Fee INR 524 Number Of Vacancies 399 Also Read: APSC Recruitment 2018 For Finance And Accounts Officers: Earn Up To INR 137000 How To Apply For MPSC Recruitment 2018 In order to apply for MPSC Recruitment 2018, follow these steps: Step 1: Log on to the MPSC official website. Step 2: Click on the link to register as a new user. Step 3: The registration form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided. Step 4: Enter the verification code. Step 5: Click Create User and complete the registration process. Step 6: Login with your credentials and apply for the relevant post. Click here to read the detailed official notification. Mizoram Public Service Commission (MPSC) has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the post of Assistant. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 30000. The last date to apply for the government job is Aug 31, 2018. MPSC Recruitment 2018 For Forest Rangers MPSC Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Organisation Mizoram Public Service Commission (MPSC) Educational Qualification Graduate in any field from a recognised university Experience Freshers can apply Job Location Mizoram Salary Scale INR 9300 to INR 30000 Industry Civil services Application Start Date July 26, 2018 Application End Date August 31, 2018 Age Limit 18 to 35 years Application Fee INR 300 (Pay the fee through a challan in favour of Revenue Head- 0051-PSC, 105-State PSC.) Selection Process Written exam and interview Also Read: MPSC Recruitment 2018 For Upper Division Clerks How To Apply For MPSC Recruitment 2018 In order to apply for MPSC Recruitment 2018, follow these steps: Step 1: Log on to the MPSC official website. Step 2: Click on the tab for the online application. Step 3: Select an option to either read the advertisement and then apply or register and apply right away. Step 4: The registration form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided. Step 5: Click Submit and follow the subsequent pages to complete the application process. Offline applications can be obtained from from office of Mizoram Public Service Commission, New Secretariat Complex, Aizawl, during office hours on cash payment of application fee, by depositing into the Treasury under the Head- 0051-PSC, 102-State PSC or by an uncrossed Indian Postal Order (IPO) drawn in favour of Secretary, Mizoram Public Service Commission. Click here to read the detailed official notification. Photo: The Canadian Press A wildlife tour company in Blue River, B.C., is facing charges for allegedly putting food out to attract bears. Chris Doyle, deputy chief of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said in a conference call Thursday that the service began its investigation last August after receiving a complaint. Doyle said charges were sworn in May against Blue River Safari, also known as River Safari, which offers jet boat and jeep tours for bear and wildlife viewing. He said the charges against the company include feeding dangerous wildlife and placing attractants for dangerous wildlife under the B.C. Wildlife Act. The allegations have not been proven in court and the company could not immediately be reached for comment. Doyle said a representative for Blue River Safari is expected to appear in a Clearwater court on Sept. 25. Blue River is near Wells Grey Provincial Park, about 80 kilometres from the Alberta boundary. Doyle said it's much more common for people to unintentionally leave out attractants for bears than to feed them on purpose, but it can have the same effect of putting both human safety and the lives of bears in danger. Photo: RCMP A newly expanded gang enforcement team in Surrey is making life difficult for gangs. More officers were added to the squad on July 3, and police say it's paying off. Our increased presence is definitely being felt by those individuals involved in gang activity and the local drug trade, said Sgt. Mike Hall. Members are conducting curfew checks, enforcing court-ordered conditions and working with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit to gather intelligence. Our goal is to make them realize their illegal activities and associated violence are not welcome in our city, said Hall. Photo: Facebook Video of a security guard takedown on Vancouver Island is raising eyebrows about use of force. The violent incident happened at the Uptown Mall in Saanich. Three security guards forcibly arrested a man who had been carrying a garbage bag full of cans. "I didn't do anything!" the man says as he's on the ground. A guard can be heard claiming the man spit in his face, and at least two guards use their knees to keep him pinned to the ground as they handcuff the sobbing man. Kristy Westendorp shared the video on Wednesday to show what she says was an unacceptable use of force. "(It) escalated really quickly," she told CTV. "He had grabbed a few out of the garbage to add to his bag, and the security guard was trying to confiscate his whole bag of cans, even though they weren't all from Uptown. "He was bleeding from multiple places, he was bleeding form his mouth and his face, and they were putting a lot of pressure on his neck and his back." Saanich Police are investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Guardteck Security Corp. says the man wasn't permitted on the property due to past actions. "The person detained has a history of violent action in the mall, including assault, theft, damage to property and mischief," the company said in a statement. with files from CTV Vancouver Island Photo: Contributed A judge says a Texas man's affair with a North Carolina man's wife should cost him nearly $9 million. The Herald-Sun of Durham reports that Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson awarded Keith King $8.8 million in compensatory and punitive damages Thursday from Francisco Huizar III. King had sued Huizar for, among other complaints, criminal conversation and alienation of affection. North Carolina is one of a few states where jilted spouses can sue affair partners. Attorney Joanne Foil says the affair and an alleged assault by Huizar cost King's company, BMX Stunt Shows, revenue and an employee, as his wife worked for the company. Huizar's attorney, Cheri Patrick, says the Kings' marriage was damaged before Huizar met the wife at a BMX show. Patrick says King was controlling and manipulative. Huizar plans to appeal. Photo: CTV Chopper 9 UPDATE: 11 a.m. A fire burning in a forested area in central Richmond, B.C., is sending out plumes of thick smoke over Metro Vancouver. The blaze broke out around 6 a.m. in bush and forest next to the Richmond Nature Park, a bog-forest area. Richmond fire crews are on the scene and a social media post from the fire department estimates the flames are primarily in the southeast section of green space, about 300 metres into the undergrowth. The thick smoke is similar to what other communities across the province are enduring, with three dozen air quality statements issued by Environment Canada because of near by forest fires. Heat alerts have also been issued for 17 districts in the province, with warnings that prolonged temperatures will reach from the low to mid 30s. Five major wildfires continue to burn in B.C., all in the Kamloops Fire Centre, but evacuation alerts for homes near those fires have been lifted. The Canadian Press UPDATE 10:55 a.m. BC Wildfire Service air support has been requested to help fight the fire off Westminster Highway. UPDATE 8:53 a.m. Firefighters have been struggling to find and contain a blaze that broke out in a wooded area in Richmond. Acting Battalion Chief Daryle Warkentin says, "It's about 1,000 feet in from the road, it's not an area where we go every day. This is a brush area that's just uninhabited so there are no trails, there's no way to get in there." Fire crews responded after numerous report of smoke being spotted in the area overnight. In spite of the challenges firefighters still, anticipate having the fire under control by mid-day Friday. ORIGINAL 7:52 a.m. CTV Vancouver is reporting that a brush fire appears to have broken out in a wooded area in Richmond. Fire crews are on scene near Shell Road and Westminster Highway. More coming... -with files from CTV Photo: BC Wildfire Service A burn off at the Mount Conkle wildfire on Thursday The BC Wildfire Service has managed to prevent any growth of the three significant fires burning in the Okanagan, as temperatures soar and concerns turn to heat exhaustion for ground crews. The Mount Eneas wildfire between Peachland and Summerland is being held at 1,793 hectares, according to fire information officer Marla Catherall. Today we have 87 personnel on site that will be patrolling the fire to extinguish any hot spots that are found, she said. Good progress has been made, as some sections have been black-lined into the perimeter. The 577-hectares Goodes Creek fire on the other side of the lake in Okanagan Mountain Park is still classified as out of control, but has not grown since Monday. Fifty-five firefighters on the ground will focus today on strengthening containment lines on the north flank, extinguishing hot spots and a direct attack on the large spot on the southern end of the fire. The 32-hectare Glenfir Road fire also in Okanagan Mountain Park north of Naramata is again classified as out of control after briefly being marked as under control earlier this week. Forty-four firefighters will be supported by air support while they douse hot spots. The fires burning in Okanagan Mountain Park are in very rocky and steep terrain with little to no shade and direct sun exposure, said Catherall. In camp, the importance of hydration has been emphasized to crews, she said. Temperatures are expected to creep into the mid-to-high 30s later this weekend. The Conkle Mountain wildfire south of Summerland is no longer listed as a wildfire of note. The 118-hectare fire has been fully contained with hose around it. Some smoke will still be visible as fuels within the perimeter burn off. There are now just three fires of note burning in the Okanagan, with another two in the Similkameen. Sao Paulo - If the forecast for the next meeting of Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) was already accelerating the rate... Caribbean Cement plans to restart exports next year 27 July 2018 Jamaica's Caribbean Cement Co Ltd aims to restart exports next year following the completion of its expansion, according to the Jamaica Gleaner. The company stopped exports last year to focus on the project which is expected to be completed in 2018. "I would love to restart exports to markets such as Bahamas, Bermuda, Grenada and the Caribbean," said Peter Donkersloot Ponce, general manager, Caribbean Cement. "While we do our maintenance plan, we need to focus on our local market because when there is maintenance, there is downtime for the equipment. In order to have that downtime, we stopped exports," said Mr Donkersloot. "Next year we will start exporting again," he said. The company expects to increase production to 1.2Mta by year-end. Published under Vietnamese demand jumps to 5.8Mt in June ICR Newsroom By 27 July 2018 Total cement consumption in Vietnam increased to 5.812Mt in June, representing a YoY rise of 126 per cent and a MoM fall of nine per cent, according to the Vietnam National Cement Assocation (VNCA). Of this total, the VICEM group supplied 1.82Mt, up 110 per cent YoY, while joint venture companies delivered 1.643Mt, an advance of 115 per cent. Other domestic cement producers saw their combined sales rise by 147 per cent to 2.35Mt. Exports from Vietnam in June saw a 174 per cent hike to 2.216Mt YoY but noted an eight per cent decrease when compared with the previous month. Vietnamese cement producers exported around 0.917Mt of cement (+296 per cent YoY) and 1.3Mt of clinker (+135 per cent YoY) in June. Clinker was mainly exported to Bangladesh (~4.5Mt) and China (~3.6Mt). The Philippines imported just over 1Mt of clinker with Taiwan also taking in a significant quantity. Vietnamese cement was shipped overseas to the Philippines, which purchased just short of 2Mt. Much smaller volumes (less than 0.5Mt) went to destinations such as China, Malaysia and Taiwan amongst others. The VNCA expects total domestic consumption to reach 33.377Mt by the end of 2018. Export forecasts from the association indicate a total export volume of 15.833Mt, consisting of 11.742Mt of clinker and 4.092Mt of cement. Published under N. Korean Defector Recalls Denying Christ 3 Times Like Apostle Peter Amid Regime Torture Christian Post Contributor | 27 July, 2018 by Samuel Smith WASHINGTON North Korean defector Ji Hyeona couldn't help but shed tears while sharing her account of abuse and torture at the U.S. State Department's first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. The Christian woman, who now lives in South Korea after escaping from North Korea for the last time in 2007, pled with those gathered from around the world at the Harry S. Truman Building Tuesday to not be silent about the human rights abuses committed by the Kim Jong Un regime. As North Korea consistently ranks as the worst country in the world for Christian persecution, Ji said that she was attending the ministerial to represent all Christians being persecuted in the rogue state, which is said to imprison as many as 120,000 Christians, defectors and political dissidents in labor concentration camps. "Since I first escaped from North Korea in 1998, I have since escaped from the North a total of four times and got repatriated to the North three times until I finally came to South Korea in 2007," Ji explained. "In between, I fell victim to human trafficking and I was also subjected to abortion violently forced on me even with no anesthesia because the North Korean regime couldn't accept what they call 'mixed love.'" As a devout Christian, Ji recalled how she felt forced to deny her faith when questioned by regime authorities each time she was repatriated. "Each time when I got repatriated, which is a total of three times, they never finished their interrogation without asking me those Christian-related questions, such as whether I went to church, whether I knew Jesus and whether I believed in God," she recalled. "If there is a slightest indication or confession that you believe Jesus and went to church, then you will surely be sent to political prison camp or executed. Just like Peter denied Jesus three times, I lied each of those three times that I got repatriated and got interrogated." As a child, Ji remembers being "brainwashed to believe that you must worship the three generations of the Kim dictatorship." She told the ministerial that North Korean people are even forced to memorize the birthdays of the Kim dictators. "I was forced to believe that Kim Il Sung was literally the son in the Heaven and God of North Korea," she said. "I grew up watching propaganda on the TV depicting [Christian] missionaries as evil. I remember particularly watching a movie where an American missionary poured hydrochloric acid on the forehead of a North Korean girl that [called her] a thief just because she pulled an apple and ate it during the midst of the Korean War.'" As the Bible is outlawed text in North Korea, Ji said that she first gained access to a small Bible thanks to her mother smuggling it in a sack of rice when she went to China to buy food for her family during a famine one year. But that same Bible would later became the focal point of a five-hour security interrogation. "I read the Bible secretly every evening and one day I was summoned by state security department and got tortured by them. Initially, I didn't even know why I was being tortured. But as I was kicked with boots on and beaten mercilessly, my whole body got bathed in blood. During this torture, security agents asked me, 'Since when have you stayed in touch with the South Korean CIA and American missionaries and what mission were you given by them?'" "I had absolutely no idea where those questions came from," she recalled. "I kept saying that I had no clue about those questions. Since I repeated this same answer to basically the same repeated question for five hours, the agents eventually stopped the torture but put the Bible that I had read secretly in my house on the table and asked me, 'What is this then?'" In an attempt to save herself from further abuse, Ji lied. "I was so surprised but I had to keep calm and tell them a lie that I had just stumbled upon it while I was walking down the street," she said. "He then pressed me hard for an answer as to what the book was all about and why I hadn't reported it if I had just found it on the street. I just kept repeating my answer that I wanted to but just kept missing the opportunities. Finally the five-hour long torture interrogation ended and I got released." In search of a better life and one in which her family could freely worship, Ji and her family crossed the border into China in 1998. Her father was later arrested by Chinese authorities and she never saw him again. Ji was herself later arrested by Chinese authorities and repatriated back to North Korea that year. After escaping North Korea again in 1998, Ji was arrested a second time and sent back to North Korea in 1999. After being sent back for a second time, she was sent to North Korea's Jeungsan Camp No. 11 and held there for over a year. She escaped North Korea a third time in 2000 and was repatriated back to North Korea for a third time in 2002. During this time, she was three months pregnant and forced to abort her child. After asking God why the North Korean people do not have the right to freely worship the God of her Bible, Ji said that the Lord gave her a mission to advocate for North Korean Christians across the globe. "As a writer who carries a bone that is stained with blood still and is doing the ministry of writing about human rights conditions in North Korea with a trembling heart, I am here to appeal to you today," she told the ministerial. "Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un the three generations of the Kim dictatorship is a self-styled God and opposes the true God. They are the leaders of a cult and a false religion." "We can not just sit and keep watching what they are doing because indifference is the most tragic tool that puts people to death and kills them. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: 'The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.'" She concluded by quoting the words of Moses: "Let my people go!" Read more about Ji Hyeona on The Christian Post. Scientists are finding it easier and easier to alter a babys genes, thanks to the groundbreaking CRISPR method. But Americans are divided on which uses of the new technology are appropriate or not. And for the religious, the ethical lines are even more stringent, according to the Pew Research Center. In a new report released this week, Pew found 72 percent of Americans support the use of gene editing to help cure a serious congenital disease (one present at birth), while only 57 percent of the highly religious agree. (Pew identifies highly religious Americans as those who attend services at least weekly, pray daily, and say that religion is very important in their lives.) In the future, medical professionals may also be able to use gene editing to reduce the risk of a health condition that would crop up later in life. Only 60 percent of Americans felt that would be appropriate, while support among the highly religious dropped below 50 percent. Among the three choices Pew listed in its survey, respondents felt the most inappropriate use of gene editing would be enhancing a babys intelligence: 80 percent of Americans believe that would be taking medical technology too far, as do 94 percent of the highly religious. Overall, white evangelicals and black Protestants (two-thirds of whom identify as evangelicals according to Pew) feel the same about the applications of gene editing, though they invert on using it reduce disease later in life. [The breakdown for all religious groups is in the charts at bottom.] Using gene editing to treat disease at birth is an appropriate use of medical technology: 61% white evangelicals 61% black Protestants taking medical technology too far: 37% white evangelicals 36% black Protestants Using gene editing to reduce disease over a lifetime is an appropriate use of medical technology: 45% white evangelicals 51% black Protestants taking medical technology too far: 54% white evangelicals 43% black Protestants Using gene editing to make a baby more intelligent is an appropriate use of medical technology: 8% white evangelicals 14% black Protestants taking medical technology too far: 91% white evangelicals 81% black Protestants Pew Research Center Pews analysis of all the demographic variables found that self-identifying as evangelical on its own did not have any statistically significant impact on whether a person was more or less likely to approve of gene editing for any of the three scenarios: disease at birth, disease over lifetime, or intelligence. However, a high level of religious commitment did have an impact, with those Americans significantly less likely to approve of each of the three uses. Among all evangelicals (not just whites), those that were highly committed were less likely to approve of gene editing for disease at birth (52%) than those that were only moderately committed (65%). The pattern was similar for gene editing for disease later in life (40% vs. 52%) and for making babies more intelligent (5% vs. 14%). In a 2016 Pew survey reported by CT, 27 percent of white evangelicals with high levels of religious commitment said they would definitely or probably want gene editing for their baby in order to reduce disease. Meanwhile, 71 percent said such gene editing was meddling with nature and crossing a line we should not cross. (Among the moderately religious, the split was 41% to 56%.) Before gene editing can be used for clinical use, it must undergo more development and trials. This will likely involve scientists testing the technology using human embryosa subject that has been especially objectionable for evangelicals. In the 2016 survey, white evangelicals (66%) and black Protestants (53%) said that gene editing would be less acceptable if it involved testing on human embryos. The 2018 Pew survey used different wording, but still found that most Americans (65%) believe testing on embryos would be taking technology too far. And this time, 88 percent of white evangelicals and 72 percent of black Protestants disapproved. Support for gene editing also differed between men and women, with women generally less supportive of editing a babys genetic makeup. They especially frowned on the use of embryos in research (76%). And although women statistically have higher levels of religiosity, when researchers controlled for religion, women were still more likely to view gene editing as inappropriate. In a separate 2018 Pew survey, about half of Americans (52%) anticipate that in 50 years we will be able to eliminate all birth defects by genetically manipulating the genes of an embryo before it is born. In this weeks survey, most also see a dystopian future: 58 percent worry it will increase inequality; 54 percent are troubled by what other morally unacceptable forms this technology can take; and 46 percent expect unintended health effects. Among evangelicals with high levels of religious commitment, 52 percent believe gene editing will increase inequality and favor the wealthy; 54 percent believe the technology will be used before its full effects on health are understood; and 70 percent believe it will be used in morally unacceptable ways. Less-committed evangelicals are less worried. Ironically, Americans who are more familiar with gene editing technology are more concerned about potential consequences: 64 percent are worried about inequality, and 65 percent are concerned that some will use the technology in morally unacceptable ways. Yet the more informed also see more positive benefits of gene technology than others. In fact, Americans with higher levels of science knowledge, as measured by Pews nine-item index, are more likely to support gene editing: 86 percent approve of treating a baby with a congenital disease; 71 percent approve of lowering a risk of a genetic condition later in life; 24 percent approve of enhancing a babys intelligence; and 50 percent approve of testing embryos. CT previously reported how most Christians want science to leave their bodies as God made them. Last year, pastor Nathan Barczi wrestled with the ethical implications of genome engineering. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Barely a week goes by without some news about the transgender issue. Recently, some declared that babies should be called "theybies"since we don't know whether they're male or female until they decide for themselves. There are people who suffer with gender dysphoriawhere they feel like a boy trapped in a girl's body or vice versa. Our hearts go out to them. However, the Scriptures say that God has made human beings in His image. Male and female, He has made us. There are only two sexes. Only two genders. Dr. Felipe Vizcarrondo of the American College of Pediatricians once told me in an interview, "The overwhelming majority of children that have this confusion at a very young agebefore age 10grow out of it and grow out of it spontaneously...by mid to late adolescence." How many? "90-95 percent of kids." So in other words, for the vast majority of those suffering from gender dysphoria, it is a temporarynot a permanent problem. Yet for those who get the gender reassignment surgery, this is a permanent "solution." But the "solution" then usually leads to many other problems. Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation and author of the book, When Harry Became Sally, says that initially people who get this surgery feel good about their new gender. But after about 10 years, they feel bad about it. I know a man, Walt Heyer, who struggled for years with gender dysphoria. Eventually, he went the whole way and had the "gender reassignment" surgery. Elements of this surgery, of course, are irreversible. In an interview Walt told me that as a child his grandmother treated him as a little girleven secretly dressing him in girl's clothes. He found he got more positive attention as a "girl" than as a boy. "I was getting affirmed as a female, and I knew that when I was a female my Grandma liked me. She fussed over me; she made me a dress. I never got that kind of affirmation as a boy...you begin to attach feelings to that." Growing up, Walt felt he should have been born a girl. Over time, he quietly struggled with these conflicting feelingshiding them from people on the outside: "I got married and fostered two great kids and married successfully for 17 years." Despite success in the corporate world, his gender confusion caused him stress, which he relieved through alcohol and cross-dressing. He finally saw a specialist who encouraged him to seek hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. "So I went in April of 1983 and had the surgery and changed to Laura Jensen officially. And I was working as Walt at the time, so I had the dual identity. I was happy originally. I thought the weight of the world had been lifted off of me, and it was all going to be good." Walt lived as a woman for eight years. He was happy at first, but not later: "The devastation that occurred as a result of that is just beyond description: loss of family, loss of relationship with many of the people in my family, divorce, total financial loss. I was bankrupt, I was homeless for a while and then I began to realize that I needed to start dealing with the alcoholism." So Walt Heyer, going through life as Laura Jensen, had found things were much worse for him than before the sex change operation. He even tried to commit suicide, and alcoholism was consuming him. He began to see counselorsone of whom told him, he just needed to "curse Walt but bless Laura." However, real change came through the help of a loving church and some loving Christian people. He notes, "I was redeemed in a prayer when the Lord came to me and reached out to me and saidI actually saw myself as a little baby during that prayer and He reached out and put His arms under me as a little baby, pulled me in, and He said: 'You'll be safe with Me forever.' And at that point the Lord redeemed and restored my life." Walt notes that those who undergo the gender reassignment surgery are many times more likely to commit suicide than the general population: "41-50% of the transgender population will attempt suicide....The surgery never can address the psychological and emotional issues that transgenders suffer from with their identityit can't do it because they're depressed. You can't cure depression with cutting off body parts or adding body parts or changing a body configuration." Today, Walt Heyer is committed to helping those struggling with this issue. He maintains the website, sexchangeregret.com. He aims "to bring the word out and try to help other people prevent them from suicide or an unnecessary gender reassignment surgerythat's my mission today." Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., is an on-air host/senior producer for D. James Kennedy Ministries. He has written/co-written 28 books, e.g., The Unstoppable Jesus Christ, Doubting Thomas (w/ Mark Beliles, on Jefferson), and What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (w/ D. James Kennedy) & the bestseller, George Washington's Sacred Fire (w/ Peter Lillback) djkm.org @newcombejerry www.jerrynewcombe.com Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment It's good to see that Rep. Keith Ellison's shocking letter to Amazon, calling for blatant censorship, has been removed from his website. But has he publicly renounced his letter, both in spirit and in substance? If not, then Ellison's missive represents just one more example of the radical left's attempt to suppress and silence opposing views. On July 17, Fortune.com reported, "Prime Day is here, but Amazon is facing backlash for selling merchandise promoted by known hate groups. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Tuesday, voicing concerns about the company's income from such items." In his own words, "I would like to know whether Amazon is committed to ceasing the sale of all products that promote hateful and racist ideologies. For a company with a policy prohibiting the sale of 'products that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance or promote organizations with such views,' there appear to be a disturbing number of groups with hateful, racist, and violent agendas making money using Amazon's platform." Yes, "Amazon must immediately cease doing business with groups that promote racist violence." What's so bad about this request? Isn't all racist violence bad? Of course it is, but that's not the big problem. As Robert Spencer (not Richard Spencer) pointed out on PJ Media, Ellison is "demanding that [Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos] no longer sell at Amazon any material that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) dislikes. Yes, it has come to this." So, it's not just a matter of insisting that Amazon remove swastika-celebrating neo-Nazi material. It's much more than that. If the SPLC doesn't like you, you shouldn't be able to sell your material on Amazon. Talk about a dangerous trend. Talk about a very slippery slope. It is a literal example of the inmates running the asylum, as the highly-biased SPLC, which I dubbed America's most dangerous hate-group, becomes the arbiter of right and wrong. As I asked, "Which is more insidious, the enemy that you recognize or the enemy that appears to be your friend? Which is more dangerous, a rag-tag bunch of poorly-funded White Supremacists or a well-organized, massively-funded, 'civil rights' organization which demonizes Christian conservatives? And which lie is more likely to spread, one that is false from beginning to end or one that mixes falsehood with truth?" On the positive side, the SPLC is getting more and more discredited by the day, with lawsuits rightly launched against it and major governmental organizations (like the FBI) no longer relying on SPLC reports. On the negative side, massively influential companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon rely on the SPLC to help determine what organizations are hate groups. This is beyond chilling. In fact, in May, it was reported that Amazon booted the Alliance Defending Freedom (one of the most prestigious and successful law firms in the nation) from benefiting from its charitable Amazon Smile program. All this at the recommendation of the SPLC. (Note also that another highly respected Christian law firm, Liberty Counsel, is on the SPLC's hate group list. As for the SPLC, on July 4, the Washington Post ran a story about the ADF titled, "Inside the Christian legal powerhouse that keeps winning at the Supreme Court.") What, then, would it look like if Amazon heeded Rep. Ellison's request? (As of July 24, 8:00 PM, EDT, the link to his letter on the EllisonHouse.Gov website read: "The requested file was not found.") What would happen if Amazon no longer sold the materials associated with those marked "hateful" by the SPLC? At one point it would mean you could not buy Dr. Ben Carson's book Gifted Hands, since he was on their hate list. Amazon is not the place for you! Until a few months ago, it would mean you could not buy books by "Ayan Hirsi Ali, the Somali victim of genital mutilation, and Maajid Nawaz, a Muslim militant-turned-reformer." (In the words of the Washington Examiner, "Imagine Ayaan Hirsi Ali's surprise to find that a career spent fighting extremism had landed her on a list of extremists." As for Nawaz, he settled with the SPLC after they apologized to him and offered him $3.375 million.) And as of today, it would mean you could not buy books on Amazon written by Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, and Frank Gaffney, Jr., all of whom the SPLC has branded anti-Muslim extremists. Not only so, but you could not buy books by Tony Perkins, head of the FRC, or Tim Wildmon, head of the AFA, since their organizations have been categorized as anti-LGBT extremists. (For the record, speakers at FRC events have included presidents, senators, governors, and foreign dignitaries like Prime Minister Netanyahu. As for the AFA, it is one of the most respected, conservative Christian organizations in the nation.) Other authors who would be banned include Christian historian David Barton, journalist Joseph Farah (founded of WND.com), and yours truly. All of us were part of the SPLC's laughable, 2012 list, "30 New Activists Heading Up the Radical Right." (Also included in the list were some genuine violence-supporting hate-mongers, making the list all the more confusing.) And in keeping with the SPLC's inconsistency and inefficiency, I'm still listed in this 2012 article, although the page linking to me has been marked "Access Denied" for several years no. Either my alleged transgressions are so top secret that the public cannot know about them, or else the SPLC recognized their error in listing me but failed to apologize or inform. Who knows? We should also note that the common source of inspiration and authority for the ADF and Liberty Counsel and the FRC and the AFA and Carson and Barton and Farah and me is the Bible. Perhaps that should be banned as well? If radical ideologues like the SPLC call the shots, the sky is the limit. As for Keith Ellison, who is a Muslim, he ought to revel in America's liberties. Otherwise, it could be the Quran that is banned next. As the Latin motto says, "Cave quid volunt." (Be careful what you wish for.) Louisiana is the first state to get the all clear from the U.S. Department of Education to participate in the Every Student Succeeds Acts Innovative Assessment pilot. So what exactly is the Innovative Assessment pilot? ESSA allows up to seven states to try out new kinds of tests in a handful of districts before taking them statewide . New Hampshire got the ball rolling for this back in 2015, under the previous version of the law, the No Child Left Behind Act, when it got the green light to try out performance-based exams in a handful of districts. Louisiana is seeking to combine tests for two related subjects: English and social studies . The tests will include passages from books students have actually been exposed to in class, rather than brand-new material. Students will be asked to complete a series of brief reading and writing exams throughout the school year, to help their teachers get real time updates on progress, according to a statement from the Louisiana Department of Education. Louisiana will initially try out these tests in five school districts. New Hampshire and Puerto Rico have also applied for testing flexibility under ESSA, but have yet to be approved . Want to learn more about the Every Student Succeeds Act? Heres some useful information: Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Hollywood, the shining beacon of morality that it is, loves to preach to us about what we should say and do. On Sunday, July 22nd at a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in Oakland, CA, a grotesque murder took the life of 18 year-old Nia Wilson. The alleged murderer, John Cowell, also tried to kill her sister. Thankfully, she survived. Cowell's family released a heart-wrenching statement about their son and his life-long battle with mental illness. It reads, in part: "First and foremost, we want to let the Wilson Family know that our hearts go to them and are mourning, for your family. This horrific tragedy never should have happened. John has been suffering from mental illness most of his life. He has been in and out of jail and has not had the proper treatment...knowing that he was diagnosed with being bipolar and schizophrenia, the system has failed in this instance. We had to get a restraining order at one time as well for our own protection...He was living on the streets..." But none of that seems to matter. For those who see the world only in white versus black, Nia was black and Cowell is white. Of course it's racism! Of course it's white supremacy! Anne Hathaway, the paragon of wokeness in Hollywood (funny, has she ever starred in any films that deal with racism or the struggle of Black Americans?), has unleashed an Instagram scolding of white people: "The murder of Nia Wilson- may she rest in the power and peace she was denied here- is unspeakable AND MUST NOT be met with silence. She is not a hash tag; she was a black woman and she was murdered in cold blood by a white man. White people- including me, including you- must take into the marrow of our privileged bones the truth that ALL black people fear for their lives DAILY in America and have done so for GENERATIONS. White people DO NOT have equivalence for this fear of violence. Given those givens, we must ask our (white)selves- how "decent" are we really? Not in our intent, but in our actions? In our lack of action? Peace and prayers and JUSTICE for Nia and the Wilson family xx" No, Anne Hathaway. ALL black people DO NOT fear for their lives daily. Not sure what kind of marrow you have in your bones, but it's making you delusional. I'm black, and you definitely don't speak for me. Nia Wilson's murder was horrific. I can't imagine her family's trauma right now. So, don't exploit it. Cowell is a mentally ill man. So, please, Ms. Hathaway, stop this needless racial division & white privilege garbage. Nia's family has suffered an unimaginable loss. You don't know them. I don't know them. But I know people in these tragic circumstances need prayers, not propaganda. They need justice, not faux white-guilt jargon. Hollywood, a multi-billion dollar industry that profits from fake violence, gets (selectively) outraged when real violence happens. But not just any violence. Only that which is reported by mainstream mediaalleged or actual crimes against black people. Viola Davis, an actress that profits from a show about getting away with murder, asks when it will stop in real life against black people. Again, Cowell is bipolar and has schizophrenia. But let's go with racism. Rose McGowan, a celebrity who has led the #MeToo movement, opined on Twitter: "Indoctrinated hate is a deadly weapon #NiaWilson #SayHerName". Isn't all homicide pretty much a form of hate? Does the color of the attacker lessen or heighten the heinousness of the crime? And yet, not a word about mental health from any of these celebrities. In this everybody-has-to-know-my-uninformed-opinion kind of social media universe, Nia Wilson gets reduced to a trending hashtag and any pertinent details get shoved aside to make room for the predictable and destructive race narrative. I've been writing about this blaxploitation for years, since the tragic death of Trayvon Martin. Are there hashtag campaigns about white people being murdered? Isn't all murder is wrong? Social Justice Warriors, too busy texting and tweeting to be bothered with any facts, are demanding justice like it's fast food. What? I just ordered it two seconds ago, and it's not here yet! All they have on the menu are assumptions and accusations with a dash of twisted information. And that's why violence like this happenssomeone thought to be a member of an alleged white supremacist group, Proud Boys, was brutally beaten by a mob in Oakland. No amount of further violence will bring back Nia Wilson. I hate racism, no matter the pigmentation of skin it comes from or the socioeconomic status of the perpetrator. We're supposed to be a melting pot. Didn't anyone pay attention to that Schoolhouse Rocks? Ok, so millennials, that was way before your time, but the principle is still the same. America cannot exist if we are not one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Many of us have said that pledge thousands of times, but do we act with compassion and moral clarity to ensure that this is our reality? If our heart, as a society, is not for racial reconciliation, these race hucksters will succeed. Division, distrust and distortion is all they have to offer. The Church of Hollywood has nothing to give. Christians, on the other hand, do. If the Church doesn't raise its voice louder than the clamor and confusion of Tinseltown, MSM and SJWs, the only noise we will continue to hear is the lie that we are a racist nation. Let's not allow another tragic death to be exploited for political gain. What needs to be elevated are the Wilson and Cowell familiesin prayeras they journey through the pain of indescribable loss and the senselessness of violence toward the healing they all deserve. Originally posted at theradiancefoundation.org Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We say all the time on BreakPoint that reason and faith go hand in glove. But in revolutionary France, the disciples of reason unleashed one of the bloodiest revolutions in history. Last week, fireworks exploded over Paris, lighting up the Eiffel Tower. French citizens were celebrating the two-hundred and twenty-ninth anniversary of Bastille Day, a holiday recalling the storming of the Bastille fortress at the beginning of the French Revolution. But not everyone in France was celebratingand with good reason. While people tend to view the French Revolution in a positive light, many of its darker elements have been forgotten, or suppressed. As my friend John Zmirak wrote in Crisis magazine, Bastille Day "marks the beginning of the greatest organized persecution of Christians since" the fourth century. And he argues that these brutal attacks spawned the killing sprees carried out by revolutionary leaders over the next two hundred years. French radicals inspired by secular, Enlightenment philosophy, wanted to expunge all religious influence and replace it with "reason." This ideal was exemplified at Notre Dame, where revolutionaries removed Christian symbols and replaced them with "Goddesses of Reason"women dressed provocatively in Roman attire who danced about the cathedralnow a Temple of Reason. All clergy were ordered to declare allegiance to the state rather than the church. Catholic peasants in the Vendee region revolted; Some 300,000 of these rebels were killed, most in terrible ways. It was, writes historian Francois Furet, "massacre and destruction on an unprecedented scale" and revealed "a zeal so violent that it has bestowed as its legacy much of the region's identity." Ironically, Zmirak notes, the French monarchy helped sow the seeds of its own destruction back in 1767, when the King began the suppression of the Jesuits because they were loyal first to Rome and not to the crown. The result: Children who would have been educated at Jesuit schools instead had their heads filled with Enlightenment teachings. They reached maturity right around 1789the year the French Revolution began. Having been taught vicious lies about the behavior of nuns and priests, they heartily approved of their slaughter. And the atrocities didn't stop with French revolutionaries. In 1993, Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn spoke at the opening ceremonies of a museum in Vendee dedicated to the memory of those who were butchered two hundred years before. He noted that Russia's Communist leaders "studiously re-enacted on the body of Russia many of the French revolution's cruelest methods." Nazi leaders also took a page out of the French revolutionary playbook: In France, radicals made off with church property, claiming that they were merely engaging in "secularization." One hundred and fifty years later, the Nazis stole Jewish property, and called what they were doing "aryanization." Today, secular academics celebrate Enlightenment thinking, crediting its embrace of "reason" above all else for great advances in science. But lost is the full story of what happens when "reason" is enshrined above all else: a bloodbath so terrible that, even today, citizens of Vendee wear black armbands on Bastille Day. And this is what we ought to remember when we see efforts to drive religionand religious believersfrom the public square. In America, hostility toward the faithful is at an all-time high. Andas with the French Revolutionwe 're seeing determined efforts to force Christians to, in effect, pledge allegiance to the state over the church. On Bastille Day, we ought to remember the victims of the French Revolution, and remind our neighbors what really happened during the years the French fought for liberte, egalite, and fraternite: Revolution attacked religion, and God was replaced with the guillotine. Originally posted at Breakpoint. Chester University professor to study Christian ethics of animal welfare A University of Chester professor has been awarded a 450,000 research grant to develop his work engaging churches and policy makers in relation to farmed animal welfare. Prof David Clough, who is Professor of Theological Ethics at the University, has been awarded the grant by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for a three-year project on the Christian ethics of farmed animal welfare. He will be working in partnership with major UK churches and a number of organisations with interests in animal welfare. The project will produce the first academic book on the Christian ethics of farmed animal welfare and a framework for policy for Christian organisations. It will offer support for policy implementation as well as offering briefings to UK government policy-makers. Clough is a leading international authority on the place of animals in Christian theology and ethics. He is the founder of Creature Kind, which operates in the US and UK and which was established to engage churches and other Christian organisations in thinking about the implications of Christian faith for the treatment of animals. He also recently launched a new #DefaultVeg project encouraging organisations catering for events to order vegetarian food by default, with meat available on request. The research will involve working with organisations including the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, Compassion in World Farming and the Veterinary Christian Fellowship. The project will present its findings to the Church Commissioners and offer briefings to the Church of England bishops in the House of Lords, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Animals. Three US observers on the project will advise on the feasibility of a US successor research project on the same model. Clough said: 'I am extremely pleased to have been awarded this grant, which comes at a time of a growing Christian recognition that concern for animals is a matter of Christian faith. In the 19th century, Christians were at the forefront of campaigns against cruelty towards animals, and they now have the chance to play the same role in challenging the cruelties inflicted on farmed animals in industrialised systems. Through this project we hope to contribute to public policy debates about farmed animal welfare at a crucial moment: the question of how animal agriculture will be regulated post-Brexit.' John David Duggar and Abbie Burnett announce engagement after whirlwind courtship John David Duggar is the next Duggar child to walk down the aisle after getting engaged to Abbie Burnett! It seems like the pair have known each other for a few years but it wasn't until they met at a recent church event that they really connected with each other and decided to enter into a courtship. Duggar, 28, and Burnett, 26, confirmed the engagement in an announcement on the family website where they said it was a 'special moment to share together.' 'The proposal and the 'YES' really solidified that we want to spend the rest of our lives together. One of the most amazing things about following Christ is being able to trust Him to direct your path and lead your life,' they said. 'We are so thankful that He led us to one another. Now we need to start thinking about a wedding!' The happy couple only announced their courtship a month ago in a TLC video. Duggar said, 'We've known of each other for several years, but we didn't meet 'til...' Burnett, a nurse, cut in to explain, 'John flew in for a church event here in Oklahoma where I'm from. We really got connected then.' Duggar admitted that the two 'fell in love very quickly.' He proved his romantic side by getting down on one knee to pop the question to Burnett in front of a sign that read 'Abbie, will you marry me?' All fun aside, the pair are taking their marriage commitment to each other seriously as they now look to plan their big day. Duggar said: 'Engagement is very different than a courtship because engagement actually says, "Okay, I'm committed to this person to marriage for life." 'A courtship is more of a I'm getting to know this person with the idea of the possibility of marriage. But now it's actually that commitment towards marriage.' The rest of the large Duggar brood expressed their happiness for the couple in a statement on the family website. 'We are thrilled to announce the engagement of John-David and Abbie! They are a wonderful match and make a beautiful couple!' the family said. 'Abbie is a lovely young woman, full of tenderness and compassion. She has a deep love for the Lord and we are so delighted that John-David has asked her to be his wife! We love weddings in this family and can't wait for this next one!' Duggar and Burnett haven't announced a date or venue for their wedding yet. Prince Charles tells IICSA of 'deep personal regret' for his support of Peter Ball Prince Charles has denied trying to influence a police investigation into disgraced Bishop Peter Ball and expressed 'deep personal regret' for the support he offered him. Ball, 86, was jailed in 2015 for sexual offences and misconduct in public office. The Prince told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse he had invited Ball to officiate at communion services at his Highgrove estate. He said he had been 'misled' by Ball who had told him he had been involved in an 'indiscretion' that prompted his resignation. Referring to Neil Todd, who was abused by Ball and later committed suicide, the Prince said the sequence of events 'seemed to support Mr Ball's claim that the complaint emanated from one individual and that individual bore a grudge against him and was persecuting him, that the complaint was false, but that the individual had nonetheless profited from the complaint by selling his story. 'Events later demonstrated beyond any doubt, to my deep regret, that I, along with many others, has been misled.' Charles wrote supportive letters to Ball, extracts from which were read to the inquiry. In 1997 he said Ball's accuser was 'a frightful, terrifying man' who was 'up to his dastardly tricks again'. The Prince adds: 'I'll see off this horrid man if he tries anything again.' He also accuses Lambeth Palace of being 'frightened of the press' for forcing Ball to resign his ministry. However, he told the inquiry: 'At no stage did I ever seek to influence either of the police investigations and nor did I instruct or encourage my staff to do so.' The Prince continued: 'The true context and details of this complaint, and I now understand many others, against Peter Ball did not come to my attention until the time of Mr Ball's trial and conviction in 2015. 'I ceased contact with Mr Ball once the judicial process had concluded, and he was found guilty of serious offences against young people. 'My heart goes out to the victims of abuse and I applaud their courage as they rebuild their lives and so often offer invaluable support to others who have suffered. 'It remains a source of deep personal regret that I was one of many who were deceived over a long period of time, about the true nature of Mr Ball's activities.' Dear Readers: Your summer patio or lanai must be beautiful by now! Its teeming with beautiful plants and flowers, but what if you have terra-cotta pots with that awful white film? Hard water is the culprit, but I have the remedy! Scrub the empty pot with dish soap and a stiff brush, and rinse. Then wipe down the entire pot with full-strength white or apple-cider vinegar until the white deposits have dissolved. Let the pot dry completely. Cheap, nontoxic and readily available, vinegar is a great go-to cleaner. Ive used in the kitchen and beyond. Would you like to receive a collection of my best vinegar hints? Its easy! Visit Heloise.com to order, or send a stamped (71 cents), long, self-addressed envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. To limit future white staining, seal the pot with an acrylic sealant. Heloise Dear Readers: Mary Ann R. in West Monroe, La., sent a picture of a rare blonde squirrel that shes been feeding for about a year in her beautiful backyard. Mary Ann has named her Blondie! To see Blondie and our other Pet Pals, visit Heloise.com and click on Pet of the Week. Do you have a furry and funny friend? Email a picture and description to: Heloise@Heloise.com. Heloise Dear Heloise: For years, Ive planted different types of tomatoes and had trouble identifying them. Aluminum venetian blind slats work perfectly for this. They are thin enough to be cut with scissors, and a regular hand-held punch will make holes for attachment. I mark them with a permanent marker and wire them to the support stake. Being aluminum, they will last all season. A Reader, Lebanon, Ohio Dear Heloise: When my kids were young, Id substitute a wading pool for bath time. Id squirt bubble bath into the pool and blast with the hose. Wed invite a neighbor kid and watch them play! Its a great way for children to blow off steam at the end of the day, and may help with the summertime bedtime routine. Dianne in North Carolina Dear Heloise: I have enjoyed your (and your moms) columns for decades. Its better not to drink coffee on an empty stomach. A crisp apple will solve that problem, and its a great wake-up treat, too. Jonathan in Orange County, Calif. Dear Heloise: When I go to a potluck barbecue or dinner, I always write the ingredients of my dish on index cards. This is helpful for people who have food allergies. Also, making a few cards with the complete recipe on it to put beside your dish is a nice way to share good food. K.T. in New Mexico Dear Heloise: When starting seeds and young seedlings, I use the large, clear plastic salad containers that grocery stores sell salad in as mini greenhouses. I just fill halfway with potting soil and moisten. I can keep them in a sunny window or outside. C.M.Y., Beachwood, N.J. Heloise@heloise.com Heloise P.O. Box 795000 San Antonio, TX 78279 King Features Syndicate Fifty years ago, a depressed President Lyndon Johnson decided not to seek another term. Martin Luther King Jr. had just been assassinated. Cities were burning in riots. College students marched against the Vietnam War. Four years earlier, Johnson had won election in one of the greatest landslides in U.S. history and passed a slew of bills ensuring civil rights, fighting poverty and expanding educational opportunities. Now, with the nation in turmoil and his approval ratings in decline, he was set to leave office. Back at his Texas ranch, he wondered: Where did it all go wrong? That ranch is often viewed as a place where a heartbroken president went to die. He left office in January 1969 and had a fatal heart attack at the ranch four years later, at age 64. But any visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Stonewall shows how important this sprawling place was to his worldview, planting notions about battling poverty and inequality. He was born there and his family suffered misfortunes there, but even after exiting the White House, he thrived there. All my life Ive wanted to enjoy this land, Johnson said after leaving office. I bought it. I paid it off. I watched it improve. Its all I have left. Located in the Hill Country about an hour west of Austin, the ranch offers free tours led by park rangers, but visitors can also obtain free driving permits to explore the grounds with an audio tour on their own. More Information If you go LBJ RANCH: 199 State Park Road 52, Stonewall; nps.gov/lyjo/planyourvisit/visitlbjranch.htm. Open daily. Free. See More Collapse Guided tours begin at Johnsons humble childhood home. The original structure was built in 1889 by Sam Ealy Johnson Sr., the presidents grandfather. It was reconstructed in 1964 from photos and outfitted with period furnishings illustrating the familys simple but harsh life in rural Texas. The presidents father, Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr., served in the Texas House of Representatives but struggled as a farmer and cattle speculator. His unsuccessful business ventures meant there was no money for Lyndon to attend an expensive college. Instead he studied at Southwest Texas State Teachers College after a stint as a day laborer. While taking classes, he worked for a year teaching poor Mexican-American children in a segregated school in Cotulla. An exhibit at the ranch visitor center includes photos of him with former students and an audio recording in which he reflected on his teaching experience in a speech to Congress. Somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child, the president said as he urged Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act and expand anti-poverty programs. During his years as president, the ranch served as the Texas White House. Johnson invited members of Congress and world dignitaries to relax here, but usually they ended up being cajoled by Johnson into endorsing a policy or idea. Tours these days include visits to the airplane hangar with a refurbished presidential plane and a mobile structure used by television reporters. Aides often briefed the president about the Vietnam War or pending legislation while Johnson swam nude in the ranch pool. The ranch also was a place of laughter. On Nov. 21, 1964, a day before the first anniversary of President John F. Kennedys assassination the event that had catapulted Johnson into the presidency Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman tried to subdue a balky pig at the ranch. Johnson watched, laughing as Freeman wrangled with the animal, named Mr. I.Q. The president and Lady Bird took strolls in a meadow where he paused to see the lights of nearby towns that once had no electricity. As a U.S. senator, Johnson was responsible for bringing power to the area. When Johnson returned here after leaving the White House, he drank, smoked, let his hair grow like the young hippies who cursed him and listened to Simon & Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Water over and over. When one of his daughters tried to intervene, he said, No, Ive raised you girls, Ive been president, and now its my time. Sometimes he acted like he was still in office, holding meetings with Secret Service agents on ranch matters like they were national security gatherings. The former president would get on a walkie-talkie to a foreman to ask about any out-of-place cow. Johnson died at the ranch in 1973 just a few weeks after President Richard Nixon called to inform him that the U.S. would soon leave Vietnam. Its easy to drive away from the LBJ Ranch feeling melancholy. After all, Johnson came into the White House with such promise and left as the country descended into social and political turmoil. Some of those divisions remain today. But its also worth contemplating the ways in which Johnson changed with the world around him. As a young senator, he all but supported white supremacy, only to become a president who signed two landmark civil rights bills and instituted the anti-poverty policies of the Great Society. He expanded a war, then agonized over it. This ranch fed that transformation. The Texas Education Agency has approved Humble ISDs request for Summer Creek High School to continue their condensed pilot schedule when students return to campus Aug. 20. Under the proposal, the first bell will ring at 7:15 a.m., and students will be released at 1:55 p.m. Students also have the option of taking an eighth course that would conclude at 2:55 p.m. Busing would be available at both time periods. Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath has provided verbal approval of a waiver request for SCHS to operate on the pilot schedule. Commissioner Morath said the TEA will follow-up with formal written approval, Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said. Summer Creek High School implemented a non-traditional schedule last year because of Harvey. This year, they are implementing it by choice. I want to thank Commissioner Morath for being open to flexibility, Fagen said. I also want to thank State Representative Dan Huberty for his support of educators working in ways that they believe best serve their students. This pilot schedule was strongly supported by the Summer Creek community. The plan required approval because of the TEAs operational minutes requirements. The TEA requires schools to meet a minimum of 75,600 operational minutes per school year. The pilot schedule will reduce SCHSs operational minutes to 69,250 minutes, but instructional minutes would exceed TEA requirements and will range from 312-329 minutes per student day, depending on the day of the week. The pilot schedule is designed is to keep students on track with their graduation plan by choosing what they need each afternoon, including the option of going home at 1:55 p.m., Humble ISD officials said. School buses will run every day at dismissal at 1:55 p.m. and another round of buses will run every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2:55 p.m. for tutorials and school activities. The plan was originally implemented out of necessity. After Kingwood High School sustained major damages last year during Hurricane Harvey, KHS students were forced to hold their classes at SCHS while the school was being repaired. Because of the mass volume of students in the SCHS campus, they decided to split their school days in half where one school had morning classes and the other attended classes after lunch. The schedules were retained even after Kingwood students returned to their home campus in February because it yielded benefits to SCHS attendees, officials said. Since the pilot schedule was implemented SCHS Principal Brent McDonald said test scores and attendance have increased and discipline has decreased. kaila.contreras@chron.com A Houston energy startup funded by Canada's pension investment board will pay $2 billion to acquire Chesapeake Energy's Utica Shale assets in Ohio. The Houston-based Encino Acquisition Partners is making the big move in the natural gas-rich Utica region, while shale pioneer Chesapeake eyes the cash influx to help pay down its debt load after years of recent financial struggles. Encino Acquisition Partners is a unique case that was founded last year with a $1 billion influx mostly from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The board said it will invest another $1 billion to finance the Chesapeake deal, making the investment board a 98 percent owner of Encino Acquisition. Encino Acquisition is operated by the seven-year-old Houston firm Encino Energy, which is headed by a group of oil and gas veterans. Encino has made few moves up until now. The deal includes 900,000 net acres in Ohio, instantly making Encino a major player in the Utica as soon as the sale closes by the end of this year. Crude posted a fourth straight weekly drop amid concerns over how significantly U.S.-China trade tensions will affect demand. Futures closed 1.3 percent lower Friday amid low-volume trading. Concerns over global trade continue to weigh on investor sentiment, with U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell saying earlier this month that trade barriers threaten productivity and wages, while BlackRock Inc. boss Larry Fink warned intensifying tensions could spur a broad market downturn. We're seeing "an underlying concern especially about demand growth and worries about what could happen on the global trade issue," said Gene McGillian, manager of market research at Tradition Energy. "Now, with the uncertainty coming from our president's administration and his trade policy, part of the demand growth picture is being brought under the spotlight." The U.S. benchmark crude is poised for the biggest monthly decline in two years as a trade battle between the U.S. and China is showing no signs of easing, even after President Donald Trump made peace with the European Union. Meanwhile, the U.S. oil rig count rose for the first time in three weeks, Baker Hughes data on Friday showed. Investors are also waiting to see how much OPEC ends up raising production. Prices rebounded somewhat in the latter part of the week after two Saudi vessels belonging to the Saudi National Shipping Co., each with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil, were attacked by Yemeni Houthi militia. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, off the shores of Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea, connects the Red Sea with the Arabian Sea and is one of the world's major waterways for crude oil and other petroleum products. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery slid 92 cents to settle at $68.69 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Total volume traded was 40 percent below the 100-day average. Brent for September settlement slipped 25 cents to end the session at $74.29 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark was at a $5.60 premium to WTI. Talks of the trade war dominated discussions during the Group of 20 nations summit last weekend as Trump prepares to slap tariffs on $500 billion of Chinese goods. Finance ministers and central bankers from the G-20 warned of risks including financial vulnerability as well as structurally weak growth, according to a statement published by the group after their two-day summit in Buenos Aires. Other oil-market news: Gasoline futures settled little changed at $2.1619 a gallon. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. followed divergent paths in reporting second-quarter earnings, and investors took note. They gave a nod of approval to Chevron's $3 billion stock buyback announcement, and punished Exxon for reporting inferior results with no plans for a payout. Money managers boosted bullish ICE Brent crude oil bets by 14,395 net-long positions to 367,640, weekly ICE Futures Europe data on futures and options show. BP Plc highlighted that it'll pick up 83,000 acres in the U.S. Permian Basin in its announcement for the $10.5 billion purchase of shale assets from BHP Billiton Ltd. --With assistance from Kintan Andanari, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Alex Longley and Erin Douglas. 2018 Bloomberg L.P. One would think that by now I could face the dead of a Houston summer with a defiant exuberance. Alas, I need encouragement. Lots of encouragement. Fortunately, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. promises a little happy respite each year about this time. I always enjoy being part of an enthusiastic crowd reveling in our signature weather style. RELATED: New Buffalo Bayou brewery to offer craft beer, downtown views I have yet to muster the strength to join the ugly-sweater competition, however. Rather, I enjoy the wild bounty of Buffbrew brews and the pleasant company. X-mas in July returns on Saturday, July 28, with this extensive lineup: Orange Crush - Orange Juice & Orange Peel Fruit Crushtail - Lime, Orange, Almond, Cherry Tropical Crush - Lime, Passion Fruit, Mango Velvet Sunrise - Coffee & Cinnamon Feliz Navidad - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove, Ancho Chiles Summer Hurricane - Orange Juice, Lime Zest, Grenadine Peppermint GBS - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove, Peppermint Summer Sea Breeze - Cranberry & Pineapple Barrel Aged Figaro Barrel Aged More Cowbell Barrel Aged Gingerbread Stout Turtle Head - Barrel Aged Red Velvet Stout & Mud Turtle Blend Key Lime Pie - Key Lime & Vanilla Dragon Fruit Great White Buffalo - Dragon Fruit Big Black Santa - Dark Chocolate PB Mexican Hot Chocolate - Peanut Butter, Vanilla, Chocolate Orange Mocha Frappuccino - Orange, Chocolate, Coffee, Vanilla German Chocolate Cake - Coconut, Chocolate, Vanilla 2017 Smoke On The Bayou 2017 Big Black Cowbell 2016 Gingerbread Stout 2017 Pecan Pie 2016 Comrade Cowbell 2016 Buffalo Sunset 2016 Pumpkin Spice Latte 2016 Lenin's Revenge 2017 Red Velvet Stout Chai Porter Figaro Lenin's Revenge Sangre Tropikal Gingerbread Stout Sweater Weather Thin Mint Stout 1836 More Cowbell Great White Buffalo Sam's Daily Crush City DETAILS A Brazoria County man on death row for stomping his 3-month-old baby to death by the Galveston seawall filed a motion this week asking to waive his appeals and fire his attorneys, hoping to fast-track his path to the death chamber. Travis Mullis, the 31-year-old Alvin transplant sent to death row in 2011, previously sought to forfeit his appeals and in recent months repeatedly raised the possibility of doing so again. "I support my death sentence and want it carried out ASAP," he told the Chronicle in a letter earlier this year. "I was sentenced to death not indefinite detention." So-called "volunteers" inmates seeking to cut off appeals and offer themselves up to die account for only about 10 percent of executions, according to the nongovernmental Death Penalty Information Center. But earlier this week, another Texas prisoner fought to waive appeals, and in recent months the high-profile case of Scott Dozier has garnered national media attention as Nevada struggles to find the drugs to help the condemned man carry out his death wish. **** The crime that landed Mullis on death row was an impulsive outburst that capped a string of what he called "stupid decisions" and an unequivocally wretched life. His mother died when he was still a baby and, growing up, he was sexually abused from ages 3 to 6, according to court records. He spent years in and out of institutions and when he turned 18, his adoptive mother kicked him out of the house. He moved to Texas, settling outside Houston with a woman he'd met online. 'RIGGED' SYSTEM? In Houston death penalty cases, many judges carry a rubber stamp, lawyers find By 2008, he and his girlfriend found themselves broke and without a place to stay, so they started crashing in a trailer with a couple who agreed to take them in. But early one morning that January, Mullis took the couple's 8-year-old daughter to a schoolyard and tried to pull her pants down. The girl started crying and Mullis brought her home but decided that he was "screwed" because he'd "stepped over the line," he told the Chronicle. Worried that the girl would tell her parents and he'd would be evicted, on Jan. 29 Mullis drove to Galveston to ponder his predicament with his 3-month-old sleeping in the backseat. But the child started crying, and Mullis wanted him to be quiet. So, first, he molested the boy, then stomped his skull until it gave way. "I make stupid decisions, what can I say," he told the Chronicle. "I did it on impulse and killed him right after." He fled to Pennsylvania but turned himself in to Philadelphia police four days later, offering up a detailed confession. During trial, his attorneys outlined his rough life, describing their client as an "emotional mental health quadriplegic" who was "unable to feel emotions." After he was sent to death row, Mullis waived his direct appeal as well as the later state post-conviction appeal, according to court records. But in federal court, he revived his claims again until recently. He told the Chronicle he didn't like what his lawyers were saying about him and disagreed with their claims regarding his mental health. "I'm 100 percent guilty of my crime nobody contests that," he said. "The fight is over my sentence. I'm accepting of my death sentence. My lawyers are against the death penalty for anyone." His legal team did not respond to a request for comment. **** In some ways, said Robert Dunham of the Death Penalty Information Center, Mullis fits the profile of those most apt to waive their appeals and volunteer for execution. "Almost all the volunteers are white males, they almost all have had horrific upbringings, frequently involving serious sexual abuse," he said. "And for most of them it is more painful for them to see the mitigating evidence presented than it is to terminate the proceedings and be killed." Texas has had more volunteers than any other state, Dunham said, which isn't surprising given the sheer volume of executions in the state. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the most recent volunteer was Barney Fuller, a Houston County man who shot up his neighbors' home with an AR-15 then went inside and shot them both in the head. He was executed in 2016. More commonly, prisoners volunteer at some point in the process and change their minds later. Roughly 146 of more than 1,470 executed prisoners volunteered to die, according to DPIC data. Thirty-one of those were in the Lone Star State. But over the past year, it's not a death case in Texas but one in Nevada which hasn't executed anyone in more than a decade that's garnered attention. ON DEATH ROW: Texas inmates go high-tech in longshot bid for clemency Dozier has repeatedly, in several interviews, voiced his desire for death. The 47-year-old was sentenced to die for the 2002 murder and dismemberment of Jeremiah Miller. But his case has generated national press because of the complications surrounding the state's efforts to kill him. Nevada has struggled to maintain supplies of its death drugs, and earlier this year sparked controversy by proposing an untested lethal injection protocol using the powerful opioid fentanyl. Dozier was set to die earlier this month, but a court called off the date at the last minute after one of the drugmakers filed a lawsuit objecting to its products' use in the procedure. Mullis likely won't face those hurdles, though, as Texas has always managed to procure the drugs it needs for the Huntsville death chamber. Moving forward, Dunham said, he could have a competency hearing to determine that he's legally able to waive appeals. Records show he's been found competent in the past. The condemned killer's latest handwritten filing asks the court to toss previous expert testimony and hold a hearing on competency, but Mullis ends by assuring the court he's serious about his intent to die. "This motion to waive is final and will not be withdrawn under any circumstances," he wrote. "No additional review or consultations with counsel will change this decision to exercise the right to waive appeals." Casey and Nikki Granger thought they hit the rental lottery: a four-bedroom, 1,600-square foot bungalow with a two-car garage in an idyllic suburban neighborhood in League City listed for $1,000 a month. After moving from Oregon to Texas and living with Nikkis father, Lonnie Cannon, a disabled veteran, in a trailer home with no air conditioning for two weeks, simply having a solid roof over their head felt like a dream. STAY SAFE: Sheriff's office offers secure location for online sales transactions The Grangers wired $2,300 two months rent plus application fees to Jeffrey Anderson, the listing agent named on the Craigslist ad to move into the rental on Newport Boulevard in League City. The Grangers never met Anderson, who gave them an access code to enter the home. Several days after moving in, a woman knocked on their door claiming to be the rightful tenant , showing them a 40-page lease as proof. Just like that, the Grangers dream turned into a nightmare. This woman knocks on the door and says, Hi, this is my house. We were like, Whats going on?, Casey said, chuckling and shaking his head in disbelief. The home on Newport Boulevard is owned by a leasing company called Invitation Homes, which has a portfolio of over 80,000 rentals in 17 markets across the country. A representative with Invitation Homes told the Grangers they had been the victims of a scam. Days later, the company informed the couple they would have to vacate the property or they would commence eviction proceedings. The scam artist, Jeffrey Anderson, disappeared with the Grangers money. But he apparently still has access to at least two homes in Invitation Homes portfolio and, as recently as Tuesday, continues to post on Craigslist advertising the home on Newport Boulevard. The Galveston County District Attorney is looking into the Grangers case, but has thus far been left stumped. I havent really seen, at least in my time here, this type of housing fraud happen, said Austin Fletcher, an assistant criminal district attorney in the major fraud division of the Galveston County District Attorneys office. Claire Parker, a spokeswoman for Invitation Homes, asserted in a written statement that the number of misleading listings is very small. We encourage any consumer interested in renting one of our homes to contact us directly via our website at InvitationHomes.com, Parker wrote. With regard to the home on Newport Boulevard, Invitation Homes understands the difficult situation these individuals are in and we have offered them the opportunity to apply to rent the home or to review our website to find another home that might be more affordable for them. The Grangers moved to League City to care for Nikkis father, Lonnie Cannon, a disabled veteran who assembled nuclear weapons in Turkey toward the end of the Cold War in the mid-1980s. Cannon was in a nursing home in League City but was having difficulty sleeping, and wanted to move out. The Grangers moved halfway across the country to Texas in March to help find him a new place to live, eventually moving in with Cannon in a broken-down trailer with no air conditioning. With little income besides Cannons monthly social security disability checks Casey is an independent contractor and Nikki a full-time student, studying to be a medical aide at the College of Health Care Professionals in Houston Casey Granger began scouring Craigslist. The listing under Mr. Jeffrey a man who later identified himself as Jeffrey Anderson with a New York phone number caught their eye. It took a week and a half for him to actually convince me that he was the owner of this property, Granger said. He was a very Christian fellow, he just wanted some good people in the house. Anderson was unavailable to show the Grangers the house in person, instead giving them the access code to enter, and walking them through the house over the phone. Anderson had intimate knowledge of the homes nooks and crannies, from minor blemishes like cracked tiles to major details like the houses floor plan, and added a personal narrative that he married his daughter and son-in-law on the back porch. He knew everything, Cannon said. Anderson called Granger several days later to let him know his rental application was accepted. Man, I almost broke down right then and there, running around the doctor's office screaming, We got a new house, we got a new house! Granger said. On July 8, the day after the couple moved in, a real estate agent came by and opened the door to show the home to a different family. Nikki Granger called Jeffrey Anderson to make sure there was no confusion and that the house was truly theirs. Anderson assured the agent the house had been rented and apologized to the agent for the confusion. Casey Granger then unplugged the system that controlled the lock to the house just in case some other real estate agent tried to barge through the door. One week later, on July 12, a woman tried punching in the code at the house on Newport Boulevard. Casey Granger answered. The visitor showed him a 40-page lease claiming to be the rightful tenant. The Grangers tried reaching Anderson, but he didnt pick up the phone. He got us, he got us, its in a nice neighborhood and everything, Granger said. Got us where it hurt right in our hearts. The Grangers called a representative with Invitation Homes, who told them they had been scammed but could stay in the home on Newport Boulevard if they paid an additional $4,000, an amount far beyond their budget. Invitation Homes also sent a representative to the home who informed them that he could call the sheriffs office and have them evicted immediately. The Grangers pleaded for more time to find a new home. A week later, on July 18, they were sent a letter from Invitation Homes warning them that they had three days to move out or they would be evicted and potentially held liable for rent owed on the lease. (Invitation Homes) has the codes, how did the man thats committing the fraud get the codes to the house? Cannon said. Parker, the company spokeswoman, wrote in an email: Invitation Homes offers self show options and this individual has gotten around the safeguards, which have been successful in ensuring that the codes are properly used. The issues that were exploited in this instance are being addressed. The family filed a report with the League City Police Department and spoke to the Galveston County District Attorneys Office. They also filed reports with the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission. Kelly Williamson, a spokesman for the League City Police Department, said it was unlikely they would be able to find Anderson. Theres just not much investigating you can do because (the fraud) didnt happen in League City as far as where the perpetrators are and theres just no lead to follow, Williamson said. Being a theft, we cant afford to chase down every lead on this type of offense. Austin Fletcher, the fraud investigator with the Galveston District Attorney, was similarly pessimistic. He said that this was the first complaint of this nature that hes seen, but that could also be because other victims havent contacted law enforcement. I havent seen anything like this from Invitation Homes before, Fletcher said. Theyre not somebody thats on my radar at this time. The Grangers are not Andersons only victims. Lisa Hester, 54, had been living in a homeless shelter for two months after her home in League City was flooded during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Hesters only income came from her monthly Social Security disability checks.. Hester, a recent divorcee with diabetes, ran her own business refinishing wood doors until having carpal surgery a year ago. When she went looking on Zillow for a permanent home, she came across a listing for a three-bedroom, 1,684-square-foot house on Mayflower Landing Court in Webster with a fenced-in backyard perfect for her two Great Danes with a $1,000 monthly rent. The man listing the property was named Jeffrey Boglin. Boglins phone number was the same as Andersons, with the New York area code. Hester went to her bank and wired $1,000 to what Boglin told him was his wifes account. She told Boglin that she would need a couple of days to send him the rest of the money as she was waiting for the remainder of her divorce settlement. It was the American freakin Dream, Hester said in a phone interview. He was just a real down-to-earth, Christian-talking, nice kind of guy, really hospitable. Hook, line and sinker. Suspicious that Boglin was not listed on any public records for the home, Hester drove by the house in Webster before wiring him the additional $3,000. She noticed a for lease sign still on the front lawn. Hester used the access code Boglin gave her to enter the home. Hester called the company listed on the sign, Invitation Homes, and asked why the sign was still on the lawn. They informed her she had been scammed. Invitation Homes declined to explain what the company is doing to prevent such scams. We are looking into this situation to better understand how an individual managed to scam unsuspecting victims, Parker wrote in an email. For security reasons, and to help ensure that we dont encourage additional bad actors, we are not able to share details on our processes. Hester knows there is little hope that this Anderson will ever be found You do wrong and karma will get you, it will bite you in the ass, she said. Somehow or another, some way or another, it will come back on you. The Grangers, meanwhile, are pondering legal action. They remain in the house at Newport Boulevard, struggling to come up with the funds to move. They set up a fundraising page on GoFundMe in hopes of raising money to stay in the house or find a new home. This one sideswiped me, said Casey Granger. I have no idea how to counter this. All I know is even if we dont get our money back, this dude has to go down. Somebodys gotta do something about this. nick.powell@chron.com The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo filed a lawsuit against a consulting firm Friday regarding an open-records request connected to a 2017 rape lawsuit. A 24-year-old originally sued the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Los Vaqueros for $10 million in 2017 after she was brutally raped at a Los Vaqueros trail ride event in 2012. The organization was negligent in providing security during the event, she argued. Wayne Dolcefino, a investigative consultant working on behalf of the rape victim, submitted an open-records inquiry asking the rodeo to provide records about its finances, sexual assault and harassment claims, as well as details about the security provided during rodeo events. The rodeo filed a countersuit earlier this month, asking a Harris County judge to determine which records it must produce under the Texas Non-Profit Act. Judge Steven Kirkland of the 334th Civil Court said Friday that he didn't want to conflate the open records claim with the rape suit. If the Rodeo wanted to fight the release of business records, it would need to do so in a separate lawsuit. By Friday evening, the rodeo had filed that new suit. Lawyers described the counterclaim as an attempt to circumvent a judge's ruling requiring it to release records, saying it was "disgusting" and "irresponsible" to sue a rape victim. A previous statement by rodeo officials said that the rodeo isn't an appropriate party for the woman's legal claim, which occurred at an unrelated event. They wanted to shut down the inquiry about their business records, according to the statement. A new statement on Friday repeated those claims, calling the Los Vaqueros trail ride "completely unrelated to any Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo event." "Today's hearing simply involved whether the rodeo's compliance with the law can be determined in this case or in a separate stand-alone case," rodeo officials stated Friday. "The Rodeo has nothing to hide. There are no sexual assault settlements." Dolcefino described the countersuit Friday as an attempt to withhold records. "They like being a charity when they get to brag about what they do, but they don't like the part of charity that says you've got to share your records," he said Friday afternoon. "I'm not going to let them get away with it." A year after Carlos Gonzalez-Barahona, a murder suspect and MS-13 member was placed on Texas' most wanted list, he has still managed to evade arrest. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said Gonzalez-Barahona, 27, is suspected of shooting and killing his former girlfriend at their northwest Houston apartment last June. San Antonio police arrested a Bexar County deputy early Thursday on a charge of drunken driving, according to the sheriffs office. Officers arrested Deputy Libmar Rodriguez on the drunken driving charge around 1 a.m. in the 9400 block of Interstate 10 West, according to police. Rodriguez, 35, was then booked into the Bexar County Jail on the Class B misdemeanor. He has since bonded out. RELATED: 45 arrested on felony DWI charges in June in Bexar County, records show Rodriguez is a detention deputy at the jail and has only been employed since September 2017, according to the sheriff's office. He has been placed on administrative leave pending investigations by the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County Sheriffs Offices Internal Affairs Unit. Sheriff Javier Salazar said he and his command staff are talking to their deputies about drunken driving and off-duty conduct during roll calls, and the subject has also been incorporated into the academy and in-service training. It is unfortunate that there are still personnel who fail to heed numerous warnings and continue to drive while intoxicated, Salazar said. This deputy will be held accountable criminally and administratively. We will continue to work with the Deputy Sheriffs Association on education and prevention efforts. In 2018 alone, more than 10 deputies have been charged with crimes ranging from sexual assault to drunken driving. 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 One of the last two surviving black rhinos that had been translocated from Nairobi and Lake Nakuru National Parks to the Tsavo East National has died bringing the death toll to 10. Tourism CS Najib Balala made the revelation Thursday as he released findings of an inquest into the unprecedented deaths of the endangered black rhinos. In a statement to newsrooms, the CS said he has suspended six officials of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS. He termed the grounds for the suspension as unacceptable professional negligence, adding that disciplinary action would be taken against them as deemed appropriate by the KWS board. The independent inquiry further showed there were areas of clear negligence that occurred post-translocation at the release site in Tsavo, especially in the holding BOMA at the sanctuary, read the statement. These included poor co-ordination and communication among officers that were responsible for pre-translocation studies, including biomass assessments; environmental impact assessments and water quality assessments. The suspended officials are: Dr. Samuel Kasiki (Deputy Director Biodiversity, Research & Monitoring) accused of poor co-ordination between various research line departments and its field and HQ staff, thereby hampering the proper decision making in execution of the exercise. Dr. Francis Gakuya (Head of Veterinary and Capture Services) accused of failing to advise the Director-General to stop the Nakuru rhino translocation and showing total disregard to the welfare of the animals. Dr. Isaac Leekolol (Head of Capture Services) accused of improper care of the animals at the holding BOMA with total disregard of the welfare of the animals. Mr. Felix Mwangangi (Senior Warden Tsavo East) accused of showing total disconnect on the exercise between Tsavo East National Park management and the capture operation team at the sanctuary. Dr. Mohammed Omar (Head of Ecological Monitoring) accused of failing to provide the salinity level monitoring to the translocation planning team. Fredrick Odock Lala (Senior Scientist Tsavo) was responsible for advising and monitoring of all aspects of suitability of the area. Balala further attributed the deaths of the rhinos to water salinity with investigators further noting that the animals had been stressed due to acute dehydration. The animals also suffered from a proliferation of opportunistic bacteria in upper respiratory tract (Pasteurella species), gastric ulcers, and gastritis. The CS said the remaining rhino is being monitored closely after suffering an attack from the lions at the park. Unfortunately, the 11th rhino has been attacked by lions. Yesterday it was treated. So far we are monitoring this 11th rhino. Its a sad situation, he said. Even one rhino is a huge loss. So we are sad and we are disappointed in some of the officers who should have taken responsibility. They didnt take their work seriously. They were casual in their job, Najib Balala told a news conference. Former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile has accused the Jubilee Party of betrayal for failing to fulfill their promise to secure him a job in government. Speaking on Thursday, Ndile hit out at President Uhuru Kenyatta and DP William Ruto and threatened to walk out of the ruling party. He cited betrayal, endless wrangles, and single-handedness. I was promised a job in government once Jubilee captured the second term but now I have been left in the cold. To make matter worse Im more learned than some of the cabinet secretaries who were appointed without toiling for Jubilee, said the politician. The former leader of Tip Tip party claimed Jubilee is now divided into three factions. In Jubilee, we have a faction that supports DP Ruto, the other one is behind President Uhuru and third one is loyal to Mr Odinga, he claimed. I have called each of the 3,000 delegates I took to Kasarani when we attended the launch of Jubilee advising them to disassociate themselves with the ruling party, he added. The vocal politician claimed that the Jubilee Partys national steering committee that was co-chaired by Kiraitu Murungi and Noah Wekesa, of which he is a member, was sidelined immediately after the August 8 elections. The key decisions of the party are now made by two people; Party Secretary Raphael Tuju and Deputy Chairman David Murathe. The rest of us have been kicked out and we have no say, Mr Ndile is quoted by Nation. Like a cocaine-fueled Homeric epic, Colombia's long tragic battle with the drug cartels has produced countless heroes and villains. But one figure cutting across the country's current narco battlefield, a name drawing praise and hate alike, is actually a six-year-old German Shepard you can find trotting through the country's airports. Sombra - "Shadow" in English - is a drug detection dog with the Colombian National Police. Over the last few years, her radar nose has led to more than 200 arrests and the seizure of at least 9 tons of illicit drugs. That success has turned the dog into something of a folk hero in a country consumed by ongoing bloodshed piled on top of a long legacy of drug violence. The Colombian press has even dubbed Sombra "the terror" of drug traffickers. THE DIFFERENCE: MS-13 is a street gang, not a drug cartel But Sombra is so good at her job that Colombia's dominant drug crew is retaliating. They've put a price on the dog's head. According to Colombia's RCN Radio, police intelligence recently learned about the bounty set by the Urabenos, also known as the "Gulf Clan." Reports vary on the price tag for killing the dog, between 20 and 200 million Colombian pesos - or about $7,000 and $70,000 in American currency. But the threat is serious enough for the National Police to take extra precautions for Sombra's security. "The fact they want to hurt Sombra and offer such a high reward for her capture or death shows the impact she's had on their profits," a police spokesperson told the Telegraph. Sombra came to Colombian law enforcement from a kennel in Antioquia, the region of the country that's home to Medellin, the springboard for Colombia's fearsome cartels of the 1980s and 1990s. Outfitted in a neon-yellow vest, the dog is tasked with thrusting her trained snout into luggage and packages in Colombia's ports and airports along the country's Gulf Coast. RCN Radio reports her first major bust was in March 2016, when Sombra nosed her way toward a container of banana boxes that secretly held 2,958 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. The shipment was on its way to Belgium. FEMININE SIDE: Charming, but ruthless females taking over Mexico's cartels In May 2017, Sombra discovered another shipment heading to Belgium containing 1.1 tons of cocaine. Last June she led police to an even larger find - 5.3 tons of cocaine, the BBC reported. Later she discovered 4 more tons secreted in an auto parts shipment. In total, her busts have resulted in 245 arrests, Colonel Carlos Fernando Villareal told RCN Radio. Sombra's efforts for law enforcement have twice earned her the Wilson Quintero medal, an honor awarded for critical contributions to the fight against drug trafficking. Sombra's accomplishments have made her the cuddly face of Colombia's anti-drug effort. She's been featured on local television. In airports, the dog is asked to pose for selfies with admirers. And the narcotics police regularly post about her accomplishments on Twitter. This month, police used Sombra to specifically call out the Urabenos's alleged notorious chief, a former paramilitary guerrilla turned drug trafficker named Dairo Antonio Usuga. In Colombia, he's known as "Otoniel." "[I]n the last three years she's become the torment of 'Otoniel,'" a recent tweet stated. The dog can handle the high profile, her owners have said. "Sombra is a very friendly, calm canine, and for that reason, she has no problem approaching children or people who want to say hello to her," Oscar Favian Solarte, head of the anti-narcotics division, told El Tiempo. "She's playful, and in fact that is part of the development of her job. Not only to look for caches of illicit drugs but also, after her work is done, to de-stress, so to speak." AUTHOR NOTES: Joe Tone talks drug cartels and horses, exclusively on HoustonChronicle.com But all that attention has put Sombra in the Urabenos's crosshairs. Originally a paramilitary outfit, one of the many armed groups trading bullets in Colombia's long national struggle, the Urabenos are now the country's largest criminal organization and control much of the drug trade, according to InSight Crime. Consolidating power by taking on all rivals, the group's power base spreads along Colombia's northwest coast. According to InSight, the group pulls money from various criminal activities, such as extortion, illegal mining, and smuggling. Otoniel remains at large and in control of the vast organization. In response to the bounty on Sombra's life, General Jorge Nieto, head of the national police, has ordered the dog transferred to Bogota's El Dorado International Airport, outside of the Urabenos's territory on the coast. According to the Telegraph, additional officers will now accompany Sombra on her rounds. - - - The Washington Post's Samantha Schmidt contributed to this report. Kenyan vlogger of the week Lisa Gaitho has received some backing from TV personality Janet Mbugua over her controversial views on how women should treat their significant others. Lisa sent Kenyans into a spin recently after advising women to go as far as bathing their partners so that they can to get what they want from men be it financial or material. if it is one, two or three things that I must do to make him happy and make him feel that he needs to reciprocate, guess what I would do that which he wants me to do, and I would do it very, very well. For example, if he wants to take his bath, go and wash him, literally; scrub him, do not let him do anything by himself. Wash him, clean his ears clean his [Do it] like you would to a baby. Dry him, apply body lotion on him, dress him, Lisa said in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel. And as the debate continues on social media circles, former Citizen TV news anchor Janet Mbugua has shared her opinion on the matter. When I was growing up, I would see my mum do acts of service for my dad; and he would, in return, show her love and mutual respect. I wont throw shade at Lisa Gaitho; instead, I partly agree with Lisa, Janet Mbugua said in an Insta-story video yesterday. A lot of what Lisa said in her video, which is submission, pays references to the Bible. Submission is, however, highly misunderstood. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has talked about it. It is, however, skewed when it becomes an issue of doing it and you are mistreated in return, explained Janet. She added: When I was about to get married, I sat with a group of aunties [to seek their advice on what I should expect, do, not do in marriage]. In the beginning, I resisted being submissive. I am, however, glad that I was open to it. What I came to understand is when you love someone, and they love you back, there is a lot of mutual respect. So, if you are the kind of woman who wants to cater to him, and he genuinely loves you back, then that is okay, said Janet Mbugua. She, however, took issue with Lisas assertion that a woman should be submissive in exchange for monetary and materialistic returns. The only part of Lisas video that I had a problem with, was the exchange of services, where a woman does acts of service just to get money. There has to be love in the relationship, stated Mbugua. Janet further termed Gaithos wash your man for money advice as very bad, saying she was sending a wrong message to the Kenyan youth. She noted there are five love languages which guarantee a peaceful and fulfilling relationship. They include acts of service, receiving gifts, physical touch, words of affirmation, and quality time. The manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, and consumption of shisha remains banned, the High court has ruled. Justice Roselyn Aburili, in a ruling on Wednesday, upheld the decision by the Ministry of Health to keep the ban even though the notice was unprocedural. She faulted former Health CS Cleopa Mailu for flouting the procedural rules but declined to quash the notice as sought by shisha businessmen saying the well-being of Kenyans is more important than social and economic gains of the respondents. The ban on shisha though irregular shall remain in force as this court cannot gamble with the health and future of generations of Kenyans, Aburili declared. The judge directed the State to comply with the required regulations within nine months. Aburili further faulted the government for issuing the ban without sensitizing and educating the public on the dangers of consuming shisha. I decline to invalidate the rules but it is the duty of the State to take protective measures without having to wait until negative effects manifest, she stated. There was a statutory obligation by the CS to ensure that within seven days of publication of the notice the regulations were placed before Parliament for approval before implementation, she added. Justice Aburili further claimed that the decision was based on the greater public interest of protecting and enforcing public health from harmful effects and practices associated with its consumption. Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has moved to address a letter circulating online alleging he had registered his own political party, Hustlers Party of Kenya. Through his Director of Communications, Elkana Jacob, the County boss dismissed the letter as fake. Ignore the propaganda and fake news. Governor Mike Sonko is firmly in control of the city and Jubilee Party affairs in Nairobi County, said Elkana. The letter which was marked as urgent claimed Sonko had been granted the go-ahead by the Registrar of Political Parties and that the National Executive Council had convened on July 24 to discuss recruitment. At the same time, the Governor has had to rebuff another piece of fake news after a letter doing rounds on social media alleged he was resigning. This is to state categorically that the said letter is a forgery and has not emanated from me and is a pack of lies and conjecture and clearly orchestrated by a coalition of cartels including politicians, Sonko rebutted. I urge my political nemesis to stop using this archaic tricks and await the coming elections which I will floor them all, Sonko added. Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has challenged President Uhuru Kenyatta not to relent in the ongoing war on corruption. The NASA coprincipal further said that he would give the Head of State a big hug if he(Uhuru) remains relentless in the war on corrupt government officers. If President Uhuru Kenyatta blinks on this fight against corruption, we will have lost it. If he doesnt blink, I will give him a big hug myself, said Kalonzo. The former Vice President also offered to mediate to bring opposition leader Raila Odinga and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula to a round-table. While offering to diffuse the reported widening cracks within NASA, Kalonzo said the exchanges between Wetangula and Odingas camp are signs of healthy democracy in the Coalition. Kalonzo, who was speaking at a conference on mediation themed Mediation for Development at Strathmore University in Nairobi on Thursday, noted that Kenyans are tired of combative politics and are yearning for politics of tolerance. Looking at the papers today, I saw firebrand politics. I think Kenyans are getting tired of that type of politics. We lose the God-given virtue of tolerance by not listening to each other, said Kalonzo. Musyoka also dismissed claims that the Opposition coalition was on its death bed as alleged by Moses Wetangula. I consider myself an important player in the NASA family and I am not aware of the pronounced death of NASA Coalition, he said. The NASA co-principal also urged opposition supporters to ignore headlines that the coalition was on its deathbed. On matters mediation, Musyoka challenged Parliament to legislate laws so as to firmly entrench mediation process into the Constitution. Both the National Assembly and the Senate should take it upon themselves to come up with legislation which is anchored on the very Constitution itself. We are not doing anything out of the rule of law. Washington Researchers and advocates who support school integration had a message on Capitol Hill Thursday: There are several setbacks to creating integrated schools, but new opportunities as well. In a panel discussion on integration here hosted by the National Coalition for School Diversity, they highlighted the downside of what they characterized as the Trump administrations recent U-turn on diversity efforts, court rulings that have undermined local desegregation efforts, as well as what they said was the resegregation of Americas schools . But they also highlighted additional funding for the office for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education, as well as efforts in Congress to remove barriers to integration efforts. Action on Capitol Hill to promote integration includes House and Senate education appropriations bills for fiscal 2019 that for the first time since the 1970s removes language barring federal funding from being used for transportation to create more integrated schools. In addition, Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., plans to introduce legislation after the House August recess that removes a prohibition on using federal education aid for this purpose thats currently part of the federal General Education Provisions Act . The threats that were facing right now ... are not the same threats as the massive resistance of the 1960s. They are shape-shifting, said Damon Hewitt, the executive director of the Executives Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, who moderated the panel. They threaten to erase the dream of [Brown v. Board of Education]. The Obama administration put diversity and integration center stage in education policy debates, especially during the latter stages of Barack Obamas presidency. Then-Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said schools that are diverse and socioeconomically integrated can be education powerhouses . And in late 2016, the Obama administration announced a $12 million grant competition to help schools boost diversity . However, the Trump administration has a very different approach to these issues. It scrapped that $12 million grant program, for example. And more recently, the Trump Education and Justice Departments withdrew Obama-era guidance on racial diversity in education because they said it went beyond what the Constitution requiresadvocates at the panel singled out that move in particular for criticism. Just a Pure Coincidence Cara McClellan, a fellow at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, highlighted a school desegregation effort in Hartford, Conn., that that she said punctures the myth that racially isolated schools exist only in the Deep South. The effort grew out of the Sheff v. ONeill ruling from the state supreme court, and among other things resulted in a network of 40 magnet schools connecting black and white students from different areas of metro Hartford. They bring Hartford and suburban students together in actual integrated classrooms, she said. There are students there who say: Ive never interacted with a black person, or Ive never interacted with a white person, before coming here. McClellan also noted that the magnet system is the subject of a lawsuit because, as she put it, the system doesnt have the capacity to serve all students who apply for it. James Ford, North Carolinas teacher of the year for 2014 and a principal at Filling the Gap education consultants, noted that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district went from being a beacon for school integration thanks to busing efforts in the late 20th century, to the most segregated school district in North Carolina today, citing a study by a nonprofit advocacy group in the state . He honed in on a bill passed by North Carolinas legislature toin practiceallow mostly white communities to create municipal charter schools separate from the local school system . Im sure its just a pure coincidence that this was initiated, Ford joked. And recent history has shown how difficult it can be to integrate schools and school districts, once funding systems become captive to local, wealthy interests, said Zahava Stadler, the director of policy for EdBuild, a school funding research organization. (The groups 2017 report Fractured showcases efforts to create breakaway school districts, and points out that only a handful of states require a study of a proposed districts impact on socioeconomic and racial diversity. ) Those boundaries become a fence, Stadler said of district lines. They fence in resources and they fence out kids. Integration continues to be one of the more controversial topics in the education policy community. Skeptics of the power of integration, for example, say that a wholesale push for the practice ignores school choice and creates a new excuse for the poor performance of many public schools. Recent efforts to integrate selective high schools in New York City have also turned out to be politically explosive. For a look at recent wild swings at federal data on school desegregation, click here. Photo: James Ford, North Carolinas teacher of the year for 2014 and a principal at Filling the Gap education consultants, speaks at a forum on school integration on Capitol Hill Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Andrew Ujifusa/Education Week) Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Andrew Ujifusa half of Politics K-12 @AndrewUjifusa . Emory professor Vanessa Siddle Walkers new book, The Lost Education of Horace Tate, explores the hidden history of African American educators working to end the system of segregated schools. Vanessa Siddle Walkers new book, The Lost Education of Horace Tate, takes the shape of a mystery, fitting for a narrative that features a hidden office, clandestine meetings under the cover of dark and other secrets that add to the history of segregated schooling. We meet the title character in the introduction, when Tate was an aging retired Georgia state senator. Walker, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of African American Studies at Emory College, reached out to him on the advice of colleagues familiar with her acclaimed research on the segregated education system. Tate goes on to talk with Walker for two years about his early role as a teacher and principal, sharing stories of covert travel and meetings with fellow educators, Martin Luther King Jr. and powerful politicians to advance education for black children. After Tate died in 2002, Walker honored his final wish and discovered a hidden attic in his downtown Atlanta office. The secret space was a trove of archival material that backed up Tates tales and revealed the whodunit: teachers organizations, not the NAACP, shaped the events that led to, and came after, the Supreme Courts desegregation ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. We didnt think to consider how Thurgood Marshall knew who would litigate, Walker says. An entire hidden network of black educators committed to being certain that black children had the same educational opportunities white children had were central agents in connecting those local advocates with the national NAACP. It changes everything to realize how important educators were, she adds. They secretly provided the money, the data on inequality and the plaintiffs. Black educational networks were the invisible thread that helped generate the civil rights movement. Rethinking how schools desegregated It is a history that Walker has researched for 25 years. Their Highest Potential, her book examining the learning environment in the classroom of a segregated school and its link to the broader community, garnered Walker the prestigious Grawmeyer Award for Education and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Early Career Award. This spring, she was voted president-elect of the AERA based on her work. Tate lived that history. A graduate of Fort Valley State College and the first black PhD graduate from the University of Kentucky, he began working in the segregated education system as a high school teacher in 1943. He later rose to principal and then head of the black educators society, the Georgia Teachers and Education Association (GTEA). Tates observations as a student driver for Horace Mann Bond, the president of Fort Valley, taught him how to use opponents prejudices and weaknesses to achieve goals. He learned not only how to officially succeed, but also the value in hiding his work to design an ambitious curricula for black students and training program for teachers. That same savvy led him to squirrel away the records of black schools and the black school system of Georgia. Nearly a dozen filing cabinets and stacks of files were hidden for decades in the former GTEA upper-floor offices, until Tate told Walker about his stash. The collection shows how Dr. Tate and black educators created a curriculum that shows America is not living up to its promise of equality, says Walker, who spent 15 years going through the massive collection to piece together how the hidden network functioned. They created a generation of kids who are not mad but have the desire and education to make American better, she explains. Dr. Tates legacy, and that of other educators who were activists, really forces us to rethink how we desegregated and how we fell when those advocacy networks went away. For many working parents, the start of the new school year also comes with the requirement of finding a safe and worthwhile place for their children to spend a few hours after school lets out each day. Fortunately, there are various options around the greater Houston area that will not only ensure your child is watched over, they also will help them build key skills to round out their education. The Afterschool Alliance is a national organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of after-school programs to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality after-school programs regardless of their family's income or their place of residence. It partners with more than 26,000 programs nationwide to give them tools and resources to advocate and improve what they're doing. This includes organizations such as the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, 4H, Campfire, After-School All-Stars, Save the Children and others. According to the Afterschool Alliance, 11.3 million U.S. children currently take care of themselves after the school day ends. School days from 3-6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. "After-school programs are a much better alternative to kids staying home staring at a computer all afternoon," said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. "These programs help kids get out of their comfort zone while learning in academic and nonacademic environments and learning the importance of being on a team, and building social and professional skills to set them up to be successful in the workforce in the future." After-school programs usually vary among ages, Grant said. For high school-age kids, after-school programs can include cooking classes, jobs and internships, as well as other areas such as theater, digital music, coding, computer science and robotics. They also often offer students the opportunity to be mentored in small groups. "The curriculum is getting more sophisticated as these organizations are partnering with institutions such as colleges, libraries and science centers," she said. The YMCA of Greater Houston also offers a variety of after-school care programs that are licensed by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, Child Care Licensing Division. These programs offer students 30 minutes each day to work on their homework with trained YMCA staff members, as well as social time with peers to form lasting friendships that enhance their development, growth and self-confidence. Through the YMCA's programs, school-age kids also have the opportunity to participate in STEAM activities (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), as well as reading, healthy eating and physical activities such as youth sports. The YMCA's after-school programs cover students from kindergarten through sixth grade, Monday through Friday, on regular school days. "These programs give students the opportunity to grow within their community as leaders, while also providing a safe place to learn, have fun and get active," said Tunde Lawal, community executive director, Alief Family YMCA. Other after-school programs in Harris County are available through the Harris County Public Library, which provides children's reading programs, and Houston Independent School District, which provides community learning centers to prepare students for the workforce after graduation, and an after-school achievement program, which serves children ages 5-14 and allows participating schools set their own curricula with input from parents, students, teachers and partners. To learn more about the programs the YMCA of Greater Houston offers, visit www.ymcahouston.org/programs/after-school-care. For more information about the Afterschool Alliance, visit www.afterschoolalliance.org. For Harris County Public Library, visit www.hcpl.net/category/tags/afterschool-programs and for HISD, visit www.houstonisd.org/Page/32720. Will Nguyen, the Houston man who was released last week from detainment in Vietnam, returned to Twitter Friday with a defiant statement on the experience. Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese descent, was beaten by police and detained after participating in a protest in Ho Chi Minh City, where he was on vacation. Days passed before his family knew where he was. It took even longer for him to be charged with the crime of disturbing the public peace. PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (AP) North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a U.S military plane making a rare trip from a U.S. base in South Korea to a coastal city in the North to retrieve the remains. The handover follows through on a promise Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. An Associated Press journalist at Osan Air Base outside of Seoul saw the plane land, and the White House earlier confirmed that a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, North Korea, on its way to Osan. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there Aug. 1. At Osan, U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue United Nations flags. Details of what specifically the U.S. had picked up were unclear, but reports said previously that Pyongyang would return about 55 sets of remains from the 1950-53 Korean War. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearization ahead of their meeting, Trump and Kim's summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. Friday's handover will be followed by a lengthy series of forensic examinations and tests to determine if the remains are human, and whether they are actually American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Officials in North Korea had no immediate comment on the possible return of the remains Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrates as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war." Friday's repatriation could be followed by strengthened North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions with the United States on reaching a declaration to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Ministry also said that the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries' heavily armed border. The remains are expected to be flown to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for scientific testing to identify them. The U.S. military last month said that 100 wooden "temporary transit cases" built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Chad Carroll also said, at the time, that 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a U.S. air base and would be used to send the remains home. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Korea's nuclear program and a previous U.S. claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. The North marked Friday's anniversary with ceremonies at war-related memorials; the capital Pyongyang and other cities were decked out in national flags and bright red banners. For the first time since 2015, Kim Jong Un has announced a general amnesty will be granted for prisoners who have committed crimes against the state. North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Officials have bristled, however, at criticism from the U.S. that it seeks to profit from the repatriations by demanding excessive fees for handling and transporting the remains. Pyongyang has nevertheless expressed its willingness to allow the resumption of joint search missions in the country to retrieve more remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were cancelled by President George W. Bush amid heightening tensions over the North's nuclear program in 2005. Post Kim-Trump summit talks between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean officials got off to a rocky start earlier this month, with the North accusing the Americans of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization. The North also said U.S. officials came up with various "conditions and excuses" to backtrack on the issue of formally ending the war. "The adoption of the declaration on the termination of war is the first and foremost process in the light of ending the extreme hostility and establishing new relations between the DPRK and the U.S.," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Peace can come only after the declaration of the termination of war." Pompeo said Wednesday that a great deal of work remains ahead of a North Korea denuclearization deal, but he dodged requests to identify a specific denuclearization timeline in testimony to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Experts say a declaration to officially end the war, which could also involve Seoul and Beijing, would make it easier for Pyongyang to direct the discussions with Washington toward a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition, security assurance and economic benefits. Some analysts believe that North Korea would eventually demand that the United States withdraw or dramatically reduce the 28,500 troops it keeps in South Korea as a deterrent. Washington has maintained Pyongyang wouldn't get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts on whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish his nukes, which he may see as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could offer. ___ Kim reported from Seoul and Baldor from Washington. AP journalists Eric Talmadge in Pyongyang, North Korea, Kim Yong-ho in Pyeongtaek and Foster Klug in Seoul contributed to this report. A large Texas police officers' advocacy and political lobbying group has chosen a side in the fight between incumbent governor Greg Abbott and challenger Lupe Valdez. Despite Valdez's extensive history in law enforcement as a longtime Dallas County sheriff, the group is endorsing Abbott. The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) made the endorsement announcement Friday morning in a press conference with Abbott. The group represents 23,000 members across the state. SHOW US THE MONEY: Texas candidates taking the most PAC money "The governor and I aren't always going to agree. We agreed we're not always going to agree," CLEAT President Todd Harrison said during the announcement. "He will at least listen to the concerns of my members from across the state of Texas on decisions that affect our members." Charley Wilkison, CLEAT's executive director and political expert, pointed out a few of Abbott's initiatives that the group appreciated such as making the killing of a police officer a hate crime and educating teens on what to expect and how to respond during a traffic stop. "Job No. 1 in Texas is keeping its citizens safe," Abbott said when accepting the endorsement. "I want to thank the men and women of CLEAT for what they do every single day: going into the face of danger, risking their lives to keep Texans safe." Abbott added his goal is to also make Texas safer for police officers, citing the number of officers lost in the line of duty. In a written statement addressing the CLEAT endorsement, Valdez criticized Abbott for saying no to "red flag" laws which temporarily restrict access to firearms to those who show they may be a danger to themselves or others. She also criticized Abbott for imposing "show-me-your-papers-laws" on agencies across Texas, a move she claims compromises the mission of public safety. "With over 40 years protecting Texans, as Governor, I will fight for the brave men and women in uniform across this state, so that they can focus on preventing crime and protecting the public they've sworn to serve," she wrote. Francisca Ortega covers Texas news, politics and pop culture. Read her on our breaking news site and on our subscriber site. | francisca.ortega@chron.com | @quefrankie Editor's note: A previous version of this article indicated CLEAT is Texas' largest police association. That designation is in dispute as Texas Municipal Police Association now claims 27,000 members. TMPA also endorses Greg Abbott for governor of Texas. AUSTIN Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a TV interview that he would be happy to debate anybody on the issues as he seeks re-election this fall, but he is now backing off that offer by refusing to debate Democrat Justin Nelson as voters decide who to hire as the state's top lawyer. Paxton instead will communicate directly with the voters, his campaign spokesman, Matt Welch, wrote in an emailed statement Thursday in rejecting Nelsons invitation to debate. Posted by Mark Williams | July 27, 2018 By Richard Truesdell Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne died Wednesday at age 66 due to complications following surgery. The hard-driving executive is credited with saving both Fiat and Chrysler. "Sergio Marchionne, man and friend, is gone," FCA Chairman John Elkann said in a statement. "My family and I will be forever grateful for what he has done." FCA shocked the auto industry July 21 when it announced that Mike Manley, head of Jeep and Ram, would take the FCA helm due to Marchionne's unexpected illness. In 2004 the charismatic Marchionne took the reins of a virtually bankrupt Fiat, an Italian automaker that had gone through five CEOs during the preceding two years, and returned the company to profitability, mostly on the back of an incredible work ethic involving frequently working 18 hours a day, 365 days a year. Born in 1952 in Chieti on Italy's east coast, Marchionne was raised near Toronto. He earned accounting and law degrees. Since his death, the world's financial press has been covering the highlights of his career. Here are the bullet points: June 2004 Marchionne is appointed CEO of Fiat, moving from a post as CEO of goods inspection with SGS SA, a Swiss company that provides inspection, verification and certification services. With zero auto industry experience, he pledges to complete a turnaround plan initiated by his predecessor to end years of losses and soon announces plans to make Fiat more efficient. This brings him into immediate conflict with Italy's powerful industrial unions. February 2005 In what may have been the masterstroke in his effort to rescue Fiat, Marchionne extracts $2 billion from GM to end a dispute over ownership of their Fiat Auto joint venture and announces plans to terminate other alliances with the U.S. carmaker. To do so, Marchionne enforced a put option that required GM to take control of Fiat or pay a breakup fee. Variations of the small common components and systems platform co-developed with Opel during the joint venture are still used to underpin Jeep and Fiat models including the Jeep Renegade, Jeep Compass, Ram ProMaster City, Fiat 500L and Fiat 500X. June 2009 With both GM and Chrysler in bankruptcy, the Obama administration crafts a plan for Fiat to take over management of Chrysler assets by taking operational control, granting it a 20 percent stake in the company with the rest held by the U.S. and Canadian governments along with the United Auto Workers. Marchionne pledges to reopen factories idled during Chrysler's bankruptcy. Marchionne commits no cash, instead pledging to share engineering resources and technology with the struggling U.S.-based company. August 2010 The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee launches, the first vehicle from the Chrysler family of brands (Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep) to be launched under Fiat management. Co-developed with Mercedes-Benz during the DaimlerChrysler era, it has become a runaway success. Ram Truck is born. January 2011 Fiat spins off its industrial assets as a precursor to creating a global automotive company, combining its own operations with Chrysler's. February 2011 At a J.D. Power automotive conference in the U.S., Marchionne rebuffs an attempt by Volkswagen's Ferdinand Piech to buy Alfa Romeo from Fiat, saying, "As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. Piech will never have Alfa Romeo. It's hands off, I told him. I will call him, and I will email him." January-February 2014 Fiat completes the acquisition of the remaining 41.5 percent of Chrysler from the UAW, making Chrysler Group a wholly owned subsidiary. On Feb. 2, 2014, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "FCAU." Fiat spends $4.9 billion to acquire Chrysler while assuming the automaker's $5.5 billion pension liability. October 2014 The merged Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, legally incorporated in the Netherlands, makes its debut on the NYSE. Shortly afterward, the company announces a spinoff of luxury brand Ferrari. Spring 2015 Marchionne writes a presentation, "Confessions of a Capital Junkie," bemoaning the fact that the auto industry requires immense capital investment disproportionate to the potential gain for shareholders and concludes that such investment is unsustainable in the long-term. October 2015 Ferrari NV, with Marchionne as chairman, begins trading in New York with a market value of about $10 billion. That success comes after GM rebuffs attempts by Marchionne to instigate a merger that would create the world's largest automaker. Some analysts believed that Marchionne exercising the $2 billion put option in 2005 may have led to GM turning down the offer. Others believed that there was too much product overlap, especially in the light truck sector, for the merger to be viable. April 2017 Marchionne puts major merger attempts on hold to focus on cutting debt at FCA. June 2018 Marchionne unveils his final five-year plan for FCA, aimed at doubling profits and restoring dividends for the first time since the 2014 merger. The company also plans to invest $11 billion electrifying its fleet through 2022. Marchionne also announced that FCA's industrial debt had been retired, that it was debt-free, again confounding critics who said such a move was impossible. Marchionne's Legacy While the tributes have poured in from both sides of the Atlantic, Marchionne was not without his detractors. Many include former Fiat and Chrysler executives who described him, off record, as an unrelenting task master with a reputation for being a workaholic who pushed his subordinates to work as hard as he did. But his record of success, especially with regard to creating value for shareholders at Fiat, Chrysler and FCA, is unparalleled. From 2004 when he arrived at Fiat until to 2018 when his failing health ended his reign as CEO of FCA, Marchionne reportedly increased shareholder value by a factor 10, the bottom-line measurement of any corporate executive. On a personal note, during more than 20 years of covering the auto industry, I had a single one-on-one conversation with Marchionne on the afternoon of the first press day at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. I found him standing alone at the Jeep exhibit, no media handlers or body guards to be seen. I introduced myself and we had an almost surreal conversation about my classic Jeep Super Wagoneer and the Grand Cherokee that had just been revealed at the show. It was the first Chrysler vehicle introduced under Fiat ownership and it has been a profit powerhouse for FCA since then. Of the Grand Cherokee he said, "The kids did a great job." Now those kids, led by new FCA CEO Mike Manley, are on the spot to deliver on the Marchionne's legacy. You will hear the cliche that Manley has huge shoes to fill. That might be correct, but something tells me Manley and his team will be up to the task. Want to know more about what made Marchionne unique among corporate executives? Watch this March 2012 "60 Minutes" interview. Manufacturer images 08:55 A joint statement from the ministry of road transport and highways and the All India Motor Transport Congress said, "The agitation by the AIMTC stands withdrawn immediately." The decision to end the stir was taken after a marathon meeting of transporters and senior Road Transport and Highways Ministry officials today. The truckers' body, that claims support of 93 lakh truckers across the country, had gone on an indefinite strike on July 20 to press for their demands such as reduction in diesel prices, low third-party insurance premiums, and a favourable toll collection system. Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "The AIMTC has called off its strike on the appeal of the government. The government is sensitive towards the demands of the transporters. It has agreed to their many demands already and to consider the rest it has constituted a high-level committee." The committee will be set up under the road transport, highways secretary and it will submit its report within three months. It has been agreed that the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India will discuss on Saturday the demand to review the premium for third-party insurance for heavy vehicles, the statement said. "With regard to toll collections, government agrees to put in place, within six months, a mechanism to ensure seamless movement of transport vehicles across the toll plaza with the help of technology," the statement said. Industries such as e-commerce, FMCG and automobile makers had faced the heat of the protest as also supplies of farm commodities like cotton, grains and spices took a hit. Industry body Assocham said the strike caused direct and indirect estimated loss of more than Rs 50,000 crore to the economy, with micro, small and medium enterprises being the worst affected. Transporters have called off their eight-day long strike after the government agreed to consider their demands, bringing relief to the industry mainly FMCG, ecommerce and auto players who were hit by the disruption in supplies. Name: James Rutt Company: Dana Foundation Job title: CIO Time in current role: 7 years Location: New York City As CIO at the Dana Foundation, Mr. Rutt's responsibilities include providing strategic planning for information and technology management and overseeing all back-office technology operations necessary to support the Foundation. He frequently speaks on the topics of corporate cybersecurity strategy and risk management, and also advises early stage technology companies on their sales strategy to the financial and healthcare sector. He is a board director of Technology Affinity Group (TAG), a founding advisory board member of BWG Strategy LLC, a Work-Bench Venture Capital Mentor/Advisor and is a member of Society for Information Management, Cloud Security Alliance, and CIO4Good, among other leadership organizations. Here he shares his advice for future tech leaders, pioneering cloud adoption and the importance of finding good security team members. What was your first job? I started out as an inside sales rep at a small import company called Emerem Trading in Edgewater, N.J. I made the move into IT after 6 years there, taking the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) course nights and weekends until I passed all the exams. My first job in IT was as a help desk analyst at a reseller called Alphanet Solutions in Cedar Knolls, N.J. Did you always want to work in IT? No, I originally wanted to be an actuary. What really precipitated my move into IT was the release of Windows 95 along with the mainstream use of the internet. I came to the realization that technology would become embraced, rather than relegated to the basement, with newer tools such as these. Tell us about your career path. After 6 years in marketing and sales, I took courses to attain the MCSE certification from Microsoft in 1997. Starting as a help desk analyst that same year, I took a succession of positions from system engineer to assistant director to director to assistant vice president and finally to my current role as CIO at Dana Foundation. What business or technology initiatives will be most significant in driving IT investments in your organization in the coming year? Cybersecurity, particularly when trying to enforce governance and risk management in software development lifecycles, in order to protect our investments in every part of the software value chain. Our shift from waterfall-based development to a more agile, DevOps-based value chain was greatly enabled by the adoption of security tools such as CYBRIC. Other initiatives we are focusing on include practical uses of AI [artificial intelligence], along with various data initiatives. By sharing Cisco's own IT experience, Cisco on Cisco can help customers and partners use technology to achieve business outcomes. Get an inside look at the inner workings of Cisco IT. Learn how we help organizations transform through technology. The passing this week of Jonathan Gold, Los Angeless Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic, reminded us of why we have lived in Southern California for more than four decades. When we arrived in L.A. in the 1970sfrom New York and Montreal, respectivelythe city was known largely for glitter and celebrities but little else. The food scene wasnt much to write home about, though it was better than the awful cuisine in most of the country. A newcomer was likely to be introduced to Tommys Burgers, or perhaps a local taco joint with a menu that hadnt changed in decades. Fine dining was largely of the stargazing varietyPerinos, Chasens, Musso and Frankwhich meant generally so-so food but a bettors chance to spot a celebrity. Jonathan Gold helped to change all that. He was from L.A., and he embraced his inner Angeleno while driving through this vast region in his old truck. He was no aesthete in the model of the New York Timess Craig Claiborne, who favored fancy restaurants serving small portions. Gold embraced L.A. in its vastness, and if there was too much food on the plateas long as it was good, hell, why not? Yet Gold was also a discerning critic of haute cuisine. We eventually found many of our favorite splurge restaurantsProvidence, the now-closed Campanile, and Angelini Osteriathrough his reviews in either the LA Weekly or the Los Angeles Times, in his book Counter Intelligence, or on KCRWs Good Food program. These restaurants also reflected L.A.s growing sophistication as a cultural center. The big difference for Gold was that the food, not the movements of the in crowd, assumed the leading role. Gold made his greatest finds not in Beverly Hillsthough he appreciated Nate and Al s , considering it near the top of the deli hierarchyor on the Sunset Strip, but through his explorations into the long-neglected culinary riches of the not-so-fancy L.A. He found his muse not in dashing restauranteurs backed by big investors but among small, largely ethnic entrepreneurs who, at least initially, made their living feeding their own compatriots. Perhaps his sympathy for these self-starters meant that he didnt write many negative reviews. Why write about a trek out to Reseda (in west San Fernando Valley) to sample a bad taco or tasteless dumpling? Golds knowledge came from trying many places and choosing the best among them. It seemed that he had tried every taco, Thai, and Chinese joint around in search of the perfect barbacoa, noodle, or dumpling. Then hed tell us all about it in prose that was as much about place as about food. He made the vastness of Los Angeles not just comprehensible, but wonderful. Gold captured not only a food movement but also a demographic wave. Until the 1960s, greater Los Angeles was an immigration afterthought, a largely white city with marginalized Latino and African-American enclaves. The food reflected the palate of the Midwest, a condition that still prevails in some areas, including near our home in northeastern Orange County. As immigration laws changed, Southern California emerged as a destination, much like New York earlier in the century, for a dazzling array of newcomers. They came from Mexico and Central America, and from the Middle East and Asia. In 1960, Los Angeles County was 80 percent white; in 2014, Caucasians made up barely 30 percent of the population, while Latinos rose to nearly half, and Asians made up nearly 15 percent. This influx turned L.A. into a gourmands dream. Gold guided us to restaurants mainly frequented by the natives of their local countries, many located in unglamorous parts of the city, from the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys to gritty streets like Pico Boulevard, on which Gold took it upon himself to visit every restaurant at least once. Most of our favorite places to eat are places that Gold discovered for us. They include Guelaguetza, an Oaxacan restaurant as far removed from conventional mass-market Mexican food as Burger King is from a Parisian steak tartare with frites. Other favorites include Jitlada, a spicy Southern Thai-oriented place in a rundown part of Hollywood that we love to take our New York relatives to experience. More often, when we lived in the Valley, we visited other Gold discoveries such as our go-to takeout joints, Sri Siam in North Hollywood and Dos Arbolitos in North Hills. But perhaps nothing attracted us, and Gold, more than the Asian food mecca known as the San Gabriel Valley, in the citys eastern suburbs. Formerly a largely Taiwanese bastion known as little Taipei, the area now has an Asian-American population larger than those in Los Angeles proper, San Francisco, and Chicago, and it tops the Asian-American populations of 42 states. It offers a staggering array of diverse tastes. Youll find the best noodle houses and dim sum joints, as well as high-end seafood restaurants. When we moved to Orange County three years ago, what we missed most was Golds L.A., that eclectic jumble of strip malls, ethnic enclaves, markets, and restaurants of every description. Many Orange County eateries, as is common in newer areas, have all the originality of scripted sitcoms. Yet Gold helped us even here. Unlike some Angeleno sophisticates, Gold went where his truck and his nose took him. He was the journalistic equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright, who wrote that after all is said and done, hethe citizenis really the city. The city is going wherever he goes. Orange County has also become a magnet for immigrants, many seeking single-family homes, better schools, and less-congested freeways. In fact, immigration in Southern California is basically stagnant in the old L.A. core but rising quickly in the outer suburbs. In 1960, Orange County was 90 percent white, but today its less than 50 percent. The Latino population has grown to more than 30 percent, while Asians now make up almost 20 percent of the population. Gold gathered the culinary fruits of remarkable diversity in this once-homogeneous suburb. He spotted the few good European restaurants, like Marche Moderne, but had a particularly keen eye for ethnic-driven successes like Taco Maria, an innovative Mexican-influenced spot in Costa Mesa that ranked in his top ten Southern California eateries. But Gold glittered most in the obscure places. He was our guide to the great Vietnamese stripsBolsa, Westminster, and Magnolia brimming with endless pho and hip Asian joints. There are some slightly more elegant restaurants, like Brodard Chateau, a magnet for fine Vietnamese food. One of the more recent discoveries, now a personal favorite, is Irenia, a Filipino eatery in Santa Ana. Heres Gold describing its charms: Dilis (small salty fish) is a powerful food, both metaphorically and in its unmistakable pungency, which can water your eyes from across the room. It is by no means a raritydilis is among the most common Filipino snacksbut it takes on a special resonance in this Santa Ana dining room, even when you give up and dump them all onto a bowl of rice. Irenia is a modern restaurant, part of the new Filipino food movement flashing through Southern California, but I suspect that the kitchen cares as much about feeding the appetites of its grandmothers and uncles as it does about making the scene. It is not an accident that Irenia is named for the chefs grandmother. Like all the places Gold discovered across Los Angeles, Irenia epitomizes the regions spirit of enterprise, social mobility, and innovation. In the face of regulatory burdens, high taxes, and real estate costs, the people who run these places represent Southern Californias chances for retaining an entrepreneurial ethos. We hope that others, including those determined to rein in our often-unsightly sprawl, will recognize that expansiveness is key to Southern Californias unique energy. If they do, they will be following in the footsteps of Jonathan Gold, who discovered it first and had a great time getting there. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images The last time I wrote about the French political philosopher Pierre Manent for City Journal, I explored his theological-political reflection in light of the publication of his 2015 book Situation de la France, which appeared a year later in English as Beyond Radical Secularism. In this study, Manent expresses reservations about militant secularism, affirms the Christian mark of France and other European nations, and sympathetically treats the contribution Jews have made to European civilization. Manent makes the challenging argument that the successful absorption of French and European Muslims depends on European democracy maintaining its civilizational soul. Muslims must not enter an empty spacea wastelandwhere they would be free to affirm the umma instead of becoming loyal citizens of the countries in which they now live. Further, Manent reflects on political action and the common good, contending that the human good is not unsupported, and that we do not live in a merely arbitrary world; political action, he maintains, should be guided and informed by the old cardinal virtues: courage, prudence, temperance, and justice. Manent published another book this March, La loi naturelle et les droits de lhomme, which deepens the considerations of Beyond Radical Secularism and challenges the humanitarian civil religion that has dominated European intellectual circles since at least May 1968. The new book has occasioned lively discussions in France and will appear in English in the next 18 months or so from University of Notre Dame Press. In six chapters developed from the prestigious Etienne Gilson lectures at the Institut Catholique de Paris, Manent reflects on the steady displacement of the natural law by the modern conception of human rights. He questions the widely shared notion of human rights that radically separates them, legitimate as they are in their own sphere, from the ends of human freedom. Manent rejects the fiction of human autonomya groundless freedom, without reasons or purposes, to make our way in the world. Nor is he a partisan of heteronomy, where acting human beings take their direction from the will of others. Such categories are far too abstract; they tell us nothing about the rules inherent in human action itself. Those rules become clear as we act conscientiously in the world, trying to do justice to the sense of right and wrong that defines us as human. Starting from moral and political philosophy, from an eminently practical world, and not from theology or metaphysics, Manent sets out to recover natural law as the key instrument vivifying free will, human choice, and moral and political action. Manents profoundly countercultural enterprise invites us to bring moral and intellectual clarity into our reflections on the rights and obligations of human beings. His book deserves the widest readership. La loi naturelle et les droits de lhomme confronts the prejudices, or dogmas, of those who have repudiated the classical and (especially) Christian notion of liberty under law. Manent denies that we can generate obligations from a condition of what Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau call the state of nature, where human beings are absolutely free, with no obligations to others. Manents book is an exercise in defending liberty under law, in both the Christian and the political senses of the term. In his view, our ever-more imperial affirmation of human rights needs to be reintegrated into what he calls an archic understanding of human and political existence, where law and obligation are inherent in liberty and meaningful human action. The human world is not constituted by moral anarchy; rules and purposeshence the word archic, or ruleare written into the structure of human action and the natural order of things. As Manent argues over the course of the book, human nature and the full range of human motives provide a reliable standard for how we ought to live. Relativism is not the final word about the human condition. Otherwise, we are bound to act thoughtlessly, in an increasingly arbitrary or willful manner. Yet Manents book is in no way an illiberal assault on modern liberty, as a few critics in France have alleged. His practical project in no way entails a reactionary attack on the liberal order. Rather, it is practical in a more fundamental sense. He aims to restore the grammar of moral and political action, and thus the possibility of an authentically political liberalism. In the opening chapter, The Issue of Natural Law, Manent highlights the incoherence of a rights project that combines apolitical universalism and a thoughtless cultural relativism. Commentators such as Olivier Roy condemn, for instance, Christian opposition to LGBT rights but welcome, in the name of cultural tolerance, a far more vociferous opposition to them from European Muslims. The West is always judged severely, in this way of thinking, while the Other gets a free pass. As Manent demonstrates, politically and juridically imposed same-sex marriage was not a modest change in the law to make marriage more inclusive but a systematic assault on the idea of a normative human nature. Marriagethe crucial institution of the human world organized according to natural lawno longer acknowledges the complementarity of the sexes or the natural foundations of family life. Transgenderism continues this attack on the very idea of human nature and an authoritative natural moral law, Manent says. Our freedom becomes increasingly arbitrary and radically subjective. And the family as family loses its perennial meaning. There are bound to be disastrous social and cultural consequences from this attempt to flee our nature. Manents latest work is above all an effort to reactivate the perspective of the citizen or religious believer who truly acts in the human world. In the second chapter, The Counsels of Fear, Manent challenges a widely held belief that Machiavelli and other early modern political philosophers liberated a salutary practical perspective against the one-sidedly contemplative emphases of classical and Christian thought. This is to turn everything upside down, Manent believes. It was the classics and the Christians who defended reflective choice and free will, the preconditions of all meaningful action. By contrast, Machiavelli, writing at the dawn of modernity, substituted a theoretical perspective on action that eclipsed the agents point of view. The rationale for this assault on practical action shows up most revealingly in chapters 15 and 18 of Machiavellis The Prince. Machiavelli could not abide the gap between what men do and what they ought to do. This distinction, so central to practical action and reflective choice, becomes, for Machiavelli, an unbridgeable chasm that confuses and enervates human beings. The chasm, he contended, must be closed once and for all. Machiavelli counsels subduing fortuna, but he has no place for reflective choice or moral prudencethe crown of the virtues, according to Aristotle. Machiavelli succumbs to, and instills in his readers, an excessive desire for clarity, Manent writes, a desire that ends up denying that true action is always and everywhere subordinate to law. Machiavellis evocative rhetoric and audacious theorizing helped decisively to undermine the gap between what men do and what they ought to do, which is the horizon and precondition of all reasonable choice. In his assault on imaginary principalities (such as the perennial notion of natural law) in chapter 15 of the Prince, he frees virtuosos of action, daring revolutionaries of a new type, from adherence to the natural law. Necessity, a willingness to move back and forth between good and evil with an exhilarating alacrity, and immoral daring, become the trademarks of those freed from the constraints of the moral law. They feign respect for that lawsee chapter 18 of the Princebut have no real place for it in their souls. It is in this context, Manent observes, that Machiavelli sets out to efface or eradicate conscience. By conscience, Manent does not mean its pale modern substitute: subjective arbitrariness or personal whim. He has in mind that firm interior guide, unearthed in a Christian context, which allowed acting man to discern between good and evil, better and worse, in the context of moral and political action. Conscience, however imperfectly, allows us to see our actions as a just God sees them (a better standard than even Adam Smiths impartial spectator.). By repudiating Christian conscience, by deciding to bury it once and for all, Machiavelli gave birth to a wholly abstract perspective on moral and political life. A new conception of human freedom, ever-tethered to necessity, would expel conscience and practical reason from human and political life. But Machiavellis realism is finally unrealistic in that it ignores the deliberations of citizens and statesman, of those responsible for acting thoughtfully in the world. It is a faux realism that willfully redefines reality. Of course, Machiavellian realism has never achieved a complete victory, since human nature persists against all efforts to redefine it. Machiavellian modernity nevertheless finds powerful reinforcement in the Protestant Reformations paradoxical undermining of liberty under law. For Martin Luther, there was no free will; salvation owes everything to grace. For the acting Christian, the pre-Reformation Christian, who takes his bearings from conscience and the natural law, there is no certitude about salvation, though good works show human freedom, aided by grace, responding to the call of the law; there is no possibility of escaping the tensions between what we are (imperfect sinners) and what we ought to do and become. The nature of the human cannot be perfected in this world, on this understanding, but human beings and Christians remain obliged to measure themselves by the demanding, but humanizing, obligations of the divine and natural law. The acting Christian does his best to live virtuously in light of the cardinal and theological virtues. He even judges himself, however humbly, by the eschatological demands of holiness or sanctity. Manent is a partisan of this acting Christian, who remains subject to natural law and the requirements of conscience and who does not appeal to a Christian liberty contemptuous of natural law. The Christian agent, the acting Christian, says no to any freedom, at once Machiavellian and Reformed, that denies the intrinsicand enduringbonds between liberty and law. We can no more be virtuosos of faith than virtuosos of action. We all live between the demands of the is and the ought, a situation that should encourage serious action and not lead to despair about the human condition or the Christian condition (which forever remains beholden to the requirements of divine and natural law). Against Machiavelli and Luther, Manent defends the sempiternal requirements of liberty under law. A scholar following in Manents footsteps might feel compelled to develop his suggestive argument that Aristotelian reflective choice (the deliberation and prudence of Books 3 and 6 of the Nicomachean Ethics) vitally depends on conscience. Reflective choice, and the moral conscience unearthed in a Christian context, are the twin pillars of a practical philosophy that respects the archic character of human freedom. Human freedom, that is, can never be truly groundless. True freedom is never arbitrary, never simply willful. Action is always accompanied by rules, by ends, purposes, and finalities, which provide guidance for the exercise of human choice. Without natural law (which does not for Manent depend on an excessively metaphysical scaffolding), choice is utterly arbitrary and self-destructive, an example of the will willing itself. The central chapters of La loi naturelle et les droits de lhomme address the curious relationship between the modern state of Machiavellian and, later, Hobbesian origin (which protects ever-expanding rights but ignores the reasons at the heart of political disputation) and modern mans singular inability either to command or to obey, in the fulsome sense of those words. Manent provocatively advances the claim that the empire of the modern state, representative or not, has witnessed a growing erosion of human action. The state undermines authentic statesmanship and citizenship, legitimate authority (which is never simply willful or authoritarian), and obedience to a political community that governs wisely and well. This paralysis of command and obedience is rooted in the irreparable error of modern natural right, which is to think that one can produce command from a condition of non-commandfrom that illusion that is interchangeably called natural liberty or the state of nature. Manents resort to the classical language of command and obedience might be misunderstood by a certain kind of contemporary reader. He is not appealing, however, to a rigidly hierarchical conception of social and political reality. Manent remains faithful to the give and take, the debate, deliberation, and civic reciprocity, which are integral to free politics. Moreover, as he makes clear in chapter 4, while there is not a human condition without command, the practical world, the world of reflective choice and deliberation, is never essentially delivered to the arbitrary command of men and gods. Acting man, Manent observes, is not able to engage action without entering in some measure in the reasons for it. Arbitrary command is thus a contradiction in terms. Once again, we live in an archic worldone interwoven with rules and purposes intrinsic to thoughtful action. Law, both positive and natural, is inseparable from our liberty. Manent does not seek to bury human rights and the regime of modern liberty, as a superficial reading of this book might suggest. He writes, here and elsewhere, with some admiration for the ability of early modern republics to give rise to common action, to a prodigious redefinition of the common, or the commonweal. As Manent had already argued in Metamorphoses of the City, for a time, modernity unleashed a remarkable energy and put forward new and impressive visions of republican civic life. But sometime in the 1960s, we reached a point of inflection, where the endless extension of rights began to rob essential institutions of their meaning and substance. In Western Europe, the Catholic Church, the liberal university, and the self-governing nation had to confront a radical contestation of their legitimacy and their inner meaning. Not only were rules relaxed, but the very telos of authoritative institutions was denied in favor of the radical autonomy of the individual, more and more disconnected from the political, social, and moral contents of human individuality. Manent objects not to rights, which are integral to free government and human dignity, but to the unlimited sovereignty of the individual, which makes authentic thought and action impossible. Manent gives a telling example in the French context. When French judges rejected the principle of selection for admittance to French universities, they tended to deprive of its meaning and substance one of the most useful and noble institutions of the modern period, the liberal university. An indiscriminate conception of rights can undermine, or even destroy, the institutions to which well-intentioned people want to give everyone access. Indiscriminate egalitarianism fuels a conception of human rights that loses the capacity to make common-sense distinctions or to respect the integrity of institutions, from the churches to the polity itself. Today, churchmen and activists alike defend the right of any human being to become a citizen of any country that that person chooses. Through a failure to interrogate itself about its own political and cultural preconditions, the regime of indiscriminate rights ceases to support a meaningful political common good. It depoliticizes democracy and begins actively to war on the ends and purposes that inform a freedom worthy of the name. Manent does not hide the fact that theoretical liberalismthe liberalism of Hobbes, Spinoza, and Bayleresolutely opposed both the Greek conception of reflective choice and the Christian notions of free will and conscience. Modern materialism and determinism cannot support the common action and moral responsibility that are necessary foundations of human liberty, even under modern circumstances. A true liberalism needs reflective choice, a commonsense affirmation of free will, and a non-subjectivist notion of conscience to defend the dignity of acting man and to establish the space and preconditions of politics, understood as a realm of thoughtfuland commonaction. Manents project is bolder than it might at first seem: it aims to rejuvenate the political resources of liberalism and to show that a conception of human rights that repudiates natural law cannot even begin to inform reasonable choice and common action of a republican character. Aristotelian reflective choice, and Christian free will and conscience, whatever the tensions between themare precious resources for rejuvenating Western and European liberty. Thomas Hobbes constructed the edifice of the liberal state and society on the fear of violent death. But as Manent rightly observes in chapter 5 (The Individual and the Agent), there is something terribly debilitating about treating death as an extrinsic accident, with an overweening place in our awareness. For the acting man and the acting Christian, death cannot be the central concern of human existence. All men fear death, and we should not exaggerate the courage of most in this regard. But the acting man, though he has a great fear of death, Manent explains, does not do everything and anything to avoid it. He is concerned above all with doing the right thing, with seeking the right action and respecting the rules and priorities (the natural law) inherent in a serious human life. We are sometimes commanded, not by arbitrary authority, but by the authority of what is right and good, to put ourselves at some mortal risk. Self-preservation can never be the great desideratum for a human being guided by reflective choice and a conscience that honors truth and virtue. Manent exposes the growing toleration of the liberal state for taking the lives of the sick and the infirm. Treating death as an extrinsic accident leads some to claim, paradoxically, that they can make authoritative judgments on the subjective state of a sick or infirm person. The old and always authoritative veritythou shall not killis thrown to the wind by the same people who treat the death penalty as an abomination. Modern liberty, in its most extreme theoretical articulations and applications, has replaced liberty under law with a one-sided preoccupation with death as the summum malum. Innocents at the same time get put to death in the name of curbing human suffering or respecting unlimited individual autonomy. In either case, respect for the moral law is lost. Manent is not the first thinker to show that modern man has an unbalanced approach to death. But more than any other writer I know, he shows that the inability to place death in a truly human context is linked to the modern repudiation of conscience and natural law. Manents book concludes with an account of Natural Law and Human Motives, a chapter that has already appeared in English in Modern Age. Building on Aristotle, Manent shows how no human being can act without deferring to the three great human motives: the pleasant, the useful, and the honorable (or the just and noble). These are the objective components of human nature. Cultures and civilization vary, and humanity consists, in Platos words, of a coat of many colors. But because human beings share three great constitutive motives, we are obliged to judge others and ourselves. Yet we are not prisoners of our motives, since moral virtue demands that we conjugate them in a way that does justice to a balanced and virtuous life. As Manent explains, the jihadist or Islamist terrorist who kills in the name of a mutilated conception of religion is nothing more than a criminal who has degraded a noble conception of justice. We must judge him for the criminal we would be, too, if we, too, turned justice into an excuse for murder. Manent will not tolerate cultural or religious relativism as an excuse for explaining away the natural moral law. In Manents words, the very notion of the natural law presupposes or implies that we are in a position to judge human behavior according to clear, stable, and widely, if not universally, shared criteria. Human diversity, especially in the cultural realm, is fully compatible with rules of justice comprehensible to human beings as human beings. The principal motives of human actionthe pleasant, the useful, and the noble define the criteria for moral judgment and political action. Manent is not deterred by the fact-value distinction or the naturalistic fallacy beloved by social scientists and some academic philosophers. One can indeed unearth a valid rule for action from a description of human motives, since our motives unfold within an archic worldone guided by inherent rules and purposes. There is not an unbridgeable gap but rather a gentle slope connecting the is and the ought, between what we are and what we ought to be. Human nature provides non-arbitrary rules and signposts for directing lives in accord with natural justice. We need only open our eyes to the practical world and not get led astray by excessively theoretical considerations. In his own way, Manent has responded to the German phenomenologist Edmund Husserls plea that we return to the things themselves and not remain prisoners of abstractionsof the soulless scientism that too often substitutes itself for reality. He does so by a daring recovery of practical philosophy, of the world of action around us and the human motives that inescapably move our souls. I have called his enterprise daring, but it is in many respects modest, in that it avoids the hyper-theoretical approach characteristic of modern philosophy in its various forms. Manent thus recovers a capacious notion of liberty under law, of which natural law is the enduring instrument. We have seen that Manent refuses to identify the noble with those who have open contempt for the moral law, such as jihadist terrorists. He expands his analysis to discuss Communism and a conception of marriage compatible with the natural law. A student of the great anti-Communist Raymond Aron, Manent argues that the Communist regime was in violation of the natural law. He speaks of it as sinister and acknowledges its terrible crimes. But he thinks discussion of Communism has been inordinately preoccupied with the question of Communist ideals, which lead too many people away from confronting its dark reality. Manent points to another path of judgment, narrower and thus incomplete but nonetheless rigorously exact on its own terms: Communist regimes so frustrated the fundamental wellsprings of human life (think of collectivization, periodic famines in all major Communist countries, and systematic consumer shortages) that the regime could never honor basic human needs. It could not do justice to the elementary place of the useful and pleasant in any decent life. Jose A. Colen, an otherwise sympathetic reviewer of the book in Interpretation, misconstrued Manents intent in this regard. He proceeds as if Manent is somehow unaware ofand thus silent aboutthe gulags, torture, and the Big Lie. But elsewhere, Manent has commented authoritatively on all the sinister features of the ideocratic regime. Its true that Communist ideology engaged in a massive falsification of the good, as Alain Besancon phrased it, and that its appeals to justice and fairness were mere homonyms, with little or no connection to the human meaning of these words. Perhaps Manents critique of Communism as contrary to the natural law is too narrow. But I prefer to see it as a complementary argument to the powerful critiques of the ideological lie put forward by the likes of Hannah Arendt, Besancon, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Manent does not need reminders about the essential imperfections of Communist totalitarianism. His argument about the incompatibility of Communism with the natural law is partial but convincing on its own terms. Manent argues, as well, that marriage understood in terms of the natural law must find suitable place for the three motives; it cannot be reduced to pleasure-seeking or the whims of sentiment. His argument is not explicitly biblical or Catholic, but maintains that marriage cannot be adequately understood within the framework of some alleged human autonomy that justifies jettisoning ones broader moral responsibilities. The natural law is a starting place for judgment: the cultivation of human nobility can help develop virtuous human conduct in an even richer and more humanizing way. Nobility can enlarge our sense of obligation and can put the useful and the pleasant in their proper place, without denying their centrality in a balanced and morally serious life. Manent does not ask for holiness. His is not a utopian call for immediate perfection. But he does call for humans to educate, inform, and elevate the motives of their souls in ways compatible with decency and self-respect. As Manent stresses, prudence plays a key role in all of these deliberations. Thats one reason why he is so skeptical of replacing natural-law reasoning with an ever-expanding list of human rights. When rights become too numerous and explicit, they introduce debilitating conflict into civil society. Moral agents need to leave a substantial place for prudence and for genuinely moral and political deliberation. Excessive rights talk corrupts moral reasoning and civic debate. Manent has many other things to say in this wise book. In recovering the archic character of the human world, he makes a place not only for the natural law but also for what he calls political command (wise and noble statesmanship) and political law. To recover a rich notion of liberty under law is to strike at the antinomian currents in our culture and politics. Natural law and political law stand or fall together, since they put practical reason and thoughtful and prudent action at the center of things. Manent, the great theoretician of the proud and self-governing nation, nonetheless tells us that we can see real action, complete action, at work in tight-knit communities such as Christian religious enclaves and ancient republics. Manent is not giving up on the nation-state or on the political forms of modernity. But he is expanding our moral and political imaginations to allow us to see liberty under law at work again in our hearts, minds, and souls. Perhaps we must begin with a rejuvenation of liberal education, with a recovery of those models of moral and political action that can stir liberal democrats out of their dogmatic slumber. With impressive learning, Manent points us once again to the heterogeneous motives of the human soul and to the humanizing ends and purposes that inform our freedom. He has not buried liberalism, but he has shown the only way toward its political restoration. In this deep, concise, and instructive book, he shows us the way toward rejuvenating both moral and political judgment and the broader moral foundations of the modern republic. His book is a preeminent example of reflection at the service of truthand common life. Photo: Sociales de France What do riots signify? Are they a natural response to injustice, as a scratch is to an itch, or is their meaning more complex? In the French city of Nantes earlier this month, a small group of riot policethe Compagnies Republicaines de Securite, or CRS, not generally known for their subtle approach to human problemsstopped a young man, so far identified only as Aboubakar Fofana, driving a vehicle around one of Nantess dispiriting 1960s housing projects called Breil. They asked him for his identity papers, which he did not have; he gave a false name. The CRS decided to take him to the nearest police station. At this point, Fofana put his vehicle into reverse, and the officer in charge shot him in the neck, causing an injury from which he died almost at once. Fofana turned out to have been a multi-recidivist, with a warrant out for his arrest because of a robbery he was suspected of having committed with a gang. He had a long criminal record. The CRS did not know this when they shot him. Two accounts tell of the events that led to the shooting. According to the police, Fofanas reversal of his vehicle endangered them (one was injured in the knee) and some children. According to another version, the one that spread among the local population, there was no one behind the vehicle, and no one was endangered by its reversal. Thus Fofana was shot in cold blood. Whichever of these stories is true, it is beyond doubt that for four successive nights about 100 youths with balaclavas descended into the street and burned at least 50 cars, as well as a doctors office and parts of a school and gas station. Some of them threw Molotov cocktails at the police. Its difficult to believe that they did not take delight in the opportunity, combining delinquency with supposed moral purpose. But what could that purpose have been? Let us grant for the sake of argument that the shooting was unjustified. Would it then make sense to burn 50 of your neighbors cars and destroy a doctors office? At the very least, this response does little credit to their thought or logic. The fact that Fofana had a criminal record did not cool their ardor or calm their anger. As is usual in these cases, friends of the deceased could be found to say that he was a smiling and intelligent young man who never looked for problems (other than robbing people). And we might wonder whether, if he had been shot by a member of a rival gang, there would have been any rioting. It is difficult, then, to escape the conclusion that the rioting was in part motivated by the desire that young men like Aboubakar Fofana should be left to carry on their depredations without hindrance. Photo: Cineberg Oxfam has announced that it is training 119 of its existing staff to investigate safeguarding incidents around the world. Ten other international NGOs and partner organisations have also joined Oxfam's training courses for new investigators in six cities. The charity is currently rolling out safeguarding training to all its 10,000 staff around the world, and further strengthening pre-employment checks. It has set up an independent whistleblowing hotline in five languages and encouraged all staff to use it in confidence. This builds on the whistleblowing line put in place after 2011. Beginning in October, Oxfam will publicly report twice-yearly data on all safeguarding cases completed in the previous six months, across all members of its confederation. Since announcing a plan of action in February, Oxfam GB has more than tripled its funding for safeguarding to 720,000 a year. The total spend by Oxfam International, which includes the Oxfam GB figure, has increased to 1.75m. The charity has also established an independent commission which is reviewing the charitys culture and practices and will publish its findings and recommendations by May 2019. The action plan followed weeks of scrutiny for the charity as concerns were raised over its safeguarding, including that an aid worker fired from the charity was hired again just a few months later. In the UK, all shop managers and their deputies as well as volunteers in supervisory roles have had enhanced DBS background checks. Seven members of HR staff in its trading division have been trained to investigate safeguarding allegations in Oxfam shops, and over 960 shop staff will have completed online safeguarding training by the end of this financial year. Oxfam has set up a central system to deal with all requests for staff references. Cases of gross misconduct, including sexual abuse, will be clearly marked in staff references where this is lawful. In addition, the charity is developing several proposals to improve practice across the sector, which it will present at the Department for International Developments Safeguarding Summit in October. Mark Goldring, outgoing chief executive of Oxfam GB, said: I am determined that we learn the lessons of our past mistakes and do all we can to protect our staff and the people we exist to help. "The action we have taken will further strengthen Oxfams ability to prevent, investigate and stamp out unacceptable behaviour wherever it may occur. "But we know that we have more to do - not least in ensuring that everyone who works, volunteers or receives support from Oxfam feels empowered to challenge unacceptable behaviour. "We will be working with the Charity Commission, other authorities, our own independent commission and across the sector to continue to make improvements." Prior to February 2018, Oxfam GB had three dedicated trained safeguarding investigators - two global safeguarding staff and a safeguarding advisor in the retail division. Seven HR staff in the retail division had also been trained to assist with investigations. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill announced Tuesday that she wants to enshrine into law federal recommendations to improve duck boat safety such as getting rid of canopies that can trap passengers if the vehicles sink, a move that comes after a deadly accident in Missouri. McCaskill said during a speech on the Senate floor that she is drafting legislation following the sinking of a sightseeing boat last week on Table Rock Lake near Branson that killed 17 people. Shes working off of National Transportation Safety Board recommendations spurred by another deadly duck boat accident in Arkansas in 1999. Federal regulators then noted the amphibious vehicles have trouble staying afloat during flooding and overhead canopies can trap passengers if the vehicles sink two areas of concern McCaskill also pointed out. Despite the boards past recommendations for improvement, McCaskill said not much been done to address safety concerns. Weve had 40 deaths associated with the duck boats since 1999, she said. Yet there has been little done to address the inherent dangers of these amphibious vehicles. A U.S. Coast Guard and NTSB investigation of the latest Missouri accident is ongoing, but McCaskill said she doesnt want to wait to address some of these glaring issues in terms of passenger safety. She said that investigation could take a year or longer. Its unclear how much progress McCaskill will be able to make is passing such legislation with the upcoming midterm elections a few months away. McCaskill is among those up for re-election. Fellow Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, expressed some caution in taking action before the federal investigation is wrapped up. He said investigators will determine whether the latest accident was avoidable and whether recommendations from the Arkansas case were followed by the Coast Guard and the boat operator, or whether there was an equipment failure or other problem. Any legislative response, including interim steps that may be needed, should be based on the facts that come out of that investigation, Blunt said in a statement. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has oversight of both agencies, I will continue closely monitoring the investigation and making sure we get as much information as we can as quickly as possible. Missouri Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is trying to unseat McCaskill, also appears to support waiting on investigation results. I support new safety measures, and I think the findings from state law enforcements current investigation will be very helpful in tailoring legislation and future regulations, Hawley said in a statement. The Senate also on Tuesday confirmed two nominees to the NTSB, which had been stalled for months amid a partisan dispute. The voice vote to approve Republican Bruce Landsberg and Democrat Jennifer Homendy brings the five-member panel to full strength for the first time in several years. (Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report from Washington.) Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In late June, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled against an insurer and its insureds seeking summary judgement dismissing complaints against them in a case involving auto insurance claims. At issue was whether or not the defendants were parties to an agreement under which a separate insurer and its insured reached a settlement with the plaintiff that released them from further action brought by the plaintiff. The Court in its written opinion explained that the issue in Kerry Maggio v. James Parker; the Sandwich Kings LLC (D/B/A Jimmy Johns); Republic-Vanguard Insurance Company; and Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company, is whether a settlement which purports to release all other persons, firms, or corporations who are or might be liable applies to defendants who were not direct parties to the settlement, according to the Courts written opinion. The Court said it was undisputed that in January 2015, Kerry Maggio was injured when his vehicle was struck by a vehicle driven by James Parker, an employee of Sandwich Kings. Parkers vehicle was owned by Brenda Parker and insured by Louisiana Farm Bureau. Maintaining that James Parker was working in service of his employer at the time of the accident, Maggio in June 2015 filed for damages against James Parker; Sandwich Kings; Sandwich Kings auto insurer, Republic-Vanguard; and Maggios uninsured motorist insurer, Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company. He did not name Brenda Parker or Farm Bureau as defendants in the complaint. Subsequently, in July 2015, Maggio reached a settlement with Brenda Parker and Farm Bureau for the policy limit of $25,000. In exchange, he released Brenda Parker and Farm Bureau from further action in an agreement that states in part that he releases, acquits and forever discharges the said payor(s), their agents and employees, and all other persons, firms or corporations who are or might be liable, from any and all actions, causes of action, claims, demands, damages, costs, loss of services, loss of consortium, expenses, and compensation on account of or in any way growing out of any and all known and unknown personal injuries and property damage, resulting or to result from an accident that occurred on or about 01/14/2015 After receiving a copy of that release, Sandwich Kings and Republic-Vanguard filed for summary judgment in March 2016, maintaining the claims against them should be dismissed because of the clause in the release exempting all other persons, firms or corporations who are or might be liable as a result of Maggios accident. Maggio argued, however, that because Sandwich Kings and Republic-Vanguard were not party to the release settlement, the summary judgment should be denied. Both the district court and the appeals court agreed. In the Supreme Courts opinion, Justice Scott J. Crichton wrote that the majority at the court of appeals after a supervisory review reasoned that summary judgment was inappropriate because defendants did not meet their burden of proving that the release manifested a clear intention to benefit them as third party beneficiaries. At least one appeals court judge disagreed with the majority, stating in a dissent that the language of the release was clear and unambiguous and offers no other conclusion than that the relators had been released from liability.' The states high court was petitioned to resolve the matter. Among other things, the Court looked at the standards for determining whether a contract provides for a benefit of a third party. The Court noted there are three criteria needed to meet the burden of proof for the third party benefit: 1) the stipulation is manifestly clear; 2) there is certainty as to the benefit provided the third party; and 3) the benefit is not a mere incident of the contract between the promisor and the promisee.' The Court ultimately determined that the lower courts reached the correct result in denying defendants motion for summary judgment insofar as they claim that the Release manifested a clear intention to benefit them as third-party beneficiaries. The case was remanded for further consideration. Justices Clark, Guidry and Weimer dissented. AKRON, Ohio - The Akron Community Revitalization Fund on Thursday announced a $1.67 million interim construction loan for the Bowery redevelopment project in downtown Akron. The $40 million mixed-use project calls for redeveloping the historic 12-story Bowery building and five smaller buildings from 164 South Main St. to 184 South Main St. into apartments, along with stores, restaurants, a microbrewery and a grocery store. "This loan represents another important step in our redevelopment of this historic block in Akron's downtown," said Bowery Development Group spokesman Dan DeHoff in a news release. "We're excited to partner with Development Fund of the Western Reserve and numerous others who are assisting us to bring this project to fruition. We look forward to arranging completion of our permanent financing soon, and to publicly acknowledge all the participants." The loan was made through the Akron Community Revitalization Fund, a $6.75 million community initiative which was capitalized by more than 30 philanthropic foundations, individual and corporate grants, new market tax credit equity and private loans and investments. The Development Fund of the Western Reserve created the Akron Community Revitalization Fund to offer loans with more flexible rates and terms than is available through conventional financing. The fund was established to aid key community and economic development projects within Akron's most economically distressed neighborhoods. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. BEREA, Ohio -- From old Chevys to vintage Fords, the past came rolling into Berea during the July 15 classic car show at Coe Lake. Jim Butler displayed his 1955 red and white Chevrolet. He explained why classic car owners love their pastime so much. "It's because we never grow up," Butler said with a smile. "We like to get out of the house, listen to the old music and talk to people. People come to shows to enjoy the way things used to be." He has owned the car for 17 years, having rebuilt the engine and transmission. It gets 21 miles per gallon, which he said is "more than the factory did" when the car was originally manufactured in the 1950s. "These cars don't have computers in them and are all manual," Butler explained. "No GPS. Just like the good old days." Coe Lake became a beautiful backdrop for this 1935 Ford. Jim Stringer's 1946 Ford Coupe has been part of his life for 45 years. "Classic cars are always a work in progress," Stringer said, adding that he has been tinkering with his for 20 years. "I like the camaraderie with all the people who own a classic car. To me, that's more important than the car itself," he said. A 1969 Corvette was also on display. Owner Larry Brown emphasized that the beauty of a classic car may not always be found in new paint and shiny chrome. "Some cars are originals and may not look as good, but they're actually better, because they're in their original condition," Brown said. "They're just the way they were when they came off the assembly line." He agreed that classic car shows are all about the memories. Classic car lovers can enjoy the car shows at Coe Lake in Berea from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sundays throughout the summer. "People want to get back to their teen years," Brown said. With free admission, music, food and Coe Lake shimmering in the background, classic car lovers can continue reminiscing from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sundays throughout the summer. The event is held in the municipal parking lot behind Berea City Hall, 85 S. Rocky River Drive. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The estate of an Akron man who died at the Summit County Jail after guards placed him in restraints filed suit against the Sheriff's Office and the jail's medical providers saying the man was subjected to excessive force. Antony Jones, 36, died in September 2017. The Summit County Medical Examiner determined his manner of death to be "undetermined: Cardiac arrest during active restraint while in custody," the Sheriff's Office previously said in a news release. Jones was in jail for a few weeks on weapons charges. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court by attorney Nicholas DiCello, says he suffered from a myriad of mental-health issues and that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was held on a previous occasion. In that instance, medical staff recommended he stay in the jail's mental-health pod and receive proper care, the lawsuit says. That did not happen in August 2017. Jail medical staff did not order Antony to receive medication and the altercation between guards and Jones ultimately led to Jones' death, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit names several Sheriff's Office deputies as defendants. It also lists Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Summit Psychological Associates and staff members for both companies, as they provided medical services at the jail. The estate is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. The lawsuit says jail guards erred when they placed Jones in the general housing unit in August 2017, despite having access to his medical and mental-health records. Jones exhibited erratic behavior on Sept. 1, 2017, and guards told him they were going to take him to the "hole." When Jones pulled away, a guard slammed him to the ground, and he was held down and assaulted by jail staff, the lawsuit states. Jones struggled and guards used a Taser on him several times, including at least three times directly over his heart, according to the suit. They eventually placed Jones in a restraint chair and continued to hit him after he was restrained, according to the lawsuit. He was then found not to be breathing and was taken to Akron General Hospital, where he died the next day, the suit states. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge John Adams. The Stark County Prosecutor's Office investigated Jones' death and cleared jail officials of any criminal wrongdoing. A spokesman for the Sheriff's Office declined comment. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments section. LAKEVILLE, Ohio -- A boy from the Columbus area drowned Wednesday while attending a summer camp near Loudonville, according to reports. Melvin Aborbie, 12, of Pickerington, died while taking a swimming test at Round Lake Christian Camp, the Richland Source reports. The Ashland County Sheriff's Office tells the Mansfield News Journal that the boy jumped into the lake and did not resurface. There were lifeguards on duty but they were unable to find Aborbie. "They saw him go in," Chief Deputy Carl Richert tells the News Journal. "He went down, but he never came back up. ... He just disappeared." A dive team recovered the boy about 50 feet from shore in 15 feet of water. Officials confirmed Aborbie died of drowning and there were no signs of trauma, reports say. To comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Police say a suspect shot and killed one man and wounded another on Thursday after showing up at an East Side home and demanding money. A 67-year-old man who lived at the house died at MetroHealth Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the back. Another male, who police say is in his 50s, was taken to MetroHealth with a wound to his hip and was undergoing surgery. According to police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia, the unidentified male suspect showed up at the house on the 9300 block of Way Avenue in the Union-Miles neighborhood at about 6 p.m. The two victims were in the backyard of the home when the suspect demanded money before opening fire and then running away. EMS workers found both men in the backyard with gunshot wounds, police say. The suspect is 6-foot-1, thin and was wearing a red hooded sweat shirt, police say. He also has gold teeth. The shooting remains under investigation. Police say anyone with information can contact investigators at 216-623-5464. To comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio - A new exhibit highlighting a woman Marine pilot who was killed in Iraq has opened at the International Women's Air and Space Museum, in Burke Lakefront Airport. Captain Jennifer Harris was a Casualty Evacuation pilot who flew a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter for the Marines' HMM-364 "Purple Foxes" squadron on three tours of duty from 2003-2007, in Iraq. The U.S. Naval Academy graduate's missions included the emergency evacuation of wounded soldiers and Marines from combat zones, and injured Iraqi civilians. While flying, she used the radio moniker, "The Dove." But on February 7, 2007, on the last flight of her deployment, the 28-year-old Massachusetts native was killed in action when her helicopter was shot down by insurgents. The museum display includes her uniform jacket, a model of the helicopter that she flew, her flight log book, dog tags, Naval Academy class ring, and personal photographs. Admission to the museum, 1501 North Marginal Road, is free, and hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County's top judge John J. Russo is upset that the administration of County Executive Armond Budish is taking so long to decide what to do about the deteriorating County Justice Center. In a July 6 letter to Budish, Russo states that he understands "change takes time and the process can be complex," but notes that discussions about renovating or replacing the Justice Center date to before either he or Budish were in their current positions. "The time has arrived for a decision," Russo concludes. "We cannot allow this building to continue its current rate of decline if the complex will remain at this location." Cleveland.com received a copy of the letter this week. Russo, presiding and administrative judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, confirmed Friday that the copy was genuine. He added that he has not received a response from Budish. After being asked about Russo's letter, county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan provided a response that Budish sent Friday to Russo. (see copies of both letters below). Budish states in his letter to Russo that the judges and the county prosecutor's office provided him with an unacceptable memorandum of understanding that would have "required the County to abdicate its authority over the project." Russo said Friday in an interview with cleveland.com that an analysis of the project has yet to begin because the memorandum has been sitting for more than 60 days with Budish, the ultimate decision maker on the project. In January, County Public Works Director Michael Dever told the County Council's Justice Affairs Committee that a decision to renovate or build anew would be made by the end of this year, according to a cleveland.com article. The cost of renovating or replacing the Justice Center is expected to range from $300 million and $800 million. Contacted Friday by cleveland.com, County Council President Dan Brady declined to comment on Russo's letter, but said a larger discussion about the Justice Center is in order. The Justice Center is more than 40 years old. It includes a 25-story court tower, a 10-story jail, an 11-story jail addition and a nine-story Cleveland Police Department headquarters. The police headquarters is expected to move later this year to the former Plain Dealer building at 1801 Superior Ave. The Justice Center complex also has 432,500 square feet of underground parking garage. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A naked man threw a brick at another man's head near the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, according to a police report. The man, who has not been identified, was not wearing any clothes when he threw the brick shortly after noon Tuesday near the science center on Erieside Avenue, the police report says. The brick hit a 33-year-old Missouri man in the back of the head, the report says. He was taken to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for treatment. The Missouri man was walking with a woman near the science center when a man asked them if they were "trying to work," the police report says. They responded no, and kept walking. Moments later, a large, softball-sized brick hit the man in the back of the head, the report says. The woman told police that the man who threw the brick was not wearing any clothes when he ran away toward First Energy Stadium, the report says. Cleveland police officers searched the area but did not find a naked man, the report says. No arrests have been made in the case, police said. To comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio-- A 67-year-old man is dead and another man injured in a Thursday afternoon shooting in Cleveland's Union-Miles neighborhood, police said. The shooting happened about 6 p.m. on Way Avenue off East 93rd Street, police said. The 67-year-old man, whose identity has not yet been publicly released, was shot in the chest. He was taken to MetroHealth, where he died. A 56-year-old man was shot in the hip, abdomen and head. He is in critical condition, police said. No other information was immediately released. Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In 2012, outside political groups dropped tens of millions of dollars in Ohio trying to re-elect or defeat Sherrod Brown, the Democratic senator. Same goes for Republican Rob Portman's race in 2016. But when it comes to this year's Senate race between Brown and Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, the same national, outside political groups that have flooded Ohio's air waves and mailboxes in the past, so far, have steered clear. The Center for Responsive Politics has tracked just $567,000 in spending by outside groups in this year's Ohio Senate race, most of which is from the Republican primary. For comparison, at this time in 2012, outside groups had spent more than $10 million just attacking Brown. Ohioans aren't complaining -- who likes political ads? But the lack of outside spending so far suggests that deep-pocketed national groups, when sizing up their spending priorities, don't view the Ohio senate race as particularly competitive, especially when there are around a dozen other battleground Senate seats up for grabs. One national Republican consultant with experience working on Senate races across the country said the GOP likes the political landscape in Ohio. But, they wonder whether Renacci, who is running statewide for the first time and got a late start on the race, can compete with the better-known Brown. Ohio's five television markets made reserving ads here pricy, especially compared to other, less-populous states. "I think Ohio's going to be one of those places where [national Republicans] have a wait-and-see attitude," said the Republican, who asked not to be identified to discuss Republican strategy candidly. While it's still relatively early in the general election season, Republican national groups haven't been shy about reserving ads in other states. This month, four political groups aligned with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to spend $16 million on August ads in five states, according to USA Today. Three of those states -- Missouri, Indiana, North Dakota -- have Democratic incumbents viewed as vulnerable. The others are Nevada, which has a vulnerable Republican incumbent senator, and Tennessee, which has an open seat currently held by a Republican. Chris Pack, a spokesman for the McConnell-aligned groups, declined to elaborate on how the group has decided which races to target thus far. But he left open the possibility that the group will deploy money in other states -- including Ohio -- as November approaches. "We haven't announced all of our buys in all states," he said. "It's still somewhat early." On paper, Ohio seems a good pickup opportunity for Republicans. President Donald Trump won the state in 2016 by 8 points -- the same margin as deep-red Texas. The state has drifted politically rightward over the years, and non-presidential elections in general tend to favor the GOP. But Brown is a well-known incumbent, a formidable campaigner and an able fundraiser. The $23.1 million he's raised through July is the third-most of any battleground Senate candidate in the country, according to FEC data. Meanwhile, Renacci has raised $6.3 million through June, $4 million of which is his own money. On the other hand, Renacci is in position to potentially make a late push. He reported having nearly $4.2 million in cash on hand this month, one of the strongest totals for any challenger in the country. Polls generally have shown Brown up by double-digits among registered voters, although one recent poll by Axios/Survey Monkey showed a tight race when attempting to model likely voters. The race is expected to narrow as the November election nears. Outside groups -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and GPS Crossroads, a group tied to Republican strategist Karl Rove -- eventually spent at least $24 million against Brown in 2012, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (although the Brown campaign estimates the number was around $40 million). Pro-Brown groups like the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate Majority PAC meanwhile spent $15.1 million either supporting Brown or attacking his Republican opponent, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel. An Ohio Democrat close to the Senate race said the lack of national money here so far this year is unusual, but that they expect outside groups to show up eventually. "There's still plenty of time to spend heavily, but so far they haven't," the Democrat said. "And I think it's because Renacci has been a less than impressive candidate." In a recent interview, Renacci said he doesn't need to out-raise Brown to beat him. "We have a lot of internal polling seeing this race in a dead heat, and I think you'll see when the outside groups see some of those things, Ohio's an important state, and they'll be with us," Renacci said. "Of course, I'm not going to say that Sherrod Brown and his outside groups aren't going to be there too." CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Democrats on Thursday night picked a Parma city councilman to replace outgoing State Rep. Nick Celebrezze on the November ballot. Councilman Jeff Crossman, an attorney with a Cleveland real-estate firm, very likely will represent Ohio's 15th House District. The reliably Democratic district includes Parma and Brooklyn Heights, as well part of southwestern Cleveland. Celebrezze, who ran unopposed in the May Democratic primary, announced this month that he would not run for re-election for personal reasons. Under a process laid out in Ohio law for state legislators who resign after winning a primary, his replacement was selected by Democratic committee members from within his district. Crossman, who had Celebrezze's backing, won the committee member vote by a 40-8 margin, according to Mickey Vittardi, the Parma Democratic ward club leader. He defeated Alan R.C. Raventree, a party precinct committeeman from Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. Because of Celebrezze's decision to step down, Republicans, who failed to field a candidate in the May primary, now have the opportunity to find someone before an Aug. 12 legal deadline. Rebecca Armstrong, executive director of the county GOP, said the party intends to find someone, but hasn't yet identified a candidate. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Prognosticating election results is often a futile exercise, essentially a guessing game based on scant points of evidence that aren't always related. But in Ohio, the special election in a Columbus-area congressional district may provide the perfect litmus test for determining Ohio's fate in November. Special elections aren't the most stimulating, especially a single House district that won't determine control of Congress. But the Aug. 7 contest in the 12th Congressional District, vacated by Republican Pat Tiberi when he left to head the Ohio Business Roundtable, has all the makings of a bellwether-esque race in one of the most bellwether states in the nation. The Aug. 7 winner will only hold the seat for a little more than 100 days - with Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson and Democratic Frankly County Recorder Danny O'Connor having a rematch in November - but the political storylines and momentum from the race are the true victory for the parties in this district. Listen: Ohio Matters special election preview with Kyle Kondik Democrats are hoping for a win from O'Connor as they transition into a general election where they must make significant gains against Republican President Donald Trump and the rest of the GOP to have any chance of having any power in Washington. Republicans, meanwhile, see the significance of holding the district to blunt the "blue wave" narrative and have had to put in extra effort to elect Balderson to a traditionally GOP district. Prior elections, demographics and the results from the Aug. 7 vote will give us an indication of how other congressional districts in the state might swing, as well as provide some clarity in both the governor and Senate race. Past special election performance By conventional wisdom, O'Connor should have no shot at victory. The district was drawn for Republicans by Republicans. But political handicappers in recent weeks have called the race competitive. Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said he was hesitant to shift the race from "leans Republican" to a "toss-up," but several dynamics prompted him to do so. Democrats in other special elections - almost all of them in reliably GOP districts - have wildly outperformed expectations. Of the eight special elections in Republican held districts since the 2016 election, Democrats increased their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points from their presidential vote in five. "The swing from the 2016 presidential elections in these special elections has been pretty stark," Kondik said. "In fact, it's been around 10 or 11 points, which - if applied to this district - would sort of make up the gap for Democrats." Probably the closest comparison is Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, where Democrat Conor Lamb upset Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone. However, through those eight special elections, Lamb is the only one to win - and only by 400 votes. The Arizona district that swung 32 points ended with Republican state Sen. Debbie Lesko winning by five percentage points. The demographics The 12th is an urban-rural mixed district, including Northern Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Morrow, southeast Marion and south Richland counties. It's a white, highly-educated, affluent district, with 41 percent of the population having bachelor's degrees. More than 87 percent of the district is white, and 41 percent had bachelor's degrees. The median income in 2016 was $67,415, higher than the national median income of $59,039. A new poll finds that Republican Troy Balderson (right) is ahead of Democrat Danny O'Connor (left) in the special election for Ohio's 12th Congressional District. Women outnumber men in the district slightly at 50.58 percent. It's exactly the kind of district the Democrats have to perform well in if they want any chance of taking back the House. Herb Asher, retired political science professor from Ohio State University, said O'Connor might only need to pick off a few Republican-leaning supporters to be competitive or win the race. "One of the questions becomes how much of that vote can O'Connor peel off?" Asher said. "How much of the vote among independents who lean Republican can he peel off? It may be the case he only needs to peel of a little bit to win." The 12th district's demographics match several other congressional districts that at face value shouldn't look competitive. Voter profile The district has been reliably Republican for years. Since 1939, a Democrat has only held the seat for one term in 1981. But in the changing dynamics following the 2016 election, that very well could change. The district is the home of Republican Gov. John Kasich, the most high-profile Trump foil in the GOP and Kasich once held a similar geographic seat. That's important because it is in the 12th District where Kasich's base lies - the moderate Republicans who may be a type of "reluctant Trump voter." Public polling has indicated that those voters are fleeing the president in droves. And women in the district could be the key factor. A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed 63 percent of women in Ohio disapproved of the way Trump was handling his job as president. O'Connor and other Democrats - especially Democratic governor hopeful Richard Cordray - have made blatant attempts to court Kasich supporters. "This district, I think, will tell you more about the suburban Kasich supporter-Trump skeptic, but then we'll have to sort of wait until November to get a read on what the kind of Obama-to-Trump Democrats in Eastern Ohio are thinking," Kondik said. Democrats shouldn't expect any help from the governor himself, as much as they would welcome it. After remaining silent for weeks, Kasich on Thursday publicly endorsed Balderson - a rare point of agreement between the Ohio governor and Trump. The outcome Political observers truly believe the race is too close to call at this point. Kondik said several factors show how razor-thin the margin might be. Outside money has poured into the district - most of it from Republican organizations attacking O'Connor - proving there's both a keen interest by the GOP to hold the district and an internal sense they need to spend significant money to win, Kondik said. But we shouldn't ignore the historical factors, Kondik said. After all, it is a Republican district. And turnout - which is usually much lower in special elections than general elections - will also be key, he said. Other special elections since the presidential election have bucked the low turnout trend, more closely mimicking midterm levels. "I mean they all kind of had midterm level turnout in a special election, which is really quite good. You would expect the special election turnout to be less than what a midterm would normally produce. ... Is this going to be a lower turnout race and could that benefit Danny O'Connor because of the Democratic enthusiasm advantage that we've seen that is becoming clear in this district and has also been pretty clear in special elections around the country." Matt Borges, former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said it was no secret how vital it was for Republicans to win the district. "Everyone understands the importance of making sure this one stays in the Republican column," Borges said."I think for the next 10 days you're going to see an all-in effort from everyone." However, the Democrats are in good shape politically regardless of the outcome, Asher said. "If the Democrats come close, the Democrats will be disappointed," Asher said. "But the real story will be that the Democrats came close. It's the kind of district that in some respects resembles other districts the Democrats are hoping to pick up, though this one is a little tougher than some of those districts. If the Democrats win, it will widely be seen as a good omen." CLEVELAND, Ohio - The special election for the 12th Congressional District looks competitive. Democrat Danny O'Connor is making a run at winning the reliably Republican district against Troy Balderson. It's so close, political handicappers like Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, think it's a toss-up. This week, he returned to the Ohio Matters podcast to talk about the dynamics of the race. "I'm sort of setting the over/under at about five points in terms of what's a good Republican performance," Kondik said. "In other words, because of the characteristics of this district, I think it's possible for the Democrats to get kind of a moral victory if O'Connor keeps it close." Ohio Matters is the weekly political podcast from cleveland.com. Every week, reporters Andrew Tobias, Mary Kilpatrick and Seth Richardson sit down with political figures from around the Buckeye State for in-depth discussions. Past episodes can be found here and include Republican Attorney General nominee Frank LaRose, Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and a special episode with an inside look at the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal. The Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission is supposed to look out for all Ohioans by making sure Ohio's precious natural resources aren't squandered. Those resources include, prominently, Lake Erie, a state jewel. Instead, by hastily shelving Gov. John Kasich's recent executive order aimed at reducing the farm runoff feeding the lake's destructive toxic algal blooms, the commission has shown itself beholden to farm interests at the expense of its own mandate and the state's future. The commission, which is not scheduled to meet again until Nov. 1, must reverse its short-sighted July 19 stall, supposedly done to study Kasich's July 11 executive order, and it must do so soon, if necessary, via an emergency meeting. Kasich's order takes aim at the watersheds of eight Maumee River tributaries in western and northwestern Ohio, directing state Agriculture Director David T. Daniels to seek the soil and water panel's consent to designate the eight watersheds as distressed. That would give the state more power to require compliance with runoff limits. The Auglaize, Blanchard, Little Auglaize, Ottawa and St. Marys rivers and the Eagle, Little Flat Rock and Plattner creeks drain a combined watershed of about 2 million acres, The order would impact an estimated 7,000 Ohio farms but the acreage is dominated not by mom-and-pop farms but by large-scale agricultural operations, including livestock CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). Kasich's order was no arbitrary one that requires further study. Rather, it's the result of intensive Ohio research in recent years that identified agricultural runoff in these watersheds as the chief culprit fueling the algal blooms that threaten the drinking water of millions and Lake Erie's multimillion-dollar fisheries and recreation industries. The commission's duck also came suspiciously one day after Ohio House Speaker Ryan Smith and other downstate GOP legislative leaders called on Kasich to rescind his Lake Erie order. Smith resides in southeast Ohio's Bidwell, about 240 miles from Cleveland's lakefront, but Ohio's interests as a whole are at stake here -- something Kasich recognizes but many others in his party appear unable to grasp. Smith issued that call on July 18. The next day, the Soil and Water Conservation Commission surprised the Kasich administration by referring the matter to a subcommittee rather than approving the governor's order. The commission is composed of six Kasich appointees (some originally appointed by Govs. Bob Taft and Ted Strickland) and a seventh commissioner chosen by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Then there are the "stakeholders," Ohio Statehouse-ese for lobbyists - as in: "We invite the governor and agency directors to come to the table to communicate with all stakeholders," as Smith put it July 18. Agribusiness interests have raised concerns about how Kasich's administration crafted the order. The Farm Bureau said there was "no conversation with Ohio's agriculture community." The order also has sparked concerns about farmers' potential compliance costs. But on the same day Kasich issued his executive order, he signed into law Senate Bill 299, which increases funding for Lake Erie protections, including $20 million specifically earmarked to help farmers reduce agricultural runoff with edge-of-field drainage management, an "agricultural phosphorus reduction revolving loan program" and other measures. Kasich's order also gives the Agriculture Department the power to implement any crackdown, assuring a careful review by an agency tasked generally with keeping Ohio's multibillion-dollar agricultural sector thriving and happy. Smith insists the "legislature has not been sitting on its hands" about the perils Lake Erie suffers thanks to runoff. Kasich says otherwise: "They had their chance, and they blinked, like they have done on so many other issues, including the gun laws," Kasich told reporters this week. "We're going to move forward on this, and I've explained this is going to get done one way or another because this lake has to be preserved." The commission should move forward, too. It needs to convene soon to confirm Kasich's distressed watersheds designation. About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. * 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, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. The latest way to live large on vacation is to think small. The tiny-house trend has spawned hotels that let guests experience what it's like to live in fully contained homes that can measure less than 200 square feet. "People are just curious because they've heard so much about tiny houses," says John Weisbarth of "Tiny House Nation," which appears on the FYI network, and in 2019 will also show on A&E. His co-host, contractor Zack Giffin, says guests are surprised by the amenities that can be packed into a small place. "They're very luxurious. It's almost like renting your own house or getaway, and it's priced more like a hotel room." The partners share some favorite rentals with USA TODAY. Caravan Tiny House Hotel Portland, Oregon The Northwest is big on little living spaces, and this lodging featuring homes on wheels claims to be the first tiny-house hotel. "I stayed there and it was totally fantastic," says Giffin. "They have them in a circle, and move them from time to time." tinyhousehotel.com Live a Little Chatt Chattanooga, Tennessee Located 20 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, these four houses offer a scenic take on tiny-house living. They range in size from a relatively palatial 500 square feet to a cozy 126-square-foot home that includes a wine-barrel shower and sleeps four. "Chattanooga is an absolute hotbed in the tiny-house community. There are very progressive, dialed-in builders," Giffin says. livealittlechatt.com More from USA Today: The cheapest vacation rental destination in every state How to handle a vacation rental disaster Websites for vacation home rentals Austin's Original Tiny Home Hotel Austin, Texas This lodging is one of several run by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Co., which gives customers a chance to try their homes before they buy. Located in a tree-shaded RV park, there's a hot tub, pool, fire pit and party patio, but the real attraction is the six tiny houses. "Austin is a great town for tiny homes," says Weisbarth. tinyhomeshoteltexas.com Getaway Tiny Homes Stanardsville, Virginia This company focuses on Northeast getaways, with secluded tiny homes within two hours of Washington, New York and Boston. The newest outpost, located on a wooded 80-acre property near Shenandoah National Park, includes several dozen homes, sleeping from two to four people. Each comes with a mini kitchen, along with fire pit, grilling grate and outdoor picnic table. getaway.house See what all the tiny-house hype is about at WeeCasa in Lyons, Colo. WeeCasa Lyons, Colorado With nearly two dozen homes, this riverfront property is tiny-house heaven, says Giffin, who attended a wedding that was based at the resort. Located near Boulder, it's one of the oldest and biggest tiny-house hotels. "It's just neat because it's a variety of tiny homes from a number of different builders. You can test out a pretty good variety and it's in this really beautiful setting." weecasa.com Tuxbury Pond South Hampton, New Hampshire Less than an hour north of Boston, this RV resort offers five new tiny homes, including one that welcomes pets. "You can stay in these homes and then buy identical homes from the company," Giffin says. The firm also has tiny house villages in Arizona, Washington state and Oregon. tuxburytinyhouse.com United Tiny House Rentals Eatonton, Georgia This tiny house company will deliver your lodging to a lakefront campsite in Georgia, or even farther afield. It can set up guests for luxury glamping or an off-the-grid experience. Current options include yurts and a tiny trailer home known as a gypsy wagon. "It's almost like a wagon on wagon wheels," Weisbarth says. unitedtinyhouserentals.com Blue Moon Rising McHenry, Maryland With more than a dozen tiny homes, this western Maryland mountain resort offers a getaway near a deep-gorge lake. The homes include a small kitchen, but guests also have access to a clubhouse with a full-size cooking facility. "They've got bright-colored doors and interesting shapes. Every single one of them is unique," Weisbarth says. "They're fairy tale-esque." bluemoonrising.org Fireside Resort Jackson Hole, Wyoming Guests can sleep in tiny luxury at this upscale retreat in the Rockies. Rental options include two dozen tiny homes, like the new miniscule Road Haus, which packs hotel amenities into 200 square feet, with plenty of windows to let in the light. All rentals have Wi-Fi, a fireplace, kitchen, deck and an outdoor fire pit. Plus, there's a centrally located hot tub. firesidejacksonhole.com/wyoming-cabin-rentals.htm Tiny House Siesta Siesta Key, Florida Amazon continues to break records. On Thursday, the company reported earnings per share of $5.07 compared with $2.50 as expected by Thomson Reuters. But Aswath Damodaran, a professor of corporate finance and valuation at the Stern School of Business at New York University, who is sometimes referred to as the "Dean of Valuation," said this is not all good news. "Amazon terrifies me as a company," Damodaran told CNBC on "Fast Money" Thursday. "You find it overvalued but you cannot bet against it because this is a disruption machine," he said. "I'm not even sure what business the company is in anymore. It's a platform that can be used pretty much to disrupt any business. And that's what's being priced in." Amazon's total revenue, which includes sales from Whole Foods, increased 39 percent year-over-year. Its North America revenue jumped 44 percent to $32.1 billion, while international sales grew 27 percent to $14.6 billion. The company's cloud business grew nearly 49 percent year-over-year, with Amazon Web Services generating $6.11 billion in revenue. Amazon recently moved into the health care space by acquiring PillPack. Shares of the e-commerce giant closed about 3 percent down, but soared more than 4 percent during Thursday after hours trading. Amazon could not immediately be reached for a comment. Meanwhile, other FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) tech giants fell on Thursday. Facebook missed projections on revenue and daily active users during the quarter, which caused the stock to fall more than 24 percent after the report. The trouble continued on Thursday as shares fell as much as 19 percent. Global daily active users rose to 1.47 billion, up from 1.45 billion. Still, the platform lost users in Europe, and active users in North America were flat. "After one of the worst quarters, in terms of PR, that a companys had, I was surprised that the user numbers actually went up," Damodaran said. "After April, the market seemed to have forgotten all about the privacy scandal and gone back to business as usual. And I think they got a surprise yesterday that they deserve," he added. He felt that a better measure of the company's success is the number of hours people spend on Facebook, but said that those numbers were still unknown. Still, he said the stock is undervalued, and right now is a good time to buy with share prices down to around $180. Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment. CNBC's Eugene Kim contributed to this report. Dana Smillie | Bloomberg | Getty Images Iran's top general lashed out at President Donald Trump this week, issuing a heated threat and putting a major Red Sea oil chokepoint directly in his sights. More than simply disrupting crude shipments, there are fears that escalated Iranian aggression through regional proxies could drag the U.S. into greater military conflict. "The Red Sea which was secure is no longer secure for the presence of American (military) ... The Quds force and I are your match. We don't go to sleep at night before thinking about you," Major General Qassem Soleimani said in a speech from Hamedan, Iran, according to local media, addressing the American president directly. "If you begin the war, we will end the war." The salvo Thursday came in response to Trump's impassioned tweet Sunday warning that Iran would face "consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before," which was in turn prompted by a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatening that war with Iran would be "the mother of all wars." Soleimani commands the Quds Force, the elite external branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), tasked with exporting the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and asserting Iranian influence regionally. The broadside was a rare public appearance for a man who operates largely in secrecy and is considered the most powerful figure in Iran's establishment. Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani (C) attends Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's (not seen) meeting with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in Tehran, Iran. Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Critically, Soleimani's mention of the Red Sea signaled the regime's willingness to disrupt oil shipments in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait the world's fourth-largest oil chokepoint via its proxies there. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait Proxy forces are already in play, with Yemen's Houthi rebels ramping up missile attacks on Saudi targets since 2017 thanks to help and guidance from Tehran. Just on Wednesday, Riyadh announced that two Saudi oil carriers were attacked by Houthi missile strikes in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates Yemen and East Africa and connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. The kingdom has temporarily suspended all oil shipments through the pass. "This can be read as a success for Tehran," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran-focused research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C. The Houthi strikes, and Soleimani's direct reference to the Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday, "is a signal that Tehran has options for escalation." Bab el-Mandeb sees about 5 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, which is small compared to the 17 million that passes through the Strait of Hormuz, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula. Hormuz sits on the peninsula's eastern flank, and is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. But the fear here, said RBC Capital Markets' Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy, is that increased Houthi rebel attacks on tankers heightens the chance that one will actually be sunk. In that event, the U.S. "could be forced to become more actively engaged in ensuring maritime security, like during the tanker wars," of the Iran-Iraq war, Croft said, referencing an incident in 1988 where the U.S. came into direct conflict with Iran after Iranian sea mines blew up part of an American missile frigate. The U.S., which supported Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war, subsequently destroyed roughly half of Iran's naval facilities. A crisis in the Bab el-Mandeb would trigger greater fears over incidents in Hormuz and send oil prices upward. And while it would be difficult for Iran to close the Straits for a prolonged period, "it could carry off one-off attacks on vessels," she warned. Lashing out ahead of oil sanctions deadline When Steve Ballmer was 24 years old, he dropped out of Stanford Universitys business school to join his former Harvard classmate Bill Gates at Gates' tech start-up Microsoft. Although it unnerved his parents, the decision allowed Ballmer to work for one of the fastest growing companies in the country and go from Gates' assistant to the companys CEO. Today, hes one of the richest people in America, with an estimated net worth of $40.7 billion. Here's how he made it happen. He seized opportunities Ballmer's education set him on the path to success from a young age: He was the valedictorian of his high school class, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and got a job as an assistant product manager at Proctor and Gamble. After working there for two years, Ballmer went to Stanford Graduate School of Business to get his MBA but, less than a year into the program, Ballmer decided he wanted to leave and join Microsoft. "My dad said, 'What the heck is software?' and my mom said, 'Why would a person ever need a computer?'" Ballmer recalled in an interview with Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein on the July 18 episode of "The David Rubenstein Show." "They said, 'OK, OK, we hear you, but if it doesn't work out, you'll go back to business school right?' And I said 'Right,' and I never came back." Steve Ballmer (left) and Bill Gates, both from Microsoft, speak next to a fountain at the annual PC Forum, Phoenix, Arizona, February 16-19, 1986. Ann E. Yow-Dyson | Getty Images He wasn't afraid to start small I started as assistant to the president. I was Bills assistant, basically: chief cook and bottle washer, Ballmer said. I set up the accounting, which there was some, but we needed to professionalize. I was the HR department, I hired everybody. Gates offered Ballmer a $50,000 base salary "which looked good in that day and age," Ballmer said in addition to 5 to 10 percent equity in the company and 10 percent of the profit growth he generated. He made himself indispensible Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to launch Microsoft, at first insisted on doing everything from coding Microsoft software to interviewing new candidates, because he had a bad habit: he wouldn't delegate. Hiring Ballmer, his college friend, changed that: Ballmer soon taught him "how to hire lots of people really good people and create organizations and teams, Gates has said. In 1980, Ballmer played a crucial role in the company's negotiations with IBM, a company that pioneered computing technology for businesses and government. IBM had approached Microsoft for help in making computers available to everyday people. "When IBM came the first time about their personal computer, I became the kind of salesman on IBM. Why? I knew how to wear a tie," Ballmer said. "I was about the only guy around the place and Bill said, 'You have a tie and a suit, why don't you come to the meeting?'" Bill Gates, (R) talks with Steven Ballmer, who was named President of Microsoft July 21, 1998 in Redmond, Washington. Jeff Chistensen | Getty Images He thought long-term Boeing stepped in to rescue the Ukrainian plane maker Antonov, known for producing the world's largest aircraft. The firm had ceased production because of its heavy reliance on Russian imports, which had collapsed after Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014. But, Boeing's parts, equipment and services unit, Aviall, is set to now provide the components and Antonov plans to build eight aircraft a year from the end of next year. The deal, which was signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, was confirmed to CNBC via email on Friday. President of Antonov, Oleksandr Donets, told Reuters in an interview that the next step is to build a storage facility with Aviall. "This warehouse will deal with products, materials, metals, non-metals with all components we are not able to get from our former partner, the Russian Federation," he said. Donets added that the warehouse would be funded by the Boeing subsidiary. Antonov builds a range of passenger, cargo and transport aircraft. The latest under development is the An-132, a twin-engined turboprop used for military transportation which is being jointly developed with Saudi Arabia. Still the biggest In 1988, Antonov completed what is still the world's largest "heavier than air" aircraft to be used as part of the Soviet space shuttle program. The world's largest aircraft, the Ukraine-built Antonov An-225 Mriya, touches down at Perth Airport on May 15, 2016. The six-engine aircraft, built to transport the Soviet space shuttle the Buran, is now used for cargo no other plane can handle and on this flight to Perth it has carried a large generator purchased by a Western Australian resources company, AFP PHOTO / GREG WOOD / AFP / Greg Wood (Photo credit should read GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images) GREG WOOD | AFP | Getty Images Shares of Boston Beer tumbled on Friday after the Samuel Adams beer maker reported quarterly earnings that fell well short of analyst expectations. Boston Beer earned $1.98 per share in the second quarter, while analysts polled by Reuters expected a profit of $2.81. The company's revenue fell in line with analysts' estimates at $273 million for its second quarter. The stock tumbled 13.7 percent, and was on track for its worst day since Feb. 22. "During the quarter, our operating expenses increased significantly, primarily due to the timing of our planned brand investments. Brand investment increases for the remainder of the year will moderate, as we maintain our annual spend guidance," said Dave Burwick, the company's president and CEO. Boston Beer also reiterated its full-year earnings guidance of a range between $6.30 and $7.30 per share, disappointing Wall Street. Analysts polled by Reuters expected guidance to come in around $7.95 per share. The company lowered its gross margin estimates to a range of 51 percent to 53 percent, from a range of 52 to 54 percent. "We will continue to focus on cost savings and efficiency projects to fund the investments needed to grow our brands and to build our organization's ability to deliver against our goals," said Burwick. A New Yorker article published Friday detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against CBS CEO Leslie Moonves. The report cited six women who said the longtime media executive harassed them between the '80s and '00s. Moonves said in a statement to CBS, "I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected and abided by the principle that 'no' means 'no,' and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone's career." His wife, Julie Chen, said she stands behind her husband. @JulieChen: I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late '90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years. Leslie is a good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent and moral human being. I fully support my husband and stand behind him and his statement. Moonves' alleged behavior seeped into other major branches of CBS, The New Yorker reported, citing 30 current and former employees. "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Jeff Fager was one of the people that allowed harassment to occur, 19 current and former employees told The New Yorker. Fager is also a former chairman of CBS News. CBS said in a statement to the New Yorker that there have been no misconduct claims or settlements against Moonves during his career at the network. It also disputed the New Yorker's characterization of its workplace culture, saying it is "mindful of all workplace issues and takes each report of misconduct very seriously." CBS shares fell as much as 7 percent Friday on the news of the upcoming expose. CBS stock was at one point on pace for its worst daily performance since Oct. 2, 2011, when it dropped 7.02 percent, before paring losses slightly. The stock closed 6 percent down. Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on media mogul Harvey Weinstein's longstanding patterns of sexual misconduct. The revelations ultimately spurred the #MeToo movement. Farrow addressed the report Friday afternoon, before it was published, in a tweet, saying, "If you're reading about my work from secondary sources you're often not getting the full or correct story." Farrow tweet The allegations against Moonves follow CBS' ouster of Charlie Rose last fall for allegations of sexual misconduct. CBS directors said in a statement to CNBC, "All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously." Moonves has opposed efforts by Shari Redstone to merge CBS with Viacom. Redstone's National Amusements is the principal shareholder of both companies, which had split into separate publicly traded corporations in late 2005. Viacom shares jumped 4.5 percent on news of The New Yorker's article before easing off. In May, CBS filed a lawsuit against Shari Redstone, her father Sumner Redstone and NAI alleging that NAI's proposed CBS-Viacom merger "is not in the best interests of CBS stockholders." The Redstone family later filed a complaint alleging that CBS had no legal right to strip them of voting privileges. A trial date was set for Oct. 3 in Delaware Chancery Court. CBS' annual meeting was set for Aug. 10 in Pasadena, California. Here's CBS' full statement: "All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously. The Independent Directors of CBS have committed to investigating claims that violate the Company's clear policies in that regard. Upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the Board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action. The timing of this report comes in the midst of the Company's very public legal dispute. While that litigation process continues, the CBS management team has the full support of the independent board members. Along with that team, we will continue to focus on creating value for our shareowners." A spokesperson for Redstone gave the following statement to CNBC Friday afternoon, in response to the CBS statement: "The malicious insinuation that Ms. Redstone is somehow behind the allegations of inappropriate personal behavior by Mr. Moonves or today's reports is false and self-serving. Ms. Redstone hopes that the investigation of these allegations is thorough, open and transparent." CNBC's David Faber and Marty Steinberg contributed to this report. Read the full report in The New Yorker. Below is the transcript of an interview with Kevin Rudd, President of Asia Policy Institute and Former Australian Prime Minister. The interview will play out in CNBC's latest episode of CNBC Meets: Defining Values on 27 July 2018, 5.00PM SG/HK (in APAC) and 22.00 BST time (in EMEA). If you choose to use anything, please attribute to CNBC and Tania Bryer. Tania Bryer (T): Kevin Rudd, welcome to CNBC Defining Values. Up until you were 11 years old, you lived in a rural farm in Queensland. Tell me a little bit about your childhood there, and some of the experiences that shaped your later life. Kevin Rudd (K): Well, I grew up on a little farm, in fact, it wasn't a little farm, it was a large farm, a beef property, dairy property, small crops, and my father was a share farmer. And so my mum and dad were children of the Depression, and neither of them had been to high school, both were in the war and after the war, they went farming after they were married. So that's where I grew up, and it was a wonderful environment to grow up in, but dad was killed in a car accident. And so that changed our lives, and that was the end of farm life. But he did have an influence on me in this sense. I remember sitting on a horse with him one day, he was big, and his horse was big, and I was small, and my horse was tiny. And, he leant over and said, "Have you made up your mind about your future? The fork in the road?" You're 11 years old, you have no idea what your father's talking about. And he said, "You know, the big choice you've got to make in your future." And I said, "Dad, I don't know what you mean." He said, "No, the ultimate choice that you will need to make." I said, "Dad, what do you mean?" He said, "Is it going to be beef cattle or dairy cattle?" That's when I decided to become a diplomat. T: Kevin, of course, you were just saying that your father was killed when you were 11 years old. What impact did that have on your mother, Margaret, I believe, she went to retrain as a nurse, and brought you and your siblings up. K: Yeah, well, I was the youngest of four, and so mum had a responsibility, then, to earn an income and then to raise us, and so she did. She had last been a nurse during the Second World War. And I'm talking about the 1970s, so she had to go back and learn from scratch, but she did, and bought a small house, and raised us, and so she was a profound influence. I suppose I grew up in a single parent family, in that sense. But she taught me resilience and she taught me hard work, and I think, because of our circumstances, she instilled in me a sense of justice, as well. T: Did you witness many inequalities in the area where you were growing up already? K: Well, it was a reasonably, um, how do I put this delicately? It was a part of Australia, in rural Australia, where education, um, tertiary education was not readily available, and so it was basically a simple farm community. But therefore, as a result, kids of great natural ability, who would normally go on to become whatever had no such opportunities. And so you saw a lot of endemic poverty. But my mum, who had never been to high school, herself, much, she had this dream that I would one day go to university. I didn't know what a university was, I'd never been to one, hadn't met anyone who'd been to one and so, for me, that was part of her vision, for where she wanted her kids to go. T: What about your own vision? When did you know that you wanted to go in to public office, or public service? K: As a kid growing up, at high school I began, through my mother's influence, mum would always give us things to read, about the world, and she, for example, would give me newspaper articles about the emergence of China, and she'd say, "You should read this, it's going to affect your future." And so, as a result of that, I just became interested, as a kid, in the world. Uh, so that's what sent me off to university, I decided to do five years of Chinese Language and History, at the Australian National University and by the time I went to university, I'd never met anyone from China because where I grew up it was classic white Australia. There was nobody around. And so, for me, this was a big voyage of discovery. T: Why did you decide that your focus really was on China, and that was going to be your focus? K: I think because I had read and I'd been given books by mum. I became fascinated with Chinese aesthetics, just those extraordinary rooves. If you're a kid growing up in rural Australia, there's something quite entrancing about classical Chinese architecture and then, secondly, China, as I began to read about it, was going to be a big force, in the region and the world. So, I felt as if I needed to understand this. I think what my mum taught me is work out what you're passionate about. Work hard with it and do something with it for the world. It doesn't matter what your field is. But then, once you graduate, in the early eighties, what on earth do you do? I mean, no one, in those days, was employing people who had Chinese skills maybe except the Foreign Service, which is where I ended up. T: Just before that, at university, you met your wife, Therese Rein, and, of course, a very formidable woman in her own right, a very successful entrepreneur. What sort of values did you share? K: I think both Therese and I had come from a tradition of faith, um, Christianity was an important part in our respective family lives. We also had, I think, a deep interest in justice, in those days, I'd already affiliated myself with the Australian Labour Party, she had a sense of justice and equality, her father was in a wheelchair. He'd been shot down in the war, he was a fighter pilot and therefore, neither of us had any financial background, so we also shared a view that, if we were going to get anywhere in life, it depended on these two things. You know, our own hands. T: Well, of course, you mentioned the Foreign Office, and in 1981, you joined, and spent a decade living overseas, including being stationed in Stockholm and Beijing. What sort of experiences did you have there? K: Well, if you're a young career diplomat and you join with reasonable Chinese language skills, then, of course, the natural place the Foreign Service will send you is Sweden T: Yes, exactly K: So why? But you know the great thing about going to our embassy in Stockholm in those days is that it was a small embassy, we covered both Norway, Sweden and Finland and so, as a young kid, and I'm only 24 years old, at this stage 23,24 - we'd just got married like the day before we went on posting. New country, new wife, new husband, depending on your perspective, new language, new job. It's a recipe for divorce. 37 years later, we're still married, so, uh. T: Phew. It's okay. Good. K: And, uh, my wife, Therese, is a very patient lady. She understands life. But one thing that we learned is that if you are, in those days, in a foreign country, albeit a western country, uh, you learned self-reliance. And secondly, in a diplomatic mission like that, which was small, you learned the entire craft. Like, at the age of 24, I was charge d'affaires. In charge of the mission, for several weeks on end, so you have to run the place, as well. And so, you quickly learn how to handle things. I think by the time I went in to politics, much later in my life, nothing ever surprised me anymore. You just learn how to deal with change. T: You became Prime Minister in 2007, you defeated John Howard, what was that moment like for you? K: The first feeling I had was, uh, one of just deep responsibility. Um, the elation lasted about 35 seconds, you know Like, "Yay!" And then-, T: "Now I've gotta do it!" K: Well, I also knew enough about the economy and was sufficiently financially literate, to understand what was beginning to unfold in markets. And, already, with the emergence of subprime in the United States, I thought, "This is going to be a challenging time." But, so it was a great sense of responsibility, as you do feel, if you're elected to high office, because suddenly, the hopes and aspirations of an entire nation rest on your shoulders. And the other thing I think about the exercise of political power is this. If you approach it soberly, the exercise of political power, in whichever country you're from, is a very sobering thing. In fact, it's a very frightening thing because what you decide matters. It affects people's lives, the next day. It's not a game, it's not a theory, it's not a plaything. And you change people's opportunities in a big way through what you decide. So, for me, it was a sobering experience. T: So what skills, then, do you call upon, to have, to withhold that kind of pressure and responsibility? As you say, you're changing people's lives. K: First and foremost is a sense of humour. If you don't have a sense of humour in political life, you die. Seriously. There's just too much going on that you can't control. I think the second thing is, when you're looking at proposals for change in a country, be very sober about it. You don't just assume that a change for its own sake is good. You've got to look at careful proposals for change, whether it's on the economy, on education, or the environment. And then act. For example, the changes we brought in on climate change. We brought in a mandatory renewable energy target of 20% of Australia's energy needs by 2020 to be renewable energy. When we were elected, it was 3%. Now it's about 18%, we're nearly there. But to look at that as a decision is a complex business. You've got to read and understand where each decision takes you, over three, five, seven, ten years. And I think the last, sort of, reserve you draw upon is perseverance. T: Well, of course, you pushed through a number of ground-breaking measures, as Prime Minister, including, you were just talking about climate change, ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, officially apologising to Australia's indigenous people about the abuses that they had suffered, and also gender equality. Why were these such important issues for you, Kevin? K: Well, the National Apology to Aboriginal Australians, it was the right thing to do, because Australian white people had treated Australian black people appallingly, for 200 years. So, for me, that was a basic and elemental exercise in social justice, it's a product of a reflection on who we are as human beings. You mentioned gender equality. If you've grown up in a family full of strong women. I had a strong mother, a very strong older sister, I married a strong woman. Our first child is a very strong woman, our daughter, Jessica. And she's given birth to a little girl, who's Josephine, a wonderful young Chinese-Australian kid, she's six, and by god is she strong. For me, it is normal to be with strong women. And so I find it incomprehensible in those parts of the world where women are regarded as second-class citizens. T: What more can be done, though, Kevin, do you think, around the world, to close that gap for women? K: You know, as I've looked around the world, I mean, there are three big drivers of inequality for women, one is the absence of universal healthcare for basic things, like safe childbirth. And we're working hard on that, through various development programmes around the world. The second is inequality of educational opportunity, because without the tools to know where you can take yourself and your family, and your community then you can't get there. And the third is inadequate access to finance. For women to be able to build their own enterprises, and to build their own businesses. There's another factor, as well, and that involves my gender, which is the appalling incidence of domestic violence. And violence against women is obnoxious, it's obscene and it's criminal, when Mao said, "Women hold up half the earth" it's not just a slogan. It actually is reflected in the reality, and we become a better humanity, as a result. T: Another pivotal moment, of course, in your premiership, was the financial crisis, 2007/2008. What was it like to be a world leader at that time, and how did you know that your stimulus measures would work? K: The honest answer is, for those of us who were in office at the time, it was bloody frightening. I think the thing which benefited me is, by instinct, I'm an historian. I read history. I knew enough about the history of the twenties and the thirties and of the history of recent recessions, in the global economy, in the early eighties and the early nineties to know, not just what to look for, but what measures not to adopt in response to it. Like in the thirties, and the measures that you could adopt to deal with it, and to lessen the blow. So, when we met as a cabinet, after Black Friday, in October of 2008, we spent the whole weekend in a cabinet meeting, brought in all the Treasury officials, and we went through the data, but we spent the first half of the first day going through economic history. And that's when we decided to act on financial confidence, provided a guarantee for all Australian savings deposits, a guarantee for all Australian inter-bank lending, and then began a very massive stimulus, for the real economy, of 5% of GDP equivalent, over the next 18 months. And thank god it worked. T: In 2010, that was a real rollercoaster year and there were political backstabbing, there were leadership coups. How did you keep your own moral compass during those times? K: I'm made of reasonably stern stuff, given how I was brought up. And you've been through a few tough things in your life, so you dust yourself off, and off you go again, I'm kind of a person of faith. I am grounded in a set of deep beliefs, and therefore, you enter in to a zone whereby that, becomes part of your resilience, that these things ultimately have a purpose, and you can work through both the highs and the lows of life. T: You are the inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, you're on a number of boards, so many different roles, but when you left public office, did you hesitate? Did you think, "Actually, I'm not going to do anything"? Or you thought, "No, I have to now get on to the global stage"? K: For me, it's part of a sense of vocation. It's not a job, it's what you feel you're actually called to do. And in my case, it's trying to act as some sort of intelligent, you know, bridge, where I can, and I don't overestimate the importance of this at all, between, I won't say east and west, But maybe China and the United States, uh, where we're being ripped apart rather than being brought closer together. T: With hindsight, do you think you would have gone in to politics? K: Ah, yes. I mean, you've got to be true to yourself, and for me going into political life was like a duck going to water. You know, it's what you do. So, I'd always had a sense of mission, a sense of purpose. Part of that purpose, for me, was on the home front, because I am a Social Democrat, was to try and maximise equality of opportunity for poorer people, like the person I was when I grew up. Everyone should have a first-class education, everyone should have access to decent healthcare. What you make of your life, then, depending on your hard work, or enterprise, or lack thereof, that's up to you. But everyone should have a decent start in life. And I think the other part of my vision and mission for politics was, a country like Australia, basically a bunch of white folks, at the other end of the world, how do we carve out a future for a country like that, in this extraordinary, dynamic, unfolding story called Asia? T: I want to just take you back to the advice that you gave in your autobiography, to prospective politicians, is to know what you believe in. What are the values that your beliefs, give rise to? K: You refer there to a course I taught at Harvard, I left the Prime Ministership, and then chose to, pursue political exile in the United States. If you're at Harvard, you're teaching all these young kids, uh, in the Institute of Politics, the course that I chose was called Politics and Purpose. So, I said, "Look. What you need to do at university is a few things. Number one. Work out what you believe in. Two, why do you believe that?" And why do you believe that? What values does that give rise to?" Then, what are you passionate about doing? What really lights up your lights? And how do you put together your beliefs and your passions, in to a mission for life? For me, the core values which are most fundamental for me, are compassion. I can't claim that that's any virtue of mine, it's just that's how my mother brought me up. If you see someone in pain, that's not a natural way to be, you must, as a human being, respond to that. Solidarity, which is, even if I don't know people in another country, I should be doing something about it. But also, the freedom to choose. That's an important value. And I think, on top of all those, again, what I now would describe as, um, the ecology of the planet, which is a respect for all living things, and the natural environment. And the reason I said that to the Harvard kids is, "Guys and girls, none of you are going to have a smooth career. None of you. There are times in life where you're going to go BANG into a brick wall. Either your business is about to go bust, or the global economy's about to go bust, or your political career's about to go bust, or whatever. Or you're going to get sick." So what that requires is a resilience in life which, uh, draws its strength from essential values, um, and I'm, uh, fortunate enough to have imbibed many of those from my mum. T: And have you instilled those same values, Kevin, to your own children, and to your grandchildren, to the next generations now? K: Well, I hope so. That's what we've sought to do. I hope our kids, through having grown up with us, and been in political life, lived in Prime Ministerial residences, been on the most fantastic family holidays in Europe, but also been in a tent down the beach, with their father cooking for them, badly, that the values I spoke about before, of a natural empathy, a natural compassion, a natural sense of solidarity, but a passion about freedom, and respect for others, I hope that they take root, as well, and with our little ones, as well, a two-year-old and a six-year-old. Life's a wonderful thing. And I hope, however long I live, we've-, I've been able to make some difference, to improve people's conditions in life. T: Kevin Rudd, thank you so much for joining us on CNBC Meets: Defining Values. K: Thank you ENDS For more information contact Clarence Chen, Communications Manager APAC, CNBC International D: +65 6326 1123 M: +65 9852 8630 E: Clarence.Chen@cnbc.com About CNBC: CNBC is the leading global broadcaster of live business and financial news and information, reporting directly from the major financial markets around the globe with regional headquarters Singapore, Abu Dhabi, London and New York. The TV channel is available in more than 410 million homes worldwide. CNBC.com is the preeminent financial news source on the web, featuring an unprecedented amount of video, real-time market analysis, web-exclusive live video and analytical financial tools. CNBC is a division of NBCUniversal. For more information, visit www.cnbc.com. Programme air times APAC (SIN/HK) Friday 27 July 1700 Saturday 28 July 1830 Sunday 29 July 1930 AUSTRALIA (AEST) Saturday 28 July 1830 Sunday 29 July 1930 EMEA (BST) Friday 27 July 2300 Saturday 28 July 1830 Donald Trump, Jr. (R) greets his father Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump's former attorney asserts that Trump knew in advance about a 2016 meeting between his campaign staff and Russians who claimed to have compromising information on Hillary Clinton, according to NBC News. Citing a knowledgeable source, NBC reported that the attorney, Michael Cohen, says that President Trump was told ahead of time about the meeting by his son, Donald Trump Jr. Cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller, NBC said. Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin during the U.S. presidential election. U.S. intelligence services are in broad agreement that Russia directly interfered with the election. President Trump's current attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told NBC that "Michael Cohen is not credible." "Michael Cohen can't be believed unless it's corroborated five times," Giuliani said. "I talked to the president about this at length before as well as other witnesses and it's not true. Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? A lawyer who would tape their own client is a lawyer without any character." The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Pre-election meeting to get dirt on Clinton Donald Trump Jr. has repeatedly denied that he told his father in advance about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting. Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting at Trump Tower so that he could explore a Russian offer of supposedly damaging information on Democratic presidential candidate Clinton. His brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort also attended that meeting in early June 2016. Manafort is scheduled to go on trial next week on bank fraud and tax charges related to his work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. Mueller is prosecuting that case. Thursday night's news broke hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating Cohen for possible crimes. Cohen attorney says revelation 'was not from us' President Donald Trump's July summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin yielded "no policy changes," Defense Secretary James Mattis said Friday. Mattis said he had spoken with chief of staff John Kelly and national security advisor John Bolton "immediately after" the Helsinki meeting. The controversial summit included a closed-door, one-on-one meeting between the two leaders that left some high-level Trump administration intelligence officials in the dark. At the annual Aspen Security Forum in Colorado days after the summit, U.S. intelligence chief Dan Coats said he had not been informed about the lengthy behind-the-scenes meeting. "If he had asked me how that ought to be conducted, I would have suggested a different way, but that's not my role," Coats said. "It is what it is." Mattis' remarks to Pentagon reporters on Friday followed a series of statements from the White House and the Kremlin that made separate claims about the agreements hashed out during that discussion. Trump said he and Putin had discussed ways to work together to curb nuclear weapons in North Korea. "Russia has assured us of its support," the president said, adding that "discussions are ongoing and they're going very, very well." But one day after the summit, the Russian Defense Ministry announced it was "ready" to put in place the "international security" measures agreed upon during the closed-door meeting. At a news conference following the one-on-one, Trump said Putin had made an "incredible offer" for members of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian election meddling to "come and work" with Kremlin investigators. The White House later rejected Putin's offer. On Friday, Mattis confirmed earlier reports that he was considering the possibility of talks with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, signaling further willingness to establish regular relations between the two adversarial countries. He also told reporters to "rest assured there are actions underway" by the U.S. "to protect our elections or to expose any external any, by anybody external efforts to influence the American public." Mattis did not provide any details to reporters about those efforts. Minutes after Mattis' remarks, however, the White House said, Trump "looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation." CNBC's Dan Mangan contributed to this report. Charlie Ergen Karl Gehring | Dever Post | Getty Images Dish co-founder and chairman Charlie Ergen first invoked the "Seinfeld strategy" on an earnings call in May 2011. The billionaire media mogul, in his folksy Tennessee accent, was responding to an analyst who was trying to make sense of Dish's seemingly random mixed bag of assets. That list included Blockbuster stores purchased out of bankruptcy, Slingbox streaming devices and wireless spectrum, along with Dish's core satellite TV business. Ergen recalled that a half-hour episode of the 1990s sitcom would often start with about 28 minutes of scattered scenes with no clear direction, "but it all seemed to come together in the last couple of minutes," he said. "And so I think in terms of where we're going strategically, you'll have to just wait and see where it all comes together." It's been seven years since that earnings call. Dish investors are still waiting for an ending that ties everything together. Over the last few years, Ergen has spent nearly $20 billion buying up unused spectrum the radio frequencies that telecommunications companies use to build wireless networks racking up more than $15 billion in debt on Dish's balance sheet, or more than seven times its cash position. Ergen, who stepped down as CEO in December but remains chairman and owns about half of the company's shares, wants to use this spectrum build a 5G wireless network that can compete with AT&T, Verizon, and a possible Sprint-T-Mobile combination. The problem is building a wireless network is very expensive -- at least $10 billion, by Dish's own admission. Some analysts say it's probably more like $25 billion. "We don't have that kind of capital on our balance sheet," Ergen acknowledged at a recent WIA conference. And Dish can't sit on its unused spectrum forever. By March 2020, just over 19 months from now, Dish has to show the Federal Communications Commission that it's built out a substantial wireless network, based on $3 billion worth of spectrum acquired from two bankrupt operators, TerreStar and DBSD North America, in 2012. Specifically, it promised the FCC in 2013 that it would provide signal coverage to 70 percent of the population in the 176 markets that are part of the license, known as AWS-4 (Advanced Wireless Services). If it can't satisfy the FCC's demands, the AWS-4 spectrum could get yanked. Dish would get nothing in return. The lonely island Ergen has tried many times to find a way to avoid building a network himself. He attempted to buy wireless companies Sprint and Clearwire in 2013. He toyed with acquiring T-Mobile a year later. He had preliminary discussions with DirecTV CEO Mike White about merging the two satellite TV providers. He's struck out each time. With Netflix and Amazon pulling viewers away from traditional TV subscriptions, and Comcast, AT&T and Verizon continuing to grow through consolidation, Dish's satellite TV business, which still has more than 10 million subscribers, is viewed as an increasingly isolated asset. Dish's market capitalization is less than $14 billion. That means investors are likely valuing the pay TV side of Dish's business at "less than zero," according to analyst Craig Moffett, a longtime industry analyst covering telecom stocks. Dish continues to be a profitable company, earning about $3 billion before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Still, that number has been flat for about a decade. Annual sales of $14 billion are nearly identical to 2011. As for the spectrum, by now, carriers were supposed to be begging to help build the network so they could reach new broadband customers. Or, better yet, the value of the spectrum was supposed to appreciate like real estate, letting Dish sell it for a big windfall, or use it to sell the entire company. But Sprint sold to SoftBank, and earlier this year agreed to merge with T-Mobile. Ergen also talked to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos about partnering with Dish on a buildout, according to a Wall Street Journal story last July. The talks appear to have gone nowhere. As for AT&T, Ergen bruised that relationship over a decade ago. He reached a handshake agreement to sell his satellite TV business, Echostar, then went back and tried to get more money, according to two people familiar with the talks. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, who is stepping down Aug. 1, told CNBC last year his company is "probably not" interested in buying Dish. It appears as though Dish has been left on an island. "It's a Hollywood-worthy script," Moffett wrote in a July 11 note to clients. "A multi-billionaire is risking everything to recapture the entrepreneurial glories of his early days in satellite TV. To succeed, our protagonist will have to navigate a murderers' row of cord-cutting, groaning debt obligations, and an FCC buildout requirement that could render some of his most precious assets worthless." According to nearly every industry veteran who spoke to CNBC for this story, Ergen sealed his fate over many years, developing a reputation as someone who it was hard to do business with. One executive who knows Ergen well described him as a "grenade thrower" for his efforts to scuttle deals at the last minute. Take, for example, the time in 2013 when he tried to acquire both Sprint and wireless provider Clearwire at the same time. SoftBank had already agreed to buy 70 percent of Sprint, and Sprint had had a deal to buy Clearwire. Ergen turned both into vicious bidding wars and landed neither. Executives at Sprint took Dish's acquisition offer seriously, but there were so many loopholes, qualifications and contingencies that the board felt they had to reject it and stick with SoftBank, said two people familiar with the matter. A similar situation happened with Clearwire. "He is a hard negotiator," said Erik Prusch, who was Clearwire's CEO at the time. "His structures and how he wanted to participate in the economics was always a little bit less straightforward and that made it challenging to become a partner with him." Tom Cullen, executive VP of corporate development, disagreed with this characterization, saying the offer was "financially superior, included substantial synergies and featured clear industrial logic" and "contained customary due diligence conditions." Prusch added, "I would've expected by now that he would've been able to partner with somebody with having such a vast spectrum portfolio." Meanwhile, Dish's stock price has been slashed in half during the past year, erasing about $14 billion from the company's market value. The company's satellite TV business loses hundreds of thousands of subscribers a year, Blockbuster shut down in 2013, and Dish's Sling TV, with about 2 million subscribers, is still a bit player in the video streaming market. The FCC is losing patience Dish plans to meet the government's 2020 requirement by spending up to $1 billion on a so-called narrowband IoT (internet of things) network that will "connect to people and sensors and microprocessors." That's what the company is calling phase one. Then comes phase two, a bigger 5G broadband buildout. The AWS-4 spectrum is just a portion of Dish's portfolio. Between 2014 and 2017, Ergen shelled out almost $18 billion on additional spectrum, through purchases and auctions. Each license carries its own buildout dates and requirements that extend until 2029. Industry observers have dismissed the first phase as a "save build," or a low-cost, low-functioning network that would meet the FCC's minimum requirements and allow the company to keep its spectrum so it could live to fight another day. Dish explains it differently. Tom Cullen, Ergen's second-in-command for wireless, told CNBC that the narrowband network fits within the FCC's parameters and will serve many types of devices while helping them conserve power. At a Wireless Infrastructure Association event in May, Ergen called spectrum "a means to the end" and said Dish is working towards a future of 300 billion things that will be connected to the internet. Privately, Ergen has talked about a network that would allow developers of web-connected devices think appliances or transportation equipment with sensors to rent space on demand, like the way WeWork provides office space or Amazon Web Services offers compute power, according to two people with knowledge of those conversations. While this may be a clever approach, it's not what Dish is supposed to be doing. "Recall that Dish's buildout obligation is for a broadband network, not a narrowband IoT one," wrote Moffett. "To proceed, they will need a hall pass from the FCC." Six former industry regulators and executives, who asked not to be named so they could speak candidly, said that the FCC has grown tired of Ergen's antics. His company has missed preliminary buildout deadlines, struck a number of sweetheart deals to redesignate how certain spectrum can be used and blamed the FCC for delaying clearance for the deployment of certain types of spectrum. The FCC is now telling Dish to put its spectrum to actual use for the good of consumers. In early July, Donald Stockdale, the head of the agency's wireless telecommunications bureau, wrote a letter to Dish's general counsel asking for clarity on the company's plans. Here's one of the bullet points: "When you previously stated that you expect to deploy by March 2020, did you mean that network coverage and equipment would be available to customers as of that date? Do you expect to be marketing and providing service to customers in each licensed area as of that date? How do you intend to market the service to customers in each licensed area?" Investors betting against Ergen see a ticking time bomb. Kerrisdale Capital, a New York-based hedge fund manager, has been short the stock for two years with a $100 million fund directly targeting Dish. It has a website called "Make Spectrum Great Again!" with a real-time clock that's counting down by the second to to March 2020. "I never thought the spectrum was worth what Charlie thought it was worth," said ex-DirecTV CEO White. "Now the whole world has changed. Will he pull a rabbit out a hat? Who knows?" Even if Ergen convinces regulators that he's building something real, the shorts say he's got little hope of ever making money in a highly competitive, capital-intensive market already dominated by a few large carriers. Dish's wireless spectrum portfolio Spectrum type Value on balance sheet Year acquired 700 MHz licenses $711,871 2008 AWS-4 licenses $1,949,000 2012 H-Block licenses $1,671,506 2014 AWS-3 licenses $9,890,389 2015 600 MHz licenses $6,211,154 2017 "I'm not sure they'll have any significant advantage," said Pardeep Kohli, CEO of Mavenir, which provides infrastructure software and hardware to the top carriers. "They have a disadvantage in that they're not totally built out and it will take them time. Even if you do all those things, how do you do them better than any of those three guys?" Ergen has acknowledged the challenges. "We have one disadvantage we don't have any customers and we're not as knowledgeable as people who have been in the business so far," Ergen said at the WIA event. "But we have one advantage we have a clean sheet of paper." Dish declined to make Ergen available for an interview. Cullen said that he understands why some investors and industry observers are concerned. "They have a right to be skeptical," Cullen said, reiterating that the company is a novice in building mobile networks. But Cullen said every department within Dish has people working on wireless, whether it's project managers, product installers, supply chain managers or warehousing employees. "Charlie and I are engaged in every detail every day," he said. "We feel good about the progress we're making." Digital First Media Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images | Digital First Media | Getty Images Disneyland Resort employees cast their ballots during voting on a new union contract at the Main Street Opera House in Disneyland in Anaheim, CA Walt Disney Co's Disneyland Resort announced it has agreed to raise the minimum wage of employees at its California theme park to $15 per hour by January 2019. The subsidiary, which runs Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney, said in a press release late Thursday that it had agreed the deal with Master Services Council. Master Services Council is a conglomerate of unions that represent roughly 9,700 workers employed at the three sites. The current minimum of $11 per hour is to be lifted immediately to $13.25 with the full 40 percent rise to $15 kicking in at the beginning of next year. A separate deal for Orlando staff, which would lift their minimum wage from $10 per hour to $15 per hour by 2021, is yet to be finalized. Former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders attended a protest rally with Disney staff earlier this year and subsequently accused the firm of turning the resort into a "nightmare" for struggling workers. On July 13, Sanders then tweeted that Disney CEO Bob Iger ought to have a good explanation for his multi-million dollar salary. Tweet 1 Parks and Resorts during the second quarter of 2018 represented Disney's second-largest division in terms of income, generating $4.88 billion in sales and $954 million in operating income. In February, Disney raised the admission price for peak period access to the California site by 9 percent, raising the ticket price from $124 to $135. The share price of Walt Disney has risen 5.6 percent year-to-date. European stocks closed higher Friday, tracking their fourth straight week of gains, as investors digested fresh earnings and growth data from the U.S. Looking across the European benchmark, Carrefour rose 12.01 percent after reporting a profit increase in the first half of the year, whereas Kering fell 7.72 percent after Gucci sales came in slightly weaker than forecasts. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed provisionally 0.4 percent higher. Basic resources jumped as trade concerns eased and corporates brought positive news to the market. Oil and gas stocks were also higher, after BP agreed to buy U.S. shale oil and gas assets from global miner BHP Billiton . The latter rose 2.044 percent. Telecoms were the best performing sector, up by 2.2 percent, on strong earnings. BT shares rose 4.959 percent after announcing an increase in profits. On the economic data front, gross domestic product figures for France were released before the bell which came in below market forecasts. According to INSEE stats group, France's economy grew by 0.2 percent in the second quarter as the European nation was hit by strikes and a drop in consumer spending. In the U.S., gross domestic product grew at a solid 4.1 percent pace in the second quarter, boosting hopes that the economy is ready to break out of its decade-long slumber. Meantime, trade continues to dwell on investor sentiment, as fresh news continues to roll out. On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that a deal on NAFTA would be coming soon. The U.S. has been in renegotiation talks with Canada and Mexico over NAFTA, after President Donald Trump heavily criticized the trade agreement. The U.S. pledged to work together with the European Union this week, to reduce tariffs and avoid a trade war between the two regions; however the future of car levies remains unknown. On Thursday however, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated that the Commerce Department would continue its investigation into whether auto imports would inflict a risk on U.S. national security, Reuters reported. Educators fear of overstepping federal student privacy laws can make it tougher for law enforcement and schools to share information that could prevent a potential school shooting, advocates told President Donald Trumps School Safety Commission at the panels latest hearing, held in Washington on Thursday. Clarence Cox III, the president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers, told the commission that fear of overstepping privacy laws can be impediment to information sharing. For law enforcement, this is one of the greatest hindrances facing intelligence gathering, he said. And Francisco Negron, the chief legal officer at the National School Boards Association, argued that local districts would benefit from being able to use their discretion in deciding when to share information. Collaboration and communication with local law enforcement agencies is an essential part of these efforts. That is why school boards would benefit from eliminating barriers that hinder the collaboration of agencies providing services to children, Negron said. He added that: Local educators know and care about their students and their school communities. They know the school climate, community concerns, the history of student interactions, and their needs. They are in a unique position to share information when necessary to maintain a safe school environment. The panel has heard in the past from student privacy rights experts, but none spoke at Thursdays hearing. The commission, chaired by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, was created in response to the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. thursdays hearing was one of the rare meetings that involved all four members of the commission: DeVos; Alex Azar, the secretary of Health and Human Services; Kirstjen M. Nielsen, the secretary of Homeland Security; and Jeff Sessions, the attorney general. This hearing, which focused on proactively protecting students, was organized by the Justice Department. Sessions seemed sympathetic to the idea that the feds could tweakor at least clarifythe Family Educational Rights and Privacy Actso that educators and law enforcement dont have to worry about collaborating to head off a possible violent incident. Sessions said the 2004 approval of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act gave more discretion to educators in helping students in special education. He thinks that might the right strategy for FERPA. Maybe we can do something similar here, give more bright line approval of certain policies, Sessions said. The commission is not exploring the role guns play in school shootings, with a few limited exceptions, to the chagrin of advocates. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate education committee, has questioned whether the National Rifle Association has an outsized role in guiding the commissions work . DeVos has denied thats the case. Cox made it clear that he doesnt think an idea floated by Trump to combat school shootingsarming teachersmakes any sense. Teachers are already overtasked ... That would be a very bad idea, Cox said. For one thing, the cost would be astronomical. He said it could cost more than $70 million nationally to train educators to use firearms. And that doesnt include the gun itself. Thats just the training. The commission heard some big support for school resource officersor SROsis no surprise, given that more than half the panelists were SROs, came from school districts that use them, or organizations that represent them. Our kids view our SROS as just another person talking to them, not a cop, said Don Hulin, the principal of Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala. Having SROs makes it much easier to deal with potential flashpoints of violence before they spill into a school. Rudy Perez, the vice president of the Los Angeles School Police Association, concurred, and suggested the feds kick in more resources to support SROs. School Discipline Policies The commission is charged with deciding whether to scrap, keep, or tweak Obama-era guidance putting schools on notice that they may be found in violation of federal civil rights laws if they enforce intentionally discriminatory rules or if their policies lead to disproportionately higher rates of discipline for students in one racial group, even if those policies were written without discriminatory intent. Judy Kidd, the president of the North Carolina Classroom Teachers Association, a political organization for educators meant to provide a counterbalance to the teachers unions, said she was all for ditching the guidance. The schools can be the repository of some student criminals, she said. Separate from her work at the commission, DeVos has heard from both fans and opponents of the guidance. So far, no one supportive of keeping it on the books has been asked to testify before the commission. But a number of advocates asked the department to keep it on the books during one of the commissions listening sessions in Washington, which was open to members of the public. Want more on school police? Check out this story from my colleague Evie Blad, on a survey that found one in five school resource officers dont think their schools are prepared for a shooting . A note surrounded by candles is seen during a vigil at Pine Trails Park for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 15. --Brynn Anderson/AP Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . The Japanese government has agreed with Vietnam to invite 10,000 nursing caregivers from the Southeast Asian country by the summer of 2020 to counter a serious manpower shortage in the industry. As a first step, Japan plans to receive 3,000 personnel within one year, with Tokyo offering financial assistance for language training, and then expand to 10,000 in two years. By setting a numerical target, the government hopes to accelerate the preparations. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday instructed his cabinet to start making arrangements to accept more foreign workers into the country. Tokyo is working to set similar targets with Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos. Japan and Vietnam are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding as early as this year. It will be categorized as part of the "Asia Health and Human Well-Being Initiative," a Japanese government program to provide Japanese knowledge and expertise on nursing care and social welfare to aging Asian societies. Japan began accepting Vietnamese workers in the nursing field last November under an expanded technical intern training program, through which additional caregivers will also arrive. Those who can speak some conversational Japanese are able to obtain residency for up to five years. The government will create a new program allowing those who complete their technical training to stay up to another five years. Few people, however, have actually used the technical training program for nursing due to tough language requirements that necessitate educational spending. Participants are forced to return home if their Japanese conversational skills do not reach a certain level within the first year of stay, making the trip to Japan too costly. Under the new program, Japan will subsidize these educational expenses and work with companies that teach caretakers how to help the elderly remain self-reliant. These workers will be paid the same salaries as Japanese workers. The government will initially accept 3,000 people through 12 designated Japanese companies as technical trainees. The Vietnamese government will also approve six agencies for sending talent abroad. Perhaps other countries should be paying more for America's innovative prescription drugs, former pharmaceutical exec Fred Hassan told CNBC. "A lot of wealthy countries, including our neighbor to the north, a lot of the countries in Western Europe, Japan, they should be paying more," Hassan, former chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough, which was acquired by Merck in 2009, said Friday on "Power Lunch." "I don't think the industry has had enough pressure put on some of these countries to loosen up," said Hassan, who is also a CNBC contributor. "Because they do get a free ride to some extent from all the good work that gets done in this country." "This has always been a problem," he added. In May, President Donald Trump introduced his "American Patients First" plan, an attempt to bring down drug prices at home by forcing foreign countries to pay more those nations often rely on their welfare systems to make drug prices more affordable in their countries. Trump said his plan would lower prescription drugs list prices and out-of-pocket costs for patients in the U.S. That same month, during a speech at the White House, Trump criticized foreign countries for paying less than the U.S. does for prescription drugs, calling it "global freeloading." But, critics said the move wouldn't work. Instead, they said, it would raise prices for some people. Gold inched higher on Friday as the U.S. dollar slid lower after strong U.S. economic growth data while concern remains about trade tensions between the United States and Europe. Spot gold edged up 0.1 percent to $1,223.51 an ounce, having hit a one-week low of $1,216.93, and was on track for its third consecutive weekly decline, of about 0.5 percent. U.S. gold futures for August delivery settled down $2.70 at $1,223. The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies as data showing the U.S. economy rang up its strongest quarter in nearly four years failed to erase worries that trade frictions would be a drag in the second half of 2018. The greenback gave up initial gains after the U.S. government reported gross domestic product grew at a 4.1 percent annualized pace in the second quarter, matching the median forecast among economists polled by Reuters. "The dollar weakened and treasury yields came off," said Walter Pehowich, executive vice president of investment services at Dillon Gage. "Dollar weakness looks like it will continue and gold will see some short-term support." A weaker dollar makes dollar-priced gold less expensive for non-U.S. investors. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields slipped from their highest level in 1-1/2 months. In the physical markets, gold demand in India improved this week as domestic prices traded near a six-month low, while weaker rates in Singapore prompted a pick-up in demand there. Demand remained weak, however, in top consumer China as the yuan fell. "We believe price action (in gold) is likely to be subdued in the coming weeks (as) physical demand is in the middle of a seasonally slow period, short interest in gold has risen as prices have fallen and there are 200 tonnes of loss-making ETF positions that could be liquidated," Barclays said in a note. Spot gold is expected to fall into a range of $1,206-$1,214 an ounce, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao said. "A key level of resistance will be $1,236, the double-bottom from a couple weeks ago," Pehowich added. Source: djdsolmusic | Instagram Goldman Sachs next chief executive officer and chairman, David Solomon, often talks about his personal interests, including an unusual side gig as a dance club disc jockey. Now, he wants his leaders to open up. Solomon, 56, was asked about his hobby at a recent conference for clients and executives, according to Brian Levine, a Goldman partner and co-head of global equities trading. Last week, Solomon was formally named successor to longtime CEO Lloyd Blankfein, taking over on Oct. 1. "David is very aware that we've got to be more open," Levine said in an interview. To help foster connections with employees and clients, Solomon said that "leaders today have to be more vulnerable, they have to put themselves out there a lot more than they probably are comfortable doing," said Levine. Solomon's push for openness embodies a shift that is occurring throughout the 149-year-old investment bank. Housed in an imposing steel-and-glass tower on Manhattan's West Side whose unmarked entrance was recently watched by four hulking security guards, the bank emerged from the financial crisis with a reputation as an insular trading juggernaut. Before regulations restricted the practice, Goldman was perhaps Wall Street's most successful proprietary trading house but the fact that it was making bets with its own money left some clients wondering if the firm always had their best interests at heart. To succeed in a world where volatile trading revenue is seen as less desirable than steady fee-generating businesses, Solomon will have to transform Goldman into a friendlier financial firm that touches and wins the trust of many more ordinary consumers and corporations. The pivot is a more delicate change than one undergone by other institutions under more immediate duress, from Wells Fargo to Facebook to Uber, which have been forced to adapt in the face of crippling scandals. Instead, Goldman and its new leader need to prove it can develop nascent sources of revenue and shed more of its legacy as a private partnership to attract customers and employees. Goldman shares have fallen about 7 percent this year through Thursday, the worst performance of the six biggest U.S. banks. New markets, new image Blankfein has acknowledged that the company's secrecy it rarely had advertisements and didn't even put its name on its headquarters helped create a void that outsiders filled with unflattering narratives. After making lucrative bets against the U.S. housing market a decade ago, it was labeled a "vampire squid" by Rolling Stone magazine. The company's track record of producing government officials, including two Treasury secretaries in the past decade, has helped fuel conspiracy theories about the bank's connections. "In general we never publicized what we did anywhere," Blankfein said in a 2016 interview. "After the crisis, we realized that we didn't communicate enough with the public to let them know who we were and what our contribution was to society." Solomon, who joined Goldman in 1999, was one of the architects of a plan unveiled in September to boost revenue by $5 billion by broadening its client base beyond hedge funds and asset managers, finding growth in smaller markets and pushing into retail products. David Solomon, co-president and co-chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., gives a thumbs-up during a discussion at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit in Washington, D.C., Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images In April, the firm acquired a personal finance start-up called Clarity Money. The company's app, which will serve as the gateway to all of Goldman's digital finance products, has positioned itself as an unbiased consumer advocate. It helps its 1 million users save money by securing discounts on services or cancelling unnecessary subscriptions. Under the Marcus brand, Goldman currently offers deposits and personal loans but will eventually offer a full suite of products, from wealth management to mortgages and life insurance. "We've got your back," are the words sprawled on a 40-foot column advertising Clarity Money in the bank's headquarters. Goldman began its first advertising campaign aimed at consumers in 2016, an effort they ramped up this year, along with an aggressive direct-mail effort. And the bank now regularly posts videos and podcasts of executive interviews and tweets photos showing glimpses of life at the firm, including a shot Thursday commemorating Shark Week. Opening up The cultural shift includes more transparency on financial targets. Analysts have voiced frustration with the lack of information Goldman offers on its various businesses. Under Solomon, the bank is considering hosting its first-ever Investor Day next year, according to people with knowledge of the plans. At similar events held by competitors, firms typically disclose multiyear financial targets, giving analysts the chance to hold management accountable. Solomon is attempting to modernize the firm in other ways. Days after Solomon's promotion was announced, the bank said three women were joining its management committee, nearly doubling female representation in the powerful group, according to a memo. "People want to work at an organization that's diverse, that's open, that has all different kinds of people, that is very accepting," Solomon said in an October podcast. More broadly, the firm has opened its executive ranks to outsiders at a pace not seen since the New York-based bank went public in 1999. It hired 15 executives at the most senior rank of partner in the past year, a trend that will continue, according to The Wall Street Journal. Levine, who joined Goldman in 1994 and has steadily climbed the ranks of the firm's equities division, said Solomon has helped managers begin to loosen a historically buttoned-up culture. "If you're a leader it's easy to be authoritarian and to tell everyone, 'This is the way it is,'" Levine said. "It's a lot harder to share information, get feedback and have an open dialogue." Levine, 47, said he posts "fairly aggressively" to internal social media-like platforms to help foster an atmosphere that's more welcoming to millennial employees, who are known for constant sharing of their personal lives. He also organizes an annual fundraiser for a Harlem nonprofit that allows hundreds of Goldman employees to compete in a whiffle ball tournament. Events like that create a "social environment, it enables people to blend their outside life with their inside life," Levine said. "You see in surveys of millennials, they say that's what they want at work." 'I was shaking' The news coverage of Solomon's hobby caught him off guard when headlines emerged last year, he said, according to a transcript of a May conference. But Solomon eventually decided that sharing more of his personal life with subordinates makes him more approachable. In the 2017 podcast, Solomon said he was a music fan for decades, owning more than 1,000 vinyl records in college. When digital streaming allowed broader exposure to different genres, Solomon realized he enjoyed electronic dance music, or EDM. Solomon has since embraced the spotlight, releasing an EDM single called "Don't Stop" in June under his stage name D-Sol. He has 465,337 monthly listeners on Spotify. He's also been spotted performing before crowds in venues from Brooklyn's Williamsburg to the Hamptons, according to news reports. "It's something I'm really passionate about," Solomon said in the podcast. "If you can't find a way to have passions and pursue those passions and mix them into your professional life and your personal life, it's just harder to have the energy to keep on doing this." Solomon may be uniquely suited for the new Goldman. Where Blankfein is known for a quick wit, Solomon is more likely to come off as disarmingly earnest. The day after a ceremony where he was formally introduced by Blankfein as his successor, Solomon spoke to a roomful of the bank's interns, expressing wonder that he would soon be running the place. "When Lloyd called me up at the stage, I was pretty emotional about it, it really affected me," Solomon said. "I was shaking." WATCH: What Goldman's new boss means for its strategy Influential investor advisory firms Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services are urging investors to oppose the proposed tie-up of Rite Aid and Albertsons Companies, a blow to the retailers' efforts to secure investor approval just weeks before it goes to a shareholder vote. The $24 billion deal, announced in February, has faced push-back from a number of retail investors as well as top ten shareholder Highfields Capital Management. Critics have argued the deal provides Albertsons' private equity owner, Cerberus Capital Management, a vehicle to take the company public without rewarding Rite Aid shareholders in turn. At issue for both ISS and Glass Lewis is the price that Albertsons offered Rite Aid for the deal. The deal gives Rite Aid shareholders a roughly 29 percent stake in the combined company, which will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange after the deal closes. Because Albertsons is a private company, however, the value of that stake is up for debate and contingent upon how Albertsons is valued. And that can vary. Meantime, its value relative to Rite Aid is complicated by the volatility facing the entire retail industry, amid uncertainties like Amazon's plans in health care. Based on Glass Lewis's calculations, the deal is for Rite Aid is essentially a merger of equals, with little takeover premium paid to Rite Aid investors. Based on ISS's math, Albertsons is getting Rite Aid at a discount. Both, though, supported the strategic rational of the deal. The retailers have argued that, together, they get scale, which is increasingly important to compete with behemoths like Walmart and Amazon. The combination of a pharmacy business and retailer also echoes similar trends taking place across the industry, as reimbursement rates decline and generic drug-makers consolidate. Ashley Flower, a spokesperson for Rite Aid told CNBC the company "strongly [disagrees] with ISS' recommendation." She added the company continues to support the proposed deal and believes it will "significantly improve Rite Aid's growth prospects, financial strength and ability to deliver compelling long-term value for shareholders." A spokeswoman for Albertsons on Thursday told CNBC regarding Glass Lewis's recommendation the firm "reached the wrong conclusion." She added that it "failed to appropriately consider the momentum behind Albertsons Cos recent results or the cost synergies and revenues opportunities resulting from the merger." She did not respond to requests for comment on Friday regarding ISS's conclusion. Albertsons was formed by Cerberus and a consortium of investors in 2006. The investment firm later merged Albertsons with the grocer Safeway in 2015. But plans to take Albertsons public were sidelined by market volatility and, later, Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods that upended the grocery market. The grocer has also stumbled in comparison to its peers like Kroger, which has had positive same-store sales the past two fiscal years, ISS notes. Albertsons, by contrast, showed same-store sale growth in the most recent two quarters, preceded by negative same store sales in the past two fiscal years, ISS says. The grocer is also highly leveraged, with $12 billion in long-term debt and capitalized leases. Rite Aid has had its own challenges. Regulators thwarted its attempts to sell to Walgreens Boots Alliance, forcing them to whittle down a sale of Rite Aid's entire 4,600 store footprint to just 1,932 locations. Its competitors, which now include Walgreens and a proposed CVS Health-Aetna tie-up, dwarf it in size. But ISS said on Friday it is unsure the deal as structured, and the $375 million in cost-savings the retailers say it will generate, will sufficiently absolve them of their woes. "Strategically, the proposed merger appears to be a step in the right direction, as it provides [Rite Aid] with increased scale and diversification. However, the transaction would introduce a new set of risks associated with the grocery business, and the combined company's leverage could limit investment in two evolving business environments," ISS wrote. ISS also said that potential conflicts of interest in the negotiating process "heightened" its concerns about the deal's benefit for Rite Aid shareholders. Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani (C) attends Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's (not seen) meeting with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in Tehran, Iran. A top-ranking commander of the Iranian special forces issued a direct threat to President Donald Trump over the outcome of war between the two countries. Major General Qassim Soleimani, who leads a special forces unit of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, has been quoted as stating that if the U.S. attacks Iran it "will destroy all that you possess." The outburst is seen as a response to Trump's tweet warning Iran's President Hassan Rouhani to "never, ever" threaten the U.S. Tweet 1 According to reports citing the Iranian news agency Tasnim, Soleimani said Thursday that it was "my duty to respond to your threats," before adding "Talk to me, not to the president (Rouhani). It is not in our president's dignity to respond to you." The commander then engaged in the sort of language likely to worsen relations between the United States and the Islamic republic. "We are near you, where you can't even imagine. Come. We are ready." "If you begin the war, we will end the war. You know that this war will destroy all that you possess." The report added that Soleimani derided the U.S. president for using the language of "night clubs and gambling halls." Michael Avenatti, the attorney for Stormy Daniels, talks to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Los Angeles on July 27, 2018. Avenatti also said he had previously been engaged in discussions with representatives for Cohen about setting up a meeting with the potential for settling the case with Cohen, but only on the condition that "he was going to disclose the information that he had ... disclose the truth about this president." "Americans deserve to know the truth about their elected leaders," said Avenatti, whose client Daniels is suing Trump and Cohen to get free of a hush money deal that required her to keep quiet about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump in 2006. "We are not going to be silenced, my client is not going to be silenced," Avenatti said. "What you witnessed today was a continued effort by the president of the United States and Michael Cohen to silence me and to prevent the truth from being exposed," Avenatti told reporters after a hearing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, where Judge S. James Otero indicated that he is unlikely to grant a request to gag Avenatti. At the same time, Avenatti refused to elaborate to reporters on his claims to be representing three other women whom he said also got hush money deals to keep quiet about relationships with Trump before the 2016 presidential election. A federal judge Friday poured cold water on a request to gag porn star Stormy Daniels ' attorney Michael Avenatti from making public comments about her pending legal claims against President Donald Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Avenatti said those talks ended last Sunday after "it became clear to me that Michael Cohen was attempting to play a game." Lanny Davis, a lawyer representing Cohen in connection with a pending federal criminal probe in New York City, had no immediate comment when contacted by CNBC. Avenatti declined to answer questions about the three other women he says are linked to Trump. Avenatti said he was awaiting permission from those women to disclose details about their cases. Otero, during the hearing, seemed sympathetic to Avenatti's arguments that gagging him in the case would be unfair and absurd given the fact that Trump continues to tweet about Cohen and Trump's current lawyer Rudy Giuliani frequently comments to media outlets about Cohen and Daniels. Otero suggested Cohen's lawyer Brent Blakely did not fully appreciate the significance of asking him to suppress the right of Avenatti to speak publicly. Referring to Americans' rights of free speech under the Constitution, Otero noted that "those are the most sacred of rights." Blakely, in asking for the gag on Avenatti, cited the hundreds of Twitter posts made by Daniels' lawyer, as well as his steady stream of media appearances "You look at the conduct it's unprecedented," Blakely said. "At what point does he stop. When does this court say enough is enough." But Otero, noting Giuliani's recent public condemnations of Cohen for having secretly recorded Trump talking about paying hush money for another alleged mistress, said, "Irony doesn't escape me." And the judge said Blakely had so far "failed" to make a convincing case for the requested gag. In addition to holding off on ruling on the gag order request, Otero did not rule on Avenatti's request that the case resume after being put on hold for the past three months. Proceedings in the case have been suspended because of the existence of the criminal investigation of Cohen in New York. That probe, Cohen has argued, would prevent him from being able to answer questions fully under oath in Daniels' lawsuit in California. At his news conference outside of court, Avenatti said he was eager for the stay in the case to be lifted. "We do not want this case delayed for months or years on end," he said. "It's time to get on with it." Avenatti also took a shot at Giuliani, who on Thursday night had told CNN that Cohen is "a proven liar," "There's no way you're going to bring down the president of the United States on the testimony uncorroborated of a proven liar. I guarantee you this guy is a proven liar," Giuliani had said. The former New York City mayor was referring to a report that Cohen was willing to tell special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating the Trump campaign for possible collusion with Russians interfering in the presidential election, that Trump had known in advance about a planned Trump Tower meeting with campaign officials and Russians who had offered negative information about Hillary Clinton. Avenatti said of Giuliani: "This guy is an absolute train wreck of a lawyer." "In fact, I think he's the best lawyer we have working for us in the case," Avenatti added. Published Fri, Jul 27 2018 7:06 AM EDT Updated Fri, Apr 12 2019 6:37 AM EDT Kevin Rudd: The former Australian prime minister with a global vision Shafi Musaddique Mark Cuban is the ultimate business success story. He grew up middle class in Pittsburgh and after college started with just $60 in his pocket. Today is worth $3.7 billion, according to Forbes. And the tech entrepreneur, star of the ABC reality show "Shark Tank" and owner of the Dallas Mavericks says one step many people take in their journey towards success is unnecessary: getting an MBA. "I am not a fan of getting MBAs at all. I am a fan of going to college but not a fan of getting an MBA," Cuban said at the High School Leadership Summit Turning Point USA event in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (a video of which is embedded below). Cuban went to Indiana University for undergrad and took MBA classes there, he tells CNBC Make It. "I had more than half of my MBA done before my junior year [of college]," Cuban says, but he did not complete an MBA. Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft, speaks during a Microsoft launch event to introduce the new Microsoft Surface laptop and Windows 10 S operating system, May 2, 2017 in New York City. Microsoft employees questioned the company's chief executive, Satya Nadella, on Thursday, presenting him with a petition signed by more than 300,000 people that called on the software maker to cancel its contract with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, according to two people who attended the event. Mr. Nadella was attending an annual gathering with interns at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash., when the employees used the question-and-answer session to ask about the company's government contracts, said the people, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation. One employee presented Mr. Nadella with a USB stick that contained the petition, along with the signatures, including 500 from Microsoft employees, they said. "We demand Microsoft stop enabling ICE's mission to punish families seeking safety," read the petition, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The petition also called for all tech companies that support the operations of ICE and the Customs and Border Protection agency to "cancel their contracts." More from the New York Times: The presentation of the petition is the latest example of employee activism at large tech companies against the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on immigration, which had resulted in children being separated from their migrant parents earlier this year. The White House has backed down from the policy, but the administration has struggled in recent weeks to reunite children with their families. Workers at several Silicon Valley companies were up in arms over the issue, but Microsoft came under particular scrutiny from its employees because the company has a contract for processing data and artificial intelligence capabilities with ICE. The agency had been separating migrant parents and their children at the border with Mexico. Last month, Microsoft employees circulated a letter that called on their employer to cancel all contracts with ICE, among other measures. In response, Microsoft said last month that to the best of its knowledge, its products and services were not being used by federal agencies to separate children from their families at the border. It added that it was "dismayed" by the Trump administration's immigration policy and urged that it be changed. The scrutiny comes as Microsoft has been positioning itself as a moral leader of the technology industry. Mr. Nadella and Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, have publicly said they wanted to protect user privacy and establish ethical guidelines for new technology like artificial intelligence. Microsoft declined to comment on Thursday's petition, but confirmed that Mr. Nadella had received the USB stick. The petition was started earlier this month by a coalition of nonprofit organizations calling for immigration reform. A group of Microsoft employees circulated the petition internally, collecting signatures. The group then decided to present Mr. Nadella with the petition and use the opportunity to raise their concerns directly with him, said employees involved in Thursday's encounter. They said they chose that day to present the petition because it coincided with the deadline set by a federal court to reunite children and parents who had been divided under the former policy. "Microsoft is complicit in profiting from a violent and murderous mass incarceration and deportation scheme," said Scott Roberts, senior campaign director at Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy group which helped start the petition. "Microsoft must take action in the one way that will make an actual impact, canceling the contract." Millennials, the generation born between 1981 and 1996, see America's role in the 21st century world in ways that, as a recently released study shows, are an intriguing mix of continuity and change compared to prior generations. For over 40 years the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which conducted the study, has asked the American public whether the United States should "take an active part" or "stay out" of world affairs. This year, an average of all respondents people born between 1928 and 1996 showed that 64 percent believe the U.S. should take an active part in world affairs, but interesting differences could be seen when the numbers are broken down by generation. More from The Conversation: Study: 60 percent of rural millennials lack access to a political life Americans should welcome the age of unexceptionalism A new world is dawning, and the US will no longer lead it The silent generation, born between 1928 and 1945 whose formative years were during World War II and the early Cold War, showed the strongest support at 78 percent. Support fell from there through each age group. It bottomed out with millennials, of whom only 51 percent felt the U.S. should take an active part in world affairs. That's still more internationalist than not, but less enthusiastically than other age groups. There is some anti-Trump effect visible here: Millennials in the polling sample do identify as less Republican 22 percent and less conservative than the older age groups. But they also were the least supportive of the "take an active part" view during the Obama administration as well. Four sets of additional polling numbers help us dig deeper. Military power: Only 44 percent of millennials believe maintaining superior military power is a very important goal, much less than the other generations. They also are less supportive of increasing defense spending. And when asked whether they support the use of force, millennials are generally disinclined, especially so on policies like conducting airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, using troops if North Korea invades South Korea, and conducting airstrikes against violent Islamic extremist groups. American 'exceptionalism': Millennials also were much less inclined to embrace the idea that America is "the greatest country in the world." Only half of millennials felt that way, compared to much higher percentages of the other three generations. In a related response, only one-quarter of millenials saw the need for the U.S. to be "the dominant world leader." These findings track with the 2014 American National Election Study, which found that while 78 percent of silent, 70 percent of boomer and 60 percent of Gen X respondents consider their American identity as extremely important, only 45 percent of millennials do. Alliances and international agreements: Millennials are especially supportive of NATO, at 72 percent. In this measure, they are close to the other generations' levels of NATO support. Their 68 percent support for the Paris climate agreement is higher than two of the other three age groups. And their 63 percent support for the Iran nuclear nonproliferation agreement is even with boomers and higher than Gen X. Globalization and key trade issues: Millennials' 70 percent agreement with the statement that "globalization is mostly good for the United States" is higher than all the other age groups. Similarly, 62 percent believe that NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is good for the U.S. economy well above the others surveyed. The margin is also positive although narrower on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. These and other polls show millennials to have a world view that, while well short of isolationist, is also not as assertively and broadly internationalist as previous generations. Supporters of a federal law passed earlier this year aimed at eliminating online sex trafficking say it has already led to a significant drop in online advertising for sex. But critics say the law is merely pushing the trade further underground, and they hope to get the law overturned. The law, known by its House and Senate titles, the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, or FOSTA/SESTA, was perhaps best known for persuading the advertising site Craigslist to discontinue its popular personal ads earlier this year. But the law's main target was more explicit sites like Backpage which the feds seized shortly before the bill became law that were alleged breeding grounds for trafficking and other abuses. FOSTA/SESTA clarified a so-called safe harbor provision of the 1996 Communication Decency Act that said internet sites could not be held responsible for user-generated content. It specified that sites could be targeted for activities like child exploitation and sex trafficking. The law took effect in April, but supporters say it is already having an impact. "The sites that had been marketing children are not operating out and above-board anymore and that's a huge success as far as we're concerned," Carol Smolenski, executive director of Ecpat-USA, a nonprofit group that fights child exploitation, said in an interview with CNBC's "Deadly Rich." Early indications are that 60 to 80 percent of U.S. online sex advertising volume has disappeared, according to Rob Spectre, a New York-based consultant and programmer who works with Ecpat-USA and other anti-trafficking organizations. Beyond trafficking, online hookups have led to some truly tragic outcomes. Texas millionaire Jake Clyde "Jay" Merendino was slain in Mexico in 2015, his body found in a ravine. His throat had been slashed, and he had been stabbed multiple times. "It was brutal. This was stab, after stab, after stab," FBI Special Agent Eric Van Houten told "Deadly Rich." "You do not want to give Jeff Bezos a seven-year head start." Hear what else Buffett has to say In 2017, a federal jury in San Diego convicted David Enrique Meza of "foreign domestic violence resulting in death" in Merendino's killing. Meza, who is serving a life sentence, was a gay porn actor who had advertised his escort services online for $100 an hour. "Hott (sic) Hispanic Star available for Guys and Girls 22," the ad read. "I aim to satisfy your every fantasy." So began a two-year relationship in which Merendino thought he had found true love. But prosecutors said Meza, who unbeknownst to Merendino had a girlfriend and a child, used Merendino as a "sugar daddy." When Meza's two worlds were about to collide, prosecutors said, he killed Merendino and attempted to cover up the crime. It is impossible to know whether Meza and Merendino would ever have met had FOSTA/SESTA been in effect in 2013. The site where they met is still in operation and has not been accused of wrongdoing. But critics of the law say regardless of whether it might stop isolated abuses, the law is fundamentally flawed. "Would it be positive if the government took away the internet and phones because they've been abused," asked Tara Burns, a trafficking survivor and former sex worker in Alaska who now lobbies for safety and protections for those in the sex trade. Burns says the drop in online sex advertising is hardly an indication that trafficking is being reduced. On the contrary, she says, sex workers are being forced into older and more dangerous ways of marketing their services. While she says it is too early for hard statistics, she is hearing more and more stories like those of a Las Vegas sex worker who had peddled her services online until the new law passed. "Unable to advertise, she turned to working for an agency and was assaulted by a customer they sent her to," Burns said. "The casino security at the hotel detained her and threatened her with prostitution charges for six hours. She was left with missing teeth, two black eyes, and many bruises, unable to make money to get back home or pay for housing there." Rather than restricting advertising, Burns says what she calls "consensual adult sex work" should be completely decriminalized. That way, workers would feel free to report illegal activity such as trafficking without fear of retribution. In Alaska, Burns successfully fought for a law granting immunity from prostitution charges to victims and witnesses who make good faith reports of illegal activity. She calls the law the first of its kind in the nation a "big first step." Others are fighting FOSTA/SESTA more directly, on constitutional grounds. In June, a coalition of groups led by the Electronic Freedom Foundation filed suit in federal court in Washington claiming the law violates the First and Fifth Amendments, and seeking to have the law overturned. "The law has already muzzled countless online speakers and led to closure of many online platforms that hosted their speech," the suit says. The plaintiffs say they also oppose trafficking and other forms of exploitation. "But," the suit says, "FOSTA will not reduce such practices; to the contrary, it only makes matters worse." Could stricter laws have prevented Jay Merendino's grisly murder? Decide for yourself. From the producers of "American Greed," an ALL NEW episode of "Deadly Rich" airs Monday, July 30 at 10pm ET/PT only on CNBC. Watch! A U.N. honor guards carries a box containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arrived from North Korea, at Osan Air Base on July 27, 2018 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. North Korea returned the remains of some U.S. soldiers who died during the 1950-53 Korean War on Friday, following through on a promise North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un made to U.S. President Donald Trump when the leaders met in Singapore on June 12. North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a U.S military plane making a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. The handover follows through on a promise North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Trump welcomed the repatriation and thanked Kim in a tweet. The United Nations Command said 55 cases of remains were retrieved from North Korea. The White House earlier confirmed that a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, a Northern coastal city, on its way to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there Wednesday. At the air base, U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue U.N. flags. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, in a statement from the U.N. Command, called the retrieval mission successful. "Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home." Following the honors ceremony on Wednesday, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. A series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if the remains are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Trump late Thursday tweeted the repatriation was occurring and said, "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un." Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war." Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearization before Kim and Trump met in Singapore, their summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries' heavily armed border. The U.S. military last month said that 100 wooden "temporary transit cases" built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Chad Carroll also said, at the time, that 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a U.S. air base and would be used to send the remains home. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Korea's nuclear program and a previous U.S. claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. The North marked Friday's anniversary with ceremonies at war-related memorials; the capital Pyongyang and other cities were decked out in national flags and bright red banners. For the first time since 2015, Kim Jong Un has announced a general amnesty will be granted for prisoners who have committed crimes against the state. North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Officials have bristled, however, at criticism from the U.S. that it seeks to profit from the repatriations by demanding excessive fees for handling and transporting the remains. Pyongyang has nevertheless expressed its willingness to allow the resumption of joint search missions in the country to retrieve more remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were cancelled by President George W. Bush amid heightening tensions over the North's nuclear program in 2005. Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Twitter Twitter matched Street forecasts with adjusted quarterly profit of 17 cents per share, while revenue topped forecasts. Twitter saw monthly average users come in below forecasts, but data licensing and ad revenue topped analyst expectations. Merck The drug maker reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.06 per share, three cents above estimates, while revenue beat forecasts as well. Merck also raised its full year earnings outlook, making upbeat comments about areas such as oncology and animal health. Colgate-Palmolive The consumer products maker matched estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 77 cents per share, but revenue came in below Street forecasts. The company also said it expected a low single-digit increase in sales for the full year, and noted a negative impact from currency exchange rates. Amazon.com Amazon reported quarterly profit of $5.07 per share, more than double the $2.50 consensus estimate, although revenue did come in below Street forecasts. Profit topped $2 billion for the first time as Amazon sees increasing benefits from its cloud and advertising businesses. Starbucks Starbucks earned an adjusted 62 cents per share for its latest quarter, one cent above estimates, with the coffee chain's revenue also topping forecasts. Starbucks did lower its full year comparable store growth forecast slightly. Boston Beer Boston Beer fell well short of consensus with quarterly earnings of $1.98 per share. Analysts had been forecasting profit of $2.81 per share, although the beer brewer's revenue was slightly above Street forecasts. Boston Beer also gave a lower than expected full year forecast on rising expenses. Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle came in 7 cents a share above estimates, with adjusted quarterly profit of $2.87 per share, with the restaurant chain's revenue above forecasts as well. Comparable restaurant sales were up 3.3 percent, beating the consensus estimate of a 2.7 percent gain, and Chipotle also raised its comparable sales forecast for the remainder of the year. Chipotle is benefiting from both more locations and higher menu prices. Expedia Expedia reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.38 per share, well above the 89 cent consensus estimate, as gross bookings rose by 13 percent. The travel website operator's revenue was in line with estimates. Electronic Arts Electronic Arts earned an adjusted 13 cents per share for its latest quarter, compared to the six cent consensus estimate, and the video game publisher's revenue topped Street forecasts as well. However, the company also gave lower than expected full year guidance. Amgen Amgen beat Street estimates by 29 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of $3.83 per share, while the biotech giant's revenue was also above consensus. Amgen also raised its full year guidance, as newer drugs continue to see sales growth. Intel Intel reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.04 per share, beating forecasts by eight cents, and the chip maker's revenue was also above estimates. However, the shares are being pressured after the company saw its results for its data center business fall below Street projections. Papa John's Papa John's founder John Schnatter is suing the company for not producing documents related to his recent ouster. Schnatter also told Reuters in an interview that new CEO Steve Ritchie is not the right person to lead Papa John's. BP BP struck a deal to buy U.S. shale oil and gas assets from BHP Billiton for $10.5 billion. BP also announced its first quarterly dividend increase in five years as well as a $6 billion share buyback. Fiat Chrysler Fiat Chrysler said it was unaware of former CEO Sergio Marchionne's medical condition before he passed away earlier this week. A spokesman for the automaker said it had no knowledge about the facts surrounding Marchionne's condition due to medical privacy laws. Moody's The credit rating agency earned an adjusted $2.04 per share for the second quarter, compared to consensus estimates of $1.89. Revenue also beat forecasts, helped by increased bank loan activity. 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. Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, narrowed down his claim that President Donald Trump paid off women with hush money over sexual affairs from "multiple other women" to "three" ahead of the 2016 election. The lawyer alleged that Trump and his then-attorney Michael Cohen used "hush money" to silence three women in addition to Daniels and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, issuing the accusation in a Twitter post early Friday morning. "Three additional women. All paid hush money through various means. Time for Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to come 100 percent clean with the American people. All the documents, all the tapes, NOW," said Avenatti, a strident Trump critic. Tweet1 Avenatti did not name the three women or offer further details. He claimed he received new information about the hush-money payments to women linked to Trump in a previous tweet, and told CNBC that Cohen and his lawyer Lanny Davis "have all the information and facts." The White House, which did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Avenatti's new statement, has denied Trump had sex with either Daniels or McDougal. Trump's legal representatives maintain that he had no knowledge of any payments. Prosecutors already are eyeing whether payouts made to two women who publicly claim they had sexual liaisons with Trump constituted violations of campaign finance law. If Avenatti's claim is correct, prosecutors will have more instances to sift through for possible illegalities. Avenatti's claim came two days after CNN aired an audio recording made by Cohen in September 2016 that reveals Cohen and Trump discussing buying the rights to Playboy model Karen McDougal's story from the publisher of the National Enquirer. McDougal claimed to have had an affair with Trump beginning in 2006. Trump's legal representatives say the tapes exonerate him, while his critics believe the opposite. Cohen is under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in New York, who are probing his business dealings as well as the payments to Daniels and McDougal. He has not been charged in that case. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos tours the facility at the grand opening of the Amazon Spheres, in Seattle, Washington on January 29, 2018. Ever wondered what it's like to work at Amazon or Microsoft? Manny Medina is a guy in the know. He's one of a growing number of Seattle-based techies who has jumped between the two. And while both companies share a reputation as industry pioneers, he said the experience showed him some stark differences that set them apart. "If you want to get a job at either Amazon or Microsoft, of course you need to be technically-minded and be able to see how your work applies across the business. But both companies take quite different approaches to that," Medina told CNBC Make It. Amazon, where Medina started out his career in the Web Services team in 2003, takes a bottom-up approach to business, looking at the minutiae and small, incremental wins, he said. Microsoft, meanwhile, works from the top down and focuses on the overall end goal. "Amazon stresses over pixels and Microsoft obsesses over strategy," noted Medina, who left Amazon for Microsoft's business development team in 2005. Manny Medina, founder and CEO of Outreach Outreach Those distinct approaches have to do with their business models, he said. As a retailer, Amazon's margins are smaller and so each individual decision needs to demonstrate overall value. On the other hand, Microsoft's tech business is higher-margin, meaning it can take a more overarching view. But it also comes down to their differing leadership, he continued. As CEO, Jeff Bezos remains very much "embedded" in the everyday aspects of Amazon. That means potentially running into him a lot and also being prepared to answer to him. "At Amazon, if you come to a meeting, especially with Bezos, he's looking for an opinion and facts: If you don't have one, no decision is a decision to stick with the status quo. Not having enough time is not enough," said Medina. "In some ways it's beautiful because of the drive it gives you, but it can be very high-pressure." Bill Gates, the co-Founder of the Microsoft company and co-Founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Chesnot | Getty Images President Donald Trump unleashed his most direct attack yet on his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, while emphatically denying he knew in advance about his son Donald Jr.'s meeting with Russians in Trump Tower during the 2016 election campaign. "NO ... I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?)," Trump tweeted Friday morning, following reports that Cohen has asserted that the president knew about the meeting. TRUMP TWEET Trump has repeatedly denied he colluded with Russians to interfere in the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump's mention of taxi cabs refers to Cohen's reported financial troubles related to the declining value of taxicab medallions in New York. Federal prosecutors in New York City reportedly are eyeing Cohen's ownership and financing of cab medallions. Trump walked away from shouted questions by reporters about Cohen and a purported former mistress of the president at the end of an appearance at the White House where he was touting a new report of strong U.S. economic growth. "What do you make of the Cohen tape?" a reporter shouted. "Is Michael Cohen telling the truth?" another yelled. "Mr. President, when did you find out about the Karen McDougal allegations?" a journalist asked. Trump has fumed for days over the news that Cohen had secretly recorded a conversation they had in September 2016 about potentially buying the story of the Playboy model McDougal, who claims she had an affair with Trump. The White House has denied her claims. Lanny Davis, the lawyer for Cohen who Trump is referring to in his tweet Friday morning, declined to comment. A veteran crisis manager, Davis was President Bill Clinton's special counsel during his scandal-plagued years in the White House. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and representatives for Hillary Clinton did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. Giuliani on Thursday night denied that Trump knew in advance about the Trump Tower meeting, after reports thast Cohen is willing to talk to special counsel Robert Mueller about Trump's alleged foreknowledge. Giuliani told NBC News that Cohen "can't be believed unless it's corroborated five times." He added: "I talked to the president about this at length before as well as other witnesses and it's not true. Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? A lawyer who would tape their own client is a lawyer without any character." Trump Jr. has repeatedly denied that he told his father in advance about the Trump Tower meeting. He had agreed to that sitdown so that he could explore a Russian offer of supposedly damaging information on Clinton, Trump's Democratic opponent in the 2016 presidential election. Trump Jr.'s brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort also attended that meeting in early June 2016. In a first statement to The New York Times following initial reports that the campaign officials met with Russians in Trump Tower, Trump Jr. said "It was a short introductory meeting" in which "we primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children." It was later revealed that the Russians had offered to provide damaging information on Trump's political opponent during that meeting and that Trump Jr. had welcomed the possibility of receiving dirt from Russian sources. One of the Russian attendees, Natalia Veselnitskaya, has since admitted to working for Russian President Vladimir Putin as a Kremlin informant. A memo sent from Trump's legal counsel to Mueller's team revealed that the president himself had dictated that initial statement to the Times. Trump's attack on Cohen followed two other tweets on Friday morning, in which he ripped Mueller's team for reportedly examining his Twitter statements as part of a wide-ranging investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice by intimidating witnesses. Trump tweet Arrived back in Washington Trump tweet ...., the only Collusion The new attacks on the special counsel came just days before Manafort is set to begin his trial in federal court. Mueller's team has charged Manafort with bank fraud and tax crimes related to work he did as a lobbyist for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. The trial is set to begin in U.S. district court in Virginia on Tuesday; another pending case brought by Mueller against Manafort in Washington is scheduled to go to trial in September. Manafort's longtime business associate, Rick Gates, who had faced similar charges from Mueller, pleaded guilty in February to one count of lying and one count of conspiracy against the United States. The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump looks forward to hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Washington next year, and said he would also consider traveling to Moscow to meet with Putin. "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Friday morning. The announcement from the White House came in response to Putin saying earlier in the day that telephone calls were an insufficient means of diplomacy and that he was prepared to go to Washington and meet with Trump, but only if "the right conditions" exist. "Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings, to hold further meetings. I am ready for that," Putin told reporters at a summit of the BRICS group of nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. But he cautioned, "we need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries." Putin added that Russia was "ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. By all means. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him about that." Likewise, Putin said: "I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created." Friday's statements marked the latest step in efforts by the White House and the Kremlin to continue the talks the two leaders held at a summit in Helsinki earlier this month. Trump came under withering criticism from across the political spectrum for his performance during the summit, at which the president refused to publicly hold Russia accountable for its destabilizing activities around the world, including the U.S. election attacks in 2016. Instead, Trump signaled that he believed Putin's denial that Russia committed the attacks over the unanimous conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia did, in fact, commit them. Upon the president's return to the States, White House staff spent nearly a week attempting to walk back Trump's statements and reframe his positions, with only limited success. Moreover, any serious attempts to repair the damage to the president from the summit ended abruptly on July 19, when Sanders wrote in a tweet that Trump had instructed his national security advisor, John Bolton, to invite Putin to visit him in Washington in the fall. SANDERS TWEET News of the invitation drew swift condemnation from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who take a much tougher line on Russia than the president does. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for instance, told reporters that if Putin visits Washington, he "will not be welcome" in the Capitol. The political risks that would arise from an official visit of the alleged mastermind of the 2016 attack on America's election system, just weeks ahead of November's midterm elections, were not lost on Republicans, either. As long as special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia remains open, Republicans are reluctant to draw any further attention to the president's unusually warm relationship with Putin. On Wednesday, Bolton cited the special counsel's investigation as the chief hindrance to a visit this fall from Putin to the United States, and used Trump preferred term for the probe, "witch hunt," to announce that Putin would not visit the United States until the investigation was over. "The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," Bolton told reporters. There are no indications, however, that the Mueller probe will be concluded by the end of the year. The president also championed the GOP tax overhaul passed late last year, saying that "as a result, more than 6 million Americans are enjoying new bonuses, better jobs, and far better paychecks." The president said that Democrats' efforts to turn back the tax cuts would be a "disaster for our economy." "As the trade deals come in one by one, we're going to go a lot higher than these numbers, and these are great numbers," he said. During a speech on the White House South Lawn, he predicted that the country was on track for its highest annual growth rate in over 13 years. "We're going to go a lot higher," Trump said, referring to the report that showed a 4.1 percent rise in gross domestic product during the second quarter. It was the highest quarterly jump in nearly four years. President Donald Trump pitched his economic record to voters Friday, boasting that strong numbers released earlier in the morning were "sustainable" and blasting Democrats for wanting to "raise everybody's taxes." "As you know, the Democrats want to end that and raise everybody's taxes," Trump said, referring to the GOP tax plan. It's not clear that the Republican tax plan has resulted in increased wages. The Bureau of Economic Analysis noted Friday that personal income growth, in the form of wages and salaries, decelerated in the second quarter despite the GDP increase. Real wages have remained stagnant over the past year, according to government data. Meanwhile, corporations have boosted their stock buybacks and cash distributions to shareholders, which have accelerated at a record pace. Bloomberg reported in May that 2018 was on track to be the first year in which shareholders saw a $1 trillion windfall from stock buybacks. By pumping up expectations for U.S. economic growth for the remainder of the year, Trump raised the political risks for Republicans in November's midterm elections and for himself for a 2020 re-election bid. He called the numbers "very, very sustainable" and predicted that the U.S. would "do extraordinarily well" in its third-quarter GDP report. The president acknowledged the peril if the economy does not match his rosy outlook. "I won't go too strong" in my projections, "because then if it's not quite as good, you won't let me forget it," the president said. Republicans hope a strong economy will help to prop them up as they try to stop an energized Democratic Party from taking a House majority in November. That strategy underscores why the president gave his previously unscheduled remarks on the economy following the GDP report. The president cited the low unemployment rate among minorities and women, and repeated his claim that "we've been ripped off by the world," a point that the president has used to make his case for renegotiating trade deals with foreign leaders. On Wednesday, he announced that he had secured concessions from the European Union after a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "The trade deficit, very dear to my heart because we've been ripped off by the world, has dropped off by more than $50 billion," Trump said Friday. He compared his economic numbers to those of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. "During each of two previous administrations, we averaged just over 1.8 percent GDP growth. By contrast, we are now on track to hit an average GDP annual growth of over 3 percent, and it could be substantially over 3 percent," Trump said. "Each point, by the way, means approximately $3 trillion and 10 million jobs." After the government's GDP report, Trump proclaimed in a post on Twitter that the figure was "GREAT." The number was buoyed by increased consumer spending and business investment. Economists warned the number may have been artificially boosted by a flood of exports in the second quarter as countries race to get American goods, such as soybeans, that could be harder to come by if further tariffs go into effect. Trump had previewed the economic data on Thursday during a speech in Illinois. Trump said of the indicator, "If it has a 4 in front of it, we're happy." Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, also played up the GDP number before its release. Kudlow told Fox Business on Thursday that "you're going to get a very good economic growth number tomorrow, big." He said later in the interview that he didn't know what the number would be. The president has been keen to use the booming economy as one of his key pitches to voters ahead of this fall's midterm congressional elections. Democrats are slightly favored to regain control of the House, while Republicans are expected to maintain a thin majority in the Senate. The campaign is widely seen as a referendum on Trump's early days in office. U.S. stock index futures indicated slight gains for Friday's open after the Commerce Department released the first look at second-quarter economic growth. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of about 15 points, while Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 futures indicated gains of 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively. The department said the U.S. economy grew by 4.1 percent in the second quarter, matching estimates. That's the fastest rate of the growth since the third quarter of 2014 and the third-best growth rate since the Great Recession. In recent days, White House officials have been indicating the reading will be strong. "You're going to get a very good economic growth number tomorrow. Big," White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said ahead of the release. "While we may be late in the game when it comes to our economic expansion, we're likely not in the last inning, and I think we see that in today's numbers," said Mike Loewengart, vice president of investment strategy at E-Trade. "Sure the trade war has begun to take its toll, but our economic fundamentals continue to be solid." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Chinese President Xi Jinping and emphasised the need to maintain the "momentum" generated during their two recent meetings. Modi, who is in South Africa to attend the 10th BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly four months. The two leaders held a two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and then they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao, China in June. Recalling his recent meetings with Xi, Prime Minister Modi said they have given a new strength to India-China ties and also provided new opportunities for the cooperation between the two countries. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Dokalam-like situation in the future. Modi said Thursday's meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. "Furthering India-China friendship. PM @narendramodi and President Xi Jinping hold talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. The two leaders are believed to have exchanged views on the international landscape, BRICS cooperation and other issues of mutual interest. Atlassians Stride and HipChat team chat tools will be discontinued following a deal struck with rival Slack a move that has serious implications for users who will now need to migrate to alternative platforms. It could also erode trust in the Australian vendor, said one analyst. As part of the agreement announced Thursday, Slack will pay an undisclosed fee for Atlassians team chat assets, while Atlassian which also owns a range of business collaboration tools, including Jira, Confluence and Trello will make a small but symbolically important equity investment in Slack, CEO Stewart Butterfield wrote in a tweet announcing the deal. The decision comes less than a year after Atlassian launched Stride as a successor to the popular Hipchat tool. Atlassian had previously said it would continue to support Hipchat Cloud for existing users while it encouraged them to move to Stride. It also said it that it would be doubling down on Hipchat Data Center, its on-premise version of the chat tool. But Atlassian now says its Stride and Hipchat Cloud products will reach end of life on Feb. 15, 2019. Hipchat Data Center and Hipchat Server customers will receive support until the end of their license period. Atlassian customers are angry The deal has drawn the ire of users, with Atlassian customers raising concerns on the vendors community forum. One Atlassian community member said: This is pretty stupid. Why kill off products that many companies still use? There are some who don't want, or can't use, Slack. Said another: What the hell are on-premise customers supposed to do?! We just implemented and invested in this app! We're building apps in-house for our own purposes. We have zero ability to use Cloud services of ANY type. You are offering ZERO alternatives. This has serious real world implications for many Atlassian customers, particularly for those using HipChat on-prem, said Larry Cannell, a research director at Gartner. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield expects that the majority of users will migrate to Slack, adding single digits of market share to its business. Around 2,600 Atlassian employees will now start using Slack following the deal; the company has encouraged its users to do the same. Cannell said that choosing a replacement for HipChat is just one part of the process of switching tools for companies. They now have to address integrations and assess what is needed versus what is used. More importantly, users become familiar with a product and end-user habits need to adjust, said Cannell. All of this is unanticipated and non-productive for user organizations: For people whove been promoting the use of Hipchat, this will impact their credibility and ability to sell other changes, he added. Furthermore, such migration projects can be tricky. Mapping the identity of the author of a post from the old to the new system is usually a hitch, said Cannell. And it could serve to erode customer trust in Atlassian. They will now be concerned about the level of commitment the company has to less popular and future products, he said. Still, migrating to Slack makes sense for many users, according to Wayne Kurtzman, a research director at IDC. For Atlassian, it makes their most popular and arguably most powerful products more central to overall business workflow, said Kurtzman. This friendemy' relationship becomes a win-win scenario for customers and the companies where Hipchat and Stride users migrate to an enterprise ready, mature, collaboration platform, Atlassian can focus on making their core products more robust, and Slack grows customers and revenue and remains the hub of the enterprise flow of work. Stride launched into highly competitive market Stride was announced less than a year ago by Atlassian as a rival to Slack, with a promise to cut down on the noise of team collaboration. In a statement Thursday, Atlassian called Stride a bold project. We knew we were taking a risk by entering an already competitive real-time team communications market, but we were willing to do the hard work necessary to build a great product, Joff Redfern, vice president of product management said in a blog post. However the team chat market has changed dramatically in the months since, said Redfern, with Slack holding onto a strong position. While Atlassian struggled to gain a foothold, Slack has added new users at a rapid pace, with 8 million users as of May. Early in 2017, it also launched a business-focused product, Enterprise Grid, aimed at deployments in larger organizations. "Hipchat and Stride just cannot keep up with Slacks accelerating advancements, said Kurtzman. Others in the market have pushed ahead, too. Most notably, Microsoft has launched its own take on team collaboration with its Teams app, which integrates tightly with its other Office 365 productivity tools. More than 200,000 organizations are now using Teams, which is set to replace Skype for Business as the main communications client in Office 365. It is available to the 135 million users of the Microsoft productivity suite at no extra cost; a recently-unveiled free version does not require an Office 365 account. Cisco has also made changes to its Spark platform in recent months, rebranding it as Webex Teams, while Google has entered the market with Hangouts Chat, available as part of its G Suite portfolio. Facebook, too, has joined the fray with its Workplace enterprise social network, and it announced the acquisition of Israeli startup Redkix this week in order to build out its messaging features. Atlassians decision to discontinue Stride is testament to the highly competitive nature of the collaboration market, said Alan Lepofsky, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research. Enterprise group messaging is a competitive space, with Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts Chat, Cisco Webex Teams and Workplace by Facebook all eating into the market that was at one time the dominion of Slack alone, he said. Atlassian attempted to bring more collaboration features to their customers of Jira, Confluence, BitBucket and Trello by introducing Stride. While it was a very solid product, it clearly did not find the adoption they had hoped, presumably because many of Atlassians customers were already using Slack. The advantages for Atlassian Atlassian said the Slack deal will allow it to focus on improving other areas of its business, such as expanding offerings for technical and IT team. Both firms now plan to deepen the existing integrations between Slack and Atlassians stable of tools and craft new integrations with other products. Across our product portfolio, we have long shared many integrations, which hundreds of thousands of teams use every day, said Redfern. Through this new partnership, both companies will lean into building better integrations together and more sharply define the modern workplace experience for companies everywhere. Lepofsky noted that, in order to combat the likes of big players like Microsoft and Google, smaller rivals need to find their niche and solidify their stronghold in the market. With Microsoft starting to focus more on developers (e.g. the Github acquisition) Atlassian and Slack need to fortify their position, and a solid combination to Slack and BitBucket/Confluence/Jira/Trello could do that, he said. Barnier rejects Mays customs proposals EU negotiator questions UK backstop position FT Tories divided over no deal planning The Guardian France preparing for brutal divorce from the UK Daily Telegraph Soft Brexit rules out Australia trade deal The Sun The European Union will never accept Theresa Mays plan for a bespoke customs deal, Michel Barnier said yesterday as he wrapped up Brexit negotiations before the summer break. The move by the EUs lead negotiator kills off a key element of the prime ministers Chequers white paper and had been feared by the British side. His comments, after his second meeting in Brussels with Dominic Raab, the new Brexit secretary, mean that the EU has effectively vetoed proposals for a future customs arrangement that would allow Britain to strike free trade deals while keeping frictionless trade across the channel and Irish border While the European Commission has sent a long list of written questions to Oliver Robbins, Mrs Mays lead negotiator, Mr Barnier has spelt out fundamental objections. The Times More: Majority now backs referendum on deal The Times May heads to Austria for crunch talks Daily Express Brexiteers urge May to adopt US Presidents tough line The Sun Trump deal a blow to the EUs credibility Daily Telegraph Facebook reveals Vote Leaves ads The Times Comment: Mays status quo Brexit will fail those who backed Leave Jeremy Warner, Daily Telegraph A humiliating Brexit deal risks a descent into Weimar Britain Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian The Prime Ministers Brexit gauntlet Sam Coates, The Times We are being sold down Brexit river Frederick Forsyth, Daily Express >Today: >Yesterday: Prime Minister appoints business envoy Theresa May has appointed a veteran investment banker as her new business envoy in an attempt to bolster her often strained relations with the corporate world. William Vereker, a former executive at UBS, will take up the role from September 3 with a remit to strengthen links with British companies and potential foreign investors into Britain, the Financial Times has learnt. The post has been vacant since the departure in June 2017 of Chris Brannigan, former head of government relations at Number 10. Mr Brannigan, an Iraq war veteran, was one of a number of political staff to quit Downing Street after last summers disastrous snap election. Mr Vereker will have his work cut out to soothe a business world where fears are growing about the potential for a hard Brexit should no deal be reached by the end of the year. FT Hammond plays down talk of splits News Letter Javid insists medical move is not step towards cannabis legalisation More young people using cocaine as price plummets The Times Medicinal cannabis will be available on prescription for the first time in Britain from the autumn in a major shift announced by the Home Secretary today. Sajid Javid said following advice from the chief medical officer, he would reclassify cannabis products used by doctors elsewhere in the world. The dramatic change to policy comes after a scandal over epileptic boy Billy Caldwell being banned from taking cannabis oil prescribed abroad. Billy was given back the medicine after a high profile campaign by his mother forced Mr Javid to grant a 20-day emergency licence for its use. The Home Secretary insisted todays change was not the first step toward broader legalisation of cannabis. Daily Mail Comment: Prescribing medical cannabis is not a slippery slope Sajid Javid, Times Red Box Editorial: A victory for common sense The Scotsman as legal action delays US cooperation over ISIS fighters Sajid Javid has been forced to suspend Britains intelligence-sharing with the US over two alleged jihadis after the mother of one of the men began legal action against the Home Office. The Home Secretary agreed to a temporary pause in mutual assistance in the case of Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh after he was threatened with an injunction by lawyers acting for Elsheikhs mother. Mr Javid has been put on notice that Elsheikhs mother intends to apply for a judicial review of his decision to waive Britains usual demand for so-called death penalty assurances. The Telegraph disclosed this week that Mr Javid had agreed to assist the US in its attempts to prosecute the two men, who were allegedly part of the British-born Isil death squad nicknamed the Beatles. Daily Telegraph May accused of abandoning international law principle The Guardian Comment: Did the UK government do a dirty deal with Trump over the Isis suspects? Ben Emmerson, The Guardian Trevor Phillips: Javids assault on liberal guilt puts Labour to shame It is precisely because of his background that Javid can make such an assault on political correctness and liberal guilt. Behind the grooming scandal lies an even worse suspicion: that the crimes were committed with the full knowledge of many in the local communities, and that those who should have spoken out stayed silent. Perhaps that explains the vituperation of some prominent Pakistani Muslims, including leading Tories, towards those who refuse to turn a blind eye to the ethnicity of the gangs. The last thing they want is for the communitys dirty washing to be hung out for all to see; and worse, to be called out on their own silent complicity in abuse. Daily Telegraph Gauke rips up flagship prison reform Justice Secretary David Gauke is ripping up the Governments flagship prison probation reform costing taxpayers 170 million. In a humiliation, the Cabinet Minister last night said contracts with 21 private firms supervising 155,000 low-level offenders would end two years early in 2020 because of huge losses and poor service. To ensure the so-called Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) can continue until 2020, the Government is pouring in 170 million to prop up the system. It follows a 342 million bail-out last year. A bombshell report claimed releasing prisoners on a Friday was becoming a risk because there was so little support available at the end of the week. The Sun Prisons in state of emergency over rising drug use Daily Telegraph Leadsom to lead task force to support young families McVey urges pupils to take summer jobs Andrea Leadsom has been confirmed as chairwoman of a new government early years working group just weeks after declaring her support for the Chequers compromise on Brexit. The pro-Leave leader of the Commons will spearhead a cross-Whitehall task force that will focus on improving the support available to families in the period from pregnancy to the age of two. Liz Truss, chief secretary to the treasury, and Justin Tomlinson, Nadhim Zahawi, Jackie Doyle-Price and Rishi Sunak all junior ministers will also be members of the group The timing of the groups creation is likely to spark speculation about whether Mrs Leadsom was offered the role by No 10 in a bid to bind her to the prime ministers Brexit plan. The Times Teenagers should get summer jobs during the holidays to prepare them for the workplace, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said. Esther McVey said part-time jobs are vital to equip the younger generation with skills that will enable post-Brexit Britain to thrive. The percentage of young people working while studying has more than halved since 1997, falling to 18 per cent from 42 per cent. In a bid to combat this decline, the Government will today launch a drive to get teenagers working in the summer holidays placing 20,000 posts on its Find a Job website Miss McVey added that summer and Saturday jobs prepare young people for successful careers in later life, teaching vital soft skills such as customer service, problem solving and time management. Daily Mail Education is not enough, young people need to work Esther McVey, Daily Telegraph >Today: John Bald in Local Government: Schools are still failing to exclude bullies Minister criticised over claim that Universal Credit could exacerbate domestic violence Corbyn to deny MPs a voice in Labours manifesto A minister has been criticised for suggesting that changes to universal credit backed by domestic violence charities could put women at increased risk. Universal credit is normally paid to couples. Split payments can be requested by vulnerable claimants but campaigners believe that this should happen automatically. Baroness Buscombe, a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said in the Lords that the charity Refuge was not convinced that split payments helped. She added: In fact, they can exacerbate violence if the perpetrator of violence knows that their partner has her own pot of money. She was apparently referring to concerns raised by Refuge that the process requiring women to ask for their own money can put them at greater risk. The Times Labour MPs will be cut out of the process of drawing up the partys next election manifesto under plans being considered by Jeremy Corbyn. The party is holding a democracy review into the way it operates and allies of the leader hope to push through many of the changes at the party conference in Liverpool in September. The left-wing majority at conference means that many are likely to pass unless the unions intervene. Labours parliamentary committee, a group elected from within the parliamentary Labour Party to represent MPs and peers, takes part in the meeting to agree the manifesto. Mr Corbyn chairs it and the manifesto is gone through in detail. All members of the shadow cabinet attend, as does the national executive committee, the parliamentary committee and representatives of the Scottish and Welsh parties. The Times Momentum to hold first Scottish training event The Guardian Comment: Corbyn hasnt come up with one radical idea Philip Collins, The Times as he faces open rebellion over antisemitism code Bragg says Jews need to rebuild trust with Labour The Times Jeremy Corbyn is facing an open rebellion from members of his shadow cabinet over his refusal to accept the international definition of anti-Semitism. The Telegraph understands that Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, has warned Mr Corbyn that disciplining Dame Margaret Hodge for calling him anti-Semitic is counter-productive. Mr Watson is pushing Mr Corbyn to accept the full definition of anti-Semitism in the partys code of conduct along with three other members of the shadow cabinet after a furious backlash from Labour MPs. It came after the Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Telegraph and Jewish News ran the same leader on their front page for the first time, expressing communal anger and concern over anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. All three newspapers used the headline: United we stand. Daily Telegraph Comment: Labour is not just unpleasant for moderates, but dangerous Nora Mulready, Times Red Box Editorial: How dare Billy Bragg tell Jews that they are pouring petrol on the fire The Sun >Yesterday: Left Watch: Anti-semitism may be widespread, but it must never be allowed to become normal Cable denies plotting to set up a new party Sir Vince Cable has admitted having had conversations with Conservative and Labour MPs as he denied he is preparing to set up a new party. The Liberal Democrat leader told Good Morning Britain on ITV that he was talking to people who were talking about new structures but insisted that he was committed to his existing party. Asked if he missed a recent Brexit vote to discuss setting up an alternative party, Sir Vince said: Im not setting up an alternative party. But I am talking to people, Conservative and Labour, who are now completely dissatisfied with their own parties and maybe breaking away. As a party leader its something I have to do to have conversations with them. The Times DUP speaks out after Lidington raises devolved matters at conference Empey attacks bogus Sinn Fein claims about British-Irish body News Letter The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference is not the correct forum to discuss the issue of historic institutional abuse, the DUP has stressed. The body, which met on Wednesday for the first time in 11 years, gives Dublin a consultative role on non-devolved issues affecting Northern Ireland. Ahead of the conference, the DUP told the News Letter it had received assurances from the British government that devolved matters would be off the table. However, in comments after the meeting both the British and Irish governments referred to issues having been discussed which are devolved matters. David Lidington, Theresa Mays de facto deputy who chaired the meeting, said it discussed prisons and the Irish government said it discussed payments to victims of historic institutional abuse (HIA) two matters which are devolved to Stormont. News Letter >Yesterday: Henry Hills Red, White, and Blue column: May plays into Varadkars hands by getting the Belfast Agreement wrong MPs call for action over missing Parliamentary art MPs voiced bewilderment today after it emerged that more than 220 works of art have gone missing from the Parliamentary collection. A huge haul of paintings, etchings and prints are unaccounted for with the authorities at the House blaming database errors but admitting they do not know whether they have been stolen. Some of the missing works are thought to be worth thousands of pounds. The issue, revealed after a Freedom of Information request by MailOnline, sparked calls from politicians for action. There are some 9,000 works of art in the Parliamentary collection which started to be assembled in 1841. Daily Mail News in Brief: James Cartlidge is MP for South Suffolk. It was barely a month ago, during the remaining stages of the Withdrawal Bill, that Brexiteer MPs lined up to oppose a pro-EEA amendment. But as I said in that debate: I simply warn colleagues not to trash this option too much. It is not so much about burning bridges; we could be concreting over the only escape hatch credibly left to us if we get in to a crisis. Let us hope that the cement mixture has not yet set, because just this week an entire cohort of columnists, including some devout Brexiteers, have suggested that the EEA Norway option might be the best Plan B. David Smith of the Sunday Times; plus Jeremy Warner, Philip Johnston and Tim Stanley of the Daily Telegraph, have all voiced support; whilst even Nick Timothy and ConservativeHomes Paul Goodman have accepted the strength of the EEA option as a port in a storm. Personally, I have always been clear that EEA is inferior compared to the kind of deep, bespoke bilateral deal that the Prime Minister is seeking; yet distinctly superior as a plan B when compared with WTO rules. Where the WTO option carries significant economic, logistical and political risk, the EEA route is potentially able to unify both sides of the debate if used as a transitional lifeboat out of the EU. But all lifeboats have to dock somewhere. As we flounder in Brexits swirling currents looking for a raft to cling to, there is a risk of overlooking the great strategic potential of the Norway option: namely, strengthening an enlarged EFTA/EEA grouping which would include the UK to the benefit of all its members, building in effect Europes alternative non-political trading bloc with muscle. This is what I call the New Common Market. At this point, it is a Brexit tradition to engage in a kind of tick-box theocratic top trumps of the various models of EU egress (Canada v Norway etc). With EEA you get the following pluses: relatively painless to join, as we are currently members; out of fisheries and CAP; out of justice and home affairs; strong economic ties but outside the political union; above all, in our current context, a safe passage through which to exit the EU that could probably command a majority in the Commons. Finally, we would be out of the Customs Union, able to negotiate our own trade deals. That said, to avoid border friction you would almost certainly need a transition through the Customs Union until any new facilitation arrangements were in place. Since the EEA agreement covers the Single Market, this means we could potentially replace our current proposed implementation phase transition based on effectively extending our EU membership, to an arrangement where direct ECJ oversight was confined purely to the Customs Union. On the minus side: you are a rule-taker and have to accept free movement. On free movement, if we steer our lifeboat out of the European Communities Act, using the Economic Area Agreement, that will be as an alternative to a transition with a guarantee of at least two more years of free movement, followed by a long-term deal where the precise nature of our new immigration rules is not yet clear. So really this question is more about how we avoid Norway for now becoming Norway forever. There is also the issue of non-EU immigration. I have previously argued on this site that, by ending free movement and moving to the Vote Leave suggestion of a single non-discriminatory immigration system, unless we ban unskilled immigration (which is not remotely realistic), the effect would be to open up the unskilled channel to the whole world where it is currently confined to the EU. Latest figures show annual net migration at 320,000. 100,000 of this was from the uncontrolled EU channel, 220,000 from the bit that we supposedly control non-EU. If unskilled migration is opened to all nations, it doesnt matter how robust a visa system we put in place: it is a mathematical fact that non-EU migration will rise substantially as a direct result of Brexit. The market is delivering the sharp fall in EU migration many leave voters wanted, and in my experience the biggest factor in this will not go away quickly a surge in better quality employment back home for Poles, Romanians etc. We have to ask ourselves, if EU migration is falling so sharply without a new system, is not better to have an emergency brake in the (perhaps unlikely near-term eventuality) that this channel spikes again, than erect an entire default bureaucracy for all travel to and from our nearest neighbours? But what of this fabled emergency break? We know in black and white from the EEA agreement that such a measure exists, but has not been used in circumstances comparable to how we might wish. In fact, the main point here concerns our legal approach to EEA membership. My understanding is that there are two ways to be an EEA member: by virtue of being in the EU (i.e. with the EUs agreement, as is the basis of our proposed EEA membership in the transition) or as part of EFTA. The latter can use the emergency break unilaterally, the former require European Commission approval. Were we to re-join the European Free Trade Area which we co-created in 1960, our legal position in the EEA is arguably more pro-sovereign. This is because we could dock with the EFTA court, almost certainly with a British judge, instead of the only other option EEA under the singular jurisdiction of the ECJ. I even understand from an excellent source that whilst our application to EFTA could take time and negotiation (e.g. on fishing) that, given Norways recent confirmation that they would not object in principle to our joining and with the other nations apparent support, we could ask to stay in the EEA in lieu of becoming an EFTA member, till those details were resolved. Would this be forever? We could pass a Sovereignty Act on joining EFTA to require the Government to report to Parliament periodically on how it is negotiating a long-term deal effectively compelling us to keep negotiating. We would also surely be in our rights to expect a much lower divorce bill without a long-term deal this side of March, and the balance paid when we get one so that its in the EUs interests to keep negotiating too. But more important than all of the above is that the EEA/EFTA option is not a fantasy: its members are real nations, to whom we should show a little more respect if we expect them to partner with us in future. And in my view, once moored in safe harbour and looking at our choices for the long-term, we would surely have to consider asking our new partners if they wanted a better deal too. The UK plus EFTA would have a greater GDP than Germany. As one, we would be the largest economy in Europe. At this point, we would definitively have left the EU, with our current febrile politics hopefully calmer. Surely a grouping of such heft could seek greater powers in Single Market matters including on free movement in what would then be technical, less heated discussions, with massive mutual gain to be had for us, the current EFTA members, and the EU? There would be a range of options for the long-term at that point, but seeking a New Common Market must surely be one of them, if we board the EEA lifeboat. Matthew Offord is MP for Hendon. This highest of praise, offered to ConHome by Zac Goldsmith and Nick Hurd in 2015 at the inception of the Blue Belt policy to increase marine protection across the UK Overseas Territories, was entirely justified. Speaking at the 2016 Our Ocean conference Sir Alan Duncan, the Foreign Office minister, outlined the Governments intention to build on marine reserves already established around the British Indian Ocean territory (2009) and Pitcairn Islands (2015) with further protections around Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Very few nations are in the privileged position of being able to demonstrate their commitment to ocean protection through action on a globally significant scale. Fewer still have opportunity afforded to the UK to protect the sheer diversity of marine environments more than 90 per cent of the biodiversity for which the UK is responsible exists in the UKOTs. So, how far have we come? Work is underway to deliver with the governments of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. However, it is vital that these remote communities, with barely 1,000 people between them, are provided with a guarantee of continued support to help police their vast 1.1 million square kilometre marine zones when the Governments current funding for enforcing them expires in March 2020. Only this will enable them to start making long-term decisions on behalf of their people and our oceans. Ahead of this however 285 MPs, leading members of the UKs marine biological community, and Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron of the Oceans (currently swimming the channel to raise the profile of ocean conservation), have called for the full protection of the South Sandwich Islands in 2018. This outstanding place lies within the existing South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area a Marine Protected Area that only affords full protection to two per cent of its waters, the rest being managed as a sustainable fishery. And herein lies the concern. Too many marine environments, globally, are being badged as Marine Protected Areas, when in reality they are not. In light of this worrying dynamic, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature recently reissued its guidelines for categorising Marine Protected Areas. This is not to say that well-managed fisheries are not to be lauded. Indeed, the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands deserve credit for the high standards to which the fisheries around South Georgia operate. However, to borrow a terrestrial analogy, we do not accord an organic or high-welfare farming operation with the status of a national park. Are we splitting hairs? Surely its all good progress? Maybe. But if the UK is serious about the stated commitment to being a global player on ocean conservation it needs to grasp the nettle. As a party, our 2017 manifesto reaffirmed the Blue Belt commitment to establish the largest marine sanctuaries anywhere in the world. Not well-managed fisheries. Marine sanctuaries. To reiterate sustainable fisheries are a great thing and UK science and leadership should remain at the forefront of global efforts. But the Blue Belt was conceived to seize on the UKs uniquely privileged position to protect some of these amazing places. Failure to do so would be at best disingenuous to true aspirations of the policy; at worst willfully misleading to the overwhelming public and political expectation, evident through the Blue Planet 2 series, that the UK will show leadership. Why does this matter? Partly, because it runs the risk of distorting progress towards global targets. As much as 6.5 per cent of the worlds oceans are designated in MPAs. However, by some estimates less than two per cent is fully protected. Indeed, the UKs own Blue Belt target of 4 million square kilometres protected by 2020 could fall well short. It also matters because it is critical that such worrying precedents do not permeate the vital discussions going on within supranational fora to protect the High Seas and Antarctic marine environments. These places lie beyond the jurisdiction of states and will require diplomatic leadership to ensure collective action. As the United Nations embarks on negotiations to establish a new Treaty to protect the High Seas, strong and credible leadership from the UK will be essential to delivering meaningful progress. Which is why the volcanic archipelago of the South Sandwich Islands, thousands of miles away in the Southern Ocean and populated only by millions of penguins, whales and seals is so important. It has not been fished for 25 years. Fully protecting this globally recognised biodiversity hotspot can be achieved without displacing fishing activity (or resulting loss in Government revenue) and within existing Government budgets and legislation. Such a move would increase levels of full protection within the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area from the current two per cent to approximately 50 per cent, and sit adjacent to well-managed fisheries around South Georgia. More than 500,000 square kilometres of fisheries managed to the highest standards, directly adjacent to more than 500,000 square kilometres of highly-protected outstanding environment, is a template worthy of global promotion and the kind of accolades Goldsmith and Hurd spoke of 2015. Iain Dale: The man who made me tear my hair out. (So you now know why I dont have any.) Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, a commentator with CNN and the author/editor of over 30 books. Back at the start of the year, I bought the UK Commonwealth rights for The Briefing, Sean Spicers book on his time working for Donald Trump. It was quite a coup for Biteback at the time. My boss at LBC was very keen that I should get him to do an interview on the station if possible, exclusively. I had a policy of not interviewing Biteback authors with new books because of the obvious conflict of interest but, since I left Biteback at the end of May, I saw no conflict of interest in interviewing him now. It didnt go well. Id seen his interviews on Newsnight and Good Morning Britain, and it was clear that he was a man who didnt like answering questions. Rather than concentrate on those hed already tried his best to avoid answering, I thought Id try a different tack. It all started to go pear-shaped when I pressed him on whether he thought it was right for Vladimir Putin to be invited to the White House. He kept saying, Well, the White House position is. I said that I wasnt interested in what the White House position was: I wanted to know what his position was. What was his own opinion? And it went downhill from there. In the end, hed decided that hed had enough and terminated the interview. I dont think Ive ever had a guest do that before. The trouble is that he expected the whole interview to be about his book and, in America, it probably would have been. American interviewers are uber-deferential, even to former Trump aides. Here, its different. Yes, well talk about the book, but we also want to talk about some contemporary news issues. Hey ho. I recently took Richard Madeley to task for terminating an interview with Gavin Williamson, and said I thought he had failed as an interviewer. Theres part of me that thinks I failed in this interview because Spicer ended up walking out but, in the end, if a guest wants to be an utter dick, theres little that I as an interviewer can do about it. The point of Spicer doing these book promo interviews is to sell more books. I doubt very much whether his interviews on Good Morning Britain, Newsnight and with me helped sell a single extra book. Thats not Kate Garraways fault. Its not Emily Maitlis fault. Its not my fault. Its the sort of thing that makes a publisher tear their hair out. Given that I have no hair, you now know why. Well done to Paul Staines, a.k.a Guido Fawkes for his recent new recruits. To lose two of your key members of staff in Ross Kempsall and Alex Wickham, and at the same time, must have been a bit of a blow But he this week just announced (via an Amol Rajan scoop!) that Hugh Bennett and Tom Harwood will be starting soon. Hugh has been working for Jonathan Isaby at Brexit Central, while Tom Harwood has created a strong online presence during his studies at university. I wish them well. Talking of the word scoop, it has been completely devalued of late. To me, a scoop implies the publication of a major news story that no one else knows about. Watergate was a scoop. The Cambridge Analytica story was a scoop. The Keith Vaz rent boy story was a scoop. This week, the Westminster correspondent of the Yorkshire Post tweeted SCOOP: Transport Secretary delayed on train for an hour. Whichever way you try to interpret that tweet, it may be many things, but it is not a scoop. At one point last week, Julian Smith looked to be in danger of losing his position over Pairgate. But like the Prime Minister, hes survived until the summer recess, and is safe in his position. For now. But to many of his flock of Conservative MPs his credibility is shredded. And if whips lose the trust of MPs, they are finished. Id almost guarantee that at the next available opportunity Smith will be reshuffled into a Minister of State position and be replaced. Who should succeed him? Id say it needs to be someone with a bit of experience and whos popular among the parliamentary party, but who also has a bit of steel. Step forward, Mark Harper. Just a thought. Mamma Mia 2? Forget it. Such a disappointment, given the brilliance of the original. However, if youve never seen The Greatest Showman, do yourself a favour and buy the DVD. Best film Ive seen in years, and with the most amazing soundtrack. Facebook says it has removed 32 pages and accounts from both Facebook and Instagram because they were determined to be engaging in inauthentic behavior that purportedly aimed to influence the midterm elections. This kind of behavior is not allowed on Facebook because we dont want people or organizations creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are, or what theyre doing, the company said in a statement. Facebook is highly sensitive to that kind of activity after it was revealed in March that Cambridge Analytica, a political marketing firm, made unauthorized use of Facebook user data to try to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Discovered two weeks ago Facebook said the issue first came to light in mid-July. Since then it has tried to isolate the source, but it has been unsuccessful thus far. In its investigation, the social media giant has identified eight pages and 17 profiles on Facebook, as well as seven Instagram accounts, that it says violates the company's ban on coordinated inauthentic behavior. All have been taken down. Facebook also said it has turned over all of its findings to law enforcement agencies, Congress, other technology companies, and the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab, a research organization that helps Facebook identify abuse. Little impact The Facebook investigation also determined that the group or groups behind the inauthentic content apparently had little impact. There were more than 9,500 organic posts by the accounts, but very few seemed to draw much notice since the accounts had few followers. The most followers were for four groups Aztlan Warriors, Black Elevation, Mindful Being, and Resisters. The rest of the pages reportedly had between zero and 10 followers. Facebook said the targeted groups paid about $11,000 for 150 ads on Facebook and Instagram starting in April 2017. The last ad ran last month. Its clear that whoever set up these accounts went to much greater lengths to obscure their true identities than the Russian-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) has in the past, Facebook said. We believe this could be partly due to changes weve made over the last year to make this kind of abuse much harder. The company said it would continue to work with law enforcement and other tech firms to better understand the threats it faces. Current conditions have made applying for jobs more stressful While much of the workforce has shifted online over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto explored a tricky part of the online interview process. According to their findings, the stress and anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have made the virtual interview even more harrowing for some applicants. Even before the pandemic, interview anxiety was a concern for many applicants, said researcher J... 07/27/2018 The motel where Ana Fuentes arrives one evening with her young daughters charges $110 for a single night and doesnt offer weekly discounts. Fuentes asks the cashier for a moment so she can think about it. Outside, the camera captures an anguished look on her face. Its clear she cant afford the expense. She books the room anyway. Do you like it? she asks her girls as they excitedly unpack their bags. The family used to have an apartment, but Fuentes had to visit the emergency room so often that she lost her job, her daughters explain on camera. Such situations arent rare in the United States, where experts have repeatedly warned that millions of Americans have almost nothing in savings and are a single medical disaster away from financial ruin. The problem is compounded nationwide by costly healthcare, lack of access to paid sick leave in the workforce, or a combination of the two. But Fuentes story, like dozens of others featured in an upcoming expose about the medical device industry, has a particularly cruel twist. She says in the film that she was healthy until a doctor convinced her to undergo what was supposed to be a routine, non-surgical medical procedure -- getting small birth control implants permanently embedded into her fallopian tubes. The $155 billion medical device industry has mostly avoided the type of scrutiny that drug companies and health insurers sometimes face from elected officials and others. On Friday, a documentary about the device industry and patients like Fuentes called The Bleeding Edge is set to go live on Netflix, bringing what advocates hope will be widespread attention to an industry increasingly characterized by lax safety standards, enormous power in the operating room, and horrific side effects. If you're going to have something implanted in your body for potentially the rest of your life, wouldnt you like it to be really well-tested beforehand? Is that really too much to ask? says Dr. Diana Zuckerman, a health policy analyst who has worked in the White House and as a staffer in Congress. The current president of the National Center for Health Research, Zuckerman and the other researchers at her non-profit are among the few to have taken interest in faulty medical devices. Diving into the medical device industry Hollywood directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering knew they wanted to make a documentary film about preventable medical injuries, Dick tells ConsumerAffairs, but that was about it. Sitting in on one patient advocacy meeting for research, they caught a presentation that Zuckerman gave about the medical device industry and the ease with which questionable products get on the market. They decided that they had found their story. The team interviewed approximately 70 patients to make their film, Dick tells ConsumerAffairs. The film also includes interviews with numerous whistleblowers, such as doctors, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) researchers, and one medical device sales rep who requested anonymity in exchange for speaking on camera. Dick and Ziering were previously nominated for an Oscar for The Hunting Ground, their documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. Another earlier film, The Invisible War, is an expose about sexual assault in the military. But persuading people to speak out against the device industry made for the most challenging interviews theyve done, Dick tells ConsumerAffairs. (A medical device industry lobbyist touts in one scene that the industry is more powerful than some national governments.) The E-sisters As the film and the research it is based on shows, the problem is bigger than any single device. The Bleeding Edge captures the story by focusing on four implants -- three of which were used exclusively womens reproductive organs. The narrative is driven forward by the story of the E-sisters, or the activists who say that they suffered debilitating side effects after receiving the permanent birth control implant Essure. For years, the E-sisters have organized a grassroots campaign to convince regulators to ban Essure from doctors offices. That goal seemed like an uphill battle until last week, when Bayer suddenly released an announcement that Essure will no longer be sold in the United States by the end of the year. Bayer frames the move as a business decision. The announcement came one week before the Netflix documentary was scheduled for release. "Im very glad that these issues are getting this kind of attention, and I hope that Bayers decision to take Essure off the market won't take away from the bigger message of the film, says Zuckerman, which is the whole process for devices that makes no sense at all. Why in the world would you want to have a regulatory agency in our government, the FDA, having much lower standards for devices than they do for prescription drugs? Essure implants The story of Essure, in particular, only saw the light-of-day thanks to the E-sisters, who count 30,000 people in their Essure Problems Facebook group and have convinced numerous elected officials, doctors, and even early clinical trial participants to join their cause. "One of the things that is disturbing to me is that these issues only came to light because of the work of victims," former Representative Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said in an interview several years ago. Women who agreed to participate in clinical trials for Essure in the late 90s have said that they there were sold on a pitch to get a free, non-hormonal, and permanent birth control that was already proven safe. A nickel coil, the size of a ballpoint pen, would be placed in each fallopian tube. That was designed to create an inflammatory response so that the coils would become permanently encased in the resulting scar tissue. Regulators with the FDA approved the device in 2002, despite admitting that they knew little about the long-term side effects of such a procedure, as footage that the E-sisters had obtained captures. Whats more, numerous clinical trial participants later said that their painful side effects were not included in the companys official data. Doctors not long after began using the devices without questioning potential risks. For some reason we did that to women. And I did that, too, Dr. Shawn Tassone, an Austin-based gynecologist, tells ConsumerAffairs. Insurance and profit margins The sales representatives who taught doctors how to place the devices -- something that Bayer has defended as a common industry practice -- offered no instructions on how the device should be removed if there were side effects. We were just told from the very beginning that even if they're misplaced, you don't have to remove them, Tassone remembers. The role that insurance coverage may have played isnt examined specifically in The Bleeding Edge, but testimony from patients and doctors suggests that getting insurers to cover Essure proved much easier than getting them to cover removal. Tassone remembers that both private plans and Medicaid paid fairly generously for the Essure procedure, especially considering that inserting Essure was much cheaper and less labor-intensive than tubal surgery, the older sterilization procedure. "If you think about a tubal ligation where you go to the operating room, it's $400 [in profit] give or take, he say. Essure in the office, after you subtract the amount of the device, it's probably $1100." Treating any resulting side effects proved impossible for women navigating unfamiliar territory. Angie Firmalino, the New York City mail carrier who founded the E-sisters network, initially seeked help from a doctor who morcellated the coils into small pieces -- sending the nickel elsewhere in her body. Connecting patients with doctors who are willing and able to properly remove the devices, as well who are able to code it correctly so that insurance will pay, has since become one of the E-sisters major tasks. Tassone, for his part, implanted his last Essure device in 2013. He says it was a call from another doctor who convinced him not to perform the procedure anymore; a woman with Essure apparently had gotten pregnant, he was told, which can be extremely dangerous for both the baby and the mother. One researcher has counted 303 fetal deaths linked to the device. Tassone has since switched sides, counseling the E-sisters online and in the operating room. He estimates that he has conducted 600 Essure removal surgeries. Trust remains despite ban In recent years, the advocates have convinced the FDA to add a black box warning to Essure. Later on, they were able to help pass a rule which requires doctors to give patients more detailed warnings about the product. But that didnt appear to stop most doctors from trusting the device. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists continues to say on its website that lasting pain from the procedure is rare. By contrast, nearly 27,000 reports have been filed to the FDAs adverse event report database describing health problems caused by Essure and 16,000 lawsuits have been filed here. An estimated 750,000 women worldwide have undergone the procedure. Now that Essure is off the market, doctors may be more willing to attempt removal surgery, Tassone says, something he thinks is necessary but frightening They're going to think its not a big deal to take out, he worries. (More detailed advice about removal surgeries is offered on the Essure Problems page). Generally, before any major surgery involving a permanent implant, researchers advise patients to press doctors on the specific devices that will be used. Zuckerman, the health policy analyst who helped inspire the Netflix film, recalls that even she struggled to get specific answers when she asked a doctor what brand of hip he would choose for her own surgery. The procedure ultimately went well, she says, but trying to search for good data comparing brands beforehand was nearly impossible. In the vast majority of cases, the surgeons are still quoting the company data, Zuckerman says. The company's data on humans is nonexistent -- at least publicly. Google Nest is a system of smart home products that can control thermostats, smoke detectors, and security systems. But it turns out the Nest Secure product has a built-in microphone, which was news to the consumers who had purchased it. That information came to light earlier this month when the company announced an update for Nest Secure that would allow users to enable its virtual-assistant Google Assistant by using voice commands. But Nest users were surprised to learn they could do that since they didnt know there was a microphone connected to Nest Secure. Various technology publications scanned the products technical specs and found no mention of a microphone. Omission made in error In statements to the media, Google officials said the omission was made in error. The company said there was never any attempt to keep the microphone a secret. It also said that the microphone comes from the factory in the off position. It can only be turned on if the user enables it, and if the user was unaware of its existence, the microphone was not listening to private conversations. Why even have a microphone? Google says it was originally included on the Nest Guard to enable future updates, like the ability to listen for an intrusion into an otherwise unoccupied home. Security systems often use microphones to provide features that rely on sound sensing, Google said in a statement. We included the mic on the device so that we can potentially offer additional features to our users in the future, such as the ability to detect broken glass. Scrutiny over privacy Even if its an innocent omission, the news that Google failed to mention that one of its security devices has a built-in microphone is sure to ruffle privacy feathers. Google, along with other major tech companies, has come under increasing scrutiny for how it manages consumers private data. For its part, Google has long maintained that the internet is all about transparency. CEO Eric Schmidt famously remarked in 2009 that people who have things they dont want people to know probably shouldnt be doing them in the first place. Writing in Fortune in 2017, Joseph Turow, a professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg School for Communication, maintained that Google still doesnt care about your privacy. Turow said the bargain whereby consumers agree to give up personal information in exchange for seeing only relevant ads is a one-sided deal, suggesting that consumers have little understanding of what theyre giving up. This site is not available in your country 100% Website ahsay.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 98660 bytes (96.35 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-10-10, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds.. MOREWOOD, Ontario On April 7, 2017 at approximately 11:42pm, SD&G OPP officers responded to a report of an assault incident at a residence in the Village of Morewood, North Dundas Township. Investigation indicated that a male had sexually assaulted an adult female known to him. The 25-year-old male from Cornwall, Ontario was arrested and is charged with; Sexual Assault He was released and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall on May 23, 2017. His name is being withheld in order to protect the identity of the victim. Tyler Technologies said small governments are embracing the cloud at a more rapid pace, which puts the public-focused solution provider in a good position to capture that market as municipalities look to transition to a software as a service model. If we could design the migration from a timing stand point, this has been a really good one, said John Marr Jr., Tylers board chairman, during an earnings call on Friday. We had a pretty good reception 10 years ago, 12 years ago when we launched this. It's slowly and incrementally built... seeing this continue to slowly grow, has really worked well for our model and thats what we see going forward. During the call, Tyler Technologies said it recorded its 27th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. The Plano, Tx.-based solutions provider No. 43 on the CRN Solution Provider 500 posted second-quarter revenue of $236.1 million, up 13.1 percent from $208.8 million rom the same period a year ago. Tyler reported a 23.3 percent growth in net income with $39.2 million compared to $31.8 million, in the year ago quarter. Tyler CEO H. Lynn Moore attributed much of the growth to sales from both subscriptions and software licenses that he said were robust, growing 31 percent and 16 percent, respectively. The company acquired data analytcs firm Socrata, as well as Maine-based Sage Data Security last quarter, to strengthen is offerings in both of those areas. Tylers public safety division also had a solid quarter, Moore said. The firm sold the companys New World Public Safety solutions including a computer aided dispatch, records management system, and mobile systems -- to Summit County, Ohio to handle the consolidation of 44 law enforcement agencies, 12 fire departments, and six dispatch centers. Tyler sold its Eagle Recorder product to San Bernadino County Calif., each valued at $3.3 million. The company also inked million-dollar deals with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and Elk County, Pennsylvania. Tyler signed new multi-suite SaaS deals with Walton County in Florida and the city of Weston, Fla., as well as Glenwood Springs, Colo., Ontario County, N.Y., Glynn County, Ga., for its financial software, Munis. The cities of Atlanta, and Coral Gables, Fla. bought the companys EnerGov software for community development and infrastructure. Socrata Connected Government Cloud, which uses artificial intelligence to search massive data sets in order to solve problems in government, signed five year contracts with the State of Texas Department of Information Resources, and Pinellas County, Fla. The California Office of Emergency Services also signed a deal with Socrata. Tyler Technologies provides end-to-end software solutions to 15,000 government clients including schools, police and fire, courts, as well as county, and municipal administrations. As many technology workers age out of the workforce, Tyler said the cost of replacing them for an increasingly complex workload in addition to the evolving threat posed by hackers -- is pushing government agencies into SaaS. The local government market is slower to embrace these changes, so for years our migration was slower than the commercial market you might follow, the comfort level with this has grown, Marr said. The awareness of it has grown and theyre just embracing it. Identity fraud is expected to reach an all-time high in 2018. Javelin Research Center reported a record 16.7 million consumers fell victim last year, in large part due to the massive Equifax breach which left millions of consumers data exposed to would-be hackers. Now, hackers are using exposed credit and debit card numbers to steal from bank and loyalty accounts, shifting to digital attacks without ever needing a physical card in their hands. According to Javelin, card-not-present fraud (CNP) is 81 percent more likely than point-of-sale fraud (PoS). In 2017, more consumers had their cards misused in a CNP transaction than at the cash register. The changing fraud landscape Credit card fraud at the PoS has dramatically decreased thanks to the deployment of EMV chip cards, which makes it extremely difficult for fraudsters to create counterfeit cards. While physical fraud has gone down 28 percent over the last three years, hackers are getting more sophisticated and are constantly changing their attack vectors. Through card skimming at ATMs and online data breaches caused by phishing and other types of attacks, hackers are illegally obtaining consumer card numbers to commit CNP fraud, or selling them on the dark web for others to use. CNP is one of the most prevalent types of fraud in countries that have adopted EMV cards. As the leading e-commerce country in the world, the percentage of CNP fraud in the U.S. is currently lower than in other countries, but the recent migration to EMV is expected to contribute to a surge in CNP fraud. From 2000 to 2014, the CNP growth rate was 16 percent per year. In Canada, CNP fraud increased by 205 percent from December 2010 to December 2015, and accounted for 76 percent of all fraud in 2015. In addition to CNP fraud, cybercriminals can take over a consumers financial accounts to make extravagant purchases or drain their funds. Account takeover poses a significant threat to online merchants, and financial and mobile payments providers total losses have reached $5.1 billion, a 120 percent increase from 2016. Another challenging threat is synthetic fraud, in which hackers cull together information theyve obtained from various consumers accounts to create an entirely new identity and associated account. This makes it quite difficult for service providers to tell whether a transaction is fraudulent or not. The prevalence of these threats, in effect, have caused online fraud to skyrocket 106 percent. New sweeping regulations cause concerns over privacy and security Since May of last year, much attention was on the EUs implementation of GDPR and how enterprises doing business in the EU needed to scramble to comply with stringent regulations in a tight timeframe. At the same time, however, the UK also set PSD2 into effect the Second Payment Services Directive, otherwise known as Open Banking. Under the directive, the UKs nine largest banks are required to release their data securely, to be shared more easily between authorized parties online. This includes everything from branch locations and explicit details on product offerings, to transaction details on bill, loans and shopping payments, which is a cause for concern among consumers not comfortable sharing that data. In reality, PSD2 puts power into the account holders hands, as they control who can receive their data. Broad-sweeping laws like GDPR and PSD2 are expected to inspire similar regulations in the U.S., like the recent California privacy law which requires companies to reveal to state residents what information they are collecting and how its being used, and giving consumers the option to revoke permission to stop using that information. For now, most businesses are focused on compliance with overseas regulations. Are organizations offering sufficient protections? Regulations, like PSD2, require strong customer authentication, incorporating knowledge-based elements such as passwords and PINS, a key material, inherent characteristics like biometrics, and a unique authentication code for remote transactions. To adhere to these requirements, some businesses are embracing biometric authentication methods, like fingerprint sensors and iris scans, in tandem with two-factor authentication (2FA) solutions. However fixed biometrics and 2FA methods are not foolproof, and are still subject to hacking and copying. An emerging alternative now being recognized by enterprises is behavioral biometrics. With this method, AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms can be trained to adapt to a consumers behavior and run on-device, continuously building behavioral models based on the way they interact with the device in their hand, including the way they type, tap and swipe, which is much more difficult for a fraudster to replicate. Behavioral biometrics also greatly reduces the risk of breaches of third-party vendors that do not follow the same set of security standards as the financial institutions they work with. Some organizations utilize black box ML, in which the algorithm flags a potential incident of fraud without a reason why. This is counterintuitive, as transparency is key for any fraud detection application (and for open banking). An audit trail of a given transaction, coupled with the amount of cash held in an account and other account details, is needed in order to understand why something was considered fraudulent, which in turn fosters transparency and compliance. AI algorithms must analyze the consumers behavioral model for even the slightest deviation in activity, and then flag that anomaly for the user to determine whether it was a legitimate threat. Continuous behavioral authentication that incorporates AI brings a new level of personalized defense that fixed biometrics and MFA alone cannot enforce when combating CNP and other types of online fraud. Without it, identity fraud will continue to reach new astronomical highs that will cause major headaches from a consumer and regulatory standpoint. BRIDGEPORT Supporters of Bassick Principal Byron Williams say they will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall, 45 Lyons Terrace, in search of answers. The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday, July 30. A group which includes JoAnn Kennedy, a community member whose children graduated from Bassick, say they are concerned that Williams will be reassigned. Williams was named last summer to serve as principal of Bassick. It was a controversial choice in that he was not the pick of faculty or the school governance council. He also has had numerous clashes with Albert Benejan, the schools Parent Teacher Organization president. Bassicks principal office has had a revolving door for nearly a decade with switches just about each year. Kennedy and others say the school needs stability. She said the Bassick climate has improved under Williams. She also said Williams has been told he is being reassigned in the 2018-19 school year. Neither Williams or Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson could be reached for confirmation. This is unacceptable, Kennedy said. We want an explanation. Kennedy said the climate of the school has improved under Williams. The group has also a petition with nearly 250 signatures from students, parents and others, asking Williams be kept in his position. PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Unable to stand for election, a leader of Cambodia's now-dissolved main opposition party did the only thing he felt he could: He held up his index finger at a gathering with dozens of other opposition supporters like himself, and posted a photo of the gesture on Facebook. It was unstained. Chea Chiv is taking part in the "clean finger" campaign promoting a boycott of Sunday's elections. "Clean finger" is a reference to the India ink that election authorities use to stain voters' index fingers on polling day to indicate that they have cast their ballots. After the dissolution of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) last November, those fighting back against an election widely decried as illegitimate say that not going to the polls, and therefore not getting inked, is their only option. But Chea Chiv is now on the run, charged with incitement as the government cracks down on even this last form of protest. On Thursday, authorities found him and four others guilty, and imposed fines of 10 million riel (or about $2,470), about twice the yearly annual salary in Cambodia. "I can't stay at my own home, as there are charges against me," he told The Washington Post. "I have found a safe place," he added, and vowed to continue his boycott calls from that location over social media. This latest pre-election crackdown shows just how nervous the government of authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen is, even as the prime minister prepares to extend his over-three-decade grip on power in this Southeast Asian country. The government insists the vote will be free and fair, touting the participation of other political parties and a historic number of election monitors. But critics note the lack of any viable opposition, the insignificance of the participating parties and the muzzling of independent news media in the lead-up to the vote - all engineered to secure a win for Hun Sen after his ruling party almost lost power to the opposition in 2013. The CNRP's leader, Kem Sokha, remains in a remote prison on the border with Vietnam after his arrest on charges of treason last September. Desperate for some kind of validation that the polls are legitimate, Hun Sen's government is now focused on turnout, offering sweeteners including gifts of cash and food to those who choose to vote and punishing those who do not, analysts say. The government will not be able to claim it beat a strong opposition party, said Lee Morgenbesser, a lecturer at Griffith University in Australia who studies elections in authoritarian countries, but with a big turnout it can say, "We won, and this is how many people turned out to give us the victory." A low turnout, in contrast, will indicate to foreign observers - including the United States, which has started punishing some regime loyalists with sanctions, and the European Union, which has threatened to remove preferential tariffs for Cambodia - that the election is not legitimate. On Wednesday, the House passed a bill that would impose further sanctions on a wider group of Cambodian leaders: Hun Sen himself and more than a dozen members of his inner circle. Cambodian authorities acknowledge that voting is not mandatory. But they have accused those promoting a boycott of using "illegal means" to prevent voters from going to the ballot box and creating a "disturbance" to the electoral process. A spokesman for the National Election Committee said this offense is subject to a fine of up to nearly $5,000, as well as criminal penalties of as much as two years in prison. The commission said it has received five complaints related to boycott calls. "This activity is not just talking [about the boycott]," Hang Puthea, an official at the National Election Committee, said in an interview, confirming the complaints and ongoing investigation against those who have called for a boycott. "They are shouting these ideas and pushing people not to vote." Leaders of the CNRP say they started calling for a boycott in April when it became clear that they would not be able to participate in the election, despite key leaders stepping aside to protect the party's legality in Cambodia. In February 2017, opposition leader Sam Rainsy resigned from party leadership after a law was proposed barring convicts from political leadership. Rainsy is facing defamation charges that his supporters say are politically motivated. But after Kem Sokha's arrest and a November court ruling that dissolved the party and barred 118 CNRP leaders - including Chea Chiv - from politics, the party settled on a boycott. "The only way to delegitimize [Hun Sen] was to call for a boycott of the meaningless vote," Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader, said in an interview from exile in Paris. "We didn't give up on attempts to talk and re-register for the vote in May, but it was all falling on deaf ears." The Clean Finger movement, he said, grew as calls for the boycott became louder and started to resonate abroad and at home. Still, activists acknowledge that it is easier for those outside the country and those already marked by opposition politics to promote this strategy. Instead of relying solely on social media platforms such as Facebook, which they say is monitored by the government, they are using simple word of mouth. Vanna Hay, a CNRP supporter based in Japan, said he and other Cambodians overseas have been calling their parents and telling them to spread their message in person around rural villages and urban centers. "Word of mouth is much more powerful when local authorities are trying to shut down everything and force us not to speak out about anything at all," he said. He has encouraged a whisper campaign to promote the boycott. "Sometimes it is more controversial when people are secretly talking. It sends a louder message than speaking loudly." Even in their whispers, proponents of a boycott may have reason to be fearful. Speaking in Battambang province, where Chea Chiv was charged, a deputy prime minister and deputy head of the ruling Cambodia People's Party, Sar Kheng, urged his supporters to look out for those calling for a boycott on Saturday, the day before polls open. No political campaigning is allowed on that day. "They will not be quiet on that day," he said, referring to opposition leaders. "What would they do? Whisper. So please look into that matter. We will not harass them, but we will prevent that activity." - - - Mahtani reported from Singapore. BRIDGEPORT It was an hour of terror Thursday night as dozens of police frantically searched the city for a red sedan taken in a carjacking with a 5-year-old child inside. I was on pins and needles as I listened to the situation on the radio, said Police Chief Armando Perez on Friday. That poor father, his child taken away from him. With the aid of the Fusion Centers cameras, my guys did a terrific job of finding the car, arrested the man and getting the boy back safely to his family. Javon Gaymon, 25, of Laurel Court, was being held in lieu of $250,000 bond after being charged Friday morning with first-degree kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor and second-degree larceny. Gaymon claimed he had raped the child in the car but police said there is no indication that it was true. Officers had been traveling south on Park Avenue shortly before 7 Thursday night when police said they were waived down by a man in obvious distress. Police said the man, a New York resident, was yelling that someone had stolen his car with his child inside. The man said that his 5-year-old and 10-year old sons had been in his 2015 Nissan Altima when a man jumped into the driver seat. The 10-year-old managed to get out of the car as it roared off, police said. Police immediately put out an Amber Alert along with a city-wide broadcast for the car. A short time later, an officer stationed in the citys Fusion Center, which is hooked up to surveillance cameras around the city, spotted the car in the area of Newfield Avenue and Revere Street. Officers rushed to the area as other police reported in, seeing the car on Seaview Avenue heading for the I-95 entrance ramp. Fearing to spook the driver into a high-speed chase, police said officers tailed the car to Exit 30 in Stratford, attempting but failing to spot the child inside. Police said the decision was made to pull the Nissan over on Lordship Avenue. But when they got to it, Gaymon was alone. Gaymon told officers he had dumped the child shortly after taking the car, adding, I raped him in the car so shoot me, Tase me, police said. As officers were transporting Gaymon to the Police Department, police said a dispatcher received a phone call from a woman who reporting finding a young child wandering alone in the area of Jones Avenue and James Street. Police said the boy appeared unhurt, with no sign of an assault and was returned to his father. Gaymon was taken to St. Vincents Medical Center for evaluation. For nearly a decade, Paul Manafort toiled in service of Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych, work that is chronicled in hundreds of documents he is hoping to block jurors at his upcoming federal trial from seeing. The documents, released by Manafort's defense Thursday in advance of his trial next week on bank and tax fraud charges, show how political operatives from both sides of the aisle use the lessons they learn on American campaigns for sometimes unsavory foreign clients. "Having worked campaigns for the last 35 years, this one will be at the top of the list of most satisfying," Manafort wrote a group of strategists after Yanukovych won a presidential election in 2010. The group included Tad Devine and Adam Strasberg, both of whom worked on the campaigns of Democratic presidential candidates John Kerry and Bernie Sanders. Manafort goes on trial next week in Alexandria, Virginia, federal court on bank and tax fraud charges. The case stems from the work he did for Yanukovych and his Russia-friendly political party, and they are brought by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Manafort is arguing the details of what he did in Ukraine have no bearing on the charges. "It is readily apparent that the Special Counsel intends to offer evidence concerning matters that are irrelevant to this tax and bank fraud trial," his attorneys wrote in the Thursday filing. The documents date back to 2005, when Yanukovych had been forced from power after an election victory deemed fraudulent. That year, Manafort wrote a strategy memo to Rinat Ahkmetov, a Ukrainian steel magnate who backed Yanukovych's political party. Yanukovych's image was "poisoned. . .as much as the dioxin poisoned the body of Yushchenko," a reference to Yanukovych's rival in the 2004 election. Doctors said at the time Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned; his opponents said he became ill because of alcohol. The party's "historical growth," Manafort added, "was directly related to its ability to dispense favors," which became impossible when they lost power. Yet he arranged a flashy rally for Yanukovych that December, with help from Tim Unes, who worked on the Trump campaign, and Bobby Peede, who works in the White House on presidential advance, the documents show. Yanukovych "has the relationships in Russian [sic] needed to fix the problem created by Yuschenko and his team," a 2006 memo from Devine and Manafort reads. Surrogates are told to call the country's leaders naive "to believe the Government could slap Russia in the face and suffer no consequences." In a statement from his firm Thursday evening, Devine said he was asked by the special counsel "to assist in the prosecution of their case against Paul Manafort regarding his firm's work on media consulting on past political campaigns in Ukraine. We have been assured by the Special Counsel's Office that we have no legal exposure and did not act unlawfully." The firm adds, "After the administration of the presidential candidate we had worked for arrested his political opponent, we quit. We then declined additional offers to work on his later campaigns." After winning power in 2010, Yanukovych saw his presidential rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, put in prison. In April 2012, Devine declined to join a new campaign for Yanukovych's party. "We have once again reached the point in time where we should cast aside all US political work in favor of everyone's most beloved country - Ukraine," Manafort's business partner Richard Gates wrote him. "I regret that we will not be able to work with you on the election this year," Devine responded. But four months later, Devine sent Manafort a suggested campaign memo for Yanukovych's Party of Regions in the upcoming parliamentary elections. "I would recommend a roughly 3:1 negative to positive ratio in the advertising," he wrote. After Yanukovych was deposed and fled the country in 2014, Devine's firm discussed with Manafort consulting for a different candidate for $100,000 a month (with a $50,000 victory bonus), the documents show. Nothing appears to have come of the proposal. In a June 2014 email, Devine said that for $10,000 a day he would do a brief trip to Ukraine to meet with leaders of a new party formed in Yanukovych's absence. Strasberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The documents also appear to bolster a special counsel case in Washington, D.C. federal court, including of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. One document his team released is a 2013 memo explaining how a group of European ex-politicians, known as the Hapsburg group, will try to promote Ukraine. "The Hapsburg team will also do a series of events . . . to also influence key members of the US government through private meetings held at the highest levels." Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trumps Supreme Court pick, shouldnt become a justice unless he vows to recuse himself from special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Since Kavanaugh was nominated on July 9, Blumenthal a Connecticut Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has been particularly critical of the nominees views on executive power, especially his opinion that a sitting president should be able to exempt himself from criminal investigation. This issue of presidential power is not really a political issue, its a constitutional concern and it goes to the core of the checks and balances that underlie our Constitution, Blumenthal said. The nominee has a paper trail of opinions and writings that hint at decisions he might make on the highest court, some of which Blumenthal pointed to as evidence of a conflict of interest between Trump and Muellers investigation of Trumps campaign connections to Russia. During confirmation hearings, Blumenthal said, he will ask Kavanaugh general questions about his views on checks and balances and executive power based on his past writings. In one instance, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the 1974 United States v. Nixon case that former President Richard Nixon should hand over secretly recorded White House tapes. But Kavanaugh said the Nixon decision could be overruled because the Justice Department also in the executive branch cant force the president to present information in a criminal case. From Blumenthals perspective, Kavanaugh is saying that presidents would not only be free to reject burdensome, unfair or otherwise problematic requests for information; they would also be free to reject all requests for information. Some observers might find it reassuring to think that Kavanaugh would not rule as his writings suggest, Blumenthal said. That would be a mistake. It would be far wiser to listen to the message that he has sent for decades and to do so before its too late. Democratic lawmakers including Blumenthal have targeted Kavanaughs opposition to the independent counsel law, enacted in 1978, that allowed an independent prosecutor to investigate government officials for criminal behavior. The law expired in 1992. Since then, the Justice Department has appointed special counsels when the attorney general deems them necessary. Since Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the FBIs ongoing Trump-Russia investigation, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller. But Republicans have differentiated between the former law that Kavanaugh opposed and the current method used to appoint special counsels. They reject the notion that Kavanaugh must recuse himself if the Mueller probe comes before the Supreme Court. This is an issue where I feel the public and my colleagues need to better understand the importance of unchecked presidential power, especially with Donald Trump in that position, Blumenthal said. The schedule for confirmation hearings has not yet been released, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said that he likely would begin the process in the fall, ahead of the November midterm elections. Most GOP lawmakers, who hold a majority in the Senate, support Trumps pick. Sarah.roach@chron.com Home decor accessories come in all shapes and sizes, but the most popular item of all right now may surprise you: trays. This finding was served up on a silver platter by Next Day Blinds, a custom-made blind and shade company, which examined which home decor items Americans searched for most on Google over the past year. And, yep, trays topped the list. Tripping over tray options The popularity of these all-purpose platters could very well signal that people are seeking out more creative ways to get organized. Think about it: A tray gives you a stylish little place to corral items that would otherwise feel like clutter around your home. "We think trays are the basic building blocks for order in the house," says Julie Carlson, founder and editor of design site Remodelista. She uses them everywhere: on the kitchen counter and in the bedroom, bathroom, and entryway. The most popular decor items Next Day Blinds In addition to making themselves useful in any room of a home, trays also run the gamut of interior decor styles, from Victorian to Mid-Century Modern, says Drew Henry of Design Dudes in San Antonio. "You'll see them popping up on Instagram feeds, too, especially when they're used for breakfast in bed and as coffee tables on stools," he says. Photo by Tilton Fenwick Aside from assessing your home's aesthetic, how do you choose the best tray for your place? Think about how it'll be used. A tray used in the kitchen to hold sink-side essentials like dish soap, a sponge, and a scrub brush should be easy to clean and waterproof, so opt for something made of acrylic or ceramic. "For the living room, there are metal, wood, or enameled options, and a mirrored tray in the bar area looks great as it reflects bottles and glassware," says Henry. Photo by Caroline Sharpnack - A Lucite tray will keep everything in order without clashing with your living room decor. All about the walls So what else made the list of America's most searched-for home products? Mostly they're items that can help dress up walls: mirrors, wall decor, wall art, wallpaper, frames, and prints all made the cut. Each of these items can stand (er... hang?) alone, or you can curate them into a gallery wall. To maintain a sense of order, group the same types of frames, artwork, color theme, or subject matter, says Karen Gray-Plaisted of Design Solutions KGP. You can also choose one object as the center of your gallery. "This focal point could be a large mirror, a clock, or the biggest picture you have," she says. Once thought of as a tacky eyesore, wallpaper has actually come back into favor with homeowners and renters. Recent wallpaper trends we've seen include textured grass cloth (which works well in a great room or dining room) and oversize floral designs (try it in a guest bath or laundry room). One innovation that's drawn people toward wallpaper is the removableor peel-and-stickvariety. A wall covering that you don't have to commit to (or lose your rental deposit for)? That's a beautiful thing. Photo by AFT Construction Accessories Rounding out the list of top decor picks are three accessories that are a staple in any stylish home: bar carts, poufs, and rugs. One of the most beloved pouf styles is the round, Moroccan-inspired type, usually made of leather. These things tend to cultivate a more bohemian vibe, but we've seen them incorporated into homes with other types of decormodern, preppy, industrialtoo. Poufs also come in a variety of shapes and textures: knitted, furry, square, and rectangular. Photo by Tara Benet Design People also seem to be coveting bar cartsthey've become a choice accessory for people who want to display their liquor collection in a chic way, but can be used for so much more. Push one next to a sofa as a side table to hold coasters and remotes, use it to hold your vinyl collection, or position it in a bathroom for extra storage. We love the idea of scoring a vintage bar cart at a flea market or on eBay, but don't drive yourself crazy trying to find one. There are plenty of great options at a variety of price ranges from home decor companies online and in stores. Photo by Holder Design Associates The post America's Most Searched-For Home Decor Item Solves Clutter Fast appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Imran Khan's victory speech on July 26 was an ode to Pakistan's all-weather ally China. Given that hardly any country in the world is ready to break bread with Pakistan, it is understandable Khan, who is now set to take over as the country's Prime Minister, reached out to China. The Prime Minister-elect played the electoral game much like 'Kaptan' as his followers love to refer to him and made it clear that he will stick to the economic reforms ushered in with the help of China. No leader at the helm of affairs in Pakistan can afford to overlook its all-weather friend and ally China, a country that stood by Islamabad even when the world looked away. Whether the policy will be in China's interest in the long run is best left for the future to decide. Next up on Khan's focus was Afghanistan, a country that shares historic and social ties with Pakistan but has over a period of time gravitated towards India accusing Islamabad of harbouring terror outfits. Imran Khan spoke at length on his wish to mend ties with Afghanistan, sit across the table and sort out issues. An important statement, considering that in today's geopolitical scenario, Pakistan needs Afghanistan on its side more than Afghanistan needing it. It is only natural that Khan would watch out for what role China wants him and his country to play in Afghanistan. What can't be ignored is that China will like a bigger say in matters concerning Afghanistan. Khan also acknowledged the support Saudi Arabia has extended to Pakistan. This acknowledgement is understandable as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the largest benefactors of Pakistan. The relationship with USA was termed 'one-sided', which is, true in many ways. As the war on terror spearheaded by the US winds up in the Middle East, the 'need' for Pakistan has dwindled. The US has also come to openly speak out how little Pakistan is doing to control terrorists using its soil to launch attacks and spread terror in the world, a fact India has long been pressing. Like many of his predecessors, Khan was quick to latch on to the Kashmir issue. He brought up the thorny issue as soon as he started to talk about ties with India. That relation with India would figure low in Imran Khan's list of priorities is not surprising. The fact that he raised the issue of the presence of Indian troops in civilian areas of Kashmir, provides a window to what India can expect of him in the days to come. But that he spoke about the need to sit down and talk and find a solution is welcome. Khan concluded promising to focus on all round development, including economic front. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was effective, if not a hugely successful. He does not carry the taint of corruption and the youth sees him as someone who can deliver. What he said in the context of India was mostly on expected lines. There was nothing to suggest that he is in any hurry to improve ties with New Delhi. Also read: Why India-Pakistan relations are unlikely to improve if Imran Khan becomes Pakistan's next prime minister American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso founded the charity, Sentebale, in 2006 to help young people affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped out together Thursday for a charitable cause. It's one of the Royal Family's unofficial royal traditions, though it is certainly not expected for a royal couple to share a kiss! Meghan looked to be having a wonderful time as she watched Harry play for the Sentebale St Regis team, which was captained by Sentebale Ambassador Nacho Figueras. Markle attended the match at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club wearing a denim Carolina Herrera dress, and she cheered her hubby on from the stands as he galloped down the field. Samir Hussein via Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, head off to lunch. It's safe to say that Meghan Markle's life has dramatically changed since becoming a royal, with the former Suits star-turned Duchess of Sussex now obligated to adhere to a new set of rules and regulations governing several aspects of her behavior. The royal accessorised with a pair of stylish sunglasses, simple diamond earrings and a raffia clutch bag for the occasion - which, by the way, cost just 44. The official Kensington Royal photo of the Duke and Duchess has more than 250,000 likes. When Harry and Meghan first met and things started to get serious, he was really keen for her to meet Kate. Were you surprised to see the coupe kissing in public? United Internet AG, through its subsidiaries, operates as an Internet service provider (ISP). It operates through Consumer Access, Business Access, Consumer Applications, and Business Applications segments. The company offers landline-based broadband and mobile internet products, including home networks, online storage, telephony, and IPTV; and telecommunication products ranging from fiber-optic direct connections to tailored ICT solutions, which include voice, data, and network solutions, as well as infrastructure services to national and international carriers and ISPs. It also provides ad-financed and fee-based application products for consumer and business customers, including domains, Websites, Web hosting, servers, cloud solutions, and e-shops; personal information management applications, such as email, to-do lists, appointments, and addresses; and group works, online storage, and office software. The company offers its access products through the yourfone, smartmobile.de, 1&1, winSIM, maxim, simplytel, DeutschlandSIM, PremiumSIM, and 1&1 versatel brands; and applications through GMX, mail.com, WEB.DE, home.pl, Arsys, Strato, 1&1 IONOS, Fasthosts, InterNetX, united-domains, and World4You brand names. In addition, it offers customers professional services in the fields of active domain management under the Sedo brand; and online advertising services under the United Internet Media brand name. The company has operations in Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Poland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, and Mexico. United Internet AG was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Montabaur, Germany. Read More Croda International Plc creates, makes, and sells specialty chemicals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Asia, and Latin America. The company operates in four segments: Personal Care, Life Sciences, Performance Technologies, and Industrial Chemicals. It offers adhesives; crop protection additives and adjuvants, seed enhancement and animal health chemicals, chemical bio-stimulants, and specialty additives for agricultural films; and lubricant additives, coatings and polymers, vehicle cleaning chemicals, and products for automotive textiles and fibers, as well as specialty additives for plastics, and battery and catalyst industries. The company also provides specialty ingredients for self-tanning, color cosmetics, bath and shower, deodorants, anti-perspirants, depilatories, men's grooming, and oral hygiene, as well as skin, hair, sun, body, and baby care applications; construction chemicals and bitumen additives; dietary supplements; and advanced materials, and polymer additives for electronics and devices. In addition, it offers chemistries, emulsifiers, fuel and power generation additives, and polymer additives; food additives; specialty polymer additives for furniture and wood applications; household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products; lubricants; oleochemicals; and packaging, print, and paper chemicals. Further, the company provides paints and coatings; active pharmaceutical ingredients; thermal management products; plastic and rubber products; skin health products; hygiene and industrial nonwovens, botanical extracts, tissues, and textile auxiliaries; and water treatment chemicals. Additionally, it offers bio-based phase change materials for buildings and ventilation, clothing and healthcare, electronics and devices, food and refrigeration, energy storage and recovery, temperature controlled packaging, and vehicles and automotive applications. The company was incorporated in 1925 and is headquartered in Goole, the United Kingdom. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at con[email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. The following companies are subsidiares of CVS Health: @Credentials Inc., ACS ACQCO CORP., ADMINCO Inc., AE Fourteen Incorporated, AHP Holdings Inc., AMC - Tennessee LLC, APS Acquisition LLC, ASCO HealthCare LLC, ASI Wings LLC, AUSHC Holdings Inc., Accendo Insurance Company, Accordant Health Services L.L.C., Active Health Management Inc., Administrative Enterprises Inc., AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx LLC, AdvanceRx.com L.L.C., Advanced Care Scripts Inc., Aetna, Aetna (Beijing) Enterprise Management Services Co. Ltd., Aetna (Shanghai) Enterprise Services Co. Ltd., Aetna ACO Holdings Inc., Aetna Asset Advisors LLC, Aetna Behavioral Health LLC, Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health of California Inc., Aetna Better Health of Florida Inc., Aetna Better Health of Kansas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Better Health of Missouri LLC, Aetna Better Health of Nevada Inc., Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma Inc., Aetna Better Health of Texas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Washington Inc., Aetna Capital Management LLC, Aetna Card Solutions LLC, Aetna Corporate Services LLC, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc., Aetna Financial Holdings LLC, Aetna Florida Inc., Aetna Global Benefits (Asia Pacific) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bahamas) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bermuda) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Europe) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Middle East) LLC, Aetna Global Benefits (Singapore) PTE. LTD., Aetna Global Benefits (UK) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits Limited (DIFC UAE), Aetna Global Holdings Limited, Aetna Health Holdings LLC, Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Aetna Health Insurance Company, Aetna Health Insurance Company of Europe DAC, Aetna Health Management LLC, Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of Iowa Inc., Aetna Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Health of Ohio Inc., Aetna Health of Utah Inc., Aetna HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Aetna Holdco (UK) Limited, Aetna Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Inc., Aetna Insurance (Hong Kong) Limite, Aetna Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Aetna Insurance Company Limited, Aetna Integrated Informatics Inc., Aetna International Inc., Aetna Ireland Inc., Aetna Korea Ltd., Aetna Life & Casualty (Bermuda) Ltd., Aetna Life Assignment Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC, Aetna Multi-Strategy 1099 Fund LLC, Aetna Network Services LLC, Aetna Partners Diversified Fund LLC, Aetna Pharmacy Management Services LLC, Aetna Resources LLC, Aetna Risk Assurance Company of Connecticut Inc., Aetna Rx Home Delivery LLC, Aetna Services (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Aetna Student Health Agency Inc., Aetna Ventures LLC, Aetna Workers Comp Access LLC, Alabama CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Alaska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, American Continental Insurance Company, American Drug Stores Delaware L.L.C., American Health Holding Inc., Arbor Drugs, Arizona CVS Stores L.L.C., Arkansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Badger Acquisition LLC, Badger Acquisition of Kentucky LLC, Badger Acquisition of Minnesota LLC, Badger Acquisition of Ohio LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Beauty Holdings L.L.C., Best Care LTC Acquisition Company LLC, Busse CVS L.L.C., CCI Foreign S.a R.L. (R.C.S. Luxembourg), CCRx Holdings LLC, CCRx of North Carolina LLC, CHP Acquisition LLC, CP Acquisition LLC, CVS 2948 Henderson L.L.C., CVS 3268 Gilbert L.L.C., CVS 3745 Peoria L.L.C., CVS AL Distribution L.L.C., CVS AOC Corporation, CVS AOC Services L.L.C., CVS Albany L.L.C., CVS Bellmore Avenue L.L.C., CVS Care Concierge LLC, CVS Caremark Advanced Technology Pharmacy L.L.C., CVS Caremark Indemnity Ltd., CVS Caremark Part D Services L.L.C., CVS Caremark TN SUTA LLC, CVS Foreign Inc., CVS Gilbert 3272 L.L.C., CVS Health Solutions LLC, CVS Indiana L.L.C., CVS International L.L.C., CVS Kidney Care Advanced Technologies LLC, CVS Kidney Care Health Services LLC, CVS Kidney Care Home Dialysis LLC, CVS Kidney Care LLC, CVS Manchester NH L.L.C., CVS Media Exchange LLC, CVS Michigan L.L.C., CVS Orlando FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS PA Distribution L.L.C., CVS PR Center Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS RS Arizona L.L.C., CVS Rx Services Inc., CVS SC Distribution L.L.C., CVS State Capital L.L.C., CVS TN Distribution L.L.C., CVS Transportation L.L.C., CVS Vero FL Distribution L.L.C., Campos Medical Pharmacy LLC, Canal Place LLC, Care Pharmaceutical Services LP, CareCenter Pharmacy L.L.C., Carefree Insurance Services Inc., Caremark Arizona Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Arizona Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark California Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Florida Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Florida Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Hawaii Mail Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Hawaii Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark IPA L.L.C., Caremark Illinois Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Illinois Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Irving Resource Center LLC, Caremark Kansas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark L.L.C., Caremark Logistics LLC, Caremark Louisiana Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Maryland Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Massachusetts Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Michigan Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Minnesota Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark New Jersey Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark North Carolina Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ohio Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Pennsylvania Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark PhC L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Redlands Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Repack LLC, Caremark Rx L.L.C., Caremark Tennessee Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ulysses Holding Corp., Caremark Washington Specialty Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Alabama Mail Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Health L.L.C., CaremarkPCS L.L.C., Central Rx Services LLC, Claims Administration Corp., Cofinity Inc., Compscript LLC, Connecticut CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood Tennessee, Continuing Care Rx LLC, Coram Alternate Site Services Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Alabama, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater D.C., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater New York, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Indiana, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Massachusetts, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Mississippi, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Nevada, Coram Healthcare Corporation of North Texas, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Northern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Utah, Coram LLC, Coram Rx LLC, Coram Specialty Infusion, Coram Specialty Infusion Services L.L.C., Coventry Consumer Advantage Inc., Coventry Health Care National Accounts Inc., Coventry Health Care National Network Inc., Coventry Health Care Workers Compensation Inc., Coventry Health Care of Illinois Inc., Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc., Coventry Health Care of Missouri Inc., Coventry Health Care of Nebraska Inc., Coventry Health Care of Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Care of West Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Plan of Florida Inc., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company, Coventry HealthCare Management Corporation, Coventry Prescription Management Services Inc., Coventry Rehabilitation Services Inc., Coventry Transplant Network Inc., D & R Pharmaceutical Services LLC, D.A.W. LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, Digital eHealth LLC, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California Inc., Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., FOCUS HealthCare Management Inc., First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, First Script Network Services Inc., Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Group Dental Service of Maryland Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssuance Pennsylvania Inc., Healthagen LLC, Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Life and Health Insurance Company, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, MetraComp Inc., Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare LLC, NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky Inc. (Oh, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Holdings Inc., NeighborCare Inc., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services Inc., NeighborCare Services Corporation, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Holding Company, Omnicare Inc., Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania East LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Holdings Inc., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Pt. Aetna Global Benefits Indonesia, Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Spinnaker Bidco Limited, Spinnaker Topco Limited, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare L.L.C., Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. engages in global investment banking, securities, and investment management, which provides financial services. It operates through the following business segments: Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. The Investment Banking segment serves public and private sector clients around the world and provides financial advisory services, help companies raise capital to strengthen and grow their businesses and provide financing to corporate clients. The Global Markets segment serves its clients who buy and sell financial products, funding and manage risk. The Asset Management segment provides investment services to help clients preserve and grow their financial assets. The Consumer & Wealth Management segment helps clients to achieve their individual financial goals by providing a wealth advisory and banking services. The company was founded by Marcus Goldman in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More L3 Technologies, Inc. provides aircraft sustainment, simulation and training, night vision and image intensification equipment, and security and detection systems used on military, homeland security, and commercial platforms in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems; Communications and Networked Systems (C&NS); and Electronic Systems. The company offers engineering, modernization and sustainment, space avionics and imaging payload, counter unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) mission, cyber and electronic warfare, special mission command and control, modeling and simulation, and life cycle support services for ISR, airborne sensor, warrior sensor, space and sensor, aircraft, and intelligence and mission systems, as well as for military aviation services and advanced programs. It also provides network and communication systems, secure communications products, radio frequency components, satellite communication terminals and space, microwave and telemetry products, and secure data links in various business areas, such as broadband communication, naval power, space and power, and maritime sensor systems, as well as in advanced communications. In addition, the company offers components, products, subsystems, and systems, as well as related services to military and commercial customers in various business areas, including commercial aviation solutions, precision engagement systems, link training and simulation, and security and detection systems. It serves the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense and its prime contractors, the U.S. Government intelligence agencies, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, foreign governments, and commercial customers. The company was formerly known as L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to L3 Technologies, Inc. in December 2016. L3 Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited. The US sent a delegation to Ankara to lobby for co-operation on the measures a week ago but Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said yesterday: "We buy oil from Iran and we purchase it in proper conditions". Turkey gets more than half of its crude oil from Iran. The two nations are committed to being cooperative towards each other and through the OPEC in order to confront the sanctions from the US. "But we are not obliged to follow the individual countries imposing sanctions against Iran", he said, Recalling that Turkey did not support the us sanctions against Russian Federation. "We go along with United Nations sanctions like every country, but we do not necessarily need to go along with sanctions imposed by the U.S. or UK against Iran", he added. The US sanctions on Iran will come to effect from November 4 and the US has asked all nations to cease importing oil from Iran. US President Donald Trump announced in May the US' withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal, and that sanctions on Iran would be reimposed. The withdrawal entailed not only the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran but also the so-called secondary sanctions on third countries. Parkland Corporation operates as a marketer, distributor, and refiner of fuel and petroleum products in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canada, International, USA, Supply, and Corporate segments. The Canada segment supplies and supports a coast-to-coast network of 1,860 retail gas stations under the Ultramar, Esso, Fas Gas Plus, Chevron, Pioneer, and Race Trac as well as operates convenience stores under the On the Run/MarchA Express brand. Additionally it offers bulk fuel, bulk and cylinder exchange propane, heating oil, lubricants, and other related products and services to commercial, industrial, and residential customers in various industries, such as oil and gas, construction, mining, forestry, fishing, and transportation under the Ultramar, Bluewave Energy, Pipeline Commercial, Chevron, Columbia Fuels, and Sparlings Propane brands. The International segment operates retail service stations under the Esso, Shell, and Sol brands; and delivers and supplies gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, propane, and lubricants to customers in various sectors, including power, oil and gas, and mining. The USA segment operates a network of gas stations; and delivers bulk fuel, lubricants, and other related products and services under the Farstad Oil, Rhinehart Oil, Tropic Oil, Superpumper, Harts, and On the Run brands. The Supply segment manufactures transportation fuels; transports, stores, and markets fuels, crude oil, and liquid petroleum gases; and manufactures and sells aviation fuel to airlines. This segment also engages in the wholesale, supply, and distribution business. The company was formerly known as Parkland Fuel Corporation and changed its name to Parkland Corporation in May 2020. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More French dairy company Danone announced that sales will grow by 3.3% this year despite a consumer boycott has slashed the companys profits in Morocco. The company was able to offset setbacks in Morocco and Brazil as sales were mainly driven by Chinese consumers who snapped up more infant formula while dairy sales picked up in North America. A consumer boycott in Morocco, initiated on social media to protest high prices, slashed sales by some 40 percent there in recent months. In Brazil, truck drivers initiated a strike that had serious repercussions on sales there as well. However, the company remains confident in the growth of its dairy and water sales in Europe, North America and China as the company reiterated its forecast for earnings per share to rise by a double-digit percentage at constant currencies this year. Aareal Bank AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides financing, software products, digital solutions, and payment transaction applications for the property sector and related industries in Germany and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Structured Property Financing, Banking & Digital solutions, and Aareon. The Structured Property Financing segment offers property financing and refinancing solutions for office buildings, hotels, and shopping centers, as well as retail, logistics, residential properties, and student apartments. This segment also provides deposits, registered and bearer Pfandbriefe, promissory note loans, medium-term notes, debt securities, private placements, other bonds and subordinated issues, mortgage Pfandbriefe, and public sector Pfandbriefe. The Banking & Digital solutions segment offers various services and products for the housing, commercial property, and energy and waste disposal industries. Its services include specialized banking, payment systems, and optimized business processes. The Aareon segment provides IT systems consultancy and related advisory services, enterprise resource planning systems, software solutions, hosting and software as a service, and in-house services. Aareal Bank AG was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan. Wall Street analysts have given John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Capital One Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 1.43%. Capital One Financial has been increasing its dividend for 2 consecutive year(s), indicating that it does not yet have a strong track record of dividend growth. The dividend payout ratio of Capital One Financial is 41.45%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, Capital One Financial will have a dividend payout ratio of 13.56% next year. This indicates that Capital One Financial will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. View Capital One Financial's dividend history. Wall Street analysts have given 4003324 (IMT.L) 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 4003324 (IMT.L) wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Nicholas Trombetta, the founder of a Pennsylvania cyber charter school that once served 15,000 students, was sentenced this week to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to tax conspiracy in 2016. Trombetta admitted to siphoning off roughly $8 million from the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School through a byzantine network of companies and nonprofits that he controlled. Among the ways Trombetta spent the money: a $933,000 Florida condo, houses for his mother and girlfriend, and a $300,000 airplane. An accountant who helped Trombetta with the fraud scheme was also sentenced to prison earlier this year. Though dramatic, the troubles at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter school were hardly unique. As part of Education Weeks award-winning 2016 investigation of the K-12 cyber charter industry, we took a look at well over a decades worth of reports of mismanagement and fraud in numerous full-time online schools in Pennsylvania and nearly two dozen other states . Photo: Nicholas Trombetta, superintendent of Midland school district, discusses the future of Midland, Pennsylvania, on September 29, 2005. In this town of 3,000, the cyber school, one of the largest in the country, employs 270 people, including 95 teachers.--La Shinda Clark/Philadelphia Inquirer See also: for the latest news on ed-tech policies, practices, and trends. Moroccos permanent representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Omar Hilale was elected vice-president of the Economic and Social Council. The 54-member council, which serves as the principal organ for the socioeconomic and related work of the UN, elected Inga Rhonda King as its new president. The appointment of Omar Hilale vice-president of ECOSOC was described as a hallmark of the international communitys support for Africa and as a recognition of Moroccos efforts to implement the 2030 SDGs, Moroccos official news agency said. During this term, Morocco will chair the segments on integration, humanitarian issues and development, it said. ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the UN system. The Bank of New York Mellon pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 2.29%. 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. The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management segments. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small businesses and commercial customers, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides Internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 952 branches and approximately 3,540 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,400 branches, 5,200 ATMs, and 22 contact centers internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc.. Morocco is on its way to become the worlds third largest producer of aluminum wheels as it continues to attract investments by world automotive industry giants. On July 26, Chinas Citic Dicastal signed a deal with the Moroccan government to build two plants for auto wheel production in Morocco with an investment of 350 million ($407.5 million). The deal was signed in Rabat by the Moroccan Ministers of Economy and Industry, Mohamed Boussaid and Moulay Hafid Elalamy, respectively, as well as Chairman of Citic Dicastal Xu Zuo. The leading Chinese group targets the production of 6 million wheels annually, 90 percent of them will be exported abroad. The plants, which will be built in the northern cities of Kenitra and Tangier, will create some 1,200 jobs. Citic Dicastal project adds to an investment by South Koreas giant Hands corporation in Rabat which also set up a factory in Tangier with a production capacity of 8 million wheels. The two companies will put Morocco on the map as the third aluminum wheels producer globally. Morocco raised its automotive industry target to 1 million vehicle by 2025 in light of the positive results shown by the sector, which could generate 200 billion dirhams. Moroccos car industry is moving at a faster pace to achieve the goal of 600,000 cars and 100 billion dirhams by 2020. In 2017, Moroccos two leading car factories by Renault and PSA Peugeot in Tangier and Kenitra respectively achieved a joint output of 376,000, worth 70 billion dirhams. Between 2014 and 2017, total jobs created in the automotive sector rose to 83,845. The following companies are subsidiares of Cardinal Health: A+ Secure Packaging LLC, Access Closure, Access Closure Inc., Aero-Med Ltd., Alaris Medical Systems, Allegiance Corporation, Allegiance Healthcare, AssuraMed, AssuraMed Inc., Automatic Liquid Packaging, Bergen Brunswig Corp, Bindley Western Industries, Boron LePore & Associates, Borschow Hospital & Medical Supplies, Cardinal Health 100 Inc., Cardinal Health 104 LP, Cardinal Health 105 Inc., Cardinal Health 107 LLC, Cardinal Health 108 LLC, Cardinal Health 110 LLC, Cardinal Health 112 LLC, Cardinal Health 113 LLC, Cardinal Health 114 Inc., Cardinal Health 115 LLC, Cardinal Health 116 LLC, Cardinal Health 118 LLC, Cardinal Health 119 LLC, Cardinal Health 121 LLC, Cardinal Health 122 LLC, Cardinal Health 123 LLC, Cardinal Health 124 LLC, Cardinal Health 126 LLC, Cardinal Health 127 Inc., Cardinal Health 2 LLC, Cardinal Health 200 LLC, Cardinal Health 201 Inc., Cardinal Health 222 (Thailand) Ltd., Cardinal Health 247 Inc., Cardinal Health 249 LLC, Cardinal Health 3 LLC, Cardinal Health 414 LLC, Cardinal Health 5 LLC, Cardinal Health 6 Inc., Cardinal Health 7 LLC, Cardinal Health Australia 503 Pty. Ltd., Cardinal Health Austria 504 GmbH, Cardinal Health Belgium 505 BVBA, Cardinal Health Canada Holdings Cooperative U.A., Cardinal Health Canada Inc., Cardinal Health Chile Limitada, Cardinal Health Colombia S.A.S., Cardinal Health D.R. 203 II Ltd., Cardinal Health Denmark ApS, Cardinal Health Finland Oy, Cardinal Health Foundation, Cardinal Health France 506 SAS, Cardinal Health Funding LLC, Cardinal Health Germany 507 GmbH, Cardinal Health Germany Manufacturing GmbH, Cardinal Health IPS LLC, Cardinal Health International Philippines Inc., Cardinal Health Ireland 419 Designated Activity Company, Cardinal Health Ireland 508 Limited, Cardinal Health Ireland Unlimited Company, Cardinal Health Italy 509 Srl, Cardinal Health Japan G.K., Cardinal Health Korea Limited, Cardinal Health Malaysia 211 Sdn. Bhd., Cardinal Health Malta 212 Limited, Cardinal Health Managed Care Services LLC, Cardinal Health Medical Equipment Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cardinal Health Medical Products India Private Limited, Cardinal Health Mexico 244 S. de R.L. de C.V., Cardinal Health Mexico 514 S. de R.L. de C.V., Cardinal Health Middle East FZ-LLC, Cardinal Health Netherlands 502 B.V., Cardinal Health Norway AS, Cardinal Health P.R. 120 Inc., Cardinal Health P.R. 218 Inc., Cardinal Health P.R. 220 LLC, Cardinal Health Pharmaceutical Contracting LLC, Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services LLC, Cardinal Health Poland Spolka z ograniczonaa odpowiedzialnossciaa, Cardinal Health Portugal 513 Unipessoal Lda., Cardinal Health Singapore 225 Pte. Ltd., Cardinal Health Spain 511 S.L., Cardinal Health Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Cardinal Health Sweden 512 A.B., Cardinal Health Switzerland 515 GmbH, Cardinal Health Systems Inc., Cardinal Health Technologies LLC, Cardinal Health Technologies Switzerland GmbH, Cardinal Health U.K. 432 Limited, Cardinal Health do Brasil Ltd., CareFusion, Cirpro de Delicias S.A. de C.V., Convertors de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Cordis, Cordis (Shanghai) Medical Devices Co. Ltd., Cordis Cashel Company Unlimited, Cordis Corporation, Cornerstone Partners G.P.O. L.P., Covidien Manufacturing Solutions S.A., Curaspan Health Group Inc., Denver Biomedical, Dik Drug, EPIC Insurance Company, Emerge Medical, Enturia, Especialidades Medicas Kenmex S.A. de C.V., Futuremed Health Care Products, Gala Biotech, Geodax Technology, Griffin Capital LLC, HLS Freight Services, Healthcare Solutions Holding, Innovative Therapies Inc., Instant Diagnostic Systems Inc., KPR Australia Pty. Ltd., KPR Italia S.r.l., KPR Switzerland Sales Gmbh, KPR U.S. LLC, Kendall Patient Recovery BVBA, Kendall-Gammatron Limited, Kinray, Leader Drugstores Inc., Limited Liability Company "Cardinal Health Russia", Ludlow Technical Products Canada Ltd., MCD, Magellan Laboratories, Marin Apothecaries, MedMined, Medicine Shoppe International Inc., Mediquip Sdn. Bhd., Medtronic - Patient Monitoring & Recovery, Mirixa Corporation, NaviHealth, Nippon Covidien Ltd., One Cloverleaf LLC, Outcomes Incorporated, Owen Healthcare, PCI Pharma Services, ParMed Pharmaceuticals, Pinnacle Intellectual Property Services Inc., Pinnacle Intellectual Property Services-International Inc., Post-Acute Care Center for Research LLC, Pyxis Corporation, Quiroproductos de Cuauhtemoc S. de R.L. de C.V., R Cubed Inc., R.P. Scherer Corporation, RGH Enterprises Inc., RainTree GPO LLC, RainTree Oncology Services, Renal Purchasing Group LLC, Rxealtime Inc., Sonexus Health LLC, Syncor International, TelePharm, TelePharm LLC, The Harvard Drug Group, The Harvard Drug Group L.L.C., Tradex International Inc., Viasys Healthcare, WaveMark Inc., Zuellig Pharma China, mscripts, mscripts LLC, and mscripts Systems India Private Limited. Wall Street analysts have given PSA Group 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 PSA Group wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. The following companies are subsidiares of 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.. 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. Read More 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. Brookfield Asset Management, Inc. engages in the management of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It operates through the following segments: Asset Management, Real Estate, Renewable Power, Infrastructure, Private Equity, Residential Development, and Corporate Activities. The Asset Management segment includes the management of its listed partnerships, private funds and public securities. The Real Estate segment is comprised of the ownership, operation and development of core office, core retail, LP investments and other properties. The Renewable Power segment encompasses the ownership, operation and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, storage and other power generating facilities. The Infrastructure segment consists of the ownership, operation and development of utilities, transport, energy, data infrastructure and sustainable resource assets. The Private Equity segment refers to the broad range of industries, and is mostly focused on business services, infrastructure services and industrials. The Residential Development segment represents homebuilding, condominium development and land development. The Corporate Activiti Read More The following companies are subsidiares of HCA Healthcare: 2490 Church LLC, 360 Community Alliance LLC, 4600 Waters Avenue Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., 52 Alderley Road LLP, AC Med LLC, ACH Inc., ADC Surgicenter LLC, AOGN LLC, AOSC Sports Medicine Inc., AR Holding 1 LLC, AR Holding 10 LLC, AR Holding 11 LLC, AR Holding 12 LLC, AR Holding 13 LLC, AR Holding 14 LLC, AR Holding 15 LLC, AR Holding 16 LLC, AR Holding 17 LLC, AR Holding 18 LLC, AR Holding 19 LLC, AR Holding 2 LLC, AR Holding 20 LLC, AR Holding 21 LLC, AR Holding 22 LLC, AR Holding 23 LLC, AR Holding 24 LLC, AR Holding 25 LLC, AR Holding 26 LLC, AR Holding 27 LLC, AR Holding 28 LLC, AR Holding 29 LLC, AR Holding 30 LLC, AR Holding 31 LLC, AR Holding 4 LLC, AR Holding 5 LLC, AR Holding 6 LLC, AR Holding 7 LLC, AR Holding 8 LLC, AR Holding 9 LLC, ASD Shared Services LLC, Acadiana Care Center Inc., Acadiana Practice Management Inc., Acadiana Regional Pharmacy Inc., Access 2 Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Management Co. LLC, Ace Leasing II LLC, Acute Kids Urgent Care of Medical City Childrens Hospital PLLC, Acworth Immediate Care LLC, Administrative Physicians of North Texas PLLC, Advanced Bundle Convener LLC, Advanced Plastic Surgery Center of Terre Haute LLC, Advanced Practice Providers of Gulf Coast PLLC, Alaska Regional Medical Group LLC, Albany Family Practice LLC, Aligned Business Consortium Group L.P., All About Staffing (India) Ltd., All About Staffing Inc., All About Staffing Philippines Inc., Alleghany General and Bariatric Services LLC, Alleghany Hospitalists LLC, Alleghany Primary Care Inc., Alleghany Specialists LLC, Alliance Surgicare LLC, Alpine Surgicenter LLC, Alta Internal Medicine LLC, Alternaco LLC, Altitude Mid Level Providers LLC, Ambulatory Endoscopy Clinic of Dallas Ltd., Ambulatory Endoscopy Holdco LLC, Ambulatory Laser Associates GP, Ambulatory Services Management Corporation of Chesterfield County Inc., Ambulatory Surgery Center Group Ltd., American Medicorp Development Co., Anchorage Surgicenter LLC, AppleCare/Memorial Immediate Care Joint Venture LLC, Appledore Medical Group II Inc., Appledore Medical Group Inc., Appomattox Imaging LLC, Arapahoe Surgicenter LLC, Arlington Diagnostic South Inc., Arlington Neurosurgeons PLLC, Arlington Primary Care PLLC, Arlington Primary Medicine PLLC, Arlington Surgery Center L.P., Arlington Surgicare LLC, Arthritis Specialists of Nashville Inc., Ashburn ASC LLC, Ashburn Imaging LLC, Athens Community Hospital Inc., Atlanta Healthcare Management L.P., Atlanta Home Care L.P., Atlanta Market GP Inc., Atlanta Outpatient Surgery Center Inc., Atlanta Surgery Center Ltd., Atlantis Surgicare LLC, Atrium Surgery Center L.P., Atrium Surgicare LLC, Augusta CyberKnife LLC, Augusta Inpatient Services LLC, Augusta Management Services LLC, Augusta Multispecialty Services LLC, Augusta Primary Care Services LLC, Augusta Specialty Hospitalists LLC, Augusta Urgent Care Services LLC, Aurora Endoscopy Surgicenter LLC, Austin GI Surgicenter LLC, Austin Heart Cardiology MSO LLC, Austin Medical Center Inc., Austin Physicians Management LLC, Austin Urogynecology PLLC, Aventura Cancer Center Manager LLC, Aventura Comprehensive Cancer Research Group of Florida Inc., Aventura Healthcare Specialists LLC, Aventura Neurosurgery LLC, BAMI Property LLC, Backlogs Limited, Bailey Square Ambulatory Surgical Center Ltd., Bailey Square Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Bannerman Family Care LLC, Barrow Medical Center CT Services Ltd., Basic American Medical Inc., Basil Street Practice Limited, Bay Area Healthcare Group Ltd., Bay Area Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Bay Area Surgicare Center Inc., Bay Area Surgicenter LLC, Bay Hospital Inc., Bayonet Point Surgery Center Ltd., Bayshore Family Practitioners PLLC, Bayshore Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Bayshore Occupational and Family Medicine PLLC, Bayshore Partner LLC, Bayshore Radiation Oncology Services PLLC, Bayshore Surgery Center Ltd., Bayside Ambulatory Center LLC, Bedford-Northeast Community Hospital Inc., Behavioral Health Sciences of West Florida LLC, Behavioral Health Wellness Center LLC, Bellaire Imaging Inc., Belleair Surgery Center Ltd., Belton Family Practice Clinic LLC, Big Cypress Medical Center Inc., Blacksburg Family Care LLC, Blossoms Healthcare LLP, Blue Ridge-TKC LLC, Bone & Joint Specialists Physician Group LLC, Bonita Bay Surgery Center Inc., Bonita Bay Surgery Center Ltd., Bountiful Surgery Center LLC, Boynton Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Bradenton Cardiology Physician Network LLC, Bradenton Outpatient Services LLC, Brandon Imaging Manager LLC, Brandon Regional Cancer Center LLC, Brentwood ASC LLC, Brigham City Community Hospital Inc., Brigham City Community Hospital Physician Services LLC, Brigham City Health Plan Inc., Brighton Surgicenter LLC, Brookwood Medical Center of Gulfport Inc., Broward Cardiovascular Surgeons LLC, Broward Healthcare System Inc., Broward Neurosurgeons LLC, Brownsville Specialists of Texas PLLC, Brownsville Surgery PLLC, Brownsville Surgical Specialists PLLC, Brownsville Surgicenter LLC, Brownsville-Valley Regional Medical Center Inc., Buford Road Imaging L.L.C., Byron Family Practice LLC, C. Medrano M.D. PLLC, C/HCA Capital Inc., C/HCA Development Inc., C/HCA Inc., CAREOS Surgicenter LLC, CC Clinic PLLC, CCBH Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, CCH-GP Inc., CFC Investments Inc., CH Systems, CHC Finance Co., CHC Holdings Inc., CHC Management Ltd., CHC Payroll Agent Inc., CHC Payroll Company, CHC Realty Company, CHC Venture Co., CHC-El Paso Corp., CHC-Miami Corp., CHCA Bayshore L.P., CHCA Clear Lake L.P., CHCA Conroe L.P., CHCA Mainland L.P., CHCA Pearland L.P., CHCA West Houston L.P., CHCA Womans Hospital L.P., CHCK Inc., CJW Infectious Disease LLC, CJW Wound Healing Center LLC, CLASC Manager LLC, COL-NAMC Holdings Inc., COSCORP LLC, CP Surgery Center LLC, CPS TN Processor 1 Inc., CRMC-M LLC, CUC PLLC, CVMC Property LLC, Calder Immediate Care PLLC, California Imaging Center Manager LLC, California Urgent Care LLC, Calloway Creek Surgery Center L.P., Calloway Creek Surgicare LLC, Cancer Centers of North Florida LLC, Cancer Services of Aventura LLC, Capital Anesthesia Services LLC, Capital Area Cardiology, Capital Area CareNow Physician Associates, Capital Area Multispecialty Providers, Capital Area Neurosurgeons, Capital Area Occupational Medicine PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care Providers, Capital Area Providers, Capital Area Specialists PLLC, Capital Area Specialty Providers, Capital Area Surgeons PLLC, Capital Division - CCA Inc., Capital Division Inc., Capital Network Services Inc., Capital Professional Billing LLC, Capital Regional Healthcare LLC, Capital Regional Heart Associates LLC, Capital Regional Psychiatry Associates LLC, Cardiac Surgical Associates LLC, Cardio Vascular Surgeons of North Texas PLLC, Cardiology Associates Medical Group LLC, Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio PLLC, Cardiology Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Texas PLLC, Care for Women LLC, CareNow, CareOne Home Health Services Inc., CarePartners HHA Holdings LLLP, CarePartners HHA LLLP, CarePartners Rehabilitation Hospital LLLP, CareSpot Professional Services of Middle Tennessee LLC, CareSpot of Brentwood (210 Franklin Road) LLC, CareSpot of Cool Springs (100 International Drive) LLC, CareSpot of Donelson (2372 Lebanon Road) LLC, CareSpot of Hendersonville (280 Indian Lake Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Hermitage (5225 Old Hickory Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Lebanon (1705 West Main Street) LLC, CareSpot of Mt. Juliet (S. Mt. Juliet Road) LLC, CareSpot of Murfreesboro (1340 Broad Street) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (2001 Glen Echo Road) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (West End Avenue) LLC, Career Staffing USA Inc., Carlin Springs Urgent Care LLC, Carolina Forest Imaging Manager LLC, Carolina Regional Surgery Center Inc., Carolina Regional Surgery Center Ltd., Cartersville Medical Center LLC, Cartersville Occupational Medicine Center LLC, Cartersville Physician Practice I LLC, Catalog360 Limited, Cedar Creek Medical Group LLC, Cedars International Cardiology Consultants LLC, Cedars Medical Center Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Cardiovascular Consultants LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Center LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Manager LLC, Centennial Heart LLC, Centennial Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Neuroscience LLC, Centennial Psychiatric Associates LLC, Centennial Surgery Center L.P., Centennial Surgical Associates LLC, Centennial Surgical Clinic LLC, Centennial Womens Group LLC, Center for Advanced Diagnostics LLC, Center for Advanced Imaging LLC, Center for Digestive Diseases LLC, Center for Occupational Medicine LLC, Centerpoint Cardiology Services LLC, Centerpoint Clinic of Blue Springs LLC, Centerpoint Hospital Based Physicians LLC, Centerpoint Medical Center of Independence LLC, Centerpoint Medical Specialists LLC, Centerpoint Orthopedics LLC, Centerpoint Physicians Group LLC, Centerpoint Womens Services LLC, Central Florida Cardiology Interpretations LLC, Central Florida Division Practice Inc., Central Florida Health Services LLC, Central Florida Imaging Services LLC, Central Florida Management Services LLC, Central Florida Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates LLC, Central Florida Physician Network LLC, Central Florida Regional Hospital Inc., Central Health Holding Company Inc., Central Pasco LLC, Central San Antonio Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Central Shared Services LLC, Central Tennessee Hospital Corporation, Central Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Physicians PLLC, Centrum Surgery Center Ltd., Charleston CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Chatsworth Hospital Corp., Chattanooga ASC Acquisition Inc., Chattanooga Diagnostic Associates LLC, Chattanooga Healthcare Network L.P., Chattanooga Healthcare Network Partner Inc., Chelsea Outpatient Centre LLP, Chesterfield Imaging LLC, Chicago Grant Hospital Inc., Childrens Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Chino Community Hospital Corporation Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Hospitals Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Sports Medicine LLC, Chippenham Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Chippenham Pediatric Specialists LLC, Chiswick Outpatient Centre LLP, Christiansburg Family Medicine LLC, Christiansburg Internal Medicine LLC, Christina Cano-Gonzalez M.D. PLLC, Chugach PT Inc., Church Street Partners, Citrus Memorial Hospital Inc., Citrus Memorial Property Management Inc., Citrus Primary Care Inc., Citrus Specialty Group Inc., Citrus Surgicenter LLC, City of San Antonio H2U Employee Health and Wellness Center PLLC, Clarksville Surgicenter LLC, Clear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Clear Lake Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., Clear Lake Cardiac GP LLC, Clear Lake Family Physicians PLLC, Clear Lake Medical Tower Owners Association Inc., Clear Lake Merger LLC, Clear Lake Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center Inc., Clear Lake Regional Partner LLC, Clear Lake Surgicare Ltd., ClinicServ LLC, Clinical Education Shared Services LLC, Clinishare Inc., Coastal Bend Hospital CT Services Ltd., Coastal Bend Hospital Inc., Coastal Carolina Home Care Inc., Coastal Carolina Multispecialty Associates LLC, Coastal Carolina Primary Care LLC, Coastal Healthcare Services Inc., Coastal Imaging Center L.P., Coastal Imaging Center of Gulfport Inc., Coastal Inpatient Physicians LLC, Coliseum Health Group Inc., Coliseum Health Group LLC, Coliseum Medical Center LLC, Coliseum Park Hospital Inc., Coliseum Primary Care Services LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Macon LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Riverside LLC, Coliseum Professional Associates LLC, Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center L.P., Coliseum Surgery Center L.L.C., College Park Ancillary LLC, College Park Endoscopy Center LLC, College Park Radiology LLC, Colleton Ambulatory Care LLC, Colleton Diagnostic Center LLC, Colleton Medical Anesthesia LLC, Colleton Medical Hospitalists LLC, Colleton Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery LLC, Collier County Home Health Agency Inc., Collin County Diagnostic Associates PLLC, Colorado Health Systems Inc., Columbia ASC Management L.P., Columbia Ambulatory Surgery Division Inc., Columbia Arlington Healthcare System L.L.C., Columbia Bay Area Realty Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Health Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare Inc., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare of South Florida Inc., Columbia Call Center Inc., Columbia Central Florida Division Inc., Columbia Central Group Inc., Columbia Champions Treatment Center Inc., Columbia Chicago Division Inc., Columbia Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Columbia Development of Florida Inc., Columbia Doctors Hospital of Tulsa Inc., Columbia Eye and Specialty Surgery Center Ltd., Columbia Florida Group Inc., Columbia GP of Mesquite Inc., Columbia Good Samaritan Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia Greater Houston Division Healthcare Network Inc., Columbia Health System of Arkansas Inc., Columbia Healthcare System of Louisiana Inc., Columbia Healthcare of Central Virginia Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation at the Medical Center, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Arlington, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Bay Area, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Central Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Corpus Christi, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Fort Worth, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Kendall, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Massachusetts Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of North Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Broward, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Dade, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Florida, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Tamarac, Columbia Hospital Corporation of West Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation-Delaware, Columbia Hospital Corporation-SMM, Columbia Hospital at Medical City Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Hospital-El Paso Ltd., Columbia Integrated Health Systems Inc., Columbia Jacksonville Healthcare System Inc., Columbia LaGrange Hospital LLC, Columbia Lake Worth Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia Medical Arts Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center Dallas Southwest Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center at Lancaster Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Arlington Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Denton Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Las Colinas Inc., Columbia Medical Center of Lewisville Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of McKinney Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Plano Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Group - Centennial Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Daystar Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Parkridge Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southern Hills Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southwest Virginia Inc., Columbia Medical Group - The Frist Clinic Inc., Columbia Midtown Joint Venture, Columbia North Alaska Healthcare Inc., Columbia North Central Florida Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia North Florida Regional Medical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia North Hills Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia North Texas Healthcare System L.P., Columbia North Texas Subsidiary GP LLC, Columbia North Texas Surgery Center Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Inc., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Partners Ltd., Columbia Ocala Regional Medical Center Physician Group Inc., Columbia Ogden Medical Center Inc., Columbia Oklahoma Division Inc., Columbia Palm Beach GP LLC, Columbia Palm Beach Healthcare System Limited Partnership, Columbia Park Healthcare System Inc., Columbia Park Medical Center Inc., Columbia Parkersburg Healthcare System LLC, Columbia Pentagon City Hospital L.L.C., Columbia Physician Services - Florida Group Inc., Columbia Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Primary Care LLC, Columbia Psychiatric Management Co., Columbia Resource Network Inc., Columbia Rio Grande Healthcare L.P., Columbia Riverside Inc., Columbia South Texas Division Inc., Columbia Specialty Hospital of Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Specialty Hospitals Inc., Columbia Surgery Group Inc., Columbia Surgicare of Augusta Ltd., Columbia Tampa Bay Division Inc., Columbia Valley Healthcare System L.P., Columbia West Bank Hospital Inc., Columbia Westbank Healthcare L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Canton Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Cleveland Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-Georgia PT Inc., Columbia-Osceola Imaging Center Inc., Columbia-Quantum Inc., Columbia-SDH Holdings Inc., Columbia/Alleghany Regional Hospital Incorporated, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Central Texas, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Northern Ohio, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of South Carolina, Columbia/HCA Heartcare of Corpus Christi Inc., Columbia/HCA International Group Inc., Columbia/HCA John Randolph Inc., Columbia/HCA Middle East Management Company, Columbia/HCA Physician Hospital Organization Medical Center Hospital, Columbia/HCA San Clemente Inc., Columbia/HCA of Baton Rouge Inc., Columbia/HCA of Houston Inc., Columbia/HCA of New Orleans Inc., Columbia/HCA of North Texas Inc., Columbine Psychiatric Center Inc., Columbus Cardiology Inc., Columbus Cath Lab Inc., Columbus Cath Lab LLC, Columbus Doctors Hospital Inc., Commonwealth Perinatal Services LLC, Commonwealth Specialists of Kentucky LLC, Community Hospital Family Practice LLC, Comprehensive Radiation Oncology LLC, Comprehensive Radiology Management Services Ltd., Concept EFL Imaging Center LLC, Concept West EFL Imaging Center LLC, Congenital Heart Surgery Center PLLC, Conroe Hospital Corporation, Conroe Montgomery Physicians Group PLLC, Conroe Orthopedic Specialists PLLC, Conroe Partner LLC, Conroe Specialists of Texas PLLC, Continental Division I Inc., Coral Springs Surgi-Center Ltd., CoralStone Management Inc., Corpus Christi Healthcare Group Ltd., Corpus Christi Heart Clinic PLLC, Corpus Christi Primary Care Associates PLLC, Corpus Christi Psychiatric Specialists PLLC, Corpus Christi Radiation Oncology PLLC, Corpus Christi Surgery Center L.P., Corpus Christi Surgery Ltd., Corpus Christi Surgicenter LLC, Corpus Surgicare Inc., Countryside Surgery Center Ltd., Crewe Outpatient Imaging LLC, Cumberland Medical Center Inc., Cy-Fair Medical Center Hospital LLC, DFW Physicians Group PLLC, DOMC Property LLC, DS Real Estate Holdings LLC, Daleville Imaging L.P., Daleville Imaging Manager LLC, Dallas CardioThoracic Surgery Consultants PLLC, Dallas Cardiology Specialists PLLC, Dallas Hand Surgery Center PLLC, Dallas Medical Specialists PLLC, Dallas Neuro-Stroke Affiliates PLLC, Dallas Pediatric Neurosurgery Specialists PLLC, Dallas/Ft. Worth Physician LLC, Davie Medical Center LLC, Daytona Medical Center Inc., Dean 4641 LLC, Deep Purple Investments LLC, Del Sol Bariatric Clinic PLLC, Delray EFL Imaging Center LLC, Denton Cancer Center PLLC, Denton County Hospitalist Program PLLC, Denton Pediatric Physicians PLLC, Denton Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Denver Clinic Surgicenter LLC, Denver Mid-Town Surgery Center Ltd., Denver Surgicenter LLC, Derry ASC Inc., Diagnostic Breast Center Inc., Diagnostic Mammography Services G.P., Diagnostic Services G.P., Dickson Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Bay Area Physician Hospital Organization, Doctors Hospital (Conroe) Inc., Doctors Hospital Columbus GA-Joint Venture, Doctors Hospital Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Hospital of Augusta LLC, Doctors Hospital of Augusta Neurology LLC, Doctors Osteopathic Medical Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Ltd., Doctors-I Inc., Doctors-II Inc., Doctors-III Inc., Doctors-IV Inc., Doctors-IX Inc., Doctors-V Inc., Doctors-VI Inc., Doctors-VII Inc., Doctors-VIII Inc., Doctors-X Inc., Doctors Memorial Hospital of Spartanburg Limited Partnership, Dominion Hospital Physicians Group LLC, Dublin Community Hospital LLC, Dublin Heart Specialists LLC, Dublin Multispecialty LLC, Dura Medical Inc., E.P. Physical Therapy Centers Inc., EASTSIDE URGENT CARE LLC, EHCA Diagnostics LLC, EHCA Eastside Occupational Medicine Center LLC, EHCA LLC, EHCA Metropolitan LLC, EHCA Parkway LLC, EHCA Peachtree LLC, EHCA West Paces LLC, EIRMC Hospitalist Services LLC, EMMC LLC, EP Health LLC, EP Holdco LLC, EPIC Development Inc., EPIC Diagnostic Centers Inc., EPIC Healthcare Management Company, EPIC Properties Inc., EPIC Surgery Centers Inc., EPSC L.P., East Falls Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery LLC, East Falls Family Medicine LLC, East Falls Plastic Surgery LLC, East Florida - DMC Inc., East Florida Behavioral Health Network LLC, East Florida Cardiology Network LLC, East Florida CareNow Urgent Care LLC, East Florida Division Inc., East Florida Emergency Physician Group LLC, East Florida Healthcare LLC, East Florida Hospitalists LLC, East Florida Imaging Holdings LLC, East Florida Primary Care LLC, East Houston Primary Care PLLC, East Houston Specialists PLLC, East Layton Internal Medicine LLC, East Orthopedics PLLC, East Pointe Hospital Inc., Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment LLC, Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment Manager LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners ACO LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners Holdings LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners LLC, Eastern Idaho Health Services Inc., Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Eastside Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Eastside General Surgery LLC, Eastside Heart and Vascular LLC, Eastside Medical Center LLC, Eastside Surgery Center LLC, Edmond General Surgery LLC, Edmond Hospitalists LLC, Edmond Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Edward White Hospital Inc., El Paso CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, El Paso Healthcare Provider Network, El Paso Healthcare System Ltd., El Paso Healthcare System Physician Services LLC, El Paso Nurses Unlimited Inc., El Paso Primary Care PLLC, El Paso Surgery Centers L.P., El Paso Surgicenter Inc., Eldridge Family Practitioners PLLC, Elite Family Health of Plano PLLC, Elite OB-GYN Services of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Irving PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Plano PLLC, Elstree Outpatient Centre LLP, Emergency Physicians at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Emergency Providers Group LLC, Emergency Psychiatric Medicine PLLC, Encino Hospital Corporation Inc., Endocrinology Associates of Lees Summit LLC, Endoscopy Surgicare of Plano LLC, Endoscopy of Plano L.P., Englewood Community Hospital Auxiliary Inc., Englewood Community Hospital Inc., Envision Stakes LLC, Eye Care Surgicare Ltd. a Missouri limited partnership, FHAL LLC, FMH Health Services LLC, Fairfax Surgical Center L.P., Fairview Medical Services LLC, Fairview Park GP LLC, Fairview Park Limited Partnership, Fairview Partner LLC, Family Care Partners LLC, Family Care of E. Jackson County LLC, Family First Medicine in Brownsville PLLC, Family Health Medical Group of Overland Park LLC, Family Health Specialists of Lees Summit LLC, Family Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Family Practice at Forest Hill LLC, Family Practice at Retreat LLC, Family Practitioners of Montgomery PLLC, Family Practitioners of Pearland PLLC, Fannin MOB LLC, Fannin MOB Property Management LLC, Far West Division Inc., Fawcett Memorial Hospital Inc., Florida Care Partners LLC, Florida Care Partners Orlando LLC, Florida Home Health Services-Private Care Inc., Florida Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Flower Mound Surgery Center Ltd., Focus Hand Surgicenter LLC, Foot & Ankle Specialty Services LLC, Forest Park Surgery Pavilion Inc., Forest Park Surgery Pavilion L.P., Fort Bend Hospital Inc., Fort Chiswell Family Practice LLC, Fort Myers Market Inc., Fort Pierce Immediate Care Center Inc., Fort Pierce Orthopaedics LLC, Fort Pierce Surgery Center Ltd., Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Inc., Fort Worth Investments Inc., Forward Pathology Solutions LLC, Four Rivers Medical Center PHO Inc., Frankfort Hospital Inc., Frankfort Wound Care LLC, Freeport Family Medicine LLC, Fremont Womens Health LLC, Frisco Surgicare LLC, Frisco Warren Parkway 91 Inc., Frist Clinic Express LLC, Ft. Pierce Surgicare LLC, Ft. Walton Beach Anesthesia Services LLC, G. Rowe M.D. PLLC, G. Schnider M.D. PLLC, G. Voorhees M.D. PLLC, G.P. Martin Fletcher & Associates LLC, GA PHYSICIAN SERVICES LLC, GA Urgentcare Holding LLC, GHC-Galen Health Care LLC, GI Associates of Denton PLLC, GI Associates of Lewisville PLLC, GME Services of Osceola LLC, GPCH-GP Inc., GYN-Oncology of Southwest Virginia LLC, Gainesville GYN Oncology of North Florida Regional Medical Center LLC, Gainesville Physicians LLC, GalTex LLC, Galen (Kansas) Merger LLC, Galen BH Inc., Galen Center for Professional Development Inc., Galen College of Nursing, Galen Diagnostic Multicenter Ltd., Galen GOK LLC, Galen Global Finance Inc., Galen Health Institutes Inc., Galen Health Partners Limited, Galen Holdco LLC, Galen Hospital Alaska Inc., Galen Hospital of Baytown Inc., Galen Hospital-Pembroke Pines Inc., Galen International Holdings Inc., Galen KY LLC, Galen MCS LLC, Galen MRMC LLC, Galen Medical Corporation, Galen NMC LLC, Galen NSH LLC, Galen Property LLC, Galen SOM LLC, Galen SSH LLC, Galen Virginia Hospital Corporation, Galen of Aurora Inc., Galen of Florida Inc., Galen of Illinois Inc., Galen of Kentucky Inc., Galen of Mississippi Inc., Galen of Virginia Inc., Galen of West Virginia Inc., Galen-Soch Inc., Galencare Inc., Galendeco Inc., Galichia Anesthesia Services LLC, Galichia Emergency Physicians LLC, Garden Park Community Hospital Limited Partnership, Garden Park Hospitalist Program LLC, Garden Park Investments L.P., Garden Park Physician Group - Specialty Care LLC, Garden Park Physician Group Inc., Gardens EFL Imaging Center LLC, Gastroenterology Specialists of Middle Tennessee LLC, General Hospitals of Galen Inc., General Medical Clinics Limited, General Surgeons of Houston PLLC, General Surgeons of North Richland Hills PLLC, General Surgeons of Pasadena PLLC, General and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Conroe PLLC, Generations Family Practice Inc., GenoSpace LLC, Georgia Health Holdings Inc., Georgia L.P., Georgia Psychiatric Company Inc., Glemm SA, Good Samaritan Hospital L.P., Good Samaritan Hospital LLC, Good Samaritan Surgery Center L.P., Goppert-Trinity Family Care LLC, Grace Family Practice LLC, Gramercy Eye Surgicenter LLC, Gramercy Surgery Center Ltd., Grand Strand Regional Medical Center LLC, Grand Strand Senior Health Center LLC, Grand Strand Specialty Associates LLC, Grand Strand Surgical Specialists LLC, Grandview Health Care Clinic LLC, Grant Center Hospital of Ocala Inc., Grayson Primary Care LLC, Greater Gwinnett Internal Medicine Associates LLC, Greater Gwinnett Physician Corporation, Greater Houston Preferred Provider Option Inc., Greater Tampa Bay Physician Network LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physician Specialists LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physicians - Pinellas LLC, Green Oaks Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Greenview Hospital Inc., Greenview PrimeCare LLC, Greenview Specialty Associates LLC, Gulf Coast Division Inc., Gulf Coast Electrophysiology Associates PLLC, Gulf Coast Inpatient Specialists LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Center Primary Care LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Ventures Inc., Gulf Coast Multispecialty Services LLC, Gulf Coast Physician Administrators Inc., Gulf Coast Provider Network Inc., Gwinnett Community Hospital Inc., Gynecology Specialists of Utah LLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Del Sol Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Las Palmas Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Medical City Dallas PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - St. Davids Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers LLC, H2U Wellness Centers Clear Lake Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Conroe ISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Conroe Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Corpus Christi PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers El Paso PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers PISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers San Benito CISD PLLC, HBP Lone Star Inc., HCA - IT&S Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S Inventory Management Inc., HCA - IT&S PBS Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S TN Field Operations Inc., HCA - Information Technology & Services Inc., HCA - Raleigh Community Hospital Inc., HCA - Viera ALF LLC, HCA - WHS Progressive LLC, HCA - WHS Services LLC, HCA ASD Financial Operations LLC, HCA ASD Sales Services LLC, HCA American Finance LLC, HCA Carenow Limited, HCA Central Group Inc., HCA Central/West Texas Physicians Management LLC, HCA Chattanooga Market Inc., HCA Development Company Inc., HCA Eastern Group Inc., HCA Global Capital LLP, HCA Gulf Coast GME PLLC, HCA Health Services of California Inc., HCA Health Services of Florida Inc., HCA Health Services of Georgia Inc., HCA Health Services of Louisiana Inc., HCA Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Health Services of Midwest Inc., HCA Health Services of New Hampshire Inc., HCA Health Services of Tennessee Inc., HCA Health Services of Texas Inc., HCA Health Services of Virginia Inc., HCA Health Services of West Virginia Inc., HCA Healthcare Mission Fund LLC, HCA Healthcare UK Limited, HCA Holdco LLC, HCA Human Resources LLC, HCA Imaging Services of North Florida Inc., HCA Inc., HCA International Holdings Limited, HCA International Limited, HCA LewisGale Regional Cancer Centers Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Long Term Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Luxembourg 1 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg 2 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Equities Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Finance Limited, HCA Luxembourg Investments Sarl, HCA Management Services L.P., HCA Medical City Limited, HCA Medical Services Inc., HCA Midwest Comprehensive Care Inc., HCA Outpatient Clinic Services of Miami Inc., HCA Outpatient Imaging Services Group Inc., HCA Patient Safety Organization LLC, HCA Pearland GP Inc., HCA Physician Services Inc., HCA Plano Imaging Inc., HCA Property GP LLC, HCA Psychiatric Company, HCA Purchasing Limited, HCA Realty Inc., HCA Richmond Cardiac Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA SF LLC, HCA SFB 1 LLC, HCA Sarasota Orthopedic and Spine Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Squared LLC, HCA Staffing Limited, HCA Swiss Capital 1 LLP, HCA Swiss Capital 2 LLP, HCA Switzerland Finance GmbH, HCA Switzerland Holding GmbH, HCA Switzerland Limited, HCA UK Capital Limited, HCA UK Holdings Limited, HCA UK Investments Limited, HCA UK Limited, HCA UK Services Limited, HCA Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital Inc., HCA Western Group Inc., HCA-Access Healthcare Holdings LLC, HCA-Access Healthcare Partner Inc., HCA-California Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-EMS Holdings LLC, HCA-EmCare Holdings LLC, HCA-Georgia Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-HBPS Holdings LLC, HCA-HealthONE LLC, HCA-Solis Holdings Inc., HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Continental LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Gulf Coast LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of North Texas LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of TriStar LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Services LLC, HCA-Solis Master LLC, HCA-Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCAPS Anesthesia Manager LLC, HCAPS Conroe Affiliation Inc., HCOL Inc., HD&S Corp. Successor Inc., HDH Thoracic Surgeons LLC, HHBY Holdings LLC, HHNC LLC, HICCH-SCL LLC, HM Acquisition LLC, HM OMCOS LLC, HMMG 1226 LLC, HPG Energy L.P., HPG Enterprises LLC, HPG GP LLC, HPG Solutions LLC, HSS Holdco LLC, HSS Systems LLC, HSS Virginia L.P., HTI Gulf Coast Inc., HTI Health Services of North Carolina Inc., HTI Hospital Holdings Inc., HTI MOB LLC, HTI MSO LLC, HTI Memorial Hospital Corporation, HTI Physician Services of Utah Inc., HWCA PLLC, Hamilton Memorial Hospital Inc., Hamsard 3160 Limited, Harley Street Clinic @ The Groves LLP, Hathor Chelsea Ltd., Healdsburg General Hospital Inc., Health Care Indemnity Inc., Health Insight Capital LLC, Health International Billing Partners Limited, Health Midwest Medical Group Inc., Health Midwest Office Facilities Corporation, Health Midwest Ventures Group Inc., Health Partners of Kansas Inc., Health Service Partners Inc., Health Services (Delaware) Inc., Health Services Merger Inc., Health to You LLC, HealthCoast Physician Group LLC, HealthONE Aurora Investment LLC, HealthONE Care Partners LLC, HealthONE CareNow Urgent Care LLC, HealthONE Clear Creek LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Bariatric Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Behavioral Health LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cardiovascular LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Medical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Neurosciences LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Occupational Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Oncology Hematology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Orthopedic Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Otolaryngology Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Primary Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Surgeons LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgery Neurological LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Transplant Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Womens Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Youth Rehabilitation LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services LLC, HealthONE High Street Primary Care Center LLC, HealthONE IRL Pathology Services LLC, HealthONE Institutes for Clinical Research LLC, HealthONE Lowry LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Red Rocks LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Thornton LLC, HealthONE Ridge View Endoscopy Center LLC, HealthONE Surgicare of Ridge View LLC, HealthONE Urologic LLC, HealthONE at Breckenridge LLC, HealthONE of Denver Inc., HealthOne Heart Care LLC, HealthOne Lincoln Investment LLC, HealthOne Westside Investment LLC, HealthTrust Europe Company Limited, HealthTrust Europe LLP, HealthTrust Locums Inc., HealthTrust Workforce Solutions LLC, Healthcare Oklahoma Inc., Healthcare Purchasing Alliance LLC, Healthcare Sales National Management Services Group LLC, Healthcare Technology Assessment Corporation, Healthco LLC, Healthnet of Kentucky LLC, Healthserv Acquisition LLC, Healthtrust Inc. - The Hospital Company, Healthtrust MOB Tennessee LLC, Healthtrust Purchasing Group L.P., Healthtrust Utah Management Services Inc., Healthy State Inc., Heart Specialist of North Texas PLLC, Heart of America ASC LLC, Heart of America Surgicenter LLC, Heartcare of Texas Ltd., Hearthstone Home Health Inc., Heartland Womens Group at Wesley LLC, Heathrow Imaging LLC, Heathrow Internal Medicine LLC, Hendersonville Hospital Corporation, Hendersonville Hospitalist Services Inc., Hendersonville OB/GYN LLC, Hendersonville ODC LLC, Hendersonville Primary Care LLC, Henrico Doctors Hospital - Forest Campus Property LLC, Henrico Doctors Neurology Associates LLC, Henrico Doctors OB GYN Specialists LLC, Henrico Surgical Specialists LLC, Heritage Family Care LLC, Heritage Hospital Inc., Heritage Medical Care LLC, Hermitage Primary Care LLC, Hidalgo County Family Practitioners PLLC, Hidden Lakes Health Center PLLC, Highlands Regional Medical Center, Hip & Joint Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Homecare North Inc., Hometrust Management Services Inc., Horizon Orthopedics LLC, Horizon Surgical LLC, Hospital Corp. LLC, Hospital Corporation of America, Hospital Corporation of Lake Worth, Hospital Corporation of Tennessee, Hospital Corporation of Utah, Hospital Development Properties Inc., Hospital Partners Merger LLC, Hospital Realty Corporation, Hospital-Based CRNA Services Inc., Hospitalists at Centennial Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Fairview Park LLC, Hospitalists at Greenview Regional Hospital LLC, Hospitalists at Horizon Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Parkridge LLC, Hospitalists at StoneCrest LLC, Hospitalists at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists of the Wabash Valley LLC, Houston - PPH LLC, Houston CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Houston Healthcare Holdings Inc., Houston NW Manager LLC, Houston Northwest Concessions L.L.C., Houston Northwest Operating Company L.L.C., Houston Northwest Surgical Partners Inc., Houston Obstetrics and Gynecology for Women PLLC, Houston Pediatric Specialty Group PLLC, Houston Urologic Surgicenter LLC, Houston Womans Hospital Partner LLC, ICU Associates of West Houston PLLC, IMX Holdings LLC, IRL Pathology Services MidAmerica LLC, Idaho Behavioral Health Services LLC, Idaho Physician Services Inc., Illinois Psychiatric Hospital Company Inc., Imaging Realty LLC, Imaging Services of Appomattox LLC, Imaging Services of Jacksonville LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana Manager LLC, Imaging Services of Orlando LLC, Imaging Services of Richmond LLC, Imaging Services of Roanoke LLC, Imaging Services of West Boynton LLC, InVivoLink Inc., Independence Neurosurgery Services LLC, Independence Regional Medical Group LLC, Independence Surgicare Inc., Indian Path Hospital Inc., Indianapolis Hospital Partner LLC, Institute for Womens Health and Body LLC, Institute of Advanced ENT Surgery LLC, Integrated Regional Lab LLC, Integrated Regional Laboratories LLP, Integrated Regional Laboratories Pathology Services LLC, Intensive Care Consortium Inc., Internal Medicine Associates of Huntsville PLLC, Internal Medicine Associates of Southern Hills LLC, Internal Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Internal Medicine of Pasadena PLLC, Internist Associates of Houston PLLC, Isleworth Partners Inc., J. M. Garcia M.D. PLLC, JCSH LLC, JDGC Management LLC, JFK Internal Medicine Faculty Practice LLC, JFK Medical Center Limited Partnership, JPM AA Housing LLC, Jackson County Medical Group LLC, Jackson County Pulmonary Medical Group LLC, Jacksonville CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Jacksonville Multispecialty Services LLC, Jacksonville Surgery Center Ltd., James River Internists LLC, John Randolph Family Practice LLC, John Randolph OB/GYN LLC, John Randolph Surgeons LLC, Johnson County Neurology LLC, Johnson County Surgery Center L.P., Johnson County Surgicenter L.L.C., Jordan Family Health L.L.C., Jupiter EFL Imaging Center LLC, KC Pain ASC LLC, KC Surgicare LLC, KPH-Consolidation Inc., Kansas CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Kansas City Cardiac Arrhythmia Research LLC, Kansas City Gastroenterology & Hepatology Physicians Group LLC, Kansas City Neurology Associates LLC, Kansas City Pulmonology Practice LLC, Kansas City Surgery Center Properties LLC, Kansas City Vascular & General Surgery Group LLC, Kansas City Womens Clinic Group LLC, Kansas Healthserv LLC, Kansas Pulmonary and Sleep Specialists LLC, Kansas Trauma and Critical Care Specialists LLC, Kathy L. Summers M.D. PLLC, Kendall Healthcare Group Ltd., Kendall Regional Medical Center LLC, Kendall Regional Urgent Care LLC, Kennedale Primary Care PLLC, Kingwood Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Kingwood Surgery Center LLC, Kingwood Surgicenter LLC, Kissimmee Surgicare Ltd., Kyle Primary Care PLLC, L E Corporation, LAD Imaging LLC, LGMC Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, LOC @ The Christie LLP, LOC @ The London Bridge Hospital LLP, LOC Partnership LLP, LPN TeleBehavioral Health PLLC, Lafayette OB Hospitalists LLC, Lafayette Urogynecology & Urology Center LLC, Lake City Imaging LLC, Lake City Regional Medical Group LLC, Lake Forest Family Health PLLC, Lakeside Radiology LLC, Lakeside Womens Services LLC, Lakeview Cardiology Specialists LLC, Lakeview Hospital Physician Services LLC, Lakeview Internal Medicine LLC, Lakeview Medical Center LLC, Lakeview Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Lakeview Regional Physician Group LLC, Lakeview Urology & General Surgery LLC, Lakewood Surgicare Inc., Laredo Medco LLC, Largo Medical Center Inc., Largo Physician Group LLC, Las Colinas Primary Care PLLC, Las Colinas Surgery Center Ltd., Las Encinas Hospital, Las Palmas Del Sol Cardiology PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Internal Medicine PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Urgent Care PLLC, Las Vegas ASC LLC, Las Vegas Surgicare Inc., Las Vegas Surgicare Ltd. a Nevada Limited Partnership, Lawnwood Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, Lawnwood Healthcare Specialists LLC, Lawnwood Medical Center Inc., Layton Family Practice LLC, Leaders in Oncology Care Limited, Leadership Healthcare Holdings II L.P. L.L.P., Leadership Healthcare Holdings L.P. L.L.P., Lees Summit Family Care LLC, Leslie Cohan M.D. PLLC, Lewis-Gale Hospital Incorporated, Lewis-Gale Medical Center LLC, Lewis-Gale Physicians LLC, Lewisville Primary Care PLLC, Lewisville Surgicare LLC, Lincoln Surgery Center LLC, Live Oak Immediate Care Center LLC, London Oncology Clinic LLP, London Pathology Limited, London Radiography & Radiotherapy Services Limited, Lone Peak Hospital Inc., Lone Star Intensivists at Gulf Coast PLLC, Lonestar Provider Network, Longview Regional Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Lorain County Surgery Center Ltd., Los Gatos Surgical Center a California Limited Partnership, Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Los Robles Regional Medical Center MOB LLC, Los Robles SurgiCenter LLC, Loudoun Surgery Center LLC, Louisiana Psychiatric Company Inc., Loveland Surgicenter LLC, Low Country Health Services Inc. of the Southeast, Lowry Surgicenter LLC, M. Jamshidi D.O. PLLC, MCA Investment Company, MCA-CTMC Holdings LLC, MEC Endoscopy LLC, MFA G.P. LLC, MFM Fact PLLC, MGH Medical Inc., MH Anesthesiology Physicians LLC, MH Angel Medical Center LLLP, MH Asheville Specialty Hospital LLC, MH Blue Ridge Medical Center LLLP, MH Eckerd Living Center LLLP, MH Highlands-Cashiers Medical Center LLLP, MH Hospital Holdings Inc., MH Hospital Manager LLC, MH Master Holdings LLLP, MH Master LLC, MH McDowell Imaging LLLP, MH Mission Hospital LLLP, MH Mission Hospital McDowell LLLP, MH Mission Imaging LLLP, MH Physician Services LLC, MH Transylvania Imaging LLLP, MH Transylvania Regional Hospital LLLP, MHS Partnership Holdings JSC Inc., MHS Partnership Holdings SDS Inc., MHS SC Partner L.L.C., MHS Surgery Centers L.P., MMC Sleep Lab Management LLC, MOSC Sports Medicine Inc., MOVCO Inc., MP Management LLC, MRT&C Inc., MSL Acquisition LLC, MVH Professional Services LLC, Macon Healthcare LLC, Macon Northside Health Group LLC, Macon Northside Hospital LLC, Macon Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, Madison Behavioral Health LLC, Mainland Family Medicine PLLC, Mainland Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Mainland Primary Care Physicians PLLC, Management Services Holdings Inc., Manatee Surgicare Ltd., Marietta Outpatient Medical Building Inc., Marietta Outpatient Surgery Ltd., Marietta Surgical Center Inc., Marion Community Hospital Inc., Mark Gottesman M.D. PLLC, Martin Fletcher & Associates L.P., Martin Fletcher Associates Holdings Inc., Mary Alice Cowan M.D. PLLC, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Maternal Fetal Services of Utah LLC, Maury County Behavioral Health LLC, Mayhill Cancer Center LLC, McAllen Comprehensive Upper Extremity Center PLLC, McKinney Surgeons PLLC, Mechanicsville Imaging LLC, Mecklenburg Surgical Land Development Ltd., Med City Dallas Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Med Corp. Inc., Med Group - Southern Hills Hospitalists LLC, Med-Center Hosp./Houston Inc., Med-Point of New Hampshire Inc., Medi Flight of Oklahoma LLC, MediCredit Inc., MediPurchase Inc., MediStone Healthcare Ventures Inc., MediVision Inc., MediVision of Mecklenburg County Inc., MediVision of Tampa Inc., Medical Arts Hospital of Texarkana Inc., Medical Associates of Ocala LLC, Medical Care America Colorado LLC, Medical Care America LLC, Medical Care Financial Services Corp., Medical Care Real Estate Finance Inc., Medical Care Surgery Center Inc., Medical Center - West Inc., Medical Center Imaging Inc., Medical Center Surgery Associates L.P., Medical Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Medical Center of Plano Partner LLC, Medical Center of Port St. Lucie Inc., Medical Center of Santa Rosa Inc., Medical Center of Southwest Florida LLC, Medical Centers of Oklahoma LLC, Medical City Dallas Hospital Inc., Medical City Dallas Partner LLC, Medical City Dallas Primary Care PLLC, Medical City Frisco, Medical City OB-GYN PLLC, Medical City Pediatrics PLLC, Medical City Specialty Surgicenter of Dallas LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Alliance LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Frisco LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Lewisville LLC, Medical City Transplant PLLC, Medical Corporation of America, Medical Group - Dickson Inc., Medical Group - Southern Hills of Brentwood LLC, Medical Group - Southern Hills of Nolensville LLC, Medical Group - StoneCrest FP Inc., Medical Group - StoneCrest Inc., Medical Group - Stonecrest Pulmonology LLC, Medical Group - Summit Inc., Medical Imaging Inc., Medical Imaging of Colorado LLC, Medical Office Buildings of Kansas LLC, Medical Oncology Associates LLC, Medical Partners of North Florida LLC, Medical Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center Associates L.P., Medical Specialties Inc., Memorial Family Practice Associates LLC, Memorial Health Primary Care at St. Johns Bluff LLC, Memorial Healthcare Group Inc., Memorial Neurosurgery Group LLC, Memorial Satilla Specialists LLC, Memorial University Medical Center, Menorah Medical Group LLC, Menorah Urgent Care LLC, Mercy ASC LLC, Metairie Primary Care Associates LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Boerne LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Landmark LLC, Methodist Cardiology Physicians, Methodist CareNow Physician Associates, Methodist CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio Ltd. L.L.P., Methodist Inpatient Management Group, Methodist Medical Center ASC L.P., Methodist Physician Alliance, Methodist Physician Practice Services LLC, Methodist Physician Practices PLLC, Metroplex Surgicenters Inc., Metropolitan Multispecialty Physicians Group Inc., Miami Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Miami Beach Healthcare Group Ltd., Miami Dade Surgical Specialists LLC, Miami Lakes Surgery Center Ltd., Miami-Dade Cardiology Consultants LLC, Michael Mann M.D. PLLC, Mid-America Surgery Center LLC, Mid-America Surgery Institute LLC, Mid-Cities Surgi-Center Inc., Mid-Continent Health Services Inc., MidAmerica Division Inc., MidAmerica Oncology LLC, Middle Georgia Hospital LLC, Middle Georgia Urgent Care Services LLC, Middle Tennessee Neurology LLC, Midtown Diagnostics LLC, Midwest Cardiology Specialists LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Kansas LLC, Midwest Division - ACH LLC, Midwest Division - CMC LLC, Midwest Division - LRHC LLC, Midwest Division - LSH LLC, Midwest Division - MCI LLC, Midwest Division - MMC LLC, Midwest Division - OPRMC LLC, Midwest Division - RBH LLC, Midwest Division - RMC LLC, Midwest Division Spine Care LLC, Midwest Doctors Group LLC, Midwest Heart & Vascular Specialists LLC, Midwest Holdings Inc., Midwest Infectious Disease Specialists LLC, Midwest Medicine Associates LLC, Midwest Metropolitan Physicians Group LLC, Midwest Oncology Associates LLC, Midwest Trauma Services LLC, Midwest Womens Healthcare Specialists LLC, Mikrod Services Inc., Mill Creek Outpatient Services LLC, Millenium Health Care of Oklahoma Inc., Mission Bay Memorial Hospital Inc., Mission Community Anesthesiology Specialists LLC, Mission Employer Solutions LLC, Mission Health, Mission Health Partners Inc., Missouri Healthcare System L.P., Mobile Corps. Inc., Mobile Heartbeat, Mobile Heartbeat LLC, Montgomery Cancer Center LLC, Montgomery Hospitalists LLC, Montgomery Regional Hospital Inc., Montgomery Surgery Associates LLC, Mountain Division - CVH LLC, Mountain Division Inc., Mountain View Hospital Inc., Mountain View MRI Associates Ltd., Mountain West Surgery Center LLC, MountainStar Behavioral Health LLC, MountainStar Brigham General Surgery LLC, MountainStar Canyon Surgical Clinic LLC, MountainStar Cardiology Ogden Regional LLC, MountainStar Cardiology St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Intensivist Services LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Cache Valley LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Ogden Regional Medical Center LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - St. Marks Hospital LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Neurosurgery-St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Primary Care LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Specialty Care LLC, MountainStar Specialty Services LLC, MountainStar Urgent Care LLC, MountainView GME Primary Care LLC, Mountainstar Brigham OBGYN LLC, Mountainstar Cardiovascular Services LLC, Mountainstar Ogden Pediatrics LLC, Movement Disorders of North Texas PLLC, Mt. Ogden Utah Surgical Center LLC, NPAS Inc., NPAS Solutions LLC, NT Urgent Care PLLC, NTGP LLC, NTMC Management Company, NTMC Venture Inc., NTX Pathology Program PLLC, Nashville Psychiatric Company Inc., Nashville Shared Services General Partnership, Nashville Surgicenter LLC, Natchez Medical Associates LLC, Natchez Surgery Center LLC, National Association of Senior Friends, National Contact Center Management Group LLC, National Patient Account Services Inc., National Transfer Center Management Services LLC, Navarro Memorial Hospital Inc., NeighborMD Management LLC, Network MS of Florida Inc., Network Management Services Inc., Neuro Affiliates Company, Neuro-Hospitalist of Clear Lake PLLC, NeuroHospitalist of McAllen PLLC, Neurological Eye Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Neurological Specialists PLLC, Neurological Specialists of McKinney PLLC, Neurology Associates of Hendersonville LLC, Neurology Associates of Kansas LLC, Neurosurgery Atlanta LLC, Neurosurgery of Kingwood PLLC, Neurosurgical Associates of North Texas PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of El Paso PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Nevada Surgery Center of Southern Hills L.P., Nevada Surgicare of Southern Hills LLC, Nevada Urgent Care Holdings Inc., New Iberia Healthcare LLC, New Iberia Holdings Inc., New Port Richey Hospital Inc., New Port Richey Surgery Center Ltd., New Rose Holding Company Inc., Niceville Family Practice LLC, North Augusta Imaging Management LLC, North Augusta Imaging Services LLC, North Augusta Rehab Health Center LLC, North Austin Plastic Surgery Associates PLLC, North Austin Surgery Center L.P., North Brandon Imaging LLC, North Central Florida Health System Inc., North Central Methodist ASC L.P., North Charleston Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Lake City LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Live Oak LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Tallahassee LLC, North Florida Division I Inc., North Florida Division Practice Inc., North Florida GI Center GP Inc., North Florida GI Center Ltd., North Florida Immediate Care Center Inc., North Florida Neurosurgery LLC, North Florida Outpatient Imaging Center Ltd., North Florida Physician Services Inc., North Florida Physicians LLC, North Florida Radiation Oncology LLC, North Florida Regional Company Care LLC, North Florida Regional Freestanding Surgery Center L.P., North Florida Regional Investments Inc., North Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., North Florida Regional Psychiatry LLC, North Florida Regional Trauma LLC, North Florida Rehab Investments LLC, North Florida Surgical Associates LLC, North Georgia Primary Care Group LLC, North Hills Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., North Hills Catheterization Lab LLC, North Hills Orthopaedic Surgeons PLLC, North Hills Surgicare L.P., North Houston - TRMC LLC, North Miami Beach Surgery Center Limited Partnership, North Miami Beach Surgical Center LLC, North Palm Beach County Surgery Center LLC, North River Physician Network LLC, North Shore Specialists of Texas PLLC, North Suburban Spine Center L.P., North Tampa Imaging LLC, North Texas - MCA LLC, North Texas Cardiology PLLC, North Texas Craniofacial Fellowship Program PLLC, North Texas Division Inc., North Texas General L.P., North Texas Geriatrics PLLC, North Texas Heart Surgery Center PLLC, North Texas Internal Medicine Specialists PLLC, North Texas Medical Center Inc., North Texas Neuro Stroke OP PLLC, North Texas Pulmonary Critical Care PLLC, North Texas Sports and Orthopedics Center PLLC, North Texas Stroke Center PLLC, North Texas of Hope PLLC, North Transfer Center LLC, Northeast Florida Cancer Services LLC, Northeast Methodist Surgicare Ltd., Northeast PHO Inc., Northern Utah Healthcare Corporation, Northern Utah Healthcare Imaging Holdco LLC, Northern Utah Imaging LLC, Northern Virginia CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Northern Virginia Community Hospital LLC, Northern Virginia Hospital Corporation, Northern Virginia Surgicenter LLC, Northlake Medical Center LLC, Northlake Physician Practice Network Inc., Northlake Surgical Center L.P., Northlake Surgicare Inc., Northside MRI Inc., Northwest Fla. Home Health Agency Inc., Northwest Florida Healthcare Systems Inc., Northwest Florida Multispecialty Physicians LLC, Northwest Florida Primary Care LLC, Northwest Medical Center Inc., Notami (Opelousas) Inc., Notami Hospitals LLC, Notami Hospitals of Florida Inc., Notami Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Notami Hospitals of Missouri Inc., Notami LLC, Notco LLC, Nuclear Diagnosis Inc., OB Hospitalists of Womans Hospital PLLC, OB/GYN of Brownsville PLLC, OB/Gyn Associates of Denton PLLC, OBS Diagnostic and Treatment Centre LLP, ODP Holdings LLC, ODP Manager LLC, ODP Properties LLC, OHH Imaging Services LLC, OPRMC-HBP LLC, Oak Hill Acquisition Inc., Oak Hill Family Care LLC, Oak Hill Hospitalists LLC, Oakwood Surgery Center Ltd. LLP, Ocala Health Company Care LLC, Ocala Health Imaging Services LLC, Ocala Health Primary Care LLC, Ocala Health Surgical Group LLC, Ocala Health Trauma LLC, Ocala Regional Outpatient Services Inc., Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery LLC, Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery Partner LLC, Occupational Health Services of PRH LLC, Occupational and Family Medicine of South Texas, Ogden Imaging LLC, Ogden Internal Medicine & Urology LLC, Ogden Regional Health Plan Inc., Ogden Regional Medical Center Professional Billing LLC, Ogden Senior Center LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy Manager LLC, Okaloosa Hospital Inc., Okeechobee Hospital Inc., Oklahoma Holding Company LLC, Oklahoma Outpatient Surgery Limited Partnership, Oklahoma Physicians - Medical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Primary Care LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Surgical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Surgicare Inc., Old Fort Village LLC, On-Site Primary Care PLLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi LLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi Manager LLC, OneSourceMed Inc., Online Pathology Services Limited, Orange County Healthcare LLC, Orange Park Hospitalists LLC, Orange Park Medical Center Inc., Orlando CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Ltd., Orlando Surgicare Ltd., Orthopaedic Specialty Associates L.P., Orthopaedic Sports Specialty Associates Inc., Orthopedic Hospital Ltd., Orthopedics Specialists LLC, Osceola Neurological Associates LLC, Osceola Physician Network LLC, Osceola Regional Hospital Inc., Osceola Regional Hospitalists LLC, Osceola Surgical Associates LLC, Outpatient Cardiovascular Center of Central Florida LLC, Outpatient GP LLC, Outpatient Services - LAD LLC, Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., Outpatient Surgical Services Ltd., Outpatient Womens and Childrens Surgery Center Ltd., Overland Park Cardiovascular Inc., Overland Park Medical Specialists LLC, Overland Park Orthopedics LLC, Overland Park Surgical Specialties LLC, Oviedo Medical Center LLC, Ozarks Medical Services Inc., P&L Associates, P/SL Hyperbaric Partnership, PET CT LLP, PMM Inc., POH Holdings LLC, PSG Delegated Services LLC, PTS Solutions LLC, Pacific Partners Management Services Inc., Palm Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Palm Beach General Surgery LLC, Palm Beach Healthcare System Inc., Palm Beach Hospitalists Program LLC, Palmer Medical Center LLC, Palms West Gastroenterology LLC, Palms West Hospital Limited Partnership, Palms West Surgery Center Ltd., Paragon Physicians Hospital Organization of South Texas Inc., Paragon SDS Inc., Paragon Surgery Centers of Texas Inc., Paragon WSC Inc., Paragon of Texas Health Properties Inc., Parallon Business Solutions LLC, Parallon Enterprises LLC, Parallon Health Information Solutions LLC, Parallon Holdings LLC, Parallon Payroll Solutions LLC, Parallon Physician Services LLC, Parallon Revenue Cycle Services Inc., Park Central Surgical Center Ltd., Park Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Park South Imaging Center Ltd., Park View Insurance Company, Parkersburg SJ Holdings Inc., Parkland Hospitalists Program LLC, Parkland Oncology LLC, Parkland Physician Services Inc., Parkridge East Specialty Associates LLC, Parkridge Hospitalists Inc., Parkridge Medical Associates LLC, Parkridge Medical Center Inc., Parkridge Professionals Inc., Parkside Surgery Center Inc., Parkway Cardiac Center Ltd., Parkway Hospital Inc., Parkway Surgery Services Ltd., Parthenon Insurance Company Limited, Pasadena Bayshore Hospital Inc., PatientKeeper, PatientKeeper Inc., Patients First Neurology LLC, Pavilion 2 Condominium Property LLC, Pavilion 2 Medical Office Building Condominium Association Inc., Pavilion Surgicenter LLC, Peach State Anesthesia Partners LLC, Pearland Institute for Womens Health PLLC, Pearland Partner LLC, Pediatric Anesthesia Consultants of San Antonio PLLC, Pediatric Cardiac Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Critical Care of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Hospitalists of Conroe PLLC, Pediatric Intensivist Group LLC, Pediatric Intensivists of El Paso PLLC, Pediatric Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Specialty Clinic LLC, Pediatric Surgicare Inc., Pediatrics of Greater Houston PLLC, Pensacola Primary Care Inc., Physician Associates of Corporate Woods LLC, Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Physicians West Surgicenter LLC, Pinellas Medical LLC, Pinnacle Physician Network LLC, Pioneer Medical LLC, Plains Healthcare System Inc., Plano Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., Plano Heart Institute L.P., Plano Heart Management LLC, Plano Surgery Center - GP LLC, Plano Surgery Center Real Estate LLC, Plano Surgicenter Real Estate Manager LLC, Plano Urology PLLC, Plantation General Hospital L.P., Plaza Medical Specialists PLLC, Plaza Primary Care PLLC, Plaza Transplant Center PLLC, Podiatry of Clear Lake PLLC, Poinciana Medical Center Inc., Port St. Lucie Surgery Center Ltd., Portland Primary Care LLC, Portsmouth Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Portsmouth Surgicenter LLC, Preferred Hospitals Inc., Preferred Works WC LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Medical Management Ltd., Primary Care Medical Associates Inc., Primary Care Plano PLLC, Primary Care Services of Orlando LLC, Primary Care South PLLC, Primary Care West PLLC, Primary Care of West End LLC, Primary Health Asset Holdings Ltd., Primary Health Group Inc., Primary Health Inc., Primary Health Network of South Texas, Primary Health Physicians PLLC, Primary Medical Management Inc., Proaxis Therapy HealthOne LLC, Provident Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., Psychiatry Services of Osceola LLC, Pulaski Community Hospital Inc., Pulaski Urology LLC, Pulmonary Renal Intensivist Group LLC, Putnam Community Medical Center of North Florida LLC, Putnam Hospital Inc., Putnam Radiation Oncology LLC, Putnam Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Putnam Surgical Group LLC, Quantum/Bellaire Imaging Ltd., Quick Care Centers LLC, Quivira Internal Medicine Inc., RCH LLC, RMC - Pulmonary LLC, RMC Transplant Physicians LLC, RMCA Professionals Mgmt LLC, ROi CPS LLC, Radford Family Medicine LLC, Radiation Oncology Center of Thornton LLC, Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Raleigh Community Medical Office Building Ltd., Rapides After Hours Clinic L.L.C., Rapides Healthcare System L.L.C., Rapides Regional Physician Group LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Primary Care LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Specialty Care LLC, Rapides Surgery Center LLC, Raulerson GYN LLC, Raulerson Gastroenterology LLC, Raulerson Primary Care LLC, Raymore Medical Group LLC, Red Rock Holdco LLC, Red Rock at Smoke Ranch LLC, Red Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Anesthesia Services LLC, Redmond Hospital Services LLC, Redmond Neurosurgery LLC, Redmond Park Health Services Inc., Redmond Park Hospital LLC, Redmond Physician Practice Company, Redmond Specialty Services LLC, Regional Hospital Healthcare Partners LLC, Research Cardiology Associates LLC, Research Family Physicians LLC, Research Internal Medicine LLC, Research Neurology Associates LLC, Research Neuroscience Institute LLC, Resource Optimization & Innovation L.L.C., Reston Hospital Center LLC, Reston Hospitalists LLC, Reston Surgery Center L.P., Retreat Cardiology LLC, Retreat Hospital LLC, Retreat Internal Medicine LLC, Retreat Surgical Associates LLC, Rhodes Limited-Liability Company, Richmond Imaging Employer Corp., Richmond Multi-Specialty LLC, Richmond Pediatric Surgeons LLC, Ridgeline Surgicenter LLC, Rim Building Partners L.P., Rio Grande Healthcare MSO Inc., Rio Grande NP Inc., Rio Grande Regional Hospital Inc., Rio Grande Valley Cardiology PLLC, Rio Grande Valley CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Rio Grande Valley Urology PLLC, Riverside CyberKnife Manager LLC, Riverside Healthcare System L.P., Riverside Holdings Inc., Riverside Hospital Inc., Riverside Imaging LLC, Riverwalk ASC LLC, Roanoke Imaging LLC, Roanoke Neurosurgery LLC, Roanoke Surgery Center L.P., Roanoke Valley Gynecology LLC, Robotic Radiosurgery LLP, Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology LLC, Rocky Mountain Surgery Center LLC, Rome Imaging Center Limited Partnership, Roodlane Medical Limited, Rose Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Rose Health Partners LLC, Rose Medical Plaza Ltd., Rose POB Inc., Rosewood Medical Center Inc., Rosewood Professional Building Ltd., Round Rock Hospital Inc., Round Rock Trauma Surgeons PLLC, Royal Oaks Surgery Center L.P., S.A. Medical Center Inc., SAPN LLC, SCRI Global Services Limited, SCRI Holdings LLC, SCRI Scientifics LLC, SJMC LLC, SSHR Holdco LLC, SSJ St. Petersburg Holdings Inc., STPN Manager LLC, SWMC Inc., Sahara Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Salem Hospitalists LLC, Salem Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Salt Lake City Surgicare Inc., Samaritan LLC, San Antonio Division Inc., San Antonio Regional Hospital Inc., San Antonio Surgicenter LLC, San Bernardino Imaging LLC, San Joaquin Surgical Center Inc., San Jose Healthcare System LP, San Jose Hospital L.P., San Jose LLC, San Jose Medical Center LLC, San Jose Pathology Outreach LLC, San Marcos ASC LLC, San Marcos Surgicenter LLC, Sante Fe Family Practitioners PLLC, Sarah Cannon Development Innovations LLC, Sarah Cannon Research Institute LLC, Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK Limited, Sarasota Doctors Hospital Inc., Savannah Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Savannah Health Network LLC, Savannah Health Services LLC, Savannah Inpatient Services LLC, Savannah Multispecialty Associates LLC, Savannah Pediatric Care LLC, Savannah Primary Care Associates LLC, Sebring Health Services LLC, Selma Medical Center Hospital Inc., Senior Health Associates LLC, Short Pump Imaging LLC, Silicon Valley Health Holdings LLC, Silicon Valley Surgery Center L.P., Silicon Valley Surgicenter LLC, Sky Ridge Spine Manager LLC, Sky Ridge Surgery Center L.P., Skyline Medical Group LLC, Skyline Neuroscience Associates LLC, Skyline Rehab Associates LLC, Skyline Specialty Associates LLC, Smith Laboratories Inc., Solis Mammography at Bayshore Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Conroe Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Denton Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at HCA Houston Tomball LLC, Solis Mammography at Kingwood Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Las Colinas Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center Alliance LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center Arlington LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of Lewisville LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of McKinney LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of Plano LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical City Dallas LLC, Solis Mammography at Pearland Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Rose Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Skyline Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at StoneCrest Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at West Houston Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Womans Hospital of Texas LLC, Solis Mammography of Cedar Hill LLC, Solis Mammography of CyFair LLC, Solis Mammography of Dallas LLC, Solis Mammography of Flower Mound LLC, Solis Mammography of Frisco LLC, Solis Mammography of Garland LLC, Solis Mammography of Grand Prairie LLC, Solis Mammography of Houston NW LLC, Solis Mammography of Katy LLC, Solis Mammography of Louetta/249 LLC, Solis Mammography of Mainland LLC, Solis Mammography of Mansfield LLC, Solis Mammography of Mesquite LLC, Solis Mammography of Montgomery LLC, Solis Mammography of North Cypress LLC, Solis Mammography of North Loop LLC, Solis Mammography of Sugar Land LLC, Solis Mammography of West Plano LLC, Solis Mammography of Womans Place LLC, South Atlantic Division Inc., South Austin Surgery Center Ltd., South Austin Surgical Management LLC, South Austin Surgicenter LLC, South Brandon Imaging LLC, South Florida Division Practice Inc., South Texas Surgicare Inc., South Transfer Center LLC, South Valley Hospital L.P., Southeast Georgia Health Services LLC, Southern Hills Medical Center LLC, Southern Hills Neurology Consultants LLC, Southern Kentucky Medicine Associates LLC, Southern Kentucky Surgicenter LLC, Southern Texas Physicians Network, Southpoint LLC, Southtown Womens Clinic LLC, Southwest Florida Health System Inc., Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., Southwest Medical Center Family Practice LLC, Southwest Medical Center Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Southwest Medical Center Surgical Group LLC, Southwest Medpro Ltd., Southwest Surgical Clinic Inc., Southwest Virginia Orthopedics and Spine LLC, Spalding Rehabilitation L.L.C., Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology PLLC, Specialty Associates of West Houston PLLC, Specialty Physicians of Northern Virginia LLC, Specialty Surgicare of Las Vegas LP, Spotsylvania Condominium Property LLC, Spotsylvania Medical Center Inc., Spotsylvania Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Spotsylvania Regional Surgery Center LLC, Spring Branch Family Practitioners PLLC, Spring Branch Medical Center Inc., Spring Hill Hospital Inc., Spring Hill Imaging LLC, Spring Hill Physicians LLC, Springview KY LLC, Spruce Pine Healthcare LLC, St. Davids Austin Area ASC LLC, St. Davids Cardiology PLLC, St. Davids CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, St. Davids Healthcare Partnership L.P. LLP, St. Davids Heart & Vascular PLLC, St. Davids Neurology PLLC, St. Davids OB Hospitalist PLLC, St. Davids Ortho Neuro and Rehab PLLC, St. Davids Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PLLC, St. Davids Quality Alliance LLC, St. Davids Specialized Womens Services PLLC, St. Davids Trauma Surgeons PLLC, St. Lucie Hospitalists LLC, St. Lucie Medical Center Hyperbarics LLC, St. Lucie Medical Center Walk-In Clinic LLC, St. Lucie Medical Specialists LLC, St. Lucie West Primary Care LLC, St. Marks Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., St. Marks Gynecology Oncology Care LLC, St. Marks Investments Inc., St. Marks Physician Billing LLC, St. Marks Professional Services LLC, St. Marks South Jordan Family Practice LLC, St. Martins Healthcare Limited, St. Martins Ltd., St. Martins Medical Services Limited, St. Petersburg General Surgery LLC, Stafford Imaging LLC, Statland Medical Group LLC, Steamboat Springs Surgicenter LLC, Sterling Primary Care Associates LLC, Stiles Road Imaging LLC, StoneCrest Surgery Center LLC, StoneSprings Medical Office Building Property LLC, StoneSprings Surgicenter LLC, Stonecrest Medical Group - Family Practice of Murfreesboro LLC, Stonecrest Medical Group - SC Murfreesboro Family Practice LLC, Stones River Hospital LLC, Suburban Medical Center at Hoffman Estates Inc., Sugar Land Surgery Center Anesthesia LLC, Sugar Land Surgery Center Ltd., Sullins Surgical Center Inc., Summit Convenient Care at Lebanon LLC, Summit General Partner Inc., Summit Heart LLC, Summit Outpatient Diagnostic Center LLC, Summit Research Solutions LLC, Summit Surgery Center L.P., Summit Surgical Associates LLC, Summit Walk-in Clinic LLC, Sun Bay Medical Office Building Inc., Sun City Hospital Inc., Sun City Imaging LLC, Sun Towers/Vista Hills Holding Co., Sun-Med LLC, Sunrise Flamingo Holdings LLC, Sunrise Flamingo Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center LLC, Sunrise Mountainview Hospital Inc., Sunrise Mountainview Multi-Specialty Clinics LLC, Sunrise Outpatient Services Inc., Sunrise Physician Services LLC, Sunrise Trauma Services LLC, Surgery Associates of NTX PLLC, Surgery Center of Atlantis LLC, Surgery Center of Aventura Ltd., Surgery Center of Bay Area Houston LLC, Surgery Center of Greenview L.P., Surgery Center of Independence L.P., Surgery Center of Overland Park L.P., Surgery Center of Port Charlotte Ltd., Surgery Center of Rome L.P., Surgery Center of the Rockies LLC, Surgical Associates of Southwest Virginia LLC, Surgical Care Medical Group LLC, Surgical Center of Irving Inc., Surgical Facility of West Houston L.P., Surgical Park Center Ltd., Surgical Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Surgical Specialists of Conroe PLLC, Surgical Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Surgicare America - Winter Park Inc., Surgicare Merger Company of Louisiana, Surgicare Outpatient Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Surgicare Outpatient Center of Jackson Inc., Surgicare of ADC LLC, Surgicare of AGI LLC, Surgicare of Alpine LLC, Surgicare of Altamonte Springs Inc., Surgicare of Anchorage LLC, Surgicare of Arapahoe LLC, Surgicare of Arlington LLC, Surgicare of Ashburn LLC, Surgicare of Augusta Inc., Surgicare of Aurora Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Aventura LLC, Surgicare of Bay Area Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Bay Area LLC, Surgicare of Bayonet Point Inc., Surgicare of Bayside LLC, Surgicare of Bountiful LLC, Surgicare of Brandon Inc., Surgicare of Brentwood LLC, Surgicare of Brighton LLC, Surgicare of Brooksville LLC, Surgicare of Brownsville LLC, Surgicare of Buckhead LLC, Surgicare of CAREOS LLC, Surgicare of Central Florida Inc., Surgicare of Central Park Surgery Center LLC, Surgicare of Central San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Chattanooga LLC, Surgicare of Chippenham LLC, Surgicare of Citrus LLC, Surgicare of Clarksville LLC, Surgicare of Corpus Christi LLC, Surgicare of Countryside Inc., Surgicare of Dallas Specialty LLC, Surgicare of Denton Inc., Surgicare of Denver Clinic LLC, Surgicare of Denver LLC, Surgicare of Denver Mid-Town Inc., Surgicare of Dickson LLC, Surgicare of Eastside LLC, Surgicare of Evans Inc., Surgicare of Fairfax Inc., Surgicare of Florida Inc., Surgicare of Flower Mound Inc., Surgicare of Focus Hand LLC, Surgicare of Fort Worth Co-GP LLC, Surgicare of Fort Worth Inc., Surgicare of Ft. Pierce Inc., Surgicare of Good Samaritan LLC, Surgicare of Gramercy Inc., Surgicare of Greenview Inc., Surgicare of Hanover Inc., Surgicare of Houston Kingwood LLC, Surgicare of Houston LLC, Surgicare of Houston Womens Inc., Surgicare of Indianapolis Inc., Surgicare of Kansas City LLC, Surgicare of Kingwood LLC, Surgicare of Kissimmee Inc., Surgicare of Lakeview Inc., Surgicare of Las Vegas Inc., Surgicare of Laurel Grove LLC, Surgicare of Lorain County Inc., Surgicare of Los Gatos Inc., Surgicare of Los Robles LLC, Surgicare of Loveland LLC, Surgicare of Madison Inc., Surgicare of Manatee Inc., Surgicare of McKinney Inc., Surgicare of Medical City Dallas LLC, Surgicare of Memorial Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Merritt Island Inc., Surgicare of Miami Lakes LLC, Surgicare of Mountain West LLC, Surgicare of Mt. 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Donald Trump. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images The leaked tape recording of Michael Cohen and Donald Trump discussing how to handle the payoff to silence yet another extracurricular paramour, Karen McDougal, is more important, it seems to me, than has been generally acknowledged. Its only a shade under three minutes long. But unlike the Billy Bush tape, Trump is not performing or bragging or trying to charm someone he doesnt know that well. Hes at work, with an intimate, trusted wingman, every single guard down. It really feels like the actual Trump, the man behind the curtain. And this Trump is quite clearly in charge. Hes not some addled 70-something, delegating large swathes of responsibility for day-to-day operations to underlings. Hes clearly aware of everything thats going on: Let me know whats happening, okay? he says to someone Pam (Bondi)? on the phone at first. He talks about how some issue will blow over: I think this goes away quickly in two weeks; its fine. He then asks Cohen, Can we use him anymore? referring to an Evangelical pastor, and Cohen says absolutely. Then they briefly discuss the financing for the National Enquirers capture and withholding of the McDougal story. So, what do we got to pay for this? $150? Trump asks at one point, meaning $150,000. The question of cash is raised by Trump (the precise wording is hard to make out from the audio), and Cohen strongly rules it out: No, no, no. What this tiny glimpse into reality reveals is something quite simple. Its not that its a shock that Trump has been lying about this incident from the very beginning. That has long been clear. But theres something about listening to his voice acknowledging this in such a breezy, matter-of-fact tone that exposes the purity of the cynicism behind the lies. We have no knowledge of any of this, Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks, had, after all, originally told The Wall Street Journal when it broke the story days before the 2016 election. The idea that Trump had had an affair at all, let alone organized hush money to the National Enquirer, was totally untrue. And yet here, as the curtain is pulled back, we hear Trump himself figuring out how to finance its cover-up. This is not a man embarrassed by something unusual in his private life, lying defensively in a panic. Its a world-weary operator in sleaze and outright deception, dealing with an item of everyday business. The euphemisms info, financing, our friend David, etc. are those of people who know theyre doing something shady. He even talks of using a religious-right figure. Its the tape of a con man, discussing the con with an underling in a kind of consigliere code. And this revelation is therefore dangerous. It demonstrates that Trump is, in fact, just another crooked pol and does so in his own voice. I suspect that this was what was worrying even Franklin Graham this week, as he tweeted: Everyone in the media is talking about the just-released tape & what the President said or didnt say, what he meant or didnt mean. It is a good moment to point out that everyone should realize that every word that is spoken or thought is recorded by God We wont be judged by media spin masters or forensic audio analysts, but you will be judged by truth & righteousness by God Himself. Is Graham telling his followers simply to banish the evidence of the tape from their minds and stop gossiping? Or is he actually condemning Trump for his secret shadiness? Neither is good news for the White House. Con men usually know that a con has a life span, and not a long one. At some point, it will collapse because it is, in fact, bullshit. By then, the best con men have made the sale think of Trump University and moved on. They also know that keeping the suckers sealed off from other sources of contrary information is essential until the deal is done. You have to maintain a fiction relentlessly, dismiss or delegitimize external information that might get your marks to think differently, and constantly make the sale. You have to humor and flatter and bullshit all the time, until youve sealed the deal. And Trump is really, really good at this. In fact, its his chief skill, along with his instinct for the easy mark and another human beings vulnerable spot. It has worked many times before. Its at the root of his entire shady business career. His problem now, however, is that this is the biggest of all cons, if youre playing at a presidential level, and is also the longest. It has to be sustainable for at least four years. And thats an extremely long time to keep it alive. This is why, it seems to me, Trump tweets so often and so aggressively. Its his chief mechanism for keeping his dupes under his spell, for sustaining the narrative of the con while reality tugs at it. Hes making the sale every news cycle of every day because the alternative is the whole thing crashing to the ground. Its also why he keeps holding rallies. You need that kind of mass crowd hysteria to sustain a con America Is Great Again! that might otherwise be fraying at the edges. Its why he lambastes the media. Their role in undercutting the con in presenting the arguments against it, in raising suspicions about the con man himself is deeply destabilizing to the project. And its why he has to lie, and lie with greater and greater intensity and frequency. And sure enough, the rate of Trumps lies is accelerating, as the con ages. All six of the last six weeks rank in the top ten most dishonest of his presidency, as the indefatigable Daniel Dale has noted. Last Tuesday, Trump actually made the subtext text, in a speech to a Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention: Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not whats happening Just stick with us, dont believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. Some have analogized this to Orwells vision of totalitarianism. But it is not as sophisticated as that. Its just a con man getting a little rattled, as his trade war is beginning to wreak havoc in the Midwest. When you have brazenly declared that such wars are easy to win, and agriculture in the heartland is nonetheless reeling, and manufacturing is increasingly jittery about the cost of imported steel, what else are you going to do? Well, you can bribe the farmers with some $12 billion. Or ask companies and their workers to be patient. But some in the middle of the country will still start doubting and his polling in three Midwest swing states that gave him the presidency is now slipping. Hes at 36 percent approval in Wisconsin and Michigan in the latest NBC poll, and 38 percent in Minnesota. That VFW appeal and his visit to Illinois and Dubuque, Iowa, yesterday is a sign, it seems to me, of a little desperation. Desperate is insisting that what is clearly the word would from the tape and the tone and the sentence structure of his Helsinki press conference is actually the word wouldnt. Desperate is responding to the Carter Page FISA documents by insisting that they say the opposite of what they actually say. Desperate is insisting that when the president said no directly to a reporter asking whether he believed that the Russians were still meddling in American democracy, he was actually not answering the question, even as he was looking at the journalist when he said it. Desperate is banning a CNN reporter from a press conference because she had previously asked difficult reality-based questions about Michael Cohen and then quibbling over the term ban. Desperate is a sudden Obama-like truce with the E.U. on trade. Desperate is the attempt by some House Republicans to impeach Rod Rosenstein, a move that has not even been cheered by the far-right media, and that is swiftly deflating. Desperate is doubling down on the witch-hunt hoax, while the chief money guy for the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, gets a subpoena, and Michael Cohens lawyer says of his client, who knows far too much, He has hit the reset button; hes made a turn to be on his own, speaking the truth. More desperate still is Rudy Giuliani saying of Michael Cohen last night, after Cohen told CNN that Trump did indeed know in advance of the meeting in Trump Tower with an agent of the Russian government: Hes been lying all week; hes been lying for years. No, this is not an unraveling. But the con is definitely fraying badly. And it is not going to get easier to keep patching it up as time goes steadily by. The Cardinal Abuser How surprised am I about the all too credible allegations of sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of Cardinal McCarrick, the latest Catholic prelate to be exposed in what seems like an endless cycle? The truth is as someone who long attended Mass under McCarricks direct auspices, in the Cathedral of Saint Matthew in D.C. not very. Every now and again, his name might pop up and some insidery, gay Catholic friends would roll their eyes, and switch the genders on him. He was obviously gay, I gleaned from this. I assumed that he had made some kind of discreet arrangement to stay sane as a celibate. A secret boyfriend, perhaps? A devoted companion? Since he never railed against homosexuality from the pulpit, I felt no need to inquire much further. And I always found queeny church gossip to be unseemly. These gay priests and hierarchs were obviously in pain, it seemed to me, or in denial, or so fucked up sexually and emotionally that the most appropriate response was pity and mercy rather than censoriousness and contempt. But abuse, of course, is another matter entirely. And it did not occur to me, in all honesty, that McCarrick would have sexually assaulted a 16-year-old or used the deep trust of another teen in a family that called him Uncle Teddy to conduct a sexually abusive relationship for a full 20 years. This boy was the first human being that McCarrick, as a newly ordained priest, baptized as an infant. And this special connection made it okay, apparently, to violate that boys and young mans soul, body, and integrity, after he came into puberty: When he was 13, he said, the priest first touched his penis. At 14, he said, Father McCarrick masturbated him in a beach parking lot. When he was 15, James said, Father McCarrick took him to a restaurant in San Francisco, the Tonga Room, and poured vodka in his drinks. He then brought him back to his hotel room and masturbated him and brought himself to orgasm, James said. I was absolutely disgusted, afraid, James said. I felt fear. What have I done? This is not pedophilia. Its pederasty, but more accurately, since it continued well into the mans adulthood, its homosexual abuse. McCarrick, we now know, abused and harassed grown men under his clerical authority or control for decades. This is different in kind from a gay priest finding some way to seek solace with another willing adult, even though that, too, of course, violates the rule of celibacy. Thats a human thing, a failing, not an outrage. What McCarrick did was evil. And it is simply impossible to believe that others in the hierarchy didnt fully know about it, even as they let it happen. The best expression of disgust and anger at this complicity that Ive read is by the wonderfully gifted Michael Brendan Dougherty, in National Review. Scanning the responses of McCormicks fellow muckety-mucks in the hierarchy, Dougherty lambastes their bloodless bureaucrat-ese. Theyve denied any knowledge of any of this, even though settlements were made in the 2000s, and even though letters had been sent outlining the sexual-abuse complaints. The stench of bullshit coming from the American hierarchy right now in response to this is staggering. Check this out from Cardinal OMalley: These cases raise up that fact that when charges are brought regarding a bishop or a cardinal, a major gap still exists in the Churchs policies on sexual conduct and sexual abuse. While the Church in the United States has adopted a zero tolerance policy regarding the sexual abuse of minors by priests we must have clearer procedures for cases involving bishops. I mean, seriously. Since the formal zero-tolerance guidelines for priests did not explicitly include bishops or cardinals, they were in a bind about what to do! With any luck, we may get a #MeToo moment for sexual abuse in seminaries and elsewhere in the priesthood, many years after the revelation of shockingly widespread child abuse. We should definitely get a full investigation, focusing as much on those complicit in this abuse, as on those who committed it. This is clearly not an exclusively American problem either. Theres a massive scandal emerging from Honduras, where nearly 50 seminarians have written a letter complaining about systematic sexual harassment and abuse, permitted and enabled from the very top: We are living and experiencing a time of tension in our house because of gravely immoral situations, above all of an active homosexuality inside the seminary that has been a taboo all this time, and by covering up and penalizing this situation, the problem has grown in strength, turning into, as one priest said not so long ago, an epidemic in the seminary. It seems to me that a thorough investigation into this abuse should try hard not to be motivated by either faction, left or right, in the church. McCarrick was and is a liberal, and promoted other liberals. But other abusers have been conservatives. What matters here is not their theology but their actions and their inaction. If the investigation becomes a way to purge the church of all gay priests, or demonize them as a group, it will lose its credibility. This is about abuse of power, and it can be and has been perpetrated by heterosexuals as well as homosexuals in all sorts of hierarchies in every field of life. It would be deeply unfair to many good gay priests and seminarians to tar them all with the brush of abuse. Many may well have been victims of it. McCarrick, after all, was a critical figure for anyone who wanted to advance through the ranks of the church. And he used that power to get sex, in the same way that Harvey Weinstein did. Thats the issue here. The difference, of course, is that Weinstein never pretended to be an instrument of Gods grace. But one small note about this particular scandal: McCarrick was described by many as Uncle Teddy. But he had another nickname among his associates: Blanche. In that single appellation, you get a glimpse not of a church culture in which tortured homosexuals are struggling with love, intimacy, and celibacy, but one in which a fully developed subculture of camp was thriving, internally unapologetic, and psychologically warped. The cynicism and hypocrisy behind that kind of culture is a function of Catholic homophobia, of course. But its also reflective of a protective, insular, closeted clerical subculture in which sexual abuse was obviously able to flourish, and was clearly enabled. It has to end. And at some point, the core questions of homosexuality and celibacy in the priesthood need to be discussed openly, fully, in the plain light of day. Ive been trying to enlarge that conversation for some time, along with many others. Its now up to Pope Francis to untangle this knot that has long been strangling his church. There is no ducking it now. Where the Immigrants Are One of the talking points for some who support continued mass immigration is the notion that the places where immigration is least popular are the places with the fewest number of immigrants. Thats how irrational xenophobia is, they suggest. And when you look at the big cities, you can see the point. Theyre jammed with new immigrants and the rest of us are pretty fine with it. But some new data from the Migration Policy Institute complicates the picture a bit. While it finds that the number of immigrants increased by 9 percent between 2010 and 2016, it also notes that it had risen by 15 percent or more in 15 states. And among those states, most are red ones: North Dakota, West Virginia, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Alaska, Indiana, and Iowa among them. Yes, the total numbers are nowhere near where they are in, say, California, but the pace of change really has increased in those states where opposition especially to immigrants who entered the country illegally is high. I dont find this surprising. One other small thing to note: More than a fifth of Americans, according to this survey, now speak a language other than English at home. In Nevada and Florida, nearly a third of residents dont speak English at home. I wonder how this compares with the past. Of course, first-generation immigrants have often spoken their native tongues at home, and this usually declines as the generations succeed one another. But very few previous waves of immigrants have been so homogeneous for as long as the Spanish-speaking immigrants from Mexico and Central America currently are; their numbers are higher than any other previous wave; and few have been so thoroughly dispersed. And ask yourself: In what other developed country does a fifth of the population speak a different language? (Answer: Luxembourg and Singapore.) Just to be clear: I have no problem with this, and America is unique in its immigration-centric identity. I assume the linguistic divide will dissipate over time. I have faith in the great American churn. But the sheer scale of the cultural transformation of the last couple of decades the CDC predicts that close to a quarter of Americans will be Hispanic by 2035 is undeniable. And the emphasis today on multiculturalism over the melting-pot model does not make assimilation any easier. If you ignore that, or insist that worrying about too fast a pace of cultural change is inherently racist, its relatively easy to insist that there is no immigration crisis. But if you believe that nations require some continuity and cultural unity to cohere and endure, then the picture is somewhat different. There is a reason this issue has become so prominent in this country. And it isnt entirely bigotry. See you next Friday. The following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing, ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment, ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub, APGO Trust, Adam Opel, Adam Opel GmbH, Aftermarket (UK), AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan Company Inc., AmeriCredit Financial Services, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., AmeriCredit Funding, AmeriCredit Syndicated Warehouse Trust, Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings, Argonaut Holdings LLC, BOCO (Proprietary), BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GMAC, Banco GMAC S.A., Baylis (Gloucester), Boco Trust, Boden Brussels, CHEVYPLAN, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors, Controladora General Motors S.A. de C.V., Cruise, DCJ1, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations, Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK, Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), FAW-GM, Fundacion Chevrolet, G.M.A.C., GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension, GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM APO Holdings, GM Administradora de Bens, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Auslandsprojekte, GM Automotive, GM Automotive Services Belgium, GM CME, GM Canada Holdings, GM Canada Limited, GM Components Holdings, GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Cruise, GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Cruise LLC, GM Defense, GM Eurometals, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Europe Treasury, GM Finance, GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial AB, GM Financial Canada, GM Financial Canada Leasing, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer, GM Financial Consumer Discount, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Del Peru, GM Financial GmbH, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Services, GM Financial Mexico Holdings, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial Real Estate, GM Financial de Mexico, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Business Services, GM Global Propulsion Systems -Torino S.r.l., GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, GM Global Technology Operations, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holden, GM Holden Pty Ltd., GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mexico Holdings, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM PSA Purchasing Services, GM Personnel Services, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Plats (Proprietary), GM Regional Holdings, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM Viet Nam Motor Company, GM-DI Leasing, GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC - Instituicao Financeira de Credito, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Banque, GMAC Continental, GMAC Espana de Financiacion, GMAC Holdings (U.K.), GMAC Lease B.V. (aka Masterlease Europe), GMAC Nederland N.V., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMAC Servicios, GMAC UK, GMAC de Venezuela, GMAC-Prestadora de Servios de Mo-de-Obra, GMACI Corretora de Seguros, GMACI Corretora de Seguros Ltda, GMAM Real Estate I, GMCH&SP Private Equity II, GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Australia Pty Ltd, GMF Europe, GMF Europe Holdco, GMF Europe LLP, GMF Floorplan Owner Revolving Trust, GMF Funding, GMF Germany Holdings, GMF Global Assignment, GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Leasing Warehousing Trust, GMF Wholesale Receivables, GMGP Holdings, General Motors (China) Investment Company, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors (Thailand), General Motors (Thailand) Limited, General Motors - Colmotores, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Austria, General Motors Austria, General Motors Auto, General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings, General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Belgium, General Motors Chile, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors East Africa, General Motors Egypt, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Espana, General Motors Europe Holdings, General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company, General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial International, General Motors Financial Italia, General Motors Financial Suisse, General Motors Financial UK, General Motors Financial of Canada, General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Finland, General Motors France, General Motors GBS Hungary, General Motors Global Service Operations, General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Hellas, General Motors Holden Australia, General Motors Holden Australia NSC, General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holden Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company, General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments, General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Ireland, General Motors Israel, General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Italia, General Motors Japan, General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors Manufacturing Poland, General Motors Nederland, General Motors New Zealand Pensions, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Poland Spolka, General Motors Portugal, General Motors Powertrain (Thailand), General Motors Powertrain (Thailand) Limited, General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Suisse, General Motors Taiwan, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India, General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Turkiye, General Motors UK, General Motors Uruguay, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Venezolana, General Motors Ventures, General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai), General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina, General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico, General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador, General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil, General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada, General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, GigaPower LLC, Global Services Detroit, Global Services Detroit LLC, Global Tooling Service Company Europe, Global Tooling Service Company Europe Limited, Go Motor Retailing, Go Trade Parts, Grand Pointe Holdings, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium, Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, H.S.H., Haines & Strange, Holden New Zealand, Holden New Zealand Limited, IBC Pension Trustees, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, IBC Vehicles, Lease Ownership Cooperative, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Master Lease Germany, Maven Drive, Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motor Repris Automocio, Motors Holding, Motors Holding LLC, Motors Properties, Motors Properties (Trading), Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited LLC, OnStar Europe, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services, OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Opel Bank, Opel Danmark, Opel Group, Opel Group Warehousing, Opel Leasing, Opel Norge, Opel Sonderdienste, Opel Southeast Europe, Opel Sverige, Opel Szentgotthard Automotive Manufacturing, Opel Wien, P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Investment Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Company Limited, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sherwoods (Darlington) Limited, Sidecar Technologies, Skurrays Limited, Stam-Terberg Autobedrijven B. V., Strobe Inc., VHC Sub-Holdings (UK), Vauxhall Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, Vickers (Lakeside) Limited, Vision Motors Limited, WRE, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut. Read More 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. Read More Wall Street analysts have given Hertz Global 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 Hertz Global wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. He comes bearing gifts. Photo: Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images As part of the discussion about democratic socialism and the past, present, and future of the Donkey Party, Josh Marshall made this interesting comment: [M]ost of what is now branded democratic socialism in the USA in 2018 is more or less the Truman presidential platform in 1948. Im reasonably sure Josh was primarily alluding to the symmetry between todays calls for a single payer health-care system and Trumans call for national health insurance. But a stroll down memory lane to the 1948 Democratic platform shows more symmetry between the domestic policy views and concerns of Democrats 70 years ago and today than one might imagine. Check this out: We favor legislation assuring that the workers of our nation receive equal pay for equal work, regardless of sex. We favor the extension of the Social Security program established under Democratic leadership, to provide additional protection against the hazards of old age, disability, disease or death. We believe that this program should include: Increases in old-age and survivors insurance benefits by at least 50 percent, and reduction of the eligibility age for women from 65 to 60 years; extension of old-age and survivors and unemployment insurance to all workers not now covered; insurance against loss of earnings on account of illness or disability; improved public assistance for the needy. Theres extensive and even militant language about union and collective bargaining rights, including a demand for repeal of the union-busting Taft-Hartley Act that remains on the books today. And 6 years before Brown v. Board of Education, and 16 years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Trumans Democrats made this pledge which has yet to be fully redeemed: The Democratic Party is responsible for the great civil rights gains made in recent years in eliminating unfair and illegal discrimination based on race, creed or color. The Democratic Party commits itself to continuing its efforts to eradicate all racial, religious and economic discrimination. We again state our belief that racial and religious minorities must have the right to live, the right to work, the right to vote, the full and equal protection of the laws, on a basis of equality with all citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution. No one knew about climate change in 1948, but there was this progressive demand for national action on natural resources, which soon evolved into a Democratic-led drive for public ownership of water and other energy resources: Our natural resources are the heritage of all our people and must not be permitted to become the private preserves of monopoly. This plank could (and should) be replicated by todays Democrats without amendment: We pledge an intensive enforcement of the antitrust laws, with adequate appropriations. We advocate the strengthening of existing antitrust laws by closing the gaps which experience has shown have been used to promote concentration of economic power. Obviously foreign-policy elements of the 1948 platform, adopted at the beginning of the Cold War, seem anachronistic today, but its commitment to a fully multilateral and international approach to diplomacy and problem-solving are relevant today: Ours is the party under which the framework of the world organization for peace and justice was formulated and created. Under the leadership of a Democratic President and his Secretary of State, the United Nations was organized at San Francisco. The charter was ratified by an overwhelming vote of the Senate. We support the United Nations fully and we pledge our whole-hearted aid toward its growth and development. Democrats may be somewhat divided on trade policy today, but in 1948 they were clear about rejecting the idea that trade wars were easy and that tariffs are the greatest: We pledge ourselves to restore the Reciprocal Trade Agreements program formulated in 1934 by Secretary of State Cordell Hull and operated successfully for 14 yearsuntil crippled by the Republican 80th Congress. Further, we strongly endorse our countrys adherence to the International Trade Organization. And then theres this jarring language on immigration: We pledge ourselves to legislation to admit a minimum of 400,000 displaced persons found eligible for United States citizenship without discrimination as to race or religion. We condemn the undemocratic action of the Republican 80th Congress in passing an inadequate and bigoted bill for this purpose, which law imposes un-American restrictions based on race and religion upon such admissions. This pledge was in no small part motivated by restrictions on Jewish immigration into the U.S. after the Holocaust. And 1948s Democrats were proudly committed to the newly created State of Israel: We affirm our pride that the United States under the leadership of President Truman played a leading role in the adoption of the resolution of November 29, 1947, by the United Nations General Assembly for the creation of a Jewish State. But there was also this proviso, which remains relevant today: We continue to support, within the framework of the United Nations, the internationalization of Jerusalem and the protection of the Holy Places in Palestine. To be clear, not everything in the 48 platform, even on domestic issues,would work for contemporary Democrats: theres a big section on fighting inflation, and a peroration on reducing the national debt. There are some strange and surprising planks as well, like this: We favor the repeal of the discriminatory taxes on the manufacture and sale of oleomargarine. But also this, which does sound a tad familiar: We deplore the repeated attempts of Republicans in the 80th Congress to impose thought control upon the American people and to encroach on the freedom of speech and press. All in all, it was a forward-looking platform for its time, and to a considerable extent, for our own time. Now the consistency of Democratic policy positions for 70 years is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, todays progressives (including the democratic socialists) have a ready defense against claims that they are somehow abandoning their partys positions or moving the party to the left, as the media types are fond of saying right now. On the other hand, the Democratic left really does need to think about the extent to which its own alleged progressivism is strongly leavened by nostalgia for the New Deal and Fair Deal and Great Society. Still, next time someone complains that Democrats have no clear platform or leader, they might counter with the 1948 platform and the example set by Harry Truman. Even in the absence of Democratic Party unity (there were competing presidential candidacies from ex-Democrats on the left and the right), that election year did, after all, produce the most audacious upset in modern American politics until you-know-who and you-know-what. Wall Street analysts have given iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA 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 Edge MSCI Min Vol USA ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. John Wood Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, provides consulting, project management, and engineering solutions to energy and built environment worldwide. It operates through four segments: Asset Solutions Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia; Assets Solutions Americas; Technical Consulting Solutions; and Investment Services. The company offers operations solutions, including maintenance, modifications, commissioning and decommissioning, and aftermarket services, as well as industrial services, such as painting, insulation, scaffolding, rope access, E&I, asbestos removal, and civil and earthworks services; engineering, procurement, and construction management; plant operations and life extension; technology solutions; supervision and management services; fabrication and inspection services; and construction and field services. It also provides environment and infrastructure solutions comprising environmental studies and compliance, environmental remediation, public infrastructure, and geotechnical and materials services; clean energy solutions; mine planning and design, mineral processing and metallurgy, mineral resources and project assessment services; and automation and control solutions, such as asset protection and facility and process automation solutions, as well as simulation, learning, and virtual systems. In addition, the company offers subsea and export systems, including subsea, umbilical, riser, and flowline design, as well as planning, design, and development of marine terminals and pipelines; and hull and marine services. It serves oil and gas, infrastructure, industrial and manufacturing, mining, power, and government sectors. John Wood Group PLC was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Aberdeen, the United Kingdom. Read More 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.. Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of The Travelers Companies: 10762962 Canada Inc., 350 Market Street LLC, 8527512 Canada Inc., Aetna Life and Casualty Co, American Equity Insurance Company, American Equity Specialty Insurance Company, Aprilgrange Limited, Arch Street North LLC, Auto Hartford Investments LLC, Bayhill Restaurant II Associates, Camperdown Corporation, Constitution State Services LLC, Discover Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Discover Specialty Insurance Company, F&G UK Underwriters Limited, Farmington Casualty Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Underwriters Inc., First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, Gulf Underwriters Insurance Company, IHP Capital Partners Fund VIII L.P., Northbrook Holdings Inc., Northfield Insurance Company, Northland Casualty Company, Northland Insurance Company, Phoenix UK Investments LLC, SPC Insurance Agency Inc., Select Insurance Company, Simply Business Holdings Inc., Simply Business Inc., St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, St. Paul Guardian Insurance Company, St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company, St. Paul Protective Insurance Company, St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Company, Standard Fire Properties LLC, Standard Fire UK Investments LLC, TCI Global Services Inc., TPC Investments Inc., TPC U.K. Investments LLC, The Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford Connecticut, The Charter Oak Fire Insurance Company, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, The Family Business Institute LLC, The Phoenix Insurance Company, The St. Paul Companies Inc., The Standard Fire Insurance Company, The Travelers Casualty Company, The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company of America, The Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut, The Travelers Lloyds Insurance Company, TravCo Insurance Company, Travelers (Bermuda) Limited, Travelers Brazil Acquisition LLC, Travelers Brazil Holding LLC, Travelers Casualty Company of Connecticut, Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America, Travelers Casualty UK Investments LLC, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of Europe Limited, Travelers Commercial Casualty Company, Travelers Commercial Insurance Company, Travelers Constitution State Insurance Company, Travelers Distribution Alliance Inc., Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company, Travelers Global Inc., Travelers Indemnity U.K. Investments LLC, Travelers Insurance Company Limited, Travelers Insurance Company of Canada, Travelers Insurance Designated Activity Company, Travelers Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Travelers Lloyds of Texas Insurance Company, Travelers London Limited, Travelers MGA Inc., Travelers Management Limited, Travelers Marine LLC, Travelers Participacoes em Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Personal Insurance Company, Travelers Personal Security Insurance Company, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, Travelers Property Casualty Corp., Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company, Travelers Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Syndicate Management Limited, Travelers Texas MGA Inc., Travelers Underwriting Agency Limited, Ultramar Travel Management, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Xbridge Limited, Zensurance Brokers Inc., and Zensurance Inc.. Jared Kushner and Ken Kurson. Photo: Amber De Vos/PatrickMcMullan Ken Kurson, the former editor of the New York Observer, doesnt have the resume of someone whod find himself on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities. But he has the connections to be considered for an appointment to the prestigious board, including a friendship with Jared Kushner, who hired Kurson to run the Observer in 2013. As the Times reported Thursday, though, a nomination never came for Kurson, despite his relationship with Kushner, his long-time affiliation with Rudy Giuliani, whose short-lived 2008 presidential campaign Kurson ran, and his brief stint in 2016 as a Donald Trump speechwriter. The problem, according to the Times, was a harassment allegation that surfaced during the FBIs background check on Kurson. The target of the alleged harassment was a doctor at New York Citys Mount Sinai Hospital who was friends with Kurson and his wife. While the couple was splitting up in 2015, the doctor alleges that Kurson began posting negative reviews of her on Yelp and RateMDs.com. And then, according to the doctor, he allegedly went went further in his attempts to make professional trouble for her: That same month, the wife of the doctors boss received emails from someone she believed to be Mr. Kurson. The emails made unsubstantiated allegations about the doctor and her boss, and his wife regarded them as a form of harassment, according to a person familiar with the emails and documents reviewed by The Times. The doctors boss reported those emails to Mount Sinai officials. The hospital eventually hired an investigator to look into the harassment and assigned extra security to the hospital waiting room. Kurson told the Times that the doctor is a very good friend and he considers this chapter long closed. As for why he didnt end up on the Trump administrations list of nominees to the NEH board, Kurson said that he withdrew himself from consideration because there was too much paperwork to fill out. Wall Street analysts have given iShares China Large-Cap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares China Large-Cap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. New Jersey Resources Corp. is a holding company. The firm provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. It operates through the following segments: New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR Clean Energy Ventures, NJR Energy Services, NJR Midstream, and NJR Home Services. The New Jersey Natural Gas segment provides regulated retail natural gas service to residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey. The NJR Clean Energy Ventures segment invests in, owns and operates solar projects. The NJR Energy Services segment manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services in the U.S. and Canada. The NJR Midstream segment serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers. The NJR Home Services segment provides heating, ventilation and cooling service, sales and installation of appliances services to its customers, as well as solar installation projects, and is the primary contributor to home services. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Wall, Read More 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). Comerica, Inc. engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Wealth Management, Finance and Other. The Commercial Bank segment involves in the middle market businesses, multinational corporations, and governmental entities by offering various products and services such as commercial loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services. The Retail Bank segment includes small business banking and personal financial services, which consist of consumer lending, consumer deposit gathering, and mortgage loan origination. The Wealth Management segment offers fiduciary services, private banking, retirement services, investment management and advisory services, investment banking and brokerage services. The Finance segment comprises corporation's securities portfolio and asset and liability management activities. The Other category consists of income and expense impact of equity and cash, tax benefits, charges of an unusual or infrequent nature that are not reflective of the n Read More Trump carried North Dakota by nearly 33 points in 2016. But his approval ratio is lower today than that of Democratic senator Heidi Heitkamp. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images No fewer than ten Democratic senators are running for reelection in states that Donald Trump carried in 2016 some by large margins. Amid partisan polarization and the growing trend toward straight-ticket voting, it seems impossible that all (or even most) of these anomalies could survive in 2018. But there are two mitigating factors we sometimes forget: (1) presidential elections are comparative, while midterms tend to be (usually sour) referenda on the party that controls the White House, which means you cannot assume the partisan balance in any given state will remain the same, and (2) its not 2016 anymore, and Trumps popularity cant be assumed to have remained static all this time in every state. You can see the difference a more dynamic view of the Trump Ten senators makes in the latest quarterly state-by-state numbers showing Senate approval and disapproval ratings from Morning Consult. They did something interesting: They directly compared the average net approval ratings for senators from April through June with those of the president over the same period of time in the same states. Turns out eight of the Trump Ten are doing better than Trump himself in their states. Perhaps the most interesting numbers are from North Dakota, which Trump carried by 33 points against Hillary Clinton in 2016. In the second quarter of 2018, however, Trumps net approval rating in North Dakota was minus-10 points. Now as it happens, Heitkamp isnt in great shape; her own net approval rating is zero, and she faces a formidable GOP opponent in U.S. Representative Kevin Cramer. But it looks like Cramer, not Trump, is her problem, which gives her some freedom to be more critical of the president than she might otherwise be in a state he had carried so overwhelmingly. Another good example is Wisconsins Tammy Baldwin. Yes, Trump narrowly carried her state in 2016. But in Q2 2018 his average approval rating there was minus-16 points. By comparison Baldwins net approval rating over that period was plus-5, which is immensely better. Similarly, Trump carried Ohio in 2016 by eight points, which was impressive given the states recent voting history. But his Q2 2018 average approval rating in the Buckeye State was minus-6, while Senator Sherrod Browns is plus-16. No wonder Brown is presently a solid favorite for reelection. The two Trump Ten Democratic senators who do trail Trump in Q2 2018 approval ratio averages are Joe Manchin and Claire McCaskill. West Virginia was Trumps second-best state in 2016 (after Wyoming); he won it by an astonishing 42 points. Hes still pretty popular there, with a plus-23 net approval rating in the second quarter of this year, as compared to Senator Joe Manchins plus-3. Manchins divided GOP opposition and his long familiarity with the state are helping him keep a lead in the polls. Missouris Claire McCaskills tepid minus-4 approval ratio trails Trumps (plus-2), but not as much as youd normally expect in a state he carried by 21 points. Meanwhile, Trumps net approval rating in Montana, which he carried by 20 points, has sunk to plus-3, while Senator Jon Testers looking pretty good at plus-14. The gap between presidential and senatorial net approval is smaller in Indiana (Trump is at plus-5, Joe Donnelly at plus-8). Floridas Bill Nelson is at plus-10 (Trump is at plus-2 in Florida), but his problem is not so much Trump as his opponent Rick Scott, who has endless money and a net gubernatorial approval rating (again, in the second quarter of this year) of plus-19. None of this means Democrats will win control of the Senate; aside from the fact that several of the Democratic senators weve been talking about arent out of the woods just yet, Democrats need to find a way to beat at least one and preferably more than one Republican incumbent (or win an open seat like those in Arizona and Tennessee). But its important to remember that whatever his standing compared to where he was in 2017 or earlier this year, Trump remains generally weaker than he was when facing an equally unpopular Democratic opponent in a year when Democrats werent remotely as energized as they are right now. 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. Read More The Hershey Co. engages in the manufacture and market of chocolate and sugar confectionery products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: North America; and International and Other. The North America segment is responsible for the traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position of the company, as well as its grocery and snacks market positions, in the United States and Canada. The International and Other segment is the combination of all other operating segments which are not individually material, including those geographic regions where the company operates outside of North America. Its brands include Hershey's, Reese's, and Kisses. The company was founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894 and is headquartered in Hershey, PA. Read More 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. Read More Zayo Group Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides bandwidth infrastructure solutions for the communications industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company operates in six segments: Fiber Solutions, Transport, Enterprise Networks, Zayo Colocation (zColo), Allstream, and Other. The Fiber Solutions segment provides dark fiber, and fiber-to-the-tower and small cell mobile infrastructure services for carriers and other communication service providers, Internet service providers, wireless service providers, media and content companies, large enterprises, and other companies. The Transport segment offers lit bandwidth infrastructure solutions comprising wavelength, Ethernet, wholesale IP services, and SONET services through its metro, regional, and long-haul fiber networks for carriers, content providers, financial services companies, healthcare, government entities, education institutions, and other medium and large enterprises. The Enterprise Networks segment provides connectivity and telecommunications solutions comprising Internet, wide area networking products, managed products, and cloud based computing and storage offerings to medium and large enterprises. The Zayo Colocation (zColo) segment offers data center infrastructure solutions consisting of colocation space, and power and interconnection services to a range of enterprise, carrier, cloud, and content customers. The Allstream segment provides cloud VoIP and data solutions, such as voice offerings; and unified communications, as well as telecommunications services, including Ethernet, and IP/MPLS VPN solutions. The Other segment provides network and technical resources to customers in designing, acquiring, and maintaining their networks. Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. Read More Be my guest, Putin said he told Trump. Photo: Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin want to see each other, but they cant decide when and where. Last week, just days after they met in Helsinki, Trump invited Putin to Washington for a second sit-down. When the Kremlin seemed cool to the idea, the White House backed away, suggesting that the two men should wait to meet until after the Russia witch hunt is over, as national security adviser John Bolton put it. Bolton added that the two countries had agreed to put off the meeting until after the first of the year. But Friday, Putin accelerated the timeline, saying that hes ready to come to the White House and revealing for the first time that hes invited Trump to Moscow. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. Be my guest, Putin said at a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has such an invitation, I told him that. In response, the White House said that Trump is open to visiting Moscow once he gets a formal invitation. Putin, who also said hes ready to go to Washington, repeatedly acknowledged that the conditions must be right before the two men can get back together. Among the issues Putin said hes eager to talk about are nuclear arms control, conflicts in the Middle East, and the Iran nuclear deal. There are some things you cant do over the phone, he added. If Trump accepts Putins invitation and travels to Moscow, it would mark his first visit to the city since the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, and we all know what (allegedly) happened there. BNP Paribas SA provides a range of banking and financial services in France and internationally. It operates through two divisions, Retail Banking and Services, and Corporate and Institutional Banking. The company offers long-term corporate vehicle leasing, and rental and other financing solutions; and digital banking and investment services, cash management, and factoring services to corporate clients, as well as wealth management services. It also provides credit solutions for individuals under the Cetelem, Cofinoga, Findomestic, AlphaCredit, and Opel Vauxhall brands; savings and protection solutions, including insuring individuals, and their personal projects and assets; and asset management, private banking, and real estate services. In addition, the company offers global market services, including investment, hedging, financing, research, and market intellingence across asset classes; security services comprising clearing, custody, and asset and fund services, as well as corporate trust, and market and financing services; and corporate trade and treasury, debt financing, specialized financing, strategic advisory, mergers and acquisition, and equity capital market services for institutional and corporate clients. The company was formerly known as Banque Nationale de Paris and changed its name to BNP Paribas SA in May 2000. BNP Paribas SA was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Read More Xcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Zimmer Biomet: Abbott Spine, Beijing Montagne Medical Device Co. Ltd., Beijing Montagne Medical Device Co. Ltd., BioMet, Biomet 3i Australia Pty. Ltd., Biomet 3i Belgium N.V., Biomet 3i Benelux Holdings N.V., Biomet 3i Dental Iberica SL, Biomet 3i LLC, Biomet 3i Mexico S.A. de C.V., Biomet 3i Netherlands B.V., Biomet 3i Nordic AB, Biomet 3i Portugal Lda, Biomet 3i Switzerland GmbH, Biomet 3i Turkey, Biomet 3i UK Ltd., Biomet 3i do Brasil Comercio de Aparelhos Medicos Ltda., Biomet Acquisitions (Unlimited), Biomet Argentina SA, Biomet Australia Pty. Ltd., Biomet Biologics LLC, Biomet Brazil Medical Device Ltda., Biomet C.V., Biomet CV Holdings LLC, Biomet Cementing Technologies AB, Biomet Chile SA, Biomet China Co. Ltd., Biomet Deutschland GmbH, Biomet Deutschland Holding GmbH, Biomet Fair Lawn LLC, Biomet Finance US LLC, Biomet France Sarl, Biomet Global Supply Chain Center B.V., Biomet Healthcare Management GmbH, Biomet Holdings B.V., Biomet Hong Kong CBT Ltd., Biomet Hong Kong Holding Ltd., Biomet Hong Kong No. 1 Ltd., Biomet Inc., Biomet Insurance Ltd., Biomet International Inc., Biomet International Orthopedics LLC, Biomet Leasing Inc., Biomet Manufacturing LLC, Biomet Mexico S.A. de C.V., Biomet Microfixation B.V., Biomet Orthopedics LLC, Biomet Orthopedics Puerto Rico Inc., Biomet Spain Orthopaedics S.L., Biomet Sports Medicine LLC, Biomet Trauma LLC, Biomet U.S. Reconstruction LLC, Biomet UK Healthcare Ltd., Biomet UK Ltd., CD Diagnostics, CD Diagnostics Inc., CD Laboratories Inc., Cayenne Medical, Cayenne Medical Inc., CelgenTek Innovations Corporation, Centerpulse Ltd, Changzhou Biomet Medical Devices Co. Ltd., Citra Labs LLC, Clinical Graphics, Compression Therapy Concepts Inc., Compression Therapy Products, D.S. Comp Ltd., Dornoch Medical Systems, Dornoch Medical Systems Inc., EBI Holdings LLC, EBI LLC, EBI Medical Systems LLC, EBI Patient Care Inc., ETEX Corporation, ETEX Holdings Inc., Electro-Biology LLC, Endius, Espanormed S.L., Etex, ExtraOrtho, Hakuho Company Ltd., IC Guided Surgery SRL, Implant Concierge LLC, Implant Innovations Holdings LLC, Implex, InnoVision Inc., Interpore Cross International LLC, JERDS Luxembourg Holding Sarl, Kirschner Medical Corporation, Knee Creations, LDR Brasil Comercio Importacao e Exportacao Ltda., LDR Holding, LDR Medical Hong Kong (branch), LDR Medical S.A.S., LVB Acquisition Inc., Lanx Puerto Rico LLC , Lanx Srl, Medical Compression Systems Inc., Medtech SA, Medtech SAS, Medtech Surgical GmbH, Medtech Surgical Inc., NORMED Medizin-Technik GmbH, ORTHOsoft ULC, Ortho Transmission, Orthopaedic Advantage LLC, Ospol Participacoes Ltda., Representaciones Zimmer Inc. S. de R.L. de C.V., Respondwell, SM Re Ltd., Scandimed Holding AB, Shanghai Biomet Business Consulting Co. Ltd., Synvasive Technology, Synvasive Technology Inc., ZB COOP C.V., ZB COOP LLC, ZB Cayman (Asia) Holding Ltd., ZB Cayman Island CBT 2 Ltd., ZB Dental India Private Limited, ZB EMEA 1 LP, ZB EMEA Finance UK 1 Ltd., ZB EMEA Finance UK 2 Ltd., ZB EMEA Finance UK 3 Ltd., ZB EMEA US UK LLC, ZB Hong Kong CBT 2 Ltd., ZB Hong Kong Holding Ltd., ZB Hong Kong Ltd., ZB Manufacturing LLC, ZB UK Group Holdings Limited, ZH2LX Barbados Branch (branch), Zfx, Zfx GmbH, Zfx Innovation GmbH, Zhejiang Biomet Medical Products Co. Ltd., Zimmer (Shanghai) Medical International Trading Co. Ltd., Zimmer Asia (HK) Ltd., Zimmer Australia Holding Pty. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Asel Alarabiya Limited Company, Zimmer Biomet Asia Holding B.V., Zimmer Biomet Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Austria GmbH, Zimmer Biomet BVBA, Zimmer Biomet CBT, Zimmer Biomet CBT 2, Zimmer Biomet CMF and Thoracic LLC, Zimmer Biomet Canada Inc., Zimmer Biomet Centroamerica SA, Zimmer Biomet Comp Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Denmark ApS, Zimmer Biomet Dental Canada Inc., Zimmer Biomet Dental K.K., Zimmer Biomet Deutschland GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Distribution LLC, Zimmer Biomet Finance Srl, Zimmer Biomet Finance US Holding Inc., Zimmer Biomet Finland Oy, Zimmer Biomet France Holdings SAS, Zimmer Biomet France SAS, Zimmer Biomet GK, Zimmer Biomet Global Holdings Switzerland GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Hellas SA, Zimmer Biomet Ireland Limited, Zimmer Biomet Italia Srl, Zimmer Biomet Korea Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Nederland B.V., Zimmer Biomet New Zealand Company, Zimmer Biomet Norway AS, Zimmer Biomet OUS Holdings AG, Zimmer Biomet Polska Sp. z.o.o, Zimmer Biomet Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Zimmer Biomet Pty. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Romania S.R.L., Zimmer Biomet South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Zimmer Biomet Spain S.L., Zimmer Biomet Spine Inc., Zimmer Biomet Sweden AB, Zimmer Biomet Taiwan Co. Ltd., Zimmer Biomet UK Ltd., Zimmer Biomet US 2 Holding Inc., Zimmer CBT I Holding Inc., Zimmer CBT II Holding Inc., Zimmer CEP USA Holding Co., Zimmer CEP USA Inc., Zimmer CIS Ltd., Zimmer CV Inc., Zimmer Caribe LLC, Zimmer Cayman Islands Holding Co. Ltd., Zimmer Co-op Holdings LLC, Zimmer Colombia SAS, Zimmer Czech sro, Zimmer Dental (Shanghai) Medical Device Co. Ltd., Zimmer Dental Chile Spa, Zimmer Dental GmbH, Zimmer Dental Inc., Zimmer Dental Italy Srl, Zimmer Dental Ltd., Zimmer Dental SAS, Zimmer Finance Ireland, Zimmer France Manufacturing Sarl, Zimmer Germany Holdings GmbH, Zimmer GmbH, Zimmer GmbH Euro IP Branch (branch), Zimmer GmbH Winterthur Branch (branch), Zimmer Gulf FZ LLC, Zimmer Inc., Zimmer India Private Ltd., Zimmer International Logistics GmbH, Zimmer Investments LLC, Zimmer Knee Creations Inc., Zimmer Luxembourg II Sarl, Zimmer Luxembourg Sarl, Zimmer Manufacturing B.V., Zimmer Manufacturing B.V. (branch), Zimmer Medical Malaysia SDN BHD, Zimmer Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., Zimmer Orthobiologics Inc., Zimmer Orthopedics Manufacturing Limited, Zimmer Production Inc., Zimmer Pte. Ltd., Zimmer Slovakia sro, Zimmer Southeast Florida LLC, Zimmer Spine Next Inc., Zimmer Spine SAS, Zimmer Surgical, Zimmer Surgical Inc., Zimmer Surgical SA, Zimmer Switzerland Holdings LLC, Zimmer Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH, Zimmer Tibbi Cihazlar Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, Zimmer Trabecular Metal Technology Inc., Zimmer Trustee Ltd., Zimmer UK Limited, Zimmer US Inc., and Zimmer do Brasil Comercio Ltda.. Rod Blum and Donald Trump on Thursday, in Iowa, with Georgia Van Gundy of the Iowa Business Council. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images If theres one congressional district where it might actually make sense to succumb to the very 2018 temptation to draw grand conclusions about what every last development means for The Age of Donald Trump, it may be Iowas First. The districts centrality to the national political discussion was clear as early as 2016, when industrial parts of the northeastern Iowa district like the Dubuque area, which the president visited Thursday abandoned their reliable Democratic hue to flip to Trump. Its position as a potent symbol was even more obvious when it became clear that the midterm race there would pit second-term Republican Rod Blum against Abby Finkenauer, an embodiment of multiple national trends working in Democrats favor: a 29-year-old local legislator with her own student loans and a union emphasis reminiscent of Conor Lambs. The race is a toss-up according to the Cook Political Report, making Blum a conservative former software-company exec who won his district from a Democrat in 2014, in a faint precursor to another right-wing businessmans surprise win there two years later one of the most vulnerable lawmakers in the country. But now, with the arrival of a massive midwestern backlash to Trumps tariffs, the districts national resonance is blaringly obvious. Trumps visit functions, in part, as a rescue mission for Blum, a national Republican operative working on the race acknowledged to me. Highlighting a new round of funding for flood protection in Cedar Rapids, which was devastated in 2008, helps Blum demonstrate exactly what hes doing. But the depth and urgency of the GOPs potential problems in districts like this one become clear when you consider that Mike Pence was in Iowas First just two weeks ago. Its exceedingly rare for both a president and vice-president to feel the need to visit a district in such close succession, so far out from Election Day. While Iowans are often hesitant to ditch incumbents as Republicans are quick to point out the area is hardly traditional red territory. Trump was the first Republican presidential nominee to take Dubuque County since Dwight Eisenhower, and while GOP grandees in the area have been hoping this is a permanent switch, some local Democrats believe it was actually more of an antiHillary Clinton blip: There was a notable dip in youth turnout and a jump in third-party candidates share of the vote. Trump won more votes than Mitt Romney did in the area four years earlier, but Clinton won far fewer than Barack Obama did. Accordingly, Finkenauers campaign has leaned hard into the kind of gritty, bootstraps message about standing with blue-collar workers that Democrats think they can use to beat Trump across the Midwest. In one online ad (titled Tough), she walks through what looks like an abandoned warehouse before the camera cuts to a closeup of a welder soon revealed to be her father wringing sweat out of his belt, all over a rock beat. Trumps visit comes at a precarious time for his relationship with midwestern states hell need to keep in the GOP column in order to maintain power over the next two years, let alone the next six. A new set of NBC News polls this week showed his approval rating dipping below 40 percent in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. The question many Republicans there are asking themselves now is whether they can stop the bleeding before the backlash to Trumps tariff-heavy trade war proves overwhelming. Iowa industry is hurting across the state: The biggest employer in Iowa County (in the Second Congressional District) is Whirlpool, which experienced its worst stock dip in over 30 years this week. Yet its farmers often considered the backbone of Iowas economy who have taken some of the hardest hits. Soybean prices have plunged, as have those of corn and pork. Blums constituents have noticed. Some of these rural communities are starting to wonder, Wheres all the benefit [we were promised] coming from? They voted for Trump, and now futures markets are down. Theyre really starting to feel it, said Bret Nilles, the Democratic Party chair in Linn County, in the First District. Even Republican senator Chuck Grassley has had sterner words than usual for Trump in recent days, as the administration looks to remedy the farmers plight with a new targeted aid package. I dont fault the President for trying to get a better deal for Americans, but its not fair to expect farmers to bear the brunt of retaliation for the entire country in the meantime. Ive had several White House meetings with President Trump to express my concerns in strong terms, he said in a statement this week. The Presidents announcement of billions of dollars in aid that will be made available to struggling farmers later this year is encouraging for the short term. What farmers in Iowa and throughout rural America need in the long term are markets and opportunity, not government handouts. There are few states that loom larger for Trump than Iowa, which helped propel him toward both the Republican nomination and then the presidency. And if hes in pain in the states industrial northeast near Dubuque, the area so closely associated with his national rise, that hurt likely doesnt stop at the districts border. With progressives eager to take advantage, the day after Trump leaves town, Democrats 2020 carnival is touching down. Montana governor Steve Bullock, a potential presidential contender, will visit to raise money for the state Houses Democrats, an official familiar with the plan told New York. Trump had a ton of counties in the district that is, Blums district that flipped from Obama. And they know the importance of that, said Sam Roecker, a Democratic strategist in the state. They know that they have a vulnerability here, whether its in this cycle or its down the road, looking at reelection. It was time for me to get an apron. Photo: Courtesy of the retailer For a long time I abstained from aprons. Probably because, growing up, my moms apron was a flimsy printed strip of fabric that barely covered her torso and seemed more like a kitschy accessory than a truly utilitarian item. Then when Food Network came around I noted that Ina Garten did not wear an apron. Aprons felt unnecessary and outdated too matronly and housewifey for me, a modern woman who can break down whole chickens and shares cooking duties with her husband. But after sacrificing a bunch of beloved T-shirts to oil splatters and then later being rushed to the hospital for a knife cut on my thumb in some very unsightly old sweats Id set aside as cooking clothes, I realized that maybe it was time for an apron. I started my search for an effective but stylish apron on whats become my new Food Network: Bon Appetits YouTube channel. Googling What apron do Bon Appetit editors wear led me to this story about their favorite Japanese-style cross-back apron which my mom would like to note is not a true Japanese mamasan-style apron because it lacks sleeves and after some additional poking around I found this cotton-linen-blend version on Amazon, bought the gray one, and I love it. The cross-back design makes it easy to throw on over whatever Im wearing, and its so comfortable and natural-feeling that Ill often forget to take it off to eat meals. (One time this happened and my husband and I sat down to eat dinner and watch The Handmaids Tale, at which point he noticed that my apron bears a striking resemblance to the ones the Marthas wear.) BBYBBS Cotton Linen Japanese Style Apron $40 now 50% off $20 Beyond the sheer convenience of slipping it on, the smock shape offers ample coverage from splatters and spills. The side pockets feel much more natural to me than the kangaroo-style front pouch found on other versions. And, in addition to being easy to wash, its actually kind of stylish. I once wore my gray apron over a black turtleneck and jeans to cook dinner for friends; I felt less dutiful housewife and more cool ceramics teacher. Or at least cool Martha. $20 at Amazon Buy $20 at Amazon Buy JFC International Seasoning Furikake $2 Along with my Japanese-style apron, I am a lifelong devotee to Japanese sprinkles, or furikake (pronounced foo-ree-kah-keh, not fury cake), as I wrote a while back. Also: They were so effective at getting my brother and me to eat whatever was put in front of us that later I brought a jar with me when I went babysitting, to get those kids to eat their dinners. $2 at Walmart Buy Kikkoman Memmi Noodle Soup Base $3 Instead of making a whole Japanese soup base from scratch, the women in my family simply keep a bottle of this stuff around. You dilute it with water according to how youre eating your noodles (less water for a dipping sauce for cold noodles in the summer; more water to make a soup for hot noodles). $3 at Walmart Buy get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. Since the seal of biliteracy was introduced in California earlier this decade, its popularity has surged across the country, with nearly every state scrambling to offer special recognition for high school graduates who demonstrate fluency in two or more languages. Just six years later, students in 43 states and the District of Columbia can earn statewide or district-level recognition noting their skills in more than one language. Heading into the 2018-19 school year, just six mostly rural states with small populations of English-learnersIdaho, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyominghave yet to be swept up in the movement. But that number will soon shrink to four. North Dakota Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said the state will offer the seal of biliteracy to Class of 2019 graduates. In Wyoming, the Jackson-based Teton County school district plans to honor its next class of graduates as well, a spokeswoman said. Among the remaining states, there are efforts afoot to find a way to honor multilingual graduates, but things may not be easy. If you look at California, they have a strong bilingual culture. South Dakota doesnt have that dynamic, said Ann Smith, the curriculum director for the Sioux Falls, S.D., schools. Smith has a point. Affluent Parents Drive Demand for Biliteracy In California, the birthplace of the biliteracy seal, nearly 47,000 high school graduates earned the recognition in 2017. The total could top 50,000 for the class of 2018, state department of education officials estimate. Across the nation, about 10 percent of K-12 students are classified as English-learners. In the states that dont currently offer the seal of biliteracy, the latest federal data show that less than 5 percent of students in those places are English-learners. Interest in the seal of biliteracy has flourished in states with large English-learners populations, such as California, and struggled to take off in states with smaller populations. Overall, 32 states and the District of Columbia affix the seal to diplomas or transcripts as official proof that students can speak, read, and write in more than one language. In another 11 states, local school districts have established their own seals. Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia, states with smaller-than-average percentages of English-learners, are among those with no statewide seal. Most states with local-only or no biliteracy seals at all tend to have smaller state-level English-learner and foreign language departments. People who work in similar departments in other states have been essential to advocating for the statewide recognition. They dont have the resources on the state level. That tends to be the challenge, said Arthur Chou, the founder of sealofbiliteracy.org , a site that tracks seal of biliteracy developments across the country. But everybody is getting behind this, Chou said. Nobody wants to be the last one. Various hurdles exist for the remaining states. In South Dakota, there hasnt been a great deal of demand, said Smith, the Sioux Falls schools curriculum director. Parents from South Dakotas only public language-immersion schoolSonia Sotomayor Elementary School in Sioux Fallshope to change that. Building Political Support for Bilingual Skills While the seal of biliteracy was originally introduced to promote educational equity for English-language learners, the honor has become a sought-after accolade for native English speakers proficient in another language and the Sioux Falls parents want a piece of the action. Even if our state doesnt adopt it, wed like to be able to include it on [our diplomas], Smith said. The parents see it opening opportunities for their children. In Idaho, a statewide advisory committee could tackle the issue this fall. With a growing English-learner and migrant student population, educators there want to find a way to motivate students to maintain their heritage languages and become proficient in English, said Christina Nava, the director of Idahos English-learner and migrant education program. Were a state thats supportive, Nava said. But with competing priorities, everybody has something that they want the legislature to hear and so timing would be our biggest obstable. In neighborhing Montana, the state education department has no plans for a seal of biliteracy, but the states foreign language teachers do. The Montana Association for Language Teachers, MALT, wants to launch pilot programs in districts across the state, but expect to face some opposition, said Megan Hambrick, a French teacher at Bozeman High School in Bozeman. I could see in some of the smaller, more rural conservative areas where it could be a problem, Hambrick said. From talking to people who have launched the seal of biliteracy in some more conservative states, they have to approach it in a way thats less about students and more about industry and how this is going to help economically, Hambrick said. In California, where its not as conservative, they really focus on honoring speakers of Spanish and other languages. You really have to just read your audience in terms of who youre trying to convince. The Mississippi Foreign Language Association hopes to mount a similar campaign in the Magnolia state, but the discussions have just begun, said group president Edgar Serrano, a Spanish instructor at the University of Mississippi. Well do everything possible to get this seal, Serrano said. A spokeswoman said the Mississippi education department said the state is currently researching the idea before deciding its next steps. Related Reading More States and Districts Embrace Biliteracy California Aims to Make Even More Students Multilingual Catching Up on Statewide Efforts to Promote Bilingualism Schools Are Ill-Prepared to Educate Superdiverse English-Learners Image Credit: sealofbiliteracy.org Before tech neck, there was sewing spine. Photo: JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images Between staring at monitors and hunching over cell phones, most modern office workers end up with some poor posture. The characteristic desk-jockey pose shoulders hunched forward, neck jutting out like a turtle causes muscle and joint pain, has been linked to migraines and bad digestion, and isnt going away. Posture is a worsening problem, says Jan Lefkowitz, a chiropractor at New Yorks Body in Balance Chiropractic. I have noticed that younger people are getting much more back pain and neck pain than they used to, and I feel its from the fact that screen time starts at a much earlier age than it did for older generations. Assuming you cant change the hours you spend at your desk every day, we decided to look into other methods for feeling better. Small breaks are an obvious start, but combining them with desk accessories, pillows, and exercise equipment designed to improve your posture while youre stuck sitting can have a huge effect on aches and pains. Below, three experts share their recommendations for posture-saving products for home and the office. Varidesk Height-Adjustable Standing Desk $395 $395 Sitting for prolonged periods of time in front of a computer can cause significant upper-back and neck pain, says chiropractor David Perna of Back & Body Medical. Fortunately, there are ways to make your desk setup more ergonomic. Perna says, A standing position often puts less stress on the lower back and helps a person achieve a more upright position. For adding more standing time to your day, Lefkowitz likes the Varidesk that easily switches between sitting and standing heights. $395 at Amazon Buy $395 at Newegg Buy AmazonBasics Adjustable Monitor Stand $22 now 14% off $19 Both chiropractors recommend using monitor risers while youre sitting down. When I talk to people about proper ergonomics, the first thing I ask them is what is the height of their computer screen, says Perna. Typically, I want to hear the top of the screen is two inches above their eye level. Most office workers screens are too low, which leads to neck strain. An adjustable riser lets you find that just-right height. $19 at Amazon Buy $19 at Amazon Buy 3M Monitor Mount Document Clip $13 now 15% off $11 If your job requires you to look up and down between your screen and papers on your desk, Lefkowitz recommends a monitor document clip to reduce head and eye movements when working on your computer. Keeping everything at eye level cuts down on posture-disrupting motions. $11 at Amazon Buy $12 at Walmart Buy Econo High Innovative Compact Portable Footrest $44 For those of us with shorter legs, sitting all day is even more detrimental. If your legs dont quite reach the ground comfortably when you sit, it can worsen posture and cause back pain, says Lefkowitz. Potasznik agrees that its important to have something to allow your feet to rest comfortably on the floor, like this portable, foldable footrest. With a sliding panel for adjustable surface area, it can also be made small enough to fit in tight spaces like under an airplane seat. $44 at Amazon Buy $44 at Amazon Buy OPTP Pro-Roller Standard Density Foam Roller $52 Foam rollers arent just for massaging sore muscles. Lefkowitz says, A foam roller can be your best friend for fixing posture. He recommends laying the foam roller down perpendicular to your body and rolling out your back. Think of what your middle and upper back look like when you slouch and you are essentially doing the opposite with this stretch, he says. If youre used to a very rigid roller, try one like this thats a bit softer and will be more comfortable in this position. $52 at Amazon Buy $52 at Amazon Buy The NeckPillow by Tempur-Pedic $117 In addition to relieving neck and back pain, a pillow that encourages proper spinal alignment positively affects your posture during the day. A heavier-density pillow like the one Tempur-Pedic can help a person relearn proper head and neck position while they sleep, Perna says. Keep in mind, though, that because the pillow stretches muscles that may be tight in those with poor posture, it may take a few nights to adjust to sleeping with it. $117 at Amazon Buy From $90 at Bed Bath & Beyond Buy Chiroflow Pillow $65 For a customized sleeping experience, the firmness of this water-filled pillow can be adjusted by adding or removing water. The pillow uses technology thats been clinically proven to reduce pain and improve sleep quality, and is Lefkowitzs pick for supporting the neck while sleeping. The water will provide support and naturally fill in the space of your neck curve, he says. $65 at Amazon Buy $65 at Amazon Buy Upright Go Posture Trainer and Corrector $78 While there are lots of braces and posture correctors on the market to wear on the go, the chiropractors we spoke with dont recommend relying on one. Forcing your body to have good posture by wearing a brace can lead to more muscle weakness as you become dependent on it, says Lefkowitz. A techy alternative, the Upright Go is a small sensor worn on the back linked to an app that will alert you when you need to adjust your position, and tracks your posture throughout the day, wherever you are. Perna says the device is preferable to a brace because it creates active use to achieve the results, actually making the person improve themselves. $78 at Amazon Buy $100 at Best Buy Buy get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best womens jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. This anthology comes out once a year, and I look forward to it with the same fervor that, as a child of the Dark Ages, I once looked forward to the one night a year when The Wizard of Oz would come on TV. Its the best way I know of to find your new favorite authors; you read the stories, find your five or six favorites, read the little essays in the back about how they came to be written, read the bios of the authors, and then run out to buy their books or wait for their debuts. Each year has a different flavor thanks to the guest editors, so if youre bored its your own fault. Once, in my early 20s, I was heading out the door to the emergency room with an asthma attack, and I grabbed up the 2001 volume. While I waited to be seen, I read guest editor Barbara Kingsolvers introduction to that years stories. It might have had something to do with the lack of oxygen, but I swear to God that introduction taught me how to write. A study conducted by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that genetically-modified food items such as edible oil, packaged food snacks and even infant food are widely available in the country. The advocacy and research group found that 32% of the 65 items they randomly picked for the study showed positive under the genetically modified category. The researchers found that most of these items were imported from countries like the US, UAE, Canada, the Netherlands and Thailand. Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General of CSE, said every second imported product tested for genetic modification was from the developed nations. Nine out of those 10 products were from the US, he added. In fact, out of the 65 samples, 35 were imported, while 30 were locally produced. Bhushan also added that reputed firms fared worse with 80% of those items showing positive for genetic modification. CSE said that these products were some type of GM crops including soya, cotton seed, canola or corn. Some of these products with GM ingredients were found not to have declared so on the labels. Additionally, there were also products that declared themselves GM positive but did not have the requisite government approval. (Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya) Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi who is absconding from the country to duck officials investigating the Rs 13,400 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam has found shelter in the Caribbean nation of Antigua. In fact, Choksi has said that his desire to expand his business and roam freely around the globe motivated him to apply for the citizenship of Antigua & Barbuda. Choksi got the citizenship in November 2017, even before the PNB scam was unearthed. The Antiguan citizenship allows its citizens visa-free access to 132 nations. However, Mehul Choksi should not be overconfident about his Antiguan citizenship. There are many clauses in the Antiguan citizenship application that India can use to get Choksi's citizenship cancelled. Choksi had applied for the passport under the Citizenship-by-Investment Program. The program was launched in 2013 and offers three types of investment as part of "significant economic contribution to the country". The first is to make a contribution to the National Development Fund, the second is investment in previously approved real estate projects, and the third is to invest in a business approved by the government. But, there are also situations in which the applicants are ineligible, and it should worry Choksi. The guidelines for the program clearly specify that the subject of a criminal investigation will be ineligible, among other points. Not only is Mehul Choksi the subject of a criminal investigation, he is one of the subjects of the biggest banking scam in India.The Enforcement Directorate (ED) that filed the chargesheet in the PNB scam stated that Mehul Choksi was the mastermind of the scam. "He designed the entire scheme of fraud and the movement of the money under the garb of import and export," they stated. Additionally, the CBI, too, has filed a chargesheet against the diamantaire. The Directorate has also invoked the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance against Choksi and nephew Nirav Modi. The guidelines furthermore mention that any applicant providing false information on his or her application will be ineligible. It is also mentioned that deprivation of citizenship will occur where "registration as a citizen was obtained by false representation or fraud or wilful concealment of material facts". In a letter through his attorney, Choksi said, "During the course of my application I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved." Meanwhile, in Antigua, politicians are not buying it. His citizenship has created quite a furore in the Caribbean country. The Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne told a local newspaper in 2017 that there was no negative information on Choksi. But now, opposition parties are demanding answers from PM Browne, with some even saying that the Caribbean country has become "a haven for fraudsters, money launderers and the like." Additionally, 28 Indians have applied for citizenship in Antigua since 2014. Seven requests for citizenship were received in the period between January 1 and June 30, 2017. The Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) 6-monthly report of CIU reveals that India constitutes 2.50% of the 1,121 foreign nationals' applications for citizenship since the inception of the program. The report also reveals that, out of the seven applications, three Indian applications were processed simultaneously on June 21, 2017, with investments of $2,00,000 each. Whether these applications belong to the Choksi family remains unclear. There are also 42 Bangladeshi nationals, along with 28 Pakistani and 478 Chinese nationals who sought citizenship in the country. (Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya) Sebi last month had issued a showcause notice to Kochhar for alleged violation of disclosure requirements under securities law. Mumbai: Under the scrutiny of multiple agencies for alleged lapses in corporate governance, ICICI Bank has now come under the lens of US market regulator SEC. The Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) queries centre on ICICIs dealings with certain borrowers under CEO Chanda Kochhar, Bloomberg reported quoting people familiar with the matter. The report further said SEC has asked whether there had been misrepresentations in the banks accounting. ICICI Bank has American Depository Receipts (ADRs) traded in the US. Kochhar, who faces serious charges of quid pro quo in dealings with Videocon Group, has gone on leave. The bank has appointed Justice BN Srikrishna, a retired Supreme Court judge, to head an independent enquiry into allegations raised by a whistleblower against Kochhar. The private lender had given Rs 3,250 crore loans to Videocon whose chairman Venugopal Dhoot co-founded a separate firm, NuPower Renewables, with Deepak Kocchar, husband of ICICI Banks CEO. There was some possible quid pro quo in the grant of loans, a letter by the whistleblower had alleged. The loans are now non-performing asset on banks books. A whistleblower has twice floated allegations against Kochhar for allegedly bestowing undue favours on Essar Groups Ruia brothers for round-tripping investments into her husband Deepaks NuPower Group. All parties named in the whistleblowers second letter to the prime minister have denied the allegations as baseless and malicious. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) last month had issued a showcause notice to Kochhar for alleged violation of disclosure requirements under securities law. According to Sebi, Kochhar didnt adhere to the code of conduct, which required the disclosure of any conflict of interest in the case involving Videocon Group and NuPower Renewables. ICICI Bank had said in 2012 a consortium of over 20 banks and FIs sanctioned facilities to the Videocon Group (Videocon Industries and 12 of its subsidiaries/associates as co-obligors) for a debt consolidation. Rajnish Kumar has urged the Department of Telecom to revise its decision of revoking the licences of debt-laden telecom firms Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom. Mumbai: The chairman of State Bank of India, which is India's largest lender, Rajnish Kumar, has urged the Department of Telecom to revise its decision of revoking the licences of debt-laden telecom firms Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom. The Anil Ambani-owned company RCom had recently approached the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the government's showcause notice on spectrum and licence cancellation, as per report from PTI. State Bank of India is in the confederation of lenders to RCom, being the lead lender to the debt-ridden company, SBI is inspecting the possibilities of providing bank guarantees to an extent of Rs 774 crore to RCom on accredition from other creditors, as per report from Economic Times. In a letter, written by SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar to telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan, he stated, "We request DoT to reconsider the decision to initiate coercive action including the revocation of spectrum allocation of the above companies which will help lenders in recovering the debts owed by Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom Ltd." As per the letter, dated 23rd July, "In the meantime, the lenders including are engaging with the companies to examine the possibility of reissue/extending the bank guarantees subject to, of course, all due internal approvals of respective banks." Kumar further added, We may submit that any such action will seriously jeopardise the efforts of the secured lenders to recover their dues. As per State Bank of India, the accounts of Relaince Communications and Reliance Telecom has become non-performing assets in its book, and SBI with the consent of other lenders has kick started the debt resolution process and asset monetisation plans against RCom for the recovery of outstanding dues. (With Inputs from Agencies) Tamil Nadu state government ordered a permanent closure of the plant in May. New Delhi: Indias decision to shut down Vedanta Resources biggest copper smelter over environment concerns has hit 350 companies that buy its products and led to over 3,000 layoffs, a top company executive said. The Tamil Nadu state government ordered a permanent closure of the plant in May following protests over alleged environmental violations that turned violent and culminated in the police opening fire on protesters, killing 13 of them. The smelter, located in the port city of Thoothukudi in south India, is operated by Sterlite Copper, a unit of London-listed Vedanta controlled by Anil Agarwal. Residents and activists say the smelter is polluting their air and water. Sterlite Chief Executive P Ramnath said the shutdown, which the company has challenged in court, has led to a shortage of copper and scores of companies in and around Tamil Nadu that depended on supplies, are folding up or scaling back operations. Some of them have shut down Coimbatore motor manufacturers have shut down, some tube manufacturers have shut down, Ramnath told Reuters in an interview, without naming any of the companies. Coimbatore is an industrial centre in Tamil Nadu state. A top state government official did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. D Jayakumar, a state minister who has previously spoken on behalf of the government, did not respond to calls seeking comment. Jayakumar told Reuters last month that the closure would not impact investments. Vedanta says the Thoothukudi smelter, which has a capacity of 400,000 tonnes, accounted for 36 per cent of Indias demand and directly employed around 5,000 people. The company planned to retain all the employees on its rolls as it fights for lifting of the ban on operations. But the company has had to let go over 3,000 people who were on contract, Ramnath said. He said the shutdown was forced on the company without proper procedures. A top district official told Reuters last month after a reported acid leak that the state government was taking all precautions to ensure safety. Vedanta is importing copper cathodes and supplying it to some domestic consumers to maintain its relationship with some customers, Ramnath said. The copper crisis in India comes at a time when globally, copper prices have fallen due to stability in production despite disruptions all over the world. Three-month copper on the LME has fallen by over 13 per cent since the beginning of the year over fears of a trade war between the United States and China. All contracts to import copper ore are on hold due to the shutdown, said Ramnath, adding that BHP Billiton Ltd and Freeport Mcmoran are among its major suppliers. BHP and Freeport declined to comment. All contracts related to supply of copper concentrate are on force majeure. Most of the copper suppliers are in Chile, Indonesia and Australia, Ramnath said. Vedanta Ltd has said that it is working with regulatory authorities to fast-track restart of operations at its copper plant in Tuticorin. New Delhi: Vedanta Ltd has said that it is working with regulatory authorities to fast-track restart of operations at its copper plant in Tuticorin. The Tamil Nadu government had in May ordered permanent closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in the state after 13 people among protesters, demanding its shutdown on environmental concerns, were killed in police firing. "At Tuticorin, our copper smelting operations were shut at the end of March, initially for scheduled maintenance activities. The shutdown has since been extended as the company's annual renewal of its consent to operate was rejected by the Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board, pending additional clarifications," Vedanta said in its Annual Report 2017-18. The company, it said, is working with the relevant regulatory authorities to expedite the restart of the operations of the plant. On its acquisition of Electrosteel Steels, the company said: "We see favourable market dynamics for steel in India, and together with integration efficiencies with our iron ore business in Jharkhand, this acquisition is value-accretive for Vedanta." The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier this month sought response from the state government and the State Pollution Control Board on a plea moved by the metals and mining giant challenging the order to permanently close the Sterlite copper plant. In April, the Tamil Nadu pollution control board rejected Sterlite's plea to renew the Consent To Operate, saying the company did not comply with the stipulated conditions, following which the government issued a permanent closure order on May 28. The cancellation of land allotment for the proposed expansion of the Sterlite Copper plant had come a day after the government ordered the state Pollution Control Board to "seal and permanently close" the unit. The sector would attract an investment of USD 14 billion over the next 2-3 years. New Delhi: The foreign direct investment (FDI) in the food processing sector rose 24 per cent in 2017-18 to USD 904.9 million, according to an official data. FDI inflow into the sector stood at USD 727.22 million during 2016-17 financial year. The sector attracted FDI worth USD 505.88 million and USD 515.86 million in 2015-16 and 2014-15 respectively, the data showed. The government had in July last approved American e-commerce major Amazon's proposed USD 500 million investment in retailing of food products in India. At present, 100 per cent FDI in food processing sector is allowed through automatic route. In 2016, the Centre allowed 100 per cent FDI through approval route for retail trading, including through e-commerce, in respect of food products manufactured and produced in India. Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had in February this year said FDI in the sector could touch USD 1 billion in 2017-18. The sector would attract an investment of USD 14 billion over the next 2-3 years as committed by the domestic and foreign investors during the world food summit, she had said. The World Food India 2017, organised by the ministry, attracted participation from 61 countries, 60 Global CEOs and more than 200 global companies. Iran is offering to insure oil cargoes to India after some local insurers stopped providing the service in the face of impending US sanctions, industry sources said, a move that would help Tehran continue supplying its second biggest oil client. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Iran is offering to insure oil cargoes to India after some local insurers stopped providing the service in the face of impending US sanctions, industry sources said, a move that would help Tehran continue supplying its second biggest oil client. Most refiners in Asia, Irans key market for oil sales, are gradually reducing the amount of oil they take from the OPEC member as they want to maintain access to the US financial system when the sanctions kick in. Tehran recently insured oil cargoes to India in tankers operated by National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) as the threat of sanctions hits the supply of both ships and insurance for transportation, said the sources. Indias top refiner Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and the second biggest state refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp have started lifting Iranian oil in NITC-owned vessels with the cargoes covered by Iranian insurance, sources said. IOC, which planned to buy as much as 1,80,000 bpd of oil from Iran in 2018/2019, last week lifted oil in Very Large Crude Carrier Devon after United India Insurance refused to provide cover for the shipment, an industry source said. The source said IOC is seeking to buy August cargoes from Tehran on similar terms, with Iran responsible for the delivery to Indian ports. A source at United India Insurance confirmed the company has stopped providing insurance cover for Iranian cargoes. State-run insurers rely on reinsurance from Indias General Insurance Co (GIC), which in turn depends on companies in both Europe and the US to hedge its risk. European and US reinsurers dominate the global market and are increasingly wary of the risk of breaching sanctions. Right now the situation is very strict. (US and European) reinsurers are not giving any cover for Iran related activities, said a source at GIC. United India Insurance did not respond to Reuters telephone calls seeking comment. IOC, BPCL and GIC did not respond to Reuters emails seeking comments. A third source said Tehrans Bimeh Iran is providing insurance for oil cargoes while NITC has its third party liability insurance and pollution cover from the International Group of P&I Club. Fears of losing insurance cover led to Hindustan Petroleum Corp cancelling its oil shipment in early July. The US in May withdrew from an international nuclear deal with Iran and said it would reimpose sanctions, some of which will take effect on Aug 6 and the rest, notably in the petroleum sector, on Nov 4. Iran had hoped to sell more than 5,00,000 bpd of oil to India, its top client after China, during the current fiscal year that started in April, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said in February. Mumbai: Actor Priyanka Chopra has thanked an online magazine for including her in its list of the 500 most influential people, saying it encourages her to tell important stories. Popular magazine Variety had recently unveiled its list of influential people and apart from Priyanka, it also featured the names of Indian celebrities such as Karan Johar, Salman Khan and Ekta Kapoor among others. Also read: Ali Abbas Zafar confirms Priyanka Chopras marriage made her quit Bharat The 36-year-old actor took to Instagram to express her happiness over being included in the list and shared the credit with her team. "Big thanks to @variety for including me in your #Variety500 for the second year in a row! What makes this one extra special is the little name right above mine... @purplepebblepictures," the actor wrote. Big thanks to @Variety for including me in your #Variety500 for the 2nd year in a row! What makes this one extra special is the little name right above mine...@PurplePebblePic. Stories are at the heart of everything we do, regardless of genre or language..https://t.co/zyoiCGH1gm pic.twitter.com/E05rjyJHib PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) July 26, 2018 "Stories are at the heart of everything we do, regardless of genre or language, and it's a wonderful feeling to know we're on the right path. This would not be possible without my team, and most importantly, my incredible partner and co-founder, @madhumalati. Feels like miles to go, but truly grateful for every step we take," she added. Priyanka currently has two Bollywood projects in her kitty -- Ali Abbas Zafar's "Bharat" with Salman Khan and "The Sky Is Pink" with Farhan Akhtar. On her first visit to Hyderabad, Mithila Palkar recalls that she was just 12 when she first decided to be an actor, and that nobody took her seriously. Why would anyone take a 12-year-olds career choice seriously? Everyone just laughed it off and I ran away from it too. But it found me. It was meant to be, says Mithila. Talking about how her acting journey began, she adds, Post my graduation, I really thought that acting was something I wanted to do. I simply took a chance and started auditioning and I loved it. Mithila reveals that she had to deal with the initial hurdles from her familys side. My parents were always fine with it, but I live with my grandparents in Mumbai and belong to a middle-class Marathi family. They dont say Actor ban na hai? Haan ban jao, she shares, adding, My grandfather was wary of me being a part of the industry for various reasons, ranging from the fact that we didnt know anybody; it was an unconventional career choice, and because he felt that I needed somebody to guide me. Admitting that he was truly worried about her, Mithila says with a smile, Eventually, he came around and how. Today, he shows off the most about me being an actor! The actress' next project Karwaan is her second tryst with Bollywood. I went through the usual process of auditions and waiting, etc. Its not like somebody gave me the script and said what do you think, says the young star. Tanya is a 19-year-old girl, who is feisty, practical and unapologetic. She has a take it or leave it attitude, says Mithila about her upcoming role, adding that she was intimidated by her co-stars. It was intimidating to work with Irrfan Khan and Dulquer Salmaan. Not because they made me feel intimidated, but more out of respect and awe; they are both extremely gifted artistes. I never went to an acting school, so for me, it was like a walking school of acting. Mithila is currently enjoying the best phase of her career with the third season of Girl in the City streaming, Karwaan up for release next month, and the news of her web series Little Things being acquired by Netflix. This is the time most people crave takeout food. (Photo: Pexels) Between the hours of 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. is when people across the globe crave takeout food like Chinese or pizza, a new study has found. For the study, Researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland studied Google searches from the UK, US, India, Australia and Canada, the Daily Mail reported. They particularly looked at searchers in September 2016 and March 2017 and tried to find commonalities. The team believes our ancestors maybe the reason for this behaviour and have termed it "modern foraging". "Successful foraging behaviour has been favoured by natural selection, which shaped innate, species-specific decision rules that maximize energy gain," researchers are quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "Here, we propose that information seeking behaviour (ISB) for food-associated search terms via Internet is a novel, human-specific appetitive behaviour that reflects food-related motivation," they further explained. Researchers also found no evidence that this pattern was driven by cultural differences. Instead, the findings suggest it may be due to our bodies natural circadian rhythm. The study's findings were originally published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Tonights lunar eclipse is expected to be one of the longest seen this century, at roughly one hour and 43 minutes. Tonight, a 'blood moon' is set to light up the night sky, but some people believe it could actually bring about the end of the world. The lunar eclipse, which mostly occurs twice a year is the result of the passing in the shadow of the Earth. When the light refracts differently in the atmosphere and hits the moon, it makes the lunar body seem red. During a total eclipse, the entire moon is in shadow and it appears 'blood red'. Tonights lunar eclipse is expected to be one of the longest seen this century, at roughly one hour and 43 minutes. Despite its purely scientific origins, the blood moon is thought by many to be a mystical sign of doom. Here are some of the most prominent theories. Biblical prophecy: Some people believe that the blood moon relates to hidden messages in the bible describing the end of the world. The theory was first poplarised by ministers John Hagee and Mark Biltz in 2014, suggesting that the ongoing 'tetrad' - four consecutive lunary eclipses, is the indicator of the end of earth as described in the Bible in Acts 2:20 and Revelation 6:12. The theory is interpreted from the Book of Joel, which says: "The sun will turn into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes." A similar passage from the Book of Revelations reads, And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. Horoscopes: According to astrology experts, eclipses can bring extra insights into people's lives. This week's blood moon is set to bring "clarity about knowing what your heart wants, especially when it comes to friendships", explained professional astronomer Donna Page on Women's Health as appearing in The Sun. She predicts that the blood moon will make people re-evaluate the feelings people have about different friendships in their lives. And if you're a Leo or Aquarius, you'll feel the greatest impact of the blood moon, while Tauruses and Scorpios can also expect some heightened insight, says Page. Native American legend: According to the myth told by the Hupa, a Native American tribe from northern California, the moon has 20 wives and lots of pets, explains E. C. Krupp, astronomer and director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Most of these pets were mountain lions and snakes and when the moon didn't provide them with enough food, they attacked their master, making it bleed. The eclipse would only be brought to an end when the moon's wives came to its aid, collecting its blood and bringing it back to health, so the legend goes. South American myth: The Incas believed that the blood moon was the result of an attack by a mythical jaguar which ate the moon, with the resulting carnage explaining the red hue. The feared that the Jaguar would then fall to Earth to devour people. In order to prevent such an attack, they would shout and shake their spears at the moon and also beat their dogs to make them bark and howl. African myth: Contrary to fears of ending the world, the Batammaliba people in Togo and Benin believe that the eclipse is the result of the sun and moon fighting, while the people encourage them to stop. The police said the accused first met the girl in a park where she was sitting with her classmate. Bengaluru: A 32-year-old mobile phone shop owner, who allegedly kidnapped and raped a 17-year-old girl by posing as a cop, was arrested by the Yelahanka New Town police on Thursday. The accused has been identified as Vishwa alias Vishwanath, a resident of Yelahanka New Town. According to police, Vishwa runs a mobile shop near New Town shopping complex. On July 23 he allegedly forced a girl into his car and drove to an isolated place and then to his room, where he allegedly raped her. The police said the accused first met the girl in a park where she was sitting with her classmate. Introducing himself as a policeman from crime branch, Vishwa warned the boy and the girl against sitting together in the park as they were minor. He threatened to book a criminal case if they continued to roam around together. Vishwa took the address and phone numbers of both boy and the girl and left the spot. Later he allegedly called the girl many times on her mobile phone and tried to befriend her. On July 23 when the girl was returning home from the college, Vishwa, who was allegedly tracking her movements, approached her and expressed his wish to talk to her regarding something important. When the girl refused to talk to him, an enraged Vishwa forced her into his car and drove to an isolated place. As the girl had realised Vishwas intention, she screamed for help, but Vishwa allegedly threatened to kill her by pointing a gun-like lighter on her temple. He then drove his car to his room where he allegedly raped her. The girl, however, did nt tell about the incident to anyone until Thursday when she approached the police and filed a complaint. Based on the complaint, the police who booked the accused under POCSO Act and arrested him. He was later produced before a court. The cows were found dead at a cowshed in the Chhawla area in Dwarka, the Delhi Police said. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) New Delhi: Thirty-six cows were found dead at a cowshed in the Chhawla area in Dwarka, the Delhi Police said. The police were informed about the deaths of the cows at around 12:30 pm on Friday. The cowshed has 1,400 cows and it is suspected that the 36 cows died due to "some disease", they said. Police said, "Team of veterinary doctor are conducting enquiry into cause of death. They'll also conduct postmortem of all the dead cows. Once their report is submitted, further legal action will be taken." Delhi government has ordered an enquiry into the incident and sought a report within 24 hours. Meanwhile, a worker at the cowshed said, "Water motor hasn't been working for past two days. No one listens to us. We try to do our best but no doctor is available for the cows." Its Imran Khans turn in the barrel 27 July, 2018 By Asif Haroon Raja Related News Govt finalises draft of national security policy: Nisar Govt okays targeted action in Karachi Related Articles Horde of Enemies surrounding Pakistan By By Asif Haroon Raja Dirty role of International NGOs in Pakistan By By Asif Haroon Raja Related Speakout More on this View All Govt determined to transform Pakistan into truly democratic society: Rasheed Govt finalises draft of national security policy: Nisar Govt okays targeted action in Karachi Karachi violence: 10 more killed Int'l aid can help Pakistan be anchor of stability: FoDP Pakistan's existence not jeopardised at all: FM Qureshi Pakistani state is not going to collapse, says Zardari Related News Poll Are you in support of amending the law to raise the strength of the Supreme Court to 27 from 17? The voters went to the allocated polling stations early in the morning of July 25 to take part in the 13th general elections. The voting started at 8 a.m. amidst sea of doubts, skepticism, hopes and high emotions. 85000 polling stations had been established all over the country and elaborate arrangements were made by the caretakers to ensure free and fair elections. For the first time, the Army spared 350,000 troops to ensure security and transparent elections. Extraordinary preparations had become essential in the wake of disturbed security situation, extreme political polarization, intense PML-N and PTI rivalry, and formers anti-judiciary cum Establishment narrative. Till the winding up of polling process at 6 pm, there were no complaints of rigging or mismanagement heard from any quarter. Over 55% voters polled their votes. Results of counting of votes of each candidate started appearing on TV screens from 7 pm onward. All went well till midnight after which all except PTI started complaining about poll rigging. President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif (SS) flanked by Mushahid Hussain, Maryam Aurangzeb and Musadiq Malik held a hurried press conference at 11 pm. They complained of lack of transparency and widespread irregularities in elections. They alleged that at certain polling stations, Returning Officers refused to hand over Form-45 containing official results to their polling agents. Allegedly, they were maltreated and forcibly shunted out while counting of votes was going on. They alleged that results of their winning candidates were purposely withheld. Describing the elections as the worst ever held in the history of Pakistan, Shahbaz rejected the results. Rana Sanaullah termed the elections as electoral terrorism. Similar complaints were aired by PPP, MQM-P, PSP, MMA, BNP, JUI-F and TLP. Future stance of PML- N was to be announced on the following day after consultation with other grieving parties. ECP Secretary Babar Yaqub vainly tried to cool down the tempers of the complainants. He admitted that failure of transmission system procured from abroad caused the delay in transmitting results. Another excuse given was that some polling agents had themselves left the rooms once they learnt that their candidates were losing. Earlier on, before and during the election campaign, Nawaz Sharif (NS) and his daughter Maryam kept the political temperature high by blaming the judiciary, NAB and the Establishment of pre-poll rigging and systematic demolition of PML-N aimed at giving a free run to PTI to win the elections. It was alleged that selective accountability, manipulation and coercion impelled 61 MNAs belonging to the ruling party to desert. They further alleged that BAP, PSP, GDA, and Jeep were the creations of Establishment to castrate PML-N. After his disqualification by a 5-member Supreme Court Bench on July 28, 2017, NS was unseated from his seat of party head and then sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in a corruption reference by trial court concerning purchase of Avenfield apartments in London. Maryam was also awarded 7-year sentence and both are in Adiala jail. Several leading lights of PML-N were disqualified or punished by Election Commission (EC), judiciary and NAB. Over 16000 party workers were arrested in Lahore, and NAB has remained mainly focused on Punjab including Shahbaz. Guns of media also remained trained toward PML-N till last May. All these acts gave reasons to the leaders of PML-N to crib that a willful plan had been unleashed to emasculate the party. In their view, election-day rigging surpassed pre-poll rigging. While the EC had promised to provide details of election results by 2 a.m. on the morning of 26 July, till 3 a.m. not a single result came out. Undue delay further heightened their anxieties. Counting process continued throughout the day and 95% results were announced by media channels during the night of 26th July. Some results are still trickling in. PTI is well ahead and has won the race with 122 National Assembly seats, followed by PML-N with 63 seats, PPP with 43 seats. Independents won 18 seats, while tally of MMA is 13 seats. MQM-P got 6, PML-Q got 4, GDA 4, PML-Q 3, JUI-F one, PFP one, MQM-H one, AML one, and TLP one, BNP-A one, and BAP one seat. At the provincial level, in Sindh, PPP is in the lead with 75 seats followed by PTI with 22 seats, GDA 14, MQM-P 14 seats, PML-N 4, TLP 3 seats, MMA 3 seat, and MQM-H one. In KP, PTI with 57 seats in its bag will easily form a govt. MMA got 7 seats, ANP 5 seats, PML-N 4, PPP 4, QWP 1, TLP one and independents 5. In Baluchistan, BAP got 14 seats, MMA 10 seats and BNP 9 seats. Toughest contest was in Punjab where PML-N secured 131 seats followed by PTI acquiring 124 seats. Several heavy weights such as SS, Khaqan Abbasi, Ch Nisar, Yusaf Raza Gilani, Asfand Wali, Bilour, Shahi Sayed, Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar, Saad Rafique, Amir Muqam, Yasmin Rashid, Ashiq Firdous, Talal, Danyal, Abid Sher Ali, Ch Tariq, Jamshed Dasti, Tehmina Daultana were put out of the race. Most closely fought contests were between Khwaja Asif and Dar, and Imran Khan (IK) versus Saad Rafique. IK made history by contesting from five constituencies and winning all. Well done to the runner up PML-N, and heartiest congratulations to the winning party PTI. IKs 22-year political struggle and his dream of becoming the PM of Pakistan has at last been fulfilled. Thanks to the Caretakers and the Chief Justice for standing up to their pledges to hold timely and fair elections despite the pessimism of the naysayers. Hats off to the security forces, particularly the Army for undertaking this thankless job. Five soldiers performing election duties were martyred yesterday. People showered petals and presented flower bouquets to the men on duty to express their affections. It was nice to see security officials helping the aged. TV channels did their job of reporting and keeping the viewers updated about the polling process and ups and downs in the unfolding election results throughout the night and even now proficiently. Surprisingly, Indian TV channels were equally enthusiastic in giving details of the vote count and also painting IK in poor light. The voters also deserve accolades for going to the polling stations to cast their votes in spite of hot and humid weather, security threats and waiting for their turn in long queues for hours. At some places, process of voting was slow. Few unfortunate incidents of terrorism, particularly in Quetta and lawlessness were deplorable but those incidents didnt mar the enthusiasm of voters. An assessment NSs policy of defiance against the Establishment and the judiciary, his effort to promote his development agenda and to garner sympathy vote failed to earn victory for PML-N. IKs slogan of corruption by the PML-N and PPP leaders, his pledge to bring back the looted money stashed in foreign banks and to make New Pakistan appealed to the senses of the people and he emerged victorious. Surprisingly, most top electables of PML-N tumbled while the PTIs electables including the defectors won. IKs charisma worked and so did the magic spell of Peerni. Despite the unceremonious ouster of NS, judicial activism poised against PML-N and mass desertions, PML-N was somehow confident to win in the Centre as well as in Punjab because of its 5-year performance. Had it restricted its tirade against the PTI, judiciary and NAB, and avoided censuring the Army, it could have avoided cooking its goose. People didnt like criticism of army, which is held in their highest esteem due to sacrifices rendered in the war on terror. SSs policy of conciliation as opposed to offensive posture of NS and Maryam, and his inability to arrange a rousing reception for NS at Lahore airport on July 13th smothered the flare-up of protests by the Leaguers, thereby putting no pressure on the caretakers to relent and grant concessions. He did little to bolster the simmering sympathy wave among the people of Punjab when NS and Maryam were interned. That is why he lost on all his seats. Malicious propaganda campaign launched by PML-N media cell and international media, coupled with Gulalai and Reham Khans character assassination drive against IK to dishonor him failed to lessen his popularity. Spectacular results achieved by PTI catapulted the party from 3rd position in 2013 to leading party and stunned its opponents and also took the PTI by surprise. Results cast aside the widely held prophesy of the analysts of a hung parliament. PTI is in a position to form federal govt by mustering support of the independents and smaller parties; KP govt without the crutches of others; a coalition govt in Punjab, and lead a strong opposition in Sindh. PTI emerged as the leading winning party in KP where it was generally opined that MMA, PML-N and ANP will give a tough fight and might form a govt. It is for the first time that people reposed trust confidence in one party for the second time consecutively. PTI is close to securing two-thirds majority (86 seats) with the help of 16 women reserved seats. If so, it will be first time in KP. PML-N that had retained its unassailable hold over Lahore fortress was for the first time breached by four contestants of PTI. Rest of 10 seats were retained by PML-N. Although PML-N has a narrow edge over PTI in Punjab, the PTI can form a govt with the help of independents, PML-Q, AML, and BAP. PTI ended the winning streaks of MQM in their strongholds in Karachi and emerged as the 2nd largest party in Sindh, but it failed to trounce the monopoly of PPP over Sindh, a setback in the July 25 outcome. PPP is in strong position to form a govt in Sindh at its own, but will have to face tough opposition led by PTI as well as the accountability of NAB which is likely to enter Sindh soon. Baluchistan is the only province where no mainstream party won any seat. BAP created in March this year over which PPP and PTI has influence, has made deep inroads in the province. Some are wondering whether PTI will reciprocate PML-Ns generosity it had shown in 2013 to let PTI form a coalition govt in KP by letting PML-N form Punjab govt or otherwise. PTI has decided to form a govt in Punjab to ensure better governance of the country. It has now been learnt that despite his serious reservations and complaints, turning down the advice of his hawks, SS after consulting his core committee, has shown grace, magnanimity and maturity by letting PTI govern in Punjab. PML-N has decided to sit in opposition. Commenting over the elections results, the jailed NS lamented that PTIs victory was engineered and PML-Ns victory was stolen. Hoax of much publicized Jeep symbol given to the independents led by Ch Nisar and supported by the army stands punctured. Nisar lost from all his constituencies. Likewise the bogeys of PSP and GDA drummed up as Establishment backed to cut PPP to size also fizzled out. PPP with 43 National Assembly seats has assumed the position of a kingmaker and is in good position to help PTI to form governments in the Centre and Punjab, or PML-N in Punjab, but PTI is least likely to muster its support. Opportunist Independents are in great demand of PTI and PML-N, but in case the latter pulls out of Punjab, independents would lose their power to extract rewards. After the prolonged black rule of MQM during which Karachi had plunged into darkness and Karachites suffered from acute insecurity, the port city saw the people voting freely for the first time and breaking the myth of terrorism. Making his victory speech at his residence in Bani Gala after winning elections, IK showed his large heartedness by saying he will not indulge in political victimization. IK highlighted his future course of action. Unlike his rash and aggressive posturing, he appeared calm and composed and talked maturely. He renewed his pledges to make Pakistan a welfare state, set aside culture of ostentation and adopt austerity, start process of accountability from himself and his ministers, safeguard taxpayers money, promote culture of tax, strengthen anti-corruption systems, reinvigorate the slumping economy, spend more on human development and on poverty alleviation, accord preference to the deprived class and uplift their fortunes. He pledged to improve governance system and introduce a system never seen before. He intends to convert PM House, Governor Houses and State guest houses in Murree into public facilities. He spelled out his foreign policy by highlighting continued closeness with China, learning from Chinas experience in taking 70 crore people out of poverty and dealing with menace of corruption. He expressed his keenness to restore peace in Afghanistan and to open the border, maintain best of relations with Iran and Saudi Arabia, and play a conciliatory role to end differences among Middle East countries. He desired two-way friendly relations with India and resolution of core dispute of Kashmir through dialogue. He also stressed on maintaining balanced and mutually beneficial relations with USA. In the end, he talked of allegations of rigging made by political parties. He welcomed a probe and assured his full cooperation. This reconciliatory bluster was aimed at soothing the rising tempers of his political opponents and to prevent PML-N from resorting to sit-in. While his policy assertions are well meaning, what he must not forget is that that he has housed large numbers of turncoats who have joined PTI in search of greener pastures. Old habits dont die. With turncoats and the types of Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan around him, one wonders how he will implement the desired austerity and make Pakistan corruption free. I reckon, Aleem Khan is tipped as CM Punjab. With regard to the contours of his foreign policy, I see it similar to the one pursued by the last regime or the previous ones. Big question is, will he be able to bring a change in rigid stance of India and Afghanistan, and remove the mistrust of USA, and above all, adopt a pro-active policy? His mention of open border with Afghanistan has raised many eyebrows. Already he was under severe criticism on account of his secret parleys with infamous Manzoor Pashteen and seat adjustments with him. After 70 years, Pakistan decided to fence the western border which is being done by the army at a heavy financial and human cost. Any reversal in this process will have serious implications. After NS, its now IKs turn in the barrel. Let us see how he conducts himself and behaves under duress and takes timely and sanguine decisions. But for the irregularities on part of the EC, elections were by and large fair and transparent. What is undesirable is the resentful mood of the opposition parties particularly the JUI-F that are trying to make the elections controversial and are bracing to start agitations. Maulana Fazlur Rehman has called an All Parties conference on 27th July. Hopefully, PML-N will not adopt disruptive politics to settle scores with PTI. Given the grave economic situation and troublesome security situation, resort to politics of agitation is least desirable, although some are of the view that PTI should be paid in the same coin. I wish IK and his party ocean of luck and pray that he lives up to his promises, rid Pakistan of its multiple ailments, make Pakistan prosperous and self-reliant, and restore the dignity of the nation. The writer is a retired Brig Gen, war veteran, defence analyst, columnist, author of five books, Vice Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, director Measac Research Centre. asifharoonraja@gmail.com BJP MLA B Sriramulu today retracted his statement, saying he never supported division of the state. (Photo: File) Bengaluru: Hours after backing those demanding separate statehood for North Karnataka leaving his party embarrassed, BJP MLA B Sriramulu today retracted his statement, saying he never supported division of the state. Much to the state BJP leadership's embarrassment, Sriramulu told reporters earlier that he would support those who gave a bandh call on August 2 demanding separate statehood for the region. "We will not keep quiet if injustice is meted out to North Karnataka. We the MLAs from North Karnataka are holding discussions. Just wait and watch, what we will do next. Like separate Telangana, this (movement) will also become a big 'revolution'. The coalition government has ignored North Karnataka. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is practising the politics of partiality," Sriramulu said at Ballari. As the party disapproved of his stand, he retracted, saying he actually meant that it was unfortunate that demand for separate statehood to north Karnataka has been made. "It is unfortunate that the struggle for separate statehood has begun due to the step-motherly attitude of the coalition government," Sriramulu said in a statement. He said present day Karnataka was unified due to the sacrifices of people like Chennabasappa, Haraginadoni Sanna Basavanagouda and Ramzan Saab from Ballari. "It is far from truth that I, the one who belongs to the same district (Ballari), would support a separate state. I have huge respect for unified Karnataka. Without discriminating between east, west, north and south, I believe in one Karnataka." The coalition government should also respect undivided Karnataka by giving due preference to North Karnataka, Sriramulu said in his statement. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had earlier flayed those demanding separate statehood, saying such a demand will not lead to any solution. Party MP Shobha Karandlaje too dismissed the demand for separate statehood. 'I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition,' BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh Hari Om Pandey said. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Faizabad: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MP Hari Om Pandey sparked a fresh controversy after stating that the cases of heinous crimes such as rape and murder are rapidly increasing due to the growing Muslim population in India. The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar also asserted that soon a new nation like Pakistan will be carved out from India if the government fails to curb the rising Muslim population in the coming days. "The menaces such as of terrorism, rape, sexual harassment prevailing in India is only because of the rising Muslim populations. If one looks closely, there is a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslim population since the time of Independence," said Pandey. #WATCH: Muslims marry 3-4 times & have 9-10 kids, they don't get any education& end up unemployed,it will obviously lead to anarchy.Their population is increasing rapidly,they are demanding Sharia now then later they will demand new Pakistan: Hari Om Pandey,BJP, Ambedkar Nagar MP pic.twitter.com/WW1Zi4LpvX ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 27, 2018 He also added that the increased population will result in unemployment and stagnant economic growth which in-turn will bring anarchy in India. Pandey was of the view that a bill pertaining to the matter should soon be introduced in the Parliament and the necessary measures should be taken at the earliest for curbing population growth. "I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition," he said. Deputy CM O Panneerselvam along with other ministers met DMKs MK Stalin to inquire about DMK chief M Karunanidhis health at his residence in Chennai. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Chennai: An AIADMK delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday called on ailing DMK president M Karunanidhi at his residence here. "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments," a bulletin issued by Kauvery Hospital Executive Director Dr Aravindan Selvaraj earlier said. Panneerselvam along with other ministers visited the DMK chief's residence. Panneerselvam's cabinet colleague D Jayakumar said it was political decency for the ruling party to visit Karunanidhi's residence, adding that a DMK delegation visited the Apollo hospitals here when former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was undergoing treatment in 2016. The AIADMK delegation, which included ministers S P Velumani and P Thangamani, held discussions with Karunanidhi's son and working president M K Stalin. Senior DMK leaders, including Duraimurugan and T R Baalu, were also present during the meeting. In a letter to party workers, Karunanidhi's son and DMK working president M K Stalin said, "Let us celebrate the golden jubilee of our leader assuming office as party chief." "Our beloved" leader shouldered the responsibility of heading the party as its president on July 27, 1969 after the death of DMK founder-leader C N Annadurai, Stalin said. Hailing Karunanidhi for his 'tireless' work in steering the party for half a century, he listed the welfare initiatives launched by his father during his five terms as chief minister. Karunanidhi worked "without any respite" all his life, Stalin said, adding that "time has given some rest," a reference to his age-related health issues. The party was confident that "time and medical science," will fulfil the party workers' yearning to hear his 'magnetic' voice again, he said. DMK will celebrate the event by distributing sweets and distributing welfare assistance, a party leader here said. The 94-year-old leader is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. The 94-year-old leader is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. (Photo: File) Chennai: The Gopalapuram residence of ailing DMK party chief, M Karunanidhi, has been witnessing a steady stream of visitors since Thursday evening. The 94-year-old leader is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. Meanwhile, DMK working president and Karunanidhi's son, M K Stalin, told that the veteran leader is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to wish the DMK patriarch a speedy recovery. Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 Earlier, a bulletin issued by Kauvery Hospital Executive Director Dr Aravindan Selvaraj on Thursday said, "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments." Apart from Stalin, Karunanidhi's son - expelled DMK leader M K Alagiri also visited the residence on Friday morning. His daughter, M Kanimozhi, will be flying in from Delhi and is expected to reach Chennai soon. The AIADMK delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam along with cabinet colleague D Jayakumar paid a visit on Thursday evening. Karunanidhi completed 50 years as party chief today and the DMK had planned to celebrate it by distributing sweets and welfare assistance. Bengaluru: The killer duo, who had assassinated the noted Kannada scholar - Prof. M.M. Kalburgi has reportedly been identified by the police close to three years after he was shot dead inside his house in Dharwad on August 30, 2015. The accused number two in the Gauri Lankesh murder case - Sujeet Kumar alias Praveen alias Manjunath alias Sujeet S. R. (37) from Udupi had reportedly shot at the late Prof. Kalburgi and accused number eight in the Gauri case - Ganesh Miskin (27) from Hubbali - had allegedly ferried Praveen on the motorcycle on that fateful day in August, said top sources, who didn't wish to be named. "Miskin, who was reportedly riding the bike, had stopped it outside Prof Kalburgi's house and Praveen had gone inside the house pretending to be Prof Kalburgi's student. He shot him in point blank and the duo sped away on the motorcycle," the source added. Two years later Miskin was allegedly hired again to play the same role in the Gauri murder case. This time he reportedly ferried Parshuram Waghmore - Gauri's alleged shooter from Sindagi - on the evening of September 5, 2017, when he reportedly fired four rounds of bullets at Gauri outside her house in Rajarajsehwari Nagar. Three of those bullets had claimed her life," added the source. Praveen is currently in judicial custody in the Gauri murder case. Miskin and Amit Baddi - the ninth accused in the same case were remanded in police custody for 14 days on July 23 by the Third ACMM court. According to SIT, Miskin and Baddi have reportedly destroyed the key evidence - the firearm and the motorcycle. The Forensic Science Laboratory, Madiwala had last year examined the four bullets and cartridges in the Gauri case and the two bullets and cartridges in Kalburgi case and had submitted in their report that all the six bullets were fired from the same 7.65mm country made pistol. The FSL ballistic report was submitted to the court by the SIT along with the first chargesheet against accused number one - K.T. Naveen Kumar, who was arrested in March. Praveen originally hails from Kappanahalli, Shikaripur in Shivamogga district. He is a bachelor and lived in a rented house in Udupi. According to the SIT, he has been a right wing hardliner since 2000 and had allegedly 'recruited' Naveen for a global Hindu conclave in Goa in June 2017. The Kalburgi murder case is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department. 'I did not want to take security cover. Personally, I have never received any threat. I came to know about it from the police department,' Damodar Mauzo said. (Photo: Facebook Screengrab) Panaji: The Goa Police has provided security cover to eminent writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner Damodar Mauzo following intelligence inputs from the special investigation team probing the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh in Karnataka about a threat to his life, a senior official said on Friday. "Security (cover) was provided to the writer after we received intelligence inputs about a threat to his life. The cover will continue till a further review of the threat perception," the official attached to the state police's security branch told news agency PTI. He, however, refused to divulge further details. When contacted, 73-year-old Mauzo confirmed the development. "I did not want to take security cover. Personally, I have never received any threat. I came to know about it from the police department," he said. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar also told the state Legislative Assembly that Mauzo had been provided police protection following intelligence inputs about a threat to his life. Parrikar was responding to a question from Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco in this regard. "I had received a message from the Union Home ministry that some names had emerged during the interrogation of suspects in Gauri Lankesh murder case," Parrikar told the House. "I have acted immediately. I told police to provide protection to Mauzo and protection has been given," he informed the Assembly. Mauzo, known for his progressive writing in Konkani, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel "Karmelin" in 1983. He played an important role in the 1967 opinion poll, a referendum on whether or not Goa should merge with neighbouring Maharashtra. He was also part of a movement which demanded that Konkani be made the official language of Goa. The co-founder and co-curator of the Goa Art and Literary Festival, an annual event that started here in 2010, Mauzo has written several novels and is a regular contributor to newspaper columns. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. (Photo: Twitter | @MEAIndia) Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27 held bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. The two leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially in trade, investment, energy, defence and tourism, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet later. The Modi-Putin meeting got over at midnight local time, he said. During their meeting in Sochi in May, India and Russia elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. Chennai: National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) president Debjani Ghosh said that the IT industry will create two lakh jobs in the current financial year (2018-19). Among them, one lakh new jobs are going to be created, she added. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of HR summit here on Thursday she said, The IT companies have to invest to leverage the huge opportunity in the digital transformation. Internet of Things is one of the most important areas where new jobs are going to be created. Cyber security would also provide new employment opportunities. Generally, there are concerns about the automation of software delivery service which would cut down many young engineers their jobs. As per the Nasscom's forecast of jobs, there would be nearly one lakh jobs less in IT services industry compared to the previous year. Terming the discussion on H1B visa 'political rhetoric', Ghosh said, The discussions are not translating into legislative action. So, we are watching it very closely. We are not taking anything for granted. During 2014-16 period, the number of visas issued has gone down by 43 per cent. Indian companies are taking only around 12 per cent of H-1B visas, which is a small number. President Trump has now come out with a document on skilling IT workforce and Indian IT companies in the US are one of the biggest investors in the pipeline of STEM skills, she noted. The NASSCOM has worked with Niti Aayog for coming out National IT strategy. Now, it is also planned to work with states and started the conversations. There is a huge shortage of manpower in emerging areas, says Adobe Vice-President Abdul Jaleel Stating that IT product companies continue to recruit graduates in good numbers, Adobe Systems India vice-president (employee experience) Abdul Jaleel said, There is a huge shortage of manpower in emerging areas such as machine learning and cloud computing. Many jobs in the IT industry is changing after the introduction of automation. We don't hire graduates for testing and quality assurance anymore as they were fully automated, he told this paper on the sidelines of NASSCOM's HR summit here. Graduates with analytical skills and creative thinking can come and be part of any of our engineering team. The creative arena is the future, he said. Adobe Systems India has become one of the first companies to achieve gender pay parity. It basically ensured that we have a fundamental baseline, to begin with, while hiring people. The offer given based on the previous compensation was one of the main reasons for the pay parity between men and women. So, we stopped that, he said. If someone comes with similar kind of background, skill, experience, he or she must get same regardless of his or her company and the background the person is coming from, he added. Adobe is investing very heavily with regards to reskilling their employees or engineers. We are truly learning organisation and that's probably the only difference between the companies that succeed and the companies that get left behind, he said. Sharing a picture of Hanan selling fish in her college uniform on his Facebook page, Vijayan said he was proud of the student and the government was with her. (Photo: Facebook) Thiruvananthapuram: A day after she was bullied by some people on social media, the Kerala government on Friday came out in support of a college student who sold fish to raise money for her studies and to take care of her family. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed police to initiate action against those who launched the abusive propaganda on social media platforms against 21-year old Hanan whose story went viral after a Malayalam daily reported about her struggles. He also asked the Ernakulam district collector to provide adequate protection to Hanan, who sold fish in a local market at Thammanam in the city after college hours. A final year B.Sc (Chemistry) student at a private college in Thodupuzha, Hanan's touching story was widely shared on social media by several people, including film artistes and politicians. Also Read: Kerala student bullied for selling fish after college, minister slams trolls But, a section of social media users expressed doubts about her story and termed it as "fake", after which she was viciously trolled. Coming down heavily on the cyber bullying, the chief minister said everyone should keep in mind that many propaganda on social media platforms were "double-edged swords". "People should be more cautious while using social media. It is improper to circulate anything which they get through cyber platforms. This will only help push the society towards further danger," he said in a Facebook post. Sharing a picture of Hanan selling fish in her college uniform on his Facebook page, Vijayan said he was proud of the student and the government was with her. He also wanted the entire state to support the woman. "Hanan has not only tried to find resources for her studies but also to support her family by doing various jobs. Feeling proud of her after coming to know about her life's experiences. Extending whole-hearted support to Hanan to go forward", Vijayan added. Marxist veteran V S Achutanandan also supported the woman, hailing from Thrissur, and demanded action against those behind the cyber attack. Kerala Women's Commission chairperson M C Josephine termed the social media abuse as "cyber goonadisam" and said police had been directed to register a case in this regard. Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam had also come out in support of the student on Thursday and wrote on social media, "Kerala sharks stop attacking #Hanan. I'm ashamed. Here is a girl trying to put together a shattered life. You vultures!" Meanwhile, Hanan said she was thankful for the government's support. She said she would like to continue with the fish business to look after her family and studies. With the abusive comments pouring in on social media, a teary-eyed Hanan had yesterday appealed to her critics with folded hands to leave her alone. "I do not want any help. Kindly leave me alone and allow me to do any kind of menial jobs to earn my daily bread," she said. However, Hanan's college principal and neighbours had come out in her support and said she was not lying about her background. Principal of Al Azhar college at Thodupuzha, S G Pillai, said though financial support was pouring in for her from various quarters, she had rejected it. He also deplored the "unjustified" and "insane" attack on Hanan on the social media. Film director, Arun Gopi, who had offered to give Hanan a role in his upcoming film, said it was unfortunate that she was being attacked by people who claimed that she was selling fish as part of promotion of his film. "I had commended her work. She is an inspiration to today's youngsters," he said. Hearing Hanan's story, Gopi had offered her a role in his forthcoming movie starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal's son Pranav. The meeting was helmed by Priyanka Gandhi, Congress' main strategist for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The countrys burgeoning young voters is on the Congress mind as it mulls its manifesto for the 2019 general elections. The Print reports that in a meeting on July 13, top leaders briefly discussed a proposal to exempt those under 35 from the tax net if it was voted to power. The meeting was helmed by Priyanka Gandhi, the partys main strategist for the next polls. Data today shows that two-thirds of the countrys population is below 35 and that 15 million new voters will stamp the ballot in 2019. Congress leaders feel this move will appeal to young voters who are crucial to elections next year. This initiative will encourage entrepreneurship, thereby creating new jobs. Though nothing concrete has been decided so far, the matter was briefly discussed in the meeting, sources told The Print. The Congress continues with its efforts to galvanise the middle class behind it as it had done in 2014. It had promised jobs for the youth within 100 days of coming to power. The Congress hopes to prepare its manifesto well ahead of time, and will crowd-source ideas across the nation, the report said. It added that the job has been handed to Sam Pitroda, chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. Pitroda had also worked on the Karnataka and Gujarat manifestos of the party. Abid Sher Ali-Khawaja Saad Rafique challenged election results FAISALABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Abid Sher Ali has challenged the election result in NA-108 where he lost to Pakistan Tehreek i Insafs (PTI) candidate. He told media men that he has submitted an application for recounting and has a hearing scheduled at 2:30 PM. Earlier yesterday, while speaking to reporters he also asserted that the election results were completely fraudulent and he along his party wont settle for such blatand rigging Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Khawaja Saad Rafique who was contesting against Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in NA-131 has challenged the results. Saad Rafique was defeated by a narrow margin of 680 votes. Imran Khan was able to bag 84,313 and Rafique was closely following behind with 83,633 votes. Rafique has filed an application addressing the presiding officer of NA-131 Muhammad Akhtar Bhangu, claiming that the officer did not count hundreds of votes and that he wants a recounting of all the votes in NA-131. He has also requested that until all the votes are recounted, no notification should be issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the winner of the constituency. 19-year-old Rita Mudi's climb to stardom started after the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving her an autograph as she was being treated at the hospital went viral. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Bankura: For this Bankura girl, who was among those injured after a portion of tent collapsed during a public meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in West Bengal's Midnapore, an autograph by the Prime Minister made her a celebrity in her Salgera village in Bankura's Ranibandh, 230 kms from Kolkata. The second year student of Bankura Christian College, Rita Mudi, has also received two marriage proposals in the last ten days. 19-year-old Rita Mudi's climb to stardom started after the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving her an autograph as she was being treated at the hospital went viral. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's autograph to Rita Mudi. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Talking to The Times of India (TOI) over the phone, Rita Mudi said that for the last 10 days her life has been hectic. She added, "That day at the hospital when the PM came to my bedside, I told him how happy I was to see him." On July 16, Rita along with her mother and sister travelled to Midnapore to hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak. They sat below the canopy that collapsed and were rushed to hospital. PM Modi later visited those injured and also spoke to Rita, among others. Elated Rita said, "I requested for an autograph. I saw him hesitate a bit. But I insisted. He then smiled and wrote, 'Rita Mudi tum sukhi raho (Stay well, Rita Mudi). Narendra Modi.' The paper was provided by a person who was standing next to him (PM Modi)." Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives autograph to Rita Mudi in hospital. (Photo: PTI) "We started having a stream of visitors, including people who would talk to us till the other day. We were recuperating but that didn't stop people from coming to see the autograph. The sudden attention was slightly disconcerting," Rita told TOI. "I think my photograph in social media and newspapers made me famous," she added. Rita's mother Sandhya said, "It isn't only visitors. In the last 10 days, we received two marriage proposals for Rita. The first was from Jharkhand's Tatanagar. They said the groom has his own business and they had no demands. They also invited us to visit their home first before we decide." "The second proposal was from Bankura, from Chatna. The groom owns agricultural land. Both my daughters (Rita's sister Anita has taken admission to a general undergraduate arts course in Bankura's Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith) want to study. So we didn't show much interest," Sandhya added. According to TOI, earlier, the family had received one marriage proposal for Rita but the groom had asked for Rs 1 lakh dowry. Rita's father Subhas Chandra Mudi, who tills his own land, didn't have the means to provide the dowry. Rita said, "Marriage will happen when my parents decide but I want to study now." Nawaz Sharif said that Khan's position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when last general elections were held. (Photo: File) Islamabad: In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been "stolen" and warned that the "tainted and dubious results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail on Thursday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N, expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported. He said his party candidates in these areas were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated candidates. Thursday was a meeting day for Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, who were imprisoned after they were convicted by an accountability court over the family's ownership of four luxury flats in London. A number of party leaders, who visited the jail, quoted Sharif as saying that the Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been made victorious in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite its previous government's bad performance in the province. Also Read: Imran Khan wins Pakistan elections, will need coalition to form govt Sharif said that Khan's position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when last general elections were held. He said the polls had been stolen and the "tainted and dubious results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics, the daily reported. PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Junaid Safdar (Maryam's son), Mahnoor Safdar and Meharun Nisa (daughters of Maryam), former federal minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi were among those who called on Sharif and his daughter. The personal physician of Sharif also visited him in the jail. The jail authorities, following the orders of the superintendent, brought Sharif, Maryam and Safdar from their cells to the conference hall where they met the visitors. Sharif and Shahbaz also held a one-on-one meeting lasting more than half an hour, later to be joined by Maryam, the daily said. During the meeting, post-elections scenario of the country was discussed, it said. The PML-N leaders said that no facilities were provided to Sharif in the jail as they met him in a room with no air conditioner while an air conditioner was running in the waiting room for the visitors, it said. The health of the former prime minister was not good, they said, adding that Sharif did not make any comment about his health but his condition was obvious from his physical appearance. Meanwhile, a team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which was to examine Sharif on Thursday, had to wait for over one hour and finally returned to the hospital as Sharif was meeting his family members. The team has been mandated to submit a report on whether Sharif should be shifted to hospital or not. A member of the team, requesting anonymity, said that during a visit on Wednesday, they had advised Sharif to get his ultrasound done but he postponed it to the next day. On Thursday we reached Adiala jail and requested the administration to allow us to examine Sharif and conduct his medical tests, he said. "However, we were told to wait as Sharif was meeting his family members. We waited for more than an hour and finally told the PIMS administration that we were not being allowed to examine him and returned after getting approval from the administration, he said. A senior doctor of PIMS, Dr Zulfiqar Ghouri, said the team would again be sent to Adiala jail today to examine Sharif. Mehul Choksi escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, allegedly involved in over USD 2 billion scam in Punjab National Bank, claims he had taken Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation provides visa-free travel to 132 countries, local media in Antigua reported. In a statement issued by his attorney David Dorsett on the diamantaire's behalf, Choksi said there was no truth in the allegations levelled by the Indian government, the Daily Observer, a newspaper in Antigua, reported. Choksi, who was allegedly the partner-in-crime of his nephew Nirav Modi in the banking fraud, refused to say anything further on the issue, on the advice of his lawyers. "I can, however, state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application, I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved," the statement published in the newspaper said. Also Read: Antigua govt to consider India's 'legitimate request' to send back Choksi Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua in November 2017, and oath of allegiance on January 15 this year, according to a local newspaper Antigua Observer. "My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa-free travel access to 130 or so countries," the statement said, adding that he was in the United States in January 2018 for medical treatment. "Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda," it read. After it emerged that Choksi had moved to the Caribbean country in July and also taken a local passport, the CBI wrote to Antiguan authorities seeking the whereabouts of the fugitive diamantaire. The CBI, in its communication sent to Antiguan authority, has cited diffusion notice issued by the Interpol against the fugitive businessman and sought details of his movement and his present location. The Antigua Government has indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Nirav Modi fled India in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with renewal of letters of undertaking, sources had said. Hyderabad: Registrar of Companies (RoC) officials on Friday carried out a site inspection at Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills and identified 47 companies belonging to the Navayuga group at the same address. The Visakhapatnam-headquartered group and its corporate office in Hyderabad with Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd (NECL) as its flagship company. A senior official from RoC-Hyderabad said, We noticed that all these 47 companies had the same address and completed physical verification. The site inspection is expected to continue as three more locations are under RoC radar. The group has over 100 firms, many of their boards have retired IAS and IPS officers, including some who opted for VRS. It has regional offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Patna and Bengaluru, Qatar and the UAE. The Vizag-headquartered group has its corporate office in Hyderabad and Navayuga Engineer-ing Company Ltd (NECL) is its flagship infrastructure company. The Navayuga group was in the news earlier when its chairman C. Visweswara Rao was questioned by the CBI in the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy disproportinate assets case in May 2012. That case involved Matrix Enport, owned by Mr Nimmagadda Prasad, selling huge stakes in Vanpic Ports Limited to the NECL without informing the state government and in violation of the initial MoU. A senior official from RoC-Hyderabad said, We noticed that all these 47 companies are with same address and have completed physical verification. We will report it to the finance ministry. The inspection is expe-cted to continue as three more locations are under the RoC radar. The RoC has served 13,607 notices to firms that were not complying with norms such as submitting annual reports, filing I-T and GST returns. So far this year, we have struck off 25,000 companies against 15,000 in 2017, the official said. In the Jagan Mohan Reddy assets case, the CBI had alleged that Mr Prasad had sold equity to Navayuga in 2011. It charged that the deviations in the concession agreement permitted a dilution of the Ras Al Khaima share to 26 per cent, facilitating the entry of Navayuga Engineering into the Vanpic Ports Limited. Navayuga had thus cornered 65 per cent of equity and got control of the twin ports project, the CBI alleged. Navayuga gained control over the project without going through the open competitive bidding process, it claimed. The government issued a notice to Vanpic Ports, asking why it had diluted the equity structure and taken Navayuga on board without permission. Hyderabad: Expressing anger at the Assembly membership of two Congress legislators not being restored, the Hyderabad High Court on Friday said that if necessary it would summon Assembly secretary Dr V. Narasimha Charyulu and law secretary V. Niranjan Rao and implead Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary in the contempt case. Justice B. Siva Sankara Rao was dealing with a contempt petition filed by expelled Congress MLAs Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and S.A. Sampath Kumar. Reminding that a similar situation had arisen in the S.R. Bommai case, the judge said the Supreme Court had justified the High Courts order in that case. The judge said that the Constitution was supreme and no one was above it. The legislature, executive and the judiciary have to abide by the Constitution. Justice Sankara Rao said the issuance of the notice to the Speaker would not be considered as a clash or confrontation between the judiciary and the legislature. Reminding that the High Court had suspended the resolution of the Assembly that expelled the petitioners, and a division bench had dismissed an appeal against the order of the single judge, the judge said despite these orders the non-restoration of the membership of the petitioners and not paying them salaries and not restoring their security cover amounted to the contempt of court. The judge said that there was prima facie contempt against the legislative secretary and law secretary and the court could serve notice under Form 1 of the Contempt of Courts Act. Counsel for the petitioners told the court that both the secretaries are aware of the High Court orders in the case. He said that every month the Assembly Secretariat forwards a list of members of the House to the Election Commission. When the judge asked whether the names of the petitioners were in the latest list, counsel replied in negative. The judge said it is a deliberate violation on the part of the respondents. Counsel said that the security cover of the petitioners was withdrawn by the government based on the notification of the Assembly, but it was not restored even after High Court had set it aside. When Justice Sankara Rao asked who counsel meant by government, he said it was the superintendents of police of Nalgonda and Gadwal. Asking how they dared to commit such a mistake, the judge said the SPs had committed contempt and the court would decide later whether they too had to be impleaded as respondents. The judge said it appeared that the police officials are were of the opinion that the Assembly secretarys notification was greater than the court order. When senior counsel Vedula Venkata Ramana, appearing for the Assembly secretary, tried to advance his arguement, the judge said that he would be heard after issuing Form 1 notice. Additional advocate-general J. Ramachandra Rao, appearing for the law secretary, submitted that the official had nothing to do with this issue. The judge said the law secretary was also a judicial officer and he had to explain the consequences of non-implementation of the court order to the government. Justice Sankara Rao said he would explain to the law secretary how his act fell under the contempt Act when he appears before the court and adjourned the case to August 3. Hyderabad: The BJP on Friday said that Hyderabad city had become a living hell under the TRS government. The party said development was seen only in computer graphics being released by the TRS government for the past four years but nothing had happened in reality. Addressing a press conference here, BJP MLAs G. Kishan Reddy, Ch. Ramachandra Reddy, N.V.S.S. Prabhakar and MLC N. Ramachandra Rao rubbished the municipal development report released by minister KT Rama Rao recently. The recent development report released by KTR is a bunch of lies. The TRS government did not bother to hold a single district review meeting of the city in four years. Earlier, DRC meetings used to be held regularly, in which solutions to various problems plaguing city were found. Worse still, the Chief Minister met city MLAs only twice in these four years. This shows the lack of sincerity and commitment of the TRS government towards the development of the city from which the state government extracts maximum revenue collection. Mr Kishan Reddy said. Mr Kishan Reddy recalled the statement given by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the Legislative Assembly soon after assuming office, when he said even a little rain in the city would inundate the CM camp office in Begumpet and Raj Bhavan. Mr Kishan Reddy asked, Is it not a fact that even a little rain in city inundates the CMs camp office and Raj Bhavan areas even after four years of TRS rule. Who will take the responsibility for this, KCR or KTR? Only tall claims and big announcements on the citys development from Pragathi Bhavan, nothing happens on the ground. Where are KCRs skyscrapers around Hussain Sagar and what about filling Hussain Sagar with pure drinking water? Mr Prabhakar asked why the TRS government was discriminating against Hyderabad by not implementing Mission Kakatiya to restore and beautify the lakes in the city while implementing the same in other districts. Is Hyderabad not part of Telangana? Why is the government not acting against lake encroachers? Why is the government not fencing all the lakes to check encroachments in future? While the CM confines himself to the camp office and his farm house, the ministers too have no time to discuss with city MLAs on the city's development. We wonder whom to approach to take up city issues. Mr Prabhakar said. Mr Ramchandra Rao said the pathetic drainage system, bad roads filled with potholes, frequent traffic jams, pollution and ill-maintained parks and public places had made life miserable for citizens in the city and it was high time the TRS government took concrete steps to improve the situation instead of making tall claims. Samsung said that it has created an 8GB LPDDR4X mobile DRAM package by combining four of the 10nm-class 16GB LPDDR4X DRAM chips. Samsung has announced that it has begun mass producing the industrys first 2nd-generation of 10-nanometer-class (1y-nm), LPDDR4X (Low Power, Double Data Rate, 4X) DRAM to improve the efficiency and lower the battery drain of todays premium smartphones and other mobile applications. Compared to the mobile DRAM memory chips most used in current flagship mobile devices (1x-nm 16GB LPDDR4X), the 2nd generation LPDDR4X DRAM features up to a 10 per cent power reduction while maintaining the same data rate of 4,266 megabits per second (Mb/s). Samsung will be expanding its premium DRAM lineup that is based on the 1y-nm process by more than 70 per cent. This initiative began with mass producing the first 10nm-class 8GB DDR4 server DRAM last November and continues with this 16GB LPDDR4X mobile memory chip only eight months later. Samsung said that it has created an 8GB LPDDR4X mobile DRAM package by combining four of the 10nm-class 16GB LPDDR4X DRAM chips (16GB=2GB). This four-channel package can realise a data rate of 34.1GB per second and its thickness has been reduced more than 20 per cent from the 1st-gen package, enabling OEMs to design slimmer yet more effective mobile devices. With its LPDDR4X advancements, Samsung will be rapidly expanding its share of mobile DRAM in the market by providing a variety of high-capacity products, including 4GB, 6GB and 8GB LPDDR4X packages. In line with its roll-out of 10nm-class LPDDR4X, Samsung has started operating a new DRAM production line in Pyeongtaek, Korea, to assure a stable supply of all mobile DRAM chips, in response to the increasing demand. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Gurbir Grewal, who was previously Bergen County Prosecutor, became the nation's first Sikh state attorney general after the state Senate approved his nomination this year. (Photo: ANI) New York: Two radio hosts in New Jersey, who called America's first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal "turban man" on air, have apologised for their racist remarks and have been slapped with a 10-day suspension for using "demeaning and inappropriate" language. Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the "Dennis and Judi Show" on NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewal's decision to suspend marjiuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they repeatedly called him the "turban man" on Thursday. In the remarks termed as "xenophobic and racist", Malloy had said he was never going to know Grewal's name and will instead just call him "guy with a turban". As the audio of their show went viral, the radio hosts drew widespread criticism for their remarks against the state's top law enforcement official. Malloy issued an apology on Franco's and his behalf in a video message. "On behalf of Judy and myself, I want to convey our very heartfelt apology to the state attorney general of New Jersey for the comments that came out on our show. He certainly deserves much more respect than that and importantly to the Sikh and South Asian community of New Jersey with which we've had a very strong and close relationship with over the past 20 years," Malloy said. The radio station announced that it had suspended the pair for 10 days, and they will not be on air until August 6. New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM president Ron deCastro said in a statement that the station took the comments "seriously" and echo the pair's sincere apology to Grewal and his family, as well as the Sikh and Asian communities. "Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken brand of humor, but in this case, the language used was clearly demeaning and inappropriate. New Jersey is a state that is rich in diversity, and our radio station has served as the people's voice for nearly 30 years," deCastro said. The station will use the incident as a "learning moment" to further a dialogue of inclusiveness for all residents of the state. Malloy said in a statement on the station's website that their show had been unscripted and free-form and they use humour and sarcasm to make a point and add colour to the broadcast. "In this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners," Malloy said. He said they cherished the relationship they have with the Sikh and South Again communities. "We feel very bad for any hurt that we may have caused or undue attention that they certainly didn't want or ask for," Malloy said. Hours after the radio hosts made the comments, Grewal, 44, posted on Twitter that he had faced such "indignity" before and called on people to end small-minded intolerance. "This is not the first indignity I've faced and it probably won't be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. On Thursday, all of New Jersey heard it. It's time to end small-minded intolerance," Grewal tweeted yesterday. Grewal, who was previously Bergen County Prosecutor, became the nation's first Sikh state attorney general after the state Senate approved his nomination this year. Grewal is born to Indian immigrant parents in Jersey City and was raised in the state's Hudson and Bergen counties. In a sharp response, Grewal later tweeted, "My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. I'm the 61st Attorney General of NJ. I'm a Sikh-American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio". Several top state government officials and advocacy groups rallied behind Grewal, extending their support and expressing outrage against the show's hosts for their remarks. Grewal thanked New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Senate President of New Jersey Steve Sweeney and US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker for their support. "You've got my back and the backs of all New Jerseyans. Others have faced far worse. We rise above this. Now let's get back to business," Grewal said. Murphy, who had appointed Grewal, had strongly condemned the language of the radio hosts, demanding action by the station. Twitter users too slammed the racist remarks saying there is no place for such language. Pyeongtaek: North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be US servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a US military plane making a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. The handover follows through on a promise North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Trump welcomed the repatriation and thanked Kim in a tweet. Read: North Korea to return war remains of US soldiers soon: reports The United Nations Command said 55 cases of remains were retrieved from North Korea. The White House earlier confirmed that a US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, a Northern coastal city, on its way to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there Wednesday. At the air base, US servicemen and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue UN flags. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. US Forces Korea commander Gen Vincent K Brooks, in a statement from the UN Command, called the retrieval mission successful. Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home. Following the honors ceremony on Wednesday, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. A series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if the remains are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Trump late Thursday tweeted the repatriation was occurring and said, After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of victory in the fatherland liberation war. Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearisation before Kim and Trump met in Singapore, their summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Koreas Defense Ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. The US military last month said that 100 wooden temporary transit cases built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. US Forces Korea spokesman Col Chad Carroll also said, at the time, that 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a US air base and would be used to send the remains home. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Koreas nuclear program and a previous US claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint US-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. The North marked Fridays anniversary with ceremonies at war-related memorials; the capital Pyongyang and other cities were decked out in national flags and bright red banners. For the first time since 2015, Kim Jong Un has announced a general amnesty will be granted for prisoners who have committed crimes against the state. North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Officials have bristled, however, at criticism from the US that it seeks to profit from the repatriations by demanding excessive fees for handling and transporting the remains. Pyongyang has nevertheless expressed its willingness to allow the resumption of joint search missions in the country to retrieve more remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were cancelled by President George W Bush amid heightening tensions over the Norths nuclear program in 2005. Post Kim-Trump summit talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean officials got off to a rocky start earlier this month, with the North accusing the Americans of making unilateral and gangster-like demands on denuclearisation. The North also said US officials came up with various conditions and excuses to backtrack on the issue of formally ending the war. The adoption of the declaration on the termination of war is the first and foremost process in the light of ending the extreme hostility and establishing new relations between the DPRK and the US, the Norths Korean Central News Agency said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Peace can come only after the declaration of the termination of war. Pompeo said Wednesday that a great deal of work remains ahead of a North Korea denuclearisation deal, but he dodged requests to identify a specific denuclearisation timeline in testimony to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Experts say a declaration to officially end the war, which could also involve Seoul and Beijing, would make it easier for Pyongyang to steer the discussions with Washington toward a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition, security assurance and economic benefits. Some analysts believe that North Korea would eventually demand that the United States withdraw or dramatically reduce the 28,500 troops it keeps in South Korea as a deterrent. Washington has maintained Pyongyang wouldnt get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts on whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish his nukes, which he may see as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could offer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is here to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months last evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe "plans to pay a friendly official visit to India" at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. President Xi once again conveyed to Prime Minister Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism which would be established between the two sides will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Prime Minister Modi raised with President Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on August 21 and 22 for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this year. ECP announced results of PA The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the official results of 289 of the 295 Punjab Assembly seats. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was able to win 127 seats and the party that will form the center government, Paksitan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) is not surprisingly closely following behind with 119 seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were able to win 7 seats, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 6 seats while the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-Functional), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and PARP both won one seat. There are 27 independently elected candidates in the Punjab Assembly. SINDH ASSEMBLY In the Sindh Assembly, official results have been announced of 118 of the 129 seats. The PPP once more dominated Sindh with 71 seats, however, PTI was able to bag only 20. The MQM-P bagged 12 and the GDA bagged 11 seats, respectively. Moreover, the MMA and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan won a seat each, as did an independent candidate. Balochistan Assembly Of the 50 Balochistan seats, the ECP has released the results of 45. BAP got 13 seats, whereas the MMA bagged 8 seats. The BNP and PTI also won 4 seats. The ANP and Hazara Democratic Party got two seats each, and the PML-N, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and JQM got one seat each. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The ECP has officially released the results of 96 of the 98 and the PTI is leading once more with 66 seats.The Mutahidda Majlis e Amal (MMA) has won 10 seats while the PML-N and Awami National Party (ANP) got five seats each. The PPP also won 4 seats in the province and 5 independents have also been elected to the Assembly. A mass movement is needed to highlight the plight of mentally-afflicted destitute on our roads, Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Dr Bharat Vatwani said on Friday. "I am hopeful that this award will help bring the focus on the mentally-afflicted destitute on our roads," Vatwani told PTI over phone from his shelter home for such people at Karjat in adjoining Raigad district. Expressing his elation on being selected for the prestigious award, the Mumbai-based psychiatrist said this was a major international recognition of his work. Vatwani, among the two winners from India of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award, said a "mission-mode movement" is needed to help mentally-afflicted destitute. He said it was a chance encounter in a restaurant that started him and his wife Smitha, also a psychiatrist, on their journey. "We noticed a man whose behaviour and mannerisms left us in no doubt that he had schizophrenia. He picked up an empty coconut shell from the road, scooped out some gutter water with it to drink," he said. They rushed to him and asked him if he would come with them as they could help him. The man did, and months later, the couple reunited him with his family in Andhra Pradesh. It turned out the man was a science graduate who had completed a course in pathology. Vatwani (60) a resident of north Mumbai suburb Borivali, registered his Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation in 1991. In 2007, he opened the Shraddha Rehabilitation Home at Karjat with help of Smitha who works at a Mumbai hospital. "I feel extremely happy that my work has been acknowledged at the international level. I hope that the award, regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, will help focus society's attention on mentally-afflicted destitute and create awareness to help cure schizophrenic patients," Vatwani said. The psychiatrist said that at any point of time, his Karjat-based shelter houses as many as 120 schizophrenics for treatment. "If a schizophrenic patient is treated properly, then it takes about two months to cure him. We have so far reunited around 7,000 destitute schizophrenics with their families in last three decades," he said. "This year, we have, through our foundation, helped reunite 485 such people after curing them," he said. Vatwani, a fan of social activist late Baba Amte, said the government and society need to work together to treat this illness. "The need of the hour is to detect it at the initial stage itself," he said. Born in Kolkata, Vatwani landed in Mumbai at the age of five. He pursued the MBBS course from the government-run J J hospital and did his MD course from the KEM hospital here. The Vatwani couple, having a biological daughter, has also adopted three children two boys and a girl from the Missionaries of Charity in suburban Vile Parle here. Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia's highest honour. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine president after whom the award is named, and is given every year to individuals or organisations in Asia who manifest the same selfless service and transformative influence that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader. This year's Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President, and a cash prize. They will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award during formal presentation ceremonies to be held on August 31, 2018 at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines. In an apparent bid to convey the message that his party has not abandoned Hindutva and seek their support ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP national president Amit Shah on Friday met prominent seers in Allahabad, about 200 km from here. Shah, who was on a day-long visit to the city, paid obeisance at several famous temples and also performed 'arti' on the bank of the Yamuna river. The saffron party president met prominent seers associated with the All India Akhara Parishad (AIAP) and also discussed the arrangements for the forthcoming 'Kumbh' (a religious congregation on the Sangam banks) to be held early next year in the town. The seers, after meeting Shah, said the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state ''wanted to run the country with the guidance of the sant samaj (religious leaders)''. "It (BJP) has our blessings... we want a government that can protect the culture of the country and follow the path shown by the seers,'' said AIAP general secretary Narayana Giri. According to sources, the Ram temple construction at Ayodhya, banning cow slaughter throughout the country and cleaning of the Ganga river, were discussed at Shah's meeting with the seers. ''We asked Shah for the implementation of the Hindutva agenda,'' said another AIAP seer. Before Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had sought to placate the seers, who had threatened to oppose the BJP in the 2019 LS polls following what they termed its ''failure'' to get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya. A section of Ayodhya-based seers has been critical of the BJP for not ''aggressively'' pushing the Hindutva agenda. Congress on Friday accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying on the role played by Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence in executing the Rs 30,000 crore offset contract as part of the Rafale deal. The contentious Indo-French deal is for buying 36 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. In February 2018 Sitharaman claimed, Offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation (manufacturer of Rafale), but a year back the French company in its annual report said that the Indian contract led to the creation of a joint venture with Reliance Group to manage the offsets. The simple question is who is lying, Randeep Singh Surjewala, in-charge of the AICC Communication Department, told reporters here. He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the issue. Surjewala said Reliance Defence Limited had announced on February 16, 2017, the formation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited, a joint venture company that will he a key player in execution of offset obligations under the Rs 60,000 crore Rafale deal. He said Reliance had also claimed to have secured the life-cycle cost contract for the 36 Rafale fighter aircraft to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore. Congress is seeking to corner the Modi government on the Rafale deal by targeting it on a daily basis. The party's state units are also addressing press conferences in various state capitals. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been questioning the fighter aircraft deal through his tweets almost every day. Dear Trolls, I apologise for my earlier tweet in which I stated Mr 56s friends JV, received 4 Billion US$s of offset contracts. I forgot to add the 16 Billion US$ RAFALE lifecycle contract. 20 BILLION US$ is the actual benefit. So Sorry, Gandhi said on Twitter on Friday. Zero experience Co Surjewala claimed Reliance Defence Limited had zero experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft. Reliance Defence Limited had been constituted 12 days before the announcement of the purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in France on April 10, 2015, the Congress leader said, adding that the company did not even have a license to manufacture fighter aircraft. He claimed that the fighter aircraft manufacturing license was given to Reliance Aerostructure Limited on February 22, 2016, by the Defence Ministry when the company did not even own any land or building. What is even more surprising is the fact that even Reliance Aerostructure Ltd was incorporated on April 24, 2015 just 14 days after the announcement of the purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the prime minister, Surjewala claimed. Karnataka Higher Education minister G T Deve Gowda said the government aims to do away with political nominations to state-run university senates and syndicates. The education department has decided to fill 5,000 vacant posts of teaching staff in degree colleges of the state in six months, he told reporters here. "Our intention is that syndicate and senate members should be experts in education, those who have eligibility should be selected for the posts," Gowda said. Asked whether the government will completely stop political appointments to university syndicates and senates, he said the intention was to avoid such appointments. "But there may be some cases of exceptions as there may be somepoliticians who are also subject experts," he said. The state government had recently decided to withdraw the nominations made by the previous government to syndicates of state-run universities despite a letter from former chiefminister Siddaramaiah to his successor H D Kumaraswamy askinghim to retain the nominees. Defending the decision, Gowda said last time when the new government came to power with Siddaramaiah as chief minister, they too had withdrawn the nominations even though the members were appointed six months ago. About filling5,000 vacant posts of teaching staff, including principals, the minister said, the finance department has sought a proposal regarding this. "It may take about six months time to complete the process," he said. The minister stressed the need to bring inchanges in higher education to provide quality educationto students to make them compete in a fast changingworld. Gowda said there were plans to start skill development as a subject. About 102 degree colleges do not have own buildings, he said, adding that the department was in talks withseveral corporates to involve them and use CSR fundstowards various activities including development ofinfrastructure. Speaking about the allocation made in the budget for infrastructure like buildings, the minister saidtalks were on with NABARD for higher allocation of funds. "Talks are on with the World Bank to get funding for the purpose," he added. A nurse from Kuthayr near Shirva, working in a hospital in Saudi Arabia, has died under mysterious circumstances. The deceased is Hazel Jyotsna Mathias (28), wife of Ashwin Mathias, a resident of Daddu in Baggathota Road, Kuthyaru. It is said that she had spoken to her husband on July 19. The authorities from Saudi informed the family about her death on July 21. However, the reason for the death is not known. The family has now contacted MLC Ivan DSouza, Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat and the External Affairs Ministry seeking more details about her death. The family members have given the power of attorney to a known person in Saudi Arabia to procure the body. However, the arrival of the body is likely to be delayed due to holidays. WEST JORDAN A 48-year-old man was in critical condition with "very significant burns" after lighting himself on fire Thursday. About 12:30 p.m., a man walked to a 7-Eleven, 6990 S. Redwood Road, paid for gas, and then used the gas pump to pour gas on himself, said West Jordan Police Sgt. JC Holt. The man then lit himself on fire and walked to a nearby park strip. A West Jordan officer happened to be driving by the store just after the fire started. He stopped and grabbed an extinguisher from his vehicle to help other bystanders put the fire out, Holt said. The man was combative toward bystanders, Holt said, as he apparently did not want them to put the fire out. The man suffered severe burns on mostly his waist down, but also on his arms, Holt said. Investigators believe, based on statements the man was making, that he purposely lit himself on fire in a suicide attempt. No one else was injured. The gas pump at the convenience store suffered minor damage and the grass fire started by the man was extinguished quickly. Several resources are available to those contemplating suicide: National Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) UNI Crisis line: 801-587-3000 Suicide Prevention Resource Center: www.sprc.org National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI): www.nami.org Parent Resource Program:www.jasonfoundation.com/community/ The SafeUT app will connect someone directly with a crisis line, as well. SALT LAKE CITY A registered sex offender faces new charges accusing him of drugging a teenage boy, sexually assaulting him, recording the assault on his phone and then distributing it to a pornographic website. John Terry Miller, 46, of West Jordan, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony, and distribution of pornography by an adult, a third-degree felony. On June 18, Miller approached a 17-year-old boy who was in front of a convenience store "scrounging for money" and saying he needed to call his grandmother. Miller offered to take the teen back to his motel room so he could use his phone, according to charging documents. Once there, "Miller gave him some pills to 'help with his anxiety,'" one of which was Depakote, which is used to treat those with epilepsy and bipolar disorder. "Doctors prescribe it to treat conditions that affect the brain," according to the website drugwatch.com. "The drugs maker tells patients to swallow Depakote whole, not to crush or chew it. Valproate in Depakote is effective in managing and stabilizing moods. But the chemical substance can cause serious side effects." Miller convinced the boy to snort the fifth pill because "the effect of the pill would be quicker," charging documents state. The boy told investigators he was "drugged" and "blacked out at times." When the teen regained consciousness, he was being sexually assaulted by Miller, the charges state. The incident was recorded on Miller's phone, according to police. "Miller told him he sends videos to a friend and has them put on a porn site," according to the charges. Miller also showed the teen "photos of 'other naked kids,'" the charges state. In 2008, Miller was convicted of enticing a minor in one case and unlawful sexual activity with minors in another, according to court records. He was sentenced to a combined six years in the Utah State Prison. In 2000, he was convicted of dealing in harmful materials to a minor. He was given a suspended five-year prison sentence and placed on probation. Ranbir Kapoor Turns Photographer For Girlfriend Alia Bhatt; Gets The Tag For The Best Boyfriend Ever! Alia Bhatt and boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor are just too cute to handle. If they are not sassing out each other, they are clicking each others photos. As Alia and Ranbir shoot Brahmastra together in Bulgaria, she shared a photo in which we see the pretty actor, standing by a window overlooking a city space with a friend. We dont see their faces as their backs are to the camera. Sharing the picture, Alia says: The view and her too.. ??photo credit - RK. This is the closest Alia has come to confessing her real-life romance with Ranbir. Alia Bhatt and boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor are currently shooting for their supernatural romantic thriller Brahmastra, directed by Ayan Mukherji. The film boasts of a stellar cast including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Telugu superstar Nagarjuna and Dimple Kapadia. The pictures that the cast has been sharing from the east European country are far to enticing. The real deal here is the credits of the photograph which have the initials, RK. It shouldnt be hard to guess that the RK here stands for Ranbir Kapoor. The her in this photo is her bestie, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor. In her Instagram story, she announced that her best friend had joined her. In the picture, Alia has her hand on Akanshas should and both seem relaxed as they take in the Bulgarian architecture. In another photo, shared by her, we see her somewhere deep in the forests (or maybe its the woods by their hotel), we see a dual image of her, as if like an optical illusion. Comments flooded Alias timeline, with most guessing that RK is Ranbir. While one comment said that the secret to her amazing photos has now been unlocked, most said that Ranbir is just the best boyfriend. Find comfort in the chaos A post shared by Alia (@aliaabhatt) on Jul 25, 2018 at 3:27am PDT In other pictures that the cast of the film has been sharing, we were introduced to Nagarjuna (with his lovely wife Amala) as they posed with Ayan, Ranbir and Alia with the landscape of Bulgaria forming the natural backdrop. Some days ago, Amitabh shared pictures from the streets of unidentified streets of Bulgaria, with Ranbir and Amitabh clicking a selfie. Superstars A post shared by Ayan Mukerji (@ayanmukerji83) on Jul 22, 2018 at 5:44am PDT The first schedule of Brahmastra was completed a while back in Israel. The shoot and some its prep time shifted to Mumbai, before the team left for Bulgaria. Imran and Austerity While delivering his victory speech, Imran sounded sincere, resolute, empathetic and modest in his all encompassing address and looked an every inch a seasoned statesman. He touched upon almost all important facets of governance and his policies though briefly but admirably well. He particularly emphasised upon austerity and personally safeguarding the tax payers money. I know he would be flooded with the compliments and unsolicited advices and in the same vein I, too, want to chip in my two cents. Sir, as you would shun living in the palatial PM House, cut down the Pomp & Show and VIP culture also. Leading from the front, please set the personal example by parting with the protocol accorded to the PM in Pakistan only and nowhere else in the world. That is, do away with : 1. Playing of the National Anthem for the PM before his address on the TV/Radio etc. and on other National occasions. 2. Flying of the Pakistan Flag on his car. 3. Military Secretary. 4. ADC. 5. The title of the First Lady for the PMs lady wife. All over the world these are for the Head of the State only, that is; The President and NOT for the Head of the Government or the Chief Executive - The Prime Minister. It was ZAB who on stepping down from the Presidency to the Premiership of Pakistan brought all this protocol with him and ever since it is being followed by his successors. It wasnt so before ZAB in Pakistan also as is it nowhere in the world India, The UK, any of the European or Common Wealth countries et al. Needless to say that it shall not only save the exchequer considerably but would set a precedence for the future PMs to follow also. Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd) 30 Westridge 1 Rawalpindi 46000 Pakistan Tel: (051) 5158033 E.mail: jafri@rifiela.com Producer Suresh: Prayanikara Gamanakke Is A Suspense Thriller That Unfolds Over One Night Prayanikara Gamanakke has finally hit the theatres today. The makers can heave a sigh of relief after an uphill task in trying to complete the film and getting it its date with audiences. Newbie producer Suresh of Srishti Enterprises believes that apart from having a catchy title, his film will offer audiences a gripping viewing throughout its runtime. Prayanikara Gamanakke is a suspense thriller that unfolds over the course of a few hours, involving only a handful of characters. While most of the cast are newcomers, the strength of the film is the story and the characterisations, he says. The story is inspired by a real incident involving the kidnapping of a diamond merchant, who was on his way to catch a long-distance bus on the outskirts of the city. He adds, The highlight of the narrative is that the twists in the tale are totally unpredictable. What you think will be the course of the story by the end of the first half, is not what will unfold thereafter. It will leave you on the edge of your seat, while also drawing your attention to why one should be careful on a journey.Moreover, the film is also starring Bharat Sarja, Amita Ranganathan and Lokesh, among others, and has music by Bharats brother, Vijeth. The film has only two numbers, one each written by lyricist-directors AP Arjun and Chetan Kumar. For latest movie reviews, ratings and trailers, download the Desimartini App./ Source: c.saavncdn.com Sunny Wayne To Join The Cast Of Oru Kuttanadan Blog Oru Kuttanadan Blog, starring Mammootty has reportedly got its latest addition. As per the reports, Sunny Wayne will also be playing an interesting role in the film. Apparently, the actor will be essaying the character of a blogger in the film. If we go by the reports, Vineeth Sreenivasan was expected to play this part but couldnt take it up due to other professional commitments. While Mammootty plays the lead role of a blogger, called Hariettan, in the film, Oru Kuttanadan Blog has three heroines in the star cast- Raai Laxmi, Anu Sithara and Shamna Kasim. And, Vineeth Sreenivasan will be making a cameo appearance in the film. The film is set in a place named Krishnapuram which also has Nedumudi Venu, Siddique, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Vineeth Kumar, Lalu Alex, Thesni Khan, Nandan Unni and Sohan Seenulal as the part of the supporting cast. Moreover, popular actor Unni Mukundan has been assisting the director in this venture. Sethu, a well-known scriptwriter, will be making his debut as a director with Oru Kuttanadan Blog. The film is bankrolled by PK Muralidharan and Shantha Muralidharan under the banner Anantha Vision. Notably, rumours are rife that its makers are planning it as an Onam release. For latest movie reviews, ratings and trailers, download the Desimartini App. Source: www.filmibeat.com Millicom has headed off a legal challenge claiming that the operator was not the full owner of its subsidiary Tigo Tanzania. The dispute was brought against Millicom by Golden Globe International Services LTD and Quality Group LTD, with the companies alleging that in 2014 they acquired 34,479 shares in Tigo Tanzanias holding company MIC Tanzania LTD. This would have meant that the two firms owned 99% of the business between them. However, The Court of Appeal of Tanzania the countrys highest court - ruled that Millicom was Tigo Tanzanias legal full owner. The court noted that it had genuine cause to dispute the claims and declared the share purchase by Golden Globe and Quality Group to be null and void. In a statement, Millicom noted that the legal action resulted from an improper filing of shareholder claims by a third party alleging to have acquired shares through proceedings. The commercial register will now be corrected to show the Millicom group as the ultimate owner of 100% of the shares in Tigo Tanzania. The ruling clears the way for an IPO of Tigo Tanzania, with Millicom having filed for an offering on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange at the end of 2016 partly to comply with a government requirement for operators to divest 25% of their shares. The process has been stalled by the ownership dispute, so now that this has been resolved an IPO is expected imminently. According to statistics from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Tigo has a 28% market share. This puts it in second place behind Vodacom, which leads the market with a 32% share. A disagreement has occurred between the family and hospital of a troubled teenager with type 1 diabetes who died from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Aaron French-Willcox was 19 when he died from DKA on 13 February. He weighed just six stone and had been sleeping rough during freezing weather. Aaron had been a user of the synthetic cannabinoid known as spice and class A drugs. He first became homeless in 2017 due to reported substance abuse and family issues. Earlier this year he was asked to leave temporary accommodation in Cardiff after being caught taking spice on the premises. He then began living in an encampment in the Cardiff Bay woodland. In mid-February, Aaron was taken by taxi to University Hospital of Wales. His condition was dire, and had caused alarm in the encampment. A council worker told an inquest on 24 July that Aaron had reportedly been asked to leave the hospital after he was confrontational towards staff. He then returned to the encampment, where his condition worsened. On 13 February the people he was staying with at the encampment rang the emergency services. Aaron was unconscious and cold. When paramedics and police arrived, he was pronounced dead at the scene. At the inquest, those who attended the scene noted how skinny and frail Aaron looked. He had struggled to control his type 1 diabetes on the streets, and suffered from addiction and mental health problems. Aarons family criticised the Cardiff-based hospital for not intervening. Aarons older brother Rhys French-Willcox told The Guardian after the inquest. If they knew he had a history of diabetes, they should have recognised it. Its sad. Someone should have stepped in and stopped him. There was no comment at the inquest from Cardiff &Vale University Health Board, which manages University Hospital of Wales. It is clearly a tough situation though when hospital staff feel threatened. Assistant coroner Nadim Bashir told the inquest that Aaron died by natural causes contributed to by self-neglect, adding it was a very, very sad case. He also noted Aaron experienced a difficult childhood and used drugs, had ADHD and of course, diabetes. Aaron was known to Cardiff councils outreach and accommodation services and was offered help on a number of occasions, according to a council spokesperson. Aaron is survived by a so, Theo. Tragic cases such as this further emphasise the need for family and friends of people with type 1 diabetes to recognise symptoms of ill health. Diabetes burnout can occur when a person actively stops managing their diabetes, and this can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. If you know anyone that is suffering with their diabetes management, you should alert a family member or a local health professional. Google has been working hard to introduce a symmetrical design across its services. The tech giant has been preparing people to switch over to Material Design for Gmail for Web for almost a month now. At its Google Cloud Next conference in San Francisco, the company showcased the Material Design theme for Gmail for Android. The white design will match the web revamp and it will get desktop features like density options and quick attachments in the inbox view. According to the Gmail team, the mobile update is smaller in scale. A lot has reportedly changed in the design. Firsst off, the Gmails thick red accents are gone and there is a search bar on the top, which features the navigation drawer to the left and a profile avatar at the right. At the bottom-right is a new multi-colored Floating Action Button (FAB), similar to the one which can be seen on the web version. The company said that the designs showcased at the event are work in progress and when the final version is rolled out to the users, it may have more features. The new inbox view also lists images, files, and other attachments for quick access. Once the update is rolled out, the new Gmail for Android will help users add density options and decide how much information is to be displayed on the screen. The development comes a two days after a video surfaced on Vimeo detailed some of the new design elements that can be seen on the new Gmail, Chrome and Google Map refreshes. The video was made by designers Adam Grabowski and Niccolo Bianchino and shows a lot of things very briefly, including changes in the font and icons as well as how colours are going to be implemented. Google Drive, Maps and Gmail for Web have already got the new material designs and the company will be rolling out the refreshed look to its other services in a phased manner. Intext Image Source The Mi A1 last year not only took everyone by surprise, it also jump started the Android One program as an initiative to showcase Android in its purest form. With the Mi A1, Xiaomi was testing the waters by venturing out of its MIUI ecosystem for the first time. This week, the company launched the Mi A2 in Spain indicating that the project is no longer an experiment but a full-fledged series that is likely to continue in the future. The Mi A2 also happens to be the companys first product launch after its IPO went live and also a part of a deeper focus in the European market which Xiaomi is ambitious about. The Mi A2, hence, carries a lot of weight. For consumers, thats always a good thing. The Mi A2, when it launches in India on August 8th, will become the most powerful Mi device in India this year. The Mi Mix 2S never arrived and neither did the Mi 8 nor the Mi 8 SE. The fact that the most powerful Mi phone also runs on stock Android is another added bonus. I had a chance to use the phone for a short while, and this is my first impressions. Whats good? How important the Mi A2 is for Xiaomi shows in the look and feel of the phone. Xiaomi has rebranded the Mi 6X as the Mi A2 which has a sleek form factor. Its thinner than the previous Mi A1 and even the Redmi Note 5 Pro. As a result, the primary camera noticeably juts out of the body. Xiaomi claims the bump is a conscious decision. It gives the AF motor of the camera more space to move and focus quicker and to fit a bigger sensor in the unit. The front is all screen, mostly. The Mi A2 touts an 18:9 display of FullHD+ resolution. The IPS LCD panel stretches at 5.99-inch diagonally which is a big improvement from the 5.5-inch panel on its predecessor. There are bezels on the top and the bottom, but frankly, I like this form factor better than the one with display notches. It gives more space to hold the phone while gaming and doesnt break the continuity of the screen. The corners are also rounded to offer better ergonomics. Interestingly, the Mi A2 stands out at a time when the glass-sandwich design in phones is quickly becoming the status quo. Being a metal unibody phone, It may not have the bold colours that glass design phones bring to the table, but it should more than makes up for it terms of durability. Its quite solidly built with a brushed aluminum finish that doesnt attract a lot of smudges. It is still quite slippery though. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is well-placed with the finger being able to reach it quite easily. The Mi A2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC. Qualcomm has been strengthening its portfolio of mid-range chipsets and the 660 is its most powerful offering, right below the high-end Snapdragon 710. The latter is yet to show up in devices in India. With an octa-core arrangement of custom Kryo 260 cores going to a max clock speed of 2.2GHz, the Snapdragon 660 packs a lot of firepower. On top of that, the fact that the Mi A2 runs on stock Android means the software doesnt need a lot resources, leaving the user free to run CPU-intensive apps on the phone. How well it manages to perform under a stressful environment will be left for the review, but after having used the phone for a short while, its easy to see just how fast and snappy everything is. And thats a good thing, considering the volume of complaints the Mi A1 received about slowing down after a few months of usage. We will have to see whether the Mi A2 ends up suffering from the same shortcoming or not. Futhermore, being Android One certified means the Mi A2 will receive regular security updates as well as a promised update to Android P when it becomes available. Xiaomi will be launching only the 4GB+64GB variant in India for now. In Europe, the Mi A2 is also offered in 6GB+128GB and 4GB+32GB variants, neither of which are coming to India as of now. The RAM and storage, as a result, will remain the same as its predecessor. Another thing that will remain the same is the software experience. The Mi A2, like the Mi A1 is Android One certified and runs on pure, stock Android UI. Only the camera app is Xiaomis. Everything else like the browser, gallery, dialer are all Googles stock apps. It comes very close to how the Google Pixel feels while using. While Xiaomi left the software for Google to handle, it focused more on the camera of the Mi A2. Its predecessors camera was hailed as one of the better performing ones in the mid-range segment last year with an iPhone 8-like implementation of the dual camera. It had a telephoto and wide angle lens combination that allows 2X optical zoom and portrait mode. In the Mi A2, Xiaomi actually experimented with the dual cameras at the back. You get a 12MP primary sensor and a 20MP secondary sensor on the back. Both sensors have an aperture of f/1.75 which is the highest the company has ever given on a phone. The secondary sensors purpose of existence is to enhance low-light images. It comes into effect only when the light is poor, and use pixel-binning to output a better low-light image. Simply put, pixel-binning combines four adjacent pixels together to form a superpixel that can hold more detail without much noise creeping in. Win-win for low-light photographers. The same happens up front as well with a 20-megapixel sensor placed on top of the display. The technique has been used by more-expensive phones like the Huawei P20 Pro but whether the implementation works in the case of Xiaomi Mi A2( 10990 at Tatacliq) is something we will find out after were done testing the phone. For the portrait mode, Xiaomi is relying on the Snapdragon 660s AI Engine to train its cameras to better recognise the detail on peoples faces, as well as take into account lighting conditions the photo is being shot in. The company claims that this results in well-lit photos and more detail in the portraits. Whats not good? So far, Ive talked about all thats good in the Mi A2. Its certainly promising but its far from perfect. In its bid to slim down the form factor, Xiaomi took two steps that might not bode well with its fan-base. First, it removed the 3.5mm headphone jack and second, it packed a less capacious battery in the phone. The former is surely a first for a mid-range phone. A lot of literature has been written over how ditching the reliable 3.5mm headphone jack isnt a feasible solution, but to do it on a flagship phone still makes some sense. Removing it from a mid-ranger is quite shocking, to say the least. Mid-range phone buyers look for an all-rounder package that gives a high value-for-money. By taking away the headphone jack, Xiaomi is asking buyers to either invest in a wireless headphone or embrace the dongle-life with every chance of the dongle going missing at any time. The Mi A2 does come with a dongle to compensate for the lack of the jack. The 3,000mAh battery on the Mi A2 may also come under scrutiny. On paper, its definitely lesser than its predecessor. But the fear of poor battery life might be allayed by the fact that its powered by a 14nm chipset and running on lightweight stock Android. Also missing is the option to enable Dual VoLTE support. While the chipset does support it, its not there in the phone which is a bummer for dual SIM users. Even more alarming is the fact that it doesnt have expandable storage. Xiaomi is offering 64GB of onboard memory which, in 2018 isnt all that much. Games are going over the 1GB mark frequently and most-used apps like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp require a lot of storage to store cached images and videos. First Impressions In conclusion, the Xiaomi Mi A2 holds promise. A fast processor, stock Android and a feature-packed camera do make the Mi A2 sound like a lucrative option. However, theres no water proofing, no headphone jack, no dual VoLTE support and no expandable storage either. How much these compromises take away from the Mi A2 will be something we determine in our review, but for now, it is definitely a device we cant wait to put through our review process. Researchers from the GRAVITY consortium led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics say that they were able to confirm Albert Einsteins general theory of relativity. This was done by observing the gravitational effects on a star named S2, that passed by a supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, which is in the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. Now, the theory of relativity predicts that large gravitational forces can affect even light by bending and stretching it, and this phenomenon is called the gravitational redshift. This is similar to when sound waves change in pitch when a honking car passes by us but this is called the Doppler Effect and is being stated for your understanding and is not to be considered exactly the same as gravitational redshift. As per an AFP report, the astronomers kept track of the star S2 when it was passed in close proximity of Sagittarius A* on May 19 at speeds above 25 million km/hour. While tracking its progress on an hourly basis, its velocity and position were also calculated using various instruments and the researchers compared the readings with the predictions made by Einsteins theory. As for the results, the research team, whose findings are published in Fridays issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics, says, The results are perfectly in line with the theory of general relativity and are a major breakthrough towards better understanding the effects of intense gravitational fields, The astronomical occurrence was being observed from the European Southern Observatorys (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. The same VLT was used to make the same observations back in 2016 when S2 passed by Sagittarius A* in 2016, however, they couldnt confirm Einstein's predictions as the instruments back then were not sensitive enough to detect the gravitational redshift. More than 100 years after he published his paper setting out the equations of general relativity, Einstein has been proved right once more in a much more extreme laboratory than he could have possibly imagined, said the ESO in a statement. Okay, so we were just able to confirm one facet of the General Theory of Relativity. So, how does it affect the scientific community? For starters, the data collected by from the observations is said to provide information on mass distribution around the black hole, which will help better understand the mysterious entity about which we still know very little. It will also help scientists better understand the effects of gravitational fields. Einstein had, without a doubt, one of the brightest minds that made people back in the 20th century look beyond newtonian physics, which the scientific community was fixed upon at the time. In 1915, Einsteins General Relativity was published, which explained everything that Newtons Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica theory (simply called Principia) did and some more. Principia described what gravity is but theres no explanation as to how it works and this is one of the things that the theory of relativity explains. Additionally, Newtonian physics doesnt allow for a redshift. Modi calls for technology-led growth for expanded BRICS cooperation Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday highlighted the importance of industrial technology, skill development and multilateral cooperation in creating a better world as he addressed the preliminary session of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Modi said the new industrial technology and digital interface that the world is building is an opportunity and also a challenge, as he did a balancing act of cooperation and parity with all the other members. The BRICS summit in Johannesburg will discuss issues which broadly include multilateralism, global governance, health and vaccines, socio-economic empowerment of women, peacekeeping, network of science, parks and technology, inclusive growth, sustainable development and infrastructure. But for the first time, a BRICS leaders' retreat is being organised wherein leaders will deliberate and take stock of BRICS cooperation during the decade and on its future prospects, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in its press release. Modi, on his part, will be seeking new deals for India, while on other he will ensure that the member nations reach a consensus on key issues like trade tariffs and terrorism. Modi, who arrived here on Wednesday to attend the summit, said technological innovations can help enhance service delivery, productivity levels. New systems and products will open new ways of economic progress, he said. At the session with fellow BRICS leaders, I shared my thoughts on various global issues, the importance of technology, skill development and how effective multilateral cooperation creates a better world, Modi tweeted after his address. He said India wants to work with BRICS nations on the fourth industrial revolution and called for sharing the best practices and policies in the area. The fourth industrial revolution is the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. It is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres. He said the fourth industrial revolution would have more importance than capital. High skill but temporary work will be the new face of employment. There will be radical changes in industrial production, design, and manufacturing, Modi said. Modi also met Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss furthering the friendship between India and China. The two are believed to have exchanged views on BRICS cooperation and other issues of mutual interest. Furthering India-China friendship. PM @narendramodi and President Xi Jinping hold talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa, the PMO tweeted. The 10th edition of the BRICS Summit takes place in the backdrop of increasing trade tensions that has gripped major trading countries, including the United States, China, Russia and the European Union nations. Modi, who arrived in Johannesberg at the end of his three-nation Africa tour, will be looking to use this opportunity to further his 'make in India' mission and bring together the member nations on a common ground against terrorism and trade wars. BRICS is a grouping of five major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC", before the induction of South Africa in 2010. The members, this year, are expected to deliberate on issues like international peace and security, global governance and trade wars among others. The theme of the summit this year is 'BRICS in Africa: collaboration for inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution'. The idea of a BRICS rating agency will also be taken up during this year's summit, said secretary, economic relations in the MEA, TS Tirumurti. India had pressed the BRICS nations to set up an independent rating agency of the five-member group during the first meeting of the BRICS finance ministers and Central bank governors which was held on the sidelines of the IMF / World Bank spring meetings in April 2018. Speaking at the informal meeting of the BRICS leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in 2017, Modi had also said that expeditious action should be taken to establish the BRICS credit rating agency while asserting that the BRICS group has to be a voice of stability, reform, progress and governance at the world stage. The summit might also see the five nations hit out against US president Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies as norms on greater financial integration and investment facilitation are discussed, a Business Standard report said. India and China, however, are on opposite ends of the investment facilitation debate with Beijing actively pushing for a trade facilitation agreement on investments at the WTO and India insisting that such a decision should only be taken with a consensus. But, at the BRICS finance ministers meeting earlier in 2018, all BRICS nations had agreed to "fight against trade protectionism together". Shahbaz Sharif met Nawaz Sharif in jail RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: In his first reaction over Wednesdays elections, Nawaz Sharif, the incarcerated leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), alleged on Thursday that the polls had been stolen. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail, the former prime minister warned that the tainted and dubious results of the elections would cast a bad impact on the countrys politics. Thursday was a meeting day for Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, who were imprisoned after they were convicted in the Avenfield properties case. PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Junaid Safdar (son of Maryam Nawaz), Mahnoor Safdar and Meharun Nisa (daughters of Ms Maryam), Raheel Munir (son-in-law of Ms Maryam), former federal minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Senator Mussadiq Malik and PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi were among those who called on Nawaz Sharif and his daughter. A number of party leaders, who visited the jail, quoted Mr Sharif as saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been made victorious in KP despite the PTL-led previous governments bad performance in the province. Mr Sharif, they said, also expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, and said that the PML-N candidates (in these areas) were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated candidates. Mr Sharif was of the view that Imran Khans position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when last general elections were held. The personal physician of Nawaz Sharif also visited him in the jail. However, Tariq Fatemi, former adviser to the prime minister, and Absar Alam, former chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, were not allowed to meet the PML-N supremo. The jail authorities, following the orders of the superintendent, brought the detained trio from their cells to the conference hall where they met the visitors. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif also held a one-on-one meeting lasting more than half an hour, later to be joined by Maryam Nawaz, sources said. During the meeting, post-elections scenario of the country came under discussion. Talking to reporters, the PML-N leaders said that no facilities were being provided to Nawaz Sharif in the jail as they met him in a room with no air conditioner while an air conditioner was running in the waiting room for the visitors. The health of the former prime minister was not good, they said, adding that Nawaz Sharif did not make any comment about his health but his condition was obvious from his physical appearance. Meanwhile, a team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), which was to examine Nawaz Sharif on Thursday, had to wait for over one hour and finally returned to the hospital as Mr Sharif was meeting his family members. The team has been mandated to submit a report on whether Mr Sharif should be shifted to hospital or not. A member of the team, requesting anonymity, said that during a visit on Wednesday, they had advised Mr Sharif to get his ultrasound done but he postponed it to the next day. On Thursday we reached Adiala jail and requested the administration to allow us to examine Mr Sharif and conduct his medical tests, he said. However we were told to wait as Mr Sharif was meeting his family members. We waited for more than an hour and finally told the Pims administration that we were not being allowed to examine him and returned after getting approval from the administration, he said. SBI pleads with DoT not to cancel spectrum allotted to RCom, RelTel NPA-laden State Bank of India has appealed to the Department of Telecommunications not to revoke the spectrum allotted to Reliance Communications Ltd and Reliance Telecom Ltd, saying that it would only add to its huge NPA pile. In a letter addressed to the DoT, SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar has requested the department to reconsider its decision to cancel the defunct telcos spectrum at a time when creditor banks are trying to push for the sale of RComs businesses to Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd to recover loans. SBIs move comes after the Anil Ambani-owned RCom approached the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the governments show-cause notice on spectrum and licence cancellation. RCom got a temporary reprieve from TDSAT till 10 August on the licence and spectrum cancellation showcause notice served on the company by DoT. The company is learnt to have informed TDSAT that while DoT has raised a demand for payment of Rs774 crore on the company, this payment has already been made to the government through encashment of previous bank guarantees. Therefore, RCom contends it only needs to renew the encashed bank guarantees, which anyway will be payable only in March 2019. Posting the matter for directions on August 10, the tribunal has instructed the respondent (Telecom Department) not to give effect to the decision which it may take in the meantime. SBI has asked DoT to reconsider any move to cancel Reliance Communications spectrum as it would cause irreparable harm to lenders and jeopardise their ongoing efforts to recover dues. SBI and other lenders are engaging with the company to examine possibility of reissuance or extension of the bank guarantees, as required by the Telecom Department, the bank said in a letter. Creditor banks are in the midst of an asset monetisation programme after loans to Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom turned non-performing assets. The asset monetisation process is being carried out under the supervision of an independent committee led by former Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor, SS Mundra, the SBI letter said. In the meantime, the lenders including SBI are engaging with the companies to examine the possibility of re-issuing / extending the bank guarantee subject of course to all due internal approvals of respective banks, the letter said. The letter also points out that the proceeds from the sale would be used to repay Rs45,000 crore in dues to lenders. The decision of the DoT was prompted due to pending dues worth over Rs700 crore from Reliance Communications in lieu of the spectrum allocated to the company in 2013 and 2015. A report in The Economic Times on Monday said the DoT had sought bank guarantees from Reliance Communications against these dues, failing which, the department would revoke the spectrum allocation. RCom is under debt resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) and has not been paying any dues till the completion of the process. RCom had said that if the deal with Reliance Jio goes through, the latter will take on deferred spectrum payment liabilities and any BGs given now by RCOM would anyway be replaced by the acquirer shortly. Parliamentarian warns of Chinese 'financial aggression' The entry of Chinese multinational firms into Indias financial services sector has been described as a threat to our national security, by a Rajya Sabha MP. Narendra Jadhav, the MP, raised the issue in the upper house. He has also sent a letter to the parliaments standing committee on finance, seeking a probe into the issue of data security. Describing what he called the modus operandi of Chinese financial aggression, Jadhav said they were seeking a direct role in influencing corporate decisions of firms like Alibaba, which has applied for a NBFC licence through Paytm, in which it has a majority stake. Through the NBFC route, Chinese multinationals could possibly capture a large chunk of our domestic lending market by resorting to predatory pricing and capital dumping, said the MP, who was earlier the chief economist with the Reserve Bank of India, and a former member of the Planning Commission. Jadhav warned the government that if Chinese multinationals were allowed to dominate the Indian financial services sector, they would gain access to private / financial data on millions of individuals and corporates. This could inevitably expose India to a serious geo-political risk and make our country vulnerable to external influence, thereby compromising national security, he added. Paytm, however, was quick to deny the charges. One97 Communications Ltd, the company which owns the Paytm brand, said it never shared its users data with any third party agencies, stakeholders, investors or foreign entities. Paytm is an Indian-owned, controlled and domiciled company, it said in a statement. We do not share user data with our investors or any foreign entity. Our data is processed and stored locally in India with no access provided to any external party. We are the biggest champions of data sovereignty with complete ownership in India and only by Indian consumers. Large-scale presence of GM processed foods in India: research In a first study of its kind for India, New Delhi-based research and advocacy body Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has exposed large-scale illegal presence and sale of genetically modified (GM) processed foods in the country. Without the approval of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), production, sale and import of these foods is banned in the country. CSEs Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML), which conducted a study, tested 65 food products available in Indian markets; of these, 32 per cent were found to be GM-positive. The products were bought randomly from retail outlets in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Gujarat. The products which were found to be GM-positive include infant food, edible oil and packaged food snacks. Most of these are imported from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the UAE. These products were produced from or contain soya, cotton seed, corn or rapeseed (canola), which are known GM crops of the world. Both imported (35 products) and domestically produced (30 products) samples were tested and it was found that imported ones fared worse 80 per cent of the products which were found to be GM-positive, were imported. The GM-positive products include infant food, edible oil and packaged food snacks. Most of these were imported from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand and the UAE. According to the CSE, these were produced from, or contain, soya, cotton seed, corn or rapeseed (canola), which are known GM crops of the world. Our government says it has not allowed the import of GM food products, said Sunita Narain, CSE director. Then how is this happening? We have found that laws are not the problem the regulatory agencies are. According to Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, CSE, it decided to do a reality check by testing processed foods. We were shocked to know the scale in which GM foods have penetrated the Indian market. The regulatory authorities are to blame here the FSSAI has not allowed any GM food on paper, but has failed to curb its illegal sales. Narain pointed out that GM products, especially food, raise a crucial question of safety. The jury is still out on this, says Narain. This is because GM food involves taking genes (DNA) from different organisms and inserting them in food crops. There is a concern that this foreign DNA can lead to risks such as toxicity, allergic reactions, and nutritional and unintended impacts. Iran extends shipping, insurance cover for oil exports to India Iran is reported to have started providing ships as well as insurance cover to its oil exports to India, its second-largest customer after China, as the US sanctions threaten to block its oil trade. The US, which in May pulled out of the nuclear deal and announced the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran, and threatened to exclude foreign financial institutions that trade with Iran from the American banking system. Western, mostly European, re-insurers have since refused to give insurance cover to firms importing Iranian oil. To overcome this, Iran has started providing both shipping and insurance for its oil export, reports said. Iran is using its own ships to transport oil to India as shipping lines shied away from its recent tenders for transportation of oil. Also, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) had to cancel the purchase of an Iranian oil cargo, earlier this month, as insurance firms refused to provide cover. It may be noted that the insurance companies refused to renew insure cover to HPCLs installations, including refineries, pipelines and storages, to protect against any accident, as the re-insurer refused to cover anything involving Iranian oil. While this may be a temporary measure to force compliance to US embargo, insurance companies will lose money in the long run. During the earlier sanctions, the insurance cover was extended to all installations minus the proportion of Iranian oil the company processed. So if Iranian oil in a company's portfolio comprised of 10 per cent, the insurance cover would be to the extent of 90 per cent of the processing. Iran was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but western sanctions over its suspected nuclear programme relegated it to the seventh spot in the subsequent years. Sourcing from Iran increased in the run-up to the new sanctions, making Iran, India's second-biggest supplier behind Iraq in the first three months of current fiscal, supplying 8.93 million tonnes of oil. The Trump administration is putting pressure on India, China, and other buyers to end imports of Iranian oil by the 4 November deadline as it looks to choke the Gulf state's economic lifeline. The US may block the payment channels by November and India will have to look at alternate means to pay Iran for the oil it buys. India currently pays Iran in euros using European banking channels. EU launches four Galileo satellites With the launch of four more Galileo satellites on Wednesday, Europe now has 26 such satellites in orbit. The Galileo programme is funded and owned by the European Union (EU) and aims to provide high-precision positioning services around the world. The satellites were launched by Airanespace, on behalf of European Commission, under contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) from a spaceport in French Guiana. The Ariane 5 rocket was used to deploy the satellites as part of a mission that lasted for nearly four hours. According to Stephane Israel, CEO, Arianespace, the EU through the Commission, will have around 30 launches to perform in the next several years. Weighing around 716kg each, the satellites were deployed from a dispenser system that released the probes in two sets with a 20 minute interval. It was also the final Galileo mission that used an Ariane 5 rocket. Future launches for the Galileo system will use the next-generation Ariane 6 rocket, which is expected to begin providing services to Europe in 2020. While the EU aims to use Galileo to tap into the global market for satellite navigation services, a row has broken out in the midst of Brexit negotiations. The UK has accused the EU of keeping British companies out of the project, much before its exit from the union. The Galileo satellites are part of the EUs alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the US, and aims to ensure its independence from other satellite navigation systems. The global market for such services is estimated to top 250 billion euros by 2022. Breakthrough in industrial CO2 usage Professor Arne Skerra of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded in using gaseous CO2 as a basic material for the production of a chemical mass product in a biotechnical reaction,for the first time. The product is methionine, which is used as an essential amino acid, particularly in animal feed, on a large scale. This newly developed enzymatic process could replace its current petrochemical production. The results have now been published in the journal Nature Catalysis. The industrial production of methionine from petrochemical source materials is currently done via a six-step chemical process that requires highly toxic hydrogen cyanide, among other substrates. In 2013, Evonik Industries, one of the world's largest manufacturers of methionine, invited university researchers to propose new processes for making the substance safer to produce. Methional, which occurs in nature as a degradation product of methionine, is formed as a facile intermediate during the conventional process. "Based on the idea that methionine in microorganisms is degraded by enzymes to methional with the release of CO2, we tried to reverse this process," explains Professor Arne Skerra from the Department of Biological Chemistry at TUM, "because every chemical reaction is in principle reversible, while often only with the extensive use of energy and pressure." Skerra participated in the call for proposals with this idea, and Evonik awarded the concept and supported the project. Supported by post-doctoral researcher Lukas Eisoldt, Skerra began to determine the parameters for the manufacturing process and for producing the necessary biocatalysts (enzymes). The scientists conducted initial experiments and determined the CO2 pressure which would be needed to produce methionine from methional in a biocatalytic process. Surprisingly, an unexpectedly high yield resulted even at a relatively low pressure - approximately corresponding to the one in a car tire of approximately two bars. Based upon the achievements after just one year, Evonik extended the funding, and now the team, reinforced by the PhD student Julia Martin, investigated the biochemical background of the reaction and optimised the enzymes involved using protein engineering. More efficient than photosynthesis After several years of work, not only was it possible to improve the reaction on a laboratory scale to a yield of 40 per cent, but also to elucidate the theoretical background of the biochemical processes. "Compared to the complex photosynthesis, in which nature also biocatalytically incorporates CO2 into biomolecules as a building block, our process is highly elegant and simple," reports Arne Skerra. "Photosynthesis uses 14 enzymes and has a yield of only 20 percent, while our method requires just two enzymes." In the future, the basic principle of this novel biocatalytic reaction can serve as a model for the industrial production of other valuable amino acids or precursors for pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, Professor Skerra's team will refine the process, which has been patented, using protein engineering so that it will become suitable for large-scale application. This could be the first time that there is a biotechnological manufacturing process using gaseous CO2 as an immediate chemical precursor. Up to now, attempts to recycle the greenhouse gas, which is a major contributor to climate change, have failed due to the extremely high energy required to do so. SsangYong has outlined its future product plans between 2019 and 2024, confirming that two new-generation SUV models plus an MPV product are imminent, and an electric-powered crossover and dual-cab ute are in the pipeline. In a presentation to Australian journalists in South Korea ahead of the brands local relaunch in November 2018, SsangYong revealed a long-term plan for an electric four-wheel drive (dubbed E-4WD) Musso-sized dual-cab ute currently in an advanced work for 2024 stage. Were still developing this concept [but] I think were launching around 2023, its changing but it depends on the different countrys regulations, explained SsangYong executive director of exports Dan Rim, pointing to tightening emissions regulations as a driver. Europe in 2021 is a very critical year, US will be 2022 a critical year for emissions regulations, so it [timing] is not settled yet. Asked whether SsangYong South Koreas third and smallest car manufacturer by some distance behind Hyundai/Kia could be first to the market with a battery-powered dual-cab, Rim replied: If Tesla doesnt beat us to it, Ive seen some concept from Tesla for a pick-up truck. SsangYong fell into receivership and faced bankruptcy earlier this decade, but it was purchased and saved by Indian giant Mahindra. Rim confirmed that SsangYong wants to expand as a four-wheel drive SUV and ute (or pick-up) specialist in the future, with Australia this year becoming the first market outside of South Korea to run as a factory-backed outfit after it was abandoned by third-party distributorship Ateco Automotive two years ago. New local managing director Tim Smith said of the electric ute that there was not currently a market for it right now, but the markets changing very quickly. Companies [are] already researching and already investigating what the cost savings of what a pure-EV fleet could do. So if we had an LCV [light commercial vehicle] vehicle that had an electric option and the market demand for it then yeah certainly [it could work]. In 2022, SsangYong will also launch a small SUV-sized battery electric vehicle (BEV) with a claimed 450km range, as well as a longer-range 48-volt mild-hybrid model. Rim believes that, in addition to emissions pressures, battery technology is becoming more persuasive. The cost and the weights [of batteries], theyre all coming down, and the range is going up, he tells, further explaining that manufacturers are reliant on each others plans to raise battery volume and drive costs down. Our target is 450km NEDC [small SUV range] but well have to see [for the ute]. It [cost] depends on how quickly the OEMs can implement the electric vehicles. Its a function of volume, so currently only 1 per cent globally is battery vehicle [production] today, if it gets to 5 per cent thats a different scenario and 10 per cent is a whole other game. Instantly delete email threats with 365 Threat Monitor With 365 Threat Monitor, scan all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Get real-time phone alerts, real-time security breach updates and delete threats instantly with just one click - for free! Learn More. Governor Jerry Brown last month signed into law the California Consumer Privacy Act. The CCPA is the state's response to a growing concern that consumers need stronger means to protect their personal information. The issue came to a head in part due to recent breaches that exposed the personal data of millions of American consumers. However, the CCPA also addresses other privacy incidents that have affected millions of people in California and beyond. The new law, which is viewed as one of the most far-reaching consumer protection privacy laws in the United States, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. At that time, businesses will have to comply with a range of new requirements. The CCPA's end goal is to ensure that consumers enjoy "choice and transparency" when it comes to their personal information. For companies based in California, or for those that do business with clients or customers in California, this could be a truly big deal -- and it isn't something any business should ignore. However, CCPA isn't the only new privacy law that online businesses -- big or small -- need to take notice of at this time. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulations went into effect this spring, and even with two years of warning, many companies were caught off guard. Many companies geo-blocked their content from IP addresses in Europe as a response to the new regulations. EU lawmakers approved the GDPR more than two years ago to replace the previous Data Protection Directive in the 28-nation bloc. The goal of the GDPR was to give consumers greater control of personal data collected by companies online. It applies not only to organizations that are located within the EU, but also to companies outside the region if they offer goods or services in the EU or have any type of digital footprint with consumers there. CCPA Controversy CCPA has been the center of controversy, as its many critics have contended that it was a hastily passed law that came about only as part of deal brokered by the state legislature and Brown as a way to avert what could have been an even more costly fight over a proposed ballot initiative. That proposal, which was backed by the state's privacy activists, could have resulted in an even more stringent measure appearing before California voters in November. CCPA grants residents in California the following rights: 1) to know what personal information is being collected about them; 2) to know whether their personal information is sold or otherwise disclosed and to whom; 3) to say no to the sale of their personal information; 4) to access their personal information and request deletion under certain circumstances; and 5) to receive equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights. At this point it is still unclear as to how CCPA actually will be enforced, but those violating the law could face fines ranging from US$100 to $750 per consumer per incident. More importantly, CCPA also empowers the state's attorney general to pursue cases against businesses for damages of up to $7,500 per instance for "intentional violations." "CCPA deals with the data of California consumers," said Laura Jehl, a partner with BakerHostetler and co-leader of the firm's General Data Protection Regulation initiative. "Not that many businesses online in the United States don't have any California customers," she told the E-Commerce Times. "If you offer goods and services and don't comply with the law, you could face a fine. In California, it is also up to the discretion of the state's AG to determine whether to go after violators." GDPR and American Companies American companies -- especially smaller firms -- may think they won't be affected by the EU's GDPR, but that could be as far-reaching, or even more so, than CCPA. "U.S. small businesses may or may not need to address GDPR compliance, as GDPR applies to any EU business and companies that process the personal data of EU citizens," said Greg Sterling, vice president of strategy and insights at the Local Search Association. "If U.S. small businesses are involved in the collection, storage or usage of personal data of EU citizens they will need to comply, but if they have no dealings with EU citizens they do not," he told the E-Commerce Times. Yet "GDPR is already relevant to American businesses that provide services through the Internet, as they often have international customer bases and provide services to EU countries," said Erik Ashby, principal program manager at Helpshift, a San Francisco-based customer support technology platform. "If EU citizen data is involved, businesses must have opt-in consent for storage and use of that data -- consent is mostly not required for legal uses of pre-existing data," added LSA's Sterling. "In asking for consent, businesses must inform people of the specific, intended data uses, while data owners have a right to revoke consent and withdraw their data at any time." Devil in the Details GDPR is very specific in terms of its rules as well. "Consent for one purpose can't be used to justify another, unrelated purpose," explained Sterling. "Categories of 'sensitive' data -- e.g., children -- carry additional requirements," he noted. "Large-scale data processors, which most small businesses are not, may require the hiring of a data protection officer as well." Here is where the devil could truly be in the details, as data must be maintained in a secure and appropriate way for its intended use, and it should not be accessible to unauthorized parties. Further, data breaches must be communicated to victims -- and potentially authorities -- in a timely way. "There must also be procedures in place to enable the owners of the personal data to access or request that it be deleted," Sterling pointed out. "As we have seen with CCPA, we expect that other governing bodies will follow the precedent set by the EU with GDPR," Helpshift's Ashby told the E-Commerce Times. "Most importantly, GDPR provides a set of basic guidelines that are fundamental to protecting customers, regardless of where they are." Prep Time Businesses still have time to prepare for CCPA, but companies that are not yet compliant with the EU's GDPR face serious fines of up to 4 percent of annual global revenue or 20 million euros (US$24.6 million), whichever is larger. "This is a much stricter law, as GDPR makes very few exceptions when you process data, and it doesn't matter if you are a small business or even a not-for-profit," warned BakerHostetler's Jehl. "GDPR is about protecting the data of EU citizens, and whether you have offices in the EU or not you still need to be compliant," she added. "An example could be a small hotel chain that has had EU customers in the past, and decides to market to them via email or online -- and when you do so, you need to be compliant in how you use their personal data." Fine Time in the EU Firms that are found in violation of the law could face those rather hefty fines. "What we have seen is that EU regulators have indicated that they won't enforce the full extent of the fines in the first couple of months, and that is a good sign for businesses that aren't yet compliant," said Jehl. "The good news for smaller firms is that they aren't likely to be the first in the crosshairs." However, the EU isn't likely to ignore violators for long, especially major international firms. Larger tech companies could be the first in its sights, as it has a long track record of imposing large fines on big businesses. Between 2013 and 2017 the European Commission imposed fines totaling 8.472 billion euros ($9.54 billion). Those numbers don't include the 1.06 billion euro fine imposed on Intel in May 2009 for abusing its market dominance on central processing units, or the 900 million euro fine imposed on Microsoft in February 2008 for "unreasonable" royalty fees. "They may start with the bigger tech companies, but they will bring some action on smaller companies or outliers as well," added Jehl. "They have to defend it or they risk losing the power of the hammer." California Enforcement CCPA may not go into effect for another year and a half, but American companies may need to ensure they're prepared for it. "Although California's law is more limited than the GDPR in many respects, its implications will likely be felt more broadly by U.S. businesses -- including mid-sized firms that use third-party data but do not operate in Europe," warned Ryan Radia, research fellow and regulatory counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute. "California's law does include express carve-outs for small businesses, however," he told the E-Commerce Times. "Although most large technology companies that interact directly with users now provide a mechanism for individuals to view or delete their information, thousands of companies that will likely be subject to the new California law have yet to provide for such a mechanism," he noted. "There's likely to be nontrivial compliance costs for many of these companies, and California is also better positioned to actually enforce its law against U.S. companies, whereas the EU may encounter some challenges if it seeks to enforce the GDPR against U.S. companies that have no physical presence or assets in Europe," explained Radia. As it now stands, the fines that California could impose are on the smaller side. However, apart from what the AG could do with more egregious violators of the law, there is a concern that CCPA could have an impact on companies of all sizes. "We do see a scenario where privacy zealots would push to go after small companies because the law would allow it," said Jehl. "However, the enforcement mechanisms are rather unusual, so it is hard to tell how this will eventually play out." That said, CCPA "will be the strictest privacy regulation in the U.S., and it may wind up becoming a national standard as a practical matter," said LSA's Sterling. "It's chiefly aimed at data brokers and large processors of data such as Google, Facebook and other online advertising and marketing companies," he noted. "Any company doing business in California or using California citizens' data will have to comply." Peter Suciu has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2012. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile phones, displays, streaming media, pay TV and autonomous vehicles. He has written and edited for numerous publications and websites, including Newsweek, Wired and FoxNews.com. Email Peter. (Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC)Michel Sidibe (left) and Fr. Rick Bauer meet in the Interfaith Networking Zone in Amsterdam on July 24, 2018. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC Bridges with faith-based organizations are crucial in the fight against HIV and AIDS, says UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe as he urged countries to take bold action to address the HIV prevention crisis. "Science is important. But social change is needed, and social change happens with faithbased organizations," he said, the World Council of Churches reported. "It is impossible for [UNAIDS] to reach those who are difficult to reach and really remove the barriers of stigma and discrimination," said Sidibe on July 24 at the interfaith networking zone hosted by the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (WCC-EAA) at the International AIDS Conference 2018, in Amsterdam.. "You need people who all their lives have been building bridges between people, and that is who you are," said the UNAIDS chief On the same day, UNAIDS issued countries with a stark wake-up call. It said around 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2017 and around 50 countries experienced a rise in new HIV infections as HIV prevention services are not being provided on an adequate scale or with sufficient intensity. In a new report, launched July 24 in Paris, France UNAIDS warned that the global response to HIV is at a precarious point. NEW HIV INFECTIONS RISING According to the new report, new HIV infections are rising in around 50 countries, AIDS-related deaths are not falling fast enough and flat resources are threatening success. Half of all new HIV infections are among key populations and their partners, who are still not getting the services they need. The WCC said the meeting confirmed the UN leadership's commitment to collaboration but also discussed the difficulty of translating the global commitment to the country level. "We have more than 120 countries where we are present," said Sidibe. "We need a typology of countries where you are, where we are and where we can pick out issues for a practical strategy for how we can engage our country offices." Bringing faith-based actors to regional meetings with national governments may be a first step, he suggested. Several areas were highlighted for particular collaboration, such as criminalization of key populations and closing the gap on treatment for children and adolescents. Sidibe admitted that in addressing the criminalization of key populations, such as men who have sex with men, UNAIDS has in the past had a reactive approach, addressing countries after laws have been proposed. But "naming" populations and highlighting them may have further marginalized them in that context. "Now we need to say we are all human beings and their dignity must be restored," he stated. Father Rick Bauer, moderating the session, agreed that among religions, "We have different theologies related to the terms, but common to all faiths is the innate dignity of every human being." In addition to overcoming stigma and discrimination, Sidibe highlighted access to treatment for children as a particularly vital area for faith advocacy. "No child should be born with HIV. No child should not have treatment. Treatment gaps are not acceptable," he said. "This is your natural terrain, fighting for social justice." The interfaith networking zone itself demonstrates the bridges that have been built through dialogue and joint efforts. INTERFAITH SPACE The interfaith space is connected to a zone on prevention and testing organized by the WCC-EAA, UNAIDS, Unitaid and the World Health Organization, and a number of workshops and events are held jointly. Azza Karam, senior advisor at the United Nations Population Fund, reminded participants of the 21-22 July interfaith conference that collaborative efforts between the United Nations and faith-based and civil society organizations has not been the norm. "It was this area of HIV and AIDS that prompted the international system to look for non-traditional actors," she said. "It is the leadership of faith leaders and communities that has led to what we consider now as 'normal'." But just as in the beginning of the HIV response, religious actors had to "look and act critically" within and outside their own communities, faith-based efforts must continue to be self-critical and continue to reach out. "We have to work across religions," she said, and be more inclusive "to represent the vast diversity of religious traditions in the world." And faith-based organizations need to strengthen engagement with other "rights actors". She challenged faith representatives to be "systematic and deliberate" and not to stop. "We have an obligation that this commitment to HIV and AIDS remains central to our commitment to health and social justice." (Photo: Peter Kenny)Globethics executive director Rev. Obiora Ike, a Nigerian, and Globethics Swiss founder and its Swiss president, Professor Christoph Stuckelberger support World Council of Churches HIV self-testing campaign on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2016. GENEVA - Faith-based organizations play a key role in the fight against HIV and AIDS and the stigma that goes with it. So on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, the World Council of Churches started a campaign to encourage religious leaders to get tested for HIV in hopes of inspiring others across the world to seek testing, too. Increasing the number of people receiving HIV testing is vitally important in the effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 say those at the forefront in confronting the disease, which unchecked can be lethal. UNAIDS, the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS says that 36.7 million people globally were living with HIV at the end of 2015 and 2.1 million people became newly infected with HIV at the end of that year. By the end of 2015 it was estimated that 1.1 million people had died from people died from AIDS-related illnesses. More worryingly less than half of people living with HIV know their HIV status, according to UNAIDS. Some don't know the facts about HIV transmission or treatment; others don't have access to the test. "To end HIV and AIDS, we have to overcome the stigma of HIV testing," said Francesca Merico, HIV campaign coordinator for the WCC-Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. "By getting tested for HIV, you aren't making a statement about morality you're taking care of your health." The WCC noted that many people are afraid of the stigma they may encounter just by getting tested. LEADING BY EXAMPLE This is a stigma the World Council of Churches is hoping to lift with the campaign "Leading by Example: Religious Leaders and HIV Testing." The campaign began Dec. 1 with a morning prayer service at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. As of June 2016, 18.2 million people, less than half of people living with HIV, were receiving treatment, according to UNAIDS. At the Ecumenical Centre, the WCC invited the community to visit an exhibit of banners depicting religious leaders who are promoting HIV testing by getting tested themselves. The World Health Organization offered a demonstration of an HIV self-test, and self-test kits will be available for free. "Together, we will lift the stigma in a spirit of unity, acceptance and caring - for ourselves and for each other," said Merico. Rev. Nyambura Njoroge, coordinator of the WCC Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy said, ""When I go to see my doctor I get tested for high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other things. So why should I not be tested for HIV?" "Faith leaders have a lot of influence in the community. We are leaders. I am hoping that many religious leaders will go for testing, and that people in the congregations will also follow," she asserts. Worldwide, churches, communities, families, and individuals can join the effort by accessing an online order of service and by making a commitment to get tested. ACCURATE INFORMATION Materials from the WCC-EAA are designed for religious leaders and others to use in sermons or in other forums to share accurate information about HIV testing. "Set aside an HIV testing Sunday each month, or an HIV testing week or month each year," suggested Merico. "Share your efforts with the media. Tweet about the importance of HIV testing using #KnowYourStatus. Instagram your faith leader supporting HIV testing." Speakers at the campaign launch included, Pradeep Kakkattil, director, UNAIDS Executive office; Dr. Rachel Baggaley, WHO coordinator, HIV Prevention and Testing and Dr. Mwai Makoka, WCC program executive, Health and Healing. Among those who declared their support for the campaign were Geneva-based Globethics executive director Rev. Obiora Ike, a Nigerian, and Globethics Swiss founder and president, Professor Christoph Stuckelberger. In his World Aids Day Message for Dec. 1 U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that 35 years since the emergence of AIDS, the international community can look back with some pride. "But we must also look ahead with resolve and commitment to reach our goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030," said Ban noting that there has been real progress in tackling the disease. "More people than ever are on treatment. Since 2010, the number of children infected through mother-to-child transmission has dropped by half. Fewer people die of AIDS-related causes each year. And people living with HIV are living longer lives," said the U.N. chief. He noted that the number of people with access to life-saving medicines has doubled over the past five years, now topping 18 million. But said Ban, "While there is clear progress, gains remain fragile. Young women are especially vulnerable in countries with high HIV prevalence, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. "Key populations continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. New infections are on the rise among people who inject drugs as well gay men and other men who have sex with men. "The AIDS epidemic is increasing in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, fueled by stigma, discrimination and punitive laws. Globally, people who are economically disadvantaged lack access to services and care." Ban said criminalization and discrimination foster new infections each day with women and girls are still especially hard hit. FBI(PORTLAND, Ore.) -- An Oregon couple wanted for alleged child rape and molestation evaded authorities for 18 years. But after the man died recently the woman was caught when she gave his alias for his death certificate in preparation for his funeral. The FBI arrested Victoria Cravitz on Wednesday in Washington County, Mississippi, the agency stated in a release. Cravitz's common-law husband, Leon Shaw, "died of natural causes at the hospital and questions about his true identity arose when generating a death certificate, the release stated. She tried to use an alias for Shaw that was on the FBIs Most Wanted list, the FBI told ABC News. She appeared in a hearing Thursday in the Southern District of Mississippi federal court and is expected to be extradited to Oregon to face charges. Her federal public defender could not be immediately reached for comment. Cravitz and Shaw had been fugitives since October 2000. Both had lived under alias names, with Cravitz most recently using the name Jennifer Larsen, according to the release. The couple was wanted for their alleged involvement in the sexual molestation of several children between the ages of 6 and 17 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, beginning in approximately December of 1989 and continuing until approximately February of 1999, the FBI release said. Cravitz and Shaw faced several charges including rape, sodomy and possession of a firearm, the release said. A federal judge in Oregon then issued unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (fugitive) warrants on October 12, 2000, according to the release. Our County intends to prosecute Ms. Cravitz to the full extent of the law, Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello said in the FBI release. Her and her husbands abuse of multiple children have created long-term negative ramifications for many individuals. The allegations involve the kidnap, rape, and torture of a number of young girls since before 2000. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. This post is by Tony Siddall, Program Officer for Next Generation Learning Challenges As educators in the Assessment for Learning Projec t (ALP) community have worked to fundamentally rethink assessment, many have bumped up against some deeply ingrained beliefs and assumptions about what learning really is. When we reflect individually on our own most impactful learning experiences, the ones we remember tend to be deeply social, to make us feel like we belong in a community, and to connect with our goals and aspirations. There is not only a long philosophical tradition that supports this understanding of learning, but also a robust body of research. And yet, many of the structures of public education (in particular our nearly ubiquitous emphasis on ranking and categorizing) continue to create incentives that push learning environments in the opposite direction. How might we find a common language about learning that educators, policymakers, families and students can use to align our education systems and structures with what we know and value about learning? I believe it requires listening, together, to the sound of learning--in the voices of learners themselves. This is why we asked our ALP grantee-partners to interview students about their experiences of learning. One of the most exciting parts of listening to these clips was how the students words brought the academic, highly conceptual reading Ive been doing on sociocultural learning theory down to earth. Each of the bolded links below will take you to audio clips of students reflecting on their learning. Before you listen, two important caveats: I am not an expert in sociocultural learning theory, and the ideas below are by no means comprehensive. So consider this an invitation to listen and learn along with me. Students Can Learn to Be Better Learners One of the most important aspects of cognition is metacognition--the process of reflecting on and directing ones own thinking. Metacognition is crucial to effective thinking and problem solving and is one of the hallmarks of expertise in specific areas of knowledge and skill.(Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment ). I have sometimes found myself using metacognition more as a buzzword than as a way to explain a fundamental process of learning. The ALP student voices explain beautifully several of the ways that metacognition supports learning. First, it requires students to understand a learning goal , then to self assess their current learning against clear criteria for that goal . Sequencing these success criteria on a learning progression helps students better understand their path forward . Self-assessment feels empowering to students, supporting self-efficacy by allowing them to focus on where they can grow, rather than what they dont know . All of these pieces together help students use appropriate thinking and learning strategies to move toward their goals . There is a name for being able to set goals, monitor progress toward them, believe that you can improve, and use appropriate strategies to support the learning necessary to meet these goals. Its student agency, and it is perhaps the most important thing I want for my own kids in their learning. Learning is a Fundamentally Social Process Social contexts for learning make the thinking of the learner apparent to teachers and other students so it can be examined, questioned, and built upon as part of constructive learning.(Knowing What Students Know ). In the above quote, constructive learning refers to the process of deepening understanding by connecting new information with prior knowledge. ALP teams in Henry County Schools , Arizona , and Leadership Public Schools are working to increase the amount and quality of formative feedback students receive and give. Listening to students makes clear how feedback is integral to learning, and why positive relationships and school/classroom culture are essential. As one student explains, receiving specific, detailed feedback on her emerging thinking helps her see gaps in her understanding . But getting this kind of rich feedback requires sharing your emerging understanding before it is fully formed, which is often difficult (for adults and children alike). Strong relationships, as the student says, make it easier to overcome this vulnerability . When students feel that the people in their class are there to help them learn , as a younger student explains, people can experience feedback not as criticism, but as something that makes us feel smarter and stronger in our learning. The social context for learning goes well beyond the classroom and schools. These contexts are nested within the local community, the places where students will apply their learning outside of school, and the cultural resources students bring to their learning. Learning is Deeply Influenced by Community... Learners of all ages are more motivated when they can see the usefulness of what they are learning and when they can use that information to do something that has an impact on others--especially their local community. (How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School). In Virginia, a network of districts are creating opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know through student-designed projects and other forms ofstudent-led assessment . As a student explains, a project exploring police violence placed his learning in a meaningful context and motivated him to push for deeper understanding . ...By the Specific Places Students Will Apply Their Learning... Experts knowledge cannot be reduced to sets of isolated facts or propositions but, instead, reflects contexts of applicability: that is, the knowledge is conditionalized on a set of circumstances.(How People Learn ) This is one of the reasons Del Lago Academy has partnered with practicing scientists to create performance-based badges that help students demonstrate knowledge in the context of real-world scientific processes. As a student explains, this contextualization helps her remember the knowledge better than if she was simply memorizing it for a test . ...And By the Cultural Traditions and Resources Each Child Brings to their Learning It is obvious that children from different backgrounds and cultures bring differing prior knowledge and resources to learning. Strong supports for learning exist in every culture, but some kinds of cultural resources may be better recognized or rewarded in the typical school setting.(Knowing What Students Know ) Educators in Hawaii have created a culturally responsive framework for learning and assessment , known as BREATH or HA. BREATH stands for Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha (welcoming), Total Well-Being, and Hawaiian language and culture. This framework explicitly values multiple stories and cultures, including indigenous Hawaiian culture, as elements of the learning context. The words of this student make clear how the embrace of her culture fosters a sense of belonging and responsibility, and how this helps her set and make progress toward her learning goals . A Humble Proposal These are just a few examples of what deeper learning sounds like. Its what sociocultural learning theory sounds like. And most importantly to me as a parent, these are exactly the kinds of things I want my own kids to be able to say. So here is my humble proposal: we should be talking as much about learning models as we do about instructional models, and we should be articulating our theories of learning as clearly as we do our theories of change.And the best way to bring these conversations down from the conceptual clouds, to find a shared and practical language for talking about learning, is by listening deeply to young people reflect on their own experiences of learning. Jamas nos callaran Fisica y culturalmente Nec plus ultra, nec variatur Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript. Paginas vistas en total Dolar USA Vs Euro Sin ellas, no seremos Deja vu Nada que celebrar Hasta cuando? Colombia Hoy Para nunca olvidar 'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England Sin palabras La UE le apunta a la paz Cada vez mas solo Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript. LULA y su Pueblo Bye Bye Homenaje al genial Quino Fueron ellos Una imagen que resume Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero? Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante) Ladrones al poder Asi mira el perrito a su amo Crazy Clamor popular La nueva inquisicion Bolivia Chile Hoy Eso es todo amigos! Piensalo! Pinerachet No More Trump Adios Macri, hasta nunca La Marioneta se desinfla Asi o mas cinico Almugre Mexico en 1794 Mas arrastrado imposible Hasta cuando! La pura verdad Solidaridad con Palestina Serie Capitalismo Espejismos de la clase trabajadora Asi es! Comerciantes o delincuentes No pasaran! Asi es la vida USA HOY 01/01/1959 La avaricia no tiene limites AYUDA HUMANITARIA? Chile Hoy Asi son las cosas Mapa Electoral de Venezuela Patagonia argentina? Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad Retrato del franquismo en Espana Visca Catalunya! El Chulo de Madrid Cuando la policia se roba la democracia Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras La purita verdad Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia Mi pobre clase media Como Chavez nadie Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear Programa de la MUD Asi o mas clarito Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte? Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio? Una verguenza nacional La luz que nos guia La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz? Feudalismo ayer y hoy Obama, el mentiroso Curiosa coincidencia Un mundo de cerdos No es extrano? La Marioneta Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran MARICORI Y OBAMA Cuantas muertes este ano? 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Por culpa de Chavez Cerveza Polar Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar Translate LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares? Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano... Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos: Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias. Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera. No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje. En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio. Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida. Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella. Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal. Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista. Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen. Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che? Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio. Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora. Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo. Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo. Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania. No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar. Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga. Alguna duda? Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia. OZ1 OZ2 OZ3 OZ4 Homenaje a Jason Galarraga La Victoria de Samotracia Odalisca Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008 La Sierra Nevada de Merida Nuestro precioso Churum Meru Homenaje a Picasso Autoretrato Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola? La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar. Mi profesion? Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos. Sal en la Coca Cola? A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar. De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla: Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido) azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa) Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas Mucha Cafeina Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja. Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos. Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja. En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero). Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma. La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate. Bebidas Light? Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal. Publicado por loretahur En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina: 1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias. 2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina. 3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard. 4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos. 5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla. 6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos. Ahora... sobre la margarina: 1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) . 2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias. 3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno). 4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer. 5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna. 6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo. 7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina. Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas: * No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo). * No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!! No a la guerra, Si a la Paz Misterios de la ciencia... Los costos de la guerra medicos y capitalismo... Capitalismo... medicos (2) Quien educa a nuestros hijos? Los Medios... Sin Palabras... Chistes feministas - Cual es el problema, Eva? - Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas. - Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas... - Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti. - Que es un hombre? - Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente. - Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente. - Cual es el truco?. - Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion. - Cual? - Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer. Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Ellas... Ellas (2)... Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1 Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije: -Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro. Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria. Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre? -Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa! VENGANZA NUMERO 2 Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris. A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita: - Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!! Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta. La mujer paso quince dias en Francia. El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla. Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es: - Y amor me trajiste mi francesita?? - Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina. VENGANZA NUMERO 3 El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion. - No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo. - Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz. Te quiero confesar algo. - Esta bien, esta bien. Habla! - He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga. - Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!! machismo y cibernetica Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston. -Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide. -Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!. .Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos. Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco. Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas Gol !!!! Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso! Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy! (Photo: Paul Jeffrey / WCC)Protesters demand better treatment for caregivers at the July 2016 International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. Christians were among those engaging with scientific groups at the 21 International AIDS Conference, in South Africa focusing on issues ranging from vaccine trials to testing a vaginal ring that appears to dramatically lower the risk of HIV infection in women. Held every two years, the 2016 Conference drew thousands of scientists, public-policy professionals, people living with the HIV virus and activists to the coastal city of Durban, for the five-day gathering under the theme "Access Equity Rights Now." From the first day, it was clear that science is only part of the solution, because AIDS is more than a simple virus, the World Council of Churches reports. At the opening, South African actress Charlize Theron declared, "AIDS does not discriminate on its own. It has no biological preference for black bodies, for women's bodies, for gay bodies, for youth or for the poor. "It doesn't single out the vulnerable, the oppressed, or the abused. We single out the vulnerable, the oppressed, and the abused. We ignore them. We let them suffer. And then, we leave them to die." FAITH COMMUNITIES Faith leaders from around the world met before and during the conference to consider their own role in fighting the epidemic and they were repeatedly praised for the work they've done and then challenged to do more. In an interfaith gathering on the eve of the conference organized by the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (WCC-EAA), a top United Nations official told the religious community that despite fewer people dying every year from AIDS, the wily virus refuses to go away. "At the same time we are saving more lives than ever, the AIDS epidemic is coming back, it is rebounding and reemerging everywhere. "The difference now to what we saw in the past is that the epidemic is much more selective, it's affecting the ones you faith leaders care most about, the ones left behind, the last and the least in your societies. "This is the modern shape of the AIDS epidemic," said Luiz Loures, the deputy executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and U.N. assistant secretary-general. Loures said the medical and scientific communities need to go beyond traditional approaches as they respond to the new challenges, and faith communities must play a central role. "It's not just medicines and what happens in clinical wards and health centers that will solve this crisis. "At the end it's about how we approach people, about ethics, about what brings us together to work for better societies, societies that our children will be proud to live in," he said. Loures said the churches' focus on community-based health care usually works "faster and cheaper" than other responses to AIDS, He praised the closeness of faith communities to affected populations. Loures noted that the recent Ebola outbreak in Africa proved the churches' ability to respond quickly. "Readiness is a new concept. Children who need treatment can't wait. They'll die first if we don't take action. "Readiness is related to proximity to people, and during the Ebola crisis the churches' health workers were on the front lines and paid a high price for taking risks," he said. "Don't be humble. What you have done, the places you have worked, the ones you have lost, you should be proud of all this. Come with us and take the central role you should occupy in our response to AIDS," Loures said. "We need your experience and your approach to move us forward." As part of their efforts to prevent school shootings, Florida lawmakers mandated the creation of a centralized database that will combine individual-level records from the states law-enforcement and social-services agencies with information from peoples personal social media accounts. The provision, tucked within the 105-page law passed in March following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High , marks a potentially dramatic increase in the states collection and sharing of data on individuals. While the new database could have big consequences for individual privacy and civil liberties, proponents described it as necessary to ensure public safety. What we saw after the Parkland tragedy is that there were clear [warning signs] that didnt end up being followed through on or processed, Fla. state senator Bill Galvano, a Republican who authored the bill, said in an interview. It was very important that we create within our school system the opportunity to report the information that is out there, so that things are being captured and you dont have one group knowing something and not sharing it with another group. To date, the far-reaching legislation, known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act , has garnered attention primarily for imposing new restrictions on access to guns, establishing a voluntary program to train and arm some school employees, providing $400 million for school mental health services and security measures, and establishing a new Office of Safe Schools within the Florida Department of Education. But a mostly overlooked provision of the legislation also directs that new office to coordinate with the Department of Law Enforcement to provide a centralized integrated data repository and data analytics resource to improve access to timely, complete, and accurate information. Work on the new repository has already begun. According to the law, data sources must include, at a minimum, the states departments of Children and Families, Law Enforcement, and Juvenile Justice; local law enforcement agencies; and social media. Privacy experts, civil-liberties advocates, and researchers who specialize in integrated data systems around the country criticized the law as vaguely written and lacking in adequate safeguards. The people who created this system may not know the best practices, unintended consequences, and privacy pitfalls that occur when you combine all this information, said Amelia Vance, the director of education privacy at the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington think tank.They may have gone into this work with the best of intentions, but intentions dont always shape how a law will play out in practice. Clear Messages That Were Not Acted Upon Across the country, dozens of existing integrated data systemsincluding at least two in Florida, with two more in Broward and Miami-Dade counties already under developmentmerge administrative data from various state and local government agencies. More than a dozen such systems include K-12 school districts . Typically, integrated data systems use aggregated information for research and evaluation. While a handful are used to provide case-management services to specific individuals, most only use individual data that have been de-identified, as part of large-scale statistical analyses looking for trends. The integrated data systems we work on are not about surveillance. Theyre about improving our understanding of how policies and programs work, said Della Jenkins, the executive director of Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy , an initiative at the University of Pennsylvania that helps state and local governments link administrative data across agencies. Jenkins said the type of data system outlined in the new Florida law represents a marked departure from those that currently exist, because of its potential to be used to flag individuals for possible-law enforcement actions, and the inclusion of information pulled from social media. Galvano, the Florida state senator, said both steps are necessary to close the gaps in communication that occurred leading up to the Parkland massacre. Confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz, who had previously been expelled from Stoneman Douglas, was well-known to local mental-health and law-enforcement agencies . Among his many troubling posts on social media was a threat to become a professional school shooter . Still, he was able to buy a high-powered assault rifle, enter the schools campus, and kill 17 students and staff members. How do you explain to a victims family that there were very clear messages that were not acted upon? Galvano said. Data Governance, Tech Solutions, and Legal Issues The law passed in response to the Parkland shooting calls for the new database to be operational by December 1, 2018. Efforts toward that goal have already begun, led by working groups focused on data governance, technology solutions, and legal considerations, according to Florida Department of Education press secretary Audrey Walden. The centralized database will allow users to search across multiple criminal justice databases and access multiple data sources through a single application, Walden wrote in an email. In addition, she added, the data analytic resource is a monitoring tool that is intended to aid districts with social media monitoring services. Waldens statement appears to reference services such as those offered by companies like Geo Listening and Social Sentinel, which have been aggressively pitching schools on the promise of algorithm-driven technologies to monitor students public social-media posts for everything from school-shooting threats to suicidal ideation. Walden said she could not answer additional questions seeking clarification, citing the states pending procurement process and confidentiality reasons. Galvano, however, articulated a different vision for how information from social media might enter the states new data repository. He described it as more of a reactionary thing, in which citizens could report suspicious or threatening social media activity to a central database, which state workers might then utilize for investigatory purposes, or for reaching out to or monitoring [the person] who might have said it. Its not intended to randomly surveil or monitor students without cause, Galvano said. If thats how it starts to move, then we need to make adjustments. Evaluating Unintended Consequences Such confusion is part of whats driving the concerns of people like Faiza Patel, the co-director of the Liberty & National Security Center at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. Whatever the intent of Galvano and other lawmakers, Patel said, the actual legislations imprecise language seems to allow for open-ended vacuuming up of any and all social-media information, not just reported threats. And even just the latter could allow for a great deal of unvetted, low-quality, and biased information to flood into the system, she said. Just look at the rash of recent incidents in which white people reported black people to law enforcement for suspicious activities such as sitting in a Starbucks, napping in a college dorm, and grilling in a park . In addition, said Patel and other experts, its unclear exactly who will have access to the information in the new Florida database, what specific purposes the data can (and cant) be used for, how it will be secured, how long it will be retained, or what rights individuals may have to review and contest the information that is held about them. Its also unclear how a new state system might interact with related local efforts. Just last month, for example, a public-safety task force established in Broward County following the Parkland shooting recommended that the school district and area municipalities initiate social-media monitoring protocols and called for the expansion of the Broward County Data Collaborative, currently being developed with the help of Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For his part, Galvano said Floridas new data system is a work in progress, and that he would personally look out to make sure that it doesnt become a vehicle for privacy and civil-liberties abuses. But experts said such concerns are typically resolved at the outset of the creation of such systems and detailed in data-governance documents and extensive legal and data-sharing agreements. Getting such an infrastructure in place by December 1 will likely prove a major challenge. Nobody wants to allow another school shooting to happen, Patel said. But we have to be clear about the purposes of this system, how we ensure that the information that goes into it is not rife with error and bias, and how we avoid casting suspicion on a very broad range of kids. Amid calls for an increase in diversity among Capitol Hill members, the Walmart Foundation is providing $2 million in grants aimed at boosting the diversity of congressional interns, 90 percent of whom are unpaid. The grant money, to be split evenly between the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute , is intended to create career pathways for students and young professionals among groups that are underrepresented on Capitol Hill. The grants will go to cover the living costs and other expenses for black and Latino students, smoothing the way for them to serve as interns regardless of socioeconomic status. A lot of our young and promising talent really dont come, perhaps, from backgrounds that could afford to send them to D.C., said Anne-Marie Burton, vice president of programs at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which picked 50 interns for this years summer cohort out of about 500 applicants. So we use [grant] money to pay for their housing. We give them a biweekly stipend, we also provide professional-development training for an entire week. In a statement during Tuesdays announcement, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, said the grant will support the institutes mission to address underrepresentation of Latinos on Capitol Hill by providing transformative experiences and the critical skills needed to embark on careers in public service. In addition to their internship opportunities, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute also offers an opportunity for high school students to travel to Washington and learn about government, public policy, and leadership. Multiple Hurdles Organizations such as Pay Our Interns and UpCongress advocate for giving students from all socioeconomic backgrounds the chance to intern. And there is a lack of diversity across all congressional positions, with only 7.1 percent of people of color in senior Senate positions, for example. The demographic makeup of interns has also been a concern, as seen most recently in the 2016 controversy that sparked the viral twitter hashtag #internssowhite. Whiter than the Oscars. House Speaker Paul Ryan mocked for a selfie showing him w/100 of #InternsSoWhite . pic.twitter.com/HdfNrnLI3G AJ+ (@ajplus) July 19, 2016 The attention has sparked debate and research about not only the racial diversity of interns (since Congress is not required to record such data ), but also how many senators and representatives are offering paid internships, and the numbers are striking. Eight percent of Republican House members pay their interns, and 3.6 percent of Democratic members pay theirs, according to a report by PayOurInterns . In the Senate, 51 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of Democrats offer paid internships. Congressional members have the ability to choose whether or not they want to pay interns, but there is a catch for House members: they can only have 18 permanent paid employees, often blocking them from employing paid interns. The lack of paid internship opportunities can inhibit qualified students from participating due to the financial burden. To receive money to intern on the Hill through the CBCF and CHCI programs, students will need to be in college or have graduated from high school. However, high school college advisers can begin to prepare their students to apply for these opportunities as soon as possible. Tell them to, especially if they are minorities or African American ... to consider applying to the opportunities available at the foundation, Burton said. She went on to explain that the CBCF is one of the very few organizations that not only provides internships, but we go through a very rigorous training process, [and] we provide professional development. Burton has plans to begin outreach to high school students by partnering with YearUp , a group that works to place young, unemployed, African-American students in organizations in order to help them gain life and career skills. Its a skill-based opportunity for [students] ... and the goal ... is to start speaking with high school students about the opportunities we have at the foundation, said Burton. Her advice for high school students who might be thinking of a congressional internship at some point is to take part in leadership opportunities, be civically engaged, and sharpen their communication skills. Being able to acquire those skills early, I think, is a step towards having successful career opportunity on Capitol Hill, or even as an intern. Writing is a core skill. Being able to tell your story is a core skill. These are things they need to learn before they get on Capitol Hill, she said. More information on internships through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute is available on their respective websites. Government to make advance payment to farmers Farmers will receive an advance payment to help cover the increased cost of food and bedding for livestock following the recent hot spell. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture says the dry weather has put increased pressure on farmers' finances due to crops struggling to grow, and pushing up the prices of such products on the open market. As a result, farmers will receive 60% of the annual funding from the Agricultural Development Scheme this month, instead of the usual 50%. DEFA hopes this payment will give farmers the opportunity to purchase straw and grass for the winter. The Department is also working with the farming industry and the Manx National Farmers Union to see if other measures can be put in place should the need arise. Post Office warns mail could be delayed until Monday Delayed post to Isle of Man addresses might not reach the recipient until Monday. The Isle of Man Post Office's mail plane encountered technical problems last night, meaning items leaving the Island were delayed. Road problems in the North West meant items coming to the Island had to wait until this morning to be brought over to the Island, so won't be delivered until tomorrow or Monday. The inbound mail won't be delivered until tomorrow or Monday, although priority mail arrived as normal this morning so isn't affected. The Modi governments hiking of the minimum support price for kharif crops pays lip service to farmers distress. In India, the agricultural minimum support price (MSP) has been frequently used as an electoral tool to win votes. The MSP hike for the 2019 kharif marketing season, declared by the central government recently, is no exception. This was the government that had retracted its electoral promise to fix the MSP at 1.5 times the cost of production on the grounds of market distortion and counter-productiveness after coming to power. Yet, it has now made a quick volte-face and proclaimed this as a historic increase of the MSP, presumably in view of the forthcoming general elections. There is barely anything historic about this particular hike, though. Compared to the two successive regimes of the previous United Progressive Alliance government, the average annual rates of increase of the MSP for all crops, except ragi, has been lower under the Narendra Modi government. On the other hand, even before this announcement was made, in 201718, several kharif crops, such as tur, bajra, urad, and paddy, had already evidenced some public procurement at MSP, at 50% over the paid-out expenses plus imputed costs of family labour (A2+FL cost of production). Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) welcomes todays appeal judgment delivered by the High Military Court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), confirming the conviction of 11 men, including a provincial lawmaker, who were found guilty in a 2017 trial of crimes against humanity for the rape of dozens of young girls as well as for murder. As documented in this brief PHR video, some of the rape victims were as young as 18 months old. The High Military Court adhered closely to the reasoning of the trial judgment. In particular, the court confirmed the waiving of immunity for local lawmaker Frederic Batumike, who is the leader of the armed group that carried out the rapes. It also rejected all attempts by the defendants to discredit the jurisdiction of the court and upheld life sentences for all. Karen Naimer, director of PHRs Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones, said todays appeal judgment confirms the power of proper investigations and an evidence-based justice process. The Kavumu case captured the worlds attention because of the young age of the survivors, the brutal injuries they endured, and the terror that gripped the families and community for more than three years. This landmark victory at both the trial and appeal levels has set a crucial precedent for Congolese justice: even a formidable lawmaker who abused power, and members of a powerful militia that abducted, raped, and instilled fear, are no longer be able to do so with impunity. With solid and compelling medical and legal evidence, the perpetrators of these grotesque crimes are finally being held to account and the survivors and their families will finally obtain a measure of justice. The High Military Courts decision to begin the appeals process so promptly after the initial trial, which concluded in December 2017, and to hold proceedings in Bukavu, near to where the crimes took place and not a thousand miles away in the capital of Kinshasa, where appeals proceedings usually take place was vital. The appeals process demonstrated a commitment to due process. Justice delayed is truly justice denied for both the accused and for the survivors and their families. And because the proceedings were held in Bukavu, the key stakeholders were able to participate, reinforcing the communitys connection to the justice process, Naimer said. The landmark Kavumu trial benefited from collaboration among medical, legal, and law enforcement officials to gather forensic evidence of sexual violence as well as cooperation among the survivors families, representatives of civil society, NGOs, and local, national, and regional experts, including PHR, TRIAL International, and Panzi Hospital. This case demonstrates the importance of supporting national processes, which constitute the first and primary avenue for justice, including for international crimes such as those committed in Kavumu. It also shows that it is essential to train medical and legal professionals and to support multi-sectoral collaboration at every stage of the justice process in order to ensure that comprehensive medical evidence of crimes is gathered to bring perpetrators to justice, explained Naimer. Daniele Perissi, head of TRIAL Internationals DRC program, said that the verdict sent a clear message about the justice system in the DRC: Congolese law includes all the necessary provisions for strong, fair, and accessible justice for all. With this decision, the military high court is urging authorities to enforce the law in its widest interpretation possible. But Naimer cautioned that the fight is not over: It is now imperative that the survivors of these horrific crimes receive the reparations they were awarded without delay. It is also vital that survivors and their families, as well as witnesses, are afforded comprehensive protections and ongoing psychosocial support, and that they are shielded from the threat of reprisal or retaliation. PHR and its partners will redouble their efforts to ensure that comprehensive medical evidence of crimes can continue to be gathered to bring future perpetrators to justice. This will ensure that the Kavumu case is not an isolated success, but a blueprint for future justice processes for sexual violence survivors in the DRC. Additional Media Contacts TRIAL International Noemi Manco +41 22 519 03 96 n.manco@trialinternational.org Hopital de Panzi Crispin Kashale +243 841 228 062 crispin.kashale@gmail.com Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here. How much welfare and social assistance do the millions of migrant workers in China's and Vietnam's global factories receive? What does this tell us about the welfare systems of these rapidly developing nations? The Bielefeld scientist Minh Nguyen has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council for her social anthropological research on Eastern and Southern Asia at the Faculty of Sociology. These grants aim to promote excellent and promising young academics. Minh Nguyen's research will receive a total of approximately 1.5 million euros funding over a period of five years. She is the third researcher at Bielefeld University to receive one of these major EU prizes to promote science. 'We are pleased to see the first EC Starting Grant for a female academic at Bielefeld University, particularly because promoting young academics is a major concern at our university,' says Professor Dr Martin Egelhaaf, Vice-rector for research, young researchers and equal opportunities at Bielefeld University. 'The ERC Grant confirms the importance of understanding the significant changes to the welfare state in the developing industrial nations of China and Vietnam,' says the award winner, Professor Dr Minh Nguyen. She adds: 'With migrant workers in these countries working for globally active companies that produce goods for the whole world, their social welfare is a matter of global interest. The ERC Grant allows me to carry on with my comparative ethnographic research on how the wide-ranging social and political processes are impacting on the lives of people in the region. Moreover, I can strengthen research in the 'Transnationalization and Development' Research Unit at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Sociology.' Professor Dr Minh Nguyen has been carrying out research in her first professorship at Bielefeld University since February 2018. She specializes particularly in the topics of care and welfare, migration and mobility, as well as gender society and class society in Eastern and Southern Asia. With the help of the ERC Grants, she is setting up her own research unit. Born in Thai Binh (Vietnam), Minh Nguyen studied English with a major in sociology at the Vietnam National University followed by social planning and development at the University of Queensland (Australia). In 2011, she gained her doctorate in development-related social research at the University of East Anglia (Great Britain).She then went on to spend five years as a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle/Saale. ERC Starting Grants are awarded to young researchers at the beginning of their independent scientific careers and within the first seven years after gaining their doctorates. Their award is conditional on the researchers having published independently as first authors and confirming their prospective leading role in research by editing special issues in international scientific journals. Two scientists at Bielefeld University have been awarded ERC Grants in the past. In 2012, the chemist Professor Dr Achim Muller was awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, the highest academic prize of the European Union. It was awarded in recognition of his research in nanochemistry that was funded until 2015. The cognitive scientist Professor Dr Christoph Kayser came to Bielefeld University in 2017 after being awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant. He is studying how and where the senses merge in the brain. His work is being funded until 2020 with a Consolidator Grant. Such grants are awarded to academics who are already in charge of a research unit. ### Prof. Dr. Ellen Fritsche, a toxicologist from the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, and PD Dr. Dr. Hamid Reza Noori, a mathematician, physicist and medical scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, are to be presented with the Ursula M. Handel Animal Welfare Prize by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). The prize which is worth 50,000 each is being presented for the seventh time. It is awarded to researchers who improve animal welfare in research in line with the principles of the 3Rs: Replacement, Refinement and Reduction. The winners were chosen from among 16 nominees. So impressive were the candidates that the jury decided that this year's prize should be shared. Fritsche is to be awarded the prize for the development of a test system for chemical effects, which has the potential to fully replace animal experiments currently required by law for toxicological testing. Noori is being recognised for his use of big data in neurobiology, which has the potential to significantly reduce the use of animal experimentation. "As a research funding organisation, the DFG has a natural and fundamental interest in the consistent implementation and refinement of the 3Rs. The quality of research results is directly linked to the responsible treatment of research animals," said DFG Vice President Prof. Dr. Katja Becker, who will present the Ursula M. Handel Animal Welfare Prize on 23 November 2018 in Berlin. The prize will be awarded in conjunction with the opening of the new research centre Charite 3R - Replace, Reduce and Refine, in the Lecture Hall Ruin of the Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charite. In her research Prof. Dr. Ellen Fritsche uses neurospheres, organ-like cell cultures which can be used to test the toxicity of a substance to brain development. This cell culture method has the potential to replace animal experimentation and identify chemicals that cause damage during the development of the nervous system. Because the neurospheres are grown from human stem cells, the results of the neurotoxicity studies allow a more accurate assessment of the risks of chemical substances to humans than is possible with animal studies, where the results are not always fully transferable to humans. Fritsche and her working group intend to use the prize money to further develop their neurosphere models in partnership with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to enable reliable characterisation of the effects of neurotoxic substances and recognition of the test system, as a replacement for the currently required animal experiments. PD Dr. Dr. Hamid Reza Noori uses new approaches in mathematics, data mining and machine learning to evaluate the wealth of data published in recent decades from neurobiological research on rats. Through the complex analysis of existing data, Noori was able to identify the biochemical circuits in the rat brain which are essential to information processing - without conducting a single animal experiment. Noori is now making the data from what currently amounts to nearly 150,000 rats available in two open access databases, which researchers all over the world can use to address research questions relating to neuroanatomy and neuropharmacology. The databases will help scientists to answer research questions in silico - by analysing existing data - or to plan new experiments more stringently. The use of big data in preclinical neuroscience offers considerable potential for animal welfare in research. The Ursula M. Handel Animal Welfare Prize goes back to the initiative of the founder of that name. A resident of Dusseldorf, Ursula M. Handel (1915-2011) championed many forms of animal welfare over several decades. For example, she founded the "Bonn Animal Welfare Legislation Working Group" whose work was incorporated into amendments to the German Animal Welfare Act. Dedicated to animal welfare in science and research, Handel provided the DFG with the financial backing for the animal welfare prize. The prize is awarded every two years. ### Further information Media contact: DFG Press and Public Relations, Tel. +49 228 885-2109, presse@dfg.de For more details about the Prize, its founder Ursula M. Handel and the prizewinners, please go to http://www.dfg.de/en/funded_projects/prizewinners/haendel_prize DFG programme contact: Dr. Sonja Ihle, Life Sciences 1, Tel. +49 228 885-2362, sonja.ihle@dfg.de Why is the world so green? What can we eat to prevent dementia? Are our eyes really the windows to our personalities? 403 talented early career researchers have been awarded European Research Council grants to answer such questions. Scientists will benefit from EUR603 million in total and up to EUR1.5 million each, to create their own research teams and conduct pioneering projects. The grants are part of the 'excellent science' pillar of the EU's current Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020. On this occasion, Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: "In addition to supporting early stage European researchers, the ERC Starting Grants also help enrich the European research field by attracting and retaining foreign scientists in Europe. More than one in ten grantees come from outside the EU or its associated countries. Europe is open to the world!" The President of the ERC, Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, commented: "With 3170 applications, 2018 Starting Grants were in very high demand. In spite of the additional relaunch of the ERC Synergy Grants, we were still able to award over 400 Starting Grants in this round. For the second year in a row, nearly 40% of Starting grantees are women. Regarding geographic spread, we note the number of successful applicants who will be based in the Netherlands has grown considerably since last year. We are also pleased to see an improvement of the success rate of applicants whose research will be carried out in Central and Eastern Europe - while the number of these applicants remains low. Scientific talent and ambitious ideas are to be found all over Europe and the ERC aims to give them stimulus wherever they may be." The new grantees' curiosity-led research covers a diverse range of topics. In Germany a grantee will shed light on what makes our cells uniquely human, as opposed to ape. A scientist based in Sweden will investigate ultrafast events, taking one quadrillionth of a second. Another scholar in France will challenge the current theories of how Japan became a global industrial power. See more project examples. Once again, almost 13% of applications were funded. As also occurred in the last funding round, female researchers who applied had a slightly higher success rate (13.7%) than their male counterparts (12.4%). In this round, slightly more German (73), Italian (42), French (33) and Dutch (33) researchers were successful than other nationalities. Grantees from 44 countries across the world received grants, from as far afield as Vietnam and Argentina. The competition therefore enabled some researcher mobility and the spread of scientific knowledge as 40 grantees will move country to take up their grant, and 16 will come from outside the EU and H2020 associated countries. The research will be carried out in 22 different EU countries, with research institutions from Germany (76), the UK (67) and the Netherlands (46) hosting the most projects. These Starting Grants will help the selected scientists build their own research teams, leading to job creation as an estimated 1,500 postdocs, PhD students and other staff could be employed to support them. ### See more statistics. List of all selected researchers (alphabetical order) Lists of selected researchers by domain (alphabetical order): Discover more projects in this Starting Grant competition For potential applicants Researchers who would like to compete for an ERC Starting Grant will soon have the opportunity to apply for the next round of funding, as the call for proposals will open in the next few days. Visit erc.europa.eu/funding/starting-grants for application dates and details. Background ERC Starting Grants are awarded to researchers of any nationality with two to seven years of experience since completion of the PhD (or equivalent degree) and a scientific track record showing great promise. The research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation located in one of the EU Member States or Associated Countries. The funding (up to 1.5 million per grant) is provided for up to five years. Two thirds of the ERC budget is earmarked for early-career researchers - through the Starting Grant and Consolidator Grant schemes - and calls for proposals are published once a year for each scheme. About the ERC The European Research Council, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premiere European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. Every year, it selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based in Europe. It offers four core grant schemes: Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between grantees' pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. To date, the ERC has funded some 8,000 top researchers at various stages of their careers, and over 50,000 postdocs, PhD students and other staff working in their research teams. The ERC strives to attract top researchers from anywhere in the world to come to Europe. Key global research funding bodies, in the United States, China, Japan, Brazil and other countries, have concluded special agreements to provide their researchers with opportunities to temporarily join ERC grantees' teams. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. The ERC President is Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon. The overall ERC budget from 2014 to 2020 is more than 13 billion, as part of the Horizon 2020 programme, for which European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Carlos Moedas is responsible. More information ERC website Horizon 2020 GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Unlike social insects such as bees and ants, moths are generally loners. So, when Florida Museum of Natural History lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov spotted a dozen glossy black Idia moths inside a hollow tree, he made a mental note. After he stumbled across 100 of the same species in another hollow tree, he knew he had picked up on an unusual pattern. When their numbers jumped to more than 400, he was astounded. "That's incredible," he whispered, filming the phenomenon inside a giant southern red oak in San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park. "So many moths!" In each of Sourakov's observations, the moths oriented themselves toward the top of the tree and away from the light. They roosted silently, each slightly apart from the others. Sourakov saw both male and female moths, but none were mating, and no larvae were feeding nearby or inside the tree, although the immature stages of this moth eat bark and other organic material. The moths seemed to be resting en masse, waiting for night to arrive. "This is completely new," said Sourakov, collections coordinator at the museum's McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. "Nobody has recorded daily communal roosting behavior in moths. This appears to be a unique behavior in this species and an important part of its biology." His observations were published in Tropical Lepidoptera Research. Only a few species of butterflies and moths are known to gather in groups, the most famous example being the millions of monarchs that converge in Mexico each winter. The zebra longwing butterfly and other species in the genus Heliconius roost in small clusters of about a dozen at night, and several species of butterflies and moths shelter as groups in cool spots to escape the summer heat. But Sourakov captured what seems to be the first-known example of moths congregating daily, apparently to sleep, a roosting behavior more commonly observed in bats, one of moths' top predators. "Monarchs are the most celebrated insects in the world because of their remarkable behavior, and yet here in Florida, about 15 minutes north of Gainesville, you can find something just as interesting from the biological perspective," he said. Why the moths gather together is still unclear, but Sourakov thinks the behavior could be a "safety in numbers" defense strategy. By late summer, several spiders had set up webs inside the hollow red oak, but a few predators are unlikely to make a dent in a population of hundreds of moths, he said. "Large numbers of prey in a confined space presents a challenging environment for predators," he said. "Spiders, for instance, would have to constantly repair their webs torn by these many moths. But most importantly, the percentage of lost prey is not significant enough to undermine the population. 'Safety in numbers' doesn't mean everyone is safe, but the population is safe." Why was Sourakov sticking his head into hollow trees in the first place? "I wasn't sure what I was looking for," he said. "But on one occasion I got sprayed by hundreds of angry mating walking sticks. That sparked my interest further in what else might be lurking there." He first noticed a small group of Idia moths inside a hollow sweetgum tree in the University of Florida's Natural Area Teaching Laboratory in 2010. But despite peeking into dozens of hollow trees, he failed to spot the phenomenon again until July 2017 when a hollow southern red oak tree yielded about 100 Idia moths. Returning to the tree the following spring, Sourakov recorded the mass of moths in April, May and June, culminating in the spectacular sighting of more than 400 individuals in July. Sourakov suspects that the moths use sex pheromones as a signal for assembling and plans to continue studying them to gain further insights into their life history and behavior. This week, he discovered another tree on the UF campus with moths roosting in its hollow. "There are so many unknowns in nature," he said. "Even the exact identity of this moth species is unclear and is waiting to be described. You don't have to venture into exotic places to make discoveries. Just look in your backyard. Some moths are small, brown and might seem boring, but the impact that stories like this make on a perception of a place cannot be underestimated." ### Kanazawa University researcher has identified features inherent to UNESCO's Memory of the World program that limit its ability to preserve heritage, focusing on disagreement between China and Japan about the inclusion of Nanjing Massacre documents Kanazawa, Japan - UNESCO established the "Memory of the World" program to promote the preservation of important historical documents globally. However, this program's validity has been questioned in the wake of controversy over the inclusion of documents about the Nanjing Massacre, with China asserting the global historical importance of these documents but Japan questioning their authenticity and the capacity of UNESCO to appropriately evaluate documents for potential inclusion in this program. In a new paper published in the journal Contemporary Politics, Ryoko Nakano from the Faculty of Law at Kanazawa University sheds light on this controversy from a novel perspective. She analyzes the background of the establishment of this UNESCO program and the form in which it is currently administered, and proposes that a failure to consider and accommodate the tension between universal, global and individual-state-led approaches to heritage and history is at the root of the program's current difficulties. The "Memory of the World" program deals specifically with preserving documents and works of art from all over the world. One of its aims is to encourage states to revisit their own history and redefine it in ways that enable a single, universal history of humankind to be established. The inclusion of documents about the Nanjing Massacre in the "Memory of the World" register has drawn attention and criticism of this program, particularly from Japan. This incident, which occurred in 1937-1938, is acknowledged to have involved a large number of deaths of Chinese at the hands of Japanese soldiers, but there is disagreement between the two countries about the number of those killed and the overall significance of the event for global and in particular East Asian history. Professor Nakano asserts that deficiencies in the current set-up of the "Memory of the World" program are at the heart of this controversy. She says that these deficiencies can be understood by focusing on the tension between "solidarist" forces that led to the establishment of the program, associated with efforts to promote a common global heritage with an emphasis on human rights, and "pluralist" forces maintaining that individual states have a right to sovereignty, including in framing their own histories. "The failure to resolve the tension between solidarist and pluralist forces has brought the legitimacy of the whole 'Memory of the World' program into question," Professor Nakano says. "This failure is based on factors such as the absence of a treaty or convention on which this program is based, a lack of means for negotiation or objection to nominated 'memories' or documents by state members of UNESCO, and a lack of expertise on East Asia in the assessment panels." The professor claims that efforts to alleviate this tension, such as by providing more scope for state participation and increasing the transparency of the process by which nominated documents are judged to warrant inclusion in the program, will strengthen it and its ability to continue to defend the world's documentary heritage. ### Something mysterious is going on at the Sun. In defiance of all logic, its atmosphere gets much, much hotter the farther it stretches from the Sun's blazing surface. Temperatures in the corona -- the tenuous, outermost layer of the solar atmosphere -- spike upwards of 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while just 1,000 miles below, the underlying surface simmers at a balmy 10,000 F. How the Sun manages this feat remains one of the greatest unanswered questions in astrophysics; scientists call it the coronal heating problem. A new, landmark mission, NASA's Parker Solar Probe -- scheduled to launch no earlier than Aug. 11, 2018 -- will fly through the corona itself, seeking clues to its behavior and offering the chance for scientists to solve this mystery. From Earth, as we see it in visible light, the Sun's appearance -- quiet, unchanging -- belies the life and drama of our nearest star. Its turbulent surface is rocked by eruptions and intense bursts of radiation, which hurl solar material at incredible speeds to every corner of the solar system. This solar activity can trigger space weather events that have the potential to disrupt radio communications, harm satellites and astronauts, and at their most severe, interfere with power grids. Above the surface, the corona extends for millions of miles and roils with plasma, gases superheated so much that they separate into an electric flow of ions and free electrons. Eventually, it continues outward as the solar wind, a supersonic stream of plasma permeating the entire solar system. And so, it is that humans live well within the extended atmosphere of our Sun. To fully understand the corona and all its secrets is to understand not only the star that powers life on Earth, but also, the very space around us. A 150-year-old mystery Most of what we know about the corona is deeply rooted in the history of total solar eclipses. Before sophisticated instruments and spacecraft, the only way to study the corona from Earth was during a total eclipse, when the Moon blocks the Sun's bright face, revealing the surrounding, dimmer corona. The story of the coronal heating problem begins with a green spectral line observed during an 1869 total eclipse. Because different elements emit light at characteristic wavelengths, scientists can use spectrometers to analyze light from the Sun and identify its composition. But the green line observed in 1869 didn't correspond to any known elements on Earth. Scientists thought perhaps they'd discovered a new element, and they called it coronium. Not until 70 years later did a Swedish physicist discover the element responsible for the emission is iron, superheated to the point that it's ionized 13 times, leaving it with just half the electrons of a normal atom of iron. And therein lies the problem: Scientists calculated that such high levels of ionization would require coronal temperatures around 2 million degrees Fahrenheit -- nearly 200 times hotter than the surface. For decades, this deceptively simple green line has been the Mona Lisa of solar science, baffling scientists who can't explain its existence. Since identifying its source, we've come to understand the puzzle is even more complex than it first appeared. "I think of the coronal heating problem as an umbrella that covers a couple of related confusing problems," said Justin Kasper, a space scientist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Kasper is also principal investigator for SWEAP, short for the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons Investigation, an instrument suite aboard Parker Solar Probe. "First, how does the corona get that hot that quickly? But the second part of the problem is that it doesn't just start, it keeps going. And not only does heating continue, but different elements are heated at different rates." It's an intriguing hint at what's going on with heating in the Sun. Since discovering the hot corona, scientists and engineers have done a great deal of work to understand its behavior. They've developed powerful models and instruments and launched spacecraft that watch the Sun around the clock. But even the most complex models and high-resolution observations can only partially explain coronal heating, and some theories contradict each other. There's also the problem of studying the corona from afar. We may live within the Sun's expansive atmosphere, but the corona and solar plasma in near-Earth space differ dramatically. It takes the slow solar wind around four days to travel 93 million miles and reach Earth or the spacecraft that study it -- plenty of time for it to intermix with other particles zipping through space and lose its defining features. Studying this homogenous soup of plasma for clues to coronal heating is like trying to study the geology of a mountain, by sifting through sediment in a river delta thousands of miles downstream. By traveling to the corona, Parker Solar Probe will sample just-heated particles, removing the uncertainties of a 93-million-mile journey and sending back to Earth the most pristine measurements of the corona ever recorded. "All of our work over the years has culminated to this point: We realized we can never fully solve the coronal heating problem until we send a probe to make measurements in the corona itself," said Nour Raouafi, Parker Solar Probe deputy project scientist and solar physicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. Traveling to the Sun is an idea older than NASA itself, but it's taken decades to engineer the technology that makes its journey possible. In that time, scientists have determined exactly what kinds of data -- and corresponding instruments -- they need in order to complete a picture of the corona and answer this ultimate of burning questions. Explaining the corona's secrets Parker Solar Probe will test two chief theories to explain coronal heating. The outer layers of the Sun are constantly boiling and roil with mechanical energy. As massive cells of charged plasma churn through the Sun -- much the way distinct bubbles roll up through a pot of boiling water -- their fluid motion generates complex magnetic fields that extend far up into the corona. Somehow, the tangled fields channel this ferocious energy into the corona as heat -- how they do so is what each theory attempts to explain. One theory proposes electromagnetic waves are the root of the corona's extreme heat. Perhaps that boiling motion launches magnetic waves of a certain frequency -- called Alfven waves -- from deep within the Sun out into the corona, which send charged particles spinning and heat the atmosphere, a bit like how ocean waves push and accelerate surfers toward the shore. Another suggests bomb-like explosions, called nanoflares, across the Sun's surface dump heat into the solar atmosphere. Like their larger counterparts, solar flares, nanoflares are thought to result from an explosive process called magnetic reconnection. Turbulent boiling on the Sun twists and contorts magnetic field lines, building up stress and tension until they explosively snap -- like breaking an over-wound rubber band -- accelerating and heating particles in their wake. The two theories aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. In fact, to complicate matters, many scientists think both may be involved in heating the corona. Sometimes, for example, the magnetic reconnection that sets off a nanoflare could also launch Alfven waves, which then further heat surrounding plasma. The other big question is, how often do these processes happen -- constantly or in distinct bursts? Answering that requires a level of detail we don't have from 93 million miles away. "We're going close to the heating, and there are times Parker Solar Probe will co-rotate, or orbit the Sun at the same speed the Sun itself rotates," said Eric Christian, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and member of the mission's science team. "That's an important part of the science. By hovering over the same spot, we'll see the evolution of heating." Uncovering the evidence Once Parker Solar Probe arrives at the corona, how will it help scientists distinguish whether waves or nanoflares drive heating? While the spacecraft carries four instrument suites for a variety of types of research, two in particular will obtain data useful for solving the coronal heating mystery: the FIELDS experiment and SWEAP. Surveyor of invisible forces, FIELDS, led by the University of California, Berkeley, directly measures electric and magnetic fields, in order to understand the shocks, waves and magnetic reconnection events that heat the solar wind. SWEAP -- led by the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts -- is the complementary half of the investigation, gathering data on the hot plasma itself. It counts the most abundant particles in the solar wind -- electrons, protons and helium ions -- and measures their temperature, how fast they're moving after they've been heated, and in what direction. Together, the two instrument suites paint a picture of the electromagnetic fields thought to be responsible for heating, as well as the just-heated solar particles swirling through the corona. Key to their success are high-resolution measurements, capable of resolving interactions between waves and particles at mere fractions of a second. Parker Solar Probe will swoop within 3.9 million miles of the Sun's surface -- and while this distance may seem great, the spacecraft is well-positioned to detect signatures of coronal heating. "Even though magnetic reconnection events take place lower down near the Sun's surface, the spacecraft will see the plasma right after they occur," said Goddard solar scientist Nicholeen Viall. "We have a chance to stick our thermometer right in the corona and watch the temperature rise. Compare that to studying plasma that was heated four days ago from Earth, where a lot of the 3D structures and time-sensitive information are washed out." This part of the corona is entirely unexplored territory, and scientists expect sights unlike anything they've seen before. Some think the plasma there will be wispy and tenuous, like cirrus clouds. Or perhaps it will appear like massive pipe cleaner-like structures radiating from the Sun. "I'm pretty sure when we get that first round of data back, we'll see the solar wind at lower altitudes near the Sun is spiky and impulsive," said Stuart Bale, University of California, Berkeley, astrophysicist and FIELDS principal investigator. "I'd lay my money on the data being much more exciting than what we see near Earth." The data is complicated enough -- and comes from multiple instruments -- that it will take scientists some time to piece together an explanation for coronal heating. And because the Sun's surface isn't smooth and varies throughout, Parker Solar Probe needs to make multiple passes over the Sun to tell the whole story. But scientists are confident it has the tools to answer their questions. The basic idea is that each proposed mechanism for heating has its own distinct signature. If Alfven waves are the source of the corona's extreme heat, FIELDS will detect their activity. Since heavier ions are heated at different rates, it appears that different classes of particles interact with those waves in specific ways; SWEAP will characterize their unique interactions. If nanoflares are responsible, scientists expect to see jets of accelerated particles shooting out in opposite directions -- a telltale sign of explosive magnetic reconnection. Where magnetic reconnection occurs, they should also detect hot spots where magnetic fields are rapidly changing and heating the surrounding plasma. Discoveries lie ahead There is an eagerness and excitement buzzing among solar scientists: Parker Solar Probe's mission marks a watershed moment in the history of astrophysics, and they have a real chance of unraveling the mysteries that have confounded their field for nearly 150 years. By piecing together the inner workings of the corona, scientists will reach a deeper understanding of the dynamics that spark space weather events, shaping conditions in near-Earth space. But the applications of this science extend beyond the solar system too. The Sun opens a window into understanding other stars -- especially those that also exhibit Sun-like heating -- stars that could potentially foster habitable environments but are too far to ever study. And illuminating the fundamental physics of plasmas could likely teach scientists a great deal about how plasmas behave elsewhere in the universe, like in clusters of galaxies or around black holes. It's also entirely possible that we haven't even conceived of the greatest discoveries to come. It's hard to predict how solving coronal heating will shift our understanding of the space around us, but fundamental discoveries such as this have the capacity to change science and technology forever. Parker Solar Probe's journey takes human curiosity to a never-before-seen region of the solar system, where every observation is a potential discovery. "I'm almost certain we'll discover new phenomena we don't know anything about now, and that's very exciting for us," Raouafi said. "Parker Solar Probe will make history by helping us understand coronal heating -- as well as solar wind acceleration and solar energetic particles -- but I think it also has the potential to steer the direction of solar physics' future." ### NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has started its search for planets around nearby stars, officially beginning science operations on July 25, 2018. TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August, and thereafter periodically every 13.5 days, once per orbit, as the spacecraft makes it closest approach to Earth. The TESS Science Team will begin searching the data for new planets immediately after the first series arrives. "I'm thrilled that our new planet hunter mission is ready to start scouring our solar system's neighborhood for new worlds," said Paul Hertz, NASA Astrophysics division director at Headquarters, Washington. "Now that we know there are more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we're bound to discover." TESS is NASA's latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. The mission will spend the next two years monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for periodic dips in their light. These events, called transits, suggest that a planet may be passing in front of its star. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets using this method, some of which could potentially support life. TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. ### For the latest updates on TESS, visit nasa.gov/tess. A world-first study by QUT researchers concludes men can and do suffer from postcoital dysphoria which results in feelings of sadness, tearfulness or irritability following sex A world-first study by QUT researchers concludes men can and do suffer from Postcoital Dysphoria (PCD) which results in feelings of sadness, tearfulness or irritability following sex. Masters student Joel Maczkowiack and Professor Robert Schweitzer from QUT's School of Psychology and Counselling said that while the condition had been recognised in women, no studies had previously identified the phenomenon among males. Their paper - Postcoital Dysphoria: Prevalence and Correlates among Males - has been published by the international Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. "The study breaks down the results of an international anonymous online survey of 1,208 men from Australia, the USA, the UK, Russia, New Zealand, Germany and elsewhere," said Mr Maczkowiack. "Forty-one per cent of the participants reported experiencing PCD in their lifetime with 20 per cent reporting they had experienced it in the previous four weeks. Up to four per cent suffered from PCD on a regular basis." Mr Maczkowiack added that some of the comments from men who participated and who had experienced sadness following sex described experiences ranging from "I don't want to be touched and want to be left alone" to "I feel unsatisfied, annoyed and very fidgety. All I really want is to leave and distract myself from everything I participated in". "Another described feeling "emotionless and empty" in contrast to the men who experienced the post coital experience positively, and used descriptors such as a "feeling of well-being, satisfaction, contentment" and closeness to their partner," he said. Professor Schweitzer said the results indicated the male experience of sex could be far more varied and complex than previously thought. It also had implications for future therapies and more open discourse on the male sexual experience. "The first three phases of the human sexual response cycle - excitement, plateau, and orgasm - have been the focus of the majority of research to date," Professor Schweitzer said. "The experience of the resolution phase remains a bit of a mystery and is therefore poorly understood. "It is commonly believed that males and females experience a range of positive emotions including contentment and relaxation immediately following consensual sexual activity. "Yet previous studies on the PCD experience of females showed that a similar proportion of females had experienced PCD on a regular basis. As with the men in this new study, it is not well understood. We would speculate that the reasons are multifactorial, including both biological and psychological factors." Mr Maczkowiack said anecdotal evidence from clinical settings as well as personal accounts posted on online blogs suggested that PCD did occur amongst males and had the potential to interfere with couple interactions following sexual activity "It has, for example, been established that couples who engage in talking, kissing, and cuddling following sexual activity report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction, demonstrating that the resolution phase is important for bonding and intimacy," he said. "So the negative affective state which defines PCD has potential to cause distress to the individual, as well as the partner, disrupt important relationship processes, and contribute to distress and conflict within the relationship, and impact upon sexual and relationship functioning." Professor Schweitzer added that in Western cultures in particular, men faced a range of expectations and assumptions about their preferences, performance, and experience of sexual activity. "These assumptions are pervasive within masculine sub-culture and include that males always desire and experience sex as pleasurable. The experience of PCD contradicts these dominant cultural assumptions about the male experience sexual activity and of the resolution phase," he said. The participants were recruited via social media, online articles, and psychological research websites to voluntarily complete a cross-sectional online questionnaire. ### The full paper is available online - Postcoital Dysphoria: Prevalence and Correlates among Males QUT is part of a national collaborative group of five major Australian universities that form the ATN (Australian Technology Network of Universities). Media contact: Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au Higher education institutions in the United States should change their faculty codes of conduct to define bullying as a distinctive form of harassment, according to a new paper published in the National Communication Association's journal First Amendment Studies. Such codes also need to provide faculty and staff with clearer communications regarding bullying, and offer guidance for both targets and bystanders. Murray State University scholars Frances Smith and Crystal Rae Coel analyzed 276 faculty codes of conduct from a variety of universities and colleges across the United States, and found that only 8 contained specific references to bullying. Most of the codes mentioned their organization's aversion to harassment - particularly on the basis of race, religion, sex or other factors prohibited by law - but failed to reflect the fact that bullying and harassment are not the same, and that bullying is not restricted to people in legally-protected categories. The codes also placed emphasis on 'employee engagement', whereby staff were encouraged to create a positive, collegial atmosphere. However, any specific instruction to refrain from bullying or acting as bystanders in bullying situations was missing. If codes lack a policy delineating intolerance toward workplace bullying and fail to make a clear distinction between harassment and bullying, victims have little recourse once offensive language or behavior is deemed non-discriminatory and not within constitutional protections, the authors note. An argument can be made that suppressing bullying speech may violate the First Amendment, so effective policies against bullying must also balance First Amendment rights to free expression with the right of all employees to be free from a hostile work environment. The authors show that policies against workplace bullying can be crafted that are consistent with existing case law governing the scope of public employees' rights to free expression in the workplace. For example, the Supreme Court has ruled that First Amendment protections are available for workplace speech of public employees if it covers matters of public concern without disrupting office operations. "Through this research, we hope to add to the conversation about workplace bullying. Policies can be incorporated into Faculty Codes of Conduct to provide resources for targets and bystanders without compromising First Amendment rights. We hope to encourage positive steps in reducing bullying within higher education institutions." The faculty codes of conduct examined in this study do not adequately indicate what bullying behavior is, what to do if you are a target or bystander, or how the organization chooses to proceed when offenses have been made, the authors conclude. They suggest that codes be amended to explicitly cover workplace bullying, and to provide clear guarantees of non-retaliation for employees who file complaints. ### Further information For an interview, please contact: Dr Frances Smith fsmith@murraystate.edu Tel. +1-270-809-3179 For a copy of the journal article, and other queries: Krystina Sihdu Press & Media Relations Executive Email: newsroom@taylorandfrancis.com Phone: +44-0-20-7017-6571 The journal article will be online and free to access once the embargo lifts. Please include the below link in your news report: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21689725.2018.1495094 About Taylor & Francis Group Taylor & Francis Group partners with researchers, scholarly societies, universities and libraries worldwide to bring knowledge to life. As one of the world's leading publishers of scholarly journals, books, ebooks and reference works our content spans all areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Science, and Technology and Medicine. From our network of offices in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Boston, Melbourne, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi and Johannesburg, Taylor & Francis staff provide local expertise and support to our editors, societies and authors and tailored, efficient customer service to our library colleagues. About the National Communication Association The National Communication Association (NCA) advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. NCA supports inclusiveness and diversity among our faculties, within our membership, in the workplace, and in the classroom; NCA supports and promotes policies that fairly encourage this diversity and inclusion. For more information, visit natcom.org, follow us on Twitter at @natcomm, and find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NationalCommunicationAssociation. Physicians at the University of California, Irvine and UCI Health System have launched the UCI Center for Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine, which seeks to advance patient care, improve health outcomes and lower costs by leveraging machine learning technology in all areas of healthcare. Led by Peter D. Chang, MD, and Daniel S. Chow, MD, neuroradiologists in the Department of Radiological Sciences, UCI School of Medicine, the center is a cross-specialty initiative with a specific focus on developing and applying deep learning neural networks to healthcare applications, such as diagnostics, disease prediction and therapy planning. "Our goal is to empower health care providers, researchers and patients through the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare," said Chang. The Center for Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine will provide a central research core that enables all UCI faculty, physicians and researchers, to collaborate on translating AI-based concepts into clinical tools to improve individual and population health. "The center will develop machine learning tools that can be implemented for routine clinical use today," said Chow. Recent research by Chang, Chow and colleagues reflects the translational nature of their work. In June, Chang was recognized by the American Society of Neuroradiology with the 2018 Cornelius G. Dyke Memorial Award for his work on developing a customized deep learning system with more than 97% accuracy in near real-time detection of brain hemorrhage on non-contrast CT (NCCT) head exams. The system was applied to more than 10,000 UCI Health imaging exams to test its efficiency and accuracy and was validated with prospectively-acquired data. The study included both detection and quantification of brain bleeds, including intracranial, intraparenchymal, epidural/subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages. "Intracranial hemorrhages are significant medical emergencies that results in 40% patient mortality, despite aggressive care," said Chang. "Early and accurate diagnosis is necessary for the management of life-threatening brain bleeds and to improve the odds of recovery." The demonstrated high performance of real-time interpretation on prospective NCCTs ordered from the emergency department over a one-month period suggests the AI tool's clinical usefulness. The center is now preparing the system for clinical use in the UCI Medical Center emergency department. "The research is an example of how we can use machine learning technology to improve the delivery of acute care in an emergency department by expediting triage of patient care and offering more detailed information to guide clinical decision making," said Chow. "An AI-based imaging may be used either as a triage system to assist radiologists in identifying high-priority exams for interpretation or as a method to rapidly quantify ICH volume, or both." In other research, published this month in American Journal of Neuroradiology, Chang, Chow and colleagues developed an AI-based imaging technique that accurately analyzes genetic mutations in brain tumors and makes possible the use of virtual biopsies. The findings show improvements to a type of machine learning called convolutional neural networks and demonstrates the capability to recognize key imaging details without human direction. The system yielded 94 percent diagnostic accuracy in determining relevant genetic mutations patients with either low- or high-grade gliomas, or brain tumors. ### UCI Health comprises the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, California. The 417-bed acute care hospital provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, and behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center features Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. It is the primary teaching hospital for the UCI School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu. Patients with spinal fractures caused by tumors or osteoporosis usually undergo a procedure called kyphoplasty, where the fracture is filled with surgical cement. While kyphoplasty can stabilize the bone, cancer patients are still often left with spinal column tumors that are very hard to reach with conventional chemotherapy, which has to cross the blood-brain barrier when delivered intravenously. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report in the journal PLOS ONE, that by adding magnetic particles to surgical cement used to heal spinal fractures, they could guide magnetic nanoparticles directly to lesions near the fractures. Nanoparticles bound to various drugs have been used to target drugs to specific locations or types of cells in the body. Most commonly, this is achieved by binding a minute amount of drug to the nanoparticle, which is designed to also bind to a specific type of cell, such as a cancer cell. "By modifying the kyphoplasty bone cement, we can both stabilize the spinal column and provide a targeted drug delivery system. This is a very promising technology as it has the potential to become a surgical option for patients with primary spinal column tumors or tumors that metastasize to the spinal column," said Steven Denyer, a third-year medical student in the UIC College of Medicine and a co-lead author on the paper. Using a pig model to study the magnetically-guided drug delivery system, Denyer and colleagues were successfully able to steer magnetic nanoparticles to the magnetic cement in the animal's spinal vertebrae. In future studies to test the efficacy of this technique on treating spinal column tumors, the magnetic nanoparticles would be bound to tiny amounts of chemotherapy drugs. "Our study provides an in vivo proof-of-concept that this novel drug delivery system can help treat underlying causes of spinal fractures in addition to providing structural support," said Abhiraj Bhimani, a fourth-year medical student in the UIC College of Medicine and a co-lead author on the paper. ### Steven Papastefan, Pouyan Kheirkhan, Tania Aguilar, Jack Zakrzewski, Clayton Rosinski, Akash Patel, Saavan Paten, Victoria Zakrzewski, Akop Seksenyan, Gail Prins and Dr. Ankit Mehta from the University of Illinois at Chicago are co-authors on the paper. Denyer receives research support from the Hispanic Center of Excellence at UIC and Bhimani is a James Scholar student for UIC College of Medicine class of 2019. This work was supported by the department of neurosurgery at the University of Illinois Hospital. AMHERST, Mass. - Astronomer Daniel Wang at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a Fulbright Scholar award to make what he calls "an astronomical pilgrimage," to Chile, the "world capital of ground-based astronomical observation" and home to more than half of the world's largest radio and optical telescopes. He plans to collaborate with colleagues there to study the massive black hole and its environment at the center of the Milky Way. "I am an observational astronomer, and my collaborator at the Institute of Astrophysics at Pontificia Universidad Catolica, professor Jorge Cuadra, is a theorist," Wang explains. "We want to complement each other to reach a better understanding of black hole accretion and how our galaxy's outflow interacts with the galactic center environment, to see better how this system works. Another goal is to develop a stronger, wider collaboration with the Chilean astronomy community." The Fulbright award will pay for his travel and local support in Chile for the semester from August to December. Wang's visit will also be supported by Cuadra's university after their proposed collaboration was selected in a competition for programs that will strengthen the international academic network. As the host country, Chile provides its astronomers about a 10 percent share of observing time on its telescopes, Wang says, offering a generous and valuable opportunity. "They have a unique observing opportunity in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile; it's the best in the world," he says. There are five astronomical institutes in Santiago alone. He adds, "I'll have a chance to visit a few of these observatories and institutes, for an unusual extended visit. Usually people go for an observation and then leave, but the Fulbright offers special opportunities for longer research collaboration, mentoring and teaching, guest lecturing, a departmental colloquium and public talks. It potentially means more opportunities for my students in the future, too." Wang says, "Cuadra is a leading expert on computer simulations, I am primarily an observer. We share a common research interest in the galactic center. One goal of my visit to Chile is to establish a strong, long-term collaboration on high-energy astrophysics education and research and, in particular, on a comprehensive observational and theoretical study of the heart of our galaxy." The galaxy's center is "full of interesting astronomical objects and phenomena," including the closest known massive black hole, known as Sgr A*, Wang explains. It is surrounded by a population of young massive stars with strong, fast winds and a cusp of old stars accumulated over the history of the galaxy, and by a ring of cold gas, all within a radius no more than a few times the average distance between stars in the galaxy and all strongly interact with each other. Wang, with a long-standing research interest in the galactic center, led the first large-scale surveys of the region with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope and more recently with the Large Millimeter Telescope, a joint facility of Mexican institutions with UMass Amherst. The research on Sgr A* started about four years ago during his visit to the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University, where he began the collaboration with Cuadra. "We were both members of an international team working on the 3-megasecond Chandra observation of the 'X-ray visionary project' on Sgr A*," he notes. "Now some of the big questions we'll be asking is how this black hole interacts with the galactic ecosystem, whether these interactions have cycles, how the black hole affects star formation and how much the central region affects the entire galaxy." Over the past five years, Wang says that their work has demonstrated that joint theoretical and observational studies can effectively provide insights into the working of various complicated physical processes in the center of the galaxy. He says, "I envision that the results of our work will be of broad interest to both the galactic center research community and to those trying to understand the intimate relationships of galactic nuclei with various galaxy-wide properties." At UMass Amherst, he has developed and taught classes including extragalactic astronomy, stellar astrophysics and high-energy astrophysics at the graduate level, and has mentored many undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The Fulbright Scholar program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, was established in 1946 and emphasizes science diplomacy and international research collaborations between American researchers and their colleagues around the world.UM ### In new research, scientists say cuts in global CO2 emissions are essential to limit further damage to coral reefs and kelp forests Carbon dioxide emissions are killing off coral reefs and kelp forests as heat waves and ocean acidification damage marine ecosystems, scientists have warned. Writing in Scientific Reports, researchers say that three centuries of industrial development have already had a marked effect on our seas. But if CO 2 levels continue to rise as predicted, the coming decades and lowering seawater pH levels will have an even greater and potentially catastrophic impact. Their predictions follow a comprehensive study of the effects of recently discovered volcanic CO 2 seeps off Shikine Island, Japan, which is on the border of temperate and tropical climates. Ocean currents in the area mean there are naturally low levels of surface water CO 2 , similar to those that would have been present before the global Industrial Revolution. However, the volcanic seeps indicate how rising CO 2 levels will affect future ecology, both in the northwest Pacific Ocean and across the world. Lead author Dr Sylvain Agostini, Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba Shimoda Marine Research Centre, said: "These CO 2 seeps provide a vital window into the future. There was mass mortality of corals in the south of Japan last year, but many people cling to the hope that corals will be able to spread north. Therefore it is extremely worrying to find that tropical corals are so vulnerable to ocean acidification, as this will stop them from being able to spread further north and escape the damage caused by water that is too hot for them." The research was led by scientists at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, the University of Plymouth in the UK and the University of Palermo in Italy. It involved teams of SCUBA divers who carried out investigations along underwater CO 2 gradients created by volcanic seeps, recording how the fauna and flora respond to seawater acidification. They found that while a few plant species benefitted from the changing conditions, they tended to be smaller weeds and algae that blanket the seabed, choking corals and lowering overall marine diversity. These species, and some smaller marine animals, are thriving because they are more tolerant to the stress posed by rising levels of CO 2 . Jason Hall-Spencer, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth, said: "Our research site is like a time machine. In areas with pre-Industrial levels of CO 2 the coast has an impressive amount of calcified organisms such as corals and oysters. But in areas with present-day average levels of surface seawater CO 2 we found far fewer corals and other calcified life, and so there was less biodiversity. It shows the extensive damage caused by humans due to CO 2 emissions over the past 300 years and unless we can get a grip on reducing CO 2 emissions we will undoubtedly see major degradation of coastal systems worldwide." Professor Kazuo Inaba, former director of the Shimoda Marine Research Centre, added: "Local fishermen are keen to know how ocean acidification will affect their livelihoods. Currents flowing past Japan bring waters that have naturally low levels of CO 2 and fish benefit from the array of calcified habitats around our islands. If we are able to meet the Paris Agreement targets to limit emissions we should be able to limit further damage to kelp forests, coral reefs and all marine ecosystems." ### An international study led by University of Queensland scientists has found that only 13 per cent of the ocean can still be classified as wilderness. Researchers from UQ's School of Biological Sciences and international collaborators identified marine areas devoid of intense human impacts by analysing 19 stressors including commercial shipping, sediment runoff and several types of fishing. PhD candidate Kendall Jones said most of the remaining marine wilderness was unprotected, leaving it vulnerable to being lost. "Marine areas that can be considered pristine are becoming increasingly rare as fishing and shipping fleets expand their reach across almost all of the world's oceans, and sediment runoff smothers many coastal areas," Mr Jones said. "Improvements in shipping technology mean that even the most remote wilderness areas may come under threat in the future, including once ice-covered places that are now accessible because of climate change." The researchers found little wilderness remaining in coastal habitats such as coral reefs, because of nearby human activities. Most marine wilderness was located in the Arctic and Antarctic or around remote Pacific island nations such as French Polynesia. UQ's Professor James Watson, Director of Science at the Wildlife Conservation Society, said the findings highlight an immediate need for conservation policies to recognise and protect the unique values of marine wilderness. "Marine wilderness areas are home to unparalleled levels of life, holding massive abundances of species and high genetic diversity, giving them resilience to threats like climate change," Professor Watson said. "We know these areas are declining catastrophically, and protecting them must become a focus of multilateral environmental agreements. "If not, they will likely disappear within 50 years." Mr Jones said preserving marine wilderness also required regulating the high seas, which had proven difficult historically, as no country had jurisdiction. "Late last year the United Nations began developing a legally binding high seas conservation treaty, essentially a Paris Agreement for the ocean," he said. "This agreement would have the power to protect large areas of the high seas and might be our best shot at saving some of Earth's last remaining marine wilderness." ### The study was published in the journal, Current Biology (DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.010). Carbon materials (CMs) exhibit great application potentials in diverse fields due to their high electric conductivity, good chemical stability, and unique microstructure. Traditionally, CMs were prepared by the carbonization of low-vapor-pressure natural products or synthetic polymers. But they suffer from some distinct disadvantages, such as difficulty in tailoring the microstructures and chemical compositions of the obtained products, or complicated and slow polymerization processes. Up to now, it is still a significant challenge to develop a facile, low-cost, and highly controllable method for preparing CM with desired constituents and structures in a large scale. A research team led by Prof. YU Shuhong and Prof. LIANG Haiwei from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) proposes a simple, effective, and versatile method to prepare a series of functional CMs from small organic molecules (SOMs) by a transition metal assisted carbonization process. This work was published on Science Advances entitled as "Transition metal-assisted carbonization of small organic molecules toward functional carbon materials" on July 27th (Science Advances 2018, 4, eaat0788). Preparation of CMs. (A) Schematic illustration of the preparation process of CMs. (B) Structures of the investigated SOMs for the CM preparation. Small organic molecules (SOMs) as precursors for preparing CMs have some distinct advantages, such as common availability, relatively low cost, and diverse element species with various contents. Previous efforts on the transformation of SOMs into CMs almost relied on harsh synthesis conditions, e.g. pyrolysis in sealed reactors, chemical vapor deposition, or salt-melt-based ionothermal carbonization, due to the high volatility of SOMs at evaluated temperatures. To address this, the research group led by Prof. YU Shuhong and Prof. LIANG Haiwei develops a method of transition metal assisted carbonization of SOMs. The transition metals can catalyze the preferential formation of thermally stable intermediate polymeric structures and thus avoid the direct sublimation of SOMs during the heating process, which guarantees the successful preparation of CMs with high carbon yield. Researchers have found that totally fifteen SOMs and nine TMSs can be employed as carbon precursors and catalysts respectively for preparing CMs. Besides, two hard templates can used in the method to enhance the porosity of obtained CMS. All of research results indicate that the method is a simple, effective, and versatile method to prepare CMs. The prepared CM exhibited three different prominent microstructures (including bamboo-like multi-walled carbon nanotube, micrometer-sized nanosheets and irregular particles) that were highly dependent on the molecular structures of SOMs. Besides, the CMs possessed high specific surface areas, large pore volumes, abundant heteroatoms as well as highly graphitic structures. As a results, the CM showed great application potentials for heterogeneous catalysis, e.g. selective oxidization of ethylbenzene and hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, and electrocatalysis, e.g. hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction. This work opens a new window for the synthesis of CMs with desired constituents and structures. ### This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, National Basic Research Program of China, Users with Excellence and Scientific Research Grant of Hefei Science Center of CAS, "the Recruitment Program of Global Experts", National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. Tsukuba - In the spring of 2017, Dr Yuri Kimura, from the Department of Geology and Paleontology at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, found a large bone inside an old wooden box in the geological collection room of the University of Tsukuba, Japan. Based on the overall features, she knew the thigh bone (or femur) belonged to an extinct marine mammal, a member of the order Desmostylia, thought to be related to hippo-like rhinoceroses, or sea cows. Dr Kimura teamed up with Dr Kumiko Matsui, one of the few Desmostylia experts, and her colleagues, to reveal the scientific significance of the fossil. As revealed in the journal, Royal Society Open Science, they identified the bone as belonging to the genus Paleoparadoxia. They were large, four-limbed, marine mammals that lived in the North Pacific rim, from Japan to the western coast of the USA and Mexico, 23-10 million years ago. With the help of an old note and local knowledge they also discovered that it was unearthed during dam construction in the town of Tsuchiyu Onsen, near the city of Fukushima. The age of the bone was estimated as 16 million years old or younger. The bone shows well-preserved muscle scars on the surface, making it useful for future studies of the locomotion of the hind limb. By interviewing the local inhabitants, the scientists found two people who knew about the fossil and/or the name on the old label. The fossil was known to be a 'dinosaur' bone by locals and was displayed in the village hall until an unknown university teacher took it. A devastating fire destroyed most of the city and the village hall that year. The discrepancy between the date on the old label and the verbal accounts make it impossible to identify the exact location of the fossil. The scientists were, however, able to identify two equally possible locations that are only 350m apart. As Dr Kimura explains, 'Museum collections are passed down from generation to generation, hopefully for thousands of years or more. For that, specimen information must be tagged with museum materials. We are happy that specimen information was extracted, even after a long hiatus owing to the hand-written note kept with the fossil, as well as the kind help of local people. A big discovery often results from a series of fortunate events. Although this fossil was unfortunately forgotten for decades in a cabinet, luck was on its side this time. We believe that this specimen is a good lesson not only for vertebrate palaeontologists but also for all museum curators and researchers.' ### KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture projections indicate that the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in March 2018 could disadvantage U.S. beef exports to Japan, a stumbling block that U.S. beef producers can ill afford. Beef-exporting countries party to the trade agreement, such as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Canada, will benefit from an immediate reduction and phase-down of tariffs from their current levels over a 15-year period. The U.S. was once a CPTPP member, but in January 2017, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum officially withdrawing from the trade agreement. Under the CPTPP, Japan agreed to significant tariff reductions on beef, with reductions from 38.5 percent to 9 percent for muscle cuts. Tariff reductions for select offal products will be phased out completely. Meanwhile, U.S. beef will continue to face tariffs of 38.5 percent to 50 percent, as well as a global safeguard tariff of 50 percent when imports exceed a specified level. Understandably, the tariff advantage for CPTPP countries has raised concerns in the U.S. beef industry about its future in Japan. Although the U.S. has free trade agreements with several CPTPP countries, it does not have one with Japan, which is the leading market for U.S. beef exports. In 2017, U.S. beef exports totaled $7.3 billion, with Japan accounting for more than 25 percent of this total. Projected import shifts due to tariff reductions are substantial. For chilled beef, lower tariffs appear to benefit Australian beef, at the expense of U.S. beef. The projection range suggests that Australian beef could increase by as much as $139 million, while U.S. beef could decrease by as much as $143 million. Although Canada, Mexico and New Zealand also face lower tariffs, the projected increase for these countries is small at $4 million. Australia also gains in the frozen beef market at $162 million. Prior to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) ban in the early 2000s, U.S. beef exports were comparable to, and at times exceeded, Australian exports. Following the BSE ban, U.S. beef exports declined 74.7 percent, taking the industry eight years to rebound. While U.S. beef exports have since recovered, Australia now accounts for the greater share of Japanese beef imports. The research indicates that CPTPP will result in considerable increases in Australian beef exports to Japan, largely at the expense of U.S. beef. However, similar tariff reductions for U.S. beef could eliminate these negative effects and even result in an increase in beef imports from both countries. If the U.S. also received tariff reductions, the total benefit is $287 million, which is the avoided export loss of $70 million and the export gain of $217 million. UTIA research indicates that market access for U.S. beef in Japan is needed to counterbalance the effects of the CPTPP. "As exporting countries, other than the U.S., aggressively pursue free trade agreements or FTAs, U.S. agricultural sectors such as beef could be disadvantaged, if we stay out of the FTA game," says UTIA trade expert and Blasingame Chair of Excellence Andrew Muhammad. "Overall, the report highlights why it is important for the U.S. to stay engaged in international trade negotiations in order to maintain its competitive edge in global markets." The UTIA report, which was authored by Muhammad and his colleague Andrew Griffith, is available online as UT Extension publication W 656. At the farm level, higher tariffs will likely cause a decline in U.S. beef exports to Japan that could negatively impact returns to every segment of the industry, from the cow-calf producers to the packer. Alternatively, if the U.S. is able to establish a trade agreement with Japan that is identical to competing countries, then returns at the farm level should be influenced positively. ### The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrates 50 years of excellence in providing Real. Life. Solutions. through teaching, discovery and service. ag.tennessee.edu The financial costs of flooding in Canada's maritime region could spike by 300 per cent by the end of the century if steps are not taken to address the impacts of climate change. A study done by researchers at the University of Waterloo looked at the Halifax, Nova Scotia area, a region hard hit by recent riverine flooding. The team, made up economists, geographers and political scientists, merged data on flood probability, climate change and financial payout information from the insurance/re-insurance market and used the information to develop a forecast. "Until recently there hasn't been a lot of work exploring what increased flooding will cost, and who will get stuck with the bill," says Andrea Minano, coordinator of the Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum (CCRF) and a researcher at Waterloo's Faculty of Environment. "The increases in flood losses put into question the long term insurability in the Halifax area, and highlight a broader problem facing many other areas in Canada if no actions are taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change." The research team ran models for two different climate change scenarios and found a significant difference between best and worst-case climate scenarios. If no action is taken to stall climate change (4 C rise in global temperatures) Halifax area could incur $67 million in damages in the event of a severe flood. If temperature rise can be limited to 2 C, damages would be $10 million for the same event. "The difference in cost between both climate scenarios shows just how exponentially worse things can get without action," says Minano. "It also shows governments need to plan for rare but high-impact flood events, warn citizens, and not build in high risk areas." While this study focused on the Maritimes, it warns that nearly all of Canada has some vulnerability to hazardous flooding. It calls for frank and inclusive discussion about how much flood risk is acceptable to the community; and the need for controls on further growth of exposure in these areas if the risk is deemed unacceptable. ### The full report, Application of re/insurance models to estimate increases in flood risk due to climate change can be found in the journal Geoenvironmental Disasters. One of the most sought-after accounts in the business is out for a pitch. Samsung India has called for a media review and has invited pitches from leading agencies, including GroupM, Omnicom Media Group and Dentsu Ageis Network along with its existing agency Lodestar. Sources claim the pitch was called four weeks ago and is expected to close by August-end. The account size is estimated to be Rs 500 crores. The winning agency will handle the entire portfolio of the brand in India, including mobile phones, TV/audio/video, cameras/camcorder, home appliances, PCs and printers. The account has been with IPGs Lodestar since 2013. exchange4media reached out to each of the competing agencies and Samsung India for their comments. While some declined to comment, others did not respond. As per recent media reports, South Korean firm Samsung has reclaimed the top spot in the quarter ended June, with 29% share against Chinese firm Xiaomis 28%, according to market tracker Counterpoint Research on Tuesday. However, the report came a few days after research firm Canalys said Samsung had fallen just short of reclaiming the top spot with 30.2% share against Xiaomi's 30.4% share in the second quarter. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) Privacy Settings This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Friday, July 27, 2018 This weeks news about not one, but two women impaled by beach umbrellas reminded me of a scene from The Truman Show. The 1998 movie stars Jim Carrey as an insurance agent/adjuster who discovers his entire life is actually a television show. Hes on the phone with a prospect and says, See, this isnt about insurance. This is about the great variable when will death occur? Could be a week, a month, a year could be today! A sunbather, minding his own business, stabbed in the heart by the tip of a runaway beach umbrella. No way to guard against that kind of thing. I guess what Im saying is life is fragile. He gets the sale! Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed. And with all the news coverage of the runaway beach umbrella stories, NBC News did a story about how it happens and how you can best secure yours so it doesnt happen. Enjoy your summer and be aware out there! P.S. I am licensed to sell life insurance in the state of New Mexico. If you want to talk, call me at 505.265.7215. Share this: British energy major BP is a huge Texas player again after agreeing to pay $10.5 billion for the shale oil and gas assets of Australias BHP Billiton. The sale represents a major turnaround for BP as it seeks to grow again after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. The deal, the largest energy transaction of 2018, includes all of BHPs acreage in South Texas Eagle Ford Shale, West Texas booming Permian Basin and Louisianas Haynesville Shale. BHP has been one of the biggest player in the Eagle Ford at one time in 2012 it had 42 drilling rigs running on its acreage, which spread across South Texas from DeWitt to McMullen County. In 2014, BHP spent $3 billion in the field, accounting for 10 percent of the industrys total oil- and gas-related investment in the field that year. BHP went big into U.S. shale in 2011 with its acquisition of the Houston oil and gas company Petrohawk Energy for about $15 billion, including debt, and acreage from Oklahoma Citys Chesapeake Energy for $5 billion. But the Australian mining company took a big hit during the recent oil bust, writing down the value of its shale assets by $7 billion two years ago. It now considers the shale game too risky when weighed against its traditional mining holdings. BHP announced its plans to sell the assets last year. BP proved the top bidder. BP chief executive Bob Dudley said the deal is a transformative acquisition that gives BP a much larger foothold in the onshore U.S., and not just the deep-water Gulf. BP has largely shrunk this decade since the explosion in the Gulf of Mexicos Macondo well that killed 11 workers, spilled nearly 4 million barrels of oil, and cost the company billions of dollars to settle claims. BP has now put the Macondo disaster behind them, and theyre looking at the U.S. as the place to put their money, said Andy Lipow, an energy analyst and president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. BHP also is selling its Fayetteville Shale assets in Arkansas to Dallas-based Merit Energy for $300 million. BHP president Steve Pastor said the two deals give the company a clean exit from U.S. shale. BHP was one of several companies with buyers remorse after spending big for shale assets when oil was priced at more than $100 a barrel, said Pavel Molchanov, energy analyst with Raymond James in Houston. BHP wanted to diversify into oil and gas and came to regret it. In retrospect, companies do better when they focus on something rather than try to do everything, Molchanov said. As for BP, the deal cements its position as the biggest foreign oil and gas player in the United States, Molchanov said. Thats why you shouldnt refer to them in the original British Petroleum format, he said. BPs current Texas oil and gas presence is limited to the East Texas portion of the gassy Haynesville shale. BP essentially missed the oil shale boom, selling its large legacy Permian position to Houstons Apache Corp. for more than $3 billion in 2010. Now BP is finally back in Texas booming oil positions, although the deal isnt expected to close until October. BP will pay half of the $10.5 billion this fall and the remainder next year. The sale includes 83,000 net acres in the oil-rich Delaware Basin portion of the Permian, 236,000 acres in the Eagle Ford and 193,000 acres in the Haynesville in Louisiana and Texas. The acreage currently combines to produce nearly 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day with the potential for much more. BP said the acreage includes 4.6 billion barrels of discovered oil equivalent. To help appease investors, BP also said Thursday it will boost its dividend payouts to shareholders by 2.5 percent. Since the BHP deal is cutting into BPs spending options, BP said it will sell $5 billion to $6 billion in global assets to help fund a share buyback program of at least $5 billion thats largely intended to help boost the value of BPs shares. San Antonio-based womens apparel and accessories retailer AGacis Chapter 11 reorganization plan received bankruptcy court approval Thursday, less than seven months after it sought protection from creditors. AGaci will emerge from bankruptcy a leaner operation with about 55 stores. It closed more than 20 unprofitable locations as part of the bankruptcy. But in an era when retailers are wilting under pressure from online competition, AGacis bankruptcy reorganization stands as a rare success story. This case hasnt turned out the way most retail cases have turned out, (meaning) its not resulting in a sale or a liquidation, AGaci bankruptcy lawyer Ian Peck said in court before Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald King confirmed the plan. Peck credited AGaci managing partner David Won, who founded the retailer with his older brother John on Houston Street in 1971, for stepping up to save the company and keep about 1,500 people employed. AGaci originally sought to auction its assets, but that option was scrapped after it received no qualified bids. Won then agreed to invest $250,000 in new equity. He also agreed to the company issuing a $4 million promissory note to ensure payment of certain creditor claims, according to a court document. This is like my own child, Won said after the hearing in explaining why he sought to save AGaci. I have three daughters. I used to tell them, this is my fourth child. Seriously, this is my baby. Won said he and his brother have invested their lives in the business. We cannot give up, he added. Im sure with all the people we have and all of the suppliers who supported (us), well be successful. We will prosper. AGaci filed for bankruptcy protection in January, blaming its financial problems on a failed expansion, last years hurricanes hitting profitable stores and the delayed implementation of an inventory management system. It had $89.2 million in assets and $62.1 million in liabilities the day it filed for bankruptcy. Boston-based lender Second Avenue Capital Partners will provide AGaci $12 million in financing to exit bankruptcy. Second Avenue is an affiliate of Schottenstein, which has deep roots in the retail industry. Top principal Jay Schottenstein is CEO and executive chairman of American Eagle Outfitters, executive chairman of DSW Inc. and chairman of Schottenstein Stores Corp. Won said he expects to capitalize on Second Avenues knowledge of the retail sector, given its affiliation with Schottenstein. AGaci is known as a fast-fashion retailer, capitalizing on trends to offer clothing and accessories quickly and cheaply to customers. As part of the bankruptcy, AGaci plans to move into a 102,000-square-foot distribution facility at 4958 Stout Drive. It will leave a 283,000-square-foot distribution facility in Von Ormy. AGacis San Antonio stores are in Ingram Park Mall, North Star Mall, South Park Mall and Rolling Oaks Mall. This case went about as smoothly and efficiently as a case can go, the judge said at the end of the hearing. This article was updated to correct the name of the Rolling Oaks Mall. Patrick Danner is a staff writer in San Antonio. 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The businesses including Southwest Airlines, Amazon and United Airlines are asking a federal judge to reject a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this year that seeks to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gives young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children permission to work and a reprieve from deportation. Texas and six other Republican-led states sued the federal government, asking a judge to declare the program unconstitutional and stop the renewal or issuance of new permits. The businesses claim ending the program would inflict serious harm to U.S. companies and, ultimately, cost the Texas economy $6 billion a year. More than 689,000 people are protected under the DACA program, according to government statistics released last September. About 16 percent of them or 113,000 live in Texas. RELATED: Moderate Republicans fail in bid to protect Dreamers Every day DACA is enjoined, approximately 1,700 people will lose their jobs which in turn translates into lost productivity and revenue for companies, lost tax revenue for governments, and broader economic contraction, according to a legal brief filed Saturday by a coalition of 114 companies, including Amazon, Uber, Verizon and others. The Texas Attorney Generals office says the business groups claims are misleading because they falsely assert the state is asking for immediate deportation of document recipients. That is not the case. The state says it is asking for a halt on future actions. Todd Disher, the lead attorney for Texas, said the lawsuit is about preserving Congress ability to oversee immigration laws. As the plaintiff states made clear in their first filing, we have asked for an end to the granting of new DACA applications and DACA renewal applications, he said. That would allow the unlawful program to phase out over the next two years. RELATED: Hurd, other congressmen, try to force a DACA vote In September, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the program, but legal challenges and recent court rulings have allowed the program to continue. In May, a federal judge in D.C. ruled that DACA protections must stay in place and the government must resume accepting new applications. The judge determined the administration's decision to terminate the program was based on the virtually unexplained grounds that the program was unlawful. Judges in Brooklyn and San Francisco have also issued injunctions ordering the program to remain in place, but neither required the government to accept new applications. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen is expected to hold a hearing on Aug. 8 in Houston. Alejandra Matos covers politics, education and immigration policy. Follow her on Twitter. Subscribe to the Texas Take politics newsletter. A jury that listened to an eyewitness describe the stabbing and shooting deaths of two people in detail and heard her name the killer in a 911 recording couldnt reach agreement on whether Luis Antonio Arroyo was guilty, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial Thursday. That left prosecutors and defense attorneys looking bewildered. Somber jurors, some crying, quickly left the courtroom without comment. There also was no comment from the prosecution or defense. Had he been convicted, Arroyo, 41, faced the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Arroyo is accused of killing Rodney Spring, 47, shot once in the back, and Quickether Ketha Jackson, 36, shot five times and stabbed three times, night of Jan. 21, 2016, at an apartment on the West Side. The slayings might have been caused by the theft of a pack of cigarettes. Jacksons mother, Tandylyn Jackson, 59, also stabbed and shot, was the lone survivor of the attack. It was her testimony last week that seemed to clearly point to Arroyo as the killer. She told the jury shed gone to his apartment that day and accused him of stealing her cigarettes, which he denied. Later, he came to her door, wanting to come in. I told him, Tony, dont come in my house, she testified, adding, He shot Ketha. She was behind me. Related: Judge still deciding venue for next trial for ex-San Antonio lawyer convicted in sex case Now Playing: Luis Antonio Arroyo, 41, was arrested for the bloody slaying of two people at a San Antonio apartment in January of 2016. Video: San Antonio Express-News In their closing arguments, prosecutors Scott Simpson and Mari Janssen called Jackson a living eyewitness, and said her testimony proved beyond a reasonable doubt that hes guilty. But the defense sought to raise several doubts, claiming San Antonio police conducted a shabby investigation and stopped looking for any other assailants despite reports of other Tony Arroyos in the area and statements from other witnesses. One of those witnesses was sitting in a truck at the apartment complex the night of the attack, smoking and drinking with a friend. He testified last week that he saw the defendant walking calmly toward the Jacksons apartment before the attack. I saw Tony pass. He asked for a cigarette. We didnt have any more, testified Leo Gomez, 36. Minutes after Arroyo walked off, Gomez said, he heard gunfire. But that wasnt unusual for the area, he testified. Shortly after those gunshots, Gomez said, he saw Arroyo again, walking back toward his own apartment, again in no hurry. Defense Attorney Joel Perez argued that if Arroyo had committed such a rage-filled attack, he wouldnt have been as calm as Gomez witnessed. The defense also raised the issue of rampant drug use in the Jackson home, pointing out Quickether lost custody of her children because of her drug addiction and Tandylyn herself admitted on the stand that she, her daughter and Spring often smoked crack at the Jacksons apartment. For his part, Arroyo told police he was on heroin. Related: Trio charged with mission vandalism ordered to have no contact with each other In announcing the mistrial, state District Judge Kevin OConnell said the case will remain on the docket and another jury will be seated at a later date. I can see how seriously you took it, OConnell told the jurors. But this is a part of the justice system. To reach a verdict in the case, the jury had to have unanimous agreement. Jurors had been deliberating about 10 hours over two days when they first sent the judge a message that they were deadlocked, 6-6, a little after 2 p.m. OConnell directed the jury to continue deliberating, but at 4:36 p.m., jurors sent out another note, stating that six jurors could not be persuaded to change their minds. The judge then asked each juror by name: Do you believe that there is a reasonable probability that the jury can reach a unanimous verdict in this case if sent back to the jury room for further deliberations? Each responded no. It is of manifest necessity that I declare a mistrial in this case, OConnell told the court. This was the first death penalty case in Bexar County since Mark Anthony Gonzalez was condemned in 2015 for killing Bexar County sheriffs Sgt. Kenneth Vann four years earlier. Before then, a Bexar jury hadnt decided someone deserved the penalty since 2009. Arroyo was 39 when he was arrested and charged with capital murder-multiple persons in the attack that occurred in the apartment where the women lived in the 3800 block of Sherrill Brooks Drive. Fred D. Harris, father of Quickether Jackson, who sat through the two-week trial, said afterward that he would accept any punishment Arroyo received. Hes somebodys child. He killed my child, Harris said. He showed Tandylyn and Quickether no mercy, but Im showing him compassion, and I forgive him. Related: Local ex-soccer star who aided postal worker shooter pleads guilty Springs uncle, Robert Jackson, who also watched the proceedings, smiled as he recalled when his nephew was born, changing diapers and baby-sitting him as a child. He hopes his nephew and the others can get justice. I think this was a vicious crime that was done, there was no mercy shown to my nephew or the other victims, Robert Jackson said. There (was) no need to take another persons life. He also put some of the blame for the mistrial on mistakes made by police during the investigation. Theres no need having a hung jury like today, when the evidence shows what happened, he said. This is the second mistrial declared this month in Bexar County in a capital murder-multiple persons case in which prosecutors were seeking the death penalty. On July 5, Visiting Judge Susan Reed declared a mistrial during jury selection for the trial of Brian Flores after his defense attorney suffered a concussion during a fall, and was unable to continue in jury selection. Flores is accused of killing Joshua Rodriguez, 18, and Victoria Dennis, 17. The homicides occurred at the Churchill Park apartments complex in the 1200 block of Patricia Drive on Sept. 29, 2015. He is awaiting trial. Earlier this year, Arroyo was one of three inmates who escaped from Bexar County Jail and was captured hours later in March. He, Jacob Anthony Brownson and Eric Trevino all charged with capital murder allegedly climbed 20 feet inside a recreation area in the jail and cut a hole in mesh to escape. Elizabeth Zavala is a courts and crime reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 Students, teachers, family and friends gathered at dusk and released balloons into the evening sky in honor of a man they called the heart of Rhodes Middle School. Thursday night, more than 160 students, school staff and family members gathered at a candlelight vigil for technology teacher William E. Davis, who died last week while traveling in Uganda. Davis died in an accident in Kampala, Uganda, after delivering pen pal letters from his class to students at Lady Sarah Primary School. Crowded outside of the West Side school, guests wept and shared memories of the man who made youngsters believe they could overcome any obstacle. Freda Sanchez said her mentor touched everyone with his kindness and taught his students to recognize their value. We are blessed to have shared this life with you, she said. Principal Moises Ortiz called Davis the cornerstone and consciousness of the school at 3000 Tampico St. An online petition to rename the technology building at Rhodes in his honor had a goal of 1,000 signatures. As of Thursday afternoon, it already had 1,237 signatures and 346 comments. Family members said Davis didnt have any idea of the effect he had on peoples lives, especially the students. His passion for teaching will always stay at Rhodes, said his daughter, Andrea Davis. At the end of ceremony, the crowd assembled in the courtyard. They were serenaded by Mariachi Los Potrillios de San Antonio as they let loose of hundreds of balloons in memory of their beloved teacher. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater 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 A mistrial was declared Thursday in the capital murder case of a 41-year-old San Antonio man accused of killing two people in a shooting and stabbing attack in 2016, reportedly over a pack of cigarettes. That left prosecutors and defense attorneys looking bewildered. Somber jurors, some crying, quickly left the courtroom without comment. There also was no comment from the prosecution or defense. Jurors had been deliberating about 10 hours over two days when they sent the judge a message that they were deadlocked, 6-6, on whether Arroyo was guilty. But 227th state District Court Judge Kevin OConnell directed the jury to continue deliberating the fate of Luis Antonio Arroyo, who faced a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole, or death, if he had been convicted. RELATED: Teen killed in crash with S.A.-area business ID'd But the additional deliberations failed to break the deadlock. This was the first death penalty case in Bexar County since Mark Anthony Gonzalez was condemned in 2015 for killing Bexar County Sheriffs Sgt. Kenneth Vann in 2011. Before then, a Bexar County jury had not decided someone deserved the penalty since 2009. Now Playing: Luis Antonio Arroyo, 41, was arrested for the bloody slaying of two people at a San Antonio apartment in January of 2016. Video: San Antonio Express-News Arroyo was on trial on in the killing of Rodney Spring, 47, shot once in the back, and Quickether Jackson, 36, shot five times and stabbed three times, on Jan. 21, 2016. Jacksons mother, Tandylyn Jackson, 59, also stabbed and shot, was the lone survivor of the attack. Arroyo was 39 when he was arrested and charged with capital murder-multiple persons, in the brutal attack that occurred in the apartment where the women lived in the 3800 block of Sherrill Brooks Drive on the West Side. The elder Jackson, who testified last week that she called 911 and reported Arroyo as the assailant, could be heard yelling the defendants name in the recording played for the jury during closing arguments Wednesday. Prosecutors Scott Simpson and Mari Janssen said in their closing arguments that Jackson was a living eyewitness, and that her testimony proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty. Defense attorney Joel Perez told the jury in his closing argument that San Antonio police and homicide Det. Robert Bunnell conducted a shabby investigation and chose to stop looking for the assailant once they had Arroyo in custody, despite reports of another Tony Arroyo or others seen at the complex that day. Arroyo pleaded not guilty and did not testify on his own behalf. Earlier this year, Arroyo was one of three inmates who escaped from the Bexar County Jail and was captured hours later in March. He, Jacob Anthony Brownson and Eric Trevino all charged with capital murder allegedly climbed 20 feet inside a recreation area in the jail and cut a hole in mesh to escape. To read the victims' families' immediate reactions to the mistrial, visit our subscriber site Express-News.com. Elizabeth Zavala is a courts and crime reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 The members of San Antonio for Beto gathered last Thursday at the Bang Bang Bar to launch a political experiment. Susan Korbel, a consumer research specialist actively involved in the effort to elect Beto ORourke to the United States Senate, had crunched some voting numbers. Korbel found a cluster of Bexar County precincts (many of them on the far west side) that vote overwhelmingly, as in 85-95 percent, Democratic, but are among the countys lowest performers when it comes to turnout. A pessimist could look at that combination of factors and come away frustrated. An optimist, and Korbel qualifies as one, takes that same data and sees endless potential for growth. In response to Korbels findings, San Antonio for Beto used last weeks meeting to form five groups, each responsible for infiltrating one of those low-performing precincts. The idea is for group members to connect with Democratic voters in those precincts and get them to refer their non-voter friends to ORourke volunteers. Related: Beto O'Rourke sets new fundraising records Its an expand-the-electorate strategy totally in keeping with the way ORourke has thrown out the old political playbooks and taken his message to non-voters, independents and Republicans. The El Paso congressman, whose race against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz has generated national attention, created excitement on the campaign trail with a DIY aesthetic: driving himself to rallies, hitting all 254 counties in the state, communicating by live-stream and steering clear of political consultants and the kind of conventional wisdom they provide. One of the things that we realized is that the people who are coming out to help Beto are an amalgam of many different types that havent come out before, Korbel said, as Michael Jacksons Dont Stop Til You Get Enough pulsated through the house speakers at the Bang Bang Bar, a neighborhood dive off San Pedro Avenue. Untypical Democrats. The standard approach to modern political outreach is to zero in on people who have established a pattern of voting and seem likely to sympathize with your cause. Theres an undeniable logic to this strategy, but it creates something of an echo-chamber effect, in which the same people keep communicating with each other and the disenfranchised and disillusioned drift farther away from the political conversation. San Antonio for Beto is trying to turn that logic on its head. We have a group of people who arent afraid to talk to non-voters, because they were non-voters, Korbel said. Related: Gutierrez and Gallego turn up the heat in Senate special election Korbel identified one South Side precinct in which only 60 people, out of roughly 2,800 registered voters, turned out for this years primary runoffs. But 54 out of those 60 voters (90 percent) cast their ballots in the Democratic runoff. To Korbels way of thinking, that means the possibility of 2,500 untapped Democrats in a single precinct who arent making it to the polls. If San Antonio for Beto can cut into that apathy, precinct by precinct, they can alter the electoral math of Bexar County. Its a two-step process, Korbel said. First of all, were going to reach out to the core people who have voted multiple times in Democratic primaries. Were going to make friends with them, because, obviously, you dont go somewhere and say, We know what you want. Maybe its a school community, maybe its a church community, maybe they all sit around at one taqueria every morning and talk. We dont know. While five of the six lowest performing Democratic precincts are situated in a triangular zone southwest of Leon Valley, the Beto for San Antonio turnout brigades initially will spread out to various parts of the county, including one precinct close to St. Marys University, one on the near west side and one in the China Grove area. Many of these precincts dont have precinct chairs, Korbel said. One of the things that freaked us out was that nobodys paying attention to these areas. Related: Beto O'Rourke puts all his chips on 2018 Ernest Gonzales, an electronic musician and 2016 Bernie Sanders supporter, is one of the key players in the effort to energize low-propensity precincts in Bexar County. On his Facebook page, Gonzales recently broke down ORourkes challenge this way: We have to convince at least 1 out of every 4 registered Democrats that didnt vote in the last election to actually do so in November in every major city in TX. On Thursday, ORourke debuted his first campaign ad, a one-minute montage of iPhone footage, showing the candidate in constant motion. Korbel and her precinct teams look to be pretty busy themselves over the next three months. @gilgamesh470 Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 Guwahati, July 27 : After published the first part draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) by including names of 1.90 crore people out of the total 3.29 crore applicants of Assam recognising them as legal citizens of India, the NRC state coordinator office is now preparing to publish the final draft of NRC. Assam is going to witness a historical moment on July 30 as the final draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be published on that day. Ahead of the final draft of NRC publication, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday night had reviewed law and order situation and held a crucial meeting with all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all districts in Guwahati. Sonowal reviewed with the DCs and SPs the law and order situation as well as measures being taken to tackle any untoward situation. The Assam CM had ordered the DCs and SPs to maintain peace in their concerned districts and to take adequate measures to tackle any eventuality. Assam DGP Kuladhar Saikia, Home Commissioner of Assam government LS Changson, state NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela and other top officials of Assam police, state home department also present in the meeting. Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal said that, the meeting was held with the senior officials of districts of Assam and also DCs, SPs ahead the publication of final draft of NRC. With help of the people of Assam, we want to maintain peace and tranquillity in the districts of Assam. The NRC draft will be published as per direction of the Supreme Court on July 30 and this should be a historic moment for the people of Assam. To make NRC reality, the people of Assam have extended their whole support, cooperation. We are grateful to the people of Assam that they have always been cooperative. We are hopeful, everybody going to participate in this particular noble endeavour, Sonowal said. Sonowal further said that, nobody needs to be panicked if their names do not appear in the final draft as opportunity will be provided them for claim and objections. NEWS FLASH The Macedonian Chamber of Commerce has signed a Memorandum of cooperation with the Romanian National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT) as the two sides work on establishing flights between Bucharest and Ohrid. "Romania is very interested in developing its tourism industry togeather with Macedonia given the close proximity of the two countries. Our goal is for Romanian tourists to visit Macedonia in the same numbers as those from Poland and the Netherlands. In order to achieve this, nonstop flights must first be established between the two countries", the President of the Tourism Chamber within the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce, Arkan Kerim, said. ANAT head Adrian Stanculescu added, "We are particularly interested in establishing flights to Ohrid as it is considered the Jerusalem of the Balkans". The two sides agreed to lobby airlines to introduce services between the two countries as soon as possible. FAIRFIELD No one looks forward to a DMV visit, and some in the local Registrar of Voters office had hoped to convince the town to open a new DMV Express outlet in Old Town Hall. It was explored over several months, First Selectman Mike Tetreau said, adding town officials met with representatives from the Department of Motor Vehicles on several occasions. We watched with interest as the West Haven operation came online. Ultimately, Tetreau said, There were several logistical issues that made it difficult, including parking, space for customers and staffing. However, Democratic Registrar Matt Waggner and the offices lone full-time staffer, Holly Lanese, both think its an idea that could work. Is the daily volume such that it could be handled with a couple of chairs in the lobby? We would be able to handle double what AAA did in Fairfield, Waggner, adding the opening day of the West Haven location was not typical of what the traffic would be on a daily basis. Waggner said he broached the idea when he heard the DMV was looking for requests for proposals for DMV Express sites. Its kind of on the back burner for now, he said. We want to gather enough data so we could see what we could expect. He said in addition to providing a time-saving service for residents, it could also provide revenue to the town. The DMV would pay $8 to the town for every transaction handled. That money, La nese said, could be used for additional staff, if deemed necessary. Lanese pointed out the DMV now registers voters, but her office often spends more time correcting the information sent to them by the DMV. This would cut out the middleman. The West Haven and Milford sites opened in June. The Milford office is hosted by the Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union and charges a convenience fee for noncustomers. The state issued a request for proposal last year for New Haven and Fairfield counties after AAA Northeast offices in the region stopped providing the licensing services. At the DMV Express sites, residents can renew licenses, regular IDs and learners permits, and make name changes to the same items. Guwahati, July 27 : Security forces on Thursday had destroyed a hideout of banned outfit United Liberation Front of Asom Independent (ULFA-I) in upper Assams Tinsukia district and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition. According to the reports, based on intelligence input troops of 9th battalion of Rajputana Rifles and Assam police had jointly launched operation in the thick jungle area under Lakhipathar forest division in the upper Assam district about presence of a militant group. While the troops had reached the remote jungle area the militants had managed to flee from the area. Security personnel had destroyed a hideout of the militant group and recovered four pistols, one revolver, , two rounds of 40mm Multi Shot Grenade Launcher, 11 rounds of 9mm revolver ammunition, 16 rounds of 2.2mm ammunition, one round AK-47, radio set, battery with charger and mobile phones, demolished notes of Rs 1.49 lakh and other warlike stores from the busted hideout. The operation was launched as a pre-emptive measures against the ULFA-I militants preparation for subversion and sabotage activities against security forces in wake of the ULFA-Is Martyrs Day to be celebrated on July 27 (Friday). This operation is a part of major ongoing crack down by security forces against the insurgent outfits, active in upper Assam. China Hydroelectric Corporation is a developer, owner and operator of small hydroelectric power projects in China. The projects are located in Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan. As of December 31, 2012, wholly owns 22 operating hydroelectric power projects and have controlling interests in three operating hydroelectric power projects. In March 2012, the Company sold 100% of the Yuanping hydroelectric power project. In April 2013, the Company sold the Yuheng hydroelectric power project, a 30 megawatt (MW) project located in Fujian province. In July 2014, the Company announced that it has completed the merger with CPT Wyndham Sub Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CPT Wyndham Holdings Ltd. Read More 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. Read More Kathmandu, Nepal: Finally, the government has agreed to implement the demands raised by senior orthopedic doctor Govinda KC to reform the medical education of the country. With the agreement to fulfill his almost all demands, Dr. KC has ended his 15th hunger strike on 27th day on Thursday night. A nine point agreement was signed between the government and the agitating side to end his 15th hunger strike. Though the government had present with adamant stands earlier, it has agreed to fulfill all his almost all demands including a 10-year moratorium on establishing of new medical college in Kathmandu Valley. The issue had remained the major bone of contention in the talks between the two sides. Following the agreement, Deputy parliamentary party leader of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Subas Nembang and Prof Kedar Bhakta Mathema jointly offered Dr. KC juice to break his hunger strike at 10:35 pm Thursday night. As per the agreements, no private college will be established in Kathmandu Valley for ten years. However, those who have already received the Letters of Intent (LoI) for establishing medical college in the Valley can sell their property to the government or can shift to priority areas outside the Valley. With the agreement, the much more hyped proposed Manmohan medical college will have to wait 10 years from the beginning from the National Medical Education act come into implementation to bring into operation. Some leaders of the government head NCP have made invested in the medical college. However, option to sell the property to the government or to shift it out of the Kathmandu valley is provided to the already IoL received medical colleges including the Manmohan medical college. As per the agreement, the National Medical Education Bill, which is already in parliament, will be amended. Wall Street analysts have given Petro Matad 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 Petro Matad wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV. Read More A farm has lost a 60,000 tractor and 45 acres of crops to a devastating field fire in East Sussex. The field fire happened at Berwick Court Farm on Wednesday (25 July) in what firefighters described as a "serious fire". Paul Lewis, a farmer from near Berwick and Alfriston, told the BBC how the blaze destroyed 45 acres of crops and burnt out a 60,000 tractor. He said the seeing the crops go up in smoke is a "complete crying waste". Photo showing the extent of the fire that @EastSussexFRS crews had to deal with earlier today. Did a great job in sweltering heat! JM #A27 #Drusillas pic.twitter.com/9RbV3SRd41 NPAS Redhill (@NPASRedhill) July 25, 2018 "It's been pretty nervous and frightening to be honest. We think the fire was caused by hot machinery, a flint and an accidental spark," Mr Lewis told the BBC. "I didn't want my machinery to go up in flames obviously, and I've spent nine months getting my crops to this stage, so to see it just go up in smoke is a complete crying waste." East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service received the call at 14.54 on 25 July following reports of the field fire. Crews have now left the scene of the field fire near the #A27 #Drusillas roundabout - please check out and share our advice about keeping our countryside safe #safersummer https://t.co/7Toh42IsZk pic.twitter.com/9DpHNj7mUD East Sussex FRS (@EastSussexFRS) July 25, 2018 At 17.40, six fire engines were at the scene, with four Landrovers, one Water Bowser and a Support Command Unit. Locals were asked to keep doors and windows closed to help avoid the smoke. There are no reports of injuries. The fire follows repeated warnings by farming unions, rural organisations and insurers for farmers to take extra care due to the tinder dry conditions. Big thank you to our hardworking teams at @Sussex_Fire_999 who have a very busy day & remained as professional, efficient and effective as always! They're the unseen heroes who answer your calls for help #proud #amazing East Sussex FRS (@EastSussexFRS) July 25, 2018 Conditions are dryer than the fabled summer of 1976 and its putting UK farms at high risk of devastating fires. An extension to the Article 50 period "must be a priority" if a hard Brexit in April 2019 starts to become a real likelihood. The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) has told the Prime Minister that the consequences of a hard Brexit would be "so extreme" for farming. FUW President, Glyn Roberts told Theresa May that hard Brexit must simply not be allowed to happen. I made it clear to the Prime Minister that seeking an extension to the Article 50 period which allows more time to negotiate a common sense agreement with the EU has to be a priority if a hard Brexit starts to become a real likelihood, Mr Roberts said. The FUW President said that losing access to the EU market would be particularly devastating for the Welsh farming industry, but would also cause huge damage to the UK economy. The two year Article 50 period triggered by Theresa May in March 2017 can be extended with the agreement of the EU, and it would be completely reckless to risk the cataclysmic damage of a hard Brexit in April 2019 rather than trying to get more time to reach a deal, he said. Mr Roberts said the FUW had made it clear since the EU referendum that Brexit should take place over a safe and realistic timescale. The thousands of businesses present today on the Royal Welsh showground are a microcosm of our rural economy which employs hundreds of thousands of people across Wales alone. A hard Brexit risks causing collapse on a monumental scale, and we must fight to stop that from happening, Mr Roberts added. Theresa May triggered the Article 50 process on 29 March 2017, meaning the UK is scheduled to leave at 11pm UK time on Friday, 29 March 2019. British farmer-owned First Milk has announced a price increase of 0.8 pence per litre commencing from August. The dairy co-operative has announced the price increase from August 1 on a liquid standard litre basis (4% butterfat, 3.3% protein). This announcement takes the price to 28ppl, whilst the manufacturing standard litre (4.2% butterfat and 3.4% protein) will be 28.95ppl. Commenting on the announcement, Jim Baird, Vice Chairman and farmer director said the increase will be "welcomed" by farmers. [It] will go some way towards helping to offset the additional costs caused by the continued hot weather, he said. There have been two key changes in recent weeks affecting the dairy markets - the hot and dry weather is bringing some uncertainty over UK and European milk production, and, although still relatively strong, markets have shown signs of weakening in the last six weeks. Mr Baird added: As always, we remain focused on maximising member milk price and delivering the best returns we can. The price increase follows news of First Milk starting a 6.5m investment project at its Haverfordwest creamery which will expand capacity by 20%. Nine young farmers from across Wales have financially benefited from a travel scholarship which will see them visit the likes of New Zealand and the USA. A total of 2,350 has been awarded by NFU Mutual's Management Committee to scholars wishing to broaden their knowledge of agriculture, following a donation from the Charitable Trust. The awards are part of the Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Travel Scholarship and were presented at the Royal Welsh Show. This years main winner is James Evans, who will receive 800 to help fund his travels to New Zealand. Twenty-seven year old James, from Rhosgoch near Builth Wells, is the Assistant Farm Manager at the Welsh Venison Centre. The award will help fund a two month study trip to New Zealand to learn more about deer farming and venison production. James said with Brexit on the horizon he has "huge concerns" about the future of agricultural policy in Wales. I am really looking forward to spending time in New Zealand to widen my knowledge of the deer industry and I want to see how they are growing and developing the market for venison, he said. Im eager to get advice and guidance from deer industry leaders in New Zealand and bring back ideas that will enable me to run a profitable business of my own in the near future. 'American red meat' There are eight further recipients from the scholarship this year who are each receiving a financial contribution to help with their travels. Peredur Owen, from Llanelidan near Ruthin receives 500 towards a three week trip to the USA. Alongside assisting with the running of the family beef and sheep farm, the twenty-five year old farmer also works as an Agriculture Development Officer for Dunbia, the multinational food company that specialises in the production of quality beef, pork and lamb products. Commenting on his upcoming trip, Peredur said: I want to advance my knowledge of the American red meat sector throughout their whole supply chain, in particular to look at how US producers are implementing antibiotic usage recording strategies. Im also keen to learn more about their use of progressive genetics and estimated breeding values with a view to improving the efficiency and profitability of our own family farming business. 'Kiwis and Irish' Twenty-two year old Richard Jenkins, from Eglwysfach near Machynlleth receives 350 to help fund a 3 month trip to New Zealand along with a week study tour to the Republic of Ireland. Commenting on his upcoming trip, Richard said: I am really looking forward to spending time in New Zealand and Ireland to widen my knowledge of agriculture. In particular Im eager to learn from the Kiwis and the Irish about their grassland management and how they make the most of every blade of grass and I hope to implement some of the things I learn to help make our farming enterprise in the Dyfi Valley more profitable. Also New Zealand bound is nineteen-year old Gwion Morgan, from Mwnt near Cardigan and twenty-two year old Gwen Price, from Llangadog in Carmarthenshire. Both will receive a scholarship for 200 to help fund their travels to New Zealand to learn more about its agricultural industry. South Africa and Uganda Two of the recipients from the scholarship this year will each receive 100 to help with their travels. Abbie Williams, from Llansoy in Monmouthshire, whos an Outdoor Field Studies Teacher, receives 100 towards a 3 week trip to South Africa where she will volunteer on an urban agricultural project. Mathew Evans, from Llanbadarn Fynydd near Llandrindod Wells, receives 100 towards a trip to Northern and Western Australia where he will work on arable farms. He hopes to learn about various arable farming systems and take some new experiences and ideas home with him that will help him secure a future career in agriculture. A further two recipients from the scholarship this year will each receive 50 to help with their travels. Carys Richards, from Abergwili in Carmarthenshire, receives 50 from the scholarship towards a two week trip to Uganda as part of the Wales YFC International Programme. Shes looking forward to meeting likeminded individuals who live and work in the countryside and getting an insight into their daily lives in a third world country. Esyllt Jones, from Pennant in Ceredigion, receives 50 from the scholarship towards her trip to New Zealand. The Harper Adams University graduates travels will take her away from the family farm and she hopes to learn about various farming systems and take some new experiences and ideas home with her that will help her secure a future career in agriculture or the wider food industry. The scholarship, which is administered by NFU Cymru was set up in memory of the late Gareth Raw Rees who, for many years, was a delegate on the NFU Council and Chairman of the NFU Cymru Education Committee. Gareth believed fervently that travel was an important form of education for young people. Oilseed rape straw cannot be used as animal bedding if it has been used with the herbicide AstroKerb, Dow AgroSciences has warned. With the potential lack of forage and bedding straw for the coming winter some farmers are baling oilseed rape straw or are being asked by livestock producers to bale oilseed rape straw. However, if farmers have used AstroKerb as a herbicide on oilseed rape in the autumn and winter then the straw cannot be used as animal bedding, according to the herbicide's manufacturers, Dow AgroSciences. The herbicide contains propyzamide and aminopyralid. It is the addition of aminopyralid which is the issue as it has been shown to be very persistent. However, oilseed rape straw may be removed from the field to be used for burning for heat or electricity production. The risk of using the straw for feeding animals is that the aminopyralid will remain in their muck (containing part-digested straw) until that muck is spread on a field, Dow AgroSciences said in a statement. When the muck is spread and mixed with soil, the aminopyralid will be released and then broken down. This could cause crop damage if a susceptible crop has been planted. According to the product label, farmers should adhere to the following: Do not remove oilseed rape straw [treated with ASTROKerb] from the field, unless it is to be used for burning for heat or electricity production; Do not feed animals with treated oilseed rape straw; Do not use oilseed rape straw [treated with ASTROKerb] for animal bedding; Do not use oilseed rape straw [treated with ASTROKerb] for composting or mulching. Initially, Priyanka Was Happy About Her Role "On one of her trips to India, Priyanka had shot for two days for Bharat, in Mumbai. It was a hush-hush shoot and only the unit knows about it. Initially, she was very happy about her role as PeeCee is there right from the beginning to the end as the film is about a couple who fall in love, get married and grow old together as their life keeps coming in flashbacks." But The New Addition Of Stars To Bharat Left Her Baffled "But while Priyanka was in the US, she kept getting news about other actors getting added to the cast. First came Disha Patani (and her role was increased), then Tabu and Nora Fatehi and all had roles specially created for them." PeeCee Got Skeptical About Bharat & Thought It Might Look Like Race 3 "Apparently, Salman is taking the call for these roles so PeeCee thought that she might face the same problem that Jacqueline Fernandez faced in Race 3 - of getting side-lined by Daisy Shah and the rest. At the end of it all, Race 3 looked more of an ensemble cast, with Bobby Deol, Freddy Daruwala and Saqib Salim, than a Salman Khan film." In The Last, PeeCee Opted Herself Out Of The Film The source further added, "In Bharat, besides Tabu, Disha and Nora there's also Sunil Grover and Aasif Sheikh. That's why PeeCee thought it was in her best interest to leave the film." Bharat Wasnt Working For Her Image Pinkvilla also quoted a source as saying, "Today Priyanka Chopra's a huge international star and to be part of a film like Bharat, which is looking like an ensemble cast, day by day would not work for her image." Initially, Salman Was Upset With Her Decision "But she's also very close to Salman's family so apparently, she could not tell them what changed her mind. Hence, the engagement has come at an opportune time which satisfies everybody. An engagement is a happy time and nobody can grudge her that, not even Salman, who initially was apparently very upset about her walk-out." Katrina Might Step Into Priyankas Shoes "Priyanka is currently shooting for Shonali Bose's untitled next. She plays the main protagonist and the role is befitting her image. Katrina Kaif has been approached to step into PeeCee's shoes for Bharat and will soon give her nod to it post her return from London where she is spending some time with her family." Sanju: Abu Salem sends Legal Notice to makers of Sanjay Dutt's Biopic; Here's Why | FilmiBeat Gangster Abu Salem has slapped a notice on the makers of Sanju, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra for allegedly portraying wrong information about him in the film. The notice claims that Abu Salem never met Sanjay Dutt or supplied arms and ammunition to him. Salem has also threatened the makers to file a defamation case if the particular scene related to him is not removed within a period of 15 days. Referring to a scene which was alleged false, the notice stated, "The scene where Ranbir Kapoor (pictured as Sanjay Dutt) gives confessional statement about the possession of arms and ammunition during the communal tensions around our country in the year 1993 is defaming my client as my client never supplied the arms and ammunition as alleged to Mr. Sanjay Dutt as pictured in the said film." Currently, the gangster is serving a life sentence in jail after being convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. He has also been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment in the 2002 extortion case by the Delhi Court. The makers of Sanju haven't reciprocated to Abu Salem's notice yet. On the other side, Ranbir is out of station as he is busy with the shoot of his next film, Brahmastra in Bulgaria. Now, we've gotta wait and watch if the makers will remove the scene or find another way to deal with Salem's notice. Priyanka Chopra QUITS Salman Khan's Bharat due to this Reason | FilmiBeat Director Ali Abbas Zafar took to social media to clarify that Priyanka Chopra who was making her Bollywood comeback with the Salman Khan starrer Bharat is no longer a part of the film. The director stated that the actress has opted out owing to a very special reason and the team is happy for her decision. Ali Abbas Zafar shared, "Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of @Bharat_TheFilm & and the reason is very very special , she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her ... Team Bharat wishes @priyankachopra loads of love & happiness for life ". Bharat went on floors recently, wherein Salman Khan and Disha Patani have already begun the shoot schedule. The first schedule includes shooting for a grand circus sequence, Ali Abbas Zafar had shared a sneak peek of the same featuring Salman Khan raising the anticipation of the audience. Salman Khan will yet again treat the audience on the festive season of Eid next year with the release of Bharat. The film will feature Salman Khan sporting five different looks, spanning 60 years, wherein a crucial part will showcase the actor in his late 20s, looking much leaner and younger. Salman Khan will be recreating his 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' look which has created an immense excitement amongst the audience. Bharat's release also brings back Salman Khan and director Ali Abbas Zafar for an Eid release after the 2016 Blockbuster Hit, Sultan. The hit director-actor duo will be marking a hattrick with Bharat after their last outing Tiger Zinda Hai. The film is set to have a character-driven story spanning across many periods. Bharat will be shot across locations in Abu Dhabi and Spain, besides Punjab and Delhi in India. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, 'Bharat' is produced by Atul Agnihotri's Reel Life Production Pvt. Ltd. and Bhushan Kumar's T-Series releasing Eid 2019. Also Read: Indian Couture Week 2018: Kareena Kapoor Khan Dons 30 Kgs Lehenga; Looks All Things Glittery [PICS] Richa Opts For A Traditional Kerala Saree Called Kasava Pattu Speaking about her look, Richa said, "The challenge for the look of the film but also a good one is that the story traces the journey of Shakeela's younger days to her becoming a popular figure. Thus the looks span over years and years and with each passing time her look changed and thus to show that is challenging but also for me as an actor its gratifying that I get to grow with the real character on celluloid. Shakeela is still a legend and we wish to do complete justice to her when the film is ready." 'My Agenda Wasn't To Make Richa Look Exactly Like Shakeela' Makeup artiste Tanuja Dabir, who recreated Shakeela's look for Richa, told Mid-Day, "My agenda wasn't to make Richa look exactly like Shakeela. I wanted to capture the essence of Shakeela. She had a sweet innocence that was in sharp contrast to the roles she portrayed. The idea is to bring that out. To her, [being part of adult] movies was just a job. She was a simple person at heart. It is through her plain look that we will convey the contrast between what she was in real life and what she did on screen. Richa has to retain her innocent appeal." Rajeev Pillai To Play Richa's Love Interest Mollywood hunk Rajeev Pillai will be playing Richa Chadha's love interest in the biopic. He was earlier quoted as saying, "I will be playing the hero in the film. My character is called Arjun." There's A Huge Responsibility Richa earlier told TOI, "I am not going to put on weight to play Shakeela, as I feel that aspect is quite superficial. The film is about one woman standing up for herself in a male-dominated society and being targeted for being successful. It doesn't It doesn't really dwell upon her films per se but the ups and downs in her life. I wanted to meet her in person because I wanted her to trust me. When an actor plays a real person, there's a huge responsibility as we represent that person." Prodways Group (Euronext Paris: PWG) today reports revenue for the second quarter and the first half of 2018. (in millions) H1 20181 H1 2017 Change Q2 20181 Q2 2017 Change Systems 16,0 7,5 +113,8% 8,2 3,5 +131,1% Products 11,9 7,4 +59,3% 6,1 3,7 +63,8% Structure & disposals (0,3) (0,3) n/a (0,2) (0,1) n/a Consolidated revenue 27,6 14,6 +88,1% 14,1 7,2 +95,4% Unaudited figures In the first half of 2018, Prodways Group posted revenue of 27.6 million versus 14.6 million for the first half of 2017, representing strong growth of 88.1%. Revenue maintained a high growth rate in the second quarter in the two divisions, driven in particular by acquisitions and the strong momentum of the on-demand parts manufacturing activity. In the second quarter of 2018, revenue from the Systems division, comprising 3D design software, 3D printers and related materials, amounted to 8.2 million, up by 131.1% over the second quarter of 2017. The division has benefited from the good performance of the software business which contributed over the period. Machine sales were driven by the acceleration of sales of the Prodways ProMaker LD-10 dedicated to the dental market. In the second quarter, the revenue of the Products division - comprising on-demand parts manufacturing and 3D medical applications (dental, podiatry and audiology) - amounted to 6.1 million, up 63.8% over the second quarter of 2017. The division's performance was driven by continued large sales of on demand parts. The American service bureau VARIA 3D, previously 45%-held by Prodways Group and 70%-held since the end of the first quarter, contributed around 100,000 of revenue in the second quarter. In the medical sector, dental remained stable. In contrast, the podiatry applications are still in deficit but are experiencing exceptional growth of almost 200% with the ramp-up of the Scientifeet 3D-printing solution for orthopedic and comfort insoles. Lastly, growth was significantly strengthened by the integration of Interson Protac, acquired during the third quarter of 2017. Acquisition of Solidscape On July 17, Prodways Group announced that it had acquired the US 3D printing maker Solidscape (see the press release of July 17, 2018). Based in Merrimack, United States, the company has been developing a leading 3D printing technology for investment casting applications, particularly for the jewelry market, for more than 25 years. This acquisition strengthens the positioning of the Prodways Group, which bases its strategy on 3D printing manufacturing applications. The MOVINGLight technology, already available to the jewelry market, the resins developed by Prodways Materials, and Solidscape's proprietary technologies complement each other perfectly and will give the Group a comprehensive and unmatched offer on the investment casting and jewelry market. Consolidated over 12 months, Solidscape should generate revenue above $10 million in 2019, of which nearly 50% from sales of materials and supplies. The expected synergies, and particularly the marketing of small MOVINGLight machines through Solidscape network of more than 50 international distributors, should enable the new subsidiary to post double-digit EBITDA by 2020. 2018 objective upgraded In view of the solid performance recorded during the first half year, the Group upgrades its 2018 objective and now expects revenue above 53 million (previously above 50 million). This financial target does not take into account the impact of Solidscape or other projected acquisition. Next report Half-year results released on 14 September 2018 before market opening. About Prodways Group PRODWAYS GROUP is a specialist in industrial and professional 3D printing with a unique positioning as an integrated European player. The group has developed right across the 3D printing value chain (software, machines, materials, parts & services) with a high value added technological industrial solution. PRODWAYS GROUP offers a wide range of 3D printing systems and premium composite, hybrid and powder materials (SYSTEMS division). The company also manufactures and markets parts on demand, prototypes and small production run 3D printed items in plastic and metal (PRODUCTS division). The Group targets a significant number of sectors, from aeronautics to healthcare. In 2017, the company generated revenue of 34.8 million, including close to 40% outside of France. Building on revolutionary and proprietary technology, MOVINGLight, PRODWAYS GROUP today has global visibility in the industrial 3D printing sector and with leading customers. PRODWAYS GROUP is a Groupe Gorge company. For further information: www.prodways-group.com Follow us and and keep up with Prodways Group's latest news on Twitter! @Prodways INVESTOR CONTACTS Prodways Group - Raphael Gorge Chairman and CEO Tel: +33 (0)144 779480 Actus Finance - Anne-Pauline Petureaux Investor relations Tel: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 72/apetureaux@actus.fr PRESS CONTACTS Actus Finance - Jean-Michel Marmillon Financial Press Relations Tel: +33 (0)153 673673/jmmarmillon@actus.fr Disclaimer Releases from the Prodways Group may contain forward-looking declarations with statements of objectives. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations of the Prodways Group. Their realization, however, depends on known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or events to differ significantly from those previously anticipated. The risks and uncertainties that might affect the Group's future ability to achieve its targets are reiterated and presented in detail in our Basis Document available on the Prodways Group's website (www.prodways-group.com). This list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Other unanticipated, unknown or unpredictable factors may also have significant negative effects on the achievement of our objectives. The current release and the information contained therein do not constitute an offer to sell or to subscribe, nor a solicitation for an order to purchase or subscribe to shares in Prodways Group or in any subsidiaries thereof listed in whatsoever country. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-54497-prodways-group_h1-2018-revenue_final.pdf Almere, The Netherlands July 27, 2018 ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today announces that it will be hosting a technology seminar in Incheon, South Korea, on Monday July 30th, 2018, the second day of the ALD Conference. In this technology seminar, ASM speakers Dr. Suvi Haukka and Dr. JW Shon, and our distinguished guest speaker Professor Won-Jun Lee from the SeJong University, will address challenges and solutions from ALD processes and equipment to manufacture next generations of micro-electronic devices. The agenda is as follows: 5.30 - 6.20 pm Reception, drinks and food 6.20 - 6.30 pm Dr. Suvi Haukka (ASM) - Dr. JW Shon (ASM) "Welcome and introduction". 6.30 - 7.15 pm Professor Won-Jun Lee (SeJong University) "ALD of Silicon Nitride - Precursors, Processes, and Mechanisms" Following the presentations, there is room for open discussion and networking until 8.30 pm. The ASM technology seminar will take place at the Oakwood Premier Hotel, Incheon, South Korea (36th Floor). The hotel is next to Songdo Convensia. The room will open at 5:30 pm for invited attendees. Interested parties should contact Rosanne de Vries: Rosanne.de.vries@asm.com (mailto:Rosanne.de.vries@asm.com) About ASM International ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances. CONTACT Rosanne de Vries E: rosanne.de.vries@asm.com (mailto:rosanne.de.vries@asm.com) ASMI To Host Technology Seminar on 30 July 2018 (http://hugin.info/132090/R/2207611/858457.pdf) This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: ASM International NV via Globenewswire 27 July 2018 Rightmove plc Notice of General Meeting Proposed Subdivision of Share Capital Rightmove plc ('the Company'), the UK's number one property website, confirms that a circular will be sent to shareholders today convening a General Meeting at which a proposed 10 for 1 subdivision of the Company's shares will be considered ('the Circular'). An electronic copy of the Circular is now available to download from the Company's website at plc.rightmove.co.uk and is available for inspection at the National Storage Mechanism. The General Meeting will be held at 10.30am on Wednesday, 22 August 2018 at the Company's offices at 33 Soho Square, London W1D 3QU. For further information, please contact: Sandra Odell Company Secretary Telephone: 01908 712058 Email: CompanySecretary@rightmove.co.uk PowerHouse Energy Group plc ("PowerHouse" or the "Company") 27 July 2018 AGM Statement PowerHouse Energy Group plc (AIM: PHE), the UK technology company pioneering hydrogen production from waste plastic and used tyres, is holding its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") at 11.00am today. The general update to be provided by the Board at the AGM will include the following statement: "As stated in our recent results we are on track with the engineering design of the DMG process and can report the latest performance and modelling data is showing strong results in terms of the outputs from a variety of feedstocks. The generic Front End Engineering Design (FEED) Engineering is now complete, allowing initial safety design reviews and independent third party design reviews to be initiated on schedule. "The commercialisation phase is now well underway, further building on our existing strategic partner relationships, with encouraging discussions taking place with a number of potential commercial partners and end users, in the main arising from the waste management, transport and cement production sectors. "While our intent was to have our first commercial facility operational by the end of 2018, lead time delays in material acquisition and operational financing have now made that unlikely. It is worth noting that while a portion of the funds raised over the past 18 months were used to progress the Company's test-engineering and operational efforts, the majority of funds were used to repay the Hillgrove Note - an absolute necessity for the Company's future - which created an impediment to the speed of our commercial engineering efforts. "We are now focussing on application and site specific financing packages and permitting for market led applications which will optimise returns to shareholders and customers alike. The build and commissioning of the first DMG system will take, depending on specific customer requirements, in the order of 12 months to complete. Consequently, the Board's revised view is that, dependent upon acquiring finance for the facility in a timely manner, full commercial operation should commence in the latter half of 2019. "We are also actively pursuing a number of grant applications, which if successful, will result in additional funding during 2019. "We look forward to positive progress during the rest of the year and beyond as the commercialisation strategy for our proprietary DMG technology platform targets revenues to move PowerHouse towards becoming a profitable and sustainable business meeting the ever growing global needs for efficient elimination of plastic waste and end of use tyres and the production of clean energy." ENDS For more information, contact: PowerHouse Energy Group plc Tel: +44 (0) 203 368 6399 Keith Allaun, Chief Executive Officer WH Ireland Limited (Nominated Adviser) Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666 James Joyce / Chris Viggor Turner Pope Investments Ltd (Joint Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 203 621 4120 Ben Turner / James Pope Ikon Associates(Media enquiries) Tel: +44 (0) 1483 271291 Adrian Shaw Mob: +44 (0) 7979 900733 About PowerHouse Energy PowerHouse Energy has developed a proprietary process technology called DMG which can use waste plastic end-of-life-tyres and other waste streams to convert them into cost efficient energy in the form of electricity and ultra clean hydrogen gas fuel for use in cars and commercial vehicles (FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) and other industrial uses. The PowerHouse technology is the world's first proven, modular hydrogen from waste (HfW) process. The PowerHouse DMG process can generate in excess of 1 tonne of road-fuel quality H2, and in excess of 28MW/h of exportable electricity. The PHE process produces low levels of safe residues and requires a small operating footprint, making it suitable for deployment at enterprise and community level. PowerHouse is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market. The Company is incorporated in the United Kingdom. For more information see www.powerhouseenergy.net ASPO PLC STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE June 27, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. THE FINNISH COMPETITION AND CONSUMER AUTHORITY (FCCA) HAS APPROVED THE TRANSACTION WHEREBY ASPO'S ESL SHIPPING LTD ACQUIRES THE OUTSTANDING SHARES OF ATOB@C SHIPPING AB AND ATOB@C HOLDING AB The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has in its decision today approved the transaction whereby ESL Shipping Ltd, a shipping company fully owned by Aspo Plc, acquires the outstanding shares of AtoB@C Shipping AB and AtoB@C Holding AB (AtoB@C). Aspo Plc announced the transaction on 29 June 2018 in a stock exchange release. The parties have now received all required regulatory approvals for the completion of the transaction. As announced earlier, it is estimated that the transaction will be completed in the third quarter of 2018. Aspo will announce the completion of the acquisition separately. ASPO PLC Aki Ojanen This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Aspo Oyj via Globenewswire CEOFor further information, please contact:Aki Ojanen, CEO of Aspo Plc and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ESL Shipping,+358 400 106 592, aki.ojanen@aspo.comMikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping,+358 50 351 7791, mikki.koskinen@eslshipping.comDistribution:Nasdaq HelsinkiKey mediawww.aspo.com (http://www.aspo.com/)is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in Northern Europe and growth markets focusing on demanding b-to-b customers. Our strong company brands - ESL Shipping, Leipurin, Telko and Kauko - aim to be the market leaders in their sectors. They are responsible for their own operations, customer relationships and the development of these. Together they generate Aspo's goodwill. Aspo's Group structure and business operations are continually developed without any predefined schedules.is a dry bulk sea transport company. The main clients of the company are energy producers and steel and chemical industries. ESL Shipping secures raw material transportation for the industry and energy production around the year, even under difficult weather conditions. The shipping company also offers special services related to loading and unloading large ocean liners at sea. HARROW, England, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pelgraz, - a pegylated G-CSF Biosimilar, is latest addition to Accord Healthcare's established portfolio of over 30 oncology treatments across Europe Followingmarketing authorisation AccordHealthcare will potentially be the first to launch pegfilgrastim across Europe The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion for Accord's Pelgraz (pegfilgrastim), pegylated granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) biosimilar in Europe. Once approved, Pelgraz could be the first pegfilgrastim biosimilar to market in Europe indicated to reduce the duration of neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia for adult patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy. The World Health Organisation consider G-CSF essential therapies due to their impact on febrile neutropenia, chemotherapy dose delays, and dose density. Dr Cornes, Consultant Oncologist, Bristol, "Neutropenia is still one of the most common reasons for reductions or delays in the chemotherapy schedule which impairs survival outcomes and quality of life for patients. Evidence shows that daily G-CSFS are incorrectly administered in 42% of chemotherapy cycles, long acting pegfilgrastim has been shown to greatly reduce that figure to just 8%. Having access to a biosimilar will further increase affordable access to pegfilgrastim benefiting patients throughout Europe." Binish Chudgar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Intas Group "Accord launched its first European approved biosimilar product, Accofil (filgrastim), in 2015 and despite being the 6th entrant has become a leading supplier of this vital medicine. Since then the product has been used over 2 million times and Accord has gained valuable experience in bringing biosimilar medicines to market. Our continued focus on bringing biopharmaceuticals to Europe has enabled us to be a first to launch a pegfilgrastim, and as a first mover we expect to gain an even bigger market share with Pelgraz." Intas / Accord will manufacture Pelgraz in its own state of the art production facility. The company has deep experience with biosimilar medicines and as of 2017 were assessed as having the second highest number of biosimilars in phase III to approval in the world. This reflects the strategy of a long-standing commitment in biopharmaceutical development, research and manufacturing. The CHMP positive opinion was based on Pelgraz's substantial clinical development programme, which supported its biosimilarity with Neulasta through a Phase I, randomised, assessor-blinded PK/PD study in healthy volunteers, and a Phase III study of patients with breast cancer (stage IIa, IIb, or IIIa) on TAC (docetaxel, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide). Paul Tredwell, Accord VP Speciality Brands, EMENA "At Accord, our mandate is to deliver affordable medicines that make a real difference to patient's lives. With Pelgraz approval and commercialisation, we hope to provide patients with the first pegylated biosimilar of pegfilgrastim that will reduce the strain on healthcare providers budget, while potentially improving standard of care and associated outcomes for patients." Tredwell concluded "Accord is providing affordable alternatives in some of the most complex areas of medicine and Pelgraz is the latest medicine reflecting our increased focus in speciality pharmaceuticals (including oncology, critical care, auto-immune, fertility and central nervous system conditions.) We already have an established footprint across Europe, directly serving 93% of the European population with over 30 oncology therapies via our own commercial infrastructure, and this latest recommendation further underlines our commitment to oncology patients." Notes to editors Spokespersons are available for further comment About Accord Healthcare Headquartered in the United Kingdom (UK), Accord Healthcare Europe is the fastest growing generic pharmaceutical companies in Europe. Accord has an extensive supply chain through its four UK based sites, helping to ensure a consistent supply of life-enhancing medicines for patients, whilst supporting customers to react quickly to dynamic market conditions. ALTENDORF, Switzerland, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's most innovative Bitcoin companies is based in Switzerland. The Swiss startup Unity Investment, based in Altendorf SZ, received the award for the best project in the field "Initial Coin Offering". Unity Investment AG is building a huge computer centre in Jona SG with thousands of mining units that will be used to mine Bitcoins and other digital currencies. The computers shall be powered using renewable energy sources. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/723741/IOC_Award_Crypto_Currency_World_Expo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/723742/IOC_Award_Winner_Unity_Investment.jpg ) "We have shown with our innovative project that Switzerland is an ideal location for Crypto companies," Sean Prescott, CEO of Unity Investment, says in response to the award, after accepting it on Thursday July 19 in Warsaw. This is the first time that a Swiss company has received an award at the annual summit of leading global crypto currency companies. Switzerland as ideal location for Crypto companies In Prescott's view, Switzerland offers several advantages that are key to his company's decision to base itself there. "Switzerland provides extremely high regulatory security as a finance and crypto nation, along come the benefits of a stable technical infrastructure and power grid," Prescott said. "In addition, we benefit from extremely low taxes and power costs - we are essentially cheaper than China or Canada in producing crypto currencies," according to Prescott. The project has met with particular interest, because it is based on a new investment model. Initial Coin Offering as new investment vehicle Private and institutional investors will be able to invest more easily in projects and companies using crypto currencies with this so-called Initial Coin Offering. In October 2018, Unity Investment will launch its own ICO - the capital raised will serve to extend the company's mining operations centre. The profits generated will automatically be credited to the crypto wallets of the investors every week. Bitcoin holders are able to transfer electronic cash to other Bitcoin wallet holders, just as with bank transfers. These transactions though must be recorded in the decentralised Bitcoin ledger (blockchain). In the ledger, controlled by Bitcoin mining machines around the world, all new Bitcoins and the relevant transaction fees are credited to every miner who validates, verifies and submits an outstanding transaction in the blockchain the quickest. In essence, Unity Investment produces new Bitcoins and other profitable crypto currencies in this way. A Bitcoin is currently valued at around 8,150 Swiss francs or 8,210 dollars (July 26, 2018). High returns for savers and major investors Unity Investment AG will allow both small-time and major investors investing in the company to participate in the income generated from the mining rewards. Prescott and his team believes that crypto mining will remain extremely profitable for Unity as it has in the past. Unity has and automatically manages a diversified portfolio of computational power that mines the most profitable crypto currency at any time, while always keeping an eye on the volatility, market pricing and other key market metrics. This means that Unity Investment is also profitable for small investors wanting to participate in the mining revolution, despite perhaps limited financial means or technical expertise. High-performance computing centres using renewable energy sources. Unity Investment is investing massively in a huge computing centre, aiming for the greenest solution possible, in order to generate high returns on renewable energy for investors. A gigantic high-performance computing centre with thousands of units will be created in a hall in Jona SG by December 2018. A single high-performance mining computer can carry out several billion cryptographic verification attempts per second - millions of times faster than a standard laptop. Contact: Phone +41-55-442-36-33 Email: contact@unityinvestment.ch Internet http://www.unityinvestment.ch DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2018 / JCE Capital Management, L.P., a crypto-asset hedge fund and private equity firm, announced today the launch of its JCE-CM2 (the "Fund"). The Fund is an actively managed portfolio of concentrated, high-conviction positions, focused on active management with medium-term time horizon. The investment objective of the fund is to achieve capital appreciation and maximize absolute returns by offering investors exposure to a broad range of Crypto-assets, whose value is secured by cryptography and other blockchain technologies. "Blockchain and Crypto-assets are revolutionizing how business is being done because it offers new ways to accumulate, govern, store, and transfer value," said Chris de Diego, JCE CM's Managing Partner. "Blockchain and Crypto-currencies are the most recent innovation in 'money', since possibly the invention of double-entry accounting in the 1400's. Our charter is to capitalize on the transformative elements of this new monetary invention and provide investors exposure to this new asset class." Awareness of Crypto-assets as an alternative asset class has continued to grow, including currencies such as Bitcoin, Ether (the token of Ethereum), and others. A recent market cap analysis done by RBC Capital Markets, and featured on Yahoo Financial, stated, "Longer term, we think Crypto-currencies are here to stay and will likely become a large market (our long-term estimate for the Crypto-currency space is in the $10 Trillion range versus $300B today)." Founded by entrepreneur and lead-investor Chris de Diego, JCE Capital Management's (JCE Capital Management, L.P.) fund seeks to maximize risk-adjusted returns by active management of 15-35 high-conviction portfolio positions. The company uses defined Crypto-asset classes to assist in the portfolio asset allocation and rebalancing processes. Chris is a forward-thinking entrepreneur and a successful business-thought leader, with a gift for market timing. For over two decades Chris has provided strategic vision and leadership by implementing successful tactics in building, growing, and leading entrepreneurial organisms, from startups to established partnerships, and in numerous industries. As a proven leader, his involvement at the onset of new emerging markets has repeatedly generated millions to the bottom line that have substantially benefited investors and stakeholders alike through his executive leadership. JCE Capital Management, L.P. is a hedge fund and private equity firm that is well positioned to maximize investor returns through our specialized knowledge and experience in traditional investments, through public markets and the exciting investment opportunities in the alternative investments of ICO's and Bitcoin Technology. The Company offers ICO alternative asset advisory services, equity, debt capital markets, credit portfolio, and direct investment in "Day One ICO's" to qualified investors, hedge funds, family offices, family-owned companies, corporate investors, and institutional investors. JCE Capital Management, L.P. serves customers worldwide. To learn more, please visit our website: JCECAPITAL.COM CONTACT: Terry Williams | terry@jcecapital.com | Phone: 303.591.2185 SOURCE: JCE Capital Management, L.P. Novartis International AG / Novartis combination Tafinlar + Mekinist receives positive CHMP opinion for adjuvant treatment of BRAF V600 mutation-positive melanoma . Processed and transmitted by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Phase III trial showed a 53% reduction in risk of recurrence or death with the combination of a BRAF and MEK inhibitor as adjuvant therapy versus placebo[1] Relapse-free survival benefit with Tafinlar + Mekinist combination was observed across all patient subgroups, including stage III A, B and C If approved, expected to be the first targeted combination therapy in the EU for adjuvant treatment of melanoma Basel, July 27, 2018- Novartis today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) in combination with Mekinist (trametinib) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation, following complete resection. The CHMP recommendation is based on findings from the COMBI-AD study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Patients who have been diagnosed with stage III melanoma are at a higher risk of recurrence after surgical resection. The COMBI-AD study found a statistically significant 53% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death in patients treated with the BRAF and MEK inhibitor combination therapy after surgical resection versus placebo[1]. With an estimated 6,000 stage III BRAF mutant melanoma skin cancers diagnosed across Europe each year[2], this potential approval may provide patients in the EU the opportunity for a targeted combination therapy that doubles relapsed-free survival versus a placebo. "Melanoma is an aggressive, highly recurrent and often fatal disease. In advanced melanoma, we've demonstrated the ability to reduce the risk of death or recurrence by more than half," said Liz Barrett, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "Today's CHMP opinion brings us another step closer to reimagining earlier stage therapy for patients throughout Europe and making strides to bring improved outcomes for people living with melanoma." "These relapse-free survival results are unprecedented," said lead investigator Axel Hauschild, MD, PhD, Professor of Dermatology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, in Kiel, Germany. "The overall survival improvements also demonstrated by Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, among other key secondary endpoints, are encouraging in the treatment of stage III BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive melanoma. Adjuvant treatment options are critical for this patient community at risk for recurrence." About COMBI-AD Study The COMBI-AD study evaluated Tafinlar + Mekinist among patients with stage III, BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma without prior anticancer therapy, randomized within 12 weeks of complete surgical resection. Patients received the Tafinlar (150 mg BID) and Mekinist (2 mg QD) combination (n = 438) or matching placebos (n = 432). After a median follow-up of 2.8 years, the primary endpoint was met in that combination therapy significantly reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 53% vs. placebo (HR: 0.47 [95% CI: 0.39-0.58]; median not yet reached vs. 16.6 months, respectively; p<0.001). The relapse-free survival benefit among the combination arm was observed across all patient subgroups, including stage III A, B and C. The estimated one-year, two-year, and three-year RFS were consistently higher than placebo (one year: 88% vs. 56%; two year: 67% vs. 44%; three year: 58% vs. 39%). The combination treatment group also saw an improvement in a key secondary endpoint of OS (HR: 0.57 [95% CI: 0.42-0.79] p=0.0006, which did not cross the predefined interim analysis boundary of p=0.000019 to claim statistical significance). Other secondary endpoints where the combination demonstrated a clinically meaningful benefit include distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (HR: 0.51 [95% CI: 0.40-0.65]), and freedom from relapse (FFR) (HR: 0.47 [95% CI: 0.39-0.57])[1]. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with other Tafinlar + Mekinist studies, and no new safety signals were reported. Of patients treated with the combination, the most frequently reported AE's were pyrexia, fatigue, nausea, headache, chills, diarrhea, vomiting, arthralgia and rash[1]. About Melanoma There are nearly 200,000 new diagnoses of melanoma (stages 0-IV) worldwide each year, approximately half of which have BRAF mutations. Biomarker tests can determine whether a tumor has a BRAF mutation[3],[4]. Melanoma is staged by how far it has metastasized. In stage III melanoma, tumors have spread to the regional lymph nodes, presenting a higher risk of recurrence or metastases[4]4. Patients who receive surgical treatment for stage III melanoma may have a high risk of recurrence because melanoma cells can remain in the body after surgery; almost half (44%) of patients receiving placebo per the COMBI-AD study had a recurrence of disease within the first year[1],[5]. Adjuvant therapy is additional treatment given after surgical resection, and may be recommended for patients with high-risk melanoma to help reduce the risk of melanoma returning[5]. About Tafinlar + Mekinist Combination In the EU, Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist is approved for the treatment of patients with a BRAF V600 mutation in metastatic melanoma and advanced non-small cell lung cancer. In the US, Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist is approved for the treatment of patients with a BRAF V600 E or K mutation, detected by an FDA-approved test, in unresectable or metastatic melanoma, adjuvant treatment of melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (V600 E only) and anaplastic thyroid cancer. Tafinlar and Mekinist are also indicated in more than 60 countries worldwide, including the US and EU, as single agents to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation. Indications vary by country and not all indications are available in every country. The safety and efficacy profile of Tafinlar and Mekinist have not yet been established outside the approved indications. Because of the uncertainty of clinical trials, there is no guarantee that Tafinlar and Mekinist will become commercially available for additional indications anywhere else in the world. Tafinlar + Mekinist Combination Important Safety Information Tafinlar + Mekinist combination may cause serious side effects. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist should only be used to treat patients with a change (mutation) in the BRAF gene; therefore, doctors should test their patients before treatment, as patients without a BRAF mutation and with a RAS mutation can be at risk of increased cell proliferation in the presence of a BRAF inhibitor. Doctors should also consider other treatment options for their patients if they had been previously treated with a BRAF inhibitor as single agent, as the limited data available have shown that the efficacy of Tafinlar + Mekinist is lower in these patients. When Tafinlar is used in combination with Mekinist, or when Tafinlar is administered as monotherapy, it can cause new cancers (both skin cancer and non-skin cancer). Patients should be advised to contact their doctor immediately for any new lesions, changes to existing lesions on their skin, or signs and symptoms of other malignancies. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause severe bleeding, and in some cases can lead to death. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider and get medical help right away if they have headaches, dizziness, or feel weak, cough up blood or blood clots, vomit blood or their vomit looks like "coffee grounds," have red or black stools that look like tar, or any unusual signs of bleeding. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or either drug alone, can cause severe eye problems that can lead to blindness. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they get these symptoms of eye problems: blurred vision, loss of vision, or other vision changes, seeing color dots, halo (seeing blurred outline around objects), eye pain, swelling, or redness. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Tafinlar alone, can cause fever which may be serious. When taking Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, fever may happen more often or may be more severe. In some cases, chills or shaking chills, too much fluid loss (dehydration), low blood pressure, dizziness, or kidney problems may happen with the fever. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they get a fever above 38.5oC (101.3oF) while taking Tafinlar. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can affect how well the heart pumps blood. A patient's heart function should be checked before and during treatment. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they have any of the following signs and symptoms of a heart problem: feeling like their heart is pounding or racing, shortness of breath, swelling of their ankles and feet, or feeling lightheaded. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Tafinlar alone, can cause abnormal kidney function or inflammation of the kidney. Abnormal kidney function may happen more often for patients with fever or too much fluid loss. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they have a fever above 38.5oC (101.3oF), decreased urine, fatigue, loss of appetite or discomfort in lower abdomen or back. Tafinlar has not been studied in patients with renal insufficiency (defined as creatinine > 1.5 x ULN) therefore caution should be used in this setting. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause abnormal liver function. A patient may feel tired, lose appetite, yellow skin, dark urine colour, or discomfort in abdomen. The liver function abnormality needs to be assessed by laboratory test of the blood. Patients should consult their healthcare provider if they have such experience. Administration of Tafinlar or Mekinist should be done with caution in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment. Elevations in blood pressure have been reported in association with Mekinist in combination with Tafinlar, or with Mekinist alone, in patients with or without pre-existing hypertension. Patients should be advised to monitor blood pressure during treatment with Mekinist and control potential hypertension by standard therapy, as appropriate. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause inflammation of the lung tissue. Patients should notify their doctor if they experience any new or worsening symptoms of lung or breathing problems, including shortness of breath or cough. Rash is a common side effect of Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or with Mekinist alone. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can also cause other skin reactions which can be severe, and may need to be treated in a hospital. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider if they get any of the following symptoms: skin rash that bothers them or does not go away, acne, redness, swelling, peeling, or tenderness of hands or feet, skin redness. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause muscle breakdown, a condition called Rhabdomyolysis. Patients experiencing muscle pain, tenderness, weakness or a swelling of their muscles should contact their healthcare provide immediately. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Tafinlar alone, can uncommonly cause an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Patients should be promptly investigated if they experience unexplained abdominal pain and closely monitored if they re-start Tafinlar after a prior episode of pancreatitis. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause blood clots in the arms or legs, which can travel to the lungs and can lead to death. Patients should be advised to get medical help right away if they have the following symptoms: chest pain, sudden shortness of breath or trouble breathing, pain in their legs with or without swelling, swelling in their arms or legs, or a cool or pale arm or leg. Mekinist in combination with Tafinlar, or Mekinist alone, may increase the risk of developing holes in the stomach or intestine (gastrointestinal perforation). Treatment with Mekinist alone or in combination with Tafinlar should be used with caution in patients with risk factors for gastrointestinal perforation, including concomitant use of medications with a recognized risk of gastrointestinal perforation. Tafinlar and Mekinist both can cause harm to an unborn baby when taken by a pregnant woman. Tafinlar can also render hormonal contraceptives ineffective. The most common side effects of Tafinlar + Mekinist combination include fever, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, chills, headache, vomiting, joint pain, high blood pressure, rash and cough. The incidence and severity of fever is increased when Mekinist is used in combination with Tafinlar. Patients should tell their doctor of any side effect that bothers them or does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects of Tafinlar + Mekinist combination. For more information, patients should ask their doctor or pharmacist. Patients should take Tafinlar + Mekinist combination exactly as their health care provider tells them. Patients should not change their dose or stop taking Tafinlar + Mekinist combination unless their health care provider advises them to. Mekinist should be taken only once daily (either in the morning or evening, at the same time as Tafinlar). The first and second doses of Tafinlar should be taken approximately 12 hours apart. Patients should take Tafinlar + Mekinist at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Do not take a missed dose of Tafinlar within 6 hours of the next dose of Tafinlar. Do not open, crush, or break Tafinlar capsules. Do not take a missed dose of Mekinist within 12 hours of the next dose of Mekinist. Please see full Prescribing Information for Tafinlar and Mekinist. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "positive CHMP opinion," "expected," "recommending," "recommendation," "potential," "may," "reimagining," "encouraging," "will," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for Tafinlar and Mekinist, or regarding potential future revenues from Tafinlar and Mekinist and such other products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Tafinlar and Mekinist will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that Tafinlar and Mekinist will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding Tafinlar and Mekinist could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payer and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Novartis Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2017, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.1 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 125,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com (http://www.novartis.com). Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis (http://twitter.com/novartis) and @NovartisCancer at https://twitter.com/novartiscancer For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library (http://www.novartis.com/news/media-library) For questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com) References [1] Long GV, Hauschild A, Santinami M, et al. Adjuvant Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib for Stage III BRAF V600E/K-Mutant Melanoma. New England Journal of Medicine. 2017. [2] KANTAR Health. Downloaded November 2017. [3] Melanoma Skin Cancer. American Cancer Society. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003120-pdf.pdf (http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003120-pdf.pdf). Accessed 2018. [4] Heinzerling L, Kuhnapfel S, Meckbach D. Rare BRAF Mutations in Melanoma Patients: Implications for Molecular Testing in Clinical Practice. British Journal of Cancer. 2013. [5] Melanoma Research Alliance. Adjuvant Therapy. Available at http://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma/melanoma-treatment/adjuvant-therapy/ (http://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma/melanoma-treatment/adjuvant-therapy/) Accessed 2018. # # # Novartis Media Relations Central media line: +41 61 324 2200 E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com) Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 7999 (direct) +41 79 593 4202 (mobile) eric.althoff@novartis.com (mailto:eric.althoff@novartis.com) Kristen Klasey Novartis Oncology Communications +1 862 778 4763 (direct) +1 862 754 1732 (mobile) kristen.klasey@novartis.com (mailto:Kristen.klasey@novartis.com) Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com (mailto:investor.relations@novartis.com) Central North America Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Cory Twining +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425 Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188 Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/134323/R/2207591/858431.pdf) SHANGHAI, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 10th meeting of BRICS leaders being held in South Africa, good news is coming about BRICS countries strengthening financial collaboration. UnionPay International signed a cooperation agreement with Standard Bank (SBSA), the largest bank in Africa, to jointly issue the first local UnionPay card in South Africa, and to enable UnionPay online acceptance at key ecommerce including the local hotel groups and airlines, supporting personnel exchanges between China and South Africa. The aforementioned is an epitome of the rapid progress UnionPay is making in BRICS countries. So far, UnionPay has reached about 100% acceptance in South Africa and Russia, and is accepted at all the ATMs and about half of merchants in India, as well as 70% of merchants in Brazil. Based on its acceptance, UnionPay International is promoting the issuance of UnionPay cards and its innovative products in these countries, supporting the payment interconnection of BRICS. UnionPay expands acceptance to facilitate personnel exchanges In recent years, economic, trade and tourism cooperation between China and other BRICS countries continue to deepen. In the first half of 2018, China's imports from and exports to Russia and Brazil grew by 16% and 15.4% respectively, and the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Africa and Russia is growing rapidly. With this trend, UnionPay International continues to expand its acceptance network in BRICS, bringing payment convenience for Chinese people visiting these countries. In India, for instance, UnionPay International achieved acceptance breakthrough through collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) last year. So far, UnionPay cards are accepted at local hotels, brand stores, airport duty-free shops, etc. It is expected that UnionPay will reach 100% acceptance in the top ten cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa by the end of this year. And by the middle of 2019, UnionPay will be accepted at 80% of POS terminals across India. Since this year, the transaction made with mainland-issued UnionPay cards in India has grown by over 90% year-on-year. Based on its expanding acceptance network, UnionPay International is accelerating its business localization in BRICS. This year, UnionPay chip cards are newly issued by Golden Crown Group and Oriental Express Bank in Russia. A total of 1.5 million UnionPay cards have been issued by 10 local banks so far. UnionPay International has also reached card issuing cooperation with the Russian National Payment Card Corporation (NSPK), which enabled the MIR card, originally available only in Russia, to be used in 170 countries and regions where UnionPay is accepted. UnionPay promotes innovative products to support smooth trade "Paying with UnionPay mobile QuickPass, I took the Moscow Aeroexpress for only 1 ruble, while the regular ticket price is 500 rubles," a Chinese blogger, Qiao Ke, shared on his Weibo his experience in Moscow in early July. The promotion and rollout of the UnionPay innovative products and services in BRICS countries is expected to be a driving force for payment interconnection and upgrading in the second "Golden Decade" of BRICS. To date, UnionPay mobile payment is available at one million POS terminals in Russia, accounting for 80% of the POS terminals accepting UnionPay. In September this year, Rosselkhozbank and Gazprom will launch UnionPay mobile QuickPass for local customers to meet the diverse payment needs of Russian customers. This year, UnionPay mobile QuickPass and UnionPay Online Payment will be launched in India. In addition, UnionPay Cross-border B2B Payment Service Platform is playing an increasingly important role in facilitating cross-border trade among BRICS countries. The platform is built to meet the demands of import and export enterprises such as global cross-border e-commerce companies and traditional trade companies, providing a range of services such as cross-border online payment, online payment collection, online foreign currency settlement and E-invoice order management. Since Cemarket, a mechanical and electrical products export platform in China, is connected to the UnionPay Cross-border B2B Platform, the number of orders and transaction volume from markets like Russia have increased significantly. www.ca-b2b.com, a large-scale China-Africa cross-border B2B e-commerce has also connected to the UnionPay platform, making it much easier for South African businesses to purchase goods from China. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The tenth BRICS Summit concluded today at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, during which the New Development Bank showcased its growing support for the sustainable economic development of the BRICS countries. Over the course of the three-day summit, the Bank participated in a series of high-profile meetings and sessions with BRICS nations' leaders and the wider BRICS business community, wherein the Bank delivered updates on key projects and other announcements, summarized below: July 20 - The NDB Board of Directors approved two projects, one for South Africa and one for China , with both loans aggregating USD 600 million . - The NDB Board of Directors approved two projects, one for and one for , with both loans aggregating . July 25 - NDB and the BRICS Business Council co-hosted a Business Breakfast in Durban, South Africa , with the objective of discussing investment opportunities and perspectives for strengthening mutual cooperation. , with the objective of discussing investment opportunities and perspectives for strengthening mutual cooperation. July 26 - NDB President delivered a report to BRICS leaders on project updates and the Bank's progress till date. July 26 - Mr. K.V. Kamath, NDB President, Mr. Aloysio Nunes Ferreira , the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil , and Mr. Eduardo Refinetti Guardia, the Minister of Finance of Brazil , Vice-Chairman of the Bank's Board of Governors signed an Agreement on the Hosting of the New Development Bank Americas Regional Office (ARO) in the Federative Republic of Brazil . - Mr. K.V. Kamath, NDB President, Mr. , the Minister of Foreign Affairs of , and Mr. Eduardo Refinetti Guardia, the Minister of Finance of , Vice-Chairman of the Bank's Board of Governors signed an Agreement on the Hosting of the New Development Bank Americas Regional Office (ARO) in the Federative Republic of . July 26 - NDB President met Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of the Republic of South Africa , in Johannesburg to discuss joint projects and the future role of the Bank in South Africa . Through its active participation in the BRICS Summit, the Bank reaffirmed its determination to expand its role as an innovative and reliable development partner to all BRICS countries in the year ahead, increasing its support for all member nations to achieve their development agendas. With the approval of the two projects from South Africa and China, the Bank's lending portfolio has expanded to 23 projects aggregating USD 5.7 billion, indicating the accelerating momentum behind NDB and the strong demand for sustainable infrastructure financing among member nations. "Thus far, the NDB has approved 23 projects for about USD 5.7 billion in our member countries. These projects now go beyond the core renewable energy sectors that we earlier focused on into areas such as rural roads, ecosystem restoration, water supply particularly in rural areas, irrigation system restructuring, and energy conservation, reflecting our ability to appraise increasingly complex projects as we continue to move up the learning curve. Almost all of our lending supports sustainable infrastructure and development," said NDB President Mr. K.V. Kamath. "By the end of this year, we expect the total approvals to reach about USD 7.5 billion. In 2019, we are targeting incremental approvals of about USD 7-8 billion," added the NDB President. "We are geared to fund conventional infrastructure as well as to harness transformative technologies in the service of development. Besides the traditional set of lending products, we will also begin offering non-fund based financial products such as guarantees and credit enhancements. We will work at speed, scale, and make a positive difference, quickly and effectively," highlighted Mr. K.V. Kamath. Details on key NDB activities at the tenth BRICS Summit 2018 Project approvals: With a focus on infrastructure and sustainable development, the Bank approved one loan for South Africa and one for China in the run-up to the BRICS Summit. The NDB will provide a loan of USD 300 million without sovereign guarantee to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction and Energy Sector Development Project. The Bank will also provide a USD 300 million sovereign project loan to the People's Republic of China for Luoyang Metro Project to support the construction of a new metro line in the city of Luoyang, a densely populated city located in central China, aiming to reduce heavy traffic in the highly congested urban area, and enhance mobility and accessibility. Business breakfast: On 20 July 2018, NDB and the BRICS Business Council (BBC) co-hosted a Business Breakfast in Durban, with attendance from key diplomatic leaders and business leaders. The objective of this meeting was to discuss updates on investment opportunities, credit rating options for the bank from global capital markets, continued efforts to identify the right projects to drive sustainability in all member countries, establishing a guarantee mechanism between the Bank and BBC to strengthen partnerships on future projects and more. The President's Speech to BRICS Leaders: Mr. K.V. Kamath met with leaders of the BRICS countries and delivered an update to them, reporting on the Bank's progress. He confirmed that to date, the NDB has approved 23 projects aggregating USD 5.7 billion. He also highlighted that the NDB Africa Regional Center in Johannesburg is the face of the Bank in South Africa and an extension of the same focus on scaling up projects for the country. Mr. Kamath also noted on the upcoming opening of the Americas Regional Office in Brazil this year. Americas Regional Office opening in Brazil: NDB and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil signed the Agreement on hosting of the NDB Americas Regional Office (ARO), slated to be opened later in this year. This is a key milestone for the Bank as the ARO will play a crucial role in the identification and preparation of bankable projects in Brazil. Meeting with South Africa President: Mr. K.V. Kamath met with Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of the Republic of South Africa. The key updates during the meeting included further development of the Bank, expansion of the Bank's project pipeline in South Africa, the progress so far and the evolving role of NDB's Africa Regional Center in Johannesburg. About NDB The New Development Bank (NDB) is a multilateral development bank established in 2014 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. To fulfill its purpose, the NDB will support public or private projects through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial instruments. For more information about the Bank, please visit the official website of the NDB at http://www.ndb.int or email NDB Corporate Communications at media@ndb.int. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/723766/NDB_President.jpg Paris, 27 July 2018 ROCHE BOBOIS SA (ISIN: FR0013344173 - Trading symbol: RBO), a global benchmark on the high-end furniture market and the name behind the French Art de Vivre, today announces its revenues and retail sales for H1 2018. H1 2018 results and highlights Change in H1 revenues Revenues (unaudited - in m) 2018 2017 Change at current exchange rates (%) Change at constant exchange rates (%) H1 129.2 126.3 +2.3% +5.0% The breakdown of H1 2018 revenues by region is presented in the appendix In the first half of 2018, Group revenues amounted to 129.2 million (compared to 126.3 million in H1 2017), up 5.0% at constant exchange rates (up 2.3% at current exchange rates). North America (US/Canada) and France posted respective revenue growth of 7.5% and 5.5% versus H1 2017 (at constant exchange rates), benefiting from the positive impact of the contribution from the four owned store openings recorded at the end of 2017 (New York Upper West Side, Miami Design District, Saint Maximin, Nice Cap 3000). The United Kingdom, a market reeling from the effects of Brexit, fell 6.9% at constant currencies (7.9 million, i.e. 6% of total revenues in H1 2018). The rest of Europe recorded a strong performance, posting growth of 8.1% at constant exchange rates. Retail sales of the owned store and franchise networks [1] Over the first six months of 2018, the entire Roche Bobois Group network recorded retail sales1 of 234.6 million, compared to 240.2 million in H1 2017, up 0.8% at constant exchange rates (down 2.3% at current rates). Business activity at constant exchange rates was driven by the development of owned stores, with retail sales up 3.4% over H1 2017, particularly thanks to the latest owned store openings in Europe and the United States, and which outperformed the retail sales posted by franchise stores over the period (down 1.7%). Ramp-up of store network In the first half of 2018, the Roche Bobois Group maintained the momentum of store openings, with three net openings during the period: 7 store openings: 6 franchises (Hanoi (Vietnam), Yekaterinburg (Russia), Guangzhou (China), Tokyo 2 (Japan), Kiev 2 (Ukraine) and Cuir Center in Mulhouse), as well as 1 owned store in the United States (Tysons Corner, Virginia) in line with its international development strategy; 4 closures of non-strategic stores in France: 3 franchises (Roche Bobois Belfort, Roche Bobois Perpignan, Cuir Center Perpignan) and 1 Cuir Center owned store (Cuir Center in Marseille La Valentine) in line with the Group's operating plan. Roche Bobois does not foresee any new owned store closures. The stores in Tysons Corner (US), Guangzhou (China), Tokyo 2 (Japan) and Kiev 2 (Ukraine) opened in June 2018 and did not contribute to retail sales for H1 2018. In accordance with Group strategy, presented during its recent IPO, the Group plans to ramp up its owned store openings in higher margin regions, in particular the United States (three new openings planned for H2). En route to meet 2021 targets As previously indicated, the Group has launched a new phase in the step-up of its growth and development, and reaffirms the targets announced during its IPO: revenues of 320 million in 2021 and a double-digit underlying EBITDA margin by 2019 with a doubling of the EBITDA margin in France by 2021. Growth drivers that will help the Group achieve this objective include: an increase in owned store openings abroad, in regions that contribute significantly to Group EBITDA . The Group is planning 39 net openings between 2018 and 2021, 50% of which will be owned stores located in strategic regions such as the US/Canada; . The Group is planning 39 net openings between 2018 and 2021, 50% of which will be owned stores located in strategic regions such as the US/Canada; an acceleration in franchise takeovers in regions that contribute significantly to Group underlying EBITDA, helping to improve Group profitability over the coming years, with the aim of boosting and stepping up business at these newly integrated stores; in regions that contribute significantly to Group underlying EBITDA, helping to improve Group profitability over the coming years, with the aim of boosting and stepping up business at these newly integrated stores; additional growth drivers through the ongoing digitisation of sales tools, the launch of e-commerce websites in 2019 and the development of the BtoB market. About Roche Bobois SA Roche Bobois SA is a French family business founded in 1960. The Group operates in 54 countries and has a network of 329 owned stores and franchises (at 31 december 2017) marketing its two brands: Roche Bobois, a high-end furniture brand with a strong international presence, and Cuir Center, positioned in the mid-range market segment with an essentially French customer base. Through its Roche Bobois brand, the Group embodies the French Art de Vivre whose presence can now be felt on the world stage, with original and bold creations from talented designers (Bruno Moinard, Jean Nouvel, Ora Ito, Sacha Lakic, Christophe Delcourt, Stephen Burks, Kenzo Takada, Bina Baitel...) and partnerships with fashion and haute couture houses. Roche Bobois is also a committed partner in the world of culture and the arts. Including franchises, these two brands posted 2017 revenues of 480 million excluding VAT, to which Roche Bobois contributed 388 million and Cuir Center 92 million. Roche Bobois SA consolidated revenues came to 249 million in 2017. For more information please visit www.bourse-roche-bobois.com CONTACT Actus Finance - Anne-Pauline Petureaux Investor Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 72 apetureaux@actus.fr Actus Finance - Alexandra Prisa Press Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 90 aprisa@actus.fr APPENDICES Revenues by region and by brand (unaudited - in m) H1 2018 H1 2017 Change at current exchange rates (%) Change at constant exchange rates (%) Roche Bobois France 45.2 42.9 +5.5% +5.5% Roche Bobois US/Canada 30.9 31.3 -1.2% +7.5% Roche Bobois UK 7.9 8.6 -9.0% -6.9% Roche Bobois Other Europe 23.3 22.2 +5.3% +8.1% Roche Bobois other (overseas) 2.1 1.9 +7.9% +7.9% Cuir Center 18.3 18.0 +1.3% +1.3% Corporate 1.5 1.4 +3.8% +3.8% TOTAL 129.2 126.3 +2.3% +5.0% Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements do not constitute guarantees regarding the future performance of ROCHE BOBOIS. This forward-looking information covers the future outlook, growth and commercial strategy of ROCHE BOBOIS and is based on the analysis of future result forecasts and estimates of amounts that cannot yet be determined. By nature, forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties, as it relates to events and depends on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. ROCHE BOBOIS draws your attention to the fact that forward-looking statements provide no guarantee of future performance and that its actual financial position, results and cash flow, as well as changes in the sector in which ROCHE BOBOIS operates, may differ significantly from those proposed or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. Moreover, even if ROCHE BOBOIS' financial position, results, cash flow and changes in the sector in which ROCHE BOBOIS operates were to be in accordance with the forward-looking information contained in this document, these results or changes may not be a reliable indicator of ROCHE BOBOIS' future results or developments. A description of events that could have a material adverse impact on ROCHE BOBOIS' business, financial position or results, or on its ability to achieve its targets, is given in Chapter 4 "Risk Factors" of the Base Document. [1] Orders received excl. VAT throughout owned store network and franchises for both brands ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-54550-pr_rochebobois_first-half-turnover_en.pdf The European Investment Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares The European Investment Trust plc ("the Company") The Company announces that on 27 July 2018 it purchased the following number of its ordinary shares of 25 pence each on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. Ordinary Shares: Date of purchase: 27 July 2018 Number of ordinary shares purchased: 10,000 Lowest price per share 938p Highest price per share 938p The Company intends to cancel the purchased shares. Following the above transaction, the Company has 41,637,269 ordinary shares in issue. Each of the Company's shares carries one vote. Accordingly, the total number of voting rights of the Company is 41,637,269. 27 July 2018 LEI: 213800QNN9EHZ4SC1R12 Enquiries: Kenneth J Greig Edinburgh Partners AIFM Limited Tel: 0131 270 3800 The Company's registered office address is: Beaufort House 51 New North Road Exeter EX4 4EP A full federal appeals court has declined to rehear a case in which a three-judge panel strongly endorsed the right of transgender student to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. At the same time, the panel issued a revised opinion that still upholds a Pennsylvania school districts pro-transgender student policy, but altered some of its reasoning. The revised opinion by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, and the full appeals courts action, came July 26 in Doe v. Boyertown Area School District, a lawsuit challenging the districts pro-transgender policy filed by four other students who felt uncomfortable sharing restrooms and locker rooms with transgender students. Forcing transgender students to use bathrooms or locker rooms that do not match their gender identity is particularly harmful to them, the unanimous panel once again stated in the revised opinion. The full 3rd Circuit court voted 8-4 not to reconsider the panels earlier decision (issued June 18 ). The four dissenters from that action issued an opinion saying they did not disagree with the panels affirmance of a federal district judges denial of relief to the students who challenged the school districts pro-transgender policy. But they took issue with some of the panels reasoning on what Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires for schools treatment of transgender students. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded educational programs. There is a robust debate occurring in the federal courts and in legal circles about whether that language in the statute, as well as a decades-old Title IX regulation of the U.S. Department of Education, should now be interpreted to cover discrimination against transgender students. The 3rd Circuit panels June 18 opinion in the Boyertown case had said that Title IX requires schools to allow transgender students to use facilities that match their gender identity. The revised opinion said it did not need to reach that question to find that the schools policy was supportable. The revised opinion stresses that the court is rejecting the other students claims that the districts policy created a hostile environment for them in violation of Title IX because it exposed them to transgender students in school restrooms and locker rooms. The four 3rd Circuit judges who would have granted rehearing said the panels revised opinion is not as far out on a limb as the June 18 opinion was with respect to Title IX. But even in the revised opinion, the dissenters said, the panel went beyond what was necessary when it chose to address Boyertowns tangential argument that the school district would have run afoul of Title IX had it implemented a policy that confined transgender students to use of bathrooms and locker rooms designated for their biological sex. The dissenters said the revised opinion still relies on a 2017 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago, which did hold that Title IX requires districts to allow transgender students to use facilities consistent with their gender identity. The dissent from rehearing by the full court by Judge Kent A. Jordan was joined by Judges Michael A. Chagares, Thomas M. Hardiman, and Stephanos Bibas. Hardiman has twice been on President Donald Trumps short list for U.S. Supreme Court vacancies. The panel, in its revised opinion, did significantly reduce its discussion of the 7th Circuit case, Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District . The full 3rd Circuit said the challengers of the Boyertown districts policy could seek a rehearing of the panels revised opinion within 14 days. But it appears that the full court has put its cards on the table, and the more likely next step would be an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Michigan Supreme Court declares plea agreement provision barring pursuit of public office unenforceable as against public policy | Main | "Those in Federal Prison and Their Families Cant Wait for the Ideal Reform Bill" July 27, 2018 An (overly) optimistic account of how new Justices could disrupt federal sentencing based on uncharged and acquitted conduct In this post earlier this month, I suggested that Justice Kennedy might be replaced by a new Justice more inclined to afford criminal defendants stronger Sixth Amendment rights under Apprendi and Blakely. And this subsequent post highlighted that new SCOTUS-nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh authored an interesting opinion a few years ago that expressed concern about the use acquitted conduct to increase sentences. Against that backdrop, I was interested to see this new Law360 commentary authored by Alan Ellis and Mark Allenbaugh headlined "Sentencing May Change With 2 Kennedy Clerks On High Court." Here are excerpts from the start and end of the commentary: Shortly before his confirmation just over a year ago, we wrote about what a now-Justice Neil Gorsuch could mean for federal sentencing. In particular, we reviewed his Tenth Circuit opinion in United States v. Sabillon-Umana, wherein then-Judge Gorsuch, a former clerk for now-retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, questioned the constitutionality of judicial fact-finding at federal sentencing, as opposed to fact-finding by a jury. Known as relevant conduct, judge-found facts which often include uncharged and even acquitted conduct drive federal sentencings, often increasing terms of imprisonment by years and even decades. As it turns out, another former Kennedy clerk, Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit who recently was nominated by President Donald Trump to take the retiring justices seat on the court also shares Justice Gorsuchs concern. Accordingly, for the reasons discussed below, should Judge Kavanaugh be confirmed, we believe the Kennedy clerks will likely lead the court to finally rein in relevant conduct by holding unconstitutional the use of uncharged and acquitted conduct to enhance federal sentences.... Should Judge Kavanaugh be confirmed, we believe it quite likely that, based on his prior jurisprudence, the current manner in which relevant conduct or at least acquitted conduct is used to enhance sentences will soon be determined to be unconstitutional. Though I certainly hope that new Justices could usher in a big changes to the modern federal sentencing system, I do not share these authors' view that such changes are "quite likely." In particular, finding unconstitutional any use of "uncharged" conduct at sentencing would be a real sea-change for lots of sentencing systems and practice, and I think a number of Justices would be hesitant to take Sixth Amendment doctrines this far. But I still like this constitutional optimism even if I do not fully share it. A few prior related posts: July 27, 2018 at 10:52 AM | Permalink Comments All the value of sentencing is in addressing the person, and not the convicted crime, by incapacitation. Unconvicted conduct is essential to effective and accurate sentencing. So a kid who shoots his abusive father, and is otherwise normal, should go home. A serial killing, drug kingpin who is caught shoplifting should get the death penalty for shoplifting. If the purpose of sentencing is public safety, acquitted or unconvicted conduct is relevant. It predicts the future behavior of the defendant. If its purpose is to protect criminals to generate lawyer jobs, then go ahead with declaring acquitted conduct unconstitutional to consider in sentencing. Kavanaugh's nomination agitated me. He is pure swamp, born and bred. This speculative article is not re-assuring. Posted by: David Behar | Jul 27, 2018 12:34:43 PM Post a comment Kluchevskoye Gold Mining Project, initiated by India's SUN Gold Ltd, is the first-ever industrial PPP investment project undertaken by partners from all BRICS member-states. An Indian-driven gold mining project in Siberia has been hailed at the BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, as the first practical implementation of the objectives of the grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The Kluchevskoye Gold Mining Project, initiated by India's SUN Gold Ltd, is being seen as the first-ever industrial public-private partnership investment project to be undertaken by partners from all BRICS member-states. China National Gold Group Corporation, the Russian Sovereign Investment Fund, Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund (FEDF), and leading private investment and business leaders from Brazil and South Africa are partnering in the project located in the Chita region of eastern Siberia. The multinational joint venture will see the transformation of the Kluchevskoye gold deposit into a significant open-pit mine, with an expected gold production of over 6.5 tonnes per annum. Pre-production investment of up to $500 million is planned, with China National Gold (CNG) as the major shareholder and technological partner. CNG, one of the world's leading gold companies, will provide management and development expertise, while the century-old Indian SUN Group brings 60 years' of experience of working in Russia, having built several significant businesses in the country, including SUN Brewing, one of the region's largest beer companies. FEDF's involvement will bring regional investment and political support for the project, and opportunities for further growth in the gold and copper mining sector in the Russian Far East. The South African and Brazilian investors seek to add a dimension to create a joint investment and industrial platform for growth in Africa and Latin America. "This project has given us an understanding of how BRICS can actually work in a practical manner where we can use complementary strengths," Shiv Khemka, vice chairman of the Indian-owned SUN Group, told PTI at the ongoing 10th BRICS Summit. "It's just a different way of looking at things through two different lenses to bring the expertise of all these countries together to work as a team on something that we hope will be very successful." He said his company bought the Siberian mine in 2007 as it looked around for old mines which presented opportunities. "The local government was also very supportive, so that was important for us," Khemka said. He has lived in Russia for 25 years and started up several companies there. Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of TransAfrica Capital, said the project marked a critical step in the evolution of BRICS. "It is projects like this that make a real economic impact not only on economic growth, but more importantly by creating jobs which impact on citizens' lives while at the same time bringing the BRICS collective closer together," Ichikowitz said. Iqbal Surve, chairman of BRICS Business Council, was hopeful about the venture serving as a model for multilateral cooperation for other countries as well. "This innovative model of public and private partners from BRICS countries coming together can be used as a model to tackle significant projects in non-BRICS countries as well, creating a sustainable model for cooperation, collaboration and investment-led economic growth, boosting industrial development and providing turnkey, sustainable job creation," Surve said. In its last report, India jumped 30 places to rank 100th in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' ranking. New Delhi: India is expecting an improvement in its ranking in the World Bank's ease of doing business index as the multi-lateral lending agency would take into account implementation of GST and the new insolvency provisions, a government official said. The World Bank is expected to come out with its next report in October or November. "This year, we are bullish on three major areas including measures to improve trading across borders, implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and insolvency provisions," the official said. In its last report, India jumped 30 places to rank 100th in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' ranking. With June 2017 as the cut-off for assessing the business environment, last year's ranking does not take into account the reform of GST, which implemented in July last year. This year, the commerce and industry ministry is expecting improvement in three parameters - paying taxes, trade across borders, and resolving insolvency. Following the enactment of the insolvency and bankruptcy code, as many as 118 cases under corporate insolvency resolution process concluded with orders for liquidation as on 31 May. Total admitted claims in these cases are Rs 58,653.22 crore. MOSCOW (Reuters) - India's Sun Gold and China National Gold are launching a joint gold mining project in Russia's Siberia region, the two companies said in a joint statement during a Johannesburg summit of BRICS member states. In 2016, the sides agreed that Sun Gold would sell a 70-percent stake in the project, the Kluchevskoye gold deposit, to China National Gold, a major global gold producer. The Chinese gold company would in turn contribute its development expertise. MOSCOW (Reuters) - India's Sun Gold and China National Gold are launching a joint gold mining project in Russia's Siberia region, the two companies said in a joint statement during a Johannesburg summit of BRICS member states. In 2016, the sides agreed that Sun Gold would sell a 70-percent stake in the project, the Kluchevskoye gold deposit, to China National Gold, a major global gold producer. The Chinese gold company would in turn contribute its development expertise. However, the deal was delayed for various reasons, including red tape issues in Russia. A pre-production investment of up to $500 million is planned, the partners said in their statement, adding that China National Gold is expected to be the project's major shareholder following its final ratification by the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament. The Duma ratified the project on Thursday, according to the representative body's public documents. An open-pit mine is expected to be built at the Kluchevskoye deposit producing 6.5 tonnes of gold annually, the partners said. They did not disclose when the first gold was expected to be produced. (Reporting by Polina Devitt and Elena Fabrichnaya; editing by Kirsten Donovan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Sonam Rai and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Intel Corp's fast-growing data centre business missed Wall Street targets on Thursday as the world's second-largest chipmaker faced stiff rivalry from Advanced Micro Devices Inc , and again delayed the release of its next-generation chips until the end of 2019. The company's shares fell almost 6 percent in extended trading. Sales to data centres that power mobile and web apps, which bring more profit than chips for personal computers, rose 26.9 percent to $5.55 billion in the second quarter ended June 30. By Sonam Rai and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Intel Corp's fast-growing data centre business missed Wall Street targets on Thursday as the world's second-largest chipmaker faced stiff rivalry from Advanced Micro Devices Inc , and again delayed the release of its next-generation chips until the end of 2019. The company's shares fell almost 6 percent in extended trading. Sales to data centres that power mobile and web apps, which bring more profit than chips for personal computers, rose 26.9 percent to $5.55 billion in the second quarter ended June 30. Analysts had expected revenue of $5.63 billion, according to financial and data analytics firm FactSet. Intel has been increasingly catering to data centres as revenue from PCs has flattened since shipments peaked in 2011. AMD, which has been gaining ground with its new server chips, beat estimates for quarterly profit and revenue on Wednesday, powered by its EPYC server processors. Intel expects that PCs with its next-generation 10nm chips will be for sale during the holiday season of 2019, company spokeswoman Cara Walker said by email. On a conference call with investors, Murthy Renduchintala, Intel's chip architecture chief, said 10nm data centre chips will be released "shortly after" the consumer PC chips. Last quarter, the company said the 10nm chips were being pushed from 2018 to 2019 but did not specify when. Intel originally predicted the chips could be ready by 2015. The compares to rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd <2330.TW> expecting 7nm chips to contribute more than 20 percent to its revenue next year. Intel's net income rose to $5.01 billion, or $1.05 per share, from $2.81 billion, or 58 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. https://bit.ly/2mLLApb Excluding items, the company earned $1.04 per share, beating expectations of 96 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company benefited from a stabilizing PC market, in which worldwide shipments grew for the first time in six years, according to research firm Gartner. Revenue in Intel's client computing business, which caters to PC makers and is still the biggest contributor to sales, rose 6.3 percent to $8.73 billion, beating FactSet estimates of $8.48 billion. Intel forecast current-quarter revenue of $18.1 billion, plus or minus $500 million, and adjusted earnings of $1.15 per share, plus or minus 5 cents. Analysts on average had expected revenue of $17.60 billion on a profit of $1.08 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Net revenue rose 14.9 percent to $16.96 billion, above estimates of $16.77 billion. The company is searching for a new chief executive after Brian Krzanich was ousted last month following an investigation that found he had a consensual relationship with an employee in breach of company policy. Chief Financial Officer Robert Swan is acting as interim CEO. Shares of the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker which have gained 13 percent so far this year, fell 5.6 percent to $49.28 after the bell. (Reporting by Sonam Rai in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Richard Chang) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Speaking at the company's AGM, ITC chairman YC Deveshwar said 'an integrated scheme named 'Baareh Mahine Hariyali' was aimed at maximising farm utilisation over 12 months of the year with the view to multiply farmers' income in locations piloted in select areas of the company's operations.' Kolkata: Diversified conglomerate ITC Limited has adopted an innovative approach to maximise farm utilisation for 12 months in a year, a top company official said on Friday. Speaking at the company's AGM here, chairman YC Deveshwar said "an integrated scheme named 'Baareh Mahine Hariyali' was aimed at maximising farm utilisation over 12 months of the year with the view to multiply farmers' income in locations piloted in select areas of the company's operations." He said around 30,000 farmers who had adopted the elements of the integrated approach reported doubling of income, and those who done it partially saw income rising 30 percent to 75 percent. The company had earlier introduced the e-choupal programme as a part of ITC's intervention into the agriculture sector. To reduce agri-wastage, he said that the company was "actively pursuing a long-term strategy to build cost-effective cold chain which would also contribute to raising rural incomes". Deveshwar said that ITC was making ongoing investments in setting up the Integrated Consumer Goods and Logistics Facilities (ICML) through a network of cold-chain infrastructure. Replying to shareholders queries, Deveshwar said last year, 30 new products in the FMCG segment. He said the company had taken 'an audacious vision' of earning Rs one lakh crore from branded consumer products by 2030. Regarding ITC's entry into the healthcare care as announced earlier, he said ITC had hired a chief executive for running the hospital. He said regarding the launch of new products in the future the board would take a decision depending on the value proposition which it accrues. Deveshwar said that ITC has adopted the 'the triple bottomline' for sustainable development. The factors that a Japanese investor looks for in any country or state are trust, transparency, clarity in policy, governments approach, work standards, business ethics and time-bound clearances. Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar: Leveraging on its longstanding bilateral ties with Japan, the Gujarat government is developing a Japanese industrial township near Ahmedabad. The move takes forward the ongoing development of the state into a major automobile hub. Khoraj 25 km from Ahmedabad is being planned as a one-of-its-kind township exclusively for Japanese investors and a predominantly Japanese workforce. Prior to this, the Gujarat government had set up a dedicated industrial zone for Japanese ancillary units selling to the automobile sector at the Mandal industrial area near Vithalapur 90 km from Ahmedabad. Whether its the township at Khoraj or the industrial zone in Mandal, the seed of a country-specific industrial zone was sown more than a decade ago when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the western state. The first step was taken way back in 2008 when the state government provided land to Tata Motors affordable car project -- the Nano -- at the Sanand industrial area near Ahmedabad, after the fiasco at Nandigram in West Bengal. Despite criticism from various quarters, about the price at which land was procured at Sanand and about the incentives given to the group, Gujarat steadily moved towards its goal. Maruti Suzuki followed the Tatas and set up its car manufacturing unit at Sanand. The rest is history. At present, Gujarat has in its kitty companies like Suzuki Motors Gujarat (SMG), Honda Motor Corp, Ford, Shanghai Automobile Industry Co-General Motors (SAIC-GM), and an array of Japanese automobile ancillaries. That apart, a host of other companies are in the pipeline, and firms like Tata TIAGO and Jindal South West (JSW) have readied plans to manufacture next-generation electrical vehicles in that state. The factors that a Japanese investor looks for in any country or state are trust, transparency, clarity in policy, governments approach, work standards, business ethics and time-bound clearances. Gujarat claims to have provided all of these over the years. Trust is the biggest factor that ensured smooth inflow of Japanese investment in Gujarat. Modi from his days as CM had worked hard to establish this trust factor by ensuring a seamless functioning of his government, especially the industries department, Balvantsinh C Rajput, chairman, Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) told Firstpost. At present, some 150 Japanese whore working in Japanese units live in Sanand--Vithalapur--Becharji. Now, to provide a comfort zone to Japanese investors, were going for an industrial township with all kinds of amenities at Khoraj, he said. Its been a journey of nearly two decades for Gujarat to reach this point, of building an exclusive Japanese township. Gujarats strategic moves Much before 2017 the year of the Indo-Japan Friendly Exchanges that further strengthened bilateral ties, it was the Gujarat governments strategic measures that ensured investment flow from both domestic and Japanese investors in the state The state government converted the crisis into an opportunity by offering tax holidays and other incentives to industries after the earthquake at Bhuj, in the Kutch district, in 2001 Creation of a brownfield Petroleum, Chemical and Petro-chemical Special Investment Region (PCPIR) at the Dahej SEZ, which has logged exports worth Rs 4,000 crore since 2009 Building 45 ports, including major and minor ones like Kandla, Mundra and Hajira Diversification of portfolio Handsome compensation to farmers when acquiring land, including a compensation amount, wages for 750 days and a piece of commercial land that is one percent of the total land procured from them Strict compliance of Master Plan and regulations It was a major decision taken by the then CM Modi, to have strategic moves in order to bring investment in the state. Under diversification strategy, Gujarat expanded itself from being a chemical and pharmaceutical major to an automobile hub, GIDC vice chairman & managing director, said D Thara. Under diversification strategy, GIDC created sector and country-specific industrial estates like in Sanand, Mandal, Bhagapura, etc. Now to get more traction from Japanese companies, the next target is building a dedicated industrial township for Japanese investors at Khoraj. Besides industrial units, itll have housing and other facilities, she added. The Japanese township The country-specific Japanese industrial township will come up at Khoraj, which is five kilometres from Sanand and about 25 km from Ahmedabad Township a subset of urban infrastructure will be built on a 700 hectare (1500 acre) patch, which is under GIDC Besides industrial units, township will host residential buildings, shopping arcades, schools, hospital and banks Architecture and town planning will be as per Japanese requirements GIDC has begun road construction in the area Eight Japanese firms have expressed an interest in setting up units in the township Once completed, the township is expected to generate direct employment for 15,000-20,000 people and five times more in indirect employment The state is in talks with the Japanese government to jointly develop an industrial park within the township. Japan could engage industrial park developers like Toyota Tsusho for the project GIDC will give them land. They, in turn, will develop it and give it to companies. Itll be on a plug-and-play basis, Thara added. Country-specific industrial estate According to data available with the Industrial Extension Bureau (INDEXTb) the state governments body to accelerate industrial development and a single-point contact for investors Gujarat has received $18.7 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) between April 2000 and March 2018. Out of the total FDI, over $10 billion was received over the past five years. During the inauguration of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Business Support Centre in Ahmedabad on 5 July this year, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani said the state aims to garner $3 billion in investments from Japanese firms by 2020, and that these firms will realise Modis Make in India concept. On the occasion, 15 Japanese firms had signed so-called Interest of Investment MoUs with Gujarat. Considering the growing interest of Japanese investors in the state and the growth in investment, GIDC created a 120-hectare industrial estate at Mandal. Its a part of the Mandal-Bechraji Special Investment Region. With 13 Japanese companies, either operational or under construction, Mandal is already saturated. The next destination is Bhagapura, which hosts 17 vendors acting as ancillaries to Maruti Suzuki. Gujarat governments initiative to create a country-specific automotive industrial cluster has been encouraging. Governments approach to Japan is very supportive and the trust built over the years has encouraged Japanese companies to set up their units here, said Kazutatsu Kinoshita, general manager, Toyota Tsusho India Pvt Ltd. At Mandal, Technotrends Autopark Private Limited is one such company situated on a 70-acre patch that provides plug-and-play facilities to tenants. Weve five clients to whom were providing all kinds of facilities from land, electricity, water, maintenance to government approvals. Weve two models Ready-to-build and Ready-to-suit. On the basis of any of the two, we set up manufacturing units for them. Besides this, we provide skill training facilities, said Jatin B Patel, Head (Operations), Technotrends Autopark Private Limited. Small Japanese companies operating at Mandal and Bhagapura act as ancillaries to Suzuki Motors Gujarat, Honda Motor Corp, and other firms. Production is usually need-based and on full capacity. Under the TS Tech and Honda Motor Corp agreements, we produce 4,850 two-wheeler seats per day. Our expansion depends on Honda. In Japan, were in agreement with Suzuki and other companies, said Fumihiro Nishioka, advisor, TS Tech (Mandal) Pvt Ltd. Roki Minda, Munjal Kiriu, MA Extrusion, among others, are some of the ancillary companies already manufacturing at Mandal. With over 80 Japanese companies already operating in various sectors, from fabrication, electronics to automobile in Gujarat, and 20 more in the pipeline, the idea of a Japanese township crystallised during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes visit to India in September 2017. Business and industry are in Gujarati blood and were in a symbiotic relationship. This is the reason for investors trust in the Gujarat government. We clearly convey to them our policies, regulations, safety and environment norms. We act as a facilitator and ensure that investors get a comfort zone working here, summed up Ashwini Kumar, secretary to the Gujarat CM. Cash benefits of more than 500 government schemes are being directly credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant New Delhi: Cash benefits of more than 500 government schemes are being directly credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Thursday. Addressing an event here, he said the government has done away with many of the obsolete rules in order to facilitate the ease of doing business. Kant said that complex rules and regulations operating in India in the past were a constraint, an official statement said. He stressed upon the significance of demographic dividend and inclusive growth in India. The Niti Aayog CEO said that growth can only be sustainable only if it is inclusive. He said that there have been various factors contributing to the unsustainable growth in India, such as significant variation in inter-state and inter-district parameters, which needs to be addressed. Speaking about the opportunity that demographic dividend in India is providing, Kant said that more than 70 percent of India's population is below 35 years, thus giving an advantage over other countries. "We must realize this opportunity," he added. The Niti Aayog CEO was delivering a lecture organised by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) here on the topic Transformation of Aspirational Districts -- a New India by 2022. Kant also spoke about various structural changes brought about by the government, such as DBT, implementation of GST and the Insolvency Code, among others. "Speaking about the digitisation initiative of the government, he said that it will bring more transparency in the system; for example benefits of more than 500 Government schemes is being directly credited in the accounts of the beneficiaries using the Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT)," the statement said. Kant said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NITI Aayog has adopted a focused approach for the transformation of aspirational districts. He said that 49 indicators have been selected out of 500 parameters for 200 identified districts and these districts are ranked based on their performance on each of these selected indicators. Data on various parameters of progress is being constantly monitored and updated, Kant said. "There are specific initiatives which need to be implemented to improve the ranking of a district, which has been spelled out too. The purpose is to motivate the districts to compete among themselves and perform in the direction of transformation on various parameters such as health and nutrition, education, agriculture & water resources, financial inclusion and basic infrastructure, among others," it said. He also spoke on the success stories of various districts which have performed to bring their ranking up amongst these aspirational districts. To achieve the growth on a sustainable basis, he said, there should be a team spirit among states and the Centre. The central government has nominated senior officers from the government as Prabhari' officers to assist the district officers and to take up the challenge of transforming these aspirational districts. PepsiCo India Holdings Private Ltd has secured an interim order from the Delhi High Court (HC) to delete hundreds of posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, that claim its snack brand Kurkure's corn puffs product contains plastic, according to media reports. In the wake of malicious rumours that the popular snack food contains plastic, the company has secured a John Doe order, a cease and desist decree passed by a court of law against anonymous entity/entities, the Business Standard reported. According to MediaNama, there are 3,412 Facebook links, 20,244 Facebook posts, 242 YouTube videos, six Instagram links, and 562 tweets on this topic that have now been ordered to be removed. "Kurkure is an extremely loved brand and consumed by families across India. However, fake news suggesting that Kurkure has plastic in it has adversely effected brands reputation. Due to such fake and defamatory content circulating on the social media, PepsiCo India was constrained to move the Honble Delhi High Court, a PepsiCo spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement by Mint. Following the latest development, Twitterati took to the micro-blogging site to poke fun at the company. Unpopular opinion, I like Kurkure plastic. Ashish K. Mishra (@akm1410) July 26, 2018 PepsiCo trying to block tweets on Kurkure pic.twitter.com/5kj1wxR9yP (@jugaadist) July 26, 2018 Did you know: Plastic is made of Kurkure. Aisi Taisi Democracy (@AisiTaisiDemo) July 26, 2018 This is a very bad idea, @PepsiCo. Instead of worrying about the real problem, the fake news about Kurkure on WhatsApp, is going after those who are calling out the fake news on social media. They're creating a communications disaster out of thin air.https://t.co/SNrLjUvbWN Prasanto K Roy (@prasanto) July 26, 2018 Two words- Kurkure surgery Gopi Anekar (@death_bylulz) July 26, 2018 Just shocking to me that people would even tweet that KURKURE IS MADE OF PLASTIC without cross checking it. Just shocking how people can make the assumption that KURKURE IS MADE OF PLASTIC. Why would anyone think KURKURE CONTAINS PLASTIC? Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) July 26, 2018 What did Babur tell Humayun about Kurkure? Shilpa Rathnam (@shilparathnam) July 26, 2018 Last September, Vani Gupta, Marketing Director - Indian Snacks, Foods, PepsiCo India said the company was deploying countermeasures to assure women that Kurkure is safe for them, as it was rumoured that the corn puffs product was causing abortions. @steppennwolf Please don't believe rumours that Kurkure harms the body and causes abortion. (3/3) Kurkure (@KurkureSnacks) March 2, 2015 According to her, it is better to talk to the consumer about safety rather than taking rumour mongers to court. Kurkure now has 40 variants and is also exported to several countries, after its first variant hit the market in 1999. With inputs from IANS Gitanjali Gems boss Mehul Choksi also said that his application was motivated by a desire to expand his business in the region A day after the government of Antigua and Barbuda indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India, and deport Mehul Choksi, who allegedly bought citizenship there, the fugitive jeweller confirmed that he received the Caribbean nation's citizenship via an investment programme. The Gitanjali Gems boss also said that his application was motivated by a desire to expand his business in the region. Choksi, in a statement issued by his lawyer, said that reports doing the rounds in Indian media about him applying for citizenship of that country "illegally" and about him being extradited, are wrong. He refused further comment on the matter, News18 reported. "In January 2018, I had a need to visit the United States to receive medical treatment. I am still in a state convalescence. That being said I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, the country of my citizenship and abide by the laws of the country," Choksi was quoted as saying by News18 in his statement. The Antigua government, on Thursday, indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India, and deport Choksi, wanted by Indian authorities for supposedly colluding with billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi to defraud Punjab National Bank (PNB) to the tune of Rs 14,000 crore. #BREAKING -- PNB scam accused Mehul Choksi issues statement; Says I am a lawful citizen of Antigua. I visited US in January 2018 pic.twitter.com/cJw49sYCBY News18 (@CNNnews18) July 27, 2018 The Daily Observer on Thursday quoted an Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet press briefing, issued by Chief of Staff Lionel "Max" Hurst, to state that the country will make every effort as per law to honour a "legitimate" request from India. The issue of Choksi, a fugitive from India involved in an alleged banking scam worth over $2 billion, getting citizenship in Antigua in November last year was discussed in a Cabinet meeting of Antigua and Barbuda government, the newspaper said. A CBI request to issue a Red Corner Notice against Choksi is pending with the Interpol and is likely to be granted soon. The Cabinet underlined that they do not have an extradition treaty with India and that Choksi has not been charged for any crime, it reported. The paper also stated that the Cabinet noted that no request has been received by the Antigua and Barbuda government for any action against Choksi. The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Antigua faced criticism from the paper for allowing Choksi to get a passport of Antigua in November last year. The unit had informed the paper that Choksi's request was allowed after "due diligence" and detailed background check from Interpol. The CBI has denied that Interpol ever approached it regarding background checks on Choksi, who was facing inquiries from various agencies last year. In an editorial, the paper said, There is a perception that the CIU's due diligence is a farce and that CIP money trumps due diligence. This is a perception that cannot be allowed to linger because it will have damaging effects on our country's reputation. The government must produce all the documentary evidence of the due diligence process so that the citizens of this country can have confidence that there is integrity to the process, It also noted that India is a friendly country, an "ally" and that it had helped Antigua in past on several occasions and it was a time to reciprocate. Beyond that, India is an ally. They have provided assistance to us in the past, and they have been tapped to provide assistance in the future. Most recently (as in April of this year), we sought their technical assistance in the areas of health and the management of public finance. Will we now turn our backs on them and give safe harbour to a fugitive from their justice system? an editorial in the paper said. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved a Special court in Mumbai seeking to declare Modi and his uncle Choksi 'fugitive economic offenders' which will enable them to seize their assets in India. Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank (PNB) of more than Rs 13,400 crore with the purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with renewal of letters of undertaking, sources said. He escaped the country on 4 January on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on 15 January, they said. Next day, his firm approached the Brady House branch of the PNB seeking renewal and issuance of letters of undertaking which were denied as the officer concerned sought cash guarantee for issuing these notes, a CBI FIR in this connection alleged. The executives told the officer that they have been taking these letters over last several years without any demand of such guarantee, it said. The officer could not find instructions for such LoUs in the bank's system which led to a detailed scrutiny. It is then that the alleged scam surfaced prompting the bank to approach the CBI with a complaint and an FIR was registered on January 31. An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to an applicant. Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, the FIR has alleged. Choksi and his companies allegedly availed of credit from overseas branches of Indian banks using the fraudulent guarantees of the PNB given through LoUs and letters of credit issued to Brady House branch which were not repaid bringing the liability on the state run bank, the officials said. A charge sheet filed in a special court in Mumbai after a three-and-a-month probe alleged that Shetty, a deputy manager in the PNB and arrested by the CBI, received Rs 1 crore from the companies of Choksi to issue LoUs to his companies, they said. Apart from Mehul Choksi, 28 Indians have applied for citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda since 2014 Playing cat and mouse with the Indian agencies investigating the Rs 13,400 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi has left Antigua and Barbuda, the Caribbean country whose citizenship he received via an investment programme, according to a media report. We are trying to ascertain where he is. But we are certain he is not in Antigua anymore, an Antiguan officer involved in the probe was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. Responding to the controversy, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, reportedly told a journalist that back in 2017, when Choksi was granted citizenship, "evidently there was no negative info on him," The Daily Observer, a newspaper from the Caribbean country, reported. An Opposition leader has reportedly demanded an enquiry into why crooks and vagabonds and alleged fraudsters" were buying the Antiguan and Barbudan passport and further claimed that the Caribbean country has become a haven for fraudsters, money launderers and the like, the newspaper added. Meanwhile, data analysed by The Times of India revealed that apart from Choksi, 28 Indians have applied for citizenship of the Caribbean country since 2014. Citing a half-yearly report of the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of the Caribbean country, the Times of India said seven out of 28 people were granted Antiguan nationality between 1 January and 30 June, 2017, upon an investment of $2,00,000. The report revealed that on 21 June alone three application were processed simultaneously. However, it hasn't been confirmed as to whether the applications belong to Choksi and his family, The Times of India added. "Holders of the Antigua and Barbuda passport enjoy visa-free travel to approximately 132 countries, including the UK and the countries of the Schengen area," according to the website of Citizenship by Investment unit of Antigua and Barbuda. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already approached authorities in Antigua for details on the whereabouts of Choksi, who owns Gitanjali Gems. The CBI in its communication to Antiguan authorities on 24 July cited an Interpol diffusion notice against the fugitive businessman, who allegedly colluded with billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi to defraud the PNB, and sought details of his movement, landing and his current location. On 23 July, Choksi moved a special court in Mumbai seeking cancellation of non-bailable warrants against him, claiming that he apprehends mob lynching if he is brought to India. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court had in July and March this year issued non-bailable warrants against Choksi after it took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case. With inputs from PTI Ohio gubernatorial candidate talking up criminal justice reform while advocating for state constitutional drug sentencing initiative | Main | An (overly) optimistic account of how new Justices could disrupt federal sentencing based on uncharged and acquitted conduct July 26, 2018 Michigan Supreme Court declares plea agreement provision barring pursuit of public office unenforceable as against public policy A helpful reader alerted me to an interesting decision today by the Michigan Supreme Court in Michigan v. Smith, No. 156353 (Mich. July 26, 2018) (available here). Here is how the court's majority opinion gets started: As part of defendants plea deal, he agreed to resign his position as a state senator and not seek public office during his five-year probationary term. After reviewing the agreement, the trial court determined that these terms violated the separation-of-powers doctrine and public policy. It struck down the terms but, over the prosecutors objection, enforced the rest of the plea deal. The Court of Appeals affirmed. We took this case to decide whether the resignation and bar-to-office provisions of the plea deal were enforceable, and if not, whether the trial court erred by refusing to allow the prosecutor to withdraw from the deal. We hold that: (1) the question regarding the resignation provision is now moot and we therefore decline to reach it and instead vacate the Court of Appeals discussion of that issue, (2) the bar-to-office provision is unenforceable as against public policy, and (3) the trial court erred by not permitting the prosecutor to withdraw from the plea agreement under People v Siebert. We would have further held that the validity of the bar-to-office provision must be assessed under the balancing test in Town of Newton v Rumery. [FN: Town of Newton v Rumery, 480 US 386; 107 S Ct 1187; 94 L Ed 2d 405 (1987). Because the partial concurrence did not join this portion of the opinion, adoption of the Rumery test failed to garner majority support.] And here is a key passage in the court's discussion: However egregious defendants alleged offenses may be, they do not directly relate to the duties and responsibilities of public office he was not charged with misconduct that was in any manner related to public office. Consequently, the prosecutor can point to no legitimate reason for the bar-to-office provision. Its inclusion in the plea agreement reflects, instead, the prosecutors own conclusion that defendant should not serve in public office. Our laws do not give prosecutors the unilateral authority to make this determination. July 26, 2018 at 08:29 PM | Permalink Comments In prior Comments, I suggested public, elected office was one of the few occupations still fully open to convicted felons. If a criminal record is preventing hiring, why not run for elected office? I suggest running for an office with jurisdiction over the little tyrants that put the felon in prison. Then, defund the agency, and get the jerks fired. Posted by: David Behar | Jul 26, 2018 9:39:12 PM Post a comment RCom is under debt resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) and has not been paying any dues till the completion of the process. New Delhi: State Bank of India (SBI) has approached the Telecom Department asking it to reconsider any move to cancel Reliance Communications' spectrum as it would cause "irreparable harm" to lenders like itself and jeopardise their ongoing efforts to recover dues. SBI and other lenders are engaging with the company to examine the possibility of reissuance or extension of the bank guarantees, as required by the Telecom Department, the bank said in a letter. The move assumes significance as the debt-ridden Reliance Communications is under a temporary reprieve from telecom tribunal TDSAT till 10 August on licence and spectrum cancellation showcause notice served by the Department of Telecom (DoT). The showcause notice has cast a cloud on the company's debt reduction plans that entails sale of spectrum and other telecom assets to Reliance Jio for about Rs 17,000 crore. In a letter to Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan, SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar said that any action to revoke the spectrum allocation to Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom would "seriously jeopardise the efforts of secured lenders to recover their dues". A copy of the letter dated 23 July, 2018 has been seen by PTI , the same day the tribunal heard the matter and gave an order. "As a matter of policy, bank doesn't respond on individual accounts," an SBI spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to a query on the issue. According to the SBI letter, "The debt resolution plans and assets monetisation plans previously initiated by the secured lenders/company had not seen fruition. The proposed sale of spectrum and other assets appears to be viable chance of debt resolution for lenders including many public sector banks." If the proposed sale does not proceed as a result of spectrum allocation being revoked by the Telecom Department, the "lenders may not be able to recover funds lent thereby causing irreparable harm to SBI and all other lenders in the consortium," SBI warned. Urging the Telecom Department to reconsider the decision to initiate a coercive action such as spectrum cancellation, it said doing so would give lenders a shot at recovering debts owed by the two Reliance companies -- Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom. "In the meantime, the lenders including SBI are engaging with the companies to examine the possibility of re-issue/extending the bank guarantee subject of course to all due internal approvals of respective banks," the letter said. Earlier this week, Reliance Communications received a relief, till 10 August, from the telecom tribunal on licence and spectrum cancellation showcause notice of Department of Telecom. Posting the matter for directions on 10 August, the tribunal has instructed the respondent (Telecom Department) "not to give effect to the decision which it may take in the meantime". The Anil Ambani-owned RCom had recently approached the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the government's showcause notice on the spectrum and licence cancellation. The company is learnt to have informed the TDSAT that while DoT has raised a demand for payment of Rs 774 crore on the company, the said payment has already been made to the government through encashment of previous bank guarantees or BG. Therefore, RCom contends it only needs to renew the encashed bank guarantees, which anyway will be payable only in March 2019. In its petition, RCom said it had approached the tribunal in anticipation of DoT's move (on termination or revoking of licences and withdrawal of spectrum) given that thousands of jobs and millions of subscribers would be at stake. RCom requested the TDSAT to set aside and quash the showcause notices dated 19 June, 2018 and 22 June, 2018 and "restrain" the Telecom Department from terminating or revoking the licences or revoking the spectrum held by the company. RCom is under debt resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) and has not been paying any dues till the completion of the process. RCom had said that if the deal with Reliance Jio goes through, the latter will take on deferred spectrum payment liabilities and any BGs given now by RCOM would anyway be replaced by the acquirer shortly. In Japan, cash is still the mainstream payment methodology, with the current cashless payment ratio remaining at 20 percent, SoftBank said adding that the Japanese government is taking measures to raise the cashless payment ratio to 40 percent by 2025. New Delhi: SoftBank Group Corp on Friday said it will launch a digital payments service in Japan, and has partnered Paytm for the service. The service PayPay will be launched by SoftBank's joint venture PayPay Corporation (with Yahoo Japan) in fall this year, SoftBank said in a statement. "PayPay Corporation will team up with India's largest digital payments company Paytm, a SoftBank Vision Fund portfolio company, to utilise Paytm's technology and expertise in mobile payments," it added. In Japan, cash is still the mainstream payment methodology, with the current cashless payment ratio remaining at 20 percent, SoftBank said adding that the Japanese government is taking measures to raise the cashless payment ratio to 40 percent by 2025. To aid these efforts, SoftBank and Yahoo Japan established PayPay Corporation in June this year and will launch its user-oriented payments platform in fall of 2018, it added. "This will promote the broader use of cashless payment in Japan and provide highly convenient services to both consumers and affiliated stores," SoftBank noted. "We want to build a Paytm model on local AI that allows us to take mobile payments to a large population where other digital methods have not fully penetrated," Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO - Paytm, said. Paytm offers seamless mobile payments to over 300 million customers and 8 million merchants in India. All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), which claims support of 93 lakh truckers, said its core team in an emergency meeting on Thursday resolved to suspend all operations voluntarily New Delhi: Truckers associated with transporters' union AIMTC remained off road for the eighth consecutive day today across the country to press for their demands even as automakers said they have adjusted their production due to disruption in the supply of components. All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), which claims support of 93 lakh truckers, said its core team in an emergency meeting on Thursday resolved to suspend all operations voluntarily and any attempt to quell it will only foment anger. "With every passing day it is getting strong and all this has been possible because of the resolve that this time it is 'do or die' situation," AIMTC Core Committee Chairman Bal Malkit Singh said. He claimed that the transporters' loss stood at Rs 28,000 crore in the seven days and urged government's intervention for tangible resolution of the issues. Automobile industry sources said the stir has affected supplies of parts and distribution of vehicles, forcing companies like Tata Motors, Ford India and Skoda to adjust production. Tata Motors has undertaken block closures of its Pune and Sanand plants by advancing weekend holidays and compensating for it later on, they claimed. "Even retail has started getting impacted as dispatches of finished vehicles to dealers are affected," a source said. Transporters' demands include a reduction in central and state taxes by getting diesel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) so that price of the deregulated commodity can be reduced. Essential commodities have been kept out of the strike. The Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT), however, said that the strike has failed to make much impact. "There has not been much impact on supply and prices of onion and garlic due to truckers' strike in Maharashtra. The supplies were adequately met from other growing states like Rajasthan," Onion and Potato traders association (in Azadpur mandi ) general secretary Rajendra Sharma said. Prices are stable in mandis here, he added.' Apart from demanding reduction in diesel prices, truckers are also against the "flawed and non-transparent" toll collection system that favours road concessioners and alleged that the time and fuel loss amounts to up to Rs 1.5 trillion annually on account of it. Truckers are also miffed at high insurance premia and want a reduction in third-party premium, exemption on third-party premia from GST. Apart from this, they are also pressing for exemptions and abolition of indirect taxes, national permits for all buses and trucks and also doing away with the direct port delivery tendering system. Thirty-six cows were found dead at a cowshed in the Chhawla area in Dwarka, the Delhi Police said on Friday. New Delhi: Thirty-six cows were found dead at a cowshed in the Chhawla area in Dwarka, the Delhi Police said on Friday. The police were informed about the deaths of the cows at around 12.30 pm on Friday. The cowshed has 1,400 cows and it is suspected that the 36 cows died due to "some disease", they said. A team of doctors are currently on the spot. According to News18, two cows were found dead on Thursday. The locals have also been told not to go near the cowshed. The police's main intention is to prevent build-up of any sort of fear psychosis in the society after publication of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on 30 July Guwahati: Ahead of the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft, the Assam Police is carrying out community engagement programmes to avoid misunderstanding and keeping a strict watch on social media so that no fake news or hate message is circulated, a top police officer said on Friday. The police's main intention is to prevent the build-up of any sort of fear psychosis in the society after the publication of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on 30 July, Assam Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia told PTI in an interview. "We are doing community engagement programmes to avoid any misunderstanding and lack of faith on the system. Our teams are regularly meeting village elders, student leaders and respectable persons in communities," he said. "We are doing lots of campaigns in this regard. Police are visiting markets, village haats for this," Saikia said, adding that there is no tension as such. The top police said the Assam Police is also keeping a strict vigil on social media so that no fake news or hate message is circulated. "We have requested all communities to remain alert for this. We have launched a campaign on social media to avoid any provocative message by anyone. We are giving very important focus to social media," he added. Saikia informed that after the lynching of two youths in Karbi Anglong district last month due to fake news of child-lifters, the Assam Police has formed a Social Media Cell and it is being headed by Additional Director General of Police (Security) Harmeet Singh. "We are trying to make people aware of social media platforms as an interactive place for all. It should be used for a positive purpose," the DGP said. When asked about the preparedness of the police force, Saikia said the Assam Police is fully prepared and alert to maintain peace and order in the society at any cost after the final NRC draft is out. "Considering vulnerability of different areas, we have prepared a sectoral plan to maintain law and order in the state. We have asked all the SPs to prepare their own plan to avoid any situation. To maintain peace, senior officers have been placed on different jobs," he added. Saikia said additional forces from the Centre have started reaching the state and they have taken positions, while the entire strength is expected to reach within next 1-2 days. "We are not expecting any untoward situation post- 30 July. No person with a vested interest will be allowed to play his game. If anyone tries to create any problem or takes the law into their own hand, he will be dealt with iron hand," the DGP asserted. According to officials, the Centre has sent over 22,000 central paramilitary troops, comprising 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), in order to beef up security in Assam and adjoining states. The largest contingent among the forces is from the CRPF (53 companies), followed by Sashastra Seema Bal (41), BSF (40), ITBP (27), CISF (20) and Railway Protection Force (5). A total of 34 companies of the special auxiliary police are also being sent, officials said. One company of paramilitary force comprises 100 personnel. The NRC is being updated with 24 March, 1971 as the cut-off date for a legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of 31 December and 1 this year, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total application of 3.29 crore people in Assam. Organisations like Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti and Uttara Karnataka Vikasa Vedike has also accused the state government of ignoring the region's interests. ' Bengaluru: In an embarrassment to the BJP in Karnataka, its party Molkalmoru MLA B Sriramulu on Friday batted for separate statehood for North Karnataka, alleging injustice to the region. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had earlier flayed those demanding separate statehood, saying such a demand will not lead to any solution. Party MP Shobha Karandlaje too dismissed the demand for separate statehood. Sriramulu said he would support the bandh call given by some organisations on 2 August demanding separate statehood for the region. Some leaders, including Congress leader H K Patil, from the region, have accused the state government of having done injustice to North Karnataka in its state budget. Organisations like Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti and Uttara Karnataka Vikasa Vedike has also accused the state government of ignoring the region's interests. "We will not keep quiet if injustice is meted out to North Karnataka. We the MLAs from North Karnataka are holding discussions. Just wait and watch, what we will do next. Like separate Telangana, this (movement) will also become a big 'revolution'. The coalition government has ignored North Karnataka. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is practising the politics of partiality," Sriramulu said. Sriramulu said Kumaraswamy should not forget that he was the chief minister of the state and not a few regions. "Kumaraswamy is behaving as if he is the chief minister of a couple of districts. He is ignoring the people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region," the BJP MLA said. Speaking to reporters at Mysuru, Karandlaje said the demand for statehood was not appropriate and she would not agree to it. Washington: A Chinese cyberespionage group called APT10 relentlessly attacks US engineering, telecom and aerospace industries. Russian hackers last year compromised dozens of US energy companies. Iranian hackers known as "Rocket Kitten" repeatedly target American defense companies in hopes of stealing information to boost Tehran's missile and space programs. While Moscow's efforts to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election are widely known, spy services from China, Russia and Iran, along with their proxy hackers, also are hard at work trying to steal trade secrets and proprietary information from the United States, according to a government report released on Friday. A classified version of the report was sent to Congress. "Foreign economic and industrial espionage against the United States continues to represent a significant threat to America's prosperity, security and competitive advantage," the National Counterintelligence and Security Center said. "China, Russia and Iran stand out as three of the most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage and the potential theft of US trade secrets and proprietary information." Cyberespionage is a relatively low-cost, high-yield way to access and acquire information from US research institutions, universities and corporations, the report said. More vulnerabilities will emerge with the increase in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the proliferation of vehicles, home appliances, medical devices and other items connected to the internet. Cyberoperations are the preferred method for conducting economic espionage, the report said, but US adversaries also acquire sensitive information by hiring sophisticated hackers, recruiting spies or gleaning material from foreign students studying at American universities. Adversaries also are infiltrating computer networks of suppliers that serve large companies and then using that connection to worm their way up the chain into large corporate computer systems. Bill Evanina, the nation's top counterintelligence official and director of the centre, told reporters at a briefing that business leaders need to investigate the security of computer systems used by companies that supply their air conditioning and heating, printers and copiers and the like. "Our economic security is our national security," Evanina said "We cannot just get numb to our adversaries stealing our intellectual property." The report listed two dozen technologies that have piqued the interest of foreign intelligence collectors. They include oil, gas and coal-bed methane gas energies; smart grids; solar and wind technologies; biopharmaceuticals and new vaccines and drugs; defensive marine systems and radar; hybrid and electric cars; pollution control; high-end computer numerically controlled machines, which are used to control factory tools and machines in manufacturing; space infrastructure and exploration technology; synthetic rubber; rare earth materials; quantum computing; and next generation broadband wireless communications networks. Michael Moss, deputy director of the government's Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, said incidents of economic espionage are growing rapidly. "The thing that continues to surprise me is how fast it continues to accelerate. It's getting faster and faster," he said. China uses joint ventures to try to acquire technical know-how, the report said. It said Beijing seeks partnerships with US government labs to learn about specific technology and information about running such facilities and uses front companies to hide the hand of the Chinese government and acquire technology under US export controls. The Trump administration has railed against China, imposed new tariffs and called for Beijing to end the theft of intellectual property from U.S. companies. The administration also wants China to curb policies that require American and other foreign businesses to hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese market. "If this threat is not addressed, it could erode America's long-term competitive economic advantage," the report said. Economic espionage conducted by hackers linked to Russia is mostly aimed at finding ways to inflict damage on the United States, disrupt services or benefit its economic interests, according to the report. "In support of that goal, Russian intelligence services have conducted sophisticated and large-scale hacking operations to collect sensitive US business and technology information," the report said. It also said that Russian "military modernisation efforts also likely will be a motivating factor for Russia to steal US intellectual property." Iranian's operations have typically targeted adversaries in the Middle East, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. But it also tries to infiltrate US networks to acquire technologies to bolster economic growth, modernize its military and increase exports. "The loss of sensitive information and technologies not only presents a significant threat to US national security," the report said. "It also enables Tehran to develop advanced technologies to boost domestic economic growth, modernize its military forces and increase its foreign sales." Congress leader Randeep S Surjewala told reporters that shocking revelations have brought out lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the award of Rs 30,000 crore 'defence offset contract' to Reliance Defence as part of this deal. New Delhi: Calling the multi-crore Rafale jet deal "the biggest example of crony capitalism", the Congress on Friday alleged the Modi government has "compromised national interest" by helping a private entity to the tune of crores of rupees in violation of rules. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must give answers to the nation on the deal and his party wants him to speak on this issue in Parliament during the current monsoon session. He alleged that the Modi government is "deceiving" the country by not giving answers about award of contract to a private player in this "mother of all defence deals". The government has been rejecting all allegations about the Rafale deal. The Congress leader told reporters that shocking revelations have brought out lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the award of Rs 30,000 crore 'defence offset contract' to Reliance Defence as part of this deal. "The culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of the Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of the Rs 60,145 crore Rafale deal," he said. "The art of deceiving India is the Modi government's mantra in this mother of all defence deals. Intrigue, conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the government," Surjewala said. "Rs 1,30,000 crore lies is being peddled by Modi government. Reliance Defence has claimed to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation (maker of Rafale jets) for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent 'lifecycle cost contract' of Rs 1 lakh crore," he said. The Congres leader said even Dassault Aviation in its annual report for 2016-17 has claimed that offset contract is being executed by Reliance, while the defence minister has claimed that the offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation. "The simple question is, who is lying? Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or Reliance/Dassault Aviation?," he asked. Citing rules, Surjewala said all offset proposals need to be approved by the defence minister and be part of approval for the main procurement of defence product and the offset contract is required to be countersigned by the acquisition manager' of the defence ministry. He alleged that the defence offset contract went to a private company with zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircrafts. Besides, Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the prime minister in France on 10 April, 2015 and did not have a licence to manufacture fighter jets, he said. A Reliance firm was given licence to manufacture fighter aircrafts by the defence ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence on 22 February, 2016, Surjewala said, adding that the company was incorporated on April 24, 2015 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. This, he said, was done after suddenly denying the biggest ever defence offset contract to public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which signed Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a Workshare Agreement' on 13 March, 2014 till Modi 'unilaterally' announced an off-the-shelf' purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. Surjewala alleged there was "mal-intent" of the prime minister and complete surrender of the defence minister vis-a-vis the interest of the only Government company having experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Does the prime minister represent the interest of private companies and private industrial houses or is his duty and obligation to protect an existing signed contract between an experienced government company as also the supplier of weapons system?" the Congress leader asked. The Congress leader asked whether Sitharaman was not aware that French defence minister met her and told her that she was going to Mehan where BJP's Maharashtra government gave land to Reliance Defence for a joint venture for offset contract. "It only shows that the national interest was being compromised by the prime minister and the defence minister of India," Surjewala said, while alleging that guidelines on defence contracts have been violated. He also cited a rule that a contract should be audited by the defence ministry. "Why are Modi and Sitharaman lying on the issue? It is time for Modi to answer to the nation," he said. Surjewala cited an earlier press release from Reliance, claiming it quoted 7.87 billion Euros (over Rs 60,000 crore) as the cost of the Rafale deal after India and France signed a purchase agreement for supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2016. "The contract includes a 50 percent offset obligation to the tune of approximately Rs 30,000 crore, which is the largest ever offset contract in the history of India. DRAL (Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited) will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations," he quoted Reliance as having said in the release. Delhi Police Special Cell filed a charge sheet in the case of the two Kashmiris who were arrested for allegedly hacking 500 Indian websites and posting 'pro-Pakistan' slogans. Delhi Police Special Cell filed a chargesheet in a case where two Kashmiris were arrested for allegedly hacking 500 Indian websites and posting "pro-Pakistan" slogans. The two, who claimed to have hacked over 500 Indian websites, have been identified as Shahid Malla (28), and Adil Hussain (20). #BREAKING -- Delhi police special cell files chargesheet against 2 Kashmiris; They were arrested couple of months back for allegedly hacking Indian websites and posting separatist and pro-Pakistan slogans | @mitrasouvik123 with more details pic.twitter.com/iPmctY53Jn News18 (@CNNnews18) July 27, 2018 CNN-News18 reported that the chargesheet mentions that the accused worked with professional Pakistani hackers, and have been charged under the IT Act and waging war against the country. The chargesheet also mentions that a document containing intelligence input from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kashmir was recovered on Malla's and Hussain's laptops. Acting on a specific input, the duo was arrested on the night between 26 and 27 April in raids at two locations in Punjab, according to a report in Outlook. "As per their online activities and initial findings, the two were part of anti-national hacking group called 'Team Hackers Third Eye', and claimed to have hacked more than 500 Indian websites. They were also involved in educating Kashmiri youth to bypass state-imposed social media ban by use of VPN (virtual private network) during April-May 2017," PS Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell). said. The duo was found to be "pro-Kashmiri terrorism and pro-Pakistan" as they had made anti-India and seditious posts, the DCP said. NDTV reported that some laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, Internet dongles, memory devices and other instruments were recovered from their rooms. A preliminary magisterial probe report sought 'deeper investigation' into the conduct of the father of three girls, who allegedly died due to starvation in east Delhi, and said he had given them some 'unknown medicine'. New Delhi: A preliminary magisterial probe report sought "deeper investigation" into the conduct of the father of three girls, who allegedly died due to starvation in east Delhi, and said he had given them some "unknown medicine". He has been untraceable since Tuesday when the sisters were found dead. According to the report which was submitted to the government on Friday, it is pertinent to mention an amount of Rs 1,805 was also available in the bank account of the eldest deceased child. It also said that the girls were suffering from loose motion and vomiting which may have been due to some kind of stomach infection, but they were not provided adequate oral rehydration solution (ORS) and proper medication that might have caused dehydration. It said that the father, Mangal Singh, gave some "unknown medicine" to his daughters by "mixing it in hot water" during the night of 23 July and he has not returned since the morning of 24 July. The conduct of the man "raises an element of doubt in the matter and requires further investigation", it said. The report said that the "nutritional condition of the deceased children was not quite well" although they were getting "some food items regularly". "The DCP (East) may be directed to conduct proper and deeper investigation," it said. The sisters were declared brought dead at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital on 24 July. The initial autopsy reports suggested that they died due to starvation. A medical board at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital had conducted a second autopsy at the request of the police which corroborated the first post-mortem report. The viscera reports from the GTB Hospital were also awaited. The police said their teams were visiting places outside Delhi, including Noida, where the father of the girls had worked earlier. The police had recovered some bottles of medicines from the place they were putting up. Forest produce and timber are another major sources of income for the Maoists in Bastar. Editor's Note: In April this year, Union Home Ministry removed 44 districts from the list of those affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), indicating a shrinking of the area of Maoist influence in the country. This is the result of a multi-pronged strategy that includes an offensive security and sustained development to wean away the locals from Maoist ideology. However, this is not the end of Maoist supremacy in the Red Corridor. The danger is very much lurking in the jungles, beaten, bruised and ready for retaliation. The bigger challenge for the administration is to enter the Maoist stronghold and carry out development right under the nose of the extremists. So, what exactly is the situation on the ground? Debobrat Ghose of Firstpost takes a trip through the Dandakaranya forests in the Maoist-hotbed of Bastar division of Chhattisgarh one of the most badly affected regions by LWE and site of some of the deadliest attacks on the state by Maoists to see the changes that have reached some villages, how willing are the villagers in embracing those changes, the immense risk state administration and security forces personnel undertake daily to effect those changes, all in the shadow of the Maoists who are far from finished. Hitting the nail on its head, Union home minister Rajnath Singh had said in a meeting in May last year that choking the financial resources was the most basic mantra in the fight against Maoists. The meeting was held in New Delhi two weeks after an ambush in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, in which 25 paramilitary personnel were killed. An ambush of that scale could not have been the handiwork of amateurs. It must have required proper planning that had the precision of a military strategy, supported by adequate funds to execute plans of such a scale. So, who is funding the Maoists or what keeps their economy going? This question has been bothering both the government and security agencies operating in Naxal-infested regions in the country for quite some time. With the announcement of demonetisation on 8 November 2016, it was anticipated that the move would break the spine of the Maoist economy, but not much could be achieved. To tackle the problem head-on and to choke funding sources of Naxals, the Centre has set up a multi-disciplinary action group comprising officers from various central agencies and police departments of Naxal-affected states. Headed by an additional secretary of the home ministry, the group has representatives from Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation and Central Board of Direct Taxes. In addition, CID and state intelligence departments are also members of the group. Special Intelligence Branch is closely monitoring the activities and funding sources of the Maoists in the state and is in touch with the Centre. Weve seized bank accounts of suspected Naxals. In Jharkhand, weve seen cases where Maoist leaders siphoned off money for their personal use. Their families are leading a very comfortable life in big cities and children are studying in reputed colleges either in India or abroad, DM Awasthi, chief, anti-Naxal operations, Chhattisgarh Police told Firstpost. Awasthi was referring to a few Maoist leaders of Jharkhand-Bihar special area committee of the CPI (Maoist) like Pradyuman Sharma, Sandeep Yadav and Arvind Yadav. While Sharma had paid Rs 22 lakh donation to get admission for his niece in a private medical college, Arvind paid Rs 12 lakh for his brothers admission in a private engineering college. The ED had registered cases against these individuals under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, attached properties worth Rs 1.5 crore and 32 acres land, seized Rs 2.45 crore in cash, including Rs 1 crore during demonetisation. Extortion from tendu leaf business to road construction is a major source of funds for the Maoists. Ideology has long been lost and this has become a business for them. The estimated size of the Maoist economy is Rs 200-300 crore in Bastar, said Awasthi. Fund generating sources A surrendered Maoist, interviewed by Firstpost, revealed that besides taking money from villagers, labourers and tendu leaf pluckers as a levy often known as protection money, a significant chunk of funds comes from extortion from road and mining contractors, stone quarry operators, transporters and industries operating in Naxal-affected districts. Development and extortion form a vicious cycle. As the government has been aggressively building roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and Road Requirement Plan (RRP) in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, it has become a big source of income for the Maoist cadres. The roads under the RRP connect heavily affected areas like Dantewada to Sukma or Bastar to Narayanpur, etc. The frontal organisations of Maoists extort a huge sum of money from contractors, sub-contractors and labourers both as a levy and protection fee. Usually, the armed cadre Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army stay away from interacting directly with the contractors on this matter. The members of CPI (Maoist) and its frontal bodies visit villages under their control and take Rs 100 from every person annually. Besides this, they take Rs 100 each from tendu leaf pluckers, labourers and also from road construction labourers and workers who join as new entrants. But the major source of funding is in the form of extortion from contractors and transporters working in road construction and mining sector, stone quarry operators and industries. Now it has become a business for the Maoist party, the surrendered Maoist told Firstpost in an exclusive interview. The whole cycle is self-defeating in a way, as explained by a local journalist who wished to remain anonymous. Contractors quote a higher sum to the government to build roads in this region because of the protection money they have to give to the Maoists and the inherent risks involved. So, in a way, a part of the Maoist funding is coming via the government inadvertently. Maoists also know that in road construction work, government officials also take commissions from contractors to release payments. Recently, the contractors went on a strike demanding the release of their payments. In such situations, the Maoists dont lose an opportunity to make money out of road construction by using threats and blowing up roads. Its a vicious cycle, the journalist said. Forest produce and timber are other major sources of income for the Maoists in Bastar. Instances abound of Maoists deciding on who should be awarded the contract for tendu leaf collection and forest produce. It is estimated that the Maoists might be extorting anywhere between Rs 140 crore to Rs 160 crore annually from a variety of sources. These sources include government works and schemes, industry and businesses, social institutions, infrastructure, people, membership fees, supporters and sympathisers, revolutionary taxes in cash and kind, etc., PV Ramana, a research fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, mentioned in one of his papers. Impact of note ban According to the figures provided by the Chhattisgarh Police, after the announcement of demonetisation, a total of Rs 1.60 crore worth of banned currency notes (of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination) were recovered from the seven Naxal-infested districts of Bastar division. But while the common villagers had faced the heat of note ban, the demonetisation move didnt have much effect on Naxals. The Maoists got their banned currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 exchanged through contractors during the note ban, said Awasthi. Given the estimated size of the Maoist economy in Bastar, the recovery of illegal cash was comparatively small. We expected to seize a bigger amount during the note ban period, but the Naxals got banned notes exchanged. Theres a nexus between the Maoists and some contractors and traders. This helps the ultras to channelise their funds, a Chhattisgarh government source said on condition of anonymity. However, the Inspector General of Police (Bastar range), Vivekananda said that demonetisation had definitely caused a dent in the way Naxals spend money. We monitored the rural banks and seized large sums of money. We recovered unused cash in the form of banned notes from hideouts. Besides contractors, the Maoists also used villagers to get their banned notes exchanged, the IG said. Arms and ammunition The intelligence sources said that besides regular expenditures on maintaining the cadre and armed battalion, running a parallel government (Janatana Sarkar) and on propaganda, a major portion of the fund is used in procuring arms, ammunition and explosives, and on developing improvised weapons. A small portion goes in the development of the area under their jurisdiction to keep the villagers glued to their ideology. Besides a wooden printing press, the Maoists also have engineering units inside jungles in their 'liberated zones', where they manufacture improvised weapons and explosive devices. They have engineers and technicians in their committee, an intelligence agency official said. According to Chhattisgarh Police sources, the Maoists in Dandakaranya possess a large inventory of explosives, most of which have either been looted or procured from mines through contractors by using threats. Same is with the case of sophisticated weapons, which the Naxals loot after killing or injuring security personnel. The Maoist ambush at Burkapal in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh in April 2017 is a case in point. It not only ended 25 lives but had also strengthened the Maoist cadre further, as they enriched their armoury by looting sophisticated weapons, ammunition and gadgets from the 74 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). According to sources in the CRPF and Chhattisgarh Police, the Maoists operating in Bastar now have 15 to 16 Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL) in their possession, which have given more teeth to the armed cadre of the Left ultras and made them deadlier. According to sources, the arms and ammunition possessed by the PLGA in Bastar are SLR, INSAS assault rifle, INSAS light machine gun, AK-47, German made pistols, hand grenades, rocket launcher, UBGL, improvised weapons, and explosive-tipped arrows. The IEDs are made by using mining explosives like ammonium nitrate, gelatine sticks, detonators, etc. Police sources confirmed that the Maoist cadres also have bullet-proof jackets, binoculars, wireless sets, etc. in their possession, most of which are looted. The Rambo-styled explosive-tipped arrows are a unique improvised weapon being used by Naxals in Bastar region to target security forces. Though Maoists have been using these arrows for quite some time, they came to the limelight during the Maoist attack at Kottacheru in Sukma district in which 12 CRPF jawans got killed on 11 March 2017. Besides looting, the Maoists also procure weapons from the grey market. According to intelligence agencies, central paramilitary forces and state police sources, the Maoists also procure arms from North East-based insurgency groups. Police sources claimed that a clampdown on the funding sources of Naxals in various ways has dented their economy, unlike in the past when procuring weapons had been easier for them. Various documents including the exchange of letters between the members of the cadre or a note from a Maoist leader to squad members, seized by the police during operations from the camps or from the Naxals killed during an encounter, revealed a crisis of funds within the organisation. In one of the letters accessed by Firstpost, a member of the armed cadre wrote, Due to strong action by the enemy (police) against us, theres a severe cash crunch. Survival and continuing with our Nav Janvadi Kranti (neo-peoples revolution) have become difficult at present. For the time being, we all have to survive on meagre resources available with us, till things improve. However the quantum of impact due to demonetisation and governments measures to choke the flow of funds to Maoists is yet to be known, as peeping into the dark world of Naxals inside deep jungles of Dandakaranya in Bastar is not an easy task for the establishment. Next up: To know more about the functioning of the ultras and the extent of Maoist menace in the state and about anti-Naxal measures undertaken by Chhattisgarh Police, I decided to meet the chief of anti-Naxal operations (Chhattisgarh Police) DM Awasthi. Also Read Narendra Modi govts Bastar 'development offensive' showing results, tribals getting first taste of freedom Bastar development offensive: Once a Maoist den cut off from mainstream, Palnar village is now a digital hub Bastar development offensive: Geedam lives on to tell another tale, this time of an education city and not of Maoist violence Bastar development offensive: Healthcare, education thrive as tech-savvy Dantewada collector seeks to counter Maoist doctrine Bastar development offensive: Maoist ideology of bringing change through revolution a lie, says former cadre Bastar development offensive: How LTTE trained Maoists and transformed tribal youth into an armed guerrilla force Bastar development offensive: Once a Maoist territory, Chitaloor village leads war on pollution, uses solar power for irrigation Bastar proves a treacherous mesh of explosives for security forces to navigate; road-construction biggest challenge CRPF's Bastariya Battalion provides edge to operations against Maoists; knowledge of terrain, language helps forces Three months ago, the government created a monopoly of the drug oxytocin that prevents women from bleeding to death during labour. By Aashika Ravi Three months ago, the government created a monopoly of a drug that prevents women from bleeding to death during labour. It did this in an alarming response to a passing suggestion from a Himachal Pradesh court's ruling in the case of malpractice in the dairy industry. Sounds random? It is, and unfortunately, likely to contribute to the deaths of lakhs of women. First, some good news. In early June, data released by the Registrar General of India suggested a significant decline in the countrys Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR). From 167 (per 100,000 live births) in 2011-2013, it had dropped to 130 in 2014-16. Since 1990, the MMR has dropped by over 69 percent, in part due to interventions by the health ministry like the National Rural Health Mission in 2005, and the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) approach which addresses major causes of mortality among women and children. But in April this year, the government seems to have thrown a wrench in the work in progress that is our healthcare system by banning the import and commercial production and sale of the life-saving drug oxytocin. A judgment by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in March 2016 observed that oxytocin was being misused in the dairy industry, and that feasibility of restricting the manufacture of the drug should be considered. This was then taken up suo moto by the government, which introduced a ban from 1 July 2018, which has since been deferred to 1 September without citing any reason. As per regulations, the only company authorised to manufacture and sell the drug is a PSU, the Karnataka Antibiotic Private Ltd (KAPL), which has started production for the first time on 2 July. To understand the various repercussions of a move like this on maternal healthcare, we need to know why doctors need oxytocin. Dr Mira Shiva, co-ordinator of the Initiative for Health and Equity in Society and one of the founders of the All India Drug Action Network, explains three main uses. The first use is the induction of labour for women who are overdue. The second use is what they call the active management of third stage of labour, which is recommended routinely to prevent bleeding, and this is a protocol. And what we have been taught, is that little bit of bleeding takes place, normally. But if there is more, then it (oxytocin) is used for the management of PPH. Post-Partum Haemorrhaging (PPH) is medically defined as the loss of more than 500 ml or 1,000 ml of blood within the first 24 hours following childbirth. As suggested in the study, Postpartum Hemorrhage; a Major Killer of Woman: Review of Current Scenario by Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Naina Kumar, latest figures dating to reports in 2006 report Post-Partum Haemorrhaging as the contributory cause of 19.9 percent of maternal mortality in India. The National Health Portal also reported that of the five most common direct causes of pregnancy-related mortality in the world, haemorrhaging accounted for a whopping 35 percent. Shiva contextualises these statistics. Most women in rural areas are anaemic or malnourished, so they need to lose much less blood to die. (At another point in the conversation, she also talked about some of the myths that contribute to poor blood donations. Culturally, the thing in the head of the men is that 100 drops of semen is equal to 1 drop of blood. So they think they'll become impotent. So you have these hatta-katta six footers and they are not willing to donate.) Owing to its use in prevention and management of PPH, the indispensable nature of the drug has been recognised formally too. Oxytocin, Shiva says, is included in the National List of Essential Medicines 2015, a list of medicines prepared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that are considered essential in India. Dr Subha Sri of the Coalition for Maternal-Neonatal Health and Safe Abortion or CommonHealth says quite simply, I cant imagine running a labour room without oxytocin. The KAPL, on its part, is confident of meeting the requirements of oxytocin across the country, which it estimates to be 25 lakh ampoules a month. However, the medical community is unconvinced for many reasons. Primary among them is the question of accessibility. From Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh to the North-East, access to medicine is a problem. When someone is about to deliver, a prescription is written and a relative goes to the chemist shop and gets the medicine. So they rely on that. Now theyre saying that the maternity homes and the clinics will have to write to KAPL in Karnataka and place an order, says Dr Shiva. Dr Rakhal Gaitonde, community health researcher activist, also asks some important questions of the KAPL. Do they have the logistical capacity? Will a hospital, in say some small little village in Jharkhand, be able to access the required amount of oxytocin at the price that they were getting it at earlier? Without these questions being squarely engaged with, merely rushing through a ban on oxytocin is extremely problematic. The logistics of distribution is further in jeopardy because of the monsoons. The monsoons have come. For smaller hospitals and maternity homes, nobody is going to bother to ensure the delivery of oxytocin. Dr Shiva points out. For hospitals or healthcare facilities that are easily accessible, estimation of their requirements is another struggle. Is there a foolproof mechanism of estimating how much oxytocin one needs? If we have X number of deliveries and we need 2 ampoules per delivery, 2X is the amount of oxytocin we require. But in case of emergency, it can be 5 times more. Pre-delivery you need some more. There is no robust estimate of all of this. How are we going to make a proper estimate, and get it to all of the people who need it? asks Dr Gaitonde. What about the price of the drug? The Times of India reported that KAPL will be selling it at Rs 15.58 plus 12% GST, which is Rs 17.78 per vial, more than three times the cost of the generic versions. The Hindu adds to the grim picture. According to the KAPL, the new price of Oxytocin will be Rs 17.78/vial, which is unacceptably high and could seriously upset the budgets of small hospitals. Also, KAPL says that the minimum order quantity should be 1,000 ampoules, which might be difficult for small nursing homes, gynaecologists who spoke to The Hindu said. When it comes to alternatives, there are few real substitutes. One of them is Misoprostol, which according to Dr Shiva, can be used for PPH but is not available in the periphery and is costlier than oxytocin. Another drug called carbetocin is being endorsed as an alternative for oxytocin, but it is still not proven to be as effective for severe bleeding and might even be costlier, according to this Tech2 article. The healthcare community is equally concerned about the manner in which the government has gone about this ban. It has resulted in a lack of proper awareness in all tiers of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries and opens up avenues for hoarding and other means of misuse. When asked about how CommonHealth was responding to the ban, Dr Subha Sri said, There is lots of concern around the issue from different groups both from people working on an activist front on maternal health, and from professional associations like Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies (FOGSI). Several letters have been sent to the Ministry of Health and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to reconsider this. We have put out statements and talked to professional journals. And our local media has covered it quite widely but in spite of all of that, it seems that the order on restriction of manufacture and sale is going to be enforced from September 1st as planned. The Ministry of Health is making a lot of efforts to try and see what best they can do out of the situation by co-ordinating with KAPL to link them up and set up distribution points, etc. Activists are also worried because the order (which is widely rumoured and has recently been reported by The Wire to have come from the PMO) and the intervention would have to be at that level. As of 24 July 2018, US generic drugs major Mylan has approached the Delhi High Court to challenge the ban, according to BusinessLine. It's not clear if the government's hasty and hare-brained decision is due to a complete lack of effort in understanding the crucial role played by oxytocin in saving women's lives or if they simply revere cattle more. Unfortunately, we live in a country at a time when the latter is entirely plausible. The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between. Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said despite the country having high GDP growth and being among the top economic powers, it is 'way behind' in the overall happiness ranking. Kolkata: Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said despite the country having high GDP growth and being among the top economic powers, it is "way behind" in the overall happiness ranking. India occupies the 133rd place (according to a world survey) in overall happiness ranking in 2018, Mukherjee said. He said this was so in spite of the impressive GDP numbers, high average life expectancy, which went up from 31.4 years (in four years after Independence) to 68 years at present, and a quantum jump in food grain production since 1947. "This indicates the lack of a holistic approach towards development. The quest for happiness is closely tied with the quest for sustainable development a culmination for humanitys well-being, social inclusion and environmental sustainability," Mukherjee said at an Indian Chamber of Commerce event. He said there should be focus on social welfare and mental well-being of people, along with thrust on economic development. The former president also said economic activity should not be limited to profit-making alone, but "one has to consider about the planet and people for laying a strong foundation of industrial development and growth". MK Stalin, DMK's working president said that his father and DMK president Karunanidhi's health was improving fast and that he will recover in two days DMK president M Karunanidhi's health is improving, his son and DMK's working president, MK Stalin, said on Friday in a press conference in Chennai. Karunanidhis fever has decreased considerably well. His health condition is improving fast he told reporters from Dhinathandhi, a Tamil daily. According to News18, he is expected to recover in one or two days. The report also said that Kauvery Hospital is yet to give an official medical statement regarding the health of the DMK patriarch. Karunanidhi was reportedly treated at his residence in Chennai on Wednesday after he caught fever due to urinary infection. Later, Kauvery Hospital released a statement saying that there was a slight decline in his health. However, Stalin had slammed all rumours regarding Karunanidhis health on Thursday. According to Zee News, Stalin had said that his father had a mild fever and nothing more. "Don't believe them. These are rumours, he had told reporters outside his residence in Gopalapuram, Chennai, on Thursday. Many politicians have been visiting 94-year-old Karunanidhi since Thursday to wish him well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted saying that he spoke to Stalin and Karunanidhis daughter Kanimozhi and enquired about his health. Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wished Karunanidhi a quick recovery in a tweet. Tamil Nadus deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan also visited the DMK chief. National Commission for Womens recommendation for abolition of the practice of confession in Christian church in the country has stirred a hornets nest in Kerala, where Christians constitute about 18 percent of the states 33.1-million population. National Commission for Womens recommendation for abolition of the practice of confession in Christian churches in the country has stirred a hornets nest in Kerala, where Christians constitute about 18 percent of the states 33.1-million population. The recommendation has been made in a report submitted to the Union Home Ministry on the basis of the investigation conducted by the commission in two sex scandals one involving four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the second the Roman Catholic Bishop of Jalandhar Diocese. The NCW move was prompted by the revelation by the Orthodox sex scandal victim that three of the four priests involved in the case had blackmailed and sexually abused her by using her confessional secret regarding a pre-marital relationship she had with the fourth priest. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma, who personally listened to the complaints of woman hailing from Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district, said that the recommendation was given as priests were found using the confession secret not only to sexually exploit women but also to blackmail men for money. Priests pressure women into telling their secrets. We have one such case in front of us. There must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg. Many women are suffering. Women cannot share their private life with priests, Sharma was quoted by The Indian Express as saying. The NCW demand has evoked mixed reactions in the state. While the church has termed it as an attack on the religious freedom and secular fabric in the country, the reformists have viewed it as a reflection of the need for reforms in the church. The recommendation drew angry reactions from the church officials and leaders of various Christian organisations across the state. While the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) took to streets in several parts of the state to register their protests, bishops and priests lambasted the womens panel chief. Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), the apex body of bishops representing the three Catholic rites, viewed it as part of a political agenda aimed at creating religious animosity and spreading tension and violence in the society. KCBC spokesperson Father Varghese Vallikkat saw the recommendation based on one isolated case as irresponsible and prompted by ulterior motives. He said that the commission had not bothered to consider the theological, religious and psychological reasons for the sacrament, consult responsible persons or hear church authorities before deciding on a matter that it had no jurisdiction. Confession for Christian churches is a holy sacrament. It is the path for spiritual growth and eternal salvation. Confession has been in vogue in Christian Churches for centuries, the priest said. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Major Archbishop and former president of Catholic Bishops Council of India (CBCI) Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, described the womens panels recommendation as "a direct encroachment into the freedom of a believer." "Article 25 of the Constitution provides rights to profess, practice and propagate religion. So, by proposing this abolition of confession, the NCW is encroaching on that freedom. I doubt if the Commission has such powers, the prelate told the Indian Express. Baselios said he was extremely anxious to know how the Central government would respond to the NCW recommendation. Church activists do not blame the NCW for the recommendation. Advocate Indulekha Joseph, vice-chairperson of the Church Action Council, said that the situation for the NCW intervention in the issue was created by the church. She said that it was the result of the rampant misuse of the sacrament by the priests. When we pointed out the use of confession secret as a tool by section of the priests to sexually exploit women, Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal George Alencherry tried to find fault with the women. He told us that only women who try to seduce the priests during confession were involved in the exploitation, she said. The Church Action Council has been demanding permission to nuns to administer the sacrament to women and children. The organization had last week organised a dharna before the state secretariat at Thiruvananthapuram to press the demand. Joseph said that the misuse of confession secret by the priests could be checked to a great extend if nuns were permitted to perform it. She said that the Cardinal had not even responded to the representation they submitted to him in this regard. We have been demanding this for a long time now. We had launched a campaign to press the demand in the wake of the Malankara sex scandal. If church authorities had risen to the occasion, the NCW would not have called for abolition of confession, said Joseph. The Church Action Council which stand for reforms in the church had also suggested a return to the ancient method of Pizhamoolal, in which believers seek forgiveness by recounting their sins in their minds in the presence of a priest instead of making vocal confession to the priests. There is no need for the church to be sensitive about confession since Jesus had not given powers to his Apostles to pardon sins. The Bible asks the people only to repent. The custom was introduced in 13th century to hold the faithful together by enslaving their minds with fear, she said. The Open Church Movement, which has been demanding abolition of the confession system, has welcomed the NCW recommendation. Reji Njallani of the movement said that the misuse of the confession secret by the Orthodox priest was not an isolated incident. "Priests in all denominations have been using the confessional secret to sexually exploit women and children. There have been several such incidents. The victims have not been reporting them due to fear of the consequences they have to suffer for antagonising the church," Reji said. The case of the rape of a minor girl in Kannur district by a Catholic priest last year is a glaring example. The 16-year-old girl, who was raped by the priest and later got pregnant, blamed her father for her pregnancy to save the priest. The victims normally do not speak against the priests as they have conditioned their minds through confession. "The government should accept the NCW recommendation and immediately abolish the confession to save the women and children from exploitation. If the Constitution does not permit such intervention, it should be amended," said Reji. Five MLAs have resigned from the Maharashtra Assembly in solidarity with the Maratha quota protests. Two of them are from NCP, one is from BJP and one from Shiv Sena Mumbai/Nashik: Five MLAs have so far resigned over the Maratha quota demand. Bharat Bhalke (Congress), Rahul Aher (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Dattatraya Bharne (Nationalist Congress Party) resigned as legislators on Thhursday, Maharashtra Assembly sources said. Bhalke, who represents Pandharpur in Solapur district, said he was resigning to express solidarity with quota protests. Talking to PTI, Bhalke said he had visited the family of Maratha activist Kakasaheb Shinde, who committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari in Aurangabad district on 23 July. "The sentiments of the Maratha youth are intense. There is lot of unrest over the lack of (job) opportunities. Promises made to them have not been fulfilled. I have decided to resign to express my solidarity with the Maratha quota protesters as well as in support of the demand for quota by the Dhangars and other deprived communities," Bhalke said. "I am quitting membership of the assembly to highlight the unrest among the Marathas, Dhangars, Muslims and Mahadeo Koli communities," he added. Bhalke said the Maharashtra government has stayed the previous Congress government's decision to allot quota for Muslims even though the (Bombay) high court had not passed any adverse comment on the Muslim reservation. The high court in 2014 stayed implementation of the Congress-NCP government's decision to provide reservation to Marathas. It also stayed the decision to provide five percent reservation to the Muslims in government service, but allowed quotas for them in educational institutions. Aher, who represents Chandwad in Nashik district, announced in Nashik city that he was resigning as MLA. He handed over his resignation letter to Maratha Kranti Morcha activists who were fasting in protest outside the district collector's office this afternoon. "Please treat this letter as my resignation. Whenever required, the Maratha community members could hand it over to Assembly Speaker," he stated. On Wednesday, Harshvardhan Jadhav (Shiv Sena) and Bhausaheb Patil Chikatgaonkar (NCP) from Aurangabad district had offered to resign in support of the quota demand. Jadhav, who represents Kannad assembly constituency, submitted his resignation letter to the office of the Assembly Speaker this morning. Chikatgaonkar (Vaijapur constituency) said he had e-mailed his resignation to the Speaker. Later on Thursday, Dattatraya Bharne, the NCP legislator from Indapur, also sent his resignation to the Speaker as well as to party leader Ajit Pawar. "Despite oral as well as written promises by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, no concrete decision on the reservation was taken to date which is a serious matter," Bharne said. A Vidhan Bhavan official said an MLA who wished to resign was not required to specify the reason, but some of the MLAs who have quit have stated the reason that they were quitting in support of the agitation. The resignation letter, which should be in a prescribed format, needs to be addressed to the Speaker, the official said. The agitation of the Maratha community for reservation in jobs and education turned violenton Wednesday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the government was ready for talks with the agitators. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked called for a meeting with all political party leaders in Mumbai to discuss the Maratha quota issue Mumbai: Amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation that sparked violence in parts of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to convene a meeting of leaders of all parties in Mumbai on Saturday to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister at his cabinet colleague Vinod Tawde's residence on Thursday night which was attended by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh, the party's state unit chief Raosaheb Danve, among others. The meeting started around 11 pm and continued for about three hours. "Invitation for tomorrow's meeting, to be held at Vidhan Bhavan, will be sent across today. We will try and come up with a solution to the issue of Maratha reservation," Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said. Danve said the BJP government in the state was committed to providing reservation to the Maratha community and hence has passed an ordinance to the effect. "However, the court had put a stay on the government's decision. We will submit the report of the state Backward Classes Commission to the court and request it to decide on the issue soon," he said. Slamming the Opposition, the state BJP chief claimed that the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) "dilly-dallied" over the issue for years, but the present government has taken steps to provide reservation to the Marathas. According to a source in the government, "To ensure that its decision (to give 16 percent reservation to the Marathas) stands scrutiny in the court, the government will provide all possible assistance to the Backward Classes Commission to expedite its survey work." The government will provide additional manpower and technical support to the commission so that it can submit its report by the end of August, a month before the scheduled date, the source said. The commission has been tasked with collecting data about the socio-economic condition of the Maratha community. Six MLAs in the state have so far offered to resign over the Maratha reservation issue. After Shiv Sena MLA Harshawardhan Jadhav and NCP legislator Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar offered to quit on Wednesday, four others Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher (both BJP), Bharat Bhalke (Congress) and Ramesh Kadam (NCP) have offered to resign over the issue on Thursday. The Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 percent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 percent reservation. The community had been taking out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation turned violent on Wednesday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh. By the time the Maratha Kranti Morcha called off its Mumbai bandh on Wednesday afternoon, there had already been significant damage to life and property. Mumbai/Pune: By the time the Maratha Kranti Morcha called off its Mumbai bandh on Wednesday afternoon, there had already been significant damage to life and property. Cars and buses were vandalised and set ablaze, highways and trains disrupted, and shops forced to down their shutters. At least four protesters had attempted suicide with two of them dead while one policeman also lost his life. The law and order situation in Maharashtra had remained tense since Monday when a 27-year-old protester, Kakasaheb Dattatreya Shinde, committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari river. The incident led to an escalation of the agitation amid calls for a state-wide bandh. Maratha Kranti Morcha coordination committee member Virendra Pawar said the protests were meant to be peaceful but took a violent turn. We suspect some political conspiracy to tarnish our image. We peacefully held 58 silent morchas without causing any violence, he said, referring to the previous rallies organised by the outfit which were largely peaceful. Bandh takes violent turn Following the Maratha Kranti Morchas call for a bandh in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, the protests spun out of control. Some areas like Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath and Badlapur in Thane district were completely shut down. Though it was supposed to be a peaceful protest, incidents of vandalism and arson were reported from several areas. Groups of Maratha youths took out rallies and forced shops to down their shutters. The protesters staged a rasta roko at Teen Hath Naka in Thane and blocked traffic coming in and out of Mumbai. Traffic was also disrupted on the Sion-Panvel and the Western Express highways. Protesters torched two BEST buses and vandalised nine others while two Thane Municipal Transport buses were damaged. Mobs also damaged private vehicles at many places in Mumbai and adjoining areas and tried to block rail traffic, but swift action by the RPF ensured the smooth movement of trains. Netas assaulted While the demand for reservations in jobs and education for the Maratha community is not new, the current spate of agitations intensified after the death of Kakasaheb Dattatreya Shinde. The Maratha Kranti Morcha had organised a Jalsamadhi Andolan on Monday where hundreds of youths gathered at Kaygaon Toka village in Aurangabad when Kakasaheb leapt to his death from a bridge on the Godavari. The Shinde family refused to accept the body but changed their minds after negotiations with the district administration, in consultation with the chief minister. The government promised an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the family and a government job to the brother of the deceased in a written assurance, after which the family accepted the body. Kakasahebs last rites were held on Tuesday with around 1,200 policemen deployed to prevent any untoward incident. But even this failed to protect Aurangabad Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire from assault by a crowd when he went to attend the last rites of the deceased. Police escorted Khaire to his vehicle and helped him leave the spot. Congress MLC Subhash Zambad was also attacked, while another mob attempted to pelt stones at Shiv Sena district chief Ambadas Danves vehicle. An incident of stone-pelting on the BJP office in Aurangabad was also reported. More suicide attempts Schools and shops remained closed in Aurangabad on Tuesday while mobile internet services remained suspended for 24 hours. Many incidents of protest marches, sit-in protests, stone-pelting and road blockades were reported from the city. Police conducted a lathicharge in the Connaught area to disburse unruly mobs. Rioters set ablaze a fire brigade vehicle at Kaygaon Toka village while protesters also blocked the Aurangabad-Pune road. Police resorted to tear gas and lathicharge to scatter the mob, prompting the mob to pelt stones that injured Constable Ganesh Khandagale. Another police constable, Shyam Patgaonkar, died due to heart attack. Two more incidents of attempted suicide were reported from Aurangabad. Jayendra Dwarkadas Sonawane, 30, jumped off a bridge over the dry Yelganga River in Deogaon Rangari village and was taken into police custody and admitted to Government Medical College and Hospital in Aurangabad. He received serious injuries. Another person, Jagannath Sonawane, 55, died at a hospital early on Wednesday after consuming poison. Aurangabad Police Commissioner Chiranjeev Prasad appealed to people to maintain peace and calm and not get carried away by rumours. He asked people to confirm any suspicious information they received by calling the police helpline. Several incidents of violent protest were also reported from the Marathwada region. Around 500 protesters stopped the Sachkhand Express for about 45 minutes at Parbhani, while a mob pelted stones at a State Transport bus in Nilanga in Latur district. A youth who tried to set himself ablaze by dousing his body with petrol was admitted to hospital with injuries. Complaints against chief minister Devendra Fadnavis have also been lodged at various police stations in the state holding him responsible for the death of Kakasaheb Shinde. Ready to discuss demands Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has alleged that the government has deliberately tried to keep Maratha officers away from the security bandobast. I have reliable information about the incident. This is for the first time in the history of the state that such a humiliating step has been taken The situation in the state is highly volatile and the current government is responsible for it, Vikhe Patil said, demanding the chief ministers resignation. Meanwhile, Fadnavis has said that the government was ready to meet the protesters and discuss their demands. After the peaceful rallies taken out by Sakal Maratha Samaj last year, the government has taken many decisions to meet the demands. The government is ready to discuss the demands even today, Fadnavis said. The state government has attempted to meet the demand of reservation by the Maratha community through a number of steps. Recently, it constituted a Backward Class Commission to resolve the matter after an ordinance it had passed was stayed by the Bombay High Court. The Commission is preparing a constitutional proposal for reservation to the Maratha community, Fadnavis said. Blame game Shantaram Kunjur, city coordinator of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, blamed Fadnavis for turning a peaceful protest into a violent one. The strike was on from July 18 and it was peaceful. But on July 22, the CM said that Marathas are planning to create a law and order problem at Pandharpur during Wari (an annual pilgrimage). Over 10 lakh devotees from all the castes go for Wari. His statement was intended to create panic among other caste devotees against the Marathas, he alleged. Some Maratha leaders have warned that the situation may spiral out of control if the government did not heed their demands. Agitators manhandled Chandrakant Khaier when he went to attend the last rites of Kakasaheb Shinde. Such incidents may occur as youth have lost patience waiting for reservation. Who will be responsible if angry youths go to the house of peoples representatives? Manoj Akhare, state president of the Sambhaji Brigade, one of the Maratha organisations active in the protests, said. On Wednesday, NCP leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule also raised the issue in Parliament. Meanwhile, Maratha Kranti Morcha coordinators have requested the youth refrain from violence. (Authors are Maharashtra-based freelance writers and members of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.) Doctors at the JJ Hospital said Rohan Todkar (25), who sustained multiple injuries to his head, hands and legs, died on Friday after being shifted to the state-run hospital at Byculla on Thursday. Mumbai: A protester, who was injured in violence during the Maratha reservation stir on Wednesday in Navi Mumbai's Kopar Khairane, succumbed to his injuries on Friday, doctors said. With this, the death toll in the violence that erupted across the state earlier this week now stands at three. Doctors at the JJ Hospital said Rohan Todkar (25), who sustained multiple injuries to his head, hands and legs, died on Friday after being shifted to the state-run hospital at Byculla on Thursday. Meanwhile, protests by the community demanding reservation in jobs and education continued in several parts of the state on Friday, officials. Women, armed with rolling pins, held a protest march in Parli town in Beed district demanding the release of demonstrators who were arrested for allegedly indulging in violence during the agitation earlier this week, they said. Similarly, protests were held in Pune, Nanded, Hingoli and Washim districts, where shutdown was observed and roads were blocked. These protests, barring a few aberrations, were largely peaceful, they added. Facing flak from the Maratha community representatives and the Opposition, which accused him of dillydallying on the issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis decided to convene an all-party leaders' meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister late last night and attended by senior BJP ministers, including Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh and the party's state unit chief, Raosaheb Danve. Meanwhile, Patil and some of his colleagues met Maharashtra Backward Class Commission Chairman Justice (retired) MG Gaikwad on Friday evening in connection with a survey that ascertained the backwardness of the Maratha community. The delegation demanded that the report be submitted to the state government at the earliest. The report was to be placed before the Bombay High Court, which was hearing a case in connection with demands for reservation for the community. Former chief minister Narayan Rane, who met Fadnavis and also some protesters few days ago, today said the government was "capable of giving quota". Rane added that he would facilitate a meeting between the chief minister and the community leaders in a day or two. He, however, also advised the protesters "to not stretch things beyond a point" to ensure that the community did not suffer. "I will facilitate communication between the chief minister and the Marathas in a day or two. I will convey the demands of the protesters and if the chief minister is okay with it, I will facilitate the meeting," he told reporters in Mumbai. Rane said he would urge the chief minister to take a stand on the issue that the community could trust. Amid the heightened activities centring around the reservation issue, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray made a strong pitch for reservations based on economic status rather than caste. His comments came a day after a decade-old video showing former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh making similar recommendations went viral on social media. Addressing partymen in Pune, Thackeray said, "I have been saying this for long that economic condition, not caste, should be the only criterion to give reservation. "Because when one community gets reservation, another one comes forward and that leads to conflict and creates hatred between communities...and there is no end to it." So far, six MLAs have announced their resignation, expressing solidarity with the quota protesters. However, only one of them, Shiv Sena's Harshvardhan Jadhav, tendered his resignation personally in the office of Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade. Marathas, a politically dominant community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding a 16-per cent reservation. The community members had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands. The stir, however, turned violent earlier this week with the protesters pelting stones, torching vehicles, blocking roads and stopping train services in several parts of the state. The violence began after a 27-year-old protester from Aurangabad jumped to his death in Godavari river on 23 July. Another demonstrator from the same district had consumed poison and died a day later. A protester, who was injured in the violence during the Maratha quota stir in adjoining Navi Mumbai, has succumbed to his injuries at the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai. Mumbai: A protester, who was injured in the violence during the Maratha quota stir in adjoining Navi Mumbai, has succumbed to his injuries at the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai. Hospital Dean Dr Mukund Tayade told PTI that 25-year-old Rohan Todkar had sustained multiple injuries on his head, hands and legs during the violence at Kopar Khairane on Wednesday. He was shifted to JJ Hospital on Wednesday and was kept in the intensive care unit, but succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, Tayade said. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh called by Maratha organisations to demand quota for the community in government jobs and education. Over 150 vehicles, including 20 belonging to police, were damaged in the violence. Nine persons were injured when police caned protesters and fired pellets and rubber bullets on the violent mob, police had said. Police had fired 40 shotgun rounds, 22 rubber bullets, 42 teargas shells and 11 teargas grenades to disperse the violent mob in Navi Mumbai, an official had said. Internet services were suspended in Navi Mumbai as a precautionary measure on Thursday. Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 percent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 percent reservation. The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation, however, turned violent after a 27-year-old protester jumped to his death in Godavari river near Aurangabad on 23 July. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg after his visits to Rwanda and Uganda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, on Thursday, after his visits to Rwanda and Uganda. He spoke about Indias commitment to development and peace in Africa and the importance of South-South cooperation. "From the past 4 years, my government has given priority to development and peace in Africa. We have given lines of credits worth $11 billion to more than 40 countries and Indian private sector has invested $54 billion in the African countries," said Modi. "I had outlined ten principles for India's ties with Africa during my recent address at the Parliament of Uganda, I welcome various efforts for closer economic integration among the African nations." Speaking about the digital revolution, he said, "The Digital Revolution is bringing new opportunities for us. It is essential to look at artificial intelligence and big data analytics closely and have the digital infrastructure ready." Modi, on Wednesday, was accorded a warm welcome as he arrived in Pretoria on a three-day visit to attend the BRICS Summit. He held "wide-ranging and productive" talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, and emphasized that the friendship between the two countries was deep-rooted. Modi also held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and discussed ways to boost ties, including in areas of energy and agriculture. Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a photograph of Prime Minister Modi and Angolan president Joao Lourenco together at the start of the talks. "Bilateral meetings continue for PM @narendramodi in Johannesburg! With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas. #IndiaatBRICS," Kumar said in the tweet. India and Angola have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties. India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against the Portuguese colonial rule till it attained independence in 1975. In another tweet, the PMO said Modi held a separate bilateral meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. "Accelerating ties with Argentina. During their meeting, President @mauriciomacri and PM @narendramodi talked about strengthening relations especially in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and investment (sic)," the PMO tweeted. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 4o percent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. With inputs from PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi inquired about ailing DMK president M Karunanidhi (94) on Friday, as the latter's health worsened over the course of a day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inquired about ailing DMK president M Karunanidhi (94) on Friday, as the latter's health worsened over the course of a day. Modi tweeted in response to reports of a "slight decline" in the health of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister. He said that he would be available for "any assistance" for Karunanidhi's "quick recovery and good health". Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 The DMK chief is reportedly being treated at his house for fever due to a urinary tract infection, reports said on Wednesday, turning a spotlight on the health of the 'Godfather' of Tamil Nadu politics. Kauvery Hospital released a statement saying there was a slight decline in the DMK patriarch's health, various leaders from state parties visited him at his home, including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and state Cabinet minister D Jayakumar. Security was beefed up around his Gopalapuram residence in Chennai and city was put on high alert. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue 'strategic guidance' to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doka La-like situation in the future. Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India in August as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months on Thursday evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doka La-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said. Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe "plans to pay a friendly official visit to India" at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. Xi once again conveyed to Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism which would be established between the two sides will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Modi raised with Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on 21 and 22 August for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. Xi and Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of 2018. On the second day, Narendra Modi will launch the ground-breaking ceremony of projects in Uttar Pradesh worth Rs 60,000 crore that was pledged by investors during the UP Investors Summit 2018 in February in Lucknow Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Lucknow on 28 and 29 July, with a focus on urban development of the city. Modi will inaugurate and attend ground-breaking ceremony of projects worth Rs 60,000 crore. On the first day of his visit, the prime minister will launch 95 projects related to urban housing and infrastructure, and the Smart City Mission. Of these 57 projects will be related to the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Yojana (AMRUT scheme), 27 for the smart cities scheme and 11 for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), said a government spokesperson to The Hindu. Modi will also attend an event on "Transforming Urban Landscape." This will mark the third anniversary of three key Government initiatives related to Urban Development. The prime minister will visit an exhibition on Flagship Missions of Urban Development and interact with 35 beneficiaries of PMAY (Urban) one from each state and Union Terrority. He will also receive feedback from PMAY beneficiaries, via video conferencing, from different cities of Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, he will lay the foundation stone for various projects under various flagship missions. On the second day, Modi will launch the ground-breaking ceremony of projects in Uttar Pradesh worth Rs 60,000 crore that was pledged by investors during the Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit 2018 in February. The summit led to the generation of investment intent worth more than Rs. 4.28 lakh crore across sectors like renewable energy, infrastructure, power, IT and electronic manufacturing, tourism etc. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed security and infrastructural preparedness on Sunday. The chief minister said the event will give a new direction to the development of Uttar Pradesh, The Hindu quoted a government spokesperson as saying. According to The Times of India, over 5,000 security personnel are being deployed in the state capital. A special strike force and quick response team (QRT) will also be deployed, while 20 teams of local intelligence unit would be in the field along with police dogs. Lucknow is being decked up in view of the prime minister's visit. According to The Asian Age, LED lights are being wound around the electric poles and facade lighting has been installed on monuments and crossings. The Government of India on Friday told the Supreme Court that there will be no revisions as of now to the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme. The Government of India on Friday told the Supreme Court that there will be no revisions, as of now, to the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme. Centre said that it has already decided on the formula for OROP and nothing much can be done as it would lead to financial implications. The Supreme Court has given four weeks to the government to submit reply to petitioners' PIL. The government response came in reaction to a petition filed by the an association of ex-servicemen in the Supreme Court. The petitioners have said that the OROP scheme implemented by the government is not exactly according to the recommendations of the Koshiyari Committee. The Narendra Modi government had announced the One Rank One Pension scheme for the ex-servicemen in September 2015. It calls for payment of a uniform pension to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement. The Centre has also rejected the possibility any annual benefit to the ex-armymen stating the doing so would further "burden the exchequer". The government said that it won't be reconsidering reducing the time for periodical revisions to the scheme stating that it had already gone out of its way to dole out benefits for the retired officers. Meanwhile, the judiciary said that since OROP is a policy decision, it can't do much in the case. One of the petitioners, Colonel Kirit Joshipura spoke to CNN-News18 to express his disappointment over the government's response and said that the government should call the petitioners for talks otherwise they would resort to protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. He said that even during the UPA regime, neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul Gandhi bothered to listen to their demands. Whereas, Lt Gen Raj Kadyan told CNN News18, that out of the 8,000 cr rupees sanctioned by former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, only about 2,800 cr is left to be allocated and the government should ensure that the amount is sanctioned since the bulk of it has already been disbursed. He also condemned the petitioners' decision to move to the Supreme Court stating that this will leave the government with no choice but to forcefully abide by the court's judgement in the case and hence the move was "ill-thought-out". While discussing the lynching petition in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra asked senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh not to link lynching to any religion or caste because just about anybody can be a victim of mob justice. While discussing the lynching petition in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra asked senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh not to link lynching to any religion or caste because just about anybody can be a victim of mob justice. But to cook up a certain narrative "liberals" can go to any extent. What becomes the front page headline of English print dailies and what lands up as a topic of the prime time debates across certain TV channels is not decided by the gravity of the crime. It depends on the caste and religion combination of the culprit and the victim. So the rape and murder of eight-year-old in Jammu's Kathua will run ad nauseum on TV channels and will make headlines on the newspapers as indeed it must but a similar heinous crime against Geeta will not get even one tenth the coverage because the combination of the religion of the culprit and the victim does not suit their narrative in the latter case. Akhlaq's murder happened in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, at a time the state was headed by Akhilesh Yadav, but the state government was never blamed for not maintaining law and order. Akhlaqs son Danish, who survived, was treated free of cost in Kailash Hospital run by BJP MP and minister Mahesh Sharma. But such goodwill gesture, which can spoil the narrative, was never told loud and clear. Junaid's demise was also falsely linked with beef. Later, when investigations showed that it was a dispute over seat sharing which spiralled out of control, the news slipped away from the front pages to become a single column item on the inside pages. Needless to say that the slitting of Ankit Saxena's throat for falling in loving with a Muslim girl and the brutal murders of RSS and BJP workers in West Bengal, allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers, and in Kerala, allegedly by PFI and CPM workers, are always talked about as stray exceptions because they do not suit the narrative. The lynching of Pehlu Khan is debated endlessly on prime time, but various incidents of armed attacks on the Rajasthan police by cow smugglers never even make it to news bulletins let alone debates. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is planning to publish consolidated data on mob lynching in its Crime Report in India for 2018. Rather than wait for this authentic report, in its eagerness to script and maintain a certain narrative, the media keeps quoting data from IndiaSpend, a non-government website. A little digging into it will reveal that Congress current data analytics head was one of IndiaSpend's co-trustees. Such biased narratives create disappointment and despair among citizens and harm the countrys image in the international arena. It is instructive to note who gets to benefit from concocting such a hateful and divisive narrative. Firstly, there is the opposition, especially the Congress party, which thinks it might gain politically by creating such a narrative. Then there is the media, especially some larger-than-life journalists. Long given to enjoying the perks of proximity to political and executive power in earlier regimes, they have now been relegated to the outposts of Lutyen's Delhi. The Niira Radia tapes showed us how the media-industry-politico nexus used to work hand-in-hand in previous regimes to manipulate the working of governments. Today, these media bigwigs do not even get their so called insider story until the particular government order is out. Members of Sonia Gandhis National Advisory Council (NAC), who were left jobless after UPA lost power in 2014, have also joined hands in creating such a divisive narrative. This disproportionate amplification of mob violence to the level of a national crisis is part of a larger plan to paint India as having regressed back into the dark ages all in the space the last four years . If we look at the recent history of setting narratives for political and other gains, the phenomenon started with Congress and Left parties and the media taking an anti-Modi stance, with the rise of Modi in Gujarat. Sonia Gandhi called him Maut Ka Saudagar and a section of media ran a vicious vilification campaign against him. Courts proved them wrong. Then the Congress tried hard to establish the Hindu terror narrative in its eagerness to court the Muslim vote-bank. Courts again proved them wrong. Then they started doubting surgical strikes by Indian Army, the most trusted public institution of the country, for political mileage. The army released videos and details of the surgical strike and the doubters stood embarrassed and exposed. When all these tactics failed, the likes of Shashi Tharoor, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saifuddin Soz were let loose to spout stuff that would be music to Pakistan's ears. Their motto is simple anything for the tried and tested Muslim appeasement strategy. This narrative-setting is not new though. We saw increased attacks on churches just before Delhi elections. After the elections all those so-called attacks on churches mysteriously stopped. Be it kidnapping of children, or theft or molestation of women or cow-slaughter, all of these are heinous crimes. All of these are law and order cases and should be dealt with as such. This lazy, partisan and oversimplistic approach of connecting any type of lynching to a community, political party or religion does not lead to anything fruitful. This partisan approach on crime takes us away from pondering the hard solutions like police reforms and legal reforms for all the crimes. We should be thinking of how police and courts can be made more efficient to enable quick conviction of culprits. The government has already issued guidelines to the states for dealing with cases of mob-violence and by asking digital platforms like Whatsapp to create restrictions for mass forwarding of messages and allowing ways for the group admins to restrict other members from sharing messages. In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi government is working to fill 150,000 police force positions, a job pending from the last one and half decades under SP and BSP governments. These are the issues which should be discussed and debated rather than working hard to find and misuse the caste and religion of the victim and the culprit. The Opposition and its outrage should refrain from scoring points against the current government by creating a hateful atmosphere in the country. The author penned Yogi Adityanaths biography The Monk Who Became Chief Minister The BRICS Johannesburg Declaration did not have any reference to terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad. The BRICS Johannesburg Declaration did not have any reference to terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad, a year after the Pakistan-based terror groups were named for the first time in the BRICS declaration in Xiamen. The naming of LeT and JeM in the BRICS declaration last year had been seen as a diplomatic achievement for India. Thus, the absence of the same names in the declaration this year raises eyebrows. However, sources told The Indian Express that once a formulation has been mentioned in a declaration, "it is already a part of record". The BRICS nations, in the statement, have also called for a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, which should include countering radicalisation and blocking channels of terrorist financing, reported PTI. "We call upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, which should include countering radicalisation, recruitment, travel of foreign terrorist fighters, blocking sources and channels of terrorist financing including, for instance, through organised crime by means of money-laundering, supply of weapons, drug trafficking and other criminal activities, dismantling terrorist bases, and countering misuse of the internet" by them, said the declaration. It also deplored the continued terrorist attacks, including in some BRICS member states, and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever. "We urge concerted efforts to counter terrorism under the UN auspices on a firm international legal basis and express our conviction that a comprehensive approach is necessary to ensure an effective fight against terrorism. We recall the responsibility of all states to prevent financing of terrorist networks and terrorist actions from their territories," it said. It called upon the international community to establish a genuinely broad international counter-terrorism coalition and support the UN's central coordinating role on the issue. The bloc said the fight against terrorism must be conducted in accordance with international law and reaffirmed its commitment on increasing the effectiveness of the UN counter-terrorism framework, including in the areas of cooperation and coordination among the relevant UN entities, designation of terrorists and terrorist groups and technical assistance to Member States. It called for expeditious finalisation and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) by the UN General Assembly. On the other hand, last year, the 43-page Xiamen Declaration had expressed "concern" over the security situation in Afghanistan and the violence caused by the Taliban, Islamic State, al-Qaeda and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Hizb ut-Tahrir. The inclusion of Pakistan-based terror groups in the Xiamen declaration had also been seen as an indication of a slight shift in the Chinese view towards terror groups operating out of Pakistan. In fact, during the 2016 BRICS summit in Goa, China had not allowed inclusion of Pakistan-based terror groups in the declaration, despite the fact that the summit was taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike carried out by a Pakistan-based militant group. With inputs from PTI Why should women journalists claim exclusivity, and a separateness that goes against the very grain of journalism? Congress president Rahul Gandhi interacted with a group of women journalists at the India International Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday. Commenting on the interaction, Seema Mustafa, founder editor of news website 'The Citizen' rued the segregation of journalists based on their gender. Following is the full text of her article published on 25 July on The Citizen. It has not been edited by Firstpost for style or content. The Indian Women's Press Corps, an august body promoting segregation in a profession that can only function effectively without, is in the midst of deep conflict. Currently. Why? Because of an interaction with Congress president Rahul Gandhi with over 50, some say 100, women journalists held at the India International Centre amidst deep secrecy. The Congress likes secrecy, surprised though that women journalists like it too. The controversy is on who was, or was not invited. And who helped organise this selective interaction. Was it the IWPC? If so why was it not held at the organisations office and opened for all members? Why were some invited, and not the rest? On what basis was the list made? Or was it the Congress? That to my women colleagues would be more acceptable, but then the Congress too is not taking the credit. And worthies within let it be known that the initiative was not theirs but that of the IWPC. But then the president and some of the office bearers did not attend the interaction. So then the question is how could it be described as a IWPC function when the IWPC was itself not represented? And so on and so forth. The secrecy was amazing though. And not a word came out except to some women journalists, who angrily took the IWPC to task, and found their way to IIC to attend the meeting. I was not invited of course, so cannot say whether it was worth the effort. But then segregation of the Congress kind, Muslim intellectuals, Women journalists unfortunately has never been my cup of tea. Very angry are Congress beat journalists---and justifiably so---as this interaction with Rahul Gandhi was denied them. Why? Simple. Because most of them are male scribes and hence did not qualify. As a journalist who has spent her early days in the career, like many of us, fighting to be recognised as a journalist and not a woman journalist, the clock seems to have turned full circle. And in not a good way. We fought editors who sought to push us into our little corners to cover women functions, we insisted we would keep the same timings as men, cover the same assignments be it conflict or crime or massacres, because we were journalists, not women dammit! The fight was intense, difficult, at times impossible but we got our way and created the space where we were respected for our work. And seen as equals, good or bad. I remember in the Indian Express when some new rookies were being taken in on the desk, They joined and soon after our News Editor walked into the reporters section, really looking harassed and upset. What do I do? One of the women says she cannot stay till the newspaper is put to bed (2a.m.), another says she cannot take public transport after it gets dark. Needless to say they were asked to leave, a step supported by all of us who had ensured that our work was not compromised by such limitations. So when the IWPC came into existence I did not join it for years. (I joined in a weak moment as most of the women members are colleagues and friends and did not hesitate to lampoon me whenever we met). Why do we need a separate organisation? Because the Press Club of India is a watering hole? So why cant we contest elections there and clean it up? Why do we need a separate body based on gender, when we are all journalists? And where we are all colleagues, covering the same stories, with the same compassion and honesty and courage. How do we justify setting ourselves apart as women scribes? After all when Gauri Lankesh is killed, all journalists have to come together. Surely her assassination is not a women's issue. When Shujaat Bukhari is shot down, it is surely not just a male scribes issue. Why should women journalists claim exclusivity, and a separateness that goes against the very grain of journalism? This morning I heard Jaya Bhaduri ask why male members in the House were not speaking about the increasing, horrific, attacks on women? Is rape now just a women's issue? Journalists are expected to report women issues with the same skills, be they women or men. I simply cannot accept the reasoning that women are more sensitive for if the men are not equally so they need to find another profession. And in the years in this profession I have witnessed colleagues (men and women) do an equally good job when it comes to reporting such issues. Also if this argument is taken to its logical conclusion, then men by virtue of access will be better political reporters than women. Or alone can cover conflict. Balderdash! This segregation, of course, suits the political parties that can then further divide the profession that is already under deep attack. Rahul Gandhi meeting women journalists probably has a glamourous ring to it, but there would have been a time when any effort to so segregate would have been resisted by scribes themselves. It is a tragedy that we are wilfully allowing this to happen, and instead of being part of the larger fraternity are becoming an exclusive club (and dare I say an elitist body as compared to the Press Club of India that is egalitarian in its approach). In a country where politicians either deify women or dehumanise them Rahul Gandhis attempt on Tuesday even if its strategically aimed at positioning himself among women opinion makers at some of Indias top media houses was well received The one thing that came up several times during Rahul Gandhis informal interaction with about 100 women on Tuesday is the now-famous hug, amid much laughter. Theres a story behind that hug that will be repeated over and over again in the corridors of media houses as Gandhi went from table to table, interacting with journalists, answering questions that ranged from the Rafale deal and Sabarimala to why hes reluctant to identify himself as a feminist although he strongly believes in gender equality. The story goes: Gandhi heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi belittling his family in a speech a few months ago and since then he nurtured in his mind an idea to counter the prime minister's "anger with love". On that day in the Parliament, he walked up to an unsuspecting prime minister and hugged him before walking back and winking at a party colleague, immediately triggering a conversation on parliamentary ethics and political showmanship. The hug was apparently planned, the wink was not. In a country where politicians either deify women or dehumanise them through acts of dismissive misogyny, there is simply no doubt that Gandhis attempt on Tuesday even if its strategically aimed at positioning himself among women opinion makers at some of Indias top media houses was well received. Many of the women who were at the interaction, this writer included, tweeted out the need for womens voices being heard by their elected representatives. Gandhi was eloquent, candid and straightforward as women wanted to know his stand on the many issues that affected them, including entry into places of worship, triple talaq, farm distress, sexual violence, abusive trolling and abortion rights. They also somewhat brusquely advised him on the need to look inside his own party to fix its gender representation. The controversial hug, however, lingered in the background throughout the interaction a space for Gandhi to go back to, with only the tiniest bit of swagger. So, lets address its implication and symbolism in politics, and why male politicians grapple with labels that clearly bracket them on the side of women. Im unsure what Gandhis body language would have been in a room full of 100 male journalists, but here, he was relaxed. The hug in itself a harmless gesture if the receiver explicitly consents to it is an interesting analogy for counter-masculine signalling in Indian political space. And whether misguided or not, unknowingly or with intention, Gandhi has opened the space for an interesting discussion on an inherent masculine culture in Indian politics. Male politicians even the so-called "youth leaders" rarely acknowledge or thank their partners in speeches, let alone show affection in public. Therefore, any mundane act of familial affection gets amplified as a major certificate of character. Neither Gandhi nor Modi is immune to it. Modis visits to his 96-year-old mother are accompanied by camera fanfare. But that Modi does not acknowledge his wife and projects an image of a man single-mindedly dedicated to the nation, sacrificing his own happiness, is never questioned, in mainstream media, as a contradiction to the glorification of the family his party thrusts upon Indias conscience repeatedly. Similarly, when Rahul hugged his mother Sonia at the 84th Congress plenary in April this year a sons spontaneous show of affection it became a big deal for the media. Our elected representatives, especially men, have an ingrained fear of public display of affection, let alone understand sexuality and choices driven by consent. Imagine the depth of ingrained homophobia and misogyny that prompted BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to say on Thursday: Yes, we do fear hugging Rahul Gandhi as our wives might divorce us after that. Also, Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet. If he gets married, we will hug him. #WATCH: Yes we do fear hugging Rahul Gandhi as our wives might divorce us after that. Also, Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet. If he gets married, we will hug him: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Rahul Gandhi statement 'Now BJP MPs take 2 steps back thinking I'll hug them' pic.twitter.com/gUVMeyjcgw ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018 Theres an image of political leaders of a possible third front gathered on the stage for the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. The men have their hands clasped and raised in familiarity, kinship, and solidarity. In the middle of the row are Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati, holding hands with each other, but not with the men, most of whom they would have known all their political lives. The photo is a telling narrative about Indian sensibilities and the "respectful" distance between men and women, shaped by centuries of conditioning, overtaking even a space as public as politics. At the plenary, Gandhi also spoke of pyaar (love), a word alien to a hyper-aggressive culture of political posturing. Before the event on Tuesday, a Congress office-bearer told me that Gandhi is not here to lecture, he is here to listen to you". Any woman will know that these are words that gladden our heart, because listening in silence, without being defensive or interrupting, are virtues rare in most Indian men. Gandhi did not disappoint on that count. He listened attentively and when his party members attempted to rush him from table to table, he waved them away and lingered a little more. With his willingness to listen to women, Gandhi has started a process that other political parties could emulate. However, change begins at home. Only seven women are part of the 51-member Congress Working Committee team. Be it years of court battle seeking to decriminalise homosexuality or pushing to make marital rape a punishable offence, Congress is as complicit as any party in power in delaying justice to women. While one does not expect the conservatives in the BJP to come out effusively in support of the LGBTQI community, Congress has a history of indecisiveness about where it stands about the issue. It was only when the Delhi High Court read down 377, that Congress leaders sensed the changing winds and backed the scrapping of the contentious section that criminalises consensual acts of sex between adult males. Shashi Tharoors attempt at discussing the bill in the Parliament, poorly attended by his own party members at that time, was drowned in jeers. In most of his public speeches, Gandhi appears to be stressing that women have every right a man has, including over their own bodies. He has been a vocal champion of LGBTQI rights, which hold out hope that whether Gandhis party returns to power or not, he is a man in tune with modernity at a time when divisive forces are focussed on taking the country back through their communal campaign of lynchings and hate, fuelled through social messaging platforms. And yet on the question whether he identified as a feminist himself, Gandhi is hesitant. If all of Gandhis claims support equality, he should not hesitate to embrace the label of a feminist someone who believes in equality and agency of all genders and helps them reach their full potential. His articulation of the very concepts that hold up feminism without actually claiming to be one is a conflicting message to his women voters base. Congress functionaries say Gandhi is serious about fixing the gender imbalance within the party. Sources say there are schemes and initiatives in the pipeline with advice from opinion leaders in the society that will help make the party more inclusive. And yet, the interaction, which would have benefited many women reporters in the beat who struggle for access to top leaders and could have added their valuable inputs on contentious issues that are at the core of their well-being, was not open for all. Some months ago, Congress leader Sushmita Dev, said over a phone interview that the 56-inch chest analogy is pure chauvinism. I agree. This imagery of so-called masculine virility might be a dog whistle for a male vote base, but it cannot replace a deep understanding of womens issues, a genuine will to change a political culture of misogyny, and conceding public space so that women can shine. The label of feminism is an uneasy one for most men especially politicians to embrace unhesitatingly. It immediately exposes them to the risk of alienating their male base. Which is why the Womens Reservation Bill, which the Congress supports, will be tough to pass since it threatens the position of male candidates in a large chunk of the seats that will be contested by women if it is implemented. At the core of it, is the moral duality of our leaders in understanding what equality truly means in a multicultural country where layered and clearly defined class and caste structures decide a womans role in public life. Equality cannot stand without intersectionality. That intersectionality forms a part of the feminist universe and the sooner male politicians understand that, the wider the umbrella of protection will be for women who are fighting for that parity. Due to the constant harassment and humiliation by the accused, one of the daughters of the woman consumed poison and ended her life, following which the accused were booked and arrested. Thane: A special court in Thane has sentenced six men to five years imprisonment for abetting the suicide of a girl in 2009. Special Judge (SC/ST court) G P Shirsat, in an order passed two days back, also imposed a fine of Rs 8,000 on each convict from Kopar Khairane of Navi Mumbai. The court, however, acquitted two women, giving them benefit of doubt. Those awarded punishments are Sandip Shrikant Dhonde (33), Suresh Baban Sanas (49), Rajendra Baban Bhor (51), Vilas Baban Sanas (46), Ratnakar Rambhau Aaute (47) and Kumar Vasant Gole (31). They were held guilty under the Indian Penal Code Sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and a section of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The prosecutor told the court that the victim's mother, in her complaint lodged with the police, said that on 4 May, 2009, when she was on her way to the family-owned clothes shop, she spotted some boys throwing stones and mud in the water tank of her house in Kopar Khairane. She reprimanded the boys and went to the shop. After she returned home at night, one of the women in the locality picked up a quarrel with her. The accused men also joined in and attacked the woman, her family members, including her children and husband. They also used "bad words" against the woman over her community, the prosecution said. Due to the constant harassment and humiliation by the accused, one of the daughters of the woman consumed poison and ended her life, following which the accused were booked and arrested. As per the prosecution, prior to the May 2009 incident, the woman had also twice complained to the police about some boys in the locality eve-teasing her daughter. The prosecution told the court that the victim used to constantly ask her parents to change their house and settle somewhere else due to the constant harassment by the people in the locality. In his order, the judge noted, "From the evidence and circumstances on record it is clear that the six accused assaulted the complainant and others. They intentionally humiliated the woman by abusing her on caste and abetted the suicide of her daughter, besides causing injuries to others." "The accused persons had been causing physical and mental torture to the complainant and her family members since long and the woman had filed several complaints to various authorities, but they had not taken cognisance in time," the court noted. Coming down heavily on the cyber bullying, Pinarayi Vijayan said that he was proud of Hanan Hamid and the government was with her. The Kerala government has come in support of 21-old-year Hanan Hamid, who became a victim of intense trolling on social media for selling fish to raise money for her studies and making ends meet. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday directed police to initiate action against those behind the abusive propaganda on social media platforms against the college student whose story went viral after a Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi reported about her struggles. He also asked the Ernakulam district collector to provide adequate protection to Hanan, who sold fish in a local market at Thammanam in the city after college hours. A final year BSc (Chemistry) student at a private college in Thodupuzha, Hanan's story was widely shared on social media by several people, including film artistes and politicians. But, a section of social media users expressed doubts about her story and termed it as "fake", after which she was viciously trolled. Coming down heavily on the cyber bullying, the chief minister said everyone should keep in mind that many propaganda on social media platforms were "double-edged swords". "People should be more cautious while using social media. It is improper to circulate anything which they get through cyber platforms. This will only help push the society towards further danger," he said in a Facebook post. Sharing a picture of Hanan selling fish in her college uniform on his Facebook page, Vijayan said he was proud of the student and the government was with her. He also said that he wanted the entire state to support Hanan. "Hanan has not only tried to find resources for her studies but also to support her family by doing various jobs. Feeling proud of her after coming to know about her life's experiences. Extending whole-hearted support to Hanan to go forward", Vijayan added. Marxist veteran VS Achutanandan also supported the woman, hailing from Thrissur, and demanded action against those behind the cyber attack. Kerala women's commission chairperson MC Josephine termed the social media abuse as "cyber goondaism" and said police had been directed to register a case in this regard. Meanwhile, Hanan said on Friday that she was thankful for the government's support. She said she would like to continue with the fish business to look after her family and studies. With the abusive comments pouring in on social media, a teary-eyed Hanan had on Thursday appealed to her critics with folded hands to leave her alone. "I do not want any help. Kindly leave me alone and allow me to do any kind of menial jobs to earn my daily bread," she said. Union minister KJ Alphons had come out in support of the student on Thursday and wrote on Twitter. The tourism minister hailed the woman's attitude to do hard work and move forward in life. Alphons also referred to the difficulties faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his teenage and said the latter fought against all odds to become the prime minister. Hanan's college principal and neighbours came out in support of her and said the story published in the regional daily was not fake. Principal of Al Azhar college at Thodupuzha, SG Pillai, said though financial support was pouring in for her from various quarters, she had rejected it. He also deplored the "unjustified" and "insane" attack on Hanan on the social media. Hearing Hanan's story, a filmmaker, Arun Gopy, offered her a role in his forthcoming movie starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal's son Pranav Mohanlal. "I had commended her work. She is an inspiration to today's youngsters," he said. The trolls also targeted the filmmaker for such an offer, but Gopy remained firm on the offer. State Department official said that US and India are working together to strengthen diplomatic and military ties ahead of the 'two-plus-two' dialogue Washington: The US and India are working together "hand in glove" diplomatically and militarily to build dimensions of the critical bilateral relationship ahead of the "two-plus-two" dialogue, a State Department official has told American lawmakers. During a Congressional hearing, Alice Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said the US is looking forward to the "two-plus-two" dialogue with India in New Delhi in September. She said she expects substantial progress will be made in the bilateral relationship during the dialogue. "On India, we're looking ahead to the 6 September two plus two and the joining of forces between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis to help define what is major defense partnership," Wells said, responding to a question from Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera. "We're working together hand in glove diplomatically and militarily to build out the dimensions of what Secretary Pompeo said is one of our most critical relationships," she added. The September meet will be the first "two-plus-two" dialogue between India and the US. In June, the US had postponed the dialogue due to "unavoidable reasons". The dialogue, a vehicle to elevate the strategic ties between the two countries, was announced in 2017 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with President Donald Trump. It has been reschedule at least twice since then. Indication that the two countries are closer to signing the long-pending foundational agreements, Wells said, "We're going to be able to demonstrate both in terms of the progress we make on the agreements we can reach that will make it easier for US to share classified information and undertake logistical activities together." The dialogue is expected to give meaning and definition to how major purchases and on-the-ground activities such as the Malabar Exercise can work together to secure the Indo-Pacific region, Wells said. Congressman Bera said it was important for the US to continue sending the message that it sees India as a major defence ally and "incredibly important" in helping the US stabilize the strategic region. Ghaziabad Police said that police force and an NDRF team have been sent to the spot for relief and rescue work. Further details are awaited A five-storey buidling collapsed in Khoda area of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, media reports said on Friday. The incident occurred after heavy rains lashed the city for two consecutive days. According to News18 Uttar Pradesh, several people are feared trapped under the debris. However, there are no reports of casualties so far. On Twitter, Ghaziabad Police said that an NDRF team has been sent to the spot for relief and rescue work. A local resident told ANI that the building had no occupants. Further details are awaited. The building was old, nobody stayed there. A clothes showroom was there but that too had been shut down as the condition of the building was not good: Local on 5 storey building that collapsed in Ghaziabad's Khoda area pic.twitter.com/S89pdJmcvm ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 27, 2018 On 23 July, a five-storey under-construction building had collapsed in the same city. The district magistrate had said that the building was being constructed illegally. According to The Times of India, two people were killed in the incident. The police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday to probe two cases registered in the matter. Despite few caveats, Mridula Ramesh's book is an important contribution to climate action, tailored to India, and written with lucidity. India is a developing nation with a hot and water-stressed climate supporting 17 percent of the worlds population on merely four percent of the world's freshwater resources, with a largely agrarian economy heavily reliant on the monsoon. The high fatalities during heat waves around the country, from the floods in Chennai in 2015 to the Marathwada drought 2013-2016, to cite only a few examples, underlines the intense vulnerability in the country to vagaries of climate. In fact, studies suggest that India is singularly vulnerable to climate change. Clearly, creating resilience to climate change in India is of pressing importance. It is this that Mridula Ramesh addresses in her eminently well-written book, The Climate Solution: India's Climate Change Crisis and What We Can Do About It. Focussing on adaptation, the author diagnoses the important areas of action and outlines several pragmatic strategies for individual and collective action in India, having successfully implemented some of these personally. The book is organised into two sections. The first is a discussion on the impacts of climate change in India. The second the main contribution of the book focuses on avenues for action. Section one This section opens with historical data on climate change in India, clearly reflecting the increasing unpredictability of rainfall, the rising incidences of floods and storms on the one hand, and heat waves and droughts on the other. The rapid warming we are witnessing will only exacerbate these problems with severe consequences for both rural and urban India. Ramesh points out that agricultural yields may decline substantially in the next few decades while cities face the threat of even more flooding as rainfall occurs in shorter, more intense bursts. Coastal cities face increasing contamination of groundwater due to rising sea level and land sink. The impact of climate change on health is discussed at length. Higher temperatures favour an increase in the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Nutritional deficiency and mortality rates among vulnerable segments are bound to worsen as lowered crop yields push prices beyond their means. Ramesh also draws the important link between climate change, security, and geopolitics. She discusses the role of the severe drought in Syria from 2007 to 2010 in instigating the ongoing war. Closer home, water conflicts such as between China and India over the Brahmaputra, and the Cavery conflict between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu can only sharpen as climate change threatens freshwater availability. Section two Within the frameworks of management and innovation, Ramesh states her case for how to achieve all-round climate resilience in India. Management involves the efficient use of all our resources food, water, energy and, waste. Technological innovation is what she considers the means to that end. Ramesh discusses how the use of technologies like drip irrigation, regulations on water pricing and genetically modified crops could dramatically increase Indian agricultural productivity. Water is a major area the author focusses on while pointing out the massive mismanagement of its sources (eg, groundwater) and its wastage (eg, pipe leakage). The author recommends Israels technological and regulatory regimen as a blueprint for water conservation. These include rainwater harvesting, communal ownership of water, plugging leaks and theft, water pricing, and meticulous data collection. Regarding energy use, Ramesh points out that dated technology and lack of maintenance lead to massive losses during electricity transmission. Theft and wasteful personal use eg continued use of filament bulbs add substantially to these loses. She discusses several solutions such as switching to LEDs and modern energy efficient air conditioning, as well as tightening regulation to save energy. Ramesh also extensively addresses the issue of the huge quantities of solid and sewage waste we generate. Most solid waste ends up in open landfills breeding disease, polluting and aggravating climate change through methane emissions. Segregation of waste at source is the silver bullet, writes Ramesh. Drawing on personal experience, she discusses the steps her family took to eliminate solid waste from their household by concatenating a string of simple ideas. These included avoiding food wastage and using a biogas machine to convert organic waste into energy. The author also urges new regulatory mechanisms to spur green innovation within the country. A critical look The author begins every section with either a personal experience, a fictionalised story or an anecdote. This enhances readability and is a testament to the authors ability to effectively convey complex ideas. But as with any work, the book has its weaknesses Scalability: Several of the strategies discussed in the book have only been implemented on small scales. Assertions that they can be as effectively deployed at Indian scales are not adequately substantiated. Arguments: Some arguments are logically untenable. For instance, chapter 15 contains the line, In 2014, an average Indian consumed one-sixteenth of the electricity an average American used. This means that Indias electricity consumption will need to and must grow. This raises several questions. Why should it grow and by how much? Is American consumption the right benchmark? Assumption: A central thesis of the book is that improving efficiency in various ways by optimising the use of water, food and energy resources can create resilience. Inspiring work by start-ups and corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in clean technologies are cited as examples. Yet, historical data suggests that caution is warranted. One would expect that buying a new energy efficient refrigerator should reduce electricity use. However, at least some of the gains are offset because the lowered cost of electric bills encourages people to buy bigger, ever more capacious refrigerators, a rebound effect called the Jevons paradox. Making efficiency central to the book raises concerns about whether the Jevons paradox could swamp some of the presumed gains when deployed on large scales. Philosophy: There are legitimate fears that trusting technological innovation alone to deliver sustainability and climate resilience may be misplaced. It buys into the entrenched economic paradigm of achieving infinite and exponentially rising economic growth on a planet with finite resources an impossibility. Despite these caveats, the book is an important contribution to climate action, tailored to India, and written with lucidity. It should be a required read for all concerned citizens, entrepreneurs and decision makers around the country. Chirag Dhara is a theoretical physicist turned climate change scientist Adam Szymczyk reflected on some of the ideological consequences of his curatorial paradigm while also addressing the rising climate of hostility and xenophobia and its implications on the display of artistic practices Adam Szymczyk was the artistic director of a highly unusual edition of documenta 14 that was spread across two European cities (Athens and Kassel) over an extended time frame in 2017. It was a documenta that dared to take risks, particularly in its level of inclusiveness, defying easy expectations of what could be exhibited within the space of the quinquennial, despite the continuing surge of negative criticism and accusations about budget mismanagement from various quarters that continue to plague its legacy. Over email, Szymczyk reflected on some of the ideological consequences of his curatorial paradigm while also addressing the rising climate of hostility and xenophobia and its implications on the display of artistic practices. What did you learn/unlearn from Kassel and Athens? In the process leading up to documenta 14 from 2013, when I was appointed as artistic director, to 2017, when both acts of the exhibition unraveled in Athens and then Kassel as well as in our present state of dealing with the aftermath of the project and its political ramifications, while beginning to realise in full the possibilities documenta 14 unleashed, my many collaborators and I went through a tremendous experience of questioning and revising truths we had learned to believe and that we intuitively and consciously rejected. Both cities, the difference they produced, their specific social fabrics, political circumstances and diverse economic conditions, necessitated and demanded unlearning of most of what we believed to know about how to act politically with means of aesthetic experience, with means of art, both its making and the discourses it generates. Other knowledges lets call them specific, minor, repressed, indigenous provided means of resistance, antidotes, cures. Rather than one narration, the exhibition materialised as a dispersed multitude of rituals of the oppressed, responding to variety of instances of repressive state, or dominant class, race, gender or caste ideology exercising their power, sanctioned by the same law those in power proclaim themselves to be the sole guardians of, within the general framework of neoliberal capitalism and its attendant necropolitics that dictates to us how we, anyone, must live and how we, anyone, must die. The artists in documenta 14 sought to expose what Walter Benjamin called the little crack in the continuum of catastrophe or the cracks in delusional continuums of absolute power. Weve learned and I mean both the artists and curators and others on the organisers side of documenta 14 that there is more to unlearn and the process doesnt end with official ending of documenta 14 exhibition in Kassel in September 2017. I hope we have learned to be less selfish, less possessive, more able to yield. During your talk at the 2014 edition of Experimenter Curators Hub, after beginning by invoking the Latin roots of the word curating, you spoke about exhibition as a way of revealing something; bringing to light... Etymological inquiry is liberating when it is not meant to be enslaving us within one immutable etymological source of a term. Curara is a plant extract poison in Amazonas, curare means to cure in Latin seemingly contradicting, elective etymologies. Whats left from the exhibition when display (in French dis-plier means to un-fold) is removed remains a question an inviting darkness, a fold of not-knowing, perhaps. Intriguingly, the most enthusiastic vindication for the de-centering, inclusive, and almost rebellious vision of the documenta 14 curatorial team you assembled came from around 250 participating artists, who proclaimed in a joint letter that they understood the exhibition to be a listening documenta. The curatorial team took care to listen closely and carefully to artists, rather than imposing a top-down curatorial will Whether in crisis or inflection point, enquiry was encouraged, challenging the more frequent move of wanting to own the other peoples understanding. The curatorial innovation was to create the space for such an encounter, in Athens and Kassel, they wrote in their letter. Did you see their open letter as validation for the efforts you and your team put in? What did it mean for you, as a curator, to read such a document? It probably means that many artists felt that we showed respect to what cannot be brought under a common denominator, what is odd, singular, personal and political a remainder that cannot be subsumed within a unified display, contained in one house style chosen for wall texts and neat signage design. We proposed a polyphony instead of one clear curatorial concept and multiplied the so-called main narrative lines of the exhibition. The result was a fragile complexity of voices. I think there is no one meta-language, no science that can be applied to explain all exhibitions. There is no unifying theory of exhibition. Tony Bennetts 1988 essay Exhibitionary Complex (republished, with the authors new introduction in the documenta 14 Reader) gets near to it in that it demonstrates exhibitions as a function of apparatus, next to other apparatuses of power as they manifest themselves in institutions of Western European Enlightenment schools, prisons and clinics, later in the concentration camp. But the phenomenology of exhibitions is yet to be written, their affective power is yet to be understood and, maybe, seized. We acted as if exhibition could be thought anew, with full awareness of documentas ambiguous role in writing the Western European and US-American canon of modern art since the first documenta in 1955 until documenta X in 1997, which exposed this canon as deeply problematic, and documenta 11 in 2002, which brought the missing global dimension of contemporary artistic production into play. Certain events specific to documenta 14, for instance, the right-wing resistance to Olu Oguibes site-specific obelisk at Konigsplatz, the terming of it as deformed art by Aktion fur Deutschland (AfD, or Action for Germany a nationalist right-wing party that entered the German Parliament in 2017), reveal much about increasing xenophobia in Europe, and resistance to the very idea of decentering privilege. Within an environment of rising hostility against the more liberal, inclusive, listening space of artmaking, how do you think the role of the curator can be re-envisioned? Xenophobia and hate come always together with what Pakistani artist and feminist activist Lala Rukh addressed very precisely in one of her Womens Action Forum posters presented in documenta 14 in Kassel: Unholy Trinity: Men Money Masculinity. This was 1985. In our era nationalism is on the rise and politicians ride the wave of ressentiment. Within the framework of sovereign nation state, a locus of essentialist longing is deliberately falsely constructed for the people such as one religion, one ethnicity, hate towards strangers within and those coming from an elsewhere, disregard for unclear beings, those beyond gender, class and race, soon artists too, as demonstrated in the example of AfDs attack (while the mainstream German parties across the entire political spectrum remained cryptically silent) on documenta 14 and Olu Oguibes Monument to Refugees and Strangers, an obelisk built on Kassels main square, the Konigsplatz, which bears a quote (in German, Turkish, Arabic and English) from the Gospel of Matthew: I Was a Stranger and You Took Me In. Like opium, this toxic mix of ressentiment and megalomaniac projections is offered to all-too-willing voters as temporary cure for their sorrows forget democracy in crisis, forget exploitation of resources with complete disregard for irreversible environmental destruction on planetary scale, forget the greed of the 1 percent, forget the blinding spectacles, exhibitions of money and power. What shall we, the curators, do? We can try asking ourselves and those who give us jobs how relevant our work is today and how we can make it more relevant in order to widen the cracks in the catastrophe. This interview is part of an ongoing collaboration between Experimenter Curators' Hub and Firstpost. Visit the ECH blog for more information. Also read: Experimenter gallery's Priyanka and Prateek Raja on how they put together the prestigious Curators' Hub The chief minister has called a meeting late this evening of a select group of the party's Maratha legislators along with BJP ministers, who can open channels of communications with the leaders of the agitation, a government source said. Mumbai: Facing heat due to the renewed agitation for Maratha quota, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has called a meeting of BJP ministers and party legislators from the Maratha community. The chief minister has called a meeting late this evening of a select group of the party's Maratha legislators along with BJP ministers, who can open channels of communications with the leaders of the agitation, a government source said. The government's stand on the Maratha community's demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutes has been that the issue is pending before the Bombay High Court. "To ensure that its decision (to give 16 percent reservation to the Marathas) stands scrutiny in the court, the government will provide all possible assistance to the Backward Classes Commission to expedite its survey work," the source said. The government will provide additional manpower and technical support to the commission so that it can submit its report by August-end, a month before the scheduled date, the source said. The commission has been tasked with collecting data about socio-economic condition of the Maratha community. After meeting BJP ministers and legislators, Fadnavis is expected to invite Opposition legislators from the Maratha community for talks, the source said. Following the resignations of Shiv Sena MLA Harshawardhan Jadhav and NCP MLA Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar, who said they were quitting to support the agitation, MLAs Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher (both BJP), Bharat Bhalke (Congress) and Ramesh Kadam (NCP) have offered to tender resignations over the quota issue. Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde took a veiled swipe at Fadnavis today by telling Maratha protesters in Beed district that she would have taken decision on the quota demand quickly if the "file" had been on her table. Before that, as violence was reported from various places during the bandh called by Maratha outfits on Friday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut created a flutter, stating that there was talk of replacing Fadnavis within the BJP. The BJP immediately denied Raut's claim. This demand, being revived after some two decades, is the direct result of a dangerous game being played by chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. There are already more than a half-dozen on-again, off-again demands for separate states: Vidarbha (to be sliced from Maharashtra), Bodoland (from Assam), Saurashtra (from Gujarat), Gorkhaland (from West Bengal), Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal and Awadh Pradesh from (Uttar Pradesh) and Kongu Nadu (from Tamil Nadu) among other places. Now add one more to this dreary list: The demand to make the abysmally backward North Karnataka a separate state. This demand, being revived after some two decades, is the direct result of a dangerous game being played by chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, whose Janata Dal (Secular) is in a troubled coalition with Congress. Farmers and student organisations have called for a bandh in the 13 districts of North Karnataka on 2 August in support of the demand. The feeling in North Karnataka that the region gets a step-motherly treatment from successive governments in Bengaluru is nothing new. But it only got much worse after Kumaraswamy took over following the 12 May Assembly election. He has successfully created an impression that he indulges the south at the cost of the north. South Karnataka is where his home district Hassan is and where his JD(S) and Vokkaliga caste are strong. The sops he announced in his 5 July budget ranging from a Disneyland to super-speciality hospitals pampered the south, which accounts for most of the 37 Assembly seats his party won. Even the controversial Rs 34,000-crore farmers loan waiver, it is alleged, would largely benefit JD(S) strongholds. Despite Kumaraswamys furious denials of discrimination, he was not, like Ceasers wife, above suspicion. Then his true feelings tumbled out after he questioned the moral right of northern farmers to make demands. Addressing a rally in Channapatna , that elected him to the Assembly, he said on 23 July: While voting, they remembered their caste and money. Now, they want me to work (for them). If they had thought beyond caste and money during elections, they would have the moral right to ask for a complete loan waiver. What this means is that Kumaraswamy feels that Lingayats, who dominate north, shouldnt have voted for BJP, whose leader BS Yeddyurappa belongs to the community. Here is how the parties fared in North Karnataka, which accounts for 90 of the state Assemblys 224 seats, in recent elections: Party 2018 Assembly poll 2013 Assembly poll BJP 45 18 Congress 38 54 JD(S) 6 6 And in the 27-member Kumaraswamy ministry, only eight are from North Karnataka. Karnatakas worse half Whats known as North Karnataka comprises the Kannada-speaking districts that were part of Bombay Presidency and Nizams kingdom before they were annexed into Karnataka at the time of 1956 states reorganisation. The entire area stood by Congress till it slipped away to Janata Dal in 1990s and BJP a decade later. Before the 2013 Assembly election, the UPA government extended special benefits to Hyderabad-Karnataka (part of North Karnataka) under Article 371(J), but this saw little development in the region, which continues to be blighted by drought, unemployment, malnutrition and woeful lack of healthcare. While the Krishna rivers potential is yet to be fully exploited, the Mahadayi is tangled in a water-sharing dispute with Goa. Its too early to say whether the 2 August bandh will be a success and whether the demand for separate statehood will crystallize into a major agitation. Its possible that the clamour will slowly die down in the absence of a leader to spearhead it. But the feeling of discrimination can only get worse if Kumaraswamy does nothing to assuage fears there. Kumaraswamy, however, has nothing much to lose if he chooses to neglect North Karnataka even now. Consolidating his party in the south further is at the top of his agenda. Everything else be it the development of any part of Karnataka or repairing the sour relations with Congress is secondary. Call it geographical polarisation if you will. And if he is crying hoarse about BJPs communal polarisation, thats part of his game too. Divide and win? But Congress, which picked up 38 seats in the north, has a lot to lose if Kumaraswamy goes ahead with his risky game of punishing an area which didn't vote for JD(S). So, it was in the fitness of things that state Congress president Dinesh Gundurao said on Thursday that to discriminate against any region or any group only because they voted against a particular party is not correct." But Gundurao must know that the divide-and-win strategy of Kumaraswamy is only an extension of the politics of polarisation that his own partys Siddaramaiah played earlier as chief minister. Siddaramaiah had played caste against caste, and called it social justice. He had played religion against religion by appeasing Muslims, and called it secularism. He also tried to pit south India against north India in devolution of funds. None of these shenanigans worked. After being eulogised as a mascot of Congress in the south and a grand benefactor of the downtrodden and minorities, he lost the Assembly election. The lesson Kumaraswamy must learn is this: A divide-and-rule strategy can end up in divide-and-perish. Author tweets @sprasadindia The situation ceased to improve and panchayat polls got delayed in 2016 due to unrest following the killing of former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir: Ghulam Ahmad Bhats happiness knew no bounds when in 2011, he was elected sarpanch of Nihalpora village in North Kashmirs Baramulla district. Defeating his rival by more than 1,000 votes, he was turbaned and carried excitedly by people on their shoulders, from the nearby higher secondary school to his home. Celebrations followed for weeks at his home, and every guest was served Wazwan (traditional Kashmiri cuisine) and sweets. For many under the age of 30 in Nihalpora, panchayat elections were an altogether new experience, considering they were deferred for many decades in Jammu and Kashmir. "Being the head of Nihalpora village, which has more than 1,500 households, really mattered then. It was a matter of great pride for me," Bhat says, showing photographs clicked during his 2011 panchayat election victory. Seven years later, Bhat has lost all his excitement to work for the panchayat. In fact, he regrets his decision to contest elections and has promised his family he will not even discuss the issue. Following the killing of panchayat members in 2012, a year after elections, he like other members, ran to media houses to announce his resignation publicly. While the resignations were not considered by the government, Bhat decided not to appear at functions of the government or forces. "The killing created fear among us and almost 80 percent of the panchs and sarpanchs resigned en masse, he claims. Bhat says that politicisation of panchayats, police and the armys frequent interference endangered their lives. I wanted to work for the development of the area but everything was messed up after politicians interfered in our matters, he says. 16 panchayat members killed since 2011 elections Panchayat elections for 4,130 sarpanch and 29,719 panch constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2011 after nearly four decades, and 80 percent of the people voted, despite unrest a year earlier. But a year later, the situation in Kashmir changed swiftly, and many panchayat members were targeted by unidentified gunmen. Since 2011, 16 panchayat members have been killed and 30 wounded in suspected militant attacks in the Valley, according to the documents with Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference. Threatening posters also emerged in various districts, calling panchs to resign or "face the consequences". Initially, some panchayat members demanded personal security, but their requests were turned down by the government, which found it unfeasible. The situation ceased to improve and panchayat polls got delayed in 2016 due to unrest following the killing of former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. They couldn't be held last year too, due to security concerns and low voter turnout (7.5 percent) during parliamentary bypolls for the Srinagar seat on 9 April, 2017. Now, after delaying it for two years, the state government led by Governor NN Vohra finally announced panchayat polls, expected to be held in October. To begin with, the State Administrative Council directed the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department to start the process for holding polls to panchayats and urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir. Committees have been constituted at the state and divisional levels to begin preparatory work. Elections would be conducted directly by the electorate of halqa panchayats, thereby bypassing the ordinance brought in by the previous government to elect sarpanch from among the panch themselves. The announcement, however, has taken former panchayat members by surprise, and they are reluctant to participate in any such exercise. Ghulam Hassan Panzoo, a former sarpanch from Kupwara, believes that the situation in the Valley is not conducive for any kind of poll exercise. Insecurity around contesting polls Many civilians have been killed this year as well. People are angry and voter turnout could be low. We want voter turnout to be above 90 percent. So the government should defer elections by at least a few months, he says. Panzoo, who believes that a sense of insecurity prevails among former panchs, suggests that the government extend the services of previously elected panchayat members. Funds for development are lapsing every year. The government should extend our services till a conducive atmosphere for polls is created in Kashmir, he says. Panzoo also demands security for at least 40 sarpanchs of the Valley. Bashir Ahmad Malik, a former sarpanch of Hakripora in Pulwama district of South Kashmir, claims that incomplete probes into panch killings had left many insecure about contesting elections this time. Why arent these unidentified gunmen identified? When our police and government take no time to solve other cases why the delays here? We are being silenced as our work made many ministers insecure, he says. Malik says previous regimes had "deliberately" disempowered panchayats. The mass participation of people in panchayat elections and public support made them worried about their future. They (ministers) thought legislators would be sidelined, so they did everything to restrict our powers, he says. Chairman of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference Shafiq Mir demands that panchayat elections be kept aloof from politics, saying the interference of politicians by forcibly associating panchs and sarpanchs with their parties" had troubled them in the past. We want politicians and political parties not to interfere in panchayat polls. It has nothing to do with politics or even the Kashmir issue. We are like numberdars or chowkidars who oversee development of villages, he says. The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference chairman says that interference by political parties has cost the lives of many of their members. Tension grew only after political parties credited the success of panchs to their parties. We are like Masjid Committees. We will ask our members not to associate themselves with political parties, Mir says. The author is a Srinagar-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters. DMK president M Karunanidhi is a five-time chief minister in Tamil Nadu. He contested a whopping 12 Assembly elections in his eight-decade political career and won all of them. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi is reportedly being treated at his house for fever due to a urinary tract infection, reports said on Wednesday, turning a spotlight on the health of the 'Godfather' of Tamil Nadu politics. Security has been beefed up around his Gopalapuram residence in Chennai and city is on high alert, reported India Today. While Kauvery Hospital released a statement saying there was "a slight decline" in the DMK patriarch's health, various leaders from state parties visited him at his home, including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and state Cabinet minister D Jayakumar. Born on 3 June, 1924 in Thirukkuvalai village of Nagapattinam district in erstwhile Madras presidency, the 94-year-old Karunanidhi is a five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu. He contested a whopping 12 Assembly elections in his eight-decade political career and won all of them. Invariably dressed in white, with his iconic sunshine yellow scarf wrapped around his neck and oversized dark glasses hiding a botched eye surgery, nonagenarian Muthuvel Karunanidhi is hard to miss in a crowd. Here's a brief look at his formative years and political career: Part of Dravidian movement A school dropout, Karunanidhi made his foray into the Dravidian movement at the age of 14 when he became the leader of a small group of youngsters called the Tamil Students Federation, who followed the Self Respect Movement led by Dravidian icon Periyar ("the great one") EV Ramasamy, according to The Indian Express. Karunanidhi, an atheist and a self-declared nationalist, rose to political prominence in the 1940s, challenging the caste-supremacy of Brahmins and participating in anti-Hindi agitations, as per a BBC report. He was so influenced by the Dravidian movement that he even changed his Tamil name Muthuvel Dakinamoorthy to Muthuvel Karunanidhi as a rejection of the 'Sanskrit Brahmanical' name his parents had given him. Prolific at writing, a young Karunanidhi started an eight-page handwritten magazine called Manavar Nesan circulated among 50 people to protest against the introduction of Hindi as a compulsory language in school. He gave speeches and held protests, and his fiery spirit caught the eye of Ramasamy and his lieutenant CN Annadurai, who became the first non-Congress chief minister in the state in 1967, according to The Caravan. Karunanidhi failed his Class 10 exams and dropped out of school. He moved to Coimbatore and made a living, writing plays for professional theatre groups. However, his oratory skills awed Annadurai and Ramasamy who asked him to address gatherings and later made him the editor of their Dravidar Kazhagam party magazine, Kudiyarasu. By early 1950s, Karunanidhi became a well-known writer for Tamil films. Famous for writing historical and social reformist stories, he used movies to propagate his ideas. His 1952 film Parasakthi, which was initially banned, remains to be one his best works. The film espoused ideologies of the Dravidian movement with elements that criticised Brahmanism, inviting the ire of Orthodox Hindus. The movie firmly cemented DMK's strategy of using movies to propagate their political ideology. Apart from writing for films, Karunanidhi also wrote poems, letters, novels, biographies, historical novels, and movie songs, all of which earned him the moniker 'Kalaignar' (artist). Political career Following Independence, the Dravidar Kazhagam party split. Karunanidhi joined his mentor Annadurai and helped form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949 and served as its first treasurer. When the party first contested the Assembly elections in 1957, Karunanidhi was one of the 13 DMK legislators in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. He was elected from Kulithalai in then-undivided Tiruchirappalli. Since then he has been chief minister in the state for five times, contested 12 Assembly elections and not lost one of them. A master at mobilising crowds, organising party cadre and raising funds, Karunanidhi became the 'go-to man' of the party. In 1967, when Annadurai became the chief minister, Karunanidhi was appointed the minister for public works and highways, the third-ranking job in the state cabinet. Following Annadurai's death in 1969, Karunanidhi became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK president, a post he holds even today and led the party to a massive victory in the 1971 snap Assembly elections. It should be noted here that matinee idol MG Ramachandran was still a part of DMK and AIADMK had not yet been formed. Once MGR split from DMK, AIADMK came to power in 1977, and it was not until after MGR's death in 1987 when the Janaki-Jayalalithaa power tussle began, that Karunanidhi finally saw his way back into office in 1989. Despite a poor show in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Karunanidhi managed to get a Cabinet berth for his nephew Murasoli Maran in the National Front government headed by VP Singh, according to The Hindu. In 1999, he became part of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and in 2004, he secured an alliance with Congress and ensured a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections. The alliance continued in 2009 as well. However, in 2014, DMK decided to contest the general elections alone and lost. In 2016, DMK became the largest Opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. In his decades-long political career, Karunanidhi has contested and won Assembly elections from Kulithalai, Thanjavur, Saidapet, Anna Nagar, Harbour, Chepauk and Thiruvarur constituencies. With inputs from PTI What do Wilton Manors, South Beach and Key West all have in common? Theyre universally known as gay meccas in Florida all with a rich and vibrant history. But beyond the borders of South Florida other parts of this state have a gay history as well, including whats known as the states bastion of conservatism Floridas panhandle, also known as the Redneck Riviera. Jerry Watkins IIIs new book, Queering the Redneck Riviera: Sexuality and the Rise of Florida Tourism chronicles the history of the panhandles LGBT community and its impact on Floridas emerging tourist economy. The book begins with a brief history of post World War II Florida, a time when Floridas tourism industry began to skyrocket. Disney World was still far from reality, but families flocked here from all over for the many festive side street tourist attractions, sandy beaches, everglades, and delicious orange juice. For many people, the panhandle was the first piece of Florida they saw and naturally the first place many gays coming to the state would see as well. Awareness of gays in Florida came to light with the Homosexual Panic of 1954, when police in Miami revealed that there were in fact thousands of gays in Florida. This awareness echoed throughout the state including the panhandle. Watkins book shares with us for the first time the many first hand accounts, in great detail, of gay men navigating a gay lifestyle in Floridas panhandle. From stories of hot cruising spots such as Panama Citys infamous downtown public restroom to the local railway station, Watkins reveals the unfair treatment a lot of gays suffered as a result of the panic. Much of Watkins research comes directly from the Johns Committee records in the state archives, which detail the repression many men in the panhandle faced. He describes how homosexuality was often used as a scapegoat for local law enforcement. Watkins told SFGN in an interview he began to see the trend that when a politician or city needed an image boost in the tough on crime or family friendly area, LGBT folks were often easy targets and the public loved to shame them. Still, some of the first hand accounts reveal that on many occasions people were left alone and still did as they pleased and many of the stories in the book are as entertaining as they are educational and informative. An entire chapter of the book describes the Emma Jones Society. Every Fourth of July, the society was able to draw thousands of gays and lesbians to various beach parties and conventions throughout Pensacola. Watkins said that if the attendance numbers are to be believed, the amount of queer people present would rival the numbers of the well known Christopher Street Celebrations held around the same era in various cities throughout the country. The Advocate in a 1975 retrospective even once called the Emma Jones Society parties some of the largest gay organized events in the country. Like many people in small-town U.S, Watkins initially assumed his hometown of Panama City had little impact on the LGBT scene historically and that in order to be gay you eventually would have to move away. Sitting in Panama Citys legendary Fiesta Room Lounge in the late 1990s, Watkins soon began to realize the treasure trove of information many of his elders around him had. Watkins said he realized it is important to know that there are people like himself that are all apart of this larger history and that he wanted to chronicle what he could about LGBT history in his surrounding area and it is from that inspiration he drew the title. The people who lived it did the queering, I just reported on how they did it, he said. Of the seven Maratha leaders who announced their resignation in order to show their solidarity with the Maratha quota stir, only Shiv Sena leader Harshvardhan Jadhav seems to have followed the procedures, but even that will come into effect only after being notified by the presiding officer in the House Bulletin and the Election Commission is informed When seven legislators from one State Legislative Assembly resign over a period of two days, it's big news, especially when it was done in support of the Maratha quota stir or the way the government handled it. A significant aspect of their resignation is the fact that they do not belong to a single party. Of the seven legislators who resigned, two Seema Hire and Rahul Ahir are from the BJP, three Dattatray Bharne, Ramesh Kadam, and Jaidev Chikatgaonkar belong to the Nationalist Congress Party, one legislator Bharat Bhalke is from the Congress, and one legislator Harshvardhan Jadhav is from the Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition at the State as well as the Centre. They are Marathas and may have felt very angry at the way how the 58 silent morchas did not lead to 18 percent reservation quota for the community in schools, colleges, and jobs. Prima facie, that could be what they want their constituencies to know. Marathas in rural belts are a third of the population. And with 2019 Lok Sabha polls, just months away, they may seek re-election. However, these resignations count only when they are handed properly to the right person and in a correct manner. A process is involved, which, as lawmakers, they ought to know: Resignations have to be handwritten, cite no reasons, be signed, and if required, attested before the Speaker or the Chairperson of the Assembly of the Council to verify the signature. Hires resignation is not worth anything because she handed it over to the Maratha Kranti Morcha in Nashik. Would she submit it personally? The Times of India quoted her as saying: Will decide later. This is precisely why resignations have be submitted in person like Shiv Sena's Jadhav did. It may have been voluntary but the Speaker could suspect the possibility that Hire succumbed to pressure. The resignations cannot be sent via email, as has been the case with Bhalke. This, notwithstanding that technology has overtaken our lives and even bank transactions are done by mobile apps. But because some of the laws remain unchanged in the Constitution, the letter is to be personally carried by the member. Only Jadhav seems to have met the requirements and they come into effect only after being notified by the presiding officer in the House Bulletin and the Election Commission is informed. For, if there was a six-month gap between then and the next round of elections, a bye-lection is required to be held. The presiding officer need not accept the resignations soon upon being presented. There was a gap of time between the handing over of resignations by five YCR Congress Party MPs from Lok Sabha on 6 April and its acceptance by the Speaker on 21 June. They had resigned to build pressure on the government on the issue of special status for Andhra Pradesh. Here, the seven Maratha legislators are apparently resigning for Maratha reservation. It was reported that the Speaker had asked the MPs to reconsider their intent, and that was almost towards the end of May. Their departure would have left the Lok Sabha bereft of any member from that party, but that may not necessarily have been the case. It could also have been to let the air cool a bit. They, however, declined. But the flip side is also possible. The resignation of the Maratha leaders could be just political posturing. Though there have been no allegations of pressure from the Maratha Kranti Morcha yet at least publicly articulated such pressures, if the presiding officers note, may lead to the non-acceptance of the resignation. However, regardless of the agitators demanding or forcing it, be prepared for some more resignations. There is a lot more to be gained either by resigning, making a mere announcement, or sending one's resignation to some party leader, and be seen as being in solidarity with the agitators. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah endorsed the need for the formation of a grand alliance of Opposition parties against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday and the duo endorsed the need for the formation of a grand alliance of Opposition parties against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Speaking to the press after the closed-door meeting held at the Nabanna, the West Bengal administration headquarters, Omar said that it was important for all like-minded parties to join hands to take the fight to the BJP. "We are trying to form a true federal front where we will try to bring together all parties which oppose the BJP. We need to unite to face the BJP in 2019," he said. Omar further said that the BJP government at the Centre has structurally failed to deliver on a host of issues, including the situation in Kashmir. He said that he held discussions with Mamata over several issues, including the prevailing situation in Kashmir and the general atmosphere of fear among minorities. "...Of course no discussions between the two of us would be complete without discussing the prevailing situation in the country. The fear that prevails among the minority community in the country and also the need that is there for us to be together for a united front, a united force and take on the BJP in the forthcoming General Election next year," he told reporters at the state secretariat Nabanna. "Mamata didi has always been concerned about Kashmir. We discussed the current situation of my state. We had a discussion about the present situation in the nation and about the fear that prevails in minorities," Omar said. "Going ahead the other parties also have to be included. We will try to set aside the differences as far as possible and go for the best in terms of taking the fight to the BJP in 2019," he said. Asked whether Congress would be a part of the proposed federal front, Abdullah, while refusing to give a name to the proposed alliance, said it would be wrong to pick and choose between the parties, stressed on the importance of assembling all the anti-BJP forces together. However, he refused to comment on whether the opposition should opt for a one-on-one fight with the BJP in the poll. On the question of who will be the prime ministerial face, in case a united federal front does come together, Omar said that it was a moot point as there was still time for the elections. "Neither the election dates are announced nor the nominations have been filed, so it makes no sense to talk about the Prime Ministerial candidates right now. Our initial aim should be to take our fight to the BJP. It is not correct to think about names right now. If we start doing that, we will spoil the thing that we are trying to achieve," he added. When someone specifically brought up Mamata's name, Omar said, "See you took her name and she stepped back. She has done good work in the state and we would want that the nation also benefits from her experience." Omar also termed the queries about a formal name for the so-called alliance in the offing, premature. Mamata also reiterated her commitment to defeat the BJP in 2019 and said her party will continue to explore options for alliance with like-minded political fronts. "We haven't given the alliance any name yet. The names are being given by the media. All parties that are against BJP, will be made a part of this initiative. There is no restriction on any parties. "It will be wrong to say that we will allow certain parties to be in the alliance while some others will be left out. Our attempt would be to assemble all the parties that are against BJP to put up a fight against them in the coming election," he said. Mamata had recently accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to create an "atmosphere of Talibani Hinduism and Talibani communalism" in the country, giving the call to oust the saffron party in the next Lok Sabha poll with the slogan "BJP hatao, desh bachao". The TMC supremo, who has been a critic of the Narendra Modi government and its policies, has recently given the call for uniting all Opposition parties to oust the BJP government. Last Saturday, addressing the annual TMC martyrs' day rally, Mamata had said TMC would hold a mega rally of Opposition parties at the Brigade Parade ground here on 19 January to sound the poll bugle to capture power in Delhi. Opposition party leaders from across the country would be invited to the rally, she had said. With inputs from agencies Congress president Rahul Gandhi's birthday wishes to Uddhav Thackeray for the first time come days after he hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. Mumbai: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday wished Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on his 58th birthday, raising eyebrows in political circles. "Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always," Rahul tweeted on Friday morning. Reacting to it, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "Uddhavji gets birthday greetings from all over the country and outside. This time, he (Rahul) has openly greeted him on Twitter." Rahul's birthday wishes to Thackeray for the first time come days after he hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. A Congress source said, "The gesture (birthday greetings) can also be seen as an effort to prove that he can go beyond political rivalry to built personal relations." State Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said, "Rahul Gandhi has greeted the head of another political party. Nothing more should be read into this." The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, despite being an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre, has been a vocal critic of Modi, the government and the BJP. However, in the no-confidence vote brought against the government recently by the Telugu Desam Party and supported by various opposition parties, the Sena MPs in the Lok Sabha had stayed away from voting. Meanwhile, Modi and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also greeted the Sena chief on the occasion. "Birthday wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of society," the prime minister tweeted. tech2 News Staff The Motorola One Power through previous floating rumours was already said to arrive as part of the Android One program. A report now finds the smartphone listed on TENAA, giving us more juicy details about the phone. This might not be Motorola's first smartphone to come out with Android One as it had previously launched a variant of the Moto X4 with Android One in the US. Now there are supposed leaked specifications of what might be Motorola's second entry into the Android One program. These specifications of the Motorola One Power have surfaced on the Chinese certification website, TENAA. According to the website the device has been listed under the model name XT1942-1. The device is expected to come with a 6.18-inch LCD screen. The aspect ratio hasn't been listed, but it can be expected to be 18:9 or 19:9. The camera weighs 170 g. As for the cameras, out of the three listed camera sensors, two are 8-megapixel cameras. No other details have been given regarding the camera still keeping us guessing. Also, there is no mention of what actually is powering the Motorola device, but the chipset is said to come with an octa-core CPU clocking at 1.8 GHz. The RAM options that are mentioned are 3 GB, 4 GB and 6 GB. Internal storage options given are 32 GB and 64 GB. The battery is said to be a 4,850 mAh unit which is notably large. The colour options that are said to be available are black, white, gold and silver. Rishiraj Bhagawati Days before Mars is scheduled to record the closest distance from Earth in 15 years, scientists have reported having spotted a sizable salt-laden lake under the ice on the southern polar plain of Mars, a body of water that raises hopes that more water and maybe even primitive life exists on the Red Planet. The reservoir that was detected about 20 kilometres in diameter, shaped like a rounded triangle and located 1.5 kilometres beneath the ice surface represents the first and the largest stable body of liquid water ever found on Mars, said the report in the journal Science. "Water is there. We have no more doubt," co-author Enrico Flamini, the Italian space agency's Mars Express mission manager, said. Is this new? Previous research had already found possible signs of intermittent water flowing on the surface of Mars, so how is this discovery offering something new? Scientists say the answer lies in the kind of water body that was observed. "Now we are talking about a potential lake. What we talked about in 2011 and 2015 are probably transient liquid water on the surface the key word here being "transient", in that its existence on the surface is temporary. What these guys are talking about is a stable body of lake. If this is indeed the case, then the findings are huge and could have important implications for our search for habitbale environments on Mars," Lujendra Ojha, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States, told tech2. "Of course we need to be cautious at this time to make sure that this indeed is a lake," Ojha, who is credited with discovering flowing liquid salt water on the surface of Mars back in 2011, quickly added. Read Lujendra Ojha's 2015 interview with tech2 on his discovery here. This discovery is significant because it is the first direct evidence of liquid water on Mars, Somak Raychaudhury, director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, said. "Most of the early speculation, based on observations from Earth, starting from Giovanni Schiaparelli and Percival Lowell, have been proved to be unfounded. Recently, there has been some evidence through images sent from equipment in Mars that appear to show dry lake beds. This evidence is weak compared to this direct detection of a substantial body of (not flowing) water trapped deep below the surface ice," he said. Professor Mayank Vahia from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at TIFR, Mumbai, says that although there is a fair amount of water that has been observed, the reflection from the water body indicates that it is unlikely to be pure water. "At this stage, it is not even clear whether it is a lump of mud or it is largely water which is salty. But this is interesting either way," he said. However, the kind of water that has been now observed will not be easy to investigate for signs of life or chemical nature because it is buried deep underneath the Martian surface. "Radiowave instruments that we now use will never tell you about life you will actually need a physical sample and digging one mile on Mars will be far from easy," Vahia said. For those wondering how the water found at Mars' south pole is still liquid, given how cold poles are, Ojha explains: "On Mars, you have a lot of exotic salts. The only way you can have liquid water at the south pole of Mars is if the water is saturated with exotic salts such as perchlorates, chlorates, and/or sulfates." The detection The discovery was made using a radar instrument on board the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, which launched in 2003. The tool is called the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) and was designed to find subsurface water by sending radar pulses that penetrate the surface and ice caps. MARSIS "then measures how the radio waves propagate and reflect back to the spacecraft," the study said. A team of researchers led by Roberto Orosei of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Bologna, Italy, surveyed a region called Planum Australe, located in the southern ice cap of Mars, from May 2012 until December 2015. A total of 29 sets of radar samplings showed a "very sharp change in its associated radar signal," allowing scientists to map the outlines of the lake. "The radar profile of this area is similar to that of lakes of liquid water found beneath the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets on Earth, suggesting that there is a subglacial lake at this location on Mars," the report said. Researchers said they are not sure how far down it goes, but that it may be around three feet (one metre) deep. Does this indicate life on Mars? Space agencies try to find traces of contemporary water because such discoveries are key to unlocking the mystery of whether life ever formed on Mars in its ancient past, and whether it might persist today. "The discovery of this lake adds to the proof that Mars was once active, at least geologically and chemically, but the question to answer now is whether those processes were enough to produce life. This study made it clear that Mars may have been livable once. Frankly, we have absolutely no clue how life arose on Earth as well, but we have our theories," Vahia said. Ojha, too, said he was sure that this discovery would have excited a lot of astrobiologists, "but as I said before, we need to be cautious before jumping on this. We need to exterminate any shred of doubt that this might not be a lake." However, even after this is confirmed and if life forms are indeed observed, they are likely to be very primitive life forms such as microbes. Moreover, the search for life on Mars has not been confined to the search for liquid water. Last month, NASA's Curiosity rover found "tough" organic molecules in three-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in its atmosphere. Organic molecules include carbon and hydrogen, and also may contain oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While usually associated with life, organic molecules also may be created by non-biological processes, and are not necessarily indicators of life, NASA pointed out. But for scientists, these findings are always encouraging. "With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life," Thomas Zurbuchen, senior official at NASA, said. "Im confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet." The challenges of Mars exploration Going to Mars is not only very expensive, but also extremely difficult. Before this discovery, the biggest lessons about Mars were learnt almost exclusively from data collected by NASA's probes to the Red Planet. "The reason we get data mostly from NASA is that many countries have spectacularly failed to reach Mars. Indians were the only ones to get it right the first time itself," Vahia said. With this discovery and other recent papers on the Martian surface, can we expect more ambitious space programmes to Mars in the coming years? Perhaps those that can eventually drill into its surface and reveal what kind of water and soil exist beneath? "I am certain this will happen," Raychaudhury said. "Drilling wont happen within the next generation since heavy equipment transfer will have to wait for better technology. The discovery of water might enhance the focus on Mars missions." Ojha agrees, and adds that mission structures will have to be reconsidered by space agencies. "The path forward with NASA seems to be a sample return mission. There is a dedicated mission to Mars that is going to probe down to 5 metres deep, but that mission is to find out how much heat is escaping from the interior of Mars." "Maybe this is the time for India and China to take the lead in Mars exploration," Ojha said. The Mars Orbiter Mission, better known as Mangalyaan, is India's own space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It is India's first interplanetary mission, a mission that made ISRO the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European Space Agency. But has it been helpful so far? "Our scientific data has not been very strong from Mangalyaan. If you ask how much science has come out of it, there isnt much. People were just happy that the instrument reached in the first attempt they did not take enough measures to get all the data back properly," Vahia said. He explained that Mangalyaan also has a highly elliptical orbit, so when it gets close it can study the planet properly, but when the probe gets far in its orbit, it can get 66,000 kilometres far from Mars. "In principle, the instruments on Mangalyaan had a specific detector for Methane, but I dont know of any scientific results from the spacecraft." "Mangalyaan has an imaging camera for the surface of Mars which has imaged many features but not specific to water. The second mission might have more instruments which are more specific to finding evidence of water," IUCAA director Raychaudhury said. With inputs from agencies Two radio hosts in New Jersey, who called America's first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal 'turban man' on air, have apologised for their racist remarks and have been slapped with a 10-day suspension for using 'demeaning and inappropriate' language. New York: Two radio hosts in New Jersey, who called America's first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal "turban man" on air, have apologised for their racist remarks and have been slapped with a 10-day suspension for using "demeaning and inappropriate" language. Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the "Dennis and Judi Show" on NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewal's decision to suspend marjiuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they repeatedly called him the "turban man" on Thursday. In the remarks termed as "xenophobic and racist", Malloy had said he was never going to know Grewal's name and will instead just call him "guy with a turban". As the audio of their show went viral, the radio hosts drew widespread criticism for their remarks against the state's top law enforcement official. Malloy issued an apology on Franco's and his behalf in a video message. "On behalf of Judy and myself, I want to convey our very heartfelt apology to the state attorney general of New Jersey for the comments that came out on our show. "He certainly deserves much more respect than that and importantly to the Sikh and South Asian community of New Jersey with which we've had a very strong and close relationship over the past 20 years," Malloy said. The radio station announced that it had suspended the pair for 10 days, and they will not be on air until 6 August. New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM president Ron deCastro said in a statement that the station took the comments "seriously" and echo the pair's sincere apology to Grewal and his family, as well as the Sikh and Asian communities. "Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken brand of humour, but in this case, the language used was clearly demeaning and inappropriate. New Jersey is a state that is rich in diversity, and our radio station has served as the people's voice for nearly 30 years," deCastro said. The station will use the incident as a "learning moment" to further a dialogue of inclusiveness for all residents of the state. Malloy said in a statement on the station's website that their show had been unscripted and free form and they use humour and sarcasm to make a point and add colour to the broadcast. "In this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners," Malloy said. He said they cherished the relationship they have with the Sikh and South Again communities. "We feel very bad for any hurt that we may have caused or undue attention that they certainly didn't want or ask for," Malloy said. Hours after the radio hosts made the comments, Grewal (44), posted on Twitter that he had faced such "indignity" before and called on people to end small-minded intolerance. "This is not the first indignity I've faced and it probably won't be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. Yesterday, all of New Jersey heard it. It's time to end small-minded intolerance," Grewal tweeted on Thursday. Grewal, who was previously Bergen County Prosecutor, became the nation's first Sikh state attorney general after the state Senate approved his nomination this year. Grewal is born to Indian immigrant parents in Jersey City and was raised in the state's Hudson and Bergen counties. In a sharp response, Grewal later tweeted, "My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. I'm the 61st Attorney General of New Jersey. I'm a Sikh-American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio". Several top state government officials and advocacy groups rallied behind Grewal, extending their support and expressing outrage against the show's hosts for their remarks. Grewal thanked New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Senate President of New Jersey Steve Sweeney and US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker for their support. "You've got my back and the backs of all New Jerseyans. Others have faced far worse. We rise above this. Now let's get back to business," Grewal said. Murphy, who had appointed Grewal, had strongly condemned the language of the radio hosts, demanding action by the station. Twitter users too slammed the racist remarks saying there is no place for such language. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the global body was running out of cash and has asked the member countries to pay their mandatory contributions on time United Nations: The United Nations (UN) is at risk of running out of cash, the UN chief has warned, urging member states to pay their mandatory contributions on time and in full to ensure that the world body can continue to deliver on its key mandates. In a letter to UN staff, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he had written to member states regarding the troubling financial situation facing the UN. Caused primarily by the delayed contributions of member states to the regular budget, this new cash shortfall is unlike those we have experienced previously, he wrote in the letter. Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer, the letter stated. As of 26 July, as many as 112 member states, including India, have paid their regular budget dues in full. India made a payment of 17.91 million dollars on 29 January, 2018. At the end of June 2018, the amount of money paid by member states for the 2018 assessment stood at around $ 1.49 billion. In the corresponding period in 2017, the amount paid to the regular budget was just over $ 1.70 billion. So far this month, Iraq, Moldova, Japan, Lithuania and Mexico have paid their contributions, leaving the outstanding amount owed for 2018, at nearly $810 million. A total of 81 nations are yet to pay their regular budget dues. These include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Maldives, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Syria, the US and Zimbabwe. The US is the biggest contributor to the UN, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had said that other countries need to "step up" and pay a bigger share, adding that Washington's contribution will be capped at 25 percent. In 2017, the UN had agreed on $5.4 billion budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The US had negotiated a reduction of over $285 million from the budget, saying the "inefficiency and overspending" of the UN are well known and it will "no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked". Guterres said he has appealed to member states to pay their assessments on time and in full, and highlighted the risk the current situation poses to the delivery of mandates and to the reputation of the organisation. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric told journalists here that the UN fully understands that some member states operate on different fiscal timetables, but unlike in previous years, the cash flow has never been this low, so early in the calendar year. He also said the UN does not have much financial flexibility and relies on member states to pay their dues on time and in full. Dujarric added that the UN Secretariat would now be looking into ways of reducing expenses, with a focus on non-staff costs. According to Russian media, Bashar al-Assad has announced rebel-held Idlib province to be the government's next target to 'liberate' south-western Syria Moscow: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Russian media on Friday that his regime's next priority would be retaking Idlib province, currently dominated by rebels and jihadists. "Now Idlib is our goal, but not just Idlib," Assad said of the northwestern province, in comments carried on Russian newswires. "There are of course territories in the eastern part of Syria that are controlled by various groups... So we will be moving into all these regions," Assad added. "The military - and it is at their discretion - will decide priorities and Idlib is one of these priorities. Now we have liberated Ghouta, we will finish the liberation of the south-western part of Syria," he said. Syrian government forces launched an offensive in June backed by Russian planes to retake the south of Syria, including Daraa and Quneitra provinces. Russia, Turkey and Iran have held talks under the Astana peace process launched in 2017 and agreed to create four "de-escalation" zones to pave the way for a nationwide ceasefire. Idlib is part of one such zone. It borders Turkey to the northwest but is otherwise almost totally surrounded by regime territory, prompting fears the government would eventually attack it. Idlib has received many rebels and their families evacuated from other regions under Russian-brokered "reconciliation deals" that then saw regime forces move in to take rebel-held areas. According to the United Nations (UN), Idlib's population today stands at 2.5 million - half of them displaced people. In the same interview Assad said rescue workers from the White Helmets group would be killed if they did not turn themselves in. "Either they can lay down their arms as part of an amnesty ongoing for four or five years, or they will be liquidated like any other terrorist," he said. Israel on Sunday helped more than 400 people - opposition-linked White Helmets rescuers and their families - flee a pocket of southwest Syria as government forces bore down on them. But hundreds more remain trapped in the south, fearing reprisals from approaching regime troops. Damascus accuses the White Helmets of being a front for jihadists. Assad also appealed for Syrian refugees, especially those who had their own businesses in the country, to return. The war has killed more than 350,000 people since it began in 2011 with a brutal government crackdown on protesters. Along the sidelines of BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met leaders from Angola and Argentina to discuss ways to strengthen diplomatic ties Johannesburg (South Africa): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held bilateral meetings with presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and discussed ways to boost ties, including in areas of energy and agriculture. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a photograph of prime minister Modi and Angolan president Joao Lourenco together at the start of the talks. "Bilateral meetings continue for prime minister @narendramodi in Johannesburg! With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas. #IndiaatBRICS," Kumar said in the tweet. India and Angola have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties. India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against the Portuguese colonial rule till it attained independence in 1975. India has become the third-largest trading partner of Angola, sharing about 15 percent of that country's external trade. Angola remained the second-largest source of crude oil for India, after Nigeria, in the Sub-Saharan Africa, according to information available on the Ministry of External Affairs website. There are estimated 4,000 people of Indian-origin in Angola holding passports of different nationalities. The Prime Minister's Office tweeted that both leaders "discussed ways to enhance cooperation in trade, energy and other sectors." In another tweet, the PMO said Modi held a separate bilateral meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. "Accelerating ties with Argentina. During their meeting, Presdent @mauriciomacri and PM @narendramodi talked about strengthening relations especially in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and investment (sic)," the PMO tweeted. As president of the G20, Macri was invited to participate in the BRICS Summit. The two leaders previously met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. That time, Modi had thanked Macri for supporting India's membership bid at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group. Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit this year is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 4o percent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. Easily one of the all-time worst movie musicals, 2008s Mamma Mia! was flawed on so many levels, including the horrible casting, its difficult to know where to begin. How about this, incompetent filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd chose Mamma Mia! as her feature film debut and failed so miserably she wasnt invited back to direct the prequel/sequel. Thats just one of the inexcusable examples of how dreadful Mamma Mia! was, and yet, it somehow worked onstage. Perhaps it was because, in the case of the original Broadway production for example, they were less concerned with mega-star-power and relied on talented and experienced cast members, including Karen Mason and Judy Kaye, to perform the familiar ABBA songs. The fact that a prequel/sequel was warranted is, in itself, a mystery. But here it is -- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Universal) in all its cheesy and unnecessary glory. As insipid as it was, at least Mamma Mia! had the original stage musical script from which to work. In the case of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, we find our kooky cast of characters feeling the after effects of the death of Mamma matriarch Donna. Daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has converted the old homestead on the Greek isle of Kalokairi into the Hotel Bella Donna as a tribute to her mother. Meanwhile, hot hubby Sky (Dominic Cooper) is in New York learning about the hotel trade. Lets call this conflict number one. Sophie has assembled a guest list for the opening of the hotel including Donnas old performing partners Tanya (Christine Baranski, who singlehandedly has the funniest line in the entirely too long almost two-hour movie) and Rosie (Julie Walters, who deserves better than this), as well as her three fathers Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and Harry (Colin Firth). Excluded from the guest list is Las Vegas showgirl grandmother Ruby (Cher). Everything at the soon-to-be opened hotel is looked after by manager Fernando (Andy Garcia). A reunion of this sort is the perfect opportunity to interweave the backstory of the main characters. Via a multitude of abuses of ABBA songs, in which the lyrics are stitched (read: forced) into the script, we watch as young Donna (Lily James) leaves school chums young Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) and Rosie (Alexa Davies) behind for her personal adventure. First, she meets bumbling young Harry (Hugh Skinner), who offers Donna his virginity. Next is sexy sailor young Bill (Josh Dylan), who gets the perpetually late Donna to Kalokairi when she misses the ferry. Last, but certainly not least, is hot architect Sam (Jeremy Irvine, who looks like a UK version of the late Anton Yelchin), who is obviously the one to whom she is most attracted. That is, until she finds out hes engaged. As the story moves back and forth, various situations, meant to be humorous (but are not), romantic, complicated, emotional and educational arise. Didnt you always wonder how Donna got her trademark overalls? Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again answers that and many other burning questions. However, for a movie that makes a point of setting its past scenes in a specific time frame (1979), it doesnt appear to be all that concerned with the mathematical accuracies of time when it comes to the present. When Sophie confronts Ruby who, you guessed it, shows up at the grand opening festivities regardless of not being welcome, telling her shes 25 years too late for her role as a grandmother, the math simply doesnt add up in the correct way. For example, if, as the story indicates, Sophie was born circa 1980, she'd be 38 now, thereby making Cher's character not only 38 years too late, but at least 80 years old. Thats just one of the too-many-to-count inconsistencies in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Additionally, everything feels slap-dash and lazy, including Ol Parkers disappointing direction, the klutzy choreography and clunky editing. Plus, if you didnt guess Andy Garcias character was the inspiration for Ruby to sing Fernando (they had a fling many years before), then perhaps you need to put down the popcorn and pay closer attention. Whatever you do, dont go to see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Rating: F Former Cuban president Raul Castro has accused the US of tightening its grip on his country, Venezuela and Nicaragua and persecuting their financial transactions Santiago de Cuba: Former Cuban president Raul Castro on Thursday accused the US of tightening "the noose" around his country, Venezuela and Nicaragua but vowed to "respond to every challenge." "For us, the same as for Venezuela and Nicaragua, it's very clear that the noose is tightening, and our people need to be ready to respond to every challenge with unity, resolve, optimism and unwavering faith in the victory," Castro said. Those three countries all currently subject to US sanctions are among the last bastions of far left governance in Latin America amid a general trend to the right in recent years. Since Donald Trump's election as US president, relations with Cuba have deteriorated after a historic rapprochement under his predecessor Barack Obama. Raul Castro, the brother of late revolutionary hero Fidel Castro, said the return of right-wing governments in the region and Washington's hostility towards the left had "reawakened euphoria among our enemies who dream of destroying the Cuban example." Dressed in military uniform, Castro was speaking at an event marking the 65th anniversary of a guerrilla attack on a military barracks seen as the start of the Cuban revolution against US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Raul Castro, who is 87, assumed the Cuban presidency after Fidel stepped down for health reasons in 2008. He in turn handed over the presidency to Miguel Diaz-Canel in April. Bilateral US-Cuban relations had improved since Raul came to power, with full diplomatic relations restored in 2015 they had been dissolved in 1961 after Cuba fostered close ties with the communist Soviet Union. Cuba has been run as a single-party socialist or communist state since Batista was ousted in January 1959. Castro said the US-led blockade of Cuba had "intensified... in particular the persecution of our financial transactions." He also blasted statements about Cuba by US officials as "disrespectful, aggressive, interventionist and crudely manipulating historical facts." Unless Imran Khan can break out of the shackles of the Pakistan Army early enough, nothing is going to change as far as Pakistans India policy is concerned. If one has to go by Imran Khans statements, after the establishment of his near certain future status as prime minister of Pakistan, most analysts in India would dismiss them as platitudes. We have heard much of these before, but not to be missed is the fact that early enough, Imran has expressed some concerns on Jammu and Kashmir. If these had been about alluding to potential peace and measures he would take towards promoting it, they may have probably reverberated quite positively in India. But what he spoke could be considered as stepping on Indian toes rather early. To have a measure of what may lie in store for the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the future, we need to briefly delve into trends of the immediate past. Imran Khans first speech was on 26 July 2018, coincidentally the anniversary of Indias victory over the Pakistan Army at the Kargil heights, an event which had completely fractured even the remnants of trust between the two countries. Over the last 19 years, Pakistan has given India little reason to restore any trust. Attempts by its political leadership to mend fences have invariably been scuttled by the all-pervading presence of the Pakistan Army. So thats two elements that play a role in the India-Pakistan relationship with specific reference to Jammu and Kashmir the Pakistan Army and the trust deficit. The third is the idea that by promoting calibrated violence in Jammu and Kashmir and sponsoring separatism, Pakistan can keep India on the back foot; the subset of this is an international campaign to paint India red on the issue of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir in an attempt to keep the issue alive in the eyes of the international community. So is there anything Imran Khan is likely to do to dilute these issues? His election (if considered free and fair) cannot escape the stigma of the armys support; if not by direct intervention, then at least, the deep influence it ensured through coercion of other parties. To build that partnership with the Pakistan Army, Imran Khan had to undergo a serious makeover from the international playboy image to one of a radical Islamist, fetching him titles such as Taliban Khan and Jihadi Khan. The promotion of Islamism (a euphemism for Islamic radicalism) has long been the Pakistan Armys strategy to fight in Jammu and Kashmir through proxy using the jihadi route. It went wrong when some jihadis started to target Pakistan itself, but that has been largely corrected through hard internal security operations, against the so called unfriendly jihadis, where human rights were the last consideration. With all this, is there any likelihood that Imran Khan will go against the interests of the Pakistan Army which wishes to perpetuate its hold over Pakistans foreign and security policy and still retains another strain of radicals friendly jihadis, to execute that. Of course, it is not as if the arrival of Imran Khan is going to immediately lead to a drastic increase in attempts at enhancement of levels of violence at the LoC or the hinterland. However, an indicator that he continues to believe in Kashmiri separatism and will work towards that end is likely to give encouragement to elements in Kashmir to increase their pace of activities and work counter to our efforts to mainstream Kashmirs society. The common thread still remains the Pakistan Army, which essentially orchestrated the rise of Imran Khan because the other mainstream parties got bolder as they experienced power for a longer duration. So, unless Imran can break out of the shackles of the Pakistan Army early enough, nothing is going to change as far as Pakistans India policy and specifically the Jammu and Kashmir policy is concerned. Are there any chinks in this strategy, or the conditions which support it? Possibly three, with very slim openings. First are the strictures that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed on Pakistan just a few weeks before the election while grey listing it. Pakistan is required to showcase measures it has undertaken to reduce or eliminate the financial networks for the support to terror links. It is well understood that its economy is now approaching a situation where a bailout may be necessary by international financial institutions; a bailout effort would be linked to the FATF strictures. It will therefore need to get more serious about displaying its intent of reining in all sponsored terror elements that it controls while targeting India and Afghanistan. However, much will depend upon Indias ability to network and dilute the large international support groups that Pakistan has been able to get on its side through constant lobbying over many years. It is through these networks that Pakistan has always escaped more serious targeting and sanctions from the international community. The second slim opening is with relation to China, which has warmly welcomed the election of Imran Khan. China has invested a substantial amount of money in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the hope that its efforts to reach the Indian Ocean through a safe and stable corridor will eventually fructify. That vision does not appear to be in the process of realisation, given Pakistans restive internal security situation. With a reset underway as far as Sino-Indian relations are concerned, China could be the one entity which could exercise greater influence towards a corresponding reset in India-Pakistan relations. It is unlikely to happen through an initiative from within Pakistan and will have to be externally driven with many nudges and pushes. An economic collapse of Pakistan is the last thing China would wish to see, and to that end, it could play an important role to make the Pakistan leadership see the light as far as the positives of co-operation with India are concerned. This is unlikely to happen in a hurry as Pakistans India policy is too deeply embedded and linked to the interests of the Pakistan Army. The third one is a shot in the dark. The more virulently anti-India jihadi elements that made attempts at political mainstreaming have not succeeded. Can this change their relationship with the Pakistan deep state? Perhaps just placing them in cold storage could be an option for Pakistan, which will also meet its needs for projecting a straighter face to the FATF. Weeding them out at this stage will be risky and unlikely to be palatable to a new government. That could at best be a temporary reprieve. With some emerging order in Jammu and Kashmir with Governors rule, the Pakistan deep state could well opt for attempts to calibrate the situation to an upward spiral of violence both at the LoC and the hinterland while blaming India squarely, a game it is adept at. That would quite easily scuttle any fresh ideas that Imran Khan may have and get him more aligned with the Armys strategy. The author is a retired lieutenant general and former general officer commanding 15 and 21 Corps Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between the two countries is deep-rooted. Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between the two countries is deep-rooted. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors," Modi said in a tweet. During their meeting in Sochi, India and Russia had elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. A European Union monitoring team said that the campaign for Pakistans general election this week featured a lack of equality that meant it was not a level playing field for all parties. Auto refresh feeds As per the latest unofficial trends on ARY News , PTI is leading on 111 seats and PML-N on 63 seats. PPP is trailing at 38 seats. He rejected any wrongdoing in the election and said "the issue of fraud can be discussed after ECP announces the results." "Result Transmission Service stopped working under pressure and has delayed results. Presiding officers have been asked to meet their returning officers, along with army officers assigned to their voting booths, with the results," he said. Facing questions over the delay in declaring results, ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob said the Result Transmission Service failed after results of 25,000 out of 85,000 polling stations were uploaded. When asked about the delay in transmission of results he said, "There only has been a delay; there was no problem in the system. The delay has now happened and we cannot do anything about it." He also added that the elections were "100 percent fair and transparent". He also announced the first non-official, preliminary result of PP-11 (Rawalpindi VI), which PTI's Chaudhry Adnan won with 43,079 votes, reported Dawn . Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza Khan held a press conference at 4 am on Thursday morning to apprise the media the reasons behind the delay in posting results. He began by thanking police and security personnel, the Pakistan Army and chief of armed staff for their role in ensuring the smooth conduct of elections. As per unofficial trends, according to Dawn , PTI is leading in 112 seats, while PML-N is second with 65 seats. Bilawal Bhutto's PPP is trailing at third place with 43 seats. According to Pakistan Today , PTI chief Imran Khan has bagged 8,033 votes in NA- 131 Lahore and is in the lead against PML-Ns Khawaja Saad Rafique, who has garnered 7,644 votes so far. As per unofficial trends, Pakistan Today reported PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif is leading NA-132 Lahore with 84,362 votes against PTIs Mansha Sindhu who has managed to secure 52,213 till now. - The Presiding Officer takes a screenshot of both the forms and uploads them to the Results Transmission System, which is an Android app enabling election officers to send results to the ECP in real time. - The presiding officer fills Form 45 and Form 46 for every NA and PA seat. These forms contain information about the candidate and how many votes they received. This data can be shared with polling agents and candidates present at stations. - The bags are then handed over to the Returning Officer (RO) who, in turn, hands it over to the District Returning Officer (DRO). The DRO then submits the bags to the ECP's offices or storage houses. Green bags are for NA votes, white for Provincial Assembly votes and blue for unverified votes. - Votes that are dropped into ballot boxes are manually counted by presiding officers and assistants in the polling booth. Facing questions over the delay in declaring results, ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob said on Thursday morning, the Result Transmission Service failed after results of 25,000 out of 85,000 polling stations were uploaded. According to Dawn , this is how votes are counted: Following technical glitches in the Result Transmission System which led to delay in announcement of results, an ECP source said that system has not yet recovered, and it will take about three to four hours more to get all the results. Will take 3-4 hours to get all results out, says ECP The Express Tribune reported that according to unofficial results, the Awami Muslim League (AML) president Sheikh Rasheed has won NA-62 (Rawalpindi-VI) with 1,17,718 votes. In Islamabad, PTI bagged all seats, where in NA-54 (Islamabad-III), Asad Umer defeated Anjum Aqeel Khan, while in NA-53 (Islamabad II) Imran Khan defeated former Abbasi. Similarly, in NA-52 (Islamabad-I), PML-N candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhary lost to PTI's Raja Khurram, Chaudhary was regularly elected to National Assembly since 2008. The biggest setback for former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is losing both seats from his home constituency NA-57 (Rawalpindi-I) and NA-53 (Islamabad II). Results in constituencies where Tahreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan is winning have been stopped and polling agents are forced to leave the premises without giving them signed copies of Form 45. TLP founder chairman Khadim Hussain Rizvi and and Pir Mohammad Afzal Qadri have condemned the action of the poll officials, and said that this is a blantant violations of the rules. Via Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif (22,756 votes) has lost NA-3 (Swat-II) as well to PTI's Saleem Rehman (68,162 votes), unofficial results show as per The Express Tribune. However, Sharif is currently is leading NA-132 (Lahore). Former education minister Balighur Rehman, who served in the Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Cabinet, has suffere a defeat, as have former law and home minister Rana Sana Ullah, and PML-N candidates Tehmina Daultana, Tallal Chaudhary. The secular Awami National Party's chief Asafandiyar Wali Khan and the Jamat-e-Islami chief contesting on an MMA ticket have also suffered defeats. PTI chief has polled 92,891 votes from Islamabad's NA-53 constituency, securing an easy victory over former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the PML-N. Bezinjo went on to say, "Frontier Corps, army and the Election Commission of Pakistan have been on the same table for manipulating the election in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. The country has become a laughing stock globally because the final election results are still withheld and the army, and not the masses, has decided the results. In Balochistan, the army, ECP and FC did the selection. In PB-44, they did not allow our people to cast their votes, and did not count the results from many polling stations. They did it in the whole of Balochistan. But we will not keep mum. We will fight for democracy and to uphold the people's mandate." All major political parties have rejected the election results. Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bezinjo, the National Party president, told The Guardian, "The election was completely rigged, one of the worst elections in the history of Pakistan. We will not accept the result. All major political parties who rejected the result PML-N, PPP, MMA, NP, etc. will hold a press conference on Friday in Islamabad in order to decide their future course of action concerning the rigged elections." Calling the results "realistic, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf rejected charges of poll rigging in the election. "I certainly won't (pay heed to the allegations of poll rigging), because I think this is bad habit with those who lose here. They always start cribbing that there has been rigging. I don't think there has been rigging. The results are very realistic," he said. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, which has maintained a steady lead in the results so far, on Thursday indicated that party leader Asad Umar, who also won the national assembly seat from Islamabad (NA-54), could be the next finance minister of the country. Umar managed to retain the seat he won in 2013 in a battle with PML-N's Anjum Aqeel. According to local media reports, an FIR has been registered against PML-N candidate Imtiaz Ahmed and 150 other workers in Rahimyar Khan for attacking a returning officers office. Samaa TV reported that the workers were holding a protest against the alleged irregularities in the counting process and they ended up destroying some property. A cases was registered against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Reporting for 101reporters from Pakistan, Riazul Haq gives a brief recap of all that has happened so far in Pakistan election. Results were expected to come in at 2 am Pakistan Standard Time on 26 July, however, due to allegations of rigging and irregularities, results have been delayed so far. WATCH: A quick wrap of all that has happened so far in Pakistan General Election So far a little over 50 percent of the votes have been counted, and the trends so far suggest that no candidate of Hafiz Saeed-backed new political party has been successful across the country. PTI candidate from NA-25 (Nowshera) seat, Pervez Khattak has registered a massive win with a margin of over 47,000 votes. Khattak defeated Syed Zulfiqar from the MMA. Moreover, this is the first time that the province has re-elected an incumbent party to power. However, the reason all there names figure in a single sentence is because they all suffered a major setback in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as people defeated these political heavyweights, Samaa TV reported. The trends so far suggest that the rPTI is set to return in the provincial Assembly and it also retains a comfortable lead in all National Assembly seats in the region. PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, MMA president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj-ul-Haq, ANP head Asfandyar Wali Khan and Qaumi Watan Party chairperson Aftab Sherpao: These are the heads of six mainstream political parties in Pakistan. PTI chief Imran Khan said that in the past decade, he saw the rise and fall of Pakistan. He condemned the violence in elections, especially in Balochistan as he praised the people for coming out in large numbers to vote despite the intimidation. "I came into politics 22 years ago because I believe that the potential of our country was not being realised. The Pakistan that I saw growing up deteriorated in front of my very eyes. I came into politics because I wanted Pakistan to become the country that Jinnah had envisioned. This has been a historic election," Imran Khan said. "I just want to say a few things about the kind of Pakistan I want to see. My inspiration is our Prophet (PBUH) who believed in a welfare state; where we take responsibility for our weak. We became the opposite of the welfare state we were to become. The state where poverty rose, and the big dream for equality in Pakistan deteriorated," Imran Khan said. "I have dreamt of a Pakistan where weak, repressed and downtrodden are helped out by state. I have envisioned Quadi-e-Azam's Pakistan in which basic human rights are fulfilled, merit is followed and poor are given what a welfare state should give out," Imran Khan said. "There will be no political victimisation towards any of my opponents. The rule of law will apply equally to my supporters and those who are not. Accountability will begin with me, our ministers and then it will trickle down," Khan said. He said that he believes in strengthening the accountability courts and the institutions in the country in such a way that they hold people and politicians accountable. Imran Khan said that he will feel ashamed to live in a palatial prime minister's house when 50 percent of the nations population lives under the poverty line. "We will use all governor houses for public and will live a life with low expenses," Khan said. "I promise that I will protect the taxpayers' money. We will improve tax culture in such a way that common person will pay tax in confidence that their money will not go waste," Khan said. Imran Khan said that unlike his predecessors, he will not spend the taxpayers' money on pomp and show but will bring in austerity measures to improve expenditure. "We face grave economic challenges. From internal debt, to currency imbalance to trade deficit, due to dysfunctional institutions. We will create conducive environments for business & investment in Pakistan by rooting out corruption, Khan said. "Our focus is will be on youth empowerment and relief for our farmers and labourers. Job creation and technological improvements will the cornerstone of our policy. We will improve institutions, farmers will be supported and skill education for youth," Imran Khan said. "In the last few days, Indian media has portrayed me as if I was a villain in a Bollywood film. The narrative was that Imran Khan's election will bring about everything wrong in India-Pakistan relations. But I am the Pakistani who has traveled most extensively across India because of cricket," Imran Khan said. He said, "Kashmir remains the biggest contention between the two nations and because of the human rights violations over last 30 years, the people of Kashmir have suffered massively. The countries must come together to stop this." "Despite negative portrayal by the Indian media of me and my party, I will aim to work with India to develop better ties and develop good neighbourly nations with them. We must find an amicable solution for Kashmir and develop trade relations," Khan said. "Foreign policy is a huge problem for us as a country right now. We need better relations with our neighbours so we can focus on nation-building," Khan said. Imran Khan bats for ending blame game with India, says Kashmir solution can only be found across a table "If India takes a step towards us, we are ready to reciprocate by walking two steps. But the step should at least come from them. Right now it is one sided where India is constantly just blaming us. ," Khan added. He also said that he has seen that the ties have not progressed because the two countries have always indulged in blame game which further stagnated the bilateral relations. "Every time a terror-related incident happens anywhere in the world, India blames us, while we think that whatever happens in Balochistan is India's conspiracy. We should look beyond this blame game and strengthen our trade ties," Khan said. Ready to take two steps towards India, if New Delhi takes one, says Imran Khan Imran Khan, in his first media address since trends indicated that his party was in the lead, said that he is ready for an investigation into the rigging allegations being levelled by major political parties in Pakistan. "I will ensure that all and every concern of the Opposition is addressed. We will acknowledge all concerns, unlike previous governments. These are the cleanest, most transparent elections in the history of Pakistan," Khan said. " We will strengthen and improve our relations with China. We want to work towards success of CPEC. We also want to send teams to learn poverty alleviation from China. How to lift our most poor who cant even eat two meals a day. The second thing we can learn from China is how they curbed corruption and set the example that corruption does not pay," Khan said. PML-N candidate Mian Najeeb Ud Din Awaisi has won the NA-173 constituency, according to unofficial results. So far, 86,142 polls have been counted in favour of Awaisi while PTI's Khadeeja Aamir is the runner-up at 60,211 votes. He urged India to stop propagating "venomous propaganda" against Pakistan. Faisal said that the position of any leading party must be accepted in the wake of the election results. Pakistan on Thursday denounced what it called an uproar triggered by the Indian media over general elections in Pakistan and asked the neighbouring country to focus on its internal affairs. Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that elections are a part of the democratic process and the Indian media must focus on its internal matters. According to Dunya news, unofficial results suggest that of the 297 provincial seats in Punjab, PML-N looks set to win 126 seats, while the PTI trails close behind at 114. Reports have suggested that with PML-N short of majority mark, PTI may try and stitch an alliance with Independents to unseat the Sharifs'-led party in their home state of Punjab. Nawaz further said that he firmly adheres to his 'respect for vote' stance, adding that he is standing for the restoration of civil supremacy. Nawaz Sharif has rejected the election results and said that the mandate was snatched from his party, Geo News reported. The former Pakistan prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with party leaders at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. reported. Stood for restoration of civil supremacy but mandate has been snatched from us, says Nawaz Sharaf Pakistan's election commission has said that the turn out for these polls was impressive, even though it said that the exact numbers will be revealed tomorrow. The poll panel's statement comes at a time when all major political parties (except winning PTI) had claimed that voters were prevented from casting vote due to slow polling process, and panel's failure to extend the deadline. Pakistan's election commission has said that the official results can be expected to come out in the next three to four hours. The poll panel rejected all claims of rigging but acknowledged that it received over 670 complaints during the polling process. "There is no delay. 90% of results have been announced by Returning Officers in the field. We have received 82% out of it," ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob said. He secured 37,245 votes while Zakaullah received 18,323 votes. Malani, a Pakistani Hindu Rajasthani Pushkarna Brahamin politician, was a member of parliament from 2003-08 on a reserved seat, nominated by the PPP. In 2013 general elections, Malani was elected as Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) in Sindh. Mahesh Kumar Malani of Pakistan Peoples Party today became the first Hindu to win the National Assembly seat from Tharparkar in southern Sindh province. Malani, the 55-year-old minority community leader, defeated his nearest rival Arab Zakaullah of the Grand Democratic Alliance in the NA-222 constituency. Lawyer Jibran Nasir, who contested election from Karachi as an Independent candidate, has criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan for failing to hold free and fair elections. PPP leader and senator, Sherry Rehman said that PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto is yet to receive the formal results from his Lyari and Larkana constituencies. The claim came amid poll panel's claims that the elections were free and fair. Due to the overwhelming crowd, the people who were already at the residence faced problems in going back. Babar Awan, a senior leader of PTI, was seen crossing the wires on a motorbike. Noman Ahmed, a security guard, who travelled hundreds of kilometres to come to Islamabad just to get a glimpse of Khan said, "I am waiting to just cross these barbed wires that are separating me from my leader. Its the happiest day of my life and I knew that my leader would be the next PM. He is our only hope." Khans followers have come from across the country to congratulate him. Naseeb Ullah who came from Khyber Pakhtunkhva, said, "I am here to felicitate Khan and the Pakistani nation. This, definitely, is not just Khan's win but today the entire nation has triumphed. Soon after Imran Khan's victory speech, his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad was filled with a huge crowd to celebrate the victory. The road, which leads to his place, was closed and police officials were standing alert while his supporters, were eagerly waiting. The barbed wires were a bulwark between Khan and his followers. "We can allow no one, even journalists, to go there because there is already an unmanageable crowd. The road is one way, so we have orders to stop people here," said a security guard. She aslo said that the RTS crashing was quite a beautiful co-incidence. It shows that the election commission had no idea that there will be so much pressure on it, that there will be so much on the technology (RTS) that it will crash. The PML-N leader questioned the delay in the results and claimed that Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore were targetted especially. "Why were the polling agents forced to leave the polling booths?" she asked, adding, "They (establishment) did everything to get their favourite elected. It was a beautiful co-incidence that the RTS crashed. The election commission had no idea that there will be so much pressure on it, that there will be so much on the technology (RTS) that it will crash. She said that an All Parties Conference will be held in Islamabad where the parties will discuss the rigging of the election. "All the parties have reservations over releasing the result on handwritten slips and not via Form 45. This is a violation of the Election Code of Conduct," she added. I n a series of tweets, quoting PML-N leader Maryam Aurangzeb, the party said, "The mandate for PML-N was stolen. The political parties have gathered the evidence of election rigging together, and have raised objections that the results of the election were delayed." As per the latest update from ECP, around 94.89 percent results of National and Provincial assemblies have been declared. PTI has won 110 seats in the National Assembly; PML-N 63 seats and PPP 42 seats. Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly with 119 seats, India Today reported quoting official poll results. The majority mark is 137 seats in the National Assembly. Khan sincerely believed that he could rewrite the rules to suit the moment. He had scant regard for tournament rules, opponents, television channels, his own board, or anyone else for that matter. He ran the Pakistan team like a megalomaniac, caring two hoots for the selectors and dropping any player he thought would not fit into his scheme of things. He chose players at his whims and fancy. His word was law. The Election Commission of Pakistan has released results for 95 percent of seats ie: 251 out of 272 seats and the PTI is leading in 110 of them. Even if it manages to win all 19 of the seats where counting is currently in progress, it may not be able to form government on its own. Out of 356 aspirants from religious and banned outfits, not one could make his/her way to Parliament. This includes Hafiz Saeed's sons and the candidates the Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek leader had fielded, all of whom suffered defeats. Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi took to Twitter to congratulate Imran Khan and said, "The 22 yr old struggle has finally paid off & deservedly. Pakistanis have a lot of expectations from u I really hope u lead from the front!" It is a lesson that technologies should not be introduced before multiple tests. We will see how it can be improved, The Dawn quoted him as saying. Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad has said that the unprecedented delay in releasing official results was due to the failure of the result transmission system (RTS), saying it did not work as expected. In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been "stolen" and warned that the "tainted and dubious results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail on Thursday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N, expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported. PTI has denied rumours that it was in touch with Bilawal Bhutto-led PPP to get the required numbers to form a government at the Centre. The party tweeted out PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary's rebuttal to such rumours. According to the official election commission data, the voter turnout for the National Assembly polls was 51.85 percent as compared to the 53 percent recorded in 2013 elections. In provincial polls, Balochistan saw the lowest turnout at 44.79 percent while Punjab had the highest turnout at 55.09 percent. Here is the state-wise turnout data. The data reflects only the number of valid votes casted. Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party has decided to skip the all-party meet called by the PML-N in Islamabad on Friday. Party spokesperson Farhatullah Babar told Dawn, that the PPP was not informed in advance regarding the MPC, and the party did not see the need to attend it when its own leadership was gathering in Karachi to discuss the issue. Nisar, who has been a National Assembly member since 1985, lost both his NA seats NA-59 and NA-60 to PTI. Moreover, he lost one of the two provincial seats he contested from in Punjab. Veteran Pakistani politician Chaudhary Nisar Khan, who was the interior minister in the previous PML-N government and only recently parted ways with the party owing to several differences, was defeated from his traditional stronghold of Rawalpindi. Although there were several legal provisions aimed at ensuring a level playing field, we have concluded that there was a lack of equality and (of) opportunity, Michael Gahler, chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission, told a news conference in its preliminary assessment of the poll. A European Union monitoring team said that the campaign for Pakistans general election this week featured a lack of equality that meant it was not a level playing field for all parties. Losing Lyari seat was perhaps one of the most humiliating defeats for the PPP. Bilawal Bhutto, whose family has a long association with the Lyari seat and even regarded it as a second home, only manage to get to third place in the electoral race. Besides, Bilawal managed to win from the PPP's fort of Larkana but lost to the PTI in Malakand. The RO has ordered for a recount in the constituency, according to Geo TV . Rafique, who lost to the PTI chairman in a closely-fought contest, has filed a complaint with the returning officer alleging that the presiding officer deliberately rejected hundreds of votes as invalid. Absolutely no truth in the news of PTI establishing contact with PPP for the formation of government. @fawadchaudhry https://t.co/vvMs8Z188A PTI has denied rumours that it was in touch with Bilawal Bhutto-led PPP to get the required numbers to form a government at the Centre. The party tweeted out PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary's rebuttal to such rumours. According to the official election commission data, the voter turnout for the National Assembly polls was 51.85 percent as compared to the 53 percent recorded in 2013 elections. In provincial polls, Balochistan saw the lowest turnout at 44.79 percent while Punjab had the highest turnout at 55.09 percent. Here is the state-wise turnout data. The data reflects only the number of valid votes casted. Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party has decided to skip the all-party meet called by the PML-N in Islamabad on Friday. Party spokesperson Farhatullah Babar told Dawn, that the PPP was not informed in advance regarding the MPC, and the party did not see the need to attend it when its own leadership was gathering in Karachi to discuss the issue. Nisar, who has been a National Assembly member since 1985, lost both his NA seats NA-59 and NA-60 to PTI. Moreover, he lost one of the two provincial seats he contested from in Punjab. Veteran Pakistani politician Chaudhary Nisar Khan, who was the interior minister in the previous PML-N government and only recently parted ways with the party owing to several differences, was defeated from his traditional stronghold of Rawalpindi. Although there were several legal provisions aimed at ensuring a level playing field, we have concluded that there was a lack of equality and (of) opportunity, Michael Gahler, chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission, told a news conference in its preliminary assessment of the poll. A European Union monitoring team said that the campaign for Pakistans general election this week featured a lack of equality that meant it was not a level playing field for all parties. Losing Lyari seat was perhaps one of the most humiliating defeats for the PPP. Bilawal Bhutto, whose family has a long association with the Lyari seat and even regarded it as a second home, only manage to get to third place in the electoral race. Besides, Bilawal managed to win from the PPP's fort of Larkana but lost to the PTI in Malakand. The RO has ordered for a recount in the constituency, according to Geo TV . Rafique, who lost to the PTI chairman in a closely-fought contest, has filed a complaint with the returning officer alleging that the presiding officer deliberately rejected hundreds of votes as invalid. Pakistan Election Results 2018 latest updates: A European Union monitoring team said that the campaign for Pakistans general election this week featured a lack of equality that meant it was not a level playing field for all parties. Losing Lyari seat was perhaps one of the most humiliating defeats for the PPP. Bilawal Bhutto, whose family has a long association with the Lyari seat and even regarded it as a second home, only manage to get to third place in the electoral race. Besides, Bilawal managed to win from the PPP's fort of Larkana but lost to the PTI in Malakand. According to the official election commission data, the voter turnout for the National Assembly polls was 51.85 percent as compared to the 53 percent recorded in 2013 elections. In provincial polls, Balochistan saw the lowest turnout at 44.79 percent while Punjab had the highest turnout at 55.09 percent. PTI has denied rumours that it was in touch with Bilawal Bhutto-led PPP to get the required numbers to form a government at the Centre. The party tweeted out PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary's rebuttal to such rumours. The ECP has corrected the results of NA-190 (DG Khan II), declaring Independent candidate Muhammad Amjad Farooq Khan Khosa as the winner, reported Dawn. Previously, PTI candidate Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa was declared as the winner with a thin margin. As per the new Form 47, the "clerical error" occurred due to entering the wrong number of votes in the Results Management System. According to local Pakistan media, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released provisional results of 251 out of 270 National Assembly (NA) seats which were polled on 25 July. According to the results, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is leading the NA tally with 110 NA seats. Trailing is the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 63 and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 42 seats. There are a total of 12 independents in the NA so far as well. PML-N leader and Shehbaz Sharif's son, Hamza said that the party will form government in Punjab province despite allegations of poll rigging. In a press conference on Friday, he said, "The democratic process should continue. The answer to a weak democracy is another democracy." PTI chairman Imran Khan has reportedly tasked his confidant Jahangir Tareen with recruiting Independent Members of the Provincial Assembly in Punjab. The decision was made after an advisory meeting in Islamabad. The Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) workers staged a protest in Karachi on Thursday night after their chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was defeated in NA-246 (Karachi South I), a PPP stronghold, as per unofficial results, reported Geo TV. According to Dawn, PML-N's Khwaja Saad Rafique has challenged Imran Khan's NA-131 (Lahore) win in a petition submitted to Returning Officer Muhammad Akhtar Bhango. The former minister has alleged that the presiding officer deliberately rejected several votes in the constituency. The Election Commission of Pakistan has released results for 95 percent of seats ie: 251 out of 272 seats and the PTI is leading in 110 of them. Even if it manages to win all 19 of the seats where counting is currently in progress, it may not be able to form government on its own. As per the latest update from Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday, around 94.89 percent results of National and Provincial assemblies have been declared. PTI has won 110 seats in the National Assembly; PML-N 63 seats and PPP 42 seats. Pakistan's election commission has said that the official results can be expected to come out in the next three to four hours. The poll panel rejected all claims of rigging but acknowledged that it received over 670 complaints during the polling process. Poll panel has said that the turn out for these polls was impressive, even though it said that the exact numbers will be revealed tomorrow. The poll panel's statement comes at a time when all major political parties (except winning PTI) had claimed that voters were prevented from casting vote due to slow polling process, and panel's failure to extend the deadline. Nawaz Sharif has rejected the election results and said that the mandate was snatched from his party, Geo News reported. The former Pakistan prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with party leaders at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Nawaz further said that he firmly adheres to his 'respect for vote' stance, adding that he is standing for the restoration of civil supremacy. Imran Khan said that he is ready for an investigation into the rigging allegations being levelled by major political parties in Pakistan. "I will ensure that all and every concern of the Opposition is addressed. We will acknowledge all concerns, unlike previous governments. These are the cleanest, most transparent elections in the history of Pakistan," Khan said. Imran Khan said that he has seen that the ties between India and Pakistan have not progressed because the two countries have always indulged in blame game which further stagnated the bilateral relations. "If India takes a step towards us, we are ready to reciprocate by walking two steps. But the step should at least come from them. Right now it is one sided where India is constantly just blaming us. ," Khan added. Prime minister-elect Imran Khan said that the new Pakistan under the leadership of PTI will focus on policy, governance, transparency and foreign policies. Imran slammed the Indian media when he started speaking about its eastern neighbour and said that the media portrayed him as a "Bollywood villain" when the two nations should focus on furthering better ties with each other. Imran said the blame-game between India and Pakistan must stop. "Kashmiris have suffered significantly. India and Pakistan must take steps to improve trade relations and the situation in Kashmir." Imran mentioned China and said that there are lessons to be learnt from Beijing too. "We will strengthen and improve our relations with China. We want to work towards success of CPEC. We also want to send teams to learn poverty alleviation from China. How to lift our most poor who cant even eat two meals a day." Lauding China's zero tolerance policy for corruption, Imran said, "The second thing we can learn from China is how they curbed corruption and set the example that corruption does not pay." "We will not let political victimisation of anyone happen. No one will be above the law; this is our aim. And for these checks and balances, we need strong institutions. I dont think any leader has seen as many personal attacks as I have seen in the past 3 years. I have forgotten it all and its behind me. This is bigger than Imran Khan. This is about the country. We want to set an example that the law will be supreme. The west is ahead of us purely because of these principles and this must become our guiding principle." Khan said that in the past decade, he saw the rise and fall of Pakistan. He condemned the violence in elections, especially in Balochistan as he praised the people for coming out in large numbers to vote despite the intimidation. "I came into politics 22 years ago because I believe that the potential of our country was not being realised. The Pakistan that I saw growing up deteriorated in front of my very eyes." Trends show that chiefs of six mainstream political parties, including PPP's Bilawal Bhutto and MMA president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, are set to lose elections in the PTI stronghold, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. This was the first time in history of Pakistan that KPK is poised to re-elected a party in the provincial Assembly. PTI chief Imran Khan is the first ever Pakistani politician to have contested five seats and win all of them. Prior to Khan, only Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto contested from four constituencies at the same time, of which he won three and lost out on one seat to Mufti Mehmood. Former Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who was contesting from Murree and Islamabad, has lost both seats to PTI candidates. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islam chief and prime minister in-waiting Imran Khan is expected to deliver his victory speech at 4 pm PST from Islamabad's Bani Gala area. Former Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (1,24,703 votes) has lost to PTI's Saddiqui Ali Abbasi (1,36,249 votes) on his home turf NA-57 (Rawalpindi I). Quoting party sources, Dawn reported that Hamza Shehbaz Sharif and Saad Rafique have been tasked with recruitment of Independent winners to ensure PML-N is able to form government in Punjab. According to latest unofficial election trends, ARY News reported that PTI is currently leading in 115 seats, a drop from the earlier 120. PML-N, on the other hand, is now ahead in 64 seats, and PPP in 38 seats. According to The Guardian, Pakistan will have to wait until Thursday evening for official results to be announced, ECP officials have said. It is 24 hours after polls closed on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, the Pakistan stock market showed a bullish trend, a day after the country voted for the second consecutive democratic government, as early unofficial election results tipped PTI to win most seats. PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif's son, Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has bagged NA-124 (Lahore II) with 1,46,294 votes, defeating PTI's Muhammad Nauman Qaiser, who secured 80,981 votes unofficial results show. As per latest unofficial trends, PTI leading in 119 seats, PMLN in 61 seats and PPP is ahead in 40 seats. According to Dawn, PML-N's Muhammed Riaz won NA-123 (Lahore-I) with 97,193 votes, defeating PTI which secured 72,535 votes. Meanwhile, the Awami National Party general secretary, Iftikhar Hussain rejected the election results. The biggest setback for former Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is losing both seats from his home constituency NA-57 (Rawalpindi-I) and NA-53 (Islamabad II). In Islamabad, PTI bagged all seats, where in NA-54 (Islamabad-III), Asad Umer defeated Anjum Aqeel Khan, while in NA-53 (Islamabad II) Imran Khan defeated former Abbasi. Similarly, in NA-52 (Islamabad-I), PML-N candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhary lost to PTI's Raja Khurram, Chaudhary was regularly elected to National Assembly since 2008. Following technical glitches in the Result Transmission System which led to delay in announcement of results, an ECP source said that system has not yet recovered, and it will take about three to four hours more to get all the results. Imran Khan's spokesperson Naeemul Haque said that the PTI chief will address Pakistan on Thursday at 2 pm PST, reported Dawn, in celebration and recognition of the massive support received from the people of Pakistan in the 2018 elections which was a contest between the forces of good and evil. PTI chief Imran Khan has bagged NA-95 (Mianwali) with 1,27,530 votes, reported ARY News, as per unofficial results. He defeated PML-N's Abdullah Khan who received 49,532 votes. Amid allegations of wrongdoing and rigging in the Pakistan elections, PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif said the party rejected the election results. "We will use all political and legal options for redressal of these glaring excesses. This is an outright rigging and the results based on massive rigging will cause irreparable damage to the country," he said in a tweet. As per unofficial trends, according to Dawn, Imran Khan's PTI is leading in 112 seats in Pakistan, while PML-N is second with 65 seats. Bilawal Bhutto's PPP is trailing at third place with 43 seats. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday rejected allegations of any wrongdoing in the general election after several political parties raised objections over the process and said they feared rigging. The ECP said the election results were being collected and the first official result will be announced soon. ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob said Result Transmission Service failed after results of 25,000 out of 85,000 polling stations were uploaded. He rejected any wrongdoing in the election and said "the issue of fraud can be discussed after ECP announces the results". The Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed victory despite serious questions being raised over the authenticity of the election process. Sensing victory, PTI supporters erupted in jubilation as trends showed the party was leading on 111 seats. According to latest trends available, PTI was followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of jailed leader Nawaz Sharif. PML-N was leading on 68 National Assembly seats. Hundreds of PTI supporters came out on streets in several cities, dancing and celebrating. "We have got our Naya Pakistan," said Shahid Ali, one of the supporters, as he danced euphorically near the busy Faizabad interchange, which links Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi. The Press Trust of India correspondent was caught for several hours in traffic when returning from the election coverage as highly-charged PTI workers raised victory slogans. Reports said similar celebrations were being organised in other cities as well. The victory and joy in the PTI camp appeared premature as the incumbent PML-N and Bilawal Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rejected the results. "Our polling agents were not given results and we will not accept it," said Khurshid Shah of PPP. PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif alleged that the election process was "blatantly" rigged. He warned of protests. Analysts predicted tumultuous weeks ahead for Pakistan as a strong opposition to the election results was building up. PML-N was leading on 67 seats and PPP on 39. "They will make a lethal combination if they joined hands against Imran Khan," analyst Sohail Warriach said. A party can form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats out of the total 342. A single party will need at least 137 of the 272 directly-elected seats to be able to form the government on its own. (WB) Three gay men were egged outside of a gay bar in the LGBT-friendly town of Wilton Manors, Fla. on Monday night, according to ABC affiliate Local 10. Brian Carter and his two friends were standing outside of Gym Bar when a driver in a black BMW M3 drove by saying Do you want to be gay? I mostly just heard the yelling and was pelted right away, Carter told Local 10. It was a pretty heavy hit right here, but it splattered so much and it hit a couple other people. They were definitely shaming us for being something that we feel like we were born with. I feel no shame for who I am, Carter continued. Egg yolks were also found on the sidewalk outside of Out of the Closet thrift shop, which is affiliated with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and outside of the Wilton Manors police station. Carter posted a picture of himself covered in egg yolk on Facebook but says he wasnt scared. Instead, he says he feels bad for the perpetrator. It didnt hurt. I didnt go home and cry. I went home and went to bed, Carter said. I kind of laughed it off, but I feel bad for the person that threw it. Why would he feel like he needed to do that? Gym Bar owner Rick Schmultzer told Local 10 he thought the person responsible is cowardly. Some idiot decides hes going to drive by, throw an egg, and yell a slur, Schmultzer said. Its cowardly. Its stupid. Its childish and its ridiculous. Gym Bar took a light-hearted approach to the incident by having a promotion on egg salad sandwiches on Wednesday. Ahead of the general election, the Pakistan Army, which has always been extremely sensitive about what is written about the country's domestic or foreign policies, tamed media outlets, reporters and columnists While elections in Pakistan evinced great interest in the international media, a section of the the country's domestic media was reeling under harassment, threats and abductions. The witch-hunt against the media began after journalist Matiullah Jan wrote highly critical articles against Pakistan's military and judiciary. Military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor held a press conference where he said a handful of journalists and bloggers were "anti-State and anti-military". And later, other writers and opinion makers in leading media outlets were also painted with the same brush, as Pakistan Today reported on Thursday. Ahead of the general election, the Pakistan Army tamed the country's leading media outlets, reporters and columnists. Those working with the Dawn group, Geo News and Jang group were particularly targeted. These media outlets were told to drop certain columnists and remove certain articles. While the leading Urdu daily Jang was denied delivery in Cantonment areas, television channels of the Jang and Dawn groups were also blacked out. This move coerced the former to reconcile with the army, while the latter took to the BBC to air its grievances. But the saga of Pakistan's largest English daily, Dawn, is particularly worth mentioning. A "disturbing reality" has confronted the media outlet and its staff since 2016. The pressure grew more intense last month after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif confessed in an interview to the newspaper that Pakistani militants were behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Since then, Dawn's distribution has affected in several parts of Pakistan. But ahead of the recently held elections, the situation worsened. The English daily was blocked from military areas, while its copies were confiscated and sellers intimidated. An editorial recently published in Dawn said that the newspaper suffered a continued onslaught in a "wide-ranging and seemingly coordinated manner", that includes its distribution being stopped in several areas. It recounts how it has faced many challenges in the past and why it will continue to do so with fortitude. "A campaign of disinformation, libel and slander, hate and virtual incitement to violence against Dawn and its staff has necessitated placing certain matters on the record," the editorial said. Significantly, while Dawn's situation indicates a deeper ideological conflict between the liberal media and the Pakistani establishment, the newspaper's fresh allegations are corroborated by several findings. For instance, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has vociferously condemned the pre-election witch-hunt against the media persons. In an official tweet, it castigated the "systematic curtailment of freedom of expression in the form of press advice, intimidation and harassment", which was reportedly perpetrated by State intelligence agencies and has left many journalists and their management too vulnerable to resist. On July 23, the HRCP released a fact-finding report in response to numerous journalists in print and broadcast media who have complained of interference with freedom of expression during the last few months. The complaints included the Dawn management's allegations of unlawful interference with distribution of the newspaper across the country. In a nutshell, the report highlights the curbs to distribution of print and broadcast media and their impact on businesses, curbs to freedom of expression in the Pakistani media, press advice and intimidation, bribes, favors and "fed" narratives. Similarly, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented how journalists who are critical of the military or authorities were abducted or attacked. Indicating that the army spokesman has falsely accused several media persons of spreading an anti-State and anti-military propaganda, it has detailed how the distribution of two of the country's largest outlets Geo TV and Dawn was arbitrarily restricted. CPJ Asia's research associate, Aliya Iftikhar, reported on 20 July: "The country's media regulator issued a statement this month warning news channels not to air any statements 'by political leadership containing defamatory and derogatory content targeting various state institutions, specifically judiciary and armed forces'." Senior journalist with The News, Ahmad Noorani, is reported to have told CPJ that some media houses received instructions from "certain forces" not to cover anything that favored former prime minister Nawaz Sharif or went against the judiciary. What has distressed the independent journalists and non-profit human rights organisations in Pakistan is the judiciary's indifference towards this climate of fear. By not taking action against this harassment, they believe, the judiciary has fanned the fire of self-censorship. This is, of course, a gloomy picture of the Pakistani judiciary, which has the power to take up cases on its own, but did not. And worse, it has been threatening legal action against those critical of the military or judiciary's state of affairs. The HRCP report said, "Many print and broadcast journalists say that a common consequence of 'disobeying' instructions is vicious character assassination through anonymous social media accounts and social networking platforms that go so far as to incite violence against mediapersons and in the case of women, rape threats." Islamabad-based journalist Saeed Shah wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal detailing how Pakistan's media was targeted in a "systematic, creeping, coup" by the army. "Critics say the military's move ahead of the 25 July election is part of a larger power grab that seeks to ensure a pliant government emerges from the polls," Shah reported. Another Pakistani writer based in Berlin, Umer Ali, expressed the same concern a day before the election in Pakistan. Ali was of the opinion that as Pakistan voted, the military tightened its leash on the media. "Voting rights, peaceful polls, transparency: All are key to fair elections. Another building block is an independent media, which many Pakistanis say is under threat ahead of tomorrow's vote," he wrote. If we trace the evolution and working of the press in the context of growing political instability in Pakistan, this sorry state of affairs is no wonder. Pakistani journalists have lived in more trying times in the past. Even more severely than these days, media critics of the military were harassed, gauged and abducted in several elections in the past. The military has always been extremely sensitive about what is written about the country's domestic or foreign policies. But what's to be seen now is how the fourth pillar of democracy will operate in the 'Naya Pakistan'. We need to closely look at how the media will fare under Imran Khan. Pakistan authorities were on Thursday faced with hiccups in finalising the outcome of the general elections due to logistic and technical problems, resulting in allegations of rigging. Islamabad: Pakistan authorities were on Thursday faced with hiccups in finalising the outcome of the general elections due to logistic and technical problems, resulting in allegations of rigging. More than 85,000 polling stations were set up for elections to the national and provincial assemblies but transmission of results from there stopped due to fault in the Result Transmission Service a special software designed for it. Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Babar Yaqoob told media that the process had picked up after mid-day and as polling staff had physically submitted about 90 percent results with Returning Officers (ROs) who compile final tally of every candidate. "There was some delay but we are still faster than many other countries where it takes days before final results are ready," he said. Yaqoob said that his analysis showed that voters' turnout was around 55 percent but it was an "initial assessment and could change". But contrary to his claims, the official website of the ECP showed that results of just 152 out of 270 contested seats of National Assembly were received. It showed that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan got 77 seats, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got 42 and Pakistan People Party got 16. But private media gave a different picture and Dunya TV reported unofficial results of 264 seats, with PTI getting 116, PML-N 63 and PPP 44 seats. Geo TV reported that PTI got 117, PML-N 60 and PPP 40 seats out of 268 seats. Earlier, media reports showed that 55 percent results have been unofficially showing that PTI was leading on 119 seats, followed by PML-N (65) and PPP (44). However, the situation changed several times during the day but PTI maintained a comfortable lead. After the final compilation, the ECP will allot 60 reserved seats for women and 10 reserved seats for minorities on the basis of their share in the contested 270 seats. Currently, as per results of private media the PTI may be allotted around 43 percent of reserved seats, taking its final tally easily over 145 seats. In the house of 342, it will need 172 seats to elect the prime minister with a simple majority. It means that PTI will still need support of smaller parties and independent winners to form a coalition government. But the Opposition will be strong enough to corner the government on key issues and it would be impossible to implement any grand agenda of reforms. The PTI will also face another problem as it will not able to bring any amendment in the Constitution for which it will need two third majority in the National Assembly as well as separately in the senate. Currently, PML-N is in majority in the senate or the upper house. Earlier, Pakistan rose up to meet a new uncertainty instead of much hoped for stability amidst numerous allegations of rigging and mismanagement of elections, which were held countrywide on Wednesday in the protection of security forces led by army, which also controlled transportation of election material and personnel. There were complaints during the day about delay as results could not be compiled even after 15 hours since polling was closed on Wednesday at 6 pm. Pakistan's chief election commissioner Raza Khan officially announced the first result at 4 am. "These elections were fair and we have not received any complaint. If anyone has proof, we will take action," he said, as allegations were hurled against polling process and the delay in outcome of the results. There is an interesting situation about the results of the provincial assemblies. Dunya TV says that PML-N won 130 seats in Punjab followed by PTI with 120 in the Provincial Assembly of 297 members. PPP has won 76 out of 130 seats in Sindh Assembly, PTI won 66 out of 99 seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) won 11 out of 51 seats in Balochistan. Though, PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq said that his party will form government in Punjab with support from other smaller parties but tussle between the PTI and PML-N to form the government in Punjab is already on the horizon. The elections have also been marred by the allegation of fraud by almost all political parties. Yaqoob said that not a single complaint about rigging was so far received at the ECP. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian assailant entered an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, stabbed one person to death and wounded two others before he was shot and killed, the Israeli military and a hospital spokeswoman said. The Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom said that one of the men wounded was in serious condition and the other sustained light injuries. A Jerusalem hospital confirmed the third victim had died JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian assailant entered an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, stabbed one person to death and wounded two others before he was shot and killed, the Israeli military and a hospital spokeswoman said. The Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom said that one of the men wounded was in serious condition and the other sustained light injuries. A Jerusalem hospital confirmed the third victim had died. "A terrorist infiltrated into the community and stabbed three civilians. The terrorist was shot and killed," the Israeli military said. Israeli media reports said the assailant was shot by a fellow resident of the Adam settlement, which lies between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials. Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, praised the attack. Its spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, said it was a "heroic and brave operation that came in response to the daily, ugly crimes conducted by the Israeli occupation against our people." Israeli-Palestinian tensions have surged in the past few months. At least 140 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli fire in weekly border demonstrations. Israel says Hamas is using the protests as cover for a cross-border attacks. Hamas denies this. Palestinian militants have in recent weeks fired hundreds of rockets into Israel from Gaza and have opened fire at Israeli troops across the border, killing one soldier and drawing fatal Israeli air and tank strikes. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014 and a bid by the U.S. administration to restart them has so far shown little sign of progress. Palestinians want to establish a state in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally and maintains control over more than half the West Bank, where the Palestinians have limited self-rule. Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; editing by Alison Williams and Lisa Shumaker) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Roberta Rampton and Denis Pinchuk WASHINGTON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he wanted U.S. President Donald Trump to be his guest in Moscow, an idea that the White House welcomed despite lingering criticism over the Helsinki summit. The Russian leader said on a visit to South Africa for an economic conference that 'appropriate conditions' were required in both countries for another summit to take place, an apparent reference to a political uproar in the United States last week after the two men met. By Roberta Rampton and Denis Pinchuk WASHINGTON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he wanted U.S. President Donald Trump to be his guest in Moscow, an idea that the White House welcomed despite lingering criticism over the Helsinki summit. The Russian leader said on a visit to South Africa for an economic conference that "appropriate conditions" were required in both countries for another summit to take place, an apparent reference to a political uproar in the United States last week after the two men met. The White House said Trump was enthusiastic about another summit. Trump has said he wants to improve ties between the two nuclear powers, whose relations have dipped to a post-Cold War low in recent years. "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Separately, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he was considering the possibility of the first talks in years between the defence chiefs of the United States and Russia. Mattis said there had been no decision. Trump was criticized at home for failing to confront Putin publicly over Moscow's interference in the 2016 U.S. election, and for seeming to contradict his own intelligence agencies on the threat from Russia. Trump has defended his conduct in a two-hour private meeting with Putin and at a joint news conference. The White House said no agreements were reached other than having national security teams meet. No policy changes came out of the summit, Mattis said on Friday, adding he had also not been given new direction on Syria. Moscow's military support starting in 2015 of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the election have soured relations. Russia is under punitive sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union and wants them lifted. Putin told reporters on Friday: "We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries" for more U.S.-Russia summits. Putin went on to say Russia was ready to greet Trump in Moscow. "Be my guest. He has such an invitation, I told him that." Following the backlash in the United States over Trump's cordial public tone with Putin in Helsinki, U.S. and Russian officials backed away from Trump's proposal to schedule a follow-up meeting in Washington in the fall. The White House on Wednesday postponed that invitation until next year, when a federal investigation of Russian election interference could be finished. The last time Trump was in the Russian capital was as a private citizen in 2013 to attend a Miss Universe beauty pageant. That visit surfaced in the FBI investigation of Russian election activities in the form of a dossier containing allegations that Trump had spent time with Russian prostitutes there. Trump has denied the allegations. Efforts by both Trump and Putin to achieve detente have been fiercely resisted by U.S. lawmakers, including some in Trump's own Republican Party, accusing him of being too friendly toward Putin, whom they consider an adversary of the United States. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Moscow waged an influence campaign to help Trump win the White House by hacking into Democratic Party computers and using fake social media accounts to denigrate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump will convene his national security advisers on Friday for a meeting on election security because his advisers have warned him Russia continues efforts to interfere in U.S. elections, less than four months before Americans vote in elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress. Trump has repeatedly denied his campaign colluded with Russia and has characterized the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a witch hunt. Trump is infuriated by any suggestion he might owe his election victory to Russia. Trump on Friday denied knowing in advance about a 2016 meeting his son Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign staff had at Trump Tower with a group of Russians who offered damaging information on Clinton. A CNN report said his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen planned to tell Mueller that Trump did know of the meeting. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Grant McCool; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Thousands have rallied in front of president Andrzej Duda's palace in Warsaw, Poland against the new judicial laws enabling the government to elect Supreme Court's chief justice Warsaw: Thousands of anti-government protesters hit streets across Poland to rally against a string of judicial reforms that the European Union (EU) has dubbed a threat to judicial independence and the rule of law. The demonstrations are the latest salvo in a bitter battle over sweeping judicial changes introduced by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government. They have led the EU to trigger unprecedented proceedings against Poland over "systemic threats" to the rule of law that could see its EU voting rights suspended. Chanting "Shame!", "Free courts!" and "We'll defend democracy!", several thousand protesters rallied in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw just hours after PiS-allied President Andrzej Duda signed into law a controversial measure effectively allowing the government to pick the next Supreme Court chief justice. Warsaw lawyer Bozena Rojek, 68, said she had returned to protest on the same street where she had rallied against the Communist Party's brutal 1981 martial law crackdown on the freedom-fighting Solidarity trade union. "I fought for democracy so that there would be free courts, so that we live in a free country with the rule of law," she told AFP. "Today everything's crumbling right before our eyes," Rojek added. The new law signed on Thursday by Duda is part of a string of PiS judicial reforms aimed at replacing judges all the way up to the Constitutional Tribunal and Supreme Court. Brushing aside concerns about democratic standards, the PiS insists the reforms tackle corruption and overhaul a judicial system still haunted by Poland's communist era. Around a third of the Supreme Court's 73 judges, including chief justice Malgorzata Gersdorf, have been forced to retire early under the PiS-authored law. Rejecting it as breaching her constitutionally guaranteed six-year term that ends in 2020, Gersdorf has refused to go, winning widespread backing from fellow Supreme Court judges, Europe's top judicial and bar authorities and rights groups. The law signed by Duda on Thursday is intended to speed her replacement by allowing the next chief justice to be chosen when 80 judges are appointed to the Supreme Court, down from 110, a near-full roster of its 120 justices. The EU has also questioned the Supreme Court reforms as undermining judicial independence thus breaching Poland's obligations under EU law. Warsaw has until early August to respond to the commission's formal announcement, the first stage of a procedure that could end up in the European Court of Justice, the bloc's top tribunal, where the law could be struck down. By Yara Bayoumy, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is quietly pushing ahead with a bid to create a new security and political alliance with six Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, in part to counter Iran's expansion in the region, according to U.S. and Arab officials. The White House wants to see deeper cooperation between the countries on missile defence, military training, counter-terrorism and other issues such as strengthening regional economic and diplomatic ties, four sources said. By Yara Bayoumy, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is quietly pushing ahead with a bid to create a new security and political alliance with six Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, in part to counter Iran's expansion in the region, according to U.S. and Arab officials. The White House wants to see deeper cooperation between the countries on missile defence, military training, counter-terrorism and other issues such as strengthening regional economic and diplomatic ties, four sources said. The plan to forge what officials in the White House and Middle East have called an "Arab NATO" of Sunni Muslim allies will likely raise tensions between the United States and Shi'ite Iran, two countries increasingly at odds since President Donald Trump took office. The administration's hope is that the effort, tentatively known as the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), might be discussed at a summit provisionally scheduled for Washington on Oct. 12-13, several sources said. The White House confirmed it was working on the concept of the alliance with "our regional partners now and have been for several months." Saudi officials raised the idea of a security pact ahead of a Trump visit last year to Saudi Arabia where he announced a massive arms deal, but the alliance proposal did not get off the ground, a U.S. source said. Sources from some of the Arab countries involved also said they were aware of renewed efforts to activate the plan. Officials from other potential participants did not respond to requests for comment. "MESA will serve as a bulwark against Iranian aggression, terrorism, extremism, and will bring stability to the Middle East," a spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said. The spokesperson declined to confirm that Trump would host a summit on those dates and sources cautioned that it remains uncertain whether the security plan will be finalised by mid-October. Similar initiatives by previous U.S. administrations to develop a more formal alliance with Gulf and Arab allies have failed in the past. Washington, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi accuse Iran of destabilising the region, fomenting unrest in some Arab countries through proxy groups and increasingly threatening Israel. The alliance would put emphasis on Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates working closer together with the Trump administration on confronting Iran. It is unclear how the alliance could immediately counter Tehran but the Trump administration and its Sunni Muslim allies have joint interests in the conflicts in Yemen and Syria as well as defending Gulf shipping lanes through which much of the world's oil supplies are shipped. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that "under the pretext of securing stability in the Middle East, Americans and their regional allies are fomenting tension in the region." He said the approach would have no result beyond deepening the gaps between Iran, its regional allies and the U.S.-backed Arab countries." Potentially a big obstacle to the planned alliance is a 13-month-old rift pitting Saudi Arabia and the UAE against Qatar, home to the largest U.S. air base in the region. Other Arab nations have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, which it denies. While one source said the administration is concerned the quarrel could be an obstacle to the initiative, he and an Arab official both said Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had assured Washington the rift would not pose a problem to the alliance. The NSC spokesperson denied the rift was a hurdle. As Trump pursues his "America First" policy, the White House is eager to have U.S. allies worldwide shoulder more of the burden in confronting regional security threats. The UAE is ready to deploy more troops across the Middle East to counter its foes as it believes it can no longer rely on Western allies like the United States and Britain, UAE minister Anwar Gargash said on Thursday. Setting up a regional anti-missile defence shield, which the United States and Gulf countries have discussed for years without result, would be a goal for the alliance, a source familiar with the plan said, as well as training to upgrade the countries' militaries. Tension with Iran has increased since Trump announced in May that the United States was pulling out of a 2015 international deal to limit Tehran's nuclear ambitions. On Monday, Iran dismissed a warning from Trump that it risked dire consequences "the likes of which few throughout history have suffered before" if it made threats against the United States. (Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington, Aziz El Yaakoubi in Dubai and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Editing by Alistair Bell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The Home Office said it had agreed to a 'short-term pause' of the mutual legal assistance process with the US over Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. London: Britain has suspended cooperation with the United States over two Islamic State terror suspects, the government announced on Friday, following concerns that they could face the death penalty. Britain said Monday it was sharing intelligence to help the United States bring to trial two fighters captured in Syria, who were part of a group of British jihadists nicknamed the "Beatles". But Home Secretary Sajid Javid, the interior minister, faced intense criticism after agreeing to share intelligence without seeking assurances the men would not face execution if they were extradited. The Home Office said it had agreed to a "short-term pause" of the mutual legal assistance process with the US over Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. "We received a request from the legal representative of the family of one of the suspects to pause the MLA response," a spokesman said. "We have agreed to a short-term pause. The government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the government's longstanding MLA policy." On Monday, Security Minister Ben Wallace told MPs that a British trial was unlikely for the pair, who were seized earlier this year by US-backed Syrian forces. He also said the pair were not British citizens, without giving further details. News reports had said that the government had unusually stripped them of their nationality. Kotey and Sheikh were part of a four-member kidnapping gang within the Islamic State group dubbed "The Beatles" by their captives due to their heavy British accents. The cell is also believed to have included Mohammed Emwazi known as "Jihadi John" who was killed in an air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey. They were notorious for videotaping beheadings and are believed to have killed US journalist James Foley and many Western aid workers. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces caught Kotey in January as he tried to flee Syria for Turkey, while a US defence official said in February that Sheikh had also been captured by Syrian rebel forces. The United States will 'look for opportunities' to work with the new leaders of Pakistan after they form the government, and will try to advance security, stability and prosperity in South Asia Washington: The United States will "look for opportunities" to work with the new leaders of Pakistan after they form the government, and will try to advance security, stability and prosperity in South Asia, a US official said on Friday. The US is awaiting the full official results to declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan and observer missions to release their preliminary findings, the State Department spokesperson said. Imran Khan has claimed victory in the general election after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single-largest party in the National Assembly, amid allegation of rigging of the poll in his favour. Khan's party had won 105 of the 272 directly-elected seats, according the latest official results. "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the State Department spokesperson told PTI. The spokesperson also said that the US was "concerned by reports of constraints placed on freedoms of expression, association, and the press leading up to the elections." Eliot Engel, ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to expressed concern about the "outsized role" the military played in the election, saying this has been another missed opportunity for the people of Pakistan. "I want to congratulate the people of Pakistan who braved various hardships to cast their votes yesterday. I was hopeful that Pakistan would build upon its 2013 elections which saw the country's first successful democratic transition from one civilian government to another," he said. "But I take very seriously the allegations that Pakistan's military played an outsized role in shaping the electoral environment in advance of the elections," Engel said. He, however, said that he looks forward to working with "whatever government comes to power" but note with disappointment the missed opportunity to advance democracy in Pakistan. Motorola might be planning an entire Motorola One line-up that might replace the Moto X series that got cancelled recently. Motorola One Power Android One smartphone surfaced in press shot back in May, and the phone surfaced in live images last month, now the phone has been certified by TENAA in China revealing the complete specifications of the smartphone. This reveals a 6.18-inch FHD+ 19:9 aspect ratio screen with a notch, 1.8GHz Octa-Core SoC which could be Snapdragon 636, up to 6GB RAM, 16MP + 5MP dual rear cameras and a 4850mAh battery. Motorola One Power (XT1942) rumored specifications 6.18-inch (2246 1080 pixels) Full HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU 6GB / 4GB / 3GB RAM with 32GB / 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) Android 8.1 (Oreo) 16MP rear camera with LED flash, 5MP secondary rear camera 8MP front-facing camera Fingerprint sensor Dimensions: 155.875.99.98mm; Weight: 170g 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS 4850mAh battery with fast charging The Motorola One Power is expected to come in Black, White, Gold and Silver colors. Both the Motorola One and Motorola One Power are expected to be announced at an event in Chicago on August 2nd along with the Moto Z3 and Z3 Force. Source I need to find someone around here with a locking tailgate so that I can use it as a reference when I go to install mine if I cannot figure it out. The lock on the tailgate would only be used in rare instances like if we are camped and the truck is parked in a different location due to space, or we are going on a hike and are locking things up before leaving for the day. I thought of this because of a friend that is camping in Denali park in Alaska when they said they had to take their tow vehicle to the front of the park because there wasn't enough room at the site for 2 vehicles and the camper. We have a soft cover for the truck bed which keeps things dry, but a lock on the tailgate would be nice, especially if it only costs me $50 or so. If anyone has their tailgate access panel out and has a locking handle, I would appreciate some pictures or information on how the pawl locks out the opening mechanism. I am not sharing this to rub it in, simply as a comparison for info. I guess I am very lucky, I ordered on 7/9 and received the VIN about a week later, scheduled build is the week of 8/20 with a projected delivery of 9/16. I received a report with the VIN and projected build week. Projected delivery based on a recent update from Ford Chat as COTUS apparently will not work on a F350. We will see if the targets are accurate as my only prior experience in ordering was a good bit later than the projections due to transportation delays. Hopefully we all will get our orders quickly as I fully understand being ready for it to get here. Good luck to all... Sebastian Vettel knows what it takes to master the Hungaroring, having triumphed there last year and the Ferrari driver is eyeing a repeat performance this weekend, so he can finally put his Germany heartbreak behind him Vettel comes into this race fresh from his costly error last week, in which he crashed into the barriers while leading his home Grand Prix, wrecking his chances of a first victory in Hockenheim. Even worse for the German, his arch rival Lewis Hamilton went on to claim an unlikely win, though Vettel insisted at the time that he wouldnt wont lose sleep over the incident. But it was still a topic of discussion in the paddock on Friday, a day that saw Vettel top the timesheet in the second practice session. There was little to choose from between Ferrari and Red Bull on day one in Budapest, but the German is hoping to lead the Prancing Horse to victory. Asked if he was happy to be back in the cockpit, he said: Of course, what else I can do? Its probably good to have a race straight away to get your head away and focus on the next thing to do. I hope we can cancel it out and make this race count and then forget properly. Its probably the best to get in the car because everybody knows what to do. Obviously it's not easy, but I think today the work has been okay. Having a lot of work in front of you is probably the best to get your head away and focus on the job we have to do here. Teacher-preparation programs should be measured by the performance of graduates in the classroom, and states should hold these programs accountable, teachers say in a new survey. Teach Plus, a nonprofit group that supports teacher leadership, released a report on a survey that asked 755 teachers from 26 states and the District of Columbia about their views on teacher-prep accountability. They found that teachers want more transparency on how well teacher-prep programs are preparing educators to teach. Accountability for teacher-prep programs has been a polarizing issue for years. State education departments are reluctant to close even faltering programs , a 2014 Education Week analysis found. Since 2013, the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based advocacy group, has released its own ratings of teacher-prep programs, finding that just a small number of programs are adequately preparing teachers (though critics have pushed back against some of NCTQs methodology). The Teach Plus report uses the survey results to urge states to ensure that teacher-preparation programs are producing teachers who are ready to teach on day one. But the measures used to determine that have historically been up for debate. Almost half the teachers surveyed (46 percent) said that demonstrated teaching skill is among the most important measures of program quality for teacher preparation. Making an impact on K-12 student learning, gaining subject-specific pedagogical knowledge, and learning mastery of teaching subjects are other measures that teachers consider to be important when determining the quality of teacher-prep programs. The measure of good teaching is student learning, so the best way to measure the success of a teacher-prep program is the level at which the students of program alumni perform over the long term, one teacher said. (Its worth noting that teachers unions have objected to the idea of judging teacher-prep programs on their graduates impact on student achievement.) Eleven percent of teachers said the diversity of candidates and graduates is an important measure of program quality. (A new data tool from the Urban Institute allows users to look at teacher training programs enrollment and graduation rates by race , showing that people of color are largely underrepresented in these programs.) The Teach Plus report says that the respondents want graduates to be able to teach diverse student populations and help advance equity in schools. And 23 percent of teachers said entry and persistence in teaching is an important measure of program quality, to help avert teacher shortages, especially in high-needs subjects and schools. The vast majority of teachers surveyed85 percentsaid they support the idea of teacher-prep programs being rated. Nearly as many (81 percent) said they believe that states should hold teacher-prep programs accountable for their performance based on measures like graduates impact on student learning and demonstrated teaching skill. Eighty percent of teachers surveyed support the idea that data on every teacher-prep program be publicly released. They said the reports from states should be transparent, accessible, and nuancednot over-simplified. Teachers also said that this public data should be regularly updated. As one respondent put it: A first-year teacher faces evaluations that affect his/her hiring status. Teacher-prep programs must be held accountable as to how well the school prepared a new teacher. Last year, President Donald Trump signed a bill overturning a controversial regulation put in place by the Obama administration to rate the effectiveness of teacher-prep programs . States had been required to rate teacher-prep programs every year based on criteria like the number of graduates who get jobs in high-needs schools, how long those graduates stay in the teaching profession, and their impact on student-learning outcomes. The programs were supposed to improve their training based on their ratings. But critics of the regulation said it was federal overreach. Still, my colleague Brenda Iasevoli reported last year that many states are continuing to work to improve teacher training , even without the federal regulations. The Teach Plus report concludes with a recommendation to state policymakers to consider teacher perspective when selecting and reporting program data. Image via Getty Tasmanian born Australian comic Hannah Gadsby has much to be angry about. She's been a major star in her home country for years, and she's dealt with a number of issues that might have broken a weaker person. In "Nanette," her new, envelope pushing Netflix special that's grabbing a great deal of attention, Gadsby shares stories from her life that, on the surface, might seem anything but funny, yet Gadsby mines clever humor from topics such as homophobia and misogyny. Tasmania--Gadsby describes the island as being in "Australia's arse"--is a place where homosexuality was a crime until 1997. It was in this environment that Gadsby came to terms with her lesbianism. "I don't need to know that" she recalls her mom having said. She also recalls not coming out to her grandmother, admitting that she felt a little shame in who she was. "I'm a little bit lesbian," she says, as she admits to being overwhelmed by the spectacle and partying that is Sydney Australia's Mardi Gras. Gadsby refers to herself as a "quiet gay," saying that she prefers the sound of a teacup being placed on its saucer to the sounds of Mardi Gras. Gadsby also quips about being taken for a man due to her butch appearance. She recalls an incident where she was talking to a woman at a bus stop. Along comes the woman's boyfriend who calls Gadsby a "faggot," thinking that she's a straight man hitting on his lady. While watching "Nanette"--the special is named after a woman who was in Gadsby's life briefly--viewers are left with the impression that Gadsby has lived a hard life. She's a graduate of the school of hard knocks, yet through it all she retains her dignity and her sense of humor. Throughout "Nanette" Gadsby exudes a quiet strength, even as she keeps her live audience at the Sydney Opera House bowled over in laughter. There are portions of "Nanette" that aren't funny, nor are they meant to be. Gadsby holds a degree in art history. "Nanette" includes a fairly lengthy section where she discusses the inherent sexism and misogyny of Pablo Picasso, who seduced a 17-year-old girl when he was 42. Picasso was married at the time. "You're painting flesh vases for your dick flowers," she angrily says of Picasso, as the live audience applauds. "Separate the man from the art, that's what I keep hearing." She points out that art history is hardly a staple of comedy shows, noting that most stand-up is about "priests being pedophiles and Trump grabbing the pussy. You know who used to be an easy punchline? Monica Lewinsky. Maybe, if comedians had done their jobs properly and made fun of the man who abused his power then perhaps we might have had a middle-aged woman with an appropriate amount of experience in the White House, instead, as we do, a man who openly admitted to sexually assaulting vulnerable young women because he could!" The audience cheered. Is Gadsby angry? Yes. Does she have good reason to be? Yes. But don't we all have reason to be angry during these troubled times? Yet through it all, Gadsby keeps her audience laughing, even as she gives them much to think about. "Nanette" is no ordinary stand-up show, it's comedy for the Trump era. It's rough, daring, brilliant and insightful. There's never been a stand-up show quite like it. "Nanette" is now streaming on Netflix. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Oppo R17 likely to be unveiled in August News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Oppo R15 could soon get a successor. Back in March this year, Oppo announced the R15 and R15 Pro smartphones. These devices are available for sale in China. According to a new leak from China, it looks like these smartphones will soon get a successor called R17. A Weibo-based tipster has shared that the launch event will happen soon for the unveiling of this device. We already know that companies like Oppo and Vivo are gearing to release the updated versions of their popular devices quickly. This recent information shows the same as the device appears to get a successor in less than six months. August launch likely According to a report by MySmartPrice citing the Weibo post, the Oppo R17 could be launched in August. However, there is no clue when exactly we can expect the smartphone to be launched. And, an official confirmation from the company is also awaited in this case. Oppo R17 rumors While there is no information regarding the upcoming Oppo smartphone, there are some speculations making rounds on the internet based on the Oppo R15 specifications. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that the R17 could ditch the notch that we saw on its predecessor. It is also said that the bezel at the top could be thin to achieve a higher screen-to-body ratio than that of the R15. The Oppo R17 is expected to employ a more powerful Snapdragon 710 SoC, which is recently powering a few notable devices. If you don't remember, the R15 comes with the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The other hardware specifications are likely to be more or less similar to the R15 with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage as seen in the Realme 1 from Oppo's sub-brand. Imaging wise, the Oppo R15 uses a dual-camera setup with 16MP+5MP sensors with f/1.7 aperture and a 20MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. We can expect some slight upgrades in this aspect. The device is expected to arrive with Android 8.1 Oreo topped with Oppo's Color 5.1 OS out of the box. Notably, all these specifications are based on rumors and unconfirmed reports. There is no official confirmation regarding the Oppo R17 for now. But we can expect more details to come up soon as it is reportedly coming in August. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications What is DeX? DeX is a proprietary solution from Samsung, which is used to connect your smartphone to an external display. The Samsung Galaxy S8 was the first smartphone to support this feature and devices like the Galaxy S8+, S9, S9+, and the Note8 does support this feature. However, one has to have a doc or a pad to connect the smartphone with an external monitor. With the Galaxy Note9, the smartphone supports dock less DeX with just a USB type C cable. This means, that the Galaxy Note9 comes with a display port enabled USB type C port to offer seamless display mirroring between the smartphone and a larger screen. Just like the Galaxy S9, the DeX mode on the Galaxy Note9 will act as either a track-pad to scrub around the display or can also act as a keypad as well. This is a great feature for business-oriented users, who can give an instant presentation, provided, they have a monitor with a USB type C port. As this feature might consume more power than the normal usage, the company has also packed in the biggest battery found on any Galaxy Note smartphone, where the Samsung Galaxy Note9 has a massive 4000 mAh battery with support for fast charging and wireless charging. Availability and price According to a report, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 will be available from 24th of August in North America and in India, the pre-order for the smartphone will start from 19th of August, ten days after the international launch. The base variant of the Galaxy Note9 is likely to cost similar to the Galaxy Note8 and the high-end variant with 8 GB RAM and 512 GB storage is likely to cost as much as the Rs 1,00,000, which makes it the costliest Samsung smartphone launched in India. Specs-sheet The Samsung Galaxy Note9 will have a 6.3-inch edge to edge display 18.5:9 aspect ratio offering QHD+ resolution. There will be two variants of the Galaxy Note9, where the North Americal variant will be running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and the Asian (including India) will be based on the Exynos 9820 Octa-core chipset, which is the latest flagship SoC from the Korean tech-brand. The smartphone has a dual camera setup with a 12 MP RGB sensor and a 12 MP telephoto lens. The main camera will offer features like a variable aperture (f/1.5 to f/2.4) to offer impressive low light photos. On the front, the smartphone is likely to have an 8 MP selfie camera with features like Face Unlock and portrait mode. The smartphone is also expected to come with a new and improved S-Pen, which is expected to include features like Bluetooth connectivity with a camera shutter button and other interesting features. Conclusion As we get near the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note9's launch, we will acquire more interesting features and facts about the Samsung's biggest and most advanced note ever. Google to block Cryptocurrency Mining apps on Play Store News oi-Sandeep Sarkar With the new update related to the Play Store developer policies, the tech giant has also introduced some other content restrictions. Google has recently announced that it will no longer allow the developers to develop and post the apps that mine cryptocurrency on the devices. Google is following Apples' footstep with this decision. Interestingly Google is allowing the apps which remotely manage the mining of cryptocurrency on the platform. Earlier, Apple had taken a similar step last month where the company has introduced a new section on cryptocurrency mining along with some guidelines on the App Store. The Cupertino tech giant had then said that, saying "Apps, including any third party advertisements displayed within them, may not run unrelated background processes such as cryptocurrency mining". With the new update related to the Play Store developer policies, the tech giant has also introduced some other content restrictions. As per some reports from Android Police Google is no longer permitting the applications that "appeal to children but contain adult themes", Android Police reported on Thursday. See also, Google introduces Cloud IoT Edge, and Edge TPU at the Cloud Next event 2018 Google has also mentioned some other content restrictions. The company further said that it would not allow apps which contain or promote sexually explicit content, including pornography and related content. "In general, we don't allow content or services intended to be sexually gratifying," according to the Play Store policies. Google has also pointed out that the apps which promote explicit content, self-harm or suicidal content, and promote violence on the platform will not be allowed on the PlayStore. Google is also giving a warning that if it comes across content with child sexual abuse or other imagery, then it will report the suited authorities and also remove the Google Accounts of the ones involved with such distribution. It is good to see that companies are making efforts to make their platform a secure environment to work on. This will help to assure a user's privacy is maintained and they get a secure platform to carry on with their activities. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Samsung likely to announce Galaxy Tab S4 at company's Unpacked event News oi-Karan Samsung is likely to announce its upcoming Galaxy Tab S4 in its upcoming event in New York. Things you need to know about the tablet. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Watch is been in rumors for quite a while now. It has been reported that the company is going to launch its Galaxy Watch along with the launch of Galaxy Note 9 at Samsung's Unpacked event in NYC. A new report surfaced from TechnoBuffalo, which claims that Galaxy Tab S4 will debut in NYC and the Watch is still not decided. So it's hard to say that the company will wait until IFA or it will launch it in New York. Both the Tab S4 and Galaxy Note9 is said to be focusing on S Pen productivity. Launching both the devices together will certainly create more noise for Samsung and the S Pen. A couple of rumors also claimed that the Galaxy Tab S4 would debut at IFA. The report claims that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 would be able to hook up to a monitor via its USB-C port for a DeX-kind of experience. The first benchmark listing was spotted two months back which has highlighted that the device may have a 10.5-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:10. The latest benchmark listing indicates that the Galaxy Tab S4 might be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor clubbed with 4GB of RAM and 65GB of onboard storage. It has been expected that the new tablet will arrive with an all-new design which might incorporate Samsung's Infinity Display on it. Samsung is also said to be pushing the tablet on to the bezel-less category. There are reports which suggested that the camera selection of the tablet will be high-end, with a 12-megapixel camera sensor on the rear and on the front the tablet will house an 8-megapixel camera sensor. LTE connectivity shows there will be a sim-enabled version as well. Source Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Department of the Army announces upcoming 3rd ABCT, 1st Armored Division deployment By U.S. Army Public Affairs July 26, 2018 WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Army announced today the winter 2018 rotation to Korea of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team will replace the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division as part of a regular rotation of forces and support the United States Forces-Korea's commitment to our Republic of Korea partners. "The Bulldog Brigade is looking forward to supporting the mission in the Republic of Korea," said Col. Marc Cloutier, commander of 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. "We are honored to sustain and strengthen the longstanding ROK-U.S. alliance, and our soldiers are trained and ready for this important mission. I am proud of our soldiers for their hard work and commitment, and we are extremely grateful for the unwavering support from our families and the Fort Bliss and El Paso community." For more information contact the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Crystal Boring, crystal.x.boring.mil@mail.mil, by phone at 915-744-8406. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Department of the Army announces upcoming 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division deployment By U.S. Army Public Affairs July 26, 2018 WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Army announced today the winter 2018 deployment to Afghanistan of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division stationed at Fort Drum, New York. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team will replace the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division as part of a regular rotation of forces to support Operation Freedom's Sentinel. "The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is well-trained and ready for any mission the Army calls us to do. We are not strangers to operations in Afghanistan as proven through our extensive deployment history. Our soldiers have conducted rigorous and realistic training over the past two years which has made mentally and physically fit soldiers ready for the mission we will soon face. As we prepare to leave, we are thankful for the tremendous support we have from our spouses and families and extend our sincerest gratitude for continuing to enable our formation to deploy," said Col. Paul L. Larson, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander. For more information contact the 10th Mountain Division public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Tonya Stokes, rotunda.k.stokes.mil@mail.mil, by phone at 315-774-6172. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address John Calabrese, and his veteran trotter Keenan, had no trouble turning back six others on Thursday in the eighth leg of the current North American Amateur Drivers Association trotting series at Monticello Raceway when they cruised to an easy 2-1/2-length triumph over Connie Keeper and driver Joe Faraldo in a 1:58.1 clocking. It marked their second victory in the event, after having been victorious in 2:00.3 back on June 21. Third place went to On The Podium, in rein to Joe Lee. He was real good today and a pleasure to drive, that is, once he got behind the (starting) gate, Calabrese related while hanging up the lines upon their return to the paddock. But during the post parade and scoring down he's a handful. When the wings of the mobile gate folded Keenan, from the pole position, shot right to the lead with On The Podium stalking him as the quarter mile timer flashed :28.3. They then raced one-two by the half in :58 but once they straightened up the backside Keenan began to pull away. I just clucked to him and he dug in and opened up some daylight and at that point I knew we'd be the winner, Calabrese said. They had two lengths on On The Podium at the third stanza in 1:27.3 which was opened to three at the top of the lane. From there Calabrese never took the whip off his shoulder as the $570,000 career-winner just jogged home unchallenged. Connie Keeper rallied to overtake On the Podium and garner the place money. Calabrese then added that the only time his trotter wears a harness is when he goes to the races. I vanned him here from my farm in Chesterfield NJa three-hour trip, one way--so a victory is well appreciated, Calabrese explained. At home all we do is tow him for exercise and he's a lot more manageable that way. Otherwise he's out in a paddock all day and sometimes overnight. But once he gets behind the gate he's all business and a pleasure to drive. The 10-year-old altered son of Credit Winner is owned by Calabrese Farms, LLC and trained by Calabrese. Keenan scored his third seasonal triumph and 40th of his illustrious career. Sent off as second choice in the seven horse field he paid $6.90 for win. (NAADA) Bahrain - Follow-On Technical Support (FOTS) for the Royal Bahrain Navy Ship SABHA (FFG-90) Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov Transmittal No: 18-07 WASHINGTON, July 26, 2018 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Bahrain of items and services in support of Follow-On Technical Support (FOTS) for the Royal Bahrain Navy Ship SABHA (FFG-90) for an estimated cost of $70 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Government of Bahrain has requested to buy items and services in support of Follow-On Technical Support (FOTS) for the Royal Bahrain Navy Ship SABHA (FFG-90), formerly the USS Jack Williams (FFG-24), transferred as Excess Defense Article on September 13, 1996. Also includes engineering, technical, and logistics services, documentation, and modification material for U.S. Navy supplied systems and equipment and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated program value is $70 million. This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a regional partner which is an important security partner in the region. Bahrain intends to use this support in order to keep the ship in operational readiness status for coastal defense and security. Bahrain will have no difficulty absorbing this support into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. There is no prime contractor involved in this proposed sale. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will require approximately three (3) U.S. Government and six (6) contractor representatives to travel to Bahrain for an extended period for equipment fielding, systems checkout, training and technical and logistics support. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded. All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov. -30- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CNO Richardson Strengthens Partnerships at Inter-American Naval Conference Navy News Service Story Number: NNS180726-09 Release Date: 7/26/2018 4:30:00 PM From Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs Communication CARTEGENA, Colombia (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson attended the 28th Inter-American Naval Conference (IANC), July 25-26, in Cartagena, Colombia, and delivered remarks highlighting the U.S. Navy's commitment to its naval partnerships in the region. "This forum, first initiated in 1959, has been critical to strengthening the bonds of partnership, collaboration, and friendship that define us - both as fellow naval professionals and as neighbors," Richardson said. IANC provides a forum for the interchange of ideas, knowledge and mutual understanding of maritime challenges that affect the Western Hemisphere. The theme of this year's IANC is countering drug trafficking and representatives from 18 navies attended the event to include the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The conference is one part of CNO's multi-day trip to South America to strengthen partnerships and seek more opportunities for combined operations. "We have worked alongside the nations of this continent to build, refine, maintain and execute a broad spectrum of capabilities - from law enforcement to high-end anti-submarine warfare, and everything in between," Richardson said. "Our work together, here and in oceans far away, demonstrates that we are ready to sail into any waters, face any challenges, and emerge victorious together." Richardson met individually with his counterpart heads of navy from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru to discuss deepening their naval partnerships with the U.S. toward a common goal of a maritime environment that is secure, orderly, and prosperous for all nations. "We are all Americans here; however, we are bound by more than simply our shared geography," Richardson said. "We share inter-American values and a commitment to regional and global institutions that are designed to confront common security challenges. That we are here together is no coincidence. While military-to-military-relationships are important, I believe Navy-to-Navy partnerships are the 'first among equals.' These Navy relationships are so natural because we share backgrounds, cultures, knowledge, and a love and respect for the sea and what it can provide." While in Columbia, Richardson attended the 50th anniversary of the three-masted barque ARC Gloria, the official flagship of the Colombian Navy, July 25. He also visited the crew of the USCG Hamilton and praised the U.S. Coast Guardsmen for their part in seizing and offloading more than seven tons of illegal cocaine in February. CNO will meet next with South American naval partners during planned engagements in Chile, Argentina and Brazil. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Winston S. Churchill Arrives In Tallinn, Estonia Navy News Service Story Number: NNS180726-11 Release Date: 7/26/2018 4:47:00 PM From USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) Public Affairs TALLINN, Estonia (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) arrived in Tallinn, Estonia, for a scheduled visit, July 23, 2018. Winston S. Churchill's visit to Tallinn reaffirms the U.S. Navy's commitment to NATO partners by ensuring maritime security in the region. Quote: "We are excited to visit Estonia and continue our relationships and interoperability with our partners in this region. Stability and security can only be achieved through close cooperation with our allies in the area, and this is a fantastic opportunity for just that." Cmdr. Thomas Van Scoten Commanding officer, USS Winston S. Churchill Quick Facts: - A reception aboard the ship is scheduled for senior officials from the Estonian military and U.S. Embassy to Estonia. - Strengthening alliances during the port visit to Tallinn demonstrates the shared commitment the U.S. has toward promoting safety and stability within the region, while seeking opportunities to enhance interoperability with its NATO allies and partners. - Winston S. Churchill is operating in the Baltic Sea, working with allies and regional partners to help develop and improve our maritime forces, maintain regional security, and work towards mutual goals in order to advance security and stability in Europe. - Winston S. Churchill, homeported in Norfolk, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. - U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Philippine leader approves autonomy law for Muslim region Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 03:20PM Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved a law permitting the autonomy-seeking Muslim community in the south of the country to start a legal procedure to gain autonomy. Duterte signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law on Thursday after a visit to a southern city, according to his spokesman Harry Roque. The long-awaited law was approved by the government after decades of peace talks between autonomy seekers and the government were stalled causing frustration, and most notably resulting in the devastating occupation of Marawi City last year by a Daesh-linked splinter militant group. Ebrahim Murad, chairman of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said he was confident the law would help bring splinter separatist groups back into the political fold and eliminate prospects of any incidents like Marawi. The Bangsamoro Organic Law, which has broad public backing, makes it difficult for foreign extremists to form alliances and win support, Murad told reporters. "All these splinter groups are a result of the frustration with the peace process. The moment the small groups no longer accept the foreign elements, they can no longer come (to the Philippines)." The Bangsamoro area includes part of the Philippines' second-largest island of Mindanao, and a chain of dozens of small islands to the west notorious for piracy and banditry. An estimated five million Muslims live in the region, which has the predominantly Catholic nation's lowest levels of employment, income, education and economic development. The momentum behind the autonomy process was "a long-awaited dream coming true," said Jesus Dureza, Duterte's top peace adviser. The new law gives the new entity, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, political and economic powers that successive governments have promised separatists, in order to halt the conflict that has killed about 120,000 people and displaced 2 million. Mindanao remains under martial law until the end of this year, to allow security forces to halt a regrouping by a pro-Daesh alliance that held Marawi through five months of air and ground assaults. The MILF has condemned the Daesh-linked extremist militants and its fighters have been helping government troops to disrupt their activities. Next comes an October referendum, where a positive result would let Duterte appoint an 80-member panel to set up a parliamentary system loosely patterned on Malaysia's federal government. MILF leaders have welcomed the Bangsamoro law, even though all their demands were not met. "We will not stop there, we will continue to engage government until amendments are made in the law later to get what we really wanted," Mohaqher Iqbal, the MILF chief negotiator, told the media after the final text was agreed. Iqbal said the rebels were expected to decommission 30 percent of their 40,000 weapons after the referendum. Many of the government's powers will be devolved by 2022, but the central government will still keep control of security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni forces launch drone strike against Abu Dhabi International Airport Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 03:19PM Yemeni army soldiers, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have reportedly launched an airstrike against a strategic economic target in the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for Riyadh's devastating military aggression against their impoverished homeland. A Yemeni military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Yemeni soldiers and their allies attacked Abu Dhabi International Airport using a domestically-built long-endurance Sammad-3 (Invincible-3) unmanned aerial vehicle. Meanwhile, Abdullah al-Jafri, a spokesman for Yemeni air force and air defense, said the drone attack on Abu Dhabi International Airport had halted flights to and from the airport, adding that this was the first time that Yemeni forces used a drone to attack the airport. He said Yemeni forces will target the infrastructure of countries that have taken part in the aggression against Yemen in future attacks. Emirati aviation authorities later announced that an incident involving a supply vehicle in the Terminal 1 airside area of the airport had occurred at around 4 p.m. local time (1200 GMT). The officials, however, claimed that the development had not affected operations at Abu Dhabi International Airport, and flights continued to arrive and depart as scheduled. The UAE is Saudi Arabia's key ally in its deadly war against Yemen. Separate Saudi air raids leave six Yemeni fishermen dead Meanwhile, at least six fishermen were killed and nearly two dozen others sustained injuries when Saudi fighter jets carried out separate airstrikes off the coast of Yemen's western province of Hudaydah. Yemeni military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Yemen's al-Masirah television network that Saudi warplanes struck a fishing boat in waters off the Seven Brothers Islands, also known as the Sawabi Islands or Seba Islands, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, killing two people and injuring eight others. Two Yemeni fishermen also lost their lives and six others were injured when Saudi warplanes targeted a fishing boat off the coast of al-Hawak district in Hudaydah province. Additionally, Saudi military aircraft bombed three Yemeni fishing boats off Jabal al-Tair Island northwest of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, leaving two fishermen dead and eight others injured. Separately, two civilians were killed and several others injured when Saudi warplanes bombed a residential building in the Beni al-Hadifa area of the Majz district in Yemen's mountainous northwestern province of Sa'ada. Later in the day, Yemeni forces and allied fighters from Popular Committees fatally shot three Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in the al-Wazi'iyah district of Yemen's southwestern province of Ta'izz. The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights announced in a statement on March 25 that the Saudi-led war had left some 600,000 civilians dead and injured since March 2015. The United Nations says a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in need of food aid, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. A high-ranking UN aid official has warned against the "catastrophic" living conditions in Yemen, stating that there is a growing risk of famine and cholera there. "The conflict has escalated since November, driving an estimated 100,000 people from their homes," John Ging, UN director of aid operations, told the UN Security Council on February 27. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN rights experts tell Bahraini govt. to end crackdown on activists, free speech Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 02:30PM United Nations human rights experts have called on the Bahraini government to put an end to the repression of activists, restrictions on freedom of speech and discrimination against women. The Human Rights Council's Special Procedures, a panel composed of 18 independent experts, voiced its concern over the increasing violations of human rights in the tiny Persian Gulf island country in a statement on Thursday. The panel, which upholds compliance with a landmark treaty on civil and political rights, expressed concern over the growing use of violence by Bahraini police during peaceful protest rallies in recent years, "including reports indicating six fatal incidents during demonstrations and ten other extrajudicial killings in 2017." Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the country in mid-February 2011. They are demanding that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established. Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown. Scores of people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of the Al Khalifah regime's crackdown. The UN panel said that Bahraini authorities "should also ensure that the rights to a fair trial and access to justice are respected in all criminal proceedings for terrorism." It also touched upon the cases of a number of detained activists, including Nabeel Rajab, a leading figure in pro-democracy protests who was sentenced by the Supreme Criminal Court to five years in jail in February for criticizing Saudi Arabia's ceaseless airstrikes against Yemen and accusing Bahrain's prison authorities of torture. The 53-year-old activist is already serving a two-year sentence. "The Committee is also concerned about reports that (Bahrain) has targeted the Al-Wasat newspaper, which was said to be the country's only semi-independent paper, including suspending its print and online publication, leading to its definite closure in 2017," the panel said of the opposition-linked paper. The UN body also strongly urged Manama to make efforts to repeal all discriminatory provisions against women in its legislation, adding that Bahraini authorities should ensure that women have equal rights with men in divorce, including economic rights. On March 5, 2017, Bahrain's parliament approved the trial of civilians at military tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount to imposition of an undeclared martial law countrywide. Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah ratified the constitutional amendment on April 3 last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Armenian Authorities Charge Ex-President Kocharian Over 2008 Crackdown RFE/RL's Armenian Service July 26, 2018 Armenian authorities have charged former President Robert Kocharian with "overthrowing the constitutional order" and are seeking his pretrial detention on charges related to a crackdown on antigovernment protesters in 2008. The Special Investigative Service (SIS) on July 26 gave no details of a two-to three-hour interrogation of Kocharian at the organization's headquarters in Yerevan. The questioning was video-taped at Kocharian's request after he arrived for questioning, the authorities said. Reporters waiting outside the site did not see Kocharian but were told the 63-year-old former president had entered through a different door. They said he was later released pending a decision on pretrial detention. Kocharian told Yerkir Media TV that the case against him was "a vendetta." "I can't believe accusations of this type can be fabricated in such a manner in modern times," he added. The case against Kocharian dates back to late February and early March 2008 in the wake of a disputed election to determine Kocharian's successor. Kocharian's hand-picked ally, Serzh Sarkisian, was declared the winner, angering the opposition and setting off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1 in which 10 people, including two police officers, were killed. 'Difficult Path' With Sarkisian Speaking about his ties to Sarkisian's government, Kocharian noted that during the past 10 years that he expressed critical opinions about its policies, including pension reform, Turkish-Armenian relations, etc. "Some have linked me with Serzh Sarkisian and continue to do so. We had traveled quite a difficult path together, but that link was nearly completely severed over years," Kocharian said. "During the past five years I met with Serzh Sarkisian only two times. I regret it, but this is the reality. We may have spoken on the phone two or three times a year, congratulating each other on our birthdays, etc. However, I cannot but appreciate his [Sarkisian's] track record in [the conflict in the breakaway Nagorno-] Karabakh [region] and here in Armenia." Kocharian added that he had arrived at the SIS in the belief that he was being considered a witness. After being told he was a suspect, he said he refused to answer questions. Earlier this year, the Armenian Prosecutor-General's Office said it had no grounds for instructing an investigation body to interrogate Kocharian in connection with the post-election violence. That ruling came after Nikol Pashinian, then an opposition figure and leader of the Yelk alliance in parliament, asked prosecutors to subpoena Kocharian for questioning over his order to use lethal force to suppress the protests. Pashinian, who in 2010 was tried and convicted as one of the protest organizers, argued on March 5 that, in particular, Kocharian should explain where he got information about gunshots allegedly fired at security forces by the demonstrators, which was a key reason cited by authorities in violently putting down the protests. In a reply to a question from RFE/RL, the Prosecutor-General's Office in March said Pashinian had no legal standing to demand Kocharian's testimony. That all changed after Pashinian earlier this year led a series of massive, nonviolent street protests in the capital, eventually toppling Sarkisian from power and leading to Pashinian's own election to the prime minister's role in what was hailed by many as a "velvet revolution." After Pashinian, a longtime anticorruption campaigner, took office, he ordered the SIS to investigate the use of lethal force in the 2008 unrest and appointed Sasun Khachatrian to head the organization. Khachatrian stated he had the "political will" to pursue the matters related to the 2008 crackdown. 'Mockery Of The Law' Kocharian has consistently defended his actions during the crackdown, saying it prevented an illegal seizing of power by the opposition led by another former president, Levon Ter-Petrosian. Early this month, the SIS issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikael Harutiunian, who served as defense minister during the 2008 unrest. It charged Harutiunian with "illegally" using the armed forces against the protesters, saying that it amounted to an "overthrow of constitutional order." On July 9, a spokesman for Kocharian denounced the accusations leveled against the fugitive ex-general as a "mockery of the law." Pashinian's administration has also brought cases against several close relatives of Sarkisian's family for a variety of alleged financial crimes, although Pashinian insisted that no particular family was being targeted. Pashinian told RFE/RL's Armenian Service on July 6 that the cases against Sarkisan family members were being pursued on their legal merits and were not "political" in nature. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenian- authorities-charge-ex-president-kocharian -over-2008-crackdown/29392740.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Despite challenges and 'unfinished business', Colombia celebrates progress towards lasting peace, Security Council hears 26 July 2018 - Amid a long series of challenges, the implementation of the peace process in Colombia is moving forward and has achieved important milestones in recent months, according to a new report by the United Nations Secretary-General presented to the Security Council on Thursday. On 20 July Colombia's Independence Day as a new Congress was inaugurated, including representatives from the political party that has sprung out of the former FARC rebel movement, which waged a revolutionary struggle with government forces for more than 50 years, before signing a peace deal in 2016. "The presence of the political party FARC fulfills one of the core objectives of the final Peace Agreement, and this Congress is among the more diverse, plural and representative in the country's legislative history," said Jean Arnault, Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, which was set up nearly two years ago, to monitor and support implementation of the peace deal. He added however that "while participation of FARC representatives in the Congress is a major step, reintegration into civilian life of former FARC-EP members is very much unfinished business," noting that successful reintegration will "no doubt require dedication and resources". According to the report, "the fundamental goal of providing income-generating opportunities for 14,000 former combatants is far from being realized". However, the Government made "the welcome decision" to extend food assistance to the territorial areas for training and reintegration until the end of 2018. In addition to the fear and frustration expressed by some former combatants regarding a peace process they feel has not lived up to expectations, the report lays out other issues which President-elect Ivan Duque, set to take office on 7 August, will have to address in order to bridge the divisions among the Colombian people: the proliferation of new illegal groups; the continued growth of the coca economy; and the ongoing violence in certain areas, especially against community leaders and human rights advocates. In his briefing, the Head of the Verification Mission recognised the importance of the national "Pact of repudiation of violence against social leaders" signed by President Santos and President-elect Duque. "It is the first time that violence against social leaders is received with such a strong sense of outrage, expressed in the streets of Colombia and cities abroad, in the halls of national institutions and across the political spectrum," he said, calling this national consensus against attacks on local figureheads "significant". Mr. Arnault reiterated that the newly elected authorities can count on the support of the Verification Mission and stressed that "supporting institutions in their efforts to curb the violence in the territories will remain a top priority". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DR Congo: UN envoy calls for 'a level playing field' in key upcoming elections 26 July 2018 - Major progress has been made on preparations for the upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but "conditions for a level playing field are not yet in place", said the most senior United Nations official based in the country. "While significant progress has been made to respect the stages of the calendar process, the electoral process continues to suffer from suspicion and mistrust between the majority and the opposition, and, between the opposition and the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI)," Leila Zerrougui, the UN Special Representative for the country and head of the Stabilization Mission, MONUSCO, told the Security Council on Thursday. She noted that preparations have reached an important turning point with the opening, on Wednesday, of candidate reception offices for presidential and legislative elections, due to take place on December 23. However, the opposition has expressed multiple grievances, she added, including over voting machinery and electoral records. "I am however encouraged to note that, in the face of disagreements highlighted above, and against the backdrop of immense logistical and financial challenges, all major political parties were able to successfully enrol candidates for provincial legislative elections," she said. After a slow start, more than 18,000 candidates for office registered, in order to contest 715 seats. Although the final tally is yet to be published, initial indications suggest that women make up less than 12 per cent of all registered candidates, she said, urging political parties to ensure greater female representation and participation in forthcoming elections. Ms. Zerrougui said she remains concerned by violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms that continue to impact negatively on democratic space as some peaceful demonstrations are suppressed. She also said that civil society actors and political opponents continue to be arbitrarily arrested and media workers threatened. "Thus, conditions for a level playing field are not yet in place, and without progress on these fronts, the credibility and inclusivity of upcoming elections may be at risk," she warned. "The Democratic Republic of Congo is at the crossroads. That's the reason for which I appeal to all stakeholders to seize this opportunity to allow for inclusive, transparent and credible elections on 23 December to provide a more stable future for the DRC, Congolese women and Congolese," she concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Officials Fear Islamic State Still Potent in Iraq, Syria By Jeff Seldin July 26, 2018 The latest numbers from the U.S.-led coalition to destroy the Islamic State terror group appear, at first glance, to be damning. A self-declared caliphate that once ruled vast swaths of Iraq and Syria has been reduced to about 300 square kilometers in eastern Syria, military officials say. "They're really in the disarray. They're in a really disorganized manner," French Brig. Gen. Frederic Parisot, director of civil-military operations for the coalition told Pentagon reporters Tuesday, estimating "a few hundred" IS fighters are likely left. But as has been the case with much of the fight against IS, there are longstanding concerns that the estimates are off and that even a diminished IS fighting force is larger and more capable than the rest of the intelligence would suggest. "One ISIS fighter is one too many," Parisot noted, using an acronym for the terror group. "We're still engaged in major combat operations," he said. "I won't speculate on when this is going to end." Other U.S. military officials questioned on the size of the IS threat in Syria have also been hesitant to discuss specifics. "They're still carrying out attacks," a senior U.S. military official told VOA when asked about IS forces. "So obviously the capacity is there." Quantifying the threat Counting IS fighters and quantifying the threat has long been a tricky and controversial endeavor. At the terror group's peak in 2015, U.S. military and intelligence officials said IS likely had about 33,000 fighters at its disposal an admittedly conservative estimate that remained constant for months. Other U.S. officials maintained at least 50,000 IS fighters had been killed in coalition airstrikes. Military and intelligence officials pointed to the terror group's ability to recruit, for a while replenishing its ranks with as many as 2,000 foreign fighters a month, as one reason IS was able to maintain constant numbers. Even so, independent analysts often doubted the official estimates, criticizing them for being too low. Some still do. "I don't think anyone knows for certain, but hundreds is likely too small," said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "The Islamic State isn't anywhere near the zenith of its power, but it isn't an ant hill either," he said. "They knew the US-led forces were going to eject them from their territory, and they didn't plan on losing all their fighters." On the higher end, independent estimates say in addition to hundreds of IS militants putting up a fight against U.S.-backed forces in areas along the Syria-Iraq border, there could be another 7,000 to 9,000 fighters in Syria alone. U.S. officials, though, remain cautious about sharing any numbers.They say even getting a sense of how many IS fighters are left has been complicated as many have slipped into the background, some biding their time as members of small sleeper cells, waiting for the right time to strike. "Even on the Iraq side of the border because I think it applies there, too in areas that have been cleared, that's something that will continue to be a challenge for us and the Iraqis, is really understanding how robust the remaining ISIS presence is," Christopher Maier, the director of the Pentagon's Defeat ISIS Core Task Force told VOA. IS resurgence? Iraqi officials have been warning of a looming threat from sleeper cells for more than a year, voicing particular concerns about cells of teenagers young enough that they could not be touched by counterterror forces, but old enough, and sufficiently brainwashed, to carry out Islamic State attacks in the future. Already, there are concerns in Iraq that such fears are coming to fruition with some pointing to this week's attack by three suspected IS gunmen on a government building in Erbil. Kurdish officials in Erbil identified two of the gunmen as 16 years old and the third as only 18. The pace of IS-claimed attacks in Iraq have also been steadily rising and even U.S. officials have expressed concern, noting the threat from the terror group extends all the way to Baghdad. There are also concerns that IS fighters and operatives hundreds of them at the very least may be finding some refuge in parts of Syria that are being cleared by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and backed by Russia. "We're going to continue to be challenged by that fundamental question, which is you don't know there's an ISIS presence in a regime-held area until it becomes manifest," Maier said. "The regime and it's Russian backers haven't proved capable or in some cases willing to take on that ISIS threat," he added. And of late, IS has sought to flex its muscle in such areas. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS suicide bombers killed more than 200 people in a string of suicide attacks Wednesday in Sweida province in southern Syria. The attacks, the group said, seemed to be a response to a Syrian regime, Russian-backed effort to clear Islamic State militants from a neighboring area. Speaking prior to the latest attacks, U.S. official said they expect the terror group to carry out more such attacks, describing the IS strategy as a "clandestine insurgency." They fear the longer IS finds a way to keep going, the more potent it will become, and the less traditional military tactics may be of use. "ISIS is more than a physical group. It's an idea," a senior U.S. official said. "That's what we've been fighting." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bills Man, who equalled a divisional track record the last time he raced at Harrahs Philadelphia though the record only lasted three days came back to the southeast Pennsylvania oval Thursday afternoon (July 26) and tasted victory yet again. Bills Man triumphed in the tracks $18,000 trotting feature in 1:53.1. The four-year-old son of Credit Winner moved first-up from fourth in the second panel and set his aim on the tough leader, Moonshiner Hanover, who had recorded the early fractions (:27.1 :56.2). Bills Man had joined him before the 1:24.3 three-quarters station, and the two were in a virtual match race for the majority of the final quarter. Bills Man ultimately edged clear by a length for driver Corey Callahan, trainer John Butenschoen, and the ownership of Crawford Farms Racing, M And L Of Delaware LLC, and VIP Internet Stable LLC. (With files from PHHA / Harrahs Philadelphia) US Base in Southern Syria Sends 'Signal' to Iran By Carla Babb July 26, 2018 The United States maintains a base in southern Syria that limits Iranian forces' ability to move through Syria's al-Tanf border crossing, U.S. officials and experts tell VOA. "Our mere presence there accomplishes that, whether it's a goal or not," Army Maj. Josh Jacques, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said. The base was originally set up to train local Syrians to fight Islamic State militants. The U.S. military's primary focus across Syria has been the defeat of Islamic State fighters, and to serve that mission, U.S. soldiers at al-Tanf currently are training a Syrian group called Maghawir al-Thawra (MaT), Jaques said. While the military is not directly focused on Iran in Syria, it can still indirectly impede Iran's "destabilizing acts" in the country, according to CENTCOM commander U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel. "There are opportunities for us to indirectly influence their [Iran's] activities by our presence, by the pursuit of our ongoing operations, that I think disrupt and make it difficult for them to pursue their unilateral objectives," Votel told reporters during a July 19 briefing. Land bridge Jordan, Iraq, and Syria all meet in the area surrounding the U.S. base, a potential space, officials say, through which Iran could create a continuous land bridge that would stretch to the Mediterranean. But the U.S. has established a so-called "deconfliction zone" in the area that spans about 55 kilometers around the base. The zone is meant to protect the United States and its allies as they battle the Islamic State militant group, and it essentially prevents any non-U.S. ally from entering the area. "One quiet rationale for maintaining a presence there is to at least monitor and then perhaps deter some of the Iranian forces, or Iranian-backed forces that may have used that part of the country to transit into Syria," said Brian Katulis with the Center for American Progress. The base is not meant to completely block Iran's involvement in Syria because much of its engagement comes via airplanes. The U.S. post does, however, protect American military assets, giving the U.S. the ability to mount drone operations, conduct surveillance, and perhaps even create human intelligence networks. It also helps to reassure U.S. ally Jordan, whose officials have expressed concerns about how secure its border would be if Americans weren't in southern Syria. "As small as that [U.S.] presence is, I think it sends a signal," Katulis said. 'Shades of gray' Michael O'Hanlon, a senior defense fellow at the Brookings Institution, says defeating IS is the "black and white" goal for American forces at al-Tanf, while all the ways that the U.S. indirectly influences Iran in Syria are "shades of gray." He says the base also allows the U.S. to "exercise some influence on parts of the country so that Iran isn't the only important foreign actor." "In the short term, you want to create some alternative power centers," said O'Hanlon. Once IS is defeated, however, the United States will need a long-term political transition strategy that clearly explains why the military would stay in Syria. "We're sort of in a transition phase, where you can still sustain the current effort on the grounds of it being anti-ISIS, but everyone recognizes that the days of that argument carrying the day are numbered," O'Hanlon said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group. "Just staying for presence sake is not a good enough reason," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon: Coalition Airstrikes in Afghanistan on Record Pace in '18 By William Gallo July 26, 2018 The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan is on pace this year to drop a record number of bombs, according to Pentagon data. Through the first six months of 2018, the U.S. and its allies dropped 2,911 weapons on Afghanistan, according to data from the U.S. Air Force Central Command. That is nearly twice the number of bombs dropped on Afghanistan in the same period last year, and over 700 more than the previous high set in 2011 at the height of the war. The expanded bombing comes after President Donald Trump announced an open-ended military commitment to Afghanistan in August 2017. Afghanistan saw a brief wave of optimism in June, when the Afghan government and the Taliban successfully held a three-day cease-fire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Though the U.S. honored the cease-fire by suspending "offensive strikes" against the Taliban for over half the month, the coalition still dropped 572 bombs in June the most dropped in any month of June of the war, according to Pentagon data. Washington and Kabul are fighting not only the Taliban, but also Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, known as ISIS-Khorasan, as well as groups such as al-Qaida and other regional and international militant groups. The Trump administration is reported to be exploring direct peace talks with the Taliban. But U.S. officials have also said any talks must include the Afghan government. The U.S. has approximately 14,000 service members in Afghanistan. Most are in training and advisory roles, though some are involved in a counterterrorism mission. Top U.S. military officials acknowledge the conflict remains a stalemate, almost 17 years after it began. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cameroon's Escalating Conflict Triggers Alarm at UN By Lisa Schlein July 26, 2018 The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, is seeking access to Cameroon to verify what he says are alarming reports of horrific abuse by separatist and government forces in the country's English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions. The U.N. human rights office said the situation in Cameroon's English-speaking communities has worsened considerably since protests against what the English-speakers see as structural discrimination started two years ago. The Anglophones are demanding an end to what they allege is their economic and political marginalization by the country's Francophone majority. The High Commissioner's spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, told VOA what began as protests for greater access to jobs and linguistic equality has gotten out of hand. She said violence by both armed separatists and the government has spiraled out of control. "The violent separatists, these armed groups are killing people, torching schools, carrying out kidnappings and extortion and all sorts of horrible human rights abuses to try to disrupt the situation," she said. "The government's role should be to protect people in such a horrible environment. Instead, the government is employing a heavy-handed response, which is not helping the situation. It is further causing human rights violations." United Nations figures show more than 21,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries, while some 160,000 people are internally displaced by the violence, with many reportedly hiding in forests. An army spokesman has rejected charges of abuses by the security forces as "rumors." Shamdasani said there is a lot of misinformation and propaganda on both sides. She added that the High Commissioner has asked that monitors be allowed to verify allegations of abuse against both security forces and armed separatists. The government has rejected this request, she said. Consequently, she added that the U.N. human rights office will have to consider other options to keep tabs on the situation, including remote monitoring. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: Right Conditions Needed for Credible Elections in DRC By Margaret Besheer July 26, 2018 The head of the U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo warned Thursday that the right conditions are not yet in place for presidential elections this December, and without progress, the credibility of the vote could be compromised. "As violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms continue to impact negatively on democratic space, some peaceful demonstrations are suppressed," U.N. envoy Leila Zerrougui told Security Council members. "Civil society actors and political opponents continue to be arbitrarily arrested and media workers threatened." Zerrougui said the parties have not implemented confidence-building measures, and the security situation, particularly in the eastern part of the country, remains volatile and is deteriorating in some areas. The envoy did welcome progress on the registration of candidates for provincial elections, noting that after a slow start, 18,000 candidates have registered to compete for 715 seats. But she noted that women make up only about 12 percent of candidates, and she urged greater female participation in the elections. The U.N. has a mission of more than 18,000 peacekeepers in the DRC. The Security Council has authorized it to provide logistical support to the elections, but so far, the electoral commission has not taken up that offer. Kabila's intentions President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001 and was supposed to step down at the end of 2016, has not announced his plans. "The United States regrets that President Kabila did not use his July 19 address to parliament to resolve the uncertainty regarding his intentions," U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told council members, noting that under Congolese law, Kabila is ineligible to run for a third term. "We are a mere five months away from election day. The time for posturing is over." Candidates must submit their applications by August 8. Voting machines There are other concerns, as well, including how people will vote. Opposition and civil society groups are worried that new electronic voting machines could lead to voter fraud. "The DRC currently has a population which is 65 percent illiterate mostly women and young people who would consequently have enormous difficulties in using these machines, particularly as they are programmed in the French language, not the local language," said Justine Masika Bihamba, a civil society representative who addressed the council meeting. "Deploying more than 100,000 unfamiliar, untested and possibly unworkable electronic voting machines for the first time during a critical national election poses an enormous and unnecessary risk," U.S. envoy Cohen said. "What do Congolese authorities plan to do if these untested voting machines malfunction on election day and jeopardize the credibility of the results?" He urged the use of paper ballots. But the Congolese ambassador dismissed the concerns and said 40 million citizens are now registered to vote. "We would stress the fact that the process is going smoothly," said Ambassador Ignace Gata Mavita wa Lufuta. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was supposed to visit the DRC earlier this month with African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki, but Kabila postponed the meeting. Guterres told reporters on July 12 it was because Kabila was planning to announce "a number of important decisions and that the president doesn't want to give the impression that he's doing so because of international pressure." No new date has been announced for the visit. The Security Council is also considering a mission to the DRC in October. Council members urged all Congolese political parties to abide by the constitution and to respect the December 31, 2016, election agreement, which was mediated by the Catholic Church and calls for Kabila to step down after this year's vote. Last week, the council met with the African Union Peace and Security Council. In a joint communique, they urged the parties to respect that agreement, calling it "the only viable path out of the current political situation." Rights groups say nearly 300 political protesters have been killed in anti-government demonstrations since the crisis began in 2015, and hundreds more have been arrested. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zimbabwe Opposition Will Not Boycott Polls By Sebastian Mhofu July 26, 2018 Zimbabwe's main opposition party has ruled out boycotting next week's general election, but still believes the electoral commission is planning to rig the vote to favor the ruling party. Nelson Chamisa, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, told a news conference Wednesday that he is confident of victory in Zimbabwe's presidential election next Monday. "It's not possible to boycott our victory, that is what losers would want us to do," Chamisa said. "The people want us to defeat dictatorship, defeat poverty, to defeat tyranny, to defeat their hopelessness. Our victory is certain that you should know." Speculation was rife ahead of the briefing Wednesday that the MDC Alliance would pull out of the polls, citing frustration with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. The commission has turned down opposition demands to see the voter roll being used in the elections, and the opposition says the presidential election ballot favors President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling ZANU-PF party by placing him in a prominent position, at the top of the right column. Of the elections commission Chamisa said: "ZEC has shown that they are not willing and open to dialogue. They are stubborn, arrogant and non-transparent. The environment is not conducive. The process is contested." Human rights groups repeatedly accused the commission of election rigging during the long rule of former president Robert Mugabe. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In First US Visit, Ethiopian Prime Minister Seeks Bridges to Diaspora By Salem Solomon July 26, 2018 Ethiopians in Washington are expected to turn out in large numbers Thursday to greet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is making his first U.S. visit after instituting a series of transformative reforms in his homeland. Upon arriving in Washington, Ethiopia's foreign minister, Workneh Gebeyehu, said the delegation's trip was historic. "This is the first-ever visit by [an] Ethiopian prime minister to visit diaspora Ethiopians we are so excited," Workneh told a VOA Amharic reporter at Dulles International Airport. Earlier this year, Ethiopia faced widespread unrest and violent protests against a government that appeared unresponsive and entrenched. In less than four months in office, Abiy has led a dramatic turnaround. Sweeping reforms have quelled dissent, boosted civil liberties and begun to heal wounds from decades of ethnic tension and marginalization. Abiy was elected by the ruling coalition's executive council after his predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, abruptly resigned. Since assuming office, Abiy has focused on improving human rights, reducing corruption, and introducing economic and political reforms that can potentially move Ethiopia toward a more democratic society. Now, Abiy is connecting with Ethiopians in the U.S. to promote his reforms and encourage diasporans to return home and add to the changes unfolding. 'Brain drain' For a country that's seen some of its most talented doctors, academics and engineers leave for better opportunities in Europe and the U.S., a return of diasporans could affect whether Ethiopia's reforms stick. NuNu Wako is a media spokesperson for the prime minister's visit to Washington, organized by the Ethiopian Embassy. She told VOA that Abiy's trip is designed to "bridge the gap" between the Ethiopian government and American diaspora communities in ways not seen in the past 27 years, since Ethiopia's current government toppled the communist regime that preceded it. In Washington, Abiy plans to meet with representatives from academia, banking, medicine and other industries with prominent Ethiopians. He hopes some will return home. "It's really important that these powerful brains are returned to Ethiopia and assist in the sustainable development of Ethiopia," Wako said. Reformist leader In his first 100 days in office, Abiy has introduced symbolic and substantive changes designed to reshape Ethiopia and the broader region. He has closed prisons, released hundreds of political prisoners and admitted that the government has tortured its citizens. He has also unblocked opposition media that was previously banned and taken steps to privatize key industries. In June, Abiy said Ethiopia would honor the terms of an international ruling and cede land back to its neighbor Eritrea, leading to a historic peace deal weeks later and the end of nearly two decades of cold war between the countries. Abiy's push to open up Ethiopia's political system reached a "critical turning point" earlier this week, Wako said, when he called for multiparty democracy. Ethiopia's politics are based on ethnic federalism. Its regions and accompanying political parties are largely defined along ethnic lines. Four parties make up the country's ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, and they have a virtual monopoly on political power. But Ethiopia has more than 80 ethnic groups, and the current system has led to the consolidation of power into the hands of a few. Stepping away from ethnic federalism could lead to more inclusive politics that benefit all of society, Wako said. "I think that this is going to be a tangible, concrete step forward for Ethiopia that, peacefully, will bring everyone together and lead to the Ethiopia that we once knew about and our forefathers fought for." Ethiopia's reforms could lead to deeper ties to the U.S. Michael Raynor, the U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, spoke to VOA's Amharic Service and said the U.S. looks forward to expanding its long-standing relationship with Ethiopia in light of the "extraordinary range of initiatives" introduced by Abiy. That could entail more development assistance, security partnerships and governance programs. "I think, with the reforms to the business climate that the prime minister and the government are planning, that will create wonderful opportunities for U.S. commercial engagement as well," Raynor said. Unresolved challenges Not everyone is enthusiastic about Abiy's overseas trip. Mesfin Woldemariam is a retired professor and the founder of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council. He told Ethiopian broadcaster LTV that Abiy should address pressing domestic concerns before looking outward. "While there is fire burning within the country from four different directions, the prime minister is going to a different country. I don't know what he is going to find or what he is looking for there," Mesfin said. Engaging with the diaspora may not bring the benefits Abiy hopes to reap, he added, until the country becomes more stable over time. "The diaspora can come back with their own will, and we shouldn't placate them especially when things haven't firmed up within Ethiopia yet," Mesfin said. Among the problems Abiy faces at home is the displacement of nearly 1 million people in the southern Gedeo and West Guji zones because of ethnic violence. The humanitarian crisis has escalated since Abiy took office in April, and hundreds of thousands of people are in need of emergency aid. Multicity visit In the U.S., Ethiopians are the second-largest group of African immigrants, trailing only Nigerians. In 2014, a quarter-million first- and second-generation Ethiopians lived in America, according to a report compiled by the Migration Policy Institute. Most Ethiopian immigrants arrived in the U.S. in the past two decades. After meeting with prominent businesses, religious leaders and political groups in Washington, Abiy will visit diaspora communities in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. VOA Amharic's Solomon Abate contributed to this story. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Releases Aid to Egypt Withheld Because of Rights Record By Mohamed Elshinnawi July 26, 2018 The Trump administration has released $195 million in military aid to Egypt that had been withheld because of concerns about the country's human rights record. A State Department spokesman said Wednesday that the move recognized steps Egypt had taken over the last year in response to U.S. concerns and sought to further strengthen the countries' partnership. He did not specify what steps Egypt took. One day before the release of the suspended aid, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa voiced concern about the ability of Egypt to stabilize its economy, secure its borders and improve its human rights record. Some speakers said Egypt had slipped into despotic rule under Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a general-turned-president, with the arrest of journalists and a crackdown on dissent. "Arrests of journalists and increasing efforts to control the media and Egyptians' access to social media are an affront to democracy and stand in stark contrast to the democratic change that the Tahrir Square revolution called for," said Representative Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat. "Many of Sissi's actions appear as steps toward authoritative, strongman government. Egyptians have fought for democracy, not a return to totalitarianism," he said. Jared Genser, a law professor at Georgetown University in Washington, recommended that the U.S. use its leverage to secure reforms in Egypt. President Donald Trump "has no choice but to make serious cuts in Egypt's aid. It is particularly worrying that the administration may waive the human rights conditions and release the $195 million fund that was held back, which will undoubtedly be taken by Sissi as a clean bill of health on human rights," Genser said. Repression breeds radicalism Michele Dunne, director of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said, "What really concerns me is what is going on inside of Egyptian prisons, where we see tens of thousands of people. Almost all of them are young people, and we hear about the torture, brutality, and that they are often exposed in prison to militants from ISIS [Islamic State] and other extremist groups. This is a radicalization factory that would produce militants for many years to come." On the other hand, Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California, a Republican member of the subcommittee, defended Sissi's policy of detaining or killing suspected terrorists in Egypt. Rohrabacher and other supporters of the Egyptian government say the Middle East could become destabilized if Islamic State and other Islamist militant groups gain the upper hand. All the experts who testified before the panel agreed that while the U.S. cannot and should not micromanage Egypt's politics, Washington should try to persuade Egypt's leaders to allow different political opinions, free media and civil society so that Egyptians can find their way forward without destabilization or violence. Andrew Miller, deputy director of policy at the Project on Middle East Democracy, said the Trump administration has become bolder in making respect for human rights a condition for U.S. aid to Egypt. "Congress should continue such conditionality and seek an end to Sissi's crackdown on civil society, the release of political prisoners and access for U.S. military officials to Sinai for end-use monitoring. These steps would both open up the political space, which is so important to Egypt's long-term stability, and show that Sissi is willing to address U.S. legitimate concerns," Miller said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address All Aum Doomsday Cult Members Executed in Japan Sputnik News 06:02 26.07.2018(updated 06:18 26.07.2018) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Six more members of Japan's notorious doomsday cult behind a deadly nerve agent attack in a Tokyo subway have been executed, local media reported Thursday. The NHK public broadcaster cited its sources as saying they are Yasuo Hayashi, Kazuaki Okazaki, Masato Yokoyama, Satoru Hashimoto, Toru Toyoda and Kenichi Hirose. Japanese Minister of Justice Yoko Kamikawa confirmed later that the six cult members had been executed. "The death penalty against six people was carried out today," she said. "Many lives were taken, may people were crippled. The fear, suffering and pain of those injured and of the bereaved families is unimaginable." A total of 13 Aum Shinrikyo* members were on death row. Its leader and six of his ranking followers were hanged in early July. The 1995 sarin attack left 13 commuters dead and thousands more injured. A court in Tokyo identified cult leader Chizuo Matsumoto as its mastermind in 2004 and passed the death sentence in 2006. Almost 200 people were also indicted. His execution was put off until the end of the legal process. *Banned in Russia Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spaced Out: Trump's Space Force Left Out of Congress' 2019 Defense Budget Bill Sputnik News 00:23 27.07.2018(updated 00:24 27.07.2018) US President Donald Trump might have said he was creating a Space Force in June, but it's Congress' job to actually do that, and the defense spending bill the US Congress agreed to on Monday doesn't even include the term "space force," much less allocate money for it. What the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill agreed upon by a House-Senate conference committee does do is direct US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to "develop a space warfighting policy," Futurism noted July 25. (The bill passed the House Thursday; it must next pass the Senate before the president can sign it into law.) On Tuesday, Trump spoke before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Kansas City, Missouri, about his proposed sixth branch of the US armed forces. "My thinking is always on military and military strength," the president told the crowd, Military.com reported. "That is why I'm proud to report that we are now undertaking the greatest rebuilding of our United States military in its history. We have secured $700 billion for defense this year, and $716 billion next year approved." "And I've directed the Pentagon to begin the process of creating the sixth branch of our military. It's called the Space Force," Trump continued. "We are living in a different world, and we have to be able to adapt, and that's what it is. A lot of very important things are going to be taking place in space." "And I just don't mean going up to the moon and going up to Mars, where we'll be going very soon We'll be going to Mars very soon. But from a military standpoint, space is becoming every day more and more important." Trump can be forgiven for not knowing all the contents of the 2,552-page NDAA conference report of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, but he was wrong about Congress being cooperative. The ball is in the legislature's court, too. When Trump first announced the Space Force back in June, Vox quickly pointed out that it's Congress' explicit responsibility to "raise and support armies," according to the US Constitution. The last time a new branch of the military was created the US Air Force in 1947 it was Congress who decreed it, not the executive. Other parties are against the idea of the Space Force in any form. The House's version of the conference report sidestepped POTUS' ambitions entirely, instead calling for the establishment of "a subunified command for Space under United States Strategic Command for carrying out joint Space warfighting," Military.com reported. The Air Force, which presently oversees space military functions, such as they exist, is adamantly opposed to the idea. "The Pentagon is complicated enough," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in June 2017, Breaking Defense reported. "This will make it more complex, add more boxes to the organization chart if I had more money, I would put it into lethality, not bureaucracy I don't need another chief of staff and another six deputy chiefs of staff." So it seems for now, the Space Force has been left out in the cold, and Trump faces an uphill battle in trying to change that. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Warships traversing Taiwan Strait not abnormal: China Central News Agency 2018/07/26 21:28:26 Taipei, July 26 (CNA) The passage of a large fleet of Chinese military warships through the Taiwan Strait earlier this month was a normal occurrence that does not warrant over interpretation, China's defense ministry said Thursday. The fleet of about 50 vessels of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy sailed through the Taiwan Strait July 20-21 then turned southward, according to reports in Taiwan. At a regular press briefing, China's defense ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang () told reporters that the PLA was conducting live-fire military exercises in the area and the passage of the warships through the Taiwan Strait was not abnormal, according to a news website in Beijing. There is no need for over interpretation of the voyage, he said, according to the report. In Taiwan, media reports said the Chinese military warships were forced to traverse the Taiwan Strait because of Tropical Storm Ampil. China's South Sea Fleet had been sailing northward to conduct a joint drill with the East Sea Fleet in the East China Sea before the storm started moved toward that area, the reports said. As a result, the East Sea Fleet, headed for the Zhoushan base, veered southward to avoid the storm, according to the reports. Meanwhile, a tropical depression was also approaching Zhanjiang in Guangdong where the South Sea Fleet is based, which prompted the Navy ships to turn south to return to their base before the weather worsened, according to the reports. (By Chou Hui-ying and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Newly-acquired Hurricane Beach probably punched his ticket for next month's Prix d'Ete at Hippodrome 3R with an eye-popping win at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono last weekend in his first start for U.S.-based trainer Rene Allard. But he also hit his sulky repeatedly during the race, something Allard is looking to correct before the next start. "We'll put a bigger bike on him next time," said Allard. "Simon (Allard, the driver) said that when he hit top gear, he started hitting the bike, which scared him. And the more he hit it, the more he went." On a sloppy track, Hurricane Beach rushed to the lead in the $17,000 event and paced a blistering opening quarter of :25.2, followed by what's believed to be a record half of :51.3 (for a five-eighths mile track) and three-quarters in 1:19.3 before finally crossing the wire in 1:49.4, a second faster than he'd ever gone before. He led by as much as a dozen lengths at mid-race, eventually winning by seven. The overall harness record for reaching the half in a mile race is :51.2, set by Devonshire Hanover at The Meadowlands in 2006. "It's not the kind of race I was hoping for," Rene Allard said. "I'd rather have seen him reach three quarters in 1:22. He's a strong horse with high speed and a long stride but his manners haven`t always been the greatest. I tried to relax him all week in training and thought he'd done well." Allard and partners purchased the four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere for $110,000 at the Tattersalls Summer Mixed Sale at The Meadowlands on July 15. He previously raced for Determination Stable and Ontario-based trainer Luc Blais. Hurricane Beach - 2017 Somebeachsomewhere division "He's a gorgeous horse. I'd been following him, and had the Prix d'Ete in mind when I purchased him," said Allard, who earlier this month won his 4,000th race, becoming the youngest North American trainer to reach the milestone. "I went from having one horse, bought for $600, to training 130," said Allard. "It's gone quickly...even more quickly since I have a five-month-old son, Leo." Allard would dearly love to win the Aug. 19 Prix d'Ete, the biggest race of the year in his native province, and has approached Louis-Philippe Roy, another native Quebecer, to drive. Allard is also a big fan of the Gold Cup & Saucer in Prince Edward Island, a province where he actually bought a home two years ago. He's won the Cup & Saucer twice since 2009, and will be back for this year's race Aug. 18 with at least one horse -- likely Somewhere Fancy, another son of Somebeachsomewhere -- and possibly a second one. (A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean) North Korea to transfer US soldiers' remains on Friday: Report Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 05:44AM North Korea will on Friday hand over the remains of an unspecified number of American soldiers killed in the Korean War, a report says. Citing an unidentified diplomatic source, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Thursday that North Korea had accepted about 100 wooden coffins sent by the United States and was expected to transfer the remains on Friday. The caskets had been kept in the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas since late last month. The news agency said a US military transport plane was set to fly to an airfield in North Korea's northeastern city of Wonsan to pick up the US soldiers' remains and would after an initial DNA analysis at the Osan air base in South Korea fly to Hawaii. The planned transfer would coincide with the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, during which the US supported South Korea. More than 36,500 American soldiers were killed in the war. US military data show that about 7,700 US military personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. According to the Pentagon, North Korean officials have indicated in the past that they have the remains of as many as 200 US troops. The repatriation of the remains of the US soldiers was reportedly one of the agreements reached during a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June. At the Singapore summit, Trump and Kim also agreed to "work toward denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula. Trump's point-man on North Korea, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has held several rounds of negotiations including about the remains of the US soldiers with North Korean officials in Pyongyang since then. Pompeo had said that the return of the remains of the US troops was one of the key issues on which the two sides had made progress this month. But the overall negotiations, focused on the denuclearization of North Korea in return for the lifting of international sanctions on Pyongyang, have been bogged down in mutual recrimination. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo: US Engaged in 'Patient Diplomacy' With North Korea Sputnik News 00:17 26.07.2018 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is engaged in patient diplomacy with North Korea, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday. "We're engaged in patient diplomacy, but we will not let this drag out to no end," Pompeo said regarding ongoing talks with North Korea. Pompeo stressed that the goal of the United States was for North Korea's complete verifiable and irreversible denuclearization by end of Trump's term, "more quickly if possible". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted that Pyongyang is still producing nuclear materials, but committed to denuclearization. Earlier, US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks reported that the United States has not recorded "a complete shutdown" of nuclear materials' production in North Korea. The situation on the Korean peninsula has been calming down within the last several months after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and later Donald Trump. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India Spends More of GDP on Defense Than China - Defense Minister Sputnik News 20:50 26.07.2018(updated 20:51 26.07.2018) Earlier this year, the Indian Army had expressed its deep disappointment on its defense budget allocation, expressing concern that the funds would not be adequate to make crucial purchases. Similar sentiments were echoed by the country's navy and air force. New Delhi (Sputnik): India has outpaced China in its military expenditure in terms of the country's national income, as well as government spending, India's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday. However, the overall defense expenditure of China was more than three times that of India last year. "India's military expenditure in 2016 and 2017 was 2.5% of gross national product (GDP) in comparison to 1.9% of China," Nirmala Sitharaman, India's minister of defense, said in Parliament on Wednesday. The current dispensation in New Delhi has been facing severe criticism from opposition leaders and defense analysts for allocating less than the requisite amount for the modernization of the armed forces. The Finance Ministry, in February this year, announced allocations for 2018-19 for the defense sector, which were hiked to approximately $46.15 billion from last year's $42.18 billion. This included a capital outlay of $15.55 billion for the purchase of new weapon systems and modernization, which was dwarfed by the revenue expenditure (day-to-day running costs, salaries of defense personnel, etc) of $30.6 billion. The Indian Armed forces had expressed deep disappointment on the allocation, viewing it as inadequate even for necessary purchases. "The allocated budgetary resources are optimally utilized towards meeting the operational requirements of the Armed Forces. Depending upon the allocated resources, schemes are also reprioritized to ensure that urgent and critical capabilities are acquired without compromise of operational preparedness," Defense Minister Sitharaman tried to downplay the issue in Parliament. The defense minister has also provided a comparison of the share of government spending in its military expenditure wherein India once again beats China. The Indian government spends 9.1 percent of its total expenditure on its military in comparison to the 6.1 percent China spends. While no official data relating to China's annual defense budget is available, as per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) database, China's military expenditure was $228.23 billion in 2017 while India spent $63.923 billion that year. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New US Bill May Help India Buy Russian Arms Without Being Sanctioned Reports Sputnik News 18:30 26.07.2018 In August, US President Donald Trump signed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which stipulates that any country trading with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors will face secondary sanctions. The US Congress has clinched an agreement that may allow India to avoid Washington's sanctions over its arms deals with Russia, Reuters cited business sources as saying on Thursday. Under the agreement, India will get a waiver from President Trump if the US administration certifies that New Delhi is reducing arms imports from Russia and is expanding defense collaboration with Washington. While the sources said that New Delhi met both conditions, the Indian government declined to comment on the bill, which is due to be signed into law by US President Trump after a spate of amendments to the document are approved by US congressmen. Earlier this month, Russia's ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev, told Sputnik that US sanctions against Russian companies had no major impact on Moscow-New Delhi defense industry cooperation, including negotiations on the supply of Russia's S-400 Triumf air defense systems to the South Asian country. The statement came after Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Moscow and New Delhi had reached the final stage in talks on the delivery of the S-400 systems to India. William Thornberry, chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee, for his part, warned that India's decision to purchase the missile systems from Russia could cost New Delhi access to sophisticated US military equipment, including Predator drones for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, which could be used in anti-terror operations in Pakistan. On April 6, the United States slapped new sanctions on Russia under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over Moscow's alleged global destabilization efforts. The sanctions target senior government officials and lawmakers, as well as state-owned and private companies, including Russian military equipment exporter Rosoboronexport. Under the CAATSA, any third party that carries out major transactions with a sanctioned company is liable to punitive measures. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Major General Soleimani sharply reacts to Trump's recent military threat Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 09:11AM Iran's Major General Qassem Soleimani has sharply reacted to the recent "cabaret owner-style" military threat by US President Donald Trump against the Islamic Republic, saying he takes the position to respond "as a soldier" since it is beneath the dignity of Iran's president to do so. Addressing Trump, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said, "You threaten us with an action that is 'unprecedented' in the world. This is cabaret-style rhetoric. Only a cabaret owner talks to the world this way." He was reacting to Trump's all-caps tweet addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in which he threatened the Islamic Republic with actions "the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before." The tweet came after President Rouhani warned the US against its hostile approach against Iran, saying America should know that peace with Iran will be the mother of all peace while war with the country will be the mother of all wars. "It is beneath the dignity of our president to respond to you. I, as a soldier, respond to you," Soleimani further said. You already did all you could! The senior general further reminded the United States of its failures in its invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. "What was it that you could do over the past 20 years but you didn't? You came to Afghanistan with scores of tanks and personnel carriers and hundreds of advanced helicopters and committed crimes there. What the hell could you do between 2001 and 2018 with 110,000 troops? You are today begging Taliban for talks," Major General Soleimani said. The Iranian commander added, "Afghanistan was a poor country, what the hell could you do in this country that you are currently threatening us?" "You arrogantly attacked Iraq with 160,000 troops and multiple times [military equipment] compared to what you used in Afghanistan, but what happened? Ask your then commander who was the person that he sent to me and asked 'Is is possible for you to give us time [and] use your influence so that our soldiers would not be attacked by the Iraqi fighters in these few months until we exit this country?' Have you forgotten that you provided adult diapers for your soldiers in tanks? Despite that you are currently threatening the great country of Iran? With what background do you threaten [us]?" "We are near you, where you can't even imagine. We are the nation of martyrdom, we are the nation of Imam Hossein, you better ask. Come; we are ready. We are the man of this arena. You know that this war would mean annihilation of all your means. You may begin the war, but it is us who will end it," he said. In Yemen, Soleimani said, the US-backed coalition of Saudi Arabia and its allies has been incapable of making any gains against the country's Houthi Ansarullah movement, which is both running state affairs and defending the nation against the Riyadh-led aggression. "A mere organization is standing against you in Yemen, but it has emerged victorious in the face of the most advanced of your military equipment. What have you achieved over the past four years? You stripped the Red Sea which used to be a safe sea of security. You brought under fire Saudi Arabia and [its capital] Riyadh which had not seen a single rocket fired at them for 100 years." The senior general further warned Trump against insulting the Iranian nation and president. "Trump! You must not threaten our nation and must not insult our president You must know what you are talking about; ask your predecessors and take advantage of their experiences," General Soleimani emphasized. The senior military official also censured the US for supporting the most hated anti-Iran terror group, called the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), saying Washington failed to achieve anything by doing so. The commander of the IRGC's Quds Force said, "America had some grandeur in the past [and] when its fleet moved out, a nation fell apart. Have you now become attached to the Monafeqeen, who have been thrown in the trash bin of Iran's history? You have become attached to a vagrant woman, and show her in all [your news] networks; is your hope pinned on this? Is this all your power? You are aware of our power in the region and capability for [launching] asymmetrical war?" NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Quds Force Chief Tells Trump That Iran Is Ready To Confront U.S. RFE/RL July 26, 2018 A top Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander in Iran says his forces are ready to confront U.S. forces should President Donald Trump act on his warning that Tehran will "suffer consequences" if it threatens the United States. "Mr. Trump, how dare you threaten us?" Qassem Soleimani, who leads the IRGC's elite foreign operations Quds force, was quoted as saying on July 26. "We are near you, where you can't even imagine.... Come. You will start the war, but it is us who will end it, " Soleimani said in a speech in the central city of Hamedan. He made the remarks in response to a July 22 all-capital-letters post on Twitter by Trump in which Trump warned Iran not to "threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before." Trump's tweet came following comments by Iran's President Hassan Rohani who said: "America should know peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars." Soleimani called Trump a "gambler" and said his language belongs in "nightclubs." "We're ready to stand against you," Soleimani, who has been blacklisted by Washington, added. Rohani said on July 25 that Trump's "empty" threats did not deserve an answer. Iran's governmental IRNA news agency reported that, after Rohani mentioned "baseless comments" by "some U.S. leaders," he told a cabinet meeting "there is no need for us to respond to any nonsensical comment and answer back to them." Soleimani said he's responding to Trump "as a soldier." "Don't threaten to kill us; we're thirsty for martyrdom," he was quoted as saying by the hard-line IRGC affiliated Fars news agency. Following his Twitter warning, Trump suggested on July 24 that he's ready to talk to, saying, "We're ready to make a real deal." In May, Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and announced that the United States is moving to reimpose tough sanctions. U.S. officials have been telling countries to cut all imports of Iranian oil from November. Iran has warned of equal countermeasures, with Rohani suggesting that the country could block Persian Gulf oil exports if its own exports are halted. "The Red Sea, which was secure, is no longer secure today with the presence of American forces," Soleimani said. With reporting by Reuters,AP, Tasnim, and Fars Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/quds-force-chief -tells-trump-that-iran-is-ready- to-confront-u-s-/29391946.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian Commander to Trump: You Will Start War, We Will End It Sputnik News 12:26 26.07.2018(updated 13:09 26.07.2018) Tensions between Iran and the United States have been mounting rapidly, with Washington trading threats with Tehran and vowing to impose oil trade blockade. Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, said, addressing to US President Donald Trump, that his forces are "ready to confront the US" if Trump proceeds with his warnings that Iran will bear consequences "the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered." "You know that this war will destroy all that you possess. You will start this war but we will be the ones to impose its end. Therefore you have to be careful about insulting the Iranian people and the president of our Republic," the top Iranian general said in a speech quoted by Iran's Al Alam TV broadcaster in the Arabic language. The day before, Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Chief Major-General Mohammad Ali Jafari stated that the US oil threats against Iran "can be easily answered." Soleimani's statement comes in response to Washington's efforts to force the US allies to completely abandon imports of Iranian oil. Tehran, in turn, has threatened to block oil from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which could lead to global markets' disruption since 30 percent of all seaborne crude oil is shipped through this strait. Tensions between the two countries began to rise after Trump odered to withdraw the US from the nuclear deal with Iran, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions (JCPOA), in May. After abandoning the agreement, which stipulated lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions in exchange for concessions on its nuclear program, Washington vowed to re-impose restrictive measures. In addition, US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin emphasized that the United States was ready to slap sanctions on every country that continued to import oil from Iran after the November 4 deadline. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'New' F-15 Could Complement Future US, Israeli F-35 Squadrons Sputnik News 22:53 26.07.2018 The Israeli Air Force once planned for the F-35 Adir to be the last manned fighter aircraft flown by Israeli pilots, but a looming agreement between Boeing and Tel Aviv indicates the IAF has ditched these plans to buy updated F-15s. IDF officials have long believed that F-35s would be their final conventionally manned fighter, but a policy shift favoring additional F-15 squadrons has gained considerable support in Israeli defense circles, Israel Hayom reported Thursday. The IAF chief of staff, Israel's defense minister and the director general of Israel's Defense Ministry must review the IAF's report on the matter before a decision on whether to formally strike a deal with Boeing is made, the Israel Hayom report indicates. A decision is expected before the year is out. Support for purchasing the Israel Advanced F-15s already exists within the Israeli defense establishment, but that is unlikely to keep powerful lobbies in Washington and Israel from seeking to influence the decision. Notably, there have been talks about the possibility of buying additional F-35s from Lockheed Martin as a way to appease the Maryland-based company in the event Israel does get back into business with Boeing, Israeli Hayom noted, especially since the "IA F-15" will be equipped with some stealth characteristics. Boeing and Lockheed are rival defense contractors that compete for many of the same government contracts. Israel and Boeing have not struck a deal on fighter aircraft since older F-15s were acquired decades ago. The new deal, though, is likely to feature IA F-15s as just one component of a much larger package of aircraft including aerial tankers and military choppers. Notably, Israeli officials were reported to have found Boeing's ability to provide a variety of rotary aircraft options attractive. The CH-47 Chinook and V-22 Osprey would likely be included in a deal between Israel and Boeing, Israel Hayom noted. As far as aerial refuelers go, Israel would likely end up procuring Boeing's recently unveiled KC-46 Pegasus tankers, which are modelled on its 767 passenger aircraft. In sum, the deal is rumored to be valued around $11 billion once the ink on the contract dries. Interestingly, a report has surfaced indicating that Boeing also wants to sell the US Air Force new "F-15X" aircraft, Defense One reported July 18. The Drive disputed Defense One's report, arguing July 26 that it was the US Air Force pressing Boeing on developing the mysterious plane indeed, The Drive reports that USAF has pushed for it over the last 18 months, but talks have been held in closely guarded secrecy. Like the IA F-15, the F-15X is touted as both completely new and derived from the time-tested F-15 airframe. The US Air Force is worried about spooking Lockheed Martin, just like the IDF. The F-15X "would need to be non-disruptive to the larger F-35 procurement initiative. If anything else, it had to be seen as complementary to the F-35, not as an alternative to it," the Drive noted, citing sources familiar with the matter. The F-35 may not become the "one-size-fits-all" jet the Air Force once hoped, The Drive report says, a fact that is evidently not lost on service officials. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar Legacy of Land Confiscations by Military Persists By Oliver Slow July 26, 2018 Almost 20 years ago, Thein Win had four hectares of his land seized by the military in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Delta, an area that once exported so much paddy around the world it was referred to as the "rice bowl" of Asia. Rice exports have dropped significantly since that time, partly because of the land confiscations that Thein Win experienced, and which were rampant during decades of military rule, leaving farmers destitute overnight. After his land was seized, Thein Win tried to complain to government officials, but was threatened with arrest. The land he once had farmed became part of a fish pond project, and instead of having his land returned, Thein Win said he "voluntarily" helped to dig the land, for fear of being arrested. Thein Win said he didn't receive any money for his land, or for his work digging the pond. Thein Win is one of dozens of farmers interviewed for a new report published by Human Rights Watch, titled Nothing for Our Land, which aims to draw attention to the issue of land confiscation in Myanmar, and the disproportionate impact it has had on the country's rural population. Activists estimate that the military junta "confiscated" millions of hectares of land between 1988 and 2011, often with little or no notice, or adequate compensation for those who lived on the land, or for those who farmed it. Although most of the land confiscations took place during the years of military rule, the effects still are being keenly felt today. In its report, HRW said the practice had a devastating impact on people and communities, including on livelihoods, as well as access to health care and education, especially for those living in rural areas. In 2012, the military-linked government established the Farmland Investigation Commission, which was tasked with investigating cases of land confiscation since 1988. The commission claimed to have returned more than 135,000 hectares of land, for more than 30,000 families, though this figure has been disputed by land rights advocacy groups. Limited changes In its manifesto, published before the 2015 general election that swept it to power, the National League for Democracy said it would tackle the issue of land confiscations under military rule and "ensure the return to farmers of illegally lost land, and payment of compensation and restitution." After taking power, the government dissolved the investigation committee and established its own, calling it the Central Reinvestigation Committee for Confiscated Farmlands and Other Land. One positive feature of the new committee was that it allows participation for the participation of civil society groups. However, some of the committees remain ineffective or inactive, the report said. Richard Weir, HRW Researcher for Asia, said the government has made some reforms to tackle the land confiscation issue, but that many of them had "fallen short." He said the most important reform required was for the government to tackle the "gaps in legal protection" that meant land could be taken from citizens, with little recourse. "If this doesn't happen, as Myanmar seeks to further develop, not just in rural areas but across the country, we're likely to see further violations of rights, and more people driven into destitution by government policies and government actions," Weir said. A government spokesperson could not be reached for comment. Threat to peace Land issues are a key aspect of Myanmar's peace process, which has stalled since the NLD came to power. At the country's landmark peace summit, hosted earlier in the month in capital city Naypyidaw, two of the 14 principles agreed to form a Union Peace Accord related to land and the environment. The issue of land is particularly contentious in border areas, especially the parts claimed by the government and ethnic armed groups, some who remain in conflict with the Myanmar army, known as the Tatmadaw. "The land issue has become a real threat to the peace process, and to local communities, especially those in conflict affected areas," Saw Alex, a spokesperson for the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network, told VOA. "Especially in conflict affected areas, communities do not have any legal means to respond [if land is confiscated] because they do not hold any formal documents from the government." Although the Karen National Union signed the government's Nationwide Cease-fire Agreement in 2015, sporadic fighting continues in their home state, and Alex said some residents hold land ownership titles given to them by the KNU, which are not recognized by the government. Alex said the government often does not recognize the administrative structure of many of the ethnic armed groups, causing tension between the parties. "[In some areas] the KNU has asserted its authority over land administration, and so have the government," he said. "So you have two different policies, and two different directions; you need to find a common solution." "Unless the government recognizes this, tensions will continue and the peace process could be hurt by this," Alex said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Khan Targets Poverty, Corruption in Pakistan Election Victory Speech By Ayaz Gul July 26, 2018 Pakistan's former sports-celebrity-turned politician, Imran Khan, in his televised election victory speech Thursday pledged to tackle poverty and endemic corruption through a revamped governance system in the country. Khan delivered the speech as about 90 percent of the results from Wednesday's parliamentary polls already had been compiled. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT) party was well ahead of its main rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of jailed former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. Almost all the main rival parties have alleged the polls were rigged and manipulated in favor of Khan, allegations the independent Election Commission of Pakistan rejected. Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Mohammad Raza strongly defended the voting process as free and fair. "These elections were 100 percent transparent and fair ... there is no stain," Raza insisted while speaking to reporters early Thursday. The commission admitted that its electronic reporting system collapsed shortly after vote counting began late Wednesday, causing unprecedented delays in announcing results. Khan also promised to provide any assistance required to investigate the rigging charges, though he declared the polls as "the fairest in Pakistan." Analysts say partial election results suggest Khan's party, with the help of smaller groups and independents, is poised to establish governments not only at the center but possibly in three of Pakistan's four provinces. Khan pledged in Thursday's speech to deliver on campaign promises, saying he would turn Pakistan into an "Islamic welfare state." The would-be government, he said, would not use the palatial prime minister's residence in Islamabad and would use the space for other priorities as it focuses on good governance and economic challenges facing the country. "I would be ashamed to live in such a large house. That house will be converted into an educational institution or something of the sort," he said. "Our state institutions will be stronger, everyone will be held accountable. First I will be subjected to accountability, then my ministers and so on." Khan acknowledged while speaking to VOA on the eve of the election that the economy is the biggest challenge facing Pakistan. "The only way we can overcome this is by revamping the way we do governance in this country, strengthening institutions and then spending it on our human beings," Khan noted. This is "the rock bottom" for Pakistan, he warned. "Never have we fallen so low as we have right now in terms of human development, in terms of the cost of doing business, in terms of our economy going down the drain. So, the challenges are huge but they can only be done ... if we change the way we do governance in this country." Sharif's party has been for months accusing the military of covertly helping Khan's election campaign, charges both Khan and the military have strongly denied. The PML-N's electoral chances also have been shaken by Sharif's conviction in absentia earlier this month on corruption charges involving expensive properties he and his family held overseas. Sharif, who immediately was placed in custody after returning from Britain nearly two weeks ago, has denounced the verdict as politically motivated. He accused a covert military-judiciary alliance of trying to keep him out of politics and undermining the integrity of his PML-N party. Khan and his party were instrumental in leading street protests and fighting legal battles to win the conviction in corruption cases against Sharif. Foreign policy In his brief speech, Khan also spoke about how his party intends to deal with foreign policy challenges facing Pakistan. Years of wars in Afghanistan have inflicted unprecedented sufferings on Afghans and they need peace, he said. The new government will make all possible efforts to promote peace in Afghanistan to ensure peace in Pakistan, Khan vowed. "I also want to build relations with Afghanistan to a point where we have open borders just like those within the European Union," he added. Khan said he would seek a mutually beneficial and balanced relationship with the United States. "We want to improve our relations with India, if their leadership also wants it. This blame game that whatever goes wrong in Pakistan is because of India and vice versa brings us back to square one. If they take one step toward us, we will take two, but we at least need a start." The election is just Pakistan's third peaceful transition of power. The military has ruled the Muslim-majority nation of more than 200 million people for nearly half of the country's 71-year-history. Wednesday's vote was disrupted by militant attacks and incidents involving gunfire between political rivals. The deadliest incident occurred in Quetta, capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, where a suicide blast ripped through a crowed of political activists, voters and security personnel, killing more than 30 people. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bloodshed. The campaign leading up to the July 25 vote had been marred by violence that left more than 170 people dead. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address With an inside post position to work from this week, Jackson K Down easily disposed of seven foes on his way to the winners circle Thursday evening at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. Corey MacPherson engineered the winning trip, while taking a two-hole ride until past the five-eighths pole where he power moved to the front to cruise home in 1:58.2 by a seven-length margin. Race favourite Nogreatmischief (Driven by Walter Cheverie) was second in the $2,200 featured pace while third went to Tempo Seelster (Vincent Poulton). Jackson K Down, a five-year-old son of Camystic, is trained by Stephen Mason for owner Stephen Downey of Quispamsis, NB. Hop Up claimed the $1,950 Open trot with a 2:01.4 victory also with MacPherson at the lines. The Cornwall driver was in the seat for owner-trainer Keith Campbell of Tyne Valley. Second went to Majian Tango (Jim Ripley) while Professor Gordon (Jason Hughes) completed the Trifecta ticket. MacPherson had a driving triple on the program as he also won with Dusty Lane Artiste in 2:02.1 for trainer Stephen Gass of Cornwall. Meadowbranch Patsy was victorious in her East Coast debut winning a $1,350 trot class in 2:01.4 for driver Cheverie and trainer William Roloson, who co-owns the three-year-old daughter of Explosive Matter with Scott Roloson of Belfast and Princeton Farms Inc of Ontario. (CDP) To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results Charlottetown Driving Park. Saudi Arabia halts oil shipments via Bab el-Mandeb after Yemeni retaliatory attacks Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 06:22AM Riyadh has temporarily suspended all oil shipments through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement launched retaliatory attacks on a Saudi warship and a vessel operated by the Riyadh-led coalition waging war the Arabian Peninsula state. On Wednesday morning, the Houthi-run al-Masirah television network reported that Yemeni fighters had launched a missile attack on the Saudi Dammam frigate off the western coast of Yemen. In a separate statement carried by Yemen's official SABA news agency later in the day, the Houthis said they had also targeted a coalition boat off the coast of el-Durayhmi in southern Hudaydah port city. A Yemeni navy source said that coalition boat was carrying weapons and Saudi-allied forces to Hudaydah, which has been the subject of a military push by Emirati forces and allied militants, backed by Saudi air raids. Additionally, Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network quoted the Yemeni navy as saying that the boat had been destroyed and all on board had been killed. However, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement late on Wednesday that the Houthi fighters had attacked two Saudi Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), each carrying 2 million barrels of oil, in the Red Sea. "Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through Bab el-Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab el-Mandeb is safe," he said. Falih also said one of the VLCCs had sustained "minimal damage" and efforts were underway to move it to the nearest Saudi port. Meanwhile, Saudi oil giant Aramco confirmed the Yemeni attacks on the vessels, which were operated by the kingdom's shipping company Bahri. It further claimed the decision to suspend shipments via Bab el-Mandeb was "in the interest of the safety of ships and their crews and to avoid the risk of oil spill." The Bab el-Mandab Strait, which is the southern entrance to the Red Sea, is one of the world's key shipping lanes for crude oil and allows crude exports into the European market. Yemeni navy warns aggressors Yemen's Naval and Coastal Defense Forces command said in a statement that the retaliatory operation "is not the first and will not be the last." "We reaffirm that those, who threaten international peace and security and expose the Red Sea security to great risks, are the US-Saudi aggression forces and their crimes and siege against the Yemeni people," it added. Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the war in March 2015 in support of Yemen's former Riyadh-friendly government and against the Houthis. Yemeni forces regularly target positions inside Saudi Arabia and fire rockets at the coalition's battleships in retaliatory attacks against the Riyadh-led military operation on Yemen. Saudi Arabia has also imposed a blockade on Yemen, which has smothered humanitarian deliveries of food and medicine to the import-dependent state. The military campaign has killed and injured over 600,000 civilians, according to the latest figures released by the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights. Several Western countries have been supplying Saudi Arabia with advanced weapons and military equipment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudis Halt Oil Shipments In Red Sea After Attack By Iran-Backed Huthis July 26, 2018 Saudi Arabia announced it was temporarily halting all oil shipments through a strategic Red Sea shipping lane after an attack on two big oil tankers by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement on July 25 that the Huthis attacked the two Saudi tankers carrying about two million barrels of oil each in the Red Sea, with one sustaining "minimal damage." He said any oil spill caused by the missile strikes could have caused "catastrophic environmental damage." "Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab al-Mandeb is safe," he said. The Huthis' Al Masirah TV said on Twitter that the missiles were aimed at warships and boats operated by the Saudi-led coalition which has been battling on the Yemen government's side against the Huthis in a three-year civil war. Saudi Arabia accuses regional rival Iran of supplying the missiles used by the Huthis, something that Tehran and the Shi'ite rebel group both deny. Yemen lies beside the southern mouth of the Red Sea, one of the most important trade routes in the world for oil tankers containing Middle Eastern exports. One of the Saudi coalition's main justifications for intervening in Yemen's war in 2015 was to protect the shipping route. It has said it foiled previous attacks there in April and May. The Bab al-Mandeb strait, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden, is only 20 kilometers wide, making ships easy targets there. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that 4.8 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products were transported through the waterway in 2016 to Europe, the United States, and Asia. Based on Reuters, dpa, and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/29391317.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Official Suspends Oil Shipments Via Bab al-Mandab, Red Sea By Edward Yeranian July 26, 2018 Saudi Energy Minister Khaled Faleh says the state-owned Saudi oil giant Aramco was temporarily stopping oil shipments through the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV. The action follows reports that two giant Saudi oil tankers had been targeted by Yemen's Houthi militia near the Red Sea port of Hodeida. The TV channel reported that Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates may suspend oil shipments through the Red Sea, as well. The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Ali Jaafari, claimed Wednesday that Iran "is able to stop world oil shipments, at will," but it was not clear that the attacks were related to those remarks. Other Iranian leaders have threatened recently to "close the Strait of Hormuz," another strategic waterway leading out of the Persian Gulf. Asharq al-awsat newspaper reported that one of the Saudi oil tankers said to have been attacked in the Red Sea Wednesday was lightly damaged, while the other was not hit. The United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted Thursday that the attacks "confirm the importance of removing (Yemen's Iranian-backed) Houthis from (the Red Sea port city) of Hodeida." The newspaper quoted Saudi-led coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki as saying that the two attacks underscore "the dangerous threat to international shipping and commerce through the (strategic) Bab al-Mandab (strait)," as well as the "ecological threat," of oil spills. Both Saudi Arabia and its junior coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates, have been trying to push the Houthis out of Hodeida militarily. U.N. Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths has been trying to negotiate a political solution with the Houthis that would include the resumption of dialogue between Yemen's warring parties and the withdrawal of the Houthis from Hodeida. The Houthis have reportedly offered to hand the port area to the U.N., while Yemen's internationally-recognized president, Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, is demanding that they withdraw from the entire city. The BBC Arabic service reported that Griffiths was due to meet with the Houthis, Thursday. The Pentagon on Thursday strongly condemned "any action that threatens freedom of navigation in international waters." The Pentagon also urged "all parties to work with U.N. Special Envoy Martin Griffiths toward a comprehensive political agreement that brings peace, prosperity, and security to Yemen." Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, tells VOA that "video put out by the Houthis Wednesday appeared to show a (Saudi) frigate that was hit, and not an oil tanker." It was not clear, however, if the Houthi video was from Wednesday's attack or from archival footage. Khashan points out that "U.S. rules of engagement in the Red Sea differ from those in the Persian Gulf." He believes that an Iranian attempt to "close the Strait of Hormuz would represent a red line for the U.S., whereas disrupting traffic in the Red Sea would not." Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis have attacked a number of ships in the Red Sea since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the country in April 2015, and the U.S. did not react. It was not immediately clear to what extent the alleged attacks on the two Saudi oil tankers were related to the ongoing war of words between the U.S. and Iran over repeated threats by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. New U.S. economic sanctions on Tehran are due to go into effect on August 4, while sanctions on the oil sector are due to go into effect on November 4. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani told a gathering of Iranian diplomats over the weekend that "war with Iran would be the mother of all wars," to which U.S. President Donald Trump responded in a tweet that Iran should "never ever threaten the United States again or (it) will suffer the consequences, the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before." Former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani-Sadr told VOA several days ago that he did not think it was likely Iran would try to close the Strait of Hormuz, despite repeated threats by Iranian leaders to do so. But, he warned, "one never knows, because war has a dynamic of its own." Many experts question if Iran is physically able to close the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard frequently conduct war games in the southern region of the Gulf in which a large number of zodiac boats appear to stage mock attacks, harassing larger ships. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army units deploy in Quneitra after defeating terrorists IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, July 26, IRNA -- Units of the Syrian Arab army entered the liberated city of Quneitra and began to deploy in the city after routing terrorism in it, SANA reporter said. According to the reporter, the army units entered the city on Thursday afternoon and deployed in the neighborhoods and streets, with the engineering units combing the city and dismantling mines and IEDs left behind by terrorists to secure the city. The reporter indicated that during the sweeping operations, a field hospital with large amounts of medicines inside, some of which are Israeli-made, was discovered near al-Quneitra crossing in the liberated city. Earlier, SANA's reporter said units of the Syrian Arab Army entered the village of al-Hamidiya, 3 km to the north of Quneitra city, and soon afterwards the army's engineering units started to comb the village and dismantle IEDs and landmines to clear the village in order to secure the return of locals. The reporter added that the national flag was hoisted over the village in parallel with the army entering the town. As part of the continued push to end the terrorist presence in the southern region, army units liberated on Thursday several towns and villages in Daraa and Quneitra countryside after eliminating the last gatherings of terrorists in the area. A military source told SANA that army units tightened control over the towns and villages of al-Sheikh Hussein, Kawkab, al-Shabrak, Mseirteh, al-Lweihek and Salbak in Daraa northwestern and Quenitra southeastern countryside. The source indicated that the army's operations resulted in the death of several terrorists and the confiscation of large amounts of arms and ammunition. Meanwhile, SANA reporter said that the army's units made a fresh progress against Daesh terrorists in Jileen town in Daraa northwestern countryside. The reporter said fierce battles took place between the army's advancing units and Daesh-affiliated terrorist groups in the town, with many terrorists killed and others injured. The air force launched intensive strikes against Daesh terrorists in al-Yarmouk Basin area, inflicting heavy losses on them in personnel and equipment, added the reporter. A military source announced that units of the army established full control over Sahm al-Golan town in Daraa north-western countryside. Later, units of the army established control over Tal al-Jomou and four strategic points in the northern countryside of Daraa and dismantled a number of anti-tank mines. A military source told SANA that units of army entered Tseil and Edwan towns in the north western countryside of Daraa, killing a number of terrorists. The source added that the engineering units are removing and dismantling mines and explosive devices planted by terrorists around facilities and houses. 1396**1396 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian troops liberate several villages, hoist national flag in Quneitra Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 05:23PM Syrian army troops and their allied forces have raised the national flag in Quneitra in the southwest of the Arab country, as government soldiers continue their push to retake full control of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a strategic Syrian territory that borders Jordan. A correspondent of Syria's official news agency SANA reported on Thursday that units of the Syrian Arab Army entered the village of al-Hamidiya, some three kilometers to the north of Quneitra city, the provincial capital. It added that the army's engineering units would soon begin to comb the rural area to discover and defuse planted landmines and explosive devices by militants in order to secure the return of locals. The correspondent further added that the Syrian national flag was also hoisted over Hamidiya as the army troopers were entering the town. In a separate report on Thursday, SANA, citing an unnamed Syrian military official, also said that army forces had managed to liberate a number of villages and towns, including al-Sheikh Hussein, Kawkab, al-Shabrak, Mseirta, al-Lweih and Salbak in the northwest countryside of Dara'a's and Quneitra's southeastern countryside. Syrian government troops and their allied forces, backed by Russian and Syrian air cover, have been pushing into Quneitra province following a major offensive last month that routed foreign-backed militants in Dara'a province. During the past few weeks, Syrian forces have managed to liberate dozens of villages and towns from the clutches of Takfiri terrorists in the country's southwestern provinces. The anti-terror offensive in these provinces is significant since they border the strategic Golan Heights. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War and later occupied it in a move that has never been recognized by the international community. The regime has built dozens of settlements in the area ever since and has used the region to carry out a number of military operations against the Syrian government. Syrians continue to recapture key areas from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and other terrorist outfits across the country. Syrian forces are simultaneously engaged in a battle in the province of Dayr al-Zawr as Daesh struggles to keep its last positions in eastern Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah, Assad condemn deadly terror attacks in Syria's Sweida Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 09:35AM The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have condemned deadly Daesh attacks in southwestern Sweida Province, saying such crimes are mere attempts to prop up the foreign-backed terrorists which are suffering one defeat after another on the battlefield. In a statement released on Thursday, Hezbollah offered its deepest condolences to families of the victims of Wednesday's Daesh bombings and shootings, the worst bloodshed in Sweida since the conflict erupted in 2011. Four bombers had targeted Sweida City while others had hit small villages and shot residents in their homes. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has put the death toll at 246. Hezbollah said that the terrorist attacks "show that regional and international forces continue to use these criminal gangs to achieve their malicious and aggressive goals." The assaults, it noted, come "in the wake of the recent victories by Syria and its allies, especially in the south of the country." The resistance group further denounced the collaboration between anti-Damascus militants and Washington, saying US occupation forces are actually participating in the terrorist crime against Syria and its people. In a meeting with Russia's special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus on Wednesday, Assad lashed out at the states that are backing terrorist groups in Syria. "Today's crime shows that countries supporting terrorism are trying to breathe life back into the terrorist organization to keep it as a card in their hand that they will use to achieve political gains," he said. "These attempts will only succeed in shedding more innocent blood," he added. UN official denounces terrorist attacks Additionally on Wednesday, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Ali al-Za'atari denounced the Daesh attacks in Sweida. He also reaffirmed the UN's firm stance on protecting civilians and infrastructure in Syria amid the war. Over the past few months, Syrian forces have made sweeping gains against Takfiri terrorists who have lately increased their acts of violence across the country following a series of defeats on the ground. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief strongly condemns terrorist attacks in south-west Syria 26 July 2018 - The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has strongly condemned multiple suicide bombings on Wednesday in the government-held town of Sweida, in Syria's south-west, which killed and injured scores of civilians. According to news reports, the attacks were claimed by the terrorist group ISIL, or Da'esh, which has been defending territory in the region from a major government offensive. "He is appalled by the utter disregard for human life displayed by ISIL," said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, stressing that "those responsible for the attacks must be held accountable". The Secretary-General extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the region, Ali al-Za'tari called for better "protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and sparing them the brunt of violence and conflict wherever they are" in the war-torn country. Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria who is attempting to bring the warring parties to the negotiation table, briefed the Security Council on Wednesday behind closed doors from Geneva, on the latest political and humanitarian situation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. congressmen back Taiwan as airlines cave in to China's demand ROC Central News Agency 2018/07/26 15:58:24 Washington, July 25 (CNA) Several members of the United States Congress on Wednesday expressed objection to China's demand that American air carriers stop listing Taiwan as a country on their websites and they warned of the dangers of giving in to such pressure. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines -- the U.S.' three largest carriers -- are among several airlines that removed references to Taiwan on their websites to avoid penalties by China ahead of the Wednesday deadline. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) said it was disappointing that the three major U.S. airlines had removed references to Taiwan on their websites in compliance with the Chinese government's ultimatum. "It's disappointing that American Airlines, Delta, and United complied with this ultimatum, but the Chinese Communist Party's obsession with Taiwan -- the only democracy on Chinese soil -- is pathetic," Cotton said. "These demands are the mark of insecure, impotent leaders who know the future will not belong to them." Meanwhile, Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL 3rd District), who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, tweeted that it was unacceptable that China was forcing U.S. businesses to become Communist Party mouthpieces. "Taiwan exists and is an important U.S. ally," Yoho said on Twitter. "However, the airlines were right to coordinate with the State Department." Also tweeting about the issue, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL 27th District), chairwoman emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the airlines' decision was setting a bad precedent that would only encourage more bullying, undermining of liberal values and "attempts to mold the world in Beijing's malignant image." "We must all stand up to China, stop caving and protect our way of life," she said. Congressman Paul Cook (R-CA 8th District), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, also said there should be resistance to China's "bullying." "An edit to a website won't change the fact that Taiwan exists and is an important U.S. ally," Cook tweeted. "We must continue to stand up to China and their bullying tactics." During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) also expressed concerns over China's attempts to isolate Taiwan in the international community. In addition, several members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Brad Sherman, Chris Smith, Don Bacon, Mike Quigley, Mike Gallagher, Matt Cartwright and Glenn Grothman, have also tweeted or issued statements in support of Taiwan. (By Chiang Chin-ye and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'We won't tolerate threats,' Turkey warns US Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 09:04PM Turkey and the United States engage in a war of words over Ankara's detention of an American pastor on terrorism charges. On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted, "No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody." "Rule of law is for everyone; no exception," he said, insisting that the pastor had to face the legal consequences of his alleged involvement in terrorism. US President Donald Trump had earlier written on Twitter that his country "will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson." He called the prisoner "a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being." Fifty-year-old Brunson faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted of carrying out activities on behalf of two groups, which Turkey considers to be terror organizations. One is led by US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for masterminding the failed 2016 coup against the Turkish government. Gulen denies the claim. The other is the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting a hugely-deadly separatist war against Turkey for decades. Brunson, who used to run a Protestant church in the city of Izmir in western Turkey, was recently moved to house arrest, but Washington said that was not enough. Over the past years, the countries have also clashed over the US' support for anti-Ankara Kurdish militants, who are based in Iraq and Syria. Most recently, the two locked horns after Turkey said it would not be affecting its business with Iran, just because the US wanted to enforce sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The United States depends heavily on its Turkey-based military forces for its operations in the Middle East. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump threatens sanctions unless Turkey releases American pastor Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 03:03PM US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose "large sanctions" on NATO ally Turkey over its detention of American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson and called on Ankara to immediately release him. "The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being," Trump tweeted on Thursday. "He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!" he added. Trump has repeatedly demanded Brunson's release and said on Twitter last week that the pastor's detention over terrorism and espionage charges was "a total disgrace." Shortly before Trump's tweet, US Vice President Mike Pence, leveled a similar threat directly at Turkey's president. "To President (Tayyip) Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have a message on behalf of the president of the United States of America: release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be prepared to face the consequences," Pence said at a religious freedom event in Washington hosted by the US State Department. "The United States of America will impose severe economic sanctions on Turkey," he added. The pastor's detention is one of the issues that have created tension between the two NATO allies in recent months, along with a dispute over a Turkish cleric living in the United States whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in Turkey last year. Brunson was arrested in December 2016 and later indicted on charges of having links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group and movement of the US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen. The pastor, who has denied the charges, faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty. Ankara views PKK militants as terrorists which have been fighting Turkey for autonomy. Turkey also accuses Gulen of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Last month, the US Senate passed a bill, including a measure that prohibits Turkey from buying F-35 all-weather stealth multirole jet fighters because of Brunson's imprisonment and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Since harness racing action was canceled at their tracks last Sunday, July 22, Clinton and Dresden Raceways are both hosting National Caretaker Appreciation Day events this Sunday (July 29). Clinton Raceway is providing caretakers with a complimentary lunch (courtesy of Clinton and the Hayter Family). The track will also have prize draws for gifts including hotel stays at the Best Western Arden Park in Stratford and the Four Points Sheraton in London, a mega-gift basket from Ontario Racing, I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club prize package and 10 prints of Unchecked courtesy of Michelle Hogan. Winning caretakers will receive a complimentary winner's circle photo from their race. Racing starts at 1:30 p.m. Click here for Sundays entries. Dresden Raceway will also be recognizing and have the track announcer introduce each caretaker in front of the Grandstand, provide complimentary refreshments, have prize draws for many gifts including a mega-gift basket from Ontario Racing, t-shirts, hats, Fan Club gear and more. There will also be a group photo of the caretakers. Racing action starts at 1:30 p.m. Click here for Sundays entries. Trump Threatens Turkey With 'Large Sanctions' Over Detained U.S. Pastor July 26, 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is ready to impose "large sanctions" on Turkey unless authorities there allow a U.S. pastor being detained on house arrest to go free. "The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man, and wonderful human being," Trump wrote in a tweet. "He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!" he added. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu issued a Twitter statement shortly afterward saying that "no one dictates [to] Turkey." "We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone; no exception," he wrote. Trump's comments come an hour after Vice President Mike Pence issued a similar threat, warning of "significant sanctions" against Ankara. "To President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have a message on behalf of the president of the United States of America: Release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be prepared to face the consequences," Pence said, speaking at a State Department event in Washington to advance religious freedom. Brunson, who has worked in Turkey for more than 20 years, was jailed in 2016 and was indicted a year later on terrorism and espionage charges, accused of aiding groups Ankara alleges were behind a failed military coup in 2016. Brunson was held in custody until July 25, when he was transferred to house arrest. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move to house arrest was "not enough" and that he should be allowed to leave Turkey. Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-threatens- turkey-detained-pastor-brunson- large-sanctions/29392593.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Refuses to Tolerate Threats as US Warns of Sanctions Over Detained Pastor Sputnik News 17:26 26.07.2018(updated 20:15 26.07.2018) US evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson was moved to house arrest after spending over a year and a half in a Turkish prison on terror and espionage-related charges. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey would never tolerate threats after US President Donald Trump pledged to implement "large sanctions" if Ankara refuses to free the American pastor. "No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone; no exception," President Trump tweeted Thursday that the US would impose "large sanctions" against Ankara if Brunson was not "immediately" released. Vice President Mike Pence similarly warned Ankara that if steps were not taken immediately to ensure Brunson's release, "the United States of America will impose severe economic sanctions on Turkey." Speaking at a conference on religious freedom, Pence said the pastor was "an innocent man" and that there was "no credible evidence against him." Pence earlier spoke to Brunson by telephone, promising that the "entire" administration would "keep working to secure his full release." On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that while the US welcomed the "long overdue news" that Brunson had been moved to house arrest, this was "not enough." Pompeo urged Turkish authorities to "resolve his case immediately in a transparent and fair manner." Brunson, 50, had lived and worked in Turkey for over 23 years and was arrested in October 2016 in the aftermath of the July 2016 coup attempt against President Erdogan. The pastor was accused of being affiliated with the Gulen movement, an organization led by Pennsylvania-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkish authorities believe masterminded the coup attempt. The charges against him were later amended to include espionage and attempting to overthrow the Turkish government. He has also been accused of working for the PKK, a Turkish-Kurdish militant group, which Ankara classifies as a terrorist organization. Brunson has denied all the charges. Brunson's family has urged US authorities to take action to free the pastor. If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison. Turkish media reported that Brunson had been moved from prison to house arrest for "health reasons." President Trump recently tweeted on a Turkish court's refusal to free the pastor last week, calling the move "a total disgrace" and urging President Erdogan to "do something to free this wonderful Christian husband & father." Ankara had earlier proposed swapping Brunson for Gulen. The Obama and Trump administrations have rejected all Turkish efforts to extradite the Islamic preacher back to his home country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Theresa May says Brits should rest assured of a smooth Brexit deal Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 04:30PM British Prime Minister Theresa May has told the UK public not to worry about Britain's exit from the European Union because she can get a "good deal" with the EU, despite government plans to urgently prepare for a no-deal Brexit, and stockpile food, medicine and blood. In an interview on Wednesday, May defended her government's policy following revelations from newly-appointed Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab that London as begun stockpiling essential items which the UK may struggle to import after Brexit without securing a trade deal. May confirmed during a TV interview that plans for stocking essential goods are underway, in case imports from the EU are cut off by overloaded ports. "Far from being worried about preparations that we are making, I would say that people should take reassurance and comfort from the fact that the government is saying we are in a negotiation, we are working for a good deal," said May, adding, "I believe we can get a good deal, but, it's right that we say because we don't know what the outcome is going to be let's prepare for every eventuality." The news raised fears across the UK that the possibility of a no-deal Brexit is growing more likely as the government continues to fail to make any tangible progress despite over two years of negotiations. Recently the PM released her government's official negotiations policy known as her White Paper strategy which details what the UK wants a future relationship with the EU to be. May hoped the paper would unite her warring party behind a joint vision. However, a number of her front-bench MPs, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and her Brexit negotiator David Davis, have resigned over the strategy. The European Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, who has been authorized by the EU to evaluate and respond to the UK position, has publicly rejected much of May's proposals. "It is also our responsibility to be prepared for all scenarios, including a no-deal," Barnier said after reviewing May's white paper. Barnier explained that the reason for the EU's rejection of May's latest solutions was because her proposals over border controls would create more red tape chaos. "Brexit cannot, and will not, justify additional bureaucracy," he said. The March 2019 deadline for the UK to leave the EU bloc is close but a lack of progress in recent weeks has raised concerns that the UK will need an extension in order to continue negotiations to avoid a no-deal. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said recently that Britain would need such an extensions in EU membership. "What we have said is there should be a transition period, and that was eventually supported and accepted. Quite clearly it might be necessary to ensure that goes on a bit longer," Corbyn said. However, Chancellor Philip Hammond spoke out against seeking the idea and said that the UK parliament has already decided the current exit date must be honored by law. "We don't have a legal basis now for extending our membership of the European Union even if we wanted to do so," said Hammond. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Britain sends jets to intercept Russian plane over Black Sea Iran Press TV Thu Jul 26, 2018 02:03PM Britain's Royal Air Force has scrambled jets from a base in Romania to intercept a Russia plane flying near NATO airspace in Eastern Europe. The RAF said in a statement on Thursday that it had sent two Typhoon jets from Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, located on the Black Sea, to stop a Russia aircraft that allegedly flew westward near NATO airspace. "Royal Air Force Typhoons based in Romania have been launched in response to Russian Su-24 FENCER aircraft operating near NATO airspace over the Black Sea," RAF said in the statement. It added that the Russian aircraft did not enter the NATO skies and British jets returned to the Romanian base after patrolling the skies. The scrambling of the jets is the latest to come from NATO's so-called deterrent actions against Russia. The two sides have been accusing each other of militarization of the Baltics and other regions since a conflict broke out in Ukraine in 2014. Russia has beefed up its deployments along its western borders alleging that it is a precaution against NATO's increasing military activity in Eastern Europe. NATO views Russia's actions as a major threat to its eastern flank. Encounters between Russian and British air forces have occurred in the past almost on a regular basis. RAF Typhoons were scrambled to intercept a Russian warplane approaching NATO airspace in May following a similar incident in January. There was no comment from Moscow on the latest development. However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Thursday that his country was ready to launch a dialogue with NATO countries to prevent dangerous military incidents. "We have the sufficient basis, which allows us to avoid dangerous military incidents," said Grushko, adding that Russia was ready to hold separate conversations with each NATO member on the issue. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Royal Navy Copter Reportedly Escorts Two Russian Ships in English Channel Sputnik News 14:11 26.07.2018 The past seven months have seen a number of encounters between the naval ships of Russia and Britain, as Russian warships conduct missions and pass by the UK on their way from the Russian Northern fleet's bases to the Mediterranean. A UK Royal Navy helicopter was scrambled to shadow a Russian Navy repair ship and tugboat passing through the English Channel en route to their operational posting in the Mediterranean Sea near Syria, the Daily Star quoted military sources as saying on Thursday. "Working with our allies, two Russian ships were escorted through the English Channel yesterday while a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter conducted surveillance overhead," the sources said. In late June, the Daily Mail reported that the Royal Navy had scrambled a frigate to intercept two Russian Steregushchiy-class corvettes as they approached the English Channel. Earlier this year, the Royal Navy Patrol ship HMS Mersey and a Wildcat helicopter were monitoring a Russian naval force group when it was crossing the English Channel to return to its base of Severomorsk from Syria, according to a Royal statement. In another such encounter, UK Royal Navy's frigate HMS St Albans escorted the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov when it was in the North Sea close to the UK territorial waters in late December 2017. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stressed that the vessels passing through the English Channel are doing so strict accordance with international law and without violating the maritime borders of other states. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Emacs Widget Library Copyright 20002021 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover Texts being A GNU Manual, and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License. (a) The FSFs Back-Cover Text is: You have the freedom to copy and modify this GNU manual. 1 Introduction Most graphical user interface toolkits provide a number of standard user interface controls (sometimes known as widgets or gadgets). Emacs doesnt really support anything like this, except for an incredibly powerful text widget. On the other hand, Emacs does provide the necessary primitives to implement many other widgets within a text buffer. The widget package simplifies this task. The basic widgets are: link Areas of text with an associated action. Intended for hypertext links embedded in text. push-button Like link, but intended for stand-alone buttons. editable-field An editable text field. It can be either variable or fixed length. menu-choice Allows the user to choose one of multiple options from a menu, each option is itself a widget. Only the selected option will be visible in the buffer. radio-button-choice Allows the user to choose one of multiple options by activating radio buttons. The options are implemented as widgets. All options will be visible in the buffer. item A simple constant widget intended to be used in the menu-choice and radio-button-choice widgets. choice-item A button item only intended for use in choices. When invoked, the user will be asked to select another option from the choice widget. toggle A simple on / off switch. checkbox A checkbox ( [ ] / [X] ). editable-list Create an editable list. The user can insert or delete items in the list. Each list item is itself a widget. Now, of what possible use can support for widgets be in a text editor? Im glad you asked. The answer is that widgets are useful for implementing forms. A form in Emacs is a buffer where the user is supposed to fill out a number of fields, each of which has a specific meaning. The user is not supposed to change or delete any of the text between the fields. Examples of forms in Emacs are the forms package (of course), the customize buffers, the mail and news compose modes, and the HTML form support in the w3 browser. The advantages for a programmer of using the widget package to implement forms are: More complex fields than just editable text are supported. You can give the users immediate feedback if they enter invalid data in a text field, and sometimes prevent entering invalid data. You can have fixed sized fields, thus allowing multiple fields to be lined up in columns. It is simple to query or set the value of a field. Editing happens in the buffer, not in the mini-buffer. Packages using the library get a uniform look, making them easier for the user to learn. As support for embedded graphics improve, the widget library will be extended to use the GUI features. This means that your code using the widget library will also use the new graphic features automatically. 2 User Interface A form consists of read only text for documentation and some fields, where each field contains two parts, a tag and a value. The tags are used to identify the fields, so the documentation can refer to the foo field , meaning the field tagged with Foo . Here is an example form: Here is some documentation. Name: My Name Choose: This option Address: Some Place In some City Some country. See also _other work_ for more information. Numbers: count to three below [INS] [DEL] One [INS] [DEL] Eh, two? [INS] [DEL] Five! [INS] Select multiple: [X] This [ ] That [X] Thus Select one: (*) One ( ) Another One. ( ) A Final One. [Apply Form] [Reset Form] The top level widgets in this example are tagged Name , Choose , Address , _other work_ , Numbers , Select multiple , Select one , [Apply Form] , and [Reset Form] . There are basically two things the user can do within a form, namely editing the editable text fields and activating the buttons. 2.1 Editable Text Fields In the example, the value for the Name is most likely displayed in an editable text field, and so are values for each of the members of the Numbers list. All the normal Emacs editing operations are available for editing these fields. The only restriction is that each change you make must be contained within a single editable text field. For example, capitalizing all text from the middle of one field to the middle of another field is prohibited. Editable text fields are created by the editable-field widget. Warning: In an editable-field widget, the editable field must not be adjacent to another widgetthat wont work. You must put some text in between. Either make this text part of the editable-field widget itself, or insert it with widget-insert . The :format keyword is useful for generating the necessary text; for instance, if you give it a value of "Name: %v " , the Name: part will provide the necessary separating text before the field and the trailing space will provide the separating text after the field. If you dont include the :size keyword, the field will extend to the end of the line, and the terminating newline will provide separation after. Warning: In an editable-field widget, the %v escape must be preceded by some other text in the :format string (if specified). The editing text fields are highlighted with the widget-field-face face, making them easy to find. Face: widget-field-face Face used for other editing fields. 2.2 Buttons Some portions of the buffer have an associated action, which can be invoked by a standard key or mouse command. These portions are called buttons. The default commands for activating a button are: RET Command: widget-button-press pos &optional event Invoke the button at pos , defaulting to point. If point is not located on a button, invoke the binding in widget-global-map (by default the global map). mouse-2 Command: widget-button-click event Invoke the button at the location of the mouse pointer. If the mouse pointer is located in an editable text field, invoke the binding in widget-global-map (by default the global map). There are several different kind of buttons, all of which are present in the example: The Option Field Tags When you invoke one of these buttons, you will be asked to choose between a number of different options. This is how you edit an option field. Option fields are created by the menu-choice widget. In the example, Choose is an option field tag. The [INS] and [DEL] buttons Activating these will insert or delete elements from an editable list. The list is created by the editable-list widget. Embedded Buttons The _other work_ is an example of an embedded button. Embedded buttons are not associated with any fields, but can serve any purpose, such as implementing hypertext references. They are usually created by the link widget. The [ ] and [X] buttons Activating one of these will convert it to the other. This is useful for implementing multiple-choice fields. You can create them with the checkbox widget. The ( ) and (*) buttons Only one radio button in a radio-button-choice widget can be selected at any time. When you invoke one of the unselected radio buttons, it will be selected and the previous selected radio button will become unselected. The [Apply Form] and [Reset Form] buttons These are explicit buttons made with the push-button widget. The main difference from the link widget is that the buttons will be displayed as GUI buttons when possible. To make them easier to locate, buttons are emphasized in the buffer. Face: widget-button-face Face used for buttons. User Option: widget-mouse-face Face used for highlighting a button when the mouse pointer moves across it. 2.3 Navigation You can use all the normal Emacs commands to move around in a form buffer, plus you will have these additional commands: TAB Command: widget-forward &optional count Move point count buttons or editing fields forward. M- TAB S- TAB Command: widget-backward &optional count Move point count buttons or editing fields backward. 3 Programming Example Here is the code to implement the user interface example (see User Interface). (require 'widget) (eval-when-compile (require 'wid-edit)) (defvar widget-example-repeat) (defun widget-example () "Create the widgets from the Widget manual." (interactive) (switch-to-buffer "*Widget Example*") (kill-all-local-variables) (make-local-variable 'widget-example-repeat) (let ((inhibit-read-only t)) (erase-buffer)) (remove-overlays) (widget-insert "Here is some documentation. ") (widget-create 'editable-field :size 13 :format "Name: %v " ; Text after the field! "My Name") (widget-create 'menu-choice :tag "Choose" :value "This" :help-echo "Choose me, please!" :notify (lambda (widget &rest ignore) (message "%s is a good choice!" (widget-value widget))) '(item :tag "This option" :value "This") '(choice-item "That option") '(editable-field :menu-tag "No option" "Thus option")) (widget-create 'editable-field :format "Address: %v" "Some Place In some City Some country.") (widget-insert " See also ") (widget-create 'link :notify (lambda (&rest ignore) (widget-value-set widget-example-repeat '("En" "To" "Tre")) (widget-setup)) "other work") (widget-insert " for more information. Numbers: count to three below ") (setq widget-example-repeat (widget-create 'editable-list :entry-format "%i %d %v" :notify (lambda (widget &rest ignore) (let ((old (widget-get widget ':example-length)) (new (length (widget-value widget)))) (unless (eq old new) (widget-put widget ':example-length new) (message "You can count to %d." new)))) :value '("One" "Eh, two?" "Five!") '(editable-field :value "three"))) (widget-insert " Select multiple: ") (widget-create 'checkbox t) (widget-insert " This ") (widget-create 'checkbox nil) (widget-insert " That ") (widget-create 'checkbox :notify (lambda (&rest ignore) (message "Tickle")) t) (widget-insert " Thus Select one: ") (widget-create 'radio-button-choice :value "One" :notify (lambda (widget &rest ignore) (message "You selected %s" (widget-value widget))) '(item "One") '(item "Another One.") '(item "A Final One.")) (widget-insert " ") (widget-create 'push-button :notify (lambda (&rest ignore) (if (= (length (widget-value widget-example-repeat)) 3) (message "Congratulation!") (error "Three was the count!"))) "Apply Form") (widget-insert " ") (widget-create 'push-button :notify (lambda (&rest ignore) (widget-example)) "Reset Form") (widget-insert " ") (use-local-map widget-keymap) (widget-setup)) 4 Setting Up the Buffer Widgets are created with widget-create , which returns a widget object. This object can be queried and manipulated by other widget functions, until it is deleted with widget-delete . After the widgets have been created, widget-setup must be called to enable them. Function: widget-create type [ keyword argument ] Create and return a widget of type type . The syntax for the type argument is described in Basic Types. The keyword arguments can be used to overwrite the keyword arguments that are part of type . Function: widget-delete widget Delete widget and remove it from the buffer. Function: widget-setup Set up a buffer to support widgets. This should be called after creating all the widgets and before allowing the user to edit them. If you want to insert text outside the widgets in the form, the recommended way to do that is with widget-insert . Function: widget-insert Insert the arguments, either strings or characters, at point. The inserted text will be read-only. There is a standard widget keymap which you might find useful. Const: widget-keymap TAB and C-TAB are bound to widget-forward and widget-backward , respectively. RET and mouse-2 are bound to widget-button-press and widget-button-click . Variable: widget-global-map Keymap used by widget-button-press and widget-button-click when not on a button. By default this is global-map . 5 Basic Types This is the general syntax of a type specification: name ::= ( name [ keyword argument ]... args ) | name Where, name is a widget name, keyword is the name of a property, argument is the value of the property, and args are interpreted in a widget specific way. The following keyword arguments apply to all widgets: :value The initial value for widgets of this type. Typically, a widget represents its value in two formats: external and internal. The external format is the value as the rest of Emacs sees it, and the internal format is a representation that the widget defines and uses in a widget specific way. Both formats might be the same for certain widgets and might differ for others, and there is no guarantee about which format the value stored in the :value property has. However, when creating a widget or defining a new one (see Defining New Widgets), the :value should be in the external format. :format This string will be inserted in the buffer when you create a widget. The following % escapes are available: %[ %] The text inside will be marked as a button. By default, the text will be shown in widget-button-face , and surrounded by brackets. User Option: widget-button-prefix String to prefix buttons. User Option: widget-button-suffix String to suffix buttons. %{ %} The text inside will be displayed with the face specified by :sample-face . %v This will be replaced with the buffer representation of the widgets value. What this is depends on the widget type. Warning: In an editable-field widget, the %v escape must be preceded by some other text in the format string (if specified). %d Insert the string specified by :doc here. %h Like %d , with the following modifications: If the documentation string is more than one line, it will add a button which will toggle between showing only the first line, and showing the full text. Furthermore, if there is no :doc property in the widget, it will instead examine the :documentation-property property. If it is a lambda expression, it will be called with the widgets value as an argument, and the result will be used as the documentation text. %t Insert the string specified by :tag here, or the princ representation of the value if there is no tag. %% Insert a literal % . :button-face Face used to highlight text inside %[ %] in the format. :button-prefix :button-suffix Text around %[ %] in the format. These can be nil No text is inserted. a string The string is inserted literally. a symbol The value of the symbol is expanded according to this table. :doc The string inserted by the %d escape in the format string. :tag The string inserted by the %t escape in the format string. :tag-glyph Name of image to use instead of the string specified by :tag on Emacsen that supports it. :help-echo Specifies how to display a message whenever you move to the widget with either widget-forward or widget-backward or move the mouse over it (using the standard help-echo mechanism). The argument is either a string to display, a function of one argument, the widget, which should return a string to display, or a form that evaluates to such a string. :follow-link Specifies how to interpret a mouse-1 click on the widget. See Defining Clickable Text in the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual . :indent An integer indicating the absolute number of spaces to indent children of this widget. :offset An integer indicating how many extra spaces to add to the widgets grandchildren compared to this widget. :extra-offset An integer indicating how many extra spaces to add to the widgets children compared to this widget. :notify A function called each time the widget or a nested widget is changed. The function is called with two or three arguments. The first argument is the widget itself, the second argument is the widget that was changed, and the third argument is the event leading to the change, if any. :menu-tag Tag used in the menu when the widget is used as an option in a menu-choice widget. :menu-tag-get Function used for finding the tag when the widget is used as an option in a menu-choice widget. By default, the tag used will be either the :menu-tag or :tag property if present, or the princ representation of the :value property if not. :match Should be a function called with two arguments, the widget and an external value, and should return non- nil if the widget can represent the specified value. :validate A function which takes a widget as an argument, and returns nil if the widgets current value is valid for the widget. Otherwise it should return the widget containing the invalid data, and set that widgets :error property to a string explaining the error. The following predefined function can be used: All the :children of widget must be valid. :tab-order Specify the order in which widgets are traversed with widget-forward or widget-backward . This is only partially implemented. Widgets with tabbing order -1 are ignored. (Unimplemented) When on a widget with tabbing order n , go to the next widget in the buffer with tabbing order n+1 or nil , whichever comes first. When on a widget with no tabbing order specified, go to the next widget in the buffer with a positive tabbing order, or nil :parent The parent of a nested widget (e.g., a menu-choice item or an element of a editable-list widget). :sibling-args This keyword is only used for members of a radio-button-choice or checklist . The value should be a list of extra keyword arguments, which will be used when creating the radio-button or checkbox associated with this item. User Option: widget-image-directory Directory where Widget should look for images. Widget will look here for a file with the same name as specified for the image, with either a .xpm (if supported) or .xbm extension. User Option: widget-image-enable If non- nil , allow images to appear on displays where they are supported. 5.1 The link Widget Syntax: type ::= (link [ keyword argument ]... [ value ]) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property. The value should be a string, which will be inserted in the buffer. By default the link will be shown in brackets. User Option: widget-link-prefix String to prefix links. User Option: widget-link-suffix String to suffix links. 5.2 The url-link Widget Syntax: type ::= (url-link [ keyword argument ]... url ) When this link is invoked, the WWW browser specified by browse-url-browser-function will be called with url . 5.3 The info-link Widget Syntax: type ::= (info-link [ keyword argument ]... address ) When this link is invoked, the built-in Info reader is started on address . 5.4 The push-button Widget Syntax: type ::= (push-button [ keyword argument ]... [ value ]) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property. The value should be a string, which will be inserted in the buffer. By default the tag will be shown in brackets. User Option: widget-push-button-prefix String to prefix push buttons. User Option: widget-push-button-suffix String to suffix push buttons. 5.5 The editable-field Widget Syntax: type ::= (editable-field [ keyword argument ]... [ value ]) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property. The value should be a string, which will be inserted in the field. This widget will match all string values. The following extra properties are recognized: :size The width of the editable field. By default the field will reach to the end of the line. :value-face Face used for highlighting the editable field. Default is widget-field-face , see User Interface. :secret Character used to display the value. You can set this to, e.g., ?* if the field contains a password or other secret information. By default, this is nil , and the value is not secret. :valid-regexp By default the :validate function will match the content of the field with the value of this attribute. The default value is "" which matches everything. :keymap Keymap used in the editable field. The default value is widget-field-keymap , which allows you to use all the normal editing commands, even if the buffers major mode suppresses some of them. Pressing RET invokes the function specified by :action . 5.6 The text Widget This is just like editable-field , but intended for multiline text fields. The default :keymap is widget-text-keymap , which does not rebind the RET key. 5.7 The menu-choice Widget Syntax: type ::= (menu-choice [ keyword argument ]... type ... ) The type argument represents each possible choice. The widgets value will be that of the chosen type argument. This widget will match any value matching at least one of the specified type arguments. :void Widget type used as a fallback when the value does not match any of the specified type arguments. :case-fold Set this to nil if you dont want to ignore case when prompting for a choice through the minibuffer. :children A list whose CAR is the widget representing the currently chosen type in the buffer. :choice The current chosen type. :args The list of types. 5.8 The radio-button-choice Widget Syntax: type ::= (radio-button-choice [ keyword argument ]... type ... ) The component types specify the choices, with one radio button for each. The widgets value will be that of the chosen type argument. This widget matches any value that matches at least one of the specified type arguments. The following extra properties are recognized. :entry-format This string will be inserted for each entry in the list. The following % escapes are available: %v Replace with the buffer representation of the type widget. %b Replace with the radio button. %% Insert a literal % . :button-args A list of keywords to pass to the radio buttons. Useful for setting, e.g., the :help-echo for each button. :buttons The widgets representing the radio buttons. :children The widgets representing each type. :choice The current chosen type :args The list of types. You can add extra radio button items to a radio-button-choice widget after it has been created with the function widget-radio-add-item . Function: widget-radio-add-item widget type Add to radio-button-choice widget widget a new radio button item of type type . Please note that such items added after the radio-button-choice widget has been created will not be properly destructed when you call widget-delete . 5.9 The item Widget Syntax: item ::= (item [ keyword argument ]... value ) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property. The value should be a string, which will be inserted in the buffer. This widget will only match the specified value. 5.10 The choice-item Widget Syntax: item ::= (choice-item [ keyword argument ]... value ) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property. The value should be a string, which will be inserted in the buffer as a button. Activating the button of a choice-item is equivalent to activating the parent widget. This widget will only match the specified value. 5.11 The toggle Widget Syntax: type ::= (toggle [ keyword argument ]...) The widget has two possible states, on and off , which correspond to a t or nil value, respectively. The following extra properties are recognized: :on A string representing the on state. By default the string on . :off A string representing the off state. By default the string off . :on-glyph Name of a glyph to be used instead of the :on text string, on emacsen that supports this. :off-glyph Name of a glyph to be used instead of the :off text string, on emacsen that supports this. 5.12 The checkbox Widget This widget has two possible states, selected and unselected , which corresponds to a t or nil value. Syntax: type ::= (checkbox [ keyword argument ]...) 5.13 The checklist Widget Syntax: type ::= (checklist [ keyword argument ]... type ... ) The type arguments represent each checklist item. The widgets value will be a list containing the values of all checked type arguments. The checklist widget will match a list whose elements all match at least one of the specified type arguments. The following extra properties are recognized: :entry-format This string will be inserted for each entry in the list. The following % escapes are available: %v Replaced with the buffer representation of the type widget. %b Replace with the checkbox. %% Insert a literal % . :greedy Usually a checklist will only match if the items are in the exact sequence given in the specification. By setting :greedy to non- nil , it will allow the items to come in any sequence. However, if you extract the value they will be in the sequence given in the checklist, i.e., the original sequence is forgotten. :button-args A list of keywords to pass to the checkboxes. Useful for setting, e.g., the :help-echo for each checkbox. :buttons The widgets representing the checkboxes. :children The widgets representing each type. :args The list of types. 5.14 The editable-list Widget Syntax: type ::= (editable-list [ keyword argument ]... type ) The value is a list, where each member represents one widget of type type . The following extra properties are recognized: :entry-format This string will be inserted for each entry in the list. The following % escapes are available: %v This will be replaced with the buffer representation of the type widget. %i Insert the [INS] button. %d Insert the [DEL] button. %% Insert a literal % . :insert-button-args A list of keyword arguments to pass to the insert buttons. :delete-button-args A list of keyword arguments to pass to the delete buttons. :append-button-args A list of keyword arguments to pass to the trailing insert button. :buttons The widgets representing the insert and delete buttons. :children The widgets representing the elements of the list. :args List whose CAR is the type of the list elements. 5.15 The group Widget This widget simply group other widgets together. Syntax: type ::= (group [ keyword argument ]... type ...) The value is a list, with one member for each type . 6 Sexp Types A number of widgets for editing s-expressions (Lisp types), sexp for short, are also available. These basically fall in several categories described in this section. 6.1 The Constant Widgets The const widget can contain any Lisp expression, but the user is prohibited from editing it, which is mainly useful as a component of one of the composite widgets. The syntax for the const widget is: type ::= (const [ keyword argument ]... [ value ]) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property and can be any s-expression. Widget: const This will display any valid s-expression in an immutable part of the buffer. There are two variations of the const widget, namely variable-item and function-item . These should contain a symbol with a variable or function binding. The major difference from the const widget is that they will allow the user to see the variable or function documentation for the symbol. Widget: variable-item An immutable symbol that is bound as a variable. Widget: function-item An immutable symbol that is bound as a function. 6.2 Generic Sexp Widget The sexp widget can contain any Lisp expression, and allows the user to edit it inline in the buffer. The syntax for the sexp widget is: type ::= (sexp [ keyword argument ]... [ value ]) Widget: sexp This will allow you to edit any valid s-expression in an editable buffer field. The sexp widget takes the same keyword arguments as the editable-field widget. See editable-field. 6.3 Atomic Sexp Widgets The atoms are s-expressions that do not consist of other s-expressions. For example, a string, a file name, or a symbol are atoms, while a list is a composite type. You can edit the value of an atom with the following widgets. The syntax for all the atoms are: type ::= ( construct [ keyword argument ]... [ value ]) The value , if present, is used to initialize the :value property and must be an expression of the same type as the widget. That is, the string widget can only be initialized with a string. All the atom widgets take the same keyword arguments as the editable-field widget. See editable-field. Widget: string Allows you to edit a string in an editable field. Widget: regexp Allows you to edit a regular expression in an editable field. Widget: character Allows you to enter a character in an editable field. Widget: file Allows you to edit a file name in an editable field. Keywords: :must-match If this is set to non- nil , only existing file names will be allowed in the minibuffer. Widget: directory Allows you to edit a directory name in an editable field. Similar to the file widget. Widget: symbol Allows you to edit a Lisp symbol in an editable field. Widget: function Allows you to edit a lambda expression, or a function name with completion. Widget: variable Allows you to edit a variable name, with completion. Widget: integer Allows you to edit an integer in an editable field. Widget: number Allows you to edit a number in an editable field. Widget: boolean Allows you to edit a boolean. In Lisp this means a variable which is either nil meaning false, or non- nil meaning true. 6.4 Composite Sexp Widgets The syntax for the composite widget construct is: type ::= ( construct [ keyword argument ]... component ...) where each component must be a widget type. Each component widget will be displayed in the buffer, and will be editable by the user. Widget: cons The value of a cons widget must be a cons-cell whose CAR and CDR have two specified types. It uses this syntax: type ::= (cons [ keyword argument ]... car-type cdr-type ) Widget: choice The value matched by a choice widget must have one of a fixed set of types. The widgets syntax is as follows: type ::= (choice [ keyword argument ]... type ... ) The value of a choice widget can be anything that matches any of the types . Widget: list The value of a list widget must be a list whose element types match the specified component types: type ::= (list [ keyword argument ]... component-type ...) Thus, (list string number) matches lists of two elements, the first being a string and the second being a number. Widget: vector The vector widget is like the list widget but matches vectors instead of lists. Thus, (vector string number) matches vectors of two elements, the first being a string and the second being a number. The above suffice for specifying fixed size lists and vectors. To get variable length lists and vectors, you can use a choice , set , or repeat widget together with the :inline keyword. If any component of a composite widget has the :inline keyword set, its value must be a list which will then be spliced into the composite. For example, to specify a list whose first element must be a file name, and whose remaining elements should either be the symbol t or two strings (file names), you can use the following widget specification: (list file (choice (const t) (list :inline t :value ("foo" "bar") string string))) The value of a widget of this type will either have the form (file t) or (file string string ) . This concept of :inline may be hard to understand. It was certainly hard to implement, so instead of confusing you more by trying to explain it here, Ill just suggest you meditate over it for a while. Widget: set Specifies a type whose values are the lists whose elements all belong to a given set. The order of elements of the list is not significant. Heres the syntax: type ::= (set [ keyword argument ]... permitted-element ... ) Use const to specify each permitted element, like this: (set (const a) (const b)) . Widget: repeat Specifies a list of any number of elements that fit a certain type. type ::= (repeat [ keyword argument ]... type ) 7 Properties You can examine or set the value of a widget by using the widget object that was returned by widget-create . Function: widget-value widget Return the current value contained in widget . It is an error to call this function on an uninitialized widget. Function: widget-value-set widget value Set the value contained in widget to value . It is an error to call this function with an invalid value . Important: You must call widget-setup after modifying the value of a widget before the user is allowed to edit the widget again. It is enough to call widget-setup once if you modify multiple widgets. This is currently only necessary if the widget contains an editing field, but may be necessary for other widgets in the future. If your application needs to associate some information with the widget objects, for example a reference to the item being edited, it can be done with widget-put and widget-get . The property names must begin with a : . Function: widget-put widget property value In widget set property to value . property should be a symbol, while value can be anything. Function: widget-get widget property In widget return the value for property . property should be a symbol, the value is what was last set by widget-put for property . Function: widget-member widget property Non- nil if widget has a value (even nil ) for property property . Function: widget-apply widget property &rest args Apply the value of property to widget , passing args as additional arguments to the function. Return the result of that function call. Occasionally it can be useful to know which kind of widget you have, i.e., the name of the widget type you gave when the widget was created. Function: widget-type widget Return the name of widget , a symbol. Widgets can be in two states: active, which means they are modifiable by the user, or inactive, which means they cannot be modified by the user. You can query or set the state with the following code: ;; Examine if widget is active or not. (if (widget-apply widget :active) (message "Widget is active.") (message "Widget is inactive.") ;; Make widget inactive. (widget-apply widget :deactivate) ;; Make widget active. (widget-apply widget :activate) A widget is inactive if it, or any of its ancestors (found by following the :parent link), have been deactivated. To make sure a widget is really active, you must therefore activate both it and all its ancestors. (while widget (widget-apply widget :activate) (setq widget (widget-get widget :parent))) You can check if a widget has been made inactive by examining the value of the :inactive keyword. If this is non- nil , the widget itself has been deactivated. This is different from using the :active keyword, in that the latter tells you if the widget or any of its ancestors have been deactivated. Do not attempt to set the :inactive keyword directly. Use the :activate :deactivate keywords instead. 8 Defining New Widgets You can define specialized widgets with define-widget . It allows you to create a shorthand for more complex widgets, including specifying component widgets and new default values for the keyword arguments. Function: define-widget name class doc &rest args Define a new widget type named name from class . name and class should both be symbols, class should be one of the existing widget types. The third argument doc is a documentation string for the widget. After the new widget has been defined, the following two calls will create identical widgets: (widget-create name ) (apply widget-create class args ) Using define-widget just stores the definition of the widget type in the widget-type property of name , which is what widget-create uses. If you only want to specify defaults for keywords with no complex conversions, you can use identity as your conversion function. The following additional keyword arguments are useful when defining new widgets: :convert-widget Function to convert a widget type before creating a widget of that type. It takes a widget type as an argument, and returns the converted widget type. When a widget is created, this function is called for the widget type and all the widgets parent types, most derived first. The following predefined functions can be used here: Function: widget-types-convert-widget widget Convert :args as widget types in widget . Function: widget-value-convert-widget widget Initialize :value from :args in widget . :copy Function to deep copy a widget type. It takes a shallow copy of the widget type as an argument (made by copy-sequence ), and returns a deep copy. The purpose of this is to avoid having different instances of combined widgets share nested attributes. The following predefined functions can be used here: Function: widget-types-copy widget Copy :args as widget types in widget . :value-to-internal Function to convert the value to the internal format. The function takes two arguments, a widget and an external value, and returns the internal value. The function is called on the present :value when the widget is created, and on any value set later with widget-value-set . :value-to-external Function to convert the value to the external format. The function takes two arguments, a widget and an internal value, and returns the external value. The function is called on the present :value when the widget is created, and on any value set later with widget-value-set . :create Function to create a widget from scratch. The function takes one argument, a widget type, and creates a widget of that type, inserts it in the buffer, and returns a widget object. :delete Function to delete a widget. The function takes one argument, a widget, and should remove all traces of the widget from the buffer. The default value is: Function: widget-default-delete widget Remove widget from the buffer. Delete all :children and :buttons in widget . In most cases you should not change this value, but instead use :value-delete to make any additional cleanup. :value-create Function to expand the %v escape in the format string. It will be called with the widget as its argument and should insert a representation of the widgets value in the buffer. Nested widgets should be listed in :children or :buttons to make sure they are automatically deleted. :value-delete Should remove the representation of the widgets value from the buffer. It will be called with the widget as its argument. It doesnt have to remove the text, but it should release markers and delete nested widgets if these are not listed in :children or :buttons . :value-get Function to extract the value of a widget, as it is displayed in the buffer. The following predefined function can be used here: Function: widget-value-value-get widget Return the :value property of widget . :format-handler Function to handle unknown % escapes in the format string. It will be called with the widget and the character that follows the % as arguments. You can set this to allow your widget to handle non-standard escapes. You should end up calling widget-default-format-handler to handle unknown escape sequences, which will handle the %h and any future escape sequences, as well as give an error for unknown escapes. :action Function to handle user initiated events. By default, :notify the parent. The following predefined function can be used here: Function: widget-parent-action widget &optional event Tell :parent of widget to handle the :action . Optional event is the event that triggered the action. :prompt-value Function to prompt for a value in the minibuffer. The function should take four arguments, widget , prompt , value , and unbound and should return a value for widget entered by the user. prompt is the prompt to use. value is the default value to use, unless unbound is non- nil , in which case there is no default value. The function should read the value using the method most natural for this widget, and does not have to check that it matches. If you want to define a new widget from scratch, use the default widget as its base. Widget: default Widget used as a base for other widgets. It provides most of the functionality that is referred to as by default in this text. 9 Widget Browser There is a separate package to browse widgets. This is intended to help programmers who want to examine the content of a widget. The browser shows the value of each keyword, but uses links for certain keywords such as :parent , which avoids printing cyclic structures. Command: widget-browse widget Create a widget browser for widget . When called interactively, prompt for widget . Command: widget-browse-other-window widget Create a widget browser for widget and show it in another window. When called interactively, prompt for widget . Command: widget-browse-at pos Create a widget browser for the widget at pos . When called interactively, use the position of point. 10 Widget Minor Mode There is a minor mode for manipulating widgets in major modes that dont provide any support for widgets themselves. This is mostly intended to be useful for programmers doing experiments. Command: widget-minor-mode Toggle minor mode for traversing widgets. With arg, turn widget mode on if and only if arg is positive. Variable: widget-minor-mode-keymap Keymap used in widget-minor-mode . 11 Utilities Function: widget-prompt-value widget prompt [ value unbound ] Prompt for a value matching widget , using prompt . The current value is assumed to be value , unless unbound is non- nil . Function: widget-get-sibling widget Get the item which widget is assumed to toggle. This is only meaningful for radio buttons or checkboxes in a list. 12 Wishlist It should be possible to add or remove items from a list with C-k and C-o (suggested by RMS ). and (suggested by ). The [INS] and [DEL] buttons should be replaced by a single dash ( - ). The dash should be a button that, when invoked, asks whether you want to add or delete an item ( RMS wanted to git rid of the ugly buttons, the dash is my idea). and buttons should be replaced by a single dash ( ). The dash should be a button that, when invoked, asks whether you want to add or delete an item ( wanted to git rid of the ugly buttons, the dash is my idea). The menu-choice tag should be prettier, something like the abbreviated menus in Open Look. tag should be prettier, something like the abbreviated menus in Open Look. Finish :tab-order . . Make indentation work with glyphs and proportional fonts. Add commands to show overview of object and class hierarchies to the browser. Find a way to disable mouse highlight for inactive widgets. Find a way to make glyphs look inactive. Add property-list widget. widget. Add association-list widget. widget. Add key-binding widget. widget. Add widget widget for editing widget specifications. widget for editing widget specifications. Find clean way to implement variable length list. See TeX-printer-list for an explanation. for an explanation. C-h in widget-prompt-value should give type specific help. in should give type specific help. Add a mailto widget. Appendix A GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.3, 3 November 2008 Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. https://fsf.org/ Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. PREAMBLE The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other functional and useful document free in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. 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If you have Invariant Sections, Front-Cover Texts and Back-Cover Texts, replace the withTexts. line with this: with the Invariant Sections being list their titles , with the Front-Cover Texts being list , and with the Back-Cover Texts being list . If you have Invariant Sections without Cover Texts, or some other combination of the three, merge those two alternatives to suit the situation. If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, we recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free software license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit their use in free software. Index This is an alphabetical listing of all concepts, functions, commands, variables, and widgets described in this manual. Jump to: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W Dresden Raceway will be honouring horseman Ted McFadden this Sunday. McFadden, who passed away in March of 2017, was a third generation horseman who raced primarily in Southwestern Ontario including Dresden, Windsor, Sarnia and London. The son of legendary horseman Levi Jiggs McFadden, Ted scored 172 wins in the sulky and banked over $207,000 and notched 27 training wins and chalked up over $214,000 in lifetime purses. McFaddens big smile and hearty laugh is truly missed around the backstretch at Dresden Raceway. He was always quick to offer help to those in need. McFadden will be celebrated by his wife Karen, son Larry and his wife Terrie, daughter Dana Goodall and her husband Mike as well as grandchildren Gabe, Bailey, Derek, Brooke, Brady and great-grandson Bennett. Dresden Raceway will also be recognizing caretakers duriing the Sunday program after the track's cancellation last Sunday during the National Caretaker Appreciation Day celebrations. Track announcer Gary Patterson will introduce each caretaker in front of the Grandstand, and the track will provide complimentary refreshments, conduct prize draws for many gifts including a mega-gift basket from Ontario Racing, t-shirts, hats, I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club gear and more. There will also be a group photo of the caretakers. Racing action starts at 1:30 p.m. Click here for Sundays entries. (with files from Dresden) On the heels of raising $26 million in fresh capital, the company that manufactures an inhalable form of insulin has a new international distribution agreement in place. MannKind Pharmaceuticals announced the new pact on Friday with Tanner Pharma Group, a Charlotte, N.C.-based company that distributes medications in more than 75 countries. The companies did not disclose immediately financial terms of the agreement. MannKind is based in Westlake, Calif., and manufactures in Danbury a powdered form of insulin called Afrezza that can be inhaled to treat diabetes, a condition in which the pancreas produces too little insulin which helps cells absorb sugar for energy in the body. MannKind engineers developed Afrezza to begin taking effect in as little as 12 minutes. Afrezza has been approved for use in the United States since February 2015, with MannKind sales totaling $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2018, up from $3 million a year earlier, a period in which it moved some office work to Westlake Village that had been performed in Danbury as it worked to improve efficiencies after a $30.4 million loss for the quarter. The company is slated to release its latest quarterly results next week. In April, MannKind raised $26 million in fresh financing via a sale of stock, on the heels of $58 million it received last year. In 2014, MannKind reached a license and supply agreement with Sanofi that awarded the French giant responsibility for global commercialization of Afrezza, but the deal was canceled, with MannKind assuming anew worldwide commercialization. By 2017, MannKind had developed its own sales force, while holding open the option of bringing in other companies to help sell Afrezza to endocrinologists and primary-care doctors. This past May, MannKind offered an India company called Cipla a deal to distribute Afrezza in India, with MannKind receiving $2.2 million up front with possible additional royalties and payments if sales reach an unspecified level. In May, MannKind won approval from Brazil regulators for the Afrezza inhalers use there. One of the challenges weve had since we got the product back from Sanofi is really planning for the long term, and with the capital raised last year and the recent capital raise, weve been able to continue to lay out our plan for the next 18 to 24 months, said MannKind CEO Michael Castagna in May during a conference call with investment analysts. The buildup of the scientific story is something that we believe has been missing on Afrezza. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Papa John's International Inc. founder John Schnatter sued the pizza chain demanding internal files related to directors' handling of his ouster for allegedly using a racial slur during a media-training session. A special committee of independent directors ordered the termination of a so-called founder's agreement that designated Schnatter as the brand's face and voice, and requested he cease media appearances on behalf of the firm. Board members also ordered his eviction from the company's headquarters and have refused to turn over information about its decision-making process, according to the Delaware Chancery Court lawsuit. Radical Ideology Forced on Students Contact: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org NEWNAN, Ga., July 27, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) promotes not just "English" instruction, but a radical "social justice" and critical theory agenda. NCTE trains teachers to indoctrinate students with radical ideology, under the guise of classroom English assignments, and in violation of parental rights. Liberty Counsel represents concerned parents in the Coweta County School District where Language Arts teacher Kima Brown and other Northgate High School English teachers were workshop "presenters" at the NCTE 2017 National Conference. The conference agenda instructional sessions included: "Enacting Social Justice-Focused English Curricula" "Who Are We as Activist Allies? Storying Our Work as Social Justice Educators" "Using LGBTQ Texts in Middle School...;" "Why Are All the Trans Youth So 'Normal?' Intersectionality and Absence in Current Trans[gender] Fiction for Youth" "Race Radical Literacies" "Sexuality, Power, and Rape Culture: Understanding Feminism in Adolescence" "Consciously Designing ... Resistance Pedagogy for 21st Century Youth" "Using Graphic Novels to Spark Political Activism" "Rejecting Neutrality: Literacy & Political Engagement in the ELA Classroom" One of the conference's three "Featured Sessions" was entitled "Queering English Studies: Navigating Politics, Policies, and Practices..." The session description stated, "Queer K12 teachers and students must continue... constructing learning spaces, creating projects, and pursuing research agendas that move English studies ... to transformation so that participants can be proactive in their schools and communities." At Northgate High School, Ms. Brown required her students, without parental consent, to complete an individual "dossier" containing confidential and personally identifiable information including a photograph, a strand of hair, a handwriting sample and fingerprints. These "dossiers" were posted in the classroom where the data could have been taken by students, staff, faculty and school guests, thus violating students' privacy. The assignment was not part of the school's curriculum and was not required of other classes. Concerned parents view this unauthorized data collection as conditioning of their students to accept privacy violations by the state. Brown also required her students to "Create a Propaganda Meme" regarding the "Syrian Crisis and War." Among other things, the "propaganda" assignment required students to answer, "Are you for OR against the war?" "What should be done to protect children?" "Should the US accept more Syrian refugees?" "What should all Americans do about the crisis?" The "dossier" and "propaganda" assignments are consistent with the radical agenda promoted by the NCTE. Liberty Counsel has demanded this school district forbid teachers from requiring students to create "dossiers" on themselves or "propaganda" about any subject. Liberty Counsel also demands that teachers must be counseled regarding parental rights and student privacy and disciplined if they bring radical NCTE ideologies into the classroom. "Teachers cannot require students to provide hair samples, fingerprints, or other personal information, or force them to create propaganda without parental knowledge and consent," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Teachers must be accountable to parents and parents must be vigilant and aware of inappropriate classroom assignments designed to indoctrinate, not educate," said Staver. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. GREENWICH In marking the 28th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Greenwich found the perfect spot to hold a celebration and show off the improvements and advancements that have made a difference in residents lives. The Friday ceremony was held in Byram Park at the new municipal pool, which is fully ADA compliant, making it much easier for seniors, young kids and the disabled to get in the water through its zero-depth entry accessibility. The Americans With Disabilities Act changed everything for people with disabilities, said Alan Gunzburg, who is legally blind and hearing impaired. Many people with disabilities were out of sight, out of mind before the act. And with the act, accommodation became a basic issue of civil rights. Its been a life-changer. In Greenwich, accessible public transportation, curb cuts to allow pedestrians to cross streets with ease, ATM machines with braille, fire alarms that can be seen and heard and greater acceptance of service dogs have become common over the years. These are just a few things we see that came out of the ADA. In the business world, I have heard the term the curb cut effect, where you make a change for a small part of a population and it has a benefit for everybody, Gunzburg told the crowd, which gathered a day after the anniversary of the law. Curb cuts are used by kids with bicycles and grownups who cant pick their feet up high enough and people with strollers and someone pulling a cart with groceries. Its been a game-changer and has made a lot of difference and made things easier and more available for people. Gunzburg, who is co-chair of the first selectmans Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities in Greenwich and a member of the towns Board of Human Services, thanked the town for being at the forefront of improving lives through accessibility. Melissa Thomas, a town resident, spoke at the event about her chronic mental illness, which she called an invisible disability. My disability is with me every day, said Thomas, who works for Pathways, a Greenwich nonprofit that offers adults with severe mental illness both housing and total wrap-around comprehensive support. Ive had major depression and other issues my entire life, she said. One of my earliest memories is wishing I was dead. It didnt get better as I got older. I was not just some moody teenager or a lost young adult trying to find my way. I was and still am mentally ill. My brain physically does not work properly and lacks very important chemicals. Thomas said her disability always affects her, but no one can tell by looking at her as she goes to yoga class or walks her dogs. She said others residents have always seen her she went to local schools and graduated from Greenwich High School but they dont see her disability. Thats why it is so important for people to know, Thomas said. I am you disabled neighbor, the one whose limits are not easy to see, she said. The one who maybe the curb cuts arent apparent for at first. But I still need them. My disability is persistent, and I may need special accommodations to seem normal, so please dont think less of me on days I dont seem normal. Resist the urge to think in pejoratives and blanket statements. I am fighting battles you cant see. Everyone is fighting battles that no one else can see, Thomas told the crowd. Being disabled limits me but does not define me. Being disabled does not take away my humanity. I am a person first. Commissioner of Human Services Alan Barry told the crowd that residents should contact him if a problem comes up with accessibility in town. His department investigates and handles complaints to make sure Greenwich remains an inclusive community. The ADA expanded opportunities for Americans with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions and increasing full participation in community life, First Selectman Peter Tesei said. However, the full promise of the ADA will only be reached if we remain committed to continue our efforts to fully implement the ADA. Other town and state officials in attendance at Fridays ceremony included town Director of Parks and Recreation Joseph Siciliano, Commissioner of Public Works Amy Siebert, Selectman John Toner, state Sen. L. Scott Frantz and state Reps. Livvy Floren, Michael Bocchino and Fred Camillo, along with several members of the Greenwich Police Department. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com GREENWICH Greenwich High School Headmaster Chris Winters, a staple on campus since 2009, will move to Greenwich Country Day School to head its new Upper School, effective Sept. 30, school officials said. He will start Oct. 1. The process for appointing an interim headmaster will begin immediately and a national search for the new GHS headmaster will begin in the fall. Last November, Greenwich Country Day began a nationwide search for an educator to lead its new high school for grades 9-12, which opens in the fall of 2019, a letter to Country Day parents sent Thursday said. GHS is a wonderful educational institution one I have been honored to lead for the past nine years and have been connected to for most of my life, Winters said in a statement. I have cherished the opportunity to work with such a highly trained and dedicated staff, a committed and caring group of students, and a very supportive PTA and parent body. The outgoing headmaster also contributed to the letter sent to Country Day parents. Leading the new GCDS high school is a great opportunity, but leaving GHS is a difficult decision, he wrote. I cherish the people there and the community of learning that we nurture. The opportunity to lead the development of a new high school centered on Country Day values and the best in educational thinking is compelling, he wrote, adding that his family is also excited: his wife, Leigh Shemitz, the president of SoundWaters, has started thinking about extending seminars in environmental health and ecology. We are thrilled that he will have the opportunity in the coming months to continue the significant work accomplished so far in building the high school program, hiring faculty, and working with architects on the design of new spaces, Country Day Headmaster Adam Rohdie said in the same letter to parents. Winters leaves behind a notable legacy at Greenwich High. He helped developed the Vision of the Graduate, a set of values and practices the school encourages students to emulate, as well as the Innovation Lab, a personalized learning environment in which students demonstrate their progress through projects and public exhibitions. Winters also expanded Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), a program for first-generation college students. GHS received high accolades during his tenure. The U.S. News and World Report ranked GHS in the top 2 percent of high schools in the country in 2016 and as the second highest comprehensive public high school in Connecticut. And the number of Advanced Placement tests administered rose by 65 percent. Dr. Christopher Winters has effectively led Greenwich High School to a top tier, top 2 percent ranked, educational community, Superintendent of Schools Jill Gildea said in a statement. Along with Dr. Winters, Greenwich High School celebrates our students accomplishments and motivates staff and students toward additional future success. We wish Dr. Winters well on this next step in his educational journey. He will be sorely missed by our entire educational community. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com According to market analysts and industry sources, Huawei is making a lot of effort right now to be the first manufacturer to bring a fully functional foldable smartphone with a flexible display. The sources claim that the Chinese vendor is looking to beat Samsung to the finish line by a small margin. For now, we know that Samsung is preparing to launch its foldable Galaxy smartphone in early 2019, probably even before MWC 2019 so if Huawei wants to have the bragging rights of being first, we are looking at a late 2018 launch. But don't get too excited. Just like the upcoming foldable Galaxy, market analysts are predicting very limited amounts of the device to be produced and at a very high price. The flexible Galaxy handset is rumored to be priced around $1,500 or even higher, so we expect Huawei to sell its invention at a similar. It's apparent that both companies will initially deliver phones meant for select few tech enthusiasts with a lot of money to spare rather than handsets with mass-market potential. Then again that's very often the way with revolutionary technologies such as this one. Via (in Russian) | Source LG is readying yet another high-end Android smartphone to be released in the coming weeks. Unlike the V30S ThinQ, the G7 ThinQ, and the V35 ThinQ, this one will be a limited edition type of product. It's called LG V35 Signature Edition and it will arrive in Korea as the successor to the V30 Signature Edition, which launched in December of last year. It's expected to carry a similar price tag (about $1,800). That's pricing territory where we're used to seeing Huawei's Porsche Design and, more recently, Oppo's Lamborghini co-branded phones. So what do you get for all that cash? Basically, a V35 with 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It will possibly also have a zirconium ceramic build, if we're to go by its predecessor. The V30 Signature Edition was so popular in Korea that it sold out before the official launch. That definitely explains why LG has decided to go this route once more. The point of the Signature Edition phones is to build a premium image for the company, as its brand is still weaker than Samsung's or Apple's. Then again, some analysts say that it's difficult to improve the brand image of a company just by introducing short-lived limited edition products. Source (in Korean) | Via These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Thursday that President Donald Trump's negotiations with the European Union is a positive step forward and puts the United States in a position of strength. "The EU development, I think, is very positive," Daines said from Washington during a telephone press conference. Trump announced Wednesday that trade negotiations will proceed with the EU with the goal of establishing free and fair trade agreements, in addition to creating zero tariffs and no other trade barriers. Daines said he was very pleased to see the president working with the EU toward the goal of free and fair trade agreements for agriculture, automobiles and energy. He added that Europe relies on Germany for 50 percent of its energy and Russia for 30 percent. The U.S. has too many tariffs and barriers that hurt the nation's trade with the international market, Daines said, a market that makes up 95 percent of the world's consumers. Daines added that China's beef tariffs are from 37 to 50 percent, Japan's are at 38 percent and Australia's, the United States' leading competitor for Japan's beef market, are at 9 percent. He said this cannot continue. Daines said the future is pointed toward international markets depending on free, fair and reciprocal trade. The country is in a position of strength at the moment, Daines said, adding that China's stock market is down 18 percent and the EU is stalling. Trump plans to bring that strength to the future trade deals, he said. "In negotiation, a good sign is always when the other guy goes first, that's what we saw with the EU commissioner," Daines said. "We are staring at Montana farmers and ranchers. We must never forget the ability of our nation to feed itself, for itself, is critical," Daines said. "Taking it to the next level of feeding the world and fueling the world is a great opportunity. ... The world will be a safer place if it is not dependent on Russia or the Middle East for energy, but the world dependent on the U.S." Daines said the country still has a lot of work in trade infrastructure, but what Trump discussed with the EU Wednesday is a step forward. "I think you are going to see additional good news coming out of Mexico within the next couple of months, as well as negotiations ongoing with China," Daines said. Daines said that the best way to make sure Montana agriculture producers aren't hurt by tariffs Trump has put in place is to work on trade agreements. Wrapping up those trade agreements as fast as possible is the only thing that can be done to make sure Montana farmers and ranchers don't lose markets overseas, he said. Responding to an email from the Havre Daily News requesting more comment, Daines said, "With over 95 percent of the worlds consumers overseas, it is critical that Montana farmers and ranchers have access to critical markets like Japan, China, the EU and others. Countries like the EU and Japan are advancing their own trade agreements, leaving our farmers and ranchers at a competitive disadvantage. President Trump's announcement that he has made progress with the EU to reduce barriers to trade and expand energy exports is good news. I will continue to work with the administration to re-engage in negotiations with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will help expand access to markets like Japan and help level the playing field for our producers." Faith Groups Challenged to Overcome World's HIV Complacency GENEVE, July 27, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Every two years, the International AIDS Conference provides scientists with a venue to announce new discoveries in how HIV is diagnosed and treated. This year, the 23-27 July conference, held in Amsterdam, was no exception. Yet discoveries in scientific labs aren't going to save the world, and faith-based organizations present for the conference heard repeatedly that their unique contribution to the struggle with AIDS is vital. "We broke the conspiracy of silence, but now we face the conspiracy of complacency," said Michel Sidibe, the executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in a 24 July conversation with faith leaders at the conference. "Science is important. But social change is also needed, and social change happens with faith-based organizations." Sidibe's organization recently warned that while progress had been made in testing, treatment and prevention of HIV in many settings, new infections are on the rise in some regions and among several key populations, and drug-resistant forms of the wily virus are now appearing around the world. And soon a booming population of children and adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, will be particularly susceptible to infection following years of overly-optimistic messaging about the end of AIDS as a public health threat. UNAIDS has also warned that global funding for the AIDS response, while relatively stable, is not sufficient to reach previously unreachable sectors. "It is impossible for us to reach those who are difficult to reach and really remove the barriers of stigma and discrimination," Sidibe told the religious leaders. "We need people who all their lives have been building bridges between people. That is who you are." With leadership from the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (WCC-EAA), religious leaders and activists attending the conference emphasized the construction of bridges between faith communities and others involved in responding to the global pandemic. Participants in a two-day interfaith conference in anticipation of the International AIDS Conference constructed a symbolic cardboard bridge. They then moved it to the Global Village of the main conference, where it linked together the "Interfaith Networking Zone" and a discussion area shared with the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and Unitaid. Critical areas for faith leaders The interfaith conference focused on three critical issues where faith-based organizations need to step up their game. One of those is how to better reach children and adolescents who have often been left behind by HIV testing and treatment programs. Participants heard updates on a process convoked by Pope Francis to push manufacturers of drugs and diagnostic devices to develop products better suited to children. Francesca Merico, coordinator of the WCC-EAA HIV Campaign, is part of a small working group that monitors progress made on what has become known as the Rome Action Plan. "There are a variety of different stakeholders involved, all committed to accelerating the research, development, introduction and regulatory approval of optimal formulations. It's not just the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies to ensure that children have access to treatment. It's also the responsibility of faith-based organizations to roll out the optimal formulations in each country, which sometimes doesn't happen. We need to invest in what children really need, not just a drug," Merico said. Another issue at the pre-conference was tuberculosis (TB) and its insidious relation with HIV. TB is the most common cause of death for people who develop AIDS, and HIV infection has contributed to a significant increase in the worldwide incidence of TB. In addition to experts on the disease from the World Health Organization and other agencies, participants listened to Maureen Murenga from Kenya describe how TB is often more stigmatized than HIV. Both Murenga and her son are living with HIV, but it was only when it became known that her son was on treatment for TB that other parents removed their children from his school, even though the boy was no longer contagious. "We cannot save lives if we only focus on HIV," Murenga said. On a third front, participants also discussed how migrants are affected by HIV. Father Bob Vitillo, a special advisor on HIV and AIDS to Caritas Internationalis, said the world often sees migrants and people living with HIV in the same light. "Both suffer from marginalization, from the fear that people have of 'the other,'" he said. "But the gospel mandates, at least for Christians, that we be out on the margins with them, recognizing the dignity in every person." Now secretary general of the International Catholic Migration Commission, Vitillo said he is working on ways for the personal data of migrantswho often lose or have their documents taken from themto be made available to them on the cloud. This could include both health records and identity documents, he said, and would help ensure the continuity of treatment when necessary. In both conferences, religious leaders recommitted themselves to continuing the promotion of human rights, increasing access to treatment for everyone, and combating stigma and discrimination, three themes that have occupied the interfaith agenda for years. New challenges, good practices New challenges were also discussed. Participants celebrated the achievement of what was dubbed "U equals U" at the conferencerecently released research that shows that HIV is "untransmittable" by HIV-positive individuals whose viral load has been undetectable for several months. That allows serodiscordant couples, for example, to have unprotected sex, thus sidestepping a moral dispute which for years has perplexed some Catholics over the use of condoms. But it can also contribute (along with pre-exposure prophylaxis that is now widely available) to a decline in safer sex practices, something evidenced in several areas by skyrocketing rates of sexually-transmitted diseases like chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrheaincluding extensively drug-resistant forms. Throughout both conferences, faith leaders shared good practices from the field. For example, Father Richard Bauer, a Maryknoll priest from the United States, shared his experience in a large HIV program in Nairobi, where last year his organization conducted 60,000 HIV tests. "Yet we've been only testing the 'worried well,'" he said. "Despite initial concerns, I've been converted to using self-testing and assisted self-testing, using community health workers who come from the local area and are trusted by people. It's a great opportunity to expand our reach, including among men, and when we get data that allow us to identify where new infections are happening, we can send our community health workers into the area and quickly get to those we really need to reach." According to Carol Finlay, the twinning and local development secretary for the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland, despite current setbacks in the struggle with HIV and AIDS, changes in the demographics of the biennial conference give her hope, especially the participation of those whose voices were not heard in the early stages of the pandemic. Finlay attended the 2000 conference in Durban, and she says the Amsterdam gathering shows how far the AIDS response has come. "In 2000, we didn't talk about people living with HIV, simply because people weren't living with it. People with the virus were on the edges of the conference. But now they're right in the middle," she said. Video: Building bridges: A word of prayer Access free high-resolution photos from Faith at AIDS 2018 Working toward an AIDS-free generation (WCC press release of 26 July 2018) Building bridges of faith in the HIV response (WCC press release of 25 July 2018) Building Bridges in the global HIV response (WCC press release of 25 July 2018) "The materials are us" - Faith building bridges in the HIV response (WCC press release of 21 July 2018) Learn more about Faith at AIDS 2018 WCC-EAA Faith on the Fast Track HIV Campaign After 25 years as secretary, Linda Ferguson retires from Great Northern Fair board Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Linda Ferguson will soon be retiring after 25 years as the Northern Fair Secretary. She says this will be her summer retirement since she will continue teaching a St Judes School. Linda Ferguson stood in the sunshine at the deserted Great Northern Fairgrounds chatting with someone through a truck's window, gathering information about her fourth-grade class for this year. "We were talking about, 'How many kids do I have this year,' you know, 'Anybody new?'" Ferguson said with enthusiasm and giggled. "This is the time of year that you start asking those questions.'" She was referring to her job at St. Jude Thaddeus School, where she said she has held a teaching position for 29 years, "and that I'm not retiring from," she said. This year Ferguson will be retiring, however, from her job of 25 years as the Great Northern Fair Board's secretary. "I've never been a teacher who didn't have something to do in the summertime," she said. "So I decided, maybe it's time I see what that's like, ya know? To just do your yardwork, or, if you want to go out of town it's okay, you don't have to take time off or anything." "So I just decided it was time," she said. 25 summers at the fairgrounds Those 25 years as fair board secretary all started one July, Ferguson said, with a telephone call from Alma Seidel, a fellow teacher at St. Jude's who also happened to be a fair board member. "She said 'Linda, they need a fair secretary, are you interested?' And I said, 'Sure,'" Ferguson said, laughing. "And then it was just every summer after that." Thinking back on her first fair, she smiled. "The first days on the job were kind of eye-opening because I had never worked at a fair before ... what it was like to put it together," she said. "There was a manager, her name was Lisa Kudrna. ... I just did whatever she needed me to do." The next summer, however, Kudrna's place was taken by Mike Spencer, whom Ferguson worked with for close to 10 years, she said. After Spencer retired, Tim Solomon became the fair board manager and stayed for 11 or 12 years, Solomon said. After Solomon left to work full time as Havre's mayor - he had been doing both jobs - the fair board had a different manager each summer for three years, Ferguson said. She added that this year was unique. "The board took on the huge task of putting on the fair without a manager," she said. It was also the first fair week in years that was missing Ferguson herself. "This year I wasn't here. My granddaughter got married in Texas," she said. "I hated to miss my 25th fair, but ... my name would've been mud if I hadn't been there for the wedding." She said the fair went well without her. "They did a fantastic job. ... They did super," Ferguson said. She said she was most impressed by how much the fair made in parking this year. "$5 shy of $28,000," she said. "To me that's a good indication that the community is going to support this fair. Because it was all new to pay to park, and they were willing to do it, so the community is behind the fair." "And the Indian Races did so well," she added, crediting Tim Rosette Jr. from Rocky Boy for initiating the races. "Boy, did the crowd love it." Ferguson may be the most experienced judge of the fair's success. "I don't know of anyone that worked there really any longer than her," Solomon said. Handling extensive duties As secretary of the fair board, Ferguson took notes at meetings all year long, Solomon said. He added that she would also line up most of the open class and school exhibits ahead of time. Once summer came, Ferguson answered phones, sent out contracts and information to prepare for the fair, and even sold tickets, Solomon said. "She did a lot of stuff," he said. Working 25 years at the fair did not seem to strain Ferguson. "Honestly, it wasn't really like going to a job," she said. "It was a pleasant place to spend the summer. Fair week was always a little frantic, but other than that it was very pleasant. I'll miss it. Next summer I'll go, 'Ooh, aren't I supposed to go out there? Oh, no, I'm retired.'" Ferguson's love of the camaraderie of the fair, as she put it, may have kept her coming back every year. "There are people," she said, "who sit out under that tent that they put up all day and visit. ... Maybe their children or grandchildren are playing, or on the rides, or just running around, but they're just visiting." Solomon said Ferguson's job as a teacher and the summer fair office hours worked perfectly together. Still, he said, he was surprised by how long she stayed with the fair board. "Definitely not the highest paid job out there," he said. "She had to do it with that pay because she loved it." He mentioned her close friendships with people at the fair, including with former groundskeeper Murdo MacKay. "They were very friendly, like I say, it was a small kind of family, as far as getting along. ... It was a great bunch," Solomon said, adding that the fair would miss her knowledge and capabilities. Working with a list of fair managers, board members Ferguson worked with several fair managers and board members during her years as secretary. "Every one of them had different personalities and different ways of doing things," Ferguson said. But many said they had fond memories of working with Ferguson. "She was fabulous," Mike Spencer said. "She was just great with people and great with staff." "She is very pleasant to work with in all circumstances," Tyler Smith, chair of the board, said, adding that Ferguson "does an outstanding job for the fair board." Solomon pinpointed Ferguson's trustworthiness as secretary. "She was very particular with money, as far as accuracy," he said. " ... She was very reliable that way. Never any doubt." Solomon and Spencer both praised Ferguson's skill passing along information from manager to manager about what worked and what didn't at the fair. "She was very helpful to all the new managers," Spencer said, "letting 'em know where things went, trying to keep the process going. She cared very much for the fair and how it went." He added that "her depth of knowledge is amazing." About her many years as secretary, Solomon said that "you usually have some repeating history that you can tell." "She felt that we could talk," Solomon said, adding that they "discussed a lot of things and figured out the best way of doing them." One change Ferguson may have influenced was the location of the fair's office building. Under Spencer's management, the office had to move to manage the campground; it stayed near the old museum building adjacent to the campground for eight years, Ferguson said. "When Tim became manager, he thought it would be better to be more in the center of the action during the fair, which I like. ... Over there you were just isolated." Solomon agreed, saying, "especially being tied to the office most of the time, she probably felt that way more than I did - kind of indicated that to me at times," he added with a laugh. Ferguson's strong will and love of handing down history is apparent in her other accomplishments, as well. After leaving the University of Montana at 18 years old for a radio job, Ferguson eventually returned to complete her degree at Montana State University-Northern, then called Northern Montana College. "I always did secretary bookwork," Ferguson said. "I just made up my mind. Where is my life going? And why am I not doing what I really want to do?" From the time she was young, Ferguson said, she had wanted to be a history teacher. "At that time I was a single mom. In fact, my oldest son graduated from high school the same year I graduated from college," she said. "And George and Trish ... they were smaller. I just did it. ... And don't regret it a minute. It made my life a whole lot happier." The state of Montana eventually recognized Ferguson's teaching abilities. She was "Montana History Teacher of the Year" and was invited to Helena to ring the capital bell. She also later won a Walmart-sponsored "Teacher of the Year Award." Ferguson seemed unconcerned with the awards, however, and eager to discuss her lesson plans, which she said include engaging students in historical novels. She assigns characters from the novels to her fourth-graders and asks them to journal about the story's adventures. Next summer she will embark on her own adventures during her first real summer vacation in 25 years. Ferguson said she plans to visit people, putter in the yard, play with her new puppy and dog-sit for her children. She also expressed a love of being a student herself, perhaps a hint she will continue her education in some way. Ferguson added that she also hopes the fair will continue to grow, so it can provide the community with a great summer event. "You see people you might not see most of the year," she added. "Some of the vendors and the exhibitors that come back every year have become friends, and I'll miss seeing them." Ferguson became quiet. "I think the biggest thing I miss so far is Alma, because she died several years ago. And she was a lifelong fair lover," she said slowly. "She had been involved with the fair since she was a little girl." Seidel had started in 4-H and become a fair board member. "She just loved the fair," Ferguson said. " ... We taught together, and we had fair together. We were very close friends, and I miss her a lot." "In fact there's a tree over along the campground dedicated to her years ... ," she added. "It's just a little tree with a plaque on it." The young, reddish tree is planted along the road to the office. Ferguson said she wanted to thank everyone she'd been associated with over her 25 years at the fair for the privilege of spending her summers there. "It's been a ... wonderful job and I can't even call it a job," she said. "It was just fun." Out our way, folks are usually more concerned with living the faith than with arguing over words and other trivialities. For example, when reciting the Lord's Prayer - some folks say "trespasses" while others say "debts." And sometimes they get so caught up in the wording that they ignore the meaning. Back in seminary, we had a joke about that very thing. We had both Episcopalian and Methodists in school as well as Presbyterians, so, as the Episcopal and their Methodist offshoot came out of the church of England and the land-owning nobility, they would naturally be concerned about trespassers on their property. We Presbyterians - the Church of Scotland - were noted for thrift and perhaps being tight fisted. Hence Presbyterians would be more concerned about "debts." Of course, this is a joke, for it is simply a matter of how various translators opted to render the original Greek word into English. Both are correct as far as they go, but it is amazing how some folks get all tangled up in such trivialities. Now, I noted that as Charlie and I rode for various ranchers up on the Tiger Ridge during roundup, there were many different breeds of cattle. I also noted that Doc couldn't care less whether we were gathering black Angus, red Angus, Charolais, or a mixture of various breeds. As far as he was concerned, a cow is a cow is a cow. When we were pushing the herd from one area to another and a pair took off, Doc really didn't pay much attention to coloring or breed. Now, as I am sure most people know, regardless of whether we say debts or trespasses, the point is that all of us have messed up along the way and need forgiveness. There is no one without sin other than Christ - so when it comes to being sinners, we are all in the same category. The point, as I suspect everyone who really thinks about it understands, is that if we wish to be forgiven for the wrongs we have done, then let us imitate Christ and seek to forgive the wrongs that have been done to us. Ask me about the wrongs that have been done to me and, boy, can I tick them off with ease. But ask me what wrongs I have done and for which I need to ask forgiveness, that is far more difficult. Indeed, I can usually find excuses for wrong behavior ... and even ways to twist things around too hear the wrong I did was not wrong at all but a righteous response. Even if maybe it was "wrong" it was deserved and "the other guy's fault." Boy, am I good at doing that. Yet as Doc does not distinguish between the Angus, Charolais, Herefords or mixed breeds, nor does Christ distinguish between Roman Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals, nondenominationals or any other brand of Christian. They are all part of His herd and when we break away from the Way, He seeks us out to bring us back home again. The "green pastures and still waters" are for the whole herd, not just an elite few. And I have never known any breed or mixed breed that wouldn't stray or take off and need to be turned around. I suspect the Lord says the same about everyone one of us. So, as I realize my own frailty and tendency to stray, I find I have forfeited all bragging rights or sense of superiority within the herd. And that helps me fit in and start paying attention to the Boss instead of going my own way, for I don't know where the green pastures and still waters are - and can't get there on my own. The stray who separates from the herd is doomed. Starvation, thirst, exposure, not to mention predators are its future. Forgive my pride, Lord, that separates me from the rest of Your people and so dooms me as well. I am no better than the rest, and thus none are worse than me. Forgive me and restore me to You - and help me to forgive others that we may be restored to each other. Blessings, Brother John Bruington -- Brother John has been blessed and taught the Way of the Lord by many others over the years, including Goliath - aka "Doc" - whose horse-sense theology has proven time and time again to be the right trail that Christ would have him follow. A man walked into a Planet Fitness in Plaistow, New Hampshire, last weekend, stripped to his nothings at the front door, paced a few laps in the exercise area naked, checked himself out in the mirror naked, then staked a claim on a yoga mat where officers found him still buck naked in a "yoga-type position," Plaistow police Capt. Brett Morgan told several news outlets. Morgan also said that the guy's only comment to officers who came to arrest him was to say that he thought the gym had a judgment-free zone - referencing the fitness chains motto. The guy had drug paraphernalia in his possession, not on him of course, but with his clothes, but officers said he didn't appear under the influence, and paramedics assessed him and released him. Officers charged him with indecent exposure/lewdness and disorderly conduct and released him back into the community on bail. The obvious question here is: Why did he do this? Was it drugs? Or mental illness? Possibly, but it's not like he was even admitted to a facility of some kind for observation, so how drugged or mentally ill could he have been? It's entirely possible that he was just being a guy. That's just as likely as the other two possibilities. Let's be honest, who among us doesn't know a handful of guys capable of this, either now or "back in the day," and if you're like me, you have the contact info of at least one guy who you feel compelled to call to see if it was him. Or maybe I just know the right wrong people. Still, here's the other thing that struck me about this incident: the other people. I read a pretty fair sampling of articles on this incident and nowhere did I see something that said the other people in the gym left, sneaked out, casually walked away with their eyes discreetly averted or otherwise fled the scene while a naked guy was parading around in the enclosed space with them. Morgan said people in the "pretty crowded" gym reported "they felt uncomfortable, disgusted, sick and unsafe," but no one said they headed for the exit. Someone wondered what he was smoking, at least one person wondered if he even had a gym membership and one person described the incident with the strongest language: "That's weird." Oh, OK. "Well I just moved out here, so this is a 'Live Free or Die' state, so anything's free." gym member Doug Wilson said in an interview with WMUR news. "It's not a clothing-free zone," Morgan pointed out to the Globe in a statement that sounded almost like a joke. The fitness chain's website does promise, though, a "Judgment Free Zone," where members "feel comfortable regardless of their fitness level." Mission accomplished. I have to commend Planet Fitness, its Plaistow patrons, the ambulance crew, the officers and the captain himself. They've come about as close to being judgment free as we're going to find outside, maybe, a Buddhist monastery somewhere in the mountains of Tibet or something. This is about the most hopeful sign in real life I've seen that modern humanity might survive its current wave of divisiveness. From the bottom of my heart, naked guy, thank you, too. -- Disclaimer: This column is not to be construed as an endorsement by its author or this newspaper to appear naked, in whole or in part, in public or at http://facebook.com/viewfromthenorth40/. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland clinical researchers, in conjunction with other sickle cell centers and scientists at Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc., have demonstrated that therapy with L-Glutamine reduced the frequency of pain episodes in both pediatric and adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The results of the 48-week, phase 3 clinical trial are published in the July 19, 2018, issue of New England Journal of Medicine. The paper, A Phase 3 Trial of L-Glutamine in Sickle Cell Disease, documented the effects of taking Endari, a prescription-grade, pharmaceutical form of L-glutamine, as compared to placebo, for 230 patients aged 5 to 58 years of age with sickle cell disease. Endari was approved in July 2017 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based on the safety and efficacy data from this study. Glutamine is an amino acid that is involved in several biochemical reactions. The study showed that whether administered alone or with hydroxyurea, L-glutamine reduced the frequency of sickle cell pain crises by 25 percent (a median of three events per patient in the L-glutamine group and four in the placebo group) and hospitalizations by 33 percent (a median of two hospitalizations in the L-glutamine group and three in the placebo group). Additional findings showed lower cumulative hospital days of 41 percent and a lower incidence of dangerous acute chest syndrome (ACS) by more than 60 percent. This study validated research on the safety of pharmaceutical grade L-glutamine which has antioxidant properties that improves the NAD redox potential in sickle cell patients. Safe neutraceuticals are of major importance to the sickle cell community, said Elliott Vichinsky, MD, Director of Hematology/Oncology at the Northern California Sickle Center at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland. Our clinical trial found that L-glutamine, which does not require any routine laboratory monitoring, decreases pain events in patients by itself or in combination with hydroxyurea. It is a major advance in therapy for sickle cell disease and offers families safe, new therapeutic options. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that causes a distortion in the shape of red blood cells. This leads to the many symptoms and medical problems affecting children and adults with sickle cell disease, including pain, anemia, and bone, kidney, lung and neurologic problems. Endari, is the first approved treatment for sickle cell disease in pediatric patients 5 years of age and older and the first in nearly 20 years for adults, said study co-author Yutaka Niihara, MD, CEO and founder of Emmaus, which produces the product. Our hope in sharing the results of this data from the New England Journal of Medicine is to increase awareness of sickle cell disease, a lifelong hereditary blood disorder which commonly affects those of African descent, as well those from Central and South America and people of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean descent. It is important for patients to know that they have a treatment option for this debilitating disease. The double-blind trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical-grade L-glutamine administered twice daily by mouth, as compared with placebo, in reducing the frequency of pain crises among patients with sickle cell anemia or sickle 0-thalassemia and a history of two or more pain crises during the previous year. Patients who were receiving hydroxyurea at a dose that had been stable for at least 3 months before screening continued that therapy through the 48-week treatment period. Patients were randomly assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, to receive L-glutamine (152 patients) or placebo (78 patients). Those in the L-glutamine group had significantly fewer pain crises than those in the placebo group (P = 0.005) and fewer hospitalizations (P = 0.005). Approximately 54 percent of the patients were female and 66 percent of the patients in both trial groups were already receiving hydroxyurea. The study found that low-grade nausea, non-cardiac chest pain, fatigue and musculoskeletal pain occurred more frequently in the L-glutamine group than in the placebo group. Funding for this trial was provided by Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. Study authors for the Phase 3 Trial of l-Glutamine in Sickle Cell Disease include Yutaka Niihara, M.D., M.P.H., Emmaus Medical, Torrance and University of California at Los Angeles; Scott T. Miller, M.D., State University of New York-Downstate Medical Center; Julie Kanter, M.D., Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston; Sophie Lanzkron, M.D., M.H.S., Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore; Wally R. Smith, M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University Healthcare Systems, Richmond; Lewis L. Hsu, M.D., Ph.D., Victor R. Gordeuk, M.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago; Kusum Viswanathan, M.D., Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center; Sharada Sarnaik, M.D., Childrens Hospital of Michigan, Detroit; Ifeyinwa Osunkwo, M.D., Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, NC; Edouard Guillaume, M.D., Interfaith Medical Center; Swayam Sadanandan, M.D., Brooklyn Hospital Center; Lance Sieger, M.D., Osbourne A. Blake, M.D., Los Angeles, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Inglewood; Joseph L. Lasky, M.D., Eduard H. Panosyan, M.D., HarborUCLA and Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute; Tamara N. New, M.D., Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta; Rita Bellevue, M.D., New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital; Lan T. Tran, M.P.H., Rafael L. Razon, M.D., Charles W. Stark, Pharm.D., Emmaus Medical, Torrance; Lynne D. Neumayr, M.D., and Elliott P. Vichinsky, M.D., UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland Research Center, Oakland. UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland as well as Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Childrens Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF faculty also provide all physician care at the public Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and the SF VA Medical Center. The UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program is a major branch of the University of California, San Franciscos School of Medicine. Sale of Boyd property would limit options for HHS It seemed like a decisive moment last week when the Henderson County Board of Commissioners voted to pull the plug on the Hendersonville High School construction project after spending three years and almost $5 million on the plan. But in the days since, it became increasingly clear that the boards decision raised questions more than it answered. Among them: If the commissioners official position now is to spend no more money on the high school, what will they say when the School Board comes back next spring with its capital projects list, topped by HHS? If commissioners follow through on the idea of selling the old Boyd dealership property next door to the campus, can they market the land with no commitment from the Hendersonville City Council to rezone it for commercial use? Does the decision to kill the HHS project and sell the Boyd property mean that the days of a county high school in the city limits are numbered, as some HHS alumni fear? The answers cant be known today but those questions are being asked as School Board members, city council members and commissioners themselves process the biggest public breakdown of diplomacy in recent memory. City Councilman Jeff Miller, a 1972 HHS graduate who had been in behind-the-scenes negotiations to reach a compromise, said he had a troubling vision when he read accounts of last Wednesdays County Commission meeting. What happens in Raleigh and Washington came back and landed here, he said. It sounded like they just hit the flush handle and let it all flow. The day before, during a meeting of the Local Government Committee for Cooperative Action, Laurel Park Mayor Carey OCain and Hendersonville Mayor pro tem Ron Stephens urged commissioners to cede the HHS construction decision to the School Board, angering the commissioners. It started the day before at the LGCCA, Miller said. Anybody that was on the fence got knocked right off of it by those comments that went down there. It certainly instilled a lot of bad blood leading into a meeting that was going to be contentious at best. I was disappointed that the comments came out there. Commissioner Bill Lapsley was direct in his criticism of the LGCCA remarks. I have worked personally very hard in the past two months and especially in the last 30 days to try and reach a compromise that everyone could live with. We were that close a week ago, Lapsley said, holding his thumb and index finger a half-inch apart. Then things like this come out in the paper the day before we were going to meet and this board gets lambasted and human nature being what it is, this is not a good thing. This gets peoples hairs to stand up at the back of their neck. Weve been caught up in a local political situation that in the end the students and education program is going to suffer and I feel bad about it. But doggone it, weve got to move on. I dont see that anything different is going to happen two to three months from now and thats sad. Im so disappointed but Im tired of dealing with it. We need to close the door and if it needs to be reopened again in two to three years when all of us get thrown out of office it can happen under a new board. If that pushed them over the edge that is really childish, Stephens said. They should not take something this important and for future of children in that school just reacting to something we said regardless of how strongly they disagreed with it. I think what we said was right. I think theyre just using that as an excuse. Lapsley said he doesnt see much movement by commissioners from their decision last week but did concede they left the door cracked for Chair Michael Edney and School Board Chair Amy Lynn Holt to continue talking. So the question is, Will the School Board reconsider their decision that they put in the letter declaring a preference for an option commissioners oppose. Meanwhile the process is going to inch forward. Boyd property sale In interviews, elected officials on all sides said they hoped the HHS issue can be resolved. But the one decision last week that could be irreversible is the sale of the Boyd property. The four-part motion to stop the construction plan also included direction to the staff to retain a commercial real estate broker and explore the sale. The Boyd family sold the property the county in February 2011for $2.275 million. The property appraised for $3.35 million, the Boyds made a gift to the county of $600,000, which would have tax advantages. I think were just as shocked as everyone else when we heard the news, Les Boyd said. That was not the reason we sold the property. We sold it to the county with the hopes they would build a school there. It looks like thats not going to be the case now. We assumed all along that was the intent. My dad did basically a big donation. Hopefully, theyll figure it out. Cam Boyd said the sale clearly was intended to result in an expanded HHS campus in some form. I wanted to see it remain and do well and that one of the reason we made the deal with the County Commission, he said. Unfortunately, I didnt put anything in writing that it had to be school property. If they did (sell it) Id want my $600,000 back. Although no deed restrictions tie the property to school, the county commissioners and School Board did sign a memorandum of understanding setting the land aside for HHS expansion. Boyd, an HHS graduate and member of the Alumni Association, said he had spoken to commissioners privately about the project. Its kind of a no-win situation for me. No matter what I say Im going to p--- off half of my customers, he said. Ive never been in favor of building the whole new thing on our property and I told the county commissioners that several times. One of the things thats never come out is that when they had any kind of function, I gave them 150 parking spaces. Im very disappointed that the county commissioners are not listening to their constituents. Use of the Boyd property is now governed by the special use permit the City Council approved at the countys request in May of 2017. If the property sold, the new owners would have to apply for zoning to the commercial use they chose. I dont feel like the commissioners are going to run out and stick a for sale on it and do a fire sale, Miller said. Whoever buys it is going to have to start the process over. Youre going to have to come back to the Planning Board and the City Council, plus if they are not going to build a school there well request that the county deed that property back to the city of Hendersonville and re-establish that road. If theres not a need for a school to be built there, I dont think the county would fight on us. Stephens is not receptive to a rezoning. Under no circumstances would I vote to change the zoning, not to stab back at them but because if you have a drug store, grocery store or anything else there the high school in that location is dead, he said. Theres nowhere for it to grow. Commissioners last week justified the Boyd property sale as a way to recoup some of the money the county has expended on the HHS plan. We have spent over $4 million in planning, in architects fees and demolition, on and on, to date, Lapsley said. We bought the property on the assumption its going to be used for the school. If were not going to do the project I think we need to sell the property. This week, he said the sale was not a sure thing but worth exploring. We dont know what the market is for the Boyd property but were going to find out, he said. 'We are not closing down that school' Although theres no agreement in sight now, the elected leaders for the most part were holding out some hope that discussions will continue. Holt said she had spoken to Edney a couple of times but heard absolutely zero from other commissioners or even School Board members. Ive heard from parents of incoming Hendersonville High School students that are mad that the projects been stopped, she said. Would the Boyd property sale lead to the end of HHS. No, absolutely not, she said. We are not moving that school, we are not closing down that school, theres been no talk of that. If we didnt have the Boyd property and we needed to do renovation we could do that. Commissioners dont have the authority to move that school anywhere else. When the School Board sends a prioritized list of capital needs to the Board of Commissioners, HHS is likely right back on the commissioners plate. Im sure thatll be at the top of the list, she said. Dr. (John) Bryant and (superintendent) Bo Caldwell have been interviewing architectural firms to do a comprehensive study of every facility that we have. There was money for a safety analysis, too. Thats going to be a two-fold study. I think safety is going to be at the top of our list but Hendersonville High School isnt going to go anywhere and the longer we go the more that (cost) escalation is going to go up. Cam Boyd said he is hopeful the two sides can resolve their differences. Im hoping that the School Board and the commissioners will think about it a little bit get back on the same track and get something done, he said. If try to sell that property theres nowhere else for it to grow. When we sold the property we knew that either we had to have that property to survive or they had to have it to survive. Thats why I think its so terribly important that they keep that property. Miller said he called Lapsley and County Manager Steve Wyatt after the vote. My statement to them was, Come on guys, we gotta do better, he said. I would have liked to have Stillwell incorporated into the campus. Not because Im emotionally attached to it but because if they dont figure it out and get it involved in the whole campus theyre just going to tear it down some day. I do truly believe that the county commissioners want the best for kids. I dont think theres anybody there trying to jump on the kids. You start talk about $50-60 million, thats a lot of money. I think theres chance for the Hendersonville High School project to come to fruition but everybody has to calm down. Nobodys going to get everything they want. The door is cracked, its not slammed shut, Lapsley said. It wont be slammed shut until and if the county commissioners sign a contract to sell the property. Brian Hanrahan is challenging convictions for assaulting two women in a row over a 15 fee for giving him a lift home A garda challenging convictions for assault causing harm to two young women in a row over a 15 fee for a lift home has insisted he needed to punch one of the women to defend himself. Brian Hanrahan (35) is before Tipperary Circuit Appeals Court challenging two assault convictions for which he rec-eived a six-month suspended prison sentence. Hanrahan, who survived a shooting in 2015 while on holiday in the US, received the suspended sentence from Judge Elizabeth MacGrath at Nenagh District Court last year. The father-of-two has denied punching two young women, Emer Kelly and Aisling King, in an unprovoked attack near an isolated Tipperary cemetery in March 2016. He had promised to pay them for a lift to his home outside Nenagh. However, the two women said they were forced to ask him to get out of the car when he became aggressive and abusive about Nenagh and its residents. Ms Kelly and Ms King sobbed as they recalled the incident before Judge Tom Teehan. The women were in a car with their friend, Ellen Nyhill, when they said they were approached by Hanrahan in Nenagh town centre in the early hours of the morning. They did not know him. He had been out but could not get a taxi and wanted a lift because it was cold and wet. The off-duty garda said he offered to pay 20 for a lift home from the young women. Ms King, who had only just bought the car, declined, but Hanrahan approached them twice more before they agreed to give him a lift. When the women asked him how his night had been, Ms Kelly said Hanrahan replied that Nenagh was "full of scumbags". Ms Kelly said he described the town as "a kip" and "a dump" while speaking aggressively. She also said he promised that he would fight anyone. "He said he would take on anyone in the town," Ms Nyhill said. Protect Ms King stopped the car and demanded that he get out. Hanrahan did so, but did not leave the cash for the lift. Ms Kelly said she then stepped out of the car to ask for the promised 15 and not 20 as claimed by the garda. "I stood out of the car and asked him for the 15. I didn't want her to leave without it," she said. Ms King and Ms Nyhill said the officer suddenly punched Ms Kelly. Ms Kelly said she found herself lying on the ground and covering her face and head with her hands to protect herself. Ms King said she saw clumps of her friend's hair on the ground with blood pouring from her mouth. Ms Kelly was crying in the mistaken belief that one of her teeth had been knocked out. Her two friends were appalled and insisted she was punched and kicked between six and eight times. "I shouted, 'Stop, please, stop', but he punched me twice," said Ms King. Ms Nyhill said: "Emer was on the ground and she was pumping blood - I locked myself in the car and I was trying to ring 999. "Then I saw the flashing blue lights and the guards arrived." Ms King and Ms Kelly rejected defence submissions that Hanrahan acted entirely in self-defence. Both denied having either threatened or attacked him near Lisbunny Cemetery. They also denied his claim that they had suddenly demanded 50 from him. "He decided that he needed to hit her [Ms Kelly]. He hit her once in the face and he regrets it, but that is the situation he found himself in," defence counsel Aidan Doyle said. Mr Doyle said his client never struck Ms King, but merely pushed her away from him by the shoulders to end the confrontation. Hanrahan has argued that he felt threatened that night and immediately telephoned Nenagh Garda Station after the incident. He also claimed that Ms King's car was driven slowly after him in a very threatening manner after he had agreed to get out. However, the women said the incident ended only when Hanrahan fled after the lights of a passing car came over a nearby hill. Distressed Michelle O'Connell, for the State, said gardai became aware of an incident in Nenagh at around 4am on March 6, 2016. Gardai attended the scene and Hanrahan emerged from the graveyard and presented himself to officers. The three women were found by their car in a very distressed condition. Ms Kelly subsequently required 510 of dental repair treatment. "He kicked or punched me about six or eight times. I couldn't touch my mouth, it was so sore," she said. Ms Kelly, who is five-feet-tall, rejected defence claims that she attacked Hanrahan, who is nearly six-feet-tall. Hanrahan, of Newcastlewest Garda Station, Co Limerick, and Ballintotty, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, is appealing against two convictions for assault. The appeal continues. A man who launched a vicious and sustained assault on his girlfriend which included banging her head off the floor and walls and kicking her has been given a suspended sentence. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Karl Sutton (33) accused Tiffany Curtis of cheating on him before he began beating her while their infant son slept in his Moses basket in the next room. turbulent Sutton, of Crumlin Park, Crumlin, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms Curtis at their flat in Rialto on August 16, 2003. He moved to England after the attack, but met with gardai by appointment to be charged in 2015 when he returned to Ireland. Gda Robert Duffy agreed with Olan Callanan, defending, that the couple had a "turbulent relationship". Counsel told the court that the couple's relationship continued after the assault and they had two further children together. Their baby daughter - their middle child - died in 2010. They are no longer together. Ms Curtis wrote a letter for the court, saying Sutton was "a very good father and she doesn't want to see him going to prison". Judge Melanie Greally noted that there had been "quite an extreme level of violence" during the assault which had happened in the context of an intimate relationship. She noted that reports before the court indicated an ongoing need for Sutton to address his residual risk factors and that Sutton was prepared to comply with the Probation Service regime. She would set a headline sentence reflecting the level of violence. Judge Greally took into acc-ount the length of time since the offence, the lack of convictions before or since, as well as the level of Sutton's remorse, giving him credit for his guilty plea and co-operation. She noted in particular the time and commitment Sutton put into his children's care and the benefits they had derived. Judge Greally imposed a four-year sentence which she suspended entirely on strict conditions, including he undergo a two-year period of probation supervision and participate in an intervention programme for perpetrators of intimate violence. UFC star Conor McGregor could return to fighting this year after walking free from a New York court. The 30-year-old was facing up to seven years in prison after being charged with a number of offences over a melee at a UFC event in the city earlier this year. However, the District Attorney (DA) told Brooklyn Criminal Court yesterday that felony charges against McGregor were being dismissed. The UFC fighter instead pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, avoiding jail and a criminal record as a result. As part of the plea bargain struck between his legal team and the DA, the Dublin man will have to carry out five days' community service and attend up to three anger management classes. While no community service arrangements have been confirmed, sources say McGregor has expressed a desire to work with children. "It won't be a case that he'll be picking up rubbish on the side of the road," one source said. "He has expressed interest in working with young people and the DA may be satisfied with this given that he is a role model to so many kids." The court heard that McGregor had already paid restitution for the damage caused to a bus during the melee at the Barclays Centre on April 5. Training Three orders of protection were also issued against McGregor. Judge Raymond Rodriguez ruled that he can not come into contact with UFC fighters Raymond Borg and Michael Chiesa as well as Jason Leadbetter until July 25, 2020. McGregor made a brief statement outside court. "I just want to say thank you to the DA and the judge for allowing me to move forward. I want to say to my friends, my family and my fans, thank you for your support," he said. His co-accused, fellow MMA fighter Cian Cowley (25), pleaded guilty to the same charge, and will do three days' community service and take up to three anger management classes. The outcome of the case means that McGregor could return to fighting within months, with his manager saying he is training and hoping to fight this year. McGregor has not taken part in a competitive UFC event since defeating Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. Speaking outside the court, his manager Audie Attar told the Herald: "Conor's going to continue to train and hopefully we'll have some good news soon. "Right now nothing has been determined in terms of when his return will be. "Talks have resumed again with the UFC and we'll see where those talks go." Injured Mr Attar said he could not comment on whether the UFC "will or won't" start internal disciplinary action against McGregor over the fracas, which left two fighters injured. He also denied that the melee was a publicity stunt, describing it as a "mistake" by McGregor. "I think people think everything Conor McGregor does is somehow staged. At the end of the day, it was a mistake, he dealt with it, faced it head on and now we got to move on and learn from this incident," he said. McGregor's lawyer Bruce Mafeo said the outcome of the court case would have no impact on his client's immigration status, and that the community service would be decided by the DA's office. "This is the same outcome that would have occurred if he had been a non-celebrity," Mr Mafeo said. Video of the incident at the Barclays Centre shows McGregor shouting "come on you mad rat" as he attacks the bus with his fists. He can then be seen grabbing a hand trolley as someone shouts at him: "You're going to jail, don't you f**king..." However, McGregor proceeds to throw the trolley at the bus, smashing the window and injuring Michael Chiesa who is later seen with blood dripping from his forehead. McGregor is then seen trying to lift a crash barrier and a bin before being restrained. Dublin and its surrounding counties are expected to be the warmest places in the country today, but be warned, a change in weather is on the way. While the UK is melting in temperatures as high as 35C, Ireland will only reach up to 21C with the highest expected temperature reserved for those living in Dublin and the east. Despite the heat across the Irish Sea, forecasters at Met Eireann say Ireland's weather is being dictated by our positioning in the Atlantic. Flooding Unfortunately that means temperatures are taking a dip and rain with potential flooding is on the way. Forecaster Liz Gavin said: "We are going to have quite a different weather picture from now onwards. "Temperatures are going to range from 17C up to 21C in the east today. "It's going to be a good few degrees cooler and we're going to see some showers, along with rain." Met Eireann has even warned of flooding in some parts of the country due to the fact the weather has been so dry for such a prolonged period. Yesterday saw the mercury rise to 26C in the Phoenix Park, and 25C in Mullingar. However, it seems this will be the highest temperatures to be seen for some time. The forecaster couldn't say if or when such high temperatures would return to Ireland this summer. "There will be a little rain and drizzle on the east coast today," Ms Gavin said. "There will be some showery rain from the Atlantic later in the day. "Our weather is going to be more changeable over the next few days. "There will be rain and showers and some sunny spells but temperatures will only reach around 15C on Saturday and 18C on Sunday. "Really our weather is turning - it's more changeable and low pressure is dominating. "Later next week, it's possible temperatures might go up to between 19C and 22C but at the moment the low pressure is really coming into play from the Atlantic, which is really influencing our weather. Meanwhile, Irish Water expects its board to meet today to decide if any new measures will be implemented on water restrictions in the Greater Dublin area, with the hosepipe ban also set to be discussed. The utility company said last night it could not provide an update on any decisions that are to be made until after that meeting, which is expected to take place this afternoon. Ryanair has confirmed that 20 flights between Ireland and the UK will be cancelled, affecting 3,500 passengers, as a result of industrial action next Friday. It means that a significant number of passengers are facing travel disruption over the upcoming August bank holiday, after Irish-based pilots announced a fourth day of strikes. Trade union Forsa representing the pilots, announced pilots would down tools on August 3 as part of their ongoing dispute with the company. Ryanair confirmed yesterday that 20 flights between Ireland and the UK will be cancelled as a result of the move. The low-fares airline claimed a "small minority" of Irish-based pilots called for the fourth day of strikes after Forsa "rejected our offer to meet yesterday". "We regrettably have cancelled just 20 (7pc) of our 300 planned flights to and from Ireland next Friday," it said. It said passengers affected have been contacted by text message and will be "refunded or readily re-accommodated on other Ryanair flights". However, Forsa said that pilots believe the company's decision to issue a protective notice to 300 of its staff on Wednesday was "a provocative act" that has only served to "escalate the dispute". Unwillingness It said that the move "demonstrates management's unwillingness and/or inability to implement the airline's declared intention to agree working conditions with its staff by negotiating with their chosen trade union representatives." Meanwhile, the European Cockpit Association (ECA) representing pilots across Europe, said Ryanair's announcement of a 20pc cut in its Dublin-based fleet this winter and the possible "dismissal of 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew" in the "aftermath of a series of one-day strikes" is one that will "fuel frustration among its workforce even further". It also accused the company of 'union busting.' In response, Ryanair stated that: "Moving aircraft is not union busting. "As our statement yesterday, made clear all affected pilots and cabin crew will be offered transfers to Poland. "We respect the right of people to join unions and go on strike, as 25pc of our Irish pilots have done three times in the last three weeks. "Having signed union recognition agreements in bigger markets like the UK, Italy and Germany, this allegation of union busting is disproven." A photo of Mati taken by the couple A young Irish couple caught up in the horrifying Greek wildfires that killed at least 81 people have said they ran for their lives. Chloe Sugrue (19), from Cahersiveen, Co Kerry, and her boyfriend Sean Davis (21), from Finglas, were enjoying the "happiest time" of their lives on a "perfect" first holiday as a couple when disaster struck. The couple were on their second day in the resort of Mati when the wildfires began to rage in the mountains above the Mati Hotel, where they were staying. With only moments to act, they knew they had to run fast, as it was a "matter of life or death", Chloe said. "It was about 3pm when we saw smoke. We thought nothing of it at first, just that it was a bit of a gorse fire up in the mountains. Panicking "We went about our day. Then at 5.30pm we decided to go for dinner up a bit from the hotel and the staff said the restaurant wasn't open. "We walked outside and there were people screaming everywhere and panicking. "We went back to the hotel and asked the manager what had happened. She said: 'There's a fire up in the mountain'. "The staff were all panicking as their families were up there in the mountain. "They told us to stay in the hot- el, but then 10 minutes later they told us to get out of the hotel, to get on to the beach. "The fire was coming from the mountain. We heard a big bang, so we ran to the beach - we ran for our lives to the water. "There were people running around us. It was very scary. "The fire was fast app- roaching our hotel. We were wondering how we were going to make it. Our holiday went from the happiest time of our lives to how are we going to survive this, how are we going to get home?" Chloe, who is studying childcare at Marino College in Dublin, and Sean, a pharmaceutical science student at DCU, fled the flames and sat on a bench on the beach surrounded by distraught families. The young couple watched in terror as the fire travelled towards their hotel, destroying an apartment block beside it. Somehow, though, the flames raged round Hotel Mati, and they managed to phone home to let their families know they were all right. However, the couple, along with many others on the beach, suffered smoke inhalation. "We were on the beach from around 6pm until 1am and the fire was all round our hotel," said Chloe, who spoke about the incident on the News at One on RTE Radio 1 yesterday, and later spoke to the Herald. "It came to 2am and the emergency services said the route was clear and we could go back to the hotel," she said. "We know we're so lucky to be alive." Meanwhile, television presenter Alan Hughes has paid an emotional tribute to his friend Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp, who died in the wildfires. The TV3 host and his husband, Karl Broderick, were guests at Brian's wedding last week to Zoe Holohan, who remains in hospital in Athens. The Department of Foreign Affairs said the repatriation process had begun to organise the return of Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp's remains. In a Facebook post, Alan described him as "a friendly, warm guy". "Our hearts are breaking for Zoe, who's such a beautiful person, and indeed Brian's mother, their family and friends," he said. Generous Family friend Fr Shay Casey, who is chaplain of Athlone Institute of Technology, told RTE's Morning Ireland that Mr O'Callaghan- Westropp was a "generous soul". He said his mother, Rosemary, had flown to Athens in the hope of bringing her son's remains home to be buried in Killaloe, Co Clare. Fr Casey revealed that this was not the first time tragedy had struck the family. Rosemary lost her only other son, Colin, in a motorcycle crash in 1997, when he was only 21, while her husband died when the boys were quite young. ASUS has confirmed the availability of 8GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant of ZenFone 5Z. Priced at 36,999/-, ZenFone 5Z will be available for sale from 30th July, exclusively on Flipkart, along with flat Rs.2000 off with Axis Bank Credit and Debit Cards. ZenFone 5Z features a 6.2-inch SuperIPS FHD+ display, dual-cameras that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and features superb audio performance with loud stereo sound. The revolutionary ZenFone 5Z delivers the ultimate smartphone performance at a ground-breaking price. 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ASUS ZenFone 5Z Key Features : Extreme performance: Powered by the latest and fastest flagship octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with AI Engine and up to a massive blazing fast 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.1 Internal Storage Powered by the latest and fastest flagship octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with AI Engine and up to a massive blazing fast 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.1 Internal Storage Professional Low Light Camera : Dual AI-enhanced cameras, main camera powered by flagship Sony IMX363 sensor with 1.4m pixels, and a secondary camera with 120 wide-angle FOV, Night HDR and 16 AI Scene Detection capabilities : Dual AI-enhanced cameras, main camera powered by flagship Sony IMX363 sensor with 1.4m pixels, and a secondary camera with 120 wide-angle FOV, Night HDR and 16 AI Scene Detection capabilities Intelligent Fast Charging : Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and AI Charging for 2X Battery Health : Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and AI Charging for 2X Battery Health Immersive Audio Experience: For a truly immersive aural experience Dual 5-Magnet Stereo Speakers with Dual NXP Smart Amps; Hi Res and DTS Headphone: X support; In-box ZenEar Pro Hi-Res Headset; Bluetooth 5.0 Apt:X HD technology; for streaming HD audio to Apt:X capable Bluetooth headsets For a truly immersive aural experience Dual 5-Magnet Stereo Speakers with Dual NXP Smart Amps; Hi Res and DTS Headphone: X support; In-box ZenEar Pro Hi-Res Headset; Bluetooth 5.0 Apt:X HD technology; for streaming HD audio to Apt:X capable Bluetooth headsets All-screen display: Ultra-slim bezel, all-screen 6.2 SuperIPS FHD+ display with DCI-P3 color gamut, 2.5D Gorilla Glass and a 90% screen-to-body ratio for a bigger and more immersive viewing experience in a compact 5.5-class body. Adaptive display to automatically change the color temperature according to the changing ambient light Ultra-slim bezel, all-screen 6.2 SuperIPS FHD+ display with DCI-P3 color gamut, 2.5D Gorilla Glass and a 90% screen-to-body ratio for a bigger and more immersive viewing experience in a compact 5.5-class body. Adaptive display to automatically change the color temperature according to the changing ambient light All-round intelligence: New AI-enhanced convenience and communication features with AI Boost, AI Charging, AI Camera and ZeniMoji live-animated avatars @Technuter.com News Service In India, we often poke fun at Pakistani depictions of their relationship with China. The two countries ties including nuclear and missile cooperation after the 1970s and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are regularly described in baroque terms by them: iron brothers whose friendship is higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans. Yet its clear that China has rarely bailed Pakistan out from a tight spot. During the Kargil War in 1999, Beijing criticised Pakistani adventurism and recklessness and has subsequently snubbed Pakistani requests for financial bailouts, as in 2008. While Pakistans faith in China may at times seem naive, there are sometimes echoes of it in Indian characterisations of relations with Russia. Diplomatic niceties aside, India-Russia ties have always been transactional. Indias relations with the Soviet Union were slow to take off after independence. Anxiety about Soviet support for domestic communist revolutionaries led to an Indian wariness that only began to subside in the mid-1950s. Joseph Stalins death in 1953 paved the way for Moscow to provide economic and technical assistance to non-communist countries such as India. At the same time, the US and UK roped Pakistan into the Baghdad and Manila Pacts. Only then did India begin to align with Soviet positions on international diplomatic matters, such as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. (At the time, Indian journalists lambasted New Delhis position as shameful sycophancy to the Soviet rulers and kowtowing.) After some initial Russian defence purchases in the late 1950s, India agreed to buy MiG-21 aircraft in 1961, facilitated by technology transfers and mindful of deterring China. Indo-Soviet defence ties accelerated after the United States suspended military assistance to both India and Pakistan during the 1965 war. But despite this growing bonhomie, Moscows support for India was never unconditional. After some hints of neutrality, the USSR eventually leaned towards Beijing during the 1962 India-China war, in part to ensure its support during the Cuban missile crisis. After 1965, the Soviet Union positioned itself as a neutral broker between India and Pakistan, hosting the summit at Tashkent and even supplying military assistance to Pakistan in 1968. Relations assumed a clearer direction with the 1971 Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (modelled on a similar arrangement between the USSR and Egypt), which was prompted by the US-China rapprochement and their support for Pakistan. As a consequence, Indias defence ties with the USSR deepened and cooperation eventually extended to the war in Afghanistan. The relationship also broadened: by the early 1990s, the Soviet Union was Indias largest trade partner and Indian students of medicine and engineering had gone in sizeable numbers to the Soviet republics. Still, ties remained business-like: India regularly rebuffed Soviet attempts at closer military contacts. Later, in the 1990s, Russia initially joined the United States and China in condemning Indias nuclear tests. Today, the relationship has become one-dimensional, centred on arms sales by Russia to India. Between 2000 and 2014, 73% of Indias imported military equipment came from Russia. But Indias imports from Russia halved overnight following its annexation of Crimea in 2014, and have remained lower at about 50-60% amid international sanctions. Meanwhile, overall India-Russia trade has been slight, rising from $6 billion in 2014 to $10.7 billion this year. Although energy relations are deepening, the overall economic relationship remains narrow, not helped by the poor performance of the Russian economy. Just five years ago, Russias GDP was 20% larger than Indias; today, Indias is 70% larger than Russias. Under these circumstances, what explains Indias high-profile and sustained engagement with Russia this year? One, India still needs Russia for military spare parts just as Moscow needs New Delhi for revenue. Two, there are certain technologies that Russia is willing to provide such as nuclear-powered submarines that the likes of the United States never will. The defence relationship will therefore remain vital for the foreseeable future. Three, as in years past, Russia wields a powerful veto at the UN Security Council, and multilateral cooperation extends to BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Four, there are deep and abiding concerns in New Delhi about Russias post-2014 relationship with China and its exploratory ties with Pakistan. For all these reasons, engaging with Russia at the highest levels is absolutely necessary. Major deals including last years multi-billion dollar deal involving Rosneft and Essar or this years negotiations towards the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system are likely to continue, even if they risk attracting the ire of Europe and the United States. But India-Russia ties would also benefit from a dose of realism, a Bulgakovian realisation that no ones fate is of any interest to you except your own. There is little indication that Putin views India in sentimental terms, unlike an earlier generation of Russian officials exemplified by former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov or the late Russian envoy Alexander Kadakin. Indias high-profile and sustained outreach to Moscow in 2018 is not a reversion to an imagined past. It is a hard-nosed attempt at managing a transactional relationship over the medium-term future to secure vital Indian security interests and preserve a favourable balance of power. Dhruva Jaishankar is fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings India, New Delhi The views expressed are personal For several months after the BJP won its landslide victory in 2014, the Congress appeared to be in a state of shock. The party had expected to lose privately, top leaders had predicted that the BJP would get an overall majority but it had not believed it would do so badly. When it did recover, the party experimented with a variety of positions and strategies. Some, like the suit-boot ki sarkar jibe may have influenced Prime Minister Narendra Modis policy stances but they did little to advance the Congresss own prospects. Others, including the hiring of former BJP election managers, did the Congress no good. Now, however, with a few months to go for the general election, a coherent strategy appears at last to be emerging. At the centre of this strategy is a shift remarkable and unprecedented for the Congress away from the positioning it has clung to for many years. The Congresss traditional position has been that it is Indias only national party and that, therefore, it must be at the centre of any non-BJP alliance. In 1999, when the Vajpayee government lost a no-confidence vote, the Congress refused to become part of an opposition alliance unless it led the new government. That position now seems to have been abandoned. The Congresss view is that its major priority is to ensure that the BJP does not get a second term. It believes that India cannot afford five more years of Narendra Modi-Amit Shah rule because this would destroy Indian secularism, damage institutions, increase social tensions and finish off the India that Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi had envisioned. Accordingly, it is willing to do whatever it takes in terms of alliance and power-sharing to ensure that this government does not get a second term. Though this position is not publicly stated too often, Rahul Gandhi has come close to enunciating it in recent informal meetings with journalists. Other Congress leaders have also stopped bragging about the primacy of the Congress in the opposition space. This shift is significant for two reasons. First, the other opposition parties dont necessarily see why they should play second fiddle to a weakened Congress. So they are enthused by the prospect of an alliance that is more equal than, say, UPA I. Of course, who becomes PM depends on the results of the next election. Should the Congress do very well, there is nothing to prevent it from staking a claim. But accepting the primacy of the Congress (or of Rahul Gandhi) is no longer a precondition for joining a new version of the UPA. Secondly, the BJP has spent at least two years trying to portray the next election as a presidential contest between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Such is the partys obsession with Rahul that the PM spent a large part of his speech during the TDP-sponsored no confidence motion attacking Rahul. Other ministers have followed his lead. The BJPs social media cells go on and on about Pappu and the media are encouraged to rubbish Rahul. Given Mr Modis stature, he may well win a presidential-style contest if Rahul is projected as the alternative. But will he do as well if he fights a united opposition that draws attention to the failures of his government? Two others factors may affect the outcome of the election. A few months ago, Sonia Gandhi spoke of her concern that the Congress is being perceived as a Muslim party. As if on cue, Mr Modi asked recently if the Congress was a party of Muslim men. So the Congress is toning down the hard secularist rhetoric and talking about Hindu sentiments. The media see this as soft Hindutva. The Congress sees it as pragmatism; as a necessary corrective to the characterisation that it is anti-Hindu. As for the soft Hindutva criticism, the party isnt particularly worried. It reckons that Indian Muslims will either understand what it is doing or, in any case, will prefer the Congresss soft Hindutva to the hard Hindutva of the gau rakshaks, the lynch mobs and the sangh parivar. And finally, there is the Rahul factor. Nobody can argue that he has Mr Modis experience or his speaking skills. But equally, it is hard to deny that in recent months he seems to have grown in confidence. The constant attacks on Twitter and by the media are now beginning to smack of desperation. If he is such a useless Pappu, then why waste so much time obsessively abusing him? The BJP is still the favourite to win the next election. But at least now, it might have a fight on its hands. The views expressed are personal In a decaying four-storey building off Beadon Street deep in the bowels of north Kolkatas Hatibagan lives a star. After a lifetime of performing as mythical warrior queens and angry goddesses, he has withdrawn into a cramped, airless room in a dusty old-age home where few know of his fame. Two steel almirahs and a small wooden table overflowing with citations and awards struggle to hold on to the glory of a bygone era. These are his only worldly possessions apart from framed photographs of his mother and his guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, the 19th-century Bengali mystic. There are also the opulent sarees that helped shape the aura of Chapal Bhaduri, Chapal Rani, Bengals last blockbuster female impersonator on stage. Since I moved here, few people come to meet me. Its as if they think I am an HIV patient. I never thought I would need to stay in a home. I played the part of an old lady once, but didnt think it could happen to me, says Bhaduri, sitting cross-legged on his bed, tuning his old radio and counting down the days for his 80th birthday. The Ramkrishna Old Age Home has been Bhaduris home for the last nine months, after he walked out of his nieces home following a bitter altercation. His physiotherapy sessions, the Akashvani channel and intermittent rehearsals keep him busy during the day, but the nights holed up in a room where both windows open into a shaft are difficult, even with two sleeping pills. I brought my niece up like my own child, with my money. But no one has understood me, and no one will. I have to accept it, even if its painful, he sighs. The damp confines of Bhaduris current address belie his sweeping fame that catapulted him to the centre of Bengals Jatra scene and made him a household name for two decades. It also does scant justice to his emergence as a queer icon in the 2000s, and the surge in popularity as the last relic a fast-disappearing art form that defined folk theatre. But his story is not merely one of gender transgression, or infirmity in old age it is also one of resilience, betrayal and above all, giving a lifetime to art. HONING THE CRAFT Bhaduri was born in one of Kolkatas most prominent theatre families he speaks at length about his mother, actor Prabha Devi, and uncle, actor-director Shishir Bhaduri but is reluctant to even name his father in 1938. His theatre debut was at the age of seven in legendary writer Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyays novel Bindur Chele (Bindus Son), after his mother cajoled him awake one sleepy Sunday afternoon. He had seen the play countless times, and recited his only line from memory in a lilting voice that won the approval of his five uncles, all of whom were in theatre. His prize: A green five-rupee note. Bhaduri performs as Queen Kaikeyi at the India Habitat Centre in April. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO) The death of Prabha Devi in 1952 ended Bhaduris childhood. The next year, he got the first break on stage in the then hit play Alibaba and Forty Thieves. But there was a surprise for Bhaduri. My brother-in-law walked up to me one day, and said, can you play a woman? I mumbled, how can a man play a woman? But he assured me, and said it would guarantee me a job. Within two weeks of debuting as Marzina (Alibabas trouble-shooting assistant), he was confirmed for an entry-level clerical position with the Eastern Railway. The familys financial woes were over. But theatre wasnt easy. The first time on stage, Bhaduri trembled in the wings, dressed in flared trousers, a bright red shirt and a waistcoat over a stuffed brassiere, oiled hair tied into pleats with a red rose and peacock feathers on either wrist. The auditorium felt like a surging ocean about to engulf me. I took one step forward, one back. Just then, a group of young men gathered around me, they had mistaken me for a woman one of them pushed me onto the stage, and thats how my career began. Over the next 20 years, Bhaduri, known better as Chapal Rani, ruled the Jatra stage, playing everything from Kaikeyi in the Ramayana to Razia Sultan his fame was such that people sent private cars to pick him up at a time when Jatra artists were not even allowed to stay in peoples homes. Once travelling during a show to north Bengal, the troupe had to cross a river in spate, so the organisers sent men to carry Chapal Rani on their shoulders across the turbulent waters. He pioneered Jatra make-up and the outfits he wore quickly became the rage across rural Bengal. His fans were young men who wanted to be with him, and young women who wanted to be like him. And it was his craft that fulfilled his dream of meeting Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar, at a performance in Kolkata in 1967. I had no make-up and was wearing a plain white saree. Uttam-da thought I was a real woman, and was moved by my acting. When he came to meet me, I was wearing a shirt and trousers. He said: Not him, I want to meet the woman, and everyone said, no no, she is he. He looked at me in amazement and pulled me into a hug. I rested my head on the same chest as (legendary Bengali actors) Suchitra Sen or Supriya Devi had in films. There was no selfie at that time, but the moment is etched in my heart. It is the biggest moment of my life. Little did he know that it was all to go downhill soon. THE ART OF IMPERSONATION What does the woman look like in public and who should play her are questions that are as old as stagecraft. The roots of female impersonation by men can be traced to Greek and Roman times; modern English theatres origin is at least the 13th century. In India, female impersonation is found in several folk and classical art forms from Ramleela in northern India to Yakshagana in Karnataka, Kathakali in Kerala, Bhawai in Rajasthan and Gujarat, Swang in Uttar Pradesh, Naach in Bihar and Jatra in eastern India. In most cases, it is exaggerated, almost camp; the depiction of femininity is underscored by striking make-up and high-pitched dialogues. Notions of domesticity, morality and respectability were always part of the arts. The public space as well as the art-form itself were seen as male spheres. To add to it, the emergence of Victorian morality dictated separate spaces for public women and private women, explains Benil Biswas, an assistant professor of theatre and performance studies at Delhis Ambedkar University. Bhaduri gets ready for a performance at the India Habitat Centre in April. The process of transformation is between two and three hours. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO) Bhaduri was the last in a long line of exalted Bengali queens in Jatra, a folk art form that traces its origins to the 16th century Bhakti movement but branched out into mythical as well as secular-political forms in the latter half of the 19th century. Jatra troupes travelled throughout rural Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and what is now Bangladesh for months (especially after the monsoons, and during Durga Puja), performing for weeks on end in far-flung districts. Bhaduris reign was long. He was on stage till 1974, while in most other parts of India including in Parsi, Gujarati theatre and cinema female impersonators had all but disappeared by the late 1920s and early 1930s as women joined the stage in large numbers. The 70s were a tumultuous time for Bengal as people from erstwhile East Pakistan flooded the state and settled down in border districts, and on either side of the iconic Jessore Road in Kolkata. Abject poverty and a drought of jobs forced many to build shanties alongside railway tracks present even today in Kolkata and work as manual labourers. But the influx also broke the back of bhadralok morality, by making available many women ready to work on stage for a fee without caring for caste-familial morality, says Gourab Ghosh, an academic from Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University and a performer himself. This, coupled with an expanding workforce and a growing Left movement, ended the era of female impersonators. In his last days as a Jatra artist, Bhaduri recalls earthen cups were thrown at him from the audience, that had come to see women on stage. He retired in 1974. The next 20 years were spent in the wilderness as Bhaduri travelled through Bengal, stayed for long stretches in the holy city of Tarapith, and suffered some devastating personal blows, but penury finally forced him back to Kolkata and to performance. In 1994, he made a comeback playing Shitala, the patron goddess of smallpox in small-time street plays. I could never imagine performing next to drains, in slums, on street-corners, and among those people. But I had to let go of my pride. Bhaduri was wildly successful as Shitala, and hordes flocked to him, for worship and to seek boons. It was not uncommon for people to fall at his feet in the middle of a performance and Bhaduri himself says his mortal soul was replaced by the divine the moment the kohl touched his eyes. That Bhaduri performed a goddess, not a mortal woman, bestowed a sense of respectability, explains Biswas. Bhaduri fiddles with his old radio, he doesnt own a television, in his room at Ramkrishna old-age home at Hari Ghosh Street in north Kolkata. (Samir Jana/HT PHOTO) This question of respectability lies at the heart of female impersonation on stage, which as Hansen notes in a 1998 paper, often cleared the ground for acceptable femininity in public at a time when women were barred from even appearing in public. Popular impersonators such as Jayashankar Sundari in Gujarat or Bal Gandharva or Narayan Shripad Rajhans in Marathi set the trend for millions of women, be it their length of the sari or their acting that shaped the behaviour of the high-class woman. At times, the joy of seeing one of these men perform surpassed that of performances by real women, because that experience was bound in another problem that of revulsion because the earliest actresses were drawn from lower castes and were sex workers, a predicament embodied by Binodini Dashi, the contemporary of Bhaduris mother and Bengals tallest actor at the time on stage. Unlike Sundari or Gandharva who projected masculinity off stage Bhaduri embraced his effeminacy and attraction towards men in his life, a decision that may have cost him dearly. Academic Niladri Chatterjee argues that Gandharva was honoured with a postage stamp and a theatre was named after him because he wasnt publicly associated with effeminacy, or homosexuality, and was seen as a normal man unlike Bhaduri. The underlining homophobic anxiety of the society and the theatre was also palpable. They wanted to stop this homo-erotic bonding of men on stage, and brought in women to restore order, adds Biswas. The other fulcrum of this public performance of gender is caste, one that Bhaduris contemporary Ramachandra Manjhi knows well. An exponent of Launda Naach, a folk art form in Bihar, the 92-year-old has spent a lifetime struggling against ignominy because the dance is seen as disreputable because it is performed by Dalit artists. Manjhi, who recently received a Sangeet Natak Akademi award, is married with four children, all of whom work in construction in Delhi, and leads his off-stage life as a simple heterosexual man, though as someone who is constantly battling taunts. To understand why Naach is not respectable, and why Manjhi and his contemporaries dont get the respect they deserve, we have to see who controls art, and defines what is respectable, says Jainendra Dost, a Naach performer and researcher. This art belongs to the Bahujans, but they are seen in a poor light. The upper-castes try to sanitise it. PERFORMING FEMININITY Before every show, Bhaduri has an elaborate ritual for transforming into a woman, and the crucial moment is when he puts on his bra from that moment on, his voice changes, his eyes droop, and his manner becomes bashful. I am a man dressing as a woman, you can ask, why is he covering his breast, what is his embarrassment? But I think if a woman were watching, she would do the same. Bhaduri utters a short prayer before beginning his process of transformation before a show at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi in April. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO) Bhaduri is clear that playing a woman is lots of work, and one that requires elaborate make-up, intricate hair-dos and dazzling outfits. In his heyday in an era when false eyelashes werent available, he would make a paste out of hot wax, and soot, and use a pointed brush to apply it on his eyelashes to look striking on stage. He looks at women on stage today with contempt, and says many tell him that real women dont match him in performance. Look at them, they dont know how to throw their voice or to work on the intonation. During an intimate scene, in a whisper we could communicate to the entire theatre... Now its like a soap opera, the women are hideous, many are out of shape we would take care of our bodies, but we were still phased out. He studiously observed women to pick up their quirks and behaviour once he stayed in Sonagachi to etch the role of a sex worker, and another time, took inspiration from Bollywood legend Helens outfit but he is clear that this is just work, a performance. I perform as a woman but I am a man. Maybe I could have been a woman, but I chose not to. There can be many ways of transformation, and this is the way I choose. In my acting, I would often keep my femininity aside to perform, that is where I won, in surrendering my effeminacy to act. Womanhood and femininity are different. That is the truth of my life. His effeminacy was also the cause of lingering humiliation. Once during a love scene, a male actor insulted him for stuffing his brassiere. Did you put bricks or wood inside your bra he abused me. He was also forced by a producer to have sex with him, and abducted and abused once during a show. I was pulled by groups of men from either side, screaming, its a she, no, its a he. This is the kind of humiliation I have faced. But love bruised him like nothing else. Bhaduri fell in love at 18 with a man four years his senior and their relationship blossomed over the next 32 years, in an era where same-sex love was forbidden in public but often bloomed in the shadows, ephemerally and erratically. Sometimes I thought it was abnormal but after my mother and father, he was the one I loved the most. We completed each other, couldnt live without each other. In the 1999 film, Performing the Goddess, directed by publisher and artist Naveen Kishore, Bhaduri talks of his romance as if in trance, calls his lover his friend, and is reluctant to categorise it as a sexual relationship alone. After a few years, we discovered something what happens between a man and woman happened between us. I later read about in magazines, and realised I got the same satisfaction as women. After that, I would often feel uneasy during the end of the month, like women do. We would go away for two weeks, and do things heard only in western countries. We had taken it as art. He would say there was nothing bad. But the bliss wasnt to last. The man fell in love with another woman in the late 80s, and abandoned Bhaduri, at a time when his savings were already dwindling. His wife had long accepted me as a part of his life, but couldnt accept this new woman. Chapal Bhaduri at Ramkrishna Old-age Home at Hari Ghosh Street in North Kolkata. (Samir Jana/HT PHOTO) After a particularly ugly altercation, Bhaduri walked out and came back to his sister, artist Ketaki Dutta. She told me, stage is your oxygen, go back to it. But I thought he would come for me. He did come back, but only to get cheques signed, and the money from joint accounts transferred out. I asked him, but what about me? He said he didnt care. That day, I knew everything was over. I signed over the money. I have no regrets. What I got, no one can take away from me. LOOKING FORWARD The last decade has resuscitated Bhaduris popularity. After Kishores documentary, there has been a feature film loosely based on his life where he was played by Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh; there has also been a wildly successful play called Ramanimohan based on his life as a female impersonator. Bhaduri has little contact with the outside world, save the radio, but has heard of the recent challenge to Section 377, which criminalises homosexuality, in the Supreme Court. But he is not moved much by it and says it makes little difference to him. Love between two men is natural. It has happened all over the world. People didnt talk about it then, they would avoid it. But now it is in the open. If the law goes, in a corner of my heart I will feel happy; many ridicule me about this, but I know I did the right thing. I have no regrets. He misses his fellow actors, and friends most of whom are dead. I dont talk to anyone, and dont make new friends what if they dont recognise me, or refuse to acknowledge me? I have even asked some transgender friends to not come here, I know they will not get the respect they deserve from the old age home staff. In the words of Kishore, Bhaduri has both immense skill and presence, and the oeuvre of a consummate gender transgressor on stage. In a world that still dines out on titillation to anything that appears slightly at tangent to the ordinary. it is always going to be a problem recognising an artist for what he or she doesbut those of us from theatre respect him for what he does. Bhaduri lies in bed inside his room at Ramkrishna old-age home at Hari Ghosh Street in north Kolkata. (Samir Jana/HT PHOTO) Bhaduri is now rehearsing for a second play, helmed by director Shekhar Samadder, who lauds the veteran actors energy and stage presence. It is an honour to work with him , Samadder says. In this new play, which opens on August 5, Bhaduri plays a performer caught between his character, a woman, and himself. The play ends with the cry Am I Sundar Bibi or Sundar Haldar? In many ways, this is Bhaduris central contradiction as well. In his life, and work, gender has meant little more than heartbreak for Bhaduri one that continues to haunt him. I fear no one will remember Chapal Bhaduri, nephew of Shishir Bhaduri. I am not just Chapal Rani, he says as he calls for his evening beverage. Tea or coffee, I ask. I am both man and woman, I can drink both, he laughs. Shakeela, the lady who has ruled the soft porn industry down south, is getting a biopic. The first look of the film was shared and it had Bollywood actor Richa Chadha in the lead role. In the picture, we can see Richa, dressed in a traditional Kerala sari, Kasavu Pattu, standing by a pillar in the front court yard of a house. The lush green foliage around adds to the overall aura of the place. Richa Chadha, who is currently shooting for the film in Karnataka, seen here wearing a traditional Kerala sari. Speaking about her role, Richa said: The challenge for the look of the film but also a good one is that the story traces the journey of Shakeelas younger days to her becoming a popular figure. Thus the looks span over years and years and with each passing time her look changed and thus to show that is challenging but also for me as an actor its gratifying that I get to grow with the real character on celluloid. Shakeela is still a legend and we wish to do complete justice to her when the film is ready. The film will be directed by Indrajit Lankesh and its shoot has begun in a small town in Karnataka called Tirthahalli. Shakeela, who has ruled the screen for over two decades now, has done films in all the four south Indian languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. However, she is most popular in Kerala, with her best known work being Kinnarathumbikal. However, the Richa Chadha starrer will be in Hindi. According to a Times of India report, Malayalam hunk Rajeev Pillai will play her love interest in the film. Confirming the news, the Malayalam actor told TOI, I will be playing the hero in the film. My character is called Arjun. The report adds that Richa has met Shakeela to prepare for her role. Richa, meanwhile, shared a picture of her look from the film on her Instagram page. It didnt show her face and instead focussed on her hair bedecked with flowers. She captioned it, Shakeela. Shakeela A post shared by Richa Chadha (@therichachadha) on Jul 26, 2018 at 12:57am PDT She also shared a video of the place where the film is being shot. In a 360 degree view of the place, the lush green surroundings and the advancing dark rain clouds make the place look magical. Small wonder she captioned it: Heaven... Karnataka. Her Instagram story said nothing but was a long shot of a village, nestled amid greens all around and coconut trees in the background. Somewhere in Karnataka -- Richa Chadha shared his picture as her Insta story. Follow @htshowbiz for more Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia Rating: 1/5 Russian roulette and a Sanjay Dutt behind the trigger are the only additions to the Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster franchise. They both appear rusty and out of practice. Director Tigmanshu Dhulias new film, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, tries to be a political thriller, but fails to look any different from a cringe-worthy television soap where everybody is plotting against everybody. Its a total waste of actors, resources and the audiences time. It teaches patience though. You simply surrender yourself after the first few minutes. Here on, its all about bizarre plot twists, painful song sequences and drunk royals. In the end, you emerge a better person with new-found resilience. Aditya Pratap Singh (Jimmy Shergill) and his wife Madhavi (Mahie Gill) are still playing games with each other. Aditya, who was jailed in the previous film, has returned and is trying to reclaim his political legacy. After some twists and turns, he meets a London-returned Rajasthan prince Uday Pratap Singh (Sanjay Dutt), and that begins a chain of accidents. To be fair, Sanjay Dutts inclusion in the cast makes the series bigger but it also snatches the focus from its old characters. Jimmy Shergill, among the most capable actors in first two films, gets a chance to redeem himself only in the second half. The damage is irrevocable though. Mahie Gills conniving queen act is absurd beyond comprehension.In her defence, she swirls, screams and spills her drink more fluently than before but there is no method in this madness anymore. Blaring speakers announce Babas return but the effect doesnt last long. Sanjays swag dies before the gunslinger he is battling with. Then there are characters without much of an explanation. Kabir Bedi and Deepak Tijoris characters are so thin and so loudly performed that one may wonder whether Tigmanshu was under pressure to finish the shooting in just one go. What started as a story of dejected princes with uncontrollable urge to rule has transformed into a strange tale of psychopaths running down each other. Tigmanshu no longer controls this world of ghostly estates and treacherous relatives. The original story still functions as the reference point but it has been pared down to the bones. The dialogues in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 are expected to bring out the gritty side of the actors but they do exactly the opposite. They are forced, not in tandem with their surrounding and tonally different from the film. Its a forgettable world that cant boast of even one memorable scene. The complexity of the relationship between Jimmy and Mahie is not a point of concern for the writers. They have assumed that the audience already knows it after the past films. That leaves the two actors grasping for straws. Actually, whatever worked in the previous films is absent here and add-ons are totally out of sync. The royals of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 patronise obscure traditions and look more ancient than a 70s film. It offers nothing other than a niggling ache. Its certainly a question mark on Tigmanshus otherwise satisfactory filmography. Interact with Rohit Vats at twitter/@nawabjha There is no doubt that as far as individual popularity goes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to enjoy a clear advantage over other contenders. Its equally true and Modis speech during the no-confidence vote in Parliament spent considerable time on this that the Opposition formation is a disparate collection of competitive egos, with no clear leader at its helm. Modis own masterful control over messaging and the BJPs deep pockets (with Rs 1,000 crore, it is Indias richest party) ticks another set of boxes in their favour for 2019. In short, the Opposition is poorer, leaderless and so far has not come up with a united and cohesive script to convert the Modi governments palpable anti-incumbency into guaranteed votes. So, without a face to steer it and a national narrative to define it, can the motley crew of anti-BJP leaders still defeat Narendra Modi in 2019? The short answer is: yes. Especially, as unlike in 2014, the next general election is a wave-less election. But only, if the Opposition gets both arithmetic and alliances right and focuses on states that can tip the balance. Lets look at two blocs of states to understand this. First: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Together they represent 124 parliamentary seats. In 2014, the BJP had negligible presence in this bloc, collectively winning fewer than six seats from these four states. And that was when a pre-poll partnership with Chandrababu Naidus Telugu Desam Party (TDP) provided it a foothold. Now, Naidu has walked out and led the no-confidence motion against the Modi government. Even if you allow for the BJPs ascendance as the main opposition to Mamata Banerjee in Bengal, there are no giant leaps for the party to make in these four states. Kerala too is likely to draw a blank. Now lets turn our focus to the other significant bloc that could swing 2019. Between Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, they account for 182 seats. In 2014 the BJP decimated the Opposition in these regions. The Modi-led NDA was able to take 157 seats in this bloc. It is in these four states that the Opposition needs to create a reversal of fortunes if it is to have any chance of defeating the BJP. In Maharashtra, unless Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar score an inexplicable self-goal, a Congress-NCP alliance and tactical seat adjustments with a disgruntled Shiv Sena is the obvious next move. The Sena abstained in the no-confidence vote and Uddhav Thackeray has since praised Rahul Gandhi. Its journal, Saamana, had a gushing editorial the morning after the government handsomely won the vote, praising Gandhi for winning the day. Sanjay Raut of the Sena likened it to the goodwill generated by Croatia, though France won the FIFA final. Maharashtra, in other words, is available on a platter for splintering, unless the Opposition goofs up badly. Moving north, in Uttar Pradesh, the alliance between Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav is absolutely critical to the Defeat Modi blueprint of non-BJP groups. Together the two parties control an estimated 50% of the states vote share across Muslims, Yadavs and Jatav Dalits. Even optimists in the BJP privately concede a drop of between 30-40 seats in UP. But by itself, even with its 80 parliamentary seats (of which the BJP won 71 in 2014), UP may not be enough to contain the resurgence of Modi nationally. To create a protective padding, the Opposition needs to make gains in both Bihar and Jharkhand, where BJP-led alliances took 31/40 and 12/16 seats in 2014. For anyone war-gaming the 2019 battle plans in the anti-BJP front, its clear that they still need to push for a Mahagatbandhan 2.0. Otherwise, they leave a bloc of 56 seats wide open for Amit Shahs Mission 400. In Jharkhand, the consolidation of a united Opposition showed benefits in the bypolls in Silli and Gomia which were retained by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha; the non-BJP parties did not field candidates so the anti-BJP vote remained undivided. The weak link in the chain is Bihar where Nitish Kumar has started making discernible murmurs against the BJP just a year after he abandoned his alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav. But Lalus son Tejaswi is almost more dismissive of Nitish than he is of Modi. He told me that there is no way they can work with Chacha Paltu again. But beyond the rhetoric, word is that the Congress has privately conceded that Bihar could create a crucial shortfall in the Oppositions calculations. Kumar, who is already driving a hard bargain in seat-sharing negotiations with Amit Shah, is said to be open to the idea of a ghar wapsi. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is believed to have been approached to work on making the RJD amenable to the idea. The next big move on the political chessboard may be played in Bihar. Look out for it. Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author The views expressed are personal Sohaila Abdulali is telling me about the time many years ago when a man called up a Rape Crisis Centre in the US. He had been raped by a teacher some years ago, he said. But men cant possibly be raped, replied the people at the centre, and hung up. This would be unthinkable today, says Abdulali whose book, What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape is out in October. The fact that men too are victims and survivors of sexual assault and rape is a no-brainer. Rape is a horrible violation, she says. Why would it be any less for a man? In all the angst about Indias rape crisis, this fact has somehow been lost. Conceding that child sexual abuse is gender neutral, Maneka Gandhi, minister for women and child development, is reportedly set to amend the existing Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) law in response to a petition on Change.org. But there is, as yet, no dialogue about the rape of adult men by other men. I didnt expect a response so soon, says activist and film-maker, Insia Dariwala, whose petition has so far gathered over 1.22 lakh signatures. Dariwala, who was sexually abused when she was 10, discovered that her husband too had been sexually abused when he was five. Millions of men are living an isolated life of pain endured as children. Then why were their stories never told? she asks. Why? Partly its because we dont recognise male or even transgender victims in our rape laws. We have no data on adult male rape in India. The closest is the commonly cited 11-year-old government study that found 53.2% of children said they had been sexually abused; of these 52.9% were boys. During the Justice Verma Commission hearings in 2012, there was some talk about gender-neutral rape laws, but, says lawyer Rebecca John, The commission was responding to a specific crime and, so, rather than expand the scope of the law, it was important to strengthen it for women. But also its because men themselves are reluctant to report being raped for fear of being judged by a society with iron-clad notions about masculinity. Arent you a man? Why didnt you hit back? Were you enjoying it, are some of the questions survivors are often asked, pushing them further into a closet by their own kind, says activist Harish Iyer. Dariwala says her petition was motivated by a desire to have the same punishment prescribed by law for male and female child victims, even though she is opposed to the death penalty. But, she says, We need to look at gender equality in our rape laws too. The question gains urgency now that the court is hearing why Section 377, which criminalises even consensual sex between adults, should be read down. Now is the time to correct one gender imbalance. Now is the time to recognise that men get raped too. Namita Bhandare writes on social issues The views expressed are personal A narrow road branches off from the newly built Rs 800-crore Meerut-Delhi expressway leading to a congested neighbourhood known to city residents as Talab Chowk in east Delhis Mandawali. It is a bleak place, dotted with potholed roads, tightly packed houses, with the stench of garbage permeating throughout the neighbourhood. On Thursday, Talab Chowk shot into the limelight with politicians cutting across party lines making a rush to the place after medical reports confirmed that three minor sisters Mansi (8), Shikha (4) and Parul (2) had died in the area due to starvation. The parents of the children Mangal Singh and Beena had moved into their new house, a 7x7 windowless room, on Saturday after their shanty in a nearby slum was destroyed in the rain. The room has a wooden cot, a chair, handful of utensils and a wall calendar. Three days after the deaths were reported, the father of the girls, Mangal, a rickshaw puller and a labourer, continues to remain untraceable. His wife Beena, who is mentally unstable, has failed to tell the police how the kids remained deprived of food or where her husband was. These rooms are not meant for a family of five. There are at least 10-12 such rooms in the building and around 40 people live here, most of who are labourers, rickshaw pullers or slum dwellers. Beenas family was very poor, said Manorama, who lives in a room right in front of Beenas. We hardly got to see them in the past three days until the death of her kids came to light. The kids never came out of the room since the family moved in. Beena too would barely speak, she said. Rajni, another occupant of the building, said Beena was not in her senses and defecated in her clothes while the police was taking her away on Thursday. There was no way she was taking good care of her daughters all by herself. We have not seen her husband since Saturday. Another resident, Kumar, who lives in the neighbourhood, said a rickshaw puller doesnt earn more than Rs 300 a day, out of which Rs 150 to Rs 200 was paid as rent of the vehicle. Mangal and Beenas new house is a part of a residential cluster, that has come up next to an open patch that is used for defecation and garbage dumping by the locals. The neighbourhood, where autorickshaws or even an e-rickshaw otherwise refuses to ferry you, on Thursday was swarmed by senior police officers and VIPs. We have never seen a VIP in our area. Until today, we had only seen them on TV. It is sad that the kids died, but it is equally saddening that the VIPs visit such neighbourhoods only after such a tragedy, said another resident, who runs a shop next to the building. Delhi Police has intensified its hunt for the father of three minor girls who died due to hunger in east Delhis Mandawali area on Tuesday night. The father of the girls, a labourer and a rickshaw puller, has been missing since Saturday night when the family had moved in a room in Mandawali after their shanty was damaged following heavy rains. Deputy commissioner of police (east), Pankaj Kumar Singh said that four police teams comprising at least 20 policemen from the east Delhi are trying to trace the father. Police are trying to get in touch with people known to the man and teams have been sent to construction sites and labour chowk where the man might have gone in search of work. The area has no CCTVs. We are completely relying on human intelligence. More than 50 locals who claimed to have last seen the father, have been questioned . We are also looking for him in areas where labourers are hired from in Old Delhi, Singh said. Police also contacted the man from whom the father, Mangal Singh, used to rent the cycle rickshaw to earn his living. He told police that Mangal often would get drunk after work hours and forget where he had parked the rickshaw, said the DCP, adding that there was no complaint regarding theft of the rickshaw that Mangal was riding. Since the couple migrated from Midnapore in Bengal, the police are also trying to trace their family in their native village. Meanwhile, the police on Thursday tried to talk to the mother of the kids, who is mentally unstable, but could not get any clue. The Delhi government issued its first flood warning after Haryana released around 1.3 lakh cusecs of water in the Yamuna on Thursday morning, even as the water level in the river in Delhi is flowing near the danger level. Rescue boats have been kept on standby and officers of the irrigation and flood control department have been directed to keep a vigil on low-lying areas. With at least 10 embankments along the river, the released water is unlikely to flood the main city but people living on the riverbed are vulnerable. At least 15,000-20,000 families live in slums on the floodplain. If the water level increases, people in low-lying areas in north Delhi may have to be asked to move to higher grounds, said an official from the flood control and irrigation department. The Haryana government released 1.36 lakh cusecs of water on Thursday. The water would take at least 48 hours to reach Delhi. We have issued a first warning, the officer said. Usually, the Delhi government issues a three-stage warning whenever Haryana releases water from the Hathni Kund barrage, located around 200 km north. The first warning is given when more than one lakh cusecs is released, the second after more than three lakh cusecs and the third when more than five lakh cusecs is released. Haryana on Thursday released 1.31 lakh cusecs at 8 am, 1.36 lakh cusecs at 9 am and 1.25 lakh around 10 am. When the third warning is issued, people in extremely low-lying areas are advised to shift. The water level in the Yamuna (at old Iron Bridge) is already flowing near the danger mark. While the present level is 203.4 m, the warning level is 204 m. The danger level is 204.8 m, said a senior official. In 1978, the water level touched 207.49 m the highest ever. In 2013, when Haryana had released around eight lakh cusecs, the water touched 207.32 m. This water would not have any effect on the city but shanties and farmlands on the river banks, particularly in very low-lying areas such as Garhi Mandu, Usmanpur and Sonia Vihar, could be affected, said an official. When Haryana releases water for the first time after heavy rain, it takes more time to reach Delhi as it gradually spreads in the floodplains and the river. Environmentalists said flooding is a natural process, which will help the heavily polluted Yamuna flush out some of its toxins and rejuvenate the riverbed. The water will actually help to clean the river. It wont have any impact on the city. It would also help to recharge the ground water, said Manoj Misra from the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan. It takes at least two to three lakh cusecs to be released to fill up the entire floodplain. The flood waters hardly enter the city. Only the slum people on the floodplains face the risk, said Diwan Singh, an activist and convenor of Natural Heritage First. A one-and-a-half-year-old boy, the son of a waiter at Roshanara Club, was killed when he was allegedly run over by a car being driven by a 35-year-old woman in the parking area of the club in north Delhi on Wednesday morning. The woman from west Delhis Punjabi Bagh is a member of the club. Deputy commissioner of police (North) Nupur Prasad said Shivani Kapoor, the woman driving the car, was arrested after a case of rash and negligent driving causing death was registered against her at the Roop Nagar police station. Kapoor was later freed on bail; the sections under which she was booked are bailable offences.Her Toyota Corolla car that was involved in the accident was impounded, Prasad said. Roshanara Club general secretary Subhash Kakkar said Shivani and her husband Rishi Kapoor are both members of the club. The woman was returning home after swimming in the club when the accident took place in the parking area. She herself rushed the injured child to a nearby hospital in her car, but the child was declared brought dead. His father works as a waiter in our club. The family lives in the clubs servants quarters located within the premises. It is an unfortunate incident. I feel horrible for the boys parents, said Kakkar. A police officer associated with the case said the first information report was registered on the complaint of the child Vivans mother Prema Kumari. The mother, in her complaint to the police, said she was going to the Hanuman Temple built in the parking area of the club at the time of the incident. Her son was walking ,holding her hand. My son left my hand and started walking ahead of me. Suddenly, a speeding car driven by a woman hit him. My son came under the cars left wheel. He suffered head injuries and started bleeding. I screamed for help. My neighbour Rahul reached and caught the woman. She offered to help me take my injured son to a hospital. We brought him to Bara Hindu Rao hospital but doctors declared him brought dead, the childs mother told police in her complaint. Police said the woman told them that she was taking a right turn when the child suddenly came onto the road. By the time the woman driver could stop her car, the child was hit and he came under the wheel, said the officer, adding that the womans husband is a businessman. Delhi recorded its second heaviest spell of monsoon rain this season, as the downpour that started on Thursday pounded the city through the night and into Friday before letting up at noon. Heavy rain also lashed other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) centred on Delhi, such as Ghaziabad and Noida . In Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, 33 people were killed and about two dozen injured as heavy rain wreaked havoc in different parts of the state, state relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar said on Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that intermittent showers are likely until at least till Sunday in the NCR although their intensity, distribution and duration will diminish as the weather systems that triggered the rain are weakening. While Safdarjung area, which is taken to be a representative of Delhis weather, received around 45.8 mm rain between 8:30 am on Thursday and 8:30 am on Friday, it received another 2mm of rain between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on Friday, taking the total rain to around 47 mm, said a senior IMD official. It was the heaviest spell of rain recorded by the capital since Safdarjung received 52.4 mm of rain on July 16 Until 5:30 pm, Palam received around 39 mm, Lodhi Road around 53 mm, Ridge area around 48 mm and Aya Nagar around 43 mm. On Friday, Gautam Budh Nagar, which includes Noida, recorded 98mm of rainfall while Ghaziabad received 39.2 mm. A three-storey building collapsed in Garhi Chaukhandi village in Noida on Friday morning, purportedly because of a weak foundation and poor quality of construction material used by the builder. The Noida authority had sealed it about four months back as the building had come up on government land. The water level of the Yamuna in Delhi breached the warning level of 204m after Haryana released more water. The building collapse prompted the Noida authority to seal other unsafe buildings in the same village. It also demolished nine unsafe structures next to the collapsed building. Vehicles stuck in heavy traffic jam at Delhi-Gurugram Expressway. (Yogendra Kumar/HT Photo) The district administrations of Delhi have already deployed boats ,and quick response teams have been formed to alert people living in low -lying areas of the Yamuna flood plains about the rising water level. Boats have been deployed and announcements were being made through mikes. In Ghaziabad, the 116 families of Vartalok and Pragya Kunj housing societies affected by a road cave-in on Thursday will have to spend another night outside their homes as dozens of workers continued repair work in the Vasundhara neighbourhood on Friday. According to an initial assessment by the Central Road Research Institute, engineers have suggested plugging the gap left by the cave-in with sandbags. Officials estimate that the repair work will be completed by Saturday. In case repair work gets prolonged, we will try to make arrangements for residents, said Ritu Maheshwari, district magistrate of Ghaziabad. Meanwhile, a major portion of earth was eroded from one of the 226 pillars of the 10.3-km long Hindon elevated road near GT Road on late Thursday night. Officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority plugged the area and said the road is structurally safe as each of the pillars has a foundation up to a depth of 30 metre below the ground. The heavy rains resulted in water-logging in several parts of Delhi. Delhi Traffic Police advised commuters to avoid some stretches such as Mehrauli Bypass, RTR Marg, Okhla Mandi and Sarita Vihar, among others, where heavy traffic snarls were reported because of water-logging. In UP, six deaths were reported from Agra, four from Mainpuri and three deaths each in Muzaffarnagar and Kasganj. Also, two deaths each were reported from Meerut and Bareilly while one death each was reported from 13 other districts. The MET office said thundershowers were likely to continue at many places across the state. The 19-year-old athlete, who delivered a stillborn premature baby in the toilet of an Air Asia flight at Delhis Indira Gandhi International airport on Wednesday and allegedly abandoned, had taken antacids and painkillers a day before the flight as she felt continuous pain, police said. The woman told police she was not aware of her pregnancy and even her brother-in-law said her family was not aware she was pregnant, the police said We questioned her again on Thursday. She told police that she felt continuous pain a day before boarding her flight and so consumed painkillers and antacids, which led to excessive bleeding. The woman refused to undergo a medical examination. We are consulting doctors if the medicines she consumed can cause any complications. The foetus has been sent for post mortem and reports that would confirm the cause of death are awaited, deputy commissioner of police (IGIA) Sanjay Bhatia said. But speaking to HT, a senior city gynaecologist said that a pain killer or an antacid cannot cause an abortion. Around 3 pm on Wednesday, the crew discovered an abandoned foetus wrapped in toilet paper in one of the lavatories of the I5-784 Imphal-Guwahati-Delhi flight when the plane was preparing to land in Delhi. The police were informed and a team reached Terminal T3s boarding gate number 49, where the woman, who had boarded the plane from Guwahati, was identified as the mother of the child. The incident was reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. She told the police that she had delivered the foetus in the flight during the journey. The police sent the foetus for a post-mortem examination and called the woman for questioning. The DCP said the woman is a Taekwondo player and there is a possibility that she might have sustained an injury in a practice session that may have caused her childs death. A case under section 318 for concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body has been registered and the matter is being probed, the officer said. A group of locals, engaged in reconstruction of an old temple, found a copper pot full of antique silver coins dating back to 13th century, from a pit they had dug up in Kathur village in Uttarakhands Pauri district on July 21, district officials said on Friday. The pot, containing 329 coins weighing nearly four kg, was found when the ground was being dug to construct the main gate for the Bhairav Temple in the village, gram pradhan Shravan Thapaliyal said. Thapaliyal handed over the coins to district magistrate on Friday. Experts will soon ascertain the age and value of the coins, Ashish Kumar, assistant director, Archeological Survey of India (ASI), Dehradun said. He, however, added that prima facie, the coins appear to be from the Mughal era, dating between the 13th and 16th centuries. They sport inscriptions in Arabic. Since the department is facing a paucity of funds and technical staff, we will seek help from Government of India and HNB Garhwal Central University to carry out further excavation at the site, the ASI official said. District magistrate Sushil Kumar said the temple premises and adjoining areas may be dug further with a recommendation to the Centre for further research. He also asked ASI officials and the local administration to keep an eye on the area. Kumar had asked the sub-divisional magistrate of Srinagar, MD Joshi, and the ASI to carry out a physical verification of the site on Thursday after learning about the June 21 discovery. However, before the team could reach the site, the village head handed over the container and the coins to additional district magistrate Ramji Sharan Sharma. Sharma said 293 of the coins found are circular in shape while 38 are rectangular and they weigh 3,785 grams. He added that while the copper container had oxidized, the coins were in good condition. Professor Rakesh Bhatt of the department of archaeology in Garhwal University, said kings of the Himalayan regions from 13th to 16th Century used to live here, He added that these rulers used to carry out transactions with the currency or coins manufactured by Mughals and Persians. The BJPs Rajasthan unit president Madanlal Saini said on Friday his statement about Mughal emperors Babur and Humayun while speaking about the alleged lynching of a Muslim man by suspected cow vigilantes was a mistake and accused the media of blowing it out of proportion. Saying that Humayun was Baburs father was a slip of tongue. I wanted to say that Babur on deathbed had told his son Humayun to respect cows, Brahmin and women for ruling in India, Saini said during his visit to Kota for the first time after becoming the Bharatiya Janata Party president of the state unit. He accused the media of being selective in running his statement with historical blunder instead of understanding the underlying sense that even Mughals talked about respecting cows, Brahmins and women. The BJP leader got his history wrong on Tuesday when he said that a dying Mughal emperor Humayun told Babur that he should respect cows, women and Brahmins if he wanted to rule India. Babur was Humayuns father and died in 1531, 25 years before Humayun breathed his last in 1556. He was trolled for the mix up as several people pointed out the facts in history. Saini is in Kota to oversee the preparations for chief minister Vasundhara Rajes Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra beginning August 4 from the Charbhuja temple in Rajsamand district. Saini said there was confusion in the Congress party over their chief ministerial candidate. They know no Congress leader is able to ensure their victory in the upcoming assembly polls so they have not announced any CM candidate so far, he said. China and India being vindicators of the contemporary international order should work towards upholding multilateralism and economic globalisation, official news agency Xinhua has quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as telling Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the ongoing 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Asserting that the objective of the two countries should be to bring about a more just and rational international order, Xi said China was willing to work with India to carry forward the impetus provided to bilateral ties through his informal summit with Modi in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in April. The Wuhan meeting is of milestone significance in the history of India-China relations. It has greatly increased mutual trust, and will bring new impetus and opportunities to the long-term development of bilateral relations, he said. The Chinese president said that the informal summit provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and timely fashion that could help mobilise positive elements of all sectors in the two countries and unite the will of 2.6 billion people across the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future. The meeting at Johannesburg was the third to occur between the two leaders in four months. After Wuhan, Modi and Xi had met in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Details of the Modi-Xi meeting were published on the news agencys website. According to Xinhua, the Chinese leader also called on the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders at the Wuhan meeting. China is willing to consolidate and develop a closer development partnership with India, he said. During their several one-on-one meetings in Wuhan, the two leaders had agreed to ensure peace and tranquility along the disputed boundary in the aftermath of the 73-day military standoff in Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) last year. He (Xi) called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication; increase mutual trust; promote practical cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges; strengthen dialogue; and properly manage differences, Xinhua quoted him as saying. Xi also echoed Modi in talking about upholding multilateralism, championing globalisation and striving for a more just and rational international order. In his address to the BRICS summit (comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Modi had reaffirmed Indias commitment to multilateralism, international trade and a rules-based world order. At the session with fellow BRICS leaders, I shared my thoughts on various global issues, the importance of technology, skill development and how effective multilateral cooperation creates a better world, Modi tweeted. In his summit address, Xi urged fellow leaders of the BRICS emerging economies to reject protectionism outright. The 10th BRICS summit is being held at Johannesburgs Sandton Convention Centre from July 25 to 27. Appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of India should be cleared by the government within two weeks and to high courts within three months, justice Kurien Joseph of the Supreme Court of India said on Friday in his opening remarks at a conference of judges in the national capital. At the conference on the backlog of cases in the judicial system, justice Joseph expressed concern over the delays that have characterised appointments to the higher judiciary Government must avoid delay in making appointments, he said. As far as the high courts are concerned there should not be a delay of more than three months once the high court collegium sends names. While in the case of the Supreme Court, where the selection is made from the judges themselves, appointments must not be delayed beyond two weeks after recommendations are made, he said. Justice Joseph also pitched for raising the retirement age of judges to 70 years from 62 in high courts and 65 in the apex court. This could help reduce the pendency of cases, he said. I am in favour of increasing the age of retirement of judges of the high courts and the Supreme Court. The age of retirement for high court and Supreme Court judges must be the same and should be increased to 70 years so that the most productive years of a judge are utilised. Urging chief justices of the high courts to consult their senior colleagues on allocation of work and other issues, justice Jospeh said, There is no doubt that the chief justice is the master of the roster, but as they (chief justices) are from outside the state, they should consult other senior judges of the high courts and bank on their experience and expertise in allocation of work and other issues. Justice Joseph was one of the four judges of the Supreme Court who earlier this year held an unprecedented press conference and criticised the allocation of judicial work by the chief justice of India Dipak Misra. Calling for active consultations with the government on reducing the backlog of case in courts, he said: Any discussion of reducing pendency of cases will be incomplete without involving the government; they hold the key in providing infrastructure and also judicial appointments. On the same occasion, justice Madan B Lokur of the Supreme Court emphasised the need to set up secretariats for high court collegiums that are responsible for appointment of judges. He said, The Supreme Court had in its NJAC (National Judicial Appointments Commission) judgment directed high courts to set up secretariats for the collegiums. How many high courts have done it ? Justice Lokur also blamed the high courts for not doing enough ground work on the names of the new judges to be appointed and said, We need to introspect whether there is enough scrutiny of the names and this is one of the reasons for this ping-pong that is going on (over) the appointment of judges. Justice Ranjan Gogoi talked about introduction of artificial intelligence to solve the problem of rising pendency in courts. Scope of Artificial intelligence in judiciary must be explored. Justice Gogoi also stressed the need to use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to deal with cases, but was not optimistic about getting help from the government.I am not optimistic of additional budgetary support from the government for alternate dispute resolution, he said. The church in Kerala has strongly criticised National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson, Rekha Sharmas demand to scrap the religious practice of confession on allegations of its misuse by priests to exploit women. Trivandrum Archbishop Cardinal Baselios Cleemis said nobody can question the constitutional rights of minorities and tamper with their religious customs. You cant generalise things citing some incidents. If there is a crime, the law of the land should deal with it. You cant blame religious customs citing this, Cardinal Cleemis said, adding nobody can question rights of minorities guaranteed by the Constitution and tamper with their customs. It is a sweeping statement. We would like to know what the Union government says about the NCW chiefs opinion, the Cardinal said. Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference also sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over NCWs proposal, according to news agency ANI. Archbishop of Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, Soosai Pakiam, said The NCW chairperson should not dictate that you abolish this (religious practice of confession). Sharma, who was in Kerala last week to meet the victims of alleged sexual assaults by priests, said many told her that confession was often misused by some priests to exploit believers, especially women. In her 25-page report to the Union home ministry, she recommended steps to scrap the custom of confession. She also sought a national agency probe against the Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal and five priests of the Orthodox Church who have been accused of sexually abuse. National Commission for Minorities vice-chairman George Kurian also criticised Sharmas statement. It is a wrong statement. I dont know on which context she said this. Constitution guarantees certain rights to minorities and nobody can take them away, he said during a TV discussion. He asked persons holding high constitutional positions not to make such statements that could create misunderstanding among minority communities. Syro-Malabar spokesman Fr Jimmy Poochakat also deplored her. How can a person holding a constitutional position raise such a recommendation? She cant hurt sentiments of another community like this. Hope the government will reject her recommendation with the contempt it deserved, he said. Soon after two sexual assault cases emerged, the church had promised authorities all help in the investigation. The state crime branch had filed a case against four priests of the Orthodox Church after a home-maker complained that she was sexually exploited by them based on a confession she made to one of them. Two priests were arrested and released after two-week custody and bail applications of two are pending before the Supreme Court. A case was registered against the Jalandhar bishop on a complaint by a nun who accused him of sexually abusing her several times between 2014 and 2016. However the bishop maintained that he was implicated in the case for taking action against her for financial misappropriation and immoral activity. Marxist veteran V S Achuthanandan had written to the state police chief demanding immediate arrest of the bishop. After intelligence reports, police had tightened security for the convent where the victim is staying. The Delhi high court on Friday sought the Centres reply on a plea seeking directions for utilising biometric or Aadhaar details of missing children, aged persons and the mentally challenged in order to trace and reunite them with their families. A bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the ministry of home affairs on a plea of advocate Amit Sahni. In his petition, Sahni had contended that the MHA had not replied to a representation requesting it to ensure that a uniform process is followed to scan the biometrics of a missing person who has lost track of his/her identity. The petition said that a procedure should be set in place to run the traced persons biometrics through the Aadhaar database in order to reunite them with their families. There is no greater vacuum, no greater void than the helplessness felt by parents whose children have gone missing and the significance of timely recovering of the missing child can only be understood if one empathies with feelings of the missing child or that of a mother, who is unable to locate her child irrespective of the circumstances under which a child goes missing, the plea said. Doctors are monitoring the ailing DMK president M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for urinary tract infection, even as his sons Stalin and Azhagiri visited him overnight and crowds gathered outside his Gopalapuram residence. Karunanidhis daughter M Kanimozhi is also flying from Delhi and is expected to reach Chennai soon. The medical team from Kauvery Hospital, treating the 94-year-old former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, are expected to issue a health bulletin on Friday. Four more doctors arrived on Friday morning. In a statement released on Thursday, Kauvery Hospitals executive director Aravindan Selvaraj said there has been a slight decline in Karunanidhis health due to age-related ailments. He is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. He is being monitored and treated round the clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at his home, Selvaraj said. Crowds started gathering outside the 94-year-old DMK leaders residence last night and by Friday morning police had to put up barricades to manage the rush. Last night, an AIADMK delegation led by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam called on ailing leader. After their visit, Panneerselvam and his cabinet colleague D Jayakumar said Karunanidhi was doing well. Karunanidhi will return in good health soon, Jayakumar told reporters. Jayakumar said it was political decency for the ruling party to visit Karunanidhis residence, adding that a DMK delegation visited the Apollo hospitals here when former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was undergoing treatment in 2016. The AIADMK delegation, which included ministers SP Velumani and P Thangamani, held discussions with Karunanidhis son and working president MK Stalin. Senior DMK leaders, including Duraimurugan and TR Baalu, were present during the meeting. Recently, Karunanidhi had been admitted to Kauvery Hospital for change of the tracheostomy tube. Constituent parties of the proposed Federal Front have to sink their differences and work together to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said after a meeting with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat in Kolkata. We will try, as far as possible, to set aside whatever little differences we have and put the best foot forward in terms of taking the fight on to the BJP in 2019... My party and Mamata Didis party have got no differences to set aside, Abdullah said, addressing the media after the meeting. No party will be considered untouchable, emphasised Abdullah. Our effort will be to take along all the parties that are fighting the BJP right now, he added, when asked whether Congress will be part of the Front. All regional parties, who are against the BJP, are working together. One or two parties may have their own state compulsions. Thats a different issue, said Mamata. BJP leaders, on the other hand, scoffed at the meeting. Omar Abdullah does not have any ground in his own state. How can he talk of forming any front? remarked BJP national BJP secretary Rahul Sinha. Both Banerjee and Abdullah refused to entertain questions on who will be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the new front. When asked to comment on Mamatas prescription of a one-on-one fight with the BJP everywhere, Abdullah said, I cannot say whether it will be possible in every state. The National Conference leader also said that his party will depend on Trinamool Congress to raise their issues in the Rajya Sabha. We dont have a representative in the Rajya Sabha. Didi asked my friend Derek O Brien to raise issues in the Rajya Sabha, said Abdullah. Highlighting the cooperation between the two parties, Abdullah said, These are the small things that the parties can do for each other to make the Federal Front a reality. I wanted to discuss with her issues concerning the people, especially the fear among the minority community. Mamata Banerjee also alleged that the BJPs strategy is to go for a Presidential form of election and establish dictatorship. Commenting on the new government in Pakistan, Abdullah said it is too early to speculate. We have seen tension at the LoC over the past couple of years now. We should wait for Imran Khans government to be sworn in. What he said about Pakistan taking two steps forward for every one step that India takes sounds good, he said. Over the past few months, Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader K Chandrashekar Rao (March 19) and Gujarats Patidar leader Hardik Patel (February 9) met Mamata Banerjee in her office. On July 30, Mamata Banerjee is leaving for Delhi for a three- day visit where she is expected to meet leaders of different parties and discuss the proposed anti-BJP front. A Bill drafted by a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge BN Srikrishna provides for the formation of a Data Protection Authority of India to protect citizens data and privacy a growing concern in an increasingly digitising economy. The 10-member experts panel was set up in July 2017 to come up with an overarching report on data privacy and also recommend legal provisions. The draft Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018 part of the report submitted to law and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says that the authority will protect data principals, prevent any misuse of personal data, ensure compliance with the provisions of this Act, and promote awareness of data protection. In essence, the authority will function as Indias privacy regulator. Data principal, in the bill, denotes a person whose data is being referred to. In a digital economy abounding with platforms such as Facebook, Google and widening use of the internet, privacy and security of peoples data have become a key public concern and a defining public policy debate. Individual privacy is a guaranteed fundamental right, the Supreme Court ruled in August in a landmark verdict. A nine-judge bench said right to privacy was at par with right to life and liberty, and that the verdict will protect citizens personal freedom from intrusions. The Data Protection Authority will be empowered to take prompt and appropriate action in response to any reported matter of data security breach in accordance with the provisions of the bill. Calling it a monumental work, Prasad said the IT ministry will examine the report. He said due processes will be taken up to bring a data protection bill before Parliament soon. How does the Code compares to other legislations EUROPE (European Union) Has an all-encompassing law General Data Protection Regulations, which came into effect on May 25, 2018. User consent needs to be explicit Right to be forgotten, a concept that arose in the EU Applies to businesses anywhere in the world who handle European data Penalties for non-compliance are up to 4 percent of the companys global turnover, or 20 million Euros, whichever is higher UNITED STATES Data protection fragmented in various federal and state laws Each sector will deem what is private or personal data A movement to pass a new law on consumer privacy protections failed in the Congress in 2017. California, with Shine the Light Law, was one of the first states in the US to implement privacy laws AUSTRALIA The Privacy Act of 1988 regulates the handling of personal information of individuals Privacy is not a fundamental right Does not apply to government agencies The Bill also provides for an appellate tribunal. Any person with a complaint of data breach can appeal to the tribunal whose verdict will have the effect of a decree. Any person who has suffered harm from any entity, including the state, handling his or her data shall have the right to seek compensation. This is a critical milestone to ensure citizens data are protected and fundamental for citizens empowerment. The idea is to have a free and fair data economy. Many African countries dont have privacy laws. So this law can be a reference point for the global south, said Arghya Sengupta of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, a legal policy advisory group. Sengupta is a member of the Srikrishna committee. Alleged instances of leakage of data related to Aadhaar, the 12- digit unique biometric ID every Indian is required to possess, have recently made headlines. Aadhaar regulator Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has, however, denied any breach. A key function of the authority is to determine the circumstances when a data protection imp- act assessment may be required. The authority can initiate a sort of risk assessment. It can review technological exercises by a company or entity which may carry a risk of breaching data privacy. According to section 33 of the proposed Act, such circumstances may include any processing involving new technologies or large scale profiling or use of sensitive personal data such as genetic data or biometric data. A data fiduciary, which the bill defines as any person, the government or a company that processes peoples data, must undertake a data protection impact assessment before carrying out a task that may violate privacy, according to the bills provisions. The authority will have a chairperson and six wholetime members. They will be appointed by the government based on the recommendation of a selection committee. A grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose engaged in a Twitter war with Tripura governor Tathagata Roy over the formers sarcastic remark that Mahatma Gandhi had treated goat as mother and asked Hindus to stop consuming goat meat. Chandra Kumar Bose, a vice-president of the West Bengal unit of BJP, made the comments while criticising the number of lynchings by cow vigilantes in BJP-ruled states across the country. Gandhiji used to stay at my grandfather Sarat Chandra Boses house at 1, Woodburn Park, in Kolkata. He demanded goats milk! Two goats brought to the house for this purpose. Gandhi, protector of Hindus, treated goats as Mata by consuming goats milk. Hindus stop eating goats meat, Bose tweeted on Thursday. Gandhi ji used to stay in my grandfather-Sarat Chandra Bose's house at 1 WoodburnPark in Kolkata.He demanded goat's milk! Two goats brought to the house for this purpose. Gandhi protector of Hindus treated goats as Mata by consuming goats milk. Hindus stop eating goat's meat Chandra Kumar Bose (@Chandrabosebjp) July 26, 2018 Within three hours, Roy hit back, saying Neither Gandhiji nor your grandfather ever said goats were Mata thats your conclusion. Nor did Gandhiji (or anyone else) ever proclaim that he was the protector of Hindus. We Hindus regard the cow as our mother, not the goat. Please dont peddle such rot, quipped Roy. Bose (57), the grandson of Netajis elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose, joined the BJP in 2016 and contested the Assembly elections the same year from Bhawanipore constituency against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. A student of economics, Bose worked for the Tata Group that he quit in 2000 to start his own venture. Tathagata Roy (72), who calls himself a right-wing socio political thinker, writer and ideologue, was trained as a civil engineer. Admitting the sarcasm in his tweet, Bose said on Friday, The views are personal. The cow-centric politics and repeated lynching in BJP-ruled states are disgusting. However, the spat between the two continued. Gandhiji insisted on having goats milk while staying in our ancestral house it was implied that he treated the goat as #Mata. That was it. There need not be any argument/controversy on this issue, Bose wrote. What has that got to do with goat being a mother? Gandhijis dearest disciple Jawaharlal Nehru (and his community, Kashmiri pandits) are all meat eaters! argued Roy. What has that got to do with goat being a mother? Gandhiji's dearest disciple Jawaharlal Nehru (and his community,Kashmiri pandits) are all meat-eaters! Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) 26 July 2018 We are staunch Hindus, but we dont believe that religion has anything to do with what you eat! We despise bigotry and feel people with such archaic views have no place in #Bharat, wrote Bose. To that, Roy replied, I am somewhat at a loss to understand you I mean you singular. Who are we? What are such archaic views that the cow is our mother? Or that people who believe that the cow is our mother have no place in your perception of Bharat? I shall thank you for a clear answer. Bose continued, We means progressive people of new India who respect views of others but dont accept any animal as their Mata. We are animal lovers and activists but dont put any animals above humans! This should be the stand of #Bharatiyas who want to take #Bharat to new heights unitedly. Progressive people of new India... who want to take Bharat to new Heights! Hmm. I presume you have determined the views of all such progressive people. Also, since I understand youre a vice-president of West Bengal BJP, I presume these views are also shared by your party! the Tripura governor said in a parting shot. "Progressive people of new India....who want to take Bharat to new Heights"! Hmm. I presume you have determined the views of all such progressive people. Also,since I understand youre a Vice-President of West Bengal BJP,I presume these views are also shared by your party! Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) 26 July 2018 Incidentally, Boses cousins, Sugata Bose, and Roys younger brother Saugata are Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs. While Sugata Bose was a professor of history, Saugata Roy used to teach physics in a Kolkata college. Underworld gangster Abu Salem has threatened to sue the makers of Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Sanju over certain claims made against him in the movie. A notice sent by Salem to director-producer Rajkumar Hirani and co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra besides production houses Fox Star Studio, 20th Century Fox, Vinod Chopra Films and Rajkumar Hirani Films alleged that he has been defamed in the film based on actor Sanjay Dutts life. The gangster specifically objected to a scene in the movie where police are shown taking Kapoor who essays the role of Dutt into custody for illegal possession of a firearm. The scene where Ranbir Kapoor (pictured as Sanjay Dutt) gives a confessional statement about possessing arms and ammunition during communal tension around our country in 1993 amounts to defaming my client (Salem) as my client never supplied the arms and ammunition to Sanjay Dutt, as pictured in the film, the notice sent through Salems lawyer read. The gangster has always maintained that he never supplied arms and ammunition to Dutt. My client neither met Sanjay Dutt nor supplied any arms or ammunition to him, as portrayed by you in your film, the notice reiterated. Salem has threatened to take legal action against the filmmakers if they failed to publish an apology in this regard. The Goa government is not against beef consumption, states animal husbandry minister Mauvin Godinho said on Friday in the wake of allegations of threat to the beef trade in the state, especially from cow vigilantes. Godinho said vested interests were trying to project that the BJP government was against eating the meat. Just because it is a BJP-led government, propaganda is being made that we are against meat eaters. It is totally a false allegation, he said. We believe in carrying all the people with us and there is no objection in beef being consumed either by tourists or by the local people, Godinho said. Godinho, whose department overlooks government-run slaughterhouses, blamed NGOs from outside the state for disrupting the functioning of the government-run complex where animals are slaughtered. Questioning his government over its failure to protect the legal beef trade, BJP MLA Michael Lobo had on Tuesday said in the assembly that cow vigilantes were standing at the border (of Karnataka) and blocking beef that is being brought in. Tourists who come to Goa, come to eat beef. For our feasts, there is a shortage of beef. There are people in Goa in large numbers, the Christian and Muslim community and others who eat beef. You cannot stop that, Lobo had said. Around 20 tonnes of beef is consumed in per day in Goa, which has 26% Christian and 11% Muslim population. Minister Godinho, a former Congressman, was questioned by another BJP MLA Glenn Souza Ticlo over the failure of the government to get the slaughterhouses running, forcing the state to rely on meat that is slaughtered in neighbouring Karnataka, whose quality cannot be certified. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday warned of massive agitation in Jammu and Kashmir if the special rights accorded to the state by the Constitution of India were taken away. The Hurriyat chairman made the comments as the Supreme Court is set to hear on August 6 a petition challenging the validity of Article 35A of the Constitution. The Article empowers the Jammu and Kashmir states legislature to define permanent residents of the state and provides special rights and privileges to those permanent residents. Addressing the Friday congregation in the citys Jamia Masjid, Farooq said that Kashmiri people have been fighting for their rights since 1931 against various powers in the state. He said the people of Kashmir are cautiously and carefully watching the events around the hearing on the Article 35A. People of Kashmiris from all spheres of life will never take machinations against them lying low and will oppose them tooth and nail. The people of Kashmir will hit the streets and start agitation on the mass scale, he said. Mirwaiz accused the BJP and RSS plan of changing the demographic nature of Jammu and Kashmir by doing away with the state subject law and flooding it with people from outside and warned that changing Kashmirs status will never be allowed. The resulting consequences will entirely be the responsibility of those who will force people to take drastic steps, he said. The hearing comes amidst the lack of an elected government in the state which was put under governors rule after the BJP pulled out of the coalition government with PDP. During the PDP-BJP rule, then-chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, despite being in government, with BJP had promised to defend the Article 35A in Supreme Court. However, after Mufti resigned, many, including separatists and mainstream political parties, fear the state will not defend its case as the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS are opposed to it. There is a slight improvement in DMK chief M Karunanidhis health, his son MK Stalin said in Chennai on Friday. His fever and infection has reduced , DMK working president Stalin said. Earlier politicians cutting across party lines visited Karunannidhi at his Gopalapuram home in Tamil Nadus capital Chennai. Hundreds of supporters of the 94-year-old leader too gathered outside his home amid prayer and high emotion on Friday. Doctors said the former chief minister is being treated for a urinary tract infection (UTI) and other geriatric complaints. A team of doctors from Chennais Kauvery Hospital is attending to him round the clock. Karunanidhi has been unwell for some time now with age-related health problems and has largely been confined to his home since late 2016. His tracheotomy tube was replaced last week. His older son MK Azaghiri drove down from Madurai to Chennai on Thursday night, while his daughter MK Kanimozhi, who is a member of Parliament, flew in from Delhi in the morning. His other son and political heir MK Stalin too has been at the leaders Gopalapuram home since early morning. Spoke to thiru M K Stalin and Kanimozhi ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar and offered my assistance required. I pray for quick recovery and good health, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted. Karunanidhi is called Kalaignar for his artistic script writing skills. Among those who visited Karunanidhis home were Tamil Nadus deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and several state ministers from the DMKs arch rival AIADMK, in a gesture seen as rare in the personality-driven politics of the state. They met Stalin, who is also the DMKs working president, and enquired about the medical support being given to the Dravidian leader. I was briefed that DMK leader Karunanidhi is fine by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and I pray for his speedy recovery, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami told reporters at Salem. Karunanidhi is fine. He will recover soon. We came here as part of political courtesy. MK Stalin visited Apollo Hospital when Amma (Jayalalithaa) was hospitalised, said state minister for fisheries D Jayakumar, after visiting Gopalapuram on Thursday night. Tamil Nadu police have instructed officials to be alert and security has been tightened in the state capital as leaders and DMK cadres thronged Gopalapuram. Police are cautions and ensuring that there are no law and order issues as thousands of supporters are known to visit the capital to pay their respects after the death of their favourite political leaders. Extra police were deployed in Tamil Nadu after former chief minister Jayalalithaa died amid fears of unrest among her supporters, many of whom called her Amma (mother), in December 2016. Schools and offices are open and there was no disruption to normal life. Union minister meets Stalin, Kanimozhi After meeting MK Stalin and Kanimozhi, I came to know that Karunanidhis health is improving. They also conveyed that Prime Minister spoke to them over phone inquiring about Karunanidhis health. Ill share details with the PMO and other senior leaders: Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, reports ANI. Kanimozhi arrives at Karunanidhis residence DMK MP Kanimozhi arrives at the residence of her father M Karunanidhi in Chennais Gopalapuram, reports ANI. Chandrababu Naidu wishes Karunanidhi speedy recovery Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu enquired about Karunanidhis health and wished him a speedy recovery, reports news agency ANI. His fever is coming down: Stalin DMK working president MK Stalin says there is slight improvement in Karunanidhis health. His fever has come down and infection reduced, he says. He (M Karunanidhi) is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down: DMK Working President MK Stalin pic.twitter.com/X0VB3tCXM3 ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2018 Mamata Banerjee expresses concern Concerned about the health of @kalaignar89 Hope and pray that Karunanidhi Ji recovers soon @mkstalin Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 27, 2018 Hope he will recover soon, be able to meet everyone: Stalin On behalf of the DMK, I thank @rashtrapatibhvn & @PMOIndia for their enquiries about @kalaignar89's health. I am extremely grateful for their offers of help. Thalaivar is getting the best medical care and treatment. We hope he will recover soon and thank everyone in his own words M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 27, 2018 I am thankful to @RahulGandhi, @SitaramYechury & D Raja for calling to enquire about Thalaivar Kalaignar's health. The concern and wishes from everyone will surely aid @kalaignar89's recovery and we hope he will be able to meet everyone soon. M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 27, 2018 Confident Karunanidhi will bounce back, says Vaiko MDMK chief Vaiko says, Such fever after a tracheostomy procedure is usual. Stalin told me that he is fine. I am confident that he will bounce back with the same magnetic voice. Several leaders visit Karunanidhis residence MDMK chief Vaiko, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan visited the residence of Karunanidhi and enquired about his health from his family members and the DMK working president M K Stalin. Expelled DMK leader MK Alagiri arrives at Gopalapuram #Chennai: Expelled DMK leader M. K. Alagiri arrives at Gopalapuram to meet his father M. Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection and being given hospital level treatment at home. pic.twitter.com/SsgGpsZx9v ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2018 Kauvery Hospital expected to give health bulletin Kauvery Hospital, whose doctors have been attending to the senior DMK leader at home, are expected to give out an update on Karunanidhis health later in the day. President Kovind inquires about Karunanidhis health Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhis family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery #PresidentKovind President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 27, 2018 PM Modi wishes for Karunanidhis recovery Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquires about Karunanidhis health. Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 Rival AIADMK leaders visit DMK leader An AIADMK delegation led by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam had called on the ailing leader. After their visit, Panneerselvam and his cabinet colleague D Jayakumar said Karunanidhi was doing well. Leopard killed one more person in the buffer zone of Rajaji Tiger Reserve on Wednesday, bringing the total mortalities to 22 in the last 4 years even as the forest department has hunted down one big cat and relocated eight more to control human-leopard conflict. The latest killing of a man happened in Khandgaon in Raiwala area, the 24 sq-km vulnerable patch, home to nearly 15 prowling leopards. Of these 8 leopards were rehabilitated some two years ago and one was shot dead on July 11. Officers informed there are four leopards active in the area, but a 14 year-old male is most dangerous . The officers tried to put a bait to capture this notorious leopard, but it didnt help matters. This leopard simply ignored the bait that we had put. We know now that it is not interested in hunting animals. But, it has become a man-eater, said Rajaji director Sanatan Sonkar who said that traces of blood on its teeth and claws were camera trapped. Theres no scarcity of prey base in Rajaji. Human beings are definitely easy prey as compared to wild animals, Bivash Pandav, scientist at Wildlife Institute of India said. Sometimes leopard turn to man-eating because of physical deformity, or old age or even without any reason. Some leopards once taste human flesh then continue hunting people. The forest department has installed over 100 cameras at several locations, officials said. The worst affected is Khandgaon village, where the incident happened on Friday. The villagers here were rehabilitated in 1980 from Tehri but since then, they have been living in fear. At least 32 families left due to leopard terror . As per forest department figures, in past four years 22 people have lost their lives due to leopard killing in the region. AG Ansari, a wildlife activist said, We need to identify problem leopards. Once a man-eater is identified then it should be kept under observation. Releasing such an animal anywhere would mean bringing danger to the people. (With inputs from Sandeep Rawat in Haridwar) Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has claimed that he has decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda which is his country of citizenship and abide by laws of the country even as the Prime Minister of the Caribbean country told the media that his administration will fully cooperate with the Indian government. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi have been accused by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) of defrauding the state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) to the tune of Rs 14,000 crore in issuance of Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit. Both Choksi and Modi left India in the first week of January and have not returned despite summons from the CBI and the ED. On July 23, the CBI was informed by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) that Choksi travelled from the US to Antigua on an Antiguan passport. The MEA got the information from its mission in the US which was pursuing the case of Choksi with the local administration, said officials familiar with the matter. The CBI approached its Antiguan counterparts on July 24 to trace Choksi in the Caribbean country, said a CBI official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The CBI is yet to secure an Interpol Red Notice, basically a request to Interpol member countries to detain and deport an accused, against Choksi. A Red Notice would have made the CBIs job much easier. The agency had approached Interpol for Red Notice against Nirav and Choksi in the second week of June. We managed to secure Red Notice against Nirav and his brother Neeshal. But in case of Choksi, Interpol sought few clarifications like whether CBI wants an open notice or restricted one, his specific role in the case and the validity of warrants issued against him. All these clarifications were provided in the first week of July and now the matter is pending with Interpol, said the CBI official. Choksis lawyer in the Caribbean country has issued a statement claiming that the fugitive diamond merchant is still there. The statement also claims that Choksi has lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. He got the citizenship in November 2017 but took oath of allegiance on January 15 this year, only 15 day before the CBI registered its first FIR in the PNB scam. He claimed to have applied for the Antiguan citizenship to expand business in the Caribbean and to obtain visa-free travel access to 130 or so countries, which an Antiguan passport provides for. The statement said Choski was in the US in January 2018 for medical treatment. Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, the statement said. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has now told Indian news channels that his government will cooperate with the Indian government on the issue. A civilian and two security guards were injured on Friday after suspected militants opened fire inside a bank during an alleged robbery attempt in south Kashmirs Kulgam district, officials said. Police said people foiled the attempt of militants to allegedly loot a Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Mohanpora, Kulgam. Two to three militants barged into the bank but were surrounded by people present in the bank which unnerved the gunmen. The militants then opened fire wounding a civilian and the two guards of the bank. The injured are stable, Kulgams superintendent of police Harmeet Singh said. The officer said the militants fled from the spot after the firing and that the two guards carrying 12-bore guns were not able to retaliate. Earlier in the day, an unidentified man snatched a 12-bore gun from a guard in the Shopian branch of the same bank. The snatching incident comes just hours after suspected militants barged into the guard post of former Congress leader Mohammad Shafi Banday late on Thursday evening at Bona Bazar in the district. Police said that Banday, who is reportedly associated with the Peoples Democratic Party now, was not at home as the militants managed to flee with four rifles. A police spokesperson claimed their probe suggests complicity of proscribed terror outfit HM (Hizbul Mujahideen) in the incident. A search operation is underway in the nearby areas. The circumstances leading to the incident is being ascertained, the spokesperson said on Thursday night. Officials manning the police control room (PCR) in Shopian said the guns, which were snatched were self-loading or SLRs. They said the militants managed to sneak into the premises when the policemen opened the gate for the family of one of their colleagues. Five policemen present in the guard room have been suspended, an official said. Shopians superintendent of police Sandeep Choudhary refused to comment. Government data presented in the state assembly in January this year shows that 149 guns and 102 tear gas shells and grenades were looted by militants in Jammu and Kashmir in the past three years out of which 76 have been recovered. Of the 149 rifles and pistols, 66 were snatched in 2016 mostly in south Kashmir after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. The incidents have continued this year as well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the 2018 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday. Discussed enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing and pharma, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted following the meeting that ended late on Thursday night. Argentina will host the annual G20 Summit later in 2018. In the meeting with Angolan president Joao Lourenco, the two sides discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing, pharmaceuticals, oil and natural gas, Kumar said in a separate tweet. On Thursday, following the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, a Johannesburg Declaration was issued calling for sustainable growth of global trade and expressing determination to work together to strengthen multilateralism. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Time, in the Gregorian calendar, is divided into B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini), but some women in the Malayalam film industry a.k.a. Mollywood have a new calendar. Like Before Christ and After Christ, time for us has now been divided into a sort of before-this-incident and after-this-incident, says actor Parvathy. The young star is referring to the abduction and rape of a top Malayalam woman actor last February, for which superstar Dileep has been chargesheeted by the police as a conspirator. The shock of the attack led to the formation, in the same month, of Keralas Women In Cinema Collective (WCC), a first-of-its-kind banding together of film artistes to fight gender discrimination, with an official announcement coming in May 2017 at a meeting with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. We have had discussions earlier about how we want things to change for women in the industry, but it would all stop at queries and wondering and maybe we should do this then getting swamped with work and not thinking about it, Parvathy, who is a founder member of WCC, adds. But when this incident happened, we realised that water has gone over our heads, nothing else was more important now, not even work, because working like this is beneath our dignity. Malayalam film star Parvathy is a founder member of Keralas Women In Cinema Collective. We have had discussions earlier about how we want things to change for women in the industry... But when this incident happened, we realised water has gone over our heads, nothing else was more important now, not even work, because working like this is beneath our dignity, she says. (Aalok Soni/HT PHOTO) The assault, Dileeps arrest and the hostile reaction to WCC from sections of Mollywood have the potential to cause considerable confusion among observers elsewhere in the country. Kerala, after all, has long been admired beyond its borders for its extraordinary performance on various human development indices. According to the 2011 Census, Kerala has a 93.91 per cent literacy rate against a national average of 74.04 per cent. It is also one of only two states and union territories that recorded a positive sex ratio more females per 1,000 males. These figures have been a double-edged sword though. They have resulted in the exoticised image the state enjoys, that of being a social paradise, among non-Malayalis viewing it from afar. Experts and insiders, however, are aware that there exists a parallel reality of deeply entrenched patriarchy constantly curbing womens freedoms. What Many Men Said On February 17, 2017, a female Malayalam star was abducted and subjected to sustained sexual violence while she was travelling in a car between cities on work. The survivor chose to file a police complaint, and a shaken Mollywood stood united in the demand that the culprits be caught. The spontaneous outpouring of empathy abated in several quarters though when police investigations revealed the involvement of Dileep, one of a trio of male stars ruling Mollywood, the others being the legendary Mohanlal and Mammootty. Dileep had allegedly masterminded the crime as a vendetta against the survivor for what he felt was her role in his divorce from another Mollywood stalwart, Manju Warrier. He apparently believed Warrier had learnt from the rape survivor about his affair with a colleague. In July 2017, Dileep was arrested and spent 85 days in jail before getting bail in October. Even as his trial is on, last month he was reinstated by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), the apex body of Malayalam actors from which he was expelled last year following his arrest. That move, under Mohanlals presidentship of AMMA, has been widely condemned by state politicians, the Kerala Womens Commission, south India-based media, several film artistes and large sections of the public. However, it exemplifies the divide in the industry where Dileep wields immense clout in his multiple avatars as a money-spinning star, producer, distributor, theatre owner, and a man in a male-dominated industry. Last month Dileep was reinstated by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes from which he was expelled after his arrest. That move, under Mohanlals (in photo above) presidentship, has been condemned by many (Alamy Stock Photo) An early low point in the discourse favouring Dileep came last year when National Award winning actor-director Salim Kumar swore by his friends innocence and demanded in a Facebook post that the woman be subjected to a lie detector test (he later apologised for his remarks). Producer Saji Nanthiyattu, currently a secretary of The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, kept up this narrative when he told Asianet News: The woman was harassed only for two-and-a-half hours, but Dileep has been harassed for four months and has suffered mental agony. Doesnt Dileep have human rights? Last week popular Mollywood actor Mamtha Mohandas told the press: If a woman gets into trouble, I feel somewhere she is responsible for it. Because if I have gotten into any sort of trouble where I have felt that someone has spoken to me with disrespect or in this situation, a sexual assault or a sexual abuse or anything indicative towards that manner, I feel I would have entertained some part of it. On the other hand, even though most men in Mollywood have stayed quiet, several leading lights like directors Kamal, Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran have been vocal in their support for the survivor. Social Enigma How does one explain the Kerala paradox? Kozhikode-based screenwriter Deedi Damodaran, a WCC founder member, is not smitten by the rosy facade Kerala presents. The states high education stats for women are all rubbish, she says. We never talk about the Phase 2 of the statistics. We never ask: where do all these educated women go? Most go home, according to latest available National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data. At 19.1 per cent, the female work participation rate in urban Kerala for 2011-12 was higher than the national average of 14.7 for urban women, but vastly below the 55.2 per cent for the states urban men. The figure for women in rural Kerala is lower than the national average for rural women. We have educated housewives in Kerala and not-so-educated housewives in the rest of the country, says Damodaran. Just as we say that the Indian education system is designed to make better clerks because it was designed by the British overlords and we havent changed it, similarly in Kerala we educate women to be better housewives, so that you dont need a tuition teacher for your daughter or son. Writer NS Madhavan, a retired bureaucrat and former MD of Kerala State Film Development Corporation, also speaks of an increasing gentrification of Kerala society, with increasingly visible displays of wealth among large sections of the people in contrast with the earlier simple lifestyle the state was known for. Whether Communist or from Congress, they have all become like Bengali bhadralok, he says. Go to a CPM leaders marriage and his daughter will also be wearing 3-4 kilos of gold. They have a paradigm that this is the life of people who have arrived. Madhavan feels as a part of this gentrification they have imbibed many fixed ideas, which includes patriarchy that is evident in the dramatic increase in the number of Hindu women wearing sindoor and the number of Muslim women in purdah in recent decades. Among the many influences he lists, he explains: Muslims have seen a lot of exchange of ideas between Wahabi-controlled Saudi Arabia and Kerala, and Hindus have probably got many north Indian customs from movies. There is a silent assumption that north Indian customs are the real Hinduism and Wahabism or whatever you see in the Gulf is the real Islam. First Ladies So how is it that Mollywood is the only Indian film industry where women have risked their futures by forming a collective to oppose injustice? The answer lies in education, Keralas long-running Communist influence, a tradition of public protest and acute mass political awareness when imbibed by individuals with liberal, multi-cultural upbringings. A scrutiny of the backgrounds of WCC founder members is in itself illuminating. Many have had pan-India and even global exposure while growing up and/or through work, some are not even based in Kerala, several operate in multiple film industries (a circumstance that serves as a safety net), and their average education levels are high. Producer-writer-director Anjali Menon, another WCC founder member, perfectly illustrates this. She was born in Kerala, brought up in the Middle East, graduated from a Kozhikode college, is a double post-graduate (according to her blog, she has a Masters from Pune University and another from London International Film School), works in Mollywood but lives in Mumbai. Menon explains the many worlds within one Kerala as being a consequence of the co-existence of extremes, from the extremely liberal to the extremely conservative. She also points to a heightened gender awareness among women growing up in Kerala if they are people who have chosen not to shut down their senses. She adds: When such people with strong opinions enter an industry that has had a dominantly male conservative culture, theres bound to be friction and divergent views. This is the Kerala enigma that fascinates sociologists and economists, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen for whom the state has been a pet subject for decades now. It is from this clash of cultures within one society that has emerged a brave woman who chose not to stay silent about her assault, and a womens collective, born eight months before the Harvey Weinstein newsbreaks in Hollywood led to the worldwide Me Too movement. (The author is a film critic and writer based in Delhi) Union transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to visit the Rohtang tunnel on Friday to review the work progress. He will hold separate consultations with defence engineers, besides meeting chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and his cabinet colleagues over central-aided projects in Manali. He will fly to the northern portal of the tunnel at Sissu and later in the day he will inspect the work at Dhundhi. He will also review the progress of the national highways in evening, which he announced for the state before assembly elections. He had announced 62 national highways for the Himachal state. Water seepage hits work at Rohtang tunnel Engineers working at the strategic Rohtang tunnel are battling to tackle water seepage which has slowed down the ongoing work, even as the is keen to inaugurate the project before the Lok Sabha elections due next year. The project is running three years behind schedule. Work on the project started in 2010 and was to be completed by February 2015. Engineers have not been able to plug in the seepage from Seri nullah, a glacier-fed rivulet that flows above the tunnel, and to speed up the tunneling work they will now be changing the course of the nullah. The nullah is a tributary of the Beas. Though water ingress has come down reduced from 100 litres to 20 liters a minute, we still will have to channelise the rivulet, said an engineer involved in the tunneling work. The project engineers will use water proofing technique to minimize the water seepage in the tunnel that is scheduled to be completed by August 15 next year. The seepage has been spotted at Dhundhi, 1.8 kilometres from the tunnels southern end. In October 2017, the boring work was completed and the tunnels Dhundhi and Sissu ends were connected. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had inspected tunnel at that time. The tunnel will shorten the 474-km distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km. The maximum speed limit in the tunnel will be 80km per hour. The tunnel will help accelerate troop mobility to the strategic frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir, besides providing a road link to Lahaul and Spiti that remains cut off from the rest of world following heavy snowfall at the 13,590-foot high Rohtang pass in the winter. While the estimated cost of the project in 2010 was 1,700 crore, it was revised to 2,000 crore in 2015. The estimated cost by 2019 will be 4,000 crore. The project was announced by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in June 2000. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi laid foundation stone of the project on June 28, 2010. As part of the upcoming 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and ongoing diamond jubilee of IIT-Bombay, a whopping 100,000 students from 100 schools across India will assemble solar lamps on October 2, an official said in Mumbai on Friday. The workshop, under the IIT-Bs Solar Urja through Localisation for Sustainability (SoULS) programme, is billed as the largest such initiative which could qualify for a Guinness World Record entry. On October 2, 5000 students or Student Solar Ambassadors, will gather at IIT-B to assemble solar lamps to help promote solar energy for sustainable future on Earth. Simultaneously, 100,000 students in 100 schools around India will also take part in assembling solar lamps that day which they will take home to fulfill their own study light needs, (Prof) Chetan Singh Solanki of IIT-Bs Department of Energy Science & Engineering said. The solar lamp kits, costing Rs 500 each, will be provided to all the participating students at Rs 100 each, as part of a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy programme. The SoULS has already conducted several training programs to train men and women especially in rural areas to assemble, service and sell solar lamps. Giving the background, Solanki said that amid growing challenges of climate change and rising global temperatures, the world has to move towards adopting 100 per cent renewable energies to limit the average increase in global temperature by 2 degrees Celsius. With Indias pledge to the Paris Climate Agreement of reducing carbon emission by 30-35 per cent of 2005 levels, it has committee to mitigating climate degradation with installation of 100GW of renewable energy by 2022. India has a vast potential in terms of solar insolation - 4-7 KWh per square metre per day for over 325 days in a year which can be utilized to fulfill nearly all domestic energy requirements and reduce dependency on fossil fuels, he pointed out. Therefore, Solanki urged the need to sensitive the 280 million students in the country on importance of solar energy, its usage and contribution towards a greener future. Under the SoULS program, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti has included solar lamp assembly as part of its curriculum. Now, the objective of the October 2 workshop is to encourage all education boards including CBSE and State Education Boards to include hands-on training of solar lamps for all students in their curricula, said Solanki The IIT-B has launched a website, www.solarstudents.org for schools to register themselves for the workshop. Heavy rain across the state in the last 24 hours disrupted power generation in two main hydel projects 1,500 megawatt Nathpa Jhakri hydroelectric station and 1,091 megawatt Karcham Wangtoo hydro plant in tribal Kinnaur district. Both the power plants were shut down due to heavy silting in the dams. Torrential rain in the Sutlej catchment in Kannaur district has increased the water level. The Karcham Wangtoo plant released water from its dam in the Wangtoo river. The station shut down two of its units generating 250MW electricity on Wednesday evening. The Nathpa plant, a major hydel project supplying electricity to the northern grid, was completely shut down for six hours. The operations resumed late on Wednesday night. There was heavy silting after the Karcham Wangtoo plant released water from dam in Karcham. As a result, we had no option but to open radial gates at Nathpa to release water, Manoj Kumar, assistant general manager at the Nathpa Jhakri station, said. Water was released in a limited quantity from the dam. The water level was brought down by five meters, he said. The dam released 1,500 cubic metre per second water to flush out silt from dams that caused damage to its turbines. Water level rose significantly downstream at the Nathpa dam. The water level at central water commissions site in Rampur was recorded 921 metre. Water level in Rampur has increased but river was still flowing below danger mark, Rampur sub-divisional magistrate Narendera Chauhan said. Power project authorities warned public not to venture out near river. They have deployed a microphone-fitted vehicle to make announcements, said he. The two hydel plants at Nathpa Jhakri and Karcham Wangtoo are the biggest electricity suppliers to the northern electricity grid, supplying electricity to Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Water level rose significantly at Beas river in Hamipur distict. Flood in Manikaran In Kullu district, a torrential rain caused flooding in Bhram Ganga, a tributary of Parbati river in Manikaran. The river was in spate and damaged a footbridge, disconnecting several villages. Rains caused damage to a house and the water mill in Chamba districts of Salooni. Pick vehicle was drowned in Chamera dam near Koti phul in Chamba district. Two occupants of the vehicle are reported missing. Police has launched an operation to search them. Four cowshed and two houses were damaged in Sarkha ghat. Bangladeshis appeared indifferent to the West Bengal governments decision to rename the state on Thursday, considering it an internal matter of India, although some scholars feared the change could create confusion among the native people in the region across both sides of the border. The West Bengal assembly earlier in the day passed a resolution to rename the state as Bangla. The state will have to wait for the nod from the Indian Home Ministry for a final approval on the resolution. Bangladeshs ruling Awami Leagues joint general secretary Mahbubul Haque Hanif said the decision was not their concern as they are not related to it. We are neither North Bengal nor South Bengal, we are independent Bangladesh and so their decision will not affect our status or identity and neither it is conflicting to our interest, he told PTI. Professor Arefin Siddique, a former vice chancellor of the Dhaka University, the oldest university in Bangladesh, said though the people of his country and West Bengal share a common language and heritage in intellectual terms, the political geography made a clear division and the decision is unrelated to us. It is an internal affair of our neighbouring country, Siddique said. Playwright and poet Iraj Ahmed, however, said the West Bengal state assemblys resolution could create confusion as the very concept of Bengal which once was there, does not exist anymore since the 1947 Partition. Being a citizen of another country, I dont have any say, but I think it could be a little confusing as some of their (West Bengal) intellectuals as well (have) earlier criticised the renaming move, he said. Bangladeshi journalists apex forum Federation of Bangladesh Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Secretary General Omar Faruque largely agreed with Ahmed, saying he viewed it as an incorrect decision. It is not a pleasant decision for the people of Bangladesh ... it could create a confusion over the identity of Bangladeshis and West Bengal people, he said. But poet Ruhul Ghani Jyoti said the decision would not create identity crisis for Bangladeshis or the people of West Bengal. The reality is their (West Bengal people) prime identity is they are Indians ... it is good if the decision brings them any benefit, he said. The West Bengal governments move is aimed at climbing the alphabetical sequence of state names in which West Bengal appears last in the list now. Earlier, the Centre had rejected the state governments proposals of having three names Bangla (in Bengali), Bengal (in English) and Bangal (in Hindi). The Mamata Banerjee governments proposal of renaming West Bengal as Paschim Bango in 2011 was also turned down by the Centre. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) In a major shift in the style of functioning of the Madhya Pradesh Congress in the run-up to the assembly polls, campaign committee head Jyotiraditya Scindia is meeting local Congress leaders on their home turf instead of calling them to Bhopal. Local leaders and party workers say this electoral strategy is injecting vigour into their campaign. The Congress has been out of power in MP since 2003 and is trying to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by pursuing a vigorous ground-level campaign. Yes, this is the first time in the history of Madhya Pradesh election strategy that we are reaching out to the party workers and local leaders in their own home ground and the response has been very encouraging, as we have got genuine feedback from local leaders. In the past month, of the 10 divisions, I have already covered 8 and I will visit Indore tomorrow (Saturday) followed by Ujjain, and everywhere thousands of party workers have thronged the meeting. This will be followed by visiting each of the 230 assembly constituencies of MP, said Scindia. On Friday, Scindia along with senior Congress leader Suresh Pachauri held a divisional level meeting in Hoshangabad, where he discussed election strategy and distributed work among the committee members. This was followed by meeting with groups of intellectuals from the area to get their feedback and then a party workers meet where Scindia urged them to be united and fight not for power but for the sake of people of Madhya Pradesh who are suffering from the misrule of Shivraj Singh Chouhans government. There is a basic difference between the Congress and the BJP. For the BJP, politics is a way to power, for the Congress politics is only a means to serve the people, said Scindia. Of the 11 assembly seats that fall under the Hoshangabad LS constituency, 10 are with the BJP and the Congress only has Harda. State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, What they are doing is nothing new and I dont think it is going to have an impact. Their party president Kamal Nath has hardly visited any district headquarters and is shuttling between Delhi and Chhindwara with a stopover in Bhopal. In a setback for the PDP, the partys youth wing vice president Vikram Singh on Friday joined the BJP with over 10 supporters. BJP state president Ravinder Raina welcomed them to the party. The ceremony, held at the party headquarters here, was attended by BJPs state general secretary Yudhvir Sethi and former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta. Raina lauded the decision of Singh and his supporters to join the BJP and said such youth leaders will help the party win every election. The youth should have a say in policy making in India, a country which has the worlds largest youth population, he added. Singh said today he has come to the right place and alleged the PDP had neglected Jammu and Ladakh after coming to power. The BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir last month and the state was placed under Governors rule for the fourth time in the last one decade. A short film, which is said to be inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modis childhood, was screened for the Bharatiya Janata Party MPs and its leaders at the Parliaments library building on Friday. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar; Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and veteran BJP leader L K Advani were among those who watched the 32-minute movie, Chalo Jeete Hain (Lets live). The film was screened on Thursday as well with vice president M Venkaiah Naidu being the chief guest. It was screened on Tuesday at Rashtrapati Bhavan for President Ram Nath Kovind. It claims to be about formative years of a young boy destined to serve the nation and bears a striking similarity with Modis childhood. Describing the movie as inspirational, Mahajan said it gave the message that we should dedicate our lives for the larger benefit of others in the society. Top party leaders, including Union ministers, praised it. Its main character is named Narendra whose mother washes utensils at peoples homes and father sells tea. The movie shows Narendra in a quest for finding out what people live for and then using his earnings from a drama to buy dress and books for a Dalit boy who was unable to attend school due to his family poverty. Chalo Jeete Hain is a short film which compels you to think who do you live for? It presents an inspiring story of young Naru, destined to serve the nation. Guess who? the tweet from the BJPs handle said, adding that its world premiere would be aired on a private channel on Sunday. Chalo Jeete Hain' is a short film which compels you to think who do you live for? It presents an inspiring story of young Naru, destined to serve the nation. Guess who? pic.twitter.com/djjn7Rz7wM BJP (@BJP4India) July 21, 2018 The Supreme Court on Friday summoned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director for not complying with its order to file final investigation reports in seven cases related to extrajudicial killings in Manipur. The deadline for filing the report was Friday. A bench of Justice MB Lokur and Justice UU Lalit ordered CBI top boss, Alok Kumar Verma, to appear before it on Monday. We would like to know from the director what should be done to expedite the investigation and filing of charge sheets, the bench ordered. SC in its last hearing had ordered the agency to file chargesheet in seven of the 98 cases in Manipur that were found to be cases of extrajudicial killing. On Monday CBI had asked for more time from the court to file the charge sheet, despite completion of the probe. Additional solicitor general Maninder Singh, however, could not specify of any time frame for the same. Singh said that in two cases approval for filing charge sheet has been received and in two other cases approval would be taken in the next few days. But the bench refused to accept the submission. It ordered Vermas personal presence and said the director would have to work with the bench to work out the modalities for expediting the process of filing charge sheet. If CBI officials are unable to comply with the directives then they must quit their job as they are not doing any favour to the country, Justice Lokur remarked. Singh defended the agency saying it cannot rush through the process. He explained the cumbersome procedure laid out in the CBI manual that is required to be followed to file a charge sheet. The law officer said charge sheet has to be vetted at various layers in the CBI, including at the level of the joint director. The judges then asked a senior CBI official present at the court to explain the procedure. The officer informed that there are about 10 stages through which the charge sheet has to pass before it is approved. Singh said the CBI officers were working day and night to get the task done, prompting Justice Lokur to retort: Let them work. They are not doing us any favour. They are not doing favour to the country or citizens. They have to comply with our orders. If they cannot work then they (officers) must quit. The Congress has urged aspiring candidates not to turn rebels if they are denied assembly poll tickets, instead they suggest their choices to the leadership to bolster the partys winning chances. In the last assembly polls, rebels had cut into the partys votes. The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee had expelled over 150 members, including senior leaders, for anti-party activities after the 2013 assembly elections. Expulsions of many were later withdrawn. Worried about the challenge the Congress could face in the run-up to the state polls due by the year-end, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot has called upon workers to help the party form the next government, making it clear that all aspirants cannot be satisfied with tickets. During a recent one-day training workshop for party workers, the former chief minister shared his experience of the recent Gujarat assembly elections in which the Congress put up a close fight to the BJP. I have learnt in Gujarat that aspirants have been asked to give names of their choice of candidates, if they are denied tickets. It is a big thing, which I learnt there. This is not here (Rajasthan), Gehlot said. We need to start this. You should honestly say who could be the choice, if not youRight advice should be given to leaders. Our objective should be to form the party government. This should start from Rajasthan; then only we will be successful in Delhi. Recalling the past experience, Gehlot said, I feel worried remembering 1993 assembly elections. Many of our members contested independently and won 21 seats; they later supported the BJP and helped it form government. He said the party would take care of those who do not get tickets. This is there in Rahul Gandhis agenda, which I can assure, Gehlot told party men. Former union minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh said, No parachute candidate will be given ticket in elections; only those who are active and working in field will get tickets. A senior AICC leader said ticket will be given to party members after conducting a ground survey and getting feedbacks. Our workers should be clear in their mind that the sole agenda is to defeat the BJP. Everyone cannot get ticket. Party president Rahul Gandhi has in mind to accommodate the second and third probable aspirants in government or organisation, he said. In 2013, around 25 candidates of the Congress had contested independently and cut into over five lakh party votes. If rebels had not contested and supported party candidates, the party would have put up a better performance at Nagaur, Asind, Pipalda and Masuda. In Gangapur, Udaipur (rural), Taranagar, Begu, Tonk and Mandawa seats, the margin of loss between the Congress and winning candidates could have been reduced in the absence of party rebels. In Mandwa, party candidate Dr Chandrabhan, the then state chief, got over 15,000 votes, and rebel Rita Choudhary secured over 40,000 votes. The seat was won by an independent candidate with 58,637 votes. At Bhadra, Nagaur, Mandawa and Pipalda, party rebels scored more votes than official candidates. A 65-year-old woman from Rajasthans Barmer district visiting her sisters in Pakistan, died two days before she was to return to India and a day before her visa expired following which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has assured help to her family members in repatriation of mortal remains. Swaraj in a tweet asked Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria to help the family members after which he replied: We are getting in touch with the family in this sad case. Will facilitate the repatriation of remains. Reshma, a resident of Agasadi village in Barmer, had gone to Pakistan with her son Saheb on June 30. Her health started worsening on June 24 and she died the next day. He visa expired on June 26, a day before she was supposed to board Thar Express a weekly train between the two countries on Friday, June 27. Reshmas another son Jadam met the district officials and also local MLA Manvendra Singh seeking his intervention in getting the body back for performing the last rites. Singh said he has spoken to the officials in the foreign ministry and at the Indian high commission in Pakistan. Reshmas family members in Pakistan have been contacted. Efforts are on to help them with the assistance of the MEA. However, chances of receiving the remains by the Thar Express are bleak as the visa of the family expired on July 26, the MLA said. He said that the deceaseds relatives in Pakistan were trying to get the visa extended. Shivprasad Nakate, Barmer district collector, said that due to lack of some documents, Reshmas son could not be catch Thar Express on Friday. Now, we are trying to bring the body via road. I have taken up the issue with BSF to allow the family to enter India through the same route as Thar Express, said Nakate, adding that he was yet to get a reply from BSF. The MLA, however, said that the permission to receive the body at Munabao in Barmer has been granted. Now, family members will not have to travel to Jodhpur, he added. The Thar Express doesnt halt at Barmer and passengers have to board or deboard the train from Jodhpur. WITH PTI A BJP MLA from Karnataka has said that if he became the home minister, he would order the shooting of intellectuals and secularists who talk against the country and the army. [Intellectuals] enjoy the food, air and water of this country They give statements against the army and the country. The misfortune is of the country because these are intellectuals and secularists from our country. Yet they give such statements. If I become the home minister, I will order for them to be lined up and shot, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, MLA from Vijayapura town, said in a speech at a function to mark victory in the Kargil war on Thursday. He goes on to say that one opposition leader says the army is raping women and attacking innocent youths. Why will they do that? They keep talking about human rights in the country, but dont talk about the rights of soldiers. But if action is taken against anybody who conducts actions against the state, they start talking about human rights [They say] Human rights violations by army and police. A video of the speech has gone viral on social media. A similar video last month had stoked controversy where Patil was seen asking his supporters to work for the Hindus who voted for him and not Muslims in the constituency. Patil is MLA from Vijayapura town. Repeated attempts to reach Yatnal through phone calls and messages went unanswered. Responding to the video, writer BT Lalita Nayak said it was condemnable that such statements were being made by leaders. They have no understanding of such issues, she said. Such statements, especially in a state where two intellectuals, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh, were shot dead is highly insensitive and criminal action should be initiated against him, she said. KL Ashok of the Komu Sauharda Vedike (forum for communal harmony) said it was clear that Yatnal had no idea about the Constitution. A person who has taken oath in the name of the Constitution, unfortunately, has no clue about what it says, he said. Seeing such open support for violence from elected leaders, it is little wonder that there is a spate of lynchings occurring across the country. The statement came in for criticism from newly elected state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao, who called it a reflection of the BJPs politics. It is the BJPs intention to destroy society through inflammatory statements that incite violence. This statement is a reflection of their hate-filled politics. The state government should lodge a complaint and investigate, he tweeted. Meanwhile, BJP state general secretary N Ravikumar said Yatnal had clarified to him that he had not said he would order for intellectuals to be shot. He said he spoke about how intellectuals were speaking ill of the country and the armed forces, he said. However, when it was pointed out to him that there was a video clip showing Yatnal making the statement, Ravikumar said he would seek further clarifications from the MLA. Vijayapura district SP, Nikham Prakash Amrit said police were seeking legal opinion. We have sought legal opinion and will take action accordingly, he said. Lunar eclipse 2018 will take place on July 27, 2018. What makes it unique is that it is the longest lunar eclipse in the century with a duration of 1 hour and 43 minutes (11.44pm to 1am on July 28). And apart from the eclipse, there will be a Blood Moon as the light that reflects from its surface is refracted by the atmosphere of earth, creating a reddish tinge. A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes behind the earth and is eclipsed by the Earths shadow. There have been lots of lunar eclipse myths and superstitions. While some feel that lunar eclipse could have health effects, other feel that a lunar eclipse can have side effects on pregnancy. Even your zodiac signs or rashis could be affected by a lunar eclipse. We decode 10 lunar eclipse myths and facts for you: A common lunar eclipse myth is that pregnant women may suffer miscarriage. (Shutterstock) Will a pregnant woman watching lunar eclipse suffer a miscarriage? A. Unfortunately, this strong ancient belief still survives, but nothing can be further from the truth. The Moon has always been associated with femininity, probably because it works in tandem with the menstrual cycle. Lunar eclipse helps to rejuvenate the feminine energy and does not in any way affect pregnant women. Pregnant women can safely go about their chores outside during the lunar eclipse, but make sure they dont slip in the dark. Will partying outdoors during a lunar eclipse bring ill health and bad luck? A. It was believed that anything done outdoors during a lunar eclipse may affect ones health adversely and also bring bad luck. In todays world, this really doesnt stand to reason. Since the Moon has always ruled over emotions and feelings, it will continue doing so in a positive manner, lunar eclipse or no lunar eclipse. And what can be more positive than letting your hair down in an outdoor party, under the Blood Moon. Is it okay to drink during a lunar eclipse? A. If one can party outdoors during a lunar eclipse, what effect would drinking a glass or two have on a person. So, there is no reason for anyone not to drink during a lunar eclipse, since it doesnt have any religious significance. A lunar eclipse is believed to cause changes that impact the growth of bacteria in food, deteriorating its quality. (Shutterstock) Is it okay to eat during the lunar eclipse? A. Heres a contradiction. It has been found that the physical changes that take place over 28 days during the full lunar cycle, happen within just three hours during a lunar eclipse. These out-of-the-ordinary changes impact the growth of bacteria in food, deteriorating its quality. Thus, it is advised not to partake food during a lunar eclipse, as its quality may get compromised. Is travelling permitted during the lunar eclipse? A. Ancients had advised against travelling during the duration of the eclipse. This may be because in ancient times depleted moonlight and absence of streetlights may have upped the risk factor for people travelling at night. Otherwise, this has absolutely no scientific or religious basis. Of course, in todays fast-paced world, people re-scheduling meetings and other important engagements due to a lunar eclipse may come across as superstitious or ill-informed. Does a lunar eclipse produce profound psychological effects in people? A. According to NASA, science does not support this. The profound psychological effects seen in people, that invariably lead to physical effects, are due to the fear people harbour against eclipses, in general, and lunar eclipse, in particular. The age-old belief that eclipses are bad omens has much to do in giving rise to such effects. Lunar eclipse is known to affect animal behaviour. Is it true? A. Since antiquity, it has been believed that animals behave differently during a lunar eclipse. A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Anthropology in 2010, found that owl monkey, a species of nocturnal monkeys, had a pronounced change in their activity pattern during the lunar eclipse. This actually had nothing to do with the Moon, but everything to do with the changed light levels during the passing of the Moon through the Earths shadow. Similar is the case with other animals who are seen to howl at the Moon or behave oddly during eclipse. It is not the lunar eclipse that affects ones sleep patterns, but the anxiety associated with the occurrence of this celestial event. (Shutterstock) Is it true that a lunar eclipse accentuates mood swings, anxiety, depression, fatigue and the like? A. Yes, it is true that a person may feel all these emotions during a lunar eclipse. However, lunar eclipse is not the culprit for these conditions. Moon is linked to creativity and provides success in creative endeavours. However, when this creative energy is not used and stifled, the depressing darkness accompanying the lunar eclipse may accentuate these negative emotions. Why does a lunar eclipse makes it difficult to sleep? A. It is not the lunar eclipse that affects ones sleep patterns, but the anxiety associated with the occurrence of this celestial event. The brain is bombarded with all kinds of negative feed about the adverse conditions that a lunar eclipse creates. Worrying about the consequences, which in a true sense are baseless, is what makes it difficult to sleep. Accepting this phenomenon as a natural event improves ones sleep patterns. Are there more incidents of hospitalisations during a lunar eclipse? A. Strange as it may sound, it is true. According to an American study, the incidents of hospital admissions went up during lunar eclipses. These were due to various reasons, such as cardiovascular problems, acute coronary events, urinary retention, variceal haemorrhage and the like. However, the correlation of these diseases with lunar eclipses has not been established. (Dr Prem Kumar Sharma is a renowned Delhi-based astrologer) Follow @htlifeandstyle for more Maintaining wooden furniture during the monsoon can be quite a challenge. Some of the best ways to maintain such furniture is to use pesticide deodorant and camphor or naphthalene balls as they are moisture absorbers. Shailander Kumar, CEO of Fanusta.com, and Jade Davies, CEO and interior designer, MKMLuxe Suisse European Decor brand, share tips to protect your wooden furniture this monsoon: *Keep away the moisture: Furniture upholstery has a propensity to attract moisture from the walls, which eventually affects the wood. It helps to pull your sofas, beds, wardrobes or cupboards six inches away from the walls in order to prevent damage during the rainy season. Keep the windows open when the rain stops to let every bit of sunlight get in which will help to keep the rooms humidity-free. *Use pesticide deodorant: Camphor or naphthalene balls are great moisture absorbers. They will also help protect clothes as well as wardrobes from termites and other pests. In case you want to go for something more natural, neem leaves or cloves will serve the same purpose. *Use humidifier: Humidifiers are a great investment when it comes to keeping the temperature and dampness in control. Having control over humidity levels at home would help your furniture last longer. *Avoid wet clothes: Avoid using wet clothes to clean furniture at your home. Its recommended to use clean and dry wiping fabrics instead. Moreover, dust should not be left uncleaned during the monsoon as it has a tendency to stick to wooden items. *Use lacquer: Depending on the polish of the furniture, apply a coat of lacquer or varnish at least once in two years to fill the pores and increase its longevity as it prevents the wood from swelling. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more A 17-year-old was stabbed to death in broad daylight, while coming out of his college on Thursday morning. The victim has been identified as Sushil Kumar Verma, a resident of Bhandup. At approximately 9.20am on Thursday, Verma was coming out of Smt Ramkali Sanmansingh Vidyamandir Junior College of Commerce and Science, where he was a student. At the gates of the college, on Sanmansingh Road in Bhandup, three people were waiting for him. The accused were wearing handkerchiefs on their faces. One of the suspects asked Sushil to come with him from the college entrance, said an officer from Bhandup police station who is privy to the probe. Verma was taken around 100 metres away from the college gates and then stabbed. The murder took place on a busy road and was witnessed by other college students and bystanders. Everything happened in a matter of few minutes. The boy fell on the ground and was taken to the hospital in an auto, said a roadside stall owner who witnessed the murder. Verma sustained two injuries on his chest and stomach. He was rushed to a government hospital in Mulund where he was declared dead on arrival. Bhandup police say they have identified the suspects as teenagers who, like Verma, live in Bhandup. No arrests have been made so far and the police have registered a case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Verma is survived by his parents, a sister and two brothers. His father works in Bhusawal, for Central Railways. Sushil was his fathers favorite child. We had to tell him Sushils condition is serious and asked him to come to Mumbai as soon as possible. His mother is inconsolable, said Sushils uncle Ramprasad Verma told HT. Under pressure owing to the ongoing Maratha agitation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called a meeting of group leaders of all parties in the Maharashtra legislature to discuss and resolve the matter. The decision to involve all parties was taken at a late-night meeting on Thursday of the BJPs Maratha ministers and senior leaders, called by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting was held at state education minister Vinod Tawdes home and went on till 1am. The CM has decided to call a meeting of all group leaders of all parties to understand their opinions on the issue and for their feedback on the Maratha agitation. He has also been in talks with various groups that are agitating. A solution will be worked out soon, said revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, who attended Thursdays discussion. The all-party meeting will also include the speaker of the Legislative Assembly and chairman of the Legislative Council. State BJP president Raosaheb Danve said: The issue of reservation for Marathas has been going on for a long time, and unlike the earlier government, our government has taken concrete steps to hasten the reservation. We will ensure that the Backward Class Commission submits its report at the earliest in court so that we can present evidence of the backwardness of the community. The meeting was attended by Fadnavis, Tawde, Patil, co-operation minister Subhash Deshmukh, minister of state for home Ranjit Patil, minister of state for medical education Ravindra Chavan, water resources minister Girish Mahajan, Danve and city BJP chief Ashish Shelar. Other than Fadnavis and Mahajan, the rest of the BJP leaders hail from the Maratha community. BJP ministers also plan to meet members of the Backward Class Commission on Friday evening, to request them to submit their report to court as soon as possible. The commission was set up by the government in 2017 to study the Maratha community and collect evidence of its social and educational backwardness. Without the report, reservation for the community will not stand legal scrutiny. The state government has already promised to meet the communitys demand for 16% reservation in education and government jobs. Marathas make up 32% of the states population. The previous two Backward Class Commission reports had stated that the community was not socially backward. The common man bore the maximum brunt of the violence that erupted during the Maratha Kranti Morcha agitations across 46 places of the state on Wednesday. During the agitations, 160 private vehicles were either damaged or set on fire by the rampaging mob. The epicentre of the violence, Navi Mumbai, accounted for the maximum loss of property suffered by ordinary citizens at the hands of the rioting mob. Of the 160 private vehicles damaged across the state, 150 were from Navi Mumbai alone. As per the assessment made by the state police till Wednesday midnight, the damages to government/police property were far lesser. As many as 104 police/government vehicles had been damaged, with a majority of them being police vans and patrolling vehicles that were set on fire by the agitators. Police sources told HT that private vehicles parked in designated parking lots and along sides of roads in Kalamboli and Kopar Khairane became easy targets for the rioters. 19 public vehicles were also damaged in arson. The compilation of the damage figures is still on and the figures are likely to go up, a senior state police officer said adding, once the final figures are drawn, the lists would be sent to collectors in the respective districts for the recovery of the damages from the bandh organisers. During the violence, 54 policemen across the state had suffered injuries, while one of them had died in Aurangabad due to cardiac arrest. In rural Maharashtra, violence was prominently reported from Satara, Beed and Hingoli where the rioters mainly targeted policemen and public property. While 21 policemen were injured in Satara, 15 police vehicles were torched in Beed and Hingoli. In the 158 road blocks staged by the protestors across the state, Hingoli accounted for 19 the maximum, followed by Ahmadnagar (16) and Navi Mumbai and Thane (13 each). The maximum instances of stone pelting were reported from Beed (15) and Navi Mumbai (10), police figures indicated. Amid the ongoing squabble between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted birthday greetings to Uddhav Thackeray, who turned 58 on Friday. Heartiest birthday greetings Shri #UddhavThackeray ji ! Wishing you a long life and good health. Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 27, 2016 Leaders across political parties wished the Sena chief on his birthday, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who also wished him on Twitter. Gandhi, who was recently praised by Thackeray, said: Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always. Birthday wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of society. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 27, 2018 Ties between the saffron allies are very strained, and the Sena, for a while now, has been openly critical of the BJP-led government and PM Modi, over polices and the handling of crucial issues. Earlier this week, Thackeray, in a three-part interview in Saamana, launched a scathing attack on Modi and the BJP, and reiterated that the Sena would go solo in the upcoming elections. When asked about his Opposition to Modis pet project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, he said he is working for the dreams of the people, not to fulfil Modis dreams. Thackeray also plans to visit Ayodhya and Varanasi, which is Modis constituency, later this year. Wishing Uddhav Thackeray ji a very happy birthday Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 27, 2018 A five-storey building in Ghaziabads Khoda area collapsed on Friday. No casualty has been reported. The building was not in good condition. It was 810 years old and had been evacuated already, Ghaziabad district magistrate, Ritu Maheshwari told news agency ANI. Locals told ANI there was a clothes showroom, but it had been shut down as the condition of the building was not good. NDRF and other rescue teams are present at the spot, Maheshwari said. The incident comes amidst continuous rains over the past few days in the national capital region and two days after a road caved in Vasundharas Sector 4C. Three people were killed in the heavy rainfall that began lashing Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and East Delhi from Wednesday night. The residents of 64 flats at two Ghaziabad apartment complexes were evacuated after an adjacent road caved in due to torrential rainfall over the last 24 hours, threatening to weaken their foundations. Ghaziabad District Administration (GDA) officials fear that flow of rainwater into the crater formed due to the road cave-in could affect the structural integrity of two adjacent apartment complexes in Vasundharas Sector 4C, more so because the showers are expected to continue till Saturday. They have roped in engineers from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to assess the strength of the buildings belonging to the Vartalok and Pragya Kunj housing societies. We have relocated the residents of 64 flats, including those from nearby Pragya Kunj, to vacant ones in safer wings. The road repair work will continue till late at night, said Rajiv Kumar, RWA president of Vartalok Society. Residents said they were being extra cautious in the wake of the recent collapse of two buildings in Greater Noida. Causing additional concern to officials is the meteorological departments prediction of more heavy showers on Friday due to the existence of two rain-triggering systems cyclonic circulation and the creation of a low-pressure area over the region. The rainfall is expected to abate only by Saturday. Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Ganga Khand block in Vartalok, said a school bus had passed through the road moments before it caved in around 7.30 am. I helped my child into the school bus and was walking home when I heard a thud. Upon hurrying back, I found that a major portion of the road had collapsed, he added. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force, civil police and district administration reached the site of the cave-in soon afterwards. It is our assessment that more inflow of water into the crater will further damage the four neighbouring towers. We must stem the heavy flow of water into the crater and bridge the damaged portion of the road immediately, an official said. However, district officials said they would also get a technical team to inspect the nearby buildings. We believe that any impact on the strength of the buildings should be assessed by a technical team. So, we have asked CRRI engineers to help in this regard, and requested the Avas Vikas and municipal corporation officials to fill up the crater. The inflow of water into the crater has been plugged, and we have begun pumping out water to prevent further damage, said additional district magistrate (city) Himanshu Gautam. Three people were killed in the heavy rainfall that began lashing Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and East Delhi from Wednesday night. While two minors died in wall collapses in Shaheed Nagar and Khoda, a 40-year-old man succumbed to suspected electrocution in Indirapurams Shipra Suncity Housing Complex. Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad recorded 33 mm and 23.2 mm of rain respectively on Thursday. After 500 hearings spread over 10 long years, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and 17 others were finally cleared of all charges in the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) scam after a Mohali court on Friday accepted the Vigilance Bureau (VB) report giving all accused a clean chit. The case was registered by the VB following the recommendation of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, alleging a scam in granting exemptions for the transfer of 32.1-acre land belonging to the Amritsar Improvement Trust to a private realtor. In a brief order, Jaswinder Singh, additional district and sessions judge, special court (vigilance) pronounced: After hearing arguments, the court is of the opinion that the second investigation has been conducted properly, and the cancellation filed the second time is accepted by the court. The order was pronounced in the presence of Amarinder and 15 accused. Three accused, including former Punjab assembly speaker Kewal Krishan and ministers Chaudhary Jagjit Singh and Raghunath Sahai Puri, died during the course of investigation. I was targeted due to political vendetta but there are so many others who suffered for 10 years, this shouldnt have happened, said Amarinder. He added: This cancellation report was filed when the SAD-BJP alliance was in power and not the Congress. We have nothing to do with it. Truth has prevailed. His counsel, senior advocate APS Deol, said: Our faith in judiciary stands redeemed today. Law has taken its course and truth has prevailed. It was a politically motivated case and this final order lays all controversies to rest. It was in September 2008 that Amarinder and 17 others were booked by the VB under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc) and 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. They were also booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The challan, filed in February 2009, charged the 18 accused with involvement in the alleged scam that caused a loss of 360 crore to the state exchequer. However, the charges were never framed. The VB filed a cancellation report in the special court in October 2016 after conducting investigations as directed by the high court. It also sought the discharge of all accused. TIMELINE September 11, 2008: Vigilance Bureau registers an FIR against 18 persons, including Capt Amarinder Singh, alleging a scam in granting exemption for transferring 32.1 acres of prime land of the Amritsar Improvement Trust to a private developer. February 10, 2009: Challan filed December 22, 2014: HC orders fresh probe October 7, 2016: VB files a cancellation report, giving a clean chit to all the accused December 9, 2016: In her statement before the court in December 2016, Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretary Shashi Lakhanpal Mishra had said that they have no objection in case the cancellation report submitted by the vigilance department is accepted by the court. The case was registered on a report by the Vidhan Sabha secretary, hence she was treated as a complainant August 24, 2017: Court rejects the cancellation report and directs the Vigilance Bureau to further investigate the matter. November 1: Former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh moves the Mohali special court in the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) land scam case, seeking directions to the state government to hand over the investigations to the CBI or any other independent agency. July 11, 2018: Court dismisses his application, seeking that he be considered a complainant July 27, 2018: Court accepts the cancellation report The sacking of firebrand Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from the post of leader of opposition in Punjab assembly appears set to throw the party into fresh turmoil. His removal is being widely seen as the party leaderships move to assert its authority in the faction-ridden state unit that has hurtled from crisis to crisis, but two-time legislator Khaira is not known to take things lying down. He instantly set the tone with his tweet after the news of his removal broke by terming it fallout of speaking the truth and espousing the cause of Punjab, Punjabis and Sikhs. He further said that those at the helm did what the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rivals of the AAP in Punjab, wanted. He clearly appears to be preparing the pitch for another day. RUN-INS WITH CENTRAL, STATE LEADERS The response is characteristic of Khairas adversarial style of politics that he has often demonstrated in his no-holds-barred attacks on the Congress and the SAD as leader of opposition in the past one year. It did make him the voice of the AAP on all major issues in the state in the past one year and won support of several party MLAs and one-time alliance partner Lok Insaaf Party (LIP). At the same time, his frequent run-ins with the partys central and state leadership, particularly his open defiance after Delhi chief minister and national convener Arvind Kejriwals apology to Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia in March in a drug charge-related defamation case, rubbed many the wrong way. While there was no love lost between him and former state chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, as he often ventured into the state unit leadership domain, Khaira went public against the incumbent state co-president Dr Balbir Singh last week, demanding action for hatching a conspiracy for his removal, and then called a meeting of MLAs on the matter. It was only a matter of time after the March 16 meeting of MLAs (after Kejriwals apology to Majithia) in which some of them had even talked of splitting the party in the state. Khaira failed to read the signals and remained on the offensive. The high command had made its mind a few weeks ago. And Tuesdays meeting was apparently the last straw, said a party leader, requesting anonymity. His successor, Harpal Singh Cheema, is not just a close confidant of Mann, but also keeps a low profile. His appointment is being seen as the partys tilt towards Mann, arguably its most popular face in the state, before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. STINT MARKED BY CONTROVERSIES Besides the standoff over Kejriwals apology, Khaira had a series of ups and downs during his one-year tenure. Before he could even make his first appearance in the assembly as the leader of opposition, there was a controversy regarding his alleged dealings with a drug smuggler, providing ammunition to the Congress and the SAD against him. He was again in the eye of the storm when he lost his cool in the House on November 20, and hit out at chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, using intemperate language and taking swipes at his private life. Last month, his purported statement on Referendum 2020, a movement initiated by US-based advocacy group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) for a separate Sikh state, again landed the party in a mess, reviving memories of its alleged dalliance with radicals in the run-up to the assembly polls last year. As Balbir was trying to put the organisational set-up in order with the backing of the central leaders, this fresh controversy arose, prompting the leadership to step in. Not many party MLAs, including those who are always by his side, have spoken out in his favour so far. While Khaira may appear to be in a corner, just the way it happened in the Congress (his erstwhile party) at one stage, he is definitely not out, and is not going to sit quiet. AAP heavels: Fierce and frequent AAP emerged as a frontrunner on Punjabs political scene leading to the 2017 assembly elections, according to many pundits, but the results gave Congress a massive mandate, with AAP a distant second. While pre-poll infighting in the AAP was blamed for its disappointment, new fissures have been opening up ever since. April 2017: After the Punjab assembly poll results, daggers were out with several AAP leaders blaming the central leadership for not naming a CM candidate and thus leading to a performance much below expectations. Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak, in-charges of state unit affairs, quit posts. June: Leader of opposition HS Phoolka, whose performance seen as lacklustre by some MLAs, steps down, saying he needed to time to fight the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases July: Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the only party MLA with previous legislative experience (as Congress MLA), appointed new leader of opposition in Punjab assembly November: Khaira in the dock for alleged dealings with a convicted drug smuggler; loses cool in state assembly over an audio clip row, uses intemperate language and takes swipes at CMs private life; AAP leaders apologise December: Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia made in-charge of Punjab to put the house in order March 2018: Party boss Arvind Kejriwal apologises to SADs Bikram Singh Majithia to settle a drug allegation-related defamation case; state unit chief Bhagwant Mann and co-chief Aman Arora quit; threat of split looms as half the MLAs, including Khaira, dont show up for Kejriwals meeting in Delhi June: Khairas purported statement in favour of Referendum 2020 propagated by Sikh radicals puts the party in an awkward position, besides giving ammunition to political adversaries; Kejriwal does not meet him in Delhi July: Khaira alleges a plot in AAP to oust him from the post of opposition leader, hits out at state unit co-president Dr Balbir Singh for reportedly alleging that he (Khaira) had taken cash from party workers at a function; within days, party replaces Khaira with Harpal Cheema The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday strongly condemned the two US radio hosts act of racially targeting first Sikh-American attorney general Gurbir Singh Grewal, by calling him a turban man. Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the Dennis and Judi Show on the radio show NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewals decision to suspend marijuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they began calling him the turban man in an objectionable tone, as per media reports. Their remark has drawn severe criticism from the apex gurdwara body. In the press release issued here, SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal said the remarks by the radio hosts reflect their hatred feelings toward the Sikhs. It has proved that a section of the developed countries like US are jealous toward the achievements of the Sikhs, he said. The Sikhs are known for turban and hair. The turban is not only religious identity of the Sikhs but also their religious article. The world should not forget the fact that the Sikh community is very hard-working, honest and raises voice for rights. Members of this community have contributed a lot for the prosperity of the country wherever they settled. So, they should be given due respect, said Longowal. He appealed to minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj to take up the issue of racial attacks on the Sikhs with the US government to ensure that no Sikh in that country faces this kind of humiliation. Junga Director: Gokul Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Sayyeshaa, Madonna Sebastian, Saranya Ponvannan, Yogi Babu Rating: 2.5 Throw together a stingy don, a lover who loves his money more, a don amma who knows the truth about his son, a don paati who knows nothing and a don assistant, and you can be assured of a hilarious gangster movie spoof. Junga is one such film that calls out every cliche you may have seen in gangster dramas. Everything from the performance of Vijay Sethupathi to the comic timing of Yogi Babu works in its favour. The plot goes thus: Junga, a don who wants to buy his ancestral property, tries to save money on everything. He sells puligorai to passengers on a plane, turns his jeep into a shared auto and even swims through sub-zero water to save 150 trip on a boat ride. All the money he saves goes into funding his dream. The comparison between Junga and Baasha in the opening scene is outright hilarious. Junga is a modest conductor in love with a girl from Nellore, played by Madonna Sebastian. He learns the truth about his gangster parents in graphic-novel flashback and decides to be different. There is also a scene where Junga speaks to Suresh Menons character, Chettiar, and tries to gain control of his property. The scene in which our gangsters offer is turned down because he is the son of underachieving don takes us back to the iconic Annamalai. For a spoof, Junga has great stunt sequences shot entirely in Paris. Sayyeshaa plays Chettiars daughter, Yazhini, who happens to be Jungas target. Sayyeshaa looks gorgeous, but when compared to Saranya Ponvannan, Don Patti and Yogi Babu, her role is minimal. However, to be fair, she has done it well. Junga succeeds in having the right mix. The comedy is hilarious by itself, and this contrasts well with the cliched plot. For instance, why did one need a song before the confrontation between Yazhini and Junga? Jungas dig at that song shows how the movie succeeds in switching between comedy and tragedy even towards the climax. While the scenic landscapes are well-shot, the background score often overrides the scenes in a most jarring fashion. Another aspect that doesnt work for the film is the first half, which is just way too long. Also, was Madonna Sebastians character important enough to warrant a song? The film definitely needed to be a little sharper. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop North Korea on Friday returned the remains of the US troops killed during the Korean War 65 years ago, giving a new momentum to the diplomatic relations between Washington and Pyongyang that had shown signs of stalling in recent weeks. A US Air Force plane carrying the remains of an unknown number of US soldiers who died during the 1950-53 war arrived in Osan Air Base in South Korea from North Korea, the White House said. The repatriation followed an agreement reached between North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1. Trump thanked the Korean leader for the action taken. After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un, the US president tweeted. July 27 this year marks the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean war. North Korea celebrates it as the day of victory in the fatherland liberation war. Sanders said at the historic meeting in Singapore, Trump and Jong-un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the US and North Korea and establish enduring peace. Today, the chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change, she said. The move, Sanders said, represents a significant first step to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home. As per media reports, about 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean war, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Between 1996 and 2005, joint US-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets, according to a media report. In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistans jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been stolen and warned that the tainted and dubious results would cast a bad impact on the countrys politics. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail on Thursday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N, expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported. He said his party candidates in these areas were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated candidates. Thursday was a meeting day for Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, who were imprisoned after they were convicted by an accountability court over the familys ownership of four luxury flats in London. A number of party leaders, who visited the jail, quoted Sharif as saying that the Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been made victorious in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite its previous governments bad performance in the province. Sharif said that Khans position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when last general elections were held. He said the polls had been stolen and the tainted and dubious results would cast a bad impact on the countrys politics, the daily reported. PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Junaid Safdar (Maryams son), Mahnoor Safdar and Meharun Nisa (daughters of Maryam), former federal minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi were among those who called on Sharif and his daughter. The personal physician of Sharif also visited him in the jail. The jail authorities, following the orders of the superintendent, brought Sharif, Maryam and Safdar from their cells to the conference hall where they met the visitors. Sharif and Shahbaz also held a one-on-one meeting lasting more than half an hour, later to be joined by Maryam, the daily said. During the meeting, post-elections scenario of the country was discussed, it said. The PML-N leaders said that no facilities were provided to Sharif in the jail as they met him in a room with no air conditioner while an air conditioner was running in the waiting room for the visitors, it said. The health of the former prime minister was not good, they said, adding that Sharif did not make any comment about his health but his condition was obvious from his physical appearance. Meanwhile, a team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which was to examine Sharif on Thursday, had to wait for over one hour and finally returned to the hospital as Sharif was meeting his family members. The team has been mandated to submit a report on whether Sharif should be shifted to hospital or not. A member of the team, requesting anonymity, said that during a visit on Wednesday, they had advised Sharif to get his ultrasound done but he postponed it to the next day. On Thursday we reached Adiala jail and requested the administration to allow us to examine Sharif and conduct his medical tests, he said. However, we were told to wait as Sharif was meeting his family members. We waited for more than an hour and finally told the PIMS administration that we were not being allowed to examine him and returned after getting approval from the administration, he said. A senior doctor of PIMS, Dr Zulfiqar Ghouri, said the team would again be sent to Adiala jail on Friday to examine Sharif. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he had invited Donald Trump to Moscow and that both he and the US president want further summits, despite the uproar in Washington after the two leaders met in Helsinki last week. Following the backlash in the United States over Trumps cordial public tone with Putin at the Helsinki summit, US and Russian officials backed away from a proposal to schedule a follow-up summit in Washington. But speaking to reporters in South Africa, where he was attending a summit of BRICS nations, Putin said another meeting with Trump was still on the agenda. Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings, Putin said. I am ready for that. We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries, Putin told a news conference. We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. Be my guest. He has such an invitation, I told him that. Putin did not say how Trump had reacted to the invitation to travel to Moscow. The last time Trump was in the Russian capital was in 2013, to attend a Miss Universe beauty pageant. Referring to the proposal for a meeting in the United States, Putin said: I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created. Putin said that, in the meantime, it was possible that he and Trump would meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina in November, or at another international event. In an apparent reference to the backlash inside the United States after Trumps performance at the Helsinki summit, Putin said: Despite the difficulties, in this particular case difficulties linked to the internal political situation in the United States, life goes on and our contacts continue. Trump criticised After the Helsinki summit, Trump was criticised at home for failing to publicly confront Putin over Moscows meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and for seeming to contradict his own intelligence agencies on the threat from Russia. Relations between Russia and the United States have been fraught because of rows over Russias annexation of Ukraine, and allegations -- denied by Moscow -- that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 presidential election to help Trump win. Both Trump and Putin have said they are determined to improve relations. However, efforts to achieve a detente have been fiercely resisted by the US lawmakers, including some in Trumps own Republican Party, who accuse him of being too friendly towards Putin. Speaking in Johannesburg on Friday, Putin made a case for better ties, saying that the world was a safer place when Moscow and Washington were talking to each other. In Helsinki, we talked about the issues in which our states have a real stake. In 2021, the New Start treaty expires, he said, referring to a nuclear arms control treaty. Are we going to extend it or not? Russia and the United States have a stake in that, the whole word has a stake in that, in not starting an arms race. If we dont start talks in 2021, the treaty will cease to exist. Yes, we have contacts on a working level, but sometimes thats not enough, we need contacts at the highest political level, Putin said. Turning to efforts to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, Putin said: Will we talk about these issues at the highest political level, or do we think its a secondary issue? I dont think so - its not a secondary issue. He said the international deal on Irans nuclear programme, from which Trump has withdrawn, was also an area that needed US-Russian dialogue. Its a subject for debate and negotiations. How can you have these if they dont exist? There are some things you cant do over the phone. South Korea summoned a Chinese embassy official on Friday to lodge a complaint over a Chinese military aircraft flying in the Souths air defence territory, the third such incident this year, the defence ministry said. South Korea scrambled fighter jets to intercept a Chinese plane when it entered the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. The aircraft spent more than four hours flying near a submerged rock in the area controlled by Seoul but claimed by Beijing, the JCS said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing he was unaware of the issue and referred questions to Chinas Defence Ministry, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South Koreas Defence Ministry said it called in Du Nong Yi, a defence attache at the Chinese embassy in Seoul, and sternly urged China to take steps to prevent the incident from recurring. Our government expressed our regret and were taking this extremely seriously, the ministry said in a statement. Chinese warplanes made a similar flight over the South Korean zone in February and April, the ministry said, while at least two similar instances were observed last year. The ADIZs are not legally binding agreements under international treaties, but Seoul extended its own territory in 2013 to partially overlap with a zone newly declared by China. Chinas expansion included the submerged rock named Ieodo, which Seoul controls with a research station platform built atop it. In February, Seoul summoned the Chinese ambassador to lodge a complaint, and Beijing said then the aircraft was in a training in line with international law and practice. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Michael Perry and Christian Schmollinger) US President Donald Trump on Friday denied he had advance knowledge of a meeting his son and members of his campaign team had with a Russian lawyer with links to Kremlin in June 2016 at Trump Tower, as reportedly claimed by his former lawyer Michael Cohen. I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr, the President wrote on Twitter. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?. Thats a reference to Cohens taxi-cab business in New York which is facing trouble. .....I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 27 July 2018 Citing sources, CNN reported on Thursday that Cohen was willing to tell special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, that candidate Trump knew in advance of the meeting and had approved it. NBC news later reported it had independently verified that account as true. Cohen was in the room when Trump was told of it. If true, this bombshell claim by Cohen could bring all sorts of trouble to the president, his son and lawyers who have said Trump did not know of the meeting. The president has said he became aware of it in only in 2017, after it was first reported by The New York Times. Donald Trump Jr, accompanied by his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and then campaign chairman Paul Manafort, had in June 2016 met a group of people including the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who had offered politically sensitive information about Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. Cohen is not reported to have any evidence to back up this claim. No recordings such as the one he made of a phone call with Trump in which they had discussed payments to be made to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who has said she had an affair with Trump. The US president has denied the affair and earlier claimed he had no knowledge of the payment. Rudy Giuliani, the Presidents lawyer, called Cohen a liar and said he has a credibility problem. He has been lying all week, hes been lying for years, Giuliani said on CNN. I dont see how hes got any credibility. NewYork Two radio hosts in New Jersey, who called Americas first Sikh-American attorney general Gurbir Grewal turban man on air, have apologised for their racist remarks and have been slapped with a 10-day suspension for using demeaning and inappropriate language. Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the Dennis and Judi Show on NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewals decision to suspend marjiuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they repeatedly called him the turban man on Thursday. In the remarks termed as xenophobic and racist, Malloy had said he was never going to know Grewals name and will instead just call him guy with a turban. As the audio of their show went viral, the radio hosts drew widespread criticism for their remarks against the states top law enforcement official. Malloy issued an apology on Francos and his behalf in a video message. On behalf of Judy and myself, I want to convey our very heartfelt apology to the state attorney general of New Jersey for the comments that came out on our show. He certainly deserves much more respect than that and importantly to the Sikh and South Asian community of New Jersey with which weve had a very strong and close relationship with over the past 20 years, Malloy said. The radio station announced that it had suspended the pair for 10 days, and they will not be on air until August 6. New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM president Ron deCastro said in a statement that the station took the comments seriously and echo the pairs sincere apology to Grewal and his family, as well as the Sikh and Asian communities. Here we reproduce news and opinion articles in the print and electronic media since October 8, 2008, about each of our 58 county grand juries. Most are about grand jury reports. Our posting of these articles does not purport to reflect the opinions of CGJA or our members. We hope that this feature is a resource to grand juries, grand jury advisors, CGJA chapters, the media, and the public. Sponsored by the California Grand Jurors' Association, www.cgja.org/ M OMENT OF MATISSE It has been said that Matisse, rather than Picasso, was the most influential artist of the 20th century. One of the last things American painter Ellsworth Kelly did before he died in 2015 was to curate a show of Matisse prints; he managed to influence everyone from the Abstract Expressionists through to Colour Field painter Kelly. Now, gallerist Bernard Jacobson, a favourite with David Bowie, has put his personal collection of Matisse prints on show, including the first and last ones the artist made. Master of prints: Matisse's influence is undeniable / Bernard Jacobson Gallery Its a beautiful show where you can marvel at the simplicity of the line and works that reveal Matisses genius in being spontaneous and disciplined at the same time. Until 15 September, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, 28 Duke Street, St Jamess, SW1 POP SOME PERRY IN THE POST Celebrations for the Royal Academys 250th anniversary continue with the release of a set of Royal Mail stamps featuring art by some of the most-celebrated academicians. Portable art: Grayson Perry designed this colourful shoulder bag / Royal Academy Pick up a work by Grayson Perry or Tracey Emin for the 67p price of a first-class stamp, while larger postcards and posters are also available. Better yet, visit the RA shop. We love the shoulder bag designed by Perry and the cufflinks by David Shrigley with a political message. Royal Academy, Piccadilly, W1 PENGUINS IN THE PARK The Instagram sensation of the summer is bound to be Frieze Sculpture in Regents Park. The show is in its third year and with shimmering steeples and endless mirrors, the 2018 display is the best yet. The organisers have extended the October fair and opened it to all with their version of an outdoor summer exhibition. Poser: John Baldessaris giant penguin is a surefire Instagram hit / Frieze Sculpture Prize picture moments will surely include South Korean artist Kimsoojas towering needle sculpture, as well as John Baldessaris giant penguin. Rana Begums colourful sheets are already an Instagram hit, as are works from newer names Hugo Wilson and James Capper. There are free workshops for kids on selected Saturdays, led by educators from Royal Society of Sculptors, and worksheets to fill out download from Friezes website to follow Frida the Squirrel before you go. For adults, ArtImbarcs new app allows sculpture curator Clare Lilley to discuss and guide you. Simply point your phone at the piece to learn more about the works on view. Frieze Sculpture, Regents Park, until 7 October EXERCISE YOUR CHUCKLE MUSCLES Jokes are a serious business and as much about the person telling the joke, as the listeners response. These works make you look and look again, as you think through just what is meant. We love Richard Princes Joke Paintings but why not stop by Skarstedt Gallery and decide for yourself? Princes witty and subversive humour is slightly addictive. Laugh out loud: Richard Prince's Joke Paintings are addictive / Skarstedt Gallery On view are his flat, monochrome canvases with jokes neatly reproduced, allowing the message to come raging through. Case in point: I never had a penny to my name, so I changed my name. You might just find yourself laughing out loud. A n award-winning archway home spectacularly built into one of London's historic 19th-century viaducts has been listed for sale for the first time. The majestically quirky Archway Studios built by architect Didier Ryan in 2013 is hidden away on a former brownfield site in Walworth. The property is a masterclass in intelligent, innovative design, concealing a surprising 1,600sq ft of space within its unconventional shell. Bursting with light and impressively soundproofed, the two-bedroom live-work property is clad in beautifully weathered steel to reflect its industrial setting. The first problem to address was the noise from trains rattling over the tracks above. To solve it, Ryan gave the building a rubber foundation and sandwiched acoustic blankets and noise-dampening devices between the walls. Next, he tackled the lack of natural light. The combination of a huge roof skylight and a concave outer wall was key the former draws light in from above to bounce off the latter and reach the gloomiest corners of the house. Billowing space: a 16ft-high atrium draws light into the archway / The Modern House The open-plan living space is divided into different functional areas by furniture, not heavy walls, helping the design flow. The lofty 16ft-high ceiling of the atrium billows up above the archway itself, opening up the space, and the folded steel and wood spiral staircase rising to three floors at the side makes another dramatic statement Ryan paid close attention to the unsexy but ever-pressing issue of storage, too, building it into hidden space above the entrance and within the front hall. The biggest challenge was installing the huge, pre-fabricated boat-like building with its complex curves and highly sculptural form, so that it fitted perfectly together on site and performed as expected scooping in daylight and views to surrounding trees while acting as an acoustic shield, he says. White, minimalist interiors create a fresh, modern feel and provide the perfect backdrop for Ryan and his photographer wife Candice Lakes eclectic art and antiques collection. Their kitchen benches are made from reclaimed school laboratory tables, complete with engravings from bored teenagers. Brownfield beauty: a rusty shell reflects the site's industrial past / The Modern House This home has been a real gift to live in, says Lake. I love that it is hidden from the street so it feels like our little secret. I also love seeing peoples faces upon entering. It is like stepping into Narnia. It is big and white but still feels so intimate. Ryan and Lake have lived in Archway Studios since its creation in 2013, when it won House of the Year at the New London Architecture Awards. Southwark council was quick to grant planning permission for the design as it is keen to encourage the redevelopment of unused railway arches. Ryans practice Undercurrent Architects has recently had plans to convert two more railway arches in the borough into residential homes approved. There are some 10,000 railway arches across London and Ryan hopes his model will also be replicated elsewhere. The home design features you should never compromise on 1 /12 The home design features you should never compromise on Let your personality shine Those special pieces you simply can't resist - like this scene-stealing statement ceiling light - are often best for injecting personality into your space and can be backed up by less expensive items. Juliet Murphy Sorry, bank balance Dan Hopwood, former president of the British Institute of Interior Design, wants home owners to stop feeling guilty about the odd splurge. "One never regrets extravagance so if there's something that you really absolutely love and it's not within the budget, just go and get it," he says. Charles Hosea Buy what you love Laura Burkitt, winner of Best Kitchen at our Home Design Awards, added a fun pop of colour to her outside space with these blue and pink chairs. Jimmy Beltran S Prioritise storage "Storage is the one thing you should never compromise on," says Russell Whitehead of interior design duo 2 Lovely Gays. Anna Stathaki More room for playing Built-in storage in bedrooms helps keep it looking smart and tidy - especially important when children need space to play with toys. David Butler Make the most of all nooks and crannies Under the stairs is a prime place to build in shelving and can look stylish too. Michelle Beatty Look to your own lifestyle "You have to look at the things that people are going to physically use," says design journalist Barbara Chandler. Juliet Murphy Don't forget the taps Think carefully about taps and kitchen appliances - if they don't suit your way of living, you'll soon become frustrated. Think about what you touch all the time Jordan Cluroe of 2 Lovely Gays agrees that people should pay particular attention to things they touch every day, from light switches and door handles to shower controls and curtain mechanisms. Juliet Murphy Don't overlook the details "Anything you touch on a daily basis people take for granted because they're small and you don't necessarily notice them, but they're quite important," he says. DeVOL kitchens Have fun with cushions Inexpensive and decorative, scatter cushions are one thing you shouldn't have to compromise on according to Homes & Property editor Janice Morley. Juliet Murphy Mix and match Stephanie Savvides-Howell, winner of Best Living Room at our Home Design Awards, has mixed and matched scatter cushions in different textures and colours to chic effect. Juliet Murphy Railways often sliced through the centre of residential neighbourhoods and, in these cases, a return to residential use makes sense, he says. Arches lend themselves to non-orthogonal spaces and can offer home owners something unique softer shapes that accommodate sound and light in a different way to cubic spaces, changing the way you move and how the inside and outside relate. Design-led estate agents The Modern House, who are marketing Archway Studios, describe it as a spatially clever, ingenious new paradigm for residential spaces in the city. They believe this unique property would appeal to anyone looking for a house that celebrates the fundamental principles of good architecture: volume, light, functionality and beauty. It has it all: light, functionality, beauty and volume abound / The Modern House Ryan thinks arty types, self-employed entrepreneurs and social people who enjoy entertaining will be particularly drawn to his home, which he and Lake are reluctant to give up and never would, were their family not outgrowing it. So much love has been poured into making this home and it was very hard to put it on the market, says Lake. H elp to Buy London is available on flats in three exciting regeneration zones, with deposits starting at 15,500. WALTHAMSTOW, E17 This east London district is growing in popularity. As price rises across Hackney continue to drive the young and hip into neighbouring boroughs, a brewery redevelopment in E17 has one-, two- and three-bedroom flats available with Help to Buy. The Essex Brewery is only a couple of minutes away from St James Street station on the London Overground and no more than 10 minutes from Walthamstow Central Tube on the Victoria line, both in Zone 3. One bedroom flats start at 389,995, requiring a 19,499 deposit, a 155,998 government loan and a mortgage for the remaining 214,498. Two- and three-bedroom flats are also eligible for Help to Buy, priced from 519,995 and 599,995 respectively. Waltham Forest has been one of Londons strongest-growing property markets since the recession, while investment in the area has seen the opening of Europes largest urban wetland centre, new flats at the former Walthamstow Stadium dog track and a greatly improved range of pubs, restaurants and bars around Walthamstow Central. 10 Help to Buy house hotspots in London 1 /10 10 Help to Buy house hotspots in London Croydon Help to Buy houses for sale: 59 Daniel Lynch Richmond upon Thames Help to Buy houses for sale: 57 Daniel Lynch Sutton Help to Buy houses for sale: 46 Daniel Lynch Merton Help to Buy houses for sale: 40 Daniel Lynch Havering Help to Buy houses for sale: 39 Daniel Lynch Kingston-upon-Thames Help to Buy houses for sale: 35 Daniel Lynch Ealing Help to Buy houses for sale: 34 Alamy Stock Photo Newham Help to Buy houses for sale: 33 Daniel Lynch Hounslow Help to Buy houses for sale: 32 Alamy Stock Photo Haringey Help to Buy houses for sale: 32 Daniel Lynch 2. CANADA WATER, SE16 Developer British Land has submitted a planning application for Londons latest regeneration zone, Canada Water. If approved, 3,000 new homes will be built on 53 acres between the City and Canary Wharf, in Zone 3 on the Jubilee and East London lines. The application also includes a new town centre with one million square feet of shops and leisure facilities. The 10-year project is being masterminded by Roger Madelin, the man behind the transformation of Kings Cross. First-time buyers can get in early at London Square Canada Water in Quebec Way, where one bedroom flats start at 520,000. This requires a 26,000 deposit, a 208,000 government loan and a 286,000 mortgage. 3. HOUNSLOW, TW3 Buyers on smaller budgets could consider The Assembly, a mansion block-style scheme in Hounslow, where the nearest tube station is Hounslow East on the Piccadilly line in Zone 4. One-bedroom flats start at 310,000. Developer Countryside is offering to pay buyers stamp duty and legal fees up to 2,000. The nitty-gritty is that buyers need a 15,500 deposit, their government loan will be 124,000 and they will also need a 170,500 mortgage. Like Canada Water, Hounslow is being revitalised by a series of new schemes, including a 100 million project by Barratt London and Wilson Bowdon to provide a multiplex cinema, new shops and about 400 new homes on the high street. Appointment 27 July 2018 OLS Hotels & Resorts, a leading hotel management company of 22 hotels and resorts throughout the U.S., is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Robinson to vice president. In his new role, Robinson will oversee OLS Hotels & Resorts' Hawaii operations while working with Chief Executive Officer Ben Rafter and team to expand the company's footprint in the Hawaiian market. The partnership between Robinson and Rafter marks an exciting new era for Hawaii's hospitality industry, as both leaders will use their extensive experience in Hawaii to develop and manage boutique properties across Hawaii's tourism islands while bringing a fresh, local perspective to the market. Prior to joining OLS Hotels & Resorts, Robinson worked for Highgate, a real estate investment and hospitality management company. Most recently, he served as managing director, overseeing hotels in Highgate's Waikiki portfolio. During his tenure in Hawaii, Highgate grew to nearly 3,000 rooms in the Waikiki market. Prior to this role, Robinson served as general manager of the 839-room Pacific Beach Hotel, which he led through a $115 million redevelopment, repositioning and rebranding the property to 'Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach. Previously he held several executive leadership roles with both Highgate and Kimpton Hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area in properties ranging from 200 to over 1,000 rooms. Before entering the hotel business, Robinson was a successful restaurateur owning and operating restaurants and bars in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, Robinson sits on the executive board of directors as vice chairman for the Waikiki Improvement Association and holds board positions with the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, the Waikiki Business Improvement District Association and is a founding board member of the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association. Appointment 27 July 2018 In February of this year Hilton Barbados staff bid a tearful farewell to the former General Manager (GM) of the Hilton Barbados Resort, George Stanfield and now a new GM has been appointed. Tammy LeBlanc, who joins Hilton's Caribbean team from Canada will be heading up the Barbados team to oversee operations at the 355-room beachfront resort. LeBlanc has a hospitality career spanning more than 20 years with her most recent appointment being the General Manager of the Hilton Quebec. Prior to her tenure at the Hilton Toronto Airport, Tammy spent five years at the Hilton Saint John where she improved revenue; market share and customer satisfaction scores while motivating her team to win the prestigious 2010 Hilton Community Service Award for The Americas and 2009 Sales Team of the Year award. Her entrepreneurial vision and her commitment to achieving successful long-term results have garnered her key positions at hotels in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser Data from STR and Magma Hospitality Consulting shows that Spain has seen a surge in investor interest despite political challenges in Barcelona. Thanks to strong performance growth in several markets, Spains hotel industry has seen a surge in investment interest despite the political situation in Barcelona, according to STR and Magma Hospitality Consulting. Investment into Spains hotel sector has been largely driven by strong international tourism demand, even during the financial crisis, said Albert Grau, founding partner of Magma. Increasing holiday tourism, as well as bleisure travel, have set the market up for numerous development opportunities, with several operators currently working to improve their products and services to meet this increasing demand. Spain as a whole recorded 37 consecutive months of growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR) between March 2015 and March 2018. There have been marginal RevPAR decreases in recent months, mainly driven down by declines in Barcelona, the countrys largest hotel market (more than 60,000 rooms). According to STR analysts, throughout most key Spanish markets, including Madrid (more than 50,000 rooms), hotel performance remains on a strong upward trend. Resort markets, such as Gran Canaria, have seen year-over-year declines as tourism demand has returned to competing destinations in markets like Turkey and Egypt, said Javier Serrano, STRs country manager for Spain. Hotels in several Spanish markets benefitted from shifted demand from these markets throughout 2016 and 2017 as they struggled with security concerns. Madrid In 2017, Madrid experienced the highest RevPAR growth (+17.4% to EUR77.34) of any market in Spain, mainly driven by a strong increase in average daily rate (ADR) (+14.2% to EUR106.79). Madrid has enjoyed a healthy mix between leisure and corporate business over the past three years. According to STR analysts, Madrid is one of Europes top short-break destinations, and demand has been steadily increasing from several markets in Asia as well as the U.A.E., particularly in group bookings (bookings of 10 or more rooms at once). Although Madrid recorded a 17.6% decline in both ADR and RevPAR for the month of June 2018, it was mainly due to an off year for a number of key events that were hosted in June 2017, such as the ERA-EDTA Congress, as well as the calendar shift for the World Pride festival (23 June-2 July 2017 to 28 June-8 July 2018). Prior to this June decline, Madrids year-to-date RevPAR was up 7.6%. There is tremendous potential for hotels in Madrid to continue driving rate growth, said Robin Rossmann, managing director for STR. Compared with other European capitals, Madrid is still operating at a relatively inexpensive average daily rate. As demand continues to grow, and as the markets landscape continues to change with more higher-end hotel properties coming online, we should see rates start to rise as the market attracts a larger customer base with strong purchasing power. This, in turn, should help the revenue and profitability of the Spanish hotel sector continue to grow. According to STR analysts, Madrids corporate demand continues to rise because of a strong international events calendar as well as the relocation of several company headquarters from Barcelona to Madrid. For year-end 2018, STR forecasts ADR growth of roughly 3% for Madrid. Barcelona Despite ongoing political uncertainty, Barcelona hotels have managed to maintain somewhat steady rates, with more notable declines recently. Following the 1 October referendum, the markets occupancy levels dropped considerably. In the first half of 2018, occupancy declined 5.2%, while ADR fell 1.4% compared with H1 2017. While it is still too early to make any sort of prediction on what will ultimately happen in the market, Barcelona will likely make a quick recovery when the situation stabilizes, Serrano said. Prior to last October, Barcelona hotels were consistently seeing monthly double-digit RevPAR growth throughout 2016 and 2017, when the market was still benefitting from strong international demand and shifted tourism demand from destinations in Turkey and North Africa. Barcelonas recent instability has stunted these previous growth levels, with drops in occupancy driven by decreases in domestic and international demand, mainly from the U.S. However, if the market can maintain steady rates, we should see growth resume as consumer confidence returns to Barcelona. STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource By Azernews By Sara Irafilbayova World oil prices show a weakly multidirectional dynamics on Friday after the confident growth on July 26 on reports of Saudi Arabias suspension of the export of raw materials through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $74.52 per barrel, down 0.03 percent, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $69.64 a barrel, up 0.04 percent, according to RIA Novosti. Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia Khalid al-Falih said that the kingdom decided to suspend oil exports through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait after the attack on oil tankers in the Red Sea by Yemeni rebels. Yemeni rebels from the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) attacked Saudi oil tankers on July 25. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), about 4.8 million barrels of oil and oil products per day were transported through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to Europe, the U.S. and Asia in 2016. Moreover, global trade contradictions influence the oil market. Investors are concerned about the U.S. trade relations with China, especially after the agreements reached by U.S. President Donald Tramp and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. As a result of their meeting, the EU and the U.S. reached a number of agreements, among them work towards zeroing duties on industrial goods, the possibility of increasing the supply of LNG and soybeans from the U.S. to the EU countries. OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached an agreement in December 2016 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices. OPEC agreed to slash the output by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 1. Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017. OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till the end of 2018 in Vienna on November 30, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry. Report of 2018 Finds that Desktop Usage for Travel Search Remains Resilient Despite the Popularity of Mobile Sojern, travel's demand engine providing marketing and advertising solutions for the travel industry, today published its third Global Travel Insights report of 2018. The new report offers a quarterly look at travel trends from around the world. Sojern's data science team analyzes billions of travel intent signals annually to help 93 percent of the Fortune 500 travel brands better understand the booking behavior of travelers and how to reach them with marketing messages. "Even with mobile devices nearing global saturation, we continue to see that travel planning search volume remains desktop-heavy," said Jackie Lamping, vice president of marketing at Sojern. "While there's clear evidence that mobile is playing an increasing role in the dreaming and inspiration phases of trip planningmostly driven through social sharing on Facebook and Instagramtravelers still come back to their desktop in order to research options in more detail, compare prices, and ultimately arrive at a confident decision." Sojern data shows that only 28 percent of travel searches in the US came from mobile last quarter. Lamping explained, "Many consumers still feel that the price comparison shopping experience is better on desktopwhether that's due to faster wifi or website load times, access to more content, or the ability to open multiple browsing windows simultaneously." This new report provides insight into customer behavior from travel searches looking back at Q2 of 2018 and looking forward at Q3. Top findings looking back at Q2 include: Desktop Remains Top for Travel Search Although mobile devices are abundant, Sojern's latest insights report indicates global consumers are still using desktop for the majority of their searches while planning travel. In North America, 72 percent of travel searches happened on desktop during Q2. For Asia-Pacific, it was 67 percent and in Latin America it was 64 percent Though desktop reigns supreme in much of the world, mobile search is "king" in two regions: Europe, and the Middle East and Africa; with 53 percent of European travel searches happening on mobile during Q2 and 52 percent in Middle East and Africa. Traveling Solo Tops the Charts for Q2, Couples Taking Trips Together This Fall According to our travel intent research, 71 percent of Middle East and African travel searches were for solo trips during the months of April, May and June. Solo trips accounted for 69 percent of North American travel searches, 67 percent in Latin American, 63 percent in Asia Pacific, and 53 percent in Europe. However, when we look at upcoming travel searches for July, August, and September, couple travel is on the rise. Our data shows an increase in couple travel primarily for North America and Latin America. Europeans, in particular, are searching for more couple trips when traveling regionally. Whereas, people in the Middle East and Africa are searching for group travel of three or more during July through September travel dates. Not Everyone is Searching for Last-Minute Travel In the second quarter of 2018, 65 percent of travel searches for Asia Pacific started more than 30 days in advance of the departure date. Similarly, 63 percent of travel searches in Europe and 61 percent in Latin America started more than 30 days in advance of the departure date, while in the Middle East and Africa it was 43 percent. Asia Pacific travelers were the heaviest planners of all regions with 45 percent of travel searches starting more than 60 days out from the departure date. For a more detailed analysis of global travel insights, download the full report here. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Yesterday Cardi B announced some sad news when she let her millions of fans know that she will no longer be joining Bruno Mars on his "24K Magic" Tour. The Fall adventure kicks off on September 7th in Denver, and although Bruno is still set to visit fans all over North America, Miss Cardi is no longer available due to the birth of her child, Kulture. I thought after giving birth to my daughter that 6 weeks would be enough time for me to recover mentally & physically. I also thought that Id be able to bring her with me on tour, but I think I underestimated the whole mommy thing," she wrote. Now that the news is out, Bruno has followed up with a statement letting Cardi know that he's on her side and agrees with the move she's making. "Most important thing is you and your family's health. I know the fans will understand. You are absolutely doing the right thing," he wrote. "I also know we'll share the stage with the time is right. We love you Cardi and we will play Bodak Yellow every night in your honor. Please give your baby girl a hug from me and a hug on behalf of everyone on the 24K magic Tour." You don't want to be riding sidewinder when Denzel clutches the throttle. On "BLACK METAL TERRORIST | 13 M T," the FL-native saves a little gas for the long drive home. Curry's 3rd studio album TA13OO, rolls out in three installments, arranged in a 4-5-4 order of succession, like going to battle in a Phalanx. But in the unique case of Denzel, it's never been a matter of who's on the decks come album time. "BLACK METAL TERRORIST | 13 M T" is utter chaos offsetting the more introspective moments on TA13OO. Denzel comes off like an ostracized team leader harboring "Dark Industry Secrets." Production duo Finatik N Zac and Ronny J join forces on the album closer, the latter an inseparable part of the pact, & upstart Florida rap as a whole. If "BLACK METAL TERRORIST | 13 M T" effectively communicates one message: "I'm pressure sensitive, on the back heel and ready to spray rounds." Stream TA13OO in its entirety here. Quotable Lyrics: Tortuously, killin' my infidels effortlessly Want them to be my P-R-O-P-E-D-E-A-D Dead 'em, I do it professionally Assassin's Creed, your majesty Your after is not "happily" Her body in factories while others lean on tragedy I'm that joke, say that's a Periscope, fuck a telescope Careful my angel a higher hope, I desire rope, uh I'm gonna live by my confidence I'm gonna die by my arrogance We haven't heard a whole lot of music from Doe Boy this year but everything he's done has been fire. Earlier in the month, the rapper linked up with Free Bandz Gang head honcho, Future for their track, "Back In My Bag." Prior to that, he linked up Lil Durk for the "Don't You Lie" music video. Doe Boy's been grinding nonetheless and today, he comes through with another hot track titled, "Retired." Doe Boy is back with his latest track, "Retired." The FBG rapper grabs TM88 for the song's production. "Retired" is a hard hitting street anthem that finds Doe Boy detailing his come up in the streets. "You're n*gga not no shooter, he's a liar/ Bitch, I been a shooter, my jersey retired," he raps on the hook. It's another heavy track from Doe Boy and we're looking forward to hearing whatever else he has in store. Peep Doe Boy's latest track and check out his HNHH Freestyle below. Quotable Lyrics You remember back when Cav's traded Kyrie I was thinkin' to myself, damn, they should sign me I'mma shooter, I'ma blow ya, if you think you're Ali Fifty thousand 'round my neck, still keep robbers 'round me At ClockWise Escape Room on Market Street, adventure seekers pay to get trapped in a room where they have to follow clues and solve puzzles to break out within an hour. The problem is all the other people breaking in. The escape room shares a large building between Sixth and Seventh streets with other businesses. The locked front door, which opens to the street, has a buzzer so employees can let customers inside, but others keep slipping in behind them. Recently there was a knife fight, apparently over a drug deal gone bad, in the hallway. Sometimes every bathroom stall is occupied by transients or injection drug users, who regularly leave dirty needles and soiled clothing behind. Theres a stubborn urine stain on the carpet. Outside on Stevenson Street, a tucked-away alley running alongside the building, injection drug users congregate, discarding dirty needles and trash. Monica Schafer and her girlfriend, Taisiya Paltseva, opened the escape room last year, lured by the citys promise of a Mid-Market revival and easy access to young tech workers with money to burn after leaving their offices for the day. But like small businesses all over San Francisco, ClockWise faces daily headaches stemming from the misery on the citys streets and the inability of City Hall to get a handle on it. Sure, the police come. Public Works cleanup crews come. Public Health crews pick up the syringes. But where are the measures to prevent the misery in the first place? In this insanely rich city with an annual budget of $11 billion, where is the money for more shelter beds, more sobering centers, more drug rehabilitation programs and far more treatment beds for the mentally ill? The closest weve gotten to a long-discussed safe injection site for drug users is Mayor London Breeds planned mock-up of one in the Tenderloin that people will be able to tour in August to see how they work. No actual drug use will be permitted, though it will surely continue to be allowed just outside. In this innovation capital of the world, why cant we figure out how to provide such basic amenities as more public restrooms and showers, more garbage cans and more places for homeless people to spend their days besides alleyways and sidewalks? Maybe then they wouldnt have to escape their sad life on the streets by breaking into an escape room. Instead, we just surrender the streets and say, Its OK. You can camp here. You can shoot up here. Well give you a box for your needles, and well come and clean up after you, Schafer said. The streets smell like feces and urine, and man, its tough to want to stay here. Its an increasingly common gripe from small business owners all over San Francisco. Stephen Adams, president of the citys Small Business Commission, hears it all the time. He tells business owners to install the 311 app on their phone but wishes he had better answers. Im hearing every time I go into a neighborhood: My business is down 10 percent. My business is down 20 percent. A lot of it has to do with the quality-of-life issues on the street, he said. People just dont want to deal with it. And its no wonder. At Mikes Bikes at Eighth and Howard streets South of Market, co-owner Matt Adams said the street misery is worse than its ever been in the 13 years since the shop opened. Everyday occurrences include having to roust people sleeping in the doorway to open up in the morning, drug users shooting up right outside, and human feces, needles and trash all over the sidewalk. He had to switch schedules around because his female manager didnt feel safe opening up the store alone in the mornings and accepting deliveries. People appearing to have stolen bikes regularly come in asking for repairs but are unable to pay. Some plant themselves on the floor and spread their belongings all around them. We try to help and not judge, but a lot of times theyre not right in the head, he said. Our staff feels endangered. Weve had people get upset and throw stuff at us. Weve had a lot of threats. Shoplifting is a big problem. Adam Mesnick, owner of the Deli Board sandwich shop on Folsom Street between Sixth and Seventh streets, said he found it ironic that the city fined him $100 for leaving his shops trash cans outside too long when heaps of trash sit on the sidewalk all the time. He regularly posts photos of the sidewalk misery on Twitter. One showed a syringe discarded along with ketchup packets in the garbage can inside his store. Yes, someone apparently had a little something extra with lunch that day. Another photo showed a pile of cardboard smeared with diarrhea left outside his second sandwich outpost, the Board, on Mission Street near Seventh. He recently shuttered that shop because he couldnt be at both stores at once and doesnt want his employees to have to deal with these issues on their own. Hes hoping to obtain a beer and wine license for the Board and reopen it as a dinner spot, saying the evenings there are a little calmer. Mission Street during the daytime is absolutely bananas, he said. Ive had employees get needles thrown at them. Ive had employees get spit on. Ive had employees get items stolen from them. He said its ironic the Department of Public Health is so stringent, rightly, on the conditions inside his restaurant and so hands-off regarding the public health disaster outside. And its not just small businesses in Mid-Market and SoMa that face these struggles. Pieter Gunst is the co-founder of Legal.io, which builds software that helps people find lawyers and is based in the Inner Mission. Recent sights outside his business have included people shooting up, a homeless man lying on the sidewalk naked and another man trying to break into a parking meter with an iron bar. Hes decided to stop hiring people to work in the San Francisco office and instead hire people in other cities to work from home. When you end up doing the math of the overall cost of putting employees here in light of the increased deterioration of the city and the safety concerns, it just becomes less and less a sound business decision, he said. Jenn Meyer runs three outposts of Local Take, which sells goods made by local artists. She said sales at her shop in the Castro are down 20 percent from last year because of all the street misery, including mentally ill or high people coming into her shop and scaring the customers. An employee had to close the shop the other day after a belligerent woman refused to leave. Back at the escape room on Mid-Market, clients have two choices: attempting to break out of a room called the Asylum, which is made to look like a horrifying mental institution, or Party in Vegas, which looks like a drunken night gone very, very bad. Of course, when they emerge back onto Market Street, elements of both scenes are right there, and theres nothing pretend about it. For now, Schafer and Paltseva have decided to buy a security system including cameras and a panic button. Sounds like another prop for the escape room, but in todays San Francisco, its all too real. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf British energy major BP is a huge Texas player again after agreeing to pay $10.5 billion for the shale oil and gas assets of Australias BHP Billiton. The sale represents a major turnaround for BP as it seeks to grow again after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. The deal, the largest energy transaction of 2018, includes all of BHPs acreage in West Texas booming Permian Basin, South Texas Eagle Ford shale and Louisianas Haynesville shale. BP chief executive Bob Dudley said the deal is a transformative acquisition that gives BP a much larger foothold in the onshore U.S., and not just the deep-water Gulf. BP has largely shrunk this decade since the explosion in the Gulf of Mexicos Macondo well that killed 11 workers, spilled nearly 4 million barrels of oil, and cost the company billions of dollars to settle claims. BP has now put the Macondo disaster behind them, and theyre looking at the U.S. as the place to put their money, said Andy Lipow, an energy analyst and president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. 'TRANSFORMATIONAL SHIFT': Texas oil patch breaks records with fewer workers On the other side of the deal is BHP Billiton, which bought big into U.S. shale in 2011 with its acquisition of the Houston oil and gas company Petrohawk Energy for about $15 billion, including debt, and acreage from Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy for $5 billion. BHP even moved into a brand-new uptown Houston skyscraper. But the Australian mining company took a big hit during the recent oil bust, writing down the value of its shale assets by $7 billion two years ago. It now considers the shale game too risky when weighed against its traditional mining holdings. BHP announced its plans to sell the assets last year. BP proved the top bidder. BHP also is selling its Fayetteville shale assets in Arkansas to Dallas-based Merit Energy for $300 million. BHP president Steve Pastor said the two deals give the company a clean exit from U.S. shale. BHP was one of several companies with buyers remorse after spending big for shale assets when oil was priced at more than $100 a barrel, said Pavel Molchanov, energy analyst with Raymond James in Houston. BHP wanted to diversify into oil and gas and came to regret it. In retrospect, companies do better when they focus on something rather than try to do everything, Molchanov said. As for BP, the deal cements its position as the biggest foreign oil and gas player in the United States, Molchanov said. Thats why you shouldnt refer to them in the original British Petroleum format, he said. BPs current Texas oil and gas presence is limited to the East Texas portion of the gassy Haynesville shale. BP essentially missed the oil shale boom, selling its large legacy Permian position to Houstons Apache Corp. for more than $3 billion in 2010. Now BP is finally back in Texas booming oil positions, although the deal isnt expected to close until October. BP will pay half of the $10.5 billion this fall and the remainder next year. The sale includes 83,000 net acres in the oil-rich Delaware Basin portion of the Permian, 236,000 acres in the Eagle Ford and 193,000 acres in the Haynesville in Louisiana and Texas. The acreage currently combines to produce nearly 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day with the potential for much more. BP said the acreage includes 4.6 billion barrels of discovered oil equivalent. To help appease investors, BP also said Thursday it will boost its dividend payouts to shareholders by 2.5 percent. Since the BHP deal is cutting into BPs spending options, BP said it will sell $5 billion to $6 billion in global assets to help fund a share buyback program of at least $5 billion thats largely intended to help boost the value of BPs shares. Petrobras has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company for years flouted air pollution restrictions at its aging Pasadena refinery. Its the at least third major Houston-area refiner within the last decade to pay penalties in response to legal action filed by environmental groups. The settlement, subject to court approval, would require Petrobras, Brazils state-controlled oil company, to pay more than $3.5 million in civil penalties and reduce emissions at the refinery with equipment upgrades and disaster preparedness measures. The company also agreed to better respond to complaints raised by nearby communities and pay additional penalties if future violations occur. Environmental advocacy groups Environment Texas and the Sierra Club filed the lawsuit in federal court last spring, alleging the company chronically violated its Texas air emissions permits. Todays settlement is yet another message to polluters, said Brian Zabcik of Environment Texas. The advocacy groups have for years been targeting refiners and petrochemical plants that they say violate the Clear Air Act, which contains a provision allowing citizens to file federal lawsuits against companies that have allegedly harmed communities near their operations. Environment Texas and the Sierra Club in 2009 settled a lawsuit with Shell that alleged the companys Deer Park complex had released millions of pounds of toxic chemicals during a five-year period. Shell agreed to upgrade the plant and monitor emissions, and it paid a $5.8 million penalty used to install solar panels on a nearby high school and retrofit diesel school buses. A year later, the groups settled a lawsuit with Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. that alleged rampant pollution at its Baytown chemical complex. The company paid $2 million to establish a pediatric asthma clinic to serve nearby communities. Petrobras will pay $350,000 to the federal government as part of roughly $3.5 million in civil penalties. The remainder will be paid to the Houston-Galveston Area Council to establish vehicle emission reduction fund to provide grants to local school districts and governments to convert their vehicle fleets to hybrid or electric models and build charging stations. Through this agreement, we commit to further improvements for the facility and its operations, Petrobras said in a statement. The proposed settlement is subject to a 45-day waiting period to allow for review by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice. Philip Hilder, a Houston attorney representing the two groups, said the company has already begun to implement the proposed remedies. Petrobras already had announced plans to sell the refinery as part of a plan to offload some $21 billion in assets following its involvement in a widespread corruption scandal that ensnared many Brazilian politicians and companies. The century-old Pasadena refinery, capable of processing 110,000 barrels of oil per day, is the only one Petrobras operates in the United States. Hilder said the settlement terms will apply to the new owner in the event of a sale. katherine.blunt@chron.com twitter.com/katherineblunt A Houston energy startup funded by Canada's pension investment board will pay $2 billion to acquire Chesapeake Energy's Utica Shale assets in Ohio. The Houston-based Encino Acquisition Partners is making the big move in the natural gas-rich Utica region, while shale pioneer Chesapeake eyes the cash influx to help pay down its debt load after years of recent financial struggles. Encino Acquisition Partners is a unique case that was founded last year with a $1 billion influx mostly from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The board said it will invest another $1 billion to finance the Chesapeake deal, making the investment board a 98 percent owner of Encino Acquisition. Now Playing: Latest Oil & Energy News Playlist Video: Houston Chronicle Encino Acquisition is operated by the seven-year-old Houston firm Encino Energy, which is headed by a group of oil and gas veterans. Encino has made few moves up until now. The deal includes 900,000 net acres in Ohio, instantly making Encino a major player in the Utica as soon as the sale closes by the end of this year. In a few weeks, most children will be headed back to school. Meanwhile, images of mothers and fathers seeking refuge and being separated from their children upon trying to enter the country along the U.S-Mexico border have been circulating everywhere. They are on the cover of magazines and on the front page of local and national newspapers. Small children sobbing as their parents are handcuffed. Adolescent youth held in detention centers. Mothers and fathers in anguish as they wait for answers after having their children taken away from them. These images have flooded our social media feeds and continue to be debated on the evening news even as efforts are being made to reunite families. READ MORE: Why we need to hear the stories of the border Not only have we seen these images and heard the stories shared on different platforms, but so have our children. Though we might think that this issue does not impact them, unknowingly, they might indeed be in closer proximity to these issues than we think they are. Within our neighborhoods, churches and other social outlets, children have friends or know of peers who have been directly or indirectly impacted by Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. Some children and youth in our schools are themselves undocumented, or they come from mixed-status families and fear the uncertainty of their futures in this country. Some children who might be very close to us might have experienced severe trauma from such separations and now live in constant fear. As teacher educators and former classroom teachers, first and foremost, we believe that all teachers as public servants should make their number one priority ensuring that all children feel safe and secure in their classrooms. Creating a safe space takes work, and it starts not by ignoring such pressing issues and pretending that the children don't know and are not affected by them but by opening space for dialogue in the classroom. Above all, it happens by teachers holding space to listen and hear children and youths' stories, their concerns, their fears and their questions. All our children will have stories and questions of what they have seen, heard, witnessed or experienced firsthand. We cannot and should not ignore their questions. No matter how uncomfortable their questions might make us feel, we need to respond to them. One entry point into such conversations and into responding to children's concerns is through the use of children's books that directly speak to issues of immigration, family separation and detention. Children's books can help us begin a conversation to address the root causes of their concerns and the harm that these policies and acts of violence cause within communities. Children's books can help us discuss the problem and all the layers of its complexity and also often offer possible solutions to the issue. "Two White Rabbits" by Jairo Buitrago is a book about immigration that is appropriate for children of all ages and that is written in clear and accessible language. The story is told from the point of a view of a young girl who is traveling with her father. She is unaware of where they are going. The illustrations, however, provide more detail of their journey and where they are headed la frontera, or the border. Though she might not notice or understand, her father and the other adults along with them express feelings and actions that provide entry points into conversations with children about immigration. Their words and the book's illustrations open up space for teachers to draw upon their own students' questions, understandings, ideas and experiences about immigration in honest and meaningful ways. READ MORE: Don't believe the lies about immigrants As teacher educators and teachers, we need to listen with compassion and without judgment and look for resources to support our children and their families as we work together to learn from one another's stories and experiences. There might be things that we are uncertain about, or answers that we cannot provide, but we need to be honest about these things with children, too. Teachers have a moral obligation to open space in the classrooms to discuss the current political moment. The decision to address the issue is deeply rooted in teachers' long held convictions to all children, families and communities as public servants and what we believe to be a human issue of equity and justice. This is not an issue where there are two sides. There is only one side, the moral side you don't take children away from their parents. Tracey T. Flores is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy Studies in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and is affiliated with The Center for Mexican American Studies, and Luis Urrieta is the Susan B. and John L. Adams Professor of Education and is affiliated with The Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, The Center for Mexican American Studies and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It listens with compassion and without judgment. An erratic and fast moving fire in Shasta County turned deadly as thousands of residents were sent fleeing for their lives late Thursday night after the blaze jumped the Sacramento River and sent a wall of flames into Redding. A contract firefighter operating a bulldozer was killed in an active part of the fire and several firefighters and residents were injured, Cal Fire officials said. This fire is making a significant push into the northwestern part of Redding, Cal Fire Unified Incident Commander Chief Brett Gouvea said in a news briefing late Thursday. We ask everyone to heed evacuation orders and leave promptly. This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard with whats in its path. Now Playing: An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities Thursday before reaching the city of Redding, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, injuring three firefighters and destroying dozens of homes. (July 27) Video: Associated Press The California Highway Patrol in Redding urged residents in the west part of the city to start packing and get out now. The fire is creating a huge wind vacuum and moving very rapidly toward west Redding, the CHP office wrote on Twitter. This fire is out of control! The fire has burned 29,000 acres and is 6 percent contained. There were reports that a dozen historic buildings had burned. But as the fire exploded late Thursday, firefighters switched from trying to contain it and protect properties to trying to save lives. Mandatory evacuations are ordered in parts of Redding, according to Cal Fire. The fire erupted Monday from a mechanical failure of a vehicle and was fanned by continued dry weather and triple digit temperatures. Redding is a town of 90,000 at the northern end of the Sacramento Valley. Officials initially set up an evacuation center at Shasta High School in Redding on Thursday, but had to move it to Shasta College when the high school itself was ordered evacuated. At Mercy Medical Center Redding, infants in the neo-natal ICU ward were being evacuated. At KRCR News Channel 7, anchors were in the middle of a live broadcast when they announced they had to cut their report short because they had to evacuate. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here, a station news anchor said on the air. On Facebook, the station posted: We will work to keep our Facebook page and website updated once we are all out safely. More than 1,700 firefighters are battling the blaze. On Twitter, several evacuees posted comments about their ordeal. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez By Azernews By Naila Huseynli By the end of 2018, the volume of tobacco production in Azerbaijan may increase by 30 percent, said Telman Hasratov, Chairman of the Tobacco Producers and Exporters Association. Hasratov noted that tobacco harvest has recently launched: However, we expect significant growth in production by the end of the year. Currently, more tobacco is produced in Balakan, Sheki, Ismayilli, Gabala, Lerik and Masalli. He added that the main export directions of Azerbaijani tobacco are Belarus and Russia, adding that the main part of tobacco produced in Azerbaijan goes to the domestic market. In addition to the production, it is planned to increase tobacco exports by the end of 2018, reported the chairman. Hasratov said that the decision on this issue regarding the unprofitable purchase price for the producers will be made at the meeting, which will be held in Zagatala on July 27 by the Ministry of Agriculture. The issue of lending to tobacco producers will also be discussed at this meeting. In addition, the planting areas of tobacco will also be expanded. About 600 hectares of land used for tobacco production in Zagatala in 2017 and this area has grown to 800 hectares in 2018. Tobacco farmers are also planning to renew their Tech Park. In January-June 2018, Azerbaijan exported $5.52 million worth tobacco and imported $60.1 million, according to the State Customs Committee. The exports decreased by 9.06 percent and imports approximately by 17 percent compared to the same period last year. When immigration officials asked a Guatemalan father to sign a sheet of paper in English several weeks ago, he had no idea what it said. The man, a migrant who primarily speaks the Mayan language Akatek, knows no English, barely understands Spanish and is completely illiterate, according to his lawyer. But he is clear about what he wants most - to reunite with his 8-year-old daughter, from whom he was separated at the border in May. So the father was stunned to learn, from an attorney in a New Mexico immigration processing center, that he signed a form waiving his right to do just that. The Guatemalan man is one of many migrant parents separated from their children who may have unknowingly signed away their reunification rights, lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in court documents filed Wednesday. Some parents said they thought they were signing paperwork that would, in fact, allow them to reunite with their children, according to their immigration lawyers. Others described being crowded into rooms with dozens of people, given only a few minutes to fill out forms that would determine whether they would reunite with their children or leave them behind in the United States. They signed the forms out of fear, or confusion, or a belief that they had no other choice, lawyers wrote in the court filing. "One father was told that if he didn't sign the form presented to him, then he would not see his daughter again," lawyer Kathryn Shepherd wrote in a court affidavit. These testimonies, described by more than a dozen lawyers, were part of a 125-page court filing from the ACLU as part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit over the U.S. government's separation of migrant families at the border. The court filing asked U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, of the Southern District of California, to extend the amount of time that reunited families may be allowed to remain in the United States before the government tries to deport them. The ACLU argued that families should be given seven days after reunification to consult with attorneys and as a family about "what might be the most consequential decision of their lives" - whether to be deported together or to leave their children behind in the U.S. to pursue their asylum cases. The Trump administration on Tuesday said it was on track to reunite the majority of separated migrant families by Thursday's court deadline. The government said it had reunited 1,012 parents with their children, out of 2,551 who were separated. But the administration also faced scrutiny from Sabraw over its inability to sort out how many migrant parents have already been deported or released from federal custody. The Trump administration said Monday that 463 parents are no longer present in the United States, meaning they may have been deported. Lawyers for the government, however, cautioned that the number does not necessarily indicate how many parents were sent back without their children. The Trump administration has also insisted that all of the parents it deported without their children gave their written consent. As of Tuesday, the government had counted 127 parents who opted to be deported without their children. But Wednesday's court filing paints a picture of confusion and misinformation. Lee Gelernt, of the ACLU, accused immigration officials of distributing paperwork to migrant papers in a "coercive and misleading manner," creating a chaotic reunification process. For this reason, the ACLU argues that it is crucial for parents to have a longer waiting time - at least a week - to discuss with attorneys before any deportations take place. Many of the parents speak indigenous languages, of which there are hundreds throughout Latin America. Interpreters in these languages are scarce, lawyers say. And even among those migrants who speak Spanish, many do not know how to read or write. "The evidence is overwhelming that parents have signed forms they did not understand," Gelernt wrote. "Parents plainly had no idea what they were signing or agreeing to orally." This means that many migrants have very little understanding of the current status of their asylum case, the whereabouts of their children or their legal options moving forward. Luis Cruz, a lawyer counseling with migrant parents in Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, described speaking with five fathers who were on the government's list of people who had relinquished their rights to reunification with their children. "All of the five fathers wish to be reunited with their children," Cruz wrote in an affidavit as part of the ACLU's court filing. "All five said they can't read or write in Spanish or English. Each of the fathers told me that they were not given the opportunity to ask questions. . ..Each described feeling hopeless and believing that they had no alternative but to sign the form." One broke down in tears, saying he hadn't spoken to his son in 25 days and was uncertain of his location. Another father said he did not know the status of his case, but was not aware of any final order of removal. "In fact, he has received an order of removal which is dated June 3, 2018," Cruz wrote. This miscommunication was compounded by the fact that many migrant families arrive in the U.S. with very little prior documentation. This creates chaos - and major delays - as lawyers try to piece together cases for both the separated families. Even lawyers working with recently reunified families struggle to sort through cases. "Mothers and children are profoundly confused," wrote lawyer Shalyn Fluharty. "Mothers are unable to confirm whether they spoke with an asylum officer, or immigration judge." Leah Chavla, who has been counseled reunited families at a residential center in Dilley, Texas, said it takes hours just to get basic information from families about the stages of their cases. This is in large part, Chavla says, because of the trauma these families have experienced. Chavla described the struggle of clarifying information during an interview with a mother and her 11-year-old son. "The boy would barely speak through the entire interview, only sometimes slightly nodding or shaking his head to answer simple - yes or no - questions," Chavla said. "He only stared forward with an intent expression that looked like he was concentrating so as to not cry. His mother repeatedly told him to speak to us, but he could not speak." Manoj Govindaiah, the director of Family Detention Services at the immigrant services group RAICES, said these experiences have "inculcated families with skepticism and distrust to a level that far exceeds any that I have previously experienced with our clients." Govindaiah recalled how one father asked him repeatedly for proof that he was in fact an immigration lawyer. When Govindaiah later asked the man why he was so distrustful of him at first, the father responded that ever since he entered the country, he has been lied to, and that "he doesn't know who is government and who isn't, and now that he has his son back, he will not let his son go anywhere without him. The meeting ended without reaching a meaningful discussion about the father's legal options, Govindaiah said. The father simply "could not move past his fear of re-separation." The father's repeated response, Govindaiah said, was "but as long as I'm with my son, I'll be OK. I'll be with my son that whole time, right?" OLD RIVER-WINFREE - Like many Southeast Texans, Ive driven by the road signs countless times over the years, the signs on Interstate 10 near Baytown that mark a bridge over OLD AND LOST RIVER for east-bound traffic, LOST AND OLD RIVER for west-bound. I know now that RIVER ought to be plural, since were talking about two Trinity River tributaries instead of one; nevertheless, theres something evocative about the phrase, singular or plural, east-bound or west so evocative, in fact, that it inspired a haunting orchestral work. I could be wrong, but I know of no other road sign that can make such a claim. In 1986, New York composer Tobias Picker was working as composer-in-residence with the Houston Symphony. Preparing new music for the symphonys celebration of the Texas Sesquicentennial, he happened to notice the I-10 sign as he drove eastward. His Old and Lost Rivers premiered in Jones Hall on May 9, 1986. It is obviously an extremely poetic phrase, Picker told the Chronicle years later. It is just full of meaning and implications and symbolism. It can mean many things to many people, if you think about it. READ MORE: A daughter of the King Ranch recalls a Triple Crown Earlier this week, I decided to explore the meanings and symbolism for myself in the company of my Chronicle friend Shannon Tompkins. The veteran columnist not only happens to be the best and most knowledgeable outdoors writer in Texas (and beyond) but also was born and raised in the area. A college-educated swamp creature who spends most of his life outdoors (to quote the late Gary Cartwright of Texas Monthly), Shannon has hunted, fished, trapped and roamed the sloughs, rivers and bayous of Chambers County his whole life. Halfway between Houston and Beaumont, within sight and rumbling sound of I-10, this green and marshy land is perfect for a devoted outdoorsman. It boasts more than its share of rich historic lore, abundant wildlife and bounteous bird species. Lost River is an old channel of the lower Trinity, abandoned by the restless river before the area was settled. The meandering, tree-lined Old River, also an abandoned channel, begins in Liberty County and flows southeasterly to Old River Lake and ultimately into Trinity Bay. As we meandered along country roads in Shannons Ford-F150 pickup (a 2004 model with 353,000 miles on it), passing through verdant coastal prairie populated by great egrets and roseate spoonbills, white-faced ibis and green herons and, of course, alligators, he reminded me that we were in Faulkner country. Once you learn the old families, its Old South more than anything else, he said. READ MORE: Former Texas inmates story proves to be a page turner As in Faulkners fictional Yoknapatawpha County, many of the original families have white and black branches. I learned about one still-prominent family who divvied up the land between black and white in the early 1900s, the black family members received the swampland portion. As fate - or geology -- would have it, these descendants of slaves turned out to be proprietors of the oil-rich portion of the original family holdings. (God has a sense of humor, Chambers County Museum administrator Marie Hughes mentioned.) True to its Old South traditions, the area tolerated the KKK, both during Reconstruction and in the 1920s, when Prohibition and anti-immigrant sentiments roiled the populace. As one local historian suggested a few years ago, the masked avengers were merely a gallant group of guys employing corrective measures to keep the peace. (The Cuban barber at Mont Belvieu they ran out of town or the many others they bullied and mistreated no doubt thought differently.) Long before transplanted Southerners moved into the area, it was Spanish country. Near present-day Wallisville in 1756, two Franciscan missionaries established Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz to minister to members of the Orcoquiza and Bidai tribes; a contingent of 30 Spanish soldiers built Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada a mile away to guard against French encroachment from the east. The state historical marker near the Chambers County Museum describes the mission and fort as two of the most misfortune-ridden outposts of Spain in Texas. The elder of the two friars died soon after arrival, and the younger complained of ravenous insects, extremes of heat and cold and the thick and stinking water in the lake near the lonely mission. The soldiers were ill-prepared, the 50 families who were to establish a town never showed up and the natives were restless. By 1771, the Spanish were gone. READ MORE: Junior was one of many roadside attractions on the classic family car trip The pirate Jean Lafitte nosed about the neighborhood - two of his ships are said to be buried in the mud of Lake Charlotte -- and hot-headed Texans in and around nearby Anahuac plotted rebellion against Mexico. Other things have happened, as well, as I learned at the superb, little county museum (on I-10 at the Wallisville exit). I learned about the Dick Disturbance, an 1880s-era cattle-rustling scandal that began when John Dick, a former British army officer, moved into the area with his 12 children. His boys were desperadoes and thieves. Everybody was afraid of them, because they always rode in a bunch armed with .44 caliber Winchester rifles and six shooters, early settler Forest W. McNeir wrote in a 1956 memoir. When Sarah Ridge Pix, a former Cherokee princess, discovered altered brands on her cattle and other ranchers noticed that they were losing animals, two of the Dick sons, George and Benajah (known as Ninny), became prime suspects. Suspicions were confirmed when the Chambers County sheriff and his posse discovered a freshly slaughtered bull and green hides in the hull of the Dick familys sloop. I also learned about the Hog War. In December 1906, Wallisville civic leaders sought to prevent domestic and feral hogs from making their regular winter migration into town to feast on garbage strewn about the courthouse lawn. The proposal requiring hog farmers to keep their animals penned was approved by three votes, but the hog farmers managed to channel opposition to the new law into efforts to move the courthouse to Anahuac. A referendum to that effect passed in 1907, and Wallisville lost its courthouse to the upstart across Turtle Bay. We have spits and spats still, said Joe Landry, mayor of Old River-Winfree for the past 25 years, but nothing like the old days. For Landry and other elected officials, the challenge is keeping up with rampant growth. Once rural and largely undeveloped, this coastal prairie dotted with small communities is rapidly giving way to suburban sprawl. Not completely, though, as my friend showed me this week. Still lingering, at least for a while, are snowy egrets with bright yellow feet and majestic blue herons and ducks of every variety. Still lingering are mysterious cypress swamps and shawls of Spanish moss and brilliant-green water plants and pinkish-white marsh mallow flowers, as well as raccoons and muskrats and yellow-eyed gators gliding through clusters of water hyacinths. Still lingering are coffee-colored streams, Old and Lost, where bird calls echo among the tall pines and cypress, where a busy interstate and massive chemical plants and subdivisions spreading amoeba-like across the prairie seem far away. At least for a little while. djholley10@gmail.com Twitter: holleynews The government began to reunite hundreds of immigrant families under the cover of darkness early Thursday as it rushed to meet the second, and final, court deadline to return separated children to their parents. The Trump administration, which had forcibly separated more than 2,500 children at the border this spring under its zero tolerance policy against illegal border crossings, said it was on track to reunite all eligible migrant families by the end of the day. In an afternoon court filing with only hours left to the deadline, the Trump administration reported 1,442 children between 5 to 17 years of age were reunited with their parents. The government reunited 57 younger children with their parents two weeks ago under the first deadline, imposed by a federal court in San Diego after President Trump reversed his family separation policy. Officials said 711 migrant children were still in government custody. Most of their parents have been deported. On Tuesday, the administration reported that 1,012 parents, or 61 percent of 1,637 who were deemed eligible, had been reunited with their children in the past few weeks. That gave the government about 48 hours to reunite the remaining families. Advocacy groups questioned the number, because it didnt include 463 parents who could have already been deported without their children. The ACLU also pointed out the 917 parents were deemed either ineligible or not yet eligible. Thats a self-selected group, said Lee Gelernt, lead lawyer in the ACLU case against the government. The deadline is only what the government is saying they can do, its not a full reunification of all eligible individuals. The Trump administration has so far excluded any parents with criminal history from eligibility, though it will likely allow for some with less serious offenses to be reunified and released. At this point, I cant trust that they know the identities of all of the children and parents, or the whereabouts of all the children and parents, said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, who organized a rally advocating for family reunification in in the city. My fear is that they may be labeling certain people ineligible because they dont have a handle on their identities or their whereabouts. And its an effort to buy time. IN COURT: Migrant parents were misled into waiving rights to family reunification, ACLU says San Antonio is one of four hubs in the country designated for the reunifications. In a rush to meet Thursdays deadline, hundreds of families were reunited in the dead of night. Two families arrived at Catholic Charities of San Antonio between 1 and 3 a.m. Wednesday night. In McAllen, over 50 families had arrived overnight. Overall, 44 families were reunited by Thursday afternoon in San Antonio, and about 450 were reunited in McAllen. Phoenix and El Paso are the other hubs. One Honduran woman, Sandra Elizabeth Sanchez, arrived in San Antonio with her daughter a few hours past midnight. They had been reunited earlier at the South Texas Detention Center in Pearsall. They had been separated for more than a month. Forgive me were the first words she said she told her daughter. Forgive me because I didnt know what was coming, she told her daughter. I didnt want you to suffer. That wasnt my intention. Sanchez gripped a wrinkled, tear-stained napkin several hours later as she spoke with case managers at Catholic Charities of San Antonio. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didnt tell Catholic Charities in San Antonio and McAllen how many immigrants to expect Thursday, which was unusual, officials at both sites said. ICE had been notifying them regularly how many families to expect ever since the reunification process began. REPORT: At least 70 babies summoned to immigration court in past nine months The Trump administration has so far excluded any parents with criminal history from eligibility, though it will likely allow for some with less serious offenses to be reunified and released. Earlier in the week, the government also said it cant locate the parents of nearly 40 children. The fact that the individual had a child does not absolve them of the criminal activity that theyre involved in, Matthew Albence, executive associate director of ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations, said on a press call. On Friday, the ACLU will ask the government to delay the deportation of recently reunified families for seven days, to give them time to receive legal counsel. Lawyers said some parents signed deportation forms without realizing they could appeal their cases. The government reported that 212 parents had waived reunification. Once their children are here, theyre generally do not want to give up that opportunity to have their children in the country, Albence said. Five democratic congressmen asked Secretary State Mike Pompeo to make sure U.S. consulates in Central America prioritized family reunifications with people who were deported without their children. Meanwhile, legal advocates are trying to locate deported parents on their own. Jennifer Falcon, communications director for the San Antonio-based RAICES, said they were essentially acting as private investigators. I suspect its going to be an enormous task, Gelernt said about locating deported parents. Im under no illusions it will be easy. Lauren Connell, a pro bono lawyer working at the immigrant detention center in Karnes County south of San Antonio, said dozens of men showed up there which usually only houses mothers and children to be reunited with their children and await deportation. These families recently, given all of the chaos and multiple transfers they underwent, and being funneled from one facility to have a criminal hearing, and another facility where they were determined to have credible fear interviews, a lot had never had the opportunity to consult with immigration lawyers, she said. Government officials said 223 recently reunited families are housed at the Karnes center and second family detention center in Dilley. In San Antonio, Sanchez said she and her daughter had come to the United States following the steps of her son and older daughter, who were fleeing violence and bad people in her home country, Sanchez said. They crossed the border on June 18, three days after her daughters 15th birthday. She said they bought a little pastelito for her on their journey through Mexico. They were separated after they were apprehended in Eagle Pass, about 140 miles Southwest of San Antonio. EARLIER: Under tight deadline, government ramps up efforts to reunify immigrant families They were unable to communicate during that time, she said. Christhel Nohelia Barahona Sanchez, the daughter, was staying at Casa Presidente in Brownsville. Sanchez was transferred from the Val Verde Detention Facility to the South Texas Detention Center in Pearsall. I suffered so much, Sanchez said, tears streaming down her face. I just kept waiting for the day to see my daughter again. Sanchez and her daughter dont have a lawyer, and she said she hadnt had the credible fear interview, one of the first steps in the process to seeking political asylum in the United States. Now theyre headed to Washington, where her older daughter and three grandchildren live. Im so happy, Sanchez said. Now that I have her. sfosterfrau@express-news.net | @SilviaElenaFF Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said Thursday his firefighters deserve raises, but he would be hard-pressed to maintain his department budget without reducing his ranks if voters approve a measure granting firefighters pay parity with police. This is not a scare tactic, Pena told a city council committee. Theyre simple numbers. In order to deliver the expected service this community wants, were going to have to do restructuring. Even at that, I wont be able to meet the entire gap. Penas comments were in response to questions during a city council committee meeting Thursday in regard to a proposed pay parity measure the Houston firefighters union wants to appear on the November ballot. Others, including city officials, business leaders and police union members, told the committee that passage of the parity measure would force the city to cut services and lay off workers and could risk a credit downgrade for City Hall. Surely, we would agree that a budgetary impact approaching $100 million per year would put a severe strain on the city and warrant scrutiny, said Bob Harvey, CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, the regions dominant business group. For city officials, the issue is the cost of the pay parity measure. For the firefighters union, the issue Thursday was merely when it will appear on the ballot. Union leaders skipped the committee hearing, calling it an unprecedented political stunt intended to distract and confuse the city council and public, the latest in a long line of machinations they say Mayor Sylvester Turner has undertaken to undercut a proposal he says is unaffordable. The councils legal duty, firefighters say, is to schedule the item for a vote, then debate its wisdom. The meeting went about how we expected, Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association president Marty Lancton said. We lost count of the half-truths and false statements. The union last year circulated a petition to put the measure, which would grant firefighters the same pay as police officers of corresponding rank, before voters, but the city failed to verify the signatures until ordered by a judge earlier this year. The city secretarys office completed the verification process in May. Now, the city council must vote to place the measure on the ballot. The firefighters union wants the referendum on the November ballot, but Turner said he will let the council choose the election date at its Aug. 8 meeting. The deadline for getting something on the November ballot is Aug. 20. Turner this week said the committee hearing was intended to be informational. When youre talking to your constituents and they ask you approximately how much this will cost, Id like to think youll want to have an answer, he told the council Wednesday. The administrations cost estimate has risen over time, from an initial guess of about $60 million a year to Turners estimate earlier this month of $79 million. By Thursday, that figure was out of date. Factoring in some updated pension figures and police officers previously negotiated raise that took effect this month, the proposal would add $98 million per year to the citys $2.5 billion general fund budget, according to the city finance department. The cost will climb higher, Finance Director Tantri Emo added, if the police unions ongoing contract talks result in additional raises; the unions current deal ends in December. Police have negotiated pay raises of roughly 30 percent between 2008 and 2019, while firefighters have received raises totaling about 13 percent with just a 3 percent raise since 2011, while taking deep cuts to their pension benefits. The union declared an impasse with the Turner administration and sued the city over its contract last year. That case is pending. Emo said the parity proposal would give firefighters, on average, a 25 percent raise. Firefighters could have higher salaries today, she noted, had they not voted down a 4 percent offer under former mayor Annise Parker or walked away from a 9.5 percent offer from Turner. Lancton disputes the validity of the latter point, saying the offer was made in bad faith after talks had broken down. Pena said his first responders deserve a raise and acknowledged were lagging a little bit compared to similar-sized departments. Still, the chief said, by targeting only staff raises and not the departments operational needs its aging fleet and facilities, its meager training budget, its insufficient number of ambulances the proposal risks busting HFDs budget without improving its performance. Asked how he would accommodate the cost without growing his $503 million budget, Pena said job cuts would be inevitable, noting that 91 percent of the departments costs are personnel. When youre asking me to absorb 20 percent, thats personnel and theres no hiding that. Thats services, he said. The discussion also featured fiery testimony from Houston Police Officers Union president Joe Gamaldi, who said his members support a pay raise for firefighters but vehemently oppose parity, which he said has been an albatross for police departments in other cities. Our job functions are completely different, he said. Yes, we are all first responders. Yes, we all take very serious risks to protect our community. But asking for pay parity simply because were both first responders is like me saying, Well, I want pay parity with city attorney Ron Lewis because our officers handle legal issues all the time. Gamaldi said firefighters pushing the issue talk of fairness, but he said the parity proposal would not require that police pay match firefighters pay if the fire union edged ahead, nor would it align the two groups pensions benefits. Firefighters hired between 2004 and 2017 were afforded much more generous pensions than police hired during that time. While some at Thursdays committee hearing called the discussion premature, much of the talk focused on the potential cost of the measure. I dont hear anyone denying that it would add a very serious financial burden to the city thats unfunded, District H Councilwoman Karla Cisneros said. What the consequences of that would be no one here is comfortable with. We need to get more money to our firefighters. This does not seem to be the best way to do it. District I Councilman Robert Gallegos expressed concern about the financial impact across city departments. I want to make sure our library hours will not be cut back, I want to make sure the swimming pool hours will not be cut back, I want to make sure BARC is out there picking up stray dogs, I want to make sure Solid Waste is picking up the trash on time and I want to make sure HPD doesnt cut any of the five cadet classes that are in our budget this year, he said. mike.morris@chron.com Twitter.com/mmorris011 Now Playing: Clerk shot at South Central hotel Video: Metro Video A hotel clerk was held at gunpoint and shot during a robbery in south central Houston on Thursday. The shooting occurred when at least two men went into the America's Best Value Inn, on Riverside at State Highway 288, and demanded money from the cash register, according to Metro Video. By Azernews By Rashid Shirinov Azerbaijani and Russian foreign ministries held consultations in Baku on July 27. The Russian delegation was headed by the Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, and the Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev headed the Azerbaijani delegation. The parties discussed the issues of information support of foreign policy. Following the consultations, Zakharova told reporters that Azerbaijan and Russia agreed to intensify information consultations. Our traditional form of cooperation between the press services of the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia have proved themselves. These are exchange of views on information issues, protection of journalists, great opportunity to inventory the work we are doing to ensure that the work of Russian journalists in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani journalists in Russia is effective and constructive, the spokeswoman said, adding that at the consultations they agreed to exchange views even more intensively. Speaking of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, she noted that Russia welcomes any positive agreements between the parties to the conflict. We welcome any meetings where both countries agree and which are constructive, and most importantly, we welcome any positive results achieved, Zakharova said. The spokeswoman added that the meetings are held at different levels between Azerbaijan and Armenia. She also touched upon the issue of anti-Azerbaijani campaigns. Something must be done about that. We have all the tools in the form of international organizations and specialized international bodies, in which Russia and Azerbaijan participate, to counteract these very negative, destructive trends, Zakharova said. Hajiyev, in turn, said that there is a program of action between the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia. In accordance with this program, consultations are held between the foreign ministries of the two countries. There is a mechanism for political consultations and consultations on consular issues, the spokesman noted. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that consultations on information issues are held in Baku, and added that the discussions were very constructive. Last year, Azerbaijan and Russia marked the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations. Presently, Russia is one of the main economic and trade partners of Azerbaijan. More than 170 documents were signed between the two countries, including about 50 documents on economy. Moreover, Russia, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, is making much efforts aimed at the early settlement of the long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry has many times noted that assistance in the settlement of the conflict is one of the country's priorities. The Harris County Sheriff's Office will offer a safe place for residents to conduct person-to-person sales transactions, the agency announced Friday. Deputies at the District 4 substation at 16715 Clay Road will be on hand Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to supervise sales such as those conducted using websites like Craigslist and Nextdoor. SOME ADS DROPPED: Craigslist responds to sex trafficking bill Deputies will not help residents haggle over prices, but merely will ensure everyone's safety, the sheriff's office said. Now Playing: FOX 26 News reporter Randy Wallace Video: Fox 26 Houston Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, as a Houston City Council member, helped create a program in 2015 which opened Houston Police Department parking lots for cash transactions between residents. Gonzalez said the need for such safe zones was apparent after several people around the country were killed or robbed during similar person-to-person transactions. Between 2010 and 2015, two Houston residents were killed in Craigslist transactions. Sugar Land police debuted a similar initiative in 2016. 2 1 of 2 Mark Mulligan, Staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Tom Reel, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less AUSTIN Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a TV interview that he would be happy to debate anybody on the issues as he seeks re-election this fall, but he is now backing off that offer by refusing to debate Democrat Justin Nelson as voters decide who to hire as the state's top lawyer. Paxton instead will communicate directly with the voters, his campaign spokesman, Matt Welch, wrote in an emailed statement Thursday in rejecting Nelsons invitation to debate. In the town of Sodankyla, Finland, the thermometer on July 17 registered a record-breaking 90 degrees, a remarkable figure given that Sodankyla is 59 miles north of the Arctic Circle, in a region known for winter snowmobiling and an abundance of reindeer. This is a hot, strange and dangerous summer across the planet. Greece is in mourning after scorching heat and high winds fueled wildfires that have killed more than 80 people. Japan recorded its highest temperature in history, 106 degrees, in a heat wave that killed 65 people in a week and hospitalized 22,000, shortly after catastrophic flooding killed 200. STUDIES: Heat makes you dumb, in charts Montreal hit 98 degrees on July 2, its warmest temperature ever measured. Canadian health officials estimate as many as 70 people died in that heat wave. In the United States, 35 weather stations in the past month have set new marks for warm overnight temperatures. Southern California has had record heat and widespread power outages. In Yosemite Valley, which is imperiled by wildfires, park rangers have told everyone to flee. The brutal weather has been supercharged by human-induced climate change, scientists say. Climate models for three decades have predicted exactly what the world is seeing this summer. And they predict that it will get hotter - and that what is a record today could someday be the norm. "The old records belong to a world that no longer exists," said Martin Hoerling, a research meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Washington Post It's not just heat. A warming world is prone to multiple types of extreme weather - heavier downpours, stronger hurricanes, longer droughts. "You see roads melting, airplanes not being able to take off, there's not enough water," said Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. "Climate change hits us at our Achilles' heel. In the Southwest, it's water availability. On the Gulf Coast, it's hurricanes. In the East, it's flooding. It's exacerbating the risks we already face today." The proximate cause of the Northern Hemisphere bake-off is the unusual behavior of the jet stream, a wavy track of west-to-east-prevailing wind at high altitude. The jet stream controls broad weather patterns, such as high-pressure and low-pressure systems. The extent of climate change's influence on the jet stream is an intense subject of research. This summer, the jet stream has undulated in extreme waves that have tended to block weather systems from migrating. The result has been stagnant high-pressure and low-pressure systems with dire results, such as heat waves in some places and flooding elsewhere. HEAT WAVES: 5 ways to keep cities cooler during the heat "When those waves are very big - as they have been for the past few weeks - they tend to get stuck in place," said Jennifer Francis, a professor of atmospheric science at Rutgers University. Last year, scientists published evidence that the conditions leading up to "stuck jet streams" are becoming more common, with warming in the Arctic seen as a likely culprit. Gone are the days when scientists drew abright line dividing weather and climate. Now researchers can examine a weather event and estimate how much climate change had to do with causing or exacerbating it. Last year, when Hurricane Harvey broke the record for how much rain could fall from a single storm, researchers knew climate change had been a factor. Months later, scientists presented findings that Harvey dumped at least 15 percent more rain in Houston than it would have without global warming. Theory, meet reality: When the atmosphere is warmer, it can hold more moisture. Climate change does not cause hurricanes to spin up or thunderstorms to develop, but it can be an intensifier. In Dallas, where the temperature hit 100 on 10 out of 11 days this month, three homeless people have died of heat-related causes in the past week, said Brenda Snitzer, executive director of the Stewpot, a downtown shelter. Tim Meko and Angela Fritz/The Wa In Phoenix, Arizona, where this week's temperature hit 116 degrees, Dustin Nye, 36, who spent the day installing air-conditioning units, said he has suffered heat stroke in the past and still gets woozy. "It takes a special breed to do this all day long in this heat," he said. "You've really got to work up your endurance and just buckle down and deal with it." In Los Angeles, Marty Adams, chief operating officer of the Department of Water and Power, said, "It seems like every year, we've had some type of temperature anomaly that we normally would not have." Residents of California beach cities such as Long Beach and Santa Monica, who normally rely on the ocean breeze to cool their homes, have added air-conditioning units, which strains the grid and has contributed to power outages, he said. Said Hayhoe: "The biggest myth that the largest number of people have bought into is that 'climate change doesn't matter to me personally.' " The heat waves have hit hard where people don't expect them - the Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Ireland and Canada. "Our office doesn't have air conditioning. I do have a fan," said Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, a climate researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. He spoke by phone from the city of Gouda, where the temperature hit 96 degrees Thursday. "This kind of event was a 1-in-100-year event in 1900," he said. "It's become 20 times more likely." It's Britain's driest summer since modern records began in 1961. Reservoirs are declining rapidly, and water restrictions are in effect. The United Kingdom's national weather service urged people to avoid the sun this week, with temperatures expected to hit 98 Fahrenheit. In Ireland, the sun-parched fields revealed a previously hidden footprint of a 5,000-year-old monument near Newgrange. Human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, has added greenhouse gases to the atmosphere,trapping heat and making extreme weather events even more extreme. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 410 parts per million in May, the highest the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii had measuredsince Charles David Keeling started keeping records in 1958. NASA estimates Earth has warmed almost one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the late 1800s. Of that, half a degree (around one degree F) has accrued since 1990 alone. If nothing is done to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, scientists say, the global temperature increase could reach nine degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with higher spikes on land and at high latitudes. The Paris agreement, signed by every country in the world, is designed to limit that temperature spike through commitments to cut greenhouse-gas emissions over time. President Donald Trump, who in the past has called global warming a hoax, has vowed to pull the United States out of the accord as soon as that becomes possible, in 2020. The 2017 National Climate Assessment, released in November, concluded what it has for nearly three decades: Human-made climate change is real, and the impacts have already started. Average temperature is rising rapidly across the United States. Heat waves are becoming more extreme and will continue to do so. Overall precipitation has decreased in the South and West and increased in the North and East. That trend will continue. The heaviest precipitation events will become more frequent and more extreme. Snowpack will continue to decline. Large wildfires will become even more frequent. Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said even modest heat from global warming can build up over time. "The accumulated energy over one month is equivalent to a small microwave oven at full power for six minutes over every square foot of the planet," Trenberth said. "No wonder things catch on fire." - - - The Washington Post's Justin Glawe in Dallas, Jeremy Duda in Phoenix, William Dauber in Los Angeles and Jennifer Hassan in London contributed to this report. SUMMERLAND KEY, FLA. On this offshoot of land in the lower Florida Keys, where the typical attire is Crocs and running shorts, Christopher Page is the resident baby daddy of corals, that is. From dawn to dusk everyday, he stands hunched over tanks filled with coral polyps in varying stages of development, paying close attention to the nutrients dusting the tank bottoms, as well as the water temperature and quality. "I have thousands of babies," he jokes. "It's very challenging." But his efforts at the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration are no laughing matter. In a world where a quarter of coral reefs are considered damaged beyond repair and two-thirds are under serious threat, Page is developing a replicable way to regrow reefs that are more resilient to changing water conditions. RELATED: Researchers race against the clock to restore vital ecosystems Page started tinkering with coral breeding at the Moore center about seven years ago, collecting coral eggs and sperm from reefs in the Florida Keys once each summer and letting them reproduce in a sterile lab environment. In June, last year's crop of so-called "sexual recruits" already were stretching their polyps across concrete plugs in tanks sitting in the humid Florida air. Page carefully checked the water, stirring up the "pixie dust" a mix of coral and algae particles that he and his interns sprinkled on the coral larvae to trick them into thinking they're growing on a reef. Page has found this method the most successful in keeping his coral babies alive. If they grow in the lab for about a year before being planted in the wild, they're much more likely to survive, he said. His breeding program has been up and running since about 2013, but the Moore center has been working on coral restoration for decades, starting with a process called micro-fragmentation that involves slicing up pieces of coral and super-gluing them to quarter-sized concrete plugs. Those coral slices are then placed in temperature-controlled water tanks, which allows them to grow at 50 times the rate they would in the wild. This process is center scientist Joey Mandara's baby, so to speak. With each new batch of coral fragments, Mandara runs them through a saw before they are glued to concrete plugs and allowed to grow on site. He works with the laser-like precision of someone who knows what he's doing. Mandara's hand-painted straw hat the scientist's signature shields the sun from his eyes as he slices centimeter-sized coral fragments in half without a moment's hesitation or any semblance of gloves. Mandara's work requires a different type of precision than Page's complicated breeding process. But together, these two processes have resulted in the planting of 35,000 new pieces of coral on the Florida Keys reefs since 2013. And the vast majority of them are thriving, Page said. "They survived two bleaching events and a Category 4 Hurricane. They seemed to not even be super affected," Page said, referring to the back-to-back bleachings in 2014 and 2015 and Hurricane Irma in 2017. Bleaching, often caused by too warm waters, is a process in which corals expel the algae that gives them color and provides them food. They, quite literally, starve to death. Scientists around the world are already taking note of the Moore center's success. A group in Texas is learning their techniques, and Page said he is asked to speak across the globe, including Mexico, about his process. Soon, their restoration efforts will be taken to Caribbean Islands, Page said, and he's hopeful it will expand from there. Until then, Page, Mandara and their colleagues in Summerland Key continue toiling in the hot Florida sun to save the reef they've grown to love. A sign emblazoned with the center's motto couldn't describe their passion better: "Today's research for tomorrow's oceans." alex.stuckey@chron.com twitter.com/alexdstuckey Weve reached the court-ordered deadline for the Trump administration to reunify families separated under its zero-tolerance policy. Expect federal officials and government attorneys to argue that they have returned all eligible children to their parents. Expect them to reason that, by doing so, they met the deadline imposed by Southern District of California Judge Dana Sabraw. Dont believe the hype. For hundreds of migrant families, there were no emotional, long-awaited reunions on Thursday. No fervent embraces at the airport. No wrenching tears as dazed children and desperate parents clasp each other after weeks or months apart. There is still much uncertainty, much fear and many questions. EDITORIAL: Forget law and order at the border. Trump wants pain. RELATED: Feds will miss deadline for reuniting families separated at border, advocates say OPINION: DNA paternity tests at the border reveal a technodystopian tale As of Thursday evening, the government said it had released 1,820 children, between the ages of 5 and 17, categorized as eligible for reunification by the July 26 deadline, from its care 1,442 reunited with parents in immigration custody and 378 discharged in other appropriate circumstances. That still left another 711 the government has categorized as ineligible under strict screening guidelines. Of that group, 431 are ineligible because their parents are no longer in the country, most likely because they have been deported. Two weeks ago, the government missed an earlier court deadline for reuniting tender-age children, under 5 years old, by two days and still reunited only half. But put aside the numbers, which seem to shift and slide daily. Put aside the bureaucratic language. Remember that these are children. Frightened. Traumatized. Children. Remember that these are mothers and fathers who fled gang violence and domestic abuse in their homelands to seek asylum in what they thought was a safer place. Remember the scenes in airports where parents like Hermelindo Che Coc, an asylum-seeker from Guatemala, waited anxiously to see their little ones again. Papa, I thought they killed you, Che Cocs 6-year-old told his father, according to the Los Angeles Times. You separated from me. You dont love me anymore? When father and son were finally reunited after two months, the boy had a cough and a rash covering his small body. He was expressionless. Many families have reported that their children were returned with bruises, covered in lice, and unable to recognize them. What will become of these kids? Does the government plan on finding the parents? said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, at a press conference with five other congress members Wednesday morning. The answers are unknown because the administration refuses to respond to any congressional inquiries my colleagues and I have sent in. Thats a big part of the problem. The Trump administration, which touts itself as big on law and order and claims an immigration crackdown is necessary for national security and crime prevention, refuses to take responsibility for its own actions. In the nine weeks since the zero-tolerance policy officially took effect, it has become abundantly clear that there was no plan to reunite families, no clear system of keeping track of which children went with which mom and dad, no intention of repairing the damage caused by ripping youngsters away from their parents. There was just the goal of sowing terror as a way to deter immigrants from crossing the border and seeking asylum in the United States. This is a deeply troubling reality, Judge Sabraw said earlier this week. There has to be an accounting. We agree. Someone needs to answer for this. Whether it is Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who instituted the zero-tolerance policy. Whether it is White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who first floated the idea, then defended family separations by noting children would be put in foster care or whatever. Whether it is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who initially denied the policy only to issue misleading statistics in an attempt to justify it. Whether it is President Trump himself. Someone needs to be held accountable for the trauma and suffering inflicted on thousands of families. In this case, the government perpetrators wont be punished with jail time or caged away from their loved ones. No, its up to conscientious elected leaders to speak up for the victims and fight for accountability. And its up to voters to demand it. By Trend Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing funding for the construction of the Jayirli-Alpout road in Goychay region. Under the presidential order, 8 million manats will be allocated to the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency for the construction of the road connecting 11 residential areas with a total population of 21,000 people. Prison is supposed to be a bad place, right? Inmates shouldnt have comfortable living conditions, right? Especially not air-conditioning, right? Wrong. If rehabilitation is the goal of incarceration and it should be then prisoners shouldnt be treated like caged animals. Unless, of course, you want prisoners to act like animals when they get out; and most prisoners will eventually get out. So why is it so hard for Texas politicians to get it through their heads that improving prison conditions, including installing air-conditioning in cell blocks to combat triple-digit summer heat, isnt just good for the inmates, its good for public safety? EDITORIAL: Treating state convicts humanely means adding air conditioning to Texas prisons RELATED: 2 Texas prison guards, 2 inmates treated for heat-related illnesses Prisons and jails shouldnt promote criminality, but too often they do. Inadequate security leads to predation, exploitation and abuse. Intolerable living conditions fuel anger, resentment, recidivism and sometimes death. Twenty-two people have died as a result of oppressive conditions at 15 state prisons since 1998, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The dead include Larry Gene McCollum, a 58-year-old inmate at the Dallas-area Hutchins Unit, who died of heat stroke in July 2011. McCollum had a body temperature of 109 degrees when guards found him. A federal judge last year blamed the state for McCollums death. In another case, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ruled earlier this year that conditions were so bad for the 1,400 geriatric inmates at the Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota that the state had violated their Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. A settlement of that lawsuit, originally filed in 2014, brought some air-conditioning to the Pack Unit, but only 29 of the 104 state-run jails and prisons in Texas have air-conditioning in their cells or inmate dormitories. How many more lawsuits have to be filed before state politicians get the message? Are they waiting for more inmates to die? A Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman suggested the state is doing the best it can by providing air-conditioned respite areas, cold showers, ice water, electrolyte drinks and cooler meals. Thats not enough to avoid another preventable death in state custody. Nor does it address the fact that guards and other prison staff at times must endure the same conditions as inmates. In fact, two prison guards and two inmates at Texas prisons had to be treated for heat-related illnesses this week. Jennifer Erschabek, executive director of the Texas Inmate Families Association, says its unbearable for inmates, even in prison units with air-conditioning, because the AC units typically dont work properly. Something has got to be done to where were not fighting this environmental issue that these buildings arent built to handle, she said. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, chairman of that chambers corrections committee, believes lawmakers are getting the message because they dont want to be back in court. State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, who chairs the House corrections committee, says there may not be a Carrier air-conditioner in every cell block, but were going to find a way to improve prison conditions. Thats good to hear. Elected officials may not want to spend political capital trying to convince voters theyre not coddling inmates, but its time that they made the issue a priority. And Gov. Greg Abbott needs to lend his strong voice to the effort. Across America in recent years it has been easier to push for larger prison budgets when it means building more warehouses for inmates. But investing in improved prison conditions will take a bigger bite out of crime in the long run by reducing recidivism. Combine that with other rehabilitation measures including drug counseling, anger management, GED instruction, and job training and Texas would see fewer of its 165,000 inmates return to prison again and again. Then, it could divert some of the $3.3 billion it annually spends to house the nations largest prison population to other needs, including quality public education. That makes more sense than caging prisoners in cell blocks that can get as hot as an oven. EDITOR'S NOTE: The op-ed below has been edited to reflect that the bridge project will be paid for with toll dollars, not taxpayer dollars. Under current law, toll revenues cannot be used for flooding mitigation. Rising like a glorious giant from the sea, the world's tallest statue is being built in India for the enormous sum of $500 million dollars. The statue will honor the 17th century warrior Chhatrapati Shivaj as he charges on horseback about to face battle. As one might expect in a nation poorer than Nigeria and Papua New Guinea, such a lavish expenditure has caused outrage and protests. How, the furious people ask, could a nation with such pressing needs fail to take care of its own citizens before erecting such a statue? Regrettably, there are no easy answers to the people of India, but as Houstonians, we can offer them comfort in sharing our own bewilderment that some of the leaders of Harris County are committing a similar offense. RELATED: Project to replace Ship Channel Bridge at $1 billion cost will take 6 years to complete EDITORIAL: Freeways aren't free, and Texas politicos don't want to pay Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Harris County Commissioner Jack Morman just successfully lobbied to spend not one, but two times the amount of money it will cost to build the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaj. In other words, they'll be spending $1 billion dollars to tear down a perfectly fine bridge and replace it with a bigger bridge. Purely on its own, the project would be a catastrophic waste of resources. But of course, nothing can be evaluated without taking account of the bigger picture. When we expand our horizon, we see that this reckless project is being conducted at time when Greater Houston faces a life or death struggle with flooding. True, the bridge is being paid for with toll funds, not taxpayer dollars. And under current law, those toll funds can't be spent on flood mitigation. But true political leadership responds to the gravity of the times with appropriate measures. If they wanted to, county leaders could get creative and lobby the Texas Legislature to change the law and allow toll revenue collected by the Harris County Toll Road Authority to be used for projects that reduce flooding. As it is now, we are spending $1 billion on the aesthetic makeover of a bridge when we can't promise Houstonians that we won't flood again before this next hurricane season ends. The $1 billon dollars will be spent to replace a two-by-two lane stretch of the Beltway 8, known as the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge, with a four-by-four lane bridge. Despite the project's futility, Mormon argues that this is money well spent to reduce a traffic jam and address "one of the county's great needs." Now, there is no question that Houston has several major traffic issues. Many sections of Interstate 10, Interstate 45, Interstate 59, Texas 288, Texas 290 and the Interstate 610 loop receive over 150,000 vehicles per day, and some stretches even top 180,000 vehicles. The Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge, however, receives a paltry 55,000 vehicles, one of the lowest totals for a major stretch of highway in Harris County. Of course, vehicle traffic does not tell you the whole story about traffic flow, as a two-lane highway could back up much worse than a 4-lane highway even if the 4-lane highway had many more vehicles. However, this is not the case for the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge. The bridge is a relative Mecca for traffic issues in Greater Houston - someone can virtually fly across it compared to the time it takes to drive through one of several other stretches of highway in the region. And fixing these stretches' issues could be addressed for a fraction of the cost. Traffic issues also need to be considered cumulatively. Even though this bridge is hardly used by Houston standards, the project could still have merit if it alleviated other areas of congestion. Again, this will not be the case for this project. The Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge is currently one of four ways to cross the Ship Channel, all relatively close. A driver can also cross the Ship Channel at 610 East, the Washburn tunnel or at the Fred Hartman Bridge, the latter two being only 10 minutes away, and together these alternatives constitute as close as Houston gets to excellence in traffic management. As such, we can safely say that Morman is wrong. The reconstruction of this bridge is hardly "one of the county's great needs." The real need stems from the fact that our city floods like a scene from Noah's Ark every time a sprinkler system runs too long, or when it pours for just a few hours like it did on this past July Fourth. Unless we solve flooding, there is no Houston, there is no industry to protect, and resolving traffic congestion issues - particularly where there are none - will be the least of our concerns. We have to prioritize just like every other county, city and country ought to. The $2.5 billion flood bond Harris County voters will consider in August is a start, but county leaders must do more. It may be challenge to relocate these funds to flood mitigation, but until the Texas Supreme Court itself rules that it is impossible, we should fight for it as if our future itself is at stake. Accordingly, Emmett and Mormon should both lobby the Texas Legislature to allow them to reallocate these funds and also submit a referendum to the people of Harris County calling for these funds to be spent on flood mitigation as well. And if this fails, or somehow cannot be done, I have simple solution: find a more reasonable project, or just don't spend the money at all. Rose is a lawyer in Houston. Regarding Protecting communities (Page A15, July 21), its interesting that U.S. Rep. John Culberson has suddenly found himself interested in health care for Texans, as he pushes funding to help those afflicted with opioid addiction. He comments that, nearly 3,000 Texans died from overdosing on opioids in 2016. We should, of course, all support a strong response to the opioid abuse epidemic. But in the case of Culberson, this is hypocrisy, pure and simple. Is Culberson telling us that opioid addiction is the only health care problem that need concern us? So, special funding is warranted but we dont need to worry about whether the 339,000 people in Harris County with pre-existing conditions are getting care for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases, Alzheimers or whether Houstonians can even access basic preventive care? How many more thousands of Texans will lose comprehensive health insurance because Culberson has enthusiastically joined the partisan effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act voting dozens of times to repeal health care without presenting any tangible options? Health insurance that would, by the way, include coverage for medical care and support for rehabilitative treatment for opioid addiction. We will believe that Culberson is truly concerned about the health of Texans when he demonstrates concern for the health of all Texans, including those suffering from the opioid scourge. Patricia Bernstein, Bellaire Eyeing China warily Regarding U.S. airlines to follow demands by China on what to call Taiwan (Page B2, Wednesday), I would like to echo some recent words from our representative to the United States, Stanley Kao: China is attempting to take the free out of the global free enterprise system of which the US and Taiwan are integral parts. In recent years, we have seen major international corporations bend to Beijings intimidation tactics in exchange for access to its expanding middle class. This strategy ignores the reality that every success spurs Beijing to be bolder about using its commercial power to influence foreign policy goals. Democratic states and their free peoples across the world must stand tall against this weaponization of commercial power; to do otherwise will encourage further attacks on free enterprise and other democratic principles. Director-General Peter Chen, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston They just dont get it Regarding Bailout for farmers would ease tariff pains (Page A1, July 25), so let me get this straight. In order to Make America Great Again, our president initiates an ill-advised trade war with China that, to the surprise of no one, ends up hurting American farmers, for whom he now is seeking a $12 billion pre-midterm payoff, to be funded by American taxpayers and, due in part to the tax cut-fueled debt required to Make America Great Again, will likely be borrowed from China. The question is, how hard of a crash landing will it take to convince the MAGA minions that theres no one flying this plane? Robert Campbell, Katy I have a theory. When people lose faith in institutions (political parties, organized religion, etc.) they don't become cynics or nihilists, they simply transfer their faith to people. Specifically, two kinds of people: themselves and charismatic celebrities. The first category seems rather obvious to me. There's always been an acute independent streak in Americans. You're not the boss of me, go with your gut and who are you to judge (me)? could be national mottos. But it seems to me that we've passed some kind of tipping point. I don't know when it happened, but the trend stretches back a long way. Some might want to start the timeline in the radicalism of the 1960s or the selfishness of the Me Decade 1970s. Others might lay blame on the alleged greed of the 1980s. The point is that Americans, regardless of ideology, are more inclined to go with their own moral or political instincts than to rely on experts or defer to institutions. The consequences of this cultural revolution are a familiar lament for many conservatives. Self-esteem is valued over self-discipline. Regular church attendance has been in steady decline (the numbers are debated, the trend is not), while the number of people who say they are spiritual but not religious has been steadily growing. According to the Pew Research Center, 27 percent of Americans describe themselves this way. In other words, a growing number of Americans haven't lost their religious sensibility -- for want of a better word -- they've simply decided they can be their own priests, as it were. In short, our understanding of the world has become increasingly personalized, governed by our own judgments, instincts and feelings. Which brings me to that other category of people: charismatic celebrities. From Oprah to Jordan Peterson, Americans seem less interested in putting trust in institutional brands and more interested in following the advice of charismatic people with whom they've formed a personal bond. When I use the term charismatic, I don't mean the colloquial sense of charming. Originally, a charismatic leader was a king, general or prophet who seemed to be imbued with, or anointed by, divine authority. (Charisma comes from the Greek Kharisma, meaning gifted with grace.) German sociologist Max Weber updated the term. Charismatic leaders, he wrote, have a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. In contemporary America, and perhaps throughout history everywhere, the hallmark of a charismatic leader is the ability to form a personal relationship with his or her followers. People invest their faith in the leader, not in the formal institutions or organizations that traditionally serve as gatekeepers or validators of ideas or programs. Today, political leaders -- along with celebrity influencers from all manner of vocations -- have discovered that the key to success isn't in a particular platform or institution, but in having a personal following. Institutions no longer fight to fend off mavericks or upstarts; institutions now try to attract them. Political parties are late arrivals to this trend. Historically, they served as gatekeepers and validators of candidates. That's no longer really the case. Indeed, one of the great ironies of today's America is that while partisanship is perhaps the defining feature of our politics, the parties themselves have never been weaker. Barack Obama was an insurgent in the Democratic Party who in effect stole the nomination from the establishment choice, Hillary Clinton, in 2008. The key to his success: He was a charismatic leader who ostentatiously ran as a kind of secular redeemer. Obama's supporters invested staggering confidence in his personality. Some of the rhetoric about him could be described as parody if people weren't so serious about it. Deepak Chopra insisted that Obama's campaign amounted to a quantum leap in American consciousness. Barbara Walters later confessed that we thought he was going to be the next messiah. Similarly, in 2016, the Republican Party establishment was simply too weak to compete with the power of Donald Trump's personal relationship with a plurality of voters (and now, it seems, with much of the party's rank and file). Ann Coulter's latest book title makes the point: In Trump We Trust. I suspect this dynamic will define much of our politics -- and our culture -- long after Trump, because he was a symptom of this trend, not the author of it. Goldberg's new book, Suicide of the West, is now available wherever books are sold. You can write to him in care of this newspaper or by e-mail at goldbergcolumn@gmail.com, or via Twitter @JonahNRO. I once flew to Germany for 19 hours to watch Ivanka Trump sit on a panel with a bunch of female leaders, and to be summoned by her later that evening for an off-the-record chat in her hotel lobby, where she ordered red wine in a white dress, which seems, in retrospect, like the boldest act Id ever seen her make. I once spent several weeks trekking to the White House, repeatedly, for additional conversations that were supposed to be on the record, but then suddenly werent, and which then collapsed into afternoons at a nearby bakery where my reporting partner and I would eat scones and try to dissect what had happened. What was Ivanka saying? What was she really saying? What, on the record, could we say about her? RELATED: Ivanka Trump is shutting down her clothing company OPINION: Ivanka Trump wants power with no accountability EDITORIAL: Allies can respond to tariffs by targeting the Trump family The reporters who cover Ivanka Trump have spent as much time as anybody trying to figure out how to meaningfully cover Ivanka Trump: the deep moat surrounding her, the careful way she measures her words like a Weight Watchers subscriber trying not to go over her daily allotment of almonds. Ive asked the questions that public has asked: Is she trying to moderate her father? Is she actually moderating him? How much does she care about her publicized issues job training and economic opportunities for women? How much is she just trying to sell books? Sell sleeveless floral sheath dresses? Shoes? The last question was answered on Tuesday: Shes not trying to sell clothes at all. Her eponymous clothing brand her defining symbol, which seemed to tie together and represent everything she cared about in terms of women and their success is shuttering. I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, she said in a statement, closing off the possibility of returning to the companys helm. (Shed officially stepped down after taking a White House job as her fathers adviser.) As with most things Ivanka does, the news was immediately interpreted in a dozen ways: Perhaps she was heroically eliminating her escape hatch so she could go all-in on the nations affordable-child-care problem. Perhaps this was a face-saving maneuver: Nordstrom had stopped carrying the line because of deteriorating sales, other stores had scaled back, the clothes had become controversial. I dont know. After dedicating days, weeks, months to understanding how Ivanka saw herself and the world around her, I understand mostly that Germany is a long way to fly to watch someone tour an educational center, when youre pinned out of earshot in a press scrum and your notes read only, Careful eye contact. Excellent posture. In public interviews, Ivankas been a master of careful excellence, the artful dodge, the well-phrased nothing. As for her influence: Shes said only that if she disagrees with her father, its expressed privately and with total candor. From time to time, Ivankas believers have tried to imbue meaning into what she left unsaid, or what they perceived as subtweets: I am proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society, she posted last June. A few weeks later, her father announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military. She could have forcefully come out against it. She could have forcefully opposed (or supported?) a lot of her fathers controversial decisions. But the biggest question surrounding Ivanka has always been this one: How much of her identity is about herself? Her own name, her own brand, her own legacy? And how much of her identity is tied up in being her fathers daughter? As gleeful Ivanka takedowns began circulating this week, Im again analyzing her: wondering what it would be like to have a truly unguarded conversation with her, wondering whether shed ever had an unguarded conversation with anybody. Wondering about soft power, and beautiful-white-woman power, and the agony of seeking parental approval even as an adult! and how silence is sometimes actually wisdom and sometimes actually fear. Either way, here we are: the death of her company. It had her own name on it; it represented her own values. But it will ultimately be associated, inextricably, with the politics of her dad. Again and again, Ivanka has sublimated her own voice and her own views. Even when speaking out would have been good for her. Even when it might have been useful for the country. One way to look at the shuttering of the Ivanka Trump brand is as a definitive act of filial piety. And an answer to the biggest question: Her identity is entirely tied up in being a Trump. Of course Ivanka isnt coming to save you. She couldnt even save herself. Hesse is a columnist for The Washington Post's Style section and author of American Fire. I realize that many times before youve been told, If this werent the Trump administration where theres a new scandal every day, this would be a major scandal. You sighed and said, Im sure thats true, then moved on. But let me explain why the administrations treatment of the U.S. Census should, in fact, be a major scandal, particularly given some blockbuster news we just got. This scandal has a malign conspiracy, public lies, possible perjury, and an unrelenting assault not just on a core American institution enshrined in the Constitution, but on democracy itself. As you may have heard, the Trump administration has decided to add a question to the 2020 Census asking whether those answering are United States citizens. Its already widely known that its hard enough already to get people, particularly in immigrant communities, to answer the questions, because theres not only concern about privacy but also fear that the census will be used to target people for harassment or even deportation. EDITORIAL: Census plans will mess with Texas OPINION: Accurate 2020 census critical to Houstons financial future ANOTHER VOICE: Victoria reflects the changing face of Texas, but power structures need to catch up RELATED: Dems want Ross to clarify origins of citizenship question A citizenship question - which hasnt been part of the decennial census for 70 years - is all but guaranteed to make people even more reluctant to answer the questions. Thats particularly true in the environment of fear that Donald Trump has created for all immigrants, both documented and undocumented, and indeed for all racial, religious, and ethnic minorities. That is, of course, the whole point. When communities with lots of immigrants and minorities are undercounted, that means fewer federal dollars will flow to them and they will be underrepresented in the redistricting that occurs after the census. The addition of the citizenship question is one more part of a broader Republican vote suppression effort that includes aggressive gerrymandering, voter ID laws, voter purges, and restriction of early voting. But like all those efforts, the administrations decision to effectively turn the census into a tool to maintain Republican power has to be clothed in some kind of reasonable-sounding justification. It need not even be all that plausible; all thats necessary is to give Republicans something they can say when Democrats point out what theyre doing. We have to pass voter ID because of the mythical epidemic of voter impersonation fraud. We have to purge the rolls because we care so deeply about efficient database management. And we have to ask about citizenship because the Trump administration needs complete information in order to enforce the Voting Rights Act and safeguard the rights of minorities. That comical justification was what the administration, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in particular, offered to explain why it was so important to add the citizenship question (the Census is under the authority of the Commerce Department). When they began raising the possibility, they said that the whole idea came from the Department of Justice, which made a request in December to the Commerce Department to add the question. That, it has now become clear, was a lie. In fact, the Commerce Department asked the Justice Department to make the request, in what seems an obvious attempt to provide the cover story that they could use from that point forward. We know this because as part of a lawsuit filed by multiple states to stop the addition of the citizenship question, emails have now been obtained that show Ross and other Commerce officials stating exactly what they were doing. Heres part of the Posts report, from Tara Bahrampour: In a May 2, 2017, email to Earl Comstock, director of the departments Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, Ross wrote: I am mystified why nothing have [sic] been done in response to my months old request that we include the citizenship question. Why not? Comstock responded the same day, promising to get that in place and adding, We need to work with Justice to get them to request that citizenship be added back as a census question, and we have the court cases to illustrate that DOJ has a legitimate need for the question to be included. This appears to contradict Rosss testimony in March before the House Ways and Means Committee saying that the Justice Department had initiated the request for the question. Indeed it does. On March 22 of this year, Ross testified before that committee when Rep. Judy Chu asked him about the citizenship question. He began his response this way: The Department of Justice, as you know, initiated the request for inclusion of the citizenship question. With the release of these emails, we now know that was a part of the cover story that Ross and others in the administration concocted to argue falsely that the citizenship question would be added only to satisfy the Trump Justice Departments deep concern for enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. I doubt that Ross will be prosecuted for perjury, but its hard to see why he couldnt be. We also learn from an April 2017 email that Steve Bannon has asked that the Secretary talk to someone about the Census, which further undercuts the administrations cover story that 1) this only came up because of the December 2017 Justice Department request, and 2) that its all about getting an accurate count to aid enforcement of the VRA. So heres what we know: --Almost immediately after taking office, people in the Trump administration, including the presidents chief political strategist and the secretary of commerce, begin pushing to add the citizenship question. --Commerce officials decide to work with Justice to get them to request that citizenship be added back as a census question. --In September 2017, a Trump appointee at the Justice Department writes to officials at Commerce that It sounds like we can do whatever you all need us to do, adding that the AG, meaning Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is eager to assist. --The letter making the request finally gets written in December 2017, by a Trump appointee who spent much of his career defending Republican redistricting efforts. --The administration then publicly claims that the reason the citizenship question is being added is that the Justice Department has requested it so that the Voting Rights Act can be properly enforced and the rights of minorities safeguarded. In the statement released upon announcing the change on March 26, 2018, Secretary Ross claims that the request from the Department of Justice initiated the process, and after a careful review, I have determined that reinstatement of a citizenship question on the 2020 decennial census is necessary to provide complete and accurate data in response to the DOJ request. --Ross also testifies under oath, falsely, that the entire process was initiated by the Justice Department. --On June 21 of this year, Ross puts out a new letter in which he changes his story, now saying that he had been considering the question for some time and as part of the process, he inquired whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) would support, and if so would request, inclusion of a citizenship question as consistent with and useful for enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. Ill leave it up to you to decide whether that sounds like Ross knew, because of the multiple lawsuits that have been filed or for some other reason, that his lies were going to be exposed and he ought to get out in front of them. Ross certainly should no longer be in any position of authority in the United States government. But more broadly, we now have documentary proof of what everybody already knew: not only was the Trump administration lying about the census, they want to turn it into one more tool they can use to hold on to power and rig the system even further in their favor. The question now is whether theyre going to get away with it. Waldman is an opinion writer for the Plum Line blog. Jeff Chiu, STF / Associated Press A growing push to expand the availability of medical marijuana is taking place in conservative rural Texas, of all places, and the effects of the ongoing drive are likely to show up in the legislative session next year. Voters in Oklahoma recently approved one of the nation's most permissive medical-marijuana laws, allowing patients with state licenses to keep eight ounces in their homes and carry three ounces with them. They can also possess up to 12 marijuana plants. Im beyond delighted to see this law finally become a reality, said Jan Logie. This is a win for victims, a win for employers, and a win for society. This law is a world first and it will make a significant difference for people trying to escape domestic violence. Logie added that too many victims find it impossible to keep their jobs while trying to move house, attend court dates, or settle the kids at a new school. And too many employers are unaware of the extent to which domestic violence impacts their employees and workplaces, and are unsure of how to respond. This bill gives them a framework to do the right thing for everyone victims and themselves. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the developed world, with police responding to a family violence incident every four minutes. Google has introduced new features based on AI for its G Suite Docs and email products. Google Docs is getting AI based grammar suggestions, while business email in G Suite will get smart replies. The grammar suggestions in Docs is intended to identify and rectify spelling and grammar errors that inadvertently change the meaning of a sentence. The grammar suggestions will be based on a machine translation-based approach to recognize errors and suggest corrections on the fly. Writing on the Google blog, Prabhakar Raghavan, Vice President of Apps, Google Cloud, said: When Docs detects a possible grammar correction, it will underline it in blue to indicate you might want to check it. You can right-click to see a suggested correction or dismiss the alert. Possible grammar errors will also show up when you run a spelling and grammar check through the tools menu. The system has been designed to work with several different types of corrections, from simple grammatical rules like how to use articles in a sentence (like a versus an), to more complicated grammatical concepts such as how to use subordinate clauses correctly. The intention is that over time the feature will improve thanks to the use of machine learning to increase the range of grammatical issues that are correctly recognized and corrected. The feature will be built natively in Docs, so making it potentially more attractive than rival options such as Grammarly's browser extension, which also uses an artificial intelligence system to analyze and correct grammar. The grammar checker is going to be made available first for G Suite business accounts, then to all Google Docs users later this year. When used on business accounts, the feature will have to be enabled by the customer's administrator before users can try it. The fact that the new feature uses a translation-based algorithm sets it apart from other grammar checkers. In essence, it offers the 'correct' English translation for incorrect English sentences. David Thacker, vice president of product management for Google Cloud, discussed the new feature in a briefing ahead of Google Cloud Next, and said that when software is used for language translation, a sentence in a language such as French can be translated into English: "Google's approach is to take improper English and use our technology to correct or translated it into proper English." Alongside the announcement of the grammar checker, Google plans to enable its Smart Compose feature for Gmail for business customers. Smart Compose offers suggestions for finishing a sentence for you based on the context of your email, and will be rolled out for G Suite users in the coming weeks. Smart Compose can fill in greetings, sign offs and common phrases, as well as inserting personalized information like your office or home address. Google says that it will also get smarter with timefor example, learning how you prefer to greet certain people in emails to ensure that when you use Smart Compose you sound like yourself. More Information G Suite website Related Articles Google AI At I/O Amazon Transcribe & Translate Ready For Work Microsoft Research Achieves Human Parity For Chinese English Translation Neural Networks - A Better Speller? To be informed about new articles on I Programmer, sign up for our weekly newsletter, subscribe to the RSS feed and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin. Comments Make a Comment or View Existing Comments Using Disqus or email your comment to: comments@i-programmer.info By Trend A meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary Peter Santo has been held in Ashgabat, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The sides exchanged views on further strengthening of cooperation, development of bilateral relations in trade and economic areas, and expressed interest in enhancing trade, economic and investment cooperation. The parties noted the active and multi-level political dialogue, which is held on a regular basis, the message says. In this context, the parties noted the role of visits at the highest levels, as well as discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation within international organizations. A meeting of the Turkmen-Hungarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was held in June 2017 in Ashgabat, at which special attention was paid to the prospects of Turkmen natural gas supplies in the European direction. Hungarian delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the country Istvan Mikola. Negotiations on the delivery of Turkmen gas to Europe have been underway since 2011. The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the Caspian Sea bottom to the shores of Azerbaijan, as previously noted by the interested parties, is optimal for the delivery of Turkmen resources to the European market. Turkmen fuel can further find its way to Turkey, which borders with European countries. The emergency department and the labour and delivery suite of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, a top maternity and paediatric hospital in Dubai, UAE, are currently undergoing expansion to double the hospitals capacity. By September 2019, the first phase of the emergency department and the expansion of the labour and delivery suite will be complete. The second phase of the emergency department will be complete by March 2020. Upon completion, the emergency department will be able to cater to 60,000 patients from the current 30,000 patients. The total cost of the project is Dh100 million ($27.2 million). Humaid Al Qutami, director-general of the DHA inspected the progress of the expansion. He was provided with a detailed overview of the expansion project. Al Qutami said: The hospital provides high-quality maternity and paediatric services to the population of Dubai and is a referral centre for complicated cases not only for Dubai residents but also for patients from the Northern Emirates. It is a centre of excellence and the aim of the expansion is to enhance capacity as well as create a patient flow system that further improves care, helps medical staff provide high-quality medical services and is patient-centric and patient-friendly. Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children said: The expansion of the labour suite will increase capacity and further create a patient and family-centric environment in line with international modern practises. The design is such that it will enhance accessibility, safety and delivery of service. The expansion will not only increase capacity but also it will improve patient flow procedures, minimize patient transfers from one location to another and enhance overall care. The strategic patient flow plan includes a centralised patient placement centre. Dr Tahlak said, From the time the patient enters the hospital until discharge, we have designed the expansion in such a manner that all processes take place next to each other creating an easy flow and minimizing patient movement. We studied our processes as well as looked at international benchmarks before finalizing the design process. She said that two more operation theatre (OT) rooms will be added increasing the number of OTs to six. Presently, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 deliveries take place per year at the hospital. The premises is recognized as a baby-friendly hospital and we follow kangaroo-care practices even for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies to ensure speedy recovery of premature babies and early bonding between parents and the baby. The new design will enhance capacity of our NICU services as well. Expansion of emergency department: The new emergency department will have a green and child-friendly theme to create a positive patient and family-centric environment in line with international modern practices. It will be equipped with the latest technology. The helipad area for air-ambulance is completed. The expansion will include two sides one designated for women and the other for children. The look of the department will be changed completely starting from the reception, MRI and obstetrics and gynaecology consultation rooms to enhance accessibility, safety and delivery of service, Dr Tahlak said. TradeArabia News Service Imperial Valley News Center New Results and Commitments by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Washington, DC - This week at the 2018 International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam PEPFAR announced critical new progress toward reaching HIV epidemic control and strong commitments to address key gaps in the HIV/AIDS response among men and key populations. Several African countries are now on track to reach HIV epidemic control by 2020 with PEPFAR support. New data from Namibia demonstrate that PEPFAR investments have helped reduce the countrys rate of new HIV infections by 50 percent over the past five years. In Namibia, 77 percent of all HIV-positive adults have achieved HIV viral load suppression, a widely used measure of effective HIV treatment in a population. This surpasses the global target of 73 percent three years ahead of schedule. PEPFAR also joined Sir Elton John, the Duke of Sussex, and other partners in launching the MenStar Coalition. MenStar will expand the diagnosis and treatment of HIV infections in men aged 24-35, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, who data show access HIV testing and treatment at lower rates than their female counterparts. With a planned contribution of over $800 million to support MenStars goals, PEPFAR, pending Congressional approval, through its 2018 Country Operational Plans, intends to reach an additional 1 million men with HIV treatment and support over 90 percent of men in this age group to be virally suppressed to effectively interrupt HIV transmission. PEPFAR also announced $360 million in planned investments for key populations over the next year, including $260 million, pending Congressional approval, through its 2018 Country Operational Plans and nearly $100 million from its Key Populations Investment Fund. This will expand their non-discriminatory access to quality, lifesaving HIV services, restoring health and dignity and advancing progress toward achieving HIV/AIDS epidemic control. Imperial Valley News Center Pastor Brunson Moved to House Arrest Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "... the United States received long overdue news that Pastor Andrew Brunson was moved from Buca Prison to house arrest in Turkey. We understand that he will be monitored electronically. While this move is a positive development, it is not enough. We have seen no credible evidence against Mr. Brunson, and we call on Turkish authorities to resolve his case immediately in a transparent and fair manner Switzerland-based Nestle, a leading food and beverage company, has reported a that its net profit increased by 19 per cent to CHF5.8 billion ($5.84 billion) during the first half of 2018. The company also revealed that earnings per share increased by 21.4 per cent to CHF1.92 ($1.93). The underlying earnings per share increased by 9.2 per cent in constant currency and by 10.4 per cent on a reported basis to CHF1.86 ($1.87), said a statement from Nestle. The increase was mainly the result of income from the disposal of businesses, lower taxes and improved operating performance, it said. Nestles share buyback programme contributed 1.5 per cent to the underlying earnings per share increase, net of finance costs, it added. The companys total sales increased by 2.3 per cent to CHF43.9 billion ($44.20 billion) during the first half of this year, compared to CHF42.9 billion ($43.19 billion) during the same period in 2017. The underlying trading operating profit margin was 16.1 per cent, an increase of 20 basis points in constant currency and on a reported basis. The companys trading operating profit margin was 14.6 per cent, a decrease of 50 basis points on a reported basis due to higher restructuring costs and net other trading items. Nestles full-year guidance for 2018 confirmed, with organic sales growth expectation narrowed to around 3 per cent; underlying trading operating profit margin improvement in line with our 2020 target. The restructuring costs are expected at around CHF700 million ($704.6 million). Underlying earnings per share in constant currency and capital efficiency are expected to increase. Mark Schneider, chief executive officer, Nestle, said: Our first half results confirmed that our strategic initiatives and rigorous execution are clearly paying off. We have maintained the encouraging organic revenue growth momentum we saw at the beginning of the year. In particular, the US and China markets showed a meaningful improvement. We were also pleased by the enhanced organic growth in our core infant nutrition category, he said. Our margin development is fully consistent with our 2020 target. We are creating value by pursuing growth and profitability in a balanced manner. In line with this approach, we have accelerated our product innovation efforts to drive future growth and initiated significant cost reduction efforts, in particular in Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA) and at our Corporate Center, he added. Schneider continued: As we look towards the second half of 2018, we expect further improvement in our organic revenue growth. Margin improvement is expected to accelerate with further benefits from our efficiency programs and more favourable commodity pricing. The companys underlying trading operating profit increased by 3.5 per cent to CHF 7.1 billion ($7.147 billion). The underlying trading operating profit margin increased by 20 basis points in constant currency, and by 20 basis points on a reported basis to 16.1 per cent. The free cash flow increased by 52 per cent, from CHF1.9 billion ($1.91 billion) to CHF 2.9 billion ($2.92 billion). This was mainly driven by an improvement in working capital, lower taxes and increased operating profit. Nestle has made further progress to actively evolve the portfolio towards high-growth, high-margin categories and brands. On May 7, an agreement was announced granting Nestle the perpetual rights to market Starbucks consumer and foodservice products globally, outside of Starbucks coffee shops. As part of this transaction, Starbucks will receive an up-front cash payment of $7.15 billion for a business which generated annual sales of $2 billion. The agreement is now expected to close at the end of August 2018, it said. The process of exploring strategic options for the Gerber Life Insurance business is on track with completion expected in 2018. Also, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) saw mid single-digit organic growth, both RIG and pricing were positive, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Imperial Valley News Center Support for President Donald J. Trumps Plan to Protect American Farmers from Unjustified Trade Retaliation Washington, DC - Support for President Donald J. Trumps Plan to Protect American Farmers from Unjustified Trade Retaliation: Federal and State Officials House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX): Our president stood up to a bully and now hes standing up for rural America. This is the right fight to have, but in the meantime, our producers have got to live, while this fights going on. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL): The actions and funding announced demonstrate that the President has not forgotten the American farmer and that agricultural producers will not bear the brunt of unjustified retaliation by foreign governments I applaud President Trump for standing-up to China and other foreign governments unfair trade practices. If our markets here are open to their goods then their markets should be open for American agriculture and manufacturing. Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND): I am thankful our farmers and ranchers are now getting some specifics at my suggestion, but sad China continues to act in bad faith and thereby necessitates these extraordinary measures. At the end of the day we want trade not aid. I hope free fair and reciprocal trade is in our near future and look forward to more details as they roll out. Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY): By imposing tariffs on nations like China, President Trump is working to level the playing field between the United States and other countries that have taken advantage of us for far too long. From the start, we were assured that the administration would take appropriate action to protect industries, like our nations agriculture industry, that may be impacted by the tariffs. Todays announcement is a win for the dairy industry as President Trump continues to put American interests first and fight for fair trade deals. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue: This is a short-term solution to allow President Trump time to work on long-term trade deals to benefit agriculture and the entire U.S. economy. The President promised to have the back of every American farmer and rancher, and he knows the importance of keeping our rural economy strong. Unfortunately, Americas hard-working agricultural producers have been treated unfairly by Chinas illegal trading practices and have taken a disproportionate hit when it comes illegal retaliatory tariffs. USDA will not stand by while our hard-working agricultural producers bear the brunt of unfriendly tariffs enacted by foreign nations. The programs we are announcing today help ensure our nations agriculture continues to feed the world and innovate to meet the demand. United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer: President Trump is taking strong action, as he promised, to make sure Americas farmers and ranchers are not left to bear the brunt of illegal retaliation by China and other countries. The Trump Administration will continue to defend our economy from unfair trading practices and work to advance free, fair and reciprocal trade relationships. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries John McMillan: These three programs will allow the administration to continue to work on long-term trade deals. The end goal is to have an even playing field for our countrys producers. Agriculture Associations American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: The $12 billion package of agricultural assistance announced today by the administration will provide a welcome measure of temporary relief to our farmers and ranchers who are experiencing the financial effects of the trade war We are grateful for the administrations recognition that farmers and ranchers needed positive news now and this will buy us some time. Alabama Farmers Federation Director of National Legislative Programs and Catfish Division Mitt Walker: We appreciate President Trumps administration recognizing the impact intense trade negotiations are having on U.S. farmers and providing assistance to weather tough economic times. American Soybean Association President John Heisdorffer: U.S. soybean producers want to see President Trump succeed in meeting his trade campaign goals of achieving better trade deals and greater market access. And, we appreciate that he has recognized our loss in exports and lower prices and provided some immediate relief. National Cotton Council Chairman Ron Craft: We support the Administration for taking this interim action to help at least partially offset impacts until better trade relationships can be restored and improved Our industry thanks Agriculture Secretary Perdue for exercising his authority to provide this much needed relief. National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern: We appreciate the president following through on his pledge that Americas farmers wont bear the brunt of the economic losses generated by the current trade conflicts. Todays announcement reflects requests that our organization has made of USDA to relieve some of the financial pain dairy farmers are feeling due to lost export opportunities. We thank the administration for incorporating our recommendations. National Pork Producers Council President Jim Heimerl: President Trump has said he has the back of U.S. farmers and today demonstrated this commitment with an aid package to sustain American agriculture cutoff from critical export markets as his administration works to realign U.S. global trade policy. National Sorghum Producers Legislative Committee Chairman and Board Director Dan Atkisson: National Sorghum Producers appreciates the hard work USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. officials have done to advocate on behalf of farmers through ongoing trade disputes. We respect the Administration for following through with their promise to stand by U.S. farmers, and we look forward to working with Secretary Perdue in providing much needed funds to sorghum farmers and other producers impacted by tariffs. NSP fully supports fairer and open trade and will continue to work with officials to achieve long-term trade solutions. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen: We appreciate the administrations actions to help farmers who are indeed suffering as a result of recent trade disputes. Farmers are the backbone of this country who provide feed, food and fuel to consumers across our nation. Southwest Council of Agribusiness President Matt Huie: We commend President Trump and Secretary Perdue for their strong leadership and real demonstration that our nation will stand by her farm and ranch families through hard times as we seek a free, fair, transparent, and rules-based trade environment. Imperial Valley News Center White House Press Secretary on the Repatriation of Remains from North Korea Washington, DC - Statement from the Press Secretary on the Repatriation of Remains from North Korea: At their historic meeting in Singapore, President Donald J. Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the United States and North Korea, and establish enduring peace. Today, the Chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change. A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members has departed Wonsan, North Korea. It is accompanied by service members from United Nations Command Korea and technical experts from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The C-17 is transferring the remains to Osan Air Base, where a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1. The United States owes a profound debt of gratitude to those American service members who gave their lives in service to their country and we are working diligently to bring them home. It is a solemn obligation of the United States Government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner. Todays actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home. California State Board of Food and Agriculture addressing foothill farming and forest health issues scheduled Sacramento, California - The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will travel to the Sierra foothills for a two-day meeting addressing foothill farming and forest health issues on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 and Wednesday, August 1, 2018. Meetings and site visits will be held at various locations in El Dorado County. Communities within the Sierra Nevada have a strong interconnection with forests and farming, said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. They are also nestled in Californias primary watershed, which has an essential role in the states overall water supply. Visiting this area will provide the opportunity to connect with farmers and ranchers in the region and better understand the challenges related to forest health. The meeting on July 31st will focus on forest health issues and will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the U.S. Institute for Forest Genetics, 2480 Carson Rd., Placerville, CA 95667. Invited speakers include: Russ Henly, California Natural Resources Agency; Helge Eng, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; Jim Branham, Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Malcom North, University of California. Following the meeting, the Board will visit several sites including the Placerville Nursey (U.S. Forest Service), a cattle ranching operation, and restoration project at Jenkinson Lake where they will also hear from Dan Corcoran with the El Dorado Irrigation District. The meeting on August 1st will be held from 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. at High Hill Ranch, 2901 High Hill Rd, Placerville, CA 95667 and will focus on foothill farming. Invited speakers include Charlene Carveth, Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer for El Dorado County; Chris Delfino, Apple Hill Growers Association and a representative from the El Dorado County Farm Bureau Federation. Following the meeting the Board will visit local area farmers in the region. Foothill farming provides an excellent example on the uniqueness and diversity of California agriculture, said President Don Cameron, California State Board of Food and Agriculture. The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representatives and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture. All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome. Esperanza Colio Warren Appointed as New Deputy County Executive Officer El Centro, California - The County Executive Officer (CEO), Tony Rouhotas, Jr., has announced that the County of Imperial (County) has a new Deputy CEO with the recent promotion of Mrs. Esperanza Colio Warren. Mrs. Colio Warrens appointment as the Deputy CEO will begin effective August 2, 2018. It is a pleasure to have Esperanza working with the team in a new capacity, stated Mr. Rouhotas. I have had the opportunity to know and work with Esperanza since 2007 and she has always been great to work with and always has the communitys best interest at heart. This is evident in the many projects and funding sources that she and her team have tackled and brought to this County. I am confident that she will exceed our expectations in her new role while bringing more opportunity to the people of this County. Mrs. Colio Warren has been a dedicated County employee since the spring of 2004, serving as the Countys Community and Economic Development Manager for the past 14 years. As the Community and Economic Development Manager, Mrs. Colio Warren functioned as the Countys premier grant writer and steadfastly pursued potential funding sources to develop, restore, and expand infrastructure projects in support of business and/or community development, securing more than $40 million in state and federal grants for the county. During her tenure, she worked with federal, state, and local partnering agencies on funding and regulatory assistance for infrastructure projects for community services districts and utilities in the unincorporated areas of the county, prepared grant proposals, implemented grants, coordinated economic development opportunities with cities and agencies, such as Enterprise and Opportunity Zones, and managed the Imperial Valley Foreign Trade Zone. Prior to joining the County, Mrs. Colio Warren worked for the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program, California Student Opportunity and Access Program, and the Comite de Turismo y Convenciones de Municipio de Mexicali (Tourist and Conventions Bureau for the City of Mexicali). As the Deputy CEO, Mrs. Colio Warren will assist the CEO in the management of County Government to enhance County growth and improvement. About her new position, Mrs. Colio Warren stated, I am grateful and excited for the opportunity given to me to be part of the Imperial County Executive Office team. Thank you for having faith in me and my capabilities. I look forward to all of the excitement and challenges that lie ahead. Mrs. Colio Warren, a resident of El Centro, received her bachelors and masters degrees in Public Administration from San Diego State University. Esperanza is married and has a son, Ivan, who is attending college at California State University, Chico. Vice President Pence at Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom Washington, DC - Remarks by Vice President Pence at Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom: Thank you, Secretary Pompeo. To the Secretary, to Ambassador Brownback, to Administrator Green, Director Mulvaney, to the representatives of more than 80 nations gathered here, and especially to the survivors of religious persecution who honor us by their presence here today: It is my great honor to address this first ever, and first annual, Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. (Applause.) And I bring greetings from a champion of religious freedom, at home and abroad. I bring greetings this morning, and gratitude for all the efforts represented here, from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.) As President Trump has said on many occasions, the United States of America is a nation of faith, and religious freedom is a top priority of this administration. Since the earliest days of our nation, America has stood for religious freedom. Our earliest settlers left their homes to set sail for a New World, where they could practice their faith without fear of persecution. Our forebears carved protections for religion into the founding charters and their early laws. And after this great nation secured our independence, the American Founders enshrined religious freedom as the first freedom in the Constitution of the United States. And America has always, and will always, lead the world by our example. As our first President, George Washington, wrote in his famous letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, he said, and I quote, The United States of America [has] given to mankinda policy worthy of imitation, for here, as he said, to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance. We require only that they who live under [our] protection should demean themselves as good citizens. And in the long history of this nation, religious freedom has been our first freedom. But as our Founders knew, this precious liberty is endowed not by government, but by our Creator. And we believe that it belongs not just to the American people, but to all people so endowed. (Applause.) The right to believe or not believe is the most fundamental of freedoms. When religious liberty is denied or destroyed, we know that other freedoms freedom of speech, of press, assembly, and even democratic institutions themselves are imperiled. Thats why the United States of America stands for religious freedom yesterday, today, and always. We do this because it is right. But we also do this because religious freedom is in the interest of the peace and security of the world. Those nations that reject religious freedom breed radicalism and resentment in their citizens. They sow the seeds of violence within their borders violence that often spills over into their neighbors and across the world. And as history has shown too many times, those who deny religious freedom for their own people have no qualms trampling upon the rights of other people, undermining security and peace across the wider world. Let me single out a few great American leaders today for their efforts to advance religious liberty around the world. First and foremost, let me invite you to thank the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, for bringing together this historic ministerial. (Applause.) By bringing together 80 nations, the Secretary of State put feet on President Trumps ambition to make religious liberty a priority of the United States on the world stage. Mr. Secretary, we are grateful. I also want to mention the extraordinary efforts and travels of the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, a lifelong champion of religious liberty, Sam Brownback. (Applause.) Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. As the Secretary and Ambassador Brownback know, while the discussions that have taken place this week are promising, we have much work to do. For today, tragically, a stunning 83 percent of the worlds population live in nations where religious freedom is either threatened or even banned. The victims of religious persecution face economic sanctions. Theyre often arrested and imprisoned. Theyre the target of mob violence and state-sanctioned terror. And all too often, those whose beliefs run counter to their rulers face not just persecution but death. The list of religious freedom violators is long; their crimes and oppressions span the width of our world. Here in our own hemisphere, in Nicaragua, the government of Daniel Ortega is virtually waging war on the Catholic Church. For months, Nicaraguas bishops have sought to broker a national dialogue following pro-democracy protests that swept through the country earlier this year. But government-backed mobs armed with machetes, and even heavy weapons, have attacked parishes and church properties, and bishops and priests have been physically assaulted by the police. Were joined today by Father Raul Zamora, who shepherds a flock at Divine Mercy Church and is a hero of the faith. Last week, the Ortega government laid siege to his church after more than 200 students sought shelter there, and 2 students lost their lives. They joined the more than 350 courageous Nicaraguans whove died in the cause of freedom this year alone. Let me say to you, Father: Our prayers are with you, and the people of America stand with you for freedom of religion and freedom in Nicaragua. (Applause.) Farther from home, but close to our hearts, religious persecution is growing in both scope and scale in the worlds most populous country, the Peoples Republic of China. The State Departments annual International Religious Freedom report has labeled China as a religious freedom violator every year since 1999. Together with other religious minorities, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians are often under attack. With us today is Kusho Golog Jigme, a Tibetan Buddhist monk. For nearly 70 years, the Tibetan people have been brutally repressed by the Chinese government. Kusho was jailed and tortured after he spoke out against the Chinese rule in his homeland. While he escaped China, his peoples fight to practice their religion and protect their culture goes on. I say to Kusho, we are honored by your presence and we admire your courage and your stand for liberty. (Applause.) Sadly, as we speak as well, Beijing is holding hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of Uyghur Muslims in so-called re-education camps, where theyre forced to endure around-the-clock political indoctrination and to denounce their religious beliefs and their cultural identity as the goal. But for all of Chinas abuses, their neighbor in North Korea is much worse. While we all hope that relations between the United States and North Korea continue to improve, and we certainly hope that the threat posed by North Koreas nuclear and ballistic weapons program can be eliminated, there is no escaping the plain fact that North Koreas leadership has exacted unparalleled privation and cruelty upon its people for decades. Torture, mass starvation, public executions, murders, and even forced abortions, and industrial-scale slave labor have been the means by which that regime has retained hold on its power for more than 70 years. Today, as we gather at this ministerial, an estimated 130,000 North Koreans are imprisoned for life in unimaginably brutal slave labor camps. Contrasted with a thriving Christian community in South Korea, North Koreas persecution of Christians has no rival on the Earth. It is unforgiving, systematic, unyielding and often fatal. The mere possession of a Christian Bible is a capital offense. And those identified by the regime as Christians are regularly executed or condemned with their families to North Koreas gulags. Thats what happened to Ji Hyeona, who is here with us, and who I had the honor to meet when I traveled to the region earlier this year. Ji Hyeona was imprisoned and tortured simply for having a Bible that her mother had given her. And after a failed escape attempt, the North Korean authorities forced her to abort her unborn child. Hyeona was lucky enough to escape with her life, and we are honored to have you with us today. Your faith and your courage inspire us all. (Applause.) In Russia, more than 170,000 Jehovahs Witnesses face similar persecution to other countries around the world. Theyre legally banned from practicing their faith. Government agents have seized Jehovah Witnesses headquarters near St. Petersburg, raided their prayer halls across the country, and arrested and imprisoned scores of believers. And turning our attention to the leading state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, we recognize that the Iranian people enjoy few, if any, freedoms least of all, the freedom of religion. Christians, Jews, Sunnis, Bahais, and other minority religious groups are denied the most basic rights enjoyed by the Shia majority, and they are routinely fined, flogged, arrested, assaulted, and even killed. In 2016 alone, 20 Sunni Kurds were executed for the crime of allegedly waging war against God, simply for practicing their faith. And the people of the United States of America have a message to the long-suffering people of Iran: Even as we stand strong against the threats and malign actions of your leaders in Tehran, know that we are with you. We pray for you. And we urge you, the good people of Iran, to press on with courage in the cause of freedom and a peaceful future for your people. (Applause.) While religious freedom is always in danger in authoritarian regimes, threats to religious minorities are not confined to autocracies or dictatorships. They can, and do, arise in free societies, as well not from government persecution, but from prejudice and hatred. In Europe, where religious freedom was born as a principle and is enshrined in law, sadly, religious intolerance is on the rise in many quarters. Just 70 years after the Holocaust, attacks on Jews, even on aing Holocaust survivors, are growing at an alarming rate. Last year, hate crimes against Jews hit a record high in the United Kingdom. And in the same period of time, there were an average of nearly four attacks against Jews every day. In France and Germany, things have gotten so bad that Jewish religious leaders have warned their followers not to wear kippahs in public for fear that they could be violently attacked, and in too many cases, thats exactly whats happened. From the 2012 murder of four small children outside their Jewish school in Toulouse, to the 2016 terrorist assault on a Paris kosher supermarket, the world has watched in horror as these attacks on Jewish people have taken place. It is remarkable to think that within the very lifetimes of some French Jews the same French Jews that were forced by the Nazis to wear identifiable Jewish clothing that some of those same people are now being warned by their democratic leaders not to wear identifiable Jewish clothing. These acts of violence and hatred and anti-Semitism must end. (Applause.) There are many more examples across the world. And while theyre all deserving our attention, we must never forget the barbarism and the violence committed by the terrorists of ISIS and the magnitude of their acts. ISIS has shown a savagery unseen in the Middle East since the Middle Ages. And across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and beyond, ISIS continues to seek to subjugate and eradicate all who would reject its apocalyptic mania. And believers of many backgrounds have suffered grievously at its hands, including Muslims, Christians, Druze, and many others. But perhaps no faith community was so cruelly targeted by ISIS as the Yazidis. Nadia Murad is with us today. Four years ago, the butchers of ISIS entered her village and slaughtered more than 600 Yazidi men and boys, including six of Nadias brothers and stepbrothers. Then they stole Nadia away and all the young women, and subjugated them to the most degrading form of human slavery. Nadia was brutalized by ISIS fighters during her captivity. She was only able to escape because her captor left a door unlocked, and a neighboring family hid her until she could be smuggled to safety. But too many of her Yazidi sisters werent so lucky, and thousands of Yazidis remain missing to this day or in ISIS captivity. To Nadia, I say: We are honored by your presence. We are inspired by your courage. And the United States of America, I promise you, will always call ISIS brutality what it truly is: It is genocide, plain and simple. (Applause.) Nadia, thank you for being with us and for your courage. The suffering of the Yazidi people, and all the victims of ISIS has sickened the American people and mobilized this President and this administration to action. From the very first days of this administration, President Trump directed our military to take decisive action, along with our coalition partners to confront ISIS. And thanks to the courage of our armed forces, I am proud to report that ISIS is on the run, their caliphate has fallen, and I promise you, we will not rest or relent until ISIS is driven from the face of the Earth. (Applause.) But victory in combat is only half the battle. Thats why our administration has already devoted more than $110 million to support persecuted religious communities to rebuild across the Middle East. The United States is also committed to ensure that religious freedom and religious pluralism prosper across the Middle East as well. To that end, America is launching a new initiative that will not only deliver additional support to the most vulnerable communities, but we trust that it will also embolden civil society to help stop violence in the future. And its my privilege as Vice President to announce today that the United States of America will establish the Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Program, effective today. (Applause.) Under this new program, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development will closely partner with local faith and community leaders to rapidly deliver aid to persecuted communities, beginning with Iraq. Crucially, this support will flow directly to individuals and households most in need of help. And this program will bring together funding not only from the United States government, but from the vast network of American philanthropists and believers who share our desire to support our brothers-and-sisters-in-faith as they rebuild after years of suffering and war. America will help the victims of ISIS reclaim their lands, rebuild their lives, and replant their roots in their ancient homelands so that all religions can flourish, once again, across the Middle East and the ancient world. (Applause.) America will always stand for religious freedom, and we will always speak out boldly wherever and whenever its threatened. To that end as well, the United States is also launching a new initiative to leverage our resources, together with other nations, to support those who fight for religious freedom and suffer from religious persecution. And today, Im also pleased, as Vice President, to announce that the United States will launch the new International Religious Freedom Fund. (Applause.) America is proud to launch and support this program. And were earnest in our appeal to all the nations gathered here and around the world that you might join us in this fund. Together, we will champion the cause of liberty as never before, and I believe that our combined leadership will make a difference for freedom of faith, for generations to come. We will never lose sight of the true importance of religious freedom. Its about beliefs, its about faith, and discovering truth, and the ability to live out that truth in ones life. Its also about community and communal responsibility. Its about the unalienable right to believe what we wish and not be disturbed for that belief. It is, in a very real sense, the first freedom, the first freedom of everyone in the world. To all the victims of persecution who are here with us today, many of whose stories Ive had the opportunity to tell and those that I have not, know this: We are with you. The people of the United States are inspired by your testimony and your strength and your faith. And it steels our resolve to stand for your religious liberty in the years ahead. But as we gather today, theres one victim of religious persecution that bears mentioning as well. A victim of persecution who is not with us an American named Pastor Andrew Brunson. Pastor Andrew Brunson is an American citizen whos lived in Turkey for more than two decades, raising his family there, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, faithfully, in his ministry. In 2016, Pastor Brunson was arrested by Turkish authorities, as part of a massive crackdown following a failed coup attempt. Tens of thousands of journalists, activists, judges, army officers, teachers, and others were arrested and remain imprisoned to this day. Pastor Brunson was imprisoned without being charged for more than a year. And when the Turkish government finally indicted him, they accused him, allegedly, of dividing and separating Turkey by simply spreading his Christian faith. Pastor Andrew Brunson is an innocent man. There is no credible evidence against him. Our entire administration has worked tirelessly to secure Pastor Brunsons release. Yesterday, Turkey released Pastor Brunson from prison, only to place him under house arrest. This is a welcome first step, but it is not good enough. (Applause.) I spoke to Pastor Brunson and his wife Norine yesterday. I know that his faith will sustain him, but it shouldnt have to. Pastor Andrew Brunson deserves to be free. (Applause.) Today, were honored to be joined by a member of his family, his daughter Jacqueline. To Jacqueline, I promise you: As I told your father yesterday, President Trump and I will continue to fight to secure your fathers full release until he is restored to your family and returns to the United States of America. (Applause.) To believers across America, I say: Pray for Pastor Brunson. While he is out of jail, he is still not free. And to President Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have a message on behalf of the President of the United States of America: Release Pastor Andrew Brunson now, or be prepared to face the consequences. (Applause.) If Turkey does not take immediate action to free this innocent man of faith and send him home to America, the United States will impose significant sanctions on Turkey until Pastor Andrew Brunson is free. (Applause.) So thank you again for being here today all of the distinguished Americans who are here, all the representatives of 80 countries, and these extraordinary and courageous men and women of faith who join us here to put a face on the reality of religious persecution in the world. We have discussed much here, and we know we have much work to do in the days ahead. But as we labor, I think we can take confidence from what we have heard in this place and the determination of the nations gathered here to advance a cause of religious liberty. Our cause is just. Were advancing the first freedom that is essential to the people of all of our nations and to the world. In America, we prove every day that religious freedom buttresses all other rights. It provides a foundation on which a society can thrive. Here, in America, believers of all backgrounds live side-by-side, adding their unique voices to the chorus of our nation, proving that religious freedom means not only the right to practice one faith; it lays a foundation for boundless opportunity, prosperity, security, and peace. The American people will always cherish religious freedom. And we will always stand with people across the world who stand for their faith. So today, I want to close with faith. Faith in the good people of this nation of faith, the United States of America. And from our founding, have cherished that foundation of belief and cherish it still. Faith in our President, whose deep commitment to religious liberty at home and abroad has been evident every day of this administration. Faith in all of you and the nations represented here, and your renewed commitment to the cause of religious liberty in your nations and around the world. And I also close with faith that, from this renewed beginning today, we will make progress on behalf of religious liberty in the years ahead. And my faith ultimately comes from whats in my heart. And in the ancient words inscribed on our Liberty Bell, displayed in Philadelphia, the words of the ancient text of Leviticus that read, Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, and unto [all] the inhabitants thereof. Weve done it throughout our history. And I know that as each one of us renew our commitment to proclaim liberty throughout all of our lands, that freedom will prevail, for as the Bible tells us, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. So freedom always wins when Faith in Him is held high. So thank you all. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your partnership. May God bless you and your nations. May God bless all who yearn for freedom and labor beneath persecution. And may God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) PC = PM + PD Gaithersburg, Maryland - The greatest challenge I have each year when I return from the Baldrige Programs annual Quest for Excellence Conference (QE) is prioritizing the most important messages for me and my organization, whether that is my work organization, volunteer organization, oryesmy family (this one might be stealth). There are always so many great ideas that I know I will not succeed at implementing any of them unless I select only a few for action. The 30th anniversary conference was no different. I returned energized and started organizing my thoughts. My process begins with seeking thematic highlights and also capturing one or two individual gems of wisdom that I heard from individual speakers. Maybe these will help you set some of your priorities, even if you were unable to attend the conference. Maybe my reflections from this years conference will also encourage you to attend QE next year and discover your own themes! This year there were five 2017 Baldrige Award recipients from the business, health care, and nonprofit sectors: Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES), Stellar Solutions (Stellar), Adventist Health Castle (AHC), Southcentral Foundation (SCF), and City of Fort Collins (Fort Collins). Their products and services are widely different, but their approaches to excellence have remarkably similar, positive outcomes. Six Themes Following are my six themes. We have seen components of each of them beforethey are not new conceptsbut when they are practiced together, they yield very powerful results. I will begin with the most pervasive theme this year. It has always been present in Baldrige Award recipients; however, this year the word (not just the intent) was used frequently and unabashedly, and it set the tone for me for the whole conference. The word is love. LOVE MATTERS These five organizations love their employees, love their customers, and love their communities. For all of them it is about relationships. And as an outcome of those relationships they have the financial resources to treat all these people well. I was first struck by the boldness of this theme when Kathy Raethel of AHC shared her organizations core competencies, of which one is Love Matters. AHC focuses on a culture where love matters to the extent that it permeates all relationships and everything the organization does. Within the first 90 days of employment, all employees attend an empathy-building workshop entitled In Their Shoes. This is accompanied by a set of Always Behaviors to promote caring interactions among workforce members and patients and a compassionate, healing ministry. SCF, too, is all about relationshipsthe organizations customers are its owners, in deed and in fact. The acronym for SCFs operating principles is RELATIONSHIPS. With those relationships, SCF goes behind our eyes and with our hearts to build true empathy. At Stellar, the vision is satisfying our customers critical needs while realizing our dream jobs. And 97% of Stellars employees say the leadership team shows an interest in each of them as a person, not just an employee. Fort Collins describes its culture with a three-word acronym: ITWEI. (IT is what we do, WE is the love for the people we work with, and I is the support for achieving my personal and professional growth.) BTESs values statement uses the Rotary 4-Way Test, ending with Is it fair to all? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? STORYTELLING Highly technical organizations are not generally known for the softer side of people interactions. They generally focus on knowledge transfer, facts, and data. This is not true for Stellar; even with a geographically dispersed workforce serving at its contactors sites, Stellar has an annual storytelling issue of its Constellations newsletter. How else would you share dreams and dream jobs? BTES, another technical company, considers storytelling so important that it retains a professor to teach storytelling to its employees. SCF started each of its presentations at QE with the speakers sharing their tribe and a story. At SCF, a core concept is WELLNESS, and the first S stands for share our stories and our hearts. AHC, too, values storytelling, saying it is about every patient, every employee. COMMUNITY COMMITMENT All Baldrige Award recipients are good citizens and stewards of their communities. This year, community focus was at the core of each of the recipients frame of reference, going beyond the focus I have seen in the past. For Fort Collins, its core competency is commitment to community. For Stellar, community outreach is one of its 16 key processes, and 100 percent of the employees say, I feel good about the ways we contribute to the community. They contribute to their community through the Stellar Solutions Foundation and through humanitarian research and development with their Quakefinder project (for earthquakes) that additionally fosters STEM education. BTES is a local business serving its local community. So every chance meeting of a BTES employee (or even a family member of an employee) with a Bristol citizen is an opportunity to listen to the voice of the customer. And those individual messages are causes for action when brought back to BTES. Its mission is about providing service to customers and the community. AHC exists because of community involvement. It was intense community interest that launched a campaign in 1953 to establish a medical center in Windward Oahu. Today, AHC is first in Hawaii for population health. The organizations vision states, We will transform the health experience of our community. The SCF vision is A Native Community that enjoys physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. And the mission is about working with the organizations customer-owners to achieve wellness. In addition, SCF leaders talk about growing their own to guarantee health care to their community for generations to come. PROCESS ORIENTATION An organization doesnt become a Baldrige Award recipient without a process orientation. This years award recipients brought that focus to a new level. I dont remember a time in recent history where process focus has been so significantly a focus of senior leaders presentations and so well related to leadership systems. Furthermore, for these five organizations, the process focus is driven from the organizations visions and strategic plans. BTES has a defined process for cascading strategic plans down to each employees role. By the companys open admission, Stellar employees are rocket scientists, who manage their performance through 16 key processes. Each process is defined using the Baldrige assessment scoring guidelines of ADLI (Approach, Deployment, Learning, and Integration) and LeTCI (Levels, Trends, Comparisons, and Integration). The LeTCI help ensure that appropriate results are defined and tracked for each process. Each process has a defined goal, objectives, subprocesses, measures, a what we care about statement, and tools and products. Surprisingly, Fort Collins also has 16 key processes. I dont know that 16 is the magic number, but I do believe this coincidence has meaningan organization needs a realistically trackable number of key processes or else they lose meaning as key processes and cant be regularly reviewed by the senior leadership team. These key processes also serve as a communication tool of what is really important to achieving the mission and vision of the organization. One of the key lessons AHC learned on its Baldrige journey was that deploying an integrated strategy and performance management system creates a remarkable ability to execute. AHC specifically references a remarkable ability to execute for the benefit of employees, patients, and other key stakeholders. Finally, SCF, a two-time Baldrige Award recipient, is already well known from its prior Baldrige presentation on its Nuka system, an integrated process for care relationships and care delivery. TRACKING KEY METRICS YIELDS GREAT FINANCIALS This year, I saw a clear line of sight from strategy to customer and operational process key performance indicators, and to actual reported in-process and outcome measures. Furthermore, I repeatedly heard that when the right performance indicators are tracked, including key indicators of employee engagement, the financial performance outcomes will follow. This was a message delivered by all five recipients. Imagine a utility company that could go from broke to having five years of capital funding in the bank and deliver reliable electrical service with 60 minutes or less annual outage time for your household (thats BTES). Imagine a health care system that could go from the bottom quartile to top decile performance in population health in five years and do it debt-free with a 10.3 percent EBIDA margin (thats AHC). Imagine a health care system that is owned by its customers, delivers 97 percent customer satisfaction and performs in the 75th90th percentile on many HEDIS measures (thats SCF), while growing the operating reserve by 6 percent from 2012 to 2017. Imagine a city that receives a 90 percent rating on overall quality of city services and commits to being carbon-neutral by 2050, while maintaining a credit rating of Aaa by Moodys, a rating maintained by only 4 percent of governments (thats Fort Collins). Finally, imagine a small company of rocket scientists that has defined metrics for each of its 16 key processes, with leadership communication and community outreach being two of those key processes, and where 100 percent of your customers would recommend you to other organizations, with sufficient earnings to fund a foundation and humanitarian R&D (thats Stellar). TECHNOLOGY FOCUS Today, technology is pervasive; but this years recipients uniformly went beyond the norm in using technology to drive innovations that serve their customers. Given the challenge of its extremely large and frequently remote geographic service, SCF has been a pioneer for years in the use of telemedicine. AHC prides itself on combining state-of-the-art technology with state-of-the-heart care. Stellar is doing rocket science for a living, while also developing autonomous trucks and performing humanitarian research on predicting earthquakes. BTES is delivering 10 Gbyte/sec Internet speeds to all its customers, while many of us are receiving residential service around 1 Gbyte/sec at premium rates. Fort Collins is one of the most digital cities in the United States, is reducing its carbon footprint while growing its population, and is already controlling traffic lights with Bluetooth data that react to the volume of traffic. I hope some of these six themes resonate with your organization. Considering these as six themes that exemplify contemporary excellence, I invite you to see if there are opportunities in these areas for your organization to pursue. Doing so isnt rocket science (except for some of the technology)! Two Gems Occasionally, there are some simple truths that strike a particularly responsive chord with me because they provide great wisdom in a single statement. There were two of these gems in remarks made by Darin Atteberry, city manager of Fort Collins: Treat metrics as a flashlight to shine attention on an opportunity for improvement, not as a hammer to beat on responsible people or processes. I encourage you to consider how you use your overall organizational and process metrics. Are the metrics measuring what is important? Are you using them to guide performance improvement? Are you improving with a flashlight or a hammer? Dont lead in an average way; youll get average people and average performance. Or to rephrase, Lead your organization toward remarkable goals, and you will develop a remarkable workforce, producing remarkable results. How Are You Leading Your Organization? Are your goals to reach average or the 50th percentile? Or are your goals to reach the 90th percentile or benchmark performance? Are you celebrating success along the way? Or are you ignoring or, even worse, punishing people for not making sufficient progress? Are you using setbacks as a cause for negativity or a source of information to determine cause and reward process improvement? Are you on the road to performance excellence? Trump Steel Tariffs Bring Hope, Prosperity Back to Granite City Washington, DC - Hiding in plain sight in a suburb of St. Louis is one of the great success stories of President Donald J. Trumps tough trade policies. This is the rebirth of the Granite City steelworks, idled in 2015 - along with about 2,000 steelworkers - under a drowning flood of subsidized foreign imports. President Trump, who is visiting Granite City today, helped engineer the steelworks rebirth with the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on foreign steel. This action, along with a companion 10 percent tariff on foreign aluminum imports, was taken in the interest of national security under the authority of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. As President Trump correctly noted upon signing the steel tariffs on March 8, Without steel, you dont have a country. On the same day the steel tariff was announced, U.S. Steels Chief Executive Officer Dave Burritt promised to immediately restart one of two blast furnaces along with its steel-making facilities at Granite City. Just last month, Burritt announced the reopening of the second blast furnace by October, promising more great jobs at great wages in a community that had been decimated by the plants idling. Granite Citys rebirth is hardly an isolated event. The much bigger success story is that of a tariff-catalyzed renaissance in steel and aluminum production across this great land, with many of the reborn facilities in forgotten, flyover communities urgently in need of manufacturing jobs. For example, beyond Granite City, in the steel industry, we have borne witness to a $500 million expansion and the reopening of a seamless pipe mill in Baytown, Texas. We have seen the return of at least 1,000 workers as a result of a restart of an idled mill in Lorain, Ohio, and the building of a new rebar micro mill in Frostproof, Fla. In the aluminum industry, new or restarted aluminum smelters are firing up in places like New Madrid, Mo.; Hawesville, Ky.; and Warrick, Ind. New or restarted aluminum rolling mills or extrusion facilities are likewise in evidence in places like Ashland, Guthrie and Lewisport, Ky.; Huntingdon, Tenn.; Trenton, Ohio; and Goose Creek, S.C. Together, these tariff-catalyzed and tax-cut assisted investments will add billions of dollars in new investment, millions of metric tons of aluminum and steel production, and thousands of jobs to the national economy while helping to build up our manufacturing base and shore up gaps in our defense industrial base. This is an economy experiencing rapid growth, historically low unemployment (particularly among blacks and Hispanics) and rising wages. Even as America is now bearing witness to a rebirth of its aluminum and steel industries and a broader boom in the American economy critics of the Trump tariffs continue to insist that such tariffs will ultimately be self-defeating. They warn that the Trump tariffs are simply taxes that will raise the prices of downstream goods like autos, airplanes and beer cans and ultimately cost more jobs than they create. Like the falsely rumored death of Missouris Mark Twain, these higher costs have, however, been greatly exaggerated. For example, a 10 percent tariff on aluminum may raise the cost of a six-pack of beer made in a St. Louis brewery by about two cents. At the other end of the spectrum, the cost increase for a mid-sized Boeing 737, which has a list price of about $120 million, is around $200,000 less than two-tenths of 1 percent. These relatively small costs are necessary to protect national security. Critics of President Trumps trade policies have also warned of the dangers of retaliation by our trading partners even as China has singled out farmers in particular for punishing tariffs. Such foreign coercion raises a much broader issue that deserves public debate: Should we as a nation bend to the will and bullying of countries that are exploiting us with their unfair trade practices and, in Chinas case, stealing our technologies and intellectual property? Surely at the coffee shops and kitchen tables across America, the answer must be a resounding No! The abiding fact here is that America has some of the lowest tariffs and non-tariff barriers in the world, and all that has gotten us are threats to our national security from a flood of imports and a more than half-trillion-dollar trade deficit every year that transfers our wealth, jobs and factories to foreign lands. President Trumps trade policies are putting an end to this globalist insanity. His tariffs are both a reasonable and cost-effective tool to defend industries like aluminum and steel. The broader goal is a world where trade is fair, balanced and reciprocal; and American businesses and workers will win because they will finally compete on a level playing field. Peter Navarro is a White House trade and manufacturing policy adviser. This op-ed appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on July 25, 2018. Bigg Boss 15: Tejasswi Prakash Says, "Rajiv Adatia Has Done More Than Akasa Singh and Simba Nagpal in Just One Day' M12, Microsoft Corporation's venture fund - in collaboration with the EQT Ventures fund and SVB Financial Group - announced on Thursday the Female Founders Competition, seeking to accelerate funding for top women-led startups focused on enterprise technology solutions. Two winners will share $4 million in venture funding, as well as access to technology resources, mentoring and more. Women entrepreneurs receive a disproportionately small amount of venture funding, with only 2.2 per cent of the total invested in 2017 going to women-founded startups. Studies have shown that investing in companies founded by women delivers significantly higher returns than the market average. By shining a light on this highly talented, but underfunded group of entrepreneurs, M12 and its partners seek to not only fund innovative female entrepreneurs, but to spotlight the funding gap that exists and the benefits of more equitable distribution of capital. "We formed M12 to make smart bets on innovative people and their ideas, and the Female Founders Competition is an extension of that mandate," said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of Business Development at Microsoft. "This isn't about checking a box; it's an opportunity to remind the venture capital (VC) community that investing in women is more than just good values, it's good business." "The EQT Ventures team is all about backing founders with the ambition, drive and vision to build a global success story," said Alastair Mitchell, partner and investment advisor at EQT Ventures. "This competition reflects this and offers women entrepreneurs a great platform from which to launch their business, providing them with access to capital and mentorship. It also raises awareness of the funding gap between male and female founders, and the EQT Ventures team wants to play an active role in bridging that gap." Submissions will be accepted from July 26 to September 30 and open across three regions: Europe, Israel, and North America (US, Canada and Mexico). Companies will be eligible to apply if they have at least one woman founder, have raised less than $4 million in combined equity funding and/or loans at day of application, and offer or intend to release a product, service or platform that addresses a critical business problem. "At SVB, we strive to help innovative companies succeed," said Tracy Isacke, head of Corporate Venture at Silicon Valley Bank. "Research tells us diverse teams are more successful. We believe this is true for our business, our clients' businesses and the innovation economy at large. Our partnership with Microsoft has created a great opportunity for SVB to engage in this competition and is one of the many ways we are supporting diverse representation in the global innovation ecosystem." Up to 10 finalists will pitch in person for the chance to be one of the two startups that earn a $2 million investment as well as access to technology resources, mentoring and additional support. The competition also seeks to drive greater awareness for both finalists and winners, with the potential for future funding from the broader VC community. Full guidelines and contest information can be found on M12's application page. - TradeArabia News Service Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. Why would anyone want to split up a family? Please, I don't want to get too far into the politics, because the inhumanity of doing it seems so painfully obvious. 463 parents have already been sent back to their countries without their children. Who knows how many more there might be and what permanent scars the children might endure? However, an organization called FWD.us -- created by members of the tech community to lobby for what it sees are more just policies -- is working with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and the Families Belong Together coalition to reunite those ripped apart for political point-scoring and transnational bullying. One airline has stepped forward to help in this pursuit. It's United Airlines. The airline says it's providing hundreds of tickets to get moms and dads back with kids and other family members. FWD.us president Todd Schulte tweeted his support for United's move: NEWS: So thankful to announce that @United is jumping in & helping to reunite families. This partnership with United allows us to be able to provide travel to reunited families to get to their next destination with dignity. Thanks for your generosity United! #FlightsforFamilies -- Todd Schulte (@TheToddSchulte) July 25, 2018 How, though, did this all come about? The organization's spokeswoman Leezia Dhalla told me: We reached out to United because they were in a unique position to provide badly needed support to help fly parents and children to their next destination as they await processing of their asylum cases. We're thankful to United for answering our call and for their generosity in the face of this crisis by providing hundreds of tickets and such amazing care to support these families. A United spokesman told me that the airline has an extensive network across the U.S., so it could offer considerable assistance quickly. American Airlines employees were among the first to complain that they didn't want to transport children separated from their parents. United and Frontier also said they weren't interested in the process of flying children to an uncertain and painful future. The excessively realistic will suggest United is doing this merely to garner good publicity. I'm sure the airline's PR people aren't unaware of the potential halo that might hover above United for a day or two. Somehow, though, when we're talking about kids being separated from their parents, all that matters is humanity. Ask anyone whom they prefer to work with, nice guys or bullies, and you'll get a fast and certain reply -- just about everyone says they prefer to share an office with kindhearted do-gooders. That's what people say, anyway. But if you've ever been the office sweetheart, you know that what people claim to want and how they actually behave can be completely at odds. While everyone praises kindness and cooperation, exceptionally nice people often find their good deeds met with nastiness, ridicule, exploitation, and backstabbing. Why is that? You could conclude (not entirely without foundation) that humans are sometimes nasty, hypocritical creatures, but according to a recent Canadian study the reason our stated ideals and our real-life actions fail to match up is more complicated than that. Niceness, the research found, can actually come across as threatening. The office superman makes everyone else look bad We all flock to superhero movies to see good guys triumph and bad guys get what's coming to them. But when Superman saves the day onscreen, there's no reason for the average bystander to feel bad about not stopping that runaway train. Mere mortals aren't expected to have superstrengths, after all. Things are different at work when a real-life person starts playing the role of superhero, psychology professor Pat Barclay and his collaborators discovered when they brought study subjects into the lab to play a series of economic games. Exceptionally generous and hard-working colleagues make those around them look bad in comparison. Their superkindness and productivity challenge other employees to perform at the same level, and that can stir up nasty reactions, the researchers found. "Most of the time, we like the cooperators, the good guys," Barclay commented, but when people find themselves in competitive environments such as many offices have, the script flips. "People will hate on the really good guys. This pattern has been found in every culture in which it has been looked at." In particularly tough environments, people will attack an exceptional sweetie even if doing so harms the group as a whole. How to fight back against the anti-do-gooder effect While Barclay's research wasn't designed to suggest real-world strategies for those impacted by this nasty human tendency to punish the exceptionally nice, when I emailed him he was happy to offer advice. "It might help to turn the tables on the criticizers: Point out that they're just attacking to prevent themselves from looking bad" was his first suggestion. But the best solution may be even more straightforward: Don't put yourself in situations where you have to work with terrible people. "Perhaps the best solution is to just find better associates. If you're being criticized for being too nice or for working too hard, then go find others who are just as nice and hard working as you. When cooperative people work with one another, they end up much better off than their critics," Barclay sensibly advises. This summer, Inc. is digging into the backstories of some of the most iconic products that rule the warmer-weather months to find out how the brands built a following--and have stayed on top for decades. First up: Birkenstocks, the "ugly" sandal with die-hard fans everywhere. You know them when you see them: The gender-neutral sandals feature thick straps, big buckles, and a chunky foot bed that's easy on the arches. Hippies loved them. Your dad probably loves them--and even dares to wear them with socks. What you probably don't know is that the cork foot beds that make Birkenstocks so iconic and comfortable date back to 1774. How does a brand stay relevant for more than two centuries, particularly in an industry so driven by fleeting trends? While Birkenstock continues to tweak its styles to reflect current fashions, the manufacturer hasn't strayed from its core mission--crafting shoes for comfort. Every shoe is still made in Germany and comes with the signature foot bed. Birkenstock America CEO David Kahan likes to say that 32 people's hands still touch every pair of shoes before they make it into a box and get shipped out. "I think that's what's giving us so much more credibility with consumers," says Kahan. "The Millennials--the new consumers--who are coming to Birkenstock and discovering us now are discovering us because they're looking for something real." Birkenstock's stomping grounds In 1774, in the small German village of Langen-Bergheim, shoemaker Johann Birkenstock created a "foot bed" insole that would mold to the foot and provide all-day comfort. Cobblers in the Birkenstock family went on to develop arch supports in the late 1800s. In the 1960s, heir Karl Birkenstock decided to design shoes featuring the foot bed insole. The first sandal--known as the Madrid model--launched in 1964. Later that decade, an American designer named Margot Fraser stumbled upon the shoes while on a spa trip to Germany and became a fan. After returning to the Bay Area, she wrote a letter to Birkenstock, initiating a distribution partnership to bring the shoes to the U.S. American shoe stores, however, were tougher to persuade: They turned her down, saying that nobody would wear those "ugly" shoes. So Fraser turned to health food and wellness stores in Northern California. Eventually, the shoes would find a following with the Bay Area hippies and Berkeley students. Today, retailers that range from Famous Footwear to Barneys stock the sandals. The company is still family-owned, but appointed Markus Bensberg and Oliver Reichert as co-global CEOs of the Birkenstock Group in 2013. Kahan says the choice to remain private is deliberate, as it protects the company from having to respond to the whims of shareholders and lets the brand stay focused on quality. Beyond the sandal In the past couple of years, the company has been introducing new styles to make its footwear range look less orthopedic and more fashionable. Design teams based in the U.S. and Cologne, Germany, watch the markets in New York City, Los Angeles, and London closely to anticipate what customers will want in six months. The company has developed boots in popular silhouettes--such as a demi boot--as well as pool-friendly sandals that are cheaper ($40) than the regular sandals. Birkenstock has also collaborated with fashion designers such as Rick Owens, who crafted calf-hair Birkenstocks that premiered at New York Fashion Week in 2017. Despite the stylish upgrades, the emphasis on comfort has not changed. Cork, leather, and latex are still the shoes' primary materials, according to Kahan. "We haven't really changed who we are or the simple technology of what makes Birkenstock Birkenstock," he says. Details have been added. For instance, in the 1980s, the company created the proprietary fake leather Birko-Flor to bring about environmental awareness. As for most retailers, Amazon looms as one of the most challenging competitive threats for Birkenstock. In 2016, Birkenstock stopped supplying its shoes to Amazon in the U.S. because of counterfeits and unauthorized selling on the site. The company also stopped authorizing third-party merchants from selling on the site. "We just decided that Amazon was not consistent with our brand equity as a customer of Birkenstock," says Kahan. Counterfeiting isn't a challenge unique to Amazon. Just last week, Kahan spoke with Facebook to shut down an ad from the seller Sandal Boutique who he says was selling a counterfeit Birkenstock and using the company's own images. Beth Goldstein, a fashion footwear and accessories analyst from the NBD Group, says that Birkenstock has remained a classic brand for so long thanks to its authenticity and commitment to comfort, especially as "comfort has become cool during the past few years," she said in an email. Birkenstock also has a controlled approach to distribution, meaning that although the brand can be found at many retailers, you won't find it in every discount retailer, which, Goldstein explains, "could dilute the brand's premium message." The shoes are popular--but not too popular. Kahan says that the company plans to expand into unexpected categories, such as sports, and to focus on shoes for men and children. Plus, Birkenstock has an eye on tackling "professional shoes" for workers in hospitality or health services who are on their feet all day. The heatwave across northern Europe has been made twice as likely by climate change, according to an international team of scientists. Preliminary data collected from stations across the region by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network confirmed climate scientists fears that the heat has been exacerbated by global warming. Temperatures recorded in the Arctic Circle were unprecedented, while further south in the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, the odds of the current heatwave more than doubled. The logic that climate change will do this is inescapable the world is becoming warmer and so heatwaves like this are becoming more common, said one of the reports authors Dr Friederike Otto, deputy director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. What was once regarded as unusually warm weather will become commonplace in some cases, it already has. Their findings are a preliminary study because the full analysis will take months to compile, but nevertheless they said the impact of climate change was unambiguous. In total, the team took readings from seven weather stations in northern Europe during the hottest three day period. Two were taken in Finland, and one each in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Data was not available from UK stations to include in this early analysis. California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Show all 45 1 /45 California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters try to limit the spread of the Carr Fire by backburning, a process by which areas in the path of a fire are burned up in advance to rob the fire of its fuel Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A street is devastated by the Carr Fire in the town of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A truck burned by the Delta Fire is abandoned along interstate 5 AFP/Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 This image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration highlights the major fire AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Ranch Fire spots out ahead of the main fire in Spring Valley, burning two homes AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A picture taken by German astronaut and geophysicist Alexander Gerst, showing wildfires in the state of California as seen from the International Space Station AFP/Getty/ESA/Alexander Gerst California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Evacuees from Lucerne, from left, Ken Bennett with Ember Reynolds, 8, and Lisa Reynolds watch the sunset as smoke from the Ranch Fire rises into the sky at Austin Park Beach in California's Clearlake with Mount Konocti in the background The Press Democrat via AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The memorial for Redding firefighter Jeremy Stoke AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 REUTERS California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Holy Jim volunteer firefighter Luke Senger stands next to a home destroyed the Holy Fire in Trabuco Canyon AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters try to stop the spread of a massive fire in Lake County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A woman walks out of the water after taking a dip as smoke rises in the distance from the Holy Fire in Cleveland National Forest Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A pyrocumulus cloud (or cloud of fire) explodes in the Carr fire near the town of Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Delta Fire burns in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Trees set alight near Whiskeytown Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 An firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant to slow the spread of the River Fire near Lakeport Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A firefighter lights backfires in an attempt to limit the spread of the Ranch Fire Reuters California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters light backfires to defend houses in the town Upper Lake from the Ranch Fire Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Flames consume a home in Lakeport AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Ranch Fire spread towards the town of Upper Lake AFP/Getty Images California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A firefighter lights a backfire in the city of Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns near Whiskeytown AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters try to limit the spread of the Carr Fire by backburning Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Flames flare in the Cajon Pass near San Bernardino AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 An firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant to slow the spread of the River Fire near Lakeport Reuters California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A schoolhouse burns in the Carr Fire in Shasta County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 by the city of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A car is seen amongst the devastation left by the Cranston Fire EPA California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A firefighter waters down a backfire on Cloverdale Road in Igo AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters convene while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters assess the damage in San Bernardino County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 by the city of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The land around Mountain Centre has been left devastated by the Cranston Fire EPA California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters battle the Carr Fire in the town of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home burns in Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Cranston Fire burns south of Idyllwild AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns through the town of Shasta AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home burns in Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A collection of antique cars has been destroyed by the fire in the town of Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home on Sunflower Road in Redding burns in the Carr Fire Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A helicopter aids utility workers as they work to repair burned power lines EPA California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home burns in Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 by the city of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Sunflower Road in Redding burns in the Carr Fire Getty The WWA team will now publish these results formally in a scientific journal, and will follow them up with a more in-depth analysis of the hot summer of 2018. Scientists have become increasingly confident attributing individual weather events to climate change by modelling what conditions would be like without climate change, and comparing current events to historical trends. Previously, researchers found that Hurricane Harveys devastating rainfall was made three times more likely by climate change. The deadly storm killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it swept across Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Authorities estimated it cost $125bn (96bn). Dr Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, said it was incredible to see the fingerprints of climate change so clearly in the current heatwave. Its amazing to see that now it is something you can really see at a local level in extreme weather rather than this very abstract global mean temperature, he said. The findings come after the Environmental Audit Committee warned that the UK government has not done enough to prepare for a future in which extreme heatwaves are the norm. Recommended Natural disasters increasingly linked to climate change As heatwaves, wildfires and record temperatures have been recorded across the northern hemisphere in recent weeks, experts have used the chaos to highlight the need to tackle climate change. Even if we stick to the Paris agreement targets and keep global warming to below 2C, heatwaves and hot summers like we saw in 2003 and 2006 will likely occur in most years, said Dr Andrew King, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne who was not involved in the new study. Under a less optimistic scenario, where we dont greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, heat extremes will become far worse and the hot summers of today would be relatively cool in a few decades time. Dr Robert Vautard, one of the team members from the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences, said while heatwaves have always struck Europe, they were now striking at times and in places never seen before. Day after day, year after year, we see climate change unfolding, he said. We are not taking the right measures at the moment we are discovering climate change instead of doing something about it. Brunch is ubiquitous on Sunday mornings - a meal anticipated for its bottomless mimosas and your hearts desire of french toast. However, all of the indulgences can become slightly repetitive, especially when the same foods are on the menu. As late chef Anthony Bourdain once told Portland Mercury, brunch is a horrible, cynical way of unloading leftovers and charging three times as much as you ordinarily charge for breakfast. While the increased prices may or may not be true depending on the restaurant, the overrated menu options certainly are. At Sunday Cafe and Restaurant in London, the full English breakfast is the most monotonous, according to chef Alan Turner. Instead of ordering the typical sausages, eggs, bacon, tomatoes and beans, the chef wants diners to consider broadening their horizons. The full English breakfast is overrated (Stock) I would love people to order more exciting items like huevos rancheros or corn fritters or courgettes fritters, Alan told The Independent. However, despite the repetition in orders, chef Alan and his fellow chefs enjoy all of the dishes they cook. For us, brunch is about sharing and indulging, he said. At Brother Marcus in London, choosing the most overrated brunch food is easy. Of the most overdone brunch food, head chef and co-founder Tas Gaitanos and sous chef, Stuart Underwood told The Independent: Poached eggs, smashed avocado, and bacon on toast. Its a staple on most brunch menus, including ours. Avocado toast may be delicious but it has also become completely cliche. As for the food the chefs are tired of making, it also happens to be their bestseller. The high demand for the sweet potato and courgette fritters, known as the Step Sister on our menu, which are gluten-free and packed full of fresh herbs and spices, means that the chefs are constantly making and cooking huge batches through the week, it never ends, according to the chefs. Like chef Alan, the chefs at Brother Marcus also want patrons to give their taste buds something new to try. From our menu, we wish people would order the pork belly wrap," a dish the chefs called "magnificent." Even if you arent dining at their restaurant, they wish people would stray from avocado toast and eat other options. Bottomless brunch: in pictures Show all 17 1 /17 Bottomless brunch: in pictures Bottomless brunch: in pictures HotBox: Brunch Bottomless brunch: in pictures HotBox: Brunch Bottomless brunch: in pictures HotBox: Brunch Bottomless brunch: in pictures Avenue Bar Bottomless brunch: in pictures Avenue restaurant Bottomless brunch: in pictures Waffles at Avenue restaurant Bottomless brunch: in pictures One Two Three - Avenue Bottomless brunch: in pictures Chicken wings at Flesh and Buns Bottomless brunch: in pictures Flesh and Buns Bottomless brunch: in pictures Flesh and Buns Bottomless brunch: in pictures Flesh and Buns Mixed Seafood Ceviche Bottomless brunch: in pictures Flesh and Buns Chips and Dips Bottomless brunch: in pictures One Canada Square Bottomless brunch: in pictures Eggs Florentine at One Canada Square Bottomless brunch: in pictures Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings Bottomless brunch: in pictures Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings Bottomless brunch: in pictures Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings Off the menu waffles and fried chicken, they recommended. Photo albums can be treasure troves for rich family histories full of exciting twists and turns. Having known very little about the paternal side of her family beyond her grandparents, 59-year-old civil servant Edwina Sleeman was amazed to discover a fascinating tale of poverty and medical achievements when perusing photos of her grandfather in her great-grandmothers photo album. The photo album had originally been purchased on eBay by an individual called Marion Brooker, who had felt intrigued by the photos within and compelled to find the family to whom they belonged. By using Ancestry, Marion was able to find Edwina's family tree and made contact with her out of the blue. Since then, Edwina has been avidly updating her family tree for six years, using Ancestry to get to the bottom of several familial mysteries. One of the enigmas concerned her grandfather Dr John W Cowen, who shed never had the opportunity to meet, as hed died before shed been born. Edwina, whos based in Cornwall, had originally thought that her grandfather must have come from a privileged household, having worked in the medical profession. From left to right: Dorothy Palmer Mills (nee Johnstone, great-aunt), Harry Raymond Mills (husband of Dorothy and great-uncle), Philippa Cowen (nee Johnstone), Dr John Cowen (husband of Philippa and grandfather). In front of car: Marjorie Kingston McLean (nee Johnstone, great-aunt) and John Stewart McLean (husband of Marjorie, great-uncle) (Edwina Sleeman) However, it turned out that hed actually grown up in very tough conditions. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Cowen, had been placed in Kirkdale Industrial School in Liverpool at the age of 11, which used to be a workhouse for orphans where they were taught various trades. As a young man, Thomas son and Edwinas grandfather John had been awarded a scholarship, which had allowed him to train as a doctor despite being of little means. Johns life came to a premature end in 1954, passing away suddenly at the age of 52. Recommended Family tree linking 13 million people reveals history of migration However, prior to his untimely death, John had achieved incredible feats both before and after the onset of the NHS. In the early stages of his career, John had worked as Resident Medical Officer at Port Sunlight Hospital in Merseyside, which has since been transformed into the Leverhulme Hotel. Following his stint at the hospital, John became a partner at a medical practice, which consisted of him carrying out his work as a doctor from his home in Bebington with his family taking on the duties of staff. Johns medical prowess was pushed to the limit during the Second World War, with two of the doctors that hed partnered with enlisting in the army and the older doctors being on the verge of retirement. From left to right: Dr John William Cowen (grandather), Ellen Johnstone (nee Fearon, great-grandmother), george Johnstone (great-grandfather) and Philippa Cowen (nee Johnstone, wife of Dr John Cowen and grandmother) Picture taken late 1920s/early 1930s (Edwina Sleeman) From August 1940 until January 1942, the city of Liverpool was subjected to an onslaught of bombings from the German armed forces. Johns family was evacuated to Wales at the time. However, John chose to stay behind so that he could tend to the wounded, during which time he would travel from Bebington to Liverpool along the river Mersey in order to help those who had been injured. His funeral was a very mournful occasion, with shopkeepers standing outside of their stores as the procession passed them by in order to show respect for their much-beloved doctor. Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Show all 10 1 /10 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Great Ormond Street Hospital's history 'Treating rickets, 1920': This image of two children in protective eyewear in front of an ultraviolet screen was used in the 1930s to encourage donations to the hospital's redevelopment Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The Childrens Hospital School, which had opened with just one teacher, 1951 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Staff and patients celebrate Christmas on Dresden Ward, which opened in 1893 after a large endowment from a London businessman Great Ormond Street Hospital's history 'Lady Folkestone cot, 1880s' shows a child in a bed with the name of the viscountess who sponsored her cot. The idea of cot sponsorship had begun just over a decade earlier, in 1868 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Mrs Francis Willey, the hospitals first matron, appointed two months before GOSH opened, 1851 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The hospitals nurses home, 1914 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history An operating theatre, circa 1930 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Patients with lung conditions or infectious disease were wheeled on to the balcony for fresh air, 1920s. 'Images such as the balcony scene would have been used to show that the buildings were becoming antiquated and in need of replacement,' says Baldwin. 'The idea was to encourage people to donate towards maintenance, which was a constant concern.' Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The RAF Cranwell cot, funded from 1920 by a base in Lincolnshire Great Ormond Street Hospital's history GOSH acquired its first X-ray machine in 1903 On the other side of Edwinas family, there had always been a lot of mystery surrounded an elder half brother of her mother called Harry, who had been in the navy. Edwinas maternal grandfather had tried contacting his son throughout the years, with a letter that he received revealing that Harry had a son called Christopher. However, despite further attempts to contact Harry through the Salvation Army, nothing more was heard from him. That is, until Edwina used Ancestry to trace his familys whereabouts. Edwina managed to find Christophers address, writing him to explain that they were cousins. Edwina learnt about her grandfather, Dr John Cowen, by investigating her great-grandmother's photo album (Edwina Sleeman) Much to Edwinas delight, Christopher responded, stating that hed known very little about his fathers family, including the fact that his father had four sisters, a half sister, two brothers and a half brother. Edwina now remains in close contact with her cousin Christopher, his wife and his daughter, and has described the events that led to their meeting as wonderful. She's been astounded by the amount of information that shes been able to gather through Ancestry, which also surprisingly included a marital connection with a member of the Russian royal family. Delving into her family's past proved a very eye-opening and shocking experience for Edwina. As the Brexit negotiations roll on, we do see some signs of progress. Our understanding of the underlying causes of the referendum outcome has developed significantly in the last two years. Leave-supporting areas can be easily distinguished from those supporting Remain. Broadly speaking, they are more deprived, have lower levels of income, fewer high status-jobs, a weaker economic structure, and an ageing demographic with lower levels of educational attainment (see for example here, here or here). Recommended Most people have a more balanced view of immigration than you think Further, non-economic factors have also been highlighted as important correlates of support for Brexit (see the work by Eric Kaufmann and by Matthew Goodwin and colleagues). But an open question to economists, though, is what are the economic origins of the relationships between these characteristics and support for Leave? An important cross-cutting observation that has been made over and over again is that Leave-supporting areas stand out in having an electorate that has been left behind, is particularly reliant on the welfare state and is thus exposed to welfare cuts. In a recent paper, I show that austerity-induced reforms, including widespread cuts to the welfare state since 2010, were an important factor behind the decision of many people to shift their political support to UKIP and, subsequently, support Leave in the EU referendum. The austerity-induced reforms of the welfare state, implemented in the years after 2010, were broad and deep. In 2013, it was estimated that the measures included in the Welfare Reform Act of 2012 would cost every working-age Briton, on average, around 400 per year. Crucially, the impact of the cuts was far from uniform across the UK: it varied from around 900 in Blackpool to just above 100 in the City of London. Aggregate figures suggest that overall government spending for welfare and protection contracted by 16 per cent in real per capita terms, reaching levels last seen in the early 2000s. Welfare slashed While the NHS was protected from direct cuts, the rapidly ageing population implied significant increases in demand for healthcare, worsening quality and ease of access for many, and contributing to the now regular winter crises. Furthermore, overall public spending on education also contracted, while spending on pensions steadily increased in real terms (partly due to the triple lock), suggesting a significant shift in the overall composition of government spending. At the level of local authority districts, spending per person fell by about 23 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2015. The poorest areas were hit the hardest, with drops in local authority spending in some areas reaching up to 46 per cent. My recent paper shows that support for UKIPa measure that is tightly linked to supporting Leave in the EU referendumonly started picking up significantly in areas and among individuals directly affected by welfare reforms once these cuts came into effect. For example, individuals who saw their council tax benefit cut from April 2013 became significantly more likely to support UKIP and increasingly felt that public officials do not care, feeling disenfranchised and believing that their vote does not make a difference and that they do not [have] a say in government policy. Furthermore, economic grievances grew as these households increasingly reported being in arrears with their council tax payments. Each of these indicators is a strong correlate of support for Leave in the EU referendum. The austerity-induced increase in support for UKIP was sizeable and suggests that the outcome of the referendum could have been significantly driven by austerity. Estimates suggest that, in districts that received the average austerity shock, UKIP vote shares increased by an average of 3.6 percentage points in the 2014 European elections and 11.6 percentage points in the most recent local elections prior to the referendum relative to districts that had little exposure to austerity. Given the tight link between UKIP vote shares and support for Leave, simple back of the envelope calculations suggest that Leave support in 2016 could have been up to 9.5 percentage points lower and, thus, could have swung the referendum in favour of Remain had austerity not happened. Austerity by shrinking the welfare state, activated a broad range of (likely) already existing economic grievances. These economic grievances could stem from a host of factors. Italo Colantone and Piero Stanig suggest that import-competition from low income countries, by displacing domestically produced goods, created grievances in the manufacturing goods producing parts of the UK with some of those globalization losers turning to the welfare state. John Major it is the least well off who will suffer most post brexit Similarly, there is some evidence suggesting that immigration may have small, but statistically significant effects reducing wage growth at the bottom end of the wage distribution (see my other recent paper and similar work by Christian Dustman and colleagues). Hence, albeit the effects are small, migration may also have contributed to economic grievances and a growing role for the welfare state supplementing low incomes. Again, other factors, such as automation, by reducing demand for low-skilled workers, may have further suppressed wage growth, while the rise of the gig-economy, zero-hours contracts and other forms of precarious may also have pushed people to become reliant on the welfare state to top up their salaries. The observation I make in the paper suggests that before 2010, the UKs welfare-state was responsive, expanding benefit payments to those with low skills who had continuously seen their labour incomes decline in relative terms over the preceding 15 years. This expansion of welfare payments came to a halt from 2010 onwards, generating or exacerbating the economic grievances that were to prove so crucial in 2016. Thiemo Fetzer is associate professor in the economics department at the University of Warwick. This article was originally published by The UK in a Changing Europe. Intertek, a leading total quality assurance provider to industries worldwide, has been designated as a certification body for the Emirates Conformity Assessment System (ECAS). ECAS is a UAE national product certification programme introduced by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma), for quality assessment, control and certification. As a "Notified Body" for Esma, Intertek is now authorised to issue ECAS Certificates and the Emirates Quality Mark (EQM) for imported products on behalf of Esma, said a statement. These certifications include electrical and beauty products such as Low Voltage Equipment (LVE), Energy Efficiency Standards Labelling (EESL), lighting regulation, regulation for Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), equipment used in explosive atmospheres, cosmetics, perfumery and personal care products, raw material quality assurance, and toxicology, amongst others, it said. Intertek already offers similar services to low voltage electrical products and appliances imported or sold in Gulf member states, including the UAE, for compliance with the Gulf Mark (G Mark) requirements issued by the Gulf Standardisation Organisation (GSO). Intertek established its certification body in Dubai to offer local, regional and global service support to customers. In order to achieve this, Intertek underwent the necessary ISO / IEC 17065:2012 standard accreditation and notification process with ESMA, which issues technical regulations for these sectors, said a statement. More than two million certificates of conformity and test reports have been issued to date by Intertek worldwide. Its regional and international teams have undertaken assessments of more products over a longer period of time than any other organisation, it said. Ian Galloway, executive vice president - Middle East, Africa (MEA) and Global Trade at Intertek, said: Through our global and local outreach of accredited certification bodies, test laboratories and technical experts, Intertek offers assurance, testing, inspection and certification for multiple industries in the region. The Gulf region has seen a major increase of new mandatory regulatory conformity assessment systems, commencing with the Gulf Mark (G mark) at a regional level and the ECAS at a national level, he said. We value the importance of quality and safety for our clients and supports them in their quest for assuring quality across their operations and products, he added. TradeArabia News Service MPs have written to the Royal Mail board demanding answers about a 5.8m payout to new chief executive Rico Back after 70 per cent of the privatised companys shareholders rejected his remuneration. Rachel Reeves, chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said she was surprised to learn about the fee Royal Mail is paying to Mr Back, which was disclosed only as a note on the companys accounts, not in its remuneration report. In a letter to Orna Ni-Chionna, chair of Royal Mails remuneration committee, Ms Reeves asked why the company was also paying Mr Back 17 per cent more in basic salary than his predecessor Moya Greene. Recommended Royal Mail pay scandal shows the bowl is still full for greedy bosses Royal Mail argued that Ms Greene was paid more in pension contributions so the overall fixed remuneration was the same, but it conceded that Mr Back could get more overall compensation than Moya, because annual and long-term bonuses are calculated on salary". Mr Backs total remuneration this year could be up to 2.7m, in addition to the 5.8m he is being awarded on joining the company. Ms Greene is pocketing a 900,000 golden parachute payment. Last week, at Royal Mails annual general meeting in Sheffield, 70 per cent of shareholders rejected the pay deal. Responding to the non-binding vote, the board said it would consult further when it reviews its remuneration policy later this year. Ms Reeves said: At a time when there are ever louder criticisms of hikes in executive pay, it seems incredible that the [Remuneration Committee] chair would sign off on such a pay deal. Why was it considered necessary to pay such a transfer fee for the new CEO? Royal Mail have made no real attempt to explain why this is the case. When there is a pay-revolt featuring 70 per cent of shareholders and the company looks to plough ahead anyway, there is bound to be reputational damage. Grudgingly admitting to a failure of communication goes little way to justifying these pay arrangements. Executive pay needs to be fair and it should reflect the views of its shareholders. The BEIS Committee is currently undertaking an inquiry into executive pay and will be holding further evidence sessions in the autumn. The lunar eclipse is about to arrive. And then, straight after, something almost as stunning. The blood moon will be followed by a visit from Mars which will be more visible than usual, since it is closer to us than it has been in 15 years. Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A full moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon before a lunar eclipse in Cape Sounion, near Athens Reuters Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The blood moon rises behind the Saentis Alpstein, Canton of Appenzell, Switzerland EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Combination of 14 pictures shows the moon during a total lunar eclipse near to La Puente town, canary Spanish island of Tenerife AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The Blood Moon rises behind The Hohenzollern Castle, the ancestral seat of the Prussian Royal House and of the Hohenzollern Princes, situated at the periphery of the Swabian Alb in Hechingen, Germany Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The full moon seen from Srinagar AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The red colored moon next to Berlin TV Tower EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The moon as it passes through decorative lights in Kuwait City AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The moon over Amman, Jordan REUTERS Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A full moon sets over Petronas Twin Tower during a complete lunar eclipse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The moon framed by the Colosseum in Rome AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures An effect created on the slow shutter speed showing the the moon turn red during the lunar eclipse, in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, India EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A "blood moon" eclipse is seen over the roof of the Chambord Castle in France AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Full moon during a 'blood moon' eclipse behind a wind turbine as seen from the mount Buzludzha AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A full moon rising during a lunar eclipse over the temple of Apollo in ancient Corinth, Greece, EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The moon rises behind the Illimani mountain during a full lunar eclipse in La Paz, Bolivia REUTERS Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The blood moon in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The Moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse, over the Lion of Saint Mark in Venice EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A blood moon rises over Tel Aviv, Israel AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The "blood moon" eclipse beside a statue of ancient Greek goddes Hera and god Apollo in central Athens AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures People gather as they wait for the sun to go down and the appearance of the 'Blood moon' in Berlin AFP/Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A full moon rises above the Palestinian village of Umm Tuba, next to the large Jewish settlement of Har Homa EPA Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures An airplane leaves a vapor trail as it passes in front of a nearly full moon above Tacoma, Washington AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Supermoon rises behind the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Baboons silhouetted by the moon at the city zoo in Brasilia, Brazil AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A lunar eclipse of a full "Blood Moon" rises behind the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi REUTERS Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures An airplane leaves a vapor trail as it passes in front of a nearly full moon above Tacoma, Washington AP Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures A lunar eclipse of a full "Blood Moon" rises behind the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi REUTERS Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The full moon rises near Bondi Beach ahead of a total lunar eclipse Getty Images Lunar eclipse 2018 in pictures The full moon rises near Bondi Beach Getty Images Much excitement has built for the arrival of the lunar eclipse on Friday evening, which will be the longest this century. At that time, the Earth will move between the Sun and the Moon, blocking out and distorting the light and turning it a deep red. And then Mars will arrive looking much the same but smaller. It will be visible to the naked eye, and you should be able to get a good view of both of the celestial objects with a pair of binoculars. Recommended Why this blood moon is going to last so long If you're trying to find Mars, look up towards the moon first. If you can see it, Mars should be slightly to the right and below the Moon, and will arrive shortly after. The lunar eclipse is set to begin around 9pm in the UK, depending on whereabouts you are. But it will probably be 10pm before the full sight can be seen, when the sky gets darker and the dim disc of the Moon becomes more prominent. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region But there is some concern that the sight might be obscured by the equally dramatic weather expected in the UK. Thunderstorms have been forecast to arrive just at the same time the Moon does though the length of the eclipse should mean that you will be able to see some of it, even if the clouds and rain get in the way. Scientists have watched a star as it sped past a black hole, lighting up one of the mysteries at the heart of the universe. The unprecedented view of the dramatic behaviour was not just an exciting peek into the universe. It also confirms for the first time that Einstein's predictions about what happens to a star when it passes near a supermassive black hole are correct. Einstein's 100-year-old general theory of relativity predicted that light from stars would be stretched to longer wavelengths by the extreme gravitational field of a black hole, and the star would appear redder, an effect known as gravitational red shift. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region "This was the first time we could test directly Einstein's theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole," Frank Eisenhauer, senior astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, told journalists. "At the time of Einstein, he could not think or dream of what we are showing today," he said. A team of scientists at the European Southern Observatory started monitoring the central area of the Milky Way using its Very Large Telescope to observe the motion of stars near the supermassive black hole 26 years ago. The black hole is 26,000 light years away from Earth and has a mass 4 million times that of the Sun. The scientists selected one star, S2, to follow. With an orbit of 16 years, they knew it would return close to the black hole in 2018. Over 20 years, the accuracy of their instruments has improved and so in May 2018, they were able to take extremely precise measurements in conjunction with scientists from around the world. This showed the star's orbital velocity increasing to more than 25 million kph (15.5 million mph) as it approached the black hole. The star's wavelength stretched as it sought to escape the gravitational pull of the supermassive black hole, shifting its appearance from blue to red, Odele Straub from the Paris Observatory said. The scientists now hope to observe other theories of black hole physics, she said. "This is the first step on a long road that the team has done over many years and which we hope to continue in the next years," MPE's Reinhard Genzel, who led the international team, said. Additional reporting by agencies The sky is set to be lit up by a stunning blood moon. That is if another sky-based phenomenon doesn't get in the way: violent thunderstorms that will finally break the weeks-long heatwave. Friday's lunar eclipse is set to run right into the beginning of bad weather. Clouds over the UK could cover up any view of the blood moon, as well as forcing people indoors to avoid getting wet. The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning from Friday afternoon that is expected to last until midnight. The eclipse will start some time between just before 9 and just before 10pm on Friday evening, depending on where in the UK you are just as the thunderstorm might be hitting Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region The lunar eclipse will be the longest this century. That will give skygazers who can see it an even more special opportunity to see our satellite lit up in a dramatic red. But torrential downpours are forecast in places, with as much as 30mm expected to fall in just an hour and 60mm in three hours. Recommended When to see the coming lunar eclipse Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: "It's quite tricky at the moment to be precise but there is a potential for showers to develop across the eastern half of the UK. "There may be large areas where the sky is effectively covered by thunderclouds. "They will move through reasonably quickly but if that coincides with the peak moment of the eclipse, they could obscure the moon." The warning area extends from Cambridge and Peterborough up to the Scottish Borders, Mr Madge said, adding that Wales, the south and west of England and most of Northern Ireland should have clear skies. Although the lunar eclipse is expected to last 103 minutes, observers in the UK and Ireland will not be able to catch the start as the moon will still be below the horizon. However, the partial eclipse will be visible for almost four hours. Dr Gregory Brown, of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: "We miss a section of the eclipse due to the moon being below our horizon when it starts. "South eastern observers will be able to see the eclipse for somewhat longer than north western ones." The rising full moon will also change from shining silver to deep blood-red during the eclipse. Dr Brown said: "At this time, the moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, blocking the light from the sun. "However instead of turning black as you might expect, the atmosphere of the Earth bends the light of the sun onto the moon causing it to turn a deep red colour." Mars will add to the spectacle shining brightly below the blood moon as it reaches perihelic opposition - where the Red Planet and the sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth. And those awake after 11pm will be able to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS), as it moves quickly across the sky from west to east. It will appear like a bright star, before fading from sight a few minutes later. Unlike a solar eclipse, the lunar event can be viewed without wearing protective eye gear. Dr Brown said: "As the entire eclipse will occur when the moon is fairly close to the horizon, the main thing to ensure is that you have a clear sightline to the south east. "Try to find an open space or high hilltop clear of trees and tall buildings around you." For those living in thunderstorms warning areas hoping to catch a glimpse of the eclipse, Mr Madge says having a clear night sky could be down to luck. He said: "The thunderstorms will be quite widespread but not necessarily close together and it's going to be down to fortune whether people in certain locations are able to see this astronomical spectacle. "It's likely some people will miss the event because of the storms but, still, it's worth looking out for and being hopeful." The next total lunar eclipse in the UK will take place on January 19, 2019. Additional reporting by Press Association The government is facing a legal challenge over its refusal to ensure two Isis militants are not executed when they are sent to the US for prosecution. The Home Office has been forced to suspend a mutual legal assistance (MLA) agreement it struck with American authorities last month over Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh. Elsheikhs mother is attempting to launch a judicial review of Sajid Javids unprecedented decision not to seek assurances that the death penalty would not be used, when he handed over British intelligence. But the legal action may not stop the pair, who are alleged members of the British terror cell known as the Beatles, being transferred from custody in Syria to the US. The Americans can do what the Americans want, a government source told The Independent. A spokesperson for the US State Department said it would continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues but would not confirm whether its plans for Kotey and Elsheikh were affected by the pause in British assistance. After the home secretarys letter to the US attorney general was leaked, a solicitor representing Elsheikhs mother wrote to the home secretary asking for his immediate undertaking that mutual assistance should not continue to be provided. Security minister Ben Wallace: two Isis terrorists would 'roam around UK' if government did not share intelligence with US The letter explained that in the absence of an undertaking, an immediate application would be made to court for an injunction preventing further provision of assistance in light of an unlawful decision by the minister, until such time as a court could determine its legality, said a statement from solicitors firm Birnberg Peirce. Mr Elsheikhs mother had long made clear her wholesale opposition to the actions of Isis. Her request is that the norms of internationally accepted due process form the basis of any trial of accusations concerning her son. The Home Office pledged to stop any further assistance to US prosecutors until a court determines whether the legal action will progress, and must formally respond to the mothers claim within a week. But British authorities may have already sent over the bulk of material from a four-year counterterror investigation into Kotey and Elsheikh to their American counterparts, who may be able to progress regardless of the challenge. A Home Office spokesperson confirmed it had agreed to a short-term pause in mutual legal assistance because of the mothers request, but added: The government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the governments longstanding MLA policy. Solicitors said their application for judicial review aimed to determine the legality of Mr Javids failure to demand assurances that Kotey and Elsheikh would not be subjected to the death penalty. The application raises questions of enormous constitutional importance, including the ability of a minister without reference to parliament to agree to so complete a departure from a prohibition understood by all to have the status of constitutional certainty and without any public debate, representatives said. Sajid Javid said there were strong reasons not to ask for assurances against the death penalty (PA) It called a letter sent by the home secretary to the US attorney general on 22 June a clear and dramatic departure from the UKs long standing international and domestic commitment to oppose the death penalty. The document, which only became public when it was leaked to the media this week, said Britain does not currently intend to request, nor actively encourage the transfer of Kotey and Elsheikh to Britain from Syria, where they are currently being held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alongside thousands of other foreign fighters. I am of the view that there are strong reasons for not requiring a death penalty assurance in this specific case, so no such assurances will be sought, Mr Javid added. We believe that a successful federal prosecution in the US is more likely to be possible because of differences in your statute book and the restrictions on challenges to the route by which defendants appear in US courts. The Howard League for Penal Reform is also examining the possibility of legal action against the government, and MPs of all parties condemned the failure to consult parliament. Tory grandee Ken Clarke was among the Conservatives condemning the government, saying the UK must not let its standards slip in the face of terror. Ben Emmerson QC, a former United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, said the decision was unprincipled, incompetent and almost certainly unlawful, and Lord Carlile called it extraordinary. Diane Foley, the mother of murdered hostage James Foley, has called for Kotey and Elsheikh to be jailed rather than killed and their former captive Nicolas Henin told The Independent he did not want them to be given the satisfaction of martyrdom. Timeline: The emergence of Isis Show all 40 1 /40 Timeline: The emergence of Isis Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2000 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (pictured here) forms an al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Its brutality from the beginning alienates Iraqis and many al-Qaeda leaders. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2006 Al-Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Al-Zarqawis successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2009 Still al-Qaeda-linked ISI claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad, as well as attacks in August and October killing 240, as President Obama announces troop withdrawal from Iraq in March. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2010 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes head of ISI, at lowest ebb of Islamist militancy in Iraq, which sees last U.S. combat brigade depart. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2012 In Syria, protests (pictured here starting in Daree) have morphed into what president Assad labelled a real war with emergence of a coalition of forces opposed to Assads regime. Syria group Jabhat al-Nusra are among rebel groups who refuse to join, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Bombings targeting Shia areas, killing more than 500 people, spark fears of new sectarian conflict. Sunni Muslims stage protests across country against what they see as increasingly marginalisation by Shia-led government. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2013 Al-Baghdadi renames ISI as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or Isis, as the group absorbs Syrian al-Nusra, gaining a foothold in Syria. In response, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri (Bin Ladens successor) concerned about Isis expansion orders that Isis be dissolved and ISI operations should be confined to Iraq. This order is rejected by al-Baghdadi. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - January Isis fighters capture the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, giving them base to launch slew of attacks further south. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis declares itself the Caliphate, calling itself Islamic State (IS). The group captures Mosul, Iraqs second largest city; Tal Afar, just 93 miles from Syrian border; and the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. These advances sent shockwaves around the world. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Around the same time Isis releases a video calling for western Muslims to join the Caliphate and fight, prompting new evaluations of extremists groups social media understanding. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis take Baiji oil fields in Iraq - giving them access to huge amounts of possible revenue. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August James Foley is executed by the group as concerns grow for second American prisoner, fellow reporter Steven Sotloff. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August Obama authorises U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, helping to stall Isis along with action by Kurdish forces following the deaths of hundreds of Yazidi people on Mount Sinjar. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release video showing Steven Sotloffs murder prompting Western speculation his executioner is same man who killed Mr Foley. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Obama tells us that America will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release a video appearing to show David Haines, who was captured by militants in Syria in 2013, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling in the desert while he reads a pre-prepared script. It later shows what appears to be the aid worker's body. Rex Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Peshmerga fighters scrabble to hold positions in the Diyala province (a gateway to Baghdad) as Isis fighters continue to advance on Iraqi capital. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Aid worker Alan Henning is killed. Self-imposed media blackout refuses to show images of him in final moments, instead focuses upon humanitarian care. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Isis raise their flag in Kobani, which had been strongly defended by Kurdish troops. The victory goes against hopeful western analysis Isis had overextended itself, while alienating much of the Muslim population through the murder of Henning. Victory causes fresh waves of Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - November American hostage, who embarced values of Islam, Peter Kassig and 14 Syrian soldiers are shown meeting the same fate as other captives. But intelligence agencies will be poring over the apparently significant discrepancies between this and previous films. Seramedig.org.uk Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis has released a video revealing the murder by burning to death of a Jordanian pilot held by the group since the end of December 2014. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have released videos which appear to show the beheading of Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February American aid worker, Kayla Mueller was the last American hostage known to be held by Isis. She died, according to her captors, in an airstrike by the Jordanian air force on the city of Raqqa in Syria, though US authorities disputed this. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have posted a gruesome video online in which they force 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian hostages to kneel on a beach in Libya before beheading them. Egypt vowed to avenge the beheading and launched air strikes on Isis positions. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February The British Isis militant suspected of appearing in videos showing the beheading of Western hostages has been named in reports as Mohammed Emwazi from London. Rex Features Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - March Isis triple suicide attack has killed more than 100 worshippers and hundreds of others were injured after the group members targeted two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Iraqi forces have claimed victory over Isis in battle for Tikrit and raised the flag in the city. EPA/STR Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 35 people queuing to collect their wages and injured 100 more. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis media arm released a 29-minute video purporting to show militants executing Ethiopian Christians captives. The footage bore the extremist groups al-Furqan media logo and showed the destruction of churches and desecration of religious symbols. A masked fighter made a statement threatening Christians who did not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis has been "incapacitated" by a spinal injuries sustained in a US air strike in Iraq. He is being treated in a hideout by two doctors from Isis stronghold of Mosul who are said to be "strong ideological supporters of the group". Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis has also claimed responsibility for killing 300 of Yazidi captives, including women, children and elderly people in Iraq AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis attack on Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest in Texas was its first action on US soil. Two gunmen were shot and killed after launching the attack at the exhibition. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi have been named as the attackers at the Curtis Culwell Centre arena in Garland. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isiss deputy leader, Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher who was thought to have taken charge of the deadly terrorist group, has been killed in a US-led coalition airstrike. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May US special forces have killed a senior Isis leader named as Abu Sayyaf in an operation aiming to capture him and his wife in Syria. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Iran-backed militias are sent to Ramadi by the Iraqi government to fight Isis militants who completed their capture of the city. Government soldiers and civilians were reportedly massacred by extremists as they took control and the army fled. Charred bodies were left littering the city streets as troops clung on to trucks speeding away from the city. Ramadi is the latest government stronghold to fall to the so-called Islamic State, despite air strikes by a US-led international coalition aiming to stop its advance in Iraq and Syria. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis rounded up civilians trapped in Palmyra and forced them to watch 20 people being executed in the historic citys ancient amphitheatre. The Unesco World Heritage site was overrun by militants, threatening the future of 2,000 year-old monuments and ruins. Thousands of Palmyras residents fled but many are still living within the city walls, while the UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports of Syrian government forces preventing people from leaving until they retreated from the city. Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May A group of Isis-affiliated fighters have captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions. Affiliates of Isis, already control large parts of Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a former stronghold of his supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June The US Air Force has destroyed an Isis stronghold after an extremist let slip their location on social media. According the Air Force Times, General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said that Airmen at Hulburt Field, Florida, used images shared by jihadists to track the location of their headquarters before destroying it in an airstrike. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Kurdish forces captured a key military base in a significant victory in Raqqa as well as town of Tell Abyad. YPG fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes and other rebels, consolidated their gains, when they seized the key town on the Syria-Turkey border. They are now just 30 miles to the north of Raqqa and have cut off a major supply route deep inside Isis-held territory. Ahmet Silk/Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamists positions. AFP But Downing Street threw its weight behind the Home Office by saying Theresa May supported its handling of the case. Ben Wallace, the security minister, argued in the House of Commons that seeking an assurance against the death penalty might get in the way of a US trial. He was jeered for suggesting the alternative was letting Kotey and Elsheikh roam free, and used Isiss horrendous crimes to bat away questions from MPs over why the government had not followed normal policy. We are not going to seek assurances because it is our reality that we do not think we have the evidence here to try them in the UK, he added, confirming they had been stripped of British citizenship. At the end of the day, this is about the security of our country and about security being delivered where it can be done. Terror experts have cautioned that executing Kotey and Elsheikh would hand Isis a fresh propaganda victory as it seeks to regroup in new wilayat (provinces) following territorial losses across Syria and Iraq. Originally from London, the pair were declared Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US State Department ahead of their capture in January, with official documents naming them as members of the the Beatles and saying the cell had beheaded more than 27 hostages and tortured many more. Surviving captives have told of their brutality, which included torture, waterboarding, electric shocks, mock executions and crucifixions. Executioner Mohammed Emwazi, who became known as Jihadi John, was killed in a drone strike, while the remaining Beatle, Aine Davis, is imprisoned in Turkey. Workmen in Bristol were forced to smash a car window to rescue three dogs trapped on the hottest day of the year. The dogs were left in a car boot on Thursday with all the windows shut in 27C heat. The animals were reportedly left for two hours in a vehicle with no ventilation. Concerned onlookers dialled 999 and urged the police to take action. A sheet was draped over the rear windscreen to give the pets (a Chihuahua, Staffie-cross, and a mongrel) some shade. Recommended What to do if you see a dog trapped in a hot car One person left a note on the car windshield which said: Dogs die in hot cars! You have been reported to the police. However, the officer who arrived at the scene planned to wait until the car owners returned as a parking ticket was due to expire. A workman from Bristol Waste decided to take matters into his own hands, using a lump hammer to smash the drivers window and unlock a door, just before 1pm. Once they gained access to the car, a passer-by gave the dogs a bowl of water. The dogs were left in the boot with all the windows shut in 27C heat - after the Met Office issued a 'threat to life' warning (Bristol Post / SWNS.com) Lisa Eastman, a colleague of the workman, said: I stopped on the side of the road to do one of my jobs. As I stopped, the chap had the back boot opened, and I asked if [the dogs] were going to be alright. He said the shop did not allow dogs and he had given them some water. They have been in there since 10.40am. When the owner returned to the car, he reportedly had an angry exchange with onlookers. A woman accompanying him claimed the dogs had been lying on an ice mat. Weve done everything we could. We rang the police, the RSPCA, Ms Eastman added. I will put my hand up and say we agreed to smash the window because it was necessary and I would do it again in a second. The incident happened on the same day that the RSPCA revealed three dogs have died in hot cars since the start of the heatwave, which is the UKs longest since 1976. In a statement yesterday, the RSPCA said its emergency hotline received 3,832 calls about animals and heat exposure from 1 June to 24 July. The organisation urged anyone who sees an animal stuck in a hot car to call 999, as only police have the authority to break into a vehicle. If police cannot attend an incident and you believe the animal is in danger, you are advised to explain what you intend to do and take evidence, including photos of the trapped animal and contact details for any witnesses. You may be asked to defend your decision in court. Agencies contributed to this report Doctors will be allowed to prescribe medicinal cannabis within months after home secretary Sajid Javid was advised by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that it has therapeutic benefits. It follows several high-profile campaigns which captured widespread media attention and evoked deep public sympathy. Campaigners had questioned how severely epileptic children could be prevented from accessing medicines that significantly improved their condition while the UK remained the worlds largest exporter of medicinal cannabis. Recommended Medicinal cannabis to be available on prescription in UK The UKs move to legalise medicinal cannabis products will bring the countrys policy closer to that in countries such as Canada, Holland, Portugal and the majority of US states. Medical cannabis was outlawed almost five decades ago in 1971 amid fears that the substance served as a gateway to more dangerous drugs, with the US spearheading a return to the so-called reefer madness era. Now, however, as emerging clinical data and volumes of anecdotal evidence amasses, suggesting cannabis can help patients living with epilepsy, MS, cancer and other serious conditions, modern medicine in the UK could be primed for serious change. Half of students are considering studying abroad - due to "extortionate" UK tuition fees, research has revealed. A study of 750 students aged 16 and over found seven in 10 think the cost of higher education at home is too high with three in five also concerned Brexit could increase the cost of UK tuition fees even more. Amid this, the poll commissioned by foreign exchange specialists, Caxton, found four in 10 believe studying overseas is likely to lead to a higher paid job upon graduation. In comparison, just 14 per cent are confident studying in the UK would set them up for financial success in the future. Edward Gott, head of premier clients at Caxton, said: Its clear that an education overseas can offer a wealth of benefits, bringing financial rewards as well as opportunities for significant cultural enrichment. Although it might at first appear a daunting investment proposition, Brits can in fact save thousands of pounds by looking overseas to further their studies and reap the rewards as a result. Prime Minister Theresa May announces review into university tuition fees and education funding in England The research found the USA is the most popular choice for those who would like to study abroad, followed by Spain and Germany. However, exchange rates would play a part in deciding which country to study in for 54 per cent, with one fifth more inclined to move abroad if foreign exchange rates were more favourable towards the pound. Researchers also polled 1,000 parents and found more than half would support their children should they decide to study abroad. Almost half believe it would enable their kids to have new and exciting experiences, while 45 per cent think it would provide them with important life skills. Despite this, 44 per cent of mums and dads admit they would be worried about financing their childs studies overseas. But should they decide to pursue further education abroad, parents would most like to see their kids head to the USA. Edward Gott added: Were working closely with a number of our Premier clients who fund children at overseas universities, as well as retired or mature students looking to study abroad. Living in a foreign country presents a number of challenges from making regular payments for tuition fees and living costs, to working out a savings plan and managing unexpected currency fluctuations. All clients like to budget and manage costs and we take time to understand their needs, hedge their specific currency exposure and set up the transfer of funds to work like clockwork. It takes the headache away and allows them to focus on the fun stuff. SWNS The European parliament has dramatically upped the stakes in Brexit talks by threatening to veto any deal unless Theresa May comes up with new plans for the Northern Ireland border. The legislatures Brexit steering group, made up of MEPs from across its parties, accused Theresa May of backsliding on the issue despite committing to prevent a hard border in December, and again in a letter in March. But the body, chaired by Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt, said the UK has failed to come up with a workable way to prevent a hard border and that by its actions it was making a deal impossible. As recognised by the prime minister in her letter to President Tusk of 19 March 2018, the backstop must avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, protect the Good Friday Agreement and safeguard the integrity of the single market, customs union and common commercial policy, the group said in a statement on Friday after the meeting. It is incumbent on the UK that it no longer postpones coming forward with its own workable and legally operative proposal for a backstop. The [Brexit steering group] stresses that without a credible, genuine and operational backstop, it will be impossible for the European parliament to give its consent to the withdrawal agreement. It adds: The Brexit steering group reiterates that in relation to the withdrawal agreement it will accept no backsliding from past commitments, notably those entered into in the joint report of 8 December 2017 Despite the focus in the UK on the future trade relationship after Brexit, the Northern Ireland issue is the most likely to torpedo Brexit talks into no deal. The Brexit steering group stresses that without a credible, genuine and operational backstop, it will be impossible for the European Parliament to give its consent to the withdrawal agreement European Parliament Brexit steering group statement The EU has said it would not agree to a withdrawal agreement without an all-weather backstop policy in place to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, but the UK says it will never accept a different policy being imposed in Northern Ireland to Great Britain and that any backstop must also be time-limited. The UK has said it hoped to remove the need for a border by negotiating a future relationship that eliminated the need for checks on frontiers, but the Chequers white paper with this proposal was shot down by EU negotiators, who branded it unworkable. The UK has also proposed a temporary customs arrangement for the Northern Ireland border but the EU says it would not prevent a hard border. British diplomats have confirmed they currently have no plans to come up with extra proposals to prevent a border and that they hoped the Chequers white paper and temporary customs arrangement would together be acceptable to the EU. The European Parliament has a veto on the final Brexit deal (AFP/Getty) Theresa May has dug her feet in on the issue and said no UK prime minister could accept a backstop. She is severely constrained in Westminster by the DUP, staunch unionists on whom she relies for a majority in the Commons, and Eurosceptics in her own party, who believe the EU proposals amount to an attempt to annex Northern Ireland. But senior cabinet sources say that the cabinet would be unlikely to agree to the plan anyway. Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, has said the issue of the backstop should be de-dramatised and that customs checks on the Irish sea would not breach Britains sovereignty. The European parliament has a veto on the final Brexit deal and the vast majority of the bodys MEPs have so far followed the steering groups recommendations without amendment. One of the key figures in the Brexit campaign has leaked a major parliamentary report into fake news, which he said knowingly/incompetently makes false claims on potential misuses of data during the referendum campaign. Former Vote Leave chief Dominic Cummings, who has faced censure for repeatedly refusing to give evidence to MPs, reportedly declared f*** the charlatans embargo when he posted the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee report on his personal blog ahead of its official publication on Sunday. Once regarded as the brains behind Brexit, Mr Cummings has become embroiled in a battle with MPs over their inquiry into fake news, which is examining the alleged misuse of Facebook data during the 2016 campaign. MPs tried to summon him to the Commons on multiple occasions but he refused, then accused the committee of grandstanding when it tried to hold him in contempt of parliament. Writing on his blog, Mr Cummings said the report itself was fake news and said MPs have littered their report with errors and misunderstandings about the legal framework for elections. He said: Someone appalled at their dishonesty leaked it to me so I publish it below. It is, in keeping with their general behaviour, itself fake news. The cross-party committee, led by Tory chairman Damian Collins, had been due to publish its interim findings on disinformation after 18 months worth of parliamentary hearings, written submissions and evidence session. 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 Much of its focus has shifted towards social media, including the behaviour of tech giants such as Facebook and how the use of personal data could be used in political campaigning and elections. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has also clashed with Mr Collins over his refusal to be questioned in person by MPs. The row with Mr Cummings stems from the Facebook data scandal, where political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica was accused of misusing private information to target voters. Vote Leave, the official Brexit campaign group headed up by Mr Cummings, was dragged into the scandal when whistleblowers claimed it had employed advertising firm Aggregate IQ (AIQ) to put out targeted messages during the EU referendum. AIQs chief operating officer, Jeff Silvester, told MPs the firm had worked for Cambridge Analyticas parent company SCL but denied links with the firm itself. 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. One of Britains senior former diplomats has backed the call for a Final Say referendum on the Brexit deal because he is convinced it would be the only viable way of breaking the deadlock in both domestic politics and negotiations with Brussels. Sir William Patey, who served in some of the most dangerous postings in the diplomatic service as ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan, said the campaign for another vote was the logical step forward. We now have a situation where the country is deeply divided and we are at an impasse and decisive action needs to be taken, he said. A second referendum should take place and it should obviously take place before Friday 29 March when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU. A petition launched by The Independent for a Final Say has gathered a quarter of a million signatures in less than 48 hours. Sir William continued: It is obvious that there is huge concern among the public about the way that things are unfolding as is being shown by the reaction to the call for another vote. The fact is that the situation now is very different from present when the referendum took place. Many people now feel they were misled by the Leave side and they are seeing the reality of what is involved and they want to make their decision on the facts which have now become apparent. I voted to remain, but it would not be a question of being triumphalist if there is majority in the new referendum for Remain. It would not mean signing up to an ever closer union. Some of the concerns of the Brexiteers need to be addressed and we would have to negotiate hard with the EU and get some viable results something that David Cameron failed to get. Issues such as immigration are obviously a source of worry to a lot of people and need to be tackled. But there are existing laws within the EU to do so and they can be used. The main thing is that people now need to be given another chance to make a choice. Former ambassador Sir William Patey walks with David Cameron as he arrives in Afghanistan in 2010 (Getty) Sir Williams backing for the campaign follows support from senior figures from all the major parties, such as former Tory cabinet minister Justine Greening, ex-prime minister Tony Blair, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Green leader Caroline Lucas and many others. Former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve, Labours Chuka Umunna, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, campaigner Gina Miller and ex-Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell have also pledged their backing. 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 The Independent kicked off its campaign for a Final Say on whatever Brexit terms emerge earlier this week. Recommended Sign our petition calling for a referendum on the Brexit deal Hundreds of thousands of people have already signed the petition calling for another national vote on Brexit. Theresa May has urged voters not to worry about Brexit, despite her government setting out plans to stockpile food, blood and medicine in case it goes badly. She said people should take reassurance and comfort from news of the plans, to be implemented if the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement in March. Smugglers could dodge up to 1bn a year in import tariffs on clothes, alcohol and food under Theresa Mays new Brexit blueprint, campaigners have claimed. The long-awaited white paper, which fleshes out what was agreed at Chequers by the cabinet, says there will be no customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the European Union, as part of efforts to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland. Under the plans, smugglers could potentially evade duties on imports into the UK to the tune of 1bn a year, according to analysis by the pro-EU Peoples Vote campaign. Ms Mays new Brexit blueprint has drawn criticism from both wings of her party, triggering the resignations of both Boris Johnson and David Davis from the cabinet and ramping up fears over the prospect of no deal with Brussels. The European Commissions chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has also poured cold water on the idea, saying the EU cannot and will not delegate customs collections to another country. One of the central planks of Ms Mays plan is a facilitated customs arrangement, under which tariffs charged at the border would be passed on to either the British or EU authorities, depending on the destination of imported goods. Analysis of World Trade Organisation tariff data from 2018 shows 1.07bn of duties could be lost on products such as meat, clothes and alcohol each year, if smugglers make false claims that are not adequately checked. Labour MP Wes Streeting, who sits on the Treasury Committee, said: The government is already in a total mess over its fantasy customs plans, and this shows the serious consequences that the Brexit chaos has for our country. 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 The UK has a proud track record in tackling organised crime. For Brexit to make it easier for people to illicitly smuggle goods across our border and not pay their way is simply unacceptable. Nobody in Britain voted for the return to a golden age of smuggling. Campaigners have voiced their fears as Mr Barnier effectively rejected the customs plan, saying that retaining control of the EUs money, law and borders also applied to the European Unions customs policy. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels with new Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, Mr Barnier said: The EU cannot and the EU will not delegate the application of its customs policy and rules and VAT and excises duty collection to a non-member who would not be subject to the EUs governance structures. Any customs arrangement or union must respect this principle, he added. The row comes amid growing fears about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, as Ms Mays Chequers proposals revealed deep divisions within Conservative ranks and put pressure on her wafer thin Commons majority. The prime minister has urged voters not to worry about Brexit, despite a string of revelations from ministers about plans to stockpile food, blood and medicines. She said people should take reassurance and comfort from news of the plans, to be implemented if the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement in March next year. A cabinet minister has said a no-deal Brexit would be better than prolonging talks with Brussels, a move he described as a "complete betrayal" of voters. Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, said any attempt to extend the Article 50 process was unacceptable amid speculation Theresa May could be forced to lengthen the negotiations to prevent Britain crashing out without a deal. The Brexiteer also accused the EU of putting "political ideology" before the economic prospects of ordinary people and warned that its uncompromising stance could force Britain to walk away. His comments came after Michel Barnier, the European Commission's chief negotiator, poured cold water over Theresa May's new Brexit blueprint, by rejecting a central plank of her plans. The Independent has launched its Final Say campaign to call for a public vote on the Brexit deal, which attracted more than 200,000 supporters in the first 24 hours. Asked if the UK should extend the talks if no agreement has been reached by the official exit day in March, Dr Fox told Business Insider that Britain should "leave without a deal." The Brexiteer MP said: "The public have told us, it wasn't a consultation, to leave the EU, and the public already wonders why it's going to take more than four years after the referendum for us to fully remove ourselves from the EU. "To attempt to extend our membership even longer, many voters would regard as a complete betrayal by the political class, and I think they would be right." 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 Dr Fox has remained loyal to the prime minister following the turmoil over her Chequers compromise, which triggered the resignations of both Boris Johnson and David Davis from the government. However he made it clear to Ms May that any attempt to extend the Article 50 process would be unacceptable for Eurosceptic Tories. Influential backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg immediately backed his comments, saying: "Extending Article 50 is the definition of failure for the government." Speaking after Mr Barnier dealt a critical blow to the prime minister's Brexit strategy, Dr Fox also warned that if the EU "keep saying no to everything, they will end up with no deal". He said: "They simply don't want to make this particular method [the customs plan] work. "So it's clear that it is possible, but it requires political will to do so. The question will be whether the EU27 leaders are willing to see the commission's political ideology put ahead of the economic well-being of the people of Europe. "What the commission seems to be saying is look, there has to be Brexit on their terms, or no deal at all. "Now, that may be in line with their own theological attachment to ever-closer union and EU treaties but it may have a large cost to EU member states, the member states who require jobs, prosperity, and trade, because they need to get elected, unlike the commission officials." On Thursday, Mr Barnier said the EU could not agree to let another country collect European customs duties on its behalf a key plank of Ms May's plan for the future relationship. The EU cannot and the EU will not delegate the application of its customs policy, of its rules, VAT and excise duty collections to a non-member who would not be subject to the EUs governance structures, Mr Barnier said, after meeting Brexit secretary Dominic Raab in Brussels. Theresa Mays efforts to bypass Brussels and deal directly with EU nations have been rebuffed as the risk of Britain hurtling towards no deal appeared to intensify. The prime minister was also warned on Friday that the European parliament would veto her Chequers deal unless Ms May comes up with a new plan for the Irish border. It comes as The Independents campaign demanding a Final Say for the public on any Brexit deal attracted hundreds of thousands signatures in just 48 hours and received backing from a string of prominent politicians. As Ms May and her cabinet ministers began a charm offensive across European capitals, officials from across the continent voiced scepticism about her plan. The embattled prime minister met Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, and Czech counterpart, Andrej Babis, in Salzburg on Friday afternoon in an effort to build alliances before the March 2019 Brexit date. But hours earlier, Ales Chmelar, Czech state secretary for European affairs, warned there was a clear problem with the fact that the EU will not have a mechanism to control its borders and it would be delegated without any EU control to a third country, which would be Britain after March. He suggested the UK proposals on single market regulations lacked a certain balance between the rights and obligations and urged Ms May to avoid trying to find loopholes in the EU position. Sources familiar with the French position told the UK that officials in Paris were puzzled at why the EU would be expected to accept a British customs plan that was so complex, risky and burdensome for it and its businesses, to no benefit. Nathalie Loiseau, Frances European affairs minister, insisted there was no difference between what Michel Barnier says and what we would say individually, each and every member state. Recommended Majority of students would support a vote on the final Brexit deal The European Parliament also dramatically upped the stakes by threatening to veto any deal unless Ms May comes up with new plans for the Northern Ireland border. Speaking after the Salzburg meeting, Mr Kurz said his focus would be on avoiding a hard Brexit but added that he was hopeful a solution could be found. It comes as a poll revealed that 72 per cent of voters do not have confidence in her ability to strike a good deal with Brussels. Only 29 per cent of those surveyed said Ms Mays contentious Chequers blueprint for future UK-EU relations would be a good thing for Britain, with 47 per cent suggesting it would be bad and 19 per cent saying they did not know. Earlier this week the European Commissions chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, rejected a key part of the prime ministers Chequers blueprint the agreement that has already caused huge rifts within the Conservative Party. During a week of cabinet ministers outlining preparations in the event of no deal including stockpiling supplies of medicines and basic foodstuffs the international trade secretary Liam Fox also said he would prefer such an outcome rather than prolonging negotiations with Brussels. Describing any extension of Article 50 as unacceptable and a complete betrayal of voters in an interview with news website Business Insider, Dr Fox accused the EU of putting political ideology before the economic prospects for ordinary people with their uncompromising stance in the negotiations. The public have told us, it wasnt a consultation, to leave the EU, and the public already wonders why its going to take more than four years after the referendum for us to fully remove ourselves from the EU, he said. 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 To attempt to extend our membership even longer, many voters would regard as a complete betrayal by the political class, and I think they would be right. The Independents campaign has been backed by former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, Sir Nick Clegg, the former Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister, and the senior Conservative MP Justine Greening, while Green party co-leader Caroline Lucas today announces her backing for a Final Say. It has already been supported by MPs including former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve, Labour ex-frontbencher Chuka Umunna and Lib Dem education spokesman Layla Moran. On Friday a poll also revealed that the majority of students would back such a vote on the final deal as some 70 per cent said they believed they will be worse off after leaving the bloc. Support among young voters for a new referendum surged from 58 per cent in February 2017 to 67 per cent this month, according to a survey of undergraduates conducted by Youthsight, the UKs largest youth research group. The odds on a fresh EU referendum have halved since the beginning of the year to just 2-1, bookies have revealed. News of the fall comes in the wake of The Independents petition for a vote on the final deal smashing through the 250,000 signature mark. At the start of 2018 punters were able to get 4-1 on that outcome. The odds had fallen to 3-1 prior to the Prime Minsters Chequers summit, called to thrash out a negotiating position with cabinet ministers. The plan that emerged from it prompted multiple ministerial resignations and has since been all but killed off by the EU, with its lead negotiator Michel Barnier ruling out its proposed customs arrangements. British ministers have fanned out around Europe in an attempt to sell the plan. But Mr Barnier has been proven to have the backing of the leaders of the EU27. This is what has led the odds to contract further, and according to betting data site bettingexpert.com, some 89 per cent of all bets placed in the referendum market since the start of June are on a second poll taking place. Chuka Umunna and John Rentoul debate the possibility of another Brexit referendum The data was released to The Independent just a day after bookmaker Paddy Power cut its odds on a second referendum to 9/4 from 3-1. Betting exchange Betfair quotes a best available 2-1 for a poll to take place before 2020, with 11-1 available on it taking place before the end of this year. However, it should be pointed out that bookies believe it is still unlikely to happen. Odds of 2-1 equate to a 33 per cent chance. Should a second referendum get called, the odds of the UK voting to remain are also at record low of 1/8, with 4/1 offered on another Leave vote. That compares to 1/3 remain 2/1 leave at the start of the year, and 1/5 remain 3/1 leave before Chequers. Paddy Power makes Remain the overwhelming favourite to succeed (1/7) with Leave the rank outsider (4/1) although the bookie opined that weve heard that before. Theresa May's odds of quitting have similarly hit record lows: it's evens she steps down this year, or 6/4 in 2019. Overall, betting volumes on Britain remaining in the EU and a second referendum being called have hit their peak since 2016 - estimates suggest over 500,000 has been placed on a range of pro-EU markets since the start of 2018. But punters have also heavily backed Britain crashing out with no deal amid reports of the government stockpiling food and drugs and preparing to close a motorway in Kent for the purposes of turning it into a huge lorry park. In the deal or no-deal market, bookies now make the latter the 1/2 favourite, a huge tumble from the 5/2 at the beginning of the year. The UK is 5/2 to apply to rejoin the bloc by the end of 2027, assuming it quits. Betting markets are viewed by some as more reliable than pollsters, because peoples willingness to stake money on a market shows how they really feel. However, the bookies got the last referendum just as wrong as the pollsters did. The same was true during the US Presidential election that saw Donald Trump sweeping to power. 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 A bettingexpert.com spokesman said: Political punters have never been more confident that a second referendum is on the cards. Should the rerun be called, the odds are firmly in favour of Britain performing a EU-turn and remaining. He added: Regardless of the second referendum being called or not the betting markets are struggling to speak favourably for the PM and the money suggests the European question could bring her down one way or another pretty soon. A Paddy Power spokesman said: After more than two years of careful negotiation and strategising, the best thing achieved by the Brexit process has been to remove David Cameron and Boris Johnson from positions of power. With virtually no opposition, the Prime Minister has been able to dilly-dally and perform prompt change of hearts regularly so why wouldnt she produce a EU-turn now? More voters favour a second Brexit referendum than do not, a new poll has indicated, as a tussle between Theresa May and the EU over trade continues. Of 1,653 adults asked whether there should be a referendum on the final terms of a Brexit deal, 42 per cent said there should, while 40 per cent said there should not. The rest did not know. Support for another referendum has been increasing in the face of Brussels rejection of parts of the prime ministers Chequers plan and a parliamentary stalemate over what the future relationship with the EU should look like. The new survey, carried out by YouGov for The Times on Wednesday and Thursday this week, confirms a number of other polls that showed widespread support for another referendum. Earlier this month, a poll by BMG for The Independent found 44 per cent of the public either strongly supported or somewhat supported a referendum on the terms of a Brexit deal, while only 27 per cent opposed it. Yesterday, a petition by The Independent calling for the public to have a vote on the final Brexit deal reached more 250,000 people, 24 hours after its launch. The new YouGov poll showed Conservative voters were least likely to support a referendum on a final Brexit deal by a large margin. While just 21 per cent of Tory voters supported a second referendum, 58 per cent of Labour voters and 67 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters did. Those who voted for Brexit in 2016 largely did not support a referendum on a deal. Only 19 per cent of people who voted for Brexit in 2016 said there should be one, while 66 per cent of those who voted to remain said there should be one. 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 the 2016 referendum, 17.4 million votes, or 51.9 per cent of votes cast, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million votes, or 48.1 per cent of votes cast, backed staying. Many opinion polls were wrong about the result. 'The money saved from leaving the EU will result in the NHS getting 350m a week' One of the most prominent claims made by the Leave campaign was that the UK would take back 350m a week once it had left the EU with the sum going to the NHS. The UK Statistics Authority has since said this was a clear misuse of official statistics most notably because the figure did not take into account the money the UK gets back from the EU after paying into the budget. After taking into account the rebate, the figure is believed to be closer to 250m but the question remains whether the money will actually go the NHS. On the day after the Brexit referendum result, Nigel Farage, who had been more closely associated with the Leave.EU campaign than Vote Leave, disowned the pledge saying it was one of the mistakes that had been made by those wanting us out of the bloc. A poll by Ipsos MORI published in June 2016 found that nearly half the British public believed the claim. Two years on and Theresa May has now pledged additional funding for the NHS and has said the extra money will come, in part, from a Brexit dividend. Under the plans, the NHS budget will increase by 20.5bn by 2023, and the government has said this will be funded through a combination of tax rises, economic growth and money no longer sent to Brussels. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has however said that although there would be some savings if Britain leaves the EU, this does not take into account the potential economic impact or the money that could have to be sent to the EU as a result of the Brexit deal. The majority of students would back a vote on the final Brexit deal, as some 70 per cent believe they will be worse off after leaving the EU, a new poll shows. Support among young voters for a new referendum has surged from 58 per cent in February 2017 to 67 per cent this month, according to a survey of undergraduates conducted by Youthsight, the UK's largest youth research group. The new poll found that seven out of 10 students think their prospects will change for the worse after Brexit, compared to 13 per cent who think they will be better off on leaving the EU. It comes as The Independent launched its Final Say campaign to call for a public vote on the Brexit deal, which attracted more than 200,000 supporters in the first 24 hours. The ongoing turmoil over Theresa May's Brexit approach has left 77 per cent of students of the view the government is doing a bad job with the negotiations. Support for MPs determining the final deal has also fallen from 25 per cent in February 2017 to 17 per cent this month, implying that young people are increasingly losing faith in those in parliaments ability to deliver a positive outcome. Brexit will affect the decision of 60 per cent of students likely to vote in a future general election, the survey shows, while half of those would be willing to vote tactically in the future in order to achieve their preferred Brexit outcome. The findings will heap pressure on Jeremy Corbyn's party over its Brexit stance, as nearly eight out of 10 Labour-supporting students said they would be more likely to vote for a party that opposes leaving the EU. Younger voters helped to boost Labour in the polls during last year's snap election, leaving the Tories scrambling to improve their offer to young people. 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 Eloise Todd, chief executive of the pro-EU Best for Britain campaign, said: "The message is clear - young people want a people's vote on the final Brexit deal. But more than that what this polling shows is that students in places like Canterbury, who helped Jeremy Corbyn win those seats and confound his critics, expect him to oppose Brexit. "These young people are worried about the future and expect the Labour Party to do its job and oppose this shambolic government. "This polling by YouthSight shows that Labour need to move their position. If they don't, they face the threat of losing these voters in campuses up and down the country to a more anti-Brexit party." Recommended European Parliament says it will veto Brexit deal over Irish border Josephine Hansom, YouthSight research director, said: Students comprise the next generation of business leaders, teachers, doctors and politicians. Todays students will begin leading the country in a relatively small number of years. "Yet they vehemently reject Brexit: a policy at the heart of our relationship with the rest of the world, signalling how we think of ourselves as a nation. In generational terms Brexit is the most divisive policy weve ever witnessed. "And according to our data, opposition to it among students is only growing. :: Fieldwork ran from 13 July to 16 July. Each YouthSight Student Omnibus is based on at least 1,000 complete interviews with full-time undergraduates at publicly funded higher education institutions in the UK. Quotas are set for course year, gender and university type Caroline Lucas has offered her backing to The Independents campaign for a Final Say on the Brexit deal as she called for a temporary suspension of male ex-politicians taking to the airwaves to lead on the issue. The comments from the co-leader of the Green party come as a petition launched to coincide with the push received backing from over 270,000 members of the public in just 48 hours. In an article for The Independent, Ms Lucas, the Greens only representative in Westminster, said that with the government in chaos and parliament in gridlock over Brexit, the case for a vote on the final deal is growing every day. But she urged for a gear shift away from such a campaign being led by elites and called for a moratorium on male ex-politicians taking to the airwaves as leaders on this issue. The Remain campaign needs to find new faces, she wrote. Ms Lucas highlighted the mistakes made by the 2016 Remain campaign during the referendum, adding: This couldn't be better illustrated than by the phalanx of men who are fronting efforts to keep Britain in the EU. Though ex-party leaders and their friends often offer interesting insights, they are simply the wrong people to be heading up a campaign that must gain peoples trust, and change their minds too. Ms Lucas continued: They know our current trajectory is grim with the chance of a no-deal Brexit growing, and the best-case-scenario trade deal set to be a significant downgrade from the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy now. And they know, in light of all thats happened since 2016, they deserve a final say on our relationship with the European Union but this time things must be different. 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 Launching the campaign on Wednesday, The Independent editorial said: The British people decided to pursue our course in the referendum of 2016, so as we now look for a decision on whether we will like the deal agreed with the EU (assuming there is one), it is natural that those same people should have the final say. Indeed, given the magnitude of the decision, it would be essential for the British people to be given that final right of approval, even if cabinet and parliament were providing the leadership we need, which they are not. On Friday, the Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Catherine West also said she was supporting the campaign. Over the past two years, I have consistently called for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal. The case for holding such a referendum is now more clear than ever, she told The Independent. Theresa Mays Chequers Deal is dead in the water. She has allowed hard-right Brexiteers to hijack the Governments approach to . She has become a hostage within her own party. Parliament is paralysed- a Peoples Vote on the final Brexit deal will break the deadlock. Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg has backed The Independents campaign for a Final Say referendum on the Brexit deal as a petition attracted a quarter of a million signatures in just 48 hours. Hitting out at the division and self-absorbed infighting in Westminster, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats said it is now obvious that Brexit cannot be left with the politicians alone. His remarks come as a string of cross-party politicians backed the campaign, including the Green leader Caroline Lucas, the former Conservative education secretary Justine Greening and the former Labour prime minister Tony Blair. And on Friday, a YouGov for The Times found that 42 per cent of voters back a fresh poll on the final Brexit deal, compared to 40 per cent who do not. It is the first time the pollster found the proportion of voters who favour a second vote overtaking those who do not, the newspaper added. With each passing day its obvious that Brexit cant be left to the politicians. The whole Brexit process has been characterised by division and infighting in Westminster, Sir Nick told The Independent. The victors of the 2016 referendum still cant agree amongst themselves what they want, two years later. So it is great that The Independent is adding its important voice to the growing demands across the country to put the decision on the future of our country back where it belongs in the hands of the people. 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 The Independent started its campaign for a Final Say on whatever Brexit term emerge next year alongside a petition, which has now gathered over 250,000 signatures. An editorial published on Wednesday said: The British people decided to pursue our course in the referendum of 2016, so as we now look for a decision on whether we will like the deal agreed with the EU (assuming there is one), it is natural that those same people should have the final say. Indeed, given the magnitude of the decision, it would be essential for the British people to be given that final right of approval, even if cabinet and parliament were providing the leadership we need, which they are not. Backing the campaign on Thursday, Mr Blair posted on his official Twitter account: 33m+ people voted in the EU referendum wanting a better country, not to be poorer, not to put further pressure on our already stretched health service, not for job losses or to stockpile food and medicines. It should be your #Finalsay. It also comes as a key proposal in the prime ministers Brexit blueprint outlined in her Chequers agreement was rejected by the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Central to the prime minister's plan, set out in a white paper a fortnight ago, is a "facilitated customs arrangement" under which tariffs charged at the border would be passed on to either the British or EU authorities depending on the destination of imported goods. Appearing alongside new Brexit secretary Dominic Raab following their second round of talks in Brussels, Michel Barnier left no doubt that this was not acceptable to the EU. "The EU cannot and the EU will not delegate the application of its customs policy and rules and VAT and excises duty collection to a non-member who would not be subject to the EU's governance structures," he said. Any customs arrangement or union "must respect this principle". An explosive wildfire killed one person and left several others with burns after it tore through communities in northern California. Flames swept across the rural areas of Shasta and Keswick on Thursday, before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of around 92,000 people. Late on Thursday, firefighters found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path, CalFire spokesman Scott McLean said. [The fire is] taking down everything in its path, he said. It's just a wall of flames. It's non-stop. Recommended Arson suspected in Greece wildfires that killed 82 people Three firefighters and an unknown number of civilians suffered burns during the fire, but information on the extent of their injuries was not immediately known. It's just chaotic. It's wild, Mr McLean said: There's a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning. The 45-square-mile fire that began on Monday tripled in size overnight on Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and forced campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Governor Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorise the state to rally resources to local governments. Close to the town Idyllwild in southern California, helicopters continue to make water drops and air tankers pour red flame retardant on a blaze that started on Wednesday and now covers 7.5 square miles. About 3,000 residents were under evacuation orders Thursday in the town and several neighbouring communities. California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Show all 15 1 /15 California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex Features California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex Features California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP The blaze, which has been named Cranston Fire, was the largest of at least five police believe were purposely set by a man whose car was spotted at the starting point of the blaze in Riverside County, officials said. Brandon McGlover, 32, of Temecula has been arrested on suspicion of five counts of arson, state fire officials said. Meanwhile, Yosemite National Park remained empty the day after campers and hotel guests were evicted so firefighters could try to keep the state's largest fire from entering the park nearly two weeks after it was sparked. Officials insisted Yosemite wasn't in imminent danger from the Ferguson Fire, which grew to more than 67 square miles in steep timber in the adjacent Sierra National Forest. The fire remains only 25 per cent contained. Additional reporting by AP Donald Trump's administration has taken credit for meeting a court-ordered deadline to reunite thousands of migrant families it separated at the border despite hundreds of children remaining apart from their parents. More than 700 migrant kids have not been reunified with their parents since the White House launched a "zero tolerance" policy along the US-Mexico border. That policy began the systematic separation of families, including those legally seeking asylum, forcing children into immigrant detention centres and makeshift tent cities. The administration said it reunified all eligible migrant children nearly 1,800 with their family members by Wednesdays 6.00 p.m. deadline, claiming the more than 700 outstanding cases could not be resolved due to outside circumstances. In some instances, children could not be reunited due to a parent or guardians criminal record or suffering from a communicable disease. However, in the majority of cases, families have not yet been reunited because the parent was deported or left the country without their child. At least 431 cases involved parents that were no longer in the US after being separated from their kids at the border, according to Wednesdays court filing. Guatemalan migrant Maria del Carmen Tambriz reacts after being returned from the U.S. without her daughter after they were separated by U.S. border officials in Guatemala city, Guatemala, July 26, 2018. (Reuters) Another 120 include parents allegedly signing paperwork to "waive reunification." The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which sued Mr Trumps administration over its zero tolerance policy, has expressed concern that some of those parents may have been coerced or unaware of what they were signing. "One father was told that if he didnt sign the form presented to him, then he would not see his daughter again," Kathryn Shepherd, a lawyer with the ACLU, wrote in a court affidavit. Mr Trump's administration previously failed to meet an earlier deadline to reunify migrant children under the age of five-years-old with their families, though it now claims to have fulfilled that order. 'Families belong together' marches across US Show all 11 1 /11 'Families belong together' marches across US 'Families belong together' marches across US Protesters hold up a animal cage during a demonstration in Chicago AFP/Getty Images 'Families belong together' marches across US People protest outside a Border Patrol office during a rally in McAllen, Texas EPA 'Families belong together' marches across US America Ferrera, left, watches as Alicia Keys speaks during a protest of the Trump administration's approach to illegal border crossings and separation of children from immigrant parents in Lafayette Square across from the White House AP 'Families belong together' marches across US Demonstrators cross the Brooklyn Bridge during a march against the separation of immigrant families AFP/Getty Images 'Families belong together' marches across US A crowd gathers on Boston Common during the Rally Against Separation AP 'Families belong together' marches across US Immigration activists march toward the US Capitol to protest the Trump administration's immigration policy in Washington, DC REUTERS 'Families belong together' marches across US US Representative Joseph Patrick Kennedy III addresses a crowd of thousands of protesters on City Hall Plaza EPA 'Families belong together' marches across US Protesters march through the streets in Chicago AFP/Getty Images 'Families belong together' marches across US Maria Montelongo raises her fist at the Families Belong Together rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas AP 'Families belong together' marches across US Five-year-old Alexa Gonzalez, of Marshalltown, Iowa, holds a sign during a rally to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies AP 'Families belong together' marches across US Demonstrators in Los Angeles, California REUTERS Of those 100 toddlers, 57 were reunited with their parents while 46 were deemed ineligible for similar claims in the latest court filings. Still, the federal government has said it met all legal requirements put forth by US District Court Judge Dana Sabraw, who ordered the reunification deadlines. President Trump calls immigrants coming into California animals "By the court deadline this evening we are on track to reunite all eligible parents within ICE custody," Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Chris Meekins said in a statement on Thursday. For now, it remains unclear what may happen to the 711 children who cannot be reunified with their families. Many remain in the custody of HHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Experts have said there's a high probability many of those children will never be reunified with their parents while under US care. Country music star Eric Church has called out the National Rifle Association (NRA), saying he blame[s] the lobbyists for not stopping mass shootings like the one at a Las Vegas music festival he headlined last year. Mr Church took on Americas biggest gun rights lobbying group in a new interview, saying they were part of the reason few gun control measures were passed after the October mass shooting. I dont care who you are you shouldnt have that kind of power over elected officials, Mr Church told Rolling Stone of the lobbying group. He added: At this point in time, if I was an NRA member, I would think I had more of a problem than the solution. I would question myself real hard about what I wanted to be in the next three, four, five years. The 41-year-old headlined the multi-day Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas where a lone gunman opened fire in October, killing 58 people and wounding more than 800. While Mr Church had played his last show two days earlier, he said he was wrecked by the knowledge that his fans were among the victims. Las Vegas shooting in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Las Vegas shooting in pictures Las Vegas shooting in pictures People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after gun fire was heard Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures People carry a person at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after shots were fired David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after gun fire was heard David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures A handout photo released via Twitter by Eiki Hrafnsson (@EirikurH) showing concertgoers running away from the scene (C) after shots range out at the Route 91 Harvest festival on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA/Eiki Hrafnsson Las Vegas shooting in pictures People lie on the ground at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after hearing gun fire Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures A man in a wheelchair is taken away from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after hearing gun fire David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures People stand on the street outside the Mandalay Bay hotel near the scene of the Route 91 Harvest festival on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA/Paul Buck Las Vegas shooting in pictures FBI agents confer in front of the Tropicana hotel-casino after a mass shooting during a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting in pictures Las Vegas police run by a banner on the fence at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after shots were fired David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures An injured person is tended to in the intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Boulevard after a mass shooting at a country music festival Ethan Miller/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures Metro Police officers pass by the front of the Tropicana hotel-casino after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting in pictures A woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside of a music festival along the Las Vegas Strip AP/John Locher Las Vegas shooting in pictures A cowboy hat lays in the street after shots were fired near a country music festival in Las Vegas Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures Las Vegas Metro Police and medical workers stage in the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting in pictures Sheriff Joe Lombardo (2-R) speaking during a press briefing in the aftermath of the active shooter incident on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA The shooting galvanised calls for gun control reforms in the US, which only grew louder after a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida four months later. A major target of outrage was the NRA, which spends millions of dollars each year fighting against stricter gun laws. The gunman in the Las Vegas shooting was Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old man who rented a room in a nearby hotel, and secretly stockpiled dozens of firearms in the week before. Mr Church said he was a supporter of the Second Amendment a provision in the US Constitution that guarantees the right to bear arms but added that in Mr Paddocks case, nobody should have that many guns and that much ammunition and we dont know about it. Somethings gotta be done so that a person cant have an armoury and pin down a Las Vegas SWAT team for six minutes, he said. Thats f***ed up. The Independent has reached out to the NRA for comment. Parents of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting have published an open letter telling Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg the social media network does not do enough to stop hoaxers from spreading lies about the dead children on the internet. The letter was written by Leonard Posner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose 6-year-old child, Noah Pozner, was among the 25 victims of shooting in December 2012. Almost immediately after the massacre of 20 little children, all under the age of seven, and six elementary school teachers and staff, the attacks on us began, the pair wrote in the letter, published by The Guardian. Recommended Alex Jones sued by six more families of Sandy Hook victims They continued: Conspiracy groups and anti-government provocateurs began making claims on Facebook that the massacre was a hoax, that the murdered were so-called crisis actors and that their audience should rise up to find out the truth about our families. The parents wrote that while Mr Zuckerberg and his social network have said they are taking steps to crack down on fake news and hateful messages from fringe conspiracy groups, they have not done enough. While you implied that Facebook would act more quickly to take down harassment directed at Sandy Hook victims than, say, the posts of Holocaust deniers, that is not our experience, they wrote, referencing a recent interview Mr Zuckerberg conducted with Recode. March for Our Lives in pictures Show all 13 1 /13 March for Our Lives in pictures March for Our Lives in pictures Demonstrators chant during the protest for gun legislation and school safety AP March for Our Lives in pictures Trevon Tre Bosley, 19, of Chicago, the brother of Terrell Bosley who was killed in 2006 in a case of mistaken identity, speaks during the rally AP March for Our Lives in pictures Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Delaney Tarr speaks at the rally AFP/Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Protestors line the streets in Washington Getty Images March for Our Lives in pictures People arrive for the March For Our Lives rally against gun violence in Washington, DC AFP/Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Protestors carrying placards in Washington AFP/Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Protestors hold up placards in Washington AFP/Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Schoolchildren wear targets ahead of the rally Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Attendees congregate in preparation for the march Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Students brought a host of innovative placards AFP/Getty March for Our Lives in pictures The movements main demand is the banning of assault rifles Getty March for Our Lives in pictures Since the Florida shooting, students have called for urgent gun reform AFP/Getty March for Our Lives in pictures In the wake of the Florida attack, President Donald Trump called for teachers to be armed AFP/Getty In fact, you went on to suggest that this type of content would continue to be protected and that you idea of combatting incendiary content was to provide counterpoints to push fake news lower in search results. Facebook has been on the receiving end of much criticism for the way it handles false and misleading news and posts online, and Mr Zuckerberg has promised to clean up the social networking site, making that promise before a Senate committee. Those efforts, however, have not resulted in meaningful changes that would decrease the harassment that victims of tragedies receive, the letter said. After feeling so much hope following your pledge in the Senate to make Facebook a safer and more hospitable place for social interaction, the letter continued. We are once again feeling let down by your recent comments supporting a safe harbor for Holocaust deniers and hate groups that attack victims of tragedy. Im flying over lumpy, pelican-topped waves, watching cathedral-like grain silos and abandoned lumber mills whiz past in a rusty blur. The Ontario city of Thunder Bay, the departure point for my high-speed exploration of Lake Superior, was once the biggest supplier of paper to North Americas print industry hardly surprising, given the thick, deer-filled forests surrounding this pretty lakeside city. Thunder Bays status as Canadas furthest inland port also makes it a gateway for cargo destined for the Middle East, Africa and South America, so the shipping industry has always been a big employer. But the paper mills employed the most people, and with the advent of the internet, the lumber industry ground to a halt. When the mills started closing in the early 2000s, people moved away and businesses went bust. That is, until a few years ago. The grown-up offspring of those whod abandoned Thunder Bay started to return, lured by a makeover of the downtown area and the appeal of Ontarios untamed wilderness, including, just a two-hour drive away, Quetico Provincial Park, with its thousands of lakes. Quetico Provincial Park is just two hours' drive away (Voyageur Wilderness Programme) Today, many of Thunder Bays most successful entrepreneurs are graduates of the citys Lakehead University, which has always been popular with international students. Theyre no longer abandoning the city on graduation, but sticking around, setting up bars, restaurants and adventure outfitters. Take Crystal Co, co-founder of Up Shot Coffeehouse. She was born in Thunder Bay and set up the business with her friend Aundrea after graduating from Lakehead. There was a time when everyone left, but now theyre returning, Crystal tells me over an early morning caffeine fix. Another returnee is Greg Heroux, the Thunder Bay local responsible for my tour of Lake Superior. A chiselled, seafaring type who enjoyed a successful modelling career in Japan, Heroux is now the owner of Sail Superior, which offers tours of the lake originally on beautiful sailing boats and, as of last June, on his latest toy, a powerboat dubbed the Superior Rocket. And theres no shortage of takers. Toronto to Thunder Bay is now one of Canadas busiest flight routes. Later this year will see the opening of the sleek new waterfront Delta-Marriott hotel. The former courthouse will soon reopen as a boutique hotel, and this summer the Alexander Henry, a restored icebreaker ship, will open as a maritime museum. Soon, it will be possible to sign up for helicopter tours over the bay; the flights will offer passengers breathtaking views and provide a more spectacular access route to nearby attractions such as Thunder Bays Fort William Historical Park (an enormous living museum and replica of what was once the worlds largest fur trading post). Holly Watson founded the Haven Hostel (Tamara Hinson) The recent tourism boom has spawned several new businesses. The Haven Hostel, downtowns first hostel, opened in March. Founder Holly Watson is responsible for the decor: the private, pod-like bunks have extra thick curtains and mason jar lighting. In the lounge, theres a section on the wall where guests can sign their name. Ive spent a lot of time in hostels, so I know what people look for, says intrepid traveller Holly, whos a Metis, a descendant of the early European fur traders and settlers who married Canadian First Nations people. After graduating from Lakehead, she found work elsewhere in Canada as an environmental consultant, but moved back last year. When I was a teenager, the downtown area was crying out for regeneration, she recalls. And now youve got this new generation of people doing unique, entrepreneurial things, making use of vacant spaces. Theyre people who left to travel the world, but theyve come back to become part of this fantastic community, with a whole new appreciation of Thunder Bays outdoor recreation. You take it for granted when you grow up here. A slew of new restaurants has opened in Thunder Bay (Tamara Hinson) The food scene was one of the biggest draws for John Murray, head chef and owner of the Red Lion Smokehouse, home to one of Thunder Bays biggest beer menus (try the Northern Logger, a delicious ale brewed by the nearby Sleeping Giant Brewing Company). John grew up in Thunder Bay but moved to Toronto before high school. Dad worked in the forestry industry and the mills were closing down, he recalls. But Thunder Bays burgeoning potential lured him back. The bar and restaurant scenes are really collaborative, he explains, adding that he recently staged a one-night takeover of the kitchen at Tomlin, a nearby restaurant and cocktail bar with a Conde Nast-worthy interior. But moving back was also about getting closer to nature and enjoying life outside of work, he adds. Young people are flocking back to Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay Tourism) For many, Thunder Bays appeal is its diversity. Several refugee families now call the city home, including a Syrian family who describe their recently opened Syrian restaurant as a way of thanking locals for their warm welcome. Then there are the Finns the largest Finnish community outside Finland. Many admit they came because the landscape, with its forests and lakes, resembles the one they left behind. The Little Finland neighbourhood has several Finnish saunas, along with The Hoito, an enormous cafe that celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and is famous for its Finnish pancakes. Its one of several quirky businesses that make Thunder Bay unique. My other favourite is Squittis, where a sign boasts that the bric-a-brac-filled store has the citys largest collection of religious paraphernalia. Regeneration: the Thunder Bay farmer's market (Tamara Hinson) And then theres Prospector Burger Barn, famous for its burgers. Leave a tip and your server will shout tipper, prompting the entire workforce to shout thank you! in unison. Proof, if anyone needed it, that Thunder Bay is indeed the worlds most welcoming city. Travel essentials Getting there Air Canada flies from London Heathrow to Thunder Bay, via Toronto, from 606 return. Staying there Suites at The Haven Hostel start from 51, room only. More information visitthunderbay.com The skies of Britain will be busier than ever, according to the air-traffic control organisation, NATS. Almost 9,000 flights are scheduled to take off from or land at UK airports in the 24 hours from midnight. The key hour was 6.40am to 7.40am, with one aircraft movement every nine seconds. The busiest airports in the UK are all in the London area: Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, which between them account for 3,000 flights. But, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham will also be extremely busy. But, bad weather may affect the final count for flights on Friday. Eurocontrol in Brussels warned: Widespread thunderstorms are forecast so we can expect significant flight delay across the network. According to NATS, the key UK routes are not full of sun-seekers: the top three destinations from Heathrow are to Dublin, New York and Frankfurt. The next four busiest are all from Gatwick, to the Spanish trio of Barcelona, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Faro in Portugal. For airlines, though, even busier days are still to come. The first weekend in August will be the peak for two leading UK airlines: Friday 3 August for Virgin Atlantic, and Saturday 4 August for easyJet. The British Airline Pilots' Association issued a warning on Thursday night about the growing trend in drunken disruptive behaviour. The union says that passengers who cause diversions face heavy fines or even jail, and is calling for alcohol licensing laws at airports to be brought into line with with standard retail licensing laws. Motorists booked on Eurotunnel are still facing long waits at the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone. Shortly after 9am, the car-carrying firm tweeted: There is still 1h30 mins wait pre check-in, and 1h30 wait on our passenger service from Folkestone. Sorry for the inconvenience caused to your journey. Recommended UK airports see passenger numbers soar this summer The five-hour delays that faced drivers on Thursday night were caused, according to the company, by "restricted shuttle capacity caused by the extreme and prolonged high temperatures. The backlog was cleared partly by operating more than the usual one shuttle per hour through the night, and by reducing the number of bookings for today. Hundreds of motorists who had booked to travel out on Friday and back the same day or on Saturday have been told their tickets have been cancelled. Eurotunnel says: If customers wish to cancel the outbound trip from Folkestone on 27 July and keep the return leg, this is possible; complete the online form and indicate your specific requirements. Unlike flights, ferries and trains, there are no European passengers rights rules for the car-carrying service. So, motorists who have faced long delays or had their journeys cancelled will get no compensation. Eurostar passenger trains from London St Pancras to Paris and Brussels through the Channel Tunnel are unaffected. After wildfires struck coastal resorts and suburbs around Athens, the images of the destruction show the trail of devastation and death left behind. The world is understandably shocked. But fires albeit smaller ones and with fewer deaths than on this occasion are quite regular and seen as an unpleasant yet predictable summer occurrence in Greece. These fires have generally been treated with resignation, and ultimately one has now led to huge disaster. The following offers a glimpse into a very Greek tragedy. Greece, despite being a European Union member state and a developed economy, exhibits many of the institutional deficiencies and cultural traits found in less developed nations. A large, centrally controlled state can be a source of secure employment (as in Greece), yet is often grossly inefficient. Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Show all 30 1 /30 Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A house threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A woman reacts as she tries to find her dog Reuters Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A helicopter flies over a wildfire raging in the town of Rafina, near Athens REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view shows burnt houses following a wildfire in the village of Mati AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Firefighters, soldiers and local residents carry a hose as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A man walks on the beach where burned trees hug the coastline in Mati east of Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens People bring supplies for residents rescued from the wildfire in the village of Nea Makri AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Flames rise as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Firefighters carry a dead person AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks to the media during his visit to the fire brigade's operational center in Athens EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view of a burnt urban area following fire in Kineta Hellenic Ministry of Defence/AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Reuters Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Residents react as they look at their burned house EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Rescuers and volunteers push an inflatable boat as locals are evacuated REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view of an urban area burnt following fire in Mati Hellenic Ministry of Defence/AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Asimina Psalti, 87, reacts as she sits outside her burned house in Mati east of Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A burnt forest following a wildfire in the village of Neos Voutzas AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens People cover their faces from the smoke that fills the sky near Kineta AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Smoke rise over an avenue during a forest fire in Neo Voutsa, a northeast suburb of Athens EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Melted metals from burned cars after a fire in Argyra Akti, Mati EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Firefighters look for missing persons REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Smoke fills the sky as members of the emergency services block a road near Kineta, west of Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Burnt cars at the village of Mati AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Cars are blocked at the closed National Road AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A woman sprays water outside her house that was damaged in the wildfires near the village of Neos Voutzas AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Smoke from a wildfire burning outside Athens is seen over the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view shows burnt houses following a wildfire in the village of Mati AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Flames are seen next to firefighting vehicle during a forest fire in Neo Voutsa EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens People look inside a burnt car REUTERS State power, wrongly exercised, can inhibit legitimate business, and its regulatory functions have little effect in societies where illegality and a shadow economy are prevalent. Look at post-communist countries that suffer from a legacy of a large yet weak state. Greece may never have been part of the Soviet bloc, but successive weak governments, coping badly with the countrys underdevelopment, have created a series of distortions that are unseen in western Europe, but common in the east. Does Greeces problematic historical development contribute to this particular type of disaster? The short answer is yes, it does. The explanation for how areas of Greece burst into flame each year is not simply a question of poor ecological management, building standards, fire prevention and firefighting capabilities. This explanation rests with the law and its enforcement. In Greece, there is a lot of unused land classed as agricultural or forest. Greece has a complex, antiquated and incomplete legal land title system, where efforts to create a land registry (or cadastre) have been ongoing since the early 2000s and are still not even close to completion. Add in the pervasive corruption of land registry offices, forestry commissions and relevant state administration, and what you get is an opportunity for real estate development. Athens wildfires: Car passenger films on motorway surrounded by flames In western Europe, it is generally not possible to build without first obtaining appropriate permits. Those who try to do so without permission are frequently discovered, stopped, fined, and even forced to alter or demolish what theyve built. The severe legal and financial implications of building illegally makes this only a very limited problem. In Greece, however, you could clear up a bit of brushland or cut down a section of forest, put down the foundation for a building, connect utilities by bribing local officials, and then wait for the amnesty for illegal buildings that tends to come around periodically, usually close to a general election. The latest legalisation effort has been lauded as a revenue raising exercise, regardless of consequences in other areas such as coincidentally ecological management and fire security. And so enterprising sorts take advantage of fire to the forest, removing the barrier so that they can build homes, without care for regulations, in inaccessible areas, on land they often do not own. The forest burns, people die, developers build, and votes are won. Recommended Arson suspected in Greece wildfires that killed 82 people On what grounds could the political class justify turning a blind eye to such illegality? The usual excuses are that illegal builds are family homes constructed by the poor living on the city fringes the unavoidable consequence of antiquated zoning laws, and so the fault of the state (of previous governments, naturally). An amnesty, the argument goes, legalises existing situations that the state has tolerated for years, that it would be inequitable not to recognise. Never mind that many of these builds arent favelas, but villas with pools. We do not know, yet, whether this new fire is the result of arson or accidental. But we do know that it fits a pattern, one that needs to be recognised and broken. In 2007, fires hit the Peloponnese, for example, claimed a high death toll and led to a manhunt for alleged arsonists. Whatever the spark, the source of Greeces terrible tragedy, and many others like it, isnt an act of God. It is a result of a dishonest political class shopping for votes, of builders making a living, of hands getting greased. It is institutionalised tragedy, one that binds a predatory state to an accomplice population. This is not to belittle the tragedy of lost lives, or blame the victims for their deaths. But if Greeks are looking for someone to blame they shouldnt look to incomplete fire prevention measures, faulty equipment, sluggish responses, or even (as is commonly claimed by the media and the government) wreckers or foreign spies. They should look in the mirror. The Greek state has tolerated, condoned and rewarded the illegality that makes these disasters recurring. Greek society has watched with disinterest. It is time this stopped. Ioannis Glinavos is a senior lecturer in Law at University of Westminster. This article was originally published on The Conversation (theconversation.com) A 'bleeding' vegan burger backed by Microsoft's Bill Gates has been approved by US food regulators as fit for human consumption. The Impossible Burger, a plant-based burger that uses soy protein to give its burger the texture of real meat, has secured approval in the US despite concerns from advocacy groups. Impossible's burger uses soy leghemoglobin as its key ingredient, which is found in the roots of soy plants, to manufacture its fake burgers. The protein is similar to those found in blood, giving its burgers a more realistic taste, however it had never been widely consumed as a food additive before. Last year, it was revealed US Food and Drug Administration had reported concerns about the burgers to the company. Although the regulator did not say the burgers were unsafe, it said in a 2015 letter that Impossible Foods' scientific reports "do not establish the safety of soy leghemoglobin for consumption". The company announced this week it had received a "no questions" response from the safety regulator, suggesting the FDA considers the company's burgers are safe for humans to eat. Impossible Foods has pumped millions of dollars into its fake burger with investment from Google, former Microsoft chief Bill Gates and Khosla Ventures, one of Silicon Valley's most powerful venture capital firms. Despite the slow process to gain approval, Silicon Valley startup Impossible Foods has already been serving its burgers at 3,000 restaurants around the US. This is permitted under a safety regime which allows companies to self-certify their foods as "Generally Recognised as Safe". The regulator only steps in when it spots a problem or believes the claim is incorrect. Impossible Foods founder Dr Patrick Brown said: We have prioritized safety and transparency from day one, and they will always be core elements of our company culture. Impossible Foods was founded in 2011 by a US biochemistry professor to provide a meat-free alternative to popular foods. The artificial meat market is now worth around $3.1bn. Food giants like Nestle are also jumping on the meat-free hype as vegetarian and vegan diets continue to grow in popularity. In the United States, were experiencing a consumer shift toward plant-based proteins, Paul Grimwood, Nestles US chairman told the Telegraph earlier this year. The Central Bank has been granted access to the transcripts and exhibits in the recent trial of former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm. The application was made before Judge Karen O'Connor yesterday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after written submissions and the relevant case law were handed into the court last Tuesday. The application was not contested by either the Director of Public Prosecutions or David Drumm. Drumm was jailed for six years last month for his role in a multi-billion euro bank fraud scheme in 2008. The jury had returned unanimous verdicts of guilty on charges of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting, after just over ten and a half hours of deliberations. It was the State's case that Drumm (51) of Skerries, Co Dublin, conspired with Irish Life & Permanent's former CEO, Denis Casey, Anglo's former financial director Willie McAteer and former Head of Treasury at Anglo, John Bowe, among others, to carry out 7.2bn in fraudulent circular transactions in order to bolster the customer deposits figure on Anglo's balance sheet. The State also alleged that this 7.2bn was falsely accounted for as part of the bank's customer deposits in preliminary accounts published on December 3rd 2008, therefore misleading the market as to Anglo's true strength. Bowe (54) from Glasnevin, Dublin; McAteer (67) of Greenrath, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary and Casey (58) from Raheny, Dublin were convicted in June 2016 on the conspiracy to defraud charges. Devina Brady BL, for The Central Bank, acknowledged that the bank had a watching brief throughout the 87-day-trial but said while it was a helpful summary the bank required the more formal transcripts. Counsel referred Judge O'Connor to the written submissions she had handed in earlier in the week, which she said set out the public functionof the bank. She said it had a gatekeeper role and that this was in keeping with the Fitness and Probity Regime introduced by The Central Bank under the Central Bank Reform Act 2010. This applies to persons in senior positions within Regulated Financial Service Providers (RFSPs) and also applies to RFSPs who are obliged to ensure that their senior personnel comply with the Fitness and Probity Regime. Ms Brady said numerous individuals had given evidence during the course of the trial and the bank wanted the transcripts to allow them to assess the evidence. Judge O'Connor said it was a trial which was administered in public in accordance with the constitution and the law. She noted that neither the Director of Public Prosecutions nor David Drumm were consenting to or objecting to the application by The Central Bank. The judge said the handing over of the material was necessary for the purpose of doing justice and she could see no legal prejudice in allowing The Central Bank have access to what they had requested. She said she was granting the application. She said it had been a lengthy trial and it was clearly in the public interest that the Fitness and Probity regime adopted by The Central Bank be facilitated by allowing them access to transcripts of the entire trial and the exhibits involved in the case. The Guinness Storehouse at St James's Gate in Dublin - sales of Guinness in Europe rose by 6pc, driving overall sales growth Shares in Diageo were down 1.32pc in afternoon trading yesterday, despite the drinks giant reporting operating profit of 3.7bn (4.2bn) in the 12 months to June 30, a 3.7pc increase year-on-year. Sales at the group were 12.2bn (13.7bn), up 0.9pc year-on-year, as organic growth was partially offset by adverse exchange movements. All regions contributed to broad-based organic growth, with organic sales up 5pc and organic volume up 2.5pc, the company said in its annual results statement. "These results reflect our focus on the consumer and our ability to move swiftly on trends and insights," said Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes. "The changes we have made in the business and the shifts in culture we continue to drive, ensure we are well placed to capture opportunities and deliver sustained growth." In Ireland, net sales were up 3pc. Guinness sales in Ireland grew 2pc, driven by the success of Hop House 13 lager and the launch of the 'Behind every Town' campaign across the country. Meanwhile, Irish spirit sales were up 14pc, which the company said was largely driven by a strong performance in Gordon's and Tanqueray gins. Overall, the European market delivered net sales growth of 4pc for the group, in what Diageo described as a "consistent" performance for the region. The group's performance in Europe was led by strong growth in gin. Sales of Guinness in Europe were up 6pc, driven by a good performance for Guinness draught, and supported by double-digit growth in Hop House 13, while net sales of Captain Morgan grew 7pc. However, sales of Smirnoff in Europe declined 4pc during the period. Dublin has been ranked as the 30th smartest city in the world, according to the 2018 'IESE Cities in Motion Index'. Smartest cities, according to the Index, are those that score highest in nine dimensions considered keys to progress; human capital, social cohesion, economy, environment, governance, urban planning, international outreach, technology, and mobility and transportation. The Index, prepared for the Centre for Globalisation at University of Navarra in Spain, analyses the level of development of 165 cities from 80 countries. Dublin's 2018 performance is an improvement of three places for the city, when compared with the 2017 Index. Dublin ranked 16th for the economy, and 17th in the technology dimension. The capital city also performed well in the area of social cohesion, ranking 22nd. Meanwhile, in the areas of environment and governance, the city ranked 35 and 45 respectively. However, it fell down in a number of other areas including mobility and transport, where it ranked 100 out of 165 cities, and human capital, where it ranked 80 out of 165. Dublin, the only Irish city listed in the Index, also failed to perform well in the area of urban planning, ranking 75th out of the 165 cities. The report comes at a time when house prices are rising across the country, with employers warning of the impact this is having on staffing. Among the more notable cities ranked below Dublin are Geneva, Munich, Frankfurt, Vancouver, and Brussels. New York, London and Paris topped the list as the world's smartest cities, with the top 10 largely remaining stable since last year - the lone movement being Amsterdam inching up one spot to push Berlin into 11th place. "Today, more than ever, cities need to develop strategic planning processes, since only then can they outline paths toward innovation and prioritise the aspects that are most important for their future," the report said. Europe, with 12 cities ranking among the top 25, was the top-performing geographical area. It is followed by North America, with six, while Asia has four cities ranked in the top 25, all of which are in the top10. The Oceania region, which includes Australasia, and Polynesia, had three cities in the top 25. Coming in fourth on the list, Tokyo was the highest-ranked Asian city, while Melbourne - ranking 12th of the 165 cities - leads the Oceania cities. Meanwhile, the highest-ranking Middle Eastern city is Dubai. However, African cities lagged behind, with Tunis, the highest-ranked, far down the list at 134. Despite its small size, Iceland's capital Reykjavik was ranked the fifth-smartest city in the world, topping the environmental dimension, and ranking seventh for both technology and mobility and transport. The Nordic city, which has a population of about 123,300, ranked further down in the areas of human capital - 88th - and urban planning, where it ranked 66th out of the 165 cities in the Index. The Index initiative connects a global network of experts in cities and specialist private companies with local governments from around the world. The aim of the Index is to promote changes at the local level and to develop ideas and innovative tools that will lead to more sustainable and smarter cities. 'In October two former directors of QIL, Liam McCaffrey and Kevin Lunny, lost a High Court action to delay the inquiry on the grounds it breached their constitutional rights' (stock photo) Retired High Court judge Iarfhlaith O'Neill, veteran barrister Ita Mangan, and John Cashin, a former in-house lawyer for Zurich Insurance, are conducting the Central Bank's inquiry into alleged regulatory breaches at Quinn Insurance Limited (QIL), the Irish Independent has established. The probe into the business, which collapsed into administration during the crash and was later offloaded to Liberty Insurance, got under way earlier this year but has yet to commence public hearings. In October two former directors of QIL, Liam McCaffrey and Kevin Lunny, lost a High Court action to delay the inquiry on the grounds it breached their constitutional rights. QIL was once part of a sprawling business empire controlled by the boomtime industrialist Sean Quinn. This is the second such inquiry launched by the Central Bank and may result in the former executives facing sanctions as well as a fine of up to 500,000. In 2013 the Central Bank fined QIL 5m in relation to a finding that it had failed between October 2005 and March 2010 to maintain adequate solvency margins and had insufficient internal control mechanisms. The fine was waived because the firm was in administration and the regulator announced in late 2015 that it planned to mount an inquiry into the business. Two of the panel members, Mr O'Neill and Ms Mangan, have participated in a number of State investigations over the past decade with the latter investigating child protection measures in the archdiocese of Dublin and the diocese of Cloyne. The QIL inquiry hearings are held in the same building as the regulator's ongoing probe into the now-defunct Irish Nationwide Building Society. Stephen Groarke, Permanent TSBs chief risk officer, is to leave the bank "in the coming months". It is understood that he is to take up a senior finance position in the Irish operation of international bank Eleavon. A director of Permanent TSB, Mr Groarke will step down from the board when he leaves the bank. "Stephen has been instrumental in both driving new and enhanced internal control and risk management standards for Permanent TSB and in contributing more broadly to the transformation of the organisation," Jeremy Masding, CEO of Permanent TSB, said. "I want to thank him for his work with the group and wish him every success in his future career." Mr Groarke joined Permanent TSB as head of group finance in 2012, and was appointed as chief risk officer in April 2016. He previously held senior positions in Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. Permanent TSB has initiated a recruitment and selection process in order to make both interim and permanent appointments to this position. RYANAIR has called on a union to stop an Aer Lingus pilot from interfering in talks to avoid more strikes. The budget airline said Forsa should remove Captain Evan Cullen from the negotiations if further strikes are to be avoided. It said it has suffered a downturn in fares and bookings in Ireland and Aer Lingus has been the direct beneficiary. Mr Cullen is the president of the Irish Airline Pilots Association, which is a division of Forsa. Expand Close Ryanair pilots went on strike in a row over pay and conditions (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ryanair pilots went on strike in a row over pay and conditions (Niall Carson/PA) Members of the association are planning a fourth strike next Friday in a row over their terms and conditions. Another 3,500 passengers will be affected when 20 out of 300 flights will be cancelled on the day. Forsa said Mr Cullen has not attended the talks that have taken place between union negotiators and management. However Ryanair, claimed Forsa is not in control of the negotiations. Expand Close Low-cost airline Ryanair has warned over job losses for more than 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew as it revealed plans to cut its Dublin-based aircraft fleet by 20%, blaming recent pilot strike action (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Low-cost airline Ryanair has warned over job losses for more than 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew as it revealed plans to cut its Dublin-based aircraft fleet by 20%, blaming recent pilot strike action (Niall Carson/PA) Forsa is being misled by, and deferring to, an Aer Lingus pilot for decisions in this process, it said in a statement. The airline said this helps to explain why Ryanair has signed recognition agreements with bigger unions in the UK, Italy and Germany. However, it said it has made no progress in Ireland with a small group made up of just 25pc of Irish pilots. To date, Ryanair has suffered three days of strikes by 25pc of its Irish pilots, it said. Instead of accepting Ryanairs invitation to meet on Wednesday, Forsa called a fourth strike day. Ryanair has seen a downturn in air fares and forward bookings in Ireland. The direct beneficiary of these actions has been Aer Lingus, the company, which employs Captain Evan Cullen as a pilot. Ryanairs Irish business, and Irish jobs are being damaged by this competitor pilot, and Aer Lingus is the direct beneficiary of his actions. A spokesperson said Forsa has failed to remove Aer Lingus pilots from the process, which is like a Dunnes Stores manager negotiating with Tescos on behalf of Tescos workers. The airline published a letter it said was written by Mr Cullen to the Dublin Airport Authority last June warning them of a series of one or two day strikes during the months of July and August. This was before the Ryanair strike ballot ended. It said it submitted written proposals to Forsa after agreeing to a master seniority list for pilots, which is their key demand. It said it has agreed to nine of the eleven things that Forsa wanted. Theres only two left that Forsa cant explain because they contradict each other and damage Irish pilots, it said. A Forsa spokesperson said Ryanairs so-called evidence is a union branch chairperson giving the police advance notice of a possible picket if a ballot is passed. This is normal practice in a dispute at the airport as permission is required, he said. There is no non-Ryanair pilot on our negotiating team, and this letter is not evidence that there is. He said it is common practice that unions would ensure there were no negotiators that worked for competitors on their negotiating teams. Former Bord Gais chief John Mullins's renewable energy business Amarenco is pressing ahead with plans to build 11 solar farms here. The proposals had been on hold pending the outcome of Government deliberations on a subsidy scheme for renewable electricity. The scheme was published earlier this week, and on foot of the details in it Mr Mullins has decided to commence preparations for construction. "The announcement by Minister Naughten is very welcome and now brings Ireland in line with most other European Union nations in terms of an official recognition of solar energy, which is the fastest growing renewable energy sector on the planet," Mr Mullins said. "Amarenco has been calling for this support for some considerable time and we will now commence our preparatory work for the installation of solar farms to provide Ireland's electricity grid with much needed clean electricity. "We expect to have our first solar farm operational by end 2019." The company said it expects to invest 70m in the 11 solar farms. It said 250 jobs will be created during the construction phase, with 10 permanent jobs once the farms are operational. The company said the normal build-out of the farms it wants to construct takes three months, adding that it continues to apply for further solar farm installation in Ireland. Amarenco is one of many companies active in the sector here - with an explosion of interest since 2015. Analysis carried out last year by PHR, a planning and research consultancy, showed 225 planning applications for solar farms were made between June 2015 and the beginning of August 2017. Zero applications were in the system before then. The boost has been fuelled by a fall in the cost of solar technology. PHR provides market intelligence on a variety of sectors including renewable energy development to clients in the public and private sector. On Wednesday, Ireland's climate change advisory council said the country was completely off course to achieve its 2020 and 2030 climate-change targets. "Instead of achieving the required one million tonnes per annum reduction in carbon dioxide emissions consistent with the National Policy Position, Ireland is increasing emissions at a rate of two million tonnes per year. "We need immediate and urgent action to put us back onto a pathway to achieve transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable economy and society," said council chair John Fitzgerald. Denis Naughten, the minister responsible for climate action, said he shared the council's frustration, saying recent economic growth had boosted carbon emissions. What happens when you put a brand new tech headquarters in an already-booming part of Dublin? This week, Adrian sits down with Mikkel Svane, the founder and chief executive of Zendesk, one of the worlds fastest-growing customer software companies. It has just opened a shiny new building in Dublin 2 along the Grand Canal, with a plan to double its workforce to 500 people there. Adrian asked Svane not only about his company but about the issues that an increasingly concentrated bunch of tech companies bring to a city, including soaring rents and house prices. Svane also explains why the company has installed a mothers room in the new Dublin building and how he doesnt think Zendesk is a rival to Dublins biggest homegrown tech firm, Intercom. Svane also puts to bed a story that he coded up a key part of Zendesk during an LSD binge. Ivan Yates has revealed there is no tension with fellow Newstalk broadcaster Pat Kenny after new figures revealed he is the station's most popular presenter. The Hard Shoulder with Ivan Yates saw one of the biggest jumps for the station, gaining 8,000 new listeners, bringing its audience to 153,000. Pat Kenny is right behind, with 152,000 tuning in every morning. "I am somewhat bemused by it because I come on and insult the listeners and slag the guests. But I do have a very hard working team", Yates told Independent.ie. "Im still one book away from a full year so we can assess it better at that stage." He said there was no tension with Pat Kenny - who he considers to be one of the best broadcasters Ireland has ever produced. "The media have reported us vying for attention but thats not the case. I remember when Pat joined Newstalk - I was presenting with Claire Byrne at the time and it was a complete game changer for the station in terms of credibility. It gave the station weight and credibility. "I see Pat as one of Irelands top broadcasters only second to Gay Byrne. "His programme covers different issues and leaves me to do 'up the yard' craic and banter. "I very much regard him as the adult in the room whereas I am the braggard chancing my arm." Video of the Day Chris Doyle from Newstalk said: We are delighted with the results for Newstalk, which show great performances from all our weekday and weekend prime-time programmes. "The Pat Kenny Show and Off The Ball have registered all-time high figures and our afternoon programmes with Ciara Kelly, Sean Moncrieff and Ivan Yates are showing very strong growth proving that the Newstalk schedule and content is connecting with the audience. The most dramatic blood moon to occur this century will happen tonight, and will be visible from Ireland. The rare event occurs when the Earth appears in a straight line between the Moon and the Sun. The shadow of the Earths atmosphere filtered through sunlight appears red when it hits the surface of the Moon, giving the eerie-looking blood moon. The eclipse will occur just after sunset and last for one hour and 43 minutes. It will be visible from about 9.30pm until around 11.20pm - however the best time to view it should be after 10.15pm. Those in the north-east will have the best view of the event - however cloud cover could spoil the view for some. In another rare event, Mars will appear directly below the moon in the skyline tonight at near maximum brightness. It will be 15 times brighter than the next brightest star in the sky. Unlike a solar eclipse, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye. For a better view, you can even use binoculars. Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One, Managing Editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine Ann Dunne said: "We haven't had one in Ireland in about three years. It's going to be seen pretty much all over the world, apart from the USA. "Belfast looks like the best place to see it tonight, but you never know. "It's going to be quite low, only around five degrees. The east coast is going to the best, or if you can get to high ground. "Provided the clouds clear a little, hopefully we'll get a good view of it." Sean and Aine Julian received an apology from Our Ladys Childrens Hospital following the death of their baby son (Pic: CourtPix.) Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin has apologised in the High Court to the parents of a baby boy who died in the hospital three years ago. Eoin Julian was only nine months old when he died. On Friday, a letter from the chief executive of Our Ladys Hospital, Helen Shortt, offered sincere apology to Eoins parents and family in relation his death in the hospital on December 30, 2015. The Hospital unreservedly extends its heartfelt and sincere apology for the shortcomings in the care provided which caused the death of your baby son Eoin and for the distress and suffering this has caused to you both and your family. The apology was read out as Eoins parents Sean and Aine Julian. Whitethorn Grove, Ballylinan, Co Laois settled their action against the hospital over the circumstances of their sons death. Oonah McCrann SC, for the Julians, said Eoin was born on March 16, 2015 with congenital heart disease and was doing well until he got lower respiratory tract infection. She read the hospital's apology to the court. The couples action for nervous shock was settled on confidential terms. It was claimed the baby was admitted to the hospital in July and August due to poor feeding and in November 2015 with a croupy cough and episodes of cyanosis. He had a review in the cardiology clinic and an echo cardiogram was performed. On December 29,2015, it was claimed, Eoin was brought to the emergency department of the hospital and was recognised as being in significant respiratory distress. It is claimed that the baby was sent to the general ward despite the consultant respiratory physician who attended on the baby advising he should be in paediatric intensive care as he was on a machine to assist his breathing. During the afternoon of December 29, it is claimed he was crying and agitated. The parents made several attempts to raise a comment from the consultant regarding intensive care admission and that they wanted their son to go intensive care, it was claimed. It is claimed the parents were advised it was not necessary and the baby was well enough to remain on the ward. On December 30, he was very unwell and exhausted. His parents were increasingly concerned about his colour . It is claimed the mother repeatedly asked a member of the nursing staff to call a doctor but was advised the doctor was on the ward round and they would attend to the baby that morning. Eventually, it is claimed, another member of the nursing staff reviewed him and as soon as she saw him she requested medical assistance. Later that morning the baby was transferred to the intensive care where he later died. It is claimed there was a failure to admit Eoin to the high dependency unit or paediatric intensive care in a prompt or timely manner and an alleged failure to heed the risk to the baby of potential serious complication arising as a result of his medical history. Liability was admitted in the case. The Irish Times has apologised before the High Court to Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe under a settlement of defamation proceedings. The apology also stated the newspaper had made "appropriate amends" to Sgt McCabe, who had sued over an article published in the newspaper on February 20th 2017. Expand Close Michael McDowell and Maurice McCabe at the Disclosures Tribunal in Dublin Castle, Dublin. Photos: Gareth Chaney/Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael McDowell and Maurice McCabe at the Disclosures Tribunal in Dublin Castle, Dublin. Photos: Gareth Chaney/Collins On Friday, Michael McDowell SC, with Paul OHiggins SC, instructed by Sean Costello solicitor, for Sgt McCabe, who was not in court, told Mr Justice Bernard Barton the matter had settled. Counsel said that no order was required, except one for taxation of the plaintiffs costs, on the basis of an apology being read by Cian Ferriter SC, with Ray Ryan BL, instructed by Hayes Solicitors, for the Irish Times. Mr Ferriter then read the apology. It stated: On the 20th February 2017, the Irish Times published an article in its print edition headed: Woman behind alleged complaint about McCabe wants her day before inquiry and, in its online edition headed: When Can I Get on With the Rest of my Life? Woman at the centre of the McCabe case. Expand Close Sgt Maurice McCabe / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sgt Maurice McCabe It continued: The Director of Public Prosecutions determined, after a careful and professional investigation, that no offence of any kind had been disclosed against Sgt McCabe and that there was no basis in fact or in law for any prosecution. Contrary to what was suggested in the articles, the Director of Public Prosecutions did not base his direction on insufficient evidence. The apology stated: The Irish Times fully accepts the DPPs determination and it was never intended for the article to suggest otherwise. The Irish Times wishes to apologise to Sgt. Maurice McCabe and his wife and family for the great hurt and damage caused to them by the publication of this article, hand has made appropriate amends to Sgt. McCabe. The judge agreed to make the order sought. A judge has told a Dublin housewife that substantial damage she claimed to have been caused to her car at traffic lights could not have been the result of a minor tip to her Volkswagen Polo. Judge Patrick Quinn told Julie ODonnell, of Abbottstown Avenue, Finglas, that from photographs taken at the scene it was obvious the damage could not have been caused by a van brushing the bumper of her car. Barrister Ivan Daly, counsel for two defendants in the case and their insurers Allianz, told the court it was more likely the damage had been caused before the accident as a result of it having been accidentally reversed into a pole. Mr Daly, who appeared with Aiga Hayes of solicitors Ennis and Associates, also told Judge Quinn that Ms ODonnell had suffered a head injury in a fall while out with friends three weeks before the car accident. He said in the Circuit Civil Court that despite having to attend hospital as a result of the fall she had not revealed her earlier injuries to doctors examining her after the accident and had initially kept it from the defendants in the case.. ODonnell said that on 18th December 2015 she had been stopped at traffic lights at Harts Corner near Dublin city centre and, when the lights turned to green, a Ford Transit van had rear ended her vehicle as it moved off injuring her and her three passengers. She said her three passengers in the December 2015 accident at Harts Corner had since been compensated and that in a previous accident in which she had been involved all four people in the car had also been compensated including 12,000 which she had received. She sued the van driver Anthony Corcoran, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, and his employers and van owners, Jabez Limited, North Road, Finglas, for 60,000 damages for personal injuries as the result of head, neck and shoulder injuries she alleged she had suffered in the rear ending. Expand Close Julie ODonnell, of Abbottstown Avenue, Finglas / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Julie ODonnell, of Abbottstown Avenue, Finglas Corcoran, who told the court the impact was just like a brush or minor tip, said he was so surprised by damage to the rear of the Polo that he had said to ODonnell at the scene: Is your car made of paper. Judge Quinn said a photograph taken at the scene showed the Polo to be substantially damaged and Ms ODonnell was alleging that this damage was caused in the accident. He said that after examining photographs and having heard the evidence of both sides he was satisfied the accident was not as severe as described by Ms ODonnell and could not have caused the damage set out in the photographs. It seems to me that she did suffer some very minor injuries as a result of this accident and I do not consider her to be in the category of a person who substantially exaggerated her claim, the Judge said. He told Mr Daly her injuries were extremely minor and he would award her 5,000 with District Court costs. When Mr Daly revealed that on April 25 last the defendants had tendered 10,001 as being the maximum value of the claim and she had not taken it up, Judge Quinn said she would be entitled to District Court costs only up to April 25. A man accused of the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe in a shooting in 2013 has been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court. Aaron Brady, 27, from New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh was served with a book of evidence when he appeared before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court today. He had been charged earlier this year with the murder of a member of an Garda Siochana, namely Adrian Donohoe, in the course of his duty at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 25, 2013. The charge was contrary to Section Three of the 1990 Criminal Justice Act and Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act 1964. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers he said morning judge as he entered the courtroom but remained silent for the rest of the hearing. Expand Close Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe A four-volume book of evidence was served on him in court by Det Sergeant Mark Philips. It was Mr Bradys seventh hearing since being charged earlier this year. Judge Blake noted the DPP was requesting that Mr Brady would be returned for trial to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court on the single charge in the book of evidence. Judge Blake warned him that if he intended to use an alibi in his defence he must tell the State solicitor for Co. Louth, Fergus Mullen within 14 days. He told him he was sending him forward for trial, in custody, to the next term of the Central Criminal Court which begins in October. He acceded to a request from defence counsel Conor Fegan (instructed by solicitor Neil Manley) to grant legal aid to include representation of junior and senior counsel representation at the trial. Judge Blake also directed the prosecution to furnish the defence with copies of video evidence. Det Garda Donohoe, a married father-of-two, was killed while on duty. He had been on a cash escort with colleagues when he was fatally shot during a botched robbery at a credit union. Mr Brady had been arrested in Dublin on February 25 and was detained for a week at Dundalk Garda station under the provisions of section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. He was charged on March 4 and remanded in custody following an appearance before Dundalk District Court. At his first hearing, Det Inspector Patrick Marry said when Mr Brady was charged with the murder, he replied: I strongly deny any involvement in the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. Bail can only be granted by the High Court in murder cases. A Dublin man who tried to raid a post office as a joke to get back into prison has been jailed for two and a half years. John Wheeler (49) of Barnamore Park, Finglas pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of attempting to rob a post office at Botanic Road, Dublin, on October 13, 2017. The court heard Wheeler brandished a sweeping brush inside a plastic bag during the incident. Garda Barry Brennan said the 72-year-old post office owner had returned from a break and had gone to check a safe at the back of the premises when he heard a banging noise coming from the store front. When he returned to the front, he saw Wheeler banging on the counter with a plastic bag concealing a two foot object that the owner believed was a gun. Wheeler told him to put the f**king money in a bag he held in his other hand. The owner told Wheeler he would get money from the back of the post office and once there, he pressed a panic button. He observed Wheeler leave the premises a minute later and the owner's son arrived shortly after. Garda Brennan told Ann Rowland BL, prosecuting, that he arrived on the scene and reviewed CCTV footage. The owner's son recognised Wheeler as a man he had passed sitting outside a nearby shop. Gda Brennan discovered Wheeler in a barbershop next to this store. He invited him outside and asked Wheeler if he had recently been in the post office. I went to rob the place as a joke, Wheeler said. I didn't mean it though. A plastic bag containing a sweeping brush was found abandoned in a nearby bin. Wheeler denied that he had had the brush with him during his robbery attempt. Show me this f**king CCTV or I'll smash it over your head, he said. The court heard Wheeler has 55 previous convictions. These include assault, robbery, theft, larceny, forgery, dangerous driving, and drunk driving matters. Marc Thompson BL, defending, said that Wheeler had been primarily motivated by a desire to be placed into custody again and that he had been released shortly before making the robbery attempt. He said that his client had had a long-standing drug addiction and that he wished to state for the record that he had not cursed while attempting to commit the robbery. Judge Martina Baxter noted that the offence was a despicable, cowardly act perpetrated on an elderly man who was alone and vulnerable in the shop. She said the fact Wheeler was institutionalised was not an excuse for his behaviour and added that at some point he would have to be released into the community. She took into account Wheeler's co-operation, early guilty plea and his decent family background. He is missing out on the milestones of normal existence, she said before imposing a four year sentence with the final 18 months suspended. She said the suspended period was for 24 months, subject to Wheeler engaging with The Probation Service and co-operating with it to complete a housing application. FIVE men including three teachers are awaiting sentence for taking part in a late night brawl in a busy Dublin pub. Four of the accused who have Dublin addresses and the fifth, from Co. Kildare, pleaded guilty to taking part in violent disorder after a row broke out at McGowans pub in Phibsborough on July 14, 2017. Teachers Michael Davitt, 34 from Clanmaurice Road Donnycarney, Conor Shannon, 33, from Glendale Estate, Leixlip, Co. Kildare and Seamus O Cearra, 34, from Mount Symon Green, Clonsilla, appeared at Dublin District Court over the punch-up which involved 10 people. Stephen Cantwell, 28, from Collins Avenue and David McSweeney, 31, from McKee Avenue, Finglas also appeared before the same court in connection with the incident. Mr McSweeney faced an additional charge for producing glass as a weapon during a dispute. Judge Brian OShea heard the two groups of defendants were on opposing sides during the row. They stood at opposite sides of the courtroom during the hearing. In an outline of the allegations, the court heard the incident occurred at 2.40am and up 10 people got into a row which continued even after staff tried to separate them. The fight continued for a while but was finished by the time gardai arrived. Judge OShea heard it was alleged Stephen Cantwell was observed hitting another male from behind after he had been punched by that man earlier in the row. The court was told Michael Davitt was also in the melee and had thrown a number of punches but not at anyone in particular. He also suffered a bloody nose after receiving a blow to the face, the court heard. David McSweeney was also seen fighting and threw a glass which hit Seamus O Cearra who was injured and suffered a cut to his forehead. OCearra was also kicked, however, he was also observed punching one man in the face knocking him to the floor. Judge OShea heard Conor Shannon was knocked down during the fight but he was seen throwing punches, but was not observed assaulting any person in particular. Stephen OMahony, the solicitor representing Cantwell and McSweeney asked for an adjournment so he could provide the court with references and he added the issue of compensation for the injury caused by McSweeney would have to be addressed. Noting that guilty pleas had been entered, the judge asked if they had any previous convictions. The court garda sergeant said Shannon had one for a minor assault for which he was bound to the peace in 2012. Cantwell had convictions for public order, assault and drug possession offences. McSweeney had prior convictions for public order and road traffic offences, the court was told. Solicitor Michael Hanahoe told the court his three clients were teachers. Adjourning sentence until September, Judge OShea said he would like to try and leave them without convictions if he could but he also warned that those with previous offences would be in a different category. He said he would be impressed by compensation and apologies. Violent disorder was at the top end of a range of offences and recorded convictions could have dire consequences for people who wanted to travel abroad to teach, he said. And indeed continue their employment," replied Mr Hanahoe. Judge OShea asked the defence solicitors to hand in testimonials prior to the the sentence date. He also noted that no damage was caused to the pub and just bottles and glasses had to be cleaned up afterwards. None of the staff were injured, the court heard. Another man was previously dealt with by another judge at the same court for being involved in the incident. He had his case struck out after he pleaded guilty and agreed to a court poor box donation. The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that their cases should only be retained by the district court if they pleaded guilty, otherwise, they would have faced trial in the circuit court which has tougher sentencing powers. The mother of a young man who died after a hospital "systems failure" said her son was treated appallingly. Angela McCloskey said John Paul (26) did not receive the treatment he required when admitted to Letterkenny General Hospital on October 12, 2016 suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. He was to be transferred to the care of a gastroenterologist for a possible bowel obstruction but there was a breakdown in communications and the condition of Mr McCloskey, from Hillhead, Buncrana, Co Donegal, deteriorated. He had surgery on October 20 but died on November 22 after being transferred to Galway University Hospital. He suffered brain injuries following the perforation of his small bowel. Ms McCloskey said one of the final things her son said to her was: "I don't know what's happening to me, Mummy. I wonder did our Lord suffer as much on the cross as I am suffering right now?" She said: "He blanked me and stared at the wall. He never spoke a word from that night until he died. He was a corpse." Ms McCloskey said she forgave all involved. Galway West Coroner Dr Ciaran MacLoughlin said that when a person is admitted to hospital the patient has a reasonable expectation somebody will take overall charge of care. But he said it was clear in the case of Mr McCloskey that this did not happen. After hearing evidence at the day-long inquest, he said there had been a systems failure in hospital. Counsel for the HSE, Sasha Gayer, offered condolences to the family. The CEO of Independent News and Media (INM) has spoken of the devastating sadness that has gripped the company in the wake of the tragedy in Greece. Injured Zoe Holohan, who is recovering in hospital, works in the advertising department of the 'Sunday World' which, along with this newspaper, is published by INM. Her new husband Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp lost his life in the wildfires that have devastated Greece, where the couple were celebrating their honeymoon. In a note to staff, Michael Doorly said this has been a very sad and tragic week for the company. "The chat and excitement around a happy wedding day last Thursday has given way to the dreadfully sad death of Brian, husband of our colleague Zoe who remains in hospital in Greece. We are doing everything we can to support Zoe and her family. "We will continue to help her in every way we can to both mourn the tragic loss of Brian while also making sure that she makes a full recovery from her injuries," he said. Mr Doorly told staff that he was aware many were very good friends of Zoe and Brian and they were grieving at this tragic turn of events. "I know that we will all continue to keep Zoe foremost in our minds and thoughts as she recovers from her injuries," added Mr Doorly. A new category of offence -less serious than rape - is being examined as part of a potential shake-up of the law around rape and consent. The Law Reform Commission is examining whether a separate offence, tentatively described as "gross negligence rape", should be introduced to cover a situation where an accused honestly, but unreasonably and mistakenly, believes the complainant was consenting to sex. Under the law as it stands an accused who knew that the complainant was not consenting, or was reckless as to whether she was or not, is guilty of rape. Under the reform option being examined, an accused individual would be guilty of the lesser offence if he honestly believed the complainant was consenting, but his belief was unreasonable. The accused would not be guilty of either rape, or the lesser offence, if his belief was found to have been reasonable. Sweden has a lesser rape offence similar to the one being considered. The commission is also examining potential changes to the definition of rape. The move to review the law follows a referral to the commission by the Attorney General. This came in the aftermath of a Supreme Court ruling two years ago where it dismissed an appeal by a man jailed for raping his own mother on Mother's Day. The ruling also provided guidance for judges in explaining to juries the law on rape, particularly in cases where the accused mounts a defence based on a mistaken belief there was consent to sex. However, it led to calls from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre for a definition of consent to be put in legislation, rather than relying on common law built up over a century of court decisions. Now the independent commission has published an issues paper on the subject and is calling for submissions on whether the current law should be changed. The document examines a range of reform options, including whether the accused's belief in consent should be objectively reasonable, and whether the accused should also be required to take reasonable steps to confirm that the woman is consenting. It also examines whether an objective or "reasonable belief" element should be added to the definition of rape. The inclusion of this element would be in line with the definition of some other serious offences in Irish law, as well the definition of rape across the UK and other common law jurisdictions. A chronically-ill grandmother from west Belfast who was jailed after not paying her TV licence has been released. Anne Smith (59), from Poleglass, was imprisoned after she did not pay a 1,100 (1,120) court fine for failing to pay her television licence. The mother-of-four, who has 12 grandchildren, was released from Hydebank Prison on Friday. Mrs Smith has serious mobility issues, suffers from the debilitating lung condition COPD, and is waiting on a double-hip replacement A bench warrant was issued for her arrest earlier this week after she failed to pay a court fine- issued as a result of the non-payment of her TV licence. Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey, speaking at a rally at Belfast's International Wall following Mrs Smith's release, said: I welcome the release of Anne Smith. I am glad that common sense has prevailed as she should never have been put in jail. Since hearing the news of her arrest, we have worked with her family and have lobbied the Northern Ireland Office in an attempt to secure her release. The family have been clearly stating that Anne has had serious health issues in recent times and that should have been taken into account before the decision to imprison her. There is an onus on the relevant authorities to ensure that measures are put in place to ensure that, in exceptional circumstances, compassion prevails and this never happens again." The Irish News reported Mrs Smith had engaged a solicitor and contacted the court to try and pay the fine but was unable to settle it as the bench warrant had already been issued. In a statement, a spokesperson for TV Licensing - which collects the licence fee - said prosecutions were only pursued as a "last resort when all other options are exhausted" and the maximum fine for an unpaid television licence was 1,000 (1,120), along with associated court costs and a victim surcharge. "Newspaper reports say Mrs Smith has been sentenced to prison for non-payment of court fines for TV Licence evasion. The sentence is a matter for the courts and TV Licensing has no involvement in this decision," the spokesperson said. "The majority of first time offenders are not prosecuted if they buy a licence within a specified time. There are many ways to pay, including weekly cash payments and we are currently trialling the Simple Payment Plan which offers even more help to those who might struggle to pay. "We work with nearly 500 organisations across the UK, including many in Northern Ireland, to offer advice and support. Gardai are investigating a deliberate arson attack to a boardwalk near the historic Battle of the Boyne site. Fire fighters from Drogheda rushed to the scene at Oldbridge, Co Meath, last night and were seen battling the blaze until after midnight. The fire has now been extinguished but it could be seen for a number of miles including from the nearby M1 motorway and the Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge. The boardwalk begins close to the entrance to the Battle of the Boyne site and is very popular with tourists and locals. The fire appears to have damaged the section of the walk some 400 metres from the site, near the canal and the lock gates. Gardai confirmed to Independent.ie this morning that they believe the fire was started deliberately. A spokesperson said: "Gardai in Laytown are investigating criminal damage by fire to a boardwalk on River Boyne at Oldbridge, Drogheda. "It was reported to Garda on the evening of the 26th July 2018, a number of units from the fire brigade attended. Investigations are ongoing." Television presenter Alan Hughes and husband Karl Broderick paid an emotional tribute to his friend Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp, who died tragically in the wildfires in Greece. The couple were guests at Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp's wedding last week to Zoe Holohan, who remains in hospital in Athens. The Department of Foreign Affairs has begun to organise the return of Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp's remains. Expand Close Brian OCallaghan-Westropp with his wife Zoe Holohan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian OCallaghan-Westropp with his wife Zoe Holohan Posting online yesterday, Mr Hughes and Mr Broderick said: "It felt odd to take to social media up to now, but it feels equally odd not to acknowledge and pay tribute to our lovely friend Zoe and her lovely husband Brian, who tragically lost his life in Greece. "A friendly, warm guy, ready with open arms for a bear hug, he was a gentleman. We can't believe it was this day last week that we shared in their beautiful wedding," they wrote. Expand Close Newlyweds Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp and Zoe Holohan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Newlyweds Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp and Zoe Holohan "Our hearts are breaking for Zoe, who's such a beautiful person...and indeed Brian's mother, their family and friendsAlan and Karl xxx." Family friend Fr Shay Casey, chaplain of Athlone Institute of Technology, told RTE's 'Morning Ireland' that Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp was a "very generous soul" who was never slow to help anyone in need. Fr Casey revealed Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp's mother, Rosemary, has flown to Athens in the hope of bringing her son's remains home to be buried in Killaloe, Co Clare. He also revealed this is not the first time tragedy has struck the family. Mr O'Callaghan-Westropp's mother lost her only other son, Colin, in a motorcycle crash in 1997, when he was only 21, while her husband died while the boys were quite young. Read More Leo Varadkar and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte have failed to reach a deal that would see Ireland take in 600 migrants. Mr Varadkar met the newly elected prime minister in Rome as the pair discussed the issue of migration. Both leaders agreed it was a "European issue" and every country in the bloc must play a part in tackling it. The offer, extended to the previous Italian government in 2015, was put on the table again at the meeting by the Taoiseach but no deal was reached on how to tackle the issues of security clearance and Garda vetting of those relocating to Ireland. "I restated our commitment or offer which we made to the previous Italian government that we would be willing to take 600 migrants from Italy to Ireland. "It wasn't possible to do that even though we committed to it probably two years ago now, because we couldn't agree the detail around Garda vetting and security clearance," Mr Varadkar said. Ireland has demanded more involvement on the Italian side in vetting those due to move to Ireland. Mr Varadkar said the offer was still on the table "if we can agree on appropriate security clearance and we said we would engage further on that". Italy's stance on migration has hardened of late. It has acted as a frontline nation in the crisis and taken the brunt of the burden. Now it wants other countries to do their part. Challenges Mr Conte has previously called for Europe to abandon the principles of the so-called Dublin agreement that sees member states where the immigrants first arrive held responsible for their processing. Both leaders agreed on a Europe-wide approach to the issue of migration, during what was described as a "constructive" meeting. "Any individual country acting on its own just passed the challenges on to the next country and we are very much of the view that we must have an EU-wide approach," Mr Varadkar said. Speaking after the meeting, the Taoiseach said he believed there was a good basis for a good relationship between the countries in the future. Mr Varadkar also visited the headquarters of Operation Sofia, the EU's rescue mission in the Mediterranean in which the Irish Naval Service takes part. At the conclusion of his whistle-stop tour of EU capitals, Mr Varadkar also said he had received assurances in each that the Irish question remains a central issue of Brexit. He said: "My sense is they very much have Ireland's back, very much understand our concerns and are very much on our side but also looking to us for solutions - that's what we need to do over the weeks ahead - to know that we have a strong European solidarity behind us, that the 27 member states are with us but also work to come up with solutions that everyone can live with." The scene where Jack Power was fatally stabbed at Shanakiel, Dunmore East, Co Waterford. Photo: Mary Browne GARDAI have released a teenager without charge after questioning him about the circumstances in which a young Waterford fisherman was fatally stabbed. Waterford Gardai have now launched a murder investigation after a post mortem examination confirmed that fisherman Jack Power (25) died from a stab wound. A file will now be prepared by Gardai for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Mr Power was fatally stabbed after he apparently went to investigate an alleged incident of anti-social behaviour. The young man sustained the fatal injury shortly before 4am yesterday in the popular coastal village of Dunmore East in Waterford. Mr Power, who is from nearby Brownstown, had been out fishing and apparently was very concerned over an incident of anti-social behaviour involving his car which had been left parked in the village. Locals had been increasingly concerned over recent weeks about a spate of anti-social behaviour incidents around the village ranging from malicious damage to petty thefts. Several residents complained that a gang had been engaged in the anti-social behaviour over recent weeks. One theory now being examined by Gardai is whether Mr Power's death may have been linked to a dispute over such anti-social activities. Gardai and emergency services were called to a property at Shanakiel, on the outskirts of Dunmore East village, at 3.40am. Mr Power was found lying on the ground in a critical condition with an apparent stab injury to his chest. Paramedics battled to stabilise his condition so he could be transferred to University Hospital Waterford (UHW). Tragically, Mr Power was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at UHW. Gardai immediately sealed off the scene. Members of the Garda Technical Bureau commenced a full forensic examination of the property involved and an area of ground outside it. That technical examination will continue today. The Office of the State Pathologist was notified and a full post mortem examination was conducted this evening. That examination found that Mr Power met a violent death. Gardai for operational reasons are not disclosing the findings of the post mortem examination. However, it indicated the young man was stabbed. Gardai stressed that the nature of their investigation would be determined by the results of the post mortem examination at UHW. Detectives arrested a 17 year old in the Dunmore East area yesterday morning in relation to the incident. He was taken to Waterford Garda Station where he was questioned under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. The teen has been resident in the Dunmore East area. He was released without charge in the early hours of this morning. A file will now be prepared for the DPP. Waterford Gardai appealed for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the Shanakiel and Dunmore East areas in the early hours of Thursday morning to contact them. The area involved is not covered by CCTV security camera footage. However, Gardai have appealed for anyone who may have dash-cams on their cars and who drove through the area at the time to contact them at Waterford Garda Station on (051) 305300 or the Garda Confidential Line at (1800) 666111. The view of the fire from the Mati Hotel where they were staying Irish couple Chloe Sugrue and Sean Davis had to flee for their lives A young Irish couple caught up in the Greek wildfires have told how they ran for their lives to escape the inferno. Chloe Sugrue (19), from Cahersiveen, Co Kerry, and boyfriend Sean Davis (21), from Finglas, Dublin, were enjoying their first holiday together as a couple when they were caught up in the disaster. The couple were on their second day in the resort of Mati, Greece, when the wildfires began to rage in the mountains above the Mati Hotel, where they were staying. At least 83 people are confirmed to have died in the tragedy as the search for the missing continues. Sorrow has turned to anger in the country as desperate relatives of those missing appeared on television to plead for help. Some blamed authorities for the disaster, the country's deadliest blaze in decades, as one official suggested the residents of Mati should have been evacuated earlier. "This shouldn't have happened, people perished for no reason," a woman in tears shouted at Defence Minister Panos Kammenos as he visited the village and nearby fire-ravaged areas. "You left us at God's mercy." Last night Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said that there are "serious indications" the blaze was caused by arson. Ms Sugrue told the Irish Independent how initially people thought it was not that serious but it soon became apparent it was a "matter of life or death". "It was about 3pm we saw smoke, we thought nothing of it at first - just that it was a bit of a gorse fire up in the mountains. "We went about our day, then at 5.30pm we decided to go for dinner up a bit from the hotel and the staff said the restaurant wasn't open. "We walked outside and there were people screaming everywhere and panicking. "We went back to the hotel, asked the manager what had happened. She said 'there's a fire up in the mountain'. "The staff were all panicking as their families were up there in the mountain. "They told us to stay in the hotel but then 10 minutes later they told us to get out of the hotel, to get onto the beach. "The fire was coming from the mountain, we heard a big bang, so we ran to the beach - we ran for our lives to the water. "There were people running around us. It was very scary. "The fire was fast approaching our hotel. We were wondering how were we going to make it. "Our holiday went from the happiest time of our lives to 'how are we going to survive this, how are we going to get home?'" she said. Ms Sugrue, who is studying childcare at Marino College in Dublin, and Mr Davis, a pharmaceutical science student at DCU, fled the flames and sat on a bench on the beach surrounded by distraught families, with many adults and children weeping. The young couple had only around 20pc battery power on their mobile phones and watched in terror as the fire travelled toward their hotel, destroying an apartment block beside it. While the fire raged round the Hotel Mati, it was not damaged and they managed to phone home to let their families know they were alright. But the couple, along with many others on the beach, suffered smoke inhalation as the flames came closer. "We were on the beach from around 6pm until 1am and the fire was all round our hotel," said Ms Sugrue, who spoke about the incident on the 'News at One' on RTE Radio 1 yesterday. "It came to 2am and the emergency services said the route was clear and we could go back to the hotel and find out what we could do next," she said. "We know we are so lucky to be alive," she added. Meanwhile, outside the coroner's service in Athens the mood was grim as people arrived to help identify their loved ones and submit evidence. "It will be very painful, we will then have the identification... the funerals, more pain," said Evangelos Bournous, the mayor of Rafina-Pikermi, an area close to Mati. A new over-the-counter HIV test is going on sale in pharmacies across Ireland today. The Autotest VIH test can detect antibodies in just 15 minutes after taking a pinprick blood sample. The test can be purchased by anyone over the age of 18. Each kit comes with an information leaflet and contact details for the GOSHH (Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health and HIV) helpline should the user need it. The Autotest VIH test has been launched in Ireland by global pharmaceutical company Mylan. Country manager Owen McKeon said the company will be working on increasing awareness on the importance of early testing in the coming months. "Ireland becomes our fourth market to launch in, following already successful launches in France, Italy and Spain," he said. "Over the coming months, we will be working with HIV patient organisations to increase awareness of the importance of early testing, and how tools like our self-testing kit, as well as taking a proactive approach to your health, can help in the fight against the spread of HIV." According to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), there were 508 new diagnoses of HIV in Ireland in 2016, a 3.9pc increase from 2006. It is believed that almost 10 people a week are diagnosed with HIV in Ireland. A recent survey by Durex found that almost 70pc of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 had never had an STI check. Ann Mason, Manager of GOSHH said the easy access kit will help to "manage symptoms" quickly. 8,341 people have been diagnosed with HIV in Ireland since the early 1980s. Today, HIV is a treatable infection and the sooner someone living with HIV accesses treatment, the sooner the medication will reduce their viral load to undetectable," she said. "Whether you are HIV negative, positive or have never been tested, there are channels to discuss it. It is also important to encourage people to openly discuss their HIV Status with their sexual partner. "With discreet and easy-to-use tools like the Mylan self-test kit and with helplines like GOSHH to support their use, we hope to see more people avail of testing, an increased ability to manage symptoms early on, and ultimately, a decline in HIV diagnoses." A 60-year-old Heinkel 'Bubble' car made a triumphant return to Dundalk last week, after it was lovingly restored by motoring enthusiast Hugh Tierney. Cruising into town at its top speed '100 smiles an hour' or better known as 40mph, the Heinkel was a fascinating visitor to Market Square as owner Hugh parked up outside Dundalk Tourist Office to 'show off' his pride and joy. 'It's always great to be out and about in the car, as it attracts a lot of interest,' Hugh told the Argus. Having bought the car for one hundred pounds in 1990, he admits he didn't look at refurbishing it for another 26 years. 'It was only about two years ago that I actually began to restore it, and it was in remarkably good nick. That's the Dundalk built quality for you!' said the Donegal native who now lives in Dublin. 'I've always had a passion for old cars, but this one is really special,' said Hugh who nickname the car 'Wee Sally' in recognition of its small stature! With it's unique front opening single door, it's hard to believed that the Heinkel was an advanced for its time. In the late 1950's Dundalk became, for a short period of years, a centre for the production of one of the most unusual cars ever to be put into production. The site of this enterprise was the old workshops of the Great Northern Railway, where the Dundalk Engineering Works was set up to manufacture Heinkel Cabin Cruiser bubble cars. Indeed the worldwide rights to manufacture the Cruiser were purchased by Dundalk Engineering Works and all the tools, dies, presses and jigs necessary to restart production travelled to Dundalk. 'The quality really is very sturdy, and parts are surprisingly enough quite easy to get either from Germany or the UK. 'I'm actually really keen to get talking to anyone who worked at the factory or who had relatives who worked there,' said Hugh,. The Heinkel Cabin Cruiser was an intriguing design, manufactured in two versions, a 3-wheeler and a 4-wheeler on which the two rear wheels were placed close together. 'It may look small now, but it was actually a family car,' said Hugh Indeed the Heinkel has room for two adults side-by-side and a small seat in the rear, which could be used for a child. 'The engine is housed under the rear seat. but it is easy to get at for repairs and that if I needed to.' For Hugh it has been an endearing passion in his later years, and a stylish way to get his daughter to the altar on her wedding day! 'Yes I took my daughter in it to the church for her wedding. It was a great way to travel on such a special day!' He adds that despite its attraction there are only a handful of roadworthy Heinkel bubble cars in Ireland. History showed that despite the optimism shown in Dundalk, and respect in the industry for the quality of work there, the Heinkel's production was to be short-lived. Demand for bubble cars quickly gave way to a desire for larger motors. 'Its popularity was actually hit by the Mini Cooper when it came onto the market,' said Hugh. Driving through Dundalk last week, it was clear the see the trend in larger cars has continued, with the Heinkel's small stature comparable only to a modern day 'smart' car. 'It is limited in its speed to around 40 miles per hour, and I wouldn't take it on the motorway, but otherwise I've found it a great way to travel,' added Hugh. Such is the fascination with the Heinkel that a model is kept on display in the County Museum in recognition of Dundalk's motor manufacturing past. Hugh Tierney is anxious to speak to anyone who worked in or had a family member working in Dundalk Engineering Works in the late 1950s or early 1960s. If you know someone this applies to you're asked to contact the Tourist Office on 042 9352111. Amanda with her sister Tara, who died in the Carrickmines tragedy in 2015 The shadow of the Carrickmines fire tragedy still hangs over Bray, as the twin sister of one of its victims was laid to rest this week. A large crowd of mourners attended the funeral of the late Amanda Gilbert (29) at St Peter's Church in Little Bray last Monday. Amanda never recovered from the death of her twin sister Tara in the tragedy of 2015, the congregation heard during the moving ceremony. Amanda died in the early hours of last Friday morning, to the shock and sadness of her heartbroken family and communities in Bray and Newtown. She is survived by her partner Ryan and their children Savanah and Callum, her father Harry, and her extended family and friends. Ryan told the church full of people that he and the children had loved Amanda very much. 'I promise I'll do my best for them no matter what,' he said. 'You were such a kind, loving person who spent every moment of every day making sure were happy. We will never forget you. I will never forget the good times we had together. I just hope that you are at peace now.' Like her sister, Amanda was a past pupil of Scoil Chualann and Colaiste Raithin in Bray, and a fluent Irish speaker. A native of Fassaroe, she lived more recently in Newtownmountkennedy. Fr Larry Behan recalled that at the time of the tragic fire on Glenamuck Road in Carrickmines which took Tara and nine others, Amanda said to him 'I've lost the other half of me'. The girls, in happier times, were best friends and would share everything - from earrings and makeup to clothes and hair extensions. He said that the sisters had shared a 'very, very special and unique bond.' In the days following Tara's death, Amanda told the Bray People that her sister's family was her life, her children and her partner Willy Lynch. Five adults and five children died in a fire at the halting site on October 10, 2015. Tara was 27 at the time and visiting friends there along with her fiancee Willy Lynch, and daughters Jodie (9) and Kelsey (4). Tara was expecting a baby at the time. Willy's brother Jimmy (39), their sister Sylvia Connors (30), her husband Thomas Connors (27), and their children Jim (5), Christy (3) and baby Mary also died. Amanda often went to the family grave in Springfield cemetery. 'She'd be tidying up and talking quietly to them,' said Fr Behan. He said she did her best to dedicate her life to her family. 'She had a huge impact on their lives and Savanah especially idolised her,' he said. 'But I think it's fair to say that Amanda never really began the process of starting to get over Tara's death and the death of all the others.' He said that her immense pain is now over and she is at peace. 'Whatever any of us here this morning might be feeling - anger at God, anger at Amanda, guilt, bewilderment, whatever - we need God to help us start to be able to deal with it,' said the priest. He said that nobody will ever know the depth of pain and desperation that drove Amanda to take her own life, and that one cannot understand the burden of pain with which she lived and died. Amanda was laid to rest at Springfield Cemetery. Head of the Georgian Dream ruling party Bidzina Ivanishvili gave his first interview in five years to the Georgian Public Broadcaster. In the autumn of 2013, he said that he quits politics and return only in the case of the "apocalyptic" scenario. Recently he returned, led the party again, dismissed Prime Minister Kvirikashvili along with his team and sharply turned the policy "left" - toward the government's greater intervention in the economy, "limiting the power of banks that have eaten the savings of citizens" and raising the standard of living of citizens to the average European level. Ivanishvili said that by "deepening democratic reforms" in terms of political pluralism and multi-party system, Georgia will be able to enlist the support of European democracies and join the EU by 2030! Perhaps the billionaire was encouraged by the statement of the European Parliament Rapporteur, Andrejs Mamikins, who not just expressed his willingness to "see Georgia as a political part of the European Union in the future," speaking at the meeting with Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, but specified that he spoke about "full membership of Georgia in the EU." A small poor Caucasian country, which suffers from two unresolved conflicts, now cooperates with the EU within the framework of the EU Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas Agreement, integrated into it. Georgian citizens enjoy the benefit of visa-free travel to the Schengen countries. The EU came out on top in terms of share in total Georgian exports, but individually its members lag well behind Russia. Meanwhile, the Baltic republics and the former Warsaw Pact states joined the EU "through NATO membership" - they were first admitted into the alliance and only then invited to the EU. While Georgia still has not been granted a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to join the alliance. In addition, Georgia's accession to the EU by 2030 contradicts the very philosophy of the EU's Eastern Partnership programme, conceived as an alternative to full membership in the EU for the former Soviet republics. Little Odie O'Brien is a cute and chatty little four-year-old like any other, but a condition called spastic diplegic cerebral palsy means she can't stand unsupported or walk without the aid of her walker. So, her parents Joan O'Brien and David Hanratty from Highlands are trying to raise over 100,000, as groundbreaking surgery in America could mean Odie may gain use of her legs. Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person's ability to move. This condition affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture, and balance. Odie's cerebral palsy is caused by a condition called periventricular leukomalacia, or an injury to the white matter of the brain, and this is linked to a heart condition that she was born with known as tricuspid valve dysplasia. "She is a bright and beautiful little girl, but at home she crawls on the floor or is carried," explains her dad David. "Her balance is poor, and she needs assistance with all of the normal daily activities; getting to the toilet, moving around, playing, and dressing herself. The spasticity, or tightness, in her legs can be very painful, and we do daily physiotherapy and stretching to try and reduce this. Odie also needs to wear leg splints to try and keep her muscles stretched into normal positions during the day." In time, the spasticity, or tightness in Odie's legs will increase, which means that her pain may also increase. There is also the possibility that she may lose the ability to use her walker and will need a wheelchair. "We have been given hope by world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. T.S. Park of St. Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri, USA, who has evaluated Odie and considers her to be a candidate for selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery," adds mum Joan, who will graduate soon as a midwife. "This amazing, life-changing surgery involves the cutting of nerves in the spine which connect the brain to the muscles in the legs to permanently reduce the tightness and pain and allow for walking. It is not performed in Ireland, and the HSE do not routinely fund this through the Hospital Treatment Abroad scheme." "Raising the money is obviously a huge challenge for us and we hope to fundraise through community events and through donations wherever possible," says David. "We have a surgery date scheduled for June 2019 so we hope Odie can reach her dream of walking, running and dancing." If you would like to make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com/odie-wants-to-walk or follow events on the facebook page Odie Wants to Walk. The Government has been urged to build houses and not buy them for social housing A local Fianna Fail TD has said that the Government is not getting value for money by purchasing private homes instead of building public housing. Data received through Freedom of Information requests made to each of the 31 Local Authorities and collated by Fianna Fail Housing Spokesperson, Darragh O'Brien has found that close to 1bn of tax payer's money has been spent on purchasing homes from the private housing sector since 2011.The figures show that the average cost of a unit purchased was 162,000, rising to 221,000 in Dublin. Deputy O'Brien said that according to the Department of Housing's own figures, it would have cost 22,000 less (199,000) to have built an entirely new unit in Dublin during the same period. Ireland's Local Authorities have built just 2,354 new units since 2011, he said. Deputy O'Brien said: 'In the midst of the worst housing crisis to have gripped the country, the right wing orthodoxy of Fine Gael has prevented the sort of response needed to deal with the crisis. 'This data has revealed that Government has spent just short of 1bn in tax payer's money to purchase 5,559 homes, pricing families trying to buy their own homes out of the market without adding to the national stock. 'Not only has the Fine Gael plan driven up house prices generally but in many instances it would have been significantly cheaper for the State to build new social homes.' Deputy O'Brien explained: 'Take Dublin for example; it would have been 29m less expensive to build the same number of units than the Government chose to buy instead. It would have been over 17m cheaper to build the same amount of units in Cork. 'This sad narrative is the very same in every county up and down the country; no vision whatsoever to bring new housing stock on stream and a severe overreliance on the private sector. Affordable housing needs to be at the core of the forthcoming Budget and we will fight hard to force FG towards adopting a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Scheme.' He concluded: 'Fine Gael need to realise that this crisis requires them to set aside their orthodoxy and invest in new stock real affordability measures.' A woman from Glasnevin has called for investment into more litter and dog wardens in Wexford for what she described as an 'embarrassing and shameful' Ballygarrett Beach. Janette Byrne hired a beautiful house in Ballygarrett with three of her sisters and their two parents, who are in their late eighties. She said since they were children they have always paid Wexford a visit in the summer time as they love the people, the great beaches, delicious food and the gorgeous weather. 'We were disgusted each day to see Ballygarrett beach dirty with black sacks of rubbish, broken bottles and burnt grass,' said Janette. 'We called the number provided and tried for an hour to get through but we had to give up.' The family stayed for a week and each day the sisters cleaned up what they could. Janette said it ate into their quality time with their parents and their holiday. 'A week later the rubbish was still there and getting worse,' said Janette. 'We had genuine concerns about the broken glass.' With no options, the sisters used an abandoned tent to put some of the rubbish in and another day left the bags at Wexford County Council sign which was removed but not the other rubbish. Janette said they went to Ballinoulart Beach just to avoid the mess at Ballygarrett Beach because it was 'just upsetting'. 'We were walking along the beach when it was invaded by about 25 dogs, most off leads,' said Janette. 'I had to cover a large faeces at the entrance of the beach. Most of the dogs were hyper.' When Janette commented to two of the groups about the faeces at the entrance they were not interested. The family would start their day with a swim. Janette said her father is unsteady on his feet and both parent are vulnerable. 'We were just entering the water when about six dogs came running at us, jumping in and snapping around us,' said Janette. 'The owners tried in vain to call them, we were terrified.' One of the owners had to drag two of her dogs away, but they got away and came back. Janette said her frightened mother asked the woman to 'please take the dogs away'. Janette added they struggle to get a beach that is flat and not full of stones as her fathers balance is not great. 'Dogs running at him terrified us as we know if one jumped on him it could do serious damage,' she said. She said they 'love Wexford, lovely people, great beaches, great food and the weather' but it is just a shame their holiday was spoiled by dirty beach-goers and irresponsible dog owners. 'Maybe it is about investment in to more wardens for Wexford beaches,' said Janette. 'Whatever is it, being Irish, I was embarrassed and ashamed to see our beach this way.' Full speed ahead for the Wexford Monster Truck Run (from left): Con Morris; Ricky Breslin; Anna Thompson; Cllr Ger Carthy; Cllr Tony Dempsey, Mayor of Wexford; Verona Murphy, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association; Joe Druhan; Ciaran Sheridan; Mary Rice; and Seamus Thompson The second annual Wexford Monster Truck Run will take place over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29, and all money raised from it will go towards the MRI scanner fund for Wexford General Hospital. The event was officially launched on Wednesday evening in Kilrane which will also provide the venue for a massive truck show on Sunday, July 29. Speaking to this newspaper about the run the committee secretary, Con Morris, said those involved hoped that last year's figure of 4,000 for the hospital will be surpassed this time around. 'We had a good turnout last year and were delighted to raise 4,000 but we hope we can expand on that this year,' he said. A family-orientated event admission to the truck show will be 5 for adults with children getting in free-of-charge. The event is being organised in conjunction with the Friends of Wexford Hospital committee. The truck run itself will take place on the Saturday and will begin at the old Renault compound in Kilrane at 12 midday and will follow a route to New Ross, Enniscorthy, Gorey and Wexford town via the coast road. The run will end back where it started in Kilrane where a 4,000sq ft marquee will be set up and music will be provided by the Big Party Rockabilly Band at 10 p.m. Admission to the marquee on Saturday night will be 10 and all money raised from the event will go towards the hospital fund. On Sunday the music will be performed by Borderline from 12 noon. Sunday will also be the main family day of the weekend and there will be a wide range of stalls and attractions on-site including bouncy castles and in addition to the trucks there will also be cars and motorbikes on display. 'We're hoping it will be as big a success as last year,' said another committee member, Ricky Breslin. Both Mr Breslin and Mr Morris were full of praise for local businesses and individuals who have given their support to the event to-date. The cost of registration to participate in the event with a truck is 50 which includes a weekend pass for the run and truck show along with a hot meal, free entry into the music marquee and a goody bag. The price for truck passengers will be 10. Tubbercurry door handle and lock maker Basta has sought court protection from its creditors in an effort to restructure its finances. An interim examiner has been appointed to two related Basta businesses after the company petitioned the circuit court earlier this month. The examiner, Dessie Morrow of accountants Baker Tilly Hughes Blake appointed last Thursday has 100 days to restructure the finances. Basta shareholders include managing director Dermot Foster and company chairman John Murphy. The parent company, Basta Holdings, had accumulated losses of 3.3m at the end of 2016, according to a Sunday Times report. Chairman John Murphy speaking to The Sligo Champion yesterday said: "The market has completely changed, both the Irish market and importing products to Ireland, but it is our intention to invest in this company into the future." The company said a cost reduction plan was in place. Its trading subsidiary Basta Parsons had 40 staff in 2016 and retained losses of 1.2m. The company had borrowings from Ulster Bank and Finn Funding Investments, a Bain Capital company, though a number of mortgages were fully satisfied earlier this year. Basta had a UK operation in Wolverhampton but put it into voluntary liquidation in 2016. Its property was sold for 840 clearing a debt to Finn Funding. Its assets were sold for 100k. The latest saber rattling from and about Iran gives new resonance to talk of $200 oil. Iran can do it with just a partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Forbes reports in its article Oil At $200-Plus Per Barrel? Iran Can Make It Happen that Reuters recently detailed past Iranian military operations that could interrupt the oil supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz: 18 million barrels of oil per day, or about 20% of the worlds supply. How do we get to $200+ per barrel? An economic analysis is required. Crude Oil Imports and National Security estimates -0.04 for the price elasticity of demand for crude oil. That is, if quantity supplied to the market is cut by 10%, the price of oil will increase by 250%. With oil currently at $70 per barrel, a disruption in shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would lead to a $175 a barrel price increase, for a total of $245 per barrel, as shown in the graph. President Trump is correct that the United States has paid a lot of money for the defense of oil interests in the Middle East. The Cost of War Project at Brown University now estimates the costs of wars since 9/11 at $5.6 trillion. To this needs to be added the military casualties of 6,961 dead and 52,682 wounded. President Eisenhower avoided the trap that has ensnared three consecutive U.S. administrations. He rejected the pleas from Britain, France and Israel to enter the Suez Crisis in 1956. Understanding that conflicts in the Middle East were about who owned the oil and largess from its production, the pragmatic President Eisenhower realized that consuming nations would buy the oil without regard to who sold it to them. He also realized that strategic dependence on cheap oil from the Middle East would undermine U.S. national security and the U.S. militarys ability to project supply lines during the Cold War. President Eisenhower imposed an oil import quota in 1959 to limit U.S. dependence on foreign crude. The price of oil in the United States was roughly double the world price, and OPEC was formed in response. The U.S. oil industry was stable and robust. This policy remained in place until his vice president, then President Nixon, removed the import restrictions. The irony today is that the United States has initiated a tariffs regime in the name of national security for U.S. steel and aluminum industries but has excluded the oil industry from similar protection. Why? This policy today would benefit our national security by lessening our dependence on OPEC. Higher domestic oil prices will encourage more employment and encourage a faster transition to alternative fuels (see Crude Oil Imports and National Security above). Tariffs or import restrictions can eliminate the exposure to wild downward price swings and protect us from foe and friend. In 2014, Saudi Arabia increased production to drive down price costing U.S. shale plays 250,000 direct jobs, 300+ bankruptcies, $250-plus billion in lost capital, billions in lost GDP and billions in lost local, state and federal taxes. While the U.S. surge in domestic production is good, domestic refineries have not found it profitable to shift to the lighter crudes from the shale plays, and the industry exports much of it. In the event of an Iranian blockade or war in the Strait of Hormuz, it is likely that Congress would again ban exports, but U.S. refiners may not be able to quickly adjust. Releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve could possibly help in the short run, but it has never been tested at even 10% of draw down capacity. Consumers would face shortages and higher prices. President Eisenhower showed us a way forward. James Kavanagh and Glenda Gilson will host the drive-in cinema at Brittas Bay The movie Grease will be shown at a drive-In movie as Europe's largest mobile LED screen visits Brittas Bay in August. The screening of the cult classic is taking place to celebrate the arrival of Ireland's fastest broadband network and in-home WiFi provider. This forms part of Virgin Media's Project Lightning network expansion programme, the single biggest private investment in Ireland's digital infrastructure in more than a decade. The drive-in movie will be visiting Wexford, Dundalk and Ennis, starting off in Brittas Bay on August 10 at the north car park. Cinema-goers will have the sound from the movie broadcast directly to their car over FM radio. Glenda Gilson, host of Xpose, and social media influencer James Kavanagh will also be present and the duo want to test the public's movie knowledge by asking people to take them on in the ultimate movie quiz. People in the four towns will be able to enter in advance via social media to take part in Virgin Media's Big Movie Quiz. Tickets cost 10 for one car (up to four people per car) and all proceeds will be donated to the Coder Dojo Foundation. After taking a break in 2017, independent music and arts festival Knockanstockan returns to Blessington this weekend with over 140 show stopping acts. In addition, the festival, which runs from Friday, July 27, to Sunday, July 29, will have spectacular art installations and pop-up performances galore. Badlands, AKORA, Anna Mieke, Cathy Davey, Birds of Olympus, Bitch Falcon, Stuck on Repeat, Sister Ghost and Haiku will be among the acts performing live, alongside Shy Mascot, Pete Pamf, Attention Bebe, Holly Carter, Hot Tolka Club and much more. After a little rest last year, festival organisers have had time to be inspired and come up with a number of new areas for this year's festival. Spirit Animal is among KnockanStockan's latest creations. It will be the largest art installation the festival has seen and, quite possibly, the very grandest creation in art of its kind. Hand-crafted by Brazilian collective Espaco Libellula, the likes of this stage has never been seen before in Ireland. The Unfiltered stage will be set with beautiful lake vistas where festival-goers can sit and watch performance art, intimate collaborations, interviews, comedy by day and then, later on, dance to some of Ireland's finest DJ collectives as they play on a stage in the round. The Danish Quarter, hosted by Carlsberg, will encourage guests to sit back, relax and enjoy life the Danish way. The Rasher Factory will offer a relentless selection of multi disciplinary artists within a geodesic dome. There will also be a broad programme of activities to keep the little ones entertained. Visit www.knockanstockan.ie if you want to purchase tickets (limited numbers remain). History and art enthusiasts alike can enjoy a glimpse of the Co Wicklow of the past thanks to a new series of illustrations included in an online database created by NUI Galway. Ireland Illustrated is a database of over 500 images of Ireland - almost 50 of them pertaining to County Wicklow - from the period of 1680 to 1860 depicting how travellers viewed the country over the two centuries. The project was led by Professor Jane Conroy and the online database features woodcuts, water colours, engravings and other illustrations, with related text, drawn from more than 50 manuscript and printed works, and highlighting several neglected or rarely accessible sources. Many of the pictures in the database have rarely, if ever, been seen by the public. Wicklow highlights include an illustration of The Meeting of the Waters, Avoca, created in 1837 by Thomas Creswick and engraved by James Tibbits Willmore. It depicts a number of men and women enjoying a picnic on the banks of the Avoca River surrounded by woodland. There is also a depiction of Lough Dan with an angler in the foreground and a boat nearby with two fishermen. The lake is surrounded by moutains in this illustration created by John Kirkwood. Other areas featured include Glendalough, The Scalp (which includes a view of the Sugarloaf mountain), Enniskerry, Greystones and Bray. According to Professor Conroy, it is expected that the database will attract a wide range of users. 'We think Ireland Illustrated will be attractive to a wide range of users: people curious about their locality, art historians looking at a particular artist's work, or the development of fashions and techniques in landscape art,' she said. 'Historians of the book should find it an interesting case study of how illustrations became integrated into travel writing before the age of photography. Specialists of travel literature will be able to trace the different ways that travellers got involved with the realities of life in Ireland, or how they constructed in their minds a picture of the country they wanted to see,' said Prof Conroy. She said that finding the unexpected things that caught the attention of travellers was one of the pleasures of working on this project. Ireland Illustrated provides user-friendly access to the images as people can search by region, townland, historical site, theme or keyword. Each image is accompanied by a full description and the context in the travel book or manuscript in which the illustration originally appeared. The records include information about the individuals who created these works and shed light on the interactions between authors, artists and publishers. The online database is hosted by NUI Galway's Moore Institute and was created by researchers and IT specialists, with the support of libraries in Ireland and abroad, in particular that of the National Library of Ireland and the James Hardiman Library at NUI Galway. To view Ireland Illustrated, visit: https://ttce.nuigalway.ie/irelandillustrated/ Work has resumed on two schools in Bray following a High Court injunction forcing subcontractors to cease picketing over the non-payment of money owed to them. Prior to the injunction last Wednesday, subcontractors maintained their picket and insisted they would not allow the schools to open until they are paid. They began their protests on Monday, July 16, at the site of Ravenswell Primary School and Colaiste Raithin in Bray, as well as Loreto in Wexford. Protests continue in Wexford, without blocking the site, but have ceased in Bray. The consortium Inspiredspaces was granted a temporary injunction, preventing subcontractors from blockading the sites. The company Woodvale has been tasked with completing the work by August 27. The collapsed UK company, Carillion, was a 50 per cent shareholder in Inspiredspaces. The remaining partner is a Dutch company called the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF). Irish company, Sammon, had been subcontracted by Carillion to carry out the building work on its behalf. But Sammon went into liquidation last month. Offally-based contractor John Foran said that he is owed approximately 80,000 for building pitches at Colaiste Raithin. This week, he said, he and his team are working at a different site in the west. There is still no sign of the money, he said. He understands that spokesmen for the contractors will be meeting the finance committee in the Dail this week. Last week, Mr Foran said 'Sammon are gone, Carillion are gone from a Government point of view, they're pushing ahead and the subcontractors are left swinging in the wind for millions, that's what we're owed. We're talking small companies, family businesses.' Other subcontractors include Hackettstown's Pat Smith, who completed groundworks at Tyndall College in Carlow, who said he is owed 100,000; and John Burke of Ryan Road Kerb, who said that his company is owed 250,000 for site works at Ravenswell. Subcontractors said that, as well as being owed money for work carried out, they have installed equipment on the sites in question. Other schools in the bundle include Eureka Secondary School in Kells, Co Meath; Tyndall College in Carlow; and Carlow College of Further Education. The High Court heard last week that Inspiredspaces did not owe the subcontractors money; it had paid Carillion for the work done, and Carillion had paid those funds to Sammon. Ms Justice Caroline Costello granted an interim injunction preventing the defendants and others from blocking, interfering or impeding access from and construction works at the schools. They are also restrained from trespassing at the schools or from removing any items from the schools, except with the consent of Inspired Spaces. In a statement, DIF said the blockades had prevented Woodvale staff from accessing the site to continue works. It said Inspiredspaces had no information on the detailed contractual and payment arrangements between Sammon and its subcontractors. It said this was a matter for the Sammon liquidator. DIF said Inspiredspaces was investing 'unforeseen additional capital' to accelerate works and that the blockades had been 'extremely disruptive to the whole process'. In the statement, DIF asked the subcontractors to consider 'the wider impact that their actions are having on their local communities'. There will be a 50:50 gender balance among the academics, writers and politicians contributing to this year's Parnell Summer School, organisers have revealed. Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will officially open the 28th annual summer school, which takes place in Rathdrum's Avondale House, the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell. This year's event will have a theme of 'Democracy Triumphant?' and examine issues such as representative democracy, legitimacy, political thought and activism, the role of women and international influences from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives. On 14 December 1918, women were, for the first time, among an Irish electorate that went to the polls in the aftermath of world war and post-Rising Ireland. As this important centenary approaches, the summer school organisers felt it was a good time to reflect on the history of democracy in Ireland. The Parnell Summer School will be opened by Miniser Madigan at 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 12, and this will be followed by a keynote address from political academic Prof David Farrell of UCD on the theme 'Irish party politics: still centrist after all these years?'. Monday, August 13, will focus on the contribution of women to Irish public life throughout the last century and will include papers from Dr Sonja Tiernan and Prof Yvonne Galligan and a panel discussion featuring contributions from Olwen Dawe, Senator Ivana Bacik, Sinead McCoole, and Orla O'Connor. On Tuesday, August 14, the school will turn its attention to the 1918 period, with reflections on 'Woodrow Wilson, propaganda and Ireland, 1918' by Prof Bernadette Whelan and 'The social and economic thought of Thomas Kettle and Mary Sheehy Kettle' from Prof Niamh Reilly. Later in the day, the Parnell Society will commemorate the centenary of John Redmond's death with a wreath-laying ceremony and brief oration at his graveside in Wexford town. The annual Parnell lecture will be delivered on Wednesday, August 15, by Prof Alvin Jackson, who will speak on 'Redmond and Carson: Bloodshed, borders and the union state'. The afternoon session will reflect and contrast the lives and legacy of Margaret Skinnider in a paper by Dr Mary McAuliffe, and Margaret Thatcher in a paper from Dr Stephen Kelly. The school will draw to a close on Thursday, August 16, with a panel discussion on '21st Century Democracy: Opportunities and Threats' featuring contributions from Lisa Chambers TD, Tony Connelly (RTE Europe Correspondent) and Jack O'Connor, former President of ICTU and SIPTU and Labour candidate for Wicklow in the General Election. The daily rate for attending the summer school is 75 (including lunch) while attendance at all lectures and events, including the summer school gala dinner, is 275 (or 270 if paid in full before August 1). For more information, visit parnellsociety.com. Mary Ellis flew 400 Spitfires after she joined up in 1941. Photo: PA The last surviving female Spitfire pilot - who flew 400 of the planes during World War II -has died aged 101. Mary Ellis was the last known remaining pilot of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which delivered Spitfires and bombers to RAF airfields during the war. Expand Close Mary Ellis flew 400 Spitfires after she joined up in 1941. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mary Ellis flew 400 Spitfires after she joined up in 1941. Photo: PA At the start of the war, women were not allowed to fly military aircraft, but this changed in 1940. Ms Ellis, whose maiden name was Wilkins, joined the ATA in 1941 after hearing an advert for women pilots on the radio. She was born into a farming family in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, in 1917 and learnt to fly at a nearby flying club. After joining the ATA, she started at Central Flying School, training on Tiger Moths, Harts and Hinds. She had spent more than 1,100 hours flying 56 different types of aircraft by the end of the war. Ms Ellis was one of the last six female pilots still flying for ATA by the end of 1945. Red Arrows pilot Mike Ling was among those to pay tribute to Ms Ellis on Twitter. Dan Snow, the television historian, also posted pictures of a visit to Ms Ellis just last week. During the post-war period, Ms Ellis returned to Brize Norton and continued farming before moving to the Isle of Wight where she took up a job at an airfield. She enjoyed keeping sheep and used them to graze the grass. Ms Ellis also enjoyed driving rally cars. She married Donald Ellis in 1961, who shared her love of flying. Earlier this year, aged 100, she was awarded the Freedom of the Isle of Wight. Daily Telegraph, London Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Isil lost nearly all the territory it once held in Syria last year in separate offensives by the Russian-backed army and a US-backed militia alliance (stock picture) Isil militants killed more than 200 people in a co-ordinated assault on a government-held area of south-western Syria on Wednesday, local officials and a war monitor said, in the group's deadliest attack in the country for years. Jihadist fighters stormed several villages and staged suicide blasts in the provincial capital Sweida, near one of the few remote pockets still held by Isil after it was driven from most of its territory last year. The head of the Sweida provincial health authority told the pro-Damascus Sham FM that 215 people were killed and 180 injured in the attack, as well as 75 Isil fighters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the attackers had killed more than 200 people, including many civilians. Isil said in an earlier statement that it had killed more than 100 people. The jihadists launched simultaneous attacks on several villages north-east of Sweida city, where they clashed with government forces, state media and the Observatory said. In the city itself, at least two attackers blew themselves up, one near a marketplace and the second in another district, state television said. State news agency SANA said two other militants were killed before they could detonate their bombs. The Observatory said jihadists seized hostages from the villages they had attacked. Photographs distributed on social media, which could not be independently verify but which the Observatory said were genuine, purported to show the bodies of Isil fighters hanged from street signs by angry residents. Sweida governor Amer al-Eshi said authorities also arrested another attacker. "The city of Sweida is secure and calm now," he told state-run Ikhbariyah TV. Isil lost nearly all the territory it once held in Syria last year in separate offensives by the Russian-backed army and a US-backed militia alliance. Since then, President Bashar al-Assad has gone on to crush the last remaining rebel enclaves near the cities of Damascus and Homs and swept rebels from the south-west. After losing its strongholds in eastern Syria last year, Isil launched insurgency operations from pockets of territory in desert areas. The Observatory said government forces had forced the jihadists from all the villages they had stormed from their pocket north-east of the city. Government troops and allied forces hold all of Sweida province except for that enclave. The air force pounded militant hideouts north-east of the city after soldiers thwarted an attempt by Isil fighters to infiltrate Douma, Tima and al-Matouna villages, state media said. With the help of Russian air power, the Syrian army has been hitting Isil in a separate pocket further west, near the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Yarmouk Basin in south-west Syria remains in jihadist hands, after an army offensive defeated rebel factions in other parts of the south-west. The White House said US president Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow once he receives a formal invitation from Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year and is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation. Mr Trump had initially invited his Russian counterpart to Washington this autumn for a follow-up meeting to their Helsinki summit, but national security adviser John Bolton changed the timeline this week, saying Mr Trump now believes it should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over and after the first of the year. Mr Bolton was referring to the federal investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election and whether Mr Trumps campaign assisted or was aware of the efforts. Expand Close Mr Trump and Mr Putin met earlier this month (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Trump and Mr Putin met earlier this month (AP) Mr Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a witch hunt intended to delegitimise his presidency. Mr Putin said on Friday: I understand very well what President Trump said: He has the wish to conduct further meetings. I am ready for this. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow, he added, according to the state news agency RIA-Novosti. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him of this. I am prepared to go to Washington, but, I repeat, if the appropriate conditions for work are created, the Russian leader said Mr Trump has been widely criticised for failing to strongly denounce Russias election interference and appearing to accept Mr Putins denials during their joint press conference in Helsinki. The US leader has since tried to walk back at least some of his comments. The U.S. State Department issued the Crimea Declaration, fixing the strategy of not recognizing Crimea as part of Russia. "As we did in the Welles Declaration in 1940, the United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlins claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law," the statement posted on the official website of the State Department says. The document signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted that the U.S. and its allies will adhere to this line until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored. The Welles Declaration, issued in 1940 by Benjamin Sumner Welles, the United States' acting Secretary of State, stressed Washington's refusal to recognize the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as Soviet Republics. This document actually died out simultaneously with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the restoration of these states' sovereignty. Obviously, the state department needed to "recall" it to identify the Crimea situation with the events of almost 80 years ago. In fact, the Crimean Declaration has became a kind of continuation of Washington's latest actions towards Moscow. The U.S. recently extended a ban on cooperation between the Pentagon and the Russian Defense Ministry because of Crimea. The report of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services says in a transparent manner about the ban of Russian military equipment and technical details in the U.S. until the Crimean issue is resolved. Which naturally means the return of the peninsula to Kiev's jurisdiction. Then came the announcement of the White House, which corrected President Donald Trump's statement, who expressed his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next year. U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton's statement has cast uncertainties over the new summit's fate: if earlier Trump said about his intention to invite Putin to Washington in the autumn, now it's more than likely that the negotiations will not take place before next year. Political scientist, deputy head of the chair of the post-Soviet countries of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Alexander Gushin suggested to consider U.S. State Department's Crimean Declaration as a two-tiered system. "First, Washington said that its position has not changed. There have been several statements across the pond about the non-recognition of annexation of Crimea. There is nothing new here. Second, it is an official document," Alexander Gushchin told Vestnik Kavkaza. According to the political scientist, Donald Trump was subjected to significant criticism of his compatriots upon return to the homeland from Helsinki, where he met with Vladimir Putin. So, now the US president needs tough statements to calm the country's political establishment down somehow, which accused him of almost betraying national interests. The delay of a new meeting with Putin is along the same line - it will not take place before 2019. Trump needs to look tough to his constituents. In Helsinki, according to Gushchin, Trump was very far from this image, which disappointed not only the democrats, but upset and strained the Republicans - there was also a long tete-a-tete meeting, and no one can really tell what was going on there. Now Trump is trying to neutralize the negative from the Helsinki meeting and demonstrates that nothing has changed since the summit. Alexander Gushchin also pointed to the distinction between the Crimean Declaration and the Welles Declaration, which refers to the non-recognition of the results of the Soviet Union's forcible actions. There has been no use of force in Crimea, it was a voluntary adherence to Russia. Therefore, the contradiction between the two documents, which were presented as similar by Washington, is still evident. Crimea separated from Ukraine and became part of Russia following the referendum, which took place in March 2014. Kiev, the European Union, the United States and other countries do not recognize the outcome as legitimate. Moscow insists that the referendum was held in accordance with the norms of international law and the annexation of the peninsula to Russia was legal. U.S. State Department's Crimean Declaration can hardly be called a strategically important document, since it results in virtually no impact on the solution of the most important Ukrainian problems. In particular, on the process of the Donbas settlement.This document is certainly beneficial for Ukraine, although Crimea and Donbas do not link up, and I repeat - it gives no practical results," Alexander Gushchin believes. He recalled that Vladimir Putin called on Washington to exert pressure on Kiev in order to implement the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the conflict in Donbas. But it is impossible now, maybe after the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine. And the latter, according to Guschin, are more important for Russia in terms of ties with the southeast of Ukraine. "Thus, basically, the Crimean Declaration is fixing the status quo - the United States does not change its position in Ukraine, it is intended for the internal audience, but at the same time demonstrates Kiev and European allies that Washington does not cheat on its partners. However, in practice, it's not really useful," Alexander Gushchin concluded. US President Donald Trump has announced he is calling off a second summit with Vladimir Putin until the investigation into Russian collusion is complete. Mr Trump was planning to host the Russian leader at the White House in the autumn, a decision that was met with surprise by his own intelligence officials when it was announced last week. The two leaders held their first one-to-one meeting in Helsinki earlier this month, and after the meeting Mr Trump was heavily criticised for failing to publicly condemn the Russian president for Kremlin interference in the US election. The probe, which is being headed up by former FBI director Robert Mueller, is investigating potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Last week Mr Mueller's team charged 13 Russian individuals and companies for attempting to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Mr Trump and his allies claim that the investigation is motivated by political bias and often refer to it as a "witch hunt". John Bolton, Mr Trump's national security adviser, said: "The president believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over. "So we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," he added. It follows suggestions that Mr Putin did not think the time was right to hold a second meeting with Mr Trump. Yuri Ushakov, a top Kremlin aide, told reporters that there are other potential venues for the two world leaders to meet in the near future, such as at the meeting with G20 leaders in Argentina that is set for November. "After the (Helsinki) summit you know what kind of atmosphere there is around its outcome," Mr Ushakov said. "I think it would be wise to let the dust settle and then we can discuss all these questions in a business-like way. But not now," he added. In a further sign of tense relations between Washington and Moscow, the US government said that it would not accept Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. Meanwhile, a group of Republican lawmakers has introduced articles of impeachment to remove Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, escalating a fight over Mr Mueller's investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Representatives Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows, who belong to the conservative House Freedom Caucus, joined nine other House members in accusing Mr Rosenstein of hiding investigative information from Congress, failure to comply with congressional subpoenas and other alleged misconduct. Mr Rosenstein, the number two official at the Justice Department, has become a frequent 'punch bag' for Mr Trump supporters for appointing Mr Mueller to investigate whether the president's campaign colluded with Russia in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump has denied such collusion took place. Mr Rosenstein was appointed by Mr Trump. But the Republican president has repeatedly criticised him on Twitter for his oversight of the Russia probe. For Mr Rosenstein to be removed from office, a majority of the House must vote for the articles of impeachment, and then the Senate must convict him on a two-thirds vote. Republicans control both chambers but have only a 51-49 edge in the Senate. ( Daily Telegraph London) Estate agents are under pressure due to a drop in housing transactions (PA) Rightmove has become the biggest faller on the FTSE 100 amid fears over the UKs property market. Revenues at the property portal grew 10% for the six months ended June 30, rising from 119.5 million to 131.1 million year-on-year, and operating profit was up 12% to 98.2 million. However, analysts cautioned that with estate agents under pressure, Rightmoves future growth prospects might be limited. Surveyors warned earlier this year that the housing market was seeing a decline in demand from buyers, and recent figures from HM Revenue & Customs showed residential transactions fell by 5.7% year-on-year in June. Half-year results at online property portal Rightmove are a good reminder that it can still make very good money even when the housing market starts to weakenRuss Mould, investment director at AJ Bell Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that estate agents arent having a great time at the moment, with the UKs largest group, Countrywide, announcing a halving of its profits last year. More concerning for Rightmove will be recent moves to shut branches since Rightmove charges on a per office basis, he said. Its all very well arguing that estate agents have no choice but to pay, but if conditions dont improve some will find they still cant. There is also pressure for Rightmove to start offering new services as a route to grow the business. Liberum analysts said that Rightmove would need to move into offering new services to boost its sales to the agents that advertise on the site, but that this would be difficult in a muted market. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: Half-year results at online property portal Rightmove are a good reminder that it can still make very good money even when the housing market starts to weaken. However, the bigger question is for how long it can keep growing earnings at such a fast pace. Its competitors, OnTheMarket and Zoopla, are getting stronger, so Rightmove will have to think up new ways to engage with its clients and extract more money from them. Shares in Rightmove fell 1.7% or 90p to 5,002p. Mr Avenatti said he had evidence three more women had relationships with Mr Trump (Mary Altaffer/AP) Porn star Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti has said he now represents three additional women he says had relationships with US president Donald Trump and were paid hush money before the 2016 presidential election. When Mr Avenatti was asked at a community forum in West Hollywood, California, if he had evidence that the women had relationships with Mr Trump, the lawyer replied: Yes. He said he was not at liberty to share the evidence because he did not have permission from his clients to disclose specifics. Three additional women. All paid hush money through various means. Time for Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to come 100 percent clean with the American people. All the documents, all the tapes, NOW. No more lies or lip service. #Basta Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 27, 2018 But Mr Avenatti said the women, who contacted him months ago, were paid hush money prior to the 2016 election. He called on Mr Trump and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to come forward and disclose information about the women and their supposed relationships with the president. Mr Avenatti said: They should release the information to the American people now. Expand Close Ms Daniels claims she was paid 130,000 dollars in a deal through Mr Trumps lawyer (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ms Daniels claims she was paid 130,000 dollars in a deal through Mr Trumps lawyer (AP) Enough with the games. Last time I checked, they werent just handing out cheques to anyone whether they had a relationship or not. Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Mr Trump in 2006, when he was married, although Mr Trump has denied this. Expand Close Mr Avenatti speaks at an Occupy Lafayette Park protest outside the White House (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Avenatti speaks at an Occupy Lafayette Park protest outside the White House (AP) Days before the 2016 presidential election, she was paid 130,000 dollars (99,000) to stay silent in a deal handled by Mr Cohen. She is suing to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement. Mr Cohens lawyer, Lanny Davis, cautioned against believing everything that a lawyer says in the heat of a legal battle. He said: Mr Avenatti is an aggressive attorney doing his job in the middle of litigation. I have been there, done that. An attorney in litigation is just that, and until the litigation is over, Im not going to comment on the words used. US president Donald Trump has denied that he knew in advance about a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 between a Russian lawyer, his eldest son and other aides which had been convened to uncover dirt on his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump tweeted, NO, he did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. The US presidents campaign had been told the Russian lawyer had dirt on Mrs Clinton to share. CNN reported that Mr Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims the then-Republican candidate knew in advance about the meeting. CNN cited anonymous sources, saying Cohen was willing to share that information with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between Mr Trumps campaign and Russia. Mr Cohen was not present at the Trump Tower meeting, and the lawyer has offered no evidence to support the claim that Mr Trump knew about the meeting. Expand Close Michael Cohen is the former personal lawyer and self-described fixer for Mr Trump (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Cohen is the former personal lawyer and self-described fixer for Mr Trump (AP) He does not have any recordings of the meeting, sources said. Mr Trump also tweeted: Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam. Mr Cohen is under federal investigation in New York. The US justice department has been investigating Mr Cohen for months, having raided his home, office and hotel room in search of documents related to a 130,000 dollar (99,000) payment the attorney facilitated before the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels. The adult film actress claims she had sex with Mr Trump in 2006. In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Mr Cohen declined to answer if Mr Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting in advance, citing the advice of his lawyers and the ongoing investigation. US president Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for fulfilling a promise to return the remains of missing US soldiers from the Korean War. His comments came as a US military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. North Korea returned the remains of what are believed to be American servicemen killed during the Korean War, a handover that followed through on a promise Mr Kim made to Mr Trump when the leaders met in June in Singapore. Expand Close Returning US war remains was a commitment made by Kim Jong Un during his meeting with Donald Trump in Singapore (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Returning US war remains was a commitment made by Kim Jong Un during his meeting with Donald Trump in Singapore (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) This is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Mr Trump, addressing reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, said a plane was carrying the remains of some great fallen heroes from America back from the Korean War. He said his vice president Mike Pence would greet the families and the remains of the soldiers, and thanked Mr Kim for keeping his word. Mr Trump added: We have many others coming but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me and Im sure that he will continue to fulfil that promise as they search and search and search. He said that these incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil. Expand Close North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the tombs on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ended the fighting in the Korean War (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) The United Nations Command said 55 cases of remains were retrieved from North Korea. The White House earlier confirmed that a US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, a Northern coastal city, on its way to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there on Wednesday. At the air base, US servicemen and a military honour guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue UN flags. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Expand Close A UN honour guard stands to carry remains believed to be from American servicemen (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A UN honour guard stands to carry remains believed to be from American servicemen (AP) US forces Korea commander Gen Vincent K Brooks said the retrieval mission had been successful. Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home. Following the honors ceremony on Wednesday, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. A series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if the remains are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Mr Trump late Thursday tweeted the repatriation was occurring and said: After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. Expand Close The remains are taken from a plane (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The remains are taken from a plane (AP) Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of victory in the fatherland liberation war. The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Koreas defence ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a stand-off over North Koreas nuclear programme and a previous US claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. The Mohegan Tribe is among the many entities interested in a casino in Japan now that gaming has been legalized in the Land of the Rising Sun. Though final passage of the Integrated Resort Implementation Act just occurred on Friday, the licensing process could take years, The New London Day reported. But the tribe remains committed even as other gaming giants have indicated they will join the race, Chairman Kevin Brown told the paper. We aint afraid, Brown said in an interview with The Day. Even though Japan is a few years away, the paper notes that the tribe will have already completed the first phase of Inspire , its $5 billion gaming project in South Korea. Plans call for a casino near Seoul, the nation's capital, to open in 2021. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation also has expressed interest in Japan. Read More on the Story: In pursuing Japan, Mohegans playing in big leagues (The New London Day July 26, 2018) Join the Conversation Related Stories Ben Carson, the Trump administration's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development , is making his first trip to New Mexico next week and tribal issues are high on his agenda. Carson will be visiting San Felipe Pueblo on Tuesday. He will take a tour of housing units on the reservation and meet with tribal leaders from across the state -- nearly two dozen have been invited, his office said on Friday. "At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, our mission is to ensure that all Americans have access to safe, fair, and affordable housing," Carson said in his first appearance before the National Congress of American Indians earlier this year. "We serve men, women, and children from New York to North Dakota, and from Florida to Alaska." "But we also have a special responsibility to those peoples who were here before all others, who govern themselves on their tribal lands, preserving their rich heritage and cultures," Carson added. .@HUDgov has a significant presence in New Mexico. In fact, the Pueblo Acoma Housing Authority received a national honor for providing 30 affordable rental homes to local families and people with special needs. Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson) July 27, 2018 Ahead of the trip, Carson has already been highlighting tribal housing efforts in New Mexico. During a meeting at the White House on Friday, he said the Pueblo of Acoma Housing Authority "received a national honor for providing 30 affordable rental homes to local families and people with special needs." The development, known as Cedar Hills, was dedicated in April . The designs for the units drew inspiration from the tribe's historic "Sky City" village west of Albuquerque. It was extremely important to PAHA that the project design incorporate the aesthetics of the Pueblo architecture and to create spaces that will enhance the sense of community and tighten the social fabric, Floyd Tortalita, the executive director of the Pueblo of Acoma Housing Authority, said at the time According to Tortalita, the Indian Housing Block Grant Program at HUD makes developments like Cedar Hills possible. Between 2012 and 2016, the tribe completed 67 rehabilitation projects by leveraging its IHBG funds with other federal and state resources, he said. Carson will be touring San Felipe, about a half-hour north of Albuquerque, with Rep. Steve Pearce (R-New Mexico). The Republican lawmaker has been trying -- unsuccessfully -- to renew the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act , or NAHASDA. The law, which authorized the IHBG program, helps tribes exercise greater control over their housing funds. It expired almost five years ago, back in 2013, and Congress has been unable to come up with a new version amid competing and sometimes conflicting priorities in Indian Country and opposition from some Republicans on Capitol Hill Carson, for his part, has endorsed NAHASDA . But Pearce won't be around to push his bill much longer -- he's running for governor of New Mexico against Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-New Mexico), who has already secured several tribal endorsements as part of her campaign Portions of Carson's tour of San Felipe housing will be open to the media and he also will be available to the press immediately afterward at the tribe's governmental building on Tuesday morning. The meeting with tribal leaders is closed. Join the Conversation Remember Sunny Leones pole dance on Ye Mera Deewanapan Hai on Bigg Boss? Many people were left swooning over her sultry dance moves. So much so, that her popularity grew overnight after she participated in Bigg Boss, and now she is a big star. She has quit the adult film industry and has settled in Bollywood. It was Bigg Boss that gave her the much-deserved recognition in the industry. jansatta.com Looks like British adult film star Danny D is all set to follow her footsteps now. He has been approached for the show. Rumours were rife that just like Sunny Leone, he too will quit the adult film industry post his stint on the show. However, it seems Danny D is not in the mood to do that. Wont quit adult industry at any cost, Mahika will understand. And we are looking ahead to work together. And we will, he was quoted as saying by BollywoodLife. Also Read: Following Sunny Leones Footsteps, Adult Film Star Danny D Is All Set For His Bollywood Debut This time the theme of the show is Jodi. So, the contestants will enter the show in couples. It is said that Danny D has been approached for the show along with Mahika Sharma, who is former Miss Teen Northeast. She is starring with Danny D in a movie called Modern Culture. He is reportedly coming to India today for Mahika Sharma's birthday, and it is said that post the celebrations they will both meet the channel and the makers of the show to lock the deal. She recently revealed that her mom is upset for she is starring alongside a porn star in the movie. People are criticising me since I'm working with a porn star. My mom stays in Assam and she has cut all connections with me. Recently when I went to meet her she didnt allow me to stay at our house since she was unhappy that Im working with an adult star and how everyone is talking about it. I tried to explain things to her but our relatives and outsiders are brainwashing my mom, she told TOI. Also Read: From 'Jodi Theme' To Porn Stars As Contestants, 8 Things We Know About Bigg Boss 12 So Far The delegation of the US State Department visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh held the economic cooperation meeting in the format Central Asia-USA (C5 +1) in Almaty, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs Henry Enscher visited Tashkent. In the Uzbek capital, during the meeting of the Working Group on Security of the C5 + 1 cooperation format, the prospects for the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan were discussed. The same days, according to the information of the Uzbek Embassy in the United States, the situation in Central Asia was discussed in Washington. The hearings on Developments in Central Asia took place in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress. As Chairman of the Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats Subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dana Rohrabacher noted, over the past two years, the positive dynamics have been observed in Central Asia. Due to the pragmatic policy of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan is in the forefront of progress in this part of the world today," the congressman said. He considers other positive developments in the region to be the election of Kazakhstan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, as well as the peaceful transit of power in Kyrgyzstan. The countries of Central Asia have become more active in developing trade, transport, and modernization of the infrastructure, which, in his opinion, is the basis of stability in the region. Rohrabacher considers, that the USA should promote more actively the development in these countries, including the security issues and fight against drug trafficking. According to the congressman, "there are prerequisites for the openness of the Central Asian states for further cooperation." According to Professor Frederic Starr, there are positive changes in the region due to Uzbekistans efforts. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is the locomotive of progress in the region. None of the countries of the Muslim world has witnessed such large-scale reforms as took place in Uzbekistan over the past two years in the sphere of economy, government, legislation, foreign policy and religious freedom," the scientist said. He noted that due to the good-neighborly policy of Tashkent, today, the countries of Central Asia are beginning to discuss openly the most acute regional issues. However, other speakers did not skimp on the high assessments of both the president of Uzbekistan himself and the prospects for the bilateral relations. Recall that during the visit of the Uzbek leader to the US, which took place in May this year, the final joint statement entitled Uzbekistan and the United States: the beginning of a new era of strategic partnership was adopted. The main result of the agreements with Mirziyoyev is the ensuring of the smooth functioning of the Northern Distribution Network for Washington, through which the supplies for the NATO forces in Afghanistan are proceeding, taking into account the earlier agreements with Astana. By the way, the US reached a similar agreement with Kazakhstan during the January visit of Nursultan Nazarbayev to Washington. Ph.D. in Political Sciences, the member of the Scientific Council of the Institute for Central Asia and Afghanistan Studies Iran-East (Iran), Igor Pankratenko told Vestnik Kavkaza, that the Americans were convinced that for a number of problems of the Afghan settlement - from politics to reconstruction and infrastructure development projects - there are similar to the US approaches. The cost of the active inclusion in the peace process is high. The possibilities of Tashkent are very solid here. The Uzbek minority in Afghanistan is the second largest after the Tajik and has considerable influence in a number of northern regions of the country. Due to the fact that in the upcoming future, there is no need to expect the complete withdrawal of the Western troops from Afghanistan, it will not be superfluous for the United States to have a foothold in the country. The meeting of the C5 + 1 working group in Tashkent was dedicated to the situation in Afghanistan, especially taking into account the return to the homeland of the leader of the Afghan Uzbeks - Abdul-Rashid Dostum. According to the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, the parties of the meeting exchanged views on the regional and international security issues, including strengthening cooperation in countering the threats of extremism, terrorism, and ensuring border security. The state and prospects of cooperation in the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan were also discussed. The participants of the meeting noted that the stable and sustainable development in Central Asia is inseparably linked with the achievement of peace and harmony in neighboring Afghanistan. Recall that the C5 + 1 dialogue was resumed in Samarkand in November 2015 and is based on the strategy previously developed by Washington - The New Silk Road - and has the same tasks as the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, which was introduced in 2014. For more details, see the United States opens new 'Big Game' season in Central Asia. Tashkent has its own interests in establishing peace in Afghanistan - the economic interests. It is no accident that Uzbekistan assumed the functions of a guarantor country to resolve the situation in Afghanistan. Tashkent believes that peace in the country must be established by Afghans themselves through launching the large-scale negotiations, and Uzbekistan and other countries of Central Asia are ready to help in ensuring the sustainable economic development. Tashkent has recently held several conferences on the Afghan issues, negotiating with both the government and the least odious representatives of the Taliban (the group banned in the Russian Federation). The director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan, former Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Vladimir Norov said in an interview with the author: "Until the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president did not take part in the multilateral formats, our position was to cooperate with Afghanistan on a bilateral basis. Within the framework of this format, we built the Hairatan to Mazar-i-Sharif railway, set up electricity supplies, having increased its export volumes up to 30 times to 1.8 billion kWh since 2002. In 2018, the electricity supplies will be brought up to 2 billion kWh due to a creation of the additional Surkhan-Puli-Khumri power line. The conference was made possible due to the common interests of all countries in the region and a firm will to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan. In the action strategy adopted after the inauguration of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the main priority is the countries of Central Asia and the creation of a zone of stability, security and prosperity around Uzbekistan. This policy has quickly yielded results, thanks to a principled approach to resolving all the urgent issues. The President stated that there are no issues in the region that could not be resolved on the basis of the reasonable compromises and taking into account the interests of all the parties concerned. The new policy of Uzbekistan has pushed all countries of the region to solve the common problems. In addition, stability in Afghanistan is a question of our economic well-being, as our way to the southern seas goes through this country. According to the Boston Consulting Group, without it, we lose 20% of GDP annually. Tashkent and Kabul agreed on the construction of a second section of the railway Mazar-i-Sharif-Shebergan-Maymana-Herat and cooperation in the field of freight and customs. Recall, the first line of the 75 km Hairaton- Mazar-i-Sharif railway was built in 2010. The project worth $ 129 million was financed by the Asian Development Bank. However, the most promising sphere of the cooperation is oil and gas. Uzbekistan is ready to participate in the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India), which is lobbied by the United States. This was stated by Mirziyoyev in the course of negotiations with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. However, Associate Professor of Applied Political Science at the Financial University under the Government of Russia Yevgenia Voiko believes that this is a very costly and very risky project with a questionable profitability. In her opinion, although the integration projects in the macroregion are profitable for Tashkent, TAPI is only one of many such objects, and it is far from being the main one. In particular, Tashkent is considering the possibility of starting the independent production of hydrocarbons in the north of Afghanistan. The countries are preparing the agreement on production sharing, the acting Minister of Mines and Industry of Afghanistan, Nargis Nehan said. According to her, during the talks held in Tashkent, the parties are considering several promising gas and oil fields in the Amu Darya oil and gas basin. According to various estimates, it contains up to 3 trillion cubic meters of gas and up to 500-600 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons, which makes it the second largest oil and gas basin in the south of Central Asia. Nehan said that the Uzbek side offered three investment blocks with prospective reserves of 85 million barrels. Uzbeknefegaz can also participate in the gas production at the fields (Juma and Bashikurt) near the Turkmen border, she added. The Afghan side estimates their reserves at 28 billion cubic meters. Experts believe that all these projects have received the US support and their implementation will be started soon. In particular, Congressman Rohrabacher noted that the positive changes taking place in Uzbekistan and other countries of the region lay a solid foundation for improving the well-being of people, as well as preserving and strengthening peace in Central Asia. Almost two years after the West Bengal assembly passed a resolution to change the name of the State, the state assembly today passed a bill to change the state's name from West Bengal to 'Bangla' in all three different languages. Today's development comes after the centre's rejection of its earlier proposals of having three names in three different languages. Twitter On August 29, 2016, the Assembly had passed a resolution changing the name of West Bengal to Bengal in English, Bangla in Bengali and Bangal in Hindi. Netizens took to Twitter and responded to the development with much wit and humour: Name change of West Bengal to Bangla. Yet another feather in the cap of Mamata Banerjee. What's your state? Bangla. What's your language? Bangla. Are you drunk? Yep. Having Bangla. Arnab Ray (@greatbong) July 26, 2018 After changing the name from Bengal to Bangla, I'm waiting for other changes like, Gujarat to Gujarati, Kerala to Malyalam, Delhi to MC BC Shreyans Sadangi (@50shadesfshrey) July 26, 2018 After West Bengal's name change to #bangla, Tigers too passed a resolution in Sunderbans changing their name to Royal #bangla Tiger Goyla (@goelrobin) July 26, 2018 SO FROM TOMORROW WE'RE NOT WEST BENGAL. ONLY '' [Bangla] pic.twitter.com/ZjjnBDsLz8 Subham Dey (@dey_iamsubham) July 26, 2018 Will some of my Bengali friends please help? Wasnt Bangla also a form of hooch at one time? SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) July 26, 2018 Mamata Banerjee passed a resolution to change the name of West Bengal to Bangla. Thank God, She didn't put Bangladesh. Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) July 26, 2018 Today's development can be seen as a bid to raise its stature in the alphabetical sequence of state names. Today's decision is the culmination of efforts since 2011, when Mamata Banerjee took the office of chief minister of the state and discovered an annoying truth. Name of West Bengal always appeared at the bottom of the list whenever state representatives or event Mamata herself was supposed to address any meeting between the Union government and the states. India may be touted as the next big market for electric vehicles (EV) but they will find the going tough for the next decade in the world's third-largest oil-guzzling economy due to dominance of affordable cars and absence of meaningful policy drive for new energy mobility. According to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), EVs will make up only 7% of annual vehicle sales in India by 2030. Sales will gather pace after this and reach 27% of annual vehicle sales by 2040, by which time 13% of passenger vehicles in the country will be EVs. BCCL/Representational Image In contrast, the BNEF 'Outlook for EVs 2018' sees EVs constituting 41% of annual vehicle sales in China by 2030. The world's second largest oil consumer has already emerged as the largest EV market globally, selling 777,000 EVs in 2017, representing 49% of global passenger EV sales in 2017. Unlike China, there were just under 6,000 highway-capable passenger EVs on India's roads at the end of 2017 when annual sales stood at 2,000 units. By 2022, however, the report sees EV sales rising to 30,000 units a year, driven primarily by government and corporate procurement programmes. According to the report, adoption of EVs in India has been hamstrung by uncertain policy support mechanisms, lack of access to reliable charging service, unreliable power supply and inability of discoms to invest in charging stations due to poor financial health. It is only now that state-run companies are testing the waters with scattered pilot-size EV charging projects. BCCL/Representational Image But unlike India, EVs are flying off the shelves in China on the back of strong policy push and hefty subsidies. The country's two state-owned utilities - State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid - have heavily invested in charging infrastructure. China had rolled out its nationwide New Energy Vehicle subsidy programme in 2015. India, on the other hand, moved in fits and starts. Power, coal and renewable energy minister Piyush Goyal had in March 2016 announced that the government was considering plans to achieve 100% EV sales by 2030. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari backed this by suggesting car makers redesign their future production plans. But last year, the government said it would leave it to the market to decide the pace of change. Finally in January, the heavy industries ministry told Parliament that the government had no official EV target for 2030. The government revised regulations to enable private investment in charging infrastructure recently but lack of coordination among its different wings, unreliable electricity supply and lack of demand due to the low number of EVs hamper private investment. Branding liberals and intellectuals as anti-nationals, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from Karnataka has raked up controversy by saying that he would have ordered the police to shoot down intellectuals, had he been the Union Home Minister. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an MLA from Vijayapura, said that these people(intellectuals) raise slogans against the Indian Army. "These people (intellectuals) live in this country and use all the facilities for which we pay tax. Then they raise slogans against the Indian Army. Our country faces grave danger from intellectuals and seculars than anyone else," Yatnal said at Kargil Vijay Diwas event. Twitter The motormouth BJP MLA earlier stirred controversy when he told local party municipal workers to not help people from the Muslim community. Intellectuals live in this country&use all facilities for which we pay tax.Then they raise slogans against our Army.India faces grave danger from them.If I was Home Min,I would have issued orders to shoot them:Basanagouda Patil Yatna,Karnataka BJP Leader in Vijayapura (26/7/2018) pic.twitter.com/kxxGUKdSvC ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2018 Just yesterday, another loudmouth BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, Surendra Singh, said that Hindu couples must have at least five children for Hindutva to remain intact. In an interview to ANI, Singh said that the step is crucial to increase the population of Hindus in India. "It is the desire of every spiritual leader (mahant) for every couple to have a minimum of five children. This way the population will be under control, and Hindutva would remain intact," he told news agency ANI. Earlier, the BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia gave birth to a controversy by saying that "Those who don't say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' are Pakistanis" The loudmouth leader has been under fire for making loose statements like "Prostitutes better than government officials", "PM Narendra Modi is reincarnation of Lord Ram", "Mobiles responsible for rapes" among many others. Magsaysay Award winner Dr Bharat Vatwani and his wife, Dr Smitha, built Shraddha Rehabilitation Home in Karjat where 120 wanderers stay at any given time. Although we have helped around 7,000 people so far, we have proper records only since 2006 when our Karjat centre came up, he said. Since 2006, they have treated and reunited 5,489 patients. This year so far, we have managed to reunite 485 people, he added. Vatwani said he was ecstatic at the international recognition for his work. I only hope this will bring the focus on the wandering mentally ill people on our roads. Schizophrenia, a mental disorder characterized by delusions and hallucinations and hearing of voices, affects roughly one million Indians every year. Vatwani said awareness about mental illnesses like schizophrenia was poor in India. People to this day ask him why a person hailing from a good home should live on the street. People dont realise its a condition that needs regular medication and attention. Hopefully, the Magsaysay award will reduce the stigma as well. Dr Vatwani has a 98% success in treating and reuniting patients with families. The secret? We have a great team of social workers from different parts of the country who manage to connect with the patient, and help trace the family. It was a chance encounter in a restaurant that started the psychiatrist-couple on their journey. We noticed a man whose behaviour and mannerisms left us in no doubt that he had schizophrenia. A few minutes later, the man picked up an empty coconut shell from the road, scooped out some gutter water with it to drink. They rushed to him and asked him if he would come with them as they could help him. The man did, and months later, the couple reunited him with his family in Andhra Pradesh. It turned out the man was a science graduate who had completed a course in pathology. TOI The Shraddha centre does not admit people brought by kin or alcoholics and drug addicts. Our ambulances only pick up the mentally ill. They have over the years rescued a Delhi-trained doctor and a chartered accountant who, on treatment, named a posh address in Mumbai as his home. Dr Harish Shetty, who worked with the doctor couple in BMC hospitals over two decades ago, said the doctor did what he believed in. He didnt toe lines but went all-out to help patients. He never attended medical conferences or sought fellowship, but ceaselessly did his work, he added. Work at Shraddha is entirely funded through charity. We get contributions through word of mouth and we get enough to help all our patients, Vatwani said. He is not keen to expand his operations. We need other doctors and NGOs to replicate this so that wandering mentally ill across the country could be helped, he said. Psychiatrist Dr Bharat Shah, who has been Dr Vatwanis friend since MBBS days at JJ Hospital, said, He took up the task of helping the homeless mentally ill at a time when he was himself struggling to establish a practice. Shah said his friends commitment to the cause was unusual. The destitute and mentally ill are not in a position to reward any one. It takes a lot of inner drive of a different kind to take up such a task, Shah added. Ask Vatwani for his inspiration, and pat comes the reply, I couldnt have done this without Baba Amte. I used to meet him and he has been my inspiration. The couple have a biological daughter, and have adopted three childrentwo boys and a girlfrom the Missionaries of Charity, Vile Parle. Youk Chhang from Cambodia, Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz from East Timor, Howard Dee from the Philippines and Vo Thi Hoang Yen rom Vietnam are other winners of the award this year. Women have been denied their rights for the longest time all across the world. They have had to defy the rules and fight for their rights. Just like the Pakistani women who pledged to defy men in their village by voting for the first time in the election on Wednesday. This ultimately did not exercise their democratic right, citing intimidation by their husbands. Male elders banned females from voting in Mohri Pur, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the central Pakistan city of Multan, around 1947 and the women have obeyed ever since. This year many had vowed to cast a ballot following changes to Pakistan's election laws and amid shifting attitudes towards women in parts of the deeply patriarchal South Asian country. Some 3,200 women were listed on the electoral register in Mohri Pur -- but not one voted, according to election officials and an AFP journalist at the village's sole polling station. AFP "We have threats from our husbands that they will divorce us if we cast our vote," 25-year-old Tanya Bibi told AFP as she walked past the polling station, without going in. Around 8,000 men were registered to vote in the village. Large queues of them -- each clutching identity cards -- formed at the polling station, located in a school. Bismillah Iram, from a local NGO, said announcements were made from the village mosque warning that women should not come to the polling station. Elders in Mohri Pur, which is located in Punjab province, banned women from voting decades ago, claiming that visiting a public polling booth would "dishonour" them. So-called "honour" describes a patriarchal code across South Asia that often seeks to justify the murder and oppression of women who defy conservative traditions by acts such as choosing their own husband, or working outside the home. Women in Mohri Pur told AFP recently that they had tried to vote in previous elections but had been prevented. woomensnetworkforchange In 2015, one woman, Fouzia Talib, became the only one in the village to vote in local elections. She was ostracised. Hopes were raised this time after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared that at least 10 percent of voters in each constituency must be women, otherwise its results will be voided. Women reported better experiences in conservative rural areas elsewhere, however, notably in parts of Lower Dir, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where they were allowed to vote for the first time. Bakht Sania Bibi, a 46-year-old mother-of-three from Samarbagh town, said village elders had previously stopped women from voting. Announcements used to be made through mosques' loudspeakers saying women would not be allowed to vote. "I have voted today and feel elated to get my basic right," she told AFP. Sajida Haleem, 27, a first-time voter from Lower Dir's Koto town said she had been prevented from voting in elections in 2013 and 2015. "I had always thought, 'Why do men decide for us? Can we as women decide for them?'" Haleem, who has a Masters degree in social work, told AFP. "Today I feel I'm a complete Pakistani. I have got my right which had been denied to me since I was 18," she added Each year, Microsoft hosts the Imagine Cup, which brings college students together to solve some of the worlds toughest challenges. This time around, the three top prizes for the India chapter of the competition went to teams with some great AI ideas. RealVol, DrugSafe, Practikality, and Mobile Assistive Kit at the India chapter competition RealVols VR diagnosis RealVol was a concept dreamed up by 22-year-old Palash Rajan Bansal from IIT Delhi that won the first prize this time around. As an avid gamer, he was enthralled by the potential of VR. Virtual Reality (VR) had captured my imagination since my teenage years and Ive been coding games and VR experiences ever since, Bansal says. He decided to apply both interest to improving a doctors ability to diagnose a patient. RealVol takes a patients CT or MRI scan image and generates a 3D VR visualization of it. The processing is done in real time, allowing a doctor to explore a patients scans with even depth, colour, and interactivity. And since its an app, this can even run on a smartphone with the most basic Google Cardboard VR kit, allowing doctors to diagnose patients faster, at a minimal cost. DrugSafes fake meds sniffer DrugSafe, an AI-powered entry from the RV College of Engineering in Bengaluru, snagged the first runner-up prize. The teams second attempt at this competition, this particular idea was born out of the youngsters personal experience. Some time ago, when their friend fell ill, he showed no signs of recovery even after weeks of taking medication. Thats when the trio, Chidroop I, Pratik Mohapatra, and Srihari HS, realised the drugs he was taking were counterfeit. Obviously, the thought of hundreds of other Indians also suffering because of a lack of authentic medication terrified them. So they just decided to build an app that could verify a medicines authenticity, and trace it back to its source if it was fake. DrugSafe uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to identify minute details in the design and packaging of various drugs, and then compare them to the manufacturers patented and trademark designs. If any discrepancies are noted, theyre highlighted in the database and flagged so users can identify the drugs as counterfeit. Once more, the technology has also been packaged into an app so that everyday users can easily ensure the medication theyre buying is the real thing. Practikalitys communication skills The second runners-up, Padam Chopra, Aryaman Agrawal, and Keshav Maheshwari from the Amity International School in Gurgaon, were also inspired by an event in their lives. When Chopras grandfather was diagnosed with a speech disability, he decided he wanted to build technology to help people with age-related disabilities communicate with those around them. A visit to a local blind school by the three in 2015 encouraged them to work on a solution for the visually impaired as well. All of this came together to become the Practikality app, , which features the Voice (text to speech), Easi (speech to text or sign language) and Vision (face detection) modules. Its uses AI-powered speech recognition and computer vision to be the eyes, ears, and mouth of a person unable to function by themself anymore. These three teams were among the 49 teams from across the globe participating in the World Finals this week in Washington. DrugSafe went on to win the $15,000 special award in the Big Data category. Now, the boys plan to use the funds to further improve their app, and perhaps tie up with larger companies for investment. Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. Saudi Arabia halted crude oil and oil product shipments via the Bab el Mandeb chokepoint in the Red Sea after a Houthi attack on two Saudi tankers near the port of Hodeidah yesterday. Oil Price reports in its article Saudi Arabia Halts Oil Shipments At Key Chokepoint that Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih said Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through Bab al-Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab al-Mandeb is safe. Initial reports of the attacks only mentioned one tanker targeted by the Houthis, but later it became clear that two Very Large Crude Carriers had been targeted, one of which sustained minor damage. Following the announcement, oil prices continued their climb that started earlier this week on reports from the American Petroleum Institute and the Energy Information Administration about falling crude oil and gasoline inventories. The Bab el Mandeb strait is the route that most crude oil shipments through the Suez Canal take to reach international markets, with a daily throughput of some 4.8 million bpd of crude and oil products as of 2016. The strait is between the northeastern African coast and Yemen, and while in the past pirates from North Africa were the biggest threat for vessels there, now the Houthi-Saudi conflict has added substantial risks for maritime transport in the region. The conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Iran, which supports the Houthi militia, and Saudi Arabia, has escalated in recent months with a series of missile exchanges and a humanitarian crisis in Yemen that has turned into the worst one in recent history. It has also naturally had an effect on the oil industry and international prices, with the Houthis early this year threatening to block Bab el Mandeb if the Saudi-led coalition forces tried to take the port of Hodeidah. The coalition nevertheless advanced on the port city and is currently fighting the Houthis for control over it. According to the analysis, if a premium change is not approved, it is possible that the organisation will have to restructure their investment strategy, renegotiate funding arrangements with doctors (possibly resulting in a higher out-of-pocket expense for consumers), lower dividend payments to investors, or restructure their products to remove high cost items, The Australian reported. The publication said it obtained the analysis under Freedom of Information laws but three and a half pages were redacted and appear to have discussed insurers ability to meet prudential requirements under a cap. Also redacted was correspondence with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. A separate briefing note for Hunt last month warned the cap would threaten the solvency of three insurers supporting the departments previous partly-redacted analysis, the report said. If a 2% cap was applied at an insurer level, it would likely result in multiple private health insurers breaching prudential standards, the note said. Related stories: New tiered system to better inform consumers about coverage and benchmarks Nearly a third of Australians believe ambulances are covered by Medicare - survey Until recently there hasnt been a lot of work exploring what increased flooding will cost, and who will get stuck with the bill, Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum (CCRF) coordinator and Waterloo Faculty of Environment Andrea Minano told EurekAlert! Science News. The increases in flood losses put into question the long-term insurability in the Halifax area, and highlight a broader problem facing many other areas in Canada if no actions are taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change, Minano, who co-authored the report, commented. In a test, the team ran two models for two different climate change scenarios. They found that there was a significant difference between the best and worst-case scenarios. According to the report, if no action is taken to stall climate change (generally described by the report as a 4 C rise in global temperatures), the Halifax area could see $67 million in damages in the event of a severe flood. If the temperature rise can be limited to 2C, damages would be $10 million for the same event. The difference in cost between both climate scenarios shows just how exponentially worse things can get without action, Minano warned. Minano added that the report is proof that governments should start preparing for rare, but high-impact floods, and should warn citizens of the danger and prevent construction in high risk areas. Related stories: IBC: June storm caused over $90 million in insured damages across two provinces IBC supports Torontos flood resilience program The associations chief executive Christopher Croft warned members that it would be foolish to ignore the very real possibility of no-deal for the UK, and urged them to consider how they will continue to service EU clients needs. The chief executive also described the concept of mutual market access as looking to be dead in the water. The release earlier this month of the governments Brexit whitepaper confirmed a goods-only free trade proposal, leaving the UK insurance market disappointed at the absence of mutual market access. Commenting on the whitepaper, the London Market Group (LMG) said it was disappointed that its request for a bespoke arrangement delivering mutual market access was not part of the governments vision, but added it understood the difficulty of achieving this in the time remaining for an agreement. At an event in London prior to the release of the whitepaper, LMGs chief executive Chris Beazley described ensuring a competitive business environment for the UK as incredibly important to the future success of the London insurance market. More than 9 billion (8 billion) of premium is brought to the London market annually on behalf of EU clients and almost 7 billion (6.2 billion) of international business is written in London by firms with a parent company or principal base located elsewhere in the EU, Beazley said. [The UK and EU] are important partners to one another, and we hope that our partnership with the EU can be allowed to endure and grow, and that we can continue to play a role in supporting EU business and facilitating the flow of trade and commerce across the EU, the chief executive said. But the markets Brexit woes look set to roll on. Consultancy EY has this week warned that Brexit plans are likely to be a key focus for the market as reporting season approaches, particularly in the wake of the governments recent White Paper, which officially removed mutual recognition from the next round of negotiations. While many UK headquartered insurers are advanced in their Brexit activity, more action is needed to ensure intermediary plans are developed and connected in parallel to ensure there is no interruption to trade flows between the EU27 and UK in the event of a no deal scenario, EYs UK insurance leader Rodney Bonnard said in a statement. Related stories: Brexit whitepaper: Insurance industry reacts Brexit - Living with uncertainty We are excited for Santi to join Starr, as he brings more than 20 years of industry experience in sales, distribution, underwriting and pricing, said Starr Insurance & Reinsurance president Jim Herbert. His wealth of knowledge will benefit the growth of our accident & health division and his leadership will strengthen the relationships Starr has and with its customers and partners. The accident and health division offers personal accident and travel insurance to companies, associations, schools, non-profit organizations and individuals to protect against accidents and emergencies. Related stories: Starr Companies lifts industry veterans to new roles Starr Companies to offer on-demand UAV insurance Chubb European Group announced it has achieved an important regulatory step in its Brexit preparations to redomicile its businesses to France. This provides Chubbs customers with continuous, uninterrupted service regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations between the UK and the European Union, said Chubb in a statement. On July 19, both Chubb European Group and ACE Europe Life converted to Societas Europaea (SE). (SE companies are EU-registered public companies). This move enables these two Chubb companies to redomicile to another EU jurisdiction and continue to undertake business both across the EU and into the UK via a branch. Previously, on July 11, 2018, Chubb received authorization from the Board of the French supervisor Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution (ACPR) to redomicile the businesses to France on Jan. 1, 2019, subject to the fulfillment of certain administrative requirements by year-end 2018. We are delighted to announce these important milestones in our Brexit preparations, said David Furby, regional president, Chubb European Group. From the outset, our primary aim has been to ensure a seamless transition and to offer certainty and continuity of service for all our clients and business partners, regardless of location or the final outcome of the Brexit negotiations, he added. We are confident our new corporate structure will achieve these objectives. At each stage of the process, we have worked closely with the French and UK regulators and authorities, who have been extremely helpful as we have executed on our strategy, said Furby. From Jan. 1, 2019, the new registered address for Chubb European Group SE and ACE Europe Life SE will be La Tour Carpe Diem, 31 Place des Corolles, Esplanade Nord, 92400 Courbevoie, France. From Jan. 1, 2019, Chubb European Group SE and ACE Europe Life SE will be supervised by the ACPR, 4 Place de Budapest, CS 92459, 75436 Paris CEDEX 09. Until Dec. 31, 2018, Chubb European Group SE and ACE Europe Life SE will be domiciled and have their registered office at the same address in England. They will remain authorized by the UK Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Source: Chubb Related: Topics Legislation Europe Chubb Uk Brexit France A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a- for Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance Co. (WMMIC) in Madison, Wisconsin. The company provides insurance and related products and services to municipalities throughout Wisconsin. According to information provided in the companys 2017 annual report, it had 20 public entity members in 2017. WMMIC provides general liability, auto, and public officials errors and omissions liability. Also available to most members are workers compensation claims administration services (as a TPA), a workers compensation excess program, and a cyber liability program. While all Wisconsin public agencies are eligible for membership in the mutual insurer, the company reports that it is selective in its marketing. It began operations in November 1987. A.M. Best said the ratings reflect WMMICs balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). These positive rating factors are derived from the companys modest underwriting leverage, adequate operating performance, long-standing relationships with its municipal and county member/insureds and emphasis on loss control efforts as part of its overall ERM. Other positive factors supporting the ratings include WMMICs conservative investment portfolio comprised of highly rated bonds and overall operating strategy. The negative outlooks reflect reported operating losses and adverse trend in underwriting results over the past three years resulting in declines in policyholder surplus. The operating losses were due to unfavorable underwriting results driven by adverse loss reserve development on several large liability claims. Nonetheless, a prudent reinsurance program and an emphasis on loss control have mitigated the frequency and severity of these exposures. While WMMIC has successfully attracted and retained its member/insureds through profit sharing via policyholder dividends, it has led to negative return measures and significantly elevated combined and operating ratios. In the latest five-year period, policyholder dividends have averaged approximately 53 points to the companys combined ratio. Further, WMMIC has a limited business profile due to its limited pool of potential policyholders, product offerings and geography. Source: A.M. Best Topics Trends AM Best Wisconsin Flaws in jet engine fan blades like one that cracked and broke loose in April, killing a Southwest Airlines Co. passenger, have been discovered on planes operated by several carriers, and the manufacturer is moving to further tighten inspections. General Electric Co., part of a venture that makes the engines, found a cracked blade during post-accident inspections of another Southwest plane, and spotted four or five more in those of other airlines, Southwest Chief Operating Officer Michael Van de Ven said Thursday on a conference call to discuss earnings. We expect to formalize the interval in a new service bulletin that will be issued in coming days, GE spokesman Perry Bradley said in a statement. Service bulletins are non-binding recommendations on maintenance, but are almost always made mandatory by aviation regulators. Southwest has already cut the inspection interval for older engines almost in half, from 3,000 flights to 1,600, Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said in an interview. Compliance Time The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that its working with airlines and the engine maker. As we receive more inspection results we may adjust the compliance time accordingly, the agency said. After the April 17 incident, in which a cracked blade broke off and sent debris into a window on a Southwest flight, the FAA issued a series of orders for carriers to look for cracks on all older CFM56-7B engines. The agency first required inspections on those with more than 30,000 flights, then lowered it to 20,000 flights. After that milestone, engines have to be inspected within 3,000 flights, the agency ordered in May. The engine is made by CFM International Inc., a joint venture between General Electric Co. and Frances Safran SA. GE determined that more frequent lubrication of the blades potentially could help avoid damage, Van de Ven said. The tighter inspection process shouldnt cause any airline disruptions, GEs Bradley said. Almost all of the 14,500 CFM56-7B engines in service around the world have received their initial inspections and were cleared, he said. GE couldnt comment in greater detail because the failures under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, he said. He wouldnt confirm the number of cracks found on other blades, saying only there have been a handful of findings as a result of the inspections. High Priority The NTSB said Tuesday that it will hold an investigative hearing on the engines failure, a signal the agency is giving the incident a high priority. The Nov. 14 session will focus on the fan blades design and development, how that engine model is inspected, and the way debris is supposed to be contained in a failure, the NTSB said in a statement. Jet engines are encased in hardened shells so that if fan blades or other components break loose, they wont fly out and hit such critical areas as fuel tanks or passenger compartments. In the April 17 incident, the fan blade bounced in front of the protective sheath, the NTSB has said. It then broke apart the unprotected engine inlet, a wing-like structure that smooths the air flow into the turbine. Parts of the inlet showered the plane with debris. One window was struck so hard that it broke, prompting a violent decompression of the cabin and partially sucking a woman passenger out of the plane. It was the first passenger death on a U.S. carrier in more than nine years. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Aviation A Texas construction contractor has been ordered to pay $250,000 in criminal and civil penalties an employee suffered a fatal fall at an apartment complex in Dallas, federal safety officials said. U.S. District Court Judge Ed Kinkeade ordered Design Plastering West LLC to pay a $150,000 criminal fine, $100,000 civil penalty, admit to eight willful health and safety violations, and to undergo monitoring by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for four years. On May 14, 2015, a worker fell from a third-floor balcony while applying stucco without fall protection. OSHA cited the company for willfully failing to install scaffolding and provide workers with personal fall protection. In May 2018, Design Plastering West LLC pleaded guilty to the willful citation on fall protection. The criminal prosecution and sentencing in this case was the result of a collaboration between OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labors Office of the Solicitor, and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas. Source: OSHA Topics Texas USA Workers' Compensation Training Development Contractors Texas insurance regulators have responded to insurer requests for revisions to its standards for catastrophe data calls and is seeking input on the proposed changes. The Texas Department of Insurance said following Hurricanes Ike and Harvey, insurers participating in data calls resulting from those hurricanes urged TDI to use the standard National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) catastrophe data call or develop a standardized catastrophe data call that insurers can program into their systems well in advance of any catastrophe. TDI has now created a draft concept based on NAIC call data that includes Texas-specific modifications and incorporates lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey, the department said. The agency now is seeking comments on the draft concept, particularly regarding Texas specific data elements and the ability of insurance companies to provide the information quickly after a disaster. Required to respond to the data calls are all insurance companies, including surplus lines companies and farm mutual companies, that either: Wrote more than $1 million in Texas direct written premium in total for the specified lines in the prior calendar year; or Are expected to write more than $1 million in Texas direct written premium in the catastrophe year and are specifically required by TDI to report. Insurers required by TDI to report are only required to report data for residential property and private passenger automobile. Specified lines of insurance used to determine the $1 million reporting threshold are: Fire Ocean marine Allied lines Inland marine Multiple peril crop Earthquake Federal flood Private passenger auto physical damage Private crop Commercial auto physical damage Private flood Aircraft Farmowners Boiler and machinery Homeowners Aggregate write-ins for other lines Commercial multiple peril (non-liability) Lines of insurance excluded from the data call include workers compensation, credit, fidelity, surety, warranty, and any type of liability insurance (for example, medical malpractice, general liability, products liability, and automobile liability). In addition, surplus lines insurers will not be required to report any data for residential property or private passenger automobile insurance. Companies will not be able to alter the reporting form in any way. Except for the area where companies must enter their information and data, the reporting form will be locked and protected. The reporting form will contain edits or data flags to ensure the data is complete and passes data reasonability checks. TDI will publish all applicable edits and data flags before insurers are required to report. Each submission must pass all edits and data flags. TDI will not accept any submissions that fail any edit or data flag. To submit comments on the TDI proposal, email DataCall@tdi.texas.gov by August 27, 2018. The proposed data call draft concept can be accessed via the TDI website at: http://www.tdi.texas.gov/news/2018/documents/tdi-cat-data-call-concepts.pdf. Source: TDI Topics Carriers Catastrophe Texas A new design featuring waterfowl and a retriever is now one of the choices available on a hard-copy hunting and fishing license from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Beginning in 2017 when purchasing their licenses, sportsmen had the opportunity to purchase a hard-copy collectors item. The new addition is created from a painting by Tennessee artist Phillip Crowe, who has dedicated his time and art to organizations who care about wildlife. Mr. Crowe has painted 35 state duck and conservation stamps and donated approximately $4 million in art prints and originals to various organizations. He was recently inducted into the Arkansas Waterfowl Hall of Fame and elected as a National Ducks Unlimited Trustee. The new artwork joins one of the inaugural cards which features a leaping largemouth bass. The card portraying a trophy buck ignoring a vacant treestand is now retired. Both cards were created from artwork by another famed Tennessee artist, Ralph McDonald. The size of a credit card, the hard-copy license costs an additional $5 above license purchases. Specific license information is printed on the back of the card. Licenses are available at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regional offices, license agents, or on the TWRA website, www.gooutdoorstennessee.com , and at the TWRA On the Go App. The 2018-19 licenses are valid through February 2019. License sales provide the primary funding for the TWRA. Resident licenses may be purchased by persons who possess a valid Tennessee drivers license; persons who have lived in Tennessee for 90 consecutive days with the intent of making Tennessee their permanent home (but do not hold a drivers license in another state); military personnel on active duty in this state and their immediate families, who reside with them, regardless of resident status; students who are enrolled in a Tennessee school, college, or university for at least six months. A Social Security number is required to purchase a Tennessee hunting or fishing license. Through the internet, charges are $4.25 for licenses mailed and $3 for self-print or emailed. In case of a lost license, duplicate licenses can be obtained from any TWRA license agent for an $8 fee. Also, valid duplicate licenses can be printed online at no cost by selecting the reprint my licenses button on the customer information screen. Armenias Special Investigation Service accused former President Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) of uprooting the constitutional order in 2008, and appealed to the court to choose the arrest as pre-trial restrictions, its press service said. Former President Robert Kocharyan is accused of uprooting the constitutional order in the country with a group of people after the presidential election of 2008. The Special Investigation Service has filed a query with the court to choose arrest as pre-trial restrictions for Kocharyan, TASS reported. On March 1, 2008, Kocharian declared a state of emergency and ordered army units into Yerevan amid vicious clashes between protesters and security forces trying to disperse them. According to the Special Investigation Service, retired General Mikael Harutiunian, who served as defense minister during the 2008 unrest, started illegally deploying troops in the Armenian capital a week before the unrest. California Governor Jerry Brown issued a plan this week to help the states embattled utilities facing liabilities from wildfires. For PG&E Corp., its not good enough. Its insufficient, PG&E Chief Executive Officer Geisha Williams said on the companys second-quarter earnings call. Its just one of many things that need to be considered in a more comprehensive set of reforms. Browns plan would require a court to consider whether a utility acted reasonably when deciding whether it should end up on the hook for fire damages. However, the proposal wouldnt affect potential liabilities PG&E and fellow utility Edison International face for blazes that devastated the state in 2017. PG&E wants a structure where your liabilities would be limited once the California Public Utilities Commission approves a safety plan, said Kit Konolige, a New York-based analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, said in an email Thursday. Ali Bay, Browns deputy press secretary, declined to comment on Williamss remarks. Fire Liabilities The overhang of the 2017 fires weighs heavily on PG&E. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has said the companys liabilities for the blazes may be more than $17 billion. PG&E has lost about 36 percent of its market value since mid-October, when a swarm of fires swept Northern California wine country, destroying thousands of homes and killing 44 people. Investigators have attributed PG&E equipment as the ignition source of 16 of them, and investors are still waiting for a report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on the companys role in the Tubbs blaze the deadliest of last years fires. Brown has proposed changing the so-called inverse-condemnation provision, which holds utilities strictly liable for fire damages regardless of negligence. Instead, a court would balance the public benefit of the cause of the fire with harm caused to private property and determine whether the utility acted reasonably. Williams said she is seeking three things from the state: Permanent reforms to what she described as the strict liability standard under inverse condemnation A way to directly address the 2017 wildfires that she said were climate-driven Clarity on how regulators would handle operational compliance. The reforms we seek would not absolve investor-owned utilities from responsibility, Williams said. Negligence claims against PG&E can still be pursued. Related: Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics California Wildfire California recently enacted a sweeping new privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which is likely to have broad implications for organizations providing services to, or collecting data from, California consumers. The CCPA, enacted on June 28, shares similar themes with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in particular with its focus on consumers rights and control over their personal information as well as transparency requirements related to companies data practices. Those who breathed a sigh of relief after the May 25 GDPR implementation deadline may need to redirect privacy compliance efforts and make further changes to meet the requirements of another new privacy regime this time one emanating from the U.S. Certain of the acts requirements and implications differ from, or could exceed, those under GDPR. As a result, merely having a GDPR program will not be enough to address the requirements of the CCPA. Moreover, adding to the complexities created by the substance and the timing of the act, many of its provisions are broad and ambiguous in their current form, creating the potential for implementation challenges, impacts to business operations, and increased legal and regulatory exposure. The version of the act signed into law was a more moderate version enacted to avoid an even further restrictive privacy regime from making it onto the California ballot in November 2018. California lawmakers essentially struck a deal with those pushing the original initiative. In exchange for passing the CCPA, the original initiative will be taken off the November ballot. Notably, the act is industry-agnostic as signed into law. It applies to all organizations that collect personal information on California consumers for a business purpose, subject to certain thresholds. While the act does include certain exemptions, it is not apparently clear how exemptions may apply or be interpreted in various contexts. Here are five key questions regarding the CCPA: When does the California privacy law become effective? By Jan. 1, 2020, all covered businesses must comply with the new CCPA requirements. The CCPA directs the California attorney general to adopt regulations before that date to implement the act. Does the new California privacy law apply to my organization? The act applies to organizations that are operated for profit or financial benefit in California, collect consumers personal information (as broadly defined under the act) and meet one or more of the following: 1) has annual gross revenues over $25 million; 2) annually buys, sells, receives for its commercial purpose or shares for commercial purposes the personal information of 50,000 or more consumers, households or devices; or 3) derives 50 percent or more of its annual revenues from selling consumers personal information. The act also applies to any organization that controls, or is controlled by, a business that meets the foregoing criteria and shares common branding with the business, which could have broad implications for franchised businesses and subsidiaries. In addition, even companies that are not directly subject to the act may still be impacted if they do business with, or provide services to, covered organizations. How does the new California privacy law define personal information? The definition of personal information is exceedingly broad and expressly incorporates data types beyond those traditionally identified under existing U.S. law. For example, personal information includes but is not limited to elements such as: Commercial information (records of products or services purchased, obtained or considered, and other consuming histories or tendencies); Internet activity (browsing and search history and interactions with advertisements); Inferences drawn from personal information to create profiles reflecting consumer preferences and attitudes. Although most privacy statutes exclude publicly available information collected by federal, state and local governments, under the CCPA publicly available information would constitute personal information if it is used for a purpose that is not compatible with the purpose for which the data is maintained and made available in the government records or for which it is publicly maintained. What are the most impactful provisions in the new California privacy law? The act is heavily focused on consumers right to know, control and delete personal information collected by businesses. Some of the significant provisions include: Right to request consumer profiles. The act grants California consumers the right to request a detailed listing of certain information, such as the categories of: 1) personal information collected and sources of that information; 2) personal information sold and disclosed; and 3) third parties with whom personal information is disclosed or sold. The act distinguishes between personal information that is disclosed versus sold (as defined under the act), and businesses must identify such distinctions in disclosures and responses to consumer requests. Transparency and disclosures. The CCPA requires entities to make certain disclosures on their website and in public statements, including its privacy policy, regarding the collection and sharing of personal information. Consumer rights and anti-discrimination prohibition. The act provides consumers the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information. In addition, consumers have a right to request the deletion of their personal information that the business has collected from the consumer. The CCPA also prohibits entities from discriminating against consumers based on the exercise of their rights under the act, including charging consumers different prices based on their decision whether to opt out unless the price difference is reasonably related to value provided by the consumers data. Liability and private right of action. The act expressly provides for a private right of action for certain data breaches. Before a private right of action can commence, a consumer must provide a business with 30 business days notice and an opportunity to cure. If the alleged violation can be cured, a company must provide the consumer with a written statement that the violations have been cured and that no further violations will occur. A consumer private right of action can proceed where a cure is not possible or a consumer alleges a company has violated its written statement to cure a past violation. The attorney general also has enforcement authority under the act, and businesses in violation of the act may be liable for civil penalties. What is likely to happen between now and January 2020? It is anticipated that the California legislature will consider legislation in 2019 prior to the implementation date to address technical and substantive issues identified in the act. It is possible that amendments to the CCPA could strengthen privacy protections in the act or make compliance more difficult. Conclusion The enactment of a broad California-specific privacy regime is likely to have far-reaching impacts across state jurisdictions and abroad. The CCPA may create a de facto baseline standard for data privacy controls and processes in the U.S., and could cause other states to follow suit or could lead to the Congress taking up the issue and enacting a federal privacy standard. Much like GDPR, many of the requirements of the CCPA may be difficult to implement or integrate into business operations. Companies who may be subject to the CCPA should closely monitor developments and undertake an assessment of compliance obligations well in advance of the January 2020 deadline because compliance may require significant structural, operational and legal changes in an organizations practices. This was originally published on Holland & Knights website as a client alert. Cox is an attorney in Holland & Knights Washington, D.C., office and co-chair of the firms cybersecurity, data breach and privacy team. Roberson is a Washington, D.C., attorney and a member of the firms public policy and regulation practice group. Related: Topics California Cyber Legislation Numbers What Is a Bermuda Option? A Bermuda option is a type of exotic options contract that can only be exercised on predetermined datesoften on one day each month. A spin on American-style options, which permit holders to exercise early at any time, Bermudian options allow investors to buy or sell a security or underlying asset at a preset price on a set of specific dates as well as the option's expiration date. Key Takeaways A Bermuda option can be exercised early, but only on a set of specific dates before its expiration. These exercise dates are often set in one-month increments. Premiums for Bermuda options are typically lower than those of American options, which can be exercised any time before expiry. Understanding Bermuda Options Options contracts are financial derivatives that provide the buyer the rightbut not the obligationto transact in an underlying asset, such as shares of stock, at a distinct pricethe strike priceon or before a specified future date. An option to buy an underlying asset is a call option. An option to sell an underlying asset is a put option. At the option's expiration, the contracts can be converted to shares, known as exercising, of the asset at the predetermined price. There are two main types or styles of options, American and European options. American options are exercisable at any time between the purchase date and the date of expiration. European options, however, are exercised only at the date of expiration. Bermuda options are a restricted form of the American option that allows for early exercise but only at set dates. The early exercise feature of Bermuda options allows for an investor to use the option and convert it to shares on specific dates before expiry. The datescontained in the contract's termsare known upfront during the purchasing of the option. Special Considerations Some Bermuda options might allow an investor to exercise the option on the first business day of the month. So, if an investor's call option's strike price is lower than the underlying stock's market price on the first of the month, the investor can exercise and buy shares for the lower strike price. Conversely, if the investor's put option strike price is higher than the market price of the stock, the investor can sell at the strike and pick up the shares at the lower market price. Most times, the net difference is cash-settled. However, some Bermuda options have early expiration date restrictions. For example, a Bermuda option might have the features of a European option where it cannot be exercised until the early exercise date. Following the early exercise date, the option converts to American-style options and can be exercised at any time. The ability to exercise an option early is a benefit to the holder, and this feature adds value to the contract. The premium (price) on a Bermuda option will often be higher than a European option with the same terms, and lower than an American option due to its limitations on early exercise. Bermuda Options: Advantages and Disadvantages There are several advantages and disadvantages to Bermuda options. Unlike American and European options, Bermuda options give investors the ability to create and purchase a hybrid contract. In other words, investors are given more control over when the options can be exercised. Premiums for Bermuda options are typically lower than those of American options. However, Bermuda options don't have the flexibility of exercising at any time. As a result, American options are the most expensive, while European options are the cheapest since they offer the least flexibility. The cost of Bermuda options falls somewhere in between their American and European counterparts. A possible drawback to a Bermuda option can happen if an investor doesn't exercise until the option's expiration date. In this case, the investor would have been better off buying the cheaper European option instead. Also, the additional exercise dates of a Bermuda option may not necessarily represent the best times to exercise. Pros Premiums for Bermuda options are typically lower than those of American options. Bermuda options allow investors to exercise the option on specific dates before expiry. Cons Premiums for Bermuda options are more expensive than European options. The early exercise feature doesn't guarantee that it will be the most advantageous time to exercise. Example of a Bermuda Option Let's say an investor owns stock in Tesla Inc. The investor purchased the stock at $250 per share and wants insurance against a drop in the company's stock price. The investor buys a Bermuda-style put option that expires in six months, with a strike price of $245. The option costs $3or $300 since each option contract represents 100 shares. The option protects the position from a decline in price below $245 for the next six months. However, the Bermuda feature allows the investor to exercise early on the first of each month beginning in month four. The stock price falls to $200, and by the first day of the option's fourth month, the investor exercises the put option. The stock position has declined and is sold at $200 while the strike price of $245 provides a profit of $45 from the put option. The investor is effectively out of the position at $245 minus the $300 cost of the premium and any additional broker commissions. However, if the stock price rose considerably after the option was exercised, say to $300 by the option's expiry, the investor would miss out on any of those gains. Although Bermuda options provide flexibility to exercise early, that doesn't necessarily mean the investor's choice to exercise will be the right or profitable one. By Sean ORiordan A special ceremony will take place today at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, to honour a Victoria Cross winner who pioneered aerial warfare tactics, shooting down 61 enemy planes making him the fifth most deadly pilot of the First World War. A special Victoria Cross Stone will be unveiled at Glasnevin Cemetery dedicated to Major Edward Mick Mannock, 100 years on from his death. The flying ace was the son of Julia Sullivan from Ballincollig, Co Cork, and Englishman Edward Mannock. The young Mannock became a fervent supporter of Irish nationalism and Irish Home Rule before joining up to fight in the war that was supposed to end all wars. After a brief spell serving in the Royal Engineers and then Royal Army Medical Corps, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (later RAF) and went into combat on the Western Front. Mannock was among the most decorated men in the British Armed Forces. He was honoured with the Military Cross twice, and was one of the rare three-time recipients of the Distinguished Service Order. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after shooting down nine German planes in June and July 1918. He died on July 26, 1918, when his aircraft was shot down over France. Paul Kehoe, minister of with responsibility for defence, will accompany the British ambassador, Robin Barnett, to the ceremony with John Green, chairman of Glasnevin Trust. It will also be attended by Air Chief Marshal Stephen Hillier, chief of the British Air Staff, and Brigadier General Sean Clancy, general officer commanding the Irish air corps. ByJuno McEnroe and Fiachra O Cionnaith The Government has denied being responsible for delays in a review of cervical cancer smear tests and has blamed problems with consent and attempts to assess previous screening. The defence comes after claims by patient advocates Vicky Phelan and widower Stephen Teap that the review is purposely being delayed as it will reveal many more women were misdiagnosed. Ms Phelan, who has terminal cancer, was awarded 2.5m this year after she received an incorrect smear test result. Her case ignited the CervicalCheck controversy. Originally the Government said a review of slides for 3,000 women who developed cancer would be done by May. But it now looks unlikely to be finished until much later this year. An initial audit of 1,400 women found that more than 200 cases were misdiagnosed. The larger audit will cover 1,850 cases with screening history. A separate scoping inquiry into the cancer controversy will report in early September. But Ms Phelan and Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died a year ago after being misdiagnosed, claimed earlier this week there is a political game playing going on and the audit results are being kicked down the road. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, speaking in Rome, rejected that. The review has been delayed, but it hasnt been delayed because of Government action or inaction, it was our decision to carry out the review and to ask the College of Obs and Gynae to do that work for us. So yes it has been delayed, but it wasnt the Governments decision to do that by any means. We need to make sure that patients and women consent, we need to make sure that they are given proper information as to what that involves, and immediate information on the result of the audit. We also need to make sure that there is not any retrospective bias, that it is done properly. The Department of Health also insists it is committed to reviewing the smear tests as quickly as possible. A statement on behalf of Health Minister Simon Harris said it noted work was ongoing with an expert panel review established to examine the screening history of women who participated in CervicalCheck and who were later diagnosed with cancer. The review is being carried out by an independent panel of experts from the UKs Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. The statement said: The preparatory phase to conduct a review of this scale and complexity is currently well underway. In light of the particular sensitivities surrounding this issue, written, informed consent will be sought from women or the next-of-kin of women who have passed away before they are included in the review. The review will take a number of months to complete, and is expected to provide clarity and reassurance to the women of Ireland who partake in the CervicalCheck Programme. Sean ORiordan Motorists lives are being put at risk because many dangerous roads in Co Cork do not have markings on them as the largest local authority in the country does not have its own machinery to carry out the work. A number of councillors expressed surprise that Cork County Council, which has more than 12,500km of roads under its jurisdiction, has to rely on contractors from outside counties to paint the markings. Fianna Fail councillor Joe Carroll said he has noticed that road markings have disappeared from major junctions, which is a serious safety concern. He said the council is dependent on two contractors from another county to do such work and doesnt feel this is an ideal situation. All over the county this is at a serious point, he said. We are the biggest county in the country with a road network of 12,500km. Surely we are entitled to a road marking crew. We are waiting three or four years for the replacement of road markings. Council officials maintain it is not cost-effective to buy their own road marking machines. Mr Carroll suggested that they might purchase machines with other neighbouring local authorities to lower the cost. The current arrangements are clearly not working and this is now obviously a health and safety issue which needs to be addressed, he said. Independent councillor Danny Collins said having no markings on some roads is very dangerous at night. Sinn Feins Danielle Twomey said outside contractors should not be used. We need to get our own staff to do these works, she said. Ms Twomey said that, in her home town of Midleton, contractors painted a yellow box on one half of a junction, and came back five weeks later to paint the other half. It was also pointed out that they painted white lines in places, but had to come back days or weeks later to paint yellow lines in the same area. Theres no road markings in Mourneabbey whatsoever and its very dangerous, Sinn Fein councillor Melissa Mullane. When fog comes down at night you cant see what part of the road you are on, said Independent councillor Timmy Collins. In some places on bad bends, the road markings are not there, which is a health and safety issue. Tom Stritch, the councils director of roads, said they had their own road marking machines more than 20 years ago, but had outsourced the work to contractors as it is uneconomic for the local authority to do it. Council chief executive Tim Lucey also maintains it is not economical for the council to buy its own machinery. However, councillors insist more work could be done in less time if they had their own machinery and crews working it. It was agreed to refer the matter to the councils Transport Strategic Policy Committee. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Russian forces were needed in the country long-term and for more than just fighting terrorism. "Russian armed forces are needed for balance in our region, at least in the Middle East, until the global political balance changes. And this might not even happen, we do not know. So it is important and necessary, Interfax cited Assad as saying. The Syrian president added that Syrias agreement with Russia over the Hmeimim military base was signed to last over 40 years, indicating that the relationship between the two countries was of a long-term nature. He stressed that the rapid return of refugees to Syria is the main issue being discussed between Damascus and Moscow. "We call on refugees, especially on Syrians who had businesses here, to return," TASS cited Assad as saying. According to the Syrian president, Russia is a great power, and has a duty to restore a geopolitical equilibrium in world affairs. Part of this responsibility is "a political and military presence in various regions, if this is necessary," he noted. By Evelyn Ring and Fiachra O Cionnaith The mother of Brian OCallaghan-Westropp, the Irishman who died in a wildfire in Greece, has lost both her sons in the last 20 years. Fr Shay Casey, chaplain at Athlone Institute of Technology and a friend of the family, said Brians younger brother Colin died in a motorbike crash at the age of 21 in 1997. Fr Casey said their mother, Rosemary, is no stranger to tragedy her husband died when her children were quite young. She brought them up very well. They were lovely lads, very caring, he said on RTE radio yesterday. Brian and his wife, Zoe Holohan, were on their honeymoon in the coastal town of Mati when the fires engulfed the area. The couple got married a week ago and had flown out to Greece on Saturday. Zoe, who is from Dublin, remains in hospital after suffering burns to her head and hands. They were travelling in a vehicle when they were forced to flee. The couple became separated and Zoe escaped to a nearby beach. Brian was from Killaloe in Co Clare but the couple were living and working in Dublin. His mother travelled to Athens on Wednesday to identify her sons body and make arrangements to bring him back to be buried in Killaloe. Fr Casey said all the family were very outgoing and did everything with a full heart. If Colin or Brian saw somebody in need they would help them and were both generous souls, he said. That is how Rosemary would have wanted them to be, he said. Two incredibly young lads and Rosemary was extremely proud of them. Fr Casey said he knew Colin because he was part of the institutes chaplaincy. I would not have known Brian as well, he said. About six months ago be called in to see me. He was involved in the catering trade and was very successful at it. He was full of enthusiasm and zest for life. Fr Casey described Rosemary as a very strong woman, a kind of stoic woman, and asked people to pray for her and the family at this time. Brian was a member of Blood Bikes East, which provides a free emergency medical transport service around hospitals in Dublin. Paying tribute in a post on its Facebook page, Blood Bikes East described Brian as a diligent colleague and dear friend, adding that they would miss his huge personality and infectious smile. His no-nonsense, can-do approach to the work of volunteering meant that he helped Blood Bikes East to become the professional organisation we are today, they wrote. Despite it being a year and three months as a Blood Bikes East volunteer, it feels like he was involved for so much longer, and his influence will last for decades to come. Thank you, Brian, for everything; you leave us bereft but better for having known you. Rest in peace now, our friend, your work is done. Members of Blood Bikes East are all volunteers and all money raised is used to run the motorbikes and keep them in a safe and roadworthy condition. The organisation also expressed condolences to Brians wife, his family, and friends. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD for Dublin West where Brian lived, said For a tragedy to visit a family in this way must be truly awful. Mr Varadkar has written to the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, expressing the Governments condolences to the Greek people and offering assistance to those affected. Gardai made their first-ever discovery of a number of child sex dolls during a targeted search of 31 premises for child pornography this week. The raids, carried out in 15 counties over the last four days, were co-ordinated by the Online Child Exploitation Unit at the Garda National Protection Services Bureau. As well as hundreds of thousands of child abuse images, a number of sex dolls designed to look like children were recovered during one of the searches. Assistant Commissioner John ODriscoll said the discovery of the child sex dolls is a particular concern. He said it is an issue they had previously discussed with customs officials because they were aware that they were being imported into the State. It is an added concern to what is already an area that gives rise to considerable concern, to say the least, said Mr ODriscoll. The searches were part of the second phase of Operation Ketch, an operation targeting suspects who possess, import, and distribute child abuse material. Digital material was seized for forensic examination at all the addresses searched. There have been no arrests so far but gardai expect that charges will follow. During the first phase of Operation Ketch in February, 38 premises were searched in 12 counties. In one case, thousands of hours of child abuse video was seized. Gardai said two of the suspects identified in the first phase are juveniles who were referred to the Juvenile Diversion Programme. A third suspect has recently been charged. Detective Chief Supt Declan Daly said they had nine admissions from the first phase. The officer also confirmed that nine people had made admissions regarding their online activities during the latest operation, which is very significant. There are numerous files being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and we will expect arrests to be occurring over the next few weeks, he said. Det Supt Daly said most of the children that appear in the imagery are not from Ireland. Gardai have recently established a victim identity unit to establish where the children are from. He said the people in possession of child pornography include teenagers and men and women of all ages. People in all of the 31 premises searched this week, who were all men, would be interviewed. Gardai are in liaison with Tusla, the child and family agency, regarding any child protection issues that arise. There will be children living in some of the houses and in all those cases we are in Liason with Tusla as we are in all of the cases, said Det Supt Daly. There would be child protection concerns because a person in possession of child abuse material would be someone with a sexual interest in children so they would be engaging with Tusla in relation to these matters. Mr ODriscoll said some of the searches undertaken resulted from information provided by social media firms. Clearly we would like to see more done, he said. We would like to see that there would be greater difficulty in accessing material of this nature. That it would be blocked wherever possible. But we are very satisfied that those companies are engaging in a meaningful way with us in terms of notifying us when they observe suspicious activity and are assisting us in identifying suspects and ensuring that we can engage in operations like this. Mr ODriscoll said there will be more targeted searches this year. Hopefully, by highlighting this issue we will see a decline in the number of premises that are required to be searched, he said. A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon and covers the moon with its shadow. When this happens, the moon can turn red, earning it the nickname of blood moon. Total eclipses of the moon happen at full moon when the sun, Earth, and the moon are aligned to form a line. The astronomical term for this type of alignment is syzygy, which comes from the Greek word for being paired together. The moon does not have its own light but shines because its surface reflects the suns rays. The moon does not have any light of its own it shines because its surface reflects sunlight. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the sun and the moon and cuts off the moons light supply. When this happens, the surface of the moon takes on a reddish glow instead of going completely dark. The reason why the moon takes on a reddish colour during totality is a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering the same mechanism responsible for causing colourful sunrises and sunsets, and for the sky looking blue. The second total lunar eclipse of 2018 will be visible in large parts of Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. Totality will last for 103 minutes, making it the longest eclipse of the 21st century. Eclipse timeline for Ireland 6.14pm: Penumbral eclipse begins (when the moon moves through the faint, outer part of Earths shadow). Below horizon. Not directly visible. 7.24pm: Partial eclipse begins (when the Earth moves between the sun and the full moon, but they are not precisely aligned). Below horizon. Not directly visible. 8.30pm: Total eclipse begins. Below horizon. Not directly visible. 9.21pm: Maximum eclipse. Below horizon. Not directly visible. 9.22pm: Moonrise. Below horizon. Not directly visible. 9.26pm: Maximum. This is when the eclipse reaches its greatest magnitude while the entire moon is above the horizon. The true maximum cannot be seen as the moon is then below the horizon. The advice from timeanddate.com is to go a high point or find a clear area with free sight to east/southeast for the best view. 10.13pm: Total eclipse ends. Moon close to horizon so make sure you have free sight to southeast. 11.19pm: Partial eclipse ends. 12.28am: Penumbral eclipse ends. Star events July 27: CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory will be hosting a series of free events to mark the eclipse, including observations of the moon and planets via telescope. Join in any time from 7.30pm on Friday. Further info here. August 11: Hook Lighthouse is hosting a Star Gazing Evening for the Perseids Meteor Shower. The most spectacular meteor shower of the year takes place in Ireland each August as the Earth bisects the tail of comets which are also orbiting the sun and the Perseids Meteor Showers take place. On August 11, the Lighthouse Visitor Centre will remain open extra late to offer a stargazing evening event to visitors. The Perseids are created when the Earth crosses the tail of Swift-Tuttle, a comet which takes 133 years to orbit the sun. Meteors are created when tiny flecks of dust and debris from the comet penetrate the Earths atmosphere at nearly 60km per second creating a shockwave. They burn up quickly in the atmosphere leaving the impression of a huge fireball. The lighthouse will remain open until 11pm, offering hot chocolates and snacks at the cafe. For further details see here. This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned Ryanair chief executive Michael OLeary that thousands of stranded passengers who pay the wages of directors and pilots could hit back at the airline if pay talks stand-off deepens. Responding to company statements that 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew are being advised their services may not be required from October 28 onwards, Mr Varadkar said threats of job losses will ultimately damage the airline as much as the staff. After meeting Italian prime minister Guiseppe Conte to discuss Brexit and likely plans for Ireland to receive 600 migrants arriving in Italy, Mr Varadkar said threats of job cuts are a commercial decision. He said threatening staff could escalate strikes and leave passengers out of pocket risking a backlash against Ryanair. Referring to a letter to pilots and cabin crew, the Taoiseach said: Thats a commercial decision. Its up to any business to say how many flights they want to run. But I am very concerned with the escalation in the Ryanair dispute, particularly the impact its going to have on holidaymakers and people who spent months saving up for their holidays and who are now perhaps not being able to take their holidays. I would really ask Ryanair and the unions to think about the people and the customers, the ones that ultimately pay the wages of the pilots and the cabin crew, and the ones who ultimately pay the dividends of the shareholders and keep the board in office. While not saying that the Government will become involved, he added that if both sides do not get around the table soon, there was a genuine risk thousands of Irish customers could be left stranded abroad or unable to take planned holidays abroad. Meanwhile, following talks with Italys new prime minister, Mr Varadkar said Guiseppe Conte had pressed home the need for Ireland to help his country further with its huge migrant crisis. Mr Varadkar, who later visited the headquarters of the EUs Mediterranean migrants mission Operation Sofia, said he had restated Irelands commitment to potentially taking in 600 more migrants. However, he stopped short of confirming the date, saying we will engage further on garda vetting and security clearance issues which have delayed the move for two years. The continuing delay is a situation likely to now used to ensure continuing Italian support for Irelands Brexit position. On the issue of Brexit discussions, the Taoiseach said he was confident a March 2019 date will be reached, but added: There are lots of different reasons why things might go wrong. Not in Ireland or in Europe but potentially in London, and thats why we have to prepare for all eventualities. By Liam Heylin A woman in her 70s was duped into letting a man into her Cork City home to inspect her boiler. When the man was gone she discovered that her handbag had been stolen. Stephen McNamara, of no fixed address, was jailed for nine months yesterday for the theft. Judge Olann Kelleher said: This is a despicable crime to take advantage of this elderly lady in the centre of Cork City. He inveigled his way into her home. One can imagine her anguish when she discovered this crime had been committed. Inspector Finbarr OSullivan said the crime was committed by McNamara, aged 43, at Sheares St, Cork, on April 19, 2017. He said he was going to inspect the boiler area of the elderly womans home, Insp OSullivan told the court. He was in the house for five minutes. An hour after he had gone she discovered that her handbag containing 200 with various bank cards and driving licence had been taken. None of the property was recovered. He was interviewed by gardai. He made full admissions. He has 119 previous convictions. Frank Buttimer, defence solicitor, said the accused was serving four years in prison, with one year suspended for robbery, that sentence commencing in July 2017. It was stated in court that, in fairness to the accused man, while the offence was inexcusable, he did admit the offence and the State would have been in grave difficulty prosecuting it without his cooperation. Mr Buttimer said: He is ruined from heroin. He is from the northside of Cork City. He had a difficult enough upbringing. He was off all substances for years but regressed and got into a very serious addiction. He became homeless and went down the road of drink and drugs. Mr Buttimer said the accused was a rather talented artist and was working on developing this talent while he was in prison. He added that the accused was very apologetic. By Sean McCarthaigh An Bord Pleanala has upheld recent decisions of Cork County Council to approve new solar energy developments in Ballyspillane West outside Midleton and near Leamlara about 6km away. The councils decision to give the go-ahead to the Midleton project had been appealed by a number of parties, including the Ballyspillane West and Surrounding Area Action Group which claimed the size and scale of the project on a 28 hectare site was much larger that the dozens of other solar farms planned in the Cork region. They also expressed concern that the local road network was unsuitable for construction and maintenance traffic as well as about the developments impact on people living in the area and their properties. Terra Solar, which is based in the UCD campus in Belfield, plans to install around 84,200 sq m of solar panels on farmland which would provide a maximum of 14.1 megawatts. In reaching its decision, An Bord Pleanala said it had taken into consideration regional and national policy objectives on renewable energy, the Cork County Development Plan, the solar farm itself and the topography of the site. The planning appeals board said that, subject to 13 conditions, the development would not seriously injure the visual and residential amenities of the local area. It ruled that the solar farm was unlikely to have any significant effect on the local environment or ecology and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience. An Bord Pleanala made similar findings to plans by Lightsource Renewable Energy Ireland, a Belfast-based energy firm, to develop a solar farm on a 48-hectare site between Knockraha and Leamlara with 25.7 megawatt capacity. Four local residents had challenged the decision of Cork Co Council to approve the project, claiming it would lead to the industrialisation of a rural setting. They included the owners of a local dog training centre and boarding kennels, Martin and Brigitte Noonan, who expressed concern that the operations of the solar farm would destroy their business and livelihood. The objectors also questioned the suitability of the existing road network to cope with construction traffic for the project. An inspector with An Bord Pleanala said the lack of specific national guidelines for solar farms was not a reason to refuse planning permission for the development. Planning permission for both solar farms is for 25 years with the time period for permission to develop them set at 10 years. By Liam Heylin A Polish primary school teacher was extradited to Ireland to face a charge of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightspot in Cork City when he was visiting for a two-week English language course. Detective Garda Brian Maher said the victim of the sexual assault was out socialising with friends at the venue in Cork City at 2.30am on March 16, 2016. The accused man, Mariusz Hefczyc, aged 37, and another man were leaving the premises and walking through a group of people. He put his hands between her legs and grabbed her vaginal area. She grabbed hold of him and confronted him. Staff were alerted and he was questioned, Det Garda Maher said yesterday at Cork District Court. The accused returned to Poland before he was charged with any offence. Det Garda Maher later went to the High Court for a warrant to arrest him. He was arrested in Poland on June 11 and extradited to Ireland a fortnight later. He has been remanded in custody in Poland and Ireland since June 11. Eddie Burke, solicitor, said the accused had no convictions in either country and was pleading guilty to the sexual assault. The married father of one has lost his teaching job as a result of this, Mr Burke said. He did not contest the warrant. He does apologise first and foremost. He was in Cork for a two-week English language course. He had quite a lot of drink and he did this. He is disgusted with himself, said Mr Burke. Judge Olann Kelleher said: This is an unfortunate incident. This lady was out with friends and this caused her great distress. The judge referred to the fact that the Director of Public Prosecutions had accepted jurisdiction to deal with the case at Cork District Court. Judge Kelleher imposed a four-month jail term on Mariusz Hefczyc who is from Glucholazy, Wieniaqskiego, Poland. The sentence was backdated to June 11 when he went into custody. No details that might identify the complainant, who is aged around 30, are reported. The defendant was not known to her. On the question of the accused man not contesting the extradition warrant and cooperating with the investigation, Det Garda Maher said that was so, but added that the accused would have been aware that he was looking for him in relation to this sexual assault. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey would never tolerate threats from anybody after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of "large sanctions" unless Ankara freed an American pastor on trial in Turkey on terrorism charges. "No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone; no exception," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter. Trump tweeted yesterday that the U.S. would impose "large sanctions" against Ankara if American pastor Andrew Brunson was not "immediately" released. By Juno McEnroe and Fiachra OCionnaith Alternative post-Brexit maritime routes between Ireland and France have been discussed by port authorities as fears of a no- deal exit deepen. Authorities from ports in Dublin, Rosslare, and Cork, among others, as well as counterparts from north and west France, met in Dublin yesterday. Brexit implications and the need for alternative routes when Britain leaves the EU formed part of talks, which were overseen by the Department of Transport. The talks come after the Government last week announced it will hire extra customs officials and veterinary officers, and step up efforts to counteract a disorderly Brexit. Holly Faulkner, communications manager at the Irish Maritime Development Office, said: All major Irish ports and a range of ports on the west coast of France, from Bordeaux in the South to Calais in the north [attended]. She said the meetings were to strengthen trade links between Ireland and France and about the implications of Brexit. EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier met British Brexit secretary Dominic Raab yesterday and rejected a new proposed trade deal. Britain is proposing to collect EUs tariffs on goods entering the country in order to avoid border checks. The EU cannot and the EU will not delegate the application of its customs policy and rules, Vat and excise duty collections to a non-member who would not be subject to the EUs governance structures, Mr Barnier said during a news conference with Mr Raab in Brussels. Mr Barnier said he would be willing to consider including Britain in a customs union. However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar still believes a deal can be struck. Speaking in Rome yesterday, he said: I am confident that we will be able to come to a withdrawal agreement that includes an Irish protocol in October. I am confident that it will be possible to get that ratified by Westminster and the EU Parliament before March. I am confident that well be able to achieve what were setting out to achieve but we do have to be wise to the possibility that it may fail and theres lots of different reasons why things might go wrong not in Ireland or in Europe but potentially in London and thats why we have to prepare for all eventualities. By Sean McCarthaigh A prisoner found dead in his cell in Cork Prison last year was facing sentencing for serious criminal offences. A report by the Inspector of Prisons into the death of the 22-year-old man on April 13, 2017, revealed that he had been convicted of a number of serious charges at the Central Criminal Court a month earlier. He was due back before the Central Criminal Court, which deals mostly with cases of murder and rape, on May 15, 2017. The report by acting inspector, Helen Casey, said the deceased had been placed on a restricted regime, involving being locked in his cell for 23 hours daily, a month before his death for his own protection. She reported that there had been conflict between him and other prisoners due to the nature of the charges facing him. The prisoner, whose identity was not revealed, had been committed to Cork Prison on January 12, 2017, in relation to other less serious offences with a release date on November 6 last. The deceased, who came from the Munster region, is survived by his mother, brothers, sisters, partner, and daughter. The report said he had been transferred between Cork Prison and the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise on a number of occasions to facilitate court appearances and was due back in the Midlands Prison on the day after his death. The mans partner said she had visited him on the day before he died and reported that he had given no indication of thoughts of self-harm during the visit. His mother said her son had no history of self-harming or of depression or psychiatric illness. Both women said they had been unaware before his death that serious charges had been pending against him. CCTV footage showed that the prisoner had been checked by prison officers in his cell on 15 occasions in the eight hours before he was found in an unresponsive state in his cell. The report said prison staff had responded promptly when the alarm was raised. Ms Casey said the cause of the prisoners death was a matter to be determined by the coroner. Government departments have spent a staggering 24m on external lawyers in the past three years, despite having the office of the attorney general at their disposal. Figures obtained by the Irish Examiner confirm that many departments have had significant year-on-year increases in legal bills since 2015. Paschal Donohoes Department of Finance, in particular, saw its spend on external legal fees jump from 757,172 to 2.4m. Some of the countrys top law firms, such as William Fry, Arthur Cox, and Hayes Solicitors, were among the lawyers engaged by the department. The finance department was the biggest spender on external legal fees during the period covering 2015 to 2017, totalling 5.3m overall. During that period, the department was dealing with the Siteserv scandal, the tracker mortgage scandal, and the Project Eagle/Nama scandal, which contributed to the high spend. Figures obtained also show the Department of Defence was the next biggest spender totalling 4.7m. While claims involving former members of the Defence Forces in relation to Lariam and air corps toxic chemical exposure are handled by the State Claims Agency, the departments high legal spend came amid a number of controversies since 2015. The Department of Communications outlay was 4.5m, including a massive jump from 687,000 in 2016 to more than 3.1m last year. Some departments failed to provide information when requested but the figures were in response to a series of parliamentary questions by Independent TD for Tipperary Mattie McGrath, who expressed outrage at the spend. Mr McGrath said the sums being paid out in legal fees by some Government departments were staggering, as were the year-on-year increases in legal fees expenditure. For example, what justified the massive jump in Department of Communications legal fees from 686,000 in 2016 to over 3.1m in 2017? asked Mr McGrath. There genuinely seems to be no real accountability around the exorbitant amounts being paid out. Some legal firms are receiving hundreds of thousands in fees for what essentially appears to be advice on identical matters. It cannot be allowed to continue, he said. The figures also show that the Department of Justice, as the parent department for the Smithwick Tribunal, has spent almost 6m on external third party legal fees as well as its own spend on lawyers. In total, the cost of funding the Smithwick Tribunals legal costs between 2015 and 2017 amounted to 5.2m. Smithwick investigated the events surrounding the killing of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robert Buchanan of the former Royal Ulster Constabulary. They were killed in an IRA ambush at Jonesborough on March 20, 1989. A number of departments, meanwhile, had no spend on legal fees. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it generally seeks advice on domestic legal matters from the Office of the Attorney General and/or the Chief State Solicitors Office. Puzzles hub Visit our brain gym where you will find simple and cryptic crosswords, sudoku puzzles and much more. Updated at midnight every day. PS ... We would love to hear your feedback on the section right HERE. Play By Ann O'Loughlin An appeal by a county Dublin woman against the High Court's refusal to permit her bring a petition aimed at overturning the Yes result of the abortion referendum will be heard on August 17th. A stay preventing the result being formally certified by the Referendum Returning Officer continues pending the appeal hearing. The matter was briefly mentioned before Ms Justice Mary Irvine in the appeal court on Friday afternoon when Ms Joanna Jordan, a homemaker from Dun Laoghaire, represented herself. Frank Callanan SC represented the State. Ms Justice Irvine said a notice of appeal has been filed by Ms Jordan and told her, because this was a matter of "significant public importance", there would be an early hearing date. The judge fixed that date for August 17th and told Ms Jordan she would have to file her written submissions by August 7th and the State and Referendum Commission would have to respond by August 10th. Ms Jordan, who had legal representation for her High Court case, said she is endeavouring to get solicitors and barristers and hoped she would not have to present the appeal herself. Separately, the appeal court will on Monday hear an appeal by Diarmaid McConville, fropm Dromahair, Co Leitrim, against the High Court's refusal to allow him be substituted for Ciaran Tracey, a retired public servant from Leitrim village, who had initiated an application for permission to bring a petition challenging the result but lateer withdrew it. The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, said there was no procedure for permitting such a substitution and refused it. Mr Justice Kelly last week refused separate applications by Ms Jordan and by Charles Byrne, a musician from College Rise, Drogheda, Co Louth for leeve to bring petitions to challenge the May 25th referendum result. He found neither met the criteria set out by the Referendum Act for such petitions. The Act required the applicants to put prima facie evidence before the court of matters described in the Act but they had not, he found. They both failed to produce evidence of various matters complained about, including alleged electoral irregularities and alleged unlawful government interference in the campaign. He also found neither applicant had shown any of the matters they complained about would, as the Referendum Act required, materially affect the outcome. The referendum was carried by more than 700,000 votes, he noted. Earlier this week, the judge made orders that the State and Referendum Commission were entitled to their legal costs, estimated at more than 200,000, of successfully opposing both applications. Ms Jordan has appealed the High Court decision but Mr Byrne is not appealing. Diabetes, eating disorder, depression, cancer. Aileen C. OReilly had her share of health challenges but shes still standing. There is a short story by F.Scott Fitzgerald entitled The Lost Decade about a hugely successful Wall Street broker who loses 10 years of his life to drink and then finally re-emerges again, bleary-eyed and bewildered only to find that life has moved on in his absence, nobody believes who he is and he can only fudge so much when it comes to explaining where hes been for all that time. I am that man, plus four years. Im 46 and I havent worked in 14 years and up until relatively recently, I had absolutely no career prospects or aspirations to change any of this. My life just stopped in its tracks due to overwhelming health problems and I gave up on everything. Back in the 90s, I was the girl who had it all the big pad in town, interviewing celebrities, flying off on private jets with The Corrs. I spent the Millennium in New York you know partying with Mayor Giuliani in Times Square. Note to self: Children born that year are adults now, voting, you cant seriously be dining out on those old war stories anymore. As reveries about my career were starting to make me sound like I was just raving, I shut up and quietly shut down. Long-standing issues with type-1 diabetes eventually crippled both me and my career my sight failed, my kidneys werent great, I lost toes. I got seriously depressed as infection after infection saw me deposited by ambulance back in the hospital on a monthly basis. I had never fully dealt with the fact that I was a diabetic. In the end I was simply forced to listen before limbs were summarily detached. It took a stark warning from my doctor in front of a team of stunned students followed by a weekend left in my hospital bed crying solidly for this to properly sink in. The diabetes wasnt going away. Luckily I had a brilliant endocrinologist who appreciated the car-crash impact of my eating disorder on my diabetes and put me on a revolutionary new treatment on the off chance that it might just work. I think all the students secretly crossed their fingers and prayed. I knew this was my last chance. 80% of my sight in my left eye was already irretrievably lost and I was down two toes on my right foot if the doctors were taking a punt on me with this new treatment then I owed it to them to play ball and do my bit too. So I began to tentatively eat well, checked my blood sugars eight times a day, got the recommended level of exercise and my body slowly started to regenerate itself. I couldnt believe it after years of feeling so unwell, I had energy again. I still remember the day I bounced back into my doctors office and asked him about the possibility of returning to work. My specialist, a young go-getting fellow in his 40s, looked at me and Ill never forget his words. Youre not ready for a full-time job. Have you any hobbies? Youre still very fragile you know. And maybe avoid relationships for a while too. You do have a job your job now is to mind yourself and not get sick again. Your job is to stay well so you dont end up in hospital all the time. I felt like screaming. I had no purpose anymore. Here I was finally thriving but I couldnt do anything with all this new energy. I felt like I was being buried alive in safe bubble wrap 40 years of age and already pensioned off. Dont get me wrong I tried charity work. I started doing shifts in a charity shop in town and within a week my feet were acting up and the ominous word rest was being bandied about again. Perhaps not so surprisingly it wasnt long before full-scale depression set it. Looking back it felt as if an unyielding fog had descended and sapped all my energy. I kept minding myself the way I knew I had to but it was just routine and the joy of being well totally evaporated. I remembered, as I dispassionately viewed my newly healthy body in the mirror, how the little mermaid had traded her singing voice for legs so she could run away from her life beneath the waves. Shut up, I mumbled to my reflection you have your health back at least every one can stop worrying about you now. A very protracted stint on anti-depressants followed but believe me all rumours of the wonders of liquid sunshine are greatly exaggerated. I flatlined. The day I narrowly missed being hit by a double-decker bus and I realised my heart rate hadnt even accelerated I knew it was time to ditch the drugs and deal with my issues. Four weeks into the withdrawal programme it hit. Noise, life, fear, anger. everything that had been on mute surged back in with the force of an emotional tsunami. I woke up raging. I punched walls. I roared when I couldnt find my other trainer. Then I cried. Then I kicked something else .. Every emotion was like a loaded gun without the safety catch - in the hands of a hopped up five-year-old. But amid the screaming and tantruming, my sense of humour finally returned and redeemed me before my family was left like the ruins of Dresden. And then I got cancer. A nodule on my thyroid turned out to be a neck riddled with cancer from an old Branchial cyst Id had since birth. On the plus side, despite the absence of drugs, the upside of relentlessly training yourself not to look for anything from life is that you just tend to get on with it when things inevitably go a bit wrong. The doctors reassured me that cancer of the neck was good in that it didnt tend to spread anywhere else in the body so theyd just cut it out. It was all done and dusted inside of six weeks and I was left with half an Eastend smile sliced into my neck and a row of black stitches that Jack Skellington would have salivated over. A five-day stint in isolation with radioactive iodine followed along with a horrible taste of loose change in my mouth, sleepless nights, and everything tasting weird oh and nosebleeds, loads of inopportune nosebleeds. I didnt care. Every test was coming back negative and I had had my absolute fill of hospitals. I still dont feel like Ive had the big C to be honest I see the physical and emotional trauma that other people have had to endure and my experience is more akin to sailing past the Titanic on a cruiser at a very safe distance. And I aimed to take full advantage of that fact. Before anything else went wrong... However, the idea of searching for old contacts and wearing a shit-eating grin whilst on the phone arranging to try and meet up was just too much 14 years had passed. My confidence, which got me through operations and endless consultants meetings, was deserting me. Younger, sharper multi-media savvy journalists had sprung up during my self-imposed exile and I felt irrelevant, stupid and out-teched by them all. I should also probably mention that my glittering career started off with me as a coffee girl without any journalistic credentials in my back pocket.. Thanks to the wonders of social media I reconnected with many lost friends who were so helpful and encouraging one of whom dropped everything to come to my house and was kind enough to put me forward for a bit of travel writing with her exs travel trade magazine. Sure you might get to go on the odd nice trip and have a few posh lunches in town she smiled, hugging me as she left. Inside my head a merry go round shuddered, clunked and whirred back into action with its glowing lights, jolly blaring music and gaudily painted horses and things started to move. Life isnt just good its beyond amazing, Im just back from Jordan and since last October Ive been to Paris, Morocco and to many, many amazing events in between including my first ever cruise. I'm terrified on a daily basis but thats good too. My family look at me with the marvel and awe which must have greeted Tutankhamun when he was finally unearthed and I am humbled by their unerring love and patience (and ability to wear flak jackets in unified silence). My wonderful patient parents who have been there every single step of the way feel younger as a result of it too their 40-something daughter is back in her 20s and I think theyd gladly trade me in for a few camels just to get a bit of peace at this stage. The German wunderkind brings his brilliant classical-electro hybrid to All Together Now next weekend, writes Ed Power. It'searly afternoon in Berlin and piano wunderkind Nils Frahm is getting stuck into a work of mind-bending, horizon- expanding complexity. Im renovating, he explains. I have to decide how the bathroom will work out. Its an interesting task. Like music but with different shapes and forms. Is he eager to finish the bathroom design and return to his piano? At this time of the day I am not the most creative. I try to use my day for different tasks and distribute them. Such impeccable logic likewise informs his music. When Frahm (35) played to a packed Dublin National Concert Hall in February, the performance pinged between dance-floor ready electronica and solo pieces of heartswelling intensity. The idea was to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, each switchback and figurative loop-the-loop pulled off with breathtaking precision. Its a unique talent to be equally at home in the world of techno-pop and contemporary music (the fancy term for modern classical). And it is one that has made Frahm among the most critically acclaimed piano players today, a name to drop is trend-conscious circles. Frahm has sold out venues across the world and is in demand as a soundtrack composer, with the score to the experimental 2015 German heist movie Victoria (shot in a single take) among his most acclaimed projects . He also has a vocal cheerleader in Cork actor Cillian Murphy, who narrated an Enda Walsh story for a compilation assembled by Frahm and released under the Late Night Tales banner (the collection juxtaposed Nina Simone and Miles Davis with comparatively obscure electro artists such as Board of Canada and Four Tet). He got in touch to say he was a fan, Frahm recalls. We ended up meeting and we speak often. He looks for ways to support and offered to do this thing: it was incredible. One of the most extraordinary aspects of Frahms music the live shows especially is the sheer spectrum of genres and emotions. He returns to Ireland to perform at the first All Together Now festival and attendees can look forward to a set that bounds, with an almost puppyish glee, between the severe and the throwaway, the banging and the introspective. Context is interesting, he says. I like how a quiet piece feels after youve done a very loud one. And how a loud one feels after a quiet one. Frahms early career saw him flirt with enfant terrible status. One of his earliest teachers, when he was growing up outside Hamburg, was the last living protege of Tchaikovsky. But he found formal classical training limiting. Regurgitating the past did not have much appeal for an artist with both eyes locked on the future. As soon as he could he left for Berlin, where he found work as a studio technician. It is boring to me to stay in just one feeling or to repeat a different type of emotion over and over. I like to surprise myself and then also people. When Im excited the feeling transmits automatically to an audience. Curraghmore House, Co Waterford, wil host an eclectic mix of acts next weekend. But it unsettles him slightly to be thought of a classical wild child. He isnt waging a war against the academy or anyone else for that matter. There is no need to rip down classical music and start over. You wont find any wrecking balls in his repertoire. You dont have to destroy something in this case to build something new. Sometimes you need to do that. I dont have the authority or desire to replace anything. I would rather like to add to the list. "I am a big fan of all genres of music. It is an ongoing discovery for me I dont want to repeat what has already been done a million times. I would like to build a new house next to all these other construction sites, rather than tear another house down. One surprise is how charismatic he can be in concert. At the NCH, he shared a funny story about a bespoke organ he had designed so huge it ended up gathering dust in his living room until he was finally convinced to bring it on tour. He appreciates individuality in instruments as much as in people, he says if everything was perfect, nothing would have a personality. Thats why I love analogue instruments. Like me, they are different every time. Sometimes they are in a sweet spot, sometimes they need a bit of service and all in between. Im not interested in just repeating somebody elses idea. I am interested in music as a psychological tool how it changes when something within me changes. Nils Frahm plays the Sunday of All Together Now, Curraghmore House, Co Waterford. August 35. Weekend and day tickets available. So, when is Micheal going to be thrown to the lions? It wasnt quite on the same scale as the Endless Enda melodrama of Mr Kennys final years, but in the Eternal City of Rome yesterday Taoiseach Leo Varadkar seemed to be growing into his hoped-for Eternal Leo role. Fresh from publicly confirming a week after some mysterious, unknown individual privately did that he wants to silence any general election whispering among the Dail masses until at least 2020, the Caesar of Castleknock was in a commanding mood. Having been driven to the imposing Palazzo Chigi by sleek Italian cavalcade the chariot was presumably at the garage; recessions take time to recover from, after all Mr Varadkar was welcomed by prime minister Guiseppe Conte and a full-scale ceremonial band. Striding up the red carpet to inspect his guests, he slowly turned to nod his approval to relieved officials before walking inside with his diplomatic generals for a private strategic meeting on the British tribe trying to liberate itself in the far reaches of the EU empire, and how the uprising could be crushed. All that was missing were the white woollen toga and the laurel wreath around the ears. For someone who has only been in the job a year and whose Government is dangling by the slimmest of slim Dail threads which could, in theory, be snapped at any second, the calmness exuded was surprising. But then again, Mr Varadkar knows that, while he may be in Julius Caesars back yard, there is no real risk of him having to dust down the schoolboy Latin any time soon and demand Et tu, Brute? of any would-be assassins sharpening the dagger to stab him in the back. Despite frustration over a two-tier urban-rural economic divide, anger over the deepening housing and homelessness crises, and the never-ending crisis in the health system, the Taoiseach is in a far safer position than he should be. And the Brexit stand-off means that while his Government should be facing imminent collapse, it wont, with the strong likelihood that the Eternal Leo call not to hold an election until 2020 is more honest appraisal than public bluff. What all this means for Micheal Martin is anyones guess. Channelling Maximus Decimus Meridius in 2000s Gladiator, the commander of the soldiers of destiny is father to a foundering party, husband to a life-sapping confidence-and-supply deal, and wants his vengeance, in this life or the next. But if things dont change soon, Micheal may soon become more Minimus than Maximus in the Dails colosseum, with a thumbs down from the masses leading to a one-way trip to the lions as his own colleagues try to find a new way to extinguish Eternal Leos eternal flame. Baku hosted consultations between the Azerbaijani and Russian foreign ministries on the topic of information support of foreign policy. The Azerbaijani delegation was led by the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hikmat Hajiyev and the Russian delegation was led by the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The sides expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia in the spirit of strategic partnership. Within the framework of the consultations, issues of work with media and social networks, cooperation in the field of digital diplomacy were discussed and experiences in areas of mutual interest were exchanged. The sides also underlined the importance of continuing consultations in this format. More than a thousand vulnerable adults and children will continue to languish in deeply unsuitable institutional care year after year unless there is a transformation in the provision of mental services, writes John Saunders. Each year since 2012, the Mental Health Commission has dutifully highlighted the same inadequacies in our mental health services. Each year we point to the same drearily familiar failings. They are evidently very easy for those who make and implement policy to ignore. These are not victimless failings. Dozens of traumatised children are admitted annually to adult psychiatric units, often compounding their trauma. More than a thousand people with enduring mental illness or intellectual disability languish in unsuitable and unregulated community residences, prevented from taking the next step towards independent living. For six years now, we have been saying that some of our mental health services are unsafe, substandard, and breach patients rights. The truth is that this will continue, year in, year out, unless there is major transformational change in the provision of mental health care services. Without a change in priority and in attitude to some of our most vulnerable citizens, Ireland will continue to provide a level of unsafe and substandard services, which are not aligned to best practice and breach the fundamental rights of those who need such services. More than a decade ago, under the Government policy of A Vision for Change, we began the process of moving large numbers of users of mental health services from dilapidated, old institutions into community care. This was the right policy and one which the Mental Health Commission continues to support enthusiastically. But there have been major failings in the implementation of this policy. Many of those who moved from the old institutions did not end up living in the community in the way intended by the policy. Instead, more than 1,300 of them have ended up in what are known as community residences. Having spent decades in psychiatric hospitals, they are now accommodated in 118 of these unregulated, often poorly maintained residences that are restrictive, too big, and not respectful of patients privacy, dignity and autonomy. These are people with enduring mental illness or disability and they have simply moved from one institution to another. According to A Vision for Change, these residences should not have more than 10 beds. However, the commissions report has found that 58% of the 118 community residences have more than this, with some having up to 30. This is not community living. Anyone who has been an inpatient on a psychiatric ward will not be surprised by the mental health commission's report. We need investment but also we need to change the way we treat people experiencing mental health difficulties. Also too much emphasis on meds. Change needed. Marie Duffy (@Donegalabu) July 26, 2018 These community residences should be a staging post, a step on a journey from institutionalised care to more independent living. However, for many, that next step is not happening and they are remaining in highly-supported and unsuitable accommodation. This is not to say that that all of this accommodation is inadequate. However, it is not regulated. In short, we dont nactually know what it is like, but many of these facilities are institutionalised settings with little or no rehabilitation or prospect of moving to more independent living. These people appear to have been simply forgotten by both the nmental health services and by society. We have highlighted their position for several years. Nothing has been done. A change in the law is needed to let the Mental commission regulate these institutions. We dont want to suggest that that many of these institutions are not doing their best, in difficult circumstances, to give good services to vulnerable people. Very well-intentioned and diligent staff and managers are trying hard to provide respectful and dignified care to these service users. However, this is not true in all cases. The lack of regulation dramatically increases the risk of neglectful incidents occurring, and also creates an atmosphere in which it is possible for deliberate abuse to take place and to remain undetected. For years, we have been asking for the law to be changed to enable the commission to regulate and inspect these residences. This hasnt happened. It is deeply frustrating to feel that, next year, the commission will be making the same call for the same, relatively simple, legal change. We are equally frustrated by the lack of progress in dealing with the long-term and totally unacceptable practice of admitting children into adult units. This happens because of a lack of dedicated places for children and adolescents. The inability of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to admit children after hours also often forces their admission to adult care services. This is not only an unsatisfactory situation for the child and his or her family but is also a clear breach of the human rights and dignity of the child. We have been highlighting this for many years. The response? The number of children admitted to adult mental health services actually increased from 68 in 2016 to 82 last year. The waiting time for a child and adolescent mental health appointment is up to 15 months. Recent years have seen huge progress in reducing the stigma attached to mental illness, and in raising awareness of the concept of recovery. In other words, mental health services are no longer to be seen only as a means of managing people with mental illness. Rather, they have the same aim as all health services, which is to help each patient to recover and to have as full a life as possible. However, we continue to see some services failing to put in place individualised care plans and therapeutic programmes designed to bring about recovery. Restrictive practices such as seclusion and physical restraint are still seen as normal in some places. "The lack of any real progress and commitment on these matters undermines the fundamental human rights of people using mental health care services, Mental Health Commission speaking on the patterns of non-compliance by #MentalHealth services in Ireland in Annual Report 2017 pic.twitter.com/EirMjstVeD Mental Health Reform (@MHReform) July 25, 2018 Some premises simply remain dilapidated and dirty. In some areas of mental health service provision, the modern view that the central aim is patient recovery has really taken hold. In others, the ambition seems to be more limited to that of management and containment. Yes, there has been some change. In 2017, there was an improvement in services compliance with regulatory requirements. In many cases, local services with the support of the commission have striven to bring about improvements and have succeeded. The big picture shows, however, a difficulty in sustaining these positive changes. The regulations with the lowest levels of compliance were related to staffing, premises, maintenance of records and medication practices. Last year, less than half approved centres were found to be compliant in these areas. In areas such as staff training, there has still been little change. The commission is now calling on the Government with the Health Service Executive as the statutory provider of services, to initiate a major transformation programme to deal with the service issues we are highlighting this year, and have highlighted repeatedly, year after year, to little effect. John Saunders is chairman of the Mental Health Commission. By Frans von der Dunk, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 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 they ask most frequently, often with a big smile or a twinkle in the eye, is: So tell me, who owns the moon? Of course, claiming new national territories had been very much a European habit, applied to non-European parts of the world. In particular the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch, the French and the English created huge colonial empires. But while their attitude was very Europe-centric, the legal notion that planting a flag was an act of establishing sovereignty quickly stuck and became accepted worldwide as part and parcel of the law of nations. Obviously, the astronauts had more important things on their mind than contemplating the legal meaning and consequences of that planted flag, but luckily the issue had been taken care of prior to the mission. Since the beginning of the space race the United States knew that for many people around the world the sight of a U.S. flag on the Moon would raise major political issues. Any suggestion that the moon might become, legally speaking, part of U.S. backwaters might fuel such concerns, and possibly give rise to international disputes harmful to both the U.S. space program and U.S. interests as a whole. By 1969, decolonization may have destroyed any notion that non-European parts of the world, though populated, were not civilized and thus justifiably made subject to European sovereignty however, there was not a single person living on the moon; even life itself was absent. Still, the simple answer to the question of whether Armstrong and Aldrin by way of their small ceremony did transform the moon, or at least a major part thereof, into U.S. territory turns out to be no. They, nor NASA, nor the U.S. government intended the U.S. flag to have that effect. The first outer space treaty Most importantly, that answer was enshrined in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to which both the United States and the Soviet Union as well as all other space-faring nations, had become a party. Both superpowers agreed that colonization on Earth had been responsible for tremendous human suffering and many armed conflicts that had raged over the last centuries. They were determined not to repeat that mistake of the old European colonial powers when it came to decide on the legal status of the moon; at least the possibility of a land grab in outer space giving rise to another world war was to be avoided. By that token, the moon became something of a global commons legally accessible to all countries two years prior to the first actual manned moon landing. So, the U.S. flag was not a manifestation of claiming sovereignty, but of honoring the U.S. taxpayers and engineers who made Armstrong, Aldrin, and third astronaut Michael Collins mission possible. The two men carried a plaque that they came in peace for all mankind, and of course Neils famous words echoed the same sentiment: his small step for man was not a giant leap for the United States, but for mankind. Furthermore, the United States and NASA lived up to their commitment by sharing the moon rocks and other samples of soil from the lunar surface with the rest of the world, whether by giving them away to foreign governments or by allowing scientists from all over the globe to access them for scientific analysis and discussion. In the midst of the Cold War, this even included scientists from the Soviet Union. Case closed, no need for space lawyers anymore then? No need for me to prepare University of Nebraska-Lincolns space law students for further discussions and disputes on the lunar law, right? No space lawyers needed? Not so fast. While the legal status of the Moon as a global commons accessible to all countries on peaceful missions did not meet any substantial resistance or challenge, the Outer Space Treaty left further details unsettled. Contrary to the very optimistic assumptions made at the time, so far humankind has not returned to the moon since 1972, making lunar land rights largely theoretical. That is, until a few years ago when several new plans were hatched to go back to the moon. In addition at least two U.S. companies, Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries, which have serious financial backing, have started targeting asteroids for the purpose of mining their mineral resources. Geek note: Under the aforementioned Outer Space Treaty, the moon and other celestial bodies such as asteroids, legally speaking, belong in the same basket. None of them can become the territory of one sovereign state or another. The very fundamental prohibition under the Outer Space Treaty to acquire new state territory, by planting a flag or by any other means, failed to address the commercial exploitation of natural resources on the moon and other celestial bodies. This is a major debate currently raging in the international community, with no unequivocally accepted solution in sight yet. Roughly, there are two general interpretations possible. So you want to mine an asteroid? Countries such as the United States and Luxembourg (as the gateway to the European Union) agree that the moon and asteroids are global commons, which means that each country allows its private entrepreneurs, as long as duly licensed and in compliance with other relevant rules of space law, to go out there and extract what they can, to try and make money with it. Its a bit like the law of the high seas, which are not under the control of an individual country, but completely open to duly licensed law-abiding fishing operations from any countrys citizens and companies. Then, once the fish is in their nets, it is legally theirs to sell. On the other hand, countries such as Russia and somewhat less explicitly Brazil and Belgium hold that the moon and asteroids belong to humanity as a whole. And therefore the potential benefits from commercial exploitation should somehow accrue for humanity as a whole or at least should be subjected to a presumably rigorous international regime to guarantee humanity-wide benefits. Its a bit like the regime originally established for harvesting mineral resources from the deep seabed. Here, an international licensing regime was created as well as an international enterprise, which was to mine those resources and generally share the benefits among all countries. While in my view the former position certainly would make more sense, both legally and practically, the legal battle by no means is over. Meanwhile, the interest in the moon has been renewed as well at least China, India and Japan have serious plans to go back there, raising the stakes even higher. Therefore, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln we will need to teach our students about these issues for many years to come. While ultimately it is up to the community of states to determine whether common agreement can be reached on either of the two positions or maybe somewhere in between, it is of crucial importance that agreement can be reached one way or another. Such activities developing without any law that is generally applicable and accepted would be a worst-case scenario. While not a matter of colonization anymore, it may have all the same harmful results. This article was written by Frans von der Dunk, Professor of Space Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. A 21-year-old Swedish student stopped the deportation of a man to Afghanistan by boarding his flight and refusing to sit down until he was let off the plane. Whether her action was right or wrong, it shows the power that a single committed individual can wield in the face of overwhelming odds. It also shows the power of social media. The student at the University of Gothenburg streamed her one-person protest via Facebook where it amassed thousands of likes and shares and has been viewed more than 2m times. While there have been airport protests here for more than a decade, they have centered on the use of Shannon as a refueling stop for US military aircraft and have been confined to the runway. There has been little opposition to the International Protection Act which came into effect in 2016 and bolsters the States power to enforce deportation orders. It gives authorities powers to arrest, without a warrant, people who have been issued deportation orders. The man in question was fortunate to have such a doughty defender in Elin Ersson who had bought a ticket when she learned the flight from Sweden would carry someone being deported. She did it, she said, to save his life. She was also fortunate in making her protest within the jurisdiction of a liberal democracy. Had she done so in Turkey where the plane was due to land en route to Afghanistan, she might well have been deprived of her liberty, if not her life. Business Fast-Growing Coffee Sector Looks for Extra Shot of Support From Government Coffee beans are seen at the Segafredo Zanetti plant in Sotteville-les-Rouen, France. / Reuters YANGON Myanmars coffee market is growing robustly, with the countrys beans attracting increasing interest in international markets as well as locally, industry sources said. U Min Hlaing, secretary of the Myanmar Coffee Association, said demand for Myanmar coffee has surged in the past few years and it is now being exported to more than a dozen Asian and Western countries. Coffee exports are set to double from last year, he said. In 2017, over 100 tonnes of the countrys coffee beans were shipped to foreign markets while this year the figure is expected to exceed 200 tonnes, to about 15 foreign countries including the new emerging markets of Canada, Belgium and New Zealand, U Min Hlaing said, citing official data, which doesnt include border trade. In August 2016, Myanmar exported two shipments of coffee beans to the United States, the first commercial-scale imports in nearly two decades, after Washington lifted its remaining economic sanctions on the country. Since then, the United States has become the largest foreign market for Myanmar coffee. Domestically, coffee consumption has also increased. As the tourism sector has boomed, the country has seen a wave of cafes open in past four years. Yet, production and exports of the previously neglected crop remain small compared to the levels of major coffee-producing countries in the neighborhood such as Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia, U Min Hlaing said. We need to boost coffee production, he said. Arabica and Robusta, the main coffee varieties, are grown in many locations throughout the country, although primarily in highland areas in Shan, Kachin, Kayah and Chin states as well as in Mandalay Division. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation hopes to increase coffee acreage to 200, 000 and export 60, 000 tonnes by 2030, state media has reported. Currently, there are about 50, 000 acres of coffee plantations producing more than 7, 000 tonnes a year. U Ye Myint, the chairman of the Myanmar Coffee Association, said land conflicts in the regions as well as increasing land prices are the main difficulties for coffee growers seeking to expand their plantations. He said the growing agro-business needed support from the government in the form of loans and better technology as well as measures to boost quality control and demand to support sustainable growth. We hope for assistance from the government not only moral support, he said. US president Donald Trump has no recognizable strategy on Russia, Germanys defence minister Ursula von der Leyen said. "There is no recognizable strategy in the presidents approach to Russia," Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with Spiegel. "The problem with Helsinki is that nobody knows what was discussed or even agreed," the minister noted. She urged NATO allies to respond calmly to Trump, and said that NATOs position on Russia had not changed, despite Trumps meeting in Helsinki. "We of course want better relationships with Moscow, but the ball is in the Kremlins court in that regard," the Local cited the minister as saying. News Former Mandalay Chief Minister Refuses to Return Misused Development Funds Former Chief Minister U Ye Myint tells journalists on July 26, 2018, in Mandalay, that his conscience is clear about the use of regional development funds. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy Mandalay The former chief minister of Mandalay said on Thursday that there was no need for development funds that the current regional government has claimed were used in an unclear manner to be returned. The current regional government said in June that it found discrepancies regarding the use of Mandalays development fund under the previous regional administration. U Ye Myint, the former chief minister, told a press conference in Mandalay that the development funds were donated voluntarily by tycoons and local businessmen and therefore did not need to be returned. That money absolutely does not belong to the regional government or to the central government. It is not from the states budget, so there is no need to hand it over to the government, U Ye Myint said. The former chief minister said the funds were transferred to the Yadanapon Foundation, which was formed in September 2017 under the patronage of former general U Hla Myint Swe. The foundation is still working on regional development projects under the guidance of U Hla Myint Swe. He added that most of the funds had been audited and the audit statement handed over to the government. Theres nothing left to return. As the chief minister asked for an explanation of some of the expenditures, we did that and an audit statement was submitted, U Ye Myint said. He said that he had already sent an explanation about the use of the funds to President U Win Myint in May before the regional government held its press conference. However, he had received no reply from the Presidents Office, he said. I also sent a letter to Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, yesterday (July 25), to clarify the discrepancies found in the audit, U Ye Myint said. Because, the final audit of all the uses of the funds was already done, I dont understand why there are discrepancies. Why dont they check the responsible governmental office about it? he added. My conscience is very clear that I did nothing wrong. At the June press conference, which focused on the work done by the regional government in 2016 to 2017, the chief minister stated there were discrepancies relating to over 3 billion kyats from the regional development fund during the 2012 to 2016 budget years, during the term of U Ye Myint and his regional government team. The chief minister told the journalists that there were differences and unclear statements regarding funds that were used in development sectors such as education, rural development, telecommunications and general rehabilitation. Since January, the auditors general office in Naypyidaw reportedly said it had found fraud cases and was reviewing unlawful expenditures involving regional development funds in many states and divisions under the previous administration of President U Thein Sein. In Irrawaddy Division, the Ayeyarwaddy Health and Education Multi-Developments Foundation, which was formed to deploy regional funds, is reportedly going to return 5.2 billion kyats to the government, following allegations of corruption and fraud. The secretary of that foundation told The Irrawaddy on July 17 that it would return the funds after receiving notification from the regional government under the instruction of the Presidents Office. Meanwhile, in Sagaing Division, the prior regional government handed over 1.7 billion kyats of development funds early this year. Motions to remove three directors of auDA, the Australian domain administration, at a special general meeting held on Friday have been rejected by the membership, the organisation says. In a statement, auDA said that as per its dual membership model where some members are from the Supply class and others from the Demand class a motion needed a majority in both categories to be passed. There were 267 members from the Demand class who were eligible to vote and 78 voted. In the Supply class, there were 50 who were eligible to vote, and 32 voted. On a simple majority, all three resolutions would have passed, as 56 voted for and 21 against, with one abstention in the Demand class; in the Supply class, two voted for and 30 against. In the case of the resolution to remove chair Chris Leptos, the figures for the Supply class were one for, and 31 against. Thus, on a simple majority 58 voted for and 51 against in the case of removing Suzanne Ewart and Sandra Hook; in Leptos' case 57 voted to remove him and 52 against. But under auDA's rules, the motions failed. The fractious SGM, which began at 10am, ran for more than three hours; iTWire tuned out after the third hour passed. At that stage, Leptos announced that the tallying of the vote would take more than 45 minutes, much longer than the 10 minutes he had predicted. Numerous questions raised about procedures were shot down by Leptos who constantly threatened to ask members to leave if they did not sit down. Despite a live audio feed being available, it was at times impossible to hear what was going on. Additionally, speakers often did not identify themselves before they spoke. The auDA statement said: "It is time now for all members to get behind the reform of auDA as demanded by the federal government. auDA is not the plaything of a small group of self-interested parties. "It can no longer be run as a club type organisation with a small membership who wield undue influence. In 2000, the .au network had just 200,000 registrants now it has more than 3.1 million. "auDA must be run in the interest of all stakeholders including businesses whose livelihoods depend on a safe and secure .au namespace and individuals who use .au every day. "As the government noted in its review auDA is no longer fit for purpose and must be reformed and it will be. If the reform process is derailed by self-interested groups it is not just auDA that will suffer but the Australian community. "The board will continue to drive the reform agenda not out of self-interest, but in Australias interest." The SGM came about as a result of a push led by Jim Stewart, the chief executive of StewArt Media, who called for a motion of no-confidence in auDA chief executive Cameron Boardman and the sacking of Leptos and two other independent directors, Ewart and Hook. Russia's Emergencies Ministry has held talks with the UN on humanitarian demining efforts in Syria, the ministrys press service said. "The Russian Emergencies Ministrys expert group held working meetings and consultations in Beirut and Damascus with the senior officials of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and representatives of the Syrian government from July 20 to July 27 to discuss multilateral humanitarian demining projects in Syria. Taking into account the Syrian governments stance, the Russian Emergencies Ministry is ready to join the UN-sponsored humanitarian demining work," TASS cited the ministry as saying. The Russian Emergencies Ministry plans, together with the specialized international agencies, to train ordnance technicians, instruct the population and conduct mine clearance operations. Plans are also in store to continue providing humanitarian aid to the population and refugees in Syria. Most of Syria has already been liberated from terrorists, peaceful life is slowly returning to the country, and Damascus calls on refugees to return to their homeland. "We encourage every Syrian to come back to Syria, especially after the terrorism started to be defeated mainly in Aleppo at the end of 2016. Of course, now there is an acceleration in defeating the terrorism and the majority of the Syrian territories have been liberated from the terrorists. So, we've been encouraging those refugees, many Syrians who have their own business, not only refugees, in different countries," Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said. "We call on refugees, especially on Syrians who had businesses here, to return," the Syrian added. US Vice President Mike Pence said in turn: "I am proud to report that ISIS is on the run, their caliphate has fallen, and I promise you, we will not rest or relent until ISIS is driven from the face of the Earth." A military observer of the TASS news agency, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, stressed in the first place that the return of refugees to Syria will be facilitated by the fact that most of the country's territory has already been liberated from terrorists. "Everyone wants to live where he was born. Refugees were forced to wander outside their homeland while there was war, but I think they will return home. The more life in Syria is improved, the more refugees will return to their native country," the expert believes. At the same time, he focused on the fact that we cannot yet talk about the total destruction of the ISIS terrorist group. "The thing is that ISIS is a network organization, it is almost impossible to destroy it. If it is destroyed in Syria, it appears in Iraq, if it is destroyed in Iraq, it appears in Afghanistan. It is all over the world. ISIS ideas, unfortunately, are not destructible, because they are used among the poor, illiterate population as a struggle for justice," the retired colonel explained. In his opinion, the fight against ISIS will be very long. "In addition to the Near and Middle East, ISIS is appearing in Africa. In Syria, perhaps, it will be suppressed with the help of Russia, but we still have a long-term struggle in other places," Viktor Litovkin concluded. The deputy director of the Political and Military Analysis Institute, Alexander Khramchikhin, in turn, noted that the return of refugees to Syria is linked to several factors. "First, it depends on from whom each particular refugee was escaping, and second, from where exactly," the expert said. He also shared his opinion whether it is possible that by the end of this year ISIS will lose its positions in Syria and cease to exist. "If in a purely territorial sense, it may lose its positions by the end of the year. Overall, ISIS is an al-Qaeda-type structure, so it is unlikely to disappear forever," Alexander Khramchikhin concluded. Reddit Email 11 Shares With Anuj Chopra in Riyadh | Dubai (AFP) Saudi Arabias halt to oil shipments through a strategic waterway after Yemeni rebel attacks could provoke an international intervention in Yemens forgotten war, analysts say. The worlds top oil exporter on Wednesday suspended all oil deliveries through the Bab al-Mandab Strait after accusing the Iran-aligned Huthis of attacking two giant tankers carrying four million barrels of crude. All oil shipments through Bab al-Mandab Strait have been suspended temporarily until maritime transit through the area is safe, said Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih. AFP/File / FAYEZ NURELDINE. Saudi Arabias Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih, pictured in December 2017, announced that all oil shipments through a Yemeni waterway have been halted due to rebel attacks in the area. One of the vessels sustained minor damage in Wednesdays attack and there were no casualties, the Saudi national oil company Aramco said, while the Huthis said they targeted a Saudi warship. The escalation of tensions in the strategic region could encourage outside powers to intervene, said Ellen Wald, author of the book Saudi Inc. The Red Sea is a very important shipping lane. If there is a major disruption, European powers, Egypt and the United States would all have reason to intervene, she wrote in Forbes magazine. An international intervention against the Huthis may be just what Saudi Arabia wants. Global oil prices rose slightly after the incident, although industry experts said the increase was unlikely to last. The incident, however, draws the attention of the international community to the dangers of spillover from Yemens festering three-year conflict. The Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and is a narrow, strategic navigation lane for oil and international trade. The Saudi halt will cause prices to increase slightly and for a limited period, Kuwaiti oil expert Kamel al-Harami said. The main impact of the incident appears to be military, Harami said. It could be a reason for increased naval presence for many countries, mainly the United States and Russia, thus resulting in an escalation of tensions, he said. The suspension comes as Saudi Arabia is seeking to ramp up oil production under pressure from the United States, and at a time of raised US-Iran tensions. James Dorsey, an expert on Middle East affairs, said the attacks on oil tankers would draw international attention to Yemen. A spike in oil prices may be short-lived, but the impact on Yemens forgotten war is likely to put the devastating conflict on the front burner, he said. The halt of oil shipments could provoke an escalation of the conflict with external powers intervening in a bid to assist Saudi Arabia. Threat to international trade Saudi Arabia itself intervened in Yemen in 2015, leading a military coalition to prop up the countrys government after Huthi rebels ousted it from the capital Sanaa the previous year. Yemens government, in a statement Thursday carried by the state-run Saba news agency, condemned the attack on shipping and urged the international community to immediately stand with and support the coalition in its fight against the Huthis. At least 10,000 people have been killed and thousands others wounded in the conflict in Yemen, one of the worlds most impoverished nations. Over 20 million Yemenis need humanitarian aid, millions are on the brink of famine and hundreds of thousands have been infected with diseases, mainly cholera. Oil tankers from the Gulf pass through the Bab al-Mandab to enter the Red Sea as they head for Europe via the Suez Canal. About 4.8 million barrels of crude oil and refined products pass through the waterway each day, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly raised alarm that Huthi rebels threaten vessels in the Red Sea through their control of the strategic Hodeida port. This terrorist attack is a dangerous threat to the freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea, said Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition. Pro-government forces backed up by the coalition have paused an assault on Hodeida port in what they say is a bid to give United Nations-led peace efforts a chance. Featured Photo: AFP/File / SALEH AL-OBEIDI. Pro-government forces, pictured in February 2017, walk in the port of Mokha, a Yemeni coastal town that borders the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic oil delivery waterway. Reddit Email 504 Shares There was a period in my later life when I used to say that, from the age of 20 to my late sixties, I was always 40 years old; I was, that is, an old young man and a young old one. Tell that to my legs now. Of course, theres nothing faintly strange in such a development. Its the most ordinary experience in life: to face your own failing self, those muscles that no longer work the way they used to, those brain cells jumping ship with abandon and taking with them so many memories, so much knowledge youd rather keep aboard. If youre of a certain age I just turned 74 you know exactly what I mean. And that, as they say, is life. In a sense, each of us might, sooner or later, be thought of as a kind of failed experiment that ends in the ultimate failure: death. And in some ways, the same thing might be said of states and empires. Sooner or later, there comes a moment in the history of the experiment when those muscles start to falter, those brain cells begin jumping ship, and in some fashion, spectacular or not, it all comes tumbling down. And that, as they say (or should say), is history. Human history, at least. In a sense, it may hardly be more out of the ordinary to face a failing experiment in what, earlier in this century, top officials in Washington called nation building than in our individual lives. In this case, the nation Im thinking about, the one that seems in the process of being unbuilt, is my own. You know, the one that its leaders until Donald Trump hit the Oval Office were in the habit of eternally praising as the most exceptional, the most indispensable country on the planet, the global policeman, the last or sole superpower. Essentially, it. Who could forget that extravagant drumbeat of seemingly obligatory self-praise for what, admittedly, is still a country with wealth and financial clout beyond compare and more firepower than the next significant set of competitors combined? Still, tell me you cant feel it? Tell me you couldnt sense it when those election results started coming in that November night in 2016? Tell me you cant sense it in the venomous version of gridlock that now grips Washington? Tell me its not there in the feeling in this country that we are somehow besieged (no matter our specific politics), demobilized, and no longer have any real say in a political system of, by, and for the billionaires, in a Washington in which the fourth branch of government, the national security state, gets all the dough, all the tender loving care (except, at this moment, from our president), all the attention for keeping us safe from not much (and certainly not itself)? In the meantime, most Americans get ever less and have ever less say about what theyre not getting. No wonder in the last election the countrys despairing heartland gave a hearty orange finger to the Washington elite. States of Failure Populist is the term of the moment for the growing crew of Donald Trumps around the planet. It may mean popular, but it doesnt mean population; it doesnt mean We, the People. No matter what that band of Trumps might say, its increasingly not we but them, or in the case of Donald J. Trump in particular, him. No, the United States is not yet a failed or failing state, not by a long shot, not in the sense of countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen that have been driven to near-collapse by Americas twenty-first-century wars and accompanying events. And yet, doesnt it seem ever easier to think of this country as, in some sense at least, a failing (and flailing) experiment? And dont just blame it on Donald Trump. Thats the easy path to an explanation. Something had to go terribly wrong to produce such a president and his tweet-stormed version of America. That should seem self-evident enough, even to though they would mean it in a different way The Donalds much-discussed base. After all, if they hadnt felt that, for them, the American experiment was failing, why would they have voted for an obvious all-American con man? Why would they have sent into the White House someone whose Apprentice-like urge is to fire us all? Its hard to look back on the last decades and not think that democracy has been sinking under the imperial waves. I first noticed the term the imperial presidency in the long-gone age of Richard Nixon, when his White House began to fill with uniformed flunkies and started to look like something out of an American fantasy of royalty. The actual power of that presidency, no matter who was in office, has been growing ever since. Whatever the Constitution might say, war, for instance, is now a presidential, not a congressional, prerogative (as is, to take a recent example, the imposition of tariffs on the products of allies on national security grounds). As Chalmers Johnson used to point out, in the Cold War years the president gained his own private army. Johnson meant the CIA, but in this century you would have to add Americas ever vaster, still expanding Special Operations forces (SOF), now regularly sent on missions of every sort around the globe. Hes also gained his own private air force: the CIAs Hellfire-missile armed drones that he can dispatch across much of the planet to kill those hes personally deemed his countrys enemies. In that way, in this century despite a ban on presidential assassinations, now long ignored the president has become an actual judge, jury, and executioner. The term Ive used in the past has been assassin-in-chief. All of this preceded President Trump. In fact, if presidential wars hadnt become the order of the day, I doubt his presidency would have been conceivable. Without the rise of the national security state to such a position of prominence; without much of government operations descending into a penumbra of secrecy on the grounds that We, the People needed to be safe, not knowledgeable; without the pouring of taxpayer dollars into Americas intelligence agencies and the U.S. military; without the creation of a war-time Washington engaged in conflicts without end; without the destabilization of significant parts of the planet; without the war on terror it should really be called the war for terror spreading terrorism; without the displacement of vast populations (including something close to halfof Syrias by now) and the rise of the populist right on both sides of the Atlantic on the basis of the resulting anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim sentiments, its hard to imagine him. In other words, before he ever descended that Trump Tower escalator into the presidential race in 2015, empire had, politically speaking, trumped democracy and a flawed but noble experiment that began in 1776 was failing. Had that imperial power not been exercised in such a wholesale way in this century, Donald Trump would have been unimaginable. Had President George W. Bush and his cronies not decided to invade Iraq, The Donald probably would have been inconceivable as anything but the proprietor of a series of failed casinos in Atlantic City, the owner of what he loves to call property (adorned with those giant golden letters), and a reality-TV host. And the American people would not today be his apprentices. When that very stable genius (as he reminded us again recently) inherited such powers long in the making, he also inherited the power to use them in ways that would have been unavailable to the president of a country that had genuine checks and balances, one in which the people knew what was going on and in some sense directed it. Consider it a sign of the times that hes the second president to lose the popular vote in this 18-year-old century the first, of course, being George W. Hanging Chad Bush. So perhaps its only proper that President Trump has now nominated to the Supreme Court a judge who was once a Republican operative for the very legal team focused on stopping the recount of those contested Florida ballots in 2000 a recount the Supreme Court did indeed halt, throwing the election to Bush. Note that Brett Kavanaugh is also the perfect justice for Americas new imperial age of decline, one who genuinely believes that the law should read: the president, while in office, is above it. Think of him as Caligulas future enabler. In other words, in the twenty-first century, Donald Trump is proof indeed that the American experiment in democracy may be coming to an unseemly end in a president with all the urges of an autocrat (and so many other urges as well). Or think of it this way: the contest from early on an essential part of American life between democracy and empire seems to be ending with empire the victor. However and here may be Donald Trumps particular significance empire, too, looks to be heading toward some kind of ultimate failure. He himself is visibly a force for imperial demolition. He seems intent as in the recent abusive NATO meeting and the chaotic get-together with Russian President Vladimir Putin on dismantling the very world that imperial America built for itself in the wake of World War II. You know, the one in which it was to be the ultimate and eternal victor in a rivalry between imperial powers that had begun in perhaps the fifteenth century, reached its peak when only two super rivals were left to face each other in the Cold War, and ended with a single power seemingly triumphant and alone on planet Earth. How quickly those historically unique dreams of global dominion fell apart in the infinite wars of this century. Think of Donald Trump as the overly ripe fruit of that failure, that endless imperial moment that never quite was. Think of him as the daemon in the (malfunctioning) global machinery of a world that is itself as in Brexiting Europe evidently beginning to come apart at the seams amid war, a flood of global refugees, and one factor never experienced before (on which more below). Think of America as being caught up in some only half-recognized United Stexit moment, though what exactly we are withdrawing from may be less than clear. Still, bad as any moment might be, you can always hope for, dream about, and work for so much better, as so many have over the centuries. After all, everything Ive described remains the norm of history. What empire hasnt had its Caligulas, its Trumps? What empire hasnt, in the end, gone down? What democratic experiment hasnt sooner or later faltered? Even the best of experiments come up short as autocrats take power and hand their rule on to their sons, only to be overthrown by some revolt, some new attempt to make better sense of this world, which itself falters sooner or later. And so it goes. Again, that, as they say, is history, a series of failed experiments, but ones that always end, in their own fashion, with hope still alive for a better, fairer, juster world. Yes, a particular failure might be terrible for you, your community, even several generations of yous, but it, too, will pass and you can expect our better angels to reappear someday, even if not in your lifetime or at least until recently you could do so. The Ultimate Experiment There is, however, another experiment, a planet-wide one that seems to be failing as well. You could think of it as humanitys experiment with industrial civilization, which is disastrously altering the environment of this previously welcoming world of ours. Im referring, of course, to what the greenhouse gases from the fossil fuels weve been burning in such profusion since the eighteenth century are doing to our planet. Whether you call it climate change or global warming, the one thing it isnt despite the fact that weve done it is history. Not human history anyway. After all, its effects will exist on a time scale that dwarfs our own. If allowed to play out to its fullest, it could destroy civilization. And ironically enough, unlike so many of our experiments, this was one we didnt even know we were conducting for something like a century and a half. So consider it an irony that its the one likely to endanger every other imaginable experiment. If not somehow halted in a reasonably decisive fashion, it could not only inundate coastal cities, turn verdant lands into parched landscapes, and create weather extremespresently hard to imagine, but produce heat that will be devastating. And yet dont give us any kind of a free pass on this one. Despite those endless years of not knowing what we were doing, ignorance cant be pled. Increasing numbers of us (including the giant oil companies who did everything humanly possible to keep the news from the rest of us) have known about this since at least the 1960s. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnsons science advisory committee sent him a report that highlighted a human-caused warming of the planet from the carbon dioxide burned off by fossil fuels. It included remarkably accurate projections of the increased heat to come in the twenty-first century and of other effects of climate change, including sea level rise and the warming of sea waters. So dont say that no one was warned. As time went on, weve been warned again and again. And for this, too, Donald Trump cant be blamed, but his presence in the White House is now a powerful symbol of a human failure to grasp the dangers involved. Talk about a symbolic act of self-destruction: the American people put a fierce climate denier in the White House. He, in turn, has brought his passionate 1950s-style fantasies of an even more oil-fueled global future with him. He has, among other things, appointed a remarkable set of Republican climate-change doubters and deniers to crucial positions throughout his administration. Hes moved to withdraw this country from the Paris climate accord, while powering up fossil-fuel and greenhouse-gas-producing projects of every sort and weakening the drive to develop alternative energy sources; he has, that is, done everything in his power to stoke global warming. Along with the actions of the CEOs of the giant oil companies, this will surely prove to be the greatest criminal enterprise in history, since it takes the all-time largest greenhouse gas emitter out of the running (except at the state and local level) when it comes to impeding global warming. In other words, whatever else he may be, President Donald Trump seems singularly intent on being a one-man wrecking crew when it comes to human history. Since Lucy walked upright by that African lake three million years ago, this has been a remarkably welcoming planet for the human experiment. If, in the coming century, climate change hits full force, it wont just be a matter of refugees in the hundreds of millions or individual deaths in countless numbers, or some failing democracy that became an empire. It could mean the failure of the whole human experiment in ways that are still hard to grasp. It could mean no more chance for failure, The End. Thats something worth working against. Thats a failure no one in any possible future can afford. In the meantime, here I am, another year closer to my own moment of failure, living in a potentially failing country on a potentially failing planet. Happy birthday to me. Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He is a fellow of the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His sixth and latest book, just published, is A Nation Unmade by War (Dispatch Books). Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Books, Beverly Gologorskys novel Every Body Has a Story and Tom Engelhardts A Nation Unmade by War, as well as Alfred McCoys In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power, John Dowers The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II, and John Feffers dystopian novel Splinterlands. Copyright 2018 Tom Engelhardt - Bonus video added by Informed Comment: Wochit News from Jul. 12: U.S. Service Member Killed In Afghanistan Combat Operation Reddit 5 Email 141 Shares Qasem Soleimani, the head of the special operations Jerusalem (Qods) Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, spent Thursday morning taunting US president Donald Trump, whom he called a casino gambler. He warned Trump, We are closer to you than you think. Keep in mind that I am keeping account of you. And you know the asymmetric capabilities of the Jerusalem Brigade, indeed of the entire Iranian armed forces. Trump on Sunday sent out an all-caps tweet threatening Iran with condign punishment if it ever threatened the United States. Trumps tweet was, of course, an invitation for all 80 million Iranians to threaten the United States, accompanied by the Persian version of the Bronx cheer. The head of the Jerusalem Brigade warned Trump, We do not sleep a single night, and there is no night we do not spend thinking about you. We are the nation of martyrdom and of Imam Husayn, and weve been through the most arduous ordeals. Iranians are mostly Shiite Muslims, who have a special attachment to the martyred grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Husayn bin Ali (d. 680), and who hold annual mourning rites for him. Willingness to sacrifice and court martyrdom in emulation of Husayn, he is saying, is ingrained in the Iranian character. Soleimani reminded Trump that despite having sent 110,000 troops to Afghanistan along with massive amounts of sophisticated weaponry and equipment, the US has not prevailed over the Taliban, and indeed is now seeking peace talks with Taliban leaders. He then instanced Iraq, where the US sent 160,000 troops and weapons and equipment and faced the most horrific events. And now, he asked, you threaten Iran? Soleimani is jokingly sometimes called Super-Mani in Iran because he seems to be everywhere and to have accomplished the equivalent of leaping over tall buildings in a single bound. He organized the Iraqi Shiite riposte to ISIL terrorism, and has been seen in Syria helping orchestrate the battle against Sunni extremists linked to al-Qaeda. Soleimani also reminded Trump of the relative failure of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and of the failures of the US-equipped UAE and Saudi militaries in Yemen to achieve a quick and decisive victory over the Houthis in Sanaa despite the Gulf States enormous advantage of $200 billion in American-supplied, cutting-edge weaponry. He concluded, Know that if a war breaks out, it will be the oblivion of all your potentialities, and will result in our victory. He said, If you start the war, we will finish it. Soleimani expressed his firm support for President Hassan Rouhani, who had promised Trump that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, but warned him that a US war on his country would be the mother of all wars. The speech shows how hardliners and centrists are being brought together inside Iran by the Trump threat. There seems to me a real danger in all this belligerent talk from Iran, in response to belligerent talk from Trump and his capos. (On the danger of blowback from the latter, see my article in The Nation this week). The Iranian leaders should be aware that George W. Bush and Tony Blair discussed ways of baiting Saddam Hussein into attacking UN flights or personnel, so as to provide them with a pretext for launching their planned invasion of Iraq. Iran should take a deep breath, talk to Macron, Merkel, and Xi, and step back from this brink. They are underestimating Trump as a street fighter. But note that Soleimani is not threatening an attack on the US in this speech, but promising a determined and deadly guerrilla war if the US assaults Iran. Well, he also seems to be warning Trump that Iranian secret agents can get to him. I dont think this is true, unless the Jerusalem Brigade has a female stripper platoon. Bonus video: Irans Press TV: Major General Soleimani sharply reacts to Trumps threat VANCOUVER, July 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Eldorado Gold Corporation, ("Eldorado" or "the Company") today reports the Company's financial and operational results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018. Highlights from the Quarter and Subsequent Period1 Gold production of 99,105 ounces , including 3,134 ounces of pre-commercial production from Lamaque , including 3,134 ounces of pre-commercial production from Lamaque Full year production guidance increased to 330,000-340,000 ounces of gold from 290,000-330,000 ounces of gold due to expected higher production at Kisladag from 290,000-330,000 ounces of gold due to expected higher production at Kisladag Key permitting milestones achieved, including confirmation that construction of a mill at Kisladag could proceed under the existing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and receipt of the mining concession at Tocantinzinho including confirmation that construction of a mill at Kisladag could proceed under the existing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and receipt of the mining concession at Tocantinzinho Cash generated from operating activities was $36.7 million ; cash generated from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital was $23.5 million was cash generated from operating activities was The Company held $429.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and term deposits, and had $250.0 million in undrawn lines of credit at the end of the quarter at the end of the quarter Gold revenues from continuing operations of $121.3 million on sales of 94,224 ounces of gold at an average realized gold price of $1,287 per ounce of on sales of of gold at an Loss attributable to shareholders was $24.4 million ( $0.03 per share) primarily due to several significant non-cash charges that are further described in the review of quarterly results below ( per share) primarily due to several significant non-cash charges that are further described in the review of quarterly results below Adjusted net earnings of ($1.8) million ( $0.00 per share) ( per share) Cash operating costs averaged $587 per ounce, all-in sustaining cash costs averaged $934 per ounce "This was an excellent quarter for us. Production was strong, driven by better-than-expected ounces from the heap leach pad at Kisladag," said George Burns, Eldorado's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We achieved lower costs at Olympias, reflecting mill and filter press optimizations. With production and costs continuing to trend positively, we have increased full-year guidance to 330,000-340,000 ounces of gold at $580-$630 per ounce. Development continues ahead of schedule at Lamaque and we are on track to complete the feasibility study for a mill at Kisladag in the third quarter of this year." "Our cash position remains solid and in light of the positive performance in the first half of 2018, we continue to refine our views on capital and potential funding requirements to meet the medium to long-term needs of the organization and re-establish annual production of 600,000 ounces per year by 2021." _______________________ 1 Throughout this press release we use cash operating cost per ounce, all-in sustaining cash cost per ounce, and cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital as additional measures of Company performance. These are non-IFRS measures. Please see our MD&A for an explanation and discussion of these non-IFRS measures. All dollar amounts in US$, unless stated otherwise. Summarized Quarterly Financial Results 3 months ended June 30, 6 months ended June 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Revenues 153.2 82.7 285.1 194.6 Gold revenues1 121.3 72.2 236.8 162.7 Gold sold (ounces) 94,224 57,206 180,811 131,274 Average realized gold price ($/ounce) 1,287 1,262 1,310 1,240 Cash operating costs gold mines ($/ounce) 587 484 579 474 Total cash costs gold mines ($/ounce) 610 502 604 492 All-in sustaining cash cost gold mines ($/ounce) 934 846 887 826 Gross profit from gold mining operations 30.1 28.1 64.8 65.1 Cash flow from operating activities 2 23.5 16.9 61.5 45.1 Adjusted net earnings (1.8) 6.3 12.4 16.7 Net profit/(loss) 3, 4, 5 (24.4) 11.2 (15.7) 15.0 Earnings per share basic ($/share) 3 (0.03) 0.02 (0.02) 0.02 Earnings per share diluted ($/share) 3 (0.03) 0.02 (0.02) 0.02 (1) Including market to market price adjustments on provisional sales (2) Before changes in non-cash working capital (3) Attributable to shareholders of the Company (4) 2017 net profit is from continued operations (5) Including significant non-cash charges, as outlined below Review of Quarterly Financial Results Gold sales of 94,224 ounces during the quarter were significantly higher year over year mainly due to higher production and sales at Kisladag and Efemcukuru as well as the first year of commercial gold sales at Olympias. Metal sales revenues were $153.2 million compared to $82.7 million in the second quarter of 2017, driven by higher sales volumes along with higher average realized gold price of $1,287 per ounce compared with $1,262 per ounce for the second quarter of 2017. Higher gold revenues were offset by higher production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DDA") expense resulting in gross profit from gold mining operations remaining relatively flat year over year. Production costs were $46.4 million higher, primarily driven by $26.5 million in non-cash charges related to the leach pad inventory draw-down at Kisladag. Additional quarterly non-cash charges are expected as the Kisladag leach pad inventory draw-down continues. DDA costs were $18.0 million higher due to the start-up of Olympias as well as an increase at Kisladag due to leach pad draw-down and lower reserves. General and administrative expenses increased $2.5 million year over year due to reorganization costs. Mine standby costs of $4.3 million were recorded in the second quarter of 2018 related to Kisladag, Vila Nova, Perama Hill and Skouries (2017: $1.3 million). In the second quarter, the weakening Turkish and Brazilian currencies in relation to the US dollar had a negative impact on deferred income tax expenses. Total income tax expense for the quarter was $21.6 million, including a $19.1 million non-cash charge related to unrealized losses on deferred tax assets resulting from these adverse currency movements. Currency volatility will continue to affect our quarterly income tax expense. As a result, loss attributable to shareholders of the Company for this quarter was $24.4 million, (or $0.03 per share), compared to a profit of $11.2 million, (or $0.02 per share) in the second quarter of 2017. Adjusted net earnings for the quarter were ($1.8) million (or $0.00 per share) as compared to adjusted net earnings of $6.3 million ($0.01 per share) for the second quarter of 2017 (see page 14 of Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter for a reconciliation of profit to adjusted earnings). Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital was $23.5 million, an increase year over year from $16.9 million in the second quarter of 2017. Review of Quarterly Operational Results Gold production for the quarter was up 56% year on year (99,105 ounces versus 63,692 ounces in Q2 2017) due to the increase in production at Kisladag, Efemcukuru and Olympias. Kisladag saw increased production due to improved leach kinetics and placement of ore in early 2018 on an inter-lift liner, which shortened the time that gold bearing solution took to return to the ADR Plant. Since start-up of the Kisladag operation in 2006 approximately 145 million tonnes of material has been placed on the leach pad, at an average grade of 1.01 g/t. Production from leach operation has totaled approximately 2.88 million ounces of gold and the remaining book inventory is 61,100 ounces of gold. This leaves approximately 1.77 million ounces of contained gold in the pad. Historically this gold has been deemed not recoverable based on past metallurgical test work. However, we have progressed efforts to profitably extract a small portion of this contained gold. Based on the results of those efforts to date, the Kisladag production guidance for 2018-2020 is being increased by 40,000-45,000 ounces. The efforts to increase production beyond the leach pad inventory included contract sonic drilling of the pad, which began at the end of 2017. We have subsequently purchased a sonic drill and have commenced injecting cyanide into the sonic drill holes. We have also commenced re-grading and re-leaching of side slopes, which have shown promising early results. Additionally, recent metallurgical test work has indicated that gold recovery is increased in core samples that are over one year old, which suggests higher ultimate recovery on the pad could be possible assuming that solution chemistry can be maintained at a sustainable level. The Company will continue to study this over the remainder of the year and implement methods to extract additional gold from the leach pad, but there can be no assurance that these recovery alternatives will result in increased gold recovery from the pad beyond the Company's revised guidance. Olympias production was higher than the second quarter of 2017 as the asset is now in commercial production. Operating costs for Olympias have decreased compared to the first quarter of 2018 due to continued optimization of the mill and tailings filter presses, which are now fully operational. Consolidated operating costs in the quarter were higher year on year due to increased costs on a per ounce basis at Kisladag. For further information on the Company's operating results please see the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter available at www.eldoradogold.com. Permitting and Development Updates Work at Lamaque progressed well over the quarter with underground development slightly ahead of plan, at 2,100 metres. Tonnage and grade of material mined to-date from Triangle is as expected and results from toll milling are reconciling well with the ore reserve block model. Activities at the Sigma mill are also progressing on schedule and include refurbishment and replacement of tanks and refurbishment of the main mill motors. During the quarter the Company received notice from the Turkish Ministry of Environment and urbanization ("MoE"), that the proposed mill construction at the Kisladag site is permissible under the existing Kisladag EIA, approved by the MoE in 2014. The feasibility study for a mill at Kisladag is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year, with a final investment decision by Eldorado's Board of Directors expected shortly thereafter. Also during the quarter, the Company received the mining concession for the Tocantinzinho project from the federal branch of the Brazilian Ministry of Mines. The project is currently undergoing a value engineering exercise to improve capital costs and the economics of the project. Eldorado's Board of Directors will assess next steps for the project after completion of this work. Eldorado continues to engage the Greek government in discussions concerning the outstanding permits required to advance the Skouries project. However, the Company is unable to provide guidance as to when the permits may be issued. The Company is evaluating its legal options in this regard. The Company remains committed to developing its Kassandra assets, including Skouries, in accordance with its contractual and other legal obligations, which Greek court rulings have consistently supported. Eldorado's compliance with its legal obligations was also confirmed by the recent positive arbitration decision in April 2018, which found that the Company was not in breach of the provisions of its Transfer Contract with the Greek State. Skouries remains a compelling project, providing additional long-term growth, but requires collaborative government dialogue and a clear line of sight to free cash flow in order for us to allocate further capital for development. 2018 Revised Outlook As a result of gold production in the second quarter exceeding internal plans, Eldorado is forecasting increased annual gold production, including pre-commercial ounces from Lamaque, of 330,000-340,000 ounces of gold, up from previous guidance of 290,000-330,000 ounces. The increase is primarily due to improved production forecast at Kisladag. Cash costs are expected to remain within the same range as previously guided: $580 - $630 per ounce. Eldorado Gold Revised Guidance Previous Guidance Production (oz) Cash Cost ($/oz) Production (oz) Cash Cost ($/oz) 2018 330,000 340,000 580 630 (unchanged) 290,000 330,000 580 630 The Company is increasing its 2018 guidance for Kisladag to 140,000-150,000 ounces at a cash cost of $700-$800 per ounce (including approximately $350 per ounce of non-cash costs). The Company is maintaining its production guidance for Kisladag for 2019 at 40,000-50,000 ounces, but revising the cash costs down to $900-$1,000 per ounce (including approximately $300 per ounce of non-cash costs). Kisladag production in 2020 is now forecast to be 20,000-25,000 ounces at a cash cost of $600-$700 per ounce. Cash costs at Kisladag have increased in 2018 and are expected to decrease in 2019 due to a change in allocation of inventory costs. The ongoing heap leach costs incurred beginning June 1, 2018 are being expensed rather than added to the book inventory cost. This change better aligns ongoing processing costs with current production from the leach pad. At Skouries an additional scope of work for ongoing asset protection is required following the storm damage that was experienced over the course of the first half of this year. This work is expected to be completed at an additional estimated cost of $8 million, which will increase the total 2018 capital expenditure forecast at Skouries to $28 million. Corporate Senior Management Changes: Phil Yee will join the Company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in September 2018 . will join the Company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in . Lisa Ower will join the Company as Vice President of Human Resources on August 8, 2018 . Share Consolidation Eldorado received shareholder approval at its 2018 Annual and Special Meeting held on June 21, 2018, to amend the Company's articles to allow for the implementation of a share consolidation with a ratio of 5-for-1. The Board will review the merits of a share consolidation during the course of the next five months, taking into consideration the best interests of the Company, its trading price and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange. Dividend As previously announced, the Company suspended cash payment of its semi-annual dividend payment effective the first quarter of 2018. Conference Call and Webcast with Slides A conference call to discuss the details of the Company's 2018 Second Quarter Results will be held by senior management on July 27, 2018 at 8:30 AM PT (11:30 AM ET). The call will be webcast and will have an accompanying slide deck. The webcast and slides can be accessed at this link and from Eldorado's website. Eldorado encourages investors to pre-register in advance of the conference call. Conference Call Details Replay (available until August 30, 2018) Date: Friday, July 27, 2018 Toronto: 416 849 0833 Time: 8:30 am PT (11:30 am ET) Toll Free: 1 855 859 2056 Dial in: 647 427 7450 Pass code: 3773 417 Toll free: 1 888 231 8191 About Eldorado Gold Eldorado is a gold and base metals producer with mining, development and exploration operations in Turkey, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Canada and Brazil. The Company has a highly skilled and dedicated workforce, safe and responsible operations, a portfolio of high-quality assets, and long-term partnerships with local communities. Eldorado's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: ELD) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: EGO). Cautionary Note about Forward-looking Statements and Information Certain of the statements made and information provided in this press release are forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, these forward-looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "continue", "projected", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information contained in this release include, but are not limited to, statements or information with respect to: our guidance and outlook, including expected production and recoveries of gold, projected all-in sustaining costs and cash operating costs, planned capital and exploration expenditures for 2018; our expectation as to our future financial and operating performance, including future cash flow, estimated all-in sustaining costs and cash operating costs, expected metallurgical recoveries, gold price outlook; and our strategy, plans and goals, including our proposed exploration, development, construction, permitting and operating plans and priorities, related timelines and schedules and proposed share consolidation. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information, including assumptions about the geopolitical, economic, permitting and legal climate that we operate in; the future price of gold and other commodities; exchange rates; anticipated costs and expenses; production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries, the impact of acquisitions, dispositions, suspensions or delays on our business and the ability to achieve our goals. In particular, except where otherwise stated, we have assumed a continuation of existing business operations on substantially the same basis as exists at the time of this release. Even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Many assumptions may be difficult to predict and are beyond our control. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following: geopolitical and economic climate (global and local), risks related to mineral tenure and permits; gold and other commodity price volatility; recoveries of gold and other metals; results of test work; revised guidance; risks regarding potential and pending litigation and arbitration proceedings relating to the Company's, business, properties and operations; expected impact on reserves and the carrying value; the updating of the reserve and resource models and life of mine plans; mining operational and development risk; foreign country operational risks; risks of sovereign investment; regulatory risks and liabilities including, regulatory environment and restrictions, and environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical testing and recoveries; risks related to the impact of the sale of our Chinese assets and the acquisition and integration of Integra on the Company's operations; additional funding requirements; currency fluctuations; community and non-governmental organization actions; speculative nature of gold exploration; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; and defective title to mineral claims or properties, as well as those risk factors discussed in the sections titled "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk factors in our business" in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form & Form 40-F. The reader is directed to carefully review the detailed risk discussion in our most recent Annual Information Form filed on SEDAR under our Company name, which discussion is incorporated by reference in this release, for a fuller understanding of the risks and uncertainties that affect the Company's business and operations. Forward-looking statements and information is designed to help you understand management's current views of our near and longer term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward-looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Company's business contained in the Company's reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S. Financial Information and condensed statements contained herein or attached hereto may not be suitable for readers that are unfamiliar with the Company and is not a substitute for reading the Company's financial statements and related MD&A available on our website and on SEDAR under our Company name. The reader is directed to carefully review such document for a full understanding of the financial information summarized herein. Except as otherwise noted, scientific and technical information contained in this press release was reviewed and approved by Paul Skayman, FAusIMM, Chief Operating Officer for Eldorado Gold Corporation, and a "qualified person" under NI 43-101. Eldorado Gold Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Note June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 $ $ ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 423,170 479,501 Term deposits 6,626 5,508 Restricted cash 301 310 Marketable securities 3,720 5,010 Accounts receivable and other 83,742 78,344 Inventories 147,866 168,844 665,425 737,517 Restricted cash and other assets 19,542 22,902 Defined benefit pension plan 9,374 9,919 Property, plant and equipment 4,275,264 4,227,397 Goodwill 4 92,591 92,591 5,062,196 5,090,326 LIABILITIES & EQUITY Current liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 91,340 110,541 Current portion of asset retirement obligation 1,232 3,489 92,572 114,030 Debt 5 594,880 593,783 Other non-current liability 2,648 110 Defined benefit pension plan 11,909 13,599 Asset retirement obligations 97,072 96,195 Deferred income tax liabilities 556,135 549,127 1,355,216 1,366,844 Equity Share capital 3,007,924 3,007,924 Treasury stock (10,104) (11,056) Contributed surplus 2,617,108 2,616,593 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (21,859) (21,350) Deficit (1,964,242) (1,948,569) Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company 3,628,827 3,643,542 Attributable to non-controlling interests 78,153 79,940 3,706,980 3,723,482 5,062,196 5,090,326 Please see the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements dated June 30, 2018 for notes to the accounts. Eldorado Gold Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars except per share amounts) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, Note 2018 2017 2018 2017 $ $ $ $ Revenue Metal sales 6 153,171 82,736 285,076 194,616 Cost of sales Production costs 85,844 39,433 153,079 90,121 Depreciation and amortization 34,482 15,556 63,670 33,620 120,326 54,989 216,749 123,741 Gross profit 32,845 27,747 68,327 70,875 Exploration expenses 6,849 7,124 10,997 12,371 Mine standby costs 4,304 1,301 7,010 2,332 Other operating items - 1,525 - 3,658 General and administrative expenses 14,006 11,498 22,231 23,112 Defined benefit pension plan expense 1,047 782 2,130 1,612 Share based payments 8 2,844 1,990 4,162 7,118 Write-down of assets 4,483 2,177 8,507 3,231 Foreign exchange loss (gain) 2,266 (749) 3,408 (661) Operating profit (loss) (2,954) 2,099 9,882 18,102 Gain (loss) on disposal of assets 42 40 128 (267) Gain on derivatives and other investments 1,406 743 2,194 778 Other income 2,175 2,211 5,272 4,560 Asset retirement obligation accretion (509) (523) (1,019) (1,047) Interest and financing (costs) income (2,691) 61 (6,255) (1,050) Profit (loss) from continuing operations before income tax (2,531) 4,631 10,202 21,076 Income tax expense (recovery) 21,579 (2,693) 28,663 8,083 Profit (loss) from continuing operations (24,110) 7,324 (18,461) 12,993 Profit (loss) from discontinued operations - 203 - (2,797) Profit (loss) for the period (24,110) 7,527 (18,461) 10,196 Attributable to: Shareholders of the Company (24,391) 11,215 (15,673) 15,049 Non-controlling interests 281 (3,688) (2,788) (4,853) Profit (loss) for the period (24,110) 7,527 (18,461) 10,196 Profit (loss) attributable to shareholders of the Company Continuing operations (24,391) 11,012 (15,673) 17,846 Discontinued operations - 203 - (2,797) (24,391) 11,215 (15,673) 15,049 Weighted average number of shares outstanding (thousands) Basic 793,307 716,824 793,082 716,713 Diluted 793,307 717,479 793,082 717,380 Profit (loss) per share attributable to shareholders of the Company: Basic profit (loss) per share (0.03) 0.02 (0.02) 0.02 Diluted profit (loss) per share (0.03) 0.02 (0.02) 0.02 Profit (loss) per share attributable to shareholders of the Company - continuing operations: Basic profit (loss) per share (0.03) 0.02 (0.02) 0.02 Diluted profit (loss) per share (0.03) 0.02 (0.02) 0.02 Please see the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements dated June 30, 2018 for notes to the accounts. Eldorado Gold Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 $ $ $ $ Profit (loss) for the period (24,110) 7,527 (18,461) 10,196 Other comprehensive income (loss): Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss: Change in fair value of investments in equity securities (420) (359) (1,159) (71) Actuarial losses on defined benefit pension plans 641 226 650 331 221 (133) (509) 260 Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: Change in fair value of investments in equity securities - 2,049 - 18,625 Income tax on change in fair value of investments in equity securities - (451) - (2,595) - 1,598 - 16,030 Total other comprehensive income (loss) for the period 221 1,465 (509) 16,290 Total comprehensive income (loss) for the period (23,889) 8,992 (18,970) 26,486 Attributable to: Shareholders of the Company (24,170) 12,680 (16,182) 31,339 Non-controlling interests 281 (3,688) (2,788) (4,853) (23,889) 8,992 (18,970) 26,486 Please see the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements dated June 30, 2018 for notes to the accounts. Eldorado Gold Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, Note 2018 2017 2018 2017 $ $ $ $ Cash flows generated from (used in): Operating activities Profit (loss) for the period from continuing operations (24,110) 7,324 (18,461) 12,993 Items not affecting cash: Asset retirement obligation accretion 509 523 1,019 1,047 Depreciation and amortization 34,482 15,556 63,670 33,620 Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain) 169 (304) 418 (378) Deferred income tax expense (recovery) 9,407 (9,847) 7,008 (12,559) (Gain) loss on disposal of assets (42) (40) (128) 267 Write-down of assets 4,483 2,177 8,507 3,231 Gain on derivatives and other investments (1,406) (743) (2,194) (778) Share based payments 2,844 1,990 4,162 7,118 Defined benefit pension plan expense 1,047 782 2,130 1,612 27,383 17,418 66,131 46,173 Property reclamation payments (1,592) (496) (2,399) (1,087) Severance payments (2,250) - (2,250) - Changes in non-cash working capital 10 13,163 (44,835) (1,892) (22,226) Net cash provided (used) by operating activities of continuing operations 36,704 (27,913) 59,590 22,860 Net cash provided (used) by operating activities of discontinued operations - 203 - (2,797) Investing activities Purchase of property, plant and equipment (74,346) (75,047) (141,332) (148,884) Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment 7,751 82 7,812 83 Proceeds on pre-commercial production sales 3,509 1,092 16,891 1,092 Value added taxes related to mineral property expenditures, net (1,412) (7,240) 4,802 16,345 Investment in term deposits (1,102) (37,513) (1,118) (263,479) Increase in restricted cash (26) (9,720) (868) (9,724) Net cash used by investing activities of continuing operations (65,626) (128,346) (113,813) (404,567) Financing activities Issuance of common shares for cash - 32 - 586 Dividend paid to shareholders - - - (10,610) Purchase of treasury stock (2,108) (3,252) (2,108) (5,301) Net cash used by financing activities of continuing operations (2,108) (3,220) (2,108) (15,325) Decrease in cash and cash equivalents (31,030) (159,276) (56,331) (399,829) Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period 454,200 642,618 479,501 883,171 Cash and cash equivalents - end of period 423,170 483,342 423,170 483,342 Please see the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements dated June 30, 2018 for notes to the accounts. Eldorado Gold Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 $ $ $ $ Share capital Balance beginning of period 3,007,924 2,819,821 3,007,924 2,819,101 Shares issued upon exercise of share options, for cash - 32 - 586 Transfer of contributed surplus on exercise of options - 10 - 176 Balance end of period 3,007,924 2,819,863 3,007,924 2,819,863 Treasury stock Balance beginning of period (11,056) (8,000) (11,056) (7,794) Purchase of treasury stock (2,108) (3,252) (2,108) (5,301) Shares redeemed upon exercise of restricted share units 3,060 196 3,060 2,039 Balance end of period (10,104) (11,056) (10,104) (11,056) Contributed surplus Balance beginning of period 2,618,323 2,609,055 2,616,593 2,606,567 Share based payments 1,845 2,811 3,575 7,308 Shares redeemed upon exercise of restricted share units (3,060) (196) (3,060) (2,039) Transfer to share capital on exercise of options - (10) - (176) Balance end of period 2,617,108 2,611,660 2,617,108 2,611,660 Accumulated other comprehensive loss Balance beginning of period (22,080) 7,653 (21,350) (7,172) Other comprehensive income (loss) for the period 221 1,465 (509) 16,290 Balance end of period (21,859) 9,118 (21,859) 9,118 Deficit Balance beginning of period (1,939,851) (1,934,800) (1,948,569) (1,928,024) Dividends paid - - - (10,610) Profit (loss) attributable to shareholders of the Company (24,391) 11,215 (15,673) 15,049 Balance end of period (1,964,242) (1,923,585) (1,964,242) (1,923,585) Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company 3,628,827 3,506,000 3,628,827 3,506,000 Non-controlling interests Balance beginning of period 77,872 87,621 79,940 88,786 Loss attributable to non-controlling interests 281 (3,688) (2,788) (4,853) Contributions fron non-controlling interest - - 1,001 - Balance end of period 78,153 83,933 78,153 83,933 Total equity 3,706,980 3,589,933 3,706,980 3,589,933 Please see the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements dated June 30, 2018 for notes to the accounts. TORONTO and VANCOUVER, July 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Minera Alamos Inc. ("Minera Alamos" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:MAI) is pleased to announce that it has completed the environmental studies required to amend the scope of the existing Santana gold project test mining permits and submitted them for approvals to the relevant Mexican mining regulatory agency (SEMARNAT). Acceptance of the permit expansion will provide the Company with the flexibility to transform the operation from bulk mining testwork to a commercial scale gold mine once a production decision is made. "Since the closing of the transaction between Minera Alamos and Corex Gold in April the Company has aggressively advanced the Santana project's engineering work culminating in our recent submission for these permits. We have received extremely positive community support for our plans and based on currently available information we anticipate the receipt of final approvals later this year." stated Darren Koningen, CEO. "Construction could begin in Q1 2019 with Santana the first of three planned operations in our development pipeline." Bulk test mining operations at the Santana project are currently governed by a temporary environment/change of land use permit (MIA-ETJ) that was issued by SEMARNAT in 2016. The current permits cover changes made to a limited area of the project site which was consistent with the scope of the test activities. Included as part of the recently submitted environmental expansion studies are early stage designs for commercial-scale production. The Company has received all necessary formal sign-offs from the local community (Ejido) to proceed with the proposed changes. Summary of Santana Bulk Leaching Activities For the past 18 months the Santana project has been undergoing continuous bulk heap-leach testing activities. An initial phase utilized coarse crushing (<3") with a second phase involving fine crushing (<1/2" to 5/8") and agglomeration prior to leaching. While the use of fine crushing appeared to improve the gold leach kinetics, ultimate gold recoveries for both phases were relatively consistent (~0.65 g/t Au extracted) over the range of crush sizes that were tested. In total, approximately 35,000 tonnes of mineralized material has now been placed on the test leach pads and the results of the bulk test work fully support the on-going development of the project with a goal towards commercial scale operation. Drilling Update Drilling has commenced at Santana (see news release dated May 3rd, 2018) following the receipt of successful community approvals associated with combining Minera Alamos' Los Verdes contiguous on strike claim into the Santana plan of development. Updates to this 20-hole, 3000 m, program will be provided in due course. Cautionary Note The Company advises that it has not made a production decision and that although it is advancing the project towards such a decision it does not have a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, including increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that production decision will be made or, that if it is, production will begin as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved. Failure to commence production would have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. About Minera Alamos Minera Alamos is an advanced stage exploration and development company. Its growing portfolio of high-grade Mexican projects includes the La Fortuna open pit gold project in Durango and the Guadalupe de los Reyes gold/silver project in Sinaloa as well as the now combined Santana/Los Verdes gold-copper project in Sonora. The Company is well financed to conduct all of its planned exploration and development activities and continues to pursue additional project acquisitions in Latin America. Mr. Darren Koningen, P. Eng., Minera Alamos' CEO, is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Koningen has supervised the preparation of, and approved the scientific and technical disclosures in this news release. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking information and Minera Alamos cautions readers that forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of Minera Alamos included in this news release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements", which often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". These statements are based on information currently available to Minera Alamos and Minera Alamos provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements with respect to Minera Alamos' future plans with respect to the Santana Gold Project, timing for and ability to finance any such plans, any future production decision for the Santana Gold Project, the results of the current leaching and drill programs, objectives or goals, to the effect that Minera Alamos or management expects a stated condition or result to occur and the expected timing for release of a resource and reserve estimate on the Santana Gold Project. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, the economics of processing methods, project development, reclamation and capital costs of Minera Alamos' mineral properties (including the Santana Gold Project), the ability to complete a preliminary economic assessment which supports the technical and economic viability of mineral production could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons. Minera Alamos' financial condition and prospects could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: an inability to finance and/or complete an updated resource and reserve estimate and a preliminary economic assessment which supports the technical and economic viability of mineral production; changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with Minera Alamos' activities; and other matters discussed in this news release and in filings made with securities regulators. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. Minera Alamos does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by Minera Alamos or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Almonty Industries Inc. (Almonty or the "Company") (TSX: AII / OTC: ALMTF / Frankfurt: 1MR) is pleased to announce that the ore sorting equipment has arrived at its Panasqueira mine in Portugal. The equipment was released by customs last week and during the 23rd and 24th of July 2018, the entire installation arrived at the mine. This installation is being assembled under an agreement with Cronimet of South Africa (www.cronimet-mining.com). It will allow additional reclamation of the coarse fraction tailings and will result in a production increase of about 10% in the Panasqueira mine. The industrial tests are forecasted to run during the 2nd half of August 2018 and the commissioning of the installation is forecasted for late August 2018. Lewis Black, President and Chief Executive Officer of Almonty, stated: "We have overcome difficult times and used the time wisely to lay the foundation for the success we have now. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all our employees for their dedicated work and our shareholders for their continuous support as well as patience. Now it is time to reap the benefits of our hard work while global tungsten prices are at 4 year highs with APT Price recently breaking through US$350/MTU, further enhanced by current foreign exchange rates (CAD$460/MTU). The days of cheap tungsten are long gone and weve entered new territory now. Improved market conditions are being realized in the results for the business and we look forward to sharing our results with the financial community in August 2018. About Almonty Industries The principal business of Almonty is the mining, processing and shipping of tungsten concentrate from its Los Santos Mine in western Spain, its Wolfram Camp Mine in north Queensland, Australia and its Panasqueira mine in Portugal as well as the development of the Sangdong tungsten mine in Gangwon Province, Korea and the Valtreixal tin/tungsten project in north western Spain. The Los Santos Mine was acquired by Almonty in September 2011 and is located approximately 50 kilometres from Salamanca in western Spain and produces tungsten concentrate. The Wolfram Camp Mine was acquired by Almonty in September 2014 and is located approximately 130 kilometres west of Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia and produces tungsten and molybdenum concentrate. The Panasqueira mine, which has been in production since 1896, is located approximately 260 kilometres northeast of Lisbon, Portugal, was acquired in January 2016 and produces tungsten concentrate. The Sangdong mine, which was historically one of the largest tungsten mines in the world and one of the few long-life, high-grade tungsten deposits outside of China, was acquired in September 2015 through the acquisition of a 100% interest in Woulfe Mining Corp. Almonty owns 100% of the Valtreixal tin-tungsten project in northwestern Spain. Further information about Almontys activities may be found at www.almonty.com and under Almontys profile at www.sedar.com. Legal Notice The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which this announcement is released, published or distributed should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Almonty as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While Almonty may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. Vancouver, BC / TheNewswire / July 26, 2018 - Surge Exploration Inc. (the "Company" or "Surge") (TSX-V: SUR, OTCQB:SURJF, FRA:DJ5C) announces the appointment of Lori Pavle as Corporate Secretary of the Company, replacing Tina Whyte, who has resigned to focus her efforts on other corporate clients, effective immediately. The Company thanks Ms. Whyte for her service and contributions and wishes her success in future endeavours. Ms. Pavle has over 25 years of experience in the administration of public companies predominantly in the junior resource sector. She has served as Corporate Secretary for several publicly traded mining companies including Bayfield Ventures Corp. (acquired by New Gold Inc.), Cypress Development Corp., Aben Resources Ltd., Skyharbour Resources Ltd., Gold Reach Resources Ltd., and International Samuel Exploration Corp. Prior to this, Lori worked for several years at Hunter Dickinson Inc., providing support as a corporate administrator for several of the groups public and private mining exploration companies. Lori began her career working a combined twelve years as a paralegal at two well-known Vancouver securities law firms specializing in the practice areas of mergers, acquisitions and public listings of resource companies. About Surge Exploration Inc. https://surgeexploration.com/ The Company is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company which has been active in the resource sector in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada. The Company has an exploration office in Santiago, Chile to review mineral exploration opportunities in Chile and elsewhere in South America. Teledyne and Glencore Bucke Properties, Cobalt Properties - Ontario Canada The Company has an option to earn an undivided 60% interest in the Glencore Bucke Property and the Teledyne Property, located in Cobalt Ontario. Glencore Bucke Cobalt Project The Property is subject to a back-in provision, production royalty and off-take agreement with Glencore Canada Corporation. The Property is situated in Bucke Township, 6 km east-northeast of Cobalt, Ontario, Strategically, the Glencore Bucke Property consists of 16.2 hectares and sits along the west boundary of the Teledyne Cobalt Project. The Property covers the southern extension of the #3 vein that was historically mined on the neighbouring Cobalt Contact Property located to the north of the Glencore Bucke Property. Diamond drilling in 1981 on the Glencore Bucke Property delineated two zones of mineralization measuring 150 m and 70 m in length. During the fall of 2017, 21 diamond drill holes totaling 1,900 m were completed. Ontario Teledyne Cobalt Project: The 607.1 hectare Teledyne Project is also located near Cobalt, Ontario and is subject to a royalty with New Found Gold and off-take agreement with Glencore Canada Corporation. The Property adjoins the south and west boundaries of claims that hosted the Agaunico Mine, as well as the eastern boundary of the Glencore Bucke Property. From 1905 through to 1961, the Agaunico Mine produced a total of 4,350,000 lbs. of cobalt and 980,000 oz. of silver. A significant portion of the cobalt that was produced at the Agaunico Mine located along structures that extended southward onto the Teledyne property, and a total of 11 diamond drill holes totaling 2,200 m were completed in the fall of 2017. The drilling has confirmed cobalt mineralization present on the Property which is consistent with historical grades as reported historically by Cunningham-Dunlop (1979) and Bressee (1981), disclosed in the Company's NI 43-101 reports filed on Sedar. These reports are available in the public domain through MNDM's AFRI database. Hedge Hog Property, Copper / Gold Property - British Columbia, Canada The Company has an option to earn an undivided 60% interest seven mineral tenure covering 2,418 hectares (5,972 acres) located approximately 80 km northeast of the town of Quesnel, BC and 20 km north of the historic gold mining towns of Wells and Barkerville. Atacama Cobalto Project, Cobalt / Copper Property - Copiapo, Chile The Company announced on July 24, 2018 that it has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Compania Minera del Pacifico S.A. ("CAP Mineria") for an option to acquire up to 100% of the Atacama Cobalto Project in the prolific Atacama Region in Northern Chile. The Atacama Cobalto Project is located in the Atacama Province in northern Chile, 15 km northwest of the town of Copiapo. The Atacama Cobalto Project consists of 1,059 hectares and is located only 3 km East of the Cerro Iman Mine. To date, CAP Mineria has drilled over 20,250 m on the Atacama Coblato Project. This transaction is subject to additional Company due diligence, the signing of a Final Binding Definitive Option Agreement, and TSX Venture Exchange approval. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Tim Fernback" Tim Fernback Director Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to, comments that involve future events and conditions, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Except for statements of historical facts, comments that address resource potential, upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt and security of mineral property titles, availability of funds, and others are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may vary materially from those statements. General business conditions are factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, July 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Nevsun Resources Ltd. (TSX:NSU) (NYSE AMERICAN:NSU) ("Nevsun" or "the Company") is pleased to report its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018. Unless otherwise noted all financial results are in millions of US dollars. Q2 2018 Highlights Broke ground on the Timok Upper Zone exploration decline. Announced initial Timok Lower Zone inferred mineral resource of 1.7 billion tonnes grading 0.86% copper and 0.18 grams per tonne gold (0.96% copper equivalent) for 31.5 billion pounds of copper and 9.6 million ounces of gold. Announced Bisha open pit extension through 2022. Achieved copper recoveries of 69.4% with implementation of the revised reagent scheme in June. On track to meet full year 2018 guidance with quarterly production of 51.3 million pounds of zinc and 8.6 million pounds of copper. C1 cash costs (2) also within guidance at $0.71 per payable pound of zinc sold on a by-product basis. also within guidance at per payable pound of zinc sold on a by-product basis. Revenue adversely impacted by lower zinc prices in June, resulting in downward provisional pricing adjustments. Unrestricted cash balance of $125.1 million at the end of the quarter, of which $110.8 million is attributable to Nevsun shareholders. "We improved metallurgical performance at Bisha in the second quarter with the implementation of the new reagent scheme. Production volumes were down principally due to the processing of lower grade material, however we expect to revert to processing higher grade material through the balance of 2018. Most importantly, we were able to convert a portion of our extensive resources to reserves in a capital efficient, economically attractive mine life extension, which is expected to extend Bisha cashflows, reducing Timok funding requirements," said Peter Kukielski, Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kukielski continued: "At Timok, the initial resource declaration for the Lower Zone confirmed the project as one of the largest copper porphyry discoveries in recent years and highlighted why we are so optimistic about the deposit's long-term prospects. At the Upper Zone, the ground-breaking ceremony for the exploration decline demonstrated strong support from the Serbian government and other important local stakeholders. In the third quarter, we will complete the trade off study on the ramp up scenario for the Timok Upper Zone. We also continue to engage with potential strategic partners who could both invest in Nevsun and potentially bring complementary technical or other capabilities required for successful execution of the project." "Taken together, the solid progress and improvements this quarter at both of our key assets have increased the fundamental value of the Company, and set the stage for further value enhancement in the months ahead." Timok Project Update In Q2 2018, the Company announced an initial NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource for the Timok Lower Zone with 1.7 billion tonnes grading 0.86% copper and 0.18 grams per tonne gold (0.96% copper equivalent) for 31.5 billion pounds of copper and 9.6 million ounces of gold. The mineral resource model includes the data from the recently completed $20 million drill program and demonstrates the impressive copper grade, continuity and thickness of mineralization in the Lower Zone. A core relogging program is in progress to better define the geological constraints on this resource to be used in future economic studies. The Company expects to file a NI 43-101 Technical Report incorporating the initial resource statement for the Timok Lower Zone in Q3 2018. Progress also continued at the Timok Upper Zone where a contract for construction of the exploration decline was awarded in the quarter and site preparation activities commenced in May 2018 in advance of construction of the portal and development of the exploration decline. Drilling also continued as part of a condemnation drill program aimed to ensure that no significant mineralization is present near proposed infrastructure. The Company has acquired 100% of the land required for development of the exploration decline and 64% of the required private land for construction of the Upper Zone project as at June 30, 2018. A ramp-up scenario is being examined starting with initial production at 1.6 million tonnes per annum ramping up to 3.25 million tonnes per annum over a two-year period. An update on this study will be provided in the third quarter. Discussions with potential off takers and potential finance providers continue to be advanced in parallel with the feasibility study ("FS"). The 2018 regional drilling program commenced in June and is focused on searching for additional high grade Upper Zone-style mineralization. Exploration drilling resumed in the Eastern Target 2 area 500 metres east of the Upper Zone with three holes currently in progress. Strong Upper Zone style alteration with associated pyrite, enargite and minor covellite mineralization typical of the outer edge of the Upper Zone is being encountered. Recent work has highlighted another area immediately to the west of the Upper Zone with similar high potential. Bisha Mine Update The Bisha Mine maintained total quarterly material movement above five million tonnes for the third consecutive quarter. This sustained improvement in mine performance reflects the deployment of new heavy mining equipment ("HME"), and the implementation of a plan for in-pit waste dumping with favourable impacts on haulage distance. The mine is expected to continue to benefit from the in-pit waste dumping until the end of 2018. These benefits were offset by variances to the mine plan which resulted in tighter ore supply in the pit. Lower grade ore encountered outside of the reserve model on the western side of the open pit maintained the supply of primary ore to the process plant, but resulted in lower zinc feed grade in Q2 2018. The decrease in ore milled in Q2 2018 resulted from reduced operating time for maintenance activities. This, together with reduced feed grades, resulted in zinc in concentrate produced decreasing in Q2 2018 from Q1 2018. The implementation of an alternate reagent scheme in mid-June continued to benefit copper-zinc selectivity and resulted in improved copper concentrate grade and copper recovery from Q1 2018. 2018 Outlook Update Through the first half of 2018, the Company achieved three 2018 objectives for the Timok Project, with the completion of the pre-feasibility study, the commencement of the exploration decline and the declaration of an inferred resource on the Lower Zone. Through the second half of 2018, the Company will complete the initial study work on the Timok ramp up scenario and advance the FS, with expected completion in mid-2019. Land acquisition and permitting activities will continue to advance in parallel with a significant majority of the private land required for the Timok Project expected to be purchased in 2018. The Company's previously published 2018 outlook production is 210 to 240 million pounds of zinc and 20 to 30 million pounds of copper. Zinc production in the first half of the year was 122.9 million pounds. The Company expects to revert to processing higher-grade material in the second half of 2018 and remains confident that it will achieve its 2018 zinc production guidance. Copper production in the first half of the year was 17.5 million pounds and it continues tracking toward the higher end of guidance. C1 cash costs per payable pound of zinc sold on a by-product basis are expected to be $0.60 to $0.80 in 2018. C1 cash costs on a by-product basis were $0.65 in the first half of the year and the Company expects it to remain within the expected range in 2018. Q2 2018 Financial Review Q2 2018 Q1 2018 Q4 2017 Q2 2017 (Restated)(1) Revenue (millions) $ 76.4 $ 106.7 $ 80.6 $ 66.1 Impairment reversals (charges) (millions) 5.0 - 18.0 (69.7) Earnings from mine operations (millions)(1) 2.4 23.4 15.0 (64.9) Exploration expenses (millions)(1) (1.6) (8.2) (10.2) (15.2) Net income (loss) (millions)(1) (9.3) 0.5 2.2 (84.2) Net loss attributable to Nevsun shareholders (millions)(1) (9.4) (4.5) (3.8) (57.9) Basic loss per share attributable to Nevsun shareholders(1) $ (0.03) $ (0.01) $ (0.01) $ (0.19) Unrestricted cash (millions) $ 125.1 $ 149.6 $ 124.6 $ 171.4 Working capital (millions) 170.4 187.6 162.3 172.1 Zinc price realized, per payable pound sold(3) $ 1.14 $ 1.51 $ 1.54 $ 1.16 C1 cash cost per payable zinc pound sold, by-product basis(2) 0.71 0.58 1.13 0.68 C1 cash cost per payable zinc pound sold, co-product basis(2) 0.84 0.79 1.23 0.92 Copper price realized, per payable pound sold $ 3.09 $ 3.01 $ 3.26 $ $2.65 C1 cash cost per payable copper pound sold, co-product basis(2) 1.39 1.56 2.01 1.59 (1) Effective December 31, 2017, the Company voluntarily elected to change its accounting policy with respect to exploration and evaluation expenditures, and as such, certain financial measures have been restated. Please refer to the Company's 2017 annual consolidated financial statements for the full accounting policy, and to the Company's Q2 2018 interim financial statements for disclosure surrounding the effect of the change as at and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017. (2) C1 cash cost per pound is a non-GAAP measure. See page 23 of the Company's Q2 2018 MD&A for discussion of non-GAAP measures and page 6 of the Company's Q2 2018 MD&A, Cash Costs, for explanation of per-unit costs. (3) Zinc price realized per payable pound sold includes provisional pricing adjustments for shipments not yet settled, including shipments in previous quarters. In Q2 2018, zinc price realized per payable pound sold of $1.14 is inclusive of downward provisional pricing and other adjustments of $0.23 per payable pound sold see page 26 of the Company's Q2 2018 MD&A for a reconciliation of realized metal prices. Q2 2018 Operating Review Q2 2018 Q1 2018 Q4 2017 Q2 2017 Mining Ore mined, tonnes(1) 582,000 640,000 362,000 654,000 Waste mined, tonnes 4,900,000 4,525,000 4,981,000 3,739,000 Strip ratio, using tonnes 8.4 7.1 13.8 5.7 Processing Ore milled, tonnes 491,000 563,000 520,000 590,000 Zinc feed grade, % 6.1 7.1 6.9 5.3 Copper feed grade, % 1.1 1.2 1.2 0.8 Recovery, % of zinc 77.6 81.1 72.6 62.2 Recovery, % of copper(2) 69.4 61.5 27.4 51.6 Zinc concentrate grade, % 47.8 47.8 45.6 41.5 Copper concentrate grade, %(2) 21.5 20.9 18.7 17.4 Zinc in concentrate produced, millions of pounds 51.3 71.6 57.7 43.0 Zinc in concentrate produced, tonnes 23,300 32,500 26,100 19,500 Copper in concentrate produced, millions of pounds 8.6 8.9 3.6 5.7 Copper in concentrate produced, tonnes 3,900 4,100 1,600 2,600 Payable zinc in concentrate sold, millions of pounds 53.8 53.4 44.6 34.3 Payable zinc in concentrate sold, tonnes 24,400 24,200 20,200 15,400 Payable copper in concentrate sold, millions of pounds 4.3 7.8 3.6 7.7 Payable copper in concentrate sold, tonnes 2,000 3,500 1,600 3,500 (1) Ore tonnes mined for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 consisted of 582,000 and 1,222,000 tonnes of primary ore (Q2 2017 643,000 and 1,237,000 tonnes of primary ore and 11,000 and 68,000 tonnes of supergene ore). (2) This represents the copper recovery to copper concentrate from the copper flotation circuit only, and excludes copper recovered to zinc concentrates. The Company's Interim Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") are available on the Company website at www.nevsun.com, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Q2 2018 Results Conference Call and Webcast Details The Company will hold a conference call and webcast on Friday, July 27, 2018, at 8AM Vancouver / 11AM Toronto, New York / 4PM London, to discuss the financial and operating results. Conference Call: Please call in at least five minutes prior to the conference call start time to ensure prompt access to the conference. Dial in details are as follows: North America: 1 888-390-0546 / +1 416-764-8688 / +1 778-383-7413 UK: 0800 652 2435 (toll free) Other International: +1 416-764-8688 / +1 778-383-7413 The conference call will be available for replay by phone until Friday, August 3, 2018, by calling 1 888-390-0541 / +1 416-764-8677 and entering passcode 439304 #. Webcast: A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's website www.nevsun.com or by clicking here. Qualified Persons Statement Mr. Peter Manojlovic, PGeo, and Vice President Exploration of Nevsun Resources Ltd. is a Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101 and has reviewed the exploration and mineral resource and reserve statements of this press release and approved its dissemination. Cautionary Notes to Investors Resource Estimates In accordance with applicable Canadian securities regulatory requirements, all mineral resource estimates of the Company disclosed or incorporated by reference in this news release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, classified in accordance with Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum's "CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves Definitions and Guidelines" (the "CIM Guidelines"). The Company uses the terms "mineral resources", and "inferred mineral resources". While those terms are recognized by Canadian securities regulatory authorities, they are not recognized by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and the SEC does not permit U.S. companies to disclose resources in their filings with the SEC. Pursuant to the CIM Guidelines, mineral resources have a higher degree of uncertainty than mineral reserves as to their existence as well as their economic and legal feasibility. Inferred mineral resources, when compared with measured or indicated mineral resources, have the least certainty as to their existence, however, it is reasonable to expect that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Pursuant to NI 43-101, inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of any economic analysis, including any feasibility study. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a mineral resource exists, will ever be converted into a mineral reserve, or is or will ever be economically or legally mineable or recovered. About Nevsun Resources Ltd. Nevsun Resources Ltd. is the 100% owner of the high-grade copper-gold Timok Upper Zone and 60.4% owner of the Timok Lower Zone in Serbia. The Timok Lower Zone is a joint venture with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation ("Freeport") which currently owns 39.6% and upon completion of any feasibility study (on the Upper or Lower Zone), Nevsun Resources Ltd. will own 46% and Freeport will own 54%. Nevsun generates cash flow from its 60% owned copper-zinc Bisha Mine in Eritrea. Nevsun is well positioned with a strong debt-free balance sheet to grow shareholder value through advancing Timok to production. Forward Looking Statements The above contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward looking statements including statements with respect to the Company's Bisha Mine in Eritrea and its intentions for its Timok Upper Zone Project in Serbia (the "Timok Project"). The Company also cautions the reader that the PEA previously released in September 2017 and the PFS released in March 2018 on the Timok Project that support the technical feasibility or economic viability of the Timok Project, including the marketability of the concentrate, mining method, costs, processing, metal recoveries and any other technical aspects related to the Timok Project, are preliminary in nature and there is no certainty that the PEA or the PFS will be realized. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "hopes", "intends", "estimated", "potential", "possible" and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are statements concerning the Company's current beliefs, plans, objectives and expectations about the future, including but not limited to statements and information made concerning: statements relating to the business, prospects and future activities of, and development plans related to the Company, exploration activities, the adequacy of financial resources, anticipated production, processing and recoveries of zinc and copper, mineral reserve and resource estimates, mining efficiencies and access to mineral reserves, goals, strategies, future growth, planned future acquisitions, anticipated C1 cash costs to produce zinc or copper, resolution of metallurgical challenges from variable ore materials to produce concentrate and the ability to increase processing and recovery rates of zinc and copper, achievement of and timing for achievement of any key milestones including, planned mineral movement at the Bisha Mine and other events or conditions that may occur in the future regarding the Company or its projects. The actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. These risks, uncertainties and factors include general business, legal, economic, competitive, political, regulatory and social uncertainties; actual results of exploration activities and economic evaluations; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes in project parameters; changes in costs, including labour, infrastructure, operating and production costs; future prices of copper, gold, zinc, silver and other minerals; resource estimates and variations of mineral grade or recovery rates; metallurgical challenges on the variable ore materials being processed and if the significant improvements in recovery rates of zinc and copper will be maintained or that recoveries to initial design levels will be achieved; the ability to extend mine life beyond the current mine plans; operating or technical difficulties in connection with exploration; land acquisition; mining method, production profile and mine plan; other development or mining activities, including the failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; performance on ore production and waste movement and improvement in mining capability; delays in exploration, development and construction activities including commencement of the decline construction as planned; changes in government legislation and regulation; the ability to maintain and renew existing licenses and permits and the ability to obtain other required licences and permits in a timely manner or at all; the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms and in a timely manner or at all; contests over title to properties; employee relations and shortages of skilled personnel and contractors; the speculative nature of, and the risks involved in, the exploration, development and mining business including, without limitation, other risks that are more fully described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 (the "AIF") and the Company's management discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 (the "MD&A"), which are incorporated herein by reference. The Company's forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made and the Company assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements in the future, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. Further information concerning risks and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements and our business can be found in our AIF and MD&A, which is available on the Company's website (www.nevsun.com), filed under our profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under cover of Form 40-F. NEVSUN RESOURCES LTD., "Peter G.J. Kukielski" Peter G.J. Kukielski President & Chief Executive Officer On July 26, 2018, the High Military Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (HMC) has confirmed the condemnation of all 11 accused in the Kavumu case. The first instance judgment had seen them condemned for rape as crimes against humanity a decision now confirmed by the countrys highest military instance. TRIAL International welcomes the HMCs decision, which goes to proving the solidity of the case. It is particularly satisfied with the lifelong condemnation of the provincial politician Frederic Batumike a historical precedent in DRC. This decision shows that nobody is against the law, regardless of their social or political status. The highest military jurisdiction in the DRC has sent a clear and welcome message against impunity says Daniele Perissi, head of TRIAL Internationals DRC program. It thereby invites the authorities to apply the law in the broadest way possible, reinforcing a strong and fair justice system, accessible to all. Karen Naimer, Director of the Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones at Physicians for Human Rights, shares this conclusion: This case demonstrates the importance of supporting national processes, which constitute the first and primary avenue for justice, including for international crimes such as those committed in Kavumu. Civil society united on the frontline This trial has been made possible, among other things, by the mobilization of the Congolese and international civil society. They brought together their expertise to draw the attention of the national authorities and present a strong case in court. TRIAL International has supported the victims of Kavumu since 2015, as a member of the Task Force for International Criminal Justice in South Kivu. In this framework, the NGO has contributed to the legal support of victims and their families, notably through the documentation of crimes and the elaboration of the judicial strategy. In cooperation with the organization Physicians for Human Rights and the Hospital of Panzi, TRIAL International has also organized medical exams and recorded psychological interviews of the young victims. The Congolese State is not civilly liable Sadly, the HMC has failed to recognized in its verdict the failure of the Congolese state to protect civilians. The civil parties, assisted by TRIAL International, had invoked that measures to stop the crimes and prosecute the authors were widely insufficient. The judges have not, unfortunately, followed this argument. We are disappointed with this decision: regardless of who the mass crimes are committed by, the responsibility of the State is central. It is all the more important to reiterate this in the DRC, where numerous crimes are committed by militia and non-State groups, explains Daniele Perissi. Additionally, the HMC has confirmed the reparations granted to victims in the first decision. A positive point, but failing to cover all their needs such as access to medical care. Reparations are all too often left out of criminal proceedings, in DRC and elsewhere. In spite of these shortcomings, the verdict of the Kavumu case constitutes a strong beacon of hope for all the victims of atrocities in Eastern DRC. A quartet of senators launched a new bipartisan effort to prevent US President Donald Trump from withdrawing the United States from NATO without the prior approval of the Senate, the Washington Post reported. The measure was drafted by Sens. Cory Gardner and Tim Kaine, both of whom sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain and ranking Democrat Jack Reed have also signed on to the measure as leading co-sponsors. "Regrettably, President Trumps mistreatment of our closest allies has raised doubts about Americas commitment to the transatlantic alliance and the values of defense," McCain said in a statement. "This legislation is urgently required to ensure that no president can withdraw the United States from NATO without the constitutionally required advice and consent of the Senate." The bill would require the president to secure the support of two-thirds of the Senate the same threshold required to enter into a treaty before he could withdraw from the nearly 70-year-old alliance. It also authorizes the Senates legal counsel to represent the body in any court cases needed to prevent a withdrawal from NATO without the Senates approval, the newspaper writes. A criminal charge was brought today against the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Yuri Khachaturov, the press office of Armenia's Special Investigative Service said. Khachaturov is charged with toppling constitutional order in collusion with other persons, and the agency has applied to court for a detention warrant. Yesterday, the same charge was brought against Robert Kocharyan, former Armenian president, who had been summoned for questioning as a witness over the bloody events of March 1-2, 2008 and was grilled yesterday by the investigators for three hours. After the inquiry, Kocharyan was let out, but a little later the charge was brought against him, ARKA recalls. There is a story in the Old Testament (Judges 4), where we read about two leaders in Israel, Deborah and Barak. The people of Israel were facing a serious threat from an oppressive enemy, King Jabin and the Commander of his army, Sisera. God had told Deborah to instruct Barak, a leader of men in his own right, to march out against Sisera to defeat the infidel. When Deborah informed Barak of Gods charge to him, Baraks answer was: If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go. In that brief response, Barak revealed a lack of trust in God, a fear of men, and an unwillingness to go into enemy territory alone, without someone of greater courage and faith. Deborahs response to Barak was: Very well, I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture." Like all stories in the Bible, there are typically modern day applications to our lives and even our nation. Rewind 12 months ago to July 2017. I was contacted by Bill Lee to sit down with him, one-on-one, to discuss his campaign for governor of Tennessee. Mr. Lees intent was to introduce himself with the hopes that I would support his candidacy. I had not met Bill before but I was grateful to have the opportunity to get to know him and to ask him questions on key issues, particularly the ones that were the "non-negotiables" for me. I also knew that the questions I would ask would be ones of great interest to many others. We met at Panera in Chattanooga (my office for the last decade or so) and we spoke for nearly an hour. We covered a range of topics, but there were several litmus questions that I was eager to delve into, in order to determine if Bill Lee understood both the threat that our state faced, as well as the opportunity he would have to address those threats, if elected to governor. The phrase Values Voters has been assigned to constituents who elevate God, life, marriage, and family, above issues such as economy, immigration, taxes, gun rights, etc. I consider myself a values voter, not because the other issues are unimportant, but because I view God, life, marriage and family as foundational to any stable and thriving culture. Without a solid foundation, there can be no long-term optimism for all the other lesser issues that concern voters and politicians. With this as a backdrop, I quizzed Bill Lee about God, life, marriage, and family. Included in my questions was the fairly recent phenomena that has arisen in our culture, where men and boys have been given an open door to enter the restrooms and locker rooms designated for ladies and girls. Some legislatures have attempted to address this assault on the privacy and safety of women and girls with so called Bathroom bills. But when I used that term, Bathroom bills, with Bill Lee, his tone and demeanor changed. It was at first a subtle change, as he shared that he did not believe this issue required a governor to intervene but that he would simply leave that seminal issue to local municipalities and school boards. He reemphasized that his focus as governor would be on the economy, jobs, education and such. Because I see the battle in our bathrooms and locker rooms as merely indicative of a much deeper threat, I respectfully pressed Bill further on the issue. It was at that point that Bill became agitated and even angry not necessarily at me but rather at the fact that Bathroom Bills and such had seemed to become such a big distraction from greater priorities. Again, while our conversation lasted nearly an hour, I knew from Bills prolonged response about bathroom bills, that Bill was clearly unwilling to offer unflinching leadership in the office he aspires for, as the onslaught of demands continue from those pushing to expose our daughters and wives to threats that should never be. At the time, while I did not yet have a candidate to support, I walked out of Panera that day knowing that I would not support Bill Lee. Not that Bill isnt a good man. Not that he isnt a godly man. Not that he isnt a successful businessman. But rather, Bill was and is unwilling to lead out on one of the greatest threats to the foundation of our culture the sanctity and distinctness of the sexes and the all out assault on something as basic as the dignity, privacy and safety of every female in our state. In less than a generation, we have gone from a nation that would have never imagined that men would be given free access to womens private rooms, to where now one is a bigot or something worse, if he or she stands for the privacy and safety of women. And even worse, those aspiring to lead are fearful and unwilling to stand for all that is right and good. Sadly, we have too many modern day Baraks seeking leadership roles, and too few Deborahs stepping out with courage and faith. Job, a man of great wisdom and integrity, had this to say about the importance of speaking out and standing up for matters of value: Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quite and stayed indoors? (Job 31:34) There are many men and women in our state and nation, who do such good for their families, community and even state. But being good does not necessarily mean one is qualified for all his ambitions. Rather, an indicator that one is prepared to lead is the evidence that one is willing to lead on matters requiring courage. Unwillingness to stand where the battle is waging, is the greatest disqualifier to leadership, as we see in the story of Deborah and Barak, playing out right before our very eyes as we go to the polls. (It should be noted that the other prominent man running for governor, Randy Boyd, is also unwilling to stand against this same threat. Thankfully, the top tier woman campaigning for governor, Diane Black, has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to stand for the safety and privacy of women and girls, as well as all the other values voters issues.) Where the battle rages, the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that one point." Mark West * * * It is deeply saddening and equally shocking to see an attack like this on the best and most qualified candidate to serve as our governor. The notion that Lee does not have what it takes to lead because he wont commit to pushing and signing a bathroom bill is laughable. I am also a strong Christian and a values voter. From a policy standpoint, my faith compels me to be pro-life, it compels me to support traditional marriage, and it also compels me to support "bathroom bills. There is nothing okay with letting men go into womens restrooms or vice versa. This being said, I still back Bill Lee for governor 100 percent because he not only lives out a genuine faith in his daily life (which he has done for the last 20 years), he is the most qualified man for the job. The kind of mudslinging coming from both the Black and Boyd campaigns is anything but what one should look for in a leader. It is a desperate and pathetic attack to try to smear Bill Lee as unqualified or afraid to lead because he opposes a statewide bathroom bill. If we look a little bit deeper at this issue, we will see several things. First of all, Bill Lee does not support letting men go into womens restrooms and prey on innocent females. This is Tennessee, a very socially conservative state where almost nobody supports policies like this. The only thing Lee said is that he would leave this up to local municipalities, school districts, and communities to deal with. Is that not what conservatism is all about? He wants to decentralize the power of the state government and let local people make their own decisions. Lee is not okay with transgender bathrooms, but he wants local communities to be able to come up with their own education policies without the state government micromanaging them. Local voters and policymakers are more than capable of doing this. In fact, if a bathroom bill referendum came up in Hamilton County to oppose the use of transgender bathrooms, it would pass overwhelmingly because local voters will not stand for that. This is how conservatism should work. Furthermore, Tennessee is doing great as a state, but we will do even better if we elect solid conservative leaders with executive mindsets. As a CEO, Bill Lee has been a great leader. He saved his company from bankruptcy and he is adored by his employees. The only things I have seen Diane Black lead over the last 20 years are negative and dishonest smear campaigns directed at solid conservatives including but not limited to Joe Carr and now Bill Lee. I would take this article a little bit more seriously if it did not try to paint Diane Black as a perfect leader. When she is not twisting the story behind Bill Lees political donations to make him look like a Democrat (especially when she herself voted in a Democratic Primary in 1996 and her husband donated to a Democrat in 2008) or lying to tell people that Randy Boyd didnt support Trump, she spends her time talking about how she stands with the president, she wants to build a wall, and how she stands for the national anthem. These are all good things, but while she focuses on these issues, Tennessee's schools drastically need improvement, our opioid crisis has become a state of emergency, our criminal justice system needs to be tweaked to where it gives people a chance to re-enter society, and our economy needs to stay in a great place so lower-income and disadvantaged people can continue to find work and climb their way up the socioeconomic ladder. Perhaps if Diane Black wanted to stand with President Trump or to build a wall, she should have run for re-election to Congress where she could support his agenda rather than tried to run for the executive position of our state. In fairness to her, her past nursing experience has allowed her to formulate a solid plan to address our opioid epidemic, but instead of talking about this, she just shows pictures of herself standing next to Mr. Trump which does not say much when Bill Lee and Randy Boyd also support Trump. Furthermore, Lee is an actual outsider businessman who has never run for office just like Donald Trump was before he came and started getting things done. Lee also has come up with solid plans to address our education system, our opioid epidemic, our criminal justice system, and our economy, and he will deliver. As someone who mentored an inner city child who was stuck in a terrible public school, Lee strongly supports school choice and charter schools because he knows firsthand the difference they can make in a childs life. As someone who mentored a felon and helped him get back on his feet, Lee understands the need for faith based organizations like Men of Valor to be involved in our criminal justice system to help people re-enter society after their release rather than re-enter prison. As someone who is a brilliant CEO, Lee knows how to manage our states economy to where more people will thrive while keeping our finances under control. Lee will be a problem solver who will deliver results that make life truly better for people. This is what he has done his entire life. As a Christian, while protecting family values is very important to me, so is helping people, particularly disadvantaged people. Bill Lee has effective solutions to do this. He is a real Christian conservative outsider who will shake things up much like Donald Trump did when he arrived in Washington. While Boyd, Black, and Harwell are politicians who will do or say anything in their attack ads to get elected, Lee is bringing out the best in us. As a Christian, I cant support a dishonest leader who reeks of corruption and tries to mislead our electorate. The choice is clear and Bill Lee is getting my vote. I urge other Christian conservatives to vote for him as well on Aug. 2. It is also worth noting that contrary to this hit piece on Lee, Randy Boyd told the Family Action Council of TN that he would sign a bathroom bill and was also criticizing Lee for refusing to do so. Diane Black is not the only one whose biggest focus is where and how people go to the bathroom. Alexander Ioannidis Online voting is now under way in the Irelands top ten Foodie Destinations competition, and Kilkenny needs your vote. While a distinguished panel of judges will visit the county over the coming months, online public voting will also play an important role - and it's open to people to get involved. Kilkenny Tourism is urging the public to get behind the campaign and participate in the online vote, which runs until August 20. Visit www.foodiedestinations.ie or check them out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more information. CLICK HERE TO VOTE. Kilkenny is known nationwide for its vibrant food and hospitality offering, from food festivals, to the farmers market and countywide food trails, cookery schools and many fine eateries which regularly receive national acclaim. Kilkenny Tourism will showcase the countys vast array of local food producers, brewers and distillers along with the regular programme of food-themed events. The application process was a collaborative and hands on approach by Taste Kilkenny, Kilkenny Tourism, Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office with the support of Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce along with the restaurants, cookery schools and festival committees of the county. The overall winner of Foodie Destinations 2018 will be announced at a special event in August. READ MORE HERE. Kilkenny International Literary Festival presents two Irish authors writing about families, love, loss and life. Belfast-born Michele Forbes is a writer who is not afraid to address the so-called ordinary lives of real human beings. according to the acclaimed literary creative, John Banville. Her first novel Ghost Moth was shortlisted for Newcomer Of The Year at the Irish Book Awards and for First Book Award at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Her short stories have received both the Bryan MacMahon and the Michael McLaverty Awards. Her second novel 'Edith & Oliver' was chosen as a Sunday Times Book of the Year. Asked how she made the leap to from acting to writing Michele says: As an actor one can sometimes feel creatively underused. I wanted to challenge that in myself and to see if I had a voice - a singular energy as opposed to the collaborative voice which fuels theatre, and to see if that voice would stand up on its own. That was really important to me. And does being a script reader and actor help in your own writing? Reading scripts (and novels) has helped me appreciate the structure of a narrative and the dramatic arc of a story. I ask the same questions of my characters that I would ask if I was performing them myself, questions about motivation, choice, the whys and what ifs of a character. Peter Cunningham is an award-winning Irish novelist and newspaper columnist from Waterford. His first thriller, Noble Lord was released in 1986. He is best known for his widely acclaimed historical novels, beginning with Tapes of the River Delta. Consequences of the Heart was shortlisted for the Listowel Writers Prize; The Sea and the Silence won the prestigious Prix de lEurope. 'The Taoiseach' was a controversial bestseller, whilst Capital Sins, for which Cunningham was described by the Irish Times newspaper as the Hemmingway of the Celtic Tiger, was a satire set in the Irish economic meltdown. 'The Trout' is his most recent novel. He is a member of Aosdana. In her second novel, Edith and Oliver, which was selected for the Sunday Times Book of the Year, Forbes tells the colourful story of life on the music hall circuit, a week here and a week there, the sights and sounds as well as the smells (especially, Mrs Earwaker - like a Joycean Dublin character - standing at the foot of the stairs with a steaming chamber pot) Edith loves Oliver and she has a career as a pianist in the pit as an accompanist. She is not initially, dependant on a man for bed or board. Oliver is a more complex character - an illusionist, but perhaps, more a delusionist who fails to see or doesn't want to see the changes around him before and after the First World War. His descent into despair and depression reveals family secrets and his uneasy relationship with his father. This oppressive secrecy continues into his relationships with his children, especially a beautiful daughter who cannot or will not speak (but does talk to her young brother). Meanwhile Peter Cunningham, who has an impressive fourteen novels under his literary belt. Peter will read from his most recent novels, The Trout and Acts of Allegiance. Both novels, in different ways, take an unflinching look at the often fatal bond between Irish fathers and their sons. Some sons survive the relationship, but many dont, Cunningham says. Dad casts a very long shadow. In these lyrical and gripping stories, set in contemporary Ireland, fathers ruin the very lives they seek to protect. The blindness of religion and politics, tradition and class is confronted as sons try to work out the legacy of the past. We all love Dad, Cunningham says, but there finally comes a time when we have to say goodbye. The Trout and Acts of Allegiance have been published to critical acclaim in Ireland, France, the UK and the USA. Moderator for this special event is Martin Bridgeman, a voice and personality much known and loved in Kilkenny. For more information or to buy tickets (from 12) for this event go to the venue website: https://pembrokekilkenny .wearegifted.co.uk/ kilfest-aug-4 This event is part of AKA Fringe and is supported by the host venue. Two Kilkenny stores have been named in the top 100 stores in Ireland! The shops, one in the city centre and another in Ballyhale, rose to the top of more than 500 stores across the country who were entered in the awards this year. Folkster on Patrick Street in Kilkenny and the Glanbia CountryLife store in Ballyhale are the stores to be honoured, highlighting the quality of Kilkenny shopping. The awards will take place at a black tie event on Saturday, November 10, in the Malton Hotel in Killarney. Retail Excellence, backed by AIB Merchant Services (AIBMS), will celebrate and pay tribute to the very best in the Irish Retail Industry both in-store and online. The awards bring together the top talent in Irish retail and recognise the most innovative retailers across a variety of categories. Lorraine Higgins, Chief Executive of Retail Excellence said This year we were delighted to have received over 500 store entries from every retail sector for our national retail awards. The quality of customer care and excellence throughout these entries made selecting the Top100 stores an extremely difficult task. Such high standards are particularly important given the difficult challenges facing retailers at present including the ongoing threat posed by Brexit, as well as domestic issues which we continue to work to resolve on behalf of our members. New Plymouth MP Harry Duynhoven may have caused his seat in Parliament to become vacant due to his application to restore his Dutch citizenship. The NZ Herald reports how the Privileges Committee is seeking legal advice on whether Duynhovens actions breached Section 55(1) of the Electoral Act 1993, specifically Paragraph (c) which states If he or she does or concurs in or adopts any act whereby he or she may become a subject or citizen of any foreign State or Power, or entitled to the rights, privileges, or immunities of a subject or citizen of any foreign State or Power The Speaker has the responsibility under Section 129(1) to determine if a seat is vacant and I suspect that he will very shortly have to conclude Duynhovens seat is vacant. In fact one can argue he should have done so some time ago. There has been some talk about retrospective legislative to stop the vacancy and a by-election, arguing that this is an obscure 150 year old clause. However it is not. The Electoral Act was totally reviewed and passed in 1993 after Duynhoven first entered Parliament and most MPs know the sections on what causes a vacancy very well. There is some talk of the Government forcing through Parliament under urgency, legislation to allow Duynhoven to retain his seat. This would be an incredibly bad thing to do, for many reasons. 1) Retrospective legislation is bad at the best of times, but retrospective legislation passed by Parliament for the sole purpose of benefiting a current MP reeks of third world status. 2) Australia has had the same issue with Jackie Kelly and they had a by-election rather than gerrymander the law. 3) While some may regard a by-election as a waste of time, with the result in no doubt, it is the height of arrogance for a Parliament to assume to know how the people will vote in any particular situation, and legislate to avoid an election. So as much as I personally would rather not have a by-election in New Plymouth, I think Parliament has no choice but to let the law take its course. MPs should not be above the law, and itwould be manifestly unfair for an MP to escape the consequences of his own actions just because he has mates who can change the law Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More Reddit Pinterest Print Tumblr Santiago de Cuba, Jul 26 (AFP) Former Cuban president Raul Castro today accused the United States of tightening "the noose" around his country, Venezuela and Nicaragua but vowed to "respond to every challenge." "For us, the same as for Venezuela and Nicaragua, it's very clear that the noose is tightening, and our people need to be ready to respond to every challenge with unity, resolve, optimism and unwavering faith in the victory," Castro said. Those three countries -- all currently subject to US sanctions -- are among the last bastions of far left governance in Latin America amid a general trend to the right in recent years. Since Donald Trump's election as US president, relations with Cuba have deteriorated after a historic rapprochement under his predecessor Barack Obama. Castro, the brother of late revolutionary hero Fidel, said the return of right-wing governments in the region and Washington's hostility towards the left had "reawakened euphoria among our enemies who dream of destroying the Cuban example." Dressed in military uniform, Castro was speaking at an event marking the 65th anniversary of a guerrilla attack on a military barracks seen as the start of the Cuban revolution against US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Raul Castro, who is 87, assumed the Cuban presidency after Fidel stepped down for health reasons in 2008. He in turn handed over the presidency to Miguel Diaz-Canel in April. Bilateral US-Cuban relations had improved since Raul came to power, with full diplomatic relations restored in 2015 -- they had been dissolved in 1961 after Cuba fostered close ties with the communist Soviet Union. Cuba has been run as a single-party socialist or communist state since Batista was ousted in January 1959. Castro said the US-led blockade of Cuba had "intensified... in particular the persecution of our financial transactions." He also blasted statements about Cuba by US officials as "disrespectful, aggressive, interventionist and crudely manipulating historical facts." (AFP) KIS (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, July 26 (AFP) The top US envoy for South Asia has met with Taliban officials for peace talks in Qatar, the Wall Street Journal street reported today. Alice Wells, the senior official for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs, met with the Taliban this week to try to find a new path toward ending Afghanistan's 17-year conflict, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The State Department did not directly confirm the report, but noted Wells had been in Doha this week, where she met with Qatari government officials "to discuss recent progress towards an Afghan-owned, and Afghan-led peace process." Officials noted they did not have any other meetings to describe "at this time" and said the US "is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government." "Ambassador Wells welcomed the Qatari government's constructive partnership and dedication to Afghanistan, and expressed the deep US appreciation for efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict," a State Department statement read. The Journal, citing US officials, said the Doha talks fully included the Afghan government -- the US has long insisted that any peace process must be Afghan-led. As recently as last week, US officials were denying reports they were ready to speak directly to the Taliban. The Taliban has established a political office in Qatar that serves as a de-facto embassy. (AFP) KIS (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jul 27, 2018, 3:38am ET Bugatti recalls two examples of the Chiron This is one of the industry\'s smallest recalls. Bugatti will recall just two examples of the Chiron in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This stands out as one of the industry's smallest recalls. The NHTSA explains the duo's side airbag modules are installed in the wrong position. The airbag could cause a burn hole if it's deployed in this position, and it's not as effective at protecting the occupants. Normally, owners of cars affected by recalls need to take a morning or an afternoon off and visit the nearest dealer to get the problem fixed. Not here. Bugatti is sending its in-house Flying Doctors directly to the cars. The defective module is located in the seat so they'll remove the entire seat and fly back with it to Molsheim, France, where Bugatti's headquarters are located. The firm doesn't make its own parts; every component needed to put together a Chiron comes from an outside supplier. The seats will be shipped to Sparco, the manufacturer, where they will be repaired and sent back to Molsheim before traveling back to the United States with the flying doctors. This all comes free of charge, of course. This isn't the first time Bugatti has run into issues with the Chiron's seats. In 2017, Bugatti recalled the entire production run to examine a potential problem with the welds that hold the seat together. Photo by Ronan Glon. Jul 27, 2018, 9:49am ET Ford working on new compact pickup to slot below Ranger? The truck is expected to replace the Fiesta-based Courier that was made in Brazil until 2013. Ford is reportedly working on a new compact pickup that will slot below the revived Ranger in the US market. Some Ranger fans may be surprised to see the nameplate return to the US as a midsize pickup, smaller than the F-150 yet much larger than the Ranger that was discontinued from the US market for the 2011 model year. Ford has decided to fill the vacant role by developing a new small pickup that will be sold in the US, unnamed sources have told Automobile. The new model is expected to serve as a replacement for the Fiesta-based Courier, produced in Brazil and sold in global markets through 2013. Ford is said to be eyeing a slightly larger footprint, however, switching from the Fiesta to the Focus platform. If the latest report is accurate, US showrooms could be stocked with the new compact pickup as early as 2022. Jul 27, 2018, 3:32pm ET New Toyota Avalon joins Top Safety Pick Plus honor roll The redesigned sedan received top marks all around, except in the passenger side small-overlap test. The 2019 Toyota Avalon has earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The redesigned sedan earned top marks in all crashworthiness tests, aside from an 'acceptable' rating in the passenger-side small-overlap scenario. "The structure held up well, but the dummy's head barely contacted the front airbag before sliding off," the IIHS noted. Toyota has been praised for making front-crash prevention technology a standard feature in the new Avalon. The system avoided collisions at 12 mph and 25 mph. The Avalon Limited and Touring trims feature LED projector headlights that earn a top rating, despite exhibiting some low-beam glare for drivers of oncoming vehicles. The LED reflectors on the cheaper XSE and XLE trims earned a 'poor' rating due to "mostly inadequate visibility." The new Avalon is currently the only TSP+ winner in the IIHS' large cars group. Bethlehem police are looking for a man they say exposed himself to two young girls in the city earlier this month. Bernardo Fontanez-Cintron, 49, is wanted on two counts each of indecent assault, luring a child to a motor vehicle, and corruption of minors. Fontanez-Cintron told police he recently moved into his mother's house on Evans Street in Bethlehem from Chicago, and was seen driving her vehicle in the alleged incidents, a maroon Chevy Cobalt with a Pennsylvania license plate. Fontanez-Cintron is accused of two separate exposure cases. The first was on July 6 near Sixth and Buchanan streets involving a 7-year-old girl, and a second was on July 8 near Sixth Street and Lynn Avenue involving an 8-year-old girl. Both times the girls told officers a man driving a red car called them over to the car, and the man was performing a sex act. After the first incident, the girl's parents tried to approach the car but the man drove off. The second girl described the suspect as an older Hispanic man between 40 and 50 years, with grey hair, facial hair and glasses, police said. Police said they were able to get surveillance photos of the car involved, and on July 11 found Fontanez-Cintron driving a similar looking vehicle near Yosko Park on the South Side, where there is a playground, pool and splash pad. In an interview with police, Fontanez-Cintron said he had been living in Bethlehem for about three to four weeks after moving here from Chicago. Fontanez-Cintron told police he had been arrested in Chicago for public urination, but police said they learned he was arrested in 2014 for indecent exposure and then in 2016 for allegedly masturbating in public. The charges against Fontanez-Cintron were filed Thursday. A photo of Fontanez-Cintron or the vehicle was requested from Bethlehem police by lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Two months after 67-year-old Kirk Hawk collapsed at Bethlehem Township Community Center, Easton Hospital hosted its first-ever Everyday Heroes ceremony to honor the people involved in saving Hawk's life. Hawk, a retired Easton Area School District special education teacher, had started Thursday, May 24 with a routine exercise class, but felt sick and walked toward the front desk before collapsing moments later. Community center employees sprung into action, calling 911 and administering CPR. Paramedics from Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company and officers from Bethlehem Township Police Department arrived shortly after, taking over CPR and transporting Hawk to nearby Easton Hospital. There, he underwent cardiac-catheterization with angioplasty and stenting. Hawk was lucky survive -- of the 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year, nearly 90 percent are fatal, said John Semonich, EMS manager at Steward Health Care, the company that manages Easton Hospital. "Only 8 percent of those that do survive come out with no neurological issues," Semonich said. "What that means is one out of every 12 return to a normal life -- or in this case, a zumba class, like Kirk loves to do." Hawk said he recently ran across a poem on Instagram that read, "When my last day comes I hope I've left nothing but love." He said the day he flatlined, he knew he had done just that. "I lay there that Thursday thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm alone. What am I doing to do?'" Hawk said. "But my old friends and all my new friends that I've embraced (at the community center) in the last 2 1/2 years, they rallied so fast and were there for everything ... driving me to the doctor's, making meals, doing the food shopping and all." He said a previous heart attack at age 35 had impelled him to maintain a positive attitude and make healthy decisions -- like taking cardio, weightlifting and Zumba classes -- and said this incident strengthened his conviction that "the glass is always half full." Hawk urged people to tell their loved ones how much they mean to them before it's too late. Incidents like this, he said, are sobering in that they show us how "we never know which day will be our last." Because of this, he said he always tries to radiate positive energy into the world and smile at everyone he sees, even if he's never met them before. "That old fashioned cliche our grandparents told us, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you -- guess what?" he said. "It's true. It really will come back to you." Hawk said the love of community members was "overwhelming." While he's currently undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, he said he'll "absolutely" be back to his regular routine at the community center as soon as he's cleared to. The event, said Steward marketing manager Brendon Abbazio, was held to celebrate Hawk's recovery, but also to showcase the "preparedness and diligence" of community members, be they paramedics, police officers, 911 operators or Bethlehem Township employees. "It's important to highlight the scenarios where people go above and beyond the line of duty," Abbazio said. "It's moments like this that we want to highlight, to show the community the great work our [emergency services] partners do." Jake Holland may be reached at jholland@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jakewholland. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A wining lottery ticket worth almost $500,000 was sold this week in Bethlehem. The ticket, sold at Albright's Food Mart on Main Street, was one of three jackpot-winning Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 tickets from Wednesday night's drawing. They each matched all five balls drawn, 05-07-08-11-28. The other tickets were sold in Harrisburg and Stockdale, Washington County. The trio of winners will split a jackpot worth $1.4 million, about $466,667, less withholding. The stores that sold the tickets will each each receive a $500 selling bonus. A Cash 5 ticket worth $400,000 was sold in June in Allentown, and an $800,000 winning ticket was sold that same month at a Speedway in South Whitehall Township, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. Lottery officials advise winners to sign the back of their tickets, call the lottery at 717-702-8146 and file a claim. Claims may be filed at lottery headquarters in Middletown, Pa., or at one of seven area offices. The lottery's Lehigh Valley office is at 555 Union Blvd., Suite 5, in Allentown and is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Police say they have caught one of two men they believe opened fire at people in Wilson Borough last month. Delano Williams, 18, was arrested Thursday by Slate Belt Regional Police during a theft investigation. The Easton teen allegedly gave a fake name, but his identity was discovered once he was processed at Northampton County Central Booking. Williams, a 17-year-old boy and another male were driven June 20 by a 17-year-old girl to the intersection of South 15th and Ferry streets in Wilson, borough police said. Williams and one of the other males allegedly fired several shots at people near 1453 Ferry St. No one was injured, but two cars were hit, police said. After the shots were fired, Williams and the juvenile got back in the vehicle and fled, police said. The 17-year-old from Rockaway Beach, New York, was already charged in the shooting. Williams was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, corruption of minors, possession of instruments of a crime, reckless endangerment, and two counts of felony criminal mischief. In the Wind Gap case, Williams was charged with theft and giving a fake identity. Williams was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A faulty charging station caught fire late Thursday night at the Amazon warehouse in Palmer Township, filling the huge facility with dense smoke and causing two people to suffer smoke inhalation, the municipal fire department reports. The call came in about 9:30 p.m. from 1610 VanBuren Road but employees controlled the fire with extinguishers before firefighters arrived, Assistant Chief Jim Alercia said. "Once we confirmed the fire was fully extinguished, our obstacle was to ventilate the smoke from the warehouse, which is not an easy task when dealing with a one-million-square-foot building," Alercia said. Upper Nazareth Township, Tatamy and Forks Township firefighters were called in so there were enough ventilation fans to clear the smoke from the building, Alercia said. Suburban EMS treated the two employees at the scene but they didn't require further medical attention, Alercia said. By 11 p.m., the smoke was cleared and employees were allowed back inside, Alercia said. They facility returned to full production, he added. The investigation led to the conclusion that a faulty electric charging station for fork lifts burned, Alercia said, adding the incident was an accident. The Hanover Township Fire Department also assisted, Alercia said. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A 25-year-old man who drove on the wrong side of the road and rear-ended a vehicle has been fined and disqualified from driving. Aaron Cooney, Lisheen View, The Lamb, Kilbride, Co. Wicklow, was charged with two counts of dangerous driving, no licence or insurance, and failing to provide a sample. When the case first came before the court in May, Garda Quinlan gave evidence that on February 15 this year, there was a report of dangerous driving on the M7 heading towards to Abbeyleix. Garda Quinlan said that an off-duty garda had observed the car driving on the opposite side of the road for a number of kilometres, barely missing oncoming traffic. The car also rear-ended another vehicle in Abbeyleix before driving on. The gardai observed the car, a silver Mercedes, parked up on the footpath and they saw the driver exit the car and go into the Bank of Ireland. The garda spoke to the driver, Aaron Cooney, and got a strong smell of alcohol from him and noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and he was unsteady on his feet. The accused was arrested and brought to Portlaoise Garda Station, but failed to provide a specimen when requested. The accused had five previous convictions. Judge Catherine Staines said it was very fortunate the gardai had stopped the accused as he could have killed somebody. The judge said she was considering a prison sentence, but said she would postpone penalty until the accused completes a driver educational programme. The matter was put back to July 19. When the case returned to court last week, defence, Mr Philip Meagher said there was no place on the external programme until September. He asked the court to finalise the matter as the accused was anxious to take up work. For refusing to give a sample, the accused was fined 200 and disqualified from driving for four years. The two dangerous driving charges were taken into consideration and driving disqualifications of two years and four years imposed. For no insurance, he was disqualified for two years. The charge of no licence was taken into consideration. Hospipe bans and water conservation orders are to be extended until summers end because recent rain will not be enough to restore drinking water supplies to adequate levels according to Irish Water. The Irish Water Board met today, Friday, July 27, to discuss the on-going drought situation and Irish Waters on-going response to safeguarding the supply for water for the future. "It is the view of the water engineering experts within Local Authorities and Irish Water that the situation will remain critical up to and possibly beyond mid-August," said a statement issued afterwards. "The Board reviewed the latest available data on water usage and the condition of the raw water sources around the country and have confirmed the extension of the timeline of the Water Conservation Orders, or hosepipe bans for the Greater Dublin Area and nationally until the 31st of August and a continuance of the Level 2 water pressure reductions in the Greater Dublin area for another two weeks," it said. The utility said the most severe conditions continue to be in the east and south, where the rivers, lakes and groundwater tables are at record lows. It adds that latest OPW flow data shows over half of rivers are at levels that were previously unheard of in July. Irish Water says Met Eireann has indicated that in the short-term that rainfall will not be at a level that will assist the recovery of raw water sources, particularly in the east and south of the country. It says major operational interventions are taking place including relocating or upgrading pumps; using Irish Water hydrologists to investigate and drill additional boreholes as an interim measure; tankering water to reservoirs; and working closely with local authorities and additional contractors where necessary to find and fix the worst leaks that are impacting supply. Chartered Engineer and Irish Waters Corporate Affairs Manager Kate Gannon said supply is the key issue. Irish Waters first priority is to safeguard the water supply for communities, ensure a consistent and safe supply and minimise the impact of the drought. It has been very encouraging to see the conservation measures taken by homes and businesses and advice for those who would like to do a little bit more is available on water.ie. The measures that Irish Water has taken in the past few weeks have been done to conserve water while minimising the impact on homes and businesses. Whether it is tankering water to resevoirs or fixing leaks, each measure has been taken with the impact on the local community in mind. That is why Irish Water has urged customers to conserve water before putting the Water Conservation Order in place. That is why we have waited to see how demand for water would reduce in the Greater Dublin Area before confirming pressure management at night. Irish Water is very aware that increased water pressure reductions in the Greater Dublin Area could have a negative impact on homes and businesses and the hospitality sector in particular. We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely, she said. An 'independent, external facilator' is to be appointed to lead a consultation team that will consider the future of services at Portlaoise hospital. In a statement, Laois TD and Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan said that the consultation process regarding Accident and Emergency in Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRPH) is underway. Minister for Health Simon Harris announced last November that a public consultation process needed to take place before any plan to downgrade Portlaoise could be implemented. Having met with Minister Harris last week, the Minister confirmed that the consultation process regarding MRHP is underway. An independent, external facilitator will lead the consultation team. I have been assured that the required multi-annual investment in services, and infrastructural and staffing capacity, will be advanced before any decision is taken in relation to core services. As each service development is advanced and implemented, there will need to be measures in place to provide evidence that service access, quality and safety have improved. No further decisions on core service reconfiguration at Portlaoise can proceed without a review of this evidence on a phased basis, he said. The investment mentioned does not specifiy Portlaoise would be upgraded or other hospitals would benefit as proposed by the HSE with Portlaoise downgraded over time. He urged the various stakeholders and interest groups to fully engage in the consultation process. MRHP Hospital has had a bad time in recent years. Nevertheless, it retains a core of very good and very dedicated staff. It is the wish of the local community that the Hospital has a bright future. It is certainly my wish as a representative for the people of Laois that our hospital provides excellent healthcare to its patients and is a happy place to work for its staff and that we move forward positively," he said. Minister Flanagan's office said the consultation team would be comprised of 'the relevant HSE senior officials and clinical leads' who would 'engage with stakeholder groups including the Laois faculty of ICGP, Laois MIDOC, Medical Board MRH, Portlaoise, local elected representatives and representatives from the Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee as well as other local community groups. His office said the external facilitator would be appointed and announced in the coming weeks. A final draft of a HSE Dublin Midlands Hospital Group Plan was presented to Minister Simon Harris last September. It could not be implemented without his approval which he declined to give. The plan outlines a major reconfiguration of Portlaoise hospital with substantial downgrade of services. A&E, ICU, surgery, paediatrics and maternity are all envisaged to be phased out over time. It proposed an investment programme mainly in Tullamore hospital to cater for the change. The plan was met with anger in Portlaoise and led to a major protest last December involving thousands of people. Minister Harris has not rejected the plan but has committed to consultation with the public on its contents. A huge week long celebration is set to kick off soon to mark Bliain na Gaeilge and speaking the Irish language. An Sean Chistin will kick off proceedings on Monday, July 30 with a ceili at 8:30 pm to the music of All Ireland Champion accordionist, Keelan McGrath. The craic will continue for a full seven days at An Sean Chistin, Irey in Ballyfin. It will come alive to the sounds of Irish music, song, dance, poetry, stories, laughter, friendship and fun, with events each day. On Tuesday, July 31st there will be an open house rambling session from 8:00pm. All are welcome to contribute a song, dance, story or just relax and enjoy great company, cuppa and chat. Wednesday August 1 at 8:00pm will see the arrical of a Pop Up Gaeltacht where all are welcome to use their cupla focal in a relaxed, inclusive environment. This is a special event to celebrate Bliain na Gaeilge, admission is free and all ages are welcome. Laois Matters will take place on Thursday August, 2 at 8:00pm where people of Laois are celebrated through their songs, music, dancing, stories, cupan tae no caife. On Friday, August 3 the fun will move to the Community Centre in Ballyfin for a Ceili Mor at 9:30pm with Johnny Reidy, admissions is 10. Saturday 11a.m.-4p.m. A sean-nos and brush dancing workshop for all ages and abilities will be held at An Sean Chistin on Saturday from 11:00am to 4:00pm, 10. All are encourages to bring a packed lunch, there will be free tea and coffee. On Sunday, August 5 there will be a Slan Abhaile Session at An Sean Chistin at 7:30pm. For further information on this unique festival when we become immersed in our Irish Culture contact Maureen 087 6482038, seanchistin@gmail.com. A Clane resident appeared in Naas District Court last Wednesday, July 25, charged with money laundering. Gardai told Judge Desmond Zaidan that an email had been sent to a financial institution overseas instructing that 32,600 be sent from one of their clients account to another account. The other account was in AIB and was found to belong to Eglis Sedlins, 28, with an address listed as 22 The Avenue, Abbeylands, Clane. And the client whose money had been transferred informed his financial institution that he did not send the email. Gardai believe that Mr Sedlinss role in the enterprise was to launder the money. Gardai believe he was not the main player in the theft of the money, much of which has been transferred out of the account to other accounts in Ireland, Gardai revealed. He was offered 10% of the money, the court heard, and the investigation continues. Mr Sedlins has two previous convictions, for road traffic matters. Representing him, David Powderly said his client was anxious to reimburse the injured party. Judge Zaidan agreed to an adjournment to allow this to happen, but warned: Im making no promises. The matter was adjourned to January 16 next. Kelly Doolan is a fashion blogger from Sallins. She has a following of over 13,000 on Instagram. She is also a student in NUI Maynooth. Kelly (20) is the daughter of Wayne and Theresa from Sallins, and has one brother called Carl. She went to primary school in St. Laurences in Sallins and then onto St. Marys in Naas and is now currently studying Business and Geography in Maynooth University. WHAT IS YOUR FIRST KILDARE MEMORY? It would probably be Christmas when me and my brother were younger. I remember every Christmas morning myself and my family would all go for a walk down the canal so my brother and I could use our new bikes or scooters. Another young memory would be school trips to places like Lullymore or the National Stud. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT KILDARE? The fact that theres so many scenic places to walk our dog Fudge like the canals or the forests, but theres also lots to do, like going to the Cliff at Lyons or shopping at Kildare Village/Whitewater. IDEAL DAY SPENT IN KILDARE? Walking Fudge to Naas to get breakfast. Then going for lunch with my family to the Cliff at Lyons in Celbidge or Shoda in Maynooth and then going for dinner and to the cinema in Newbridge with my boyfriend, Cullen. FAVOURITE RESTAURANT IN KILDARE? Bouchon and the Lemongrass in Naas. WHAT GIVES KILDARE ITS UNIQUENESS? We get the best of both worlds. We live in such a scenic and peaceful county while being located a train journey or short drive away from Dublin city centre. HOW DID YOU GET INTO BLOGGING? I started blogging around a year ago now. I always loved following other bloggers who posted outfit pictures or beauty looks so when I finished secondary school i just thought why not? and it all began there. I love sharing my outfits and it has given me so many amazing opportunities already, working with some big brands so Im so happy I started. As for growing my following, I personally thinks it all comes down to consistency. I try to post every second day which attracts people to my page which increases my following. I also think its important to be a bit different. Of course you can take inspiration from other bloggers but I think its important to put your own twist on your pictures to stand out. ANY PLANS OR GOALS? It's so hard to tell where blogging will lead me to as its not really in my control. All I can do is put out consistent content that is a high standard and hope it attracts followers and companies. I really do just love posting pictures so at the moment its just a hobby that I love doing but only time will tell what it will lead to. My next step is to get my blog site that I'm currently working on published and post consistently on that also. Follow Kelly on Instagram @_kellydoolan Charlie Ward, 7 Cluain Oir, Liscara, Carrick-on-Shannon was convicted of a number of offences when he appeared before Carrick-on-Shannon District Court including failing to keep his vehicle at the scene at Topaz, Leitrim Rd, Carrick-on-Shannon on September 21, 2017. Giving evidence State Solicitor Noel Farrell told the Court a Customs Officer , Ms Tansey, observed a black VW Passat parked in Topaz filling station and approached the person in possession of the vehicle as he emerged from the shop informing him that it was her intention to take a sample of fuel from the vehicle. Mr Ward was said to have replied to Ms Tansey, Customs Officer, Youre not a Guard and I dont need to open or do anything for you. Mr Ward was said to have driven off at high speed out the Leitrim Road. Customs Officer Tansey pursued the vehicle and as she reached the junction for Liscara she noticed the defendant coming out of the housing estate but he ignored her request to stop. The Officer returned to the filling station where she observed stills which clearly showed the defendant. She then made further enquiries and discovered the vehicle was registered to Mr Ward. She then wrote to Mr Ward but received no response. Continuing the evidence, Mr Farrell said Ms Tansey then called to Mr Ward's place of residence where he was residing in a caravan outside a house. She was informed by a brother of the defendant when she called to his residence that the defendant was indisposed. Defending solicitor John Anderson asked Judge Kilrane to mitigate the fine to the full amount allowed. Judge Kilrane imposed a conviction and a fine of 5,000 which he mitigated to 2,500. Evidence was also given in relation to offences on September 25, 2017 when Gda Connolly observed the defendant driving on the wrong side of the road at Cortober, Carrick-on-Shannon having crossed a continuous white line. Judge Kilrane imposed a conviction and a fine of 300 in relation to a charge of overtaking in a dangerous manner. In relation to offences on June 9, 2017 at 10.53pm the Court heard the defendant was observed overtaking on hatch markings on the N4 while travelling inbound towards Carrick-on-Shannon at Attirory. A fixed charged penalty notice was issued but the fine was not paid. A conviction was imposed in relation to a charge of entering the hatch markings of a roadway and Mr Ward was fined 200. In relation to a charge of driving without insurance on March 17, 2017 at St George's Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon Mr Ward was convicted and was fined 200. He was also disqualified from driving for a period of two years. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. A REPRESENTATIVE of the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation has given evidence in court in support of a convicted drug dealer who is seeking a PSV licence to operate a taxi in Limerick city. Anthony Campion, 29, from Ballinacurra Weston has appealed the decision of Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche to refuse his application. Chief Supt Roche told Limerick District Court the applicant has 37 previous convictions and that he does not believe he is a suitable person to hold a PSV licence. Judge Marian OLeary was told Mr Campion, whose parents are taxi drivers in Limerick and in Cobh, County Cork, passed the theory test late last year and that he submitted his application for a licence after Christmas. Chief Supt Roche said having considered the application and having met with the applicant in person, he formally refused the application in April of this year. He said his previous convictions, including a number for drug-related offences, were a concern as was his past use of drugs and alcohol. He said there is also one minor drugs charge still before the courts. Chief Supt Roche agreed with barrister Cian Kelly that Mr Campion can still make a good contribution to society but not as a PSV holder. I appreciate all his efforts but I have to consider if having a PSV licence is the way to go, he said. In his evidence, the applicant insisted he has made significant changes in his life in recent years since his daughter was born. I take responsibility for my actions, I made bad mistakes and they should not have happened. I put my hands up, he said. While Mr Campion has been employed as a barman in the city, he says he wants to pursue a career as a taxi driver. Being questioned by Inspector Paul Reidy, the applicant insisted he had mistakenly not included details of his previous convictions in the PSV application he submitted to Chief Supt Roche. While accepting, he had not filled in the relevant section on the form, he said he attached a print out of his records from the Garda Pulse system. I wasnt hiding anything, he adding: I think I deserve a second chance to go out to work. Mr Campions mother, Elizabeth Benson, told the court her son is a changed man since he stopped drinking and that she was happy to support him in his efforts to secure a licence. He will have to work fierce hard if it is granted, she said adding that Anthony is the only one of her children who has an interest in becoming a taxi driver. Kieran Canty, a local representative with the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation, said he was first approached by Mr Campion last November. He confirmed he was aware of his previous convictions but said he believes the applicant is making genuine efforts to go in a positive direction. He told the court he is aware of other people with criminal convictions who have been granted PSV licences and that he believes every applicant is entitled to have their own case dealt with on its merits. Based on the family background and knowledge (of the industry) and his temperament, I believe he is suitable, he said. Having considered submissions, Judge OLeary reserved judgment. A COUNTY Limerick woman has been so moved by a priest with Motor Neurone Disease walking the length of Ireland that she has organised her own fundraiser. Fr Tony Coote, who is making his way from Letterkenny to Ballydehob, will be in Limerick this weekend. He called it Walk While You Can and monies will go to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and for research. An event takes place in Souths pub from 8pm on Friday. To coincide with Fr Cootes arrival, Teresa ODea is to donate all funds from a night of music, song and dance around the fire in the Teach, Cloverfield that took place this Thursday night. Fr Coote started his journey on July 10 and is due to finish on August 6. In March, he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Never one to be struck down by adversity, Fr Coote decided to walk the length of Ireland in order to raise funds and help highlight the need for further funding in this area. Saturday will be spent relaxing in Limerick city before setting off for Adare on Sunday. Log onto wwyc.ie/#the-route for more information. ALMOST 1.5 million in European Research Council funding has been awarded to a University of Limerick researcher to lead a five-year research project investigating the influence of social media. Dr Mike Quayle, from the Department of Psychology at UL, is one of just six early-career researchers in Ireland to be awarded an ERC grant in an announcement made this Friday. As we have seen with Brexit and the election of the US president Donald Trump, social influence works differently in digital societies, Dr Quayle said. Our online communities are packed with bots that seem like real people but are producing social influence for commercial or political interests. Right now, we don't know how much influence they have or how to resist, he added. For example, in the British referendum on leaving the EU, Vote Leave breached spending limits to double down on their social media campaigns but they now claim that the extra spend could not have changed the result of the Brexit referendum. So which is it? Are our societies vulnerable to social media influence by companies like Cambridge Analytica, or are these worries over-hyped? The project will combine the expertise of the ULs Centre for Social Issues Research and the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) in an attempt to unlock a key issue facing contemporary society with the latest developments in Network Science. Understanding the structure of group attitudes in networks will help us to understand how networks can be resilient or vulnerable to social influence in digital social networks, Dr Quayle said. With this understanding, we will be able to suggest better policies to safeguard robust and cohesive collective attitudes. "At UL, we will shortly be recruiting two postdocs for five-year roles as well as two generously funded four-year PhD scholarships, he added. ERC Starter Grants were also awarded to Trinity College Dublin, NUI Galway and the Science Foundation Ireland funded research centre AMBER, of which UL is a partner. LIMERICK farmers were urged not to suffer in silence at a specially organised drought and fodder meeting in Boher. Farmers health and wellbeing is of concern said Majella Moloney, Limerick/KerryTeagasc regional advisory manager. Speak with someone - a family member, friends or a neighbour. Farmers should avoid isolation, talk to your peers as they understand and know exactly what you are going through, said Ms Moloney. After one of the longest winters in living memory farmers fodder and morale was at an all-time low. Yet a few months later they are back feeding silage as there is no grass growing. There is worry that not enough silage will be made for the coming winter. If the rain forecast for this Thursday and the weekend comes it will still take two weeks for grass to grow. Gerald Quain, dairy farmer in Colmanswell and ICMSAs national dairy committee chairman, said it is costing dairy farmers over 1 million every day in extra feed. That is the stark reality of it, said Mr Quain. To show how it is affecting an individual dairy farmer, Tom Hyland, who has a 100 cow herd in Glenroe, said: I reckon that it has cost me nearly 9,000 to keep the cows fed for July, but Ive started looking forward in preparation for the winter. Normally at this time of year dairy farmers only give cows a handful of nuts to entice them into the milking parlour. This year they are feeding 5kg and upwards to keep them in condition. Mr Quain crunched the numbers and based on the countrys 1,500,000 cows he said it is costing in excess of 1 million a day. Some are feeding 8kgs of nuts and thats on top of bills that havent been paid off from last winter. Fellows have no grass and are trying to spare silage. This drought will finish like it did before and there will hopefully be second cuts and some third cuts if it stays warm. What killed us last year is that cattle had to go in so early. Hopefully this year with the ground cracked open like it is they will be out until the back end of the year. That would make an awful difference and you wouldnt have to dig into the silage pit, said Mr Quain. The demand for fodder is demonstrated by Rathkeale councillor and farmer, Adam Teskey. He knows a farmer in west Limerick who had bales for sale. He sold 600 bales in just one hour, and had calls from counties as far away as Kilkenny. The fodder crisis will turn into a national emergency. There isnt enough feed in the country for the amount of cattle, said Cllr Teskey, who called on the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to explore ways to help farmers. See Farm Leader on page 14 for more TWO whistleblowers from the University of Limericks finance department have called on Mary Harney, the UL chancellor and former Tanaiste, to intervene in a dispute which has now dragged on for more than three years. The two women have also released the text of an apology made to them by UL in March. The university has previously refused their requests that the apology be made public via the UL website, where the universitys dismissal of the whistleblowers original allegations remains published almost three years later. We will do everything to protect our legal position and we await legal advice, the employees, known as Persons B and C, said. We would like to call on the UL chancellor, Mary Harney, to intervene in this matter. In the apology, which has been seen by the Limerick Leader, the university acknowledged both whistleblowers as being conscientious employees and recognised their commitment to the university. The apology was made by UL after High Court proceedings issued by Persons B and C were withdrawn in March. We wish to thank them for bringing important matters to the attention of University of Limerick and recognise their courage in doing so, which is greatly valued, the apology states. The university would like to unreservedly apologise not least for their unprecedented suspension, but also for the pejorative statement that they acted in a malicious manner. Two local Fianna Fail TDs, Niall Collins and Willie ODea, who first highlighted the case of Persons B and C in the Dail as far back as 2015, have dismissed this apology as meaningless without a public admission from the university. An apology in private is meaningless because the whole affair was played out in public, Deputy Niall Collins said. I would reiterate my call for UL to make a formal, public apology to the whistleblowers, and to also respond to their request for redeployment. The reputations of both whistleblowers were considerably damaged by the university, according to Deputy ODea. It rings very hollow, the Fianna Fail TD told the Leader. UL are acting now as if they havent made that apology at all. Both have supported the calls from Persons B and C for Mary Harney to intervene in their case, with Deputy Collins writing to Ms Harney to express his concern. It is important Ms Harney hears both sides of the story, Deputy ODea said. A chancellor of the university isnt just a decorative position, a sinecure to make you look important. You carry certain responsibilities, pertaining to the reputation of the university and how they act. The process to facilitate Persons B and C returning to work in new roles ended without an agreement after the UL HR department instructed the two to return to their former department on August 1. Staff in the finance department were informed of this last Wednesday. It is understood that this news was not well received when staff were told by finance director John Field. Persons B and C have said they do not wish to return to their old roles. Foil component to enhance U.S. Dragons stamp set: Weeks Most Read Jul 27, 2018, 4 AM Four dragons rendered in different colors and in different settings fill the designs of four United States forever stamps that will be issued Aug. 9. Each stamp includes a foil accent. By Molly Goad Its time to catch up on the week that was in stamp-collecting insights and news. Linns Stamp News is looking back at its five most-read stories of the week. Click the links to read the stories. 5. Four U.S. holiday stamps for 2018 revealed: Forever stamps celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are planned for 2018. Issue dates will be revealed later, according to the Postal Service. 4. Lithuanian Post puts 100 living Lithuanians on new issue: From famous Lithuanians to contest winners, the new issue seeks to unite people of Lithuanian descent all over the world. 3. After 24 years, USPS ends sales of $5 Washington Jackson stamp: The United States Postal Service is taking the $5 Washington and Jackson stamp off sale on July 31. 2. President Trump calls for privatizing U.S. Postal Service: President Donald Trumps administration has called for privatizing the United States Postal Service. 1. Foil component to enhance U.S. Dragons stamp set: The four new U.S. Dragons stamps are offset-printed in panes of 16 with hot foil stamping. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter MainStreet Cleveland and the Allied Arts Council of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to host First Friday Festival on Aug. 3 from 7-9:30 p.m. This is designed as a free, family-oriented event, sponsored by Wacker--Charleston. The events will feature live music, bounce houses and free face painting for the children. Food vendors will be available offering shaved ice, barbecue, home-made ice cream, and kettle corn for purchase. The live music line-up includes local favorites Bad Tattoo and the Collins Brothers Band for Aug. 3. Review for Bad Tattoo: Bad Tattoos music is filled with a blend of upbeat rhythms, vibrant bass grooves, blazing guitar licks, and an amazing female vocalist. A local favorite comprised of top-notch musicians, whose members have shared stages with Billie Dean, The Allman brothers, The Platters, and many more, Bad Tattoo is stacked with a diverse collection of musical styles. Covering over six decades of popular hits its a show that all are guaranteed to enjoy. They take the stage at 7 p.m. Review for Collins Brothers Band: It is exciting to have long time local favorite the Collins Brothers Band headlining the festival. The group is playing limited shows in the area and was most recently featured at Riverbend Festival. The Collins Brothers sound has been described as "Band and twang." That's really all you need to know before you listen. Their brand of "Rural Rock" is fun and inviting to all who listen. The Band consists of: Joe Collins-Lead Vocals/Guitar, Cory Collins-Drums/Vocals, Allen Campbell-Lead Guitar, Preston Parris-Bass/Vocals and Phil Mason- Keyboards/Vocals. They take the stage at 8:15 p.m. Streets will be closed around the Bradley Courthouse by 6 p.m. and organizers point out that there is plenty of downtown parking for those coming to the first of the First Friday Festivals. Bring a chair to the Courthouse Square and enjoy the festival. Scorching summer days can be tough without air conditioning, and you might find yourself searching for ways to stay cool, including using a fan at night. But is it healthy to sleep with a fan on? Some recent headlines have made sleeping with a fan on sound downright dangerous. "Why Sleeping with Your Fan on Could Be Seriously Damaging Your Health," read one recent headline from the Mirror. "Sleeping with a Bedside Fan Could Pose Health Risks," read another, from LifeZette. But experts say the reality is not that dire. "There's nothing about a fan that's toxic," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "There's nothing wrong with circulating air." [7 Common Summer Health Concerns] Indeed, sleep is very important, and you don't want to be sweating all night, Horovitz told Live Science. But anything that causes rapid air movement, including a fan, can evaporate moisture from your mouth and nasal passages, drying them out, he said. Fans may also circulate dust, which could bother people, particularly if they have allergies. If you do sleep with a fan on, Horovitz said it's a good idea to keep it at a safe distance from your bed and not have it blowing right on you. To guard against dust and other allergens, Horovitz recommended keeping an air filter in the bedroom. He also recommended performing daily sinus irrigation with saline, which can help with dry nasal passages, congestion and other nasal problems. Cold air can also cause muscle contractions, and so exposure to this air at night may lead to a stiff neck in the morning. But Horovitz said this is more of a problem with air conditioning that's left on at night than it is with fans. If you do sleep with air conditioning on at night, Horovitz said the air shouldn't be blowing directly on you and the setting shouldn't be lower than 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). Original article on Live Science. A blood moon photo taken on Apr. 15, 2014. The world did not end when that blood moon occurred, and it is unlikely to end tomorrow, either. Tonight (July 26), the moon will pass through the center of Earth's rusty-red shadow and remain there for a whopping 1 hour and 43 minutes. To astronomers, this is a thrilling example of a total lunar eclipse the longest one we'll see for the rest of the century. To some doomsaying YouTube preachers, on the other hand, it's a terrifying example of a "blood moon," and it may be the last one we ever see in this or any century. "The blood moon is definitely a prophetic sign [of the end times]," one prominent YouTube preacher (whom Live Science prefers not to name) said in a recent video. "There are way too many prophecies in play here we're in the end times." [End of the World? Top 10 Doomsday Threats] This is not the first time a so-called blood moon has attracted prophecies of doom not by a long shot. Throughout history, many non-Christian cultures have interpreted the disappearance of the trusty moon as a dark omen. According to National Geographic, Incan myths held that a lunar eclipse meant the moon had been eaten by a large jaguar, while ancient Mesopotamians believed an eclipse was the work of demons. With the light of the moon being so crucial to timekeeping and agriculture, it's little wonder why its disappearance or sudden blood-red makeover was a terrifying sight. For some, that terror persists today. Just a few years ago, two rival preachers promoted two separate (but very similar) theories that a series of four consecutive blood moons during 2014 and 2015 heralded the end times, citing as their main evidence a few quotes from the Bible. So, what does the Bible actually say about blood moons? While the phrase "blood moon" doesn't actually appear at all in the Bible, there are three distinct mentions of the moon turning the color of blood and they're all pretty similar. The only mention in the Old Testament shows up in the book of Joel, which describes a plague of locusts and foretells an apocalyptic event that will separate the faithful from the unfaithful. Here's what Joel says about that pending apocalypse, according to the King James translation: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lordcome." (Joel 2:31) Two very similar passages appear later in the New Testament, in the books of Acts and Revelations. Acts 2:20 says: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come." And, according to Revelations 6:12: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood." In all three cases, it's clear that the moon turning red as blood precedes a grave reckoning. Interestingly, all three passages also mention the sun turning to darkness before that reckoning likely a description of a total solar eclipse. With only these three passages in mind, it's easy enough to interpret every single solar or lunar eclipse as a potential sign of the world's end. So, why shouldn't you? Live Science doesn't want to tell anyone what to believe, but we do like to share facts and stories that can help people make more informed decisions. So, here's one fact that makes us feel better: After millions (possibly billions) of prior blood moons, the world has not ended yet. Thanks to the predictable orbits of the Earth and moon, every calendar year sees a minimum of four eclipses two solar and two lunar, according to Earthsky.org. Some years may have many more, up to a maximum of seven (1982 was the last time that happened, and 2038 will be the next time it occurs). But whether you look at the minimum or maximum annual number, there have still been tens of billions of eclipses since the Earth and moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Somehow, our planet has survived through all of them. The total eclipse (and perhaps the end of the world) will occur between 3:30 p.m. and 5:13 p.m. EDT (1930 to 2113 GMT) Friday night. Though it won't be visible to North Americans, here's how to watch the beginning of the end online. Originally published on Live Science. In a centuries-old grave of two female mummies in Chile lingers a risk to archaeologists today: fabric tinted red with cinnabar, a highly toxic mineral that comes from mercury ore. The hazardous red powder was first detected when the mummies were discovered in the 1970s. But although cinnabar's signature color had been previously associated with Inca culture elsewhere, it had never been seen in a cultural context in the region where the mummies were found, archaeologists reported in a new study. Scientists recently analyzed the fine-grained red pigment from the mummies' grave and found that it was, in fact, cinnabar, providing the first evidence of the mineral in ritual use by ancient peoples in northern Chile. [The Color of Blood: Here Are Nature's Reddest Reds (Photos)] The richly dressed mummies were unearthed in 1976 from a burial site in Cerro Esmeralda dating to approximately A.D. 1399 to 1475, according to the study. The remains of the two young females one 9 years old when she died, and the other 18 to 20 years old when she died were found in the fetal position alongside 104 artifacts. Archaeologists suspect that the bodies were buried after a ritual Inca sacrifice likely an important one, based on the quality of the objects interred with the bodies, scientists reported in prior analysis of the mummies. Fabric found with the mummies was colored with a bright-red pigment; at the time that the grave's occupants lived (and died), this hue was commonly created in the Andes with hematite, the study authors wrote. But their chemical and microscopic investigation identified the source of the color as cinnabar. "The new chemical analyses that we obtained showed that cinnabar was present in the clothes of the Cerro Esmeralda mummies," the scientists reported. "This toxic material is a special and foreign funerary offering in northern Chile." Cinnabar, a primary source of mercury, is a soft mineral typically occurring in rocks that are sedimentary made of pieces of preexisting rock or volcanic, and usually appears near volcanoes or hot springs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Clothing to die for Previous research suggested that cinnabar was ceremonially used among Inca people of high social status, and its presence in the mummies' clothing hints that the ritual that claimed their lives was culturally significant, according to the study. However, where the cinnabar came from and precisely what role it played in ritual and social use are yet to be discovered, the researchers wrote. Regardless of how the mineral was used hundreds of years ago, handling ancient objects containing cinnabar can carry substantial risks to those who work with artifacts in the present day inhaling it can have deadly consequences, the study authors warned. "It may cause a range of health problems affecting the nervous and muscular systems and the gastrointestinal tract, among others, and even death in cases of extreme exposure," they reported. In fact, it's possible that the Incas were well aware of the dangers posed by cinnabar inhalation, and they may have deliberately scattered cinnabar on their ceremonial burial sites to deter grave robbers, the scientists said. The findings were published online May 25 in the journal Archaeometry. Original article on Live Science. This is probably what Paleoparadoxia looked like during its lifetime, about 15.9 million years ago. In the early 1950s, a mysterious fossil thought to belong to a dinosaur sat on display in the village hall in Fukushima, Japan. But a new analysis of the ancient bone reveals that it belonged to an entirely different animal: a weird, hippo-like creature that lived nearly 16 million years ago. Much like today's hippopotamus, the creature a member of the now-extinct genus Paleoparadoxia (Greek for "ancient paradox") was a water-loving beast that gulped down aquatic plants for dinner, the researchers said. The new analysis shows that much can be learned by studying long-forgotten museum fossils, said the study researchers, who detailed the unexpected rabbit hole they went down while investigating the bone's past. [Image Gallery: 25 Amazing Ancient Beasts] "This study demonstrates that if enough information is provided in the first place a trail of bread crumbs, if you will mystery fossils and other museum objects can be tracked down," said Robert Boessenecker, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences at the College of Charleston, in South Carolina, who was not involved with the study. The so-called detective work began in 2017, when study co-researcher Yuri Kimura, a curator of vertebrate paleontology at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, found an old wooden box at the University of Tsukuba. The box contained the right femur (leg bone) of a desmostylia, an extinct order of aquatic mammals. The box where researchers found the mysterious Paleoparadoxia fossil. (Image credit: Courtesy of Yuri Kimura) A slip of paper with the box noted that the uncatalogued bone was discovered by Tadayasu Azuma in Tsuchiyu Onsen town, in Fukushima City, in 1955. Kimura wanted to see if she could find more fossils at that location, so she and her colleagues traveled there to try to pinpoint the femur's origins. After interviewing several locals and sifting through archived documents and photos from the 1950s, the researchers learned that the fossil and several other ancient bones were discovered in the early 1950s during the construction of a dam, possibly the Higashi Karasugawa River first dam. An interview with Azumas oldest son offered a slightly different story. According to the son, he found the fossil while working on the third dam with his father. Because of these conflicting accounts, it's unclear which year and what dam the fossil is from, the researchers said. However, the son also knew that the fossil wasn't a dinosaur bone, and that it belonged to a desmostylus, so it's possible that the son had communicated with a scientist about the bone, but that the scientist did not formally report it, the researchers said. Despite this, shortly after the fossil's discovery, people in the village began calling it a dinosaur bone. The femur was so famous that it was put on exhibit at the village hall. Luckily, the fossil was removed shortly before a devastating fire destroyed most of the city, including the village hall, on Feb. 22, 1954, as the researchers learned. A new analysis shows that the long-forgotten fossil was the femur (leg bone) of Paleoparadoxia, an ancient hippo-like creature. (Image credit: Kumiko Matsui et al./Royal Society/ CC-BY 4.0 Zircon dating To find the fossil's age, the researchers used zircon dating. Zircon is a mineral that contains the radioactive element uranium, which decays into the element lead at a specific rate over time, according to the American Museum of Natural History. This steady conversion rate allows scientists to date rocks with zircon crystals by analyzing the ratio of uranium and lead within the specimen. The zircon-dating revealed that the Paleoparadoxia lived about 15.9 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. That fit in perfectly with that researchers already know about Paleoparadoxia a marine creature that could grow up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length and lived in the Pacific Ocean from about 20 million to 10 million years ago. Kumiko Matsui (right) and Yuri Kimura (left) stand next to a Paleoparadoxia skeleton on display at the National Museum of Nature and Science, in Tokyo. (Image credit: Courtesy of Yuri Kimura) Moreover, the fossil also has visible muscle scars, "which makes the specimen useful for future studies that rely on accurate muscle maps for modelling studies of locomotion of the hind limb," the researchers wrote in the study. "I was very impressed with this study," Boessenecker told Live Science. "The methods involved include a bit of geochemistry and a lot of good old-fashioned detective work." The study was published online July 25 in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Original article on Live Science. The stars of the Milky Way orbit a gargantuan black hole called Sagittarius A*, which is generally quiet as viewed from Earth, except for ripping apart the occasional object that ventures too close. The black hole's mass is 4 million times that of the sun, and it exhibits our galaxy's strongest gravitational field, making it and a small group of stars orbiting it at high speed a perfect proving ground for the extreme effects predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. For 26 years, researchers have been observing the center of the Milky Way using instruments from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). "The galactic center was our laboratory to test gravity," Odele Straub, an astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory and co-author of the new study, said at an ESO news conference July 26. [Einstein's Theory of Relativity Explained (Infographic)] A simulation showing the orbits of stars extremely close to the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's core. The star S2, which orbits every 16 years, passed very close to the black hole in May 2018, letting astronomers examine the extreme effects of relativity. (Image credit: L. Calcada/spaceengine.org/ESO) Astronomers have used new infrared observations from the GRAVITY, SINFONI and NACO instruments on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile to follow a star, known as S2, which is part of a group of fast-moving stars orbiting the supermassive black hole, located 26,000 light-years from Earth. An artist's impression of the star S2 passing closely by the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way. By studying this star, astronomers have successfully tested Einstein's theory of general relativity. (Image credit: M. Kornmesser/ESO) "Redshift tells us how gravity affects photons as they travel through the universe," Andrea Mia Ghez, an astronomer and professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles who was not involved in this research, told Space.com. The supermassive black hole's gravitational field stretched the light leaving S2, and the change in the wavelength of light from S2 aligns with what is predicted by Einstein's theory, according to the statement. The new measurements and results don't agree with what would be predicted by the simpler, Newtonian theory of gravity, the researchers said at the news conference. Frank Eisenhauer, senior staff scientist at the Max Plank Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and principal investigator for GRAVITY and the SINFONI spectrograph, showed a vivid graph highlighting that divergence at the ESO news conference reading "Einstein 1:0 Newton" eliciting cheers from the audience. This is the first time such a deviation from the Newtonian theory of gravity has been observed in a star around a supermassive black hole, the researchers said in the statement, although it was the second time they observed S2 around the black hole; they've been tracking the system for more than two decades. Last time it passed by, 16 years ago, the measurements' resolution wasn't good enough to pick up relativity's effects. One of hundreds of images collected with the NACO instrument of ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile over two decades, following the motions of stars orbiting very close to the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's center. (Image credit: ESO/MPE) "Getting this law right is super important," Ghez said. Even if you don't have it right, or you work with an incorrect understanding of gravity even on a small scale those mistakes may have accumulated on a larger scale, she added.As human beings on Earth, we fall, we drop things and we don't float off of the planet into space; from an everyday perspective, we understand gravity quite well. However, of the different laws of physics, "gravity is the least tested, although [it's] the one we understand from a human existence the best," Ghez said. This new research helps to solidify our understanding of gravity on a larger scale. This work shows how gravity acts near a supermassive black hole, thus improving scientists' understanding of the force and its effects, the researchers said. "Here in the solar system, we can only test the laws of physics now and under certain circumstances,"Francoise Delplancke, head of the system engineering department at ESO and co-author of the new study, said in the statement. "So it's very important in astronomy to also check that those laws are still valid where the gravitational fields are very much stronger." Astronomers will continue to observe and study S2 and hope to soon show general relativity's effect on a small rotation of the star's orbit as it travels away from the supermassive black hole, the researchers said. The results of the new research were published online today (July 26) in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Earth is boiling under record-high temperatures. Global heat waves have landed thousands of people in the hospital and fueled massive wildfires in places ranging from Greece to the Arctic Circle. An animation called "earth" shows just how high worldwide temperatures really are. The animation, designed by computer programmer Cameron Beccario, an engineering manager at Indeed Tokyo in Japan, updates every 3 hours with weather data taken from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Global Forecast System. [What Is Earth's Average Temperature?] The system uses supercomputers to create models of the weather from various measurements, like temperature, soil moisture, wind, ocean currents and precipitation, Live Science previously reported. This week, the mesmerizing globe shines in shades of orange and red, which indicate hot temperatures. A city outside Tokyo in Japan is facing scorching temperatures of almost 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41.1 degrees Celsius). At least 86 people have died of heatstroke there since May, and 23,000 people have been hospitalized just in the past week, The New York Times reported. But Japan isn't the only country facing record temperatures. In Sweden, an extreme heat wave caused multiple wildfires to erupt last week some in the Arctic Circle. Also last week, Greece faced deadly wildfires fueled by extreme temperatures and high winds, killing more than 80 people, The Washington Post reported. Earlier this month, Ouargla, a city in Algeria, probably logged the highest temperature ever recorded in Africa: 124.3 degrees F (51.3 degrees C), according to the Post. And in June, Oman logged the hottest night in recorded history and the highest low temperature ever to be recorded on Earth: 108.7 degrees F (42.6 degrees C), according to the Post. Extreme weather such as the current global heat wave, strong hurricanes and long droughts is more likely to occur now because of human-induced climate change, according to a previous Live Science report. A preliminary comparison of current temperatures with historical records from seven weather stations in Europe suggests that human-induced climate change made the Europe-wide heat wave more than twice as likely to happen, according to the BBC. Originally published on Live Science. Ray Fisher / Royal Dutch Shell WASHINGTON - A backlog in permitting new LNG terminals at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has drawn the attention of two Texas Congressmen. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, and Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, have introduced legislation that would raise staff salaries at the commission to try and attract more of the engineers needed to review the permit applications. REDDING The ferocious Carr Fire that ripped into this city of 90,000 after winds blew it over the Sacramento River has taken the life of a second firefighter, destroyed 500 structures and prompted authorities to expand evacuations Friday. The intensity of the heat created fire whirlwinds that uprooted trees and turned over cars as 37,000 residents fled for their lives after the fire entered the northwest side of the city late Thursday night. Three people were missing two young children and their great-grandmother, who were last known to be at a home that was leveled by the fire, a family friend said. This fire is a long way from being done, Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said at a news conference. Were seeing fire whirls literally what can be described as a tornado. ... These are extreme conditions. This is how fires are burning in California. We need to take heed. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. By Friday night, 48,000 acres had burned and only 5 percent of the blaze was contained. Five hundred structures were destroyed and 75 damaged, Cal Fire Shasta-Trinity Unit officials said. All day Friday, relatives of Emily Roberts, 4, and her 5-year-old brother, James, and their 70-year-old great-grandmother, Melody Bledsoe, searched in hospitals and shelters for their missing loved ones. Bledsoe was caring for the children in Redding, said Donald Kewley, the boyfriend of Bledsoes granddaughter, Shelley Hoskinson. Kewley, who lives 2 miles from Bledsoes house, said he was standing on the roof of his home on Thursday night as the Carr Fire raced closer and closer. He said he called Bledsoes house. She was screaming, Its getting closer, and you could hear the sirens, Kewley said. He tried to drive to Bledsoes house near Quartz Hill and Keswick Dam roads, about 2 miles north of downtown Redding, but could get no closer than about a half mile before flames forced him to turn around. You could see a 50-foot wall of flames, moving fast, he said. On Friday, Kewley and Bledsoes husband, Ed, went to the area where the home had been. It looked like a bomb went off, said Donald Kewley, We went back there and the whole neighborhood is gone. Its absolutely obliterated. Its just a smoldering mess. The family posted pictures of the missing family members on social media, including photographs of the two children in their Halloween costumes. Please help, the familys post said. In the early evening, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said no reports of missing persons had been received, but we expect there will be missing person reports, and perhaps unreported deaths that we are unaware of at the moment. With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and the terrain dry, authorities said the fire will burn for days. Were seeing fire conditions like weve never seen before, making this really quite an event to stay out in front of, said state Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci. Among the buildings that burned were the 1920s schoolhouse at Shasta Historic State Park, west of Redding, officials said. The brewery and cemetery in the historic area were damaged, but officials removed artifacts for safekeeping, according to Gloria Sandoval, a spokeswoman for California State Parks. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta County and requested federal aid on Friday. I am requesting Direct Federal Assistance, including Department of Defense air assets to immediately mitigate the impacts of this fire; shelter supplies and water for 30,000 evacuated residents in Shasta County; U.S. Department of Agricultures assistance in evacuating large animals; mass care; evacuation assistance for individuals with access and functional needs; and ambulatory transport, Brown said. The two firefighters killed battling the Carr Fire were a contract bulldozer operator who died Thursday whose name was not released, and Jeremy Stoke, a fire inspector with the Redding Fire Department. The deaths bring to three the number of firefighters who have died this month battling wildfires in the state. Braden Varney died fighting the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park on July 14 when his bulldozer rolled over. The fire also caused injuries to firefighters and residents, officials said. Among those injured were three Marin County firefighters who suffered burns to their ears, face and hands. Two were treated and released, while the third was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, said Battalion Chief Bret McTigue, of the Marin County Fire Department. A sudden gust of wind pushed the fire forward ahead of the fire front, and they received severe heat lash from adjacent pine trees, McTigue said. The injured firefighters were identified as Scott Pederson, 37; Tyler Barnes, 34; and Brian Cardoza, 26 department veterans for 19 years, four years and three months, respectively. The Carr Fire began Monday after a vehicle mechanical failure near Whiskeytown, about 30 miles west of Redding, Cal Fire officials said. The blaze is one of more than a dozen wildfires across California. Northwest wind gusts of up to 25 mph were expected Friday evening in the canyons near the fire, he said. Driving through Shasta County, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said he saw large and small trees that had been ripped out of the ground and fallen onto homes. One gust blew out the windows of a Cal Fire pickup truck, he added. That tells me there was a heck of a lot of erratic winds, McLean said. Thats what these firefighters are having to deal with. There are 1,748 fire personnel responding to the conflagration, including 110 engines, 34 water tenders, 10 helicopters, 51 hand crews and 22 bulldozers. An evacuation center was available at Shasta College and Weaverville Elementary School. Chronicle staff writers Lauren Hernandez, Sarah Ravani and Nanette Asimov contributed to this report Trisha Thadani, Melody Gutierrez and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com; mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com; srubenstein@sfchronicle.com. A huge wildfire burning near Redding turned fatal Thursday when a dozer operator was killed fighting the blaze, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported. The blaze has scorched nearly 30,000 acres and is forcing evacuations, Cal Fire reported Thursday night. Dozens of homes have been burned, firefighters and civilians have been injured, and the Carr Fire reached Redding, the Associated Press reported. The Carr Fire started Monday afternoon and posed many of the same challenges that firefighters have faced this fire season dry conditions and steep terrain with limited access for dozers to construct containment lines. It reached 28,763 acres and was 6 percent contained as of Thursday evening. Cal Fire had no further information on when or where the dozer operator was killed. Dry weather is expected in Redding for the rest of the week. More than 1,700 fire personnel were battling the blaze. Included in the battle were 110 fire engines, 51 fire crews, 10 helicopters, 22 dozers and 34 water tenders. Meanwhile, a dangerous fire ripping through terrain near Yosemite National Park the past two weeks continued to keep the summertime destination closed while another 924 acres burned Thursday, pushing the total acreage to 44,223, officials said. The Ferguson Fire is one of nearly a dozen active wildfires in the state right now, and for the second time this summer Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Thursday in Shasta and Riverside counties. The relentless blaze near Yosemite has been stoked by warm, dry weather, and firefighters are having difficulty accessing the rough terrain due to the very hot conditions, the forest service said. The superintendent of Yosemite National Park issued stage 1 fire restrictions for the area, which includes: no building or using a campfire and cooking fire; no portable stoves using pressurized gas, liquid fuel or propane; and no smoking below 6,000-feet except within a vehicle. The restrictions came after visitors were ordered to leave some of Yosemite National Parks most popular areas Yosemite Valley, Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, on the parks southern end by noon Wednesday. Park officials decided to close those parts of the park through Sunday because of the unhealthy plumes of smoke. The fire was about 2 miles west from the park, officials said. Mandatory evacuations were in place for Anderson Valley, Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground, El Portal Trailer Court, Foresta, Lushmeadows Community, Old El Portal, Old Yosemite Road, Ponderosa Basin Community, Rancheria Flat, Savages Trading Post, Sweetwater Ridge, Yosemite View Lodge and Yosemite West. People were also ordered to evacuate from East Westfall Road to Chowchilla Mountain Road, Incline Road from Foresta Bridge to the last Bureau of Land Management campground, Tip Top Road from Triangle Road to Gunther Road, and Triangle Road from Darrah Road in the Lushmeadows area to Highway 49 South. Evacuation centers were open at Mariposa Elementary School in Mariposa, and Mountain Christian Center in Oakhurst. The center at New Life Christian Church in Marisposa was at capacity, officials said. So far, one firefighter has died and seven others have been injured. One nonresidential structure has been destroyed in the blaze, and 5,236 other structures are being threatened. There are 3,686 firefighters and officials working to combat the blaze, as well as 261 engines, 55 water tenders, 16 helicopters, 93 crews, and 79 dozers. The Cranston Fire in Riverside County has burned 7,500 acres in San Bernardino National Forest and was 3 percent contained Thursday night. So far, 2,174 homes have been evacuated. Here We Go Again. Sean Spicer's memoir, "The Briefing" (Regnery) was released this week to a chorus of witty jibes. It's a ghastly ritual we all know: Publishing has become the alchemy by which political operatives convert their disgrace into cash. Someday, we'll have to endure Sarah Huckabee Sanders' ire in print. But must it always be this way? If White House survivors really need the moola - and who could blame them now that Satan isn't buying souls anymore? - couldn't they be persuaded to abuse some other artistic form? Imagine, for instance, an autobiographical (BEGIN ITAL)dance(END ITAL) by Scott Pruitt, something performed, say, with the bodies of dead baby seals. We really don't need a book by Kellyanne Conway, but how about a (BEGIN ITAL)play(END ITAL)? Come on, Kellyanne, give us the alternative acts. --- Tweet Storm. Speaking of ridiculous things we'll have to witness someday, the folks at "The Daily Show" have been imagining the contents of Donald Trump's inevitable presidential library for more than a year. And now a book based on the comedy show's traveling exhibit presents hundreds of the president's unhinged tweets curated into categories such as "Terrific History," "The Nicknames" and "Sad! A Retrospective." Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham provides a brief introduction to "The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library" (Spiegel & Grau, July 31). He notes that as president, Trump "has raised narcissism to Homeric heights." Speaking by phone from New York, Steve Bodow, an executive producer of "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah," describes Twitter as the perfect medium for Trump. "It demands such a short attention span. It's free. It's especially good for stirring up [stuff]. He's expressed himself more - and more thoroughly - on Twitter than anybody else. He is the Twitter native." Finally, here is a book that Donald Trump actually wrote himself. --- Priceless. Most author readings are free. A few insist you buy a copy of the book and pay a small extra fee. And then there's Reese Witherspoon's upcoming eight-city book tour, where tickets run as high as $400. Not bad for a debut author. The Academy Award-winning actress is gearing up to promote "Whiskey in a Teacup" (Touchstone, Sept. 18), a memoir spiced with decorating and cooking advice. "Spreading the gospel of Southern living has become sort of an obsession of mine," she writes. Among other secrets, she promises to reveal her "fail-proof, only slightly insane hot-roller technique" for styling her hair. Tickets for her Sept. 22 appearance at the Anthem in Washington, D.C., start at $90 for a bar stool on the third floor. The $400 tickets are already sold out, which is killing me. (Those VIPs will get to meet Witherspoon and take home a Draper James tote bag filled with goodies and a signed copy of "Whiskey in a Teacup.") Though the book won't be out for two months, Amazon says "Whiskey in a Teacup" is already the No. 1 new release in a subcategory called "Biscuit, Muffin & Scone Baking." And everybody knows you can't put a price on a good biscuit. --- Known Unknowns. I reviewed a particularly haunting novel this week called "The Incendiaries," by R.O. Kwon. It's about love, faith and fanaticism - and the disastrous way those feelings can get entangled. The main characters are Korean, another aspect that makes the story uncannily timely, given President Trump's negotiations with Kim Jong Un. "I wanted to be especially careful in writing the sections of the novel that are set in North Korea," Kwon writes via email. "I'd been reading about the regime for personal reasons, because part of my family's from what's now North Korea: They fled just before the Korean War started. But so very little information makes it out, and eventually, as my cult leader started taking on a North Korean background, I found I wanted to inhabit that uncertainty and longing. I didn't want to make any claims to a knowledge I can't, and don't, possess. And nowadays, while reading the news, when I come across the declarations this administration makes about North Korea, I feel deeply alarmed. Asserting knowledge one doesn't have seems so terribly irresponsible." --- From Page to Stage. Best-selling novelist Chris Bohjalian opened his first play in New York City last weekend. Part of the Summer Shorts series presented through Sept. 1 at 59E59 Theaters, "Grounded" is a one-act about a flight attendant on her first trans-Atlantic trip. Asked about his transition from page to stage, Bohjalian says, "I knew going in that a play is a very different animal from a novel. What I didn't know until we went into rehearsal and I watched the director, Alex Dinelaris, work is how much of my script was completely unnecessary: A good actor with a good director can telegraph so much without words." And there's an extra bonus: Bohjalian's daughter, Grace, is in the cast. He sees "Grounded" as a warm-up, of sorts, for his next project: a full-length stage adaptation of his 1997 novel, "Midwives." --- Good Best-seller News. "There There" (Knopf), by Native American author Tommy Orange, passed 50,000 hardback sales this week. That's a fantastic show of support for a debut novel, particularly one as formally complex and thematically challenging as this one. "There There" is told in short, intense chapters about modern-day Indians leading up to a powwow in Oakland, Calif. It's also been longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize ($10,000). Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter By Ben Goldfarb Chelsea Green. 286 pp. $24.95 --- Beavers, those paddle-tailed, buck-toothed dam-builders we know from local ponds and streams, create chaos. They pull down trees, cause creeks to flood and generally confound the human need for order and control. But in his new book, "Eager," environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb makes a convincing case that we should change our view of this tumultuous behavior and recognize it for exactly what it is: animal engineering capable of restoring our ailing environment. Subtitled "The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter," the book shows the many contributions of this oily-coated rodent. Beavers create wetlands and make conditions favorable for many animals to thrive. Beaver ponds and meadows store carbon, which keeps it out of the atmosphere and thus helps counteract the rising temperatures associated with global warming. We must, Goldfarb contends, overcome our penchant for seeing beavers as pests - and too often killing them as a result - and instead recognize them as "the ultimate (BEGIN ITAL)keystone species,(END ITAL)" indeed as "the animal that doubles as an ecosystem." Historically, beavers and their constructions thoroughly clogged rivers; even New York's Times Square was once "a rodent-impounded maple swamp." Westward explorers complained about being forced to use deep-water channels for navigation because of the handiwork of beavers. Despite this hardship, Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition struck a rare note of admiration, writing in an 1805 journal entry of impressive five-foot beaver dams on the Jefferson River in Montana. Beaver populations gradually diminished through a "three-century killing spree" that began in the 1500s and was exacerbated by demand for fur coats and hats. The ecological results were disastrous. "The disappearance of beavers," Goldfarb writes, "dried up wetlands and meadows, hastened erosion, altered the course of countless streams, and imperiled water-loving fish, fowl, and amphibians." Where beavers are reintroduced and left to do their dam-building best, the positive effects on ecosystems may be considerable. To document these transformations, Goldfarb treks all over the United States, from Western wilderness areas to Walmart parking lots. In Washington state, under the direction of a biologist, he hikes up a creek to help release a pair called Sandy and Chomper to their new home. He attends the 10th Annual Martinez Beaver festival in California, where he interviews numerous "Beaver Believer" ecologists and activists, including inventors of flow-device tools that partially drain ponds or prevent beavers from damming up culverts and washing out roads, and thus save beavers' lives. The result is a book that's a most unexpected gift: a marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents. Goldfarb concedes that it's impossible to return to the golden age of a "magnificently ponded world" before widespread beaver trapping. But he shows how we can deploy nonlethal beaver management strategies, and relocate the animals to ailing habitats and let them do their thing. Consider what's happened in Yellowstone National Park in the past few decades. Yes, the wolves reintroduced to the park in 1995 get the credit in viral news stories and videos about the "trophic cascade" in which the movement patterns of elk shifted, allowing aspen and willow to regenerate and creeks to deepen and thrive. What goes missing in this picture, though? Beavers, relocated first to the nearby Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area and eventually emergent in Yellowstone. Their story usurped by the flashier wolves, the beavers significantly aid the willows' regrowth; the trees' roots are kept wet by way of beaver dams. Elsewhere, beavers counteract some of the worst pollution from agriculture and fossil-fuel emissions. Along Maryland's coastal plains, the presence of beavers means reduced pollutants like phosphorus and nitrogen. In Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, "active beaver complexes" on 27 streams stored carbon in amounts equivalent to what 37,000 acres of American forest can do. Despite myths to the contrary, beaver dams don't much impede fish navigation on rivers; most fish figure out a workaround. In fact, in beaver habitats, numbers zoom of the tiny invertebrates that make for fish food. Unfortunately, enlightened policy toward beavers is in short supply. In 2016 alone, Goldfarb reports, the Wildlife Services arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture killed 21,184 beavers. Washington state has become "the country's most sizzling hotbed of castor relocation" because of a 2012 bill that promotes the live trapping and relocation of these animals. Yet even here, recreational trappers and people whose careers involve killing "nuisance" wildlife ensure the demise of more than 2,500 beavers annually. Even in the Beaver State, Oregon, the situation is dismal. Activism on behalf of beavers is starting to turn around these prejudices in some places, but progress is slow. Goldfarb's evident affection for beavers shines through the book. When he goes one-on-one with beavers, their individual personalities come through. Occasionally he gets carried away, as when he claims that because of intense wildlife management, Yellowstone's animal residents are "hardly more self-willed than the orcas at SeaWorld." Measure those orca tanks, and I doubt you will find that statement close to credible. But here's the take-home message: Goldfarb has built a masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world, how that world stands now and how it could be in the future if we protect beaver populations. He gives us abundant reasons to respect environment-restoring beavers and their behaviors, for their own good and for ours. --- King is emerita professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary and the author of six books about animals, including "How Animals Grieve." Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information By Paul A. Offit Columbia. 251 pp. $24.95 --- When the actress Angelina Jolie told the world that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy because of her pervasive family history of breast and ovarian cancer, her words were laudable and responsible. In a 2013 New York Times piece, Jolie highlighted her reason for having the surgery: She had inherited a faulty BRCA1 gene, which significantly increased her cancer risk. Though she perceptively elevated the public's interest in BRCA mutations, a potentially life-saving thing, Jolie's moving story, involving complex genetics minutiae, also inspired anxiety and confusion. Often lost amid the general discussion surrounding her missive was an essential fact: Most women do not have a BRCA1 mutation and are at average risk for breast cancer. If Paul A. Offit had his way, scientists would be much more nimble in filling these types of medical-information voids. In his most recent book, "Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information," Offit, a pediatrician, scientific researcher and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, argues that scientists should immerse themselves much more proactively into our popular discourse to help educate the public. While "Bad Advice" is a quick read, its goal is weighty: to defend science as a vital beacon in the public sphere. Offit lays a compelling - and sometimes disturbing - foundation for why we need to protect its honor, and he calls for scientists to "become an army of science advocates out to educate the country. Because science is losing its rightful status as a source of truth, now is the time." In breezy and deceptively conversational prose that often winks with humor, "Bad Advice" breaks down complex scientific subjects that have been distorted through several cultural lenses. Offit takes to task actors, network news anchors, quack scientists and even politicians who, unlike Jolie in her thoughtful article, have opined on scientific subjects in a way that misinforms the public, on occasion to a potentially dangerous degree. Offit himself has spent years navigating media appearances as a medical and scientific expert. A co-inventor of RotaTeq, a vaccine against rotavirus, which can cause life-threatening vomiting and diarrhea, most commonly in infants and young children, Offit has become a high-profile voice on vaccine safety and, in particular, an ardent defender of the scientific community's consensus that vaccines have no association with autism. He dedicates a chapter of the book to how his role in bringing RotaTeq to the market has been used by anti-vaccine activists to discredit him as a shill for pharmaceutical companies. The impulse to include this information is certainly understandable: Offit has been harassed and even sued for taking on the anti-vaxxers. He ultimately leaves it to the reader to trust the compassion and sincerity in his profession he displays in these pages. "Bad Advice" homes in on the consequences of the failure of clear and overwhelming scientific evidence regarding vaccines to win the day. Offit examines, for example, the root causes of the re-emergent debate about whether they cause autism. He cites several recent outbreaks of measles and mumps that swept across the nation because some Americans are choosing to withhold vaccines from their children. Beyond the sizable list of celebrity activists such as Jim Carrey, Charlie Sheen, Robert De Niro and Jenny McCarthy who have questioned the safety of vaccines, Offit says the current political climate bears some culpability for what he calls "science denialism." He points out that before being elected, President Trump posited the idea that vaccines may have an association with autism. Offit also says evolution denialists were probably heartened by Trump's choice of Mike Pence as vice president since Pence doesn't exactly support evolution as a concept. Across the aisle, Offit says, "liberals have waged their own war on science, holding the unshakeable beliefs that all things natural are good; anything with a chemical name is bad." He points to the fallacy of going "GMO free" - in the mistaken belief that genetically modified organisms are dangerous. Health organizations worldwide have consistently issued statements to the contrary. Offit says these so-called "Frankenfoods" are no more dangerous than non-GMO foods. Similarly, the misguided fear of genetic modification in medicines (a technology, for example, that led to the creation of insulin for people with diabetes), inspired a Democratic member of the New York State Senate, Thomas J. Abinanti, to introduce a bill in 2015 banning genetically modified vaccines. It rightfully failed to win support. In addition to misconceptions about GMOs, Offit tackles the current gluten hysteria, citing the ever-expanding array of gluten-free items on our supermarket shelves, from hair products to pet food. "If you really want to watch science denialism at work, just walk into a Whole Foods store," Offit half-jokes. He says only about 1 percent of the U.S. population would benefit from avoiding gluten. It is nevertheless a billion-dollar industry here. Offit contends that although scientists are probably in the best position to explain science to the public, there are several factors working against them. One, he says, is the very underpinning of their training, which teaches that the scientific method does not allow for absolute certainty - something people tend to understandably crave in the face of public health scares. There's also the ingrained image of scientists as socially awkward toilers in white, windowless rooms. By way of illustration, Offit cites the brutal pickup line by mathematician John Nash in the 2001 movie "A Beautiful Mind": "I don't exactly know what I'm required to say in order for you to have intercourse with me." Offit shows how such depictions have persisted through today, including in the hit television show "The Big Bang Theory" (which actually features real-life high-profile scientists). Like the nerds in those cultural touchstones, Offit admits in "Bad Advice," which chronicles many of his media appearances, that it took some time for him to master the art of distilling vital medical information into on-air sound bites. For one network television appearance in his younger days, Offit recalls teetering on a high, wobbly chair, with an ill-fitting earpiece, waiting to answer questions about vaccines. A segment on "Ally McBeal," a comedy-drama of the time, was slated to air after his appearance. The TV crew laughed and conversed loudly; models who were showcasing the new series' short skirts strode around him. Suddenly, his earpiece fell out, and when he reinserted it, a news anchor was asking a multipronged query about what vaccines children get, how many they get and when they get them. Offit, then a newbie to on-air interviews, recalls trying valiantly, and failing, to answer it successfully. "In fact, it was so pathetic that even the models stopped talking and stared at me sadly." Despite its liberal use of such lighthearted anecdotes, "Bad Advice" does not let us forget its weighty contention: Science is under siege. Offit closes his book with recollections of a speech he gave at the March for Science in Philadelphia in 2017. In it, he implored his fellow scientists to be better advocates and educators. Failing that, he says, "I worry that in this age of anti-enlightenment, when science seems to be losing its place as a source of truth, we won't be able to do it for much longer." --- Tucker is a Brooklyn-based journalist who writes primarily about genetics, health and cultural politics. Here's what you need to know going into "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," the sixth entry in Tom Cruise's 22-year-old spy-movie franchise: absolutely nothing. Sure, there's some continuity between "Fallout" and the last adventure, "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation." There's the dangerous band of former spies turned terrorists, led by the nefarious Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). There's also Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a former MI6 agent whose partnership with Cruise's Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team continues with the same question marks and asterisks attached. These minor details are the furthest the series has gone in developing story lines from one film to the next, and yet it doesn't matter. If you've never seen a "Mission: Impossible" film before - or, more likely, if you've seen dozens of other films in the interim and given over your mental space to countless other aesthetic and life experiences - there's no need to worry. You won't miss a beat. For that reason alone, the "Mission: Impossible" series stands apart from the typical blockbuster franchise, which is about world-building and paying off dense histories that can take several films to develop. It would be unthinkable, for example, to drop into the sixth Harry Potter film cold and expect to grasp the stakes and emotional complexity of an epic story more than a dozen hours in the telling. A superhero team-up such as "Avengers: Infinity War" - or any of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for that matter - demands the knowledge of its predecessors. And what's more, it expects you to remember the details as if you watched the films yesterday. It can make summer escapism feel like homework. There's a related point that's more important and feeds into why "Mission: Impossible" has been so great for so long. Because there's no interest in a larger mythology, the only true mission the sequels have is to keep topping their predecessors. "Fallout" and "Rogue Nation" are the first two to share a director, Christopher McQuarrie. But after Brian De Palma set the standard with the first "Mission: Impossible," it's been a game of Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better among some of the most skilled craftsmen in the business, with entries by John Woo, the Hong Kong action maestro behind "Hard Boiled" and "Face/Off"; J.J. Abrams, who created the superb TV spy series "Alias" and went on to direct "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"; and Brad Bird, the writer-director of "The Incredibles" films for Pixar. The plug-and-play adventures of Ethan Hunt, like James Bond movies, include a handful of compulsory elements - "Your mission, should you choose to accept it," "This message will self-destruct in five seconds," the unmaskings, among others - and the standard byzantine plotting about terrorist cells, rogue agents and other mischief-makers hellbent on mass destruction. But starting with the break-in at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, in the first "Mission: Impossible," the films have always been built around the set pieces, those discrete units of suspense and derring-do that have steadily escalated with each sequel. Fans of the series are probably more likely to identify the individual film as "the one where he climbs Burj Khalifa" or "the one where he's underwater" or "the one with the helicopters" than by their actual titles. You can watch "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" a half-dozen times and still not remember what "ghost protocol" means, but you won't forget Tom Cruise dangling off the world's tallest building. Even harder to remember is the pretext for Ethan Hunt's putting himself in harm's way. Hunt dangles more than 100 floors above the ground from the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in "Ghost Protocol" - with only a malfunctioning pair of high-tech climbing gloves separating him from disaster - for the mundane purpose of accessing a computer server room. Hunt dives into an underwater vault for three minutes (and quite a bit of change) in "Rogue Nation" for the purpose of swapping out a security profile so an IMF team member can access a building. Again, there's the overarching goal of protecting the world from catastrophic danger - loose nukes, viral outbreaks, toxic chemicals, the usual - but whatever it takes to get Tom Cruise to dangle 1,700 feet above the streets of Dubai will do. It doesn't matter. What matters is the thrill of the moment, like checking out the new attraction at your favorite theme park. And the emphasis on physical stunt work and on the classical construction of suspense sequences has deepened the films' niche appeal over time, contrasting sharply with a superhero cycle that's embraced the plasticity of CGI. The first "Mission: Impossible" was produced in the early years of digital effects, when they were ascendant but not dominant. The last few entries, by contrast, have been a dazzling respite from the green-screen-heavy, motion-captured norms of the standard blockbuster, a reminder that real locations, bruising stunts and exquisitely choreographed action sequences have a visceral impact that ones and zeros can't replicate. The "Mission: Impossible" franchise is above all a monument to Tom Cruise - or, more accurately, Cruise's monument to himself, given that he has been the sole driving force of the series from the beginning. (One piece of trivia: Ving Rhames, as the IMF computer hacker Luther Stickell, is the only other cast member to appear in all six films.) Cruise's curation of directorial talent has kept it from going stale and epitomizes a career kept aloft for decades by great filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick, Cameron Crowe and Doug Liman. Yet seeing the 56-year-old Cruise in "Fallout" - where he leaps from buildings, gives up his body to choreographed fights and does his inimitable straight-backed sprint through open space - is to witness a true entertainer at work. Cruise broke his ankle during the making of "Fallout," but he makes it seem like it's his pleasure to do so. To keep this endorphin rush of a series going, he'd break every bone in his body. The Kingwood teenager charged in the deaths of two friends admitted to drinking a full bottle of MD 20/20, a fortified wine, before driving them in his car, Harris County prosecutors said Thursday at a court hearing. Jaggar Smith, 17, had red, droopy eyes and slurred speech after the crash early Wednesday in Atascocita that killed Salma Gomez and Chloe Robison, prosecutors said. Smith has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of the 16-year-old girls, who were both rising juniors at Atascocita High School. 'HE HAS TO LIVE WITH THAT': Stunned Atascocita community mourns teens in HoustonChronicle.com report His attorney, Chip Lewis, declined to discuss specifics, saying Smith's "family is appropriately concerned about any distraction from the tragedy that two families are going through." Smith walked quickly in and out of court on Thursday, looking straight ahead as family members stood beside him. "Theyre trying to make it," Lewis said after the hearing. "Its very very difficult because they want to reach out to these two families and as you can imagine the awkwardness of wanting to express unfathomable sorrow. They dont know how to act, what to do." Lewis said that Smith is doing about as one would expect, considering the circumstances. "Hes almost unable to speak, hes so overcome (with) the emotions you would expect when two very dear friends of yours are lost," Lewis said. Before the hearing, Smith's family said they "cannot adequately express the depths of their despair" over the loss of Gomez and Robison, according to a statement from Lewis. The statement referred to the girls as "the two most beautiful lives imaginable." The girls, who would have been juniors in high school, died Wednesday after the car entered a large median and hit a tree, splitting the vehicle in two. Robison died there, and Gomez died at the hospital. Smith had chest abrasions consistent with the location of his seatbelt, the prosecutor said. Smith was charged with the felonies Wednesday morning and walked out of jail in the afternoon after posting $60,000 bond, according to the Harris County District Clerk. The prosecutor asked the court for the conditions of Smith's bond to include an ankle monitor, no driving and home confinement. The judge at Thursday's hearing instead ordered Smith not to drive and imposed a curfew from between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. He is also issued an at-home alcohol monitor, or scheduled Breathalyzer tests that get reported to the court. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is investigating where Smith might have obtained the alcohol. The parents of both victims have declined to comment. However, Chloe Robison's great aunt, Bonnie Johnson, said she wasn't angry at Smith and showed sympathy for the high school boy. "You can't be angry at him," said Johnson, who lives in Beaumont. "I have emotions because, like I said, he had to see the repercussions and consequences of drunk driving, and I know ... he will never, ever be able to get that out of his mind." She continued, "As much as we're suffering, he's suffering as well. Because all of this was done because of a mistake he made trying to drink and drive." Johnson drove into town Wednesday and attended an evening vigil at the crash site. It was a devastating day for the family, but she was struck by the outpouring from the community, she said. "It was indescribable because there was so much love," she said. "There was no race, creed or color. There was just sympathy and empathy and love." UPPER THUMB A popular History Channel television show is looking for leads on unique antiques and collections, and they're doing so this September in Michigan. Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and their team are returning to the state with plans to film episodes of the series "American Pickers" for its upcoming season. The show is looking for places to pick, and if you've got what they're looking for, the duo could be paying you a visit and some cold hard cash for your stuff. The hour-long television show is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique "picking" on the History Channel. The show follows Wolfe and Fritz, two of the most skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America's most valuable antiques. They are always excited to find sizable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them. As they travel across the country, the duo wants to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items. The pair hopes to give historically significant objects a new lease on life, while learning a thing or two about America's past along the way. "Please keep in mind, we are looking for different, unusual, and unique items too something weve never seen before and with an interesting story," Casting Associate Emily Chafetz stated in a release. Those that think they've got what the show wants, are asked to email americanpickers@cineflix.com or leave a Facebook message on @GotAPick with their name, phone number, location and description of the collection, with photos. Voicemails also can be left at 1-855-OLD-RUST. BEIRUT - The Syrian government has begun issuing death notices for political detainees at an unprecedented rate, according to groups that monitor the prisons, in an effort to resolve the fate of thousands of missing Syrians as the regime prevails in its civil war. Since the spring, government registry offices have released hundreds of these notifications. Many of the notices report that prisoners have been dead since the early years of the conflict. Although officials have not publicly explained the increase, it could offer a rare window into the mind-set of Syrian leaders, who are notoriously hard to read, at a pivotal point in the war. Human rights experts and other observers say the disclosures reflect the growing confidence of President Bashar Assad's government as his forces overrun final pockets of rebel-held territory. Authorities no longer fear they will provoke fiercer resistance by revealing the multitude of deaths in regime custody, experts say. They also suggest that Assad feels secure enough that he is starting to close the book on the seven-year war, with the death notices signaling to Syrians that it is time to move on while underscoring in grim fashion that he is firmly in control. The message is that "the war never happened, the regime is back in charge, and everything will be processed through the system," said Faysal Itani, a resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. "I think the word that encapsulates this best is normalization - the Syrian version of it, at any rate." The Syrian military, backed by Russia and Iran, has made dramatic gains in recent months, clearing some of the most stubborn pockets of opposition resistance and raising the national flag earlier this month above the southern town known as the uprising's birthplace. Aside from a couple of isolated rebel positions, only a single province remains in the hands of the resistance. Since Syria's uprising began in 2011, more than 104,000 people have been detained or forcibly disappeared, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. As many as 90 percent are believed to have been held in government custody, across a network of prisons where torture, starvation and other forms of lethal neglect are systematically used to kill. The remaining 10 percent are thought to be held by rebel and other armed groups. Lawyers familiar with the process said the Syrian Defense Ministry has sent the names of hundreds of detainees to civil registry offices across the country in recent months and instructed that these prisoners be registered as dead. The deaths have been registered across the provinces of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Latakia in recent weeks. The civil registry offices issue notices that are essentially executive summaries listing few details about the deceased. Other death notices are issued by military hospitals, which release formal certificates and medical reports. These routinely list the cause of death as heart attack or stroke. Sema Nassar, founder of Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, which monitors Syrian prisons, said the group had documented more death notifications in recent months than in all previous years combined. The group's staff has identified more than 300 cases in which families received death notices during a 10-day period earlier this month, including 96 at a government office in the Damascus suburb of Darayya, where Syria's nonviolent protest movement began. Separately, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said earlier this month it had documented 161 death notices nationwide since May, a figure it said is probably very conservative. "Things are going better now for the regime. As the security emergency eases and the regime reconsolidates, the priority is to bring back some normalcy - some predictability and clarity - to people's lives," Itani said. ". . . The bureaucracy has to operate - I wouldn't underestimate how important that is." Most documents reviewed by The Washington Post said the detainees had died between 2013 and 2015, with a lag of up to two years before military doctors signed and stamped an official certificate and medical report. Bodies have not been returned to family members, and burial locations are not shared. Death notices issued in the central city of Hama state they were written in a Damascus military court at night. That timing suggests the prisoners were executed, according to groups monitoring Syria's detention network. Former prisoners, some released from Sednaya military prison near Damascus as recently as May, described regular executions, physical abuse, the withholding of urgent medical care and rations so paltry that cellmates died of starvation or malnutrition. Accurate figures for the total number who have died in government custody are hard to come by because of government secrecy and the reticence of many Syrians to publicize their family members' cases. As part of a U.N.-sponsored peace process, officials from Turkey and, to a lesser extent, Russia, a key Assad ally, have been pressing the Syrian government to resolve the issue of missing political prisoners, according to opposition representatives at the talks and a Western diplomat. "They want to close the detainees file, and the first stage is to tell all those families that their relatives have been dead a long time," said Nassar, of Urnammu. "In practice, this means dealing a hammer blow. People are learning that they held on to false hope for years." Hassan, a software engineer from the central city of Homs, said his brother Bashir was arrested in the summer of 2014 as he walked to class. Friends later said plainclothes officers pulled him into a vehicle, and then he vanished. "We knocked on every door. Sometimes there were rumors - someone has heard that he was in this prison or that prison. But there was nothing concrete," said Hassan, who asked that his family name be withheld for fear of reprisal. "The only thing we knew for sure is that he was out there somewhere and in pain." After a former detainee said he had seen Bashir in Sednaya prison, more than 100 miles away, Bashir's elderly mother began making monthly visits, leaving clothes and money at the gates for guards who assured her he would receive them. She was folding fresh sweaters for her next trip one day in April when the phone rang with news that his death certificate was ready for collection. It reported that he had died of a heart attack. "We found my mother sitting in between his clothes, just sobbing. She couldn't even stand," Hassan said. "We'd all had different feelings about whether he was dead, but she had always held the line. She used to tell us that we had to hope because hope was all we had." Noura Ghazi, a lawyer whose husband, Bassel - a prominent pro-democracy activist - was executed in Syrian custody in 2015, said families of the deceased had the "right to know" the truth about how they perished. "As families, we demand to know the causes of death of our loved ones and where they are buried. We will not accept the regime's cover for its brutal treatment of our loved ones by presenting fake causes," she said. But others, fearing government retribution, said they would be grieving in silence. "Our son was the most precious thing in the world, and we lost him," said one woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The regime is back, and we're back to square one. If I speak out today, will I lose my husband tomorrow? Will they take me instead?" "I used to think of my boy every night as I went to bed, imagining what he was doing, hoping he was fine," she added. "He was in a grave all that time." --- The Washington Post's Zakaria reported from Istanbul. The United States will soon begin its first directly funded rebuilding projects for Iraqi Christian and Yazidi communities devastated by Islamic State militants, a U.S. official said Thursday. Plans are being finalized for 10 modest reconstruction projects for Christian communities in the Nineveh Plains and for Yazidi villages around Sinjar in northern Iraq, said Mark Green, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. The long-delayed projects will focus on small infrastructure jobs to help restore water and electrical service in towns populated by religious minorities that were targeted by the Islamic State, which has lost most of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria. "They're individual projects that create the context for which people, if they so choose, can return to those communities, or not leave those communities," he said. The Trump administration is steering humanitarian aid funding in Iraq to Christian and other religious minorities, directing to them more than a third of the money allocated for "stabilization" projects aimed at rebuilding areas liberated from the Islamic State. Previously, the money went through the U.N. Development Program. The switch was heavily promoted by Vice President Mike Pence, who has strong ties to Christian advocacy groups that argued that the UNDP was not doing enough to aid religious minorities on the verge of extinction from a region they have been rooted in for two millennia. Last October, in a speech at a summit for the organization In Defense of Christians, Pence vowed that the administration would make a strategic shift away from funding "ineffective" U.N. programs and start sending aid directly to persecuted communities through USAID and faith-based partners. Since then, the United States has redeployed $118 million in humanitarian and stabilization funds. Pence's dissatisfaction with what he considered the slow pace at which USAID was moving precipitated a shake-up in the agency's Iraq office, and a trip to Iraq by Green and other senior officials from the State Department and White House. On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an additional $17 million for cleaning land mines in the Nineveh region of Iraq, which he pointedly noted would go to areas "with large populations of religious minorities who were subject to ISIS genocide," using a common acronym for the Islamic State. The U.S. aid to religious minorities in Iraq was one of the centerpieces of a three-day conference held at the State Department this week to promote religious freedom. It attracted delegations from more than 80 countries, though many were led by ambassadors and other officials from embassies located in Washington, D.C. Pompeo said he will hold the event again next year. Pence, who also addressed the crowd, said the administration will expand its efforts to help threatened religious communities. He announced the establishment of a Genocide and Recovery Response Program to direct money to individuals and households that are trying to reestablish themselves after suffering atrocities. Although details are still being worked out, it has an initial planned budget of $10 million. It will first focus on Iraq but eventually expand to other countries. According to a USAID official, the agency will allow genocide survivors to get medical care, replace damaged property and reestablish livelihoods through small businesses and farms. No laws bar U.S. government agencies from funding religious groups. Green said the aid for Iraq will not be used to rebuild churches or as donations to any sect, though faith-based organizations are among the groups that will be partners in the projects it funds. "We are instead helping to restore geographic communities, as opposed to sectarian communities, which have been disproportionately hit, and also feel distant from recovery that's taking place out of Baghdad," he said. "These are communities that are caught between the Kurdish areas, and the more economically powerful areas emanating from Baghdad." Frank Wolf, a former Republican congressman from Virginia, applauded the administration's efforts to provide aid to smaller communities as opposed to reconstruction in more populated areas that are the focus of UNDP projects. "You go into villages that don't have K Street lobbyists to fill out their application forms," said Wolf, who traveled to Iraq last month with Green. "Their homes are destroyed. Their churches are destroyed. What the administration is doing for Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities is very, very important." Many Iraqis say that although the UNDP has met their survival needs, they need help moving on. "The U.N. gave us very small things like blankets and food," said Mor Nicodemus, the archbishop of Mosul's Syriac Orthodox Church. "But they cannot rebuild our lives." Some Yazidis fear they will be shortchanged from an administration that counts Christians among its staunchest supporters. Abid Shamden, an Iraqi Yazidi who attended the religious conference at the State Department, said Yazidi communities are still difficult to reach because of land mines in the area. With both Kurdish and Iraqi government checkpoints, a two-hour trip to Mosul can take seven or eight hours, he said. "If the United States spends money for minorities, it will be easier to spend it in Christian areas," said Shamden, who visited Sinjar less than two weeks ago. "All we ask is to rebuild our towns," he added. Green, who did not travel to Sinjar for security reasons but met with Yazidis in Christian areas, said he urged Kurdish and Iraqi leaders to ease up on the checkpoints along the roads from Sinjar. And he promised they will get a share of reconstruction aid that will allow returning Yazidis to earn a livelihood and educate their children. "It's a land of pain," he said of Iraq. "It's very clear what the Yazidi have gone through is as disturbing as I can describe, and is ongoing. They have families that have been broken up and disappeared, as well as murder, rape and torture. We have and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance. And, as we have resources, we will continue to try to invest in projects that create this development context in which communities can be restored to some semblance of recovery." A federal judge on Thursday allowed a lawsuit to move forward against the Trump administration over its controversial decision to add a question about citizenship in the 2020 Census. Judge Jesse Furman of Manhattan's Southern District said the plaintiffs gave plausible evidence that U.S. officials intended to discriminate against minority communities, driven by President Donald Trump's racially-charged statements about immigrants of color. The plaintiffs, which include 18 states, the District of Columbia, several cities and advocacy groups, argued that including a question about citizenship would cause many immigrants to refuse to fill out the census, a risk they say is "heightened in the current political climate because of President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric." This refusal to cooperate, critics say, could trigger an undercount that would deprive communities of their share of federal funding for crucial government services such as schools, roads and bridges. The Commerce Department asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in part that the court lacked jurisdiction over it, but Furman refused, saying the courts "have a critical role to play in reviewing the conduct of the political branches. Furman ruled that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross did in fact have the authority to add a citizenship question on the census. But the way in which he carried out that authority, the judge said, may have violated the plaintiffs' rights to equal protection under the law. Ross's decision to add the citizenship question, the judge said, "was motivated at least in part by discriminatory animus" and by President Trump himself. Shortly after Ross made the announcement, in March, the Trump reelection campaign sent emails to supporters crediting the president with mandating the change. Furman wrote that several statements made by Trump in the months before and after Ross's decision "could be construed to reveal a general animus toward immigrants of color." Among the examples listed in the lawsuit was when Trump referred to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as "those people from shithole countries," a comment he later denied. There was Trump's claim, in February, that certain immigrants "turn out to be horrendous . . . They're not giving us their best people, folks." And there was the president's remark, in May, about certain "people coming into the country, or trying to come in." "You wouldn't believe how bad these people are," Trump said. "These aren't people, these are animals . . . " Furman acknowledged that none of those statements related specifically to the citizenship question. "But the law is clear that the mere 'use of racial slurs, epithets, or other racially charged language," Furman said, "can be evidence that official action was motivated by unlawful discriminatory purposes." The judge's opinion marked the latest example of Trump's anti-immigrant words working against his administration in court. Time and time again, Trump's incendiary rhetoric - particularly his tweets - have proven to be thorns in the side of his administration in court. In legal fights over Trump's executive actions, such as his travel ban, transgender military ban and sanctuary cities ban, rulings have repeatedly cited how Trump's words undercut the administration's legal arguments, as The Washington Post's Derek Hawkins has reported. The court battle over the citizenship question has pitted the administration against many Democratic jurisdictions, with large immigrant populations, who worry the change could cause them to lose crucial funding and political representation. The decennial census has not asked a question about citizenship of the entire population since 1950, although citizenship status has been asked on surveys among samples of U.S. households. Ross defended the change, saying that the data could help identify potential voting-rights violations by providing more accurate information than currently available about the proportion of a congressional district's population that is eligible to vote by virtue of holding citizenship. He concluded that "the value of more complete citizenship data outweighed concerns regarding non-response." The decision quickly triggered legal challenges from across the country; at least six lawsuits have been filed contesting it. Earlier this month, a court order required the Trump administration to provide vital documents and information on how the decision to demand citizenship information was made. Ross said in a sworn testimony in March that the Justice Department had initiated the change. But documents released earlier this week contradicted that, providing further evidence that Ross was pushing to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census much earlier, and much more actively, than he indicated. The documents also revealed deeper involvement of senior administration officials, including Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, in pushing for the question, The Post's Tara Bahrampour reported. Furman's decision Thursday to allow the lawsuit over the citizenship question to proceed does not mean the plaintiffs will ultimately be successful in their challenge, he said. It was not a ruling on the merits of the case. A Commerce Department spokesman said in a statement to Reuters that the department was "pleased the court found that Secretary Ross has broad authority over the Census," and was "confident" it would ultimately prevail in the legal fight. But New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood, one of the key leaders of the lawsuit, celebrated the judge's ruling. "Today's decision is a big win for New Yorkers and everyone across the country who cares about a fair and accurate Census," Underwood said in a statement. "As we've argued, the Trump administration's plan to demand citizenship status as part of the Census is unlawful - and it would potentially cause a huge undercount that would threaten billions in federal funds and New York's fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College." A tweet from Underwood seemed to capture the ongoing sentiment of Democratic attorneys general around the country. "This fight is on," she said. WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Thursday threw out two convictions against a former CIA officer who conspired to sell secrets to Chinese spies, saying prosecutors failed to establish the crimes happened in the Eastern District of Virginia. Kevin Mallory, a longtime intelligence agent who went to trial last month, remains guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage and making false statements. But he is no longer guilty of actually sharing or trying to share national defense information, or NDI, with the Chinese. Mallory, 61, will be sentenced on the remaining counts Sept. 21, when he still faces up to life in prison. Mallory traveled twice to China to meet with a Chinese spy calling himself Michael Yang and with others. On the second trip, Yang gave a customized Samsung phone to Mallory so they could communicate covertly, which Mallory later handed over to the FBI. Agents found several documents containing classified information as well as conversations indicating Mallory had sent some of the papers to Yang and tried to send others. At trial in suburban Alexandria, Virginia, Mallory argued unsuccessfully that his true intent was to lure the Chinese spies into a trap and hand them over to U.S. law enforcement. Judge T.S. Ellis called the evidence "overwhelming" that Mallory and Yang "agreed to work together to transmit NDI to Chinese nationals." But, Ellis said, the government never established where Mallory was when he sent those messages, which FBI experts said happened in the middle of the night between May 1 and May 2, 2017. "The only evidence adduced at trial related to defendant's location on those dates was the testimony of Special Agent [Stephen] Green, the case agent, who testified that the defendant was 'in the United States' on May 3, 2017," Ellis wrote in his Thursday ruling. "These pieces of evidence do not establish defendant's location at the time of the transmission of NDI, and without evidence establishing defendant's location at the time of the essential offense conduct, the government has failed to establish venue." Mallory lives in suburban Leesburg, within the Eastern District of Virginia, but Ellis said a jury cannot assume he was home when he sent the documents. "Of course, many people are home at midnight, but many are not," the judge wrote. "And the government presented no cell tower or surveillance evidence showing defendant's location at the time of transmission, nor did the government present evidence about defendant's tendency to be at his residence at any particular time." A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia did not immediately return a request for comment. The threat of the transnational criminal gang MS-13 has become an issue in the hotly contested race between Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Republican, and Democratic challenger Jennifer Wexton in northern Virginia, where the gang is responsible for high-profile slayings. Wexton this week accused Comstock of "fear-mongering and race-baiting" for pushing legislation that would allow the federal government to deport immigrants on the suspicion of gang activity and fund task forces aimed at rooting out the gang. In response, Comstock said Wexton, a state senator and former state prosecutor, was "out of touch" with the gang problem and its victims. The exchange suggests MS-13 will be used as a political tactic in the congressional race as it was in the 2017 governor's race between Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, and Republican Ed Gillespie, and by GOP Senate nominee Corey Stewart and President Donald Trump. Trump has used the resurgence of MS-13 in the United States as one reason for his crackdown on immigration and has called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., an "MS-13 lover." The street gang known as MS-13, which stands for Mara Salvatrucha, formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s, by El Salvadorans who had fled violence and civil conflict in their home country. It has operated in the U.S. for decades, but violence surged in recent years in Virginia and Maryland communities surrounding the District of Columbia, as well as Long Island, Boston and Houston. Law enforcement have linked the gang to dozens of killings. Trump last month signed a bill sponsored by Comstock that devotes $50 million to gang task forces, including one in northern Virginia. Reps. Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer, both Virginia Democrats who support Wexton, voted for the measure. In September, the House passed a bill sponsored by Comstock that would expand the authority of the federal government to deport or detain non-citizen immigrants who are gang members or suspected of gang activity. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the American Civil Liberties Union slammed the bill arguing it would promote racial profiling, erode due process and unintentionally affect others, such as clergy who try to help gang members. It has not gotten a vote in the Senate. Wexton on Tuesday night kicked off an effort to rally Latino support. "For Barbara Comstock, the Latino community is nothing more than MS-13," Wexton said at the event, according to Think Progress, a project of the liberal think tank, the Center for American Progress. "That's the legislation she's patroned, that's the Republican playbook, that's what we saw in 2017 races, that's what we've seen with their pandering and fear-mongering and race-baiting," she continued. Comstock responded with a lengthy statement that lists the names of MS-13 victims "beaten, stabbed and shot to death." It marks the first time since the June 12 primary that the congresswoman has directly challenged Wexton. "Wexton's outrageous statements show how out-of-touch she is with the violent MS-13 gang threat and the victims they brutally target," Comstock campaign manager Susan Falconer said in the statement. In response, Wextonsaid as a prosecutor she went after child abusers and as a lawmaker she has made is easier to prosecute sex offenders. She accused Comstock of echoing Trump's agenda. "Instead of standing up to Trump, Comstock is embracing his type of lies and fear, because she's terrified of talking about her record," Wexton campaign manager Ray Rieling said in a statement that listed donations Comstock has taken from the National Rifle Association. Early this year, Comstock challenged Trump at the White House over his desire to shut down the government to force a compromise on her legislation to curtail the gang. Comstock, who is running in a district Trump lost by 10 points, has worked to distance herself from the president in hopes of appealing to independents and moderate voters, despite an almost perfect record of voting with her party. The 10th Congressional District is among the most diverse in the state; Hispanic residents make up about 14 percent of the population, according to Census data. Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, said Trump's anti-Latino stance hurts Comstock because, polls show, first-generation Americans feel an affinity for other groups that are singled out. "Barbara Comstock would like to convert the anti-immigration issue to a law and order issue which tends to be firmer ground for Republicans," he said. "Whether that pivot will be effective will be up to the voters." Her exchange with Wexton echoes a debate that has played out in elections in Virginia and across the nation. Northam accused Gillespie of "fear-mongering," and a Latino group supporting Northam aired an ad titled "American Nightmare" that depicts a pickup truck with a Gillespie sticker and Confederate flag, chasing minority children. Farnsworth said it will be tough for Comstock to establish herself as separate from Trump on the issue of MS-13, when the president dominates news coverage. "This is a challenge Republicans all around the country are facing," he said. When trying to talk about issues important to their districts "they're speaking into a windstorm." Like a cocaine-fueled Homeric epic, Colombia's long tragic battle with the drug cartels has produced countless heroes and villains. But one figure cutting across the country's current narco battlefield, a name drawing praise and hate alike, is actually a six-year-old German Shepard you can find trotting through the country's airports. Sombra - "Shadow" in English - is a drug detection dog with the Colombian National Police. Over the last few years, her radar nose has led to more than 200 arrests and the seizure of at least 9 tons of illicit drugs. That success has turned the dog into something of a folk hero in a country consumed by ongoing bloodshed piled on top of a long legacy of drug violence. The Colombian press has even dubbed Sombra "the terror" of drug traffickers. But Sombra is so good at her job that Colombia's dominant drug crew is retaliating. They've put a price on the dog's head. According to Colombia's RCN Radio, police intelligence recently learned about the bounty set by the Urabenos, also known as the "Gulf Clan." Reports vary on the price tag for killing the dog, between 20 and 200 million Colombian pesos - or about $7,000 and $70,000 in American currency. But the threat is serious enough for the National Police to take extra precautions for Sombra's security. "The fact they want to hurt Sombra and offer such a high reward for her capture or death shows the impact she's had on their profits," a police spokesperson told the Telegraph. Sombra came to Colombian law enforcement from a kennel in Antioquia, the region of the country that's home to Medellin, the springboard for Colombia's fearsome cartels of the 1980s and 1990s. Outfitted in a neon-yellow vest, the dog is tasked with thrusting her trained snout into luggage and packages in Colombia's ports and airports along the country's Gulf Coast. RCN Radio reports her first major bust was in March 2016, when Sombra nosed her way toward a container of banana boxes that secretly held 2,958 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. The shipment was on its way to Belgium. In May 2017, Sombra discovered another shipment heading to Belgium containing 1.1 tons of cocaine. Last June she led police to an even larger find - 5.3 tons of cocaine, the BBC reported. Later she discovered 4 more tons secreted in an auto parts shipment. In total, her busts have resulted in 245 arrests, Colonel Carlos Fernando Villareal told RCN Radio. Sombra's efforts for law enforcement have twice earned her the Wilson Quintero medal, an honor awarded for critical contributions to the fight against drug trafficking. Sombra's accomplishments have made her the cuddly face of Colombia's anti-drug effort. She's been featured on local television. In airports, the dog is asked to pose for selfies with admirers. And the narcotics police regularly post about her accomplishments on Twitter. This month, police used Sombra to specifically call out the Urabenos's alleged notorious chief, a former paramilitary guerrilla turned drug trafficker named Dairo Antonio Usuga. In Colombia, he's known as "Otoniel." "[I]n the last three years she's become the torment of 'Otoniel,'" a recent tweet stated. The dog can handle the high profile, her owners have said. "Sombra is a very friendly, calm canine, and for that reason, she has no problem approaching children or people who want to say hello to her," Oscar Favian Solarte, head of the anti-narcotics division, told El Tiempo. "She's playful, and in fact that is part of the development of her job. Not only to look for caches of illicit drugs but also, after her work is done, to de-stress, so to speak." But all that attention has put Sombra in the Urabenos's crosshairs. Originally a paramilitary outfit, one of the many armed groups trading bullets in Colombia's long national struggle, the Urabenos are now the country's largest criminal organization and control much of the drug trade, according to InSight Crime. Consolidating power by taking on all rivals, the group's power base spreads along Colombia's northwest coast. According to InSight, the group pulls money from various criminal activities, such as extortion, illegal mining, and smuggling. Otoniel remains at large and in control of the vast organization. In response to the bounty on Sombra's life, General Jorge Nieto, head of the national police, has ordered the dog transferred to Bogota's El Dorado International Airport, outside of the Urabenos's territory on the coast. According to the Telegraph, additional officers will now accompany Sombra on her rounds. - - - The Washington Post's Samantha Schmidt contributed to this report. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 26, 2018 | 05:44 PM | PADUCAH A McCracken County man was arrested early Wednesday after police found his car sitting sideways in the road near H.C. Mathis Drive and Park Avenue, and he fled. According to the Paducah Police Department, an officer saw a car sitting in the roadway, smoking. The officer said the car appeared to have hit the curb and was stationary, but its tires were spinning. When the officer turned on his emergency lights, the driver fled on foot. The officer caught him about a block away and took him into custody. The man, identified as 28-year-old Taylor J. Thompson, of Ogden Landing Road, reportedly smelled of alcohol and told officers he didnt know why his vehicle had hit the curb. During a search of Thompsons vehicle, officers reportedly found .2 grams of marijuana and 23 500mg prescription acetaminophen tablets not in their proper container. Thompson was arrested and booked into McCracken County Regional Jail. He's charged with driving under the influence, first-degree fleeing or evading police (on foot), possession of marijuana and leaving the scene of an accident. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump took to Twitter Thursday to accuse the social media platform of trying to silence prominent conservatives through a "discriminatory and illegal practice" and appeared to threaten an investigation of the company. For months, Republicans have alleged that they are the victims of what they call "shadow banning," meaning their tweets are secretly hidden from users, limiting their reach. A report in Vice News on Wednesday further fueled those fears, as some search results on Twitter didn't seem to reveal the accounts for Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and several other party members, although the tool appeared to work well for finding Democrats' accounts. Twitter said that some recent changes to its search algorithm were to blame and that it was working to resolve the problem. But the report still drew a sharp rebuke Thursday from Twitter's most prominent Republican user. "Twitter 'SHADOW BANNING' prominent Republicans. Not good," Trump wrote to his 53 million followers. "We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints." A Twitter spokesman declined to comment on the president's tweet. The social media company has said it is aware that some accounts are not automatically populating in the search box and is addressing the issue. A day earlier, Kayvon Beykpour, head of product for Twitter, emphasized that the platform was not targeting Republicans and was working to alter its use of "behavior signals" that inform its search results. Twitter has been tinkering with the guts of its platform to promote healthy conversation on a site that sometimes harbors political vitriol or abusive content. "To be clear, our behavioral ranking doesn't make judgments based on political views or the substance of tweets," Beykpour said. The president's tweet Thursday could create new political headaches for Twitter and its tech peers in Silicon Valley, which have faced months of accusations from the highest echelons of the Republican Party that they are biased against conservatives. Members of Congress have brought major tech company executives to Capitol Hill to address allegations of anti-conservative bias, and some GOP lawmakers even threatened regulation of the industry at a hearing this month. "Our success as a company depends on making Twitter a safe space for free expression," said Nick Pickles, a policy aide who testified on behalf of Twitter at the hearing. In this latest controversy, searches on Twitter's upper right-hand search bar for prominent conservatives such as McDaniel did not automatically list their official accounts, but those right-leaning accounts did appear if users clicked through to the site's fuller search page. The extent of the issue is unclear, however, given the fact that Twitter is likely to auto-suggest accounts that users already follow or might be inclined to like. Despite Twitter's explanations, McDaniel and other Republicans still castigated the company and claimed its practices amounted to censorship. "The notion that social media companies would suppress certain political points of view should concern every American," McDaniel said Wednesday. "Twitter owes the public answers to what's really going on." Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, also weighed in, sending a tweet Wednesday that said: "So now @Twitter is censoring @GOPChairwoman? Enough is enough with this crap." In the past, Twitter has admitted mistakes, even apologizing after an incident last year in which it initially banned a GOP congresswoman from promoting a tweeted video that discussed abortion. But the company has stressed repeatedly that it applies its policies even-handedly. Meanwhile, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey has sought to defuse tensions with conservatives through a series of private gatherings with right-leaning media and political leaders. His trip to the nation's capital in June, for example, included a dinner with Mercedes Schlapp, one of Trump's top aides, and Greta Van Susteren, a former Fox News host, sources previously told The Post. Some in attendance told Dorsey that they felt conservatives had been painted in a negative light on the site's Moments feature, which tracks national stories and issues. Others raised concerns about shadow banning. But the complaints are hardly bound to die down as the midterm election draws nearer. Already, the charges of anti-conservative bias have made their way into some Republicans' campaign pitches to voters. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is angling to become speaker of the House next year, has run ads on Facebook that fundraise around allegations of anti-conservative bias on social media. Shortly after a shooting at Santa Fe High School in May left 10 people dead, school districts in the Houston area have increased police presence and other security procedures to protect their students. Lake Houston area school districts were no exception, especially after experiencing threats and scares in the week following the shooting at Santa Fe High School. Humble and Crosby high schools received threats of an active shooter coming to their campus a couple of days after the Santa Fe shooting. Meanwhile a student brought a gun in his backpack to nearby Huffman High School less than a week after the Santa Fe shooting. District officials increased the police presence at all of their campuses in Humble, Huffman and Crosby ISDs in addition to other safety measures. Now that the students are out on summer vacation, the three school districts have taken the time to reexamine their safety guidelines to see what needs to be improved. Crosby ISD Crosby ISD, is currently updating their district emergency operations plan to present to the Crosby ISD Board of Trustees for approval in August, according to assistant superintendent of Student Services, Patricia Kay. Crosby's plan will now address how to handle any issue from a natural disaster to an active shooter on campus. "A lot of the things in the emergency operations plan are based on strategies and organization and planning that we learned through (National Incident Management System) training," Kay said. "From the initial incident report to situational reports throughout an emergency event." Kay said when the Crosby High School threat was found not credible, parents expressed their concerns on how to improve the high school's safety features. "The No. 1 concern we heard from the community (about) the high school was the glass walls in our academic area," Kay said. "They were concerned that if a shooter came through that the bullets would go through the glass, and it's a valid concern. "We're still looking at things to address, such as to possibly put some barriers up to prevent an intruder from going into that area. But we're now researching all that and investigating all that (and) going to some trainings where people are trying to sell some products that are very costly. So we just have to be very careful in what and how we're protecting our kids." Aside from updating their district emergency operations plan, Crosby ISD will increase the number of deputies at each school. All campuses will have a vestibule, an ID scanner to identify possible threats and a threat assessment team comprised of district employees to identify possible threats. "In addition to the monthly fire drills, which helps the students evacuate for any type of drill, we're going to have requirements per semester for active shooter drills and some lock down drills and shelter in place (drills)," Kay said. Humble ISD Humble ISD district officials were immediately notified of an active shooter threat at Humble High School through their recent iHELP app that allows students, parents and community members to submit tips of suspicious activity on the campuses. Humble ISD staff is participating in more frequent safety trainings, such as table top exercises that simulate emergencies. These exercises get teachers, administrators and staff to talk about roles, responsibilities and resources so that challenges are well thought through in advance of a real emergency. "The most important thing for us is that if you're faced with a situation and it's really outside your area of expertise most educators are not police officers so if you're faced with a situation that's outside of your professional expertise we want to make sure that you have all the tools necessary to be able to handle that situation and know what to do, sort of at a gut level," Humble ISD superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said. Fagen said the district has been working on school safety years before she took on the role as superintendent two years ago. "For the past two years we've been working on constant improvement in all areas of school safety. So we have continued down that path throughout the various incidents that have occurred in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe," Fagen said. "I think it's important to note that those events, we obviously learn things every single time something unfortunate happens but those events did not spur our work. We were already doing that work because we're committed to ensuring the highest level of safety for our staff and students." The school district is also in the process of hiring eight more police officers for the new school year. Humble ISD is also constructing vestibules on the campuses where there wasn't a vestibule in place before. Visitors must check in with a receptionist and be screened through their ID screening system. After the visitor has been cleared the receptionist will electronically unlock the door to enter the school. Funding for this will come from the recently approved bond. "We know that it's important to have strong training, strong drills, strong communication infrastructure in event of a situation so that we're very well prepared," Fagen said. The installation of visitor intercom systems at the elementary schools is almost complete. The intercom system allows staff to interact with visitors from a protected place. Intercom systems will vary depending on the school's floor plan. Humble ISD has also entered into agreements with community organizations to provide shelter to students in the event a campus must be evacuated. The district is implementing technology that will allow school staff to check out students to their parents or emergency contacts from an evacuation site away from their school. "Now, every single time our colleagues across the country are faced with one of these situations, they have to make decisions on the spot; very, very difficult decisions and ... educators are first responders. They do make real time decisions that are very important. So, we take that seriously and we want to equip them with all the skills we can to be ready to do that," Fagen said. Huffman ISD This summer Huffman ISD board members approved their Guardian Plan for the upcoming school year, which will arm teachers. "The primary purpose of the Guardian Plan is to protect students from an active shooter prior to the arrival of law enforcement," Huffman ISD said in a Facebook post. "The plan will provide hand picked, highly trained, armed employees the ability to defend students and themselves in the unfortunate event of an active shooter on a campus." News of the Guardian Plan received some mixed feelings from parents and community members in the Huffman area. kaila.contreras@chron.com At the future headquarters of the Spring ISD Police Department at 420 Lockhaven Drive in north Houston, the board of trustees put on hardhats and picked up hammers. President of the board Rhonda Newhouse was the first one to slam the hammer against a wall to make room for the new police dispatch center at the new building. "(It's) exciting to break through the wall, to break through to the other side, to know we are breaking through to better facilities. It's about time we move up to a first class facility and that's what this will be," she said. The remodeling is one of several projects the district is working on over the summer as part of the $330 million bond, which will focus on major construction projects. The current police department offices are located at 210 North Forest Drive inside an 8,000 square foot, one-story building. Crossing guards, dispatch and clerical staff along with sworn officers make up the district's police force. Not all officers are located in the same building. Due to the smaller size of the current headquarters, other officers are located in a satellite location, said Spring ISD police chief Victor Mitchell. "(It's) so that we don't have two different locations we're trying to communicate with in order to work with any issues that we have," he said. The current headquarters is also located in a flood plain and makes it difficult to enter or leave in case of high water, Mitchell said. The new building at Lockhaven has two stories and will also house the district's tax office, risk management and technology departments. It will feature 41,664 square feet of offices, workstations and storage space. The remodeling is expected to cost about $1.8 million and be completed in late August, after the school year has begun, said chief operations officer Mark Miranda. "This is our biggest project for this summer. We have a bunch of projects underway," he said. Spring ISD also broke ground on the new Roberson Middle School in June that expects to house up to 900 students. The current Roberson will be converted into a ninth grade center and is expected to cost about $33 million. The construction for the new Roberson Middle School is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2019 and will be located on a 22-acre site at the corner of Veterans Memorial Drive and West Richey Road. In November, the district implemented technology upgrades to its computers and laptops. As part of the bond, it replaced more than 3,500 old and bulky computers for $2.5 million. It also purchased 60 new buses. Earlier this year, Spring ISD also unveiled plans for another unnamed middle school as well a new stadium. Construction dates have not been announced for the additional construction projects. In June, the district also voted to approve its 2018-2019 budget for $397 million. "We are anticipating that this budget will be supported by a $1.51 tax rate per $100 of taxable value," chief financial office Ann Westbrooks said. The tax rate will be $1.51 for homeowners with $1.06 going to the general fund. The remaining 45 cents will go to the interest and sinking portion to pay off the bond, which is estimated to be $58.4 million. The budget will prioritize academic projects and employee retention. The general operating budget will be made up of $312.4 million and $26.5 million going to the child nutrition fund. The general fund will provide a one-time $1,500 supplement for full-time employees and $750 for half-time employees as part of a retention strategy. The supplement will be paid in November to employees who have been with the district beginning on June 30, 2018. The district will also invest in special education, performing and visual arts, gifted and talented materials, professional development for faculty and additional staff. Spring ISD will also launch dual language programs at Northgate Crossing Elementary, Hirsch Elementary and Clark Primary schools. mayra.cruz@chron.com The document was adopted at the session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on 14 July 2018 (Journal No 42). Today the plenitude of our Church is commemorating the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and recalling with gratitude how 1030 years ago, thanks to this chosen man, mighty in spirit, a watershed event in the history of the Slavic peoples took place. By the action of the Omnibenevolent Holy Spirit, the Prince freed himself from pagan delusions, embraced in faith the Only-Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ and, having received the holy Baptism with his brothers-in-arms, brought the salvific light of the Gospel to Rus. Why do we call the Baptism of Russia the watershed in the history of our peoples? We do so because it changed forever the entire Slavic civilization and predestined the further course of its development. It was indeed the decisive turn from darkness to light, from wandering in the dark of false ideas to finding the divinely revealed truth and salvation. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results Stavropol is ready to settle up to 50 Boer families, according to the regions Deputy Commissioner for human rights Vladimir Poluboyarenko. He told RT exclusively there is already a plan for settlement of roughly 500 families with their own cattle near Stavropol. The official also said that out of the four million Boers, representing eight percent of South Africas population, fifteen thousand Boers want to move to Russia. A Russian delegation is due to come to South Africa to work out a more detailed Source: First 50 families of farmers from South Africa may soon resettle in Russia RT Business News I have been watching this progress. It is interesting to me and I think it can be a win win for all. The situation in South Africa has gotten very bad for white farmers and it looks to get much worse. Russia has to weigh and measure the situation and we will see what happens New South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa communicated in an address to the South African nations parliament in Cape Town and made it clear that his priority is to heal the divisions and injustice of the past, going all the way back to the original European colonists in the 1600s taking land from the indigenous tribes Lets see what happens. Russia is talking with them right now Boers are good people, yes they are farmers WtR The emotional first look at an upcoming documentary on late actor Paul Walker's life has been released, almost five years after his untimely death. The Hollywood actor died at the age of 40 in a fiery car crash in 2013. It was a tragic case of life imitating art, as Walker was best known for his role as boy-racer icon Brian in The Fast and the Furious franchise. Now, I Am Paul Walker will reveal never-before footage of Walker in his younger years, as well as interviews with his friends, family and colleagues. "He liked to go fast," sister Ashlie Walker admits in the trailer. "As soon as I was old enough to hang on tight, I was on the back of his big wheel with him, going for the ride of my life." A battalion chief meets a firefighter with one year on the job in the third episode of the Moneyish series Good Company. The series matches millennials with veterans in their field for mentorship and conversation. Boston police are asking for the public's help tracking down the 20-year-old they believe shot and killed two men in Brighton last month. Police say that Nicholas Antoine, of Boston, is wanted in connection with a June 30 double homicide. Antoine is believed to have shot and killed Wilfred Peters, 26, of Brighton and Jeffrey Montaque, 27, of Cambridge. Police said they were called to Faneuil and Brackett Streets early that morning, where they found the men already dead from their wounds. Police have an outstanding warrant for Antoine's arrest on the murder charges and multiple firearm offenses. Anyone with information about Antoine's whereabouts is asked to contact Boston police homicide detectives. Boston police solve the killings of white people at twice the rate of black victims, making it the widest such gap in the country, according to new analysis of data. The Washington Post reported that since 2007 Boston police have made arrests in nearly 90 percent of homicide cases with white victims, while solving 42 percent of homicides of black victims. "Of the 435 homicides with black victims, 254 remain unsolved. Of the 57 homicides with white victims, only six are unsolved," the newspaper reports. "There is no question that the African American community is victimized by this out of proportion," said Ed Davis, Boston's police commissioner from 2006 to 2013 told The Post. "It's a tragedy of our time that we're not doing more to stop this." Commissioner William Evans, who announced his retirement earlier this week, blamed a lack of information. This is a sentiment often repeated by Mayor Marty Walsh who was criticized for "victim blaming" following a violent Fourth of July. Mayor Marty Walsh faces 'victim blaming' backlash "The thing that's frustrating about it, not one of them are talking. No one wants to say anything. You didn't see anything? You got shot and you didn't see anything?" Walsh said in an interview at the time. "The people that got shot... you need to step up and talk about who shot you and stop blaming the police and blaming the community and blaming society." But community leaders argue it is not that simple. Rufus Faulk, an anti-violence activist and community leader in Roxbury, told The Post that the attention a killing gets "largely depends on your status." "Then, oftentimes, there is this adage thrown out there that the victim was gang-involved or 'known to the police,' " Faulk said. "That immediately shifts the victimhood away from the person who was slain and implies that they caused their own demise. And you can see why then there is a resulting lack of public outcry." In Massachusetts, legislators have not been speedy to issue retail recreational marijuana licenses, though three were approved this week for shops in Northampton, Brookline and Amesbury. But legal hurdles haven't stopped eager entrepreneurs from hashing out business ideas. Hundreds of businesspeople, consumers and enthusiasts gathered at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on Friday to promote products and discuss ways to cultivate marijuana-related businesses in the budding industry. Seminar sessions talked business strategies and opportunity while vendor stalls showcased a wide variety of products like devices for making marijuana edibles, organic soil, growing lamps, distillery machines, fireproof security cameras, T-shirts, marijuana seeds and more. Gabriel Smith, of South Windsor, Connecticut, said he came to learn strategy as he and a business partner shape up plans for a marijuana bakery and cafe in Massachusetts. "I come from a culinary background, and my business partner did catering for 21+ years," Windsor said. He added that he knows the benefits of THC and cannabinoids, but realizes not everyone wants to inhale smoke to receive them. "If I can find a way they can get into their system as well as eat something that tastes good at the same time, that's a win-win," Smith added. He said the plans are all preliminary right now, but believes the future business will plant a brick-and-mortar location somewhere near the Connecticut-Massachusetts border. Massachusetts dispensaries, including Sira Naturals and New England Treatment Access, were on site at the convention with full displays of products. Representatives from New England Treatment Access excitedly told passersby that they had just been approved by the state for recreational shops in Brookline and Northampton. For some attendees, the convention was a way to connect with other users in the fragmented national marijuana market. Steph Merkt of Fall River stood by as her husband gifted marijuana flower to representatives from California company Swamp Boys Seeds. She said he orders their marijuana seeds through the mail for growing and recreational purposes. "It's nice to put a face to the name," Merkt said. "You do business with people and don't get to meet them face-to-face." Outside of the exhibition room, a seminar was held Friday morning by Larry Harb, founder of IT Risk Managers, Inc. He encouraged potential and existing marijuana-business owners to protect themselves financially. "The State Farms and the Allstates of the world aren't touching this," Harb said. According to Harb, there are only about a dozen insurance carriers worldwide that will provide coverage to cannabis-related business. Though, if cannabis is deregulated at the federal level, that will likely change, he noted. Harb was not shy to promote his own recent venture, "420 Friendly Insurance," which focuses on providing coverage for marijuana business owners. Throughout the morning speakers espoused a common belief that the marijuana industry held promise and opportunity for those willing to jump in. Socrates Rosenfeld -- a Newton native, Air Force veteran and graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- said his online marijuana marketplace company Jane Technologies, Inc. could set off a new wave of e-commerce called "click-and-mortar." The website offers customers the ability to search and order, or reserve, marijuana products online from local dispensaries. Rosenfeld said unlike big tech-companies like Amazon, the company takes only $1 -- not a percentage cut -- from online orders on its website, iheartjane.com. "We have the potential to prove to the rest of the world what the future of retail really looks like," Rosenfeld said. Though the website cannot sell orders in Massachusetts yet, it already has five marijuana companies in the state on board. Once online ordering is available and legal in the commonwealth, Rosenfeld said, his website will have marijuana ready to order with just "a click of the button." When Necco workers stopped by the Revere factory to pick up their final paychecks Friday after being laid off earlier this week, they were greeted by Sen. Ed Markey. "These #NECCO workers are only receiving 10 days of severance pay, less than 38 days of health care, might lose their pensions, and may have not been given 60 days notice. I'm going to fight to make sure the promises made to these workers are kept," Markey tweeted. The 171-year-old candy plant closed its doors abruptly Tuesday, laying off about 230 people. 4% GDP growth and workers at #NECCO are picking up their last paychecks today after an unknown entity suddenly decided to close Americas oldest operating candy maker. This is the Trump economy: CEOs reaping huge profits and workers seeing none of the growth. pic.twitter.com/hzH51kWMpK Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) July 27, 2018 Round Hill Investments LLC, which bought the company during a bankruptcy auction in May, confirmed Tuesday that it had sold the business and was shutting down the plant. "Round Hill Investments was very excited to acquire Necco's historic brands and to be part of their national resurgence," the company said in a statement. "After careful engagement and consideration, however, the firm decided to sell the brands to another national confection manufacturer and today announced the closure of the operations in Revere, Massachusetts." The company did not identify the new owner or say whether production will resume. Federal prosecutors charged 25 people Thursday in a document and benefit fraud case that officials say involved people obtaining Medicaid, housing and unemployment benefits they were otherwise not eligible to receive. According to the Department of Justice, the "Double Trouble" investigation conducted by a homeland security task force also found individuals received Registry of Motor Vehicles identity documents that they were ineligible to receive. Prosecutors say "many" of the defendants have criminal histories, including a convicted murderer, Jose Lopez Rosado, who escaped from prison in Puerto Rico in 1994. Twenty-one of those charged are unlawfully in the country, the justice department said. The task force is investigating people, mostly Dominican Republic nationals, that prosecutors say are "believed to have obtained stolen identities of United States citizens living in Puerto Rico and who have used those identities to obtain documents and public benefits that they would not otherwise be eligible to receive." The defendants face an array of charges, from aggravated identity theft to false representation of a Social Security number, identity theft, and theft of public funds. HOLYOKE -- Friends and colleagues of Kathleen Anderson, who recently left her post as executive director of the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, held a surprise celebration for her Thursday at Jay's Bed-and-Breakfast on Dwight Street. Anderson, whose tenure with the chamber began in 2012, accepted a position with Holyoke Medical Center. She previously headed the city's planning and economic development office, beginning under Mayor Michael J. Sullivan's administration. Anderson arrived at Jay's believing she was attending a chamber meeting. She made extra copies of the agenda, which she carried with her up the home's steps. Dozens of friends, colleagues and business leaders, including her husband, Whitney Anderson, warmly greeted Anderson. Kevin McCaffrey, who was recently appointed the chamber's board president, thanked Anderson for her service to the city and to the business community. Michelle Moriarty, who represented State Sen. Donald Humason, R-Westfield, and Andres Villada, of Mayor Alex B. Morse's staff, presented proclamations to Anderson. Anderson said many in the room have become her friends over the years. "This has been a team. I couldn't have done it without all of you in the room," she said. "You all helped the chamber grow into what it is." She credited board members Jay Driscoll and Robert Gilbert for recruiting her for the chamber position. She asked the attendees to continue with the chamber and to "watch it grow." Richard Clark, the owner of Holyoke Taylor Rental, said his first impression of Anderson when she came on board was that of a "whirling dervish," a person who brought energy to the organization. He recalled receiving late-night emails from Anderson on her latest ideas or proposed projects. "Under her leadership, it's been unbelievable for businesses in Holyoke, the school systems and working with the city," Clark said, a past chamber president. Margaret Mantoni, of Loomis Communities, held up a glass of wine and toasted Anderson for her work with the chamber. Jordan Hart, a longtime staffer with the chamber, said Anderson became a mentor over the years, encouraging her along the way. Massachusetts cannabis regulators urged city and town officials Thursday to keep within the boundaries of state law when negotiating local agreements with recreational marijuana businesses. The Cannabis Control Commission cited "anecdotal" evidence of municipalities putting excessive financial demands on companies wishing to locate within their communities, further slowing the already delayed rollout of the state's voter-approved recreational marijuana law. Retail marijuana stores had been expected to begin opening on July 1 in Massachusetts, but none have so far and it could be at least several more weeks before the first ones begin operating. Under the law, cities and towns may charge pot businesses for reasonably anticipated municipal costs related to such things as increased traffic or police protection. But host community agreements are not allowed to assess fees that exceed 3 percent of the total annual revenues of the business, and not for any longer than five years. "If municipalities don't follow that law, they are creating obstacles to the commission's mission statement, which is to safely, equitably and productively implement the law," said Shaleen Title, one of five commissioners on the panel. "And we already know that when barriers to entry are too high at the local level we end up with a market that is slow to start up and has a striking lack of diversity." Prospective marijuana businesses are required to secure host community agreements before they can apply for a license from the state. Excessive demands from local communities can be particularly harmful to smaller entrepreneurs and minorities trying to get a foothold in the cannabis industry, Title added. In addition to the maximum 3 percent fee in host community agreements, municipalities under the law can collect taxes of up to 3 percent on recreational marijuana sales. State Rep. Mark Cusack, of Braintree, and Sen. Patricia Jehlen, of Somerville, Democrats who chair the Legislature's Marijuana Policy Committee, recently sent a letter to regulators asking them to get tougher on cities and towns that overreach in negotiating host agreements. The commission, which did not single out any community on Thursday, also questioned the extent of legal authority it had over the agreements. Commissioner Jennifer Flanagan, a former state senator, defended cities and towns for including additional costs for substance abuse treatment among anticipated costs for allowing a marijuana business to open. "Instead of hiding our heads in the sand and pretending this doesn't exist, I really think that part of the conversation with municipalities has to be about the public health aspects of this," said Flanagan. The commission, which issued three more provisional retail recreational licenses on Thursday to operators of medical marijuana dispensaries, gave local officials two weeks to respond to the concerns raised at the meeting. I understand that Geneva has been hot these days, but yesterday, the hottest place in town was nowhere but inside Centre William Rappard, where the US and China engaged in a white-hot debate on the Chinese economic system at the General Council meeting. Firing the first shot by calling China "the most protectionist, mercantilist economy in the world, US Ambassador Dennis Shea argued that change is necessary if the WTO is to remain relevant to the international trading system. Amb. Shea's "gunpowder-smelling" remarks led to a lengthy retort from the Chinese ambassador Zhang Xiangchen, who dissected his oral statement and written submission entitled " Chinas Trade-Disruptive Economic Model" like an impatient professor trashing a poorly-researched term paper, as he enumerated the problems with their logical flaws, inconsistencies, and even the sloppy footnotes. Interestingly, notwithstanding their numerous differences, the two ambassadors do seem to share something in common. Despite his keen interest to see "change", Amb. Shea made clear that the WTO itself does not currently provide the tools needed to bring about that change. Similarly, Amb. Zhang regarded these issues as "beyond the realm of the WTO and beyond our capacities". In other words, both seem to subscribe to the view, which has become rather fashionable lately, that the existing WTO rules are inadequate in dealing with China. In a recent paper co-authored with Weihuan Zhou and Xue Bai, we rebutted this view by arguing that, to the contrary, we do not necessarily need new rules to tackle the problems created by Chinas SOEs. Our main argument is summarized in the conclusions, which we reproduce below: "As a matter of fact, the WTOs existing rules on subsidies, coupled with the China-specific obligations relating to SOEs, competition and subsidies, actually do provide sufficient defense against the encroachment of Chinese SOEs beyond its own shores. Unfortunately, for too long, these rules on SOEs and subsidies remain largely unused, due to three common misconceptions regarding the utility of these provisions. In this paper, we have set the record straight by addressing each of the three misconceptions. The first misconception is that subsidy-CV actions are impossible without sufficient information about the subsidies programs in China. Our response is that the open-ended language special difficulties in Section 15(b) of the Accession Protocol does provide wide leeway to IAs in applying subsidy-CV measures against China, especially in cases where the information is lacking, insufficient, or otherwise difficult to obtain. The second misconception is that the ABs narrow interpretation of public body as one with government authority has rendered it very difficult for IAs to find SOEs as public bodies. Again, we argue that this is no longer the case with Chinas designation of certain SOEs as exercising key governmental functions and its push to install Party committees in SOEs and to enhance their roles in the decision-making of these SOEs. These moves have made it much easier to find the exercise of government authority by the SOEs and the control of the government in these firms. The third misconception is that CV actions are ineffective in practice. However, as we discussed earlier, CV measures tend to provide higher protection compared to AD measures. Moreover, with the expiration of the NME Methodology, the current set of inflated AD rates can no longer sustain. This leaves CV measures the only meaningful option." Thus, we conclude that "the real problem is not the lack of sufficient rules to deal with Chinas state capitalism, but the lack of utilization of these additional rules." Those interested in perusing the paper may download it on SSRN (with the full argument on the SCM & CVD issues made in pp. 53 onwards). Any comment or criticism would be greatly appreciated (of course, we hope you'd be more lenient than Amb. Zhang). Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer, asserts the then GOP presidential candidate knew in advance of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer offering to aid his campaign and is willing to say so to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to multiple reports. Cohen was reportedly present when Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., told his father about the planned meeting, CNN and NBC News reported. The elder Trump gave his approval of the meeting. Lawyers for the president and Trump Jr. denied the reports with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani calling Cohen, who worked for Trump for the past seven years, a "pathological liar." At the June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, Trump Jr., brother-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort met with four Russians, including Natalia Veselnitskaya. According to an Associated Press review of emails and documents, Veselnitskaya served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. An email to Trump Jr. arranging the meeting claimed that the Russian government had incriminating information on Hillary Clinton. However, all parties involved have insisted that the meeting did not amount to anything significant. Trump Jr. initially told the press that the meeting was held to discuss adoptions of Russian children by Americans. Later, Trump Jr. had told congressional investigators that he did not recall many details of the Trump Tower meeting, including discussions before and after the event. In a series of tweets this morning, the president again called the Justice Department investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election a "witch hunt." Taylor Swift has donated hundreds of tickets to one of her Gillette Stadium shows to Weymouth Police and their families, in the wake of Sgt. Michael Chesna's death. "I can't confirm and can't deny," a police officer told MassLive on Wednesday. However, the mayor was less coy in an interview with The Patriot Ledger Thursday. Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund told the newspaper that Taylor Swift provided "a significant number of tickets" to the town, which were handed out to local police officers and firefighters. "My understanding is that they did it low-key and weren't looking for publicity," Hedlund told the newspaper. "There were enough to send every police officer, firefighter and extended family to the concert, and then some." Swift brings her popular Reputation tour to Foxborough for three nights, starting Thursday, July 26. Tree Paine, Swift's publicist, did not respond to a request for comment. Massachusetts State Police troopers had to use a Taser to subdue and arrest a man who was wanted for threatening a state judge after he refused to come out of his home and surrender, officials said. State Police obtained a warrant for 56-year-old Jeffrey Wheeler on Thursday after investigating threats he allegedly made against the judge, a State Police spokesman said in a statement. Wheeler, of Athol, previously had his license to carry a firearm revoked, but investigators believed he may have still had access to a firearm, the statement said. A "be on the lookout" alert was issued for Wheeler late Thursday afternoon. Members of the State Police Special Tactical Operations Team, known as the STOP Team, saw Wheeler's car outside his residence at 253 South St. in Athol around 7 p.m. Thursday. The troopers established a perimeter around Wheeler's house, which was equipped with outdoor security cameras. It started what became an eight-hour standoff. Numerous attempts to get Wheeler to come out of his home and surrender were unsuccessful, State Police said. Wheeler indicated that he would not come outside to surrender, the statement said. The STOP Team made the decision to enter the home around 3 a.m. After getting inside, Wheeler was hostile and a Taser was used to subdue him, State Police said. "Troopers had to utilize a Taser electronic control weapon to subdue the hostile suspect in order to take him into custody without using lethal force and without significant injury to him or to them," the statement read. Wheeler was taken to the hospital for examination and then booked at the State Police barracks in Athol. State Police did not release the name of the state judge who was threatened or describe the nature of the alleged threats. No further information was released. BOSTON -- Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday signed into law a bill repealing archaic laws that criminalized abortion, as the Republican governor pushed back against Republican attempts nationally to limit abortion rights. Baker said the bill "removes a series of antiquated, inappropriate, in some cases harmful laws that have been on books in the commonwealth and thankfully ignored for the most part for a very long time." He said that bills associated with women's health and reproductive rights "take on new meaning given the endeavors and activity taking place in Washington." Baker said he is thrilled to sign the bill "partly to make a statement, but also to make it clear that here in Massachusetts we will not compromise on a women's right to her own decisions." The bill signing ceremony, held in the ornate Statehouse library, gave Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who are Republicans, a chance to broadcast their bipartisan credentials in an election year. Standing behind Baker were House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, former Senate President Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, and a host of reproductive rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers. Baker's signature took off the books several archaic laws, some dating back to the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. These include laws punishing adultery and fornication; criminalizing abortion and distributing information about abortion; requiring abortions be performed in a hospital; and prohibiting doctors from prescribing contraception to unmarried women. Most of the laws are unconstitutional and unenforceable under other state and federal laws. But reproductive rights advocates worry that if a more conservative Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, outdated state laws could become enforceable. The bill gained momentum after Justice Anthony Kennedy, a swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, announced his retirement, and President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to take his place. While it is not clear from his record how Kavanaugh would rule if Roe v. Wade were up for reconsideration, reproductive rights advocates worry that he would vote to overturn the landmark case that made abortion legal nationwide. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have also been taking other actions that could threaten access to abortion, such as trying to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and putting in place new rules restricting the use of family planning funding. Baker supports abortion rights. "Given the context at the federal level and the ongoing intensity of the debate about some of these issues in D.C., we simply felt, both the Legislature and the administration, that we should just clean up the state's books with respect to some of these issues and resolve them once and for all," Baker said. Baker has not said whether he thinks the Senate should confirm or reject Kavanaugh. Baker said he is "concerned" about Kavanaugh's previous writings related to abortion, but he is waiting until after Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing to make up his mind. "The Senate needs to exercise its advise and consent responsibilities, especially with respect to precedent issues associated with Roe as part of that review process," Baker said. Advocates have been pushing for the repeal of the archaic laws for decades. Polito said during the bill-signing that the "threats coming from Washington" were what elevated it to the front burner. Chandler, who has been working on the issue for years, said it "took awhile (to go) from being people making fun of it ... to now it's national news." Chandler said with "embarrassing" and "uncomfortable" actions on a federal level, "states are the place where action is being taken now." Similar bills are pending in New York and Rhode Island. Last year, Delaware and Illinois repealed outdated laws banning abortion. DeLeo added, "As the winds from Washington threaten women, we will stand up for what is right." Reproductive rights advocates painted a picture of an uncertain national future for women's rights. Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, said lawsuits are already working their way through the courts that could lead to the Supreme Court reconsidering Roe v. Wade. "This is a battle for the heart and soul of our country, and the result is about nothing less than whether women will be second class citizens for generations to come," Hart Holder said. This story was updated with information about laws in other states. A bill allowing the creation of Community Benefit Districts where residents can be taxed to fund local improvements is getting a second look after passing both the House and Senate, amid criticism by groups on both the right and the left of the political spectrum. "Many municipalities are struggling to find resources to help grow their local economy and make neighborhood community improvements," said Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn, who sponsored the bill. "We feel that through this community benefit bill, it will empower the community to decide on additional and supplemental services that could help attract more folks to their downtowns, main streets, town centers, etc." But critics say the bill would force residents to pay an assessment even if they did not agree to form the district. They say the bill lacks sufficient protections to ensure that the district's governance is transparent. "We believe the bill, regardless of good intentions by the proponents, is dangerous and should not be enacted," said Ruth Bourquin, senior attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts. "It gives wealthy property owners unbridled control over spaces that are now public, including our parks, and too much power over their own neighbors." Under the bill, a group of landowners -- including residents or businesses -- could submit a petition to a city or town to create a Community Benefit District. These landowners must represent at least 50 percent of the money that would be collected from the district. Then, the city or town's governing body must approve the petition, a process that includes approval by town meeting in a small town and the mayor in a city. Public property and nonprofits are exempt, and can choose whether to join the district. A municipality, if it wants, can exempt owner-occupied houses. There are provisions for hardship waivers if someone cannot afford to pay. The members of the district are assessed a fee, similar to a condo fee, and the money would go toward improvements in the district. This could be things like street furniture, public art, farmer's markets or branding. There are limits on how high the assessment can be, and the district must be renewed every 10 years. "This is important because our communities can't take care of their important public spaces," said Andre Leroux, executive director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, which supports the bill. "We need more investment in our downtowns, in our urban squares, in our villages, and this is a way to create a public-private partnership that will bring more resources to the table." Massachusetts already has seven similar zones, called Business Improvement Districts, including one in Springfield and one in Downtown Crossing in Boston. In 2014, a judge ordered Northampton's Business Improvement District to disband, ruling that a number of mistakes were made during its formation. The Community Benefit Districts would be easier to form. Three-fourths of a Business Improvement District must be zoned for commercial, retail or industrial use. A Community Benefit District would not have zoning requirements. A business district needs support from 60 percent of all landowners in terms of numbers, in addition to 50 percent of owners based on the value of the land. The proposed community districts would only require the support of landowners from whom 50 percent of the money would be collected. The Community Benefit District would be regulated as a nonprofit. "They function the same way as a Business Improvement District does, but there's some modest adjustments to the procedures that should help more communities be able to take advantage of these tools," Leroux said. Crighton said the proposal "allows the city or town to work with the neighbors to decide what's the best fit for them." Business groups, including the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, have come out in support of the creation of Community Benefit Districts. However, the effort is encountering opposition. Citizens for Limited Taxation, which opposes increased taxes, called it "an end-run around the restrictions of Proposition 21/2," the provision that restricts how much property taxes can be raised. "Block by block they're coming for taxpayers," said Chip Ford, the group's executive director. A dozen organizations representing tenants, poor people, minorities, government reform groups and others all wrote a letter opposing the bill. These include the Mass Law Reform Institute, ACLU, Common Cause Massachusetts, NAACP, Massachusetts Fair Housing Center and others. The group wrote that the bill would let private property owners in residential and commercial areas impose assessments on their neighbors to fund activities that the wealthiest landowners support, "with no controlling standards or proper checks and balances on how that power can be wielded." They worried that property owners would "own" public parks and sidewalks without safeguards for First Amendment and anti-discrimination rights. The management associations would not be subject to public records or open meeting laws. Tenants would not have rights in deciding how the districts are operated. "The bill would impose an additional financial burden on residents to pay for services beyond those historically provided by the state and municipality, thereby essentially creating a wholly new tier of government at the neighborhood level, without any mechanism of accountability," they wrote. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin wrote to House Ways and Means Chairman Jeffrey Sanchez, D-Boston, that he thinks the management of the districts should be subject to public records laws. "It is very troubling to imagine granting any entity in a city or town the power to impose taxes, enter into agreements to provide transit or sanitation services, maintain public spaces or buy and sell real property without any accountability," Galvin wrote. Bourquin, of the ACLU, said, "We can improve neighborhoods without ceding core principles of democracy." The bill passed the House, 149-2, and the Senate, 22-15. But it still needs a final procedural vote to make it to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. Some lawmakers have been working to block that vote since the opposition emerged. Baker vetoed earlier versions of the legislation, but proponents of the bill say they have been working with Baker administration officials to address some of the governor's concerns in the bill's latest version. Devious. Disturbing. Underhanded. Sneaky. These are among the adjectives that advocates for welfare recipients are using to describe Gov. Charlie Baker's decision to reject a change that would expand welfare benefits for children unless the Legislature agrees to another change that would cut thousands of children off from welfare. "This is an unconscionable choice he's forcing on the Legislature, and the way he did it is devious," said Deborah Harris, a senior staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, which practices poverty law. In the state budget, the House and Senate agreed to lift the "family cap," a cap that denies additional welfare benefits for children born while a family is already receiving welfare. Welfare benefits are based on family size. There are an estimated 8,700 children in Massachusetts who were born after their families were already getting welfare payments, so their family's payments do not reflect their birth. Many states instituted caps around the time of federal welfare reform in 1996 in order to discourage women on welfare from having more children, then applying for larger benefits. Advocates for repealing the cap say women do not decide whether to have a child based on a $100 monthly addition to their welfare check, and the result of the cap is the entire family suffers with less money. But when Baker signed the state budget on Thursday, he did not sign the family cap lift. Instead, he returned it to the Legislature with an amendment. That amendment would lift the family cap but also change welfare eligibility laws so that an adult's Supplemental Security Income is counted when determining if a family is eligible for welfare. SSI is a federal payment given to severely disabled adults. Baker wrote in his amendment letter, "Eliminating the 'family cap' without other accompanying changes could have the perverse effect of reducing incentives for TAFDC recipients to get back to work, and cause existing inequities in the TAFDC program to persist and expand." TAFDC is an acronym for Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Asked about the change, Baker called it a "reasonable compromise" to "level the playing field" around benefits associated with various federal programs. For example, he said veterans' benefits are counted in determining eligibility for welfare. Former Gov. Deval Patrick did something similar in 2009, effective in 2010. The Patrick administration started counting SSI income for welfare eligibility, without legislative approval, as part of a strategy to reduce the deficit. Baker has proposed counting SSI income for welfare eligibility twice previously, in 2016 and 2017. According to state figures as of last year, 5,200 children with a severely disabled parent would lose their welfare benefits entirely under the change, and 2,100 children would lose part of their benefit. The Legislature rejected the change both times and added language into the budget explicitly prohibiting the Baker administration from making the change unilaterally. Harris called it a "poison bill" that Baker stuck into the family cap amendment. Naomi Meyer, an attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, said, "We're deeply disappointed that he would try to make repeal of the welfare family cap contingent on making cuts to other vulnerable children who need welfare." Meyer said the governor did not propose making the SSI change during the normal legislative process this year. "We see this as a rather underhanded attempt to shove it through at the last minute after it has not been vetted this year," Meyer said. "We do think it's a sneaky move," Meyer said. "He knows that the Legislature has rejected his proposal to count SSI because it would harm vulnerable families." Baker also vetoed the budget language that prohibits his administration from making the change to eligibility unilaterally. The Legislature can override that veto. But lawmakers are in a more difficult position with regards to the family cap, because they got the budget to Baker so late. When Baker returns a policy section with an amendment, the Legislature must vote on it as if it is a new bill. The governor then has another 10 days to sign or veto it. So if the Legislature decides to pass the family cap without the SSI eligibility change, Baker can simply wait 10 days and veto it. The legislative session ends July 31, so lawmakers will no longer be in session to override his veto. "It was very clever," said Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge, who sponsored the amendment to lift the family cap. "The governor has been determined for years to reduce potential benefits for people on SSI." Decker said it is "disturbing" that while the Legislature reversed a policy that hurts poor families, "the governor would find a way to insert another goal that is about reducing resources to those that need them the most." "We're talking about the people who have the least among us," Decker said. "The question is not how to reduce their benefits, because that's what he's doing, it's how to evaluate do they have enough of what they need. The answer to that is no." Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, noted that on Friday Baker signed a bill eliminating archaic abortion laws, a day after "he took action to make poor women more economically vulnerable." "The juxtaposition is ironic and ugly," Rose said. "We hope the Legislature stands up and finds a way to swiftly right this wrong." Decker said the Legislature will find a way to lift the family cap, but the timeline and method is still to be determined. House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said he is disappointed that the budget delay led to an inability to override Baker's veto. He suggested that if the cap does not get lifted this session, lawmakers could take it up again next session, which begins in January, as a standalone bill. This story was updated to note that Patrick did something similar. Beginning next year, you will have to be 21 years old to buy tobacco products in Massachusetts, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill on Friday raising the age limit from 18 to 21. "There's more than enough evidence to support ensuring that we have a statewide standard with respect to when the purchase and use of these products would be considered age appropriate," Baker said. Baker acknowledged that he is typically a supporter of local control. In this case, more than 170 municipalities already raised the tobacco purchase age above 18. "At this time, it's our view that a statewide approach is perfectly appropriate," Baker said. The law goes into effect Dec. 31, 2018. Anyone who turns 18 before that date will still be allowed to buy tobacco, as long as there was not a municipal ordinance already in place banning tobacco sales to 19 or 20-year-olds. Massachusetts will be the sixth state to raise the tobacco buying age to 21. The law also regulates electronic cigarettes -- raising the age for buying e-cigarettes to 21, prohibiting the smoking of e-cigarettes on school grounds and in nursing homes, prohibiting the sale of vaping products in vending machines, and requiring nicotine and tobacco products to be packaged in childproof containers. The bill also prohibits the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies or health care facilities. Rep. Kate Hogan, D-Stow, House chairwoman of the Committee on Public Health, said she started smoking as a teenager. "For me, today means a lot, because it means many kids out there are not going to be smoking as teenagers and not have to go through whatever everyone has to go through when they decide they want to quit smoking," Hogan said. Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, Senate chairman of the Committee on Public Health, said the bill will prevent more teenagers from becoming addicted to nicotine and from using e-cigarettes, which he called "an epidemic in our middle and high schools." According to the American Cancer Society, 95 percent of adults who smoke started smoking before age 21. One goal of raising the age is to keep cigarettes out of high schools. Public health advocates cheered the move. Massachusetts Medical Society president Alain Chaoui said many of his patients regret the decision to start smoking at a young age because it is so hard to quit. "By taking steps to restrict access to products we know cause disease and premature death, the Commonwealth acted to protect our children and significantly decreased the chances that their health will one day be compromised by the harmful effects of tobacco use," Chaoui said in a statement. George Philippides, chief of cardiology at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said in a statement distributed by the American Heart Association, "Increasing the age of sale for tobacco products to 21 will help counter the tobacco industry's relentless efforts to target youth at a time when many move from experimenting with tobacco to regular smoking." Matt David, a spokesman for the e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL, said the company supports the bill. "We want to keep JUUL out of the hands of young people, and we believe raising the minimum purchase age is a step in the right direction," David said in a statement. Attorney General Maura Healey recently launched an investigation into JUUL Labs, alleging that the California-based company's products are marketed to minors. This story was updated with comments from JUUL. BOSTON -- A House and Senate conference committee Thursday night released a $2.4 billion environmental bond bill that prioritizes spending for a smorgasbord of programs and capital investments across the state. However, the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club blasted Beacon Hill because the compromise bill does not contain a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. Such language had been included in the Senate version. "While a ban on bags here in Massachusetts would not solve global plastic pollution problem, it would demonstrate leadership that other states and countries would follow," wrote chapter director Emily Norton. She took aim at conference committee co-chairs Sen. William Brownsberger and Rep. David Nangle, "as they could have included the plastic bag ban in the final version of the bill and chose not to." Norton said plastic bags are rarely recycled "and often end up as litter in our parks, roadways and waterways, where they harm or kill wildlife and marine animals." She said over 80 Massachusetts towns have already banned the bags. "We are not done with this fight," Norton wrote. "As Gandhi said, 'When the people lead, the leaders will follow.'" Bans on plastic bags have been opposed by groups including the Massachusetts Retailers Association and the American Progressive Bag Alliance, which says that claims about the environmental impact of plastic bags are overblown. The last time a statewide plastic bag ban came before the Legislature, it also failed. In 2016, a ban was attached to the state budget, but it didn't make it through conference. Nearly one year after hurricanes ravaged Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, more than a dozen House Democrats visited the territories this week to get a firsthand look at their efforts to recover and rebuild from the storms' damage. U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, joined 15 House colleagues for the three-day trip, which seeks to highlight the struggles still facing Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands residents 10 months after the storms made landfall. The delegation, led by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, met with Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials and locals to learn about additional steps Congress can take to help Americans recover from the storms. Thank you #PuertoRico Governor @ricardorossello for inviting us to discuss recovery efforts with you! pic.twitter.com/v6ebRzbkYv Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) July 27, 2018 Lawmakers arrived in Puerto Rico Thursday and are expected to stop in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday before returning home to their respective legislative districts. McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who has been critical of the Trump administration's response to hurricanes, said the delegation's visit came a part of an effort to ensure Congress doesn't lose focus on the territories. "I continue to believe that what happened here and what continues to exist here should lay in the conscience of everybody in Washington," he said during a phone interview. "We need to do better here. We're trying to get some ideas ... and I think we've got some some good ideas we're going to go back with and try to act upon." The congressman, for example, said he'd like for lawmakers to look at solar energy as a possible solution to issues with Puerto Rico's power grid. McGovern added that he'd like to see Congress treat residents of the territories more like those living in mainland U.S. states -- particularly when it comes to health care and tax credit policies. "I think one thing I'm learning here is that some of the problems that were highlighted in the aftermath of the hurricanes actually existed here before that," he said. "And the mainland and Washington had a lot to do with a lot of the dysfunction here. We need to get away from that colonial mentality and empower the people on the island to determine a better future." McGovern was the only Massachusetts lawmaker to take part in the weekend trip, which marked his second to Puerto Rico after last year's hurricanes. The Democrat said he plans to meet with Worcester-area constituents on Sunday to discuss his visit to the territories. The congressman previously joined several other members of Massachusetts' delegation in visiting the island in January to survey damage and get a firsthand look at recovery efforts. Pelosi, in announcing this week's visit, said the Democrats planned to "to listen, to learn and to shine a light on this crisis." "The suffering endured by our fellow Americans on the islands in the months following the hurricanes has been a challenge to the conscience of our nation," she said in a statement. "We must do better to prevent the loss of life, expedite the recovery, and prepare for the next storm." Joining McGovern and Pelosi for the trip were: U.S. Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois; Nydia Velazquez, D-New York; Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas; Gregory Meeks, D-New York; Betty McCollum, D-Minnesota; Terri Sewell, D-Alabama; Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-New Mexico; Raul Ruiz, D-California; Robin Kelly, D-Illinois; Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands; Dwight Evans, D-Pennsylvania; Val Demings, D-Florida; Adriano Espaillat, D-New York. U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren urged federal officials this week to reconsider a recent settlement with gun rights advocacy groups, which they argued could allow anyone -- including criminals and terrorists -- to download blueprints for 3D printable firearms. The Massachusetts Democrats, in a Thursday letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, slammed the agency's settlement allows Defense Distributed to publish its blueprints by making a "temporary modification" of the United States' Munitions List and granting it an exemption from International Traffic in Arms Regulations. They further pushed Pompeo to suspend the "special treatment" given to Defense Distributed while his agency reviews the agreement and to brief lawmakers on why the State Department moved to settle the lawsuit in such a manner. Arguing that "the American people have a right to know why their government agreed to such a dangerous outcome," the senators asked that the secretary respond to a series of questions, including why the agency believes online publication of blueprints for 3D printing of firearms no longer violates federal export controls. "We are concerned about the immediate impact of publishing these 3D gun blueprints: Once the State Department allows them to circulate freely online, the threats to U.S. and international security will be irreversibly increased," they wrote. "We urge you not to grant this special treatment to Defense Distributed, but rather to postpone this action while you fulfill your commitment to review this decision, and until the above questions can be adequately addressed." Second Amendment Foundation recently announced that it had reached a settlement with the Justice Department in the lawsuit SAF filed on behalf of Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed over free speech issues related to 3D files and other information used to manufacture firearms. Under the settlement, SAF said, the government agreed to waive its prior restraint against the plaintiffs, allowing them to publish the contested 3D files and other information. The Trump administration further agreed to pay part of the plaintiffs' attorney's fees and to return $10,000 in State Department registration dues that Defense Distributed paid following the prior restraint, according to officials. SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb lauded the agreement, calling it a "victory for free speech" and a "devastating blow to the gun prohibition lobby." "For years, anti-gunners have contended that modern semi-automatic sport-utility rifles are so-called 'weapons of war,' and with this settlement, the government has acknowledged they are nothing of the sort," he said in a statement. "Under this settlement, the government will draft and pursue regulatory amendments that eliminate ITAR control over the technical information at the center of this case. They will transfer export jurisdiction to the Commerce Department, which does not impose prior restraint on public speech. That will allow Defense Distributed and SAF to publish information about 3D technology." Family Fun Day at the Hunter Museum is set for Sunday, Aug. 19, from 2-4 p.m. It will offer art immersion for the under-12 set, with opportunities to learn about and engage with Embodied Beauty: Sculptures by Karen LaMonte, the museums current special exhibition. Kids will be able to create a miniature origami dress, observe a traditional tea ceremony, create their own metallic sculptures, embark on a scavenger hunt through the galleries, and watch an exclusive Chattanooga Ballet performance, specially choreographed by the ballets Andrew Parker and inspired by the special exhibit. To keep things cool, Clumpies ice cream will be available for purchase. Family Fun Day is free to all kids 17 and under, is free to members, and is $15 per non-member adult, which allows admission to all permanent and temporary exhibitions, including Embodied Beauty: Sculptures by Karen LaMonte. Family Fun Day is sponsored by the Mark Hite Team, with refreshments courtesy of Publix Supermarkets Charities. BOSTON -- The Red Sox bullpen has allowed 12 earned runs in 18 1/3 innings (5.89 ERA) since returning from the All-Star Break. Heath Hembree gave up a run during the seventh inning, then Matt Barnes allowed another run in the eighth here Thursday. The Red Sox lost 2-1 to the Twins at Fenway Park. Manager Alex Cora was asked about his bullpen's second-half performance so far. "Depends on how you see it," Cora said. "Heath did a good job coming in (during the sixth). Shut down the inning. And then they scored one run against him. Barnesy, he's been outstanding the whole season. Hangs a breaking ball. There's a few there that were games out of hand, too. So I don't know. All depends on how you see it." No, there weren't a few runs scored where games were out of hand. Only one of the 12 runs came in a non-competitive game. Brandon Workman allowed a solo homer with the Red Sox leading 9-0 in Detroit on Sunday. The Red Sox lost 5-0 on Saturday but Tyler Thornburg gave up three runs with a 2-0 deficit in the sixth. That still was obviously a close and winnable game when he entered. The four other games were one- and two-run differences. Do the Red Sox need to add a reliever? "That's a good question. That's a tough question," Cora said. "I do feel there's a few guys in that clubhouse that we have to fix. We have to get 'em back to where they're supposed to be and we'll be fine." BOSTON -- The Red Sox' acquisition of Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday forced the club to demote someone out of the rotation. Thursday night's game sure made it seem like they made the wrong decision. Lefty Brian Johnson, who has been a pleasant surprise for Boston in five starts since joining the rotation on June 28, will head to the bullpen for the time being while Drew Pomeranz keeps his spot in the rotation. Johnson, who pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the Twins on Thursday, has been excellent in six starts this season. Pomeranz, when healthy, has been Boston's worst starter by far. Yet Pomeranz is the one who will start Tuesday against the Phillies, making his second start since returning from a months-long DL stint. It's probably his last chance (after posting a 6.91 ERA in nine starts so far) to remain in the rotation considering the way Johnson has been performing. Pomeranz was great for Boston down the stretch last season and was a rotation lock at the beginning of the year. Four months of injury woes and bad outings later, he's a liability for a Red Sox team that suddenly has a lot less rotation depth with Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez both out indefinitely. Johnson, on the other hand, has earned a spot as a key starter in the second half. Though he's logged exactly 30 innings in each role on the year, his results have been markedly better while starting-- a 1.80 ERA in six starts vs. a 5.10 ERA in 21 relief outings. That would seem to make some sense for a guy had never come out of the bullpen in 109 professional appearances entering this season. Despite his demotion, Johnson said all the right things after his start Thursday. "If I have to make a start, I'm gonna do it," Johnson said. "If I have to go to the bullpen, I'll do it. It's all part of my role, and I'm totally okay with it." While Johnson has no choice other than to be a jack-of-all-trades in a relief role for Boston, Red Sox management does have a say in the matter. And the leash for Pomeranz, who has been untrustworthy all year, should be getting short. The Sox have done right by Pomeranz by giving him a chance to once again prove himself as a starter before he hits free agency this fall. He hasn't pitched in relief on a consistent basis since 2015 and would surely see his potential value on the open market drop as a bullpen arm. Barring a shutdown performance against Philadelphia on Tuesday, Pomeranz should be demoted to the bullpen with Johnson slotted back into the rotation. It's time to put track records aside and focus on performance first. This report studies the global Digital X-ray System market status and forecast, categorizes the global Digital X-ray System market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa. Digital X-ray systems consist of the same basic parts as analog X-ray systems such as X-ray sensors, amplifiers, image processing computers, and displays. The major difference is the presence of an analog-to-digital converter that converts the analog image to a digital image with the help of detectors inside the system. Digital X-rays can be separated into direct and indirect conversions. The current digital X-ray technology can reduce the exposure of individuals to radiation, improve quality, eliminate cost, and help in the easy processing of images compared to traditional X-ray systems. The demand for digital X-ray systems is growing at a significant rate since the procedure forms the basis of diagnosis and also the treatment of various medical conditions. Tele-imaging enables healthcare professionals to perform and interpret medical images from remote locations, where the technology is hard to reach. The tele-imaging technology has undergone significant technological advancements which let the doctor or hospital to share videos and images of ultrasound via the Internet, using an IP camera and remote access software. This technology allows real-time teleradiology expertise in the presence of a junior sonographer or radiologist at the patient center. It helps in reducing inpatient care and will be efficient in handling the shortage of the physicians workforce. Moreover, the introduction of fully automated, versatile, and easy-to-use digital X-ray systems has led to significant expansion of teleradiology and tele-imaging in remote areas, which will drive this markets growth over the next four years. The global digital X-ray systems market is oligopoly in nature, where three leading manufacturers namely GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, and Siemens Healthcare dominate the market. With the growing demand for digital X-ray systems, these companies are implementing organic and inorganic growth strategies to drive volume growth, revenue growth, and profitability. The market has witnessed the emergence of new products that can be used with reduced radiation doses as compared to conventional systems. In terms of geography, the Americas is the largest revenue contributor to the global digital X-ray systems market. The increasing burden of chronic diseases and other medical conditions such as injuries and accidents in the Americas will lead to the augmented adoption of digital X-ray systems. It finds extensive applications such as interventional X-ray, mammography, and general radiography. Furthermore, the rise in awareness for the diagnosis of chronic conditions such as breast cancer have increased the demand for the digital X-ray systems in the Americas. The major manufacturers covered in this report Carestream Fujifilm Medical Systems GE Healthcare Philips Healthcare Siemens Healthcare AGA Sanitatsartikel Akrus ALVO Medical BiHealthcare CI Healthcare ConVida Healthcare & Systems Eschmann Equipment Famed ?ywiec INFIMED Medifa-hesse Merivaara NUOVA BN OPT SurgiSystems Oricare STILLE UFSKOSYS Request Sample Report at https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3307578-global-digital-x-ray-system-market-research-report-2018 Geographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, covering North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia India We can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions: North America United States Canada Mexico Asia-Pacific China India Japan South Korea Australia Indonesia Singapore Rest of Asia-Pacific Europe Germany France UK Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Central & South America Brazil Argentina Rest of South America Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia Turkey Rest of Middle East & Africa On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Stationary digital X-ray systems Portable digital X-ray systems On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including Interventional X-ray Mammography Fluoroscopy Dental X-ray Radiography Veterinary X-ray Mobile C-arm The study objectives of this report are: To analyze and study the global Digital X-ray System sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025). Focuses on the key Digital X-ray System manufacturers, to study the sales, value, market share and development plans in future. Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth. To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies. In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Digital X-ray System are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025 For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered. Key Stakeholders Digital X-ray System Manufacturers Digital X-ray System Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Digital X-ray System Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream Vendors Table of Contents 1 Digital X-ray System Market Overview 2 Global Digital X-ray System Market Competition by Manufacturers 3 Global Digital X-ray System Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018) 4 Global Digital X-ray System Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018) 5 Global Digital X-ray System Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type 6 Global Digital X-ray System Market Analysis by Application 7 Global Digital X-ray System Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis 8 Digital X-ray System Manufacturing Cost Analysis 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis 12 Global Digital X-ray System Market Forecast (2018-2025) About Us: Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Contact Us: NORAH TRENT sales@wiseguyreports.com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (US) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) Lung cancer starts when cells of the lung become abnormal and begin to grow out of control. As more cancer cells develop, they form into a tumor and spread to other areas of the body. The non-small cell lung cancer is a type of lung cancer. Several factors that cause lung cancer include pollution, smoking, passive smoking and other factors. Hereditary causes of cancer is another factor that drives the global non-small cell lung cancer diagnostics and therapeutics market. Rising pollution due to the amount of carbon particles inhaled by humans cause several problems including lung cancer. Several factors that drive the market include robust healthcare expenditure within developed countries, increasing pollution, government initiatives for lung cancer, and rising cases of smoking. There are several signs and symptoms of lung cancer such as coughing up blood, weight loss, chest pain, shortness of breath and others. According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated number of deaths due to lung cancer was around 155,000 in 2017. The non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics market has been segmented based on by type, by treatment, by diagnosis, by stages and by end user. On the basis of type, the market has been bifurcated into squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and others. According to therapy, the market is segmented into chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, surgery, cryosurgery and others. Based on diagnosis, the market has been bifurcated into CT-scan, X-rays, laboratory test, bronchoscopy, sputum cytology, thoracoscopy and others. On the basis of end user, the market has been bifurcated into multispecialty hospitals and cancer research centers. Non-small cell lung cancer market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% by 2023. Geographically, the worldwide non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific market is considered to be the fastest growing market globally. The rise in the number of cancer patients in the APAC region is considered to rise eventually enabling the lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics market to grow. North America and Europe are considered to be the dominating markets due to various factors such as high healthcare expenditure, development in technology, support from government, rise in key players and various other factors. The key players in the non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics market include Astrazeneca PLC, Eli lilly and company Sanofi-Aventis, Arqule Inc, Daiichi Sankyo co. Ltd, Celgene, Merck, Pfizer, Ventana, Roche, Genentech, Glaxosmith, Boehringer, Novartis, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai, AbbVie, Pharmacyclics. Request Sample Report at https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3186927-global-non-small-cell-lung-cancer-market-research-and-forecast-2018-2023 MARKET SEGMENTATION: Global non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics market is segmented on the basis of, type, by therapies, by, diagnosis, by end user and regional outlook. Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Market Research and Analysis, By Type Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Market Research and Analysis, By Therapies Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Market Research and Analysis, By Diagnosis Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Market Research and Analysis, By End User Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Market Research and Analysis, By Region THE REPORTS COVERS: Comprehensive research methodology of Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics This report also includes detailed and extensive market overview with key analyst insights. Exhaustive analysis of macro and micro factors influencing the market guided by key recommendations. Analysis of regional regulations and other government policies impacting the Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Insights about market determinants which are stimulating the Global Non-Small Cell Lung cancer diagnosis and therapeutics Detailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues. Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players. Table of Content REPORT SUMMARY MARKET OVERVIEW AND INSIGHTS MARKET DETERMINANT MARKET SEGMENTATION COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE REGIONAL ANALYSIS COMPANY PROFILES About Us: Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Contact Us: NORAH TRENT sales@wiseguyreports.com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (US) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) Market Highlights: Point of care blood gas and electrolyte analyzers is the new technology, which helps in reducing therapeutic turnaround time, enhancing patient satisfaction, accuracy, and help to improve hospital operations. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases and cancer across the globe, increasing the treatment of NICUs, ICUs, Cardiovascular Operating Room (CVOR), and emergency department, which drives the global point of care blood gas and electrolyte devices market growth. In 2017, due to changes in the regulatory policies of the U.S., R&D investment is affected to some extent. In 2016, R&D spending of the US was 527.5 billion, which grew by 1.6% in 2017. Currently, the major shares of the global market are dominated by few leading players, and they can fluctuate the costs of the products. In developing regions such as Asia Pacific the suppliers are trying to provide their products at affordable price. Avail Premium Sample copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5085 The Global Point Of Care Blood Gas And Electrolyte Devices Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 7.8% During The Forecast Period 2017-2023. Top Players: Siemens Abbott F. Hoffman-La Roche Radiometer Nova medical Edan Instruments And Instrumentation Laboratory. Segmentation: The global point of care blood gas and electrolyte gas devices market has been segmented on the basis of types and end users. On the basis of the types, the market is segmented into consumables and Instruments. The instrument type is sub-segmented into benchtop and portable devices. The consumable devices are further segmented into reagents, cartridges, and others. On the basis of the end users, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, home care, research institutions, and others. Avail Stunning Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/5085 Regional Analysis The Americas dominate the global market owing to a huge population with chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney, and liver disease, increasing government support for research & development, and high health care expenditure. According to the WHO, in 2014, 9.7% of the total America population is having diabetes. Thus, increasing prevalence of diabetes has boosted the market growth. Additionally, changing lifestyle and the presence of major players in the market have fuelled the growth of the market. Europe is the second largest point of care devices market across the globe, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market and majorly driven by India and China owing to a huge number patients with chronic diseases and rapidly growing economy. According to the WHO, 60% of the global diabetic population lives in Asia Pacific region. The healthcare expenditure of Asia Pacific has increased over the last few years, which has contributed to the growth of the market. The Middle East and Africa region account for the least share of the global market. Whereas, Africa holds the least share of the global market due to limited availability of medical facilities and poor economic condition of the region. Major TOC of POC Blood Gas and Electrolyte Market Research Report Global Forecast till 2023: 1 Report Prologue 2 Market Introduction 3 Research Methodology 4 Market Dynamics 5 Market Factor Analysis 6 Global POC Blood Gas & Electrolyte, Product 7 Global POC Blood Gas & Electrolyte, End User 8 Global POC Blood Gas & Electrolyte, Region 9 Company Landscape 10 Company Profile 11 MRFR Conclusion 12 Appendix About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com by Sara Guaglione , July 27, 2018 Time released its third special-edition issue dedicated to the American South since the magazines inception, nearly 100 years ago. The last two issues were spurred by significant moments in U.S. history: The Civil Rights Act became law in 1964, and in 1976, Jimmy Carter became the first president elected from the Deep South since the Civil War. What is the impetus this time? Time argues in the double issue that the South is the center of change in the U.S., and the political and cultural shifts happening in the region are complex and multi-layered. Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams is a great example of a tide coming: She wants to become Americas first black female governor. If she can pull it off, the implications would be profound, not just for Georgia, but for the rest of the South and potentially the nation, writes Times Molly Ball for the issues feature story. advertisement advertisement My campaign argues that Georgia is different now, but its hard for people to believe that change happens, Abrams says in the article. Its human nature you dont notice change when its gradual. The change in Georgia has been gradual but meaningful. My campaign seeks to harness it, but Im asking people to not believe their eyes. Ben Goldberger, assistant managing editor at Time, told Publishers Daily that the special edition issue which he edited is an effort to reveal the truth behind stereotypes. Few are more misguided or longer-lived than the notion of the South as somehow fixed in time, forever-looking back, he said. This package was our attempt to show this essential part of America as it really is: complicated, dynamic, rich and relevant Hopefully, readers all over the world will now have a better understanding of a critically important and all-too-easily caricatured place. The issue features a list of 31 people who are changing the South, profiling a range of influencers, from activists to chefs. The magazine also explores the booming film industry in Georgia, and asks Southern authors and celebrities to share their favorite places in the region. More than a dozen writers from the South contributed to the issue. Presidential historian John Meacham writes about the changing South, Jesmyn Ward weighs in on her mixed feelings about returning to Mississippi and David French discusses Southern politics. Poetry from Southern writers like Natasha Trethewey, Jericho Brown and Maurice Manning are also in the issue. by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, July 27, 2018 Amid one of the most contentious periods in the history of the ad industrys two leading trade associations -- the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) -- a unique joint venture of theirs has quietly become a bright spot of Madison Avenue. Ad-ID, which celebrates its 15th anniversary today, has blossomed into an integral subcomponent for many of the worlds leading brands and their trading partners, largely thanks to a small team of technical and service pros who have taken it from concept to code to an indispensable part of the digital advertising and media ecosystem. When Executive Director Harold Geller joined 15 years ago, it was a two-person operation. Today, it has more than quadrupled to a team of nine, but the real secret to its success has been its integration with a wide variety of industry technical specifications and codes designed to make the creation, placement, tracking and proof-of-performance of advertising assets a seamless and indelible process in a complex era of fast-moving digital ecosystems. advertisement advertisement We see ourselves as an ingredient, Geller says, referring to Ad-IDs focus on working with other industry technical and engineering groups to make the code interoperable with others as opposed to trying to make it a sole industry standard. Were an ingredient of [the Interactive Advertising Bureaus] VAST. Were an ingredient in [the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM)]s open standard for digital watermarking. Were an ingredient in the [Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)]s file format. The goal, he says, is to avoid redundancies in the industry and focus on interoperability that creates rapid efficiency. He cites an example that occurred when it introduced a new file format for serving digital ads. Geller convened a meeting of the top ad servers -- Google, Sizmek and Flashtalking -- and planned a two-day summit to hash it out. Halfway into the first day, the fiercely competitive ad servers comprehended and agreed on the new file format and saw the logic of industry standardization so they could create their own competitive advantages around it. The example illustrates how Ad-ID has worked, tackling complex technical integrations and focusing on developing APIs that seamlessly integrate Ad-ID as way to save time and speed things up. It may not sound sexy, but in a world of increasing complexity, Ad-ID has saved brands and their agencies vast amounts of time and labor. At its simplest level, it has enabled brands and agencies to avoid rekeying data the 20 to 30 times that would have been necessary to manually insert codes in the various stages of production and trafficking a typical TV commercial or video ad. In addition to speeding processes up, the impact has been to reduce discrepancies that occur from manual mistakes and to redeploy people into more meaningful parts of the process and organization. Geller says Ad-IDs next big areas of focus are in determining how to adapt the code to dynamic creative versioning -- where there can be thousands of iterations of a primary ad -- as well as new platforms like OTT, IoT, AR, etc. Along with its technical engineering, the Ad-ID team has had to provide a fair amount of service and business development in order to get adoption. Currently, it has more than 4,000 advertisers using the code, which Geller estimates is less than half of its target of 10,000 advertising spending $1 million-plus annually. There are very few holdouts of advertisers spending more than $500 million, he says, and the main reservation he says, is that they simply dont understand the value of integrating a standardized industry code for tracking and trafficking their advertising assets. The other main benefits, aside from labor costs and mistakes, is avoiding redundancies -- especially excessive frequency -- in media scheduling. Asked where he would like Ad-ID to be 15 years from now, Geller says, Id like to see it become more of an international entity. In the meantime, the joint-venture has been an area of positive common ground for the ANA and 4As -- and one that has actually become a small profit center. This article explores the various causes of discolored skin patches and explains which of them require treatment. It is important that people with this symptom understand the cause of their discolored skin patches in case treatment is necessary. Patches of discolored skin are noticeable because they differ from a persons normal skin tone. They may be lighter, darker, or a different color, such as red, gray, or blue. Skin contains melanin, which is the pigment that gives the skin its color. Having more melanin makes the skin darker, while less of it results in lighter skin. Melanin is also responsible for hair and eye color. Patches of discolored skin are common and have many different causes, including birthmarks, pigmentation disorders, rashes, and infections. Some causes are harmless, but others will require medical attention. Share on Pinterest Vitiligo is a skin pigmentation disorder that causes patches of lighter skin. Discolored skin patches have many different causes, including: birthmarks skin pigmentation disorders skin rashes skin infections skin cancers medical conditions We look at each one of these in more detail below. Birthmarks Birthmarks are patches of discoloration that people have when they are born. Some types of birthmark fade over time, while others may be permanent. Birthmarks are either vascular or pigmented. Vascular birthmarks are red, and they occur due to abnormal blood vessels in the skin. Types of vascular birthmark include: Strawberry nevus. Also called a hemangioma, this is a common type of vascular birthmark. It appears as a red patch and is most common on the face, scalp, chest, and back. A strawberry nevus does not usually require treatment. Also called a hemangioma, this is a common type of vascular birthmark. It appears as a red patch and is most common on the face, scalp, chest, and back. A strawberry nevus does not usually require treatment. Salmon patch. Also called a nevus simplex, this flat red or pink patch of skin typically occurs on the neck or forehead. Up to 40 percent of all babies are born with this type of birthmark. Also called a nevus simplex, this flat red or pink patch of skin typically occurs on the neck or forehead. Up to 40 percent of all babies are born with this type of birthmark. Port wine stain. This is a noticeable flat red or purple birthmark. Some port wine stains may require treatment, which might include laser treatment or cosmetic camouflage. Pigmented birthmarks are generally white, brown, blue, or gray. They result from a problem with the melanin in the skin. Types of pigmented birthmark include: Mongolian blue spots. These are blue or gray patches that may be present on the back and buttocks at birth. Babies with darker skin are more likely to have these birthmarks. Mongolian blue spots often fade as the child grows. These are blue or gray patches that may be present on the back and buttocks at birth. Babies with darker skin are more likely to have these birthmarks. Mongolian blue spots often fade as the child grows. Moles. These are black or brown spots that are usually harmless. However, it is best to see a doctor if a mole changes shape, size, or texture. These are black or brown spots that are usually harmless. However, it is best to see a doctor if a mole changes shape, size, or texture. Cafe-au-lait spot. These appear as light brown skin patches on light skin or black coffee-colored patches on dark skin. Cafe-au-lait spots are often oval-shaped and may fade as the child grows. Skin pigmentation disorders If a person has lighter or darker skin patches, this may signify a skin pigmentation disorder. Type of skin pigmentation disorder include: Melasma. This is a common skin condition that usually affects facial skin and causes brown patches. It affects women more often than men. Triggers of melasma can include sun exposure and hormonal changes. Vitiligo. This disease can affect any part of the body. It causes the cells that produce melanin, known as melanocytes, to stop working correctly, which results in patches of lighter skin. Sometimes, it will also change a persons hair color. The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown, but a problem with the immune system may be responsible. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. This is a temporary increase or decrease in skin pigment following skin trauma, such as a blister or burn. Albinism. People with albinism do not produce enough melanin. This leads to little or no pigment in the skin, hair, or eyes. Albinism is a genetic disorder, meaning that a person inherits a faulty gene from one or both of their parents. Skin rashes Some types of skin rash can also cause patches of discolored skin. These include: Rosacea. This is a chronic skin condition that can cause raised patches of red skin and pus-filled lesions. It typically affects the forehead, cheeks, and nose. This is a chronic skin condition that can cause raised patches of red skin and pus-filled lesions. It typically affects the forehead, cheeks, and nose. Psoriasis. This is a skin condition that causes silvery-red, crusty, flaky patches of skin, which can appear anywhere on the body. Doctors believe that psoriasis may result from a problem with the immune system. This is a skin condition that causes silvery-red, crusty, flaky patches of skin, which can appear anywhere on the body. Doctors believe that psoriasis may result from a problem with the immune system. Contact dermatitis. This rash happens when the skin reacts to an irritant or allergen. This rash happens when the skin reacts to an irritant or allergen. Eczema. Also known as atopic dermatitis, this condition can cause patches of red skin that is also itchy, dry, and cracked. These patches may sometimes ooze and then form a crust. The cause of eczema is unclear, but it can run in families and is more common in people who have asthma, hay fever, and other allergies. Skin infections Share on Pinterest Ringworm causes ring-shaped marks on the skin that are scaly, dry, or itchy. Certain skin infections may also cause discoloration, such as: Tinea versicolor. This is a fungal skin infection that can cause patches of skin to become lighter or darker. These patches usually develop slowly and can sometimes merge to form larger patches. Tinea versicolor tends to affect the trunk, neck, and upper arms. This is a fungal skin infection that can cause patches of skin to become lighter or darker. These patches usually develop slowly and can sometimes merge to form larger patches. Tinea versicolor tends to affect the trunk, neck, and upper arms. Ringworm. Also known as tinea, this is a fungal skin infection that causes red or silver ring-shaped patches of skin. These patches may be scaly, dry, or itchy. Ringworm can appear on most parts of the body, including the scalp, groin, feet, hands, and nails. Also known as tinea, this is a fungal skin infection that causes red or silver ring-shaped patches of skin. These patches may be scaly, dry, or itchy. Ringworm can appear on most parts of the body, including the scalp, groin, feet, hands, and nails. Candidiasis of the skin. This is a fungal skin infection that causes red, itchy skin patches. It often occurs in areas where the skin folds, such as the armpits and groin. Skin cancers In rare cases, skin cancer can cause patches of discoloration. Types of skin cancer include: Actinic keratosis. These are dry, scaly, pre-cancerous skin patches. Without treatment, they may progress to squamous cell carcinoma. These are dry, scaly, pre-cancerous skin patches. Without treatment, they may progress to squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma. These are flesh-colored, pearl-like, pink skin patches or bumps. Basal cell carcinomas are the most common form of skin cancer. These are flesh-colored, pearl-like, pink skin patches or bumps. Basal cell carcinomas are the most common form of skin cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma. These are red bumps, sores, or scaly patches, which may heal and then re-open. Squamous cell carcinomas are the second most common type of skin cancer. These are red bumps, sores, or scaly patches, which may heal and then re-open. Squamous cell carcinomas are the second most common type of skin cancer. Melanoma. This cancer may develop in existing moles or appear as new dark spots. Melanomas are the most severe form of skin cancer, and early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial. Medical conditions Certain medical conditions, including the following, may cause discolored patches of skin: Cyanosis. Insufficient oxygen in the blood can cause the skin and lips to appear blue or purple. Cyanosis that occurs suddenly could be a sign of a problem with the heart, lungs, or airways. This is a medical emergency, and a person should seek immediate medical attention. Insufficient oxygen in the blood can cause the skin and lips to appear blue or purple. Cyanosis that occurs suddenly could be a sign of a problem with the heart, lungs, or airways. This is a medical emergency, and a person should seek immediate medical attention. Lupus. This is a complex autoimmune condition that may cause a butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks. Undiagnosed or untreated diabetes can also cause changes in the skin, such as: yellow, reddish, or brown patches of skin dark, velvety patches of skin thick, hard patches of skin blisters shin spots Other causes If discolored skin patches appear suddenly and then disappear, there may be a simple explanation. Causes of temporary patches or blotches of red skin include: blushing exercising sunburn Causes of temporary patches of pale skin include: We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process. An outbreak of fatal dancing fits among members of the same community, men suddenly gripped by the sickening fear of losing their genital organs, and teenagers having mysterious symptoms after watching an episode of their favorite TV series these are all instances of what we often refer to as mass hysteria. Share on Pinterest What is mass hysteria, and how does it manifest? We investigate. They danced together, ceaselessly, for hours or days, and in wild delirium, the dancers collapsed and fell to the ground exhausted, groaning and sighing as if in the agonies of death. When recuperated, they [] resumed their convulsive movements. This is a description of the epidemic of dancing plague or dancing mania as given by Benjamin Lee Gordon in Medieval and Renaissance Medicine. These events were spontaneous outbursts of uncontrollable dancing motions that gripped people in communities across Europe in the Middle Ages. Those affected would often reportedly be unable to stop dancing until they were so worn out and exhausted that they died. These events are typically cited as some of the first known instances of what would come to be referred to as mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is a phrase that is used so often and so imprecisely to refer to anything from giving in to fashion fads to participating in riots and raves that it has become something of a fluid concept, synonymous with anything with a negative connotation that involves the participation of a large group of people. However, though sometimes contested as a useful, valid concept, mass hysteria in its more restrictive sense lives at the intersection of psychology and sociology. As such, it has received some rigorous attention from specialists over the years. What is mass hysteria? In order to provide a clearer definition of mass hysteria, to outline it as an event of potential clinical interest, and to distance it from any unduly negative connotations, researchers have actually advised referring to the phenomenon as collective obsessional behavior. Specialists who have taken an interest in this phenomenon say that it is a type of psychogenic illness that is, a condition that begins in the mind, rather than in the body. Physiological symptoms, however, are often not illusory but very much real. Mass hysteria is also described as a conversion disorder, in which a person has physiological symptoms affecting the nervous system in the absence of a physical cause of illness, and which may appear in reaction to psychological distress. Because mass hysteria, or collective obsessional behavior, can take so many different forms, it is very difficult to provide a clear definition for it, or to characterize it with confidence. In a seminal article he published on this topic, Prof. Simon Wessley from Kings College London in the United Kingdom also notes that mass hysteria has been used to describe such [a] wide variety of crazes, panics, and abnormal group beliefs that defining it is particularly tricky. Still, he suggests that in characterizing a phenomenon as an instance of mass hysteria, we should aim to guide ourselves by five principles: that it is an outbreak of abnormal illness behavior that cannot be explained by physical disease that it affects people who would not normally behave in this fashion that it excludes symptoms deliberately provoked in groups gathered for that purpose, such as when someone intentionally gathers a group of people and convinces them that they are collectively experiencing a psychological or physiological symptom that it excludes collective manifestations used to obtain a state of satisfaction unavailable singly, such as fads, crazes, and riots that the link between the [individuals experiencing collective obsessional behavior] must not be coincidental, meaning, for instance, that they are all part of the same close-knit community Prof. Wessley also believes that mass hysteria should not be confused with moral panic. This is a sociological concept that refers to the phenomenon of masses of people becoming distressed about a perceived usually unreal or exaggerated threat portrayed in catastrophizing terms by the media. Different types of mass hysteria? In his article, Prof. Wessley goes even further, arguing that based on the instances of mass hysteria documented in specialized literature this phenomenon actually refers to two syndromes with somewhat different characteristics. He calls these two types of collective obsessional behavior mass anxiety hysteria and mass motor hysteria. The first kind, he says, is marked by physiological symptoms consistent with those experienced in the case of anxiety. These can include: abdominal pain, chest tightness, dizziness, fainting, headaches, hyperventilation, nausea, and heart palpitations. The second kind of mass hysteria, on the other hand, is characterized by seizure-like events (pseudoseizures), apparent partial paralysis (pseudoparesis), or other symptoms that alter a persons motor function in a specific way. Are women most affected? Medical sociologist Robert Bartholomew has reviewed some of the most prominent cases of mass hysteria in his book Little Green Men, Meowing Nuns and Head-Hunting Panics. Share on Pinterest Are women more likely to be affected by collective obsessional behavior? His research seems to indicate one thing: that instances of mass hysteria are most prominently experienced by groups of women. But why would that be the case? And does it mean that women are somehow hardwired to fall prey to such mass epidemics? Some researchers argue that women may be more exposed to collective obsessional behavior because they are typically exposed to more stressful situations. Physical symptoms of disease could provide a nonconfrontational way out of an overwhelming situation. Bartholomew notes, for example, that in a stressful or even abusive work context, mass hysteria and its accompanying symptoms can provide a means of putting up resistance and forging a way out. Similarly, Christian Hempelmann from Texas A&M University-Commerce who has taken an interest in mass hysteria, suggests that these group manifestations are effective and nonconfrontational. The way [] to get out of [an oppressive situation] is to show symptoms of disease and to be allowed not to have to endure the situation any longer, he believes. However, the word hysteria itself is fraught with problems and has a bumpy, highly controversial history. It is derived from the Greek word hystera, meaning uterus, thereby attaching the condition specifically to women. Uses of the word have historically been so imprecise, and the term has gained such negative connotations used to describe any violent outburst of emotion that it was retired by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952. Hysteria is no longer used to describe any existent psychological condition, and more specific terms are instead employed to refer to a wide range of conditions that fell, in the past, under the large umbrella of this name. As a consequence of this, any claims that mass hysteria could be a phenomenon that applies most prominently to women becomes questionable, especially considering the heterogeneous nature of such events and how difficult it is to categorize them. Until a few days ago, 19-year-old Rita Mudi was just like any other second-year student from Bankura Christian College. But thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rita is now a celebrity in her village, Salgera located some 230 km away from Kolkata. Actually, thanks to his autograph, she is now getting multiple marriage proposals. Reuters Rita and her mother were in Midnapore on July 16th, where PM Modi was giving a speech. It was during the event that the tent under which they were sitting collapsed, and they were rushed to the hospital. It was during PM Modi's visit to the hospital that he met Rita and spoke to her. Rita told The Times Of India, "That day at the hospital when the PM came to my bedside, I told him how happy I was to see him." BCCL She further added, "I requested an autograph. I saw him hesitate a bit, but I insisted. He then wrote, 'Rita Mudi tum sukhi raho (Stay well, Rita Mudi). Narendra Modi' on a piece of paper. From the very next day, we started having a stream of visitors at our home. They all wanted to see the autograph." Well, people flooding her house to see PM Modi's autograph makes sense, but people asking for her hand in marriage because of the autograph is something new for all of us. Rita's mother Sandhya said, "Not only visitors, we received two marriage proposals for Rita." Earlier when Rita got a marriage proposal, the boy asked for Rs. 1 lakh as dowry, but after she got PM's autograph she got a proposal from a businessman in Jharkhand who did not have any demands. Wikimedia "One was from Jharkhand's Tatanagar. The groom has his own business and had no demands. The second was from Bankura. The groom owns agricultural land. Both my daughters want to study. So we didn't show much interest," her mother said. Rita, who wants to study right now, said that she will be ready for marriage when her parents decide the time is right. Jul 27, 2018 | By Thomas In a vacuum environment, near minus 130 degrees, water vapor may condense into a layer of super smooth, thin ice. Scientists used this special "ice" to replace the photoresist material in traditional electron beam exposure, creating several three-dimensional metal structures on a micro-nano scale: pyramids, mushrooms and bridges. This novel and simple electron beam lithography, utilizing this ice resists (iEBL or Ice EBL) technique, is expected to show potential for three-dimensional micro-nano processing. On June 25, 2018, researchers at the State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instruments of Zhejiang University, led by Professor Qiu Wei, published a paper titled Three-dimensional in situ electron beam lithography using water ice in the Nano Letters journal, introducing its 3D nanofabrication method, based on electron-beam lithography, using ice resists (iEBL). The paper was co-authored by Yu Hong, a doctoral student at Zhejiang University; Zhao Ding, a postdoctoral fellow; Professor Zhao Ding and Qiu Yu, professors of optical engineering at West Lake University. iEBL is a development on the standard e-beam lithography (EBL) technique, which is used to design devices, systems and functional materials at the nano scale. EBL is the practice of scanning a focused beam of electrons to draw custom shapes on a surface covered with an electron-sensitive film called a resist (exposing). Exposure to the electron beam changes the solubility of the resist, enabling selective removal of either the exposed or non-exposed regions of the resist by immersing it in a developer. The primary advantage of electron-beam lithography is that it can draw custom patterns (direct-write) with sub-10 nm resolution. However, it is difficult in real situations. The slight vibration of the instrument, the interference of external magnetic fields and the experience of the operator will affect the final result of this form of direct writing. At present, the accuracy of electron beam exposure is about 60-80 nm, which is equivalent to one thousandth of a human hair. With the increasing demand for miniaturization and refinement of micro-nano devices, scientists are increasingly aware of the limitations of the lithography process. Zhao Ding, the first author of the paper and postdoctoral researcher of Zhejiang University, says, "To make a three-dimensional structure requires very tedious and lengthy steps. Repeating in and out of the vacuum and non-vacuum environment, any dust in the process could destroy the sample." "Another limitation is that the photoresist is difficult to clean, and residue is almost inevitable, which will affect the accuracy of the product; if it is replaced by ultrasonic cleaning, then there is also the risk of damaging the structure." If ice is used in place of the photoresist material, the result will be very different. Annotated SEM images of ice patterns and corresponding metal structures. A few years ago, a Harvard research team proposed the idea of Ice-assisted electron beam lithography and the Qiu Wei team hoped to advance the technology in the 3D micro-nano device processing field. When ice is exposed to the electron beam, it is 'self-disappearing,' leaving a three-dimensional structure template. This greatly shortens the processing steps. Therefore, they proposed a 3D nanofabrication method, based on electron-beam lithography, using ice resists (iEBL) and fabricated 3D nanostructures by stacking layered structures and those with dose-modulated exposure, respectively. After 6 years of research and development, Professor Qiu Wei's team built a new scanning electron microscope (SEM) that integrates a liquid-nitrogen dewar, a water vapor injector, an airlock chamber and a metal deposition chamber. The "iEBL" process requires only five steps: cooling, ice deposition, exposure, material evaporation and peeling. Using their modified Zeiss Sigma field emission scanning microscope, the Qiuwei team succeeded in creating nano-three-dimensional shapes, such as pyramids, mushrooms and bridges. While greatly simplifying the steps, the quality of the work is also impressive: the resolution is up to 20 nm and the positioning accuracy is below 100 nm. Figure: Basic steps for iEBL: (a) Cooling: The sample is cooled to -130 C; (b) Ice layer deposition: water vapor is injected into SEM and deposited onto the sample to form a layer of ice resist; (c) Exposure: exposure to electron beam; part of the ice layer is removed directly; (d) Material evaporation: The sample is transferred to the coating chamber in a vacuum environment; (e) Lift-off: The sample is taken out and placed in isopropanol to melt the ice layer. A standard EBL process requires additional exposing and developing steps for alignment and needs 12 individual steps for 3D nanofabrication. The entire process of iEBL is realized in one vacuum system by skipping the spin-coating and developing steps required for commonly used resists. This needs far fewer processing steps and is contamination-free compared to conventional methods. The solid state of water, such as snowflakes, frost and ice, which we see in our daily life, is the crystalline state of water. What is needed for "iEBL" is an amorphous ice. "Under the scanning electron microscope, the surface of amorphous ice is very smooth," Hong Yu introduced, and the microstructure of the crystalline ice surface is uneven, with many angular edges, which is not conducive to fine operation. The crystalline state of water More experiments have found that the vicinity of 130 degrees in the vacuum is just the condition that water vapor condenses into amorphous ice. "We later discovered that this happens to be the climatic environment of the comet, and the ice on the comet is also in this amorphous state," Qiu said. The smoothness of ice allows the electron beam to engrave more fine three-dimensional structures on the ice. "We also tried to put a nano silver medal on a nano silver wire with a thickness of one thousandth of a human hair," Hong Yu said. Qiu Wei believes that the iEBL process could be used to create new, complicated optoelectronic devices, which are based on quantum dots, nanotubes, nanowires, graphene, fiber, etc materials. These unique advantages make it a strong competitor in 3D micro-nano processing technology. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: With fires raging once again all over Northern California, it's been a tough week. But there were some wins this week too, plus an epic playlist. Yosemite National Park guests evacuated as Ferguson Fire continues to grow, SF Curbed Popular parts of the beloved park have been closed due to threat of smoke and fire. Read more. San Francisco moves to ban plastic straws, containers, Associated Press The SF Board of Supes made the long-talked-about eco-minded proposal official this week in an unanimous vote. Read more. Do you Live in a Political Bubble?, The New York Times We think you know the answer to this. But just in case, check out NYT's highly addictive interactive map. Facebook's $100 billion-plus rout is the biggest loss in stock market history, CNBC Know how you've always wished you had hella stock in Facebook? Well, this was a good week not be a shareholder. Read more. Here are the most Californian songs of all time, SFGate Planning an epic road trip down Highway 1? Here's your playlist. CASEVILLE The first commercial distillery in Huron County is set to open soon. Shipwreck Distillery, located at 4895 N. Caseville Road, is owned by Jim and Carol Stein of Pigeon. While the Shipwreck Distillery LLC was created in 2016, the Steins have been working hard over the past two years making sure that the building and distillery is ready. Carol and I came up with the name and since were in a water area, what else would be better than a nautical name? Jim Stein said. So, we came up with Shipwreck Distillery and it went crazy from there. We had looked for a couple of years for a building when the idea came out, Stein added. We shopped around and found this one. We purchased it two and a half years ago and weve been working on it ever since. The idea for Shipwreck Distillery actually came from Jims uncle Ron. It was Uncle Rons dream, Jim said. He wanted to be involved in making premium spirits. He wanted to be involved in something like this. He was an entrepreneur. He had had several businesses, and I think the last one was a rib shack in Mississippi. He raised national champion goats, he was involved in raising greyhounds. He had a small party store down state many years ago. Uncle Ron liked to try new things, and this was his last endeavor. He lived in a dry county in Mississippi, so he wasnt going to be able to do it down there. Although Ron passed away in May, his legacy will live on, as his bucket list will be featured on the bottles of rye whiskey made at Shipwreck Distillery. The over two-year project of getting the building ready to open has included remodeling the front of the building, and the front room of the building, which includes the bow of an old boat. In the back of the building is the distillery equipment. My uncle had the stills, the soup kettles, to make the stills, Jim said. I said that we could transform the kettles to stills after looking at pictures and reading enough about it, I said we could make it work. I think theyll work very well for us. Stein has big plans for what he wants to produce at his distillery once it is open. First thing is going to be vodka, Jim said. Then were going to have Founding Fathers. Its a rye whiskey and its actually the recipe for George Washingtons whiskey. George Washington in 1796 had the largest distillery in the United States and it was all pot stills. So, he distilled it at least three times before it was drinkable, we can do it in two steps. Thats going to be a white whiskey. Then were going to get into rum, Jim added. Rum takes longer, 10 days to two weeks to ferment. Eventually Id like to do gin, Im a gin lover. High Seas Sweets will also be run out of the Shipwreck Distillery. I decided that if he was going to be here doing booze, I might as well make baked goods, said Carol Stein. Its evolved a little bit, we started with donuts, but we will be doing cookies and breads, cakes and pies are going to be our specialty. Well have some gluten free products because gluten free is pretty big. And well be making candy. I like to make buckeyes, so we will also have some candy on the shelf. Jim said the business has already been well received in Caseville. When I approached the planning commission they said, Welcome to Caseville, Jim said. Its almost every day now, someone will stop in and ask if were open yet. Asking when were going to be open, now were just about there. The Steins are one inspection away from opening, and they are hoping to be open for next month's Cheeseburger in Caseville Festival. Once they do open, customers will be able sample some of the Shipwreck Distilleries products, which will only be available in Caseville. Were not selling to the liquor commission, so you will only be able to buy it here, Jim said. We can give an ounce away per day, per person. So, you can come in and have a half of a shot of this and a half of a shot of that. You can try it before you buy it. While the project has been a lot of work, the Steins are looking forward to the opening and running the business. Were both retired, Jim said. We want to have a good time doing this, this is our retirement project, and I hope we have fun doing it. An economics professor sparked widespread online outrage and ridicule over the weekend after writing an op-ed piece for Forbes titled "Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money." In the piece, Panos Mourdoukoutas of Long Island University argues that recent changes in the worlds of technology and commerce have rendered libraries mostly obsolete. The ubiquity of "third places" such as neighborhood coffee shops, for instance, has diminished libraries' use as a community gathering space, Mourdoukoutas says. Streaming services have eliminated the need for library-based TV and movie rentals, and e-books have "turned physical books into collector's items, effectively eliminating the need for library borrowing services." Since public libraries are financed with public dollars, Mourdoukoutas argues that replacing them with brick-and-mortar Amazon bookstores would save taxpayers money. (The founder and chief executive of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post). RELATED VIDEO: Inside One of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries Mourdoukoutas' piece is notable less for the arguments it contains than for sparking a backlash that was loud and fierce, two traits not typically associated with libraries or their patrons. Much of it is unsuitable for publication in a family newspaper. The article has since been pulled from Forbes' website. It's worth considering why so many people reacted to Mourdoukoutas' op-ed the way they did. Fortunately, data from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) offers some clues. As it turns out, lots and lots of people use their local libraries. In 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, "more than 171 million registered users, representing over half of the nearly 311 million Americans who lived within a public library service area, visited public libraries over 1.35 billion times," the IMLS reports. For the typical library, that works out to about 4.4 visits for every single man, woman and child living in the region served by the library. Over the long term, library visitation is up, although it has trended down in recent years. In 1995, for instance, there were only 3.9 library visits per capita in the United States. That figure peaked at 5.4 in 2009 and has declined moderately since then. The IMLS recommends interpreting year-over-year changes with caution. It noted in a report last year that it doesn't track virtual visits to libraries, when patrons visit their local library website to, say, download an e-book to their reader. Those virtual visits may account for some of the decline in library traffic since 2009. The IMLS notes that in 2016 about 171 million people - more than half the total U.S. population - were registered library users with a library card. It's little wonder that a suggestion to render those cards worthless would inspire raucous backlash. Beyond that, Amazon is working in tandem with local libraries in at least one realm. The retailer notes that "more than 11,000 libraries in the United States offer Public Library Books for Kindle." This isn't particularly surprising. Libraries have coexisted peacefully with brick-and-mortar bookstores, big and small, for decades. There's no obvious reason a physical Amazon bookstore would change that relationship. MIDDLETOWN Calling it a victory for the local environment and economy, officials Thursday praised the installation of a 714-panel solar array to help mitigate the effects of the single largest energy hog in the city its water treatment plant. These solar panels, installed in June by Greenskies Renewable Energy, on Middletown property adjacent to the Higby Water Treatment Facility at 260 Meriden Road, Middlefield, is projected to save the city 280,000 kWh of electricity per year. This is an important project, especially now with people conserving more and more water, and the demand for water is trending downward. Without this project, we would eventually need to raise rates, said Joe Fazzino, acting director of Middletown Water & Sewer. It will produce clean water using less electricity from the grid, which, in turn, helps stabilize water rates we charge customers, Fazzino added. The arrays, installed at the facility on the Middletown line, are projected to power 85 percent of the facilitys electricity usage. State Sen. Len Suzio, R-Meriden, and others were particularly pleased the city enlisted a Middletown-based small business to complete the project. Were adding another source of clean energy to our local facilities. Its a small bit in the overall plan, and overall impact to the environment, but thats how you get big accomplishments done: one step at a time, Suzio said. Greenskies, which paid for the system and installation, will sell the power produced to Middletown at a discounted rate over the 20-year contract. The firm also installed arrays on the roof of the city-owned R.M. Keating Historical Enterprise Park on Johnson Street, where its office is based, as well as Wesleyan University, two in upstate New York and another at the Meriden Markham Airport. In 2016, the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer was 10,766 kilowatt hours, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The water residents drink goes through an intensive treatment process at the Charles B. Bacon Water Filtration Facility, officials said. The project is expected to save the city $9,000 annually in electricity costs, significantly reducing the environmental effects of burning fossil fuels. Emission rates will now be one-tenth of previous output there. The project, 6 years in the making, launched late last fall and was completed in early spring, said John Beauton, vice president of construction at Greenskies. This does a lot for Middletown. Being local, its very important to us to carry this message throughout the United States even more so that were doing it here in Connecticut, Beauton said. Im confident that this will produce power that this plant needs throughout the day so they can operate their pumps efficiently and have sustainable energy as part of that platform, he added. The building is going to pull power it needs from solar field first before it pulls from the grid, Beauton said, as he led a tour of the fixed solar-powered system. The panels dont rotate with the suns position, he said, like others do in the northern and southwestern portions of the country. In the Northeast, the challenge with that is, with the winters we have, if the motors got frozen up or bound, the maintenance on a field like that is tremendous so it definitely becomes beneficial to the user, Beauton added. In Connecticut and other parts of the northeastern United States, peak solar power production months are July through September, when the suns elevation is lower and there is less sunlight, he added. In the winter, particularly January and February, output is low because snowfall is concentrated during those months, Beauton said. Jeff Hush, member of the citys Clean Energy Task Force, represents low-income interests on the panel. Comfortable, Healthy, Energy Efficient and Renewable Middletown, dubbed CHEER, is a collaboration between the task force, North End Action Team, Home Energy Services, New England Conservation Services, Sunlight Solar and others which hopes to lessen the citys dependence on fossil fuels. The task force is accelerating its attempts to improve housing costs for low- and middle-income communities in Middletown, who carry an energy burden disproportionate to their household earnings, he said. Low-income people pay a much higher percentage of their income on rent and energy. They often have problems paying their energy bills, Hush said. The task force is championing the building of more shared solar arrays over the next two to five years in Middletown, he said. Members are looking at possible places for panels, such as the former Connecticut Cleaners on Grand Street now a brownfield site. A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of, which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Wed like to convert places like that, and the roof of the Green Street Arts Center, into solar arrays, and have shared solar for local, low-income people. Thats the big push for the future of Middletown. The past, and what was done today, is a wonderful step and its very encouraging, Hush said. The task force has found working with Connecticut Green Bank and solar companies helps with financing such projects. It puts the burden and the risk partially on the company, and not just on the individuals or the shared low-income community groups, Hush said. The hardest part of improving low-income housing is the element of getting renewable energy, but were really dedicated to making that happen, he added. Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day@hearstmediact.com or Twitter @cassandrasdis. Quarterly Report Sydney, July 27, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - DroneShield Ltd ( ASX:DRO ) ( OTCMKTS:DRSHF ) ("DroneShield" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following update on its activities during the three-month period ended 30 June 2018 and its Appendix 4C quarterly cash flow report for the same period.Key DevelopmentsDroneShield made significant progress in the quarter to 30 June 2018. The key developments to the date of this report include the following.Finance- On 14 June 2018, DroneShield has announced a $3.2m order (the "MOD Order") for 70 DroneGuns(TM) for use by a Middle Eastern Ministry of Defence (the "MOD")(see Note below). This is the largest known order for tactical drone mitigation equipment of this kind globally, the first order for multiple DroneGun(TM) units, the largest order in the Company's history, and the Company's first multi-million dollar order. The Company expects for the majority of the cash inflows from the MOD Order to be received during the current, and the two subsequent quarters.- As the Company's marketing and product development efforts over the recent two years started maturing, the Company received cash inflows of $431,681 from customers during the quarter, the Company's best quarter in terms of cash generation since inception (this compares to $35,708 received from customers in the prior quarter).Sales, Marketing and Deployments- The MOD order was important for several reasons:o The MOD has one of the largest defence budgets in the world. The Company considers this order as just a start of its relationship with the MOD and expects to receive substantial (and substantially larger) additional orders for this product and other products of the Company for the MOD and for other ministries and agencies in-country and elsewhere in the region.o The sale, the largest ever in the industry for this kind of equipment, establishes DroneShield as the leader in the industry, globally, and places DroneShield well ahead of its competitors in the global anti-drone industry "land grab".o A large order by one of the most sophisticated users of security and defence equipment in the world validates the quality, effectiveness and competitiveness of DroneShield products.o DroneShield's sales pipeline includes dozens of contracts that DroneShield is pursuing, in various stages of advancement, in dozens of countries. These range from a few tens of thousands of dollars to tens of millions of dollars each. Necessarily, not all, and there can be no assurance that any, of these sales opportunities will result in sales. However, DroneShield expects that this validation by a demanding user will accelerate the adoption of our products by a range of governmental and corporate users globally and accelerate the execution time-frame for DroneShield sales.o DroneShield has previously advised the market of its discussions with larger industry participants about a range of potential corporate transactions. These discussions are on-going. Larger defence "prime contractors" and security integrators are looking to ascertain which companies emerge as the winners in the anti-drone "arms race." This order places DroneShield at the forefront of the industry and is likely to have a substantial positive effect on DroneShield's corporate discussions with larger industry players.- On 23 April 2018, DroneShield announced that its products were utilised by the Australian Defence Force for the protection of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2018 in Sydney.o The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the premier regional grouping in Southeast Asia.o The heads of the ten ASEAN states and the Australian delegation including Prime Minister Turnbull met in Sydney, the first time such a meeting was held in Australia.o Monitoring of drone activity at high profile events has become an important component of event management, similar to perimeter access control or participant credentialing.DroneShield's product DroneGun(TM) was used by the Australian Defence Force at the event, on behalf of the New South Wales Police for the protection of the participants from potential drone threats.- On 14 May 2018, DroneShield announced that its European Hub had commenced operations. The detection capabilities showcased at the European Hub include multi sensor detection incorporating radar and radio frequency direction finder sensors (RadarZeroTM and RfOneTM), complemented by jamming capabilities provided by DroneGun Tactical(TM) and DroneShield's stationary jammer product DroneCannon(TM).- DroneShield's in-house and distributor salesforce continued to progress a number of opportunities, including participating in a number of governmental procurement processes.- DroneShield continued to participate in a number of defence and security conferences, including Eurosatory in Paris in June (as part of Team Defence Australia).Product Development and Certifications- On 21 May 2018, DroneShield announced the results of independent certification by 360degRF, a US based specialised radiofrequency testing laboratory, as compatible (that is, not interfering) with the most commonly utilized communications and navigation systems employed in the United States aviation/airport environment.o RfOne(TM) and RadarZero(TM), core modules within DroneShield's DroneSentinel(TM) detection system, have been assessed as creating no increase in background EMI when operational, measured across a wide range of aviation frequency bands used by airports and aircraft.o DroneCannon(TM), the drone mitigation element of DroneShield's DroneSentry(TM) system, has been determined to operate strictly within the advertised bands. In the non-GPS mode, these ranges are outside of aviation frequency bands.- During the quarter, DroneShield continued to invest resources in further developing professional mass-scale production capabilities, to cater for orders such as the Middle Eastern MoD order for 70 DroneGun Tacticals(TM).Note: The Company's ability to fulfil the order is subject to approval by a U.S. regulator overseeing defence exports. For clarity, only some of the Company's potential orders require such approval since sales of some of the Company's products to a number of countries allied with the United States do not require U.S. regulatory approval. The Company expects to receive such approval, if it is granted, in the next two months, using the established U.S. defence product sale approval process. There are, of course, no guarantees that the approval for this particular order will be granted.To view the full report, please visit:About DroneShield Ltd DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (OTCMKTS:DRSHF) is an Australian publicly listed company with its head office in Sydney and teams in the US and UK. We specialise in RF sensing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Sensor Fusion, Electronic Warfare, Rapid Prototyping and MIL-SPEC manufacturing. Our capabilities are used to protect Military, Government, Law Enforcement, Critical Infrastructure, Commercial and VIPs throughout the world. Through our team of primarily Australian based engineers - we offer customers bespoke solutions and off-the-shelf products designed to suit a variety of terrestrial, maritime or airborne platforms. DroneShield is proudly exporting Australian capability to customers throughout the world and supporting Australia's defence, national security and other organisations protect people, critical infrastructure and vital assets. . NORWALK Its the week of the Triwizard Tournament, and Hogwarts students have stolen the dragons egg from Ilvermorny. At least, thats the premise for the latest escape room by the Norwalk Public Library. For the uninitiated, escape rooms are games in which you and a team of friends, family or co-workers enter a room filled with puzzles and clues that you have to piece together racing against the clock. They usually cost around $25 a person, but a team at the library has spent months putting together this challenge for free. Friday afternoon, they decided to test it out on library staff, which gathered in the shadow of an evil, faceless dementor that floated above the hallway as Lisa Story and Evelyn Cunningham prefects, in this scenario set the scene. The egg had been tracked to a Hogwarts student dorm room, and the team had one hour to find it and win their school glory. If this all sounds like gobbledegook, never fear theres no need to have read the J.K. Rowling books to solve the challenges, though it does help with appreciating the details worked throughout. The room is decorated like that of a young music-junky wizard, with concert tickets pinned to a bulletin board and band posters Neville and the Longbottoms, anyone? on the wall. Once inside, theres no further instruction. Its game time. Cunningham remembered her introduction to escape rooms. The first time, the first few minutes, I was angry, the childrens librarian said. I was like, Im in an empty room, what am I supposed to do now? But it takes a minute, so dont get frustrated. Andre St. Surin, a veteran escaper, lost no time. His tip? Look underneath everything. Peering under the bedsheets, the librarians assistant explained, Everything is misleading everything is not a clue and is a clue. The team spread out, standing in clumps around items people found promising. A clock on the wall marked the time, its minute hand seeming to move more quickly than usual. Im shook. Im very shook, Jay Wilson said as he examined a pile of to-do notes left on the student wizards desk. I like it. Its got my mind thinking. When the dragons egg was finally recovered, the room burst into applause. Adrenaline morphed into relief, then exuberance. After selecting props for a Harry Potter-themed photo shoot, the team lingered in the hall and debriefed parts of the puzzle raucously. As though from Madam Pince, a call came from down the hall, reminding the triumphant witches and wizards, This is a library! To book a slot at the escape room, which runs from July 21-29 (times can be found on norwalklib.org), call 203-899-2780 ext. 15131. rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetz WASHINGTON In questioning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Chris Murphy tried coming to grips with what might be a first in U.S. history: The president of the United States is not the ultimate arbiter of U.S. foreign policy. Or maybe he is? Nobody in Congress knows who is in charge, and neither do the foreign leaders, Murphy, D-Conn., said in an interview Thursday, the day after Pompeos sharp-edged performance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing just confused things more. At the hearing, Murphy took his turn questioning Pompeo and focused on the contrast between the administrations pledge of toughness on Russian interference in the 2016 election and President Donald Trumps tweet Sunday that former President Obama did nothing about it at the time because its all a big hoax. Why shouldnt we accept this most recent statement by the president as U.S. policy on Russian interference, Murphy asked. Pompeo came back with a list of official statements about Russian meddling and said hed heard affirmations several times from the president himself. So what are we to make of the latest statement of the president? Murphy asked. I leave it to you, senator, Pompeo replied. You can draw whatever inference you want for whatever purpose you so choose Murphy interrupted him: Theres no inference. Theres a statement from the president. Theres no inference I need to draw from that. Thats the presidents statement. Pompeo countered that Murphy was certainly trying to draw inferences about American policy. And Im laying out for you American policy. Murphy brushed aside Pompeos references to official White House policy statements, saying Trumps words matter more because our allies and our adversaries make decisions based upon those comments. The Q&A with Murphy was just one of many confrontational moments between Pompeo and senators of both parties. Committee chairman Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., suggested the White House is making (foreign policy) up as they go, and that decisions are made in a ready, fire, aim fashion. Senators peppered Pompeo with questions on Trumps secretive meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the lack of any accounting for what transpired in it. Pompeo assured the panel that Trump had shared the details with him. The secretary, a former Freedom Caucus member of the House from Kansas, insisted that U.S. policy on Russia was firm notwithstanding Trumps appearance with Putin after the meeting, in which the president appeared to accept his Russian counterparts denials over U.S. intelligence assertions about interference. Pompeo has got an impossible job and if I were in his position, Im not sure I could do a lot better, Murphy said on Thursday. Were stuck with total, complete, utter confusion over who is in charge of U.S. foreign policy. Thats terrible for the country. dan@hearstdc.com Bernard Haufiku has every reason to beam. The Namibian Minister of Health is in Amsterdam to announce that despite his country's vast deserts, ethnic and linguistic diversity, variable roads and modest rural health facilities, Namibia is the latest nation to bring a devastating AIDS epidemic under control. This week, roughly 15,000 scientists, activists, policy-makers and even a few celebrities have converged on Amsterdam for the 22nd International AIDS Conference. This year's scientific findings include remarkably good news: nearly 22 million people are now on lifesaving treatment and new HIV infections are decreasing in several of the hardest hit countries, including Namibia. But it's not time to celebrate yet. In a report released this week, UNAIDS acknowledges the progress achieved but also notes that the response is lagging in some regions. As a result, the worldwide decrease in new HIV infections is not on track to meet 2020 targets. At the same time, the United States, the largest donor to the AIDS response, is in the midst of a political swing towards isolationism. For the past two years, the Trump administration has proposed unprecedented $1 billion cuts to the US AIDS response program, PEPFAR. Congress rejected these cuts and maintained flat funding for PEPFAR, but the threat persists. If the US steps back from its leadership role in this effort, it will put the world at risk for a dangerous resurgence just when the end of the epidemic is within reach. As Haufiku said, Namibia's rate of new HIV infections has declined by 50% compared to the 2012 UNAIDS estimate. The decrease in new infections is largely driven by the dramatic scale-up of HIV treatment funded by PEPFAR and other partners, including The Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. By suppressing the amount of virus circulating in the body of a person living with HIV, this treatment prevents not only sickness and death, but also HIV transmission. UNAIDS projects that if 73% of people living with HIV are on effective treatment that limits the amount of virus in their body by 2020, and that level is maintained for ten years, we would see the end of the AIDS epidemic as a global health threat by 2030. Namibia has exceeded this target with 77% of adults living with HIV virally suppressed. South Africa, the country with the largest number of people living with HIV, and Swaziland, the country with the highest HIV prevalence, have both announced a 44% decrease in new HIV infections over the last 5 years. Swaziland has also achieved the 73% goal for viral suppression. These figures make the global AIDS response one of the most effective humanitarian interventions of all time. For 15 years, the US has played an admirable leadership role through PEPFAR. Of the 22 million people on treatment worldwide, PEPFAR supports over 14 million. That's 14 million people who would be dead or dying otherwise. PEPFAR's yearly budget of approximately $6 billion represents a generous commitment from the American people that has set the bar for other countries. However, when compared to other line items in the US budget, such as $686 billion in military spending, PEPFAR also represents excellent value for money in terms of humanitarian impact and soft power. While an end to the epidemic is coming into view, the battle is not yet won, and near victory could turn to renewed tragedy. Despite improvement in the overall population, HIV is still spreading rapidly among young people, especially young women. At the same time, populations key to the epidemic -- such as gay and bisexual men and people who inject drugs -- also face a high risk of infection and uneven access to services. In order to expand treatment to nearly 37 million people living with HIV and reduce new infections to zero, we need to increase financial support and intensify programming. Instead, we face a funding crisis. The UNAIDS report notes that there is a 20% shortfall against the funding they project is required to meet the 2020 targets for epidemic control, and it could get worse. Continued US commitment to the AIDS response is critical for multiple reasons. With the US contributing eight times as much as the second leading donor, the United Kingdom, even a small percentage change in US support would be deeply felt. Additionally, if the US were to decrease funding significantly for the AIDS response, other countries may follow suit in a domino effect that could lead to a deadly resurgence of HIV around the world. Already, analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that eight of the 14 countries that provide international funding for AIDS decreased their support last year. These 8 countries include Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. This may reflect the influence of inward-looking politics on development assistance overall. It may also reflect the resource pressures of the migration and refugee crises in Europe. The evidence is clear: it is possible to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS at large scale -- even in low-resource contexts. We have the technologies and approaches to do it. We just need the political will to deliver on the promise of an AIDS-free generation. This winter, the U.S. Army will deploy elements of the 4th Infantry and 10th Mountain divisions to Afghanistan and send a brigade combat team from the 1st Armored Division to Korea. The deployments are part of a scheduled rotation of forces, according to a July 26 Army press release. The 4th ID's headquarters will deploy from Fort Carson, Colorado, and will replace the headquarters element of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to support Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan. In addition, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain, will deploy to Afghanistan from Fort Drum, New York, to replace the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, in support of Freedom's Sentinel. "The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, is well-trained and ready for any mission the Army calls us to do," Col. Paul Larson, 2nd BCT commander, said in the release. "We are not strangers to operations in Afghanistan as proven through our extensive deployment history. Our soldiers have conducted rigorous and realistic training over the past two years, which has made mentally and physically fit soldiers ready for the mission we will soon face." Maj. Gen. Randy George, commander of the 4th ID, said his "Ivy" soldiers are "highly trained and ready to answer the call to fight and win our nation's wars and to support this important mission in Afghanistan." The Army also announced it will deploy the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, to Korea this winter. The 3rd ABCT will replace the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, to provide support to Republic of Korea forces, the release states. "The Bulldog Brigade is looking forward to supporting the mission in the Republic of Korea," said Col. Marc Cloutier, commander of 3rd ABCT. "We are honored to sustain and strengthen the long-standing ROK-U.S. alliance, and our soldiers are trained and ready for this important mission." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. A decorated, high-tenured Marine colonel ended up behind bars last fall after being convicted of sexually abusing a six-year-old girl. The child's family is now pursuing a lawsuit against the Marine Corps, saying senior leaders failed to hold the officer accountable after he was booted from a previous posting in Australia just 10 days in for crass and drunken behavior. Adrian Perry, mother of the child abused by Col. Daniel Wilson, has filed tort claims totaling $25 million against the Corps, saying the pain and suffering of her child and two other daughters she says were abused by Wilson were preventable, had he been investigated previously. The Marine Corps has six months to respond to the claims with an assessment of its own liability before lawsuit proceedings move forward. A Marine spokesman, Maj. Brian Block, said the service could not comment on ongoing litigation. The existence of the legal action was first reported by The Australian earlier this month. Don Christensen, a retired Air Force prosecutor and president of the organization Protect Our Defenders, assisted Perry in filing the tort claims. He said the action was a way of getting the attention of the Marine Corps and potentially preventing future abuse. Military.com broke the news last December that Lt. Gen. Larry Nicholson, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force in the Pacific, was faulted by the Inspector General of the Marine Corps for failing to initiate an investigation against Wilson and report his misconduct to top leadership after Wilson's tenure in Australia came to an abrupt end. An official told Military.com that it was likely the IG report spelled the end of Nicholson's distinguished military career. But some believe that's not consequence enough for the senior officer's failure to act. "[Nicholson has] paid absolutely no consequences, admitted no guilt for what he's done," Christensen said. "For me, that's particularly telling how callous [the Marine Corps has] been treating this." Court testimony in Wilson's court-martial for child sexual abuse at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, revealed that Wilson, previously sent to Darwin, Australia, in February 2016 as a liaison officer, had almost immediately been flagged as a problem. An investigation into his behavior in Australia was launched only after he had been accused of sexual assault months later. Wilson told the wife of the colonel he was replacing in Darwin that "her thighs were sore from having sex with her husband," and asked another Marine officer to send him racy pictures of his wife. Wilson would later show the photo he obtained to his Australian counterpart, Cmdr. Greg Mapson, who ultimately complained to Wilson's higher-ups about him. During the few days Wilson spent in Australia, he also sent an email from a female civilian employee's account, asking her supervisor on a date, and made another female officer uncomfortable by sending her coarse and personal text messages. An individual who was present in Australia when Wilson was there and was directly involved with the later investigation into his actions told Military.com that Wilson had been described as a "predator" by an Australian officer, just days after his arrival. It took the Marine Corps just three days to put Wilson on a plane out of Australia, cutting short what was to be a six-month tour. But follow-on actions ended there. Nicholson would tell investigators that Wilson had just been "stupid" and that he found credible Wilson's explanation that the complaints were the result of personality conflicts. "If your actions are egregious enough to get pulled out of a foreign country, you would think we would do something about it," said the individual close to the investigation, who asked not to be identified because of his position. "I'd want to know, what else did we not know?" Wilson would next move to a post within II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune. He'd become close to the Perrys over a two-week period in July 2016 that culminated in allegations he molested their daughters. Wilson would be sentenced in September 2017 to five-and-a-half years of confinement for molesting one of the girls, though he was acquitted on charges of abusing the other children and sexually assaulting an adult woman in a separate alleged incident in 2016. Adrian Perry told Military.com her decision to pursue tort action against the Marine Corps was arrived at over much prayer and consideration. "It disgusts me to think that my children would ever have to pay for mental health care because of what Wilson did to them. That's unacceptable," she said. "To me, this is just one more step in the fight toward making sure my children are taken care of. This is not out of vengeance. This is out of protection for my children, because this is something extremely unacceptable and wrong that occurred." Perry said she has never been contacted by Marine leaders about Wilson following his conviction. She wants to make sure, she said, that what happened in Darwin can't unfold again within the service. "I lose sleep over the Australia stuff," she said. "Because I feel like this is a predator that could have been caught, that could have been stopped." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday the return of 55 sets of remains by North Korea could set the stage for renewed ground searches by U.S. recovery teams for those still listed as missing in action from the 1950-53 Korean War. The flight into North Korea by a U.S. military aircraft to retrieve the 55 wooden cases was a "step in the right direction" and sets a "positive tone" for future recovery efforts, Mattis told Pentagon reporters. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korea had agreed to return remains already in its possession and would be open to renewing joint recovery efforts at the sites of former prison camps and battlefields. Mattis noted that the North Koreans handed over only 55 sets of remains when they were expected to return about 200. "We know what [the North Koreans] said" leading up to Friday's returns, but "for us, we simply say this is a gesture of carrying forward" a commitment to more recoveries, he said. "Obviously, we want to continue with this humanitarian effort" on behalf of U.S. families and those of other nations who fought with the U.S. under the United Nations flag in the Korean War, he added. "We have families that when they got the telegram" notifying them of the death of a loved one "they never got closure," Mattis said. "What we're seeing here is an opportunity to get those families closure. So this is an international effort to bring closure to those families." Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations Command, set Aug. 1 for a solemn ceremony at which the U.S. military will take formal custody of the 55 sets of remains and start the long process of sending them home to their families. "Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home," Brooks said Friday. Earlier, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster made a rare flight into North Korea and returned from an airport near Wonsan on North Korea's east coast to Osan Air Base south of Seoul with 55 wooden transfer caskets draped in the United Nations flag. An honor guard from all the services and technical experts from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) were aboard the flight. At Mattis' direction, the initial returns were under the auspices of the United Nations, which oversees the armistice that ended the Korean War 65 years ago Friday. "It was a successful mission following extensive coordination," Brooks said. At the honors ceremony Aug. 1, U.S. flags will replace those of the U.N. on the boxes and the remains will then be flown to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. In Hawaii, DPAA forensic labs will begin the painstaking process of identification. The DPAA has built up a DNA database from relatives for about 92 percent of those missing from the Korean War, but retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kelly McKeague, DPAA's director, has cautioned that it could be years in some cases before remains are returned to families. The White House called the return of the 55 sets of remains a "first step" toward realizing the promises on North Korea's denuclearization and remains recoveries made at the June 12 Singapore summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In a tweet Thursday night after the C-17 landed at Osan, Trump said, "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un." A day earlier, Pompeo was hammered from both sides of the aisle at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the lack of progress from the Singapore summit and the Helsinki summit earlier this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Kim in Singapore "took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the United States and North Korea, and establish enduring peace." "Today, the chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the president to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," Sanders said, adding, "The United States owes a profound debt of gratitude to those American service members who gave their lives in service to their country, and we are working diligently to bring them home." The government of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was a main catalyst in thawing relations with North Korea, said the repatriations are a sign of "meaningful progress." "We expect efforts by parties concerned to further accelerate for promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said in a statement. Trump issued a proclamation declaring July 27, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. "Justice, liberty, and democracy prevailed" in the Korean War, "but victory came at a tremendous cost," he said. "More than 33,000 Americans were killed in action during the Korean War, and more than 103,000 were wounded. Thousands more were captured and held as prisoners of war. Many are still missing in action. We will never forget these valiant patriots or their families, who have endured unimaginable loss." According to the DPAA, about 7,700 U.S. service members are missing from the Korean War; about 5,300 of that total are believed to have fallen in North Korea. Over the years, the DPAA has developed a list of former prison camps and other sites in North Korea where remains could be expected to be found, including estimates on the numbers of remains at each site. A DPAA fact sheet said that as many as 184 remains of American service members are believed to have been buried in a cemetery in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The agency estimates that about 1,200 remains could be found at former prison camps near the Chinese border, including camps called Apex, where the remains of 270 Americans are thought to be interred; Camp 5, with 322 sets of remains; Death Valley Camp, with 250; Valley No. 1 Camp, with 41; and the Suan camps, with 185. The People's Liberation Army of China ran the prison camps during the war, and China's help may be needed to aid in the search if and when recovery efforts get underway. Another 1,549 sets of remains are believed to be in Unsan/Chongchon area north of Pyongyang, and 1,079 in the area of the Chosin Reservoir, scene of one of the major battles of the war. In addition, another 1,000 are believed to be in the Demilitarized Zone, the 154-mile wide zone separating the two Koreas, the DPAA said. From 1990 to 1994, North Korea returned 208 caskets of remains, and from 1996 to 2005, when recoveries were suspended, another 229 caskets were returned. Many of the remains were mixed, the DPAA said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Still undetermined is whether the impact caused the October leak, or if the line was hit by something else at a later date. The Rev. Jack Keep is the national chaplain of the Korean War Veterans Association. As a grade school boy during World War II, I followed news reports on the progress of the war, as did many others. The whole nation was involved in one way or another. Many of the men of our family were in the "service," as it was called then. They were, and still are, our heroes. I had a love for the sea and, from my youth, I wanted to be a sailor. On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans swept across the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. The following year, I turned 17 and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I was assigned to the USS Gatling, a Fletcher-class destroyer. For the next year and a half, we trained and operated throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Then in early 1953, we were sent to Korea. Our duty off the coast of the Korean peninsula was largely with Task Force 77, the fast carrier operation supporting ground troops and destroying the communist supply lines. The "Tin Cans" screened the larger ships and had plane guard and search-and-rescue responsibilities. Later, with TF95, we operated in Wonsan Harbor. Then on July 27, 1953, the cease-fire was signed. For the next few months, we patrolled the coast. We eventually continued our "around the world" journey and returned to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. I remained in the Navy until the end of September 1955, when I returned to civilian life. Although there was a cease-fire, the war was not over, as later events would prove. And it is still not over. As a matter of fact, from July 1953 through January 2011, North Korea violated the armistice 221 times, including 26 military attacks. The most publicized of these were the attack and capture of the USS Pueblo in 1968 and the "axe murder" incident in 1976. The veterans of Korea did not receive the welcome home that greeted the WWII warriors and, for many years, were not welcomed into the membership of the major veterans organizations, because President Truman had dubbed it a "police action" rather than a war. This despite the fact that one out of 10 combatants were killed or wounded in action, as opposed to one out of 15 for WWII and one out of 17 for Vietnam. In addition, 51 percent of prisoners of war died in captivity as opposed to 9.6 percent for WWII and 18 percent for Vietnam. In fact, most Americans hardly knew what was going on over there. Korean vets came home to find that their friends had no idea where they had been. When my eldest daughter reached adulthood, she asked me, "Dad, how come you never talked about your life in the Navy and going to Korea?" My answer was, "No one ever asked, and no one was interested in listening." Melinda Pash, in her excellent book "In the Shadow of the Greatest Generation," calls us the "Silent generation of the forgotten war." There are a number of reasons for this. For many who experienced the worst horrors of combat, the memories were too painful. Two friends of mine spent almost the entire war as POWs. The suffering of these men included unspeakable experiences of torture, starvation, cold, disease and pain. One of my friends dealt with the memories by not talking about them. The other found some solace in telling his story, and yet he would often break down and weep as he recalled his years as a prisoner of war. For most of us, there was a sense of frustration that somehow we had failed, and that the general public looked on us that way. WWII vets came home proud that they had accomplished a victory, but those who fought in Korea felt that, after the loss of more than 37,000 killed in action and more than 8,000 still missing in action, there was not a lot to celebrate. Most Americans, if they thought about it all, viewed it as a stalemate. Because Korea was sandwiched between WWI, WWII (the good war), and Vietnam (the bad war), it became known as the "Forgotten War." Consequently, there was little interest over the next 40 years in Korea or the young men who fought there. In 1985, the Korean War Veterans Association was formed to draw these forgotten warriors together. About the same time, the Republic of Korea became an economic power and today has the 11th greatest economy in the world. In many ways, Korea has demonstrated its appreciation for what these forgotten veterans accomplished 66 years ago. We are frequently approached by Korean people who say to us: "Thank you for saving our country!" The "forgotten war" was really a "forgotten victory." -- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. After years of a slow buildup, the Marine Corps will soon begin sending 2,500 leathernecks to Australia annually. Marine Rotational Force-Darwin will increase in size by about 1,000 troops "as soon as practicable," according to a State Department news release. Smaller contingents of Marines have been spending half of every year in Australia's Northern Territory since 2012. Now, top U.S. and Aussie officials say it's time to bring the rotation to its full capacity. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Australian Minister for Defence Marise Payne and Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop this week in California. The four discussed the importance of U.S.-Aussie defense cooperation, particularly "through full implementation of Force Posture Initiatives between U.S. and Australian forces in Australia," the State Department release reads. "They emphasized the value of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin and Enhanced Air Cooperation for improving the interoperability of U.S. and Australian defense forces," the release states. "The United States and Australia highlighted their commitment to raising the number of Marines rotating to Darwin to the full complement of 2,500 as soon as practicable." Marine officials did not immediately respond to questions about how soon the full force could deploy Down Under. Reaching the 2,500-Marine level force has been in the works for years as part of an agreement first struck between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2011. The deployments began the following spring, during the territory's dry season, with a company-sized rotation of about 250 Marines. By 2014, the size grew to about 1,200 Marines and included heavy-lift helicopters. There are currently about 1,500 Marines in Darwin, along with eight MV-22B Ospreys. The Marines arrived in April and will stay through October. Throughout the rotation, the force is scheduled to participate in 15 training exercises with local and international troops. During the talks this week, Mattis and the other leaders who met also agreed to integrate U.S. forces into Australia's annual Indo-Pacific Endeavour exercise in the South Pacific. The large-scale maritime exercise is designed to improve Australia's partnership with other troops in the region. Eighteen countries participated in the exercise this year, according to an Australian defense release, which included stops in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. The Marines' growing presence in Australia has irked some Chinese leaders, who've accused the U.S. of raising tensions in the region. The U.S. has grown wary of some of China's activities in the Asia-Pacific region, including the building of man-made islands in the South China Sea. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins. The U.S. Air Force last week awarded Boeing Co. the latest in a series of contracts to deliver two new Air Force One aircraft to the service by 2024. The service announced July 19 it awarded the company a $3.9 billion firm-fixed-price contract for the two completed Air Force One replacement aircraft. The negotiated cost -- agreed upon by Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg and President Donald Trump in February -- would save taxpayers more than $1.4 billion, the service said in a release. The contract gives Boeing the authority to "design, modify, test, certify and deliver two presidential, mission-ready aircraft," the Air Force said. In 2016, the Air Force awarded Boeing a contract to begin preliminary work on the VC-25A Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program, better known as PAR. No amount was disclosed. Related content: According to a fiscal 2019 Defense Department budget proposal, the Pentagon estimated it had already spent $1 billion for two airframes, along with engineering work. The Air Force expected to spend $2.9 billion between 2019 and 2023, the document said. The two 747-8s were originally ordered for the Russian airline company Transaero in 2013, DefenseOne reported last year. Boeing never delivered the jets to the now-defunct airline and instead put them in storage. While the Air Force has a firm-fixed-price contract, which locks in a price and puts the company on the hook for cost overruns, Boeing is also expected to receive an additional no-bid contract, which could be worth millions, to sustain the aircraft for at least five years, DefenseOne said. The news of the contract comes as Trump is weighing a new color scheme for the aircraft. He said he wants to change the current paint scheme, which dates back to the Kennedy era, to a more patriotic look. "Boeing gave us a good deal. And we were able to take that," Trump said in a recent interview with CBS. "But I said, 'I wonder if we should use the same baby blue colors?' And we're not." He continued, "Red, white and blue. Air Force One is going to be incredible. It's gonna be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it's gonna be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. A Missouri newspaper is apologizing after publishing a syndicated editorial cartoon regarding the duck boat tragedy at Table Rock Lake. 'The Missourian' issued an apology Friday morning after an image showing a hearse with "Ride the Ducks" on the side of it in water was published in Wednesday's paper. "The cartoon alone is viewed as insensitive by many people. When accompanied with the text of the artist, it shows the intent was to bring awareness to unsafe touring vehicles," read a portion of paper's apology. The artist of the cartoon, Tom Stiglich, posted the image on his Facebook page July 22 with the text: "Another duck boat tragedy. How many more people need to die before they ban these floating death traps?" Special operations forces are the most highly disciplined, mission-capable, and formidable units in the world. They go through rigorous selection processes and training in order to conduct unconventional warfare tasks that are beyond the means of standard military forces. The truth is, the world may never know exactly what these teams have accomplished, but their public records contain enough to earn global respect. In no particular order, these are ten lethal special operations units from around the world. 10. China's Snow Leopard Commando Unit Formerly known as the Snow Wolf Commando Unit, named for the tenacity of arctic wolves and their ability to survive in harsh conditions, this is a specops unit of the People's Republic of China. At their inception, they spent five years training in secret to conduct counter-terrorism, riot control, anti-hijacking, and bomb disposal for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. They've trained alongside Russian special task force units during joint anti-terror exercises with the primary mission of maintaining peace and stability. The unit prides itself on the speed and accuracy of their marksmanship, their strength and stamina, and their spirit of self-sacrifice. Each recruit must serve in the People's Armed Police for 1-2 years before undergoing physical and psychological tests. Perhaps where they excel the most is in martial arts and close quarter battles, but their sniper squadron shouldn't be discounted. Moving on, the next group made the news when one of their operators drowned an ISIS terrorist in a puddle. Yeah. Let's talk about: 9. Britain's Special Boat Service SBS with U.S. Delta Force at the Battle of Tora Bora "Not by strength, by guile" is the motto of the Royal Navy's Special Boat Service, one of the United Kingdom's most secretive and elite military units. The SBS is the UK's equivalent of the US Navy SEALs. The selection process for the elite team has a 90% failure rate and includes a grueling 4-week endurance test that grows increasingly more challenging and concludes with a 40 kilometer march that's 24.8 miles for my fellow Yankees which must be completed in under 20 hours. And that's just Stage 2 of training. Graduates will master weapons handling, jungle training, complex fighting, and combat survival before they are officially inducted into the elite unit. Born out of World War II, today, the SBS remains one of the most well-respected units in the world. Since 9/11, the Special Boat Service has been deployed against Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban, as well as on rescue missions around the globe, including in Sierra Leone and Libya. 8. Polish GROM Soldier in the Polish Naval Special Forces Unit GROM during NATO exercise Trident Juncture 15. (Polish SOF, Lisbon) GROM is an acronym that loosely translates to the Group for Operational Maneuvering Response. More poignantly, however, grom means "thunder" in Polish. It's a unit that can trace its lineage to the exiled Polish paratroopers of World War II known as "the Silent Unseen." 315 men and one woman trained for months in Great Britain before jumping into occupied Poland to oppose the Nazi hold there. In 1990, the GROM unit was organized after Operation Bridge, a mission to help Soviet Jews enter Israel. Intelligence reports indicated a significant Hezbollah threat in the area of operations, so the elite counter-terrorist force was approved. It remained a secret from the public until 1994, when they deployed to Haiti for Operation Restore Democracy. GROM performs rescue operations, including hostage recovery, as well as counter-insurgency missions. They have extensive weapons and medical expertise and have mastered a variety of military disciplines, including parachuting, amphibious insertion, diving, pyrotechnics, and vehicle handling. Whether fighting terrorists or war criminals, GROM more than lives up to its name. 7. The Special Services Group in Pakistan Pakistan Special Services Group. (Photo by Wikipedia user Hbtila) Business Insider reported that training for the Pakistani Special Services Group requires a 36-mile march done in 12 hours and a five-mile run in full kit in 20 minutes if that's true... then holy s***. Created to combat terrorism, extremism, and separatism, SSG training consists of grueling physical conditioning, airborne school, a 25-week commando course, and hand-to-hand combat training. Reportedly, only 5% of recruits complete the rigorous training. Due to their location, they are kept actively engaged in counter-terror missions. From hotspots along the India-Pakistan border to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan to Operation Zarb-e-Azb, a joint military offensive targeting terrorist organizations, the SSG goes where the fire is hot. 6. Delta Force Delta Force and soldiers pictured deep behind Iraqi lines during the 1991 Gulf War Delta Force is the U.S. Army's elite counter-terrorism unit, with Army Rangers and Green Berets among its numbers, but it also has operators from the Navy and Air Force. It's been called many things Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, the Combat Applications Group, and now the Army Compartmented Elements, but throughout its short history, it has maintained its superior ability to capture or kill high value targets, dismantle terrorist cells, and conduct covert missions in any area of operations. Most of the missions executed by Delta Force remain classified and it's rare to find an official document that even acknowledges the unit but one of its most notable accomplishments includes Operation Red Dawn, the capture of Saddam Hussein. A leaked recruiting video gave a glimpse at different training methods for Delta Force, including tactical driving, vehicle takedowns, and assaulter team tactics. A testament to their precision, one of their final exams includes breaching operations with fellow team members playing the hostage as his brothers live fire against targets nearby. The operation builds trust within the team and provides the shooter a sober reminder not to hit the hostage. 5. France's National Gendarmerie Intervention Group GIGN troops. (Photo by Wikipedia user Domenjod) The Group D'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale is one of the world's most combat-experienced counter-terrorist organizations. Somewhere between a SWAT team and Delta Force, the French GIGN responds to terrorist threats or domestic attacks. The enemy has evolved and so, too, has the GIGN. Their mission is to get access to the scene of an attack as quickly as possible, then capture or kill the assailants before they can inflict more carnage. Their training program is notoriously brutal and lasts fourteen months if recruits can make it that long. One documentary team followed a group of potential recruits and saw 120 of them whittled down to 18 in two weeks. It includes one of the best marksmanship schools in the world, weapons handling, airborne courses including HALO jumps, hand-to-hand combat, diving, survival training, and explosive ordnance disposal. These guys are lethal, but they value fire discipline. Rumor has it that they're just issued a 6-shot .357 revolver as their official sidearm with only 6 rounds, you bet they're going to make each one count. 4. The Sayeret Matkal of Israel Sayeret Matkal operator. (Israeli Defense Forces) Also known as "Unit 269," Israel's Sayeret Matkal is a highly secretive special-operations brigade with almost legendary status. Since its inception in 1957, Sayeret Matkal has gained a reputation for its deep reconnaissance capabilities and counter-terrorism and hostage recovery missions. They rely on secrecy, attacking in small numbers and in disguise, then fading away before the enemy realizes what happened. One of its most notable operations is perhaps the Entebbe rescue in 1976, when an Air France plane carrying 250 passengers to Paris from Tel Aviv was hijacked by terrorists. The non-Israeli passengers were released, but 106 hostages remained. The rescue mission took a week to plan and a little over an hour to execute. The disguised task force was airlifted in with Land Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz. They managed to infiltrate the local army, kill the terrorists, and rescue all but four of the hostages. Only one Israeli soldier was killed in the attack. That's the thing with Sayeret Matkal once you know it's there, you're already out of time. 3. Spain's Special Naval Warfare Force Spanish Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers partner with a U.S. Marine during exercise Sea Saber 2004. (U.S. Navy photo) Spain's Special Naval Warfare Force was created in 2009 when the country merged different units of the Spanish Navy into one combatastic entity. The "Fuerza" is comprised of the Special Combat Divers Unit, Special Explosive Diffusers Unit, and the Special Operations Unit its main tactical predecessor. The Special Operations Unit was responsible for maritime counter-terrorism, combat diving, air and amphibious insertion, combat search and rescue, and ship-boarding today's elite unit carries on the fight. They have a strong history of utilizing those tactics in hostage rescue and pirate confrontation. In 2002, the hombres rana supported Operation Enduring Freedom in the Indian Ocean when they stormed a North Korean vessel transporting SCUD missiles to Yemen. Then, in 2011, they rescued a French hostage from Somali pirates. And that's just what's known to the public like the other elite units on this list, most of their missions remain classified. 2. Russian Spetsnaz Russian Spetsnaz. (Photo by Wikipedia user Aleksey Yermolov) Russia's badass Spetsnaz is shrouded in mystery, but it dates back to the Red Bolshevik Guard, a paramilitary force organized during the height of the Russian Revolution in the early 20th century. Most of its members are comparable to U.S. Army Rangers, but an elite few train like Delta Force. They had a traditional background of battlefield reconnaissance, shattering enemy chains of command and lines of supply, and targeting the enemy's tactical weapons and advantages, but one thing that makes them different from U.S. operators, however, is their freedom to "mix and match" their weapons. Recently, Russia has been increasingly modeling its Spetsnaz off American counterparts. To a casual observer, they can appear difficult to distinguish from one another, but at the end of the day, there's a reason Russia is trying to keep up with the United States. 1. U.S. Navy SEALs Members of U.S. Navy Seal Team One move down the Bassac River in a STAB during operations along the river south of Saigon, 1967. I lied. I saved this one for last. Because, come on. United States Navy SEALs are perhaps the finest special operations forces in the world. The competitive standard to even be considered for BUD/S training is to swim 500 yards in 10:30, 79 push-ups, 79 sit-ups, 11 pull-ups, and a 10:20 1.5 mile run. That's just to get in. Preparation to become a SEAL consists of Basic Underwater Demolition, Parachute Jump school, and SEAL Qualification Training which have all been described lightly as "brutal" then they do another 18 months of pre-deployment training. SEALs deliver highly specialized, intensely challenging tactical capabilities including direct action warfare, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, and foreign internal defense. From the Korean War and the Vietnam War to Somalia to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, to Operation Inherent Resolve, and, of course, the death of international terrorist Osama bin Laden, Navy SEALs have made their mark. MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY: 6 tips to help you survive the notorious 'Crucible' 4 stupid fights lost because of racism The best post-workout drink probably isn't what you expected We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty. No minerals currently recorded for this locality. List of minerals for each chemical element Regional Geology Sylvan Lake is a small impoundment in the midst of massive outcrops of Harney Peak granite. In 1881 Theodore Reder built a dam across a narrow opening in the granite blocking Sunday Gulch Creek to form the lake. The lake and surrounding area is part of Custer State Park and collecting is not allowed, however, the geology of the Harney Peak granite can be observed on the many trails. Opportunities to photograph pegmatite veins and in-situ minerals are abundant. Most importantly it is the trail head for the 7 mile roundtrip hike to Black Elk Peak and the spectacular views of the granite core of the Black Hills. This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found. Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org Harney Peak Granite Age: Proterozoic (1600 - 2500 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Harney Peak Granite Description: Layered granite, pegmatitic granite, and pegmatite. Leucocratic, peraluminous, plagioclase-microcline-quartz-muscovite S-type granite. Tourmaline and biotite common, but biotite mainly in inner part of central mass. Central mass consists of hundreds of intrusions. More than 24,000 separate bodies of pegmatite and granite are known between the central mass and the line defining the outer limit of pegmatite and granite bodies. Several hundred zoned pegmatites in a peripheral zone contain deposits of feldspar, mica, beryl, and other rare-element minerals. Emplacement age of 1,715 3 Ma for the main granite based on concordant U-Pb date for monazite (Redden and others, 1990), but the emplacement of some pegmatite bodies may have continued for ~10 million years. Reference: Redden, J.A., E. DeWitt. Maps Showing Geology, Structure, and Geophysics of the Central Black Hills, South Dakota. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 2777. [73] Harney Peak Granite Age: Proterozoic (1600 - 2500 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Harney Peak Granite Description: Pink to tan, finely crystalline to pegmaticic, peraluminous, muscovite granite and pegmatite containing accessory biotite, garnet, apatite, and tourmaline. Batholith body is dome-shaped with numerous smaller dikes and sills. Lithology: Major:{granite} Reference: Horton, J.D., C.A. San Juan, and D.B. Stoeser. The State Geologic Map Compilation (SGMC) geodatabase of the conterminous United States. doi: 10.3133/ds1052. U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1052. [133] Paleoproterozoic intrusive rocks Age: Proterozoic (1600 - 2500 Ma) Lithology: Intrusive igneous rocks Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154] Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License The White Sox announced Friday that theyve designated right-hander Chris Volstad for assignment. His spot on the 25- and 40-man rosters will go to right-hander Tyler Danish, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Charlotte. The ChiSox also called up right-handed reliever Thyago Vieira from Charlotte to join the big league bullpen. Volstad, 31, has soaked up 47 1/3 innings for an ugly Chicago pitching staff so far in 2018, though hes posted an ungainly 6.27 ERA with 5.5 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in that time. Those 47 1/3 frames are the most hes totaled in a big league season since 2012; in fact, its a greater total than the combined number of MLB innings Volstad threw from 2013-17. The Sox have a week to trade him or run him through outright waivers, and it stands to reason that theres a good chance hell clear and have the opportunity to remain in the organization at Triple-A. Danish, 23, was one of Chicagos better pitching prospects for a few years but cleared waivers and was removed from the 40-man roster last offseason. Hes had a nice run in Charlotte this season, though, notching a 3.06 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent ground-ball rate in 64 2/3 innings of work. All but two of Danishs 29 appearances have come in relief, so it seems the organization will see how the former starter fares out of the bullpen moving forward. As for Vieira, the 25-year-old flamethrower has had his struggles in Charlotte this year his first in the organization. Chicago picked him up in a trade that sent international bonus considerations to the Mariners this past offseason, and while hes averaged a heart 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 2018, hes also averaged 5.3 walks in that same span. Vieira averaged 98.7 mph on his fastball in last years brief MLB debut with the Mariners, and hell bring the ability to miss plenty of bats to the table on the South Side, even if control could prove to be an ongoing issue. BAY CITY, MICHIGAN - It might not have been the biggest premiere the world has ever seen, but our Michigan's Best Day in Bay City video release party was a fantastically good time. Held on Thursday, July 26 at Bay City Bills, the video was shown to a capacity crowd. In attendance were some of the business owners who were featured in the video, including Jacquie and Ed Larner from Mussell Beach, David Baranowski and Kellie Berry from D'Angelo's, and Brad and Peggy Wilderman from Beatles and Beans Coffee Emporium. Also there to watch the new video were representatives from the Michigan Retailers Association, who are sponsoring this summer's video series. They even brought along their "Buy Nearby" guy, who filled up Bay City Bills nicely with his Michigan-themed costume. We are excited to be partnering with this great organization to continue to promote locally-owned, Michigan-based businesses. You can check out the video below, and scroll through the gallery to see everyone who came out. PITTSFIELD TWP., MI - A Pittsfield Township family was displaced from their home Thursday evening when a fire broke out and destroyed their roof. Fire crews were called at 7:10 p.m., July 26, to a two-story home in the 1700 block of Monterey Court, where they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof, according to a statement from the Pittsfield Township Fire Department. A neighbor saw flames coming from the roof and knocked on the door to tell them their house was on fire. They evacuated and called 911, fire crews said. There were no injuries reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Damages are estimated at $200,000. The American Red Cross is assisting the family. Saline Fire, Ypsilanti Fire, Ypsilanti Township Fire and Ann Arbor Fire assisted at the scene. ANN ARBOR, MI - A new group calling itself Welcoming Ann Arbor is staging a pop-up party this weekend on the city-owned Library Lot to show support for a high-rise development on the lot. The group is inviting community members to come learn more about the 17-story project and "celebrate the progress of a budding new building with some pop-up fun." A flier for the event indicates there will be music, drawing, face painting and pop-up art. The event is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 29, on the parking lot atop the Library Lane underground parking garage along Fifth Avenue, just north of the downtown library. The city is trying to sell the lot to Chicago developer Core Spaces for $10 million to pave the way for a 17-story high-rise with a 12,000-square-foot plaza open to the public. A grassroots citizens group is trying to stop the development and have the lot transformed into a downtown central park, a proposal on the November ballot. The separate group behind this weekend's pop-up party is in support of the Core Spaces development. "We want to demonstrate our support of the building and how the development process is unfolding thus far, and we decided we wanted to do it in a fun way," said Ann Arbor resident Jessica Letaw, a Downtown Development Authority board member and one of the organizers of the event supporting the Core Spaces project. Letaw said there will be child-friendly activities and a mockup of the proposed building's floor plans. She said she's hoping the pop-up art installation also will help make the project real to people in a way that floor plans and renderings don't always succeed in doing. Some of the ideas Core Spaces has for the outdoor plaza area it proposes as part of its development include an art sculpture, water feature, children's play area, splash pad, flexible activity area, removable stage for concerts, and a dining terrace. The City Council voted 8-3 to approve the $10 million sale of the lot in April 2017, after which the city and Core Spaces worked for more than a year to negotiate and finalize a purchase agreement. As tentatively planned, the building, known as the Collective on 5th, would include retail space on the ground floor, along with a hotel lobby, residential lobby and common area, office space on the second floor, 131 hotel rooms on floors three through six, 360 apartments on floors seven through 17, and a 12,000-square-foot plaza. The developer and the city executed the purchase agreement for the property on May 31, one week after the city clerk notified a grassroots citizens group that its proposal seeking to halt the development had enough signatures to go on the November ballot. City Council members against the park proposal have since voted to add extra wording to the ballot to make arguments for selling the lot for the Core Spaces development. The ballot wording is being contested, a dispute now in the state attorney general's hands. Two council members, Anne Bannister and Sumi Kailasapathy, also filed a lawsuit against the city and mayor on June 18, challenging the legality of the contract with Core Spaces. Closing on the sale hasn't happened yet and the lawsuit is pending. The City Council recently held a closed session with the city's legal team to discuss the case without Bannister and Kailasapathy in the room. The new Welcoming Ann Arbor group that's behind the pop-up party in support of the Core Spaces project describes itself on its Facebook page as friends and neighbors who say yes to housing affordability, walkability, sustainability, diversity, and a beautiful, thriving Ann Arbor. "We want you as neighbors!" the page states. ANN ARBOR, MI - School districts in Michigan can legally ban guns on school property, the state's highest court has ruled. The Michigan Supreme Court handed down its decision on Friday, July 27, on two related cases involving gun rights groups versus Ann Arbor Public Schools and Clio Area School District, both of which have policies banning firearms on school property. Four of the seven justices were in agreement on upholding the previous Michigan Court of Appeals decisions affirming both school districts' right to enforce their weapons bans. AAPS Superintendent Jeanice Swift is calling the ruling a "victory for the children of Michigan." Bridget McCormack, a Supreme Court justice from the Ann Arbor area, wrote the majority opinion issued on Friday, supported by justices David Viviano, Richard Bernstein and Elizabeth Clement. They held that the Legislature has the authority to preempt school districts from adopting policies like the ones at issue that regulate firearms on school property, but not only has the Legislature not done so, it has expressed its intent not to preempt such regulation. "The Legislature has, expressly, restricted some but not all local governments from regulating firearms. Schools in particular are not on the preempted list, quite possibly for reasons not difficult to imagine," the court's majority opinion states. "Of course, if the Legislature in its wisdom sees fit to allow open firearms on all school grounds, no matter what local school districts may variously desire, it can say so." Justices Kurtis Wilder and Brian Zahra signed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, while Chief Justice Stephen Markman issued his own dissenting opinion. Markman argued state law authorizes school districts to enact school policies except as otherwise provided by law. He said state law authorizes concealed pistol license holders to openly carry firearms on school property, while the school policies in question prohibit that. "Because school districts do not have the authority to enact school policies that conflict with state law, the school policies at issue here are invalid," he wrote in his opinion, disagreeing with the majority. "When there is an enactment of the Legislature that provides that a person 'may' do something and a subordinate public body provides that he or she 'may not' do that same thing, there is a textual, a logical, a legal, and a practical conflict, and the former provision of law prevails; it is that simple." Kenneth Herman and Michigan Open Carry Inc. filed a lawsuit against Clio Schools in March 2015 asserting the district is preempted by state regulations on firearms from enforcing its weapons ban. In April 2015, Ulysses Wong and Michigan Gun Owners Inc. filed a lawsuit against Ann Arbor Public Schools that made similar claims. Whether public schools have the authority to set stricter weapons policies than what is required by state law was the central question at a Supreme Court hearing on both cases on April 11. State law says people with concealed carry permits may openly carry a gun on school property, and people may have a weapon in a vehicle with them when picking up or dropping off a student at school. Ann Arbor and Clio school districts have adopted policies that prohibit people carrying weapons from being on school property. AAPS enrolls about 17,800 students in Washtenaw County, and Clio Schools enrolls about 3,000 students in Genesee County. Clio Superintendent Fletcher Spears said Friday's ruling is great news for schools. "We certainly felt confident in the argument put forth by our attorneys, that school districts are not local units of government and therefore do have the ability to set policies with respect to firearms on our grounds," he said, congratulating the lawyers who worked on the case. "For me it's about local control, and I think that it's a wonderful decision," he added. "I think it's a great day for schools and school districts, and it really does hold up what the Legislature intended." The city of Ann Arbor supported the Ann Arbor school district, filing an amicus brief before the Supreme Court earlier this year in the case of Michigan Gun Owners Inc. v. Ann Arbor Public Schools. City Attorney Stephen Postema called Friday's ruling a great win for the schools. BAY CITY, MI -- Prosecutors are alleging a Linwood father committed felony child abuse by shoving, punching, and excessively spanking his son. In his statements to police, though, the dad said he only spanked his defiant son and insisted he is a good father whose discipline did not cross the line into abuse. The afternoon of June 12, Bay County Sheriff's deputies received a referral from Child Protective Services regarding a potential abuse case. Later that same day, an 11-year-old boy was interviewed at the Nathan Weidner Children's Advocacy Center, having been brought there by his mother. The boy said that on the morning of Saturday, May 26, his dad, 35-year-old Adam J. Whiteherse, had cooked him breakfast at his dad's girlfriend's Bay City home. The boy said he hadn't wanted to eat what his dad had cooked, so when Whiteherse left the kitchen, he snuck a bowl of cereal, court records show. When Whiteherse saw his son with the cereal, he shoved him from behind, knocking him to the ground, the boy said. Whiteherse told the boy to get up, only to repeatedly shoved him down again, the boy continued. The boy eventually got to his feet and ran to another room, only for Whiteherse to catch him, throw him onto a couch, and began punching him in his face and buttocks, the boy said. After about 5 minutes, Whiteherse told his son to leave the house and walk away as he didn't want to see him, the boy continued. Whiteherse then tossed the cereal on the porch and eventually told his son to come back to the house, then had him sit on the porch for 20 minutes, the son said. The boy added that his dad's girlfriend saw some of the incident and told Whiteherse to stop. Two days later, the boy's mom picked him up from his dad. Interviewed by police, the mom said her son told her what had happened and she confronted Whiteherse, who had told her he only spanked their son, adding he had been beaten by his dad growing up and "that's just how it is," court records show. By the time of the Advocacy Center interview, the boy's alleged injuries had healed. His mother, however, took photos on May 29 and provided them to police. The photos showed the boy had a black right eye, a scratch on his face, and black-and-blue bruising on his buttocks, court records show. Police later interviewed Whiteherse, who said he is a great father to his sons. As his son has grown older, he's become more defiant toward adults, he said. Regarding the alleged assault, Whiteherse said he had pushed his son onto a couch on seeing him with cereal, pulled down his pajama bottoms, and spanked him three to four times. "Adam stated that he did use adult aggression on (his son) but stated that is how he was raised," the interviewing deputy wrote in his report. "He has never been abusive towards his sons and thought it was the time in (his son's) life that he needed to get spanked hard." Whiteherse said his girlfriend intervened and he then walked off to cool down. He also told the deputy he did not know how his son had acquired the bruising around his right eye. Authorities issued a warrant for Whiteherse on July 6. On July 20, he voluntarily appeared for arraignment in Bay County District Court on single counts of third-degree child abuse and domestic violence. The former is a two-year felony, while the latter is a 93-day misdemeanor. The arraigning judge released Whiteherse on a personal recognizance bond. Whiteherse is to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge Mark E. Janer at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9. Corporal punishment is not inherently illegal in Michigan. It can be considered abuse if the discipline is unreasonable, according to legal experts. "Spanking 'crosses the line' only when the discipline would be considered unreasonable," legal experts said in a 2011 MLive article. "In short, there is no bright line test. These matters are decided on a case by case basis." FLINT, MI -- Flint water prosecutors intentionally delayed the preliminary examination for Michigan's top health official for political reasons and "know that they can't win" the case at trial, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley says. Calley, commenting to reporters this week as his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor enters its final days before the August primary, accused his opponent, Attorney General Bill Schuette, of playing politics in the prosecution of state Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon. "They just know they can't win at trial so they delayed at a historic level ... The longest preliminary examination probably in the history of Michigan -- maybe the history of our country," Calley said. The lieutenant governor said the reason for the delay was an effort to secure a bind over of a member of Gov. Rick Snyder's cabinet "right before the primary so that they can treat that ... as some kind of win." Genesee District Judge David Goggins was expected to make that decision Wednesday, July 25, but postponed it until Aug. 20 -- nearly two weeks after the primary vote. Schuette's office issued a statement Thursday, July 26, saying the water crisis prosecutions aren't "about politics (but) about the families in Flint who were sickened and in some cases died as a result of the water flowing out of their taps." Attorney General spokeswoman Andrea Bitely said special prosecutor Todd Flood called his final witness in Lyon's preliminary examination in February, but the exam hasn't ended as attorneys for the DHHS director have called their own witnesses and Goggins has considered whether there is probable cause that two Genesee County men were victims of involuntary manslaughter and that Lyon likely committed the crimes during the Flint water crisis. Calley's remarks came at a campaign press conference Tuesday, July 24 -- an event during which he also criticized what he called Schuette's light work schedule. In addition to involuntary manslaughter, Lyon also faces charges of misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty. After Goggins decided to wait until after the Aug. 7 primary election to rule in the Lyon case, Calley's campaign issued a statement continuing the charges against Schuette and Flood. "This is already the longest, most expensive preliminary exam in the history of the state, and the prosecution is still unable to meet the low legal bar to proceed to trial. It shows how weak their case is," the statement says. The attorney general's office charged Lyon with crimes related to the water crisis -- in particular, his failure to warn the public or tell Gov. Rick Snyder about outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County -- after the city's water source was changed to the Flint River. Lyon has said he was aware of a possible connection between the outbreaks and Flint water -- something that's still contested -- a full year before directly telling the governor what he knew. In addition to Lyon, Flood has charged 14 other current and former city and state employees with crimes related to the water crisis, and four defendants have accepted plea agreements. Lyon's case could still be the first in which a judge rules on the initial strength of the attorney general's Flint water case. One other case against former emergency manager Gerald Ambrose is already pending in Genesee Circuit Court after Ambrose waived his preliminary exam in district court. SPARTA, MI -- For the first time since 2012, voters will have two Republican candidates to choose from for the District 9 seat on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners. On Aug. 7, voters will choose between 18-year incumbent Phil Kuyers, 59, and challenger Pat VerDuin, 61, for the seat. The winner of the primary election will run unopposed in the Nov. 6 general election. District 9 in Ottawa County encompasses Robinson Township Precinct 3, Olive Township, City of Grand Haven Precinct 3 and Grand Haven Charter Township Precincts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. Kuyers was first elected to the commission in 2000. He was chair of the Board of Commissioners for three years and chair of the planning committee and finance committee. He's also on the Parks and Recreation Committee. Kuyers is a third-generation dairy farmer who has owned a small business for 40 years. VerDuin served as administrator for the 20th Circuit Court, Juvenile Services and Recovery Courts, where she developed community programs and led efforts toward building the Juvenile Services Center in West Olive. She's the first to challenge Kuyers in the Republican ticket since 2012. MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information. VerDuin's and Kuyers' responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Find the original responses at Vote411.org. From this list, rate your top three priorities for the office of Ottawa County Commissioner: funding for infrastructure and roads, land use, water quality, social services, lower taxes, safety, senior services funded through a countywide millage, redistricting -- county commissioner allocation. PHILIP KUYERS: Infrastructure and roads -- as current county commissioner, if re-elected I will continue to improve communication with road commission along with communicating to the state the imperative funds for Ottawa County. Water quality -- if re-elected, I will make sure we are utilizing our resource of water in the aquifers that will secure them to be there for generations by developing an infrastructure that keeps up with the housing and business needs in West Michigan. Safety -- continue working with the sheriff's department by giving them the resources necessary to be able to control or contain the trafficking of heroin and opioids and educating the people of this crisis in Ottawa County. Also, to continue to support the protection of kids in the schools by placing more Ottawa County sheriffs in the school districts and on the streets. PAT VERDUIN: Land use -- we are a destination for new families and for people seeking the quality of life found here during their senior years. Seventy-five percent of Lakeshore businesses plan to expand in the next three years, anticipating as many as 1,900 new jobs, according to a 2017 Business Intelligence Report. We are a community with a strong legacy in its farming and agriculture industry as well as parks and recreation. Water quality -- managing our groundwater is intimately connected to the decisions we make in how we use and develop our land. We know there is an increase in sodium chloride due to the increased water consumption and lack of freshwater recharge. The impact of freshwater recharge means decreased water levels or dry wells. Social services -- the need to provide human services and safety is one of the third legs on the stool to maintaining a balance in our ecosystem. Social services must keep up with the demands of its residents. Statement: county commissioners have done an effective job in leading the county in the last two years. Do you agree or disagree? PHILIP KUYERS: Agree, over the past two years serving as county commissioner, we have improved the study of water quality and usage. The county millage is established as one of the lowest in the state, keeping over $6 million in the pockets of the local community. PAT VERDUIN: The Ottawa County commissioners have done an effective job leading the county. There are many things that contribute to this accomplishment. Having a strong and capable county administrator, like Al VandenBerg, is no small part of the success that we have experienced. The overall collaborative spirit of the people in our community is the envy of other counties in Michigan. The demeanor by which the commissioners conduct their business with each other is professional and respectful. The lakeshore continues to be an attractive place to live, work, play and learn, and, as a result, we continue to see steady growth impacting the economic stability of the community. However, Ottawa County voters are virtually unaware of who their county commissioner is and what they do. Taxpayers deserve to know more. Commissioners must reach out to them. It is our responsibility to engage with the constituents we serve through our assigned districts and be accountable to them. What are your strategies for meeting with your district to gain local insight for important county decisions? PHILIP KUYERS: Working with the townships and city and sending out newsletters to inform the happenings in the county and in the local parks. Also, look to continue to survey the citizens to get a feeling on the overall performance and what they want as citizens in the county. PAT VERDUIN: The strategies for meeting constituents begins with communication that will build relationships and trust intentionally over time. I plan to regularly attend township, city council and school board meetings, staying informed and finding ways to connect that better all stakeholders. I will continue to provide a monthly newsletter and use social media to keep residents informed. Involvement in the community goes beyond boards that are assigned as a commissioner volunteerism is another way to stay connected. Intentionally reaching and engaging all sectors is important to represent the diverse perspective of the people and places we serve. By electing me, the district would know who their county commissioner is and the services provided that impact them every day. Sacramento Police Department(LOS ANGELES) -- In the 1980s, William Evins pleaded guilty to the brutal rape and murder of young Southern California mother Joan Anderson. But now, the Orange County district attorneys office agreed to review the murder case after an attorney argued that the suspected "Golden State Killer" -- not the man who was convicted -- may be behind the brutal crime. A brutal killing Anderson, a 28-year-old mother and wife, was raped and killed at her Fountain Valley home in 1979. Evins was arrested for the crime after a friend testified under hypnosis that Evins confessed to killing her, said innocence rights attorney Annee Della Donna, who is now representing Evins' daughter. Two others also testified under hypnosis that Evins' truck was near Anderson's home, Della Donna told ABC News Thursday. Evins was sent to prison, she said, until several years later after California's Supreme Court ruled that most testimony from hypnotized people was inadmissible. Evins' case was ordered dismissed in 1985. But Evins was promptly re-arrested, she said, because notorious jailhouse informant James Dean Cochrum -- who had "free range of the Orange County Jail" at the time -- had said Evins confessed to him. Cochrum was the "most notorious of a notorious group of jailhouse informants," added intelligence analyst Matt Kelly. "He claims to have overheard ... five different people confess to five different murders. Totally unheard of." A guilty plea Evins, who faced a first-degree murder charge, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years to life, Della Donna said. He would have had time-served for 5 years, so he told his family he hoped to be out in 10 years. "It sounded like a good deal for him and he took the deal," she said. It dates back to 1979, when she was a higher schooler in Fountain Valley -- the same time and place of Anderson's murder. One night, walking home from her restaurant job, Della Donna said she was nearly abducted. She said she saw a parked van and a man standing in white underwear with a mask on his face, revealing "bright blue eyes." He was holding a kitchen knife, she said. She "took off running" to the nearby fire department where her mother picked her up, Della Donna said. Two weeks later, she said she saw the same man drive by her house without the mask on, and she got a clear view of what he looked like -- what she described as a "young surfer" look. 'My little red flags went up' Nearly 40 years went by without much thought. Until last year, when Della Donna's daughter had a near-kidnapping experience of her own, and she decided to look into what happened to her close-call from 1979. During her research Della Donna found the FBI page for the then-unsolved "Golden State Killer" -- a cold case that stumped California law enforcement for decades -- and that's when the attorney said she believed the "Golden State Killer" was the man who tried to attack her. The "Golden State Killer" was believed to have committed 12 murders, at least 50 rapes and multiple home burglaries throughout California, from Sacramento down to Orange County, in the 1970s and 1980s. He was notorious for his methodical movements and brazenness to stay and snack at his victims' homes. "He cut blinds from houses and used as ligatures," Kelly, who has been investigating the "Golden State Killer," told ABC News. "Most of the Southern California murders he bound his victims but then take the ligatures with him. That was actually a departure from his MO in Northern California where he would keep people tied up." The "Golden State Killer" also targeted his victims base on their proximity to a drainage canal, Kelly said, so he could reach a drainage canal in minutes for an easy escape to cut across the street grid. "Not everything he did shows up at one crime scene," Kelly said, "but you have a clustering that is typical of him." The "Golden State Killer"'s identity remained unknown for decades, until this April, when through DNA and genetic genealogy, 72-year-old former police officer Joseph DeAngelo was arrested. He's awaiting trial on 12 murder charges. After DeAngelo's arrest, to "satisfy my own curiosity that the person I saw in 1979 was in fact the 'Golden State Killer,'" Della Donna said she decided to investigate every other rape or murder in 1979 in Orange County. That's when Della Donna stumbled across the Joan Anderson case -- she said Anderson had lived six blocks from her childhood home. The attorney looked at a photo of Evins and said she immediately knew Evins wasn't almost attacker -- but she kept researching anyway, soon learning of the testimony under hypnosis and the suspicious jailhouse snitch. "As an innocence attorney, my little red flags went up," she said. "Way too many discrepancies in terms of lack of evidence against him. ... It was just way too suspicious not to look into it." So she said she investigated Anderson's murder more closely, learning the young mother's "ankles were bound meticulously with a cord that he cut from her window blinds and that he took with him. She was raped, her head was bludgeoned with a hammer." The attorney said she also learned Anderson's killer appeared to mirror the Golden State Killer's MO: "We found out that the murderer spent hours in her house after the murder. And he had cooked food and eaten food in her kitchen. We found out that upstairs the Andersons had these decorative rum bottles... and a couple of them had been opened." Anderson also had a drainage ditch .3 miles from her house, said Kelly. That "starting ringing bells," he said, because "that may be the most consistent feature of the houses that DeAngelo attacked -- the proximity to drainage canals." Della Donna continued with her research, interviewing those who knew Anderson as well as Evins' ex-wife and daughter. "We put together a massive factual statement with all of our evidence we found out from interviewing some of these witnesses," she said, "including there was a gas can on [Anderson's] counter. And one of the theories police had was Evins gained access to Anderson's house by this ruse that he had run out of gas -- this gas can was important to their case. We found out that gas can was Joan Anderson's." DA to review the case Della Donna said she's 99 percent sure that Evins didn't commit the killing. Kelly also feels "very confident" that Evins was not Anderson's killer. "There's no evidence [Evins] did it. Did DeAngelo do it? I don't know. ... it's hard to put probabilities on these things, but it sure looks like he did it. I think he did. But we have to look more carefully at it," Kelly said. "There's no reason to think we know about all of DeAngelo's murders. So if a murder like this happens in an area we know he operated, and has all these points in common with his MO, that needs to be looked at more carefully... and look carefully at the DNA and see if he can be linked to it." She's about 90 percent certain the Golden State Killer was behind Anderson's murder, she added, and said the "Golden State Killer" expert investigators are open to her theory. Della Donna submitted her argument to prosecutors several weeks ago and the Orange County district attorney's office agreed to review Evins' case, district attorneys office spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden told ABC News. "It's their responsibility now to find if there is any DNA [from Anderson's case] and test it," Della Donna said. "If there is no DNA then we're going to look at this case as filing a posthumously writ of habeas corpus to have Evins declared innocent." "If any evidence does exist -- and they are testing that to see if there's a different outcome -- the Orange County district attorney's office is ready to follow that in any direction it goes," Van Der Linden said. "We are interested in seeing justice go wherever it leads." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Artist Alan Shuptrine and the Museum Center at 5ive Points are celebrating the land, culture, and people along the Appalachian Trail through excellence in watercolor and craftsmanship. Mr. Shuptrine, nationally recognized for his paintings, has created 60 watercolors for a body of work that celebrates the connections of our Appalachian mountains and their historical and cultural counterparts in the British Isles. The Museum Center will display these works and highlight the parallels with the regions history. This particular journey highlights Celtic traditions that were brought to America in the 18th Century, and are still practiced today. Mr. Shuptrines deep, technical excellence is exhibited in each painting, and highlighted in images of traditions such as quilt making, whiskey making, and fiddle playing, and views across the mountain ranges. Mr. Shuptrine is currently collaborating with Jennifer Pharr Davis New York Times best selling author, hiker, and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year to create a coffee table book, pairing images of his works with her insight of the mountain area. Serving as a monument to the mountain trail, this collection, book and complementary documentary film will help preserve the unique heritage and traditions for future generations. The collection will be on display at the Museum Center at 5ive Points starting Sept. 27 through Jan. 17. The exhibition originally opened at the Tennessee State Museum in May, 2017, in Nashville; continued to the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Ga., and traveled to the Huntsville Museum of Art in Huntsville before coming home to Cleveland in September 2018. Visit www.theserpentinechain.com, www.alanshuptrine.com or www.shuptrinesgallery.com for additional information and to view works by Alan Shuptrine. Light showers and gusty south winds are ahead for your Tuesday. We'll dry out and get warmer through the middle of this week. More showers are possible late Friday into Saturday, but we'll dry out just in time for Halloween on Sunday. Severe Radar Temperatures OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- A stabbing suspect fleeing police in an SUV struck a police cruiser several times along Riley Street before crashing into a utility pole, police said. No one was injured during the pursuit, although the SUV also struck another vehicle going west on Riley Street near 136th Avenue. Ottawa County sheriff's deputies received a report about 3:40 p.m. Thursday, July 26 about a stabbing an an industrial building in the 200 block of Franklin Street near Zeeland. Deputies were told that a woman was stabbed in the neck by a man. She was involved in a domestic relationship with the person. The man was last seen driving a maroon GMC Envoy and police soon spotted the vehicle near U.S. 31 and Riley Street. A pursuit began on westbound Riley Street and police at one point indicated a sheriff's cruiser was rammed. The SUV struck the sheriff's cruiser and also another westbound vehicle before going off the road and colliding with a utility pole. The SUV then went back across all traffic lanes before coming to rest near the Herrick Library branch. Police said the 46-year-old SUV driver, of Holland Township, was taken to a hospital for treatment of self-inflicted injuries. The woman with stab injuries, a 45-year-old Holland Township resident, was last known to be in stable condition at a hospital. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A judge described a 2016 fatal shooting as "clearly a cold-blooded murder" before sentencing a 19-year-old man to a minimum 38 years in prison Thursday. The term substantially exceeded sentencing guidelines that judges often abide by, but are not required to follow if they can show good reasons. "I do not believe the guidelines take into effect the fact that this man was basically slaughtered for no reason at all, that he was shot eight times, that you were bragging about this incident and that until today you've shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever," Judge Mark Trusock said. Ramon Logan II was convicted in May of second-degree murder for the August 2016 shooting death of 39-year-old Kenneth Kirkwood outside of a house at 1645 College Ave. SE. Kirkwood and another man were working on renovating a house when two people approached them. There was some talk about selling a bike when, suddenly, Logan used a gun to strike the man with Kirkwood in the face. Kirkwood then stepped forward, apparently to help his friend, when Logan fired at him. "There was absolutely no excuse or justification for this," Trusock said. "This was clearly a cold-blooded murder." The sentencing guidelines called for a minimum sentence of about 18 years to 31 years in prison. Trusock ordered a sentence of 38-100 years during the hearing Thursday, July 26. A niece to Kirkwood, Linda Jones, described her uncle as a "loving, caring man" who was at the wrong place and wrong time when he was shot. "He didn't deserve to die," she said. "He did nothing wrong." Jones said her family can forgive Logan "for the hurt he caused" but will never forget what happened. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Allendale schools is asking voters on the Aug. 7, primary ballot to renew its 18 mills of non-homestead millage, plus an additional 3 mills to safeguard against potential reductions. Only non-homestead properties - second homes, rental properties and businesses - pay the district operating millage of 18 mills, not primary residences. Allendale schools would lose $4.3 million per year beginning in 2019, if the millage fails. "The state will not replace this funding, and the district would be faced with finding alternative funding or implementing steep cuts in programming and staffing,'' according to district literature to the community. Allendale is one of four school districts in need of operating millage renewals Ottawa and Kent County voters will help decide. The other districts are: Hamilton, Belding and Allegan. Allendale Superintendent Garth Cooper said the non-homestead millage speaks directly to the district's day-to-day operating funds. He said losing the millage would have a major impact on programs and class size because it would devastate the general fund budget. In May, voters approved operating millage renewals for Hudsonville, West Ottawa, Zeeland, and Grand Haven. Specifically, Allendale is requesting 21 mills for a period of two years, 2019 and 2020, for operating purposes. By law, the maximum levy for an operating millage is 18 mills. By raising the maximum levy of the operating millage to 21 mills, Allendale would have a cushion against Headlee rollbacks to ensure the district can still collect 18 mills even as property values rise. The district had 2,669 students for 2017-18. Like Allendale, Hamilton Community Schools in the Ottawa Area ISD is also emphasizing the impact of a defeat to voters, as well as the fact this is not a new tax and won't affect primary residences. "The state doesn't replace this. We would be forced to make cuts to programs and support services,'' according to the district. "If the millage is not renewed, the district would lose $2.9 million peryear beginning January 2019.'' Hamilton had 2,669 students last school year. The ballot proposal asks for the operating millage to be renewed by 18.8993 mills for two years, 2019 and 2020, and be increased by 0.1007 mill for the same two years. The additional 1 mill is again protection from a Headlee rollback. Here is a breakdown of the other two proposals: *Belding Area Schools, which is in Ionia County, has some precincts in Kent County. The district's millage represents approximately $1.65 million of the general fund revenues. Voters are asked to authorize 19.1181 mills for six years, 2019 to 2024. The additional 1.1181 mill is available to restore millage lost from a future Headlee rollback to continue to levy 18 mills. *Allegan Public Schools has a few precincts in Ottawa County. The district is asking for its operating millage to be renewed by 17.9172 mills, and also be increased by .5 mill for two years, 2019 and 2020, for operating purposes. The millage would generate approximately $3.1 million the first year. The additional millage would only be used in case of a Headlee rollback. President Donald Trump weighed in on Michigan's U.S. Senate race Friday, announcing on Twitter that he was endorsing veteran and businessman John James in the race. In two tweets, Trump called James "SPECTACULAR" and praised his credentials as a "West Point graduate, businessman and African American leader." "Rarely have I seen a candidate with such great potential," Trump tweeted. "John is strong on crime and borders, loves our Military, our Vets and our Second Amendment. He will be a star. He has my full and total Endorsement!" ...John is strong on crime and borders, loves our Military, our Vets and our Second Amendment. He will be a star. He has my full and total Endorsement! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018 Also on Twitter, James thanked Trump for his support and said he looks forward to "working with you to make MICHIGAN, and AMERICA, great again!" In a statement, he said he wants to help the president "create more economic opportunity, secure our borders and strengthen our national security." James served as a U.S. Army captain during the Iraq War. He returned to Michigan to work in the family business, James Group International, which was founded by his father. He is running against Grosse Pointe businessman and economist Sandy Pensler in the Republican U.S. Senate primary. Michigan's primary elections are set for Aug. 7. Throughout the primary, James and Pensler have fought over which candidate has the most conservative credentials, with both stressing in campaign literature and in debates that they would support Trump and his policies if elected to the U.S. Senate. In a statement issued following Trump's endorsement, Pensler said he was disappointed in the decision but said his support continues for Trump and his policies. "I believe Michigan Republican voters will see that I have a greater depth and understanding of the issues and will be a stronger voice for our great state in the U.S. Senate," he said. Whoever wins the Republican primary will face incumbent U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in the November general election. Stabenow was first elected to the seat in 2000. Trump previously endorsed Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette in his bid for governor. Vice President Mike Pence also endorsed James on Twitter Friday, saying leaders like James "are the FUTURE of the GOP." With another Michigan city drinking bottled water amid a contamination scare, the state's elected officials continue to ask what can be done -- and what was missed. "We can't consider this this new normal," said state Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids. Brinks joined state Senate Majority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, on Friday to urge more action by Michigan legislators to confront PFAS in the state. The contaminants were found at high levels in Parchment, according to test results received by the state on July 26. That prompted a bottle water distribution that Ananich said was reminiscent of the water crisis in Flint. Among the requests: Schedule an oversight hearing to explore the Move Brinks' bill to establish a statewide enforceable drinking water standard of 5 parts-per-trillion (ppt) out of the House Natural Resources Committee. The limit, if enacted, would be the nation's toughest PFAS drinking water standard. State Sen. Margaret O'Brien, who attended a press briefing in Parchment on Friday, also expressed concern about the 2012 report. "I'm bothered by the fact that there was a 2012 study that was buried," O'Brien said. However, her focus on Friday was ensuring that the 3,000 residents of Parchment who have been drinking contaminated water have a new water source. In addition to providing bottled water to residents, the city announced plans to flush its water system. "Today what we need is not a hearing, not legislation," O'Brien said. "We are looking at what are the issues we need to tackle in the legislation long-term." Both Brinks and Ananich criticized the Republican administration for lack of action on PFAS after the DEQ report outlined concerns that staff had seen near the closed Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. PFAS at the closed base was first noted there in the late 1990s, and the chemicals were flagged for their adverse human health effects a decade later. By the time the DEQ report was written, federal officials were elevating their concerns about the per- and polyfluorinated compounds. The Environmental Protection Agency added six types of PFAS to its mandatory testing of water systems of 10,000 customers or more, which excluded smaller systems like the one in Parchment. Snyder established the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (M-PART) last fall, after several West Michigan communities joined Oscoda among the areas in the state where PFAS threatened drinking water. Michigan is "approaching the halfway mark" of testing all of its 1,380 public water systems and 461 schools, said Scott Dean, MDEQ spokesperson. The effort began earlier this year, and should be done by year-end. The testing began in southwest Michigan and will move toward the Saginaw Bay region, he said, due to the geology and industrial history of the west Michigan region. That includes paper manufacturing and the plating industry. "It's giving us a lot of data very quickly," Dean said. That included the high readings in Parchment that were 20 times the federal health advisory. The state now has 34 PFAS investigation sites. They included multiple military installations, former industrial waste sites for Wolverine World Wide north of Grand Rapids, and municipal water systems. Until this week, no water system tested for PFAS above the 70 ppt advisory. "The report could have been a warning sign for all of Michigan that we could have been addressing," Ananich said. "... We could have a remediation plan in place." Brinks added: "We are six years behind where we should be." Kalamazoo Gazette reporter Kayla Miller contributed to this report. A man convicted of transporting nearly 600 pounds of marijuana in Arizona has been arrested in Michigan. The Arizona Attorney General's Office announced on Thursday, July 26 that 63-year-old Alphonso Taylor was located and apprehended by DEA agents and area law enforcement in Metro Detroit just a few days after he failed to appear for the reading of a guilty verdict in Phoenix. Taylor was found guilty of Conspiracy, Illegally Conducting an Enterprise, and Transportation of Marijuana for Sale earlier this month. He is awaiting extradition proceedings. Upon his return to Arizona, he will be sentenced. Investigation into Taylor began in June 2013 when DEA agents with the West Valley Task Force overheard Taylor's phone conversation in a convenience store about working with an outlaw motorcycle gang. During the investigation that followed, agents observed Taylor driving a semi-tractor and trailer and worked with troopers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety to conduct a traffic stop. After a search of the trailer, troopers discovered 13 duffel bags which held 25 bundles of marijuana inside the trailer. The total weight of the marijuana seized was 594 pounds. State charges were formally filed against Taylor in 2013, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The investigation was conducted jointly by the DEA and Glendale Police Department, and supported by Peoria Police Department, Surprise Police Department, Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and Arizona Department of Public Safety. Arizona Assistant Attorney General Nick Saccone prosecuted this case. Michigan State University has filed a lawsuit against 13 insurance companies to force them to help cover costs of a $500 million settlement with victims of Larry Nassar. The university issued a statement after filing the lawsuit Thursday, July 26, in Ingham County Circuit Court. "We are suing our carriers, including our largest carrier United Educators, for failing to honor their policies," Robert Young, general counsel for Michigan State University, said in the statement. "It is disappointing and unfortunate we have to go to court on this matter, but we are hopeful this lawsuit will bring us to speedy resolution and that the insurance companies will honor their contractual obligations," the statement said. The lawsuit cites the "complete failure to provide MSU insurance coverage" for claims involving Nassar, a former MSU doctor who sexually molested patients under the guise of medical treatment. Michigan State has agreed to pay a $425 million settlement to 333 Nassar victims who filed lawsuits by May 16 and another $75 million to new and future claimants who file suits since. Interim MSU President John Engler said the university will cover the costs through a combination of bonding, fund reserves and cost-cutting, as well as pursue liability coverage from their insurers. When Young was named MSU's general counsel in May, Engler said that negotiating with the insurer companies to help cover costs of the Nassar settlement was a top priority. "Bob has got a big job ahead of him" on that front, Engler said in a May interview with MLive. MSU has had liability coverage from all 13 companies, with some policies dating back to the 1996, according to the lawsuit. "For example, UE, an insurer proving 17 years of primary and access liability coverage to MSU, actively promoted its policies' coverage of the types of claims at issue in this case," the lawsuit says. United Educators' "coverage highlights" include liability coverage for "sexual or physical abuse or molestation" and added personal injury coverage for sexual harassment to its plan in 1999 "recognizing this would have (UE's general liability policies) encompass the sexual-assault related nature of Title IX claims," the suit said. Yet the companies have not only refused to pay, the lawsuit said, "they have refused to acknowledge even the potential for coverage" and no insurance payouts have occurred to date. Insurance companies named in the lawsuit and the periods in which they insured MSU are: United Educators, July 2000 to the present; United National Insurance Co., July 2000 to July 2003; Federal Insurance Co., July 1996 to July 2015; Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co., July 2003 to July 2007; Ironshore Specialty Insurance Co., July 2015 to July 2017; Michigan Universities Self Insurance Corp., July 1996 to July 2000; Genesis Management and Insurance Services Corp., July 1996 to July 2000; National Union Fire Insurance Co., July 1996 to July 1999; American Home Assurance Co., July 1999 to July 2000; TIG Insurance Co., July 1996 to July 1997; American Insurance Co. Corp. July 1996 to July 2000; The Doctors Co., July 2000 to July 2002; Sompo International, July 2016 to July 2017. Nassar started working for MSU in 1996. He was fired in September 2016 after allegations of abuse became public. However, multiple victims said they complained to MSU staff about Nassar and were ignored. In 2014, a Nassar patient filed a complaint with MSU police and the university's Title IX office. Nassar was ultimately cleared in those investigations, with officials saying the patient misunderstood the "nuanced difference" between medical treatment and assault. As a result of the 2014 complaint, Nassar was told to have a chaperone in the room when treating patients in "sensitive areas" and to get informed consent from patients before treating or examining the genital region. However, those stipulations were not enforced and at least 20 women say they were molested between that time and when Nassar was fired. Three thousand Michigan residents learned Thursday that their drinking water is not safe, prompting questions about the contamination and what it means to their health. The levels of per- and polyfluorinated compounds in the city water system of Parchment, near Kalamazoo, reached 1,587 parts per trillion -- an amount that is 22 times the lifetime consumption amount that federal regulators say delineates a health risk. New federal studies released this spring now suggest that the health guidelines should be reduced further, which would make the findings in that community closer to 200 times what may be considered safe. "A level that high ... should be level of concern for everybody," said Bill Walker, vice president and editor in chief of Environment Work Group, a nonprofit and non-partisan group focusing on human health and the environment. Faced with those new studies, scientists now are elevating their studies of the group of chemicals known collectively as PFAS, which increase risk of cancer, kidney disease, thyroid conditions and auto-immune disorders. So far, however, they agree that pregnant women, women considering becoming pregnant and young children are the most vulnerable. The risks for those groups were underscored in a 2016 health warning. "Studies in humans have suggested that certain PFAS may affect the developing fetus and child," it said. "Potential health effects from exposure to PFAS may ... (a)ffect the development of unborn babies and breastfeeding infants -- including possible changes in growth, learning, and behavior." The chemicals also can increase cholesterol and interfere with the body's natural hormones. Instead of causing a condition immediately traceable to PFAS, the chemicals contribute to health issues and are unlikely to present a "straight line" to the water consumption, experts said. "Laboratory test results can't tell you if PFAS exposure has caused your health condition," the state said. People with underlying health conditions and compromised immune systems may be affected at varying rates. "Different levels can affect people in different ways," Walker said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says PFAS chemicals are in the blood of virtually all Americans. The American Red Cross says the blood of the average American has 4,300 parts per trillion, or ppt, of PFOS and 1,100 ppt of PFOA, two of the types of PFAS that water system testing is reading. Despite what's known, many questions remain about PFAS and their effects on humans. PFAS compounds are called "forever chemicals" because they're persistent and bioaccumulate, so the consumption over a period of time can be a risk factor. "At this time, scientists are still learning about the health effects of exposures to mixtures of PFAS," according to the state. Physicians often do not suggest that people test their blood for PFAS because there is no specific treatment. Instead, a doctor will treat symptoms. A few other points on the water contamination: Pets and livestock also can be affected by PFAS, experts said. They also should not be given contaminated water to drink. Experts say that the ban on highly contaminated water also affects water used for cooking, but bathing and showering should not be an issue for anyone affected by PFAS in their drinking water. Anyone with questions about exposure to PFAS in drinking water should contact the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Toxicology Hotline at 800-648-6942. How to protect yourself from PFAS contamination JACKSON COUNTY, MI - Four Republicans are on the ballot for a seat on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners in District 1, but the race has unofficially narrowed to three. While he missed the deadline to officially withdraw from the election, John Fenn has stopped campaigning and is supporting Robert Donihue in the Aug. 7 primary election, his wife said. Besides Fenn and Donihue, Tony Bair and Terry Langston are on the ballot as Republicans for the two-year seat. No Democrats or Libertarians filed to run, so the winner of the race would only face potential write-in candidates in the Nov. 6 election. District 1 encompasses Rives, Tompkins, Parma, Springport and Sandstone townships and the villages of Parma and Springport. Republican Sarah Lightner currently represents the district, but isn't running for re-election. She's running for the 65th District Michigan House of Representatives seat. MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances. Information on state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races is available at Vote411.org - a website run by the League of Women Voters. Here's a look at the priorities and backgrounds for Bair, Donihue and Langston. Tony Bair A retired architect project manager of 25 years, Bair is running because he's concerned about how the county commission operates. He believes his opponents aren't as conservative as they may let on. "Nobody ever runs as a Democrat (in this district), because they will never get elected. So the liberals, they don't run as Democrats," Bair said. "They call themselves a Republican, but they are not. They are just hoping that the voters don't do their homework and check into their voting records, into their policies." Frequently attending county meetings, Bair first ran for county commission two years ago. He had to run as an independent, since he missed the filing deadline for party-affiliated candidates. Bair said that was his downfall. Bair, 69, said his top priority is constructing higher quality county roads. "We need better materials. We need to have better contractor warranties, longer warranties. We need to hold these contractors liable when they construct a road as you're supposed to and it very quickly falls apart." Other priorities for Bair include staying within the budget and limiting the number of county tax ballot proposals. Robert Donihue Robert Donihue, candidate for Jackson County Commissioner. Donihue, 48, is a sales specialist at Lowe's, formerly running a small business for 12 years. This is his first time running for office. He has an engineering degree from Michigan Tech, which Donihue says helps him stand apart from other candidates. "Because I have a technical background, it gives me a little different perspective than a lot of the commissioners," Donihue said. "Technical people like to fix things." Being conservative minded on social and economic issues, Donihue said he wants to hold the county accountable with its finances. "I don't have any debt and I don't want to see the government have any debt either," he said. Terry Langston Langston is in his second four-year term as a Sandstone Township trustee and is the director of communications and advocacy for the Center for Family Health. The 48-year-old ran for county commission in 2010 as a Democrat, although he believes his views align more with the Republican Party. He's a Republican as a Sandstone trustee. "Certainly there are some things that I retained from the Democratic Party, in terms of what I grew up with," Langston said. "But I think where my life is at today and the kinds of things that I've experienced, they align more with the Republican Party." Sandstone has re-prioritized money in the township toward roads, Langston said. He plans to do the same thing in the county, if elected, he said, and he hopes to draw up a combined plan with the county and townships on roads. Langston's other priorities include making sure first responders have adequate funding and promoting transparency within the county. JACKSON, MI - Cutting costs for taxpayers is a common theme between state senate candidates Mike Shirkey and Matt Dame. The pair of Republicans face off in the Aug. 7 primary for the Michigan Senate District 16 seat. The winner moves on to face Democrat Val Cochran Toops and Libertarian Ronald Muszynski in the Nov. 6 general election. The 16th district encompasses Jackson, Hillsdale and Branch counties. Shirkey is the incumbent, serving one four-year term so far. State senators in Michigan are limited to two terms. MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances. Information on state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races is available at Vote411.org - a website run by the League of Women Voters. Here's a look at the priorities and background for Dame and Shirkey. Matt Dame Dame is currently a Norvell Township trustee - his first time in public office. He also owns and operates Absolute Video Productions and Absolute Communications - which creates corporate videos and websites. He's running for office, he said, because he believes elected officials often "ignore their customers" once they get in office - something he hopes to change. "I think the voters deserve a choice," Dame said. "Current State Senator Mike Shirkey has a track record that I don't think is in alignment with the core values of the 16th District. I'm giving voters a choice." His priorities include removing taxes - like the state income tax and senior pension tax. Dame said he sees his views in line with Republican gubernatorial candidate Patrick Colbeck. Dame, 56, also suggests a sunset on every tax increase - forcing the legislature to re-evaluate them regularly to make sure they're still necessary. He also believes tax increases shouldn't be allowed during lame duck periods, as "you have people leaving office with nothing at stake." Mike Shirkey Shirkey owns Jackson engineering company Orbitform, and has served in the state legislature for eight years. He was the 65th District State House representative for two terms, from 2011-14, before successfully running for the senate seat. "What I've proven to date is, my engineering and manufacturing degree provides great assets for helping identify and define the root causes of problems and true solutions - versus just identifying symptoms of problems and solutions that are temporary or don't actually get to the root," Shirkey said. Shirkey, 63, said his biggest success to date is helping pass right-to-work laws in Michigan. Current priorities including lowering auto insurance costs, putting increased revenues in the state toward roads and driving down frivolous lawsuits. "Anybody can sue anybody anytime for anything," Shirkey said. "Whoever's sued has to pay all of their expenses, whether they win or not." Moving toward a "loser-pays model" in the state would help attract businesses, he said. Of the candidates running for governor, Shirkey said his views align most with Bill Schuette. REDDING, Calif. - In the event of a natural disaster, the Red Cross has outlined an evacuation plan if residents need to evacuate from their homes. The Carr Fire has prompted numerous people in Redding and western Shasta County to be prepared for an evacuation, Red Cross suggests to do this: Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy shoes so you can be protected as much as possible. Take your disaster supplies kit. Take your pets with you; do not leave them behind. Because pets are not permitted in public shelters, follow your plan to go to a relative's or friend's home or find a "pet-friendly" hotel. Lock your home. Use travel routes specified by local authorities dont use shortcuts because certain areas may be impassable or dangerous Stay away from downed power lines The Carr Fire burned Monday afternoon around the community of French Gulch and has exploded to nearly 29,000 acres during the week. For more info about evacuating from your home click here. GRASS LAKE TWP., MI - Two candidates are eyeing a seat on the Grass Lake Township Board of Trustees. Incumbent appointed Trustee Barry Butterfield will run against challenger Robert A. Kraft in the Tuesday, Aug. 7 primary election. With no Democrats running, the person elected likely will serve a partial term through Nov. 20, 2020. Both candidates are Republicans. The Grass Lake Township Board comprises Supervisor Jim Stormont, Clerk Cathy Zenz, Treasurer Tom Loveland and trustees Scott Bray, Tom Brennan, Billy Lester and Butterfield. Barry Butterfield Butterfield, 69, has lived in Grass Lake Township since 1969. He was appointed to the township board in October 2017 following the resignation of John Lesinski. "After I was appointed to the temporary position on the board, I realized I enjoy being a part of the community in this capacity and would like to continue as their trustee," Butterfield said. He has operated Butterfield Electric in Grass Lake since 1980. He was the electrical inspector for Grass Lake Township for 10 years and is currently the electrical inspector for Grass Lake Village. He also was a volunteer township firefighter for 15 years and has organized community events with the Jaycees. If elected, Butterfield said he would like to see more community camaraderie, preservation of businesses and for residents to attend township meetings. Butterfield also said he would like to see more growth along the I-94 corridor to bring more tax dollars into the Grass Lake community and to improve road conditions. Robert A. Kraft Kraft, 60, moved to Michigan in 2012 after landing a job at Dawn Food Products in Jackson. He was born and raised in Cincinatti and is a Xavier University graduate. Kraft has lived in Indianapolis, Seattle and California and has experience at Sysco and Campbell Soup Co. He said he doesn't have any governmental experience, but he wants to bring a different voice to the township. "From the people I've talked to, people are looking for a new voice, some new thoughts and ideas, somebody who's not indigenous to the environment and someone who's had some background and experience outside of Michigan and outside of Grass Lake," Kraft said. "There's just a lot of things that I think are unique and different." Kraft said some of his goals for the township are to be more transparent and communicative with its residents, and act as their voice. He said he wants to allow residents adequate time to provide input and have that input be considered and heard. Update: PFAS well above federal safety level in Parchment KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI -- Parchment City residents are being told to immediately stop using tap water after high levels of PFAS were found in the public system. Health officials issued the advisory about 9 p.m. Thursday, July 26. The advisory applies to residents in the city of Parchment and Cooper Township that use the Parchment public system. Officials say residents should stop using the water for drinking, cooking, making baby formula and food or rinsing fruits and vegetables. Bottled water will be provided beginning Friday, July 27, at Parchment High School, 1916 E. G Ave., from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with other distribution days to be set. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, are chemicals used in manufacturing and firefighting. Exposure to PFAS has been linked in human studies to some cancers, thyroid disorders, elevated cholesterol and other diseases. According to a post on the Parchment City web site, testing by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality came back with a level of 1,410 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for PFOS and PFOA combined. The level far exceeds the U.S. EPA heath advisory level of 70-ppt for those two chemicals. The state is retesting the water in case of a "false positive" but those results will not come back until Monday. The Parchment water advisory is the latest PFAS-related trouble spot in what some are calling a new water crisis. In Kent County, a significant area near Rockford has levels of PFAS in groundwater linked to tannery dumping operations with Wolverine World Wide. In a release from health officials Thursday, it wasn't clear from where the PFAS contamination originated. The Kalamazoo County Health Department is working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies on the issue. Officials say they are implementing a short-term solution that includes the following: -- The City of Parchment's water supply system is being drained. -- Once it is drained, the City of Kalamazoo will connect residents on the City of Parchment's water supply to the City of Kalamazoo's water supply system. Residents will be notified once this occurs. -- The City of Kalamazoo will begin flushing the City of Parchment's water supply system. -- The City of Kalamazoo will continue flushing out the City of Parchment's water supply system until test results come back that shows the PFAS levels are below the health advisory level. Gov. Rick Snyder issued a statement late Thursday. "Our first priority is the health of residents in the Parchment and Cooper Township area and to ensure they have access to safe drinking water, a plan for which is already being executed by local agencies with state assistance," Snyder said. "Our next step is to work as a team to address the source of this contamination and restore the municipal water system. As soon as the tests results were reported, the state and local agencies tasked with protecting public health and our environment began coordinating a response and should be commended for how quickly and how well they worked together on this," Snyder said. State officials activated the State Emergency Operations Center to assist local emergency operations if needed, Synder said. The main risk with PFAS-contaminated water is consuming it. It's all right to bathe, do dishes, launder clothes and clean with it, officials say. PARCHMENT, MI -- The Township of Kalamazoo Police Department has received information regarding a potential scam involving people who claim to be selling PFAS kits and filters. Residents using Parchment's municipal water supply were told on July 26 to immediately stop drinking the water after high levels of PFAS were discovered in the municipal water source. Citizens in the affected water areas have reported that two white males in a maroon SUV are going door to door trying to sell PFAS test kits and filters, Kalamazoo Township Police Department Lt. Scott Jackson said in a news release. "The Department of Environmental Quality has indicated that there currently is no over the counter consumer filters that will reduce the level of PFAS to the State safe level," police said in a news release. Police encourage anyone who comes into contact with the door-to-door salesmen to contact a local law enforcement agency immediately. Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services also sent a Tweet to alert residents to ensure that filtration systems and testing kits meet certain requirements, providing a link to a Michigan PFAS website about the issue. If people are coming to your door talking about in-home testing and in-home water filtration systems, know the facts first! Verify that the filtration system meets the requirements in the link... https://t.co/v1iZg5BlNA Kalamazoo County HCS (@KzooHealth) July 27, 2018 Parchment's municipal water system is being drained and will be hooked up to Kalamazoo water system, officials have said. The Parchment water system will then be flushed, officials said. Citizens with private wells who wish to have their water tested are asked to contact the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Service Department at 269-373-5210. The Kalamazoo Township Police Department provides services including road patrol and dispatching services to the residents of Parchment. PARCHMENT, MI -- Testing for PFAS contamination is expanding in a small Kalamazoo County public water system after residents were told to stop using treated water Thursday. Private wells within a one-mile radius of the city of Parchment's groundwater aquifers are being tested to determine if residents who aren't hooked up to the municipal water system are at risk of contamination. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is also testing each of the three source wells Friday to determine which are the source of high PFAS levels found in the water system this week. The DEQ will expedite tests of the city's source wells so results will be available Monday, Dean said. The DEQ tested Parchment's water supply where it enters the city's treatment plant as part of a statewide initiative to test public water systems. Results released Thursday, July 26, found untreated water contained 1,587 parts per trillion of substances known collectively as PFAS. The per- and polyfluorinated compounds, or PFAS, are an emerging public health threat contaminating water supplies across the Michigan. More than 20 communities across the state have identified contamination sites. That list is expected to grow. Results showed 670 ppt for PFOA and 740 ppt for PFOS, two of the PFAS compounds. Added together, that equates to a level more than 20 times greater than a combined health advisory level. Total PFAS, a collection of the industrial compounds, was found in Parchment's drinking water supply at a level of 1,587 ppt. The EPA health advisory level for PFOS and PFOA is 70 ppt. There is no federal or state action level for total PFAS contamination. Parchment, known as "The Paper City," was built around a paper mill along the Kalamazoo River in the early 20th century. The city also supplies water to portions of Cooper Township. Three drinking water wells located in Cooper Township supply drinking water to an estimated 3,000 people. Two wells, located approximately 850 feet from the east bank of the Kalamazoo River, were drilled in 1961 and a third was drilled in the same location in 1973. Each of the wells is around 60 feet deep. A source of the contamination has not been found. Dean said Friday afternoon that nothing is being ruled out. Water was tested entering the Parchment treatment plant, but not on the other end. It's not clear if the city is able to remove any PFAS compounds from the water before the water reaches the tap. "I wouldn't take that leap of faith without doing some testing and getting some results back," DEQ spokesperson Scott Dean said. "I don't know if the Parchment system has any type of granular activated carbon treatment that would catch PFAS." Three wells provided water to around 3,000 people in Parchment and Cooper Township. Dean said the individual wells need to be tested to identify which are contaminated with PFAS. Private wells within a one-mile radius of the wells also being tested. The study area could be expanded if results are found to be greater than the health advisory. "Based on that initial result it gives us some guidance on the extent of the plume and where we may need to go elsewhere," Dean said. Dean didn't say how many private wells are in the study area. The DEQ will also test outfalls from the Parchment water system, which discharges its wastewater into the city of Kalamazoo's system. Kalamazoo Public Services Director James Baker said water will be pushed through the Parchment system to flush contaminated water out. Water will be transferred from a city of Kalamazoo hydrant through fire truck and into a Parchment hydrant to flush the system. Kalamazoo water won't be used for drinking, he said. Baker said "some amount of discharge" was sent to sanitary and stormwater sewers Thursday night. According to a county press release, the city of Kalamazoo will continue flushing out Parchment's water supply system until test results come back showing PFAS levels are below 70 ppt. It's not clear how long this process will take, officials said. Residents are advised not to drink water from the tap until they're told otherwise. "It's very much like giving someone blood in the hospital; you wan't to make sure it's the right match," Dean said. Earlier this year, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality requested wastewater treatment plants across the state investigate potential sources of PFAS. A third-party study commissioned by the city of Kalamazoo found 20 industrial sites were dumping the contaminants into its wastewater system. Toxic compounds were found to be discharged into the Kalamazoo River through the wastewater system. Samples were collected at 38 locations from the 34 industrial users between April 11-18 and results in June found a total of 41-53 ppt of total PFOS and PFOA is being discharged from the wastewater plant. These compounds entered the Kalamazoo River at levels greater than state standards. In 2014, the state set an enforceable standard of 12 ppt of PFOS for Michigan's surface waters. The city sampled its water reclamation plant's effluent for three days between May 21 and June 1. Samples ranged between 29-38 ppt of PFOS and 12-15 ppt of PFOA. Meanwhile, Michigan is "approaching the halfway mark" of testing 1,380 public water systems and 461 schools, Dean said. No testing results show other sites over 70 ppt so far, Dean said. It should be completed by year-end. A new video released by NASA reveals what it sounds like when the Sun moves, waves, loops and erupts to our ears, and how it might help them study the giant star. The U.S. space agency says using data captured by the European Space Agency and its own Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, NASA has been able to study the "dynamic movement" of our Sun for more than 20 years. "Waves are traveling and bouncing around inside the Sun, and if your eyes were sensitive enough they could actually see this," Alex Young, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a news release. "We don't have straightforward ways to look inside the Sun. We don't have a microscope to zoom inside the Sun. So using a star or the Sun's vibrations allows us to see inside of it." -- -- The data captured by the SOHO (Solar Heliospheric Observatory) includes the natural vibrations of our solar system's Sun, which is said to provide researchers with a "concrete representation of its dynamic movements." As for why these vibrations are important, NASA says they allow its scientists to study the wide-ranging complex motions that take place inside the Sun which includes solar flares and "coronal mass ejections." Young added in the space agency's release that findings such as the ones shown in the video above help them "understand the layers of the Sun and the complexity." "That simple sound is giving us a probe inside of a star," he said. "I think that's a pretty cool thing." The Sun is not silent. The low, pulsing hum of our star's heartbeat allows scientists to peer inside, revealing huge rivers of solar material flowing, along with waves, loops and eruptions. This helps scientists study what cant be seen. Listen in: https://t.co/J4ZC3hUwtL pic.twitter.com/lw30NIEob2 NASA (@NASA) July 25, 2018 In just a little more than a week, NASA will launch the Parker Space Probe which is not only named for a Michigan State University alumnus but it aims to be "humanity's first-ever" mission to touch the Sun. The launch of the Parker Space Probe -- named for living astrophysicist Eugene Parker -- is scheduled for 4 a.m. Aug. 4. The launch window will open at 4 a.m. and will remain open for about an hour. The spacecraft is said to be the size of a small car, and the space agency says it will attempt to travel into the Sun's atmosphere, and face "heat and radiation unlike any spacecraft in history. As for what NASA thinks the Parker Space Probe might be able to accomplish, the space agency hopes the mission will help improve future forecasts of space weather events that impact not only life on Earth, but satellites, astronauts and stations in space. The Parker Solar Probe is said to travel so fast that its closest approach to the sun will come at an expected 430,000 mph. The mission's namesake, Eugene Parker, received his bachelor's degree in physics from Michigan State University before getting his doctorate at Caltech. Zurbuchen emphasized that it was the first time the U.S. space agency had named a spacecraft for a living person. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Bank of Baroda reported a 160 percent jump in net profit to Rs 528.3 crore for the quarter ended June, beating analyst estimates. In the same quarter last year, profit was Rs 203.4 crore. The profit was driven by healthy net interest income (NII), stable loan growth and lower provisions. NII, the difference between interest earned and expended, rose 28.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 4,381 crore for the quarter from Rs Rs 3,405 crore in Q1 last year. The Reuters polls suggested an increase to Rs 4,201 crore. Provisions toward bad loans declined 8.5 percent to Rs 2,166 crore versus compared to Rs 6,672 in the March quarter and Rs 2,368 crore last year same quarter. Hit by treasury income during the period, non-interest income or other income decreased by 26 percent to Rs 1,147.8 crore from Rs 1,551 crore in the same quarter last year. A Reuters poll had projected the lender to report a net loss of Rs 102.6 crore while a Motilal Oswal report expected a 32 percent fall in net profit to Rs 138 crore. The poll expected a jump in loan loss provisions of 29 percent to Rs 3,061 crore from Rs 2,368 crore in June quarter a year ago. NPAs Gross non-performing assets (GNPA) for the quarter rose to Rs 55.875 crore. In terms of percentage of the total loans, it worsened to 12.46 percent from 12.26 percent in the March quarter and 11.40 percent in the June quarter last year. PS Jayakumar, CEO and MD of Bank of Baroda said, "We are coming to think we are getting a grip on the NPA cycle but of course we need 2-3 more quarters to say it has ended." Net non-performing assets for the quarter was Rs 22,384 crore. This translates to 5.4 percent of the total loans compared to Rs 23,483 crore or 5.49 percent in the March quarter and 5.17 percent a year ago. The provision coverage ratio was at 69.1 percent versus 67.2 percent quarter on quarter (QoQ). manufacturer of Titanium alloys in India. In a fresh twist to the auction of Bhushan Power & Steel, JSW has submitted a revised offer of over Rs 18,500 crore to buy the stressed company. The Committee of Creditors, which met in Delhi on July 27, has consequently asked for fresh bids by July 31. Sources told Moneycontrol that Liberty House will put in a revised bid by then. The JSW Steel offer trumps the current proposal of Tata Steel and Liberty House. While Tata Steel had offered Rs 17,000 crore, Liberty Houses offer was at Rs 18,500 crore. All the three companies have promised to invest Rs 7,000 crore in the operations of Bhushan Power & Steel. The JSW Steel offer is above what Liberty House has offered, an executive from the industry said. The move by JSW Steel has surprised the industry as the Sajjan Jindal-company had taken a backseat after its bid in the first round was trumped by Tata Steel. JSW had initially offered Rs 11,000 crore. The company has possibly made a revised bid because it is unsure how the Essar Steel auction will pan out, said another executive. JSW had teamed up with the Numetal consortium in the second round of auction for Essar Steel. But the resolution process has been delayed with both, Numetal and ArcelorMittal, approaching the NCLAT over the eligibility issue. The NCLAT is expected to issue an order in the coming weeks. NCLAT order On July 17, the NCLAT had stayed the meeting of Committee of Creditors, which was set to vote on Tata Steels bid for Bhushan Power & Steel. Bhushan Power's operations creditors had alleged that the resolution professional hadnt allowed their representative to attend the lenders meeting. There are as many as 1,700 operational creditors of Bhushan Power & Steel who are asking for their dues to be cleared. We are in the last phase of the September quarter earnings season, and the results announced by the BSE 500 companies so far have shown signs of a sharp recovery, as compared to the June quarter, when the economic activity in the country was compromised due to lockdown in various regions. From the BSE 500 list, 216 companies have announced their September quarter results so far. We excluded banking and financial companies. Along with the index stocks we also analyse each sector quarterly earnings. (Data Source: ACE Equity) Welspun India will invest Rs 900 crore this year as part of its plan to set up a flooring textile facility in Telangana. The textile company has already invested Rs 70 crore of the total outlay in the first quarter of the year. The capex will pick up in the coming quarters. The facility for flooring solutions is the first of its kind in India, Chief Financial Officer Altaf Jiwani told Moneycontrol. The total outlay of the project is Rs 1,100 crore and the facility will be commissioned by December 2019. The facility is spread over 27 million square feet. As of now, this product is being imported from countries like China and Turkey, said Jiwani. He added that the facility will generate a peak revenue of $150 million a year once it is commissioned. Quarterly results The company posted 1.6 percent increase in its revenues to Rs 1,577 crore in the quarter ending June 30. The actual volume growth was over 8 percent, but this was offset by the change in GST drawback rates, said Jiwani. Net profit increased by 2.4 percent to Rs 127 crore. The numbers were also impacted by an increase in cotton prices. Cotton and equivalent yarn make up for 45 percent of the companys cost. Cotton costs have increased substantially, from Rs 42,000 per candy to Rs 48,000 per candy, said Jiwani. At the same time, with the minimum support price finalised at Rs 43,000 per candy and with the advent of the new season, the prices should reduce. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Moneycontrol News Pizza chain Domino's is under the scrutiny of anti-profiteering authorities for not passing on a cut in Goods and Services Tax (GST) to consumers, according to a report by The Economic Times. The Directorate General of Anti-Profiteering found that Domino's had not reduced prices of all its food products after the GST Council cut the tax rate on restaurants last November, and instead passed on the benefit selectively. Also read E-commerce cos to face tax audit over GST refund issue "An investigation report has been issued," a government official aware of the development told the newspaper. A Jubilant FoodWorks spokesperson told the paper that the company believes it passed on the benefits to consumers. Jubilant FoodWorks (JFL) operates Domino's restaurants in India under a franchise deal with American chain Domino's Pizza Inc. "The company has received a copy of the investigation report submitted by the Director General Anti-Profiteering (DG) to the National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA). However, JFL believes it has passed on the benefit on account of the reduction of GST rates to the customers and accordingly will represent its case before NAA," the spokesperson was quoted as saying. In November, the GST Council had slashed the tax rate for restaurants to 5 percent from 18 percent earlier. The government has also set up a National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) under the GST to ensure that businesses pass on the benefit of the recent tax rate cuts to consumers. Under the NAA provisions, all complaints at the national level are examined by a standing committee, and at the state level by state screening committees consisting of officials. Once a complaint is filed, the committee passes the complaints that have merit to the DG of anti-profiteering for an investigation, which has to be completed in three months. The DG then sends the report to the National Anti-Profiteering Authority, which issues the order. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Public sector banks (PSBs) such as Punjab National Bank (PNB), State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda (BoB) are planning to introduce a performance-linked salary model for its top brass. According to a report by Business Standard, this is the first time that any PSB will introduce such an incentive structure for its senior management, although an approval from the government shall be required for it. "The bank is seriously thinking of introducing a system of performance-based incentives for officers above the general manager grade. There will be a component of fixed and variable pay. But it will evolve slowly," PNB Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Mehta told the news daily. BoB and SBI may follow suit as both PSBs are eyeing a revised compensation framework, reports suggest. While this is a first-of-its-kind move among PSBs, many private banks have already introduced a variable component in their salary structure. Members of the staff are offered variable pay in either cash or stock-linked instruments along with employee stock option plans, on the basis of the performance of both individual and the bank. As of now, the salary structure of all employees of PSBs is decided through bipartite settlements between the bank's management, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and Indian Banks' Association (IBA). The proposed revised salary structure for senior employees comes in the aftermath of opposition from bank unions against six PSBs -- PNB, SBI, BoB, United Bank of India, Indian Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce -- for restricting the latest wage negotiations up to scale-III officers or up to the senior manager level. The bank unions are reportedly not in favour of the performance-linked salary structure. "The demand of the trade unions has been one rank, one pay. We are not in the corporate sector, where people are hired for performing a particular job. It will be difficult to evaluate performance in all positions in PSBs," joint general secretary, All India Bank Officers' Confederation, Ravinder Gupta, was quoted as saying. 10. Netherlands | This European country has gold reserves worth 612.5 tonnes. (Image: Reuters) India's Sun Gold and China National Gold are launching a joint gold mining project in Russia's Siberia region, the two companies said in a joint statement during a Johannesburg summit of BRICS member states. In 2016, the sides agreed that Sun Gold would sell a 70-percent stake in the project, the Kluchevskoye gold deposit, to China National Gold, a major global gold producer. The Chinese gold company would in turn contribute its development expertise. However, the deal was delayed for various reasons, including red tape issues in Russia. A pre-production investment of up to $500 million is planned, the partners said in their statement, adding that China National Gold is expected to be the project's major shareholder following its final ratification by the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament. The Duma ratified the project on Thursday, according to the representative body's public documents. An open-pit mine is expected to be built at the Kluchevskoye deposit producing 6.5 tonnes of gold annually, the partners said. They did not disclose when the first gold was expected to be produced. Hyundai | Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea (Photo: Reuters) South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to launch an electric SUV in India in the second half of next year, a top company executive said. The company, which is present in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary, said it aims to leverage its global technology prowess to bring in the most appropriate and relevant EV to India. "We will launch an electric SUV in second half of 2019. We will import it as completely knocked down unit," Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO YK Koo said. In the long term, the company would produce EV models from its Chennai plant, he added. Koo said company's strategy for EVs is in line with government's vision of making India an EV market by 2020. Hyundai had showcased EV models Ioniq and Kona during the auto expo earlier this year in Delhi. Koo said the company plans to launch eight new models in the country by 2020 and also enhance production capacity to 10 lakh units a year by first quarter of 2021. Hyundai aims to roll out 7 lakh units this year from its Chennai plant while next year it plans to enhance the production capacity to 7.5 lakh units per annum, he added. During the first half of the current year, the company sold 2,75,136 units in the domestic market, a growth of 8.6 percent over same period of 2017, Koo said. Indian Oil | The board has approced implementation of Petrochemical and Lube Integration Project at lndianOil's Gujarat Refinery at an estimated cost of Rs 17,825 crore. (Image: PTI) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has opposed natural gas firm GAIL's pitch for a unified tariff for its pipelines, according to a report by The Economic Times. The state-run refiner said that such a move would raise input cost for its three refineries at Koyali, Mathura and Panipat by Rs 1,000 crore, and will only help operators of old liquefied natural gas terminals and pipelines. Other refiners, including BP and Shell, however, supported the idea of a unified tariff, saying it will help develop the market and raise the share of gas in India's energy basket. They, however, prescribed a few conditions, including a separation of GAIL's natural gas transportation and marketing business before shifting to a unified tariff. BP supported unified tariff for all cross-country interconnected pipelines of all entities and not of a single entity, stating that entity-wise unified tariff would create distortion in transition. The company said it should be done "after unbundling of transmission and marketing functions of an entity". Shell demanded that the unified tariff have an "independent system operator, uniform code of conduct, and an online booking of capacity to ensure transparent allocation of capacity". Last year, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) had put up a consultation document on unified pipeline tariff, proposing a 60 percent hike in tariff by the company. The regulatory body, however, is reportedly debating moving to a unified method for computing gas transmission tariffs that would end the current distance-based tariff. On July 17, the PNGRB had called an open house on the matter, where several gas suppliers and consumers submitted their views. The proposed unified tariff is aimed at increasing penetration of gas in far-flung areas. According to the report, this method would raise tariff for customers closer to the source of gas and lower the cost for far-off customers. GAIL has argued that unified tariff will encourage those located in distant locations to consume gas and lead to the development of a local gas market. This would also help in raising the utilisation of GAIL's pipelines and expanding infrastructure. Invesco Mutual Fund has revised the benchmark of Invesco India Credit Risk Fund to CRISIL Composite AA ShortTerm Bond Index with immediate effect, the fund house said in an addendum. Earlier, the open-ended debt scheme was benchmarked against the CRISIL AA Short Term Bond Index. All other features of the scheme will remain unchanged. Diversified conglomerate ITC Ltd today said it is open to acquisition of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) Horlicks brand when it is put up for sale, provided the price is "right". "We would explore buying the Horlicks brand if it is up for sale and at a right price," managing director of ITC Sanjiv Puri said. According to reports, ITC is in the list of suitors for the popular malt-based health drink brand Horlicks. Nestle, Dabur, Mondalez, Kraft Heinz and Hindustan Unilever were the others also believed to be in the fray. GSK had gone for a strategic review of the Horlicks brand to fund the Novartis deal pegged at USD 13 billion. CITY OF SHASTA LAKE, Calif. - A miscommunication Friday from Shasta County authorities is being blamed for alerting the community of Shasta Lake that they were not under mandatory evacuations from the Carr Fire, only for Cal Fire to say moments later that they were. According to our reporter Cecile Juliette, Action News Now received word from Cal Fire that the City of Shasta Lake was indeed under a mandatory evacuation after SHASCOM said they were not. Cal Fire Shasta County has ordered the entire city to evacuate as well as all of Shasta Dam Boulevard, the Shasta Dam Visitor Center and Summit City. No word on what the miscommunication could have been between the two agencies, but the mandatory order went into effect early Friday morning. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Shares of Hindalco Industries added 7 percent in the opening trade on Friday as company's subsidiary is going to acquire a US company for USD 2.6 billion. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, Novelis Inc, sign a definitive agreement to purchase Aleris Corporation, a global aluminium rolled products major, headquartered in the United States, for USD 2.58 billion in a debt finance deal. The said acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Hindalco Industries said, "The acquisition of Aleris is the next phase of our aluminium value added products growth strategy. This will solidify our position as the worlds No.1 aluminium value-added products player." Brokerage: Emkay | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 305 Emkay has maintained buy rating on Hindalco Industries with a target at Rs 305 per share. According to research house, the Aleris deal is worked out to be at 7.2x EV/ EBITDA. It feels that the Aleris valuation is on the higher side, while synergy benefit if any is not considered. The said deal is beneficial for Novelis on better market penetration and product mix, it added. Brokerage: Jefferies | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 318 Jefferies has retained buy on Hindalco with a target at Rs 318 per share. Aleris deal is valuation rich but risk reward still positive, said Jefferies. The deal may diversify Novelis' product mix and lift its auto sheet capacity, while Novelis margin should continue to expand. Aleris EBITDA could rise to USD 290 million by FY20, it added. Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Underperform | Target: Rs 212 CLSA has retained underperform rating on the stock and cut target price to Rs 212 from Rs 245 per share. According to CLSA, the acquisition is a strategic fit for Novelis given similar business lines but EPS neutral and slightly value dilutive. The target of Rs 212 factors in a negative Rs 15 per share Aleris acquisition value. At 09:16 hrs Hindalco Industries was quoting at Rs 219.05, up Rs 12.50, or 6.05 percent on the BSE. Posted by Rakesh Patil Yes Bank live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Yes Bank share price fell nearly 2 percent intraday Friday on top of 3.6 percent loss in the previous session after showing asset quality concerns and higher provisions for the quarter ended June 2018, but brokerage houses remained positive on the stock. The stock could also be seeing some profit booking as ahead of earnings or especially in the year 2018 it surged 23 percent on top of 36 percent upside seen in the previous year. At 11:20 hours IST, the stock price was quoting at Rs 364.45, down Rs 5.15, or 1.39 percent on the BSE. Overall numbers remained strong but the rising non-performing assets, which has been facing by every bank on the street, is a bit of concern. The private sector lender's June quarter profit grew by 31 percent year-on-year to Rs 1,260.4 crore, driven by NII, other income and operating income but higher provisions limited growth. Net interest income during the quarter increased 23 percent to Rs 2,219.14 crore YoY with robust loan growth of 53.4 percent but net interest margin contracted to 3.3 percent (from 3.7 percent in Q1FY18 and 3.4 percent in Q4FY18). Asset quality weakened for the quarter ended June 2018 with gross non-performing assets (NPA) rising to 1.31 percent against 1.28 percent in previous quarter, though net NPA was lower at 0.59 percent versus 0.64 percent sequentially. Slippages for the quarter stood at Rs 560 crore, which increased compared to Rs 380.2 crore reported in the previous quarter. Out of which Rs 314.8 crore is expected to be fully recovered before September 2018 (supported by liquid/marketable securities), the bank said. Provisions and contingencies spiked 57 percent quarter-on-quarter (119 percent year-on-year) to Rs 625.6 crore for the quarter ended June. Provision coverage ratio improved to 55.3 percent from 50 percent sequentially, but declined compared to 60 percent in June 2017. Majority of brokerages remained positive on the stock following strong set of earnings, though asset quality weakened. Barring one, others expect the stock to return upto 35 percent over a period of one year. Brokerage: JPMorgan | Rating: Overweight | Target: Rs 400 | Return: 8% First quarter was a mixed set results but the outlook remained robust. The net profit beat was driven by lower cost income ratio. Growth stayed solid backed by a strong retail momentum. We expect core earnings growth sustaining over coming quarters. Brokerage: Morgan Stanley | Rating: Overweight | Target: Rs 400 | Return: 8% Common Equity Tier 1 at 9.5 percent could drive frequent capital raises ahead. We see a gradual improvement in margin. Brokerage: Nomura | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 500 | Return: 35% We see merit in company choosing growth over balancesheet granularity. We remain positive as bank has been able to deliver on asset quality. Net interest margin drop was larger-than-expected. Brokerage: Axis Capital | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 430 | Return: 16% Core operating performance remained strong. We remain watchful of RBIs approval for Rana Kapoors re-appointment. Re-pricing of loan yields can drive some improvement in FY19. Brokerage: Edelweiss Securities | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 453 | Return: 23% Yes Bank reported a mixed bag in Q1FY19while core operating performance was strong, moderating NII growth and higher provisions proved to be dampeners. Key positives: 1) robust and broad-based loan growth momentum (more than 50 percent YoY) with RWA/Asset improving to 81.6 percent (86.6 percent in FY17), which is a credible showing in our view; and 2) retailisation momentum (CASA at more than 35 percent, retail/business banking up more than 50 percent and retail fees up more than 28 percent QoQ) sustained. Key factors to watch out for: a) slippages higher at 1.1 percent (with more than 55 percent arising from one account; excluding this, slippages were below trend); b) while credit cost was curtailed at 15bps, higher investment depreciation (INR920mn; the bank used RBI dispensation) fed into higher provisions. We maintain the thesis that despite noise on asset quality, the banks strengths loan underwriting and long-term business momentum (retailisation) will aid it post best-in-class return ratios. Maintain Buy. Brokerage: Motilal Oswal | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 444 | Return: 20% We believe that Yes has made strong progress in dealing with asset quality challenges and is well positioned to maintain industry-leading growth; operating metrics (CASA, margins, return ratios) are likely to improve. The continued de-risking of loan book and strong growth in retail assets will add granularity and make the bank even more robust. Yes remained one of preferred picks in the private banking space. We maintain Buy with a target price of Rs 444 (2.9x Mar-20E ABV). Brokerage: Prabhudas Lilladher | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 438 | Return: 19% Yes Bank's earnings were in-line with expectations but was on back of strong other income (Fx/Debt market led/SR redemption) and control on opex. NII grew slower on pressure from cost of funds and interest reversals on slippages. Bank used higher other income to enhance provisions on GNPAs, while also had hit of MTM on investments but has chosen to make provisions over 4 quarters. We believe corporate book growth to continue for some time ahead, but retail mix should improve faster, while concerns on margins should start abating from H1FY19 end onwards and slippages of this quarter should see recovery keeping asset quality steady by FY19 end with improved PCR towards 60 percent. Valuations discount to large peers remains high and should narrow going ahead. We maintain Buy with target price of Rs 438 based on 2.9x Mar-20 ABV. Brokerage: Credit Suisse | Rating: Neutral | Target: Rs 395 | Return: 7% Loan growth remained strong driven by retail segment. Asset quality was stable, with net slippage at 0.6 percent. Capital is needed to maintain current pace of growth. Brokerage: Macquarie | Rating: Outperform | Target: Rs 425 | Return: 15% Yes continued to gain market share. Net interest margin is down 40bps YoY, but offset by higher fees and lower costs. With fast growth, we expect Yes to launch its $1bn capital raise in Q4FY19. Management stated that the full impact of the 20 bps MCLR raises in May-June has not fully reflected on its loans given a typical 6-12month repricing window, and expects NIM to expand 20-25bps by FY19 end. Brokerage: SBICap Securities | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 435 | Return: 18% Yes Bank reported an in-line P&L performance on the back of scorching loan growth momentum (more than 50 percent), steady margins and stable asset quality. Although delinquencies (1.1 percent annualized run rate) clocked in higher-than-anticipated, the management expects some of these to reverse during the course of FY19. Yes Bank continues to exhibit increasing granularity on both sides of the balance sheet (loan mix and deposit mix towards retail). Our core thesis on Yes Bank has revolved around its impeccable covenant management, which the bank continues to consistently demonstrate, translating into lower loss-given-defaults (LGDs). We believe the gradual reduction in exposure to sensitive sectors and anticipated improvement in recoveries would drive a meaningful uptick in return ratios (16-18 percent). We maintain Buy with target price of Rs 435. Brokerage: ICICI Securities | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 503 | Return: 36% Yes Bank offered 2 surprises at the topline and almost none at the bottomline level. While margins came in weaker than expected, fee income was stronger even as total revenues came about in line with our estimates. And it gets better, as the MCLR increases are yet to reflect fully in yields and margins over the next couple of quarters with the management emphatically mentioning the same. Overall, the Bank continues to see robust growth opportunities with consumer loans now showing serious growth trends (at 14% of the loan book). Upcoming stock catalysts include RBIs approval for the CEOs reappointment and lack of any meaningful divergence in RBIs annual inspection, probably during Oct-Dec18. We maintain Buy rating and a target price of Rs 503 (earlier) Rs 464 implying a 36 percent upside. Brokerage: Nirmal Bang | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 461 | Return: 25% Yes Bank reported Q1FY19 results with the key strategic takeaways being: (1) NIM contracted around 10 bps QoQ and around 40 bps YoY but management guided for a around 20-25 bps NIM expansion due to upcoming MCLR resets (2) Retailisation of loan book accelerated with share of small-ticket consumer finance rising to 14 percent of loan book (up around 350 bps YoY) (3) Underlying asset quality remains well under control with a net SR book and an all-inclusive standard restructured book of 82 bps and 12 bps of loan book, respectively. We have revised estimates for FY19/FY20 and retained Buy rating on YBL, revising target price to Rs 461 (from Rs 439 earlier) and valuing the stock at 2.6x FY20E P/BV. Brokerage: Kotak Institutional Equities | Rating: Sell | Target: Rs 335 | Return: (9%) Kotak maintained Sell rating on the stock with increased target price at Rs 335 from Rs 325 per share. We are unable to take a constructive positive view from a valuation & business standpoint. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by brokerage houses 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. Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the countrys top car maker with a market share of close to 57 percent in the passenger vehicle segment, continued to post steady results. The company posted strong topline and realisation growth with operating margin expansion despite rising raw material (RM) prices. Today, MSIL has a virtual monopoly in the passenger vehicle market in India led by a strong dealership network, brand loyalty on the back of competitive prices and resale value. With a slew of new launches including refreshers, strong order pipeline, product rejig toward premium products and leadership position in the Indian market, the stock will continue to enjoy the fancy of investors despite the premium valuation. Quarter in a nutshell MSIL reported strong volumes with over 24.3 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth led by new launches and healthy demand from rural areas. Volume growth was also aided by the lower base of last year owing to transition towards GST. The compact cars segment witnessed a 50 percent YoY volume growth backed by demand for the new Swift, followed by van and utility vehicle (UV) which grew 25 percent YoY and 15 percent YoY, respectively. UVs now contribute close to 14 percent of total domestic sales. Strong volumes led to a 28 percent YoY growth in net revenue from operations. Realisation grew 3 percent YoY adding to growth in net sales. Volumes along with a favourable product mix and cost reduction efforts also aided earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA)growth of 43.8 percent YoY. This resulted in an expansion of 163.4 bps YoY and 67.6 bps quarter on quarter (QoQ) in EBITDA margin. Raw material prices, staff cost, and other expenses also declined as a percentage of net sales. Is it a stock to own for the long-haul? Strong demand is coming from the rural market on the back of strong monsoon, increase in minimum support price (MSP) and governments focus toward rural areas ahead of the elections. Currently, the retail volume is growing at a rate of 15 percent. Further, the demand in urban markets also continues to be very strong on the back of higher disposable income and very low penetration of cars in India. MSIL has planned a slew of launches over the next three years. MSIL has a track record of more success than failures over last four years. Except for S-Cross, all other launches from FY12 till FY18 witnessed strong customer demand. The companys 9 new models have reached the crash test stage and would be launched soon.MSIL has been able to identify customer preference patterns and has worked accordingly. The company has successfully reoriented its product portfolio dominated by small cars to premium products, which cater to the changing customer preference. New Swift and Swift Dzire have received very strong traction from customers. In fact, the company sold 1 lakh units of new Swift within 145 days of its launch fastest in the industry.MSILs leadership is indicated by its strong distribution network. This distribution network is a moat to the company, which gives it a competitive advantage in an otherwise highly competitive industry. Moreover, in the strong quest to cater to the premium segment, the company is expanding its Nexa network. It currently has around 250-300 Nexa outlets and plans to expand it to 400 by 2020.The company is gearing itself for the next big disruption by electric vehicles (EV) in the automobile space. It has made an announcement to invest Rs 1,200 crore in setting up a Li-ion manufacturing unit in India. As per the management, the indigenous development of the battery could bring the prices of EVs down substantially. In fact, the company has started its survey on EVs in India.MSIL has a huge order backlog, indicating strong demand from customers and the need for capacity expansion. The company has clearly chalked out a capacity expansion plan. Gujarat plants phase I has already started production and is expected to produce 250,000 units this year and second phase would start from January 2019. The management expects to expand the capacity of this plant to 1.5 million.In FY18, the royalty payment remained at 5.4 percent of net sales compared to 5.8 percent last year. For Q1 FY19, royalty was higher at 5.5 percent due to the unfavorable exchange rate. The management indicated the royalty payment has been revised downward for all new models starting Ignis and the company has received approval from Suzuki board. As per the agreement, the company would now pay royalty in Indian rupees (INR) than in Japanese yen (JPY) and after a certain volume is achieved, the royalty rate would come down.MSIL currently trades at 33.6 times FY19 and 29.7 times FY20 projected earnings. While valuations leave little room for upside, we are comfortable with the business and advise investors to accumulate the stock on dips. Follow @NitinAgrawal65 For more research articles, visit our Moneycontrol Research Page US_China_Trade_Trade war_Tariff Shishir Asthana Its payback time for the trigger-happy President Donald Trump whose cowboy style of policy-making has dismayed many. Unfortunately, the US taxpayer is having to pick up the tab of his misadventure. In shield its farmers from the blowback of the presidents trade policies, the Trump administration announced a $12 billion emergency relief package. Reacting to tariffs imposed by the US on steel and aluminum, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and China, the affected countries, countered the move by announcing retaliatory tariffs. The move was a well thought one. These countries targeted the farm produce from the US. American soybeans, pork, sugar, orange juice, cherries and other products now face tariffs in these markets. Farm produce incidentally is among the few sectors where the US has a positive trade balance. Secondly hitting the agricultural base also delivered an important political message. Farm country has traditionally been Trumps Republican partys stronghold. The pressure tactic worked. Two days before Trump was expected to vivit Iowa, the largest soybean producing state, the US government announced the emergency relief. A $12 billion emergency package is not only taxpayer money going to the farms instead of development work but it is the first tab that the US is picking since initiating the trade war. The move has caused both the Democrats, and more importantly the Republican to sit up and take notice. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, a Republican put it succinctly when he said: "There will never be enough money to solve the problem created by duties on American farm goods." Agriculture has a sizeable trade surplus in a normally trade deficit economy. This year trade surplus from agriculture was projected to touch $21 billion. Ironically Trumps targeted economies of Canada, China and Mexico are the three biggest buyers of U.S. farm goods, accounting for 43 percent of purchases in 2017. Trump tried to put up a brave face after announcing the relief by tweeting Tariffs are the greatest! Either a country which has treated the United States unfairly on Trade negotiates a fair deal, or it gets hit with Tariffs. Its as simple as that - and everybodys talking! Remember, we are the piggy bank thats being robbed. All will be Great! However, Trump seems to have forgotten that the US piggy bank is filled by borrowing money from other countries. He had to be reminded of the same by Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, a Republican, who has been quoted as saying You have a terrible policy that sends farmers to the poorhouse, and then you put them on welfare, and we borrow the money from other countries. The relief, according to the US government is in line with the estimated impact from retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports. The aid will be awarded to soybean, cotton, dairy, corn and hog farmers. The $12 billion aid would be delivered in three ways. A part will go as a direct assistance for producers of soybeans, cotton, dairy, corn, and hogs. Another part of the fund will be used in the food purchase program under which the government will buy surpluses of beef, legumes and other products, which the farmers could not export on account of the tariff barrier raised by importing countries. A third portion will be allocated for trade promotion. The exact breakup has not be made public. Government officials have called the aid disbursement as a one-time program and a "short-term bridge" designed "to help the president successfully negotiate these deals." Trump hopes that this aid will help him buy time to bring the trading partners on their knees. But given the reaction from the effected countries, it is clear that they are girding up for a protracted war. The US farmers, who are bearing the brunt of Trumps shoot-from-the-hip policies, were already grappling with falling prices of agriculture produce which on an average have fallen by 15 percent. The US media, has quoted farmers as saying they welcomed the relief package, but saw it only as a temporary relief. They would prefer open market access in order to sell their products in markets which have taken years to develop. US experts are also saying that the move is not complaint with the norms of World Trade Organisation (WTO) and can trigger litigations from trade partners. US agriculture is just the first sector that has been affected by disturbing the equilibrium in world trade. For countries engaged in the trade war, it is the first sizeable wound that has been inflicted on the US. This development, however, presents an opportunity to an agrarian economy like India to capture the space evacuated by US farmers. Rather than focusing its energy on increasing minimum support price (MSP), which the government did for soybean, Indian farmers would be better off if the government appraised them of such opportunities. The labour ministry is considering a policy that will give provident fund (PF) subscribers the flexibility to park their money in equity, debt or a combination of both, depending on their choice. According to a report by The Economic Times, the draft policy suggests doing away with the existing cap on investments and giving 5 crore Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) subscribers the option of choosing their own investment pattern. Subscribers can choose between four categories of investments -- government securities, equity investments, debt instruments, money market instruments and infrastructure investment trusts -- to decide where to park their money. The policy aims at making the the PF investment structure something similar to the National Pension Scheme, which allows subscribers to invest in these four schemes in desired proportion, subject to overall caps. "It could be fully in equity, partly invested in equity, or the entire fund kitty could be put in government securities or debt instruments, depending on the risk a subscriber is willing to take and the return he expects on his investments," a government official told the newspaper. The draft policy will be finalised after consulting with stakeholders, the report suggests. Currently, the finance ministry prescribes the cap on investments under each head for non-governmental provident funds. In the existing pattern, up to 50 percent of the PF amount can be invested in government securities, while up to 45 percent can be invested in debt instruments. Only up to 15 percent can be invested in equity markets and up to 5 percent each can be invested in money market instruments and infrastructure trusts. Managing Director of Telenor's India partner Unitech, Sanjay Chandra (C) leaves a court in New Delhi April 13, 2011. An Indian court on Wednesday put on trial the first set of officials and businessmen indicted in the country's biggest corruption case, a multi-billion dollar telecoms scandal that has weakened the government and put off some foreign investors. (REUTERS) The Supreme Court Friday refused to grant custody parole to embattled real estate company Unitechs promoter Sanjay Chandra and directed that the Rs 25 crore deposited with the court registry be disbursed among homebuyers who have sought a refund. The next date of hearing has been fixed for August 21. The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud directed the amicus curiae in the case, Pawanshree Agarwal, to disburse Rs 25 crore deposited by Unitech to homebuyers seeking a refund. The sale of the Bengaluru property was confirmed in court Friday. The sale deed has been executed for Rs 49 crore. The company has deposited Rs 42.73 crore in court after tax deduction at source (TDS). It had already deposited Rs 5 crore, legal sources present at the hearing say. Out of Rs 42.73 crore deposited, only Rs 25 crore was ordered to be disbursed among homebuyers. The balance amount has been retained, sources said. The court has ordered that Rs 25 crore be distributed among the homebuyers who have a favourable order of refund by any court or forum, Pawanshree Agarwal, amicus curiae told Moneycontrol. Earlier on July 17, the apex court had allowed Devas LLP, the company which had bought Unitech's Bengaluru land, to execute a sale deed for the parcel, and deposit an amount of Rs 44 crore within 10 days in the court. The worth of the Bengaluru land bought by Devas is Rs 97 crore. Out of this amount, Unitech's share is Rs 49 crore. Devas had submitted Rs 5 crore with the registry, legal sources had said. At the last hearing, the apex court had also directed Wisdom World Developers, a subsidiary of Bengaluru-based India Builders Corporation, that had sought acquisition of the Unitech Gold and Country Club (UGCC) land in Noida, to prove its bonafide by depositing Rs 15 crore with the court. That amount has also been deposited in court, Aggarwal said. Notices have also been issued to Noida Authority and LIC for giving a response on that application, he said. At the hearing on July 5, the court had directed Aggarwal to consider the proposal made by Wisdom World Developers for UGCC after the firms counsel had informed court the company will construct and deliver the projects to the homebuyers and clear the dues of LIC and Noida Authority. UGCC land in Noida is spread across 378 acres and is located in Sectors 96, 97 and 98 in Noida. It comprises of projects such as Unitech Amber, Unitech Burgundy, and Unitech Willows. On July 5, the apex court had also asked Unitech to submit details of projects which have been 90 percent completed so that a decision can be reached with regard to the number of buyers seeking possession. In the last hearing, Supreme Court had directed the committee it had set up in the Unitech case, to speedily auction over 600 acres of unencumbered land properties of the embattled firm located in Agra, Varanasi, Bengaluru, and Sriperumbudur near Chennai so that money is refunded to homebuyers The bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had asked the panel to complete the process of auctioning the land properties of the firm at Agra within four weeks and conclude auctioning of the properties in Varanasi and Sriperumbudur within six weeks. The bench at the last hearing had directed Unitech Ltd to submit a list of all properties of the company, its subsidiaries and personal properties of all the directors. The bench had also asked Agarwal, who is assisting the court as the amicus curiae, and the counsel for the real estate firm to "sit together" for verification of the homebuyers and their actual claims for refund. On July 15, as many as 200 homebuyers representing several projects of Unitech had tried to march towards the prime ministers residence to protest the Centres decision not to take over the companys board. In December last year, the corporate affairs ministry had approached the National Company law Tribunal with an offer to take over Unitech Ltd. The takeover was later challenged by Unitech in Supreme Court. The apex court had on October 30 last year said that its MD Sanjay Chandra would be granted bail only after the real estate group deposited money (Rs 750 crore) with its registry by December-end. It has so far deposited around Rs 80 crore, Aggarwal said. The top court had also directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money to refund the home-buyers as well as complete the ongoing housing projects. Chandra is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on August 11 last year had rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home-buyers of Unitech projects' -- 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project' -- situated in Gurgaon in Haryana. Representative image Bahrain is welcoming startups and venture capitalists (VC) from India to access the country's startup ecosystem, said John Kilmartin, Executive Director, ICT at EDB (Economic Development Board) Bahrain. We really encourage scaling up from outside the region and consider Bahrain as a means of access to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market. We are not only open to early stage startups, but will also help in scaling them. So the companies that have built their products or services in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai or other parts of India can access the market here in GCC. Bahrain Development Bank launched the Al Waha Venture Capital Fund of Funds in May this year to help to support the startup ecosystem in Bahrain and enable additional funding to growing companies. The fund successfully closed its $100 million fundraising round in June and approved allocation of around a third of this value in a series of ventures. He talks about how startups and VCs can raise funding in Bahrain. We are looking at launching government funding for tech companies. It will be launched in the near future. We see three elements of funding that needs to be put in place the government, availability of money in the early stages of a startup and encouraging angel investment, so that private investments can get made during the seeding stage. We are also looking to attract and have VC investments in place. He added, When companies have developed their business model and are growing, they get an access of funding. On the VC side of things, we launched a fund of funds that will be going out over the next three to six months. We are looking to invest in some companies that will end up having presence in Bahrain. Negotiations are on at the moment. This will be a great bonus for the Bahraini startup ecosystem as well as for regional ones. Kilmartin added, The idea is to bring more VCs into the ecosystem. Majority of the Bahrain ecosystem is in the early stage and is trying to get VCs who will invest. Bahrain is home to many accelerators and incubators that support fintech startups in gaining access to expertise funding. "Payments services are boosting in Bahrain and it has also launched its wallet," said Kilmartin. It has announced new regulations to create a regulatory sandbox that will allow startups and fintech firms to test and experiment their banking ideas and solutions. This is in line with the Kingdoms efforts to further develop the ecosystem in place to encourage growth in the fintech industry In 2017, it introduced regulation to allow onshore crowdfunding in conventional and sharia-compliant finance, reduced the minimum capital required for starting a business. Tamkeen, the national labour fund, has programmes set up for startups and entrepreneurs. These programmes provide them with access to funding and training. The accelerators and incubators in the country are CH9, C5 Accelerate, Brinc, Rukn, The Hive, Rowad, Bahrain Fintech Bay, Flat6Labs and Tenmou. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Motilal Oswal's research report on UPL UPLL announced the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience the agrochemical business of US-based Platform Chemicals for a consideration of USD4.2b. The acquisition, which was done via UPPLs wholly owned subsidiary UPL Corporation, is backed by USD1.2b equity investment from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and TPG. ADIA and TPG will invest USD600m each in UPL Corporation for a combined stake of 22%; UPPL will fund the remaining USD3b via debt. Outlook While we revise up our FY20 revenue and EBITDA estimate by 62% and 59% (building in financials of Arysta), respectively, we cut our FY20 PAT estimate by 8% (due to higher interest cost on increased debt). We, thus, cut our valuation multiple from 17x to 13x FY20E EPS and arrive at a TP of INR664 (+21% upside). For all recommendations report, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More Angel Commodities' report on Gold On Thursday, spot gold prices fell 0.7 percent to close at $ 1222.3 per ounce as trade jitters eased after US - EU trade talks after the United States agreed to refrain from imposing tariffs on cars from the European Union. Rising investor interest in gold can be seen in the holdings of the largest gold - backed, exchange - traded fund, New York's SPDR Gold Trust GLD, which are up more than 1 percent to 25.803 million ounces since July 18. On the MCX, gold prices fell 0.4 percent to close at Rs. 29788 per 10 gms. We expect gold prices to trade lower today as optimism in trade talks between the US and EU will hurt safe haven demand. On the MCX, gold prices are expected to trade lower today; international markets are trading 0.2 percent higher at $ 1224.1 per ounce. For all commodities report, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More Here are the stocks which are in news today: Results Today: Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Alembic Pharma, Equitas Holding, HCL Technologies, Indian Overseas Bank, Jubilant Life science, M&M Financial Services, Shopper Stop, Westlife Development, Apcotex Industries, Coromandel International, DIC India, Excel Crop, Gallantt Ispat, Genus Power, Heritage Foods, IL&FS Transportation, IRB InvIT, Jayaswal Neco, JSW Energy, KIC Metaliks, Kirloskar Brothers, Mafatlal Finance, Nagarjuna Fertilizer, Phillips Carbon, Prestige Estate, RPG Life, Schneider Electric, TRF, Welspun India. ITC: Q1 profit rises 10.1 percent to Rs 2,819 crore versus Rs 2,560.5 crore; revenue increases 7.6 percent to Rs 10,707 crore versus Rs 9,954.7 crore (YoY). Bharti Airtel: Q1 profit jumps 17 percent to Rs 97.3 crore versus Rs 82.9 crore; revenue rises 2.3 percent to Rs 20,080 crore versus Rs 19,634 crore (QoQ). Petronet LNG: Q1 profit surges 34 percent to Rs 587 crore versus Rs 437.6 crore; revenue jumps 42.5 percent to Rs 9,169.1 crore versus Rs 6,435.1 crore (YoY). Biocon: Q1 profit zooms 47.2 percent to Rs 119.7 crore versus Rs 81.3 crore; revenue increases 21.2 percent to Rs 1,123.8 crore versus Rs 927.4 crore (YoY). Lakshmi Vilas Bank: Q1 net loss at Rs 123.9 crore versus profit of Rs 66.1 crore; NII falls 40.2 percent to Rs 130.2 crore versus Rs 217.8 crore (YoY). Container Corporation: Q1 profit rises 2.4 percent to Rs 252.4 crore versus Rs 246.5 crore; revenue increases 6.9 percent to Rs 1,568.3 crore versus Rs 1,467.5 crore (YoY). Essel Propack: Q1 profit jumps 20.4 percent to Rs 41.3 crore versus Rs 34.3 crore; revenue rises 8.9 percent to Rs 635.4 crore versus Rs 583.3 crore (YoY). Quess Corp: Q1 profit jumps to Rs 54.40 crore versus Rs 45.65 crore; revenue rises to Rs 1,968.35 crore versus Rs 1,297.30 crore (YoY). IFB Industries approved to acquire the entire industrial laundry business from Ramsons Garment Finishing Equipment & Ramsons Udhyog at consideration of Rs 35 crore on slump sale basis Hindalco Industries: US subsidiary Novelis will acquire Aleris for $2.6 billion including the assumption of debt, including 13 manufacturing facilities in North America, Asia & Europe. Poddar Housing and Development: Company acquired a land parcel, under the joint venture, admeasuring about 71,900 square meters at District Sangli, Maharashtra through its LLP know as Poddar Anantah Nirvana LLP. The company is having 65 percent of economic interest in the said LLP. Adani Ports: Company signed a long-term regasification pact with Gail (India) for Dhamra LNG terminal. Trent allotted NCD worth Rs 300 crore on private placement basis JSW Steel and Monnet Ispat: National Company Law Tribunal approved the resolution plan submitted by the consortium of JSW Steel and AION Investments Private II Limited for Monnet Ispat and Energy. IFB Industries: Company entered into a detailed definitive agreement to acquire as a going concern / running business, on a slump sale basis the entire Industrial Laundry equipment business catering to laundry Segment from Ramsons Garment Finishing Equipment Pvt. Ltd and Ramsons Udhyog Pvt. Ltd and its promoters at a consideration of Rs 35 crore. Thermax: Company has entered into binding agreements and completed the acquisition process of the shareholding of Babcock & Wilcox India Holdings INC., in Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd (TBWES). TBWES is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Thermax. Shriram EPC: NCLAT has set aside the order of the NCLT Chennai and closed the CIRP process initiated on the company by ACRE (Asset Care & Reconstruction Enterprises Limited). Gabriel India: CRISIL has revised its outlook on long-term bank facility and fixed deposits of the company from AA-/FAA/ Positive to AA/FAA+/Stable. Jindal Stainless (Hisar) - CARE rating upgrade from BBB+ to A- The FAB Index which provides the aggregate position of the UKs 6,000 defined benefit (DB) pension schemes calculated using the best estimate expected return on the assets held by those schemes showed a record month-end surplus for June of 382bn, and a healthy 131% funding ratio. The published USS accounting deficit has reduced by over 50% from 17.5bn at 31 March 2017 to 8.4bn at 31 March 2018. This takes it back to its position at 31 March 2016 when it was 8.5bn, demonstrating the yo-yo effect often seen in accounting disclosures. This effect is also prevalent in other valuation measures, such as the PPF 7800 Index as illustrated in the chart below. Some commentators have questioned the discount rate used for the USSs accounting deficit at 31 March 2018, suggesting a discount rate of 2.64% pa (0.62% pa above CPI) at 31 March 2018 is unusually high. To put these assumptions in context, the expected return on the assets actually held by the USS at 31 March 2018, using a FAB Index approach, would be of the order of 6% pa (3.4% pa above CPI). First Actuarial Partner Rob Hammond said:The FAB Index continues to soar in a stable, upward trend. Other valuation measures continue to yo-yo up and down. This was demonstrated again by the PPF 7800 Index, which yo-yoed for the 3rd month in a row, but also by the recently published accounting deficit for the USS, which fell from 17.5bn in 2017 back down to 8.4bn in 2018, having been at a similar level in 2016. On best estimate assumptions, we estimate the surplus in the USS could be well in excess of 10bn. The technical bit Over the month to 30 June 2018, First Actuarials Best estimate (FAB) Index improved, with the surplus in the UKs 6,000 defined benefit (DB) pension schemes increasing from 379bn to 382bn. The deficit on the PPF 7800 Index also improved over June 2018 from 94.0bn to 85.6bn. These are the underlying numbers used to calculate the FAB Index. Members of the media, wearing protective suits and masks, walk after they receive briefing from Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) employees (in blue) in front of storage tanks for radioactive water at TEPCO's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai - D1BESMFAYHAA India and four other member nations of the BRICS grouping today urged all parties to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal to fully comply with their obligations and ensure the full implementation of the agreement to promote global and regional peace and security. Iran agreed a long-term deal on its nuclear programme with the P5+1 group of world powers - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany in 2015 under which Tehran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. In May, President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear agreement struck by the previous Obama administration by calling it the "the worst" deal ever negotiated. The US is also pressuring all nations to stop importing oil from Iran by November 4 to ramp up sanctions on Tehran. At the BRICS Summit here, India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, signed the Johannesburg Declaration, took note of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear programme. "We call upon all parties to fully comply with their obligations and ensure full and effective implementation of the JCPOA to promote international and regional peace and security," it said. The 2015 deal was struck after years of tension over Iran's alleged efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran insists that its nuclear programme was entirely peaceful. The Johannesburg Declaration also welcomed the recent developments to achieve the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and maintain peace and stability in North East Asia. "We reaffirm the commitment for a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation," the declaration said, weeks after President Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore for a historic summit on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. On Afghanistan, the Declaration said, "We reaffirm our support for the process of an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" national peace and reconciliation process. The grouping expressed its concern over the "deteriorating" situation in Afghanistan particularly the increase in the number and intensity of terrorist-related attacks on the Afghan security forces, the Government and civilians. "We call on the international community to assist the government and the people of Afghanistan with the objective of working towards the realisation of peace," it says. On the issue of Syria, the Johannesburg Declaration reaffirmed the commitment of the BRICS nations for a political resolution of the conflict through an inclusive "Syrian-led, Syrian-owned" political process that safeguards the state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. The grouping also reaffirmed the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of the developing countries so that it can adequately respond to global challenges. In the Declaration, China and Russia, both UN Security Council members, reiterated the importance they attached to the status and role of Brazil, India and South Africa in international affairs and supported their aspiration to play a greater role in the UN. The Declaration also reaffirmed the commitment of the BRICS grouping to the strengthening of multilateral institutions of global governance to ensure that they are able to comprehensively address global challenges. The grouping also reiterated its commitment to shaping a more fair, just and representative multi-polar international order to the shared benefit of the humanity. "We emphasise the indivisible nature of peace and security and reiterate that no country should enhance its security at the expense of the security of others," the Johannesburg Declaration says. Prime Minister Narendra Modi represented India at the BRICS Summit. Mehul Choksi The Antigua Government has indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back the uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, who has taken citizenship there, according to a newspaper report in that country. The Daily Observer today quoted a Cabinet press briefing issued by the Chief of Staff, Lionel "Max" Hurst, to state that Antigua and Barbuda government will make every effort as per law to honour a "legitimate" request from India. The issue of Choksi, a fugitive from India involved in an alleged banking scam worth over USD 2 billion, getting citizenship in Antigua in November last year was discussed in a Cabinet meeting of Antigua and Barbuda government, the newspaper said. A CBI request, India's nodal agency for Interpol matters, to issue a Red Corner Notice against Choksi is pending with the international police organisation and is likely to be granted soon. The Cabinet underlined that they do not have extradition treaty with India and that Choksi has not been charged for any crime, it reported. The paper also stated that the Cabinet noted that no request has been received by the Antigua and Barbuda government for any action against Choksi. The Citizenship by Investment unit of Antigua faced criticism from the paper for allowing Choksi to get passport of Antigua in November last year. The unit had informed the paper that Choksi's request was allowed after "due diligence" and detailed background check from Interpol. The CBI has denied that Interpol ever approached it regarding background checks on Choksi, who was facing inquiries from various agencies last year. In an editorial, the paper said, There is a perception that the CIU's due diligence is a farce and that CIP money trumps due diligence. This is a perception that cannot be allowed to linger because it will have damaging effects on our country's reputation. The government must produce all the documentary evidence of the due diligence process so that the citizens of this country can have confidence that there is integrity to the process, It also noted that India is a friendly country, an "ally", and that it had helped Antigua in past on several occasions and it was a time to reciprocate. Beyond that, India is an ally. They have provided assistance to us in the past, and they have been tapped to provide assistance in the future. Most recently (as in April of this year), we sought their technical assistance in the areas of health and the management of public finance. Will we now turn our backs on them and give safe harbour to a fugitive from their justice system?, an editorial in the paper said. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has moved to a Special court in Mumbai seeking to declare Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi 'fugitive economic offenders' which will enable them to seize their assets in India. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with renewal of letters of undertaking, sources said. He escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15, they said. Next day, his firm approached the Brady House branch of the Punjab National Bank seeking renewal and issuance of letters of undertaking which were denied as the officer concerned sought cash guarantee for issuing these notes, a CBI FIR in this connection alleged. The executives told the officer that they have been taking these letters over last several years without any demand of such guarantee, it said. The officer could not find instructions for such LoUs in the bank's system which led to a detailed scrutiny. It is then that the alleged scam surfaced prompting the bank to approach the CBI with a complaint and an FIR was registered on January 31. An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to an applicant. Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, the FIR has alleged. Choksi and his companies allegedly availed of credit from overseas branches of Indian banks using the fraudulent guarantees of the PNB given through LoUs and letters of credit issued to Brady House branch which were not repaid bringing the liability on the state run bank, the officials said. A charge sheet filed in a special court in Mumbai after a three-and-a-month probe alleged that Shetty, a deputy manager in the PNB and arrested by the CBI, received Rs 1 crore from the companies of Choksi to issue LoUs to his companies, they said. Amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation that sparked violence in parts of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to convene a meeting of leaders of all parties here tomorrow to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister at his cabinet colleague Vinod Tawde's residence late last night which was attended by BJP ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh, the party's state unit chief Raosaheb Danve, among others. The meeting started around 11 pm and continued for about three hours. "Invitation for tomorrow's meeting, to be held at Vidhan Bhavan, will be sent across today. We will try and come up with a solution to the issue of Maratha reservation," Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said. Danve said the BJP government in the state was committed to providing reservation to the Maratha community and hence has passed an ordinance to the effect. "However, the court had put a stay on the government's decision. We will submit the report of the state Backward Classes Commission to the court and request it to decide on the issue soon," he said. Slamming the Opposition, the state BJP chief claimed that the Congress and the NCP "dilly-dallied" over the issue for years, but the present government has taken steps to provide reservation to the Marathas. According to a source in the government, "To ensure that its decision (to give 16 percent reservation to the Marathas) stands scrutiny in the court, the government will provide all possible assistance to the Backward Classes Commission to expedite its survey work." The government will provide additional manpower and technical support to the commission so that it can submit its report by the end of August, a month before the scheduled date, the source said. The commission has been tasked with collecting data about the socio-economic condition of the Maratha community. Six MLAs in the state have so far offered to resign over the Maratha reservation issue. After Shiv Sena MLA Harshawardhan Jadhav and NCP legislator Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar offered to quit on Wednesday, four others -- Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher (both BJP), Bharat Bhalke (Congress) and Ramesh Kadam (NCP) have offered to resign over the issue yesterday. The Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 percent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 percent reservation. The community had been taking out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation turned violent on Wednesday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh. XIAMEN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 04: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the plenary session during the BRICS Summit at Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Centre on September 4, 2017 in Xiamen, China. The 9th BRICS summit is held from Sep 3 to 5 in Xiamen. (Photo by Sheng Jiapeng/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/VCG via Getty Images) An Indian-driven gold mining project in Siberia has been hailed at the BRICS Summit here as the first practical implementation of the objectives of the grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The Kluchevskoye Gold Mining Project, initiated by India's SUN Gold Ltd, is being seen as the first-ever industrial public-private partnership investment project to be undertaken by partners from all BRICS member-states. China National Gold Group Corporation, the Russian Sovereign Investment Fund, Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund (FEDF), and leading private investment and business leaders from Brazil and South Africa, are partnering in the project located in the Chita region of eastern Siberia. The multinational joint venture will see the transformation of the Kluchevskoye gold deposit into a significant open-pit mine, with an expected gold production of more than 6.5 tonnes per annum. Pre-production investment of up to USD 500 million is planned, with China National Gold as the major shareholder and technological partner. CNG, one of the world's leading gold companies, will provide management and development expertise, while the century-old Indian SUN Group brings 60 years' of experience of working in Russia, having built several significant businesses in the country, including SUN Brewing, one of the region's largest beer companies. FEDF's involvement will bring regional investment and political support for the project, and opportunities for further growth in the gold and copper mining sector in the Russian Far East. The South African and Brazilian investors seek to add a dimension to create a joint investment and industrial platform for growth in Africa and Latin America. "This project has given us an understanding of how BRICS can actually work in a practical manner where we can use complementary strengths," Shiv Khemka, vice chairman of the Indian-owned SUN Group, told PTI at the summit. "It's just a different way of looking at things through two different lenses to bring the expertise of all these countries together to work as a team on something that we hope will be very successful." He said his company bought the Siberian mine in 2007 as it looked around for old mines which presented opportunities. "The local government was also very supportive, so that was important for us," Khemka said. He has lived in Russia for 25 years and started up several companies there. Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of TransAfrica Capital, said the project marked a critical step in the evolution of BRICS. "It is projects like this that make a real economic impact not only on economic growth, but more importantly by creating jobs which impact on citizens' lives while at the same time bringing the BRICS collective closer together," Ichikowitz said. Iqbal Surve, chairman of BRICS Business Council, was hopeful about the venture serving as a model for multilateral cooperation for other countries as well. "This innovative model of public and private partners from BRICS countries coming together can be used as a model to tackle significant projects in non-BRICS countries as well, creating a sustainable model for cooperation, collaboration and investment-led economic growth, boosting industrial development and providing turnkey, sustainable job creation," Surve said. File Pic: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting, in Wuhan, China. PTI Photo Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is here to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months last evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe "plans to pay a friendly official visit to India" at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. President Xi once again conveyed to Prime Minister Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism which would be established between the two sides will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Prime Minister Modi raised with President Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on August 21 and 22 for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this year. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, speaks to Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP/PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind addresses the assistant secretaries (IAS Officers of 2016 Batch) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. (PTI) US President Donald Trump tours the Granite City Works hot strip steel mill in Granite City, Illinois, US. (Reuters) Pedestrians and commuters wade through a waterlogged street after monsoon rainfall, in Agra. (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj looks on, during the 'National Conference on NRI marriages and trafficking of women and children', in New Delhi. (PTI) A car passes through flames on Highway 299 as the Carr Fire burns through Shasta, California. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes and at least one historic building. (AP/PTI) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, is greeted by the participants of a war veterans' meeting, on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire armistice that ends the fighting in the Korean War, in Pyongyang. (AP/PTI) Performers from Gandini Juggling rehearse their act "Cascade" ahead of a festival of contemporary circus at Somerset House in London, Britain. (Reuters) A girl sits under a plastic sheet as it rains in the old quarters of Delhi, India. (Reuters) E-governance is easy governance, effective governance, and also economic governance. E-governance paves the way for good governance. (Image: Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the two leaders discussed ways to expand the bilateral ties in a number of sectors, including trade and investment, IT and defence. Following the delegation-level talks between Modi and Ramaphosa, three MoUs were signed on cooperation in exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, setting up of Gandhi-Mandela Centre of specialisation for artisan skills and agricultural research and education. Modi, who arrived here yesterday, met Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the two-day BRICS summit whose theme this year is 'BRICS in Africa'. "Kicking off a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of BRICS! PM Narendra Modi meets the host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. "Saluting the enduring legacy of Mahatma and Mandela! Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa jointly released a stamp commemorating the two iconic personalities," he tweeted. India and South Africa are celebrating 21 years of strategic partnership. "India and South Africa are proud inheritors of legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela," Kumar said. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Cyril Ramaphosa discussed expansion of our relationship in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing, IT, defence and people-to-people contacts," he said. Later, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said both the nations expressed satisfaction at the growth in trade and investment, besides improvement in the people-to-people relation. "President Ramaphosa actually said India-South Africa relations may be new in terms of re-establishment of diplomatic relations but are in fact very deep-rooted in history. Now what it requires is nurturing, it needs to be watered time to time and such meetings help in that process," he said. Gokhale said Prime Minister Modi entirely agreed with the South African leader on this, and noted a "very positive" trend on investments and trade. The Prime Minister said Indian companies would respond positively to investing in South Africa, as he welcomed the Indo-South African business summit, held in April, for which the Commerce and Industries minister had come here. Prime Minister Modi also took up the issue of Indian business persons facing some obstacles in terms of general work permits and inter-company transfer permits in South Africa. "These are long standing issues that the prime minister took up," Gokhale said, adding that the South African President has assured he would look into the matter. The Prime Minister, he said, informed Ramaphosa that India has already liberalised the visa regime "very greatly" for South Africans. On trade, Modi said among the areas which the South African companies should be exploring in india were defence food processing and health insurance, according to Gokhale. During the "very productive, very good and very warm" meeting, Modo also mentioned about the visit of the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tarini with an all-female crew to South Africa. "The President of South Africa in fact remarked that this (INS Tarini visit) had got very good publicity in the South African press and was seen as a sign of gender empowerment, women empowerment," the Foreign Secretary said. BRICS is a grouping of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC", before the induction of South Africa in 2010. India's relations with South Africa date back several centuries. India was at the forefront of the international community in its support to the anti-apartheid movement. This year also marks 25 years since the resumption of India's diplomatic relations with South Africa in 1993. This year also marks the 125th year of the Pietermaritzburg railway station 'incident' involving Gandhi. "2018 is a historical year for our relations, as it marks the commemoration of twenty-five years of diplomatic relations between South Africa and India," the South African Presidency tweeted. The South African Indian-origin community numbers around 1.5 million and constitutes about three per cent of South Africa's total population. If there are two names that have occupied the largest media limelight in 2018, they would have to be Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Their names might be in the limelight, but the men themselves were hiding in the dark. And now it appears, we know the whereabouts of one of them. Mehul Choksi, apparently, is now an Antiguan citizen. A passport to Antigua and Barbuda lets you travel to 132 countries including the UK and the EU. And heres the kicker he took the oath of citizenship before all of this drama unveiled. Will he be extradited? Will he be one of the first to be held using recently passed FEO Bill? These are some of the questions we will aim to answer on our Story of the Day. My name is Rakesh, and youre listening to Moneycontrol. Shashwati Das, writing for Livemint, reported that Choksi was granted citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda an entire fortnight before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its first case against the alleged fraudster. The report claimed that the Gitanjali gems promoter may have been aware of the CBIs intentions beforehand. In November 2017, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Antigua had written a letter to a local newspaper about Choksi being granted full citizenship. The CIU said it had provided citizenship after conducting a "robust internal investigation". The report pointed out that Choksi was provided citizenship despite the CIUs rules mandating that a person would be ineligible for Antiguan citizenship if he is the subject of a criminal investigation, is a potential national security risk to Antigua and Barbuda or to any other country or is involved in any activity likely to cause disrepute to Antigua and Barbuda. Currently, the Interpol is yet to issue a red corner notice (RCN) against Choksi, who is free to travel to 132 countries on his Antiguan passport, including the UK and the European Union. The Antigua Government has indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back the uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, who has taken citizenship there, according to a newspaper report in that country. The Daily Observer today quoted a Cabinet press briefing issued by the Chief of Staff, Lionel "Max" Hurst, to state that Antigua and Barbuda government will make every effort as per law to honour a "legitimate" request from India. The issue of Choksi, a fugitive from India involved in an alleged banking scam worth over $2 billion, getting citizenship in Antigua in November last year was discussed in a Cabinet meeting of Antigua and Barbuda government, the newspaper said. The Cabinet underlined that they do not have an extradition treaty with India and that Choksi has not been charged for any crime, it reported. The paper also stated that the Cabinet noted that no request has been received by the Antigua and Barbuda government for any action against Choksi. The Citizenship by Investment unit of Antigua faced criticism from the paper for allowing Choksi to get a passport of Antigua in November last year. The unit had informed the paper that Choksi's request was allowed after "due diligence" and detailed background check from Interpol. The CBI has denied that Interpol ever approached it regarding background checks on Choksi, who was facing inquiries from various agencies last year. In an editorial, the paper said, There is a perception that the CIU's due diligence is a farce and that CIP money trumps due diligence. This is a perception that cannot be allowed to linger because it will have damaging effects on our country's reputation. The government must produce all the documentary evidence of the due diligence process so that the citizens of this country can have confidence that there is integrity to the process, It also noted that India is a friendly country, an "ally" and that it had helped Antigua in past on several occasions and it was a time to reciprocate. Beyond that, India is an ally. They have provided assistance to us in the past, and they have been tapped to provide assistance in the future. Most recently (as in April of this year), we sought their technical assistance in the areas of health and the management of public finance. Will we now turn our backs on them and give safe harbour to a fugitive from their justice system? an editorial in the paper said. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has moved to a Special court in Mumbai seeking to declare Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi 'fugitive economic offenders' which will enable them to seize their assets in India. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with the purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with the renewal of letters of undertaking, sources said. We have dug deeper into the actions of Gokulnath Shetty on previous podcasts that I urge that you go listen to. Quick! Choksi escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15, they said. The next day, his firm approached the Brady House branch of the Punjab National Bank seeking renewal and issuance of letters of an undertaking which were denied as the officer concerned sought cash guarantee for issuing these notes, a CBI FIR in this connection alleged. The executives told the officer that they have been taking these letters over last several years without any demand of such guarantee. The officer could not find instructions for such LoUs in the bank's system which led to a detailed scrutiny. It is then that the alleged scam surfaced prompting the bank to approach the CBI with a complaint and an FIR was registered on January 31. [Quick recap: An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to an applicant.] Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, the FIR has alleged. Choksi and his companies allegedly availed of credit from overseas branches of Indian banks using the fraudulent guarantees of the PNB given through LoUs and letters of credit issued to Brady House branch which were not repaid bringing the liability on the state-run bank, the officials said. A charge sheet filed in a special court in Mumbai after a three-and-a-month probe alleged that Shetty, a deputy manager in the PNB and arrested by the CBI, received Rs 1 crore from the companies of Choksi to issue LoUs to his companies, they said. Ghar aaja pardesi, tera des bulaaye re? We will see if the FEO Bill makes that happen. Heavy rains lashed northern parts of the country, claiming 27 lives in Uttar Pradesh and leading to water logging and traffic snarls in several areas. Mathura and Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh recieved 19 cm and 18 cm rain respectively. Aligarh recorded 13 cm rainfall as the state was wreceked by heavy rains since yesterday. Twenty-seven people were killed and 12 injured in thr rains. Five people died in Agra, four deaths were reported in Mainpuri, three each in Muzaffarnagar and Kasganj, two each in Meerut and Bareilly and one each in Kanpur Dehat, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Jhansi, Rae Bareli, Jalaun and Jaunpur. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to launch relief and rescue work on a war footing. Rains also pounded the national capital which led to water logging in several areas and contributed to traffic snarls at various intersections. The Safdarjung observatory, recording of which is considered the official figure for the city, recorded 45.8 mm rainfall till 8.30 am and after which it received 2.5 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm. The humidity oscillated between 100 and 87 per cent. Heavy to very heavy rains were witnessed in most parts of Himachal Pradesh with Solan recording 100.4 mm rainfall, followed by 64.7 mm in Sundernagar and 56.5 mm in Mandi. Eight people, who were stuck on an island in the middle of a river in Himachal Pradesh due to high water level last night, were rescued today. A landslide was reported in the outskirts of Shimla city trigerred by heavy rains which affected traffic. Heavy rainfall occured at isolated places in east Rajasthan with Bharatpur recording a maximum of 11 cm rainfall in last 24 hours. Kaman, Kumher, Pahari, Deeg and Rapbas of Bharatpur district received 5 to 7 cm rainfall. Various places in east Rajasthan recorded 1 to 5 cm rainfall. No rainfall was recorded in western part of the state during the period. Kelyong in Lahaul and Spiti district remained the coldest place in the state as the lowest temperature at 10.7 degrees Celsius was recorded here during the last 24 hours. Rains continued to lash parts of Punjab and Haryana, with mercury today again hovering below normal limits. In Haryana, Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Karnal and Kurukshetra received rains and in Punjab, Patiala, Mohali and Rupnagar. Train services were affected in Asansol division of the Eastern Railway following a landslip at the edge of a minor road overbridge near Kulti station due to rain. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Realty firm Signature Global, which is into affordable housing, today said it will invest Rs 100 crore to develop its first shopping mall at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh (UP). In this mall, the Delhi-based company is also developing 80-rooms serviced apartments/suites to be managed by hospitality firm Clarks Premier. The total saleable area is 1 lakh sq ft in this shopping mall, which is expected to be operational by the end of the next year. This is the first project of the company in UP. Signature Global is coming up with its maiden retail venture 'Signature Global Mall' at Vaishali, Ghaziabad with a total investment of Rs 100 crore, the company said in a statement. The investment would comprise of land and construction cost which will be met by internal accruals, it added. The company in the last year had raised Rs 200 crore fund from private equity player KKR. The Delhi-based firm had raised Rs 150 crore from ICICI Prudential in 2016. "Location being the key to the successful investment, Signature Global Mall is opening at the very close vicinity to the residential areas of Vaishali and other parts of NCR," said Pradeep Aggarwal, co-founder and chairman of Signature Global. The company has launched 9 affordable housing projects, comprising about 9,400 units in Rs 15-25 lakh price range, in Gurugram, in the last three years of its operations. All projects are under the Haryana Affordable Housing scheme. It has also started one housing project at Karnal in Haryana comprising of the 350 units. In these 10 projects, the company is constructing 2.5 lakh sq ft of commercial area as per the rules. On execution, Signature Global said it would deliver about 2,800 units in this fiscal. The company said it targets to build 1 lakh affordable homes in Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra by 2022. With affordable housing segment getting infrastructure status in the last year's Budget, the real estate developers are focusing on low-cost homes. The government is also providing an interest subsidy on loans for affordable housing, besides levying lower GST of 8 percent. Mehul Choksi live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, allegedly involved in over $2 billion scams in Punjab National Bank, claims he had taken Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation provides visa-free travel to 132 countries, local media in Antigua reported. In a statement issued by his attorney David Dorsett on the diamantaire's behalf, Choksi said there was no truth in the allegations levelled by the Indian government, the Daily Observer, a newspaper in Antigua, reported. Choksi who was allegedly the partner-in-crime of his nephew Nirav Modi in the banking fraud refused to say anything further on the issue, on the advice of his lawyers. "I can, however, state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application, I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved," the statement published in the newspaper said. Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua in November 2017, an oath of allegiance on January 15 this year, according to a local newspaper Antigua Observer. "My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa-free travel access to 130 or so countries," the statement said, adding that he was in the United States in January 2018 for medical treatment. "Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda," it read. After it emerged that Choksi had moved to the Caribbean country in July and also taken a local passport, the CBI wrote to Antiguan authorities seeking the whereabouts of the fugitive diamantaire. The CBI, in its communication sent to Antiguan authority, cited diffusion notice issued by the Interpol against the fugitive businessman and sought details of his movement and his present location. The Antigua Government indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with the purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Nirav Modi fled India in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with the renewal of letters of undertaking, sources had said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi today took a fresh jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging that the joint venture of "Mr 56's friend" received "$20 billion actual benefits" through offset contracts in the deal. The Congress has launched an offensive on the prime minister and his government over the Rafale deal, alleging favoritism in granting the offset contract to Reliance Defence, in violation of the rules and has accused Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" to the nation on the issue. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said he forgot to mention earlier about the offset contracts of $16 billion to the private entity's joint venture and said the actual benefit is of $20 billion, equivalent to Rs 1,30,000 crore. "Dear Trolls, I apologise for my earlier tweet in which I stated Mr 56's friend's JV, received 4 Billion US$'s of 'off set' contracts. "I forgot to add the 16 Billion US$ RAFALE lifecycle contract. 20 BILLION US$, is the actual benefit. So Sorry!!," he tweeted, using the hashtag "130000CroreRafaleScam". The Congress has also given a notice for breach of privilege in Lok Sabha against the prime minister and the defense minister on the Rafale issue. (Image: Reuters) Future Samsung phones could come with a flexible and 'unbreakable' screens, paving the way for the first truly foldable handsets. According to a report by CNET, the South Korean electronics giant confirmed, on Wednesday, that it recently developed a phone panel which has even received certification from Underwriters Laboratories. This means that Samsung is ready to start shipping the panel in actual devices to consumers. Samsung says that the flexible OLED panel consists of an unbreakable substrate with an overlapping window attached to it, Samsung said. It also claims that the panel is unbreakable, unlike other current commercially available flexible displays which break when subjected to extreme impact. The panel is expected to have applications in non-phone segments such as automobiles, gaming, defence and more. Samsung Unbreakable OLED Display|Samsung newsroom US Samsungs innovation comes at a time when it is getting harder for consumers to differentiate between various smartphones and their recurring features. They are now choosing to stick to their existing models instead of regularly upgrading them, leading to an eventual slowdown in smartphone demand. In a statement, a spokesperson for Samsung Display Company Hojung Kim said that the hardened plastic window is additionally well-suited for portable devices due to the fact that it is lightweight and transmissive, making it quite similar to glass. He added that the display passed demanding durability tests which included being consecutively dropped from four feet high 26 times. The phone continued to work normally while suffering zero damage to its body. Most of Samsung's flagship phones now have curved displays, paving the way for foldable phones. The closest to a foldable phone currently is ZTE's 2017 Axon M, which has two screens connected by a hinge that can be folded out into a tablet. Samsungs future devices will have one hinge-less OLED screen which can literally fold. Samsungs only competition in this innovation is Huawei, which is also currently working on a foldable screen design. Samsung Mobile president DJ Koh had previously told reporters to expect a folding phone by this year itself. Rice paddy field in rural Karnataka, India. Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted a study to find out the availability of genetically modified processed food and found that 32 percent of the 65 randomly selected samples tested positive for this category According to a report by The Times of India, the products found to belong to this category were from the infant food, edible oil and packaged food snacks segments, and contain soya, cotton seed, corn or rapeseed (canola). These are known GM crops of the world. Production, sale and import of genetically-modified food is banned in India without the approval of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Most of these products are imported from the US, Canada, Netherlands, Thailand and the UAE. "Every second-imported product we tested was genetically-modified positive that were mostly from developed countries. Nine out of 10 products were from the US," Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General at CSE, told the paper. According to CSE, there were some products that declared themselves GM positive but lacked the requisite government approval. Also, some of the products containing GM ingredients were found to not have declared the same on their labels. The Food Safety and Standards Authority in India (FSSAI) had proposed earlier this year making mandatory the declaration of nutritional information on the front of the pack for all packaged food manufacturers. According to the the regulator, any food that has 5 percent or more of GM ingredients, should be labelled as such. Of the 65 samples, 35 were imported products while the rest were locally produced. Bhushan told the paper that imported samples from reputed companies fared worse than others, accounting for 80 percent of the products that were found to be GM-positive. Tom Cruise. An ankle injury for Tom Cruise while shooting for Mission: Impossible Fallout has ballooned production cost of the movie by Rs 550 crore. The 56-year-old star is playing the lead character for the sixth instalment of the franchise. Due to the on-set injury, he had to take an eight-week hiatus, resulting in extended costing. However, going by a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Fallouts real costs were closer to Rs 1,230 crore (instead of Rs 1,700 crore), given that most of the extra costs associated with the injury will be covered by insurance. Interestingly, the shot in which Cruise injured his ankle has been included in the final cut of the film. Since the producers, including Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures, were adamant on July 27 release, the crew had to be paid for the eight weeks Cruise was rehabilitating. This escalated the production costs. During the time, the crew worked on footage that had already been shot and edited them up to the point it has been filmed. The extra cost will further slim down the margin for Paramount Pictures. The Mission Impossible franchise has anyway not been a money minting one, especially in comparison to the Transformers series. Rogue Nation, the fifth Mission Impossible film, earned $683 million worldwide which was deemed successful but did not impress many viewers. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan wished all Hindu citizens on the occasion of Diwali. Prime Minister Imran Khan wishes a happy Diwali to all Hindu citizens, tweeted Prime Ministers Office in Pakistan. Political analysts in Pakistan fear choppy waters lie ahead for the politics in the country with several political heavyweights who have suffered defeat in their strongholds likely to band together amid allegations of rigging in the General elections. The elections in Pakistan have produced some stunning upset results and many of the political parties who have suffered reversals continue to cry foul over the way the votes were counted and announced after long delays. According to the unofficial results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so far, Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has won the majority seats (119) in the National Assembly to form the next government while a number of seasoned politicians suffered defeat in their traditional strongholds. "The next few days will be critical for Pakistan politics. Because if the political parties who have come second best to PTI get together and launch a combined protest over the results, it could be a big challenge for Khan and his party, analyst Omair Alavi said. The PML-N has already rejected the election results despite securing a respectable 122 seats in the Punjab assembly and another 68 in the national assembly until Thursday evening. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarians are also crying foul particularly after their Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto lost in one of their safest constituencies, Lyari area of Karachi to a PTI candidate. Religious parties like the Jamiat Ulema Islam (Maulana Fazlur Rehman), the Khadim Hussain Shah led Tehreek-e-Labaik have also alleged foul play in the counting of votes and have threatened agitation. Maulana Fazlur Rehman an arch-rival of Khan and seasoned politician who also lost out in the elections has announced he will be inviting all parties for a conference soon to discuss the election results. Bilawal Bhutto who also lost on a seat from Malakand in the KPK province but managed to win in his ancestral Larkana constituency on Thursday to enter the parliament for the first time said there was a clear conspiracy to ensure he lost on all three seats. "Our party leadership will convene on Friday to discuss the situation and announce our next step, Bilawal said after finishing behind the PTI and Pakistan Tehreek Labaik candidates in the final vote count. Lyari has always been considered one of the safest constituencies for the PPP with slain former prime minister, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and before her other party leaders always winning from Lyari so Bilawal's defeat has shocked many. PPP workers and leaders also held a protest outside the Karachi Press Club rejecting the election results while the Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan leaders, Dr Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool travelled to Islamabad to echo their grievances with the election commission of Pakistan. Sattar a senior leader of the MQM also lost in the elections from his home constituency to PTI candidate Aamir Liaquat Hussain while the MQM Pakistan suffered a major reversal when their candidate lost in the constituency that also covers the MQM 90 headquarters in Azizabad. Sattar and Maqbool claimed that the results were engineered after polling ended and would ask for a recount of all polling stations where the MQM candidates contested. But many political analysts were not even giving MQM Pakistan a chance of winning the six NA seats after the party split into two groups last year due to the ban on founder, Altaf Hussain who remains exiled in London. The MQM Pakistan's six NA and seven Sindh Assembly seats from Karachi are a far cry from previous elections when the MQM candidates used to sweep the NA and PA seats from the metropolitan city by big margins. Sattar who usually garnered over a 100 thousand votes from his home constituency in Karachi in previous elections on Wednesday managed to secure just 36,000 votes which he says is unthinkable and hard to accept while his rival, Aamir Liaquat got around 56,000 votes. Another splinter group of the Altaf Hussain led MQM, the PSP anchored by former Karachi Mayor, Mustafa Kamal also failed to win any seats from the city. More astounding has been the poor results produced by religious parties in Wednesday's elections namely the Tehreek Labbaik (TLP), the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq party an electoral platform for the outlawed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Hafiz Saeed's political front Milli Muslim League (MML) and the five party religious alliance, Mutthaida Majlis Amal (MMA) which comprised of the Jamaat-e-Islami, JUI F and others. The MMA has managed some nine seats in the NA in the unofficial results but their performance in the four provincial assembly elections is not encouraging while the other religious platform candidates were blown away. The TLP is the same party which last year brought Islamabad to a halt when they staged a long sit-in over the Khatam-e-Nabuwat law. Interestingly, the PML N, PTI and PPPP had all assured support to Auranzeb Farooqi, a senior leader of the Rah-i-Haq party in the constituency he was contesting from in Karachi. The Rah-i-Haq party is seen as an offshoot of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba party with Farooqi still facing number of cases. TLP founder, Khadim Hussain Shah had promised big surprises and upsets in the elections in Karachi but this didn't happen and this has left the party even threatening street protests. A political science professor, Dr Anwari Aziz, said the outcome of the elections showed that the common Pakistan voter did not have enough trust in the religious outfits and parties to vote them into power. In a way it is a very positive message sent out by Pakistan voters that they want peace and are peace loving people, she said. She noted that the international media and community had generally expressed concern over some outlawed extremist figures being allowed to contest the elections. A TLP leader, who requested not to be named, admits that they have learnt the hard way from the election that they need to properly mobilize their general work force and resources in the country. BP Plc has agreed to buy U.S. shale oil and gas assets from global miner BHP Billiton for $10.5 billion, expanding the British oil major's footprint in oil-rich onshore basins in its biggest deal in nearly 20 years. The acquisition marks a big turning point for BP since the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, for which the company is still paying off more than $65 billion in penalties and clean-up costs. "This is a transformational acquisition for our Lower 48 business, a major step in delivering our upstream strategy and a world-class addition to BP's distinctive portfolio," BP chief Executive Bob Dudley said in a statement. In a further sign of the upturn in its fortunes, BP said it would increase its quarterly dividend for the first time in nearly four years and announced a $6 billion share buyback, to be partly funded by selling some upstream assets. The sale ends a disastrous seven-year investment by BHP in the shale business, which investors led by U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management have been pressing the company to jettison for the past 18 months. BHP put the business up for sale last August. Investors and analysts said the sale price was better than expected and were pleased that BHP planned to return the proceeds to shareholders. "It was the wrong environment to have bought the assets when they did but this is the right market to have sold them in," said Craig Evans, co-portfolio manager of the Tribeca Global Natural Resources Fund. Analysts said they had assumed BHP would get between $8 billion and $10 billion in cash for the assets. BHP first acquired shale assets in 2011 for more than $20 billion with the takeover of Petrohawk Energy and shale gas interests from Chesapeake Energy Corp, but suffered as gas prices collapsed, forcing it to book massive writedowns. The world's biggest miner said it would record a further one-off shale charge of about $2.8 billion post-tax in its 2018 financial year results. U.S. BOOST FOR BP The deal, BP's biggest since it bought oil company Atlantic Richfield Co in 1999, will increase its U.S. onshore oil and gas resources by 57 percent. BP will acquire BHP's unit which holds the Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Permian assets for $10.5 billion, giving it "some of the best acreage in some of the best basins in the onshore U.S.," the company said. It beat rivals including Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron Corp for the assets, which have combined production of 190,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d)and 4.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources. BP said the transaction would boost its earnings and cash flow per share and it would still be able to maintain its gearing within a 20-30 percent range. The company also said it would increase its quarterly dividend by 2.5 percent to 10.25 cents a share, the first rise in 15 quarters. Meanwhile, a unit of Merit Energy Company will buy BHP Billiton Petroleum (Arkansas) Inc and the Fayetteville assets, for $0.3 billion. Tribeca's Evans welcomed the clean exit for cash, rather than asset swaps which BHP had flagged as a possibility. "It leaves the company good scope to focus on their far better offshore oil business," he said. BHP Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie said the company had delivered on its promise to get value for its shale assets, while the sale was consistent with a long-term plan to simplify and strengthen its portfolio. BHP shares rose 2.3 percent after the announcement, outperforming the broader market and rival Rio Tinto. BP said it would pay the $10.5 billion in instalments over six months from the date of completion, with $5.25 billion of the consideration to be raised through the sale of new shares. Elliott had no immediate comment on the sale announcement. Grab said on Friday it disagreed with the Singaporean anti-monopoly watchdog's assessment that its takeover of Uber's operations had harmed competition and called the commission's suggested measure of removing exclusivity arrangements with drivers as "one-sided". Earlier this year, Uber Technologies Inc sold its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab in exchange for a stake in the Singapore-based firm. But the deal has prompted regulatory scrutiny. In early July, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) provisionally found that the merger had substantially reduced competition and suggested various remedies, such as the sale of their car-leasing businesses and removing exclusivity obligations on drivers who use Grab's ride-hailing platform. The CCCS is set to make a decision after Grab submitted its representation this week, and also taking into account public feedback. It has proposed fines on the firms. Grab in a written response said the commission allowed other players and new entrants to maintain or enter into exclusivity arrangements with drivers, private hire rental fleet and taxi operators without restrictions. "Grab believes that this double standard goes against the spirit of increasing choices for drivers and riders," it said. Grab was the dominant player in Singapore's ride-hailing market even before the Uber merger. It also competes with taxi businesses such as ComfortDelGro Corp Ltd. Several new players, such as India's Jugnoo and Singapore-based Ryde, have recently entered the city-state's ride-hailing market. Indonesia's Go-Jek has also said it would launch services in Singapore. The CCCS has said the exclusivity arrangements mean a new entrant would have to spend a lot of money to build up driver and rider networks similar in scale and size to the incumbents. The CCCS's decision could have wider implications, with Malaysia also saying this month that it was studying monopoly risks triggered by the merger of Grab and Uber. Grab, which maintains that it operates in a market that is broader than private-hire and taxi-booking services, also said it has retained its pre-transaction pricing and driver commissions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he had a "wonderful" meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit here during which multiple areas of India-Turkey cooperation were discussed. Modi said he discussed with Erdogan how to further cement the bilateral relations for the benefit of the people of the two countries. He also congratulated the Turkish President on his re-election. Erdogan, 64, was re-elected for a new five-year term in June after securing outright victory in the first round of a presidential poll. "Had a wonderful meeting with the President of Turkey, Mr @RT_Erdogan. Our talks covered multiple areas of India-Turkey cooperation and how to further cement bilateral relations for the benefit of our citizens," Modi tweeted. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also shared two photographs of Modi's meeting with Erdogan. "The last engagement in Johannesburg! PM @narendramodi met the Turkish President Recep Erdogan on the sidelines of #BRICSSummit2018. PM congratulated President Erdogan on his re-election as the President #IndiaatBRICS," Kumar tweeted. Earlier, the PM met Russian President Valdimir Putin and also held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Argentina and Angola. Iran may soon issue a national cryptocurrency to deal with new economic sanctions enacted by the US President Donald Trump, according to a report by the country's official news outlet PressTV. The country's Science and Technology Department is considering developing an "indigenous" cryptocurrency, the report said. According to Alireza Daliri, the department's deputy head in charge of investment affairs, the project is ongoing in cooperation with the Central Bank of Iran. The state department aims to integrate blockchain technology with the country's central bank over the next three months. "We are trying to prepare the grounds to use a domestic digital currency in the country," Daliri said, adding that a large number of domestic knowledge-based companies have the expertise to develop digital currency. He, however, emphasised that they would still have to work on removing pre-launch flaws. Daliri said this currency would facilitate the transfer of money (to and from) anywhere in the world and would the country at the time of sanctions, which is scheduled to go into effect next month. In May, the US had announced its withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran along with the reactivation of economic sanctions that will restrict Iran's access to US dollars starting from August 6. The announcement is in line with the Iranian government's ongoing support for developing cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. In April, Daliri had doubled down on a commitment to launch a "mutual cryptocurrency" that could facilitate financial payments between domestic and foreign businesses. The currency would be used to support Irans national currency and as a token for settling financial transactions by commercial banks. According to the report, the banks would be able to develop smart contracts based on the properties of the same indigenous token and expand their required payment services including digital wallets. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a welcome ceremony in Panmunjom, South Korea. (Reuters) North and South Korea agreed to hold military talks on Tuesday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, as both sides seek to defuse tensions amid a thaw in relations. The general-level military talks would take place at the border village of Panmunjom within the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, Yonhap said on Friday, citing Seoul's defence ministry. An agenda for the meeting was not immediately known. The two sides last held such military talks in June. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan wished all Hindu citizens on the occasion of Diwali. Prime Minister Imran Khan wishes a happy Diwali to all Hindu citizens, tweeted Prime Ministers Office in Pakistan. Pakistan prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan's party is eyeing to form the government in Punjab, the most populated province of the country, with the help of independents even as its rival, jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif's party, is slightly ahead of it in the number game. With 127 seats won, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which ruled the province of over 100 million population for the last two terms from 2008-2018, has failed to secure a simple majority to form the government in Punjab. In the 297-member House, 149 seats are required to form the government. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) bagged 123 seats and its ally PML-Q got seven. As many as 27 seats have gone to independent candidates, most of whom parted ways with the PML-N before the polls and chose to contest independently. With an apparent inclination of the independents towards joining PTI, Khan's party appeared to be in a comfortable position to form the government in Punjab. With PML-Q and Independent members, we will easily form the government in Punjab, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry told PTI today. He said his party is in talks with the independents and claimed that most of them will soon announce joining PTI. We will find no problem in achieving the 149 number to form the government, Chaudhry said. Meanwhile, Hamza Shahbaz, son of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, said PTI should respect the PML-N mandate in Punjab. We have emerged single largest party in Punjab despite rigging and Mr. Khan should respect our mandate and we should be allowed to form the government in the province, he said. The names of PTI leaders Aleem Khan and Mahmoodur Rashid and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi are doing the round for the chief minister's slot. Former foreign minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi were considered favorite to become the Punjab chief minister but since he lost a provincial seat, he is out of the race. Qureshi has won a National Assembly seat from his hometown Multan and is being tipped as a new foreign minister in the PTI-led government. Representative Image South Korea said on Friday it had scrambled military jets to intercept a Chinese military aircraft that entered the South's air defence territory. The Chinese plane spent more than four hours in the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) after flying near a submerged rock in the area controlled by Seoul but claimed by Beijing, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. South Korea's Air Force deployed more than one fighter jet to track and blare warnings to the Chinese aircraft to leave, the JCS said. There was no immediate comment from China. The ADIZs are not legally binding agreements under international treaties, but Seoul extended its own territory in 2013 to partially overlap with a zone newly declared by China. China's expansion included the submerged rock named Ieodo, which Seoul controls with a research station platform built atop it. Chinese warplanes made a similar flight over the South Korean zone in February and April, the JCS said, while at least two similar instances were observed last year. In February, Seoul summoned the Chinese ambassador to lodge a complaint, and Beijing said then the aircraft was in a training in line with international law and practice. What's next? PM Imran Khan reportedly held an emergency meeting at 11 am (PST). Pakistan's top brass will assemble at the Foreign Office in Islamabad to discuss the emerging situation in the wake of Indian Air Force's (IAF) violation of the Line of Control The United States will "look for opportunities" to work with the new leaders of Pakistan after they form the government, and will try to advance security, stability and prosperity in South Asia, a US official said. The US is awaiting the full official results to declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan and observer missions to release their preliminary findings, the State Department spokesperson said. Imran Khan has claimed victory in the general election after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single-largest party in the National Assembly, amid allegation of rigging of the poll in his favour. Khan's party had won 105 of the 272 directly-elected seats, according the latest official results. "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the State Department spokesperson told PTI. The spokesperson also said that the US was "concerned by reports of constraints placed on freedoms of expression, association, and the press leading up to the elections." Eliot Engel, ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to expressed concern about the "outsized role" the military played in the election, saying this has been another missed opportunity for the people of Pakistan. "I want to congratulate the people of Pakistan who braved various hardships to cast their votes yesterday. I was hopeful that Pakistan would build upon its 2013 elections which saw the country's first successful democratic transition from one civilian government to another," he said. "But I take very seriously the allegations that Pakistan's military played an outsized role in shaping the electoral environment in advance of the elections," Engel said. He, however, said that he looks forward to working with "whatever government comes to power" but note with disappointment the missed opportunity to advance democracy in Pakistan. Australian Economic News Updates Enjoy a contrarian outlook on the Australian economy and how movements beyond our borders could affect your stocks, retirement fund or the value of your home. Go here for more. Daily Chinese Economy News Chinas economy has been a powerhouse in recent years. But times are a changing and China, for better or worse, is a subject of heated debate. Are there investment opportunities to be still had from China, and how will they affect your wealth at home? Find out here. US Economy News The US economy is drowning under the weight of its public and private debt. But is it too soon to call the end of this financial, military and political empire? Only time will tell. Either way, you need to make sure your investments are on the right side of the trade. Eurozone Economy The Eurozone is in a huge mess right now. Can it hold it together or will, one-by-one, member states leave the Euro and go at it on their own? More importantly, what consequences will this have for Australia and your investments? More on that here. Global Economy News Dont just follow the news on the global economy get an inside peek into whats happening in developed and emerging economies around the world and what it could mean for your investments. Go here for more. A grandmother from Adelaide, Australia is warning make-up users to clear out their old cases, claiming that an old mascara has left her blind. Shirley Potter says she received an eye infection from using a mascara that was twenty years old. By the time she realised she had an infection though, she was declared legally blind and is expected to lose all of her sight within the next three years. Flinders University in Adelaide's ophthalmologist Professor Justine Smith says that such cases are rare, but are an important warning to make-up users to check the expiry dates of their products. Bottles of make-up, like bottles of eye drops, have preservatives in them and preservatives there in part to stop bugs like bacteria growing in the bottle once the bottle is open, she said. Over time that preservative starts to break down and within a few weeks it won't be so active and then bugs can grow, she said. Experts say eye make-up can become dangerous just six months after it's been opened, even if it still appears fine. So make sure you're checking your make-up ladies! An Egyptian zoo has denied painting black stripes on a donkey to make it look like a zebra. Student Mahmoud Sarhan posted images of the animal on Facebook after visiting the Cairo International Garden municipal park. He says the black stripes were smudged and the face and ears of the zebra resembled a donkey, CNN reports. I also suggest the failure to properly disclose this conflict of interest contravene's News Corp's own Editorial Code of Conduct and Standards of Business Conduct, as outlined in my email to Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, see below. Particularly bearing in mind this conflict of interest, it is an extremely serious matter that the Murdoch media group may have influenced the implementation of a coercive law which seeks to make the community compliant to an ever-increasing amount of lucrative vaccine products via the taxpayer-funded National Immunisation Program Schedule. This is especially significant considering the Murdoch media group has a conflict of interest in this matter, i.e. its association with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, which is involved in vaccine research and development projects funded by vaccine manufacturers such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur. Mr Turnbull, it appears the media group associated with the Murdoch family, now known as News Corp, may have influenced the Federal Government's coercive No Jab, No Pay law via its protracted No Jab, No Play media campaign in its tabloid newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier Mail, and The Advertiser etc. I've challenged both Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch on this matter, see email thread below: The Murdoch Children's Research Institute is supported by News Corp and Foxtel. Lachlan Murdoch's wife Sarah Murdoch is a Director and Ambassador for the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Rupert Murdoch's mother Dame Elisabeth Murdoch was one of the original founders of this institute. The former chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, Terry Nolan, is now associated with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and working on industry-funded projects. Terry Nolan is also a member of the World Health Organisation's SAGE group, and thereby influential on international vaccination policy. There's a lot more to this web of influence that needs to be explored... How useful for GlaxoSmithKline and co to have the Murdoch media group campaign for a coercive law which seeks to make the community compliant to an ever-increasing amount of lucrative vaccine products via Australia's taxpayer-funded vaccination schedule. But the Murdoch media group now known as News Corp did not properly disclose its conflict of interest in this matter, i.e. its association with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, which is involved in vaccine research and development projects funded by vaccine manufacturers such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur. The Murdoch media groups relentless No Jab, No Play campaign was adopted by the Australian government, becoming the coercive No Jab, No Pay law in January 2016. Others also had undue influence on the implementation of the No Jab, No Pay law, e.g. the Friends of Science in Medicine lobby group which supported the No Jab, No Pay bill at the Senate Hearing held in November 2015. It is notable that members of the Friends of Science in Medicine lobby group include academics who are associated with the vaccine industry via research funding. Mr Turnbull, the biased and polarising media campaign run by the Murdoch media group, News Corp, and others has resulted in a hostile climate where citizens questioning vaccination policy are reflexively labelled 'anti-vaxxer' and marginalised or even censored. Associate Professor in International Criminology Paddy Rawlinson discusses the undermining of free speech on this matter in her essay Immunity and Impunity: Corruption in the State-Pharma Nexus, published in the International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, currently accessible via this link: https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/447 (Copy also attached.) Curtailing citizens' right to question taxpayer-funded vaccination policy is a serious matter in our liberal democracy. Recently citizens organised a conference in Sydney to discuss the censorship of the vaccination debate in Australia. The venue for this conference had to be kept secret until a few hours before the start due to the threat of it being shut down. I presented at this conference on the topic of conflicts of interest in vaccination policy, as detailed in my email to Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, see below. Mr Turnbull, politicians, including you, are refusing point-blank to respond to citizens' concerns about taxpayer-funded vaccination policy, in particular about the over-use of vaccine products. It appears the Murdoch run Newscorp and other vested interests are running Australia's taxpayer-funded vaccination policy now, courtesy of obliging politicians who are failing to properly represent Australian citizens on this matter. I am now challenging the Murdoch's directly about their media group's influence on Australian vaccination policy. In this regard, please see below my open email to Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, also copied to Mr Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp, and also Ms Sarah Murdoch, Director of and Ambassador for the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The original email can be accessed via this link: https://bit.ly/2mEiyaS This email to Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch includes exposure of the conflicts of interests of academics influential on vaccination policy in Australia. This email also includes discussion on the GlaxoSmithKline Bexsero meningococcal B vaccine product for the very rare invasive meningococcal B disease, which is being heavily promoted by politicians and others, despite being rejected by the PBAC three times for the taxpayer-funded schedule due to 'multiple uncertainties' about this product. Elizabeth Hart 19 July 2018 Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch I believe your media group's No Jab, No Play campaign has influenced taxpayer-funded vaccination policy in Australia, with then Prime Minister Tony Abbott obligingly adopting your campaign as policy, i.e. No Jab, No Pay, with cross-party support from Labor's Bill Shorten and the Greens' Richard Di Natale. Your National Political Editor, Samantha Maiden, gloated about the success of The Sunday Telegraph's No Jab, No Play campaign (11 April 2015). The No Jab, No Pay law was enacted in January 2016, under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the intent of this law being to make parents compliant to the ever-increasing taxpayer-funded children's vaccination schedule. Some state governments are now also adopting No Jab, No Play policies. It appears Australian politicians may have been influenced by the Murdoch media group, while ignoring citizens well-founded concerns about the burgeoning National Immunisation Program Schedule. I strongly believe the Murdoch family has a conflict of interest in this matter, i.e. the Murdoch family's association with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, which is involved in industry-funded vaccine research and development. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute website notes that Rupert Murdoch's mother Dame Elisabeth Murdoch was involved in the founding of this institute. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute's Corporate Partners webpage states that News Corp and Foxtel support this institute. I suggest the Murdoch family's association with an institute involved in industry-funded vaccine research and development should be clearly disclosed as a conflict of interest on all articles regarding vaccination published by the Murdoch media group. Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, would you not agree that failing to disclose this conflict of interest contravenes News Corps own Editorial Code of Conduct and News Corp's Standards of Business Conduct in regards to conflict of interest?[1] For years your media group has run the extraordinarily biased No Jab, No Play vaccination campaign, and has been a major party in creating a polarised 'pro' and 'anti' vaccination climate, with hyperbolic articles such as 'Anti-vaxers, you are baby killers' (Claire Harvey, The Sunday Telegraph, 21 March 2015). In this hostile climate, any citizen questioning vaccination policy is reflexively labelled an 'anti-vaxxer' and marginalised or even censored. Politicians are refusing to respond to citizens' concerns about taxpayer-funded vaccine products, the cost of which is kept secret from taxpayers, i.e. categorised as 'commercial-in-confidence', protecting vaccine manufacturers from scrutiny. Your newspapers have failed to provide serious, objective and nuanced critical analysis of taxpayer-funded vaccination policy, i.e. examination of the burgeoning National Immunisation Program Schedule, which currently sits at around 50 doses of vaccines for children, via single and combination shots, and revaccinations.[2] This does not include the annual flu vaccinations we are all being pressured to have, young and old. We have no idea of the long-term consequences of this increasing vaccine load. I suggest children are being grossly over-vaccinated with this plethora of vaccine products, which are added to the schedule without any consultation with the community. The community is being coerced with inducements and made compliant to the ever-increasing schedule, with the right to 'informed consent' before each vaccine intervention being effectively denied, in contravention of The Australian Immunisation Handbook's definition of valid consent, i.e that It must be given voluntarily in the absence of undue pressure, coercion or manipulation. I suggest doctors, nurses and midwives are conflicted in their ethical duty with this coercive medical intervention. Since the No Jab, No Pay law was enacted in January 2016, yet another injection of diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccines (GlaxoSmithKline Infanrix or Sanofi-Aventis Tripacel) has been added to the schedule, along with the recent addition of the meningococcal ACWY vaccines (Pfizer Nimenrix). Intensive industry lobbying for GlaxoSmithKline's Bexsero meningococcal B vaccine continues, along with increasing pressure for annual flu vaccines for children, e.g. the NSW Government offering 'free' flu vaccines for children under five years. The bloated and conflicted vaccination schedule is out of control, we have no idea of the long-term cumulative consequences of all these vaccine interventions. The taxpayer-funded National Immunisation Program Schedule must be subject to an urgent review, particularly in light of the conflicts of interest that permeate this bloated schedule, and emerging problems with vaccines, e.g. repeated revaccination throughout life with the failing aluminium-adjuvanted acelluar pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, over-use of live vaccines, failing immunity of mumps vaccines, flu vaccines etc. Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, would you not agree your failure to "tell all sides of the story" in regards to the bloated and conflicted vaccination schedule contravenes News Corp's own Editorial Code of Conduct? I presented on the subject of conflicts of interest in vaccination policy at the citizens' conference The Censorship of the Vaccination Debate in Australia Today, held in Sydney on 30 June 2018. In my presentation I refer to your media group's influence on vaccination policy, noting that you have not clearly disclosed your conflict of interest in this matter, i.e. the Murdoch family's association with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, which is involved in industry-funded vaccine research and development, supported by News Corp and Foxtel. As well as examining the influence of rich and powerful families such as the Murdochs and Bill and Melinda Gates, and the conflicts of interest of the Cochrane 'evidence based medicine' group, my presentation also exposes the conflicts of interest of two academics who are very influential on vaccination policy, Terry Nolan and Robert Booy, who are involved with vaccine industry-funded research. Former Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) Chair Terry Nolan is now a Group Leader in vaccination and immunisation research (VIRGo) with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, with involvement in projects funded by GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi Pasteur and Novavax, as recorded in Terry Nolan's presentation titled 'The National Immunisation Program in the modern era - providing, nudging, and cajoling', presented at the PHAA National Immunisation Conference 2016. Terry Nolan is also a member of the World Health Organisation's SAGE group, and thereby influential on international vaccination policy. Ironically, in June 2012, The Australians journalist Natasha Bita raised the issue of conflicts of interest of Terry Nolan in an article titled Pharma conflicts must be disclosed, but concern about conflicts of interest seems to have evaporated since then. Robert Booy is Head of Clinical Research at the government and industry-funded National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance, and also a Director and Scientific Advisory Member of the Immunisation Coalition, an industry organisation which is sponsored and supported by GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, CSL company Seqirus, Sanofi Pasteur, Roche and others, including Google. Margie Danchin, who works with Terry Nolan in the VIRGo group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, is also a Director of the industry-sponsored Immunisation Coalition. Organisations such as the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Nursing, and the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation and others are also associated with the industry-sponsored Immunisation Coalition. Robert Booy is also a member of the coercive vaccination lobby group Friends of Science in Medicine, which was influential at the Senate Hearing (November 2015) re the No Jab, No Pay bill, with No Jab, No Pay being made law in January 2016. Both Terry Nolan and Robert Booy have been cited in promotion for the GlaxoSmithKline Bexsero meningococcal B vaccine product on the Medical Observer website.[3] My presentation also includes discussion on the GlaxoSmithKline Bexsero meningococcal B vaccine product, which was showcased in the PHAA vaccine product promotion conference held in Adelaide in June this year, which was supported by both the Federal and South Australian governments. How very interesting to see the cosy relationships between governments and vaccine manufacturers and others with vested interests. During this government and industry supported vaccine product promotion conference, The Australian reported GlaxoSmithKline's head of global vaccines, Luc Debruyne, met South Australian officials "in an attempt to win support for a government-funded program for the pharmaceutical giant's meningococcal B vaccine" (5 June 2018). The SA Government has now announced 'free' funding of the GlaxoSmithKline Bexsero meningococcal B vaccine product, undermining the PBAC's decision to reject three times this vaccine product for the taxpayer-funded schedule due to "multiple uncertainties" of this still experimental product. On what evidence did the TGA approve and register this 'uncertain' product? Meningococcal bacteria is largely quite harmless, and only rarely a serious matter. And this is interesting, why are serious meningococcal cases so rare? This is what independent immunologists should be investigating to develop our knowledge of the human system. Despite the rarity of invasive meningococcal B cases, it seems the SA Government is accommodating GlaxoSmithKline's determined campaign to force this lucrative product for a very rare disease on the taxpayer-funded National Immunisation Program Schedule, no doubt as a springboard to fast-tracking this very questionable vaccine product around the world and generating a multi-billion dollar market for GlaxoSmithKline. Politicians are falling over themselves to promote this lucrative vaccine product for a very rare disease, with Labor's Bill Shorten recently tweeting about his letter to Malcolm Turnbull demanding the meningococcal B vaccine be added to the taxpayer-funded National Immunisation Program Schedule (17 July 2018). And of course the SA Labor Opposition has supported this campaign too, with the assistance of the Murdoch media, e.g. the Adelaide Advertiser which has provided fear-mongering promotion for this 'uncertain' GlaxoSmithKline vaccine product for a very rare disease, see for example 'Calls for free vaccine for the meningococcal B strain grow', The Advertiser, 28 June 2018. In South Australia, a Bexsero meningococcal B vaccine trial funded by GlaxoSmithKline is under way, involving up to 60,000 students. Articles published in your Advertiser newspaper say "It is hoped the findings will provide a strong push to get the vaccine on the taxpayer-funded National Immunisation Program" (13 December 2016 and 27 March 2017). It appears this GlaxoSmithKline funded-trial is biased from the outset, with the support of the Adelaide Advertiser. Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) member Helen Marshall is the lead investigator on this vaccine trial. Given her role on ATAGI, Helen Marshall has a serious conflict of interest with her leadership of this GlaxoSmithKline-funded trial. A TV advertisement urging students to participate in this trial says "Help protect yourself, while also protecting your family and friends". I suggest these students are being misled about the effectiveness of this still 'uncertain' vaccine product. Along with Robert Booy, ATAGI member Helen Marshall is also a member of the coercive vaccination lobby group Friends of Science in Medicine which was influential at the Senate Hearing re the No Jab, No Pay bill. It's also notable that News Corp is "collaborating with GSK Australia's Children's Panadol in an organic partnership focused on first time mums", as promoted on the News Corp Australia website. It appears GSK benefits doubly from both vaccination and promotion of Panadol "to provide...fast, effective, temporary relief from pain and fever associated with...Immunisation..."[4] The Murdochs seem to have a long association with GlaxoSmithKline. For example, James Murdoch was appointed as a non-executive director at GlaxoSmithKline in 2009, serving as a member of GlaxoSmithKline's corporate responsibility committee, helping to review "external issues that might have the potential for serious impact upon the group's business and reputation".[5] James Murdoch resigned as a director of GlaxoSmithKline in 2012[6] in the aftermath of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, when Murdoch media group (News International) journalists were accused of hacking people's phones for information, including murdered teenager Milly Dowler's voicemail.[7] Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, would you not agree News Corp's partnership with GSK Australia, and also GlaxoSmithKline's funding at the News Corp supported Murdoch Children's Research Institute, constitutes a conflict of interest in your reporting on matters relevant to taxpayer-funded vaccination policy? Would you not agree that failing to disclose this conflict of interest contravenes News Corps own Editorial Code of Conduct and News Corp's Standards of Business Conduct in regards to conflict of interest? Here's my video presentation re conflicts of interest in vaccination policy, presented at The Censorship of the Vaccination Debate in Australia Today conference, 30 June 2018: It's on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/nojabnopaynoway/videos/1761991957172323/ Or YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atKeooIrHE8 The transcript and powerpoint slides are accessible via this link: https://elizabethhart.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/conflicts-of-interest-in-vaccination-policy-e-hart.pdf Due to the hostility inhibiting open discussion on vaccination policy in Australia, the venue of this citizens' organised conference discussing vaccination policy and censorship had to be kept secret until a couple of hours before the start time, because people determined to shut it down might have contacted the venue to demand it be cancelled. That's the state of our liberal democracy today in Australia re citizens questioning vaccination policy, and with doctors, nurses and midwives being afraid to question the national vaccination schedule with the risk of facing de-registration. Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, please note that informed Australian citizens are demanding transparency and accountability for taxpayer-funded vaccination policy, and exposure of conflicts of interest of parties involved in this area. In an ideal world citizens expect to rely on the independence and objectivity of the fourth estate to hold politicians and others to account in our liberal democracies. However, in the real world we discover media companies are businesses compromised by their reliance on advertising and other conflicts of interest. A recent self-serving article in The Weekend Australian magazine decries the internets vast network of alternative news and information outlets, paternalistically insinuating that thinking citizens are incapable of evaluating the worth of material published on the internet (23-24 June 2018.) I suggest fake news is just as likely to occur in the mainstream media, and citizens must fight for their right to freely access a range of views across the internet. Citizens must be allowed to question whether it is feasible to vaccinate against every ailment, including rare diseases such as invasive meningococcal B. Citizens must be allowed to question what the future holds for highly vaccinated populations. Will future generations be made dependent on vaccine products, with natural immunity being destroyed? What does the future hold with vaccine manufacturers and governments controlling immunity? What about the vaccine failures that are now emerging, for example pertussis/whooping cough, and problems with other vaccines? There are parallels to consider with the emerging problems from the over-use of antibiotics, and over-prescribing of other medical products such as opioids and anti-depressants. We need independent 'big picture' thinkers to consider the frightening possibilities with the over-use of vaccine products. Instead, vaccination policy is dominated by Big Pharma and academics on the teat of industry research funding. Vaccination policy is a shambles, awash with conflicts of interest. The vaccine industry is driving vaccination policy in its quest to develop lucrative vaccine markets, with the assistance of media groups such as News Corp. There must be an independent and objective review of the burgeoning and conflicted taxpayer-funded vaccination schedule. Citizens must demand transparency and accountability for vaccination policy from the governments that are supposed to serve us. Mr Rupert Murdoch and Mr Lachlan Murdoch, in line with News Corp's Editorial Code of Conduct and News Corp's Standards of Business Conduct, I suggest it's way past time your media group disclosed its conflicts of interest, and provided fair and objective critical analysis of taxpayer-funded vaccination policy to redress the years of biased and conflicted reporting you have promoted on this subject. The mind boggles to consider the amount of children who have been grossly over-vaccinated during this time. Sincerely Elizabeth Hart cc: Mr Robert Thomson, Chief Executive, News Corp Ms Sarah Murdoch, Director of and Ambassador for the Murdoch Children's Research Institute References: News Corp Australia Editorial Code of Conduct Professional Conduct Policy August 2016 and News Corp Standards of Business Conduct May 2016. National Immunisation Program Schedule from 1 July 2018: Addendum: The pneumococcal vaccines at 6 months and 4 years are for 'medically at-risk children'. Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander children also have another pneumococcal dose at 6 months, plus Hepatitis A at 12 months and 18 months, plus flu vaccination is funded for Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander children from 6 months to less than 5 years, i.e. around 56 doses of vaccines for Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander children. For more detailed information see the latest published schedule. Birth x1 Hep B 2 months x6 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hep B, polio, hib x1 Pneumococcal x1 Rotavirus 4 months x6 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hep B, polio, hib x1 Pneumococcal x1 Rotavirus 6 months x6 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hep B, polio, hib x1 Pneumococcal 12 months x4 Meningococcal ACWY x3 Measles, mumps, rubella x1 Pneumococcal 18 months x1 Hib x4 Measles, mumps, rubella, varicella x3 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis 4 years x4 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio x1 Pneumococcal 10-<15 years x2 HPV Gardasil 9 x3 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis TOTAL 50 doses We've taken a deeper look at privately held Uber, the ridesharing service provider that sits at the number-two spot in the world (based on rides hailed) and is attempting to gain traction in what we estimate to be a $630 billion market by 2022. In our view, Uber's core business, the ridesharing platform, would warrant a narrow economic moat rating as it has displayed some moat sources such as network effects and intangible assets, which could position the company to become profitable and generate excess returns on invested capital in the future. Based on our analysis and using publicly available data on Uber's financials from The Wall Street Journal as a starting point, we value Uber at a $110 billion market capitalization, ahead of the company's last valuation round of nearly $62 billion in May, according to PitchBook. We project that Uber's net revenue will grow at a 27% average annual pace over the next 10 years to $82.4 billion. We foresee Uber continuing to spend on expansion and research and development but think it will become profitable by 2022. The company is likely to go public during the second half of 2019, and considering its success at raising capital, we expect the initial public offering price to value Uber between $100 billion and $110 billion. Looking ahead, Uber may leverage its moaty ridesharing business and tap into other growth opportunities, including bikesharing, meal takeout and delivery, freight brokerage, and ridesharing via autonomous vehicles. In our view, autonomy is the most transformative technology set to affect the world of ridesharing; we see powerful economic forces driving autonomous vehicle adoption in the ridesharing industry, from which Uber may benefit. On the other hand, risks remain, such as increased competition and the company's legal issues. How Big Are Uber and Its Market? As of June, an Uber ride can be ordered in 65 countries and over 700 cities. Based on data from Uber and eMarketer as quoted in Reuters, Uber has U.S. ridership of over 40 million people (defined as those who use Uber at least once per year) and global ridership of 75 million. EMarketer projects U.S. ridership to increase to 64 million by 2022. Riders depend on approximately 3 million active drivers globally, with "drivers" defined as those providing more than four rides per month. Uber says it completed 4 billion trips in 2017, resulting in $36.2 billion in gross bookings and $7.8 billion in net revenue. Its largest territory is North America, while the company is also present in Central and South America, with the ridesharing app available in over 300 and 175 cities, respectively. Uber's scale is not derived only from ridesharing, however. According to Eater and Uber, Uber Eats has 8 million monthly active users in over 250 cities globally, with over 60,000 participating restaurants. This compares with current market leader Grubhub's (GRUB) 15 million users and over 80,000 restaurants. Uber Eats has expanded rapidly, with the number of drivers growing 24% between March 2016 and March 2017, according to The New York Times. Although its drivers are considered contractors, Uber also has nearly 16,000 employees. We believe that Uber's market potential expands far beyond the one-off need for a ride from the car dealer or airport--and even the total taxi market. Uber leverages its network of drivers and users for logistics of transporting people, food, and cargo to create a compelling substitute for traditional means of transportation. For these reasons, we believe Uber's total addressable market is the aggregate of the global addressable markets for the taxi, rideshare, and food delivery industries along with the U.S. addressable markets for freight brokerage and the share we believe rideshare companies can take from global public transport and U.S. bikeshare. Taking these submarkets into account and adjusting for Uber's lost stake in China, we estimate Uber's total addressable market to be $630 billion by 2022, with a 26% compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2022. We View Uber as a Narrow-Moat Business In our view, Uber's core business, the ridesharing platform, has displayed some moat sources such as network effects and intangible assets, which could position the company to become profitable and generate excess returns on invested capital in the future. For this reason, we assign Uber a narrow moat rating. Uber's network effects benefit drivers as well as riders, creating a continuous virtuous cycle. Drivers and riders make up the supply and demand in ridesharing, respectively. As a first-mover in this market, where requests for rides from anywhere could be made in real time via a simple-to-use mobile app, Uber began to attract riders mainly via word-of-mouth marketing. Growth in demand and further word-of-mouth marketing attracted more drivers, increasing the supply of Uber vehicles. As the number of drivers increased, the timeliness and reliability of the service improved, which drove the number of users or riders higher, which attracted more drivers, all of which we believe is indicative of the network effect. More on This Topic Airbnb Offers Investors a Unique Stay Growth in demand is driven not only by more users, but also likely by more rides per user. Increasing supply is based on more drivers and further capacity utilization of each driver and vehicle. Therefore, what we view as Uber's network effect increases the benefits from and value of Uber's network for new and existing riders and drivers. A figure that we believe supports this and demonstrates increase in vehicle capacity utilization is growth in average number of rides dispatched per unique Uber vehicle, which has been increasing gradually from 2015 through 2018. While we think Uber has benefited nicely from network effects in recent years, we don't believe it benefits from customer switching costs. In our view, the ridesharing industry currently lacks barriers to entry or exit for customers and drivers. Both customers and drivers can easily switch to Lyft, while customers have other transportation options like taxis and public transit. In early 2017, Uber faced much criticism for appearing to support an immigration order signed by President Donald Trump and attempting to profit from protests related to that event in New York City, both of which led to the #deleteUber campaign launched on Twitter. Also, then-CEO Travis Kalanick was appointed to Trump's economic advisory council, to which some employees at Uber objected. Lack of barriers to exit or switching costs for riders and drivers was on display, as during the same period, other ridesharing providers such as Lyft made headway in New York City and experienced faster growth in trips as riders easily downloaded and used Lyft and other apps for ridesharing services. In our view, Uber's ridesharing network effect can help the company tap into other markets and generate additional revenue streams. An example is the meal takeout and delivery market. According to Recode, Uber Eats has grabbed share from Grubhub and currently has about 21% of the U.S. market. The same can be said about Uber's plan to extend its reach into the bikesharing and freight brokerage markets. There are concerns about whether Uber's network effects can remain an economic moat source if the company is forced to incur additional costs imposed through regulations at the municipal, state, and/or federal levels. Additional worries surrounding Uber's network effect moat source include the potential impact of autonomous vehicle adoption on car ownership. Some believe autonomous vehicles could attract more car buyers and increase car ownership, thereby possibly lowering demand for ridesharing services, as self-driving cars may diminish annoyances and other costs currently associated with driving in traffic and/or driving long distances. We disagree, as we think the availability of autonomous vehicles on ridesharing platforms will significantly reduce the necessity of car ownership, which also lowers the return on the much higher car ownership costs. As Uber benefits from its network effect, we think it gains access to valuable intangible assets in the form of data on riders and drivers, which we suspect helps the company improve its services and increase its vehicles' capacity utilization. In turn, Uber's service may become more effective over time as the company further monetizes its riders via real-time supply and demand-driven pricing. Uber may also use this extensive data and knowledge to tap into other markets. An overall enhancement in service could help the company strengthen its network effect by increasing users and ride requests per user, which helps Uber gather additional data, possibly further increasing the overall value of the data. Simply put, data can also be considered as an indirect network effect moat source. We do not view Uber's brand as an intangible asset moat source. While many no longer say they "called a cab" and instead say they "called an Uber," we think the company's brand has been tarnished by issues that surrounded former CEO Kalanick. While demand for Uber's services has rebounded, whether such recovery is also applicable to Uber's brand remains to be seen, in our view. We do not believe that Uber benefits from additional moat sources such as switching costs or cost advantages. Uber users can easily download other apps such as Lyft and begin requesting rides. In addition, drivers can provide service for both Uber and Lyft, as they are not exclusive contractors. Last, while the development of Uber's platform included very high fixed costs initially (according to PitchBook, the company has raised $17.4 billion since 2009), we do not view it as a cost advantage for Uber, as other well-capitalized companies in the technology space, such as Alphabet (GOOG), can replicate what Uber has created. In addition, we view Uber as an asset-light business. Uber's Ridesharing Is a Software Business By making on-demand and efficient rides available, Uber has redefined the possibilities for mobility. Knowing rideshare is knowing what Uber is, first and foremost: a software platform. While "ridesharing" has taken on a variety of meanings, we adopt the definition that Uber tends to use most frequently, which considers ridesharing to be the hailing of a ride via app or platform, usually met by a private vehicle and sometimes a taxi. Though "sharing" is in the name, this definition isn't restricted to pool rides or lines where passengers from different parties ride together. The term also encompasses private rides, which consist of a driver and one-trip party only. Although all Uber rides are hailed via app or an enterprise platform, Uber vehicles aren't exclusively private. In several markets, Uber rides are fulfilled via taxi partnerships under the name UberTAXI to establish name recognition in the face of regulation, such as in Japan. While on the surface it appears that the only difference between the taxi business and the ridesharing business is that the former is hailed by hand or call rather than an app, that major difference opens doors to many others. Having a sophisticated app for passengers and drivers means that a GPS system can be deployed through the app, rather than via years of street knowledge on the part of the taxi driver or even a built-in GPS. As a result, Uber drivers do not need to know the ins and outs of a city's streets or have the right equipment in their car for trip mapping or for fare computing and payment. On top of that, with driving considered common knowledge to many, there can be almost no extra technical training that is required of an Uber driver, other than understanding the Uber interface. The second condition that has enabled ridesharing is that by hosting an app through which passengers can request a ride, there is no need for bright yellow cars to roam about, waiting for a hand in the air to match with it. Instead, a private vehicle can pick passengers up, depending only on proximity and efficiency, rather than color, for ride matching. The fact that the only requirements are knowing how to drive and follow GPS directions and having a private vehicle means that almost anyone can be a rideshare driver. This gives way to the gig economy and an asset-light business. Few requirements and the flexibility of being an Uber driver have funneled rideshare drivers into the contractor pool. With driving a private vehicle being part of the ease and thus appeal of being an Uber driver, vehicles deployed are not owned by Uber. By removing the responsibility for drivers and vehicles, Uber is, at its core, a software platform. Uber's network of drivers and passengers is based on its ability to maintain an ubiquitous medium to connect passengers and drivers efficiently using GPS. Uber leverages its ridesharing network and technology to support other business endeavors such as Uber Eats, cargo transport, and bikesharing. Uber is also working on helping to reduce commuting time for many Americans by nearly 90%, especially in high-traffic urban and suburban areas, by using vertical take-off and landing aircraft to provide on-demand aviation service. The company will be testing UberAIR in Los Angeles and Dallas in 2020 and plans to make it available to all commuters by 2023. How Uber's Monetization Fares The company monetizes drivers by charging a fee for driving through Uber. Based on fiscal 2017 data, that fee floats around 20%-30% of the total costs paid by the passenger, not including tips, to which the driver has full claim. Under all transport options, drivers are not directly compensated for gas, maintenance, or wear and tear. However, Uber does compensate for passenger-originated inconveniences: Passengers are charged for deleting rides or requiring car cleanup. Enterprises using the Uber for Business platform pay a 10% premium for each trip booked using the service, while the Uber for Health platform, which books trips for non-emergency doctor appointments, remains free. Uber also takes a share for booking external trips or vehicles sans an Uber driver, through freight brokerage or car rental. Major operating expenses for the company include sales and marketing. In the first quarter this year, Uber disclosed that sales and marketing costs made up 37% of total operating expenses. We believe this is a sign of not only rider acquisition but also Uber's battle to retain drivers. According to a report by The Information referenced by CNBC, Uber's monthly driver retention was reported to be 4% as of 2017, which means that 96% of drivers leave the company within a year of their start date. Autonomous Driving Has Significant Potential but Meaningful Competition We believe perhaps the most transformative technology set to affect the world of ridesharing is autonomy, bolstered by powerful economic forces driving adoption in the ridesharing industry. In 2017, Uber recorded $7.4 billion in total revenue, representing approximately 20% of $37 billion in gross bookings. The remaining $30 billion currently goes to drivers, but in a world with autonomous vehicles, more of the gross booking revenue could flow directly to Uber. The tightness of the labor market in the United States adds to Uber's troubles; across the country, companies are having difficulty hiring and retaining drivers. In 2017, the U.S. had a shortage of 51,000 truck drivers, up 41% from 2016. As a result, wages are seeing upward pressure, resulting in margin compression among manufacturers and retailers utilizing freight. At this point, it appears that competition for drivers is fierce, and Uber is competing with other ridesharing apps as well as adjacent industries like freight to attract the same limited pool of workers. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has spoken about rolling out benefits as a way of retaining drivers disgruntled with their current pay. Clearly, the company faces a challenge in terms of protecting its commissions in the current labor environment. Overall, we see a rather large upside to revenue and margins if Uber can reduce its reliance on drivers on its network in favor of self-driving vehicles. We believe that Uber is committed to investing to capture this opportunity. In January, Khosrowshahi expressed his belief that Uber would have autonomous vehicles deployed commercially within 18 months. According to the CEO, autonomous vehicles could eventually reduce the price per mile for riders from $2.50 today to around $1.00, representing a 60% price cut. Although this would result in gross bookings per mile shrinking, we believe that increased miles traveled as well as expanded margins will offset this to drive profitability. We cannot say that Uber is far ahead of other technology companies in terms of autonomous driving, most notably exemplified by the autonomous vehicle crash in Tempe, Arizona. On March 18, a 49-year-old woman was struck and killed by a self-driving Uber-operated XC90 as she crossed a street at night. This incident marked the first pedestrian death caused by an autonomous vehicle. Overall, we believe the Uber crash was largely indicative of a failure in process rather than a failure in technology. In May, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed its initial findings: The vehicle had in fact identified the pedestrian 6 seconds before impact but failed to stop or even slow. According to footage released by the police, the vehicle had an operator in the driver's seat, but neither the car nor the operator took any actions to brake until the impact occurred. Whereas other autonomous driving companies such as Alphabet's autonomous vehicle unit, Waymo, utilize two operators--one to drive and one to monitor data--Uber had just one operator (who was distracted at the time of the crash) doing both. Moreover, Uber had disabled the car's emergency braking, probably because of an unacceptably high number of false positives causing "erratic behavior." The governor of Arizona suspended Uber's ability to test autonomous vehicles in the state pending the investigation, and Uber subsequently pulled out of the state. The company expects to resume testing in August in Pittsburgh and potentially San Francisco as it implements changes to reduce the risk of future collisions. Nevertheless, the crash showcases that Uber's autonomous vehicle platform is not foolproof relative to other players in the industry. Competitors in self-driving technology include Cruise Automation, which was acquired by General Motors (GM) for $1 billion. Under GM's leadership, Cruise has improved and expanded its testing and development efforts and is working to reach commercialization in 2019. And then there is Waymo, which we think might be leading in terms of technological superiority and potential scalability. This is perhaps not surprising, given Waymo's first-mover advantage--originally part of Google's self-driving project, the team has been researching and developing autonomous vehicles since 2009. Waymo has also invested a significant amount of capital in self-driving cars. According to leaked court filing documents, Alphabet spent $1.1 billion developing self-driving software and hardware between 2009 and 2015. Moreover, the company recently announced agreements to purchase as many as 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica minivans and 20,000 Jaguar I-Pace SUVs over the next three years for self-driving applications. This represents a potential investment of over $4 billion, dwarfing Uber's announced investments in the space. At 50 trips a day, this fleet could complete over 4 million trips a day. Waymo's investment in self-driving vehicles may propel it to a leadership position in the autonomous vehicle space, from which it will likely be first to market. Since 2009, Waymo's self-driving vehicles have driven over 7 million miles, compared with Uber's 3 million miles. Waymo's self-driving cars completed more than 2.7 billion simulated miles in 2017 alone. Simulated mileage is often cited as being key to self-driving technology, and we believe that Uber has not invested much in this space. California tracks average miles traveled per disengagement (when human operators have to take over control) for self-driving cars. When looking at this data, Waymo is in the lead, with 5,600 miles traveled per disengagement, followed by GM's Cruise, with 1,250 miles per disengagement. Uber is significantly behind with just 13 miles traveled per disengagement. Waymo has also significantly reduced the single-largest cost of a self-driving car: lidar, or light detection and ranging. In recent court proceedings, Waymo revealed that it has lowered the cost of its in-house lidar system to just $4,000 per unit, compared with $75,000 per unit for a comparable top-shelf Velodyne lidar system in 2012. The cost of components is high right now, but we believe that once manufacturing ramps up and achieves economies of scale, Waymo's proprietary long-range lidar, midrange lidar, short-range lidar, and accompanying computer chips, cameras, and radar equipment will add approximately $13,000 to the cost of a vehicle, down from $150,000 in 2012. We believe that for Uber to win from this transportation revolution, it must find a way to gain and maintain access to autonomous vehicles. Even if Uber is in fact behind in the autonomous vehicle race, we still think there is a path for it to benefit from autonomous vehicles: through partnering with an established player. SoftBank Group is a major shareholder in Uber, and its recently acquired 19.6% stake in Cruise could bring the two companies together. And in May, Khosrowshahi revealed that Uber is in talks to get Waymo vehicles on Uber's network. If Uber is able to partner with self-driving vehicle providers like Waymo or Cruise to get their vehicles on its network, it stands to benefit tremendously. If Uber cannot gain access to autonomous vehicles, it risks being disrupted by an autonomous vehicle player entering its market. There is also potential for Waymo to disrupt Uber in its core competency: ridesharing. Waymo, which has tested in over 20 U.S. cities, has talked about launching a ridesharing service in Phoenix as early as year-end. For Waymo to have a meaningful impact on the world of ridesharing, it will need to build out a network of its own, which may not be as insurmountable a task as it seems at first glance. We believe investors are probably underestimating the potential for Google to optimize and monetize its Google Maps offering for ridesharing. Whereas Uber currently has over 75 million monthly active users , Google Maps has over 1 billion monthly active users, a huge pool that could be tapped into. The application, which is not currently monetized in a meaningful way, already offers ridesharing as an option by linking to Uber/Lyft and giving fare estimates. Alphabet could integrate Waymo into Google Maps as a ridesharing option once the company's fleet is established. Competition Is a Never-Ending Ride We believe competition is inherent in the rideshare industry, given low barriers to entry, the prospect of high returns, and comparable intangible assets among competitors. However, we think Uber's competition extends beyond traditional rideshare to all of its exposed markets, including taxi hailing, food delivery apps, and bikeshare. In the U.S., Uber's main rideshare opponent is Lyft. Like Uber, Lyft offers a variety of rides via private vehicles, including traditional private rides, shared rides, and luxury ones. Lyft operates solely in the U.S. and Toronto and, according to USA Today and eMarketer data quoted by Reuters, has a total active ridership of 21.2 million, about half of Uber's U.S. active ridership of 40.7 million. Lyft gave a total of 375 million rides in North America and brought in net revenue of $1 billion in 2017, approximately an eighth of Uber's global net revenue. In the passenger's seat, the duo's close competition in the U.S. has led to nearly identical features and offerings. There are plenty of other rideshare apps in the U.S. to get around with, but their user numbers and geographical exposure shuttle them into a fragmented market. A Recode article quoting Second Measure data said that as of August 2017, Gett, Juno (now acquired by Gett), Sidecar, and Via made up 2.2% of the U.S. rideshare market. Apart from rideshare apps that hail private vehicles, we don't dismiss exclusive taxi hailing apps like Curb and Arro. While Curb is available in over 65 cities in the States and has over 100,000 drivers available, Arro is limited to 6 cities across the U.S. Uber competes with private vehicle hailing and taxi hailing apps on a global scale as well. Didi Chuxing remains Uber's greatest threat globally. Uber sold its business in China to Didi for a 20% stake in the Chinese company in August 2016. However, in April, Didi launched in Mexico, where Uber currently has approximately 7 million users, according to Reuters, and a virtual monopoly. In June, Didi made its next international move by launching in Australia, another Uber market. We believe the moves outside China mark a forthcoming substantial threat from Didi. The Chinese company claims to have hailed 7.4 billion rides in 2017--3.4 billion rides more than Uber's record for the year--with the help of 21 million drivers and a total ridership of 450 million, all in China and all in excess of Uber's global market. Uber sold its share in Southeast Asia to Grab in May, giving up markets that included Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam for a 28% stake in the company. On a global scale, Uber's greatest competitors outside Didi and Ola are Gett, Careem, and 99 Taxis. Careem operates in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Ola hails rides in India and Australia, while Gett operates in Russia, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Israel. 99 Taxis operates in Brazil, hailing taxis and private vehicles, and is majority-owned by Didi. We do not believe Uber will concede any more markets in the near term, unless forced to by legal restrictions. In the food delivery space, Uber came home late for dinner but has recovered, and its growth is supersized compared with its U.S. competitors. According to a Recode article referencing Second Measure data, Uber managed to increase its share of the U.S. food delivery market from 12% to 21% between August 2017 and March 2018. Uber's share came mostly from Grubhub, which experienced a decline in market share to 50% from 60% in the period while other delivery apps remained relatively constant. Uber is the only rideshare company to venture into food delivery other than Grab. In food hailing, there are currently two types of apps: those that provide the drivers and those that act as brokers in the transaction. While Uber sticks to the former, we believe both are sources of competition for the company. Uber Eats operates in more than 30 countries. In the U.S. takeout market, Uber's competitors are Postmates, DoorDash, Caviar, and Grubhub. The U.K. is one of its largest international markets, with over 8,000 restaurants on board in approximately 40 cities, according to a Business Insider article. There and in other international markets, Uber Eats' biggest competition is U.K.-based Just Eat and Delivery Hero. Just Eat is the largest food delivery service in the world in terms of revenue, though not by much, and operates in 13 countries. Germany-based Delivery Hero operates in 47 countries. According to Business Insider, Uber Eats is estimated to have brought in $3 billion in gross revenue. We estimate that this lends itself to approximately $600 million in net revenue, based on a 20% take rate. Uber bought bikesharing company Jump in April for an estimated $250 million, according to PitchBook. Uber claimed a desire to offer more modes of transportation to users and a mindset that it could supersede competition through intangible assets. Uber plans to use its ride data to place Jump dockless bicycles more strategically throughout cities. While we believe Uber's use of data will benefit the bikeshare network, we believe competition in docked and dockless bike programs will thrive, especially as other rideshare apps integrate bikeshare networks. In the U.S., Motivate operates city-sponsored docked bike programs and was acquired by Lyft in July; we expect it will be the biggest bikeshare threat to Jump. Uber will expand outside the U.S. with Jump's launch in Berlin this summer. There, Jump will rival docked bikeshare company Nextbike. Throughout the rest of Europe, Uber will have to compete with Asian companies that have recently moved in, such as Ofo and Mobike. Economic Benefits of Ridesharing Ridesharing has risen to prominence partially driven by a demographic shift away from car ownership. In general, millennials seem to be less interested in driving than prior generations. The percentage of 20- to 24-year-olds with driver's licenses steadily decreased from 91.8% in 1983 to 76.7% in 2014. This trend appears to extend to car ownership; the proportion of new-car purchases by young adults has trended down since the recession, with members of Generation Y 29% less likely to own a car than members of Generation X. Given increasing student loan debts and housing costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult for young adults to justify the cost of car ownership. In 2017, the average cost to own a car in the U.S. was $860 per month, and that number increases significantly in cities; in New York City, the average cost to own a car is almost $1,600. Meanwhile, the average monthly amount adults in New York City spend on Uber and Lyft is $84 and $54, respectively. Clearly, there are economic incentives for urban dwellers, many of whom are young adults, to forgo car ownership in favor of public transportation and other alternatives, such as ridesharing. Demographic shifts are not the only factor lending optimism to the ridesharing industry. We believe that during an economic contraction, ridesharing is relatively well positioned to gain share over private car ownership because of the cost advantage inherent in utilizing assets efficiently. Ridesharing competes with more than just traditional car ownership. Other solutions to the problem of getting from Point A to Point B in the most economically efficient manner have arisen in recent years, most notably bike- and scooter-sharing startups. These companies have grown rapidly across many U.S. cities, raising billions of dollars in funding from investors. Currently, last-mile trips are dominated by automobiles; according to the National Household Travel Survey, privately owned vehicles account for 60% of trips a mile or less in length. Disruptive compact sharing solutions have the potential to gain a significant amount of share in this market. Uber is paying close attention to this space; in April, it acquired electric bikesharing startup Jump. Since then, Uber has submitted applications to deploy electric scooters in San Francisco and has announced a partnership with Lime, including an investment in the company's recent financing round, which will allow users to rent Lime scooters through the Uber app. Clearly, ridesharing companies see last-mile mobility solutions as being a potentially important part of the transportation revolution. Other adjacent markets competing with ridesharing include auto rental companies subverting incumbents through innovative solutions, like Zipcar and Turo. Zipcar offers an urban carsharing network for its members. Turo provides an online car rental marketplace matching renters to car owners who want to make extra money by renting out their underutilized vehicles. These marketplaces are typically priced more affordably than incumbent car rental companies, which have costs associated with fleet turnover and administrative overhead. Mapping Uber's Legal Terrain Ubers reputation was tainted under the rein of Kalanick, involving everything from data breaches swept under the rug to a culture of sexual misconduct and accusations of not addressing internal racial discrimination issues. Uber's regulatory issues today involve how the company runs its everyday business, from background checks to its classification of drivers. We believe Uber will need to make compromises in confronting these legal debates. Uber has created a rideshare market based on a philosophy of asking for forgiveness rather than permission. While the taxi industry has used medallions as capped permits for taxi vehicles, rideshare does not have the equivalent for the individual Uber vehicle. But that doesn't mean Uber is immune from regulation. States and cities have established ordinances for Uber that include guidelines on everything from consecutive driving hours to vehicle inspections. While several cities have discussed capping Uber vehicles, we believe it will be difficult for localities to justify the cap based solely on sympathy for taxi medallion investors. However, capping Uber vehicles could be justified by arguing that the city may have to endure higher costs due to the increased traffic congestion brought on by too many Uber cars. After meeting local demands, Uber self-regulates with app features. Countrywide, Uber enforces a 12-hour limit in driving time by turning the app offline for 6 hours for every 12 hours driven. Also, some states have long-term goals to regulate emissions. Uber has its own goals as well and will require all vehicles to be electric by 2025. Regarding bikeshare, the more visual effects--a mass of dockless bikes strewn throughout cities--have led some cities to draft quick policies. In the U.S., cities have adopted either a bikeshare permit fee based on the number of bikes in a network or a hands-off approach--at least for now. Uber's minimum requirements to be a driver in the U.S. include being 21 years of age or older, holding a U.S. driver's license for at least one year (or three if younger than 23), and meeting vehicle requirements, like ensuring the rideshare vehicle has four doors. Driver screening entails a review of the prospective driver's driving record and criminal history done through startup Checkr. Many states require either an internal background check or fingerprinting. Uber's standard Checkr process meets the former but not the latter requirement. Uber has complied in markets where fingerprinting is mandated, though with much resistance. The fingerprinting debate is more pressing given a continuous slew of crimes committed by Uber drivers, as with many other rideshare apps. This has caused some states to conduct their own investigations into Uber's driver base retroactively. Other localities require their own background checks from the get-go. We expect Uber will increasingly be subject to more regulation concerning background checks, such as fingerprinting, that will raise the cost of business. We believe the legal debate that holds the most risk for Uber's business model is the contractor versus employee debate for drivers, which has heightened in recent years. While few markets have succeeded in classifying drivers as employees, the change would significantly increase Uber's operational costs and could force the company to pass those costs on to riders by charging higher fees. Uber benefits from contracting drivers who, because of their current classification, are not subject to minimum wage requirements, robust insurance benefits, or, more important, trip-related expenses. In Europe, more tension exists in demands for Uber drivers to be considered employees. To cool the debate, the company upped its benefits for Uber Europe drivers, including an optional insurance plan that provides coverage for trip-related injuries and grants maternity leave as well as leave for severe illnesses. Uber plans to extend this plan to other countries. In the U.S., all drivers are currently insured when waiting for a request and at fault for an accident, up to $100,000 for bodily injury per accident and up to $25,000 for property damage per accident. If in the process of picking up passengers or dropping them off, drivers are insured up to $1 million per accident for third parties outside the vehicle during the accident and up to $1 million per accident for up to a driver's car value whether at fault or not, with a $1,000 deductible. From providing tipping options to sick leave, we believe Uber will continue to be subject to the increasing demands of drivers and markets other than Europe, the U.K., and U.S. However, we believe these will not have lasting effects, with Uber expected to adopt a network of autonomous vehicles in the future. Uber is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for using tools such as Cascade and Firehouse, which potentially violated federal law that prohibits price discrimination on demographics. Cascade and Firehouse calculated ride rates using assumptions about what riders would pay for a ride based on the destination they selected as well as starting location. Now, Uber calculates fares as a function of time and distance traveled combined with a base pickup fee and surge pricing charge during popular times. Additional fees, such as late fees, can be added to this calculation. Uber's largest debacle concerning data privacy occurred in 2016, when data from 57 million users was stolen. The data did not include Social Security or credit card information nor location details. However, it did include contact information and license plate numbers. The breach was the 16th-worst data breach in the 21st century in terms of the number of people affected. While the data compromised wasn't as bad as it could've been, Uber's improper handling of the situation led to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Under an obligation to notify those affected by the breach, Uber paid hackers $100,000 to sweep the issue under the rug. The breach was reported in November 2017, more than a year after the initial incident. When Uber ceded eight countries in Southeast Asia to Grab, it left before local competition commissions could review the merger. According to The Economic Times of India, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore said Uber and Grab did not disclose the merger details to the commission before the deal's announcement, as they should have. After Singapore's claim, other countries affected by the deal opened their own antitrust investigations. While inquiries are still underway in assessing the merger's potential violation of antitrust laws, as of June, Uber has said it won't return. We believe Uber will maintain this decision despite what findings come from local investigations. According to Rappler, the Philippine Competition Commission said Uber and Grab may offer to remedy the negative effects of the consequent rideshare monopoly if the PCC determines the startups violated antitrust laws. Uber has had a history of practicing mandatory arbitration, which forces cases to be tried privately rather than in courts, resulting in little detail exposed to the public. In May, Uber ended mandatory arbitration in the U.S. only for claims concerning sexual misbehavior. Shortly after that announcement, Lyft ended its mandatory arbitration policy as well. The change came after Uber experienced accusations concerning sexual misconduct by drivers or fellow employees. CNN found that in the past four years, over 100 Uber drivers have been accused of sexual assault or abuse of passengers. Former Uber employee Susan Fowler's reports of sexual misconduct and the company's improper handling of such aided in the demand for change, which led to Uber's reversal of the mandatory arbitration policy. We Assign a Fair Value Estimate of $110 Billion We have taken a look into Uber's valuation as best as possible, given that the company is private and has not filed an S-1 or other Securities and Exchange Commission documents as part of a public offering. Based on publicly available data as a starting point, we derive a fair value estimate for Uber of $110 billion, which represents enterprise value/net sales multiples of 9, 6, and 5 in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. On an EV/gross billings basis, our valuation represents net revenue multiples of 2.0, 1.4, and 1.0. Our valuation is about 77% above the valuation implied by Uber's last round of funding. We project that Uber's net revenue over the next five years could grow at a 39% CAGR, ahead of the 26% growth rate we assume for Uber's $630 billion total addressable market. We expect strong net revenue growth for Uber at a 27% 10-year CAGR through 2027, resulting in net revenue of $82 billion (equivalent to $397 billion gross revenue or bookings) in 2027, up from $7.8 billion (equivalent to $36 billion gross revenue) in 2017, based on figures published by The Wall Street Journal. Our gross revenue growth rates imply that Uber has 18% of its total addressable market today but will capture 34% of the $630 billion addressable market we estimate by 2022. From there, we model growth at a 16% rate through 2027. We project that Uber will stay atop the ridesharing market (excluding certain regions such as China) and its ridesharing revenue will grow at a 39% five-year CAGR compared with our estimate of 28% for the total ridesharing market for the same period. We think such growth will be driven by Uber's continuing expansion in more cities and regions globally, plus an increasing adoption rate as the company attracts more users. As ridesharing also represents a substitute for public transportation, we think it can take revenue from public transportation, which we account for in our projections. Our 10-year gross revenue CAGR for ridesharing is 18%. We expect Uber to increase its presence in the bikesharing market (U.S. and Europe), which we value at $4.5 billion by 2022 (based on gross revenue) using a 15% average annual growth assumption. We think Uber will gradually take a bigger piece of that pie in the U.S. and Europe, which will drive the 11% 10-year CAGR we assume for this business, resulting in bikesharing gross revenue of $6.3 billion by 2027. While the meal takeout and delivery services market remains fragmented and Grubhub is the current market leader in the U.S., we think Uber can solidify its position, given its success in ridesharing. In addition, unlike Grubhub, Uber has expanded its Uber Eats services worldwide. In our view, Uber's network effects moat source can help provide more timely deliveries for restaurants and enhance its position in the market as it attracts more drivers in what we estimate will be a $166 billion space (excluding China) by 2022. We model 39% five-year average revenue growth for Uber Eats compared with our estimate of the industry's 25% average annual growth. We apply a 10-year 29% gross revenue CAGR assumption for Uber Eats, compared with our 14% assumption for Grubhub. We think Uber Freight will face fierce competition from market leaders such as C.H. Robinson (CHRW). We assume that Uber Freight will be mainly pursuing the U.S. freight brokerage market, which we think may be valued at $27 billion by 2022 with average annual growth of 9%. While our model calls for Uber Freight gross revenue to grow 20% annually through 2027, that business will continue to account for less than 1% of Uber's total gross revenue. As Uber continues to attract more riders and assign drivers to requests more quickly, we think overall vehicle capacity utilization will increase, possibly widening the company's gross margin to 62% during the next 10 years from 49% in 2017. Besides the driver take rate, which is netted out of Uber's net revenue, we believe a portion of Uber's cost of goods sold is fixed and revenue will grow at a faster pace than these costs, leading to gross margin expansion. We also project that Uber will benefit from operating leverage in the years ahead. The company might be able to increase revenue at a faster pace than selling, general, and administrative costs, especially in the sales and marketing lines, while also having to spend relatively less on operations and support costs. However, we anticipate that R&D will remain elevated as Uber invests in new ventures, resulting in only slight declines in R&D as a percentage of net revenue. We think Uber is likely to begin generating adjusted EBITDA in 2020. In our 10-year discounted cash flow model, we assume the company will turn its current operating loss to operating income in 2022, while expanding operating margin to nearly 17% by 2027. We also looked at how current investors in the private market value Uber. Data provided by PitchBook indicates that the latest secondary transaction in the private market announced May 24 implies a $62 billion valuation of Uber. The company completed its Series G funding in January, which at the time indicated nearly a $70 billion valuation. We must note that Uber's valuation during the past 12 months has been volatile. In fact, according to PitchBook, in January, another secondary transaction valued Uber at only $48 billion. Such volatility in the valuation of the company in the private market is expected; however, we think additional uncertainties may have hindered growth of Uber's valuation. These include questions surrounding the safety of the company's drivers and riders and the overall questionable reputation of former CEO and cofounder Kalanick. The latest edition of Mortgage Professionals Canadas Housing and Mortgage Market in Canada report warned that a sudden home price correction is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to the Canadian economy. This came in the wake of other findings that pointed at stricter government measures as the main factors pushing consumers towards a more negative outlook for housing nationwide, despite many Canadians still indicating a belief that real estate remains a good investment. While we would normally expect falling prices to generate an increase in demand in the housing market, we have seen historically that this can actually reduce demand, MPC chief economist Will Dunning said. The members of Redeemer Midland have a mission: to reach out to residents and help them get connected to the community. And to do this, the 400-member church has been hosting weekly block parties this summer at various parks around the city. Cameron Brown, executive pastor, said growing up in North Dallas, he and his parents would bring chairs outside and visit with their neighbors. That culture is missing in Midland, he said. In talking to people around the city, when I asked them what they thought about Midland, if they responded they didnt like Midland, they immediately mentioned that they (found it hard) to make connections, he said. The churchs staff wanted to change that and show the value of community. We brainstormed as a staff to come with something outside the box. We bought a trailer and filled it with everything for a block party, Brown said. He said church members use the parties as an opportunity to reach out to their neighbors and help friendships develop organically. We want to encourage people and to convey that we want to invest in peoples lives. We picked parks around the city, Brown said. Weve done seven (parties) so far; we have five more to go. More Information To learn more about Redeemer Midland and for a schedule of upcoming block parties, visit redeemermidland.org. See More Collapse Brown said they serve hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and drinks; theres popcorn and snow cones and bounce houses for the kids. Wes Webb, owner of Macs Bar-BQ, is a member of Redeemer. Brown said members cook the food at his restaurant, so they dont have to cook at the park. Anywhere from 150 to 250 people have attended each block party, Brown said Thursday morning in advance of that evenings event at Fasken Park. About 40 to 60 people are from the church. The rest are people invited by members or those who have heard about the event through social media. The only metric we have is that weve used 10 gallons of snow cone syrup, Brown said. *** Redeemer Midland, which meets at Midland Christian School, is a relatively new church. It was planted in 2016 by lead pastor Jason Hatch and Brown. Before coming to Midland to start the church, the men were together at First Baptist Church in Irving. And when people ask why Midland With 150,000 to 175,000 people, only a small percentage are in a church on Sunday, he said. (T)heres a need for Jasons vision. The congregation has outgrown the space at MCS, but they dont plan to build a church, Brown said. Instead, the school is going to allow them to meet at the gym. It would cost $10 million to $14 million to build a church, Brown said. For that same amount, we can rent Midland Christian for 600 years, he said. Law enforcement officials and family friends have identified a 16-year-old girl killed Tuesday in a Conroe shooting as Regan Pfaff. She attended Montgomery High School. Friends of the family launched a GoFundMe.com website to assist with raising money to help her family to travel to Conroe from Alaska where her father lives. Regan lived in the Conroe area with her mother, Amber Hodges, and grandfather. Tom and Heather (Regan's father and step-mother) are family friends of ours and have been for years, Rob Turner, who started the fundraising efforts for the Pfaffs. When this happened, I wasnt able to do anything because they live in Anchorage, Alaska. I decided this was something that I could do to try to help them be able to afford the cost of them and their other daughter coming down from Alaska. In 48 hours, Turner raised more than the original goal of $2,500 and expects to surpass the $4,000 goal by the end of Thursday. The response has been enormous and much more than I had ever hoped for, Turner said. All the people that have stepped up and helped or people we know through our friendships and our business dealings. Im grateful to every one of them. When asked how the Pfaff family is holding up, Turner added, As could be expected in this case, with any parents, they are dealing with this day-by-day. We are just trying to be supportive of our friends. This shouldnt happen to anybody. Additionally, Regan's mother also launched a GoFundMe.com website in an effort to raise money for funeral services. To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/regan039s-funeral-expenses. Several hours after the shooting on Tuesday, Conroe Police arrested two teens in connection with the incident. Matthew Tyshaun Davis, 19, of Austin, has been charged with felony murder and felony manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance namely Xanax and remains in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1 million bond. Joseph Hayden Wilson, 19, of Willis, is charged with felony tampering/fabrication of physical evidence to impair an investigation and felony possession of a controlled substance namely Xanax. He is being held on $1 million bond. The Conroe Police Department was called to the Anatole at the Pines apartment complex around 4 p.m. Tuesday in reference to a dead body. Conroe Police Sgt. Scott McCann said a 911 caller told police he left the apartment and returned home to find a female teen dead in the apartment with a gunshot wound to the head. During our investigation, we learned that a 16-year-old female and 19-year-old male identified as Davis were in the apartment, taking selfies with a loaded gun when it allegedly went off, striking the female in the head, McCann said. The male identified as Davis allegedly fled the apartment before police arrived, and we believe it was approximately an hour before they called the police as they attempted to conceal evidence, McCann said. The investigation into the incident continues as Conroe police detectives collect more evidence. jennifer.summer@hcnonline.com Two men died early Thursday morning in a two-vehicle collision on Business Interstate 20, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety. This brings to seven the number of people who have died in wrecks on roads in Midland County this month and the 25th this year, according to Reporter-Telegram records. Odessa Darren R. Sigley, 21, was driving a Ford Mustang eastbound on BI-20, and 39-year-old Bradley M. Eller of San Antonio was driving a Toyota Tundra westbound. Eller was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit the Mustang head-on, according to the release. Both men died at the scene of the wreck that occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday about three miles west of Midland. Sigley was wearing a seat belt, but Eller was not, according to the release. Sigley and Eller are the 24th and 25th people to have died in wrecks on roads in Midland County this year, and the sixth and seventh this month, according to Reporter-Telegram records. The seven fatalities this month is the most since July of 2017 (when eight people died in accidents on roads inside Midland County. The most in a month (10) going back to the start of 2013 happened in October 2014, according to Reporter-Telegram records. Thursdays wreck is the fifth fatal wreck this month and the second in which two people were killed, according to previous Reporter-Telegram articles: --Two men died July 10 in a wreck on Interstate 20 after their pickup was hit by a Peterbilt truck tractor towing a semi-trailer. The Peterbilt driver, Jose Gilvane Oliveira Baldassari, 48, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, fled the scene of the wreck, which involved five vehicles. He was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso on July 12, according to a previous article, and was transported to Midland on July 16. He was being held in Midland County jail Friday on $300,000 bonds for two second-degree felony manslaughter charges. --A 35-year-old Murchison man died July 12 in a two-vehicle wreck on Farm-to-Market Road 307. -- A 28-year-old Stanton man died July 13 in a one-vehicle crash on the Interstate Highway 20 south service road. --A motorcyclist died July 14 after being hit by a pickup on Front Street. ---- Most fatalities in a month (going back to 2103) October 2014 10 July 2017 8 December 2014 8 July 2018 7 July 2015 7 May 2013 7 Fatalities by month this year January: 0 February: 2 March 4: April: 6 May: 3 June: 3 July: 7 (as of 7-26) Total year-to-date: 25 Deputies discovered a pipe bomb during a traffic stop in west Houston on Wednesday, authorities said. Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office deputies pulled over two people later identified as William Owens, 35, and Morgan Hesser, 36 around 4:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Eldridge Parkway, according to the constable's office. The deputies began searching the vehicle and discovered crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and an illegal firearm, authorities said. ELUDING AUTHORITIES: Houston MS-13 member on Texas 'most wanted' list evades arrest for over a year When deputies checked inside a bag belonging to Owens inside the vehicle, they found a "crude, homemade" copper pipe bomb apparently filled with gunpowder, the office said in a release. Bomb Squad officials with the Houston Police Department obtained the pipe bomb as the deputies took Owens and Hesser into custody. Owens is facing felony charges of possession of prohibited weapon and possession of a controlled substance while Hesser is facing felony charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com Four of the five people killed in the apartment fire in San Marcos last week have been identified by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office. They are Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio, Haley Michele Frizzell, 19, of San Angelo, James Miranda, 23, of Mount Pleasant, and David Ortiz, 21, Pasadena. Belinda Moats, 21, of Big Wells, Texas, is still listed as missing. City officials said the fifth victim of the fire remains unidentified pending DNA analysis. RELATED: Aerial photos show the extent of damage in deadly San Marcos fire Five people were previously listed as missing, but Thursday's announcement by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office provides confirmation that at least four of them were killed on July 20 when the blaze tore through the Iconic Village apartments in San Marcos, displacing about 200 people. The five bodies discovered after the fire were located in building 500 of the apartment complex, which is popular with Texas State University students, officials said. According to a statement from George Hatt, a spokesman for the City of San Marcos, the investigation into the cause of the blaze continues. "The San Marcos Fire Marshal's Office, in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives National Response Team and the State Fire Marshal's office, will continue investigation operations at the scene throughout the week," he said. "Once the scene has been processed and cleanup efforts begin, the investigation could continue for months." The Victims Dru Estes, a sophomore at Texas State University, was a native San Antonian who attended Krueger Middle School and Roosevelt High. Family and friends described him as easy-going, friendly and always smiling. "He was just the nicest kid," said Wright Dagget, Estes' Fine Arts teacher at Roosevelt High School. "He wasn't afraid of anyone. He was always welcoming and inclusive. He would bring the nerdiest kid into the group. He was a great citizen, a great kid." Estes had a deep love for music and played drums in middle school, high school and college, and he was also a member of the Bobcat Marching Band at Texas State. "I honestly never really ever seen him in a bad mood or had anything negative to say about anything or anyone," said Michael Holubec, who marched with him in the band. "Even if he saw you were down, he was always there to help pick you back up. "I'm thankful for the opportunity of friendship and the amount of time I got to spend with him." A GoFundMe has been set up for his family. Haley Frizzell, too, was a sophomore at Texas State University at the time of her death. She was studying performance and production, and had graduated from Central High School in San Angelo in 2017. Frizzell was director of the film club and "would light up a room" with her smile and energy, said recently retired Texas State theater and dance professor Tom Copeland. "She was an exceptional young lady," he said. "She was really making a name for herself." Sunday Vaught, her high school choir director in San Angelo, said in a Facebook post that Frizzell "was an amazing student, a friend to all in the class, and a bright spot in the room each day." "She was a star on the stage and so humble as well. She made the new students feel comfortable getting adjusted to CHS," Vaught wrote. According to San Angelo LIVE, Frizzell's roommate was Zachary Sutterfield, who was critically injured in the blaze. Finally, David Ortiz was studying at Texas State at the time of his death as well. A GoFundMe created to pay for expenses incurred by his mother following the tragedy has raised more than $9,000. Tish Eubanks, the woman who created the fundraiser, was Ortiz's former assistant principal. She described him as "the kind of kid you never worried about." "I knew he was going to go onto college and do great things," she said. Staff writers Emilie Eaton, Austin Horn and Scott Huddleston contributed to this report. 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 Days after claiming responsibility for the horrible public shooting that killed two and injured 13 in Danforth Avenue Toronto, Isis has failed to provide further proof of responsibility for the attack. However, the Toronto police have refused to take their word for it, asking the group to provide evidence to support their claims, according to a statement by the Toronto police, At this stage, we have no evidence to support these claims, we will continue to explore every investigative avenue including interviewing those who knew Mr. Hussein, reviewing his online activity and looking into his experiences with mental health. There have been speculations that due to their recent losses and waning popularity, ISIS has been on the lookout for isolated cases of violence which they would usually claim responsibility for, in other to remain relevant in the news or to further raise their profile. There are assertions that ISIS would now claim any attack in which they think themselves to have influenced the perpetuators thinking in any manner. Several news outlets, on Tuesday following the attack, reported that Hussain may have visited ISIS websites in the past and has been once questioned by the police about these online activities, nevertheless, police insist that, there is still no proof that Hussain made any further connection with ISIS. On the other hand, police have continued to release findings on the shooter, they have issued a statement stating We will continue to explore every investigative avenue including interviewing those who knew Mr. Hussain, reviewing his online activity and looking into his experiences with mental health. So far it has been established that Faisal Hussain, who also died during the unfortunate incident, was a 29-year-old young man who suffered some serious mental health challenges such as psychosis and depression. His family divulged his struggled with mental health. While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end, the statement said. Meanwhile the Danforth neighbourhood had on Wednesday held a vigil while trying their best to move on from the incident. Some of those who attended the vigil include Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Mayor John Tory, the mayor of Toronto city, and the mayor of Markham, Mayor Frank Scarpitti. It could be recalled that soon after news of the shooting went public, ISIS through the AMAQ news agency, issued a statement claiming that the gun man was working for the Islamic state. They referred to the shooter as one of their soldiers and claimed his actions were taken in response to their mission to target citizens of the coalition countries.We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life, read part of the statement from Husseins family.Before the vigil began, Reverend Sarah Miller said she trusted the incident did not stigmatize people living with mental health issues, stating also that We recognize that this doesnt represent the Muslim community or the practice of Islam. A Meredosia plastics production plant recently invested $2 million in some state-of-the-art equipment. BPC LLC-Toll Compounding and Blending has installed an extruder, which makes specialty engineered polymer pellets that then are used to make such things as medical bags, fishing tackle boxes and storage totes for large retailers. It was critical to add capacity, BPC general manager Mike Krause said. Our customers have grown BPC to the point where we were 100 percent full in a 24/7 operation. BPC couldnt keep up with the demand. The new extruder has already resulted in over 12 million annual pounds of additional business. And we hired three additional people (Thursday) to handle this new business. BPC opened in 2012 in the former National Starch plant. Today, BPC employs 22 people in an 80,000-square-foot building with a railroad siding that handles 24 cars carrying incoming materials. The plant has grown steadily since it began its compounding operations, Krause said. And there has been a recent shift of focus to toll compounding. Custom compounding was our focus over the past five years, Krause said. We still do a lot of development with clients to develop a custom compound. But now we are opening the business to do true toll compounding, as well, taking a customers materials and running to their specifications. We saw a need in the market for this service. In addition to extrusion, BPC does an equal amount of blending of plastics based on its properties. The flexibility, hardness, gloss, scratch resistance and many other attributes are enhanced through the blending process, Krause said. Our new extruder is the worlds best at mixing and blending for uniform dispersion of these materials. BPC has its own trucks and trailers in which it ships plastic pellets to other Midwestern plants for use in finished products. BPCs expertise is rooted in the polymer chemistry we have developed in our fully capable, on-site laboratory, Krause said. The plant has many machines that test plastic properties such as flexibility, strength and chemical composition. Krause credits BPCs success to its west-central Illinois workforce. Ive been in the plastics manufacturing business for over 40 years and worked in plants all across the United States and Europe, and right here in little Meredosia we make as good or better quality products as anywhere, Krause said. Our scrap rate is low and our efficiency is high due to this excellent team we have formed. Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg. GRANITE CITY President Donald Trump credited his trade policies Thursday with the recent announcement of the reopening of U.S. Steels plant in Granite City. Trump was welcomed Thursday by more than 500 United Steel Workers who cheered the presidents comments on domestically produced steel being vital to the success of the country. If you dont have steel, you dont have a country, Trump told the audience at the Granite City Steel Works. U.S. Steel is back. U.S. Steel shut down the Granite City plant, which is owned by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp., and accused other countries, which subsidize the steel industry, of unfairly dumping cheap steel in the U.S. market. More than 2,000 workers were laid off in 2015 as the plant sat idle. Trump pointed to his administrations use of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum as the reason for the plant reopening. U.S. Steel officials say Trumps trade policies are the reason the plant now is back up and running. The president has been in office a short time and a lot has happened over that time because of this president, U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said. We are so fortunate to have this type of leadership at this time. We can have steel that is mined, melted and made in the U.S.A. Burritt said the company is back in business because the policies are in place and need to stay in place and we know the president will not blink. Trump said the tariffs have led to the elimination of steel dumping, primarily from China. They were dumping steel all over the country and putting you people out of work, Trump said. Now we are making our own steel and the U.S. is taking in billions of dollars and there are new jobs and we are recreating a giant industry. We need steel and steel plants and steel workers in the U.S.A. Steel is vital to our national security. Speaking for nearly an hour, Trump touched on trade with the European Union, agriculture exports and fake news. Traveling with the president for his trip through Iowa and Illinois were Department of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the presidents daughter Ivanka Trump. Locally elected officials in attendance were U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, John Shimkus and Rodney Davis, all of Illinois. Tricycles to be banned from using ... Tennessee American Water on Thursday investigated the extent of the damage under the asphalt due to the water from the main break on Hixson Pike at the intersection of Lupton Drive which occurred on Wednesday. Hixson Pike will have one lane for each direction south of Lupton Drive starting at 7 p.m. Thursday. This will remain until utility repairs are complete and the road is repaved. Vehicles are urged to take an alternate route, such as, Ashland Terrace to Highway 27 or Lupton Drive to Dayton Boulevard. A local traffic detour will be posted. After reviewing the age of the pipe, the location of the pipe and a main break on this pipe earlier this year, Tennessee American Waters engineering team will replace the pipe before the road is restored to help avoid future breaks and disruptions to water service and traffic. The new pipe will be 12 inches in diameter, replacing the 1954 era 8-inch pipe. Approximately 600 feet of new main will be going in. Every day across the U.S., water utilities face challenges due to aging infrastructure, said Tennessee American Water engineering manager Kurt Stafford. The American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Infrastructure Report points out that in Tennessee alone there are over $2.7 billion in water system needs over the next 20 years. When it comes to infrastructure, most people instantly think of roads and bridges. Those of us in the water business think about the underground pipes and other assets. At Tennessee American Water we are committed to making continuous infrastructure investments of about $20 million annually. The new pipe on Hixson Pike is one example of these projects. The work will take up to three weeks to complete. Hixson Pike will remain partially open. Safety for the community and the workers on site are our number one priority, said Mr. Stafford. We will work as quickly as possible to get the job done without compromising safety. The Assyrian Simmele Massacre and the Unsung Hero of the Genocide Convention Assyrian refugees who survived the Simmele Massacre of 1933 pictured in the Khabour region of Syria, 1935. ( Assyrian Policy Institute) On day 189 of the Nuremberg Trials, French prosecutor Auguste Champetier de Ribes delivered his closing statement. In it, he described the Holocaust as a "crime so monstrous, so undreamt of in history through the Christian era up to the birth of Hitlerism, that the term 'genocide' had to be coined to define it." The mass, systematic slaughter of six million people was a "crime without a name," as Winston Churchill referred to genocide in his live broadcast from London in August 1941, two months after the Germans invaded Soviet Russia. Once news of the pogroms reached the West, leaders there deployed an arsenal of adjectives in attempting to capture the Nazis' depravity, but it would not come to be understood as a genocide until 1948 , thanks to the tireless, unheralded activism of one Jewish-Polish lawyer. In New York City's Mount Hebron Cemetery is a gravestone that is headed with a Hebrew epitaph. The words, "Beloved Brother and Uncle Dr. Raphael Lemkin 1900-1959" follow underneath. In a less imposing font size, "Father of the Genocide Convention" is inscribed yet further down. Dr. Lemkin was born on a small farm in Poland, and is noted as having had a preoccupation with tales of human wickedness throughout his life. In his autobiography, he recalls that as a twelve-year-old, he was enthralled by an account of Nero's massacres of Christians in ancient Rome, and he told his mother he wanted to become a lawyer to indict those responsible for similarly evil acts in modern times. When Lemkin was six, pogroms ensued in Bialystok, only a few miles away from his home. His memoir recalls the excruciating stories of anti-Semitic fury that the pogroms unleashed: "A line, red from blood, led from the Roman arena through the gallows of France to the pogrom of Bialystok." Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with Simmele Survivor. Lemkin's own crusade for justice was similarly linear and unrelenting -- even Sisyphean in its endlessness. He died alone, disheveled, and poor, collapsing at a bus stop on 42nd Street in New York, doomed to remain a historical footnote -- much like the massacre that was his raison d'etre. The blood-drenched line that led from the Roman arena to the gallows of France and the pogrom of Bialystok also wove through 63 villages in a region over 2,500 miles away from his hometown, where the long-suffering Assyrian people were massacred by the thousands. The Assyrians are indigenous to the parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria that comprised the ancient, contiguous territory of Assyria, which dates back to 2500 b.c. and appears in the New Testament. They are a distinct, largely Christian ethnic group, having been converted to the faith by St. Thomas, St. Thaddeus, and Mar Mari in the first century. As many as 6,000 Assyrians were brutally murdered. Pregnant women were bayoneted, while others were lit aflame with burning Bibles. In August of 1933, Lemkin learned the news of the aforementioned massacre, in which 63 Assyrian villages in the Dohuk and Mosul districts of modern-day Iraq were attacked by the nascent Iraqi Army. As many as 6,000 Assyrians were brutally murdered. Pregnant women were bayoneted, while others were lit aflame with burning Bibles. According to Elias Haroon Bazi, a survivor of the massacre, during the third day of the killings, Iraqi soldiers rounded up Assyrians and told them to "either become Muslim or we will kill you." The most brutal massacres occurred in a town called Simmele, a small, Kurdish-inhabited village repopulated by refugees from the Assyrian and Armenian Genocide of 1915, in which it's estimated that 300,000 Assyrians and 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Turks. According to the secret report of a British eyewitness in the service of the Iraqi government at the time, what happened in the town was "beyond imagination." Arabs and the Baghdadi government backed the genocide, strewing the returning soldiers with flowers and rosewater in parades, celebrating their "victory" against the Assyrians. In Mosul, Muslim residents erected arches and decorated them with melons pierced with daggers, symbolizing the heads of murdered Assyrians. Months after the Simmele Massacre, Lemkin created the concept of "genocide" by combining the Greek word for group or families, "geno," with the Latin word for killing, "cide." He made a presentation to the Legal Council of the League of Nations conference on international criminal law in Madrid, where he prepared an essay demonstrating genocide as a crime against international law. The Simmele Massacre, despite its incomprehensible violence, has received little utterance in western discourse and academia. In his book, The Man Who Invented Genocide: The Public Career and Consequences of Raphael Lemkin, James Joseph Martin refers to the genocide of the Assyrians as "so obscure and distantly located that even historians could be counted on not to know what [Lemkin] was talking about." This August marks the 85th anniversary of the unspeakable crime that Lemkin memorialized, and according to Reine Hanna, a co-founder and director of the Assyrian Policy Institute (API), the Assyrian people are still seeking justice, even as the perpetrators' ancestors continue to deny the truth. "There have been deliberate efforts to erase what happened in 1915 and 1933," Hanna tells National Review. "Both Turkey and Iraq, respectively, took deliberate steps to cover up these genocidal campaigns, and much of the evidence was destroyed." Assyrians were never afforded the opportunity to heal and properly document what happened to their community. Today, they still don't have a dignified memorial site for those who perished in the massacre. The bones of those who were callously burned in mass graves remain scattered, and can be seen protruding through the dirt in a neglected and haunting ossuary treated as a waste yard. Atop a large, dirt hill overlooking the gravesite is a sign reading "Simmel Archaeological Hill." Trash is carelessly tossed among the bones, and the relatives of the deceased have been prohibited from unearthing the bodies for proper burial. The historical erasure is so pervasive, according to the ADI, that some Assyrians have become unaware the massacres of 1915 and 1933 ever happened. In June, Vice President Mike Pence successfully pressured the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to send $10 million in aid to Christian and Yazidi communities in Iraq decimated in recent years by the rampant attacks of Islamist fundamentalists. An additional $25 million will follow, raising the total U.S. aid given the two minority groups over the course of the current fiscal year to $100 million. With an administration receptive to the plight of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East, the U.S. has a chance to be an ally to the Assyrians. While Hanna feels that Pence's initiative is right and genuine, she is also quick to point out its flaws. For one thing, the aid Pence authorized will be delivered to faith-based organizations, where church leaders prioritize rebuilding churches rather than schools, homes, and hospitals, which Assyrians desperately need rebuilt. For another, she says, "Our research has shown that aid distributed through sectarian organizations more often than not results in an uneven distribution of aid between the various church communities." With an administration receptive to the plight of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East, the U.S. has a chance to be an ally to the Assyrians. According to Hanna, hope can be restored if Washington takes an active role in working with the Iraqi government to enable the creation of a self-governed Assyrian province. Currently, Assyrians are at the mercy of the Kurdish Regional Government, whose policies toward them are often arbitrary and discriminatory. The Nineveh Plain in Iraq is considered an ancient Assyrian heartland and is the last area of significant demographic concentration for Assyrians, whose numbers have been reduced from 1.5 million in 2003 to 200,000 today. "The Nineveh Plain . . . is ethnically and religiously diverse, meaning it can serve as an example for the rest of the country and help advance reform in Iraq and promote tolerance and pluralism -- values shared by the United States," Hanna says. Lemkin worked furiously to give the crimes committed against the Christians under Nero, the Jews under Hitler, the Armenians under the Turks, and the Assyrians today a name. As the 85th anniversary of the Simmele Massacre approaches, it is critical to the survival of the long-suffering Assyrian community that the West honors his legacy as an unsung hero of the darkest era in human history, by recognizing the massacre and continued persecution of the Assyrians as he did. Potential perils are in plain sight: An intense and unpredictable tariff battle is alarming businesses across the country. The annual federal deficit is heading toward $1 trillion. Credit card debt is soaring. And the synchronous wave that lifted every world economy at the years start has dissipated. So what? Such risks have done little to puncture the exuberant optimism that is encouraging U.S. businesses to ramp up hiring and consider new investment. The confidence is rooted only partly in hard-nosed data, like the rapid pace of growth expected for the second quarter and record low jobless rates. It is also a sign of harder-to-measure sentiment. Animal spirits are high, said Tim Ryan, U.S. chairman of the global accounting and consulting firm PwC, referring to the gut feelings and impulses that can drive economies to elation or despair. Business leaders who complained that they sometimes felt vilified as engineers of inequality or greedy exploiters now say they are pleased to be viewed as part of the solution, creating jobs and wealth. They feel good about themselves, like they are the good guys, Ryan said, describing comments from hundreds of chief executives to his firm over the past quarter. They are sitting up a little straighter in the chair. The optimism index of the National Federation of Independent Business is in the 99th percentile, an astounding number, according to the groups president, Juanita Duggan. At the start of this week, nearly nine out of 10 companies in the Standard & Poors 500-stock index reporting earnings so far had beat expectations. Im bullish, Mike Ferretti, chief executive of Great Harvest Bread Co. in Dillon, Mont., declared. At the beginning of 2016, sales were so slow that the company sharply discounted the initial franchise fee for its bakery cafes, from $35,000 to $20,000. This month, Ferretti restored the $35,000 price. Were confident that the economy is strong enough to not need the discount. Such exhilaration is not evenly spread throughout every sector or region. Soybean and pork farmers, automakers and some manufacturers are profoundly worried about rising raw material costs, sinking sales in export markets abroad, broken supply chains and shipment delays. A survey of metal stampers and fabricators found that the share of companies looking forward to improved business conditions swooned to 31 percent in June from 97 percent in February. And uncertainty about the future is at heartburn levels. Still, many business leaders are shrugging off otherwise troubling developments like a nasty trade war, labor shortages fueled by restrictive immigration policies, and cracks in the postwar order and Americas touchstone alliances with remarkable ease. With a fierce battle for control in Congress, it is unclear how much business and consumer sentiment which has also been very high will ultimately affect voters choices in November. Midterm elections have tended to result in a loss of seats for the party in the White House, with the presidents popularity working to amplify or blunt the impact. The economy generally plays a supporting role. Among Republicans, Trumps overall approval rating is near 90 percent, although it has lingered around 40 percent across the public as a whole. The question is whether a roaring economy can soothe voters who are unsettled by the presidents policies or temperament and offset any inclination to check his power. Trump has argued that the United States has long been taken advantage of by its trading partners and that punishing tariffs will force them to adjust their practices. Those comforted by the buoyant economy may be more likely to give Trumps negotiating style the benefit of the doubt. Although the second quarters heady growth pace estimated at more than 4 percent is expected to slow markedly in the second half of the year, a drop-off that showed up after the election would have less impact. At the same time, for many smaller businesses, sensitive political topics can often seem removed from day-to-day business life. Theyre not worried about China tariffs and trade fights with Germany, said Mark Hemmeter, founder of Office Evolution in Broomfield, Colo., which franchises office space for small businesses to rent. Our clients are focused on developing business in their communities. What does attract notice is the perception of a pro-business mindset in Washington. I think, psychologically, its fantastic when you have a business cheerleader in the White House; small businesses feel more comfortable with the direction, said Hemmeter, who said he expected to double his number of franchises to 60 by the end of the year, then double again by the end of 2019. Whatever the political winds, Bonnie Micheli and Tracy Roemer, founders of the boutique fitness studios Shred 415 in Chicago, are enjoying the open wallets. We feel the economy is really strong right now, especially in health and wellness, Micheli said. Politics are just irrelevant to our business. The Port of Corpus Christi sold more than $216 million in bonds this week to fund energy export projects. Port officials on Friday morning said the money will be used to deepen and widen the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and fund upcoming capital projects within the Port. RELATED: Small Texas beach town gears up for fight over oil export terminal The channel improvement project isn't the only one that could receive the money. A new crude oil export terminal that would be able to take in the world's largest tankers, the 2 million barrel very large crude carriers or VLCCs, is being eyed by the port for Harbor Island, just two miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. That project and another one being proposed by the port on Harbor Island, a water desalination plant, has run into opposition in the town of Port Aransas, located just 1,000 feet across the channel from where the proposed terminal would be. Some there are concerned that the project would pose a risk to the area's vital tourism industry and are concerned about the potential terminal's location, which took a direct hit from Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. RELATED: Port of Corpus Christi gives green light to raise money for projects The channel deepening and widening project has been pushed for by the port for decades. The $327 million project is being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the port paying roughly $102 million of the cost. The project, when completed, would allow the port to bring in and fully load larger crude oil tankers, further boosting the port's status as a leading crude oil exporter. Some of the largest crude oil tankers the 1 million barrel Suezmax and 2 million barrel very large crude carriers are only able to partially load in the port. They then finish loading in the Gulf of Mexico. When complete most of the channel will be 530 feet wide and 54 feet deep. DALLAS A small number of fan blades with cracks like those blamed for a fatal accident on Southwest Airlines have been found at other airlines, and the engine maker is considering recommending more frequent inspections. A spokesman for General Electric, one of two companies that owns the engine manufacturer, said Friday that a handful of problematic fan blades have been removed during stepped-up inspections that followed the Southwest accident in April. Southwests chief operating officer, Mike Van de Ven, said he knows of maybe four or five reports of cracked fan blades at other carriers. Neither Van de Ven nor GE identified the airlines. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board declined to comment on the statements by Southwest and GE. The blades are being analyzed as part of the NTSBs investigation of the accident in which a woman died after being pushed partly out of a broken window as her plane cruised 32,000 feet above the ground. The safety board has scheduled a hearing on the accident for Nov. 14. The NTSB said earlier this week that the hearing will examine fan blade design and inspections. The board will also look at measures to prevent broken parts from becoming deadly shrapnel, as happened on the Southwest flight. That engine was made by CFM International, a joint venture of GE and Frances Safran SA. GE spokesman Rick Kennedy said about 150,000 blades were inspected after the Southwest accident. The inspections focused on blades from engines that had made a high number of flights and were considered at greater risk of metal fatigue the formation of invisible cracks from wear. Kennedy said that in the 21 years since the CFM56-7B engine went into service there have been only two incidents in which a fan blade broke. We believe with the knowledge we have gained through our inspections over the past two years and the aggressive manner in which the blades are being tracked and inspected, we have a strong process for ensuring flight safety for the fleet, he said. Van de Ven said Thursday that GE told Southwest it is considering recommending that airlines inspect and lubricate fan blades every 1,600 to 1,800 flights instead of every 3,000 flights. CFM International suggested the 3,000-flight maintenance schedule after the accident. Van de Ven said Southwest checked 17,000 blades in 30 days and will recheck them every 1,600 flights. Investigators believe that a broken fan blade triggered a catastrophic breakdup of one of the engines on a Southwest jet as it flew from New York to Dallas on April 17. Jennifer Riordan, a mother of two, was sitting next to a window that was shattered by engine debris. The bank executive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, died of blunt-force injuries. The pilots made a safe emergency landing in Philadelphia. Botika chef Geronimo Lopez laced up his gloves and stared down a wily Irish redhead from Manhattans Upper East Side. The competition, Food Network star Bobby Flay, is a culinary giant whos taken out some of the best in the business on his eponymous cooking show, Beat Bobby Flay. But Lopez, an avid boxer when hes not in the kitchen, came out swinging with confidence in Thursday nights show. Lopez scored early against New York chef Frances Tariga. The shows format pits two guest chefs against each other before the prize fight against the reigning champ. The first rounds secret ingredient, snap peas, proved a snap for Lopez. He transformed them into a scallop-studded solterito, a type of Peruvian chopped salad. The dish was enough to put Tariga on the ropes. RELATED: Roseanne Barr on racist tweet: 'I wish I worded it better' Flay wouldnt go down so easy. Lopez challenged the veteran fighter to a lomo saltado showdown. The dish is a national staple in Peru, and one Lopez has cooked literally thousands of times. On the show, Flay said hed never cooked it, but he was familiar with the flavors. Both cooks served punchy interpretations on the dish; but when the final bell rang, judges ultimately handed the victory to Flay. The panel of critics praised Flays balance of flavor and dinged Lopez for hastily cooked beef results from a wok that didnt quite get up to temperature. The fate is a familiar one for San Antonio chefs. Lopez, Jason Dady of the Jason Dady Restaurant Group and Steve McHugh of Cured are now an exclusive trio of celebrated cooks felled on Beat Bobby Flay. Lopez and his wife, Maria Fernanda, were swarmed with friends and family at the restaurant who gathered to watch the performance Thursday evening. While the loss might have stung Lopez, his supporters were all smiles regardless of the outcome. RELATED: 8 things that will be more expensive in August He made San Antonio proud, Belinda Yndo said. All competition aside, for Lopez the experience was an unforgettable chance to shake pans with with a role model. Bobby Flay was an inspiration early on. I have a lot of respect for him, Lopez said. I remember being 16, 17 years old, watching the Food Network. He was one of the only people cooking on a grill. Having the opportunity to cook with him was an honor. Paul Stephen 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. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen Hung T. Vu / Associated Press The Connecticut fire crew will leave Friday to help the U.S. Forest Service battle wildfires. The crew is made up of two Department of Energy and Environmental Protection staff members, 16 local residents and firefighters and two firefighters from New Hampshire. BRIDGEPORT One man is in custody and a 4-year-old was found safe after the man allegedly stole a car while the child was in the backseat, dispatch reports indicated. We got that child, an officer said at 7:43 p.m. Hes fine. Hes safe. There were two kids in the backseat of a red Nissan Altima on Park Avenue around 7:10 p.m. when someone they didnt know hopped into the front seat, an officer at the scene told the dispatcher. One of the children jumped out before the car took off. It was unclear how old this child was. The second child, who is 4-years-old, was still in the car when it fled north on Park Avenue. All available Bridgeport officers flooded the area to search for the car and the 4-year-old boy, who they thought either remained in the car or had been dropped off somewhere. The kid that managed to get out of the car gave police descriptions of what the 4-year-old and the suspect were wearing. The father gave police further identifying information about his son. Police notified neighboring towns to be on the lookout for the car and possibly the child. Bridgeport officers searched screens in the departments Fusion Center to keep an eye out for the child if he was dropped off and wandering the streets. At 7:37 p.m., a Bridgeport police unit spotted the car on Interstate 95 at exit 30 and followed it, without lights and sirens, as it took the off ramp at the Bridgeport-Stratford line. Officers were instructed to use all possible caution and to box the Nissan in if possible in case the child was still in the backseat. Within 60 seconds, police had one man in custody on Lordship Boulevard near the Shell gas station in Stratford. All set, one officer said. No child in the vehicle. With that confirmation, police continued to canvas the city, searching where the suspect told police he dropped the child off after taking the car, reports indicated. At 7:43 p.m., Bridgeport police dispatch got a call from a woman who was on James Street, near its intersection with Jones Avenue, with a child who was by himself and matched the description of the 4-year-old. Officers responded to the intersection and took custody of the child, who was physically unharmed. Medics were sent to evaluate him to be sure. The suspect was taken to booking. Reports indicated he was allegedly under the influence when he took the car. Anyone who witnesses a crime or has pertinent information about any crime can call Bridgeport police any time at 203-576-TIPS. A 16-year-old girl died in Conroe Tuesday after being shot in the head while taking selfies with a loaded gun, police said. Conroe Police Department officials initially responded to a disturbance call at an apartment at 1100 S. Loop 336. A 911 caller told police he left the apartment and returned home to find a female teen dead in the apartment with a gunshot wound to the head at the Anatole at the Pines Apartments. "During our investigation we learned that a 16-year-old female and male were in the apartment, taking selfies with a loaded gun when it allegedly went off, striking the female in the head," said Conroe Police Sgt. Scott McCann. "The male fled the apartment and we believe it was approximately an hour before they called the police," McCann said. Three males were eventually taken into custody for questioning. The shooting is at least the second in the Houston area this year that stemmed from playing with guns while taking photo or video. On April 1, Devyn Holmes was shot in the face and critically injured while he and two acquaintances were in the car filming a Facebook Live video. In the viral post, Cassandra Damper, 25, can be seen holding a gun before a gunshot sounds. Damper said the shooting was an accident and that she didn't know the gun was loaded. She was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and tampering with evidence. The investigation into the latest incident in Conroe is continuing, and it is unknown at this time what charges may be filed. Deputies and officers were seen collecting evidence at the scene. Deputy Chief for Montgomery County Hospital District EMS Richard Wood confirmed at 4:40 p.m. that MCHD's Administration Building went on lockdown due to a shooting. "We were temporarily placed on lockdown because of the location of the incident," he said. At one point, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and Montgomery County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Trey Spikes arrived at the scene to investigate the shooting. Samantha Ketterer contributed to this report. When Colorado first legalized recreational marijuana in 2014, it opened the doors for new entrepreneurs to capitalize on the budding industry. In the past four years, many new stores have opened, numerous products have been created, and more businesses continue to emerge and flourish-- generating more than $1.5 billion in revenue in 2017, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. To date, there are more than 500 dispensaries spread across Colorado-- more in Denver than Starbucks, McDonald s, and 7-Eleven stores combined. But while many of these dispensaries are thriving, a good handful of them are generating revenues far below the industry average. The question is why? Being in the early stages of legalization, the nascent cannabis industry is alluring many to cash in on the so-called green rush. Heck, thats why I launched my dispensary, Green Man Cannabis, nine years ago. But this industry offers unique challenges to entrepreneurs you might never expect. Here are some of the top things you need to know before diving in and opening your own dispensary. Related: These Pot Store Names Are Just the Greatest 1. Just because you smoked marijuana for years or ran a business, doesnt make you an expert. I entered the cannabis industry with all the confidence in the world, having more than a decade of experience as a successful serial entrepreneur. Because I wasnt new to smoking marijuana and running a business was second nature to me. I figured: how hard could it be? Answer: Pretty darn hard. Ive lost millions due to costly mistakes, missed opportunities, and outright failure of some ideas. Had I sought counsel from the start, much of these errors couldve been avoided. When it comes to accounting, taxes, security, compliance, insurance, banking, legal protections, marketing, and government affairs, there are special considerations that are unique to the cannabis industry. I cant emphasize to newcomers enough that you need to partner with the right people who have a deep amount of industry contacts and have actually owned, operated, or worked with a successful dispensary or grow. You can't just hire any old accountant. Yours should have already been through an IRS audit or two with a marijuana company. Related: Do These Things Before Opening Your Doors for Business 2. Attaining a dispensary license is tough. Most applications are merit-based and require an ability to demonstrate that you are going to be a good operator. This means that people on the application should have industry experience or must show that they have the ability to execute a well-thought-out dispensary business plan, primed for success. Again, you can't do this on your own. If you are new to the cannabis industry, youre going to want to seek expert counsel to gain the necessary insight. Throughout the application, you are asked to demonstrate and have answers to tough questions surrounding the operation of the business. For example, you need to share how you are going to handle security and how you are going to handle product storage. You need to have real, legitimate answers or you wont win the license. Related: Is Your Cannabis Business Properly Licensed? 3. You need significant capital and patience. If you are in a state thats new to legalization, whether its medicinal-only or also recreational use, you need to temper your green rush enthusiasm. It's fine to remain optimistic, but you also need to be realistic and pragmatic in your approach. It may take a few years before new markets get their feet on the ground. The rollout can be significantly delayed or enrollment of medicinal patients could be much lower than expected. Ive been part of legal cannabis businesses in nine states, shortly after each of them first legalized marijuana, and one of these scenarios I just mentioned has happened in seven of those states. A lot of people think they are going to get rich quick, they're wrong. You are not going to be an immediate cash-flow business. Plus, you need about half a million dollars or more to fully launch a dispensary. Related: What Better Conditions to Raise Money for Cannabis Businesses Means for Marijuana Entrepreneurs 4. You CAN get a bank account I just got kicked out of another bank this morning. In my nine years in the cannabis industry, this is the ninth time Ive been kicked out of a bank. Sometimes my relationship with the bank is good for a year or two, and sometimes I'm seeking a new banking partner every few months. You really become a persona nongrada to the banks when you operate in the cannabis industry. But, banking IS possible. Ive been able to bank successfully in several states, and haveonly operated in cash for two years. In order to secure a bank account, you need to find those few banks that identify themselves as willing to bank with cannabis businesses. Dont bother with big banks like Wells Fargo or Chase; theyre not going to touch your business. You need to look for smaller credit unions and regional banks. Ideally, they are already open about their willingness to bank with cannabis accounts. If not, be honest with them about your business. Theres a fine line you need to walk, if you dont want to get kicked out of a bank, but its more important to be truthful. And, know that they might accept your dispensary in the offset, but a few months later decide they need to cancel your account. It happens. We were kicked out because they just decided that they couldnt touch our money because it will void their FDIC insurance. Got it. Now, onto the next. 5. Few vendors want to work with you Since cannabis is not federally legal, many suppliers are wary of working with businesses in the industry. They fear it could hinder their reputation or get them into trouble. Youll find this with nearly every type of vendor your dispensary could need. To combat this, you can do two things: work with someone who has been in the industry for years and has vetted connections theyre willing to introduce you to or be upfront with the supplier. In order to run a successful dispensary, you need to be compliant and profitable -- in that order. Part of compliance is being truthful. Lying is not complying. Final thoughts Don't let all these factors dissuade you from getting into the cannabis business. The momentum is on your side. More states are legalizing recreational and medical cannabis each year at an accelerating pace. As this continues and the publics perception of the nations most controversial plant normalizes, I believe the marijuana industry could be seeing revenues nearing $300 billion annually. You just need to be smart and seek the right partners to help you compliantly and profitably realize your vision of becoming a cannabis entrepreneur. Related: New Numbers Reveal the Marijuana Industry Boom Has Only Just Begun Related: 5 Things You Need to Know Before Opening a Dispensary 6 Essential Security Tips for Dispensary Owners 5 Ways to Create a Better Cannabis Customer Experience Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The chief strategist on the Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign for president is a potential witness in former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's federal trial on bank- and tax-fraud charges. Tad Devine, who worked with Manafort to help elect strongman Viktor Yanukovych president of Ukraine in 2010, revealed Thursday that he is assisting the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Also on the list of 35 potential prosecution witnesses for the trial set to begin Tuesday in Alexandria, Virginia, is Rick Gates, Manafort's former business partner and a key cooperator in special counsel Robert Mueller III's investigation. Gates earlier this year pleaded guilty to two charges in federal court in Washington, where Manafort faces a separate group of charges. "Congratulations on a great campaign," Devine wrote Manafort in an email after Yanukovych's February 2010 victory. "You deserve enormous credit for pulling everything together, and for your leadership. It was great to be part of the team." Manafort is accused of hiding the funds he made from working in Ukraine to avoid paying taxes, then turning to bank fraud when Yanukovych was forced from power and the money dried up. "The Special Counsel has asked Tad Devine to appear and testify about media consulting work on past political campaigns in Ukraine," Devine's firm Devine Mulvey Longabaugh said in a statement. "We have been assured by the Special Counsel's Office that we have no legal exposure, did not act unlawfully, and that Tad is testifying as a fact witness. Daniel Rabin, another Democratic strategist who worked with Manafort and Devine in Ukraine, is also prepared to testify. So is Alex Trusko, the former Manafort assistant who let FBI agents into his boss's storage unit. Several witnesses come from Manafort's tax accounting firm and lending banks that have confirmed their cooperation in the case. Wayne Holland, a real estate agent who helped Manafort buy his Alexandria apartment, already testified before a grand jury. Others, according to online records, appear to work for vendors who sold Manafort luxury goods, including Yankees tickets, a Mercedes Benz and high-end suits, as well as landscapers and home contractors. Judge T.S. Ellis III asked the prosecutors to make the list public at a hearing earlier this week, although that is not typical practice in the Eastern District of Virginia. "This isn't a typical case," the judge said. LONDON - The "very future of democracy" is being threatened by fake news, a British Parliamentary committee is warning, and the government response should include making tech companies legally liable and subject to algorithm auditing. That's the conclusion after a lengthy probe by Britain's digital, culture, media and sport committee. The plucky little committee, led by Conservative lawmaker Damian Collins, has covered issues including Facebook data mining, Russian election meddling and questionable Brexit financing. Witnesses who testified before it - Christopher Wylie, Arron Banks, Alexander Nix, to name a few - have generated some of the biggest political stories of the year. It's interim report was made available to news organizations, stakeholders, politicians and individuals for review before its official publication on Sunday. After several British news organizations broke the embargo, The Washington Post decided to publish also. The report concludes that an even bigger concern than obviously false information is the manipulation and misuse of personal data and the deliberate stoking of fears and prejudices - by state-sponsored actors, private companies and other groups with an agenda - in order to influence voting. In an interview with The Post last month, Collins said that after interviewing U.S. tech companies and researchers in Washington in February, the commitee realized that fake news based on lies was only a small part of the problem. "One of the bigger areas, the much more difficult area, is the relentless targeting of people with hyper partisan content, that's not necessarily fake, but it's highly skewed to a particular point of view," Collins said. "The issues there is: Do people understand why they are receiving this information? And also where is it coming from?" He added: "One of the big issues with the Russian activities is it's not just that they are doing it, but they are masquerading as people in your country." Among commitee's recommendations are that the government should update electoral law to account for modern campaigning techniques, consider new restrictions of political advertising on social media and "establish clear legal liability for the tech companies to act against harmful and illegal content on their platforms." The report suggests that companies should be responsible for both "content that has been referred to them for takedown by their users, and other content that should have been easy for the tech companies to identify for themselves." It cites some free speech concerns related to a German law that fines companies 20 million euros if they don't remove hate speech from their sites within 24 hours. But the report also notes: "As a result of this law, one in six of Facebook's moderators now works in Germany, which is practical evidence that legislation can work." The report also proposes that the government should have the power to audit non-financial aspects of tech companies, including their algorithms. In a statement, Facebook's vice president of policy, Richard Allan, said, "We share their goal of ensuring that political advertising is fair and transparent and agree that electoral rule changes are needed." He noted that Facebook has already made advertising on its network more transparent and has been investing in people and technology to detect and remove bad content, but that it would go further still. "We are working on ways to authenticate and label political ads in the UK and create an archive of those ads that anyone can search," he said. "We will work closely with the UK Government and Electoral Commission as we develop these new transparency tools." Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has declined to testify before the committee, sending his chief technology officer and two policy staffers in his sted. Lawmakers have threatened to issue him with a formal subpoena when he next steps foot in Britain. The wide-ranging report also highlights concerns over the funding of one of the campaigns that pushed for Britain to leave the European Union. "Arron Banks is believed to have donated 8.4m (8.4 million pounds) to the leave campaign, the largest political donation in British politics, but it is unclear from where he obtained that amount of money," the report says. "He failed to satisfy us that his own donations had, in fact, come from sources within the UK." The committee heard evidence from 61 witnesses and received over 150 written submissions. It held 20 oral evidence sessions, including one in Washington - the first time a select committee has held a live broadcast session in another country. A second report is expected to be published in the fall. Collins said that during the 18-month probe, "what blew the doors off was when (Christopher) Wylie came forward." That was the moment that "started to show the interconnectedness" of various digital advertising companies, such as Cambridge Analytica, SCL and AggregateIQ. When asked if he thought micro-targeting based by data analysis firms on sites such as Facebook actually influenced behavior, Collins said: "You wouldn't spend millions of pounds doing it if you didn't think it worked." --- The Washington Post's Elizabeth Dwoskin in San Francisco contributed to this report. Cambodia is gearing up for national elections Sunday. But there's little doubt over the result, which will almost certainly deliver a win for Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodia People's Party. The elections have been all but engineered to extend Hun Sen's 33-year grip on power, and will almost certainly mark a defeat for the United Nations-led experiment to bring democracy to this country of 16 million as it emerged from the shadows of the Khmer Rouge regime a quarter-century ago. Here's a guide ahead of the vote: - Who is Hun Sen? A former Khmer Rouge commander who lost sight in one eye in battle, Hun Sen defected from the bloody regime in 1977 to a base in Vietnam, where he helped build a force to overthrow the government of Pol Pot. He returned two years later, serving as foreign minister in what was essentially a Hanoi-installed puppet regime. In 1985, he became Cambodia's prime minister and de facto leader. The prime minister was contending with a civil war in 1992 when a United Nations peacekeeping operation - for the first time anywhere - took over the administration of the state and ran elections there, with the agreement of the Cambodian government. The United Nations was tasked with putting in place a new, democratic government that was to be a shining example of the international organization's role in the post-Cold War era. His party did not win a majority in elections held the following year, but Hun Sen refused to step down from his post and instead entered a power-sharing agreement with Prince Norodom Ranariddh. Just four years later, he ousted the Cambodian prince in a coup, and secured a full grip on power. There have been a number of contested elections since, rife with accusations of meddling. Most recently, in 2013, the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party almost won, and in their defeat, raised the specter of widespread cheating. It called on the international community not to accept the result. Thousands took to the streets in widespread protests in the following weeks and months, challenging the rule of Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), leading to at least one death. - What is up for grabs in Sunday's election? More than 100 seats in Cambodia's National Assembly are up for grabs. The country's electoral framework establishes, in theory, a multiparty liberal democracy, and the party which wins most votes ends up forming the government and ruling the country. Following what happened in 2013, though, Hun Sen has left little to chance. Among his first targets was the media. The government has shut down radio stations for airing independent news broadcasts by the U.S.-funded Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Voice of Democracy, giving Cambodians, particularly in rural areas, little choice but to rely on pro-government broadcasters for their news. Two former RFA journalists are in detention on espionage charges that many view as politically motivated. The independent English-language Cambodia Daily was forced to close in September over allegations of tax irregularities that critics say was a thinly veiled attack on critical journalism, and the Phnom Penh Post was sold to a Malaysian investor with ties to Hun Sen. Hun Sen has also ensured that this time, he is running almost completely unopposed. The Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition CNRP last year, and locked up its leader, Kem Sokha, on trumped-up charges of treason, detaining him up in a remote jail near the border with Vietnam. It banned 118 key leaders of the CNRP from all political activities for five years, leaving them unable to run even under another party's banner in Sunday's vote. The election commission - which is not independent - has touted the presence of other political parties as evidence that the election will be competitive and contested. But the 19 small, obscure parties are too insignificant to pose a real challenge to the CPP's dominance, analysts say. In a rally Friday marked by a flood of people in blue and white, the colors of the CPP, Hun Sen boasted of his success in eliminating "traitors who attempted to toppled the government," a reference to the CNRP, and urged party officials to continue to vote for their own. - Where is the remaining opposition and what is it doing? Much of Cambodia's opposition is abroad, in either forced or self-imposed exile, fearing arrest and intimidation on the part of the ruling party. From their bases across the world, they are calling on foreign governments to take more decisive steps against Cambodia as it cements one-party rule. From his base in Paris, CNRP President Sam Rainsy has led a campaign calling for the boycott of the vote; a "clean finger" campaign in reference to the ink used to stain voters' index fingers. The boycott calls have worried Hun Sen's government, who have to rely on voter turnout alone to prove that their victory is legitimate, since they are not running against a credible opposition. A low turnout, analysts and human rights groups say, will underscore just how bogus the election is, so much so that people haven't even bothered to turn up. But they fear that local election officials could cheat and inflate the number of votes, and also point out that a campaign of fear and intimidation is ongoing to ensure people go to the ballot box, or risk losing their jobs, livelihoods and freedoms. Five former opposition members were fined the equivalent of $2,500, about twice the annual yearly wage in Cambodia, for promoting the boycott. - How has the international community responded? The United States and the European Union have refused to send monitors to Sunday's election or to fund it in any way. Japan, a major donor to Cambodia, said this week that it wouldn't be sending monitors after all, though it has provided technical assistance. The specter of U.S. sanctions looms over Cambodia, after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would seek to sanction Cambodian officials in Hun Sen's inner circle who undermine democracy and commit human rights violations. The EU has warned that it could remove Cambodia from a preferential trading scheme. But Hun Sen has a powerful ally in China, which has come to Cambodia's defense against these threats from the West. China is Cambodia's biggest investor, pumping money into infrastructure development, roads and bridges. It marks a shift in the global power balance in Cambodia from the days of the United Nations, when Western countries were dominant and able to steer the Southeast Asian country's path through billions in aid and development funding. Cambodian opposition leaders and activists want the international community to do more. In rallies across capitals planned Sunday, activists are calling on the international community to reject the results of the election and to not recognize the resulting government. "Now it's up to the countries that committed so much to the 1991 Paris Peace Accords to help restore genuine democracy to Cambodia or accept the human rights consequences of an effectively one-party state," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. TOKYO - The executions of seven Aum Supreme Truth cult members on July 6 set a record number of such killings in one day since the Justice Ministry began releasing information on capital punishment in 1998. Putting 13 prisoners to death in just three weeks is seen as one of the largest spates of executions since the end of World War II. European Union member countries and other nations on Thursday released a joint statement calling for the Japanese government to adopt a moratorium on capital punishment with a view to abolishing the death penalty. The international human rights group Amnesty International, too, criticized the moves, saying Japanese authorities should "promote an informed debate on the death penalty as first steps towards its abolition." According to Amnesty, the number of countries and territories that have effectively abolished the death penalty has reached 142, while 56 - including Japan and the United States - maintain capital punishment. Yet a national survey by the Cabinet Office in 2014 found 80 percent of the respondents were accepting of the death penalty. "The public support for the death penalty system has remained at a high level partly because the Aum cases had a devastating impact," said one former justice minister. Current Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Thursday: "Whether we should maintain or abolish the [death penalty] system is something we must decide independently with reference to the moves in other countries, while also considering public sentiment. "To abolish the system under present conditions is not appropriate." Chuo University Prof. Makoto Ida, a criminal law specialist, said: "Now that we have closed a chapter with the Aum cases, we should probably recognize that the time has again come to reopen civil discourse on what to do with the [death penalty] system." Harvard University challenged a claim that it intentionally discriminates against Asian-American applicants, saying in a court filing that a group making the accusations offered a "misleading narrative" based on "cherry-picked" documents. The Ivy League school on Friday offered a rebuttal to arguments made by Students for Fair Admissions last month in a run-up to an October trial. The group claimed that Harvard ignored statistical evidence from its own researchers showing bias in admissions. "The evidence fails to show -- let alone beyond dispute -- that Harvard intentionally discriminates against Asian-American applicants," the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school said in a brief. Students for Fair Admissions, which sued in 2014, has asked a judge to rule in its favor in advance of trial. The group last month told a federal judge in Boston that it has "incontrovertible" evidence that the university has "engineered the admissions process to achieve" illegal goals. The organization says that Asian-Americans are subject to the same kind of quotas that kept many Jews out of Ivy League colleges in the first half of the 20th century -- and the Trump administration has indicated it is sympathetic to their argument. "The evidence fails to show -- let alone beyond dispute -- that Harvard engages in racial balancing," the school also argues. Harvard has filed its own request that the judge throw out the case before trial. It argues that its admissions data and pretrial witness testimony don't support the group's claims. The president of Students for Fair Admissions, Edward Blum, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment on the filing. The Justice Department has weighed in on the case, saying it has a "substantial interest" because the U.S is conducting its own probe. It asked that the school's admissions data be shared with the government. Morgan County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Ashley N. Savage, 25, of 2346 Concord-Arenzville Road was booked into the Morgan County jail at 11:08 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of weapons, driving while license is revoked or suspended, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and having an expired registration. Calhoun County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Victoria A. Porter, 63, of Panama was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 2:53 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of delivery of a controlled substance. James D. Maguire, 24, of Hardin was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday and then transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections on a charge of residential burglary. Thomas W. Bobbitt, 48, of OFallon, Missouri, was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday on charges of driving under the influence and disorderly conduct. Greene County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Dylan K. Pollard, 21, of White Hall was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 11:40 a.m. Monday on charges of aggravated domestic battery by strangulation and domestic battery. Carrollton Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Jeremy C. Bertman, 39, of Carrollton was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of felony retail theft. Roodhouse Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Dennis B. Lancaster, 36, of Jacksonville was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday on charges of battery, disorderly conduct and obstructing justice. Brandy J. Newingham, 34, of Roodhouse was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of obstructing justice. Alexandria A. Newingham, 27, of Roodhouse was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 1 p.m. Sunday on a charge of driving while license is suspended. White Hall Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Paul S. Smith, 41, of Hillview was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday on charges of residential arson, violation of an order of protection, criminal damage to property and residential burglary. Ethan D. Beavers, 24, of Jerseyville was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 4:31 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of methamphetamine and possession of cannabis. Shawnee E. Newingham, 21, of Roodhouse was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 8:50 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance. Scott County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Terrence L. Knapp, 41, of Hillview was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of delivery of methamphetamine and a Greene County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court. Winchester Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Joseph M. Collins, 33, of Winchester was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 1:25 a.m. Wednesday on charges of stalking and disorderly conduct. Tyler J. Weckman,27, of Winchester was lodged in the Greene County Jail at 8:19 p.m. July 20 on a charge of battery. Compiled by Nick Draper, David C.L. Bauer and Greg Olson In a wide-ranging interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday night, Roseanne Barr attempted to defend her tweet about Valerie Jarrett ("muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.") that got her fired from ABC two months ago. "I was so sad that people thought it was racist," Barr said, in her first televised interview since her sitcom was shut down after ABC deemed the tweet "abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values." Barr repeatedly told Hannity that to her, the tweet was a political statement and had nothing to do with race. "That is a tweet about asking for accountability from the previous administration about the Iran deal, which Valerie Jarrett is the author of, and that was what was in my head," Barr said. Barr also used her previous defense that she didn't know Jarrett was African-American: "I thought she was Middle Eastern," she said. During the conversation, Barr seemed frustrated whenever Hannity brought the topic back around to the tweet, and she reiterated how it cost her "everything." She also occasionally got emotional, such as when she talked about her African-American godson. Barr said her godson's father called her after the tweet and said, "I love you no matter what you do." "I just have to say this," Barr said. "If you really think at the height of my power and my fame I would go 'black people look like - ' I mean, it's just, I wouldn't - I am not stupid! That's what they keep selling. Now, after they misquoted the tweet for weeks, now they don't even include it and they go 'Roseane's racist tweet.' And they just keep shoving it down everybody's throat." The hour-long interview also dealt with Barr's mental health; she talked about being hospitalized multiple times and previously suffering from multiple personality disorder. She discussed her medications. She talked about growing up around Holocaust survivors. She explained why she liked Donald Trump. ("I am tired of no solutions. . . I think he is a solutions person.") She said she's still proud of the "Roseanne" revival's huge ratings when it debuted in March: "They can't take that away from me, no matter what happened. " When Hannity asked about Barr's future, in which ABC has ordered a spinoff called "The Conners" without her, Barr revealed one interesting twist: She said her contract with the network actually addressed her Twitter feed, which was always controversial and contained many fringe conspiracy theories. "I walked away from that show, despite the fact that I had a contract which protected me if I got in trouble with tweets," Barr said. "It said that in your contract? And they didn't pay you?" Hannity asked. Barr paused. "Well, we can't talk about that," she said. "But I was allowed under my contract to have 24 hours to correct any mistake." She added that she asked ABC executives to go on "The View" or another show to "explain and correct" the Jarrett tweet, but they said no. (ABC didn't respond to a request to comment about Barr's claim about her contract.) Hannity asked what Barr would say to Jarrett if she could talk to her directly. "If she's watching," Barr said, turning directly to the camera, "I'm so sorry that you thought I was racist and that you thought my tweet was racist, because it wasn't, it was political. And I'm sorry for the misunderstanding that caused my ill-worded tweet. And I'm sorry that you feel harmed and hurt. And I never meant that and for that I apologize. I never meant to hurt anybody, or say anything negative about an entire race of people, which I think 30 years of my work can attest to." "Plus I'll tell her, she's gotta get a new haircut," Barr added. "Seriously. She needs a new haircut." --- Video Embed Code Video: Roseanne Barr sat down for her first TV interview since the cancellation of her ABC show. Here are highlights.(Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post) Embed code: WASHINGTON - A threat by House conservatives to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein stands to linger for at least another month, carrying implications for the Russia investigation, the future of the House Republican leadership and the midterm elections. Members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus decided not to force a vote on their 12-page impeachment resolution Thursday, the last day lawmakers were scheduled to meet in Washington before September. But they delivered a new ultimatum for the production of investigative documents from the Justice Department and opened a rift among GOP leaders over how to deal with their demands. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said flatly Thursday that he opposed the effort to impeach Rosenstein and that he believed Justice Department officials were working in good faith to comply with the congressional oversight requests. "I don't think this rises to 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' " he told reporters, raising the specter that an impeachment trial could tie the Senate in knots, delaying top-priority conservative agenda items such as the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. But two other leaders angling to succeed Ryan after he retires next year were more sympathetic, offering support to the effort to unseat a top law enforcement official of their own party as they continue wooing support from conservatives. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., voiced support for the impeachment measure, calling it "leverage" to get the Justice Department to provide Congress with more documents related to the origins of the Russia probe, led by special counsel Robert Mueller III, that Rosenstein now oversees. Scalise, who is the third-ranking Republican in the House and hopes to move up the ladder, said he would vote for the resolution if it reached the floor. "This is another tool to get Justice to comply with our subpoenas and our demands for documents that the American people deserve to get," he said. "They need to start complying. Obviously they have given us a number of things, but they've still held back some of the documents we need to get as part of our oversight." House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested slowing down the process, saying that the Justice Department should comply with House requests but that the resolution should be dealt with in a committee first before being considered in the full House. "What everybody's trying to do is get the information," McCarthy said. "I think what would make this resolution go away is to supply the information to the House." McCarthy and Scalise faced a new challenge from the right Thursday as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the hard-charging conservative who helped spearhead the impeachment resolution, announced his candidacy for speaker. The Justice Department insists that it has cooperated with the demands from Congress. Officials have said that they have provided the vast majority of information sought in subpoenas from two key House committees and are nearly done with providing all the outstanding information requested in those subpoenas. The agreement with conservatives - forged in hours of private conversations that culminated in a massive morning huddle on the House floor - essentially puts off the showdown until lawmakers return from their five-week recess. According to members familiar with the agreement, House leaders will present the Justice Department with a final list of requested documents, and failure to hand them over by September will result in contempt proceedings. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who filed the impeachment measure with Jordan and nine other members of the Freedom Caucus, said conservatives decided it was "most prudent" to "give the FBI and DOJ one more benefit of the doubt" before taking action against Rosenstein. They have accused the No. 2 federal law enforcement official of withholding documents and being insufficiently transparent in his handling of the Russia probe, and they did not rule out pursuing impeachment at a later date. "All options are still on the table and remain on the table," Meadows said. Many Republicans questioned the wisdom of the impeachment effort, including some reliable conservatives. A showdown vote could loom large just weeks before the November elections. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said pursuing impeachment was "putting the cart before the horse." "If we have a problem overall with how the DOJ is operating, we should be putting pressure on the attorney general and not be going after one of the deputies," he said. "We kind of got a little bit catawampus here." Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., a Freedom Caucus member and former prosecutor who has been involved in discussions with the Justice Department on the requests, said he was pleased with the deal reached Thursday. "It is far better than the moron attempt to impeach the deputy attorney general," he said. "Reckless publicity stunt," Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., tweeted Wednesday night. "No different from Dems who filed articles of impeachment against the President some months ago. What a sad, pathetic game of 'how low can you go?' " Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions expressed confidence in Rosenstein when asked Thursday about the impeachment effort during a news conference in Boston. "My deputy, Rod Rosenstein, is highly capable," Sessions said. "I have the highest confidence in him." Democrats have said that House Republicans' clashes with Rosenstein are little more than a pretext to weaken Mueller's efforts. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that the push to get more documents "really has nothing to do with oversight." "This has everything to do . . . with getting the documents to the president's allies in Congress so [Trump attorney Rudy] Giuliani can get his hands on them," Schiff said, adding that Republicans were also trying to give President [Donald] Trump "a pretext" to fire Rosenstein "so he can replace him with someone who will simply do his bidding." Meadows disputed that the House conservatives, who are among Trump's most loyal backers on Capitol Hill, were pursuing impeachment to undermine the Mueller probe. "The Mueller investigation is an independent special counsel," he said. "I can tell you, based on the documents I've seen, I can tell you Rod Rosenstein is not supervising that to any great extent. It is driven by Bob Mueller." Rosenstein's removal, however, would give Trump the opportunity to nominate a new No. 2 at the Justice Department who might be more willing to rein in Mueller. Sessions has recused himself from the probe, citing his influential role in the 2016 Trump campaign. - - - The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Friday issued a fresh rebuttal against his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, maintaining that he did not know in advance about a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between a Russian lawyer and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. "I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr," Trump declared on Twitter Friday morning. His assertion further escalated the public feud between the president and Cohen, his longtime adviser, amid reports that Cohen is willing to assert to investigators that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the gathering. Trump Jr. agreed to meet with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016 because he believed she would provide damaging information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father's presidential campaign. The episode has come under scrutiny by special counsel Robert Mueller III as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The president, Trump Jr. and others have repeatedly said that Trump was not aware of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting until he was asked about it by reporters in July 2017. But Cohen has told associates that he witnessed an exchange between then-candidate Trump and Trump Jr. sometime before the June 9 meeting in which Trump Jr. updated his father about an upcoming gathering in which he would get information about Clinton, according to one person familiar with discussions among Cohen's friends. Cohen told associates that Trump responded with encouragement, the person said. Cohen has expressed a willingness to talk to federal prosecutors about the exchange, the person added. CNN first reported that Cohen has said that Trump knew in advance about the meeting and approved it going forward. Cohen did not specifically refer to the alleged exchange between Trump and his eldest son during his testimony to the House Intelligence Committee last year, according to people familiar with his appearance. Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis declined to comment. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, said that Cohen is not credible and that the exchange described by Cohen did not take place. "Michael Cohen is getting caught up in his lies," Giuliani said in an interview Friday with The Washington Post. Alan Futerfas, an attorney for Trump Jr., said in a statement that his client "has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr. Trump, Jr., and on his behalf." The intensifying hostility between Trump and his former lawyer comes as Cohen is under federal investigation for possible bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Investigators also are scrutinizing loans he took out against his taxi medallion business. On Friday, Trump lashed out at Cohen without naming him, saying on Twitter: "Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillary's lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice!" Davis, one of Cohen's attorneys, is a longtime friend and adviser to the Clintons. Giuliani said in an interview Thursday that if Cohen is aiming for a pardon by threatening to testify about the June 2016 meeting, "this is a stupid way to do it." "I don't want the president to consider a pardon, but you don't get one by lying," he said. Davis said this week that Cohen is not seeking a pardon. Stephen Ryan, an attorney who represented Cohen until recently, declined to comment. At the 2016 Trump Tower meeting, Trump Jr. was joined by his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump's campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort. There were several native Russians in the room, including Veselnitskaya, a lawyer with links to the Kremlin. After news of the meeting broke in July 2017, the Trump team initially offered a misleading explanation of the session. A first statement said that the participants had mostly discussed adoption of Russian orphans by Americans. The official story later changed. Testimony and documents revealed that the meeting stemmed from an email sent by a music publicist to Trump Jr. in which the Trump campaign was promised "some official documents and information" that constituted "very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." Trump Jr. famously replied: "[I]f it's what you say I love it." He wanted to speak with wealthy Moscow entrepreneur and entertainer Emin Agalarov, the publicist's client, before finalizing details. But Trump Jr., his father and White House aides insisted that Trump had no knowledge of the meeting beforehand, wasn't told about it at the time and first learned about it only a year later when approached about it by the New York Times. Trump Jr. testified last year to the Senate Judiciary Committee that his father had no knowledge of the meeting with the Russians. "My father knew nothing of the meeting or of these events," he said in a statement issued July 9, 2017. Democrats have been skeptical of his account, pointing to phone calls made by Trump Jr. on June 6, 2016, which they say may show that Trump's son informed his father about the meeting in advance. At 4:04 p.m. that day, phone records show that Agalarov called Trump Jr.; the call lasted up to two minutes. Phone records then show that Trump Jr. called Agalarov back at 4:31 p.m. But in between those two calls, phone records show that Trump Jr. was connected with a phone number that was blocked in records. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he did not remember with whom he spoke at that time, but others testified that his father uses a blocked line. Democratic lawmakers have pointed out that two days before the meeting in Trump Tower, Trump announced plans to give a "major speech" about Clinton's scandals. Trump Jr. says he didn't get any dirt at the meeting - and the promised speech never happened. On Twitter on Friday, Trump also lashed out at the Mueller probe and suggested, without evidence, that in fact it was Democrats and not his campaign that had colluded with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election. "The only Collusion with Russia was with the Democrats, so now they are looking at my Tweets (along with 53 million other people) - the rigged Witch Hunt continues! How stupid and unfair to our Country," he tweeted. - - - The Washington Post's Rosalind S. Helderman and Carol D. Leonnig contributed to this report. When Laurie Conrad was a firefighter with the Katy Fire Department, students from Katy Independent School District rode with her in an ambulance as part of their Career and Technical Education clinical rotations. Now she's a first-year emergency medical technician instructor at the district's Miller Career & Technology Center and works with students on the rest of that curriculum. Course coordinator David Watson has been teaching emergency medical technology to students for 12 years in the Katy ISD and also has an EMS/firefighting background like Conrad. To be part of the 14-year-old program, a student has to be 17 by the start of September and must submit two applications: one for the Miller center and the other for the EMT program. The program is open to seniors at every district high school. "We have about 80 slots," said Watson, who explained the screening process looks at a student's attendance, grade-point average and any discipline infractions. "This is a rigorous course program," said Watson. "We don't want to set up kids for failure." Requirements include 36 hours of ambulance clinical and 12 hours of emergency room clinical. The state minimum is 180 didactic hours, said Watson. "We far exceed them with 338 didactic hours and 48 clinical hours." Students earn two high school credits for the class and are required to pass a skills test that tests 15 areas. "We (career technology) are here to help students who want the first taste of a career they're interested in or may be interested in," said Watson. "It gives an ability to those students who may not go to college or a university the opportunity to jump-start a career and go onto trade school. We know that all kids aren't going to college. That's OK. We need people who aren't going to college. We need EMTs who get certification." When students are riding on an ambulance with area fire departments, Watson and Conrad want to make sure that the student interacts well with real patients. Applying students also must submit a letter of intent on why they want to enter the EMT program. Besides the Katy department, students also do rotations with the Community Volunteer Fire and the Westlake Fire departments. "They are hands-on and part of the crew," said Conrad. Russell Wilson, who became Katy fire chief in 2016, said the program predates his appointment, but calls it a good partnership. "We do it every year." The city renewed its affiliation agreement with the school district EMS education program for education and training purposes on June 25. The program is in addition to their regular curriculum. Watson and Conrad said the program helps students understand why the core courses they're required to take are important. "This is why you need to know physics to know what happens to a body when it falls 20 feet out a window," Conrad said. Watson, who took an EMT course in high school, said he understands how difficult it can be to juggle core courses with extracurricular courses. "It really starts to teach them priorities and time management," he said. "What do I need to do to be successful." Conrad attended Katy High School. "We didn't have anything like this then. I did not get into EMS until I was in my 30s. I wasted so much time before I figured out this was my passion," she said. Because students apply to be part of the program, Conrad said it's something that they're interested in. "They work harder. They have goals to become a professional in that area of expertise. They do really get engaged in what we're teaching." Watson said, "We're offering them a chance to get certification." Upon graduation and receiving their certificate, they can begin to work. "It's a good starting place for a career. It's an opportunity to work their way through college," said Watson, which is what he did. He earned a A.A.S. in emergency medical technology and fire science from San Jacinto College. Through social media, Watson keeps tabs on where students are after they graduate. A lot of them are in the medical field. They work as EMTs or paramedics at area fire departments or LifeFlight, as nurses, physicians and military medics. Sometimes the course serves to let students know that this isn't what they want to do at all. Students must buy a uniform and a cardiopulmonary resuscitation card, which amounts to less than $60. Essentially, they are taking an EMT course for free, said Watson, comparing that to $2,000 in tuition at a local community college. As long as students meet program requirements, the district will pay for their first attempt to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Conrad said this is the same course that she and Watson took to get certification. "Our experience and expertise in the field translates to the students." There are changes, too. When both took the course, terrorism wasn't a chapter in the textbook like it is now. And students have a state of the art lab with mannequins and a built-in ambulance to set up scenarios and practice their skills in a safe place before they do hands-on patient care. The lab was on Watson's wish list. 'It's great. It shows we're focusing on things that our community needs and that's EMTs." "Katy ISD has been great in giving us the tools we need to teach these kids," said Watson. "Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security" is one of 13 career clusters offered through the district's Career and Technical Education. "Our goal is to keep expanding this program," said Watson who remembered having eight EMT students when he started 12 years ago. And before locating at Miller, EMT students studied at either Morton Ranch or Seven Lakes high schools. Conrad is a Texas certified paramedic, firefighter, telecommunicator and EMS instruction. She was introduced to EMS about 15 years ago. Watson has been in EMS and firefighting for 27 years having worked for Clear Lake EMS and the Friendswood Fire Department. This class will open students' eyes to what the world is like, said Watson. "You see the bad and good and you may see it all on one shift. You have a call and it's someone stabbed someone and someone overdosed on drugs and the next call is delivering a baby. They're going to see it all." Karen.Zurawski@chron.com A San Antonio couple is gearing up to push for changes after the sudden death of their 7-month-old son at a local day care Monday. Police are investigating as they wait for the Bexar County Medical Examiner to determine what killed Michael Carter Donnell, who was known by his family as Carter, at Our Little Hopes and Dreams Christian Learning Center on Callaghan Road. The infant's mother, Gabriella Garcia, said she thinks the death occurred when her son rolled over onto his stomach, spit up and choked on his own vomit. She now hopes to advocate for a law in her son's honor the Michael Carter law that would require day cares to use cameras inside rooms, particularly where the infants are kept. READ ALSO: High school basketball star from San Antonio area died after falling asleep at the wheel "I want the teachers to be alert because my 4 year old, he can speak for himself. He tells me everything. Carter, he couldn't," Garcia said. "I'm yelling for him right now because he couldn't do it." The day care, which both of Garcia's sons attended, had cameras in the hallways but not in the rooms, according to Garcia. The day care's director Carmel Puente declined to comment Friday on the death or her day care practices while the investigation is ongoing. In the past three years, the Callaghan Road day care, which has been in operation since 2010, was cited by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services for 23 deficiencies. Among them was one caregiver who thought she was only responsible for 21 children but actually had 24 children in her care. Another caregiver was not properly trained in first aid. Two others were not certified to work with children under two years of age. The emergency preparedness plan lacked details, a caregiver demonstrated "poor judgement" when dealing with an infant, equipment was not always clean and safe, and the director and staff members alike lacked current verification in 2016, records show. The majority of the deficiencies were listed in 2016. Five of them were considered high risk. Garcia said she has removed her older son from that day care and is making funeral plans for Carter, who she described as a very happy infant. "He loved hands. If you put your hand on his face, he would smile. He loved that," she said. "He loved for you to sing to him. He loved taking baths. He loved when you put your face next to his face. He loved being held, he loved being carried." Garcia said she received a call at 1:07 p.m. Monday from the day care. "Your son is unresponsive, you need to come now," she said she was told. READ ALSO: Ex-day care worker gets 45 years for producing child porn It was a short drive from her work to the day care, but traffic slowed her down, she said. She dialed 911 on the way over and the dispatcher told her medics were already on their way over, but Carter's condition was unknown. Garcia arrived at Our Little Hopes and Dreams to find paramedics pumping her son's chest. "Is he warm?" she said she asked. No. "Is he breathing?" No. "I was pleading to God. I said 'please,'" Garcia said. "I thought he was okay. They were doing it for him, they were breathing for him." Carter was taken to a hospital where doctors continued resuscitation efforts, but they were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 1:56 p.m. Garcia held on to him for three hours until he was taken to the medical examiner. "I was with him until 5 o'clock, holding him and crying with him and loving him and telling him how much I wanted him with me," Garcia said. He had vomit in his hair, she said. In the days since, she has attempted to piece together what happened. READ ALSO: Popular San Antonio entrepreneurial leader dies unexpectedly at 33 She said emergency management services found Carter face down in his crib, his blood and vomit on the sheets. Garcia said she knows many members of the day care staff loved her sons, but she also wonders how long Carter was alone while staff was calling for help. Without cameras in the rooms, Garcia can't know for sure what happened. Texas law doesn't require them because of the potential burden to smaller day cares, but Garcia wants to end that. "I pay you close to $300 a week and you're telling me you can't pay for cameras? No one can pay for cameras to have in an infant's room?" she said. "It's very unacceptable, and to know it's not required, it hurts." Carter and his brother had been transferred to the Callaghan Road location less than a week prior. They had previously been at a different location of the same company which is set to close in August, Garcia said. They were still waiting for paperwork to transfer over with instructions on how to care for her children. She had warned them Carter didn't like being on his stomach, she said. He had learned to roll over about a month and a half before. "He didn't last five days at that day care," Garcia said. A GoFundMe has been set up for Carter's family. S. M. Chavey is a staff writer for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here. | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | 210-250-3122 | Twitter: @smchavey A man has been charged with murder after a chase led to a fatal three-car collision Saturday night on the Northwest Side. Jose Luis Fernando Gomez-Gonzales, 33, has been charged in the death of his ex-girlfriend, Sonia Margarita Reyes-Hernandez, 32. Gomez-Gonzales was extradited to San Antonio after he was arrested Wednesday in Austin. Reyes-Hernandez was involved in a three-vehicle crash at 11:20 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Eckert and Huebner roads, according to Gomez-Gonzales arrest warrant affidavit. A man identified as Reyes-Hernandezs friend told police he had gone to her home at the North Breeze trailer park, 8360 Eckhert, to pick her up and take her to an area club. RELATED: Teen killed in crash with S.A.-area business ID'd As soon as Reyes-Hernandez got inside the Tahoe he was driving, a gray Ford F-150 drove up to them from behind and began chasing them through the trailer park, police said. The Tahoe driver exited the trailer park and turned onto Eckhert, heading east with the F-150 in pursuit. Reyes-Hernandez told the Tahoe driver that the man behind the wheel of the F-150 was her boyfriend, but did not name him, according to the affidavit. The driver of the Tahoe told police that the F-150 struck the back of his vehicle two or three times. On the last hit, the Tahoe driver said he lost control. Investigators said the Tahoe skidded sideways into the opposite lanes and into the path of a Dodge Charger. The accident caused major damage to the right side of the Tahoe, police said. Reyes-Hernandez, the Tahoe driver, a male passenger in the Tahoe and two women from the Charger were taken to University Hospital, police said. Reyes-Hernandez was the only one listed as being in critical condition. She was pronounced dead at 12:16 a.m. Sunday, the warrant states. RELATED: Teen accused of smuggling cash by plane opts to stay in jail When detectives went to notify Reyes-Hernandezs family of her death, they told police that Gomez-Gonzales was her ex-boyfriend, and that the two had known each other for years. The two had lived together at the trailer park two separate times, but Reyes-Hernandez had recently kicked Gomez-Gonzales out after he assaulted her, according to the affidavit. Investigators said in the affidavit that they found security camera footage from two gas stations across from the trailer park showing the moments leading up to the chase. The gray crew-cab F-150 which witnesses said had chased the Tahoe down Eckert could be seen several times driving up to the gas station parking lot, stopping to face the trailer park and then leaving. Police said the row of the trailer park where Reyes-Hernandez lived can be clearly seen from the gas station. Detectives noted in the affidavit that they recognized the driver as Gomez-Gonzales when he went inside the gas station and was clearly seen in images from security cameras inside the store. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA A man who died after driving a pickup into a building in China Grove was identified Thursday by the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office. Stockton Payne Graf, 19, of Adkins, was found trapped and unresponsive about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 10050 block of Loop 106, according to county records. A wanted man was arrested early Friday after a high-speed chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph, police said. Floresville police initiated the chase with the suspect, who has not been identified, and followed him all the way to Southeast Military Drive in San Antonio proper, where he bailed out of his car and fled on foot. Posted on: July 27, 2018 1:28 PM Celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of a church plant in Kowloon coincided with the ground-breaking ceremony for its first permanent building. The Church of Shalom in Shamshuipo, Kowloon, has been meeting in the hall of St Andrews Primary School for the past 10 years; but now a permanent chapel is being built. The Bishop of Western Kowloon, Andrew Chan, presided at a celebrated eucharist for the Church in the school hall and delivered a homily in which he said that over the past decade, the Church of Shalom had witnessed that God rewarded all attempts to fulfil His mission, no matter how small, with abundant blessings. He said that this was the meaning behind the biblical story of the feeding of the five thousand. After the service, the bishops, clergy, and parishioners headed to the sheltered playground to witness the ground-breaking ceremony as construction started on its new permanent place of worship. The Primate of Hong Kong, Archbishop Paul Kwong, oversaw the ceremony, and prayed for the safety of the construction workers and for blessings upon the parishioners to put the new building into good use so that they might witness Christ faithfully, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (the Anglican Church in Hong Kong), said on its website. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam Thursday praised the Commission on Pain and Addiction Medicine Education for identifying core competencies for Tennessees medical education institutions to ensure future doctors, nurses, dentists and other prescribers receive in-class training on how to best manage patient pain and properly treat addiction in response to the states opioid epidemic. Governor Haslam established the 19-member commission by executive order in January as part of the TN Together plan to fight opioid addiction in Tennessee. The commission submitted a report to the governor outlining 12 competencies for health care educators, as well as strategies to assure they are successfully adopted. The first-hand involvement of medical professionals was critical in this process, as they will be the ones implementing these competencies to greatly enhance the effectiveness of our heath care provider training, Governor Haslam said. This is just the first step in improving the training that our future prescribers receive around addiction and pain medicine, and we feel confident that this will make a difference as we continue to tackle the opioid crisis in Tennessee. The commission has been working since January to develop competencies for curricula so future prescribers receive instruction and training regarding: Effective treatment for pain, including alternatives to opioids; Potential risks of using opioids; Proper identification of and treatment for patients who misuse or abuse opioids; and The utilization of the Controlled Substance Monitoring Database. The 12 core competencies include: Epidemiology and population level; Pain evaluation; Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment; Practical aspects of prescribing and communication; Conflict prevention and resolution; Chronic pain plans; Acute pain care for chronic pain patients; Interoffice and interprofessional focus; Substance use disorder risk evaluation; Development of a treatment plan for the patient with substance use disorder; Management of overdose risk; and Professional and legal standards. The adoption of the competencies is voluntary, but strongly encouraged by the commission, whose members include representatives from the states public and private medical education institutions, the Tennessee Department of Health, a broad group of professional associations, and licensed health care practitioners. Governor Haslam shared the report at an event on Thursday at the State Capitol and thanked the medical education institutions and organizations that have agreed to adopt and support the competencies. The entire report and the names of the schools and associations that have agreed to adopt and support the competencies can be found at TNTogether.gov. President Donald Trump rage-tweeted an adamant denial of CNN's explosive scoop Thursday night, which reported that estranged lawyer Michael Cohen is prepared to testify that Trump knew of and approved the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting before it happened. Trump has regularly insisted he did not know of the meeting - which Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign officials took in the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton furnished by the Russian government. So this revelation, if true, would directly implicate Trump himself in an effort to conspire with a foreign power to tip the election to him, and a subsequent effort to cover that up. We already know that Trump helped dictate a statement lying to America about the real purpose of the meeting, and, if Cohen is right, the coverup would also include falsely denying not just knowledge of the meeting, but also his approval of it. But the importance of this story may not lie in what Cohen is willing to say about Trump's alleged knowledge of this meeting. Rather, its real significance may be that it signals a further unraveling of the Cohen-Trump relationship that could lead Cohen to share previously undisclosed information about other matters related to Trump and Russia that still remain shrouded in mystery. There are several reasons Cohen's willingness to testify to Trump's alleged awareness may not be significant. First, it might not be true: We should regard everything that comes out of this supremely oily character's mouth with extreme skepticism. Second, if it is true, special counsel Robert Mueller can verify it with other, less-supremely-oily sources, and indeed (again, if it is true) he probably already has. Note that CNN's story says this: "Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians' offer by Trump Jr. By Cohen's account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources." This says Trump knew of and approved the meeting, which represents another order of implication entirely. That said, those "several others" can verify this story if it is true. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani says all these others claim this never happened. This suggests that even Trump's camp acknowledges there was some sort of conversation involving Cohen, Trump, and these "several others." So what this really means is that Cohen's claim is verifiable either way. We don't have to take Cohen's word for it. We can wait to learn who these "others" are; what they claim happened; and whether they told Mueller of it (if they were willing to do this, it probably has happened already). What's more, we should wait to see whether Cohen is actually willing to say all this to Mueller under oath. I'd suggest reserving judgment until these things happen. But beyond this, if Cohen is really willing to start talking a lot more about Trump's relationship with Russia, that could prove significant in other ways. --An opening salvo from Cohen? As you'll recall, McClatchy reported back in April that Mueller has evidence that Cohen secretly traveled to Prague in the summer of 2016. Cohen has adamantly denied this, but if it were true, it would lend support to the claim in the so-called Steele dossier, which reported on extensive Trump-Russia ties, that this meeting did happen. The reason this matters: The Steele dossier claimed Cohen held this meeting in Prague with Russian officials, to strategize over how to limit the "damage" from, among other things, Trump adviser Carter Page's meetings with Russians, and more broadly, to "prevent the full details of TRUMP's relationship with Russia being exposed." Now, to be clear, we have no idea whether that Prague meeting did actually happen. But the point, as Andrew Prokop has explained vox.com, is that Cohen's denial of this meeting has been central to the Trump camp's efforts to undermine the Steele dossier's broader credibility. If Cohen is really talking more about Trump and Russia now, he might be willing to, shall we say, revisit his claims about the Steele dossier and, more broadly, get into other Trump-Russia murkiness that we don't know about. And as Adam Davidson has noted on newyorker.com, Cohen reportedly has extensive knowledge of Trump's pre-White House international dealings. "Cohen may have other things to say about the Trump-Russia connection beyond the Trump Tower meeting," Bob Bauer, the former White House counsel under President Barack Obama, told me. "What else does he know about the Trump campaign's planning to extract maximum benefit from the Russians? This is just the opening salvo." To reiterate, everything Cohen says must be viewed with extreme skepticism. But you can see a scenario in which Cohen decides that his only remaining play is to start spilling more about what he knows about Trump and Russia, and maybe - just maybe - even to tell the truth about it. Stranger things have happened. Donald Trump thrives on an image of strength, so its never a good look when he inadvertently invokes the spirit of Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister whose name has become a watchword for appeasement. In September 1938, Chamberlain referred to the process of the Nazis dismembering Czechoslovakia as a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing. In an interview on Fox News after his summit with Vladimir Putin, Trump accepted an invitation to question the U.S. commitment to Montenegro, a small nation in the Balkans that only joined NATO last year. Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people, Trump mused. Theyre very aggressive people. They may get aggressive, and congratulations, youre in World War III. Put aside the likelihood of Montenegro population: 600,000 pursuing a war of aggression. This is clearly how Trump thinks of NATOs lesser members. He talked this way during the campaign about three other small NATO countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. He referred to these Baltic states at a campaign rally as countries nobody in this rooms ever heard of. The Baltics are immediately in the line of Russian fire, as targets of harassment by Vladimir Putin and officially part of the Soviet Union as recently as 20 years ago. Every chink in NATOs credibility directly affects their security. Much outrage has been directed at Trumps frequent unwillingness to frankly say that the Russians meddled in our election. But his open questioning of the wisdom of defending small allies in faraway places is worse: A predatory Russian leader who has already annexed the territory of one neighboring sovereign country is listening. The Baltic states know all too well the consequences of being abandoned to their fate. In the 20th century, they were vulnerable states in the worst time and place to be weak. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, concluded on Aug. 23, 1939, a day that lives in Baltic infamy, divided Eastern Europe between the totalitarian behemoths of Hitlers Germany and Stalins Soviet Union. The Soviets got the Baltics. Tellingly, Putin speaks favorably of the monstrous deal. Stalin occupied and purged the Baltics, only to get swept aside when Hitler broke the pact and invaded Russia. The Nazis occupied and purged the Baltics in turn, before retreating back West, clearing the way for the Soviets to bulldoze the Baltics yet again. Incorporated into the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries were significantly Russified. By the mid-1980s, only about 50 percent of people living in Latvia were Latvians. With the end of the Cold War, the Baltics managed a miracle journey from captive nations to members of NATO, joining every international organization they could and putting their trust in Western norms and credibility. They have all become vibrant, multiparty democracies. They are small, yes, and far away, yes. But the line has to be drawn somewhere. If not at Tallinn, how about Helsinki? If not in Vilnius, in Warsaw? If in none of those places, in Prague or Berlin? Russia must have a westernmost boundary, enforced by a defensive alliance of like-minded Western democracies, otherwise Putin will be tempted to act yet again on his open musings about creating a greater Russia. And if the U.S. simply turns its back on its signed-and-sealed Article 5 commitment to mutual self-defense under the NATO treaty, what is to become of the credibility of its alliances and assurances for everyone else? If the Baltics ever fall, it will be very bad news for Taiwan and the effort to check Chinese expansionism. The marvelous speech that Trump gave last year in Warsaw praised the persistence of the Polish nation. Exactly the same thing could be said of the peoples of the Baltics, who, despite calamity after calamity, stayed true to their national culture and independence, and have revived them under the auspices of the Western alliance. Spare a thought for faraway places. comments.lowry@nationalreview.com It has been more than 30 years since Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts. Less than half of Americans read the newspaper, while more than two-thirds subscribe to Facebook. Social media like Twitter and Facebook, message boards and other forms of internet chatter are far from credible sources of information. Yet they are increasingly what more and more Americans rely on to form their personal opinions and make decisions. As we scramble to assign blame for the proliferation of fake news to the Russians, the Chinese or some group of desperately partisan politicians, let us pause and ask ourselves: Why do we so readily believe them? Why dont we check out the facts? Do we even know where to find the facts? Lets begin with: What is fake news? It is not just someones personal opinion. It is false information, implied or deliberately created to mislead, confuse or contradict the truth. Why are we so susceptible to fake news? First, we have become accustomed to, even dependent on, instant news. We want information quickly and concisely. We dont have time to research it. So we turn to social media and the internet. Want to know about something? Google it. In an article titled The Science of Fake News, published March 9 in the scholarly newsletter Science, Northeastern University professor David M.J. Lazer and his associates write: We define fake news to be fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent. Fake-news outlets, in turn, lack the news medias editorial norms and processes for ensuring the accuracy and credibility of information. Fake news overlaps with other information disorders, such as misinformation (false or misleading information) and disinformation (false information that is purposely spread to deceive people. So what can we do about fake news? The first step is to learn to recognize fake news sources. Be curious and actively investigate any suspicious news story. Rely on news sources that are accountable for their content and that follow journalistic ethics and standards. Dont rush to share news stories with others on social media that you have not verified. Pause and reflect on any news stories that arouse strong emotions, positive or negative. Be aware of your own biases and compensate for them. The greatest offenders in the dissemination of fake news, according to author David Masciotra, are not the Russians or social media company executives but the American education system and parents content with raising children who know little about their country, much less about the rest of the world. He states, Only 26 percent of Americans can name all three branches of government. Only nine states require civics as a part of their high school curriculum. And only seven of the nations top 25 liberal arts colleges require their history majors to take a course in U.S. history. Many Americans are misinforming themselves about critically important national issues by relying on unreliable or deliberately inaccurate information sources. We want someone smarter than us to tell us what to think, what to say or who to vote for. We are incredibly naive, easily swayed by strong-looking, self-assured, plain-speaking media moguls and politicians. No matter how often or how loudly an untruth is spoken or written, it is still an untruth. And even more important, labeling the truth as fake news does not make it so . And thats how I see it. Larry P. Johnson is an author and international motivational speaker. Contact him at larjo1@prodigy.net or visit his website at www.mexicobytouch.com Re: House defeats new funds for election security, Nation & World, July 20: House Republicans voted down a bill to give states about an additional $380 million to protect their voting systems from Russian cyberattacks. Their reason: The money already in the budget was sufficient. The article also indicated Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of homeland security, said she had not seen evidence Moscow tried to get President Trump elected. But theres plenty of reason to assume it did. So why did Republicans vote down an increase? And why has what was said or arranged at our presidents summit meeting with Vladimir Putin been kept secret? None of this is hard evidence for collusion with the Russians. But it doesnt smell very good. W. A. Altemeier Teach evolution Re: Creationism is, in fact, science; evolution is only a theory, Other View by Matthew Cserhati, Monday: Cserhatis argument that creationism should be included in science teaching along with evolution is a surprise to me. Having spent the 1950s and 1960s in Texas schools I am accustomed to the right-leaning State Board of Education taking all references to evolution out of textbooks, causing teachers to carefully dance around the issue, sometimes for fear of their jobs. To have a creationist concede that evolution should be taught is, in fact, evolution of the education system. Cserhati cites Genesis 1:28 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 earth as the biblical injunction to pursue science. It is obvious to me that a 3,000-year-old of edict to the Hebrew tribes living in the desert is not applicable to anyone on Earth in 2018. In fact, this kind of thinking will be the cause of the apocalypse, which I suspect Cserhati also believes in. Thomas W. Hoskings, Ph.D., New Braunfels No surprises here. Four Bay Area cities fall in a list of the 10 most competitive real estate markets. Real estate website Redfin developed a new Compete Score and analyzed American cities with populations of 200,000 or more to determine where the market competition is stiffest. In the topmost spots: San Jose, Fremont, Oakland, and San Francisco. Sacramento also made the list. The data Redfin's Compete Score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the most competitive. To calculate the figure, Redfin uses data from its site, including: The number of competing offers and number of waived contingencies for homes sold by Redfin Data from multiple listing services (MLSs), including the sale-to-list price ratio and number of days on market Monthly updates to track competition over time to compare competition in different neighborhoods and cities Knives out According to these data, Fremont, San Jose and Seattle are the most competitive U.S. cities for homebuyers. In fact, on the score scale of 0 to 100, each of those cities scored a perfect 100. For those who still hold out an "escape to the East Bay" fantasy, it might be saddening to learn Oakland is actually more competitive than S.F., by these numbers-- though admittedly, not by much. Redfin explains: "Many of the most competitive cities are tech hubs that have attracted an influx of people moving to the area for jobs, unmatched by the creation of new homes. This has led to intense competition and rising home prices. In San Francisco, Seattle and Denver, homes have become so expensive that many people are moving elsewhere in search of more affordable and less competitive housing markets." Elsewhere, like... Oakland, or in the case of San Jose... Fremont. It is not unusual in these competitive markets for homes to go into contract within a week, with multiple offers, and well over asking. The gallery above denotes the 10 most difficult markets, as well as showcases sold homes that capture the true fierceness of the top three markets. Buyer's markets do exist Those seeking reprieve from the hottest housing markets may want to consider the least competitive cities. The gallery above includes that list, but the three least difficult markets are in New Orleans, El Paso, and Pittsburg. These cities earned a 43, 44, and 47 score, respectively, using Redfin's analysis. What does this look like for a buyer? In New Orleans, it looks like a six-week to two-month stint for a home on the market, which eventually closes with two or three competing offers, rarely over asking. Want to know more about why your offer never gets accepted in the Bay Area, or where it might be more appreciated? Read the full study here. ALSO, A stately home on a huge San Francisco lot asking $1.9 million Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert President Donald Trumps two eldest sons have put their aunts former house in Palm Beach, FL, on the luxury rental market, just months after buying it at a family discount. The cost to lease along this coveted stretch of sand? A mere $100,000 per month. Deep-pocketed Trump supporters with an extra $1.2 million to spend each year would be hard-pressed to find a better location for proximity to the nations 45th president1125 S Ocean Blvd. is right across the street from Mar-a-Lago. Exterior realtor.com Trumps elder sister, retired federal judge Maryanne Trump Barry, 81, bought the eight-bedroom, 11-bath beachfront mansion in 2004 for $11.5 million. Late last year, she put the house on the market for $23.9 million, but ultimately decided to keep it in the familyselling it for $18.5 million to an LLC managed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Various Trump family members own properties around Mar-a-Lago, which Donald Trump bought in 1985 for $7 million. Pool realtor.com Beachfront realtor.com The beachfront mansion for rent boasts 194 feet of ocean frontagea rare luxury in this part of Palm Beach, where mansions more typically have their beach access cut off by the coastal road, the Palm Beach Daily News reports. Built in 1956, the West Indies-style home is short and long, designed to maximize its views of the Atlantic Ocean. When it traded hands between Trumps in May, the home had a decidedly 1950s feel that the Trump brothers are in the process of updating, Trump International Realtys Heidi Brzyski told the Daily News. Living room realtor.com Sunroom realtor.com Dining room realtor.com Family room realtor.com The brothers are hoping to rent the home out to a wealthy tenant on an annual basis. The rent of $100,000 is toward the upper end of the rental market in tony Palm Beach. For comparables, theres a six-bedroom home about a mile away for rent for $150,000 per month, and a seven-bedroom home a couple of miles away for rent for $125,000 per month. If you must have a pedigreed property, talk show host Dr. Oz is renting out a nearby house he owns for $95,000 per month. But if youre looking for a rental and don't have a Trump-sized bank account, there are about 340 other properties on the rental market in Palm Beach, starting at only $850 per month. The post Trump Sons Turn Their Aunt's House in Florida Into a Rental for $100K a Month appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. - About seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants in Osun who are at war with the results of the primary in the state, have asked for a redress of the polls - The aspirants still claim that the primary was massively rigged by the party to favour Senator Ademola Adeleke - They also accused the party in the state of violating the electoral guidelines issued by its national working committee Not less than seven aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent governorship primary have faulted and called for a redress of the electoral processes that led to the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke. The PDP aspirants, including the second runner-up, Akin Ogunbiyi, Professor Adeolu Durotoye, among others in a press conference in Osogbo, asked the national leadership of the party to take a second look at its decision on the nomination of Senator Ademola Adeleke as its flag-bearer, Vanguard reports. READ ALSO: APC announces winner of primary election for Katsina-North by-election The aggrieved aspirants accused the leadership of the party of carrying on with outright impunity, contrary to the initial promise to change the old way of operation the party is known for. The group whose press statement was read by Senator Akinlabi argued that the figure of 1562 votes allotted by the five-man electoral panel to Ogunbiyi, was wrong, adding that the actual figure was 1690. The aspirants said: Contrary to the promise made by the new leadership of our party, the reign of impunity appears to have continued unabated with the way and manner the primary election in Osun State was conducted. The exercise was regrettably marred by gross violations of that Electoral Guidelines issued by the National Working Committee as well as outright manipulation of the results of the election in favour of Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke in a manner suggesting that he was the favoured candidate of some powerful individuals in the top echelon of the PDP. We make bold to say that Senator Adeleke did not in fact score the highest number of votes in that primary election, having polled a total number of 1569 as against his major opponent, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, whose actual votes at the point of sorting was 1690. Ogunbiyi said that he is certain that he would reclaim his mandate, adding that only PDP can restore the hope of the people of Osun. He said he would not leave the party. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! He said: We are not leaving the party under any guise, we believe in the leadership of the party, we will together fight this cause to uproot the bad government of APC in the state. Let me say emphatically that the only party that can restore the hope of the people of Osun is PDP. Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Akin Ogunbiyi, Osun state PDP governorship aspirant, had petitioned the partys leadership, alleging the rigging of the partys primary in favour of Senator Ademola Adeleke. Legit.ng gathered that Ogunbiyi who rejected the polls result which declared the serving senator winner of the Osun state PDP governorship primary insisted that it was rigged in Adelekes favour. Governor Rauf Aregbesola Interview: 'State of Osun' is correct (Exclusive ) | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - A woman has killed her two-year-old grandchild in Niger state - The woman threw her grandchild into well in order to to teach the mother of the child a lesson - According to Aisha Ibrahim, since her son married his wife, there had been a lot of unresolved issues Aisha Ibrahim, a 55-year-old woman has been arrested by the police in Niger state for killing her two-year-old grandchild. Aisha was said to have tied her grandchild with a rope and threw her inside a well in their compound at Karaya Fulani Camp in the Rafi local government area of the state. The woman, Northern city news reports committed the crime to get at the mother of the deceased, who is her daughter in-law. READ ALSO: Despite meeting with Buhari, Ogun APC dissociates itself from Tejuoso It was gathered that Aisha threw the child into the well, when her son, Bello and his wife left her grandchild in her care to attend a christening at a neighbouring village. Aisha who was said to have been at loggerheads with her daughter-in-law said she threw the child into the well to teach her a lesson. She lamented that since her son married his wife, there had been a lot of unresolved issues. She said: I told my husband to tell his son to divorce his wife but he did not listen to me. My daughter-in-law is fond of insulting and assaulting me all the time and the only way I could pay her back was to tie her daughter with the rope and throw her inside a well to die so that she will equally feel the pains and agony I have been going through. READ ALSO: Killings: Arrest, punish all those responsible - US tells FG We have been living in peace as one big family before my son married her; I have 12 children and all of us are living in one compound; she cannot come from somewhere to destroy the family I have suffered for years to keep, it is unacceptable. It was temptation, I didnt know when I did it, I cant just tell but may Allah forgive me. Honestly, it was a wicked act that can never be accepted anywhere in the world," Aisha said. Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for Niger police command, Muhammad Abubakar, said the suspect had confessed to the crime and regretted her action. He also said that Aisha would be arraigned in court after investigation. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, NAIJcom previously reported a police sergeant, Jibril Abubakar, attached to the Niger police command was killed on Thursday, April 19. The deceased police offiecr's rifle was also taken away when the gunmen attacked its divisional police station at Kutigi in Lavun local government area of the state. The spokesperson for command, Muhammadu Abubakar said that the gunmen stormed Kutigi police station around 3.50 am and shot sporadically, but were repelled by the guards on duty. Lagos Police Commissioner parades suspected criminals (Nigeria News) | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng News - Fayemi's lawyer has accused INEC of granting PDP access to electoral materials without first notifying the other parties - He said this was contrary to due practise - The lawyer added that this could open way for falsification The governor-elect of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi, has raised allegation against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of granting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawyers access to electoral documents. The Sun reports that Tajudeen Akingbolu who is a member Fayemis legal team said they were not granted access to the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the electoral documents even after formally writing to INEC. The lawyers wondered why the electoral body would grant PDP access to the materials without first notifying the other parties. READ ALSO: Defection: Ogun APC dissociates itself from Tejuoso Akingbolu said the normal practise was for other parties to be notified when access is being granted to one party so as to prevent falsification. The lawyer said he went to INEC office to see the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. AbdulGaniyu Raji, on the development but was told he was not on seat. He said: Immediately after the election was conducted, July 16 to be precise, we wrote an application to the REC to the effect that we need CTCs of Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D, EC8E and other documents used for the conduct of the election but up till now, we have not been granted access to those documents." Legit.ng had reported that Olusegun Osinkolu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti, advised Governor Ayodele Fayose to refrain from alleged secret employment into the state civil service to supposedly stop the incoming government from plunging into crisis upon its inauguration.. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! He stated that the governor-elect, Fayemi, will create employments for Ekiti youths just as in his past regime. He said that any appointment not in alliance with civil service rule would be discarded by the coming government, Vanguard reports. Osinkolu in a statement said that it would be betrayal of trust for Fayose to start employing persons at the time of his administration. He wondered why Fayose had waited this long before considering appointing the unemployed youths. Osinkolu termed the move as an alleged ulterior intention to derail the incoming government. Were Ekiti Residents Paid to Vote? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit The inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, has ordered the removal of the Benue state commissioner of police, Fatai Owoseni. Owoseni's removal may not be unconnected with the exit of the Benue state House of Assembly speaker, Terkimbir Ikyange, who was removed by 22 of the 30 member-house, the Nation reports. READ ALSO: Despite meeting with Buhari, Ogun APC dissociates itself from Tejuoso It was gathered that Owosenis office was locked but his secretary and other workers were around. Some other police officers who were discussing the removal of Owoseni described him as a complete officer and gentleman. Sources also said Owoseni was due to retire this December. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Ikyange was impeached while Honourable Titus Ubwa has emerged the new speaker. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! The political tensions continued to heighten in Benue state on Tuesday, July 24, as 22 out 30 members of the state House of Assembly impeached the speaker of the House, Ikyange, his deputy, James Okefe and the majority leader of the House, Benjamin Adanyi, for alleged abuse of office. The lawmakers accused the speaker of abuse of office and high-handedness. PDP's Magnificent 7 For 2019 Election | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng Not surprisingly, the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier has rejected Theresa Mays customs plan. But what was striking was that despite Richard North seeing Barnier as having candy-coated some issues, on the whole Barnier seemed to take a sharper tone with the UK than before. Barnier is enough of a pro that it is unlikely to be a display of pique; I take it as being that he is making every effort to penetrate the UKs fog of self delusion and the only tool he has is his verbal register. Barnier stressed that the EU will never accept any country not subject to the EU oversight and ECJ jurisdiction to collect customs duties on its behalf. From the press conference: Maintaining control of our money, law and borders also applies to the EU customs policy. The EU cannot and will not delegate the application of its customs policy and rules, VAT and duty collection to a non-member who would not be subject to the EU governance structures. Any customs arrangements or customs union and I have always said that the EU is open to a customs union must respect this principle. Barniers counterparty, Dominic Raab, true to form, refused to process what he was being told and blathered about how the UK had provided a good faith, innovative proposal. The fundamental source of this mess is the UK refuses to get over itself. It is unwilling to abandon the notion that it deserves and will get a special bespoke close relationship with the EU. By contrast, the EU has said from the very morning after the Brexit vote that the UKs options were limited to the parameters of existing arrangements the EU has with third countries. As a result, the UK keeps getting in a huff that the EU will not negotiate terms that were never negotiable. But far worse as a sign of where things stand is that the UK is trying to retrade settled deal points. The UK and the EU are already visibly getting nowhere. But reneging on resolved issues is toxic. In a functioning negotiation, the party who asks for the waiver knows its a huge no-no and grovels and offers a concession. But Raab acted as if the UK could simply bulldoze the EU on two large issues. One was the backstop, which May had committed to in the Joint Agreement of last December. Recall that even resorting to the device of the Joint Agreement was a big procedural concession by Barnier, and enabled May, who looked on the verge of having her Government collapse, to get a huge boost with the appearance of a big win. Raabs tried to rewrite the Joint Agreement by asserting it needed only to be an interim phase until the EU and UK had entered into an overall deal (presumably a trade and services agreement). Raab also tried the cheeky move of trying to reopen the so-called Brexit tab. Barnier slapped both ideas down. From the Telegraph: Mr Raab said that any backstop to prevent the Irish border should be time-limited. But that was contradicted by Mr Barnier, who said any backstop must be all weather. It is Brexit that has created this problem between Ireland and Northern Ireland which does risk the Good Friday Agreement, he added. Mr Barnier also ruled out the EU accepting any British efforts to make payment of the 39billion Brexit bill conditional on a future free trade agreement at a press conference alongside Mr Raab, who doubled down on his call for the two issues to be linked. Mr Barnier said that it was perfectly clear to the EU27 and European Parliament that the financial settlement agreed in December and March was agreed for good. On top of that, May plans to go over Barniers head to get him overruled. Barnier saw fit to clear his throat about that: Anyone who wants to find a sliver of difference between my mandate and what the heads of government say they want are wasting their time, quite frankly. Now in fairness, the UK does have a few allies, like Poland, but not enough to make any difference. And in a confirmation of sorts of Barniers declaration, Frances minister of European affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, discussed that France is preparing a no-deal Brexit and expects it to be ugly. From the Express: Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, the minister depicted a devastating scenario for Europe in case of a no-deal Brexit, speaking of traffic jams in Calais, new tariffs and a decrease in trade with the UK. Ms Loiseau said: We would all suffer. The worst would be for the United Kingdom. On the day of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union with no deal we should start with new tariffs, controls and that means of course traffic jams in Calais and in each and every European port welcoming goods and people coming from the United Kingdom. It would slow down the trade relations between our country and the United Kingdom, as well it would be the same thing for Belgium, for the Netherlands and every entry point to the European Union. Despite the ministers hopes for Brussels and London securing a deal, Ms Loiseau argued being prepared for the worst possible outcome of Brexit talks is what we owe to our fellow citizens. She said: But we get prepared for a no-deal because also now we have seen no significant progress regarding the withdrawal agreement which would relieve us from this concern. All our ministries are working on what has to be done in the case where there is no deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union. In other words, the French are under no illusions as to how catastrophic a crash-out Brexit, but they are preparing for it, as opposed to relying on a capitulation escape hatch. Do listen to this section of the BBC segment (or you can find the full podcast here). It is remarkable that the interviewer does not comprehend that a customs union agreement would not mean the UK is in the single market and therefore achieves frictionless borders nor understands the order of battle in the negotiation process. More UK groups are sounding alarms. From iNews (hat tip guurst): The National Farmers Union said a no deal Brexit would lead to an Armageddon scenario for the British agricultural industry. NFU president Minette Batters warned that crashing out of the EU with no trade deals in place must be avoided, and previously said Brexit could well leave the farming sector on the brink of collapse. First minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones, told FW farmers must be given full access to the market post-Brexit. Ninety per cent of our food and drink exports go to Europe, he said. If we cant get our relationship right with Europe, we have nowhere else to sell at the right price. If we cant get our relationship right with our closest and biggest market, what hope have we of getting a free-trade agreement with any other country? The food issues extend well beyond preserving farmers exports. The Government appears to have no comprehension of what a no-deal Brexit would mean for feeding its citizens. From the Financial Times: Dominic Raab, Brexit secretary, said this week he would ensure the UK had adequate food supplies, but implied it was the responsibility of the industry: It would be wrong to describe it as the government doing the stockpiling, he told MPs. But one supermarket chief said the governments position was ridiculous and demonstrated complete naivety about the way the sector worked. Ministers are already drawing up plans to close the M26 motorway in Kent to turn it into a vast lorry park in the event of a no-deal Brexit, raising questions about the availability of food: some 40 per cent of the UKs foodstuffs are imported. Stockpiling of food is not a practical response to a no-deal on Brexit and industry has not been approached by government to begin planning for this, the British Retail Consortium said in a statement. Retailers do not have the facilities to house stockpiled goods and in the case of fresh produce it is simply not possible to do so. Our food supply chains are extremely fragile.. Supermarkets say they operate a sophisticated just in time supply model. Fresh food could not be stockpiled for more than a few days, while there was not enough warehouse space to hold large quantities of non-perishable ambient goods Government officials said there had been tense meetings in Whitehall to work out how to answer questions about the stockpiling question, before alighting on a line which asserts simply that Britain will not run out of food. Richard North has recommended stockpiling three months of food. Plan to get creative with pasta, dried beans, and whole grain, and get some chickens if you can. This is what the UK may be reduced to. Yves here. Its a bit puzzling to see Engelhardt depict populism as a right wing-phenomenon; the mainstream press is eager to warn of the dangers of populists like Bernie Sanders and the 5 Star movement. But dealing with body failures and limitations is a pointed reminder of mortality and the question of whether there was any point to what one has done. By Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He is a fellow of the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His sixth and latest book, just published, is A Nation Unmade by War (Dispatch Books). Originally published at TomDispatch There was a period in my later life when I used to say that, from the age of 20 to my late sixties, I was always 40 years old; I was, that is, an old young man and a young old one. Tell that to my legs now. Of course, theres nothing faintly strange in such a development. Its the most ordinary experience in life: to face your own failing self, those muscles that no longer work the way they used to, those brain cells jumping ship with abandon and taking with them so many memories, so much knowledge youd rather keep aboard. If youre of a certain age I just turned 74 you know exactly what I mean. And that, as they say, is life. In a sense, each of us might, sooner or later, be thought of as a kind of failed experiment that ends in the ultimate failure: death. And in some ways, the same thing might be said of states and empires. Sooner or later, there comes a moment in the history of the experiment when those muscles start to falter, those brain cells begin jumping ship, and in some fashion, spectacular or not, it all comes tumbling down. And that, as they say (or should say), is history. Human history, at least. In a sense, it may hardly be more out of the ordinary to face a failing experiment in what, earlier in this century, top officials in Washington called nation building than in our individual lives. In this case, the nation Im thinking about, the one that seems in the process of being unbuilt, is my own. You know, the one that its leaders until Donald Trump hit the Oval Office were in the habit of eternally praising as the most exceptional, the most indispensable country on the planet, the global policeman, the last or sole superpower. Essentially, it. Who could forget that extravagant drumbeat of seemingly obligatory self-praise for what, admittedly, is still a country with wealth and financial clout beyond compare and more firepower than the next significant set of competitors combined? Still, tell me you cant feel it? Tell me you couldnt sense it when those election results started coming in that November night in 2016? Tell me you cant sense it in the venomous version of gridlock that now grips Washington? Tell me its not there in the feeling in this country that we are somehow besieged (no matter our specific politics), demobilized, and no longer have any real say in a political system of, by, and for the billionaires, in a Washington in which the fourth branch of government, the national security state, gets all the dough, all the tender loving care (except, at this moment, from our president), all the attention for keeping us safe from not much (and certainly not itself)? In the meantime, most Americans get ever less and have ever less say about what theyre not getting. No wonder in the last election the countrys despairing heartland gave a hearty orange finger to the Washington elite. States of Failure Populist is the term of the moment for the growing crew of Donald Trumps around the planet. It may mean popular, but it doesnt mean population; it doesnt mean We, the People. No matter what that band of Trumps might say, its increasingly not we but them, or in the case of Donald J. Trump in particular, him. No, the United States is not yet a failed or failing state, not by a long shot, not in the sense of countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen that have been driven to near-collapse by Americas twenty-first-century wars and accompanying events. And yet, doesnt it seem ever easier to think of this country as, in some sense at least, a failing (and flailing) experiment? And dont just blame it on Donald Trump. Thats the easy path to an explanation. Something had to go terribly wrong to produce such a president and his tweet-stormed version of America. That should seem self-evident enough, even to though they would mean it in a different way The Donalds much-discussed base. After all, if they hadnt felt that, for them, the American experiment was failing, why would they have voted for an obvious all-American con man? Why would they have sent into the White House someone whose Apprentice-like urge is to fire us all? Its hard to look back on the last decades and not think that democracy has been sinking under the imperial waves. I first noticed the term the imperial presidency in the long-gone age of Richard Nixon, when his White House began to fill with uniformed flunkies and started to look like something out of an American fantasy of royalty. The actual power of that presidency, no matter who was in office, has been growing ever since. Whatever the Constitution might say, war, for instance, is now a presidential, not a congressional, prerogative (as is, to take a recent example, the imposition of tariffs on the products of allies on national security grounds). As Chalmers Johnson used to point out, in the Cold War years the president gained his own private army. Johnson meant the CIA, but in this century you would have to add Americas ever vaster, still expanding Special Operations forces (SOF), now regularly sent on missions of every sort around the globe. Hes also gained his own private air force: the CIAs Hellfire-missile armed drones that he can dispatch across much of the planet to kill those hes personally deemed his countrys enemies. In that way, in this century despite a ban on presidential assassinations, now long ignored the president has become an actual judge, jury, and executioner. The term Ive used in the past has been assassin-in-chief. All of this preceded President Trump. In fact, if presidential wars hadnt become the order of the day, I doubt his presidency would have been conceivable. Without the rise of the national security state to such a position of prominence; without much of government operations descending into a penumbra of secrecy on the grounds that We, the People needed to be safe, not knowledgeable; without the pouring of taxpayer dollars into Americas intelligence agencies and the U.S. military; without the creation of a war-time Washington engaged in conflicts without end; without the destabilization of significant parts of the planet; without the war on terror it should really be called the war for terror spreading terrorism; without the displacement of vast populations (including something close to half of Syrias by now) and the rise of the populist right on both sides of the Atlantic on the basis of the resulting anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim sentiments, its hard to imagine him. In other words, before he ever descended that Trump Tower escalator into the presidential race in 2015, empire had, politically speaking, trumped democracy and a flawed but noble experiment that began in 1776 was failing. Had that imperial power not been exercised in such a wholesale way in this century, Donald Trump would have been unimaginable. Had President George W. Bush and his cronies not decided to invade Iraq, The Donald probably would have been inconceivable as anything but the proprietor of a series of failed casinos in Atlantic City, the owner of what he loves to call property (adorned with those giant golden letters), and a TV reality host. And the American people would not today be his apprentices. When that very stable genius (as he reminded us again recently) inherited such powers long in the making, he also inherited the power to use them in ways that would have been unavailable to the president of a country that had genuine checks and balances, one in which the people knew what was going on and in some sense directed it. Consider it a sign of the times that hes the second president to lose the popular vote in this 18-year-old century the first, of course, being George W. Hanging Chad Bush. So perhaps its only proper that President Trump has now nominated to the Supreme Court a judge who was once a Republican operative for the very legal team focused on stopping the recount of those contested Florida ballots in 2000 a recount the Supreme Court did indeed halt, throwing the election to Bush. Note that Brett Kavanaugh is also the perfect justice for Americas new imperial age of decline, one who genuinely believes that the law should read: the president, while in office, is above it. Think of him as Caligulas future enabler. In other words, in the twenty-first century, Donald Trump is proof indeed that the American experiment in democracy may be coming to an unseemly end in a president with all the urges of an autocrat (and so many other urges as well). Or think of it this way: the contest from early on an essential part of American life between democracy and empire seems to be ending with empire the victor. However and here may be Donald Trumps particular significance empire, too, looks to be heading toward some kind of ultimate failure. He himself is visibly a force for imperial demolition. He seems intent as in the recent abusive NATO meeting and the chaotic get-together with Russian President Vladimir Putin on dismantling the very world that imperial America built for itself in the wake of World War II. You know, the one in which it was to be the ultimate and eternal victor in a rivalry between imperial powers that had begun in perhaps the fifteenth century, reached its peak when only two super rivals were left to face each other in the Cold War, and ended with a single power seemingly triumphant and alone on planet Earth. How quickly those historically unique dreams of global dominion fell apart in the infinite wars of this century. Think of Donald Trump as the overly ripe fruit of that failure, that endless imperial moment that never quite was. Think of him as the daemon in the (malfunctioning) global machinery of a world that is itself as in Brexiting Europe evidently beginning to come apart at the seams amid war, a flood of global refugees, and one factor never experienced before (on which more below). Think of America as being caught up in some only half-recognized United Stexit moment, though what exactly we are withdrawing from may be less than clear. Still, bad as any moment might be, you can always hope for, dream about, and work for so much better, as so many have over the centuries. After all, everything Ive described remains the norm of history. What empire hasnt had its Caligulas, its Trumps? What empire hasnt, in the end, gone down? What democratic experiment hasnt sooner or later faltered? Even the best of experiments come up short as autocrats take power and hand their rule on to their sons, only to be overthrown by some revolt, some new attempt to make better sense of this world, which itself falters sooner or later. And so it goes. Again, that, as they say, is history, a series of failed experiments, but ones that always end, in their own fashion, with hope still alive for a better, fairer, juster world. Yes, a particular failure might be terrible for you, your community, even several generations of yous, but it, too, will pass and you can expect our better angels to reappear someday, even if not in your lifetime or at least until recently you could do so. The Ultimate Experiment There is, however, another experiment, a planet-wide one that seems to be failing as well. You could think of it as humanitys experiment with industrial civilization, which is disastrously altering the environment of this previously welcoming world of ours. Im referring, of course, to what the greenhouse gases from the fossil fuels weve been burning in such profusion since the eighteenth century are doing to our planet. Whether you call it climate change or global warming, the one thing it isnt despite the fact that weve done it is history. Not human history anyway. After all, its effects will exist on a time scale that dwarfs our own. If allowed to play out to its fullest, it could destroy civilization. And ironically enough, unlike so many of our experiments, this was one we didnt even know we were conducting for something like a century and a half. So consider it an irony that its the one likely to endanger every other imaginable experiment. If not somehow halted in a reasonably decisive fashion, it could not only inundate coastal cities, turn verdant lands into parched landscapes, and create weather extremes presently hard to imagine, but produce heat that will be devastating. And yet dont give us any kind of a free pass on this one. Despite those endless years of not knowing what we were doing, ignorance cant be pled. Increasing numbers of us (including the giant oil companies who did everything humanly possible to keep the news from the rest of us) have known about this since at least the 1960s. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnsons science advisory committee sent him a report that highlighted a human-caused warming of the planet from the carbon dioxide burned off by fossil fuels. It included remarkably accurate projections of the increased heat to come in the twenty-first century and of other effects of climate change, including sea level rise and the warming of sea waters. So dont say that no one was warned. As time went on, weve been warned again and again. And for this, too, Donald Trump cant be blamed, but his presence in the White House is now a powerful symbol of a human failure to grasp the dangers involved. Talk about a symbolic act of self-destruction: the American people put a fierce climate denier in the White House. He, in turn, has brought his passionate 1950s-style fantasies of an even more oil-fueled global future with him. He has, among other things, appointed a remarkable set of Republican climate-change doubters and deniers to crucial positions throughout his administration. Hes moved to withdraw this country from the Paris climate accord, while powering up fossil-fuel and greenhouse-gas-producing projects of every sort and weakening the drive to develop alternative energy sources; he has, that is, done everything in his power to stoke global warming. Along with the actions of the CEOs of the giant oil companies, this will surely prove to be the greatest criminal enterprise in history, since it takes the all-time largest greenhouse gas emitter out of the running (except at the state and local level) when it comes to impeding global warming. In other words, whatever else he may be, President Donald Trump seems singularly intent on being a one-man wrecking crew when it comes to human history. Since Lucy walked upright by that African lake three million years ago, this has been a remarkably welcoming planet for the human experiment. If, in the coming century, climate change hits full force, it wont just be a matter of refugees in the hundreds of millions or individual deaths in countless numbers, or some failing democracy that became an empire. It could mean the failure of the whole human experiment in ways that are still hard to grasp. It could mean no more chance for failure, The End. Thats something worth working against. Thats a failure no one in any possible future can afford. In the meantime, here I am, another year closer to my own moment of failure, living in a potentially failing country on a potentially failing planet. Happy birthday to me. On June 15th last the big question in Rosegreen was Who dunnit in Dansies. A big mystery surrounded who carried out a shocking murder in the local pub. Much to the relief of those who attended, the deceased didnt stay dead for too long as she made a shrieking return later in the night as a frightful ghost. Far more frightening on the night was probably the appearance of a Kilkenny Hurler, a glass wielding angry woman and a very inappropriately named doctor. After the murder, the suspects were interviewed by two detectives who did what they could to draw out the story of who killed the sweet, innocent wife of a local businessman. As the story unravelled, those who attended were given opportunities to privately guess who might have been the culprit. Could it have been the local Garda, the very youthful priest or even the victims best friend. As the night drew on, the very quiet, but jealous Ms. Love was clearly identified as the murderer. Pictured at the handover of the cheque are committee members and Catherine Bartels of the Alzheimer Society. Back, Conor Downey, Jim Brennan, Enda Brady, Donal Ryan. Front, Barbara Ryan, Ursula Ryan, Catherine Bartels, Alice Brennan. Missing is Bernard Ryan. The reason behind this fun night was to obtain funds for the Irish Alzheimer Society La Cairdre Day Care Centre in Clonmel that caters to the needs of the people in South Tipperary. Currently there are almost 55,000 people living with dementia in Ireland. 4,000 of these people are under 64 and are classified as having younger onset dementia. It is estimated that the number of people living with dementia will rise to 154,157 by 2046 due to population ageing. Approximately 4,000 cases of dementia are identified in Ireland each year. There are approximately 50,000 family carers caring for someone with dementia. For each person diagnosed with dementia there at least three family members directly affected. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland works across the country in the heart of local communities providing dementia specific services and supports. The cast of the Murder Mystery in Dansies. They advocate for the rights and needs of all people living with dementia and their carers. Our vision is an Ireland where no one goes through dementia alone and where policies and services respond to the appropriate people and especially at the times they need support. The services that are available in Tipperary are Home Care, Support Groups, and La Cairdre Day Care Centre Services which is located in Glenconnor in Clonmel. It is open five days per week from 10am to 4pm. This Day Care Centre has received the benefits of the Murder Mystery in Dansies which amounted to 3,580. If you would like further information on the services available, please contact 052 6176775. The organising Committee would like to thank the very generous sponsors and everybody that supported or helped in any way to make this fundraiser a huge success. Congratulations to Marisa Costello who was the overall winner on the night in a thrilling tie-breaker. The first prize of a 2 night stay with evening meal in the Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise was generously donated by the General Manager, Darren Harding. Two retailers from County Tipperary have been named among the Top100 stores in Ireland by Retail Excellence, the countrys largest retail industry representative body. Jim McLoughney Menswear in Nenagh and Liberty Pharmacy in Thurles have both made Retail Excellence Irelands list of the Top100 best stores in the country. The two businesses are the only stores in Tipperary to make the prestigious list. The Top100 stores are part of the Retail Excellence Awards in partnership with AIB Merchant Services,which were established in 1997 to promote best practice and encourage high standards in the Irish retail industry and are now the largest and most prestigious of its kind in Ireland. The Awards will take place at a black tie event on Saturday, November 10 in the Malton Hotel in Killarney. Lorraine Higgins, Chief Executive of Retail Excellence said This year we were delighted to have received over 500 store entries from every retail sector for our national retail awards. The quality of customer care and excellence throughout these entries made selecting the Top100 stores an extremely difficult task. Such high standards are particularly important given the difficult challenges facing retailers at present including the ongoing threat posed by Brexit, as well as domestic issues which we continue to work to resolve on behalf of our members. I want to sincerely thank and commend each entrant and in particular, congratulate those announced today in our Top100. Congratulating the stores named in the Top100, Mark Patterson, Head of Field Sales of AIB Merchant Services said these retailers represent the very best of the retail industry in Ireland. AIB Merchant Services are proud to partner with Retail Excellence Ireland to support such a prestigious event. On 25 July 2018 the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) received a request for assistance to fight forest fires in Sweden. Over the last few weeks Sweden has experienced atypically high temperatures and close to no rainfall. This has resulted in very dry grounds in woodlands and terrain across the country. The risk of forest fires is extremely high in most of the country, from the south to the north. Sweden has experienced many forest fires during this period. Currently there are around 40 active forest fires in the country and the number is steadily increasing. The three largest fires alone are covering over 20 000 ha. The weather conditions are not improving. At the end of this week, temperatures are expected to rise even more and the weather forecast does not indicate much precipitations. (Natural News) Slacking on the job is bad enough, but it becomes criminal and deadly when your line of work involves deadly cancer-causing materials such as asbestos. Thats why 17 certified asbestos inspectors are now looking at up to seven years jail time, CBS New York reported. Rich Lamb of CBS New York affiliate WCBS 880 radio reported that local authorities had arrested multiple asbestos inspectors on the alleged grounds of not doing their jobs. Their negligence is suspected to have exposed construction workers and other people to carcinogenic asbestos fibers. The 17 suspects had been accused of faking official documents that vouched for the safety of numerous planned construction projects in Manhattan and Staten Island. The documents reputedly assert that construction workers will not disturb asbestos found in those locations. (Related: Asbestos & Other Environmental Risks That Cause Cancer.) Several of the inspectors were also accused of avoiding spot inspections of physical locations, concealing the presence of asbestos, and lying about performing their duties when in fact they were nowhere to be found in New York or the U.S. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance brings up the particular instance of one investigator. The suspect claimed to have been busy inspecting a building for asbestos presence. But according to records, the man was actually on the other side of the U.S., near Disneyland in Los Angeles, California. Asbestos inspectors get paid around $250 to $800 for each job they perform, explained Department of Investigations Commissioner Mark Peters. He pointed out that its practically impossible for an asbestos inspector to accomplish a large number of jobs in just one day. However, an inspector could simply file the forms without visiting the physical site. That allows him to charge multiple people for completing multiple jobs without doing any actual work, explained the commissioner. WCBS 880 reporter Lamb raised the possibility of the arrested asbestos inspectors accepting bribes. In response, Commissioner Peters promised that authorities are continuing the investigation of the matter. The dangers of asbestos According to the National Cancer Institute, asbestos is a collective term for half a dozen silicate minerals that occur in nature as bundles of thin crystal fibers. Asbestos fibers do not conduct electricity; they are also highly resistant to chemicals, fire, and heat. These useful qualities led to the heavy use of asbestos in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The automotive, construction, manufacturing, and shipbuilding industries all used asbestos to make fireproof, soundproof, and electrically insulated products and materials. However, asbestos has been confirmed to cause various cancers of the lungs, larynx, and ovary, including a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma. It also raises the risk of lung and pleural disorders such as asbestosis. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have all identified asbestos as a human carcinogen. Many developed nations have also banned asbestos mining and products. Despite knowing the health risks associated with asbestos, the U.S. has not yet implemented a widespread ban on the material. Disturbing asbestos products releases the fibers into the air. When inhaled, these fibers can get trapped in the airway and lungs for many years and cause the aforementioned cancers and related complications. Numerous asbestos products are present in older structures, making them dangerous for occupants and especially construction workers who must tear parts of those buildings down. Asbestos abatement is undertaken to either control the release of asbestos fibers into the air or to remove them from the premises. The role of asbestos inspectors is to investigate those old buildings and determine if they are safe for construction workers. You can learn more about the various roots of cancer by visiting CancerCauses.news. Sources include: NewYork.CBSLocal.com Cancer.gov (Natural News) In a show of solidarity and support for father and son ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond who, as you may recall, were thrown in prison under false pretenses after a fire occurred on federal land in Oregon back in 2016 President Trump recently issued pardons for the pair, which has set off a firestorm of controversy. During a recent segment of the Robert Scott Bell Show, independent journalist Pete Santilli explained how he, too, was imprisoned for 619 days the longest held journalist and political prisoner in American history simply for reporting the truth about the incident. Santilli was also accused of being involved in the planning that ultimately led to the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which is where the standoff with the Feds took place. You can watch the segment with Santilli at Brighteon.com. In case you arent aware, Santilli was among the first on the ground to begin reporting about what was taking place at the refuge, which made him an immediate target of the Feds who launched a massive disinformation campaign against him. Santilli was falsely accused of a number of crimes, including that he was one of the culprits rather than merely a reporter. They alleged that I actually conspired to help those people take over the refuge, and commit crimes against the United States, stated Santilli. Hillary Clinton had Loretta Lynch sign off on Santillis arrest for reporting on a $140 million money laundering scheme through Clinton Foundation In Santillis view, had Clinton been elected president, she likely would have have had him tried as a terrorist and thrown into Guantanamo Bay. Instead, with Trump at the helm, Santilli is a free man whos openly telling his side of the story as to what happened at the stand-off and how, despite what his persecutors claim, the Clinton scandal is more than likely tied to the standoff. After a month of broadcasting the news about the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge takeover, I broadcasted Hillary Clinton she had $140 million funneled through the Clinton Foundation, and within 10 hours I was in handcuffs, Santilli says, explaining that this all occurred in January of 2016. And by the way, Loretta Lynch signed off on my arrest because I was a journalist Are they related? Well, they brought, of course, a conspiracy allegation against me, and actually ended up dismissing the case they said the two werent connected. What this all suggests is that Santilli got a little too close for comfort to the truth, so Clinton and her cronies attempted to silence him. And they were successful for nearly two years until Trump came along and undid some of the damage. Santilli was eventually dismissed from the Oregon case, though he had to fight like never before to make it happen. Santilli now refers to those at the FBI who orchestrated the charade crooks like James Comey as a regime of criminals who shameless fabricated investigation reports to try to take him down. Freedom of speech, First Amendment: there are violations of that by government all over the place, stated Robert Scott Bell during the segment in response to Santillis story. Its not the people who are violating the law; its not Pete Santilli whos violating the law its the people in government that were manipulating and doing things that were ultimately detrimental not only to the United States, but also to the people. Be sure to watch the full video segment at Brighteon.com. You can also keep up with the latest news on government conspiracies against We the People by checking out Conspiracy.news. Sources for this article include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) White people must resign from positions of power in the literary community, asserts a Fresno State professor who recently made headlines for cheering the death of Barbara Bush. (Article by Dan Lyman republished from NewsWars.com) English professor Randa Jarrar issued the ultimatum on her private Twitter account that Campus Reform now has a copy of. At some point, all of us in the literary community must DEMAND that white editors resign, Jarrar wrote. Its time to STEP DOWN and hand over positions of power. We dont have to wait for them to fuck up. The fact that they hold these positions is fuck up enough. Jarrars tweet came immediately after an outburst apparently aimed at an editor of poetry from The Nation, Stephanie Burt, whom Jarrar claims violently silences people of color through the work Burt publishes. Jarrar became infamous in April when her tweets slamming recently-deceased Barbara Bush as an amazing racist sparked outrage; which was only compounded by her taunts that she would never be fired after a petition demanding her termination quickly garnered tens of thousands of signatures. Barbara Bush was a generous and smart and amazing racist who, along with her husband, raised a war criminal, Jarrar wrote. Fuck outta here with your nice words. Im happy the witch is dead, Jarrar asserted in another tweet. She was placed on leave shortly after the Bush tweets. Jarrar is a self-described bad Muslim, who appears to operate an Instagram page called Crimes of Caucasity, which is dedicated to keeping a record of audacious Caucasian crimes. Read more at: NewsWars.com (Natural News) Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin condition that affects more than 18 million adults in the U.S. alone. Researchers from Shinshu University in Japan recently demonstrated the potential of the quince plant (Cydonia oblonga Miller) in preventing and treating keratinocyte-associated skin inflammations in atopic dermatitis using human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT and mouse models. Quince, in particular, its seeds, have been used primarily as a cosmetic agent, thanks to its ability to heal incised wounds, prevent skin toxicity, and improve the creation of connective tissue. However, there is little evidence that discusses the effects of quince seed extracts on skin keratinocytes, which are the main cell types of the outer skin (epidermis), as well as its effects on the side effects of atopic dermatitis on the skin. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate whether quince seeds have a suppressive effect on the incidence and development of allergic inflammation in the skin, the researchers wrote in their report. For this purpose, an AD [atopic dermatitis] model mouse and a human keratinocyte cell line were used. Researchers looked at how the ethanolic extract of quince seeds (QSEtE) could affect NC/Nga mice with atopic dermatitis. The mice were randomly assigned into three groups: the ethanol-treated group (vehicle control cells), 0.1 percent QSEtE solution group, and 1 percent QSEtE solution group. To induce lesions similar to atopic dermatitis, the team applied an ointment which contained extract of house dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae) to their upper dorsal skin and the back of the ears. During the experiment, which ran for 28 days, toxicity-related markers were monitored in all groups; afterward, the ear and dorsal skin were harvested for tissue and gene expression analyses, respectively. From their findings, researchers found that treating skin lesions with QSEtE improved dermatitis symptoms caused by dust mites, including mast cell infiltration and serum IgE levels. In addition, we showed that TARC [thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine] expression decreased in skin lesions in mice, and in in vitro cultures of HaCaT cells, they added. The researchers concluded that quince seed extracts could be used to treat skin lesions, in particular, those caused by exposure to dust mites. QSEtE, in particular, could be used to protect the skin from allergen-induced inflammation in the onset and development of atopic dermatitis. (Related: Your water could be causing your eczema: Hard water found to damage the protective barrier on skin.) Other benefits of the quince fruit Quinces come from the Rosaceae family, which also includes apples and pears. It may not be as popular in the U.S. as its relatives, but it has been regarded as a symbol of fertility in ancient Greece, thanks to its fruits being beneficial for fetal development. In some countries in Europe, its also used to improve digestive health. Plus, its a low-calorie fruit thats rich in fiber. Here are other benefits found in the quince fruit: Relieves an upset stomach. Boiled or grilled quince can be beneficial for an upset stomach. The fruit is also a natural diuretic, which stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, making the organs run smoothly. Boiled or grilled quince can be beneficial for an upset stomach. The fruit is also a natural diuretic, which stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, making the organs run smoothly. Regulates blood pressure. Quince contains potassium, which helps maintain blood pressure in liquid distribution along the body. Potassium, in particular, helps relax the arteries which reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. Quince contains potassium, which helps maintain blood pressure in liquid distribution along the body. Potassium, in particular, helps relax the arteries which reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. Excellent source of antioxidants. The flavonoid and phytonutrients found in the quince fruit can help fight free radical damage, which prevents the onset of various diseases. The flavonoid and phytonutrients found in the quince fruit can help fight free radical damage, which prevents the onset of various diseases. Contains anti-inflammation properties. Quince fruits are rich in vitamin C, which boosts immunity and prevents chronic inflammation. Quinces can be tough if eaten raw, but its an excellent alternative for apples in baking, or just poach it to soften the texture. Learn about more plants that can cure atopic dermatitis at Herbs.news. Sources include: Science.news BMCComplementAlternMed.BioMedCentral.com LifelineCellTech.com DrHealthBenefits.com Livestrong.com (Natural News) When it comes to eye and skin care, sunglasses are more than just trendy. They can help protect your eyes and prevent different eye- and skin-related health concerns. In the U.K., skin cancer rates are skyrocketing. But this can be prevented by one simple change: choosing the right kind of sunglasses that can also protect the skin around your eyes. Most of the reported cases in the U.K. involve cancers of the eyelid. The eyelids and the surrounding area require protection because they are cancer-prone, especially since this part of the face has thinner skin and it usually isnt protected from the suns harmful ultra-violet (UV) rays. Tricia Griffin, a 65-year-old retired teacher from Barnet, North London, reports that she didnt realize how crucial sunglasses are until she developed skin cancer on her eyelid. Griffin first noticed a small, white lump on her eyelid in 2016. She initially thought that it was merely a sign of old age, such as a skin tag. While she once thought that she needed to get the lump checked, it often slipped her mind, mainly since it wasnt big enough to obscure her vision. Four months after she noticed the small lump on her eyelid, Griffin visited her cousin Mary. Mary recently had an eye operation. Griffin shared, She told me shed had skin cancer in her eyelid and when she described the lump I [realized] to my horror that I had the same. Griffin was shocked, especially since she believed that shed been very observant about any changes in her moles. She didnt realize that the area around her eyes was also cancer-prone. After consulting a healthcare professional, Griffin was told that the lump on her eyelid was a basal cell carcinoma. The most common type of skin cancer on the eyelids, basal cell carcinoma usually involve the deeper layer of the skin. While they seldom spread to other body parts, basal cell carcinomas may damage surrounding structures like the eyes opening mechanism or the tear duct. In the U.K., at least 13,600 cases of eyelid cancers are diagnosed annually. This makes up about 10 percent of non-malignant skin cancers diagnosed in the country. Squamous cell carcinoma, which affects the outer layers of the skin, is the second most common form of eyelid skin cancer. Both types of carcinomas make up a whopping 95 percent of all eyelid cancers. Malignant melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer that spreads to other organs, seldom develops in the eyelids. Raj Das-Bhaumik, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, explained that while both basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas can begin as small pimples or fleshy bumps, they may get bigger. The bigger growths may even bleed and crust over. Das-Bhaumik added that the carcinomas could thicken and turn into ulcers that dont heal. Consult a healthcare professional if you notice these symptoms, which may indicate eyelid cancer: Chronic infection of the eyelid The eyelashes turning white (due to pigment cells being affected by cancer) Redness and inflammation of the eyelids A spreading, colored mass on the eyelid Swelling of the eyelid Thickening of the eyelid Ulcerations (areas where the skin is broken) on the eyelid that doesnt heal Unexplained eyelash loss Choose the right sunglasses to prevent sun damage To avoid sun damage to your eyes and the skin around them, wear a wide-brimmed hat and stay in the shade. Dont forget to wear a pair of sunglasses when its sunny. (Related: 5 Questions to ask before buying sunglasses.) Large wraparound sunglasses that fit snugly can help block out sun damage from all sides, advised Das-Bhaumik. If youre not getting wraparound glasses, chose a pair that covers your eyebrows and the bone below your eye and covers most of the edge of your nose. Always get sunglasses that have UV protection. Das-Bhaumik added that sunglasses with polarized lenses could help block out horizontal and vertical light, which can minimize glare and improve contrast. Sunglasses are a versatile accessory, and if you choose them correctly, they can help prevent eyelid cancer and other health concerns. You can read more articles with tips on how to prevent eyelid cancer at Cancer.news. Sources include: PressReader.com Cancer.net (Natural News) Biology Fortified, Inc. (BFI) is a tax-exempt GMO-front group with a main mission of teaching scientists how to communicate with the public (and political lobbyists) and convince them that genetically modified organisms in food are not the health-and-environmental horror story that they really are today. The BFI main source of reference is the Genetic Engineering Risk Atlas (GENERA), a database of skewed research crafted by the biotech cartel that downplays the risks of what have become known as Franken-crops. Of course, BFI routinely denies having any ties to Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), but just last year documents were released during a lawsuit against Monsanto that exposed glyphosate (50 percent of Roundup weed killer, used worldwide) as a cause of cancer. Documents also detailed Monsantos insidious plan to discredit the World Health Organizations exposure of this truth about Frankenfoods, including a list of tactics and strategies, naming their key industry partners, which included Biology Fortified, a.k.a. BioFortified. BFI mascot Frank N. Foode just a cynical ploy to ridicule and play down their own blight A little fictional corn puppet that travels the world spreading propaganda sounds a little too much like a creepy creation by public scientist and Monsanto-puppet-extraordinaire Kevin Folta, who just so happens to serve (since 2015) on the BFI board of directors. Garnering the same goofy glasses as the genetically mutated Muppet Frank N. Foode, Folta, an exposed GMO shill and horticulturalist from the University of Florida, writes many of the propaganda blog pieces for the main blogsite of BFI (the acronym really stands for Bad Food Incorporated). Folta has also been exposed as having a blog-talk-radio show featuring call in discussions with himself (with a poorly disguised counter voice) in an attempt to discredit serious questions that challenge the safety of GMOs. The ultimate GM apologist and Monsanto sympathizer, Folta leads a campaign of disinformation while accusing his critics of the same. The New York Times exposed Dr. Folta via a series of published emails that show 200 pages of documented money trails and instructions for Folta (with his own suggestions and endorsements plastered all over them) to say exactly what Monsanto wanted him to say to promote the biotech agenda of deceit. Bayer/Monsanto contributions help BFI spread propaganda and brain-washing lies about the safety and sustainability of GM agriculture Co-founder of BFI, Karl Haro von Mogel, is a known accomplice and associate of wife-beater Jon Entine, the latter who just happens to be a former news show producer who shilled regularly for Monsanto via Forbes.com, until they fired him after he was exposed through court documents as a violent sociopath. Karl Haro von Mogel and Jon Entine are all paid propagandists who get funding thats funneled to the Genetic Literacy Project in order to shame scientists and highlight information helpful to Monsanto and other chemical producers. Biology Fortified Incorporated epitomizes a sellout industry of hacks and charlatans leading the corporate attacks on independent science that exposes the dangers of genetically modified organisms in food. Congress revealed that Monsanto (just 1 of the Big 6 biotech cartels) often turns to industry trade groups, like BFI, Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI), and Genetic Literacy Project, as platforms of support for their industry hucksters to convince the public, federal regulators, and city councilmen of the benefits (meaning payoffs, kickbacks and luxury gifts) for promoting chemical agriculture. According to GMWatch, Monsanto PR hype gins up support for BioFortified via social media outlets like Twitter, expanding their base and brainwashing the public and farmers into believing its safe, healthy and sustainable to spread, spray and eat chemical pesticides daily. Killing off millions of bees, farmers and consumers is in no way sustainable. The only thing genetically modified food is sustaining is the charge to depopulate earth while annihilating the pollinators that are responsible for 70 percent of our food supply. Industry front groups like BFI repeatedly point to safety studies conducted by the biotech cartel themselves. GENERA database plagued with biased research and bogus claims BFIs launching of a new database claims that independent peer-reviewed research on GMOs is common and further proves their points about the safety of GMOs. On the GENERA website, they claim that Monsanto has agreements with more than 100 universities that allow academic scientists to do independent research with no oversight. It goes on to later state about the 400 studies already entered into the conglomeration, The database, GENERA, shows that, of those 400, more than half report receiving no industry funding. Yet, Monsanto has already been exposed for supporting public scientists like Dr. Kevin Folta with elaborate gifts, travel funding, and spiffs to the tune of $25,000 a pop. So, you were saying? Folta is nothing more than an academic shill of the biotech industry, who should have faced the legal consequences for taking the Monsanto bribe. According to Floridas anti-corruption laws, any public servant who accepts a bribe may be guilty of a second degree felony and can serve 15 years in prison for it. Folta, just like all publicly funded university professors, is indeed a public servant, working for the state entity called the University of Florida. Oops. And for the past three years, this sellout clown has served on the board of directors for BFI? Talk about conflict of interest. BFI joins the annals of a long list of propaganda-pushing Monsanto trolls and posers. Welcome to the club. BFI youve been purged by truth media. Your board of directors ranks among the most insidious hucksters on planet earth, along with the following: Huffington Post Slate Magazine Genetic Literacy Project Washington Post Jon Entine Kevin Folta (exposed public scientist on Monsantos bonus roll) David Gorski at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit Keith Kloor The CDC The FDA The EPA The USDA The AMA Susan Komen Foundation American Cancer Society Facebook YouTube, Amazon.com and WholeFoods Associated Press Forbes.com Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Council for Biotechnology Information Grocery Manufacturers Association Center for Consumer Freedom Boston Globe Ketchum, Inc. Paul Thorson GMO Answers For more information about Monsanto shills, Bayers lies, and the dangers of using, spreading, and eating Frankenfoods, visit GMO.news and get the truth about pesticides infiltrating the worlds staple food supply. Also check out TruthWiki.org for current encyclopedia entries describing the true motives of other Monsanto front groups. Remember, cancer, dementia and genetically mutated stupidity can be prevented. Sources for this article include: SourceWatch.org BioFortified.org TruthWiki.org GMwatch.org USRTK.org NYtimes.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com GMO.news TruthWiki.org (Natural News) A study published online in the journal Stress has unveiled a connection between stress and the onset of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), a condition characterized by spasms similar to epileptic seizures. According to scientists, PNES resemble epileptic seizures with symptoms including tossing of the head that can last for about a few minutes. Health experts note that people who suffer from the condition, especially female patients, were previously labeled as being hysterical. This puts a lot of strain on both the patients and their families, the experts said. A team of researchers at the Aarhus University in Denmark had enrolled 15 PNES patients and 60 controls as part of the study. Participants with PNES had reported a higher degree of various types of abuse including sexual abuse, violence, and bullying as well as feelings of abandonment and a reduced quality of life. The scientists then measured the concentration of a wide array of hormones in the participants blood. The findings showed that PNES patients have significantly lower levels of the hormone neuropeptide Y (NPY) in their blood. According to the research team, this hormone is responsible for increasing a persons resilience during stressful events. We have now finally demonstrated a biological cause for these otherwise unexplained seizures. This knowledge alone can be enough to remove the sense of powerlessness experienced by both patients and practitioners. We know that the amount of NPY that is released in a stressful situation is genetically determined. Some people are genetically more resistant to stress, while others are particularly vulnerable, researcher Michael Winterdahl told Science Daily online. Study confirms that stress triggers epilepsy A meta-analysis published in April 2017 also demonstrated a correlation between stress and epileptic seizures. A team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati Epilepsy Center examined 21 studies in order to carry out the review. The studies, which were published between the 1980s until 2017, were based on various sources such as functional magnetic resonance imaging results and accounts of patients who had kept journal entries of stressful events and subsequent epileptic attacks. (Related: Meditation changes the structure of your brain, cuts stress in half according to new study.) The research team observed an increase in seizure frequency following high-stress events such as war, trauma, or natural disaster, or the death of a loved one. The scientists specifically cited a 2002 study that demonstrated the effects of the Croatian war in the early 1990s on pediatric health. The health experts observed that children living in war-affected areas had more episodes of epileptic seizures than those not affected by the war. Stress is a subjective and highly individualized state of mental or emotional strain. Although its quite clear that stress is an important and common seizure precipitant, it remains difficult to obtain objective conclusions about a direct causal factor for individual epilepsy patients Any patient reporting stress as a seizure trigger should be screened for a treatable mood disorder, especially considering that mood disorders are so common within this population, researcher Dr. Heather McKee stated in another Science Daily article. The researchers also highlighted the importance of stress reduction initiatives to alleviate the occurrence of stress-related epileptic seizures. What I think some of these studies point to is that efforts toward stress reduction techniques, though somewhat inconsistent, have shown promise in reducing seizure frequency. We need future research to establish evidence-based treatments and clarify biological mechanisms of the stress-seizure relationship. [Stress reduction efforts in epileptic patients] could improve overall quality of life and reduce seizure frequency at little to no risk, researcher Dr. Michael Privitera added. Keep yourself updated about new scientific research on the brain, and how factors like stress affect it at Mind.news. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com 1 ScienceDaily.com 2 TandFOnline.com (Natural News) A recent shooting in Toronto, Canada, reportedly had more than a few residents wondering if what had been one of the safest cities in North America was coming apart. What Toronto residents ought to be more concerned about is their own refusal to see things as they are, not as they want them to be. The recent shooting involving gunman Faisal Hussain came after a series of violent incidents and other shootings in recent months, The Guardian reports. But one of the most telling aspects of Hussains attack is the refusal of the Toronto and Canadian governments, as well as the Canadian media, to call it what it likely was: A terrorist attack. Within hours of the July 24 incident in which two people were killed and 13 more wounded, Canadian authorities were claiming there was no connection to terrorism. At this state, based on the state of the investigation, which is led by the Toronto police service, there is no connection between that individual and national security, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said, according to CBS News. However, the network reported further: But a law enforcement source told CBS News that Faisal Hussain visited Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) websites and may have expressed support for the terrorist group. They were looking into whether Hussain may have lived at one time in Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan, the source said. The official story is that Hussains family is claiming he was suffering from psychosis and depression for a year. Most of the Canadian press was reporting that and that alone. In other words, he had mental problems Islamic terrorism had nothing at all to do with it. A statement from Hussains relatives said he had lifelong severe mental health challenges. Maybe so. But couldnt he also have been someone of Muslim heritage and thus influenced to murder on behalf of Islamic extremism? (Related: Coulter: Trump should return to original plan of banning ALL immigrants.) Call the attack what it is Fox News reported that the Islamic State, via its AMAQ propaganda agency, claimed responsibility for the attack. AMAQ claimed that 29-year-old Hussain was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition countries. There was no evidence provided for the claim such as a video showing Hussain pledging allegiance to ISIS, but reportedly authorities are aware of indicators that bolster the claim his attack may well have been an act of Islamic extremist terrorism. And if that turns out to be the case, why is it so difficult for the liberal Left in Canada, in the U.S., in Europe to simply admit it? Why do Western liberals seem incapable of believing that you can call out an act of terrorism and you can recognize the fact that much of it is coming from one extremist religious faction without condemning the entire religion itself? Western liberals seem much more content to virtue signal than to identify a major threat and then develop policies to deal with it. Identifying Muslim extremism isnt bigotry. Condemning all Muslims for the acts of a few is bigotry. The vast majority of people can and do make the distinction. But Western liberals seem unable to do so. And frankly, that is getting more of them killed. If you cant recognize something that is a legitimate threat, then you wont be able to muster the political will to act and defend against it. The end result is that more people are put at risk and more people will be killed and wounded. Faisal Hussain killed two people one of whom was a 10-year-old girl. He changed the lives of 13 others forever. If what he did was an act of Muslim extremist terrorism and the Canadian government refuses to admit and condemn it as such, they will be inviting more carnage. Read more about Islamic extremist terrorism at Terrorism.news. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources include: CBSNews.com TheGuardian.com FoxNews.com NewsTarget.com A string of burglaries at the Pacific East Mall parking lot in Richmond has police officers on high alert. The Pacific East Mall is hugely popular with both locals and tourists but what customers dont realize is that when theyre inside, some pretty skilled and efficient burglars are ready to hit their cars, smashing and grabbing in seconds. "Its just so heartbreaking and so disbelief," said Geoffrey LI, who lost his life savings to thieves. "I cannot say more than that devastating." Li and his wife had just flown into the San Francisco International Airport from China last month when the couple stopped to eat at Richmonds Pacific East Mall. While inside, police say two women broke into their rental van and stole suitcases filled with more than $100,000 of jade jewelry that the couple planned to use to open up a jewelry store in Texas. "Thats just unbelievable so frustrated, so hard to swallow something like this happened to us," Li said. Police say the Lis arent alone, as thieves have preyed on dozens of other shoppers in recent months, many of whom are tourists. Police say the bad guys case the lot for cars with valuables inside, then strike. Richmond police are now using drones and other tactics to quell the problem. Theyve captured several burglars in action. "Its not going to be easy pickings anymore," police said. "Were not playing around were coming after you." Police have identified one of the suspects they say ripped off the Lis, Vallejo resident Jalon Walker, and they have recovered at least some of the couples stolen items. "Dont leave any valuables in your car or prepare to be robbed," Li said. Richmond police say their recent surveillance has led to several arrests and want burglars to know theyre watching. Migrant children who had been separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border were still waiting Friday to be reunited with loved ones even though the White House's deadline to bring families together passed at midnight. The Trump administration said Thursday that more than 1,800 children 5 years and older had been reunited with parents or sponsors hours before the deadline. That included 1,442 children who were returned to parents who were in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and another 378 who were released under a variety of other circumstances. But about 700 more remain separated, including 431 whose parents were deported, officials say. Those reunions take more time, effort and paperwork as authorities fly children back to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Department of Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a joint status report late Thursday night. The ACLU blasted the Trump administration for marking more than 900 parents from the list as ineligible for reunification, including the more than 400 parents who were already deported. The National Center for Youth Law said there are several key issues that complicate the process of reunification. First, ICE tends to move people in its custody, sometimes several times and many times without notice. Even immigration attorneys dont know where their clients are and there is the issue of just tracking down the parents or the kids. There is also a language barrier, which only adds to the confusion to an already complicated immigration process. "First it's in a different language that they don't speak and even after that there is an immigration court proceeding, there is a criminal proceeding they are being subjected to because of zero tolerance," said Efren Olivares of Texas Civil Rights Project. The National Center for Youth Law, who has been very critcal of President trump's zero tolerance policy, referred to the whole process as a giant maze designed to make things impossible for immigrants. Some have outright blamed the Trump Administration of more than just incompetence. Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz told the LA Times Friday that "the government blew its Thursday deadline to reunite these families because it never intended to do so." While the Obama administration had also been separating families, critics argue that President Trump's zero tolerance policy expanded the scope of arresting and prosecuting. Congressman Mark Desaulnier, D-Calif., said he visited a detention facility last week in Contra Costa County. Desaulnier said another immigration issue is the private detention which are making huge profits under the current system. Heat waves are setting all-time temperature records across the globe, again. Europe suffered its deadliest wildfire in more than a century, and one of nearly 90 large fires in the U.S. West burned dozens of homes and forced the evacuation of at least 37,000 people near Redding, California. Flood-inducing downpours have pounded the U.S. East this week. It's all part of summer but it's all being made worse by human-caused climate change, scientists say. "Weirdness abounds," said Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis. Japan hit 106 degrees on Monday, its hottest temperature ever. Records fell in parts of Massachusetts, Maine, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico and Texas. And then there's crazy heat in Europe, where normally chill Norway, Sweden and Finland all saw temperatures they have never seen before on any date, pushing past 90 degrees. So far this month, at least 118 of these all-time heat records have been set or tied across the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The explanations should sound as familiar as the crash of broken records. "We now have very strong evidence that global warming has already put a thumb on the scales, upping the odds of extremes like severe heat and heavy rainfall," Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh said. "We find that global warming has increased the odds of record-setting hot events over more than 80 percent of the planet, and has increased the odds of record-setting wet events at around half of the planet." Climate change is making the world warmer because of the build-up of heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil and other human activities. And experts say the jet stream which dictates weather in the Northern Hemisphere is again behaving strangely. "An unusually sharply kinked jet stream has been stuck in place for weeks now," said Jeff Masters, director of the private Weather Underground. He says that allows the heat to stay in place over three areas where the kinks are: Europe, Japan and the western United States. The same jet stream pattern caused the 2003 European heat wave, the 2010 Russian heat wave and fires, the 2011 Texas and Oklahoma drought and the 2016 Canadian wildfires, Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann said, pointing to past studies by him and others. He said in an email that these extremes are "becoming more common because of human-caused climate change and in particular, the amplified warming in the Arctic." Climate scientists have long said they can't directly link single weather events, like a heat wave, to human caused climate change without extensive study. In the past decade they have used observations, statistics and computer simulations to calculate if global warming increases the chances of the events. A study by European scientists Friday found that the ongoing European heat wave is twice as likely because of human-caused global warming, though those conclusions have not yet been confirmed by outside scientists. The World Weather Attribution team said they compared three-day heat measurements and forecasts for the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland with historical records going back to the early 1900s. "The world is becoming warmer and so heat waves like this are becoming more common," said Friederike Otto, a member of the team and deputy director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. Erich Fischer, an expert on weather extremes at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich who wasn't part of the analysis said the authors used well-established methods to make their conclusions, adding "their estimates may even be rather conservative." Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said the link between climate change and fires isn't as strong as it is with heat waves, but it is becoming clearer. A devastating fire in Greece with at least 86 fatalities is the deadliest fire in Europe since 1900, according to the International Disaster Database run by the Centre for the Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Brussels, Belgium. In the United States on Friday, there were 89 active large fires, consuming nearly 900,000 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. So far this year, fires have burned 4.15 million acres, which is nearly 14 percent higher than average over the past 10 years. The first major science study to connect greenhouse gases to stronger and longer heat waves was in 2004. It was titled "More intense, more frequent and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century." Study author Gerald Meehl of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said Friday that now it "reads like a prediction of what has been happening and will continue to happen as long as average temperatures continue to rise with ever-increasing emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. It's no mystery." The Benicia Police Department arrested a man who fled from officers in an "erratic and dangerous manner" after residents reported a suspicious vehicle Wednesday morning. Officers responded to reports about a suspicious vehicle parked on Alta Loma and upon arrival, the suspect immediately started the engine and ignored commands. In a video posted on the Benicia Police Departments Facebook page, a man covering his head with a black piece of clothing can be seen in a silver Toyota Spyder with what appears to be red paint splashed all over. The license plate on the car were reported stolen and he was last seen on southbound 680 Marina Vista exit in Martinez. An explosive wildfire that roared with little warning into a Northern California city claimed a second life and thousands more people abandoned their homes, some of them slipping out just ahead of the walls of flame, authorities said Friday. In all, an estimated 37,000 people have fled from the so-called Carr Fire, which began Monday and tripled in size overnight Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and high winds. Fire officials warned that the blaze would probably burn deeper into urban areas before there was any hope of containing it. A day earlier, the flames turned the sky orange while sweeping through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then jumping the Sacramento River into Redding, a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. A firefighter with the Redding Fire Department was killed in Shasta County, officials said Friday. Another firefighter hired to try to contain the flames with a bulldozer was killed Thursday, authorities said. At least 65 structures have been destroyed, and 5,000 other buildings were threatened, fire officials said. The fire is "taking down everything in its path," said Scott McLean, a CalFire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze. [NATL-BAY]PHOTOS: Carr Fire in Shasta County Destroys Homes, Kills 8 Some Redding residents who had not been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice. "When it hit, people were really scrambling," McLean said. "There was not much of a warning." The blaze, which was apparently sparked by a mechanical issue involving a vehicle, was so fearsome that fire crews in Redding for a time abandoned any hope of containing the flames and instead focused on saving lives. "We're not fighting a fire. We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly, and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area," said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of town. A reporter with KRCR-TV choked up as she reported live updates about the fire before the station had to go off the air later. Two news anchors told viewers that the building was being evacuated and urged residents to "be safe." Journalists at the Record Searchlight newspaper tweeted about continuing to report on the fire without electricity in their newsroom, and a reporter at KHSL-TV wrote on Twitter that the station's Redding reporters were "running home to gather their things." Mike Mangas, a spokesman at Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital was evacuating six babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, and taking them to medical facilities outside of the area. Late Thursday, crews found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path, McLean said. The fire burned over the operator and his equipment, making the man the second bulldozer operator killed in a California blaze in less than two weeks. Three firefighters and an unknown number of civilians had burns, but the extent of their injuries wasn't immediately known, McLean said. "It's just chaotic. It's wild," he said. "There's a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning." The Carr Fire burning in Shasta County in Northern California exploded overnight, breaking containment lines, according to Cal Fire spokeswoman Stacy Nolan. Sixteen structures had burned as of Thursday night, and nearly 500 were threatened by the blaze. Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze Thursday, but flames kept jumping their lines, he said. Brett Gouvea, incident commander of the crews battling the fire, urged residents to pay close attention to the blaze, which he said was "moving with no regard for what's in its path." With fire burning in the distance Liz Williams, 33, packed her car Thursday morning, just in case, even though her neighbors said it would never reach them. When she got home from work, the flames were closing in. By evening, an orange glow appeared on the nearby hillside and ferocious winds picked up. It was time to go. "I've never experienced something so terrifying in my life. Nothing could prepare you for something like this," Williams said. She loaded up her 11-year-old daughter and her boyfriend's 9-year-old, but she didn't get far. She was promptly stuck in traffic as all her neighbors crowded the main road out. Cars honked and backed up. Drivers and police yelled at each other. As flames came down the adjacent hillside, she got aggressive. "Finally I just went to the left and jumped up on the sidewalk and drove," Williams said. She estimated that it took an hour to go a little over a mile. She wanted to get as far away as possible, but ultimately stayed with her boyfriend's family in a safer part of town. "I didn't know if the fire was just going to jump out behind a bush and grab me and suck me in," Williams said. "I wanted out of here." Steve Hobson was one of the last to leave Lake Redding Drive. A former urban and wild land firefighter three decades ago, he planned to stay behind to save his house. But the heat burned his skin, and the smoke made it hard to breathe. He could feel the fire sucking the air from around him, whipping up swirling embers in a "fire tornado," he said. Police pounded on doors telling everyone to leave. The flames on the distant hillside looked like solar flares on the sun, he said. When it came time to flee, he had to punch through walls of burning embers on both sides of the street. A tree fell right in front of him. "I didn't know if I'd make it so I just got in the middle of the street, went down the middle of the street through the embers and the smoke and made it past," Hobson said. His perimeter fence burned along with a backyard shed and everything inside it Christmas ornaments, china and old televisions. But his house made it through the harrowing night. Meanwhile in the southern part of the state, a man was charged Friday with intentionally starting nine fires, including a wildfire that grew to 11,500 acres Friday morning, forcing thousands of evacuations in Riverside County, NBC Los Angeles reported. Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and caused campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. That blaze killed 36-year-old Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection whose bulldozer rolled over into a ravine July 14. AP reporters Noah Berger, Brian Melley, Olga Rodriguez, Alina Hartounian, Marcio Jose Sanchez and John Antczak contributed. A man who allegedly threatened a judge was arrested early Friday after an hours-long standoff overnight in Athol, Massachusetts. The suspect, identified as 56-year-old Jeffrey Wheeler, was arrested at 3 a.m. after Massaachusetts State Police troopers forced their way into his home. State police used a stun gun to apprehend Wheeler, who was described as "hostile." "They tried to get him out for a few hours," said next door neighbor Wendy Woodbury. "They had two different negotiators and he just wouldn't come out." "They had a battering ram and they popped the inner door and the glass," added neighbor Al Dargelis. An arrest warrant for Wheeler was issued Thursday after an investigation concluded that he had made threats against a state judge. The investigation found that the suspects license to carry a gun had recently been revoked, but officials suspected that he still had access to a firearm. The Essex County District Attorney's Office says Wheeler had a warrant out of Newbury District Court for two counts of witness intimidation and one count of threatening to commit a crime. At approximately 7 p.m. Thursday, state troopers found Wheelers vehicle outside his home and set up a perimeter around his residence. Officials attempted to persuade Wheeler to surrender, but he refused. Wheeler was taken to a nearby hospital for examination and is expected to be arraigned on Friday. Because he allegedly threatened an employee at Newbury District Court, Wheeler will be arraigned Monday at Lawrence District Court. Police did not release the judge's name. It could not immediately be determined if Wheeler had a lawyer. Major changes could soon come to the Chicago Police Department as the city reaches an agreement on a plan to carry out far-reaching police reforms more than a year after a scathing Justice Department report. Read the full draft consent decree here. The proposed consent decree, which calls for "wide-reaching reform of CPD's policies, practices, training, and accountability mechanisms" was released Friday afternoon, though it would still require a judge's approval. If approved, it will be a court order enforced by a federal judge. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the agreement alongside Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson. She said while there have been "many attempts at police reform over many decades in Chicago," none have brought systemic and sustainable change." I believe it will be different this time," she said. Unlike those of the past, attempts to just talk the talk and not walk the walk will be unsuccessful," she later added. The decree would require evaluation by an independent monitor "who will publicly report on consent decree progress and assist the federal judge overseeing the case with enforcement." Read the full draft consent decree below. Among the reforms called for are the tracking and analyzing of all foot pursuits, further restrictions for officers to shoot at moving vehicles, improvements to transparency at "all stages of misconduct investigations" and addressing the "code of silence and officer collusion." It also would require annual training on deescalation, appropriate force and implicit bias and the implementation of "trauma-informed crisis intervention techniques to allow officers to appproriately respond to people in crisis and reduce need for force." "This was done with the police officers, not to them and not against them," Johnson said during the announcement. Madigan, with Emanuel's support, sued the city last year seeking court oversight of the beleaguered police department. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago requested extensive judicial oversight, including an independent court-appointed monitor who would regularly report to a judge about whether the city was meeting reform benchmarks. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Tuesday that her office has filed a lawsuit seeking federal court oversight of the Chicago Police Department. NBC 5's Charlie Wojciechowski reports. The lawsuit killed a draft plan negotiated with President Donald Trump's administration that didn't envision a court role in reforming the department a departure from the practice during President Barack Obama administration of using courts to change troubled departments. Friday's announcement is far from the final step in the process. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow set a Sept. 1 deadline for the city and attorney general to file their proposed agreement. The judge has said he will hold hearings in which stakeholders will be able to weigh in on the plan before he approves a final consent decree. "It will give us the resources to make sure that the Chicago Police Department is more professional," Johnson said. Chicago's police union has sharply criticized the legal action, saying a consent decree would make it harder for officers to do their jobs. They argued the decree is "illegal and invalid" and vowed to challenge it in court. Madigan said the reforms don't aim to hinder officers from protecting themselves. "In no way does any one of the provisions of this consent decree put police officers at risk," she said. The American Civil Liberties Union noted the decree does not require officers to document when they point a weapon at someone, a point that had sparked much debate earlier this week. "The City of Chicago just settled a case for $2.5 million where police held a gun to the chest of a 3-year-old child," the union said in a statement. "Given the absence of this provision, we need to examine this draft very closely." A damning Justice Department report released during the waning days of the Obama administration in January 2017 found that civil rights abuses permeate Chicago's 12,000-member force, including racial bias, a tendency to use excessive force and a "pervasive cover-up culture." The U.S. Justice Department has found that the Chicago Police Department violated constitutional rights by engaging in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Friday. Phil Rogers reports. The investigation was prompted by a video released in late 2015 that showed a white police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times as the teenager appeared to walk away from police carrying a small, folded knife. The video's release prompted weeks of protests and calls for reforms. Jason Van Dyke, the officer who shot McDonald, is scheduled to go on trial on murder charges Sept. 5. In a joint statement with Justice Department officials at the time the report was released, Emanuel committed to making changes through a consent decree process. He later said doing so was impossible because the Trump administration was backing away from such agreements. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said consent decrees can unfairly malign good officers. Activists blasted Emanuel for cutting a now-defunct deal with the Trump Justice Department, arguing the department couldn't be transformed without court scrutiny. One person was killed in a police-involved shooting in north suburban Lakemoor early Thursday, officials said. The shooting took place at around 6 a.m. near the intersection of Four Seasons and Sullivan Lake Blvds. An officer approached a car with Pennsylvania license plates because it was parked in a very remote area, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The man inside the vehicle pulled two handguns on the officer who then called for backup, officials said. A struggle ensued, according to police, and one of the officers opened fire, striking the man. Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli said "the suspect was shot and killed" and the two officers involved were taken to area hospitals for evaluation. The Lake County Coroner's Office did not immediately confirm the fatality and further information - including the deceased's age and identity - was not available. The Lake County Sheriff's Office said authorities were working with police in Pennsylvania because the man may have been wanted in connection with a homicide that took place there. Several police cars could be seen blocking the road as authorities remained on the scene for several hours. The Village of Lakemoor tweeted at 9:21 a.m. that the incident was "contained" and there was no threat to the public. Further details were not immediately available. Check back for updates on this developing story. A small plane carrying a pilot and one passenger landed on Lake Shore Drive Friday afternoon in Chicago, police confirmed. The plane landed near 38th Street and Lake Shore Drive shortly after 3 p.m. Traffic was getting by on Southbound Lake Shore Drive in one lane. [[489372751, C]] The plane was identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Ercoupe 415-D aircraft. It's a fixed wing, single-engine aircraft. The point of departure and intended destination are not yet determined, the FAA said, though radio traffic heard by NBC 5 suggests the plane was being directed to Midway Airport during a mayday call for partial engine failure. Southbound Lake Shore Drive was closed off after a plane landed on the roadway Friday afternoon. Officials have provided an update on exactly what happened. No injuries were reported, according to police. [[489370191, C]] A potentially life-saving technology is costing Metro North big bucks to install, and a reputation for being on time. Now the railroad may ask the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to relax requirements on installing something known as PTC, or Positive Train Control. A week earlier Metro-North told NBC Connecticut Investigates it was on track to meet its milestones. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is now giving the railroad grief for possibly missing its PTC deadline, but what may anger riders even more is that the railroad just reported its worst monthly on time figures in five years for its New Haven line, and says PTC work is partially to blame. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is criticizing Metro-North for its status implementing Positive Train Control, safety technology mandated by the federal government. Metro-North says more than 14 percent of its trains were at least six minutes late over the month of June. Railroad president Catherine Rinaldi told her board this is just not acceptablewe cannot go the way that we have gone on this summer. We have degraded our on time performance to a point where it is not fair to our customers. Metro-North blames a portion of this on installation of new PTC equipment, something mandated by the FRA 10 years ago, with a deadline at the end of this year. John Kesich, an operations vice president, explains that during off-peak times, three-quarters of Metro Norths track capacity can be out of service due to work on its infrastructure and PTC. And all this disruptive work may still not be enough to ensure Metro-North meets year-end federal milestones for PTC. .instrux { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10px; } .container { position: relative; width: 100%; } .image { display: block; width: 100%; height: auto; } .overlay { position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0; height: 100%; width: 100%; opacity: 0; transition: 1s ease; background-color: #008CBA; } .container:hover .overlay { opacity: 1; } .text { color: black; font-size: 15px; position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%); -ms-transform: translate(-50%, -50%); text-align: center; } Click for more information on the status of other railroads. At its July monthly meeting PTC project manager Debbie Chin said the railroad may now as the Federal Railroad Administration for substitute criteria. It would require Metro-North to have fewer miles of track with PTC being used and tested on a daily basis by years end. Its a security blanket. Its like an insurance policy, and this is something that the FRA has pretty much endorsed. Theyre pushing us to consider submitting it, Chin explained. Metro-North still believes it will meet the PTC milestones set by the FRA. The railroad says easing the requirements will allow it to concentrate on other parts of the project. However, Metro-North says it is not expected this will improve train arrival times, at least in the next few months. Dozens of Connecticut National Guard members said farewell to their families at a sendoff ceremony at the Hartford Armory Thursday. Its difficult leaving, but its a privilege to go overseas and serve my country, said Sgt. Zachary Peters, who is from Niantic. The guardsmen are part of the 1109th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group. The Groton-based group is headed to Kuwait and Afghanistan and will provide support to helicopter units flying in Southwest Asia. Theyre the latest of about 200 guardsmen to be deployed in the last ten months. Its a call the 79 members said theyre ready and proud to accept. When we get the call, were ready. Our motto is Always ready and Always there, said Major. Mike Petersen. These guys are trained and theyre ready to go and excited to show what they can do. The deployment is expected to last nine months, then these members will head back to Connecticut for a celebration of their return home. Connecticut crews are headed to the western states to help battle wildfires. A 20-person crew, including state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection staff, local residents and firefighters, and two firefighters from New Hampshire, will leave Friday for Denver, Colo., where they will receive a specific assignment. The crew is trained and certified and part of a reciprocal aid program through the US Forest Service. Under this program, trained crews from across the country are available to respond to fire emergencies. Firefighters have responded to over 3.9 million acres of fires so far this year, an area larger than the state of Connecticut. Currently, the Rocky Mountain Area Coordinator Center is managing several large fires burning 225,000 acres in their region. A man injured his hand during a large fire that destroyed a cottage in Lebanon Thursday night. Officials from the Lebanon deputy fire marshals office said a man and a woman were home at their summer cottage at 116 Deepwood Drive when fire broke out around 11 p.m. and they were able to get out on their own. The man suffered a burn to his hand and the woman was uninjured. Crews had to shuttle water in by tankers because there are no hydrants in the area and mutual aid was brought in. The Lebanon and state fire marshals office are investigating the cause of the fire and where it began. State police are also assisting in the investigating. Firefighters left scene at 3:45 a.m. One person is dead and another is in critical condition after a two-car crash in Watertown Friday morning and police are warning of road closures that are expected to last for hours. Police responded to the intersection of Route 262 and Frost Bridge Road just after 5 a.m. after a 2012 Nissan Frontier pickup and a 2006 Nissan Altima collided, according to police. The drivers and passengers from both vehicles were transported to area hospitals and a passenger in the Altima was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to the hospital, police said. Police said the driver of the Altima is listed in serious condition. The injuries the people in the Nissan sustained are not believed to be life-threatening. Police have not released the names of the people involved. There are partial road closures and traffic on Route 262 is being detoured. Police are urging drivers to seek alternate routes. The roadway is expected to remain closed for the next several hours. The Naugatuck Valley Collision Investigation Team is investigating. An interfaith group gathered at the federal courthouse in Hartford Thursday to pray for the children who were separated from their parents at the southern border. NBC News reports earlier this week the Trump Administration said it would meet todays court-ordered deadline to reunite children with about 16-hundred parents deemed eligible. But there are still hundreds of other families that still will be separated because the parents either have not been found or are not eligible because of various concerns. Activists say they outraged over the entire ordeal. This doesnt represent the beauty of America. This doesnt represent the diversity, the fact that immigrants, waves of immigrants made this nation what it is today. And this is totally antithetical to what we want from our nation, said Reza Mansoor, president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford. As NBC Investigates was first to report - two separated children were brought to Connecticut. Last week those families were reunited, but not before their legal team sued the federal government. The watchdog charged with tracking government spending in Afghanistan says the United States has wasted $15.5 billion there over 11 years, NBC News reported. The figure is its first estimate of the total amount of money wasted there, but they say that figure is likely "only a portion." In response to a request from three congressman in 2017, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) began tallying the waste and fraud in the U.S. effort to rebuild the country. After 10 months of research, SIGAR sent a letter back to the congressmen that estimated the waste at $15.5 billion between SIGAR's inception in 2008 and Dec. 31, 2017, or 29 percent of the spending it audited. In the letter, obtained by NBC, Special Inspector General John Sopko described the figure as "likely only a portion of the total waste, fraud, abuse and failed efforts." A man is dead Friday after crashing into a Dallas Area Rapid Transit bus, causing it to flip on its side, police say. The DART bus was headed southbound on S. Polk Street at about midnight when the driver of a Dodge Charger reportedly ran a red light at an intersection of W. 12th Street, DART officials said. The bus was struck near the wheel and the impact caused the bus to flip onto its side, DART officials said. The driver of the Charger, identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner as 20-year-old Jaime Salazar, died at the scene, police said. DART said two passengers and the bus driver, all women, were hospitalized for observation -- their conditions are not known. Rising oil prices pushed second-quarter profit at Exxon Mobil Corp. up 18 percent to $3.95 billion, but the results Friday fell short of Wall Street expectations, and the shares fell nearly 3 percent. The price of benchmark international crude is up more than 50 percent from a year ago. But Exxon's production of oil and natural gas slid 7 percent, so it didn't fully take advantage of the higher prices. Rival Chevron Corp., by contrast, boosted production 2 percent and more than doubled its second-quarter profit from a year ago. "The second quarter results were well below market expectations," Neil Hansen, Exxon's vice president of investor relations, acknowledged at the start of a call with analysts. He said the company was making progress with key investments that will pay off in the long term. Exxon boosted its capital spending sharply -- a reversal from the cutting that Exxon and other major oil companies did after the price collapse that started in 2014. It has major projects underway off the coast of South America, in Africa and Papua New Guinea. Neil Chapman, a senior vice president who oversees Exxon's exploration and production business, said the second quarter was the low point and production will increase over the rest of the year. Exxon, however, now expects to fall short of a forecast Chapman made in March -- that 2018 production would match last year. Exxon predicted Friday that it will produce the equivalent of 3.8 million barrels a day including natural gas, down from 4 million barrels a day in 2017. Among the reasons Chapman gave for the miss were an earthquake that interrupted operations in Papua New Guinea and the company's retreat on natural gas in the U.S. because of relatively low prices. He said the company would focus on the most profitable production. Exxon's oil production has fallen three straight quarters and five of the last seven quarters, compared with results from a year earlier. Until mid-2016, the company regularly boosted output. Exxon's second-quarter profit worked out to 92 cents per share. Analysts were looking for $1.26 per share, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research. Exxon does not adjust results based on one-time events such as asset sales, which totaled $307 million in the quarter. Revenue jumped 27 percent to $73.50 billion, despite the decline in oil and gas output. The bright spots in Exxon's portfolio included the Permian Basin of Texas and the Bakken field in North Dakota, where production rose 30 percent. Capital spending climbed 69 percent to $6.63 billion, with exploration and drilling rising notably in Brazil, the Permian Basin and Indonesia. The Irving, Texas-based company spent most of its profit on shareholder dividends -- $3.5 billion. The value of Exxon shares, however, has gained only a few dollars since a low point in September 2015 even though crude has risen more than 50 percent since then. Exxon shares dropped $2.32, or 2.8 percent, to $81.92. That left the shares down 2.1 percent so far this year -- they began the day up less than 1 percent in 2018. The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is chastising President Donald Trump for ignoring a deadline to decide whether Russia should face sanctions for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a military-grade nerve agent. The chairman, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., in a letter to Trump on Thursday that was obtained by NBC News, said Trumps enforcement of existing sanctions that punish chemical weapons users is critical to deterring additional attacks. He said Trumps administration had already blown through the statutory deadline by more than a month, and gave the president a new deadline of two weeks to tell Congress of his decision. In recent years, Vladimir Putin has steadily escalated his campaign to consolidate power and undermine the United States, Royce said in the letter. Your compliance with the Chemical and Biological Weapons and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 is critical to showing Putin that we are serious about challenging his deadly acts, as well as his ongoing attacks on our democracy. The White House National Security Council declined to comment, saying it does not discuss correspondence between the president and Congress. Jane Fonda said she's still confronted by Vietnam War veterans over her 1970s anti-war activism and welcomes the encounters. Such moments provide an opportunity to talk, she said, which needs to be done with what Fonda called "an open mind and a soft heart." The actress drew bitter criticism after being photographed atop an anti-aircraft gun during a controversial 1972 visit to North Vietnam. Meeting with TV critics Wednesday to discuss a new HBO documentary on her life, she expressed regret for that moment. She said it was thoughtless to perch on the gun and called it "horrible" to think about the message her action sent to soldiers and their families, she said. It was an earlier meeting with U.S. soldiers in Paris that sparked her activism, Fonda said. Her belief that America always fought on "the side of the angels" was shaken by what she heard and later read. Her late father, the famed actor Henry Fonda, was a World War II veteran and Jane Fonda had served as "Miss Army Recruiter" in 1954. She felt betrayed and lied to by America's leadership over the war and decided she would do everything possible to help stop it as part of a movement, Fonda said. At age 80, Fonda looks back at her life in HBO's "Jane Fonda in Five Acts," from director-producer Susan Lacy and debuting this fall. Fonda continues to work, starring opposite Lily Tomlin on the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie" and working with Tomlin and Dolly Parton on a sequel to their hit 1980 movie "9 to 5." The new take on women's mistreatment in the workplace will have to address how the situation is worse today in some regards, including treatment of contract workers, or she won't be in it, Fonda said. On the bright side, Fonda said she expects to see sexual harassment decline "because guys are scared." Take a look at four stories we're watching Friday July 27, 2018. 1. Secret to a Long Life is "Good Food" A 118-year-old woman, who's watched an entire century of historical events pass by, shared her secret to a long life: good food. The woman, who lives in Jalisco, Mexico, attributes her health to eating "good food" specifically from the desert. Click here to learn more about her life and see the specific foods she claims are the fountain of youth. Woman Who Reached 118 Years Old Says the Secret is 'Good Food' 2. Man Charged With Setting Multiple Fires A 32-year-old man suspected of setting nine fires including the fast-moving 11,500-acre Cranston Fire was charged Friday with 15 felony counts. The fire has scorched five homes and forced evacuation orders. Here's what you need to know about the fire and suspect. [UPDATED 7/30] PHOTOS: Cranston Fire Tears Through Riverside County Mountain Communities 3. Own a Piece of Disneyland History If you're an ultimate Disney fan, this auction is for you. Dubbed the "That's From Disneyland!" auction, more than 750 items from the collection of collector Richard Kraft are going up on the block, including an actual Haunted Mansion buggy. Click here to see the items up for bidding Aug. 25 and 26. [NATL-LA] It's No Stretch to Say This Disneyland Auction Is Huge 4. Gold Tribute Around LA Saturday Landmarks around Los Angeles will light up in gold at sunset to honor the late LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold. Look out for the LAX pylons, Santa Monica Ferris wheel and brand new El Segundo LA Times building to be illuminated. Here's the full list of buildings and sites set to honor Gold Saturday, July 28. Muralist Memorializes Late LA Times Food Critic Jonathan Gold What to Know The Cranston fire started Wednesday in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County The wildfire burned about 11,500 acres by Friday morning and destroyed five homes A 32-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of arson in connection with the wildfire Southern California firefighters face another day of brutal heat as they try to protect homes and contain a suspected arson wildfire that forced evacuations in mountain communities and burned homes in Riverside County. Temperatures will remain above normal in the 90s to 100 with low relative humidity in the San Jacinto Mountains, where firefighters are attacking the 12,300-acre Cranston fire. The wildfire, one of several burning during a dry and extremely hot summer in California, has destroyed at least five homes since it started Wednesday about 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The fire continues to threaten about 4,900 buildings after forcing road closures and the evacuation of 6,000 people in Mountain Center, Idyllwild, Herkey Creek, San Jacinto Mountain State Park, Fern Valley, Pine Cove, Cedar Glen and the northern section of Garner Valley, according to the U.S. Forest Service. "The ones that are very easily defendable are the ones we're going to take priority on," said Cal Fire Capt. Scott Visyak. "The ones that don't have defensible space or have a lot of overgrowth, it's just a recipe for disaster. But we're going to try to save every house that we can." Defensible space is a barrier around the home designed to prevent fires from spreading to buildings. Defensible space is considered the area 100 feet around the home, usually cleared of brush and anything else that doesn't offer a fire break. Containment was at 3 percent early Friday. Investigators said the chain of destruction was likely set in motion by a an arsonist. On Wednesday, not long after the fire sparked, a 32-year-old man was taken into custody. Winds have been calm in the area, but firefighters have faced the warmest temperatures of the year as they enter the third day of the firefight. An excessive heat warning was extended to midnight Friday. It's anticipated the blaze could spread to a number of mountain communities, including Idyllwild, Mountain Center and Lake Hemet. Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for those areas and were expanded midday Thursday to include the communities of Pine Cove, Fern Valley and Cedar Glen. Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday issued a state of emergency in Riverside County, which clears the way to provide needed state resources. The fire was burning "with a rapid rate of spread" through timber, brush and chaparral, according to the USFS, which reported that more than 1,000 firefighters from across the state were taking part in the containment efforts. In Northern California, a chaotic situation unfolded overnight when an explosive wildfire that killed a bulldozer operator burned dozens of homes. The Carr fire tore through two small Northern California communities Thursday before reaching the city of Redding, forcing homeowner -- many of whom had little warning -- to evacuate. Cal Fire has reported nearly 3,400 wildfires this year across California that have burned about 99,000 acres. In 2017, the state's firefighting agency reported 3,200 wildfires that burned more than 216,000 acres through the first seven months of the year. Last year was one of the most deadly and destructive on record in terms of wildfires in California. Forty-six people were killed and more than 11,000 homes were destroyed by wildfires in 2017. More than 9,000 fires burned 1.2 million acres across California. The significant increase in the numbers and size of fires last year was largely because the state was coming off one of its wettest winters in years in 2016-2017, which left hillsides covered in grass and other vegetation. That grass dried out in summer and turned into tinder, providing fuel for rapidly spreading fires often pushed by strong winds that can carry hot embers for miles and turn small spot fires into infernos. An increase in the number of dead and dying trees also has exacerbated the wildfire threat, Cal Fire officials said. Since 1970, California is not only seeing more fires, but larger fires. Seven of the top 10 largest have all occurred since 2000. They are the 2017 Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties; The October 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County; the August 2012 Rush fire in Lassen County; the Rim fire in Tuolumne County in August 2013; the July 2007 Zaca fire in Santa Barbara County; the October 2007 Witch fire in San Diego County; and the Klamath Theater Complex fires that burned in June 2008 in Siskiyou County. A man apparently armed with a pellet gun was shot and killed Thursday by police in Redondo Beach. Officers responded around 4:10 p.m. to a call of an individual holding a gun in the 2500 block of Gates Avenue and received an update that the suspect was chasing an unknown person and possibly had fired shots at that person, according to Deputy Trina Schrader with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which was assisting Redondo Beach police with the investigation. Upon officers' arrival, an officer-involved shooting occurred. The suspect was hit at least once in the upper body and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Schrader said. "A firearm was recovered here at the scene that was in possession of the suspect," Sheriff's Lt. Rodney Moore told reporters. "Upon closer inspection, it appears that firearm is in fact an Airsoft or pellet gun." He described it as "very realistic-looking." Officers were unable to locate the person who was reportedly being chased by the suspect, Schrader said. No officers were injured in the shooting. What to Know Spirit Airlines Flight 779, which took off from LaGuardia International Airport, landed at Myrtle Beach international Airport late Thursday. A total of 220 passengers were onboard, with Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue officials saying between seven and 10 people were treated. A flight from NYC to Florida had to be diverted to South Carolina because some passengers aboard complained of burning throats and chest pains after a potential hazmat situation from an unknown substance that passengers say smelled like "dirty socks." Two-hundred-twenty passengers were on board Spirit Airlines Flight 779 from LaGuardia to Fort Lauderdale when it was diverted to Myrtle Beach after the airline said an "odor developed in a section of the aircraft." Reports are we have several occupants on a plane exposed to an unknown substance, Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue can be heard saying over a radio on Broadcastify. They have deplaned and are currently on the ramp. We have isolated and are attempting to get in contact with the airport fire. Officials were linking the medical complaints to that unknown substance that some passengers say smelled like dirty socks. There were concerns of a possible chemical on the aircraft that was making people sick, but nothing out of the ordinary was found. After specific monitoring and hazmat crews entering into the fuselage no substances were found, Myrtle Beach Fire Department Lt. Christian Sliker said. The plane is all clear. Despite no substances being discovered, fire officials say seven to 10 passengers were transported to an area hospital. Their condition was not immediately known. Spirit Airlines said the source was being investigated and although the diversion was an inconvenience, the safety of their guests is "paramount." A supplemental aircraft is en route to Myrtle Beach to pick up our guests, Spirit Airlines said in a statement. Photos shared to social media show hundreds of passengers on the tarmac at Myrtle Beach as they wait for another plane to finish the journey to Florida. FlightAware reports the flight took off from South Carolina around 3:30 Friday morning and landed safely in Fort Lauderdale around 5 a.m, about five hours after its original scheduled landing. TEL AVIV - One Israeli died and two were injured in a stabbing attack in the West bank settlement of Adam on Thursday night, Israeli sources have said. The victim was a 31-year-old father of two. The assailant, a 17-year-old Palestinian from a nearby village, was also killed. The Israeli Defence Forces subsequently sent reinforcements to the area, while the settlers' movement is calling for expansion of the settlement in response. In a statement Hamas in Gaza praised the attack as an "act of heroism" and an example for Palestinians in the West Bank. What to Know State health officials located in Broward County have issued recommendations about hookworm infections. The agency said it has received numerous reports of infections in the area. After a Tennessee teenager's case of contracting hookworms during a South Florida trip went viral, health officials in Broward County are raising awareness following more reports of infections. The Florida Department of Health in Broward County on Friday said it launched an investigation after receiving four reports of animal-associated hookworm infections. "Residents and visitors are reminded to avoid walking barefoot and to use beach towels where animal waste may be present. Keep children and pets from ingesting soil or sand," the agency said in a statement. A Tennessee mother posted photos of her 17-year-old son's infected feet on Facebook after he visited Pompano Beach during a mission trip in June. She said he was buried in the sand and became infected, along with four other people. "He was buried in the sand for fun and it has become our nightmare," she wrote. Hookworm is a parasite transmitted primarily by walking barefoot on soil or sand contaminated by animal waste, the health agency said. The health officials urge residents to give pets veterinarian-recommended medications to prevent worm infections and to properly dispose of pet waste. Symptoms of hookworm include itching and a localized rash. Animal-associated hookworm, which is treatable with medication, typically only affects the skin but can persist for weeks if untreated, the agency added. Health officials also urge residents to not walk pets on the beach and to avoid and not feed stray or wild animals. From rallies in Utah to meetings on the other side of the world in New Zealand, students from Parkland have been spending part of their summer spreading their message and hoping to impact the 2018 election cycle. "You know that you're on the right side of history when you're fighting for something like this," said Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor Rebecca Schneid. Schneid is one of several MSD students who recently traveled to New Zealand to take part in a summit of student leaders, where they addressed gun violence and promoted change. The Parkland student activists promised that the "March for Our Lives" rallies across the country were just the beginning of their mission. Their goal is to change the way politics work in America and they plan to do it by educating and registering voters. And it appears to be working. "We are seeing in Florida, and in other states, that millennials are registering, kids 18 to 24 in particular are registering at a higher rate than they have in the past," said Florida International University political science professor Eduardo Gamarra. One of the main points of their agenda is to create tougher gun laws, to include a ban on assault-style weapons. Their plan is to elect candidates who favor more gun control. Registering is one thing, but voting in a midterm in late August, when school is just starting, that requires a lot more effort, said University of South Florida professor Susan Macmanus. According to Macmanus, many of the new potential young voters are registering independent, and trying to find their way in a new American political landscape. This is one of the hardest things for the two parties to understand," she said. "Millennials and Gen-Xers, and now this new Hashtag Generation are really down on the traditional two party system." What to Know A flight from NYC to Florida had to be diverted to South Carolina after some passengers complained of burning throats and chest pains Passengers say there was an odor on the plane that smelt like 'dirty socks'; Spirit Airlines said the source of it was being investigated Fire officials say seven to 10 passengers were taken to a hospital, despite no substances being found on Spirit Airlines Flight 779 A flight from NYC to Florida had to be diverted to South Carolina because some passengers aboard complained of burning throats and chest pains after a potential hazmat situation from an unknown substance that passengers say smelled like "dirty socks." Two-hundred-twenty passengers were on board Spirit Airlines Flight 779 from LaGuardia to Fort Lauderdale when it was diverted to Myrtle Beach after the airline said an "odor developed in a section of the aircraft." [NY ONLY PEXELS/CC] These Are the Best 25 Jobs in America Right Now, New Study Says Reports are we have several occupants on a plane exposed to an unknown substance, Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue can be heard saying over a radio on Broadcastify. They have deplaned and are currently on the ramp. We have isolated and are attempting to get in contact with the airport fire. Officials were linking the medical complaints to that unknown substance that some passengers say smelled like dirty socks. There were concerns of a possible chemical on the aircraft that was making people sick, but nothing out of the ordinary was found. [NY ONLY FLICKR] 20 Tri-State Area Burgers Have Landed on New List of America's Best After specific monitoring and hazmat crews entering into the fuselage no substances were found, Myrtle Beach Fire Department Lt. Christian Sliker said. The plane is all clear. Despite no substances being discovered, fire officials say seven to 10 passengers were transported to an area hospital. Their condition was not immediately known. Spirit Airlines said the source was being investigated and although the diversion was an inconvenience, the safety of their guests is "paramount." [NY ONLY FLICKR/PEXELS] America's Best Hot Dog Is Sold in New Jersey, New Ranking Says (But NYC Has No. 2) A supplemental aircraft is en route to Myrtle Beach to pick up our guests, Spirit Airlines said in a statement. Photos shared to social media show hundreds of passengers on the tarmac at Myrtle Beach as they wait for another plane to finish the journey to Florida. FlightAware reports the flight took off from South Carolina around 3:30 Friday morning and landed safely in Fort Lauderdale around 5 a.m, about five hours after its original scheduled landing. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More A North Texas dog found a unique way to beat the recent record-breaking heat. Cara Wohr says she was reading a book in a bedroom of her Lake Dallas home last week when she heard a loud noise coming from her living room and then her dog started barking. Wohr said she jumped up to check out what was going on and couldn't believe what she saw. Her 5-month-old Border Collie brought his favorite outdoor "toy" inside. Baloo had dragged the running water sprinkler through his doggie door and right into the living room, soaking everything in sight. Wohr said her mischievous puppy loves to play in the sprinkler and must have figured it'd be fun to bring it inside. She snapped a photo of her dog in action and posted it on Facebook before taking the sprinkler back outside. ""That moment when your puppy drags the sprinkler through the doggie door," Wohr wrote on Facebook. "Good thing I was wearing waterproof mascara." The post went viral and by Thursday afternoon, Baloo's sprinkler picture had been shared more than 127,000 times and garnered 24,000 likes. "I'm overwhelmed. When I first posted it, I thought I'd get 100 likes," Wohr said. "Now, I've had people from Uptown to Germany talking about this with me!" Wohr says she named Baloo after the bear in the Disney book and movie, "The Jungle Book." Philadelphia will stop giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to a real-time arrest database, accusing the agency of misusing the information to target people who are in the country illegally but are otherwise not accused of any crimes, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced Friday. Federal officials said the decision puts U.S. citizens in danger. "We're not going to provide them with information so they can go out and round people up," the Democratic mayor said. The decision not to renew Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System, or PARS, the shared law enforcement program where Philadelphia police log information about arrested people, came ahead of a meeting with Occupy ICE activists who had blocked a stairwell in City Hall Wednesday to demand a meeting with the mayor. Those protesters have been told they now must leave City Hall by 2 p.m., they said at a press conference. Calls to end U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements access to PARS have grown in recent weeks as dozens of protesters continue to camp outside City Hall. "For some time now we have been concerned that ICE uses PARS in inappropriate ways, including to conduct investigations that result in immigration enforcement against law-abiding Philadelphia residents, Kenney said. My Administration engaged in dialogue with ICE in recent weeks about its use of PARS data, and rather than allay these concerns, ICE officials in fact confirmed many of them." Currently, immigration officials have access to country of origin and Social Security data after an arrest is made. But that contract is scheduled to end on Aug. 31. Anyone who interacts with law enforcement is entered into the database, including those who are arrested, victims and witnesses, with limits on what ICE officers can view. "How anyone can define this as making America great again is beyond me," Kenney said. Kenney and City Solicitor Marcel Pratt gave five reasons for ending the PARS agreement: ICE officials didn't assure the city that it doesn't use PARS to profile by race, ethnicity and/or national origin; ICE officials can use PARS against residents who have not been accused of convicted of a crime; ICE uses PARS to probe for people who self-report not being born in the United States; ICE doesn't audit or self-monitor PARS; and ICE didn't respond to the City's post-meeting request for responses to concerns. As a result of this process, we have concluded that ICEs use of PARS can result in arrests of otherwise law-abiding residents for civil immigration violations when the agency executes an operation due to information found in PARS," Pratt said. "Such practices sow fear and distrust in Philadelphias great immigrant community, and make it more difficult for our Police Department to solve crimes. I cannot in good conscience allow the agreement to continue," Kenney said. As a "sanctuary city," Philadelphia had already curbed cooperation with immigration enforcement. It won't release inmates to ICE without a judicial warrant. ICE officials were disappointed with Philly's decision and said the agency "was at no point in breach of the teams of its access to PARS." "The citys refusal to honor detainers, coupled now with the termination of the PARS contract further restricts ICE from detaining individuals with pending criminal matters or criminal convictions, and only adds insult to injury by needlessly compromising public safety," ICE said. "Despite these attempts to obstruct ICEs lawful efforts to apprehend criminal aliens, the agency remains committed to its efforts to uphold public safety in the City of Philadelphia." The upcoming deadline galvanized ICE opponents, who, in addition to ending the PARS contract, would like to see the entire agency dissolved. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is among those who called for an end to the program. Quite frankly, cooperating with ICE at this time makes our city less safe because it makes undocumented individuals fearful of coming forward to report crimes or testify in criminal cases, Krasner said earlier this month. Thats simply unacceptable. Other city officials echoed the calls to end access to PARS. The termination of the PARS contract is the right decision," Immigrant Affairs Office director Miriam Enriquez said. "Its a decision that will once again reinforce to our immigrant communities that the City is not an extension of ICE. Witnesses and victims of crime in our City will know they need not fear adverse immigration consequences when they report crimes or use services offered by the City. What to Know New Jersey 101.5 hosts Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco are off the air after making comments about Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. AG Grewal is a practicing Sikh who wears a turban. The audio clip quickly gained attention online, drawing immediate backlash. The hosts of a popular New Jersey radio show have been kicked off the air for 10 days after repeatedly using a racial slur to describe the nation's first Sikh attorney general. Gurbir Grewal, who wears a traditional turban and full beard, said it was the latest insult in a long list of "small indignities and humiliations" he has suffered despite his successful career. The attorney general took to Twitter on Thursday morning to call for an end to "small-minded intolerance" after he was attacked by the hosts of the "Dennis & Judi" show. This is not the first indignity Ive faced and it probably wont be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. Yesterday, all of New Jersey heard it. Its time to end small-minded intolerance. Its an issue I addressed at @APAICS conference this May: pic.twitter.com/XnxJp53cxv Gurbir S. Grewal (@GurbirGrewalNJ) July 26, 2018 WKXW-FM hosts Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco uttered the slur on their Wednesday show while talking about Grewal's directive to prosecutors to temporarily suspend marijuana prosecutions statewide. Malloy said he couldn't remember Grewal's name, telling Franco: "I'm just going to say the guy with the turban." We are aware of the offensive comments made by Dennis and Judi during Wednesday broadcast. We have taken immediate action and have taken them off the air until further notice. We are investigating the matter and will have further comment shortly.https://t.co/kudnFRAAVt New Jersey 101.5 (@nj1015) July 26, 2018 Malloy and Franco acknowledged their words might be offensive, but Malloy said "if that offends you, then don't wear the turban and maybe I'll remember your name." Officials at the station, New Jersey 101.5, suspended Malloy and Franco for 10 days. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund called the suspensions an "appreciated first step" but called for the station to apologize. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said hate speech "does not belong on our airwaves." The hosts issued an apology after their suspension: We offer our sincerest apologies to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as well as the Sikh and East Asian communities for a series of insensitive comments we made on our show. For 21 years, the Dennis and Judi show has been unscripted and free form. We use humor and sarcasm to make a point and add color to the broadcast; in this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners. Grewal himself addressed the duo's remarks on Twitter, noting he has three daughters "and yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio." In a follow-up tweet, he added: "It's time to end the small-minded intolerance." .@nj1015: My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. Im the 61st Attorney General of NJ. Im a Sikh American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio. Gurbir S. Grewal (@GurbirGrewalNJ) July 26, 2018 For Grewal, the son of Indian immigrants, Wednesday's slights stood out only because the audience for them was bigger. He said he's been called a "towel head" and a terrorist, and told to "go back home" Grewal was born and raised in New Jersey more times than he can count. He said he's felt eyes on him everywhere he goes. "Throughout my life and regardless of the positions I've held, I've faced these small indignities and humiliations," Grewal said. And it continued after he took office in January. Grewal said he was invited to give a speech at a corporate office. His staff arrived ahead of him and had no problem gaining admittance. When Grewal showed up, a security guard told him he "wasn't on the list" and wouldn't let him through. Grewal said he spent 15 minutes explaining who he was. He was finally let in and delivered his speech on diversity and inclusion. The Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy group, said the visible markers of the faith unshorn hair and turbans have long made Sikhs a target for bigotry and hate crimes. The group on Thursday called for religious and cultural sensitivity training for the radio station's staff. "These statements against the top law enforcement official in the state of New Jersey are particularly egregious coming from amplified voices of radio hosts, given the prominence of racism and xenophobia against Sikhs across the country," said Satjeet Kaur, the Sikh Coalition's executive director. Grewal served as a federal prosecutor in New York and New Jersey before Republican Gov. Chris Christie tapped him to lead the prosecutor's office in Bergen County, New Jersey's most populous. Christie's replacement, Democrat Phil Murphy, picked Grewal to be attorney general, saying he wanted a prosecutor who would stand up to President Donald Trump. As attorney general, Grewal has threatened to sue firearms companies unless they stop marketing and selling untraceable weapons; launched an investigation into the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal; and joined other Democratic attorneys general in suing the Trump administration over the separation of migrant families. Grewal appeared eager to move on from the radio hosts' remarks, tweeting later Thursday: "Ok, back to business." Through his office, he declined an interview request. The "Dennis & Judi" show has been a fixture on New Jersey radio for more than 20 years, and many of their loyal listeners called the station Thursday to protest the pair's removal. Fill-in host Steve Trevelise, a longtime friend of Malloy and Franco, said on the air that the situation was "fluid." "I can tell you they're not racist. They're just not," Trevelise said. "Not a racist bone in their body." Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, asserts that Trump knew in advance about a meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 between his son Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, in contradiction to Trump Jr.'s congressional testimony in May 2017, a knowledgeable source told NBC News on Thursday night. The source told NBC News that Cohen is willing to inform Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, about his version of the timeline surrounding the meeting. Cohen's assertion was first reported by CNN. Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, said he had no comment. But Trump's attorney, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, pushed back against that and dismissed the report, saying that Cohen was "not credible." Trump also denied the allegation, tweeting Friday morning that, "I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice!." Trump Jr.'s lawyer also dismissed the report. A Chinese cyberespionage group called APT10 relentlessly attacks U.S. engineering, telecom and aerospace industries. Russian hackers last year compromised dozens of U.S. energy companies. Iranian hackers known as "Rocket Kitten" repeatedly target American defense companies in hopes of stealing information to boost Tehran's missile and space programs. While Moscow's efforts to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election are widely known, spy services from China, Russia and Iran, along with their proxy hackers, also are hard at work trying to steal trade secrets and proprietary information from the United States, according to a government report released Thursday. A classified version of the report was sent to Congress. "Foreign economic and industrial espionage against the United States continues to represent a significant threat to America's prosperity, security and competitive advantage," the National Counterintelligence and Security Center said. "China, Russia and Iran stand out as three of the most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage and the potential theft of U.S. trade secrets and proprietary information." Cyberespionage is a relatively low-cost, high-yield way to access and acquire information from U.S. research institutions, universities and corporations, the report said. More vulnerabilities will emerge with the increase in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the proliferation of vehicles, home appliances, medical devices and other items connected to the internet. Cyberoperations are the preferred method for conducting economic espionage, the report said, but U.S. adversaries also acquire sensitive information by hiring sophisticated hackers, recruiting spies or gleaning material from foreign students studying at American universities. Adversaries also are infiltrating computer networks of suppliers that serve large companies and then using that connection to worm their way up the chain into large corporate computer systems. Bill Evanina, the nation's top counterintelligence official and director of the center, told reporters at a briefing that business leaders need to investigate the security of computer systems used by companies that supply their air conditioning and heating, printers and copiers and the like. "Our economic security is our national security," Evanina said "We cannot just get numb to our adversaries stealing our intellectual property." The report listed two dozen technologies that have piqued the interest of foreign intelligence collectors. They include oil, gas and coal-bed methane gas energies; smart grids; solar and wind technologies; biopharmaceuticals and new vaccines and drugs; defensive marine systems and radar; hybrid and electric cars; pollution control; high-end computer numerically controlled machines, which are used to control factory tools and machines in manufacturing; space infrastructure and exploration technology; synthetic rubber; rare earth materials; quantum computing; and next generation broadband wireless communications networks. Michael Moss, deputy director of the government's Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, said incidents of economic espionage are growing rapidly. "The thing that continues to surprise me is how fast it continues to accelerate. It's getting faster and faster," he said. China uses joint ventures to try to acquire technical know-how, the report said. It said Beijing seeks partnerships with U.S. government labs to learn about specific technology and information about running such facilities and uses front companies to hide the hand of the Chinese government and acquire technology under U.S. export controls. The Trump administration has railed against China, imposed new tariffs and called for Beijing to end the theft of intellectual property from U.S. companies. The administration also wants China to curb policies that require American and other foreign businesses to hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese market. "If this threat is not addressed, it could erode America's long-term competitive economic advantage," the report said. Economic espionage conducted by hackers linked to Russia is mostly aimed at finding ways to inflict damage on the United States, disrupt services or benefit its economic interests, according to the report. "In support of that goal, Russian intelligence services have conducted sophisticated and large-scale hacking operations to collect sensitive U.S. business and technology information," the report said. It also said that Russian "military modernization efforts also likely will be a motivating factor for Russia to steal U.S intellectual property." Iranian's operations have typically targeted adversaries in the Middle East, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. But it also tries to infiltrate U.S. networks to acquire technologies to bolster economic growth, modernize its military and increase exports. "The loss of sensitive information and technologies not only presents a significant threat to U.S. national security," the report said. "It also enables Tehran to develop advanced technologies to boost domestic economic growth, modernize its military forces and increase its foreign sales." A wildfire that roared with little warning into Northern California's Shasta County has claimed two lives as thousands of people scrambled to escape before the walls of flames descended from forested hills onto their neighborhoods, officials said Friday. The blaze grew to 75 square miles by Friday night and had leveled at least 500 structures and burned 48,312 acres, leaving neighborhoods smoldering and 37,000 people under evacuation orders. UPDATE: Click here for NBC Bay Area's latest coverage of the Carr Fire Two have died while battling the raging Carr Fire: Redding fire inspector Jeremy Stoke and a contractor hired to try to contain the flames with a bulldozer. Authorities have not released the name of the contractor. The Redding Fire Department and Stoke's brother Seth Stoke both posted to social media about the loss. "Jeremy died while battling the Carr Fire. We ask for your thoughts and prayers for his family and the RFD as we process this tragic loss," the fire department posted on Twitter. Seth Stoke posted a message on his Facebook page: "My big brother Jeremy Stoke was the firefighter killed last night on the fire. He is one of the best men I have ever known. I only hope that I can one day fill shoes as heroic and honorable as his and make him proud." The flames moved so fast that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape. The fire, which created at least two flaming tornados that toppled trees, shook firefighting equipment and busted truck windows, took "down everything in its path," said Scott McLean, a spokesman for Cal Fire. [[489345771, C]] Fire officials warned that the blaze would probably burn deeper into urban areas before there was any hope of containing it, though it either changed direction or was stopped before it could burn into the core of the city. Residents in the western part of Redding who had not been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice. "When it hit, people were really scrambling," McLean said. "There was not much of a warning."[[489341451, C]] Many fire crews turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. "Really, we're in a life-saving mode right now in Redding," said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. "We're not fighting a fire. We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly, and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area." Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of town. A reporter with Redding television station KRCR choked up as she reported live updates about the fire before the station had to go off the air later. Two news anchors told viewers that the building was being evacuated and urged residents to "be safe." Journalists at the Record Searchlight newspaper tweeted about continuing to report on the fire without electricity in their newsroom, and a reporter at nearby KHSL television wrote on Twitter that the station's Redding reporters were "running home to gather their things." The Carr Fire burning in Shasta County in Northern California exploded overnight, breaking containment lines, according to Cal Fire spokeswoman Stacy Nolan. Sixteen structures had burned as of Thursday night, and nearly 500 were threatened by the blaze. The fire began Monday with a mechanical failure of a vehicle. It grew completely out of control on Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. Doubling in size, it tore through two small communities and reached the city of Redding. Brett Gouvea, incident commander of the crews battling the fire, urged residents to pay close attention to the blaze. "This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard for what's in its path," he said. Earlier in the day, with flames exploding around Whiskeytown Lake, people tried to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety. But it wasn't swift enough to spare them all. Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina. "The boat docks down there all the way out in the water 30 to 40 boats caught fire when the fire laid down on top of them last night and burned those up," said fire Chief Mike Hebrard of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. [[489377761, C]] Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and caused campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. That blaze killed 36-year-old Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection whose bulldozer rolled over into a ravine July 14. Hundreds of miles to the south, the Cranston Fire grew to 7.5 square miles and about 3,000 residents remained under evacuation orders in Idyllwild and several neighboring communities. That fire, which destroyed five homes, is believed to have been sparked by arson.[[489337691, C]] A man found dead inside a car parked in a Barrio Logan neighborhood, causing an odor that alerted neighbors to what police are calling a suspicious death, has been identified. Witnesses said they noticed the foul smell and found a small pool of blood near a car in the 2900 block of Boston Avenue at about 2 p.m. on Thursday so they called the San Diego Police Department, Lt. Matt Dobbs said. A few hours later, about 10 San Diego Police Department (SDPD) detectives were briefing behind yellow tape. Officers could not immediately explain how the man -- identified as 61-year-old Reuben Enrique Aranda of National City -- died so homicide detectives were called, Dobbs said. Dobbs said SDPD is investigating the death as suspicious out of an abundance of caution. "In any suspicious death, we only have one opportunity to document the scene in the event that it were a homicide, so that's why we come out in an abundance of caution," Dobbs explained. Aranda was found dead inside a 2006 Chevy HHR. The area near 29th Street and Boston Avenue was closed to traffic for several hours as police conducted their investigation. 'Settlement expansion best answer to terror' Israel Lieberman approves 400 housing units in Adam (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JULY 27 - The Israeli Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, on Friday met the request of West Bank settlers to expand the Jewish settlement of Adam following a Palestinian stabbing attack there on Thursday in which one Israeli civilian was killed and two more were injured. "The best answer to terror is a settlement expansion in the West Bank. I therefore gave instructions this morning to advance a plan to build 400 housing units in the settlement of Adam and to approve the plan in the upcoming weeks," Lieberman said on his official Twitter account. Adam residents welcomed the move. "Will name the new houses the 'Ovadia district'" in memory of the 31-year-old father of two Yotam Ovadia who was stabbed to death there on Thursday. The attack was carried out by a 17-year-old Palestinian from a nearby village, who was subsequently killed. (ANSAmed). What to Know Pasqual Fire is burning between San Pasqual Valley and Ramona Several streets south of SR-78 have been ordered to evacuate State Route 78 was closed between Bandy Canyon Road in Escondido and Haverford Road in Ramona A brush fire that broke out in triple-digit heat in San Pasqual Valley and scorched 365 acres of land was 95 percent contained by Monday, Cal Fire San Diego said. San Diego Fire-Rescue crews were called at 1:27 p.m. Friday for the fire burning east of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, along SR-78 and east of Interstate 15. The Pasqual Fire forced the closure of state Route 78 and prompted the evacuation of residents in the Ramona area when it began marching to the southeast, scorching hundreds of acres. By 5 p.m. Friday, aircraft including a DC-10 were making drops in an attempt to control the fire burning through rugged terrain and threatening homes on both sides of the highway. The agency tweeted at around 7:30 p.m. that forward progress of the fire had been stopped but not before the blaze had scorched 365 acres of land. The Pasqual Fire was 80 percent contained Sunday morning and 95 percent contained a day later, officials said. Firefighters expect full containment by Wednesday. Aircraft from several fire agencies, including a Cal Fire DC-10 airplane, took turns Friday dropping water and fire retardant over flames in San Pasqual Valley. Before evacuations were lifted Saturday, displaced residents were directed to Ramona High School located at 1401 Hanson Lane in Ramona, 92065. State Route 78 was closed between Bandy Canyon Road in Escondido and Weekend Villa Road in Ramona, according to Cal Fire. Road closures were lifted Sunday. On Friday, ground crews were trying to get around the fire to get an idea of what its doing, said Kelly Zombro, Deputy Fire Chief with San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. There were structures in the area, he said, but no structures were lost and no injuries were reported. "The potential for growth is still extreme," Zombro said Friday, noting the rugged terrain and extremely dry conditions. The fire was moving in a southeastern direction, according to Cal Fire officials. Zombro did not expect erratic winds or a heavy wind shift that would move the fire in the other direction. "With any luck at all, the marine layer is going to come in and give us a chance but right now, it's off to the races," he said. Viewer video from Arianna Shell TV shows the initial moments after a brush fire in San Pasqual broke out: https://t.co/r2RhBHPLrI pic.twitter.com/3DJ2j0A5gT #NBC7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) July 27, 2018 But a Ramona resident said winds in his area were strong enough to cause some damage. "The winds were actually pretty strong. A nice, good size rock about 5 inches all around actually got picked up and went through the glass French doors in the back," Jason Cannon said. The fire forced the evacuation of several streets near SR-78 Friday including: Rangeland Rd Oak Grove Rd Highland Hills Dr Rio Maggiore Drive Horizon View Cinque Terre Dr Corniglia Dr Via Cuesta Via Vista Grande The San Pasqual Academy self-evacuated, police said. NBC 7's Mackenzie Maynard reports from where firefighters believe the fire started. Resident Ben Verkest was trying to get things packed up when he stopped to talk with NBC 7. It can take a turn at any time, he said of the fire. I just hope everything is under control and the winds cooperate." Zombro said even residents to the west should be very aware of the fire's growth and movement. "It's very wise for them to be paying attention," he said. Smoke from the fire was being carried east and filling the skies over Ramona. A spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park said Friday the park was operating as usual. They are always ready for fires, a spokesperson said, but they have made no moves to evacuate the park. As always with fires in San Diego County, some residents forced out of their homes had to scramble to get their large animals loaded up and ready to go. Ramona resident Debbie Westphal has nearly 20 horses and transporting them is quite the chore. "I have 17 horses and I have three rigs that I can use to transport them, but it's just me alone so I have to rely on two friends to drive also," Westphal said. She said two nearby large animal shelter facilities were full and she was having a tough time figuring out where to take them. But luckily for her, the horse owner community was there. "We are all trying to help each other," she said. 'If someone doesnt have enough room for their horses we are trying to help coordinate more trailer space." At 1:40 p.m. Friday, the temperature in San Pasqual Valley was 102 degrees and the wind was 9 mph with 31 percent humidity. Images: San Pasqual Fire Units from Escondido and Vista joined San Diego Fire-Rescue crews in fighting the fire. Firefighting efforts are under a unified command involving CAL FIRE San Diego County Fire Authority, San Diego County Fire and Cleveland National Forest. People affected by the fire were told to call 211 for the latest information. Additional information was available through www.sdcountyemergency.com or the San Diego Sheriff's Department non-emergency line at 858-565-5200. Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available. A Washington, D.C., man charged with major drug and gun offenses escaped from a high-security Virginia jail and eluded capture for days, the News4 I-Team learned. The escape, blamed on "human error," triggered a manhunt by the U.S. Marshals Service. Demetrius Antonio Johnson, 37, is charged with distributing fentanyl, heroin and crack cocaine and faces a potential life sentence in prison. His face and name were featured on FBI wanted posters before his initial arrest earlier this summer, yet the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia, mistakenly allowed him to walk out Tuesday. U.S. marshals told the I-Team they captured Johnson in D.C. Thursday as he rode in a car along South Capitol Street near Nationals Park three hours away from the jail. Johnson was mistakenly grouped with (Piedmont Regional Jail) prisoners scheduled for release on Tuesday, according to court documents filed by prosecutors. Johnson exited the facility in civilian clothes and was provided a check as though he was being released," charging documents said. "While he was being processed, Johnson told an officer at the jail he had a ride coming to get him, or words to that effect. This was a case of human error, Piedmont Regional Jail supervisor James H. Davis told the I-Team. Davis said surveillance cameras captured video of Johnson walking up a hill outside the jail and then out of sight. Johnson was not scheduled for release Tuesday. Court records indicate he is being held indefinitely until further proceedings in his federal drug and gun case. Davis cited multiple errors in the incident. He said the jail only releases inmates who are picked up by a third party at the jail entrance. Davis said no one appeared to pick up Johnson, yet he was allowed to walk off the grounds. Davis and the U.S. Marshals Service said Johnson is back in the custody of U.S. marshals but will not be kept at the Piedmont Regional Jail. We dont want him here, Davis told the I-Team. Johnsons federal drug and gun case received notoriety in June, when the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced criminal charges. Johnson was charged along with two others with conspiracy to distribute drugs. The case included field work by Fairfax County police, according to the U.S. attorneys office. The FBI added Johnsons name to its Most Wanted List later in June to help its efforts to find Johnson after the charges were announced. Court records reviewed by the I-Team said officers eventually arrested Johnson in North Carolina last week. An attorney for Johnson did immediately respond to request for comment. How do local school districts handle immunization requirements? See our list of laws, free clinics and policies for many D.C.-area school districts below. D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOLS The school district requires students have annual health physicals and oral health assessments, and they have immunizations up to date. See DCPS' immunization requirements online here (PDF). From the DCPS website: "Unless you obtain a medical or religious exemption, D.C. law requires your child to receive immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, mumps, measles, rubella, polio, Haemophilus influenza type (Hib), hepatitis B, and varicella in order to attend school. Students in grades 6-12 are also required to receive a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine or submit an opt-out form, which is available from your school nurse." VIRGINIA Alexandria Public Schools: A physical exam and the following immunizations are required: Negative Tuberculosis Risk Assessment , PPD Tuberculin Skin Test or negative Chest X-Ray, completed in the United States: Administered within 12 months prior to childs first day of school. Required of all children entering ACPS. , PPD Tuberculin Skin Test or negative Chest X-Ray, completed in the United States: Administered within 12 months prior to childs first day of school. Required of all children entering ACPS. Hepatitis B: A complete series of three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine is required for all children. A complete series of three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine is required for all children. Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Dtap, DTP or Tdap): A minimum of four doses, with one dose administered on or after the fourth birthday. A minimum of four doses, with one dose administered on or after the fourth birthday. Polio (OPV or IPV): A minimum of four doses, with one dose administered on or after the fourth birthday. A minimum of four doses, with one dose administered on or after the fourth birthday. Measles, Mumps, & Rubella (MMR): All children must have at least two doses of Measles, two doses of Mumps and one dose of Rubella prior to kindergarten. The first dose must be administered at 12 months of age or older. All children must have at least two doses of Measles, two doses of Mumps and one dose of Rubella prior to kindergarten. The first dose must be administered at 12 months of age or older. Varicella (Chicken Pox): All children must have two doses of varicella or medical documentation of having the chicken pox disease. All children must have two doses of varicella or medical documentation of having the chicken pox disease. Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) Vaccine Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) Vaccine Tdap: mandated for 6th grade entry mandated for 6th grade entry Human Papilloma Virus (HPV): mandated for 6th-grade girls Arlington County Public Schools: The school district offers free immunization clinics Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. See hours online here. No appointment is required. A school official said the district generally has a very low number of students unable to attend the first day of school due to lack of immunizations. Fairfax County Public Schools: The county follows Virginia's requirements for school immunizations, which can be found online here. Documentation of immunization is required for children entering kindergarten and sixth grade and for new students transferring into Fairfax County Public Schools. The Fairfax County Health Department offers school required immunizations at it's five clinics free of charge. Check here for more information. Prince William County Public Schools: The school district doesn't hold clinics, but an official said they do a lot of social media messaging, particularly focusing on rising 6th graders, who will not be allowed to enroll without a Tdap vaccine. The official said the school district generally doesn't have a problem. See all requirements online here. MARYLAND Charles County Public Schools: See all vaccination requirements for the school district online here. An official said the school district changed the requirements a couple of years ago and had to take a lot initiative to get students immunized, but last year it was part of the routine for parents and they saw very few issues. The school district does not have any immunization programs at this time. Montgomery County Public Schools: All rising 7th graders, as well as 8th and 9th graders new to the state, need Tdap and Meningococcal meningitis (MCV4) vaccines before the start of the school year. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is holding free clinics throughout the summer for kids age 18 and younger. You can make an appointment by calling 240-777-3160. A parent or designated adult must be present at the vaccination clinic with a parent-signed consent form. Prince George's County Public Schools: Rising 7th graders will need the Tdap and Meningitis vaccines to start the school year, and kindergarten students will need two doses of the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine. Find details on immunization clinics, including how to make an appointment, online here. NBC Washington is awaiting more information from some other local school districts. This page will be updated as we receive it. Supplies of available blood are dangerously low in the D.C. area, and one hospital group is offering gas cards as an incentive to donors. Inova Blood Donor Services has "truly critical inventory levels," donor recruitment manager Heather Wade said Thursday. On Friday, people who donate blood at three locations in Northern Virginia will each be given a $10 gas card as a thank-you. "Our tanks are empty," Wade said. "You fill up our tanks, and we'll help you fill up your tanks." Inova, which sends blood to hospitals across the region, is in particularly desperate need of Type O-negative blood; they only have a third of the supply they need. The supply of Type O-positive also is low. Inova's blood supply is often lower in the summer, Wade said. High school students make up about 30 percent of donors, and they tend not to donate in the summer. Other donors' summer vacations also have an effect on the supply. Adding to the challenge, the need for blood is often higher in the summer. "People have more free time to do self-care and visit doctors," Wade said. Even if you're not sure if you can donate blood, make an appointment to try, Wade said. About 30 percent of the population is eligible to donate, but far fewer people actually do. Inova will give donors gas cards on Friday in Annandale, Centreville and Sterling. Then, they will hold a 24-hour blood drive in Sterling from noon Monday to noon Tuesday. To donate, visit inovablood.org or call 866-BLOOD-SAVES. Police are seeking the public's help to identify and locate a man in connection with the stabbing death of an elderly man in Dorchester. Details are scarce, but Boston police said officers responded to a radio call for an unconscious male inside his apartment at 99 Shandon Road around 6 p.m. Thursday and found a man in his seventies suffering from apparent stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim's identity has not been released. Police said Friday afternoon that they are looking to identify a male subject in connection with the ongoing death investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Boston Police homidcide detectives directly at 617-343-4470. The investigation into the death is ongoing. What to Know Two police officers were shot at 2 Ashley Drive in Falmouth, Massachusetts after responding to a disturbance call. One officer was shot twice in his vest, with one round striking just above the vest. A second officer was grazed in the back of the head. Suspect was shot "a number of times" in the incident and was transported to Beth Israel-Plymouth before being transferred to Brigham. Two police officers were shot in Falmouth, Massachusetts on Friday after they responded to a disturbance call. The police department received a call at 5:25 p.m. Friday, for someone breaking glass on the roadway near 2 Ashley Drive in East Falmouth. Falmouth Police Chief Edward Dunne says patrol officers Ryan Moore and Donald DeMiranda responded to the scene and engaged the suspect, who state police have identified as 21-year-old Malik Antonio Koval. Dunne says when Koval became agitated, he retrieved a gun from inside the home and began shooting at the officers. "Nothing in police work is routine. You think that would be something just somebody breaking bottles on the street but no call is routine," Dunne said at a press conference late Friday night. One of the officers was hit twice in his vest. The second round struck just above the vest. He was taken to Falmouth Hospital, where he is awake and talking to his family, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe said. He remained in the hospital late Friday night. The second officer was grazed in the back of the head, O'Keefe said. The officer was also treated at Falmouth Hospital but has since been released. After the officers were fired upon, police returned fire, the district attorney said. The suspect was shot "a number of times" in the incident, according to O'Keefe. State police confirmed Koval is in custody and was initially taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth. He was transferred via medical helicopter to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston where he is being guarded by state troopers. Emmalin Anderson says the suspect is her nephew, saying, "unfortunately tonight things went in a direction that none of us ever, ever anticipated." Anderson added, "Malik has been trying to sort out several different things mentally." Chief Dunne would not say Friday night if the police department had any run-ins with Koval prior to Friday's shooting. State police say both Moore and DeMiranda are expected to survive. Russell Rezendes, a family member of DeMiranda, says of his cousin, "I was just hoping that he lived. They say he's going to be okay. He's a really good officer. It's a shame how it went." Chief Dunne shared that of Moore and DeMiranda, one of the officers is single and has been on the police force for a little over five years. The other officer is married with three children and has been on the force for under five years. Dunne says he is extremely thankful that his two officers are going to be okay. "I'm thankful tonight that somebody was looking after my officers and that it didnt end up like Yarmouth and Weymouth," Dunne said. "I believe my officers will recover physically, but psychologically I'm concerned for them and every other officer in my department and every other officer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its got to stop." When asked what he was feeling when he heard his officers had been shot, Dunne responded, Not again. I was at the Yarmouth funeral. I was just at the Weymouth funeral the other day Enough is enough... One is too many. And this is getting ridiculous. Dunne is referencing fallen Weymouth Sgt. Michael Chesna, who was shot and killed while responding to a report of an erratic driver and crashed vehicle on July 15, and Yarmouth Sgt. Sean Gannon, who was shot and killed while serving a warrant in the Marstons Mills section of Barnstable on April 12. "You know this is happening way too much," Dunne said. "Weve gotta return back to a time when police officers are respected and it's not okay to shoot a police officer." Neighbors are also fed up with officers being shot. "It's stupid," George Barbas said. "It's okay to shoot police now, they think, you know. It's not. They work their butts off...And keep everyone else safe. And everybody thinks it's alright to shoot cops..." Meanwhile, many in the community are showing their support for law enforcement after this most recent scare. At the Falmouth Police Department Friday night, several residents like Colin Murphy dropped off food and beverages for police officers on duty. Yeah we take all the stuff they do for granted, said Murphy, who brought food from Captain Kidd where hes a waiter. I think just anything we can do to help to support them would be great. Governor Charlie Baker and state police were among those to show support for the injured officers. "Governor Baker is saddened to learn of tonights senseless shooting in Falmouth that has left two police officers injured and is praying for their swift recoveries," Governor Baker said in a statement. "The Baker-Polito Administration believes the brave men and women who risk their lives every day to protect and serve our communities deserve our deepest respect." "Our prayers are with the officers, their friends and family," state police said on Twitter. "We hope for a speedy recovery." A State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney is leading the investigation along with assistance from the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, State Police Ballistics and Falmouth police. Massaschusetts State Police said in their tweet that while they are involved in the investigation, they "would stand beside our brothers and sisters from [Falmouth Police] anyday." ATF Boston Special Agents are also on scene assisting with the investigation. This story is developing. Check back for more updates. Plans for a new Tesla store in Rhode Island have been put on hold indefinitely. The electric car manufacturer had received permission to open a store at a former Hyundai dealership in Warwick, and the city's former mayor said in January that the store would open in the spring. A spokesman for current Mayor Joseph Solomon told the Providence Journal Thursday that Tesla "will not be coming to Warwick at this time." It is unclear if Tesla will open a store at another location, or if it will open a store in the state at all. The company has declined to comment. Tesla faced a hurdle coming to the state, as it sells cars directly from the company and state law prohibits manufacturers from selling without using a dealership. A man suspected of killing a nurse and raping another woman in New York is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges that he sexually assaulted and tried to kill a woman in her North Hollywood apartment after they went on a date last weekend. Danueal Drayton, 27, is charged with one count each of attempted murder, forcible rape, false imprisonment by violence and sexual penetration by a foreign object involving the alleged attack last weekend. Drayton is accused of sexually assaulting the 28-year-old woman, trying to strangle her and refusing to let her leave her apartment, according to Deputy District Attorney Elan Carr. When we captured Danuel Drayton in LA for the murder of Queens nurse Samantha Stewart, he had another victim held captive. He's off the streets but may have victimized others via online dating sites. Need help or have info? Call 800-577-TIPS/ sex crimes hotline 212-267-RAPE pic.twitter.com/iif7E9KuyA Chief Dermot F. Shea (@NYPDDetectives) July 26, 2018 The crimes allegedly occurred last Sunday and Monday. Drayton was arrested about 5 p.m. Tuesday by Los Angeles police in North Hollywood, and could face more than 23 years to life in prison if convicted as charged. He was wanted in New York in connection with the killing of nurse Samantha Stewart, who was found dead in her Queens apartment on July 17, as well as the rape earlier this month of a woman in Brooklyn, according to media reports. [LA Updated 10/8] 2018 Top SoCal Photos in the News Stewart, 29, was found dead by her father and brother, and authorities later determined that she had been strangled, the Los Angeles Times reported. Police believe Drayton met the women through an online dating site and that others were possibly victimized. 'Abu Dhabi airport attacked by drone, Yemen's Houthis say UAE denies report (ANSAmed) - ROME, JULY 27 - Yemen's Houthi rebels say they attacked Abu Dhabi's international airport in the United Arab Emirates with a drone, Al Jazeera reports. According to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel, the Sammad-3 drone launched three attacks on the airport on Thursday. The UAE has however denied the attack. "Our attack on Abu Dhabi airport shows our forces are no paper tiger like our enemies claim," Houthi spokesman General Abdullah al-Jafri told the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel on the phone. "They mocked us before, but let me make it clear that the next stage will be targeting the infrastructure of our enemies in Saudi and the UAE," he added. Abu Dhabi airport tweeted earlier in the day there had been an incident but did not say if it was related to a drone attack. The reported drone attack came the day after the Houthis damaged two saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. (ANSAmed). Need somewhere to cool off? How about Harrison's Coffee by the Clock Tower HARRISON'S Coffee is run by Chilean couple Pedro and Susana, who have worked in hospitality for 20 years. Harrisons brings some South American tastes to Newbury sandwiches are made using home-made, organic, vegan Chilean bread. They also make Alfajores caramel sandwiched between shortcake-like biscuits. The more traditional coffee shop trinkets are also on offer and children bring their parents for a special hot chocolate. Pedro prides himself on taking care of the fine details and the couples friendly demeanour explains why business has been good since Harrisons opened in March. We are happy, Pedro said. We are looking to find customers and we found friends. Yoga teacher Susana believes in the balance between exercise and food and that the little things are important. Pedro said: We always try to find some organic and healthy products like the home-made bread. We are looking to improve the business with different things. How did Pedro and Susana find themselves in Newbury? Pedro said: The first thing is we know Newbury and we like Newbury and we were looking for somewhere like this. When we came to see the place we think its perfect. Its in front of the clock tower, I think its a really nice location. We like this part of the town for a coffee shop. Harrisons Coffee 15 The Broadway RG14 1AS T: 01635 36354 Open 8am until 4pm Monday to Saturday FB Harrisons Coffee / free wifi / homemade Chilean vegan bread Newbury cafe offers 'suspended items' for homeless A NEWBURY food shop owner is maintaining a Second World War tradition by helping customers help others. The proprietor of The Monkey Tree in Northcroft Lane, Denzil Carlton, said that while not everyone is comfortable giving cash to the homeless, a guarantee that donations will be spent wisely is catching on. Customers can offer suspended items, which means that, when they are buying food or drink, they can pay for something extra or just make a donation. This is put towards a free hot drink or food for someone in genuine need. The usage of suspended coffee reportedly started in Naples, Italy, during the war. Mr Carlton, aged 38, who opened the shop selling burritos, baguettes and all kinds of loveliness six months ago, said: Its really taking off. We have people just donating a coffee or snack and weve had some people donating 20. Sadly, there is a real need for this in Newbury a young lady who hadnt eaten for ages came in just now. He added: One chap came in and was able to have his first food in days. Someone who runs the soup kitchen told me that one meal has to last some people several days. Im glad that word is spreading about what we're trying to do here. Anyone who would like to support Mr Carltons scheme should drop into The Monkey Tree, where no purchase is necessary, and contribute whatever they wish. The prestigious event takes place at Newbury Racecourse on Sunday afternoon THIS coming Sunday (29th), Newbury Racecourse will once again host the Dubai International Arabian Raceday as the world's most prestigious racing takes place. The event, dedicated to Purebred Arabians returns to Newbury under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance. The day's racing begins at 2.05pm with prize money of more than 190,000 on offer during the eight-race programme, which has attracted the best of Arabian horses from the UK, Europe and the Middle East, over the years. The highlight of the afternoon is the Shadwell Dubai International Stakes, a Group 1PA event for Purebred Arabians four-years-old and over and run over a distance of a mile and a quarter with prize money of 58,000 on offer. Admission is free and there are 1000s of free gifts for those arriving early plus the chance to win a vast array of valuable prizes, including a brand-new car. What prizes are on offer The winner of the Best Dressed Lady competition and a friend will jet off to Dubai in style, courtesy Emirates Airline to enjoy five luxurious nights in one of Rotana's five-star properties. Sophie Rose, a lifestyle and fashion blogger will be on hand to help the 12 finalists who will be invited to the winners enclosure after race seven. Three runners-up will be presented with exquisite jewellery sets crafted in Dubai, while the winner will receive her ticket abroad. Creative kids can win an iPad in the Best Homemade Children's Hat competition while there are also prizes for runners-up. An iPad is also on offer for the best selfie competition and photos should be sent on Twitter to @DIA_Races using the hashtag #DIARDay2018 State of the art mobile phones, courtesy of Jebel Ali Racecourse will also be up for grabs while a brand-new Citroen C1 Vti 68 will also be on offer for those who wish to enter a free draw. Entry to the racecourse will be open from 12 midday with free admission and scratch cards will be handed out on arrival will entitle racegoers to collect a free goodie bag packed with toys and gadgets. Jebel Ali Racecourse will be gifting specially produced Jebel Ali branded merchandise to those arriving early. The first race takes place at 2.05pm and will go on until the last race at 5.55pm. 1 Isreali dead, 2 injured in West Bank stabbing attack 17-year-old Palestinian assailant killed (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JULY 27 - One Israeli died and two were injured in a stabbing attack in the West bank settlement of Adam on Thursday night, Israeli sources have said. The victim was a 31-year-old father of two. The assailant, a 17-year-old Palestinian from a nearby village, was also killed. The Israeli Defence Forces subsequently sent reinforcements to the area, while the settlers' movement is calling for expansion of the settlement in response. In a statement Hamas in Gaza praised the attack as an "act of heroism" and an example for Palestinians in the West Bank. (ANSAmed). NEWTOWN - The parents of a boy slain in the Sandy Hook massacre say they are being traumatized all over again because Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg provides conspiracy extremists with a safe haven for hate. Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose 6-year-old son, Noah, was murdered with 19 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook School in 2012, published an open letter to Zuckerberg Wednesday in The Guardian asking Facebook to ban harassing posts by conspiracy theorists who say Connecticuts worst crime never happened. These groups use social media, including Facebook, to hunt us, posting our home address and videos of our house online, Pozner and De La Rosa wrote. Our families are in danger as a direct result of the hundreds of thousands of people who see and believe the lies and hate speech, which you have decided should be protected. The parents letter, which calls on Facebook to treat mass shootings victims as a protected group, was the last thing the social media giant wanted to hear on Thursday, as the company suffered its worst day in the market. Facebooks value fell more than $100 billion and its stock plunged 18 percent Thursday on disappointing second-quarter earnings, reports that its user growth was slowing, and privacy concerns about how information is used. At the same time, Facebook is cracking down on misinformation after months of Congressional criticism that it ran 3,000 Russian-backed ads designed to divide Americans during the 2016 political season. Facebook responded to the Sandy Hook parents with a statement saying its heart goes out to Pozner, De La Rosa, and all families who have lost people as a result of senseless shootings. Although we do see people come together on Facebook in very positive ways around tragedies, some of what we see is truly abhorrent and represents the worst of the internet and humanity, the statement said. We recognize victims of mass shootings and other tragedies are vulnerable to offensive and incendiary comments, and we dont allow attacks against them, the Facebook statement continued. For example, we dont allow people to mock, harass or bully the victims of tragedies. This includes the types of claims in the letter that victims are crisis actors. We also dont allow people to celebrate, justify or defend the tragedy in any way. The parents, who could not be reached for comment at their Florida homes on Thursday, do not name leading conspiracy extremist Alex Jones in their letter. But they allude to the Texas-based operator of InfoWars, who has said the Sandy Hook massacre was staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax and completely fake with actors, with inside job written all over it. Posner, De La Rosa, and other Sandy Hook families have filed defamation lawsuits against Jones and his InfoWars program. Jones, who could not be reached for comment, sought to dismiss one of those defamation lawsuits last week in state Superior Court. Jones lawyers, who acknowledged he had called the Sandy Hook massacre a hoax but now believe it happened, argued in court papers that he had a right to be wrong. Meanwhile, YouTube confirmed Thursday that it had taken down four videos from Jones YouTube channel for violating the companys graphic content policy, and suspended Jones from broadcasting live for 90 days. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 From today forward, researchers and drug companies have a new tool in the search for better treatments for Parkinsons a brain scan that can be used to select the right people for clinical trials. Studies suggest that up to 15% of individuals taking part in clinical trials may not have Parkinsons. They are extremely unlikely to benefit from the new therapies being tested and their inclusion can affect both the trial results and ultimately the future of the potential treatment. Because Parkinsons is a progressive condition, caused by the gradual loss of cells in the brain, the best chance to intervene with treatments that can slow, stop or reverse the damage is during the earliest stages of the condition. However, during these early stages, symptoms tend to be mild which makes selecting the right people to participate in trials very difficult. Using this brain scan can produce a picture of how dopamine producing cells which are destroyed by Parkinsons - are functioning inside the brain. It can help distinguish between people who have Parkinsons (or a similar progressive condition) and those with a condition like essential tremor which is unlikely to worsen over time. These brain scans have become the first enrichment biomarker test that can be used to select people who are most suitable to take part in clinical trials for Parkinsons qualified by the European Medicines Agency. This means that the European-wide regulatory body now encourages the use of these brain scans in clinical trials for new treatments in Parkinsons. It is also the first ever biomarker qualified for Parkinsons. Professor David Dexter, Deputy Research Director of Parkinsons UK, who fund the Critical Path for Parkinsons consortium, comments: Scientific breakthroughs mean that there is now a new wave of exciting treatments that genuinely could slow, stop or reverse condition coming through, but its crucial that were able to test them properly in clinical trials. Being able to rule out individuals who are unlikely to have Parkinsons could be the difference between a successful trial and failure. This is a vital step forwards in our mission to deliver better treatments, and one day a cure, to people living with Parkinsons as quickly as possible. Dr. Diane Stephenson, Executive Director of the Critical Path for Parkinsons consortium, which led this work, comments: This endorsement from the European Medicines Agency represents many years of hard work and incredible collaboration between companies, universities and charities facilitated by the Critical Path Institute. These brain scans in themselves are not new, but until now there has not been a clear consensus that they can and should be used to select participants for clinical trials in this way. Through our global project weve been able to bring all the data and expertise together to make a powerful case, so were delighted that this endorsement from the EMA will improve the quality and chances of success for all future trials. This success is just the first in a suite of new tools that we hope to deliver for Parkinsons. Dr. Michael Ehlers, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Biogen, said: The use of these brain scans is already being included in new clinical trials at Biogen. We believe that this new approach will introduce greater efficiency in terms of cost and speed while ensuring that the right patients are being included in our trials. Lesley Gosden, person with Parkinsons and clinical trial participant: To ensure elimination of the Wuchereria bancrofti, a parasitic roundworm that causes lymphatic filariasis, public health workers must follow up mass drug administration with careful monitoring for recurrence. To that end, a study published this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases analyzes the effectiveness of mosquito screening as a tool to gauge parasite presence. A gravid trap collection bag is inspected by an entomologist during the xenomonitoring study in Bangladesh. Credit: Irish, et al. 2018 (CC BY 4.0) The parasitic nematode worm W. bancrofti, spread by mosquitos, is the major cause of lymphatic filariasis (LF), which can cause elephantiasis severe swelling of the extremities. Since 2000, the World Health Organization has undertaken a global program to eliminate LF, which revolves around mass drug administrations to treat entire populations for the parasite. Currently, monitoring efforts post-drug administration include regular testing for the presence of antibodies among adult humans. In the new work, Seth Irish, of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues collected mosquitos from 180 traps sites in each of two areas of Bangladeshone which was previously endemic for LF and the other non-endemic. Using real-time PCR, they conducted molecular xenomonitoring (MX) on the insects to detect any W. bancrofti DNA. A total of 24,436 mosquitos were collected, and 10,344 (41%) were Culex quinquefasciatus, the mosquito which transmits W. bancrofti in Bangladesh. None of the 594 pools of mosquitos collected during the study period tested positive for W. bancrofti DNA, correlating with the results of surveys that had been carried out in the human population to track any reemergence of LF. The practical application of xenomonitoring activities is worthy of discussion, the researchers say. Further operational research and information sharing about how to programmatically simplify and standardize MX evaluations will also make these evaluations more accessible to a larger number of LF endemic countries entering the post-elimination validation period. A new drug discovery system allows scientists to specifically target members of an important family of enzymes, called phosphatases, which were previously considered mostly "undruggable". Scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology, in Cambridge, UK, demonstrated the capabilities of the new system by identifying a molecule that could successfully target a phosphatase to reduce the accumulation of Huntington's disease-associated proteins in the brains of mice. The findings, published in Cell, could enable scientists to screen for drugs that can target specific phosphatases. Phosphatases are a type of enzyme that are a key part of signaling in cells - turning processes on and off. Most signaling starts with an activation signal - often when a type of enzyme called a kinase attaches a chemical tag, a phosphate group, to specific proteins to change their function. The signal is stopped by phosphatase enzymes, which cut off the phosphate group. There are more than 200 types of phosphatases involved in many different processes in cells, so any drug must selectively target only the right one, otherwise it will produce serious side-effects or kill the cell. Many drugs have been developed that can target specific kinases (such as anti-cancer drugs), but developing drugs that can specifically target particular phosphatases has proved difficult - because the functional part that cuts off phosphate groups is common to all phosphatases, so drugging one phosphatase inhibits hundreds of them and kills cells. Dr Anne Bertolotti from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, who led the study, said: "For decades, with no way to selectively target phosphatases, research into them has lagged behind kinases and they've been described as undruggable. Our new system is only a first step, but we hope cracking this problem will stimulate phosphatase research and drug development. "Targeting phosphatases - instead of kinases - is like targeting the brake, rather than the accelerator, on signals in cells. By inhibiting a phosphatase, we prolong a signaling event that has already been turned on, which may offer safer ways to specifically alter signaling in cells and help to create new drugs with fewer side-effects." The new system builds on previous work by the same scientists in which they created functional synthetic versions of phosphatase proteins. These synthetic phosphatases are tethered to chips so they can be screened to find a molecule that binds to one type of phosphatase, but to none of the other types. The successful molecule is then tested in cells grown in a dish to check it is safe before beginning testing in mice. Targeting Huntington's disease The researchers used the system to discover a molecule that showed promise in a mouse model of Huntington's disease. Many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntingdon's diseases, feature misfolded proteins that accumulate in cells in the brain. The researchers hoped that slowing down a cell's production of proteins could leave its 'quality control machinery' with more capacity to clear up the misfolded proteins. In this study, they aimed to slow down the cell's protein production machinery by targeting a specific phosphatase (designated 'PPP1R15B'). They used their new drug discovery platform and found a molecule, called Raphin1, that targeted only that phosphatase. When they tested Raphin1 in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, they found it could cross into the brain where it reduced the accumulation of the disease-associated misfolded proteins in neurons. The scientists emphasize that this is early stage research and more work is needed to test if the drug will be safe or effective in humans. Dr Anne Bertolotti said: "Since Huntington's disease runs in families and can be diagnosed genetically, early diagnosis could provide what we hope is a window of opportunity to target the disease before symptoms appear. Our unique approach manipulates cells to slow down normal functions and give them a chance to clear up the misfolded proteins that are characteristic of Huntington's. However, it will take some years before we know if this approach works in humans and is safe." Novartis today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) in combination with Mekinist (trametinib) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation, following complete resection. The CHMP recommendation is based on findings from the COMBI-AD study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Patients who have been diagnosed with stage III melanoma are at a higher risk of recurrence after surgical resection. The COMBI-AD study found a statistically significant 53% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death in patients treated with the BRAF and MEK inhibitor combination therapy after surgical resection versus placebo. With an estimated 6,000 stage III BRAF mutant melanoma skin cancers diagnosed across Europe each year, this potential approval may provide patients in the EU the opportunity for a targeted combination therapy that doubles relapsed-free survival versus a placebo. "Melanoma is an aggressive, highly recurrent and often fatal disease. In advanced melanoma, we've demonstrated the ability to reduce the risk of death or recurrence by more than half," said Liz Barrett, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "Today's CHMP opinion brings us another step closer to reimagining earlier stage therapy for patients throughout Europe and making strides to bring improved outcomes for people living with melanoma." "These relapse-free survival results are unprecedented," said lead investigator Axel Hauschild, MD, PhD, Professor of Dermatology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, in Kiel, Germany. "The overall survival improvements also demonstrated by Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, among other key secondary endpoints, are encouraging in the treatment of stage III BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive melanoma. Adjuvant treatment options are critical for this patient community at risk for recurrence." ProMedica, a mission-based, not-for-profit healthcare system focused on improving health and well-being, today announced the finalization of the transaction that adds HCR ManorCare operations to the ProMedica organization. With HCR ManorCare being the nation's second largest post-acute and long-term care provider, this partnership has enabled ProMedica to significantly scale its system to become the 15th largest in the nation. The combined organization provides an unmatched breadth of services and capabilities, including: a hospital system, a physician group, telehealth, several health plans, an academic affiliation, skilled nursing, assisted living, rehab, home health and hospice. Randy Oostra, president and CEO of ProMedica, is the CEO of the combined organization. Steve Cavanaugh, former CEO of HCR ManorCare, now serves as the president of the HCR ManorCare division at ProMedica. "This partnership is groundbreaking. Together, we will redefine health care and its role in healthy aging," said Randy Oostra, president and CEO at ProMedica. "We are focused on tearing down the walls between care delivery channels to provide simpler navigation across the care continuum, along with greater value. Further, we see a tremendous opportunity to engage ProMedica's nationally-recognized, social determinants of health work to benefit seniors across the communities we serve." "This relationship is exciting because of all of the opportunities it creates. No other organization in the country offers the breadth of services and capabilities of our combined organizations," said Steve Cavanaugh, president, HCR ManorCare division at ProMedica. "We are looking forward to leveraging our resources to create a new way of delivering better care and improving outcomes." While hospitals will always play a significant role in healthcare delivery, the "baby boomers" are aging and their expectations for safe and value-based health care are different than any other prior generation. Forecasts indicate that the 85-and-older population in the United States is expected to double over the next 20 years. This growth will exacerbate the inefficiencies of the current fragmented and costly health systems. This partnership is uniquely positioned to address these challenges by seamlessly coordinating care across multiple health delivery channels to improve quality and reduce the overall cost of care. Toledo, Ohio-based Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL), the leading global real estate capital provider to the healthcare industry, played a major role in facilitating this transaction through its innovative approach to using healthcare infrastructure to optimize healthcare delivery to lower cost sites of care while driving improved outcomes. "Together with ProMedica, one of the largest and most innovative health systems in the U.S., this acquisition of HCR ManorCare provides us the platform to think differently about where healthcare services are delivered, particularly with respect to the aging of the population," said Tom DeRosa, Chief Executive Officer of Welltower. "The close of this transformative joint venture further validates our health system strategy through which we leverage high-quality real estate to optimize care delivery at lower cost sites of care while remaining focused on improved outcomes." Senescent cells are damaged cells that do not perform their normal roles anymore but that are not dead -hence they are commonly known as zombi cells. These cells interfere with the functioning of the tissue in which they accumulate. Senescence is a cell program that is triggered by many types of damage and senescent cells are present in many diseases. They accumulate in diverse types of tissues during aging, thus contributing to the progressive deterioration associated to aging. Eliminating these zombi cells is one of the challenges facing science today. In the Cellular Plasticity and Disease lab headed by the ICREA researcher Manuel Serrano at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and supported by "la Caixa" Banking Foundation, the researchers devise strategies to eliminate senescent cells. In a study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, they present a proof of principle of a drug delivery system with selectivity for tissues that harbor senescent cells. In collaboration with a team headed by Ramon Martinez-Manez at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, the IRB Barcelona scientists have exploited a particular hallmark of senescent cells in order to design a delivery system that specifically targets them. They have demonstrated its efficacy in cells in vitro and in two experimental mouse models, namely pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. These diseases are characterized by the presence of damaged cells, and in the case of cancer this is particularly true after treatment with chemotherapy. In these models, the senescent cells take up the carrier more efficiently than other cells and once inside the cell the casing of the carrier degrades to release the drug cargo. When the nano-vehicles contained cytotoxic compounds, the senescent cells were killed and this resulted in therapeutic improvements in mice with pulmonary fibrosis or with cancer. "This nano-carrier may pave the way for new therapeutic approaches for serious conditions, such as pulmonary fibrosis or to eliminate chemotherapy-induced senescent cells," explains Manuel Serrano. Another outcome of this study is that these nano-carriers could be used for diagnostic tests of senescence as they can transport a fluorescent compound or marker. Source: https://www.irbbarcelona.org/en/news/researchers-design-a-nano-carrier-to-release-drugs-into-damaged-cells UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland clinical researchers, in conjunction with other sickle cell centers and scientists at Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc., have demonstrated that therapy with L-Glutamine reduced the frequency of pain episodes in both pediatric and adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The results of the 48-week, phase 3 clinical trial are published in the July 19, 2018, issue of New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) The paper, "A Phase 3 Trial of L-Glutamine in Sickle Cell Disease," documented the effects of taking Endari, a prescription-grade, pharmaceutical form of L-glutamine, as compared to placebo, for 230 patients aged 5 to 58 years of age with sickle cell disease. Endari was approved in July 2017 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based on the safety and efficacy data from this study. Glutamine is an amino acid that is involved in several biochemical reactions. The study showed that whether administered alone or with hydroxyurea, L-glutamine reduced the frequency of sickle cell pain crises by 25 percent (a median of three events per patient in the L-glutamine group and four in the placebo group) and hospitalizations by 33 percent (a median of two hospitalizations in the L-glutamine group and three in the placebo group). Additional findings showed lower cumulative hospital days of 41 percent and a lower incidence of dangerous acute chest syndrome (ACS) by more than 60 percent. "This study validated research on the safety of pharmaceutical grade L-glutamine which has antioxidant properties that improves the NAD redox potential in sickle cell patients. Safe neutraceuticals are of major importance to the sickle cell community," said Elliott Vichinsky, MD, Director of Hematology/Oncology at the Northern California Sickle Center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. "Our clinical trial found that L-glutamine, which does not require any routine laboratory monitoring, decreases pain events in patients by itself or in combination with hydroxyurea. It is a major advance in therapy for sickle cell disease and offers families safe, new therapeutic options." Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that causes a distortion in the shape of red blood cells. This leads to the many symptoms and medical problems affecting children and adults with sickle cell disease, including pain, anemia, and bone, kidney, lung and neurologic problems. "Endari, is the first approved treatment for sickle cell disease in pediatric patients 5 years of age and older and the first in nearly 20 years for adults," said study co-author Yutaka Niihara, MD, CEO and founder of Emmaus, which produces the product. "Our hope in sharing the results of this data from the New England Journal of Medicine is to increase awareness of sickle cell disease, a lifelong hereditary blood disorder which commonly affects those of African descent, as well those from Central and South America and people of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean descent. It is important for patients to know that they have a treatment option for this debilitating disease." The double-blind trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical-grade L-glutamine administered twice daily by mouth, as compared with placebo, in reducing the frequency of pain crises among patients with sickle cell anemia or sickle 0-thalassemia and a history of two or more pain crises during the previous year. Patients who were receiving hydroxyurea at a dose that had been stable for at least 3 months before screening continued that therapy through the 48-week treatment period. Patients were randomly assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, to receive L-glutamine (152 patients) or placebo (78 patients). Those in the L-glutamine group had significantly fewer pain crises than those in the placebo group (P = 0.005) and fewer hospitalizations (P = 0.005). Approximately 54 percent of the patients were female and 66 percent of the patients in both trial groups were already receiving hydroxyurea. The study found that low-grade nausea, non-cardiac chest pain, fatigue and musculoskeletal pain occurred more frequently in the L-glutamine group than in the placebo group. Mumbai: Actress Janhvi Kapoor, who is overwhelmed with the success of her recently released debut film Dhadak, feels it is the stepping stone of her career to earn acceptance from the audience. While interacting with media at the success meet of Dhadak along with producer Karan Johar, co-actor Ishaan Khatter and director Shashank Khaitan here on Thursday, Janhvi was asked whether success of Dhadak has removed star kid tag from her. "I hope so.. but I still think that I have long way to go. I don't think success of one film, even though it means the world to me, will change that perception," she said. "There are still lots more things that I need to do or I aspire to do to earn love, affection and acceptance from the audience but it's a stepping stone of my career." With Dhadak opening well at the box-office, but there were mixed reviews from critics, Janhvi said that she was happy with positive response for her performance in the film, but she also cried secretly in her bathroom when few critics criticized her performance. "It's the biggest thing for me that our film received so much of love and appreciation from the audience. I think the kind of topic we wanted to put across in this film that has been resonated with the audience. I know that I have long way to go so, all of this, I am going to use as a motivation and hope that I get to do more work." "I will try to impress people in the future because this is what I love doing more than anything else so, I just want to keep at it. I think one thing that I have taken away with is you just need to keep working, improving and keep finding reason to stay positive," she added. Dhadak has managed to mint a total of Rs 48.01 crore at the end of sixth day since its release and the film is expected to cross Rs 50 crore mark soon. LIVE NOW auto-refresh LIVE NOW Karunanidhi Health Updates LIVE: DMK Chief's Condition Improves, Stalin Says 'Infection Reduced' An AIADMK delegation, led by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, met the 94-year-old at his residence a day earlier, following which his cabinet colleague D Jayakumar informed media that Karunanidhi was "doing well." News18.com | July 27, 2018, 19:11 IST The Death of Doctor Strange uncovers a new facet to the origin of new Marvel hero White Fox The Death of Doctor Strange leads to White Fox being the prime suspect in other Marvel murders : Brussels/Rome, July 28 (AKI) The high-speed train link from Italy's Turin to the French city of Lyon is "important" and should be completed, a European Commission spokesman said on Friday after reports in Italian media that Premier Giuseppe Conte could back out of the costly EU-backed project. "We do not comment on rumours. But the high-speed train link from Turin to Lyon is an important project not just for France and Italy but for the whole of Europe," the European Commission's spokesman for transport, Enrico Brivio, told reporters in Brussels. Conte reportedly has support from grassroots Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio for pulling out of the controversial rail link, known as TAV, despite backing for the project from the rightwing League party - Five Star's coalition partner in the populist government. The 270-kilometre link will connect Turin and Lyon via a 60-kilometre tunnel below the Alps, at an estimated cost of 26 billion euros. The cost of pulling the plug on the TAV is estimated at more than 2 billion euros, according to an independent study presented to the Italian cabinet in May. Italy has already spent 400 million euros on preparatory work for the project and could incur hefty penalties from France and the European Union if it pulls the plug on the project. The TAV has long been targeted by protests from environmental campaigners who fear that tunnelling to build the rail link will damage the ecosystem of the Alps. Construction of the high-speed link is due to start this year and to take around a decade. Under a 2016 deal, the EU agreed to pay 40 percent, Italy 35 percent and France 25 percent of the TAV's costs. Meanwhile, Italy's Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini on Friday said a controversial high-speed rail link with France should go ahead, underscoring a rift within the two parties in the populist coalition government. "I believe we need to move forward not go back," Salvini told Radio 24's 'Mattino 24' programme. "We need the rail link. "If it should emerge from an official analysis that we don't need it, does it cost more to block it than to complete it? "I am not going to let Italians pay billions of euros," Salvini added. Conte, with the support of the grassroots Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio, is poised to take steps to halt the high-speed rail project, known as TAV, several Italian newspapers reported on Friday. The 270-kilometre link will connect Turin and Lyon via a 60-kilometre tunnel below the Alps, at an estimated cost of 26 billion euros. But Salvini's rightwing League party - Five Star's coalition partner - backs the costly rail plan, which for years has been the target of protests by environmental campaigners. --IANS/AKI vd Vientiane : At least 26 people have been confirmed dead and over 100 remain missing after an underconstruction dam collapsed in Laos just days back, state-run Lao News Agency reported on Thursday. Searches are ongoing for 130 missing people from several villages in the Attapeu province after the disaster struck on Monday, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said in a televised speech late on Wednesday. There were conflicting numbers of people missing in the remote areas reported in the state media outlets of the secretive Communist one-party state, Efe news said. The Prime Minister called the collapse one of the biggest disasters in the country in decades. Provincial Governor Bounhome Phommasane has avoided confirming the exact number of fatalities to local newspaper Vientiane Times. "Those reports got information from sources who assumed the vulnerable missing people were dead. I cannot confirm if they are dead or still alive. We have not found them," said Phommasane. Sisoulith said that more than 3,000 people who sought refuge on rooftops and trees have been rescued. Help has started arriving from Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand in the form of rescue personnel, emergency supplies like tents and blankets, and medical staff, Lao News Agency reported. The collapsed dam was part of the the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower project, that released five billion cubic meters of water late on Monday to the nearby areas causing severe floods in at least eight villages. Hambantota (Sri Lanka) : The Sri Lanka Under-19 players scored 47/3 in the second innings, trailing by 250 runs against India Under-19 at the end of the third day's play of their second and final Youth Test here on Thursday. Nuwanidu Fernando (2) and S. Senarathne (0) were at the crease when umpires dislodged the bails for the day. After India declared their first innings for a massive 613 for 8 wickets on Wednesday, the bowlers did a fantastic job to reduce Sri Lanka to 140 for four. Resuming the third day, overnight batsmen Pasindu Sooriyabandara (115) and Sonal Dinusha (51) played beautifully to give some hope to the hosts but lack of support from other batters cost them. S. Mendis (49) also tried to contribute but could not continue for long as he got dismissed after playing 109 balls. The lower-order also failed and the Sri Lanka team got dismissed at 316. Following on, Sri Lanka again found themselves in trouble when the Indian bowlers took three crucial wickets with just 47 runs on the board. Opener Kamil Mishara (5) was dismissed cheaply. But his partner Nishan Madushka (25) played sensibly with skipper Nipun Dananjaya (8) but the latter was dismissed in the ninth over. Soon, in form Madushka was also sent packing in the 17th over, making the score read 46/3. For India, Arjun Tendulkar, Yatin Mangwani and Ayush Badoni chipped in with a wicket each. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Hamilton County Schools and The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera announce an official partnership that will increase fine arts programs available in the communitys public schools. For many years, the education programs provided by the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera have contributed to the enrichment of children in Hamilton County Schools. Each season the CSO String and Wind Quintets visit schools throughout Hamilton County to perform educational programs. Every February thousands of students attend the CSOs annual Young Peoples Concerts at the Tivoli Theatre. Special guest artists regularly visit local schools for masterclasses, and many CSO musicians also hold music teaching positions or teach music lessons to students across the county. In 2015, the CSO established the Fletcher Bright Fund for Strings to continue support of the Strings in Schools program that was begun during the 2005/06 season. In addition to the general benefits of music education at the elementary school level, starting students early on string instruments is a critical factor for success in orchestra programs in later years. "Providing string instruction at the elementary level builds on the importance of access to arts education in schools, and creates opportunities for students to learn an instrument when private or group lessons may not be available to them outside of school, said Staci Spring, education, and community engagement manager for CSO. It also strengthens existing middle school and high school orchestra programs, as well as the CSO Youth Orchestras. The CSO currently supports string programs at Hixson Elementary, Big Ridge Elementary, Alpine Crest Elementary, East Ridge Elementary, and Spring Creek Elementary. This fall, the CSO is excited to be bringing the Strings in Schools program into Barger Academy and Orchard Knob Elementary. "The arts are a vital part of a well-rounded education, and the expansion of art programs was a key topic parents shared with the district in our community listening sessions last school year, said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera is a very valuable resource for our schools, our children, and the community. The CSO has been doing great work in Hamilton County Schools for several years, through our Ensembles in Schools programs, Young Peoples Concerts, Strings in Schools, and more, said Samantha Teter, executive director of CSO. We appreciate that Hamilton County Schools and Superintendent Johnson see the value of the arts in schools, and are honored to have an official partnership moving forward. TEL AVIV - Clashes erupted today on Jerusalem's Temple Mount after Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque. Palestinian websites reported that Israeli police had stormed the mosque complex and made use of tear gas. The WAFA news agency said that dozens of Palestinians had been injured, suffered tear gas inhalation or were injured by rubber-coated bullets shot by the police. ''After Friday prayers,'' a Jerusalem police spokesman said, ''for an unknown reason heavy stone throwing at police began accompanied by the shooting of fireworks'' at the level of people's heads. ''On the orders of the Jerusalem police chief,'' he added, ''our police forces then entered Temple Mount and began to clear out the people there.'' Palestinian sources say that the police used tear gas and deafening petards. Dozens of those who had been attending the weekly communal Muslim prayer, they said, suffered tear gas inhalation or were injured. Some website report that a policeman suffered a facial injury from a stone thrown at him. The police seem to have regain control of Temple Mount and the clashes have stopped. ATHENS - All the remains of the 86 people known to have died in the recent wildfires in Greece have been examined, the head of the medical staff of the morgue of one of Athens' main hospitals said Friday. An Athens correspondent said that relatives continue to crowd the morgue, searching for the remains of their loved ones or to begin DNA procedures. Some corpses have been loaded onto the vans of funeral services in caskets and others only in plastic sacks because they are simply a pile of human remains without an identifiable shape. Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media New Milford schools are considering the best way to replace the high schools roof and whether the district wants to add solar panels. The biggest decision will be whether the roof will be metal instead of keeping with asphalt. School officials are looking into the prices to bring a new asphalt roof up to code or to add a metal roof, which was what the building first called for, Superintendent of Schools Joshua Smith said at a recent school board meeting. DANBURY Storm damage could be to blame for a fire on a roof-top solar panel array that sent a column of thick, black smoke over southern Danbury on Thursday evening. Firefighters from Danbury and Bethel battled the two-alarm fire for an hour before containing it to a relatively small portion of the panels in the array on top of a warehouse shared by Beacon Roofing Supply and Opportunity Buying at 2 Great Pasture Road, Danbury Fire spokesman James Gagliardo said. The Danbury Fire Marshals Office is still investigating the cause of the fire and could not provide more details Friday afternoon. But property manager Stuart Longman suggested high winds during storms this week could have damaged one of the 3,500 individual panels on top of 100,000-square-foot warehouse. The storms were very violent and there were some severe winds and its possible that the wind could have pushed one of the panels down on the racking which might have created an arc, but Im speculating right now, he said. The system was in perfect shape, operating perfectly a few days ago, and the storms are all thats happened since. Area solar experts say fires caused by solar panels are uncommon and new regulations help prevent them even further. Only about 20 panels were damaged by the time the fire was contained and there was water damage inside the Opportunity Buying portion of the building because firefighters sprayed the fire from atop ladder trucks, Longman and Gagliardo said. Danbury Fires new drone helped knock the fire down quickly, Gagliardo added. The drone hovered above the building to give firefighters a better view and its thermal imaging camera helped contain the fire faster, he said. The array is shut off for now while crews assess the damage and work to remove the damaged panels, Longman said. Some of the panels on the roof at 2 Great Pasture date back nearly a decade to when Longman received a $2.6 million federal stimulus grant to continue installing solar panels on buildings around the area. That predates newer requirements that prevent arcing and require a system to shut down instantly if one is detected, said Dwayne Escola, a partner in the Ridgefield-based Northeast Smart Energy. If it were (direct current) wires, those are the ones up on the roof, and they were abrased somehow, it potentially can cause a fire, he said. Its extremely rare. There was one big one, a fire in Bakersfield, California, that caused some of these changes. But businesses or homeowners with solar panels on their properties likely do not need to worry about their systems after the storm, leaders of Ross Solar and ConEdison Solutions said. There are almost 28,000 residential solar panel systems in the state and thousands more commercial systems with almost no instances of a fire, said Stephan Hartmann, residential sales manager at Ross Solar. If an owner observes any loose wires or gets weird voltage readings on their data monitor, they can definitely call someone in and have it inspected, he said. But Id hate for anybody to take away from this that theres any reason for alarm. zach.murdock@hearstmediact.com In 1995, Clayton Christensen developed the "disruption theory." Since then, the term has not only caught heat as a buzzword, but the theory's core concepts have also been extended and misinterpreted. Related: Amazon's Lesson About Disruption: Rattle Any Market You Can However, the correct definition of disruption is only a subplot. The problem with thinking in terms of disruption, whether correctly applied or not, is that it locks businesses into their legacy perspective. By definition, a disruption is an interruption of something existing. Yet, when an industry is transformed, more often than not a completely new market is created. This new market has little in common with the legacy market. As a result, we should view the transformed market through a new lens. Instead, however, we see businesses trying to apply old tools to new rules. Most people who talk about disruption focus on the old market. An example of transformation For the greater part of the last century, the automobile industry was a metaphor for stability. German, American and Japanese powerhouses steadily churned out huge volumes of cars offering top performance and quality, while generating attractive profits for investors and stakeholders. For decades, there was little substantial change in vehicle design, or movement on the leader board. Some had better years than others, but the players stayed the same. Now the space has changed. Traditional car manufacturers are in the process of adoption. Ford recently brought on CEO Jim Hackett, who previously ran design-driven office furniture company Steelcase and who has outlined a forward thinking six-point plan for Ford's future. In this current auto industry power struggle, Tesla is viewed as the disrupting force, the David that fights against the Goliaths. Former VW CEO Matthias Muller bashed Tesla for being the champion of announcements not products, ridiculing the company for burning money and having tiny unit sales volumes compared to traditional manufacturers. Related: 5 Habits That Made Elon Musk an Innovator A new market But is Tesla really the David? Can its unit sales volumes provide us with an indication of who will win this battle? The problem is that this not about changes within the traditional market. This is a new market. Comparing the volume of Volkswagen and Tesla in the old market is like comparing apples and pears. The automotive market of the last century has been commoditized and will decline. This is not where the competition will take place in the future. The future of transport is an emerging market, which is still tiny today, but which is set to grow rapidly. While Muller may have been quick to ridicule Tesla for its output and burn rate, in new markets innovation takes time and output is low in the early days. This is the nature of the Technology Adoption Lifecycle. If we consider the manufacturer of "future" cars, Tesla holds the largest volume. Tesla is not catching up, Volkswagen is. Related: The 100 Most Brilliant Business Ideas New markets, new rules In new markets, new rules apply. For example the processes of developing and building cars will change. The machinery required to build cars will change dramatically, as electric cars will have less mechanical complexity, while automated driving will increase the software complexity. At the same time the integration of the connected car within the internet of things will require the integration of a new mobility infrastructure, the ability to analyze the user's context information and a UX design that provides users with the best options based on that context information. Tomorrow's car is not a mechanical car, but a software device and an information unit. The most important part of a new car will not be its engine, or its horsepower, but its analytical and design capabilities. This will also change the criteria by which consumers will choose between car models. Factors such as auxiliary connectivity services will play as much as a role as the user interface of the "software product." Aside from new purchase criteria, the future will also bring new ownership models. With the rise of the sharing economy, cars will have to find their place in the bustling, congested 'smart' cities of the future. Therefore, when we look at the automotive market as a new market that is early in its life cycle, it is easier to understand why Elon Musk is not concerned at his production volumes and why Ford ramped up its design capabilities. Related: Don't Wait for the Competition to Disrupt Your Business -- Disrupt Yourself New rules, new approaches The rules of this new market determine how a company has to approach its business, what type of resources the company has to build up and how it addresses customers. If an automobile manufacturer tried to enter the aircraft business, it wouldn't even think about hiring automotive executives to manage the transition. It would look for someone who is well versed in the industry it was moving into, not out of. Yet, as Muller's statement shows, often leading car manufacturers' executives are still thinking of the current mobility market as the same market they cut their teeth in. The current shift of automotive is often compared to the evolution from horse carriage to car. The problem is, the horse carriage served the same purpose as the car: getting from A to B with a device as quickly and safely as possible. The device that gets us from A to B, the traditional car, is a commoditized market. No matter what manufacturer you opt for, the technology standard will be along the same level. In the future, customers' purchase criteria will not be driven by which car is more reliable or faster. More important questions will be, for example, which vehicle is smarter and has the highest processing power. Related: Don't Try to Be 'Disruptive.' To Really Have an Impact, You Need to Reverse Engineer the Future. Lessons to be learned The automotive industry is just one example. The same lessons apply to any other industry that is being "disrupted" by emerging technology. We would not measure an online media business by the same standards as a traditional print newspaper business. Neither would we judge iTunes and Spotify by the same standards as the traditional music industry. Airbnb does not play by the same rules as hotel businesses. What is required is a total shift of perspective about any industry that is being transformed. We have to view the transformed environment as a new market. Step one is to understand the differences between the new businesses (the Teslas) and the legacy businesses in order to refresh our perspective. If we understand how these businesses differ, then we are one step closer to understanding the distinctions between the new and the old market. If in doubt, a look at their recruiting websites will already provide us with insights of what type of resources they are building up. Step two is to assess the requirements of this new market. Before allocating resources to the new challenges, we first should figure out what customers want and what new rules exist in this new market environment. What are the purchase criteria of customers in this new market and how do they differ from the old market? What capabilities will drive the success of businesses in this new environment? Is it mechanical engineering, software or design? Is it hotel locations and service or the reviews and trust of Airbnb's website? Step three is to question whether any legacy operation can still compete in this new market. Can the traditional Volkswagen compete with Tesla? This could mean scrapping legacy production methods or processes, or simply bringing on a new leader with experience in the new industry, as Ford did. Simply put, if our legacy business is building furniture and we were to enter a media business, we would immediately plan to start from scratch. Yet, when companies enter transformed markets, they still tend to think in terms of legacy business models. Like any architect who designs a new building for a new environment, we first need to go back to the drawing board. We need to question existing assumptions and take steps to adapt to a new environment like Ford did, rather than resting on our laurels, and risking becoming irrelevant. Related: It's Not About Disruption -- Industry Transformation Is About New Markets 3 Entrepreneurs Who Raised More Than $1 Million Crowdfunding Share the Secrets to Their Success Bluemercury Founder Marla Beck on Why You Should Do the Things That Terrify You Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved China might station up to 10,000 marines, navy seamen and other personnel in its African base at Djibouti. China is expanding their marine forces from 20,000 up to 100,000. The US has 186,000 marines and about 40,000 reserves. A few other Asian countries are in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 marines. China is mainly transferring army units to the marines. China will likely need all of these marines for the South China Sea, Belt and Road protection, protection of oil and commercial shipping, Indian Ocean activity and possibly if they need something related to Taiwan. China is constructing a naval base in Djibouti to provide what it calls logistical support in one of the worlds busiest waterways. The defense ministry said in a statement last year that the facility was mostly for resupply purposes for anti-piracy, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. Former colonial power France and the United States also maintain sizeable bases in Djibouti, with the latters Camp Lemonnier home to more than 4,000 personnel. China has not said how many people its base can accommodate, although some media reports have put the figure as high as 10,000. China has over 5 million barrels of oil per day from Africa and the Middle East. China also has over $60 billion in loans to African countries. Yukon Huang points out that China had far faster growth without innovation. China had less patents and fewer innovative services. Patents and research are nice things and they can be good. China got a lot of its technology through theft. All the high growth Asian countries copied technology from foreign countries and were successful in adopting the technology. Later after they are rich enough accusations of theft become internalized. Companies within a country accuse other companies in the same country of theft. Where the good ideas and good technology comes from does not matter Many countries and companies complain that they can come up with ideas or prototypes but are unable to deliver commercial success. Xerox Parc developed the concepts for computer mouse and touch screens but it was IBM and Microsoft that succeeded with Personal Computers. It was Apple that succeeded with the Mac computer and then the smartphone and tablet. US was able to create, scale and continue to make oil and gas fracking more efficient The US had huge recent success developing oil and gas fracking. They were able to convert it into massive oil and natural gas production. The costs have also been constantly reduced with innovations that were implemented and rapidly scaled. Cheap natural gas has been an advantage for American industry. Cheap natural gas gave the U.S. a powerfuland uniquecost advantage. It benefits a wide range of industries across the full value chain, from feedstock to finished goods. It boosted investment and employment in various manufacturing and industrial areas. The US invented nuclear power and the power was lower cost but then regulated it to make it more expensive In 1963 with GEs contract to build a low-cost light-water reactor at Oyster Creek, New Jersey. By the late 1960s, overnight construction costs for new reactors had dropped to $600 to $900/kW in todays dollars. More reactors were built and supply chains for parts and skilled labor became stressed, causing delays and cost hikes. NOTE: Supply chain problems can be prevented. Rules and requirements sometimes changed midway through construction. That meant delays. And delays are crippling for any big, labor-intensive project. Plants can be made safely and cheaply if all the agreed safety is known at the start. In 1971, US courts ordered nuclear regulators to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. This meant citizen lawsuits could cause licensing and construction delays. ThorCon could implement and improve technology from the 1960s to make power at almost half the cost of coal ThorCon is a graphite-moderated thermal spectrum molten salt reactor that will produce 250 MWe power. It will be cheaper than coal energy. Coal is 5 cents per kilowatt hour and Thorcon will be 3 cents per kilowatt-hour. The basic concept is similar to the MSRE (Molten Salt Reactor Experiment) in ORNL which was built and operated in the 1960s. Lower cost process heat and lower cost electricity will benefit other industries in a country. Having mass produced small and powerful nuclear reactors can allow all commercial ships to be converted to nuclear power. The ships would be faster on the oceans and could be turned around more quickly by not needing to refuel. Also, the environment would be cleaner because ships would not burn the dirtiest fuel (bunker fuel). A commercial nuclear fleet of ships could enable a new generation of lower cost nuclear military ships and submarines. Super Low cost and mass production from todays ship yards ThorCon avoids three costly LWR issues: low temperature, high pressure, solid fuel. Thanks to high temperature, ThorCon uses the same, competitively-sourced, $500 / kW supercritical steam turbinegenerator as a modern coal plant. Thanks to low pressure, ThorCon avoids reinforced concrete mausoleum and 9-inch-thick forgings. Thanks to liquid fuel, ThorCon can move fuel around with a pump. No exacting fuel pin fabrication. No complex reshuffling refueling systems. Nextbigfuture has identified key technologies that need to be scaled for higher growth economies Nextbigfuture has identified several high potential technologies that need to be scaled. * Google loon and internet drones (more rapid deployment of multi-gigabit internet and upgradeable to even faster internet) * thousands of internet satellites * micron accurate GPS * Use the above three for safer and more efficient use and deployment of drones and robots outside of factories * space power satellites * reversing aging with Gene therapy * achieving full regeneration * Many disease cures with gene therapy and biotechnology * Artificial intelligence * million qubit and beyond quantum computers * Fleets of rapid reuse SpaceX BFR and the construction of orbit space stations, industrialization of the moon and colonization of space * self driving car deployment * passenger drones Walter Trout gets around. So if youre looking to see Trout, a stellar blues guitar player, this time out, rest easy: hes just about everywhere. He was at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on July 25, Darryls House in Pawling, New York, on July 26, and will be in Athens, New York, on July 27 and Fall River, Massachusetts, on July 28 on July 29 hes swinging up to Derry, New Hampshire, for a show at the Tupelo Music Hall. But if you live in Connecticut, you might want to pay extra close attention mid-week, when Trout, 67, who cut his teeth decades ago with John Lee Hooker, Percy Mayfield, Canned Heat and later John Mayalls Bluesbreakers, starts ripping it up locally. Hell begin with a show at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts, on July 30, then move on to The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook on July 31 and complete the sweep with a show at Fairfield Theatre Companys StageOne on Aug. 1. Tickets are $32.50 in advance or $35 at the door for the Iron Horse (showtime 7 p.m.), $55-$60 for The Kate (7:30 p.m.) and $38 for FTC, with buying in advance a good idea for all three venues. (The Iron Horse: iheg.com or 413-586-8686; 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass.; The Kate: thekate.org or 860-510-0453; 300 Main St., Old Saybrook; FTC: fairfieldtheatre.org or 203-259-1036; 70 Sanford St., Fairfield.) Born in Ocean City, New Jersey, Trout began performing in the Jersey coast bar scene of the late 1960s and early 70s, but moved to Los Angeles, where he was a sideman for the great Percy Mayfield and Deacon Jones, also working with John Lee Hooker and Joe Tex. With Mayalls Bluesbreakers, Trout shared the stage and the spotlight with fellow guitar slinger Coco Montoya, then left after eight years in 1989 and formed the Walter Trout Band. Over the past decade, Trout has survived a debilitating fight with cirrhosis of the liver, surviving in part because of a dramatic outpouring of donations from fans and put out an album in 2015, Battle Scars, to celebrate it. He won two Blues Music Awards in 2016 for Gonna Live Again (Song of the Year) and the Rock Blues Album of the Year for Battle Scars. He has since followed up that album with 2016s Alive In Amsterdam and 2017s Were All In This Together. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com WEST HAVEN Moodys Investors Service chimed in on the citys fiscal challenges Thursday, issuing a report informing investors of problems West Haven is having crafting a five-year recovery plan that the state Municipal Accountability Review Board will approve. The report carries no change in West Havens bond rating or fiscal outlook, which remains at Baa- with a negative outlook, Moodys lowest investment-grade rating. But it did offer some analysis of the situation. The citys inability to gain approval of the plan is the most recent difficulty the city has experienced in complying with the MARBs oversight process, highlighting the challenges the city faces in implementing the MARBs demands for reforms, Moodys wrote. The MARBs insistence on a multiyear financial plan is credit positive for the city, although it will force West Haven to make difficult short-term decisions such as cutting staff or raising taxes, the report states. The MARB, which is working with West Haven to try to improve its finances, most recently requested changes to the citys proposed five-year recovery plan on July 17. Approval by the MARB of West Havens five-year plan is important because adoption of the plan is a prerequisite to unlocking $8 million in annual municipal restructuring funds available from the MARB, a Moodys official said in an accompanying email. While the sale of $16.14 million in deficit bonds last November was to have financed the citys cumulative deficit, West Haven remains in the red because of a $1.4 million operating deficit in fiscal 2017 and an estimated $7.4 million deficit for fiscal 2018, Moodys said. David Jacobson, vice president for communications of Moodys Public Finance Group, said later that Moodys put out the report basically for people who own bonds for the city of West Haven. West Haven is having a bit of a challenge ... The city is having trouble getting the MARB to approve its five-year recovery program, Jacobson said. So what we are saying is, this ... kind of adds to the challenges that West Haven is having, because it has been running deficits for close to a decade. Mayor Nancy Rossi said the Moodys report should be no big shock for anyone who has been closely following West Havens fiscal situation. I dont really see any surprises here, Rossi said. Im well aware of our status and we are working to produce a five-year plan that the MARB can act on. If I had never gone to a meeting, this would be news to me, she said. The General Assembly passed legislation creating the MARB in 2017 to provide a systematic framework of state oversight for fiscally distressed local governments, the Moodys report says. The severity of oversight corresponds to tiers, with a municipalitys tier determined by a variety of factors such as fund balance level, bond rating, equalized millage rate and the amount of state aid as a percent of total budget. West Haven, which was plagued by a legacy deficit fund balance for nearly a decade, triggered qualification for the MARBs Tier III oversight in November 2017 when it issued $16.1 million of deficit reduction bonds, the report states. Recurring operating deficits had significantly weakened the citys financial position in recent years, it says. Tier III status gives the oversight body power to approve the citys budgets, its five-year fiscal recovery plan, labor contracts and provide input on bond issuances. West Haven and Hartford are the only two cities in the state currently under MARB oversight. Moodys predicted West Haven and the MARB will likely reach an agreement on a five-year financial plan in which the city should receive $8 million annually in fiscal 2018 and 2019. But still, those funds would not represent a long-term solution to the citys recurring deficits, as MARB noted in its initial comments on the citys fiscal 2019 budget and the original five-year plan, the report said. Moving the city into Tier IV, the most draconian of the statutory categories, remains a possibility, if the city cannot comply with the MARBs Tier III requirements, the Moodys report found. This would expand the oversight boards role, including more control over the citys budget and the ability to appoint a financial manager. NEW HAVEN If you like to cook, or you just like to eat and socialize with people who share your passions, you could be a good match at Homecooked Inc. Hojung Kim, 21, who just moved here from Chicago, said he sees a lot of disconnect among people of his generation. He said they dont eat together, spend a lot of time together or have meaningful interactions. We thought we could organize these small dinner groups, 6 to 8 people. People would sign up for dinner, based on similar interests, Kim said. His partners in the business, Kevin Zhen, 19, and Eric Duong, 20, are juniors at Yale University. Kim said 6 to 8 people is a perfect number for a gathering at which the diners can get to know each other. Using the app, which went live this week, the volunteer chef for a specific meal will post a short introduction, as do the people who want to share a meal. There also will be general information as to the location of the dinner party that will be shared once the Homecoming team arranges a match. Kim said making a match is the hardest part. Hojung said he did something similar to this, but less formal, while he was going to school at the University of Chicago because he loved to cook. It was something I did because I love cooking and I love cooking for people, Kim said. He said he has found that people are lonely and are looking for these social connections. The three participated in the spring class of Collab New and they are now part of Yales Summer Fellowship. Collab is a small business and nonprofit startup incubator serving Connecticut, according to its website. It was founded by Caroline Smith and Margaret Lee. Homecooked is a web and mobile platform that enables users to book meals in the homes of talented local chefs. Homecookeds recommendation algorithm is their main technical innovation, but the core value is a unique social experience that brings diners from the digital world into the physical world of community, is the way Homecooked is described on Collabs site. As for the Yale fellowship, Kim said they are among 17 start-ups in that group. The fellows are part of Tsai City at Yale, which is part of the entreprenurship center at the university. Kim will be one of the chefs. He said it will be a combination of more seasoned cooks and newbies. The trio did a test drive of the Homecooking concept with about a dozen chefs and a total of 120 diners. Kim said they did it to determine the best group size and what draws people to it. Basically, they were seeking the answer to, what is a high quality experience? Most people did it in their homes, but one met the diners at the Landscape Lab an urban farm at Yales West Campus. Now we are looking for more cooks and people to participate, Kim said. The group has a youtube presence at www.youtube.com/homecookedinc. They can be reached at info@homecooked.io. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com The sixteenth episode of, the twice-monthly podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening or downloading. In this episode, Peter, Elisabeth, and I take calls from and respond to e-mail from our listeners. Heres an excerpt from American Theatres official summary of the proceedings: The critics are back after a busy Julyto discuss the recent layoffs at the New York Daily News that cut 93 employees, including theatre critic and colleague Joe Dziemianowicz. His dismissal is just the most recent in a troubling series of critical layoffs at major publications, including Kris Vire from Time Out Chicago, leading to a discussion on the future of arts criticism and what can be done to save it. Then, on a lighter note, the critics read your emails and take your calls; answering questions on everything from what they believe the role of politics in criticism should be, to whether they actually enjoy sitting on the aisle for shows. As usual, we wrap things up with a discussion of recent productions, in New York and elsewhere, that weve seen and likedor not. To listen, download the latest episode, read more about it, or subscribe to Three on the Aisle, go here. In case you missed any previous episodes, youll find them all here. Two defendants charged in connection with a drug ring allegedly run by the late Dr. James Kauffman and members of the Pagans motorcycle gang pleaded guilty in Atlantic County on Wednesday. Cheryl L. Pizza, 37, of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and her ex-husband, Glenn P. Seeler, 38, of Sanford, North Carolina, admitted their roles in an opioid drug distribution operation allegedly run from Kauffman's Linwood office. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Pizza also pleaded guilty to drug possession and Seeler pleaded to being an employee of a racketeering enterprise, a second-degree offense. Seeler was previously charged with first-degree racketeering. Four others are charged with racketeering, while Ferdinand Augello is charged with arranging the murder of Kauffman's wife, April, a local radio personality, after prosecutors said she threatened to go to police about the drug operation. James Kauffman was also charged in his wife's 2012 murder, but he committed suicide in jail earlier this year. Augello, 62, of Petersburg, who is also charged with leading the drug ring and with attempted murder for allegedly trying to have James Kauffman killed in jail, will go on trial in September. One of the other racketeering defendants, Joseph Mulholland, 52, of Villas, entered a guilty plea to racketeering last month, during which he described Augello as the "boss" of the drug operation. He also agreed to testify against Augello in September. As part of the drug scheme, authorities said that Kauffman, an endocrinologist, agreed to write prescriptions for oxycodone to several people referred by Augello, including Mulholland, Pizza and the other racketeering defendants. Kauffman received cash for each referral. Those referred by Augello paid him cash and/or gave him a share of the pills. Proceeds from the operation profited the motorcycle gang and the doctor's office, prosecutors allege. Seeler and Pizza will be sentenced Oct. 25 before Judge Bernard DeLury. Two other defendants, Tabitha Chapman, 35, of Absecon, and Augello's ex-wife Beverly, 48, of Summerland Key, Florida, were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, but no pleas were listed in court records. Another defendant, Paul Pagano, 52, of Egg Harbor Township, will appear Aug. 9. Joe Brandt contributed reporting. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A Bergen County Department of Public Works employee was killed Thursday while cutting down a tree along the Saddle River, authorities said. Thomas Epper, 48, of Hackensack died after being hospitalized when the tree fell on him at about 5:15 p.m. in Saddle River, a spokesman for Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said. County worker seriously hurt while removing tree in New Jersey park https://t.co/vWQntvjhNe pic.twitter.com/1ZPPHtXzaw Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) July 27, 2018 Epper was cutting along the base of the tree when it tumbled, knocked him into the river and landed on him. He was one of five employees removing the tree when it fell. The other workers were unable to lift it off him. Epper worked for the mosquito division for about two years, Tedesco said in a statement. "Yesterday, our Bergen County family suffered a tragic loss," Tedesco said. "The Bergen County family mourns with the Epper family. I want to thank the first responders for their heroic actions together with the work crew that was present at the time." New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development also offered his condolences. "One of our core missions is to ensure workers' safety on the job, and we treat that responsibility with utmost seriousness," Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement. "This tragedy - as all public worker injuries and fatalities in New Jersey - is being thoroughly investigated by our Division of Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Health." Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The 75-year-old pastor and founder of a Medford church and the country's largest Christian rock festival was sentenced to 18 years in prison Friday after sexually assaulting four minors and having "inappropriate interaction" with another over a 16-year period. Harry Thomas was the pastor of Come Alive Church in Medford and the co-founder of the Creation Festival, perhaps the largest Christian music festival in the country. Thomas pleaded guilty in February to one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. But his attorney, Robin Lord, told the Courier-Post this week that the plea would be "a death sentence." An attempt to withdraw the guilty plea led to Judge Jeanne Covert rescheduling his sentencing. Covert later denied the motion to withdraw the plea. Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement that the court proceeding showed "the unmasking of a true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." "An individual who professed to be a man of faith and who has made many positive contributions to strangers committed the ultimate act of betrayal against family members who loved and trusted him," Coffina said. "There is no sentence that can approximate justice in light of this defendant's despicable acts against these children, but it is gratifying that the victims have been spared the pain of a trial and the defendant almost certainly will spend the rest of his life in prison, where he never can harm a child again," the prosecutor said. Thomas' sentence contains no parole eligibility. He will serve it at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a corrections facility for convicted sex offenders in the Avenel section of Woodbridge. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips A New Brunswick man is accused of sexually assaulting a foreign exchange student at a residence where she was renting a room, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday. Emmanuel Romero, 22, entered the 23-year-old woman's room while she was asleep around 2 a.m. Wednesday, and began choking and sexually assaulting her, the prosecutor's office alleged. The two struggled when the young woman fought back. She sustained serious injuries after falling down a flight of stairs, the office said. She was taken to a nearby hospital and required surgery for her injuries. Romero faces two first-degree counts of aggravated sexual assault, as well as burglary, aggravated assault, criminal sexual contact and obstruction, the office said. He also rented a room in the same home as the student. Authorities did not say what country the victim is from, or where she's a student. Romero was being held at the Middlesex County jail Thursday, awaiting a court hearing. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to Detective Victor Delgado at 732-745-5200, or Detective Oscar Ayala at 732-745-4045. Gianluca D'Elia may be reached at gdelia@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @gianluca_delia. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Authorities have identified the man struck and killed by a New Jersey Transit train in Edison on Tuesday morning as a 34-year-old Middlesex County man. Vijay Patel, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, was struck by a Northeast Corridor line train around 11:30 a.m. just west of the Metropark station, an Amtrak spokesman said Thursday afternoon. The train, which had about 400 people aboard, was traveling from Trenton to New York Penn Station. Service on the line was briefly suspended between Rahway and Metuchen. New Jersey Transit police began the investigation before it was turned over to Amtrak police. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A 19-year-old woman was arrested Thursday after allegedly making a bomb threat to the Planet Fitness gym on Route 35 in Middletown, authorities said. Emily M. McCormick, of Keansburg was charged with causing a false public alarm, Middletown police said. Planet Fitness and other businesses in the shopping center were evacuated after police learned of threat around 10 a.m. A third party called police after learning of the threat, according to Lt. Paul Bailey, a police spokesman. Bailey declined to comment on the nature of the threat because the investigation is ongoing. Bomb sniffing dogs from the police department and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office searched the building but found nothing suspicious. Anyone with information is asked to call Middletown Det. William Strohkirch at 732-615-2120 or Det. Ryan Mahony of the prosecutor's office at 732-431-7160. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Gov. Phil Murphy's administration is getting its wish: those "super-polluting" trucks known as gliders won't be flooding the roads. A week after New Jersey joined a coalition of states in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over a policy that would have allowed more "glider" trucks on American highways, the federal agency is changing its course. In a memo released on Thursday, EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler decided that Obama-era regulations on the trucks were not "extremely unusual circumstances." Therefore, there could not be sudden policy change. The EPA's decision to rollback the glider truck restrictions came on July 5 - the final day of Pruitt's scandal-plagued tenure as EPA administrator. "I have concluded that the application of current regulations to the glider industry does not represent the kind of extremely unusual circumstances that support the EPA's exercise of enforcement discretion," Wheeler wrote in the Thursday memo. In 2016, under President Obama, the EPA passed regulations that would limit the number of gliders that could be manufactured in the U.S. to just 300 per year, per manufacturer. "Today, everyone in New Jersey can breathe easier knowing that production of glider trucks will continue to be limited," said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe. Gliders, the vehicles in question, are rebuilt trucks with a new cab on an old engine. According to the EPA, most glider trucks use engines built before 2001. Those old engines often do not meet stricter emissions regulations, implemented by the Obama administration in 2010. That matters because automotive emissions are the leading contributor to ozone pollution in New Jersey, according to the NJDEP. While ozone is an important element of the atmosphere at high altitude's, near-surface ozone forms what is more commonly called smog. When inhaled, smog can caused inflammation in a person's respiratory system; it is sometimes described as sunburn for the lungs. In its 2018 State of the Air report, the American Lung Association found that New Jersey continues to struggle with ozone pollution. That finding was echoed by an Environment New Jersey report issued earlier this month. Wheeler's directive may be just a temporary reprieve, however. In an interview with the Washington Examiner this month, Wheeler described the Obama glider regulations as being unfair to the truck manufacturers. New Jersey was joined by California, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C. in challenging the glider rule rollback. "I was proud to stand up and challenge Scott Pruitt's final act as EPA Administrator, which put personal politics before the public's health and safety," said New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. "States like New Jersey have been standing up to EPA ever since I took office, and EPA's decision to admit defeat and continue enforcing important limits on super polluting trucks shows why our work matters." Environmental groups like the Sierra Club had also challenged to the rollback in separate action. "This is the first real time we stopped Trump in a major attack on the environment," Jeff Tittel, the director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said on Friday. "We need to remain vigilant and keep fighting Trump's rollbacks to protect our air and our lungs." Since the Murphy administration took the reins in Trenton in January, Grewal has been aggressive in pushing for stricter federal environmental policies. Just this week, Grewal has called for the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision that restricts greenhouse gas regulations and pushed back against the federal government's approval process for natural gas pipelines. 3:06 p.m.: This story has been updated to included comments from New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and NJDEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe. Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Mary Rose Trinidad sat at a table among her lawyers and family members Friday at the rehabilitation center where she's recovering from the wrong-way crash in Delaware three weeks ago that killed her husband and four daughters as they headed back to New Jersey from vacation. They were there to announce that they want Delaware authorities to step up the investigation and criminally charge the driver they say caused the crash. And, they said, there will be a civil suit against him, too. But before all that, Trinidad read a statement, and opened up about her pain. "As you all know I lost my family (by a man who crossed over and drove in the wrong direction) and he's still walking free, and I have to bury my husband and four daughters." She lost her husband Audie Trinidad, 61, and their daughters, Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17 and 13-year-old twins Allison and Melissa. They lived in Teaneck. "I want justice for them. I want to see him criminally prosecuted," Trinidad said, emotion coming over her. "All my broken bones and injures will heal, but not the unbearable pain in my heart," she went on. "When they died, a part of me died. And I am dying inside over and over again." "Justice will not bring them back, but we will be in a safer place,' Trinidad said. She said she knows her husband is "with them, and he will take good care of my girls." "I miss them so much," she said. Her lawyers, Diane M. Lucianna and Frank V. Carbonetti, said they represent Trinidad's interests in seeing the driver charged, and they will sue him, too. The driver, Alvin S. Hubbard Jr., 44, of East New Market, Maryland, was driving a Ford F-350 when he crossed over a grassy median on Route 1 in Delaware on the afternoon of July 6 and side-swiped another car before slamming into the Trinidad's Toyota Sienna. To date, no criminal charges have been brought against Hubbard, and they believe what he did, crossing over from the south to northbound lanes, was a criminal act. "Not one charge has been filed, not even a motor-vehicle charge has been filed, and to us it's been very upsetting," Carbonetti said. Hubbard should be behind bars, Lucianna said. "In New Jersey, the man would have been taken away in handcuffs." But the case is in Delaware, and the lawyers did say the Delaware State Police and that state's attorney general's office have pledged a comprehensive, full investigation and they understand it's a complicated, serious matter. "We want to push this case forward as soon as possible," Lucianna said. The Delaware State Police said they are on it. "I can assure you that it is active and ongoing, and we'll be working with our attorney general's office on charges being filed," spokeswoman Master Corporal Melissa Jaffe said. Trinidad's lawyers also said Friday that a passenger in Hubbard's vehicle reported to investigators that Hubbard may have been unresponsive, did not feel good and was coughing. Nevertheless, it's criminal, Lucianna said. "There's no way its legal what he did, he crossed a 60-foot wide grassy median," she said. Lucianna and Carbonetti said they will also be investigating Hubbard's employer, a metal works company, since he was driving a company vehicle and if Delaware should have had guardrails on the stretch of road. Shortly after the crash, the Delaware Department of Transportation said on Twitter it was currently installing barriers along the Route 1, but hadn't yet done so on the stretch of road where the crash occurred. Meanwhile, Trinidad is recovering from a broken left arm, two fractured knees, breaks to her ribs and a shoulder, and her right hip. But she's progressing. Again, she said her bones will heal, but she's unsure she will ever work as a nurse again. Her only mission, she said: "I am going to get better and seek justice for my family." Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A former state corrections officer convicted of sexually assaulting inmates at New Jersey's women's prison -- where federal investigators are probing accusations of widespread abuse -- was sentenced to 16 years on the other side of the bars on Thursday. Jason Mays, 46, had been accused of sexually abusing five inmates at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Prosecutors said he coerced some of the women into sexual acts with threats of disciplinary action. Jason Mays. He was convicted on charges related to the abuse of two of the inmates in May following a month-long trial and a week of jury deliberations. Mays, a Hillside resident, is among seven Edna Mahan employees accused of sexually assaulting inmates at the prison over the last two years. He was ensnared in an ongoing criminal probe by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office. Under a sentence handed down by Judge Angela Borkowski on Thursday, Mays will also be subject to lifetime parole supervision and will be required to register as a sex offender. The sentence is by far the stiffest sanction levied against an employee found by the spiraling criminal inquiry to have abused their authority and preyed on women at the prison. Three other employees who admitted abusing inmates instead of going to trial pleaded guilty to official misconduct charges. Under plea deals, they will not have to register as sex offenders, and one has already received parole, public records show. At his trial, Mays took the witness stand to deny the charges against him, telling jurors "I have never been inappropriate with any inmate at any time." He was acquitted on charges related to three of the five inmates prosecutors argued were victims of his abuse. Under state law, any sexual contact between an inmate and an officer is a crime because prisoners cannot legally consent. Mays' attorney, Leslie Sinemus, said the former officer submitted 37 letters of support from former coworkers, supervisors and friends and family attesting to his character. "He maintains his innocence, I still believe in his innocence, and I'm devastated by this sentencing," she said in a telephone interview. "There are people who are guilty of this stuff. I get it. But to this day I do not believe Jason Mays was one of them." Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony Kearns said following the sentencing that the letters of support were "subjective opinions" about who the officer was "as a man outside the walls" of the prison. "Objectively the abuse of his authority over the women in the prison is especially heinous and cruel because the women prisoners were both powerless and helpless while subject to his ultimate authority," Kearns said. Sinemus said her client planned on appealing his conviction. Three other officers at the prison -- Brian Ambroise, Joel Mercado and Ronald Coleman -- still face trials. The Union Township prison is now the subject of multiple inquiries into the treatment of inmates, including a civil rights probe being conducted by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. A person familiar with the matter told NJ Advance Media that federal investigators have began interviewing corrections staff as part of their inquiry. That person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. An attorney who offered legal advice on the radio to senior citizens admitted Friday that he stole millions of dollars from his clients. Robert Novy, 66, of Brick Robert Novy, 66, of Brick, pleaded guilty to first-degree money laundering and now faces 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in September, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced in a press release. Novy admitted to stealing nearly $3 million from dozens of clients he advised through his Manchester-based firm, Novy & Associates. Novy, who specialized in elder law, also hosted a bi-monthly radio program "Inside the Law," in which he focused on topics that affect senior citizens. Novy preyed on older clients that did not have close family members to claim their estate or object to Novy's actions, Grewal said. He would take their money and then pay for personal and business expenses. Novy transferred his clients' money to his various attorney trust and business bank accounts, concealing the source of the stolen funds. Novy was also ordered to pay $4 million in restitution. "With his plea today, Bob Novy accepted responsibility for his conduct," his lawyer Gerald Krovatin said after the court hearing. "He agreed to make available a total of $4 million, which is more than enough to pay the legitimate claims of his former clients." Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. By Satjeet Kaur The bigoted remarks from two radio hosts on NJ 101.5 FM about Attorney General Gurbir Singh Grewal suggest that people who look different do not deserve our respect. While on the air, Dennis Malloy referred to Grewal disparagingly as "turban man." "If that offends you," Malloy said on the "Dennis & Judi Show," justifying his remark, "then don't wear the turban and maybe I'll remember your name." Grewal is a Sikh American who wears a turban as part of his faith. The sentiment expressed by Malloy along with co-host Judi Franco, who coined "Turban Man" in a sing-song voice, goes against our fundamental belief that all people are equal and have the right to life, liberty and happiness. His offensive comments are not just an attack on Grewal, they are an affront to our core values as Americans. Their assertions underscore a notion that in order to serve one must look a certain way. Don't underestimate the power of their speech: we live in a society where xenophobic speech has been proven time and time again to escalate with serious consequences. For that reason, we, at the Sikh Coalition, take these issues seriously and remain committed to eradicating hate at its core. We applaud the station's swift action in suspending the two radio hosts while conducting an investigation - not because the action was punitive, but because it sets a precedent for what is not acceptable in our society. This is especially important at a time when racism and xenophobia are becoming increasingly normalized. It has become clear that our society needs education to learn how to respect one another. The attack on Grewal is nothing new for him and nothing new for other minorities in America. The Sikh community's distinct appearance has long made us targets of hate and discrimination. Pushing back against oppression has a long legacy in the Sikh tradition, and in that context, the ignorant comments on NJ 101.5 FM are a blip on the radar. If we really care about progress, then we ought to turn this mistake into a teaching moment. It would be incredibly powerful for NJ 101.5 FM to go beyond a public apology and to extend an invitation to Grewal for a conversation about his work as the 61st attorney general. It would go a long way for listeners to hear his experiences growing up in New Jersey as a child of immigrants, and why it is important to think critically about our collective responsibility towards fostering equity in our communities. I also encourage the station to host a diversity training for its entire staff. We have seen larger corporations lead similar efforts in the past few months, including Starbucks. It would be a powerful and positive step forward and one that I am more than willing to arrange as the executive director for the Sikh Coalition. As someone from New Jersey who grew up listening to the radio, these additional steps will be critical in addressing the xenophobia that still persists. Whether it's remarks by radio hosts with media-amplified voices or bigoted comments from elected officials about minority communities on the basis of race, sexual orientation, class or religion, we must speak up and hold one another accountable. In a climate like ours, it is critical that we nip bigotry in the bud before it grows into something more malignant and violent. These are not the values we will accept -- and we continue to say that loud and clear. This is NJ 101.5 FM's opportunity to tear down complacency and better our communities. Satjeet Kaur, who grew up in Union County, serves as executive director of the national civil rights organization, the Sikh Coalition. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Ordinarily, disclosing your citizenship on a government form or website sounds like a reasonable thing to do, but these are not ordinary times. We have a president who criminalizes immigrants, demonizes minorities, and practices an inhuman deportation policy that destroys families. So as the Trump Administration seeks to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census for the first time since 1950, immigrants - legal or otherwise - have a good reason to be cautious about revealing their status: They believe such information will be used to deport Grandma. The threat is exactly what President Trump is banking on. Legally, he cannot use data on a census form to track an immigrant; the Census Bureau is banned from sharing it with any other government agency, including the IRS and FBI. But that won't keep immigrants from worrying about it, especially those with mixed-status families - and in New Jersey, more than a half-million citizens live with at least one undocumented family member. Many want to stay off the government's radar and won't participate in the census, which is the kind of fear Trump seeks to inculcate. Sen. Cory Booker calls it a "shameful attempt to inject nativist politics" into the process, because the goal is to "keep immigrants and people of color in New Jersey and across our nation undercounted and underrepresented in our society," while shifting funds and representation away from blue urban areas. But we don't have to accept Trump's rules, particularly one conceived by Steve Bannon. New Jerseyans must remember the stakes. The census - which by constitutional mandate counts residents, not citizens - drives public policy. It determines how Congressional seats are apportioned and shapes voting districts. It determines our share of federal funds for infrastructure and Medicaid and education. But a citizenship question will lower the response rate in large immigrant communities. And if census data is wrong or its integrity is compromised, then our most important democratic and economic functions will be corrupted. New Jersey is one of 17 states that has filed suit to stop the feds from adding the question, and a district judge has allowed that case to proceed, after laughing off the administration's "bad faith" claim that it needs citizenship data to enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The rest of us can visit censuscounts.org and follow the link to the public comment page, which is open until August 7. There are other ways to fight this. The Fund For New Jersey suggests establishing a Complete Count Commission and the funding of outreach programs that focus on "hard-to-count" (HTC) communities, or jurisdictions where a low percentage of residents complete the census questionnaire. California found that its $2 million canvassing investment yielded at least $100 million in annual federal contributions. We need everyone to be counted. Studies show the census routinely misses racial and ethnic minorities, low-income households and children (especially ages 0-4), at disproportionately high rates. Ponder the impact: In Fiscal 2015, New Jersey received $17 billion in federal grants based on census data. Our cities are HTC areas. In fact, 28 percent of young children live in HTC communities (140,000 kids), and if they're undercounted, we'll lose funds critical to their development. But as Amol Sinha of the ACLU put it, "It's not just about a question on citizenship. We want to ask what we want to be: America at its most inclusive, or America that abuses tools of democracy to discriminate?" Booker calls it a "Paul Revere moment." And as the legal fight begins, others must stand up and be counted in Trump's America, where democracy can no longer be a spectator event. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. A law Gov. Phil Murphy signed earlier this month relinquishing much control over pensions for police and firefighters is drawing scorn from a big Wall Street ratings agency. Moody's Investors Service warned in a report that the spinoff will hamper any future efforts to reduce benefits within the Police and Firemen's Retirement system, "a credit negative for a state that has weak pension funding and has struggled to make adequate annual contributions." The opinion does not change the state's credit rating, which is second-lowest of any state, but signals an area of concern for the rating agency. Murphy, a Democrat, signed the law on July 3, allowing the pension system for police and firefighters to split from the broader pension system for teachers and other state workers. The unions have long desired control over their pension fund, which they say the state has mismanaged. The police and firefighter unions had feared lawmakers might someday pool assets to shore up those ailing funds and have disagreed with the state's investment strategy, namely its push into high-cost hedge funds. The portion funded by counties and municipalities, which are required to make full contributions annually, is 73.1 percent funded, according to the state's statutory funding data. The smaller portion funded by the state, which has skipped or shorted contributions for more than two decades, is 41.8 percent funded. Currently, the fund is managed by the state Division of Pensions and Benefits while the State Investment Council and Division of Investment direct the investments of its billions of dollars in assets. A 12-member board of active and retired police and firefighters as well as representatives of state and local government will take over those duties. Under the law, the trustees are authorized to increase or cut retirement benefits and raise or lower employee contributions, but only in consultation with actuaries and with support from eight board members. In signing the bill, Murphy called it a "good first step toward making sure that our retiring police officers and firefighters feel secure as they move toward retirement, while also protecting the financial interests of taxpayers." But Moody's warned that the state's interests in reducing costs may conflict with the board's interest in protecting member benefits. "The new PFRS governance structure will likely undermine New Jersey's flexibility to further reform or reduce police and fire retiree benefits," analysts said. "While the legislature retains statutory authority, it may be politically difficult to reduce benefits without the agreement of the board of trustees. Such agreement would be unlikely from an employee-dominated board." Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Hospitals and doctors must share the facts of their treatment with patients who are suing for medical malpractice and cannot hide behind a landmark state law that permits a confidential examination of why mistakes occurred, according to the state's highest court. The state Supreme Court ruling Wednesday clarifies the intent of the Patient Safety Act, a 2004 law that encouraged medical professionals to have frank discussions about "adverse events," with the goal of preventing future errors. Those discussions and any written analysis from them are still private, according to the decision. But the ruling states patients are entitled to the facts contained in medical records and a "narrative that specifies where responsive information may be found." That is a major victory for consumer rights, said Attorney Ernest Fronzuto of Woodland Park, who sued three doctors and Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains. "The intent was never to shield facts from patients," Fronzuto said of the Patient Safety Act. "Yet hospitals for several years have use the PSA as a shield. This is a huge victory for patients." Fronzuto's client, 28-year-old Janell Brugaletta, is entitled to the facts and where to find them which Chilton buried within 4,500 pages of medical records, containing all of the information about the care she received, according to the decision. Brugaletta "was entitled to be informed of an adverse incident related to her care in defendants' response to discovery demands because such an incident was memorialized through various entries in her patient records," according to Justice Jaynee LaVecchia's opinion. "Yet, she was not informed of it and...received no specification or narrative to accompany the approximately 4,500 pages of medical records turned over during discovery that would lead her to the discrete yet interconnected notations of the incident that appear on nine pages of that record," LaVecchia wrote. A doctor noted in the file that she had missed several doses of antibiotics, according to the decision. E. Drew Britcher, who filed a "friend of the court" brief on behalf of the trial lawyers group, the New Jersey Association for Justice, praised the Supreme Court for finding the balance the Legislature intended. "This is a decision that achieves the balance that was agreed to by all sides when this bill was passed," said Britcher, who participated in the legislative hearings years ago. "The facts belong to the patient, but the analysis belongs to the health care people so perhaps we can save lives." But Justice Barry Albin said he didn't think the majority opinion provided enough protection for the public, according to his dissenting opinion. "The patient's right to know is not dependent on her filing a medical malpractice lawsuit or requesting the information in a well-crafted interrogatory question. The patient's affirmative right to know is enshrined in the public policy of this State by laws passed by the Legislature," Albin wrote. "Unlike the majority, I would make clear that the patient had a right to be told about the lapse in her treatment at the time it occurred and in a way that she reasonably could have understood," Albin wrote. The decision also delivered good news for hospitals. The "root-cause analysis" and the private discussions that take place after an adverse event happens must remain confidential. The high court said state Superior Court Judge Raymond Reddin in Passaic mistakenly ordered Chilton to produce the confidential report to the patient. Chilton appealed and won in the Appellate Division, which said the court lacked the authority to require the report's disclosure. Karen Ali, general counsel for the New Jersey Hospital Association, which filed a "friend of the court" brief on Chilton's behalf, praised the ruling for upholding "hospitals' right to engage in self-critical analysis, free from discovery." "When a medical error occurs, we need to foster an environment where our healthcare professionals are free to talk frankly about why a breakdown may have occurred and - most importantly - how they can be prevented in the future," Ali said. Chilton spokeswoman Anna Scalora agreed. "Chilton Medical Center's foremost commitment is to patient safety, and we have fostered a culture in which all our caregivers are empowered to report, review and learn from adverse events while also providing transparency to patients regarding their care," Scalora said. "We are encouraged that the NJ Supreme Court has affirmed the protections of the Patient Safety Act for both provider and patient, which ensures continuous quality improvement in health care for New Jersey," she added. Brugaletta sued the hospital and three doctors in 2015, claiming they had initially misdiagnosed a ruptured appendix and a pelvic abscess. Brugaletta was hospitalized from Jan. 12, 2013 to Feb. 13, 2013, during which she developed necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacterial infection. The ruling said the trial judge should order the hospital to turn over the narrative and lets the malpractice case proceed against Chilton and physicians Calixto Garcia, Steven D. Richman and Patrick J. Hines. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. WASHINGTON -- The final bill setting U.S. defense policy protects Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the state's second largest employer, from a new round of base closings has cleared the House. The House on Thursday passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which sets Congress' defense priorities for the 12 months beginning Oct. 1 and includes $716 billion in military spending. The final bill was negotiated with the Senate, which is expected to clear the legislation. It ensures that the first group of new refueling tankers will arrive on schedule. The bill "allows the joint base to continue to play a major role in our national security and local economy," said Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., whose district includes the facility. The vote was 359-54, with only two members of the state's congressional delegation voting no: Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist. The legislation authorizes spending for 15 KC-46A refueling tankers, which will replace the KC-10s now housed at the joint base. The Air Force announced last year that the joint base's 305th Air Mobility Wing eventually would get 24 of the new KC-46 tankers by 2021. "These refueling tankers will bring new jobs and growth to our state and make our base an indispensable starting point for national security missions on the East Coast," said Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Lawmakers pushed the Air Force to accept delivery of the KC-46A planes as quickly as possible and to speed up the number of planes that will be stationed at the base to more than the planned three per month. There also is $10.2 million to replace a refueling system at the base. The measure prevents the president from proposing a new round of military base closings, which local officials have worried could target the joint base. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., called the provisions "an essential boost" for the base. The joint base employs 42,000 people, second only to the state government, lawmakers said. The higher Pentagon spending reflected the higher levels negotiated in February by President Donald Trump and congressional leaders, which removed the spending caps earlier agreed to by congressional Republicans and President Barack Obama. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised the House for "taking action on the president's request that it carry out his commitment to our military." This year's bill was named for Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., who has been absent from the Senate due to brain cancer. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Citing recent troubling financial and safety reports and a questionable management decision, Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday announced an independent monitor will oversee operations at University Hospital in Newark. State Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal appointed veteran health care executive Judith M. Persichilli, the former CEO of a national Catholic hospital chain and St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, to serve as the monitor. University Hospital CEO John Kastanis pledged to work with Persichilli and the state. "In the last several years, University Hospital has taken a variety of steps to address financial challenges while providing access to high-quality care for all patients," Kastanis said in a statement. "The hospital has made changes to its administrative and clinical leadership, and diligently implemented new programs focused on patient safety and quality of care. We recognize there is much work left to be done and look forward to working collaboratively with Ms. Persichilli, as well as our state and local elected officials and regulatory agencies, to accelerate progress at University Hospital." Murphy took the action by issuing an executive order. "Given the scope of the problems found at University Hospital, these immediate actions are necessary to ensure the facility can continue providing the highest level of care to the community while it gets its fiscal house in order and improves its health care quality,'' Murphy said in a statement. The governor's announcement cited three pressing problems that required outside invention: * The hospital began phasing-out pediatric inpatient services without the permission of the state Department of Health. * Fitch Ratings downgraded the hospital's bond rating citing the pension liability, "weak leverage profile," and "thin operating performance." In Fiscal Year 2018, the hospital's operating budget is $666.5 million, running at a loss of approximately $36 million. * University Hospital received an F in the latest Leapfrog Safety Score report in April. A hospital spokesman at the time said the grade does not reflect the most recent strategies the hospital has adopted to improve patient care and safety. On Monday, University Hospital told NJ Advance Media the plan to outsource its inpatient services for children to another Newark hospital is off the table for now. The hospital said it had submitted an application to the Department of Health to reduce its pediatric services but has since withdrawn it after an outcry from physicians and the hospital workers union. Hospital CEO John Kastanis previously said that the move was necessary because of the low volume of child patients. Kastanis said the intensive care unit for pediatrics was often closed and only three to four children required inpatient services a day. But some worried reducing inpatient pediatric care would risk the hospital's Level 1 trauma designation. Others worried about how it could affect the level of care at the state's only public hospital. Ann Twomey, president of the union, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, said the monitor is a welcome addition. "Nurses and health professionals at University Hospital have witnessed the erosion of funding for our state's only public Level 1 Trauma Center. We are pleased with Gov. Murphy's swift action to appoint a monitor to scrutinize the hospital. Yet the priority of a monitor must be to provide a course for the hospital to be a viable public institution that will continue to meet the needs of the most disenfranchised and neediest in our communities served by the hospital," Twomey said. University Hospital is the only public acute-care hospital in the state. The 467-bed institution relocated 40 years ago to city-donated land with a mission: to help Newark recover from the 1967 riots by meeting the city's public health needs. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, in a joint statement with Murphy, said he approved of the governor's decision. "I have been very concerned about the quality of care at the hospital, their failure to live up to the Newark Agreement negotiated when the hospital was created, their attempt to reduce the number of pediatric beds without consulting myself or the Governor, and the failing grade they received on their level of care from the Leapfrog group," Baraka said. "The appointment of a monitor will assure that University Hospital gets its house in order." Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, praised the governor's action. "I commend the governor for stepping in. As one of only three Level 1 trauma hospitals, it provides unique and critical care services to a large swath of our residents, in addition to being an important regional health care employer," Vitale said. "I look forward to working with the administration, hospital and monitor to improve upon what can be a great health care institution. NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Karen Yi contributed to this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. After what authorities say was a suspicious device found in a delivery truck, law enforcement, including at least two bomb squads, converged on a New Jersey nuclear plant. The item was later found to be non-explosive. The incident unfolded around 9:30 a.m. when a 4,800 gallon tank truck arrived at PSEG Nuclear's generating complex in Lower Alloways Creek Township, according to Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan. The truck was delivering chemicals to the plant used for water treatment. Checking the truck per protocol, a security team member spotted what appeared to be a suspicious device in a tool box. A heavy law enforcement presence converged on the scene. Bomb squads from the FBI and New Jersey State Police, the Salem County Prosecutor's Office, Salem County Sheriff's Office, a bomb-sniffing K-9, Lower Alloways Creek Township Police and PSEG Nuclear security were among those investigating the find. Robots used in bomb investigations were also at the site, authorities said. The truck was parked near the processing center at the complex as the probe was underway. That center is far from the heavily fortified and guarded three nuclear reactors at the complex on the shores of the Delaware River in Salem County. An all-clear was sounded around 1:30 p.m. after it was determined the item was not an explosive. According to PSEG Nuclear officials, the device turned out to be a common tank flotation device. The generating station contains three nuclear reactors -- Salem 1, Salem 2 and Hope Creek -- and is the second-largest commercial nuclear generating station in the Unites States. The driver remained at the scene as the investigation unfolded, officials said. Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Two men broke into two homes in the Milneburg neighborhood of New Orleans, locked the residents inside a closet and stole a car Thursday night (July 27), according to New Orleans police. Just before 11 p.m., a 32-year-old woman was inside her home in the 2500 block of Robert E. Lee Boulevard when a man came into the house, demanding money and marijuana. The woman was forced outside, according to a preliminary police report, where a second man was waiting. Both burglars then forced their way into the nearby home of a 24-year-old woman, again demanding money and marijuana. They locked both women in a closet and fled the scene in one of their cars -- a blue 2011 Infiniti, according to NOPD. It was not immediately clear if anything else was stolen from the homes. Police did not release the license plate number of the stolen car. Just over an hour earlier, a dollar store in the Read Boulevard West area of New Orleans East was robbed by a man with a gun, according to NOPD. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Around 10:30 p.m., a man wearing all black with a purple bandana over his face came into the Family Dollar in the 9700 block of Chef Menteur Highway, according to a preliminary police report. The man demanded money and fled after the 21- and 24-year-old employees gave him cash. An armed robbery was also reported on the St. Claude area Thursday evening. Just after 5 p.m., a 32-year-old man was approached by two men in the 1300 block of Alvar Street, who robbed him at gunpoint, according to a preliminary police report. NOPD did not provide additional information. NOPD also reported a simple robbery late Thursday morning in the Little Woods area of New Orleans police. According to a preliminary police report, a 33-year-old man was involved in an argument with three men. The fight turned physical, police said, and one of the men punched the victim in his face and stole his cellphone before the three men fled the area. This story was updated Friday afternoon to include additional information from police. Two people were shot on Bourbon Street Friday morning (July 27) near Conti Street in the French Quarter, New Orleans police said. NOPD said the shooting happened around 5 a.m. at the intersection (map). One person was shot in the leg and the other was shot more than once, NOPD 8th District Cmdr. Nick Gernon said. Their injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening, Gernon added. Officers were nearby and responded to the shooting, and cameras from the city's Real Time Crime Center captured the shooting and the moments leading up to it, Gernon said. An initial review of surveillance footage did not appear to show an immediate altercation leading up to the shooting, police said. Officers apprehended two men on the scene. Gernon initially said both were armed, but investigators later determined only one man was carrying a weapon. Police identified the suspected shooter as Aaron Hill, 26. It was not clear Friday morning if the second man apprehended will be facing charges. A gun was found on a Conti Street sidewalk, near the intersection of Burgundy and officers could be seen standing around the weapon Friday morning. Police initially said the weapon belonged to the shooter, but later reported the gun was dropped by one of the wounded men. A 28-year-old man was shot multiple times, according to NOPD, including in the stomach, Gernon said. The second wounded man, 37, was shot in the leg. Both men were taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, Gernon said. Kimberly Wahl said she lives nearby the scene of the shooting and was standing outside near Conti and Burgundy, filing a police report for an unrelated incident when she heard about nine shots fired. "The officers I was talking to just handed me back my ID, and jumped in their cars," Wahl said. "I just saw the guy running, and [police] chased him for a little more than a block before they caught him." Wahl said there was "a lot of foot traffic" near the scene of the shooting. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "I heard the shots, and it sounded like they landed," Wahl said. "I knew someone must have been hit, there were too many people over there for it to be nothing." Wahl said she heard one of the men who was apprehended tell officers "it was self defense," but Gernon said they do not believe it was. "We don't think it was self defense, but the cameras will tell," Gernon said. "We haven't had a chance to review the whole night leading up to the incident, but there was no visible altercation right before the shooting." There has not been a shooting on Bourbon Street since December 2016, Gernon said, crediting the drop in gun violence to an increased effort to get illegal guns off the street. So far in 2018, Gernon said they have made 130 illegal gun arrests in the 8th District, which encompasses the French Quarter and CBD. No murders have been reported in the 8th District in 2018. The last Bourbon Street shooting -- on Dec. 18, 2016 -- was also reported near Conti Street. According to NOPD, a 20-year-old man in a wheelchair was shot in the stomach during a fight. This shooting came less than a month after two 20-year-old Lafayette men opened fire into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing one and injuring nine. On Nov. 27, 2016, Jordon Clay and Travon Manuel shot at each other near Iberville Street, but instead struck 10 bystanders. Demontris Toliver, 25, was killed and nine other victims were wounded. Clay and Manuel had an "ongoing feud" over a woman, according to NOPD. Both men claimed self-defense and say the other fired first. Check back for more details on this developing story. --- NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reporter Carlie Kollath Wells contributed to this story. Odors from the Jefferson Parish landfill, already irritating residents of Harahan, River Ridge and Waggaman, have reached the courthouse in Gretna. Lawyers filed a proposed class-action suit there Wednesday (July 25) in 24th Judicial District Court against the parish government and its dump operators. They sued on behalf of River Ridge resident George Ictech-Bendeck and others "similarly situated but as yet fully identified," seeking unspecified damages for the stench's nuisance and its depression of property values. The suit was assigned to Judge Glenn Ansardi. It comes three months after residents publicly voiced complaints about noxious odors that awaken them at night and sometimes irritate their noses and throats and cause headaches. But the lawsuit dates the stench from Aug. 1, 2017, almost a year ago. Parish officials, with help from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, have been scrambling to identify the source of the odor and contain it. On Monday, Jefferson officials said the government's landfill engineer has resigned, and they blamed a contractor at the Waggaman dump for letting smelly gases waft into nearby neighborhoods. The contractor, Louisiana Regional Landfill Co., denied responsibility. The lawsuit was filed about three hours before the Parish Council convened a regular meeting in Grand Isle, where it established an air quality task force and endorsed the decision by Parish President Mike Yenni's administration to halt acceptance of liquid industrial wastes at the landfill. Further, Councilmen Paul Johnston and Mark Spears Jr., whose district are most affected by the odor, are putting up $50,000 each from their discretionary spending accounts to buy more equipment and fund more investigations. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The task force includes representatives of Yenni, Johnston, Spears, state Rep. Kirk Talbot of River Ridge, the Harahan and 3rd District fire chiefs, the Sheriff's Office, the state Department of Environmental Quality and the East Jefferson Levee District, four members of public whom Johnston will appoint and Yenni administration staffers from the departments of Fire, Emergency Management, Environmental Affairs and Property Maintenance, Zoning and Quality of Life. Read the lawsuit: . . . . . . . Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach. The splendid new $4 million Deutsches Haus cultural center building that has been under construction over the past few months at 1700 Moss St. on Bayou St. John is almost complete. The headquarters of the organization, which is dedicated to Gulf Coast German heritage, is scheduled to be finished by the beginning of October. The popular annual Oktoberfest celebration will take place in tents on the grounds of the new building in Mid-City starting Oct. 5. Deutsches Haus board of directors president Jack Gonzales said the building itself will not be available because the occupancy permitting process will not be complete. Meanwhile, as the new Deutsches Haus building is being finished, the organization will say goodbye to its present home in the American Legion building at 1023 Ridgewood Drive in Metairie. Trivia night on Friday (July 27) is the last scheduled event in the suburban location. Gonzales said that the Metairie location, which has been the organization's headquarters for seven years, was always viewed as a temporary stopover. "It was fun," Gonzales said, "and we've had a great relationship with the American Legion, but it never felt like home." Deutsches Haus's picturesque new 4.5 acre New Orleans locale, which has been the historic site of a Native American fishing camp, a Civil War soldiers' rest home, a National Guard armory and an NOPD station, will be the organization's third home base. From 1928 to 2011 Deutsches Haus was located in a former Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company building on South Galvez Street, which was controversially demolished to make way for the University Medical Center-Veterans Affairs hospital complex. Gonzales said that design elements from the old CTTC building are being incorporated into the decoration of the New Haus. From 2011 to the present, Deutsches House has been located at the Metairie location mentioned above, with Oktoberfest held at the Rivertown Exhibition Hall in Kenner until Oct. 2017. In 2017 the annual Oktoberfest took place under tents at the new Moss Street site in New Orleans. Oktoberfest 2018 is scheduled for October 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20. The Chicken Dancing, dachshund racing, brats and kraut consuming and beer stein-isometrics competition will be held at the Moss Street location, as Deutsches Haus celebrates its 90th year. Hours are Fridays, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Admission is $8. On November 18, 2018 the new 10,000 square-ft. A-frame Deutsches Haus (the New Haus) building will open to the public. Doug MacCash has the best job in the world, covering art, music, and culture in New Orleans. Contact him via email at dmaccash@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash. As always, please add your point of view to the comment stream. When students return to class at St. Tammany Parish public schools on Aug. 9, they'll be greeted by uniformed police officers at each of the school district's 55 campuses. The school district has spent much of the summer putting together a plan to have an officer - called school resource officers - on each of the campuses. It's a costly initiative but one the St. Tammany Parish School Board unanimously signed off on earlier this year, following the recommendations of a committee schools Superintendent Trey Folse convened in the wake of a deadly school shooting at a high school in Florida. As of last spring, the district had officers at 14 of its campuses. The anticipated cost of the full contingent of officers, who are formally employed by the parish's various law enforcement agencies but have 10 months of their salaries paid by the school district, is $2 million annually, the school district has said. (A companion measure the board adopted last May will staff each campus with mental health providers. That initiative is also expected to cost $2 million, the school district says.) The resource officers, who are all trained, armed police officers, will come from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office and the police departments in Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, Pearl River and Madisonville. The Sheriff's Office this week said it was on target to supply a deputy at 25 schools. The Sheriff's Office touted not just the added layer of protection the officers provide, but also the "positive relationships'' they develop with students, parents and school personnel. "Sometimes they become counselors,'' Capt. Scott Lee, a Sheriff's Office spokesman, said of the relationships the deputies forge with students and others on the campuses. The parish's various law enforcement agencies will handle school staffing in different ways. A chief concern among the agencies is that the program has funding in place for this year, but not for subsequent years. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Folse has told the School Board there is money available for the first year through some surplus accounts but after that the district will have to find the revenues to cover the expenses. Some officials have said that might require going to the voters for some type of revenue measure. The Sheriff's Office said it will dedicate deputies to the schools on a permanent, full-time basis. Supplying a deputy to 25 campuses has created some movement within the employee ranks that could result in additional hires having to be made, Lee said. Lee said the question of future funding is an issue that the Sheriff's Office took into account. But, he said, leaders there decided to go ahead with the dedicated officers - even if it requires making new hires. "For us it just made the most sense to handle it with full-time people,'' he said, adding that he thinks it's a "safe bet'' the school district will come up with the money to keep the program going in subsequent years. But other jurisdictions will take a different approach, handing the school officers as paid police details. "Long-term, I think we intend to fully fund those positions,'' Mandeville Police Chief Gerald Sticker said. "But we'll handle it like a detail (for the first year) until we see what the permanent funding will look like.'' Capt. Daniel Seuzenau, a Slidell police spokesman, said using the detail system while long-term funding remains a question will eliminate the cost of supplying new officers with patrol cars and other equipment. He said all officers would undergo special school resource officer training to be eligible for the details. "We already signed up for the month of August and every spot is filled,'' he said. The Unlikely Candidates will headline the third night of Riverfront Nights on Saturday. Sam Killed the Bear kicks off the music at 7 p.m. followed by The Unlikely Candidates at 8 p.m. on the city's waterfront. The Unlikely Candidates are an indie rock band that have signed on with major-label Atlantic Records, have released several EPs and singles, and have had several songs rank in the Billboard top 40 for Alternative Songs. Friends of the Festival is a nonprofit organization that manages and produces premier events which unite and enrich our region with emphasis on the vitality of our community. For more information on Riverfront Nights please visit www.riverfrontnights.com or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/riverfrontnights NAIROBI, Kenya By Thursday afternoon, the coup attempt in Guinea seemed to have simply become a coup. In one fell swoop, most of the top politicians in the impoverished West African country surrendered themselves to the cadre of junior officers who began seizing power on Tuesday after the death of the countrys longstanding ruler. The armys rank and file seemed to be lining up behind the junior officers. And the coup leaders swiftly replaced governors with military commanders. We are at your disposal, the countrys prime minister said in a live radio address. Though the young officers essentially shoved aside Guineas civilian leadership at gunpoint, there was not a lot of complaining among the populace. People in Conakry, Guineas steamy, seaside capital, flooded back into the streets on Thursday, resuming their lives, playing soccer, going shopping, with many saying they hoped the coup would usher in better government. At the same time I was acutely aware that this quick in-and-out, within the bubble of the physical security the American military was providing for the senators, was nothing compared with the sustained risks taken by my colleagues who routinely go into war zones without such protection to tell the world what is happening there. Some Pentagon officials had not been thrilled about having a reporter along for a congressional trip that was already a big responsibility. Even as I was boarding the plane to the Middle East, Senator Graham later told me, the military bureaucracy had tried to avoid taking me to a prison site by abruptly saying there would be room in a planned convoy for each lawmaker to take just one aide. Only after he declared that his second spot would go to me, the senator said, had they grudgingly added more vehicles. As we were heading to the first prison, a military official told me I would not be permitted to take any photographs inside its walls. I leaned on my Guantanamo experience to appeal to Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, the commander of the coalition forces fighting in Iraq and Syria, who was accompanying the delegation. I explained to him that at Guantanamo the military permits journalists to take photographs inside the prison so long as detainees faces are not visible, and he agreed to switch to Guantanamo rules. As it turned out, there was no way to take any shots of the ISIS detainees from our vantage point outside a cell that would not show their faces. But being able to take other pictures inside the compounds was helpful for remembering details, and a few were decent enough that The Times published them one on the front page. As colleagues ribbed me about my photojournalism skills, I jokingly vowed never to write again. For the past two months, Mr. Sotomayor has been overseeing a special program meant to speed up repairs and reduce the maintenance backlog at the Manhattanville Houses. The vast majority of open work orders at Nycha apartments require skilled trades workers like painters, plasterers, plumbers, carpenters and electricians. The financially challenged agency, however, has struggled to hire enough of these workers, leading to interminable wait times for basic repairs. A resident with a damaged wall, for example, will wait an average of about 100 days for a plasterer and three months more for a painter to finish the job. Under the new program, Nycha has targeted several dozen developments with the most extensive maintenance backlogs and concentrated teams of contractors and temporary skilled trades workers there to rapidly close individual work orders. The goal is to close 50,000 work orders within two years using $20 million the city allocated earlier this year. 9 a.m. Mr. Sotomayor, 54, continued to crisscross the sprawling grounds of the development. A Long Island native, Mr. Sotomayor juggles the daily logistics of directly supervising repairs and ensuring his team meets its performance goals at a time when all eyes are on the troubled agency. Its hard to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks, Mr. Sotomayor said. Next up was the home of Muhammed Aklas, who was grappling with leaks in almost every room of his five-bedroom apartment. Mr. Aklas, 62, a retired cook from Bangladesh, lives with his wife on the first floor a curse in a rundown high rise. On Wednesday afternoon, Cynthia Nixons campaign sent an email blast to supporters, mocking Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos application for the Stonewall Democratic Clubs endorsement, accusing him of lying in a desperate bid to shore up support. Hours later, the club, the citys first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Democratic organization, endorsed Mr. Cuomo. In the slog to Septembers primary elections, the Stonewall Democrats are just one among a bevy of groups that have weighed in on the closely watched race for governor. But their choice makes clear the challenge facing Ms. Nixon, a political novice who would be the states first openly gay governor, as she seeks to unseat a two-term incumbent with a measurable track record. I have not agreed with the governor on everything he has done, both from a policy and politics perspective, said Jeffrey LeFrancois, a Stonewall Democrats board member. But at the end of the day, in the state of the country, state of the world right now, to take a gamble on somebody who has had zero experience in a political or governing environment is not a risk that I think is appropriate. Her problems began when she was on the verge of accessing data on the investment decisions of workers preparing to retire. Mr. Bekaert, a senior faculty member who has taught at Columbia for nearly 20 years, had ties to the company that owned the data Ms. Ravina needed. Claims of harassment began soon after. The suit describes Mr. Bekaert as a rapacious supervisor who used his authority to delay Ms. Ravinas research and undermine her attempts to gain tenure. He told her of his sexual exploits and preferences, touched her inappropriately and asked that she call him sexy, according to the suit. After she took her complaints to Columbia leadership, Ms. Ravinas tenure process was sped up and a paid leave that the university had granted her for the 2015-16 academic year was revoked. Ms. Ravina was denied tenure. The universitys lawyers attempted to portray Ms. Ravina as a subpar employee who did not get tenure because of her poor performance. Although jurors believed Mr. Bekaert had retaliated, he was not held liable for discrimination. In Tuesdays closing statements, Ms. Ravinas lawyer, David Sanford, called for Columbia to bolster the staff in its Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office and regulate relationships between junior and senior faculty. The result touched far more than the newly emancipated. Before the Civil War, states had restricted speech and the press (often singling out abolitionist literature), imposed religious and racial tests for voting and funded Christian denominations; Connecticut and Massachusetts established official state churches for many years. One of the 14th Amendments drafters, John A. Bingham, seized the moment to stop this, declaring his intention to arm the Congress of the United States, by the consent of the people, with power to enforce the Bill of Rights. The constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar argues that the framers comments show how even the Second Amendment must be read in light of the 14th. All in all, this was a revolution a broad reimagining of individual rights and federal power. But if white Americans reconstructed the law, they did not reconstruct themselves. Bigotry suffused the debate, and infiltrated the amendment itself. In a half-step toward enfranchising the freed people, the 14th Amendment penalizes states that withhold the vote from male citizens the first use of that adjective in the Constitution. The historian Joshua Paddison notes how Western congressmen complained that ethnic Chinese would become citizens, stating that heathens had no place here. The 14th's framers replied that birthright should apply to all and that restrictions in naturalization law would minimize the problem. Asians became a lasting focus of nativist obsession over immigration, seen in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Prejudice diluted the 14th Amendments results. As Adam Winkler writes in We the Corporations, for many decades the Supreme Court gave greater protection under the amendment to corporations than to African-Americans. After the federal government allowed Southern white violence to overwhelm Reconstruction, the justices allowed segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, and, in Korematsu v. United States, the imprisonment of American citizens solely for their Japanese ancestry. And the justices first embraced the incorporation doctrine only in 1925, in Gitlow v. New York, the case of a revolutionary socialist who had been arrested for advocating the overthrow of the government showing again that it takes dissenters and outsiders to expand freedom for all. The 14th Amendment is felt by all of us, every day. If it did not invent freedom, it transformed and strengthened it, codifying a universal definition of individual rights and national identity that has been an example to the world. But the failings of those who wrote it linger on. Many of us still have not internalized the idea that an American can look like anyone in the world. Whoever calls the police on a peaceful, unarmed black or brown person is acting in a long, grim tradition. Complaints about the immigration of Muslims, Latin Americans or people from shithole countries restate the original arguments against the 14th as opening the doors to heathens and pagans. Even debates over the intrusiveness of the federal government and the rights of corporations are rooted in the amendment that forever altered Washingtons role in American life. The Americans of 150 years ago created something greater than their own limitations. Yet the law does not enforce itself; it is a tool used by human beings. Over and over again, Americans have thrown it to the ground, sometimes in the midst of praising it. At this moment, the question is not whether we will pick it up again, but whether we will break it. T. J. Stiles has received the National Book Award for Nonfiction and the Pulitzer Prize twice, for biography and, most recently, for history for Custers Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America. He is currently writing a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter. Sarah Hemminger grew up in Indiana understanding the debilitating power of social isolation. When she was a girl, her father discovered that their pastor was dipping into church funds and reported it to the congregation. Instead of doing something about the pastor, the community shunned her family. Sarah and her siblings would sit at parties and neighborhood events and nobody would talk to them. She spent eight years of her childhood ostracized. She also learned what it looks like when people come around to heal isolation. When she was in high school one of her classmates, Ryan, failed his freshman year because his home life was crumbling. Six teachers rallied around him, serving as extended family members. Ryan recovered, ended up getting into the U.S. Naval Academy and married Sarah. Years later, she was beginning work on her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins, mapping the neural structures of the brain. She was lonely, and she saw kids throughout the Baltimore schools who were lonely and isolated, too. She got the principal at Dunbar High School to give her names of some of the schools most academically underperforming kids and persuaded dozens of Hopkins students to volunteer as extended family members for the kids, driving them to school, bringing them lunch, driving them back to school when they skipped out, doing homework with them, taking them camping. The world expects the president to be Americas foreign policy authority, and that what he says goes. Right? Not so fast. In a pattern thats familiar with this White House, what appear to be articulations of foreign policy by President Trump may not always be what they seem. Thats the obvious conclusion to be drawn from Secretary of State Mike Pompeos testimony on Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed doubt about Moscows election meddling, has failed to order any defense against future election hacking, has suggested Crimea should be a part of Russia, has impugned NATO and has ingratiated himself with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Mr. Pompeo, however, combatively insisted to the senators that Mr. Trump is well aware of the challenges that Russia poses, including its interference in American elections. He said strenuously that the United States is opposed to Russias illegal annexation of Crimea, and that it considers NATO an indispensable pillar of American national security. We live in the age of extinction, a quiet catastrophe that surely ranks as one of the great ecological and moral crises of our time. The best tool for saving Americas imperiled animals and plants is the Endangered Species Act, first passed by Congress in 1973. But you wouldnt know it from whats been happening recently in the nations capital. Last week, the Trump administration proposed major changes to the law. Although some offered welcome clarifications and efficiencies, others would strike at the core of the law that now protects more than 2,000 threatened and endangered species, from the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale, to the Florida perforate cladonia, a two-inch lichen found only in the state. Among the most worrisome is a proposal that would allow cost considerations to influence whether a species qualifies for protection or should be left to its fate. Decisions are now based on the best available science, and references to economic impacts are prohibited. Introducing cost criteria would circumvent the science that keeps the listing process honest. The plan also would give the administration the discretion to scale back protections for some species listed as threatened in future determinations. The administrations proposal joins legislative efforts to retool the law. In examining them, we should ask two questions: Will these changes increase populations of endangered species, or at least slow their decline? And will they advance cooperation and reduce conflicts between the federal government and states, industries and landowners? Almost none of these recent proposals pass this test. NATIONAL An article on Thursday about Republican representatives move to impeach the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, referred incorrectly to the impeachment process. A group of House Republicans would need the support of a majority of the House to impeach and two-thirds of the Senate to convict the deputy attorney general, not to impeach him. BUSINESS DAY Because of an editing error, an article on Thursday about the impact of strikes on the discount carrier Ryanair misstated Michael OLearys role at Ryanair. He is the airlines chief executive, not its founder. OPINION An editorial on Thursday about legislation to reform the Congressional Accountability Act suggested incorrectly that the law allows for punitive damages. It allows for compensatory and other damages. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions. SAN FRANCISCO Hold that champagne. Expectations for Amazons second quarter were extremely high, and in some respects the company exceeded them when it released results on Thursday. But any hope that it would be the event that hurtled the companys valuation above the trillion-dollar mark will have to wait. Amazons greatest strength is its ability to sell vast quantities of things, while its actual profit is famously erratic. This quarter, those qualities were reversed. Profit was strong, while revenue was not quite what analysts had anticipated. Net sales increased 39 percent, to $52.9 billion, compared with the same period a year ago. Analysts predicted $53.37 billion. Whats a $500 million miss from a highflier? Well, Facebook on Wednesday missed its estimates by about $200 million, on revenue that was a quarter of Amazons, and the stock tumbled 19 percent. But Amazon leads a charmed life: Good results mean things are working out, and weak results mean it is investing so things will work out in the future. A man suspected of starting a wildfire in California that has spread over thousands of acres and prompted widespread evacuations was arrested on Wednesday night, the authorities said. The man, Brandon N. McGlover, was charged with five counts of arson to wildland, according to a news release from Cal Fire, a state agency responsible for fire protection. The Cranston fire, as it is known, has spread rapidly across a mountainous area east of Los Angeles. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the fire had expanded to cover 7,500 acres with 5 percent of it contained, said Lyn Sieliet, a United States Forest Service spokeswoman. Mr. McGlover, 32, is also accused of starting multiple smaller fires, according to the news release. The Cranston fire started at about noon on Wednesday, according to the Forest Service. The entire community of Idyllwild, a mountain town about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, and other areas of the San Jacinto Mountains were evacuated on Wednesday evening. WASHINGTON Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plans to eliminate regulations that forced for-profit colleges to prove that they provide gainful employment to the students they enroll, in what would be the most drastic in a series of moves that she has made to free the for-profit sector from safeguards put in effect during the Obama era. The so-called gainful employment regulations put into force by the Obama administration cut off federally guaranteed student loans to colleges if their graduates did not earn enough money to pay them off. That sent many for-profit colleges and universities into an economic tailspin because so many of their alumni were failing to find decent jobs. The Obama regulations years in the making and the subject of a bitter fight that pulled in heavy hitters from both parties who backed the for-profit schools also required such schools to advertise whether or not they met federal standards for job placement in promotional materials and to prospective students. Now, a draft regulation, obtained by The New York Times, indicates that the Education Department plans to scuttle the regulations altogether, not simply modify them, as Ms. DeVos did Wednesday with new regulations that scaled back an Obama-era debt relief plan for student borrowers who felt duped by the unrealistic appeals of for-profit colleges. Mr. Sanders is the chief sponsor of a bill, the Medicare for All Act, that starts by declaring, Every individual who is a resident of the United States is entitled to benefits for health care services. The bill would greatly reduce consumers out-of-pocket costs. The secretary of health and human services would establish a national health budget, set payment rates for health care providers, negotiate prices to be paid for prescription drugs and establish lists of covered drugs. Fifteen Democratic senators have signed on as co-sponsors of Mr. Sanderss bill. They include potential candidates for president in 2020 like Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Democrats are already emphasizing the matter in midterm election campaigns. Health care is going to be the biggest issue in 2018, said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader. It is far more important to the vast majority of Americans than any other issue. In the House, 70 Democrats announced last week that they had formed a Medicare for All Congressional Caucus to build the case for such legislation. A bill to achieve that goal has been endorsed by 120 House Democrats, or about 62 percent of the partys members in that chamber. Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington and a leader of the Medicare for All Caucus, said Trump administration officials seemed blind to the fact that a majority of Americans support expanding, not weakening, health care. A single-payer health care system would be much simpler and could save hundreds of billions of dollars a year, Ms. Jayapal said. A study by a team of researchers at the Urban Institute in 2016, when Mr. Sanders was running for president, estimated that an earlier version of his plan could increase national health spending by a total of $6.6 trillion over 10 years. The proposal would shift spending from the private sector and states to the federal government, so, it said, federal spending could increase by $32 trillion over 10 years. Federal investigators in Manhattan have asked to interview Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, as part of their investigation into President Trumps former lawyer Michael D. Cohen, according to two people familiar with the matter. It was not clear whether Mr. Weisselberg was issued a subpoena or was asked to answer questions voluntarily. Either way, the development suggests that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are scrutinizing at least some financial dealings of the Trump family business, a line that the president has publicly warned the special counsel in the Russia investigation, Robert S. Mueller III, not to cross. The New York prosecutors, who are operating on a separate track from Mr. Muellers team, are investigating Mr. Cohen on a number of fronts, including payments he arranged before the presidential election to women who had claimed that they had affairs with Mr. Trump. The prosecutors interest in Mr. Weisselberg was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The development set off alarm bells within the Trump Organization, an umbrella company for Mr. Trumps holdings, because of the scope of Mr. Weisselbergs responsibilities. He has handled its finances for decades, has been involved with the Trump Foundation, has managed the presidents private trust and has at times reviewed the Trump presidential campaigns books. Two New Jersey radio hosts have been suspended for 10 days after making derogatory comments about the states attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, including calling him turban man. On Wednesday, the radio hosts, Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco of New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM, were discussing Mr. Grewals recent announcement in which he asked prosecutors to delay cases concerning marijuana-related offenses for a month. Mr. Molloy stated he was never going to learn Mr. Grewals name, and instead opted to call him turban man, according to audio of the broadcast. Listen, if that offends you, then dont wear the turban and Ill remember your name, Mr. Malloy said. He then asked Ms. Franco if turban man was highly offensive. The secretary general of the United Nations said Thursday that its cash supply had been severely depleted because of what he described as delayed contributions by many member states, and he warned the organizations employees that they must find ways to cut expenses. Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an internal memorandum to employees shared with The New York Times. We are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer. According to a tally known as the honor roll on the United Nations website, 112 of the organizations 193 members have paid their annual assessments in full. The United States, by far the biggest single contributor at 22 percent of the budget, has not yet paid, but diplomats said the Americans typically completed their payments toward the end of the year. PYEONGTAEK, South Korea Remains believed to be those of 55 American servicemen were flown out of North Korea on Friday, the first visible result of President Trumps efforts to bring the American war dead home 65 years after the end of combat in the Korean War. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change, the White House said in announcing the handover. An American Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo plane carrying the remains landed later at Osan Air Base south of Seoul, the South Korean capital. Hundreds of American service members as well as a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to mark the return of the fallen troops. As the honor guard and the troops stood at attention, 55 small coffins containing the remains were individually carried out of the plane by dress-uniformed soldiers and loaded into six vans. Each of the boxes was wrapped with the United Nations flag, the flag that American troops fought under in the Korean War. The aid decision reflects the new tenor of American foreign policy under Mr. Pompeo and the national security adviser, John R. Bolton, who have shown a willingness to trade American leadership on human rights for an embrace of friendly autocrats like Mr. Sisi who share their hostility toward political Islam. Mr. Sisi has long enjoyed a warm relationship with President Trump, who hailed the Egyptian leader as a fantastic guy and even publicly complimented his taste in shoes. But the Egyptian leader had a tougher time from the previous secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, who last August denied Egypt $96 million in aid and suspended $195 million. Egyptian officials were shocked at the rebuke from the United States, which over the past 40 years has given Egypt $47 billion in military aid and $24 billion in economic assistance. Mr. Tillerson was said to be angry that Mr. Sisi had broken a private promise, made in Washington, that he would not sign the harsh law on aid agency regulations. In May 2017, Mr. Sisi went ahead and enacted the law anyway. Mr. Tillerson also sought to press Egypt over its relationship with North Korea, which operates a large embassy in Cairo that it uses to carry out illicit arms sales across the Middle East, according to United Nations inspectors. Mr. Sisis government has partly addressed some American concerns. A retrial of the case involving the 43 foreign aid workers, many of whom were convicted in absentia, is scheduled to start this year. Egyptian media reports say that Mr. Sisi has forced North Korea to cut the number of diplomats stationed at its embassy in Cairo. But such restrictions can be easily circumvented through the use of accounting measures, like counting diplomats as spouses, said Mr. Miller, the analyst, who worked on Egypt at the State Department until last year. If past is prologue, we will see that as soon as the U.S. looks the other way, the Egyptians will start up their relationship with North Korea again, he said. On most other fronts, things have gotten markedly worse in Egypt. Since Mr. Sisis re-election in May, after a carefully managed vote, the president has redoubled his efforts to lock up even relatively mild critics. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox. The Tale of the Tweets Stephen Colbert on Thursday had some advice for Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, after he heard that Mueller is now examining President Trumps Twitter feed. Mueller is considering whether some of Trumps tweets might count as attempts to obstruct the investigation. Colbert shared a few personal coping mechanisms he said hes developed after more than a year of closely monitoring the presidents Twitter feed. CHARLES JAMES Portrait of an Unreasonable Man By Michele Gerber Klein 254 pp. Rizzoli Ex Libris. $37.50. Image He was one of 20th-century fashions most brilliant couturiers and one of its most notorious enfants terribles. Born into privilege in Surrey in 1906, Charles James was your standard-issue wealthy neer-do-well, except for the fact that he went on to do very well indeed. Oscar Wilde with scissors (he once referred to Diana Vreeland as one of the parlor maids of fashion and called Halston a middle-of-the-road man who would be better as a buyer in the store), he befriended everyone from Cecil Beaton to Gypsy Rose Lee as he designed his way through international cafe society. The New Look, largely credited to Dior, was really invented by James, whose nipped waists and umbrella skirts would come to define 50s femininity. But socially bludgeoned by a series of lawsuits and society feuds, he eventually faded from relevance and died in 1978 while living in a dank room at the Chelsea Hotel. Kleins challenge is that so much of the story rests with Jamess clothes, about which she provides granular detail. But the books few photos leave you craving a better look as the narrative spirals into a tiresome list of seemingly every socialite and aristocrat who ever attended a ball in prewar Europe. Structurally, Jamess journey is reflected through the plodding histories of the famous silk-stocking women he intersected with, and as a result the designers own image never fully fills the mirror. Instead he remains a supporting character, playing peek-a-boo in his own biography as he tosses off acidic bons mots, skips out on debts and eventually in fashions version of Truman Capotes La Cote Basque, 1965 alienates the women who made him. There are far too few anecdotes amid the bolts of tulle, satin and crinoline that drape page after page, forcing Klein to rely on her formidable fashion knowledge to pave over the narrative. She ends up trapped in very stylish weeds, lacking the proper storytelling devices to scythe her way out. INAPPROPRIATION By Lexi Freiman 351 pp. Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers. $26.99. Satire is a difficult genre to neatly define, but if we call it the use of humor, irony and exaggeration to expose the stupidity of certain parts of contemporary culture, then Inappropriation, Lexi Freimans debut, is certainly a satirical novel. Ziggy Klein, the protagonist, has a fitting name. She zigs and zags through opinions and ways of seeing the world over the course of the book, always in search of understanding. We meet this curious Australian teenager just after she leaves her Jewish school and begins attending the upper-crust Kandara, a private school for girls in Sydney. To get an idea of the strata attending, the books opening scene describes an American movie star, who has come to see his daughter perform in the school musical, making a break for it before he can be ambushed by a horde of schoolgirls; though he remains unnamed, most readers will recognize him as Tom Cruise. The students at Kandara, in other words, are for the most part megawealthy and uber-privileged. Ziggys ability to attend makes it clear that even though her mother is a hippie-dippy therapist and her dad a newly buff accountant, they too are well off. Image When even the unpopular girls are rich, if not always pretty, how will they attempt rebellion and nonconformity? This question is amply answered as Ziggy makes friends with the social outcasts Lex, who was adopted from Bangladesh by aging white Australians, and Tessa, who lost an arm to cancer and wears a prosthetic. Tessa and Lex try to instruct Ziggy in the ways of oppression, but they do it in the most misinformed, self-serving, and wrongheaded ways possible. While Lex and Tessa are marginalized for obvious reasons neither brown nor disabled women have an easy time in our able-bodied, majority-white society they instead revel in a host of misunderstood categories that pit them against the popular schoolgirls and allow them to feel morally superior. Using Donna Haraways 1984 essay A Cyborg Manifesto as their skimmed-through bible, the girls make bold and nonsensical statements like, Moses made the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years so that they would forget their bondage. Which explains the amnesia between third-wave and postfeminism, and The prison-industrial complex is making it nearly impossible for black people to stay straight. Make room in the packed Trump book marketplace for two more titles Michiko Kakutanis The Death of Truth, which the former New York Times book critic describes as an examination of the fallout that dishonesty and the denial of objective truth are having on our democracy, and Jeanine Pirros Liars, Leakers and Liberals, which the Fox weekend host calls my firsthand account of the real Trump presidency. Pirro, a former county court judge in New York, is a longtime friend and supporter of the president (she once tweeted a picture of herself standing at the White House gates, saying Guess where I am?). He has returned the affection, once even gifting her with a box of Ivanka Trump shoes. Not only did Trump give her an interview for the book, he also urged people to buy it: Our great Judge Jeanine Pirro is out with a new book, Liars, Leakers and Liberals, the Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy, which is fantastic. Go get it! he tweeted on June 22. (Its unclear whether or not he has actually picked it up; a New York Times article once stated bluntly that the president does not read books.) President Trump is not the only member of the family flogging Liars, Leakers and Liberals. Eric and Lara Trump, who attended the launch party, have been photographed holding copies of it, and Donald Trump Jr. who recently tweeted that Pirro would make an awesome Supreme Court justice was interviewed for it, telling the judge, Think about the campaign in the early days, when they say this Russia stuff happened. We couldnt have colluded to order a cheeseburger. Six new paperbacks to check out this week. BLACK DETROIT: A Peoples History of Self-Determination, by Herb Boyd. (Amistad/HarperCollins, $16.99.) Boyd weaves the lives of standout African-American figures into this history of the city, tracing its evolution from a French trading post to a symbol of decline. From the countrys first black auto dealer to Michigans first black obstetrician, characters who might have otherwise remained on historys sidelines are the heart of Boyds history. GOODBYE, VITAMIN, by Rachel Khong. (Picador, $16.) In the wake of a breakup, Ruth 30, adrift and heartbroken returns home to care for her father, who is in the early stages of Alzheimers disease. The novel takes the form of Ruths diary over that year, resulting in a poignant and even darkly comic exploration of adulthood, relationships and memory. THE WRITTEN WORLD: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization, by Martin Puchner. (Random House, $20.) Puchner, an English professor at Harvard, makes the case for literatures all-importance to societies and the shape of humanitys history. His research has taken him to every continent, in the search for sacred and foundational texts, and spans centuries, from Mesopotamia to Cervantes to Harry Potter. SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE, by Sarah Schmidt. (Grove, $16.) Schmidt revisits the unsolved Fall River murders at the center of Lizzie Bordens life: In Massachusetts in 1892, Lizzies father and stepmother were hacked to death. Schmidt imagines the lead-up to the grisly crime, and Lizzies possible madness. Our reviewer, Patrick McGrath, called the novel a lurid and original work of horror, which evokes the disintegrating character of this sweltering, unhygienic and claustrophobic household of locked doors and repressed emotions. (Want to get this briefing by email? Heres the sign-up.) Good morning. Heres what you need to know: A trade deal weve seen before The agreement with the European Union that President Trump announced this week would lower tariffs and other trade barriers, reduce bureaucratic roadblocks and end conflicting regulations for drugs and chemicals. The U.S. was pursuing much the same approach under President Barack Obama, through a deal that Mr. Trump shelved last year. We looked at the history of the talks. The U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported today. But most economists expect growth to slow in the second half of the year. Get the DealBook newsletter to make sense of major business and policy headlines and the power-brokers who shape them.__________ Imagine its next December and evidence is mounting that Russian-backed entities were widely active across Facebook and Twitter ahead of the midterm elections. Users are fleeing the social media companies, and members of Congress are talking about stringent legislation to restrict what the two firms can and cant do. The stocks of Twitter and Facebook go into free fall. Today, the two companies are spending large sums to prevent that outcome. But, in a possible sign of Wall Streets myopia, investors are punishing them for doing so. When Facebook and Twitter this week reported a surge in costs, driven by efforts to secure their networks, investors dumped their stocks. Facebooks shares plunged 19 percent on Thursday, and Twitters slid 21 percent on Friday. Good Friday morning. Were looking out for the second-quarter G.D.P. figure today, which is expected at 8.30 a.m. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.) Europe worries about trusting Trump Business leaders are cautiously optimistic that President Trumps agreement with Jean-Claude Juncker is a return to cooperation between Europe and the U.S. But Europeans worry that Mr. Trump may pivot back to hostility. Here, for instance, is Maria Demertzis, the deputy director of Bruegel, an economic research institute in Brussels: You cant really depend on Trump. His understanding of global trade is bilateral balance, which is as good as arbitrary, given global supply chains. And it depends on what side of the bed he wakes up on tomorrow. The president, for his part, has moved on to herald more good news to come: the prospect of growth above 4 percent, maybe even 5 percent, at least for a quarter. (The official release will appear here.) More on trade: President Trump visited a revived steel mill in the Midwest yesterday, but the triumph was muddied by the woes of soybean farmers. Can Europe really buy more U.S. natural gas? What the president gets wrong about trade deficits. And how Mr. Juncker argued against tariffs: I can be stupid, as well. California has a waiver under the 1970 Clean Air Act to set its own air pollution regulations, and a dozen other states follow its lead. If the Trump administration loosens federal pollution rules, California has vowed to stick with its own stricter standards and to sue the administration. That fight could, in effect, split the American car market in two and would set up a huge legal battle that is likely to reach the Supreme Court. The proposal, which is to be jointly released by the E.P.A. and the Transportation Department, was largely completed in May. It was sent by both agencies to the White House for review, after which it was expected to be published in June or early July in the Federal Register, a major step in formalizing a new regulation. The details of the proposal are largely similar to those in a draft version described by The New York Times in April, according to people who have seen the plan. After its publication, the administration will take public comment before potentially revising and releasing its final plan, expected this year. While the 11 people familiar with the talks described a bitter feud between Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Rosen over how to proceed, Mr. Wheeler described the negotiations between the agencies as business as usual. This assertion of a nuclear war is categorically false, he said in a statement. Our efforts with DOT have been reflective of a robust and constructive interagency process that the American people expect and deserve when agencies are proposing rules of such consequence. Before the rule went into effect last year, Nycha drafted an agreement to explain how the two agencies would cooperate in order to comply, the person said. But the Health Department did not believe such an agreement was necessary. Officials from both agencies have since acknowledged that they did not begin complying until January 2018. At that point, the Health Department inspectors began testing apartments for lead under the new threshold and ordering Nycha to abate the hazards that were identified. Once that process began, the Health Department conducted 40 lead inspections in public housing based on children who tested positive for lead since July using the new threshold. City Hall refused to provide the number of affected children or apartments that were covered by those 40 inspections or whether lead hazards were found. While all the affected families have now received a home visit, Nycha and D.O.H. shouldve started these inspections earlier, said Olivia Lapeyrolerie, a spokeswoman for the mayor. The new leadership at Nycha is fostering a culture of urgency and rigor thats never before taken hold at the agency. The timing of the newly revealed compliance failure is remarkable: It occurred at a moment when the issue of meeting federal rules on lead paint was known across the government including inside City Hall and Nycha was scrambling to inspect thousands of apartments with children under 6 years old. Those inspections, required under city and federal law, were halted in 2012 and did not resume until 2016, officials have said. At the time, federal prosecutors were negotiating with city officials as part of a yearslong investigation into falsely filed paperwork related to lead paint inspections forms that certified inspections had been conducted when they had not been and many other aspects of the operations at the housing authority that is home to over 400,000 people. The investigation, by the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, resulted in the settlement with federal prosecutors last month. Days after the agreement was announced, the Department of Investigation, along with the inspector general for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency, seized documents in two surprise visits to Nycha offices in Queens. The raids were separate from the civil settlement, and appeared to be part of a potential criminal investigation, according to one person with direct knowledge of the action. [Read Ms. Bellafantes story on the suggestions here.] We thought wed share a few more with you. Margaret Cochran Corbin (1751-1800) During the Battle of Fort Washington, in what is now Washington Heights, Ms. Corbin, known as Captain Molly, dressed as a man and joined the fight. During the battle, her husband, John Corbin, was shot and killed while manning a cannon. Ms. Corbin stepped into his place, loading the cannon until she was wounded. She was captured by the British but later released. She was the first American woman to receive a military pension, although it was half the amount given to male soldiers. Elizabeth Jennings Graham (circa 1830-1901) Ms. Graham was a young black schoolteacher who refused to give up her seat on a horse-drawn streetcar while on her way to church in 1854. She was eventually thrown out by a policeman, and then sued the city with the help of Chester A. Arthur, who would later become the president. She won, and the ruling eventually led to the desegregation of our citys public transit. She also founded the citys first kindergarten for black children. Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) Ms. Sanger, a nurse, coined the term birth control during her decades-long fight to legalize contraception. She founded the magazine Woman Rebel, which was often banned by the post office. She was charged with sending information about contraception through the mail. She fled to Europe but retuned to New York when the charges were dropped. In 1916, she opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Other suggestions from readers for statues of inspiring women include: Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (1864-1922), known as Nellie Bly, was an American journalist whose trailblazing work in journalism often influenced public policy. [Latest: Sheldon Silvers corruption conviction is partially overturned, but prison is still likely.] Sheldon Silver, the former speaker of the State Assembly who rose to become one of New Yorks most powerful politicians, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for his conviction on federal corruption charges. Mr. Silver, a Democrat from Manhattans Lower East Side, had served as speaker for more than two decades, and influenced nearly every major aspect of state politics. He was convicted in May after an earlier conviction, in 2015, was overturned on appeal. This crime was driven by unmitigated greed, the judge, Valerie E. Caproni of Federal District Court in Manhattan, said before she announced the sentence, referring to one of Mr. Silvers two corrupt schemes. The last time New York City tried to impose a cap on Ubers vehicles, the rout was brutal. Uber introduced a de Blasio view in its ride-hailing app, blaming long wait times on Mayor Bill de Blasio. Celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Kate Upton voiced their support for Uber on Twitter. The mayor was forced to back away from the plan in 2015. Now, Uber is gearing up for another fight, this time over a proposal by the City Council for a yearlong cap on for-hire vehicle licenses. But the political terrain has shifted substantially, and this time it is Uber on the defensive. Over the last three years, Uber and other ride-hail companies have added tens of thousands of vehicles to New Yorks roads, prompting growing alarm over congestion and low driver wages. Ubers reputation has also taken a beating over accusations of gender discrimination and harassment and other scandals. Its new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, has tried to adopt a friendlier, more cooperative approach. By the summer of 1995 Srebrenica and its surrounding area had swelled to 40,000 people, many seeking shelter after the United Nations declared the area a safe haven. But Serb forces under the command of Gen. Ratko Mladic overran the enclave and ordered men and boys to walk across forested hills, pursuing, ambushing and systematically killing most of them. Mrs. Mehmedovic parted ways with her sons and her husband in the woods just above the town. We were standing there and my young one, Lalo thats what we called him, although his name was Almir was saying, Go on, mother, go, leave, already as he was pulling me closer and closer, and would not let me go, Mrs. Mehmedovic said in one of her last interviews, with a Bosnian TV station in November. We thought wed see each other in two, three days. We did not know theyd kill them all. Mrs. Mehmedovic was taken by bus to the town of Kladanj and later learned from Red Cross officials that her husband and sons were missing. International investigators found the remains of her husband and sons scattered among the nearly 100 mass graves discovered in the Srebrenica area. They were exhumed and identified before she buried them in 2010 in the memorial cemetery in Potocari, not far from the spot in the woods where she had last seen them. In November, Gen. Mladic was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the tribunal in The Hague. He was sentenced to life in prison. Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, was convicted of the same charges in 2016 and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Mr. Durakovic, the former mayor, described Mrs. Mehmedovic as a tough, strong woman, an incredible leader in the largely patriarchal society in which women remain mostly in the background. When she was interrogated after one arrest, she said, an officer demanded: What do you want? Do you want freedom? To which she said she replied, My wish is that my son will not be led by the son of Bashar al-Assad! Ms. Skaf was born on April 13, 1969, in Damascus to a Muslim father and Christian mother. Survivors include her mother and her son, who was a teenager when she fled and later joined her. She studied French literature at Al-Sham Private University in Damascus. Encouraged by an uncle, Saadallah Wannous, a well-known playwright, she began acting while still a student. In 1992, she starred in a Syrian television version of Agatha Christies novel Sleeping Murder. She was cast in her first film, Echoes of Slides, in 1993; appeared in the TV series The Silk Bazaar (1996) and The Last Days of Al Yamama (2005); and in 2008 returned to film in Damascus: The Smile of Sadness (2008). One of her last appearances was in Orchidia, a 2017 Syrian soap opera shot in Tunisia and Romania. Before Ms. Skaf left Syria, she also ran a theater group that gave performances and acting classes. She staged her first protest against the Assad regime in 2011 and was detained. A few years later she was told to fear for her life. They dared not do anything to me, she said in a 2016 interview in Paris with the website toutelaculture.com, because they pretend to fight the terrorists, and I am not one of them. Supporters drove her to Beirut, where she was reunited with her son. When she reached Paris, she continued her political advocacy. In principle, Twitter and Facebook are fantastic tools that give voice to otherwise unheard groups and challenge mainstream views. If the news media is the fourth estate, social media is the fifth, and a welcome check on the government, private sector and traditional journalists. The likelihood that falsehoods and careless errors will be immediately exposed by swarms of social-media users has been a boon for transparency and responsibility. In this sense, Germans should welcome more social-media use. But we also should recognize the converse, that for many social-media users, the goal isnt credibility its attention. Predictably, those two become muddled online, so that the loudest voice in the digital room is often the one with the most power and influence. As George Orwell put it: The more you are in the right, the more natural that everyone else should be bullied into thinking likewise. From afar, this fact more than anything explains the rise of President Trump and, at almost the same time, Brexit in Britain (where social media penetration is at 66 percent), and it makes Germans wary of what might happen in their own country, should social media continue to spread. Of course, context matters: In Germany, we dont face a decision as tough as in the United States or Britain did two years ago. But we have reason to worry. Germans only really began taking to social media around the time of the refugee influx; in 2017 alone, the share of Germans who use social media soared by 15 percent. Germanys refugee crisis has been the first issue to be debated widely on social media. And how are we doing? MATI, Greece Four days after the wildfire that raced down from the mountains, incinerating all before it, cars were once again tangled up in traffic jams in this seaside resorts narrow streets. Search parties combed ruined homes for bodies; volunteers sought out injured and frightened pets. The nation was in mourning, shocked by the magnitude of the disaster, shaken by the stories of victims and the missing. In a V-shaped bend where on Monday desperate residents and visitors found themselves trapped, unable to escape the heat that melted even the metal of their cars, vehicles carrying survivors who had returned to salvage some possessions, volunteers, journalists and the simply curious edged carefully past one another as they sought a way out of Mati. The only reason they did not run the risk of being burned alive was that pretty much anything in the vicinity that could burn had already burned pine trees, houses, people, pets and cars even a wooden umbrella on a beach where people had fled into the water. Black dust and liquefied aluminum lay on the road when the incinerated hulks were removed. By Friday, the death toll had reached 87, with scores still missing. It was unclear how many of the bodies had been identified, a daunting task because of the intense heat most had been exposed to. The high death toll could be attributed to reasons ranging from the labyrinthine roads to the hurricane-force gusts of wind. The fire department tried to contain the blaze when it broke out on Mount Pentelikon, famed for its pure white marble and pine forests. Thirty-nine firefighting vehicles and four water-dumping aircraft were deployed at the start, on a day on which 47 forest fires broke out. But less than 90 minutes later, Mati (which translates as Eye) had been all but wiped out. The swift wind had spared some buildings while gutting others. Today, there is a black middle class, but inequality is entrenched. A cry rises from young blacks directed at whites Expropriation without compensation! Its popular enough to have an acronym, EWC. Its threatening enough to have been taken in hand, as a means to defang it, by Cyril Ramaphosa, the president trying to steady the ship. For Jews, South Africa was liberation from pogrom, first, lifesaving distance from the Holocaust later. Yet most Jews went along with apartheid by no means all, however, including several of Mandelas lawyers. There are more bystanders than heroes in times of oppression. Thats part of the survival gene even if humanitys ultimate survival depends on the few who will resist. South Africa was as good a place as any for a Jew to live in the 20th century. If youre busy persecuting millions of blacks you dont have much time left for tens of thousands of Jews. Thats what I heard when I was old enough to hear it. Thank you, Madiba, for pardoning my family, me, the whites of South Africa, the spoon thieves, todays political infants, all humanity for its iniquity and tribal stupidity. Thank you for lifting our gaze. I fly to Johannesburg and go out to Soweto one day. There, I meet Macdonald Maanda Muhali, age 30. Hes been out of a job for more than a year. He used to work as a security guard doing perimeter patrols. Now he watches Breaking Bad or Prison Break all day on the TV he bought when he had a job. He lives in a single room. The toilet is outside. Job applications go unanswered. Sometimes he washes cars or lays a pipe for cash. His ear is perforated but he says hes too old now for an earring. Do your best, says a sign on his wall. God will do the rest. I ask this young black South African, raised in the post-apartheid era, if life is getting better. As long as you are not working, things are not getting better, he says. Then I ask him if whites got off too easily. Mandela forgave them, he says. We must trust him. If the people who suffered most forgave, why shouldnt we? You feel no anger? None whatsoever. A lunar eclipse or blood moon, as it has come to be known captivated people around the world on Friday, not only eclipse-chasers but also many with a healthy curiosity about astronomy. It was the longest lunar eclipse of the century, said Rick Fienberg, spokesman for the American Astronomical Society. Thats in part because the moon is at a point in its orbit farthest from Earth, which means it moved more slowly and thus took longer to pass through the Earths shadow, he said. Its also because the moon moved almost directly through the center of the shadow, charting a longer path than the other eclipses this century. Mushrooms that dont brown. Wheat that fights off disease. Tomatoes with a longer growing season. All of these crops are made possible by a gene-editing technology called Crispr-cas9. But now its future has been clouded by the European Unions top court. This week, the court ruled that gene-edited crops are genetically modified organisms, and therefore must comply with the tough regulations that apply to plants made with genes from other species. Many scientists responded to the decision with dismay, predicting that countries in the developing world would follow Europes lead, blocking useful gene-edited crops from reaching farms and marketplaces. The ruling may also curtail exports from the United States, which has taken a more lenient view of gene-edited foods. Youre not just affecting Europe, youre affecting the world with this decision, said Matthew Willmann, the director of the Plant Transformation Facility at Cornell University. Until I was 35, the most significant relationship Id had as an adult was with an iguana. It wasnt easy to meet anyone where I was for all of my 20s and nearly half of my 30s, at the prison camp at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. After I arrived, I was put in an isolation cell, where huge fans outside of each cell ran day and night, making deafening noise to prevent us from talking to each other. Even when we went outside for recreation, we were not allowed to talk to the other detainees. But outside we did meet new friends: the cats, banana rats, tiny birds and iguanas that came through the fences, asking to share our meals. I had a good friendship with beautiful young lady, an iguana. She was so elegant. She used to come every day at the same time, and we would have lunch together. When I went on a hunger strike, I had no food to give her, and I was ashamed to stand there without food as she came up to me. Sometimes the guards punished us for sharing our meals with the animals, but they couldnt stop me from talking to her. She couldnt talk back, but she was a good listener. As the years passed, our friendship grew into a strong bond. Tituss Burgess had something to confess. I dont know anything about David Bowie, he said one spring afternoon. Nothing? Nothing, he said. You would think but no. I somehow missed him. Despite this gaping cultural blind spot, Mr. Burgess, 39, found himself transfixed at the flashing lights and silver jumpsuit that made up the striking opening tableau of David Bowie Is, an immersive, audiovisual survey of the iconoclastic musicians life at the Brooklyn Museum. (It closed on July 15.) He turned a corner and gazed up in amazement as costumed Bowie mannequins peered down from a towering platform, like glamorous gargoyles. Oh my God, this man was everything, Mr. Burgess said, mouth agape. He was much more than just a recording artist, really. Now I just want to go home and Spotify him. Dont count on Mr. Burgess having much time to explore Bowies discography any time soon. Part 1 of the final season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, in which he stars as Titus Andromedon, a flamboyant and egomaniacal actor, was recently released on Netflix. Civilians in government were skeptical, too. Secretary of State John Kerry had grown close to many of the most fiercely anti-Islamist Persian Gulf royals during his decades in the Senate, even sometimes yachting with them. He had always distrusted the Brotherhood, he told me years later. When he visited Cairo for the first time as secretary of state in March 2013, he took an immediate dislike to Mr. Morsi. He is the dumbest cluck I ever met, Mr. Kerry told his chief of staff as they left the presidential palace. This isnt going to work. These guys are wacko. Mr. Kerry got along better in his one-on-one meeting with Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. A former military intelligence chief, General Sisi had vaulted himself into the job of defense minister in a shake-up just a few months before. I will not let my country go down the drain, General Sisi told Mr. Kerry, as he later recalled to me. He knew then that Morsi was cooked. General Sisi was prepared to intervene. Mr. Kerry felt partly relieved, he told me. It was reassuring that Egypt would not fall into a civil war or a complete massacre of the public or an implosion, Mr. Kerry said, although he added, I did not sit back and think, Great, our problems are going to be solved. Senior American diplomats in Cairo had told me that March that a military intervention was extraordinarily unlikely. But by the next month, Ambassador Anne Patterson was picking up other signals from the top generals. In an encrypted email, she warned at least some in the White House that if not imminent, a coup was a high likelihood within a few months, one official told me. She predicted that any military intervention would surely be brutal. The White House was sending Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel talking points intended to warn General Sisi that Washington would punish a coup. Among other things, United States law mandated a cutoff of aid to any military that overturned an elected leader. Each week, technology reporters and columnists from The New York Times review the weeks news, offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry. Want this newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here. Greetings, carbon-based lifeforms! Im David Streitfeld, here in San Francisco to fill you in on a busy week in tech. I got umpteen-dozen press releases, all of them about how new tech products and new tech people and new tech services will make you a better, happier, more successful person. To be honest, every week in tech is exactly like this. The future is full of promise, or at least promises. The present, however, can be brutal. To my mind, the weeks most important tech story was the slaying of an 18-year-old woman at a BART station in San Franciscos East Bay, just a few miles from Silicon Valley, as she was getting off a train. Nia Wilson was traveling with her older sisters Lahtifa and Nishiya when, in a shocking act of terror, a man slashed her neck. She died at the scene. Lahtifa Wilson was wounded. A transient with a history of violence has been arrested. LONDON Can you scale Everest twice? Yes, and formidably so in the case of Ian McKellen, who first played King Lear in a world tour for the Royal Shakespeare Company just over a decade ago. Now 79 and so more age-appropriate for the part, the rightly venerated actor has returned this summer to the same role, in a far more intimate but even fiercer production that opened on Thursday at the Duke of Yorks Theater here and runs through Nov. 3. It will be screened in movie theaters via National Theater Live on Sept. 27. This latest Lear, smartly if unshowily directed by Jonathan Munby, adds to a London theater season thronged with royals. George III can be glimpsed twice over, in the musical phenomenon Hamilton and its satirical cousin, Spamilton, which opened here on Tuesday night. Ken Watanabe is holding forth as an unusually playful King of Siam in The King and I at the London Palladium, and Rhys Ifans, as the vainglorious despot in a rare local sighting of Eugene Ionescos Exit the King, at times suggests a Lear-in-waiting. WASHINGTON Melvin L. Watt, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is under investigation for allegedly sexually harassing a female employee, the agency said on Friday. Mr. Watt is nearing the end of his five-year term running the agency, which oversees the mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Mr. Watt, a Democrat who was appointed in 2013 by President Barack Obama, said on Friday that he was the victim of politically motivated leaks and that he broke no laws. The selective leaks related to this matter are obviously intended to embarrass or to lead to an unfounded or political conclusion, Mr. Watt said in a statement. However, I am confident that the investigation currently in progress will confirm that I have not done anything contrary to law. Mr. Trumps economic victory lap came amid gathering legal clouds for the president. The special counsel in the Russia investigation, Robert S. Mueller III, is scrutinizing Mr. Trumps Twitter posts for evidence that he obstructed justice; The Wall Street Journal reported that the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, had been subpoenaed to testify in the investigation of Mr. Trumps former lawyer, Michael D. Cohen. It also came amid an invitation from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that he was ready to meet with Mr. Trump in Moscow or Washington. The White House said earlier this week that it would put off a meeting until the end of Mr. Muellers investigation, which it predicted would be sometime after the New Year. The Russians had initially reacted coolly to Mr. Trumps invitation that Mr. Putin come to Washington, suggesting that the two leaders could meet on the sidelines of a larger gathering of world leaders, like the Group of 20 meeting. On Friday, Mr. Trump did not take questions about those or other issues in his appearance on a sun-drenched morning. Instead, he offered a long list of rosy statistics about jobs, trade deficits and the gross domestic product. He made no reference to the budget deficit, which has ballooned because of his tax cuts, though he promised during the campaign to eliminate it. Mr. Trump referred to a visit he made Thursday to a steel mill in Granite City, Ill., where the plants owner, United States Steel Corporation, has begun firing up two blast furnaces after a lengthy shutdown. The company credited Mr. Trumps tariffs on China and other steel exporters for leading it to put the plant back on line. Because the fungi that cause fungal foot infections thrive in warm damp environments, public showers, locker rooms and swimming pools are breeding grounds. Similarly, shoes that become warm and damp also promote their growth. Athletes foot also tends to be more common in men than in women, perhaps because the floors of mens locker rooms tend to be more heavily contaminated with fungi. Once a fungal infection becomes established, antifungal medication will probably be necessary. But there are a number of simple steps that one can take to prevent infection. Keep shoes aired out by changing them every couple of days. Wash your feet with soap and wipe them dry with a towel. Avoid socks made of material that doesnt dry easily, such as nylon. Also, drying socks in the sun seems to have a fungicidal effect. The most authoritative advice for avoiding fungal infections comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends regularly trimming the toenails, which can serve as a reservoir for the fungi that cause athlete's foot, and wearing sandals in locker rooms and public showers. The American Podiatric Medical Association likewise advises people to use shower shoes in public showers. It is important to clean flip-flops or bath sandals after each use. Fortunately, this is easy. Wiping with a wet towel or pouring water on your footwear is sufficient to remove enough residual fungi to prevent reinfection. Do you have a health question? Ask Well You might think things have changed since the Eisenhower era. But people still expect and want men to earn more (and do less) than women. When men actually do more than provide, they still often receive Nobel-level recognition for doing things that mothers routinely perform without praise. Hes so involved, say the collective they when Dad surprisingly goes off gender script by packing everyones lunch or joining the P.T.A. Involved is code for the awe-struck realization that men possess the capacity to nurture. A stranger once praised me (What youre doing is so amazing!) for taking my kid out to dinner. In my family law class, I teach a custody case from 1830 Maryland that describes mothers as the softest and safest nurse of infancy. At that time, women were stripped of rights to themselves and their children, but the court did not want to hold nature in contempt, and snatch helpless, pulling infancy from the bosom of an affectionate mother, and place it in the coarse hands of the father. I, with callused hands, spent a great deal of time with our children when they were infants. As an academic, I was grateful for long summers and even longer, Swedish-style paternity leaves. I took the kids to usual spots like parks and zoos, but we also went to places like Mommy and Me Yoga and baby swim lessons. I quickly learned that the daytime world of child care, even in New York City, is populated almost exclusively by mothers, nannies and children. When I took the younger child in for her 6-month checkup, the doctor praised her healthy progress and innocently exclaimed, Wow! She gained two whole pounds in a month? How did your wife do that? At that moment, I was an emissary from the literal mother ship to the pediatric office. It did not matter how involved I was, how much I bottle-fed her, or that I was Mimi/Mama/Mommy, there must have been a symbolic female principal who delegated the actual work. I presented the issue of my childrens naming innovations to a fellow academic one who speaks fluent Berkeley who told me that the Mimi/Mommy dialectic is a liminal space for interpellating and/or repudiating hegemonic parental gender binaries. I thought about this mouthful of jargon for a long time, and I still think about it. I, like most modern men, want to be taken seriously as a parent in my own right, however my kids choose to name me. I think of all the other fathers the single ones, the stay-at-home ones, the gay ones, and even the dad ones who do more than earn paychecks and babysit. We are knocking at the door for an interview at the toughest job in the world, waiting to be let in. Kevin Noble Maillard, a law professor at Syracuse University, is working on a book about modern fatherhood in America. BAMAKO, Mali Reports of military abuses and extravagant spending have shadowed him. His term in office has been pockmarked by terrorist attacks on peacekeepers and even a luxury hotel. Critics of Malis president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, have taken to chanting, Father must quit. But at a recent campaign rally as he runs for re-election in a vote on Sunday, Mr. Keita, 73, stood in a crisp white flowing gown before a throng of supporters in Bamako and defiantly responded, Father wont quit. Malians are heading to the polls when their nation is rife with insecurity, as Islamist groups launch frequent and increasingly bold attacks. Late last month, a suicide bomber drove into the headquarters of the G5 Sahel, a regional military force focused on rooting out terrorism, killing three people. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is considered the most dangerous in the world. Yet Mr. Keita, with a flush campaign fund and a raft of challengers, is likely to be re-elected, analysts say, in part because the violence could keep many people from the polls. Speaking about security issues, the president recently told journalists that Mali suffered from only pockets of violence. In the way Chen Shi-Zheng imagines his theatrical adaptation of The Orphan of Zhao, the production will bring out all the elements of the story that have appealed to Chinese audiences through the centuries, like the timeless themes of revenge and self-sacrifice. But despite the familiarity of this 13th-century play to spectators in Mr. Chens homeland, they might have trouble understanding all the lines. The principal actors Mr. Chen has cast for this staging in China are almost all Americans, and they will speak in English. In fact, very little about the production will signal the storys Chinese origins. Subverting audience expectations is one of the goals of Mr. Chen, a veteran stage director. I think young people will love it, Mr. Chen, 55, said. Its like fresh air coming to the mind and the eye. Just last week, this land was filled with villages, rice paddies and farms. Now, this is whats left. Debris, livestock and somewhere hundreds of people stranded, missing or dead. This is Laos, a single-party communist country that is one of the poorest in Asia. On Monday, part of a hydroelectric dam that was still under construction collapsed. Water flooded the villages, killing at least dozens and forcing thousands to flee. The journey here was rough, with constant rain and backbreaking roads. Challenging, especially for rescue workers. We arrived in the tiny town of Khom Kong, where only hours earlier the water levels had been up to the roofs. Villagers and soldiers trudged through knee-high mud, at times not sure what they were looking for. Lim Thong had spent the past few nights sleeping on the roof of his familys shop. He and his wife Wan Pheng were digging through the debris to salvage what they could. Laotian Army rescue teams are still searching in patrol. Four days on, they say theyre more likely to find bodies than survivors. A few hours away, survivors gathered at a school for shelter. Earlier this week, the Laos government said 27 had died and 131 are still missing. But experts say these numbers are suspiciously low, and the reality here may be a lot worse. The failure of the dam, which was part of a billion-dollar project meant to boost the countrys economy, raises many questions. Whos to blame for the collapse? And why werent these towns evacuated faster? But as the rains continue to come, and rescue teams still search for the missing, villagers can only wait for the waters to lower and hope that theyll still have a home to return to. SYDNEY, Australia For almost three years, the family of an Indigenous Australian man who died in a Sydney prison complex after being pinned down by correctional officers has waited for answers. Their wait will continue. On Friday, an inquest into the 2015 death of David Dungay Jr., 26, who told officers at least 12 times before he died that he couldnt breathe, was adjourned until March of next year. The news angered his family members, who had traveled five hours to Sydney for the inquest, which began on July 16. Its been such a slow and very agonizing wait this past two weeks, Hector Dungay, a member of the family, said Friday. We thought by today itd be all finished and over with. He said the family could not grieve until the inquest had reached a conclusion. David Dungay Jr., a member of the Dunghutti people from a riverside town in New South Wales, suffered from diabetes, schizophrenia and asthma. He was serving a nine-year prison sentence for an attempted sex offense, assault and taking part in a robbery. Danforth Avenue in Toronto, the site of Sundays attack, was a crime scene in the aftermath; a cafe window was pocked with bullet holes and the area was packed with police cruisers. But within 48 hours of the shooting, Toronto residents were again lounging on sunny patios, drinking beer and coffee, next to makeshift memorials that grew taller with flowers with each passing hour. On Tuesday, our Toronto bureau chief, Catherine Porter, met a young man behind the counter of a souvlakia joint, next to a square where the 18-year-old aspiring nurse, Reese Fallon, had bled to death. He said he had helped 10 people hide in the basement and 10 more behind the counter, and then brought a wounded man in and applied pressure to his leg, where hed been shot, Catherine told me. And here he was, back at work. This is my home, he said. Beyond the notable tenacity of Torontonians, our reporting this week also reminded me that violence in Canada, where gun-control laws are relatively robust, is by no means the new normal. The vaunted Canadian liberal model of my youth is still very much here. Torontonians have rallied together; the search for easy scapegoats that had followed some attacks in Europe was noticeably muted. Gun homicides in Canada are about as common as deaths from alcohol poisoning in the United States, which number about 5.6 per million people each year, according to this eye-opening analysis by The Timess Upshot column. And while the cities of Toronto and Chicago have roughly the same populations, Toronto had 61 homicides in 2017 compared with 650 in Chicago, according to police data from both cities. There were a total of 660 homicides in the whole of Canada in 2017. LONDON Arsonists probably started the wildfires that killed at least 84 people in Greece this week and nearly obliterated a seaside town, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday. The fires were the deadliest disaster in the countrys recent history. After the three days of national mourning declared by Mr. Tsipras expired, political tensions rose along with the death toll, as questions persisted about who was responsible and how well the government responded to the blazes. I assume full political responsibility for the tragedy, Mr. Tsipras said in an emergency cabinet meeting on Friday afternoon, and he urged the ministers of his government to do the same, as heavy as that may be. But the prime minister failed to specify how the government mechanisms for handling such a disaster might have failed, and instead he placed the blame on poor urban planning and arbitrary housing in Mati, a coastal village east of Athens that was all but wiped out by fire on Monday and Tuesday. PARIS The solemn boulevards and quiet side streets of the 17th Arrondissement in Paris suggest Jewish life in France is vibrant: There is a new profusion of kosher groceries and restaurants, and about 15 synagogues, up from only a handful two decades ago. But for residents like Joanna Galilli, this area in northwestern Paris represents a tactical retreat. It has become a haven for many Jews who say they have faced harassment in areas with growing Muslim populations. Ms. Galilli, 28, moved to the neighborhood this year from a Parisian suburb where anti-Semitism is pretty high, she said, and you feel it enormously. They spit when I walked in the street, she said, describing reactions when she wore a Star of David. France has a painful history of anti-Semitism, with its worst hours coming in the 1930s and during the German occupation in World War II. But in recent months, an impassioned debate has erupted over how to address what commentators are calling the new anti-Semitism, as Jewish groups and academic researchers trace a wave of anti-Semitic acts to Frances growing Muslim population. MOSCOW Just two days after the White House postponed plans to have President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia visit Washington in the fall, the Russian leader said on Friday that he had invited President Trump to visit him in Moscow. Praising Mr. Trump as a leader who seeks to keep his promises, Mr. Putin continued to push for a second summit meeting, though their first, this month, generated intense criticism of his American counterpart. Mr. Putin said he was ready to meet either in Washington or Moscow, adding that he had already told Mr. Trump that he had an invitation to visit the Russian capital. The White House quickly responded favorably to the idea. President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, told reporters. The Kremlin released a transcript of Mr. Putins comments, made at a news conference in Johannesburg at the end of a visit to South Africa. MADRID A Spanish woman was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison on charges of abducting her two children during a custody battle in which she accused her partner of abuse, a case that has gripped the country and raised questions about equitable treatment in the courts. A judge in Granada found that the woman, Juana Rivas, ignored summonses to appear in court when she went into hiding with her children for a month in 2017. The judge also revoked Ms. Rivass parental rights for six years and ordered her to pay 30,000 euros to her former partner, Francesco Arcuri, an Italian who is the father of their two children, now 12 and 4. Jose Estanislao Lopez Gutierrez, a lawyer for Ms. Rivas, said on Friday that his client would appeal the ruling, which he said was tremendously unjust. OSTERSUND, Sweden When she boarded the plane, Elin Ersson had no intention of flying. Her goal was to ensure another passenger disembarked to avoid what she feared would be his certain death. The man was an Afghan asylum seeker seated in the rear of the Turkish Airlines flight as it awaited departure from Gothenburg, Sweden, accompanied by officials assigned to transport him back to Kabul, Afghanistan. In a 14-minute act of defiance on Monday, livestreamed via her mobile phone, Ms. Ersson refused to sit, delaying the departure. She withstood yelling by impatient passengers and crew members. She calmly responded: I am doing what I can to save a persons life. The authorities finally relented and took the man off the plane a moment of vindication for Ms. Ersson, a Swedish college student and migrant-rights activist with rosy cheeks, oversize glasses and an earnest resolve. In the current financial year, the state-owned airline received an equity infusion of Rs 650 crore up to June. New Delhi: Debt-laden Air India has received Rs 27,195.21 crore worth equity infusion till date from the government under the turnaround and financial restructuring plans approved back in 2012. In the current financial year, the state-owned airline received an equity infusion of Rs 650 crore up to June, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. A Turnaround Plan (TAP) as well as a Financial Restructuring Plan (FRP) were approved for Air India by the previous UPA regime in 2012. All government guaranteed loans and interests thereon are being paid by the government by way of equity infusion into the airline, Sinha said in a written reply. The minister said that under the FRP, high cost of working capital loans have been converted into long term debt carrying lesser rates of interest so as to reduce the financial burden on Air India. "The TAP/ FRP includes budgetary support amounting to Rs 30,231 crore spread over 10 years ie. up to FY 2020-21 and also equity support for the payment of principal/ interest of the non-convertible debentures. "Air India has received an equity infusion of Rs 27,195.21 crore till date," Sinha said. At the end of March 2017, the national carrier had a debt burden of more than Rs 48,000 crore. The government's proposed strategic disinvestment of Air India failed to take off in May. Against this backdrop, Sinha said the government remains committed to the disinvestment of Air India. "In view of volatile crude prices and adverse fluctuations in exchange rates, the present environment is not conducive to stimulate interest amongst investors for strategic disinvestment of Air India in immediate near future. "The issue would be revisited once global economic indicators, including oil prices and forex conditions stabilise," the minister said. Republicans have been the party of the rich and Democrats the party of the poor for about as long as political scientists have collected data on American elections. That might not be quite so true anymore, at least among white voters. Hillary Clinton won the nations richest and most exclusive neighborhoods by a wide margin in the 2016 presidential election, according to an Upshot analysis of election results from Ryne Rohla of Washington State University and census data. And Donald J. Trump fared significantly better than Mitt Romney in the white districts that were the least affluent and least educated. How the vote in white neighborhoods changed, by income Representing precincts where at least 90 percent of the voting-age population is white. Whether Democrats can continue to excel among the most affluent voters is one of the biggest questions heading into the midterm elections. Democrats are hoping to compete in many well-educated, affluent districts where Mr. Trump struggled but where voters have traditionally voted Republican and continued to do so down-ballot in 2016. In special and general elections in the last year and a half, Democrats have generally succeeded in matching Mrs. Clintons tallies in the areas where she most outperformed prior Democrats, like in Georgias Sixth Congressional District or in Northern Virginia. But they typically havent outperformed Mrs. Clinton by much, and in some cases not at all -- and those elections didnt have a Republican incumbent on the ballot. The precinct-level data, which is far more granular than the county-level data available immediately after the election, complements a growing body of evidence that is forcing a re-evaluation of some of the initial views of the 2016 presidential election. It appears that Mrs. Clinton succeeded at winning over many rich and well-educated Republicans, perhaps by an even wider margin than pre-election polls implied, just as Mr. Trump made big gains in the poorest white communities compared with Mr. Romney. But there were more not-so-affluent white voters without a college degree in the battleground states, and Mr. Trumps success with them was enough to give him the edge in the Electoral College. It has been common in recent decades to caricature Democrats as dominated by the liberal elite, but Republicans continued to win among the wealthiest voters until very recently. Even in 2012, Barack Obama did not perform better in affluent white areas than he did in less affluent white areas. Almost exclusively white communities favored Mitt Romney by about 20 points, regardless of income. But these same communities shifted decisively along lines of income and education. Those in poorer precincts shifted to the right, and those in wealthier precincts shifted substantially to the left. Similarly, Mrs. Clintons support among well-educated white precincts surged, while it collapsed in white precincts that were the least educated. How the vote in white neighborhoods changed, by education Representing precincts where at least 90 percent of the voting-age population is white. The effect is strikingly linear, with seemingly every additional notch of income or education yielding more Democratic support and a bigger Democratic gain over 2012. A more advanced statistical analysis shows that education was the dominant driver of the shift, which is to say that higher-income precincts moved toward Mrs. Clinton mainly because theyre generally better educated. Neither the exit polls nor county-level data are particularly useful tools for analyzing voting by income, in part because the highest-income voters are often concentrated in communities too small to dominate a county or not numerous enough to be included in an exit poll of only a handful of sample precincts nationwide. The more granular precinct data tells a somewhat different story. And so does much of the national survey data, though not all of it. In general, the surveys are limited by small sample size among the richest voters. (One prominent political science survey, for instance, had just 84 respondents making more than $250,000.) The precinct data and much of the survey data indicate that Mrs. Clintons effort to lure well-educated and rich Republicans was largely a success. She won college-educated white voters by a wide and maybe even a double-digit margin in non-exit poll survey data, which would exceed her standing in pre-election polls. The precinct data implies that Mrs. Clintons gains were concentrated among the wealthiest voters; she carried precincts where the median income was over $250,000 by a 27-point margin, and improved by 39 points over Mr. Obamas performance. It should be noted that the results in homogeneous precincts dont necessarily offer a clear view of how an overall group voted. It is possible, for instance, that affluent white voters in diverse precincts voted even more for Mrs. Clinton. Likewise, its possible that affluent voters in less affluent precincts voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump, But survey data tends to confirm that Mrs. Clinton excelled among these voters, as the precinct data suggests. The Cooperative Congressional Election Study, a large survey conducted by political scientists, found that Mrs. Clinton won voters with a family income of more than $250,000 by a 20-point margin, with a relatively large sample of 1,310 respondents. Pre-election polls in 2016, which may counterintuitively be a better measure of the electorate than the deeply flawed exit polls, also showed Mrs. Clinton with a commanding lead among the most affluent voters. Exit polling merely showed a tie (at 46 percent each) among voters who made more than $250,000 per year. Over 16 lakh cases of cheque bounce are pending in subordinate courts. The drawer, who pleads not guilty of the accusation, will have to pay at least 20 per cent of the cheque amount as interim compensation. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Parliament on Thursday passed a bill aiming at allowing a court to try offences related to cheque bounce expeditiously and direct the drawee to pay a minimum of 20 per cent of the cheque amount as interim compensation. The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on July 23, was passed by the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. Moving the bill for consideration and passage, Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla said presently over 16 lakh cases of cheque bounce are pending in subordinate courts. Moreover, 34,000 such cases have gone to the high courts following appeal. "We have brought the amendments to ensure that people have trust and faith on issuing cheques," the Minister said, adding that 1881 law on negotiable instruments has been amended from time to time. The latest amendments aims to insert Section 143A and Section 148 in the Act to provide that a court trying a cheque bounce offence under Section 138 may order the drawer of the cheque to pay interim compensation to the complainant. The drawer, who pleads not guilty of the accusation, will have to pay at least 20 per cent of the cheque amount as interim compensation within 60 days of the trial court's order. An additional 20 per cent compensation will have to be paid if the drawer goes for an appeal. If the drawer is acquitted, the court may direct the payee to repay the amount paid as interim compensation with interest. Cutting across the party line, members of opposition parties including Congress supported the bill but suggested stringent penalties to curb cheque payment defaults. They said the government should come out with laws like in France and the UAE where a person who defaults on cheque payments is barred from issuing a cheque for five years. This has proved to be an effective deterrent in these countries, they said. The members also suggested that the government make cheque payment default a non-bailable offence. Participating in the debate on the bill, Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry said the penalty proposed was not that deterrent to curb fraudulent practices. A Navneethakrishnana (AIADMK) said the bill allows a court to try an offence and direct the drawer to pay 20 per cent of the cheque amount as interim compensation to the complainant. "20 per cent payment is not good and not sustainable." Manish Gupta (TMC) said the amendments will not have any great impact but a step towards improvement. "Payment of 20 per cent of the cheque amount as interim compensation is not sufficient. It should be 30-40 per cent," he said, adding there was a need to identify the cause of pendency of cases in courts. Gupta also suggested the need for a role of the regulator RBI in curbing cheque bounce cases. Ramachandra Prasad Singh (JD-U) said the compensation amount needed to be raised to 50 per cent and after appeal, the compensation amount should be 75 per cent of the cheque amount. He also demanded that cheque payment default should be made a non-bailable offence. Opposing the bill, K Somaprasad (CPI-M) said about 18 lakh cheque bounce cases are pending in the country in various courts and speedy disposal is essential. "How can there be speedy disposal of cases without adequate judicial staff?" Ramkumar Kashyap (Ind) also stressed on making cheque bounce a non-bailable offence and increasing the jail term from 2 to 4 years. He said that issuing blank cheque should also be considered a crime. V Vijaysai Reddy (YSRCP) said that fixing interim compensation will not solve the purpose and there was a need give more powers the court. K C Ramamurthy (Cong) stressed on reducing the pendency of cases in courts saying these will not come down unless there is a strong deterrence. In Karnataka, 3 lakh cases out 7 lakh criminal cases are related to cheque bounce. "The bill provides a piece meal solution," he said and suggested that the compensation amount be raised and a time fixed for disposal of cases. While Vandana Chauhan of NCP said that provisions of awarding the interim compensation of 20 per cent even without being heard is against the principles of natural justice, Binoy Viswam (CPI-M) said this amendment was not a panacea . "The bill has presumption that drawee is wrong and payee is right, which is not good. In some cases payee are also culprit," Viswam said. Sanjay Seth (SP), Ashok Bajpai (BJP), Veer Singh (BSP), Sushil Kr Gupta (AAP) and Mahesh Poddar (BJP) also participated in the debate. Hilary JM Topper When I started in the public relations industry back in the 1980s, search engine optimization was the furthest thing on everyones mind. All we thought about was getting placements. The more placements, the better! Who wouldve thought that today computers or mobile phones would be so prevalent? And who wouldve thought that public relations and technology would go hand-in-hand? Did you know that Google processes more than 40,000 search queries every second, on average, or more than 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches worldwide per year? Thats why PR practitioners need to know and understand what search engine optimization is in order to help their client reach their goals. The way Google works is based on page ranking. This is influenced by the following factors: How often they appear and the location of long-tail keywords (this is a phrase of words, preferably a question) on your website. How long has the site existed? The longer, the better! How many other webpages link to your site? Here are 10 tips on getting your clients' webpages ranked higher on search engines: 1. Make sure to have long-tail keywords that include questions. Most people use voice search in order to look something up on Google. Think about it. When you are searching for something what do you type into Google? How do you ask Siri or Amazon Alexa a question? Use those questions in your site and in your social media posts! 2. Directories, especially the free ones, are your friend! Make sure to do a search and find as many as possible. Place your client or even your business in these directories, especially if they have link backs to your site. The more link backs the more your site will rank higher on search engines. 3. Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags help rank you higher on search engines. By using consistent hashtags in your social posts, you will produce a greater return on your investment. People follow hashtags and the more you use, the higher you will place on search engines. 4. Use Bit.Ly to track your clicks and evaluate what works and what doesnt. 5. Make sure your site is speeded up. Slow loading photos will kill your SEO and your chances for people to review your site. 6. Use your location in your keywords. For example, if you represent a dentist in Jacksonville, Florida, make sure to use Where is a good dentist in Jacksonville, Florida? in your search. 7. Evaluate what your competitors are using for long-tail keywords to get ideas on what your keywords should be. 8. Make sure to have engaging content, otherwise you will lose your SEO. 9. Backlinks are imperative. Make sure to have backlinks on blogs, press releases, online publications, free directories (as discussed before). 10. Paid Search is also an option. With magazines, newspapers and trade magazines moving toward an online community, its more important today than ever before for public relations practitioners to ensure that press releases, pitch letters, YouTube videos and emails are hyperlinked back to their clients websites to increase search engine optimization. Remember, search engine optimization equals more sales and more sales equals more money from clients to spend on marketing and public relations. *** Hilary JM Topper, MPA is the CEO of HJMT Public Relations Inc., an award-winning public relations and social media marketing firm on Long Island. Topper writes for NY Lifestyle Blog and A Triathletes Diary Blog. She is also the host of Hilary Topper on Air, a podcast with more than 250,000 listeners, and is an Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University. Joe Honick The Senate will soon begin confirmation hearings for president Trump's nominee Brett Kavanaugh. We like to think that the Supreme Court is stands far apart from the more corruptive elements of politics. That's hardly the case. Conservative activists spent more than $10M to support Trump's first nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Millions more are already openly pledged to market Kavanaughs appointment. We know that politicians make over-the-top campaign promises to financial backers to win their support. But the idea that millions of dollars spent in support of a Supreme Court nomination are investments to buy a brand of justice is deeply unsettling. During the Gorsuch hearings, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) noted that Republican and their allies spent more than $7 million to frustrate president Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland and $10 million to promote Gorsuch. Im trying to figure out what they see in you that makes that $17 million worth their spending," asked Whitehouse. Youd have to ask them, Gorsuch slyly responded. To which Whitehouse replied, I cant because I dont know who they are, and continued: Its just a front group. The bottom line is that no matter what lower courts decide, well-financed appellants can keep going at it right up to a more sympathetic Supreme Court now under construction by Trump and company. Financial contributions from any political directionright, center or leftshould not be a part of the Supreme Court approval process, especially since its members represent the supreme legal authority of the land. But, if money is allowed to be spent to back Supreme Court nominees, contributors should be clearly identified. *** Joseph J. Honick is an international consultant to business and government and writes for many publications. He can be reached at joehonick@gmail.com Boy that didnt take long. Donald Trump took to Twitter today to suggest that the hush money tape made by his fixer Michael Cohen may have been doctored. What kind of a lawyer would tape a client? So sad! Is this a first, never heard of it before? Why was the tape so abruptly terminated (cut) while I was presumably saying positive things? I hear there are other clients and many reporters that are taped - can this be so? Too bad! Inquiring minds would like to know 1) What were the presumably positive things that the president said about paying $150K to buy the silence of former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and 2) Who told him that Cohen taped "other clients and many reporters?" But thats another can of worms to open. Now that president Trump has put the doctored tape ball into play, hell probably be denying that Cohen was his personal lawyer by tomorrow. As George Orwell wrote in 1984: Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. The reality in Trumps mind is that he can make lovey-dovey with Vladimir Putin, smear US intelligence services, trash allies, launch a global trade war, massively cut taxes, increase the deficit, separate families, cage young kids, destroy ObamaCare and continually lie without undermining the standing of the US before the world and its own people. That's hogwash. It will take years for our country to get over the damage brought about by Trump. As in George Orwell's classic, 1984, Trump operates his own version of the Ministry of Truth to spread lies and propaganda. Consider these three news stories. CNN reported July 24 that the White House has ended the long-time practice of releasing the transcript of presidential phone calls with foreign leaders. One can now only imagine what popped into Trump's mind when he recently chatted with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The HuffPost reported today that the White House edited from the transcript and video of Trumps horror in Helsinki with Vlad a question that Reuters reporter Jeff Mason posed to Putin about whether he wanted Trump to win the presidential election. Da, Da, smiled the Russian. The New York Times also weighed in today with how Trump was enraged that First Lady Melania tuned into CNN (FAKE NEWS CENTRAL) while on Air Force One. She violated Trump Rule No. 1 that all TVs should show only Fox, which tosses bouquets to its faithful watcher-in-chief. The White Houses Ministry of Truth works hard to keep Americans misinformed and confused about reality, so they dont stand up to Trump, or egad impeach him. Ignorance is indeed its strength. Ronn Torossian Launched in 1968, ODwyers celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. Founder and publisher Jack ODwyer has been at the helm that entire time, and his impact on the PR field has been tremendous. His near-obsessive focus on our industry has made him one of its keenest and most insightful observers, and for that, everyone who works in public relations owes the man a major thank you. Hes covered so much of the ups and downs of the PR industry, and considering the grueling industry media cycle, thats no easy feat. ODwyer got his start as a financial reporter at the New York-American before moving to the Chicago Tribune. After eight years in journalism, he took everything hed learned about the financial sector and launched a newsletter which would soon grow into a monthly magazine devoured religiously by so many in the PR industry worldwide. A vocal advocate for transparency and face-to-face industry relationships, ODwyer has spoken out against the increasingly impersonal nature of the PR business. In 2013, he also took the Public Relations Society of America to task for its closed-off policies and unwillingness to deal with the press or disclose its finances. Theyve totally alienated themselves from the membership, said ODwyer in an interview with The Observer. Theyre all in hiding. They help accredited members; its all about rewarding insiders. They should be setting a shining example of transparency and disclosure. Its the opposite. The PRSA will not let the press join. How can we cover the PRSA if we cant see their finances? ODwyer has been a crusader for excellence in PR for five decades, praising the field whenever he can and loudly calling attention whenever scruples are lacking. Known for his willingness to go to the mat over his beliefs, ODwyer has stood up for what he believes. With his sharp, incisive voice and unflagging persistence, ODwyer has influenced generations of PR reporting. His style set the standard for hard work in an increasingly automated and detached field, and even as the world of long business lunches and editorial powerhouses that gave him his start begins to fade, he remains a vibrant embodiment of everything exciting and valuable about its heyday. Thank you, Jack ODwyer and the ODwyer Company, for all you have done for the public relations industry. *** Ronn Torossian is CEO & Founder of 5WPR. Irish Water has extended its ongoing hosepipe ban for the entire country until the end of August as soil moisture deficits continue to effect water supply. The Irish Water Board met on Friday morning to discuss the on-going drought situation and Irish Waters on-going response to safeguarding the supply for water for the future. It is the view of the water engineering experts within Local Authorities and Irish Water that the situation will remain critical up to and possibly beyond mid-August. The Board reviewed the latest available data on water usage and the condition of the raw water sources around the country and have confirmed the extension of the timeline of the Water Conservation Orders, or hosepipe bans for the Greater Dublin Area and nationally until August 31 and a continuance of the Level 2 water pressure reductions in the Greater Dublin area for another two weeks. The most severe conditions continue to be in the east and south, where the rivers, lakes and groundwater tables are at record lows. Latest OPW flow data shows over half of rivers are at levels that were previously unheard of in July. Met Eireann has indicated that in the short-term that rainfall will not be at a level that will assist the recovery of raw water sources, particularly in the east and south of the country, despite a yellow warning for heavy rain being in place for much of the country on Saturday. "Major operational interventions are taking place including relocating or upgrading pumps; using Irish Water hydrologists to investigate and drill additional boreholes as an interim measure; tankering water to reservoirs; and working closely with our local authority colleagues and additional contractors where necessary to find and fix the worst leaks that are impacting supply," a statement from the utility read. Commenting, Chartered Engineer and Irish Waters Corporate Affairs Manager Kate Gannon said, Irish Waters first priority is to safeguard the water supply for communities, ensure a consistent and safe supply and minimise the impact of the drought. It has been very encouraging to see the conservation measures taken by homes and businesses and advice for those who would like to do a little bit more is available on water.ie. The measures that Irish Water has taken in the past few weeks have been done to conserve water while minimising the impact on homes and businesses. Whether it is tankering water to resevoirs or fixing leaks, each measure has been taken with the impact on the local community in mind." "That is why Irish Water has urged customers to conserve water before putting the Water Conservation Order in place. That is why we have waited to see how demand for water would reduce in the Greater Dublin Area before confirming pressure management at night. Irish Water is very aware that increased water pressure reductions in the Greater Dublin Area could have a negative impact on homes and businesses and the hospitality sector in particular. We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you have a story for us, sports news, an event happening in your area, or if you want to submit pictures or videos, contact the Offaly Express team via email to justin.kelly@iconicnews.ie, or through our Facebook. Samir Kochchar has steadily made a space for himself in the world of digital entertainment. Samir Kochchars recent stint with Sacred Games has put him in the spotlight. Samir started his digital career with The Test Case and moved on to Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat 2 and Dhan Dhana Dhan. While Sacred Games is grabbing a lot of eyeballs in India as well as gaining popularity outside the country, Samir cant help but feel the joy. Generally audiences outside the country dont care much about Indian content, unless it is something very unusual. It is great to know that this show is being watched outside our country and I have been fortunate enough to be a part of it. I am hoping there is lot more to do in season 2 as well. Having worked for TV, films and now web-series, Samir Kochchar says, It is great to work in different mediums and to have a choice from all these three platforms. They all come with their own set of challenges and we have to play our role in them. When it comes to TV, it keeps going on. A film has a fixed time frame as does a web-series. But no matter what medium you are working with, its the content that matters. Of course web is giving much space to hard-hitting content. Working with Vikramaditya Motwane was a great experience for Samir, He is fantastic. I cant tell you the amount of grace the director has. Working with so many actors with a timeline on his head and massive footage that needed to be sorted, there was a lot of stress on him. But he is always at ease, he is open-minded. He would always check with the actors how they want to perform a particular scene. So it was nice working with him. Talking about the cast of the film, Samir says, It was nice working with such a friendly cast. I shared a great rapport with Rahika Apte. There was one scene which was semi-flirticious and we had a huge laugh while doing it. That was a good day. Things were very professional during the shoot of Sacred Games. People were always busy. There was a strict schedule and a huge army of people assisting and helping the director. Everything was streamlined. It was amazing to see this well-oiled machinery. I think everyone came together wonderfully to create this greatness. It did seem like chaos but it wasnt chaos. People were highly involved. Samir believes that it is not only due to Netflix that things were so streamlined. I think its the whole process that is changing. Things have become way more professional. If you see the writers, a lot more original content is being written. The timelines are being met. Shoots are happening on schedule because you know the next date and the location will be available months later. Also when it comes to casting, no matter who you are, you have to fit the bar. You have to meet the casting director, and do it the professional way. On the whole things have become better. Gone are the days when you had to carry those portfolios. Now I see screentests happening. Contracts are much better. It is very much like Hollywood. Samir is next working in a couple films in Tollywood and is also a part of No Entry 2. I am working with Prabhu Deva. I am also working on a film titled Humein Tumse Pyaar Kitna. We shot it last year but it took a bit of time. It is a love story set in the mountains. Meanwhile, it is amazing to be an actor in these times. There is such wonderful work happening. Abolish confessions in Churches, the priests are misusing it against women says NCW India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer Kochi, July 27: The National Commission for Women has said that the government must intervene to abolish the practice of confessions in Churches as they come in the way of security and safety of women. The observations were made while submitting a report on the two sex scandals in Churches in Kerala. The Commission has sought a probe by a Central agency into the two sex scandals. We have recommended a probe by a central agency into these scandals because such incidents are on the rise in Kerala, Rekha Sharma, chairperson of the NCW said. The NCW said that the the practise of confessions in Churches must be abolished as it is being misused by priests. Many women are suffering and women cannot share their private life with priests. A central agency also needs to do a proper investigation into the increasing incidents of rape and sexual assaults in churches of Kerala, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said. "The priests pressure women into telling their secrets and we have one such case in front of us, there must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg," she said. The recommendations come in the backdrop of a rape case against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman belonging to their church. The issue came to the fore after the woman's husband wrote to the church, alleging that the priests blackmailed and abused his wife, a school teacher. The National Commission of Women has constituted an inquiry committee to look into alleged sexual assaults against women in churches, and has sent its findings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and the DGP of Kerala and Punjab. "The woman was socially harassed. She left her job after the incident as her photograph was circulated on social media. The two priests are at large and they need to be nabbed," the DCW chairperson said. In another incident, a nun, in a complaint to the Kottayam district police chief last month, alleged that Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal raped her and had unnatural sex with her multiple times at a small town near Kottayam between 2014 and 2016. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 11:41 [IST] About APJ Kalam Born on October 15, 1931, in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram, Dr APJ Kalam served as the 11th President of India between 2002 and 2007. Kalam, who had penned several books and inspired millions through his philosophy of 'simple living and high thinking', died due to a cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong on July 27, 2015. Nation pays homage to APJ Abdul Kalam The nation on Friday paid homage to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who is fondly remembered as the 'People's President' and the 'Missile Man of India' on his third death anniversary. His quotes that inspired all If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. You have to dream before your dreams can come true. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity. Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended. You see, God helps only people who work hard. That principle is very clear. My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people. Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success. Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work. Interesting facts Faizabad railway station to be known as Ayodhya Cantt Priyanka Gandhi promises loan waiver if Congress comes to power in UP UP 2022 poll: BJP kicks off online campaign with 'Soch Imanadar, Kaam Damdaar, Fir Ek Baar BJP Sarkar' slogan Uttar Pradesh govt's decision to provide aid to kin of Covid victims very late: Mayawati CBI to probe Yamuna Expressway land Scam India oi-Vikas By Vikas Lucknow, July 27: A CBI probe has been recommended by the Uttar Pradesh government into the alleged Yamuna expressway scam, which is said to have caused a loss of Rs 126 crore to the expressway industrial development authority, said reports. The matter is related to purchase of land in Mathura for Yamuna expressway project. The has now been trasferred to the CBI after it was found that PC Gupta, the former Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) chairman, was directly involved in the scam. Gupta's involment came to fore after the authority had recently conducted a departmental inquiry, said a News 18 report. Gupta allegedly purchased 57.1549 hectares of land in seven villages of Mathura at a cost of Rs 85.49 crore with the help of 19 companies. Later, the land was sold at a higher cost to the authority, causing a loss of Rs 126 crore to YEIDA, News 18 report said. The project was sanctioned during the term of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati. More names may come up during the probe. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 17:19 [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 Captain Singh set to resign from Congress: New party may be named The Punjab Lok Congress Congress rubbishes reports of abolishing income tax for those under the age of 35 if voted to power India oi-Vikas By Vikas New Delhi, July 27: Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Friday rubbished reports that the grand old party may abolish Income Tax for those below the age of 35 if voted to power in 2019. A report published in The Print had earlier claimed that the Congress was considering a proposal promising no income tax for those under the age of 35. The report, while quoting a source, stated that the idea was discussed during a meeting of the Congress' top leadership on 13 July. It was reported that the Congress may make such promise to woo the young voters. It must be noted that more than 70 per cent of the India's population is below the age of 35. This translates to around 80 crore people ander the age of 35. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 16:08 [IST] Fly like Mehul Choksi: Has the fugitive businessman left Antigua India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 27: Mehul Choksi may not be in Antigua after all. With the Indian agencies writing to Antigua seeking details about Choksi, an accused in the PNB fraud case, it is suspected that he may have left the country again. Choksi said in a statement that he had applied for citizenship in Antigua lawfully to expand his business and obtain visa travel to 130 countries. The Indian agencies who are keeping a track on him tell OneIndia that they are certain that Choksi is not in Antigua. He had applied for citizenship, but since the news of his location broke out, he has left that country as well. We are however in the process of ascertaining more details from the authorities in Antigua, the officer also said. Antigua had released an official statement about Choksi getting citizenship in January, just before the PNB scam broke out. It may be recalled that the US Department of Justice had told India that as per its assessment, Choksi had flown out of the US on an Antiguan passport. Choksi's location has been traced to several places since the scam broke out. It was first said that he was in Singapore and later New York. From New York, he fled to Antigua and now to an unknown destination. Meanwhile, Choksi in a statement issued through his lawyer said, "I can state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application, I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved. My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa free travel access to 130 or so countries. That remains my reason for choosing to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda." "In January 2018 I had a need to visit the United States to receive medical treatment. Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda," he added in a press statement through his lawyer." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 15:54 [IST] Ready to quit cinema if it becomes hurdle to political career: Kamal Haasan Freedom of expression being snatched away in India: Kamal Haasan India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer Chennai, July 27: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan said freedom of expression was "slowly being snatched away" in the country and this should change. "Certainly," was his response when a reporter cited recent arrests of protesters over various issues and asked if freedom of expression was being "snatched" in the country. "Certainly. It is slowly being snatched... The situation in the country should change," he told reporters here. His comments come in the backdrop of Tamil Nadu witnessing a series of protests including against Sterlite copper plant and the proposed Rs 10,000 crore eight-lane Salem-Chennai greenfield corrdior project. Opposition parties have accused the government of indiscriminate arrests of protesters, a charge denied by Chief Minister K Palaniswami who wondered if democratic rights were being used appropriately in the state. To a question on the Salem-Chennai expressway, the actor-politician reiterated that people should decide whether they require the big ticket road project. "People should decide whether they want it or not," he said. On his recent meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy over the Cauvery issue, over which he faced criticism from some quarters, Haasan said he had "no shame" in seeking water for Tamil Nadu farmers. A 'spin' was given to that meeting by some that MNM was against the setting up of a Cauvery Management Authority (CMA), he alleged. "We need the authority," the MNM chief said, adding, such a panel was required to handle water-sharing during distress. On the controversy surrounding the use of a military helicopter to airlift Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's ailing brother recently, Haasan said late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran had flown in in a private carrier for his medical treatment. Ramachandran "flew in a private aircraft even when he was battling for life," Haasan said in an apparent reference to the former's US visit for medical treatment in early 1980s. DMK working president M K Stalin had yesterday demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Panneerselvam following the controversy. Panneerselvam had earlier said his New Delhi visit on Tuesday was only to thank Sitharaman for arranging a military air ambulance to shift his brother to Chennai from Madurai, prompting Stalin to question how a defence helicopter can be provided for use by a private individual. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 8:00 [IST] How poor, marginalised, disabled in Bengaluru are suffering because of denial of pension India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Bengaluru, July 27: They are Bengaluru's underbelly--the poor, marginalised, homeless and disabled--who have been almost forgotten by the government, corporates and civil society of India's IT hub. On Thursday, a group of 50-odd people, including transgenders, people living with HIV and slum dwellers, came together at Jain University in the city to narrate their plight as they have been denied their monthly stipend under various government pension schemes meant for poor and marginalised sections of society. The event, Karnataka Pension Parishad, was organised by the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) in association with the Community Radio Active and the Sahaya Single Window to highlight how denial of pension to these people have left them in lurch. One grouse that all the participants at the pension meeting had was that office bearers of 'Nadakacheri' (deputy tahasildar's office), which approves their pensions after they submit the required documents, are either insensitive or corrupt to deny them their dues. Many of the participants at the pension meeting told OneIndia that even after getting pension for a couple of years, suddenly the officials have stopped giving them their monthly stipend. "I have all the documents and that is why my pension was approved. But for the last five months I am not getting my monthly pension of Rs 600," said Saraswati (70), a widow, who stays in Ambedkar Nagar slum in the city. As she is not getting her widow pension, Saraswati, who recently had a heart surgery, is finding it difficult to pay her medical bills. "In today's time Rs 600 is a very small amount, but for a poor, unemployed and old woman like me that amount is important as it take cares of many of my requirements," added Saraswati, whose husband had died a few years ago and her son is staying separately. When asked why her pension was suddenly stopped, Saraswati said that as she was unwell for two months, during the surgery, and could not go to the post office branch from where she was getting her pension for verification, officials thought she does not need the money. "I have visited the post office several times, but they are not listening to me," she said with helplessness in her eyes. Similarly, Ramakka in her late fifties told OneIndia that her 35-year-old disabled son has stopped getting his monthly pension of Rs 500. With tears in her eyes, Ramakka, a resident of Aswath Nagar, said that her family is very poor and taking care of her disabled son is very difficult. Officials of the CFAR said that there are many reasons why pension is being either not approved or stopped abruptly to the poor and marginalised. "First, there is a lack of awareness about schemes among the poor and needy. Then they don't have all the documents needed to become beneficiaries of the schemes. How on earth a homeless will have documents like Aadhaar card or BPL card?" questioned CFAR programme manager Prabhanand Hegde. In order to solve the problem, the CFAR wants that surveys of all slums in the city should be done to identify the beneficiaries. "We also want an alternative mechanism to issue income certificates and monthly pension adalat by deputy tahasildars is a must," added Hegde. Another woman (we are not revealing her name to protect her identity), who is HIV positive, told OneIndia that she has lost her husband 20 years ago and is staying with her son, who is also HIV positive. "I have not received any help from the government at all. I am a widow and HIV positive. I am entitled to get pension. I had applied for my pension twice in the last 20 years, but officials have rejected my applications. Now, again I have applied for pension and the officials are questioning me why I did not apply for pension earlier, whereas it is their mistake that they had rejected by previous applications," she added. I would have ordered shooting of MLAs if I were home minister says Karnataka BJP leader India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer Bengaluru, July 27: A senior BJP MLA has courted controversy after he said that had been the home minister, he would have ordered shooting of all intellectuals. Addressing the Kargil Vijay Diwas function at Vijaypura, Karnataka, Bansanagouda Patil Yatnal said intellectuals and liberals are anti nationals. While blaming Jawaharlal Nehru for the Kashmir problem, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would scrap Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The ruling JD(S) and Congress have demanded immediate action against the MLA. Yatnal was the minister of state for Textiles and Railways under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government between 2002 and 2004. In 2010 he had quit the BJP and joined the JD(S). He has been a controversial figure and a month back he had told the local BJP municipal members not to help Muslims. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 6:59 [IST] Chitrangada Singh gets the best one: Naam ke ilawa kuch bachca na ho toh, naam ko bacha ke rakhna chahiye. Rating: Cast: Mahi Gill, Jimmy Shergill, Sanjay Dutt, Chitrangada, Kabir Bedi, Deepak Tijoria, Nafisa Ali, Deepraj Rana Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia Not all gangsters are exciting. And one had safely assumed that writer-director Tigmanshu Dhulia knew this very well since hes the one who gave us a dazzling goonda in 2011 (Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster) without whom the saheb and his biwi would have been nothing more than quibbling malcontents. Randeep Hoodas Babloo made both of them pant. It was because of the audacious raunchiness which Babloo brought to Deogarh haveli that Choti Rani held a gun while making out with the help in the open. Thats also the reason why weve since been happy to return to the saheb, biwi and their haveli. But for out third outing the film, written by Sanjay Chauhan and Tigmanshu Dhulia, seems to have an ulterior motive vis-a-vis the gangster not to try and spice things up, but to try and resurrect the bad boy image of Sanjay Dutt without actually making him do anything thats morally wrong. Uday Singh (Sanjay Dutt), an outcast from another royal family, is only peripherally a spanner in the works of Madhvi (Mahie Gill) and Aditya Pratap Singh (Jimmy Shergill). Hes actually not at all interested in the sahib or his biwi. He stews in a parallel plot of his own making which is too cliched and dull. Because of this, Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster 3 operates not just in two places with two different sets of people and problems, but also at two sharply distinct IQ levels. The haveli, which is now back to its splendour, is still the place where murders are easily plotted and assigned. Its a cunning, cerebral world of devious intrigue, while Uday Singhs Boondi Nagar palace is a collection of heavily botoxed dimwits who are too inept to see through even a carefully planned, simple murder. Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster 3 toggles between these two worlds, and the distressing result can best be summed up with this Urdu couplet: Na Khuda hi mila, na viaasl-e-sanam, Na idhar ke rahe, na udhar ke rahe The film opens in London where Uday, wearing a hoodie, plays many rounds of Russian Roulette a deadly game that involves vodka, ek goli in a gun that is passed from one man to another who try their luck by pulling the trigger. Like his great grandfather, Uday is a master of this game. And so, soon after his opponents shoot themselves in the head, he collects wads of foreign currency, stopping only when he has enough cash to set up a nightclub, Lords of the House. Uday, however, remains a character about whom we learn just few, basic titbits to establish that hes morally sound, daring and unhappy married because hes in love with another. Oh! And he also keeps maun vrats. On one such maun day we watch him smash a bottle on a mans head, and Madhvi, who is hanging around with her friends, makes note of his anger. Uday skips with joy when hes told that hes being deported to India. The thought of being with his mistress, Suhani (Chitrangada), are pleasing. But theres also his dad, Maharaj Hari Singh (Kabir Bedi), and brother Vijay (Deepak Tijori) who run their ancestral palace in Boondi Nagar as a hotel and want nothing to do with him. Madhvi is now a powerful, confident MLA who runs the Jan Vikas Party. Shes also a fixer, doling out favours in return for favours. She also randomly picks up men but then forgets they are waiting for her in the guest room. Her focus is on ensuring that Aditya Singh, who is in jail, remains there. And so she doesnt flinch when she has to pull the trigger on someone rather helpless and sad. Adityas old servant Kanhaiya has now been replaced by his daughter. But Deepal (Pamela Bhutoria), who arrives with promise, is soon reduced to a useless hangeron. Uday wants money to buy property. Madhvi can help him get that, but in return she wants him to play one round of Russian Roulette. There is a very filmy exchange in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 which, dripping with in jokes that are kinda funny, doubles up as an open arm welcome to Sanjay Dutt into the free world, and Aditya welcoming him into his world of Rajwara intrigue. And, every single time Sunjay Dutt is on the screen, the background score breaks into a rousing, filmy chant Aaya tera baap. But Dutt is too expressionless and lumbering. Though that fits in well with the people in his part of the world, it drags the film down to imbecile levels. The films dialogue, especially the ones where people are insulting each other, are sharp and fabulous. Chitrangada Singh gets the best one: Naam ke ilawa kuch bachca na ho toh, naam ko bacha ke rakhna chahiye. Chitrangada is gorgeous. And shes a decent actor. But now that one part of her face is frozen into one, perpetual sexy expression, its unfair to expect too much from her. But she is also a horrible dancer and yet we are subjected to a full song. There are moments in the film, especially when Kabir Bedi is in the frame, which seem like we are watching one of those nightmarish, freakish videos about cosmetic surgery gone horribly wrong. There wasnt much expression or emotion in these faces at any time in the past, any way. And now that they are frozen forever, we have to rein in our expectations. Tigmanshu Dhulia is a very sharp, very talented writer director. And his women characters are especially exciting. Ambitious and driven, they are mostly in pursuit of happiness, either through men or power, or both. Often more than his men, they use guile, charm, chaploosi, sex to get what they want. And over three films he has carefully honed the characters of Madhvi and Saheb to sexy sharpness. As portraits of booze-guzzling royalty in decay, their humanity stripped down to the most basic instincts of survival and power grabbing, they are perfect. They stand out, distinctly, and since they are channelled by two excellent actors, the suspense of what they will do holds the film. Mahie Gill is just fabulous. Her Madhvi is like a glass of frozen martini whose rims have tiny, sweetened shards of glass. She lifts the film every time she is on the screen. Mahie has the ability to up the temperature with her quick-changing mood. And here, in a cracking scene, she goes from mundane to tense to funny with lightning speed. Jimmy Shergills Aditya Pratap Singh is always one step behind Madhvi. Hes slightly decent, but also puffed up on his own ego and significance. Hes at once lonely, wasted and pitiable. But also delightfully narcissistic and self-serving. When Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster 3 is with them, it rises. When it moves away from them, towards the single-note stars, it annoys and irritates. Should India opt out of India-Pakistan T20 World Cup? Who said what Aromatherapy spray manufactured in India linked to two deaths in US, faces recall India reports 15,906 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours; Active caseload stands at 1,72,594 India to double tiger population India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff New Delhi, July 27: Union minister Harsh Vardhan today said the government has set a target of doubling the tiger population in the country. Speaking at an event here in the run-up to the 'International Tiger Day' on July 29, Vardhan said if tigers are conserved, the country will then also be able to protect environment and deal with environmental threats that exist in the world. "To conserve tiger, it is necessary to increase their population. We have a target of doubling the tiger population," the minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change said. He said that India has 70 per cent of the world's tiger population. The preliminary census data of the ongoing tiger census is showing rise in the population of the big cats in the country, which is a "big thing", he said. Vardhan said children should play a vital role in protecting tiger and environment. Earlier this week, the government had, while quoting preliminary census data, said that the population of tigers is on the rise. Vardhan had also informed the Rajya Sabha that advanced strategies are being adopted to tackle the human-animal conflict and detailed advisories were being issued to the state governments. At the event, children took part in various programmes and senior officers of the ministry were also present. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 15:25 [IST] We are a big loser, J&K better off when governed by CMs: Ghulam Nabi Azad Protect country without worry, Modi govt will take care of your families: Amit Shah to troops Amit Shah spends night at CRPF camp in Pulwama; says will see a peaceful J&K 'in our lifetime' J-K cops detain 6 over derogatory video after Pakistan's victory against India in T20 match J&K: 1 killed, 4 injured in blast in Arnia sector near International Border India oi-Madhuri Jammu, July 27: One person was killed and four were injured after an un-exploded shell exploded in Jabowal area of Arnia Sector near International Border of Jammu and Kashmir. It is reported that the injured person natives of Bihar was a non local Labour working in paddy field when he was reportedly killed. The injured people have been rushed to GMC hospital. According to preliminary investigation it was an old shell which exploded. Further investigation is underway. The incident comes a day after a militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara district. On Thursday, an encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. PM says notion that Army, police meant for men no longer exists, lauds rise in number of women cops PM Modi to visit Italy, UK from Oct 29 to Nov 2 for G-20 summit, COP-26 conference PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission: What we know about the scheme, so far? Karunanidhi laid to rest with full-state honours at Marina Beach India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Chennai, Aug 8: DMK patriarch and five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi was finally laid to rest on Wednesday alongside Jayalalithaa, DMK founder CN Annadurai and MGR at Marina beachfront in Chennai as a sea of humanity bid him a tearful farewell. He was buried with full state honours next to his mentor and former chief minister C N Annadurai at the Marina beach. No Hindu rituals were performed as Karunanidhi was a self-proclaimed atheist and rationalist. Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin received the national flag wrapped around his father's body. Other family members including the leader's wife Rajathi Ammal, other sons and daughters showered flower petals at his feet. Draped in a tricolour, the five-time chief minister was taken for his burial in an open procession. A sea of supporters were lined up along the route to catch a final glimpse of the departed leader and chanted slogans for their Thalaivar. The last journey of 'Kalaignar' Karunanidhi began at 4:00 pm. The 94-year-old Dravidian icon, who was affectionately called as Thalaivar and Kalaignar, had breathed his last at Kauvery hospital after fighting for life for 11 days. He had been battling age-related ailments for a long time. Earlier today, leaders from across the country, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, came to Chennai to pay their last respects to the doyen of Tamil Nadu politocs who breathed his last at Kauvery hospital in Chennai on Tuesday. Several Chief Ministers and political leaders paid tribute to late DMK chief M Karunanidhi at the Rajaji Hall here today. Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, former chief ministers of Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, Oommen Chandy and Akilesh Yadav respectively, among other leaders paid homage to the departed leader. Here are the Highlights: DMK working president MK Stalin said in an interview that DMK supremo Karunanidhi's health is stable and that doctors are monitoring his condition at the hospital. Actor Vijay meets DMK leader MK Stalin at Kauvery hospital where former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment Chennai: Actor Vijay meets DMK leader MK Stalin at Kauvery hospital where former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment pic.twitter.com/CxRFxzKYOz ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2018 Rajnikanth meets Karunanidhi. On July 31, Congress president Rahul Gandhi met Karunanidhi and wished him a speedy recovery. I wanted to come and see M Karunanidhi Ji. He is a tough person, I met him & he is stable. Sonia ji has sent her best wishes and regards to the family: Rahul Gandhi Congress President Rahul Gandhi to travel to Chennai today to meet DMK chief M Karunanidhi who is admitted to Kauvery Hospital. Stalin says Karunanidhi's condition is stable and that the veteran leader continues to remain under keen observation of doctors. Representatives of Sri Lanka President, Maithripala Sirisena, visited Kauvery hospital to meet former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi. They submitted a letter from Sirisena to DMK working President MK Stalin wishing speedy recovery to Karunanidhi. NCP leader Sharad Pawar visited Chennai's Kauvery hospital today. He met M K Stalin and Kanimozhi and inquired about the Karunanidhi's health. Supporters of DMK chief M Karunanidhi pray at his residence in Coimbatore where he used to reside in 1945. He is currently admitted in Chennai's Kauvery hospital. Visuals from outside Kauvery Hospital in Chennai where DMK Chief M #Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment #Visuals from outside Kauvery Hospital in Chennai where DMK Chief M #Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/ious2kR6GT ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2018 DMK supremo Karunanidhi is fighting with Yaman (the God of death) but he will return victorious, said MDMK general secretary Vaiko Kaveri after visting him at Kauvery Hospital on Monday. Isha Yoga founder and spiritual guru Jaggi vasudev also visited DMK chief Karunanidhi at the Kauvery Hospital on Monday, News18 Tamil reported. AIADMK member Nanjil Sampath and famous Tamil poet Vairamuthu visited DMK chief Karunanidhi in Kauvery Hospital on Monday, according to local media reports. E Palaniswami met Karunanidhi in ICU. He said that the DMK chief is doing fine and a team of expert doctors team is monitoring him, according to reports. DMK volunteers need to maintain peace and cooperate with the police, MK Stalin requests to supporters. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami and and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam have arrived at the Kauvery hospital to enquire about M Karunanidhi's health, according to sources. DMK workers continue to gather outside Kauvery Hospital in Chennai where DMK Chief M Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment. According to Thanthi TV, DMK chief Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi who had stayed at the hospital overnight has said that he is doing good and his well-wishers and party workers should be "brave" in these testing times. DMK workers continue to gather outside Kauvery Hospital in Chennai where DMK Chief M #Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment. pic.twitter.com/Y98hwdh0RZ ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2018 A DMK worker died of a heart attack in Thiruvarur on Sunday morning after hearing about the deteriorating health of party veteran M Karunanidhi. Another DMK worker, Raju, committed suicide by hanging himself on Sunday, according to local media reports. The security was beefed up both at the hospital and Karunanidhi's residence on Sunday. DMK leader A Raja, in an address to people outside Kauvery Hospital in Chennai, asked not to believe in rumours. Raja said, "Karunanidhi is responding well to treatment". A massive crowd has gathered outside Kauvery hostpital and a tight security has been put in place. Some reports had earlier said that Karunanidhi's condition was upgraded to 'very critical' from 'critical'. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami, who was in Salem, has reportedly cancelled all his meetings and rushed for Chennai. Leaders cutting across party lines are arriving at Kauvery hospital. Massive crowds have gathered outside the hospital. People are shouting slogans "Long live Kalaignar". MK Stalin issues statement over M Karunanidhi's health condition,states 'There was unexpected setback in his health but after intense medical care,he's normalising.Doctors' team is continuously monitoring him.Appeal to cadres to not indulge in violence or disturb police or public pic.twitter.com/1tsAoUF4mU ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2018 Karunanidhi was admitted to the Hospital in a critical condition around 1.30 a.m. on Saturday after his blood pressure began to fall. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance past Friday midnight from his Gopalapuram residence. Former BJD leader Bijayant Jay Panda earlier called on M Karunanidhi at Kauvery hospital today and wished for the DMK president's speedy recovery. "I came here to convey my best wishes for Karunanidhi Ji's speedy recovery. He has played a tremendous role in social transformation and economic development of the nation. I met MK Stalin, Kanimozhi and other DMK leaders," Panda told ANI after meeting. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu earlier today met the DMK Chief at Kauvery hospital where Karunanidhi is admitted following a drop in blood pressure. The crowd stayed put outside the hospital even past midnight. Despite assurances that Karunanidhi was recovering, the crowd refused to disperse. Anna University has announced that there has been no holiday declared for its constituent colleges. BJD leader Bijayant Jay Panda calls on M Karunanidhi. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu meets DMK Chief M Karunanidhi at Kauvery hospital where the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was admitted following a drop in blood pressure. DMK supporters gathered outside Chennai's Kauvery hospital, where DMK Chief M Karunanidhi was admitted following drop in blood pressure. Police personnel have cordoned off for the entire area for general public. Karunanidhi's condition has hogged attention over the past couple of days, with political leaders from across the spectrum lining up to visit him. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu will meet Karunanidhi at the hospital on Sunday. Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's health condition continues to remain stable with ongoing active medical support, said the latest bulletin issued by Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. The hospital statement said, "DMK President and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Kalaignar Dr M Karunanidhi's health condition continues to be remain stable with ongoing active medical support. He is continuously being monitored & treated by the panel of expert doctors in the Intensive Care Unit." Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meets DMK's MK Stalin at Chennai's Kauvery hospital to inquire about M Karunanidhi's health condition Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad visits Karunanidhi at Kauvery Hospital TN CM E Palainiswami's statement: Karunanidhi was not feeling well & was undergoing treatment at home. Now, he is being given the best treatment at the hospital. Our ministers had met MK Stalin and inquired about his health. He will recover soon. If necessary we are willing to provide any help with medical aid. He is better. His blood pressure has stabilised: DMK leader Kanimozhi on DMK President M Karunanidhi's health condition. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit met MK Stalin at Kauvery Hospital, where DMK President M Karunanidhi was admitted late last night. DMK supporters continue to gather outside Kauvery Hospital, where DMK President M Karunanidhi is admitted. Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit visits DMK President M Karunanidhi at Kauvery Hospital who was admitted to the hospital late last night following a drop in blood pressure. MK Stalin arrived at Kauvery Hospital, where DMK President Karunanidhi is admitted following a drop in blood pressure. DMK supporters gathered outside Kauvery Hospital, where DMK President is admitted. Karunanidhi, 94, was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of Kauvery Hospital at 1:30 am. After the hospital informed that Karunanidhi was responding to treatment, the crowd started to disperse. His family members including Stalin and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran too left the hospital. The hospital in a statement said he was brought there after his blood pressure had dropped. "His blood pressure has been stabilised with medical management and he continues to be monitored and treated by the panel of experts," the hospital said. Several senior DMK leaders, including working president M K Stalin and his estranged elder brother M K Alagiri were at the hospital. Other frontline leaders such as Duraimurugan, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and former Union minister A Raja were also there. Hundreds of party cadres and well-wishers have gathered at the hospital. Security beefed up in and around the area. Slogans like "Long Live Kalaignar Karunanidhi" rent the air. Earlier in the day, Kauvery hospital in Chennai released a medical bulletin stating that Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's health had deteriorated and a team of medical experts were treating him for fever due to urinary tract infection and had kept him under observation for 24 hours. "There has been a decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi's due to age-related ailments. He is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection. He is being given hospital level treatment at home," a medical bulletin released by the Kauvery Hospital said. Given his condition, the team of doctors attending to him has recommended the restriction on visitors. DMK working president and Karunanidhi's son, M K Stalin, told that the veteran leader is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down. News agency ANI quoted him as saying "he (M Karunanidhi) is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down." Stalin was made the party's working president in 2016 after Karunanidhi retreated from the mainstream politics. He tweeted: "I am thankful to Rahul Gandhi, SitaramYechury & D Raja for calling to inquire about Thalaivar Kalaignar's health. The concern and wishes from everyone will surely aid @kalaignar89's recovery and we hope he will be able to meet everyone soon." On behalf of the DMK, I thank @rashtrapatibhvn & @PMOIndia for their enquiries about @kalaignar89's health. I am extremely grateful for their offers of help. Thalaivar is getting the best medical care and treatment. We hope he will recover soon and thank everyone in his own words M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 27, 2018 Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that he spoke with Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin, who is the Leader of Opposition, and daughter Kanimozhi and enquired about the veteran leader's health. "I pray for his quick recovery and good health," wrote Modi on Twitter and added that he has offered any assistance required. Also, President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Karunanidhi's family members, President's office tweeted, "Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhi's family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery." Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhis family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery #PresidentKovind President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 27, 2018 Arpudhamaal, the mother of Perarivaalan who is accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, visited Gopalapuram to meet Karunanidhi. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to wish for Karunanidhi's speedy recovery. MK Stalin took to Twitter to thank PM Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi for enquiring about Karunanidhi's health. Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to wish Karunanidhi a speedy recovery. Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan said that meeting MK Stalin & Kanimozhi, he was apprised that Karunanidhi's health is improving and that PM Modi spoke to them inquiring about his health. Karunanidhi's house has been flooded with party workers today after Kauvery Hospital stated a "slight decline" in his health Thursday night. Stalin's estranged brother and former union minister M K Alagiri arrived at the residence along with his son Durai Dayanidhi. Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan said, "Kalaignar should get back to active life and that is my prayer. He presided over my marriage..." Among other visitors were, MDMK chief Vaiko, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, CPI leader D Pandian and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan who enquired about his health from family members and Stalin. "Such fever after a tracheostomy procedure is usual. Stalin told me that he is fine. I am confident that he will bounce back with the same magnetic voice," Vaiko told reporters. Karunanidhi completed 50 years as party chief today and the DMK had planned to celebrate it by distributing sweets and welfare assistance. SC/ST Act: LJP red flags BJP, says patience running out India oi-PTI New Delhi, July 26: Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP today turned up the heat on the Modi government, saying its support to the BJP is issue-based as it sought a law to restore the stringent measures of an Act on atrocities against Dalits and removal of NGT Chairman A K Goel by August 9. Party MP and Paswan's son Chirag Paswan said patience of many within the Lok Janshakti Party is running out as circumstances raising concerns of the Dalits and tribals have emerged of late. Protecting interests of these communities was at the root of the LJP's tie up with the BJP in 2014, he told a press conference in New Delhi. His party has been demanding for over four months now an ordinance to restore the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act but the government has not done so. He, however, stayed away from issuing any direct threat to the BJP and said the LJP has faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his government had done a lot for Dalits. "We will cross the bridge when it comes," he said when asked if his party would consider walking out of the BJP-led NDA if its demands are not met by the August 9 deadline. Various Dalit and tribal groups have called for a 'Bharat bandh' on August 10 to press their demands, including restoration of the Act. They have said a Supreme Court order in March weakened the law. Chirag Paswan said incidents of atrocities against the community have risen following the verdict and FIRs were not being registered by police. Goel was one of the two top court judges who delivered the verdict and he was appointed the National Green Tribunal chairperson earlier this month immediately after his retirement from the Supreme Court. The LJP has criticised his appointment with Chirag Paswan writing to Modi seeking his removal, saying it has sent a wrong message. Dalits believe that he has been rewarded for his judgement, he said. His father has also written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue. Chirag Paswan expressed the hope that the prime minister will take appropriate decisions once he returns from his foreign visit later in the evening. He said the opposition has been working to give an impression that the government was being "anti-Dalit" and the Modi dispensation should take strong measures to dispel it. Blowing hot and cold, he said the LJP strongly remains a part of the government as it makes it easier for his party to carry out its Dalit agenda. PTI Total Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon coming together today: When, Where and How to watch the supermoon Lunar Eclipse 2018: See the Stunning Blood Moon pics India oi-Deepika By Deepika New Delhi, July 28: A blood-moon dazzled star gazers across much of the world on Friday when the earth's natural satellite moved into the shadow of our planet for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century. The century's longest total lunar eclipse, which began on July 27, will last till the early hours of July 28. According to NASA, the total lunar eclipse will last for close to one hour and 43 minutes, starting late at night and continuing till the early hours of July 28. Moon appears blood red in eclipse From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars to watch the moon which turned dark before shining orange, brown and crimson as it moved into the earth's shadow. 21st Centurys longest lunar eclipse Such long total lunar eclipses had earlier occurred on July 16, 2000 for totality duration of 1 hour 46 minutes and another one on June 15, 2011 for totality duration of 1 hour 40 minutes. World witnesses the celestial event From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars, hoping to see the moon which began to appear orange, brown or crimson as it moved into the earth's shadow. Photo credit: PTI/ANI Mamata says PM Modi misleading country over MSP hike India pti-PTI Kolkata, July 27: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "misleading" the people about increasing the MSP of kharif crops. Her comments come in the backdrop of the Union Cabinet approving a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for all 14 kharif crops, including paddy, earlier this month.' "The prime minister is spreading misinformation. He is misleading the people on the issue of increasing the MSP (of kharif crops). The Centre has hiked the MSP by only Rs 200, but is claiming that it has increased it by 50 per cent, which is totally false," Banerjee said in the Assembly. "The prime minister is saying that the Centre will double the income of farmers by 2022. But we have already doubled the income of our farmers," she said. Nearly 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country, Banerjee said, adding that not a single farmer from West Bengal figured among them. The chief minister, a known BJP detractor, demanded that the Centre increases the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) limit to Rs two lakh and criticised the proposal to put Modi's photo on the KCC form saying the states pay the larger share of money for the initiative. "We give 60 per cent of the money and the Centre gives 40 per cent. But recently we saw a report which said that the prime minister's photo will be given on the form," she said. She said her government had provided relief to more than 30 lakh farmers in the state who had suffered due to floods last year. PTI Explained: Why is raining so much in October despite the monsoon being over MP school students write to President to fix leaking roofs of classrooms to save them from rains India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Bhopal, July 27: The state of government-run schools across the country is anything but encouraging. Right from poor infrastructure to lack of teachers, government-run schools in both rural and urban areas often highlight the negligence on the part of authorities to improve education system in the country. In fact, tired by the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities to fix the leaking roofs of their school building, students of the government school in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the district council. Their memorandum was addressed to President Ramnath Kovind. "During monsoon, water drips from the roof in every classroom. There are no washrooms and it has been like this for many years, please help us," stated the memorandum addressed to the President. "#MadhyaPradesh: Students of a Govt school in Dindori marched to the District Council & submitted a memorandum addressing President of India, stating,'During monsoon water drips from the roof in every room,there are no washrooms,&its been like this for many years, please help us.'," tweeted ANI. #MadhyaPradesh: Students of a Govt school in Dindori marched to the District Council & submitted a memorandum addressing President of India, stating,"During monsoon water drips from the roof in every room,there are no washrooms,&its been like this for many years, please help us." pic.twitter.com/UKNvTayGUj ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2018 Now, it needs to be seen whether or not the memorandum of the students reaches the President and he solves their problems. Or else, like every monsoon, in the next rainy season also the students have to sit in their classrooms holding their open umbrellas. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 13:00 [IST] Madhya Pradesh well collapse: 11 bodies fished out; Search operation to continue for 2 more days Personal branding of BJP: Madhya Pradesh govt to print pictures of PM, CM on ration bags Madya Pradesh govt to pay Rs 31 lakh each to members of women's Olympic hockey team MP: Shivraj Singh Chouhan falls off stage after losing balance in Chhatarpur, unhurt India oi-Madhuri Bhopal, July 27: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan slipped from the stairs of a stage after addressing a rally in Chhatarpur and fell down. Chouhan was on his "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" on Thursday in the state. The BJP veteran escaped unhurt and did not receive any injury. Chouhan had earlier reached Chhatarpur from Panna on the second day of his "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" in the Bundelkhand region of the state. After concluding his speech there, Chouhan was coming down from dais when he slipped. He was surrounded by party workers and other leaders on the stage. His security personnel and party workers immediately rushed to help him get up. The chief minister skipped a step by mistake and lost his balance. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 14:35 [IST] Mumbai FYJC admissions 2018: Revised vacancy list for round 3 India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar New Delhi, July 27: A revised vacancy list as part of the Mumbai FYJC admissions 2018 is being displayed. Following a Bombay High Court order, the minority colleges in Mumbai now have to surrender online quota seats, the link for which will be activated till 6 pm on Thursday, July 26. The School Education Department will release the revised vacancy list on Friday, July 27 (11:30 am), and students will get a chance to edit their choices till Saturday, July 28 (6 pm). The third merit list for admission to the first year junior college (FYJC) will be declared on Tuesday, July 31. Suvarna Kharat, deputy secretary, school education department told the Indian Express, "With this judgment the seat count will increase and allotment has to be done on merit. So, we will first open the link for minority colleges to surrender their in-house quota seats and then release the vacancies. After that we will allow candidates to change their preferences again." Naidus politics of deception: No special status, but why cant he speak of the special focus India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 27: The special status to Andhra Pradesh has been a hot subject of debate and had even promoted a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha recently. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu has been crying foul and says that the Centre has not lived up to its promise of according special status to the state. He even pulled out of the NDA on this issue. The Centre on the other hand has said on several occasions, that ample grant has been released. G V L Narasimha Rao, BJP, MP in the Rajya Sabha says that the Centre may have not given the title of 'Special Status,' but has given 'Special Focus' to AP. In his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, Rao says that a propaganda has been unleashed against the Centre, by Naidu. There is mass scale propaganda coupled with mass scale deception, he also added. There is an attempt to completely mislead a young state like Andhra Pradesh. I am proud to say that Central government has given special focus to AP as no other government has ever done. It is only because of the BJP that you have so many assurances and promises which have been fulfilled, Rao said. Special Status: Rao adds that the UPA had said that for the purpose of central assistance, special category status will be given to AP for five years as this would put the state's financial status on a firmer footing. In March 2017, the Centre had said that it would provide special assistance to AP which will make up for he additional share that the state may have received. The Centre also assured repayment of loans and interest. A day later, Naidu said in the AP council that by way of this special assistance, the Centre has given us all the benefits. Rao pointed out that Naidu even thanked the PM and government. Naidu adds that the projects assured are already being implemented and the repayment of the loan burden has been accepted by the government. He further adds that there was a special measure given by the Centre and it was appreciated by the state. That package is on and when this is the case, where is the need for a special status. Why do they continue to provoke, Rao asks. Tax benefits: Rao further added that the CBDT in its September 30 2016 notification said that 7 districts of AP can avail tax incentives. This promise too has been kept. One must be reminded that all special category states do not have IT incentives. Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in 2014 did not have 100 per cent tax exemption for the corporate sector. Rao also brought to the notice of the House that that the 14th Finance Commission had allowed Rs 2 lakh and 44 thousand crore and this figure is up by more than double by way of what the state was getting. Further AP is the only state to get a revenue deficit grant for five years. No other state other than the Himalayan states and those in the North East have this benefit. Naidu had estimated a package of Rs 16,500 crore, but with the grants by the Centre and the Finance Commission has got over Rs 40,000 crore. Industrial corridors: Rao further added that of the four new industrial corridors, two pass through Andhra Pradesh. On the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor, we have Krishnapatanam as a new industrial city, which is being developed. The state was to acquire 12,000 acres of land, but have not been able to acquire even 2,000 acres. This project would create 6 lakh jobs in AP, Rao also pointed out. He further said that the Vizag-Chennai corridor which is part of the east coast economic corridor would boost the economy and by 2045 create, 1.10 crore jobs, Rao said while quoting a report by the Asian Development Bank. He further questioned the AP government's lethargy on the National Industrial Manufacturing Zone. Two districts in the state have got it, but the state has not moved forward. This can transform the districts, but I wonder why the state is not working on this. Is this not special focus for AP by the Centre, he also asked. While telling Naidu to stop blaming the Centre for its failings, Rao said the Centre may not have given the title special status, but has definitely given AP special focus, Rao also said. You can check out G V L Narasimha Rao's maiden RS speech here: My maiden speech in Rajya Sabha lasted for 45 minutes. The TDP MPs repeatedly disrupted my speech (much against convention for maiden speeches) as I exposed the "Politics of Deception" of regional parties over the Special Status issue. Please do watch!!https://t.co/y2UynST6RA GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) July 26, 2018 For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 11:25 [IST] The East Ridge City Council took the recommendation of City Manager Scott Miller in regards to building a new animal shelter. The council, the city manager and Friends of East Ridge Animal Services are all in favor of building a new facility. Funds of $1.5 million coming from the Border Region sales tax were originally meant for building a park pavilion. At the council meeting on June 28, the money was diverted to instead build an animal control facility. However, the only way to be assured that an animal control facility will be an eligible cost that can be funded by Border Region sales tax dollars will be to ask the Tennessee Department of Revenue, Mr. Miller told the council. Taxes received from the Border Regions in Tennessee are intended to be used for promoting redevelopment and tourism. Two available properties for the new shelter are large enough to accommodate a dog park, which the city wants to build along with the shelter. Parks are permitted uses under the Border Region rules, so the East Ridge Industrial Development attorney feels that the project would be eligible, said the city manager. However, before any commitments are made, he advised the council to make sure. A retail space for selling pet-related items could also be included and would be a source for generating money. Even if the animal control complex is turned down as an eligible cost, said Mr. Miller, the city can find other ways to fund it. The council has requested conditions on the development of property at 3623 Fountain Ave. before rezoning it from R-1 Residential to R-3 Residential Apartment District. General Contractor Mike Croxall, representing Lexington Asset Management, owners of the property, petitioned for the rezoning in order to begin renovation of the Sweetbay Apartments. Residents with homes in the vicinity of the apartments have asked the council for help in reducing crime and upgrading the area. It was brought to the attention of the council that a "crime-free addendum" has been used in leases in other locations managed by Lexington. City Manager Miller said that is a good program that could perhaps be applied to other apartment complexes in the city. Before the next council meeting, Mr. Croxall will arrange a meeting with the citizens who are concerned with crime and with the lack of school bus stops to service the apartment complex. A representative from the city will be present to hear and record the discussions. A number of city homeowners came to the meeting Thursday night to request help from the council to control flooding in their neighborhood around Rees Avenue during periods of extreme rain. The problem increased when a church was built nearby, they told the council. City Manager Miller assured them that city engineers will look at the problem in order to find a solution. The International Brotherhood of Police Officers Union gave a check for $5,528 to the city in support of the police department. The money came from a barbeque and bake sale fundraiser put on by citizens and local businesses. Another $7,500 was added to the cause from the Hamilton County Commission, which was presented by Commissioner Tim Boyd. The council approved the purchase of three new "flashback HD video systems for a total of $13,485. They will be installed in three new police patrol cars. A Ford F250 4x4 truck for the sanitation department at the cost of $26,565 and a Ford F-150 4.2 truck for the parks and recreation department were also authorized for purchase. Fees were waived for the use of Camp Jordan Amphitheater for the first annual Family Fun Festival fundraiser for the East Ridge Needy Child Fund used to provide a Merry Christmas to children in East Ridge. The fees to use Springvale Park were also waived for the residents surrounding the park to hold a neighborhood yard sale. A CBI request to issue Red Corner Notice against Choksi is pending with international police organisation and is likely to be granted soon. Mehul Choksi escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Antigua Government has indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back the uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, who has taken citizenship there, according to a newspaper report in that country. The Daily Observer on Thursday quoted a Cabinet press briefing issued by the Chief of Staff, Lionel "Max" Hurst, to state that Antigua and Barbuda government will make every effort as per law to honour a "legitimate" request from India. The issue of Choksi, a fugitive from India involved in an alleged banking scam worth over USD 2 billion, getting citizenship in Antigua in November 2017 was discussed in a Cabinet meeting of Antigua and Barbuda government, the newspaper said. A CBI request, India's nodal agency for Interpol matters, to issue a Red Corner Notice against Choksi is pending with the international police organisation and is likely to be granted soon. The Cabinet underlined that they do not have an extradition treaty with India and that Choksi has not been charged for any crime, it reported. The paper also stated that the Cabinet noted that no request has been received by the Antigua and Barbuda government for any action against Choksi. The Citizenship by Investment unit of Antigua faced criticism from the paper for allowing Choksi to get the passport of Antigua in November last year. The unit had informed the paper that Choksi's request was allowed after "due diligence" and detailed background check from Interpol. The CBI has denied that Interpol ever approached it regarding background checks on Choksi, who was facing inquiries from various agencies last year. In an editorial, the paper said, There is a perception that the CIU's due diligence is a farce and that CIP money trumps due diligence. This is a perception that cannot be allowed to linger because it will have damaging effects on our country's reputation. The government must produce all the documentary evidence of the due diligence process so that the citizens of this country can have confidence that there is integrity to the process, It also noted that India is a friendly country, an "ally", and that it had helped Antigua in past on several occasions and it was a time to reciprocate. Beyond that, India is an ally. They have provided assistance to us in the past, and they have been tapped to provide assistance in the future. Most recently (as in April of this year), we sought their technical assistance in the areas of health and the management of public finance. Will we now turn our backs on them and give safe harbour to a fugitive from their justice system?, an editorial in the paper said. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has moved to a Special court in Mumbai seeking to declare Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi 'fugitive economic offenders' which will enable them to seize their assets in India. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksi's actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with renewal of letters of undertaking, sources said. He escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15, they said. Next day, his firm approached the Brady House branch of the Punjab National Bank seeking renewal and issuance of letters of undertaking which were denied as the officer concerned sought cash guarantee for issuing these notes, a CBI FIR in this connection alleged. The executives told the officer that they have been taking these letters over last several years without any demand of such guarantee, it said. The officer could not find instructions for such LoUs in the bank's system which led to a detailed scrutiny. It is then that the alleged scam surfaced prompting the bank to approach the CBI with a complaint and an FIR was registered on January 31. An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to an applicant. Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, the FIR has alleged. Choksi and his companies allegedly availed of credit from overseas branches of Indian banks using the fraudulent guarantees of the PNB given through LoUs and letters of credit issued to Brady House branch which were not repaid bringing the liability on the state run bank, the officials said. A charge sheet filed in a special court in Mumbai after a three-and-a-month probe alleged that Shetty, a deputy manager in the PNB and arrested by the CBI, received Rs 1 crore from the companies of Choksi to issue LoUs to his companies, they said. Businessman in Kolkata shot at after his car was stopped by 18 men Omar Abdullah meets Mamata, discusses situation in Jammu and Kashmir India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Kolkata, July 27: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah met with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday at Nabanna, the West Bengal secretariat on Friday. Omar Abdullah discussed the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah, said, "Mamata didi has always been concerned about Kashmir. We discussed the current situation of my state. We had a discussion about the present situation in the nation & about the fear that prevails in minorities." The meeting happened amid speculations over the formation of a grand alliance of Opposition parties against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election. The TMC supremo, who has been a critic of the Narendra Modi government and its policies, has recently given the call for uniting all Opposition parties to oust the BJP government. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 19:32 [IST] It would be great if West Bengal gets electric vehicle manufacturing industry: Mamata Banerjee In next three years, India will hopefully get highways of American standard: Nitin Gadkari Politics is to serve last man in queue: Nitin Gadkari NCP chief Sharad Pawar praises Nitin Gadkari: He's a great example of how a people's rep can work Party is behind Fadnavis, no talk of replacing him: Gadkari on Maratha row India pti-PTI Mumbai, July 27: Union minister and senior BJP Leader Nitin Gadkari today ruled out any change of guard in Maharashtra amid the Maratha community's ongoing agitation for reservation. "People should have patience as Chief Minister (Devendra) Fadnavis is sensitive about the issue of reservation and the government will resolve all the issues," the road transport and highways minister said here. Gadkari was answering a reporter's question about a speculation about Fadnavis's fate. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had claimed two days back that there was talk within the BJP that Fadnavis should be replaced in view of the Maratha agitation. "I do not know why there is discussion in the media about removal of Fadnavis. The entire party stands with Fadnavis and there is no talk in the party about changing the leadership in Maharashtra," Gadkari asserted. "Some people are trying infuse venom of casteism and communalism in society. I firmly believe that all the communities including the Marathas will get justice under Fadnavis's leadership," the senior BJP leader from Maharashtra said. Fadnavis has done a very good work in areas of infrastructure, irrigation, investment and employment generation, Gadkari added. PTI Doctors go on 24-hour nationwide strike against passage of NMC Bill in Lok Sabha Doctors in Assam call for 24 hrs strike in protest against assault of senior medic 12 hour Doctors strike today against new Medical Bill India oi-Deepika By Deepika New Delhi, July 28: Medical services are likely to be hit as the Indian Medical Association will observe'Dikkar Diwas by closing private hospitals to pressurise the government, not to introduce the National Medical Commission Bill on Saturday. As part of the bandh, outpatient departments in private hospitals and clinics will remain closed from 6 am to 6 pm. On Saturday, all non-emergency services including OPD would remain closed for the 12 hours. However, critical services including deliveries, emergencies and in-patient care would be provided, the doctors' association said. The Union Health Ministry said the strike may involve participation of a number of medical professionals, thereby, adversely affecting the health care services and causing inconvenience to patient care in the hospitals. The ministry has thus asked the additional chief secretaries and health secretaries of all states and Union Territories to put in place all necessary measures to ensure that the patient health care and emergency services are run smoothly during the strike. "Provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) may be invoked, if necessary. These measures may be continued if the strike is extended," a communique said. "IMA, fully conscious of its responsibility towards the generations of doctors to come, is withdrawing non-emergency medical services across the country on Saturday, July 28, 2018 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.," it said in a release. "We are left with no choice but to resist the move with determination and resolve ... Withdrawal of non-emergency services for 12 hours is only a token of our resistance," it said hinting at a bigger action later to defend the autonomy of medical profession. According to the IMA, the bill is anti-poor and anti-democracy. If the bill is introduced , medical education will only be limited to rich people. So, the bill should not be introduced at any cost, the members demand. Mumbai records zero COVID-19 deaths for first time since pandemic began MHT CET 2021: For these questions, students to get full marks Rafale deal morcha on July 30 says Congress India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, July 27: The Congress would take out a morcha against the non-disclosure of the Rafale jet purchase price by the BJP-led Central government, in Mumbai on July 30. The forthcoming march is the part of similar protests the Congress is planning to organise across the country, senior party leaders said today. The morcha would start from Fashion Street and conclude at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai. The Congress has been demanding that the government disclose the purchase price of each Rafale jet during the ongoing session of Parliament. Addressing a press conference here, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said the incumbent NDA government was buying the fighter jets from France at "much higher" price than the one negotiated by the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the government cannot reveal the exact deal price owing to a secrecy clause in the purchase deal. Raising the issue aggressively, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had alleged no such clause existed, only to be contradicted by the French government. "The government cannot hide corruption under the guise of the secrecy clause. There is no transparency in the deal as it has been done without taking anybody into confidence. There is a lot of room for suspicion," Chavan said. He said the people should know the exact price at which the jets are being purchased. "Secrecy is understandable for technical details and technology transfer, but not for the price of the aircraft," the former chief minister said. He said the current price of the jets is "300 times higher" than the one decided upon by the erstwhile government. "In 2012, the UPA government had fixed the deal at Rs 526 crore. We were going to get 36 Rafale jets for Rs 18940 crore. "However, Narendra Modi government renegotiated the deal under which each fighter jet will cost Rs 1670 crore. Moreover, India is not getting any technology transfer," he claimed. Chavan said the Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) was supposed to get the work order worth Rs 30,000 crore under the UPA deal unlike in the present case, where a "private company formed ten days before the deal was inked got the contract". "Qatar and Egypt have also purchased Rafale jets for Rs 319.80 crore per aircraft," Chavan claimed. Mumbai Congress unit president Sanjay Nirupam alleged that the Rafale deal is a "scam" worth Rs 41,205 crore. Revealed: This is what the Chinese are doing at Doklam India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 27: Doklam is back in the news and a top official in the US said that neither Bhutan nor India have sought to dissuade China. The official claimed that China had resumed construction activity in the disputed Doklam area. Minister of State for External Affairs Ministry V K Singh told Rajya Sabha that there have been no new developments at the site of the face-off with China in Doklam and its vicinity, and status quo prevails in the area. "Since the disengagement of Indian and Chinese border personnel in the Doklam area on August 28, 2017, there have been no new developments at the faceoff site and its vicinity. The status quo prevails in this area," Singh said in a written reply to a question on whether China has constructed new roads in the southern part of the Doklam Plateau. The question now is what really are the Chinese doing at Doklam. China currently is indulging in the construction of a road to connect Doklam to the rest of its networks. The Chinese are said to be constructing a 12 kilometre road between Doklam and Yatung, which is a military base. The information was received after a few vehicles were spotted at the site. There are tents that have been set up in the area apart from some sheds. While India has rubbished these claims, the information is still being ascertained. If we find there is any activity of this nature, which is opposed to the agreement, then the issue will be taken up, an official said. "I would assess that India is vigorously defending its northern borders and this is a subject of concern to India," Alice G Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing while responding to a question on China's increased road building activities along the Indian border. "As (India) ahead to its own strategic stability, it certainly helps drive and is a factor in driving closer partnership that we enjoy with India," Wells said in response to a question from Congresswoman Ann Wagner. India and China have clashed repeatedly over territories in the Himalayas. Most recently Chinese and Indian troops faced off on the disputed Doklam plateau between Bhutan and China after the Chinese People's Liberation Army began building roads through the area, Wagner said. "Although both countries back down, China has quietly resumed its activities in Doklam and neither Bhutan nor India has sought to dissuade it. China's activities in the Himalayas remind me of its south China Sea policies. How should our failure to respond to the militarisation of the South China Sea inform the international response to these Himalayan border disputes?" Wagner asked. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 16:34 [IST] Scindia fumes at name being dropped from a function in his constituency; Gadkari apologises India oi-Vikas By Vikas New Delhi, July 27: Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government dropped his name from invitations meant for inauguration of a highway in his constituency after which Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari apologised and said "it should not have happened." Scindia, who represents Guna constituency in Madhya Pradesh, said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that as per the protocol local MPs should be invited to such programmes. He further threatened to move a privilege motion against the state chief minister. Responding to this, Gadkari said he was aware of the matter and it should not have happened. "As I was present there, I should be responsible for this. MPs name should have been there. I apologise on behalf of everybody and next time it will not happen," Gadkari said. Scindia stated that interest of MPs should be protected and action should be taken against people who are responsible for this mistake. Scindia then repeatedly raised the matter despite Union Minister's apology after which Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said it was Gadkari's greatness that he has tendered an apology on the matter, as per a PTI report. "Kya sanrakshan lathh leke dun (Should I use a baton to provide protection)," Mahajan then said on a lighter note. OneIndia News with PTI inputs For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 12:22 [IST] ST morcha to utilise festivals and specials dates to reach out to STs to before polls India oi-Vinod By Vinod New Delhi, July 27: Scheduled Tribe (ST) morcha of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been asked that preparation should be made in advance from the point of view of next Lok Sabha election and to strengthen organizational set up. The meeting to be organised on July 28-29 at the Delhi office of the BJP is for deciding morcha's role to ensure preparations for forthcoming elections in four states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Mizoram. The meeting will be attended by the party leadership. The BJP sources said that SC morcha has been asked to organize special festivals and programmes on the important dates related to tribals to utilize the opportunity for better result of reaching out to them. All the workers of the scheduled tribe morcha have been requested to download Namo App, appointment of booth convenor and formation of social media team in state, districts, mandal and booth level. All this will be presented before the party president Amit Shan, general secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal and national convenor Bhagwat Sharan Mathur during two day convention July 28 and July 29. The BJP sources said that agenda of the meeting included that public opinion about public welfare schemes about the central government and feedback must be brought to be discussed in the meeting. All the state president must bring in list and every detail about district, mandal and booth committee. The information is also sought for MPs, MLAs, MLCs, district panchayat presidenst, vice-chairman and member, municipal body chairman, vice chairman and member, municipal committee chairman, vice chairman and member, mayor and deputy mayor of municipal corporation, nagar panchayat chairman-vice-member, member of agriculture mandi board chairman-vice chairman, district cooperative bank and vice president-member of cooperative societies. Before the meeting the morcha has to complete appointment of booth convenors, formation of social media team in the states, districts, mandal and booth level. Scheduled Tribe Morcha general secretary in his letter to morcha workers wrote, "All of you are requested to suggest the important subject matter of the political resolution in the said meeting." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 22:18 [IST] The Anti Trafficking Bill explained India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, July 27: The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2018. The Bill was introduced by Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi. Here are the key features of the Anti Trafficking Bill: The Bill broadly has the following features:- Addresses the issue of trafficking from the point of view of prevention, rescue and rehabilitation. Aggravated forms of trafficking, which includes trafficking for the purpose of forced labour, begging, trafficking by administering chemical substance or hormones on a person for the purpose of early sexual maturity, trafficking of a woman or child for the purpose of marriage or under the pretext of marriage or after marriage etc. Punishment for promoting or facilitating trafficking of person which includes producing, printing, issuing or distributing unissued, tampered or fake certificates, registration or stickers as proof of compliance with Government requirements; or commits fraudfor procuring or facilitating the acquisition of clearances and necessary documents from Government agencies. The confidentiality of victims/ witnesses and complainants by not disclosing their identity. Further the confidentiality of the victims is maintained by recording their statement through video conferencing (this also helps in trans-border and inter-State crimes). Time bound trial and repatriation of the victims - within a period of one year from taking into cognizance. Immediate protection of rescued victims and their rehabilitation. The Victims are entitled to interim relief immediately within 30 days to address their physical, mental trauma etc. and further appropriate relief within 60 days from the date of filing of charge sheet. Rehabilitation of the victim which is not contingent upon criminal proceedings being initiated against the accused or the outcome thereof. Rehabilitation Fund created for the first time. To be used for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the victim including education, skill development, health care/psychological support, legal aid, safe accommodation,etc. Designated courts in each district for the speedy trial of the cases. The Bill creates dedicated institutional mechanisms at District, State and CentralLevel. These will be responsible for prevention, protection, investigation and rehabilitation work related to trafficking. National Investigation Agency (NIA) will perform the tasks of Anti-Trafficking Bureau at the national level present under theMHA. Punishment ranges from rigorous minimum 10 years to life and fine not less than Rs. 1 lakh. In order to break the organized nexus, both at the national and international level, the Bill provides for the attachment & forfeiture of property and also theproceeds for crime. The Bill comprehensively addresses the transnational nature of the crime. The National Anti-Trafficking Bureau will perform the functions of international coordination with authorities in foreign countries and international organizations; international assistance in investigation; facilitate inter-State and trans-border transfer of evidence and materials, witnesses and others for expediting prosecution; facilitate inter-state and international video conferencing in judicial proceedings etc. Background: Trafficking in human beings is the third largest organized crime violating basic human rights. There is.no specific law so far to deal with this crime. Accordingly, the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 has been prepared. The Bill addresses one of the most pervasive yet invisible crimes affecting the most vulnerable persons especially women and children. The new law will make India a leader among South Asian countries to combat trafficking. Trafficking is a global concern also affecting a number of South Asian nations. Amongst them, India is now a pioneer in formulating a comprehensive legislation. UNODC and SAARC nations are looking forward to India to take lead by enacting this law. The Bill has been prepared in consultation with line Ministries, Departments, State Governments, NGOs and domain experts. A large number of suggestions received by the Ministry of WCD in hundreds of petitions have been incorporated in the Bill. The Draft Bill discussedin regional consultations held in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bombay with various stakeholdersincluding over 60 NGOs. The Bill was examined and discussed by Group bf Ministers also. Truckers call off strike as Centre promises to consider demands India oi-Deepika By Deepika New Delhi, July 27: Truckers called off week-long strike on Friday as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has assured to set up a committee to look into their grievances. The All India Motor Transport Congress had called the strike to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to reduce taxes on fuel, roll back higher insurance premiums and cut highway tolls. The truck drivers' union said it had the support of hundreds of thousands of members in the campaign which has seen vehicles stranded at borders and fears that food prices could rise because of shortages. Announcing the withdrawal of the strike, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the government had agreed to consider their demands. "The government is sensitive to the demands of the transporters. We have accepted many of their demands. We have formed a high-level committee to consider the last remaining one," he tweeted in Hindi on Friday evening. The lorry strike that entered the eighth day on Friday has hit the textile industry and also supply of vegetables in various city. Truck operators' demands included the closure of toll plazas across the country, reduction in fuel prices and uniform national pricing with quarterly revision, among other things. Vedanta working towards restarting Tuticorin plant India pti-PTI New Delhi, July 27: Vedanta Ltd has said that it is working with regulatory authorities to fast-track restart of operations at its copper plant in Tuticorin. The Tamil Nadu government had in May ordered permanent closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in the state after 13 people among protesters, demanding its shutdown on environmental concerns, were killed in police firing. "At Tuticorin, our copper smelting operations were shut at the end of March, initially for scheduled maintenance activities. The shutdown has since been extended as the companys annual renewal of its consent to operate was rejected by the Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board, pending additional clarifications," Vedanta said in its Annual Report 2017-18. The company, it said, is working with the relevant regulatory authorities to expedite the restart of the operations of the plant. On its acquisition of Electrosteel Steels, the company said: "We see favourable market dynamics for steel in India, and together with integration efficiencies with our iron ore business in Jharkhand, this acquisition is value-accretive for Vedanta." The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier this month sought response from the state government and the State Pollution Control Board on a plea moved by the metals and mining giant challenging the order to permanently close the Sterlite copper plant. In April, the Tamil Nadu pollution control board rejected Sterlite's plea to renew the Consent To Operate, saying the company did not comply with the stipulated conditions, following which the government issued a permanent closure order on May 28. The cancellation of land allotment for the proposed expansion of the Sterlite Copper plant had come a day after the government ordered the state Pollution Control Board to "seal and permanently close" the unit. PTI There are 59 subjects in the state list. The West Bengal Assembly also passed a resolution to rename the state as Bangla. Kolkata: The West Bengal Assembly on Thursday passed the Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2018, keeping the chief minister out of its purview in matters relating to public order. The bill, however, allows the Lokayukta to investigate into matters relating to the chief minister on the other 58 subjects under the state list, with the approval of two-third of the members of the Assembly present and voting. There are 59 subjects in the state list. The West Bengal Assembly also passed a resolution to rename the state as Bangla. Speaking on the lokayukta bill, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stated that recruitment of police, deployment of forces and any other emergency situations would be regarded as public order. She said a section of the media and Opposition parties were spreading canards that the chief minister has been kept out of the purview of the entire West Bengal Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill. It is not true as only matters related to public order have been exempted, she said. Other subjects under the state list are under the purview of the lokayukta, the chief minister said. The people of this state will decide my credentials. For me, the credentials are the biggest thing that a politician can possess. I have been elected by the people, she asserted. What the Lord wants or what Lords want: How Ram Lalla and Lord Ayyappa are covered by the law India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 27: The Supreme Court was told that it could not interfere with the practise of prohibiting women in the age group of 10 to 50 years from entering the Sabarimala temple. The idol of Lord Ayyappa is in a state of Naisthika Brahmacharya and this was an essential part of the temple's customs, the court was also told. The court is hearing a petition that sought a directive to allow women into the temple. An interesting point made in this case as well as the Ayodhya matter was the right of a deity. The fact is that a deity, be it Lord Ayyappa or Ram Lalla have rights under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. This is a well settled law and applies to all temples across the country. A deity is considered to be a person when there is a litigation. A deity as per the law is represented by the trustee of the temple. When the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court heard the Ayodhya matter, a point that came up was regarding the rights of an idol (Ram Lalla). In Indian jurisprudence, a deity can be represented through the trustees. This is because the property of a religious place is managed by the trust. To further break this down, the title deed of a temple is always in the name of the deity and hence the idol become a party to the suit. While adjudicating the Ayodhya case, it was said that since Ram Lalla is a minor, he had to be represented by a guardian. The real position of the law: The law laid down clearly states, that they are beings, real or imaginary, to whom the law attributes a personality by way of fiction when there is none in fact. A legal personality is an artificial creation of the law. The Supreme Court had made it clear in the past that a legal person is any entity other than human beings to which the law attributes a personality. The words, ' juristic person,' cannot connote the recognition of an entity to be a person in law which otherwise it is not. It is not a natural person, but an artificially created person which is to be recognised in law as such, the court had also specified. A juristic, legal or artificial person is any subject matter to which the law attributes a personality. This is in fact a legal creation under a general like, like the Companies Act, a specific enactment, or by a decision of the court. The law makes it clear that a legal person is a holder of rights and duties. A legal person can own or dispose of property, receive gift. A legal person can also sue or be sued in its name. The Supreme Court has held in several cases that a juristic person has the right to litigate any case while being represented by its managers or trustees. Idols as juristic persons: In this context one must also go into the Hindu law. As per the Hindu law, idols are juristic persons. The courts recognise a Hindu idol as a juristic entity having a judicial status, and its interests are attended to by a person who is in charge of the deity and who under law is its guardian or manager. In case the litigation is relating to the property, then the law says that the same belongs to the idol as a juristic person. The possession and management of the property is vested with the guardian or the manager. From the spiritual point of view, an idol is the embodiment of the supreme being. So far as the deity or idol stands as the representative and symbol of a particular purpose indicated by the donor, it can figure as a legal person, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had said in a judgment. Aromatherapy spray manufactured in India linked to two deaths in US, faces recall India reports 15,906 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours; Active caseload stands at 1,72,594 Why cash on delivery for online orders is illegal India oi-Madhuri New Delhi, July 27: Almost 50% of every leading e-commerce companies including Amazon and Flipkart who depend solely on cash-on-delivery or CoD option available, wherein the end user pays for the products when it is actually delivered. However, little did we knew that this CoD option, which is so popular among online shoppers, is most likely illegal. Yes you read it right? According to an Economic Times report, Dharmendra Kumar from India FDI Watch, an organization of small traders and farmers had filed an Right to Information query regarding the legality of Cash on Delivery model used by ecommerce players. The RTI query had specifically asked about Payments and Settlements Systems Act, 2007, No. 51 of 2007, and whether CoD model is approved by this act or not. The Payments and Settlements Systems Act 2007 came into effect in August 2008 regulates and supervises all the payment systems in India. Reserve Bank of India, in a response to an RTI, has noted that collection of money by e-commerce companies like Flipkart and Amazon is not permissible, although it is also not yet explicitly illegal. In their reply, RBI had said that as per the Payments and Settlements Systems Act, 2007, Cash on Delivery model is not allowed for online marketplaces operating in India. In the words of RBI, "Aggregators/payment intermediaries like Amazon and Flipkart are not authorised under Section 8 of the PSS (Payments and Settlements Systems) Act, 2007". Flipkart had introduced CoD model in 2010, and when Amazon entered India in 2013, they too used the same CoD model to make inroads into the market. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 13:36 [IST] China keen to grow closer ties with India, Xi Jinping says on BRICS platform International oi-Shubham By Shubham Johannesburg, July 27: Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited Johannesburg to attend the 10th summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), said on Thursday, July 26, that his country is willing to consolidate and grow closer development partnership with India, Xinhua reported. Xi made the remarks while meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. It was their third meeting in three months - after the informal summit in Wuhan and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qindao - both in China. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilizing the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xinhua quotes Xi as saying. He said China was willing to work with India to carry on with the positive vibes that their bilateral relations saw since the informal meeting in Wuhan in April. It was the first major meeting between the leaderships of the two countries since the 73-day standoff in Doklam last year. Xi also asked both the neighbours to improve their strategic communication, better mutual trust and promote practical cooperation and also focus on soft aspects like cultural and people-to-people contacts. Both China and India are countries of ancient civilizations, and have made important contributions to the advancement of human civilization, Xinhua cited Xi as saying. Highlighting their third meeting in as many months, Modi said it only showed that the two neighbours were enjoying a high-level bilateral relationship. The Indian side is ready to keep close dialogue and communication with the Chinese side, deepen cooperation in various fields, properly address differences, strengthen cooperation within a multilateral framework, and jointly handle such challenges facing developing countries and emerging market countries as protectionism and global market fluctuations to advance their closer development partnership, Xinhua cited the Indian prime minister as saying. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 16:27 [IST] We shouldn't expect favourable outcome in every round of border talks with China: Gen Naravane China vows no compromise or concessions on Taiwan after US Prez Biden comments Chinese defence minister to visit India to address post-Doklam military ties International oi-Shubham By Shubham Beijing, July 27: Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe is set to visit India this year with the aim of addressing the military relations between the two countries after last year's Doklam standoff. On Thursday, July 26, China's defence ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said in a routine press conference that the defence officials of the two countries were in the middle of communication over the visit, adding that related information will be publicised in the right time. Ren said the Chinese defence minister's visit will be in response to the invitation of Nirmala Sitharaman, his Indian counterpart. General Wei became the Chinese defence minister in March and this will be his fourth foreign visit since then after Russia, Belarus and Cambodia, China's Global Times reported. According to Chinese experts, the Chinese defence minister's visit gives an indication that the relations between the two neighbours' militaries have recovered. "China attaches great importance to relations between the two armies," Qian Feng, a research fellow at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University, Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday (July 26). The visit might have a bearing of the informal meeting that took place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan, China, in April, to normalise the relations between the two neighbours that were tense after the Doklam standoff. Explained: Why New Zealand imposed restrictions on travellers from India. Will other countries follow? Several evacuated, some by chopper, from New Zealand floods Go get your own flag, New Zealand tells Australia International oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer Wellington, July 27: New Zealand's Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has called on neighbouring Australia to change its flag, saying it had pinched the Kiwi banner's design and was causing confusion. "We designed it and they borrowed it and if we wanted to clear the matter up they should change their flag," Peters told reporters. "It must be patently obvious that all over the world people are confused. I've been in places like Turkey and elsewhere where they've confused our countries on the basis of those flags. It's not helpful." Both the New Zealand and Australian flags are dark blue with the Union Jack emblem of former colonial power Britain in the top right corner. The only major difference is that the Australian version has six white stars, five representing the Southern Cross, while New Zealand depicts the constellation with four red stars. Peters, who is temporarily leading the country while Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is on maternity leave, feels strongly about the flag issue. The 73-year-old also raised it earlier this week, complaining "we got there first with this design". Opposition leader Simon Bridges ridiculed Peters' flag preoccupation, accusing him of populism and labelling him "a poor man's Donald Trump". Bridges said New Zealanders he had spoken to were concerned about topics such as the economy and healthcare. "They never raised with me changing the Australian flag. That's weird by even his (Peters') standards," he told parliament. New Zealand adopted its flag in 1902, while Australia's was not officially recognised until 1954. However, the Australian version had been used informally since 1901 and both countries say similar designs were common throughout the late 1800s. New Zealand held a referendum on changing its flag to a silver fern design in 2016, with the proposal defeated 43 per cent to 57 per cent. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 7:42 [IST] Why Imran Khans invite to Modi to his swearing-in will only see photo-op sessions Imran Khan inching closer to form govt in Pakistan International pti-PTI Islamabad, July 27: Imran Khan was inching closer to form a government in Pakistan with the support of allies and independents as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party leaders today met to discuss the next step and the future Cabinet formation. Khan chaired a meeting of the top PTI leaders at his Bani Gala residence where he was assured by them of having the numbers to form the government. So far his party has bagged 118 of the 270 National Assembly seats on which elections were held and was leading in another two constituencies where counting was still on. Khan's party was followed by jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 62 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 43 seats. Independent candidates have won 12 seats, according to the election commission which has so far issued results for 265 seats of the National Assembly. Pakistan's National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected. A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total. Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of traditional religious parties like Jamat-i-Islami, has clinched 12 seats while Pakistan Muslim League of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi won 5. Karachi-based Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has won 6 seats. Senior PTI leader Jahangir Tareen made calls to MQM leaders after which the party decided not to attend a meeting of political parties called by the PML-N. In the 342-member National Assembly, the PTI's strength will be 160 after acquiring 29 women's reserved seats and 4 or 5 reserved seats for minorities, according to experts. Khan's ally PML-Q has won five seats and it can also have one seat reserved for women. Sheikh Rasheed of the Awami Muslim League is already supporting Khan. The PTI is in contact with MQM, which has assured its support to Khan. Some independent winners from the tribal region are in talks with PTI and they are likely to extend their support to Khan, helping him attain the figure of 173 which is a simple majority, they said. Some smaller Baloch parties could also support Khan. PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that they have the required numbers to form government in center, Dunya News TV reported. In his first speech that was broadcast live via video link yesterday, Khan had claimed victory in the elections and said that he was ready to probe allegations of rigging in the polls. "Anyone who has issues of rigging; we will help you facilitate and we will open up any constituency that you want for investigation," Khan said, amid allegations by the six major parties, including PML-N and PPP, of foul play in the counting process. However, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif reiterated his party's allegations, saying the polls had been "stolen" and the "tainted and dubious" results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics, according to a number of his party leaders who visited the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to meet him. The elections for the parliament and four provincial assemblies were held on Wednesday and the announcement of the results has been marred by delays in transportation of results from polling stations to centralised election offices. According to media reports, the meeting at Khan's residence also discussed possible Cabinet names. Asad Umer and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were being considered for the post of finance and foreign ministers, respectively. Senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari's name was doing the rounds for the defence minister's post, while Shafqat Mehmood was a leading contender for interior minister's job. The results showed that in the provincial assemblies PML-N was leading in Punjab - the most populous province - with 127 seats in the house of 297, but fell short of a majority. Khan's PTI with 123 seats is negotiating with independents, most of whom parted ways with the PML-N before the polls and contested independently. The independents with 29 seats are the third largest group and will play a crucial role in the formation of the next government in Punjab, which has been ruled by the PML-N for the last two terms from 2008-2018. Khan's ally PML-Q has got seven seats in the province. In the 297-member House, 149 seats are required to form the government. The PTI has already announced to form the government in Punjab, a move which may lead to allegations of horse trading. In Sindh assembly, the PPP has got a clear majority by winning 74 seats in the house of 131. It is followed by PTI with 22 seats and MQM by 16. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI has won a two-thirds majority by bagging 66 seats in the assembly of 99 members, whereas MMA is the second largest party with 10 seats. In Balochistan, the newly-formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is on top with 13 seats but failed to get a majority in the House of 51 members. MMA is the second largest party with 9 seats. Balochistan National Party and independents have won five seats each while PTI received four. PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif has convened an All Parties Conference (APC) later today in Islamabad and PPP, MMA, MQM and several smaller parties are expected to attend it. The election marks the second democratic transition of power in Pakistan's 70-year history. The military has ruled Pakistan through various coups for nearly half of the country's history since independence in 1947. PTI Why Imran Khans invite to Modi to his swearing-in will only see photo-op sessions Pakistan Election official results: Imran Khans PTI ends up with 116 seats International oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single largest party, winning 116 of the 270 contested seats, as Pakistan's election commission released final results of the general elections marred by a tediously slow vote count and resulting in allegations of rigging. The final results were announced more than two days after the conclusion of voting for the 11th general elections held on July 25. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led the National Assembly tally with 116 seats. Jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 64 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 43 seats are placed at number two and three respectively, the ECP said. The PTI is on the top with 16,857,035 votes, followed by the PML-N with 12,894,225 and the PPP with 6,894,296 votes. We hope you enjoyed the LIVE updates. Thank you for staying tuned: Newest First Oldest First As per the Election Commission of Pakistans published results, Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) finished as the largest party, winning 115 of 270 National Assembly seats. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) or PML-N won 64 seats while another major national party Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ended with 43 seats. Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), an alliance of religious parties, won only 12 seats while Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) managed just six seats. PML-Q (Quaid e Azam Group) and the newly formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) won four seats each while the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) based in Sindh won just two seats. The Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday announced 95 per cent of the provisional results for the National and four provincial assemblies where PTI has emerged as the single largest party. Imran Khan promised that he will protect the tax money of people and will reduce his expenses. I will ashamed to live in such a huge prime ministers house. We will decide what to do with the prime ministers house, we will turn it into some sort of educational institute. We will use all governor houses for the public. The PTI chairman said that he wanted all of Pakistan to unite. He was forgetting all attacks, including personal ones, that his opponents had launched against him. My government will not take vengeful action against anyone. Pakistans election commission on Friday issued results for 250 of the 270 contested seats of the National Assembly, showing Imran Khans party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leading in 109 seats in the general elections marred by a tediously slow vote count and resulting in allegations of rigging. PML-N calls all party conference as party leader terms delay in results 'a beautiful coincidence' PTI has claimed victory in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PTI is leading with 105 of the 228 seats. Final results continue to trickle in. More than 85,000 polling stations were set up for elections to the national and provincial assemblies but transmission of results from there stopped due to fault in the Result Transmission Service -- a special software designed for it. Pakistan authorities faced with hiccups in finalising the outcome of the general elections due to logistic and technical problems, resulting in allegations of rigging. ECP has received 90% Election Results, say reports. Mistakes, delays in electoral procedure 'premeditated conspiracy': PML-N Several cricket stars, from Pakistan as well as the rest of the World, are happy to see Imran Khan becoming his nations political leader again. From Shoaib Akhtar to Shahid Afridi cricket stars from all over the world dropped congratulatory messages for the newly elected Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Latest updates: Imran Khans PTI has won 115 seats so far, followed by Shehbaz Sharifs PML-N that has won 60 till now. Bilawal Bhuttos PPP has won 40 and the Others, including Independents, have claimed a substantial number so far 51 seats. Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah congratulates Imran Khan. I congratulate Imran Khan. I'll also say that his statement regarding India that he wants to have better relations with India & solve issues with dialogue, is kind-hearted.We want him to implement what he is saying, he said. Mahesh Kumar Malani of Pakistan Peoples Party today became the first Hindu to win the National Assembly seat from Tharparkar in southern Sindh province. Malani, the 55-year-old minority community leader, defeated his nearest rival Arab Zakaullah of the Grand Democratic Alliance in the NA-222 constituency. He secured 37,245 votes while Zakaullah received 18,323 votes, the Express Tribune reported. Election Commission of Pakistan: Final results will come out within 24 hours. There is no delay. 90% of results have been announced by Returning Officers in the field. We have received 82% of the results. Union minister RK Singh says things doesn't change for India with the election of Imran Khan. I don't see any change because as far as India is concerned, the important matters like export of terrorism by them, are not going to change. Military used to decide this policy & they'll do it now as well: Union Minister RK Singh said. The BBC has issued an apology for confusing Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan with his former teammate Wasim Akram in its election-related coverage. During its flagship night-time news show, Newsnight', BBC2 showed footage of former left-arm pacer Wasim Akram instead of right-handed all-rounder Khan as he emerged as the frontrunner in the Pakistani general elections. If you think there has been rigging, we will open all the ballots again. We will not let political victimisation of anyone happen, says Imran Khan But India must make that effort. It only continues to blame Pakistan for everything that happens around the world. Our friendship is imperative for the subcontinent. I dont think any leader has seen as many personal attacks as I have seen in the past 3 years: Imran Khan Kashmir has been a decades issue with India. We can sit across the table, talk and resolve issues. Blame game will not work. If India blames us for Balochistan and we blame them for Kashmir, then we are back on square one. Saddened by the way Indian media has portrayed me in the run up to the elections. I am well known in India. I want to improve ties with India. If trade ties with India improve then it will benefit both nations We have a lot to learn from China. We will work towards bettering ties with China, Says Imran Khan. He further hailed China's CPEC initiative. We have to fight poverty, its a big challenge. China is the biggest example in front of us, it lifted 70 crore people out of poverty in the last 30 years, it was unprecedented: Imran Khan. Afghanistan is the country which has seen the worst of terrorism. If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. Fears have mounted over wide-ranging powers granted to military units overseeing Pakistan's polling stations when the country votes on Wednesday, with opposition parties and analysts warning the move could erode trust in the tense contest. The Pakistan military has stationed over 370,000 troops nationwide to ensure the vote goes smoothly, the largest such deployment in the country's history on an election day. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said military officers would also be given magisterial powers, effectively making them judge and jury to punish individuals for illegal acts committed inside polling stations. The survey says that the PTI is leading with 29 per cent, followed by PML-N at 25 per cent. The Pakistan People's Party led by Bilawal Bhutto is at 20 per cent. Also in the fray are Hafiz Saeed's men who are contesting on the ticket of the Allah-o-Akbar party. Saeed has fielded 79 candidates for the National Assembly and 181 for the four provincial assemblies. Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has advised people to bring their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) for casting vote on election day. Security forces on high alert in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. 1,768 polling stations declared 'extremely sensitive' and 768 'sensitive', out of almost 5,000 polling stations. Pakistan's National Assembly consists of a total of 342 members of which 272 will be directly elected today whereas the remaining 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities will be selected later through proportional representation among parties with more than five percent of the vote, GeoTV reported. Polling will begin at 8 am and conclude at 6 pm. Election authorities in Pakistan have ordered an inquiry into reports that women are being barred from voting in parts of conservative northwest Pakistan in the general elections on Wednesday. Elections have been postponed in eight national and provincial assembly constituencies in Pakistan which goes to the polls, according to a media report. In one of the constituencies, a candidate had been disqualified while in the other seven, the contesting candidates had passed away, the Express Tribune reported. The US today said it is "closely" monitoring the situation in Pakistan which goes to polls, emphasising that it supports free, fair, transparent and accountable elections in the country. More than 1.6 million polling staff will perform duties on the election day. About 400,000 police officers and 371,000 army troops have been deployed across the country. There are 105.96 million registered voters in the country. The voting on more than 85,000 polling stations will start at 8.00 am and will continue till 6.00 pm. The counting of votes will be done on the spot soon after polling is concluded and results will be announced within 24 hours. 3,459 candidates are contesting for 272 general seats of the National Assembly, while 8,396 candidates are running for 577 general seats of the four provincial assemblies - Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. At least 1,696 candidates are contesting for the National Assembly from Punjab whereas 4,242 are vying for the provincial assembly seats. Polling will end at 6pm after which counting of votes will begin. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has requested the media not to air unofficial results before 7pm (PST). Pakistan government has declared July 25 a public holiday in an effort to encourage maximum voter participation. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set up 85,307 polling stations across the country. Around 20,000 polling stations have been declared sensitive and CCTV cameras have been installed inside and outside all the sensitive polling stations. Voting has begun for the Pakistan general elections. 1.6 million people are expected to cast their votes as the Election Commission of Pakistan expects a record turnout. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif stand in a queue outside a polling station in Model Town to cast his vote for Pakistan Elections 2018 #PakistanElections2018: Women queue up outside a polling booth in Lahore to cast their votes. pic.twitter.com/ebDUU2nfst ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2018 Women queue up outside a polling booth in Lahore to cast their votes. Just cast my vote. High time that all of you came out to vote for Pakistan's progress and prosperity. May this election be a source of peace and stability for the nation! pic.twitter.com/uiUZYdo09j Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 25, 2018 Shehbaz has been tweeting this morning, sharing pictures of himself voting and encouraging people to vote. High time that all of you came out to vote for Pakistans progress and prosperity, he wrote in one tweet. The people of Pakistan - especially women - the power is in your hands. Get up, go and vote! Democracy shall win! #Election2018 pic.twitter.com/LqVRUK9cjO Malala (@Malala) July 24, 2018 Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel peace prize laureate, has encouraged people to get out to vote today. The magisterial powers given to the army has been opposed by the Pakistan Peoples Party. The Election Commission of Pakistan expects a record turnout of voters today. Daughters of Benazir Bhutto- Bakhtawar and Aseefa after casting their vote in Sindh's Nawabshah. Baloch national leader and head of Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) Hyrbyair Marri has urged the people of Balochistan to boycott the Pakistan general elections. In a statement, Marri said, The Balochs should boycott Pakistani elections like the previous one in Balochistan because through these polls, Pakistan will prolong its brutalities and slavery on Balochistan. Marri further said that refusing to vote would be the voice of freedom of the Balochs before the world, and urged them to do their utmost to refrain from taking part in the polls. If anyone is forcibly dragged to the polling station by stooges of state, then instead of voting for so-called Baloch nationalists the vote should be destroyed. So that your vote, instead of strengthening the Baloch slavery, can weaken it, he added. The first voter to enter a polling station in the city of Lahore was business executive Maryum Arif, who was followed soon after by Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the head of the PMLN party. The death toll from election-related violence reached more than 170 and the military has deployed a huge number of troops to try to ensure security. Also read: Pakistan polls: Why India would need to deal with Taliban Imran Khan and Hafiz Saeed Around 70 per cent of the supporters of both parties have reported a strong or very strong intent to vote. To win a majority in the province, the PTI has to swing a substantial portion of the undecided voters on to its side. The case would be similar where the PML-N is concerned. Pakistan elections: Imran Khan has thin edge over PML-N says survey In Punjab, the survey shows that PMLN has a lead of 7 percentage points over PTI which is outside the survey's provincial margin of error of + 1.9 percentage points. But what is of concern for PMLN, and gives hope to PTI, is that outside central Punjab, the former's 5 percentage points lead lies within the survey's margin of error of 2.6 percentage points in this region. This, combined with the fact that this region accounts for 55 per cent of the province's National Assembly seats, makes the contest between the two parties a real cliffhanger. Should India opt out of India-Pakistan T20 World Cup? Who said what DNA of those who burst firecrackers in India on Pakistans win cannot be Indian: Anil Vij US says it looks forward to work with new Pak government International oi-Shubham By Shubham Washington, July 27: Despite the deterioration in their ties and expressing doubts over Pakistan's recently held general elections, the US has said that it looks to work with the new government in Islamabad, the country's state department said on Thursday, July 26. "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the state department's spokesperson said. The spokesperson also expressed concerns over reports of attack on freedom of expression, association and press in the run-up to the elections. The person also said that they were waiting for Pakistan's electoral authorities to announce the official results. The results of the July 25 elections were delayed by technical glitches while most parties alleged that it was rigged to oust them. Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the leading party though it was yet to be officially confirmed that it was the winner. Supporters of the PTI, however, started celebrating the projected results. Khan also addressed the country in a presidential style on Thursday (July 26) night expressing his views on Pakistan's internal and external affairs. He also said that he would like to improve ties with neighbour India. He said that he wanted to have good relations with India and if the latter one step, his government will take two steps forward. However, concerns were still there over Khan's past remarks threatening to shoot down American drones if they entered Pakistani territory in his government. Pakistan's all-weather ally China also recently expressed its will to work with the new government of Pakistan. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 13:18 [IST] Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah Probe ordered over use of 'Islamia' prefix in names of several UP govt schools Lucknow oi-Vikas By Vikas Lucknow, July 27: A probe has been ordered by the administration in Uttar Pradesh after it was found that several government schools in the state use 'Islamia' as prefix in their names and close on Fridays instead of Sundays. Earlier it was found that five schools in Deoria district had prefixed 'Islamia' to their name and remained closed on Fridays. The authorities in Deoria took corrective action and ordered the schools to remain closed on Sundays and also removed the 'Islamia' prefix. The Basic Education Department earlier this week started removing the word 'Islamia' prefixed to the names of some government primary schools in the Ballia district. In Ballia, nine government primary schools are runing with "Islamia" as a prefix and closing on Fridays. Six such Islamia primary schools were found to be functioning in Awaya, Kundail, Baspaar Bahorwa, Ubhaanv , Tirnai and Tirnai Badagaav. In Ghazipur district, there were 11 government primary schools using 'the Islamia' prefix after which District Magistrate K Balaji ordered a probe, an official said, as per a PTI report. District Magistrate Bhawani Singh Khangaraut has ordered a probe into the matter and directed the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) to submit a report after which action will be taken, said a PTI report. OneIndia News with PTI inputs For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, July 27, 2018, 11:40 [IST] Mumbai records zero COVID-19 deaths for first time since pandemic began MHT CET 2021: For these questions, students to get full marks 5 MLAs resign for Maratha quota cause Mumbai pti-PTI Mumbai, July 26: Five MLAs have so far resigned over the Maratha quota demand. Bharat Bhalke (Congress), Rahul Aher (BJP) and Dattatraya Bharne (NCP) resigned as legislators today, Maharashtra Assembly sources said. Bhalke, who represents Pandharpur in Solapur district, said he was resigning to express solidarity with quota protests. Talking to PTI, Bhalke said he had visited the family of Maratha activist Kakasaheb Shinde, who committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari in Aurangabad district on July 23. "The sentiments of the Maratha youth are intense. There is lot of unrest over the lack of (job) opportunities. Promises made to them have not been fulfilled. I have decided to resign to express my solidarity with the Maratha quota protesters as well as in support of the demand for quota by the Dhangars and other deprived communities," Bhalke said. "I am quitting membership of the assembly to highlight the unrest among the Marathas, Dhangars, Muslims and Mahadeo Koli communities," he said. Bhalke said the Maharashtra government has stayed the previous Congress government's decision to allot quota for Muslims even though the (Bombay) high court had not passed any adverse comment on the Muslim reservation. The high court in 2014 stayed implementation of the Congress-NCP government's decision to provide reservation to Marathas. It also stayed the decision to provide five per cent reservation to the Muslims in government service, but allowed quotas for them in educational institutions. Aher, who represents Chandwad in Nashik district, announced in Nashik city that he was resigning as MLA. He handed over his resignation letter to Maratha Kranti Morcha activists who were fasting in protest outside the district collector's office this afternoon. "Please treat this letter as my resignation. Whenever required, the Maratha community members could hand it over to Assembly Speaker," he stated. Yesterday, Harshvardhan Jadhav (Shiv Sena) and Bhausaheb Patil Chikatgaonkar (NCP) from Aurangabad district had offered to resign in support of the quota demand. Jadhav, who represents Kannad assembly constituency, submitted his resignation letter to the office of the Assembly Speaker this morning. Chikatgaonkar (Vaijapur constituency) said he had e-mailed his resignation to the Speaker. Later today, Dattatraya Bharne, the NCP legislator from Indapur, also sent his resignation to the Speaker as well as to party leader Ajit Pawar. "Despite oral as well as written promises by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, no concrete decision on the reservation was taken to date which is a serious matter," Bharne said. A Vidhan Bhavan official said an MLA who wished to resign was not required to specify the reason, but some of the MLAs who have quit have stated the reason -- that they were quitting in support of the agitation. The resignation letter, which should be in a prescribed format, needs to be addressed to the Speaker, the official said. The agitation of the Maratha community for reservation in jobs and education turned violent yesterday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the government was ready for talks with the agitators. For more Mumbai news Click Here Karunanidhi completed 50 yrs as DMK chief today and party had planned to celebrate by distributing sweets. The 94-year-old leader is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. (Photo: File | PTI) Chennai: The Gopalapuram residence of ailing DMK party chief, M Karunanidhi, has been witnessing a steady stream of visitors since Thursday evening. The 94-year-old leader is currently being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. Meanwhile, DMK working president and Karunanidhi's son, M K Stalin, told that the veteran leader is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to wish the DMK patriarch a speedy recovery. Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2018 Earlier, a bulletin issued by Kauvery Hospital Executive Director Dr Aravindan Selvaraj on Thursday said, "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments." Apart from Stalin, Karunanidhi's son - expelled DMK leader M K Alagiri also visited the residence on Friday morning. His daughter, M Kanimozhi, will be flying in from Delhi and is expected to reach Chennai soon. The AIADMK delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam along with cabinet colleague D Jayakumar paid a visit on Thursday evening. Karunanidhi completed 50 years as party chief today and the DMK had planned to celebrate it by distributing sweets and welfare assistance. Body of missing Ola cab driver found in canal in New Delhi New Delhi pti-PTI New Delhi, July 27: The body of a 34-year-old Ola cab driver, who was reported missing since July 24, was found in Haiderpur canal, the police has said. The deceased, identified as Salimuddin, a resident of Sohna in Gurgaon, was found with injuries in the head. His family members claimed that it was a case of hate crime as his hair had been cut, but the police have ruled out the allegation. On July 23, some people had boarded a cab at the Kashmere Gate bus terminal. They told the driver they wanted a bigger car following which, which the driver got another cab booked for them, the police said. Salimuddin, arrived there and the passengers asked him to take them to Murthal and paid the fare in advance. Around 3 am on July 24, Salimuddin's car was found rammed into a tree in Bawana, but he was missing. The driver's family told police that he had not returned home from July 23 and a case was registered. His body was found in the canal on July 25, the police said, adding post-mortem was carried out yesterday and the body was handed over to the family. According to the police, it is being probed whether the accused had robbed the car from Salimuddin, and then killed him. It is also suspected that after robbing the vehicle, they were driving it and ended up ramming it into a tree and then dumped it there. Meanwhile, Ola released a statement on the incident. "This is a very disturbing news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased. We are in constant touch with local police to help them investigate the case. We hope that the perpetrators of the crime would be caught at the earliest," an Ola spokesperson said. PTI Rajpath In Vasundhara's Sector 4C, 64 families living in Vartalok Society evacuated the building in panic after a road caved in. The caving in left crater nearly 20 feet deep and 35 feet wide. Faridabad On Thursday night, waterlogging was reported from Loni Gole Chakar and Khajuri Chowk at Wazirabad Road, under the Modi Mill flyover, Ghazipur Murga Mandi and Mayur Vihar on NH-09, Minto bridge underpass, Dwarka Link Road and Mayur Vihar Phase-3. In Ghaziabad, the district magistrate has ordered all schools in district till class 12th to remain closed on Friday in the wake of heavy rains. Waterlogging in Delhi Today, 1,15,000 cusecs of water was released from Haryana's Hathini Kund Barrage into Yamuna. Haryana on Thursday released 1.31 lakh cusecs at 8 am, 1.36 lakh cusecs at 9 am and 1.25 lakh around 10 am. The Delhi government issued its first' flood warning after Haryana released around 1.3 lakh cusecs of water in the Yamuna on Thursday morning. Usually, the Delhi government issues a three-stage warning whenever Haryana releases water from the Hathni Kund barrage, located around 200 km north. The first warning is given when more than one lakh cusecs is released, the second after more than three lakh cusecs and the third when more than five lakh cusecs is released. Water-logging near Ramlila Ground In 1978, the water level touched 207.49 m - the highest ever. In 2013, when Haryana had released around eight lakh cusecs, the water touched 207.32 m, as per HT report. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said PM Modi must give answers to the nation on Rafale deal. A Reliance firm was given licence to manufacture fighter aircraft by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence on February 22, 2016, Surjewala said. (Representational Image | AP) New Delhi: Calling the multi-crore Rafale jet deal "the biggest example of crony capitalism", the Congress on Friday alleged the Modi government has "compromised national interest" by helping a private entity to the tune of crores of rupees in violation of rules. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must give answers to the nation on the deal and his party wants him to speak on this issue in Parliament during the current monsoon session. He alleged that the Modi government is "deceiving" the country by not giving answers about the award of contract to a private player in this "mother of all defence deals". The government has been rejecting all allegations about the Rafale deal. The Congress leader told reporters that shocking revelations have brought out lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the award of Rs 30,000 crore 'defence offset contract' to Reliance Defence as part of this deal. "The culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of the Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of the Rs 60,145 crore Rafale deal," he said. "The art of deceiving India is the Modi government's mantra in this mother of all defence deals. Intrigue, conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the government," Surjewala said. "Rs 1,30,000 crore lies is being peddled by Modi government. Reliance Defence has claimed to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation (maker of Rafale jets) for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent 'lifecycle cost contract' of Rs 1 lakh crore," he said. The Congres leader said even Dassault Aviation in its annual report for 2016-17 has claimed that offset contract is being executed by Reliance, while the defence minister has claimed that the offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation. "The simple question is, who is lying Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or Reliance/Dassault Aviation?" he asked. Citing rules, Surjewala said all offset proposals need to be approved by Defence Minister and be part of an approval for the main procurement of defence product and the offset contract is required to be countersigned by the Acquisition Manager' of the Defence Ministry. He alleged that the defence offset contract went to a private company with zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. Besides, Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of the purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the Prime Minister in France on April 10, 2015, and did not have a licence to manufacture fighter jets, he said. A Reliance firm was given licence to manufacture fighter aircrafts by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence on February 22, 2016, Surjewala said, adding that the company was incorporated on April 24, 2015 -- 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. This, Surjewala said, was done after suddenly denying the biggest ever defence offset contract to public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which signed Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a Workshare Agreement' on March 13, 2014 till PM Modi 'unilaterally' announced an off-the-shelf' purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. Surjewala alleged there was "mal-intent" of the Prime Minister and complete surrender of the defence minister vis-a-vis the interest of the only Government company having experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Does the prime minister represent the interest of private companies and private industrial houses or is his duty and obligation to protect an existing signed contract between an experienced government company as also the supplier of the weapons system?" the Congress leader asked. The Congress leader asked whether Sitharaman was not aware that French defence minister met her and told her that she was going to Mehan where BJP's Maharashtra government gave land to Reliance Defence for a joint venture for offset contract. "It only shows that the national interest was being compromised by the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India," Surjewala said while alleging that guidelines on defence contracts have been violated. He also cited a rule that a contract should be audited by the Defence Ministry. "Why are Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Sitharaman lying on the issue? It is time for Prime Minister Modi to answer to the nation," he said. Surjewala cited an earlier press release from Reliance, claiming it quoted 7.87 billion Euros (over Rs 60,000 crore) as the cost of the Rafale deal after India and France signed a purchase agreement for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2016. "The contract includes a 50 per cent offset obligation to the tune of approximately Rs 30,000 crore, which is the largest ever offset contract in the history of India. DRAL (Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited) will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations," he quoted Reliance as having said in the release. 'Our country faces grave danger from intellectuals, seculars than anyone else,' Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said at Kargil Vijay Diwas event. Under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Yatnal served as minister of state for Textiles and Railways between 2002 and 2004. (Photo: ANI) Vijayapura (Karnataka): A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Karnataka has stirred controversy by saying that he would have ordered the police to shoot intellectuals, had he been the Union Home Minister. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an MLA from Vijayapura, also branded liberals and intellectuals as "anti-nationals". "These people (intellectuals) live in this country and use all the facilities for which we pay tax. Then they raise slogans against the Indian Army. Our country faces grave danger from intellectuals and seculars than anyone else," Yatnal said at a Kargil Vijay Diwas event here on Thursday. The BJP MLA had earlier courted a controversy when he told local party municipal members to not help Muslims. Yatnal was a BJP MLA between 1994 and 1999. Between 1999 and 2009, he served as the BJP MP from Bijapur. Under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Yatnal served as minister of state for Textiles and Railways between 2002 and 2004. In 2010, Yatnal had quit the BJP to join the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S). A year later, he became an independent MLC after quitting the JD(S). However, Yatnal returned to the BJP in 2013. Minister of state for external affairs V K Singh told Rajya Sabha there are no new developments at site of face-off with China at Doklam. Washington/New Delhi: A US Congresswoman has claimed that China has quietly resumed its activities in the Doklam area and neither Bhutan nor India has sought to dissuade it, an assertion that was denied by New Delhi on Thursday. Congresswoman Ann Wagner made the claim during a Congressional hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee for Asia and the Pacific. During the hearing, she posed a question to a state department official, Alice G Wells, on Beijings actions in the Himalayan region and compared them with its manoeuvres in the disputed South China Sea. Read: China resumes activities in Doklam, India hasnt dissuaded it: US In New Delhi, minister of state for external affairs ministry V K Singh told Rajya Sabha on Thursday that there have been no new developments at the site of the face-off with China in Doklam and its vicinity, and status quo prevails in the area. Since the disengagement of Indian and Chinese border personnel in the Doklam area on August 28, 2017, there have been no new developments at the faceoff site and its vicinity. The status quo prevails in this area, Singh said in a written reply. Tensions between India and China reached their peak during a 73-day standoff in Doklam near Bhutan over Beijing's construction of a road in the area. The standoff ended after both sides agreed to disengage, and there have been no confirmed or official reports of China resuming any activities since then. Although both countries backed down, China has quietly resumed its activities in Doklam and neither Bhutan nor India has sought to dissuade it. China's activities in the Himalayas remind me of its south China Sea policies. How should our failure to respond to the militarisation of the South China Sea inform the international response to these Himalayan border disputes? Wagner had asked. Wager did not elaborate on her claim of China resuming its activities. In her response, Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, did not directly refer to Doklam, but told Wagner and other lawmakers: I would assess that India is vigorously defending its northern borders and this (the situation at the northern borders) is a subject of concern to India. The committee also proposed that Bhagat be restrained from holding any official position in party for period of one year. The committee also said that MLA Bhagat be informed about his right to appeal, in case, the state president choose to inflict punishment. (Photo: Twitter | @gaganbhagatdr) Jammu: Disciplinary committee of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP on Thursday recommended suspension of party MLA Gagan Bhagat in connection with the allegation of an ex-serviceman that he had abducted his daughter. On June 24, the ex-serviceman accused the R S Pura MLA of abducting his daughter, a charge denied by the woman as well as the politician who termed the allegation as an attempt to defame him. "The committee proposes to the president of J&K BJP that Gagan Bhagat be immediately suspended for a period of three months from the party," Chairman of disciplinary committee Sunil Sethi said. The committee also said that within the suspension period, Bhagat be given directions to settle all dispute to the satisfaction of the complainant parties, he said. The three member committee, including Sethi, N D Rajwal and Virinderjeet Singh has sent their recommendation to the party president. The committee also proposes that Bhagat be restrained from holding any official position in the party for the period of one year, Sethi said. "If Gagan Bhagat fails to resolve all disputes to the satisfaction of complainant parties within a period granted to him, he be expelled from the party to not only do justice but also send a message to all members of the party that indiscipline in the party will not be tolerated and the members of the party have to keep their image clean in the public," he said. The committee also said that MLA Bhagat be informed about his right to appeal, in case, the state president choose to inflict punishment, it said. All the record of the matter including file and other material have been sent to the president, Sethi said. Things are Looking Brighter in Belarus with New Proposals Published July 27, 2018 by Lee R Russias small economy neighbour clearly stands to benefit from an economic boost that iGaming regulation surely could bring. A fresh initiative to move regulation forward in Belarus has entered the countrys Parliament. The New Proposal Minister of Taxes and Levies in Belarus Sergei Nalivaiko has introduced a new bill for regulation of gambling websites in Belarus, an Eastern European nation where consumers can access only unregulated gambling websites. Guidelines Nalivaikos new draft sets out steps to legalise online gaming by proposing regulatory provisions for such activities through a state-run online gambling portal model for overseeing the management of related taxes. Nalivaiko suggests fixed rates for gambling tax for three years running without change. Revenue estimates according to this plan have Belarus bringing in up to $6m (5.1m) in tax within those first three years of online gaming regulation, Other provisions include giving operators a full year to adjust to the new regulations, at which time estimates have the new draft bill being passed into full law. As for protecting citizens, the bill seeks to raise the legal gambling age from 18 to 21 years. After three years, Nalivaiko did call for additional investments needed to organize a new type of activity in the gambling business. New Movement Afoot The measures to a more open approach to regulation have been rumoured since last December, when Belarus opted to legalise cryptocurrencies, ICOs and smart contracts. The new proposals come on the heels of the floating of a plan through the Parliament by Nalivaikos ministry to allow local operators to add online casino games to existing online wagering, while blocking access to locally unlicensed international operators and further requiring international operators to have servers based on Belarusian soil. Shifting Land-scape At this point, local operators have been struggling in a regulation-less landscape. U Admirala casino operators Novo-Br in Minsk initiated bankruptcy proceedings last month, after being unable to pay state taxes and staff wages for some time. Into that breach has stepped M1 Casino General Manager Alexei Popov to head Belarus newest land-based gaming venue. After opening in March in eastern border town Sudilovichi, the M1 venue has proven a haven for players from Russia who can drive from Moscow down the M1 highway to play, an estimated 80% of M1s patrons to date. Outlook Hopefully, the new regulations under consideration in Parliament can provide a leading model for regulation that can further bolster tax and social benefits that the Belarus economy stands to gain from further gaming regulation online. Rohan Todkar sustained multiple injuries on his head, hands and legs during the violence at Kopar Khairane on Wednesday. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. (Photo: File/ANI) Mumbai: A protester, who was injured in the violence during the Maratha quota stir in adjoining Navi Mumbai, has succumbed to his injuries at the government-run JJ Hospital here. Hospital Dean Dr Mukund Tayade told PTI that 25-year-old Rohan Todkar had sustained multiple injuries on his head, hands and legs during the violence at Kopar Khairane on Wednesday. He was shifted to J J Hospital on Thursday and was kept in the intensive care unit, but succumbed to his injuries, Tayade said. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh called by Maratha organisations to demand quota for the community in government jobs and education. Also Read: Maratha group calls off quota protest in Mumbai, bandh ends Over 150 vehicles, including 20 belonging to police, were damaged in the violence. Nine persons were injured when police caned protesters and fired pellets and rubber bullets on the violent mob, police had said. Police had fired 40 shotgun rounds, 22 rubber bullets, 42 teargas shells and 11 teargas grenades to disperse the violent mob in Navi Mumbai, an official had said. Internet services were suspended in Navi Mumbai as a precautionary measure on Thursday. Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation. The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation, however, turned violent after a 27-year-old protester jumped to his death in Godavari river near Aurangabad on July 23. Apex court pulls up Centre, Uttar Pradesh govt. The A-G replied that Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for Taj maintenance. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Observing that nobody wants to take responsibility to preserve and maintain Taj Mahal in Agra to its pristine glory, the Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for this state of affairs. A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta, hearing a petition relating to Taj Mahal, expressed shocked that over 1167 polluting industries still exists in the Taj Trapezium Zone. The bench after perusing the draft vision document filed by the UP government, observed, the affidavit filed says 1,167 polluting industries in TTZ. This is shocking. You say it is a draft document. Are we supposed to correct it? Why have you filed a draft? The Bench asked the A-G, Who is responsible for preserving Taj? Is it UP or is it Government of India? Which Ministry? Tourism or Ministry of Environment and Forest or Home Ministry or ASI or Uttar Pradesh? Everyone is filing affidavits. The left hand doesnt know what right hand does. The A-G replied that Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for Taj maintenance. The bench asked the attorney general K.K. Venugopal appearing for the Centre to inform whether authorities have submitted Taj management plans to Unescos World Heritage Centre Justice Lokur asked. What will happen if UNESCO says that we will withdraw the World Heritage tag of the Taj Mahal? Mr Yechury, who has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, said the effort with be to make it a popular movement. New Delhi: The new Higher Education Bill will be the Oppositions next target in taking on the Narendra Modi government. The Opposition parties, including regional outfits like the BSP, SP, Left Front and DMK, have decided to form a broad-based platform to confront the government over the bill, which seeks to replace the University Grants Commission with a new higher education body. Saying the new bill would give a huge push to private education by replacing the UGC, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said: We will forge a broad coalition with all secular democratic parties to oppose this bill. He said the policy would adversely impact the poor and backwards and give a push to the private sector. Mr Yechury, who has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, said the effort with be to make it a popular movement. He said the parties likely to join the platform are the BSP, Left parties, SP, RJD, NCP and many parties from South India like the DMK. Mr Yechury said these parties would also approach the Congress to join the movement. It may be noted that the NSUI has already started an agitation on this issue. The new bill aims to downsize the scope of the regulator to ensure no more interference in management issues of educational institutions, ensure grant functions are done by the HRD ministry, in place of UGC, end inspector raj, and ensure regulation via transparent public disclosures. It is taking over of grant functions by the HRD ministry that is annoying the Opposition most as it feels this will stifle money for public institutions and promote private ones. It mat be recalled the Opposition had also accused the government of systematically drying up funds for fellowships and scholarships in universities across India. The Chattanooga Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society will meet Thursday, Aug. 9, at Ascension Lutheran Church, 720 S. Germantown Road. The executive board meets at 5:30 p.m. and the monthly meeting begins at 7 p.m. Chris Sloan returns to talk about Uganda: Birds and Great Apes. He will share photos and stories from a recent tour of Uganda, including a variety of spectacular endemic birds, "big five" mammals, Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and scenery. The 2 leaders had comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially trade, investment, energy, defence, tourism. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. (Photo: Twitter | @MEAIndia) New Delhi/Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27 held bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. The two leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially in trade, investment, energy, defence and tourism, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet later. The Modi-Putin meeting got over at midnight local time, he said. During their meeting in Sochi in May, India and Russia elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. SC warns search engines of imposing Rs 5 lakh fine each per day till they develop mechanism to prevent uploading objectionable materials. Supreme Court expresses concern for social media search engines like Facebook, WhatsApp and Yahoo for their irresponsible behaviour in promoting objectionable materials leading to lynching of people by violent mobs. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concern for social media search engines like Facebook, WhatsApp and Yahoo for their irresponsible behaviour in promoting objectionable materials leading to the lynching of people by violent mobs. A Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta hearing a PIL filed by NGO Prajwala, warned these search engines of imposing an exemplary fine of Rs 5 lakh each per day till they develop a foolproof mechanism to prevent uploading of such objectionable materials including child pornography, gangrape, etc on such social media websites. However, taking note of the assurances from senior advocates Kapil Sibal, V Giri and others said that a mechanism would be found out, the bench granted 30 days time to the sites and search engines Yahoo, Facebook Ireland, Facebook India, Google India, Google Inc., Microsoft and WhatsApp, to put in place a proper mechanism. Expressing his anguish Justice Lokur asked the counsel What type of attitude you are all adopting? There is so much objectionable material on the social media sites. People are being lynched across the country. People are dying at various places, but you (social media sites) seem to be not bothered. You are saying that as long as it does not happen to me, it is ok, when it happens to me, then we will look into it. The bench made the observation after advocate Aparna Bhat, appearing for NGO Prajwala complained to the court that despite several assurances by the search engines and social media sites, child pornography continues to be available on the internet medium. She submitted except in desktops where there is a certain degree of restrictions on accessing child pornography, the objectionable materials including rape videos can easily be accessed on the laptops, smartphones and iPhones. Justice Lokur asked the counsel, How can you people be so irresponsible? So much material is still available on the social media sites. But you dont want to do anything because you dont want to own any responsibility. So let people die you will not do anything, Bhat told the court that none of the social media sites had so far bothered to come out with a suitable mechanism despite certain recommendations made by court-appointed committee comprising officials of MHA, I&B and IT Ministry. Counsel for the websites drew the courts attention to the fact that there were difficulties in strictly enforcing a total ban on such sites due to lack of adequate technical help. However, the bench refused to buy the argument and said it can take its own time in evolving a suitable mechanism, but till then they have to pay Rs 5 lakh each per day as fine. But the counsel sought time and gave an undertaking that they will comply with the courts directive to ensure a foolproof mechanism to prevent uploading of objectionable material on the social media site. The court then granted them 30 days to comply with the directive and posted the matter for further hearing on August 27. Currently: Cash Looking to: Buy @ $46.67 As of 3/19/21 close: $47.99 LAST WEEK: We suggested buying FXI on a dip to $46.67 with stops on a close below $44.70 and with an upside target of taking profits at $55. UPDATE: The iShares China ETF (FXI) drifted lower last week and is on the way to a test of initial support at $46.67. If it holds, we should see a rally to $55. If it breaks, we could see a quick dip to $44.50. Buy dips in FXI to $46.67 with stops on a close below $46 and with an upside target for taking profits at $55. If stopped out, try the longs again at $44.50 with stops below $44. Currently: Cash Looking to: Buy @ 108.337 As of 3/21/21 @ 9:21pm EST: 108.857 LAST WEEK: We suggested buying dips in USDJPY to 108.337 and holding for a run up to 111. We suggested honoring stops on longs on a close below 107.75. UPDATE: The USDJPY is up early on Monday after trading sluggishly all last week. We still feel the cross will trade down to 108.337 (or lower). No changes to last weeks trade recommendations. Currently: Long Looking to: Sell @ $52.25 As of 3/19/21 close: $50.20 LAST WEEK: We suggested buying at $49.70 with stops on a close below $48.25 and with a target of $52.25. UPDATE: The European ETF (IEV) had a tough day Thursday along with US stocks. However, it finished higher for the week and remains in bullish technical position right now. We still are looking for a continued move up to $52.25. Try new long positions at $49.27. Honor stops on a close below $48.25 and look to take profits up at $52.25. The recommendations come in the backdrop of a rape case against 4 priests who have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman. A central agency also needs to do a proper investigation into the increasing incidents of rape and sexual assaults in churches of Kerala, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay) New Delhi: The National Commission of Women (NCW) has recommended abolishing the practice of "confessions" in churches as it can lead to the blackmailing of women. A central agency also needs to do a proper investigation into the increasing incidents of rape and sexual assaults in churches of Kerala, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said. "The priests pressure women into telling their secrets and we have one such case in front of us, there must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg," she said. The recommendations come in the backdrop of a rape case against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman belonging to their church. The issue came to the fore after the woman's husband wrote to the church, alleging that the priests blackmailed and abused his wife, a school teacher. The National Commission of Women has constituted an inquiry committee to look into alleged sexual assaults against women in churches, and has sent its findings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and the DGP of Kerala and Punjab. "The woman was socially harassed. She left her job after the incident as her photograph was circulated on social media. The two priests are at large and they need to be nabbed," the DCW chairperson said. In another incident, a nun, in a complaint to the Kottayam district police chief last month, alleged that Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal raped her and had unnatural sex with her multiple times at a small town near Kottayam between 2014 and 2016. Currently: Cash Looking to: Sell T-Note Price futures @ 1.48% yld As of 3/21/21 @ 9:27pm EST: 1.691% yield LAST WEEK: We suggested selling longs / getting short of 10-year T-Note price futures at 1.392% on the 10-year Treasury yield. UPDATE: Treasury yields simply have not let up on their advance. Right now, it looks like they want to continue to work higher towards 1.972% or higher. We would sell longs / get short of 10-year T-Note price futures when yields re-test support at 1.48%. We will hold those shorts until yields move back up to 1.972%. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Gush Shalom BINYAMIN NETANYAHU is a perfect diplomat, a clever politician, a talented leader of the army. Lately, another jewel has been added to his crown: he is also a gifted story-teller. He has provided an answer to a question that has perplexed historians for a long time: When and how did Adolf Hitler decide to exterminate the Jews? There was no agreed-upon answer. There were those who thought that it happened already in his youth in Vienna, others guessed that it happened after World War I in Munich, or when he wrote his book Mein Kampf in Landsberg prison in 1924. Now Bibi has uncovered the circumstances, the exact place and time. It happened in Berlin, when Adolf Hitler met the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini, on November 28, 1941. Netanyahu has not condescended to tell us how he arrived at this revolutionary discovery. There is no indication in the official protocol of the Hitler-Husseini meeting which was prepared by the Germans, in their famous exactitude. Nor is it mentioned in the entry of the Mufti himself in his private diary, which was captured by Western intelligence. The two documents are almost identical. SO WHAT did Netanyahu discover? According to his story, until the meeting Hitler did not even think about exterminating the Jews, but only about their expulsion from Europe, preferably to Madagascar, then a French colony. But then came the Mufti and told him something like "if you expel them they will come to Palestine. Better kill them all in Europe." "What a wonderful idea!" Hitler must have answered, "Why did I not think of that myself?" A thrilling story. The trouble is that it contains not one word of truth. In the jargon of these Trumpian days, it is "alternative truth." Or, simply put, a complete lie. Worse, it could not have happened. Anyone who has a minimal knowledge of the period, of the "spirit of the time" and of the personalities involved, must know that this is an imagined event. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). The foundations of America are under attack by those whose main objective is to completely do away with the government of, by and for the people so that they then gain total control of this entire government and country. In recent times the current US president, Donald Trump, has been leading these efforts. He is a perfect fit for this task because he has an obsession with, and an addiction to, acquiring power and control over others. If he is not stopped he will turn the American Dream into a nightmare. This can't be allowed to go on. One way or another this highly incompetent, reckless, and less than stable president must be removed from office before he tears this country apart. Yes, the foundations of America are shaking as he wreaks havoc within this government and sows discord across this nation. There is no need to go over all the reasons why Mr. Trump must be removed. His often bizarre, reckless behavior and faulty decisions are fully documented in scores of videos, his own tweets, newsprint, and TV news archives. Collectively, they indicate that he is totally unfit and unqualified to lead this nation. America needed a great leader as its president; a leader who possessed the characteristics that come with that responsibility, such as the following: Honesty and integrity Courage and conviction Managerial competence Vision Ability to inspire Decision-making ability Accountability Creative and innovative We needed a leader with those characteristics and qualities but we got Trump instead. Which of these 8 characteristics would you say Trump possesses? Is there even one? This is "fake" leader who, if he could, would shut down the free press. He has clearly shown that he thinks he is above the law. He met in a secret meeting with Putin recently with only translators in attendance and refuses to divulge what they talked about. The White House has just said that, from now on, when he meets with a foreign leader it will not issue any comments about what was discussed. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. When you hear the word Islam, what immediately comes to your mind? I presume "hijab" might be the word for most people. Candidly, what is the obsession with Muslim women covering their heads even though Quran does not overtly require that? And why has head covering turned into the most visible sign of the collective identity for Muslim societies? It seems that there is a broader hidden agenda behind the veiling of Muslim women, that of controlling women's lives and their bodies in mostly male-dominated Islamic nations in which misogynistic attitudes are widespread. In addition, I believe it is utilized by Islamic religious rulers and leaders to resist the so-called influence of Western culture that, in their view, is corrupt. Hijab is being promoted to denote many things: the emblem of communal identity, the sign of modesty, and as the means of protecting women from sexual advances, a farfetched claim that is not supported by evidence. Statistics show that In Muslim countries, women are the targets of sexual harassment more frequently than they are in non-Muslim countries where women are free to choose how they want to dress. Consider the UN report on sexual harassment in Muslim countries, either verbal or physical, as reported by female respondents--Egypt 99.3%, Yemen 90%, and 86.5% in Saudi Arabia. These kinds of statistics are reported even in light of the known fact that the incidences of sexual harassment typically remain unreported in Muslim countries for the fear of shame. Support for women concealing their bodies is also overwhelming in the Muslim world. According to the PEW Research Center, when people were asked what kind of dress is appropriate for women in public, a substantial majority of respondents favored veiling, from complete burqa to a head covering--Pakistan 98%, Saudi Arabia 97%, Iraq 97%, Egypt 96%, Turkey 68%, and Lebanon 51%. According to the same survey, in many Muslim countries, a small percentage of people agree that it should be up to the women to wear whatever they wish; for example, 14% in Egypt, 22% in Pakistan, and 27% in Iraq, indicating weak support for women when it comes to choosing how they would like to appear in public. It is ironic to know that while there is no direct mention of head covering or a mandate for women to wear hijab in Quran, it has been elevated into the hallmark of women's piety and the most strictly enforced policy in many Muslim countries in which noncompliance results in humiliation and harsh punishment. Even if it is not mandatory in some countries, girls in Muslim families are brought up to cover their heads and, therefore, are framed since childhood to wear hijab. They will be castigated and often rejected from family and Muslim circles if they do not veil. Hijab that becomes a strict religious duty at certain age is viewed by many as a constraint that prevents women from reaching their potential and flourishing career wise and otherwise. It often puts them in the position of being victims of prejudice, bulling, or harassment by their peers, coworkers, or others. Frequent heartbreaking incidences in Iran of zealous, brainwashed men spraying acid on the faces of innocent women have been reported recently. The ill-informed, naivebrainwashed perpetrators believe that women who are not complying with the Islamic dress code corrupt society and undermine Islamic decency. Therefore, these women deserve that kind of punishment. In March 2002, 15 young girls were burned to death in Saudi Arabia as their school became engulfed in fire. They rushed to get out of the burning school but were prevented from doing so by Saudi's religious police who claimed that the girls did not have the proper head covering that would allow them to come out in public. Apparently, the girls could not get to their hijabs as they rushed for safety. The police even prevented rescue workers from entering the burning building because the girls were not wearing correct Islamic dress. These kinds of inhumane travesties are being committed in the name religious modesty and piety. Conversely, many hate crimes have been reported in the U.S. recently against Muslim girls solely because they were wearing hijab. As concerned parents, Muslims living in America should not coerce their children into the position where they are exposed to the risk of being the targets of bullying or hate crimes. Ed Husain, a Muslim scholar, critic, and the author of a newly published book The House Of Islam, A Global History rightfully believes that hijab is the consequence of the influence of Salafism and Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia on the world of Islam, especially, I may add, on non-Arabic-speaking countries like Iran that follow Islamic rules nominally and essentially with "blind eyes." Many such countries, I believe, act more Catholic than the Pope, or as we say in Farsi, as a "bowl hotter than the soup"! Husain also offers a judicious explanation as to why there is an urge in Muslim societies to control women. Muslims have lost their dignity and their glorious past, he asserts, something that they are still overwhelmingly obsessed with and frustrated about. Unable to tolerate the resulting shame and the grief, they have resorted to extremism, but more importantly, to the blame game. They accuse America and the West for their misfortune and thus feel compelled to resist whatever is Western, especially the liberation of women. Hijab and other forms of censorship are like a regrettable-necessity scheme that keeps Muslim male clerics in power. If their followers are exposed to Western democracy, freedom, and the Western way of life, they will revolt and no longer obey their rules. I doubt that you can create a safe and healthy environment by forcing women to conceal their bodies as some apologists maintain. The problem is not the choice of attire, but the attitudes of men that need to be changed. The theocratic rulers in Muslim counties must understand that the threat to Muslim society does not come from Western culture, free choice, exposure to online resources like social media, or the way women appear in public. The danger is rooted in the mentality of Muslim men who have been historically preached to undermine the rights of women and treat them as their subordinates and their property. The men's fixation on controlling women's lives is the problem. Given the disposition of women in the pre-Islamic era, known as the time of Jahiliyyah (ignorance) in the Arabian Peninsula, the prophet of Islam was trying to liberate women from the shackles of unjust treatment. He tried to emancipate them by repudiating the misogynistic tribal norms of his time. He did that for the sake of women and social justice, not in reaction to or the blaming of the West for their problems. If Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is considered a woman liberator, as many Muslim scholars believe, why then are more modern day Islamic rulers so unreceptive, unyielding, when it comes to honoring women's rights and dignity? As a minor case in point, these rulers never care to appear with their own wives, or even utter their names in public. Opposing whatever Western democratic nations stand for is their popular scapegoat scheme for sustaining the ruling of religion in Muslim countries. It seems there is a competition among Muslim leaders to outdo one another when it comes to opposing the West, and this is nowhere more apparent than in their mistreatment of women. This is especially the case in countries ruled by an Islamic government wherein officials determine the fate of people based on the government's reading and interpretation of the Islamic scriptures. This is indeed a dangerous trajectory. I am really flabbergasted by the fact that, while many women in Iran and other prominent Muslim countries where hijab is mandatory are struggling to free themselves from the hardships they have to endure stemming from this oppressive imposition, in America, hijab is being advertised by some apologists, so-called Muslim feminists, as a sign of liberation and freedom. Baloney! I was once talking to a female friend who was adamant in her claim that wearing hijab was her own free choice. I asked her if she could remove it in public if she chose to. Her reply was: "No"! Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. (Image by Egberto Willies) Details DMCA There is a different kind of Democrat running for Democratic AG in Kansas in the 2018 election. She has no primary opponent. And the Democratic Party Establishment wants her out of the race because of a poster? Why would the Democratic Party Establishment cowardly and irresponsibly wish to cede the head of law enforcement to Republicans in a state where the Republican Party headed by Governor Sam Brownback has been a total failure? The Topeka Capital-Journal cjonline.com reported the following. A Lawrence lawyer who is running for attorney general says her poster of Wonder Woman strangling a police officer with the lasso of truth is a metaphor for the rigors of cross-examination. Her own party says she isn't fit to serve. Law enforcement support groups lashed out at Sarah Swain, a Democrat challenging incumbent Republican Derek Schmidt for the AG's office, describing the poster as an endorsement of violence toward police officers. The Kansas Democratic Party moved to distance itself from the controversy over the poster and cop-bashing comments from her past. Swain apologized for the poster, which has been inside the front door of her law office for several years. "I understand that this picture has been misconstrued by many as advocating for violence against the police, and for that I apologize," Swain said. "I am not anti-law enforcement. I am pro-truth. And I do not condone violence in any form." If you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing. Democratic Party Establishment dissing of its Kansas Democratic AG Candidate Sarah Swain is shameful. Sarah Swain is a defense attorney. She is no police hater. Swain does hate the reality that police, in their reports and on the stand, lie very often. She is concerned that people of color are adversely affected by the actions of racist police officers. We must scrutinize police officers like any other profession and keep them in check. After all, they wield much power, and hence there must be checks and balances to ensure they do not abuse that power as they currently do. Innocent people of color of every class, as well as many impoverished and 'inappropriate' whites, have seen what rogue cops do and get away with all of the times. They do not by into the false law and order narrative some people attempt to use to slam anyone who wants to hold police officers accountable. Instead of the Democratic Party Establishment jumping on the Social/Criminal Justice mantra, this woman stands for; they condemn her for her justifiable contempt for some police officers she has worked with many times. This woman will bring in voters that have felt left out for some time and the Establishment with their inability to evolve continues to obstruct progress. Watch Sarah Swain's complete interview here. Watch the entire show here. (Article changed on July 27, 2018 at 17:00) Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. (This is a reprint from NewsBred). Media keeps 'Dead Man Walking' (Image by pixabay.com) Details DMCA It's without bitterness or rancour that I point out how the rotten media--both Indian and Western--keeps the "Dead Man Walking," that is, Indian National Congress. Vir Sanghvi, out from the edit pages of Hindustan Times for nearly a decade after the Radia Tapes leaks, is back strategically ahead of the 2019 Elections. On Friday, he warned BJP it has a "fight on its hands," since "Rahul Gandhi has grown in confidence." The first time Sanghvi's political pen is unfrozen in a decade, it flows in obeisance. To take a hint from his own Brunch column, it's in "rude taste.' The last we saw of the child-boy Rahul on national screen was during the "hug debate" in Parliament last Friday. He had a dark visage, stung by the rebuke of generally mild Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, followed by BJP's Anurag Thakur ripping open his Rafale lies in front of the nation. Yet the same newspaper, only a couple of days before, was showcasing Shekhar Gupta almost celebrating the "Bofors moment" of BJP on Rafale. Now Shekhar isn't shy on Congress or slinking type--remember how he made light of "pimping-for-Congress" remark of Arvind Kejriwal? So boldly Shekhar has gone ahead and penned another piece close on its heels--and you've guessed it right: "He (Rahul) has risen in stature as a pre-eminent leader of opposition." The next name which came almost instinctively to my mind was Barkha Dutt. Why? Because she links with Sanghvi as one who was badly stung by Radia Tapes leaks; and with Shekhar as a columnist in his venture to which once she briefly was a partner. Barkha these days is usually found parked in Washington Post. She found Rahul Gandhi winner all over on "Hug Day" in front of the nation: "He won the headlines"he won the talking points.' If Barkha is around can Sagarika Ghose be behind? She is used to being called a Gandhi loyalist. Her first sentence in Times of India on Rahul-hug is: "(it) has stunned the government and left the Prime Minister looking thunderstruck." Her husband, Rajdeep Sardesai, was far more nuanced but still it was nothing more than a wrist on slap. None of them realize that if there is one definitive moment which has sealed Rahul Gandhi's fate in the eyes of the nation (as well in the eyes of other prospective allies) it is this "hug moment." He looked kiddish, impulsive--first asking Modi to get up from his seat and when the wily Prime Minister didn't oblige--throwing himself at him like a sack. He then allowed himself to be called back by PM; to be patted; and sent hurtling back to his seat. It was not a "winner" but a very "poor optics" beamed to millions. He became a laughing stock and sealed his fate with his own act. And so have these court-jesters who masquerade as journalists. Remember the words most of them had to say about "Hugplomacy" of Modi: if you believed them or their Western ilks, Modi had made himself a laughing stock in front of world leaders. Read BBC ("he has become a caricature of himself"); Washington Post (Modi an awkward hugger); Quartz (penchant for bear hugs) or news outlets closer home, unfailingly you'd find Modi plastered to the wall for offering warm hugs to fellow statesmen and leaders. But when Rahul Gandhi does so, all of these pen-pushers can't stop gushing in admiration. The same Congress which ridiculed Modi and his hug on a youtube vi deo, now has posters where Rahul's hug has all but saved humanity. I mean how ludicrous could it get??? Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Donald Trump and Mike Pence - Caricature (Image by DonkeyHotey) Details DMCA In my last article I quoted actual events, then followed it with my own rhetorical views. In this article I will point out what is reported between Putin and Trump without any personal editorial about the actual event, except a conclusion at the end. So let's begin the what is reported as indisputable facts. I use quote marks at the beginning and end since this is a single source. "President Trump seemed to lack authority, praising Putin when he should have been condemning him, and ceding opportunities to confront Putin on his most egregious actions of the past decade -- including meddling in the 2016 election and the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 Trump appeared to have had little plan, alternating between vague promises of improving our relationship with Russia and spending too much time on U.S. domestic affairs, notably the 2016 presidential election. Instead of holding Putin accountable for his election interference, he referenced his defeat of Hillary Clinton. For a sitting U.S. president to say publicly that he believes a foreign leader over his own intelligence team is shocking and admonishable. At a time when our democracy faces grave threats, it is deeply troubling that the president would side with the very country who attacked us. At one point, President Trump even cited, incorrectly, the Electoral College tallies from over two years ago. This was all in an attempt to deflect questions that he was apparently unable to answer. Despite each nation backing different sides in the Syrian conflict, Trump suggested he and Putin would begin working in conjunction to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Syria, regardless of the fact that the need for humanitarian aid largely stems from Putin's unabashed support for Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad. Additionally, Trump also failed to address the concerns of our NATO allies Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the Baltics regarding the territorial threats they persistently face Trump, throughout the entire press conference, failed to condemn or even acknowledge the illegality of Putin's actions in Crimea and Ukraine. When asked if he would hold Russia accountable for any of its past actions, Trump deflected and deferred. President Trump's unwillingness to stand up to Russia on this issue only serves to weaken the Western alliance and encourage further Russian incursions into the territory of sovereign nations now that Putin knows Trump will give him a pass. Most importantly, on election meddling, Trump refused to stand with U.S. intelligence and charge Putin with interference, saying he doesn't see any reason why it would be the Russians carrying out the illegal meddling. For a sitting U.S. president to say publicly that he believes a foreign leader over his own intelligence team is shocking and admonishable. At a time when our democracy faces grave threats, it is deeply troubling that the president would side with the very country who attacked us. Additionally, Trump's failure to distinguish between campaign collusion and Russia's blatant attack on our democracy allowed Putin to sow more discord during the press conference. Instead of standing up to Putin, Trump offered to cooperate with Russia on some of the very issues that Russia is causing. As some very wise analysts have noted, this strategy is like allowing a criminal to investigate his own crimes. It is foolish and naive and President Trump must simply do better going forward. Trump said he has great confidence in the intelligence community, but Putin gave a strong and powerful denial. He said he doesn't see any reason why Russia would be behind election meddling. Trump used the stage to again condemn Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe as a disaster, saying there was no collusion with his campaign. Other Republicans, while not as fierce as McCain, also criticized Trump, reminding him that Russia is not considered a friend of the U.S." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Putin puts Trump at ease (Image by Goat4421) Details DMCA Trump's fawning behavior and his dismissive attitude toward American intelligence in a joint press conference with Putin were a national embarrassment. An AP reporter brought up Putin's denial of the charge by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential elections, and asked Trump "who do you believe?". Even if Trump were skeptical about the intelligence, the appropriate way for a U.S. President to respond would have been something like: "I take the concerns of these agencies very seriously, and I have conveyed to President Putin that we will not tolerate such behavior." But Trump doesn't sound like a stateman unless he's reading from a script composed by aides. His off-the-cuff response to the reporter was beyond inept: "My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others and 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. . .. But I have confidence in both parties." He was saying to the world that the considered judgment of the American intelligence community was no more credible than an unsupported denial by the authoritarian president of an adversarial power. There are good reasons for doubting American intelligence about Russiagate, but Trump has shown no sign that he understands them. Instead, he repeatedly calls the Mueller investigation a "witch-hunt" and a "hoax". He sees the investigation as challenging the legitimacy of his presidency, and Hell has no fury like his wounded vanity. The intensity of Trump's denial is matched by the righteous blood lust of Democrats yelling for Mueller's hounds to bring down the orange-haired stag. Their humiliation at losing the presidency to a vulgar fool would be eased if it turns out that Russian sabotage tipped the scales against them. The Democratic establishment could channel their pain into a holy crusade against Trump and Putin in 2020. No need to resort to the 'socialist' agenda of a Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez. As Democrats gird themselves for November's election and the Battle of 2020, their media allies such as MSNBC and CNN have created a FOX-like echo chamber for Russiagate tirades. Here is Rachel Maddow's reflection on the meaning of Helsinki: [Before today] "we haven't ever had to reckon with the possibility that somebody has ascended to the presidency of the United States to serve the interests of another country rather than our own. . . .Before today, no serving U.S. president has ever before taken sides with a foreign government against our own, let alone a foreign government that has just attacked our country." The 'attack' Maddow refers to is the alleged hacking of the Clinton campaign's computers in 2016, for which Mueller indicted 12 members of the intelligence directorate of the Russian military on July 13, just 3 days before the Helsinki summit. An indictment is an unproven allegation, and this one will never be tested in court. In our system, someone indicted is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but Democrats and Maddow refer to the alleged Russian hacking as a fact. A reporter at the Helsinki press conference asked Trump if he held Russia responsible in any way for the decline of relations between the two nations. Trump answered: "Yes I do. I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. I think we've all been foolish. We should've had this dialogue a long time ago; a long time, frankly, before I got to office." Although Trump was hotly criticized for his response, he was right. I have argued elsewhere that NATO (under American leadership) has pushed us toward a new cold war by aggressively incorporating nations on the border of the Russian Federation and helping overthrow the democratically elected Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, in 2014. Stephen Cohen, one of the foremost historians of the last century in Russia, had this to say about the constant references to a Russian "attack": "This is reckless, dangerous, warmongering talk. It needs to stop. Russia has a better case for saying they've been attacked by us since 1991. We put our military alliance on the front door. Maybe it's not an attack, but it looks like one, feels like one." There is a nauseating hypocrisy in the sanctimonious outcry against Russian attempts to influence our elections and sabotage our democracy. The U.S. has actively interfered in the democratic elections of numerous countries, including Ukraine (2014), Italy (1948), Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Chile (1970-73), Russia (1996), Honduras (2009), Venezuela (2002, 2018), and Nicaragua (1990, 2018). Our 1953 intervention in Iran installed the Shah as an oppressive absolute monarch, which led to the 1979 revolution that gave rise to Ayatollah Khomeini and the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The sabotage of our democracy by American institutions and politicians far outweighs anything Putin may have tried. The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are persons and their contributions to politicians are free speech. The 2010 Citizens United decision allowed unlimited financial contributions by corporations and billionaires, turning our political system into a plutocracy. Gerrymandering has subverted the democratic principle of one person-one vote. GOP-controlled states have purged voter rolls and made registration and voting as difficult as possible for minorities. In spite of our sordid neglect of our own democratic institutions, Democrats and their media allies seem willing to risk nuclear confrontation with Russia over an unproven allegation of meddling in our 2016 election. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Common Dreams Trump bends over backward to help profit-hungry infant formula industry In May, the government of Ecuador came to the World Health Organization (WHO) assembly with a resolution on breastfeeding. What worried the government of Ecuador, and many other governments of the Global South, is the behavior of large corporations -- Nestle in the lead. These corporations that sell infant formula have wanted to promote the use of substitutes to breast milk, especially in places such as Ecuador. The month before -- in April 2018 -- the WHO and UNICEF jointly put out guidelines to support breastfeeding in health facilities. These "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" assist health care workers to encourage breastfeeding rather than to encourage the use of infant formulas. Breastfeeding babies in their first two years, say these UN agencies, would save the lives of more than 820,000 children under the age of five. "Breastfeeding saves lives. Its benefits help keep babies healthy in their first days and last well into adulthood," said UNICEF's executive director Henrietta H. Fore. At the WHO Assembly, the United States government objected to the Ecuador proposal. The U.S. wanted the WHO to remove the statement "protect, promote and support breastfeeding" from the resolution. Why would the U.S. government oppose this statement? An employee of the Health and Human Services Department of the U.S. government told me bitterly that this has to do with corporate pressure. Corporations that make infant formula have long caviled at the restrictions they face in marketing their product. Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes These restrictions came from the May 1981 WHO-UNICEF International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes. That Code specifically prevents the aggressive marketing of infant formula by corporate representatives who masquerade as health care professionals (so-called "milk nurses") and by the donation of samples to hook children. When the Code came before the World Health Assembly, the vote on it was 93 to 3. Two of the countries that voted against the Code -- Bangladesh and Chad -- said that they did not oppose the Code itself, but only wanted to extend the debate. The United States -- the third country to vote against the Code -- actually voted against it. The U.S. representative to the Assembly in 1981, Gerald B. Helman, said that his government opposed the WHO's "involvement in commercial codes." What the U.S. did not want was for the multilateral agencies to get involved in the regulation of business. Echoing Helman, the International Council of Infant Food Industries said that the Code lacked "flexibility." This means that the infant food corporations felt hemmed in by the regulations. The WHO and the UNICEF took up discussion over the Code because of a scandal in the 1970s around Nestle''s marketing practices. In 1974, the activist group War on Want produced a pamphlet "The Baby Killer," which was on how Nestle pushed its infant formula and how it denigrated breastfeeding. A Swiss group translated the report, with an inflammatory title -- "Nestle Toten Babies," or "Nestle Kills Babies." Nestle took the Swiss firm to court, which found the title libelous. The court case put on the table the issue of breastfeeding and corporate profit from the sale of infant formula. The WHO and UNICEF responded in 1981 with their guidelines to clarify the terms of the debate from their standpoint. Dr. Torbjorn Mork of Norway, deputy chair of the WHO board, said at that time that the agency was looking at this not as an economic issue but as a public health issue that was important to children around the world and "thus to all future generations on our spaceship earth." The Code was not enough. Infant formula firms went around its regulations, creating infant cereals and offering free as well as subsidized breastmilk substitutes to hospitals. The World Health Assembly in 1984 and 1986 and then later had to close these loopholes. It has been a constant battle between the infant formula firms and the needs of families. Between the Bottle and the Breast In 1984, Professor Carolyn Campbell wrote an instructive paper in the International Journal of Health Services on the debate around breastfeeding and formula. What she found was that the debate itself had lost the focus on the well-being of children and their families. On the one side, the corporations and the intellectuals of the free market made the case to substitute formula for breast milk. There is money to be made in the selling of formula. Companies like Nestle, which dominate the market, have long seen the massive profits from the discouragement of breastfeeding and the encouragement of infant formula. The only competition for the firm was the lactating mother. But she could easily be defeated, Campbell noted, by a kind of psychological war against women -- providing free formula for a few weeks, making the case that breastfeeding is difficult, and encouraging caesarean births, all of these able to cut down on breast milk production "due to lack of sucking stimulus." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. In the wake of Donald Trump's disastrous July 16 meeting with Vladimir Putin, many Democrats thought, "At last Republicans will open their eyes and see Trump as a traitor and charlatan." But as the days passed, it became clear that Trump supporters weren't going to let a little thing -- such as collaboration with Russia -- dilute their adoration for the Donald. Republican inflexibility left Democrats scratching their heads, wondering what it will take to shake up the relationship between Trump and his base. The answer is hiding in plain sight. After the Putin meeting, and Trump's epic waffle about whether or not the Russians had interfered with the 2016 election, Democrats expected Trump's approval rating to go down. Surprisingly, it hasn't. (https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/ ) The latest Wall Street Journal (http://www.newser.com/story/262328/trumps-approval-among-republicans-is-unusually-high.html ) poll indicates that Republican approval for Trump is at 88 percent. (Meanwhile, among independents, Trump approval declined to 36 percent -- among Democrats it's 8 percent.) While only 53 percent of Republicans approved of his handling of Putin and Russia, the vast majority supports him overall. Why? To understand the Republican paradox -- they trust Trump to defend the U.S.A. -- we have to dive deep into GOP Demographics. Pew Research, and other pollsters, tell us that Republicans are overwhelmingly white (non Hispanic), male (although a surprising number are female -- mostly uneducated), rural, and "Christian." Last September, the Public Religion Research Institute (click here) reported: "Roughly three-quarters (73%) of the Republican Party is white Christian... 35 percent are white evangelical Christians, 18 percent are white members of other Protestant denominations, and 16 percent are white Catholics." Gallup says Republicans are 27 percent of the electorate, Democrats are 29 percent, and the remaining 43 percent are (technically) Independents. Other pollsters suggest there are fewer Independents, explaining that many poll respondents don't want to share their Party affiliation with poll takers. Pew Research (click here) says that when you include leaners, among registered voters there are 45 percent Republicans and 55 percent Democrats. According to Pew, Trump's "base" consists of two groups -- "Core Conservatives" and "Country-First Conservatives" -- that support Donald for slightly different reasons. "Core Conservatives" (15 percent of registered voters) are: "about a third (31%) of all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents... This financially comfortable, male-dominated group overwhelmingly supports smaller government, lower corporate tax rates and believes in the fairness of the nation's economic system." That is to say, Core Conservatives' basic issue is economics. They want lower taxes and fewer regulations; they want to maintain the status quo. Core Conservative support Trump because he's giving them what they want. In contrast, "Country-First Conservatives" (7 percent of registered voters) are about one-sixth of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents. They are, "... unhappy with the nation's course, highly critical of immigrants and deeply wary of U.S. global involvement. Nearly two-thirds of Country-First Conservatives (64%)... say that 'if America is too open to people from all over the world, we risk losing our identity as a nation.'" Country-First Conservatives' basic issue is immigration and (behind the curtains) race. They believe that people-of-color threaten their way of life. Country-First Conservative support Trump because he's giving them what they want: a commitment to a white Christian nation. Pew observed that white evangelical Christians constitute 34 percent of Core Conservatives and 43 percent of Country-First Conservatives -- about 8 percent of of registered voters. (Pew reports that 77 percent of white non-Hispanic evangelical protestant voters identify as Republicans, as do 54 percent of white non-hispanic Catholic voters.) Whatever their percentage in the Republican Party, it's clear that white non-Hispanic Christians are a powerful force in Trump's base. And they are single-minded; they want a theocracy. Trump has catered to his Core Conservative and Country-First Conservative base. He's given the former tax cuts and business-first regulations; and he's given the latter a series of actions -- draconian immigration enforcement, support for "religious liberty," and ultra-conservative judges (such as Brett Kavanaugh) -- that indicate Donald's on their side. And so Trump's base sticks with him despite damming revelations from the Mueller probe or evidence of Trump's collaboration with Putin. From an ethical standpoint, it's clear that Trump's base, en masse, has adopted the morality that the ends justify the means. That's not a surprise for the portion of the Republican Party that is non-Christian -- roughly 20 percent. We can safely assume that these are Core Conservatives whose moral code is defined exclusively by Capitalism: dog eat dog, triumph of the fittest, winner take all, etcetera. (They subscribe to Ayn Rand's Objectivism.) The ethical problem lies with the 75 percent of the Republican Party that identifies as Christian. For them to say they support Trump because he's going to promote a Christian nation, or he's going to put people-of-color in their place, or he's going to take away a women's right to make her own medical decisions, means that they believe the ends justify the means. And that's not Christian ethics. The Trump "Christians" are not following the ethical teachings of Jesus. (https://www.npr.org/2017/12/03/568206452/evangelical-leaders-say-christians-who-support-trump-face-an-ethical-challenge ) What will it take to shake up the relationship between Trump and his "Christian" base? Have them read the New Testament and consider whether they are actually practicing the ethics of Jesus. It looks like a lot of Trump's supporters are actually faux Christians. Just like Donald. For data misuse, a penalty of Rs 15 cr or 4% of the total worldwide turnover of any data collection entity. New Delhi: Insisting on processing of personal data of Indians within the country, a draft Personal Data Protection Bill on Friday proposed explicit consent for processing sensitive personal information like religious or political belief, sexual orientation and biometric details and recommended penalties of up to `15 crore and jail term of up to 10 years for data collection entities that misuse the information. The draft of Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018, which is based on the recommendations of the government-constituted panel headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna, restricts and imposes conditions on the cross-border transfer of personal data, and suggests setting up of Data Protection Authority of India to prevent any misuse of personal information. In certain circumstances, companies will have to notify the DPA about personal data breach. The recommendations come at a time when data breaches are becoming common globally and there is heightened scrutiny by governments on how companies handle user data. Facebook, for instance, was recently held guilty by Dutch and French privacy watchdogs for breaking strict data protection rules. The panels report was keenly awaited for their implications on tech majors and service providers such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Instagram, Visa and Mastercard, among others, in the backdrop of the Supreme Courts recognition of privacy as a fundamental right. Also, the recent data breach involving Facebook and British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica has brought to the centre-stage issues around information privacy, user rights and consent policies, nudging companies and policymakers alike to review and strengthen privacy protection rules. Justice Srikrishna, who submitted his report on data protection as also the draft bill to the government on Friday, said data privacy is a burning issue and there are three parts to the triangle. The citizens rights have to be protected, the responsibilities of the states have to be defined but the data protection cant be at the cost of trade and industry, he said. The draft bill, which would go before Parliament after parliamentary consultation and the Union Cabinets approval, makes obtaining, transferring or selling of personal data in contravention of the norms as an offence. The panel defined sensitive personal data as passwords, financial data, health data, sex life, sexual orientation, biometric data, genetic data, caste or tribe and religious or political belief or affiliation. It suggested steps for safeguarding personal information, defining obligations of data processors as also rights of individuals, and mooting penalties for violation. To check data misuse, the draft bill provides a penalty of Rs 15 crore or 4 per cent of the total worldwide turnover of any data collection entity, including the state, for violation of personal data processing provisions. A failure to take prompt action on a data security breach can attract a fine of up to Rs 5 crore or 2 per cent of the turnover of the data collection entity, whichever is higher. The bill said that whoever uses core biometric information collected or created under this Aadhaar Act for any purpose other than generation of Aadhaar numbers and authentication under the Act, shall be punished with imprisonment which shall not be less than three years, but which may extend to 10 years, or with a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000 and or, in the case of a company, with a fine which may extend to Rs 50 lakh or both. The panel also recommended amendments to RTI and Aadhaar laws to bolster data protection. In RTI act, it said, restrictions on disclosure on information under the law should only be limited to data that is likely to cause harm to a data principal or owner and such harm outweighs public interest. There will be a general obligation on companies to ensure that processing data of those under 18 years of is undertaken keeping the best interests of the child in mind. The panel, which submitted its report to electronics and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, said that there will be a prohibition against cross border transfer of personal data determined to be critical. However, Central government will determine categories of sensitive personal data which is critical to the nation having regard to strategic interests and enforcement requirements. It is a monumental law and we would be like to have widest parliamentary consultation We want Indian data protection law to become a model globally, blending security, privacy, safety and innovation, said minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The panel said personal data relating to health will, however, be permitted to be transferred abroad for reasons of prompt action or emergency. Transfer of other personal data (non-critical) will be subject to the requirement to store at least one serving copy in India. The panel said the proposed data protection authority would look into enforcement and implementation of the new data protection law. Companies will have to notify DPA, personal data breach and in certain circumstances, to the data principal or the owner. Personal data may be processed on the basis of the consent of the data principal, given no later than at the commencement of the processing, it said, adding that processing of sensitive personal data should be on the basis of explicit consent. The report said that the right to be forgotten may be adopted and it should be determined by factors like sensitivity of the personal data, especially in case of public figures. Mr Srikrishna said that the new data protection law would override all other notifications and regulations on data storage, including RBI directive which said in April that all payments data should be stored in the country within six months. Over the last one year, there have been reports of personal information being allegedly compromised with increasing use of biometric identifier Aadhaar in an array of services, as also data breach incidents in the private sector. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Common Dreams The president hopes we'll break our Russia tunnel vision and set sights on Iran. We should. Supporters of the Iran nuclear accord rally outside the White House on Oct. 12, 2017. (Image by (Photo: Stephen Melkisethian/flickr/cc)) Details DMCA Donald Trump may be taking us to war on Iran and those who should be trying to stop him -- from Congress to the grassroots -- are too obsessed with Russia to even pay attention. Trump is well aware that a war with Iran could be a good diversion from his domestic and Russia travails, and could even help Republicans in the November elections. In 2012, when President Obama was down in the polls, Trump tweeted: "Looks like he'll have to start a war or major conflict to win. Don't put it past him!" So we certainly shouldn't put it past Donald Trump. On July 22, just after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had wrapped up a speech in which he compared Iran's leaders to the Mafia, Trump sent out this threatening tweet, in all caps, to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. "NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!" Trump's Twitter tirade was in response to comments by Rouhani warning that a U.S. war with Iran would be the "mother of all wars" and that Trump should not "play with the lion's tail." Also a factor were Rouhani's earlier comments implying that if U.S. sanctions stopped Iran from exporting oil, Iran could close down the Strait of Hormuz, a slender waterway at the mouth of the Gulf through which 20 percent of the world's oil is shipped. Trump's explosive tweet was reminiscent of the "fire and fury" comments he directed toward Kim Jong-un before he started negotiating with the North Korean leader, but it's unlikely that this twitterstorm will be the prelude to talks with Iran. The Korean talks took place with the support of South Korea, and in the absence of any significant U.S. opposition lobby. With Iran, both Saudi Arabia and Israel have been trying to suck the United States into their decades-old feud with Iran. Both opposed the Iran nuclear deal, and Israel has been advocating for the U.S. military to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities (even though Israel has several hundred nuclear weapons of its own and Iran has none.) Saudi Arabia insists that Iran is spreading terrorism throughout the region, even though the Saudis have spent billions spreading their intolerant version of Islam, Wahhabism. And let us not forget the terror of the Saudi bombing of Yemen that has caused the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophe. United States lobby groups from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies have also been stoking the conflict with Iran. So has the dissident group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). The MEK, a cult-like group that has killed Iranians and Americans alike and was on the U.S. terrorist list until 2012, is hated inside Iran for having sided with Saddam Hussein when he invaded Iran in 1980. In recent years, the MEK has spent lavishly (with what is rumored to be Saudi money) to acquire political support from liberals like Howard Dean to conservatives like Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani, both of whom were key speakers at the group's May gathering in Paris. But the MEK's most influential cheerleader is John Bolton, who has spoken at their meetings eight times, for which he was well compensated. Bolton considers the MEK a legitimate opposition movement even though they have absolutely no base of support inside Iran. Trump delighted this dangerous melange of Iran opponents by withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on May 8, despite Iran's compliance with its side of the bargain, as continuously certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In defiance of the deal's five co-sponsors -- Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia -- the Trump Administration unilaterally restored sanctions, which will go into effect in two waves during August and November. The devastating sanctions not only prohibit U.S. companies from doing business in Iran, but will also punish foreign companies and banks. Despite efforts by European governments to shield their companies, the companies themselves -- from oil giant Total to airplane manufacturer Airbus -- do not want to take the risk and are already pulling the plug on trade deals they had negotiated with Iran. The value of the Iranian rial has plummeted this year by 40 percent. With the economy reeling from sanctions and the threat of war, along with mismanagement and corruption, Iranians have taken to the streets in protest. The administration's goal now is to cut off the Islamic Republic's ability to export oil, its prime source of revenue and foreign exchange. These particularly crippling sanctions will go into effect on November 4. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Alternet T he state official overseeing the race, a known voter suppressor, won a GOP runoff this week to be the nominee. If past is prologue -- and in the world of elections it often is -- the race for the next governor of Georgia may be one of the dirtiest of 2018. That's because the winner of this week's runoff for Georgia's Republican gubernatorial nominee, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, is among a handful of high-ranking state officials who have notorious records tilting the fine print of the voting process to create barriers aimed at the opposition's presumed base. His Democratic opponent is Stacey Abrams, a black tax lawyer, author and voter registration activist who served in the state legislature for a decade, rising to be House Minority Leader -- who has clashed with Kemp before. Republicans in Georgia are not shy about aggressively preserving their power. This year, they came close to passing a bill that would have closed polling places in Atlanta an hour earlier and curtailed voting on the Sunday before Election Day. They showcased similar bad behavior in 2016 -- just as they did in the 2014-2015 cycle, underscoring the state would be politically purple were it not for GOP efforts to preempt voters and stymie voting to keep its rule red. This pattern can be seen locally and at the highest reaches of state government, where they have been led by Kemp. One eyebrow-raising local example came in 2015, when white Republicans in rural Hancock County, who are a majority on its county board of elections, sent sheriff deputies knocking on the front doors of more than 180 black voters in the town of Sparta. They weren't concerned about real crime; they were questioning voter registrations. Their goal in dogging one-fifth of the town's voters was to help a white mayoral candidate, a lawsuit that followed said. The county attorney, a Republican state legislator, defended the police action by alleging sloppy voter rolls. This was outright intimidation by whites to keep blacks from voting. While Sparta was a local drama, a fight with statewide consequences involving registrations broke out that same year between Kemp and Abrams. Seen from afar, it looked like Kemp was modernizing the process by instituting online voter registration that year. But Abrams was leading an effort called the New Georgia Project that was running traditional voter drives, where canvassers went door-to-door and registrants filled out paper forms. In October 2014, it emerged that more than 41,000 of the 87,000 forms led by the Project were not going to be processed by Election Day. This disclosure was not accompanied by the usual gripe from local officials about voter drives -- that activists dump mountains of paper on their desks at the last minute. Instead, Kemp announced he was launching a major voter fraud investigation as one of his state's biggest drives in years was cresting. That accusation and the bureaucratic stonewalling that ensued was completely disingenuous. His investigation, completed months after Election Day, found problems with 25 of the 87,000 voter forms submitted -- 0.03 percent. But there's far more that Kemp did to block voters in the 2015-2016 cycle. Voter registration may seem like a straightforward process; fill out some fields in a registration form, swear you are a citizen and eligible voter -- under penalty of perjury -- and do so before state filing deadlines. Those data fields are one's name, address, birth date, and driver's license or Social Security number. Kemp deliberately politicized a process that is similar to what is used in many states. When people do not register online, local election offices end up typing the information from paper forms into computers and the statewide voter file. Beyond illegible handwriting and typos that occur -- and cause some people to not be registered -- local officials also do electronic checks to verify the information. States validate a would-be voter's identity by pinging their driver's license database and the federal Social Security database using the last four digits of an applicant's Social Security number. Some also ping prison records to screen for felons. Under Kemp, any unconfirmed match rejected the registrants. Where this becomes insidious is every one of those databases has had known accuracy problems or shortcomings that disqualify eligible voters. In 2009, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Inspector General's office assessed how reliable its voter verification was. Compared to "other [Social Security number-based verification] programs used by the states and employers... (the voter registration) no-match rate was two-to-five times higher," rejecting an additional 16 percent of registrants, it found. Why? That bigger gap was because other SSA programs used the full nine-digit Social Security number, while the voter program only used the last four digits. Less precise matching yields more errors. In 2005, Congress's Government Accountability Office issued a report finding state driver's license databases confuse names, including full names, names with or without middle initials, aliases, etc. "Even a 1 percent error rate on a match validating names, driver license numbers, etc., could generate tens of thousands of bad matches," the nonpartisan congressional analysts reported. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted how this process unfolded in their state in late 2014. "If everything goes right, a match comes back and the voter's name is sent to the Secretary of State's Office. But it sometimes does not go right," they wrote. They cited the problems with Social Security and driver's license data, and noted why state prison records also were unreliable. "County officials must also ping the state Department of Corrections database, which may lag by up to several months in its information," the paper wrote. "The Social Security Administration database only comes back as a 'yes' or 'no' match, giving county officials no help in determining what further information may need to be provided by the applicant. A hyphenated last name can cause hiccups with the state's identification database, as can unintentional data entry errors by county clerks, said former North Carolina [state] election director Gary Bartlett, who submitted an affidavit on behalf of the voter groups [who sued over the botched processing of registrations]." In other words, Kemp did not just masquerade behind the badge of fighting nonexistent voter fraud to thwart a registration drive led by a powerful elected Democrat. He also was winnowing voter rolls to impact the finish line -- who can vote on Election Day. And there's more. Between October 2012 and November 2014, he purged more than 370,000 inactive voters, which exceeded the number of newly registered voters. But at the starting line -- voter registration -- he was knowingly using a shoddy verification process to disqualify or hold registrants in limbo. Using porous data and imprecise analytics produces a politically expedient result: false positives. A lawsuit over Kemp's matching that was settled in early 2017 found that of the nearly 35,000 registrants whose registrations he canceled between July 2013 and July 15, 2016, 64 percent were black, 8 percent were Latino, 5 percent were Asian, and 14 percent were white. Meanwhile, of those 41,000 registrants that Kemp kept from voting in 2014, 18,000 were approved after the election in which they registered to vote. This is how nuanced and targeted voter suppression works. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Quicklink Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them. To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here. Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Consortium News MSNBC Rachel Maddow looks at new information on ties between the Trump campaign and Russia (Image by YouTube, Channel: MSNBC) Details DMCA Progressives should figure it out. Amplifying the anti-Russia din helps to drown out the left's core messages for economic fairness, equal rights, environmental protection, diplomacy and so much more. Echoing the racket of blaming Russia for the USA's severe shortages of democracy plays into the hands of Republicans and corporate Democrats eager to block progressive momentum. When riding on the "Russiagate" bandwagon, progressives unwittingly aid political forces that are eager to sideline progressive messages. And with the midterm elections now scarcely 100 days away, the torrents of hyperbolic and hypocritical claims about Russia keep diverting attention from why it's so important to defeat Republicans. As a practical matter, devoting massive amounts of time and resources to focusing on Russia has reduced capacities to effectively challenge the domestic forces that are assaulting democratic possibilities at home -- with such tactics as state voter ID laws, purging of voter rolls, and numerous barriers to suppress turnout by people of color. Instead of keeping eyes on the prize, some of the Democratic base has been watching and trusting media outlets like MSNBC. An extreme Russia obsession at the network has left precious little airtime to expose and challenge the vast quantity of terrible domestic-policy measures being advanced by the Trump administration every day. Likewise with the U.S. government's militarism. While some Democrats and Republicans in Congress have put forward legislation to end the active U.S. role in Saudi Arabia's mass-murderous war on Yemen, those efforts face a steeper uphill climb because of MSNBC. This week, under the headline "It's Been Over a Year Since MSNBC Has Mentioned U.S. War in Yemen," journalist Adam Johnson reported for the media watchdog group FAIR about the collapse of journalistic decency at MSNBC, under the weight of the network's Russia Russia Russia obsession. Johnson's article asks a big-type question: "Why is the No. 1 outlet of alleged anti-Trump #resistance completely ignoring his most devastating war?" The FAIR report says: "What seems most likely is MSNBC has found that attacking Russia from the right on matters of foreign policy is the most elegant way to preserve its 'progressive' image while still serving traditional centers of power -- namely, the Democratic Party establishment, corporate sponsors, and their own revolving door of ex-spook and military contractor-funded talking heads." Russia Doesn't Concern Americans Corporate media have been exerting enormous pressure on Democratic officeholders and candidates to follow a thin blue party line on Russia. Yet polling shows that few Americans see Russia as a threat to their well-being; they're far more concerned about such matters as healthcare, education, housing and overall economic security. The gap between most Americans and media elites is clear in a nationwide poll taken after the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, which was fiercely condemned by the punditocracy. As The Hill newspaper reported this week under the headline "Most Americans Back Trump's Call for Follow-Up Summit With Putin," 54 percent of respondents favored plans for a second summit. "The survey also found that 61 percent of Americans say better relations with Russia are in the best interest of the United States." Yet most Democratic Party leaders have very different priorities. After investing so much political capital in portraying Putin's government as an implacable enemy of the United States, top Democrats on Capitol Hill are hardly inclined to help thaw relations between the world's two nuclear superpowers. It would be easy for news watchers to see that the Democratic Party is much more committed to a hard line against Russia than a hard line against the corporate forces imposing extreme economic inequality here at home. National polling underscores just how out of whack and out of touch the party's top dogs are. Last month, the Gallup organization asked: "What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today?" The results were telling. "Situation with Russia" came in at below one-half of 1 percent. The day after the Helsinki summit, The Washington Post reported: "Citing polls and focus groups that have put Trump and Russia far down the list of voter priorities, Democratic strategists have counseled candidates and party leaders for months to discuss 'kitchen table' issues. Now, after a remarkable 46-minute news conference on foreign soil where Trump stood side by side with a former KGB agent to praise his 'strong' denials of election interference and criticize the FBI, those strategists believe the ground may have shifted." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Dispatches From The Edge The outcome of the July11-12 NATO meeting in Brussels got lost amid the media's obsession with President Donald Trump's bombast, but the "Summit Declaration" makes for sober reading. The media reported that the 28-page document "upgraded military readiness," and was "harshly critical of Russia," but there was not much detail beyond that. But details matter, because that is where the Devil hides. One such detail is NATO's "Readiness Initiative" that will beef up naval, air and ground forces in "the eastern portion of the Alliance." NATO is moving to base troops in Latvia, Estonia Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Poland. Since Georgia and Ukraine have been invited to join the Alliance, some of those forces could end up deployed on Moscow's western and southern borders. And that should give us pause. A recent European Leadership's Network's (ELN) study titled "Envisioning a Russia-NATO Conflict" concludes, "The current Russia-NATO deterrence relationship is unstable and dangerously so." The ELN is an independent think tank of military, diplomatic and political leaders that fosters "collaborative" solutions to defense and security issues. High on the study's list of dangers is "inadvertent conflict," which ELN concludes "may be the most likely scenario for a breakout" of hostilities. "The close proximity of Russian and NATO forces" is a major concern, argues the study, "but also the fact that Russia and NATO have been adapting their military postures towards early reaction, thus making rapid escalation more likely to happen." With armed forces nose-to-nose, "a passage from crisis to conflict might be sparked by the actions of regional commanders or military commanders at local levels or come as a consequence of an unexpected incident or accident." According to the European Leadership Council, there have been more than 60 such incidents in the last year. The NATO document is, indeed, hard on Russia, which it blasts for the "illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea," its "provocative military activities, including near NATO borders," and its "significant investments in the modernization of its strategic [nuclear] forces." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Vertebroplasty And Kyphoplasty Devices Market Size, Share, Trends, and Opportunity Analysis by Future Market Insights 2015-2025 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-963 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-963 www.futuremarketinsights.com Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty are minimally invasive, image guided surgical procedures performed to treat the Vertebral Compression Fracture (VCF). VCFs can lead to back pain, reduced physical activity, depression, loss of independence, decreased lung capacity, and difficulty sleeping. Bone cement is injected into the back bone (vertebra) to provide support to the broken bone. Due to osteoporosis, vascular malformatins or, less commonly, cancer fractures can be caused in the vertebra. Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty help the patient to regain the functional abilities and avoid further vertebral collapse. Kyphoplasty is an advanced version of Vertebroplasty which can stabilize the fracture, restore heights and reduce deformities.Request for sample Report:Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices Market: Drivers & RestraintsVertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty devices market is growing due to limitations in the traditional techniques for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures. Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty are advanced procedure which result in pain relief, stabilization of the fracture and avoid Downward spiral of untreated osteoporosis. Due to increase in ageing population, patients suffering from osteoporosis are also increasing.Additional benefits of the surgery which are the key drivers for this market are:Short surgical time. Patient gets discharged in less than one day.General anaesthesia required. No bracing required.Patients can quickly return to the normal activities of daily living.Complications like bleeding, infection post-surgery and chances of occurrence of another fracture are few restraints for the Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices Market.Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices Market: SegmentationVertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices market is classified on the basis of Surgery type, product type and geography.Based on surgery type, the global Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty market is segmented into the following:VertebroplastyKyphoplastyBased on product type, the global Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty market is segmented into the following:Vertebroplasty devicesNeedleCement mixing and delivery devicesX- ray DeviceKyphoplasty DevicesBalloonNeedleX- ray DeviceVertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices Market: OverviewVertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty devices market is growing due to increased incidence of Vertebral Compression Fractures (VCF) occurring due to increase in the ageing population. VCF is a major issue in the western countries driving the market growth. Overall Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty devices market will grow globally, however the growth rate in Asia Pacific region will be more as compared to European and North American market.Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the leading region in Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices market due to the high volumes of surgical procedures being performed. Also, the availability of established healthcare infrastructure, high contribution of healthcare to economy, patient compliance are the reasons for the high demand in North America. Europe has the second largest Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices market due to vast technological advancement in terms of healthcare sector. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a good rate as compared to NA and Europe as there is ample market opportunity in countries like India and China.Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in global Vertebroplasty & Kyphoplasty Devices market are Depuy Synthes, Stryker Corporation, CareFusion Corporation, Osseon LLC., Alphatec Spine, Inc., TAEYEON MEDICAL Co., Ltd., G-21 s.r.l., BMK Global Medical Company, Medtronic, Inc., Globus Medical, Inc. and SOMATEX to name a few.Visit For Table of Contents:ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature.CONTACT:FUTURE MARKET INSIGHTS616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Farm Animal Drugs Market to witness Impressive Global Growth in Production-Consumption Ratio through 2023 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/sample/HnM/QBI-MR-HnM-2400 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/enquiry/HnM/QBI-MR-HnM-2400 https://www.qurateresearch.com/report/customize/HnM/QBI-MR-HnM-2400 https://www.qurateresearch.com/ The Farm Animal Drugs market revenue was xx.xx Million USD in 2013, grew to xx.xx Million USD in 2017, and will reach xx.xx Million USD in 2023, with a CAGR of x.x% during 2018-2023. Based on the Farm Animal Drugs industrial chain, this report mainly elaborate the definition, types, applications and major players of Farm Animal Drugs market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2013-2018), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise Products, industry development trends (2018-2023), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Farm Animal Drugs market.The Farm Animal Drugs market can be split based on product types, major applications, and important regions.Get Free Sample Report@Major Players in Farm Animal Drugs market are:Boehringer Ingelheim GmbHDechra Pharmaceuticals PLCSanofiMerck Animal HealthBayer HealthCare AGZoetisEli Lilly and CompanyCeva Sante AnimaleVetoquinol SAMajor Regions play vital role in Farm Animal Drugs market are:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanMiddle East & AfricaIndiaSouth AmericaOthersMost important types of Farm Animal Drugs products covered in this report are:AntibioticsAntioxidantsAnti-InflammatoryArsenicalsCocciodiostatsParasiticidesBeta-AgonistsOtherMost widely used downstream fields of Farm Animal Drugs market covered in this report are:Veterinary HospitalsVeterinary ClinicsVeterinary Research InstitutesEnquiry about Report@There are 13 Chapters to thoroughly display the Farm Animal Drugs market. This report included the analysis of market overview, market characteristics, industry chain, competition landscape, historical and future data by types, applications and regions.Chapter 1: Farm Animal Drugs Market Overview, Product Overview, Market Segmentation, Market Overview of Regions, Market Dynamics, Limitations, Opportunities and Industry News and Policies.Chapter 2: Farm Animal Drugs Industry Chain Analysis, Upstream Raw Material Suppliers, Major Players, Production Process Analysis, Cost Analysis, Market Channels and Major Downstream Buyers.Chapter 3: Value Analysis, Production, Growth Rate and Price Analysis by Type of Farm Animal Drugs.Chapter 4: Downstream Characteristics, Consumption and Market Share by Application of Farm Animal Drugs.Chapter 5: Production Volume, Price, Gross Margin, and Revenue ($) of Farm Animal Drugs by Regions (2013-2018).Chapter 6: Farm Animal Drugs Production, Consumption, Export and Import by Regions (2013-2018).Chapter 7: Farm Animal Drugs Market Status and SWOT Analysis by Regions.Chapter 8: Competitive Landscape, Product Introduction, Company Profiles, Market Distribution Status by Players of Farm Animal Drugs.Chapter 9: Farm Animal Drugs Market Analysis and Forecast by Type and Application (2018-2023).Chapter 10: Market Analysis and Forecast by Regions (2018-2023).Chapter 11: Industry Characteristics, Key Factors, New Entrants SWOT Analysis, Investment Feasibility Analysis.Chapter 12: Market Conclusion of the Whole Report.Chapter 13: Appendix Such as Methodology and Data Resources of This Research.Enquiry for Customization@About Us:Qurate Business Intelligence delivers unique market research solutions to its customers and help them to get equipped with refined information and market insights derived from reports. We are committed to providing best business services and easy processes to get the same. Qurate Business Intelligence considers themselves as strategic partners of their customers and always shows the keen level of interest to deliver quality.Contact Us:Nehal ChinoyRunwal Platinum,Ramnagar Colony, Bavdhan,Pune, Maharashtra, India-411021IN +919881074592info@qurateresearch.com Varisha who had gone to inquire about master's course at Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies allegedly jumped from 7th floor. Her mobile phone has been seized, the official said, adding that her phone will be unlocked and its call records analysed to ascertain the people she was in touch with. (Representational Image) New Delhi: A 25-year-old woman, who had gone to inquire about masters programme at Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies in Pitampura, allegedly jumped from its seventh floor, police said. The woman, identified as Varisha Raees, worked at a private firm in Rajendra Place. "She was found roaming on the seventh floor of the college by two professors who asked her what she was doing there. She told them that she wanted to inquire about when the admissions for the master's course would start. They told her that the enquiry room is on the fifth floor," a senior police officer said. The incident was captured in CCTV cameras. The professors can be seen taking the woman in the lift to the fifth floor, from where she was supposed to collect details. One of the professors then went to the dean's office and the other professor left. The woman then again went to the seventh floor and jumped from there, the officer said. Raees was the eldest of three siblings. Her father worked at a shoe company but had quit his job. She had completed her bachelor's degree in law from Delhi University. No suicide note has been recovered. Her mobile phone has been seized, the official said, adding that her phone will be unlocked and its call records analysed to ascertain the people she was in touch with. The incident comes a day after an 18-year-old woman, a student of Bharati College in Janakpuri area, allegedly committed suicide in the institute's washroom after consuming pesticide. Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Forecast Analysis Report By Product, By Application, By Segment, By Region - Global Forecast 2018-2023 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth, Forecast Analysis Report https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/162 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/reports/Global-Pentaerythrityl-Tetrastearate-Industry-Market-Analysis-Forecast-2018-2023 https://www.upmarketresearch.com Latest Market Report published at UpMarketResearch.com on Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate is filled with industry news and expert comments by the top officials in the industry. The forecast is conducted after a thorough study and covers detailed Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate analysis by Product, Application etc.The Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Industry report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market for 2018 to 2023.. 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Well explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis.Global Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market: Regional Segment Analysis North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaThe Major players reported in the market include:Faci Asia Pacific PteMohini OrganicsMLA Group Of IndustriesStearinerie Dubois.Subhash Chemical IndustriesHenan CoreychemLiaocheng Ruijie ChemicalCompany 8Company 9...Global Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market: Product Segment AnalysisWholesaleRetailType 3Global Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market: Application Segment AnalysisRubber AdditivesCosmeticsOthersGet FREE Exclusive PDF Sample Copy Of This Report @In this effective research report information about the key players including their revenue, business segmentation, and financial overview has been included. 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What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?In the end, this report covers data and information on capacity and production overview, production, market share analysis, sales overview, supply, sales, and shortage, import, export and consumption as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin of Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Market.Gain Full Access of this Market Report along with complete TOC @Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.Some more reports by UpMarketResearch: Global Thermostatic Radiator Valve Market Industry Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023 Global Military Electro-Optical Infrared Systems Market Industry Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023About UpMarketResearch:Up Market Research () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United StatesPhone: +1 347-377-7033 Digital Transformation Services Market: In-Depth Industry Analysis on Size, Cost Structure and Prominent Key Players (Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, IBM, Infosys) | Global Forecast to 2025 Digital Transformation Services Market 2018 https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/585987 https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/585987 https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/585987 www.orianresearch.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13281002/ Digital Transformation Services Market 2018 Global Research Reports provide detailed analysis of market growth, size, share, trends, industry policies, latest innovation, top key players analysis and forecast to 2025. The Digital Transformation Services industry report has studied key opportunities, investment plan, and development history, cost structure in the market and influencing factor which is useful to the business.Get Sample Copy of this Report The Global Digital Transformation Services market 2018 research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global Digital Transformation Services market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Complete report on Global Digital Transformation Services Industry 2018 Market Research Report is spread across 90 pages and provides exclusive vital statistics, data, information, trends and competitive landscape details in this niche sector. Inquire more or share questions if any on this report @Global Digital Transformation Services Market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the TOP PLAYERS including:- Accenture Capgemini Cognizant IBM Infosys TCS ...The report also focuses on global major leading industry players of Global Digital Transformation Services market providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Global Digital Transformation Services Market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Digital Transformation Services market, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Order a copy of Global Digital Transformation Services Market Report 2018 @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, and market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Digital transformation software Digital transformation servicesOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including For people For process For technologyMajor Points from Table of Contents:Global Digital Transformation Services Market Professional Survey Report 20181 Industry Overview of Digital Transformation Services2 Global Digital Transformation Services Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles4 Global Digital Transformation Services Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)5 United States Digital Transformation Services Development Status and Outlook6 EU Digital Transformation Services Development Status and Outlook7 Japan Digital Transformation Services Development Status and Outlook8 China Digital Transformation Services Development Status and Outlook9 India Digital Transformation Services Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia Digital Transformation Services Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)12Digital Transformation Services Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Research Finding/ Conclusion15AppendixMethodologyAnalyst IntroductionData SourceAbout Us:Orian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact Us:Ruwin MendezVice President Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS: +1 (832) 380-8827 | UK: +44 0161-818-8027Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn: " Nepal Tour Packages- An Experience of a Lifetime" trekking n Nepal, Nepal tour packages Nepal tour packages come in a variety starting with the most famous trekking in Nepal, cultural tours, wildlife tours, nature tours, incentive tours to name a few.Nepal tour packages can be customized as per your requirement. 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We at Travelsmith Nepal are your true travel companionGyaneshwor-33Pashupati RoadKathmandu, Nepal M-Health Device Market Key Player Growth Analysis Like Allscripts, Apple Inc., GE Healthcare, Medtronics etc. Forecast to 2023 M Health Device Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2866 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/2866 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/2866 Global M Health Device Market - Regional AnalysisThe global market for M-Health Devices is growing rapidly. The market for M-Health Devices growing with the CAGR of 35.03% during the forecast period from 2017-2023. This growth is due to the cost effectiveness of these devices and easy storage and transfer of patient data. North America accounts for largest market share in 2016 and is expected to reach US$ 16,443.4 million in 2023 due to establishment of healthcare system and technological advancement.Get Sample Report @In North America, US accounts for the highest market share followed by Canada. Europe is second largest market. In Europe has largest market followed by France and Italy. This is due to increase in efficiency of healthcare workers and healthcare system.Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for m-health devices, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35.71% during the forecast period from 2016 to 2023 is due to the emergence of high-quality and better healthcare infrastructure and institutions in this region.Global M Health Device Market - Key PlayersSome of the key players in this market are:AllscriptsApple Inc.GE HealthcareAthenahealthCernerKoninklijkeGlobal M Health Device Market - SegmentsGlobal M-Health Device Market has been segmented on the basis of Type (Medical Devices, Health and Fitness Devices and Other Devices), by Application (Monitoring application, Treatment and Diagnostics, Education and Awareness, Healthcare Management, Wellness and Prevention and Others)Global M Health Device Market - Intended AudienceM-Health Device ManufacturerApplication developing companies for m-health devicesM-Health Device VendorsMarket Research and Consulting Service ProvidersGet Discount on Report @Global M Health Device Market - OverviewM-Health is a process of enabling various e-health data content and services to users, by using wireless technologies such as WiMax, Bluetooth, GSM/GPRS/3G, and WiFi among others. These data contents and services are accessed by the health providers, consumers (patients), and other related users through devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, laptops, and tablet PCs (personal computers).The M-Health Devices Market report presents detailed analysis of the entire mHealth ecosystem and provides extensive insights of the different mHealth devices. The report also focuses on different applications in which mHealth devices are being used. Further, all of the above mentioned report coverage parameters are discussed across different regions like North Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). The global mHealth device market is expected to grow at an estimated CAGR of 35.03% from 2017 to 2023. The Global M-health device market is expected to grow with CAGR of 35.03% during the period 2017 to 2023.There is a growing acceptance of wearable devices pertaining to medical applications is further propelling the demand of mHealth devices across the ecosystem. These devices enables various e-health data content and services to users, by using wireless technologies. The global mHealth device market has been identified as one of the fastest growing industries, owing to the changing dynamics of the legal and regulatory framework and the intense competitive rivalry among a plethora of public companies.The devices includes Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) (sensors, semiconductors & smartphones, and Personal Digital Asstaints manufacturers) along with manufacturers of medical devices, health and fitness devices, and other devices. However, this report focuses specifically on the end product providers (medical devices, Health & fitness devices, and others). These devices are deployed for monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment applications that augment the chances of better healthcare and fitness systems. These devices work as a guiding framework to record the data by the patient and send it to the healthcare providers for feedback.To Know More Enquire @Major Table of ContentChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market DynamicsContinued.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com Emergency and Incident Management Market Present Scenario and the Growth Prospects 2016 - 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/7529 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/7529 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Incident management describes the activities of an organization in order to determine, examine, and correct hazards and to prevent their re-occurrence in future. Such incidents in an organization are usually dealt with by either an an Incident Management Team or Incident Response Team. Emergency management is the term which is used to designate the efforts of businesses or communities in order to coordinate or plan for all materials and personnel required to either recover or mitigate the effects from man-made or natural disasters, acts of terrorism. Emergency and incident management plays a vital role in securing the society. Several countries have dedicated departments that work towards implementing proper emergency and incident solutions. Many enterprises and organizations have also started implementing emergency response solutions in their premises in order to mitigate the risks.Request to Sample of Report @Factors such as changing climatic conditions and rise in the number of bio-hazardous and terrorist attacks and home violence have led to the rapid growth of incident and emergency management solutions. Additionally, increasing government norms and regulations also support the growth of this market. However, lack of emergency management and incident management and education and training may hinder the market growth. Another factor affecting the growth is that even though there are emergency and incident management solutions being implemented, most of the solutions have ageing technology and have become outdated. Furthermore, sophisticated early warning systems and technological innovations such as Ng9-1-1 are some factors which is expected to surge the demand for emergency and incident management solutions in the forecast period.Request Report for TOC @The notable players of emergency management and incident management include Motorola Solutions, Cassidian, ESRI, Iridium, Northrop Grumman Corporation, VT MAK, TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS), Lockheed Martin Corporation and Intergraph Corporation.Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Prescription/Rx Sunglass Market Emerging Market Trends, Size, Share and Growth Analysis 2015 - 2021 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/7544 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/7544 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Prescription sunglasses are used for the protection of eyes from the harmful ultraviolet radiations which can cause permanent damage to the eyes. The prescription sunglasses are an effective way of limiting exposure of eyes to safe levels along with the dropping glare levels. These sunglasses are available in a wide range of sizes and styles for the people suffering from myopia, hypermetropia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. The features like comfort, modern design, style and adjustable frame, among others are making these sunglasses extremely appealing to the customers.Request to Sample of Report @The rising penetration of superior optics with high strength properties and ultra-light weight is expected to fuel the demand of prescription sunglass market over the forecast period. The growth is further supported by the growing adoption of e-commerce solutions which is encouraging the online purchase of these products. In addition, increasing focus for vision care due to new healthcare initiatives is fueling the demand for these products to provide effective eye care to people. Furthermore, the modern technological advancements in terms of high quality lens design and material composition is expected to drive the global market in the future as well. Moreover, the worldwide increasing population and growing cases of vision deficiency is providing ample opportunities to the prescription sunglass market retailers and manufacturers to expand their global reach in this market.Additionally, the increasing digitization in the field of production and development is anticipated to have a positive impact on the market. This is owing to the growing advancements in the sectors of plastics, metallurgy, optics, and other areas. Additionally, the growing public awareness about the risks associated with the ultraviolet radiation is accelerating the market growth tremendously. However, the rising acceptance of other vision corrective alternatives namely optical surgeries along with the growing contact lenses popularity is expected to restrict the market growth throughout the forecast period. Similarly, the high cost and strict eye-test regulations are one of the major factors which are inhibiting the growth of Prescription/Rx Sunglass market worldwide.The global prescription/Rx sunglass market has been segmented on the basis of lens material and geographical regions. Based on the type of lens material used, the market can be classified into CR-39, polyurethane, polycarbonate, and glass, among others. On the basis of various geographical regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. In Asia Pacific, the demand for these products is mainly generating due to manufacturing of CR-39 (lens material) in countries such as India, China and Japan. This will lower the prices of prescription sunglasses in these regions resulting in creating more demand for the market. The demand in Europe is primarily driven by the availability of high-end brands in the region.Request Report for TOC @Some of the major players in the Prescription/Rx Sunglass market include Bausch & Lomb, Charmant Group, Carl Zeiss, CooperVision, CIBA Vision, Luxottica Group S.p.A., Hoya Corporation, Essilor International S.A., Fielmann AG, Safilo Group S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson, Marchon Eyewear, Bolle Safety, De Rigo SpA, SEE and Seiko Corp., among others.Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Coated Fabrics Market to Reach US$ 21.6 Bn by 2020 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-288 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-288 www.futuremarketinsights.com Future Market Insights (FMI), in its latest report titled, Global Coated Fabrics Market Analysis and Opportunities Assessment, 2014-2020, reveals that the global coated fabrics market accounted for US$ 17.3 Bn in 2014. The market is estimated to reach US$ 21.6 Bn by 2020, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period.Request For Report Sample@Market segmentsThe global coated fabrics market mainly covers applications, regions and product type. By Application type, the global coated fabrics market is segmented into transportation, Industrial, protective clothing, furniture, commercial tents, and others. Amongst all the applications, transportation accounted for 34% of overall market share in 2014 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period, followed by Industrial and other applicationsRegion-wise, Asia-Pacific is projected to dominate the coated fabrics market through the forecast period, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.1% over the forecast period, followed by North America and Western Europe. The growth is attributed to growing automobile and industrial sectors.By product type, polymer coated fabrics segment accounted for approximately 87% of total revenue market share in 2014 and is anticipated to hold a significant revenue share by 2020, displaying a CAGR of 3.6% over the next five years. Furthermore, rubber coatings and other segment are expected to demonstrate a significant growth in the near future.Market DriversThe Coated fabrics are widely used in end user industries include transportation due to its various features such as elasticity, water resistance, and ability to drape. Increasing government regulations about health and safety of employees at the workplace, and growing automobile sector in APAC are other factors, driving the global coated fabrics market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Competitive LandscapeReport profiles top 10 players in Coated Fabric marketplace which include 3M, Valspar Corporation, Saint-Gobain S.A., Sherwin-Williams, Bayer AG, AkzoNobel, PPG industries, Nippon Paints Co. Ltd., BASF coatings AG, and Dupont Coatings & Color Technologies Group. Currently, the key focus of the major players in the global coated fabrics market is on mergers and acquisitions to expand their geographical presence and customer base. Recently, the coated fabric market witnessed a major collaboration between International Apparel Federation (IAF) and Bayer AG aiming at improving innovations in apparel and footwear industry.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Boston Round Glass Bottle Market to Witness Robust Expansion throughout the Forecast 2017-2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2915 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2915 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-2915 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ Boston round glass bottles are also known as Winchester bottles, one of the indispensable product of the packaging industry which has been recognized for its versatile application across industries. Boston round glass bottles are preferred over other traditional plastic bottles, as these bottles are made up of glass which offers more strength, compatibility in comparison to plastic containers. Boston round glass bottles are mostly preferred in personal care and pharmaceutical industry, as these bottles can package high quality solid and liquid applications. Among the three categories of glass, the Boston round glass bottle comes in type III which are made of untreated commercial soda-lime-silica glass. These bottles are available in different styles and colors among which amber and flint color provide the opportunity to select the best packaging for dissimilar contents.The Boston round glass bottles provide robust resistance to successfully store any liquid, powdered specimens or solid samples. These bottles also allow to monitor filled levels as it provides complete clarity. Easy to use designs make these bottles compatible with several process. Assembled with the best material grade, the glass bottles frequently feature a broad-mouthed design for the practical addition and removal of materials.Request to Sample of Report @Boston Round Glass Bottle Market: DynamicsThe pharmaceutical packaging industry is projected to witness an enormous growth and Boston round glass bottles are expected to primarily drive this growth. The Boston round glass bottles are being used for high quality liquid and solid applications and the market for these bottles will continue to grow as due to increasing research and development in biotechnology which is expected to fuel the growth in the pharmaceutical industry which in turn will accelerate the growth of the Boston round glass bottle market. Further, the increasing demand for biologics will fortify demand for innovative product packaging solutions such as Boston round glass bottles. Moreover, the broad application of these bottles across cosmetics and personal care industry will also escalate the growth in the Boston round glass bottle market. However, the price volatility of raw materials and varying health regulations together with rising competition from alternate products can act as hindrances for the growth in the Boston round glass bottle market.Boston Round Glass Bottle Market: SegmentationOn the basis of capacity, the global Boston round glass bottle market is segmented into, 15 ml 60 ml, 60 ml 177 ml, 177 ml 414 ml, 414 ml 950 ml. on the basis of cap style, the global Boston round glass bottle market is segmented into, dropper, fine mist sprayer, lotion pump, and others. On the basis of neck finish, the global Boston round glass bottle market is segmented into, 18 400, 18 410, 20 400, 22 400, 24 400, 28 400, 33 400. On the basis of neck width, the global Boston round glass bottle market is segmented into, 18 mm 22 mm, 24 mm 33 mm. On the basis of End use industry, the global Boston round glass bottle market is segmented into, personal care, pharmaceutical, Chemical Industrial, Food & beverage and others.Boston Round Glass Bottle Market: Region Wise OutlookOn the basis of geography, the global Boston round glass bottle market is divided into majorly five regions namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa. North America accounts the largest market share for the consumption of Boston round glass bottle market. Next Europe is one of the leading regions for the Boston round glass bottle market. Asia Pacific is expected to witness a significant growth in demand for Boston round glass bottle in the near future. Further, Latin America and Middle East & Africa are anticipated to witness sustainable growth over the forecast period.Request Report for Table of Contents @Boston Round Glass Bottle Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players in the global Boston round glass bottle market are The Cary Company, Salbro Bottle Inc., Cole-Parmer India Pvt. Ltd., MJS PACKAGING, BASCO, Inc., B.T.I. Packaging Co. Ltd, Empire Industries Ltd., Yiwu Huicheng Glass Products Co., Ltd. and many more.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geography, technology and applications.The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Report Highlights : Detailed overview of parent market,Changing market dynamics in the industry,In-depth market segmentation,Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value,Recent industry trends and developments,Competitive landscape,Strategies of key players and products offered,Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth,A neutral perspective on market performance,Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintRequest to Report Methodology @About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: Growth Opportunities of Global Hydrocarbon Resins Market 2017 - 2025 : Attractiveness, Analysis and Key Players- Puyang Tiacheng Chemical Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Jinsen Hydrocarbon Resins Co. https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1409397 https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=1409397 https://www.researchmoz.us/hydrocarbon-resins-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG https://marketreserch1.blogspot.com Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Hydrocarbon Resins Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Hydrocarbon resins are defined as glass-like oligomers, which are produced by polymerization of by-product streams such as aliphatic (C5), aromatic (C9), DCPD (dicyclopentadiene), which derives mostly from the cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons for the production of ethylene. These hydrocarbon resins can be later hydrogenated to improve color, odor, and stability as well as modifying compatibility. These are brittle or gummy materials prepared by the polymerization of several unsaturated constituents of coal tar, rosin, or petroleum. These are inexpensive and have wide applications such as in rubber and asphalt formulations and in coating and caulking compositions. Properties such as high thermal stability, light color, polymer compatibility, low odor, and excellent cold resistance also make them ideal for a wide range of end-use applications.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Increasing usage of hydrocarbon resins in building and construction is a major driver augmenting the hydrocarbon resins market. Rising demand for hydrocarbon resins in printing inks, sealants, paints, specialty tapes, repositionable tapes, packaging tapes, and permanent labels is propelling the hydrocarbon resins market. Increasing demand for hydrocarbon resins in adhesives due to their properties such as good adhesion, improved adhesive bond strength, acid resistance, alkali resistance, and water resistance along with the increasing usage in book binding end-use industries are propelling the hydrocarbon resins market during the forecast period. Increasing regulations on a global level and constant changes as well as increasing shifts toward environment and sustainability trends throughout the value chain are some factors hampering the hydrocarbon resins market.The global hydrocarbon resins market is segmented based on type, applications, end-use industry, and geography.Based on type, the global hydrocarbon resins market is segmented into C5 Petroleum resins, C9 Petroleum resins, C5/C9 petroleum resins, and hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins.In terms of applications, the global hydrocarbon resins market is segmented into adhesives and sealants, printing inks, rubber compounding, paints and coatings, tapes and labels, and others.Based on end-use industry, the global hydrocarbon resins market is segregated into building & construction, personal hygiene, tires, automotive, and others.Make An Enquiry @In terms of geography, the global hydrocarbon resin market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa.In Asia Pacific countries such as China, India, and Japan are witnessing rapid expansion of the hydrocarbon resins market due to the increase in building and construction in the region. Additionally, rising demand for vehicles due to the increasing production of passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles is boosting the hydrocarbon resins market in Asia Pacific nations. Europe follows Asia Pacific in terms of expansion of the hydrocarbon resin market due to the presence of major automotive companies in the region.Key players operating in the global hydrocarbon resins market include Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil Corporation, Shandong Landun Petroleum Resin Co., Ltd., Puyang Tiacheng Chemical Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Jinsen Hydrocarbon Resins Co., Limited.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Browse Report @The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on Blogger at: Control Valves Market Research Report 2018 Focusing On Top Companies like Burkert Fluid Control Systems, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Crane Co., Emerson, Flowserve Corporation, Alfa Laval, IMI, Neway Valves (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. Global Control Valves Market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-control-valves-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-control-valves-market Global Control Valves Market report provides detailed information about market competitive landscape, regional landscape, vendor landscape, market size and forecast, key leading countries and regions. Also includes Control Valves Market analysis, key manufacturers, key market highlights, Key product types, market drivers and restrains, key challenges and industry trends.The Global Control Valves Market accounted to USD 6.5 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Download PDF Sample Copy of Report@Major Market Competitors:Some of the major players operating in control valves market are:-Burkert Fluid Control System,Curtiss-Wright Corporation,Crane Co.,Emerson,Flowserve Corporation,Alfa Laval,IMI PLC,Neway Valves (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.,Velan Inc.,Samson AG.,Pentair PLC.,Kitz Corporation,Metso,The Weir Group PLC,SpiraxSarco Limited,Mil Control Limited, dual products intl. CC,among others.In 2017, Curtiss-Wright Corporation entered into agreement with Clarke Industrial Engineering that help to develop worldwide market for Shutter Valve technology used in Naval Defense Market.Major Market Drivers and Restraints:Demand of oil & gas and power industriesDemand in the pharmaceutical and food & beverage industriesRising number of industrial infrastructure projects in developing countriesIncreased automation in the process industriesCompetition from domestic manufacturersTo Avail 10% Discount On This Report Mail Us on :-sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comSome of the major countries covered in this report are :-U.S.,Canada,Germany,France,U.K.,Netherlands,Switzerland,Turkey,Russia,China,India,South Korea,Japan,Australia,Singapore,Saudi Arabia,South Africa,Brazilamong others.In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Market Segmentation:On the basis of type the control valves market is segmented into Pneumatic control valve, Hydraulic control valve, Electrical control valve. The electrical control valves market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of components the control valves market is segmented into Valve Body, Actuators, Others.The actuators market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of application the control valves market is segmented into Electrical Power, Oil and Gas, Water & Waste-water Management, Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, Mining, Chemicals, Food & Beverage and others.The Oil & Gas market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of geography, control valves market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.Competitive Analysis:Control Valves Market is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and clinical results of products. Hence the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, clinical trials, market initiatives, high expense on research and development, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of flow cytometry market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Inquire Regarding This Report @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com I have heard that the PM is gifting cows. We should also start gifting cows at weddings. Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday brought up the topic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifting cows to a village in Rwanda during his recent visit to the African nation and mockingly said the state would start doing the same at weddings. Ms Banerjee said, I have heard that the PM is gifting cows. We should also start gifting cows at weddings. The country has witnessed cow vigilantism in the recent months and the BJP has been blamed by opposition parties for it. An incident at Alwar in Rajasthan last week claimed one life. Turning to BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, she said, We could start by gifting one to you. The Prime Minister had recently gifted around 200 locally sourced cows to a village in Rwanda, which he visited as part of a three-nation tour to Africa. The cows were gifted to support the Girinka programme which mandates one cow for one poor family. The programme was initiated by Rwanda President Paul Kagame in 2006 to reduce poverty and tackle childhood malnutrition in the African country. Mr Ghosh was singled out for attack by Ms Banerjee when he commented in the House that West Bengal lagged far behind states such as Andhra Pradesh in fish production. He said that while in West Bengal, the sector had grown by a mere 20 per cent, in Andhra Pradesh it had grown by 133 per cent in the past 10 years. Fish consumption is high in West Bengal and local production can hardly meet its demand. Fish is therefore bought in bulk from Andhra Pradesh and from neighbouring states. Stating that fish consumption is part of the traditional food practice in West Bengal and there are more takers for it here compared to other states, she said Ghosh should know the state well before making such remarks. So what do you (Mr Ghosh) want to say? Will the poor stop eating fish? Or meat? Are you (BJP) giving such directions? Ms Banerjee asked. Earlier, she lauded the fisheries department for its remarkable job in improving pisciculture in the state and meeting its supply deficit. Ms Banerjee said that the state was working towards saving the transport cost of importing fishes from other states. K09 Smart Irrigation Market - United States Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2018 - 2023 http://qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=12199 http://qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=12199 http://qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=12199 www.qyreports.com The report on the United States Smart Irrigation market is a comprehensive overview of the market, covering various aspects such as product definition, segmentation based on various parameters, distribution channel, supply chain analysis, and the prevailing vendor landscape. It compiles exhaustive information sourced via proven research methodologies.An assessment of the market attractiveness with regard to the competition that new players and products are likely to present to older ones has been provided in the publication. The research report also mentions the innovations, new developments, marketing strategies, branding techniques, and products of the key participants present in the global market.For Sample Report:Top Key Venders of Market:Netafim Ltd, Rain Bird Corporation, Hunter Industries, Inc, Toro Company, Baseline, Inc.,Weathermatic, Hydropoint Data Systems, California Sensor Corporation, Galcon Ltd, Rachio, IncFor more Information:The major growth drivers, challenges, and trends influencing the United States Smart Irrigation market are inspected at length. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects. A number of analysis tools such as Porters five forces analysis and SWOT analysis have been employed to provide an accurate understanding of this market.Ask For Discount:Table of Content:United States Smart Irrigation market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: United states Smart Irrigation market OverviewChapter 2: United States Economic ImpactChapter 3: Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4: Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2018-2023)Chapter 5: Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2018-2023)Chapter 6: Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7: Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8: Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11: Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12: Market Forecast (2018-2023)Chapter 13: AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports, a leading market research report published accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers includes prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SMEs and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into the analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com Bell Oak for Security Systems and Accessories http://www.belloak.co.za/ Bell Oak has been the leading manufacturer of RFID and EAS systems for years. Their latest cutting-edge technology designed by the local research and development team successfully empowers local South Africans. Bell Oaks technology has addressed important issues like the prevailing power situation.The multifarious products and solutions of Bell Oak have successfully addressed the requirements of clients from diverse fields like retail, libraries, and industrial concerns of varying degrees. The certified partners of Bell Oak have ensured access to Bell Oaks formidable and cutting-edge technology. Such partners are after careful consideration chosen and vetted for providing excellent security solutions and system integration with committed sales personnel. Following are the renowned services of Bell Oak:1. Library Book Systems by Bell Oak -a. Excellent multi-directional detection of labelsb. Compliant of SANS & approved by the ICASAc. It is the best library detection system in South Africad. Simultaneous system reset in the case of power failure2. Retail Solutions Bell Oak provides first-class retail solutions to its multiple clients.a. AM and RF Technology It is locally manufactured with fully digital functions. Furthermore, it is environmentally friendly. It also has side panels which are printable for purposes of advertising along with an upgradable and expandable rubber guard finish.b. EM Retail Technology It has a fully functional design and extremely robust technological aspects. Furthermore, its label detection is at 95% confidence in all forms and orientations. It eases installation hassles with its plug and play technique.3. Security for displays As an adjunct package to the retail clients of Bell Oak, Bell Oak offers display security solutions to create secure environments primarily for retail by utilizing the latest available anti-theft security mechanisms and open display. Furthermore, its display solutions are extremely discreet enabling to power their goods and thus making the customer feel like experiencing something real in terms of interaction to bolster the sales. These services can be used for tablets, mobile phones, cameras, smart watches, headphones, etc., Bell Oak will have the appropriate solutions for each customer. It is of note that the display solution products by Bell Oak offer seamless integration of display as an internal component of the display solution.To know more about the services offered by Bell Oak, please visitBell Oak is a leading South African company and manufacturer of RFID and EAS security systems and accessories. The company strives to use cutting edge technology in the manufacturing and development process.Klein Dassenberg Road, PhiladelphiaCape Town, South Africa, 7350Tel: +27 21 1003619 Clinical Perinatal Software Market 2023 Top Key Players are General Electric, Edan Instruments, Inc., Huntleigh Healthcare Limited, KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V, K2 Medical Systems and More Clinical Perinatal Software Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4185 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/4185 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/4185 MarketResearchFuture.com Provide Premium Research Reports of every sector which is made by Professional Researcher with the fresh Content ever and this time Added Premium Research Reports on Global Clinical Perinatal Software Market 2023 Which is Belongs to the Life Science Category So it helps to Organizations to take Major Decisions and it also Help to Analysis of Market Growth.Key Players in the Global Clinical Perinatal Software Market:General Electric, Edan Instruments, Inc., Huntleigh Healthcare Limited, KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V, K2 Medical Systems, PeriGen, Inc, Cerner Corporation, Trium Analysis Online, and others.Get Sample Copy @The Global Clinical Perinatal Software Market is growing at a steady pace and is expected to grow at a CAGR of ~7.2 % during review period 2017-2023.Market Scenario:The clinical perinatal software monitor health of fetus and pregnant women. It provides information about any complexity that may arise during the prenatal period, which helps to minimize the problems during the pregnancy.Increasing awareness and a rising birth rate & post-date pregnancy drive the growth of the market. Moreover, increasing healthcare expenditure, continuous development in technology, and increasing government support for research & development likely to boost the demand for the software. On the other hand, complex user interface and high cost of the software may slow the market growth over the assessment period.Key Findings:The Global Clinical Perinatal Software Market and is expected to reach USD 60 million by 2023.Integrated software segment on the basis of products holds the largest share of 75.8% of the market.Americas holds the largest market share of 39.2% of clinical perinatal software market and is anticipated to reach USD 93 million by the end of the forecast period.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region across the globe and expected to grow at a rate of CAGR 7.8% during the forecast period.The report gives a clear picture of the current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regionsSegments:Clinical Perinatal Software Market has been segmented on the basis of products, which comprises of integrated software and standalone software.On the basic of services, the market is segmented into implementation services, support & maintenance services, training service, customization services, and online resources.On the basic of deployed models, the market is segmented on-premises and cloud-based.On the basis of applications, the market is segmented into fetal monitor data services, workflow management, and patient documentation.On the basis of end users, it is segmented into hospital & clinics and maternity clinics.Get Premium Discount @Regional Analysis of the Global Clinical Perinatal Software Market:The Americas region accounted for a lion share of USD 65.31 million in 2016, owing to the well-developed technology, high healthcare expenditure, and the presence of the leading players.Europe is the second largest market that holds a noticeable share of the global clinical perinatal software market. The European market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period owing to well-developed healthcare infrastructure and increasing investment in healthcare. Germany, the UK, and France contribute significantly to the growth of the European market.In Asia Pacific, rising number of hospitals, increasing need for better diagnostic methods, and demand for cost-effective treatment & diagnostics services are the key factors for the market growth.The Middle East & Africa is expected to show steady growth in this market due to low technology penetration and less availability of innovative healthcare technologies.TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Report Prologue2 Introduction2.1 Scope of Study2.2 Research Objective2.3 Assumptions & Limitations2.3.1 Assumptions2.3.2 Limitations2.4 Market Structure3 Research Methodology3.1 Primary Research3.2 Secondary Research3.3 Market Size Estimation3.3.1 Market Share Analysis3.4 Market Pricing Approach4 Market Dynamics4.1 Introduction4.2 Drivers4.2.1 Technological Development in the Perinatal Software4.2.2 Increasing Birth Rates and Postdate Pregnancy4.2.3 Increasing Adoption of Healthcare It4.3 Restraints4.3.1 High Cost of the Software4.3.2 Complexity in Operating the Software4.4 Opportunities4.4.1 Positive Approach of Government towards Healthcare Sector4.5 Mega Trends4.5.1 Increasing Popularity of Cloud-Based Deployment Model4.6 Macroeconomic IndicatorsContinued!Enquiry about Reports @Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Biorefinery Market Growth Trends with Analysis of Abengoa Bioenergy Corp, Pacific Ethanol, Neste Oil OYJ, Renewable Energy Group Inc., UOP LLC and Valero Energy Corp https://www.researchbeam.com/global-north-america-europe-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-biorefinery-2018-forecast-to-2023-market/request-sample?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=CC https://www.researchbeam.com/global-north-america-europe-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-biorefinery-2018-forecast-to-2023-market/purchase-enquiry?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=CC https://www.researchbeam.com/2018-2025-biorefinery-product-report-on-global-and-united-states-status-and-forecast-by-players-types-and-applications-market?utm_source=RR-OPR&utm_medium=CC Researchbeam.com has added a new Global Biorefinery Market 2018, Forecast to 2023 focusing on global major leading players with information such as company profiles, market trend, share and forecast.The worldwide market for Biorefinery is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2023, from xx million US$ in 2017, according to a new GIR (Global Info Research) study.Request a Sample Research Copy at:Successful market implementation of integrated biorefineries requires reliable processing units combined with environmentally acceptable and economically profitable production chains. Development and implementation of the biorefinery concept should include crop cultivation and the selection of crops that maximize full chain performance.Further biorefinery improvement is expected to generate more feedstocks, technologies, and coproducts, inevitably offering all kinds of economic opportunities. Research and development will speed up agricultural and rural development, increase industrial development, and open existing and newly created markets. It can be foreseen, however, that biorefinery technologies will develop gradually over time, because the more fractions are obtained the more markets should be served. All these markets dictate that raw materials and intermediates are available at a rather constant supply and therefore prices. The built up of this raw material supply will take time.Biorefineries can provide a significant contribution to sustainable development, generating added value to sustainable biomass use and producing a range of biobased products (food, feed, materials, chemicals, fuels, power, and/or heat) at the same time. This requires optimal biomass conversion efficiency, thus minimizing feedstock requirements while at the same time strengthening economic viability of (e.g., agriculture, forestry, chemical and energy) market sectors.As biomass availability is limited, it should be used efficiently, effectively producing materials and energy in multi-purpose biorefineries. The perceived conflict between energy and food production can be allayed by developing technologies based on lignocellulosic materials but it was discussed before that this currently results in a much higher BCI. Biorefining requires further innovation but offers opportunities to all economic sectors. Building a biobased economy can help to overcome present difficulties while laying the foundation of an environmentally benign industry.One of the key prerequisites of a successful biorefinery is to invite key stakeholders from separate backgrounds (agriculture/forestry, transportation fuels, chemicals, energy, etc.) to discuss common processing topics, foster necessary R&D trajectories and stimulate deployment of developed technologies in multi-disciplinary partnerships. Optimal economic and environmental performance can be further guaranteed by linking the most promising biobased products, that is, food, feed, (fiber-based) added-value materials and (functionalized and platform) chemicals with bioenergy production.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Abengoa Bioenergy Corp, Pacific Ethanol, Neste Oil OYJ, Renewable Energy Group Inc., UOP LLC and Valero Energy Corp.Get a Discount on this premium research report at:Related Report:2018-2025 Biorefinery Product Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and ApplicationsThis report studies the Biorefinery Product market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Biorefinery Product market by product type and application/end industries.The major players in global and United States market, including Neste Oil, Dynoil Llc, Brazil Eco Energia, Dominion Energy Services Llcm, SE Energy, Menlo Energy Llc, BASF, Dow Chemical, Sinopec, Sabic, Exxonmobil, Imperium Renewables, Louis Dreyfus, Canadian Green Fuels, Archer Daniels Midland, Green Plains Renewable Energy, Poet and Valero Energy Corp.Read more on this report at:About Us:Research Beam is a high end and wide online market for market research reports that contain detailed and rational market research. Research Beam is a one stop report destination that offers clients well drafted and accurately analyzed report with insightful data.We have a large database of quality and precise market research reports that will be very beneficial for your organization. Reports that we sell our authentic in nature and from reputed publishers, hence it can definitely help you with your growth opportunities. Research Beam will always make sure to bring most ethical and high quality reports. We value your relationship with us and look forward for a long term relation.Contact UsGlobal Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United States+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.com Global Chiral HPLC Column Market Business Outlook 2018 : Daicel Corporation, Merck (Sigma-Aldrich), YMC, Phenomenex, Restek Corporation https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1856362&type=S https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-chiral-hplc-column-sales-market-report-2018.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Chiral HPLC Column Sales Market Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the Chiral HPLC Column market, Chiral HPLC column is an instrument used in chiral column chromatography which can separate chiral isomers (enantiomeric compounds).Chiral column chromatography is a variant of column chromatography in which the stationary phase contains a single enantiomer of a chiral compound rather than being achiral. The two enantiomers of the same analyte compound differ in affinity to the single-enantiomer stationary phase and therefore they exit the column at different times.Chiral column chromatography is a variant of column chromatography in which the stationary phase contains a single enantiomer of a chiral compound rather than being achiral. The two enantiomers of the same analyte compound differ in affinity to the single-enantiomer stationary phase and therefore they exit the column at different times.Chiral HPLC column is a concentrated market with Daicel Corporation holds a majority share of the market. The sole company takes sales volume share of global market with 68.02%. Advanced separation efficiency, Extensive product line, reasonable price, and after-sales service are the key factors to its success. However, a growing number of analytical materials companies are participating in the market, with leading players as Merck (Sigma-Aldrich), YMC and Phenomenex.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Chiral Stationary Phases (CSPs) may be classified according to column packing material types. Cellulose, Cyclodextrin, and Protein are the most commonly used types, Other types include Marcrocyclic Antibiotics, Ligand Exchange and Prikle, etc. Most manufacturers have made its focus on the major types, which are widely used in analytical applications and bulk preparations.The major players covered in this reportDaicel CorporationMerck (Sigma-Aldrich)YMCPhenomenexRestek CorporationAvantor Performance MaterialsShinwa Chemical IndustriesGuangzhou Research and Creativity BiotechnologySumika ChemicalMitsubishi ChemicalOsaka Soda (Shiseido)On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoCelluloseCyclodextrinProteinOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingCommercial SeparationsAnalytical/Small-scale SeparationThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Chiral HPLC Column sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);To analyze the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, to study the sales, value and market share of top players in these regions.Focuses on the key Chiral HPLC Column players, to study the sales, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Key StakeholdersChiral HPLC Column ManufacturersChiral HPLC Column Distributors/Traders/WholesalersChiral HPLC Column Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsQYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Rubber Anti-Tack Agents Market Top Key Industry Players: GmbH, Lion Specialty Chemicals Company Limited, The Hallstar Company, King Industries Incorporation, Lotrec AB, Peter Greven GmbH & Co.KG, and McLube https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/815 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/rubber-anti-tack-agents-market https://www.gminsights.com http://algosonline.com/news Soaring need to eliminate the cohesivity of rubber substrate during storage period is expected to push rubber anti-tack agents market. The beneficial feature of anti-tack agents to remove the stickiness of rubber have resulted in its wide adoption across various sectors such as medical, industrial, and automotive. As per Global Market Insights, Inc. Rubber Anti-Tack Agents market is projected to record a revenue of USD 456 million by 2024, with a CAGR of more than 4% over the period 2016-2024. Specific categories of rubbers such as Nitrile butadiene rubber(NBR) and styrene butadiene rubber(SBR) are extensively used in tire production due to their impervious nature.Sample Copy of this Report @Global tire industry in 2015 was almost 3 billion units in terms of volume and is estimated to cover 4.2 billion units in the next seven years, which in turn will positively influence rubber anti-tack agents industry share. Additionally, another major use of NBR gloves in health care sector to prevent virus transmission will further enhance the rubber anti-tack agents industry trends.Partial Chapter of the Table of ContentChapter 1. Methodology and Scope1.1. Research methodology1.1.1. Initial data exploration1.1.2. Statistical modeling and forecast1.1.3. Industry insights and validation1.1.4. Research scope & assumptions1.2. Data sources1.2.1. Primary1.2.2. SecondaryChapter 2. Executive Summary2.1. Anti-tack agents for rubber industry 3600 synopsis, 2013 20242.1.1. Business trends2.1.2. Product trends2.1.3. Regional trendsChapter 3. Anti-tack Agents for Rubber Industry Insights3.1. Industry segmentation3.2. Industry Size and forecast, 2013 - 20243.3. Industry ecosystem analysis3.3.3. Supplier matrix3.4. Industry Impact forces3.4.1. Growth drivers3.4.1.1. Increasing rubber consumption in tire industry3.4.1.2. Rising rubber processing chemicals demand for nitrile gloves3.4.2. Industry pitfalls & challenges3.4.2.1. Increasing raw material prices along with stringent environmental regulations3.5. Growth potential analysis3.6. Porter's analysis3.7. Company market share analysis, 20153.8. PESTEL analysis3.9 Pricing trendsFatty Acid Esters, Silicone Polymers, Fatty Acid Amides, Soap, and Stearates are the four-major rubber anti-tack agents thriving in the industry. Fatty acid esters revenue contribution was more than USD 55 million in 2015 and is anticipated to grow lucratively in the coming time frame owing to the products eco-friendliness. Soap based rubber anti-tack agents which helps in processing of rubber compounds, is also witnessing a large-scale adoption in various industries especially manufacturing. Rubber anti-tack agents market share from this sector is estimated to grow significantly at a CAGR of 4% over 2016-2024.Top ket players:Players operating in rubber anti-tack agents market are continuously investing on research to enhance the product portfolio by exploiting technological breakthroughs. Prominent industry participants include Kettlitz-Chemie GmbH & Co. KG, FACI S.p.a, Chem-Trend L.P., Baerlocher GmbH, Croda International plc, Fragon Produtos para Industria de Borracha Limited, Evonik Industries AG, Schill + Seilacher GmbH, SASCO Chemical Group LLC, H.L. Blachford Limited, Parabor Ltda-div Mangueiras de Combate a Incendio Limited, Hans W. Barbe Chemische Erzeugnisse GmbH, Lion Specialty Chemicals Company Limited, The Hallstar Company, King Industries Incorporation, Lotrec AB, Peter Greven GmbH & Co.KG, and McLube.Regional Segmentations:North America dominated by U.S. rubber anti-tack agents market held a revenue of USD 40 million in 2015 and will experience a remarkable surge over the next seven years. Heavy demand for nitrile rubber gloves from nursing homes, rise in disease-prone geriatric population, and high investments in medical sector are some of the factors boosting overall rubber anti-tack agents industry revenue.Browse Full Report @Considering the regional trends, Asia Pacific rubber anti-tack agents industry, accounted for over 50% of the total volume in 2015, and is anticipated to grow substantially at a CAGR of 4.5% over 2016-2024. The aforementioned growth prospect is linearly dependent on the flourishing automotive sector across this region. India, China, and Malaysia is expected to drive the regional demand. Malaysia being the biggest producer of rubber will contribute significantly toward the APAC rubber anti-tack agents market revenue over the coming years.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Global Smart Mobility Market Regional Outlook, Emerging Technology and Trends and Analysis, Future Prospects till 2021 Top Key Players like Toyota, Siemens, Cisco, Ford, Robert Bosch, Innoviz Technologies Inc Smart Mobility Market https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=190495 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=190495 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=190495 Smart mobility is one of the major requirements for the development of smart cities. Along with smart mobility, smart technology, smart governance, and smart infrastructure are important for the development of smart cities. Smart mobility deals with providing intelligent transportation solutions using innovative and integrated technologies and solutions, which is environmental-friendly and promotes sustainable development.The Global Smart Mobility Market Estimated to grow at a CAGR of +19% during forecast period.Get Sample Copy of this Report@:The solutions market consists of several innovative smart mobility technologies ranging from infrastructure to platforms. This segment also includes intelligent transport system, real-time traffic management, and traffic prediction solutions. These solutions are at a higher demand from the commercial vendors and fleet management companies as they require more advanced solutions to monitor the traffic and set their route accordingly.Top Companies Profiled in this Report includes Toyota, Siemens, Cisco, Ford, Robert Bosch, Innoviz Technologies. Inc., QuaLiX Information System, MAAS Global Oy, TomTom, and Excel fore Corporation.The report focuses after studying a major company on the initiative that contributes to the growth of the market. Mergers and acquisitions between startups and core organizations can be identified by the report author. When leading companies strive to maintain their edge in the global Smart Mobility market, the right approach is to adopt new technologies and strategies. This report shows key technology developments and trends adopted by key players over a period of time. For a more robust and stable business prospect, the World Market Report contains key plans for substantial research.Get Reasonable Discount on this Premium Report @:Reasons to Buy:1. This report evaluates significant changes in consumer behavior to identify profitable markets and product innovation areas.2. Analyze the current and predicted market position to identify the best opportunities to exploit.3. Understand consumption by individual product categories to align sales and marketing efforts with the latest trends in the market.Table of ContentsGlobal Smart Mobility Market Research ReportChapter 1 Smart Mobility 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 Smart Mobility Market ForecastFor More Information:About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,+1-8886316977, Kidney Stones Management Market: Industry Players are Allengers Medical Systems Ltd., Olympus Corporation of the Americas, Boston Scientific, CR Bard, Richard Wolf GmbH, Coloplast, Cook Medical Kidney Stones Management Devices https://www.fractovia.org/request-sample/974 https://bit.ly/2v5nDg0 The surging need for minimally invasive procedures to escalate the treatment of urinary stone-afflicted patients will drive kidney stones management market share. Healthcare service providers have long since been encouraging early diagnosis of kidney stones a step that has a major role to play in the management of this disorder. Amidst the backdrop of a scenario that suggests untreated kidney stone disorder to lead to bladder cancer, the awareness for early diagnosis has gained renewed importance. With the rising availability of advanced diagnostic equipment such as CT scan and other imaging devices, medical companies have also been working toward brainstorming new diagnostic procedures, impelling kidney stones management industry size.Request for a sample of this research report @Several initiatives undertaken by private hospitals have played a part in kidney stone management. For instance, recently, the Norwalk Hospital introduced a pain management program for the patients suffering from a backache, headache, and kidney stones, devoid of opiate usage. The managing committee of the hospital has taken over the responsibility of educating patients about the benefits of various remedies for kidney stones, apart from conventional drugs, via this pain management program. It is rather overt that such remedy programs would tend to contribute significantly toward treating the increasingly occurring cases of kidney stones across U.S., augmenting the regional kidney stones management market share. For the record, in last 15 years, the prevalence of urinary stones in U.S. has doubled, affecting 1 in 11 people.Growth Drivers:1. Increasing prevalence and recurrence rate of kidney stones globally2. Advancements in endoscopy techniques3. Favorable reimbursement for lithotripsy procedures4. Inclination towards undergoing minimally invasive surgeries5. Rising awareness regarding overall kidney healthThe involvement of hospitals and medical research communities via high-quality research and development programs related to innovative therapies for treating patients with urinary stones will have a remarkable impact on kidney stones management industry outlook. In order to encourage research communities and healthcare service providers to continue their efforts in raising the awareness regarding kidney stones, many organizations have been financing a slew of research programs conducted by the aforementioned parties. Citing an instance, the United States medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), commenced a clinical trial last year called PUSH (Prevention of Urinary Stones with Hydration) to reduce the recurrence of urinary stone diseases. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has also supported this clinical trial to encourage researchers to identify effective stone prevention strategies.Browse Full Report @Speaking about the development of treatment facilities, in 2015, the University of Zurich, based in Switzerland also carried out a clinical trial on about 1282 patients, subsequently unearthing ureterorenoscopy (URS) to be one of the effective treatments for the disorder. Reportedly, all the patients in the trial had a stone of diameter 5 mm to 20 mm, left untreated. The trial results however revealed that patients treated with URS depicted a stone-free rate of 84% and a freedom from reintervention rate of 79% - thereby making ureterorenoscopy a highly effective treatment method for this disorder. The trial also brought to light, the fact that over the coming years, kidney stones management market will collect significant revenue owing to the growing popularity of technologically advanced treatment facilities.A few years back, pertaining to the unavailability of effective diagnostic facilities, many of the patients suffering from kidney stones remained untreated for quite a while. Today however, the scenario has undergone a significant change. The increasing availability of CT scanners has tremendously improved the ability of numerous clinicians to locate urinary stones. Initially, a CT scanner was used rarely to diagnose kidney stones in patients. With improved imaging capability, CT scanners today, can be effectively used to detect stones of the most minute diameter. The accuracy of CT scans has increased remarkably in the last few years, as it can detect stones of size 1-2 mm very easily. With the growing adoption of next-generation imaging technologies such as CT scanning, clinicians have been able to diagnose more than 75% of patients with kidney stones. It therefore comes as no surprise that CT scan diagnostics held 30% of kidney stones management market share in 2017.Medical device manufacturers have been contributing remarkably toward kidney stones management industry with their continuous involvement in bringing about innovative disease management methods. In this regard, some of the regional governments are also encouraging them by providing sufficient economic support. This has also had a positive impact on the research approach undertaken by industry giants they have now been adopting highly advanced technologies to innovate new products. As the prevalence of this disorder increases in the years to come, in tandem with the growing awareness regarding early diagnosis, kidney stones management market size will depict a commendable incline, surpassing a revenue collection of USD 2 billion by the end of 2024.About Fractovia:Fractovia.org is one of leading in-house and free news portal. It is fully automated, and operates on a constant premise, interfacing with news sites and offering redesigned breaking features to readers across the globe. Our mission is to offer individuals opportunities for connections with news writers and distributors which they can pursue. We operate by mapping articles pertaining to breaking news, constantly and progressively, against a pre-determined word-based theme, offering important connections to readers and clients, as well as distributors.Contact Us:1968 S. Coast Hwy #586,Laguna Beach CA 92651,USA VCSEL Market - Broadcom, II-VI Incorporated, Mitel Networks Corporation, Infineon Technologies AG, Alero Technology, Inc., Truelight Corporation and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd VCSEL Market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-vcsel-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-vcsel-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-vcsel-market VCSEL Industry 2018 Global Market research report is a professional and in-depth study on the market size, growth, share, trends, as well as industry analysis. This research report categorizes the Global VCSEL Market by companies, region, type and end-use industry. The study objectives of this report analyses the global key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.Download PDF Sample Copy of Report @A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is a semiconductor based laser diode which transmits an exceedingly optical beam vertically from its upper surface. It can be applied at precision sensing, laser printers, data communication, precision sensing and many more.The Global VCSEL Market 2018 research provides an overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global VCSEL Market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers - Finisar Corporation, Princeton Optronics, IQE PLC, Koninklijke Philips N.V., VERTILAS GmbH, Lumentum Operations LLC, Vixar Inc., SANTEC CORPORATION, Broadcom, II-VI Incorporated, Mitel Networks Corporation, Infineon Technologies AG, Alero Technology, Inc., Truelight Corporation and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. among others.To Avail 10% Discount On This Report Mail Us on :-sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comGlobal VCSEL Market accounted for USD 954.8 million in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Based on geography, North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East and AfricaSome of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others.Report Segmentation: On the basis of material, global VCSEL market is segmented into gallium asrsenide (GAAS), gallium nitride (GAN), indium phosphide (INP) and other. On the basis application, global VCSEL market is segmented into data communication, infrared illumination, pumping, sensing, industrial heating, emerging application, atomic clocks, GPS and magnetometer. On the basis of end user, global VCSEL market is segmented into data centers, automotive, consumer electronics, healthcare and industrial.To Inquire Regarding This Report @Reason to Buy- Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the Global VCSEL Market .- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Global VCSEL Market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.Table Of Contents Available For This Market Request For TOC Here @About Us:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact Us:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) Market Will Reflect Significant Growth Prospects during 2015 - 2021 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/5090 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/5090 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com The cloud infrastructure for data storage offers numerous options for sourcing, approach and control. It brings well-defined set of services that are perceived by customers to have continuous availability, infinite capacity, improved cost efficiency and increased agility. To attain these attributes in customers minds, information technology (IT) must move its traditional server centric approach to service centric approach. This entails that IT must go from organizing applications in silos with the minimal leverage among environments to deliver applications on a pre-determined standardized platforms with agreed service levels. A hybrid strategy that uses numerous cloud options at the same time would become a norm since organizations choose a mix of several cloud models to meet the specific needs.Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is a model where an organization is able to outsource the equipment used to support operations, including hardware, storage, networking components and servers. The service provider owns equipment and is accountable for running, housing and maintaining it. Cloud IaaS adoption is growing, as enterprises are turning to cloud based IT model to decrease the capital expenditure. Characteristics and several components of IaaS are:Billing model and utility computing serviceComputerization of administrative tasksDynamic scalingDesktop virtualizationOffers policy based servicesInternet connectivityDelivers resources such as storage and network components as services and serversRequest for Report Sample:Eliminates the need for hardware maintenance and administrationCloud infrastructure-as-a-service is among three fundamental service models of the cloud computing beside Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). As with cloud computing services, it offers access to the computing resource in virtualized environment, the Cloud, across public connection, normally the internet. In case of IaaS, the computing resource offered is particularly that of virtualized hardware, in the other words, computing infrastructure. The definition involves offerings such as virtual server space, bandwidth, network connections, IP addresses and load balancers. The pool of hardware resource is dragged from a multitude of networks and servers normally distributed among several data centers, all of that the cloud provider is responsible for maintaining. The client, on other hand, is given access to the virtualized components in order to create their own IT platforms.Some important factors supporting the growth of cloud infrastructure-as-a-service market include decreased IT structure, disaster recovery plans and support for business continuity, improved compliance and security profile, and reduced IT staff. Cloud IaaS helps reduce complexity by elimination of software, servers, disaster recovery and backups. However, concerns about application reliability and performance, security risks and unwillingness to retreat controls are factors act as a challenge to this market.Some of the major players for cloud infrastructure as a service market include Amazon Web Services, Bluelock, CA Technologies, Cloud Scaling, Datapipe Inc., Rackspace, Hewlett Packard, Logicworks, GoGrid, Layeredtech, Verizon, Savvis, OpSource and NaviSite among others. Amazon Web Services is the market leader in this market followed by Rackspace and Verizon.Request for Report TOC:About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA,Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: State party chief Raosaheb Danve said BJP govt was committed to providing reservation to Marathas, hence passed ordinance to the effect. The Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation. (Photo: File) Mumbai: Amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation that sparked violence in parts of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to convene a meeting of leaders of all parties here on Saturday to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister at his cabinet colleague Vinod Tawde's residence late last night which was attended by BJP ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh, the party's state unit chief Raosaheb Danve, among others. The meeting started around 11 pm and continued for about three hours. "Invitation for tomorrow's meeting, to be held at Vidhan Bhavan, will be sent across today. We will try and come up with a solution to the issue of Maratha reservation," Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said. Danve said the BJP government in the state was committed to providing reservation to the Maratha community and hence has passed an ordinance to the effect. "However, the court had put a stay on the government's decision. We will submit the report of the state Backward Classes Commission to the court and request it to decide on the issue soon," he said. Slamming the Opposition, the state BJP chief claimed that the Congress and the NCP "dilly-dallied" over the issue for years, but the present government has taken steps to provide reservation to the Marathas. According to a source in the government, "To ensure that its decision (to give 16 per cent reservation to the Marathas) stands scrutiny in the court, the government will provide all possible assistance to the Backward Classes Commission to expedite its survey work." The government will provide additional manpower and technical support to the commission so that it can submit its report by the end of August, a month before the scheduled date, the source said. The commission has been tasked with collecting data about the socio-economic condition of the Maratha community. Six MLAs in the state have so far offered to resign over the Maratha reservation issue. After Shiv Sena MLA Harshawardhan Jadhav and NCP legislator Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar offered to quit on Wednesday, four others -- Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher (both BJP), Bharat Bhalke (Congress) and Ramesh Kadam (NCP) have offered to resign over the issue on Thursday. The Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation. The community had been taking out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation turned violent on Wednesday as Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh. Global NGS Data Analysis Market 2017 Global Industry Analysis By Agilent, Biomatters, DNAnexus, Dovetail Genomics, Edge Biosystems, Genestack, Illumina, Roche Through 2026 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=505 https://www.factmr.com/report/505/ngs-data-analysis-market Fact.MR has been actively involved in offering comprehensive research data concerning various topics which are associated to industrial reference and investor utility. NGS Data Analysis Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Review 2017 to 2026 Readers can access knowledge related to market volume, regional expanse as well as competitive landscape prevailing in the global NGS Data Analysis Market. In order to study development patterns, this smart assessment also focuses on market dynamics, which talks about drivers, restraints and opportunities estimated to influence the concerned market during the forecast period.Request For Free Sample Report @Continual advancements in data integration & cloud computing solutions have effectively helped in addressing the data-handling bottlenecks, which involves analyzing large high-throughput sequence data. Such technological advancements in the field of bioinformatics are anticipated to offer promising avenues for this vertical, in turn driving demand for NGS data analysis in the foreseeable future.There has been a rise in demand for rapid and accurate sequence interpretation tools and algorithms for expediting data analysis, with the emergence of NGS solutions along with their surging employment in genomics research, personalized treatment of various ailments, and clinical diagnosis. Additionally, scope of sequencing projects is set to expand on the back of concurrent fall in cost of sequencing and high genetic data output, which in turn will fuel demand for elaborate bioinformatics pipeline incorporating efficient and sophisticated solutions. Narrowing the difference between sequence processing and generation, the trend of substituting local computing software with the cloud-based computing databases is being increasingly employed by researchers in the healthcare sector. Existing challenges concerning biological interpretation of output genomic data will direct research efforts toward the development of precise healthcare data analytical tools, thereby driving the market growth in the near future.However, infrastructural investments required for the development of algorithms & software will keep the market growth in check. NGS data analysis solutions have been deemed time consuming, and have been witnessing a confined adoption since the recent past. Commercial service providers have lucrative opportunities in the design and development of novel solutions to offer faster turnaround times.According to a recently composed report of Fact.MR, the global NGS data analysis market will reflect an impressive expansion over the period, 2017 to 2026. Sales of NGS data analysis solutions worldwide are forecast to reach nearly US$ 280 Mn in revenues by 2026-end.North America to Remain Largest Market for NGS Data AnalysisNorth America is home to several well-established organizations of NGS data analysis. A significant number of NGS research projects are being carried out in Canadian universities, which in turn has resulted into huge demand for NGS data analysis, thereby affecting the revenue growth in the region. North America is set to remain the fastest-expanding and largest market for NGS data analysis.Asia-Pacific excluding Japan will also record an impressive expansion in the market through 2026, mainly driven by rising number of research grants related to sequencing projects in its developing nations such as China and India. Incorporation of high-throughput screening encouraged by positive research & development outcomes in the region will further drive the market growth in APEJ.Browse Full Report with TOC @Of all end-users in the global NGS data analysis market, academic research institutes are projected to account for the largest market revenue share during 2017 to 2026. Dominance of academic research institutes in the market can be attributed to robust utilization of high-throughput sequencing in university-based and academic research projects.Competition TrackingMajor companies providing the NGS data analysis solutions have been undertaking strategic collaborations & partnerships, in a bid to increase their existing product portfolios, meanwhile maintaining a competitive edge in the market. These collaborations & partnerships are primarily focused at developing feasible infrastructure solutions for enabling researchers in performing a population-scale genomic analysis. Key market participants supporting growth of the global NGS data analysis market include ABM, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Biomatters, Ltd, DNAnexus, Dovetail Genomics, LLC, Edge Biosystems, Genestack, Illumina, and Roche.About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized Healthcare Market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.com Global Commercial Satellite Imaging Market Size Is Expected to reach $6.8 Billion by 2023 https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/commercial-satellite-imaging-market https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/commercial-satellite-imaging-market/report-sample https://www.psmarketresearch.com The commercial satellite imaging market size is expected to reach $6.8 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 11.2% between 2017-2023. The market is growing due to the surging adoption of location-based services (LBS) by various end-users, including commercial enterprise, government, defense, civil engineering, forestry & agriculture, insurance and energy. Geospatial data acquisition & mapping has been the largest application segment in the commercial satellite imaging market globally, accounting for a major share of the revenues in 2016. The market for disaster management is expected to grow at the highest pace during the forecast period. On the other hand, commercial enterprise has been the major end-user in commercial satellite imaging industry, whereas defense segment is expected to be the fastest growing end-user industry during forecast period.Explore Full Report Description at:Geographically, North America has been the largest market for commercial satellite imaging and Asia-Pacific had been the fastest growing regional market. North America is expected to account for over 40% of the global commercial satellite imaging market in 2023. By country, the U.S. stands as the largest market globally, whereas the commercial satellite imaging industry in India has been growing at highest pace. The anticipated growth in the Asia-Pacific market can be owed to factors such as rapid adoption of Earth imagery technologies, growth in industry digitalization and advancement in satellite image analytics across the region. Further, increasing regional government focus towards advancement of Earth imagery technology is expected to bolster the commercial satellite imaging market.The major trend observed in the commercial satellite imaging market include hyperspectral image processing for automatic target detection. Many military and civilian applications involve in detecting object or activity such as a movement of military vehicle or vehicle tracking, through hyperspectral image processing. Apart from this, the use of hyperspectral image sensors in imagery provide image data, containing both spatial and spectral information, which further can be rendered to detect various tasks such as military intrusion. Apart from this, advancement in high resolution satellite imagery for applications in data centric sectors such as agriculture and natural resource management, is also a factor significantly contributing to the growth of global commercial satellite imaging market.Download Free Report Sample At:Some of the key players operating in the commercial satellite imaging market are DigitalGlobe, Inc., Galileo Group, Inc., Spaceknow, Inc., Environmental Systems Research Institute, and Airbus Defence and Space.About P&S IntelligenceP&S Intelligence, a brand of P&S Market Research, is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.Contact:P&S Intelligence347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb: Healthcare BPO Industry Superior Growth with CAGR of 12.3% by 2023 | Foremost Players as HCL Technologies Limited, Covance Inc., IBM, Catalent, etc. by MRFR Healthcare BPO Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1335 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/healthcare-bpo-market-1335 Market Research Future published a cooked research report on Healthcare BPO Market Research Report. By Major Industry Trends, Worldwide Business Analysis, Major Segments and Sub segments. Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Most of the modern businesses today use Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in some way. Some outsource their customer care. Some do the same for their hardware assembling or production. In the medical sector, BPO entered with the jobs of medical transcriptionists. Later various medical and healthcare services started getting outsourced too in order to reduce expenditures. Tasks in the healthcare sector are tedious, and healthcare BPO aims at reducing their complexity.The purpose of healthcare BPO services is to boost financial performance, enrich resource allocation, and increase the effectiveness of healthcare providers. These services include medical billing & collection medical billing, medical claims processing, medical coding, medical data entry, medical records indexing and more. In near future, the healthcare BPO market is expected to increase due to rising demand for health services from society experiencing population growth, and technological improvements in medical care. In the modern scenario, digital technologies are playing an important role in transformation of all the clusters, ranging from processes regarding electronic records to telemedicine. Medical bills can also have errors, healthcare BPO aims at avoiding critical errors and ensure maximum accuracy in data entry tasks.Avail Premium Sample copy atMarket Research Future (MRFR) has published a research report about the global healthcare BPO market that estimates 12.3% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) growth during the forecast period (2017 2023). Apart from billing, the BPO professionals ensure highest accuracy rates tasks including (but not limited to) accounts receivable, claims adjudication, medical coding, records indexing, and others.Key Players:AccentureCatalentCharles River Laboratories InternationalCognizant Cyber SecuritiesCovanceIBMAnd others.Healthcare BPO Market - Competitive AnalysisThe Healthcare BPO Market is currently dominated by very few players. IBM is one of them and holds a strong share in the market. IBM is a U.S. based company that manufactures and markets computer hardware and software and offers hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. The prime emphasis of the company is on digital revolution by improving data, cloud, and mobile and social security. The company has entered into various collaborations to expand their product portfolio and market share. For instance, in June 5, 2017, IBM Watson Health teamed up with Novartis to use cognitive computing with an aim of improving results in advanced breast cancer research.Cognizant is also one of the leading providers of BPO services along with information technology, information security, and consulting. In 2017, Cognizant acquired Brilliant Service Co. Ltd. to expand its digital transformation portfolio.Segments:The global healthcare BPO market is segmented on the basis of services and region. Service-based segmentation coveres payer services, pharmaceutical services, and provider services. The regional segmentation of global healthcare BPO market covers the Americas (North America and South America), Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA) and rest of the world (RoW).The Americas dominate global healthcare BPO market due to huge development in healthcare domain and presence of strong economic conditions. Maximum revenue from this region comes from the United States of America (USA) and Canada. In the global market, Europe holds the second position after the Americas. Biggest markets in Europe include France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). The Asia Pacific, the fastest growing market for healthcare BPO garners maximum revenue from countries such as Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea. In this region, higher number of cancer patients is increasing demands for various diagnosis & treatment methods. Such demands boost the market growth. In countries such as India, government resolutions are aiming to enhance healthcare services, not only due to a high percentage of population suffering from cancer like illnesses, but also due to the popularity of medical tourism.Healthcare BPO Market - Regional AnalysisMost of the existing market players are concentrated in the Americas owing to well-established market and high healthcare expenditures. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in 2015, U.S. healthcare spending increased 5.8% reaching USD 3.2 trillion. Canadian healthcare specifically was stressed by an advancing demographic move. The increase of insurance coverage because of health care reform (Affordable Care Act, 2010) in the U. S. additionally prompted an expansion in health care spending. The North American healthcare BPO market is showing a huge potential to grow due to high adoption rate. Various U.S. based organizations such as Sykes, Cognizant, IBM, QUINTILES, and others are continuously putting efforts to come up with newly advanced technology to curb the surmounting healthcare cost, and other management issues. In current scenario, integration among companies have been observed. For instance, on Feb. 9, 2017, Accenture acquired iDefense Security Intelligence Services business to address enterprise security needs.Browse Full Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Global IoT Operating Systems Market Research Report 2018 Top Vendors Analysis like IBM, Google Inc, Apple Inc, Microsoft Corporation, ESOL Co ltd, Blackberry ltd., ARM ltd. Global Internet of Things (IoT) Operating Systems Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024 https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-internet-things-iot-operating-systems-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-internet-things-iot-operating-systems-market The report gives inside and industry Outlook on IoT Operating Systems Market . It helps in imagining the arrangement of the IoT Operating Systems Market complete analysis regarding type and applications, featuring the key business resources and key players. IoT Operating Systems Market development divisions and distinguishes factors driving change. This Reserach helps in understanding the dynamic condition, markets significant players, and driving brands. The IoT Operating Systems Market five-year period can evaluate how the market is forecast to evolve. This analysis gives an examination of various segments that are relied upon to witness the quickest development amid the estimate forecast frame. Recognize the most recent IoT Operating Systems Market improvements, share, and systems utilized by the significant market.The Global IoT Operating Systems Market accounted for USD 284.1 million in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 43.6% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Download PDF Sample Copy of Report@Company Share Analysis:The report for global IoT operating systems market include detailed vendor level analysis for market shares in 2016 for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Also impact and development analysis of key vendors is registered in the market and factored on the basis of Vendor Positioning Grid Analysis which measures the vendors strengths and opportunities against present market challenges, measure providers ability to identify or satisfy present market needs, map providers market vision to current and upcoming market dynamics among others. The report also measures technology life line curve and market time line to analyze and do more affective investments.Major Market Competitors:-IBM,Google Inc,Apple Inc,Microsoft Corporation,ESOL Co ltd,Blackberry ltd.,ARM ltd.,Wittenstein,ENEA AB,Mentor Graphics Corporation,Green Hills Software,SysGo Ag,Wind River,Kaspersky lab,Canonical Ltd,Mentor Graphics Corporation,Intel Corporation,Ericsson ABamong others.Major Market Drivers & Restraints:Advancements in IoT systems and their incorporation in multiple industriesGrowing Trend in Wireless TechnologyIncreasing Demand of Big DataIncreasing Demand of Smartphone UsageTo Avail 10% Discount On This Report Mail Us on :-sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comSome of the major countries covered in this report are:-U.S.,Canada,Germany,France,U.K.,Netherlands,Switzerland,Turkey,Russia,China,India,South Korea,Japan,Australia,Singapore,Saudi Arabia,South Africa,Brazilamong others.In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Market Segmentation:The Global IoT Operating Systems Market is segmented on the basis of component type into client side, server side, business consulting services, deployment and integration services and maintenance and support services.On the basis of end user, the global IoT operating systems market is segmented into large enterprises and small and medium enterprises (SMES).On the basis of application, the global IoT operating systems market is segmented into smart building and home automation, capillary networks management, smart utilities, vehicle telematics, industrial manufacturing and automation and smart healthcare.On the basis of geography, the global IoT operating systems market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.Inquire Regarding This Report @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Africa Large Volume Parenterals Market Size, Share, Growth, Outlook and Geographical Analysis by 2025 Large Volume Parenterals Market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/africa-large-volume-parenterals-LVP-market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4613 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4613 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Africa Large Volume Parenterals Market, by Treatment Type, Route of Administration, and Capacity: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20182024," the Africa large volume parenterals (LVP) market was valued at $662 million in 2017, and is expected to reach $1,133 million by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2018 to 2024. In terms of volume, the market garnered 291,095 thousand units in 2017, and is expected to reach 582,780 thousand units by 2024, growing with a CAGR of 10.4% from 2018 to 2024.Access full summary at:Parenteral route of drug administration refers to administration of drugs through non-oral routes. Large volume parenterals, also termed as large volume injections, are aqueous solutions usually supplied in volumes of at least 100 ml. They include calcium solutions, sodium chloride, ringer's, sodium bicarbonate and other electrolyte solutions, dextrose (glucose) & other sugar solutions, amino acid, peptide & other protein fraction solutions, solutions containing a combination of the above, sometimes with vitamins added, dextrans, and other plasma expanders.Increase in prevalence of chronic diseases, rapid surge in number of surgeries, and rise in risk of malnutrition are the major factors that drive the growth of the Africa large volume parenterals (LVP) market. However, preference for enteral nutrition and high risk of infection/allergic reaction during a parenteral administration restrain the market growth. Conversely, increase in demand for palliative care services in Africa is expected to offer potential growth opportunities for the market in the near future.On the basis of treatment type, fluid balance injections segment dominated the market in 2017 by garnering nearly two-thirds share, and is expected to maintain its dominance during the analysis period. This is attributed to the fact that fluid balance injections can be used for a broad customer base, including patients who are critically ill, septic, with major cardiac, liver or renal comorbidity, or after a major surgery.Based on route of administration, the intravenous segment held the major market share of more than four-fifths in 2017, and is expected to dominate the market throughout the analysis period, since it is the fastest way to deliver large volume parenterals, as the drug is easily carried throughout the body with the help of circulation.Request Free Sample Copy:Key Findings of the Africa Large Volume Parenterals Market:Intramuscular segment is expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.2% from 2018 to 2024.By treatment type, the nutritious injections segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 9.1% from 2018 to 2024.The 500 ml capacity segment held a major share of more than four-fifths and three-fourths in terms of value and volume, respectively, in 2017, and is expected to maintain this trend throughout the analysis period.South Africa held a major share of more than one-fifth in the African market in 2017, and is expected to retain it throughout the analysis period.Namibia is expected to register a CAGR of 7.7% from 2018 to 2024.Africa Large Volume Parenterals (LVP) Market Key Segments:By Treatment TypeFluid Balance InjectionsTherapeutic InjectionsNutritious InjectionsBy Route of AdministrationIntravenousIntramuscularSubcutaneousOthersBy Capacity100 ml250 ml500 ml1000 ml2000 mlBy CountrySouth AfricaZimbabweNamibiaRest of AfricaBased on country, South Africa is expected to dominate the Africa LVP market during the analysis period. Furthermore, Namibia is expected to grow at the highest CAGR and offer lucrative opportunities to market players in the coming future.Do Purchase and Enquiry Report:Allied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Allied Market Research provides one stop solution from the beginning of data collection to investment advice. The analysts at Allied Market Research dig out factors that help clients to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The company amplies clients insight on the factors, such as strategies, future estimations, growth or fall forecasting, opportunity analysis, and consumer surveys among others. As follows, the company offers consistent business intelligent support to aid the clients to turn into prominent business firm.Contact:Shriram Dighe5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855-550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Insights on Global Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market Offering Trends, Share, Size, Enabling Technology, Competition Tracking and Growth Until the End of 2028 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1221 https://www.factmr.com/report/1221/spinal-bulbar-muscular-atrophy-treatment-market https://www.factmr.com/checkout/1221/S https://www.factmr.com/ Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy is also called Kennedy disease. It is a disorder of the nerve cells that control muscle movement. These nerve cells are present in the brainstem. Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy mainly occurs in males, and is characterized by atrophy that usually arises in adulthood. Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy results in cramping and leg muscle weakness. The bulbar muscles are also affected, which causes disruptive problems regarding swallowing and speech. Fasciculations, unusual breast development, and infertility are also observed in this disorder. Spinal bulbar muscular atrophy has been diagnosed in the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. The Japanese population is shown to have a very high occurrence. There is no known cure for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy are usually used to maintain individual skills. Braces and wheel chairs are used for ambulation. For breast reduction physicians prefer surgery.Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Report Highlights: Detailed overview of parent market Changing market dynamics in the industry In-depth market segmentation Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape Strategies of key players and products offered Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective on market performance Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintRequest TOC of this Report-Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe growing number of incidences of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy is driving the growth of the market. Rapid turnaround time and lower cost of this procedure over conventional methods are also fueling the growth of the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market. A reimbursement process is also available in many regions like the U.S., Europe, and Japan. However, the global market for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment is expected to be deterred by the limited number of drugs available that inhibits in hormone level on the market. Dutasteride and leuprolide are two drugs which are currently present around the world for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment.Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: SegmentationTentatively, the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market has been segmented on the basis of drug class and distribution channel.Based on drug class, the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market is segmented as: 5-Reductase Inhibitors (5-ARIs) Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH) AgonistsBased on distribution channel, the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market is segmented as: Hospitals Orthopedic Clinics Ambulatory Surgical CentersSpinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: OverviewThe occurrence rate of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy is around 1 per 100,000 individuals, and high incidences are observed in Finland. From the 20052006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using a sample of 1480 men with a mean age of 53.2 years (range 3779) with spinal bulbar muscular atrophy disorder were obtained for the hormonal profile, healthy control mean values and standard errors and according to the Oxford University Press, in 2006 a study followed 223 Japanese spinal bulbar muscular atrophy patients for a number of years, and among them, 15 died, with a median age of 65 years. A common cause of death for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy patients was pneumonia and respiratory failure. The increasing number of patient visits for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment and the growing demand for the same exhibit lucrative growth opportunity for companies investing in the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market.To know more about the Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market Trends, Visit the link Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Regional OutlookA geographic condition regarding spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to represent huge contribution under spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment by revenue generation. Quickened development on the improvement of new items and high spending on innovative work in Europe demonstrates the elevation of the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market. With ascending in standards of health care services and increase in mindfulness towards the medications in India and China is relied upon to support the market for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment in general Asia Pacific area.Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market include GlaxoSmithKline plc., AbbVie Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Century Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, Astellas Pharma, Pfizer Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, and Sanofi.The spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, and inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides an in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators, and governing factors, along with market attractiveness as per segment. The spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.The report covers an exhaustive analysis on: Market Segments Market Dynamics Market Size Supply & Demand Current Trends/Issues/Challenges Competition & Companies Involved Technology Value ChainPre-book this Report-About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb: Sterility Testing Market 2018 Product Type Instruments, Services | Growth Overview and Segmentation Analysis by MRFR till 2023 Sterility Testing Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/547 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/sterility-testing-market-547 Market Research Future published a research report on Sterility Testing Market. By Major Industry Trends, Worldwide Business Analysis, Major Segments and Sub segments. Sterility Testing Market to Touch USD 1,245.2 Million by 2023.The global sterility testing market size is expected to touch USD 1,245.2 million by 2023 owing to rising sales of cars. Market Research Futures (MRFR) latest study reveals that the market is predicted an 11.7% CAGR during the forecast period (20172023). High prevalence of chronic diseases and cardiovascular maladies is the primary factor driving market growth. Booming pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, funding provided by governments, and rising investments in the life science sector are other factors expected to elicit market demand over the forecast period.Demand for sterile drugs is creating opportunities for manufacturers and distributors. In addition, demand for effective vaccines to combat chronic maladies is anticipated to bode well for the market. Development of filtration systems to expedite drug development can positively impact the market. For instance, Merck launched the Stericup Quick Release system in 2017 for faster filtration of reagents, buffers, and media.Avail Premium Sample copy @Top Players:BioquellBelimed DeutschlandBaxter BioPharma SolutionsCharles River LaboratoriesBoston Scientific CorporationBioMerieuxSGS SAAnd others.Global Market for Sterility Testing Segmental AnalysisMRFRs report offers a detailed segmental analysis of the market based on product type, test type, end-user, and region. By product type, the market has been segmented into consumables, instruments, and services. Services are further segmented into stability testing, sterility assurance tests, cleaning and disinfection, and sterility validations. The sterility assurance test segment is anticipated to be worth USD 151.6 million by 2023.By test type, the market is segmented into product flush sterility testing, direct transfer sterility testing, membrane filtration sterility testing, and others. The membrane filtration sterility testing segment can touch a valuation of USD 348.6 million by 2023. Membrane filtration is a method used in filtering microorganisms or bacteria capable of infecting solutions. Benefits such as testing in large volumes and inhibiting bacterial growth are expected to spur segment growth till 2023.Major end-users include academic and research laboratories, hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and others. The pharmaceutical companies segment is projected to register a 12.1% CAGR over the forecast period. Rising demand for sterile injectables is expected to fuel segment demand.Regional Outlook:The sterility testing market, on the basis of region, is segmented into the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). The Americas are expected to dominate the global market owing to the large patient population and demand for sterile drugs. Growth witnessed in domestic biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors coupled with increased healthcare spending allotted to states are factors anticipated to fuel market growth over the forecast period.Europe is predicted to be the second largest market, followed by APAC. Presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure, huge patient pool, and investments in life sciences can elicit huge market demand during the forecast period. Developed nations such as France, the U.K., and Italy are expected to contribute to overall market revenue.The APAC sterility testing market is projected to showcase a robust CAGR over the forecast period owing to strong economies of Indian and China. It can enjoy good market demand owing to the presence of various contract manufacturing organizations.The MEA market commands a smaller market share compared to others owing to stringent government policies and less emphasis on healthcare expenditure. The Middle East region is highly lucrative owing to the presence of nations such as Kuwait, Dubai, Qatar, and others.Browse Full Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Future Innovations of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management Market SWOT Analysis along with illustrations & Forecast 2023 Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=76939 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=76939 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=76939 Global Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management MarketIntellectual property rights and royalty management software offers content companies with tools required by the organization to identify their patents, trade secrets, employee know-how and valuable assets. The software instructs the large and small enterprises about the IP rights and royalties enabling them to arrange for license fees, in the form of royalty and aids in profit share arrangements. The portfolio of possible rights include trademarks, patents, copyrights, brand names, publishing rights, distribution rights and images rights.The main goal for the dissemination of this information is to give a descriptive analysis of how the trends could potentially affect the upcoming future of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management market during the forecast period. This markets competitive manufactures and the upcoming manufactures are studied with their detailed research. Revenue, production, price, market share of these players is mentioned with precise information.Get Sample Copy of this report:Key Operating Players:FADEL, Vistex, Klopotek AG, Filmtrack, IBM Corporation, Dependable Solutions, Anaqua, CPA Global, Lecorpio, IpfolioIntellectual property rights and royalty management solutions aids companies to optimize their revenues, capitalize on and protect their intellectual properties and efficiently manage risks. Prime driving factors for the growth of intellectual property rights and royalty management market include the feature of protection against piracy or duplicity and the security and detailed information that is provided by the software for the enterprises. This increases adoption of the solution among various large and small enterprises contribution in growth in the revenue of intellectual property rights and royalty management market. However, high initial investment and lack of skilled personnel are consider to be challenging factors in the adoption of the solutions by the organizations hindering the growth in the market.The Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management market is also explained to the clients as a holistic snapshot of a competitive landscape within the given competitive forecast period. A comparative analysis of regional players and segmentations, which helps readers get a better understanding of the areas and resources with better understanding.To get more information, Ask for Sample PDF illustration with TOC, Tables, Figures and Charts @Table Of Content:Chapter 1 Industry Overview of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty ManagementChapter 2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty ManagementChapter 3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty ManagementChapter 4 Global Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management Overall Market OverviewChapter 5 Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management Regional Market AnalysisChapter 6 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty ManagementChapter 7 Development Trend of Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management MarketChapter 8 Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management Marketing Type AnalysisChapter 9 Conclusion of the Global Intellectual Property Rights & Royalty Management Market Professional Survey Report 2018Early buyers will receive up to 40% Discount on this reportAbout Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny Denis10916, Gold Point, Dr, Houston, TX - 77064.Contact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports) Luxury Automotive Interior: Market 2018 Segmented by Manufacturers (Johnson Controls, DuPont, Faurecia, Borgers, Eagle Ottawa, International Textile Group, Lear, Sage Automotive Interiors, BASF) and Forecasts to 2025 Qy Research Groups https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/1017198 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/1017198 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/1017198 Luxury Automotive Interior Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Luxury Automotive Interior industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Luxury Automotive Interior market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Luxury Automotive Interior market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Luxury Automotive Interior players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Luxury Automotive Interior Market Players: Johnson Controls DuPont Faurecia Borgers Eagle Ottawa International Textile Group Lear Sage Automotive Interiors BASF Dow Chemical Katzkin Leather Interiors Inc. HyosungGet Sample Copy of This Report Now @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Perfume Neckpillow Hanging Drop Foot Pad Steering Wheel Cover OthersBy Application, the market can be split into Passenger Vehicle Commercial VehicleMajor regions are as follows: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Luxury Automotive Interior market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Luxury Automotive Interior market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying @Also, key Luxury Automotive Interior market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Luxury Automotive Interior market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.Inquire for Discount @Contact Us:Call: +1-888-236-2744Email: sales@qyresearchgroups.comAbout Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Room B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China. Global Industrial Food Blanchers Market 2018 - Blentech, Boema, Dodman, Cabinplant, DTS Global Industrial Food Blanchers Market https://bit.ly/2K1BQ3b https://bit.ly/2mLSavJ www.eminentmarket.com Eminent Market, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Industrial Food Blanchers Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Industrial Food Blanchers Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Industrial Food Blanchers industry, and estimates the future trend of Industrial Food Blanchers market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Industrial Food Blanchers Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportCabinplantDTSLyco ManufacturingTuratti GroupABCO IndustriesBlentechBoemaDodmanExcel Plants EquipmentEzmaFood Machinery AustralasiaTechnology Noord-Oost NederlandGEM Equipment of OregonHughes EquipmentThe market research report explores the Industrial Food Blanchers market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Industrial Food Blanchers Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Industrial Food Blanchers market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Industrial Food Blanchers. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Industrial Food Blanchers market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Industrial Food Blanchers is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Industrial Food Blanchers market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Industrial Food Blanchers market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global Industrial Food Blanchers market 2018 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Industrial Food Blanchers production volume, data pertaining to demand and Industrial Food Blanchers supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Industrial Food Blanchers along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Industrial Food Blanchers across the world.About UsEminent Market offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories.Eminent Market provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezS no. 72/1/A/6, Floor No. 1,Harikrishna Building, Samarth Nagar,New Sanghvi, Pune-411027 India.Phone: +91-8149441100Email id - sales@eminentmarket.comWebsite - He said that the state was playing with the emotions of people over the reservation issue. Pune: While addressing MNS workers in Pune on Friday, party chief Raj Thackeray said that reservations should be given on the basis of economic backwardness and not caste. Once a particular caste got reservation, other castes would demand the same, he said. Besides, reservation can be given only for government jobs and at state-run educational institutions but at a time when both are allegedly going down, how can reservations be useful, he questioned. He said that the state was playing with the emotions of people over the reservation issue. The BJP government is playing politics over the issue. It is not interested in taking it seriously that Kakasaheb Shinde unnecessarily lost his life in all of this. Once one caste gets reservation, another caste comes forward for the same, said the MNS chief. He reiterated his stand that preference in jobs and education should be given to local youths over outsiders. Maharashtra is the first preference for investors. Many industries and businesses come up here in large numbers. Who will these industries hire? If 80 to 90 per cent jobs in these industries in Maharashtra are given to local youths, there will be no need for reservation. But politicians here are not concerned about it and they are just playing with people. The youths in the state need to understand this. Taking on MPs and MLAs in the state, he said, Gujarati is a compulsory language till Class four in Gujarat. But here, people staying in Maharashtra for generations dont speak Mara-thi. Our MPs and MLAs in both the former Congress-NCP government and the current BJP-Sena government are not seen doing anything for people in the state or for the state. Castes should not fight with each other. All castes fought together in Chhatrapati Shivajis time. Otherwise, Maharashra will become like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Industrial Eye Protection Market 2024 Global Analysis By key Players 3M, Avon-ISI, Honeywell, Bolle Safety, MSA Safety, Ansell Healthcare Products, Teijin Fibers and Kimberly Clark Industrial Eye Protection Market https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1942 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/industrial-eye-protection-market https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1942 www.gminsights.com Europe industrial eye protection market was more than 70 million units in 2016. Favorable socio-economic factors accompanied by increasing manufacturing facilities will drive the demand. Strong presence of the key manufacturers in this region will propel the industry growth. Changing lifestyle along with increasing awareness regarding worker safety has encouraged the product penetration.Request for a sample copy of this report @Industrial Eye Protection Market size is estimated to exceed USD 2.5 billion by 2024. Positive outlook towards occupational safety in oil & gas, chemicals, mining and construction industry will propel industrial eye protection market growth. Prevention from chemicals, heat & optical radiation are the key properties enhancing product demand.Increasing employer awareness pertaining to work safety will support the industrial eye protection demand. For instance, OSHA has implemented safety standards for several end-use industries to prevent the injuries at workplace. Construction application was worth over USD 310 million in 2016. Increasing government spending on building tunnels, dams, roads, and bridges globally will drive the growth. China is projected to be among the major contributor. China construction spending was over USD 730 billion in 2016.CR-39 lenses will witness gains at 3% up to 2024. High optical quality compared to glass along with comparatively less manufacturing cost has driven industry growth in this segment. Entrance of trivex as an ultra-light, thin and high impact resistant lenses will open new avenues in the industry.High profit margins due to increasing product penetration will fuel the industry growth. However, inability to expand business in untapped regions due to non-standardized safety regulations will restrain the industrial eye protection market growth.Browse Complete Report Summary @North America industrial eye protection market will witness gains at 3.2% up to 2024. High prevalence for employee safety along with stringent government regulations are the key factors supporting the business growth. As per NIOSH, about 2000 workers in U.S. sustain workplace eye injury per day, that requires medical treatment.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. 3M2. Bolle Safety3. Edge Eyewear4. Encon Safety5. Ergodyne6. Gateway Safety7. Global Glove & Safety8. Honeywell9. MCR Safety10. MSA Safety11. Protective Industrial Products12. Radians13. Sellstrom Manufacturing14. Protective Industrial Products15. Safety Glasses USA16. Laservision17. Mancine OpticalMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Global industrial eye protection market share is moderately consolidated due to presence of few industry players holding major industry share. Major key players inculde 3M, Bolle Safety, Honeywell, MCR Safety, Egde, MSA Safety, Encon Safety, Ergodyne and Gateway Safety. Mergers, acquisitions, new product launches and supply agreements are the key strategies adopted by the major players.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb: Needle Coke Market To Reach USD 1.16 Billion by 2023 | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Phillips 66, JXTG Holdings, Inc., Seadrift Coke LP, C-Chem CO., LTD Needle Coke Market https://www.researchcosmos.com/request/needle-coke-market-by-type-grade-and-end-user-global-indus/38705052 https://www.researchcosmos.com/reports/needle-coke-market-by-type-grade-and-end-user-global-industry-analysis-and-forecast-to-2023/38705052 https://www.researchcosmos.com/inquire/needle-coke-market-by-type-grade-and-end-user-global-indus/38705052 www.researchcosmos.com Global Needle Coke Market Overview:Needle coke is a profoundly crystalline coke basically utilized for the generation of graphite cathodes for EAF steel. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) empty oil is utilized as a beginning material in the generation of oil inferred needle coke. It contains around 0.02% to 0.04% by weight of cinder. FCC impetus builds the warm extension attributes of a subsequent anode, in this way requiring the evacuation of the impetus for the generation of low CTE graphite cathodes from oil needle coke. Coal tar is acquired as a side-effect amid the coking procedure of low slag metallurgical coke. Coal tar pitch is gotten through refining, which includes the transformation of coal tar into an assortment of middle synthetic substances.As far as esteem, the global needle coke advertise is foreseen to extend at a CAGR of over 5.74% from 2018 to 2023 and achieve USD 1.16 Billion by 2023. The Global needle coke market has been portioned in light of sort, review, and application. In light of sort, the global needle coke advertise has been bifurcated into oil inferred and coal tar pitch determined. Interest for oil-based needle coke is high regardless of the presence of a bunch of providers all around. China is a noteworthy maker of coal tar pitch needle coke. In view of review, the global needle coke market has been isolated into the middle of the road, premium, and super premium. The super-premium portion is relied upon to show a huge development rate amid the conjecture time frame. In view of utilization, the global needle coke market has been characterized by graphite terminal, lithium-particle batteries, and others.Needle coke is utilized widely in the creation of graphite cathodes. The graphite anode section represented a huge offer of the needle coke to advertise in 2017. It is probably going to remain a prevailing portion amid the gauge time frame. Be that as it may, the lithium-particle batteries fragment is foreseen to extend at a quick pace regarding worth and volume in the vicinity of 2018 and 2026.Get Sample Brochure of the report @The Needle Coke Market Segmentation:By Type: Petroleum Derived and Coal Tar Pitch DerivedBy Grade: Intermediate, Premium and Super PremiumBy End User: Steel Industry, Aluminum Industry, Lithium Battery, Nuclear Power, Aerospace and Others End UsersBy Region: North America, U.S, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia Pacific, Rest of the World, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Others.Browse report brief and detailed TOC @The Asia Pacific ruled the needle coke advertise with over 60% offer in 2017. It was trailed by Europe and North America. China constituted the key offer of the needle coke showcase as far as volume and income in 2017. It is probably going to stay overwhelming amid the figure time frame overall locales. Nearness of driving graphite terminal makers and increment sought after for lithium-particle batteries in the nation are driving the interest for needle coke in China. The needle coke advertises in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific is relied upon to grow at a high CAGR amid the figure time frame. The needle coke advertises in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa is anticipated to grow at a languid pace amid the conjecture time frame.The report involves profiles of significant organizations working in the worldwide needle coke advertise. Enter players working in the needle coke showcase incorporate Phillips 66, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, JXTG Holdings, Inc., Baotailong New Material Co., Ltd., Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Bao-steel Group, C-Chem CO., LTD., Seadrift Coke LP, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited, Shanxi Hongte Coal Chemical Co Ltd., Sinosteel Anshan Research Institute of Thermo-Energy Co., Ltd., PetroChina International Jinzhou Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Shijiazhuang Deli Chemical Co., Petroleum Coke Industries Co. (K.S.C), Petrocokes Japan Ltd., and FangDa Carbon New Material Co. Ltd.Inquire more about the report @About Us:Research Cosmos is an aggregator of syndicated and bespoke market research, business intelligence and consulting services on a gamut of sectors across the globe. Were associated with world-renowned publishers who when combined, serve hundreds of fortune listed companies and publish a wide range of insightful reports which cover nook and corner of every industry vertical.Contact:Kevin StewartGlobal Sales ManagerResearch Cosmos4390 U.S 1, Suite 211,Princeton, NJ 08540.kevin@researchcosmos.com+1 888 709 8757 Dry Shampoo Market 2018 Latest Trends and Future Scope with Top Key Players- Church & Dwight, P&G, Unilever, L'Oreal, Henkel, Pierre Fabre, Sephora, Shiseido, Revlon, Ramirent Dry Shampoo https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/1032736 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/1032736 The report gives the clear picture of current Dry Shampoo Market scenario and the predicted future of the industry. The report focuses on the basis of market drivers, restraints, growth, trends and forecast for the period of 2018-2025. In addition, the report also maps the market performance by value chain analysis which will help in better product differentiation along with the analysis of each segment in terms of opportunity, market attractiveness index and growth rate.The report Dry Shampoo Market by Key players highlights the essential market dynamics of Dry Shampoo Market sector. The efficiency of this segment has been studied deeply along with the noteworthy challenges and forthcoming growth opportunities and prospective. The report focuses in decision making abilities and supports to make effective counter strategies in order to achieve competitive advantage. Current market scenario of the segment and forecasts of the market situation have also been bounded in this market report.QY Research groups can be relied upon for the most updated and in depth information of the title Global Dry Shampoo Market this is estimated by experts to develop at the most elevated CAGR amid the estimate time frame 2018-2025.Get your Sample Report Copy @The major manufacturers covered in this report Church & Dwight P&G Unilever L'Oreal Henkel Pierre Fabre Sephora Shiseido Revlon RamirentGeographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Spray OthersBy Application, the market can be split into Pregnant Women Business OthersThe study objectives of this report are: To analyze and study the global Dry Shampoo capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025); Focuses on the key Dry Shampoo manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future. Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth. To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Get the best Discount in the market here @This market is segmented by Types and Applications. It provides a profound study of the leading players in the market and the prevailing regions in the business, thereby benefiting new entries in the business by proving the most updated insights of the market.At QY Research Groups we render the most authentic and elaborate information for the utmost benefit of our clients.About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact Us:Call: +1-888-236-2744Email: sales@qyresearchgroups.comRoom B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China. Wound Debridement Products Market 2023 Top Key Players are ArthoCare Corporation, Advanced Medical Solutions Group, Smith & Nephew Plc, and MediWound Ltd. and More Wound Debridement Products Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5629 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/5629 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/5629 Market Research Future provides premium research reports that are relevant across all sectors. Recently published Wound Debridement Products Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023 provides analysis of factors pertinent to market growth. Expert data analysts take a magnifying glass to the various nuances of the market in an effort to impart put forth fresh content which is vital in assisting organizations to make major business decisionsGet Attractive Sample Copy @Key Players:Vital participants operating with the global wound debridement products industry are ArthoCare Corporation, Advanced Medical Solutions Group, Smith & Nephew Plc, and MediWound Ltd. The conventional market could register a decent absolute dollar prospect over the forecast period. The said fact will be ascribed to India and Africas huge population choosing conventional products due to their cost-efficiency.Market Analysis:The global wound debridement products market is anticipated to grow at a single digit CAGR during the forecast period. Wound debridement is a process to eliminate foreign invaders, dead tissues, and toxic substances from human wounds. Wound debridement products aid in lowering poisonous materials that prevent wounds from getting healed. Growing aged population & serious wounds propel the market.Moreover; widening product usage, chronic illnesses, & patient-base drive the industry. Cost-efficiency of wound products and demand for advanced medical facilities also contribute to industry growth. On the contrary, financial recession across some parts of the globe hampers the market. Awareness regarding injured tissues has urged patients to take debridement steps. The said factor has boosted industry revenues.Manufacturers are developing a wide range of products, like scalpels and pads to treat minor wounds. Innovative plans are underway to entice customers into knowing more about these products. The worldwide industry is segmented into products, end-users, and geographies.Get Quality Discount @Segment Insights:The products market will occupy more shares due to high adoption in homecare and hospitals. End-users include cardiac centers, multi-specialty clinics, hospitals, specialized clinics, nursing units, and ambulatory surgical wards. Hospitals are the biggest end-user and likely to capture the maximum shares by 2023. Specialized clinics and ambulatory surgical wards should observe more than average growth in the forecast period.For businessmen and those investing in the market, hospitals are appealing & a bright opportunity. Regionally, the wound debridement market is split into Asia Pacific, Europe, Americas, and the Middle East and Africa. Americas, chased by Europe, accounts for the largest shares owing to higher advancements & medical expenditures. Apart from these factors, its burgeoning diabetics & geriatric base propel Americas.Asia Pacific is reported to display huge growth in the coming years. Its growth would be attributed to the use of innovative products and need for improved medical technologies. Regional patient-base and expanding medical infrastructure can also contribute to its high CAGR. Moreover, expanding economies & demographics across emerging nations, like China and India are predicted to drive Asia Pacific.Surge in the need for wound bed preparation and awareness on timely wound care advantages may provide novel prospects to the global market. In addition, the popularity of home-wound management and advancements in various technologies can broaden the scope of this industry. Mergers & acquisitions, need for lesser hospital stays, products innovations, and partnerships are some of the key trends that are being noticed.Cutting-Edge Products and Players:With depressing wound mortality news doing the rounds, researchers have been emphasizing the creation of smarter wound care products. These products intend to contain the infections and treat injuries. Axio Biosolutions, a Bangalore-based Indian company is busy creating a new emergency wound hemostat. Lately, the firm also launched a dressing, namely Axiostat. It is gaining recognition in the defense forces and civil hospitals for combating traumatic bleeding.A leading UK wound management firm recently got an FDA approval for its innovative wound dressing, KerraCel AG3+. Another US based company, Organogenesis developed a product, PuraPly. It adopts antimicrobial PHMB and collagen as a protection that coupled with biofilm debridement prevents microbial growth and brings about quick recovery. As described, the global wound debridement products market is competitive, with numerous participants endeavoring to do better.Major Toc:1 Introduction1.1 Definition1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations1.2.2.1 Assumptions1.2.2.2 Limitations1.3 Market Structure:2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Process:2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research:3 Market Dynamics3.1 Drivers3.2 Restraints3.3 Opportunities3.4 Macroeconomic Indicators4 Market Factor AnalysisContinued!Direct Reports Enquiry @Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Healthcare Supply Chain: Market 2018 Global Analysis By Top Key Players McKesson, SAP SE, Oracle, Infor, HighJump, Manhattan Associates, JDA, TECSYS, Kinaxis, BluJay Solutions, Jump Technologies, LogiTag Systems Qy Research Groups https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/977389 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/977389 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/977389 Healthcare Supply Chain Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Healthcare Supply Chain industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Healthcare Supply Chain market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Healthcare Supply Chain market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Healthcare Supply Chain players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Healthcare Supply Chain Market Players: McKesson SAP SE Oracle Corporation Infor HighJump Manhattan Associates JDA TECSYS Kinaxis BluJay Solutions Jump Technologies LogiTag SystemsGet Sample Copy of This Report Now @Market segment by Type, the product can be split into Software HardwareMarket segment by Application, split into Manufacturers Providers DistributorsMajor regions are as follows: United States Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaThe report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Healthcare Supply Chain market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Healthcare Supply Chain market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying @Also, key Healthcare Supply Chain market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Healthcare Supply Chain market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.Inquire for Discount @Contact Us:Call: +1-888-236-2744Email: sales@qyresearchgroups.comAbout Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Room B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China. Global Airborne ISR Market Size, Status, Competition Landscape, Growth, Opportunity, Top Players (SMi Group, Northrop Grumman) Forecast During 2018-2025 https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1862981 https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/global-airborne-isr-market-size-status-and-forecast-2025-report.html The market for Airborne ISR Market is growing with the expansion of this Industry Sector Worldwide. Market Research Hub (MRH) has added a new report titled Global Airborne ISR Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 which offer details about the current trends and analysis, as well as scope for the near future. This research study also covers information about the production, consumption and market share based on different active regions. Furthermore, an anticipated growth at a double-digit CAGR for the Airborne ISR Market is highlighted in the report which indicates a prosperous future.Get Access to Free Sample Report@This report studies the global Airborne ISR market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the global Airborne ISR market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.In 2017, the global Airborne ISR market size was million US$ and it is expected to reach million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of during 2018-2025.This report focuses on the global top players, coveredSMi GroupNorthrop GrummanBAE SystemsL3 TechnologiesLockheed MartinUTC Aerospace SystemsBoeingGeneral DynamicsRaytheonRockwell CollinsThalesMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoType IType IIMarket segment by Application, split intoUnmanned ISRManned ISRBrowse Full Report with TOC@Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Airborne ISR1.1 Airborne ISR Market Overview1.1.1 Airborne ISR Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Airborne ISR Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018)1.2.1 United States1.2.2 Europe1.2.3 China1.2.4 Japan1.2.5 Southeast Asia1.2.6 India1.3 Airborne ISR Market by Type1.3.1 Type I1.3.2 Type II1.4 Airborne ISR Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Unmanned ISR1.4.2 Manned ISR2 Global Airborne ISR Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Airborne ISR Market Size (Value) by Players (2013-2018)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 SMi Group3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Airborne ISR Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.2 Northrop Grumman3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Airborne ISR Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.3 BAE Systems3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Airborne ISR Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)Read More .@@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like Software Industry Reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com New Study Reveals Key Insights on Global Linear Actuators Market; Forecast 2017-2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3778 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3778 www.futuremarketinsights.com Linear actuators assist in converting energy into straight line motions, generally for positioning applications. Most of the linear actuators are either mechanical or electro-mechanical devices that provide controlled movement and positioning. These actuators are primarily used in industrial machinery, computer peripherals, valves, and many other places where linear motion is required. A typical linear actuator generally produces push and pull action. As most processes across a variegated range of industries gets automated, the global linear actuators market is expected to expand with an impressive CAGR throughout the forecast period.Linear ActuatorsMarket: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors boosting the growth of linear actuators market is rising automation across manufacturing industry. Industrial objectives such as achieving complete factory automation, and integrating Industrial Internet of Things are some of the prime reasons that will drive more demand for linear actuators. While, rising industrialization particularly in the third world countries is another factor that will drive the demand in the global linear actuators market, on the backdrop of increasing number of factories. As the number of research studies conducted increases, demand for telescopic actuators is expected to increase significantly. Also as companies overcome their legacy systems to achieve higher efficiency, and replace existing actuators with new ones, demand for linear actuators is expected to rise. Furthermore, as an increasing number of industrial process adopt self-control and positioning demand in the linear actuators market is expected to continuously rise.Request For Report Sample@However, as concerns regarding employment rises among most countries on the backdrop of increasing automation in factories, demand for linear actuators might get sluggish over the end years of the forecast period. Adoption of 3D printing in many industries is another factor that will restrain the demand for linear actuators, as usage of machines will decrease.Linear ActuatorsMarket: Market SegmentationThe Linear Actuators Market is segmented into two parts based on operation type and end use industry:Based on operation mechanism, the linear actuator market is segmented into:MechanicalHydraulicPneumaticPiezoelectricElectro-mechanical actuatorsBased on End Use Industry, the linear actuator market is segmented into:AutomotiveMedical/HealthcareEnergy and Mining,SteelConstructionMilitaryChemicalOthersLinear Actuators Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, linear actuators market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.A prominent share of the demand for linear actuators comes from North America, and the region is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Furthermore, with more inclination towards shifting manufacturing in US from China and other ASEAN countries, demand for linear actuators will further rise in the region. Asia Pacific Exc. Japan is another prominent shareholder in terms of demand for linear actuators, amid, large manufacturing sector of China. Moreover, with India and Indonesia picking up at a fast pace, demand for linear actuators is expected to expand with a bullish growth rate over the forecast period. Being home to large automotive and research base companies, Western Europe is another prominent region generating huge demand for linear actuators. Eastern Europe is also expected to generate descent demand for linear actuators, particularly from energy and defense sector. Rising industrialization and the already dominant oil and gas industry of Middle East and Africa is the prime reason driving automation in the Middle Eastern region. Thus driving more demand for linear actuators. Japan is another prominent industrial nation, which drives demand for linear actuators, due to high automation penetration in their industries coupled with growing semiconductor industry of the region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Linear Actuators Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in Global Linear Actuators market are:-Duff-NortonHelix Linear Technologies, Inc.Altra Industrial MotionTolomatic, Inc.Fabco-Air, Inc.Actuonix Motion DevicesTusk Direct, Inc.Bishop-Wisecarver CorporationBEI Kimco MagneticsBurr Engineering & Development CompanyDel-Tron Precision, Inc.Rollon India Pvt. Ltd.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Market : Key Country Analysis (United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India), Industry Crucial Player: Boulder brands, Hain Celestial, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Heinz https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1863119 https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/global-gluten-free-bread-products-market-research-report-2018-report.html Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently broadcasted a new study to its broad research portfolio, which is titled as Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Research Report 2018 provides an in-depth analysis of the Gluten-Free Bread Products with the forecast of market size and growth. The analysis includes addressable market, market by volume, and market share by business type and by segment (external and in-house).The research study examines the Gluten-Free Bread Products on the basis of a number of criteria, such as the product type, application, and its geographical presence.Request Free Sample Report:This report studies the global Gluten-Free Bread Products market status and forecast, categorizes the global Gluten-Free Bread Products market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.The global Gluten-Free Bread Products market is valued at million US$ in 2017 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2018-2025.The major manufacturers covered in this reportBoulder brandsHain CelestialGeneral MillsKelloggKraft HeinzPirate BrandsDr SchaerMrs CrimbleFreedom FoodsOrgranPastarisoAmy's KitchenEnjoy Life FoodsEner-G Foods IncFood For LifeHero GroupRaisioFarmoNature's Path FoodsGeographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNo-Gluten BreadLittle-Gluten BreadOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingHypermarkets and SupermarketsIndependent RetailersConvenience StoresOtherBrowse Full Report with Table of Content:Table of Content:Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Research Report 20181 Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Gluten-Free Bread Products1.2 Gluten-Free Bread Products Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 No-Gluten Bread1.2.4 Little-Gluten Bread1.3 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Segment by Application1.3.1 Gluten-Free Bread Products Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Hypermarkets and Supermarkets1.3.3 Independent Retailers1.3.4 Convenience Stores1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Gluten-Free Bread Products (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Gluten-Free Bread Products Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Gluten-Free Bread Products Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Gluten-Free Bread Products Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion.. @@ ContinuedAbout Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of software market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com Plays Hindutva card with rallies planned in Ayodhya, Varanasi. Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has planned to create a 'Hindutva' stir across the country, seeking to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by aggressively raising the issue of building a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. As part of Shiv Sena's initiative, which is aimed at targeting the BJP as well as launching Uddhav Thackerays leadership outside Maharashtra, thousands of Shiv Sena workers and Hindutva activists will go to Ayodhya and Varanasi along with the party chief. The Sena is also planning big rallies in Ayodhya and Varanasi. On the occasion of Mr Thackeray's birthday on Friday, his secretary Milind Narvekar put up hoardings in Dadar and Bandra with the call of Chalo Varanasi, Chalo Ayodhya. He had expressed his desire to visit Varanasi for Ganga pooja and visit Ayodhya for the darshan of Ram lalla. With an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the Sena wants to make the Hindutva agenda a priority to corner the BJP, said sources. Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that Mr Thackeray may speak on the Ram Mandir issue when he goes to Ayodhya. It has been more than 25 years since the BJP gave call for the construction of Ram Mandir. The party has come to power twice after that, but there has been no progress on Ram Mandir. We will see if we can carry out kar seva when Uddhavji goes to Ayodhya, he said. The Sena is also expecting support from organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Rashtriya Swaymasevak Sangh and the Bajrang Dal on the issue. After Mr Thackeray recently announced his plan to visit Ayodhyas Ram Mandir and Varanasi for Ganga Aarti, he has been receiving phone calls from Hindutvavadi leaders across the country extending their support to him, said sources. Many such leaders and workers are ready to join Mr Thackeray said a senior Shiv Sena leader. Now, Mr Thackeray wants to take on a leadership role on the Hindutva issue at the national level and has planned his rallies accordingly. The rallies are likely to take place in October-November, said sources. Taking pot shots at the Sena chiefs proposed visit to Ayodhya, former chief minister Narayan Rane, who is now BJP's ally, said, Mr Thackeray should wear saffron clothes and go to the Himalayas. It is little ahead of Ayodhya and Varanasi. Though the Sena is an ally of the National Democratic alliance, a partner in the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state, it has declared that it will go solo in the upcoming elections. Mr Thackeray and Mr Raut have been regularly slamming the PM and the CM. Food Processing Equipment Market Overview 2018: Demand by Regions, Growth, Trends and Forecasts to 2023 Research for Markets https://www.researchformarkets.com/sample/global-food-processing-equipment-market-84515 https://www.researchformarkets.com/reports/global-food-processing-equipment-market-84515 https://www.researchformarkets.com/buy-now/global-food-processing-equipment-market-84515/one Food processing equipment helps to transform the raw food ingredients in to food items through various physical and chemical means. Food processing equipment are available in various categories which includes dryers, chillers, fryers, feeders, mixers, grinders, roasters, homogenizers, separators, slicers and ovens. These foods processing equipment are used in various industries including dairy industry, industrial bakery, poultry farm, seafood industry, chocolate manufacturing unit, confectionery, beverage industry, milk, fruit, nut, and vegetable industry. Stainless steel is one of the main elements, which is widely used in the food processing equipment. 304SS and 316SS are two most common types of alloys of stainless steel, which are used in food processing equipment.Get Free Sample Copy of Report atCompany Coverage (Sales Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Main Products etc.): GEA Group, Buhler AG, Marel, Ali SpA, JBT, Meyer Industries, Satake Corporation, Haas, Heat and Control, Baader Group, Bucher Industries, Haarslev Industries, Rheon Automatic Machinery, BMA, Sinmag Bakery Machine, Mecatherm, Nichimo, Tomra Systems, Risco SpA, Key Technology, Pavan Srl, MIWE, Baker Perkins, Atlas Pacific Engineering, Hosokawa Micron, Mallet & Company, Briggs and Wenger.Application Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Different Demand Market by Region, Main Consumer Profile etc.): Food processing plants Restaurants OthersRegion Coverage (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries etc.): North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East & AfricaProduct Type Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.): Frozen Food Processing Machinery Bakery and pasta Processing Machinery Meat Processing Machinery OthersThe report begins from overview of Industry Chain structure, and describes industry environment, then analyses market size and forecast of Food Processing Equipment by product, region and application, in addition, this report introduces market competition situation among the vendors and company profile, besides, market price analysis and value chain features are covered in this report.Browse Complete Report atReason to Buy- Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global Food Processing Equipment market- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Food Processing Equipment market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.Place Direct Purchase Order of Food Processing Equipment Market atNote: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Contact Info:Name: Research For MarketsEmail: alan.naidu@researchformarkets.comPhone: +44 8000-4182-37Research For Markets indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. We have established the pillars of our flourishing institute on the grounds of Credibility and Reliability. RFM delve into the markets across Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Middle East And Africa.Level 21, Dashwood House69 Old Broad StreetLondon EC2M 1QS, United Kingdom Calcium nitrate market for fertilizers to grow over 4.5% CAGR to 2024. https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/848 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/848 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/Calcium-nitrate-market https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/Calcium-nitrate-market https://www.gminsights.com http://algosonline.com/news Calcium Nitrate Market size is poised reach USD 12.6 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Global calcium nitrate market size is mainly driven by escalating gain crop demand globally. Rising populations is anticipated to complement food demand substantially. These factors will drive fertilizers demand significantly in order to increase the crop yield.The product is extensively used in fertilizers for wheat, corn and soybeans. These crops are experiencing high demand in the recent years; for instance, in 2008, the overall wheat production was approximately 680 million tons and was close to 720 million tons in 2015. Farmers will need to upscale crop yield by more than 15% over the forecast timeframe to meet the increasing food grain demand, this will create industry growth opportunities for fertilizers.Strong wastewater treatment industry outlook is another growth prospect for the global calcium nitrate market size over the forecast timeframe. The product is widely to control suspended solid residue and prevent in spreading harmful virus, bacteria and protozoa. Robust industrialization has subsequently decreased the clean water resources.Request for a sample of this research report @Wastewater disposal is relatively high in China, India, Brazil and Mexico die to inclining industrialization in these countries. In 2008, the wastewater treatment business in these countries was valued at over 3 billion and was close to USD 7 billion in 2015. Stern environmental legislations across the globe towards wastewater disposal accompanied with various hazards synced with polluted water will positively influence the industry growth by 2024.The product possesses hygroscopic characteristics and absorbs atmospheric moisture. Hence, the product based fertilizers are not desirable for land with insufficient water. Also, these fertilizers have the tendency to melt within the transportation bags, making it inappropriate for long distribution during the monsoon and it also reduces the product shelf life. The product transportation is strictly directed and controlled by government authority and is classified as a hazardous product. These factors are likely to restrict the global calcium nitrate market size by 2024. However, increasing product usage in construction material including concrete and explosives will boost industry growth.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @Global calcium nitrate market size is set to reach USD 12.6 billion by 2024, with projected gains at above 5% CAGR.Calcium nitrate market size for fertilizers could experience over 4.5% gains by 2024. Nitrogen is the main constituent of calcium nitrate fertilizers, which helps the plants in absorbing vital soil nutrients. It also the helps in increasing the flowers retention ability of plants.In 2015, calcium nitrate market share for concrete manufacturing generated revenue more than USD 900 million. It is used to enhance the concrete characteristics and is ideal across construction sites were immediate concrete setting is required.In 2015, North America, dominated by the U.S., was valued at over USD 1.5 billion. The product is widely used in the explosives industry owing to boost regional calcium nitrate market size.Asia Pacific, led by China, India, and Indonesia, dominated the global calcium nitrate market share in 2015. The growth was principally attributed to the robust industrialization and escalating construction.In 2015, the global calcium nitrate market was highly fragmented. The product manufacturer contributing the business share are Shanxi Jiaocheng Tianlong Chemical Industry, Agrium, Haifa, Rural Liquid Fertilizers, Sterling Chemicals, Uralchem Holding and Yara International ASA.Browse key industry insights spread across 112 pages with 89 market data tables & 12 figures & charts from the report, Calcium Nitrate Market Size By Application (Fertilizers, Wastewater Treatment Chemicals, Concrete Manufacturing, Explosives) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, GCC) Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Chapter 4. Calcium Nitrate Industry Application Insights4.1. Global calcium nitrate market share by application, 2015 & 20244.2. Fertilizers4.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.2.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 20244.3. Wastewater treatment chemicals4.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.3.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.4. Concrete manufacturing4.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 20244.5. Explosives4.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 20244.5. Others4.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 2024Browse Full TOC @About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Supercapacitor Market Competitive Landscape and Industry Expansion Strategies By 2026 Coherent Market Insights https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/1145 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/supercapacitor-market-1145 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/1145 A super-capacitor also called as ultra-capacitor has a high capacity and capacitance as compared to conventional capacitors. It is capable of storing 10 to 100 times more energy per unit volume than electrolytic capacitor. Supercapacitor acts as a bridge between capacitors and rechargeable batteries. It is used for power regulation in batteries. Super-capacitors are used in application where faster charging and discharging is required, owing to its property of low impedance. These applications includes cars, trains, buses, and elevators, where it can be utilized for regenerative braking and storage of energy for short period of time. Other major application is wind turbines in which supercapacitors are responsible for smoothing out the discontinuous power supplied by the wind.Download PDF Brochure of this Report @Advancements in consumer electronic technology is major factor driving growth of the global super-capacitor market, owing to increasing adoption of smart, sustainable, and convenient devices. For instance, smartphones and laptops require longer electric power backup, which is fulfilled by super-capacitors. For instance, according to Coherent Market Insights analysis, in 2016, around 350 units of mobile devices were sold globally, which accounted for an increase of over 3.7% from 2015. Revenue generated by smartphone devices accounted for over 70% sales of the global mobile devices in 2016.However, high cost of materials associated with manufacturing of supercapicator is major restrain for growth the global super-capacitor market. For instance, graphene is most commonly used in supercapacitor as electrolytes, which is more expensive than activated carbon and lithium ion batteries.Supercapacitor Market TaxonomyOn the basis of type, the global supercapacitor market is segmented into: Double-Layer Capacitor Pseudocapacitors Hybrid CapacitorsOn the basis of materials, the global supercapacitor market is segmented into: Electrolyte Electrodes SeparatorsOn the basis of end-user industry, the global supercapacitor market is segmented into: Consumer Electronics Industrial Automotive Energy Medical Aerospace and DefenseBrowse Complete Report @Asia Pacific market is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR over the forecast period (2017 2025). This is due to presence of major key players in this region such as Panasonic Corporation (Japan), Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Nesscap Co., Ltd. (China). Rapid technological advancements in automotive sector is expected to boost the market growth. For instance, according to the International Energy Agencys Global EV Outlook, China was largest market for electric vehicles in 2016, accounting for sell of over 40% of the electric cars worldwide, which includes over 200 million electric two-wheelers and over 300,000 electric buses. Supercapacitors are significantly used in electric and hybrid vehicles for short-term energy storage and brake reforming, which in turn is fueling growth of the market in this region.Major players operating in the global supercapacitor market include Cap-XX Limited, Panasonic Corporation, Nesscap Energy Inc., Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Maxwell Technologies, Inc., Skeleton Technologies, Axion Power International, Inc., Graphene Laboratories, Inc., Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation, Mouser Electronics, Inc., AVX Corporation, Evans Capacitor Company, and SPEL Technologies Private Limited.Get Discount on this Report @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Global Appendicitis Market Report 2018/23 [Consists 206 Pages with Tables and Figures] Market Research Future https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5287 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/5287 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/5287 Inflammation of the appendix is known as appendicitis. Abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, fever, and abdominal tenderness are common symptoms of appendicitis. The condition can be diagnosed by imaging test such as abdominal X-ray, ultrasonography, CT scan, and laparoscopy. CT scan is found to be more accurate than ultrasound examination for detecting acute appendicitis. If the condition is untreated, it many lead to perforation of the appendix, and infectious fluids many spill into the abdominal cavity. This can lead to peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal cavity's lining which may be fatal.Rising demand for diagnostic and treatment options of appendicitis, and increasing prevalence of appendicitis are the major driver for the growth of appendicitis market across the globe. The market is also accelerated due to the growth of medical device industry in developed regions. The U.S. product differentiation is another important factor fuelling the market growth. Additionally, the key players in the market are focusing on strategies such as acquisition, partnerships, product development, and others.In the U.S., one in 20 people is diagnosed with appendicitis. The condition is found to be rare under age 2 and most common between ages 10 and 30.The global appendicitis market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 64 market data tables and figures spread over 86 pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Appendicitis Market Research ReportGlobal Forecast to 2023.Get Exclusive Sample Copy of Appendicitis Market: @Global Appendicitis Market: Leading PlayersSiemens (U.S.), General Electric Company (U.S.), Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Japan), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Japan), Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. (U.S.), Pfizer (U.S.), Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Japan), and others.Intended Audience: Medical Device Manufacturers Medical Device Suppliers Medical Research Laboratories Research and Development (R&D) Companies Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Potential InvestorsGlobal Appendicitis Market: SegmentationThe global appendicitis market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnosis, treatment, and end user. On the basis of type, the market is segmented into acute, and chronic appendicitis.On the basis of diagnosis, the market is segmented into physical examination, White Blood Cell count, urinalysis, and imaging test. Imaging Test is further segmented into abdominal X-ray, ultrasonography, CT scan, laparoscopy, and others On the basis of treatment, the market is segmented antibiotics, appendectomy, and others. On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, and others.Global Appendicitis Market: Regional AnalysisConsidering the global scenario of the gall bladder treatment market, there are four main regions: America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.America accounts for the largest market share owing to the rising prevalence of acute appendicitis. Presence of major medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, well-developed healthcare industry also determine the market growth. America consists of two regions namely, North America and South America. North America holds the major market share owing to the rising awareness about prevalence of appendicitis among children and adults, and availability of emergency diagnostic services. Additionally, increasing healthcare expenditure by the developed economies such as the U.S is another important factor for fuelling the growth of the market in Americas.Europe holds the second largest market share in global appendicitis market. Germany, France and the U.K are the major contributors to the Europe appendicitis market owing to increasing demand for the technological advanced diagnostic devices, and overall growth of healthcare sector. Pharmaceutical companies are engaged in research and development activities for the development of new drugs for appendicitis, which further fuels the growth of the market.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market increasing geriatric population, and introduction of new & advanced diagnostic options such as CT scan, and rising demand for specialty healthcare services in regions such as India have fuelled the market growth. Additionally, mergers, acquisitions, partnership, and other strategic approaches by key players in the market also fuels the market.The Middle East & Africa account for the lowest share in the global appendicitis owing to steady but positive growth of healthcare sector form last few years. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have well known specialty care centers for the treatment for chronic diseases, which will further determine the progress of healthcare industry. Moreover, developed healthcare infrastructure, government support and increasing healthcare expenditure in the Middle Eastern countries fuels the market growth. In Africa, there is an increasing demand for primary care services including diagnostic services for chronic diseases.Avail Amazing Discount on Report @Major Table Of Content Of Appendicitis Market1. Report Prologue2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentTOC Continue.Ask any Queries to our Experts @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No-528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Americas Suture Needles Market Dynamic Growth by 2025 - 3M, Roboz Surgical Instrument Co., Ethicon US, LLC. And Many Suture Needles Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/577 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/577 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/577 Americas Suture Needles Market - Regional AnalysisOn the basis of region, the Americas suture needles market is divided into North America and South America. North America consists of the U.S and Canada. It is the largest market of suture needles, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Get Sample Report @Increasing demand for outpatient surgeries and the increasing number of bariatric and ophthalmic surgeries in hospitals favour the growth of this market in the US. Maintaining an adequate supply of surgical equipment is particularly important to cope up with the rising demand for the surgeries. Use of advance technology in the manufacturing of surgical equipment is also increasing the growth of the market.North America is experiencing rapid growth due to increasing demand for blunt point needles and tapercut needles owing to increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes.South America exhibits an increase in the demand for suture needles, which are required for laparoscopic surgeries.Americas Suture Needles Market - Key Players3M (U.S.), Roboz Surgical Instrument Co. (U.S.), Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC (U.S.), TNI medical AG (Germany), Ethicon US, LLC. (U.S), Dealmed Medical Supplies LLC (U.S.), Karl Hammacher (Germany), H&H Medical Corporation (U.S.), Stryker Corporation (U.S.), BD (U.S.), Allen Medical Systems (U.S.), and Leica Microsystems Inc.(U.S.).Americas Suture Needles Market - Intended AudienceSuture needles manufacturersSuture needles SuppliersResearch and development (R&D) companiesMedical research laboratoriesAcademic medical institutes and universitiesAmericas Suture Needles Market - OverviewVarious types of suture needles used in number of surgical procedures, which are made of steel, have blunt or sharp points, and can be curved or straightened. Available as round-bodied needles, they pierce and spread the tissues with minimal cutting. They are used to easily penetrate tissues like peritoneum and abdominal viscera. Blunt and round body needles are used to dissect through friable tissues like liver and kidney. The primary use of needle is to pass through tough tissues with minimal trauma and tissue reactions. The Americas Suture Needles Market is expected to grow at a steady CAGR of 6.5% during the forecasted period.Get Discount on Report @Different types of needles are required for a particular surgical procedure, which increase their demand in hospitals. Moreover, most surgeons prefer specific types of needles based on their application, for instance, needles required for suturing after laparoscopic and bariatric surgery are different from those required for an ophthalmic surgery. The increasing number of surgeries will boost the market growth.On the other hand, many healthcare professionals have started using surgical staplers for suturing especially in super specialty hospitals and tertiary care centres, which may reduce the demand for suture needles over the review period.Americas Suture Needles Market SegmentationThe Americas suture needles market is segmented on the basis of type of needle, needle end type, and end user.On the basis of type of needle, the market is segmented into round bodied needle, blunt point needle, reverse cutting needle, conventional cutting needle, spatula needle, tapercut needle, and others.On the basis of needle end type, it is segmented into eyed and eyeless.On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into hospital, clinics, ambulatory surgical centres and others.Major Table of ContentChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market DynamicsContinued.To Know More Enquire @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market: Global Key Players Profile - IBM, Oracle, Red Hat, Software AG, K2, WNS Global Services, ONIT INC., AuraPortal http://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-business-process-management-bpm-real-estate-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-business-process-management-bpm-real-estate-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-business-process-management-bpm-real-estate-market/ http://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-business-process-management-bpm-real-estate-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/geotechnical-instrumentation-monitoring-market/ Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market 2018 Global Industry Research report provides in depth study of using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization. The study provides forecast and estimates market for each product in terms of revenue and volume during the forecast period.The Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market accounted for USD 435.3 million in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 25.1% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.For In depth Information Get Free Sample Copy of this Report@Complete report on Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market Research Report 2017-2024 spread across 350 Pages, profiling Top companies and supports with tables and figuresKey Questions Answered in Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market Report:-Our Report offers:- What will the market growth rate, Overview and Analysis by Type of Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market in 2024? What are the key factors driving, Analysis by Applications and Countries Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market? What are Dynamics, This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, and price analysis of top Vendors Profiles of Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market? Who are Opportunities, Risk and Driving Force of Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market? Who are the opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market? Business Overview by Type, Applications, Gross Margin and Market Share What are the Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Market?Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market By Geography, Component (Solutions {Automation, Content & Document Management, Monitoring & Optimization, Integration, Process Improvement}, Services {System Integration, Consulting, Training & Education}); Deployment Type (On-Premises, Cloud) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Request for Detailed TOC:Major market Drivers and Restraints: Improvement in the efficiency of business operations Big data and cloud to enhance efficiency of BPM software Huge initial investments in organizing the BPM suitesTop Key Players: IBM Corporation Oracle Red Hat, Inc. Software AG k2 AMP Onit, Inc. BP Logix Auraportal NTrust Infotech, Inc. Eximius BPO CONET WNS (Holdings) Ltd Meridian Systems, Inc. and others.For more insightful information visit@Customize report of "Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market" as per customers requirement also available.Market Segmentations:Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate Market is segmented on the basis of Component Deployment Model GeographyMarket Segmentations in Details:On the basis of Component into solutions, and services.On the basis of Deployment Model, the global business process management (BPM) in real estate market is segmented into on-premises, and cloud.On the basis of Geography, North America South America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East & AfricaCompetitive Landscape: Global Business Process Management (BPM) in Real Estate MarketThe report for global business process management (BPM) in real estate market include detailed vendor level analysis for market shares in 2016 for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Also impact and development analysis of key vendors is registered in the market and factored on the basis of Vendor Positioning Grid Analysis which measures the vendors strengths and opportunities against present market challenges, measure providers ability to identify or satisfy present market needs, map providers market vision to current and upcoming market dynamics among others. The report also measures technology life line curve and market time line to analyze and do more affective investments.Speak to Author of the report @Other ReportGlobal Geotechnical Instrumentation & Monitoring Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Geotechnical Instrumentation & Monitoring Market, By Geography; Offering (Hardware, Software, Services); Structure (Tunnels Bridges, Buildings Utilities, Dams); Technology (Wired Networking Technology, Wireless Technology); Application (Pore Water Pressure, Soil Stresses, Lateral Deformation, Vertical Deformation), End-Users (Building, Infrastructure, Energy, Power, Oil, Gas, Mining) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Automotive Active Safety System Global Market 2018 Key Country Forecast To 2023: Bosch, Continental, Delphi, Autoliv, Hyundai, Valeo, DENSO, Magna, FLIR, Infineon, Ficosa, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Borg Warner, And CAx software https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5469 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-active-safety-system-market-5469 Automotive Active Safety System Market 2018 - Global Forecast To 2023, is latest research report on Automotive Active Safety System Industry, published by Market Research Future, Global Automotive Active Safety System Market is to grow at 10.65% CAGR from 2018 to 2023. Report provides Automotive Active Safety System Global Market Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity Analysis, and Regional historical and forecast data.Automotive Active Safety System Industry is segmented by Product (Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Night Vision System, Driver Monitoring, Anti-Lock Braking System And Blind Spot Detection), Occupant Type (Driver, Passenger, Child, and Pedestrian), Vehicle Type (Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle), and region.Automotive Active Safety System Market Key Companies Analyzed In This Research Report Are:Bosch (Germany), Continental (Germany), Delphi Technologies (U.K.), ZF Friedrichshafen (Germany), Autoliv (Sweden), Hyundai Mobis (South Korea), Valeo (France), DENSO (Japan), Magna International (Canada), FLIR Systems (U.S.), Infineon Technologies (Germany), Ficosa International S.A. (Spain), PSA Peugeot Citroen (France), Borg Warner Inc.(U.S.), CAx software (India).Get Sample Report on Automotive Active Safety System Market Research Report Global Forecast to 2023 at:Automotive Active Safety System Global Market Highlights:The Automotive Active Safety System increases the vehicle safety and enhance the driving experience of the driver. The system is combination of software that allows to alert the driver about the problems that is going to occur. There are different active safety systems that are installed in the vehicle which includes automated lighting, adaptive cruise control, automate braking, incorporate traffic warnings, connect to smartphones, alert driver to other cars or dangers, and among others. The increase adoption of active safety technologies will result in the growth of the market during the forecast period. The stringent government regulation have resulted the OEMs to install different safety systems in the vehicle to mitigate the risk of accident. OEMs such as Bosch, Continental, Delphi Technologies, ZF Friedrichshafen are focusing on the development of active safety system in order to be upfront in the competitive environment. The presence of the strong automotive players in the active safety system will result in growing demand for the active safety system in the vehicles. This increase in demand will result in the growth of the market during the forecast period.The factors that are responsible for the growth of automotive active safety system are growing production of vehicles, increase in stringent government regulations for safety, and among others. The growing production of passenger and commercial vehicles have led to increase in demand for active safety system. The increase in demand for active safety system will result in the growth of the market during the forecast period. Government is mainly focusing on the standard that will lead to increased safety of the driver. The increased safety of the drivers will result in many OEMs to develop parts that provide high strength and guide the driver by using latest safety technologies. The increase in demand for the safety technologies will result in increased use of active safety system in the vehicles. This will lead to the growth of the market during the forecast period.Automotive Active Safety System Market Segmentation:This study provides an overview of the global automotive active safety system market, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global Automotive Active Safety Systems market by its product, occupant type vehicle type, and regionBy Product:Tyre-Pressure Monitoring SystemLane Departure WarningAdaptive Cruise ControlNight Vision SystemDriver MonitoringAnti-Lock Braking SystemBlind Spot DetectionBy Occupant Type:DriverPassengerChildPedestrianBy Vehicle Type:Passenger CarCommercial VehicleBy Region:North AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the WorldAutomotive Active Safety System Market Regional Analysis:By region, the market is segmented based on North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and, Rest of the World. Asia Pacific region is expected to dominate the Automotive Active Safety System market during the forecast period due increase in the production of passenger and commercial vehicle in emerging nation such as India, China, and Japan. The increase in production of vehicles will result in increased use of safety technology for better safety of the drivers. This growing safety technology will result in the growth of active safety system market in future. North America is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period due to increase in demand for the new vehicles which will enable the growth of the auto components suppliers. This will lead to increased use of active safety system for the auto components supplier.Major Table of Content:1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2 SCOPE OF THE REPORT2.1 MARKET DEFINITION2.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY2.2.1 DEFINITION2.2.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE2.2.3 ASSUMPTIONS2.2.4 LIMITATIONS2.3 RESEARCH PROCESS2.3.1 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3.2 SECONDARY RESEARCH2.4 MARKET SIZE ESTIMATION2.5 FORECAST MODEL3 MARKET LANDSCAPE3.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS3.1.1 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS3.1.3 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERSBARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS3.1.4 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES3.1.5 SEGMENT RIVALRY3.2 VALUE CHAIN/SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS4 MARKET DYNAMICS4.1 INTRODUCTION4.2 MARKET DRIVERS4.3 MARKET RESTRAINTS4.4 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES4.5 MARKET TRENDSContinuedBrowse More on This Report At:About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312sales@marketresearchfuture.com Biometrics Market 2024 Key Information by Top Key Player BIO Key International, David Link, EyeVerfiy, Iris ID, and NEC Corporation https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/568784/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/568784/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog/ MarketStudyReport.com offers 2017 report on global Biometrics market that evaluates industry growth trends through historical data and estimates future prospects based on comprehensive research. The report extensively provides the market share, growth, trends and forecasts for the period 2017-2024.Biometrics Market size is estimated to surpass USD 50 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.High acceptance among various verticals including mobile banking and financial services owing to rising security concerns has enhanced biometrics market size. Government initiatives for biometrics implementation coupled with high deployment for criminal identification will remain the key factors driving industry demand.Industry players focus on technological advancements and new product launches to cater to the customer requirements. Benefits offered including provision of precise and accurate validation as compared to traditional validation methods such as PINs and ID cards, are anticipated to increase the industry penetration across the globe till 2024.Increased smartphone penetration coupled with expansion of consumer electronics will favor the biometrics market share over the forecast timeframe. In addition, rising investment in military & defense due to authentication concerns is anticipated to offer high growth potential. Multimodal biometrics system is an emerging trend in public and private work space for stringent attendance recording purposes. However, high implementation cost and stored data uncertainty may hamper industry growth over the forecast timeframe.Non-AFIS will account for the highest biometrics market share, surpassing USD 18 billion till 2024. This can be attributed to its high usage in various applications which include cashless vending and workforce management. Moreover, it finds use in various public areas that assure keyless entry and efficient security. Iris recognition will exhibit over 20% CAGR owing to wide integration of iris scanners mainly in smartphones.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:North America biometrics market is expected to account for more than 30% share till 2024. Rising demand from government & security sector in U.S. coupled with the presence of major industry participants will escalate the industry growth. Moreover, favorable regulatory landscape in the U.S will help in fostering the industry demand. Asia Pacific is poised to grow at the highest CAGR owing to various government initiatives in the countries including China and India. National enrollment program (UIDAI Aadhar) in India, and China Resident Identity Card (CRIC) are among the implementation examples across the region.Global industry share is highly fragmented with various participants across the globe. BIO Key International, David Link, EyeVerfiy, Iris ID, and NEC Corporation are among the prominent players in the biometrics market. Other notable players include Lockheed Martin, Green Bit Biometric Systems, FaceFirst, ZKTeco, and 3M Cogent.Industry players focus on adoption of strategies including strategic alliances and partnerships to strengthen their position. For instance, in July 2017, Iris ID entered into a strategic partnership with Tongrentang for high revenue generation.Request a sample of this premium report at:Table of Content:Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope1.1. Methodology1.1.1. Initial data exploration1.1.2. Statistical model and forecast1.1.3. Industry insights and validation1.1.4. Scope, definition and forecast parameters1.2. Data Sources1.2.1. Primary1.2.2. SecondaryChapter 2. Executive Summary2.1. Biometrics industry 360 degree synopsis, 2013 - 20242.1.1. Business trends2.1.2. Product trends2.1.3. Application trends2.1.4. Regional trendsChapter 3. Biometrics Industry Insights3.1. Industry segmentation3.2. Industry landscape, 2013 - 20243.3. Industry ecosystem analysis3.3.1. Distribution channel analysis3.3.2. Vendor matrix3.4. Technology & innovation landscape3.5. Regulatory landscape3.5.1. U.S.3.5.2. E3.5.3. China3.6. Industry impact forces3.6.1. Growth drivers3.6.1.1. Rising security concerns3.6.1.2. North America3.6.1.2.1. Strong demand from government secto3.6.1.2.2. Compulsion of e-visas and e-passports for new applicants3.6.1.3. Europe3.6.1.3.1. Rapid technological advancements3.6.1.3.2. Wide usage in military & ITAbout Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWeb site:Blog: Digital Magazine Publishing Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2025: Top Key vendors American Media, Bloomberg, Forbes, Hearst Digital Magazine Publishing Market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1269112-global-digital-magazine-publishing-market-2 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1269112-global-digital-magazine-publishing-market-2 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1269112 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1269112-global-digital-magazine-publishing-market-2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/ https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/ https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NidhiBhawsar-SEO_Expert?rel=author HTF MI recently introduced Global Digital Magazine Publishing Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Advance Publication, American Media, Bloomberg, Forbes, Hearst, Meredith, New York Media, Pamela Drucker Mann, Rodale, TEN: The Enthusiast Network, The Newsweek Daily Beast, Time, Trusted Media Brands & Wenner Media etc.Request Sample of Global Digital Magazine Publishing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @:A digital magazine refers to a magazine that is published on the Internet. These are preferred by a greater proportion of readers due to their ease of access, cheaper subscription costs, and eco-friendliness compared to their printed counterparts.Rapid growth in programmatic advertising is a prominent trend in the market. The growing adoption of digital magazines provides a broad platform for digital advertisers. Programmatic advertising helps advertisers create and measure the effectiveness of mobile display ads to understand and cater to an individual's areas of interest. As advertising is a primary source of revenue for digital magazines, these advertisements will generate substantial revenue during the forecast period.The global digital magazine publishing market is highly competitive due to the presence of numerous manufacturers. Intense competition, consumer spending pattern, demographic trends, and frequent changes in consumer preferences present a significant risk to manufacturers. manufacturers compete on the basis of digital content, app availability, product differentiation, portfolio, and pricing. This competition is expected to intensify during the forecast period with an increase in product extensions.In 2017, the global Digital Magazine Publishing market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx% during 2018-2025.This report studies the Global Digital Magazine Publishing market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Digital Magazine Publishing market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Digital Magazine Publishing Market by Type (Digital consumer magazine & Digital trade magazine), by End-Users/Application (Fashion, Sports, Health, Lifestyle, Travel, Technology, Interior decorating, Business & Home economics), Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.Enquire for customization in Report @Competitive Analysis:The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Advance Publication, American Media, Bloomberg, Forbes, Hearst, Meredith, New York Media, Pamela Drucker Mann, Rodale, TEN: The Enthusiast Network, The Newsweek Daily Beast, Time, Trusted Media Brands & Wenner Media includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Market Segments:The Global Digital Magazine Publishing Market has been divided into type, application, and region.On The Basis Of Type: Digital consumer magazine & Digital trade magazine.On The Basis Of Application: Fashion, Sports, Health, Lifestyle, Travel, Technology, Interior decorating, Business & Home economicsOn The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Digital Magazine Publishing in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}Buy Single User License of Global Digital Magazine Publishing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @Have a look at some extracts from Table of ContentIntroduction about Global Digital Magazine PublishingGlobal Digital Magazine Publishing Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017Digital Magazine Publishing Market by Application/End UsersGlobal Digital Magazine Publishing Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Fashion, Sports, Health, Lifestyle, Travel, Technology, Interior decorating, Business & Home economics]Global Digital Magazine Publishing Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)Digital Magazine Publishing Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and ApplicationDigital Magazine Publishing (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.Global Digital Magazine Publishing Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales DataAdditionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturersMarket Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include Digital consumer magazine & Digital trade magazineDigital Magazine Publishing Manufacturing Cost AnalysisDigital Magazine Publishing Key Raw Materials AnalysisDigital Magazine Publishing Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain AnalysisMarket Forecast (2018-2023)........and more in complete table of ContentsBrowse for Full Report at:Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at Whiskey Market to witness astonishing growth | Key Vendors- Boundary Oak Distillery, Kirin Brewery, Michter's Distillery Whiskey Market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1045781-global-whiskey-market-10 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1045781-global-whiskey-market-10 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1045781 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1045781-global-whiskey-market-10 https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/ https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/ https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NidhiBhawsar-SEO_Expert?rel=author HTF MI recently introduced Global Whiskey Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Diageo, Gruppo Campari, Heaven Hill, Alexandrion Grup Romania, Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling, Barrel House Distilling, Boone County Distilling, Boundary Oak Distillery, Kirin Brewery, Michter's Distillery, Sazerac & Willett Distillery etc.Request Sample of Global Whiskey Market Professional Survey Report 2018 @:The global Whiskey market is valued at million US$ in 2017 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2018-2025.This report studies the Global Whiskey market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Whiskey market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Whiskey Market by Type (Scotch whisky, American Whisky, Irish Whiskey & Canadian Whisky), by End-Users/Application (Bars & Resturant, Liquor Stores, Supermarkets, Mini Markets & Online Stores), Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.Enquire for customization in Report @Competitive Analysis:The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Diageo, Gruppo Campari, Heaven Hill, Alexandrion Grup Romania, Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling, Barrel House Distilling, Boone County Distilling, Boundary Oak Distillery, Kirin Brewery, Michter's Distillery, Sazerac & Willett Distillery includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Market Segments:The Global Whiskey Market has been divided into type, application, and region.On The Basis Of Type: Scotch whisky, American Whisky, Irish Whiskey & Canadian Whisky.On The Basis Of Application: Bars & Resturant, Liquor Stores, Supermarkets, Mini Markets & Online StoresOn The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Whiskey in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}Buy Single User License of Global Whiskey Market Professional Survey Report 2018 @Have a look at some extracts from Table of ContentIntroduction about Global WhiskeyGlobal Whiskey Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017Whiskey Market by Application/End UsersGlobal Whiskey Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Bars & Resturant, Liquor Stores, Supermarkets, Mini Markets & Online Stores]Global Whiskey Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)Whiskey Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and ApplicationWhiskey (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.Global Whiskey Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales DataAdditionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturersMarket Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include Scotch whisky, American Whisky, Irish Whiskey & Canadian WhiskyWhiskey Manufacturing Cost AnalysisWhiskey Key Raw Materials AnalysisWhiskey Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain AnalysisMarket Forecast (2018-2023)........and more in complete table of ContentsBrowse for Full Report at:Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at On the other hand, prime minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah also extended their birthday greetings to the Shiv Sena leader. Mumbai: In an unprecedented development, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday received a warm birthday greeting from Congress president Rahul Gandhi, which set political tongues wagging in Maharashtra. On the other hand, prime minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah also extended their birthday greetings to the Shiv Sena leader. Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackerayji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always, Mr Gandhi in an early-bird tweet, sent the Sena in a tizzy. This move could be an indication of what the future may hold, feel experts. Even though thousands of people wished Mr Thackeray on his birthday, it was the message from Rahul Gandhi that was the most special for him. This was the first time in the history that any national leader of Congress party has extended pleasantries to the Shiv Sena leader, who the Congress has always kept at an arm's distance. This is a phase of new bonhomie between the Congress and Shiv Sena in the last couple of years. In fact, there was an attempt to topple the BJP government in the state last year by bringing Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP together. However, the Shiv Sena backed out from it because it did not trust the NCP. Congress is trying to form an anti-BJP alliance across the country. However, a senior Congress leader said that a direct alliance with the Shiv Sena may prove counter-productive for the Congress. We can have some kind of strategic understanding with the Shiv Sena, but cannot afford to be seen to be allied with them, he said. The Shiv Sena has also declared that it would go solo in the 2019 elections. The Shiv Sena leadership has been praising Rahul Gandhi on several occasions recently, the most recent being the incident when Rahul Gandhi hugged Mr Modi in Parliament. Leaders across political parties including Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Mr Thackeray. "Birthday wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of society," Modi, who is in South Africa for the BRICS Summit, tweeted. The BJP has been trying its best to convince Shiv Sena not to leave the NDA. BJP President Amit Shah called Mr Thackeray on his birthday for a few minutes. However, Shiv Sena leaders are saying that, there was no political discussion between the two. Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, who is a close confidante of Mr Shah, also personally visited Thackeray's residence 'Matoshri' to wish him. Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is also trying to build an anti-BJP front at the national level, extended her greetings via twitter. "Wishing Uddhav Thackeray ji a very happy birthday," she wrote. Bromacil Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2018-2027 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=686 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=686 www.factmr.com/ www.linkedin.com/company/factmr/ Fact.MR has published a new report on the global bromacil market. In-depth analysis on the global trends that hold significant influence over the market growth during the forecast period of 2018 2027 is included in the report. Global agricultural outlook, demand for higher productivity, dearth of farm labor, and environmental toxicity associated with the use of bramocil are few of the important factors impacting future demand for the herbicides including bromacil.Request Brochure of The Report:Initially registered as a pesticide in 1961, bramocil is now commercially available as herbicide compounds. Majorly applied to control range of grass and broadleaf weed species, bromacil is used to control weeds in the fields of pineapple, citrus, asparagus, and agave.Commercially available as granule, soluble concentrate or wettable powder, bromacil is sprayed on the soil surface using sprayers that are hand-held, knapsack, compressed air, tank-type or power operated. From the soil, bromacil is absorbed through roots and spread throughout the plant. Mode of action involves interference in the process of photosynthesis by inhibiting transport of photosynthetic electrons.By 2050, the global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion. A two-fold rise in the cereal crop production is expected to feed this increased population. This has generated pressure on the agricultural community to deliver higher productivity. However, to increase the productivity, farmers face variety of challenges including protecting plants from diseases, maintaining crop quality, resource constraints, and financial support. To overcome these challenges and achieve higher productivity, farmers are adopting modern farming methods such as use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Thus, demand for herbicides including bromacil is projected to increase in future owing to increased pressure of productivity.In developing agriculture-driven countries utilization of herbicides is higher due to rising shortage of hand-weeding labor. Research studies have observed that use of weedicides or regular removal of weeds can lead to increased use of fertilizers and further increase the crop yield. Although hand weeding is more economical, increased farm wages due to consistent economic growth has favored adoption of herbicides in agricultural fields. Further, overall economic growth has created non-farm employment opportunities which are, in turn, reducing the available labor, and increasing the adoption of weedicides or herbicides. Benefits of bromacil such as affordability and application flexibility make the herbicide popular in the farmer community.Synthetic chemicals used in the agricultural community have been consistently discussed due to their toxic effects on the environment. Fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals might increase the productivity in volumes, however, they present significant threat to environment, farmers, and other animals. Unwise use of herbicides has been a common approach practiced by farmers. Costa Rica, in 2017, issued a ban on the use of bromacil due to its harmful effect on soil as well as human health. Despite EPAs stringent regulations, traces of bromacil has been reported some drinking water reservoirs. As the scenario of restricted use or complete ban on bromacil prevails, EPAs changing risk assessment approaches are likely to influence growth of the global bromacil market.Organic products have witnessed increased adoption among consumers obsessed with clean labels. Due to higher demand, the organic agriculture sector has witnessed dramatic growth in past decade. According to FiBL, approximately 57.8 million of agricultural land is managed organically and has generated over US$ 90 billion market revenue. In 2016, approximately 2 million organic producers were reported across the globe. Organic farming does not involve use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. As organic products are highly sought after by consumers, market for bromacil is likely to remain under the influence of this trend.Organic product manufacturers have introduced new natural organic herbicides, which are non-selective, non-systematic, and break down quickly leaving no residues behind. Some of the vendors have launched organic weed control solutions in form of spray that kills seeds and provide long-term sustainable results.Request Report TOC:In conclusion, the report on the global bromacil market includes in-depth analysis of above-stated factors that influence the market growth. Such thorough analysis has made the report the most comprehensive source of research that can assist financial community in making business decisions.About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Follow Us on Linkedin: High Purity Silica Market Set to Witness an Uptick by 2018-2027 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=622 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=622 www.factmr.com/ www.linkedin.com/company/factmr/ A new research publication by Fact.MR presents incisive insights on the global high purity silica market. The report assesses the historical trends that have shaped this landscape until now, and offers an accurate and unbiased outlook on the likely market scenario for the period 2018-2027.Request Brochure of The Report:The use of high purity silica in various industries has pushed its demand across regions, depending on the market position of the respective end use industry in the particular region. Moreover, various factors influencing growth of the global high purity silica market have also been covered in this research study. Analysis on key market participants such as Nyacol, Corning, Canadian Metals Inc., Heraeus, Evonik Industries AG, Huber Engineered Materials and Akzo Nobel is also included.High purity silica is gaining rapid acceptance from the industrial rubber and tire industry. It is being largely used to manufacture green tires that differ from conventional tires in terms of higher grip and low rolling resistance. Low rolling resistance offers reduced fuel consumption thus saving money and protecting environment by lowering the CO2 emissions. This has spurred the demand for high purity silica in rubber and tire sector. This factor is also supported by the fact that governments across regions are focusing on reducing the greenhouse emissions by enhancing fuel consumption of vehicles.With the growth in the rubber industry in the United States, the region continues to remain a major consumer of tires as well as a huge producer of synthetic rubber. 2018 is expected to be an opportunistic year for the economy of United States. The demand for tires from the automotive sector in the United States is expected to fuel the use of high purity silica in this region. Albeit a maturity in the US automotive sector, this industry is expected to present potential opportunities for the high purity silica market.In emerging economies, the demand of high purity silica in the automotive sector, for production of green tires is expected to soar at high pace. In 2016, the automobile production (passenger cars) in China was around 24,420,744 units and in 2017 it reached 24,806,687. Likewise, in India, the number of passenger cars in 2017 recorded a volume production of about 3,952,550 from an initial volume of 3,677,605 in 2016. This trend shows that the production of passenger as well as commercial vehicles in these countries is increasing at a steady pace and is expected to continue with this trend in the coming years. This has presented significant opportunity for tire manufacturers to develop green tires, which in turn is expected to trigger the sale of high purity silica in these countries. Moreover, in India, the demand for tires is expected to increase by 7 to 8 percent during 2018-2019 timeline, which is expected to aid the growth of the global high purity silica market.High purity silica is used in semiconductor and electronics industry for mechanical planarization or polishing. With the growing use of high purity silica in this field, its demand across regions such as United States and Europe is expected to increase. In 2017, the semiconductor industry witnessed growth owing to high adoption of graphics processing units and e-sports. According to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, the semiconductor revenue from a global perspective is expected to rise by 7% in 2018. In 2017, the semiconductor revenue in US reflected a value higher than US$ 86 Mn, which is expected to reach US$ 95 Mn with a 10.3% growth. Likewise, in Europe, though the rate of growth remains less as compared to Unite States, the semiconductor revenue is expected to touch a value higher than US$ 39 Mn in 2018. In Asia Pacific, the semiconductor market is expected to witness high growth pace. The semiconductor revenue in this region in 2017 was US$ 247,834 Mn and is estimated to soar at a 6.6% rate to reach US$ 264,097 Mn in 2018. These statistics have shown a considerable expansion of the semiconductor market, which is expected to fuel the growth of the global high purity silica market in the coming years.Request Report TOC @This research report on global high purity silica market offers in-depth understanding regarding the global market scenario across key regions and also includes forecast analysis for a period of nine years, from 2018 till 2027. It extends support from an actionable intelligence standpoint that the reader can sue to achieve his/her research milestones.About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Follow Us on Linkedin: Quantum Cryptography Market : Demand Rate with Regional outlook, Applications, Consumer Profiles & Forecast To 2026 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/1192 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/quantum-cryptography-market-1192 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/1192 Quantum cryptography is a technique to ensure confidentiality of communicating information. It is a blend of quantum mechanics, which allows to perform various cryptography tasks those are not possible by non-quantum communication.Download PDF To explore detail study @The key factor responsible for the growth of quantum cryptography market is increasing incidents of cyber-attacks globally. For instance, according to Coherent Market Insights analysis in July 2017, cybercrime increased up to 84.1% from 68.8%, which was recorded in June 2016. Banking and finance is the major sector prone to cyber-attack. Quantum Cryptography is used for protecting private information of data or cash related to their customers. This confidential data is highly susceptible to cyber-threats.For instance, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), for the year 2015 2016, around 16,468 frauds were reported associated with ATM, debit card, credit card, and net banking. In 2014 2015, the number of frauds were 13,083 and 9,500 in the year 2013 14. The data stored on cloud or on-premises is vulnerable to cyber-attacks by various software such as Trojan horses and viruses, which consequently increases the requirement of quantum cryptography solutions.Browse More About the Market Study @However, low customer awareness about quantum cryptography is one of the key restraining factors in the global quantum cryptography market.Quantum Cryptography Market Taxonomy:On the basis of application, the global quantum cryptography market is segmented into:Database EncryptionApplication SecurityNetwork SecurityOn the basis of end user industry, the global quantum cryptography market is segmented into:Banking, Finance Services and InsuranceTelecom and ITGovernment and DefenseHealthcare and Life sciencesConsumer Good and RetailQuantum Cryptography Market: Regional InsightsThe global quantum cryptography market is segmented on the basis of regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. The market for quantum cryptography in North America is expected to dominate the global market during forecast period. This growth is attributed to increasing cyber-attacks in this region on web based business such as healthcare, banking and financial, and retail and manufacturing. For instance, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), in 2016, cybercrimes resulted in a loss of over US$ 1.33 billion globally. California witnessed the highest recorded loss with over US$ 255 million. In 2016, around 28% of web application attacks were recorded in the U.S., followed by the Netherlands and Germany. This in turn creates a highly conducive environment for growth of the market.Quantum Cryptography Market: Competitive BackgroundMajor players operating in the global quantum cryptography market include Magiq Technologies, Inc., Quintessencelabs, Nucrypt LLC, Qutools GmbH, Qasky, Crypta Labs Ltd, Qubitekk, Inc., PQ Solutions, Infineon Technologies AG, and Id Quantique.Ask for Discount before Buying @:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com GaN Power Device Market to See Incredible Growth By 2025 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/1221 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/gan-power-device-market-1221 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/1221 Gallium nitride (GaN) compound is a hard semiconductor material featuring a wide band gap (energy gap) of 3.4 electronvolts (eV) with high heat capacity and thermal conductivity. GaN finds significant applications in power devices used in electrical energy control systems and conversions including telecommunication, industrial, automotive, and high RF antennas and radar in aerospace and defense technologies are expected to provide opportunities for growth of the GaN market over the forecast period.Download PDF To explore detail study @High energy efficiency loss in power devices is primarily attributed to conduction losses due to high device resistance and switching transitions. GaN materials prevent such energy loss, as they are featured with high breakdown voltage and low conduction resistance, in turn enabling high-speed switching operations. GaN thus is used to ensure high efficiency of operations in electrical systems. Moreover, low conduction resistance of GaN, allows the material compound to sustain high energy application in compact sizes, enabling higher miniaturization of the circuits. These significant benefits of GaN over other alternatives such as silicon transistors that feature relatively larger chip area to enhance their conductivity, are expected to fuel the overall GaN power device market.Substantial growth of end-use verticals is expected to boost market growthAdvancements in technology related to GaN power devices are enhancing the computational power of all systems, in turn boosting market growth. For instance, in December 2017, Yuji Zhao, an electrical and computer expert from Arizona State University received a three year grant of US$ 750,000 from National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Hot Operating Temperature Technology (HOTTech) program for the gallium nitride processor for applications in space. In January 2018, Corsair introduced Corsair AX1600i featuring off-the shelf efficiency, ripple suppression, noise levels, voltage regulation, and highly compact power supply unit. These two instances of technological developments are primarily based on the utilization of Gallium Nitride based materials. replacing Silicon transistors as prominently used material in the switching devices.Browse More About the Market Study @The recent past has witness high proliferation of electric vehicles and increasing adoption of electrical and electronic components in internal combustion engines for enhanced and convenient control among users. According to Coherent Market Insights, vehicle electrification technologies are expected to witness a CAGR of over 8.8% over the forecast period and be valued at over US$ 120 billion by 2025. Increasing adoption of autonomous vehicles is expected to increase the demand for efficient communication systems featuring high frequency bandwidth and robust operations. This in turn, is expected to fuel growth of the market for GaN power devices in the near future.High cost of systems featuring integration of gallium nitride components due to capital intensive nature of materials and manufacturing procedures is expected to hamper growth of the market. Moreover, GaAs components are widely used in small signal Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) and low noise amplifier (LNA). Application of gallium nitride semiconductor is projected to become mainstream component, though it will require considerable time owing to the cost factor and thus, is among the prominent growth challenges.Asia Pacific accounts for the largest population base and is also the largest market for key end-use industries, in turn, contributing to the largest consumer base of GaN power devices. According to Coherent Market Insights analysis, China and India contribute to around 35% of the global population base. Moreover, largest consumer base for automotive, consumer electronics, communication, and industrial manufacturing will provide the strongest growth prospects over the forecast period.Competitive BackgroundSome of the key players in the GaN power devices market are Cree Inc., Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Corporation, Infineon Technologies, GaN Systems Inc., Macom, Microsemi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Navitas Semiconductor, Qorvo, Inc., and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation.Ask for Discount before Buying @:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Tuned Passive Harmonic Filters Market is Anticipated to Show Growth by 2026 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/1235 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/tuned-passive-harmonic-filters-market-1235 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/1235 Passive harmonic mitigation systems or devices are used for power factor correction and have several advantages such as low power losses, better system performances, and better power efficiency, in addition to low cost over active filters. However, owing to these aforementioned factors, passive filters have found extensive applications in almost every electric grid and distribution networks. These tuned passive harmonic filters have applications in various end-use industries including food, pulp & paper, refining, exploration, pharmaceuticals, large commercial spaces, electronic industries, and automotive, among others, and this is expected to present considerable growth prospects over the coming years.Download PDF To explore detail study @Increasing dependence on electric power source is expected to propel growth of the tuned passive harmonic filters marketAccording U.S. Energy Information Administrations International Energy Outlook 2016, global industrial consumption of electrical energy as a power source is expected to grow from 31.9 quadrillion British Thermal Units (Btu) in 2012 to 40.0 Btu in 2025. Moreover, OECD countries are expected to witness an annual average change of 0.7% and non-OECD countries of 1.6% in the duration of 20122040. Furthermore, increasing utilization of renewable energy sources for electricity generation is among the prominent trends gaining traction, in order to reduce environmental impacts, which is expected to fuel demand for tuned passive harmonic filters over the forecast period.Browse More About the Market Study @However, active harmonic filters (AHF) require relatively higher initial capital, and therefore are the last options for power quality correction solutions. This factor is expected to adversely affect growth of the market.Increasing demand for these filters to reduce harmonic distortions for enhancing supply efficiency and avoid system malfunctions is expected to drive growth of the marketPower systems have recurring distortions of current and voltage waveforms, owing to extensive usage of loads that produce currents with higher frequencies. Growing number of non-linear loads in conjunction with substantial surge in demand for electricity has led to introduction of large number of parameters that distort the voltage and can potentially cause malfunction, overheating, and breakdown of the systems utilized in power systems.Requirement to provide consistent supply and avoid potential damage to the end user and power systems is expected to lead to demand for these power factor correction systems and fuel growth of the tuned passive harmonic filters market. These equipment are featured with large sizes of MVAR ratings, maintenance free service, and are economically viable than synchronous condensers. It also offers many advantages for systems that require high starting power, voltage support, and protection in case of source. These features are expected to lead to high adoption of these systems over the forecast period.According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2017, Asia Pacific primary energy consumption in 2016 was over 42% of the global primary energy consumption in terms of million tons of oil equivalent. Moreover, the region is home to countries that include China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and Indonesia that contribute to significant share in the global electricity being produced every year. These countries have some of the major energy intensive industrial activities, and a large population base contributing to high energy consumption. Owing to these factors, Asia Pacific passive tuned harmonic filters market is expected to witness highest growth over the forecast period.Competitive BackgroundSome of the key players in the global tuned passive harmonic filters market included Eaton Corp, ABB, Comsys AB, Schneider Electric, DELTAUS, Siemens, Crompton Greaves, Emerson Electric, Schaffner Holding, and MTE Corporation.Ask for Discount before Buying @:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Commercial Satellite Launch Service Market Key Information By Top Key Player - Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Space Exploration Technology, Boeing, Axelspace Corporation & more https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1130980/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1130980/ http://www.openpr.com/news/archive/144590/marketstudyreport-com.html https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/united-states-satellite-launch-industry-market-report-2017/?utm_source=RR-PSR https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog MarketStudyReport.com Adds New Commercial Satellite Launch Service Market 2018- 2024 research report providing information and By Orbit, By Application, Industry Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast spreading across 200 Pages with table and figures in it.Commercial Satellite Launch Service Market Research Report for the period of 2018-2024 that shows the growth of the market is rising at a 2.5% CAGR to 2024.Proliferating use of GPS and communication-based facilities will require additional launches thereby boosting commercial satellite launch service Market from 2018 to 2024. Rising sales of passenger vehicles with built-in navigation facility has increased adoption of this facility in various sectors including information & technology, electronics, and automobile. Companies in oil and gas sector trace the fuel tankers and vehicles for monitor the on-shore facilities that requires well established communication network. Owing to diverse applications the service demand is predicted to expand thereby supporting industry growth rate.Increasing public spending and availability of financial investment is spurring the use of smart appliances, such as smart televisions and web streaming which in turn will fuel commercial satellite launch service Market. Soaring smart phone sales along with internet usage among youngsters is enhancing web-based applications such as AccuWeather, Google search, Facebook, and Instagram. In addition, introduction of smart classes will further improve internet penetration. In 2017, the number of online users reached approximately to 25 million. This in turn will escalate the commercial satellite launch service Market in next seven years.Request a sample of this premium report at:Continuous R&D activities for cost reductions will aid developing countries such as India to strengthen its position., In 2018, ISRO launched 31 satellites and is planning for around 3000 in next ten years. Rising satellite manufacturing facilities will strengthen the commercial satellite launch service Market over the forecast period. For instance, in 2017, Airbus commissioned factory to manufacture One-Web SATs with annual investment of around USD 17 billion.Government agencies such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends and approves the regulations and procedures that govern commercial launch service industry. It satisfies infrastructure requirement for the companies located both domestically and internationally. European space organizations are exploring various alternatives for micro launchers for launching SATs for different applications including, telecom, technology demonstration, education, earth observation, and mobile applications.Prohibitive cost may hinder the commercial satellite launch service market growth during forecast period. In addition, launching challenges, quality control, absence of proper launch facility, and distribution channel may restrict the industry growth. However, declining price owing to technological advancements thereby reinforcing Industry.LEO segment of commercial satellite launch service market will exhibit CAGR of around 3.2% during forecast period owing to less deploy time and low launching cost in comparison with other orbits. Additionally, the segment is the positive gateway for expanding connectivity in remote areas.The micro commercial satellite launch service market will experience more than 6% of growth rate during the projected time span. This growth rate can be credited to rising developments for enhancing affordability and reliability of the launching vehicles. Micro SATs penetration is observed in various industries owing to compact size.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Communication commercial satellite launch service Market will dominate industry volume share owing to increasing usage of wireless technology and rising connectivity among various countries. Reconnaissance segment is anticipated to hold over 35% of overall revenue share owing to utilization of imagery SATs for improving farming techniques. Online web sources and GIS tools for farmers will further spur segment revenue over the forecast period.North America is predicted to dominate commercial satellite launch service Market and will be worth over USD 2.5 billion by 2024. This dominance can be credited to availability of robust infrastructure in the region and presence of multiple space organizations including SpaceX and NASA. Expansion of navigation industry demand to locate destinations is contributing significantly in regional revenue generation. Asia Pacific is anticipated to register robust growth owing to low launching cost offered by organizations such as ISRO.Commercial satellite launch service market players are Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Space Exploration Technology, Boeing, Axelspace Corporation, and Orbital ATK. Industry players are adopting mergers and acquisition strategy to enhance their industry share. In January 2018, ULA acquired Atlas division of Lockheed to reduce cost and enhancing business efficiency.Table of Content:Chapter 1. Methodology and ScopeChapter 2. Executive SummaryChapter 3. Commercial Satellite Launch Service Industry InsightsChapter 4. Commercial satellite launch service Market, By OrbitChapter 5. Commercial satellite launch service Market, By SizeChapter 6. Commercial satellite launch service Market, By ApplicationChapter 7. Commercial satellite launch service Market, By RegionChapter 8. Company ProfilesMore Report At:Related Reports: -United States Satellite Launch Industry Market Report 2017In this report, the United States Satellite Launch Industry market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog: Aerospace Superalloys Market Global Forecast by Key Players are Alcoa, Carpenter Technology, Aperam, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, Haynes International, Doncasters, and Precision Castparts https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/2449 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/aerospace-superalloys-market https://www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/aerospace-landing-gear-market http://freeautomotivenews.com www.gminsights.com Aerospace superalloys market is segmented based on materials into nickel-based, nickel-iron based, and cobalt based. Nickel based alloys is expected to dominate the industry over the coming years owing to their high usage in aerospace industry. High preference is attributed to provision of the benefits such as high resistance to extreme temperatures and physical stress, that results in surface stability, escalating the revenue generation. Nickel-iron based alloys will grow owing to their cost-effectiveness as compared to the other counterparts.Get Detailed Table Of Content @These alloys offer enhanced operating efficiency and reduction in environmental emissions. Extensive usage of these alloys owing to rising need for high strength materials will positively influence the industry. These materials possess the capability of withstanding extreme temperature and offering creep resistance & thermal stability in aircraft applications. These superior properties will push the aircraft manufacturers to use the components made of these alloys, inducing immense growth potential to the aerospace superalloys market size over the next eight years. However, excessive costs associated with these alloys may pose a challenge before the aerospace superalloys market participants.North America aerospace superalloys market will account for highest share by the end of 2024. Substantial growth in aircraft deliveries across the region will primarily support the regional dominance. Moreover, presence of major engine part manufacturers will escalate the revenue generation. Asia Pacific aerospace superalloys market size will grow at a rapid pace owing to continuously growing aviation industry across the region along with substantial growth in air passenger traffic, especially in developing countries. Increasing aircraft manufacturing in the region will further contribute significantly to the industry growth over the forecast timeline.Browse Full Report @Alcoa, Carpenter Technology, Aperam, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, Haynes International, Doncasters, and Precision Castparts Corp. are among the prominent participants in aerospace superalloys market. The industry players are making huge investments for the development of super alloys. For instance, in June 2015, Alcoa planned to invest USD 22 million in Hot Isostatic Pressing Technology (HIP) at Michigan for the development of nickel-based superalloys. Similarly, in June 2012, Haynes International invested USD 61 million for expansion of its portfolio and capacity.Related Report:Browse key industry insights spread across 390 pages with 651 market data tables & 18 figures & charts from the report, Aerospace Landing Gear Market Size By Position (Main Landing Gear, Nose/Tail Landing Gear), By Arrangement (Tail Wheel, Tandem, Tri-cycle), By Aircrafts (Commercial Aircraft {Narrow Body, Wide Body}, Regional Jet, Business Jet, Helicopter, Military Aircraft), By Distribution Channel (OEM, Aftermarket), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Russia, Netherlands, Sweden, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 2024 in detail along with the table of contents:About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Auto Blog:Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb: Computer Vision Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2025: Key Players - Cognex, Basler, Omron, Keyence https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1016115-global-computer-vision-market-2 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1016115-global-computer-vision-market-2 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1016115 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1016115-global-computer-vision-market-2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/ https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/ https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NidhiBhawsar-SEO_Expert?rel=author HTF MI recently introduced Global Computer Vision Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Cognex, Basler, Omron, Keyence, National Instruments, Sony, Teledyne Technologies, Texas Instruments, Intel, Baumer Optronic, Jai A/S, Mvtec Software, Isra Vision, Sick, Mediatek, Cadence Design Systems, Ceva & Synopsysetc.Request Sample of Global Computer Vision Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @:Among all industries in the industrial vertical, the market for the food and packaging industry is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2018 and 2023. The growth of the market for the food industry and packaging industry is attributed to the increasing implementation of government rules pertaining to safety in manufacturing plants and rising necessity to identify and combat counterfeit products. The packaging industry is experiencing a sharp growth due to the booming e-commerce industry worldwide, especially in China and India. As a result, this industry is adopting automatized operation systems to meet the increasing consumer demand. Among all industries in the non-industrial vertical, the market for the autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles industry is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2018 and 2023. The ongoing developments in advanced safety systems, such as computer vision-integrated ADAS systems, are fueling the growth of the computer vision market for the autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles.In 2017, the global Computer Vision market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of 6.9% during 2018-2025.This report studies the Global Computer Vision market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Computer Vision market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Computer Vision Market by Type (PC Based & Smart Camera Based), by End-Users/Application (Quality Control and Inspection, Positioning and Guidance, Measurement, Identification & Predictive Maintenance), Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.Enquire for customization in Report @Competitive Analysis:The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Cognex, Basler, Omron, Keyence, National Instruments, Sony, Teledyne Technologies, Texas Instruments, Intel, Baumer Optronic, Jai A/S, Mvtec Software, Isra Vision, Sick, Mediatek, Cadence Design Systems, Ceva & Synopsys includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Market Segments:The Global Computer Vision Market has been divided into type, application, and region.On The Basis Of Type: PC Based & Smart Camera Based.On The Basis Of Application: Quality Control and Inspection, Positioning and Guidance, Measurement, Identification & Predictive MaintenanceOn The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Computer Vision in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}Buy Single User License of Global Computer Vision Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @Have a look at some extracts from Table of ContentIntroduction about Global Computer VisionGlobal Computer Vision Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017Computer Vision Market by Application/End UsersGlobal Computer Vision Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Quality Control and Inspection, Positioning and Guidance, Measurement, Identification & Predictive Maintenance]Global Computer Vision Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)Computer Vision Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and ApplicationComputer Vision (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.Global Computer Vision Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales DataAdditionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturersMarket Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include PC Based & Smart Camera BasedComputer Vision Manufacturing Cost AnalysisComputer Vision Key Raw Materials AnalysisComputer Vision Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain AnalysisMarket Forecast (2018-2023)........and more in complete table of ContentsBrowse for Full Report at:Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at Air Source Heat Pump Market Top Key player Analysis - Johnson Controls, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu General, NIBE, Carrier, A.O. Smith, Vaillant, Dimplex, BDR Ther & more https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/797217/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/797217/ http://www.openpr.com/news/archive/144590/marketstudyreport-com.html https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-industrial-air-source-heat-pump-market-professional-survey-report-2018/?utm_source=RR-PSR https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog MarketStudyReport.com Adds New Air Source Heat Pump Network Market 2018 2024 research report providing information and data By Product, By Application, Industry Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast spreading across 600 Pages with table and figures in it.Air Source Heat Pump Market is predicted to reach over USD 50 billion by 2024. Stringent government measures to curb the GHG emissions by encouraging the applications of wide ranging sustainable technologies will drive the air source heat pump market. Regulators across the UK introduced the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme to encourage the use of renewable technologies in home, businesses and local communities.Request a sample of this premium report at:Minimized cost, easy installation, energy efficiency and less maintenance are the key features which will enhance the global ASHP Market. It acts as an alternate product for various space heating and cooling technologies on account of its additional features in comparison to conventional systems. An air source unit has the Coefficient of Performance value of approximately 2.8 which may result into decline in the operating cost of 3.5% in comparison to a gas boiler.China air source heat pump market is set to witness robust growth owing to various promotional schemes to stimulate the use of low-carbon energy sources. Growing real estate business have led to increase in construction activities on account of rapid urbanization will boost the product adoption. As per World Economic Forum (WEF), in China, around 2 billion square meters of buildings are built annually.Growing government targets toward energy consumption coupled with refurbishment of existing buildings will enhance the France ASHP market growth. The country targeted to reduce 38% of energy consumption through the buildings by 2020 & 400 thousand houses to be energy refurbished annually from 2013. Extreme climate conditions resulting into unfavorable work atmosphere across the European countries will further enhance the business growth over the forecast period.Increasing investments toward clean air projects to reduce the dependence on conventional fuel will enhance the ASHP Market. The World bank, in 2016, approved a loan of USD 500 million for Beijing clean-air projects to enable control air pollution in China. Escalating energy bills on account of rising operational cost along with rising fuel prices will further enhance the business landscape.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Industrial applications are projected to gain over 4% on account of significant increase in the production facilities across Latin America and Asia Pacific region. Reduced energy consumption and environmental impact are some of the key features which will further embellish the ASHP Market.Zero expenses requirement for ground works and less operating cost coupled with its capability to be used as a separate system or an effective way to complement existing conventional cooling & heating systems will drive air to air heat pump market. Technological developments across the industry to cater the increasing product demand of consumers will further impact the business growth.Eminent players in the air source heat pump market includes Daikin Industries, Johnson Controls, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu General, NIBE, Carrier, A.O. Smith, Vaillant, Dimplex, BDR Thermea Group, Bosch Thermotechnik, Colmac, Climeveneta, Panasonic, Danfoss and LG Electronics.Table of Content:Chapter 1 MethodologyChapter 2 Executive SummaryChapter 3 Air Source Heat Pump Industry InsightsChapter 4 Air source heat pump Market, By ProductChapter 5 Air Source Heat Pump Market, By ApplicationChapter 6 Air source heat pump Market, By RegionChapter 7 Company ProfilesMore Report At:Related Report:Global Industrial Air Source Heat Pump Market Professional Survey Report 2018The global Industrial Air Source Heat Pump market is valued at million US$ in 2017 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2018-2025.About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog: Global Bulk Honey Sales Market to Witness Robust Expansion by 2025 https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/241496/global-bulk-honey-sales-market www.qyresearch.com Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Bulk Honey for these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Bulk Honey market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Bulk Honey sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingBlue Ridge Honey CompanyKallas Honey FarmBurleson's HoneyGeorgia Honey FarmBarkman HoneyWee Bee HoneyGloryBeeHoneyTreeKelley Honey FarmsCox's HoneyOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoOriginal HoneyFlavored HoneyOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingFood ServiceConsumer UseIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Request Sample Copy of Report@About Us:QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry.Contact USQY Research, INC.17890 Castleton,Suite 218,City of industry, CA 91748 ?USA: +1 626 295 2442Email ? enquiry@qyrsearch.comWeb ? Outreach Chattanooga, a local healthc are organization, will open a third location this fall in Cambridge Square; a residential, retail, and commercial community located off I-75s exit 11 in Ooltewah. Outreach Chattanooga (Outreach) works with health care providers to shorten the revenue cycle and reduce administrative hours by working with their patients to maximize insurance benefit options. In addition to provider support, Outreach works directly with Medicare beneficiaries, government agencies and Insurance companies to streamline the benefits process. Outreach, through state-licensed agents, provides phone, office and in-home services throughout Bradley, Blount, Campbell, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, and Sequatchie counties. We are pleased to welcome Outreach Chattanooga, an organization that does a great deal of good for our regions healthcare community, said Jim Cheney, marketing director for Cambridge Square. They join a number of medical office and healthcare providers in the Cambridge family and theyll make an important addition. Kaspersky Lab has discovered an unusual fraudulent scheme that tricks users into parting with their time and their data, for no return. While industry and law enforcement agencies from around the world are busy fighting against cybercrime, criminals themselves are constantly looking for new ways of earning money other than just malware. Offering something valuable free of charge is always an enticing piece of marketing, and criminals can take advantage of this. Websites that offer customers the option of freely generating gift cards for well-known companies like iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, or Steam are nothing new. For example, legitimate apps like Tokenfire and Swagbucks buy card codes from vendors, to then give them to clients as a reward for certain activities. Criminals have apparently recognized the popularity of such websites and have decided to deceive users using a simple algorithm. When on the fake site, the user is asked to select the gift card he/she wants in order to receive the code. After that, the fraudulent mechanism is set in motion. To get the generated code, however, the user needs to prove that he/she is not a robot. To do this, the user has to follow the suggested link and complete various tasks, the number and type of which are determined by the partner network to which the user is redirected. For example, he/she may be asked to fill in a form, leave a phone number or email address, subscribe to a paid SMS-message, install adware, and so on. The result is predictable: either victim get tired of doing endless tasks, or they finally get the useless code. The earnings for criminals range from a few cents per every click on the desired link to several dozen dollars for filling in a form or subscribing to paid services. Thus, the criminals make a profit virtually for nothing, getting paid from the users actions on the websites of third-party partners, who, for their part, also benefit by getting access to personal data which can be used for private purposes. The success of these new fraud schemes is based on criminals exploiting the drive of users to get something for free. However, at best they will spend hours of personal time doing worthless tasks, and at worst, lose money without receiving anything in return. So, if you want to get your hands on a free gift card, try to earn it on legal and trustworthy sites, said Lyubov Nikolenko, web content analyst, Kaspersky Lab. To avoid falling for cybercriminals fraudulent schemes and losing personal data, Kaspersky Lab researchers suggest that users follow a few simple rules: Remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch and always treat offers that seem too tempting to be true with scepticism. Check the HTTPS connection and domain name when you open a webpage. This is especially important when you are using websites which contain sensitive data such as sites for online banking, online shops, email, social media sites etc. Never share your sensitive data, such as logins and passwords, bank card data etc., with a third party. Official companies will never ask for data like this via email. Do not spread questionable links among your friends. Check with the company if it really is giving out gift codes, and whether the site is its official partner. To do this, contact the official support service by reaching out on the official website of the company. Use a reliable security solution with behaviour-based anti-phishing technologies to detect and block spam and phishing attacks, such as Kaspersky Total Security, which blocks fake gift card sites. (source) Global Bus Switch IC Sales Market to Witness Robust Expansion by 2025 https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/149695/global-bus-switch-ic-sales-market www.qyresearch.com This report studies the global Bus Switch IC market status and forecast, categorizes the global Bus Switch IC market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia India and Other regions (Middle East & Africa, Central & South America).Bus switches are connected to high-speed digital buses. Their main characteristics are sub-nanosecond propagation delays and fast switching. Also, they do not create additional noises. They are suitable for voltage translation, hot swapping, hot plug, bus or capacitance isolation, and many other applications. Bus switch ICs are used to increase the speed and reduce the noise by isolating functions that do not need to drive the bus (or be driven by it) at any given moment, but may need to be connected later.One driver in the market is growing demand for cloud computing and IoT. The global IoT market is being amplified by the increasing rates of globalization and urbanization in all regions. A surprising number of users across the world today have access to multiple branches of IT, data sharing and storage methods, cloud computing solutions, and communication portals. Within the next three years, it is expected that more than 80% of all data center traffic will be cloud based. Also, most of this action will be going to public cloud services; there will be more workloads (nearly 54%) in the public cloud than in private clouds (46%). One trend in the market is growing use of high-speed gigabit Ethernet. Gigabit Internet is known as the next generation of broadband Internet service, and it is delivered over fiber optic lines and provides speeds of nearly 1,000 Mbps, which is also referred to as 1 Gbps or gigabit Internet.This market study estimates that in terms of geographic regions, APAC will be the major revenue contributor to the digital switch IC market throughout the forecast period. This is mainly due to growth in the manufacturing bases of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The developing countries in the APAC witness a growing demand for domestic consumer electronics from the end users. The growing consumer awareness about the use of advanced technology and the inclination towards better standard of living, will boost the growth of the bus switch IC market in this region.The global Bus Switch IC market is valued at xx million US$ in 2017 and will reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% during 2018-2025.The major players covered in this reportToshibaTexas InstrumentsNXP SemiconductorsDiodesIntegrated Device Technology (IDT)MicrosemiNexperiaON SemiconductorWeEn SemiconductorsGeographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoDigital Bus Switch ICs Pb Free Multi-Rate Digital SwitchDigital Bus Switch ICs Pb Free 3V Large Digital SwitchDigital Bus Switch ICs Pb Free Low volt enhanced Digital SwitchOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingConsumer ElectronicsComputer ElectronicsData CentersThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Bus Switch IC sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);To analyze the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, to study the sales, value and market share of top players in these regions.Focuses on the key Bus Switch IC players, to study the sales, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Bus Switch IC are as follows:History Year: 2013-2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year 2018 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.Key StakeholdersBus Switch IC ManufacturersBus Switch IC Distributors/Traders/WholesalersBus Switch IC Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsAvailable CustomizationsWith the given market data, QYResearch offers customizations according to the company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:Regional and country-level analysis of the Bus Switch IC market, by end-use.Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players.Request Sample Copy of Report@About Us:QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry.Contact USQY Research, INC.17890 Castleton,Suite 218,City of industry, CA 91748 ?USA: +1 626 295 2442Email ? enquiry@qyrsearch.comWeb ? Harbor Deepening Market worth US$ 1500 Mn by 2018 to 2028 https://www.factmr.com/ https://www.factmr.com/ With seaborne trade gaining importance in terms of economic development of a nation, government organizations are largely investing in harbor deepening activities worldwide. A deeper harbor can accommodate heavy and large container ships allowing expansion of trading activities in the respective region. This has gained higher significance against the backdrop of a beleaguered scenario of international trade due to the China United States trade war. Although the possibility of improving this condition is true, it is also likely that this scenario can have a throwback on the harbor deepening market, given the likelihood of reduction in shipping activities.Requirement for harbor deepening in urban development is rapidly increasing however is overpowered by trade maintenance activities, according to a recent Fact.MR study. The study envisages that the harbor deepening market is projected to grow at a steady CAGR of 3.0% in terms of value during the period of forecast, 2018-2028.Shipping industry has permeated the international trading space. The International Chamber of Shipping revels that more than 50,000 merchant ships, accounting for around 90 percent of worldwide trading via international waters have been in operation. This has led to increasing number of large vessel anchoring, consequently increasing the need for harbor deepening.Expanding oil and oil gas sector has remained influential in increasing the harbor deepening activities, especially after the removal of trade restrictions on crude oil exports across major countries. This has translated into an increase in oil exports to an average of 1.1 million barrels per day from the United States alone in 2017. Implementation of technologies also have accelerated the global oil trade, thus raising the need for harbor deepening projects across nations.Request Report Sample @Higher cost associated with harbor deepening has had a deepening impact on the overall market. However, this is likely to be offset by favorable government encouragement in terms of budget allocations. The steadily rising harbor deepening activities will coattail rising government funding as a consequence. The Charleston Harbor Deepening project and Savanah Harbor Deepening project are few of the major activities heavily funded by the government, with a large funding of US$ 509 million for the former and additional US$ 100 million for the later. Rising support from government organizations have shored up the harbor deepening projects that are likely to expand at a 2.1% by 2028.Harbor deepening activities have also penetrated the cruising space, wherein various projects are being undertaken for facilitating navigation of large cruise vessels. The CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) has estimated that the cursing industry has seen its pink with increasing number of passengers opting for cruising. The association expects that the passenger count is likely to cross 27 million only for cruising. This math has shaken few of the major ports worldwide, which are increasingly investing in harbor deepening, such as PortMiami.United States have remained dominant in the North America region, wherein increasing harbor deepening projects are being undertaken funded by the U.S government. The harbor deepening of ports in the country has largely been influenced with the increasing oil exports. Likewise, in terms of freight logistics, Germany holds an upper hand in the European Union. The harbor deepening scenario in the United Kingdom is also a significant one with increasing harbor redevelopment projects such as the Peter Harbor Redevelopment initiative.Harbor deepening in Japan has taken a rapid upswing on back of increasing foreign trade. The countrys container shipping and seaborne vehicle shipping are other aspects adding fuel to the activity of harbor deepening. Recently, Japan and Singapore have announced a joint feasibility study to promote LNG bunkering for car carriers functioning between these two countries. That said, the country is likely to present lucrative growth opportunities for harbor deepening in the forthcoming years.Contact Us:Rohit BhiseyFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Fact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb: AWS Managed Services with Future Trends and Scope It Is Expected to Be Driven Majorly by Revenue - Capgemini, Amazon, Accenture, Reliam, Stratalux, Cloudnexa, Onica, Logicworks, DXC Technology and others AWS Managed Services Mark https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-aws-managed-services-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-aws-managed-services-market The AWS Managed Services market is growing with the expansion of this Industry Sector Worldwide. Data Bridge Market Research has added a new report titled Global AWS Managed Services Market Research Report 2018which offer details about the current trends and analysis, as well as scope for the near future. This research study also covers information about the production, consumption and market share based on different active regions. Furthermore, an anticipated growth at a double-digit CAGR for the concerned AWS Managed Services industry sector is highlighted in the report which indicates a prosperous future.The Global AWS Managed Services Market is expected to reach USD 1,799.8 million by 2025 from USD 569.7 million in 2017 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.7% in the forecast period of 2018 to 2025.Download exclusive PDF sample report @Global AWS Managed Services Market, By Service Type (Advisory Services, Cloud Migration Services and Operations Services), Geographical Segments (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2025Competitive AnalysisThe global AWS managed services market is fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market in order to sustain in long run. The report includes market shares of AWS managed services market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America. IN February 2018, United States DoD (Department of Defense) signed a USD 950 Million cloud agreement with AWS partner REAN Cloud LLC.Frequently Asked Questions? What will the market size be in 2025? What are the key factors driving the global market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key players in the market? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players? What will be the growth rate in 2025? Which strategies are used by top players in Global AWS Managed Services Market?Get 10% discount on this report, Mail us @ sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comKey Players: Global AWS Managed Services MarketThe renowned players in AWS managed services market are Accenture plc, DXC Technology Company, 8K Miles Software Services Ltd., Capgemini SE, Cloudnexa, Inc., Cloudreach, Logicworks, , Slalom LLC., Rackspace Inc., Smartronix Inc., Amazon, Reliam LLC, Microsoft Azure, Stratalux, Claranet Group, Capgemini, GS Lab, Cloudnexa, e-Zest, Onica and many more.Market SegmentationThe market is based on service type and geographical segments.Based on service type, the market is segmented into advisory services, cloud migration services and operations servicesBased on geography, the market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & AfricaSome of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others.Inquiry before Buying @About Us:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Clean Label Ingredients Market Trends, Price, Revenue, Share, Growth and Forecast Until 2025| Dupont De Nemours and Company, Kerry Group PLC, Tate & Lyle PLC, Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Clean Label Ingredients https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-clean-label-ingredients-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-clean-label-ingredients-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-clean-label-ingredients-market/ Clean Label Ingredients Market 2018-2025 report Provide a comprehensive research based study of the market along with the dominated players, market share, forecast data, in-depth analysis, and detailed overview of the Clean Label Ingredients industry with respect to global market. The Clean Label Ingredients Market report further emphasizes on driver and restraint factors in the global and regional level. For complete understanding, the Clean Label Ingredients Market also provides market segmentation, drivers, restrains and regional market analysis in country level market.Market research report demonstrates a detailed study of Demand Side Primary Contributors & Supply Side Primary Contributors:Get Free Sample Report@Clean Label Ingredients Market is expected to reach USD 57.05 billion by 2025, from USD 34.22 billion in 2017 growing at a CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015 & 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.Some of the major players operating in the global clean label ingredients market are:Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Koninklijke DSM N.V., E.I. Dupont De Nemours and Company, Kerry Group PLC, Ingredion Incorporated, Tate & Lyle PLC, Sensient Technologies Corporation, Groupe Limagrain, Corbion N.V., Groupe Limagrain, Chr. Hansen A/S, ALDI, Whole Foods Market, Quick BENEO GmbH, dairyfoods Trader Joes, The Kroger Co., Brisan, among others.General Mills, Hershey, Campbell Soup and Nestle are some of the companies that will be replacing artificial colours and flavours with natural ones and using a smaller roster of components. Panera Bread Co. (American chain of bakery-cafe fast casual restaurants in the United States) has said that its U.S. restaurants will not be using eggs from hens confined in cages. Panera, said that by 2020, the restaurant menu would moving to 100 percent cage-free, following other restaurant chains including McDonalds and Starbucks that have made similar pledges.Competitive Analysis about Clean Label Ingredients Market:Clean label ingredients market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of clean label ingredients market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Rise in clean label product launches is fuelled by increasing consumer demand for clean label food products to drive consumption of clean label ingredients. Health issues associated with artificial food additives and food safety incidents. Limitation/inability of clean ingredients to replace artificial ingredients. High cost of clean ingredients leading to increased cost of clean label products.This market report defines the market trends and forecast the upcoming opportunities and threats of the clean label ingredients market in the next 8 years. Clean label ingredients are also known as natural ingredients. These are the food additives and ingredients such as colours, flavours, fruit & vegetable ingredients, starch & sweeteners, flours, malt, and others. Clean label ingredients satisfies with almost each and every of the primary factors that include product elements without chemical name and easy to understand, no artificial additives or ingredients and at least one of the secondary factors secondary factors include natural, organic and non-genetically modified organism (GMO).In 2017, A study done in Packaged Facts National Consumer Survey according to which it can be observed that more than one-third of younger consumers, between 18 and 34 years old have said that they pay more attention to product claims and nutritional information for plant milks, cheese, and dairy milk, among other products.On May 2017 Bridor, European-style croissants, pastries and breads producer and supplier to the U.S. foodservice and retail markets, has launched a clean label program, The step taken has banned the use of more than 150 ingredients, including artificial colours and flavours, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, bleached flour and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats, including more than 200 items with plans to reach 300 by the end of 2017.Customization With Discount Available On This Report @Clean Label Ingredients Market Scope: On application, the global clean label ingredients market is segmented in to : beverages, bakery, dairy & frozen desserts, prepared food/ready meals & processed foods, cereals & snacks and others. The others segment is further sub segmented into confectionery and condiment/culinary products, The condiment/culinary products is further sub sub-segmented into sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads. On the Basis of Form, the global clean label ingredients market is classified in to : dry and liquid. On the basis of type, the global clean label ingredients market is segmented in to : natural colours, natural flavours, fruit & vegetable ingredients, starch & sweeteners, flours, malt and others. The others segment is further sub segmented into natural preservatives, fermentation ingredients, oils & shortenings, emulsifiers, and others (cereal ingredients such as bran and fibre). The fermentation ingredients are further sub segment into enzymes and starter cultures. On Brand, the global clean label ingredients market is classified in to : Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Koninklijke DSM N.V., E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Kerry Group PLC, Ingredion Incorporated and Tate & Lyle PLC On Geography, the global clean label ingredients market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies namely : North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and, Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and, Brazil among others.Report Brief Focus On:Clean Label Ingredients Market Present By Application (Beverages, Bakery, Dairy & Frozen Desserts, Prepared & Processed Foods, Others), By Form (Dry, Liquid), By Types (Natural Colours, Natural Flavours, Flours, Malt, Others), By Brands (Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland Company), By Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East And Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2025Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.For More Information Visit @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-281Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Medicinal Mushroom Market 2018 Top Profiled Companies are Bonduelle, Costa, Monaghan Mushrooms, Monterey Mushrooms, Inc., THE MUSHROOM COMPANY, http://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-medicinal-mushroom-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-medicinal-mushroom-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-medicinal-mushroom-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-medicinal-mushroom-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-innovation-management-market/ Medicinal Mushroom Market 2018 Global Industry Research report provides in depth study of using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Medicinal Mushroom Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization. The study provides forecast and estimates market for each product in terms of revenue and volume during the forecast period.The Global Medicinal Mushroom Market is expected to reach USD 78765.65 million by 2025, from USD 38108.68 million in 2017 growing at a CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015 & 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.For In depth Information Get Free Sample Copy of this Report@Global Medicinal Mushroom Market, By Type (Button Mushroom, Shiitake Mushroom, Oyster Mushroom, Other Mushroom), By Application (Processed Mushroom Market, Processed Mushroom Market {Dried Mushroom, Frozen Mushroom, Canned Mushroom, Other Mushroom}), By Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2025Complete report on Global Medicinal Mushroom Market Research Report 2017-2024 spread across 350 Pages, profiling Top companies and supports with tables and figuresMarket Definition: Global Medicinal Mushroom MarketReishi mushrooms are medically significant edible fungus scientifically known as Ganoderma lucidum. It is usually of deep red colour and has a bright surface with woody texture. These mushrooms are called as Ling Zhi in China, and reishi or mannentake in Japan. The parts of these mushrooms used as medicine are fruiting body or the above-ground portion, and mycelium or filaments linking group of mushrooms. The extracts obtained from these mushrooms are composed of complex carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids. These mushrooms have antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, anti-cancer, and immunological properties. Hence, they are used in the treatment of diabetes, respiratory problems, viral infections, heart & kidney diseases, liver problems, insomnia, anxiety, nervous system disorders, and others. Extensive research is being conducted on medicinal properties of reishi mushroom and many studies are supporting its health promoting characteristics. These factors have increased the demand of reishi mushroom extract globally. According to the article published by sustainability journal the total value of mushroom products was USD 24 billion in the year 2011 and the average annual growth rate has been over 10% over the past 30 years in China.Key Questions Answered in Global Medicinal Mushroom Market Report:-Our Report offers:- What will the market growth rate, Overview and Analysis by Type of Global Medicinal Mushroom Market in 2025? What are the key factors driving, Analysis by Applications and Countries Global Medicinal Mushroom Market? What are Dynamics, This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, and price analysis of top Vendors Profiles of Global Medicinal Mushroom Market? Who are Opportunities, Risk and Driving Force of Global Medicinal Mushroom Market? Who are the opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in Global Medicinal Mushroom Market? Business Overview by Type, Applications, Gross Margin and Market Share What are the Global Medicinal Mushroom Market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Market?Request for Detailed TOC:Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Increase in consumption of processed foods Rise in consumer awareness about health and wellness Promising and profitable business R&D and innovations to expand applicability & accelerate growth Improving technologies to increase the shelf-life Limited shelf-life of mushrooms Proper process managementTop Key Players: Bonduelle Fresh Costa Pty Ltd Drinkwaters Mushrooms Limited Lutece Holdings B.V. Monaghan Mushrooms Ireland Monterey Mushrooms Inc. Okechamp S.A. Shanghai Finc Bio-Tech Inc The Mushroom Company New Roots Herbal Inc North American Medicinal Mushroom Extracts Nutra Green Biotechnology Co Amax NutraSource, Inc Nyishar Real Mushrooms Oriveda BV Bio-Botanica Inc. Amax NutraSource, Inc. Qingdao Dacon Trading Co., Ltd. Xian Greena Biotech Co.,Ltd Dragon Herbs Hokkaido-reishi Huachengbio Mushroom Science Qingdao Dacon Trading Co., Ltd Xian Yuensun Biological Technology Co.Ltd many more.Avail 10% Instant Discount on Purchase of This Report Mail @ sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comKey Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have comprehensive understanding of the Global Medicinal Mushroom Market and its commercial landscape. Assess the Medicinal Mushroom production processes, major issues, and solutions to mitigate the development risk. To understand the most affecting driving and restraining forces in the Medicinal Mushroom Market and its impact in the Global market. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by leading respective organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Global Medicinal Mushroom Market.Inquire Before Buying @Customize report of "Global Medicinal Mushroom Market" as per customers requirement also available.Market Segmentations:Global Medicinal Mushroom Market is segmented on the basis of Type Application GeographyMarket Segmentations in Details:On the basis of Type, the global medicinal mushroom market is segmented into button mushroom, shiitake mushroom, oyster mushroom, other mushroomOn the basis of Application, the global medicinal mushroom market is classified into mushroom market, fresh mushrooms market, processed mushroom market, processed mushroom market LIS.On the basis of Geography, North America South America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East & AfricaCompetitive Analysis: Global Medicinal Mushroom MarketThe global medicinal mushroom market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of medicinal mushroom market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Speak to Author of the report @Other ReportGlobal Innovation Management Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Innovation Management Market, By Geography; Type (Software, Services); Organization Size (Large Enterprises, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)); Deployment Model (On-premises, Cloud); Application (Product Research & Development Platforms, Marketing, Design, Idea Platforms, Collective Intelligence & Prediction Platforms, Human Resource & Freelancers Platforms); Vertical (Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, IT, Media & Communication Technology, Aerospace & Defense, Public Sector & Education, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Retail & Consumer Goods, Automotive & Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Travel Insurance Market to 2025 - Allianz, Munich Re Group, AIG, Assicurazioni Generali, Prudential, ACE&Chubb, Manulife https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=120678 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=120678 www.researchnreports.com Our market research report on the travel insurance market is expected to provide our clients a detailed market intelligence on multiple factors impacting the growth of this market. Research N Reports considers the demand for travel insurance market in several regions across the globe. Geographic segmentation primarily helps clients in developing different target customer groups and analyze the changing demand-supply patterns influenced by the volatile consumer behavior. The marketing research process followed by our analysts comprises of several information gathering procedures such as extensive market surveys and focus group discussions.Research N Reports research analyst predicts the global travel insurance market to grow steadily at a CAGR of +11.5% during the forecast period.Download PDF Brochure @Some of the key players operating the global travel insurance market include Allianz, Munich Re Group, AIG, Assicurazioni Generali, Prudential, ACE&Chubb, Manulife, UnitedHealthcare Global, Mapfre, AXA, Tokio Marine Holdings, China Pacific insurance, Hanse Merkur, Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, People's insurance company of China, China Life, Sompo Japan NipponkoaThe report for Global Travel Insurance Market includes primary research alongside the comprehensive investigation of subjective as well as quantitative perspectives by different industry specialists, key supposition pioneers to gain the more profound understanding of the market and industry execution. The report gives the reasonable picture of the current market situation which incorporates authentic and anticipated market estimate in terms of esteem and volume, technological advancement, macroeconomic and governing factors in the market. The report provides detailed statistics and strategies of the best key players in the industry. The report additionally gives a broad study of the distinctive market sections and areas.Key highlights of the travel insurance market research report: The market size and the growth rate over the forecast years Key factors driving the market growth Detailed vendor landscape breakdown of the market Market opportunities and threats faced by the market vendorsThe Global Travel Insurance Market is characterized by the presence of a large number of global, regional, and local players and is highly-competitive. These international players are increasingly focusing on expanding their geographical presence and they have huge production facilities located across the world. Several vendors are increasingly competing against each other based on factors such as innovations, price, and quality of the product. Vendors with better financial and technological other resources can withstand changes in different market conditions when compared to their competitors.List of Chapters:1 Travel Insurance Market Overview2 Global Travel Insurance Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Southeast Asia Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 India Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Travel Insurance Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10 Travel Insurance Manufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Travel Insurance Market Forecast (2018-2025)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixGet More Information @Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com IVD Market is Expected to Reach $84,647 Million, Globally, by 2023 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/ivd-in-vitro-diagnostics-market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/336 www.alliedmarketresearch.com Global IVD Market was valued at $61,103 million in 2016, and is projected to reach at $84,647 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2017 to 2023. The reagents segment accounted for more than three-fifths share of the total market in 2016.Access Full Summary at:In vitro diagnostics field has evolved with technological advancements in the diagnostic techniques and awareness about healthcare in the emerging market. IVD has a wide range of applications in the diagnosis of various diseases such as infectious diseases, diabetes, oncology/cancer, cardiology diseases, autoimmune diseases, nephrology, and HIV/AIDS. Increase in awareness about healthcare, rise in incidence of chronic and infectious disease, and cost-effective diagnostic solutions fuel the market growth. Similarly, the increase in use of automated instruments & point-of-care diagnostic solutions, rise in government expenditure on healthcare in all the regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA), and accurate and faster test results supplements the IVD market. Stringent regulations, policies, and unclear reimbursement rules limit the growth.North America accounted for two-fifths share in 2016, and is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to increase in incidence of chronic diseases due to rise in geriatric population, well-established healthcare systems, and increase in awareness among the population toward timely diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. In addition, higher adoption rate for technologically advanced devices is anticipated to provide new growth opportunities for the key players in the market. However, Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at the highest growth rate during the analysis period, owing to rise in healthcare expenditure, increase in per capita income, growth in demand for healthcare services from large pool of patient population, and improvement in healthcare infrastructure.Key Findings of thE IVD Market:1. The reagents segment dominated the market in 2016, and is projected to grow at the 3.7% CAGR.2. The immunodiagnostics segment accounted for the highest share of in 2016.3. The infectious diseases segment was the major shareholder in the Asia-Pacific IVD based application market in 2016.4. The standalone laboratory segment accounted for the highest share of in 2016.5. North America was the major shareholder of global IVD market in 2016.The major players profiled in the global IVD market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Alere Inc., Biomerieux, Danaher Corporation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Becton Dickinson and Company, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Bayer AG, Sysmex Corporation, and Johnson & Johnson among others.Request sample copy of this report at:About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:Shriram Dighe5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Customer Relationship Management (Crm) Automation Software break down Data by Manufacturers, Key Regions, Types and Application 2023 https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=53731 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=53731 www.researchnreports.com A recent market research report added to the vast research report portfolio of Research N Reports analyzes the global market. The report is titled Global Customer Relationship Management (Crm) Automation Software Market Report 2018.One of the critical part of strategic decision-making for organizations across the globe is maintaining a proficient CRM process. Several organizations rely on CRM software to maintain a detailed database about the companys customer base. However, with the increase in the volume of data, it has become difficult for organizations to support a CRM database. This is encouraging them to adopt automation or outsource it to professional organizations with a proven track of managing complex CRM databases and CRM systems. Research analysis on the global CRM outsourcing market identifies that the rising need for large-scale client management will be one of the major factors that will have a positive impact on the growth of the market.Get sample copy of this report at:This research report provides an analysis of various companies in the market includingAccentureCognizantIBMInfosysHCL TechnologiesFor a detailed competitive analysis, the Global Customer Relationship Management (Crm) Automation Software Market is segmented on the basis of region, application, and product type. By region, the global sales market is divided into Asia-pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America. Major industries are concentrating on distributing their products and services across various provinces. Moreover, acquisitions and unions from some of the leading administrations are on the cards in the near future.Get discount at:Efforts are being taken by most of the companies to improve their research and development activities to introduce innovations. Governments of many nations are also contributing towards the growth of the global market by increasing their funding. All these factors are predicted to propel the Global Customer Relationship Management (Crm) Automation Software Sales Market.The competitive landscape section of the report also covers the solutions, products, services, business overview, recent developments, and company profiles of the main players operating in the market.Key questions answered in the report include What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2022? What are the key factors driving the global CRM outsourcing market? What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global CRM outsourcing market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in the global CRM outsourcing market? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global CRM outsourcing market? What are the trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, and EMEA? What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global CRM outsourcing market?Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com , Mobility on Demand Market Key Information Analysis by Hertz Corporation, Car2Go, Didi Chuxing, DriveNow GmbH & Co. KG, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Mobility on Demand Market, Mobility on Demand Market Study, Mobility on Demand Market Size, Mobility on Demand Market Segmentation https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1091025/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1091025/ https://empowerednews.net/author/gminsights/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/category/news-releases/ http://reports.algosonline.com/ The prime objective of Mobility on Demand Market report is to help the user understand the market in terms of its definition, segmentation, market potential, influential trends, and the challenges that the market is facing. Deep researches and analysis were done during the preparation of the report.Description: Mobility on Demand Market is projected to surpass USD 200 billion by 2024. The development of travel & tourism industry is expected to be one of the major drivers of the industry. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, in 2016, the direct contribution of this sector to GDP was USD 2,306.0 billion, that is approximately 3.1% of the total GDP. Transport forms a vital component of the travel industry for the sustainable growth of the sector.The legalization of ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Grab, by the government of Malaysia will drive the mobility on demand market growth in the region. The government of Malaysia has made amendments to the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) Act and Land Public Transport Act to allow the ride-hailing operators to work as an intermediary. The intermediary business license will allow these operators to facilitate transactions and booking of these services.This report focuses on the top Manufacturers and players in global market are given bellow:-Avis Budget Group, Hertz Corporation, Car2Go, Didi Chuxing, DriveNow GmbH & Co. KG, and Enterprise Rent-A-CarRequest a Sample on standard prices of this premium Mobility on Demand Market Research Report@The legalization of ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Grab, by the government of Malaysia will drive the mobility on demand market growth in the region. The government of Malaysia has made amendments to the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) Act and Land Public Transport Act to allow the ride-hailing operators to work as an intermediary. The intermediary business license will allow these operators to facilitate transactions and booking of these services.Growing concerns regarding the privacy and security of the customer data are expected to challenge the mobility on demand market growth. The penetration of smartphones and increasing internet usage is encouraging the users to use applications that open loopholes for cyber threats.The mobility on demand market in business applications is poised to grow at a significant pace as these services help the corporate organizations to reduce the dependency on private fleets. Also, these services allow the organizations to significantly reduce fleet-related costs and optimize the fleet management. Companies such as Omoove and Ubeeqo provide these services to the corporations that are tailored according to their specific requirements.Mobility on Demand Market Size By ServiceCar Sharing [By Model {P2P, Station-Based, Free-Floating}, By Business Model {Round Trip, One Way}], Ride Hailing, Car Rental [By Vehicle Type {Luxury Car, Executive Car, Economy Car, SUV, MUV}]By ApplicationBusiness, PrivateIndustry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook(U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Turkey, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, GCC, South Africa)Request a Discount on standard prices of this premium Mobility on Demand Market Research Report@More Report At:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:More Report at: Sagar Institute of Research & Technology, Bhopal was established in the year 2003. SIRT is recognized as one of the best engineering college in Bhopal, M.P. It is rated as top Engineering college in Bhopal MP in infrastructure. It is among the best engineering colleges in Bhopal mp in terms of placement. It also enjoys a position of Top Engineering colleges in Bhopal MP for students study & convenience. The It is suspected that Cambridge Analytica may have been involved in illegally obtaining data of Indians which could be misused. The social network has promised to introduce reforms to its policies. (Photo: AP) The Indian government has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe political consultancy Cambridge Analyticas misuse of Facebook user data, Indias law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told parliament on Thursday. It is suspected that Cambridge Analytica may have been involved in illegally obtaining data of Indians which could be misused, Prasad said. Facebook has faced increased scrutiny in the United States and the European Union over how Cambridge Analytica obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users. The consultancy allegedly used the data to support U.S. President Donald Trumps 2016 election campaign. The social network has promised to introduce reforms to its policies. Facebook was not immediately available for comment. Earlier this month, Britains information regulator slapped Facebook with a small but symbolic fine for breaches of data protection law in connection with the Cambridge Analytica data theft. Indias telecom regulator has said that the existing framework for the protection of personal data by companies and service providers is insufficient and recommended stricter rules to tackle data breaches following the scandal. Facebook reported disappointing second-quarter results on Wednesday, saying its profit margins would plummet for several years due to the costs of improving privacy safeguards in the wake of the scandals. (Source) It seemed like just one of the many details that go into buying a house: to close the deal for their dream home near Lebanon, Pauline and Ben Weintraub needed to send a cashier's check or wire transfer. In an email thread with their title company and real estate broker to arrange finals details, a message arrived suggesting they wire the money to avoid delaying the transaction. It was a big sum, $379,000, but the Weintraubs had been saving for years, and everyone in the thread was trusted. They notified their broker the money was sent, then arranged the meeting to sign the papers and seal the deal. And then their broker called. Their money had vanished. Their new home was on hold. The broker told them the wire transfer hadn't gone through, and that he had never sent the email with the account number for the transfer. The couple appeared to be out hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it looked like they would lose their new house, too. "We're super, super screwed right now," Ben Weintraub recalled thinking. "It's the worst possible combination that you could have imagined." Investigators say the Weintraubs appear to have fallen victim to a new, insidious online scam. Hackers somehow obtained access to the email conversation with their broker and title company, then impersonated the broker and sent a fraudulent account number for the wire transfer. Bankers and cybersecurity experts warn this kind of theft isn't as far-fetched as is it might sound, with criminals targeting nearly $1 billion in real estate transactions last year through similar scams. "There's been a lot of these cases. I know hackers are going after either title companies or real estate agents," said Ken Westin, a senior security strategist and researcher in Portland. "This is becoming pretty common." The Weintraubs landed with a rare fortunate ending: Months later they recovered most of the money they lost and they got their dream home, too, after arranging an emergency, short-term loan. But experts say they were unusually lucky. Most people never see the money again. The couple, young professionals in their mid 30s, were living in North Albany but wanted a home in the country. They had been looking for years and had made offers a couple times before. When they found a 30-acre property for sale in a rural area near Lebanon, the Weintraubs were determined not to let it get away. It's private, on a dead-end street, close to family and just a short drive from Pauline's work. They hope to have a little hobby farm, growing lavender running a seasonal U-cut operation. Everything about the purchase seemed routine, so far as they could tell. Their email thread with the title company and broker show the parties working out mundane details, like where to sign the papers. There are clues, in hindsight, that show where things started to go wrong. Emails that appeared to be from their broker abruptly changed topic and began making spelling and grammatical errors as the messages pushed for a prompt wire transfer. "If you wire, funds will be good funds right away," one message said. "They required you should wire funds now to avoid delay in closing. Let me know when you can send wire so I can send you wire instruction." To the Weintraubs, none of that stood out in the context of a longer online conversation. And there was nothing strange about the request to wire the money they had discussed it with the broker earlier. "In this case, the emails and the directions on the wire (apparently) came from a trusted source," said Lebanon Police Det. Justin McCubbins, who is investigating the case. Cybersecurity experts frequently warn about "spoofing" attacks, in which a hacker impersonates a trusted correspondent. The Weintraubs were apparently victims of an even more sinister scam, in which the spoofer inserted himself or herself into an ongoing email conversation. "Essentially a hacker gets into an account and sits in an accounts and just waits," McCubbins said. He said he believes the hackers were lurking quietly, scanning their conversation for an opportune time to impersonate the broker and redirect the Weintraubs' money to the fraudulent account. "The level of sophistication in this case is definitely higher," McCubbins said. Jolene Watson manages Umpqua Bank's branch in Lebanon, where the Weintraubs kept their money. She said the bank immediately tried to stop the transfer and contacted Bank of America, home to the fraudulent account. "To be honest, when I first heard about the situation, it was a gut-wrenching moment because when you do a wire (transfer) you often are unable to get the funds back," Watson said in an email. At Umpqua's request, Bank of America froze the fraudulent account preserving most of the Weintraubs' funds. "While I've not run into this exact type of fraud much, it is a growing national problem as cyber-criminals appear to have become more sophisticated at targeting the mortgage process," Watson said. "Homebuyers should definitely be aware of the risk and take precautions." The FBI told The Miami Herald that criminals running this kind of scam tried to divert nearly $1 billion from real estate transactions during the last fiscal year through fraudulent wire transfers, up from just $19 million the prior year. While McCubbins and the banks investigated, the Weintraubs' were left in limbo for more than a month. They say Bank of America refused to respond to their inquiries for weeks, so they told their story to The Oregonian/OregonLive. The media outlet inquired on their behalf, and the Weintraubs said they heard from Bank of America almost immediately. Days later, the bank said it had a "resolution" to the issue and a week later, the Weintraubs received a check for $362,000. That covered most of their losses but left them more than $17,000 short. They said Bank of America would not explain why they didn't get the full amount. In response to another inquiry from The Oregonian/OregonLive, bank spokeswoman Britney Sheehan declined to specifically address the Weintraubs' case, citing security and privacy. However, she said that fraudulent wire transfers typically involve multiple victims making claims on the same money. "Each claim is thoroughly researched," Sheehan wrote in an email. "After our research is complete and if we're lucky enough to recover any funds, which is rare there is a process in place for returning any recovered funds to the claimants and the originating banks." The hacker or hackers who stole the Weintraubs' funds could be anywhere in the world, so the chances of catching them and recovering the rest of the money are remote. Still out $17,000 plus another $8,000 in fees and interest triggered by the delay in closing the deal the Weintraubs' asked their broker to cover their loss and told him others had suggested they sue. He declined to compensate them, asserting he had no liability for what happened. The broker, Brian Weinhold, owner of Vanguard Realty Group in Corvallis, declined to say whose email account he believes was hacked. "Either way, what does it matter? The damage was done, and this is happening all over," Weinhold said in an interview. Ultimately, he said, his clients were at fault. "They made a poor choice to wire money when it had all the signs and markings that they shouldn't have done it," Weinhold said, noting misspellings and grammatical mistakes in the email thread. "It's unfortunately on them." The Weintraubs don't see it that way grammar and spelling mistakes are pretty common in email, after all. But Ben Weintraub said they're not dwelling on what happened, either. "It's nice that we got the property and we got most of the money back," he said. "It would be nice to get the missing money to really feel complete." Bankers and online security experts suggest taking an extra step when large sums are involved: call before sending money, talk directly to people you know, and slow down if things start to seem fishy. "We don't really trust anyone anymore," Ben Weintraub said. "I think that's a big thing that came out of it: Let's triple-check everything now." -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 By Monica Hesse I once flew to Germany for 19 hours to watch Ivanka Trump sit on a panel with a bunch of female leaders, and to be summoned by her later that evening for an off-the-record chat in her hotel lobby, where she ordered red wine in a white dress, which seems, in retrospect, like the boldest act I'd ever seen her make. I once spent several weeks trekking to the White House, repeatedly, for additional conversations that were supposed to be on the record, but then suddenly weren't, and which then collapsed into afternoons at a nearby bakery where my reporting partner and I would eat scones and try to dissect what had happened. What was Ivanka saying? What was she really saying? What, on the record, could we say about her? The reporters who cover Ivanka Trump have spent as much time as anybody trying to figure out how to meaningfully cover Ivanka Trump: the deep moat surrounding her, the careful way she measures her words like a Weight Watchers subscriber trying not to go over her daily allotment of almonds. I've asked the questions that public has asked: Is she trying to moderate her father? Is she actually moderating him? How much does she care about her publicized issues - job training and economic opportunities for women? How much is she just trying to sell books? Sell sleeveless floral sheath dresses? Shoes? The last question was answered on Tuesday: She's not trying to sell clothes at all. Her eponymous clothing brand - her defining symbol, which seemed to tie together and represent everything she cared about in terms of women and their success - is shuttering. "I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington," she said in a statement, closing off the possibility of returning to the company's helm. (She'd officially stepped down after taking a White House job as her father's adviser.) As with most things Ivanka does, the news was immediately interpreted in a dozen ways: Perhaps she was heroically eliminating her escape hatch so she could go all-in on the nation's affordable-child-care problem. Perhaps this was a face-saving maneuver: Nordstrom had stopped carrying the line because of deteriorating sales, other stores had scaled back, the clothes had become controversial. I don't know. After dedicating days, weeks, months to understanding how Ivanka saw herself and the world around her, I understand mostly that Germany is a long way to fly to watch someone tour an educational center, when you're pinned out of earshot in a press scrum and your notes read only, "Careful eye contact. Excellent posture." In public interviews, Ivanka's been a master of careful excellence, the artful dodge, the well-phrased nothing. As for her influence: She's said only that if she disagrees with her father, it's expressed privately and "with total candor." From time to time, Ivanka's believers have tried to imbue meaning into what she left unsaid, or what they perceived as subtweets: "I am proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society," she posted last June. A few weeks later, her father announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military. She could have forcefully come out against it. She could have forcefully opposed (or supported?) a lot of her father's controversial decisions. But the biggest question surrounding Ivanka has always been this one: How much of her identity is about herself? Her own name, her own brand, her own legacy? And how much of her identity is tied up in being her father's daughter? As gleeful Ivanka takedowns began circulating this week, I'm again analyzing her: wondering what it would be like to have a truly unguarded conversation with her, wondering whether she'd ever had an unguarded conversation with anybody. Wondering about soft power, and beautiful-white-woman power, and the agony of seeking parental approval - even as an adult! - and how silence is sometimes actually wisdom and sometimes actually fear. Either way, here we are: the death of her company. It had her own name on it; it represented her own values. But it will ultimately be associated, inextricably, with the politics of her dad. Again and again, Ivanka has sublimated her own voice and her own views. Even when speaking out would have been good for her. Even when it might have been useful for the country. One way to look at the shuttering of the Ivanka Trump brand is as a definitive act of filial piety. And an answer to the biggest question: Her identity is entirely tied up in being a Trump. Of course Ivanka isn't coming to save you. She couldn't even save herself. -- Monica Hesse is a columnist for The Washington Post's Style section and author of "American Fire." @MonicaHesse (c) 2018, The Washington Post Prosecutors on Thursday asked a veteran FBI agent who had been at the scene of the 2016 shooting of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum to identify where he and other agents were standing during the encounter using a color-coded guide produced by a government expert. Defense lawyers repeatedly rose to their feet to object. They argued that the judge had ruled before trial that the color-coded figures could be used only to refresh the memory of witnesses. One of the lawyers called the images "precision given to blobs, which was ruled inadmissible.'' After much back-and-forth between the prosecutors and defense lawyers and multiple ambiguous rulings from the bench outside the jury's presence, U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones by day's end set the final ground rules in favor of the defense. Prosecutors must ask agents or officers who testify to locate their positions on the fuzzy, unaltered video images of the scene taken from overhead FBI planes. They can use the color-coded guide of figures only to refresh their memories if they can't identify where they were. The positions of officers at the Jan. 26, 2016, roadblock where Finicum died are a key point in the case against FBI agent W. Joseph Astrarita, a member of the agency's Hostage Rescue Team. Astarita is accused of lying to conceal that he allegedly fired two shots at Finicum's truck after it swerved into a snowbank at the roadblock. FBI agents and Oregon State Police were arresting leaders of the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on U.S. 395. One shot struck the roof of the truck's cab as Finicum got out, his hands in the air. It blew out a rear passenger window. The other missed. Moments later, two state police officers fatally shot Finicum after he reached into his jacket where investigators said he had a loaded handgun. Prosecutors contend Astarita was the only one who could have taken the two disputed shots, but defense lawyers suggest two others could have taken them as well. FBI agent Michael Ferrari, a veteran member of the Hostage Rescue Team, was on the stand most of the second day of Astarita's trial. He was able to identify only the general vicinity where he was standing when the two disputed shots occurred and the location of another hostage team agent, John Neidert, who Finicum almost hit as he crashed into the snowbank. Ferrari, who spent nearly 18 years on the hostage team and now is at the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, helped develop the plan to stop the occupation leaders at a natural chokepoint on the highway as they headed to a meeting in John Day. Ferrari worked with a state police SWAT officer identified in court only as "Officer 1,'' he said. They hoped a Jeep, driven by a federal informant and carrying occupation leader Ammon Bundy and Bundy's bodyguard Brian Cavalier, would be first in the two-car caravan, but that didn't materialize. Marked state police vehicles, backed up by FBI agents, planned to "stop and call out'' the occupation leaders traveling in the Jeep and Finicum's truck, Ferrari said. About a mile north of the stop site, two Ford trucks rented by the FBI were set up in a "V'' formation at the roadblock, with spike strips laid in front. Ferrari was one of four hostage team agents and two state police SWAT officers at the roadblock. "We had hoped the vehicles would see the marked units and stop and do the right thing,'' Ferrari testified. "The north roadblock was merely a contingency.'' At no time did the original plan consider a "vehicle assault option,'' he said. When Finicum sped away from the initial stop, "we kind of made that plan on the fly,'' Ferrari testified. He watched Finicum's truck heading toward the roadblock on a live video feed from an FBI plane using a handheld computer monitor. As Finicum's truck approached, "We heard the gas pedal being pressed,'' Ferrari said. He told the agents and the state police to rush to the east side of the road to avoid the truck. All did except Neitard, who ran to the west side. Ferrari said he had heard gunshots as Finicum's truck was barreling toward the roadblock but didn't know who fired. Once the pickup slammed into the snowbank, Ferrari said he was focused on the truck and Neitard. Ferrari had tripped on the other side of the road and didn't see Finicum emerge from the driver's seat, he said, but presumed he had because he heard repeated commands shouted at Finicum. "At that point in time, you did not precisely know where the other operators were, did you?" defense attorney Robert Cary asked on cross-examination. "No sir,'' Ferrari responded. Ferrari said he moved to the back of Officer 1's truck, which was facing south between the Ford trucks set up in a V. He then moved up to the left front side of Officer 1's truck with Neitard, he testified. Ferrari said he saw Finicum reach once toward his coat pocket, suspecting he was going for a gun. Ferrari was pointing his rifle at Finicum, but he testified he didn't shoot because he was worried he'd hit a state trooper, Joey Pollard, who was in the tree line behind Finicum. After Officer 1 and another state police officer fatally shot Finicum, other state police fired gas cartridges and rubber-tipped bullets at Finicum's truck to try to break out the windows, Ferrari said. They did that because the agents couldn't see who was inside but suspected they were armed, he said. He didn't know any women were inside until they stepped out, Ferrari said. He acknowledged, under the prosecution's questioning, that sometimes hostage team members do miss their targets. The defense, in the trial's opening statements the day before, had said that if Astarita had fired his rifle, he wouldn't have missed. Ferrari said agents and officers were "amped up'' at the scene after the shooting and he did tell several, specifically Astarita, to calm down. He testified that he didn't see any shell casings on the ground after Finicum was shot, but that trucks were moved to allow additional officers to drive north on the highway to keep people from entering the shooting scene. It's standard, he said, for Hostage Rescue Team agents to do a security check of an area after a shooting, looking for pins or other remnants from flash-bang grenades, live ammunition or other equipment that might have been dropped. He didn't recall seeing any officers looking on the ground for items after dark. Sometime later, Astarita told him that he had picked up a magazine that belonged to Ferrari. Asked if he ever got it back, Ferrari said, "Not to my knowledge, I don't recall.'' In a subsequent conversation, Astarita told him "some rounds had popped out of it and he placed them back in,'' Ferrari said. "Sir, you did not partake in any sort of cover-up at that shooting scene at all?'' Cary asked Ferrari. "No,'' he responded. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian KLAMATH FALLS An attorney has been rehired by the Klamath County District Attorney's Office a few years after he resigned following a gun incident. District Attorney Eve Costello told the Herald and News that Cole Chase was the most qualified applicant her office received for a deputy district attorney position that opened up. Chase resigned Jan. 1, 2015, while facing criminal charges that he threatened two men with a gun during an argument outside a martini bar. He later pleaded no contest to unlawful use of a weapon and menacing. He was sentenced to probation, and required to undergo treatment for anger management and alcohol abuse. The Oregon State Bar suspended Chase's law license for six months and placed him on probation for 18 months. -- The Associated Press Wasco County residents living on a 17-mile stretch along the Deschutes River have been ordered to immediately evacuate their homes Thursday due to a wildfire near Dufur. A Level 3 evacuation notice has been issued for residents from Sherars Falls to Mack's Canyon, the county sheriff's office said around 7:55 p.m.. The sheriff's office announced just before 6 p.m. that crews were responding to a fire in a field on Long Hollow Road. No injuries have been reported. The blaze is burning an estimated 6,300 acres, according to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center. The latest wildfire comes after the Substation fire burned nearly 80,000 acres of land in Wasco and Sherman counties after it began July 17. The fire is about fully contained as of Thursday. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey A Seaside man fatally shot by police earlier this week after authorities say he refused orders to drop two antique guns had the pistols holstered when he was killed, according to the man's neighbor. Cashus Case, 44, was only wearing jeans and shoes when he was shot Tuesday in the RV park where he's lived for about a year near Avenue P and U.S. 101, said Michaela Wilson. She said she was talking with Case, who is known in the area as Deano, and her boyfriend just before two Seaside police officers arrived. Case had his two black powder pistols holstered throughout their talk and when she went inside her mobile home to brush her teeth. Wilson said she was still inside when she heard yelling and couldn't quite make what was being said. She then heard five gunshots. She said she saw one Seaside police officer holding what appeared to be a rifle, another holding a handgun and Case lying on his back on gravel with his guns still in their holsters. "It all happened so fast. I heard yelling briefly and then gunshots right after each other," said Wilson, 52. "He wasn't a violent person. He was clean and sober. I kept thinking he would get up, but he never did." The two officers involved in the shooting have not yet been identified by the Clatsop County officials. Both have been placed on paid administrative leave as an investigation of the shooting continues. Case is one of 12 people who have been killed by police in Oregon this year. The county district attorney's office said officers were responding to a report around 1:35 p.m. that Case was waving around the two pistols, and witnesses said he was upset because a dog had bitten someone else at the RV park. At least one of the officers later fired at Case when he didn't comply with their orders regarding the pistols, the district attorney's office said. Wilson said her friend had been attacked by another resident's three dogs about an hour before the officers arrived. It was Case, who lived two mobile homes down, who heard the man's yells for help and punched and kicked the canines to get them away. Wilson said she took her injured friend to the hospital and returned to the RV park, where Case was upset about the possibility that the dogs could attack children next. "She better take care of those dogs tonight, or I will," Case said, according to Wilson. She said police responded after the attack and took one of the dogs away. She said she later learned that officers were called a second time by the dogs' owner, who was concerned about the safety of her pets. Wilson said she didn't know how it escalated to Case being shot. Case had a young daughter, she said, and worked as a gas station attendant in town. Wilson described him as a generous, loyal and "big ole goofy guy" who loved motorcycles. She said his dream was to one day build and sell custom motorcycles. He'd been arrested in the past, she said, but he appeared to have turned his life around. His criminal history includes a January 2012 conviction for felony delivery of a controlled substance in Idaho, court records show. The Clatsop County District Attorney's Office said that conviction barred him from possessing firearms. "A lot of us have been arrested here and there, but that doesn't make you a bad person," Wilson said. "He wasn't some hardened, drug-crazed criminal. He didn't need to die." -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey Multnomah County has paid $200,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former employee who says he was fired after repeatedly complaining about a Portland police officers reference to the n-word during a presentation to youths. The county agreed to pay Emanuel Price about 40 percent of the $470,000 he sought in his March 2017 lawsuit. A county spokeswoman declined comment Friday, saying the public settlement involved a confidential personnel matter. According to Price's lawsuit, he was hired to promote respect for multiculturalism and inclusion as an employee for the countys Office of Diversity and Equity. But he said he was instead fired for what I got hired for. Prices lawsuit said his work troubles began after he became disturbed while listening to police Sgt. Tim Sessions make a presentation to the countys Youth Commission in January 2016 about real-life examples of cyber-bullying. The sergeant told the story of a Latino boy who mispronounced the n-word during an argument with a black boy -- and that the sergeant laughed as he said aloud the mispronounced word, according to the lawsuit and Prices lawyer Ashlee Albies. He made fun of the Mexican guy not being able to pronounce it, Price told The Oregonian/OregonLive at the time he filed his lawsuit. ... It was just really ugly. It was terrible. Price, who is black and Latino, stopped the presentation and later complained to his manager, the countys human resources department and ultimately to the police sergeant during a meeting in February 2016, the suit said. Sessions apologized but said there might be times when he needed to actually say the offensive word, according to the lawsuit. Nine days later, the county fired Price. Price contended it was in retaliation for continuing to have difficult conversations about race. In court papers, the county said Price was fired for poor work attendance and failing to communicate with his supervisor. Price had complained to the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries after his firing, but a state investigator in November 2016 found he lacked substantial evidence to prove retaliation. The county commissioners approved the $200,000 payment to Price last month. -- Aimee Green The big one is coming. We all know that. We also know the big one might turn out to be the very big one. The 700-mile-long Cascadia subduction zone that's just off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington will, sooner or later, produce a mammoth earthquake, scientists say. "If the entire zone gives way at once, an event that seismologists call a full-margin rupture, the magnitude will be somewhere between 8.7 and 9.2," journalist Kathryn Schulz wrote in The New Yorker three years ago. "That's the very big one." The result, she added, freaking out everyone living in the Pacific Northwest, will be "a seven-hundred-mile liquid wall that will reach the Northwest coast, on average, 15 minutes after the earthquake begins. By the time the shaking has ceased and the tsunami has receded, the region will be unrecognizable." Of course, the damage won't be equally bad for everyone in the region. After analyzing four years of data from 268 seismometers both on the ocean seabed and on land, University of Oregon researchers have discovered "anomalies in the upper mantle below both ends of the Cascadia subduction zone" that have implications for that next big one -- or the next very big one. "Our study is worse news for Portland northward to Seattle and for southern Cascadia, but central Cascadia is not off the hook," seismologist Douglas Toomey said in a University of Oregon report published this week at SciTechDaily.com. What that means: pieces of the upper mantel at the north and south of the zone are rising "because of melting rock and possibly elevated temperatures," said Miles Bodmer, a UO doctoral student who led the study. This could lead to worse quakes in those areas. Offers a summary of the researchers' peer-reviewed study, which will be published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters: "Subduction zones typically do not rupture along their full length, instead they release seismic energy over discrete segments. ... We identify two anomalous low-velocity regions beneath the subducting oceanic plate, one below the Olympic peninsula in northern Washington and one beneath northern California. We infer that these are regions where mantle is rising and, due to the presence of partial melt and possibly elevated temperatures, is more buoyant than the mantle beneath central Oregon. These buoyant regions correlate well with areas where the plates are more strongly locked together and where greater seismic tremor occurs." That is, these regions in northern Washington and northern California are different than the rest of the subduction zone fault, with "increased locking and increased tremor densities." There is less of this tectonic-plate "locking" along the central part of the zone in Oregon. The researchers say their work highlights the need for an integrated early-warning system for Oregon. There has recently been a series of small earthquakes off the West Coast, which is not unusual. The last time the Cascadia subduction zone burped up a massive, zone-wide earthquake was way back in 1700. No one knows when it will happen again: it could be this year or more than 100 years from now. Read more about the UO research at SciTechDaily, and check out a summary of the academic paper at Geophysical Research Letters. -- Douglas Perry There have been several cries against Amazon's facial recognition software, Rekognition, from civil rights groups 70 civil rights groups, to be exact, as well as Amazon employees and shareholders. Among the concerns is that the software has the potential to track innocent people and misidentify them as having committed a crime. Earlier this year, Amazon staunchly defended the technology: "When we find that AWS services are being abused by a customer, we suspend that customer's right to use our services," spokeswoman Nina Lindsey said, noting Rekognition's use in positive scenarios like finding lost children at a theme park. But on Wednesday the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California conducted a test with Rekognition using members of Congress. And according to the software, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. and 27 others are criminals. More accurately, the 28 members of Congress were falsely matched with mugshots from the 25,000 publicly-available arrest photos (the ACLU did not specify where it got the photos). (Though Lewis was, in fact, arrested during civil rights protests in the 1960s, the ACLU's blog post on the test implied these photos were not part of their test.) Eleven of the falsely identified Congresspeople were people of color, 40 percent of the erroneous matches, despite people of color making up less than 30 percent of Congress. RELATED: Safety over privacy? RealNetworks to offer free facial recognition technology to K-12 schools The ACLU said its findings show that Amazon's so-called Rekognition technology disproportionately puts people of color at risk, and should prompt regulators to halt "law enforcement use of face surveillance." "An identification whether accurate or not could cost people their freedom or even their lives," the ACLU wrote in their blog post. "People of color are already disproportionately harmed by police practices, and it's easy to see how Rekognition could exacerbate that." On Thursday, Amazon questioned the ACLU's methodology for the test, noting that the threshold for a match in the experiment was too low, with the 80 percent confidence being more appropriate for social media cases and not law enforcement. The watchdog group fired back that 80 percent was the default setting on the tool, which is already in use by law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Orlando. RELATED: What other technologies has Amazon patented? Glad you asked: Rekognition is reportedly incredibly cheap to use; the ACLU's test only cost them $12.33, or "less than a large pizza." The toold works by analyzing the arrangement of major features and comparing that arrangement to a database of mugshots. When it believes it has found it a match, it spits out a percentage of a likely match, with positive matches shown in green text. SeattlePI reporter Zosha Millman can be reached at zoshamillman@seattlepi.com. Follow Zosha on Twitter at @zosham. Find more from Zosha here on her author page. Political heavyweights who lost in their strongholds may band together. Pakistans cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) speaks to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during the general election in Islamabad. (Photo: File photograph) Karachi: Political analysts in Pakistan fear choppy waters lie ahead for the politics in the country with several political heavyweights who have suffered defeat in their strongholds likely to band together amid allegations of rigging in the General elections. The elections in Pakistan have produced some stunning upset results and many political parties who have suffered reversals continue to cry foul over the way the votes were counted and announced after long delays. According to the unofficial results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so far, Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has won the majority seats (119) in the National Ass-embly to form the next government while a number of seasoned politicians suffered defeat in their traditional strongholds. The next few days will be critical for Pakistan politics. Because if the political parties who have come second best to PTI get together and launch a combined protest over the results, it could be a big challenge for Khan and his party, analyst Omair Alavi said. The PML-N has already rejected the poll results despite securing a respe-ctable 122 seats in the Pun-jab assembly and another 68 in national assembly until Thursday evening. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarians are also crying foul particularly after their chairman, Bilawal Bhutto lost in one of their safest constituencies, Lyari area of Karachi to a PTI candidate. Religious parties like the Jamiat Ulema Islam (Maulana Fazlur Rehman), the Khadim Hussain Shah led Tehreek-e-Labaik have also alleged foul play in the counting of votes and have threatened agitation. Maulana Fazlur Rehman an arch-rival of Khan and seasoned politician who also lost out in the polls has announced he will be inviting all parties for a conference soon to discuss the election results. Bilawal Bhutto who also lost on a seat from Malakand in the KPK province, but managed to win in his ancestral Larkana constituency on Thursday to enter the parliament for the first time said there was a clear conspiracy to ensure he lost on all three seats. Our party leadership will convene on Friday to discuss the situation and announce our next step, Bilawal said after finishing behind the PTI and Pakistan Tehreek Labaik candidates in the final vote count. This is the time of the year when it is really fun to cook with all sorts of fresh ingredients. Nowadays, local supermarkets carry a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Even during the most frigid months we can find lots of produce. But it often comes from far away and the taste can often be disappointing. Produce available locally in the summer is usually better. Visiting farmer's markets in the area has always been a treat and gives me inspiration for meals based on local produce that is both fresh and tastes of summer. Many of the recipes I enjoy using produce during the warm times of the year come from the time when I lived in Paris, France. It was the first time I lived alone. Because of that I was responsible for preparing my own meals. Although I could cook, much of the produce available was new to me so I usually sought out recipes and ideas from friends and merchants at local produce markets. It always seemed to me like there was an unending list of fruits and vegetables there. Friends and their parents were more than willing to share ideas about preparing the many types of vegetables I had seen at the local markets. Merchants, who often came from various regions of France, were also kind enough to share their secrets about turning their products into delicious creations that were as much pleasing to the eye as they were to the stomach. One of the first things I was told by many I knew in France was that they preferred to eat food that is in season. During the month of July, this meant that such vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini and all sorts of lettuce would be brought in from sunny regions of the country. And just as there were lots of vegetables so, too, there were numerous ways to prepare them. Many creative recipes used by friends in Paris often reflected their regions of origin. Some of the first interesting dishes that I tasted were salads. At the homes of friends a salad could be something as simple as washed and dried lettuce served with a simple vinaigrette. This was served after the main course. There were also salads prepared with fresh tomatoes, especially one with onions and garlic, that I really liked. A similar salad using green beans was also easy to prepare and delicious. On occasion, we would eat a "salade composee," a salad with a variety of ingredients nicely arranged on the plate. Such a salad often served as a lovely summer meal and was accompanied by crusty slices of bread and a nice glass of rose wine. "Salade nicoise," a salad originating in the southern French city of Nice, is such a salad. Among the many ingredients that it contains are green beans, potatoes, olives and tuna fish. It looks pretty and is delicious! A dish that started out as a regional specialty has also become a very popular specialty with many variations. The savory tart "quiche," that hails from eastern France, was originally prepared with pieces of smoked slab bacon, egg, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg all cooked in a dough. Over the years, creative French cooks have found that all sorts of other fillings added to the eggs and cream can also produce a neat lunch or light summer dinner. A friend once served me her version of "quiche aux legumes" or vegetable quiche. It contained a medley of sauteed summer vegetables such as leeks and Swiss chard and was light and delicious. Years ago, I had a little less than two cups of grilled bell peppers, eggplant, onions and zucchini on hand and decided to create my own vegetable quiche. It was not only quick to make but also tasted great. All sorts of other foods I learned to prepare in France have become a very staple part of my summer cookbook. I always loved "tomates farcies" or stuffed tomatoes. In northern France they were often fresh tomatoes stuffed with a mixture of baby shrimp and mayonnaise. In the south they were stuffed with a nicely spiced pork filling and then baked. In Provence I always enjoyed "Tian aux legumes," a type of vegetable casserole cooked in a shallow baking dish of the same name. The vegetables were always arranged to make a pretty design and local herbs and a bit of salt were added to produce a simple yet tasty dish. And who can forget "ratatouille," the southern France vegetable stew that contains eggplant, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini and fresh, Provencal herbs? It is simply a delicious summer dish. There is so much fresh produce available during this time of the year and the inspirations for creating tasty dishes are endless. I will use my next visit to our local Farmer's Market to purchase some delicious, local ingredients for upcoming family meals. Our family enjoys choosing the ingredients together and then preparing them at home for a family meal. Perhaps you will also get some inspiration for cooking using local produce. Bon appetit! Greg Lopez is a Midlander who enjoys food and travel. He combines both in a monthly column for the Daily News. Email Lopez at internationalcookingathome@gmail.com. Green bean salad 1 pound fresh green beans, ends removed and cut in half if they are long 6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds 6 cherry tomatoes, washed, dried and cut into quarters 2 eggs, boiled and peeled, yolks removed from the whites and cut into circles 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced salt and white pepper to taste vinaigrette (use a recipe you like) 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, washed, dried and finely chopped Place the green beans and potatoes in lightly salted, boiling water and boil them until the green beans and potatoes are cooked the way you like them. They shouldn't require more than a few minutes of boiling. Drain very well. Place the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cooked egg yolks and red onion in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle a little salt and white pepper over the salad and than pour over the vinaigrette. Toss lightly and sprinkle the parsley on top. Serve immediately. Quiche aux legumes - Vegetable quiche One uncooked pie crust, not sweet 1 1/2 cups cooked (leftover) grilled vegetables 3 eggs 1/2 cup low fat sour cream 1/4 cup whole milk 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese salt and white pepper to taste pinch of nutmeg Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, milk, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix well. Pour into the pie shell and place in the oven. Bake about 25 to 35 minutes or until the mixture has set, that means until the egg mixture is solid. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving. Note: Reheating quiche in a microwave oven is usually not a good idea. The crust often becomes soggy. It is better to reheat the quiche in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. New name. New home. But, still the same vital mission of helping Midland County residents with housing assistance. On Wednesday, Home to Stay Housing Assistance Center celebrated its new location with a ribbon cutting. Home To Stay, previously known as Midland Area Homes, welcomed the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce to 205 S. Saginaw Road, right across the road from Isabella Bank, just off the Circle. "It is a big day for us. It took a long time coming," Home To Stay Executive Director Nancy Money said. "We're very thankful to our partners that made this happen." Previously, the nonprofit organization had been at 1825 Bay City Road. "We were in the that building for a long time. It was in dire need of upgrading," Money said with a laugh. The new location allows Home To Stay the ability to better serve clients through its: Furniture Program -- HTS accepts new and gently used furniture and appliances from the community. It is then able to gift these items out free of charge to those in the community who are in need. Home Repair Program -- Home repair services are available to low-income families and senior citizens to assure that their homes are safe and have functioning basic systems and utilities. Homeless Prevention programs -- HTS has been designated by the state of Michigan as the Housing Assistance and Resource Center for Midland County. The program is the recognized central point of entry/intake for high-need individuals facing eviction or people who are homeless. "We now have space to work with our clients along with being more centrally located in the community," Money said. "It's more accessible for our clients. It allows us to have a greater impact and reach out to the folks who need it the most." That space includes more offices along with a larger area for furniture and appliance storage. "The process itself was painless and we're very, very thankful to be in this space to better serve the folks we work with," Money said. Since 1969, Home To Stay has been aiding Midland County residents with housing needs. During that time, Home To Stay has served more than 40,000 households and last year received more than 1,700 calls for help and assistance. Office hours for Home To Stay are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday hrough Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. To donate, volunteer or get more information on Home To Stay, call 989-496-9550, email info@myhometostay.org or visit www.myhometostay.org Longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg has been subpoenaed, the Wall Street Journal reports. That should come as little surprise; he was invoked twice in Michael Cohen's taped conversation with President Donald Trump about buying the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story. "I've spoken to Allen about how to set the whole thing up," Cohen says on the September 2016 recording. He adds: "I spoke to Allen about it, when it comes time for the financing. ..." But that doesn't mean it's not a potentially huge moment. More than anything - more than whether Trump proposed paying cash for McDougal's story or warned against it - this could be what matters on that tape. Bloomberg's Timothy O'Brien spotlighted the potential significance of Weisselberg's implication in the whole thing shortly after the Cohen-Trump tape came out Tuesday evening. Cohen, O'Brien has argued previously, is a small fish in Trumpworld; Weisselberg, by contrast, is deeply involved in Trump's business and finances: O'Brien said: "Weisselberg . . . has worked for the Trump family since the 1970s, and knows more about the Trump Organization's history and finances than nearly anyone. Almost 71 years old, he joined the company after graduating from college and worked for the president's father, Fred, as an accountant. He has since become the Trump Organization's chief financial officer and one of the president's closest business confidants (alongside Jason Greenblatt, who was Trump's in-house legal counsel before the president named him as a special diplomatic envoy to the Middle East). . . . "Over the years, Weisselberg's professional duties also came to include handling Trump's personal finances as well as the Trump Organization's corporate finances. He has paid household bills, made large purchases for Trump, and has communicated with Trump's outside investment advisers. After Trump became president his lawyers created a trust that safeguards his interest in the Trump Organization while ostensibly managing the company without his input. The trust is run by Weisselberg and the president's two eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric." In other words, Weisselberg has served as something of a jack-of-all-trades for Trump. He worked for the Trump Organization and the Donald J. Trump Foundation, yes, but he also handled personal stuff - up to and including tax returns . . . and apparently consulting with Cohen on how to handle paying for the rights to a story about an alleged Trump affair with a Playboy Playmate, just two months before the 2016 election. Weisselberg has now been tied to both the potential McDougal payment (Cohen never ultimately purchased the rights from the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc.) and to the payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who has also claimed an affair with Trump, in which he set up Cohen's reimbursements from Trump. That speaks to his deep involvement in All Things Trump and to the information he could provide investigators under the right circumstances. Whether Weisselberg actually knew the specific details of either arrangement isn't clear. We also don't even know if there was anything illegal about the whole thing - much less if Weisselberg would have been involved in any illegality. So the idea that Weisselberg might flip on Trump is premature, at best. But the fact that there was reason to subpoena him is big. That means he has to answer investigators' questions, save for ones where he might invoke the Fifth Amendment or attorney-client privilege. It also means the probe has clearly expanded into Trump's business, which constituted Trump's previously expressed red line. "The subpoena is significant because it indicates that the probe encompasses the welter of transactions done under the umbrella of the Trump Organization, with possible criminal liability for the organization itself," said former Justice Department official Harry Litman. "Moreover, it means investigation into possible abuse of the organizational structure to serve Trump's personal purposes. If he was truly the guy people like Cohen sought to execute shady dealings like setting up companies for payments to cover up alleged affairs, just think of what he might know. You can bet Trump is. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter John Kennett. Wednesday, July 25 12:26 p.m. -- A passerby reported that a green phone transmission box, in Midland Township, had its door open and they were concerned. The deputy checked the box and found that the door had already been closed on it. 3:58 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a Warren Township residence to help the Clare County Sheriff's Office attempt to locate a 29-year-old Warren Township man wanted on a felony warrant out of Clare. Deputies observed the man flee the back yard of the residence upon their arrival but were unable to locate him in the large wooded parcel behind the residence. 6:27 p.m. -- A woman, 46, and her roommate, 45, both reported that the other had assaulted them in Jerome Township. A report was turned over to the Midland County Prosecuting Attorney's office. 7:57 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Greendale Township residence for a report of criminal sexual conduct between an 8-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. 10:01 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Homer Township residence for well-being check after a person stopped to give an estimate on tree work and found the entry door open with no response from the resident, a 70-year-old woman. The deputy located the woman in the residence sleeping. The United States calls for the release of an imprisoned American Protestant pastor. The man is accused of espionage and terrorism for alleged ties with the PKK and Fethullah Gulen. Donald Trump threatens sanctions. Erdogan wants in turn the extradition of Gulen. Ankara (AsiaNews / Agencies) - US President Donald Trump is threatening Turkey with "serious sanctions" if the American Protestant pastor arrested on charges of espionage is not released soon. On Twitter, Trump described the religious as a "formidable Christian and father of a family, that has suffered a lot. This innocent man must be released immediately ". Already a week ago he called Andrew Brunson's detention during the trial a "shame". The man has been in prison since October 2016. The pastor faces 35 years in prison. The charge of terrorism and espionage for alleged ties with the PKK and the Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, who took refuge in the United States and accused by Ankara of orchestrating the failed coup d'etat in 2016, hang over him. Even US Vice President Mike Pence announces serious consequences: "If Turkey does not take immediate measures to free this innocent man and send him back to America, the United States will impose significant sanctions against Turkey until he is freed". Turkeyhas set Gulen's extradition as a condition for Brunson's release. The head of Turkish diplomacy Mevlut Cavusoglu declares that the US administration "must understand that it can not achieve results by threatening Turkey. Nobody can give orders to Turkey. We do not tolerate anyone's threats ". An autonomous security all-terrain vehicle (ATV) developed by the Alberta Center for Advanced MNT (microprocessor and nanotechnology) Products (ACAMP) is ready to patrol the perimeter security fence at Edmonton International Airport (EIA), Canada. The unarmed vehicle is controlled remotely by humans and can also drive autonomously, incorporating machine-learning to perform its tasks. Steve Maybee, vice-president of operations and infrastructure, EIA, said, Safety and security is our number one priority at EIA and the autonomous ATV security vehicle will enhance our patrol of the perimeter fencing that secures the 7,000 acres of land at our airport. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The partnership with ACAMP to build the vehicle is also part of a larger effort to foster innovation, collaboration and economic diversification through our Airport Citys growing number of technology and aerospace companies. The new vehicle system includes navigation, path planning, obstacle avoidance, animal and human recognition, communication systems to airport security, geo-fencing, and situational awareness and analysis. The autonomous ATV patrols will focus on identifying damage to the chainlink fence and fence posts; detecting human or animal activity; and searching for obstacles using lidar (light detection and ranging). The partnership with EIA has helped us build a customizable platform that uses the latest in artificial intelligence, telematics, communications and other technologies, said Rosy Amlani, chief financial officer and vice-president of business development, ACAMP. EIA is a member of the Advanced Systems for Transportation Consortium established by ACAMP and supported by the Government of Alberta. ACAMP is a member of the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre at EIA. ACAMP and EIA were able to harness technologies developed by consortium members to construct and test the autonomous ATV security vehicle, readying it for regular use at EIA. Russia has already made three attempts to hack the 2018 midterm elections. Despite Trumps (obviously bogus) claims that Russia is helping the Democrats, a recent attack has allegedly targeted Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill. In order to understand the most recent hacking, we have go back to hackings that took place during the 2016 presidential election. Fancy Bear is a subgroup of Russias GRU intelligence service and they are the group credited with attacking Hillary Clintons campaign by targeting campaign staffers. The group used fake emails that informed the staffers their email passwords had expired. Each email contained a link that the target would click to reset their password where they would be redirected to a website with a second link. If the second link was clicked, the hackers would have access to the targets email account. Fancy Bears fake emails and websites were crafted with Microsoft logos so the entire process looked identical to the real Microsoft password reset process. However, Microsoft found out about the hacking and sued the Russian hackers in a U.S. court. Unfortunately, Microsoft didnt win the case until after the election in August of 2017. Now, all Fancy Bear websites that include Microsoft logos are being shut down. Now, Fancy Bear is turning its attention to 2018. A Sept. 26 snapshot of one of Fancy Bears fake password change websites shows the Senate email address of a McCaskill policy aide displayed. This means that one of the websites proven by Microsoft to be fake and run by Fancy Bear was attempting to trick one of McCaskills aides, and ultimately McCaskills campaign, into giving up access to their email accounts. However, the screenshot did not provide any evidence to reveal if the hacking attempt was successful. On Thursday, McCaskill confirmed the hacking attempt but said Fancy Bear was ultimately unsuccessful in its attempt to hack her campaign. She said, While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that they think they can get away with this. I will not be intimidated. Ive said it before and I will say it again, Putin is a thug and a bully. On Tuesday, Trump attempted to flip the Russia hacking situation and make it seem as if the hackers are helping the Democrats win the midterms: Im very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely dont want Trump! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2018 Trumps statements have proved to be incorrect following the news of Fancy Bears attempt to target McCaskills campaign. Microsoft has revealed that Fancy Bear has targeted three candidates in the 2018 midterm elections, but did not identify which candidates. Now that McCaskill has identified herself as one of the hacking targets, the intention of Russian hackers is clear. McCaskill is one of the most important and vulnerable Democratic seats in the Senate. She is currently leading her Republican opponent by only one point, and if she loses her seat in November it will make it even more difficult for Democrats to take control of the Senate. Fancy Bear wouldnt target her if they wanted Democrats to win the midterms, but they would target her if they wanted Democrats to remain the minority in the Senate. These new hacking attempts come in the middle of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election. When you want to make a strong impression, there's nothing quite like moving images with sound. That's why digital video continues to grow in importance online. Couple that trend with the ever-increasing availability of devices capable of high-resolution video recordingsmartphones, GoPros, DSLRsand the case for powerful video editing software becomes clear. The software must be usable by professionals and nonprofessionals alike, and it needs to keep up with newer formats such as HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), HDR, and VR. It also must work with 4K video since common devices are now capable of producing 4K content and sometimes even higher resolutions. Increasingly, tools trickle down from professional-level software to the consumer category. Multitrack editing, motion tracking, and advanced color grading have all made the leap. This trend is a boon to nonprofessional movie editors and vloggers, since the more-consumer-oriented software tends to simplify procedures that are complex in the pro-level software. It also means you'll have more familiarity, should you move up to a professional application. In another plus for consumers, features that, in the pro world, are relegated to separate apps for motion graphics and color grading are often included in one package at the consumer level, making for a more integrated editing experience. Multicam, Motion Tracking, and Yet More Motion Advanced abilities continue to make their way into accessible, affordable, and consumer-friendly video editing software as each new generation of software is released. For example, multicam editing, which lets you switch among camera angles of the same scene shot with multiple video cameras, used to be a feature relegated to pro-level software. Now this and many other advanced effects are available in programs designed for use by nonprofessional enthusiasts. Another impressive effect that has made its way into consumer-level video editing software is motion tracking, which lets you attach an object or effect to something moving in your video. You might use it to place a blur over the face of someone you don't want revealed in your video, or to display a text box next to a moving object. You mark the object you want to track, specify the effect or text, and the app takes care of the rest, following the marked object. Motion tracking used to be the sole province of special-effects software such as Adobe After Effects. Corel VideoStudio was the first of the consumer products to include motion tracking, and it still leads the pack in the depth and usability of its motion-tracking tool (even including multipoint tracking) though several others now include the capability. Does the Software Support 4K Video? How About 8K? Support for 4K video source content has become fairly standard in video editing software, and pro software already supports up to 8K, which isn't practical unless you're running a full-size movie theater. That said, even some smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (which I recently upgrade to) now can shoot in 8K. The support for 4K and higher formats varies among the consumer products. For example, some but not all the applications can import Sony XAVC and XAVC-S formats, which are used by Sony's popular DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, camcorders, and professional video cameras. The same holds true for the H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. Most of the applications here now can import and export HEVC, but there are still a few holdouts. If you plan on working with 4K or higher video content, make sure you choose a video editing application that's fast at rendering output files (See Gathering Speed section below). How Can You Edit Video on a PC? None of the extras matter if an app can't do the most basic editing tasks. At this point, all the software included here does a good job of letting you join, trim, and split video clips. Most also provide extensive tutorials, help, and guided editing tools. You can make use of special effects such as animated transitions, picture-in-picture (PiP), chroma-key (often known as green screen), and filters that enhance colors or apply creative effects and distortions. With most products, you can add a multitude of timeline tracks that accommodate video clips, effects, audio, and text overlays. Some video editing applications now include seamless transition tools. Picture a scene showing people at a beach, and suddenly the sky zooms in and you're in Rome or Paris, but it looks like you're in the same place because the transition glued the two scenes together using the sky. There are plenty of other examples of seamless transition; this magnificent video shows a good selection of them and is partly responsible for starting the trend. What Are Color Grading and LUTs? One of the capabilities that has made its way into consumer-level video editing software is more-detailed color grading. Color wheels, curves, and histograms give editors control over the intensity of every shade. Related to this is support for LUTs (lookup tables), also known as CLUTs (color lookup tables). This staple of pro-level software lets you quickly change the look of a video to give it a specific mood. For example, think of the dark blue look of thriller movies like The Revenant. You can download LUTs for free from several sites or use those included with video software to give your video a specific look. One well-known LUT type is the kind that can make a daytime scene look like it was shot at night. Where Is the Action? Many video editing apps now include tools that cater to users of action cameras such as the GoPro Hero9 Black. For example, several offer automated freeze-frame along with speedup, slowdown, and reverse time effects. CyberLink PowerDirector's Action Camera Center pulls together freeze frame with stabilization, slo-mo, and fish-eye correction, and throws in color correction for underwater footage. Magix Movie Edit Pro Premium includes the third-party NewBlue ActionCam Package of effects. Titles That Zing I've been seeing a lot of attention paid to creating title effects in the video editing applications. Apple Final Cut Pro has added 3D title creation, which is pretty spiffy, letting you extrude 2D titles and rotate them on three axes. Corel VideoStudio also includes 3D Titling, though not as powerful as Apple's. PowerDirector's Title Designer offers transparency, gradient color, border, blur level, and reflection in titles; Magix has impressive title templates, complete with animations. Premiere Elements offers a nifty title effect in which your video fills the text characters, and Corel followed suit with a similar tool in VideoStudio. Look for an application that lets you edit titles in WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) mode, so that you can type, format, and time it right over the video preview. Gathering Speed Video editing is one of the most computing-intensive activities around, so you'll want the best laptop or desktop you can afford if you're serious about cutting your own movies. Most applications help speed up the editing process by creating a proxy file of lower resolution, so that normal editing and previewing aren't slowed down by the huge full-resolution files. Particularly intensive is the process of rendering your finished product into a standard video file that will by playable on the target device of choice, be that an HDTV, a laptop, or a smartphone. Most of the software can take advantage of your computer's graphics processor to speed this up. Be sure to check the performance section in each review linked here to see how speedy or slow the application is. In rendering speed testing, CyberLink PowerDirector and Pinnacle Studio have been my perennial champs, but in the latest test runs Corel VideoStudio took the crown. Other measures of performance include startup time and simple stability. Again, video editing is a taxing activity for any computer, involving many components. In the past, video editing programs took longer than most other apps to start up, and unexpected shutdowns were unfortunately common, even in top apps from top developers such as Adobe and Apple. The stability situation has greatly improved, but the complexity of the process, which increases as more powerful effects are added, means crashes will likely never be fully eliminated, and they often raise their ugly heads after a feature update. Free Video Editing Software If you don't want to invest a lot of money and effort into your video editing exploits, there are a few free options. Of course, if you use a Mac, the excellent iMovie comes with it. For PC users, Windows 10's Photos app (as of the Fall Creators Update) lets you join, trim, and even add background music, 3D animated effects, and titles to video. There are also some free video apps on the Microsoft Store, Windows' app store. These include Animotica, Movie Maker, and Video Editor Studio. Some of these are quite basic, but most include with clip joining, transitions, and effects, in a very touch-friendly interface. One free video editing app that's not in the app store has recently come to my attention: MiniTool MovieMaker. I have not yet tested it, but it looks promising. I prefer apps that come from the Microsoft Store, since I know they've been vetted for security and function, they run in sandboxes that can't mess with your system software, and they're easy to install and update. Free video editing software often comes with legal and technical limitations, however. Some widely used codecs require licensing fees on the part of the software maker, meaning they can't offer free software that can handle these standard file formats. That said, the impressive open-source Shotcut does a lot of the same things that the paid applications in this roundup do, including things like chroma-keying and picture-in-picture. Shotcut is completely open-source and free, while another free option, Lightworks has paid options that remove a 720p output resolution limit. Note also that both Shotcut and Lightworks run on Linux as well as Windows and Mac. 360-Degree VR Support Several of the products here (Adobe Premiere Elements is a notable exception) still support 3D video editing if that's your thing, though this has been replaced by 360-degree VR footage like that shot by the Samsung Gear 360 as a home-theater fad. To be honest, 360-degree is starting to fade in popularity, aside from some content you'll see on Facebook. As is often the case, our Editors' Choice, CyberLink PowerDirector was the first product in this group to offer support for this new kind of video media. Other programs have jumped on board with 360 VR support, including Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Magix Movie Edit Pro. Support varies, with some apps including 360-compatible titles, stabilization, and motion tracking. PowerDirector is notable for including those last two. Final Cut offers a useful tool that removes the camera and tripod from the image, often an issue with 360-degree footage. What About Apple? Though macOS users don't have the sheer number of software choices available for PCs, Apple fans interested in editing video are well served; you can read more about them in our roundup of the best video editing software for Macs. At the entry level, the surprisingly capable and enjoyable-to-use iMovie comes free with every Mac sold since at least 2011. iMovie only offers two video tracks, but does good job with chroma-keying, and its Trailers feature makes easy work of producing slick, Hollywood-style productions. In the midrange, there's Adobe Premiere Elements, which is cross-platform between Macs and PCs, and offers a lot more features and lots of help with creating effects. Recently joining that in Apple world is a macOS version of my Editors' Choice enthusiast level video editing application, CyberLink PowerDirector. Though it doesn't offer quite as many tools as you get in its Windows version, what it does includes is impressive, as is its rendering performance, which beat all the other Mac products mentioned here on my tests. Professionals and prosumers have powerful, though pricey options in Davinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro. Final Cut is a deceptively simple application that resembles iMovie in its interface and ease of use, but it offers massively deep capabilities, and many third-party apps integrate with it for even more power. Final Cut also makes excellent use of the Touch Bar on the some MacBook Pro models. Premiere Pro uses a more-traditional timeline and enjoys a large ecosystem of companion apps and plug-ins. It also excels in collaboration features and plays well with ancillary Adobe software such as After Effects and Photoshop. Audio Editing We still live in the days of talkies, so you want to be able to edit the audio in your digital moves as well as the images. Most of the products included here offer canned background music, and many, such as Pinnacle Studio, can even tailor the soundtrack to the exact length of your movie. All these programs can separate audio and video tracks, and most can clean up background noise and add environmental audio effects such as concert hall reverb. A couple of the products have an auto-ducking feature, which lowers background music during dialoga definite pro-level plus. What's Not Here There are more video editing software applications than we can fit into this roundup of the best options, which includes only software rated three stars and higher. A couple of products recently passed this bar: Vegas Movie Studio and VSDC Video Editor Pro, both have made improvements on previously convoluted interfaces and slow performance. Longtime pro video editors will note the absence of Avid Media Composer, which is simply too unwieldy for PCMag's primarily consumer audience. There are a couple of more interesting applicationsNCH VideoPad and AVS Video Editor among themthat we simply haven't tested yet, along with some web-based editors. The Finish Line The video editing application you choose depends on your budget, the equipment you're using, and how serious you are. Fortunately, you're spoiled for choice with the products available. Peruse our in-depth reviews of enthusiast-level video editing software linked below to see which is the right one for you. One final note about the features table here: To provide some differentiation among the products, check marks represent above-the-call-of-duty features, rather than truly essential ones. So, just because Nero Video and Wondershare Filmora don't have any checks, it doesn't mean they're not good choices. In fact, both offer decent basic editing on a budget. Cheesesteaks have arrived at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. Philly-style sandwiches, made with thinly shaved ribeye, are grilled to order at the market's newest stand, The Cheesesteak Guy in the stone building. "Our goal is to get people in and out," said Keri Little, co-owner with her fiance, Josh Longo. Along with the sandwiches, they aim to appeal to the market's diverse customer-base with all-day breakfast including a Steak Bomb - a breakfast version of a cheesesteak with an egg - as well a grilled cheese sandwiches, BLTs and West Coast style 1/4-pound burgers. Sides include french fries and tater tots. The stand opened July 26 and fills a void left by the Harrisburger, which closed in April. Longo was managing Zeroday Brewing Company's Outpost at the market when he learned the Harrisburger was closing. He and Little jumped at the chance to slide into the space. Before opening, they tested cheesesteak recipes and ingredients with help from Longo's aunt, Stephanie Stence, owner of Premier Caterers in Camp Hill. The Cheesesteak Guy owners Josh Longo and Keri Little at the Broad Street Market. Longo has deep roots in the Harrisburg-area restaurant scene. His grandfather Donnie Brown, Sr. spearheaded Club Met, Paradise Alley and Zephyr Express, among others, and his uncle, Donnie Brown, Jr. owns Black n' Bleu restaurant in Hampden Township. "Her advice was to keep (the menu) simple," Little said. The cheesesteaks are made with ribeye from Warrington Farm Meats in Dillsburg with a choice of Cheese Whiz, provolone, American and pepper jack cheese for $8. Instead of straight Whiz, Longo cuts it with sour cream so it's not as thick and salty. They also use Liscio's Bakery rolls from Philadelphia. The thin and crisp, but juicy burgers are made from ground beef from Hummer's Meats at the market. The patties are designed to be stackable and sold as single, double or triple sizes, ranging in price from $4.50 to $10.50. The stand is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, in Washington, D.C. The dedication occurred on the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war. Present were President Bill Clinton and Kim Young Sam, president of the Republic of Korea. The memorial is on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial features 19 stainless steel statues, each between 7 feet 3 inches tall and 7 feet 6 inches tall. They represent a squad on patrol. Fourteen of them are from the Army, three are Marines, one is a Navy corpsman and one is an Air Force forward observer. The statues were sculpted by Frank Gaylord of Barre, Vt. The memorial also includes a wall of 41 panels. The black granite wall features etchings made from photographs of the war from the National Archives. The wall shows Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel and their equipment. A reflective pool encircles the Freedom Is Not Free Wall and Alcove. The last piece of the memorial is a Mural Wall with engraved markers that list the 22 nations the contributed to the United Nations efforts in the Korean War. From history.com, "On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea's behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself. After some early back-and-forth across the 38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared, would be a wider war with Russia and China-or even, as some warned, World War III. Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today." Almost 34,000 Americans died in the Korean War. Pennsylvania State Police announced a female body was found around 7:45 p.m. Thursday evening, according to media reports. Laura Olweiler, 19, of Elizabethtown, went missing Monday in the 500 block of Koser Road, less than a mile away from where the body was found. Those media reports said Olweiler's family has been identified. State police said a civilian who was not a part of the search efforts discovered the body. The body has not been identified, as officials are waiting on dental records to match. An autopsy will be done Friday. Elizabethtown Fire Department as well as multiple search and rescue teams were involved in the search, state police said. The search involved several hundred crew members over the last few days. As of now, additional searches are not planned. Central Pennsylvania will get a break from the rain this weekend, but more could return into next week. The dry spell this weekend is thanks to a shift in the atmosphere, according to AccuWeather. A southward dip in the jet stream will enable dry air from Canada to move into the northeast. Some of that dry air could cause some severe storms on Friday. "The leading edge of a second surge of dry air may trigger locally severe thunderstorms and cause trees to topple where the ground is saturated on Friday," according to the report. "Less humid air will settle in and substantially reduce the risk of showers and thunderstorms later Friday night." Residents can expect dry weather this weekend to clean up after rain this week, but tropical air will bring more rain into next week. That tropical air will be thanks to a westward shift in the jet stream, but where the most rain will fall depends on how far west the shift is. "There is still a risk that the corridor of heavy rain will overlap many of the same areas that were hit hard this week, including Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Wilmington, North Carolina; Hershey, Pennsylvania and Norfolk, Virginia," AccuWeather reports. "Even if the swath of downpours focuses on the Appalachians, rather than the Atlantic coastal plain, there will still be spotty, periodic showers and thunderstorms in this area that can trigger localized flooding." Here's a look at the forecast through the weekend: Friday: Mostly cloudy skies, strong thunderstorms possible. High: 87 Friday night: A shower or thunderstorm possible in the evening; otherwise, partly cloudy. Low: 67 Saturday: Mostly sunny skies. High: 85 Saturday night: Mainly clear skies. Low: 64 Sunday: Intervals of clouds and sun. High: 83 Sunday night: Partly cloudy skies. Low: 65 You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below. Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. Dry leaf medical marijuana is expected to be available at some medical marijuana dispensaries beginning Wednesday. Because of an initial limited supply, it will be available at about a dozen dispensaries around the state, said J.J. Abbott, a spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf. Abbott said the state plans to reveal more next week about which dispensaries will have dry leaf forms. The dry forms are expected to be more affordable than the oils and other concentrates available since medical marijuana became available in Pennsylvania in February. While the dry forms will offer an inhalable option, the state's medical marijuana law doesn't permit it to be smoked. Rather, the dry form can be vaporized to make it inhalable. "Governor Wolf believes that the introduction of dry leaf will mean more options and lower costs for many consumers, and demonstrates Pennsylvania's commitment to maximize the impact, accessibility and benefits of our medical marijuana program for patients in need," Abbott said. Luke Shultz, a member of the state's medical marijuana advisory board, said he expects large demand for the dry forms. Because they require less processing, the dry forms are expected to be cheaper. That also means they can reach the market quicker. Thus, they are expected to help alleviate the shortage of some medical marijuana products that has occurred as Pennsylania's medical marijuana growers work their way up to full production. Leaf forms when vaporized are quick-acting. Shultz said some of Pennsylvania's medical marijuana users previously used dry leaf bought on the black market, and found they couldn't get the same results from the forms previously available in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's medical marijuana law didn't initially allow dry leaf and flower forms. But the advisory board studied the effectiveness and recommended approval, with Dr. Rachel Levine, the state's secretary or health, accepting the recommendation. The Duke Street Bridge in Hummelstown remains closed, one of many roads and bridges inundated this week by floodwaters from Swatara Creek. The above video shows the debris that appears almost embedded in the bridge by the powerful flood waters. The bridge is owned by Dauphin County and must be inspected before it can be reopened. As of 10 a.m. Friday, PennDOT was reporting that 24 state roads remained closed due to flooding in Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry and York counties, fewer than half as many as were closed Thursday night. Some roads in Lancaster are no longer flooded but remain closed for construction because of damage, PennDOT reported. Route 39 is closed near the Giant Center, although PennDOT repair crews hope to reopen it in time for the weekend. For details on road closings, visit 511pa.com and follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources. Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here. Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. by Melani Manel Perera The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation organised a camp for students and teachers. Schools must promote exchanges between young people, future "agents of change". Teachers note that School is the place where you start to be good or bad, destructive or peaceful, [where] love or hate [are learnt]." Colombo (AsiaNews) Education in Sri Lanka can play a fundamental role in building national reconciliation and peace, said J.K. Rajapaksha, director of the Education Unit at the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR). Rajapaksha spoke at an educational camp for students and teachers titled "Sahodara Paasal/Paadasalai", held at the Y-Gro Social Development Centre, Kurunegala District. Through education, "we must move forward to build mutual trust and brotherhood among children, regardless of their race or religion," he explained. The five-day camp brought together 180 students and 36 teachers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds from Uva, Eastern and Western provinces. The students shared experiences and opinions and learnt to live together, giving them the opportunity to understand and appreciate the issues related to reconciliation in a country marked by decades of civil war. Participants joined in various activities and drafted an action plan for their respective communities to work together to create a peaceful and supportive nation. In his address to the students, Rajapaksha said that the programmes goal is to establish a pool of 'facilitators', teachers specialised in reconciliation, in the various provinces. "At the same time, we want to make thousands of students know each other, so that they can become agents of change in their respective communities, he added. The programmes innovative practices will allow students to interact with each other and share ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious differences. They will learn to appreciate and respect the differences that characterise us as Sri Lankans. The camp will help a better future generation with a positive mindset." Some teachers and principals in Colombo and Negombo told AsiaNews that the initiative is "an essential step. School is the place where you start to be good or bad, destructive or peaceful, [where] love or hate [are learnt]." The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that large portions of a grand jury report into clergy sex abuse in six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania will be released to the public. In an order issued Friday afternoon, the court states that an interim report on the findings of the 40th Statewide Grand Jury investigation will be released in August. The interim report, with redactions, will be released by Aug. 14, according to the order written by Chief Justice Thomas Saylor. The court found that the long-awaited report could be released to the public without compromising the rights of petitioners who have challenged the report. Dozens of priests have challenged the release of the report and said it would violate their rights to due process. The court conceded sufficient measures should be taken to protect their identities and called for a redacted version of the report. The order also indicates the scope of the grand jury's investigation of clergy sex abuse. More than 300 people identified by name are alleged to have committed criminal or morally reprehensible conduct in the grand jury report, the court's opinion states. The grand jury report describes more than 300 clergymen as "predator priests," according to the court opinion released Friday. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro called the court's order authorizing the release of the report a "victory" for victims. Shapiro has been fighting to have the report released since the state's highest court sealed it amidst legal challenges. "Our fear throughout this process has been that the entire Grand Jury report would be shelved and victims' truth would be silenced," Shapiro said in a statement. "Today's Order ensures that will not be the case -- the redacted report on widespread sexual abuse and cover up within the Catholic Church will be released." The court directed the Commonwealth to prepare a redacted version of the report, ordering it to remove "specific and contextual references to any petitioner who has an appellate challenge pending before this Court." While the order said some identities may be protected, the court states that it intends "to make the bulk" of the grand jury report available to the public as soon as possible. The report remains under seal but the state Supreme Court sets out a timetable for the release of the interim, redacted report. The high court ordered the Commonwealth to complete its redaction process on or before 2 p.m. Aug. 3. By Aug. 7, petitioners must file any challenge to the redaction order. Those challenges shall be limited to identifying with particularity any errors in redaction, the court said. If there are no challenges, the interim report could be released no later than 2 p.m. Aug. 8. If there are challenges, a special master will "promptly resolve all such challenges, making any necessary additional redactions." The court does not identify the special master but will appoint one, the order states. The court order states that if there are challenges, the special master will resolve the challenges, make additional redactions and release the redacted report by Aug. 14. The court will not entertain motions to postpone the release of the report or change the schedule, the order states. Spokesman Mike Barley offered these sentiments early Friday evening to news of the court's decision: "The Diocese of Harrisburg has fully cooperated with the Office of the Attorney General. The Diocese and Bishop Gainer strongly support the release of the Grand Jury report and have not filed anything to cause the stay ordered. Ensuring that this Report is accurate is paramount to its integrity and we are pleased that the Supreme Court has shown the leadership to make certain that the information being released to the public is correct." Earlier this week, Shapiro wrote a letter to Pope Francis and pleaded with the leader of the Catholic Church to bring abuses to light. The Catholic League, an advocacy group, blasted Shapiro for that. "For the record, there has been no attempt to silence alleged victims, but there certainly has been a well-orchestrated attempt, led by Shapiro, to silence his critics," the league wrote on its website. "In fact, that is what his letter is designed to do. Does he really think the Holy Father is going to accept his unsubstantiated criticisms of Pennsylvania priests and bishops? Shapiro said in his statement that he intends to hold church officials accountable. "Today is a victory for the survivors but our work is not yet done," Shapiro said. Victims are anxious to see the report released to the public to document decades of abuse of children. They also are hoping the report will be a mechanism to trigger changes in state law to extend the statutes of limitation for victims to pursue justice in court. Tim Lennon, volunteer president of the Board of Directors of SNAP, the Survivors Network, said in a statement Friday evening that the organization was "extremely grateful" for the decision to make a redacted version of the report public next month and remains hopeful the judges "will ultimately decide to allow the entire report to see the light of day." The statement continued: "Those of us who have worked with SNAP for years know that it is not easy to go up against the Catholic Church, with its great power and wealth. We are thankful to the attorney general for working so hard to have the bulk of the grand jury report released. Once again, the rule of law has prevailed, at least for the most part, over opposition from within the Church." The grand jury in 2016 began an investigation into allegations of child sex crimes by Catholic priests across the dioceses of Harrisburg, Allentown, Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton and Greensburg. Friday's opinion gives Shapiro's office, which conducted the investigation, the go-ahead to release the revised report. Editor's note: Comments from the Harrisburg Diocese and SNAP, the Survivors Network, were added to the story around 7:15 p.m. Friday. J-56A-M-2018 MO by PennLive on Scribd LAKEMOOR, Ill. (AP) -- Authorities say a man who was fatally shot by police in suburban Chicago was wanted in connection with the death of an elderly man in Pennsylvania. Kenneth Edwin Martell Lake County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Thursday 36-year-old Kenneth Edwin Martell of Springboro, Pa., southwest of Erie, was a suspect in a slaying that occurred Monday. Martell was shot early Thursday in Lakemoor, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. The shooting occurred after an officer spotted an SUV parked on a single-lane access road and stopped to investigate. Covelli says the man pulled out a handgun after the officer approached the SUV. He says the two struggled over the weapon when a second officer arrived and the man was shot. Pennsylvania State Police named Martell in a murder warrant in the death of 88-year-old Theodore Garver during a robbery attempt. The Meadville Tribune reports that Garver's body was recovered from a pond Tuesday. He'd been killed with a knife. The paper reported that Martell had threatened three others, including his mother, to help him cover up the slaying. Waterways throughout central Pennsylvania are beginning to subside after periods of heavy rain this week. The Susquehanna River at Harrisburg was at 15.41 feet as of 6:01 a.m. Friday, which is just below minor flooding stage. The river is expected to continue to subside through the weekend. Here are the top five crests for the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, according to the National Weather Service: (1) 33.27 ft on 6/24/1972 (2) 29.23 ft on 3/19/1936 (3) 26.80 ft on 6/02/1889 (4) 25.70 ft on 5/22/1894 (5) 25.17 ft on 9/09/2011 Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern swelled considerable this week, but it has dipped back down to the action stage. The creek was at 8.72 feet as of 6:01 a.m. Friday, just below the minor flooding stage of 9 feet. The creek is expected to gradually recede into the weekend. Here are the top five crests for the Swatara Creek at Harpers Tavern: (1) 25.60 ft on 6/01/1889 (2) 24.60 ft on 9/08/2011 (3) 23.72 ft on 6/23/1972 (4) 18.28 ft on 6/29/2006 (5) 17.53 ft on 8/24/1933 Swatara Creek near Hershey is also down considerably from earlier this week, but is still in the minor flooding stage. The creek as at 9.19 feet as of 6 a.m. Friday, and is expected to subside through the weekend. Here are the top five crests for the Swatara Creek at Hershey: (1) 26.80 ft on 9/08/2011 (2) 16.12 ft on 6/29/2006 (3) 15.36 ft on 9/27/1975 (4) 14.43 ft on 1/25/1979 (5) 14.30 ft on 1/20/1996 The Swatara Creek at Middletown was at 13.94 feet as of 6 a.m. Friday, classified in the minor flooding stage. Here are the top five crests for the Swatara Creek at Middletown: (1) 23.29 ft on 09/09/2011 (2) 16.36 ft on 03/12/2011 (3) 12.67 ft on 03/08/2011 (4) 12.63 ft on 04/18/2011 (5) 11.81 ft on 01/14/2014 The Conodoguinet Creek near Hogestown in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, was at 8:37 feet as of 5:46 a.m. Friday. Here are the top five crests for the Conodoguinet Creek near Hogestown: (1) 17.01 ft on 6/23/1972 (2) 12.56 ft on 9/26/1975 (3) 12.50 ft on 2/15/1984 (4) 12.16 ft on 3/12/1952 (5) 11.35 ft on 9/19/2004 The Yellow Breeches Creek near Camp Hill was at 7.43 feet as of 6:16 a.m. Friday. Here are the top five crests for the Yellow Breeches Creek near Camp Hill: (1) 18.77 ft on 9/26/1975 (2) 18.33 ft on 6/22/1972 (3) 14.57 ft on 4/17/2011 (4) 11.66 ft on 10/09/1976 (5) 11.30 ft on 1/25/1979 You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below. Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. Historic flooding may have hit areas around Hersheypark, but the park aims to re-open Friday and crews are getting roads ready help people get to the park. PennDOT communications officer Greg Penny said Thursday that conditions are fluid with maintenance operations. Route 743 was reopened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, something he originally thought would take until late Friday. One of the biggest concerns for people trying to get to Hershey is Route 39 and the bridge that is still closed. "We're waiting for the water to recede so that we can inspect the bridge and assess the roadway area," Penny said. Because it's a low-lying area, it is taking longer to recede. "We have a milling machine scheduled to come in tomorrow to remove the damaged asphalt from the roadway approaches to the bridge," Penny said. If the water recedes, they are able to inspect the bridge, and if blacktop is available, PennDOT plans on paving Route 39 and opening it by Saturday, Penny said. They are trying to open it earlier, and may open the road before they pave it so the connection is available, but motorists should know the surface would be rough. Hershey is accessible by Route 422 and Route 322, as well as by Route 743 from the south, Penny said. Sand Beach Road and Canal Road are still under water. During the course of the week's flooding, dozens of roads were closed across the region due to high levels of water being dangerous and causing damage. As of midnight Thursday morning, 61 roads were closed, Penny said. As of 8 p.m. Thursday, crews were able to reopen about half, with only 34 roads were still closed, Penny said. For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources. Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here. Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. By Robert B. Engel The Philadelphia Eagles scored some good laughs recently by mocking Amazon over Prime Day outages, but the untold story of how the e-retail bonanza and the Prime service itself came to be is no joke. Robert B. Engle (submitted photo) A serious look at how massive sums of corporate welfare from Pennsylvania taxpayers factored into the rapid expansion of Amazon's flagship subscription service over the past few years reveals that the tech giant has really been selling a bill of goods, and demonstrates why lawmakers in the Keystone State must think long and hard before giving another penny to the third-richest company in the world. Try to square this circle: while analysts say the true value of the Prime bundle - Prime Pantry, Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Reading, Prime Video, Prime Wardrobe - is over $780 per year, members pay only $119. How Amazon is able to essentially give away more than $660 to 100 million Prime members every year without destroying their business model has a lot to do with the fact that the company has received $23 million in subsidies from Pennsylvania taxpayers since 2000. Pennsylvania is not alone. In fact, a total of $1.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies have ended up in Amazon's coffers as a result of the tech giant's vast lobbying apparatus, which has provided a direct line of communication to local public officials and facilitated endless sweetheart deals and special treatment. From 2000 to 2017, Amazon spent at least $9.8 million on state lobbying -$370,000 of which went to lobbying efforts in Pennsylvania - while making over $6 million in campaign contributions. In fact, according to company reports, Amazon spent a total of almost $14 million on non-federal "government relations efforts" from 2013 to 2017. All told, Amazon has lobbied more government entities than any other tech company over the last five years, ramping up their influence-peddling to a Super Bowl fever pitch. Meanwhile, local communities and small businesses have paid a steep price for Amazon's strong-arm tactics. Taxpayers have lost out on more than $700 million in sales tax revenue, money that could be used to improve schools, modernize transportation systems and expand access to healthcare services. Amazon's unwillingness to pay their fair share has decimated good-paying jobs and small businesses - especially small retailers, which are closing at alarming rates. And despite the tech giant's claims that its warehouses and fulfilment centers add local jobs - it is cold comfort coming from a company that pays its employees an average salary of less than $29,000 per year - while the data clearly shows that private-sector employment does not increase after Amazon moves into town. Adding insult to injury, when small businesses resort to selling their wares on Amazon's e-commerce platform, they face exorbitant fees that make it impossible for them to compete against big brands. Third party-sellers have also complained for years that the tech giant uses data about sales trends to manipulate and drive down prices. Which begs the question: who, exactly, is Amazon talking about when it says that Prime and its e-commerce platform in general is a boon to small businesses? During a time when Amazon is fishing for unprecedented amounts of corporate welfare from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for its second headquarters, often called HQ2, Prime Day ought to serve as a wake-up call for Pennsylvania lawmakers. Taxpayers have forked over enough of their hard-earned money to the third-richest company in the world to help make its crown jewel subscription service possible in the first place. Amazon generated more than $177 billion in revenue last year alone, and they can most certainly afford to build a second headquarters on their own dime. It is time for Pennsylvania lawmakers to stand up to Amazon on behalf of local communities and small businesses and say enough is enough. Robert B. Engel is a retired CEO of CoBank. He is serving as the chief spokesperson of the Free & Fair Markets Initiative, a nonprofit coalition focused on supporting a modern, fair marketplace that serves the best interests of small businesses, local communities and everyday Americans. 65 years after the armistice. Donald Trump thanks the North Korean Kim Jong-un via Twitter: "A great moment for many American families". South Korean President Moon: "Formal peace will come later this year". But some experts criticize the decision: "Before closing the deal, Pyongyang must really denuclearize the peninsula". Seoul (AsiaNews) - 65 years after the end of the Korean War, the North Korean regime has returned the remains of some American soldiers who fell in Korea during the conflict to the United States. A US Air Force military aircraft transported them from Wonsan (North Korea) to the Osan air base in South Korea. The permission granted by Pyongyang to the US military aircraft to fly over its territory and land there is also highly significant. The return of the remains coincided with the 65th anniversary of the Armistice of Panmunjeom, the 1953 agreement that ended the hostilities between the two Koreas. A crowd of several thousand American soldiers stationed in South Korea, along with families welcomed the aircraft. The exchange partly demonstrates the agreement reached in Singapore between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is bearing initial results. The White House spokesperson, Sarah Sanders said "today's actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home". The repatriation of the remains of the soldiers who fell during the conflict between 1950 and 1953 was a point of the agreement signed between the two heads of state, which aims at achieving peace and the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The Korean conflict (1950-1953) was one of the bloodiest of the Cold War: with the US alongside Seoul and China siding with Pyongyang, the peninsula was the scene of fierce battles. The Korean Church has been insisting on this point for years: the division of Korea was not wanted by its inhabitants, but was the last poisoned fruit of the conflict between the world superpowers of over 60 years. More than 35,000 US soldiers died on the Korean peninsula during the war. In addition to the ascertained victims, about 7,700 US troops are still counted as "missing", of which 5,300 in North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in welcomed today's ceremony and announced that he wants to sign "a formal peace agreement with North Korea" this year. In fact, the two countries are technically still at war. However, some experts have warned the leader of Seoul: "Peace must be signed only when there are real signs of denuclearization by the North". 7.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Top Bernie Sanders strategist Tad Devine went on MSNBC and shot down a New York Times report that he exposed as nothing more than an attempt to kill the Sanders presidential campaign. A story that was published by The New York Times on Sunday made it sound like the Sanders campaign was admitting defeat, Mr. Sanders is now campaigning more effectively than many expected, exposing Mrs. Clintons weaknesses as a candidate, and is positioning himself to win contests like the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday. But allies and advisers of Mr. Sanders say they missed opportunities to run an aggressive political operation in 2015 that would have presented more of a challenge to Mrs. Clinton. She has now firmly built a big lead in delegates needed to clinch the nomination a margin that would be smaller if Mr. Sanders had run differently last year, according to interviews with more than 15 people who are on his team or close to him. Video: Transcript via Andrea Mitchell Reports: MITCHELL: Well, I have to ask you about todays New York Times story DEVINE: Sure. MITCHELL: which seems to be a mea culpa that he shouldnt have been as in the Senate as much as he was, he should have been running harder in 2015, he should have gone after Hillary Clinton earlier on not just her e-mails, but on the Goldman Sachs speech DEVINE: Right. MITCHELL: on financial services. He should have been more personal. Theres a quote, in fact, from Jane Sanders, We didnt run all over the nation last year, Mrs. Sanders said. We spent every week in the Senate and every weekend, three or four days a week, he would be running around the country. Its something that gives you pause. So, Tad is the view that you blew up? Not you personally, I mean, but that the campaign DEVINE: No. MITCHELL: blew the big chance to take this nomination away from her? DEVINE: No, its not, Andrea. And listen, I spoke to The New York Times actually a couple of weeks ago right after we lost five states about a story they wanted to do which essentially says we were winding down the campaign and, you know, it was over. And I told them, and I believe this, that after Nevada we decided on a different strategic course. Its a tough road. Its a long road. But I think its a road that were on right now, its a road that leads to victory. We to on Super Tuesday try to beat her in statewide contests. We targeted five. Won four of them, we almost won Massachusetts as well. We won some more caucuses the next weekend. We had a big showdown in Michigan and now weve won six of the last seven events, and I think we have a great shot of winning Wisconsin tomorrow. So, its a long and hard road and, you know, we can look back, its a little early for the look back for me. I dont think you get ahead looking over your shoulder, you really have to focus on the next event. And I think we have a real shot of winning this nomination because Bernie Sanders has the best message and hes the strongest candidate that we have on the Democratic side. MITCHELL: It just seems so dissonant coming on the day before a primary where you are poised to win, when you had phenomenal fund raising in March to signal to all of your supporters with these big rallies and DEVINE: Sure. MITCHELL: all the rest of the momentum from your campaign. Why would that come out now? DEVINE: Well, Andrea, as I said, listen, I first talked to them about this a couple of weeks ago. I think they were determined to write a story that Bernie Sanders had run a tough personal negative campaign he could have defeated Hillary Clinton. Theres only one problem with that, he was never going to run that campaign. Thats not who he is. He doesnt believe in According to Devine, The New York Times wanted to write a story that would bury Bernie Sanders weeks ago. It is plausible that the Times would have this attitude because much of the mainstream media has been trying their best to write off the Democratic contest for weeks. Part of the reason for this attitude is that many in the press have long viewed the Democratic primary as something that they want to get over with. The media has made it clear that they would rather be covering Donald Trump than spending time on Democratic candidates who are discussing the issues. It is bizarre, but not accidental that a few days before the Wisconsin primary The New York Times publishes a story that writes off Bernie Sanders. Without a viable Bernie Sanders campaign, the Democratic primary will end, and the media can get back to obsessing over Trump. The Bernie Sanders campaign isnt going to let anyone push them out of the race, and as Devine made clear, they arent going to be shoved out by The New York Times. 2.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Michael Cohen dropped another bomb on the White House on Thursday night, claiming that Donald Trump knew in advance about the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians. According to CNN, not only did Trump know about the meeting, but he signed off on it and apparently couldnt wait to get his hands on the Hillary Clinton dirt that the Russians promised his campaign. Its a jaw-dropping revelation, and Cohen reportedly plans to share the information with special counsel Robert Mueller. More from CNN, who broke the news on Thursday: So heres the news. Cohen says Trump knew in advance about Trump Tower meeting, was informed by Don Jr., signed off and looked forward to getting the dirt. pic.twitter.com/XI6gcd02Er Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 27, 2018 The bombshell CNN report: Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps former personal attorney, claims that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in which Russians were expected to offer his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, sources with knowledge tell CNN. Cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller, the sources said. Cohens claim would contradict repeated denials by Trump, Donald Trump Jr., their lawyers and other administration officials who have said that the President knew nothing about the Trump Tower meeting until he was approached about it by The New York Times in July 2017. Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians offer by Trump Jr. By Cohens account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources. Michael Cohen is wrecking Trumps world With his back to the wall as he looks to save himself from more legal trouble, Michael Cohen is wrecking Donald Trumps world. The revelation that Trump gave the green light to a meeting between his campaign and the Russians meant to get dirt on Hillary Clinton is bad for the president on multiple levels. First, its proof that Trump lied when he said he didnt know anything about the meeting. As CNN pointed out, the administration previously said that Trump only found out about it last summer when The New York Times brought it to his attention. Second and more importantly, Cohens assertion is further evidence not just that Trumps campaign was colluding with Russia to take down Hillary Clinton, but that the president himself was directly involved. Its clear that Michael Cohen has flipped on the president. The man who was once his fixer is now prepared to bring the entire Trump presidency crashing down. 3.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said Thursday that she believes special counsel Robert Mueller should indict Donald Trump if Republicans in Congress refuse to hold him accountable for any potential crimes. In an interview with MSNBCs Chris Hayes, Wine-Banks acknowledged that Mueller is likely to follow the rule that a president cannot be indicted, but she said he should make an exception since any political remedy to hold Trump accountable will be blocked by Republicans in Congress. The ex-Watergate prosecutor said the difference between the roadmap to impeachment that Congress was given for Nixon and the one that Mueller could potentially give this Congress is that Republicans will refuse to follow it. They will ignore any roadmap, Wine-Banks said. They are ignoring the evidence that is in their face. Video: Wine-Banks said: Well, they say they are going to follow the rule of the office of legal counsel that says the president cannot be indicted. I dont agree with that conclusion. I didnt agree with the decision not to indict Richard Nixon. We did issue a report which was given to the House in order to have them have a roadmap for impeachment. The difference between then and now is that this House will do nothing with it. They will ignore any roadmap. They are ignoring the evidence that is in their face. Right now, it is obstruction in plain sight. Its been obstruction in plain sight since the very, very beginning. So its got to happen that something will be done. I think there will be a blue wave in November and the House will treat it differently. The Republican Party has no conscience The difference between the Nixon era and the Trump era isnt the corruption in the White House thats fully intact. Instead, its the fact that the Republican Party no longer has a conscience. A roadmap to impeachment handed down by Robert Mueller may have meant something in the 1970s when the Republican Party wasnt living inside a right-wing bubble of Fox News conspiracies. But its a new world in 2018. The GOP has built themselves and their supporters an entirely new reality. They no longer need to react to damning evidence or inconvenient facts because they dont exist in their truth-free universe. As Jill Wine-Banks said on Thursday, the special counsel should acknowledge the fact that the GOP today is not the same party that forced a Republican president out of office decades ago. This Republican Party will block any and all measures to hold Trump accountable for crimes uncovered during the special counsel investigation. Given the fact that Republicans are unwilling to fulfill their duty as a check on a corrupt president, Robert Mueller should move forward with indictments if the evidence supports it. 1.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Donald Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani threw a tantrum on Thursday night following the bombshell news that Trump personally signed off on the infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russians in 2016. Instead of rebutting the claims, he sidestepped them, repeatedly called Cohen a liar rich coming from a man who works for Trump and whined about the secret tapes. I expected something like this from Cohen, Giuliani said. Hes been lying all week. Hes been lying for years. Video: Giulianis tantrum about the bombshell news and the Cohen tapes: I expected something like this from Cohen. Hes been lying all week. Hes been lying for years. The tapes that we have demonstrate any number of very serious lies by him back a year and a half ago, including his fooling people, hiding tape recordings, telling them they werent recorded, lying to their face, breaking faith with them, taping his client, which is a disbarrable offense. I dont see how he has any credibility. This is basically if he had a trial, and there wont be a trial here but if he had a trial, you would say, which lie do you want to pick? You want to pick the first lie, the second lie, or maybe some new lie? Theres nobody that I know that knows him that hasnt warned me that if his back is up against the wall, hell lie like crazy because hes lied all his life. Team Trump is panicking As I wrote shortly after the news broke, Michael Cohen is wrecking Trumps world. He has gone from Trumps fixer to his worst nightmare. If team Trumps best defense to tonights damning news is to change the subject back to the tapes and accuse the other side of lying, then they are in big trouble. Michael Cohen is now prepared to testify to Robert Mueller that Trump signed off on the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his campaign and Russian officials who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. As Jason Easley pointed out, If Trump approved the meeting with the Russians, then yes, there was collusion, but more importantly, there was also a criminal conspiracy. Regardless of Giulianis rambling, Thursdays stunning revelation puts Donald Trump at the center of this ongoing and increasingly explosive criminal investigation. 4.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell says Donald Trumps stupidity could end up landing in jail as Robert Mueller is now looking into the presidents tweets as part of the obstruction angle in his ongoing Russia investigation. Responding to Rudy Giulianis new counter-defense that Trumps Twitter page cant be used against him because no criminal would be dumb enough to obstruct justice out in the open, Swalwell reminded the former New York mayor that criminals often end up in jail because of their own stupidity. And if you look at Trumps Twitter page, youll see no shortage of moronic rantings that could fall under the umbrella of obstruction of justice. As Swalwell pointed out on Thursday, Theres no Twitter-client privilege. Video: Rep. Swalwell and Matthews discuss how Trumps stupidity-laced tweets could get him in legal trouble: SWALWELL: There is no Twitter/client privilege in the law. So that is not going to save him. Ive heard this before when I was a prosecutor: Who would be so stupid to say something that everybody could see. MATTHEWS: That is what Rudy is saying. Rudy says he must be innocent of these charges because he did them openly. SWALWELL: Prisons arent filled with Rhodes scholars. Theyre filled with people who make a lot of mistakes that were able to find. [Trump] feels emboldened to keep moving forward because he knows, ultimately, this goes to the judiciary committee and when you look at that land of misfit toys and the people who are there doing everything they can to be his fixers in Congress, he thinks, Well, I am not going to pay a penalty because they just going to let me keep doing it. They are not going to hold me accountable. I think that changes in November because I think the American people want a check on this president. They see him as a wrecking ball and they just want to be protected. Trumps own idiotic rhetoric will sink him Criminals dont land in the big house because of their brilliance. Instead, they end up getting caught because of their own idiocy and because they have too much confidence in their ability to skirt the law. On both of these fronts idiocy and overconfidence Trump is off the charts. Its one thing to be a fool. But its particularly dangerous to be a confident fool. With Democrats poised for gains this fall and Robert Mueller circling around the president, Trump will soon no longer be able to get away with it. 431 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Tad Devine was the top strategist for the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders. Thursday it was announced that he will assist in the special counsel offices prosecution of Paul Manafort, Donald Trumps campaign chairman for five months in 2016. Court filings have shown that Devine participated in Manaforts work in Ukraine, earning $10,000 per day. Sanders 2016 chief campaign strategist TAD DEVINE [longtime associate of Manafort, Gates, & Russian GRU-linked Kilimnik] says hes assisting special counsels prosecution of Paul Manafort. *cooperating to avoid prosecution* Bernie Sanders 2016 chief campaign strategist TAD DEVINE [longtime associate of Manafort, Gates, & Russian GRU-linked Kilimnik] says he's "assisting special counsels prosecution of Paul Manafort." *cooperating to avoid prosecution* by @rubycramer #Maddow https://t.co/m9Gqc8goxk pic.twitter.com/YUBOey63TU Polly Sigh (@dcpoll) July 27, 2018 According to a statement released on Thursday by Julian Mulvey, a partner at Devines political firm, Devine Mulvey Longabaugh: The Special Counsel has asked Tad Devine to assist in the prosecution of their case against Paul Manafort regarding his firms work on media consulting on past political campaigns in Ukraine. When the Special Counsel sought assistance from us in its ongoing investigation, we readily provided it. The statement went on to say that the high-profile political consulting firm has been assured by the special counsels office that we have no legal exposure and did not act unlawfully. Devines role in the Manafort prosecution and trial was first reported last week in a court filing which included documents provided by Devine. The reason that Devine has been asked by Muellers team to participate in the Manafort trial is that Devine worked in Ukraine with Manafort on behalf of Viktor Yanukovych, the former pro-Russia president of Ukraine who is a close associate of Vladimir Putin. The court filing said that Devines emails and other documents could be presented to the jury as evidence in the case against Manafort. The documents made public include emails between Manafort and Devine, along with other documents such as drafts of speeches, talking points for meetings, memos on strategy, and drafts of television ads. The correspondence also provides previously unknown details of the compensation received by Manafort and his associates, as well as the kind of lucrative work Devine and others did for the Ukrainian friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In one of the first exhibits that appears in the Thursday filing is a copy of an email Devine sent to Manafort attaching a draft of Yanukovychs victory speech in 2010. Another exhibit provides an email from Manafort associate Rick Gates to Devine, discussing a trip that Devine would take to Kiev, Ukraine to help with Manaforts and Gatess work for Yanukovych. After Gates email, Devine responded that his rate for something like this would be $10,000/day, including travel days. Last year, the New York Times reported that Devine quit his work in Ukraine in 2012, and had started in 2008. In the statement on Thursday evening, Devines business partner Mulvey said, After the administration of the presidential candidate we had worked for arrested his political opponent, we quit. We then declined additional offers to work on his later campaigns. There is no implication that Devine did anything wrong, but it shows that he was merely a hired gun who would work for the politicians who would pay him the most money, regardless of their morality or political philosophy. This new development also indirectly involves Bernie Sanders in the special counsels probe concerning Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election. 260 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Tim Reid DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) Becky von Zastrow often votes Republican in her affluent central Ohio suburb but her dissatisfaction with U.S. President Donald Trump has convinced her to back the Democrat in a special-election test for both parties next month. Her change of heart, reinforced by Trumps handling of last weeks Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, could bode well for Democrat Danny OConnor, a 31-year-old local officeholder running for an Ohio congressional seat Republicans have held since 1982. In interviews with a dozen women, mostly Republicans, in the Midwestern states 12th Congressional District, several said they would buck their voting habits to support the Democratic candidate on Aug. 7, citing Trump as a major factor. Others said they disapproved of the presidents behavior but had yet to make up their minds about the congressional contest. Strategists say winning over white, educated, suburban women in dozens of Republican-leaning districts will be key to Democrats efforts to retake the U.S. House of Representatives in Nov. 6 congressional elections. Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to flip the 435-seat chamber and get a chance to block Trumps legislative agenda. Nationally, suburban women disapprove of Trump in slightly higher numbers than women who live in other parts of the country, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. And those who disapprove of Trump are a little more enthusiastic about the November elections than those who like him. That said, suburban women are just one faction within the Republican Party, and Trumps approval numbers among all Republican voters have ticked higher over the past 12 months. In July, 84 percent of registered Republicans said they approved of Trump. The Ohio race to fill a vacant House seat is the last scheduled special election in the country and the last such snapshot of voter sentiment before the November elections, when all House seats and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be at stake. How well OConnor fares against Trump-backed Republican Troy Balderson will signal whether Democrats can attract moderate voters unhappy with the president. For von Zastrow and several other women in the Ohio district, Trumps refusal at a July 16 news conference with Putin to criticize Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election affirmed their decisions. I was shocked. I dont know why Trump said those things, said von Zastrow, 51, who holds a masters degree in business administration. The lifelong Republican voter declined to say how she voted in the 2016 presidential race. Trump won the district which stretches from wealthy Columbus suburbs into rural areas by more than 11 percentage points in 2016. The race between OConnor and Balderson appears close, analysts say. But Trumps comments with Putin could be poorly timed for Balderson, said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Balderson, a 56-year-old state senator, does not think Trumps Helsinki remarks will hurt him. I disagreed with the comments, he said in an email, adding that he did not consider Putin an ally of the United States. Im running to represent the people in Ohios 12th Congressional District and I trust that voters will see that. Balderson is a Christian conservative who supports Trumps call for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He also supports gun rights, opposes abortion and wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Trump endorsed him via Twitter on Sunday, writing that his fellow Republican was running against a Nancy Pelosi Liberal who is WEAK on Crime & Borders. MODERATE MESSAGE Democrats are hoping for a repeat of Democrat Conor Lambs victory in March in a Pennsylvania district Trump had also easily clinched. A big swing in support from Republican to Democratic in the Pittsburgh suburbs, particularly among female voters, was a significant factor in Lambs win. Like Lamb, OConnor is running as a moderate and says House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi should be replaced. The Franklin County recorder avoids attacking Trump as he knocks on doors in Dublin and New Albany, suburbs with large homes, well-tended lawns and good schools where household income and education levels far exceed national averages. OConnor tells voters he is engaged to a Republican and says he will work with Trump on infrastructure and the opioid crisis. He hammers messages about access to healthcare and moderate gun safety reform, which he says are the top issues for voters particularly women he meets. Trumps Helsinki comments appear to have given OConnor another opening with this important group, though the candidate has refrained from tackling the remarks head-on. In Congress, Ill put Ohio families first and be honest with anyone, including the president, who fails to represent our interests, OConnor said in a statement. Since Helsinki, the president has said Russia did indeed meddle in the election. Still, several Ohio women who tend to vote Republican in congressional races but did not vote for Trump said the summit news conference was another disappointment. I am not sure if calling Trump a Russian asset is the right word, but I always suspected he was compromised in that regard, said Tricia Kalmar, 43, who considers Pat Tiberi, the Republican congressman whose resignation triggered the special election, a family friend. In a break from her typical Republican vote, Kalmar said she will back OConnor over Balderson because of the Republicans embrace of the president. She does not want a Republican rubber stamp for Trump representing her in Congress, she said. Jill Siegel, 49, a mother of two in New Albany, where the median household income is over $191,000, said Baldersons ties to Trump also were pushing her to vote Democratic next month. Trumps comments in Helsinki did not sit with me well, said Siegel, who said she voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton as a vote against Trump in 2016 but typically votes Republican in congressional races. Why wouldnt you trust your own intelligence agencies? But Balderson will get Nancy Smiths vote. The 62-year-old Trump voter said OConnor was too out of step with the district. I think hes more liberal than he lets on, she said. (Reporting by Tim Reid; Additional reporting by Chris Kahn; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jonathan Oatis) President Donald Trump on Friday angrily attacked his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who yesterday said he is ready to testify to special counsel Robert Mueller that the president had direct knowledge of the critical 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russian agents. And so the Fake News doesnt waste my time with dumb questions, NO,.I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! ..I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018 Trumps reference to an unrelated jam concerns the possible legal jeopardy that Cohen now faces after the FBI raided his office, home and hotel room in April. The former Trump lawyer is facing significant financial difficulties as well as a possible criminal tax fraud investigation with respect to his taxicab medallion business in New York City. In his Twitter attack on his former fixer, Trump also hinted that Bill and Hillary Clinton were responsible for Cohens new attitude toward Trump and his possible willingness to flip on his former boss and cooperate with prosecutors. He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer, Trump wrote. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Cohen several weeks ago contacted longtime Clinton ally Lanny Davis to help him with his legal defense and to take on the president. Since then Davis has been the public voice for Cohens defense, playing much the same role that Rudy Giuliani is playing for the president. After CNN broke the story yesterday, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin made clear that Cohens testimony about the presidents advance knowledge of the Trump Tower meeting changes everything, saying: If Cohen is telling the truth about this it completely changes our understanding of what Donald Trumps role was. This meeting in Trump Tower is the clearest example we have so far of a direct connection between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. Also on CNN, former FBI special agent Josh Campbell said: If Cohen or anyone else can come up with one shred of corroborating information that proves Trump did know, it will be game over. That could be the spark that burns the whole house down. 445 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Yesterday we reported that the 2018 reelection campaign of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) had been hacked by Russians. Initially when she was asked about this report, McCaskill said she wasnt ready to respond because she didnt have enough information yet. McCaskill eventually did respond to the reports of Russian hacking by issuing a statement later on Thursday. She said she has verified that Russian hackers had attempted to invade her Senate computer network. She also declared that the Kremlins cyberattacks on her and her campaign were not successful and that she will not be intimidated by President Vladimir Putin. McCaskills statement read as follows: Russia continues to engage in cyber warfare against our democracy. I will continue to speak out and press to hold them accountable. While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that they think they can get away with this. I will not be intimidated. Ive said it before and I will say it again, Putin is a thug and a bully. Since the state of Missouri supported Donald Trump for president by double digits in 2016, it is widely thought that the Missouri Democrat is perhaps the most at risk Senate Democratic incumbent in this falls midterm elections. After special counsel Robert Muellers recent indictments of 12 Russian military officers on charges of hacking the 2016 U.S. elections, officials have become very worried that Russia will also target the 2018 elections. Senator McCaskills statement is the first time a member of Congress has officially stated that they have been the target of an attack from Russia during the 2018 midterm election cycle. Not only is McCaskill considered a possible pickup of a Senate seat for Republicans, she has also been a fierce critic of President Trump and has clashed with him at times. Last month Trump sent out a tweet calling her a phony. Last week new evidence surfaced for the first time of current cyber attacks aimed at American political candidates. Tom Burt, Microsofts vice president for security and trust, said at the Aspen Security Forum that they have detected and blocked hacking attempts against three congressional candidates this year. In his remarks at the Forum Burt said: Earlier this year, we did discover that a fake Microsoft domain had been established as the landing page for phishing attacks. And we saw metadata that suggested those phishing attacks were being directed at three candidates who are all standing for election in the midterm elections. Since the summit meeting in Helsinki Trump has expressed several different opinions about whether Moscow is continuing to illegally interfere in U.S. elections. Then, in typical Trumpian fashion, he said if Russia was interfering, it was to help Democrats. In his most recent tweet on the topic, Trump wrote: Im very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely dont want Trump! The McCaskill hacking incident has proven once again that Trump is lying about Russian interference in U.S. elections. It is not Democrats Russia is trying to help, but Republicans. Now we have proof, thanks to the Russians, who also provided all of America a wake-up call to pay attention and take precautions against Russias attempt to steal our democracy. By Reade Levinson and Kristina Cooke NEW YORK (Reuters) The U.S. government said in court filings on Thursday that it lacked the technical capability to quickly provide states with information about children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border under President Donald Trumps zero tolerance policy toward illegal immigrants. As part of a lawsuit in federal court in Seattle challenging Trumps immigration policies, more than a dozen states have asked the federal government for lists of children separated from their parents, the location of each child, information on the separated parents and the governments plans to reunite them. The government said in Fridays filings that attempts to gather data to comply with states requests would divert it from efforts to reunite families. Jonathan White of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a filing on Thursday that the government would need to conduct a manual review to identify all separated children in each of the plaintiff states. There was no automated way to create a list of separated children by state or by facility, he said. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the computer system used to track immigrant children under HHS supervision has little ability to interact with the separate database used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to track the childrens parents. Users reported that the HHS system could only handle a limited number of users at once without crashing, lost saved data, had poor searchability and required significant manual work for even small updates. In a separate filing on Thursday, David Jennings, an acting assistant director at ICE, said much of the information states requested about separated parents was not easily retrievable or searchable, especially for parents already released from ICE custody. Immigration attorneys have said the difficulty retrieving information can delay reunification. One attorney who declined to be named told Reuters on Friday that she represented a Honduran mother whose reunification with her child was significantly delayed because border patrol failed to link them in their database. The mother crossed the border with the childs original birth certificate and vaccination records, said the attorney, but these were taken from her after she was detained. The two were reunited in July after two months apart. On Thursday, the government said it had reunited 1,442 children with their parents, while hundreds of children are still separated from their families. Rights activists said on Friday that they were struggling to find immigrant families to confirm the U.S. government had met a July 26 court deadline to reunite eligible parents and children who had been separated. Some children arrived at remote immigration detention centers this week only to spend the night in a car in the parking lot awaiting the parents eventual release, immigration advocates and lawyers said. Other children were sent to detention centers to meet their parents but were returned in tears to government shelters because of scheduling problems, Michelle Brane of the Womens Refugee Commission told reporters on Thursday. (Reporting by Reade Levinson in New York and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Toni Reinhold) Evacuations underway in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, on the border with Laos. Rescuers' efforts continue. 27 dead are ascertained; 131 missing. Message of condolences from the Archbishop of Seoul and a contribution of 43 thousand euros for aid. Vientiane (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Thousands of Cambodians living along the banks of the Mekong River are being evacuated by the authorities, while the river of water caused by the collapse of a dam in nearby Laos falls to the valley. Soldiers are helping villagers in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, transporting them on wooden boats to higher lands. First aid is being distributed to those who have already found refuge on the mainland. "The water level is still increasing, so we will evacuate other people," said the spokesman for the Men Kong government. In the remote Lao province of Attapeu, rescuers are engaged in a race against time and heavy rains, in an attempt to save the victims of the flood caused by the partial collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam. The state media confirmed yesterday the death of 27 people, while the missing are 131. Over 3 thousand villagers at the hydroelectric plant await the rescue teams clinging to the roofs of submerged houses. Approximately 2,800 have already been rescued. The homeless are more than 6,600. Experts from China, Vietnam and Thailand joined the Laotian soldiers and local volunteers in search and rescue operations. Yesterday afternoon, a Singapore military plane landed in the country to deliver essential goods worth 176 thousand euros. On the same day, a team from the Singaporean Red Cross (Src) reached the epicenter of the disaster. The arrival of a second aircraft, which carries 11 large modular tents, is scheduled for today by the city-state. Like the government, the Church of South Korea also supports the rescue efforts. The Archbishop of Seoul, Card. Andrew Soo-jung Yeom, this morning sent a message of condolences to the victims of the tragedy through the apostolic vicariate of Pakse, which includes the province of Attapeu. Fr Tito Banchong Thopanhong, apostolic administrator of Luang Prabang, tells AsiaNews that Catholics in the whole vicariate are 15 thousand (just over 1% of the population) and Attapeu "are very few". In his message, Card. Yeom expresses "profound sadness for the loss of human lives and injuries" and prays for the "rest of the dead and the consolation of God for those who suffer the loss of family and friends". Card. Yeom also offered a contribution of 43 thousand euros to the apostolic delegate in Laos, Msgr. Paul In-Nam Tschang. The scale of the disaster is still unclear, in a country whose communist authorities exercise strict control over information and do not like media attention. As the waters retreat, villagers begin to return to what remains of their homes, hoping to recover some belongings. Yesterday some of the displaced people returned to Hoi Kong, making their way through carts and trunks dragged by water along roadsides. Almost all the houses have been destroyed and the disaster has also hit the cattle: as in the nearby village of Khokong, numerous carcasses of animals are emerging from the mud. 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. PR-Inside.com: 2018-07-27 20:02:01 SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloudflare, the leading Internet performance and security company, today announced results from the second quarter of 2018 and has continued to expand its network capabilities with a number of new offerings. Cloudflare is also announcing that it now protects more than 9 million domains, websites, APIs, mobile applications, and anything connected to the Internet. "In the second quarter we focused on delivering solutions that help everyone online," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. "We announced our first consumer offering and extended our services to anything connected to the Internet, both huge milestones for us as a company and for users everywhere." In April, Cloudflare announced 1.1.1.1, the first public DNS resolver built around the principle of privacy-first. Cloudflare's first consumer offering, 1.1.1.1, ensures a faster and more private Internet for users everywhere, for free. It is already the fastest DNS resolver in the world and 47 percent faster than the second-fastest resolver. Cloudflare also announced Spectrum, a solution that extends Cloudflare's benefits beyond web protocols to protect and accelerate email servers, gaming servers, IoT devices, and anything else that connects to the Internet. With Spectrum, Cloudflare is able to accelerate everything across its global network of 150+ data centers and protect anything connected to the Internet from attack. Another milestone for the company was its first Cloudflare Internet Summit UK, held on Thursday, June 14 in London. Cloudflare usually holds the event in San Francisco annually, and this was the first international expansion of the event. The event featured fireside chats and panels with speakers including Sir John Scarlett, the former chief of MI6, Nnenna Nwakanma, senior policy manager at the World Wide Web Foundation, and Alex Macgillivray, the former US Deputy CTO, among many others. Cloudflare will be holding its fourth annual Internet Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, October 4. Cloudflare now has more than 709 employees, up from 440 just over a year ago. The company continues to grow its engineering, sales, marketing, and support teams across its offices in San Francisco, Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, London, New York, NY, Washington D.C., and Singapore. To learn more about Cloudflare, please check out the resources below. About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world's largest networks that powers more than 10 trillion requests per month, which is nearly 10 percent of all Internet requests. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with each new site added. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, named the Most Innovative Network & Internet Technology Company for two years running by the Wall Street Journal, and ranked among the world's 50 most innovative companies by Fast Company. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, Washington, DC, London, and Singapore. Contact: Daniella Vallurupalli Communications daniella@cloudflare.com press@cloudflare.com 650-483-4463 PR-Inside.com: 2018-07-27 20:52:01 Endava Marks IPO and First Day of Trading on New York Stock Exchange CooperKatz & Company, Inc. for Endava Meredith Topalanchik, 973-220-8577 mtopalanchik@cooperkatz.com or Laurence Madsen, 646-771-3282 Investor Relations laurence.madsen@endava.com Endava (NYSE:DAVA) opened for trading today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol DAVA following its initial public offering. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005 Endava employees gathered at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate Endava opening for trading under the ticker symbol "DAVA" following its initial public offering. (Photo: Business Wire) Endava is a leading next-generation technology services provider that helps accelerate disruption by delivering rapid evolution to enterprises. Engaging with an approach called Ideation to Production, and delivering using Distributed Enterprise Agile at scale, Endava collaborates with its clients, seamlessly integrating with their teams, catalysing ideation and delivering robust solutions. Endava helps its clients become digital experience-driven businesses by assisting them in their journey from idea generation to development and deployment of products, platforms and solutions. Endavas Chief Executive Officer John Cotterell, joined by members of the companys senior executive team, rang the NYSE Opening Bell on Friday morning. This IPO marks a significant milestone in Endavas 18-year journey. This IPO is a natural next step in the evolution of our company, and I want to first thank my colleagues, our clients and partners for their contributions to our ongoing story and success, said John Cotterell, CEO, Endava. Today marks the beginning of a new phase for our company and we will continue to build on our core purpose of creating an environment and culture that breeds success by caring for our customers as individuals and enabling our people to be the best that they can be. Endava has more than 4,700 employees, with nearshore delivery centres located in two EU countries (Romania and Bulgaria), three other in Central European countries (Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia) and four countries in Latin America (Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela). We have close-to-client offices in four Western European countries Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. About Endava Endava is a leading next-generation technology services provider that helps accelerate disruption by delivering rapid evolution to enterprises. Engaging with an approach called Ideation to Production, and delivering using Distributed Enterprise Agile at scale, Endava collaborates with its clients, seamlessly integrating with their teams, catalysing ideation and delivering robust solutions. Endava helps its clients become digital experience-driven businesses by assisting them in their journey from idea generation to development and deployment of products, platforms and solutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005 Endava opened for trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DAVA following its initial public offering. PR-Inside.com: 2018-07-27 03:02:01 Starr Insurance Companies Appoints Santiago Mora as Head of International Accident & Health Starr Insurance Companies Paula Negro, 212-884-0561 Director of Communications and Media Relations paula.negro@starrcompanies.com Starr Insurance Companies today announced the appointment of Santiago Mora as head of international accident & health. He will be responsible for the profitable growth of the Accident & Health Division outside of the U.S. and Canada. We are excited for Santi to join Starr, as he brings more than 20 years of industry experience in sales, distribution, underwriting and pricing, stated Jim Herbert, president of Starr Insurance & Reinsurance Limited. His wealth of knowledge will benefit the growth of our Accident & Health Division and his leadership will strengthen the relationships Starr has and with its customers and partners. Starrs Accident & Health Division provides personal accident and travel insurance to companies, associations, schools, non-profit organizations and individuals to protect against accidents and emergencies at home, at work, or away. About Starr Insurance Companies Starr Insurance Companies (or Starr) is a worldwide marketing name for the operating insurance and travel assistance companies and subsidiaries of Starr International Company, Inc. and for the investment business of C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries. Starr is a leading insurance and investment organization with a presence on five continents; through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides property, casualty, and accident and health insurance products as well as a range of specialty coverages including aviation, marine, energy and excess casualty insurance. Starrs insurance company subsidiaries domiciled in the U.S., Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and U.K. each have an A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent). Starrs Lloyds syndicate has a Standard & Poors rating of A+ (Strong). Visit us at www.starrcompanies.com or follow us LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180726006 Starr Insurance Companies Appoints Santiago Mora as Head of International Accident & Health Sterile Lancets Market PR-Inside.com: 2018-07-27 10:25:47 Press Information Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154 Mr.Shah CEO 2067016702 email https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ # 660 Words 1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154CEO2067016702 Sterile lancets are single-use disposable needles that are used for blood sampling by puncturing the skin. Sterile lancets can be used independently as safety lancet or they can be used along with the lancing device, which holds the lancet while pricking the skin. Skin testing for allergies can also be performed with the help of sterile lancets. Sterile lancets are most commonly used in diabetic patients for checking blood glucose level, however they are also used for collecting blood samples to perform other diagnostic tests. It offers safety against accidental injuries and contamination.Request Sample Copy Of This Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/1994 Sterile Lancets Market - DynamicsIncreasing prevalence of diabetes is one of the major factors driving growth of the sterile lancet market. For instance, according to the International Diabetes Federations (IDF) Diabetes Atlas 2017, around 425 million patients were suffering from diabetes worldwide by end of 2017 and it is expected to reach around 629 million by 2045. Moreover, over 40% people suffering from diabetes are still undiagnosed, especially in regions such as Asia Pacific, Middle East and some part of North Africa. These patients would require insulin therapy, which would increase the demand for sterile lancets and fuel growth of the sterile lancets market.According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2012 factsheet, diabetes is one of the top three causes of death from non-communicable diseases. Changes in lifestyle with more sedentary routine and high calorie consumption leads to obesity. Increasing geriatric population is another factor driving the sterile lancet market growth, as older people often require continuous glucose monitoring due to large incidences of uncontrolled diabetes. As per 2017 IDF estimation, there were around 98 million diabetic people worldwide above the age of 65 years in 2017, which is expected to increase to around 191 million by 2045.Sterile Lancets Market - Regional InsightsNorth America holds the dominant position in the global sterile lancets market. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), highest prevalence of diabetes (13% of population) is in the U.S. North America accounts for the highest amount of expenditure on diabetes. For instance, according to IDF report 2017, the U.S. spends around US$ 377 billion annually over diabetes disease treatment, which accounts for around 52% of the total expenditure on diabetes worldwide.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/toc/1994 Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit highest CAGR and create lucrative opportunities for the sterile lancet market over the forecast period due to highest number of diabetes patients in the region. According to IDF data, countries such as China (114.4 million) and India (72.9 million)) are amongst the top three economies having high prevalence of diabetes. Asia pacific had over 240 million diabetes patients in 2017. Europe is another lucrative region for the market, as it currently has the highest type1 diabetes population and the highest percentage of geriatric population.Sterile Lancets Market - Competitive LandscapeSome of the key players operating in the sterile lancet market include Becton, Dickinson and Company, F-Hoffmann La Roche AG, Nipro Corporation, Ypsomed AG, Sanofi, Abbott Healthcare, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Sarstedt AG & Co., Terumo Corporation, Medtronic plc., Greiner Bio One, Jiangsu Huida Medical Instruments Co. Ltd., Allison Medical, Inc., and A. Menarini DiagnosticsClick To Continue Reading On Sterile Lancets MarketSterile Lancets Market - Market TaxonomyOn the basis of product type, the global sterile lancets market is segmented into: Conventional Sterile Lancets, Safety Sterile Lancets,. On the basis of application, the global sterile lancets market is segmented into: Diabetes, Others,. On the basis of distribution channel, the global sterile lancets market is segmented into: Retail Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies,. On the basis of geography, the global sterile lancets market is segmented into: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa,.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity. PR-Inside.com: 2018-07-27 12:03:01 ASPO PLC STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE June 27, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. THE FINNISH COMPETITION AND CONSUMER AUTHORITY (FCCA) HAS APPROVED THE TRANSACTION WHEREBY ASPO'S ESL SHIPPING LTD ACQUIRES THE OUTSTANDING SHARES OF ATOB@C SHIPPING AB AND ATOB@C HOLDING AB The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has in its decision today approved the transaction whereby ESL Shipping Ltd, a shipping company fully owned by Aspo Plc, acquires the outstanding shares of AtoB@C Shipping AB and AtoB@C Holding AB (AtoB@C). Aspo Plc announced the transaction on 29 June 2018 in a stock exchange release. The parties have now received all required regulatory approvals for the completion of the transaction. As announced earlier, it is estimated that the transaction will be completed in the third quarter of 2018. Aspo will announce the completion of the acquisition separately. ASPO PLC Aki Ojanen CEO For further information, please contact: Aki Ojanen, CEO of Aspo Plc and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ESL Shipping, +358 400 106 592, aki.ojanen@aspo.com Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping, +358 50 351 7791, mikki.koskinen@eslshipping.com Distribution: Nasdaq Helsinki Key media www.aspo.com This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Aspo Oyj via Globenewswire # 512 Words is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in Northern Europe and growth markets focusing on demanding b-to-b customers. Our strong company brands - ESL Shipping, Leipurin, Telko and Kauko - aim to be the market leaders in their sectors. They are responsible for their own operations, customer relationships and the development of these. Together they generate Aspo's goodwill. Aspo's Group structure and business operations are continually developed without any predefined schedules.is a dry bulk sea transport company. The main clients of the company are energy producers and steel and chemical industries. ESL Shipping secures raw material transportation for the industry and energy production around the year, even under difficult weather conditions. The shipping company also offers special services related to loading and unloading large ocean liners at sea. Ugandas constitutional court has approved the removal of the presidential age limit of 75 years, a ruling that would potentially allow President Yoweri Museveni to extend his three-decade rule. The court endorsed parliaments decision to scrap the cap in December that drew accusations from opposition parties that the 73-year-old Museveni wanted to be president for life and brought protesters onto the streets. The removal of age limit may encourage an incumbent to wish to keep himself in office perpetually but the citizens still retain the power to either return the same president or elect a different one, said Elizabeth Musoke, one of three judges who endorsed the amendment. One of the five judges said no, another had yet to deliver his verdict. Museveni, whose 32-year rule of the east African country has been marked by corruption scandals, human rights violations and poor social services, has yet to say whether he intends to run in the next vote, which is due in 2021. He is the latest in a string of African leaders who have tried to prolong their time in office. In Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, such moves have triggered instability. In December 2017s vote by parliament was the second time the Ugandan legislature has amended the constitution to allow Museveni to stay in power. In 2005 they voted to remove a limit of two five-year terms, which had blocked him from standing again. There is always danger that if the constitution is not strictly complied with, our hard-earned democracy shall degenerate into authoritarianism which leads to totalitarianism and dictatorship, said Justice Kenneth Kakuru, who dissented. The entire constitutional amendment act is unconstitutional and therefore null and void, and all its provisions ought to be expunged from the constitution of Uganda. Ugandas judiciary is often criticised by the opposition for what they say is a failure to exercise its independence, handing Museveni victory in nearly all court cases that potentially jeopardise his hold on power, including petitions against past electoral victories. Many Ugandans including the political opposition, religious leaders and some members of Musevenis own ruling party opposed the proposal to change the constitution in 2017. Protests against the move erupted in different parts of the country prompting police to use teargas, beatings and detention to thwart them. In September fist fights broke out in parliament for two consecutive days as lawmakers opposed to the measure tried to obstruct its passage. Nonetheless, Washington has backed Museveni as a strongman who has turned Uganda into a bulwark of stability in Africas troubled Great Lakes region. The landlocked East African country is eyeing commencement of crude production in 2020 and the construction of a pipeline to export it via neighbouring Tanzania is under way.(Reuters/NAN) The U.S. has warned President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the time for posturing is over, over his failure to publicly state that he will not run for re-election in a planned December election. Kabila said in a speech on July 18 said that presidential election would hold in December, but declined to say whether he would defy term limits to stand for re-election. Some of his allies have in recent weeks advanced a legal argument they say would justify his candidacy. He is not eligible under Congolese law to seek a third term. The U. S. regrets that President Kabila did not use his July 19th address to parliament to resolve the uncertainty regarding his intentions, Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the Security Council. International pressure on Kabila, who succeeded his assassinated father in 2001, to leave office has grown since a November 2016 election was postponed. That sparked violent protests in which security forces have killed dozens of people. The U.S. and European Union have sanctioned several close Kabila allies accused of overseeing the crackdowns and obstructing the electoral process, moves Kabila denounced. The UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council on July 20, jointly called upon all political parties, their supporters, and other political actors to remain committed to the Dec. 31, 2016 Agreement, which is the only viable path out of the current political situation. Under an accord struck on Dec. 31 between Kabilas representatives and opposition leaders, Kabila is barred from trying to change the constitution to seek a third term. President Kabila has committed repeatedly to respect the constitution and implement the December 2016 agreement. Were a mere five months away from election day. The time for posturing is over, Cohen said. France and the U.S. questioned Congolese plans to use untested electronic voting machines and pushed authorities to state what assistance they need from the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, to organise the polls. MONUSCO cannot afford to wait until the last moment to put a plan into action, Cohen said. Kabila put off a planned visit earlier this month by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and refused to see U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who diplomats said had also separately planned to visit Kinshasa. Diplomats said the UN Security Council envoys are planning to visit Congo in October. (Reuters/NAN) The UN says for the fifth straight year, 1,500 migrants perished in the Mediterranean, with the route between Libya and Italy being the deadliest. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Friday, Spain, which has overtaken Italy as the preferred destination, registered nearly 21,000 migrants so far this year. The IOM said this is more than all of 2017. In all, the IOM said, about 55,000 migrants have reached European shores so far this year, against more than double that number at this time last year, 111,753. Italy, whose new government has closed its ports to rescue vessels, has had about 18,130 migrants arriving by sea from Libya this year, with the rest going to Greece, Malta and Cyprus. Its important to note two things: one is that despite incredibly low numbers arriving to Italy, the per capita death or the rate of death per 1,000 people may be at its highest point since the emergency began, IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a Geneva news conference. Referring to the 1,500 death toll, he said: Its only once in the previous four years (that) this mark has been reached later than this date in July and that was in 2014 when the emergency was really just starting. More than 600 African migrants forced their way through the heavily fortified border fence separating the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, using circular saws, shears and mallets to cut through the wire. What we can say is that the first indications that we are getting from the Spanish authorities is that it is the West African migrants that were most prominent crossing into Libya in the past couple of years who seem to be choosing Spain as their route now, Millman said. He said the death rate on the western Mediterranean route to Spain is about one in 70 migrants. (Reuters/NAN) The Nigerian Army and Police on Thursday repelled an attack by Boko-Haram insurgents who attempted to invade Jakana town in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno, an official said. Dozens of the insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the town Thursday evening. Brig-Gen Bulama Biu, GOC 7 Div, Maiduguri, who confirmed the incident to NAN, said the attack was promptly repelled. Yes, there was an attack and we are on top of the situation. I will get back to you for details, he told NAN in a telephone interview on Thursday. A policeman stationed in Jakana, who did not want his name mentioned, said the troops fought gallantly to repel the attackers. Adamu Kemdi, a resident of Jakana who fled the town, told NAN that the insurgents came with sophisticated weapons mounted on more than 15 vehicles. Mr Kemdi said he was suspecting the they stormed the town in search of food items, as Thursday is the market day in Jakana. PREMIUM TIMES Thursday night reported the attack on Jakana, a town located about 50km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Jakana, an agrarian community, is situated along the Maiduguri-Kano highway. It has never fallen to the Boko Haram despite repeated attacks by the terror group. The Maiduguri-Kano highway is considered one of the safest routes in Borno in the past four years. A police source in Jakana informed PREMIUM TIMES that the attackers were armed with heavy arms and ammunition and sustained their shooting for over an hour. He added that the gunmen first attacked the military camp on the western flank of the town before advancing towards the town. When I first got an invite for Plains & Prints x Mark Bumgarner Collection, I knew I had to clear my schedule because Mark Bumgarner is definitely a name to watch out for in the world of high fashion. I've seen his work a couple of times especially on Heart Evangelista and his fashion screams classic, feminine and show-stopping! Now, I did a bit of research and you would be surprised to know that Bumgarner, born and raised in the Philippines, is actually an auto sport racer in Europe, the United States and Canada and finally found his calling as a fashion designer! And what struck me even more is that he was largely self-taught, he had no mentors and no fashion-designer friends! He was just surrounded by creative people during his work years and learned so much from there! The Plains & Prints X Mark Bumgarner collection with the Designer and Plains & Prints Vice President Roxanne Farillas The Plains & Prints X Mark Bumbarner collection features 13 designer pieces that include four dresses, five tops, one pantsuit, and three bottoms that lend Mark Bumgarner's signature aesthetic to pieces that are more casual and wearable. According to Mark: "We took inspiration from the Anahaw because it is our National Leaf and is endemic to our islands. We also chose the Waling-Waling prints because it's considered as the 'Queen of Philippine Flowers' and one of the most prized orchids in the world." That's me during the launch! AMW Wears Zalora Blazer, SM Women White Cami Top, Skort from Hong Kong and Shoes by Alberto Shoes What's your favorite piece from this collection? Keep smilin' Stay happy! You want his piece but don't have the Heart Evangelista budget?Lucky YOU and Lucky ME! Mark Bumgarner is bringing his fashion sensibilities over to RTW in a collaboration with homegrown fashion brand, Plains & Prints.I took a photo on some of the outfit from the collection as worn by models during the Grand Launch.I appreciate how this collection can be worn from runway to the streets. There are also a couple of pieces you can mix and match --- from Office Wear to Cocktails, they are practical enough for Plain Janes.Be among the first to purchase the Plains & Prints X Mark Bumgarner collection at Plains & Prints Glorietta Boutique, www.plainsandprints.com, Zalora and Chimes Boutique Davao from July 26-29, 2018. The colleciton will be available in ALL Plains & Prints stores nationwide starting August 3, 2018! The Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has appointed several aides for the Offices of the Wife of the President and that of the Vice Presidents wife, despite his promise to scrap the offices. Buhari, in an interview he granted to Weekly Trust in December 2014, had said he would not have an office of the first lady should he emerge as president. He gave as his reason the fact that such office is not provided for in the constitution, and suggested that the Ministry for Women Affairs should be allowed to play its role unhindered. Aisha Buhari, following this statement, also gave her word that she would abide by whatever the constitution stipulates, and said she would perform her traditional duties only as the wife of the president. Its arguable these assurances contributed in no small measure to the All Progressives Congresss victory at the polls in the year that followed especially given the unpopular record of Patience Jonathan, the erstwhile first lady. However, more than three years into the administration, The ICIR can confirm that, though linguistically the office of the first lady has been abolished, the federal government has spent taxpayers money to sustain, as called, offices of the wives of the president and vice president. EIGHT SPECIAL ASSISTANTS, TWO PERSONAL PHYSICIANS A publication by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), which listed crucial appointments made by the administration, included seven special advisers, 48 senior special assistants, 47 special assistants, and 16 personal assistants. Out of these 118 advisers and assistants, ten have been in the exclusive service of the wives of the president and the vice president. Aisha Buhari as she delivers speech Appointed on June 1, 2015, were Abiodun Adelowo, Personal Physician to the Wife of the Vice President; Tayo Basirat Fakorede, Special Assistant on Special Duties to the Office of the Wife of the Vice President; Susan Chagwa, Special Assistant on Household & Social Events to the Office of the Wife of the Vice President; Koko Iyamu, Special Assistant on Administration to the Office of the Wife of the Vice President; and Mosope Olasebikan, Special Assistant on Media & ICT to the Office of the Wife of the Vice President. The following month, on July 2, 2015, Hajo Sani was appointed as Senior Special Assistant on Administration to the Office of the Wife of the President; Mohammed Kamal Abdulrahman was appointed as Personal Physician to the Wife of the President; and Hadi Uba was appointed as Special Assistant on Administration II to the Office of the Wife of the President. After two years, on May 24, 2017, two additional appointments were made: Omolayo Akinfala was appointed Special Assistant on Protocol to the wife of the President, and Fadi Rose Audu became Special Assistant on Domestic Matters to the wife of the President. Out of all ten political appointees, one, Susan Chagwa, was stated by the OSGF to have resigned from office. The date of resignation was not recorded, and it is not stated whether or not she has been replaced. VIOLATION OF CAMPAIGN PROMISE The remuneration package laid down by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) provides for special assistants and personal assistants to various office holders, such as the president, vice president, and ministers. The document, however, fails to specify exactly how much goes to these assistants; rather it states that the figure will be provided, tbp. However, it is conceivable that the ten special assistants to the wives of the president and vice president earn as much as special advisers, therefore by the end of July, 2018, N4.4 billion will have gone to them as basic monthly salaries and allowances. APPOINTMENTS SHROUDED IN SECRECY While the presidency has announced the appointments of some special assistants and publicly organised swearing-in ceremonies for others, the appointments of aides to the wives of the president and vice president on different days have evidently been kept secret. Hajo Sani, Senior Special Assistant on Administration to the Wife of the President. [Photo credit: ICIR] The appointment of Hajo Sani, Senior Special Assistant on Administration to the Wife of the President, found its way into public knowledge only because the University of Maiduguri Class of 78 placed an advert in the newspaper to congratulate her. And this happened a month and two weeks after the appointment was made. NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED In January, 2015, when Aisha Buhari stated the activities she would be inclined to perform as traditional duties of a presidents wife, she mentioned receiving guests, visiting orphanages, helping the less privileged, malnourished children and so on. However, since her husband assumed position as the countrys number one citizen, she has gone on to do much more. In August, 2015, Punch reported [though the web page is no longer available] that the presidents wife has been operating from the Office of the First Lady located inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The paper further reported that asides the title preference, nothing significant has changed from the previous administration. Just as under her predecessor, Aishas office is occupied by staff members, aides, security details and protocol officials, attached to her. Screen capture of Punchs report on Aisha Buhari before it became unavailable online Her office has also organised several events, including a thank-you dinner in honour of APC women and youth, childrens day celebration, eid-el-fitri childrens party, national workshop on war against abuse, and, in conjunction with a UK-based private firm, a seminar on protocol, etiquette and security for wives of state governors. Leaked invitation cards to some of these events and lecterns used by Aisha in the past to deliver speeches have on them an official seal for the wife of the president, federal republic of Nigeria. OFFICE OF FIRST LADY UNCONSTITUTIONAL The ICIR went through the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to confirm if truly there is no statutory office for either the first lady or the wife of the president. In all 320 sections of the law and the schedules that follow, there is no single mention of the words wife and lady. Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, has also confirmed this. The post of the First Lady is not a creation of the constitution, he said, in an interview. In other words, there is no mention or reference to the post in the constitution or any other statute in the land. So, the question of assigning responsibilities to the office does not arise. In the first and second republics, there was no office of the First Lady. Even under successive military regimes up to the Muhammadu Buhari/Tunde Idiagbon era, the post was unknown. It was under the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida junta that the wife of the military president created the post, albeit illegally. There was no decree to back it up. The lawmaker representing Osun Central in the Nigerian Senate, Olusola Adeyeye, has given reasons for his absence at a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and some senators of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Adeyeye said the notice for the meeting got to him late. Mr Buhari met with the APC senators Wednesday evening, after an exodus from the ruling party hit the Senate on Tuesday. Fourteen senators decamped from the APC on Tuesday with thirteen of them moving to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). On Wednesday, 39 senators met with President Buhari to pay allegiance to him. Mr Adeyeye was, however, not at the meeting. In a Facebook post Thursday evening, Mr Adeyeye, a professor, said he was at the University of Ibadan College of Medicine on Wednesday to deliver a public lecture when he got invitation for the meeting. He said the notice got to him only around 7pm. He said the university event was scheduled for over five months. Mr Adeyeye said it was logistically impossible for me to head to Abuja at the time he learnt of the meeting. My colleagues of the APC caucus were fully aware of my engagement at Ibadan. I also sent an apology to the President pertaining to my absence. For the avoidance of any doubts, I remain a firm member of the APC. I have never partaken of any formal or informal meeting with the r-APC, he wrote. Dino Melaye said on Friday that he escaped an attack, almost 24 hours after his associates claimed he was kidnapped. The senator said in on Twitter at about 11:00 a.m. Friday that he escaped an attack on him, saying he would continue to prevail over his enemy. I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!! Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@dino_melaye) July 27, 2018 Concerns about Mr Melayes whereabouts were first raised by Ben Murray-Bruce, one of his closest colleagues at the Senate. The senator was said to have been kidnapped on his way to Lokoja from Abuja to appear in an ongoing criminal trial. But some Nigerians countered that the controversial senator might have faked his kidnap to avoid going to court. Mr Melaye had twice claimed alleged assassination attempts on his life, only for the police and some leaked phone conversations of himself to cast doubts about the claim. President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration would look into the constitutional 13 per cent derivation benefit to the Niger Delta region to ensure even spread of development projects across the region. Mr Buhari gave the assurance when he received traditional rulers and some other eminent personalities from Isoko, Delta, led by Ovrawah, Omogha 1, Odiologbo of Oleh, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday. Mr Buhari assured them that the constitutional provisions for Niger Delta development would be carefully studied for inclusiveness, especially in the prioritisation of Federal Government projects. He said: I have listened attentively to your address; I will still update myself with details of development in your area as it relates to oil and gas, and lack of infrastructure. I will look at the constitutional 13 per cent derivation and what previous governments have done, in order to know what we can do. The president noted that the Isoko land had citizens who had distinguished themselves in various professions and entrepreneurial skills. He promised to do his best to ensure that Isoko land would be fairly treated. Earlier, the president-general of the Isoko Development Union and spokesman for the traditional rulers, Iduh Amadhe, hailed Mr Buhari for performing well. He urged the president to look into the spread of development projects in Niger Delta. With eight oil fields of flow stations in Isoko land, we appeal to His Excellency to direct NNPC to establish a gas plant and a modular refinery in Isoko land. It will be beneficial to the nation; it will create employments and generate revenue, he said. Mr Amadhe claimed that Isoko Community had been sidelined in Federal Government appointments, with last appointment of a minister in 1975. He said that the area had also ignored in siting of federal educational institutions, skill development centres and infrastructure. Your Excellency, no meaningful project has been sited in Isoko since the inception of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, he added. (NAN) A newspaper publisher in Nigeria has been suspended from a local press union for publishing fake stories. The suspended journalist, Ephraim Ikpe, was reported to the union for using The Wave, a local newspaper he publishes in Akwa Ibom State, to run fake stories against Cletus Ukpong who is PREMIUM TIMES south south editor. He was suspended on Wednesday at the Congress of the Consolidated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, through unanimous votes. A statement issued thereafter by the Secretary of the Consolidated Chapel, Udeme Hosea, said the union was angry that Mr Ikpe, after receiving a previous warning, was defiant in his attack against the PREMIUM TIMES journalist. The suspended journalist, however, told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday morning, that his suspension did not follow due process. He said he was not invited to the meeting where the decision to suspend him was taken. The stories, which Mr Ikpe is being sanctioned for, were fabricated by the Akwa Ibom state government and syndicated to newspapers with the intent to get at the Mr Ukpong for his investigative series which exposed the rot in public education in the oil-rich state, this newspaper learnt. The attack on the PREMIUM TIMES journalist has been condemned by several groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), and the Independent Newspaper Publishers Association (INPA). One of the fake stories, which is being circulated on the Internet, claimed that Mr Ukpong duped his uncle, a retired professor, of some huge amount of money, which caused him to die of heartbreak. The widow of the late professor has refuted the lie against the journalist. Publishers were said to have received a bribe of N10, 000 (about U.S $28) each from the Akwa Ibom government to publish the fake stories in their papers. Mr Joseph Okon, publisher, The Anchor newspaper, and an aide on grassroot mobilization to Gov. Udom Emmanuel One of the publishers who refused to be part of the campaign against Mr Ukpong told PREMIUM TIMES that Essien Ndueso, a media aide to the Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel, informed him that the funding was provided by the Commissioner for Works in the state, Ephraim Inyang. Mr Ndueso in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES denied having a hand in the campaign against Mr Ukpong. He also denied being the publisher of Global Pilot, a local paper that is at the forefront of publishing lies against the PREMIUM TIMES reporter. I have never been a publisher in my life, he said. I am not publishing any newspaper. The Commissioner for Works, Ephraim Inyang, has not responded to calls and text messages sent to his telephone lines. A non-governmental organisation in Abuja, the Committee for Political Freedom & Responsibility (Cpfr), said that the suspension of the erring publisher was a welcome development in the fight against fake news. The impact of fake news is becoming a major social issue, globally, and it is even more worrisome to see journalists act as fabricators and circulators of fake news, the group said on Thursday in a statement issued by its National Chairman, Ubong Ikpatt. We, therefore, commend the Consolidated Chapel for sanctioning Mr Ephraim Ikpe for this breach of journalism ethics. We implore His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel and the Akwa Ibom State Government to come clean, by sanctioning its officials said to be responsible for the smear campaign against the Premium Times reporter, Mr Ikpatt added in the statement. Meanwhile, the editor of The Anchor, another paper which published the fake stories against the PREMIUM TIMES reporter, said he has resigned his appointment with the paper. The editor, Andrew Obot, said he had objected to the story being used in the paper the first day he saw it because, according to him, he sensed that it was fake. He said the publisher, Joseph Okon, who is Governor Emmanuels aide on grassroots mobilization, bypassed him to get the fake story into the paper. I first saw that same story in Global Pilot, a paper owned by Essien Ndueso, the Special Assistant on Media to Governor Udom Emmanuel. I wouldnt have allowed it into The Anchor newspaper if I were around when they brought it back. Or maybe there would have been a clash between me and the publisher, Mr Obot told PREMIUM TIMES. He added, I have told him if the matter gets to court that it is him, and not me, that will stand in for it. After all, he only put my name there as an editor, whereas it is him that decides everything that is published in the paper. When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the governors aide, Mr Okon, he lied that he was not the owner of The Anchor newspaper, despite the evidence to the contrary. It reportedly took the intervention of the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomole, a leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, and the national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, Balarabe Musa, to prevent Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, from defecting from the APC. Until the eve of the defection day, Mr Sani was among aggrieved senators who were set to dump the party, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. On Tuesday, 15 members of the ruling party changed allegiance, with 12 joining the PDP. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES Friday evening, Mr Sani said the intervention of the party leaders averted his defection plan. My defection was stopped by Asiwaju Tinubu, Oshiomole and Balarabe Musa. First of all, they recognised and accepted the fact that an injustice has been done to me in Kaduna. Balarabe Musa invited me to his house, cautioned and counselled me against defection. Asiwaju did the same thing. Adams Oshiomole reminded me of my activism and the struggles. They drew my attention to the fact that all those who defected to the PDP were once PDP members. I dont have the pedigree of PDP. Im an activist. The assurance they gave me was that everything will be sorted out. They assured me that they will intervene on issues which I raised. Because of that I could not defect. Apart from the three, the lawmaker alluded his change of mind to interventions by lawyer, Femi Falana, religious leaders and his constituents. Mr Sani said he raised five issues the party leaders were to address. The first was the fact that the governor (El-Rufai) engineered my suspension and neither the presidency nor the party have ever lend a voice about that. Secondly, my office was attacked five times by thugs. Thirdly, the governor tried to frame me in a murder case. Then the governor publicly incited the general public to attack me because we denied him loan. The governor also demolished the house of the national vice chairman of the party when he tried to intervene. Mr Sani said his decision to dump the party was upturned a night before the formal announcement on the floor of the Senate. He added that his colleagues, who later defected mounted intense pressure on him to yield. I was under intense pressure from my colleagues who defected, to defect along with them. I explained to them that we have different political constituencies, calculations and background. On his plan ahead of 2019, Mr Sani said he would contest for the senatorial seat again. But he quickly added: Its still open, it depends on the decision of the party. Im going to contest for the Senate. That is it for now. The recent defection of a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and lawmakers from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) will not affect the partys chances politically, governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, said on Friday. Mr Ganduje made this known at his office during an interview with reporters. He said he was not personally bothered by the exit of his political rival. We are not scared by their exit. Their defection doesnt constitute any havoc to our great party, the APC, at all levels. People should keep eyes (open) to what will happen during election. Our dear President has been doing the needful in terms of developing the nation, coupled with his efforts in efficient service delivery. Good governance is at its peak. The war against corruption is successfully being waged, he added. He also said Mr Kwankwasos exit will not be felt in the state: I want you to go and study the situation on ground in Kano, his (Kwankwaso) defection does not change the political mood in the state. Nobody cares to be disturbed by their action, Mr Ganduje said. The governor said when his predecessor was in the APC his intention was to vie for presidency. But when it appeared to him, in black and white, that there is no vacancy in the Villa, he now decided to leave on his own. He said Mr Kwankwaso should be ready to battle it out at the polls next year. When he secures a presidential ticket from the party he cross carpets to, then he should wait and see how we can slug it out with him. He will fully understand how popular and loveable our President Muhammadu Buhari is. Kano will give more votes to our President, than what he got in 2015 election. From the 2015 election to date, those who could not vote because of age limit, are now grown up, meaning they will now be eligible to vote. Hence, Buhari stands the chance to get 5 million votes from Kano, he said. Mr Kwankwaso was one of the 14 APC senators who changed parties on Tuesday. He is expected to seek the PDP presidential ticket for the 2019 election. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has begun a three day medical outreach for an estimated 2,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Katsina State. NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Olatokunbo Adesanya, an air vice marshal, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja. Mr Adesanya said that the medical outreach holding at Jibia Central Primary School, in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, was an initiative of the Chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, an air marshal. He said the medical intervention was part of the humanitarian efforts of the NAF at mitigating the plights of victims affected by the recent flood that ravaged some parts of the state and rendered thousands of residents homeless. The spokesperson said the outreach, which is expected to end on July 27, attracted a large turnout of beneficiaries who expressed satisfaction with the medical services received from the NAF Medical Team. The people also expressed their gratitude to the NAF for the humanitarian gesture and for remembering them in their time of need. The medical services provided during the first day of the outreach include mass de-worming of children, medical check-ups. Distribution of treated mosquito nets, eye glasses and drugs while patients with surgical cases were also operated upon, he said. Mr Adesanya said the Head of Local Government Administration in the council, Almustapha Dan-Musa, appreciated the NAF for the kind gesture and the provision of free healthcare for the people of Jibia. Mr Dan- Musa said that the medical outreach was a great relief to his people, some of who had lost loved ones and property to the disaster. NAF recently had a three day special surgical intervention and medical outreach for IDPs and residents of Barkin Ladi, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau, following the violence in the area. (NAN) A media aide to the Akwa Ibom governor who has been campaigning strenuously to discredit PREMIUM TIMES investigative series on public schools in the state has finally admitted to the rot in one of the affected schools. The aide, Essien Ndueso, has also been on a smear campaign against our reporter, Cletus Ukpong, who did the investigative reports. This is very ugly, Mr Ndueso commented six days ago on a photo posted on Facebook, showing the dilapidated school, Ntiat/Mbak 1 Comprehensive Secondary School, Itu Urban. The photo was posted, July 20, on the social media site by one Inyene David who is from the community where the dilapidated school is. Mr David wrote that students from the school were exempted from coming to classes during the raining season because the classrooms are always flooded with rainwaters. The governors aide, Mr Ndueso thanked Mr David for posting the ugly photo of the school and promised to forward it to the state government. When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Ndueso, he said his comment on the school was personal. The 37-year-old school in Ntiat/Mbak, which was built through community effort before it was handed over to the state government, featured prominently in one of the reports in the PREMIUM TIMES series. Heres how the report, published on May 23, 2018, captured the poor state of the school: It is quite a bizarre sight at Ntiat/Mbak 1 Comprehensive Secondary School, Itu Urban, where some female students are seen chatting freely inside a partially collapsed structure meant to be a classroom. The rafters and the remnants of the ceilings dangle menacingly above them, making the place a deathtrap. The schools staff quarters are dilapidated and abandoned. Same with one of its major classroom blocks. Model science school in Uruan, Akwa Ibom, abandoned by the Akwa Ibom state government. Photo_Cletus Ukpong One of the dilapidated cottages in the boys dormitory St. Marys Science College Ediene Abak Akwa Ibom [Cletus Ukpong] Inside the boys dormitory at St. Marys Science College Ediene Abak Akwa Ibom State [Cletus Ukpong] The assembly hall had collapsed, while the library and the laboratory are in a terrible state and could go the way of other collapsed structures if not urgently rebuilt. A photo depicting the poor state of the school was published too, alongside the report. Interestingly, both Mr Ndueso and Mr David had clashed previously, also on Facebook, over Mr Nduesos attempt to discredit the investigative series and demean the PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Cletus Ukpong. Mr David said the governors aide was being petty in his attacks on the newspaper and its reporter. The report by Cletus Ukpong is the best thing to happen to Akwa Ibom State, he told the governors aide. The rot, agreed, may not have started during the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel, but the administration would certainly draw applause if they are bold enough to acknowledge the magnitude of the decay in our education sector and take steps to revive it. It is uncharitable and condemnable for anyone to try to rubbish this public interest journalism which is rare in Akwa Ibom state. We wont accept it, Mr David said in the Facebook comment. The administration of Governor Emmanuel has been on the spotlight lately following PREMIUM TIMES damning investigative series on how corruption, poor government planning, and outright neglect has ruined the education sector in one of Nigerias richest states. Akwa Ibom has multinationals like Mobil, an affiliate of the American oil giant, ExxonMobil, drilling oil in the state. And because of its contributions to Nigerias oil earnings, Akwa Ibom regularly receives more money from the Federation Account every month than each of the other 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. This is beside the revenue the state generates internally. In five years alone, between 2013 and 2017, the state received N1.029 trillion (about $2.8 billion) from the countrys Federation Account, for instance. Yet classrooms in several public primary and secondary schools in the state are shamefully dilapidated and roofless, while pupils and students, in some cases, sit on bare floor to learn, according to the series which started running in the paper on May 23. The reports also show low morale, incompetence, and corruption among ill-equipped and poorly-paid teachers who sometimes go for several months without pay. Some of the governors aides in private discussions have hailed the PREMIUM TIMES reports as being capable of pushing the administration to speed up on its development drive. Meanwhile, a Lagos-based lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has filed a lawsuit, asking the court to compel the commissioner for education in Akwa Ibom to furnish him with records of renovation contracts and other capital expenditure in public primary and secondary schools in the state. Mr Effiong, who is from Akwa Ibom, filed the suit on July 19 at a high court in Uyo, the state capital, after the commissioner failed to respond to his earlier request for the record which he made in accordance with the Freedom of Information (FOI) law. The lawyer stated in the court papers that he had his primary, secondary, and university education in Akwa Ibom and that he was deeply troubled by the embarrassing sights of decayed infrastructures in public primary and secondary schools in the oil-rich State as revealed by Premium Times. No date has been fixed yet for the case. The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday tasked the Muslim community in the state on the need to be law abiding and ensure a harmonious and peaceful co-existence in the conduct of their affairs, in line with the governments posture on zero tolerance for crime. Governor Dickson, who gave the charge when members of the state chapter of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, led by its President, Alhaji Yakubu Otobo paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa, said Bayelsa is home to all Nigerians regardless of ethno-religious and political differences. Mr Dickson, according to a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Agbo, urged the people of the state to cooperate with law enforcement agencies by providing useful information on the activities of criminals, noting that, it is the collective responsibility of all to promote peace and stability. Commending the Muslim community for its peaceful disposition, Governor Dickson observed that, there has not been any major incident of conflict involving the Muslims in the state and urged them to sustain the prevailing peace, as Bayelsa has been adjudged as one of the most peaceful states in the country. Responding to their request for sponsorship to holy pilgrimage, Mr Dickson explained that, for now, government lacked the financial capacity to sponsor, both intending Christian and Muslim pilgrims to the holy lands. He, however said, in no distant time, the government would institute a policy, whereby his administration would support churches, mosques, organisations and the private sector, towards assisting intending pilgrims. His words: I want to commend all of you; I want to say that, we are happy with the moslem community in this state. Let me commend all of you for the peaceful way you have been going about your activities so far. In this state, we have not had challenges; we have not had negative reports about the conduct of our moslem brothers and sisters and so you all deserve a round of applause. I want to request that you keep it that way. The government of Bayelsa state is a government for all people. All Nigerians and all human beings, who live in Bayelsa state. In this state, I have said it over and over again that everybody who is here is a Bayelsan irrespective of where you come from and feel free to practice your religion and carry on with your business but you to respect and abide by the laws of this country and the laws of this state. I urge you to continue to work closely with our security leaders and they are on to listen to you to get information from you about activities of people who want to create problems in this peaceful state. Those from other places who may want to come here and hide under any guise to create any problem, we call on you, just as we call on all residents of Bayelsa to identify them; people whose mission and livelihoods are suspicious, let us know. The security agencies are there to work with you quietly to fish out any bad egg. We want to work with all of you, with all leaders of state, both Christians as well as Muslims to ensure that the peace and stability that we have worked hard to establish continues to remain. I want to use this opportunity to congratulate all of you for going through your religious obligation in the holy month of Ramadan. Earlier in his remarks, the President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Bayelsa State chapter, Yakubu Otobo, had commended Governor Dickson for his visionary leadership and dogged commitment to the development of the state, especially in the areas of education, security, infrastructure and other key sectors of the economy. Mr Otobo also expressed appreciation to the restoration government on its policies and programmes, particularly as regards non-indigenes in Bayelsa, which he noted, has given them a sense of belonging, since the inception of his administration. He prayed God to grant Governor Dickson and his restoration team the wisdom, strength and goodwill to steer the ship of state to greater heights and solicited the state governments assistance in the provision of a bus for the chapter, which the governor granted. The Anambra Central Senatorial Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Awka, on Friday struck out a petition challenging the victory of Victor Umeh in the Jan. 13, Anambra senatorial rerun election. The three-man tribunal, presided by Justice H. A. Olusiyi, Justice A. O. Ayoola, and Justice A. U. Birnin Kudu dismissed the five reliefs sought by the petitioner as lacking merit and the inability of the applicant to proof his case. The petitioner, Nkem Ekweozoh, the candidate of the Mega Peoples Progressives Party (MPPP), had sought the voiding of Mr Umehs victory on five grounds. Mr Ekweozoh claimed that Mr Umeh was not duly elected by majority of valid votes cast at the election and that the victory was invalid as it was fraught with corrupt practices and substantial non compliance with the Electoral Act. He further said that Mr Umeh was not qualified to contest the election as his nomination came at a time he was still the national chairman of his party, APGA. Mr Ekweozoh equally claimed that Mr Umeh spent far above the maximum election expenses of N40 million as stipulated by law. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were joined in the petition marked EPT/AN/SEN/01/2018 as second and third respondents respectively. Delivering a unanimous judgment, that lasted more than five hours, Justice Olusiyi, described the petitioner as a meddlesome interloper and noted that Mr Ekweozoh lacked the locus standi to contest the out-come of the election. The panel further ruled that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to look into one of the complaints which related to Umehs nomination, sponsorship and candidature. Mr Olusiyi also described Mr Ekweozoh as a rabble rouser for making heavy weather of the issues of Mr Umehs sponsorship and nomination when he was not a member of APGA or an aggrieved aspirant. You cannot meddle into the domestic affairs of a party to which you are a complete stranger. All the particulars of fact in support of the petitioners grounds that Umeh at the time of the election was not qualified to contest the election were not proved by any credible evidence known to our laws and therefore the petition had failed woefully, he concluded. Reacting to the judgment, Ikeobi Ejiofor, a political associate of Mr Umeh, who led other supporters to the tribunal, said the victory was not only for Anambra people, but for the entire South-East. Mr Ejiofor, who is also the chairman of Anaocha Local Government of Anambra, said with the victory Mr Umeh would now settle down to continue to provide voice to Anambra people and Igbo people in the Senate. Mr Ekweozoh who also spoke said he would appeal against the judgment on the grounds that the same lacuna that robbed off Uche Ekwunife of Peoples Democratic Party victory in her senatorial position also played out in his matter. I am pained that the tribunal tagged me a meddlesome interloper for challenging Umehs nomination by APGA when it was the same situation that robbed Mrs Ekwunife her victory after 2015 general election, he said. Mr Ekweozoh, who was represented by his 90-year-old father and lawyer called to bar in 1958, said his father would equally petition several flaws noticed during the trial and judgment of his matter. (NAN) The police in Lagos have arrested the owner of the truck which caused a fatal accident on the Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway last month. Chike Oti, the police spokesperson, in a statement Friday said the truck owner was arrested at his home in Kano by homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos. The police identified the owner as Hassan Maiwake. The driver of the truck, however, remains at large. A Mack tanker loaded with 33,000 litres of fuel went up in flames after it fell and spilled its contents on the bridge on June 28. Nine people were confirmed dead and several others injured in the inferno which razed, at least, 54 vehicles. Multiple witnesses of the incident, however, said the casualty figures were higher. Hassan Maiwake of No.16 Hotoro Limawa, Kano state, was arrested yesterday in Kano and he is now helping the police in its effort to locate the driver of the ill-fated truck, the police said in the statement. The CP assures that the Command will do all it can to help families who lost their beloved ones in the accident, find a closure by ensuring that anyone found culpable is brought to book. DNA test to ascertain the true identities of the charred remains of the victims is ongoing. Further development will be communicated to Lagosians. In its preliminary investigation, the Lagos State government attributed the cause of the accident partly to the tanker being loaded with 30 tonnes, twice its capacity. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. PORTLAND, Oregon, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Acne Medication Market by Therapeutic Class, Formulation, Type, Acne Type, and Distribution Channel: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025," the global acne medication market was valued at $8,017 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $10,929 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 3.9% from 2018 to 2025. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg ) Acne is a long-term skin disease that appears because of clogged hair follicles, dead skin cells, and oil excreted from skin. It is characterized by the presence of considerable number of pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, oily skin, and probable scarring. It generally affects the skin with comparatively high number of sweat glands at upper part of chest, back, and face. Acne medications are drugs that are indicated for the treatment of acne. These include several prescription and over-the-counter medicines such as retinoids, isotretinoin, antibiotics, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, oral contraceptives, and others. Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4356 The factors that drive the growth of the acne medication market include increase in prevalence of acne vulgaris across the world, unhealthy urban lifestyle, surge in pollution, and rise in focus on skin care products. However, side effects associated with acne medications and reforms, and presence of alternative treatment options such as laser therapies, impede the market growth. Conversely, the development of newer products with lesser side effects and presence of untapped market in the emerging economies are expected to provide lucrative growth opportunities for the market. The retinoids segment accounted for the largest share in 2017, owing to high usage in treatment of acne and lesser side effects as compared to other therapeutics. However, the salicylic acid segment is expected to grow at the high CAGR from 2018 to 2025. The inflammatory acne segment is the largest acne type segment in the global acne medication market in 2017 and is expected to maintain its lead in the forecast period. On the other hand, non-inflammatory acne segment is anticipated to record the highest CAGR from 2018-2025. By type, the prescription medicine segment dominated the global acne treatment market in terms of revenue in 2017 and the trend is projected to continue throughout the forecast period. The utilization rate of topical medications for acne treatment is high owing to high availability of these products with high success rate and lesser side effects. However, the oral medication segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period. For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4356 Key findings of the study The antibiotics segment accounted for nearly one-fourth share of the global acne medication market in 2017. The over-the-counter medicine segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2018 to 2025. The non-inflammatory acne segment accounted for around two-fifths share of the global market in 2017. Europe accounted for around one-fourth share of the global market in 2017. accounted for around one-fourth share of the global market in 2017. LAMEA is expected to provide lucrative market growth opportunities and grows with the CAGR of 4.5% from 2018 to 2025. North America was the leading revenue contributor to the global acne medication market in 2017, and is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. This is attributed to the early approval of acne medication products and high adoption of prescription medicines in this region. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 5.6% during the study period, due to increase in affordability, surge in healthcare expenditure, and rise in awareness toward safe acne medications products. Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas. Similar Report: Dermatological Drugs Market - Global Opportunities and Industry Forecasts, 2017-2023 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: Shriram Dighe 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1855550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com SOURCE Allied Market Research PALO ALTO, Calif., July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Adaptive Insights, powering a new generation of business planning, announced today that Gartner, Inc. has positioned Adaptive Insights as a Leader in its 2018 Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning and Analysis Solutions1 for the second consecutive year. Vendors were evaluated for completeness of vision and ability to execute. The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning and Analysis Solutions report states, "Digital business is placing demands on FP&A to expand beyond the traditional financial planning methods. Digital business initiatives, such as establishing digital sales channels or creating entirely new digital businesses, must be supported by more-collaborative, agile financial planning processes and performance reporting, so that feedback is received, analyzed and acted upon sooner." Over the past 12 months, Adaptive Insights has invested in its architecture to deliver the next generation of its powerful platform. As recently announced, the company believes it is ushering in a new generation of cloud planning with its patent-pending Elastic Hypercube Technology. Designed to deliver "no compromise" planning, reporting, and analytics, the architectural innovations add the intelligence for a new class of model calculation efficiency and scalability into the Adaptive Insights Business Planning Cloud. Together, these innovations mean virtually no limits on model size for any size customer. The company's Business Planning Cloud is now used by more than 3,800 organizations in over 50 countries, including notable brands such as American Family Insurance, Guardian Life, P.F. Chang's, and Steve Madden. "We believe being named a Leader in cloud financial planning and analysis solutions again reflects continued market demand for an easy to use and powerful planning platform for use across the enterprise," said Tom Bogan, CEO, Adaptive Insights. "As a vendor positioned in the Leaders quadrant, we believe it's due to our high marks in customer satisfaction, strong execution, and vision. And, with our new Elastic Hypercube technology powering our Business Planning Cloud, we believe we continue to deliver that vision so customers can confidently plan without compromise." The company feels that its excellent customer satisfaction and user experience is confirmed by Adaptive Insights customers. They rated Adaptive Insights with a 4.7 out of 5 for the Cloud Strategic Corporate Performance Management Solutions market based on 107 ratings (source: Gartner Peer Insights, as of July 26, 2018). "Adaptive Insights is the future of finance," said one customer in the manufacturing industry. "The product is powerful and easy to use, and they make it easy to be a customer," said another customer in the education industry. The 2018 Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning and Analysis Solutions evaluated 16 different software vendors. To be eligible for inclusion in this Magic Quadrant, vendors had to meet specific product capabilities, market presence, and vendor viability criteria. For a complimentary copy of the report, please visit the Analyst Reports page. For more information, please read the blog "When You Lead with Innovation, Magic Happens" or visit the Gartner Peer Insights reviews of Adaptive Insights. 1 Gartner, "Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Planning and Analysis Solutions," by Christopher Iervolino and John E. Van Decker, July 24, 2018. The 2017 version of the report was titled, "Magic Quadrant for Cloud Strategic Corporate Performance Management Solutions." Gartner Disclaimers Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Gartner Peer Insights reviews constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-users based on their own experiences, and do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. About Adaptive Insights Adaptive Insights powers a new generation of business planning. We transform the planning process into a strategic advantage for more than 3,800 organizations around the world with powerful modeling that's easy for everybody who plans. Our Business Planning Cloud platform enables organizations of all sizes to adapt to changing business conditions with confidence and agility. Adaptive Insights is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. To learn more, visit www.adaptiveinsights.com. SOURCE Adaptive Insights Related Links http://www.adaptiveinsights.com HONOLULU, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE: ALEX) (A&B) is excited to welcome acclaimed beauty retailer Ulta Beauty to Hawai`i. The company will hold a grand opening celebration at 9:30 a.m. for its first store in the islands at A&B's Pu`unene Shopping Center in Kahului, Maui, on Friday, July 27. The store will open at 10 a.m. From July 27-29, the first hundred customers through the door each day will receive a special beauty treat from Ulta Beauty. The store will feature a broad selection of cosmetics, fragrances, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. Ulta Beauty will also open two more stores at A&B commercial centers in the coming months, at Pearl Highlands Center on August 17 and in Kailua Town later this year. "Ulta Beauty is known for providing an unmatched selection of quality products, great service and value to its customers. We're excited to welcome them to Hawai`i and expect they will serve our local communities well," said Lance Parker, A&B chief real estate officer. Pu`unene Shopping Center, completed in 2017, is a 113,000 square-foot retail center in Kahului, Maui, collocated with the island's only Target store. In addition to Ulta Beauty, existing and signed tenants include Starbucks, Petco, Maui Tacos, Massage Envy, Planet Fitness and Verizon. About Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is Hawai'i's premier commercial real estate company and the state's foremost owner of grocery-anchored retail centers. With a portfolio of approximately 87,000 acres in Hawai'i, A&B is the state's fourth largest private landowner. A&B is a fully integrated real estate investment trust and owns, operates and manages 3.4 million square feet of primarily retail and industrial space in Hawai'i. A&B's interests extend beyond commercial real estate into diversified agriculture, renewable energy, and land stewardship. A&B also is Hawai'i's largest construction materials company and paving contractor. Over its nearly 150-year history, A&B has evolved with the state's economy and played a lead role in the development of the agricultural, transportation, tourism, construction and real estate industries. Learn more about A&B at www.alexanderbaldwin.com. Contact: Darren Pai; 808-525-6659; [email protected] SOURCE Alexander & Baldwin Related Links http://www.alexanderbaldwin.com Anna Chokina Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, Skincare and Personal Care Elena Degtyareva, Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, Fashion & Home LONDON, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP), a global leader in direct selling of beauty products, today announced a series of senior appointments in global brand marketing. Anna Chokina has been appointed Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, Skincare and Personal Care a $1.6Bn category, effective September 24th, 2018. She will drive growth and brings deep brand marketing and beauty experience with a background of an international career. Anna joins Avon from L'Oreal Paris, where as General Manager, Russia she led the business to consecutive years of growth. Anna also oversaw successful brand strategy development and played a central role in making L'Oreal Paris the number one digital beauty brand in Russia. In addition, she brings a strong Consumer Goods background to this new role, having worked at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo in the Feminine Care and Snacks categories, respectively. Elena Degtyareva, currently Vice President, Global Marketing Operations will assume the position of Vice President, Global Fashion and Home a $1.4Bn category. In this role, Elena will be responsible for growing Avon's fashion and home business, which currently delivers a quarter of Avon's global revenue. Elena brings 20 years of experience working with beauty and fashion brands, in addition to her valuable knowledge and insight of Avon. She is a skilled marketer and has worked in both global roles and in Eastern Europe in a variety of strategic and operational positions where she has overseen category growth and embedded marketing excellence. "We are excited for Anna to join the Avon team and for Elena to take on her new assignment. They each have deep category and beauty experience and will drive to restore growth in our categories. Further, these appointments are a testament to our commitment both to develop our winning category strategies and to drive operational excellence across all categories and regions as part of our turnaround plans," said Jonathan Myers, Chief Operating Officer. "We are confident that these leaders will help Avon to better deliver fast-beauty to our Representatives and consumers and drive growth in core areas." About Avon Products, Inc. Avon is the Company that for 130 years has proudly stood for beauty, innovation, optimism and, above all, for women. Avon products include well-recognized and beloved brands such as ANEW, Avon Color, Avon Care, Skin-So-Soft, and Advance Techniques sold through approximately 6 million active independent Avon Sales Representatives. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avoncompany.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including Avon's efforts to deepen its pool of talented leaders to drive operational and financial excellence. Because forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility of business disruption, competitive uncertainties, and general economic and business conditions in Avon's markets as well as the other risks detailed in Avon's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Avon undertakes no obligation to update any statements in this press release for changes that happen after the date of this release. Related Links http://www.avon.com SOURCE Avon Products, Inc. The campaign will debut at Avon RepFest, an annual three-day gathering of thousands of Avon Representatives, held this year in Columbus, Ohio. Attendees will start the chain of kisses on social media, and will be encouraged to leave their lip print on a massive wall of kisses at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The Avon Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye campaign will serve as a lead up to the company's Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities in October, which also includes its national presenting sponsorship of the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, the nation's largest network of fundraising events for breast cancer. In addition, Avon will donate 15%* of the price of their best-selling Avon True Color Nourishing Lipstick purchased throughout October to American Cancer Society's breast health programs that benefit women throughout the year. "As the company for women, we are proud of our strong purpose-driven mission to improve the lives of women and this includes our long-term commitment to the fight against breast cancer. Since 1992, the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has contributed more than $800M globally to breast cancer causes, educated 180 million about breast health, and funded breast health screenings for nearly 20 million women," said Debbie Coffey, Vice President of Communications and Social Impact for New Avon, LLC. "The Avon Breast Health Promise aims to ensure every woman, every day, is breast health aware because we know that early detection saves lives. We hope the Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye campaign will inspire more women to take charge of their own breast health." "The American Cancer Society is dedicated to providing women with the information, answers and hope they need to protect themselves and loved ones," said Sharon Byers, Chief Development and Marketing Officer, American Cancer Society. "We are thrilled to partner with Avon and their Representatives to spread awareness and education to women everywhere." To learn more about early detection of breast cancer, visit: www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html To join Team Avon at a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk near you, visit: www.makingstrideswalk.org/teamavon Avon True Color Nourishing Lipsticks are available for $8 each exclusively through Avon Representatives or online at www.avon.com. The lipstick is available in ten shades and packed with healthy, hydrating Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E. To locate an Avon Representative call 1-800-FOR-AVON or visit www.avon.com. *15% of the price of Pink Ribbon fundraising products purchased, up to $750,000 per year, will be contributed to the American Cancer Society, as part of Avon's $1.25 million annual donation to the American Cancer Society's breast health programs. The American Cancer Society does not endorse any product or service. About New Avon LLC: New Avon LLC ("Avon") is the leading social selling beauty company in North America, with independent sales Representatives throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Avon's portfolio includes award-winning skincare, color cosmetics, fragrance, personal care and health and wellness products featuring brands such as ANEW, Avon True Color, Espira, and Skin So Soft, as well as fashion and accessories. Avon has a 130+ year history of empowering women through economic opportunity, and supporting the causes that matter most to women. Avon philanthropy has contributed over $1 billion globally toward eradicating breast cancer and domestic violence. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avon.com About American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 1.5 million volunteers dedicated to saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer. From breakthrough research, to free lodging near treatment, a 24/7/365 live helpline, free rides to treatment, and convening powerful activists to create awareness and impact, the Society is attacking cancer from every angle. For more information go to www.cancer.org. Contact: Paige Cali, 212 282-6431, [email protected]; Lauren Welger, Tractenberg & Co., 212-887-1659, [email protected] SOURCE New Avon, LLC Related Links http://www.avon.com TORONTO, July 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. (formerly Stina Resources Ltd.) ("CellCube" or the "Company") (CSE: CUBE) (OTCQB: CECBF) (Frankfurt: 01X). Further to its Press Release of June 28, 2018, CellCube Energy Storage Systems is pleased to announce further details involving the spinout of its 100-per-cent-owned vanadium project, the Bisoni Mackay and Bisoni-Rio in Nevada, into a newly formed subsidiary, V23 Resource Corp. ("V23 Corp.") CellCube has now completed the incorporation of V23 Resource Corp. and appointed Mr. Mike Neylan chairman of the company. Mr. Neylan has over 20 years of extensive financial, legal and international corporate experience. Most recently, he was a portfolio manager in the private equity division of Sprott Inc. ("Sprott"), a leading alternative investment manager with over $11 billion in assets under management, where he was primarily responsible for establishing Sprott Asia. While at Sprott, he helped raise over $500 million of institutional investment capital from China and Korea and executed over $300 million of investments predominantly in the resource and renewable power sectors. "I am very enthused to be leading the structuring and implementation of V23 Corp. as a standalone vanadium resource company," Neylan stated. "Over the coming weeks, we will be assembling a highly qualified board of directors and management team as we prepare to finalize the spinout and distribution to CellCube shareholders of V23 Corp. shares beginning in September this year." The price of vanadium pentoxide has risen from a low of $2.5/lb in 2016 (through $4.2/lb in 2017) to a 9-year high of almost $17.0/lb today. Vanadium, widely used as an alloy to strengthen steel and in vanadium flow batteries for the energy storage industry, is the best-performing battery metal over this time period surpassing cobalt, copper and nickel. Upon completion of the spinout arrangement, the company intends to issue one share of V23 Corp. for every two shares of CellCube held by CellCube shareholders of record. The company intends to retain a 19.9-per-cent interest in V23 Corp. Spinout transaction highlights: V23 Corp. will be a publicly listed independent vanadium exploration and production company with advanced projects in Nevada . . Distribution of a share dividend to CellCube shareholders with CellCube retaining a 19.9-per-cent ownership as well as certain offtake rights and a net smelter royalty. The formation of a new pure play vanadium company, V23 Corp, that will fast-track its drilling programs on the vanadium projects to upgrade its indicated and inferred resources. On completion of the planned drilling, a new National Instrument 43-101 technical report will be commissioned to develop a new resource estimate. It is planned to follow this by commissioning a preliminary economic assessment. A National Instrument 43-101 indicated resource of 11.9 million tons at an average grade of 0.39 per cent vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), and an inferred resource of 7.0 million tons at an average grade of 0.42 per cent V2O5 (see company news release dated Sept. 13, 2016 ). Only 12 per cent of the Bisoni McKay area has been drilled, and none of the Bisoni-Rio which is contiguous with Bisoni McKay and sits between Bisoni and Prophecy's Gibellini vanadium deposit. ). Only 12 per cent of the Bisoni McKay area has been drilled, and none of the Bisoni-Rio which is contiguous with Bisoni McKay and sits between Bisoni and Prophecy's Gibellini vanadium deposit. Research currently conducted by the University of Calgary focusing on testing of the Bisoni McKay vanadium and its use for production of vanadium electrolyte is continuing. The University of Calgary will be performing tests using a laboratory test battery that has been provided by Enerox GmbH. The proposed spinout transaction will be subject to shareholder approval. V23 Corp. will be highly focused on creating a portfolio of high-quality vanadium assets on a global scale. Furthermore, V23 Corp. will already have supply agreements with its parent company, CellCube, a leading vanadium battery manufacturer, for its vanadium requirements for its large vanadium flow batteries. Chris M. Healey, PGeo, geological consultant to CellCube, is the independent qualified person who has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical contents of this press release. About CellCube: CellCube's acquisition of the assets of Gildemeister Energy Storage GmbH has transformed CellCube and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Enerox GmbH, into a leading integrated resource and energy storage company. Together with the company's recent acquisition of Jet Power & Control Systems Ltd. (now renamed EnerCube Switchgear Systems Inc.) and Hillcroft Consulting Ltd. (renamed PowerHaz Energy Mobile Solutions Inc.) and its investment in Braggawatt Energy Inc., CellCube is gearing up to deliver fully vertically integrated energy storage solutions to utilities and independent power producers for both standalone energy storage projects as well as projects where energy storage enhances the value proposition from renewable energy generation. This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements are discussed in this news release and the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis filed at http://www.sedar.com . Except as required by the securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information, please contact: Glenda Kelly CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. Telephone: 1800-822-3213 Email: [email protected] http://www.cellcubeenergystorage.com CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. Ste 10 - 8331 River Road Richmond, BC V6X 1Y1 65 Queen St West, Suite 520 Toronto, Ontario M5H2M5 1-800-882-3213 CSE CUBE 12g3-2(b): 82-2062 OTCQB CECBF Frankfurt: 01X SOURCE CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. SINGAPORE, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Crypto EXPO Asia forum goes live on October 26, 2018, and Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Center hosts the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency for one day straight. Another outstanding show organized by FINEXPO is going to take place and promises to become a success as the crypto world continues to gain popularity worldwide. Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Center hosts the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency for one day. Another outstanding show organized by FINEXPO is going to take place and promises to become a success as crypto world gained its popularity worldwide. Crypto Expo Asia 2018 are planning to welcome about 50 speakers (Latoken, Huobi, Coinsuper, and etc.) and over 5,000 attendees throughout one day. Crypto EXPO Asia space will be filled with exhibitor booths, bars and seminar halls where everyone will get an opportunity to not only build their network but explore the phenomena of the crypto world itself and get more concrete and detailed information. The event will include large exhibitions, panels and diversity of discussions and Gala Diner as well. Meetings with the best crypto experts and leading Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and ICO companies are the unique opportunity available for every visitor. The diversity of topics in seminar halls is quite impressive and includes ICO and whitepaper projects, digital AD, PR and marketing, ICO due diligence, global capital markets, Mining as actual business, blockchain and cryptocurrency future, etc. Crypto EXPO Asia has to become one of the most attractive crypto shows the best way to build business connections and widen crypto knowledge. To become a part of this experience, complete the registration procedure on the official website. Each registered user will be provided with the access to the world of cryptocurrency markets. Organizer of this show is FINEXPO - the first and most influential financial event and fair producing company in the world since 2002 and its history of the organized events counts over 30,000 traders, investors and financial advisers with more than 3,000 financial companies and brokers on Stock, Option, Forex, Cryptocurrency and Futures markets (Crypto Expo Asia, Crypto Expo Moscow, Forex & Money Expo, Traders Fair & Traders Awards, Money Fair, Financial Expo, Investors Expo and more). CONTACT: FINEXPO Inc. Margarita Yakupova [email protected] Related Links Crypto Expo Asia 2018 Crypto Expo Asia 2018 Singapore SOURCE FINEXPO Inc. BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CureCervicalCancer (CCC) today announced they are just weeks away from reaching a major milestone of 100,000 women screened. In the United States, the incidence of cervical cancer has been dramatically reduced by regular screening through PAP smears. Women in resource poor countries do not have the same access to basic screening and treatment services due to lack of infrastructure and trained healthcare professionals. CCC Facilitator Everlyne, Global Trainee Verah, Nurse Margaret, and CCC Program Coordinator Phorum in front of the established Shelton-Rogers Clinic at Migosi Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya. CureCervicalCancer is quickly approaching their major milestone of 100,000 women screened. "We have a global epidemic--upwards of 300,000 women die every year from a nearly 100% preventable disease. Eighty-five percent of these women are in resource-poor countries," says Dr. Patricia Gordon, CCC Founding Director and Chair of the Board. Cervical cancer can be prevented if precancerous cell changes are detected and treated in early stages through regular screening. By employing their "See & Treat" method, CCC is able to help women receive the screening and treatment needed, anywhere in the world. "See & Treat" uses VIA (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid) to identify precancerous cervical lesions and treats these lesions with cryotherapy in the same visit. For women in remote villages, the opportunity to be screened and treated in one visit is key, because traveling to and from a clinic is often difficult and tedious. CCC also supplies a "Clinic in a Suitcase" which contains all equipment necessary to build a cervical cancer prevention clinic. By training local staff in "See & Treat" and providing required equipment and support, CCC creates sustainable prevention clinics in remote areas around the world and utilizes Community Health Volunteers to increase awareness in local communities. Since 2013, CCC has trained over 500 healthcare professionals, screened 100,000 and treated more than 7,000 women, and created 80 sustainable clinics in Haiti, Vietnam, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Guatemala, and China. To learn more or to make a donation, please visit http://www.curecervicalcancer.org/donate or https://www.facebook.com/pg/CureCervicalCancer/fundraisers. CureCervicalCancer is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer in developing nations. Founded by Dr. Patricia Gordon in 2014, the organization has opened 80 sustainable clinics: 7 in Ethiopia; 8 in Guatemala; 33 in Kenya; 15 in Haiti; 10 in Vietnam; 2 in Nigeria; and 5 in Tanzania. More than 536 Global Trainees continue to screen and treat women for cervical cancer on a daily basis. Web: http://www.curecervicalcancer.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CureCervicalCancer/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CCCorganization Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CureCervicalCancer Hashtag: #100kmore Contact: Hilary Ratner, Communications Director [email protected] 310.601.3002 SOURCE CureCervicalCancer Related Links http://www.curecervicalcancer.org People of all ages can learn from one another. Children can learn from adultsand seniors can learn from middle school students. The residents of Morning Pointe of Hixson certainly learned a great deal when they visited the Childrens Holocaust Memorial in Whitwell, Tn. Christine Rivers, the Life Enrichment Director at Morning Pointe of Hixson, explains the significance of the monument: The students of Whitwell Middle School wanted to do a project that would teach others about the importance of tolerating and respecting different cultures, and they created the Childrens Holocaust Memorial. It consists of an authentic German rail car that was actually used to transport victims to concentration, labor, and death camps. The rail car houses eleven million paperclips, one for each victim of the Holocaust, she said. This was a very moving trip, and it reminded us that each person has the power to make a positive impact on the lives of others. A widely regarded business professional, Cynthia C. Agans is noted for her dedication to Burrell Imaging LLC, a professional portrait finishing company. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing production, customer service and sales, as well as attending conventions, meeting new people and potential new clients, building a network of clients and maintaining relationships with each one. As the chief operating officer of the company, Ms. Agans is continually praised for her broad range of expertise, which includes customer services, small business administration, operations fluidity and team management. Most recently, Ms. Agans assumed the role of president with Burrell Business Consulting LLC. She takes great pride in her active involvement with the consultancy, which has a proven track record of helping businesses grow by providing finance training, marketing and advertising, customer service, employee training and pricing, among other services. Since the inception of her career, Ms. Agans has attributed her success to having great opportunities, such as working with her current boss, who helped her become a successful financial professional. A respected voice in the finance industry, Ms. Agans maintains involvement with the APCI Federal Credit Union. She plans to continue consulting and traveling as she moves forward with her career. About Marquis Who's Who: Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America, Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com. SOURCE Marquis Who's Who RALEIGH, N.C. and DURHAM, N.C., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, August 4, 2018, Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (DDF) will host the North Carolina Stomach Cancer Education Symposium and Webcast featuring a panel of leading oncologists and healthcare experts. The Symposium is supported in part by Lilly Oncology, Merck, and Bristol Meyer Squibb. Attendees in person and on the live webcast will learn about best practices and the most current cutting-edge gastric cancer treatments, including surgical treatment options, non-surgical treatment options, radiation oncology, clinical trials, immunotherapy and targeted therapies. The Symposium will also feature information valuable to all cancer patients including nutrition, pain management, and patient navigation. Lectures will be available on the DDF website at http://www.DebbiesDream.org/portal/lecture-library. Past DDF Symposium participants The Symposium will feature an informative and engaging agenda that includes nationally recognized speakers along with healthcare professionals from North Carolina's leading cancer treatment facilities. Participants will be provided with handouts which include a welcome letter, speaker information, ways to get involved with DDF, resources, and support available through DDF, and more. This event will begin with breakfast and registration, followed by morning and afternoon sessions which will include a 30-minute patient panel and professional speaker sessions. A complimentary lunch and networking session will also feature exhibits and information from local resources and sponsors. "Participants will hear the latest in stomach cancer treatments and management of the disease directly from experts in the field," said Christina Leonard, Symposium Committee Chair. "This affords attendees an opportunity to ask questions and hear in-depth information about their concerns." About Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer DDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about gastric cancer, advancing funding for research, and providing education and support internationally to patients, families, and caregivers. DDF seeks as its ultimate goal to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality. DDF was founded in 2009 by Debbie Zelman after she was diagnosed with stage IV incurable gastric cancer in 2008 and given only weeks to live. Debbie is considered a pioneer by many for bringing awareness to the plight of stomach cancer patients worldwide and the lack of federal funding for stomach cancer research. She achieved all of this while receiving hundreds of rounds of chemotherapy, in addition to daily oral treatments. Debbie passed away on December 23, 2017 at the age of 50, almost a decade later. As a result of her leadership, DDF now has a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, comprised of world-renowned physicians, and chapters throughout the United States and in Canada and Germany. DDF strives to continue Debbie's mission and make her dream come true. To learn more about DDF, please visit us at www.DebbiesDream.org. Media Contact: Brittnay Starks Communications Coordinator Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (954) 475-1200 [email protected] www.DebbiesDream.org SOURCE Debbie's Dream Foundation Related Links http://www.debbiesdream.org/portal KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Helping small and medium-sized enterprises to trade is the best way to ensure that the benefits of globalization are available to everyone. That is the message which Diane Wang, Founder and CEO of cross-border e-commerce platform DHgate.com, brought to the 3rd APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in Kuala Lumpur taking place July 23-26. Ms Wang, one of China's delegates to ABAC, has long been an advocate for more inclusive trade. Now, as globalization appears increasingly in crisis, it is more important than ever to find ways for its benefits to be shared more widely, beyond a narrow elite of multinational companies. The backlash threatens some domestic political systems, not to mention the entire architecture of global trade itself. Helping SMEs access world markets is the first step to a more inclusive trading system according to Ms Wang, who started out as a small businesswoman herself. In 2004 she launched DHgate, a startup, that is now a global technology platform helping empower other small businesses to access global markets. Trade is good for SMEs: according to research by the World Trade Organisation, enterprises that engage in foreign trade are more productive and innovative. A wide range of empirical studies show that SMEs which export enjoy a rise in employment and sales. But SMEs are under-represented in trade relative to the important economic role they play in their respective domestic economies. This hurts them and limits the benefits of globalisation too narrowly. Helping SMEs trade means helping them overcome high fixed costs, helping them negotiate standards and border requirements, giving them information about foreign distribution networks, and helping them join global supply chains. It also means help with using foreign online payments, and with trade finance. DHgate is to date the only e-commerce platform which is dedicated to serving small and medium sized retailers worldwide, by integrating the whole ecosystem together from logistics to payment, from marketing to customs clearance, to lower the entry barriers for SMEs to access global markets. But DHgate is also proposing a fundamentally new challenge for APEC: the creation of a series of incubation centres to teach enterprises how to go global. Four years ago, Ms Wang and DHgate initiated a number of Cross-Border E-Commerce Training Centres, endorsed by APEC, which so far have trained over 10,000 SMEs how to go global. The proposed APEC Incubation Centres would upgrade the CBET model, offering training in a number of areas: 1) how to operate an online business 2) lessons on creating mock startups, 3) matching events to bring exporters, importers, and service providers together 4) help in obtaining trade finance. SMEs are good for the health of the global economy. In some economies, SMEs account for up to 90 per cent of overall GDP growth and in most economies account for over half of employment. SMEs also promote diversity - one in three is owned by women in the developing world according to the WTO. In other words, trade is good for small business, and small business is good for trade. SOURCE DHgate.com WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2018/Hirsch-Gift-Recalls-Wireless-Charging-Pads-Due-to-Burn-Hazard Recall Summary Name of Product: CloudCharge Qi Wireless Charging Pads Hazard: The wireless phone chargers can overheat while in use, posing a burn hazard to consumers. Remedy: Replace Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled chargers and contact Hirsch Gift for a free replacement. Consumer Contact: Hirsch Gift toll-free at 877-220-4438, ext. 117, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, email at [email protected] or online at https://hg-promo.com/ and click on the recall link at the bottom of the page for more information. Recall Details Units: About 21,000 Description: This recall involves the CloudCharge Qi Wireless Charging Pad. The charging pads were a promotional giveaway to employees and customers of various companies.The product name and model number T4706 are printed on the bottom of the product and select company promotional logos and artwork printed on the top. The recalled chargers are circular and have a white plastic bottom with the top having various promotional artwork. They measure about 4" in diameter and .5" tall. A white USB power cable is included along with a wireless receiver adapter. Each charging pad and accessories are packed in a white plastic box with a clear lid, measuring approximately 5" x 5" x 1.25". This recall involves only one production lot (Version 2) of the charging pad. Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received seven reports of the phone chargers overheating. No injuries have been reported. Sold At: Distributed as a promotional giveaway item to employees and customers of various companies from February 2018 to May 2018. Importer: Hirsch Gift, of Houston, Texas Manufactured in: China This recall was conducted, voluntarily by the company, under CPSC's Fast Track Recall process. Fast Track recalls are initiated by firms, who commit to work with CPSC to quickly announce the recall and remedy to protect consumers. About U.S. CPSC: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years. Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission. For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mail alerts. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. CPSC Consumer Information Hotline Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall: 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054) Times: 8 a.m. 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products. Media Contact Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests. Phone: 301-504-7908 Spanish: 301-504-7800 SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Related Links http://www.cpsc.gov LONDON, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Internet of Things - Thematic Research Summary The Internet of Things or IoT refers to the concept of connecting physical objects - like clothes, watches, cars, fridges, heaters and factory machines - to the internet. By collecting and analyzing the data they transmit, consumers and businesses will be able to monitor, maintain and upgrade these "things" much more efficiently. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5404441 The IoT encompasses a rich and complex ecosystem of technologies and technology companies - from the manufacturers of the sensors and microchips that go inside the connected devices to the telecom operators and wireless radio manufacturers that connect these devices to the internet, to the software services organizations that help clients stitch everything together. While topics like wearable tech, connected cars and the smart home enjoy the limelight, other subsets of the IoT which reside in much less glamorous environments - like smart cities or the use of IoT in manufacturing or in product maintenance - will deliver the biggest economic benefits. The IoT lies within the eye of a storm that has been whipped up by a combination of several megatrends: the decline in cost of the core technologies (sensors, chips, batteries and communications modules); the increasing ubiquity and falling cost of connectivity; the growth in the capacity of data analytics and processing technology; and the increasing ease with which applications can be integrated with one another. The report "Internet of Things - Thematic Research", offers a framework in which to look at Internet of Things (IoT), summarizes the important trends, and identifies the key players. The report also helps in identifying winners and losers based on technology leadership, market position and other factors. Companies Mentioned: Akamai, Amazon, Apple, ARM (Softbank), Broadcom, CalAmp, Cisco, Ericsson, F5 Networks, General Electric (GE), Google, IBM, Intel, Microchip, Microsoft, NXP, Qualcomm, Samsung, SAP, Software AG, Splunk, AlertMe, Arqiva, Arrayent, August, Ayla Networks, Balyo, Belkin, BigBelly, Canary, DroneShield, Electric Imp, Evrythng, Fitbit, Infoblox, Libelium, Neul, Nordic Semi-conductor, Oort, Tado, Thingsquare. Scope - The report highlights the significance of connected devices that help organizations stitch everything together. - It further ponders on the fact that while topics like wearable tech, connected cars and the smart home enjoy the limelight, other subsets of the IoT which reside in much less glamorous environments - like smart cities or the use of IoT in manufacturing or in product maintenance - will deliver the biggest economic benefits. - The report also highlights key winners in each of the four layers of the IoT value chain - device layer, connectivity layer, data layer, and app layer. Reasons to buy - The report classifies the IoT into six distinct markets - the connected car, the automated home, the industrial IoT, wearable technology, smart metering, and the connected store. - The report further highlights some of the big tech players within the IoT theme, classified by value chain segment. - It identifies the main trends in the IoT over the next 12 to 24 months, and classifies these trends into three categories - technology trends, macroeconomic trends, and regulatory trends. - The report also discusses the IoT value chain across four layers - devices, connectivity, data, and apps. - It provides an industry analysis and highlights the big IoT market segments. - The report also provides a competitor analysis, which is populated by a spectrum of players, from the niche specialists to the large vendors. - It adopts a scorecard approach to identify the leading companies in a sector, depicted in the form of a thematic screen, a valuation screen, and a risk screen. - The report offers a technology briefing, identifying key characteristics of the big markets for IoT, and the stages of IoT development. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5404441 About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com SANTA CRUZ, Calif., July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lighthouse Bank (OTC-QB: LGHT), a top-rated bank with offices in Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.10 per share. This represents an increase of 11% over the previous quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share. The dividend is payable on August 24, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 10, 2018. The cash dividend is the result of the Bank's strong ongoing financial performance and significant capital strength. In May 2018, the Bank paid its fourth $0.09 per share quarterly cash dividend payment to shareholders. This followed four consecutive quarterly cash dividends of $0.08 per share. In addition to regular quarterly cash dividends, the Bank has previously declared special cash and stock dividends. Since January 2015, the Bank has paid $3.3 million in cash dividends to shareholders. The Bank recently released its second-quarter 2018 financial results, reporting net income of $1.2 million for the quarter, representing an increase of 58% over the same quarter in 2017. ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE BANK: Lighthouse Bank is a highly rated locally owned and operated full-service commercial bank with offices in Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley. The Bank has earned a number of top industry rankings based on a variety of categories including asset quality, capital adequacy, return on average assets, return on average equity and operational efficiency. Milestones Reached, Recognition & Awards Received: Lighthouse Bank marked its 10 th Anniversary and celebrated the grand opening of its Silicon Valley Office in October 2017 . and celebrated the in . Three consecutive-years ranked among "Nation's Top Ten Healthiest Banks" , by depositaccounts.com. , by depositaccounts.com. S&P Global Market Intelligence ranking as "Nation's 11 th Best-Performing Community Bank" for 2017, of 4,383 banks of asset size under $1 billion . for 2017, of 4,383 banks of asset size under . Financial Management Consulting's "Sixth Highest Performing Bank" out of 159 California banks, based on overall performance. out of 159 California banks, based on overall performance. 24-consecutive quarters possessing "Five-Star Superior , " the top rating by Bauer Financial. , the top rating by Bauer Financial. Seven consecutive-year achievement of "Super Premier Performing Bank," the highest designation given by Findley Reports, Inc. Lighthouse Bank's "Modern Banking, Traditional Service" mantra extends into every aspect of their customer experience. The Bank's dedication to providing personalized relationship-based service and easy access to decision makers give its customers a refreshing alternative to "big banking." The Bank further supports this commitment by offering unique services such as worldwide surcharge free ATM/Debit Cards, remote deposit capture, and complimentary business courier service throughout Santa Cruz County. Lighthouse is also focused on supporting the community and actively participates and donates to over 120 local non-profits, which includes matching employees' personal donation to non-profits of their choice. The focus on community and creating a customer experience that blends modern banking standards and traditional service has been the foundation of a number of local businesses choosing Lighthouse Bank. Lighthouse offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and individuals; including loans, lines of credit, construction and commercial real estate financing, SBA government guaranteed loans, credit cards, merchant services, mobile banking, remote deposit capture, and online banking bill payment and cash management. Lighthouse Bank stock is actively traded under the symbol LGHT. More information on the Bank's stock and historical financial performance may be located on the Bank's website at www.lighthousebank.com or by calling 831-600-4000. Member FDIC / Equal Housing Lender / SBA Preferred Lender The attached release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties may include but are not necessarily limited to fluctuation in interest rates, inflation, government regulations and general economic conditions, and competition within the business areas in which the Bank is conducting its operations, including the real estate market in California and other factors beyond the Bank's control. Such risks and uncertainties could cause results for subsequent interim periods or for the entire year to differ materially from those indicated. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. The Bank undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. SOURCE Lighthouse Bank Related Links http://www.lighthousebank.net COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE: MTD) today announced second quarter results for 2018. Provided below are the highlights: Reported sales increased 10% as compared with the prior year. In local currency, sales increased 7% in the quarter as currency benefited reported sales growth by 3%. Net earnings per diluted share as reported (EPS) were $4.31 , compared with $3.84 in the prior-year period. Adjusted EPS was $4.65 , an increase of 19% over the prior-year amount of $3.92 . Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP measure, and we have included a reconciliation to EPS on the last page of the attached schedules. Second Quarter Results Olivier Filliol, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We had very good sales growth in the quarter against an excellent prior year. Our sales performance was broad-based with China being especially robust. We also achieved another quarter of strong EPS growth." GAAP Results EPS in the quarter was $4.31, compared with the prior-year amount of $3.84. As compared with the prior year, total reported sales increased 10% to $722.0 million. By region, reported sales increased 4% in the Americas, 14% in Europe and 15% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before tax amounted to $143.6 million as compared to $126.8 million in the prior year. Non-GAAP Results Adjusted EPS was $4.65, an increase of 19% over the prior-year amount of $3.92. As compared to the prior year, total sales in local currency increased 7% as currency benefited reported sales growth by 3%. By region, local currency sales increased 4% in the Americas, 7% in Europe and 9% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted operating income amounted to $169.3 million, a 15% increase from the prior-year amount of $147.4 million. Adjusted EPS and Adjusted operating income are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules. Six Month Results GAAP Results EPS in the first six months was $7.88, compared with the prior-year amount of $7.32. As compared with the prior-year period, total reported sales increased 11% to $1.383 billion. By region, reported sales increased 5% in the Americas, 13% in Europe and 16% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before tax amounted to $261.0 million as compared to $240.7 million in the prior year. Non-GAAP Results Adjusted EPS was $8.38, an increase of 16% over the prior-year amount of $7.25. As compared to the prior-year period, total sales in local currency increased 6% as currency benefited reported sales growth by 5%. By region, local currency sales increased 5% in the Americas, 3% in Europe and 10% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted operating income amounted to $308.8 million, a 13% increase from the prior-year amount of $273.9 million. Adjusted EPS and Adjusted operating income are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules. Outlook The Company said that, based on its assessment of market conditions today, management anticipates local currency sales growth in 2018 will be approximately 6%. This sales growth is expected to result in Adjusted EPS in the range of $20.10 to $20.25, which reflects growth of 14% to 15%. This guidance remains the same as previous guidance. Management anticipates that local currency sales growth in the third quarter 2018 will be approximately 6%, and Adjusted EPS is forecasted to be in the range of $4.97 to $5.02, an increase of 14% to 15%. While the Company has provided an outlook for local currency sales growth and Adjusted EPS, it has not provided an outlook for reported sales growth or EPS as it would require an estimate of currency exchange fluctuations and non-recurring items, which are not yet known. The Company noted in making its outlook that economic uncertainty remains in certain regions of the world and market conditions are subject to change. Conclusion Filliol concluded, "Demand remains solid in our markets and we continue to achieve favorable results from our growth initiatives. Our sales growth achievement in the first half of the year was especially impressive given the excellent growth in the prior-year period. Earnings growth was very good in the first half and, assuming market conditions do not deteriorate, we remain confident in our outlook for the remainder of the year. We believe we are well-positioned to continue to gain share and drive further earnings growth through new product launches, sales and marketing programs, sales investments, and margin and productivity initiatives." Other Matters The Company will host a conference call to discuss its quarterly results today (Thursday, July 26) at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. To hear a live webcast or replay of the call, visit the investor relations page on the Company's website at www.mt.com/investors. The presentation referenced in the conference call will be located on the website prior to the call. METTLER TOLEDO (NYSE: MTD) is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. We have strong leadership positions in all of our businesses and believe we hold global number-one market positions in most of them. We are recognized as an innovation leader and our solutions are critical in key R&D, quality control, and manufacturing processes for customers in a wide range of industries including life sciences, food, and chemicals. Our sales and service network is one of the most extensive in the industry. Our products are sold in more than 140 countries and we have a direct presence in approximately 40 countries. With proven growth strategies and a focus on execution, we have achieved a long-term track record of strong financial performance. For more information, please visit www.mt.com. Statements in this press release which are not historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our businesses' actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see the discussion on forward-looking statements in our current report on Form 10-K. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed under the captions "Factors affecting our future operating results" and in the "Business" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recently completed fiscal year, which describe risks and factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in those forward-looking statements. METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands except share data) (unaudited) Three months ended Three months ended June 30, 2018 % of sales June 30, 2017 % of sales Net sales $721,996 (a) 100.0 $653,656 100.0 Cost of sales 309,371 42.8 278,044 (b) 42.5 Gross profit 412,625 57.2 375,612 57.5 Research and development 35,315 4.9 32,582 (b) 5.0 Selling, general and administrative 208,024 28.8 195,624 (b) 29.9 Amortization 11,970 1.7 10,249 1.6 Interest expense 8,309 1.2 8,171 1.3 Restructuring charges 7,321 1.0 4,023 0.6 Other charges (income), net (1,916) (0.3) (1,884) (b) (0.3) Earnings before taxes 143,602 19.9 126,847 19.4 Provision for taxes 32,134 4.5 25,267 3.9 Net earnings $111,468 15.4 $101,580 15.5 Basic earnings per common share: Net earnings $4.41 $3.94 Weighted average number of common shares 25,299,414 25,751,374 Diluted earnings per common share: Net earnings $4.31 $3.84 Weighted average number of common 25,867,383 26,439,529 and common equivalent shares Note: (a) Local currency sales increased 7% as compared to the same period in 2017. (b) In accordance with the new accounting rules that went into effect on January 1, 2018, the Company reclassified a net pension benefit of $1.1 million into other charges (income) from other income statement categories for the three months ended June 30, 2017 to be consistent with the 2018 presentation. RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS BEFORE TAXES TO ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME Three months ended Three months ended June 30, 2018 % of sales June 30, 2017 % of sales Earnings before taxes $143,602 $126,847 Amortization 11,970 10,249 Interest expense 8,309 8,171 Restructuring charges 7,321 4,023 Other charges (income), net (1,916) (1,884) (b) Adjusted operating income $169,286 (c) 23.4 $147,406 22.6 Note: (c) Adjusted operating income increased 15% as compared to the same period in 2017. METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands except share data) (unaudited) Six months ended Six months ended June 30, 2018 % of sales June 30, 2017 % of sales Net sales $1,382,817 (a) 100.0 $1,248,223 100.0 Cost of sales 595,259 43.0 529,222 (b) 42.4 Gross profit 787,558 57.0 719,001 57.6 Research and development 70,028 5.1 63,782 (b) 5.1 Selling, general and administrative 408,698 29.6 381,280 (b) 30.5 Amortization 23,705 1.7 20,294 1.6 Interest expense 16,668 1.2 15,912 1.3 Restructuring charges 11,734 0.8 5,455 0.4 Other charges (income), net (4,316) (0.3) (8,417) (b)(c) (0.6) Earnings before taxes 261,041 18.9 240,695 19.3 Provision for taxes 56,269 4.1 46,649 3.8 Net earnings $204,772 14.8 $194,046 15.5 Basic earnings per common share: Net earnings $8.07 $7.51 Weighted average number of common shares 25,383,402 25,841,243 Diluted earnings per common share: Net earnings $7.88 $7.32 Weighted average number of common 25,979,508 26,514,311 and common equivalent shares Note: (a) Local currency sales increased 6% as compared to the same period in 2017. (b) In accordance with the new accounting rules that went into effect on January 1, 2018, the Company reclassified a net pension benefit of $1.9 million into other charges (income) from other income statement categories for the six months ended June 30, 2017 to be consistent with the 2018 presentation. (c) Other charges (income), net includes a one-time gain of $3.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 relating to the sale of a facility in Switzerland in connection with our initiative to consolidate certain Swiss operations into a new facility. RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS BEFORE TAXES TO ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME Six months ended Six months ended June 30, 2018 % of sales June 30, 2017 % of sales Earnings before taxes $261,041 $240,695 Amortization 23,705 20,294 Interest expense 16,668 15,912 Restructuring charges 11,734 5,455 Other charges (income), net (4,316) (8,417) (b)(c) Adjusted operating income $308,832 (d) 22.3 $273,939 21.9 Note: (d) Adjusted operating income increased 13% as compared to the same period in 2017. METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (amounts in thousands) (unaudited) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Cash and cash equivalents $183,190 $148,687 Accounts receivable, net 486,203 528,615 Inventories 270,047 255,390 Other current assets and prepaid expenses 63,867 74,031 Total current assets 1,003,307 1,006,723 Property, plant and equipment, net 678,706 668,271 Goodwill and other intangibles assets, net 756,265 766,556 Other non-current assets 119,938 108,255 Total assets $2,558,216 $2,549,805 Short-term borrowings and maturities of long-term debt $52,052 $19,677 Trade accounts payable 170,865 167,627 Accrued and other current liabilities 465,900 502,369 Total current liabilities 688,817 689,673 Long-term debt 1,020,420 960,170 Other non-current liabilities 316,545 352,682 Total liabilities 2,025,782 2,002,525 Shareholders' equity 532,434 547,280 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $2,558,216 $2,549,805 METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (amounts in thousands) (unaudited) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Cash flow from operating activities: Net earnings $111,468 $101,580 $204,772 $194,046 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation 9,449 7,953 18,606 15,919 Amortization 11,970 10,249 23,705 20,294 Deferred tax benefit (3,693) (2,264) (10,109) (3,840) Other 3,951 4,211 7,036 4,629 Increase (decrease) in cash resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities 7,050 16,049 (27,251) (25,671) Net cash provided by operating activities 140,195 $137,778 $216,759 $205,377 Cash flows from investing activities: Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 23 206 4,530 10,209 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (31,812) (27,514) (61,586) (48,529) Acquisitions - (697) (500) (697) Net hedging settlements on intercompany loans 3,738 (1,345) 7,042 (1,033) Net cash used in investing activities (28,051) (29,350) (50,514) (40,050) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from borrowings 266,668 200,189 603,180 672,921 Repayments of borrowings (171,410) (205,281) (502,524) (615,162) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 4,291 8,734 9,960 16,935 Repurchases of common stock (118,749) (124,952) (237,499) (249,949) Other financing activities (1,635) (7,205) (1,635) (7,205) Net cash used in financing activities (20,835) (128,515) (128,518) (182,460) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (7,067) 1,528 (3,224) 4,793 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 84,242 (18,559) 34,503 (12,340) Cash and cash equivalents: Beginning of period 98,948 164,893 $148,687 158,674 End of period $183,190 $146,334 $183,190 $146,334 RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW Net cash provided by operating activities $140,195 $137,778 $216,759 $205,377 Payments in respect of restructuring activities 8,167 2,748 13,409 5,326 Transition tax payment 4,200 - 4,200 - Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 23 206 4,530 10,209 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (31,812) (27,514) (61,586) (48,529) Adjusted free cash flow $120,773 $113,218 $177,312 $172,383 METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. OTHER OPERATING STATISTICS SALES GROWTH BY DESTINATION (unaudited) Europe Americas Asia/RoW Total U.S. Dollar Sales Growth Three Months Ended June 30, 2018 14% 4% 15% 10% Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 13% 5% 16% 11% Local Currency Sales Growth Three Months Ended June 30, 2018 7% 4% 9% 7% Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 3% 5% 10% 6% RECONCILIATION OF DILUTED EPS AS REPORTED TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EPS (unaudited) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2018 2017 % Growth 2018 2017 % Growth EPS as reported, diluted $4.31 $3.84 12% $7.88 $7.32 8% Restructuring charges, net of tax 0.22 (a) 0.12 (a) 0.35 (a) 0.16 (a) Purchased intangible amortization, net of tax 0.10 (b) 0.06 (b) 0.19 (b) 0.11 (b) Income tax expense 0.02 (c) (0.10) (c) (0.04) (c) (0.24) (c) Gain on facility sale - - - (0.10) (d) Adjusted EPS, diluted $4.65 $3.92 19% $8.38 $7.25 16% Notes: (a) Represents the EPS impact of restructuring charges of $7.3 million ($5.7 million after tax) and $4.0 million ($3.1 million after tax) for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, and $11.7 million ($9.2 million after tax) and $5.5 million ($4.3 million after tax) for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Restructuring charges in 2018 primarily relates to employee and other costs associated with the consolidation of facilities. (b) Represents the EPS impact of purchased intangibles amortization, net of tax, of $2.5 million and $1.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, and $5.0 million and $3.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. (c) Represents the EPS impact of the difference between our reported tax rate during the three and six months ending June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and our annual income tax rate of 22%, due to excess tax benefits associated with stock option exercises. (d) Represents the EPS impact of a one-time gain of $3.4 million ($2.7 million after tax) for the six months ended June 30, 2017 relating to the sale of a facility in Switzerland in connection with our initiative to consolidate certain Swiss operations into a new facility. SOURCE Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Related Links http://www.mt.com LONDON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Forecasts by Type (Domestic Airport, International Airport), by Region (Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Iran), Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia), Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya), North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria), Western Africa (Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Benin), Central Africa (Sudan, Niger, Chad) Plus Analysis of Leading Companies (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg ) Do you need definitive MEA airport construction market data? Succinct airport construction market analysis? Major insight into airports and related expansions in the region? Clear competitor analysis? Actionable business recommendations? Read on to discover how this definitive airport construction report can transform your own research and save you time. The recent airport construction and expansion in aviation activity in the MEA region have led Visiongain to publish this timely report. The US$ 200bn, MEA airport construction market is expected to flourish in the next few years because of increased focus on trade and tourism activities in the region and also because emerging business opportunities from various sectors in the region are expected to feed through in the latter part of the decade driving growth to new heights. If you want to be part of the growing airport construction industry in the Middle East & Africa , then read on to discover how you can maximise your investment potential. Report highlights 118 tables, charts, and graphs Analysis Of Leading Companies In Airport Construction Al Shafar General Contracting Co. LLC (ASGC) ALEC Engineering and Contracting LLC Arabtec Construction LLC Bechtel Corporation China State Construction Engineering Corporation EGIS HLG Contracting Lagan Construction Group TAV Group MEA Airport Construction Market Outlook And Analysis From 2018-2028 Major Airports Construction/ Expansion Contract And Projects Detailed tables of significant country-wise contracts, projects & programs MEA Airport Construction By Type Forecast From 2018-2028 Domestic Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 International Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 MEA Airport Construction Market Forecasts By Country From 2018-2028 Middle East Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 UAE Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Saudi Arabia Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Qatar Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Egypt Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Iran Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Southern Africa Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 South Africa Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Botswana Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Namibia Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Eastern Africa Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Ethiopia Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Tanzania Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Kenya Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 North Africa Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Morocco Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Tunisia Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Algeria Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Western Africa Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Nigeria Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Senegal Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Ghana Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Benin Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Central Africa Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Sudan Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Niger Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Chad Airport Construction Forecast 2018-2028 Key questions answered What does the future hold for the airport construction industry in the MEA region? Where should you target your business strategy? Which regions should you focus upon? Which are the emerging cities should interest you for future projects? What business models should you adopt? What industry trends should you be aware of? Target audience Leading airport construction companies Building contractors EPC specialists Architects Airport construction contractors Infrastructure companies Global airport building specialists Technology suppliers Regional construction authorities Regional aviation authorities Construction material Suppliers Technology providers Business development managers Market analysts Consultants CEO's Banks Investors Government agencies Regional government authorities Industry organisations To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website : https://www.visiongain.com/report/middle-east-africa-mea-airport-construction-market-report-2018-2028/ Actco General Contracting Company L.L.C ADP Ingenierie Aecom Akfen Holding Al Habtoor Group LLC Al Shafar General Contracting Co. LLC (ASGC) Alec Engineering and Contracting LLC Arabtec Construction LLC Arabtec Holding PJSC Austin Industries Balfour Beatty US BAM International Barton Malow Co. Bechtel Corporation Beck Group Benham Design BlueScope Construction Brasfield & Gorrie Burns & McDonnell Caisse des Depots China Communications Constructions Company (CCCC) China Eximbank China State Construction Engineering Corporation CIMIC Group Clark Group Clune Construction Co. CSCEC Cumming DPR Construction Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) EGIS Egyptian Consultancy Company Gate Technologies Ltd. Hagerman Group Haselden Construction Hensel Phelps Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors HLG Contracting LLC Hochtief, Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast Hoffman Construction Hunter Roberts Construction Group Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd Imam Khomeini Airport Company Iosis Partenaires Jacobs James McHugh Construction Co. Jiangsu International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group JLL KBE Building Corp. Khansaheb Civil Engineering L.L.C. Kraus-Anderson Lagan Construction Group Lagan Construction International Lagan Specialist Contracting Group Lagan US Lendlease Limak Holding Manhattan Construction Group McCarthy Holdings Mota Engil Engenharia e Construcao Africa Nahdat Al Emaar Namibia Construction Nasser Bin Khaled Al Thani & Sons Holding Company. New Era Investment Odebrecht Parsons International Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) SATCO Skanska USA STV Summa Takenaka Corporation TAV Construction TAV Group TEPE Group Turner Construction Co. UFL Group Vinci SA Wade Adams Contracting Walsh Group Webcor Builders White Lake Consortium Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. Yates Companies Zebra Technologies To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on [email protected] SOURCE Visiongain SYDNEY, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Monash plant scientists have discovered a new molecular mechanism of gene regulation, which could have major implications for the development of treatment strategies for Friedreich's ataxia -- a debilitating genetic disorder that causes damage to the nervous system. The study - the first plant-based original research paper with an exclusive Australian affiliation to the prestigious journal Cell, was published today. "Our findings have opened up unprecedented opportunities with immense potential for human genetic diseases," said study lead Associate Professor Sureshkumar Balasubramanian, from the Monash School of Biological Sciences. "This research has major implications for our understanding of how the genetic mutation that underlies Friedreich ataxia, leads to damage of the nervous system and thus symptoms of this condition," said Professor Martin Delatycki, a clinician and researcher from Murdoch Children's Research Institute who has studied Friedreich ataxia for more than 20 years. "This may lead to treatments that are desperately needed for this devastating disorder," he said. Friedreich's ataxia is the most commonly inherited genetic ataxia affecting young adults for which there is currently no cure. The disease occurs due to a type of DNA mutation referred to as 'triplet repeat expansion'. In individuals affected by Friedreich's ataxia, the mutation is present in a region (known as intron) of the affected gene, which is removed during the production of mRNA. However, the presence of the expansion typically leads to a reduction in the levels of the mRNA, which in turn results in reduced protein leading to disease. "While there have been efforts to increase the mRNA levels as a potential therapeutic strategy, it has been difficult, since it was not clear how the triplet repeat expansion results in the reduced in mRNA levels," Associate Professor Sureshkumar Balasubramanian said. The researchers made their discovery using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. "When we found the first and only triplet expansion associated genetic defect outside humans, we asked the fundamental question 'how do triplet expansions lead to reduced mRNA levels?'," Associate Professor Sureshkumar Balasubramanian said. "We show in this paper that triplet repeat expansions lead to accumulation of small RNAs and these small RNAs, target the gene harbouring the repeat expansion via epigenetic gene silencing," he said. "We have pointed at least 11 different genes in this process and it is remarkable that if we perturb these genes we can abolish the negative impacts of this mutation - at least in plants," said Dr Sridevi Sureshkumar, a research fellow who shared the first authorship with Dr Hannes Eimer, a recent PhD graduate from the Balasubramanian group. World-renowned plant biologist Professor Detlef Weigel Foreign Member of Royal Society from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, described the work as an impressive example of the potential of basic plant research. "Small RNAs were first discovered in plants, but later found to play important roles in all organisms including humans," Professor Weigel said. "Now the Monash group has linked them to a phenomenon with great relevance to human genetic disease. "This was possible because experiments can be conducted in plants that are simply not possible in humans." Other researchers who were part of the Monash-led study include Avilash Singh Yadav, Calvin Kraupner-Taylor, Andrei Seleznev, Tamblyn Thomason, Stephanie Frances Gordon from Balasubramanian group, and collaborator Professor Bernie Carroll and his student Stephen Fletcher from the University of Queensland. The full paper titled RNA-dependent epigenetic silencing directs transcriptional down regulation caused by intronic repeat expansions can be found here ( https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.06.044 ). Further information: Silvia Dropulich Marketing, Media and Communications Manager, Science T: +61 3 9902 4513 M: +61 (0) 0435138743 E: [email protected] Media interviews: Associate Professor Sureshkumar Balasubramanian T:+61 434734536 E: [email protected] SOURCE Monash University WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has awarded a contract to the University of Colorado Boulder for the management and operations of the agency's Earth Observing System Data and Information System Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). The total value of this cost-no-fee contract is approximately $50 million. Work under the contract begins Aug. 1 with a one-year base period, followed by three one-year options and a 10-month option. This contract will provide user services, product generation, data and information management, archive and distribution, and related science support activities, all to be provided through the University of Colorado National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The work will be performed primarily at NSIDC. NASA uses the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA's observations of Earth's complex natural environment are critical to understanding how our planet's natural resources and climate are changing now and could change in the future. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA interns, visitors at New Mexico's City of Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science, and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility will speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA's Year of Education on Station next week. Each call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA's Johnson Space Center will host a question and answer session between agency interns and NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold at 12:05 p.m. EDT Monday, July 30. Johnson is located at 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston. Media interested in covering the event should contact Frank Prochaska at [email protected] or 281-483-5111. The City of Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science in New Mexico will host children and adults for a community discussion with Arnold at 10:55 a.m. Tuesday, July 31. The museum is at 411 North Main St., Las Cruces. Media who wish to cover the downlink should contact Udell Vigil at [email protected] or 575-642-5339 or Katie Jenkins at [email protected] or 575-528-4577. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will host a conversation with NASA astronaut Drew Feustel at 10:25 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. About 140 members of Virginia Space Coast Scholars, high school and undergraduate NASA interns, students from the Virginia Space Flight Academy and the Delmarva Discovery Center will participate from Wallops' visitor center, Building J20 Route 175, Chincoteague Rd., Wallops Island. Media covering the event should contact Keith Koehler at [email protected] or 757-824-1579. Linking teachers directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Network's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). Follow the astronauts on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/ See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/ SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- From flooding in New Orleans to coffee cultivation in Guatemala and wildfires in Alaska, NASA Earth observations from space are being put to work helping address a wide range of real-world issues. NASA invites media to meet the developers behind some of these innovative projects and learn how the agency turns global Earth observations into societal benefits on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington. The annual Earth Science Applications Showcase begins at 10 a.m. EDT in the James Webb Auditorium with a one-hour overview of NASA's Applied Sciences Program, followed by "flash talks" and an interactive poster session on select projects. The event concludes at 12:30 p.m. Speakers from NASA's Earth Science Division include: Lawrence Friedl , director, Applied Sciences Program , director, Applied Sciences Program Woody Turner , ecological forecasting program manager , ecological forecasting program manager David Green , disasters program manager , disasters program manager John Haynes , health and air quality program manager , health and air quality program manager Brad Doorn , water resources and agriculture program manager Flash talks and posters will spotlight several recent projects in the Applied Sciences DEVELOP and SERVIR programs. DEVELOP brings together interdisciplinary teams to address environmental and public policy issues. SERVIR is a joint venture between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Flash talks will highlight several water resources and disaster projects: Coastal flood risk in Southern California Wildfire-driven ecosystem change in the Kenai Peninsula Lightning risk in Nepal and Bangladesh and Bison grazing in Grand Canyon National Park Soil moisture and ecosystem health in Idaho Water pollution impact on mangroves in Costa Rica To register for the event, media must email their affiliation by 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, to Steve Cole at [email protected]. NASA uses the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet and improve lives. NASA makes its Earth observations freely available to those seeking solutions to important global issues such as changing freshwater availability, food security and human health. For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/earth SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of a scheduled verdict in the long-pending case of the photojournalist Shawkan, the National Press Club and its nonprofit Journalism Institute sent an open letter to Egypt's top diplomat in the United States about the Club's 2016 Press Freedom award winner: Ambassador Yasser Reda Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt 3521 International Court NW Washington, DC 20008 July 27, 2018 Dear Mr. Ambassador, On Saturday, a court in your country is scheduled to deliver a long-delayed verdict in the case of Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the photojournalist known as Shawkan. Prosecutors are seeking a death sentence. Shawkan's life is not all that is at risk; so is the reputation of your country in the international community. The 2016 winner of the National Press Club's John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award and the Committee to Protect Journalists' International Press Freedom Award, Shawkan has spent five years in prison, in deteriorating health. Arrested while photographing demonstrations in your country on assignment for a British agency, he is one of at least 20 journalists currently behind bars in your country. We urge that they be released immediately and unconditionally. Egypt has a special relationship with the United States: Your country annually receives more than $1 billion from the taxpayers of this country. We know from public records that your country in recent years has spent millions to cultivate that relationship by lobbying members of Congress. We can think of no move more certain to damage that relationship than the brutal suppression of free speech, a fundamental human right that is enshrined in the First Amendment of this country's Constitution. History has proven, time and time again, that killing the messenger will not kill a story and that the true test of a government's strength is in its ability to handle dissent and debate. We are attaching an earlier statement, signed by more than two dozen professional press organizations and human rights groups, urging Egypt to free Shawkan and the other journalists it now holds in prison. We would welcome an opportunity to discuss this with you at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. Andrea Edney Kathy Kiely President Press Freedom Fellow National Press Club NPC Journalism Institute Contact: Lindsay Underwood, [email protected] SOURCE National Press Club "The eventual closing of the Duane Arnold Energy Center is a difficult decision because of the approximately 500 highly skilled men and women who consistently have made it one of the top-performing nuclear facilities in the country," said Armando Pimentel, president and CEO of NextEra Energy Resources. "You have our assurance that we will continue to practice our corporate values of doing the right thing by our colleagues and treating them with the respect they have earned and deserve. We are committed to minimizing any impact today's announcement may have on them, their families and the community they call home. Importantly, as we proceed into the next decade, several hundred jobs will remain at the plant for a number of years as a result of what will be a lengthy decommissioning process, along with the creation of new jobs through our continued investment in Iowa." Alliant Energy has agreed to make a $110 million buyout payment to NextEra Energy Resources in September 2020 to cover the cost to shorten the term of the DAEC PPA from 2025 to 2020. Alliant Energy intends to apply to the Iowa Utilities Board today (July 27) for approval regarding recovery of the buyout payment. Alliant Energy's Iowa customers are expected to save nearly $300 million, on a net present value basis, starting on or before Jan. 1, 2021, contingent on the Iowa Utilities Board's approval of Alliant Energy's request. The savings estimate includes the cost of the amendment payment and the costs for replacing energy and capacity. Under the agreements, NextEra Energy Resources will supply wind energy from four repowered Iowa wind facilities, representing approximately 340 megawatts of clean, emissions-free electricity for Alliant Energy's Iowa customers. Continuing its commitment to the state of Iowa, NextEra Energy Resources plans to invest approximately $650 million in existing and new renewables generation across the state by the end of 2020, including the planned approximately $250 million to repower the four wind facilities as part of these transactions. Repowering these facilities is expected to create 200 new construction jobs during the process, as well as extend payments to landowners and tax revenues for local communities for decades. NextEra Energy Resources also is evaluating redevelopment opportunities at the DAEC site, including the construction of new solar energy, battery storage or natural gas facilities. NextEra Energy Resources expects a gradual reduction in staffing at the DAEC over the next seven years as the decommissioning process takes place. To support DAEC employees during the transition, NextEra Energy Resources has developed a comprehensive employee plan that includes an enhanced retirement program for eligible employees, placement in other jobs throughout the company, and job retraining, outplacement services and severance packages, where applicable. NextEra Energy Resources also is partnering with Alliant Energy and other companies in the energy industry to identify opportunities for DAEC employees. At the appropriate time, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be notified of the intent to permanently cease operations and decommission the DAEC. About Alliant Energy Alliant Energy Corporation's Iowa utility subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), utilizes the trade name of Alliant Energy. The Iowa utility is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and provides electric service to 490,000 retail customers and natural gas service to 220,000 retail customers. The employees of Alliant Energy focus on delivering the energy solutions and exceptional service their customers and communities expect safely, efficiently and responsibly. Alliant Energy Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: LNT) and is a component of the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com. NextEra Energy Resources NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, "NextEra Energy Resources"), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with more than 19,000 megawatts of net generating capacity, primarily in 32 states and Canada as of year-end 2017. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest operator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com. NextEra Energy Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but instead represent the current expectations of NextEra Energy, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy) regarding future operating results and other future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of NextEra Energy's control. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "will," "may result," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "seek," "potential," "projection," "forecast," "predict," "goals," "target," "outlook," "should," "would" or similar words or expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. The future results of NextEra Energy and its business and financial condition are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, or may require it to limit or eliminate certain operations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: effects of extensive regulation of NextEra Energy's business operations; inability of NextEra Energy to recover in a timely manner any significant amount of costs, a return on certain assets or a reasonable return on invested capital through base rates, cost recovery clauses, other regulatory mechanisms or otherwise; impact of political, regulatory and economic factors on regulatory decisions important to NextEra Energy; disallowance of cost recovery based on a finding of imprudent use of derivative instruments; effect of any reductions or modifications to, or elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support utility scale renewable energy projects or the imposition of additional tax laws, policies or assessments on renewable energy; impact of new or revised laws, regulations, interpretations or other regulatory initiatives on NextEra Energy; capital expenditures, increased operating costs and various liabilities attributable to environmental laws, regulations and other standards applicable to NextEra Energy; effects on NextEra Energy of federal or state laws or regulations mandating new or additional limits on the production of greenhouse gas emissions; exposure of NextEra Energy to significant and increasing compliance costs and substantial monetary penalties and other sanctions as a result of extensive federal regulation of its operations and businesses; effect on NextEra Energy of changes in tax laws, guidance or policies as well as in judgments and estimates used to determine tax-related asset and liability amounts; impact on NextEra Energy of adverse results of litigation; effect on NextEra Energy of failure to proceed with projects under development or inability to complete the construction of (or capital improvements to) electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities, gas infrastructure facilities or other facilities on schedule or within budget; impact on development and operating activities of NextEra Energy resulting from risks related to project siting, financing, construction, permitting, governmental approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements; risks involved in the operation and maintenance of electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities, gas infrastructure facilities and other facilities; effect on NextEra Energy of a lack of growth or slower growth in the number of customers or in customer usage; impact on NextEra Energy of severe weather and other weather conditions; threats of terrorism and catastrophic events that could result from terrorism, cyber attacks or other attempts to disrupt NextEra Energy's business or the businesses of third parties; inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage for protection of NextEra Energy against significant losses and risk that insurance coverage does not provide protection against all significant losses; a prolonged period of low gas and oil prices could impact NextEra Energy's gas infrastructure business and cause NextEra Energy to delay or cancel certain gas infrastructure projects and for certain existing projects to be impaired; risk of increased operating costs resulting from unfavorable supply costs necessary to provide full energy and capacity requirement services; inability or failure to manage properly or hedge effectively the commodity risk within its portfolio; effect of reductions in the liquidity of energy markets on NextEra Energy's ability to manage operational risks; effectiveness of NextEra Energy's risk management tools associated with its hedging and trading procedures to protect against significant losses, including the effect of unforeseen price variances from historical behavior; impact of unavailability or disruption of power transmission or commodity transportation facilities on sale and delivery of power or natural gas; exposure of NextEra Energy to credit and performance risk from customers, hedging counterparties and vendors; failure of counterparties to perform under derivative contracts or of requirement for NextEra Energy to post margin cash collateral under derivative contracts; failure or breach of NextEra Energy's information technology systems; risks to NextEra Energy's retail businesses from compromise of sensitive customer data; losses from volatility in the market values of derivative instruments and limited liquidity in OTC markets; impact of negative publicity; inability to maintain, negotiate or renegotiate acceptable franchise agreements; occurrence of work strikes or stoppages and increasing personnel costs; NextEra Energy's ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions, including the effect of increased competition for acquisitions; environmental, health and financial risks associated with ownership and operation of nuclear generation facilities; liability of NextEra Energy for significant retrospective assessments and/or retrospective insurance premiums in the event of an incident at certain nuclear generation facilities; increased operating and capital expenditures and/or result in reduced revenues at nuclear generation facilities resulting from orders or new regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; inability to operate any owned nuclear generation units through the end of their respective operating licenses; effect of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets on NextEra Energy's ability to fund its liquidity and capital needs and meet its growth objectives; inability to maintain current credit ratings; impairment of liquidity from inability of credit providers to fund their credit commitments or to maintain their current credit ratings; poor market performance and other economic factors that could affect NextEra Energy's defined benefit pension plan's funded status; poor market performance and other risks to the asset values of nuclear decommissioning funds; changes in market value and other risks to certain of NextEra Energy's investments; effect of inability of NextEra Energy subsidiaries to pay upstream dividends or repay funds to NextEra Energy or of NextEra Energy's performance under guarantees of subsidiary obligations on NextEra Energy's ability to meet its financial obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock; the fact that the amount and timing of dividends payable on NextEra Energy's common stock, as well as the dividend policy approved by NextEra Energy's board of directors from time to time, and changes to that policy, are within the sole discretion of NextEra Energy's board of directors and, if declared and paid, dividends may be in amounts that are less than might be expected by shareholders; NEP's inability to access sources of capital on commercially reasonable terms could have an effect on its ability to consummate future acquisitions and on the value of NextEra Energy's limited partner interest in NextEra Energy Operating Partners, LP; and effects of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets on the market price of NextEra Energy's common stock. NextEra Energy discusses these and other risks and uncertainties in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and other SEC filings, and this news release should be read in conjunction with such SEC filings made through the date of this news release. The forward-looking statements made in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release and NextEra Energy undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Alliant Energy Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results This press release includes forward-looking statements which represent the current expectations of Alliant Energy Corporation (together with its subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light Company) regarding future operating results and other future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Alliant Energy's control. These forward-looking statements can be identified because they describe regulatory approvals and future agreed-to actions. These forward-looking statements can be identified because they include words such as "intends," "expected," "estimate," "will," or words of similar nature. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Actual results could be affected by such factors as: state regulatory actions which delay, prevent or alter the proposed plans, including rate recovery levels and returns on equity; the inability to obtain all necessary approvals; increased costs; current or future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries that could impede the implementation of Alliant Energy's plans; political conditions in Alliant Energy's service territories; changes to Alliant Energy's access to capital markets; and economic conditions in Alliant Energy's service territory. These factors should be considered when evaluating the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof and Alliant Energy and Interstate Power and Light Company undertake no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. SOURCE NextEra Energy Resources; Alliant Energy PRESCOTT, Ariz., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Fitness Prescott is reopening its doors after upgrading the facility and outfitting the club with new equipment. The club will celebrate the recent renovation on July 31st with a $2,500 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Central Arizona. The donation is part of the Company's national philanthropic initiative, The Judgement Free Generation, which aims to spread kindness and end bullying faced by youth today. Representatives from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Arizona attended the grand opening event, along with staff from the Prescott Chamber of Commerce and city government officials. Members have access to state-of-the-art cardio equipment including treadmills, ellipticals steppers and rowers. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Planet Fitness Prescott is located in Frontier Village Center at 1841 East State Highway 69, Suite 112 Prescott, AZ 86301. "Our focus on creating a workout environment where everyone feels accepted and respected - just got even better," said Brandon Thomas, Regional Director of United PF Partners, a leading Planet Fitness Franchisee Group that currently operates 89 locations across ten states, "We take pride in offering the Prescott community a clean, comfortable environment with high-quality, brand-name cardio and strength equipment, where a lasting, active lifestyle can be built." The newly updated location, which spans over 20,000 square feet, also offers 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, numerous flat screen televisions, massage chairs*, a Total Body Enhancement booth*, and more. From now until August 7, new members who join can take advantage of a special discount offer only $1 down and $10 per month for the classic membership, which includes unlimited access to members' home club, free fitness training and free WiFi. Other memberships include, The PF Black Card membership, which is $21.99 a month and includes additional amenities such as the ability to bring a guest every day at no additional charge, access to all 1,500+ Planet Fitness locations, as well as access to massage beds and chairs and tanning, among other benefits*. For more information or to join online, please visit www.PlanetFitness.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PlanetFitness) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/PlanetFitness). *PF Black Card amenities may vary by location but are included in Prescott. About United PF Partners United PF Partners is the largest Planet Fitness franchise group with 89 locations across Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. About Planet Fitness Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2018, Planet Fitness had approximately 11.8 million members and 1,565 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Panama. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women. SOURCE Planet Fitness Related Links http://www.PlanetFitness.com SAN FRANCISCO, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The global polyphenylene oxide (PPO) market size is projected to reach USD 2.27 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period. Rising demand from end-user industries such as automotive and electronics & electrical. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg ) Globally, surging demand for electronic products such as outlet boxes, smoke detectors, and lighting is poised to boost the growth of the PPO market. Improving living standards coupled with increasing per capita disposable income is estimated to positively impact the market over the forecast years. Burgeoning automotive manufacturing in Latin America and Asia Pacific is expected to stimulate the growth of the market. Rising consumer awareness regarding new technologies in emerging economies is anticipated to fuel the demand for advanced electronic components. Increasing trade of electronic devices among countries is anticipated to unfold immense growth opportunities for market players. Electronic components emerged as the leading application segment in the polyphenylene oxide market. Major products where electronic components are used are relay housings, pump housing/impellers, connectors, bobbins, circuit breakers, motor brush cards, coil encapsulation, fans and blowers, heat exchangers, thermostat housings, and large and small appliances. Increasing PPO application in the electrical and electronics industry such as TV output transformer, air conditioning control boxes, deflection yoke and bobbins are slated to stoke the growth of the market. Asia Pacific is the leading regional market, with a global volume share estimated at over 50.0% in 2017. Favorable economic policies coupled with entry of global plastic manufacturers are supporting the growth of the market in Asia Pacific. A well-established electrical & electronics manufacturing base in China, Taiwan, and South Korea coupled with a strong chemical manufacturing base in India is likely to trigger the adoption of polyphenylene oxide. China being the major market has witnessed tremendous growth in end-use industries. Browse full research report with TOC on "Polyphenylene Oxide (PPO) Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Electronic Components, Fluid Handling, Air Separation Membranes, Medical Instruments, Automotive), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/polyphenylene-oxide-ppo-market Further Key Findings From the Report Suggest: In terms of revenue, the automotive application is expected to rise at a CAGR of 4.1% from 2018 to 2025 owing to growing automotive production in emerging economies The U.S. polyphenylene oxide market is anticipated to exceed 85 kilo tons by 2025, owing to presence of a large number of automotive companies and rapidly increasing shale gas operations The PPO market is moderately concentrated owing to presence of both large as well as small players Some of the key companies present in the market are BASF, SABIC, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp., Sumitomo Chemicals, Momentive Performance Materials, LyondellBasell, Polyplastics Co. Ltd., Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp., and Solvay SA. Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Stearic Acid Market - The Global stearic acid market size was 5,516.2 kilo tons in 2013. The Global stearic acid market size was 5,516.2 kilo tons in 2013. Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) Films And Laminates Market - The global liquid crystal polymer (LCP) films & laminates market size exceeded USD 100 million in 2015. - The global liquid crystal polymer (LCP) films & laminates market size exceeded in 2015. Dimer Acid Market - The Global dimer acid market size was USD 1.31 billion in 2015. Rising demand for polyamide resins in coatings and adhesives industries is expected to be a key driving factor for industry growth over the forecast period. The Global dimer acid market size was in 2015. Rising demand for polyamide resins in coatings and adhesives industries is expected to be a key driving factor for industry growth over the forecast period. Salicylic Acid Market - The global salicylic acid market size was estimated at 89.8 kilo tons in 2015. Growing demand for salicylic acid in manufacturing haircare and cosmetic skincare products owing to growing consumer awareness regarding its benefits Grand View Research has segmented the global polyphenylene oxide market on the basis of application and region. Polyphenylene Oxide Application Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Air Separation Membranes Medical Instruments Domestic Appliances Automotive (Structural Parts) Electronic Components Fluid Handling Polyphenylene Oxide Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S Canada Mexico Europe U.K. Germany France Asia Pacific China India Japan Korea Taiwan Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia Explore the BI enabled intuitive market research database, The Grand Library, by Grand View Research, Inc. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. MIAMI, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) has scheduled a conference call for 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Thursday, August 2, 2018, to discuss the company's second quarter 2018 financial results. The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations website, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. There is no passcode or meeting number. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We are a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and a 36% shareholder in the Chinese brand SkySea Cruises. Together, these brands operate a combined total of 50 ships with an additional twelve on order as of June 30, 2018. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 540 destinations on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com. SOURCE Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Related Links http://www.royalcaribbean.com NEW YORK, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On the latest episode of the goop podcast, goop CEO and Founder Gwyneth Paltrow interviews actor, producer and businesswoman Sarah Jessica Parker. In an intimate conversation at Paltrow's home, the two discuss a wide range of topics, such as motherhood, shoes, why they started businesses, SJP's book short list and Cynthia Nixon's campaign for governor of New York. The poignant and funny conversation also touches on how Sex and the City got Paltrow through a breakup and Parker's insightful take on heartbreak. Below are select quotes from the episode. This link must be included in any coverage: https://goop.be/2A44VLH On GP getting married again "I think you should be [optimistic]. The only reason I feel you probably should be optimistic is that you're a grown-up woman and you're making a choice for entirely different reasons. Perspective and life experience is everything, it informs everything but I think the value of you being a sophisticated woman and choosing marriage is promising." On heartbreak "I think it's great to have been wrong in love and been destroyed and heartbroken. I just think it makes what you imagined to be a life choice better. Everybody should date if that's what you're interested in and you should be wrong, and you should break some hearts and your heart should be broken, and you should lay in bed in your old days next to a telephone looking at it hoping it's going to ring and be disappointed that it never does." On women's tendencies to please and the idea of having it all "It's like I was a host for experiences that were upsetting or they made me feel bad or I didn't feel listened to over and over even though I was in charge, do you know what I mean? I just made it okay because I also didn't want to be difficult, I didn't want to be thought of as a diva or all those things that we even as children of mothers, we're on the front lines in the women's movement. I thought I inherited all that, I could be everything, I could have it all, I could do this, and this, and this, and this. It's not true." On the enduring popularity of Sex and the City "The intimacy of the friendships, the more honest portrait of friendships, when they're good and when they're bad, when they're betraying each other, and when they're really supportive and good to each other when they're reliant to comment on one another in ways that's inspiring and familiar. I think just the really candid nature of the dialogue was just something that perhaps women were experiencing in their own lives, but they never seen it in cinema." On Cynthia Nixon running for governor "She's brilliant. She's formidable. She's learned and she's willing to learn, and she has a point of view about the city where she was born and raised just like anybody else who might run for public office. We don't typically question the provenance of the candidates so much, and we certainly didn't have the same standard for a gentleman who was elected president, and in a democracy that is what happens. You cannot argue, right, with that. That's choice, like we have a choice." PRESS CONTACT: Noora Raj Brown, goop, [email protected] ABOUT GOOP: goop is a lifestyle brand with its roots in content across six key pillars: Wellness, Travel, Food, Beauty, Style, and Work; within those pillars, goop curates and sells a tightly-edited array of products; we also make our own goods. goop products include a luxurious, high-performance skincare line made from organic ingredients; a regimen-based vitamin program to address the acute needs of modern women; an artisanal collection of fragrances, crafted entirely from natural elements; a limited-edition range of fashion essentials, all made in Italy's finest mills and factories; a collection of five extraordinary, therapeutic baths based in Chinese medicine and herbalism; and a set of body essentials that cleanses, nourishes, and detoxifies our bodies. goop launched in the fall of 2008 out of Gwyneth Paltrow's kitchen as a homespun weekly newsletter; GP wanted to share her unbiased travel recommendations, health-centric recipes, and shopping discoveries, and she also wanted to get her own questionsabout health, fitness, and the psycheanswered. goop continues to be a place for GP, now the company's CEO, to introduce readers to incredible experts who have mentored her throughout her life, along with new ideas about where to shop, eat, wear, cook, and stay. SOURCE Goop Related Links http://goop.com/ WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is issued by Digital Settlement Group. There is a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that may affect your rights. The lawsuit claims Ferrara Candy Co. deceptively packaged Jujyfruits, Jujubes, Now & Later, Lemonhead, Applehead, Cherryhead, Grapehead, RedHots, Trolli, Chuckles, Black Forest, Jawbuster, Jawbreaker, Brach's, Boston Baked Beans, Super Bubble, Rainblo, Atomic Fireball, and any flavors and varieties of those candy products ("Settlement Class Products") in oversized packaging with nonfunctional empty space. Ferrara Candy Co. denies the claims in the lawsuit. The Court did not rule in favor of Plaintiff or Defendant. The parties instead agreed to settle. The Settlement Class includes all persons residing in the United States who purchased one or more Settlement Class Product between February 21, 2013 and June 21, 2018. Subject to Court approval, the settlement provides cash payments based on the number of Settlement Class Products purchased. Class members with proof of purchase may submit a claim for 50 cents per box for each Settlement Class Product purchased. Class members without proof of purchase may submit a claim for up to $7.50. These amounts will be increased proportionally (pro rata) if the total amount of claims does not exhaust all settlement funds or reduced pro rata if the total amount of claims exceeds the settlement funds. The settlement also provides for modification of Ferrara's fill level quality control procedures and target fill levels. You have a choice about whether to stay in the Settlement Class or not, and you must decide by September 20, 2018. Your options are described in greater detail at http://www.ferraracandysettlement.com and include: You Can Accept the Settlement : If you wish to receive a Cash Payment, you must submit a Claim Form on or before September 20, 2018. You Can Object to the Settlement : You must file your objections in writing with the Court on or before September 20, 2018. You Can Opt-Out of the Settlement : You can exclude yourself from the Settlement Class by sending a written notice to Digital Settlement Group on or before September 20, 2018. Do Nothing : You will receive no cash payment from the settlement but you will be bound by the settlement and any orders or judgments of the Court. For more information about each option, instructions and mailing addresses for each option , and to view the settlement documents, please visit http://www.ferraracandysettlement.com, email the Settlement Administrator at [email protected], or call the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-452-8477. This is only a summary of the settlement. THE FAIRNESS HEARING is scheduled for October 25, 2018, at 10:00 am, at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Related Links www.FerraraCandySettlement.com SOURCE Digital Settlement Group THE WOODLANDS, Texas, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: SMLP) announced today that the board of directors of its general partner, Summit Midstream GP, LLC, has declared a quarterly cash distribution of $0.575 per unit on all of its outstanding common units, or $2.30 per unit on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended June 30, 2018. This quarterly distribution remains unchanged from the previous quarter and from the quarter ended June 30, 2017. This distribution will be paid on August 14, 2018, to unitholders of record as of the close of business on August 7, 2018. Second Quarter 2018 Earnings Release and Earnings Call Schedule SMLP also announced today that it will report financial results for the second quarter of 2018 on Thursday, August 2, 2018, after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. SMLP will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on Friday, August 3, 2018, to discuss its quarterly operating and financial results. Interested parties may participate in the call by dialing 847-585-4405 or toll-free 888-771-4371 and entering the passcode 47115947. The conference call will also be webcast live and can be accessed through the Investors section of SMLP's website at www.summitmidstream.com. A replay of the conference call will be available until August 17, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and can be accessed by dialing 888-843-7419 and entering the replay passcode 47115947#. An archive of the conference call will also be available on SMLP's website. This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100.0%) of SMLP's distributions to foreign investors as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, SMLP's distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate. For purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.871-15(m), SMLP is not considered a covered partnership. About Summit Midstream Partners, LP SMLP is a growth-oriented limited partnership focused on developing, owning and operating midstream energy infrastructure assets that are strategically located in the core producing areas of unconventional resource basins, primarily shale formations, in the continental United States. SMLP provides natural gas, crude oil and produced water gathering services pursuant to primarily long-term and fee-based gathering and processing agreements with customers and counterparties in five unconventional resource basins: (i) the Appalachian Basin, which includes the Marcellus and Utica shale formations in West Virginia and Ohio; (ii) the Williston Basin, which includes the Bakken and Three Forks shale formations in North Dakota; (iii) the Fort Worth Basin, which includes the Barnett Shale formation in Texas; (iv) the Piceance Basin, which includes the Mesaverde formation as well as the Mancos and Niobrara shale formations in Colorado and Utah; and (v) the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which includes the Niobrara and Codell shale formations in Colorado and Wyoming. SMLP is in the process of developing new gathering and processing infrastructure in a sixth basin, the Delaware Basin, in New Mexico. SMLP also owns substantially all of a 40% ownership interest in Ohio Gathering, which is developing natural gas gathering and condensate stabilization infrastructure in the Utica Shale in Ohio. SMLP is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, with regional corporate offices in Denver, Colorado, Atlanta, Georgia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Dallas, Texas. About Summit Midstream Partners, LLC Summit Midstream Partners, LLC ("Summit Investments") beneficially owns a 35.2% limited partner interest in SMLP and indirectly owns and controls the general partner of SMLP, Summit Midstream GP, LLC, which has sole responsibility for conducting the business and managing the operations of SMLP. Summit Investments is a privately held company controlled by Energy Capital Partners II, LLC, and certain of its affiliates. An affiliate of Energy Capital Partners II, LLC directly owns an 8.1% limited partner interest in SMLP. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain statements concerning expectations for the future that are forward-looking within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements contain known and unknown risks and uncertainties (many of which are difficult to predict and beyond management's control) that may cause SMLP's actual results in future periods to differ materially from anticipated or projected results. An extensive list of specific material risks and uncertainties affecting SMLP is contained in its 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26, 2018, and as amended and updated from time to time. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and SMLP undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events. SOURCE Summit Midstream Partners, LP Related Links http://www.summitmidstream.com DUBLIN, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "India Chinese, Hot & BBQ Sauces Market Outlook, 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Chinese, Hot and Barbeque Sauces are more and more in demand due to increasing international QSRs like Subway, Pizza Hut, Domino's, KFC, etc and other domestic restaurant and cafes serving western foods. These restaurants are now gaining much popularity and increasing in number. Rising number of QSRs are boosting the demand for Chinese, Hot and Barbeque Sauces in India. QSR stands for Quick Service Restaurants which serve mainly fast food and beverages. The consumption of Chinese, hot and barbeque sauces is much more in these restaurants as they serve multi cuisine which is trending in recent times. They are used in making of the dishes or else they are served with dishes as dip or sides. Having travelled to different countries, people demand food tasted there. The number of outlets of these chains are increasing day by day in many cities in India. Also they have started entering Tier-II and Tier-III cities owing to the penetration in the metros. According the report, the India overall market for Chinese, Hot and Barbeque Sauces is anticipated to reach more than 700 crores in the year 2022-23. Due to increasing customers' appreciation for Western cuisine, increased retail consumption, easy availability of sauces and many such factors, the market has grown with a CAGR of more than 15% during review period starting from 2011-12 to 2016-17. The Chinese sauces include red chilli sauce, green chilli sauce, soya sauce and Schezwan sauce. Hot sauces include sauces like chilli garlic sauce, hot chilli sauce, pepper sauce, salsa sauce, sweet chilli sauce and other sauces like Thai sauce. There is a considerable increase in the number of QSRs in the country. For instance, McDonald's has increased its outlets in India from 170 to 400, which is an increase of around 1.35 times. Similarly, Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC, has increased its outlets from just 50 in 2009 to 350 currently. Subway has 600 outlets in the country currently, which has increased from 350 in 2013. Moreover, there are many unbranded QSRs, pubs, bars fine dining restaurants and casual dining restaurants, who are customers of these sauces. Hot sauces are used in burgers, soups, salads, etc. In addition to this, the number of street stalls is also increasing because of people's inclination towards eating more Chinese food outside. So, the institutional trade is increasing due to this factor. Subway uses barbeque sauce in its subs, which has a strong smoky aroma and a very distinct pungent taste-tomato sauce mixed with vinegar, onion, pepper and other spices. Also, it uses Chipotle Southwest Sauce, Sweet Onion, Red Chilli Sauce, Harissa sauce, which is a chilli garlic sauce. Currently, the newly introduced Chicken SubWrap is being served with Harissa sauce. Major companies operating in this market are Capital Foods with its brand Ching's Secret, FieldFresh Foods Pvt.Ltd with Del Monte brand and Dr. Oetker India Pvt. Ltd. with its brand Funfoods. All these three brands hold more than 70% of the market currently. Also, companies like Veeba have institutional sales to the brands like Tea post, which is an Indian brand. Moreover, the institutional trade for Chinese, Hot and Barbeque sauces is expected to account for around one-third of the total sales of the market in the forecasted year 2022-23. Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary 2. India Table Sauces Market Outlook 2.1. Market Size By Value 2.1.1. Overall Market 2.1.2. Organized Table Sauce Market 2.1.3. Unorganized Table Sauce Market 2.1.4. By Type of Table Sauces (28 different sauces) 2.2. Market Share 2.2.1. By Company 2.2.2. By Category 3. India Chinese, Hot& BBQ Sauces Market Outlook 3.1. Market Size 3.2. Market Share 3.2.1. By Company 3.2.2. By Product Type 3.2.3. By Retail Vs. Institutional 3.2.4. By Organized Vs. Unorganized 4. India Chinese Sauces Market Outlook 4.1. Market Size By Value 4.1.1. Overall Market (Organized Vs. Unorganized) 4.1.2. Overall Market (By Product Type) 4.2. Market Share 4.2.1. By Product Type 4.2.2. By Retail Vs. Institutional 4.3. Product Price & Variant Analysis 5. India Hot Sauces Market Outlook 5.1. Market Size By Value 5.1.1. Overall Market (Organized Vs. Unorganized) 5.1.2. By Product Type 5.2. Market Share 5.2.1. By Product Type 5.2.2. By Retail Vs. Institutional 6. India BBQ Sauces Market Outlook 7. Product Price & Variant Analysis 8. India Economic Snapshot 9. Policy & Regulatory Landscape 10. PEST Analysis 11. Chinese & Hot Sauce Market Trade Dynamics 11.1. Imports 11.2. Export 12. Channel Partner Analysis 13. Chinese &Hot Sauce Market Dynamics 13.1. Key Drivers 13.2. Key Challenges 14. Chinese & Hot Sauce Market Trends & Developments 14.1. Rising Specialized Restaurants 14.2. Increasing Trend of Chinese Dishes in Traditional Occasions 14.3. Growing Craze of Indian Chinese Cuisines 15. Competitive Landscape 15.1. Porters Five Forces 15.2. Company Profile 15.2.1. Bajoria Foods Pvt. Ltd 15.2.2. Capital Foods Private Limited 15.2.3. Cremica Food Industries Limited 15.2.4. Dr. Oetker India Pvt Ltd 15.2.5. Fieldfresh Foods Pvt Ltd 15.2.6. Scandic Food India Private Limited (Sil) 15.2.7. Veeba Food Services Private Limited 15.2.8. Weikfield Foods Pvt. Ltd 15.3. Company Overview 15.3.1. Posh Nosh Foods 15.3.2. Wingreens Farms Private Limited 16. Strategic Recommendations For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j85jds/the_chinese_hot?w=5 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com DALLAS, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC), the Comprehensive Long-term Environmental Action Navy (CLEAN) program contractor, is part of the Navy's team that has received the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) award, the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) award and the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) award for Environmental Restoration Team at Vieques for its cleanup efforts in Puerto Rico. The environmental restoration awards honor individuals, teams, ships and installations for their outstanding achievements and innovative work to protect the environment while sustaining mission readiness. Honorees demonstrate excellence in maintaining and restoring natural resources for future generations. The former Atlantic Fleet Weapons training area in Vieques served as the Navy's premier training range for ensuring combat readiness of U.S. Atlantic Fleet Forces and for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations. Vieques was named the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's highest priority for cleanup. "Jacobs is proud to support the Navy's remediation efforts in Puerto Rico," said Jacobs Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear Senior Vice President for Global Environmental Solutions Jan Walstrom. "The team's innovative strategies for addressing the impacts of decades of military training are creating a safe environmental footprint for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico." Jacobs provided accelerated cleanup and innovative restoration strategies, including advanced geophysical classification and remote technologies, risk reduction and green remediation. The former installation is now part of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge houses a variety of natural resources, including subtropical dry forests, lagoons and coral reefs, and endangered species such as sea turtles, manatees and brown pelicans. These awards support Jacobs strategy to be a comprehensive solutions provider to national governments on critical restoration programs. Jacobs leads the global professional services sector delivering solutions for a more connected, sustainable world. With $15 billion in fiscal 2017 revenue when combined with full-year CH2M revenues and a talent force of more than 77,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of services including scientific, technical, professional and construction- and program-management for business, industrial, commercial, government and infrastructure sectors. For more information, visit www.jacobs.com, and connect with Jacobs on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some of the factors which may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements please refer to our Form 10-K for the year ended September 29, 2017, and in particular the discussions contained under Items 1 - Business, 1A - Risk Factors, 3 - Legal Proceedings, and 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements made herein. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. Related Links http://www.jacobs.com NORTH CANTON, Ohio, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR), a world leader in engineered bearings and power transmission products, has reached an agreement with pan-European firm Chequers Capital and IGI Private Equity to acquire Rollon Group. A leader in engineered linear motion products, Rollon specializes in the design and manufacture of linear guides, telescopic rails and linear actuators used in a wide range of industries such as passenger rail, aerospace, packaging and logistics, medical and automation. Rollon sales are expected to be about $140 million for the full year 2018. "The acquisition of Rollon will further expand the Timken portfolio of leading industrial brands, allowing us to serve existing and new customers in attractive, high-growth end markets around the world," said Richard G. Kyle, Timken president and chief executive officer. "Like Timken, Rollon is an expert in motion technology and is recognized for developing customized linear motion products for their customers' application challenges. With its proven operating model and value proposition, Rollon will open up exciting new growth opportunities for the company." Headquartered near Milan, Italy, Rollon has manufacturing operations in Italy, Germany and the United States. Rollon employs approximately 600 people and boasts an extensive sales and engineering network around the world to serve its global customer base. Rollon's leading linear motion product line complements other Timken brands including Timken, Philadelphia Gear, Groeneveld, Drives and Lovejoy. With this acquisition, Timken continues its strategy to diversify its portfolio with products and services that also include bearings, gear drives, chain, belts, couplings, automated lubrication systems, industrial clutches and brakes, and a variety of related industrial services. Timken expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings in the first year of ownership. The transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in late September 2018 and will be funded with debt. Presentation materials related to this transaction have been posted to the company's website at http://investors.timken.com. About The Timken Company The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) engineers, manufactures and markets bearings, gear drives, belts, chain, couplings, lubrication systems and related products, and offers a spectrum of powertrain rebuild and repair services. The leading authority on tapered roller bearings, Timken today applies its deep knowledge of metallurgy, tribology and mechanical power transmission across a variety of bearings and related systems to improve the reliability and efficiency of machinery and equipment all around the world. The company's growing product and services portfolio features many strong industrial brands including Timken, Fafnir, Philadelphia Gear, Groeneveld, Drives and Lovejoy. Known for its quality products and collaborative technical sales model, Timken posted $3 billion in sales in 2017. With more than 15,000 employees operating from 33 countries, Timken makes the world more productive and keeps industry in motion. Certain statements in this release (including statements regarding the company's estimates and expectations) that are not historical in nature are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, the statements regarding the company's expectations regarding accretion, sales and the expected market opportunities are forward-looking. The company cautions that actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, including: the inability to complete the acquisition due to either the failure to satisfy any condition to the closing of the transaction, including receipt of regulatory approval, or the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the purchase agreement; the inability to successfully integrate the newly acquired business into the company's operations or achieve the expected synergies associated with the acquisition; and adverse changes in the markets served by the newly acquired business. Additional factors are discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2017, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Except as required by the federal securities laws, the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Media Relations: 234.262.3514 [email protected] Investor Relations: Jason Hershiser 234.262.7101 [email protected] SOURCE The Timken Company Related Links http://www.timken.com Early Warning Media Release BRISBANE, Australia, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This media release is being disseminated by Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE, TSX: ORL) ("Orocobre" or "the Company"), a company incorporated under the laws of Australia at the head office address of Level 1, 349 Coronation Drive, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 4064, as required by National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issues. Orocobre entered into subscription agreements on July 26, 2018 with Advantage Lithium Corp. ("Advantage Lithium") (TSX Venture: AAL) (OTCQX: AVLIF), with head office at #1305 1090 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V7, pursuant to which Orocobre agreed, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, to subscribe for 15,064,956 common shares of Advantage Lithium at a price of $0.77 per common shares (for an aggregate subscription amount of $11,600,016.10). Orocobre also entered into an agreement on July 26, 2018 with a third party whereby Orocobre has agreed to sell 8,571,450 common shares of Advantage Lithium to such third party at a price of $0.77 per common shares (for an aggregate sale price of $6,600,016.50). Closing of these transactions occurred on the date hereof. Prior to the closing of the above transactions, Orocobre held 46,325,000 common shares of Advantage Lithium, and 2,550,000 common share purchase warrants of Advantage Lithium ("Warrants"), with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional common share of Advantage Lithium, at a price of $1.00 per share, expiring March 28, 2019, such that Orocobre owned 32.7% of Advantage Lithium's outstanding common shares on a partially diluted basis. Upon and subject to completion of the transactions and Advantage Lithium's previously announced concurrent financing, it is expected that Orocobre will hold 52,843,506 common shares of Advantage Lithium and 2,550,000 Warrants, such that Orocobre will own 33.5% of Advantage Lithium's outstanding common shares on a partially diluted basis. Orocobre is completing the above transactions for investment purposes. Orocobre may, from time to time, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease its beneficial ownership, control or direction over securities of Advantage Lithium through market transactions, private agreements or otherwise. An early warning release in respect to the above transactions will be filed with the relevant Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Copies of such reports may be obtained from SEDAR at www.sedar.com or by contacting Andrew Barber, Orocobre Limited Investor Relations Manager via the contact details below. For more information please contact: Andrew Barber Investor Relations Manager Orocobre Limited T: +61 7 3871 3985 M:+61 418 783 701 E: [email protected] W: www.orocobre.com.au This media release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information contained in this release may include, but is not limited to, the completion of the transactions described herein. Such forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the timely receipt of required approvals and completion of agreements on reasonable terms and conditions. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. About Orocobre Limited Orocobre Limited (Orocobre) is a dynamic global lithium carbonate supplier and an established producer of boron. Orocobre is dual listed on the Australia and Toronto Stock Exchanges (ASX: ORE), (TSE: ORL). Orocobre's operations include its Olaroz Lithium Facility in Northern Argentina, Borax Argentina, an established Argentine boron minerals and refined chemicals producer and a 29% interest in Advantage Lithium. For further information, please visit www.orocobre.com SOURCE Orocobre Limited Related Links http://orocobre.com NEW YORK, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UJA-Federation of New York raised a record-breaking $249.3 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, an increase of $11.2 million from the previous year. In addition to raising $156.1 million for its annual campaign, UJA raised $55.8 million in planned giving and endowments, and $37.4 million for capital projects and special initiatives, including disaster relief in the wake of the 2017 hurricanes. "UJA-Federation is the backbone of the Jewish community, and our fundraising results are a testament to the vital work we enable - caring for the most vulnerable, inspiring a passion for Jewish life in the next generation, and ensuring the state of Israel as a strong and vibrant homeland for all Jews," said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation. "This year, the power of UJA's network to respond quickly during crisis was also on full display, bringing together nonprofit partners and volunteers to arrange 29 flights and a cargo ship that delivered 100,000 pounds of humanitarian aid for Houston, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean." Last year, to mark its centennial year, UJA successfully launched three major capital initiatives focused on fighting poverty, transforming Jewish day camp, and ensuring Jerusalem's future as a vibrant and thriving city. In addition, UJA helped forge new connections between Israeli and American Jews, supported synagogues and day schools, introduced state of the art digital choice food pantries, cared for increasingly frail Holocaust survivors, and launched the volunteer platform Time for Good, which helped mobilize over 20,000 volunteers in our area. Jeffrey A. Schoenfeld, president of UJA-Federation, remarked on the fundraising successes and the service challenges ahead. "The magnitude of worthy requests that line up at UJA's doorstep every year is almost unimaginable. Just this past year presented us with natural and man-made challenges, from the rise of intolerance and anti-Semitism, to continued economic uncertainty that impacts the most vulnerable in our community. UJA and our incomparable nonprofit partners rose to meet these challenges, and in the coming year we aim to go even further. We're investing in workforce development, anti-poverty 'hubs' with wrap-around service provision, and relief and recovery for people struggling to rebuild lives after disasters. I am grateful for every single dollar that enables this life-saving work." UJA-Federation's annual campaign remains the single largest philanthropic effort by any local community anywhere in the world. The 2018 general campaign co-chairs are Alisa F. Levin and David L. Moore. Mark Medin serves as UJA-Federation executive vice president of Financial Resource Development responsible for all fundraising efforts. About UJA-Federation of New York For more than 100 years, UJA-Federation has brought New Yorkers together to solve some of the most pressing problems facing our community. Through UJA-Federation, more than 50,000 donors impact the issues that matter most to them, pooling their resources to care for Jews everywhere and New Yorkers of all backgrounds, respond to crises close to home and far away, and shape our Jewish future. Working with a network of hundreds of nonprofits, UJA-Federation extends its reach from New York to Israel to nearly 70 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year. For more information on how to donate or volunteer, please visit our website at www.ujafedny.org. SOURCE UJA-Federation of New York Related Links http://www.ujafedny.org According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a fire is reported every 24 seconds on average across the country and fire departments responded to 1.3 million fires in 2016. Three of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes without smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms according to the NFPA. In the fires where a smoke alarm was present, but did not operate, half of them had missing or disconnected batteries. "The Town/Gown project promotes fire safety education and collaboration between students, fire departments, universities and their surrounding communities nationwide," said Tarsila Wey, director of marketing for First Alert. "By partnering with Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation, we are positively impacting the long-term safety for both the students and communities." College students living independently for the first time with new academic challenges and social distractions may not view fire safety as a top priority. The Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project encourages students to learn about and take responsibility for their personal safety, while also supporting the local community. Last year, schools across the country collaborated with local fire departments by performing home safety visits. The program is expanding this year, and students will be conducting home safety visits alongside firefighters and installing more than 2,500 smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms donated by First Alert in at-risk communities this fall. Organizations interested in taking part can learn more and submit an application online at FirstAlert.com/TownGown. "By helping to install alarms in at-risk homes throughout their communities, the students see first-hand the importance of working smoke and CO alarms," said Ed Comeau, founder of Campus Firewatch. "They are learning fire safety by doing fire safety, and making their communities safer at the same time." "Teaching simple steps about fire safety paired with community outreach can not only help prevent tragedies, but also improve the well-being of the community as a whole," said Gail Minger, president of the Michael H. Minger Foundation. "We are thrilled to offer students this unique volunteer opportunity through the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project." Home Safety Advice for All Due to the contents in today's homes, fires burn faster and hotter. According to Underwriters Laboratories, a house fire can become uncontrollable in less than three minutes. To ensure the highest level of protection from fire, First Alert recommends following the guidelines set by the U.S. Fire Administration and NFPA, which advise that homes have smoke alarms installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. For CO alarms, homes should have at least one alarm on each level and one in or near every bedroom. Once alarms are installed it is important to maintain them. They don't last forever and should be replaced every 5 to 10 years, depending on the type of alarm. Alarms should be tested regularly and the batteries should be replaced at least every six months. For hassle-free protection, 10-year sealed battery alarms eliminate the risk of forgetting to change the batteries or having an alarm deactivated due to battery removal. It is also important to plan an emergency escape route and practice it at least twice a year, so in the event of an emergency everyone knows how to get out of the home safely and where to meet. To submit an application for the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project, visit FirstAlert.com/TownGown. To learn more about fire safety, visit the First Alert website at www.firstalert.com, the Campus Firewatch website at www.campus-firewatch.com or the Michael H. Minger Foundation at www.mingerfoundation.org. You also can follow the Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project on Twitter and Facebook via #TownGownFire. *First Alert Brand Trust Survey, February 2018 Results are based on the responses of 1,000 adults, ages 25 and older, living in the United States who completed an online survey, February 15-19, 2018. Results are statistically significant at a 95 percent confidence level and can be generalized to the entire adult population in the United States within those statistical parameters. For more information or a copy of the complete survey results, contact Tim Young at LCWA: 312/565-4628 or [email protected]. About Campus Firewatch Campus Firewatch is a social entrepreneurship focused on helping to save lives at our nation's campuses. For more information, visit http://www.campus-firewatch.com. Facebook | @campusfirewatch About Michael H. Minger Foundation The Michael H. Minger Foundation was formed following the death of Michael Minger in a residence hall fire. The Foundation focuses on fire safety for all students, including students with special needs such as physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities. More information is available at www.mingerfoundation.org, on Facebook at facebook.com/mingerfoundation and Twitter @mhminger. About BRK Brands, Inc. BRK Brands, Inc. (Aurora, IL), is a fully owned subsidiary of Newell Brands. For 60 years, BRK Brands, Inc. has been the manufacturer of First Alert-branded home-safety products, the most trusted and recognized safety brand in America. BRK Brands designs and develops innovative safety solutions including Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray, Onelink by First Alert smart home products, a comprehensive line of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers and escape ladders to protect what matters most. Such products are also marketed under the BRK Electronics brand, The Professional Standard for the builder and contractor audiences. BRK Brands, Inc. products are found in more than 30 countries worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.firstalert.com, http://www.brkelectronics.com or http://www.newellbrands.com. About Newell Brands Newell Brands (NYSE: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Paper Mate, Sharpie, Dymo, EXPO, Parker, Elmer's, Coleman, Jostens, Marmot, Rawlings, Oster, Sunbeam, FoodSaver, Mr. Coffee, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Graco, Baby Jogger, NUK, Calphalon, Rubbermaid, Contigo, First Alert, Waddington and Yankee Candle. For hundreds of millions of consumers, Newell Brands makes life better every day, where they live, learn, work and play. This press release and additional information about Newell Brands are available on the company's website, http://www.newellbrands.com. 2018 BRK Brands, Inc., Aurora, IL 60504. All rights reserved. BRK Electronics, First Alert and Onelink are registered trademarks of BRK Brands, Inc., Aurora, IL 60504. NYSE is a registered service mark of NYSE Group, Inc. Contacts: Lindsey Lucenta or Rebecca Raudabaugh L.C. Williams & Associates P: 312-565-3900 or 800-837-7123 E: [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE First Alert Related Links https://www.firstalert.com VALLEY FORGE, Pa., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanguard today announced changes to two actively managed equity funds. The $2.3 billion Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund (VGPMX) will be renamed to Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund as part of a restructuring intended to broaden the fund's mandate and diversify its portfolio. Wellington Management Company LLP will manage the fund effective today. Additionally, Baillie Gifford Overseas Ltd. has been added to the advisory team of the $641 million Vanguard Emerging Markets Select Stock Fund (VMMSX). M&G Investment Management Limited will no longer serve in an advisory capacity for either fund. The restructured Global Capital Cycles Fund is intended for investors with a long-term time horizon who seek a complement to their core global equity allocation that exhibits lower correlations to the broad equity markets. The new strategy and name are expected to become effective in late September 2018. In managing the fund, Wellington Management will adhere to a capital cycles strategy as its primary investment approach, seeking to capture opportunities in commodity-oriented industries, such as the materials and natural resource sectors, which follow cyclical patterns. The strategy will also focus on companies that own irreplaceable or scarce infrastructure assets primarily in telecommunications and utilities. While the fund will maintain meaningful exposure to precious metals and mining stocks, the capital cycles strategy encompasses a broader opportunity set from which to identify return potential. Wellington Management Senior Managing Director Keith White will serve as portfolio manager. Mr. White will be supported by the firm's 16-member natural resources and utilities team, as well as the firm's 40 global industry analysts. Founded in 1928, Wellington Management is among the nation's oldest and most respected institutional investment managers. With a partnership extending back to Vanguard's founding in 1975, the firm currently serves as Vanguard's largest external advisory partner. Wellington Management now manages 29 mandates and more than $359 billion on behalf of Vanguard investors. A CEO-led oversight team continuously monitors the Vanguard funds and takes the appropriate measures to enhance their risk/reward profiles and ensure the stated objectives are being met. "After careful analysis of the performance and usage of the Precious Metals and Mining Fund, we are restructuring the portfolio and changing the advisor to improve investor outcomes," said Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley. "We are confident that the new mandate and the Wellington team will result in a fund that is more diversified and predictable." Vanguard Gold and Precious Metals Fund was introduced in 1984 for investors who wish to diversify their investment portfolios through exposure to a sector that tends to perform differently than the broad equity market. Since inception, the fund's strategy has undergone two prior modifications in response to industry changes and in an effort to preserve the fund's original purpose of providing returns that are not highly correlated with more traditional equity strategies. The change in the fund's investment advisory arrangement is expected to increase the fund's expense ratio to 0.37% from 0.36%. Baillie Gifford added to Emerging Markets Select Stock Fund Also effective today, Baillie Gifford will join the management roster of the Emerging Market Select Stock Fund. Baillie Gifford's portion of the fund will be managed by Richard Sneller, partner and head of emerging markets equity strategy, along with investment managers Andrew Stobart and Mike Gush. Mr. Sneller leads a nine-member investment team and has served as lead portfolio manager of Baillie Gifford's emerging markets all-cap equities strategy since its inception in 1994. The team employs a growth-oriented approach and maintains a long-term investment horizon, typically three to five years and beyond. Their bottom-up, fundamental strategy emphasizes businesses that enjoy sustainable competitive advantages and can grow their earnings significantly faster than the market average. The fund's multi-manager approach combines high-quality managers with distinct and complementary investment strategies. Following the transition, the manager allocations are as follows: Baillie Gifford, 20%; Pzena Investment Management, LLC, 25%; Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., 25%; Wellington, 27%; with the remainder equitized in cash. The investment objectives and principal investment strategies of the fund will remain the same. The fund's expense ratio is also not expected to change. Vanguard's active legacy Today, Vanguard is among the largest providers of actively managed funds in the world with more than $1.2 trillion in active assets. Vanguard partners with 27 advisors from around the world and employs a multi-manager structure for 18 of its actively managed U.S. domiciled equity funds. The firm has more than $400 billion in active equity funds, with a weighted average expense ratio of 0.28%. Vanguard uses a performance-based, fulcrum fee arrangement that enables the firm to negotiate fee schedules with advisors at levels well below industry averages. This fee structure aligns manager and investor interests by directly correlating manager compensation with performance against a benchmark over a trailing 36-month or 60-month period. As of March 31, 2018, 86% of Vanguard's active equity funds outperformed their peer averages over 3 years, 88% outperformed over a 5 year period, and 91% outperformed over a ten year period1. "Our external advisory partnerships provide our clients access to world-class managers and diversity of thought at a low cost," said Jon Cleborne, global head of Vanguard's Portfolio Review Department. "Vanguard believes that top talent, low cost, and patience are key drivers for successful active management." About Vanguard Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment management companies. As of June 30, 2018, Vanguard managed $5.1 trillion in global assets. The firm, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, offers 400 funds to its more than 20 million investors worldwide. For more information, visit vanguard.com. 1 For the three-year period, 38 of 44 Vanguard active equity funds outperformed their peer group averages. For the five-year period, 37 of 42 Vanguard active equity funds outperformed their peer group averages. For the ten-year period, 36 of 40 Vanguard active equity funds outperformed their peer group averages. Results will vary for other time periods. Only funds with a minimum three-, five-, or ten-year history, respectively, were included in the comparison. Source: Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company, as of March 31, 2018. Note that the competitive performance data shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results, and that all investments are subject to risks. For the most recent performance, visit our website at www.vanguard.com/performance For more information about Vanguard funds, visit vanguard.com/fundprospectus to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing. All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. Investments in securities issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk. These are especially high in emerging markets. Funds that concentrate on a relatively narrow market sector face the risk of higher share-price volatility. Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor SOURCE Vanguard Related Links http://www.vanguard.com SECAUCUS, N.J., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. (NYSE: VSI), an omni-channel, specialty retailer of nutritional products, today announced that the Company will release its fiscal second quarter 2018 financial results before the market opens on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. A conference call will be webcast the same day beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Interested investors and other parties may listen to the webcast of the conference call by visiting the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.vitaminshoppe.com and clicking on the webcast link. A telephonic replay will be available for one week following the call beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time on August 8, 2018 and ending on August 15, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The replay can be accessed by dialing 1-844-512-2921 or for international callers, 1-412-317-6671. The passcode for the replay is 5321835. The webcast will also be archived on the Company's website at www.vitaminshoppe.com in the investor relations section. About the Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. (NYSE:VSI) Vitamin Shoppe is an omni-channel, specialty retailer of nutritional products based in Secaucus, New Jersey. In its stores and on its website, the Company carries a comprehensive retail assortment including: vitamins, minerals, specialty supplements, herbs, sports nutrition, homeopathic remedies, green living products, and beauty aids. In addition to offering products from approximately 1,000 national brands, the Vitamin Shoppe also carries products under The Vitamin Shoppe, BodyTech, True Athlete, MyTrition, plnt, ProBioCare and Next Step brands. The Vitamin Shoppe conducts business through more than 775 company-operated retail stores under The Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements retail banners, and through its website, www.vitaminshoppe.com. Follow the Vitamin Shoppe on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/THEVITAMINSHOPPE and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VitaminShoppe. SOURCE Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. Related Links http://www.vitaminshoppe.com ABBOTT PARK, Ill., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the FreeStyle Libre 14 day Flash Glucose Monitoring system, which allows people with diabetes to wear the sensor up to 14 days with high accuracy. This approval makes Abbott's revolutionary continuous glucose monitor (CGM) the longest lasting self-applied personal glucose sensor available on the market. "At Abbott, we are continuously pushing for new innovations that minimize the daily burden of managing diabetes," said Jared Watkin, senior vice president, Diabetes Care, Abbott. "With the new FreeStyle Libre 14 day system, people with diabetes will now have extended access to their glucose data with a high degree of accuracy, which will improve their experience and help empower them to better manage their condition." HOW THE FREESTYLE LIBRE SYSTEMS WORK The FreeStyle Libre system, which first launched in Europe in 2014, with a 14-day wear time, was the first to eliminate the need for fingersticks10, and is designed to be an easier-to-use2, streamlined3 and more affordable system4 compared with other available CGMs on the market. In the U.S., the FreeStyle Libre system (10 day) is approved for replacement2 of blood glucose monitoring (BGM) for adults with diabetes. With just a quick, one-second scan, users can see real-time glucose readings, as well as identify glucose trends with a directional arrow and review eight hours of glucose history. The sensor is worn on the back of the upper arm and is the size of two stacked quarters. The FreeStyle Libre system is supported by both clinical data5,6 and real-world evidence7 that show that people who scan more frequently spend less time in hypoglycemia (low-glucose levels) or hyperglycemia (high-glucose levels) while having improved average glucose levels, demonstrating improved glucose control overall. The FreeStyle Libre 14 day system has a 1-hour warmup and greater accuracy compared to the FreeStyle Libre system (10 day) with a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 9.4 compared to 9.7, respectively. The FreeStyle Libre system (10 day) was approved by the FDA in September 2017. The FreeStyle Libre 14 day system will be available via prescription in the coming months at participating pharmacies and durable medical equipment suppliers (DMEs) in the U.S. FreeStyle Libre system is now being used by more than 800,000 people across more than 43 countries8 and is the #1 CGM worldwide9. Additionally, Abbott has secured partial or full reimbursement for the FreeStyle Libre system in 30 countries, including France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. For more information, please visit: www.freestylelibre.us. About Abbott At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world -- in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals -- that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 99,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. Indications and Important Safety Information FreeStyle Libre and FreeStyle Libre 14 day Flash Glucose Monitoring systems are continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices indicated for replacing blood glucose testing and detecting trends and tracking patterns aiding in the detection of episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, facilitating both acute and long-term therapy adjustments in persons (age 18 and older) with diabetes. The systems are intended for single patient use and require a prescription. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Remove the sensor before MRI, CT scan, X-ray, or diathermy treatment. WARNINGS/LIMITATIONS: Do not ignore symptoms that may be due to low or high blood glucose, hypoglycemic unawareness, or dehydration. Check sensor glucose readings with a blood glucose meter when Check Blood Glucose symbol appears, when symptoms do not match system readings, or when readings are suspected to be inaccurate. The systems do not have alarms unless the sensor is scanned, and the systems contain small parts that may be dangerous if swallowed. The systems are not approved for pregnant women, persons on dialysis, or critically-ill population. Sensor placement is not approved for sites other than the back of the arm and standard precautions for transmission of blood borne pathogens should be taken. The built-in blood glucose meter is not for use on dehydrated, hypotensive, in shock, hyperglycemic-hyperosmolar state, with or without ketosis, neonates, critically-ill patients, or for diagnosis or screening of diabetes. Review all product information before use or contact Abbott Toll Free (855-632-8658) (or visit www.freestylelibre.us ) for detailed indications for use and safety information. For full indications for use and safety information, see more here. 1 Data based on the number of users worldwide for FreeStyle Libre personal CGM compared to the number of users of other leading personal CGM brands. 2 Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care. 3 Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care. 4 Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care. 5 Haak, Thomas, et al. Flash glucose-sensing technology as a replacement for blood glucose monitoring for the management of insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Therapy 8.1 (2017): 55-73 6 Bolinder, Jan, et al. Novel glucose-sensing technology and hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes: a multicentre, non-masked, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 388.10057 (2016): 2254-2263 7 Pryor, Heather et al. Real-world Patterns of Daytime and Nocturnal Hypoglycemia during Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring. Presented at the American Diabetes Association 78th Scientific Sessions. https://plan.core-apps.com/tristar_ada18/abstract/5188446740e191fd289345d56a7d4359 8 Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care 9 Data based on the number of users worldwide for FreeStyle Libre personal CGM compared to the number of users for other leading personal CGM brands 10 A finger prick test using a blood glucose meter is required during times of rapidly changing glucose levels when interstitial fluid glucose levels may not accurately reflect blood glucose levels or if hypoglycaemia or impending hypoglycaemia is reported by the system or when symptoms do not match the system readings. SOURCE Abbott Related Links http://www.abbott.com ST. LOUIS, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR) ("Energizer") today announced that its Board of Directors appointed Nneka L. Rimmer as a new independent director to its Board, effective immediately. Ms. Rimmer is Senior Vice President, Strategy and Global Enablement of McCormick & Company. "Nneka Rimmer is an experienced business leader who excels at building brands and driving business performance," said Pat Mulcahy, Chairman of the Board at Energizer. "We are excited to have Nneka join our Board and look forward to her contributions to support Energizer's long term strategies." Ms. Rimmer oversees McCormick & Company's corporate development, corporate strategy, information technology and global enablement teams. Prior to Ms. Rimmer's role at McCormick & Company, Ms. Rimmer was a Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group where she executed large-scale transformational initiatives for global consumer goods corporations. Ms. Rimmer received her BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and her MBA and JD from Northwestern University. Ms. Rimmer will serve as a member of the Board's Audit Committee. About Energizer Holdings, Inc.: Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR), headquartered in St. Louis, MO, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of primary batteries and portable lighting products and is anchored by its two globally recognized brands Energizer and EVEREADY. Energizer is also a leading designer and marketer of automotive fragrance and appearance products from recognized brands such as Refresh Your Car!, California Scents, Driven, Bahama & Co., LEXOL, Eagle One and Nu Finish. As a global branded distributor of consumer products, our mission is to lead the charge to deliver value to our customers and consumers better than anyone else. Visit www.energizerholdings.com for more details. SOURCE Energizer Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.energizerholdings.com PHILADELPHIA, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Constitution Center announced it will award its 30th annual Liberty Medal to President George W. Bush and former first lady Mrs. Laura Bush for their commitment to veterans. The Liberty Medal will be awarded to President and Mrs. Bush on Veterans Day, November 11, 2018, at 5 p.m. in Philadelphia. The Liberty Medal, established in 1988 and hosted by the National Constitution Center since 2006, recognizes individuals who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe. Recent recipients include U.S. Senator John McCain, U.S. Representative John Lewis, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, and Malala Yousafzai. With this honor, a prize of $100,000 is awarded. President and Mrs. Bush will donate their prize money to "A Charge to Keep," the campaign to endow the work of the George W. Bush Institute and its Military Service Initiative. "Our democracy depends upon the embrace of high ideals and civic responsibility, and there's no finer example of citizenship than our veterans," said President Bush, adding "Laura and I are honored to dedicate this award from the National Constitution Center to the men and women who have defended and upheld the rights and freedoms enshrined in our Constitution." "On Veterans Day, and every day, we recognize the selfless men and women who volunteer to defend our freedoms," said former first lady Mrs. Laura Bush. "We are grateful to our veterans and their caregivers for giving our nation tremendous strength." "The National Constitution Center is honored to award the 30th annual Liberty Medal to President and Mrs. Bush on Veterans Day for their service to veterans," said Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. He added, "Their tireless work on behalf of those who serve our country and defend our Constitution is inspiring." George W. Bush served as 43rd president of the United States and Laura Bush served as first lady from 2001-2009. They are founders of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, which is home to the George W. Bush Institute, a nonpartisan public policy and leadership development center focusing on solving today's most pressing challenges. The Military Service Initiative within the Bush Institute honors the service and sacrifice of all post-9/11 veterans by ensuring they and their families make successful transitions to civilian life, specifically in addressing the challenges of employment and overcoming the invisible wounds of war. Core programs of the Military Service Initiative include an employment partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce called the Veteran Employment Transition Roadmap, and the Warrior Wellness Alliance, which connects peer-to-peer veteran networks with best-in-class health care providers. Mrs. Bush's work is especially focused on caregivers of post 9/11 veterans. In 2017, President Bush also painted and penned Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors, which helped dispel the stigma of the invisible wounds of war and tell the human stories of those who courageously volunteer for our country. The Liberty Medal Ceremony is supported by corporations, foundations, and individuals with proceeds going to further the work of the National Constitution Center. Sponsorships and individual tickets to the Liberty Medal Ceremony and Dinner Reception are currently available for purchase. For more information, please contact 202-459-0870 or [email protected]. A limited number of complimentary tickets to the Liberty Medal Ceremony will be available to Members of the National Constitution Center and to the general public. More details will become available in August. For further information, please visit constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal. PLEASE NOTE: Credentials are required for press entry to this event. To complete an application, visit constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal/media.html. About the Liberty Medal The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Given annually, the medal honors men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe. A full list of all past recipients is available here: constitutioncenter.org/liberty-medal/recipients. About the National Constitution Center The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia inspires citizenship as the only place where people across America and around the world can come together to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America's leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its Congressional charter "to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis." As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America's Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a center for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire, excite, and engage citizens about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org. SOURCE National Constitution Center Related Links http://www.constitutioncenter.org "The Herbalife Nutrition Foundation is honored to provide Casa de Esperanza with a grant focused on nutrition and fitness education, with the goal of helping these children, who have been through so much, live healthier and happier lives," said Rich Goudis, CEO, Herbalife Nutrition. "This grant reflects our belief that a supportive community is key to helping everyone fulfill their greatest potential." Serving over 85 children ranging in age from newborns to five-year-olds, Casa de Esperanza is a safe place for those suffering from abuse, neglect or the effects of HIV. HNF's grant will provide healthy food choices for children in the organization's residential program, helping to further the Casa's mission to provide housing, food and medical care. "We are honored to receive such generous financial and hands-on support from the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation," said Kathy Foster, founder of Casa de Esperanza. "Our mission is to break the destructive cycle of child abuse by providing comprehensive residential and family support programs that transform people and communities, and this grant will help us reach that goal." HNF's Casa Herbalife Program was established in 2005 to bring good nutrition to children living in orphanages or using after-school centers and other non-profit facilities around the world tasked with helping underserved young people. The Program currently serves more than 100,000 children at over 130 organizations in more than 50 countries and continues to expand in 2018, with the addition of three new Casa Herbalife partners in Austria, Switzerland and Ghana. About Herbalife Nutrition Foundation Herbalife Nutrition Foundation (HNF) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation devoted to providing good nutrition and nutrition education to the world's children. HNF supports over 130 programs, promoting children's healthy growth and development every day. We are committed to ensuring children are provided with good nutrition for a brighter future. HNF also often supports relief efforts in response to natural disasters. For more information about HNF and how you can support the children in our programs, visit HerbalifeNutritionFoundation.org. SOURCE Herbalife Nutrition Foundation With the help of Erin Gruwell, Founder of the Freedom Writer Foundation, Mermelstein's daughter, Edie Mermelstein, is working to raise funds to establish an Orange County Holocaust Museum accessible to the 88 public and 34 private high schools in the Orange County and Long Beach area. Mel Mermelstein arrived in Auschwitz in the spring of 1944. His mother and two sisters were led immediately to the infamous Nazi gas chambers. His father and brother were also murdered by the Nazis, leaving Mermelstein as the sole survivor of his family. Mermelstein endured the death march from Auschwitz to Buchenwald, where he was liberated by the Allied troops on April 11, 1945. Click here to see the iconic photo taken days after the liberation of Buchenwald with 18-year-old Mermelstein pictured in the top bunk: http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/museum_photos/buchenwald.asp After immigrating to the United States, Mermelstein served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He married, moved to Southern California in 1960 and began raising a family. In 1967, he began to bring home artifacts from the Nazi death camps, using the items to create artwork to help him deal with the pain and loss of his family. For a short video tour through the collection click here: https://youtu.be/D3E5PujsP_g In the early 1980s, Mermelstein successfully sued a Holocaust denial organization that had advertised a reward in the Jerusalem Post for anyone who could prove that Jews were killed in gas chambers. In a historic pretrial determination on October 9, 1981, Judge Thomas T. Johnson declared: "This court does take judicial notice of the fact that Jews were gassed to death at Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland during the summer of 1944. It is not reasonably subject to dispute. And it is capable of immediate and accurate determination by resort to sources of reasonably indisputable accuracy. It is simply a fact." In 1991, Leonard Nimoy played Mermelstein in the TNT movie "Never Forget" about Mermelstein's fight against the Institute for Historical Review. For decades, Mermelstein has opened his vast collection of Holocaust artifacts and artistic expression - which includes concrete posts and elements from Auschwitz' electrified fences, uniforms, prisoners' personal items and Mermelstein's creations - to Orange County and Long Beach students and their teachers. He and his daughter are seeking help to identify a permanent location for his exhibit that can remain free for schools to supplement the teaching of the Holocaust and expose Holocaust denial. To offer help or get further information, email Edie Mermelstein at [email protected] or call (714) 848-1101. PRESS CONTACT: Michael Mermelstein 714-206-9081 SOURCE Edie Mermelstein BELLEVUE, Wash., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A lawsuit challenging the validity of anti-gun-rights Initiative 1639 has been filed in Thurston County Superior Court by nationally-recognized Second Amendment advocate Alan Gottlieb, but this time he's filed as a private citizen and Washington State voter. The legal action, naming Secretary of State Kim Wyman as defendant in her official capacity, is supported by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Bellevue-based organization founded by Gottlieb more than four decades ago. SAF has become a powerhouse in gun rights litigation at both the state and federal levels. "While I head a national organization," Gottlieb said, "I also happen to be a registered voter in Washington state, and this initiative is legally invalid. The petitions were not printed in accordance with state law because they did not have a full and correct version of the measure printed on the back." Additionally, Gottlieb's lawsuit notes that language intended to be added to state law was not underlined nor was language to be stricken from existing law identified by strike-throughs. "How was anyone supposed to fully understand what they were signing," he wondered. "Just because the wealthy elitists behind this poorly-prepared initiative spent a couple of million dollars in an attempt to get on the November ballot is no reason for the court to allow them to dance around state law. "I'm a citizen of this state," Gottlieb continued, "and I vote. It is personally offensive that the backers of this measure think they can buy their way to victory by ignoring the law. "This challenge maintains that because the initiative petitions were incorrectly printed, there isn't a single valid signature on them," he explained. "It is essentially the same as signing a contract to buy a new Ford and they deliver a used Chevy. At the end of the day, it's worthless paper. That's not my fault, it's the fault of the people behind I-1639 who apparently thought it didn't matter to follow the letter of the law." The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SOURCE Second Amendment Foundation Related Links http://www.saf.org WAYNE, Pa., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Letco Medical, L.L.C. ("Letco Med" or "Letco"), a leading national supplier of quality compounding products, supplies and equipment, announces the launch of their Pharmacy Financial Services program, another in a series of new Letco Med offerings designed to partner with compounding pharmacies to grow their business and enhance profitability. Detailed information about Letco Med's Pharmacy Financial Services may be found at www.letcomed.com. Letco's Pharmacy Financial Services offering is uniquely designed to assist pharmacies by providing financing to purchase or lease capital equipment critical to running their business. The array of benefits compounding pharmacies can take advantage of through this attractive program include: Financing up to 100% of equipment costs, including all associated expenses (tax, delivery and installation); A broad menu of financing options with flexible payment methods tailored to each customer's specic business needs and the status of their growth cycle; An option to upgrade equipment as new technology becomes available with no additional up-front out-of-pocket monies required; and Pharmacy Financial Services is a separate program, having no impact on customers' existing lines of credit with Letco. Letco's Chief Financial Officer, Todd Way, said "Letco is excited to offer a unique financing program for customers at a time when new investments are required to satisfy emerging market and regulatory requirements such as USP<800> compliance for handling of hazardous substances. We are very enthusiastic about this new offering and believe customers will be as well, as it allows compounding pharmacies to build a plan that aligns with their specific sales cycle, cash flow and budget needs." Equipment financing through Letco is the smart choice for compounding pharmacies. By helping customers operate smarter, without the need to dip into valuable capital, pharmacies experience a range of business benefits while still adhering to their own unique budgetary and cash flow requirements. About Letco Medical, L.L.C. Letco Medical, L.L.C. ("Letco Med"), a 100% employee-owned company headquartered in Wayne, PA, is the supply partner of choice for profit-conscious compounding pharmacies everywhere. Letco Med has invested heavily in building a company that can serve the needs of compounding pharmacists today, tomorrow and into the future, with a full line of products and complementary programs and services. With a dedicated focus on the U.S. compounding market, Letco Med provides a wide and comprehensive portfolio of safe and consistent top-quality chemicals, compounding supplies and equipment at highly competitive prices. Letco Med's product line includes chemicals covering a broad range of therapeutic categories, as well as supplies, equipment, capsules, pre-made topical bases and oral delivery vehicles. In addition, Letco Med carries a deep assortment of dosage forms and delivery systems. Since its inception in 1993, Letco Med has earned and built a reputation as one of the most innovative companies in the compounding industry. Letco Med is focused on unwavering quality, exemplified by the company's industry-leading quality assurance programs, stringent quality control procedures and an unblemished record with the FDA. SOURCE Letco Medical, L.L.C. Related Links http://www.letcomed.com LOS ANGELES, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new app released by the Medical Board of California today cannot replace a simple in-person disclosure as the best way to notify patients if their doctor has been disciplined for causing patient harm, said Consumer Watchdog. SB 1448 by Sen. Jerry Hill would mandate doctors disclose to patients if they are on probation. The state Assembly will vote on the bill in August. The Board voted to support that legislation, but only once it was narrowed to require disclosure of four types of serious misconduct: drug use, over-prescribing, sexual misconduct, or criminal convictions for causing patient harm. That would cover about half the doctors on probation today, said Consumer Watchdog. The group said the Medical Board could act today to begin requiring doctors to make that disclosure to their patients, but it has so far refused. "An app makes a nice PR splash, but it won't improve transparency for the vast majority of Californians who don't know they can look up their doctor in the first place. It's time to shelve the marketing strategy for a simple cost-effective solution: require doctors to inform patients in person if they have been disciplined for misconduct or causing patient harm," said Carmen Balber, Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog. Consumer Watchdog said the Medical Board should be doing more to end secrecy about doctor misconduct. In addition to probation disclosure, the Board should endorse reforms to require greater disclosure of complaints and investigations against doctors, said the group. Complaints about a doctor are currently not disclosed to the public, even when multiple complaints are filed or when patients have died. For example, Karie H.'s doctor was sentenced to prison this year for sexually assaulting her and four other patients. She found out later that at least two other women had previously filed complaints about the doctor with the Board, but the information was never made public. As Karie testified in April: "If I had known I might not be a victim." Consumer Watchdog asked the board to endorse a Patient Bill of Rights, including transparency around probation and complaints, at its last meeting in April. View the Patient Bill of Rights here. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Related Links http://www.consumerwatchdog.org APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Fitness Apache Junction is reopening its doors after upgrading the facility and outfitting the club with new equipment. The club will celebrate the recent renovation on August 1st with a $2,500 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of East Valley. The donation is part of the Company's national philanthropic initiative, The Judgement Free Generation, which aims to spread kindness and end bullying faced by youth today. Representatives from the Boys & Girls Clubs of East Valley attended the grand opening event, along with staff from the Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce and city government officials. Members have access to new cardio equipment including rowers and steppers. And, after their workout, they can freshen up in the locker rooms, complete with granite bench tops, faucets in the restrooms and tiles in the showers. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Planet Fitness Apache Junction is located at 3003 W. Apache Trail Suite 1 Apache Junction, AZ 85120. "Our focus on creating a workout environment where everyone feels accepted and respected - just got even better," said Brandon Thomas, Regional Director of United PF Partners, a leading Planet Fitness Franchisee Group that currently operates 89 locations across ten states. "We take pride in offering the Apache Junction community a clean, comfortable environment with high-quality, brand-name cardio and strength equipment, where a lasting, active lifestyle can be built." The newly updated location, which spans over 20,000 square feet, also offers 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, numerous flat screen televisions, massage chairs*, a Total Body Enhancement booth*, and more. From now until August 7, new members who join can take advantage of a special discount offer only $1 down and $10 per month for the classic membership, which includes unlimited access to members' home club, free fitness training and free WiFi. Other memberships include, The PF Black Card membership, which is $21.99 a month and includes additional amenities such as the ability to bring a guest every day at no additional charge, access to all 1,500+ Planet Fitness locations, as well as access to massage beds and chairs and tanning, among other benefits*. For more information or to join online, please visit www.PlanetFitness.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PlanetFitness) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/PlanetFitness). *PF Black Card amenities may vary by location but are included in Apache Junction. About United PF Partners United PF Partners is the largest Planet Fitness franchise group with 89 locations across Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. About Planet Fitness Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2018, Planet Fitness had approximately 11.8 million members and 1,565 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Panama. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women. SOURCE Planet Fitness Related Links http://www.PlanetFitness.com OREM, Utah, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) recently announced the formation of the first PCI SSC Global Executive Assessor Roundtable. The Roundtable will be an Executive Committee level advisory board comprised of senior executives from PCI assessor companies. SecurityMetrics is one of 20 organizations named to the Roundtable in an effort to secure payment data globally. As strategic partners, Roundtable members bring industry, geographical and technical insight to PCI SSC plans and projects on behalf of the assessor community. PCI SSC Chief Operating Officer Mauro Lance said, "We need voices from across the assessor community to help ensure we are providing the best standards and programs to support the industry in protecting against today's modern cybercriminal. We're pleased to have SecurityMetrics on the PCI SSC Global Executive Roundtable to provide critical insights and help us build on the great efforts that are already being done to increase payment security globally." SecurityMetrics CEO, Brad Caldwell, commented, "I'm excited the PCI SSC has taken this step to continuously improve their dialogue with security professionals and am honored to work with other members of the QSA community. Our goal is to use our collective experience to help improve data security." For press inquiries, call 801-995-6516 or email [email protected]. About SecurityMetrics SecurityMetrics helps customers avoid data breaches. In 2000, CEO Brad Caldwell founded SecurityMetrics, two years after a data breach at his small business left him without affordable options for remediation. As an Approved Scanning Vendor, Qualified Security Assessor, and Certified Forensic Investigator, SecurityMetrics guides organizations through compliance mandates (PCI, HIPAA, GDPR) and has tested over 1 million systems for vulnerabilities. The privately held company is headquartered in Orem, Utah where it maintains a Security Operations Center (SOC) and 24/7 multilingual technical support. About the PCI Security Standards Council The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing industry-driven, flexible and effective data security standards and programs that help businesses detect, mitigate and prevent cyberattacks and breaches. Connect with the PCI SSC on LinkedIn. Join the conversation on Twitter @PCISSC. Subscribe to the PCI Perspectives Blog. SOURCE SecurityMetrics Related Links http://www.securitymetrics.com RIVER FALLS, Wis., July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 1, 2017, Three Square Market (32M) became the first company in the United States to offer implanted microchips to its employees. Their August 1 chip party, where over 50 employees were microchipped, some on live television, sparked worldwide debate and coverage. Their story generated over 1.5 billion hits on their websites in a few weeks and brought visits from major media outlets, Katie Couric, the Today Show and more. 32M promised then to introduce technology that could change the world. Now nearly a year later, 32M is making good on their promise. "The world is getting smarter ... smart city, smart refrigerators, smart everything that are all part of the Internet of Things (IoT). We are well down the path of bringing medical solutions into a reality that will create the Internet of People," said 32M President Patrick McMullan. "Vital signs are the dashboard of the human body. We will provide data to doctors that will help all kinds of patients and medical issues and save lives." "Our products will pro-actively provide medical statistics to the medical world that will allow treatment and prevent medical issues vs. the current state of reacting to a problem," said 32M CEO Todd Westby. When 32M launched the technology in August 2017, their implanted chips opened doors, unlocked computers, made payments on 32M proprietary self-checkout software and more. Today, the company has installed their proprietary patent-pending system that solely use non-implanted devices to provide the same security, certainty, convenience and efficiency their implanted chips provide. 32M faced serious backlash from groups citing privacy and religious concerns. "We have zero interest in tracking anyone. In fact, we have turned down numerous requests to develop such a solution," added Westby. "We've never been in this to advocate that ALL people get chipped. That's not our agenda." 32M has not limited their innovation to just implanted chips. In addition to medical advances, 32M has developed and deployed patent-pending applications in the smart city sector, hospitals and more. "Look at a city and anything in it, from fire hydrants to curbs, snow plows to city pools, you can make all of them smart," added McMullan. "Same can be said on the medical side. Just as exciting as reading vitals, we are working with major manufacturers to improve the patient experience plus avoid high-cost mistakes. You can expect to see our patent-pending technology in the near future." To learn more about 32M, please visit http://32Chip.com. Media inquiries can be made at [email protected]. Photos: https://www.prlog.org/12720623 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Three Square Market Related Links http://32Chip.com Moscow, July 27 : A high-ranking Russian Foreign Ministry official on Thursday claimed that a woman who had been arrested in the US for allegedly spying on behalf of the Kremlin was a political prisoner. Artyom Kozhin, the Ministry's Deputy Information Director, said that the arrest of Maria Butina, who was detained on charges of conspiracy against the US and acting as an unregistered foreign agent, was arbitrary and politically motivated, Efe reported. "We demand that the US put an end to arbitrarity and release Maria Butina, whose arrest was solely motivated by the motives of the US' domestic and foreign policy, therefore making her a political prisoner," Kozhin said during a Moscow. The diplomat added that Butina had been imprisoned on trumped-up charges just because of her country of origin. "What is this if not a witch hunt?" the Ministry official rhetorically asked, adding that Russia had formally complained to the US about her treatment and the "strong psychological pressure" she had allegedly been subjected to during the eight-hour search of her residence. Butina, 29, could face a sentence of between 10 and 20 years in prison if found guilty of conspiring against the US and unlawfully acting as an agent for a foreign nation. She was arrested on July 15 in Washington, after an affidavit in support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's criminal complaint accused her of infiltrating organizations such as the National Rifle Association, the National Prayer Breakfast and multiple conservative and religious groups with the purpose of advancing Russian interests. While in the US on a student visa, Butina also allegedly spun a network of contacts linked to the campaign of US President Donald Trump, whom she coincided with at the right-wing libertarian FreedomFest conference in the summer of 2015. After Trump gave a speech at the event, she asked a question from the audience about ending sanctions on Russia, to which the then-candidate replied: "I don't think you'd need the sanctions." She pleaded not guilty on July 18, after which a District Court judge ordered her imprisoned until her pending trial. Washington, July 27 : US Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that his country will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases a detained US pastor. Pence said Turkey should take immediate action to free Andrew Brunson or "be prepared to face the consequences", Xinhua reported. US President Donald Trump also tweeted earlier that Ankara should release Brunson, calling the cleric's detention "a total disgrace". The 50-year-old pastor, who was detained two years ago on spying charges, faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty. A Turkish court on Wednesday decided to move him from prison to house arrest under judicial control due to his health problems. However, he was not allowed to leave the country. Turkish authorities accuse him of espionage and having links to the network led by US-based outlawed cleric Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Ankara accuses Gulen and his network of being behind the failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government in 2016, an accusation that Gulen has denied. Washington, July 27 : US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin expressed optimism on Thursday about reaching accord quickly with Canada and Mexico on revising the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). "We hope to have an agreement in principle, clearly, very soon. That's the first priority," Mnuchin said. "I think we're making a lot of progress." US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, meanwhile, assured lawmakers that negotiations with Mexico and Canada were advancing at an "unprecedented speed", Efe reported. "Hopefully we are in the finishing stages of achieving an agreement in principle that will benefit America's workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses," he said at a hearing of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo is due in Washington on Thursday for talks on NAFTA with Lighthizer. Jesus Seade, designated as Mexico's future NAFTA chief negotiator by President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is expected to take part in the conversation. The process of revising NAFTA got under way in August 2017 at the initiative of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the pact as a "disaster" for American firms and workers. After successive rounds of talks, the parties remain far apart on key issues such as automobiles and on Washington's insistence -- reiterated on Thursday by Lighthizer -- that the pact include a five-year sunset clause, a demand flatly rejected by Mexico and Canada. Havana, July 27 : The US is tightening its grip on Cuba and other leftist Latin American countries, Cuba's former President Raul Castro has warned and said must be met a strong response. "For us, as well as Venezuela and Nicaragua, it is clear the grip is tightening and our country must be clear about responding with force," Castro told a 10,000 strong crowd gathered outside the historic Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. He was speaking at a ceremony marking the National Rebellion Day, Xinhua news agency reported. Castro, who continues to serve as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, said Washington's attempt to isolate the country will be faced with resistance. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was also present, honouring the day that kicked off the Cuban Revolution. Havana and Washington officially resumed diplomatic ties in 2015 under the Barack Obama administration. However, their relationship has deteriorated since US President Donald Trump took office. Tensions between the two nations have grown since August 2017, when the US accused Cuba of carrying out "acoustic attacks" against its diplomatic personnel, "which nobody has been able to substantiate", said Castro. The US-led trade embargo against Cuba has been stepped up, with countries or companies that have financial transactions with the island nation sanctioned especially, Castro said. He also condemned US efforts to undermine Latin American regional organisations. The way to counter US efforts to dominate the region is "to never neglect the unity of the revolutionaries", Castro said, expressing solidarity with Venezuela and Nicaragua, as well as Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. : Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump take a walk during their summit meeting in ... Image Source: Xinhua/Ministry of Communication and Information of Singapore/IANS SINGAPORE, June 12, 2018 - Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump take a walk during their summit meeting in Singapore on June ... Image Source: Xinhua/Ministry of Communication and Information of Singapore/IANS Washington, July 27 : North Korea has returned remains believed to be of US troops killed during the Korean War, the latest move in the cautious diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. A US military aircraft took the remains to an American base in South Korea, the BBC reported. This will be welcomed by relatives who have waited decades to be reunited with the remains of their loved ones. "Thousands of soldiers from the US air base and their families are lining the route to welcome the fallen soldiers home. Over 5,000 US soldiers remain unaccounted for in North Korea after the war. The remains will be tested to check they are Americans," Laura Bicker of BBC tweeted. The repatriation was agreed at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. It comes on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. Thousands of US military personnel from the conflict remain unaccounted for and most of them -- about 5,300 -- were lost in what is now North Korea. It is unclear exactly how many remains have been returned this time and they will need to be forensically tested to ensure they are of slain US soldiers, the BBC report said. The White House statement said the US government was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change". The US military aircraft took the remains to the Osan Base where a repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1. More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the Korean War from 1950-53 to support the South against the Communist North. The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for. Mumbai, July 27 : Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is not going to be a part of superstar Salman Khan starrer "Bharat" any more. Director Ali Abbas Zafar broke the news saying the reason for her opting out in the "Nick of time" is "very special". Zafar took to Twitter on Friday to announce the new development. "Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of 'Bharat' and and the reason is very very special, she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her... Team 'Bharat' wishes Priyanka Chopra loads of love and happiness for life," he tweeted. Details about the actress coming in place of Priyanka have not been revealed yet. The shooting for the film has already begun. The first schedule includes shooting for a grand circus sequence. The director has previously worked with the "Dabangg" star in blockbusters like "Sultan" and "Tiger Zinda Hai" The film is an official adaptation of a 2014 South Korean film "Ode To My Father". It is produced by Atul Agnihotri's Reel Life Production Pvt Ltd and Bhushan Kumar's TSeries. "Bharat", which will be shot across locations in Abu Dhabi and Spain, besides Punjab and Delhi, is slated for an Eid release in 2019. Kasargode (Kerala) : Kasargode (Kerala) July 27 (IANS) Senior Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and former Kerala Minister Cherkalam Abdullah passed away near here early on Friday, said family sources. He was 75. Abdullah was unwell for a while, but he passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home, the family member said wishing not to be identified. The veteran leader is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. Beginning his political career as a student leader, Abdullah worked up the party order. He was a four time legislator from Manjeswaram constituency from 1987. He was Minister for Local Self Government in the A.K. Antony cabinet from 2001-04. At the 2006 assembly polls he lost and since then he did not return to electoral politics. However, he was active in the IUML and was the secretary of the party. It was during his stint as minister, that the Women Empowerment programme of the state government "Kudumbasree", especially in Muslim-dominated areas in the northern districts of the state got strengthened. Later he made a mark as the Chairman of the Committee on the Welfare of the Backward Class Communities. New Delhi, July 27 : Fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by Indian investigative agencies in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, has denied "any truth in the allegations". In a statement issued to a Caribbean newspaper 'Antigua Observer', Choksi through his attorney David Dorsett said: "I can say categorically, that there is no truth in those allegations." On or about July 24, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) issued a press statement in response to an online story from an Indian media outlet reporting on certain allegations made against Choksi by the Indian authorities and the media. According to this CIU statement on Wednesday, Choksi was granted citizenship by registration in November 2017 and he swore the Oath of Allegiance in Antigua on January 15, 2018. The CIU also said that Choksi's application was granted "after robust due diligence and international investigation by reputable agencies, including the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)". The CIU also said that "the 2017 investigation revealed no derogatory information about Choksi". The owner of the Gitanjali group firms further said that in January 2018, "I had need to visit the US to receive medical treatment. Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence." "That being the case, I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, the country of my citizenship, and to abide by the laws of the country," he said. His remarks came three days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it had written to the Antiguan authorities seeking details of Choksi's whereabouts in connection with the PNB fraud case. On Tuesday it was revealed that Choksi had moved to Antigua from the US several weeks ago using an Antiguan passport. The revelation came from Antiguan authorities in response to a CBI diffusion notice circulated to foreign countries through Interpol. The CBI came to know of it last week and shared the information with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Both the CBI and the ED have been probing the multi-crore fraud allegedly committed between 2011-2017 by Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi. Choksi also said that "I can, however, state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. "During the course of my application I did all that was lawfully required of me to do," he claimed, adding, "My application for citizenship was in due course approved." Choksi also claimed that his application was motivated by his desire to expand his business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa free travel access to 130 countries. "That remains my reason for choosing to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda," he said. The red corner notice (RCN) request from the CBI to the Interpol against Choksi is still pending. Earlier in July, the Interpol issued the RCN against fugitive diamond jeweller Nirav Modi, his brother, a Belgian national, Nishal Modi and an executive of his firm Subhash Parab. Johannesburg, July 27 : India and Russia discussed a host of bilateral issues, including cooperation in defence during a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin that ended here early on Friday on the margins of the 2018 BRICS Summit. "Both leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, specially in trade and investment, energy, defence and tourism," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Modi and Putin earlier met in the Russian resort city of Sochi in May following the latter's re-election as the Russian President for the fourth time. The Russian leader is expected to visit India later in 2018 for the annual bilateral summit. The relationship between India and Russia was elevated to that of a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership during Putin's visit to India in 2010. On Thursday, following the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit here, a Johannesburg Declaration was issued, calling for sustainable growth of global trade and expressing the determination to work together to strengthen multi-lateralism. Johannesburg, July 27 : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the 2018 BRICS Summit here, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday. "Discussed enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing and pharma," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted following the meeting that ended late on Thursday night. Argentina will host the annual G20 Summit later in 2018. In the meeting with Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the two sides discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture and food processing, pharmaceuticals, oil and natural gas, Kumar said in a separate tweet. On Thursday, following the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit here, a Johannesburg Declaration was issued calling for sustainable growth of global trade and expressing determination to work together to strengthen multilateralism. New Delhi, July 27 : With 188 per cent growth, Honor was one of the fastest growing brand in India in the second quarter of 2018 -- registering a three per cent market share and grabbing fifth spot. Sensing the right momentum, the Chinese smartphone maker has brought notch "Honor 9N" with "Full View" display and 19:9 aspect ratio in the sub-Rs 15,000 category to the country. The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999. Let's see if "Honor 9N" (we reviewed 4GB RAM+64GB variant) can help the brand further cement its position. The 5.84-inch Full HD+ device has 79 per cent screen-to-body ratio. There's a speaker grille and the front camera on the notch. You can also enable or disable the notch as per wish. At this affordable range, the display quality was great with good amount of saturation, deep blacks and sunlight legibility. A 2.5D curved glass design with 12 layers of glass with nano-coating finish gave mirror-like effect. The device is perfect in size as navigating it with a single hand hardly posed any obstacle. Powered by the Kirin 659 processor and equipped with a dedicated i5 Co-processor, the device comes with hybrid-dual SIM support. We did not find any major lag. However, it stammered a few times while using heavy-duty apps and playing games. On the software front, the smartphone runs latest Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system (OS) topped with Honor's custom EMUI 8.0. The UI also comes with a gaming mode that will let you play games without much distraction. The device that houses 3,000mAh battery performed reasonably. On a single charge, it lasted for around 12 hours with moderate use, including surfing and video data consumption. "Honor 9N" is powered by 3MP+2MP dual lens cameras with LED flash and phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) technology that increases the focusing speed using planar image phase detection. The camera department did a decent job, delivering sharp images with a nice amount of saturation and contrast along with ample details in the bright light conditions. The device also comes with "AR Lens" along with quirky background to add fun element to the pictures. A 16MP selfie shooter that is equipped with the "Portrait" mode captured sharp images with enough detailing. The fingerprint sensor worked well. Also, a single speaker on the bottom gave nice output. What does not work. Both the cameras gave us good output in the bright-light conditions. However, they failed to deliver the same in low-light conditions as we found images to be grainy at times. The company's so called "Smart Face Unlock" feature at times did not work properly. A fast-charging technology could have made the device more impactful. Conclusion: "Honor 9N" offers decent look and feel with satisfactory battery and performance. At this price point, the device looks set to give some competition to the segment leader Xiaomi. (Vivek Singh Chauhan can be contacted at vivek.c@ians.in) New Delhi, July 27 : Aerospace major Boeing on Friday said that it has carried out the first flights of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters destined for delivery in 2019. "First flight of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening Indian armed forces capabilities," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar was quoted as saying in a statement. "India will receive the most advanced versions of both the AH-64E Apache and the CH-47F Chinook. "Indian industry partners such as Dynamatics is building large sections of Chinook, and the Tata Boeing joint venture in Hyderabad is building the complete fuselage of the Apache," it said. India will ultimately receive 22 AH-64E Apache attack, and 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook transport, helicopters. The contract for the Indian Air Force's 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks was finalised in September 2015. Additionally, six Apaches were cleared for purchase for the Indian Army in 2017. Fuselages for this Army order will be produced by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, the joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad. New Delhi, July 27 : President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to DMK leaders to enquire about the health of party President M. Karunanidhi and offered necessary assistance. "Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhi's family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery," the President tweeted. The Prime Minister also enquired about Karunanidhi's health and offered assistance to his family. "Spoke to Thiru M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi. Enquired about the health of Karunanidhiji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health," Modi tweeted. The remarks came a day after it was revealed that the 94-year-old veteran leader was suffering from urinary tract infection and is being treated at home. The Kauvery Hospital which is monitoring his health on Thursday said that there has been a slight decline in Karunanidhi's health due to age-related ailments. "He is currently being treated... with intravenous antibiotics and fluids. He is being monitored and treated round the clock by a team of medical and nursing professionals, who are providing hospital-level care at his home," Kauvery Hospital's Executive Director Aravindan Selvaraj said. ITC Ltd chairman YC Deveshwar addresses during the company's 107th annual general meeting (AGM), in Kolkata, on July 27, 2018. Image Source: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS ITC Ltd chairman YC Deveshwar addresses during the company's 107th annual general meeting (AGM), in Kolkata, on July 27, 2018. Image Source: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS Kolkata, July 27 : Cigarette-to-FMCG major ITC Ltd is pursuing a long-term strategy to build a cost-effective cold chain for preventing agricultural wastage, a company official said on Friday. "Recognising the crucial need to unlock the lost value trapped in agri-wastage, your company is actively pursuing a long-term strategy to build a cost effective cold chain that will contribute to raising rural incomes and lend a new growth driver to your company's agri-business," its Chairman Y.C. Deveshwar told shareholders at the company's 107th Annual General meeting. Noting agri-wastages, estimated at Rs 92,000 crore, deprive farmers of a potentially large source of income, he said: "Company's ongoing investment in setting up the integrated consumer goods manufacturing and logistics facilities (ICML) across length and breadth of the country provide a unique opportunity to co-locate a distributed network of cold chain infrastructure at a shared marginal cost." The ICMLs comprising food processing plants are being established at strategic locations close to markets, he said, adding that the potential benefits of distributed low-cost cold chain infrastructure to the rural economy are "so attractive" as to encourage the company to take this initiative forward. "Your company will be establishing the feasibility of this approach through a pilot in the not too distant future. The scaling up will take place together with the establishment of additional mega food processing plants, taking the total number to 20 such facilities over the next 5-10 years," Deveshwar said. He said the company's recent foray into the perishables segment was a step in this direction and several products are being progressively introduced in the market in fresh, dehydrated, puree and frozen formats. Deveshwar said the company would continue to strengthen its existing FMCG portfolio while entering newer categories and segments. Responding to a query, he said, 30 new products were launched last year. Later in the day, company's Managing Director Sanjiv Puri, in a press conference, also said the company entered into four new categories last year. This year, the company will likely to launch "similar number" of products and be entering into "similar number" of categories, he said. Regarding the cold chain, Puri said: "There is a concept of developing it in an efficient fashion through our ICMLs by leveraging renewable energy. First, we will do a pilot project. However, on aggregate level, we have ongoing investment of Rs 25,000 crore, which includes investment of ICMLs and others." According to Deveshwar, over the last 22 years, its non-cigarette businesses registered a 19-fold growth, thereby contributing nearly 59 per cent of net segment revenue of the company. Puri also said non-tobacco revenues are at Rs 26,000 crore and operating capital employed in non- tobacco segment was at little over Rs 19,000 crore. Regarding the hotels business, he said overall performance was improved and going forward, the company would not only grow by creating and managing its own properties but also helping others for managing their properties. The company would shift towards asset-right strategy over the period of time, he said, adding that currently, 60 per cent of the hotels were owned and 40 per cent managed. According to him, the proportion could go to 50:50 in the next few years and the company has a pipeline of six new properties including one at Colombo, he said. ITC Ltd, which has been planning to enter the healthcare business, has hired some professionals to examine business opportunities, Deveshwar said. Puri, however, said the newly hired team would prepare the plan for the healthcare segment by a year time and then, it would be placed before the board. Asked whether the diversified conglomerate is open to possibility of acquiring Horlicks and Complan brand, Puri said: "If it is at the right price, why not (acquisition of Horlicks). But I don't think the bid has opened for Horlicks....However, for (acquisition of) Complan that is a very clear no." San Francisco, July 27 : Aiming to expand its presence in the US, HMD Global -- the Finnish company which sells the Nokia brand of phones -- is hiring a team, the media reported. According to a few job listings on LinkedIn, HMD Global is looking to hire an e-commerce lead to deal with its online distribution partners like Amazon and Best Buy. It needs a technical account manager to handle customer requirements, PhoneArena reported late on Thursday. "This is actually an interesting move considering the fact that Xiaomi hasn't yet entered the US market. Most of HMD's Nokia smartphones available in the US belong to the mid-tier range, which would've made Xiaomi a fierce competitor," the report added. According to the job postings, the company also needs a product lead, to talk to carriers and decide on a roadmap, anticipating trends in the market. Without the help of the carriers, it will be hard for the Nokia smartphones to compete with the likes of Samsung, LG, and Motorola, which have long-standing partnerships with all operators in the country, said PhoneArena. New Delhi, July 27 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday congratulated Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk on their winning the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award this year. "Two Indians, Bharat Vatwani, who has devoted his life to serving the mentally ill on the streets and Sonam Wangchuk, a Ladakhi inventor, are recipients of the prestigious Magasaysay Award, 2018. I congratulate them both and salute their achievements," Gandhi tweeted. Gandhi's remarks came a day after Vatwani and Wangchuk were named for this year's Ramon Magsaysay award, along with four others. The board of trustees recognized Vatwani, for "his tremendous courage and healing compassion in embracing India's mentally-afflicted destitute, and his steadfast and magnanimous dedication to the work of restoring and affirming the human dignity of even the most ostracized in our midst". Wangchuk, the inspiration behind the hugely popular Bollywood movie "Three Idiots", has been recognized for "his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world. The Ramon Magsaysay award, widely known as Asia's premier prize, is now in its 60th year of "honouring greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in selfless service to the peoples of Asia". Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh with party leader Asha Kumari arrive to attend the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, in New Delhi on July 22, ... Image Source: IANS Chandigarh, July 27 : In a major relief to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, a Vigilance Bureau court in Mohali on Friday acquitted him and 17 others in a 10-year-old corruption case involving transfer of a prime land in Amritsar. The others acquitted include former Punjab Speaker Kewal Krishan and two former ministers -- all the three are dead. The case was registered by the state Vigilance Bureau on the recommendation of the Punjab Assembly, alleging a scam in granting exemptions to transfer of 32.1-acre prime land of the Amritsar Improvement Trust to a private realtor. Additional District and Sessions Judge Jaswinder Singh accepted the Vigilance Bureau's cancellation report. "I accept the cancellation report," the judge said. Amarinder Singh was present in the court. "Justice has finally prevailed after a decade in the Amritsar Improvement Trust case. It's been proved that allegations were motivated, borne out of sheer political vendetta," the Chief Minister tweeted. "Politics has no place for such motivated action against opponents. Thank the almighty and my legal team," Amarinder said. The Vigilance Bureau had registered the case at a police station in Mohali on September 11, 2008. It had filed the cancellation report in October 2016 when the Akali government was in power in the state. The trial court verdict followed a further investigation ordered by the High Court, whereby the Vigilance Bureau had found that there was "no undue favour granted to any developer" and sought cancellation of the first information report against all the accused. Amarinder Singh said the entire case was clearly politically motivated from the outset. As many as 500 hearings were held in the case, which caused a lot of inconvenience not only to him but also the general public, the Chief Minister told reporters outside the court premises after the verdict was pronounced. "Such things (political vendettas) should not happen, they are not healthy for democracy," he said. At the centre of the allegations in the case was an executive decision taken by the Urban Development and Housing Department in the Amarinder Singh-led government, during its previous tenure (2002-2007), to grant licence to a colonizer to promote development in Punjab. Since the colonizer had applied for licence prior to the notification by the Amritsar Improvement Trust for land acquisition, as per the government's policy decision, the licence was granted to him on a 'first come first served' basis. The opposition parties at that time had objected, alleging the exemption was not as per government policy and it had favoured an individual. Earlier, the Vigilance Bureau had given a clean chit to Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh and others in the case, known as Rs 1,144-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam. Washington, July 27 : As Pakistan is set to form a new government, the US looks for opportunities to work with it to advance the goals of security and stability in South Asia, the State Department has said. "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the US will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," a US State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan is set to become the next Prime Minister of the country, promising a new Pakistan. Washington will be working closely with Islamabad, given the two countries' relationship in the light of the US strategy for South Asia and the issue of Afghan peace talks, the US spokesperson said. The official further said the US was "concerned by reports of constraints placed on freedoms of expression, association, and the press leading up to the elections". As ecstatic PTI supporters celebrated, the outgoing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which had been in power since 2013, rejected the results alleging "outright rigging" and vowing it would use "all political and legal options for redressal of these glaring excesses". New Delhi, July 27 : By increasing productivity and reducing cost, Blockchain technology has the potential to create value of up to $5 billion in India in the next five years, a top official of IT industry's apex body Nasscom has stressed. "The Blockchain ecosystem is evolving in India. Creating awareness on how this technology is simpler and easier to use with the existing social media and Cloud technology can go a long way in helping the country realise its potential," KS Viswanathan, Vice President (Industry Initiative), Nasscom, told IANS in an interview. Based on distributed storage of data, Blockchain technology can enhance the speed of transactions while increasing transparency. It is widely recognised as having the potential to transform several sectors of the economy, including banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) industry, travel, retail, healthcare and supplsy chain, among others. But despite its potential, the response of Indian organisations to adopt this technology has been far from enthusiastic. The primary factors that are holding back the widespread deployment of this tehnology in India is lack of awareness, unavailability of adequate skilled persons and insufficient computing infrastructure, Viswanathan, who also head Nasscom's 10,000 Startups initiative, said. "There are currently just 20-30 good Blockchain startups in the country," Viswanathan said, adding that one way to increase investment in Blockchain is to invest in startups. To create awareness on the importance of the technology and develop skill sets for Blockchain adoption and deployment in India, Nasscom in February tied up with Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), Canada. The two entities agreed to collaborate on various activities, including joint webinars and knowledge sharing. The industry body earlier this month also launched a platform, called FutureSkills, for skills development in eight varied technologies -- Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), robotic process automation, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics, 3D printing, Cloud computing, and social and mobile. This platform was launched with the aim of up-skilling two million technology professions and skilling another two million potential employees and students over the next few years. While cyber security was later added to the list as the 9th skill, Viswanathan said that Blockchain will be added to the list as the 10th skill by October this year. In collaboration with BRI, Nasscom also started the first Nasscom Industry Partnership Programme (NIPP) Blockchain challenge from June this year. The shortlisted teams will come together for a 36-hour session in Bangaluru, to be held on July 28-29, to explore new opportunities for co-creating innovative solutions in the areas of Blockchain technology. For the challenge, eight large corporates including Fidelity Investments, Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI), ICICI Bank, Amdocs, SAP Labs, Wipro and IBM (which is also the knowledge partner) have joined the initiative as strategic partners. "Boosting skill levels, creating awareness on how this technology is simpler and easier to use with the existing social media and Cloud technology, organising multiple hackathons and getting international research papers on Blockchain published are among the priorities that Nasscom is focusing on to increase deployment of the technology," Viswanathan said. He said that time is not yet ripe for India to think about a regulatory framework specifically for Blockchain as it can come under the ambit of regulations on data security and privacy. (Gokul Bhagabati can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in) New Delhi, July 27 : Renowned chef, author and restaurateur Ritu Dalmia is going to be part of the ninth edition of the Mountain Echoes literary festival. In her maiden trip to Bhutan, the culinary diva will talk to audiences about her journey as a chef, how she draws inspiration from Italy and what drove her to bring the flavours of Italian cuisine to India. Her session will be an insight into how the culinary experience forms a major part of the modern Indian lifestyle. She will give global audiences a glimpse of how the Indian culinary culture is witnessing a delicious revolution, right from reinventing traditional recipes to introducing foreign cuisines to its palette. The session will serve up a platter of newly acquired tastes and appetites, seasoned with the restaurateur's braising-broiling explorations, said a statement. Speaking about Ritu's session, Mita Kapur, Festival Producer and CEO of Siyahi said: "Food narratives, and archiving of food traditions are seeing a serious revival world over. If you notice, even when strangers meet and if the conversation moves towards food, the connections made, and the bonds formed always lead to lasting friendships because food is a great equalizer and instinctively acts as a leveler. "Ritu's stories and her experimenting with cuisines from different cultures showcases the osmosis between societies. Talking about food adds a joyous note to the Mountain Echoes festival which is already a celebration at many levels." Commenting on the same, Dalmia said: "I am excited to be invited as a guest speaker at 'Mountain Echoes', Thimphu 2018. In my opinion, it is a unique platform to witness a rich cultural affair that is beyond boundaries and connects two strong nations. I am extremely honored to be part of this project and looking forward to it dearly." Honored by the Ordine della Stella d'Italia in 2017, Dalmia has also been featured on the Forbes W Power Trailblazers List in 2017. She was recognized as one of India's 25 Biggest Chefs by the Indian Federation for Culinary Association in 2016. An initiative of the India Bhutan Foundation and India's leading literary agency, Siyahi, the festival celebrates Untouched Beauty, Unexplored Ideas and Unstoppable Voices from the heart of the Himalayas. This edition will also celebrate 50 years of formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India across its sessions. Key themes at this year's edition include Environment and Wildlife, Spirituality and Philosophy, Theatre, Poetry and Food traditions among others. Mumbai, July 27 : Actor Anil Kapoor has congratulated Tom Cruise on the success of his latest film "Mission Impossible-Fallout" and said that there has never been an impossible mission for the Hollywood star. Anil, who has starred alongside Cruise in the 2011 "Mission Impossible" franchise -- "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol", tweeted: "Inspiring us with his power and stunts in every film and always bringing his A game! There's never been an impossible mission for this guy! Congratulations, Tom Cruise on the tremendous success of 'Mission Impossible-Fallout'!" Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, in "Mission Impossible-Fallout" Cruise will be back as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. This time, he is trying to avert danger which is threatening a large population of three countries. The Paramount Pictures movie is distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. It released in India on Friday in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Jaipur, July 27 : Senior IPS officer Amit Lodha is a strong votary of the saying that 'you set a thief to catch a thief'. And to outwit and catch a notorious outlaw, you have to think like him, he says. Lodha is presently courting fame by penning 'Bihar Diaries', which tells the story of how Bihar's most dreadful criminal (named antagonist Vijay Samrat in the book) was arrested due to Lodha's courage and perseverance while he was posted in Bihar as a Superintendent of Police. "The dreaded criminal tried all ways and means to pressurise me -- he kept an eye on my son's daily schedule as well as my own. I have mentioned this in the book to make people understand the professional hazards policemen face on a daily basis," the officer currently posted as Border Security Force DIG in Jaisalmer told IANS. "Having a huge fan following and strong political connections, he made me think like a criminal since I wanted to outsmart and outwit him. I also followed Chanakya's well-known principle of 'Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed'(using thought, money, punishment and weakness) and promised myself that I will nab this criminal one day." Although Lodha doesn't name the dreaded gangster, because of threats to his family, media reports say it was Pintu Mahto (part of Ashok Mahto gang) who was also responsible for the murder of Congress MP, Rajo Singh. The criminal was finally ensnared and was handed out a life term by court, with his criminal record in Tihar Central Jail dubbed "dreadful". The criminal was notorious for extortions, kidnappings and murders. "The decision to catch this criminal was like inviting a lot of risk to my career as well, because the world is constantly looking for scapegoats if something goes wrong. Although there were risks, those were beautiful days," the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi passout said. Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey is willing to produce a movie based on the book, the officer said, adding thet the concept and the contract was ready. "Bahubali actor Rana Daggubati is keen to play the role." Lodha said that he was thankful to Bollywood actor Imraan Hashmi, who after listening to his experiences, called up publication house Penguin, which in turn contacted him to pen down his experiences. "Hashmi, in fact, helped me meet author S. Hussain Zaidi, who in turn inspired me to write down my encounter with such dreadful criminals," the police officer said. "The book is not only a police-chases-criminal stuff. It is a thriller with a lot of humour thrown in. I have tried to show how normal, routine events can be twisted into something funny," the tough cop signed off with a smile. (Archana Sharma can be contacted at arachana.g@gmail.com) Seoul, July 27 : North Korea has returned the remains believed to be of 55 American troops killed during the Korean War (1950-53) as part of an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un during the Singapore Summit. A US Air Force C-17 aircraft on Friday carried the remains of the soldiers from Wonsan (North Korea) to Osan airbase in South Korea where a repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1, Yonhap news agency reported. Onboard the aircraft were also members of the UN Command Korea. It is believed that the remains of the 55 soldiers were returned this time, but their remains will need to be forensically tested to ensure they were indeed slain US troops. The White House immediately hailed the move as a "momentum for positive changes" by the communist nation in line with the bilateral summit agreement between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un in Singapore on June 12. "Today, (Kim) is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," the White House said. General Vincent K. Brooks, chief of the command and US Forces Korea, said the mission was successful and added: "Now, we will prepare to honour our fallen before they continue on their journey home." US President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to the North Korean leader, saying it was a "great moment for so many families after so many years". "Thank you to Kim Jong Un," he tweeted. The South Korean government called it "meaningful progress" conducive to building mutual trust. "(We) expect efforts by parties concerned to further accelerate for promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said. The Defence POW (Prisoners of War)/MIA (Missing in Action) Accounting Agency will inspect the remains before a formal repatriation ceremony. Then the remains will be sent to a forensic lab in Hawaii. It may take months of detailed DNA analysis to determine how many American service members can be identified. The repatriation came as the two Koreas and the US marked the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War. More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the war to support the South against the Communist North. Thousands of US military personnel from the Korean war remain unaccounted for and most of them -- about 5,300 -- were lost in what is now North Korea. The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for. Since 1990, North Korea has repatriated the remains of 340 US troops. The repatriation was welcomed by relatives who have waited decades for progress. Hyderabad, July 27 : As part of its initiative to enhance employability of its graduating students, Osmania University will facilitate assessment of 100,000 final-year students of its nearly 600 colleges through HireMee, a digital assessment and recruitment platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for the purpose by Osmania University's Registrar Gopal Reddy and HireMee's Advisor Wg Cdr Krishnan Kuppuswamy (Retd). HireMee will serve as a catalyst between recruiters and aspiring applicants from all colleges under this 100-year-old university in Telangana. HireMee will approach colleges and invite students to be assessed using a 100-minute test on the digital platform. Companies have access to the same platform and the assessment results. Students also put up a short video resume making it more likely for recruiters to spot the candidates they want to interview and possibly hire. No cost is involved in the programme for either the students, colleges or businesses as HireMee is supported by its parent company, Vee Technologies, a company from the Sona Valliappa Group, HireMee said in a statement. The idea is to present career opportunities for students completing education from the University as well as expand the pool for recruiting managers looking for talent for their companies. In September 2017 HireMee signed an MoU with AICTE covering nearly 10,000 technical colleges in the country. New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi High Court on Friday slammed Rohini-based Adhyatmik Vidyalaya for allegedly not allowing parents of the female inmates lodged on the premises to meet them and said that abandoning parents is not spiritual knowledge. The court also asked the ashram management to educate the girls on sanitation and personal hygiene after Delhi Commission for Women Chair Swati Maliwal urged for directions to provide sanitary napkins to girls housed in the ashram. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar said: "What is spiritual awakening?" Leaving parents and family is not spiritual knowledge, it added. "Teach the women at the Vidyalaya to respect humankind, including parents," the court advised its counsel and said that the bench had met the inmates and their parents in the chamber who have apprised the court about the situation on the campus. The bench called a couple in front of the dais and asked the Vidyalaya's counsel to look at their pathetic condition as they were not allowed to talk with their daughter. The couple broke down. "Today is Guru Purnima. The first teacher of every child is parents. Show them respect," the court remarked. A court-appointed committee and the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Science (IHBAS) have submitted a report after inspection of the premises and found that the conditions there have changed significantly, though there are no security measures in place in case of an emergency. The court directed the institute to take this into account and work to improve the situation. The court was hearing a plea filed against the Adhyatmik Vidyalaya by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment The ashram counsel told the court that NGO members faced charges of trespassing into the institute. The court asked the two counsels to settle such issues amicably and directed the mediation centre to conduct daily hearings to settle such complaints. The court listed the matter for August 10. The Central Bureau of Investigation informed the court that it is doing its best to trace ashram founder and self-styled godman Virendra Dev Dixit. The CBI has registered three cases against Dixit for allegedly keeping several women and minor girls hostage at the ashram. Earlier, the High Court had transferred the case to the CBI and asked it to forthwith set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the charges that girls and women were lured to the ashram on the pretext of spiritual guidance but raped. On the High Court's directions in December 2017, a committee inspected the institute and submitted that the inmates were kept in "unhygienic and animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing". Washington, July 27 : US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has said that his client knew in advance of a June 2016 meeting between his aides and a Russian delegation that offered to help his campaign. Cohen said on Thursday that he was present when Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, informed his father of the Russians' offer, CNN reported on Friday. Trump's confidante who is now turning into a dangerous adversary said he was willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller investigating the alleged Russian election meddling. Cohen's claim would contradict repeated denials by Trump, Donald Trump Jr., their lawyers and other administration officials who had said that the President knew nothing about the Trump Tower meeting until he was approached about it by The New York Times in July 2017. The meeting at Trump Tower in New York City involved Trump's son, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and influential Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. By Cohen's account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, CNN reported citing sources. The meeting was set up after a Russian intermediary contacted Trump Jr with a promise to provide material that would "incriminate" Hillary Clinton -- the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election. According to reports, Cohen did not have any audio recordings to support his account but was willing to assert it as part of the ongoing investigations. In response to the allegation, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani told NBC that Cohen "was not credible". "It's not true," he said. "Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? A lawyer who would tape their own client is a lawyer without any character." His comments referred to reports that Cohen secretly recorded the President discussing payments to a former Playboy model. The tapes were reportedly discovered during an FBI raid on Cohen's property earlier this year in New York. Trump insists he has done nothing wrong and says such a recording would be "totally unheard of and perhaps illegal". Kolkata, July 27 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed concern over DMK chief M.Karunanidhi's health and wished the veteran politician a speedy recovery. "Concerned about the health of Kalaignar. Hope and pray that Karunanidhiji recovers soon @mkstalin," she wrote on Twitter. The 94-year-old former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has been suffering from urinary tract infection and is currently being treated at home. The Kauvery Hospital which is monitoring his health on Thursday said that there has been a slight decline in Karunanidhi's health due to age-related ailments. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also enquired about Karunanidhi's health. New Delhi, July 27 : Travelogues, reportage and testimonials of a group that undertook a "Karwan-e-Mohabbat" (Caravan of Love), have found space in a "searing but compassionate account of how hate violence is tearing apart communities, destroying families and, in the end, threatening the idea of India itself". The book "Reconciliation: Karwan-e-Mohabbat's Journey of Solidarity through a Wounded India" (Westland Publications/ Rs 399/ 192 pages) has been edited by human rights worker Harsh Mander, filmmaker-writer Natasha Badhwar and activist-author John Dayal. In an attempt to seek out and support families whose loved ones had become victims of hate attacks in various parts of India, the group led by Harsh Mander travelled across eight states and met them. Mander has previously authored "Looking Away: Inequality Prejudice and Indifference in New India", and "Fatal Accidents of Birth: Stories of Suffering, Oppression and Resistance". "Reconciliation" consists of concerned citizens, writers, journalists, photographers, students, lawyers, and is a combined account of their "part travelogues, part reportage and part testimonials". "Wherever they travelled, the Karwan encountered grief and bewilderment," Westland, a part of Amazon, said in a statement, adding that many families sought solace in this outreach of citizens standing with them in solidarity and helping them to seek justice. "But there were also several people, across the political and social spectrum, who opposed the Karwan and its mission to highlight the oppression and violence faced by minority communities, especially Muslim," it said. Calling the journey "a call to conscience", the publisher said the Caravan of Love was one of shared suffering, atonement and love. The book will release on August 16. Johannesburg, July 27 : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reiterated the top priority India accords to African countries and the global South while stressing on the importance of sharing development experiences. "My government has given top priority to expand our historical efforts for independence, development and peace in Africa," Modi said while addressing the BRICS-Africa and BRICS Plus Outreach Dialogue following the 10th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit here. "In the last four years, we have had more than 100 visits and meetings at the levels of heads of state and various government levels and these have taken our economic relations and development cooperation to a new high," he said. "Today, India has offered 180 lines of credit worth $11 billion in more than 40 countries in Africa." Stating that every year 8,000 African students get scholarships to study in India, Modi said that his country now has an e-network in 48 African countries for telemedicine. He also referred to the investment of $54 billion by the private sector through which "we are carrying out capacity building in Africa based on Africa's needs". He recalled his address to the Ugandan Parliament on July 25, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister, in which he outlined 10 principles for India-Africa engagement. "These 10 principles are the guidelines for collaboration, for development as per the needs of Africa, for cooperation in security and for strengthening hundreds of years of relations between our people," the Prime Minister said. He also congratulated all African nations for the important initiative of forming the African Continental Free Trade Area and welcomed the various efforts for regional economic integration in Africa. Rwanda hosted the Assembly of the African Union in March this year where the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCTA) establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed. Forty four members of the African Union signed the Agreement. When ratified, the Agreement would be the largest free trade area in terms of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organisation. Stating that free trade and commerce has in the last three decades helped hundreds of millions of people to escape from poverty, Modi said: "Taking the benefits of globalisation and development to the people is the most important part of this process and the global South was an equal partner in this effort." At the same time, he said that after the financial crisis of 2008, the dark clouds of protectionism are hovering over this fundamental aspect of globalisation. "The most profound effect of this tendency and decrease in growth rate has been felt by countries such as ours who could not benefit from the industrial progress made during the colonial times," he said. Stating that the world today is again at a historic turning point due to the digital revolution, the Prime Minister said: "New opportunities are emerging for us. And that is the reason why it is necessary that we be completely ready for the changes that will come about due to automation, artificial intelligence and big data analytics." Following up on his address at the BRICS plenary session on Thursday in which he said that India will work with the economic bloc's member states for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Modi said that this will require investment in digital infrastructure and skilled workforce. "At the same time, inclusive global value chain, workers mobility, portable social security frameworks and efficient remittance corridors are also our priority," he said. The Prime Minister also said that sharing development experiences in the South-South cooperation and extending all possible support, whether it be technical support, training or capacity building in the developing countries has been an important part of New Delhi's foreign policy. "At the same time, as per the requirement and priorities of our partner countries, India has been extending financial assistance to the extent possible in the areas such as infrastructure, power, agriculture, education, health, IT etc. despite being a developing country itself," he said. "India's own development journey, South-South Cooperation has been an essential basis. Sharing our development experiences with other developing countries has always been a priority for India and will continue to remain so." The BRICS-Africa and the BRICS Plus Outreach Dialogue was held at the initiative of the host of the 10th BRICS Summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The theme of this year's Summit is ""BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution". While leaders of various African countries were invited for the BRICS-Africa Outreach, chairs of multilateral groupings such as Argentina (G20 Chair & MERCOSUR member), Indonesia (Co-Chair, New Africa-Asia Strategic Partnership and Asean member), Egypt (G77 Chair), and Jamaica (Caricom Chair), Turkey (OIC Chair) were invited for the BRICS Plus Outreach to interact with the BRICS countries. New Delhi, July 27 : Terming Yamuna a "dead river", NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Friday said the "enormity of the water crisis" was not being recognized in India, and that 10 large cities would completely go dry by 2030. "Unfortunately, NITI Aayog has to point out that 600 million people live in water-stressed areas and by 2030, our demand for water may double," Kumar said at Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Memorial youth conclave on 'Creating Livable Planet Earth'. The government's think tank last month came out with a report on the country's water crisis. It was a "supreme irony" that the country was facing the crisis despite receiving plentiful rains, he remarked. "Some 30 years ago, water was transported to Gujarat by trains as 700-ft deep wells in that state were filled with arsenic. These situations can be reversed, but the work has to start now...no more delays," he said. "Yamuna is a dead riverA and the enormity of the water crisis is not being recognized in this country... soon 10 larger cities in India are going to face dead-stop period by the year 2030. Soon water in this country will not only be priced but become unavailable one day," he said. In order to curtail sewage getting dumped in the Yamuna, Kumar said the NITI Aayog had come up with a bio-digester toilet system which was first discovered in Antarctica. If the new initiative is implemented, the country would not require any more sewage transport systems, he added. "I have been trying to push this into the system for the last seven months...but I am being pushed back all the way," he said. Remembering Abdul Kalam, who said that every citizen of the country should have a 'right to water', he said "mere rights will not make that happen...entitlements have to come with responsibility". Singapore City, July 27 : Five Indian-origin men in Singapore were on Friday slapped with the charge of slashing another Indian-origin man and causing severe injuries. The accused -- Sharvin Raj Suraj, Haresh Shanmuganathan, Arjun Retnavelu, Victor Alexander Arumugam and Dinesh Kumar Ruvy -- were charged with one count of rioting with deadly weapons. They were accused of attacking 26-year-old Dhines Selvarajah with baton, a chopper and a parang in ethnic district of Little India on Wednesday. Earlier reports had claimed a samurai sword was also used in the attack but there was no mention of that in court documents, Channel News Asia reported. If found guilty, the men can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned. Two other men were yet to be charged as investigations against them were ongoing. The incident was believed to have occurred over a personal feud. The victim was taken to a hospital with multiple slash wounds on the back of his head, body, hands and legs. All men will be back in court on August 3. Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam called the attack "horrific" and praised the police for their swift action. Srinagar, July 27 : A bank guard and a civilian were injured on Friday when gunmen tried to loot a bank in Kulgam district, police said. Gunmen forced their entry into the Mohamadpora branch of J&K Bank in Kulgam district with an intention to loot the bank, according to the police. "The alert bank guard fired to foil the robbery. Gunmen also fired back, resulting in injury to the guard and a civilian." The injured guard and civilian were shifted to hospital where doctors said their condition is out of danger. The attempt to loot the bank has been foiled, a police officer said. Seoul, July 27 : Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday showcased teaser videos for the upcoming Galaxy Note 9 smartphone -- highlighting improved performances in terms of battery, storage capacity, and speed. Under the title "A lot can change in a day," the South Korean tech giant advertised the showcase event slated for August 9 through three different video clips, each depicting everyday problems people face when using smartphones. The videos described situations where users can get frustrated due to low battery, lack of storage space and slow download speed, Yonhap news agency reported. "The newest addition to the Galaxy family's most premium line has been optimized from the inside out to keep up with users' busy lives, with technologies that raise the bar for smartphone power, performance and speed," the company said on its website. "Together, these enhancements make Samsung's newest flagship its most powerful yet, and the only device you need to manage work, play and everything in between," the company added. Industry watchers expect the new Galaxy Note 9 to come with 4,000mAh battery and 512GB data storage capacity, along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 chipsets. Kolkata, July 27 : The West Bengal government on Friday announced naming one of its five upcoming universities in the state after Mahatma Gandhi. The university will be built in the East Midnapore district. "The university to be built in the East Midnapore district will be named after Mahatma Gandhi. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lay its foundation stone on October 2, this year," state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters here. "Four other state-run universities will be built in the districts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad. All these universities have been approved in the state assembly today (on Friday)," he said. Chatterjee said the state Education Department has identified land for four of these universities by talking to the respective District Magistrates. "Onece the spots choosen for these universities are approved,the department will initiate the necessary infrastructural development and try to make the universities functional as soon as possible," he added. New Delhi, July 27 : Facing intense scrutiny in India over the spread of misinformation and fake news on WhatsApp, its parent company Facebook has said it is waiting for a green signal from the government to roll out peer-to-peer payments feature for over 200 million users on the instant mobile messaging platform. In an earnings call with analysts after reporting its Q2 2018 results, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company has been testing the payment feature on WhatsApp in India for some time. "It gives people a really simply way to send money to each other and contribute to greater financial inclusion. The feedback and usage have been strong. All signs point to a lot of people wanting to use this when the government gives us the green light," Zuckerberg said. Earlier this year, WhatsApp launched a beta version of its Payments feature in India for nearly one million users. The move -- set to give a tough competition to market leader Paytm -- evoked criticism from digital payment services who sought fair play, claiming WhatsApp has custom-implemented Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system which is not secure and flouts norms laid out by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that has developed the UPI system. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma also demanded a level-playing field for all UPI-based apps. Clearing the air on the issue of "lack of fair play", the NPCI in February said that the full-scale public launch of the feature will be permitted only after the Facebook-owned platform meets all the required norms. "Currently, NPCI has given its consent to roll out WhatsApp BHIM UPI beta launch with limited user base of one million and low per transaction limit," said the corporation. "Four banks will join the multi-bank BHIM UPI model in phases and full feature product shall be released after the beta test is successful," the NPCI added. Beta testers in India found their WhatsApp interface displaying a large list of supported banks and they can see a payments feature appear in their WhatsApp Settings menu. But there was no news from WhatsApp after that. According to Zuckerberg who lost almost $17 billion within an hour after the company reported slow users' growth in Q2 2018, "we've broadened our focus to building this [Payments feature] for other countries so we can give more people this ability faster". Hauled up this month by the Indian government on its failure to check the spread of fake and provocative content on its platform amid growing lynching episodes, the Facebook-owned platform on July 20 launched a test to limit message forwarding to five chats that will apply to its users in India. At least 30 people have lost their lives by lynch mobs after rumours, including that of child lifting, triggered via messages on WhatsApp. New Delhi, July 27 : The Supreme Court, "not satisfied" with the pace of investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur, on Friday sought personal appearance of CBI Director before it on July 30 to decide the steps to be taken to expedite the process. A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice U.U. Lalit said it was tired of the agency's "snake and ladder game" and it was not satisfied with the pace of the probe while summoning its director to explain about the timeline and also about the manner of the probe. The bench sought the presence of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director at 2 p.m. on Monday, after the agency failed to submit final investigation report in extra-judicial killings in Manipur in four cases. It was upset with the CBI on its failure to submit final investigation reports, which the CBI has assured to be filed by July 27, but during Friday's hearing, the CBI instead wanted more time to file final reports. The agency has not filed any charge sheet till date into the alleged extra-judicial killings/staged gunfights by the army, Assam Rifles and police in Manipur. On July 5, asserting that violation of human rights "cannot be tolerated", the bench had sought the SIT report by July 27, after the agency apprised the court that investigation has been completed in the four cases and final reports were in the process of being finalised. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the CBI's Special Investigation Team (SIT), told the court that there was no deliberate delay on the part of the CBI and the process of vetting the charge sheet and approval had to take some time. A DIG-level officer explain to the court the multi-step process of vetting the final report by as many as 10 officers in the CBI, at this the bench said that it would contemplate to issue an order that all these officers will sit together on one day and approve one case per day. The bench said: "It has become like snake and ladder - go up and go down, up and down and we are tired of this. Underlying principle is that you must expedite the process. Let all these officers in CBI sit together one day, apply their minds and finish it in one day. Let there be an exception to your manual." Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for PIL petitioner, to disband the current SIT and constitute new SIT on its own. "They (CBI's SIT) are not interested in court orders. Pass final order to disband SIT. Why should we have the SIT? Appoint SIT of your own choice. There is a wilful attempt to not follow the court's orders,. Even after more than one-and-half-year FIRs can't be registered," he contended. The court was hearing a PIL seeking a probe into as many as 1,528 cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur. On July 14, 2017, the apex court set up the SIT comprising CBI officers and ordered registration of FIRs and investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur. The court had ordered the registration of FIRs in 81 cases including 32 probed by a Commission of Inquiry, 32 investigated by judicial authorities, 11 in which compensation was awarded and six probed by the commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde. New Delhi, July 27 : Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt says he doesn't want to called a 'master' because he feels that someone's outlook should not be confined to a limited world. Known for films like "Saraansh", "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke", "Zakhm" and "Arth", Bhatt has explored a range of movies and is known for creating films with bold plots. In a master class with director Hansal Mehta on Tata Sky Acting Adda, Bhatt shared his unfiltered opinion on filmmaking. "I don't want to be in a position where someone calls me a master. Not out of some bogus humility, but because I don't want people to confine their outlook, their creative ideas to a limited world. Whatever I experienced was true to my life, it might not be of important to another person since there is no compass, no map to learn filmmaking. "Every film is a separate project, a different river that you need to learn to navigate afresh. Even a director who has previously created a film of critical/commercial acclaim might not receive the same laurels for his next movie," he said in a statement. Los Angeles, July 27 : "Shutter Island" fame actress Michelle Williams revealed she has secretly married musician Phil Elverum. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the former lady love of late actor Heath Ledger disclosed that the wedding was a secret ceremony with friends and family in attendance in Adirondacks, reports people.com The 37-year-old actress has a 12-year-old daughter, Matilda, with Ledger. Elverum is father to a 3-year-old from his marriage to Genevieve Castree, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2015. Talking about her husband, the actress said: "Obviously I've never once in my life talked about a relationship, but Phil isn't anyone else. The way he loves me is the way I want to live my life on the whole. I work to be free inside of the moment. I parent to let Matilda feel free to be herself, and I am finally loved by someone who makes me feel free." Ledger died in New York City in 2008 after taking a fatal mix of prescription drugs. They had dated for three years after meeting on the set of their 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain". "I never gave up on love. I always say to Matilda, 'Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes'," added Williams. Beijing, July 27 : At least 86 people have been killed and around 23 million have been affected due to floods, landslides and other natural disasters in China, official disaster relief authorities said on Friday. Zhang Jiatuan, spokesperson for the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said floods had affected around 2.18 million hectares (around 5.4 million acres) of farmland and destroyed 30,000 houses, Xinhua news agency reported. At least 13 people were missing. The Water Resources and the Finance Ministries assigned funds worth 1.7 billion yuan ($250 million) for the affected areas. Large parts of China, especially the southern regions, get affected every summer by torrential rains and typhoons, causing several deaths. New Delhi, July 27 : As many as 36 cows were found dead in a cowshed here on Friday, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka, Anto Alphonse, said that a call reporting the incident at a cowshed in Chhawla area's Gumanhera village was received around 12.30 p.m. A team of veterinary doctors from Kakrola, Goyla dairy, Najafgarh, Dichaun Kalan, Chhawla and Nangli dairy arrived at the cowshed, which is being run by Acharya Sushil Gosadan Trust. "The doctors are conducting the enquiry into the cause of death and they will also conduct post-mortem of all the dead cows," Alphonse said, adding nothing can be said as of now. This cowshed is spread over 20 acres of land, which was allotted to the Trust in 1995. With about 1,400 cows sheltered at the cowshed, there are 20 labourers to look after them. "Once their (doctors') report is submitted, further legal action in accordance with the prevalent laws will be taken," Alphonse said. Bengaluru, July 27 : As India moves closer to a new data protection regime, the regulations should provide micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) certain relaxations and exceptions under specific circumstances, industry chamber Assocham and British advisory multinational PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said in a joint report on Friday. Stringent regulations may deter MSMEs due to the high costs and technology investments necessary for compliance, said the PwC-Assocham white paper titled "Privacy in the Data Economy". In India, the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment last year declared privacy a fundamental right. This set the government in motion to take steps to bring a new data protection legislation for the country. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) last year constituted a committee of experts under the Chairmanship of Justice BN Srikrishna, a former Supreme Court judge, to study and identify key data protection issues and recommend methods for addressing them. The BN Srikrishna committee submitted the keenly awaited report on Friday. The PwC-Assocham report said that penalties in the data protection regime should be commensurate with the size and nature of the business. Further, there should be a higher level of penalty for breaches of privacy that organisations wilfully make or that result in negligent security practices. There should be clarity around the quantum and nature of the same to the extent feasible, it added. "But the absence of data privacy and protection law could lead consumers exposed to risks of their data being misused by organisations and data breaches on account of sub-optimal investments in security," Siddharth Vishwanath, Leader - Cyber Advisory at PwC India, said in a statement. Overall, the report found that India was moving in the right direction and was on the cusp of coming at par with the global standards in terms privacy protection. New Delhi, July 27 : Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Friday said that the Indian government has not approached them on fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi who has secured citizenship of the Caribbean country, but promised all cooperation on the issue. Speaking to television channel CNN News18, Browne also said Choksi, who got the citizenship when there was no case against him, can lose the citizenship if he gave any false information at the time of application. Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case along with nephew Nirav Modi, had taken Antiguan citizenship last year. "At the time when he applied about August last year, there was no derogatory information on him. In fact, up to this point I do not believe that your law enforcement agencies in India would have posted anything on Interpol ... So in essence, my country did nothing wrong," Browne said. He said Choksi at the time of application had claimed that he left India to escape from political persecution and an investigation will have to be conducted to confirm its veracity. "The gentleman (Choksi) has claimed that he actually left the country ... 'I am literally trying to flee political persecution'. We don't know what the facts are," said the PM. However, Browne said the Indian authorities will have to follow the due process and Antigua will conduct an investigation and then there will be a decision on revocation of citizenship. He said there are certain clauses under which if it is found Choksi furnished false information at the time of application or did any fraud or lied at the time of the oath of allegiance, his citizenship can be revoked. "My government will cooperate fully with Indian government," he added. Johannesburg, July 27 : Former South African President Jacob Zuma, facing charges on multiple counts of corruption, was able to postpone on Friday a court trial after his new defence team argued it had not had enough time to prepare for the case against him. Zuma, who served as the fourth President of South Africa between 2009-18, appeared at the KwaZulu-Natal region high court in Pietermaritzburg, only to have his team of lawyers successfully negotiate for the trial to be postponed until November 30, despite protests from the prosecution that the time period given was too long. The politician has used many tactics to avoid trial, including dismissing his entire legal team in what local media have described as a "Stalingrad Defence", Efe news reported. Zuma fired his long-time attorney Michael Hulley earlier in the month and replaced him with Daniel Mantsha, former chairman of state-owned arms company Denel who has been linked to the powerful Gupta family. The Indian-born Guptas, who own a business empire in South Africa, were close associates of Zuma when he was in power and were involved in many of the controversies and corruption allegations that dogged the ex-President's career. The 76-year-old politician bowed to party pressure in February and stepped down as President and African National Congress leader, ceding the role to Cyril Ramaphosa. Two months later, Zuma was charged with 16 counts of corruption, including criminal association, two counts of corruption and 12 of fraud and one count of money laundering based on almost 783 fraudulent operations allegedly carried out in relation to a multi-million dollar arms deal struck in the 1990s when he was deputy President. Bhubaneswar, July 27 : The setting up of the Odia University at Satyabadi in Puri district of Odisha was approved on Friday by the first Heritage Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, official sources said. The state will provide 25 acres to set up the varsity, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said. Approval was also given to the formulation of an Odia Culture and Heritage Policy to facilitate preservation and proliferation of the state's art, culture and classical Odia language. "The draft policy will be prepared by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department to preserve, promote and research on the subjects," said Padhi. The Cabinet also approved the creation of a corpus to convert Anand Bhawan Museum and Learning Centre, former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik's ancestral house, into a trust. The museum at Cuttack will be converted into a trust in line with the Netaji Museum Trust, the official said. For the smooth and smart functioning of all public libraries, the Cabinet also approved a separate post of Director to manage such libraries. Mumbai, July 27 : Writer-director-actor Aazaad of the upcoming film "Rashtraputra", based on the life story of freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad, says it has been shot in five languages, which was quite difficult for all the actors. The film has been shot in Hindi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu. On the shooting experience of the film, Aazaad told IANS here: "It was quite a task for all the actors to shoot the film in five languages, especially in Sanskrit because that is one language that we do not speak in daily life. We do not get to hear that language. So the actors had to work to get the pronunciation right. So that was quite challenging." Since the film is releasing in 26 languages, Aazaad said "The idea is to reach out to the maximum people with the story of the freedom fighter that people do not know much about." As the film is produced by Bombay Talkies, which is coming back to business after a gap of almost six decades, Aazaad said he is very fortunate to be a part of it. "I feel lucky to be a part of this crucial journey of Bombay Talkies because back then, iconic actors like Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Madhubala worked here. In fact, the current management felt happy that I chose the story of Chandra Shekhar Azad. "In 1940, Bombay Talkies made a film on Chandra Shekhar Azad titled 'Azad', in which Ashok Kumar played the lead role. Since the freedom movement was going on and the British government got offended by the narrative of the film, the makers had to change the story to get a release. So with this film, hopefully, the production house will fulfil their incomplete dream." "Rashtraputra" will release on September 14. Ahmedabad, July 27 : Three policemen were injured in stone-pelting by members of a notified tribe during checking of vehicles to prevent liquor smuggling in Chharanagar area here, following which 29 persons were booked for rioting and other offences, police said on Friday. On the other hand, social activists cried police brutality, with a local lawyers' body claiming that three of their members were also injured in police action late Thursday night. They sought immediate suspension of the erring policemen. Ahmedabad Police ACP Ashok Yadav said: "Some people are involved in ferrying alcohol illegally on small vehicles (in Chharanagar area). After a tip-off, we were checking vehicles when the policemen on duty were abused and pelted with stones. Three of our men were injured." While police denied the charge of beating up people and damaging vehicles, CCTV footage of the incident and police driving to the deserted area began doing the rounds on the social media. "We have not received or seen such videotapes but when we do, we will review these and initiate action against erring policemen," the ACP said. Chharanagar is a ghetto in Ahmedabad housing over 20,000 members of the Chhara tribe. Some members of the community are into brewing illegal liquor, due to which police frequently raids the area. However, the community is also known for its contribution to the fields of art, including theatre and movie-making, through many progressive intellectuals. Though police claimed that some youngsters from the community abused them and attacked them, the Chharas alleged that an inebriated Police Sub-Inspector entered into an altercation with a local Jigar Indrekar, triggering the fracas. The community members claimed that a group of 300-400 policemen entered the area inhabited by the Chharas soon after and began beating up people. They also damaged parked vehicles with batons. Many social activists gathered outside Sardarnagar police station during the day and alleged police "brutality and atrocities" on the community members. The protesters threatened legal action. "If there is any violation by any individual, police should have acted against that individual only and not against the entire community. This is an organised attack. Besides, such large force should not be used, that too without women constables, to beat up even women," lawyer activist Samshad Pathan said. "Many people, including three lawyers and a photojournalist, have been beaten up. They have fractured a lawyer's hands. It is not mob lynching but police lynching. We, the legal fraternity, will fight back," local Bar Council member Anil Kella said. Moscow, July 27 : Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that he had invited his US counterpart Donald Trump to visit Moscow, and was ready himself to go to Washington for a new round of talks, the media reported. "I fully understand that President Trump has a desire to hold further meetings. And I am ready for this. But necessary conditions for work should be created... We are ready to invite him to Moscow... I am also ready to go to Washington - if there are appropriate conditions for work," Putin told a press conference after a summit of leaders of BRICS group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Johannesburg. The Russian leader said that he might also meet Trump at other international fora, including the G20, Sputnik news agency reported. Putin said that the fight against terrorism, coordination of trade and economic policies remained the main areas of BRICS work. At the same time, he noted that there were no plans to increase the number of BRICS member-states yet, the agency reported. Earlier reports said that the White House pushed to next year Trump's planned meeting with Putin, amid intensifying criticism of the US President's conflicting statements on Russian interference in US elections. Kathmandu, July 27 : India on Friday extended 2.1-billion Nepalese Rupee (NR) aid to Nepal as reimbursement of the first tranche of housing support to 42,086 government of India-supported beneficiaries in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts. As part of India's commitment towards Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction, the two countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for $100-million grant to support reconstruction of 50,000 private houses in the Himalayan nation's Nuwakot and Gorkha districts. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over the amount to Nepal's Finance Secretary Rajan Khanal. In September 2016, both countries had agreed to utilize an additional amount of $50 million from the $750 Line of Credit towards payment of third tranche of housing grant to 50,000 hosing beneficiaries supported by the government of India. As per those previous commitments, India on Friday provided the first tranche to the Nepal government. India, during the international conference on Nepal's reconstruction had pledged US $1 billion aid and soft loan. India announced the largest amount in aid -- NRs 100 billion (US $1 billion) -- for Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction. One fourth of the amount has been extended as grant assistance. The money that ambassador Puri handed over on Friday is part of the Indian aid pledged during the conference. The money will be reimbursed directly to the house owners. The government of Nepal has expressed its appreciation to the government of India for providing generous humanitarian support for the post-earthquake reconstruction programme and recalled the prompt support from the southern neighbour in the rescue and search operations immediately after the earthquake, a statement issued by the Finance Ministry said. New Delhi, July 27 : More than 10 acres of agricultural land, on which paddy was sown, sank in Surajpur village in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, on Friday following a downpour. Farmers said they had suffered losses running into lakhs. The affected farmers complained that no official had visited them till Friday evening to assess the damage or find the cause of the sinking of vast tracts of land after heavy rains. Mohan Lal, who was among the affected farmers, said they were shocked to find that parts of their agricultural land had sunk between two and three feet, and even more at certain places, when they visited their fields in the morning. He said his two acres were affected. "It was all fine till Thursday evening. When we went to see our paddy this morning, we were shocked to see what had happened," Mohan told IANS. "We complained about the situation to the patwari (revenue official) and he assured us he will pay a visit. However, we are waiting for him since morning but he is nowhere to be seen," the farmer complained. Even the brick-lined approach road that connected the village to the farmland was damaged due to sinking of the earth below. An electricity pole bore the brunt of the cave-in. "We were not receiving electricity for the last 3-4 days. When we contacted the electricity department officials, they said power supply will resume when rains stop. Now, since the pole too has fallen to the ground, the supply line has been disconnected," he said. The area has recorded heavy rainfall since Thursday, which the villagers said had caused the land cave-in. A road in Ghaziabad's Vasundhara area too caved in on Thursday after heavy rain. Several residents were asked to evacuate. New Delhi, July 27 : Software major HCL Technologies on Friday reported Rs 2,403 crore consolidated net profit for the first quarter of 2018-19, posting 10.7 per cent annual growth from Rs 2,171 crore in the same period last year and 7.9 per cent sequentially from Rs 2,227 crore last quarter. "Consolidated revenue for the quarter (Q1) under review grew 14.2 per cent annually to Rs 13,878 crore from Rs 12,149 crore in the like period year ago and 5.3 per cent up sequentially from Rs 13,179 crore quarter ago," said the Noida-based IT major in a regulatory filing on the BSE. Under the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) in dollar terms, consolidated net income grew 5.7 per cent annually to $356 million from $337 million in same period year ago and 3.4 per cent sequentially from $344 million quarter ago. Revenue grew 9 per cent annually to $2,055 million from $1,884 million in like period year ago but remained flat (0.8 per cent) sequentially from $2,035 million last quarter. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) or the operating margin grew 11.6 per cent to Rs 2,729 crore for the quarter from Rs 2,444 crore year ago and 5.7 per cent sequentially from Rs 2,583 crore. "Revenue for the fiscal (FY 2019) is expected to grow 9.5-11.5 per cent in constant currency, which translates into 8.4-10.4 per cent on dollar value of Rs 66/$ as on June 30," said the company in a statement later. The operating margin (Ebitda) for the fiscal is expected to be 19.5-20.5 per cent with Indian rupee at 66 per US dollar. "As we expand our global footprint, it is imperative we accelerate, reinvent and reimagine to overcome the challenges of an ever-evolving technology and business landscape. We also remain committed to creating a sustainable business with focus on diversity and inclusion," said HCL Chairman Shiv Nadar in the statement. The company signed 27 deals during the quarter with momentum in telecom, financial services, retail, consumer package goods and energy & utilities verticals. "We achieved highest ever bookings in the quarter led by the next-gen Infrastructure services. We are investing in next generation portfolio to help enterprises build their digital future," said Chief Executive C. Vijaykumar. The company added one new client in $100-million and 7 in $50 million band. "The quarterly performance has been as per our plan. We have reported healthy growth in revenues. We allocate capital efficiently with equity buyback announcement which is underway. Our pay-out as percentage of net income has been at 54 per cent of net income and 69 per cent of free cash flow," said Chief Financial Officer Anil Chanana. The board of directors recommended 100 per cent dividend of Rs 2 per share of Rs 2 face value for the investors. The company also announced to buyback equity shares valued at Rs 4,000 crore at Rs 1,000 per share in this fiscal. The company hired 12,558 techies during the quarter, taking the total headcount to 124,121 as against 120,081 quarter ago and 117,781 a year ago. The HCL's blue-chip gained Rs 11.25 per share at the end of Friday's trading on the BSE to close at Rs 963.70 as against Thursday's closing rate of Rs 952.45 and opening price of Rs 961. Kolkata, July 27 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday urged all anti-BJP parties to put their differences aside and unite against the ruling party at the centre in the 2019 General Elections. Abdullah, who called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here during the day, said they had mainly talked about the prevailing situation in the country and the need to form a united front to take on BJP in next year's Lok Sabha polls, besides discussing the issue of unrest in Kashmir. "...Of course no discussions between the two of us would be complete without discussing the prevailing situation in the country. The fear that prevails among the minority community in the country and also the need that is there for us to be together for a united front, a united force and take on the BJP in the forthcoming General Election next year," he told reporters at the state secretariat Nabanna. "Going ahead the other parties also have to be included. We will try to set aside the differences as far as possible and go for the best in terms of taking the fight to the BJP in 2019," he said. Asked whether Congress would be a part of the proposed federal front, Abdullah, while refusing to give a name to the proposed alliance, said it would be wrong to pick and choose between the parties, stressed on the importance of assembling all the anti-BJP forces together. "We haven't given the alliance any name yet. The names are being given by the media. All parties that are against BJP, will be made a part of this initiative. There is no restriction on any parties. "It will be wrong to say that we will allow certain parties to be in the alliance while some others will be left out. Our attempt would be to assemble all the parties that are against BJP to put up a fight against them in the coming election," he said. However, he refused to comment on whether the opposition should opt for a one-on-one fight with the BJP in the poll. Abdullah, Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir based political party National Conference, also refused to comment on whether Banerjee could be a possible Prime Ministerial candidate stating it was too early and said focusing on names even before the elections would damage what the opposition parties are unity trying to achieve. "Neither the election dates are announced nor the nominations have been filed, so it makes no sense to talk about the Prime Ministerial candidates right now. Our initial aim should be to take our fight to the BJP. It is not correct to thing about names right now. If we start doing that, we will spoil the thing that we are trying to achieve," he added. New Delhi, July 27 : The Congress on Friday accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" on Reliance Defence Limited which, it claimed, didn't have experience in manufacturing fighter jets, having secured an offset contract from Dassault Aviation for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent Lifecycle Cost Contract of Rs 1 lakh crore in the Rafale deal. Stressing that national interests were being compromised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Defence Minister, the Congress demanded that Modi break his silence and tell the nation if he represented the interests of private companies and industrial houses. Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted: "Dear trolls, I apologise for my earlier tweet in which I stated Mr 56's friend's JV, received 4 billion US$'s of "off set" contracts. I forgot to add the 16 Billion US$ RAFALE "lifecycle" contract. 20 BILLION US$, is the actual benefit. So Sorry!!" #130000CroreRafaleScam "Defence Offset Contract went to Reliance Defence Ltd, which had zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. Reliance Defence Limited had been constituted 12 days before (March 28, 2015) the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by PM Modi in France on April 10, 2015," alleged Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, citing a Ministry of Corporate Affairs MCA services master data. The party also alleged that Reliance Aerostructure Limited was given the licence to manufacture fighter aircraft by the Defence Ministry though it did not own any land or building on the date of the licensing, which is February 22, 2016. "What is even more surprising is the fact that even Reliance Aerostructure Limited was incorporated on April 24, 2015, which is 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the Prime Minister," he claimed. "Culture of crony capitalism is in the DNA of Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of Rs 60,145 crore Rafale Deal," Surjewala alleged. Citing a press release by Reliance Defence Limited and Reliance Infrastructure Investors Presentation, Surjewala said that Reliance Defence Limited claimed "to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent 'Lifecycle Cost Contract' of Rs 1 lakh crore over 50 years." The leader also cited Dassault Aviation's Annual Report of 2016-17 which claimed that 'offset contract' was being executed by Reliance. "On the contrary, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has claimed in a PIB press release dated February 7, 2018, that the 'offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation'," Surjewala said. The PIB release said: "No Indian offset partner for the 2016 deal for 36 Rafale Aircraft has been so far selected by the vendor (DA)...." Surjewala asked: "Who is lying? The Defence Minister or Reliance/Dassault Aviation?" He said: "Can Reliance and Dassault Aviation sign an 'offset contract' of Rs 30,000 crore without the approval of the Defence Minister?" Surjewala said that "absence of approval for defence offset contract to Reliance Defence Ltd from the Defence Minister and Acquisition Manager of Defence Ministry and Defence Acquisition Council is in complete violation of contract guidelines." He said that public sector undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), had signed a Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a 'Workshare Agreement' dated March 13, 2014. "Once Modi unilaterally announced an 'off-the-shelf' purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft in April 2015, HAL was suddenly denied the biggest-ever Defence Offset Contract," Surjewala added. He also said that the art of deceiving India is the Modi government's mantra in this "mother of all defence deals." He said that "conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the government." Kolkata, July 27 : Army's Eastern Command chief Lt Gen Abhay Krishna, who is on a visit to the Spear Corps Zone to assess the security situation in the northeastern states, was on Friday briefed at Dimapur on the progress of operations being undertaken by the Corp, a defence spokesman said. The army commander, who commenced his visit from Dimapur during the day, would be in the Spear Corps Zone till July 30, the Defence Ministry spokesman said. Lt. Gen. Krishna, who is accompanied by Spear Corps commander, Lt Gen Gopal R., will be briefed by the operational commanders of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. He will also interact with heads of other security agencies operating in the northeastern states. New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to admit disabled students, who have cleared the entrance examinations, into the M.Phil and Ph.D courses. The order by a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar came while hearing a petition filed by the National Federation of the Blind against JNU's admission policy 2018-19, alleging that it has failed to grant any relaxation to disabled persons in the entrance examination despite statutory prescription. The federation's counsel, senior advocate S.K. Rungta told the bench that the university has not uploaded result of the successful students under the Persons With Disability (PWD) category on its website. Expressing its disappointment, the bench said that it is upset to hear that the university has failed to discharge its duties and said why it is waiting for court's order for uploading the result in the website. The court also pointed out that various litigants related to JNU are pending before the courts as the university has no business to do in the courtrooms. The bench directed the university to display the entire result on the website and grant admission to successful candidates. The court, however, clarified that its earlier order, which had barred the JNU from allowing admission to the five per cent unfilled seats for disabled students for M.Phil and Ph.D courses, shall not intervene in the way of JNU in granting admission to the successful disabled students. New Delhi, July 27 : The BJP on Friday hit back at Congress over its allegations on the Rafale fighter jet deal, saying it had been "profitable" to the country. THe party said the Modi government negotiated the deal with France at nine per cent less cost compared to that done by the former UPA. The BJP posted a video with headline "Facts you need to know about Rafale deal!" on its official twitter handle claiming that the "most ambitious fighter aircraft aquisition project" from France was fixed at Euro 91.75 mn/aircraft (Rs 733.66 crore, as per current exchange rate: one Euro equals to Rs 79.96). According to the video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team put their best efforts to rework the Rafale deal with France in 2016 and "it successfully finalised the deal at 9 per cent less cost" by buying 36 aircraft at Rs 733.66 crore apiece." The video also claimed that in 2011 the price negotiated by the UPA for 126 Rafale aircraft was Euro 100.85 mn/aircraft (Rs 806.43 crore/aircraft). Earlier, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi rejected the fresh allegations as "baseless" , saying the opposition party is repeating same claims in "frustration" which has already been rebutted by Union Ministers and the French government. "The BJP never levelled allegations in defence deals. It was members of Congress government or foreign countries which first alleged corruption in cases like Bofors deal or AgustaWestland chopper purchase," Trivedi said at a press conference. He said those levelling allegations should first hear defence experts and refrain from politicising such deals. The BJP leader said the Congress-led governments never allowed defence production in the country so that it could strike "deals" with foreign suppliers. "Now, they are levelling baseless allegations after the Modi government has started working towards domestic production," he said. Earlier in the day, the Congress accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" on Reliance Defence Limited, which it said didn't have the experience in manufacturing fighter jets, having secured an offset contract from Dassault Aviation for Rs.30,000 crore and a consequent 'Lifecycle Cost Contract of Rs. 1 lakh crore in the Rafale deal. Stressing that national interest was being compromised by the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, Congress demanded that Modi must "break his silence over whether he represented the interest of private companies and industrial houses." New Delhi, July 27 : Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday accused the Modi government of cruelly neglecting both MGNREGA and Food Security Act, which he termed the cause of starvation deaths of three minor girls in the national capital. "As long as there are children who tragically starve to death (Mansi, Shikha and Parul), we have to hang our heads in shame and grief. "MGNREGA was intended to put an end to hunger. FOOD SECURITY ACT was intended to put an end to starvation. Both have been cruelly neglected by the BJP government," he said in a series of tweets. Both the schemes were brought by the UPA government. Three sisters -- aged two, four and eight -- were found dead in their house here with autopsy reports suggesting that they died because of hunger. The Delhi government has begun a magisterial probe into the incident that has shocked people in the richest state of country. New Delhi, July 27 : Veteran actress and social activist Shabana Azmi, who felicitated community frontline workers and volunteers here on Friday, says it is important to recognise those who work tirelessly and selflessly for the betterment of society. Shabana, along with NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, gave away the Plan India Impact Awards 2018 here. The awards were given out in the presence of Govind Nihalani, Chair Emeritus, Plan India Governing Board and Rathi Vinay Jha, Chairperson, Plan India Governing Board. Shabana said in a statement: "This is my second year with the Plan India Impact Awards. I have seen the awards concept growing. What really defines these awards is the cause. There are very few platforms where the spotlight is on the people who tirelessly work behind the scenes expecting nothing in return. "In my long journey as a social activist, I see that the grassroot workers are always at the forefront helping local communities to bring positive and sustainable change." "It is remarkable to see how a little bit of encouragement generates a different level of confidence and a true sense of empowerment in these community leaders," she added. The Awards this year has increased its reach from 13 states in 2017 to 22 states this year. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan IndiaAsays that "Plan India is committed towards building a strong linkage between communities and government service providers at village, district, state and national level to reach the most disadvantaged sections of society." "The Plan India Impact Awards is a demonstration of this commitment. It acknowledges the outstanding efforts of community frontline workers and volunteers while encouraging documentation and dissemination of best practices. It is an ongoing exercise which is witnessing great acceptance from all sections and we hope to continue the same going forward," she said. Kanaklata Raula from Odisha won in the Anganwadi Worker category. She has spent 24 years of her life for women and child healthcare information and support. She said: "It is encouraging to receive such a national level recognition. I believe our role is critical in both a mother's and child's wellbeing and this recognition will not only motivate me but also my co-workers." On receiving the award in the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) category, Anupam Singh from Uttar Pradesh who is dedicated to health related needs of the community, said: "I consider it as my duty to selflessly serve our fellow community members and I like it when people respect us for our knowledge and services that we provide." All of 21, Pari Singh from Jharkhand who received the Youth Champion for Girls' Rights honour, spoke out for the work that needs to be done in the area of gender equality, girl's education, hygiene and sanitation. Amongst the other categories, from Odisha, Pitabas Majhi was awarded for his contribution as an Outreach Worker and Bhagirathi Moharana was awarded in the Community Volunteer category. The Best School Management Committee was awarded to Jhajju, Bikaner district, Rajasthan and the Best Child Welfare Committee was given to Thane, Mumbai, Maharashtra.A New Delhi, July 27 : The Congress on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on Doklam issue and slammed him for not raising it during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of annual BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala's remarks came following claims made at a US Congressional Committee hearing that China had resumed its activities in Doklam area but neither Bhutan nor India tried to dissuade it. The claim was, however, denied by the Indian government. "It is a direct challenge and threat to national security," said Surjewala. "As China is beefing up its military equipment and infrastructure in north and south Doklam, our Prime Minister chooses to remain silent on it." The Congress leader said: "When he goes to China on 'agendaless' visits, he forgets to raise the issue of Doklam. "China talks to Bhutan on Doklam without taking India into confidence, but our Prime Minister remains silent. "Even our Defence Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) and External Affairs minister (Sushma Swaraj) visit China, but they don't take up the issue of Doklam." Surjewala said: "We don't know when will this government show its '56-inch chest' and 'Red Eye' and have the courage to raise national security concerns and border issues with China. We want to know this." New Delhi, July 27 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached foreign currency worth USD 8,000 and Nepalese Rupees 4,067, recovered from a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant. The money was meant to use for terrorist activities in India. According to a government release, a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) was registered by the ED in February 2010 against Mohd Umer Madani. "The Special Cell of Delhi Police had recovered fake Indian currency equivalent to Rs 50,000, USD 8,000 and Nepalese Rupees 4,067, besides some incriminating documents from the possession of Mohd Umer Madani," the release read. Madani was based in Nepal and working as an organiser for the banned terrorist outfit LeT and motivating youths for terrorist activity in India, it said. "He was assigned task of recruiting youth for terrorism and funding them. He was found involved in hatching conspiracy with other Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in order to carry out terrorist and disruptive activities in India," the release said. A trial court had convicted him for the offences and awarded five years' imprisonment. Tennessee has only one native trout species, the brightly colored Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. However, after decades of logging and the introduction of non-native trout species, Brookies have nearly disappeared from their home in the cool mountain streams along the Tennessee / North Carolina border. WTCI, Chattanoogas community PBS station, on Monday will debut a new segment of the Greater Chattanooga series, Back to the Brook, highlighting the efforts to restore a part of our natural heritage. Losing Southern Appalachian Brook Trout would be a loss for the entire Tennessee Valley, said officials. In the Chattanooga way there are groups working together to restore this iconic fish throughout its historical range. WTCI, the community storyteller, has been following the biologists who are working to repopulate the crystal-clear headwaters to tell this important conservation story. Since its origins more than 20 years ago, the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute has led collaborative propagation and recovery efforts to save imperiled Southeastern fish species, including Lake Sturgeon, Barrens Topminnows, Laurel Dace, and Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. Back to the Brook will be available online at www.greaterchattanooga.org, on WTCIs social media outlets, the WTCI YouTube channel, on the PBS app, and on-air this Fall in the new season of this local series. WTCIs Emmy Award-winning team invites the community to join them as they explore the effort to bring back the Brookies. WTCIs producers followed the collaborative work of the U.S. Forest Service, the Tennessee Aquarium, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Trout Unlimited in this exciting segment of the Greater Chattanooga series. Kolkata, July 27 : Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "spreading misinformation" and "misleading" the people with regard to raising the minimum support price of Kharif crops, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday challenged the centre to increase the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) limit to Rs two lakh. Speaking in the state assembly, Banerjee said the Central government was "falsely" claiming that it has increased the MSP of Kharif crop by 50 per cent, when it had hiked the rates by only Rs 200. "The Prime Minister is misleading the people on the issue. He is spreading misinformation," she said. The Central government recently approved a hike in the MSP for Kharif crops for 2018-19. Banerjee alleged that 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country, but none of them were from West Bengal. She asked the centre to raise the KCC limit to Rs 2 lakh. At the same time it attacked the centre for reportedly coming up with a proposal to display Modi's photo on KCC forms. "We pay the larger share of the money - 60 percent, while the central government gives only 40 per cent. But recently, we came across a report that the Prime Minister's photo will be displayed on the forms," she said. New Delhi, July 28 : With Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Friday saying that India has not approached his country on fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi who has secured citizenship of the Caribbean country, Congress alleged complicity on part of Modi government and the investigative agencies. "The tragic part is that Modi government has been lax bordering complicity in ensuring that thousands of crores of money duped by the Indian fugitive are brought back within the ambit of law," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. "We ask Prime Minister Modi and BJP's departmental organisations like CBI and ED as to how Mehul Choksi was permitted to travel to Hong Kong, UAE, Belgium, the UK, the USA and Antigua," he asked. Surjewala said despite that no red corner notice was issued by the Interpol. "Was it on account of some complicity on part of CBI and ED so that he is permitted to take care of his business all over the world?" he asked. "PM Modi who had a close bonhomie with the prime minister of Antigua, needs to answer as to why doesn't he pick up the phone and urge him to detain and arrest Mehul Choksi. "...hand him over to us through the normal process of deportation of criminals that is followed in international diplomacy." "The very fact that the Prime Minister is not doing so raises a doubt about the seriousness and bona fides of Modi government," said Surjewala. Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case along with nephew Nirav Modi, had taken Antiguan citizenship last year. New Delhi : Brussels/Rome, July 28 (AKI) The high-speed train link from Italy's Turin to the French city of Lyon is "important" and should be completed, a European Commission spokesman said on Friday after reports in Italian media that Premier Giuseppe Conte could back out of the costly EU-backed project. "We do not comment on rumours. But the high-speed train link from Turin to Lyon is an important project not just for France and Italy but for the whole of Europe," the European Commission's spokesman for transport, Enrico Brivio, told reporters in Brussels. Conte reportedly has support from grassroots Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio for pulling out of the controversial rail link, known as TAV, despite backing for the project from the rightwing League party - Five Star's coalition partner in the populist government. The 270-kilometre link will connect Turin and Lyon via a 60-kilometre tunnel below the Alps, at an estimated cost of 26 billion euros. The cost of pulling the plug on the TAV is estimated at more than 2 billion euros, according to an independent study presented to the Italian cabinet in May. Italy has already spent 400 million euros on preparatory work for the project and could incur hefty penalties from France and the European Union if it pulls the plug on the project. The TAV has long been targeted by protests from environmental campaigners who fear that tunnelling to build the rail link will damage the ecosystem of the Alps. Construction of the high-speed link is due to start this year and to take around a decade. Under a 2016 deal, the EU agreed to pay 40 percent, Italy 35 percent and France 25 percent of the TAV's costs. Meanwhile, Italy's Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini on Friday said a controversial high-speed rail link with France should go ahead, underscoring a rift within the two parties in the populist coalition government. "I believe we need to move forward not go back," Salvini told Radio 24's 'Mattino 24' programme. "We need the rail link. "If it should emerge from an official analysis that we don't need it, does it cost more to block it than to complete it? "I am not going to let Italians pay billions of euros," Salvini added. Conte, with the support of the grassroots Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio, is poised to take steps to halt the high-speed rail project, known as TAV, several Italian newspapers reported on Friday. The 270-kilometre link will connect Turin and Lyon via a 60-kilometre tunnel below the Alps, at an estimated cost of 26 billion euros. But Salvini's rightwing League party - Five Star's coalition partner - backs the costly rail plan, which for years has been the target of protests by environmental campaigners. New Delhi, July 28 : A man from Bhopal climbed a tower here on Friday, carrying a placard demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. A police official said the man, Uma Maheshwar, climbed the tower at the headquarters of Delhi Fire Services on Barakhamba Road here around 11.40 a.m. "AP Need(s) Special Status", read the placard. Later, the police reached the spot and forced him to come down. Protests demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh have been going on since January 2017. The special status was promised to the state by the Congress government during the state's bifurcation. Later, the promise was reiterated by the Bharatiya Janata Party. New Delhi : Film: Saheb Bibi Aur Gangster; Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia; Starring Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Sheirgil, Mahie Gill, Chitrangda Singh; Rating: ***(3 stars)It is tragically absurd to hear Lata Mangeshkar's ethereal flawless voice floating into the murky morally compromised dark and sordid world that Tigmanshu Dhulia insists on creating a third time around. Why a third film based on a premise that mocked Guru Dutt's imperishable classic Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam? I don't know. Only Dhulia and writer Sanjay Chauhan can answer their need to flog what is clearly a dead cause. Having said that, it is equally true that the third Sahib Bibi Gangster film is the most engaging film Dhulia has made in recent years. Here he abandons the phoney commercial language he adopted in the disastrous Bullet Raja and the even more ersatz patriotism of his last work Raag Desh. There is something tragically credible about the flawed and over-sexed characters in the Sahib Bibi Gangster axis. They are disarmingly disingenuous about their appetites and have no qualms in bringing their greed home. In an early episode the royal libertine Madhavi (played with lascivious authenticity) brings home a toy boy and then forgets about his presence. The next morning she sends him packing with a stern rebuke. I have no idea who the young actor who plays the excitable toy-boy is. But he plays his appetite with relish in a movie that celebrates appetites. After coming out of jail Madhavi's husband Aditya Pratap Singh (Jimmi Sheirgil, powerful as ever) makes love to his promiscuous wife explaining, "I had to make up for lost time." Both the Gills, Mahie and Jimmy, pastmasters at projecting decadent promiscuity, bring a crackling electricity to a work that insists of bring on a short-circuit due to overloading. There are too many characters floating freely in Dhulia's moral world, caring little for how little sense their presence makes to the plot. Why, for instance, is Shergil's faithful bodyguard Deepraj Rana's daughter brought in? She serves no other purpose than to crowd a cast populated with more people than it can handle. The worst sufferer is Sanjay Dutt. Supposedly the star of the show, Dutt's lines and presence are so shaky they make him look like a gangster who is afraid to lose his place in a game of musical chairs. Nafisa Ali struts around as the Rajmata. She barely gets time to speak two lines in a row. Dutt is neither convinced nor convincing as a Londoner (he runs a pub called, ha ha, House Of Lords in London) who must return home to face his nemesis, Dutt seems happy enough with his sketchily written role. But Chitrangda Singh is a miscast. By the time she gets down to performing a Mujra she seems to represent that desperation in some of our filmmakers who insist to master the commercial language even when they know zilch about it. If it wasn't for Jimmy and Tara's screen presence where would this film be? (Subhash K Jha can be contacted at jhasubh@gmail.com) New Delhi : Rome, 28 July (IANS/AKI) Elections in Libya -- Italy's former colony -- should not take place until warring factions in the turmoil-wracked country achieve reconciliation, populist premier Giuseppe Conte told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview on Friday. "I have said to Emmanuel Macron (France's president) that Italy is not in favour of forcing the situation and will not back any ill-considered moves in Libya - elections should only be held after the country's rival factions have reconciled," Conte stated. His comments came after a visit to Libya this week by France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to drum up support for a deal to prepare for polls in the war-torn country that its main political leaders have agreed to hold in December. At a major international peace conference in Paris on 29 May, the leaders of Libya's four key factions agreed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on 10 December, to establish the constitutional basis for elections and adopt the required electoral laws by 16 September. The four leaders included premier Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli, 75-year-old military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army militia dominates the country's east, the Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh; and the head of Libya's Council of State advisory body, Khaled al-Mishri. The four men, who represent a large chunk of Libya's rival factions, also agreed to "accept the results of elections, and ensure appropriate funds and strong security arrangements are in place". New York, July 28 : The United States has expressed concern over the participation of terrorist-affiliated people in Pakistan's elections but commended the voters for rejecting them. In a statement on Friday afternoon, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert also noted with concern the the "flaws in the pre-voting electoral process". "The US also has deep reservations over the participation of terrorist-affiliated individuals in the elections, but we commend Pakistani voters for fully rejecting these candidates at the ballot box on Wednesday," she said. About the conduct of the election, she said that Washington shared the concerns of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan that the flaws "included constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities' stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election". She said that the US also concurred with the European Union Election Observation Mission's findings "that while there were positive changes to the legal framework for elections in Pakistan, these were overshadowed by restrictions on freedom of expression and unequal campaign opportunities". "The US commends the courage of the Pakistani people, including many women, who turned out to vote and showed resolve to determine their country's future," she added. While avoiding any mention of the front-runner in the election, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, Nauert said, "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the US will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) Arul LouisCorrespondent | United Nations | New York Washington, July 28 : US President Donald Trump is open to accepting an invitation frm Russia's Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow, the White House said on Friday. "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," Efe quoted spokesperson Sarah Sanders as saying in a statement. The Russian President said on Friday that he had extended an invitation to Trump to meet with him in Moscow, and that he is equally disposed to travel to Washington, but "only if the appropriate conditions are created there". "We are ready for such meetings, we are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. He has an invitation already and I told him about it," Putin said in Johannesburg, where he attended the summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) group. Just a few days after the first bilateral summit between Putin and Trump, held July 16 in Helsinki, the White House revealed the US President's decision to have a second meeting with his Russian counterpart in Washington before the end of the year. But after the deluge of criticism from both the Democratic opposition and his own Republican Party, Trump announced through his National Security Adviser John Bolton that he will not see Putin at least until early 2019. "The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," Bolton said on Wednesday in a statement. The US President regularly uses the expression "witch hunt" to describe Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. GUEST OBSERVATION Why is it easier to imagine an ecocity full of lush green spaces and buildings, footpaths and bike lanes, outdoor goat yoga and dog parks than a just city where everyone belongs? Why is it difficult to imagine a city where there are no great disparities of income or of access to convivial life because these have been equitably distributed? The prospects for rebuilding the city along ecological lines is enchanting. But ecocities, like smart cities, frequently devolve into a techno-fetishist fantasy, (un)wittingly abetting gentrification from the sell-off of public housing in cities like Sydney to violent informal housing eradication in places like Jakarta. Part of whats required here is to connect the currents of imagination shaping the ecological future of cities with other conversations that are more focused on the future of employment and industry and the possibilities for greater equity. Thinking these disparate ideas together will take some work. Fortunately, its well under way in cities around Australia and the world. The Centre For Future Work and the Australia Institute organised a summit last month at Parliament House to consider the future of manufacturing in Australia. Much of the day was spent exploring how targeted government procurement practices can help rebuild a sector that could play a vital role in building ecocities alongside new employment opportunities. Co-operative ways to build community wealth Non-profit institutions and the private sector can play a similar role. The Evergreen Cooperative Initiative in Cleveland, closing in on its tenth year, used the demand for services from hospitals and universities to start worker co-operatives. These meet the need for green laundry services, food and energy while creating ownership opportunities for low-income residents. Guaranteed downstream markets increase business viability. This ensures easier access to start-up capital. Dozens of US cities have developed similar initiatives in the past decade. Among these are union-supported initiatives in Cincinnati, Ohio, municipal initiatives in Richmond, California, and multi-stakeholder co-operatives in Springfield, Massachusetts. In each instance the guiding principle is that worker co-operatives are tied to place by the people who work in and own them. They distribute profits in ways that benefit worker-owners, other local businesses and the broader community. In Australia, Earthworker Coo-perative has tirelessly pursued a similar initiative. It aims to connect Australian manufacturing capacity, eco-friendly technologies, unions and the environmental movement as a basis for starting worker co-operatives ready to meet the demand for green technology. Organisations like the Mercury Co-Operative and the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals are working to support and spread co-operative ownership in Australia. In September, a second New Economy Conference, open to the public, will consider what sort of legal and social changes are needed to support efforts like Earthworker. More ambitiously, even the emergent disruptive technologies that are enabling the gig economy can be repurposed for co-operation and community wealth creation. While new platform technologies concentrate wealth in companies like Uber and Airbnb, these could just as easily function on a co-operative basis, sustaining communities in the process. Such ideas are being actively considered in Melbourne and in Sydney at last years Vivid festival. These efforts to encourage social procurement, build co-operatives and develop new forms of sharing work readily combine with the ecocity agenda. In themselves they are not sufficient to ensure that ecocities are also equitable cities. As Labor senator Kim Carr pointed out in last months summit, what ideas like this do is fully open the question of what an economy is for. In Australia, this question is an eminently urban one. Continuing to ask this question, and keeping the answer open, is one way of ensuring that ecocities are not merely oases for the wealthy. Stephen Healy, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) Commissioner has warned the Queensland public to be cautious in any dealings with Belal Dassouki; Plumbing Detectives Pty Ltd in Queensland. After reports on the Ray Hadley morning radio program, the QBCC became in possession of fridge magnets that have been distributed in areas including Hamilton, Aspley, Albany Creek, Bracken Ridge, Murrumba Downs, Chermside, Redcliffe, Kippa Ring, and Ferny Hills. Neither Belal Dassouki nor Plumbing Detectives Pty Ltd hold a QBCC licence and therefore are not permitted to carry out, or enter into contracts to carry out, building work, including plumbing, in Queensland, the QBCC advised today. The magnet lists licence number 227376c; a New South Wales licence number belonging to Belal Dassouki, registered Director of associated entity, Plumbing Detectives Pty Ltd. The advertising material promotes that plumbing work may be carried out by Belal Dassouki or Plumbing Detectives Pty Ltd. The QBCC warns all persons in Queensland dealing with Belal Dassouki or Plumbing Detectives Pty Ltd to "exercise extreme caution." The QBCC urges consumers who have contracted with or had any dealings with Belal Dassouki or Plumbing Detectives PtyLtd to contact the QBCC on 139 333. The commission advised to always check the firm was licensed or held the correct licence to do the work. Queensland residents can conduct a free online licence search at www.qbcc.qld.gov.au. The QBCC commissioner Brett Bassett told 4BC that the press announcement was the first step in a regulatory review of the business operations of the plumbing outfit. The Federal Court of Australia has made orders winding up five companies involved in two land banking schemes known as: Hermitage Bendigo (formerly Acacia Banks) located at Midland Highway, Bagshot, Victoria; and Veneziane, located at Brooklyn Park Drive and Balmer Grange, Brookfield. The following four companies entered into contracts for the purchase of land for rezoning and were involved in the promotion of the schemes and received money from investors: Brookfield Riverside Pty Ltd Bilkurra West Pty Ltd Bilkurra South Pty Ltd, and Gillies Road Pty Ltd. The fifth company, Project Management (Aust) Pty Ltd (PMA), entered into project management agreements with each of the Project Companies that required the Project Companies to deposit all project revenues into bank accounts maintained by PMA. This enabled PMA to exercise control over the Project Companies' finances. Land banking is a real estate investment scheme involving the acquisition of large blocks of land by a promoter or developer of the scheme, often in undeveloped rural areas, who then offer portions of the land to investors. Land banking companies typically promote the investment with representations of high potential returns if the land is developed, or if plans for rezoning and development are finalised. Investors either purchase a lot in the land, or acquire an option to purchase a lot of land in an unregistered plan of subdivision. Investors should be vigilant when investing in such schemes and seek independent legal and financial advice. Investors should also assess their risk tolerance for this type of scheme. ASIC notes that many of the promoters of land banking schemes offer access to lawyers and financial advice, but is concerned that those advisors may not be independent. These types of investments may constitute a managed investment scheme and/or a financial product. Developers and promoters should therefore hold an Australian Financial Services Licence and register these schemes with ASIC. Nicholas John Martin and Andrew Thomas Sallway of BDO Australia were appointed liquidators of PMA and the Project Companies. ASIC sought these orders as it was concerned that the project companies were insolvent, that $15 million money raised from investors had been transferred between companies without any apparent concern for obligations owed to investors and that the majority of funds raised from investors had been dissipated. The Court found that the case for winding up each of the companies was compelling. The companies were wound up on the basis that they were insolvent and that it was just and equitable to do so. PMA consented to the winding up order being made. In concluding that it was appropriate to wind up PMA on the just and equitable ground the Court found that its financial affairs were inextricably bound up with those of the Project Companies; that PMA had control over investor monies; it had intermingled funds and used them across the various land banking schemes; it had maintained poor documentation; and it took management fees out of the investor funds released to it. ASIC Commissioner John Price said, ASIC will take action against entities that run schemes where investor monies are put at risk. "Investors should be very careful in ensuring that they understand the risks associated with land banking schemes and should ensure that they obtain independent legal and financial advice before making any such investments," he said. ASIC filed its application to wind up PMA and the Project Companies on 26 March 2018. This application also seeks to disqualify Michael Grochowski and Ian Edward Stephens from managing corporations. This application will be heard by the Court on 17 September 2018. This proceeding is part of ASIC's wider and ongoing investigation into land banking schemes. ASIC has already taken action in respect of: Midland Hwy Pty Ltd (Midland) and Bilkurra Investments Pty Ltd (Bilkurra) operating the Hermitage Bendigo scheme (Refer: 16-114MR); and Foscari Holdings Pty Ltd (Foscari) operating the Foscari scheme in respect of land at 99 Palmers Road, Truganina. ASIC provided funding from its Assetless Administration Fund to the liquidators of Midland, Bilkurra and Foscari to enable the liquidators to conduct further investigations, including public examinations of individuals associated with those companies. The liquidators also provided assistance to ASIC in its application to wind up the Project Companies and PMA. AISN co-owner Laurie Head will demonstrate her company's capabilities in building state school report cards. We are highlighting some of the distinguishing processes and technologies behind the development of the Virginia School Quality Profiles and offering some best practices for states and localities as they approach redeveloping their own online reporting tools. AIS Network, an award-winning application developer and secure managed IT services expert serving local, state and federal government, is participating this week in the 2018 NCES STATS-DC Data Conference, July 25-27, in Washington, DC. AISN co-owner Laurie Head and Bethann Canada, AISNs senior specialist for business intelligence and analytics, are available to meet with conference attendees and demonstrate the companys approach to state school report card data visualization. They are demonstrating the Virginia School Quality Profiles, an award-winning online reporting tool that AISN built for the Virginia Department of Education. The SQP site has been recognized nationwide and was the recipient of six prestigious awards last year, making it the most decorated public website in Virginia. The NCES STATS-DC Data Conference is an opportunity for AISN to share its unique capabilities with data scientists and information management experts from local and state governments across the country as well as the federal government, said Head. We are highlighting some of the distinguishing processes and technologies behind the development of the Virginia School Quality Profiles and offering some best practices for states and localities as they approach redeveloping their own online reporting tools. With the SQP, AISN and VDOE leveraged a full suite of current technology products to update and re-engineer a signature initiative for school transparency and accountability. Users from parents to policy makers can now easily view and compare the performance of Virginia schools via a responsive, accessible website displaying dashboards of current data. The NCES STATS-DC Data Conference, organized by the U.S. Department of Educations Institute of Education Sciences, covers a wide array of topics related to educational data collection and reporting; sessions will cover state report cards, Common Core Data, data linking beyond K-12, data privacy, data quality, standards and use, and the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems. Based in Virginia, AISN is a SWaM-certified small business (#723554) and the preeminent cloud hosting provider for the Commonwealth of Virginia. AISNs three Virginia contract vehicles make Virginia government IT purchasing easy for public procurement professionals throughout the commonwealth and across the country. They are the CAI Virginia IT Contingent Labor Contract Statement of Work (SOW) Application Development, Information Security and Infrastructure Services; VA-120416-AISN Hosting Services; and VA-120413-BPI Web Applications Maintenance and Operations. Executive branch agencies, counties, cities, towns, schools and all other public entities throughout the commonwealth and the nation can use AISN as a one-stop shop to build, host, operate and maintain their mission-critical applications, websites, portals, databases and more. About AIS Network Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, AIS Network takes highly regulated businesses and governments to the cloud. AISN is the high compliance, secure cloud hosting and IT managed services expert serving large enterprises in the health care, pharmaceutical, government and financial industries, notably numerous international corporations and the Commonwealth of Virginia. When our clients highly regulated data, applications, payment portals and websites are simply too critical or complex to entrust to a commodity hosting provider, they call us for help. We engineer, customize and manage high-performance, secure cloud and disaster recovery solutions. Our clients never worry about whether their IT environment can pass a HIPAA, PCI, FISMA, SOX or other compliance audit, because we pass ours 100% of the time. We value highly giving our clients all of the personalized attention that they deserve, while also helping them to audit their infrastructure, reduce their IT compliance risk, avoid costly regulatory mistakes and lower costs for their business and their customers. Visit http://www.aisn.net. CMS Administrator Seema Verma today announced CareSet Systems would be the first with access to Medicare C data. Using this dataset, CareSet will be able to compare treatment patterns between Part C and traditional-fee-for-service Medicare, as well as gaining insights into how commercial plans operate, says Data Journalist Fred Trotter, CTO of CareSet Systems. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that CareSet has become the first research organization to receive access to Medicare Advantage (Part C) encounter data. Announced by CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a Tweet reported @CMSGov is excited that the 1st researcher (@DocGraph - now part of @CareSet) has been granted access to 2015 #MedicareAdvantage (MA) Encounter data. Using this dataset, CareSet will be able to compare treatment patterns between Part C and traditional-fee-for-service Medicare, as well as gaining insights into how commercial plans operate, says Data Journalist Fred Trotter, CTO of CareSet Systems. For the first time, the marketplace will have transparent insight into what healthcare looks like when it is administered by private plans. CareSet Labs re-releases CMS data as public use files for researchers and commercial organizations as the DocGraph Datasets (https://careset.com/datasets/). Administrator Verma first announced greater access to Medicare data at Health Datapalooza on April 26, 2018 in Washington, DC. Were working on giving patients access to - and control of - their data across all of our programs. Were working to enable researchers with proper security and privacy regulations in place - as well as our partners at FDA and NIH, with access to our data, [and] were working to ensure that we have the necessary data not just to improve individual health - but public and population health. At Datapalooza, Seema Verma made big commitments to healthcare transparency, and indicated that Open Data was going to be a focus of her term at CMS, says Trotter. She made it clear that the CMS administration regards transparency as a critical component of market competition," Trotter continues. Verma also made it very clear that President Trump wants his administration working to foster competition in healthcare markets, and to ensure that Americans receive better value for their investments in care. About Careset Systems CareSet Systems (https://careset.com) is the nations first company with access to 100% Medicare Part A, B and D (and now C) claims and enables the nations leading pharmaceutical companies to decode Medicare claims data to guide new drug launches. About CareSet Labs CareSet Labs (https://careset.com/labs) creates open healthcare datasets called the DocGraph Datasets. We believe the release of reliable and current data is vital to the improvement of the healthcare system. Our mission is to encourage an ecosystem of innovators to collaborate and share tools and research methodologies around open healthcare datasets. Construct-A-Lead is an online construction lead service that helps contractors, service providers, manufacturers and suppliers gain information on all large scale construction projects. The service features apartment construction, hotel construction, retail construction, medical construction, school renovations & more, including those hard-to-find private project leads, to help bid on construction, from planning stage- completion. Construct-A-Lead, the industrys most comprehensive construction lead service, announces the following Colorado construction projects will go forward. Construct-A-Leads advanced search feature allows the user to find their leads or key contacts by project type, location, bid stage, dollar value, company, or keyword. Users are able to track projects status, save searches, put personalized notes on projects, email a project to a colleague or customer, reach out directly to the decision maker and download construction leads with a one-touch feature. Interested parties are invited to visit Construct-A-Lead.com and sign up for a no obligation test drive, where they will be able to experience these newly integrated features. Users will be able to receive regular alerts on new and updated construction projects, in accordance with the individuals preference. An example of the Colorado construction leads available within the database is listed below. Reference the Project ID to utilize the new site features and to obtain direct contact information for each construction lead: Denver, CO - 575 East 20th Avenue - Plans call for the development of a 12-story, 249-unit residential building on a 1.06-acre site. Construction start: Q1, Q2 2019. $45,000,000. Project ID: 1415763 Loveland, CO MICROTEL INN - Plans call for a new 3 story, 62 room hotel. Construction start: Q3, 2018. $8,000,000 Project ID: 1415852 Longmont, CO Home Decor Superstore Plans call for the development of new 100,000SF location for the Texas-based retail chain on the site of the former JCPenney store. Construction start: 9/29/2018. $10,000,000. Project ID: 1414459 Greenwood, CO Belleview and Niagara senior living Plans call for the development of a six-story, 163-unit, 173,000 SF senior living facility. Plans include 139 independent/assisted living units, 24 memory care units, and one story of underground parking. Construction start: Summer, 2018. $51,000,000 Project ID: 1413536 Aspen, CO Rio Grande Place/Galena Plaza - Plans call for the development of a 37,000 SF municipal office building as part of the new Galena Plaza development. Construction start: Q1, Q2, 2021. $22,600,000 Project ID: 1414501 Construct-A-Lead is an online database that connects users to large-scale commercial construction projects, including those hidden, private project leads. The service features hotel construction, office buildings, retail construction, medical facilities, school renovations and much more, to help bid on construction including those hard-to-find private project leads, from planning stage through completion. Construct-A-Leads daily updates of commercial construction project leads are an ideal solution for those who want to put their product or service into commercial, government and religious structures. For more information, visit Construct-A-Lead.com online or call 855-874-1491. Its impossible to overstate what this is going to mean for LGBT older adults in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law An Act Relative to LGBT Awareness Training for Aging Services Providers on July 26. The first-in-the-nation law will require that all state funded or licensed providers of services to older adults complete training in how to provide meaningful care to LGBT older adults and ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults can access services. California has a similar law, but training is limited only to those working in the field of long-term care. Its impossible to overstate what this is going to mean for LGBT older adults in Massachusetts, said Lisa Krinsky, LICSW, director of the LGBT Aging Project, which is a program of Fenway Health. LGBT people are significantly more likely to age alone without a spouse or partner or children to support them. They are in greater need of formal caregivers such as home health workers and visiting nurses or assisted living communities. They have valid fears about experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression and some even feel the need to go back into the closet. Under provisions outlined in the law, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) will develop a training program for providers of elder services on how to prevent discrimination against older adults based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression and on how to improve access to services for LGBT elders and caregivers. The law also requires all providers of aging services who contract with or receive funding from MassHealths office of long-term care or EOEA, or whose services are certified by EOEA, to complete the training program. LGBT older adults are much more likely than the general population to experience disability and physical and mental illness while they age. They are more reliant than the general population on services such as senior housing, transportation, support groups, legal services, and assistance from caregivers with their activities of daily living. Yet older LGBT adults also report widespread experience with discrimination by caregivers and service providers that range from refusing to provide care to physical abuse and harassment. It is so important to have the states official recognition of this problem and a clear directive to come up with solutions, Krinsky added. The community of elder care advocates as well as the broader LGBT community is grateful to Massachusetts lawmakers for passing the bill and to Gov. Baker for signing it into law. We also look forward the implementation of the new training which will increase public health in the Commonwealth, particularly for LGBT older adults. Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. Fenways Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; homeless; struggling with substance use; or living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts joined the Fenway Health family, allowing both organizations to improve delivery of care and services across the state and beyond. FireFly Farms Cabrita is a four-ounce ripened chevre with an aged geotrichum rind. We are absolutely thrilled to have more of our cheeses in the Whole Foods Market stores, and to deepen our relationship with this innovative retailer, said Co-Founder and President, Mike Koch. FireFly Farms Inc. has a new goat cheese exclusive to Whole Foods Market locations in the Mid-Atlantic region, beginning July 26th. FireFly Farms goats milk cheeses first appeared in Whole Foods Market stores in October of 2003, but this is the first exclusive cheese to be produced by FireFly Farms. We are absolutely thrilled to have more of our cheeses in the Whole Foods Market stores, and to deepen our relationship with this innovative retailer, said Co-Founder and President, Mike Koch. Its hard to remember now that the cheese market has evolved so much, but the Whole Foods Market cheese counter was groundbreaking in 2003 and changed the retail landscape for artisan cheese producers like us. FireFly Farms Cabrita, a four-ounce ripened chevre that is made in the tradition of a French crottin, is in stores starting July 26th. Cabrita will first be released in Mid-Atlantic Whole Foods Market locations. FireFly Farms and Whole Foods Market expect this cheese to be available exclusively to Whole Foods Market shoppers and FireFly Farms creamery visitors for one year after which Cabrita will be made available to other of FireFly Farms wholesale and retail customers. Were thrilled to be partnering with FireFly Farms to offer Whole Foods Market customers their exclusive Cabrita goats milk cheese, said Dana Stanley, Director of Specialty for Whole Foods Markets Mid-Atlantic region. Firefly Farms has been an incredible partner to us in the Pittsburgh area since 2003 and weve worked with them to grow their offerings throughout the region. We know our customers will love this exclusive chevre as much as we do! The launch of Cabrita to Whole Foods Market was announced at the American Cheese Societys annual conference and competition, hosted this year in Pittsburgh, a short two-hour drive from the FireFly Farms Creamery & Market in Accident, Maryland. FireFly Farms co-founders Mike Koch and Pablo Solanet will be in the Whole Foods Market Pittsburgh location for a meet-the-maker demonstration and product sampling on Saturday, July 28th, the final day of the American Cheese Society Conference. For more on FireFly Farms, visit https://fireflyfarms.com. For more on Whole Foods Market, visit https://wholefoodsmarket.com. To see if our cheese is in a Whole Foods Market near you, click https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sales-flyer, then select your location and store. About FireFly Farms Inc. Founded in 2000 by partners Mike Koch and Pablo Solanet, FireFly Farms now comprises of a community of cheese makers and cheese mongers dedicated to making excellent cheese creating value for the regional farming community and the rural economy of western Marylands Garrett County, and ensuring that its operations are sustainable and protect our natural environment for future generations. Marylands premier and most-awarded cheese maker, FireFly Farms is a proud member of the Maryland Cheese Guild and the American Cheese Society. They enthusiastically support the growth of sustainable farming, food production, and artisan cheese making in both the Maryland region and across the nation. Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l70ob8wttlq07xx/AAA-e1mBxPqr4vcYYs9Q98S_a?dl=0 Photo Cutline: FireFly Farms Cabrita is a four-ounce ripened chevre with an aged geotrichum rind. Shown is the inside of the deliciously aged Cabrita by FireFly Farms. This is the logo of Cabrita, FireFly Farms aged chevre goat cheese. This is the FireFly Farms logo. Media Contact Sandy Sponaugle Platinum PR Sandy(at)platinumpr.com 301-358-9255 Our military students motivate us to continue to advance in our services and commitments as well. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve this amazing group of extraordinary individuals. The Military Times released its Top 50 Schools for Tuition Assistance last week with Liberty University listed at No. 8. Over fiscal year 2017, Liberty provided more than $14.5 million for military service members, veterans, and their spouses, who took a combined 20,461 courses. Libertys military students also enjoyed a 90 percent course completion rate (higher than most of the top 10 institutions). We consider it a privilege to support the hardworking men and women who serve this great nation, said Emily Foutz, director of Libertys Office of Military Affairs. We are able to see firsthand the positive impact an education can have in preparing service members and veterans to advance in their military and civilian careers. Their college education, combined with the exceptional experiences and training they receive in the military, is often the springboard they need to continue to advance on their journey. Military Times also ranked Liberty No. 2 on its Best Online & Nontraditional Schools of 2018 list, recognizing the universitys vibrant military community both on campus and online. Liberty has been ranked in the top 10 by Military Times for the past eight years. Liberty ranked No. 7 among private institutions on the 2018-19 Military Friendly schools list, with more than 30,000 active military service members, veterans, and military spouses currently pursuing degrees from their bases, stations, or homes around the world. Last year, Liberty was officially recognized as the first Purple Heart University in Virginia. In many ways, our veteran students are the heart of our university and have consistently become a larger percentage of our student population, Foutz said. Our military students motivate us to continue to advance in our services and commitments as well. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve this amazing group of extraordinary individuals. More than 30 percent of Libertys Class of 2018 had military ties. Many military graduates participate in Libertys Commencement exercises each May, including a Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony. Some who are unable to attend Commencement on campus participate in graduation ceremonies held on their military bases, where university staff often join them in the celebration. Liberty aims to meet the educational needs of service members, veterans, and their spouses, whether they are studying on campus or online. The Office of Military Affairs offers a variety of educational resources and special events, including Military Emphasis Week, for military students. Student veterans can visit the Veterans Center in the Montview Student Union, where they can connect with fellow veterans, as well as with faculty, staff, and community residents who serve as their mentors. Visit Liberty.edu/Military for information on tuition discounts, scholarships, and book vouchers, as well as resources and a community network for military students. (Liberty University is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any military service.) A dedicated mindWireless team supports mobile device help desk issues for the thousands of The Coca Cola Company end-users. mindWireless achieved a milestone in June when it logged the one millionth wireless help desk inquiry from one of its largest clients, The Coca Cola Company. Seasoned Employee Care Representative (ESR) Sarah B, who is part of a dedicated team supporting mobile device service issues for the thousands of Coca Cola end-users, took the call. Our early inquiries were primarily regarding procurement and service activation, said Keith Clark Operations Director. The inquiries have become more complex with a dramatic increase in volume due to our clients demands. In addition to providing wireless help desk support, we now offer management of wireless inventory, kitting and staging of wireless hardware, and we often are the administrators of our clients mobile device management (MDM) tools. The key to mindWirelesss employee care/help desk client satisfaction says Clark, We make it a point to own the communication between our clients employees, any third-party supplier, and mindWireless. Our help desk is a one stop-shop for mobile support, eliminating the need for a clients employees to directly interact with the wireless carriers and/or device vendors." Founded in 2000, mindWireless initiated its full-service outsourced wireless employee care/help desk in 2006 with an average inquiry rate of about 100 inquiries per day. Now, 12 years later the contact center, both in ESRs and volume of inquiries, is significantly larger and split between Austin and Houston, offering employee care/help desk availability daily and holidays, 24 X 7. About mindWireless mindWireless helps Fortune 1000 companies manage wireless devices and usage through technology and outsourcing solutions. Founded in 2000, mindWireless solutions address the complete lifecycle of enterprise wireless management including procurement, help desk, invoice management, inventory, rate plan optimization and bill payment. To learn more about mindWireless and the services they offer, visit http://www.mindwireless.com. There is the probably little-known fact among the general populace that any school receiving public funds is required to teach the Constitution on September 17, Norm Novitsky As Constitution Day (Sept. 17) approaches, a new online survey by IC Liberty Films of over 5,500 moderate and conservative American adults found that they are very concerned about the education students are receiving. When asked, Do you feel that public schools are doing a good job at educating Americas youth on the U.S. Constitution, an overwhelming 94% responded no. This survey was prompted by a couple of things, said Norm Novitsky, founder of IC Liberty Films and producer and director of the award-winning Constitution movie, "In Search of Liberty." There have been earlier polls showing a lack of Constitutional knowledge, such as the McCormick Tribune Foundation survey highlighting that only one in 1,000 adults were able to name all five rights guaranteed under the First Amendment. And then, he continued, there is the probably little-known fact among the general populace that any school receiving public funds is required to teach the Constitution on September 17. In 2004, then-Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2005 that on Sept. 17th each year all public schools and governmental offices are to provide various educational programs to promote a better understanding of the Constitution among our citizenship. It seems, Novitsky said, that our schools are not following this legislation passed 14 years ago, and probably not for many years prior, based on the earlier surveys that have been done. The Annenberg Public Policy Poll showed only 38% of adults surveyed could name all three branches of government. As Founding Father and 3rd President Thomas Jefferson said, Educate and inform the whole mass of people They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. Many problems faced by Americans today are due to ignorance or willful neglect of the Constitution by elected officials that the general public just does not realize, where they probably would if they were better informed. Due to President Nixon conducting spying activities on Americans by the FBI and CIA in violation of the Constitution, during the Carter administration, Senator Edward Kennedy (Dem-MA) introduced to Congress the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which it passed and which Act, itself, violates the Constitution. There are many such examples of rights being usurped by elected officials, despite going against the US Constitution. With more knowledge of the US Constitution, Americans would be better equipped to decide on candidates who will actually live up to their oath of office that each and every one of them take upon election or re-election, which is, I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. PreCheck Appoints Darrin Fagan as Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships PreCheck has continuously set the performance bar high with services, solutions, and partnership most screening companies strive to achieve. Im honored and excited to join PreCheck in this leadership role. PreCheck, Inc., a background screening and credentialing firm specializing in the healthcare industry, today announced that Darrin Fagan has joined the company as Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships. Fagan is a key addition to the executive team, bringing more than 12 years of sales leadership and experience in the background screening industry. This organization has had amazing success specifically targeting the healthcare industry providing outstanding solutions delivering unmatched compliance value to their clients ever-evolving hiring, credentialing, and monitoring challenges, says Darrin Fagan, Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at PreCheck. As a competitor to PreCheck for many years, Ive experienced a high-level of satisfaction directly communicated to me by PreCheck clients. PreCheck has continuously set the performance bar high with services, solutions, and partnership most screening companies strive to achieve. Im honored and excited to join PreCheck in this leadership role. As Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, Fagan will be responsible for the development and execution of PreChecks overall go-to-market sales strategy through direct sales and strategic alliance. Prior to joining PreCheck, in his most recent position, Fagan served as Vice President of Enterprise Sales, focusing on the healthcare vertical markets. Fagan successfully managed enterprise level sales and existing client expansion efforts for several of the top background screening companies. We are excited to add Darrin to our leadership team, says Zach Daigle, President and Chief Operating Officer at PreCheck. He brings a unique set of experience, leadership skills, passion for the industry and transformational ideas to the team. Our current and prospective customers will benefit greatly from Darrins extensive knowledge, consultative approach and his passion for solving their most complex challenges. Our investment in a talent like Darrin is a testament to our commitment to our mission of advancing the quality of healthcare through the suite of solutions that we develop and provide to ensure our healthcare customers meet their critical objectives. Fagans addition to the PreCheck executive team comes as the company celebrates 25 years exclusively serving the healthcare industry. For five consecutive years, PreCheck has been recognized as an Inc. 5000 company, which places the organization into the prestigious Honor Roll category, a distinction earned by fewer than 10 percent of honorees. Already in its third quarter, PreCheck is slated to set another record breaking year. For more information about PreCheck background screening and credentialing services, visit http://www.PreCheck.com. About PreCheck Founded in 1983, PreCheck has focused exclusively on serving the healthcare industrys background screening and employment qualification needs since 1993. PreCheck serves over 4,000 hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, educational institutions, and other ancillary healthcare organizations, across the U.S. PreCheck has evolved over time from a background screening provider into a turnkey outsourcing solutions provider, offering a full suite of background screening, compliance, and credentialing solutions all designed to help its clients adhere to the extensive regulations governing the healthcare industry. Based in Houston, PreCheck has been recognized as an Inc. 5000 company from 2013-2017 and has achieved Background Screening Credentialing Council Accreditation by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. http://www.precheck.com The Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on Saint Maarten has proven to be the perfect destination for the Patriots Cheerleaders calendar shoot and video production, exclaims Tracy Sormanti, Director of Cheerleading. Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on St. Maarten has become a sea of red, white and blue as the famed Patriots Cheerleaders visit the island to shoot their ever-popular annual swimsuit calendar and various video productions. Since their July 23 arrival, the ladies have been exploring St. Maartens landmarks, culture and history and meeting community members, media and local dignitaries. The Divi Little Bay Beach Resort has proven to be the perfect destination for the Patriots Cheerleaders calendar shoot and video production, exclaims Tracy Sormanti, Director of Cheerleading. The property is beautiful and the staff is so friendly and accommodating. The gorgeous white sands and turquoise waters of the resort have provided us with amazing backgrounds for our shoots. We've also enjoyed the opportunity to explore the island of St. Maarten, learn its history, meet many of the locals and experience the unique Dutch/French culture. We're looking forward to the rest of our stay and we're very grateful for this experience! In-between shoots, the cheerleaders have been discovering everything the island has to offer from visiting the French side to see Grand Case, taking part in a personalized perfume experience at Tijon Perfumerie and dining on delicious cuisine, to taking a guided island tour of the Dutch side, with stops in Philipsburg at Front Street, the Courthouse, Guavaberry Emporium, Toppers rum factory and more! On Thursday, the cheerleaders volunteered their time to visit the New Start for Children Foundation to deliver and serve a BBQ lunch for the children, their foster parents and caregivers. The ladies finished off the night with a relaxing sunset cruise, sponsored by AquaMania Adventures, which the public was invited to join. Attendees enjoyed mingling with the cheerleaders and experiencing a spectacular Saint Maarten sunset. Its been a real pleasure having these lovely ladies on the island. Theyve truly enjoyed every activity weve scheduled both on and off the resort, and you can tell that they are interested in learning more about St. Maarten, said Divi Little Bays General Manager Anne-Marie Brooks. Plus, we have even more exciting events planned for this weekend at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, including a Blue Flag environmental project, a menu tasting and cooking experience with Executive Chef Octavio Verheist, a visit to worlds steepest zip line at Rainforest Adventures and a beach fun day at Little Bays BBQ Beach Party from Noon-5pm for the public to enjoy, water games, live music and dancing, and of course meeting the Cheerleaders between 1pm-3pm. Representing the 5X Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, the Patriots Cheerleaders entertain thousands of fans from the sidelines of Gillette Stadium, participate in goodwill missions and appearances and have entertained at high-profile events such as Super Bowls, Pro Bowls, and international games. To keep up to date with the cheerleaders visit, follow their official social media accounts or visit http://www.patriots.com/cheerleaders. For more information on Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, visit http://www.diviresorts.com/divi-little-bay-beach-resort-st-maarten.htm and follow the resort on social media at: About Divi Resorts Divi Resorts is the vacation expert of the Caribbean, with a collection of eight premium resorts spanning the five stunning Caribbean islands of Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St. Croix, and St. Maarten. For more information on Divi Resorts, call 1-800-367-3484 or visit http://www.diviresorts.com. RelationEdge has been recognized by the San Diego Business Journal as San Diegos 10th fastest growing private company in 2018. Founded in San Diego, California in 2013, RelationEdge has offices in 12 cities, including Chicago, Denver, Dallas, and Seattle, spurred by their rapid growth. RelationEdge has also recently been acquired by Rackspace, with the goal of broadening Rackspaces application services portfolio for customers. RelationEdge was honored by the San Diego Business Journal as part of their event on July 19th, at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. It's the second consecutive year that RelationEdge has earned this accolade, and the company is already planning for future success. Regarding the impressive position on the SDBJ list, Founder and CEO Matt Stoyka said: "We're very appreciative of our clients, and our partner, Salesforce in helping us to achieve this accomplishment for a second consecutive year. Our entire team is thankful for the trust and confidence that clients place in RelationEdge each day." Stoyka also advocates for San Diego as a place of entrepreneurial and business growth. The company plans to continue investing locally and across the country with plans for expansion towards the end of 2018. The RelationEdge operating model is ready for continued growth and expansion in the coming years. "Complacency is not an option, nor in our DNA. Our purpose is to help companies transform." About the San Diego Business Journal Awards The San Diego Business Journal researches and commends the top 100 fastest-growing private companies within San Diego every year, publishing their list in July. The research reveals the most compelling emerging businesses within the region. Each year, the San Diego Business Journal honors listed companies with an exclusive invitation-only reception and awards ceremony honoring guests and winners like RelationEdge. Through this event, all 95 satellite sites become rally points for revival as teens make a positive impact on their communities and this country. Following the success of the inaugural Dare 2 Share LIVE event last year, national non-profit organization Dare 2 Share is preparing to inspire and unleash tens of thousands of teenagers this fall into even more communities to serve and to share the good news of Jesus. At last year's event, over 10,000 students and adult leaders attended at 68 different sites across the country. This year, on October 13, Dare 2 Share LIVE will be broadcast from the flagship event in Denver, Colorado and streamed to over 96 satellite sites nationwide. Each individual site will feature their own live worship band and emcee trainer, along with the direct feed of prominent speakers and artists such as Greg Stier, The Skit Guys, The Silhouettes, Flame, Shane & Shane and Zane Black. Greg Stier, Founder and CEO of Dare 2 Share, stated, We were very excited to see how well this live, simulcast event worked with students and youth leaders across the country last year. We put a lot of effort into making sure each satellite site had live training and worship components in order to increase the feeling of everyone being a part of the event. And from what we heard, it succeeded. Over the past 27 years, Dare 2 Share has inspired and equipped over 1 million Christian teenagers and youth leaders to engage in spiritual conversations through conferences, training curriculum and resources. In this one-day event, Dare 2 Share LIVE is seeking to engage over 20,000 students and youth leaders to initiate up to 60,000 gospel conversations in one day. A teen-led evangelism movement, Dare 2 Share LIVE is a national, multi-site training event designed to inspire students with the mission Jesus gave His people, to reach their generation for Christ. Utilizing technology that students are accustomed to, the event is structured to inspire teens as they are trained to relationally share Christ, and then empower them to reach out to both their local communities and their social networks. This event is designed to combine local community impact with the energy of a national evangelism training conference, explains Debb Bresina, President of Dare 2 Share. Through this event, all 96 satellite sites become rally points for revival as teens make a positive impact on their communities and this country. On October 13, we will see a wave of students unleashed and empowered to engage their circles of influence with the gospel of Jesus. Founded in 1991, Dare 2 Shares mission to Energize the Church to Mobilize youth to Gospelize their world has led them to train and provide resources to hundreds of thousands of students and youth leaders across the globe. The focus on relational evangelism training has made Dare 2 Share the go-to resource for youth leaders and churches who want a Gospel Advancing Ministry that accelerates the spiritual growth of their teens and impacts their communities with the good news of Jesus Christ. For more information on Dare 2 Share LIVE, visit http://www.dare2share.org/d2sliveinfo. In America all students deserve a quality education no matter where they live, said Evan Erdberg, CEO of PLI. We are excited to partner with the Navajo Nation to bring 21st century learning to their students. Shonto Preparatory School (SPS) and Proximity Learning Inc. (PLI) are pleased to disclose a partnership, implementing a top tier online education program in a district serving a Navajo Indian student population. This partnership will empower SPS to provide virtual chemistry, earth science and biology classes in Shontos remote high school community. Through PLI, students will receive education from master teachers streamed live into their classrooms from around the country. SPS lost a teacher in the middle of the school year, and given Shontos location on a plateau 6,500 feet above sea level, finding qualified teachers willing to come onto the reservation was nearly impossible. The district was in need of teachers willing to adapt to a community in which over 90% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced lunch programs. While searching for a long term solution, The Arizona Charter School association director, Damon Harris, discovered PLI and admired their commitment to ensuring all students receive access to certified teachers no matter their location or financial situation. PLIs executive staff established a personal connection with SPS by traveling to Shonto and engaging with the districts principal, teachers and students. Sympathetic to PLIs devotion to the well being of their students, the district solidified their partnership with a program recognized for improving individual student outcomes. In line with PLIs vision, The mission of Shonto Preparatory School is to nurture positive character in a safe, engaging, caring and creative environment with high academic expectations. Over the past eight years, PLI has developed into the quintessential virtual provider of progressive education. The Navajo Nation supplied Shontos school with the necessary hardware and connectivity to ensure success. The school currently serves children from rural Shonto communities, Inscription House, Black Mesa, Tonalea, Kailbeto, Pinon, Kayenta and Navajo Mountain. According to the district, children are bussed from as far as forty miles to attend school, and SPS currently serves a student population that is 99.6 percent Native American. In America all students deserve a quality education no matter where they live, said Evan Erdberg, CEO of PLI. We are excited to partner with the Navajo Nation to bring 21st century learning to their students. The Navajo nation can rest assured that the countrys best educators, who understand the importance of flexibility, are being placed in front of their students. Virtual k-12 staffing, delivered via live instruction, is the future of education and over 100 districts have made live instruction a viable solution to their students needs. Shonto Preparatory School: Shonto Preparatory School is a k-12 school district serving a Navajo Indian student population in a remote community in Navajo County of northeast Arizona. The SPS district is comprised of a K-8 Bureau of Indian Education funded Grant School and a 9-12 State of Arizona Charter School. Currently, SPS has a total enrollment of 618 students; of that number, 99.6 percent are Native American. Learn more: http://shontoprepschool.schoolinsites.com/ Proximity Learning Inc.: Proximity Learning Inc. is a Virtual K-12 Staffing company focused on ensuring every student has access to a master teacher to lead instruction no matter their location or financial situation. Proximity Learning services over 30,000 students annually boasting the highest quality teachers, most innovative virtual classrooms, and the reputation as a flexible learning solution to both public and private school districts. Learn more: http://proxlearn.com/. By Rimsha Syed Ken & Jenny Beasley take stage with fellow Hall of Famers Ken and Jenny exemplify the strength and spirit of U.S. Lawns. From day one, they were all in, with a passion and focus to build their business and create opportunities for their team to have a career path within U.S. Lawns. The most prestigious of the many awards presented at the three-day U.S. Lawns Annual Conference, held at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, the U.S. Lawns Hall of Fame award is reserved for the truly exceptional few. Husband and wife team Ken and Jenny Beasley, franchise owners of U.S. Lawns in Alexandria and Lafayette LA, accepted their Hall of Fame award from President Ken Hutcheson. They were surrounded on the stage by previous Hall of Fame inductees, peers and friends of the Beasleys since they joined U.S. Lawns in 2010. The Hall of Fame recognizes franchise owners for outstanding and unselfish contributions to the success and growth of U.S. Lawns. This recognition is awarded to a franchise business operator who consistently contributes their time, talents and spirit to making their franchise business successful, while also inspiring and leading others to achieve success. Ken and Jenny Beasley so deeply believe in inspiring and leading their team to success that they put on their own local annual conference every year and take the stage to hand out well-deserved awards to their hard working and dedicated managers and team members in their two Louisiana territories. U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson said, Ken and Jenny exemplify the strength and spirit of U.S. Lawns. From day one, they were all in, with a passion and focus to build their business and create opportunities for their team to have career paths within U.S. Lawns. About U.S. Lawns Founded in 1986, U.S. Lawns services commercial customers through a nationwide franchise network in over 250 locations, providing professional grade, customized grounds care and snow & ice management services to corporate campuses, retail centers, industrial parks, multi-family residential communities and other commercial customers. For more information, visit http://www.USLawns.com and http://www.USLawnsFranchise.com. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. Drawn from PWs Fall Childrens Announcements Issue, here are our editors selections for 21 childrens and young adult books that cant arrive soon enough. And check out our picks for this seasons most anticipated adult books as well. Picture Books Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Pena, illus. by Christian Robinson (Putnam, Oct.) - From the award-winning team behind Last Stop on Market Street, a story about a birthday girl on a walk with her big brother, the puffy dandelion she finds along the way, and the series of wishes she considers, all told against the backdrop of the familys Spanish-speaking community. Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (Holiday House/Porter, Sept.) - In this exceedingly timely book, Caldecott Honor artist Morales (Viva Frida) traces the journey that she and her young son took when they immigrated from Mexico to the United States, and the succor that books and libraries offered as the two made their way in a new place. Giraffe Problems by Jory John, illus. by Lane Smith (Random House, Sept.) - The creators of Penguin Problems may well have outdone the original in this companion tale about a giraffe who feels bad about his long neck; a turtle who is blue about his dinky one; and the shared dismay, assistance, and courtly manners that ensue. Unlimited Squirrels: I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems (Disney-Hyperion, Oct.) - A beginning-reader series launch from Willems mixes truth and fiction in this well-paced story about a scurry of squirrels and a lost baby tooth, appended with facts and jokes. King Alice by Matthew Cordell (Feiwel and Friends, Sept.) - In his first solo outing since the Caldecott Award-winning Wolf in the Snow, Matthew Cordell creates a recognizable snow day with a homebound familyand self-proclaimed royal daughter King Alicepassing the time through storytelling. Presto & Zesto in Limboland by Arthur Yorinks and Maurice Sendak, illus. by Maurice Sendak (HarperCollins/di Capua, Sept.) - In 1990, Sendak created 10 images for an orchestral performance of Czech nursery rhymes, and his friend Yorinks later proposed that they write a story to accompany them. They did, and its a joy to have another glimpse at Sendaks magic. What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers, illus. by Shawn Harris (Chronicle, Sept.) - The creators of 2017s Her Right Foot use manifesto-style language and elaborate cut-paper illustrations to embody the messy realities and exciting potential of the civic enterprise. As Eggers writes, Who can a citizen be?/ A citizen is just like you. Middle Grade Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older (Scholastic/Levine, Sept.) - In this series opener, Older (Shadowshaper) creates a Civil Warera New York City, rooted in real events and attitudes, in which dinosaurs never went extinct and a diverse band of orphans resists corrupt authorities during the Draft Riots of 1863. Grenade by Alan Gratz (Scholastic Press, Oct.) - This followup to Gratzs bestselling Refugee accompanies two young soldiers during WWII, one conscripted to the Japanese military, the other an American Marine, as they fight across the island of Okinawa. Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin/Paulsen, Aug.) - In her first book for young people since 2014s Brown Girl Dreaming, Woodson shows how Americas political and social issues affect children every day: six students are placed in a classroom each week, where they discuss their realities, from bullying to a parents deportation. Louisianas Way Home by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, Oct.) - Newbery Medalist DiCamillo follows Raymie Nightingale with this companion novelthe tale of Louisiana Elefante and her grandmother, a middle-of-the-night flight, and a generational curse. Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters: The Questioneers Book #1 by Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts (Amulet, Oct.) - A spinoff of the bestselling STEAM-based picture books, this chapter book series debut features a crew of WWII airplane-building mavens, called the Raucous Riveters, who ask Rosie for a painting assistshe, along with Ada Twist and Iggy Peck, gets to work. The Third Mushroom by Jennifer L. Holm (Random House, Sept.) - In this sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish, Ellie and her brilliant scientist grandfatherstill in a pubescent boys body and attending middle school as her cousin Melvinteam up on a county science fair project. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices: Words and Images of Hope, ed. by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson (Crown, Sept.) - From a diverse group of more than 50 childrens book creators, the 30 illustrated piecesessays, poems, stories, and lettersthat comprise this empowering anthology aim to encourage and inspire children. It is, as its foreword states, a resource for rescue from any pitfalls of the day. Young Adult Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (Knopf, Oct.) - In the beginning there was one murderer, one mule, and one boy. From the bestselling author of The Book Thief comes his first novel in 13 years, about a band of brothers and their missing father, the brother who builds a bridge, and the hardships of creating. Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich et al. (Poppy, Oct.) - Based on the Tony Awardwinning musical, this adaptation follows teenager Evan Hansen, for whom a well-meaning lie results in a tortured conscience, and offers an authentic first-person narration about family dynamics and the importance of kindness. Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman (Simon & Schuster, Oct.) - This father-and-son duo has created a climate-change dystopia in which Californias denizens muddle through life during a droughtuntil the water runs dry and desperation sets in. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Graphix, Oct.) - In a graphic memoir, Krosoczka conveys the joys and complications of his young life in Worcester, Mass., including his relationship with his mother (a heroin addict) and his grandparents, who raised him. Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Balzer + Bray, Sept.) - Its a truth universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood the first thing they want to do is clean it up, begins this Bushwick-based modernization of Pride and Prejudice, from the author of American Street. What If Its Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (HarperTeen, Oct.) - Authors Albertalli and Silvera team up for a sweet-natured love story between two very different boys, Arthur (written by Albertalli) and Ben (Silvera), who meet in a New York City post office. The course of meet-cute never did run smooth. Wildcard by Marie Lu (Putnam, Sept.) - Sure to inspire even deeper devotion among Lus fans, and featuring secrets, intrigue, and immersive technology, this sequel to Warcross raises complicated questions about the consequences of power. Librarians are still buzzing with reaction to last Saturdays opinion piece by LIU Post economist Panos Mourdoukoutas titled Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money. In PW, ALA president Loida Garcia-Febo penned an editorial in response. Clearly, professor Mourdoukoutas would have benefited from the assistance of a librarian, she wrote. The evidence is clear: our nations libraries are a sound public investment. Over at Vox, Washington D.C. librarian Amanda Oliver penned one of the more powerful, firsthand responses Ive seen. For anyone who believes in the power of art to change and enhance our lives, the idea that it should only be available to people who can pay for it is horrifying, she writes. Libraries and librarians fill in the significant gaps created by what I would argue is our societys pandemic of ignoring our impoverished, underserved, and most vulnerable populations. And via Medium library lobbyist group EveryLibrary points out that Mourdoukoutass views are unfortunately not uncommon. The only way to fight against these sentiments is to educate Americans about how valuable and efficient our nations libraries really are. But after generating more than 200,000 views in a matter of hours, and a flurry of responses from library supporters, Forbes retracted the piece. This article was outside of this contributors specific area of expertise, a Forbes spokesperson explained, in a statement. Librarians should be thanking Mourdoukoutas, and Forbes. The internet is buzzing this week about the importance of librariesand its beautiful. For me, however, the decision to retract the piece isn't sitting right. I suppose there is a case to be made that it caused a bit of a PR mess for Forbes. But any good librarian will be the first to tell you thats not a reason to pull itthe internet is still blazing with responses to the piece, yet the original piece is gone. Further, this isn't the first time a Forbes contributor has made this very argument. In 2014, on the Forbes U.K. site, contributor Tim Worstall suggested libraries be replaced with Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscriptions. Worstall's bio identifies him as "a writer here and there on this and that" and as "one of the global experts on the metal scandium, one of the rare earths." That piece too was blasted. Its still up. No problem. A Forbes spokesperson reiterated to PW that, no, Mourdoukoutas was not shilling for Amazon, and explained that all Forbes editorial contributors, including Mourdoukoutas, are on paid contracts. But the same spokesperson declined to comment on whether Mourdoukoutas was edited or reviewed prior to publication. If the problem with the piece really was that it was outside the author's area of expertise, that doesn't seem to have been a problem before. And, isn't that something that should have been caught before publication? And, was Mourdoukoutas really that far out of his lane, as Forbes claims? Hes an economics professor, and this piece, whether you think it's half-baked or not, is arguably rooted in economics, and tax policy. He is also a taxpayer, and his taxes support his local library. The piece is clearly an editorial. And, if you click next to Mourdoukoutass byline, a disclaimer pops up that says opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. And he seems to have a wide array of opinions: Bitcoin, the Philippines, how to win the lottery, how Starbucks pays its baristas. It's possible that Mourdoukoutas wanted the piece taken down (his previous pieces garnered few comments on Twitter, but two of his tweets involving this piece have garnered nearly 16,000 comments). But if that's the case, he should say so. To be clear, I think Mourdoukoutass premise is absurd. But as EveryLibrarys John Chrastka points out, Mourdoukoutas is not alone in his thinking. "Not enough civic and business leaders understand yet that libraries are economic engines, retail anchors, and small business accelerators," Chrastka told me. "A small amount of smart taxes for libraries does a tremendous amount to advance the common good, including economic outcomes." Indeed, a recent report from OCLC on voters' "perceptions and support of public libraries" also delivered a wake up call to library supporters, reporting that the percentage of voters who say they would "probably or definitely vote favorably for a library funding ballot initiative, referendum, or bond measure" has declined from 73% in 2008 to 58% today. Personally, I think librarians should be thanking Mourdoukoutas, and Forbes for publishing the piece. It is a reminder of the advocacy work libraries must continue to do. And the support they enjoy. The internet this week is buzzing about the importance of librariesand its beautiful. I hope, too, that librarians will reach out to professor Mourdoukoutas, help to change his mind about public libraries, and that he one day soon writes a follow-up piece in defense of public libraries. And that Forbes allows him to publish it. Reserve Reading Cengage this week announced the completion of a survey showing that college students consider buying course materials to be their top source of financial stress, after tuition. The survey, Todays Learner: Student Views, 2018, was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Cengage, and suggests among other things, that students routinely sacrifice basic needs, such as food, to afford their course materials. In an interesting twist of timing Bustle this week published a list of 7 Surprising Things Librarians Do Other Than Check Out Books. From the University of California, Berkeley, comes this look at some of their librarians' favorite items from the library collection (which includes some early writing by Mark Twain, and an original musical sketch by Beethoven). After months of security concerns, Facebook this week took a beating in the market. MarketWatch reports that the social media giant lost about $120 billion in market capitalization, after missing quarterly expectations on revenue and user growth. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company's security efforts are beginning to impact the bottom line. "The company planned to hire 20,000 people to handle safety and security on its platforms in response to controversies such as use of Facebook to push fake news ahead of the 2016 U.S. election," MarketWatch explains. In The Atlantic, a good interview with University of Virginia media scholar Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy on how Facebook wound up in its current position. "In spring of 2011, theres this instant myth out there that Twitter and Facebook were instrumental in the overthrow of dictatorships and the establishment of democracies," Vaidhyanathan says. "That insulated Facebook from self-criticism. It was easy to go to work at Facebookwhether you were Mark Zuckerberg or Sheryl Sandberg or someone working at the lower level of the Facebook Messenger projectand convince yourself you were improving the world." (ICYMI, check out PW's talk with Vaidyanathan, from this spring). Via Gary Price at InfoDocket: Booknet Canada surveyed 500 Canadians over the age of 18 who read digital books about their format preferences, book buying, price points, channels, and more. Also from Canada, the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) this week filed its defense in a contentious legal battle over past payments for the use of educational materials in Canada, part of a larger, ongoing dispute over changes to Canada's copyright legislation. In this suit, the Ministries of Education for a number of provinces are seeking to claw back more than $25 million in fees collected by Access Copyright for the period of 2010-2012. Despite the litigation, the release says Canadian publishers "remain committed to working towards constructive solutions that benefit both students and Canadas creative sector," and "support a return to negotiations at the earliest possible opportunity." The Library Publishing Coalition this week announced the release of a new resource: An Ethical Framework for Library Publishing, Version 1.0. Inspired by discussions at the 2017 Library Publishing Forum, the Framework introduces library publishers to important ethical considerations in a variety of areas and provides concrete recommendations for ethical scholarly publishing. As a result, the new minimum wage is pegged at 10 cedis 65 pesewas from 9 cedis 68 pesewas. The change will take effect on 1st January 2019. The decision was taken after a meeting held by the Tripartite Committee made up of government, labour and the Employers Association. The members who signed the statement from the committee were Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah, for government, Terence Darko for the Employers Association, and Dr. Yaw Baah for labour. Any establishment, institution or organization that flouts the new rate shall be sanctioned in accordance with law, the statement warned. By law, it is illegal for any worker in Ghana to be paid below the minimum wage. But, Afia says Abrokwah contributed nothing to their recent marriage which took place in South Africa. According to the Political Police show host, Abrokwah changed their marriage date and witness' name on their marriage certificate, making it fake. She dropped more bombshell, claiming Abrokwah bought her a fake pearl chain and couldnt afford her bride price. Read her full statement below (unedited): Kweku Amoako Abrokwah, listen to me very careful With this document you and I know we were never legally married...there's nowhere in this world that an officiating pastor can also be a witness to the groom, The whole internet bares me witness that we got married on the 22nd of October and not 1st of November as this fake document says...can u tell us, next interviewer, why u couldn't provide me with a marriage certificate, how I got hold of this document and why I threw u OUT of my house!!! Since this is how you want it..lets do it, can u swear by any gods if u were able to pay even a kobo to my family in the name of bride price? apart from that fake pearl chain u presented as a gift, Abrokwah swear with Antoa if u were able to buy me common pure water from the money I was giving YOU Don't push me, am just patiently waiting for the day the laws of this land will speak. And you will finally go HOME where no one will give you n your miserable family room to ride on my name. I am warming you, your family, unborn generation n ancestors to desist from mentioning my name... As you know I am a very prayerful woman and I pray every day to God almighty to punish u and your generation for defrauding me and feeling like a hero over it. I swear to God in heaven your daughter Neilia won't escape this curse in Jesus's name. I was never your wife, I returned your bride price(even though u brought none) weeks before u invaded my privacy. Stop mentioning my names in ur lies before I drag your entire family to court. Speaking in an interview on Accra base Happy FM, the Jeje hitmaker, stated that some female artistes sleep with their managers because they think, thats how they can make things work. Some of the managers even sleep with their artists. I know some of these managers who sleep with their artists and its normal for them because they think, thats how they can make things work. But Im being managed by a married man and things are working fine,she stated. Sista Afia also discussed reasons why most female artists in Ghana struggled and pinned the blame on managers because she believes Ghanaian managers were not capable of managing the female talents. I think the management is part of the problem because most of them dont know how to promote. Generally, the female musicians are not managed well. We the female acts are ready to showcase our talent so that we can win together as a team. But a lot of the work lies in the management,"she added. She captioned the photos: Wishing you all the love and happiness in the world and congratulations on your marriage.Imagine 19 years student get married to each other. Well, some social media users have expressed the view that the newly wedded couples choice to marry at the age of 19 may be premature, wondering whether their parents are alive and approved of the marriage. READ MORE: This marriage list prepared by a church makes singleness a better option Meanwhile, some people simply see nothing wrong about the marriage. They believe the earlier, the better. According to Tuko.co.ke report, Cynthia Cherop, a student of Moi University was jointly charged with her boyfriend Josephat Ng'ang'a upon an allegation that they stole KSh 70,000 on Monday, June 4, using ATM cards belonging to Milka Sitati, Cynthias mother. Milka Sitati who happens to be a procurement officer at Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) apparently reported the matter to the police, leading to the prosecution of the two young love birds. Cynthia told the court presided over by Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi that her mother had brought the case against her and the boyfriend by way of intimidating them to break up their relationship, because she has always objected to it, citing Josephats shortness and small penis. She said: "My mother disliked my boyfriend and had vowed to do everything to ensure we break up that is why she brought me to court. She said my boyfriend was a short Kikuyu man with a small 'kanyamu' (manhood) and that she was ready to get me another strong boyfriend." She explained that despite her mother's alleged hatred for her boyfriend, he is the suitable man for her . However, the court remanded Cynthia for seven days and ordered that a probation report be produced on her while in remand. Meanwhile, Nganga was reportedly released on a cash bail of 30,000 after he denied the charges leveled against him. Reports say Mufaro Mukonowatsauka lured the youngster, a neighbour to become her second wife by giving her cooking oil, sugar, salt and body lotion, with the promise to give her more. She is reported to have helped her husband, Rodgers Manera to sexually abuse the teenager by deliberately locking up the two in the room, While her husband has been charged with rape, she is facing charges relating to abetment of the crime. When the errant couple from Sadomba village appeared before Rusape regional magistrates court presided over by Livingstone Chipadza, they pleaded not guilty to the charges. READ MORE: Farmer remanded for raping married woman to appease gods The Rusape district prosecutor, Tirivanhu Mutyasira is quoted as having told the court that: The accused persons are husband and wife and neighbours to the complainant. The complainants grandmother sent her to the accused persons homestead to collect cooking oil. The complainant found both the accused persons at home. Mukonowatsauka then started persuading the complainant to become her husbands second wife and promised to give her cooking oil, sugar, salt, and body lotion if she accepts her proposal. "The complainant agreed with Mukonowatsaukas proposal and on October 14, 2015 visited the accused persons homestead and found both at home. At that instance, Mukonowatsauka took a bucket to fetch water. She closed and locked the door from outside with Manera and the victim inside the room. Apparently, it was during that period when Mukonowatsauka locked the victim and her husband up in the room that the sexual assault happened. He said most tappers use pesticides to process the drink, which is very dangerous to human health. According to him, the effect could be dire if the menace was not immediately checked and could lead to all kinds of cancers in the near future. Speaking at the 3rd National Policy Summit in Kumasi last Tuesday, the Minister said palm wine tappers need to be educated on the effects on using pesticides. He noted that some persons even use the pesticides in preserving food items like Koobi and tiger nuts. Prof. Frimpong Boateng warned that such actions put the health of consumers at risk and must therefore be halted. The Minister also spoke against the widespread use of weedicides by some farmers in cultivating their crops. According to him, such a practice is bad because not only does the weedicide destroy the weeds but also the fertility of the soil. He added that government has instituted the national science and technology policy to drive the activities of all sectors of the economy. He emphasized that Ghanas education system needs to adopt a more science and technology-based approach in order to catch up with the advanced worlds. In her tribute read on her behalf at the final funeral rites ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre on Friday, 27 July, she said it is hard to lose her son adding that only God knows why Amissah-Arthur died. She said "It is hard to lose a son, it is hard to lose a loyal friend, it is hard to lose Kwesi Bekoe. My comfort is that God knows the way it is, God is his own interpreter and he makes known all that we do not understand. I thank God for his life. Job said: The Lord gives and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised". The funeral was attended by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and their spouses. Other dignitaries present were former presidents Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Mahama; the Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, the Chief of Staff, Ministers of State, Members of the Council of State, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the National Democratic Congress, political party representatives, close friends and family. Amissah-Arthur, will be buried at the Military Cemetery, Accra. The man Amissah-Arthur Amissah-Arthur was the sixth Vice President of Ghana, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under former President John Mahama. Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. He was sworn in as Vice-President on 6 August 2012, following vetting by Parliament. If you've ever been in Ghana, Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi are probable towns you might have come accross. But there are more. On Thursday, Parliament was thrown into a state of ecstasy when Members came to terms with some Ghanaian communities with sex organ names. READ MORE: Privileges Committee to suspend Kennedy Agyapong This came known when Member of Parliament (MP) for Abirem constituency in the Eastern region, John Osei Frimpong demanded to know from the Energy Minister plans by the government to connect some communities in the Abirem constituency to the national grid. He mentioned: "Whether the Ministry has plans to provide off-grid electricity to the following communities in the Abirem Constituency which are difficult to connect to the national grid: Kyiri Ahantan, Twenwinso, Etwe Nim Nyansa, Kote Ye Aboa, Hwoa Ye Mmobo, Akyekyeresu, Tetteh Brofo, Asarekrom, Alhajikrom and Yaw Broni". Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensa-Bonsu had earlier insisted that the names of the communities should not be mentioned because it could 'chaos' if allowed on the floor of Parliament. He said the sensitive nature of the names of the communities as appeared in the question filed by the lawmaker for the people of Abirem should be considered. However, the Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu, insisted the member cannot be denied his right by the House to mention names of his communities in a question he had filed. The first deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Wusu, who was on chaired the House directed that the MP be allowed to mention the names because they form part of his community. The First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu who presided over the sitting, however, ruled in favour of the Abirem MP much to the excitement of the entire House as well as members of the public had traveled from various parts of the country to witness the days sitting. But the Energy Minister said the objective of the National Electrification Scheme (NBS) towards the achievement of the universal access is to provide electricity to all communities either through grid extension or off-grid/mini-grid solutions for remote or island communities. He noted that: "For the communities in the Abirem constituency which are difficult to be connected to the national grid, the ministry will explore the possibility of connecting them through off-grid or mini-grid solutions". He said Amissah-Arthur exercised his duties as an economist and vice President served Ghana with dignity and a good sense of humility. Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur died on Friday morning at age 67. He will be buried today, Friday, July 27, 2018, at the Military Cemetery, Accra. Below is Rawlings tribute: FARE THEE WELL, PAA KWESI AMISSAH ARTHUR Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur worked with both the governments of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during my tenure. As an economist and academic, I knew Paa Kwesi as a true professional who exercised his duties with dignity and a good sense of humility. Typical of many professionals cast in his mold, he let his work speak for itself. He was not one who preferred to stay in the public eye but his association with politics did not allow that. Nevertheless, Paa Kwesis calm disposition hid a confident interior that I believe earned him his role in our governments and allowed him to rise in other roles outside government. During a trying period in the PNDC days, our former Deputy Minister of Finance bailed us out of a difficult troop situation in his capacity as Acting Minister. That was when I recognized that he was no personality to be regarded lightly. As a partner in the trenches of the PNDC and early NDC days, we had our challenges too and he took them in his stride even if there were some discomforting encounters. His candor could be disarming sometimes and he had a good grasp of the history of the PNDC and NDC days. I remember that once not too long ago he countered a misrepresentation during a tribute session for Louis Casely Hayford in church, correcting some historical facts concerning the PNDC to my pleasant surprise and that of many who were gathered at the service. Despite the complex challenges he encountered as Vice-President, he nevertheless was a man whose demeanour won him deserving respect and admiration. Paa Kwesi may have been an unsung hero, but he paid his full dues to Ghana with love and commitment. His demise during a gym workout came as a shock but the ways of the Good Lord are not for us to question. Fare thee well Paa Kwesi. You were a true son of Ghana. The man Amissah-Arthur Amissah-Arthur was the sixth Vice President of Ghana, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama. Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. He was sworn in as Vice-President on 6 August 2012, following vetting by Parliament. He was nominated by Former President John Dramani Mahama to be vice president a week after Mahama himself was sworn in. This followed the sudden death of President John Atta Mills on 24 July 2012. Economics and consultancy Amissah-Arthur was a research assistant at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research between 1974 and 1975. He later joined the Economics Department as a teaching assistant from 1977 to 1978, going on to become an assistant lecturer in 1979. He lectured at the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana between 1980 and 1988. He has also been a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Anambra State College of Education, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria (August 1981 July 1983).[7] He went into politics until 1997. He worked as a consultant for the World Bank in The Gambia. He also served as a consultant for the Netherlands' government education project in Ghana. He then worked as Senior Economist for the Sigma One Corporation in Ghana between 1998 and 2000. Between 2001 and 2002, he was on assignment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Politics From 1983 to 1986, Amissah-Arthur served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwesi Botchwey, in the Provisional National Defence Council government. Subsequently, he was 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 Rawlings government after the establishment of the constitutional rule until March 1997. According to him, the constant criticisms that have come the way of the Service have left its officers demoralised. Two weeks ago, seven suspected armed robbers were shot dead at Asawase by a team of Police officers a move which angered residents of the area who held that the victims were not criminals. Last Friday, another officer openly assaulted a nursing mother at a Midlands Savings and Loans branch, sparking public uproar. In a separate incident, another Police officer mistakenly killed a driver after his intended warning shot went completely wrong. The above and more have led to a barrage of criticisms being rained down on the Police Service. However, DCOP Mensah has urged the public to tone down on the criticisms, insisting it is demoralizing Police officers. According to him, recent developments have left his men doubtful whether the public appreciates their work. I told them the public appreciate what we do and we need to ensure that there is peace and order in the capital and around the country, Accra Regional Police Commander told Accra-based Joy FM. He added that it is wrong to use the few mistakes by some officers as the basis to rubbish the good work every other officer is doing. The public should also praise those who are doing well as it boosts their morale. They should help the Service by exposing the bad ones. Those we need to punish once they are exposed, we will do that. According to him, the former vice president exhibited a rare level of tolerance and patience that is worthy of emulation. Addressing the media after filing past the corpse of the former Veep at the Accra International Conference Cantre, he said Amissah-Arthur was a man who never allowed himself to be pushed around by his party. [I will remember him for] his level of tolerance and patience, being able to hold on to himself without being pushed by the party and people who believe you must answer to everything and respond in like manner, John Boadu said. The NPP General Secretary also aimed a subtle jibe at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggesting the party did not deserve a man like Amissah-Arthur. According to him, the late Veep joined the wrong party, describing him as a misnomer in the NDC. we believe he was in the wrong party, Mr. Boadu said, adding that "it was a misnomer in their party but all said and done, It is a virtue we can hold on to. The late Amissah-Arthur was laid in state at the Foyer of the AICC on Thursday, July 26, 2018. His funeral rites will continue till Sunday, July 29, 2018, with a thanksgiving service at the Calvary Methodist Church at Adabraka in Accra. He said the Free SHS is struggling today because the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was thinking of votes when it was promised, and not necessarily how the policy would be implemented and sustained. Mr. Kwakye Ofosu was speaking in relation to governments decision to introduce the double-track system in public second cycle schools to cater for the growing number of students. Government has explained that the two-track system is meant to cater for the spike in enrolment into senior high schools due to the free SHS policy. With this system, each track will be in school for specific days for each semester and go on vacation and come back for the second semester. While the first track is in school, the second track will be on vacation and vice-versa. However, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu has described the double-track system as a glorified shift system, insisting government had no idea about how to finance and sustain the programme, but for purposes of votes, he had to make that promise. Free SHS, as it was promised by the NPP to be delivered, has collapsed. Is government not scrambling to look for ways to sustain a policy that is clearly unstainable? This double-intake system the president is talking about is nothing more than a glorified shift system. You can call a donkey an ass and paint its face with make-up, it will still remain an ass, it will never become a horse, so, they can call it whatever they like, it is a shift system, he said on Metro TV Good Morning Ghana Thursday. "The terrorist was shot and killed," it added. In a previous statement, the army had said all three were "seriously" wounded. According to emergency services, two seriously injured Israelis were evacuated to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. The third, slightly wounded in the leg, was evacuated to another hospital. Hadassah Hospital said the two wounded had been admitted to intensive care. A 31-year-old was in critical condition, while a 58-year-old patient was not in danger, it said. Israeli soldiers headed to the scene after the attack to search the area. Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April 2018 when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. Thursday's attack comes amid recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian groups in the besieged Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, promised revenge after Israeli strikes on the coastal enclave killed three of its members. Israel said the artillery fire late Wednesday was in retaliation for shots fired at troops along the border that injured one soldier. "The enemy shall pay a high price in blood for the crime which it commits daily against the rights of our people and our fighters," said the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. The flare-up came five days after the United Nations and Egypt brokered a deal to halt a July 20 surge in violence that claimed the lives of four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier -- the first killed in the area since the last war in Gaza in 2014. On Tuesday, Israel partially reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip, after a two-week closure prompted by border tensions and incendiary kites had sparked fears of a severe fuel shortage in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. Tensions along the Gaza border increased in late March when Palestinians launched a mass protest movement. At least 149 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire since March 30. Israel says its blockade is necessary to keep Hamas from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used for military purposes. All entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was prevented, the photographer said. Police did not confirm the closures but said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as "rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police". "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," a statement said, using the Jewish name for the site. It added police were still seeking to arrest a number of suspects who had fled into the Al-Aqsa mosque inside the compound. The Waqf published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound, which also includes the Dome of the Rock. The compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The site is also holy to Jews, who believe it to be the location of the first and second temples of Judaism and refer to it as the Temple Mount. An outer wall of the site is the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews are allowed to pray. The wall was not sealed off Friday. The mosque is a rallying point for Palestinians and Muslims generally, who fear Israel is seeking to change the so-called status quo arrangement at the site. Under that agreement, Jews can visit but only Muslims are allowed to visibly pray at the site. In July 2017 tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at al-Aqsa. Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this. The teenage attacker snuck into the settlement on Thursday evening by climbing a wall, the Israeli army said. He stabbed three people seemingly at random before being shot dead. The army named the man who died as Yotam Ovadia, 31, with Israeli media saying he had two young children. A 58-year-old victim was said to be seriously wounded but stable. The third victim was lightly wounded. The attacker was later identified by official Palestinian media as Mohammed Dar Youssef, 17, from the village of Kobar. The army said Friday it had raided the village, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid on Friday morning, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas. "The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tyres at (Israeli) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means," an army statement said. The clashes were over by mid-morning Friday, an AFP photographer said, though the army had established a checkpoint at the edge of the village. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said three people were arrested. The army added it was "reinforcing the defence" of Adam and other settlements. US decries 'barbaric attack' All Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal by the international community. Israel rejects the widely held view that settlement expansion is one of the greatest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians. Attacks against Israelis in the West Bank are supported by many Palestinians as pushing back against settlement growth. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah movement leads the government in the West Bank, to condemn the attack. "Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence?" he wrote on Twitter. There was no response from Abbas's government, which has cut ties with the Trump administration over its stance on Israel. Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years in the West Bank, Jerusalem and elsewhere. The attack came after a period of relative calm in the West Bank. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a petrol station in an industrial area connected to the Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. In Gaza, however, there has been recurrent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip in which at least 154 Palestinians have been killed since late March. Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, has promised revenge after Israeli strikes on the coastal enclave killed a number of its members in recent weeks. In a statement late Thursday, Hamas praised the "courageous operation" in the West Bank without claiming responsibility for it. "There are of course territories in the eastern part of Syria that are controlled by various groups... So we will be moving into all these regions," Assad added. "The military -- and it is at their discretion -- will decide priorities and Idlib is one of these priorities," he said. "Now we have liberated Ghouta, we will finish the liberation of the south-western part of Syria," Assad said. Syrian government forces launched an offensive last month backed by Russian planes to retake the south of Syria, including Daraa and Quneitra provinces. Russia, Turkey and Iran have held talks under the Astana peace process launched last year and agreed to create four "de-escalation" zones to pave the way for a nationwide ceasefire. Idlib is part of one such zone. It borders Turkey to the northwest but is otherwise almost totally surrounded by regime territory, prompting fears the government would eventually attack it. Idlib has received many rebels and their families evacuated from other regions under Russian-brokered "reconciliation deals" that then saw regime forces move in to take rebel-held areas. According to the United Nations, Idlib's population today stands at 2.5 million -- half of them displaced people. In the same interview Assad said rescue workers from the White Helmets group would be killed if they did not turn themselves in. "Either they can lay down their arms as part of an amnesty ongoing for four or five years, or they will be liquidated like any other terrorist," he said. Israel on Sunday helped more than 400 people -- opposition-linked White Helmets rescuers and their families -- flee a pocket of southwest Syria as government forces bore down on them. But hundreds more remain trapped in the south, fearing reprisals from approaching regime troops. Damascus accuses the White Helmets of being a front for jihadists. Assad also appealed for Syrian refugees, especially those who had their own businesses in the country, to return. From reportedly raging that CNN was on the first lady's television set, to refusing to take questions from the network, to the White House barring one of its reporters from a press event: the Trump-CNN relationship is toxic. "Donald Trump is doing what conservative politicians have been doing for a long time but which he is taking to a new level -- to use the press as a punching bag, and this plays very well with the conservative base," said Robert Jensen, who is retiring this fall as journalism professor at the University of Texas. CNN's stated commitment to uncovering the truth, its household-name status and robust coverage of crises in the administration, broadcasting damaging headlines around the clock, have been a huge thorn in the president's side. Fact-based reporting aside, eyebrows have been raised over the subjective nature of some of the commentary from its anchors, celebrities in their own right with a powerful following and multi-million-dollar contracts. Earlier this month, Anderson Cooper called Trump's press conference with Vladimir Putin "perhaps one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president." In January, his colleague Don Lemon called Trump a "racist." "I think such comments by news people -- as distinguished from commentators -- are a mistake," says Paul Janensch, a former newspaper editor who taught journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. "If I were running CNN, I would tell the news professionals to stick to the facts and avoid making disparaging comments about Trump," he told AFP. 'Crazy' The network has recently promoted to prime-time Chris Cuomo, brother of Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the anchor who this week broadcast a taped conversation involving Trump and his former personal lawyer. "There is that sense that CNN could be being watched by people who may be more undecided, still open to having their opinions and ideas shaped by the reporting," says Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture. "It's still kind of doing the old- fashioned notion of reporter with some kind of objectivity... and I think that drives the president absolutely crazy," added Thompson, from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. The Republican leader has long had a contentious relationship with the media, branding mainstream outlets an "enemy of the American People" and dismissing unfavorable coverage as "Fake News". But while Trump has railed against The New York Times, he has continued to speak to its reporters. He has not granted CNN an interview since he took office. "CNN is fake news, I don't take questions from CNN," the president snapped during a press conference in Britain earlier this month. The Times reported that Trump "raged" at staff after his wife Melania's television on board Air Force One was tuned to CNN, not Fox. Profile rising On Wednesday, the White House barred a CNN reporter from attending an event with the president, allegedly for asking "inappropriate" questions that officials objected to earlier in the day. Yet others see no rational explanation for the extent of the president's ire. CNN is only the third-most watched cable news network, lagging behind Trump favorite, Fox News in first place and MSNBC, a bastion of liberal opposition. CNN president Jeff Zucker was previously at NBC Universal, the man who green-lighted reality show "The Apprentice" that turned Trump into a household name, ultimately paving the way for his successful run as president. In the summer of 2015, when Trump announced his candidacy ran for president, CNN was criticized for airing his early rallies in full and unedited, as the New York real-estate tycoon leap-frogged to the front of a crowded Republican field. Yet CNN, like other US media, has received a shot in the arm by the Trump administration. According to Nielsen data, the channel has just closed out its third-best second quarter since 1996. "If anything, his CNN obsession is increasing CNN's profile," says Edward Burmila, who teaches political science at Bradley University in Illinois. "Any media outlet attracting that much anger from the White House is likely to gain something in terms of reputation in the industry." But whether CNN succeeds in treading a middle ground depends on who you ask, he told AFP. Mookh won both the Social Business Payments challenge as well as the overall prize for its idea taking home Ksh5 million ($50,000). Likewise, the startup will have the opportunity to work with Visa to develop the concept further. This is the first time Visa has rolled out its Everywhere Initiative in Sub Saharan Africa with 12 startups eventually selected to compete for cash funding, access to Visas products and services, mentorship and support, and exposure to key Visa partners and clients. The global program is designed to support the companys goal of fostering the growth of next generation payment technologies. Mookh Africa developed a social business payments solution which makes it easy for people in Africa to buy and sell on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Innovative ideas Once the seller creates an online store on Mookh, they can embed it into their Facebook page. The startup beat 11 other finalists selected from 238 submissions to emerge winners. We unanimously decided on the winners. There were very clear, innovative ideas; or ones with phenomenal social impact, Carmen Whatley, Managing Director Accenture Digital Financial Services and one of the judges, said in a statement. All the winners have incredible ideas for Africa from opening up access to finance for customer to linking up small farmers with financiers the biggest highlight has been seeing these ideas and their social impact. On our photo of the day, Simi is bringing sexy back with this African prints attire which kind of showcases the amazing designs that can be created from it. Guys, let's not bore you with the details of the prints rather check out how Simi nailed the dress. The moment she posted the photo online, we knew this was going to cause wahala as she even said her mum was going to call her over the outfit. We don't get to see Simi give the fashion police work free day all the time, but today they sure have nothing on her guys! Just recently Simi got recognised by the United States of America when she was decorated by theUnited States consulate in Nigeria as one of its human rights ambassadors. Also popular for its gloomy soundtrack - performed by Stanley Okorie - which preaches that "in this world, you reap what you sow," the movie boasts a potent cast that includes Pete Edochie, Liz Benson, Onyeka Onwenu, Rita Edochie, Tom Njemanze, Pete Ene, Chinedu Ikedieze, Klint Da Drunk, Ernest Asuzu and Chika Anyanwu. What is "Chain Reaction" about? "Chain Reaction" tells the story of Eucharia, who has been married to Ugochukwu for over 40 years. She is the oldest wife in a compound that is also home to her husband's brothers - Athan and Samuel - and their wives - Victoria and Ijeoma. Eucharia is a power-hungry bully, who doesn't miss any opportunity to remind her sisters-in-law of her supremacy. "Have you forgotten that I was present when they came to pay your bride price?" she would say with so much disdain on her face. We are introduced to her in the first scene which sees her harassing Ijeoma (Rita Edochie) for not sweeping the compound. She then proceeds to Victoria's to ask why she's farming on the family land. Victoria reminds her that the land has been in the family for generations, and it's not exclusive to anyone. When Victoria doesn't heed her warning to stay away from the farm, Euchariagathers her daughters to the farm and attacks the former and her children. While Victoria and Ijeoma's children are doing well, Eucharia's daughters are, according to her husband, 'dancing disco,' and her sons - Anselem and Emeka - drinking to stupor and failing UTME, respectively. To make matters 'worse' for her, she doesn't have her husband's support in her quest for power. He says 'no one would come between him and his brothers.' So she visits a spiritualist, who gives her a charm, which, when used in small portions, would get her husband to obey her. But Victoria wants more, so she pours the whole substance into his favourite meal; bushmeat. Ugo doesn't just become obedient, he becomes so obsessed with her that he refuses to return to his business in Port Harcourt city, even after she commands him to do so. Before the credit rolls, Eucharia successfully commits atrocities such as poisoning Athan and his son, Chuka; arresting some of the elders in the village, and selling the family land. After she loses her husband, gets disowned by the village women, loses Emeka - who somewhere along the line gets himself involved in money ritual - to madness, Eucharia decides to commit suicide. But of course, in a typical old Nollywood style, not before a sad monologue about regret and forgiveness. Memorable performances In "Chain Reaction," Liz Benson, who has, over the years, played important roles in what are now considered some of the best films ever made - "True Confession," "Glamour Girls," "Diamond Ring," "Evil Men - is Eucharia, the oldest wife in the family. In "Chain Reaction," she is exceptional, delivering a thoughtfully crafted performance. As Victoria, Anthan's wife, Onyeka Onwenu is a blend of fierce and gentle in how she responds to being the target of Eucharia's cruelty. There's something in the way she carries herself, communicating her strength and weakness with glances or gestures. Ernest Asuzu's performance as an irresponsible man, who struggles to succeed and eventually, after he does, has to deal with the consequences of disobeying a herbalist, is probably one of his best work ever. A smart sense of humour is displayed in Klint Da Drunk's Anselem.He blames his mom for his lifestyle. According to him, she didn't let him marry the woman he wanted or do the job he wanted. One of the memorable lines and scene in "Chain Reaction" is when Anselem, in his usual drunken state, decides to leave his family house. His mom tries to stop him, asking who would take care of her and bury his late father. He replies: "When you went to the herbalist to get a charm for him [Ugo] to be your obedient servant, did you consult me?" What makes "Chain Reaction" so relatable Set in a village, a movie about good vs. evil would always resonate with most Nigerians who believe in the existence of evil forces and that children can suffer for the actions of an ancestor. In "Chain Reaction," most viewers would see themselves or a story they've heard or read about a 'wicked' relative in the village, who doesn't want the success of the younger generation, reflected on the screen. COSON has been involved in a leadership crisis as founding Chairman, Tony Okoroji and talent manager, Efe Omorogbe lay claim to the position which has led to the suspension of the body's licence by the Nigerian Copyright Council (NCC) in May 2018. A statement made available by MPAN, dated Thursday, July 26, 2018, and signed by its Chairman, Olumide Mustapha and Secretary, Isioma Idigbe reads; ''The Music Publishers Association of Nigeria (MPAN) is an association of owners of interests in copyright catalogues comprised of tens of thousands of musical works, from the 1960s to 2018, locally and internationally. 'As the single largest body of music copyright owners in Nigeria, no single individual or other body has more at stake in the development of music-related copyright, and the success of the overall Copyright management system, in Nigeria. Therefore the current suspension of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) license to act as a collective management organization (CMO) for musical works by the Nigerian Copyright Commission is one of great concern to us and our members. MPAN recognises that the NCCs actions regarding COSON are well intended especially in light of the fact that the NCC under the impressive leadership of has been one of the biggest contributors to the significant positive developments of copyright administration in Nigeria. However, we believe that the NCC can achieve its objective - of ensuring rights owners and creators are well represented by their designated CMO - without adversely affecting COSONs members which we are one of. The impact of NCCs decision to suspend COSON's license, on rights owners is that we do not have any CMO properly and effectively representing our rights. The continued suspension has created uncertainty about the stability of music business in Nigeria and is ultimately driving away much needed foreign and local investment in the music industry as funding plans are literally having to be put on hold pending the resolution of this matter. MPAN thus firmly but respectfully calls for the NCC to not throw away the baby with the bathwater and lift the suspension of COSON's licence without further delay as MPAN, investors and thousands of helpless copyright owners across Nigeria and beyond continue to suffer otherwise. Nigeria is rapidly approaching a critical turning point in the development of copyright (administration), and with increased consumption of creative works by an increasingly global audience, huge opportunities for value generation abound both for creators and the country's GDP alike. It is important that the huge strides made by what is undoubtedly the leading CMO in Nigeria are not undone due to issues that could be resolved in a much less damaging manner. The COSON success which is now gravely threatened was built on account of the huge sacrifices made by many people, over several years, including many diligent and committed officers of the NCC. MPAN, therefore, appeals to the NCC for an immediate withdrawal of the suspension in the interest of all stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry. We have earlier sent a letter to the NCC dated 20th June 2018, wherein we made this request and also preferred other options which the NCC could exercise to achieve its aim of ensuring that rights owners and creators are well represented by their designated CMO. Though we are yet to receive a response to our letter, we are hopeful that the NCC and its leadership would consider our suggestions and act on them speedily.'' It will be recalled that in the last quarter of 2017, Tony Okoroji was reportedly removed as chairman following allegations of high-handedness and gross abuse of office leading to the announcement of Efe Omorogbe as the new chairman on Thursday, December 7. Traversing 192 countries in the world through variety of bottles seems impossible and unbelievable but its an innovative campaign International Premium Beer Brand, Heineken has been able to launch with its shazamable limited edition bottles. Theres a country called Krygyzstan! said Damola after beginning her journey of scanning different Heineken bottles with an application called Shazam that plays a short video of the country on the bottle label after identifying the code. Honestly, winning a trip to Amsterdam and other European countries is not the only exciting reward Im looking forward to, but getting the opportunity to experience different countries by shazaming codes on the bottles is mind blowing In my opinion, getting stressed about the harrowing trip to embassies coupled with the small options when it comes to visa-free countries a.k.a hassle-free travel destinations should be off everyones worry list as long as there is a local store closeby. There are many countries to look out for on the bottle labels like the Kiribati, where you will get to experience the Kiribati Fanning Traditional House, Blue and Green Lagoon and the legendary Taruwa Island. Who knew Brunei, a former British colony and a country in South East Asia has one of the most charming landscapes and architecture in the world. Well, the Heineken Brunei labelled bottle did. If youd rather go to the continent of Oceania, according to the video as shown by the Heineken bottle labelled Nauru, Nauru boasts of an amazing marine life, large colorful reefs, and pristine beaches. With the ongoing 192 countries digital campaign and the introduction of the shazamable limited edition bottle labels, Heineken has once again reaffirmed itsheritage in providing revolutionary new digital experiences and next generation products for consumers. The fair price of getting the bottles and travelling the world through it is extremely remarkable, the value for me has been huge. Osmond Eweka pleads not guilty One of Eweka's lawyers denied the charges. The reality is that Mr Eweka provided honest services to many satisfied clients, he said in court. Eweka has pleaded not guilty to the charges. How Osmond Eweka allegedly ran the scam The prosecutors on the case believe he is guilty of the charges. According to them, Eweka rented an office in the Empire State Building in New York. The office was for an allegedly fake job-placement outfit called Stamford Consulting Firm, L.L.C. The consulting firm located job seekers via a website Indeed.com. According to the prosecutors, a woman who has not been identified brought them to the office. The trick was to lure them with the opportunity of a job interview. When in the office, the applicants were told to pay a fee for licensing and training if they got hired. According to the report by the New York Times, Eweka introduced himself as Mr Sean Jackson to the applicants. He boasted to have connections with employers in the city of New York. Now when hired, these applicants pay anything from $289 to $600. The higher you pay the greater your chances said the prosecutors. The applicants were then told to return to Eweka's office a few days later and sent to the Fire Department headquarters in Brooklyn for a fire guard license. After doing this "Mr. Eweka advised the victims to wait for a call from a job-placement coordinator" reported the New York Times. Some people there was no call. Others received a call from a blocked number which sent them to fake addresses said, prosecutors. Some others reported showing up at legit offices but were told they had no relationship with Stamford Consulting Firm. For over a month (May 18-June 12) Eweka and McKay were allegedly behind a similar operation at 521 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. They used a company named Howard Consulting Group, L.L.C., according to the prosecutors. Is Osmond Eweka a member of the Benin royal family? The New York Times reached out to the royal of Benin to confirm if Osmond Eweka is a member. "Mr Ewekas precise position in the royal family of Benin remains unclear. Prosecutors said in court that he was a member of the family and had strong ties to Nigeria" said the New York Times. "There is no way to verify who he is because it is a very large family," said one of the reps of the royal family in New Jersey. Punch News gathered that she tied the deceased with a rope and released it into the hole. The parents of the infant were attending an event in a neighbouring village when the incident occurred. Aisha has been having issues with the baby's mother ever since the latter married her son Bello Ibrahim. She now regrets her action. I told my husband to tell his son to divorce his wife but he did not listen to me. "My daughter-in-law is fond of insulting and assaulting me all the time and the only way I could pay her back was to tie her daughter with the rope and throw her inside a well to die so that she will equally feel the pains and agony I have been going through. We have been living in peace as one big family before my son married her; I have 12 children and all of us are living in one compound; she cannot come from somewhere to destroy the family I have suffered for years to keep, it is unacceptable. It was temptation, I didnt know when I did it, I cant just tell but may Allah forgive me. Honestly, it was a wicked act that can never be accepted anywhere in the world," a repentant Aisha Ibrahim noted in a comment captured by Punch. Landlord goes crazy and crushes skull of tenant's baby with pestle The skull of a 4-year-old boy Joseph Akpan was crushed with a pestle when a landlord went crazy on his tenants. Sunday Omosule, the owner of the house located in Ota, Ogun State, has been arrested according to Punch News. He reportedly chased his tenants with the grinding tool and caught up with the mother of the deceased who sustained an injury on her hand. Omosule has been arrested by the state police while the mum visited a hospital for treatment. The landlord was arrested following a distress call to the police at Onipanu division," confirms Abimbola Oyeyemi who is a spokesperson for the police. Wedding photographer Mofe Bamuyiwa, who is based in Lagos, posted series of striking snaps of the little girl to her page as part of her latest project. Bamuyiwa shared three stunning portraits of the girl on her Instagram account last week, describing the youngster as an angel in her posts, UK-based Daily Mail, Daily Sun and Metro said. The pictures received tens of thousands of likes, with hundreds of comments on Jares incredible natural beauty. The images see the child posing in a simple setting showcasing her enormous eyes and perfectly smooth skin as well as her impressive head of hair. Captioning one photo, Mofe writes: Oh yes shes human! Shes also an angel! J A R E. I want to portray the interception between her childhood and adulthood, so both stay timeless! I could have made her smile and make her laugh out loud but I put her in their natural moments for us to see through their eyes ! Posing them as adults! Was my trick to create it a timeless portrait! J A R E , when you clock 21, remember to do same pose and style. Fans have been quick to praise Mofes portraits of the child with the first of the three images amassing 16,000 likes. ALSO READ: Actress shares miracle story of the birth of her daughter Commenting on the photo, Instagram user serenaqueen22 wrote: The most beautiful girl in the world. Another user, igeyj added: This is what you call the most beautiful girl in the world. Wow. Agreeing, another added: This beautiful child has Broken the internet. The second two portraits also received plenty of praise from followers who were captivated by the childs looks. Little is known about Jare but Mofe has revealed that she is not a professional model, according to the reports. The five-year-old lives with her two sisters Jomi, 7, and Joba, 10, who also pose on their own Instagram account The J3 Sisters. Mofe surprised some of her followers while describing her process behind the photograph, admitting she wanted the child to look more adult. Captioning the first portrait she said: The opportunity came and I had to take a bold step to express my ideas of how I want to take portraits of kids Report says Mofe inspired the childrens mother to launch the Instagram page, where they already have more than 5,000 followers, according to reports. Jare follows on from other youngsters whose appearances on social media saw them earn the title of the most beautiful girl in the world. In December, Anna Pavaga, 8, was hailed as the worlds most beautiful girl after a successful modelling career starting at the age of three. She appeared in fashion campaigns for dozens of campaigns all over the world, including in China , as well as the glossy pages of Vogue Enfants, a supplement of French Vogue. Zuckerberg, on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 lost $16.8 billion in almost two hours as the Facebook shares tumbled. The sum, $16.8 billion, if converted to Naira totals over N6 trillion (6,074,040,000,000). In 2017, the National Assembly passed the 2017 Appropriations Bill, raising the budget from N7.28 trillion earlier proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to N7.44 trillion. The amount is just a fifth of Zuckerberg's net worth. The American technology entrepreneur, according to Forbes, is currently worth $77.6 billion. ALSO READ: These are the seven richest billionaires in Africa right now Zuckerberg's $16.8bn loss is more than Dangotes net worth The slide on Zuckerberg's fortune is worth more than the net worth of Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, whose worth is around $12.3 billion as at July 9, 2018. For many of the world's richest people, most especially Africa's billionaires, losing $16.8 billion in a day would be a wipeout. According to Bloomberg, Zuckerberg's fortune tumbled in late trading Wednesday, as shares of the social media giant slid 20% in post-market trading in New York on disappointing results. The current owner of the tanker was revealed as Hassan Yusuf Maiwaka by the Lagos State government earlier in July 2018 after an investigation into the fire explosion was launched. Maiwaka's arrest was announced in a series of tweets by the Lagos Rapid Response Squad on Friday, July 27, 2018. The statement reads: "Homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigation And Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti Yaba, investigating the Otedola Bridge tanker fire of 26/6/2018 have arrested the tanker owner, Hassan Yusuf Maiwake in Kano State. "The truck with registration number NSR 888 YQ, driven by a yet to be identified suspect, laden with petroleum product, lost control, spilling its content and went up in flame immediately. 56 vehicles were burnt in the inferno, which killed 9 unidentified persons. ALSO READ: "Hassan Maikwe of No.16 Hotoro Limawa, Kano was arrested yesterday. He is now helping the police in its effort to locate the driver of the ill-fated truck. "The CP assures that the Command will do all it can to help families who lost their beloved ones in the accident, find a closure by ensuring that anyone found culpable is brought to book. DNA test to ascertain the true identities of the charred remains of the victims is ongoing." The tanker that killed several people in Lagos The Mack tanker truck, loaded with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), lost control of its brake and exploded on Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway after spilling its content on June 28, 2018. At least 12 people were killed in the inferno with a few others injured with varying degress of burns. Preliminary investigation by the government had revealed that the fuel tanker in question was registered in Kano State and had changed ownership 13 times since purchase. ALSO READ: Watch video of fuel tanker losing control before explosion in Lagos 55 cars lost in accident Tuesday's meeting was convened by the state's Ministry of Transport to enable the Nigerian Insurers Associations access vehicles damaged in the accident in order to take necessary steps in ensuring prompt and proper payment of compensation to the victims and their families. Lawanson said a total of 55 vehicles were involved in the accident and 39 of them were registered in Lagos; and their owners have been traced and contacted. Obiano gave the warning on Thursday in Awka, while presenting Certificates of Recognition to three newly installed traditional rulers in the state. You must desist from such acts or you will be made to face the full wrath of the law, he warned. Obiano said that traditional institution had been an aged-long sacred order that requires respect. The governor expressed displeasure that some individuals who have lost their sense of dignity are parading themselves as traditional rulers, causing confusion and disorder in the state. Government is the only authorised institution to recognise traditional rulers and reserve the powers to withdraw such certificates, Obiano said. He said that his government would not tolerate a situation whereby any unauthorised person move around as a traditional ruler. The governor also urged the newly installed traditional rulers to use their positions to ensure peace and unity for the development of their communities. Commenting, Rep. Ben Nwankwo, representing Orumba North and South in the Federal House of Representatives, said that Obiano had built confidence in the minds of Anambra people in his style of leadership. Nwankwo urged the traditional rulers to see the certificates as a spring board to develop and touch lives at the grassroots. Also, Mr Greg Obi, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, said that those installed had passed through various processes in line with the customs and tradition of their communities. Responding, the traditional ruler of Okpuno Community, Igwe Sunday Okafor, enjoined the new monarchs to uphold integrity and never to discriminate in the discharge of their duties. The National President, Anambra State Association of Town Union, Mr Alex Onukwue, commended the governor for displaying transparency in the choice of the new traditional rulers. The senator took to his Twitter account (@dino_melaye) to disclose how he escaped the attack and was "in the wilderness" for 11 hours. He tweeted, "I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!!" Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa East - PDP) raised an alarm on Thursday, July 26, 2018, that Melaye had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen. Murray-Bruce took to his Twitter account to disclose that Melaye's brother, Moses Melaye, informed him of the abduction. He posted, "I have just been informed by Moses Melaye, 's brother, that Dino has been abducted by unknown persons in a Toyota Sienna that blocked their car and overpowered them on their way to Kogi to answer to Dino's court case. Let's be on the watch out. Will keep you updated." However, the lawmaker's media aide, Gideon Ayodele, told Oak TV on Thursday that he escaped the attack by running into the bush, but his whereabout was unknown. "He (Melaye) was attacked and we believe he escaped into the bush but we're yet to know his whereabout," Ayodele said. Melaye missed court trial due to 'attack' Senator Melaye failed to appear for the commencement of his criminal trial at the Senior Magistrate's Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Thursday, July 26. The lawmaker faces charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, political thuggery and other violent crimes in Kogi state. During Thursday's hearing, his legal representative, Yemi Mohammed, told the court that the whereabouts of the lawmaker was unknown after he was attacked on his way to Lokoja on Wednesday, July 25. He said, "I learnt that he was attacked yesterday (Wednesday) in Gwagwalada on his way to Lokoja to attend his trial and up till now, I have not been able to reach him, I don't know where he is at the moment." Senior Magistrate, Sulyman Abdullah, was compelled to adjourn the case till August 9, 2018. After Kabiru Saidu, a.k.a Osama, and Nuhu Salisu, aka Small, were arrested at Ogojueje in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi on January 19, 2018, they confessed to the police that Senator Melaye hired them to cause unrest in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections. The criminal suspects disclosed that the lawmaker handed them a bag containing one AK-47 rifle, two pump action guns and the sum of N430,000 to unleash mayhem in Kogi. The Senator has always maintained that he's being politically persecuted by state governor, Yahaya Bello, as he faces two other criminal cases. A statement by the commissions Head, Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, said Smith made the promise when he assumed office on Friday in Abuja. We are starting work immediately and will work many hours everyday for us to effectively discharge our constitutional mandate,he said. He also said that they would work to build capacities in the commission, adding that with team work, we will give our country men and women a police force they will all be proud of. We have continued to discuss the current state of the Nigeria police and the state of Nigerian security,he said. He assured that the commission would place high premium in the recruitment of quality personnel for the force and would also expose them to structured and quality training. Smith promised to work closely with the Ministry of Interior and Nigeria police force to ensure that we have in place a police force that is effective, efficient and humane and can also stand international scrutiny. He promised that the new team would engage the government for proper funding of the police that would acquire modern gadgets. Ani said that the new Board also visited the commissions corporate office headquarters under construction in Jabi, Abuja. The group in a recent report released on Thursday, July 26, 2018, pointed out that violence between Nigerian herders and farmers has escalated, killing more than 1,300 people since January 2018. According to ICG, the conflict has evolved from spontaneous reactions to provocations and now to deadlier planned attacks, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Taraba states. Herdsmen-Farmers Conflict now deadlier than Boko Haram The ICG stressed that the conflict which used to be spontaneous attacks have become a premeditated attack claiming several lives more than Boko Haram claimed in seven months. ICG said the conflict has evolved from spontaneous reactions to provocations and now to deadlier planned attacks, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Taraba states. "What were once spontaneous attacks have become premeditated scorched-earth campaigns in which marauders often take villages by surprise at night. "Now claiming about six times more civilian lives than the Boko Haram insurgency, the conflict poses a grave threat to the countrys stability and unity, and it could affect the 2019 general elections. "The farmer-herder conflict has become Nigerias gravest security challenge, now claiming far more lives than the Boko Haram insurgency. It has displaced hundreds of thousands and sharpened ethnic, regional and religious polarisation. It threatens to become even deadlier and could affect forthcoming elections and undermine national stability," ICG stated. ALSO READ: Miyetti Allah says 5,000 herdsmen have been killed in 10 years This is what ignited premeditated attacks According to the ICG, some factors have been discovered to be the reasons behind the aggravated but age-long conflict. "Three factors have aggravated this decades-long conflict arising from environmental degradation in the far north and encroachment upon grazing grounds in the Middle Belt: militia attacks; the poor government response to distress calls and failure to punish past perpetrators; and new laws banning open grazing in Benue and Taraba states," ICG pointed out. ICG further wrote, "The conflicts roots lie in climate-induced degradation of pasture and increasing violence in the countrys far north, which have forced herders south; the expansion of farms and settlements that swallow up grazing reserves and block traditional migration routes; and the damage to farmers crops wrought by herders indiscriminate grazing." Herdsmen-Farmers conflict poses security challenge The ICG also noted that the farmer-herder conflict has become Nigerias gravest security challenge, now claiming far more lives than the Boko Haram insurgency. The group also stated that the conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands and sharpened ethnic, regional and religious polarisation. The conflict, the group also said, is threatening to become even deadlier and could affect forthcoming elections and undermine national stability. Miyetti Allah says 5,000 herdsmen have been killed in 10 years The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has claimed that an estimated 5,000 cattle herders have been killed in several states in Nigeria in an ongoing crisis of conflicts between nomadic herders and local farming communities. While speaking during an interview with Nigerian Tribune, Kautal Hore's Secretary-General, Saleh Alhassan, lamented that enough has not been reported about the murder of herdsmen. According to him, cattle herders have been brutally killed, with at least two million cows lost without any consequences for the perpetrators. He said, "We have lost estimated two million cows since this crisis started in Plateau and Taraba states, in Southern Kaduna and in parts of Kogi and Niger states. We have equally been victims in Zamfara and a few other states in the North. "For instance, 800 of our people were killed by a militia group in Mambilla Plateau. We also suffered the killing of 97 of our people by Bachama militias in Numan, Adamawa State. In Southern Kaduna, to be specific, in Kajuru, we lost 103 members. "So far, 5,000 of our people have lost their lives in the last 10 years, since this crisis erupted. The most painful thing is that nobody has been put on trial. Nobody has been charged. "In Southern Kaduna, for instance, in 2011, 400 of our people were murdered and nothing was done to the people who perpetrated this dastardly act. Today, the killers are walking on the streets as free citizens. Nobody was arrested or prosecuted." ICG profers solution to Hersdmen-Farmers conflict The ICG says the Federal Government of Nigeria has taken welcome but insufficient steps to halt the killings and increased deaths as a result of the herdsmen and farmers conflict. Proffering possible solutions to the current herdsmen-farmers conflict posing security challenge to the Nigerian government, ICG stressed the need for attackers to be prosecuted while protecting both farmers and herdsmen. "The federal government should better protect both herders and farmers, prosecute attackers, and carry out its National Livestock Transformation Plan. State governments should roll out open grazing bans in phases. Communal leaders should curb inflammatory rhetoric and encourage compromise. International partners should advocate for accountability and support livestock sector reform. Nine police officers and at least 24 others lost their lives when a group of around 30 armed robbers attacked Union Bank, Eco Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank and Ibolo Micro Finance Bank,as well as the Owode Police Station in Offa, Kwara State, on April 5, 2018. 22 suspects have been arrested and some of them were presented to the press during a media briefing on June 3, 2018. During the course of investigations, the main gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun (aka, AY), named Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Governor Ahmed as his gang's political sponsors. Akinnibosun further disclosed that a Lexus jeep GX-300, which was used during the robbery, was a gift from Saraki which he received through Ahmed's Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab, who was also been arrested in connection to the robbery. The vehicle was used in the robbery with a sticker plate number inscribed with "SARAKI" and registered to "Kwara, State of Harmony". Abdulwahab allegedly replaced the vehicle's number plate with a new one (registration number: Kwara, KMA 143 RM) and registered it in Akinnibosun's name to cover up its identity. Governor Ahmed's personal assistant on politics, Olalekan, was arrested in connection with the robbery as he allegedly attempted to hide the vehicle in question. A revolver pistol and pump action gun were also allegedly recovered from his farm. During a sitting of the High Court on Thursday, July 26, 2018, Olalekan's lead counsel, Adelodun Ibrahim (SAN), bemoaned his client's continued detention and the failure of the police to release Abdulwahab even though he has been granted bail by another high court in the state. Ibrahim told newsmen after yesterday's proceeding that the refusal of the police to obey the court order on Abdulwahab was worrisome and might lead to a loss of confidence in the fairness of the police to handle such cases. Even though the police force was not represented at Thursday's proceeding, Adelodun told the court they had been served all the processes related to the case. Alabi has been in detention since May 28, 2018, and has not been arraigned before any court of law, a development Adelodun argued is in contravention of the provisions of Order 4, Rules 3 and 4 of the Fundamental Rights enforcement procedure rules (2009) as well as Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 41 And 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The presiding judge, Justice Adebayo Yusuf, ruled that there was nothing in the constitution that allows the detention of a suspect without trial for a period beyond 24 hours where there is a court or 48 hours in environment where there is no court. In his short ruling, following the application by Adelodun for an interim bail for the suspect pending the determination of the substantive application, Justice Yusuf court aligned with the position of the SAN but decided to allow the police another opportunity to defend its position. "The position of the law is as stated by the leaned silk, however I'm inclined to hear from the respondent to come to court and show cause why the applicant should not be released from their custody, since they have been served the motion on notice", the judge ruled. While moving the application, Adelodun pointed out that the detention of the applicant for 60 days without trial is a prima facie case of a breach of his rights to liberty as enshrined in section 35 (7) of the constitution and pointed out that Section 122 of the Evidence Act empowers the court to take judicial notice of the time involved in the exchange of written addresses and affidavit by parties which can compound the suffering of the applicant. "We are not asking the court to declare our client guilty or innocent at this stage but the police has no right to keep a suspect forever," he said citing the decision of the Appeal Court in the case of EFCC vs Akingbola, (2015 NWLR p1470,pgh249,pp290) to buttress his submission. The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Texas Chukwu, made the announcement on Friday, July 27, 2018, as Maj-Gen Dikko takes over from Maj-Gen Nicholas Rogers who was appointed to head the anti-Boko Haram mission in December 2017. Maj-Gen Nicholas took over from Maj-Gen Attahiru Ibrahim (May 2017 - December 2017) who took over from Maj- Gen Lucky Irabor (March 2016 - May 2017) In Friday's announcement, there was a major redeployment of senior officers in Command, Staff and other appointments. The posting affected Principal Staff Officers both at the Defence and Army Headquarters as well as General Officers Commanding (GOCs). The posting, which also re-organised Operation LAFIYA DOLE, was aimed at injecting new hands to further actualise the vision of the Chief of Army Staff COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, according to the press statement. Others affected in the redeployment include Brig-Gen AO Abdullahi as Acting Commander Sector 2, Operation LAFIYA DOLE and Brig Gen UU Bassey as Acting Commander Sector 3, Operation LAFIYA DOLE. Others are, Maj Gen CO Ude posted as Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force Ndjamena, Maj Gen J Sarham as General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Maj Gen EB Kabuk General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Maj Gen MS Yusuf General Officer Commanding 81 Division and Maj Gen BA Akinroluyo as General Officer Commanding 3 Division. Among the Principal Staff Officers affected are Maj Gen LEO Irabor posted as Chief of Defence Training and Operations in the Defence Headquarters while Maj Gen LO Adeosun takes over as Chief of Training and Operations at the Army Headquarters. Others are Maj Gen HO Otiki, as Commander Infantry Corps and Maj Gen CU Agulanna as Chief of Accounts and Budget Nigerian Army. Maj Gen JE Jakko is posted to Defence Headquarters as Chief of Defence Finance and Budget, Maj Gen AB Abubakar, Maj Gen A Mohammed and Maj Gen LKJ Ogunewe, among others will be proceeding to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre on Course. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICiR, reports that Senator Adeleke, who is currentlyrepresenting Osun West Senatorial District, did not graduate from the American institution. Buffy Lockette, the Director of Public Relations at the university, was reportedly quoted as saying though Adeleke attended the university, he didn't graduate from the same university. The ICiR reports that Lockette's statement was in response to a mailed enquiry. Your request was forwarded to me. According to our records, he attended JSU but did not graduate. I cannot provide any additional information. Perhaps you can learn more at http://www.studentclearinghouse.org, Lockette reportedly informed ICiR. ALSO READ: Again, PDP clears Adeleke for guber poll Ademola Adeleke denies certificate forgery allegation Senator Ademola Adeleke has denied the allegation of certificate forgery levelled against him. According to Punch, reports on social media alleged that the Senator did not use his original O level certificate when he contested the Osun West Senatorial District by-election in July 2017. Also, a group known as Renewal Youth Movement called out the Senator, asking him to present the original copies of his certificates or be dragged to court. In his response, the Senator, through his younger brother, Dele Adeleke told Punch that the allegation is false. He said How can anybody believe such a story? You know the kind of opposition that rose up against him last year. Do you think the APC would not have raised the issues if he did not have the authentic certificates? Also, you are free to go to the school he attended and verify. That will be better than hearing from me or him. That story is not true and it should be discountenanced. PDP clears Adeleke for guber poll Dr Eddy Olafeso, South West National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), says the partys candidate for the Sept. 22 Osun gubernatorial poll had the pedigree to be governor. Speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Friday, Olafeso decried allegations that the PDP leadership skewed its Osun governorship primary in favour of Sen. Ademola Adeleke. Olafeso said that PDP had internal mechanism for resolving disputes arising from party primaries which allowed aggrieved aspirants to raise issues within the bounds of party rules and processes. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Gbajabiamila spoke in Lagos while presenting fire extinguishers and balls to traders in markets in his Surulere constituency. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five markets in Surulere benefitted from the items presented by the lawmaker at the New Tejuosho Ultra-Modern Market. Gbajabiamila said APC remained strong despite the defection of lawmakers mainly to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He maintained that the development had not eroded the faith of Nigerians in the ruling party. It is no more news that some National Assembly members announced their defection from our great party to other political parties. For some of us in the house, we had expected it. There had been so much noise about the defection plans before Wednesday both at the Senate and the House of Representatives. In fact, what they were saying was that about 80 and 70 of them were leaving, but at the end of the day, the threat did not reflect the reality, as only about 32 or so left the APC. Let me assure you that the APC is still much on ground, even with the defection. The party still remains strong despite the development. Go to the North, the South, the East, the popularity of the APC is soaring by the day. Nigerians have great faith in our party. This defection will not distract the APC from its course of doing its best to the generality of Nigerians, he said. The lawmaker said the majority of those who defected used to be in the PDP and had returned to where they truly belonged. He explained that APC was built on strong and sound development ideologies that were only shared by genuine leaders. Gbajabiamila said the presentation of the items was in redemption of his electoral promise to impact on people in Surulere. The lawmaker said the gesture was also help promote safety in the markets in the area, with the ultimate goal of protecting lives and property. He urged the traders to put the fire prevention materials to good use in order to protect lives and valuables from fires. Gbajabiamila thanked the people of Surulere for their support for him, saying he would continue to do his best as their representative. Also speaking, the APC Chairman in Surulere,Alhaji Shakiru Ajao, commended the people for their faith in the party and the lawmaker. He said the party would continue to deliver the goods to better the lots of the people of the area. The Market Leader of Tejuosho Market, Alhaja Naheemat Fadimuluyi, thanked the lawmaker for the items, promising good use by her market and other markets. She said the leadership of markets in the area would also engage traders on the need to adopt safety precautions against fire outbreaks. The market leader also promised to support Gbajabiamila in his efforts at impacting on lives in Surulere. Speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Friday, Olafeso decried allegations that the PDP leadership skewed its Osun governorship primary in favour of Sen. Ademola Adeleke. Adelekes emergence was determined by members of the party and not the executive. The new PDP is not prone to manipulations. It is open to the public that the Osun PDP primary election was one of the most transparent in recent political history. The entire electoral activity was televised live and the counting was done in the open. The challenger requested for recount and this was done twice. No process can be more open than what the Gov. Seriake Dickson election committee did in Osun last Saturday. It is thus very disheartening that the defeated aspirant relied on spurious allegations to smear the party, her officials and the candidate, he said. He said that nothing could justify the baseless accusation of doctored results or manipulated process by Gov. Seriake Dickson and his team. The party appeal panel has so decided in their wisdom in line with what most Nigerians saw and watched on television last Saturday that the election process was free and fair The partys appeal panel, after due consideration and examination of the appeal, upheld the election and subsequently forwarded Adelekes name officially as the partys flag bearer to INEC, he said. Olafeso said that PDP had internal mechanism for resolving disputes arising from party primaries which allowed aggrieved aspirants to raise issues within the bounds of party rules and processes. On Adelekes qualification and eligibility, Olafeso said the party based its screening criteria on Sections 177[c] and 318 of the Nigerian constitution for interpretation on educational requirements for the office of governor. Senator Ademola Adeleke is found eminently eligible and qualified to seek the office of a governor. We are working assiduously to address all grievances and bring all stakeholders together, assuage frayed nerves and forge a united front to deliver the much needed victory in the Osun gubernatorial elections. The PDP chieftain also noted that Adelekes obsession for dancing did not make him less qualified for the exalted office. This is contained in a statement signed by Abba Anwar, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor and made available to newsmen on Friday in Kano. Their defection will not constitute any problem to our great party, the APC, at all levels. People should keep their eyes (open) to what will happen during election. Our dear President has been doing the needful in terms of developing the nation, coupled with his efforts in efficient service delivery. Good governance is at its peak and the war against corruption is successfully being waged. I want you to go and study the situation on ground in Kano, his (Kwankwaso s) defection does not change the political mood in the state. Nobody cares to be disturbed by their action, Ganduje said. The governor said when his predecessor was in the APC his intention was to vie for Presidency adding, when it appeared to him, in black and white, that there is no vacancy in the Villa, he now decided to leave on his own. He said that Kwankwaso should be ready to battle it out at the polls next year. Ganduje said when Kwankwaso secures a presidential ticket from the party he cross carpets to, then he should wait and see how we will slug it out with him. He said that when the time comes, the senator would fully understand how popular and loveable President Muhammadu Buhari is. Kano will give more votes to our President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 , than what he got in 2015 election. From the 2015 election to date, those who could not vote because of age limit, are now grown up, meaning they will now be eligible to vote. The Armenian special investigation service said Kocharyan had been charged with "overthrowing Armenia's constitutional order". Kocharyan, who is not currently in custody, could face up to 15 years behind bars if found guilty of tipping a 2008 vote in favour of his ally Serzh Sarkisian. Supporters of the defeated opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan came out to protest after he denounced the vote as fraudulent. Tensions erupted into violent clashes between riot police and Ter-Petrosyan's supporters, in which nine protesters and one officer were killed. Pashinyan was arrested for organising the protests and sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released as part of an amnesty in 2011. Sarkisian led the South Caucasus nation until April this year, when he was forced to resign because of mass protests against his rule. Pashinyan became his successor on a promise to stamp out graft. A pro-Russian politician, Kocharyan served as Armenia's second post-Soviet president from 1998 to 2008. His presidency saw the bloodiest event in Armenia's post-Soviet political history -- the terrorist attack on the Armenian parliament in 1999. Benalla, who was filmed manhandling May Day demonstrators in Paris while wearing a police helmet and armband, admitted however that he had "made a mistake". "I feel like I have done something really stupid," the 26-year-old told Le Monde newspaper. Benalla was charged with assault and impersonating a police officer after videos emerged last week showing him hitting a protester and wrestling another to the ground during the May 1 demonstration. Benalla, who has said he merely wanted to help police bring violent protesters under control, insisted he did not commit a crime. "Had I not been employed by the presidency, I would do the same thing again," he told Le Monde, adding the police helmet he was filmed wearing was given to him for his security while attending the protest as an observer. And late Thursday the Paris prosecutor announced the opening of a preliminary inquiry into violence against the police at the May Day demonstrations. Revelations that top officials in Macron's office knew about the Benalla incident but did not report him to prosecutors have prompted accusations of an attempted cover-up, which the government denies. Benalla was suspended for two weeks -- supposedly without pay, although it emerged Wednesday that he continued to draw his salary -- and stripped of some of his responsibilities. He was finally fired last week. Macron on Thursday sought to downplay the affair. "I've said what I had to say, which is that I think it's a storm in a teacup," he told AFP on a visit to the village of Campan in southwest France. Speaking in Madrid later Thursday, Macron again portrayed the matter as finished. "Something very serious happened which gave rise to an immediate and proportionate response... (but) the press got carried away with it," he said after a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "I consider that the employees of the Elysee (presidential office) have done their job as they should," he added. 'Monarchical leanings' Christian Jacob of the rightwing Republicans, who like many opponents has charged Macron with displaying arrogance in his response, accused the president of "monarchical leanings". "We're facing a very serious incident -- the president must explain himself before the people, he cannot do it with the disdain and provocation with which he has done so thus far," Jacob told Franceinfo radio. Later Thursday Jacob tabled a confidence motion against the government which will be debated in the French parliament on Tuesday -- a largely symbolic move, however, since Macron's centrists hold a strong majority. Opposition lawmakers have repeatedly called on Macron to address the nation over the affair. After days of silence, he gave a defiant speech to members of his LREM party on Tuesday which appeared to take aim at parliament's relentless grilling of his aides over the scandal. "The only person responsible for this affair is me," he said, while describing Benalla's actions as "a disappointment and a betrayal". "If they're looking for someone to hold responsible, he's right in front of you. They can come and get me." On Wednesday, he accused his opponents of "disproportionate actions", adding he remained proud to have hired former bouncer Benalla as he was a "devoted" employee who had "taken an unusual path" professionally. Snaps at media But questions from journalists about the scandal dubbed "Benallagate" persist and Macron on his visit earlier Thursday to the Haute Pyrenees region, chastised the media. "You are very worked up about these subjects. I've been with the people for two hours. You are the only ones talking about it," Macron said. In parliament two committees have been interrogating top Macron aides, with the president's chief of staff Alexis Kohler the latest to take the stand before the Senate on Thursday. Kohler acknowledged that officials' initial decision to punish Benalla with a two-week suspension may "appear insufficient" but at the time it seemed "proportionate". 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 approval ratings, already low, appear to have taken a further hit from the scandal, with a record 60 percent reporting an unfavourable opinion of him in an Ipsos poll published Tuesday. As many as five men grabbed Veysel Akcay from outside his home in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar Friday morning and threw him into a minibus, according to friends and eyewitnesses. The 50-year-old is director of a school in Mongolia that is alleged to be associated with Gulen, although teachers there denied the connection in response to questions by AFP. When he failed to show up for work, concerned family and friends notified the police. Meanwhile, Akcay's abductors had taken him to Genghis Khan international airport, where a small passenger jet landed around 1.00 pm (0500 GMT). The plane -- with call sign TT4010 -- is operated by the Turkish Airforce, according to data on flight tracking site flightradar24.com. It was the beginning of a more than eight-hour standoff between the captors and Mongolian authorities, who refused to allow the plane to leave the runway. As authorities summoned Turkish officials from their embassy in Mongolia, parliamentarians and protestors clutching signs demanding Akcay's release gathered at the airport. As the standoff dragged on, Mongolian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh warned Turkish embassy officials that any attempt to abduct a person from Mongolia's territory would constitute "a serious violation of Mongolia's independence and sovereignty". Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu denied the accusations during a telephone call to his Mongolian counterpart Tsogtbaatar Damdin, according to the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But officials were not convinced: "We are an independent nation. Do you think anyone can do abductions in our country?" parliamentarian Baasankhuu Oktaybri wrote on Twitter. The plane took off at 9:25 pm. Akcay was not on it, a Mongolian transportation official said on Twitter. Turkey accuses Gulen of ordering the July 2016 failed overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He strongly denies the claims. Gulen's movement built up significant influence in Turkey and overseas, particularly in Central Asia, Africa and the Balkans, especially via its education network. Ankara has outlawed the movement as a terror organisation but followers insist they promote peace and moderate Islam. Turkey has carried out a series of overseas operations against suspected members of the movement in places such as Kosovo, Gabon and more recently Ukraine. Last week a Turkish blogger accused of links to Gulen was deported from Ukraine as part of an operation by MIT while another individual was detained in Azerbaijan recently and sent back to Turkey. "Regime forces pulled up the Syrian flag over the Quneitra crossing, the main border point with the occupied Golan, around four years after losing control of the area," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He said government fighters and police units entered the destroyed city of Quneitra, which lies in the buffer zone, after hardline fighters quit the area. Al-Watan, a pro-regime newspaper, reported on Thursday that "army troops raised the Syrian flag above the Quneitra crossing, a few dozen metres from enemy Israeli troops." Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan during the Six-Day War of 1967, then annexed it in 1981 in a move never recognised internationally. Some 510 square kilometers of the Golan remain on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line, with United Nations peacekeeping forces overseeing the buffer in between. Syrian state news agency SANA said "army units deployed at the Flag Roundabout and inside the liberated city of Quneitra, after the end of the terrorist presence there." Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an alliance led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, had held Quneitra city and the adjacent frontier with the buffer zone, which has remained sealed for decades. The details of the deal brokered with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday remain unclear and subject to differing interpretations, but the EU did ward off a new round of US tariffs on autos and received a pledge to roll back duties on steel and aluminum. In exchange, Trump said he won access for US soybean producers, and for American natural gas. "We just opened up Europe for you farmers," he told supporters at a rally in the farm state of Iowa. Punishing US metals tariffs angered Washington's major trading partners including the EU and sparked retaliation against important American exports, spooking global stock markets. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the truce will "immediately resolve" tariffs and the EU retaliation at the center of the costly trade row. "The first issue that we'll begin negotiating is... the issue on the steel and aluminum tariffs and retaliatory tariffs," Mnuchin said on CNBC. Brussels had hit back at the US over the metals tariffs by imposing duties on more than $3 billion of US goods, including blue jeans, bourbon and motorcycles, as well as orange juice, rice and corn. Mnuchin also confirmed that the US would not impose threatened auto tariffs -- which would hurt dominant German carmakers -- while negotiations are ongoing. That would head off the threat of another round of EU tariffs on $20 billion in US exports. "Phase one will be to immediately resolve those issues so there will be no tariffs in either direction," Mnuchin said. 'Vindication' for Trump The US declared a resounding victory for Trump and his confrontational stance, as Washington appears to have conceded little in exchange. "If we hadn't had steel and aluminum tariffs, we never would have gotten to the point we are now," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters. "This is a real vindication of the president's trade policy." The United States and the EU account for about $1 trillion in transatlantic trade, and on Wednesday the leaders agreed to work towards eliminating all tariffs, trade barriers and subsidies. Trump also said the EU made a commitment to buy more US soybeans and natural gas, but a European official disputed that characterization. The joint statement said Brussels and Washington would "work to reduce barriers and increase trade" in a range of products including soybeans, and that the EU "wants to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States." But an EU official told reporters it will be up to the markets to decide whether to buy more US goods. "We are not going to turn into a Soviet-style economy." European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi called the tentative truce a "good sign, because in a sense it shows that there is a willingness to discuss trade issues in a multilateral framework again." He warned, however, it was too soon to "assess the actual content." Germany unsurprisingly hailed the decision, given that its auto industry was the first in line to be punished by Trump's protectionist offensive. But French President Emmanuel Macron expressed skepticism, saying a good trade negotiation "can only be done on a balanced, reciprocal basis, and in no case under any sort of threat." US stocks closed the day mostly lower on Thursday, despite rallying after the announcement, as investors were cautious that the trade threat had fully receded. Agricultural equipment makers Deere & Co. and Agco both advanced, but General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler all fell. All three carmakers slashed profit forecasts in part due to higher supply costs due to US tariffs on steel and aluminum. But European markets rallied, as French and German carmakers rebounded on news of their reprieve. BMW gained 4.4 percent, Daimler 2.8 percent and Volkswagen 4.0 percent in Frankfurt. Ross said his department will continue its investigation into possible tariffs on imports of auto and auto parts and submit a report to Trump sometime next month. However, it "may not be necessary" to impose the tariffs. Watching China currency movements Trump also won a commitment from Juncker to work together to reform the World Trade Organization to address some of his complaints about China on theft of US technology, the behavior of state-owned enterprises, and overcapacity in steel. The Republican president has long complained that the WTO has been unfair to the United States, despite the fact the US has won most of the disputes against China and others. Mnuchin said there were no new developments on the dispute with China, which has been the target of most of Trump's trade policies. "I've made perfectly clear that any time China is willing to seriously negotiate -- and we're talking about a commitment to reduce the bilateral trade deficit as well as to deal with technology issues -- we're available any time," he said. It follows several high-profile cases, including those of young epilepsy sufferers whose conditions appeared to be helped by cannabis oil. "Making medicinal cannabis available on prescription will benefit the lives of ill patients currently suffering in silence," Javid wrote on Twitter. "There is nothing harder than seeing your loved ones in pain -- which is why I have taken this decision." Under the new rules, to be brought in later this year, senior doctors will be able to prescribe the medicines to patients deemed to have an exceptional clinical need. Rapid review Javid had commissioned a review on June 19. An initial review by Sally Davies, the government's chief medical adviser, concluded there was evidence that medicinal cannabis had therapeutic benefits. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which conducted the second part of the review, last week said doctors should be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis provided products meet safety standards. "Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory," Javid said in a statement. "That is why we launched a review and set up an expert panel to advise on licence applications in exceptional circumstances. "Following advice from two sets of independent advisers, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products -- meaning they will be available on prescription. "This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need, but is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use." The Home Office interior ministry said in a statement that it was not proposing to change wider laws on cannabis. "The government is clear that today's announcement does not pave the way towards legalising cannabis for recreational use. The penalties for unauthorised supply and possession will remain unchanged," it said. 'Normal life' for epileptic boy One of the recent cases in the public eye involved epilepsy sufferer Billy Caldwell, who turned 13 on Thursday. His mother Charlotte Caldwell called the dramatic change "amazing". She said her son could now "live a normal life" due to "the simple ability to now administer a couple of drops a day of a long-maligned but entirely effective natural medication". Mike Penning, who co-chairs the recently-established cross-party Medical Cannabis Under Prescription parliamentary group, said the announcement brought hope to thousands of people. He added: "Any move to restrict medical cannabis in the UK to a very narrow range of derived products, each requiring full pharmaceutical trials, thereby blocking out the many products available overseas, will lead to great disappointment and be a missed opportunity." The Liberal Democrats, the fourth-biggest party in parliament, have long campaigned for liberalising cannabis laws. "This is a very welcome and long overdue change," said health spokesman Norman Lamb. "However, it is disappointing that the government has refused to commit to a wider review of the outdated and harmful laws around the recreational use of cannabis as well." Doctor Tom Freeman, a senior academic fellow at King's College London university, said Javid's decision would have a "substantial impact on research by facilitating the development of safer and more effective medicines". Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control some 90 percent of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority over much of the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". Western ally The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State (IS) group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF, whose Kurdish units have pulled back. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Cultural rights Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and President Bashar al-Assad in late May threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. The SDF backs a federal Syria made up of autonomous cantons in the various regions, including the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh and Kobane. It has already set up cantonal administrations in areas under its control which raise their own revenues and operate their own police and other services. In a first for Syria, the SDF runs Kurdish-medium schools, although it also recognises the rights of other linguistic groups, including the Assyrian Christians. A Kurdish lawmaker who sits in the national parliament in Damascus said the talks with the SDF would focus on confining its ambitions to the cultural sphere with central government control restored in areas under its control. Damascus wanted the SDF to "facilitate the entry of the Syrian army and the return of state institutions into Kurdish-majority areas east of the Euphrates", lawmaker Omar Usi said. In return, it was offering "constitutional recognition for the Kurdish community and its cultural rights." It is likely to be a tough pill for the SDF to swallow as it continues to take losses in fighting with IS in desert areas close to the Iraqi border. The alliance has implemented much of the leftist ideology of its main Kurdish component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), including strict equality for women in all public offices. But government lawyers acknowledged in court this week that not everyone will have been reunited by that time. The controversial separations began in earnest in May under President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy when migrants illegally entering the United States were detained en masse, and their children taken to shelters as a result. The policy triggered protests in the US and abroad, especially after the release of audio of small children in shelters crying for their parents, many of whom fled turmoil and gang violence in Central America. An about-face from the Republican leader six weeks later led to hundreds of reunions, but the pace has been slow -- children and their parents are being housed in different parts of the country, and some adults have been deported. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday the government intended to "reunify all families that are suitable." Nielsen told Fox News her department was "working hand in glove" with the Department of Health and Human Services, which operates shelters all over the country where the kids -- some toddlers or even infants -- were sent. The government has identified 2,551 children ages five to 17 potentially covered by the order, and said that 1,634 families are expected to be reunited by the deadline. 917 'ineligible case' The remaining 917 fall into the category of "ineligible cases" -- meaning children cannot be reunited because family ties cannot be confirmed, or the parent has a criminal record, a communicable disease or cannot be found. And of that number, government data indicates that more than 460 parents may already have been deported, some of them voluntarily -- enormously complicating any possible reunion with their children. "The other 917 -- including the 463 who may not be in the US now -- will not be reunited before the deadline, and it's up to Judge Sabraw to decide whether that is OK," said Adam Isacson, from the Washington Office on Latin America, a non-governmental research group. Asked how the government will return children to parents who have been deported, Nielsen answered: "If the parents contact us that they would like to be reunited, of course we'll work with them." But finding these parents in Mexico or Central America will be a long, painstaking task, said Stephen Kang, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which had filed suit against the administration to demand separated families be brought back together. A month ago, Sabraw ordered the government to return children under the age of five to their parents by July 10 and those between five and 17 by Thursday. The government missed the first deadline. It deemed 45 children ineligible for return because their parents were not fit or able to take them. As of Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services had in its custody, in shelters around the country, 11,500 children classified as Unaccompanied Alien Children, or UACs. That figure includes kids and adolescents who traveled to the United States without an adult. But it also takes into account children who crossed over with their families, were separated from them and then reclassified as UACs when they were sent to shelters. While the case remains pending till October 17, already the Nairobi-based politician Joseph Otieno Obiende has been charged in court for assault and robbery, the accusations that could see him jailed for life. Mr Obiende, jointly with others not before the court, is alleged to have beaten Babu Owino before robbing him last December. Obiende, who was floored by Babu Owino in last years August 8 elections, together with his accomplices, made away with 200 bales of wheat flour valued at Sh420, 000. ALSO READ: Why police are looking for Kenyans who recently lost their laptops in Nairobi According to polices submissions in court papers, the suspect slapped Babu in the face and pushed him to the ground. Police said further that the suspect stormed Babus public rally, took over a lorry that had ferried the said goods and assaulted the turn boy and the driver. The incident is alleged to have taken place at Nairobis Tassia estate, where Babu had gone to meet his supporters and offer them Christmas gifts. Supkem noted that the fact that the deputy ambassador was also a non-muslim was likely to affect the efficiency of the Kenyan embassy. Former IEBC commissioner Yusuf Nzibo, who is also the Supkem Chairman, said that the new ambassador would face several challenges, including being restricted from certain areas. "The postings to Saudi Arabia are unfair to Muslims. We just cant have both Balozi (ambassadors) and the number two as non Muslims," Nzibo's letter read in part. Mr. Kenyatta has urged all Kenyans to join hands and vigorously fight corruption for the wellbeing of our country. Wakenya wenzangu, the war against corruption and economic crimes is about the wellbeing of our Republic. Let's all join hands and vigorously fight this vice, Tweeted President Uhuru Kenyatta. A number of Kenyans on Twitter were impressed by his message while others opted to remind him to do more on the fight against corruption. One Twitter user Francis Gatimu said; Mr. President you are yet to make this louder. If someone is mentioned please they should be sent home till they are cleared. You can't tell us to help fight while the traffic police have not been burned Another one added that people holding public offices are the most corrupt Your CSs, heads of parastatal,and govt agencies, Universities are the most corrupt...when they pay for their sins, we shall begin winning this war! Online User Holy Kenya said,But mr president you dont take advice from your people, for example Ndegwa Muhoro we all know who he is and now he's about to land a prime job , you nominate Chumo and yet we know who is is . Kinuthia mbugua, Peter Munya and the list goes on and on how I am supposed to help you. ARTIST ROB SCHAMBERGER DISCUSSES RETURNING TO THESZ/TRAGOS PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME THIS WEEKEND IN IOWA The following was issued to PWInsider.com: Rob Schamberger is WWEs Artist in Residence, a position in which he creates paintings celebrating the WWE Superstars and the great moments in professional wrestling history. His work has been featured on Monday Night Raw, in WWEs longest-running original YouTube program Canvas 2 Canvas, on official WWE shirts, in the WWE 2K video game, in Topps WWE SLAM, and with the Mattel WWE Elite action figures. Robs work is collected by people around the world and he has many paintings on permanent display at the Dan Gable Museum. Schamberger is the official artist of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. This years George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame weekend is July 26-28 in Waterloo, Iowa. Contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at dgmstaff@nwhof.org or (319) 233-0745. This years Hall of Fame week also marks your largest exhibit yet in the museum. Can you give us details? Ive been working with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum for about six years and it was actually through my first appearance with them that I landed on WWEs radar. Each year since then, Ive done paintings of each of the inductees in that years Hall of Fame class. This year, Museum Director Kyle Klingman reached out to me and wanted to do a museum takeover with my art. This will be the largest exhibition of my work ever with over 100 paintings displayed. Its a massive honor. Every artist wants to have just one painting hanging in a museum. To have a museum turn itself over just to show my work is humbling beyond description. What does it mean to you to have your work on permanent display in the museum and highlighted during such an important week? Every artist wants to be able to make a living from art, but a lot of times that can seem almost transitory, like youre making that sale in that moment but it feels like theres not much legacy left. Having an institution like the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum put my work in their permanent collection gives that legacy and permanence to my work and raises the pedigree of the work itself. The 2018 Hall of Fame class includes one of your all-time favorite wrestlers, Bruiser Brody, which means youll be painting a new portrait of him. Any thoughts on how youll approach this painting and what it means to see Bruiser Brody honored? In an alternate universe, I get to just do Bruiser Brody paintings all day, every day. Theres a manic energy, like a modern barbarism, to him that is just so exciting to paint. The cold, calculated wild man this dichotomy to him just gives me so much to work with beyond his already over-the-top visual appearance. Im going to try to capture all of those things in the painting, but also just to make it as bombastic as possible. I think that his being honored by the Hall of Fame will, I hope, do a lot to get across how important he was in life and in wrestling. He was a top star at a time where, to be a top star, you had to be signed with one of the major companies, but he never was. He would come in and do appearances, but he really was in the drivers seat of his own career. Thats something that was hard to do then and its still hard to do today, and I think above anything else, thats something that todays generation and future generations should recognize. What else are you looking forward to during the Hall of Fame week? Because Owen Hart is being honored, which is well-deserved, several members of the Hart family are attending. And every year, Larry The Axe Hennig participates in the Hall of Fame week, too, so I thought that would make this year a great opportunity to do the latest in my Rivalry Series of paintings, featuring Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect. Ill be painting that live at the museum during the week (July 26-28), and I think it brings everything together: the people who are being honored this year, those that have been honored in the past, the museum being turned over to showcase my art and people also being able to watch me make a painting. If someone is visiting Waterloo for the first time, do you have a favorite restaurant or sightseeing recommendation? Two of my favorite places are The Brown Bottle and Galleria de Paco. The Brown Bottle has fantastic Italian food and an ambiance that you wouldnt expect in a small Iowa town some of the walls are bookshelves and its just a really nice restaurant with very tasty food. I havent yet eaten at the Galleria de Paco, but youll want to be on the lookout the art inside is incredible and they have a bar in the basement with a really cool vibe. They have a lot of drinks there, including a mojito thats made with dry ice cubes that will give you a really cool experience. Speaking of drinks, dont leave Waterloo without grabbing a beer at SingleSpeed Brewing, which is a short walk from the museum and features a Munich Helles lager-style beer named after Waterloos own Dan Gable. As far as something to see, walk over the covered pedestrian walkway on Fourth Street and take in the waterfall. Its really gorgeous. If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! In his first press conference as Washington governor, Jay Inslee tipped his hand about his negative views on coal. Thus, it probably did not take many by surprise when his administration blocked a project to export coal mined in Montana and Wyoming from a Washington port to booming markets in Asia. The subsequent federal lawsuit challenging the states ruling and amicus briefs filed by allies of the plaintiffs make it clear that this case goes far beyond coal, having major ramifications for interstate and foreign commerce. The overarching question is whether one state can hold other states hostage and override the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which grants the federal government the right to regulate interstate and foreign trade. Governor Inslee and allies argue that because the coal from Montana and Wyoming will eventually be burned to generate energy, Washington is well within its rights to deny exports due to the environmental impact that it would have on those Asian markets thousands of miles away. Yet, the only way this logic works is via a willful suspension of reality, ignoring certain obvious facts. The countries that want to buy the coal out of Washingtons terminal, supporting U.S. jobs in the process, are not doing so as a favor to us, but rather because they have unmet energy needs and believe that we have the best product. The fact that Washington chooses to create a coal embargo does not change these facts in any way; the countries will merely look to the next seller who can meet their demand for coal. The bottom line? They are going to purchase and consume coal anyway, regardless of what anyone in Washington or anywhere else wants. In this respect, there is a strong case to be made that Governor Inslee and his allies are harming, not helping, the global environment with their anti-coal fervor. For example, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox points out in an op-ed that coal produced in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming is of exceptionally high quality, which leads to lower emissions when compared to coal produced by other countries like Indonesia, the worlds second-largest coal exporter. And although the U.S. has been steadily moving away from coal, for many Asian markets coal will remain critical to their energy mix for years to come: Coal is more affordable, reliable, and abundant than other sources of energy. It thus stands to reason that supplying these countries with cleaner-burning American coal is the best alternative. Unfortuantely, this reality is one that Governor Inslee chooses to ignore. Mr. Inslee has been burnishing his green credentials since he took office, and the fact that he is now being touted as a potential contender in the 2020 presidential race is probably not a coincidence. All politicians, to some extent, have politically or ideologically driven agendas, and many understandably aspire to higher office. But when a governor uses that agenda to effectively enact policies for other states, serious constitutional questions arise. Recognizing that Washington state is setting a very dangerous precedent, the states of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming recently filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit filed by Lighthouse Resources, the company that owns the coal mines readied to export. The states argue, correctly, that no single state can engage in a pattern of discrimination that results in control over any other states ability to engage in a lawful activity involving interstate or foreign commerce. This is precisely why the Constitution gives the federal government the right to regulate interstate commerce. Otherwise, states would have incentives to enact mercantilist agendas that suit their own political purposes. As Tim Foxs points make clear, this issue is not just about coal exports, it is about whether states can use geography and ideology to discriminate against another states commodities. Should Governor Inslee prevail, the real question is: What would come next? Could states retaliate by banning Washington apples and potatoes, crops where the state ranks first and second nationally in terms of production? Or what if Washington decreed that only organic produce, meat, or dairy products can be shipped from its ports? These may seem like ludicrous scenarios, but coal is also a commodity just like these other products. The fact that the use of coal is a political issue that is in disfavor with politicians in Washington should not factor into the decision-making process. To allow any one state to dictate economic policy to another goes against the very fabric of our system of government and the spirit of free enterprise. The courts should see this for what it is, an egregious infringement of the Commerce Clause, and overrule Washington's decision. Demetrios Karoutsos is a political and public affairs strategist. EU Blinks on Trade--and It's All According to Plan RUSH: So we have the trade wars: The Drive-Bys are refusing to credit President Trump for bringing the European Union to its knees. Ron DeSantis is a Trump-endorsed congressman running in a Republican primary for governor of Florida. But during a recent campaign stop, he took aim at an opposition party candidate more than 900 miles away in Queens, N.Y. You look at this girl, Ocasio-Cortez or whatever she is, I mean, shes in a totally different universe, DeSantis told supporters, referring to the 28-year-old Democratic Socialist who last month defeated the fourth-highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, Rep. Joe Crowley. "It's basically socialism wrapped in ignorance. ... You're repeating canned left-wing talking points and you're somehow the savior of the Democratic Party? Good Lord." DeSantis "this girl...or whatever she is" comment backfired, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez struck back in a tweet proudly highlighting her Puerto Rican heritage and the tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans who relocated to Florida after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. "I'm sure these new FL voters appreciate your comments!" she wrote. But the politics underpinning DeSantis overarching point highlighted how Republicans hope to make Ocasio-Cortez into a poster child for a Democratic Party portrayed as moving leftward to the point of socialism. While the New York congressional candidate is an anomaly when it comes Democratic Socialists of America winning federal-level primaries thus far, energy within her party is mounting around policy ideas the movement espouses, including the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcements, Medicare for All, a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, and tax increases for wealthy Americans. Republicans argue that the rise of Ocasio-Cortez and the way in which she is already campaigning for candidates nationwide -- and causing some friction with establishment Democrats -- provides opportunities for them to spotlight contrasts in congressional races and gin up their base against the prospect of a Democratic Congress. "She has a money operation and an earned-media operation. ... We plan on using it as a wedge between her and other Democrats," says Matt Gorman, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "She sows a lot of dissent in the Democratic Party, and her dipping her toe in some of these primaries could also help us." Ocasio-Cortez campaigned with Bernie Sanders in Kansas last weekend on behalf of Army veteran and civil rights attorney James Thompson, who is running in the 4th Congressional District after an unsuccessful prior bid. And she has endorsed Brent Welder, a labor lawyer running in a crowded primary in the 3rd Congressional District. Hillary Clinton won there by single percentage point in 2016, even as incumbent Republican Kevin Yoder won the district by 10 points, and Democrats see an opening this year. Ocasio-Cortez has also irked party leaders by endorsing Chardo Richardson, a Democratic primary opponent to Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy. "Bernie is the more well-known socialist, but with her as with Bernie it's really effective to position her with other candidates," Gorman says. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez sat together for an interview with CBS' Face the Nation Sunday, where they argued that their message has a wide appeal. "Whether you're in Kansas or the Bronx or in Vermont, we have common interests and common aspirations and we have got to fight for an America that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent," Sanders said. Ocasio-Cortez said her message is mobilizing new voters: "This is about inspiring people to the polls, giving them something to vote for, creating hope for this nation, and knowing that so long as there are working-class Americans who believe in a prosperous and just future, we will have hope no matter how red the district." But Democratic leaders are reluctant to embrace Ocasio-Cortez, who is likely to become the youngest member ever elected to Congress. I would ask her to remember how long I had to wait to get here," South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the third-highest-ranking Democrat in the House, told Buzzfeed News when asked about the upstart candidate becoming a party leader. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi downplayed Ocasio-Cortezs win over Crowley, who had expressed interest in running for speaker if Democrats reclaim the House majority. Earlier this week, the primary victor visited Capitol Hill with little fanfare. While Democrats acknowledge the energy generated by Ocasio-Cortez, they argue that she doesn't have the name identification to make her a national symbol of the party. And its not clear year whether and how much Republicans are willing to invest to boost her profile. Additionally, they argue that their primaries have largely produced candidates who fit the voter makeup of their districts. The effort to paint all Democrats as socialists "is a non-factor in a type of districts that are going to determine control of the House," one party operative told RCP. Nevertheless, Republicans are dubbing Ocasio-Cortez the "de facto figurehead of the new Democratic Party" and are planning to highlight her positions on the campaign trail. In an interview with Fox News this week, DeSantis defended his attacks on her. "I dont care whether shes an Eskimo. Socialism doesnt work, and its wrong," he said. In Florida, we have more people probably than any other state who have fled socialism, places like Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua. ... We understand socialism doesn't work." Fifty years ago today, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey delivered a stump speech at the state Democratic Party convention in Utah. Although not particularly newsworthy, even at the time, reading it half a century later is instructive for reasons Ill discuss in a moment. But to offer a teaser, I spotted rhetorical precursors of any number of future presidential candidates -- and future presidents -- in Humphreys Salt Lake City speech: language and themes that would later be used by Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Bernie Sanders, Barack Obama, Donald Trump. And even by Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate -- himself a former vice president -- who would defeat Humphrey in November of 1968. * * * In the summer of 1968, it seemed clear that the popular vote in the general election between Hubert H. Humphrey and Richard Nixon was going to be close, which turned out to be the case, and that third-party candidate George Wallace was a wild card. It was also obvious that the Vietnam War was a drag on the Democratic ticket headed by HHH, and 50 years ago in Salt Lake City Humphrey acknowledged as much, vowing as president to bring about a stable and lasting peace -- at the earliest possible moment. Humphrey also called for a massive international effort to close the gap between rich and poor nations, a disparity he termed a greater ultimate threat to U.S. national security than any other except for the nuclear arms race. Many years later, President Obama would draw attention to that issue at Nelson Mandelas 2013 funeral. At home, Obama would call the growing income gap between rich and poor the defining challenge of our time. Humphrey also spoke optimistically, if vaguely, in the same way President Trump would do five decades later, of getting to the table as soon as possible with the Russians, the rationale being each countrys vast nuclear arsenal made the world unsafe. On the issue of crime, HHH was even more Trumpian. Humphrey claimed to have made the streets of Minneapolis safe while he was mayor with a simple and effective formula for combating crime. It was formula he didnt deign to reveal in a mere speech, other than to say, We drove the rackets out of Minneapolis. I think that formula will work for all America. At his 2016 Republican convention acceptance speech in Cleveland, Donald Trump reprised this rhetorical approach to criminal justice. I have a message for all of you: The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end, Trump said. Beginning on January 20, 2017, safety will be restored. He didnt say how hed do it, just that he would. Hubert prefigured Bernie in that long-ago speech, too. In 1968, the future Sen. Sanders was moving from his native New York to Vermont as part of the hippie migration and hadnt yet found his political calling. But his future call for universal employment was anticipated much earlier by Humphrey, who told Utahs Democrats, We must recognize the right of every American to earn a living -- to work and earn. Humphrey also said the private sector could provide most of the needed jobs, but if not, government should do whatever is necessary. Humphrey also talked of building bridges to a better future, as Bill Clinton would do all over the country in 1996. HHH also decried the existence of two nations, black and whiteNorth and Southrich and poor, predating by 10 presidential elections John Edwards vow to unite the two Americas. Most striking, Humphreys Utah speech also invoked a theme long identified with his opponent. There is a vast, silent group of Americans -- a majority of many millions -- that wants this country to work, Humphrey said. I think this Silent America, an America still unaroused, can be aroused. What does this tell us? Well, a couple of things. First, the old saying that being close only counts in a game of horseshoes is certainly true in political rhetoric. Hubert had the two key words, silent and majority, but he didnt combine them in just the right way. Nixon would do that in his famous Silent Majority speech a year after defeating Humphrey. Humphreys July 27, 1968 Salt Lake City speech also reminds us that there arent that many new ideas, let alone original phrases, in politics. Exactly how they are deployed, and when, make all the difference. Hubert Humphrey demonstrated this principle himself, not that year but 20 summers earlier, at the Democratic National Convention of 1948. The time is now arrived in America for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadow of states rights, he thundered in a passionate address to the delegates, and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights. In response, Southern delegates walked, not-so-forthrightly, out of the convention. It might be said that in that 1948 speech, Humphrey sowed the seeds of his 1968 defeat. If so, it was a noble sacrifice, and I believe this honorable man would have made it all over again, even knowing the outcome. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available iStock/Thinkstock(AVONDALE, Az.) -- An Arizona trooper, who just graduated from the academy in May, was shot dead when a suspect stole a police officer's gun during a struggle, authorities said. "The [Department of Public Safety] family is in mourning," Colonel Frank Milstead of the Arizona Department of Public Safety said at a news conference Wednesday overnight. "Lives have been shattered and ruined." The attack unfolded Wednesday night around 10:17 p.m. after authorities received calls about a driver swerving in and out of the lanes of Interstate 10, throwing items at cars, Milstead said. Several motorists pulled over on the side of the highway to get the man off the road, Milstead said. Trooper Dalin Dorris was first to arrive and called for backup within one minute of getting to the scene, Milstead said. A minute later, two more troopers arrived, including rookie Tyler Edenhofer, who was finishing his last days of field training after graduating from the academy on May 4, Milstead said. A fight broke out, Milstead said, during which two Goodyear, Arizona, police officers arrived and helped try to take the suspect into custody. The fight lasted for about eight minutes and involved six law enforcement officers, Milstead said. The suspect shot troopers Edenhofer and Dorris after he got a hold of a third trooper's weapon during the altercation, Milstead said. It is unclear if the gun became dislodged from the trooper's leather holster or if the suspect felt it and "took control of it," Milstead said, describing the holster as a "non-retention type holster" with merely a snap at the top and no mechanism release that prevents someone from grabbing it. The trooper whose gun was used in the shooting was in plain clothes -- jeans and a T-shirt, Milstead said. "He just looked like he was a citizen observer that night," Milstead said. Both troopers were shot in the shoulder, said Captain Tony Mapp of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The bullet went straight through Dorris, but the bullet that struck Edenhofer ricocheted inside his body, Mapp said. Dorris is in "good spirits considering the circumstances," Milstead said. Edenhofer died from his injuries. The department was planning to assign him to the Yuma area in southwest Arizona, Mapp said. "He'd been one of my troopers for 52 days," Milstead said. Edenhofer was engaged, and his fiancee "had her entire future in front of her and her life with Tyler to look forward to, and that is gone," Milstead said. "We're all in a little bit of a state of shock this morning," Milstead said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family." The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Isaac King, Milstead said. King has a history of mental health issues and was apparently on medication for anxiety and depression, but he has no criminal history, Milstead said. King's parents have been cooperative in the investigation, Milstead said. As late as 9:30 p.m. that night, his mother believed he was on the trampoline at the family's home in Avondale, he said. Milstead said the shooting is "evidence of the violent nature of policing in our nation" as well as "evidence that just because somebody is unarmed doesn't mean they won't become armed and harm somebody." "I'm incredibly proud of the men and women that show up every night to do this job," Milstead added. "That they're brave enough to come out and face the unknown." Detectives are still conducting interviews and reviewing physical evidence to determine what happened on the interstate, Milstead said. About 70 items from the roadway have been collected, he said. It is unclear what type of items the suspect was throwing at cars. Edenhofer's death came just hours after a 17-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department veteran was shot dead in the line of duty in Wisconsin. Gunfire was the leading cause of death among the 73 officers killed in the first half of this year, accounting for 42 percent of the deaths, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The city of Cleveland is holding a series of charrettes, Reimagining the Heart of Cleveland, to gain input from a wide variety of stakeholders and residents about downtown Cleveland. The sessions are open those interested, as space permits. If interested in participating, please contact Greg Thomas at 479-1913 or email gthomas@clevelandtn.gov. The charrettes will take place in downtown Cleveland at the Museum Center at 5ive Points, 200 Inman St., on following dates and times: Tuesday, Aug. 7, 1-5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, 9 a.m-5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, 9 a.m.4 p.m. Each session is 1.5 hours and attending multiple sessions is not required or expected. A public reception will be held on Thursday, Aug. 9, from 5-6 p.m. followed by a public meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. where the communitys vision for downtown Cleveland will be shared. Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen defended the dissolution of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Fridaythe last day of campaigning ahead of the countrys July 29 general election that has been widely derided as an unfree and unfair sham poll amid an ongoing political crackdown. Speaking to tens of thousands of supporters in the capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said that the Supreme Courts decision in November to dissolve the CNRP over allegations it was involved in a plot to topple the government, while stripping the partys officials of their posts and banning many lawmakers from politics for five years, had helped Cambodia avoid a civil war. If we had not eliminated them with the iron fist of the law, Cambodia would have been at war by this time, the prime minister said. We can say that was the best decision we have ever made, and we were happy to pay a price to do so, but we will not allow a return of war, to the detriment of the Cambodian people. While there is no evidence that the CNRP was involved in any plot against the government, all major incidents of political violence in Cambodia in recent decades were perpetrated by Hun Sens troops or body guards. The dissolution of the CNRP and the arrest of its president, Kem Sokha, as well as a months-long crackdown on NGOs and the independent media, are measures widely seen as part of a bid by Hun Sen to ensure that his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) stays in power in Cambodia following the July 29 general election. Hun Sen has ruled the country for more than three decades. Analyst Hang Vitou told RFAs Khmer Service Friday that Hun Sens statement suggested the prime minister was concerned about how his actions would be viewed, and said he had repeatedly made references to war as part of a bid to intimidate the public into voting for the CPP. Hun Sens statement would likely cause the ruling party to lose the election if the dissolved opposition party was allowed to compete on Sunday, he added. The U.S. and European Union have already withdrawn donor support for Cambodias ballot, citing government actions seen as limiting democracy in the country, and Washington has pledged to deny visas to Cambodian officials responsible for implementing the crackdown. On Wednesday, U.S. lawmakers passed the Cambodia Democracy Act of 2018, which would allow Washington to bar Cambodian officials deemed responsible for limiting democracy in the country from entering the U.S. and block any assets or property they possess. On Friday, Cambodias National Assembly, or parliament, denounced the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the Cambodia Democracy Act, calling it another plot by the U.S. and its allies to systematically attack the Cambodian government, which refuses to follow their geopolitical path. Cambodias Senate issued a similar statement Friday, calling the Cambodia Democracy Act a serious violation of the sovereignty of Cambodia by a fellow member state of the United Nations, adding that passage of the legislation clearly reflects the evil policy of the U.S. House of Representatives and its allies in plotting to attack Cambodian democracy, liberal pluralism, and the national election. International response Despite criticism over his governments crackdown, Hun Sen and the CPP maintain that democracy is alive and well in Cambodia, and have said the election will proceed regardless of the CNRPs participation. The ruling party has been bolstered by a comparatively muted response to Hun Sens crackdown from the international community, while countries such as Japan and China have even pledged their support for Sundays vote. Cambodian-Americans held a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Friday, demanding that Beijing end its support for Hun Sens regime. CNRP deputy president Eng Chhay Eang, who fled into self-imposed exile after the dissolution of his party, told RFA that protesters were frustrated with China, which supported the Khmer Rouge during the genocide of the 1970s. The Chinese government has allowed Hun Sens regime to become a dictatorship and persecute Cambodians, he said. If China continues to support Hun Sens regime, I am afraid we will have a second genocide. Meanwhile, Cambodians in Thailand and the Philippines also petitioned the local offices of the United Nations on Friday, urging the world body not to recognize the results of Sundays election. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general on Cambodia, said in a statement Friday that an inclusive and pluralistic political process remains essential for safeguarding the progress made by Cambodia in consolidating peace. In the statement, Dujarric said the secretary-general called on all political actors to reduce tensions and political polarization, and urged the government to uphold international human rights standards and in particular to ensure guarantees for civil society actors and political parties to exercise their democratic rights. At a press conference on Cambodias upcoming election in Bangkok earlier this week, John Cavanaugh, the Cambodia country director for U.S.-funded National Democratic Institute (NDI) said the response of the international community to Cambodias slide had been disappointing, and called for a stronger reaction. Speaking at the same event, Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian Parliament and chairperson of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), warned that the lack of a strong international stance against Cambodias crackdown risked emboldening other regional dictators who might follow Hun Sens blueprint for solidifying their hold on power. Rights groups have urged the international community in recent weeks to reject the election results, demand the immediate reinstatement of the CNRP and the release of Kem Sokha and all other members and supporters, and call on the government to create conditions enabling the holding of a fresh election that complies with international standards. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. China has seen a string of sexual assault and harassment allegations against prominent figures in public life in recent days, many of them in a media industry that has long been plagued by reports of "straight-guy cancer," online slang for male entitlement and sexist behavior. More than 20 women came forward this week with allegations of sexual misconduct and even rape, after Lei Chuang, founder of the prominent charity Yi You, confessed on social media to an accusation of sexual assault. Lei has since left the organization. Meanwhile, a 27-year-old legal worker using the online nickname Little Spirit accused veteran journalist Zhang Wen of raping her after a banquet in May. Her report sparked six other women to come forward, reporting Zhang for sexual harassment and assault. Zhang denied the rape allegation, saying that they had consensual sex, and threatening legal action. Well-known writer Jiang Fangzhou, currently deputy editor-in-chief of New Weekly magazine, said Zhang had also groped her at a meal on one occasion. Her account was backed up by a similar accusation from journalist Yi Xiaohe and an account of unwanted advances Zhang is alleged to have made to TV personality Wang Yanyun. Zhang sought to defend his behavior in a statement, saying it was normal for men and women in intellectual and media circles to "take pictures together, hug and kiss each other after consuming liquor." CCTV claims Meanwhile, over at state broadcaster CCTV, a top show host was accused in an anonymous post by a former student intern of assaulting her in one of the show's dressing rooms. The woman, who cited the #MeToo hashtag campaign as her "guiding light" in her post to the social media platform Sina Weibo, said the assault only ended because a guest came into the room. She reported the incident to the police, who began looking at security footage, but later dropped the case amid concerns that it would "harm the positive image" of the TV personality and CCTV in the eyes of the public. CCTV haven't responded to the claim, and the post was later deleted. And on Thursday, a member of staff at Beijing's Communication University of China was accused by a student of sexual assault in 2016. The university has said it will investigate. A former professor at the same school, which has trained some of China's top media personalities, was also accused of sexual harassment in 2008 by a former student. Also at New Weekly magazine, journalist Chun Shu, 35, accused Zhang Chi, her former colleague at the magazine, of sexual assaulting her when she was 23. She said he had later made a heartfelt apology and she had considered the matter closed. Chun said she had also had what she described as "unwilling sex" out of fear of displeasing her then boss and magazine founder Sun Shu. Victims of harassment A recent survey of more than 400 female Chinese journalists found that more than 80 percent of them had been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, according to Sophina Huang of the Anti-Sexual Harassment (ATSH) campaign group. Huang, herself a former journalist for a state-run news agency and a Guangzhou newspaper, said she was inspired by the global #MeToo hashtag campaign encouraging victims of sexual abuse and harassment to publicize the issue. Reported by Jia Ao for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Hu Jia, a Chinese human rights activist and critic of the Communist Party of China, has closely followed the case of Ilham Tohti, an outspoken economics professor who regularly highlighted the religious and cultural persecution of the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority. Tohti was sentenced to life in prison for promoting ethnic separatism on Sept. 23, 2014 following a two-day show trial and is serving his sentence in No.1 Prison in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where the human rights situation continues to deteriorate. Hu, himself a former political prisoner and winner of the 2008 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, has often served as a conduit for information from Tohtis family to the outside world. He spoke to Mihray Abdilim of RFAs Uyghur Service about his fears that Tohti could suffer the fate of 2010 Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died of liver cancer last year in a Chinese prison, where his treatment was late and inadequate. For two years, Ilham hasnt seen his wife and children. The political situation in the Uyghur region is so terrible that his wife Guzelnur decided not to go back there this year. For a long time, the Chinese government has been implementing a policy called Serve Prison Sentence elsewhere mainly targeting the high-profile political prisoners. Because Beijing is the political capital where the embassies of all the democratic countries are located, and the main offices of the UN are also based here. As most political events take place in Beijing, most people who are interested in politics gather here as well. Petitioners from all over the country also come here, and we can say that this is where people who were persecuted in past gather as well. From the Chinese authorities point of view, Beijings stability is their top priority. That is why they send political prisoners away from Beijing. Liu Xiaobo was sent to Jinzhou prison in Liaoning Province, and when I was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in 2008 on charges of inciting subversion of state power I was sent to Chaobai prison in Tianjin. Ilham Tohti holds a Beijing resident permit (hukou), and he should have the right to be tried in Beijing and serve his sentence in Beijing. But the authorities sent him to Xinjiang, which is now completely under police and military control. All of Ilhams relatives are living in extreme fear, they dont dare to have contact with anyone outside the region. They are reluctant to provide any news regarding Ilham Tohti due to fear. Two years ago, when Ilham Tohtis wife Guzelnur visited Xinjiang, her relatives took her phone away from her. She cut off all communication with friends here, including myself. During the last two years they were unable to visit Ilham, and if they cannot visit him in summer, it will have been three years of him not being able to see his family. This is a very tragic and unfair situation for a family. International pressure is vital. Ilham Tohti has already been awarded three major human rights prizes. The authorities are well aware that he has not been forgotten by the world. He has always attracted huge attention and support from the international community, so if there is any change in his situation the world would know it. I served in Chadian County prison in Tianjin from the May 7 until October 10, 2008 and was then transferred to a prison in Daxin district in Beijing, where I completed my prison sentence. Serving my sentence in Beijing made a big difference in my life, because it made it convenient for my parents, my wife and my daughter to visit me frequently, which helped me mentally. My family together with the international community played an important role in moving me from the prison in Tianjin to Beijing. I was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize in 2008, and October 10 was the eve of the Nobel Prize for Peace Award Ceremony. I believe my nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was an important factor in my transfer to Beijing. Therefore, the awards which Ilham Tohti has received could play an important role in improving his prison conditions. We should continue to promote him, campaign for his innocence, and help him win more prestigious international prizes in order to keep him in the international spotlight. All of these actions can help him survive in prison. Whenever I meet with the international human rights community, I always highlight two peoples cases: One is Ilham Tohti and the other is Gao Zhisheng. Since Liu Xiaobo was killed by the Chinese Communist regime, I am exceptionally worried that these two individuals may also end up with the same fate as Liu Xiaobo. Mr. Gao Zhisheng has been listed as one of the most dangerous individuals in China, as well as professor Ilham Tohti. Since he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his advocacy work, he has gained huge support and respect from the Uyghur people. I believe the right to self-determination of the Uyghur people will be respected and honored once China becomes a democratic country. Professor Ilham Tohti is one of the most prominent Uyghurs in the world, and he has been awarded or nominated for several international human rights prizes. He used to be the only voice of Uyghurs in mainland China. He is the seed of hope of the Uyghur people, and making sure that he is kept alive while in prison is one of the most important duties of us all. Being a Han Chinese, the best I can do is to make every effort to prevent Ilham Tohti from dying in prison like Liu Xiaobo. Whenever I meet the foreign diplomats in Beijing, I discuss Ilham Tohtis case first. I have spoken with the American Ambassador many times regarding his case. The leaders of the free world and foreign diplomats must frequently demand information regarding Ilham Tohtis prison conditions as well as his health, especially under the current political climate in the Uyghur region. Translated by RFA's Uyghur Service. Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, one of the best-known of her countrys nearly 100 political prisoners and also known as Mother Mushroom, has ended a hunger strike begun earlier this month in the prison where she is being held, and though tired is in good spirits, a Vietnam-based activist group says. Quynh, now serving a 10-year prison term following her June 2017 conviction for her online writings criticizing Vietnams government, said she would again take food following a July 23 visit by a U.S. embassy representative, the Vietnam Bloggers Network said on Wednesday. Quynh began her hunger strike on July 6, citing authorities refusal to transfer her to a cell away from a hostile and threatening cellmate. She then continued to refuse food despite being moved to another cell, saying her new cell lacks privacy, with even the toilet visible to guards. After 16 days without food, Quynh appeared tired but was in good spirits, the Network said in its July 25 statement. Contacted for confirmation, the U.S. State Department declined comment. Call for attention In an earlier statement on July 24, the Network had called on friends and supporters, the UN Human Rights Council, rights groups, and foreign embassies in Vietnam to pay urgent attention to Quynhs case. The Network urged that visits be organized to Quynhs prison in Thanh Hoa province to demand information about her condition, adding that letters of encouragement should be sent to the jailed blogger and foreign governments persuaded to apply pressure on Vietnam to secure her release. Quynh had blogged about human rights abuses and official corruption for more than a decade. She had also criticized the governments response to a 2016 toxic waste spill by the Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group that destroyed the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Vietnamese living in four coastal provinces. Authorities have long targeted activist writers and bloggers in an ongoing crackdown in one-party Communist Vietnam, where dissent is not allowed. Rights group Amnesty International estimates that at least 97 prisoners of conscience are currently held in Vietnams prisons, where many are subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Richard Finney. YEREVAN -- Former President Robert Kocharian has been taken into custody by Armenian authorities after being charged in connection with the deadly crackdown on opposition protests following the disputed presidential election in 2008. A Yerevan district court late on July 27 ruled that the Special Investigative Service (SIS) could hold Kocharian pending investigation into the crackdown that left 10 people dead, including two police officers. The arrest comes as the government of new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, a longtime anticorruption campaigner, has stepped up legal action against officials linked to the previous government. Kocharian has denied charges of overthrowing Armenia's constitutional order," calling them politically motivated, and his lawyers say he will appeal the pretrial detention ruling. The lawyers, Ruben Sahakian and Aram Orbelian, declined further comment and said a news conference would be held in Yerevan on July 28. The case dates back to late February and early March 2008 in the wake of a disputed election to determine Kocharians successor. Kocharians ally, Serzh Sarkisian, was declared the winner, angering the opposition and setting off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1 in which 10 people, including two police officers, were killed. Kocharian is accused of illegally ordering the violent dispersal of protesters. Kocharian said the postelection crackdown was necessary to prevent an illegal takeover of the government by another former president, Levon Ter-Petrosian. In March, Nikol Pashinian, then an opposition figure in parliament, asked prosecutors to subpoena Kocharian for questioning over his order to use lethal force to suppress the protests. Pashinian, who in 2010 was tried and convicted as one of the protest organizers, argued that, in particular, Kocharian should explain where he got information about gunshots allegedly fired at security forces by the demonstrators, which was a key reason cited by authorities in violently putting down the protests. In a reply to a question from RFE/RL, the Prosecutor-Generals Office in March said Pashinian had no legal standing to demand Kocharian's testimony. That all changed after Pashinian led a series of massive, nonviolent street protests in the capital, eventually toppling Sarkisian from power and leading to Pashinians own election on May 8 to the prime ministers role in what was hailed by many as a "velvet revolution." Pashinian, who for years spoke about what he said was widespread government corruption as an opposition member, immediately announced a crackdown on suspected wrongdoing after taking office. Earlier on July 27, Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian chief of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), was charged, like Kocharian, with overthrowing Armenia's constitutional order related to the 2008 crackdown. Khachaturov, who was Armenia's deputy defense minister at the time, denied any wrongdoing in comments to reporters. Officials said he would be released after paying a bail of about $10,000. The CSTO is a regional grouping that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Critics say Russian President Vladimir Putin sees it as a way to increase Moscows influence in former Soviet republics and to counter the European Union and NATO. Earlier this month, the SIS issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikael Harutiunian, who served as defense minister during the 2008 unrest. It charged Harutiunian with "illegally" using the armed forces against the protesters, saying that it amounted to an overthrow of constitutional order. On July 9, a spokesman for Kocharian denounced the accusations leveled against the fugitive ex-general as a mockery of the law. Pashinian's administration has also brought cases against several close relatives of Sarkisians family for a variety of alleged financial crimes, although Pashinian insisted that no particular family was being targeted. Pashinian told RFE/RL on July 6 that the cases against Sarkisan family members were being pursued on their legal merits and were not "political" in nature. In a part of Russias Sakha region, where the sun barely sets during summer, locals looked out of their windows around lunchtime on July 20 to a darkness so deep that many assumed an eclipse must have blocked out the sun. But records show no occultation that day, and Siberias lively media scene is now humming with speculation as to what caused the hour of darkness across a swath of northeastern Siberia. A local in Nizhne-Bytantaisky who asked not to be named told RFE/RL by phone that around 11 a.m. on the 20th, the sky started to darken. It was as if a storm was approaching, but there was a yellowish tint. Then from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. it went dark.... Then the sky began to brighten sharply. Around 200 kilometers away, another villager gave a local newspaper a slightly different timeline: After lunch, around 2 p.m., it began to slowly darken. There was a slight stuffiness. No wind, no sun, no light. As if life had stopped. Some residents went about joking that the apocalypse had come. But not everyone was laughing in the dark. Konstantin Starostin, a local official in Nizhne-Bytantaisky, told the Siberian Times that when the sun vanished, people started calling us in the administration. Many people got scared, especially elderly people. Soon afterward, a cluster of 30 dead birds was discovered in the east of the same region. A week later, theories of what caused the blackout range from the conspiratorial (Russias military testing a new weapon) to the biblical, but there is still no official explanation of what happened that day. But with the region currently plagued by the wildfires that have become a regular summer crisis on the vast wooded expanses of Siberia, theres one theory that may hold water. Louise Fode, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Weather Service in Alaska, says the event was likely a freak convergence of multiple layers of cloud and smoke from forest fires. She tells RFE/RL that satellite images from the region on July 20 show a band of mid- to high-altitude clouds merging with very dense smoke from wildfires smoldering hundreds of kilometers to the south. Additionally, Fode says a temperature inversion, a weather event in which a layer of cold air settles close to the Earths surface (inverting the usual rule of higher altitude equaling lower temperatures), could have caused the smoke to become more concentrated above the villages. One well-known result of a temperature inversion is the air becoming still and murky, which may explain the ominous quiet described by locals. In the region where the dead birds were discovered, a chill layer of air and the rain that often follows temperature inversions may also explain that mass death event. On July 20, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees Celsius in the region, cold enough to kill off weak or young birds. According to local reports, all 30 of the dead birds were fledglings. Finding a similar example of day turning suddenly to night requires a look all the way back to the 18th century and the "Dark Day" of New England. Its believed that smoke from forest fires blended with thick fog to completely block out the sun above Connecticut on May 19, 1780. Smithsonian magazine reports that locals feared that Judgment Day had arrived, though not everyone lost their wits. Abraham Davenport, a member of the Connecticut legislature, reportedly peered out at the darkness and declared, The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought. Israel's president has praised Serbia for passing a law providing restitution to the Jewish community for unclaimed Jewish property seized during the Holocaust. Reuven Rivlin said on July 26 after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that the 2016 bill should serve as a model for other countries. Thousands of Serbian Jews perished during Nazi occupation of the Balkan country during World War II. Rivlin arrived in Serbia from neighboring Croatia, where he met with top officials and visited the site of a World War II concentration camp run by a pro-Nazi puppet regime where tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs, and Roma were killed. Croatia's ethnic Serb and Jewish minorities for the past three years have snubbed the official commemoration at the Jasenovac camp, known as "Croatia's Auschwitz," accusing authorities of tolerating strains of pro-Nazi ideology in society. "There are some who prefer to repress their past and see it as a 'black hole' which requires no study or soul searching," Rivlin said in Hebrew in front of the memorial site, a towering concrete flower that looms over lush farmland. "Croatia's ability to deal with the past and not to ignore it is a moral obligation which is a fundamental part of any just society." While in Serbia, Rivlin met with the head of the Serbian parliament, Maja Gojkovic, and attended a ceremony in Belgrade's Zemun settlement, where a street was to be named after Theodor Herzl, a founder of the Zionist movement who was born in Serbia. His two-state Balkan tour is mostly focused on boosting trade ties. Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, AP, and AFP Thousands of people in Ukraine took part on July 27 in a Moscow-backed religious march through central Kyiv to mark the 1,030th anniversary of country's adoption of Christianity. The participants in the procession were supporters of the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church backed by Moscow. According to police, some 20,000 people took part in the event, while organizers said 250,000 people attended. Some 5,000 police officers were deployed to ensure order amid fears of possible incidents with Ukrainian nationalists. President Petro Poroshenko, who met on July 27 with a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, is expected to attend a rival religious procession backed by the breakaway Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Kyiv used to be the capital of the pagan Slavic state of Kievan Rus, which was converted to Christianity in 988 by Prince Vladimir. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared autonomy from the Russian Orthodox Church after the country gained independence in 1991. The Kyiv-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church supported a popular revolt that ousted Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and the ensuing conflict between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have stepped up religious tensions as well, with Patriarch Filaret of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church famously saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was "possessed by Satan." The July 27 march sparked criticism in Ukraine, where many consider members of the Moscow-backed church as agents of the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill warned against attempts to stir discord between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Moscow. "Attempts to artificially tear the Ukrainian Orthodox Church away from the Moscow Patriarchate can lead to a catastrophe," he said. With reporting by AFP, Interfax, TASS, and the Kyiv Post Paul Manafort didnt think very much of Viktor Yanukovych. The longtime U.S. political consultant and lobbyist voiced serious misgivings in 2005 when he was brought on by several Ukrainian oligarchs to rehabilitate Yanukovych after his loss the previous year in Ukraine's presidential election to Viktor Yushchenko, amid mass protests known as the Orange Revolution. "Yanukovych's designation as the candidate of the [previous Leonid Kuchma] Administration poisoned his appeal as much as the dioxin poisoned the body of Yushchenko, Manafort wrote in a memo, referring to the mysterious poisoning that almost killed Yushchenko and badly disfigured him. From the analysis set out in the previous section of this Report, the answer to the problem is clear -- Victor Yanukovych must be replaced. Fast-forward five years: Yanukovych wins the presidency of Ukraine, giving Manafort a feather in his cap and new work trying to burnish Yanukovychs image in the West. That effort, and the vast sums that Manafort was paid, are now in the crosshairs of the U.S. justice system and the politically explosive investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Released as part of the court docket ahead of Manaforts first trial on financial crimes, the Yanukovych memo is one of hundreds of pages of documents that offer a glimpse into Manafort's political wiles and give new dimension to a case that continues to rattle President Donald Trumps presidency. In The Beginning Prior to entering Ukrainian politics, Manafort had run in Republican Party circles for years in Washington. He was close to Bob Dole, the former senator who was the Senate Republican leader in the 1980s and '90s, and he managed the Republican Party convention in 1996 when Dole was the partys presidential candidate. Manafort was brought onto Ukraines political scene as the country was still dealing with the fallout from the 2004 Orange Revolution. Yanukovych faced Yushchenko in the presidential vote that year, but suspicions of election fraud prompted weeks of street protests. Yanukovychs initial victory was later undone by the courts, handing Yushchenko the presidency. During the campaign, Yushchenko fell deathly ill and was treated at an Austrian clinic for what officials later said was dioxin poisoning. Yushchenko was embraced by the West for his liberal ideals. Yanukovych, by contrast, hailed from the country's industrial Donbas region in the east and was considered close to Russia. His political party, the Party of the Regions, featured many of Ukraines most powerful and wealthiest businessman, who sought a way to return the party's candidates to power. Among those oligarchs was Rinat Akhmetov, a billionaire industrialist from the eastern city of Donetsk who is widely considered to be Ukraine's richest man. Akhmetov introduced Yanukovych to Manafort. On June 9, 2005, Manafort wrote a 35-page memo to Akhmetov in which he criticized Yanukovych, analyzed his election loss, and laid out a road map for future election victories. He said that the disgust many Ukrainians had at the time for the tenure of President Leonid Kuchma had helped drag Yanukovych down. "The intensity of these feelings is very strong. Consequently, the ability of Yanukovych to help lead a campaign against the current administration will not only fail, but it will never gain any traction. His leadership into the campaign would probably signal the death knell of the Party and Coalition that he leads, Manafort wrote. He was also blunt in his assessment of Yanukovychs future. From the analysis set out in the previous section of this Report, the answer to the problem is clear -- Victor Yanukovych must be replaced, he said. Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in 2014 after violent protests in Kyiv, could not be reached for comment by RFE/RL. A phone for Akhmetovs spokesman was turned off, and he did not immediately respond to a text message. Good Work If You Can Get It Manaforts defense lawyers released these documents ahead of Manaforts upcoming financial fraud trial, scheduled to begin July 31. The lawyers accuse Mueller of trying to introduce evidence that is irrelevant to the case. The documents include the names of many other American political consultants who worked or overlapped with Manafort over the years. They also feature Konstantin Kilimnik, a shadowy Russian known as being Manaforts key representative in Ukraine. Long suspected of ties to Russian intelligence, Kilimnik was indicted earlier this year by Mueller for allegedly trying to tamper with potential witnesses in the investigation. In one of the only interviews he has given, Kilimnik, who is now believed to be in Russia, told RFE/RL in 2017 that he had spoken regularly with Manafort during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In January 2006, Manafort laid out a plan for Yanukovych and the Party of the Regions to win parliamentary elections, a plan built around promoting good relations with Russia. At the time, Russia and Ukraine had waged a so-called gas war over Russian natural gas supplies to Ukraine and those transiting Ukraine to lucrative European markets. The dispute led to a brief cutoff of supplies. The key connection must be made to the poor judgment of the Government and the disastrous impact not only [on] the Ukrainian economy but directly on the interests of the Ukraine people, he wrote in the memo, addressed to Yanukovych and Akhmetov. The message will emphasize that Yanukovych will not make such a colossal misjudgment and has the relationship in Russia needed to fix the problem created by Yushchenko and his team. Over the next few years, Manafort deepened his work with the Party of the Regions. He also built his business relationships with Russian oligarchs, including Oleg Deripaska, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russias metals industry and has long been considered a close confidante of the Kremlin. He was sanctioned by the United States in April. Deripaska is believed to have introduced Kilimnik to Manafort in the mid-2000s, around the time Kilimnik worked for the Moscow office of the International Republican Institute. Kilimnik was fired from the U.S. nongovernmental organization after he was found working for Deripaska. The Return Of Yanukovych By 2009, many Ukrainians had grown weary of Yushchenkos presidency, as the country remained mired in economic stagnation and corruption. Yanukovych, who served as prime minister in 2006-07, was seen as a viable alternative, and Manafort worked to burnish his image and the partys message. By this point, Manaforts partners included his longtime deputy Rick Gates and Tad Devine, who later went on to manage the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders. But for the 2009-10 presidential election, Manafort also enlisted the help of Adam Strasberg, who had worked on the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry. In the February 2010 vote, Yanukovych defeated the fiery nationalist Yulia Tymoshenko to win the presidency. Manafort exulted in the victory. "Having work [sic] campaigns for the last 35 years, this one will be at the top of the list of most satisfying," Manafort wrote to his team after Ukraines Central Election Committee certified Yanukovych as the winner. An e-mail included in the court documents showed Devine authored Yanukovychs election-night victory speech, which, according to the file, was titled A New Beginning For Ukraine. Manaforts efforts also paid off in the 2012 parliamentary elections, where the Party of the Regions won a resounding majority of seats. On April 2, 2012, Gates reached out to Devine and two other political consultants, asking them to resume work. "Gents," Gates wrote. "I hope everyone is well. We have once again reached the point in time where we should cast aside all U.S. political work in favor of everyone's most beloved country -- Ukraine." Devine declined. The Hapsburg Group Following his election victory, Yanukovych moved to mend fences with Russia. He also moved against political opponents, including Tymoshenko, who in 2011 was jailed on what many observers viewed as political motivated charges. With criticism in the West mounting, Yanukovych, with Manaforts help, tried to publicly justify the case against Tymoshenko. Manafort enlisted the help of several influential European politicians to promote the Ukrainian government in Washington and Brussels. They later became known as the Hapsburg Group. In a February 21, 2013, memo to Yanukovych, Manafort wrote that "the elements of the Hapsburg project have proven very effective in dealing with the EU." "The key to these successes is that the participants are significant European leaders who are viewed as objective regarding Ukraine," Manafort said. "This has allowed them to make their points without any apparent self-interest, thus giving their comments more weight and impact." Showing that the effort extended to the United States, Manafort wrote, "The Hapsburg team will also do a series of events between March and May in Washington DC designed to change the public rhetoric directed at Ukraine, but to also influence key members of the US Government through private meetings held at the highest levels." This will include major speeches, participation in key events, and private meetings with senior US officials including Secretary of State John Kerry, and other members of the Administration, he added. Manaforts work with the Hapsburg Group figures prominently in the second criminal case brought by Mueller, which is pending in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. While the trial opening on July 31 is focused on alleged financial crimes, the Washington, D.C., case centers on allegations that Manafort failed to register as a foreign agent in the United States for his work for the Party of the Regions. Manafort and his former deputy, Rick Gates, paid the Hapsburg officials to take positions favorable to Ukraine, including by lobbying the United States, according to an indictment filed in February. The indictment also alleges that Manafort and Kilimnik tried to engage in witness tampering, by trying to "influence, delay, and prevent the testimony" of two persons with knowledge of the Hapsburg Group's work. Gates earlier this year pleaded guilty to money laundering and other charges brought by Muellers team and agreed to cooperate with Muellers investigation, a move that brought further pressure on Manafort. Kilimnik declined to comment to RFE/RL when reached by text message, responding, Please erase my number. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 27 that he has invited U.S. President Donald Trump to Moscow and that both he and Trump were ready for further summits. Putin added that he is also ready to travel to Washington to meet Trump but said conditions need to be right for a meeting to take place. Speaking to reporters at a summit of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries in South Africa on July 27, Putin said telephone calls between Moscow and Washington were insufficient. "[Trump] has an invitation to Moscow. I have told him about it. I am ready to go to Washington, too, but, I repeat, only if corresponding conditions are created there," Putin said, without elaborating on what he meant by corresponding conditions. Putin added that Russia and the United States also have plans for contacts at G20 summits and other international gatherings. "So, despite all the difficulties, in this case the difficulties in the United States' domestic politics, our contacts continue," the Russian president said. He said both he and Trump need to meet to talk about issues such as the Iran nuclear deal and global conflicts. Putin stressed that his talks with Trump are "important" as they are relevant to "very many countries of the world, including the entire Europe." Putin praised Trump for what he called "his eagerness to meet all his promises he made to voters during his election campaign." He said that among the key points of the BRICS summit's joint declaration was the "nonacceptance of economic sanctions" imposed on Russia by the U.S. and European Union in response to Moscows annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and for supporting separatists in Ukraine's east, where more than 10,300 people have died in the conflict. In response, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on July 27 that Trump "looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation." Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he was considering the possibility of the first talks in years between the defense chiefs of the United States and Russia. Separately, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on July 27 that U.S. national security adviser John Bolton may meet the secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, by the end of summer. Putin and Trump met in Helsinki last week, but Trump faced harsh criticism in the United States from Republicans and Democrats alike who said he sided with Russia over the conclusions of his own intelligence agencies that Moscow had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. John Bolton, Trumps national security adviser, said on July 25 that the U.S. president wants to meet with Putin at the White House in 2019 -- after the Justice Departments probe into Russias alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election has been completed. Bolton said in a statement that Trump believes the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so weve agreed it will be after the first of the year. With reporting by Reuters, AP, Interfax, and TASS The lawyer for Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year prison term in Russia and has been on a hunger strike for nearly two months, says the health risks for his client are rising as the protest enters its 75th day. Sentsov, a vocal opponent of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, was sentenced in 2015 to 20 years for conspiracy to commit terrorism. Sentsov is serving his term in Russia's northern region of Yamalo-Nenets after being convicted on terrorism charges that he and human rights groups say were politically motivated. The 42-year-old denies the charges and has been on a hunger strike since mid-May, demanding that Russia release 64 Ukrainian citizens he considers political prisoners. Sentsov's lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, told the Associated Press on July 27 that Sentsov is pale and lies down constantly because he has difficulty moving. Dinze said "the hunger strike is continuing and with each day the risk is increasing." The European Court of Human Rights this week urged Sentsov to end his hunger strike. Sentsov's mother earlier this month sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to pardon her son. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on July 13 that the letter from Sentsov's mother "will certainly be looked into," but did not comment on whether Putin might heed her request. Several groups have called on Putin to pardon Sentsov, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the Ukrainian film director would have to ask for a pardon himself before it could be considered. Sentsov has refused to request a presidential pardon because he considers himself innocent. Based on reporting by AP, Ekho Moskvy, and Interfax ENGELS, Russia -- On July 19, a power surge ran through a dilapidated Soviet-era apartment building in the Saratov Oblast city of Engels, blowing out TVs, computers, and appliances. For some residents, it was the last straw in a long-running dispute with the company selected by the city to provide communal services. When company officials arrived at No. 58 Kolotilova Street, around two dozen angry residents met them in the courtyard and began berating them about the condition of the building: leaking pipes, drafty windows, collapsing ceilings, and balconies that were barely clinging to the side of the five-story building. Fifty-seven-year-old pensioner Igor Antoshkin had had enough. He went up to his fourth-floor balcony overlooking the crowd and began shaking the railing to demonstrate how poorly it had been "repaired." On the third shake, the railing detached and Antoshkin fell to the ground. An ambulance was called, but later that night he died in the hospital. "If they had fixed the electricity before, this tragedy wouldn't have happened," said Lyudmila, a resident of the building who asked that her last name not be used. The communal-services company, Riko, declined RFE/RL's requests for comment. However, Riko director Mikhail Morozov, in an interview with the local website Svobodniye Novosti, sought to blame Antoshin for the tragedy. "Local residents had been partying there for three days, celebrating some birthday," he said. "On the third day, they went completely crazy, and this particular resident, who weighed at least 120 kilograms, leaned with all his weight on the barrier. It broke, and he fell down with it." Neighbor Lyudmila told RFE/RL she had seen Morozov on local television claiming that all of the balconies on Riko-managed buildings were in good condition. "Just walk around," she said, "and take a look. There are many balconies worse than ours. They don't want to do anything except take our money." Residents of the building pay 16 rubles ($0.62) per square meter per month for communal services, among the highest rates in the city. Three years ago, residents told RFE/RL, they applied formally to Riko asking for a total repair of the balconies and providing evidence of their dangerous condition. The company never formally responded, but informally told residents that "there is no money." It is a common story across Russia, where millions of people live in housing stock that has outlived its service lifetime and complain that the fees they pay for communal services simply disappear. Just three days after the Antoshkin tragedy, another balcony fell off a residential building in Engels. No one was injured because that balcony had been condemned and closed off in 2009. In nearby Saratov, on July 22, a large chunk of flooring fell from an upper-floor balcony of a building built in 1917, crashing through a second-floor balcony before smashing to the ground. In July 2017, a 76-year-old man in the Engels suburb of Letny Gorodok was seriously injured when his third-floor balcony collapsed. "This isn't the first case of a balcony collapsing in Letny Gorodok," an unnamed law enforcement source was quoted as saying at the time. "This building, No. 23, like many others, should be condemned." In the wake of Antoshkin's death, the railing on his balcony was crudely repaired. One floor up, his elderly neighbor, who asked that only her first name -- Valentina -- be used, told RFE/RL that her collapsing balcony will be repaired as well. "Tomorrow they are coming to fix the balcony," Valentina said. "Earlier, they told me it would cost me 23,000 rubles ($365). But now they are going to fix it. And they are going to turn the electricity back on in the whole building!" Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Anna Mukhina Four Russian police officers in the city of Serpukhov near Moscow have been fired over their failure in 2017 to arrest a man who is now the chief suspect in the July 22 rape and killing of a 5-year-old Tajik girl. Moscow regional police spokeswoman Tatyana Petrova said on July 26 that the police chief in Serpukhov also will be fired when he returns from vacation. According to Petrova, the officers were fired after an internal investigation revealed that the Serpukhov police department did not properly investigate complaints of a man trying to sexually assault two young girls on a playground. The same 27-year-old man was arrested on July 23 on charges of raping and killing 5-year-old Huvaido Tillozoda -- a citizen of Tajikistan and the daughter of Tajik migrant workers. Tillozoda's body was found in a gym bag near a railway in Serpukhov on July 23. Residents of the building where the victim lived with her parents say the suspect also lived in the same building. They say the suspect had been reported to police in 2017 by another resident of the building who accused him of trying to sexually abuse her daughter and another girl. But they said police never followed through on the complaint with an investigation. Editor's Note: To receive Steve Gutterman's Week In Russia each week via e-mail, subscribe by clicking here. A harrowing video of an inmates beating shone a bare-bulb spotlight on Russias prison-torture problem. And a second summit meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was pushed into 2019 while the United States reaffirmed its rejection of Moscows takeover of Crimea, raising further questions about Russias concrete gains from the Trump-Putin talks in Helsinki. Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week, and some of the takeaways going forward. Torture Claims After hammering an inmates heel with a truncheon while others hold him down with his legs splayed and beat other body parts, the camouflage-clad prison guard steps back to take a break, grunts, and jokes: Changing of the guard. With other officers milling around the room as the prisoner moans and cries out, the harrowing video shot at a prison in the sleepy city of Yaroslavl makes torture look routine. Other reports from Russia over the past week also make it look that way: One says that a lost iPhone 6 at a student party in Voronezh led to the police torture of several young men whom officers bound to a chair with handcuffs and questioned after tying ammonia-soaked plastic bags over their heads. In the Bryansk region, meanwhile, a prison guard was charged with murdering an inmate whom authorities said he asphyxiated with a piece of cloth. Accounts of torture in Russian prisons, jails, and police precinct houses are nothing new. Supporters of whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow jail in December 2009, say he was denied medical care in what amounted to torture, and the Kremlin human rights council said there was evidence that he was beaten to death. And as Putin was preparing to return to the presidency in 2012 after four years as prime minister, the death of a man who told relatives he had been beaten by four police officers and sodomized with a Champagne bottle fueled demands for reform and the rule of law. 'Detrimental Effects' The newer cases suggest there has been little change since Putin who started a six-year, fourth term in May came back to the Kremlin more than six years ago. In a submission to the UN Committee on Torture on July 6, Human Rights Watch said alleged violations of Moscows most basic obligations under the International Convention Against Torture are taking place against the backdrop of a broader deterioration of the human rights climate in Russia, with detrimental effects in particular on freedom of expression, assembly, and association as the authorities have moved to narrow the space for dissent. At a hearing on Russias record on July 25, UN experts said Russia has one of the highest rates of prisoner death from torture among Council of Europe members and urged the authorities to prosecute alleged widespread cases including beatings, electric shocks, and suffocation. "Torture is practiced widely," UN committee Chairman Jens Modvig said, yet "there is no rule ensuring that punishment for torture corresponds to the seriousness of the crime. The concerns about abuse and torture of inmates and others in state custody in Russia come at a time when more attention is arguably focused on Moscows actions abroad than on developments at home. Putins July 16 summit with Trump was widely seen as a big success for the Russian president, and the White House said three days later that Trump had asked his national security adviser, John Bolton, to invite Putin to Washington in the fall. Mr. Putin Doesn't Go To Washington In some ways, such a visit could have been a victory lap for Putin, flying into the U.S. capital and heading to the White House despite persistent concern about what U.S. intelligence agencies say was an influence campaign -- ordered by Putin himself -- targeting the 2016 election won by Trump, the underdog and the clear Kremlin favorite. But plans for an autumn meeting fell apart fast, their demise suggesting queasiness on both sides about a relationship that was already as toxic as Novichok for some in Washington and became more so after the summit press conference in Helsinki, where critics said Trump came down on Putin's side on the issue of election meddling. First, the Kremlin responded to word of the invitation with a marked lack of enthusiasm. Putins foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, made clear on July 24 that Russia was not ready to accept it, saying it would be wise to let the dust settle after the Helsinki summit. You know what kind of atmosphere there is around its outcome, he said. The next day, Bolton said that Trump wants to meet with Putin after the Russia witch hunt is over, so weve agreed that it will be after the first of the year [2019]. The witch hunt is Trumps term for U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Moscows alleged meddling and whether his campaign colluded with Russia in a bid to influence the vote. There is no set time limit on the probe, but Trump who argues adamantly that there was no collusion has repeatedly called for it to end. Midterm Meddling? For Trump, the postponement of a second summit could be a chance to avoid the potentially unappealing optics of hosting Putin shortly before or after the November midterm elections, in which his Republican Party will be seeking to retain control of both houses of Congress and any accusations that he is seeking or getting help from Putin in the polls. Trump has tried to turn any such notion on its head by saying he fears Russia will try to meddle in favor of the other side. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats, Trump tweeted on July 24. The next day, at about the same time Bolton said that Trump wants to meet with Putin again in 2019, rather than this fall, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an announcement reaffirming the U.S. refusal to recognize the Kremlins claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law Crimea. For Putin, steering clear of Washington in the fall could be a way to avoid wading too deep into turbulent U.S. political waters at an uncertain time. Russian political analysts have said that Putins comment at the summit press conference, when he stated publicly for the first time that he wanted Trump to win the 2016 election, marked a new and risky step toward open involvement in U.S. politics. He took another step, Moscow-based political analyst Vladimir Frolov said, when he suggested to Russian diplomats days later that Trump's efforts to improve ties were beset by unnamed "forces" ready and willing to "sacrifice Russian-American relations to their ambitions in the domestic political struggle in America." Wading In Or Waist-Deep? Putin's statements mark a shift to "a direct political alliance with Donald Trump personally in the fight against his domestic foes" -- the Democratic Party, the intelligence and foreign policy establishment, the "deep state" -- Frolov wrote in an opinion article for the Russian media outlet Republic. "This is already not so much interference in elections...as it is Moscow joining openly joining the domestic political battle on one of the warring sides. Stepping back from a fall summit could lessen the risks of going all-in. But the postponement of a second meeting also leaves the question of what concrete gains Putin can claim from Helsinki even less clear than it was in the days after the summit. That question cuts both ways, though. And even after Pompeo moved to dispel concerns that Trump might recognize Russia's claim to Crimea as part of some deal with Putin, it remains largely uncertain -- with Russian claims of "agreements" left unconfirmed by U.S. officials -- what they might have agreed upon. Tens of thousands of followers of the Russian Orthodox church in Ukraine held a cross-bearing procession in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which led the annual march on July 27, says it wants to promote Ukraine's ties with Russia. The event was held under tight security following previous threats of violence from Ukrainian nationalist groups, who support the rival Kyiv-based Orthodox patriarchate. They see the procession as a provocation by Moscow. Another procession will be held on July 28 by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, which says it wants to promote Ukrainian national unity. Both events mark the conversion of Kievan Rus, the forerunner of modern Ukraine and Russia, to Christianity. The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation allowing the president to waive penalties against countries that purchase weapons from sanctioned Russian defense companies if they are seeking closer ties with Washington. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sought the waiver authority, which was approved by the House on July 26 as part of a massive defense bill, saying it would help countries like India which had close ties with Moscow in the past but are now trying to "pull away from the Russian orbit." Mattis, in a letter to Congress earlier this month, claimed that waiver authority would not benefit Russia, a major arms exporter, contending that "it will only benefit the U.S. and countries willing to pursue a security relationship with us." Under the Russian sanctions legislation that Trump signed a year ago, any country trading with Russias defense and intelligence sectors faces potential penalties from the United States. The law is designed to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, involvement in the Syrian civil war, and meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The sanctions waiver provision was worked out this week in negotiations between Congress and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, media reported. Besides India, Vietnam and Indonesia are other countries media have said might receive waivers from Russian sanctions under the provision. Mattis has argued that sanctions waivers are needed so such countries can continue to purchase spare parts needed to maintain arsenals of Russian-made aircraft, tanks, and other weapons that they purchased in the past, even as they develop closer defense ties with the United States. Under the waiver provision, the president must certify that a country is both reducing arms imports from Russia and is expanding defense cooperation with the United States. India is one country that has historically used a large amount of Russian military equipment, from combat planes to ships and submarines. It is in the final stages of negotiating a $6 billion deal to buy S-400 long-range, surface-to-air missile systems from Russia. But New Dehli has in recent years been diversifying its arms purchases, turning to the United States and Israel for modern equipment. It has ordered $15 billion of weapons from the United States over the past 10 years, and U.S. companies currently are bidding for contracts for fighter planes and helicopters worth billions of dollars. While the sanctions waiver provision in the $716 billion defense bill is expected to particularly help India, another provision of the bill is aimed at punishing Turkey for its recent move to buy S-400 missile-defense systems from Russia. Washington has repeatedly warned Turkey, a longtime U.S. and NATO ally, that the Russian missile systems cannot be integrated into NATO's air and missile defenses. The House-passed bill would prohibit delivery of advanced U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jets that Turkey has purchased unless it cancels the S-400 purchases and meets other conditions. The House-passed bill must be merged with a Senate version of the defense bill before it can be signed into law by Trump. With reporting by AP and Reuters U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has rejected a move by fellow Republicans to impeach the No. 2 Justice Department official who oversees the special counsel investigating Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election. Ryan told reporters on Capitol Hill on July 26 that he does not support impeaching Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who most recently made a mark by announcing the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence agents on charges of election-hacking days before U.S. President Donald Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ryan said the alleged offenses Republicans cited in moving to impeach Rosenstein -- his struggle with House committees over their requests for thousands of internal department documents -- don't rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" that the U.S. Constitution specifies are the only grounds for impeachment of an executive branch officer. "I don't think we should be cavalier with this process," Ryan said, adding that he has been encouraged by Rosenstein's recent progress in producing the documents sought by Republicans. A small group of 11 House Republicans on July 25 took the rare move of introducing articles of impeachment to remove Rosenstein, the Justice official who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to take over theinvestigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign from the FBI about a year ago. The conservative lawmakers accused Rosenstein of alleged wrongdoing not directly related to the Mueller investigation, mostly involving their fight over the release of internal documents. But Democrats charged the move was aimed at stifling or distracting attention from Mueller's Russia probe. "The attack on Rosenstein of course is an attack on the Mueller investigation," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Asked recently about rumors that House Republicans might move to impeach him, Rosenstein was defiant. "I think they should understand by now, the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted," he said. Rosenstein's boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, on July 26 expressed confidence in the career civil servant and took a swipe at the lawmakers pushing for his ouster. "My deputy, Rod Rosenstein, is highly capable. I have the highest confidence in him," Sessions said during an appearance in Boston. "What I would like Congress to do is to focus on some of the legal challenges that are out there," such as addressing illegal immigration, Sessions said. Sessions last year recused himself from matters that involve the Trump campaign, including the Russia probe, because of his role as a top adviser to the campaign, leaving it to Rosenstein to set up and oversee the Mueller investigation. The White House was more supportive of the impeachment move. The president has been clear he wants DOJ to be transparent and cooperate with Congress,"White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters flying aboard Air Force One on July 26. The president has denied collusion with Russia and characterizes the investigation as a "witch hunt." Russia has also denied interfering in the election. Democrats charged that the effort to impeach Rosenstein is only the latest maneuver by the GOP to undermine confidence in the Mueller investigation and the broader judicial system, both to protect Trump and their own political careers. Rosenstein "stands as one of the few restraints against the overreaches of the president and his allies in Congress," three senior Democratic representatives -- Jerrold Nadler, Elijah Cummings, and Adam Schiff -- said in a joint statement. With reporting by AP and Reuters Extreme temperatures in Baja California causing pelicans heatstroke Mexicali, Baja California The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection reports that pelicans found in various parts of the city of Mexicali are showing signs of dehydration due to heat stroke. The heat is affecting wildlife as more than 25 of Mexicos states soar to record daytime temperatures with some states recording 48 degrees Celsius. Wildlife personnel have been scouring the city looking for disorientated birds after numerous citizen complaints were called into the citys C-4 command center. Residents have reported seeing pelicans that were disoriented and dehydrated with signs of weakness due to the extreme heat. Inspectors of for Environmental Protection say so far, they have rescued eight pelicans noting that the birds were underweight and dehydrated. Of those rescued, only two were able to be released back into the wild. The others are still recovering at facilities at a city zoo. The birds most affected are the Pelecanus occidentalis, commonly known as the Brown Pelican of California. The environmental protection agency says anyone who sees a pelican in distress should try to shade it and give it water. They also ask that people call environmental authorities to rescue the bird. Indonesian and Quintana Roo trade businessmen meet in Cancun Cancun, Q.R. Indonesian businessmen met with their counterparts in Cancun to present their product and service proposals to the tourist industry of the Mexican Caribbean. Ika Yulistyawati, representative of economic promotion of Indonesia, said that the meeting was a first rapprochement between the two countries. She said Cancun was chosen as the venue due to the importance it has on an international tourism level. Ika Yulistyawati Yulistyawati explained that during the meeting, Quintana Roo businessmen showed interest in various products and services including beauty products, spa services and ornamental furniture. She also said that the products and services offered by Indonesian businessmen are in line with the needs of the tourist destination. She added that the meet was also used to invite Mexicans to the Trade Expo Indonesia, running from October 24 to 28 of this year. We believe that by visiting our land and knowing our products and services in person, it will be much easier to establish a relationship of trust and do business, she said. She noted that the trend of trade between Indonesia and Mexico decreased by 0.4 percent from 2013 to 2017, however, there was a recovery of just over 20 percent between 2016 and last year. Quintana Roo leads way for most mangrove loss in Mexico Cancun, Q.R. Officials say thousands of hectares of mangrove have disappeared due to tourist development in the state. Loss of mangrove in the state of Quintana Roo has been described as dramatic, noted Jorge Herrera Silveira, researcher at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute. Over the last 20 years, he says more than 7,000 hectares of mangrove has disappeared and that the figures will only continue to increase. He added that the municipality of Lazaro Cardenas, where there are currently several projects, will continue to see a decrease in the ecosystem. Herrera Silveira says that currently, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan are the top three states with the most mangrove loss due to construction, with Quintana Roo in the lead. The state with the most loss of mangrove is Quintana Roo, he said. The reduction of states mangrove areas was qualified by the scientist as dramatic, adding that it is not going to stop since there are several pending hotel projects. He stressed his concern about places such as Holbox. Holbox is a no mans land. They say they are going to build a house and suddenly they have already built a hotel. Its no mans land, he said. The 7,000 hectares of destroyed mangrove represents around 20 percent of the total extension that the state had before its success as a tourist destination. In Cancun, the Nichupte mangrove was decreed a protected area in July 2008. Frontier intersects fresh kimberlite at SA diamond project 27 july 2018 News Frontier Diamonds said it has intersected fresh kimberlite during blast hole drilling at its Bellsbank diamond project, in South Africa. The uncalcretised kimberlite material was found at a depth of 27 metres and the exploration pit being mined was designed to extract a minimum bulk sample of 100,000 tonnes. We are now in a position to rapidly access the primary ore body and conduct a proper bulk sample, followed by processing of this material at our new Sedibeng dual-purpose plant, said Frontier chief executive Jan Louw. This will enable a detailed economic assessment of the Bellsbank pipe, with the CPR also allowing us to leverage all historic and current exploration data into this exercise. It said grade of the pipe was estimated between 10 and 30 carats per hundred tonnes. The biggest stone recovered from a plant commissioning sample taken from shallower, calcretised Bellsbank material was 1.45 carats, said Frontier. Mathew Nyaungwa, Rough&Polished Image credit: De Beers According to RAPAPORT, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) broadened its definition of diamond as it had amended its jewelry guidelines. Now the notion of lab-grown diamond is also referred to as a diamond.As of FTC, before the diamond was defined as a natural mineral, but today such a definition is no longer relevant as lab-grown stones are considered diamonds as well, inspite of not being unearthed.When the commission first used this definition in 1956, there was only one type of diamond product on the market natural stones mined from the earth, the FTC said. Since then, technological advances have made it possible to create diamonds in a laboratory. These stones have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as mined diamonds. Thus, they are diamonds.According to the report, it is also necessary to define the notion of cultured, when describing the origin of lab-grown diamonds. FTC suggests using such words as man-made, lab-grown or foundry.The commission believes that the word synthetic, which is frequently used to describe lab-grown stones, evokes negative associations among consumers. They think that such term qualifies the stones as fake and artificial, which is why FTC recommends to avoid using it.The agency also noted that the Diamond Producers Association (DPA) intends to better address the jewelry guidelines before commenting on this subject. Laurelton Diamonds, a subsidiary of Tiffany & Co, announced yesterday that it would be holding the viewings of its next Tender of Polished Diamonds at the Laurelton Diamonds offices in New York, USA and Antwerp, Belgium.The Tender will include a selection of Single GIA certified stones and grouped lots of GIA certified and non-certified polished diamonds. These include rounds in size ranges from caraters to melee.The tender is scheduled from Monday 13th August to Wednesday 15th August in New York, and from Tuesday 21st August to Tuesday 28th August in Antwerp.Laurelton Diamonds Belgium BVBA is a rough diamond manufacturing and trading company with operations across the globe. Part 2: KPCSC wants Russia to help end impasse on new definition of conflict diamonds In the first installment of this two-part exclusive interview with Shamiso Mtisi, the coordinator of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC), we focused on illegal diamond mining in the continent and where the contraband ends up... Part 1: KPCSC gives insight into illegal diamond mining, trading in Africa Although the diamond watchdog Kimberley Process (KP) prides itself for significantly reducing the flow of conflict goods since its establishment in 2003, the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC) alleged that illegal diamond... The jewelry industry in Russia needs to be upgraded in a serious way Dina Nasyrova is a vice-president of the International Jewelry Exhibition-Congress J-1 recently hosted by the Atrium of Gostiny Dvor in Moscow. As a partner and the Muse of the famous jeweler Ilgiz Fazulzyanov, she actively participated in the preparation... Smiling Rocks, a philanthropic business model, inspires companies to work for betterment of the world Zulu Ghevriya, the CEO and Co-Founder of Smiling Rocks, Founder of Vedantti Jewellery and Managing Director of Prism Group has been in the diamond and jewellery industry for over 20 years. Zulu started his business, Prism Group, as a natural diamond... This was a promise North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Trump welcomed the repatriation and thanked Kim in a tweet. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there Wednesday. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Returning remains North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Following the honors ceremony on Wednesday, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. Trump late Thursday tweeted the repatriation was occurring and said, After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. Other benefits of the Trump Kim Jong Un meeting are expected. South Koreas Defense Ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. Stories at the heart of everything we do Actor Priyanka Chopra has thanked an online magazine for including her in its list of the 500 most influential people, saying it encourages her to tell important stories. Popular magazine Variety had recently unveiled its list of influential people and apart from Priyanka, it also featured the names of Indian celebrities such as Karan Johar, Salman Khan and Ekta Kapoor among others. The 36-year-old actor took to Instagram to express her happiness over being included in the list and shared the credit with her team. Feels like miles to go, but truly grateful for every step we take Advertisement "Big thanks to @variety for including me in your #Variety500 for the second year in a row! What makes this one extra special is the little name right above mine... @purplepebblepictures," the actor wrote. "Stories are at the heart of everything we do, regardless of genre or language, and it's a wonderful feeling to know we're on the right path. This would not be possible without my team, and most importantly, my incredible partner and co-founder, @madhumalati. Feels like miles to go, but truly grateful for every step we take," she added. Priyanka currently has two Bollywood projects in her kitty -- Ali Abbas Zafar's "Bharat" with Salman Khan and "The Sky Is Pink" with Farhan Akhtar. Gujarat Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi A delegation led by Gujarat Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi called on Vice-President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Naidu welcomed the delegation and gave a brief introduction about the constitutional set-up of the parliamentary system. He talked about the composition, nature of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and highlighted the relationship between the two Houses of Parliament, as well as telling them about the parliamentary procedures. M Venkaiah Naidu Advertisement Naidu underlined the importance of deliberations in parliamentary committees, where discussions are held above party lines and their recommendations are of considered value for the government. The Rajya Sabha chairman informed the delegation about some of the new initiatives taken by the Upper House like simultaneous interpretation facility available in 22 Indian languages for Members of Parliament listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly thanked Naidu for apprising the delegation of various procedural devices of Parliament. PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday held bilateral meetings with presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and discussed ways to boost ties, including in areas of energy and agriculture Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a photograph of Prime Minister Modi and Angolan President Joao Lourenco together at the start of the talks "Bilateral meetings continue for PM Narendra Modi in Johannesburg! With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas. #IndiaatBRICS," Kumar said in the tweet. India and Angola have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties. India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against the Portuguese colonial rule till it attained independence in 1975. India has become the third-largest trading partner of Angola, sharing about 15 per cent of that country's external trade. Advertisement PM Modi meets leaders of Angola, Argentina Angola remained the second-largest source of crude oil for India, after Nigeria, in the Sub-Saharan Africa, according to information available on the MEA website. There are estimated 4,000 people of Indian-origin in Angola holding passports of different nationalities. The Prime Minister's Office tweeted that both leaders "discussed ways to enhance cooperation in trade, energy and other sectors." In another tweet, the PMO said Modi held a separate bilateral meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. "Accelerating ties with Argentina. During their meeting, Presdent @mauriciomacri and PM @narendramodi talked about strengthening relations especially in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and investment (sic)," the PMO tweeted. As president of the G20, Macri was invited to participate in the BRICS Summit. The two leaders previously met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. That time, Modi had thanked Macri for supporting India's membership bid at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group. Advertisement BRICS Summit Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit this year is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 4o per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. LatAm Trade Ministers Concerned Over Protectionism Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - A return to trade protectionism led by the United States could cause serious risks for the global economy, Latin American trade ministers attending the fifth Business Meeting of the Pacific Alliance in Mexico said. Mexico's Minister of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo said the "profound change" coming from Washington obliges other countries to assume new responsibilities for ensuring free trade. "We always expect that these swings in strategy are temporary..." Guajardo said at the summit, which began Monday in Puerto Vallarta. "Otherwise, there could be serious consequences for the most vulnerable populations. No one suffers more from closed economies than the poor," he added. Colombian trade and industry minister, Maria Lorena Gutierrez, said the world is facing the most complicated moment in its trade history. "There is a clear protectionist trend mixed with certain populism," she said. "The consequences, if this trend continued, would be more conflict, not only in trade but also in economic and social matters, including vital aspects like security," she added. Gutierrez also expressed concern that the efforts made to create multilateral organizations like the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development could be lost. However, Peru's Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Roger Valencia, suggested the current trade conflict begun by the United States could be temporary. He underlined the importance of the bloc to make joint efforts under such circumstances. "The Pacific Alliance was born out of necessity and the discovery that the power we have is in working together and integrating ourselves," he said. Chile's Director General of International Economic Relations, Rodrigo Yanez, said it is important for the Pacific Alliance nations to look toward other zones, including the Asia-Pacific region, an obligatory step in consolidating trade with this region. The Pacific Alliance, a trade bloc founded in 2011 by members Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile to promote trade with Asia, represents 38% of Latin America's GDP and 50 percent of the region's trade with the world. Collectively, its members are the world's top exporter of goods ranging from avocados to copper to lead, and are the fifth-largest recipient of foreign direct investment. That has drawn interest from other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore, which are all in the process of becoming associate members. But the summit began without one key figure expected to attend: Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an anti-establishment leftist and free-trade skeptic. The summit was supposed to be Lopez Obrador's debut on the international stage ahead of his inauguration on December 1. But the politician known as "AMLO" pulled out on Friday, July 20, saying it would not be proper to attend because electoral authorities have not yet officially declared him president-elect. Electoral authorities have until September 6, 2018 to officially certify the results of the July 1 election. The other leaders at the summit were Sebastian Pinera of Chile, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Martin Vizcarra of Peru, as well as guests Michel Temer of Brazil, Mauricio Macri of Argentina and Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay. With the exception of Vazquez, they are all center-right, market-friendly leaders - the faces of Latin America's recent shift to the right. The rest of the region is anxious to see whether the new president of Latin America's second-largest economy, after Brazil, will stick to his nationalistic guns or govern with the more pragmatic, pro-business tone he showed in the home-stretch of the campaign. Lopez Obrador has vowed to be fiscally responsible, safeguard free enterprise and work together with the outgoing administration to continue renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. and Canada, a deal he had criticized in the past. Jesus Seade, the incoming Mexican negotiator in the complex NAFTA talks, told reporters in Puerto Vallarta he was looking to finalize the process. "All the positions that have been put forward are good ones, those that have been rejected were rejected for a reason. Now we need to find a way to close the deal," he said. Central Oregon Coast Lighthouse Closure, Newport Beach Declared Safe Published 07/26/2018 at 4:52 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Newport, Oregon) One reopening and one continued closure. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has declared one central Oregon coast beach safe after a water advisory was issued last week, while a famed lighthouse near Florence has its closure extended. At Newports Nye Beach, on the central Oregon coast, the public health advisory was lifted after OHA said the marine waters might not be safe for contact due to higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria. That advisory was issued on July 18 after various tests. Recently, however, results from samples taken by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) showed lower bacteria levels at marine water sample locations. Contact with the marine water no longer poses a higher-than-normal risk. However, officials recommend staying out of large pools on the beach that are frequented by birds, as well as runoff from those pools, because the water may contain increased bacteria from fecal matter. Some inland bodies of water close to the beach even within a block or two are not subject to health advisories, the OHA warns, and thus could still have some elevated levels. Caution should be observed with those. For more information, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0440, or call the OHA toll-free information line at 877-290-6767. Farther down on the central Oregon coast, the Heceta Head Lighthouse near Florence has been under a temporary closure because of repair work and was set to reopen on July 31. Several unexpected issues have hindered the repair work, pushing the closure beyond its original end date, extended now to September 30. Crews will continue to repair several cracked interior metal columns on the upper floor of the lighthouse. The lighthouse lens will be covered and out of service during the repair work. The grounds surrounding the lighthouse will remain open to visitors. Interpretive programs will continue as regularly scheduled, but no visitors will be allowed to enter the lighthouse. The historic assistant lighthouse keepers house, which the U.S. Forest Service operates through a concessionaire as a bed-and-breakfast, will remain open. Oregon Coast Lodgings in these areas - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More on these areas below: More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Supporters of presidential candidate Donald Trump who were roughed up by protesters at a June 2016 campaign rally in San Jose can sue the city and its police for allegedly putting them in danger and then failing to protect them, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. If the allegations are true, the officers acted with deliberate indifference to a known and obvious danger and violated the Trump supporters constitutional rights, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. After the rally at the McEnery Convention Center, police directed those in attendance to leave from a single exit. There, according to the lawsuit, they were ordered to head out onto a street where hundreds of anti-Trump protesters were waiting, even though a safer route and other exits were available. Twenty plaintiffs in the suit said they were beaten or struck by objects thrown by the protesters, and one plaintiff said an officer told her that police had been instructed not to intervene. The plaintiffs said police arrested three people for allegedly assaulting officers, but no one for attacking Trump supporters. San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia praised the officers after the rally for both their effectiveness and their restraint and said additional force can incite more violence in the crowd. Lawyers for the city said police did not create the danger and should not be second-guessed for legitimate law enforcement decisions, like the one to use a single exit. But the court said the officers, according to the allegations in the lawsuit, had known of violence at past pro-Trump rallies and were reporting assaults outside the convention center in the hours before the San Jose rally. The attendees allege the officers shepherded them into a violent crowd of protesters and actively prevented them from reaching safety, Judge Dorothy Nelson said in the 3-0 ruling that upheld a federal judges refusal to dismiss the suit. The officers continued to implement this plan even while witnessing the violence firsthand and even though they knew about the earlier attacks outside the convention center, she 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. If the plaintiffs can prove their allegations, Nelson said, they would show that police increased the danger to the rally-goers and knowingly exposed them to a risk of injury. Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican national committeewoman who is the lawyer for the Trump supporters, said she was pleased the court agreed with us that, where police put citizens into harms way, they can be held liable for the consequences. The lawsuit, she said, seeks to vindicate important civil rights of all Americans. San Jose City Attorney Richard Doyle said the city disagrees with the courts view of the law on police liability, and with the plaintiffs view of the facts. He said his office would consult with the City Council on a possible appeal. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko At ClockWise Escape Room on Market Street, adventure seekers pay to get trapped in a room where they have to follow clues and solve puzzles to break out within an hour. The problem is all the other people breaking in. The escape room shares a large building between Sixth and Seventh streets with other businesses. The locked front door, which opens to the street, has a buzzer so employees can let customers inside, but others keep slipping in behind them. Recently there was a knife fight, apparently over a drug deal gone bad, in the hallway. Sometimes every bathroom stall is occupied by transients or injection drug users, who regularly leave dirty needles and soiled clothing behind. Theres a stubborn urine stain on the carpet. Outside on Stevenson Street, a tucked-away alley running alongside the building, injection drug users congregate, discarding dirty needles and trash. Monica Schafer and her girlfriend, Taisiya Paltseva, opened the escape room last year, lured by the citys promise of a Mid-Market revival and easy access to young tech workers with money to burn after leaving their offices for the day. But like small businesses all over San Francisco, ClockWise faces daily headaches stemming from the misery on the citys streets and the inability of City Hall to get a handle on it. Sure, the police come. Public Works cleanup crews come. Public Health crews pick up the syringes. But where are the measures to prevent the misery in the first place? In this insanely rich city with an annual budget of $11 billion, where is the money for more shelter beds, more sobering centers, more drug rehabilitation programs and far more treatment beds for the mentally ill? The closest weve gotten to a long-discussed safe injection site for drug users is Mayor London Breeds planned mock-up of one in the Tenderloin that people will be able to tour in August to see how they work. No actual drug use will be permitted, though it will surely continue to be allowed just outside. In this innovation capital of the world, why cant we figure out how to provide such basic amenities as more public restrooms and showers, more garbage cans and more places for homeless people to spend their days besides alleyways and sidewalks? Maybe then they wouldnt have to escape their sad life on the streets by breaking into an escape room. Instead, we just surrender the streets and say, Its OK. You can camp here. You can shoot up here. Well give you a box for your needles, and well come and clean up after you, Schafer said. The streets smell like feces and urine, and man, its tough to want to stay here. Its an increasingly common gripe from small business owners all over San Francisco. Stephen Adams, president of the citys Small Business Commission, hears it all the time. He tells business owners to install the 311 app on their phone but wishes he had better answers. Im hearing every time I go into a neighborhood: My business is down 10 percent. My business is down 20 percent. A lot of it has to do with the quality-of-life issues on the street, he said. People just dont want to deal with it. And its no wonder. At Mikes Bikes at Eighth and Howard streets South of Market, co-owner Matt Adams said the street misery is worse than its ever been in the 13 years since the shop opened. Everyday occurrences include having to roust people sleeping in the doorway to open up in the morning, drug users shooting up right outside, and human feces, needles and trash all over the sidewalk. He had to switch schedules around because his female manager didnt feel safe opening up the store alone in the mornings and accepting deliveries. People appearing to have stolen bikes regularly come in asking for repairs but are unable to pay. Some plant themselves on the floor and spread their belongings all around them. We try to help and not judge, but a lot of times theyre not right in the head, he said. Our staff feels endangered. Weve had people get upset and throw stuff at us. Weve had a lot of threats. Shoplifting is a big problem. Adam Mesnick, owner of the Deli Board sandwich shop on Folsom Street between Sixth and Seventh streets, said he found it ironic that the city fined him $100 for leaving his shops trash cans outside too long when heaps of trash sit on the sidewalk all the time. He regularly posts photos of the sidewalk misery on Twitter. One showed a syringe discarded along with ketchup packets in the garbage can inside his store. Yes, someone apparently had a little something extra with lunch that day. Another photo showed a pile of cardboard smeared with diarrhea left outside his second sandwich outpost, the Board, on Mission Street near Seventh. He recently shuttered that shop because he couldnt be at both stores at once and doesnt want his employees to have to deal with these issues on their own. Hes hoping to obtain a beer and wine license for the Board and reopen it as a dinner spot, saying the evenings there are a little calmer. 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. Mission Street during the daytime is absolutely bananas, he said. Ive had employees get needles thrown at them. Ive had employees get spit on. Ive had employees get items stolen from them. He said its ironic the Department of Public Health is so stringent, rightly, on the conditions inside his restaurant and so hands-off regarding the public health disaster outside. And its not just small businesses in Mid-Market and SoMa that face these struggles. Pieter Gunst is the co-founder of Legal.io, which builds software that helps people find lawyers and is based in the Inner Mission. Recent sights outside his business have included people shooting up, a homeless man lying on the sidewalk naked and another man trying to break into a parking meter with an iron bar. Hes decided to stop hiring people to work in the San Francisco office and instead hire people in other cities to work from home. When you end up doing the math of the overall cost of putting employees here in light of the increased deterioration of the city and the safety concerns, it just becomes less and less a sound business decision, he said. Jenn Meyer runs three outposts of Local Take, which sells goods made by local artists. She said sales at her shop in the Castro are down 20 percent from last year because of all the street misery, including mentally ill or high people coming into her shop and scaring the customers. An employee had to close the shop the other day after a belligerent woman refused to leave. Back at the escape room on Mid-Market, clients have two choices: attempting to break out of a room called the Asylum, which is made to look like a horrifying mental institution, or Party in Vegas, which looks like a drunken night gone very, very bad. Of course, when they emerge back onto Market Street, elements of both scenes are right there, and theres nothing pretend about it. For now, Schafer and Paltseva have decided to buy a security system including cameras and a panic button. Sounds like another prop for the escape room, but in todays San Francisco, its all too real. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf Twitter might have packed in more characters per tweet but the move hasnt helped it assemble more users. In its second-quarter earnings report, the company announced it had 355 million monthly active users, down 1 million from the first quarter. Wall Street closely watches Twitters user count as a proxy for the health of the company. Twitter shares dropped 20.5 percent to $34.12 Friday, wiping $6.6 billion off its value. While not as momentous as Facebooks historic $119 billion loss in market capitalization following an earnings report that showed a slowdown in user growth, its the largest drop Twitters stock has seen in two years. During that period, CEO Jack Dorsey had started to win back Wall Street by improving the companys financial performance and user numbers. The plunge in users comes at a time when Twitter is working to purge fake accounts and facing scrutiny over a recent security breach. Jack Dorsey, the companys CEO, said in a news release that the quarters results show how the company is investing in the long-term health of Twitter. Theyre cleaning up a lot of (monthly active users) that are not good or real, said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at BTIG. Twitter is improving the health of the system while theres still dramatic (daily active user) growth to come. Jefferies analysts pointed to Twitters investment in machine learning and serving the right content to users as helping long-term growth. Even with the recent drop, Twitter said its daily active users had grown 11 percent in a year. Twitter recently acquired San Franciscos Smyte, a tech startup that fights abusive content. Other analysts saw the drop in users as a reflection of bigger issues. Despite Trump being perhaps the most high-profile user possible, usage has not dramatically improved over the past couple of years, Benjamin Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie Securities, wrote in a note to investors before the earnings announcement. We simply dont see the product improvements having a dramatic impact on Twitters ability to attract new users. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The miss on user numbers raises uncertainty about its momentum ... (and) calls into question engagement on the platform and sustainability of sales acceleration as the company attempts to remove fake accounts, wrote Bloomberg analysts Jitendra Waral and Sean Handrahan in a research note. Besides extending tweets from 140 to 280 characters, Twitter added a site that allows users to see which advertisements were bought from which accounts, a move meant to restore confidence after revelations that Russian agents had set up Twitter accounts and bought ads to spread misinformation. The companys revenue for the second quarter was $711 million, beating Wall Street expectations of $697 million. Over the past year, the companys shares have increased 42.7 percent. Separately, Reuters reported that Facebook shareholder James Kacouris on Friday sued the company and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, accusing them of federal securities law violations. Kacouris sought unspecified damages and class-action status for his lawsuit. Bloomberg News contributed to this report. Natasha Mascarenhas is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: natasha.mascarenhas@ sfchronicle.com Twitter @nmasc_ Hamilton County Schools is hosting a new school year celebration as an opportunity for parents to get involved in their childs education. The kickoff celebration will be held on Saturday, Aug. 4, at the First Tennessee Pavillion from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The kickoff event will include free school supplies, free food, and the first 200 school-age children will receive a free backpack. The event will also include activities including face painting, blow-up play activities, snow cones, ice cream, and interactive learning activities from the Chattanooga Public Library and Creative Discovery Museum. Families will get to meet the new Learning Community executive directors who are the new heads of the community groupings for the schools. These new school groupings called Learning Communities in Hamilton County Schools will provide more of a community atmosphere between schools in a geographical area and better serve the people and businesses surrounding the schools. The Learning Communities are Harrison Bay, Missionary Ridge, North River, Rock Point and the Opportunity Zone. Parents will also be able to sign-up for PowerSchool and learn more about Parent University. Hamilton County Schools, in conjunction with the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and First Things First, will also launch Parent University at the Aug. 4 event. Parent University is a district and community effort aimed at supporting parents and families to help kids get the most out of school, and prepare children for success after graduation. Parent University will be organized into 20 sessions held quarterly during the school year with sessions located throughout the community. Topics and locations for Parent University sessions will be announced soon. For more details on the School Year Kickoff Celebration, Parent University program, or information on the vendor or volunteer opportunities, visit Hamilton County Schools online or contact Janelle Malone-Drake at drake_j@hcde.org. The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the federal government-run broadcast regulator, should immediately permit the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) to reopen, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. On July 14, police acting on the order of the NBC evacuated the state government-owned radio and television broadcaster and locked its doors, Rotimi Ojomoyela, chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Ekiti state, told CPJ. alexlmx via 123RF Appeal The closure came after Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose on July 14 went on the state broadcaster and declared victory for his deputy and fellow member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kolapo Olusola Eleka, in the election for governor. His announcement came before the Independent National Electoral Commission had made its results announcement, according to the privately owned Sahara Reporters news website and a statement published on the NBC website.The NBC on July 15 called Fayose's actions a violation of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Electoral Act."The alleged infractions by the Ekiti state broadcaster do not justify the ongoing closure of a major source of public information," CPJ deputy executive director Robert Mahoney said. "The journalists should be permitted to return to work immediately."The NBC statement listed what it considered multiple infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code by BSES, including Section 5.2.15, which mandates, "A broadcaster shall broadcast election results or declaration of the winner only as announced by the authorised electoral officer for the election."The statement additionally noted alleged "malicious and unsubstantiated claims" made on air against "the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Nigerian Police and the Department of Security Services."CPJ's repeated calls to Mallam Is'haq Modibbo, director general of the NBC, and Maimuna Jimada, head of public affairs for the NBC, to ask for clarification on the sanctioning process and reasoning for the closure, went unanswered.Ojomoyela told CPJ that NUJ on July 16 submitted an appeal requesting that the broadcaster be reopened.Days before the closure, on July 11, the NBC also fined the state broadcaster 500,000 naira (US$1,385) for allegedly failing to meet ethical standards, according to Premium Times , a privately owned news website. The NBC took issue with Lere Olayinka being appointed acting director general of the broadcaster while at the same time serving as a spokesperson for the PDP governorship candidate, Olusola Eleka.On July 15, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission declared Kayode Fayemi, the candidate from All Progressives Congress party, the winner of the Ekiti gubernatorial election, a result rejected by Olusola Eleka, according to Premium Times Its been 18 months since McKesson, the San Francisco pharmaceutical drug distributor and one of the largest public companies in America was hit with a record $150 million in fines from the Drug Enforcement Administration for failing to report suspicious orders for controlled substances. Since then, the company has been sued by hundreds of U.S. cities and counties for its alleged role in the opioid crisis, faced calls from shareholders to cut executive pay and be more transparent about its lobbying practices, and had CEO John Hammergren testify before Congress about the large amounts of pills the company shipped to West Virginia one of the states hardest hit by the prescription opioid epidemic that is killing thousands of people each year. Youd hardly know it judging by the companys earnings call Thursday, when the opioids lawsuits which legal experts say could rival the massive tobacco litigation of the 1990s in scope and settlement dollars were not mentioned once. McKesson posted a $138 million loss for the quarter that ended June 30. Shares fell 5 percent Thursday and are down 22 percent from a year ago. Much of the losses came from hits the company took in Europe, after the United Kingdom announced cuts to reimbursement rates to retail pharmacies, and in the U.S., where drug companies are under immense political pressure to lower prices. Distributors like McKesson make money based on the list price of drugs. Analysts say McKesson, like other middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain, is facing so many other headwinds that the potential liability from opioids lawsuits is just one of a litany of problems that make for a bleak future. Amazons acquisition of Pillpack, announced in June, could disrupt the drug-distribution market. Top drug manufacturers like Merck and Novartis, under pressure from U.S. health regulators, are announcing price freezes or cuts. Federal agencies are talking about slashing drug rebate programs, which would cut into distributors profit margins. I think the future is very bleak. ... Its been a bloodbath of negative news, said Eric Coldwell, a health industry analyst at Baird. [The opioids suits] didnt even come up on the call today because there are so many other things front and center. The lawsuits, though, will have long-term financial consequences. At some point, theyre going to have to start reserving for big payouts, Coldwell said. Theres going to be high legal costs, compliance costs, higher insurance costs, higher public relations, marketing and charitable donations costs. In March, McKesson announced a series of steps to address the opioid crisis, including a $100 million commitment to create a foundation to educate patients and caregivers and increase access to opioid overdose medications. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The company has said it is deeply concerned about the national opioid epidemic. A review completed by three members of the board, and announced in April, found that the board exercised appropriate oversight over the companys distribution of opioids. Pain medications make up about 3 percent of all the drugs McKesson ships out, analysts estimate. Even if doctors prescribe fewer of them and McKessons shipments taper over time, there will still be many patients who need the medications, said Brian Tanquilut, a health care analyst at Jefferies. The prescription behaviors of physicians are starting to change in terms of volume of opioids theyre prescribing, he said. That certainly will have an impact on opioid volumes going forward. But on the flip side, theres still a need for pain medications, theres a legitimate reason why pain medications exist. They will still be around and will still be a key drug class. Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho REDDING The ferocious Carr Fire that ripped into this city of 90,000 after winds blew it over the Sacramento River has taken the life of a second firefighter, destroyed 500 structures and prompted authorities to expand evacuations Friday. The intensity of the heat created fire whirlwinds that uprooted trees and turned over cars as 37,000 residents fled for their lives after the fire entered the northwest side of the city late Thursday night. Three people were missing two young children and their great-grandmother, who were last known to be at a home that was leveled by the fire, a family friend said. This fire is a long way from being done, Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said at a news conference. Were seeing fire whirls literally what can be described as a tornado. ... These are extreme conditions. This is how fires are burning in California. We need to take heed. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. By Friday night, 48,000 acres had burned and only 5 percent of the blaze was contained. Five hundred structures were destroyed and 75 damaged, Cal Fire Shasta-Trinity Unit officials said. All day Friday, relatives of Emily Roberts, 4, and her 5-year-old brother, James, and their 70-year-old great-grandmother, Melody Bledsoe, searched in hospitals and shelters for their missing loved ones. Bledsoe was caring for the children in Redding, said Donald Kewley, the boyfriend of Bledsoes granddaughter, Shelley Hoskinson. Kewley, who lives 2 miles from Bledsoes house, said he was standing on the roof of his home on Thursday night as the Carr Fire raced closer and closer. He said he called Bledsoes house. She was screaming, Its getting closer, and you could hear the sirens, Kewley said. He tried to drive to Bledsoes house near Quartz Hill and Keswick Dam roads, about 2 miles north of downtown Redding, but could get no closer than about a half mile before flames forced him to turn around. You could see a 50-foot wall of flames, moving fast, he said. On Friday, Kewley and Bledsoes husband, Ed, went to the area where the home had been. It looked like a bomb went off, said Donald Kewley, We went back there and the whole neighborhood is gone. Its absolutely obliterated. Its just a smoldering mess. The family posted pictures of the missing family members on social media, including photographs of the two children in their Halloween costumes. Please help, the familys post said. In the early evening, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said no reports of missing persons had been received, but we expect there will be missing person reports, and perhaps unreported deaths that we are unaware of at the moment. With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and the terrain dry, authorities said the fire will burn for days. Were seeing fire conditions like weve never seen before, making this really quite an event to stay out in front of, said state Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci. Among the buildings that burned were the 1920s schoolhouse at Shasta Historic State Park, west of Redding, officials said. The brewery and cemetery in the historic area were damaged, but officials removed artifacts for safekeeping, according to Gloria Sandoval, a spokeswoman for California State Parks. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta County and requested federal aid on Friday. I am requesting Direct Federal Assistance, including Department of Defense air assets to immediately mitigate the impacts of this fire; shelter supplies and water for 30,000 evacuated residents in Shasta County; U.S. Department of Agricultures assistance in evacuating large animals; mass care; evacuation assistance for individuals with access and functional needs; and ambulatory transport, Brown said. The two firefighters killed battling the Carr Fire were a contract bulldozer operator who died Thursday whose name was not released, and Jeremy Stoke, a fire inspector with the Redding Fire Department. The deaths bring to three the number of firefighters who have died this month battling wildfires in the state. Braden Varney died fighting the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park on July 14 when his bulldozer rolled over. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California The fire also caused injuries to firefighters and residents, officials said. Among those injured were three Marin County firefighters who suffered burns to their ears, face and hands. Two were treated and released, while the third was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, said Battalion Chief Bret McTigue, of the Marin County Fire Department. A sudden gust of wind pushed the fire forward ahead of the fire front, and they received severe heat lash from adjacent pine trees, McTigue said. The injured firefighters were identified as Scott Pederson, 37; Tyler Barnes, 34; and Brian Cardoza, 26 department veterans for 19 years, four years and three months, respectively. The Carr Fire began Monday after a vehicle mechanical failure near Whiskeytown, about 30 miles west of Redding, Cal Fire officials said. The blaze is one of more than a dozen wildfires across California. Northwest wind gusts of up to 25 mph were expected Friday evening in the canyons near the fire, he said. Driving through Shasta County, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said he saw large and small trees that had been ripped out of the ground and fallen onto homes. One gust blew out the windows of a Cal Fire pickup truck, he added. That tells me there was a heck of a lot of erratic winds, McLean said. Thats what these firefighters are having to deal with. There are 1,748 fire personnel responding to the conflagration, including 110 engines, 34 water tenders, 10 helicopters, 51 hand crews and 22 bulldozers. An evacuation center was available at Shasta College and Weaverville Elementary School. Chronicle staff writers Lauren Hernandez, Sarah Ravani and Nanette Asimov contributed to this report Trisha Thadani, Melody Gutierrez and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com; mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com; srubenstein@sfchronicle.com. LUSH MEADOWS, Mariposa County The thousands of firefighters doing battle just outside of Yosemite National Park on Thursday braved not only steep hills, 90-degree temperatures and tinder-dry brush but towering stands of easily ignitable dead trees. The Ferguson Fire, which this week shut down much of Yosemite, is burning near the heart of Californias tree mortality epidemic. Years of drought and bark beetle infestation have left millions of lifeless trunks languishing across the state, with the greatest concentration in the southern Sierra. As the fire threatened several rural communities near Mariposa, dead trees provided ready kindling for the blaze, and sometimes produced explosive blasts of unexpected heat. Forestry experts worry that the tree die-off is intensifying this summers California wildfires during whats already become a difficult firefighting season. We always have someone keeping a lookout for those trees, said Jason Engle, a U.S. Forest Service ranger from Arkansas assigned to the fire in the Sierra National Forest. The trees catch fire and come down real easily. Todd Trumbull Just above the small enclave of Lush Meadows, which is about 6 miles west of Yosemite, flames had found their way over a wooded mountainside known as Footman Ridge, where several tall dead pines poked out of the forest canopy. Crews had dug a break on the ridgetop to stop the fire, but that proved unsuccessful. Now, 16 helicopters and scores of firefighters were trying to stifle what had become the most aggressive front of the 44,223-acre blaze. A handful of homes stood below. All those big smokes you see up there are (the result of) fallen logs, said Robert Scott, a Forest Service fire behavior analyst who has been monitoring and forecasting the fires progress. As the dead trees catch fire, theyre falling and sliding down the hill and starting new fires. If there werent the dead trees, it wouldnt be doing that. The good news, Scott said, was that most of the other sides of the fire werent nearly as active. Higher humidity and less hot sunshine, due to the smoke cover, were slowing the fires expansion. This is going to give the operations people time to get in and put in more breaks, he said. The Ferguson Fire, which began July 13, was estimated to be 27 percent contained Thursday as more than 3,800 firefighters worked to squash it. No homes have burned, but hundreds of residents, mostly east of Mariposa, have evacuated. More than 5,000 structures are threatened in the areas where evacuations were advised. Gov. Jerry Brown late Thursday declared a state of emergency in Mariposa County, making it easier for fire managers to get more money and manpower. One firefighter, heavy equipment operator Braden Varney, died while on duty and seven others have been injured. Due to heavy smoke and firefighting activity, the National Park Service on Wednesday ordered a seldom-seen shutdown of Yosemite Valley and the Wawona area of the park. Only Highway 120 through Tuolumne Meadows and the Hetch Hetchy area remained opened. The closures are expected to last until Sunday. Mariposa County is one of the parts of the state hit hardest hit by Californias tree die-off. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that at least 129 million trees have fallen prey to the drought and bark beetle since 2010. Warmer, drier conditions have weakened forests and allowed the beetle to flourish. Last years rainy winter is believed to have slowed the growth of the beetle population, but it remains to be seen by how much. In the meantime, many of the affected trees are dying. 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. Were starting to see more trees fall down now, said Amarina Wuenschel, ecologist for the Sierra National Forest. And when that happens, she said, theres more on-the-ground fuel for fire to devour. The state of the dying trees is also a factor in fire behavior. For example, when those trees have lost their needles, Wuenschel said, they wont burn much at their crowns. A live tree, however, can be more dangerous, although a dead tree still bearing needles may light faster. Greater continuity of fuels from tree mortality is expected to increase (the) rate of fire spread and potentially fire intensity, she said. While the science is still undecided about how much worse the dead trees can make a fire, crews are being cautious about the potential dangers. Above Lush Meadows, firefighters were clearing dead trees before establishing breaks and before extinguishing the fire in places where the blaze had burned to the break. You have to have dozers and firefighters with saws in there first, Scott said. It just takes a little more energy. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander A new gatekeeper stands in front of the restrooms at the Whole Foods on Stanyan Street. Wearing a shirt with Good2Go embroidered on the chest, he offers a combination of advice and advertisement: If you want to use the toilet, he tells customers, request a receipt with a computer-generated code from the customer service desk or download his companys app. This is San Francisco, after all, where even pit stops are becoming mobile-enabled and monetized. Does Good2Go make toilets easier to find, or does it further the digital divide? Perhaps both. According to Fran Heller, CEO and founder of Good2Go, the inspiration for her San Francisco company came from her running group in Menlo Park, which often followed routes along unfamiliar streets. Google Maps couldnt tell runners in need where to find a nearby toilet. Neither could Waze. Eureka! Economic opportunity presented itself. San Francisco really struggles, as does any busy urban area, with inadequate access to restrooms, Heller said. People dont know where they can find a restroom, or if they think they can find one, youve got to negotiate access, and its fraught with problems. Four years after its founding, Good2Go has $7 million in seed funding, according to investment database Crunchbase, and restroom-door hardware installed in 11 San Francisco businesses, with a mobile toilet truck appearing at events in the fall. For now, the service is free, but later this year, it will switch to a pay-as-you-go proposition. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Most of the early adopters are cafes: Several Peets locations, plus independents such as the Creamery in SoMa and Fifty/Fifty in the Inner Richmond. The Stanyan Street location is the first Whole Foods to convert to the technology. To use Good2Go, a toilet-seeker approaches a participating business and opens the app, which prompts her to join the queue. When shes up, a computerized QR code appears on the screen of her phone. (At the Whole Foods, a screen next to the door lets holders of paper receipts know whos next.) She waves the code under a reader, and the door opens. (Science!) Another wave of the hand next to a sensor inside the restroom lets her out, at which time the app invites her to review her, uh, experience. The company handles the door technology and requires participating merchants to install hands-free fixtures and diaper-changing tables. The promise to them, according to Heller, isnt just new customers who may seek out a restroom and leave with a latte, but eventually, a share of the revenue when Good2Go starts charging. You didnt think that technical innovation was for free, did you? Sometime this fall, around the time when the company is placed in 20 locations, Good2Go plans to switch to a subscriber model: $2.99 for a day pass, $19.99 for one month, with further discounts for multiple months. Heller said her two target customers are tourists and office-less workers, such as Uber and Lyft drivers. Whole Foods did not return The Chronicles queries, but any regular Stanyan Street Whole Foods shopper can tell you that tourists on Haight Street make up a significant part of the restroom line and homeless San Franciscans another. Sharing door codes and holding doors open for each other was common. Now, each one must wave a unique Good2Go code under the reader. (The app wont prevent you from holding the door open for the next person in line, however.) According to the San Francisco Department of Public Works website, there are only 70 public toilet kiosks placed around the city, 25 of them accessible to people with disabilities. Your average San Franciscan may tell you hes never found it that challenging to buy a drink at a cafe to use its toilet. World travelers may point out that Good2Go simply modernizes the paid restroom attendants common in public facilities all over Europe. 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. Others may just ask: Why not look for a Starbucks? There are 71 locations in town. While Peets and Whole Foods privatize the restroom experience, Starbucks announced its Third Place Policy in May, opening its lobbies and restrooms to all as long as they behave themselves. The new code of conduct is posted on the companys community board. Starbucks new policy comes in the wake of an April incident in which an employee called Philadelphia police to arrest two African American customers waiting for a friend before ordering. According to company spokesman Reggie Borges, remaining Starbucks stores with coded locks on the toilets now post the number on the door. Heller said that her company will increase the publics access to restrooms by supplementing public restrooms with Good2Gos network of privately managed ones. Available, of course, to those who can pay. Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jonkauffman Brics leaders are united in their cause to secure their spots in the imminent Fourth Industrial Revolution. Open to new ideas Aligning education HR programmes Also dubbed the digital age or revolution 4.0, future business models will be characterised by big data, artificial intelligence, and new technologies.This surge in innovation has the potential to dramatically improve productivity and to place entire countries on a new trajectory of prosperity. It has the potential to solve many of the social problems we face by better equipping us to combat disease, hunger and environmental degradation, said President Cyril Ramaphosa.Unless the digital age is approached in a collaborative manner, underpinned by a developmental agenda and rapid technological change, it would merely serve to entrench existing disparities within and between countries, he said.Openness, breaking down trade barriers, education and addressing the imbalance of available skills compared to those required by the digital age were championed as the keys to ensure that bloc nations do not get left behind.Member states should not become mere adopters of new technologies; instead, they should combine their resources and expertise to become innovators, said Ramaphosa.We should not allow technology to shape our societies. We must instead ensure that the needs of our societies shape the technologies that we develop. We must ensure that mastery of the 4th Industrial Revolution does not become the exclusive preserve of just a handful of countries. We must promote inclusivity, diversity and cooperation, he said.Guided by the Brics vision to share in inclusive growth, Brazilian President Michel Temer said it is only by opening up their countries that they will realise the fruit of their grouping.We can only be competitive if we are open. And I mean open to more sophisticated inputs, advanced technologies, bolder ideas, and open to more investments and trade, he said.With the realisation that the there is an imbalance between the skills currently available and those demanded by the digital age, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated the need for members to align education and skills in preparation for revolution 4.0.We will need to develop school curricular and university courses in such a way that they are able to prepare our youth for the future. We need to ensure that the very fast changes that are taking place in technology [are] reflected in the same pace in our courses, Modi said.In line with skills development, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that his country will host 17 human resources development programmes, where experts from the five countries will be invited to draw up a blueprint for co-operation in the industrial revolution.President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said to enable economic growth in the group, Brics members must create a comfortable environment to stimulate the economic sectors, and encourage co-operation among the countries respective businesses.According to Putin, in 2017, Russian trade with Brics countries grew by 30% and to build on this, Russia aims to further develop and support proposals to simplify trade barriers between the respective countries. Welcome to the Bay Area, Merced! Welcome as well to Modesto, Sacramento and Yuba City. Looking south, youre invited, too, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Salinas. And while youre almost in another state, dont worry, Tahoe City! Bay waters are warm. This expanded notion of the Bay Areas reach isnt a joke. It reflects the biggest thinking about Californias future. If youre in a smaller Northern California region that cant compete with the Bay Area, why not join forces with the Bay Area instead? The Bay Area would benefit, too. It is one of four connected Northern California regions along with the greater Sacramento area, the Northern San Joaquin Valley, and the Central Coast triumvirate of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties that struggle with severe challenges in housing, land use, jobs, transportation, education and the environment. Because such problems cross regional boundaries, shouldnt the regions address them together as one giant region? The Northern California Megaregion a concept developed by a think tank, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute includes 12 million people and 21 counties, extending from the Wine Country to the lettuce fields of the Salinas Valley, and from the Pacific coast to the Nevada border. The places of the Megaregion are integrating as people search a wider geography for jobs, housing and places to expand their businesses. The trouble is that this growth is imbalanced. The Megaregion is home to the mega-rich in San Francisco and to very poor cities like Stockton, Salinas and Vallejo. As high housing prices push people out of the Bay Area, they flee deep into the Megaregion, only to find they are too far away from their jobs and schools. The results: brutal traffic that produces more greenhouse gas and longer commutes. Figuring out how to rebalance the Megaregion and solve such problems is a high-stakes challenge, and not just for Northern Californians. The entire state relies heavily on the growth and tax revenue generated by the Bay Area, which represents one-third of Californias economy. And the Megaregion concept offers a vision for how the Golden State might spread out its prosperity, creating a better distributed version of the California dream. This is not merely allowing the Bay Area to colonize its neighbors, but a mega-rethinking so planning and development are widened to enable the Megaregions pieces Bay Area technology, Sacramento government, San Joaquin Valley logistics and Monterey area farming to magnify each other. To pick one example: If new state research-and-development tax credits were to target inland companies, an infusion of technology could allow the Northern San Joaquin to make its logistics industry more efficient and less polluting as it moves green vegetables from Salinas to expanded ports in Stockton, West Sacramento or Oakland. A Bay Area Council Economic Institute report and its co-author, Jeff Bellisario, a man whose colleagues call him Mr. Megaregion, suggest the Megaregional planning could create more high-tech jobs and companies outside the Bay Area by better connecting universities, laboratories and research institutions with local entrepreneurs. Such planning should be performed by new economic development entities that extend across the Megaregion; companies that now leave the Bay Area for Austin, Texas, might be redirected to Sacramento or Santa Cruz. Such an effort would be strengthened if Bay Area entities jointly lobbied Sacramento to boost education levels in the Northern San Joaquin. Of course, making such a shift would require a well-integrated set of transportation connections across the Megaregion. This would include more Amtrak service between San Jose and Placer County, extending rail service to Salinas, and planned expansions of the Altamont Corridor Express train down to Modesto and Merced and up to Sacramento. (A political note the controversial gas tax increase produces $900 million for these ACE expansions.) High-speed rail would become more viable, because its Bakersfield-to-San-Jose segment would connect with this Megaregional transit system. Its easy to mock such mega-visions. For years real estate interests have done silly things, like touting a major San Joaquin County housing development as Far East Bay. (One local joke: Is that nearer Singapore or Hong Kong?) But if the Megaregion could harness its power, much of this seems possible. It could even inspire imitators. Could L.A., San Diego and Las Vegas further integrate into their own Megaregional triangle? Might Tijuana and Mexicali join in? Meanwhile, the Northern California Megaregion could expand down the San Joaquin Valley to Californias fifth-largest city. Welcome to the Bay Area, Fresno. Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters. A committee of California lawmakers this week took the first step toward addressing one of the biggest problems facing our state the stunning rise in devastating wildfires. In the first in a series of hearings expected to play out over the next month, members of the bipartisan Senate-Assembly conference committee in Sacramento heard from experts on a range of issues from the role of electric utilities and climate change, to what might be done to prevent future fires to finding a way to make needed investments. As the committee co-chairman, Ive learned that its a complicated problem. There are still many questions that need to be answered. But we must do something. Failure to act means significant consequences for communities, fire victims and utility ratepayers. And I have been clear about my overriding priority we must protect the public, both from fires and bearing undue costs. Among other things, we will evaluate the recent wildfire preparedness proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown, which contains some good ideas about hardening the electric grid against extreme weather and forcing utilities to keep lines free of vegetation so often the cause of fires. These are concepts Ive already introduced in my own legislation this year. The governor has also proposed tough new penalties on utilities that fail to comply with the standards. And I agree irresponsible utilities must be held accountable. Browns plan also calls for modifying the legal doctrine that holds a utility financially responsible for damages, even if it acted with reasonable care. That concept has drawn significant discussion. As with the other issues, it will be the Legislatures job to carefully examine the impact, hearing from the public and stakeholders before making any decision. Again, my measuring stick will be whats best for communities, victims and ratepayers past, present and future. Toward that end, getting an independent analysis to determine the true tipping point for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. entering bankruptcy and the resulting ratepayer impact will be an important factor. We all want PG&E to pay for its irresponsibility and bankruptcy could boomerang on ratepayers. Nothing will change utility liability in the fires that ravaged Northern California in 2017, charring large parts of my district and causing the tragic loss of life. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention has completed investigations into 16 of those blazes and determined PG&E lines were the cause. In 11 of those cases, evidence of criminal violations was found. Clearly, PG&E has violated our trust and must pay for that. But liability is just one piece of the puzzle. Preventing future fires and the enormous human and financial costs that come with them involves so much more. Ideas from the first hearing ran the gamut from thinning forests to using technology to predict where fires will strike. I was encouraged by progress in San Diego, where officials say preparedness efforts have prevented fires. I have advocated a holistic approach that demands better utility planning and accountability, more frequent compliance inspections and temporary power shut-offs in extreme weather. My hope is to incorporate many of those ideas in the final legislative product. Clearly utilities and the California Public Utilities Commission need to be forced to step up and ensure theyre meeting public safety needs before disaster strikes. We can all agree that business as usual is, in a word, unacceptable. Theres no silver bullet. But we are determined to do whats best for California and do so in an open and transparent process. State Sen. Bill Dodd represents Californias 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Sen. Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd The high-stakes November elections and a plummeting level of trust in core U.S. institutions provide an opportunity for responsible American corporations to speak out on key issues and rebuild trust. It starts with aligning political contributions with corporate values. Businesses will come under intense pressure to make political contributions in an election year that will decide control of Congress and statehouses and potentially determine a presidents legacy. In todays incendiary, polarized climate, business leaders would be smart to reset the way their companies engage in the political process. Business leaders need to take a thoughtful, values-based, principles-driven approach to campaign contributions that avoids suggestions of hypocrisy that could damage their reputation, brand and bottom line. Today, a sea change in civic and political engagement by corporations is under way. CEOs have spoken out or resigned from presidential advisory councils after white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., last year and a presidential response seen as inadequate and at odds with fundamental American values. Scores of CEOs are calling on the Trump administration to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Companies were reaffirming their support for the Paris climate accord at the same time as the United States was withdrawing from it. The Center for Political Accountabilitys new study, Collision Course: The Risks Companies Face When Their Political Spending and Core Values Conflict and How to Address Them, argues that when companies contribute to political campaigns, they expose themselves to potential risk if policy outcomes clash with core company values and policies. Look no further than the more than 200 CEOs demanding repeal of a North Carolina law that blocked transgender individuals from using restrooms in publicly owned buildings that correspond to their gender identity. Shortly after the measure was enacted in 2016, a Huffington Post article skewered 45 corporations publicly opposing the law for helping to elect the laws supporters. Those companies had donated generously to a national political committee, allowed under law to accept direct corporate contributions, that helped switch partisan control of the North Carolina legislature in the 2010 election. The group spent at least $1.6 million to affect the states legislative elections from 2010 through 2015. Another example involves climate change. These companies support climate action, so why are they funding opposition to it? demanded a headline from the Center for Public Integrity, one of the countrys oldest nonpartisan investigative news organizations. It examined more than a dozen companies that publicly supported preserving the U.S. role in the Paris climate accord while donating more than $3 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association, an organization dominated by conservative attorneys general who went to court in 2015 to quash President Obamas Clean Power Plan. Why are these and other examples of disconnects between the outcomes of company political spending and core values so important now? Because U.S. companies have never had a greater responsibility to act with integrity and transparency. In its 2018 Trust Barometer, the global communications marketing firm Edelman Inc. said trust in institutions in the United States has crashed. According to Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Nearly 7 in 10 respondents say that building trust is the No. 1 job for CEOs, ahead of high quality products and services. In losing the battle for trust, the biggest victim has been confidence in truth, Edelman Inc. noted. In an angry gotcha social and digital media world, mere hints of corporate hypocrisy can undermine truth and a companys good reputation. If responsible corporate leaders focus on ensuring alignment between corporate values and policies, they will better serve shareholders, consumers and society at large. Daniel T. Bross is a senior adviser with Article One Advisors and the retired senior director of business and corporate responsibility at Microsoft. Bruce F. Freed is president of the Center for Political Accountability, a nonprofit that works to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political spending. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters. The day after I learned Ivanka Trump was shutting down her namesake womens fashion brand, I went searching for its remains. Trumps statement about why she was shutting the line down didnt make sense to me. After 17 months in Washington, I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, Trump said in a statement she released via the company. But I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners. I decided to see for myself. Finding the brand in San Francisco wasnt easy, even though this city should have been a perfect market for Ivanka Trump. The clothing side of her brand was aimed at young, professional women who might be receptive to her positive marketing message around women who work. It was a self-consciously middle-of-the-road brand dresses were priced around $130, blouses were priced around $80, and the silhouettes were perfectly appropriate for a customer whose life involves marketing strategy meetings and rose at happy hour. Ivanka Trump imagined that her fathers presidential campaign would increase her sales, and everything was looking good for the brand in 2016, the year of the election. That was the year she was constantly showing up in front of the cameras in her own wares and urging the public to buy them. But her task got a little bit harder once her father came into office. Suddenly, she was faced with political ethics questions when her marketing surrogates, like President Trumps counselor Kellyanne Conway, promoted her brand on television. Now Playing: The First Daughter said she would close her namesake clothing, shoes, and accessories brand after 15 years in the fashion business. Trump said the decision stemmed from a career transition, though the company has seen sales fall as customers displeased with her father's policies, boycott the brand. Video: Cheddar TV Suddenly, journalists were digging into her brands business practices and finding that, despite her message about her dedication to working women, Ivanka Trump was actually running an apparel company that lagged behind her peers when it came to the working womens labor conditions in her overseas factories. Suddenly, she was in the White House and Americans were looking at her to moderate what they considered cruel and inhumane policies spearheaded by her father and boycotting her brand when she failed to do so. I believe that Ivanka is like Donald in that she would never shut down a company unless she absolutely had to do so, said Shannon Coulter, a digital marketing specialist in the Bay Area and a co-founder of the #GrabYourWallet campaign. Since October 2016, Coulters campaign has urged big hearted, fair minded people to boycott the companies carrying Trump family merchandise. #GrabYourWallet is largely responsible for educating consumers on which retailers they should pressure or boycott until they dropped the line. Coulter told me the boycott had only gotten stronger as the Trump administration rolled out new initiatives. In the wake of the (administrations policy) separating thousands of immigrant children from their parents, we saw a new wave of people putting pressure on retailers, Coulter said. Hate is bad for business. The proof of Coulters statement was buried in the racks at the back of the Macys Union Square building. Thats where I finally found Ivanka Trumps dresses. They were shuffled together with dresses from Nine West, Vince Camuto and other companies better known for their shoes. But unlike the other brands in the dress section, there was no signage to identify the Trump dresses. I looked at the dresses. They were clearly marketed to be aspirational. Each dress had a name: Georgia Peach, or Amalfi, or Breezy. Each came with a tag listing Ivanka Trumps vapid having it all aphorisms. The greater the challenge, the bigger the opportunity, the tags read. Be bold. Act purposefully. Yet the dresses themselves were great challenges. They were sleeveless, as if for summer, yet made of a heavy polyester-blend fabric that might have worked only for fall. They were shaped to fit close to the body, which is a classic silhouette yet they had also been designed with multiple clashing trends. Two of them had fabric cutouts held together with brass rings. One had a bright floral pattern and lace trim. A third had bust darts and a separate bodice overlay. All of them looked like they would hit my body at a strange length. And at the price those dresses were demanding, I couldve gone to J.Crew and gotten a semi-breathable fabric instead. I point to this shopping excursion because, ultimately, I think the products are what sunk Ivanka Trump. She underestimated her customer. Trump thought she could pay lip service to working women while selling them ugly, forgettable clothes. Instead, she made it easy for customers to go elsewhere as soon as they noticed her actions. Its a fitting end for a woman who claimed to appreciate the bold and purposeful action of other women. Caille Millner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cmillner@sfchronicle.com MAKARU ISLAND, Solomon Islands The first island David Tebaubau moved to 14 years ago has already disappeared, drowned by heaving currents and rising seas. It used to be right there, he told me, pointing east to what simply looked like more ocean. We thought everything was going to be OK, but its getting very hard. The spit of earth he currently occupies here in this remote stretch of the South Pacific is half the size it was when he arrived five years ago. At mid-tide, its 24 steps across at its widest point, and 58 steps long (by my own walking count). At high tide its even smaller, a teardrop of sand and coral with just enough room for his family and a few tons of the seaweed they grow offshore. Its that seaweed that keeps them here. The shallows near his island and two others nearby that have also been settled by farming families are perfect for a wiry breed thats exported across Asia. And Tebaubau, 50, a former mechanic with the calm voice and long beard of a sage, is especially adept at its cultivation. His earnings have already sent his children to private school on a larger island. To the neighboring seaweed farmers, he is not just a recluse. He is The Seaweed King. At least for as long as he has a kingdom. All three of the sandy islands here are being swept away by powerful currents and a rising ocean caused by climate change. Precarious and precious, life here is lovely, tropical and calm, but also akin to living in a bathtub with warm water pouring in and no drain to let it out. Ever. Its what you see in many parts of the Solomon Islands, a struggling, stunning country of around 900 islands and 570,000 people. 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. Scientists call it a global hot spot. The surrounding seas have risen about 7 to 10 millimeters per year since 1993, roughly three times todays global average and what scientists expect across much of the Pacific by the second half of this century. Confronting such extremes, residents of many small villages on various islands have picked up and moved. Others, especially here on the three islands surrounded by lush seaweed, are doing everything they can to stay. They call us crazy for staying, but we just survive, ourselves, said Andrew Nakuau, 55, a farmer and community leader on Beniamina, where about 60 people live crammed together on an island no more than a few hundred yards wide. Damien Cave is a New York Times writer. Do not leave out buckets of water for Bambi, says California Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira, despite the advice of a post making the rounds on Facebook. You may have seen it on your timeline in some variation or other (often accompanied by a photo of a deer and flames). It reads: "Northern Californians, please be aware that wild animals are fleeing the fires and they may show up in your yards. The Forestry Department is urging you to bring your domestic animals in at night and let the wild ones pass through. Please put out buckets of water for them they are scared, exhausted, and have also lost their homes they need to refuel." In tragic times such as these, the urge to help however you can is natural, but the same rules apply to wild animals as always. That is, let the wild remain so. "If you encounter a wild animal in your neighborhood, leave it alone," said Tira. "Fire or no fire, just let the animals be." Wild animals, like deer, foxes, coyotes and other creatures likely affected by Northern California wildfires have the ability to adapt and survive, Tira said, and leaving buckets of water out for them is not only unnecessary, but unadvisable. "Fire is something animals have to deal with constantly," he said. If you do see an animal in distress, contact San Francisco Animal Control at (415) 554-9400. As for domestic animals, they're not at increased risk of predation, Tira noted. The odds of an animal showing up "in your yard" is especially low in urban places. "They'd have to cross the Golden Gate Bridge to get there," he said. Tira expects animals fleeing the fires will head for more natural places. The origin of the now-debunked Facebook post isn't Northern California at all. A post with near-exact wording and the same photo began circulating in early September in the Pacific Northwest, which was contending with its own wildfires. One such post had been shared over 14,000 times. Cal Fire did not immediately respond to requests for comment, though a phone line operator admitted she'd seen and shared the post, too. Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf. The Medical Board of California has created an app to alert patients about changes in their doctors licenses. Users can select up to 16 doctors, and the app will notify them about address changes, status expiration dates and disciplinary documentation. It will say when a doctor has been put on probation or his or her license has been suspended or revoked. Previously, patients could check the boards website. The app will notify patients directly about changes, as soon as a decision is made. The California Medical Board licenses nearly 140,000 people. In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, it took action against 466 doctors. Earnings Electronic Arts Electronic Arts reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $293 million (26 cents per share), beating Wall Streets expectations. Analysts had forecast adjusted earnings of 6 cents per share. The Redwood City video game maker said Thursday that it had revenue of $1.14 billion in the period. Adjusted revenue was $798 million, also surpassing forecasts of analysts, who had expected $743.3 million. For the current quarter, Electronic Arts expects earnings of 48 cents per share on revenue in the range of $1.27 billion. The company expects full-year earnings to be $3.55 per share, with revenue expected to be $5.6 billion. EA shares closed at $141.90, and lost 4.7 percent in after-hours trading. Intel Intel reported second-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations on most measures and raised its full-year outlook. But the shares fell as some analysts saw signs that growth may slow at the end of the year. In the second quarter, net income was $5 billion ($1.04 a share), compared with $2.8 billion (58 cents) in the same period a year earlier. Analysts had been looking for 99 cents per share. Sales rose 15 percent to $17 billion. Revenue in the current period will be about $18 billion, the Santa Clara company said Thursday. That compares with an average analyst estimate of $17.6 billion. For the full year, Intel increased its revenue target to a record $69.5 billion. Shares closed at $52.16, up 13 percent on the year, and fell 5 percent after hours. The quarterly results are the first after the departure of CEO Brian Krzanich, who was removed in June after the chipmaker learned hed had an extramarital relationship with a subordinate, and some said Intel could be more vulnerable amid a leadership vacuum. The second-quarter report showed little evidence of that, as operators of giant data centers such as Google and Amazon.com continued to pour money into their networks, which are built on Intels silicon. Revenue was helped by customers buying higher performance products which cost more. Amazon Amazons quarterly profit soared past $2 billion for the first time as its online shopping, cloud computing and advertising businesses continued to grow. The Seattle company, which started in 1995 as an online bookstore, has expanded beyond retail to boost its bottom line. Amazon said Thursday that it had net income of $2.53 billion ($5.07 per share) in the three months that ended June 3, blowing past the $2.48 per share that Wall Street analysts expected. Revenue soared 39 percent to $52.89 billion in the second quarter, but that was below the $53.37 billion that Wall Street analysts expected. Shares rose more than 3 percent to $1,866.95 in after-hours trading. The stock is up nearly 72 percent in the last year, and Amazon is getting closer to surpassing Apple as the worlds most valuable company. Starbucks Starbucks said a key sales figure grew only modestly in the U.S. during the second quarter. The chain says sales rose just 1 percent at established domestic locations during the period. In China, that figure declined 2 percent. For the quarter, the Seattle company said Thursday, it had adjusted net income of $852.5 million (62 cents per share), topping Wall Street expectations. Analysts had forecasts earnings of 60 cents per share. The coffee chain posted revenue of $6.31 billion in the period, also exceeding Wall Street forecasts of $6.26 billion. Starbucks said it expects full-year earnings in the range of $2.40 to $2.42 per share. Its shares have declined 10 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock closed Thursday at $51.45, and they slipped slightly in after-hours trading. Chronicle News Services Blanketed in smoke from the Ferguson Fire, Yosemite National Park closed its iconic valley on Wednesday. The popular destination, typically packed in summer with tourists taking selfies against a Half Dome backdrop, turned into a no man's land. In the hours before the valley closed, cars sat in traffic trying to exit. The tent cabins in Half Dome Villages, always fully booked in the summer, were emptied by noon. So were campgrounds, parking lots and picnic areas. A few remaining employees and media in the park shared images and video on social media, and many commented on the eerie setting. "It's a ghost town," tweeted Angelica Lei Lani, a reporter for KSEE-TV, who posted video footage of the vacant park. "So you're saying Yosemite is a dream land right now?" wrote @PageDoll. "As in empty?" ALSO: Tourism nightmare: Yosemite Valley closing as fire closes in, smoke at hazardous levels A Reddit user who goes by Franklinsteinn posted an image of a smokey sunrise over the empty valley. It quickly went viral on the social media site's "Earth Porn" page. According to the user, only a few hundred employees remain in the park. "I don't drive and everyone with a ride left the first day," wrote Franklinsteinn, who works for Yosemite concessionaire Aramark. "I tried to find a way out but everyone's car was full." He added, "There is an emergency bus I can take, but the only place it takes me to is Sonora. Being out of work right now I really don't wanna blow all my cash on hotel rooms and food when I've got it covered here." The Ferguson Fire continues to grow just outside Yosemite National Park since it started on July 13. The blaze has scorched 72 square miles, racing through dry brush and timber between the town of Mariposa and the steep terrain just outside the border of the park's western edge. MORE: What's closed and what's open in Yosemite open Yosemite Valley, the Wawona area and Wawona Road, and Mariposa and Merced Groves remain closed at least until July 29 (and possibly longer) for fire operations. Big Oak Flat Road west of Crane Flat and Tioga Road (Highway 120 through the park) are still open, and campgrounds and services in the Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows are also open. The last time the valley was closed because of a wildfire was 1990. For more coverage of the Ferguson Fire, visit SFGATE's California Wildfires page. The Associated Press contributed to this report. by Kristina Knight Kristina: How might the Chrome 68 update affect small businesses? Tony Perez, GM Security Product Group, GoDaddy: An encrypted internet is a good thing. While HTTPS everywhere is good for the larger internet, my bigger concern are the SMB's and individuals that don't understand the nuances of security. Even with all the best intentions, a new label that says "Not Secure" on a small businesses' websites will hurt a company's reputation. SMB's will be forced to explain what "secure" means to their customers, if given the opportunity at all, and explain why don't conform to it, even if they do using other controls. It will cause customers to hesitate using the site, potentially driving business away. Thankfully, this can be solved by adding an SSL certificate but first SMB's need to be made aware and educated on the impending changes. There are many options, including free certificates, that businesses can use. Kristina: What will this look like from a consumer standpoint? Tony: Below is an example of what users will see when Chrome 68 is released. Kristina: Why are these changes being made now? Tony: The change is being driven by Google to introduce a secure-by-default web. Google's position is that everyday users should not have to worry about protocol like HTTPS or SSL/TLS certificates. They also hold a position that every day users are unable to differentiate between good indicators, so they're placing special emphasis on negative indicators. This release will be one of a few scheduled for the rest of 2018 where they systematically remove emphasis on positive indicator in lieu of negative indicators. Kristina: What can SMBs do to ensure their sites aren't marked "unsecure" by this update? Tony: SMB's are going to want to make sure they are using a SSL/TLS certificate so that they can leverage the HTTPS protocol with their website. This means they are going to need a SSL/TLS certificate. In this current version, a site with a SSL/TLS certificate is indicated by a green lock icon in the browser address bar. A lock in the address bar means the data being transferred between the user and the website is encrypted. There are a number of options out there, from premium offerings by Certificate Authorities (CA) like GoDaddy, or free alternatives through CA's like Let's Encrypt. Tags: advertising, ecommerce, GoDaddy, Google Chrome 68, google update, SMB tips, SMB website tips What do you do when your long-anticipated Yosemite trip is ruined by a raging wildfire? Switch to Plan B. For many visitors thwarted by the park closure, that meant traveling to the nearest non-burning national park, namely Sequoia and/or Kings Canyon, about a 2-hour-and-40-minute drive south from Yosemite. UPDATE: The closure of Yosemite Valley due to fire and smoke has been extended to August 5 and now includes the Hetch Hetchy area. More here. With wildfires raging in some of the most pristine spots in California during the peak summer travel season, visitors from around the world are bound to be affected. Even if visitors do not have plans to visit Yosemite National Park, they could still feel the fire's impact. How? All those people who were planning to visit the Yosemite Valley as part of their summer vacation now have to go somewhere else. According to the National Park Service, over a million people visited Yosemite in July and August of last year, and this year just as many or more are expected. So I imagine hotels in Los Angeles and San Francisco will likely see a surge in new reservations as well as many guests who decide to extend their stays instead of heading up to the mountains. Lake Tahoe, already swollen with heavy summer traffic, could get a lot more crowded as the Yosemite-bound switch to Plan B. Hotels in or near Yosemite are seeing a big impact, of course. Who wants to be in or near Yosemite if smoke ruins the views, or if fire threatens hotels, trails and campgrounds? How bad is it up there? Check out these Yosemite webcams. Unless they have purchased travel insurance, there is not a lot travelers can do to recoup losses if they decide to forgo their vacation plans. Airlines will only refund fares if they cancel your flight, and so far, no airports in California have closed, and no airlines have canceled flights, due to the fires. For those holding reservations for hotels and campgrounds between Wednesday July 25 and Monday July 30 for accommodations inside Yosemite, "all reservations will be canceled and refunded" according to a recording on the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau's toll free reservations number. "There's nothing more you need to do," says the recording. Currently the park is scheduled to reopen on July 30, but that is not certain. On the Majestic Yosemite Hotel website (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel), there's a notification that states, "We are in the process of contacting all guests for Yosemite Valley lodging and Big Trees Lodge whose stays fall in the window of July 25 July 29 so there's no need to worry. We will cancel your reservation and provide you a refund for your deposit." At hotels near Yosemite, if you hold a non-refundable hotel reservation, and your hotel is closed and/or inaccessible due to the fires, it's likely that the hotel will work with guests on a case by case basis on what to do. But don't expect a full refund. If your reservation is refundable, then go ahead and cancel it. Some hotels in the thick of it up near Yosemite remain open and are encouraging guests to come. For example, the Rush Creek Lodge at Yosemite is still welcoming guests and promoting visits to nearby areas not affected by the fires. "While Yosemite Valley is closed, there is still a lot of the park that is open. We are encouraging our guests to check out Hetch Hetchy, Tioga Pass Road and the high country instead," said Tara Stetz, the lodge's group sales director. Seeing a silver lining to the situation, Stetz said that at this time of year, they are usually 100% booked and traffic is bad, but right now it's quiet and still beautiful with some light smoke in the morning that clears away in the afternoon. She also said that their occupancy level has been helped by taking in guests from hotels that have closed. Rooms at the lodge start at around $400 per night and are available this weekend and into August. The hotel has also relaxed its cancellation penalty, which normally charges a full night rate if canceled within two weeks of the stay. Now, the cancellation fee is only $25. Rush Creek Lodge To the south of the park, the popular Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite has posted this on its website: "Tenaya Lodge is OPEN and under no direct threat from the Ferguson Fire and the Tenaya team has added several additional activities for our guests. To help our guests make the most of their visit to Tenaya Lodge, we have added additional indoor activities, including 'dive-in' movies at the pool, a fun game room and an evening shuttle to our local casino, to our already robust resort activities and events. And, as always, guests can enjoy steam, sauna and relaxation at Ascent Spa! Plus, there's lots to do in the Southern Sierra Region." If you are interested, rooms are available this weekend and through August at about $425 per night. Vacation plans of California residents are affected, too. Who wants to leave on vacation if their home is in peril...or worse? Travel insurance clearinghouse InsureMyTrip.com issued this statement about that situation today: "Over 5,000 of our customers in California recently purchased insurance for upcoming trips. We understand some of these customers may also be homeowners and unable to go on a future trip due to their homes being damaged by these wildfires (or other reasons). Many travel insurance plans do offer coverage if a traveler must cancel a trip due to a home being made uninhabitable or inaccessible due to a wildfire. Due to the impact of fires in California, we urge travelers who purchased a travel insurance policy and have homes in the affected area to contact their travel insurance company for further assistance. We will continue to post updated information on our website and social media channels." Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta today said, "We encourage visitors who are planning a trip to contact their hotel and local visitors bureau for updates on closures and alternative routes, utilities and air quality changes." The tourism board also provided the following links for visitors to find the most up to date information: -CalFire, http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents -Visit Redding, http://www.visitredding.com/carr-fire-info -Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, https://www.yosemite.com/ -Visit Tuolumne County, https://www.visittuolumne.com/travel-alert -Riverside Convention & Visitors Bureau, http://riversidecvb.com/ Have you or someone you know been affected by California's wildfire? Share your thoughts in the comments. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. PHOENIX When temperatures soar as they have this week in downtown Phoenix, homeless people ride the air-conditioned light rail to avoid a heat so brutal it killed 155 people in the city and surrounding areas last year. An occasional siren wails as paramedics rush to help people sick from the heat. Already devilishly hot for being in the Sonoran desert, Arizonas largest city is also an urban heat island, a phenomenon that pushes up temperatures in areas covered in heat-retaining asphalt and concrete. Phoenix on Wednesday recorded a sweltering 116 degrees, setting a new high for the date. An erratic and fast moving fire in Shasta County turned deadly as thousands of residents were sent fleeing for their lives late Thursday night after the blaze jumped the Sacramento River and sent a wall of flames into Redding. A contract firefighter operating a bulldozer was killed in an active part of the fire and several firefighters and residents were injured, Cal Fire officials said. This fire is making a significant push into the northwestern part of Redding, Cal Fire Unified Incident Commander Chief Brett Gouvea said in a news briefing late Thursday. We ask everyone to heed evacuation orders and leave promptly. This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard with whats in its path. The California Highway Patrol in Redding urged residents in the west part of the city to start packing and get out now. The fire is creating a huge wind vacuum and moving very rapidly toward west Redding, the CHP office wrote on Twitter. This fire is out of control! The fire has burned 29,000 acres and is 6 percent contained. There were reports that a dozen historic buildings had burned. But as the fire exploded late Thursday, firefighters switched from trying to contain it and protect properties to trying to save lives. Mandatory evacuations are ordered in parts of Redding, according to Cal Fire. The fire erupted Monday from a mechanical failure of a vehicle and was fanned by continued dry weather and triple digit temperatures. Redding is a town of 90,000 at the northern end of the Sacramento Valley. Officials initially set up an evacuation center at Shasta High School in Redding on Thursday, but had to move it to Shasta College when the high school itself was ordered evacuated. At Mercy Medical Center Redding, infants in the neo-natal ICU ward were being evacuated. At KRCR News Channel 7, anchors were in the middle of a live broadcast when they announced they had to cut their report short because they had to evacuate. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here, a station news anchor said on the air. On Facebook, the station posted: We will work to keep our Facebook page and website updated once we are all out safely. More than 1,700 firefighters are battling the blaze. On Twitter, several evacuees posted comments about their ordeal. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez HOUSTON As the U.S. government said it had reunited every immigrant family it could, Josefina Ortiz Corrales remained in an immigration detention center and her adopted son in the care of her elder daughter. Paulina Gutierrez was in her hometown in Guatemala, earning less than $2 a day preparing strings for candle wicks while praying for the quick return of her 7-year-old daughter from government custody in Arizona. She cries every night as she thinks about her decision to agree to be deported in the mistaken belief that the girl would come home with her. Hundreds of families remain separated a day after Thursdays court-ordered deadline, with no reunification in sight. Advocates sharply criticized the U.S. government for creating a bureaucratic and legal snarl thats made it difficult to reunify families and created a scenario where some may never see their children again. There is no question that there may be families that are permanently separated as a result of this policy, said Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Womens Refugee Commission. The government had until the end of day Thursday to reunify more than 2,500 families separated at the U.S.-Mexico under President Trumps zero-tolerance immigration policy that stoked a global outrage. The government said it had reunited more than 1,800 children over the age of 5 with parents or placed them with sponsors who are often relatives. That leaves 700 who remain apart, including what is believed to be more than 400 cases where the parents have been deported. The government will have to come up with a plan for completing those foreign reunions by flying children back to Central America, but advocacy groups are already stepping in to fill the void. The American Civil Liberties Union plans to start looking for all the parents on their own while going back through the cases of those not yet reunified to see if they could put more families back together. The advocacy group Kids in Need of Defense has deployed staff to Honduras and Guatemala to facilitate reunions. I think its going to be really hard detective work, said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney. The government says the mothers and fathers of 120 children waived reunification and dozens more werent eligible to get their children back because they had criminal records or werent the biological parent. The ACLU filed affidavits from attorneys that detail what it considers flawed procedures, including limited phone access and strict visitation policies, language barriers and being given only a few minutes to decide whether to leave their children in the United States. Nomaan Merchant and Sonia Perez D. are Associated Press writers. Federal investigators in Manhattan have asked to interview Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, as part of their investigation into President Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen, according to two people familiar with the matter. It was not clear whether Weisselberg was issued a subpoena or was asked to answer questions voluntarily. Either way, the development suggests that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are scrutinizing at least some financial dealings of the Trump family business, a line that the president has publicly warned the special counsel in the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, not to cross. The New York prosecutors, who are operating on a separate track from Muellers team, are investigating Cohen on a number of fronts, including payments he arranged before the presidential election to women who had claimed that they had affairs with Trump. The prosecutors interest in Weisselberg was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The development set off alarm bells within the Trump Organization, an umbrella company for Trumps holdings, because of the scope of Weisselbergs responsibilities. He has handled its finances for decades, has been involved with the Trump Foundation, has managed the presidents private trust and has at times reviewed the Trump presidential campaigns books. Weisselberg surfaced prominently this week when Cohen, through his lawyer, released a recording of a September 2016 conversation that he had with Trump about buying the rights to a former Playboy models story. The former model, Karen McDougal, alleges an affair with Trump and had sold the rights to her story for $150,000 that summer to the National Enquirer. The newspaper, whose parent companys chief executive is a friend of Trumps, sat on the story, a practice known in the tabloid industry as catch and kill. The president has denied an affair. Cohen told Trump he needed to form a company to buy those rights from the magazine. Cohen repeatedly referred to Weisselberg. Ive spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up, Cohen told Trump. Later, he added, I spoke to Allen about it, when it comes time to the financing. The release of the audio may have accelerated the activity of the New York prosecutors, who are looking into whether Cohen may have committed bank fraud and violated campaign finance laws by arranging payments to silence women whose accounts could have damaged Trumps chances of becoming president. The New York Times revealed the existence and contents of the tape last week; CNN broadcast the recording on Tuesday. The president, who has long refused to release his tax returns, is especially sensitive to any moves by federal prosecutors to dig in to his business affairs. After his election, Trump resigned his role in his company but retained his ownership and turned over management to his two oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr. Asked by the Times a year ago whether Mueller would cross a red line if he began investigating the family businesses, Trump replied, I would say yeah. I would say yes. Yet, in some ways, it is harder for the president to criticize the New York prosecutors than it is to attack Mueller. His most fervent allies portray Mueller as a runaway prosecutor whose supervisor, Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, should be removed from office. Trump routinely claims that Mueller is leading a witch hunt. But the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan has no special status, and its investigation into Cohens activities appears to be proceeding like any other criminal inquiry. So far, the president has directed his ire toward Cohen. Over the weekend, Trump wrote on Twitter that secretly recording him was perhaps illegal. He added: inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client totally unheard of. Maggie Haberman, Michael S. Schmidt and Sharon Lafraniere are New York Times writers Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, was one of the 28 members of the U.S. Congress falsely matched to criminal mug shots by Amazon's facial recognition technology, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. The ACLU reported Thursday that the technology, which is being used by some police departments, incorrectly matched the legislators with people who had been charged with a crime. The false matches disproportionately identified representatives of color, including six members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the ACLU said. DeSaulnier, along with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, and Rep. Luis Guitierrez, D-Illinois, have written to Amazon with concerns about the sale of the technology to law enforcement agencies, the ACLU said. DeSaulnier was not immediately available for comment. 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. ROHNERT PARK (BCN) The City of Rohnert Park has hired former Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan to help the city investigate complaints about its drug interdiction incidents by the Department of Public Safety along U.S. Highway 101 in Mendocino and Sonoma counties. In a news release, the city said there have been "a number of complaints filed by individuals over traffic stops and asset forfeitures conducted by Rohnert Park public safety officers." Two officers are currently under investigation and one has resigned. The two people who were killed in a shooting near the Eastmont Town Center in East Oakland on Thursday night were a 21-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man, police said. An 18-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man were also injured in the shooting in the 2400 block of 73rd Avenue, near Bancroft, just after 11 a.m. on Thursday, according to police. The two surviving victims were transported to a local hospital to be treated for the gunshot wounds they suffered. Police haven't provided an update on their conditions. Police also aren't yet releasing the names of the two people who were killed. No arrests have been made for the shooting and investigators haven't yet determined a motive. Three Marin County firefighters were injured working the 44,450-acre Carr Fire near Redding in Shasta County, fire officials confirmed today. The firefighters were defending a structure Thursday when a sudden blast of heat from nearby vegetation overwhelmed them. All three received burns to the ears, face and hands. They were treated at Mercy Medical Center in Redding and were later released. One firefighter is receiving further evaluation at Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center at University of California, Davis. The deadly fire has claimed the life of two firefighters and new evacuations were ordered early Friday in Shasta County as winds fueled the raging blaze that jumped the Sacramento River in Redding. The blaze was just 3 percent contained as of this morning. Police in Mountain View arrested a woman on Thursday for allegedly trying to kidnap a toddler. Schauntel Gomez, 31, was arrested on suspicion of attempted kidnapping, making criminal threats, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia. On Wednesday around 4 p.m., officers with the Mountain View Police Department responded to the 400 block of Fairmont Avenue on a report of an attempted kidnapping. Police said the victim reported another woman wearing a mask approached her, her daughter and her grandchild and told them she was there to take the child. The suspect, later identified as Gomez, tried to take the child, but the grandmother intervened. The suspect then hit the grandmother and threatened the mother of the child before fleeing in a Toyota Camry, police said. The grandmother suffered minor injuries to her head in the attack. The mother and the child were not injured in the incident. Around 2 a.m. on Thursday, police located the suspect's vehicle at a Shell gas station on Rengstorff Avenue and Central Expressway. Police conducted a traffic stop and were able to detain Gomez without incident. During a search of her vehicle, police located a white mask matching the mask used during the attempted abduction, drug paraphernalia and mail packages from the area where the crime occurred. A 75-year-old man with dementia who went missing in the Forestville area Thursday morning was found safe later that night, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said. William "Bill" Mitchell was last seen in front of the Forestville Pharmacy in the 6600 block of Front Street around 11 a.m. Thursday. A woman who was following the sheriff's office's post about Mitchell on social media found him at a Santa Rosa restaurant Thursday night, according to Sgt. Spencer Crum. A Santa Rosa man was arrested Thursday night in Petaluma for possession of a stolen firearm when the weapon was discovered in his car after a traffic stop, Petaluma police said. The man, Christopher Rosen, was driving in the area of E. Washington and Ellis streets when police spotted his expired vehicle tags and pulled him over. A records check revealed a domestic-violence restraining order in effect and possible possession of a firearm, though no weapons were immediately visible. Police towed the vehicle because the registration was more than six months past due and later discovered a loaded .45-caliber handgun under the driver's seat. The gun had been reported stolen. Rosen was arrested and taken to Sonoma County Jail where he was booked on possession of a loaded stolen firearm and a restraining order violation. Petaluma police arrested a Rohnert Park man Thursday on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run. Police responded around 4 p.m. to a two-vehicle collision in the area of Saint Francis Drive and San Juan Way. One driver ran from the scene and the other suffered minor injuries and was treated and released, police Cpl. Chris Ricci said. Police searched for the missing driver and were informed by the dispatch center that a man was seen jumping over fences. Matthew Phillips, 26, of Rohnert Park, was found a short distance from the collision, Ricci said. Phillips admitted he was the driver of one of the vehicles and that he fled because he was afraid, Ricci said. Police determined Phillips committed a right of way violation that caused the collision, Ricci said. Phillips appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run. He was not injured in the collision and he was booked in the Sonoma County Jail under $100,000 bail. The temporary closure of the Santa Rosa Junior College planetarium is in the stars this fall. The planetarium, built in 1980, will have a full technical and structural assessment. A structural renovation has never been done but it will be considered following the assessment. The planetarium will close this fall and not open until Spring 2019 at the soonest. No date has been set for the reopening. The planetarium has hosted thousands of attendees in 38 years with shows that include "How to Measure the Cosmos" and "Exploring the Depths of Our Summer Sky." "This assessment is necessary to ensure the continued excellence of any programs and shows we offer at SRJC," Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Victor Tam said. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Malia Cohen agreed to an impromptu meeting Thursday with a group of residents who are suing Tetra Tech, alleging it put their lives at risk by falsifying data from contaminated soil samples from a former Naval shipyard where the residents now live. The residents, who are all plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed on their behalf in May by attorney Charles Bonner, arrived at City Hall Thursday morning and demanded to speak with Mayor London Breed and Cohen. According to activist and former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown, who's involved in helping the group organize, the residents had unsuccessfully been trying for weeks to arrange a meeting with the two city leaders. The group is demanding that Breed and Cohen lead the effort in allocating city funds for testing of all of the shipyard soil by certified environmental scientists approved by the neighborhood's residents; allocate city funds to test all of the area's residents for cancer and other diseases caused by radiation; and advocate for a Board of Supervisors vote to stop all development at the shipyard until all the soil has been certified remediated. Several of the plaintiffs, who met at City Hall, say they and their loved ones have been suffering from several diseases. A judge has re-affirmed his tough sentence for one of the two gang members who was convicted of murder and other charges for a shooting in East Oakland in 2011 that killed a 3-year-old boy and left two alleged gang rivals wounded. The judge re-affirmed his decision Thursday. Willie Torrence, 29, and Lawrence Denard, 33, were convicted in 2014 of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of premeditated murder for the shooting outside a grocery store in a strip mall in the 6400 block of International Boulevard at about 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 8, 2011. Prosecutor Ben Beltramo said during the trial that Denard fired at least 10 shots from a Glock semi-automatic pistol and Torrence was the driver, doing a U-turn so that Denard was in a good position to shoot at their gang rivals. Beltramo said Denard and Torrence carried out the shooting in order to promote their gang, the 69th Village gang, and were targeting two members of the rival 65th Village gang, Robert Hudson and Jerome Williams. Some of the shots fired by Denard struck and injured Hudson and Williams but another shot hit and killed 3-year-old Carlos Nava, who was on his way to the grocery store with his mother and brother, according to Beltramo. A suspect was charged with murder following a stabbing last week at an East Bay BART station and a Pittsburg man's death two days later, Contra Costa County prosecutors said. Abdul Rahman Bey, 20, was charged Thursday and faces one count of murder, with an enhancement for using a deadly weapon - a knife - in the death of Gerald Bisbee, 51, of Pittsburg. Police said that Bey and Bisbee had argued while aboard a BART train at the Pleasant Hill-Contra Costa Centre station on July 18. The argument escalated, and Bey allegedly stabbed Bisbee in the knee. BART police said Bisbee went to a hospital on the day after the stabbing, saying he didn't feel well, and was later discharged. He was found Friday, two days after the stabbing, dead in his bed at home. BART police said the death was due to the knife wound becoming infected. Bey was already in custody when Bisbee died, having been arrested on suspicion of battery. The charge was amended after Bisbee's death. A 28-year-old Martinez woman has been arrested in the hit-and-run death Tuesday night in Crockett of a 42-year-old Hercules bicyclist. Kylie Lanae Derksen was taken into custody at about 2 a.m. Thursday at her home after the California Highway Patrol received an anonymous tip late Wednesday night, and being contacted by Derksen herself shortly thereafter, CHP Officer Brandon Correia said. Derksen told CHP investigators she was "possibly involved" in a collision Tuesday night, Correia said. One man died and another was left with life-threatening injuries after a shooting in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, police said. The incident was reported around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday near the corner of Hyde Street and Golden Gate Avenue. The first victim died after receiving a gunshot wound to the chest. He's been identified as 36-year-old Javis Jones of Oakland, according to the city's medical examiner's office. The second victim, a 50-year-old man, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the torso, police said. The West Grand Avenue on-ramp to eastbound Interstate Highway 80 in West Oakland was blocked Thursday afternoon after a big rig trailer overturned, spilling 20 tons of organic sunflower seeds onto the roadway, the California Highway Patrol said. The trailer, the second of a double-trailer rig, was headed onto the eastbound freeway in West Oakland around 11:15 a.m. Thursday when the accident occurred, said CHP Officer Herman Baza. No one was injured, Baza said, and no other vehicles were involved. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. OAKLAND (BCN) A judge today re-affirmed his tough sentence for one of the two gang members who was convicted of murder and other charges for a shooting in East Oakland in 2011 that killed a 3-year-old boy and left two alleged gang rivals wounded. Willie Torrence, 29, and Lawrence Denard, 33, were convicted in 2014 of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of premeditated murder for the shooting outside a grocery store in a strip mall in the 6400 block of International Boulevard at about 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 8, 2011. Prosecutor Ben Beltramo said during the trial that Denard fired at least 10 shots from a Glock semi-automatic pistol and Torrence was the driver, doing a U-turn so that Denard was in a good position to shoot at their gang rivals. Beltramo said Denard and Torrence carried out the shooting in order to promote their gang, the 69th Village gang, and were targeting two members of the rival 65th Village gang, Robert Hudson and Jerome Williams. Some of the shots fired by Denard struck and injured Hudson and Williams but another shot hit and killed 3-year-old Carlos Nava, who was on his way to the grocery store with his mother and brother, according to Beltramo. Carlos, whose death sparked widespread community outrage, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, Beltramo said. In addition to convicting Denard and Torrence of the murder and attempted murder charges, jurors convicted them of two counts of discharging a gun from a vehicle, being ex-felons in possession of a gun and multiple clauses of acting to benefit a criminal street gang. On July 23, 2014, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner sentenced Denard to 137 years to life in state prison and Torrence to 121 years to life. But a new law that was passed by the state legislature last year and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown gives judges the discretion not to impose gun use enhancements if they don't think they are appropriate for some defendants. That law is forcing judges to hold new sentencing hearings for defendants such as Denard and Torrence whose prison terms were significantly increased by gun enhancements. At today's hearing, Horner said he believes he made the right decision in 2014 to impose lengthy gun enhancement terms for the two men in addition to the terms they got for the other charges in the case. Horner said, "If ever there was a case where all the penalty enhancements for using firearms should be imposed, this is the case." Horner said Torrence and Denard were "human billboards for gang activity" because they had gang activities all over their bodies that he said were "promoting the murderous goals of their gang." The judge said the intended victims of Torrence and Denard weren't killed but one of the bullets that was fired struck and killed Carlos as he was riding a tricycle that was being pushed by his mother. Horner said Carlos "didn't have a chance" and "literally died in his mother's arms." Carlos' tricycle was brought to court during the trial for Torrence and Denard and Horner said, "That image will never, ever leave me." Horner then re-affirmed Torrence's sentence of 121 years to life. Denard is scheduled to come to court on Aug. 22 to set a date for his new sentencing hearing. 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 man was sentenced to life in prison today for a kidnapping and brutal sexual assault he and another man perpetrated on a woman in San Francisco's Western Addition more than 16 years ago. Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ross sentenced Lamar Paschall, 36, to 36 years and 4 months to life in prison, according to prosecutors. Paschall was convicted in January of multiple felonies for the Jan. 6, 2002, attack, including forcible rape, sodomy, forcible oral copulation, assault with intent to commit rape and kidnapping to commit robbery. Paschall was arrested in 2012 in connection with the rape. The victim, who was 20 years old at the time, had been walking home when she was approached by Paschall and another man, Kenneth Babers, in the area of Golden Gate Avenue and Elm Street. The two men approached the victim and began a conversation with her while walking with her to a darker area of the street before taking turns sexually assaulting her. The woman vomited during the attack, according to court documents. The pair then walked the victim to several ATM machines, forcing her to withdraw money from her accounts, before taking her inside a doughnut shop where she was able to tell a cashier that she had been raped. The cashier called police for help and the two men escaped. Nearly four years later, the California Department of Justice reported Paschall was a genetic match to DNA evidence collected from the victim. The case, however, was further delayed because police could no longer locate the victim to pursue charges. It was not until 2011 that she was located and police obtained a search warrant to get a DNA swab from Paschall. He was arrested in Jan. 4, 2012. In a victim impact statement read in court Thursday in front of Paschall, the victim said, "I'm glad you are going away. I have spent a lot of time being scared (even still) that I would run into you and the other guy on the streets again and that you'd harm me in some way, even after you were locked up. It feels really f***ing great to know that you'll be going away for a long time." "I won't ever forget what it was like when you first grabbed my face from behind in such a way that led me to understand that bad things were going to happen to me and for how long; no clue? Having no idea when it would end or what exactly was going to happen was one of the worst things I've ever experienced," she said. "You have always presented to be cocky and not in any way remorseful for what you did. I f***ing hope you get what's coming to you in prison." In a statement, District Attorney's Office spokesman Nikesh Patel, said, "This life sentence will ensure that this defendant will never be able to harm anyone in our city again." Babers was sentenced on Jan. 8 to 26 years in prison. 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. Three Marin County firefighters were injured working the 44,450-acre Carr Fire near Redding in Shasta County, fire officials confirmed today. The firefighters were defending a structure Thursday when a sudden blast of heat from nearby vegetation overwhelmed them. All three received burns to the ears, face and hands. They were treated at Mercy Medical Center in Redding and were later released. One firefighter is receiving further evaluation at Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center at University of California, Davis. The deadly fire has claimed the life of two firefighters and new evacuations were ordered early Friday in Shasta County as winds fueled the raging blaze that jumped the Sacramento River in Redding. The blaze was just 3 percent contained as of this morning. 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. With wildfires raging across the state, dozens of crews from multiple Bay Area fire departments have been called in to support Cal Fire in what state officials are calling "the new norm" for fire season in California. The deadly Carr Fire near Redding in Shasta County has claimed the lives of two firefighters since the blaze began Monday. A Redding firefighter was killed Friday and a contract firefighter operating a bulldozer died Thursday. Several people have been injured fighting the Carr Fire, including three firefighters from the Marin County Fire Department who suffered burns to their faces, ears and hands Thursday when a sudden blast of heat from nearby vegetation overwhelmed them as they defended a structure. All three were treated at Mercy Medical Center in Redding and were later released. One firefighter is receiving further evaluation at the Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center at University of California, Davis. City and county firefighters, engines, command vehicles and other support units have been deployed from nearly every Bay Area County including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Sonoma and Santa Clara counties. Marin County fire has assigned 76 firefighters to blazes throughout the state, from the Marsh Fire near Clayton to the Cranston Fire in Riverside County, said Marin County fire spokesman Bret McTigue. "It's unreal," McTigue said of the statewide blazes. "Unfortunately, it's the new norm in California." New evacuations were ordered early Friday in Shasta County as winds fueled the raging blaze that jumped the Sacramento River in Redding. The Carr Fire was just 3 percent contained as of this morning. The blaze has destroyed 65 structures and damaged more than 50, with nearly 5,000 homes threatened, officials said. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Thursday for Shasta County. Weather research experts say the Carr Fire is unusual because strong winds have not been driving the fire, but rather the smoke plume "rotated and intensified creating its own weather," said professor Craig Clements, director of the Fire Weather Research Lab at San Jose State University. "For a fire to burn into Redding like that is very unique," he said. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The AH-64E Apache attack helicopter (left) and the CH-47 Chinook heavy lift chopper during their inaugural flight in Arizona, USA. Photo: Boeing India/Twitter NEW DELHI (PTI): American defence major Boeing has carried out the first flights of the Apache and Chinook military helicopters and delivery to the Indian Air Force will commence next year, officials said Friday. India is procuring 22 AH-64E Apache attack choppers and 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing. "First flight of India's Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening Indian armed forces capabilities," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said in a statement. Officials added that the delivery of the military helicopters are likely to begin next year. According to Kumar, India will receive the most advanced versions of both the AH-64E Apache and the CH-47F Chinook helicopters. "Indian industry partners such as Dynamatics are building large sections of Chinook, and the Tata-Boeing joint venture in Hyderabad is building the complete fuselage of the Apache," he said in a statement. The Government had finalised the contract for IAF's 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks in September 2015. Additionally, the Defence Ministry last year approved the procurement of six Apache helicopters along with weapons systems from Boeing at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore for the Indian Army. This will be its first fleet of attack choppers. Fuselages for this Army order will be produced by Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, a joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad. The AH-64E Apache is a leading multi-role attack helicopter and is flown by the US Army. Its latest features include joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding, said a Boeing official. The Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transport of troops, artillery, equipment and fuel. It is also used for humanitarian and disaster relief operations, in missions such as transportation of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday, July 26, 2018. Photo: PIB JOHANNESBURG (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese Defence Minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings. Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months on Thursday evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao, China in June. "It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks. He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said. At Wuhan, Modi and Xi had decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklam-like situation in the future. Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. "They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. Gokhale said the two sides had agreed at Qingdao that the Chinese ministers for defence and public security would travel to India this year. "It was decided that these two visits would take place in August and October, respectively," the foreign secretary added. In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang confirmed that State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe "plans to pay a friendly official visit to India" at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. "We have provided a top-level design for bilateral ties in a macroscopic perspective and a timely fashion, which is conducive to mobilising the positive elements of all sectors in both countries and uniting the wills of the 2.6 billion people of the two countries, so as to form a force that would push bilateral ties into the future," Xi told Modi. Gokhale said both the leaders also remarked that in the last few months mutual trust has increased between the two sides. President Xi once again conveyed to Prime Minister Modi that he is very happy to accept his invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, the foreign secretary added. They also agreed that the high-level people-to-people mechanism, which would be established between the two sides, will also meet this year, he said. One of the important issues which Prime Minister Modi raised with President Xi at his previous meetings is of how the two sides can enhance Indian exports to China, particularly agricultural exports. "It has been decided that an Indian trade delegation will be travelling to China on August 1 and 2. Among the issues they will discuss are exports of soya, sugar and non-basmati rice and they will also look at the possible import of urea from China," he said. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned about the pharma sector and cited a Chinese movie titled 'Dying to Survive' which is based loosely on the role that the Indian cancer drugs play in saving the life of the main character of the movie, Gokhale said, adding that it was decided that an Indian pharmaceutical delegation will visit Shanghai, China on August 21 and 22 for talks. Xi said that as major emerging market economies, as well as vindicators and contributors of the current international order, China and India should strengthen bilateral cooperation, while exploring a new model for regional cooperation, upholding multilateralism, championing economic globalization and striving for a more just and rational international order, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi will meet again at the margins of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this year. Research News Light pollution obscures glow of Niagara Falls moonbow By DAVID J. HILL What greater reasons than gossamer moonbeams for an evening at The Falls? What finer honeymoon memory than a kiss under the moonbow? Youve seen a rainbow. But, have you ever witnessed the much rarer phenomenon known as a lunar rainbow, or moonbow? Moonbows used to occur regularly in the mist above Niagara Falls during the full moon phase of the lunar month. You wont see one now, however, because of the bright lights illuminating the U.S. and Canadian cities of Niagara Falls. Its a missed tourism and economic opportunity for both sides of the border, says a UB School of Architecture and Planning professor who recently published an op-ed about The Falls' moonbow in newspapers in Toronto and Buffalo. Ernest Sternberg, professor and former chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, is calling for a binational moonbow coalition to encourage city governments, parks and the businesses on both sides of The Falls to douse their lights a few nights each month to help create the conditions for Niagaras moonbow to be seen. In economic terms, it would not be in vain. What greater reasons than gossamer moonbeams for an evening at The Falls? What finer honeymoon memory than a kiss under the moonbow? Sternberg wrote in the op-ed, published in the Toronto Star and the Buffalo News. A moonbow occurs when the moons light is refracted through water droplets in the air. There are several waterfalls around the world where lunar rainbows are revealed; most notably, Victoria Falls, which straddles the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. While the natural conditions are in place at Niagara Falls, light pollution obscures the moonbow in the Falls mist. Instead of experiencing this phenomenon in their own backyard, Buffalonians and Torontonians instead have to travel to either Cumberland Falls in Kentucky or Upper Yosemite Falls in California. It might seem odd for an urban planner with decades of practice and teaching experience to take such an interest in The Falls lunar rainbow and bring it to the publics attention. But, Sternberg told UB Now, theres a bigger issue at play. Ive long been fascinated by the co-existence in Niagara Falls, New York, of the drastic need to relieve poverty and joblessness with the spectacular scenery that could attract ever more tourists, improving the economy, he said. Attempts to take advantage have sometimes fallen to fly-by-night investors, or sincere investors with no experience and no funds. Sternberg says new attractions are needed to keep tourists in town longer, pushing their stay past the critical four- to five-hour mark, when they are more likely to stay overnight, thereby patronizing hotels and restaurants. That will be good for the economy, and will spur further investment in the city, he said. Thats why creating the conditions that make the moonbow visible can help give the American side of Niagara Falls the boost it needs, while benefitting the more bustling Canadian side of the cataract. The moonbow proposal also ties into Sternbergs theoretical research on recognizing and designing tourism experiences in places that have public assets that can be developed into attractions. Niagara Falls is a public good that serves as the essential shared attraction that should generate activity for the surrounding communities, Sternberg said. The question is, are there additional resources that could be fashioned by investors and public initiatives into new attractions? To make the moonbow visible, both sides of Niagara Falls would need to douse their lights at night for a few hours a few times each month. If both communities can agree to dim their lights, dark viewing spots and access trails would need to be designed, Sternberg said. I know it seems tough, but it is inexpensive enough, he added. Whats needed to make it happen is a binational citizens moonbow coalition. With enough volunteer energy behind it, it will work. He said it would be great if a UB physicist or astronomer and some students were willing to join the effort by helping to calculate appropriate full moons, as well as when the moon is rising and setting in the right direction to make the moonbow visible. The headteacher of Highbridges King Alfred School stepped down last week after four years in the role. Denise Hurr stepped down at the end of the summer term and Nathan Jenkins, pictured below, is to become the new principal from September, as we first reported here. Denise said: I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students, parents and staff of our school for the support and enthusiasm they have shown towards our school during this year. Throughout my four years here as Headteacher it has been very rewarding to see the school grow and develop, ensuring that most importantly, our students have the very best chance to be successful both inside and outside the classroom. As a member of this community I am immensely proud to see the commitment our students show on a daily basis to their learning, their sport and their involvement in the arts. I look forward to continuing to work with the school in my new role as Director of the Teaching School Alliance for The Priory Learning Trust, supporting TKAS to grow even further under the direction of Nathan Jenkins. I wish everyone a happy and healthy summer. Neville Coles, Executive Principal of The Priory Learning Trust, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: Denise has stepped down from the Headship at King Alfred School to take up a role within our Teaching School Alliance. Since last October, when we became involved at King Alfred School, Denise has been a tower of strength and led the school strongly through a very successful Ofsted monitoring visit. She leaves with the very best wishes of all staff and students at King Alfred School. Nathan Jenkins is already working at the school as Principal Designate as the school becomes an Academy as part of our Trust on October 1st. Re-roofing of the academy will begin promptly in October thanks to a successful Trust bid to the DfE. All involved at King Alfred School are now looking forward to much stronger exam results this August. A new uniform code, instigated by Denise, is also being introduced at the school from this September. We thank all in the local community for their support. King Alfred School is working closely with The Priory Learning Trust to improve and was recently praised for its progress following a new OFSTED inspection monitoring visit, as we reported here. Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here that Denise Hurr is stepping down from her role, citing poor health. Pictured: Top, Denise Hurr with Neville Coles, Executive Principal of The Priory Learning Trust; and Centre: new Principal Nathan Jenkins. CAMEROUN :: Anglophone Crisis: Gov't Dispatches ...aESecret Envoys' To US To Fish Out Pro-Independence Activists :: CAMEROON Some members of Government are allegedly in the United States of America, lobbying the US Government to capture some Cameroonians that the Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, named recently as sponsoring or fanning the rebellion in the Southwest and Northwest Regions. Social media networks, particularly Twitter, were awash with allegations that the Government has dispatched a 3-man delegation, namely: Prof. Paul Mingo Ghogomu, Director of Cabinet at the Prime Ministers Office; Dr. Felix Mbayu, Minister-Delegate at the Ministry of External Relations in-charge of Relations with the Commonwealth; and Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, to the United States of America to lobby with State Department and the Congress to extradite them for trial and punishment back home. The reports alleged that the delegation members were also negotiating meetings with Representatives who recently organised a hearing on the Southern Cameroons Question at the US Congress to, notably, misrepresent the exact nature of the crisis. The delegation, purportedly led by Minister Dion Ngute, was also suspected to be carrying a list of Southern Cameroons activists that Yaounde will like to see either deported or prosecuted on accusations of conspiring to destabilise the country. Among those whose names were said to be on the list are prominent figures of the revolution like; Ebenezer Akwanga- Chairman of the Southern Cameroons Youth League, SCYL, John Mbah Akuroh- President of the Caretaker Executive of The Southern Cameroons Civil Society Consortium, Boh Herbert, Spokesman for the Movement of the Restoration of the Independence of Southern Cameroons, MoRISC, Ivo Tapang Tanku, former Consortium interim leader, RigobertTaban Ndifon, Nervillle Choh Achera, Wilson Muluh Awa Muluh, Emmanuel Ngwa Shu Nyamboli, all identified as SCNC relay agents, Eric Tataw, an outspoken social media actor, Tchoumi Nana Serges as a conspirator, and Chris Anu, Communication Secretary of the interim Government created by various organisations to foster the cause for independence. When news of the presence of that delegation in the US emerged, the activists took to social media to denounce the move. They flooded twitter with pictures of the senior state officials attempting to tie them to the numerous exactions blamed on the Cameroon military by rights organisations, notably Amnesty International. The Post reached out to some sources at the Prime Ministers Office and they confirmed the presence of Prof Ghogomu in the United States of America, but insisted he was there on vacation. The sources, that refused to be named because they were not authorised to talk to the media, noted that it was impossible for them to establish if, on the sidelines of his vacation, Prof. Ghogomu had instructions to carry out any state duties. Meantime, the Anglophone Problem is deteriorating by the day with reports of killings, kidnappings or abductions of both civilians and security forces. Reports by human rights and or humanitarian organisations across the globe have portrayed the situation as worsening. The organisations, as well as other international actors, including the African Union, the US Department of State, the German Government, the European Union, have continued to urge both Government and pro-independence leaders to return to the dialogue to no avail. It is apparent, from the stance of both sides, that the so much yearned for peace talks may not be engaged anytime soon, with Government, activists and armed groups rather escalating the crisis by their actions. At the same time, the lifeless and headless body of a police constable was circulating on the media, with allegations he was killed in Wum, Menchum Division, and then beheaded, with the head taken away by unknown armed groups. While the public was still expressing indignation over the incident, the shooting to death of Father Sob Nougi, Parish Priest of Bomaka in the Buea Municipality, was also reported. The Priest, eyewitness accounts hold, was shot in Muyuka, Fako Division, when he went to pay a visit to his mother. | BY Ricki Green | AirAsia today announced a new partnership with Sony, launching a global search for the first ever joint brand ambassador to represent the leading travel and visual technology brands. The ten-week contest, dubbed Through the Lens will run from 30 July to 7 October 2018. A one-year ambassadorship including air travel courtesy of AirAsia and latest Sony camera equipment can be won by sharing compelling images from any of AirAsias 130 plus travel destinations worldwide, via throughthelens.airasia.com. Says Barry Klipp, group head of commercial, AirAsia X: Since its inception, AirAsia has been an enabler of air travel by providing consistently low fares. As a company, we are committed to innovation and technology and with this Sony partnership, we hope our guests will be inspired to share their travel experiences wherever AirAsia flies, through their own lens. They say a picture tells a thousand words. We launched this contest with Sony to showcase how travel experiences can be told in amazing ways no matter what the budget either through a smartphone or with the best camera equipment in the market. We are searching for someone who explores any AirAsia destination and shares their favourite travel moments far and wide. Says Satoru Arai, managing director, Sony Malaysia: Due to the increase of smartphones penetration in the market, passion for photography has advanced rapidly in a few short years. People have started taking more aesthetic travel photos, which connect (thanks to social platforms) with complete strangers across the world. Sony, as the worldwide leader in Digital Imaging and the worlds largest image sensor manufacturer, we are confident of continuing to lead the way forward, to a wider spectrum of travel photographers, from hobbyist to enthusiast. In collaboration with AirAsia, we believe we can keep the inspiration chain alive and people will start capturing the beauty of everyday life through their lens. The grand prize is a money cant buy experience where as a joint ambassador, the winner will be rewarded with the chance to be a part of exciting new AirAsia travel experiences and be involved in exclusive product launches from Sony. The winner will also win free return Premium Flatbed seats and accommodation in Tokyo, to visit Sonys latest technologies at their Japan headquarters, Sonys new full frame mirrorless camera, Alpha A7 III K and Sony h.ear on 2 wireless headphones. Also up for grabs are nine consolation prizes including AirAsia flights and a Sony RX100V camera, provided weekly to the best creative story submitted on the contests microsite. | BY Ricki Green | BWM Dentsu has been appointed as lead creative agency for Nandos and Chris Foods. Nandos will part ways with incumbent agency Banjo after a six years relationship. During this time Banjo developed and implemented a number of successful large-scale advertising campaigns including the eat interesting, BIG Mango and WTF campaigns. The two companies have agreed to mutually part ways. Says Helen Reece, marketing director, Nandos Australia: As a leading Australian fast casual dining restaurant, Nandos is a unique brand, challenged with connecting our stories and messages with our consumers. We are really excited to be working with the team at BWM Dentsu, a creative agency well known for transforming touchpoints into unique brand experiences. Banjo are brilliant storytellers. Throughout our time working together they have played a significant role in helping build the Nandos brand in Australia. We wish Andrew, Ben and the team at Banjo continued success. Says Belinda Murry, managing director, BWM Dentsu, Melbourne: BWM Dentsu are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Nandos and using our expertise to build on the already strong Nandos brand. We intend to create a truly distinctive brand position in Australia, and a unique brand experience that everyone, from staff to customers, can get behind. We are really enjoying working together with Nandos applying a bespoke offering that harnesses the full power of BWM Dentsu capabilities including, brand experience, client experience, CX and UX, social, content, experience design and PR to help Nandos transform their brand and their business. Says Amanda Habben, chief marketing officer, Chris Foods: Chris Foods has been a family run business dedicated to providing Australians with food that is fresh, wholesome and full of flavour, for over 35 years. We know that to keep our position as a leading FMCG company, we need to disrupt the dips, desserts and yoghurt categories, a clear brand objective BWM Dentsu have embraced. We can only fufil our ambition by partnering with the brand experience experts and we were instantly impressed with their collaborative creative process and lateral thinking. We are very excited to be working with the brilliant team at BWM Dentsu and Vizeum. Judicial Watch: FBI Asks Comey to Preserve Records Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch , 202-646-5190 Judicial Watch, on behalf of itself and DCNF, today also filed Read more... WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Judicial Watch announced today that the FBI has stated it sent a letter to fired FBI director James Comey requesting him to preserve federal records and return any agency records in his possession not already returned to the FBI. The letter was sent in response to Judicial Watch and the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) concerns that Mr. Comey kept government records on personal email accounts.Judicial Watch, on behalf of itself and DCNF, today also filed a motion asking a federal court to issue an order for preservation. Judicial Watch argues that there is reason to be concerned that the responsive records could be lost or destroyed. Judicial Watch points out that in June 2018, the DOJ's Inspector General stated, "We identified numerous instances in which Comey used a personal email account (a Gmail account) to conduct FBI business." Share Tweet Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2:27AM Embed from Getty Images If you rely heavily on Google Drive, you would assume everyone is on the service, too. Not quite. But the cloud storage service is set to hit a major milestone before the week ends. Google announced at its Google Cloud Next conference that the service will be crossing its billion-user threshold before the end of the week. Itll be the eighth Google product to do so (after Android, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, the Play Store, Search, and YouTube). But it must be noted though that not all of these users are paying subscribers. Drive offers 15GB if free storage for Gmail and Drive. Its also taken a bit of time to reach this number. At Google I/O 2017, Drive was said to have 800 million users and had then been storage for over two trillion files. Source: Android Police Friday, July 27, 2018 at 6:23AM Google is introducing more AR Sticker Packs for Pixel owners to add to the handful it currently has. While not tied to specific movies or events (like the Stranger Things and Star Wars packs as well as the 2018 Winter Olympics), these should add a bit more fun to those who own Pixel and Pixel 2 phones. The new packs are called Japan, Music, and Sports. These AR Sticker Packs are accessible via Google Camera and are exclusive to variants of those two Google-branded phones. If you want to check these stickers out in action, you can see our quick video with the Stranger Things AR Sticker Pack. Source: XDA Developers If you have requested a mail ballot for the Aug. 28 Primary Election, its likely on its way. The Lee County Elections Office mailed 123,164 domestic mail ballots on Thursday and voters should start receiving them next week. Meanwhile, with the Primary Election less than a month away, election officials encourage voters to make sure they have registered for their political party of choice as the deadline is Monday. Tommy Doyle, Lee County Supervisor of Elections, said if individuals want to vote for a major party primary candidate, and not just for those in the nonpartisan races, they have to register to vote by Monday, July 30, 29 days before the election. If party registration is made or changed after July 30, it will not go into effect until after the election. Lee County voters can confirm their voter information on lee.vote, by clicking the red Check my Voter Registration Status button, or call the Supervisor of Elections Office at (239) LEE-VOTE (533-8683). It also is important that voters use a bona fide residential address not a business address when registering to vote. When the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office finds voters registered at a business, or non-residential address, a certified letter is sent to the voter explaining that they must be registered at their legal residence. Also included in the letter is a Florida Voter Registration application and postage paid envelope. If the voter fails to respond within 30 days, the office then follows the following procedure as per state law: * A legal notice is published stating the voters eligibility to vote is in question and they must contact the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office immediately. * If the voter fails to respond within 30 days of the published legal notice, the voters registration status is changed from active to removed for not having a legal Florida Residence. If this change is made, the voter will have to register to vote again. Voters are asked to contact the Supervisor of Elections Office if they believe they may have been registered to vote at a business or non-residential address to ensure they are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections. Voters who want to request a mail in ballot must do so by Tuesday, Aug. 21. Doyle said if the request is made that close to the primary, the voter is advised to drop their ballot off at one of the drop off sites. Its best to mail the ballot in at least seven days before election day to ensure it is received by 7 p.m., the time the polls will close on Aug. 28. If the ballot is received after 7 p.m. it wont be counted and it is never opened up, Doyle said. Voters can call the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office at (239) LEE-VOTE (533-8683), to request a vote-by-mail ballot. It also may be done online at lee.vote. There are approximately 435,000 registered voters in Lee County. For the 2014 Primary Election, almost 22 percent of the voters cast their vote. The General Election typically attracts triple the number of voters who cast a ballot in the primary. In 2014, 60 percent of voters cast a vote. Its hard to say what is going to happen this year because of the dynamics of the politics right now, Doyle said. For those who like to vote early but still prefer to vote at the polls, there will be 10 early voting sites. Early voting is set for Saturday, Aug. 18, through Saturday, Aug. 25. Early voting sites will be open from from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Sites will include: * Cape Coral Elections Office, 1039 SE 9th Avenue; * Cape Coral Lee County Library, 921 SW 39th Terrace; * Northwest Regional Library, 519 Chiquita Boulevard, North, Cape Coral ; * North Fort Myers Recreation Center, 2000 N. Recreation Park Way North, North Fort Myers; * East County Regional Library, 881 Gunnery Road N, Lehigh Acres; * Veterans Park Recreation Center, 55 South Homestead Road, Lehigh Acres and * Lee County Elections Center, 13180 S. Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers. On Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 28, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are 127 polling locations throughout in Lee County and each will have a minimum of 12 poll workers, Doyle said. Early voting sites have more, so they can handle any volume that comes in, he said of poll workers. The poll workers started their training ,which ranges from three to four hours this week. We will train 1,800 to 2,000 poll workers and field techs, Doyle said. There is a lot of new poll workers this year. This week, deputies, the poll workers who greet voters, try to keep things orderly and answer any questions, are training. I have been into all the classes. Out of 30, 25 are new ones for the position, Doyle said. The Lee Elections Office is doing what it can to educate voters. Sample ballots will be mailed Aug. 10 to voters who did not request a vote-by-mail ballots. Sample ballots are going to be mailed to everyone who did not request a mail ballot, Doyle said. We are sending it to a household. You are going to get a sample ballot for the whole household. Voters can also visit lee.vote to look at their specific ballot. Thats important because ballots vary among the precincts. For example, there are four school board races one countywide, meaning everyone votes; and three that are district specific. You can go onto lee.vote and download your specific ballot and take it as a cheat sheet if you need it, or a sample ballot, Doyle said. In regard to mail ballots, requesting one does not obligate a voter to vote by mail; they can still vote at the polls if they wish, Doyle said. The Primary Election ballot is one page in length. The General Election, Doyle said will be longer due to all of the constitutional amendments. The local races on the Primary ballot include: ** County-wide Republican primary races (only Republicans may vote on the contests): * United States Senator: Roque Rocky De La Fuente and Rick Scott * Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Don Baldauf; Ron DeSantis; Timothy M. Devine; Bob Langford; John Joseph Mercadante; Bruce Nathan; Adam H. Putnam and Bob White * Attorney General Fiscal General: Ashley Moody and Frank White * Commissioner of Agriculture: Matt Caldwell; Denise Grimsley; Mike McCalister and Baxter Troutman * State Attorney 20th Judicial Circuit: Chris Crowley and Amira Fox on contests: * Representative in Congress District 17 (Only Republicans residing in District 17 may vote) Bill Akins; Julio Gonzalez and Greg Steube * State Representative District 79 (only Republicans residing in District 79 may vote) Matthew Shawn Miller and Spencer Roach ** County-wide Democratic Primary races (only Democrats may vote): * Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Andrew Gillum; Gwen Graham; Jeff Greene; Chris King; Philip Levine; Alex Lundy Lundmark and John Wetherbee * Attorney General Fiscal General: Sean Shaw and Ryan Torrens * Commissioner of Agriculture: Nicole Nikki Fried; Jeffrey Duane Porter and Roy David Walker * Representative in Congress District 19 (Only Democrats residing in District 19 can vote): David Holden and Todd James Truax * Representative in Congress District 17 (only Democrats residing in District 17 may vote) April Freeman and Bill Pollard * State Representative District 76 (Only Democrats residing in District 76 can vote): Neilson Croll Ayers and David Bogner ** County-wide, all voters regardless of party affiliation: * Circuit Judge 20th Judicial Circuit Group 8: James Wesley Chandler and John Owen McGowan * County Judge Group 7: Maria E. Gonzalez and David McElrath * School Board Member District 6 (at large; everyone votes): Nicholas Alexander; Lori Fayhee; Betsy Vaughn and Karen Putman Watson ** School Board races, non-partisan, district voters only * School Board Member District 1, (Only voters residing in District 1, mostly Cape Coral, Pine Island and Sanibel; regardless of party affiliation): Charles B. Dailey and Mary Fischer * School Board Member District 4, (Only voters residing in District 4, mostly Cape Coral, North Fort Myers and Dunbar, regardless of party affiliation:) Don H. Armstrong; Debbie Jordan; Louis Navarra and Geraldine Gerri Ware * School Board Member District 5, (Only voters residing in District 5, mostly Lehigh Acres, regardless of party affiliation): Gwynetta Gwyn Gittens; Moses Jackson; Pamela LaRiviere; Taruas Pugh and Jon Larsen Shudlick A Spirit Airlines flight was diverted after several passengers became sick from an odor that smelled like "dirty socks." Two hundred and twenty passengers on Flight 779 from New York to Fort Lauderdale were detoured to Myrtle Beach, S.C., Thursday so the airline could determine if there was a potential hazmat situation on board, NBC New York reported. DIRIAMBA, Nicaragua A pro-government mob shoved, punched and scratched at Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes and other Catholic leaders as they tried to enter the Basilica San Sebastian. Murderers! people shouted. An auxiliary bishop was slashed on the arm with some sort of sharp object. The ugly scene in the normally sleepy town of Diriamba, an hours drive south of Nicaraguas capital, was a dramatic example of how rapidly a wave of unrest has soured relations between the Roman Catholic Church and beleaguered President Daniel Ortega. The church has tried to play a mediating role between Ortegas Sandinista government and protesters who have increasingly demanded his ouster amid demonstrations and clashes in which about 450 people most of them protesters have been slain. Instead, it finds itself increasingly targeted by Ortega and his backers, reviving a hostility between the Sandinista base and the church establishment that burned hot during the 1980s but seemed to have been overcome in recent years, when the former guerrilla commander had formed a sort of alliance with once-critical bishops. After the new wave of protests broke out in April initially over cuts to the social security system government forces and Sandinista Youth struck back hard. On April 20, hundreds of student protesters sought refuge at Managuas cathedral, where the church was collecting donations to support demonstrators. When police and Sandinista Youth descended, the students retreated inside, leaving only after clergy negotiated their safe passage. Brenes, archbishop of Managua, went to Diriamba on July 9, a day after speaking to priests there by phone and hearing gunshots and ambulances. He found doctors and nurses who had tended to wounded protesters and now were sheltering inside the basilica, surrounded by pro-government forces. Despite the scuffle at the door, Brenes delegation, which included the Vaticans top diplomat in Nicaragua, was eventually able to evacuate people from the church. The church, essentially the last independent institution trusted by a large portion of Nicaraguans, is witnessing the whiplash-inducing shifts of Ortega, who appears to have regained his footing amid the most serious challenge to his power in the decade-plus since he regained office. Christopher Sherman is an Associated Press writer. MOSCOW Just two days after the White House postponed plans to have Russia President Vladimir Putin visit Washington in the fall, the Russian leader said Friday that he had invited President Trump to visit him in Moscow. Praising Trump as a leader who seeks to keep his promises, Putin continued to push for a second summit, although their first, this month, generated intense criticism of his U.S. counterpart. Putin said he was ready to meet either in Washington or Moscow. QUNEITRA, Syria Syrian officials on Friday celebrated the recapture of this symbolic southern town near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, raising a flag and playing the national anthem to mark the victory over the armed groups that controlled it for more than four years. A picture of President Bashar Assad was hoisted on a partially destroyed monument in central Quneitra, where his father had raised the Syrian flag after Israel withdrew more than four decades ago. Fridays ceremony was attended by hundreds of flag-waving residents from nearby villages, who sang the anthem, danced and cheered the Syrian army and affiliated militias. Quneitra was abandoned after Israel destroyed it as it withdrew in 1974 following the Mideast war, although Israel continued to occupy the adjacent Golan Heights, seized in 1967. A cease-fire and a disengagement agreement largely have held along the demarcation lines for four decades. During Syrias civil war, armed groups captured the town and large parts of southwestern Syria, forcing a U.N. peacekeeping force there to evacuate. The celebrations in Quneitra took place as Syrian soldiers finalized their deployment to restore their positions along the demarcation line for the first time since 2014. The soldiers also deployed to a crossing that connects Quneitra to the Golan. Even though the countries are at war, families from the local Druze community divided by the demarcation line use the crossing to exchange visits. Farmers also sent their apples over the frontier. A field commander, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was only a matter of time before the U.N. peacekeeping force is redeployed and civilians can once again use the crossing. With Syrian forces regaining control of the town and crossing, only a handful of villages in Quneitra province remain outside of government control, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. The Syrian government had left the destruction in Quneitra as a reminder of the war with Israel. A village a few miles from Quneitra also was destroyed, apparently in recent fighting. The government offensive in southwestern Syria began June 19. Since then, pro-government forces seized most of the areas in Daraa and Quneitra provinces along the border with Jordan and the Golan. They now are battling remnants of the Islamic State, which continues to hold territory at the southern tip of the region. The United Nations said the fighting has displaced 182,600 people who are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, including in Sweida, the province adjacent to Daraa and Quneitra. Initially around 300,000 were estimated to have fled their homes, but many have returned after fighting subsided in some areas and surrender deals were reached with armed opposition in others. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told the Security Council that humanitarian aid needs to be urgently scaled up across the southwest, particularly in Quneitra. Albert Aji is an Associated Press writer. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's not everyday a daughter commissions her dad into the United States Navy. But that was the case when Ensign Laura Krause swore in her father, Dr. Tyrone Krause, on July 13, aboard her ship, USS Ramage, a Naval destroyer in Norfolk, Virginia. Laura Krause joined the U.S. Navy in 2016, and since that time Dr. Krause's wheels never stopped turning; he decided he, too, wanted to give back to his country. Dr. Krause, a Mariners Harbor native who is presently chief of CT surgery and chairman of Surgery at Jersey City Medical Center, was eager to enlist the U.S. Navy Medical Reserves -- but at 63, he was over the age limit. "I thought I was too old, but there is a need for Navy surgeons. A dad would usually swear in his daughter. For us it was the opposite," said Dr. Krause. A reservist, Dr. Krause reports to duty once each month. "All I really want to say is for now there is nothing to celebrate. My only hope is that when you call in three years I can say I was able to help a few sailors." Our source for this feel-good story, Staten Islander Dorotea DeFrancesco, calls Dr. Krause an "astonishing man," and was excited Dr. Krause could share the occasion with his daughter. "It was a very special day," says DeFrancesco, a cardiothoracic physician assistant who has been working side by side with Dr. Krause for 15 years. "It was beautiful to see this father and daughter share this incredible moment. "His passion for knowledge, and his love for giving back to his community is endless," she added. To the editor: As a father, I wont stand by while the NRA turns our kids into targets. Greene says on the mailer. Students should be worried about grades, not guns, says Greene, a father of three young sons. When I send my kids to school, I shouldnt be afraid theyll be killed in their classrooms. No parent should. And these are the words of promise of Jeff Greene. Nice words; nice promises; but so very unlikely to bear fruit. How would he attempt to fulfill these empty declarations? First, the NRA. This is an organization created to promote gun safety. If we make an attempt to use Jeff Greenes logic we might say: a good comparison would be to declare that automobile safety organizations promote auto deaths. Absurd! It would be most instructive for us to learn exactly what magic bullet: (sorry about that!) Mr. Greene would employ. I am waiting, Mr. Greene. The NRAs mission statement, summarized from its bylaws, is: To protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, especially with reference to the inalienable right of the individual American citizen guaranteed by such Constitution to acquire, possess, collect, exhibit, transport, carry, transfer ownership of, ! And Mr. Greene takes exception to this? Really? I am sure that in his own field of endeavor Mr. Greene is very knowledgeable but he is clearly out of his element in politics. He definitely is not a help to the Democratic Party. And so, Mr. Greene would bend and twist and rewrite portions of our Constitution to serve his political obsession. He will fail. Joseph L. Kibitlewski, PhD Cape Coral STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Over 200 students jumped and cheered as their favorite superheroes stopped by their classroom on Friday. The Humble Heroes -- an organization dedicated to lifting the spirits of kids in need -- visited students at P37R in celebration of the school's superhero week. "We started about two years ago with local Staten Islanders. Firefighters, teachers, ex-military, all walks of life," said Frank Recce, who was dressed as the web-shooting superhero Spiderman. "Our mission is to bring smiles to kids who are having a hard time." Humble Heroes partnered with The Bini Fund in order to provide sick and special needs children with their favorite characters. Carl V. Bini was a firefighter who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001, but his legacy lives on in the form of helping others on Staten Island. The Great Kills School is a self-contained building that provides education for special needs students between the ages of 3 and 21 year-round. "It's a great way to bring their favorite superheroes to life," said Assistant Principal Jessica Fitzpatrick. "Just seeing the kids light up, how could we not do this every year? [The Humble Heroes] went above and beyond with everything." Check out the photo gallery above to see images of the kids with their Humble Heroes. The students were each given a toy to commemorate the special day. And who is their favorite superhero? Othniel A., 8, said: "Siderman. He is my favorite because Spiderman is cool." Matthew T. couldn't contain his excitement when he saw Batman -- and he sang the famous theme song. "Spiderman is my favorite because he shoots webs," said 10-year-old Miguel P. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Tompkinsville Park is getting a much needed facelift. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced several planned improvements for the park at the intersection of Bay Street and Victory Boulevard Thursday. De Blasio said that the Parks Department will paint the benches and install new plants. The city Department of Transportation will install LED lights. De Blasio, a Democrat, also said that the city plans to take down the blighted comfort station at the park, which hasn't been used in two decades. "We're going to return Tompkinsville Park to the people of the Tompkinsville community," said de Blasio, alongside Debi Rose (D-North Shore) and several city officials. De Blasio promised to begin the improvement efforts "in a matter of weeks." " "This renovation is the culmination of many conversations and meetings I have had in recent years with the Parks Department, Homeless Services, Project Hospitality and the NYPD to find solutions," said Rose. "I thank the administration for recognizing the need, and the community groups that have provided positive programming in the park in recent years. I look forward to seeing this restoration become a reality." Drinking and drug use run rampant in the North Shore park, which also usually has a number of homeless people populating the area. Merchants told the Advance that the area has become more chaotic in recent years, saying that fights regularly break out and EMS ambulances make regular visits. POLICE PRESENCE Earlier this month the NYPD said that there would be two officers in the park for 17 hours a day and that there would be regular visits to the park at night. But even with an increased police presence during the Thursday press conference, a woman could be seen pan handling as attendees arrived at the park. "I've seen the same types of issues in regards to people doing drugs, fights, drunkenness and things of that nature," said Emanuel Bloomfield-Jones, a deacon at Port Richmond's Victory Church in Jesus Christ. Bobby Digi Olisa, a community activist and Democratic candidate for the North Shore Assembly seat, told the mayor during a resource fair Tuesday at Seaview's JCC community center about the issues in Tompkinsville Park. In a video -- which has garnered over 2,000 views on Facebook -- de Blasio can be seen calling over the city's Parks commissioner, Staten Island commanding officer Kenneth Corey, and other officials about how to improve the situation while hearing about some of Tompkinsville Park's issues. "It became clear that there are a lot of solutions available to us and that we need to move forwarded aggressively. This kind of park means a lot to a community. Every patch of green matters in New York City," said de Blasio. "It's a refugee for people. We want it to be a refugee, we want it to be a place that people feel good about and we know that hasn't always been the case in this park. We know that people didn't feel it was clean enough, and welcome enough, and safe enough and we needed to do something different." Olisa added, "Public service is about delivering for the community and Tompkinsville Park has been ignored for too long -- not only is it an eyesore for the community, but it has become a public safety concern, particularly after dark. I applaud Mayor de Blasio and his team...for taking swift action after the conversation the Mayor and I had earlier in the week." De Blasio also said that taking down the unused comfort station would open up the sightline in the park and make it safer. "We're going to get rid of it," said de Blasio. "We're going to clean this place up." North Shore Assembly candidate Patricia Kane, a union leader and open heart surgery nurse, was also in attendance. FOLLOW CLIFFORD MICHEL ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- St. John Villa Academy will be acquired by New York City, providing Staten Islanders with more than 1,000 new public school seats, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday. De Blasio said that the city will evaluate using the seven-acre Arrochar campus to accommodate intermediate school students as well as those in its "3K for All" initiative, an expansion of the city's universal Pre-K program. "When you can find a great early childhood education place for your kid that's high quality, that's safe and that's free, it's a huge load off your mind. ... Every parent knows in this city of ours you're talking $10,000 to $15,000 a year per kid for early childhood education if you have to pay for it separate from the education system," de Blasio said. "So we're really excited about 3K coming. This is a site we're going to be looking at. Middle school options we're going to be looking at here." The city Department of Education will begin a public review process in the fall to gather input from the community and Staten Island's Community Education Council about what type of school and programs would be best suited at the campus. Afterward, the City Council will vote on the final proposal. The city will reveal a timeline for the new facility once the community engagement process and the final assessment of the campus' condition are complete. "We are looking at a full masterplan here. This is not something we're going to do in a slipshod way," said city Schools Construction Authority President and CEO Lorraine Grillo, who attended the announcement with Borough President James Oddo and Department of Education Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. "We're going to do this as a comprehensive plan." The city has already signed a contract to buy the property pending final statutory approval. Details of how much the city will pay to acquire the campus will not be available until the process is complete, the city Department of Education said. Carranza said that the Villa campus and its impending renovation will become an asset to the surrounding community. "The new seven-acre campus gives us significant space to meet the needs of the district [as well as] the needs of this borough and this community. This long-term investment will benefit the community for years," he said. "A new facility will provide our children with the tools and obviously the resources that they need to achieve new and exciting learning opportunities right here in their neighborhood." De Blasio and Oddo expressed dismay at the closing of St. John Villa Academy, but said that it was best to keep the campus as an educational facility rather than sell it to a private developer. "[School closings are] not something we're ever happy about, but we know sometimes these changes happen," the mayor said. "The question was really, 'What's going to happen next?' And the danger was a developer comes in in the name of profit and does whatever they want and not something that benefits the community. "Unfortunately, we have a real clear example of this at Mount Manresa." "Priority number one for this administration, priority number one for the Borough Hall administration, is education," Oddo said. We're going to work collectively to make sure that this beautiful facility is true to, lives up to and is worthy of the tradition of St. John Villa Academy." Tracey Wright, the principal of PS 39, which is less than a half-mile away in Arrochar, told the Advance that it would be helpful if there was a local intermediate school or small high school at the site. "It would be wonderful if the students could walk to school; right now, they have to be bused," she said. "The parents want more options." Taryn Byrnes, an Arrochar parent of two, said that a new school in the neighborhood would potentially make her day-to-day routine a little easier, especially since one of her children is going into intermediate school. "The new facility means better options for parents like me and makes it easier for getting my kids where they need to be when they need to be there," she said. FOLLOW CLIFFORD MICHEL ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND , N.Y. -- While the fate of the New York Wheel remains in limbo, at least one investor has decided to reduce his stake in the project in an effort to "cut his losses." "I have recently reduced my holding," said Marino Katschmaryk, who modestly says he's invested a "few thousand" in the Challenger investment group for the development of the NY Wheel. "I have recently reduced my holding," said Marino Katschmaryk, a U.K-based NY Wheel investor. The United Kingdom-based investor says while he's hopeful the project comes to fruition, he's not confident it will. And, thus, he hopes to not "lose any more money." "The Wheel in New York was the draw for UK shareholders -- to own a part of the success of New York," he said. "But now there's a complete absence of information from NY Wheel LLC. ... and to now have no one speaking on its behalf is ominous. Nearly a year ago, NY Wheel's lawyers were saying they were in intensive discussions [to hire] American Bridge company. But still no American Bridge," added Katschmaryk, who initially invested in the project in July 2017. In May of this year, the Wheel was given 120 days to get the project to build a 630-foot-high observation wheel on the St. George waterfront back on track after it was derailed in May 2017. That's when its former contractor walked off the job and was subsequently fired. When the agreement was reached, the Wheel issued the following statement to the Advance: "The New York Wheel is committed to the development and completion of the project, and the revitalization of the Staten Island waterfront destination that it will promote. The settlement paves the way for the Wheel to continue to finalize its financing arrangements, and arrangements with a new contractor, American Bridge, the builder of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, and ARUP, a world-class, global engineering firm, and complete construction," said the NY Wheel. The agreement was hashed out in May, and spokespeople for the NY Wheel said they can't comment as to whether they are close to hiring a new contractor. In fact, the NY Wheel has just over 40 days to make a move on the project. And Katschmaryk isn't happy. "Without a representative for the project going public with a positive statement and a definite date for the restart, I'm relieved to have taken most of my money off the table, as optimism is at an all time low," he said. "The share price had been badly hit by the stoppage. I had faith that the project would be back on track soon enough, and I would be both [making a] profit and a shareholder in a part of New York," added Katschmaryk. FINANCING NEEDED While the NY Wheel told the Advance $400 million of the $580 million allotted for the project through private investors was already spent when the project was indefinitely delayed last spring, it's unclear how much financing is needed for the project to continue. Since this is a privately-funded project, the NY Wheel has no obligation to disclose how much financing is needed for the tourist attraction to come to fruition. In 2015, former NY Wheel CEO Rich Marin told the Advance the project was fueled by $195 million in senior debt from the Highbridge Strategies hedge fund unit of JPMorgan Chase, $111 million in equity, and $174 million from CanAm Enterprises as part of a federal green card program known as EB-5. A representative of CanAm Enterprises hasn't returned Advance phone calls about the investment. MAYOR MAKES PROMISES Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a town hall meeting this week that City Hall would get involved to help see a resolution for the embattled New York Wheel. "I'm willing to see the city push everyone toward resolution," he said. "I want to make sure that city resources are protected ... we can try and aggressively get everyone back on the same page." "The outlets I think are going to work out fine ... but the Wheel we've got to figure out a solution," the mayor continued. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown detailed Thursday the allegations against a woman with Staten Island ties charged in her son's death. Phyllis Reinoso, 31, allegedly failed to administer her epileptic son's prescribed medication, which contributed to his death on Jan. 22 2017, according to a media release from Brown's office. "The victim in this case was a little boy with an ailment that could be controlled if the medication he required was administered correctly and consistently," Brown said. "The defendant in this case - the boy's mother - after repeated instructions from the doctor, failed to follow those simple instructions." Michael Guzman, 5, was found unresponsive inside the family's Jamaica Estates home, where he lived with his mother, father and five siblings. Reinoso is charged with assault and manslaughter, according to the media release. The assault charge stems from a September 2016 incident in which Reinoso allegedly did not follow a doctor's orders to take the boy to the hospital "first thing" the next day after the frequency of his seizures increased. She did eventually bring Michael to the hospital the next day. An examination determined he was having multiple, uncontrollable seizures because he didn't receive his necessary medication, according to the release. He was administered a high dose of an anti-seizure medication, which Brown's office said saved his life, and stayed at the hospital for eight days, according to the release. The Administration for Child Services had 13 open cases against the family between October 2008 and January 2016, according to a report from the New York Post. Reinoso fled the state after her son's death, and was eventually apprehended in Alabama, according to the media release. Brown's office said Reinoso lived at the Queens home, but the NYPD identified a home on Jules Drive in Graniteville as her last known address. Public records indicate she previously lived there. A judge set Reinoso's bail at $1 million cash or bond. If convicted, she faces 25 years in prison. Her lawyer listed in online court records did not return a request for comment Thursday night. She is due back in court Aug. 17. NEW YORK -- Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been sentenced to seven years in prison for public corruption. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni announced the sentence Friday at a court in Manhattan. Silver was once among Albany's most powerful Democrats until he was felled by a corruption scandal. He was initially found guilty in 2015 of pocketing $4 million illegally by collecting fees from a cancer researcher and real estate developer. His conviction and 12-year prison sentence were thrown out by an appeals court, but the 74-year-old fared no better at a second trial in May. In a pre-sentence submission, Silver said he was filled with shame and feared he would die in prison. SILVER'S CONNECTION TO THE STATEN ISLAND SECESSION MOVEMENT In 1994, Silver single-handedly put an end to the Island seceding from New York City, as previously reported in the Staten Island Advance and SILive. Staten Islanders, sick of being treated like the "forgotten borough," voted 65-35 to become independent from the city. But an amendment to the original secession referendum required the state Legislature and governor to sign off on it. The governor and the state Senate did, but Silver said the City Council had to send a "home rule" message of support for the secession. But it never came. Some challenged Silver's decision in a lawsuit and lost, both in the lower court and the court of appeals, which ruled in 1996, refusing to overturn Silver's decision two years earlier. The appellate court agreed that the speaker's decision is immune from judicial review under the Speech or Debate Clause of the state constitution, which reads: "For any speech or debate in either house of the legislature, the members shall not be questioned in any other place." It mimics a similar clause in the U.S. Constitution. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With a high-end industrial, yet rustic, look -- all 7,200 square feet of Tommy's Tavern + Tap is bound to be brimming with patrons next month when the bar/restaurant opens in the Staten Island Mall, New Springville. When Tommy Bonfiglio, owner of Tommy's Tavern + Tap in Sea Bright, N.J., heard about the Staten Island Mall expansion, he knew he wanted to bring his business to the borough. "Tommy's Tavern + Tap has a little bit of something for everyone -- the best pizza, sushi and typical tavern food, and it's family-oriented," said Jim Dabas, general manager of the Staten Island operation, on a recent "sneak peek" tour of the new restaurant, which is still under construction. "Tommy saw this location and fell in love with it here. ..We are bringing a great vibe here," he added. Workers are putting the finishing touches on the venue, which will include a 45-seat "wrap-around" bar, about 30 big screen televisions, and accommodations for 300 people for dinner and drinks, said Christina Bonfiglio, Tommy's daughter, who plays a key role in the operations. TOMMY'S TAVERN HISTORY After being active in both the law and accounting fields, Tommy Bonfigilo became a restaurateur in 2015, opening Tommy's Tavern on the ocean in Sea Bright. After a century-old Sea Bright structure was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, Bonfiglio bought the property and created a 400-seat bar and restaurant -- with 35 televisions and 24 rotating taps -- where you can dine on everything from pizza to sushi while enjoying a cocktail with friends. "We took a risk on an abandoned building in this little beach town after Hurricane Sandy. The building used to be a 100-year-old Post Office. And people thought my mom and dad were crazy when we bought it," said Christina Bonfiglio. "We found this 100-year-old brick and wood and created a beautiful space, and we are trying to re-create that on Staten Island," she added. And the Bonfiglios hope to replicate "the Tommy's Tavern experience" in the new Staten Island establishment. Tommy's Tavern + Tap is opening in August in the Staten Island Mall 8 Gallery: Tommy's Tavern + Tap is opening in August in the Staten Island Mall FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- His illegal, after-hours entry into a neighborhood bodega will cost a Stapleton man up to three years behind bars. Sammie Serrano, 52, of Prince Street, broke into the store at 425 Vanderbilt Ave. at about 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 9, said a criminal complaint. The defendant kicked in the rear door, shattering glass, and snatched $1,500 in cash, the complaint said. The defendant pleaded guilty Friday in state Supreme Court, St. George, to a felony charge of third-degree burglary. It was the top count against him. In exchange, Serrano will be sentenced Aug. 10 to one to three years in prison. Defense attorney Leo Duval declined comment on the case. Assistant District Attorney Frank Prospero is prosecuting it. Serrano has a criminal record. In May 2015, he was sentenced to three years' probation after previously pleading guilty to petit larceny stemming from a Feb. 17, 2015, incident, online state court records show. He also was ordered to pay restitution of $1,300 in that case. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A St. George man has earned himself some new digs upstate for bashing his building superintendent with a metal object six months ago and swiping the victim's wallet. Christian Golder, 21, of the 100 block of Belmont Place, pleaded guilty Thursday in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted second-degree robbery stemming from the Jan. 23 incident. According to a criminal complaint, Golder called the victim and falsely reported a leak in another building in the neighborhood where the man works. The defendant accosted the victim behind an apartment building on the 100 block of Daniel Low Terrace around 9:30 p.m. and hit him in the face and body with a metal object, said the complaint. He snatched the man's wallet containing credit cards and cash, the complaint said. Golder was arrested about a half-hour later. The victim suffered contusions and lacerations to the head and face requiring several stitches to close, the complaint said. In exchange for his plea, the defendant will be sentenced Aug. 16 to two years in prison and three years' post-release supervision. "This young man decided to take responsibility for his actions," said defense lawyer Kevin McKernan. "He's going to use the time in prison to better himself so that when he enters back into society he'll have a productive life. He apologizes to the victim and deeply regrets his actions." Assistant District Attorney Travis Atkinson stood in Thursday for Assistant District Attorney Frank Prospero, who is prosecuting the case. By NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is not resting on his laurels as the July 31st MLB non-waiver trade deadline approaches. On Tuesday, Cashman acquired Baltimore Orioles reliever Zach Britton in exchange for three minor leaguers. On Thursday, Cashman picked up Toronto Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ in exchange for Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney. Now, Cashman could be looking for a bat, per Fancred's Jon Heyman: Yankees have considered Mike Moustakas. See the asking price as high for now. Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 27, 2018 This isn't the first time the Yankees have been linked to Moustakas. The Yankees were first connected to Moustakas shortly after July 4th, when MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported multiple teams are interested in Moustakas as a first baseman, including the Yankees. Since then, the Royals gave Moustakas some reps at first base during games while the Yankees happened to have a scout in attendance. Moustakas and the Royals are in town this weekend for a four-game series at Yankee Stadium. Based on the Yankees' 7-2 win on Thursday night, chances have improved that Moustakas might not leave town after the series. Right fielder Aaron Judge will be out at least three weeks after breaking his wrist in Thursday's win. That comes just two days after catcher Gary Sanchez returned to the disabled list with a strained groin. He could be out until September. Moustakas would add some thump to a lineup which is now missing two of its biggest bats. He's hitting .249 this season with 20 home runs and 62 RBI. The 29-year-old hit a career-high 38 home runs last season. He was a free agent after the 2017 MLB season and was hoping for a big payday, along the lines of what J.D. Martinez got from the Red Sox (five years, $110 million). But that deal never materialized and Moustakas returned to Kansas City on a one-year, $6.5 million contract. Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Early this morning, Lee County commissioners unanimously approved a test project for algae clean up, as well as the filing of an application for state funding, in an attempt to relieve Southwest Florida waters of the toxic blue-green algae that has plagued various communities and its residents. The board also approved spending up to $150,000 in county dollars, if necessary, before grant money is obtained. Im glad they declared their emergency status which will allow us to have grant money, said Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello, who was in attendance at the emergency County Commission meeting. County Natural Resources Director Roland Ottolini walked Commissioners Cecil Pendergrass, Frank Mann and Brian Hamman through his findings from aerial pictures taken of the algal blooms across Southwest Florida and most notably, Cape Coral. It was agreed that a short-term solution of sorts is needed to remove the algae in the most concentrated areas through a vendor already under state contract. The biggest issue is where to dispose of the algae once its vacuumed up. The largest challenge were dealing with at the moment is disposal of the algae and water, said County Manager Roger Desjarlais. When that algae is disturbed, were told that it releases more toxins and so the water that gets skimmed with this algae is probably going to be some pretty toxic stuff. We just dont have an approved method of disposal yet. The Department of Environmental Protection is reportedly working hard to find an approved method of disposal for the toxic cyanobacteria. Until we have that method of disposal, theres no point in even getting started, Desjarlais continued. The experts stated that the collection and removal of toxic algae has been untested and that these test projects will be charting new territory. As for how they will remove the algae from the waters, Its pretty rudimentary, Desjarlais divulged. It amounts to vacuuming the stuff off the top. Its mechanical, its pretty basic. The primary focus is a skimmer type of operation. Removing algae where it is most prevalent and is at its worst is the goal of this test project but it will only provide a temporary fix. The short-term solution that we speak of is simply to get the high concentrations from everyones backyard. No one should misunderstand, that is not a long-term solution for reducing the algae blooms themselves, warned Desjarlais. The commissioners noted that the city of Cape Coral is one of the worst affected municipalities and a working relationship between the city and county has already taken form. It sounds like we still need to find a solution on where to put the algae, said Coviello. There certainly seems to be ways to get it out of the canals that were having a problem with. As long as they can mitigate where it goes environmentally, I think weve got a win-win situation. Im glad the county has somewhat partnered with Cape Coral and were looking for remedies to our problem. Coviello addressed the panel of commissioners and experts during the public comment portion and called for swift and decisive action that would be welcomed in our city. Overall, the mayor seemed encouraged that there might be a glimmer of light on the issue and for residents who wake up to the foul looking and smelling algae in their backyard each morning. Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj By 2015, mentally and physically shattered, Chapman went into bankruptcy, nominating a trustee. But Bendigo replaced the trustee with its own. Great Southern investor Tristan Chapman during his time in the military. The $93,600 loan had ballooned to $185,000 as hefty interest payments of more than 10 per cent accrued. We felt there was no other option, there was no help available, he said. But says he is disgusted by the treatment of Bendigo and the bankruptcy trustee in its pursuit of debts. In 2017 he had open heart surgery after his cardiologist told him he was a ticking bomb. He claimed a $150,000 trauma payout on his life insurance policy, which he says was immediately seized by the trustee and paid to Bendigo. Steve Navra Credit:Rebecca Hallas Bendigo calls itself a community bank, its anything but a community bank the way it behaves, he says. Bendigo says it is "confident we have acted fairly and reasonably towards borrowers in a consistent and ethical manner". It says that cases of inappropriate advice and fraudulent loans are matters that should be addressed with advisors directly. On Chapman, it says his "bankruptcy was overseen by a registered trustee, and the bank was one of several creditors. "The bank does not know anything about Mr Chapmans insurance payout, nor his heart surgery. Chapman was last week discharged from bankruptcy and says the bulk of his debts were to Bendigo. He regrets he ever met Navra, who was dubbed a "pinup boy for bad financial advice" during a senate committee hearing in 2015 that raked over Great Southern, Timbercorp and other managed investment scheme disasters. According to evidence given to the committee, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) had identified Navra clients who "may have" recieved inappropriate advice. The Navra Group liquidated in late 2011 and Navra himself entered bankruptcy in 2012. Navra was discharged in 2015 and has since launched a new Melbourne business, My Property Mentor. For a time, before the Great Southern collapse, Navra even based himself in Great Southern's own office in North Sydney. In evidence given to the parliamentary committee by a former Navra employee and investor, Navra was estimated to have pocketed as much as $5 million in commissions and other incentives from Great Southern investors before the company's collapse. Navra denies any wrongdoing, telling Fairfax Media that he didnt give his clients inappropriate advice. He said Great Southern forced him into bankruptcy in 2010 but he is now discharged. On the 2001 bankruptcy, he says his debts were settled and he believes the record of bankruptcy is an error. He said he changed his name from Navra to Navratil after his father died and requested in his will that he revert back to his father's name. It was purely to honour his memory, he says. And Navra believes he has been unfairly targeted in parliament. If I had done something wrong ASIC would have taken action against me, he says. Im an elderly person in my 60s working month by month. An ASIC spokesman said it had investigated Navra following concerns about his advice, which was finalised once it was determined Navra was bankrupt and no longer in the financial advice industry. The regulator said it was aware Navra was now providing advice on property investment, but said this did not appear to be financial advice under the Corporations Act. Navra's Record Excerpts from Bitter Harvest, a report by the senate Economics References Committee published March 2016:. "Steve Navra was another individual whose name was mentioned in a number of submissions as an example of a disreputable adviser continuing to operate in the industry. For example, one investor stated: I have heard that Mr Navra (who provided the advice to my family, friends and I) has moved to Victoria and is again providing advice to unsuspecting investors. I am saddened to hear that this is the case and sincerely hope that his new clients do not have an experience like mine. "I was quite surprised at Keating, because he has had a longstanding enmity towards Fairfax, and The Sydney Morning Herald in particular," says Peter Fray, a former editor of that masthead. "I was taken aback, and I was thinking, what has Channel Nine done recently that was so bad to him?" In a way, Keating's anger towards the deal perfectly encapsulates the issues at stake. In the 1990s, Nine's 60 Minutes current affairs program investigated the former PM's controversial investment in a piggery. Keating was cleared of any wrongdoing in this matter, but has harboured resentment about it ever since. In a later appearance on the ABC's 7.30 program, Keating claimed Nine's billionaire controlling shareholder Kerry Packer was behind the story because he, as prime minister, had prevented the mogul from buying Fairfax. Illustration: Dionne Gain Now, from his perspective, things have come full circle, with disastrous consequences all but inevitable. But arguably, the piggery story is the kind of journalism that the Fairfax independence charter would protect from interference from above. According to reports, Packer was actually reluctant to run the story. Keating evidently disagrees and claims it was personally motivated. Regardless, Packer is now deceased, and his descendants have no involvement in, or ownership stake in (let alone control over) Nine. The media world has moved on from the rivalries that dominated in the '80s and '90s to confront a different threat - the giants of the internet. And that threat goes a long way towards explaining why the Fairfax-Nine deal is finally happening. 'The more scale ... the better' After Costello's phone call to Falloon, Fairfax reviewed the proposal and decided to proceed with it. A secret internal project codenamed Project Galactic commenced. "We looked at it and we talked to them about it, and then we went into a period of rapid due diligence on it," says Hywood. Unusually for the media industry, news of the deal didn't leak. Loading "We've been talking to everyone in the media constantly," says Marks. "Now we were at a point in time where it made sense. The industrial logic stacked up." Nine's offer is comprised of cash and shares. After a horrid ratings year in 2016, the TV station, which airs NRL games and shows such as Today and The Block recovered last year. Before the deal was announced, its share price was close to its highest levels since emerging from bankruptcy in 2013. Hywood and his counterpart at Nine both sit on the board of Stan, the streaming video service the two companies set up in 2015 that has emerged as the country's biggest competitor to Netflix. Marks and Falloon are even closer, having worked together at Packer's media vehicle, PBL, for many years. Under the deal Nine will gain control of Fairfax's newspapers, its 60 per cent stake in real estate portal Domain, the remaining 50 per cent of Stan, and Fairfax's interests in radio stations such as Sydney's 2GB and Melbourne's 3AW. Marks said it would create a business on a stronger footing, one able to better compete with the likes of Facebook and Google. "That is the one thing that has fundamentally changed, competing with those businesses" he says of the rise of Google and Facebook. "Responding to that in a way we can grow is the exercise." Nine will now be able to sell advertising across print, television and radio. It will also have control of two fast-growing digital properties, Domain and Stan. "It was clear that in a world with large [internet giants] the more scale you had the better," says Hywood. "Therefore a merger with a free-to-air [television company], particularly one like Nine, they see the world strategically in much the same terms as we do, made a lot of sense." Jeff Kennett, former Liberal Victorian premier and current Seven West Media director, who has in the past defended the independence of Melbourne's Age newspaper, says he has no objections to the Nine deal. Loading "Mr Marks has offered assurance to the public about the independence of the group, the question is whether the public believe him," he says. "You have got to take him at face value, if thats what he says you have got to believe him. I dont think he is dishonest at all." Keating, in his 7.30 interview took a different line. Asked by presenter Ellen Fanning whether he believed Marks' commitment to the charter, he said: "No." "There has been no moral compass in the guidance of its news management ever," he said. "Foot in the door journalism, chequebook journalism, you name it theyve been in it." "Kerry Packer had the Nine Network chase me in private life." Hywood believes quality and independence are a crucial part of Fairfax's success: "If management started bullying editors into writing stuff because there was a commercial benefit to it, the business would fall apart." And, asked whether editorial jobs could be at risk, Marks says: "Certainly not as a result of this deal." Where to from here? It remains possible that the Fairfax-Nine deal won't get over the line, but market sources, and executives from both companies, think it is unlikely. "I feel confident, its a really good proposal," says Marks. The competition watchdog will review the deal. Assuming the regulator has no objections, it will go to a shareholder vote, expected before the end of the year. The possibility that another company, perhaps a rival media player that doesn't want to see the deal happen decides to enter the fray and disrupt things cannot be ruled out. But the notion the Fairfax-Nine deal will lead to a wave of media mergers is considered unlikely. Mainly because there isn't much left to combine. "Once this one gets done it's going to pretty tough for anyone to do anything else,' said Sondal Bensan, an analyst at global fund manager Pendal, the biggest institutional shareholder in Nine. "There's not many deals left that can be done to create what this combined business will be." It's tempting to view the saga through the prism of partisan politics and age-old media alliances. That is certainly the way Keating sees it. Turnbull, who ushered through the changes to media laws that paved the way for this week's events has his own history with the two companies. He was Kerry Packer's longtime legal adviser. But the two fell out, spectacularly, according to reports. The reason? Fairfax. Specifically Packer's exclusion from a consortium that ended up buying it. Another way to view the deal, which is more grounded in commercial reality, is the desire for scale to compete with internet giants. This dynamic is certainly not limited to Australian media. Even Rupert Murdoch, another mogul with whom Keating has also clashed, sold his film and TV empire to Disney for this reason. In the meantime, the role Fairfax newspapers play in Australian democracy will remain the talking point. "What we are most concerned about is the ongoing commitment to quality journalism," says Fray. A group of companies linked to notorious property spruiker Henry Kayes failed land banking schemes, that fleeced millions of dollars from mum and dad investors, have been successfully shut down by Australias financial watchdog. Federal Court orders issued this week will wind up, in the public interest, five companies used by Kaye, his lawyers and business associates to scam investors of as much as $100 million. Henry Kaye, Jamie McIntyre and another associate at a fancy dress party. All five companies were linked to the slickly-promoted land banking schemes in Melbourne's outer west and Bendigo, part of a network of scams across Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, revealed by The Age in early 2015. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) successfully applied for Federal Court orders to wind up Brookfield Riverside, Bilkurra West, Bilkurra South, and Gillies Road, claiming the companies were insolvent. Clearly, there is an election coming in NSW as evidenced by the governments recent backdown on a new code that helped the missing middle densities of terrace houses and townhouses. Only a month after the NSW government released the code they had been working on for three years the Minister for Planning announced that any council that was worried about the code could ask for a deferral for a year. Amazingly 50 councils across NSW were allowed to opt out of a code that speeded up approvals of two storey medium density homes in areas where councils already allowed these building types. Developments could be put on hold as the NSW elections get closer. Credit:Mark Merton The overreaction that flowed from the 50 councils was really a proxy for two things. Firstly, after being battered by the state government for a few years over amalgamation threats the councils do not want to be told by the state how their suburbs should look. Ironically in the aftermath of BHPs $US40 billion disaster it is now looking pretty appealing. BHP has demonstrated superior skill in its masterful $US10.8 billion ($14.6 billion) sale of its US onshore shale assets. A bigger price, a clean deal and ahead of time. BHP Billiton's Fayetteville Shale, USA Credit:Alan Baxter As far as cleaning the mess it made when it bought these assets, management has demonstrated real talent. It doesnt compensate for the fact that it spent $US40 billion on these assets which torched capital and its reputation in the process. The company had to endure more than $US12 billion in impairment writedowns on the assets over the past five years - the final one it announced on Friday was about $US2.9 billion pre-tax. It's not everyday you re-launch your fitness app after pumping $1 million into its technology and another couple of grand into securing the rights to Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar recipes, so Sam Wood made sure to make the monumental moment into a family affair. Sam Wood, fiancee Snezana Markoski and daughters Eve and Willow at the launch of his new updated fitness app, 28 on Wednesday. Credit:Allegra Sugianto Loading Much to the delight of bleary-eyed attendees who rocked up to Sydney Harbour at the crack of dawn for his first exercise class to celebrate the new-look 28 App, they were not only greeted by the former Bachelor, but also his fiancee Snezana Markoski, their daughter Willow, nine months, and her daughter Eve, 13 (from a previous relationship), too. No one seemed to mind the burpees and what felt like endless squatting with a giggling little Willow acting as a welcome distraction to the burn as she sat contently on the end of her mother's mat chewing on one of her Nikes. With Catherine McClements in Water Rats, aka Gerbils. "I found it totally liberating because I could just concentrate on what I was doing," he says. "See, I don't think the audience is remotely interested in what somebody is feeling. They are only interested in what someone is going to do. That will bring enough drama to any situation." His harshest self-flagellation, though, is reserved for his efforts on stage, despite the fact that is where he feels most alive in his work. "I always feel so energised and fantastic when I come offstage," he says. "You get really fit too, because you're breathing so well." 'I was terrible in it': Friels in Alkinos Tsilimidos's 2004 film Tom White. Anyone who has ever seen Friels act will know he's actually pretty good at it (and his star turn in Malcolm remains an Australian film highlight for many people). But as we tuck into a delicious chicken parfait and a plate of locally caught whitebait, he rattles off a list of performances so dire, in his own estimation, that you have to wonder how he's managed to make a living all these years. In David Hare's Skylight two years ago he was so "dreadful" that he still "cringes inside" when he thinks of it. In Death of a Salesman he was "shocking". In Samuel Beckett's Endgame he was "a disaster" so much so, he says, that he offered a refund. Colin Friels once offered his audience a refund, telling them: 'I'm really sorry, but that was crap.' Credit:Paul Jeffers "I talked to the audience one night and said, 'I'm really sorry, but I've had a win [on the horses] and if I can give any of you some money back I'm really sorry, but that was crap'." What are we supposed to make of such relentless excoriation from one of Australia's most popular and acclaimed actors, a man with a Helpmann, a Logie and a couple of AFI awards to his name? Is it crippling self-doubt? False modesty? An accurate and unflinching assessment of his actual performances? With wife Judy Davis in Gillian Armstrong's High Tide (1987). Credit:Fairfax Media Certainly Friels identifies a period when poor health overlapped with, and had an influence on, a run of "bad" performances. When he collapsed onstage during Death of a Salesman at Belvoir in 2012, it was due to an attack of pancreatitis. "I think I had a crook bit of fish that night," he recalls. "I was in hospital for eight or nine days after that. I was in deep trouble then." He claims there was a stretch of six or seven years where he barely slept due to acute carpal tunnel syndrome, which threatened to render his right arm useless and was only diagnosed and treated (surgically) in the past year. Pappardelle of slow cooked wallaby, spring onion, pecorino. Credit:Paul Jeffers Now, though, he's fine and raring to go, with a string of stage performances planned for the rest of the year. He's doing a revival of Faith Healer a play written by Irishman Brian Friel ("we're actually related", he says excitedly) and directed by Judy Davis in Adelaide from September and a production of August Strindberg's Dance of Death (again under his wife's direction) in Sydney at the end of the year. But first there's the Melbourne run of one-man show Scaramouche Jones, in which he plays an ageing clown reflecting upon his life on and off stage. Friels as Scaramouche Jones. "It's theatre at its barest, simply story, with no fourth wall for the audience," he says. "It's as old as sitting in an amphitheatre in Greece and having some old thespo telling you a yarn." At 65, Friels is a thespo old enough to be willing the next generation to do their best "hopefully there's some young people running around now with good sharp swords who are going to run their blades through all our ribs, kill us all off" but vital enough to still thrill at the challenge and the terror of a new role. Blue-eyed cod, crushed potatoes, capsicum salsa. Credit:Paul Jeffers He is an instinctual performer with a short attention span, who needs to feel rather than think his way into a part. But it takes time and, he concedes, it doesn't always happen. "I have no rehearsal technique. I just chuck myself in the torrent. It's horrible to watch." Although he loves working with Davis, he says: "I'd rather not inflict myself on her. Someone who knows you intimately knows all your weaknesses." Receipt for lunch at Copper Pot restaurant, Seddon, with Colin Friels and Karl Quinn. Credit:Karl Quinn It's interesting to note that despite all this negative self-talk, as the therapists would put it, Friels is far more upbeat about his worth in the realm he says would have been his path had he not been struck by the acting bug. If he hadn't gone to NIDA as a 20-year-old, he says, "I would have laid bricks and worked horses. I was a good brickies' labourer, and I loved it. I'm still the happiest man in the world with a batch of cement and a bunch of bricks." As we tuck into our mains a wallaby ragu pasta for me, blue-eye for him he tells me he's building a stone wall on his property at Moss Vale, a couple of hours south of Sydney. The farm is a remote place, eight or nine kilometres down a dirt road, and he can go weeks at a time without seeing or talking to anyone else. "I'll talk to myself a bit 'come on you old idiot, get going, get that fence fixed, that horse needs trimming'. I talk to my horse a lot, to my jack russell. You handle the rocks all day and start talking to the rocks. 'You are so beautiful' or 'you bastard, what's wrong with you'." He's no loner, he insists "I like people, I like company" but there's something entrancing about the physicality of all that hard work that is enough for him. "You wake up at 6.30 in the morning, stiff in the body, aching, you stretch it out and get into it. It's wonderful." That was what drew him to acting, too. "I thought of it physically and visually I didn't know what it was but I just thought, 'I want to do that'." It's little wonder then that Friels who arrived in Australia as the 11-year-old son of working-class immigrants from Glasgow resists the idea of what he does as any kind of art. "It's a craft. An actor can't be an artist, it's impossible. He can be a good craftsman, there's nothing wrong with that, the craft is quite beautiful. But your job is to serve the writers. An actor's got a job to do. Hopefully over the years if you get enough practice, you learn what's best to do, what not to do." The ideal state for an actor, he says, is a complete absence of self-consciousness. For the celebrity thespian, he muses, that must be an incredibly difficult state to achieve. But not for him. "A Chinese doctor I'd been seeing said to me once, 'Are you famous?' And I said no. He said, 'Ah, good. To seek fame is like pig seeking slaughter'." Mind you, he could well be famous and not know it. He doesn't own a computer, and never has. "I've never had an email in my life, never written an email. I've done maybe four text messages." He's got nothing against technology, he just doesn't feel the need to embrace it. "It will give you information more quickly but it doesn't make you a more enlightened person." If this humble, self-doubting salt-of-the-Earth Luddite schtick is a performance, it's a good one. And it's one to which he remains utterly committed to the end. As I order an Uber back to the office, Friels reels out one more anecdote at his own expense. "I'm so dumb that I called information once because I couldn't get a cab, and I asked for the number for Uber," he says. "The operator said, 'It's an app', so I said, 'Well can you give me the number for the app?'." One of the best films released locally so far this year, Robin Campilo's drama was inspired by his involvement in the 1980s with the Paris branch of the activist group ACT UP, battling for the rights of people with AIDS in an era when homosexuality was still an official taboo. But this is no dry-message movie: the many scenes given over to the nitty-gritty of political debate are realist and romantic at once. Played by a line-up of charismatic young actors such as Arnaud Valois and Nahuel Perez Biscayart, the characters are putting their bodies on the line in two senses, as rebels willing to break the law and as lovers facing the threat of AIDS itself. Caught up in their individual postures and the intoxication of group struggle, they're not so far from the student protesters who swept the streets of Paris in May 1968, a utopian moment recalled in films like Philippe Garrel's Regular Lovers. But the world of the 1980s is one darkened by a dreadful accident of history, where yielding to desire carries risks unimaginable a few years earlier. STREAMING DARK TOURIST, NETFLIX, SEASON ONE AVAILABLE NOW In the eternally connected age of globalisation, finding a fresh angle on travel is difficult, so Netflix has taken a punt on an ethically questionable approach to tourism with its first unscripted original New Zealand commission. Broadcast journalist David Farrier (whose bizarrely compelling 2016 documentary Tickled, about the world of competitive endurance tickling, is also on Netflix), visits some of the world's most macabre tourist spots, and "experiences". From places most of us avoid, like combat zones or nuclear disaster sites like Fukushima, which Farrier visits with a van load of fellow rubberneckers all clutching geiger counters, to abandoned cities such as the Cypriot resort of Famagusta, fenced off since it was invaded by the Turkish army in the '70s, and morally questionable tours like the JFK assassination one in Dallas, Farrier, who has a touch of Louis Theroux about him, visits them all. But only sometimes does he try to counterbalance the exploitative nature of some of these visits, which makes the series a little uneven. And some of the places Farrier visits aren't so much "dark" as just culturally different, like the voodoo ceremony he attends in West Africa ,or the Mexican death cult. While his cool Kiwi detachment can feel cold in places, many of the places Farrier visits are undeniably intriguing, and by the end of the series, even he has become emotional at some of the experiences he's shared with viewers. The Turnbull government and regulators must release the modelling underpinning the National Energy Guarantee to reassure the public that projected savings are real, Federal Labor and leading analysts said. The call comes as discrepancies appear both with the policy's own figures - handed to state and territory governments this week by the Energy Security Board - and with those of one of the board's key members. What are the underlying assumptions that have gone into the National Energy Guarantee's forecasts? Credit: Labor-led state and territory governments are planning to caucus a range of demands on the energy plan for the federal government in coming days. Seeking some form of external peer-review of the board's modelling for its full final design paper has been raised with at least one state government, Fairfax Media understands. The Coonamble Declaration, passed unanimously in the town bowlo last December, isnt about Coonamble. Its a manifesto for our times. Not on our watch, it declares. The GAB [Great Artesian Basin] is too important to be put at risk and the APA pipeline will be blocked at any cost. Fighting words. But still I reckon Aussie farmers are way too nice. Id be pouring my milk by the gigalitre into the Warragamba by now. Id be piling my meat higher than the Martin Place banks and letting it rot, blockading Macquarie Street with cattle-trucks. Id be doing farm-protest the French way. Anything to make them listen. Coonamble has been hit hard by a lack of rain. Credit:Dean Sewell This is not about drought. Yes, its frighteningly dry. Coonamble has had 1mm of rain this month - 3 per cent of their average rainfall. But drought just intensifies the ongoing, human-driven nightmare of coal seam gas. Somehow, the farmers own conservative side of politics has signed them up to a GSG invasion that can commandeer their land and destroy their water with negligible benefit to them but massive risk health, legal, moral, property, financial and environmental. Its unclean, unhealthy and catastrophically unfair. Grasping the depth of this political treachery, farmers gaze across their bare brown paddocks. They read the lying letters, hear their representatives weasel words and watch the huge, international gas-drillers flex their ugly muscles. Watch them snuggle up with government, rev their bully-machines and grin, triumphant. Then they quietly despair. Where do we go, they murmur, when we cant live here? Sydneysiders were greeted by the strong smell of smoke on Friday morning, believed to be from two fires on the city's outer fringes. The state government's air quality monitoring systems for the Sydney region tipped from "Good" to "Fair" between 6 and 7am as the NEPH reading for visibility, which measures fine particles in the air, reached 77. Smoke covers Sydney Harbour, as seen in a file picture. Credit:Janie Barrett Smoke from a bushfire in Campbelltown - under control since Thursday afternoon - is believed to be partly responsible, although the Rural Fire Service said on Friday morning that the 118-hectare blaze was "contained and the majority of that fire is out". The National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW began a planned three-day, 900-hectare backburn in the Hawkesbury on Thursday, but cut it short to just 100 hectares. It is possible residual smoke from the Blaxland Ridge hazard reduction activity contributed to the smoke in the city. "Josette put her hand on my arm and said, 'You can do this. You've beaten cancer, you'll be fine,'" says Megan. Credit:Jessica Hromas MEGAN: When I was six, I had an ache in my left knee that kept occurring. I was riding a scooter a lot and my folks thought it was growing pains, but one night I woke up in agony. Our GP X-rayed my knee and couldn't find anything, so he decided to X-ray my hips. They found a tumour the size of an orange. I was admitted to hospital the next day. I remember that first night clearly. I was so scared. When my parents had to leave I watched them walk away; I don't think I'll ever forget that. When the lights went out, that's when I cried, silently so the nurse wouldn't come back. I was supposed to have an amputation, but I was headstrong and said no. Instead they gave me radiation and chemo. It takes a special kind of person to work in paediatric oncology, and I wasn't always a good patient. I didn't remember Josette, but Mum does: she says she always treated me with kindness and respect. The treatment took two years. The radiation left a fourth-degree burn and my hip bone has disintegrated, so I've had my other leg shortened three times to even me up. It has also affected an ovary and left me with a hormonal imbalance. Conder man and former army officer Shane Stroud half-jokes when he explains he is riding across Australia on a recumbent bike because "I'm a middle-aged fat man". "It will be a lot more comfortable and a lot more forgiving on my body when I'm planning to do 150km a day," he said. Canberra man and former army officer Shane Stroud will be raising money for Legacy and the Salvation Army as part of his epic journey The 54-year-old public servant on Saturday begins the drive to Perth. He'll be doing the return 4000km trip on his recumbent bike, with his 77-year-old father Garry as support crew. They will leave Perth on August 3 and plan to take 25 days to get to Moruya, starting from one ocean and finishing at another. In the book Pascoe examines aspects of Aboriginal life prior to the arrival of British settlers. In particular he shows quite convincingly that Aboriginal people were not simply hunters and gathers living in a kind of rudimentary lean-to structure. On the contrary, they cultivated the land, built sturdy and lasting housing for themselves, built dams and used irrigation techniques for their crops, stored food, governed themselves and so on. The history that in general has been passed down to white people simply doesnt tell us such things. But reading the book in the week before the show, I wondered how Pascoes story would translate into dance. I dont think it translated very well, to tell the truth, and I wish I hadnt read the book in advance. Loading There was a strong historical argument in Pascoes book, but in setting out that argument he used very specific examples. In one section of the book, for example, Pascoe talks about the Indigenous use of fire for back burning. A section of the dance clearly was about fire if nothing else the lighting told us so. But the choreography didnt really give us the significance of the use of fire, nor that its use was seen very differently by white settlers. The later sections, however, were more obvious when there was some conflict between groups and when Indigenous culture stood tall and proud at the end. I applied for a real estate job when I was 22, started selling, and then when I was 25 I took over running the company, Tindale says. We were very small, we were the smallest agency in Canberra at that stage. It was called Reg Daly real estate, and it was just a little agency on the second floor of Hobart Place. Very nondescript. Were sitting in Tindales equally nondescript office just off to the side of the Jamala entrance. Unlike the lodge itself - which, with its $2000-a-night accommodation packages, keeps the zoo up-and-running - the office is typically unflashy, much like Tindale himself. And, in keeping with this image, he sums up his property career in no more than a couple of sentences, really. There were two shareholders in and I became the third shareholder in it, and then I eventually bought out the other two, and sold those shares to all the senior people in the company at that time, he says. The firm merged with another, R.O. Wellsmore, and eventually became Independent Property Group, still one of Canberras biggest property and real estate companies. I stayed there effectively until 1994, and then decided that I wanted to do something different, he says. I saw a lot of people in business who just got consumed, wanting to do more and more, whether it was building the business or build the profit or the assets. "I just thought, there's something different to do, something more. So I sold up and Maureen and I travelled around a lot and tried to see the big cats in the wild. We went everywhere from Alaska to Patagonia to Nepal Mongolia, Siberia, Africa. Loading We loved all animals but cats were my passion, and I realised that other than in Africa, most of the cats were going to get wiped out in the wild. So the original intention was to set up a big cat breeding facility for endangered species. Their plan - audacious even today - was to do that right here in Canberra. Tindale had begun talks with the then minister for tourism about a land grant for a large-scale cat-breeding program, when the site of the citys former aquarium came onto the market. Nestled in urban bushland 15 minutes from the city centre, the enterprise had, by then, gone into receivership twice. At the time, Tindale seemed tainted even by considering taking it over. Because it had gone broke twice, and I had no background in zoology, and I was a developer and a builder and a real estate person, that they thought I was buying this to develop into apartments, he says, chuckling. Just dealing with the government here was very awkward for a period. Dealing with the zoo industry was very awkward, so for the first couple of years we got nothing other than a few emu chicks. Gradually, they began consulting with other zoos, bringing in the experts and building up some credibility. Local staff were trained, the site expanded and the initial three zookeepers eventually became 20. Most of those are home-grown, he says, not to mention several of his children involved in running the place. The keepers come through the ranks as volunteers. We've got to see them for a period of time, worked with them before we've given them part-time work, and they're trained the way that we want them trained, and they're all here for the right reasons. It's a terrific base of staff. Loading And, as we wander the paths past some of the enclosures, looking for a perfect photo set-up, Tindales admiration and deference to the staff - not to mention his awe of the animals - is evident. The whole concept of the zoo wasn't necessarily to give something back to Canberra because - I think we have, but I think that's more of a by-product, he says. It was more that we wanted to do something for animals, and by doing that, we could create something that could be great for Canberra as far as education, as far as recreation and as far as tourism is concerned. We think that's a consequence of wanting to do something for the animals. He says it took a good five years before anyone started taking the zoo seriously. In the meantime, he, Maureen and their brood of animal-loving kids set about building a conservation community. We took on a lot of ex-circus animals, and no one else would take them on other than [South Coast zoo] Mogo, he says. Once they've finished performing, they go from being an asset to a liability. He recalls, with a surprising amount of tenderness, how anxious he was when the first pair of circus bears arrived. He also asked for a roundtable discussion about issues including firearm protocols within the hospital. Nursing and Midwifery Union ACT secretary Matthew Daniel said he had been trying to clarify what the policy and practice was around guns in the hospital, but had not received a clear answer. He said members who had worked at the hospital for more than two years recalled it was previously common for police to leave their guns in a lock box provided. "Here and in NSW in some mental health facilities guns aren't taken in, so what's the difference between an ED and mental health facility?" Mr Daniel said. In a separate incident, only days earlier, a man in police custody is alleged to have assaulted a nurse. It is understood the prisoner had been under police guard, and secured to the bed using soft restraints, when he allegedly threw water at an officer and nurse. The nurse was using a towel to clean up the water when the prisoner allegedly kicked him in the stomach. The force of the alleged blow knocked the nurse backwards and into the computer stand, before he fell to the floor. The prisoner had to be sedated after he continued to be aggressive and abusive towards hospital staff and police. An emergency department worker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said code blacks were an almost daily occurrence at the hospital, and wards-people, nurses and even cleaners were forced to step in to contain the situation. He said the de-escalation rooms were a serious concern for many staff, especially since the renovations of the hospital. Staff said the padded rooms and lack of windows were far from a calming environment and made patients more volatile and escalated situations. Two to six police officers usually bring patients - often violent and volatile - into the room and then leave them with support staff to deal with. The worker said little or no support had been offered by management to staff who witnessed the events or were concerned about their colleagues' safety. The accused was believed to have become violent as his sedation wore off. "There was a short de-briefing some staff got to which was an absolute joke," he said. "We're not here to cop-bash, they have a hard job to do. "But a lot of systems fell down to create the situation that could have ended in disaster." Australian Federal Police Association president Angela Smith said police should be commended for their bravery and "swift and measured" actions, which meant no one had been seriously injured or killed at the hospital. "[Last week's] incident, that could have easily resulted in someone being killed, regrettably is not an isolated one," she said. The ACT government has cleared the release of a block of Chapman land to a disability support provider at nil cost. Cabinet minutes show cabinet agreed to hand over part of the block at the centre of a controversial public housing development to Hartley Lifecare Incorporated. An outline of the block of land at Darwinia Park, Chapman which is now slated for disability support provider Hartley Lifecare Incorporated. The block sits on Darwinia Park, which is also slated for the construction of 20 single-storey townhouses for public housing. Hartley will build a four-bedroom house for three people with disabilities and their support staff. Aldi is locked in a legal battle with the body corporate that administers the property it occupies at Gungahlin Square, which the supermarket chain plans to leave. The company needs consent from the body corporate to apply for changes to the crown lease purpose clause for Units Plan 2995, which specifies that a supermarket must fill the premises Aldi currently occupies at Gungahlin Square. Aldi wants to leave Gungahlin Square. Credit:Melissa Stiles Aldi wants the terms changed to allow for a supermarket or shop to take on the lease when it leaves, but the body corporate that administers the property has voted unanimously against providing consent. The body corporate's opposition prompted Aldi to take the dispute to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which has ordered the parties to participate in mediation on September 14. A bungled shed renovation that dragged on due to a lacking fire hydrant meant Molonglo rural fire brigade's tankers had to be stored off-site in West Belconnen. Rural fire fighting capabilities in Molonglo were not compromised despite some of the tankers and other equipment being temporarily housed in another location, the Emergency Services Agency said. The shed upgrade at the Molonglo rural fire station is over budget and seven months overdue because it needs a fire hydrant. Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman, who said rural fire fighting capabilities were not impacted by the Molonglo shed renovation bungle. Credit:Jamila Toderas Renovations expanded the sheds floor area, which meant an external fire hydrant had to be installed under requirements in the Australian building code. The ACT government has secured a new contractor to maintain its almost 11,000 public housing dwellings, two years after a damning audit into current contractor Spotless' poor maintenance record. The contract is the territory government's single largest ongoing contract, worth some $48 million last year alone, with Housing Minister Yvette Berry assuring the city it will be more tightly managed than the Spotless. Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry says the new contract will be better managed, for tenants and the community. Credit:Fairfax Media Spotless had held the contract since 2005, but a report by the Auditor-General in late 2016 found the contractor had failed to properly oversee its own, and its subcontractors, work; also revealing a series of wider inadequacies in Spotless' work. Despite the audit, the government renewed Spotless's contract for a further two years - set to expire on October 30 - as it went about undertaking a lengthy and detailed tender process to secure a new contractor. Students at the Australian National University and University of Canberra are being offered free meningococcal vaccination at clinics on campus. There has been one case of the disease in the ACT this year, and a 16 year old in Tasmania died after contracting the W strain earlier this month. ANU student Brianna Eggleton, 19, receives a free meningococcal vaccine from ACT health registered nurse Jackson Taylor. Credit:Daniella White Meningococcal disease is a rare but severe infection that occurs when meningococcal bacteria invade the body from the throat or nose and enter the bloodstream. The disease can progress very quickly and can lead to death or permanent disability. Meningococcal disease is caused by multiple strains of meningococcal bacteria. A fire in a commercial building in Sydney's CBD left black smoke billowing over the city skyline on Friday afternoon. Firefighters battle the blaze in a commercial building in Sydney's CBD. Credit:Fire and Rescue NSW A Fire and Rescue NSW spokeswoman said firefighters entered the ground floor of the two-storey commercial building at 12.53pm to attack the blaze in a "rubbish room" at the rear. She said three crews were sent to Dixon Street in Haymarket just before 1pm, although firefighters described the front as being on Harbour Street. My husband is innocent and should not be in jail let alone be trucked all over the state to ensure maximum harm comes to his mental state and mine, complained the wife of the now-jailed former Labor minister Ian Macdonald. Anita Gylseth last month sent a blistering email to Premier Gladys Berejiklian, her deputy John Barilaro and a number of NSW cabinet ministers complaining about the location of the jails to which her husband had been sent and the inconvenience it had caused Macdonalds family. Former minister Ian Macdonald is taken into custody following a court hearing in May 2017. Credit:Daniel Munoz She complained about Macdonald previously being in Cooma "which is a nine-hour round trip or if I stayed overnight the cost of accommodation was added to the hefty fuel bill." She also complained about his recent transfer to Junee prison in the Riverina as our family unit is already in disarray with the outcome of the ICAC media driven trial. Our family has been cursed with the dyslexia gene and one daughter did not learn to read until at age 29 I found someone who would teach her. She went on to become a respected real estate agent. Two grandsons, also dyslexic, struggled with school but with new teaching methods have gone on to become useful citizens, both highly regarded in their worlds. Children who may have inherited dyslexia must be diagnosed at an early age and taught to read using appropriate protocols. Talk about changes to teaching is frightening. - Joan Croll, Drummoyne An explicit technical approach to the teaching of reading alone leads to readicide where students become totally disengaged with reading and, instead, all reading is considered a boring chore. Believing that a good technical reader (being able to simply identify words on a page) is the ultimate goal is misguided and damaging to students. This method also relies on texts written for a purely technical purpose and as a result are formulaic and often devoid of quality, engaging stories. The goal must be to develop confident readers who leave primary school not only with a lifelong love of reading for enjoyment but who also have the ability to read critically. To achieve this, students must be exposed to a wide variety of reading strategies. - Sharon McGuinness, Thirroul Im glad I was taut to reed only using fonix and no one sought some other sort of fraught method (Battle lines drawn in reading wars, July 27). Thyme they threw that nonsense through the window, out of sight of any site of education. With other weighs, I mite not have got to bee an Inglish teecher. - Al Svirskis, Mount Druitt Wheels on the bus ... I would like to say a big thank you to Transport for NSW for listening to the concerns of the elderly passengers who rely on our bus route 545 Parramatta to Macquarie Park via Macquarie Centre (Letters, July 18). The route has now been re-established so that we can travel safely and with no obstacles. - Llieda Wild, Eastwood That 389 has now decided to take me to Star Casino instead of the Opera House, and is refusing to take me past Bondi Junction to the beach and North Bondi (An open letter to a real heartbreaker, July 25). Bad 389! - Robert Hosking, Paddington Focus on wrong view Travelling in the bus to the CBD, I was the only one in my vicinity not twiddling the thumb and the fingers over a mobile phone screen (Slaves to the god of technology, July 25). I was simply enjoying the lovely weather. Seeing I am not gazing at a screen, as the rest of the world, they would have thought how old-fashioned and misfit I am in todays connected world. - Muthukrishnan Srinivasan, Riverview Thanks for the memories, Lee I would like to thank Lee Lin Chin for presenting the news on SBS for the past 30 years. Her smiling face and wit will be much missed in this house. Goodbye and good luck. - Karen Eldridge, Leichhardt Long may this symbol of integrity shine on Fairfax became a symbol of integrity and credibility by protecting the independence of its journalists (Long history of quality journalism to continue, July 27). Its editorial independence protected Fairfax from the media templates of tabloid journalism. We have all benefited from the social changes prompted and facilitated by Fairfax investigative reporting. The Fairfax symbol has won its place in our history. Let the new entity earn its place in our minds and hearts. - Mark Porter, New Lambton The Herald has been part of my life ever since I could read it, 70 years ago. Later, I told my then-fiance to change from his Telegraph to a proper paper. We loyal readers are holding our breath. - Joan Brown, Orange One can only hope that the Herald can remain Independent. Always and that the integrity and high-quality investigative journalism inherent will be allowed to continue to give a voice to the multitude of issues facing NSW. - Sue Armstrong, Pyrmont Im with Paul Keating in his description of an exceptionally bad development (Inside the Fairfax deal, July 27). This signifies a massive and critical reduction in media diversity in Australia. Quality investigation and reporting of abuses of political and judicial power, corruption and actions by the wealthy and powerful that may threaten a society are the cornerstones of democracy. As both an educator and a subscriber, I will fight any moves to dilute this great newspapers independence. This letter represents my first testing of the so-far avowed continuing independence of our great Herald. - Sue Lubbers, Killara I expect the depth and quality of the news-gathering and reporting will not be eroded when the combined entity emerges. Any further erosion of the print newsrooms would be unwise. Fairfax journalists deserve readership support and Nines management and its board need to recognise that the cutthroat culture that often pervades within broadcast media cannot and must not find its way into print. - Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook I first became part of the Fairfax family in 1942 when my brother then working for the Herald took me to a wayzgoose celebrating the papers 100th birthday. I later worked for the Herald myself. The papers in my DNA. Small wonder that when I learned of the merger, I felt like a Montague being told his sister had married a Capulet. - Garth Clarke, North Sydney I feel like a wedding guest who hopes things will go well but has a lingering suspicion that it may not all be smooth sailing. - John de Bres, Rose Bay Like many long-time readers, I am disappointed. However, as articles in the paper make clear, this is necessary for economic reasons, and the newspapers prized independence will not be compromised, even though this may require more diligence now. The question I have, though, is does the Fairfax name have to disappear? So many articles make mention of Fairfax, as in, Fairfax was told ..., A Fairfax investigation reveals .... The very mention of the name gives authority to the article. - Robert Coughlin, Cherrybrook Its a cold, hard commercial fact that if the Fairfax brand of news was to survive it had to cease to its own master. But a brand is nothing without a label and Channel Nine has been shortsighted in discarding a name which over more than 170 years has built up a reputation for quality and reliability in news-gathering. Heritage is reflected in more than just sandstone colonial buildings, and as long as the Herald survives in print and online the old family name deserves to be represented somewhere on the masthead. - Phil Rodwell, Redfern Is there any chance we could limit Nine to less than 50 per cent? - Denis Goodwin, Dee Why Who, is, going to, launch, a takeover bid, for ... Nine? - Jen Lynch, Camperdown When was the last time Channel Nine broke a story that led to a royal commission? - Jim Croke, Stanmore I for one wont buckle and cancel my subscription. They can wrap me in it when Im dead. - Peter Skrzynecki, Eastwood Another nail in the coffin for independent media in Australia. If we flog the ABC then those pesky lefties will have no voice. Then will come the first real Oz revolution! - Roger Johnson, New Lambton Heights When anyone uses the word synergies, I react with suspicion. (This is about survival, not costs, July 27). There is nothing to be gained here but a weakening of independent and intelligent reporting and editing. How terribly, terribly sad and scary. - Janet Pollock, Waratah My morning routine consists of making a coffee and opening the Herald. Firstly to the Letters page, then to the main stories. Later in the day to the crossword, Zits and Wizard of Id. It is as important to me as sunshine. So, as Diogenes would say: please Channel Nine, I have nothing to ask but that you would remove to the other side, so that you may not, by intercepting the sunshine, take from me what you cannot give. - Nick Andrews, Vaucluse Its too late, Dave Watts (Letters, July 27). Karl Stefanovic has already popped up a number of times in the Herald, and not for anything noteworthy either. - Sharon Achmad, Quakers Hill Sydney Mourning Herald. - Cecilia Hannon, Leichhardt The gladiators rest Byelection day and there has been barely a squeak from Tony Abbott. Come on, Tony, time to shift to top gear. Bill Shorten is counting on you to save his bacon. - John Grinter, Katoomba When will we know for sure that Anthony Albanese is making a run for the leadership (Albo: I wont challenge Bill, July 27)? When he starts pounding the pavement. - Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South The story so far: as Pauline sails off into the distance, enjoying afternoon tea on the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth, her party in Longman endorses a local businessman being pursued by numerous creditors, puts a convicted criminal and founder of white nationalist group National Action in the No.2 spot on their how-to-vote card and continues to support a convicted rapist whose charges now proven they called lies and smears (One Nation sinks to new low, July 27). Bon voyage, Pauline. - Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn The plumber came yesterday. ABC News Breakfast was on the TV. I made some remark about the byelection coverage. He looked mystified and a bit alarmed What elections? I explained. He was still a complete blank. Feeling justified, he said, Oh well, my generation, were not interested. Hes 34. - Anne Sefton, Forster Postscript If there had been letters outright welcoming the announcement, you would have seen them. The masthead motto Independent Always was mockingly thrown back at us. Its fair to sum up reader response as rage, though responses became more moderate and thoughtful as Friday wore on. Allow your correspondent a little indulgence from 25 years as a Herald journalist. I joined a company in ownership turmoil. Warwick Fairfaxs buyout had gone spectacularly wrong. Office stationery was stamped Receivers and managers appointed. But the integrity of the Heralds reporting never wavered. Thats N-E-V-E-R. For that reason, I am personally offended by some of the dark mutterings in the Letters inbox. Such as: Only a credulous idiot would believe that the takeover of Fairfax will not result in another propaganda vehicle for an increasingly dangerous and malign kleptocracy that seeks to stifle all dissent as it robs from the poor to give to the rich. Sorry: N-E-V-E-R. The technological revolution that has transformed our lives has also taken from newspapers the wealth generated by classified advertising, which in turn funded giant staffs of journalists. But I sense more optimism about the survival of the Herald as a printed entity now than when I departed in 2015. In the words of The Castles Dennis Denuto, its the vibe. Commercial reality is a heartless beast. We can only look wistfully at the inevitable loosening of the natural fit many readers see between the Herald and the ABC. But, to paraphrase John Curtin, we know too that the Herald can go and the ABC can still hold on. The flow of people leaving NSW for other parts of the country has reached its highest level in five years. But the state also experienced the biggest population boost from overseas migration of any state or territory in 2016-17, Bureau of Statistics figures show. A net total of 15,160 people moved from NSW to other states and territories that year, a bigger loss than any other state, and the most since 2011-12. In 2014-15 the net population loss from NSW to other states was only about 6700. Three inner-Sydney districts the inner-south west, eastern suburbs and Parramatta - lost more people to other parts of Australia than any comparable region in 2016-17. A Queensland woman has been handed a 20-year jail term for murdering her de facto partner, chopping up his body, and dumping and torching his headless torso on the side of a road. Lindy Yvonne Williams, 60, had denied murdering George Gerbic on the Sunshine Coast in September 2013, but admitted dumping and setting fire to his torso. Lindy Williams has been found guilty of murdering her de facto partner George Gerbic. Credit:Facebook On Friday, a Brisbane Supreme Court jury found her guilty of murder, rejecting her account that she acted in self-defence in killing Mr Gerbic during a fight at their home. Mr Gerbic's torso was found burning on the side of Cedar Pocket Road near Gympie, around 80km from where he was murdered. The family of a young man found dead in suspicious circumstances at a farm in Melbourne's outer north-west say he had a "smile that lit up the room" and would never be replaced. Nathan Khoury, 20, was found lying in dirt with a rifle nearby at his family's property in Bulla, just before midday on Thursday, police said. Nathan Khoury was found dead on Thursday. His body was found next to a shed and near some abandoned cars on the large farm on Sunbury Road. Police are remaining tight-lipped on the circumstances of his death, but on Friday the homicide squad continued to scour the property for clues. A Liberal backbencher who introduced laws to stop the territories legalising assisted dying more than 20 years ago stands by his legislation, in spite of a push to repeal his bill. The Senate will debate next month whether to remove restrictions on the ACT and Northern Territory making laws on voluntary euthanasia. Kevin Andrews. Credit:Glenn Hunt Victorian MP Kevin Andrews brought forward a bill in 1996 to nullify the assisted dying scheme introduced by the Northern Territory's parliament. That legislation, passed by the Commonwealth in 1997, also knocked on the head an attempt by the ACT's parliament to introduce a similar scheme. Here's a bit of constructive mischief. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said this week: "We remain committed to seeking justice for the victims of MH17. We have attributed state responsibility to Russia." And US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "We need the Russians to continue to be held accountable for that." The rear fuselage of flight MH17 at the crash site in Ukraine. Credit:Kate Geraghty So perhaps Australia (and the Netherlands, Malaysia and Britain, for that matter) should make it clear that when Vladimir Putin sets foot on US soil (at the astonishing invitation of Donald Trump), we will seek his extradition to Australia to stand trial for the murder, or at least the manslaughter, of the 38 Australians who were on-board the Malaysian Airlines flight when it was shot down in 2014 over eastern Ukraine by separatists supplied with Russian weapons. In 2002, the Australian Parliament passed the Criminal Code Amendment (Offences Against Australians) Act. It says: "A person is guilty of an offence if the person engages in conduct outside Australia; and the conduct causes the death of ... an Australian citizen or a resident of Australia; and the first-mentioned person intends to cause, or is reckless as to causing, the death of the Australian citizen or resident of Australia. Penalty: imprisonment for life." The cardboard cutout corflutes of Pauline Hanson outside polling booths in the seat of Longman at this weekend's byelection should give voters pause to ask what she and her One Nation party represent. Longman, one of five byelections on Super Saturday, falls right in One Nation's heartland in Brisbane's north, Australia's equivalent of the struggling urban white regions of the US that voted for Donald Trump. Incomes are well below the national and Queensland average and the population is overwhelmingly of English-speaking background. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Credit:AAP Voters handed One Nation 9.4 per cent of the vote in the 2016 general election, lapping up Ms Hanson's melodramatic persona and her populist message that is centred on blaming everything on Islamic immigration. It is a vein of disaffection that the major parties struggle to tap. She could do better in this byelection. Yet the story of the corflutes, the posters outside polling booths, provides another instance where Ms Hanson is all about appearance rather than delivering for her voters. Privacy experts have rejected the federal government's reassurances that My Health Record patient data will not be accessed by third parties without a warrant, demanding that it redraft laws giving authorities broad powers of access. Pressure is mounting for Health Minister Greg Hunt to tear up the legislation after he promised to clear up any "ambiguity" about patient privacy under the system, which will enrol all Australians with a Medicare card if they do not opt-out by October 15. University of Technology, Sydney law lecturer Geoff Holland told Fairfax Media the Privacy Act would offer no protection for Australians enrolled in My Health Record if police sought to access their private information, as the wording of the legislation would override its safeguards - contradicting the government's position. Health Minister Greg Hunt Credit:AAP Mr Holland warned that patients could be deemed to have given "informed consent" for the information to be accessed by police, courts and others, simply by having a My Health Record under the current system. As she stood on the floor of federal parliament, delivering her maiden speech in 2016, Husar must have seemed like a political marketers dream. Newly-elected in the bellwether seat of Lindsay, which she had wrested back from the Turnbull government, Husar exuded pluck. She seemed to epitomise the suburban battler that Labor needed to draw back to its cause. Shed run the campaign out of her garage, with one leg in a knee brace she said. She spoke movingly of how tough life could be as a single mother of three, including one child with a disability. Emma Husar seemed to epitomise the suburban battler that Labor needed to draw back to its cause. Credit:Geoff Jones There is no more isolating feeling in the world than being a special needs parent, Husar told fellow MPs, describing the planning and reconnaissance that went into family excursions or missions as she described them even as simple as a trip to the supermarket. Keating: Absolutely. It was an astonishing transgression of protocol to hijack a foreign hosts press conference with a distant domestic dust-up, but it underlined the depth of Keatings loathing for Packer, and, of course, for Howard. The detestation for Kerry Packer had been there for years. Keating detested media mogul Kerry Packer. Credit:AAP In the 1980s, Keating as Treasurer had overseen new media rules that prevented media owners from owning both TV stations and newspapers. They had to choose, as he said, whether to be queens of the screen or princes of print. Packer thus was ring-fenced into being a queen of the screen, while Rupert Murdoch gained more and more of the nations print outlets. Packer, from a newspaper-owning family, wasn't suitably gratified. He wanted to get his hands on Fairfax and what he called its rivers of gold massive income from classified advertisements in its newspapers. And so, a feud grew. Packer used his TV network to say he thought John Howard would make a good PM. Credit:Kieran Doherty Keating had no particular love of Fairfax indeed, he and much of the Labor Party for many years saw Fairfax papers as servants of the Liberal Party. But Keatings greater dislike of Packer caused him to protect Fairfax against Packers ambitions, refining his argument that any take-over would erode media diversity. Kerry Packer has been gone for years now he died in December, 2005 but Keatings hatred for him and the TV empire he once owned has never abated. It took no more than the announcement on Thursday of Nines proposed merger with Fairfax to fire up the former PM. Channel Nine, he said in a written statement, had "never other than displayed the opportunism and ethics of an alley cat". And then he went on the ABCs 7.30 program to expand. I have fought more television and radio companies than anyone in the business, and my fight a series of issues I have had with Nine were about one thing and one thing only: Kerry Packer trying to get hold of control of John Fairfax and sons, he said. Loading Because as prime minister I prevented Kerry Packer lifting his share of John Fairfax to 14.9 per cent control. And then he was asked about an infamous 60 Minutes program on Packers Nine Network in the late 1990s that falsely alleged Keating had been involved in dodgy dealings during his ownership of a piggery, later sold on to Indonesian interests. Keating revealed his old penchant for doing over his enemies slowly. Kerry Packer had the Nine Network chase me in private life, he said. But Im a big boy, I know how to punch. People said to me after a whole series of things on 60 Minutes. They said, Mr Keating, are you going to take Mr Packer to court for defamation? I said, No, I have more expensive remedies in mind for Mr Packer. That was taking Fairfax from him, which I had [Senator] Brian Harradine do in 1997 to 1998. In other words, I made sure he didnt allow Howard to get a majority to let Turnbull do what he did today. In fact, the 60 Minutes program was in 1999, so Harradine, a tough and wily independent senator from Tasmania, previously expelled by the ALP, could hardly have been doing Keatings bidding in retaliation for it a year or two earlier. Keating says he enlisted Tasmanian independent senator Brian Harradine to thwart cross-media ownership. Credit:AFR The Property Council of Australia has delivered a scathing assessment of the Turnbull government's controversial energy plan, saying inadequate emisisons cuts by the electricity sector will prevent other parts of the economy from reaching internationally agreed climate goals. It is the second time in recent days that a large, carbon-intensive sector has questioned the governments one-size-fits-all approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris agreement. As Fairfax Media reported last week, farmers are also concerned the governments signature plan, the National Energy Guarantee, sets too little ambition for the electricity industry where cuts can most easily be made and asks other sectors to shoulder an unfair burden. The Property Council of Australia says gains to be made by making buildings more energy efficient are limited, and the electricity grid must be decarbonised. The final version of the plan is set to be considered at a meeting of energy ministers on August 10. The federal government requires unanimous support from the states and territories to implement the policy, which would impose a 26 per cent emissions reduction target on the electricity sector by 2030, based on a 2005 baseline. Concerns over the low ambition of the target have been a sticking point for several states taking bold action on climate change. Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says the target is a pro-rata contribution in line with Australias national commitments under the Paris climate deal, which suggests that all sectors will be expected to contribute equally to emissions cuts. As is often the case, the news media have prioritised conflict over consequence in covering the five by-elections to be held today. Just as they largely ignore the scientific consensus around the climate change driving the current global heat wave, the media have overlooked the Liberal Party's looming wipeout in their formerly heartland seat of Mayo in South Australia. The media seem far more interested in the statistical margin of error of polling in Queensland's Longman and Tasmania's Braddon than they are in the tectonic shift taking place in Australian voting. It's not just the Labor Party that the Coalition is losing seats to. Our Parliament, like our community, is becoming more diverse. Back in 2016, Rebekha Sharkie defeated the Liberals Party's Jamie Briggs to win the lower house seat of Mayo for the then-Nick Xenophon Team (now Centre Alliance). Before her victory, the Liberals had held the seat since its creation in 1984, including 24 years by former foreign minister Alexander Downer, who himself is the son of Sir Alick Downer, a Menzies government minister, and grandson of Sir John Downer, one of the inaugural senators to represent South Australia in our Federal Parliament. Sharkie's success was chalked up by many to Nick Xenophon's "X factor" in that state. While the media prefers to focus on the rhetorical "contest" between the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, there is never an actual electoral contest between those two figures for the simple reason that our constitution ensures that we vote for our local member of Parliament, not the prime minister. Not only are a rapidly growing number of Australians voting for independents and minor-party candidates to represent them, a growing number of such candidates are actually winning seats. Rising support for minor parties is often chalked up to a "protest vote" but, in a country where more people are consistently voting for minor parties and independents, it's not at all clear what the difference is between a protest vote and a strong democratic preference. Which brings me back to Sharkie and the Liberals' troubles in their heartland. The date Queensland Rail's trains will get back on track remains a mystery, even for the network's chief executive Nick Easy. It comes as it was revealed an inquiry into the state's troubled New Generation Rollingstock trains will not hold any public hearings. Queensland Rail CEO Nick Easy. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP LNP transport spokesman Steve Minnikin said it had been 18 months since major problems on the network began. "I ask what date will Queensland Rail have finally fixed the trains?" he asked. To state the bleeding obvious, Victoria Polices bombshell announcement that it would reopen a probe into Labors so-called rorts for votes scandal could not have come at a worse time for the Andrews Government. With four months until the state election, Opposition leader Matthew Guy now has the advantage of heading into a campaign reminding everyone that Daniel Andrews team including some of his most senior ministers face investigation by the Fraud and Extortion Squad for potential criminal behaviour. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (centre) with Attorney General Martin Pakula and Police Minister Lisa Neville. Credit:AAP As one shell-shocked Labor MP put it on Friday: This is one of the greatest disasters thats ever befallen a first-term government. Theres no doubt the optics are terrible. After all, Andrews has had more rorting scandals under his watch than any other Victorian premier in recent history: a cabinet MP caught chauffeuring his pets in a ministerial car; a speaker and his deputy abusing the second-residence allowance to live near the beach. Lebanese troops pounded suspected positions of al Qaeda-inspired militants to dislodge them from their hideouts at a Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday but the group vowed it would not surrender. "There is no way we will give up our weapons because it is our pride. We cannot even contemplate surrendering," Abu Salim Taha, spokesman for the Fatah al-Islam militants, told Reuters by telephone from inside Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon. Amid the constant thud of explosions and crackle of machinegun fire, smouldering fires and plumes of black and white smoke billowed from many of the camp's bombed-out buildings. Soldiers fired barrages of artillery shells and mortar bombs, levelling the camp's two highest buildings and leaving others in smoking ruins. The fighting, which erupted on May 20, is Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. The government says militants triggered the siege by attacking army positions around the camp and Lebanon's second largest city, Tripoli. For more than two centuries, the Western world has dominated international affairs. Is that epoch coming to an end? After all, the Wests share of global economic output is shrinking. All those wars in the Middle East since September 11 have damaged American credibility and influence. And as Brexit, Donald Trumps rise and the populist explosion across Europe shows, there is widespread distrust of Western elites. Meanwhile, the rise of China, India and the rest thanks to capitalism and technological innovation continues unabated. So, has the West lost it? The answer, according to a new thesis by that title, is yes. If I were asked to nominate a brief, readable critique of the West today, this book would top the list. Traders on Wall Street: A new book suggests the West has won, but is now losing. Credit:AP Kishore Mahbubani, one of Asias most distinguished foreign-policy intellectuals, argues that although the West has won, it is now losing and will be need to come to terms with its decline. How so? The West has won, according to Mahbubani, because everybody realises that markets and technology work and the rest have learnt to embrace capitalism. But the West refuses to accept that humanity has turned a corner in its history, he says, because the domination by an eighth of the global population is drawing to a close. Which is why we must adapt to the emergence of China as a major force. "I contacted two followers who said they were willing to join me on the hike. Eventually we arrived at the top and it was this apocalyptic scene, absolutely out of this world. There was thick fog on the left, and on the right a clear view. As soon as I took the shot I was so excited, like a kid. I knew I was taking a cover photo ... 10 minutes later the fog lifted and was gone, so there was lots of luck in taking that photo." Sunrise at Lago di Braies in the South Tyrol, Italy. Credit:Johan Lolos After years of capturing vivid terrains, Lolos is increasingly inspired by what he calls "the human element". In the midst of his European journey, he came across a young gypsy in the markets of Greece who changed his perspective. "I saw this little girl and she was so small and short, but dressed like an adult, like a beautiful woman," he recalls. "I asked if I could take her photo, then the whole family of gypsies came up and I spent one hour taking photos of these guys. It was one of the first times I documented humans, not just landscapes." The 30-year-old admits there's a special buzz in seeing his pictures in print after the online experience of likes, posts and shares. "Being on digital means you have direct feedback and response from your audience but it doesn't mean as much as when I get feedback from people who actually bought the book and share the gratitude." Perhaps Peaks of Australia could be the sequel? "Oh, for sure," Lolos says, laughing. "I've never been to the Kimberley, so that's next on my list." Peaks of Europe is released in September, $90, from The Lannoo Group. Yammoune: Lebanese politicians are working on legalising the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes. They say they hope to rake in millions of dollars for an economy burdened by high unemployment, low growth and heavy debt. Mayez Shrief, 65, who has planted cannabis for decades checks his crop in the village of Yammoune. Credit:AP Lebanon is the third largest cannabis producer in the world after Morocco and Afghanistan, according to the UN. Its crops are centred on the Bekaa Valley, long notorious for narcotics production. There is no good explanation for any of it, except a psychiatric one. Impeachment just became inevitable. How irksome it has been, having to pay suspenseful attention to the goings on of a mediocre man. Credit:AP So for example, just hours after Trumps slavish scratching of Vladimir Putins back in Helsinki, the online American Prospect thundered Trump's mission to Finland is a political catastrophe for him. Like bright daffodils appearing in a spring meadow after a long winter, suddenly the hope-bringing i word, impeachment, is blooming everywhere. It is decorating commentators discussions of Donald Trump. Quickly! While there is still time, in these few weeks left of his surreal presidency, let us each decide what it is that has been most loathsome about his reign. What your columnist has loathed most has been the sheer unavoidability of daily news about what Trump has been saying and doing. I call it unavoidable because, however easy it is to ignore so much of everyday news and current affairs and comment, this particular buffoon is somehow (unless it is just a nightmare we will wake from) the president of the United States. What he does may have consequences for all mankind. But how irksome it has been, having to pay suspenseful attention to the goings on of a mediocre man. In almost everything else in life we filter out all thats garbage. I, for example, choose never to read the Daily Telegraph, to listen to radio shock jocks or to watch Sunrise. To have to pay breathless attention to everything about Donald Trump feels as tiresome as it would to have to follow, study and care about everything gibbered by, say, Alan Jones, Andrew Bolt, by a parrot, by the national president of the Young Liberals, by anyone of no consequence and no interest. Shortly after the CNN report aired, Cohen's credibility was immediately challenged by the President's current lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani. The former New York mayor said in an interview that Cohen "isn't credible at all, and there are witnesses who know what he's claiming isn't true". Giuliani declined to name the witnesses. When asked if Trump would be willing to talk about the Russian meeting with special counsel Robert Mueller, Giuliani said: "I still have my doubts about the people around Mueller" and said the President's team remained undecided about whether to agree to a sit-down conversation with federal investigators about that topic and others. Donald Trump jnr met with Russians, including Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, at the now-infamous Trump Tower meeting. Credit:AP "The President is willing to talk about anything, but it'd be wrong to subject him to that," Giuliani said, adding that the Russian meeting "hasn't come up in our conversations" with Mueller and his team. Giuliani said that if Cohen is aiming for a pardon by threatening to testify about the June 2016 meeting, "this is a stupid way to do it". "I don't want the President to consider a pardon, but you don't get one by lying," he said Davis said earlier this week that Cohen is not seeking a pardon. Davis declined to comment on the CNN report. Loading At the 2016 Trump Tower meeting, Trump jnr was joined by his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump's campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort. There were several native Russians in the room, including Natalia Veselnitskaya, a lawyer with links to the Kremlin. After news of the meeting broke in July 2017, the Trump team initially offered a misleading explanation of the session. A first statement said that the participants had mostly discussed adoption of Russian orphans in the United States. The official story later changed. Testimony and documents revealed that the meeting stemmed from an email sent by a music publicist to Trump jnr in which the Trump campaign was promised "some official documents and information" that constituted "very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump". Trump jnr famously replied: "[I]f it's what you say I love it". He wanted to speak with wealthy Moscow entrepreneur and entertainer, Emin Agalarov, the publicist's client, before finalising details. But Trump jnr, the President and White House aides insisted that Trump had no knowledge of the meeting beforehand, wasn't told about it at the time, and first learned about it only a year later when approached about it by the New York Times. Music promoter Rob Goldstone set up the meeting. Credit:AP Trump jnr testified last year to the Senate Judiciary Committee that his father had no knowledge of the meeting with the Russians. ""My father knew nothing of the meeting or of these events," he said in a statement issued July 9, 2017. Democrats have been skeptical of his account, pointing to phone calls made by Trump jnr on June 6, 2016, which they believe may show that Trump's son informed his father about the meeting in advance. At 4.04pm on that day, phone records show that Agalarov called Trump jnr; the call lasted up to two minutes. Loading Phone records then show that Trump jnr called Agalarov back at 4.31pm. But in between those two calls, phone records show that Trump jnr was connected with a phone number that was blocked in records. Trump jnr told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he did not remember with whom he spoke at that time, but others testified that his father, Donald Trump, uses a blocked line. His lawyer Alan Futerfas issued a statement on Thursday evening saying that: "Donald Trump jnr has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr Trump jnr and on his behalf." Democratic lawmakers have pointed out that two days before the meeting in Trump Tower, Trump announced plans to give a "major speech" about Clinton's scandals. Trump jnr says he didn't get any dirt at the meeting - and the promised speech never happened. On Twitter on Friday morning, Trump also lashed out at the Mueller probe and suggested, without evidence, that in fact it was Democrats and not his own campaign that had colluded with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election. "The only Collusion with Russia was with the Democrats, so now they are looking at my Tweets (along with 53 million other people) - the rigged Witch Hunt continues! How stupid and unfair to our Country," he wrote. Washington: US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said that Trump knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower at which Russians offered to provide damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, CNN has reported. CNN, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, said on Thursday local time, that Cohen was willing to make that assertion to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. Michael Cohen, second from left, leaves court in New York in May. Credit:AP "He cannot be believed," Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, said referring to Cohen. "If they [Mueller's investigation] rely on him ... it would destroy whatever case they have." Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His lawyer Lanny Davis declined to comment. PHILIPSBURG /WILLEMSTAD:--- Representatives of Ava airways management team state that the current Minister of Traffic and Transportation (Jesus-Leito) and Minister of Economic Development (Steven Martina) are continuing the biased attitude of the government towards Ava Airways Curacao that was instituted by the previous Minister of Traffic and Transportation, Camelia-Romer. Ava Airways Curacao recalls that Camelia-Romer did all that was required to fight Ava Airways Curacao, so that the privately held company InselAir could linger on in mere existence by the sake of public funds of the Curacao community. Ava Airways Curacao recalls her involvement in the e-mail scandal in connection with InselAirs management e-mail to Camelia-Romer, dated May 18, 2015, ordering her, as minister, to deny Ava Airways Curacao its economic permit. Ava Airways Curacao has filed a criminal complaint against Camelia-Romer and InselAir and its management. Until today, the public prosecutor of the same government has not investigated and prosecuted Insel Air, its management and Camelia-Romer in connection with this public corruption involving the misuse of government powers by Camelia-Romer. The same government and Camelia-Romer, that had involved and instructed the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten to advise Camelia-Romer to extort Ava Airways Curacao by demanding that an irrevocable and unconditional letter of credit, to the tune of, USD 48.9 million, be posed by Ava Airways Curacao in favor of the government, as a condition for Ava Airways Curacao to obtain a simple economic aviation permit. It is also obvious to Ava Airways Curacao why just Etienne Ys, who, at present, happens to be the president of the supervisory board of this same Central Bank, was handpicked by Camelia-Romer to also be the fixer as the president of a committee of supposedly wise men to advise her to have the government grant an actually irrecoverable loan to the tune of ANG 33.000.000, followed by an additional, also irrecoverable, loan of a government controlled entity of ANG 2.7 million, i.e. a total of, approximately, ANG 36.000.000, to the technically bankrupt InselAir. Loans out of public funds that will never be repaid by InselAir. The same Etienne Ys, who, while president supervisory director of the Central Bank and, apparently, the only wise man in aviation matters in Curacao, is meddling in the privately owned InselAir by now seeking third party financing by a One Laser Group, LLC from Miami for the financially completely bankrupt Inselair, in order to ward off its immediate demise of InselAir in August coming. Supposedly to avoid the laying off of personnel and to safeguard a connectivity between the islands of the former Antilles of the Dutch. The first purpose was not realized: InselAir laid off over 500 employees in 2016-2018, whereas the bankrupt InselAir could also not provide any connectivity. Thus, not only discriminating against Ava Airways Curacao but also against the earnest privately held company Divi Air operating with its private capital. Divi Air that has also already proven to be able to procure for the connectivity between the lesser Antilles islands without any financial support by way of loans from the government that do not need to be paid back to the government. Now this government is also even contemplating to forgive InselAir its huge back taxes and social security premiums to a total amount of well over ANG 100,000,000.00 Why is InselAir not being required today to post an irrevocable and unconditional guarantee or letter of credit to the tune of USD $48.9 million. This constitutes a violation of all practices recommended by ICAO and trade agreement Curacao has sign with other countries to promote competition in air services in a level playing field for all involved. In the meantime, Ava Airways Curacao is still waiting for its day in court in the matter of its challenge of the legality of the refusal by Camelia-Romer and Jesus-Leito of the economic license requested by Ava Airways Curacao. Additionally, Ava Airways Curacao will take steps to sue both the government and InselAir for all its damages as a result of the criminal conspiracy between InselAir and the government of Camelia-Romer and Jesus-Leito to not grant the economic license to Ava Airways Curacao. Ava Airways Curacao shall start by addressing the Common Court of Justice to order the public prosecutor to investigate and prosecute InselAir and its management and Camelia-Romer in connection with their public corruption involving the misuse of government powers by Camelia-Romer as a Minister. Due to these disasters for Curacao the aviation sector in Curacao is bankrupt. They have caused serious damage to the economy and credibility of Curacao and its government in general and its aviation and Ava Airways Curacao in particular. They are the sole reason why Curacao is still stuck for over 8 years now in IASA FAAs category 2 safety rating. Maple Gold extends Nika Zone mineralization to the east and recaps 2018 success in the NW Gap Area Posted by Publisher Internet Montreal (Quebec): Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (?Maple Gold? or the ?Company?) (TSX-V: MGM, OTCQB: MGMLF; Frankfurt: M3G http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298462 ) is pleased to report the final drill results from the NW Gap Area, i.e. the area between the NW, Douay West and Porphyry Zones, which includes the new Nika Zones. There were a select number of historical drill-holes drilled in the NW Gap Area from 2011 to 2017 inclusive by Aurvista Gold (now Maple Gold Mines), but due to the limited drill density this area represented a high-priority target for new discoveries and potential extensions of existing zones outside the currently established conceptual pits (Micon 2018). Within this area (see Figure 1) a total of twelve (12) holes were drilled in 2018, with the majority spaced from 100 up to 300 metres from the nearest pre-existing drill collar. Assay results have been received for the final drill hole (DO-18-241) from the Nika Zones, which tested the eastern limit of the recently defined mineralization in the heart of the NW Gap Area. This drill-hole confirmed the eastern continuity of gold mineralization from DO-18-218 (50m of 1.77 g/t Au ? see press release May 14, 2018), and cut eight narrow mineralized zones averaging greater than 1 g/t Au. The mineralized zones start from a downhole depth of 148m (estimated vertical depth of 130m), including 12m of 1.78 g/t Au uncapped (two adjacent zones combined), 3.6m of 1.12 g/t Au and 1.0m of 6.72 g/t Au, see Table 1 and Figure 2A. The above-mentioned intercepts in DO-18-241 included four new higher grade (>2 g/t Au) samples forming part of ?the Nika cluster (see Figure 1), all of which are outside existing conceptual pits and wireframes and therefore represent potential additions to the existing resource base. Maple Gold?s President and CEO, Matthew Hornor, stated: ?When we started designing our 2018 drill program we encouraged our technical group to take some chances with greenfield drilling and aggressive step-out drilling beyond known zones in the general resource area. Following this approach has resulted in the definition of new zones in the NW Gap Area and gives us confidence that the potential for additional new discoveries at Douay remains excellent. Greenfield drilling results are expected in the coming weeks.? Maple Gold?s Vice President Exploration, Fred Speidel, stated: ?Assays for the NW Gap Area, including the promising new Nika Zones, are now complete. These additional results demonstrate that gold mineralization in the Nika Zones, part of which is well above deposit average grade, widens significantly towards the west and locally remains open up-dip and down-dip.? Intervals are all down-the hole lengths, which are estimated to be approximately 90% of true width. Coordinates are NAD83 Zone 17N. All assays were performed by ALS Laboratories by AU-ICP21, i.e. 30 g fire assay with ICP finish with any over limits (>10 g/t Au) redone by AU-GRA21, i.e. gravimetric analysis of 30g sample weight. Nominal cut-off to obtain intercepts is 0.25 g/t Au, but depending on grade distribution effective cut-offs can be somewhat higher or lower. All intercepts are uncapped, those identified with (*) include samples with overlimits (>10 g/t Au); which may be subject to grade capping during future resource estimation. Qualified Person The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold.?Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.?Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work. Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) Maple Gold implements strict Quality Assurance (?QA?) and Quality Control (?QC?) protocols at Douay covering the planning and placing of drill holes in the field; drilling and retrieving the NQ-sized drill core; drill-hole surveying; core transport to the Douay Camp; core logging by qualified personnel; sampling and bagging of core for analysis; transport of core from site to the analytical laboratory; sample preparation for assaying; and analysis, recording and final statistical vetting of results. For a complete description of protocols, please visit the Company?s QA/QC page on the website at: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement About Maple Gold Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world?s premier mining jurisdictions. The Company?s 377 km? Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project has an established gold resource[1] that remains open in multiple directions, with excellent infrastructure and several large scale operating mines within this prolific mining district. Maple Gold recently completed a significant winter drill campaign to expand on the known Resource Areas and test new discovery targets within the Company?s 55 km of strike along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com. ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD. ?Matthew Hornor? Matthew Hornor, President & CEO For Further Information Please Contact: Mr. Joness Lang VP, Corporate Development Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains ?forward-looking information\ and ?forward-looking statements? (collectively referred to as ?forward-looking statements?) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective? mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralization from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management?s best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company?s expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as ?anticipate?, ?will?, ?intend? and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.?s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company?s website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. [1] (Micon 2018) 479,000 ounces at 1.59 g/t Au (Indicated category) and 2,759,000 ounces at 1.02 g/t Au (Inferred category), using a 0.45 g/t Au cut-off grade. Please visit www.maplegoldmines.com or the Company?s SEDAR filings for a copy of the Micon 2018 report. How AI and security guards work together using video analytics How AI and humans can work together is a longstanding debate. As society progresses technologically, theres always the worry of robots taking over jobs. Self-checkout tills, automated factory machines, and video analytics are all improving efficiency and productivity, but they can still work in tandem with humans, and in most cases, they need to. Video analytics in particular is one impressively intelligent piece of technology that security guards can utilise. How can video analytics help with certain security scenarios? Video analytics tools Before video analytics or even CCTV in general, if a child went missing in a shopping centre, we could only rely on humans. Take a crowded Saturday shopping centre, a complex one with a multitude of shops and eateries, youd have to alert the security personnel, rely on a tannoy and search party, and hope for a lockdown to find a lost or kidnapped child. With video analytics, how would this scenario play out? Its pretty mind-blowing. As soon as security is alerted, they can work with the video analytics tools to instruct it precisely With the same scenario, you now have the help of many different cameras, but then theres the task of searching through all the CCTV resources and footage. Thats where complex search functions come in. As soon as security is alerted, they can work with the video analytics tools to instruct it precisely on what footage to narrow down, and theres a lot of filters and functions to use. Expected movement direction For instance, they can tick a human field, so the AI can track and filter out vehicles, objects etc., and then they can input height, clothing colours, time the child went missing, and last known location. Theres a complex event to check too, under child kidnap. For a more accurate search, security guards can then add in a searching criterion by drawing the childs expected movement direction using a visual query function. A unique function like this enables visual criteria-based searches rather than text-based ones. The tech will then narrow down to the images/videos showing the criteria theyve inputted, showing the object/child that matches the data and filter input. Detecting facial data There are illegal demonstrations and troublesome interferences that police have to deal with A white-list face recognition function is then used to track the childs route which means the AI can detect facial data that has not been previously saved in the database, allowing it to track the route of a target entity, all in real time. Then, security guards can confirm the childs route and current location. All up-to-date info can then be transferred to an onsite guards mobile phone for them to confirm the missing childs movement route, face, and current location, helping to find them as quickly as possible. Often, there are illegal demonstrations and troublesome interferences that police have to deal with. Video analytics and surveillance can not only capture these, but they can be used to predict when they may happen, providing a more efficient process in dealing with these types of situations and gathering resources. Event processing functions Picture a public square with a number of entries into the main area, and at each entry point or path, there is CCTV. Those in the control room can set two events for each camera: a grouping event and a path-passing event. These are pretty self-explanatory. A grouping event covers images of seeing people gathering in close proximity and a path-passing event will show when people are passing through or entering. The video analytics tool can look out for large gatherings and increased footfall to alert security By setting these two events, the video analytics tool can look out for large gatherings and increased footfall to alert security or whoever is monitoring to be cautious of protests, demonstrations or any commotion. Using complex event processing functions, over-detection of alarms can also be prevented, especially if theres a busy day with many passing through. Reducing false alarms By combining the two events, that filters down the triggers for alarms for better accuracy to predict certain situations, like a demonstration. The AI can also be set to only trigger an alarm when the two events are happening simultaneously on all the cameras of each entry to reduce false alarms. There are so many situations and events that video analytics can be programmed to monitor. You can tick fields to monitor any objects that have appeared, disappeared, or been abandoned. You can also check events like path-passing to monitor traffic, as well as loitering, fighting, grouping, a sudden scene change, smoke, flames, falling, unsafe crossing, traffic jams and car accidents etc. Preventing unsafe situations Complex events can include violations of one-way systems, blacklist-detected vehicles Complex events can include violations of one-way systems, blacklist-detected vehicles, person and vehicle tracking, child kidnaps, waste collection, over-speed vehicles, and demonstration detections. The use of video analytics expands our capabilities tremendously, working in real time to detect and help predict security-related situations. Together with security agents, guards and operatives, AI in CCTV means resources can be better prepared, and that the likelihood of preventing unsafe situations can be greatly improved. Its a winning team, as AI wont always get it right but its there to be the advanced eyes we need to help keep businesses, premises and areas safer. This photo sequence shows the progression of a total lunar eclipse on Sept. 28, 2015, captured from the Canary Islands using a circular fish-eye lens. The circle on the left shows the approximate size of planet Earth compared to the moon. Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory photo ambassador, a member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical skyscapes that connect Earth and the night sky. Join Miguel here as he takes us through his photograph "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2015." As we get ready to witness a total lunar eclipse today (July 27), here's a photo throwback to the rare supermoon total lunar eclipse of Sept. 28, 2015. During a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through Earth's shadow, giving the natural satellite a blood-red hue. The lunar eclipse photographed here was very unusual, because it coincided with the moon's perigee, or closest approach to Earth. When the moon reaches this point on the same day as it becomes a full moon, it's popularly known as a supermoon. The next supermoon total lunar eclipse won't be until Jan. 21, 2019, but today's historic eclipse will be "super" in its own right, as it will be the longest total lunar eclipse of the century. For the composite image on the left, I used a circular fish-eye lens to capture the sequence of the totality from the Canary island of La Palma. The "little planet" image on the left also shows the approximate size of Earth compared to the moon . You can see this at the right side of the image in a close-up view of the same eclipse, showing its dark red color. [Amazing Photos of the Rare Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse of 2015] During a regular supermoon, the full moon appears up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual. But supermoon eclipses can make the natural satellite appear even darker than it does during other total lunar eclipses. "Supermoon eclipses should be a bit darker. Because of its closeness to Earth, a supermoon passes deeper into the shadow of our planet," Richard Keen, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado, told Spaceweather.com. A close-up view of the total lunar eclipse of Sept. 28, 2015. (Image credit: Miguel Claro Today (July 27), if you are in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, southern Asia or on a boat somewhere in the Indian Ocean, you will be able to watch the moon dip entirely into Earth's shadow during the total lunar eclipse. Skywatchers in Australia and South America will also be able to see the eclipse, but only in its partial form. Viewers in North America can watch the event via live webcasts. The partial eclipse begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT), when Earth's shadow will begin to darken a portion of the moon. Maximum eclipse occurs at 4:21 p.m. EDT (2021 GMT), and the eclipse ends at 5:13 p.m. EDT (2113 GMT). The next lunar eclipse visible from North America will occur Jan. 21, 2019. Editor's note: If you captured an amazing photo of the total lunar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com. To see more of Claro's amazing astrophotography, visit his website, www.miguelclaro.com. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Who discovered Mars? That's a trick question: Because the planet is visible to the naked eye, humans have been watching our rusty neighbor for thousands of years, and there's no way to track down the name of the long-dead observer who first noticed its reddish glow. But just because we'll never be able to give that sharp-eyed human a name doesn't mean there's nothing interesting to learn about the history of observing Mars. Mars, like the other planets visible without a telescope, has caught people's eyes for its unusual movement against the background constellations. Cultures from the Maya to the Chinese, and from the Aboriginal Australians to the Greeks, left observations of its wandering path across the sky. [Mars at Opposition 2018: How to See It and What to Expect] That said, they didn't know what Mars was it was just a bright light that didn't behave in quite the same way as the other bright lights did. "These [planets] of course never were regarded, as they are now, as their own separate worlds," Anthony Aveni, who studies ancient astronomy in Central and South America and who retired last year as a professor at Colgate University, told Space.com. Early observers of Mars also prioritized different types of observations of the planet than we do today. Modern astronomers focus on the sidereal year, the time it takes Mars to orbit the sun about 687 days. But for centuries, Aveni said, that wasn't the number sky-minded people associated with Mars. "They recognize periodicities and movements that we don't pay any attention to," he said. For Mars, that meant people prioritized 780 days, the average length of the cycle that Mars shows in the sky. The planet appears and disappears in the night sky, sometimes slipping into the sunlit sky and becoming invisible. If you watched from appearance to appearance, or from disappearance to disappearance, a cycle would last about 780 days, the synodic period of the planet. "It's about how Mars relates to you personally, how it relates to our culture," Aveni said. "It's not about how long it rotates, whether it has life." Aveni primarily studies the Maya, and he said that most of what we know about how they watched Mars comes from just one book, called the Dresden Codex. The text includes a table of observations that scholars know must be of Mars because of the 780-day cycle. The book also includes a drawing of what scholars refer to as the "Mars Beast," which Aveni described as a macaw-like creature with a nose like an elephant's trunk. He added that the planet's orbit, which carries Mars across the whole sky, shaped the traits associated with it. "He's more of a watchdog or a guardian of the entire landscape," Aveni said. Other cultures looking to the sky, Aveni said, were more interested in how the different planets interacted than in any individual planet's journeys. For example, he points to Chinese astronomers, who were fascinated by planetary conjunctions. One Aboriginal Australian communitysaw Mars as one of four wives following the moon; another saw Mars and Venus as the two eyes of a celestial being. Although few traditions about Mars survive, astronomers focusing on Australia have evidence that Aboriginal peoples across the region tracked it and the other planets carefully for millennia. And, of course, the Greeks and Romans traced the movements of Mars and other celestial bodies across the sky. They associated the Red Planet with their god of war (Mars to the Romans; Ares to the Greeks), giving us the Mars we know today. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. MONTREAL One does not simply walk out of NASA with a moon rock, of course. Sara Arsenault, an employee of the Montreal Science Centre, told Space.com she was so nervous while carrying her precious cargo in April that she missed her first flight back from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, forcing her to try again. The 24-gram (0.8 ounces) centerpiece of a new museum exhibit was carefully placed inside a lunch box bag so as not to draw the attention of fellow passengers. Customs officials, however, were justifiably suspicious and scrutinized an explanatory letter NASA sent with her, Arsenault said last Friday (July 20). "And on top of that, I was so worried I'd forget it in a taxi or something," she recalled. [Should We Open Some Sealed Apollo Moon Samples?] Despite her adventures, Arsenault made it back to Montreal safely with her fragment of a 3.8-billion-year-old rock from the 1972 human landing mission of Apollo 17 part of the same set of "touchable" moon rocks that are at institutions such as Space Center Houston and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., she said. Arsenault turned down the chance to touch a moon rock during her tour at Space Center Houston. "I wanted this rock to be my first one," she said, gesturing at the new exhibit which was already attracting a crowd of visitors on its first afternoon in the museum on July 20. The exhibit was timed to open on the 49th anniversary of the first human moon landing by the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969. Sara Arsenault (center) of the Montreal Science Centre looks at some moon rocks at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. (Image credit: Montreal Science Centre) Water across the universe Arsenault is the project manager of development and production at the Montreal Science Centre, which attracts roughly 700,000 visitors a year with half of those coming during the summer months. The museum is located in Montreal's bustling Old Port on the St. Lawrence Seaway, which serves as a major shipping lane in Canada. Water is everywhere in this Montreal neighborhood, but on the moon, there also is plenty perhaps enough to host a colony of astronauts. Multiple missions have found evidence of hydrogen on the surface, which scientists interpret as a signature of water ice. Long-term research from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a 2017 map generated from past LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) information have mapped water in detail for possible future landing missions. Back in 1969, nobody imagined there would be water on the moon, Arsenault said, let alone on other worlds in the solar system. Now we know it's abundant spurting out of cracks in Saturn's moon Enceladus, hiding in permanently shadowed areas on Mercury, even lingering in the atmosphere of Jupiter after fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed there in 1994. A close-up image of the 24-gram touchable moon rock on display at the Montreal Science Centre in Canada. (Image credit: Montreal Science Centre) The new Montreal museum exhibit highlights a few locations for water in the solar system. As it orbits Earth, Canada's Radarsat-2 satellite maps the first few inches of soil, providing a snapshot of how the location of water is shifting with climate change. NASA's Mars Phoenix mission of 2008 (in which Canada participated) looked at water ice at the north pole of Mars. Water's link to life is shown in a 3.77-billion-year-old rock from northern Quebec, with probable fossils inside among the oldest known on Earth. (A study on the Quebec rocks drew international attention in 2017, when the find was first announced.) Museum officials also threw in some space hardware to attract the attention of visitors, even though the hardware is not necessarily directly related to water. This includes a model of the robotic Canadarm that used to be on display at a facility of Canadian manufacturer MDA, as well as one of the Apollo lunar module landing legs manufactured by Montreal's Heroux-Devtek (formerly known as Heroux). Museum spokesmen say that the center has plans for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in 2019, but the details have yet to be finalized. That anniversary will probably be a popular day for space museums across North America. The Apollo 11 command module will be at The Museum of Flight in Seattle that day, as part of an ongoing Smithsonian tour. The Smithsonian itself traditionally plans programming around Apollo 11 five-year anniversary milestones; it also is refreshing its moon exploration exhibit for 2020. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Each year, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism appoints a panel of seven experts to select the next Italian Cultural Capital, a small city highlighted for 12 months to promote its cultural heritage and artistic treasures through special events, itineraries, and services. Cultural Capitals in past years have included Mantua, Pistoia and Matera; for 2018, the spotlight has turned on one of the most fascinating cities on the island of Sicily, a bustling metropolis with a richly variegated history that is reflected in everything from its architecture to its cuisine: Palermo. (Photo by Patrik Tschudin via Flickr) Many cities in Italy have long histories of successive conquests and rulers, but Palermo is unique in that every new wave over the millennia has left a lasting mark. The original Phoenician colonys strategic military and trading position attracted invaders beginning with the Carthaginians and moving through the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, and French and Spanish Bourbons. Each impacted the citys art and architecture, language, and cuisine, leaving behind a historic center that is a fascinating patchwork of styles and a local cultural that is uniquely multiethnic. Famous for everything from its Byzantine mosaics to its modern streetfood, Palermo is an unforgettable city to explore and discover, layer by layer. (Photo by Juan Antonio Segal via Flickr) Sights Palermos numerous historic churches unite Islamic, Byzantine, and European architectural styles, and are so remarkable that many have been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among the most striking are the Cathedral, begun in the 12th century and expanded and renovated over the subsequent 600 years with Norman, Arabic, Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical elements. The Cappella Palatina, royal chapel of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily in Palermos Palazzo dei Normanni, is home to glittering mosaics that also combine Norman, Arabic, and Byzantine styles as witness to the citys cross-cultural heritage; La Martorana, or Santa Maria dellAmmiraglio, also boasts a spectacularly decorated interior featuring spectacular 12th-century mosaics created by Byzantine craftsmen. (Photo by CIUTravel via Flickr) In addition to its churches spanning from the Byzantine to the Baroque, Palermo is home to the oldest royal palace in Europe, the somber Norman Palace that was once home to the Kings of Sicily during the Norman occupation and today is seat to a number of governmental offices and the Palatine Chapel. The magnificent Zisa and Cuba hunting and recreational castles outside the city center are also hold-overs from the Norman period, and show strong influences of Arab architecture and style: the Zisa is home to the citys Islamic museum and the Cuba was once set at the center of an artificial lake. (Photo by Allie Caulfield via Flickr) More recently, Palermo was a center of arts in the 19th century and its two opera houses are still active today. The Neoclassical Teatro Politeama is home to the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, and Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in Europe. (Photo by Leonardo via Flickr) Shopping Palermo is a city in which much of the social interaction takes place outdoors in the sweeping squares and bustling open-air markets, both perfect for both participating in the refreshingly tourist-free local flavor and for browsing landmark shops and overflowing market stalls. The two most iconic squares are the Baroque Quattro Canti and Piazza Pretoria, home to the famous Pretoria Fountain with its frolicking nymphs and nudes that the Spanish invaders found so shocking that they took to calling it Piazza della Vergogna (Square of Shame). (Photo by Dennis Jarvis via Flickr) Among the most famous markets in all of Italy is Palermos Vucciria (from the local dialect for chatter due to its constant hum of patrons and vendors), the sprawling Ballaro that stretches for blocks and bustles with activity late into the night, and Capo, vibrant with colorful produce and spices, and even more colorful vendors hawking their wares. Events During 2018, the city has planned a number of art exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events (https://www.palermocapitalecultura.it/en/events) as part of the citys year as Cultural Capital. Even if you cant visit this year, however, the city is known for its rich cultural life centered around the two opera houses and a number of local art museums. (Photo by c4r1n3b via Flickr) Like most of Sicily, Palermo is a deeply Catholic city and its annual festival revolve around the Christian holidays and the Festa di St. Rosalia in the second week of July, celebrating the beloved patron saint with a huge processional, fireworks, street food and drink, and traditional Sicilian music. Dining All of Sicily has a unique cuisine that combines local specialties like fish and seafood, fresh ricotta for cannoli, and almonds for gelato and granita with elements of Arab and northern African cuisine; this is one of the only areas of Italy where cous cous is a found, for example. Palermo is no exception, and one of the most memorable aspects of the city is its excellent local dishes. (Photo by CIUTravel via Flickr) Hand-in-hand with its thriving outdoor markets is Palermos fantastic street food culture. One of the most popular street foods in Palermo, panelle, or chickpea fritters, are one of the many dishes introduced from the Middle East and is served by street vendors or friggitorie (fried food stands) like a sandwich on a sesame seed bun called a malfada. Other street food delights include arancine (fried rice balls with meat ragu), sfincione (a thick pizza slice topped with tomatoes, onions, anchovies, casciocavallo cheese, and oregano), babbaluci (tiny sea snails cooked in oil, garlic, and parsley), and pani ca meusa (spleen burger). Skywatcher Giuseppe Petricca took this image of a "supermoon" total lunar eclipse on Sept. 27, 2015, from Pisa, Italy, about 2 minutes prior to the beginning of the totality phase. Today's total lunar eclipse is dazzling people across half the planet, but what can you do if you're on the wrong side of the world, and how much time do you have before it's too late? Here's what you need to know to make the most of the July 27 phenomenon. First of all, act fast: The eclipse today peaks at 4:21 p.m. EDT (2021 GMT). Totality when the entire moon is dyed red by the Earth's shadow will continue until 5:13 p.m. EDT (2113 GMT). (While that may not seem like much time, that's actually an incredibly long lunar eclipse today's eclipse is the longest of this century and just four minutes short of the longest such event that's astronomically possible.) If you're located in the Americas, you won't be able to see the event for yourself, so you'll want to take advantage of one of the several livestreams being shared around the globe by astronomers and observatories in the U.K., Italy, Israel, Namibia and more. And if you miss totality, don't panic; there's still more to see. There's a second celestial spectacle on today's docket, the opposition of Mars, in which the planet will appear incredibly bright as it sits directly opposite the sun. And of course, the moon will slowly creep out of Earth's shadow, gradually returning to its usual silvery self. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Consumer financial-services firm Synchrony Financial reported Friday higher earnings for the second quarter, but it must also now prepare for the end of a partnership with the countrys largest brick-and-mortar retailer. Walmart announced late Thursday Capital One would next year become the exclusive issuer of Walmarts private label and co-branded credit card program. The deal would spell the end of Synchronys two-decade run as store-card provider for a $10 billion Walmart portfolio, but officials at the Stamford-based company said a new deal with online-payments powerhouse PayPal and other moves would help absorb the impact. Although we competed aggressively to renew the program, we were unable to reach terms that would have made economic sense for our company and shareholders, Synchrony CEO and President Margaret Keane said in an earnings call Friday. Instead, we will focus on opportunities in other areas of business, where we see significant potential at more attractive, risk-adjusted returns. With the alliance with Walmart set to end in July 2019, Synchrony is weighing two options. It could sell the Walmart portfolio to Capital One, which could generate about $2.5 billion for a possible share-buyback program. Alternatively, the company in early 2019 could start converting qualifying Walmart accounts to general-purpose credit cards. Unchanged accounts would remain Walmart cards that could be used with the retailer for the next three years. Today, dual-cards comprise about 50 percent of the Synchrony-managed Walmart holdings. We feel pretty good about our ability to execute either option, Chief Financial Officer Brian Doubles said on the call. In either situation, we believe we can replace the (earnings-per-share) impact. Either option looks attractive to us. Another major deal would help offset the loss of the Walmart business. The company announced July 3 it had closed on the acquisition of PayPals $7.6 billion consumer credit portfolio. With that deal, Synchrony and PayPal extended their 14-year co-branded credit card program agreement. Synchrony will serve as the exclusive U.S issuer of PayPal Credits online consumer-financing program through 2028, advancing its goal of becoming a major digital-payments player. This relationship builds on a key relationship in the rapidly growing digital-payments space, expands our capabilities within the merchant environment and leverages both companies strengths in providing seamless digital payments and innovations for merchants and consumers, Keane said. Among other major deals in the past quarter, Synchrony announced in May it had agreed to acquire Loop Commerce, which specializes in digital and in-store gifting services. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed. Keane and Doubles said the company would also look to further diversify their business and explore other acquisitions. We will take a harder look at M&A opportunities, Doubles said. But were going to maintain our discipline and look for attractive entry points and good returns for shareholders. Revenues in the second quarter totaled about $3.7 billion, as loan-receivables growth drove a 3 percent year-over-year increase. Profits leaped 40 percent, to $696 million. A slowing reserve build-up helped to boost the bottom line. The companys allocation for loan losses totaled about $1.28 billion in the past quarter, down 3 percent from a year ago. Net charge-offs which refer to debts the company does not expect to recoup accounted for 5.97 percent of loan receivables in the past quarter, compared with 5.42 percent a year ago. Synchrony officials said they expect charge-off rates to level off in upcoming quarters. Company shares closed Friday at $29.92, nearly flat compared with their Thursday finish. pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott When customers visit Starbucks, they expect a tasty beverage in a timely manner (read: as fast as possible), and good customer service. That helps explain Starbucks' business model as a high-frequency operation that must run at peak efficiency to realize profits. Related: What Business Leaders Should Learn From Starbucks' Shut Down Day Then there's Starbucks commitment to racial sensitivity as illustrated by its decision to close roughly 8,000 company-owned stores for anti-bias training. This followed the incident in April of two African American men being asked to leave a Philadelphia Starbucks when one of them requested to use the restroom without having purchased a beverage. The men were waiting for an associate to arrive before they ordered. Starbucks' subsequent training shocked the business community nationwide, due to the financial loss the chain incurred, estimated to be around $16.7 million. While no business of Starbucks scale can predict something like the Philadelphia incident, businesses can use time intelligently to try to prevent similar incidents. Specifically: Had Starbucks been more proactive at time management and training, the situation in April could have been avoided. Saving the brand Any business dealing with an occurence of racial bias or other discrimination has to tread carefully in its search for a solution to protect its brand image. Even though the Starbucks case was isolated to one store, it quickly became a national story that prompted a nationwide response. Starbucks could easily have made a hollow gesture -- like a simple donation -- but the company understood that the issue needed to be addressed head-on. Related: Don't Be the Next Headline: How to Implement Diversity Training the Right Way Starbucks needed a big, bold statement, and it made one through the resource of the time it expended on the training. By doing so, Starbucks showed its consumer base that it takes racial bias very seriously. And it devoted the valuable asset of time to properly train employees on a matter thats important to the enterprise. The lesson here: The company wouldn't have had to expend that time and money had it, earlier on, expended more time in its standard employee training. Time to focus on training The resource of time can often be overlooked on the corporate level. But in a business processing hundreds of thousands of transactions a day, the failure to directly connect time to outcomes is wasted time. Small and large corporations alike have difficulty in allotting and managing time for employee training. Spending too much time training an employee can result in lost profits, but spending too little time can leave an employee unable to properly do his or her job. In Starbucks' case, the company's leaders understood that this training was needed no matter how high the financial cost. Once again, though, this cost could have been avoided with proper up-front time management in its training process. Training has to consist of more than just how to mix a latte Quality assurance and consistency across multiple locations is a top priority for international companies rolling out new food and drink on a consistent basis. This means that product training should have been, and should be, a thorough part of all Starbucks employees' time. From order to pick-up, Starbucks employees must be able to do more than create drinks. Considering that positive customer interactions are a major part of the process, Starbucks misallocated the up-front time needed for training, and exposed its vulnerability; the result was that it was forced to pour more resources, that it shouldn't have had to, into fixing things later in the barista-service pipeline. Had Starbucks incorporated thorough racial bias training beforehand, it could have called Philadelphia an isolated incident. Instead, the company was backed into a corner, to save its reputation by training most of its employees at over 8,000 stores. While this was an impressive way to call attention to and work its way out of a corporate image crisis, the massive training the coffee giant hosted proved wasteful in terms of attaching time to outcomes. How can you avoid being wasteful? That is what corporate "time intelligence" should look like on a preemptive, rather than reactive, basis. Using time strategically While time is not a renewable resource, a business employing a proper platform for time management can harvest time with ease. Businesses looking to be smarter about this resource must rethink time as a corporate asset that is unified through all levels of the organization. From the C-suite to the retail employees who interact with customers daily, time can be reallocated and better managed using the same data analytics that are helping businesses to become more efficient. Once a business is able to understand where its time is being spent, it can take an objective look at where employee time is being mismanaged, and reallocate those workers' work efforts without needing to add more staff. In an ideal world, businesses wont need a major incident like the one in Philadelphia to start down the path to more strategic time use. Starbucks has seen that it needs to be more time efficient, and instead of closing down for large-scale trainings, it could have implemented a long-term anti-bias training initiative that wouldn't have to be done in one time slot nationwide. Related: These Companies Are Battling Sexual Harassment By Teaching Employees to Recognize Unconscious Bias This newfound awareness may not be enough for the company to rebound, however: It recently announced the closing of 150 stores over the 2019 corporate year. Instead of looking for stores to close, perhaps Starbucks would benefit more by streamlining its workforce processes and training process. Also required there would be intelligent time-tracking to ensure that the company was receiving the most output from its time input. Related: The Real Reason Starbucks Recently Had to Shut Down: Failure to Tie 'Time' to Outcomes Starbucks abre tienda para clientes con problemas de audicion Starbucks esta dispuesto a pagar 10 millones de dolares por un vaso de cafe Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved T he full extent of the IT shambles at TSB was laid bare on Friday, with the challenger bank crashing to a loss of 107 million, leaving chief executive Paul Pester clinging on to his job. That loss, for the six months to June, is compared with a profit of almost the same amount a year ago. TSBs attempt to move computer systems away from former parent Lloyds to a new set-up in April was a catastrophe. Customers saw data lost, accounts inaccessible and hacking widespread, in some cases for months. Problems remain. Pester, who had talked proudly of how TSB would shake up banking, improve customer service and swipe custom from the big high street players, was left grasping for explanations. He had to appear before MPs more than once. Today he said the bank is getting back on track and remains committed to putting things right. TSB said 26,000 customers closed accounts in the second quarter, though it did see 20,000 new account openings. The bank will pay 116 million in compensation and fraud refunds, 30 million for IT advice, and another 30 million in waived fees. That takes the cost of the meltdown to more than 176 million. Asked about his own future, Pester (pictured) would only say that he was focussed on the job in the hand, and not thinking about anything else. He said he doesnt want to leave, saying he was as committed as ever to the brand and its values. Parent company Banco Sabadell is said to be furious at the botch-up. The TSB fiasco was bad enough to drag it into the red. It made a loss of 123 million in the three months to June, which it blamed on IT problems. Pester insisted Sabadell is onside, saying there were no issues with bosses in Spain and that all sides had worked together. Pester, who wont get a bonus this year, said: I know how frustrated many customers have been by whats happened. It was not acceptable and was not the level of service that we pride ourselves on. Even before the crash, rivals were heard to snipe that TSBs computer systems were vulnerable. Critics have also noted that some branches are old fashioned, putting a dent in the banks claim to be a modern alternative to the likes of Lloyds, Natwest and Barclays. It is also facing a formal investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority into the crash. Andrew Bailey, chief executive, said the probe would be done in the open given the level of public interest. Pester was paid 1.3 million in 2015 and 3.7 million in 2016, an amount he said was justified by a fantastic year that included the building of a new IT platform. Y ou have to ask: is it more hellish right now trying to get out of the country, or get into it? For visitors to London, especially for those outside the EU, their trip may, right now, get off to the worst possible start, with an interminable queue at passport control at one of our airports. Business leaders, including London First, and British Airways have identified long waits at Heathrow border controls as a particular problem for visitors. Their concerns are borne out by figures showing 20 to 30 per cent of passengers from outside the EU have to wait more than the minimum target time of 45 minutes before getting through Border Force controls. It is not the way a capital that is open for business should be welcoming visitors. Of course, no one questions the need for close security checks or wishes to compromise on the process. But the deployment of more Border Force personnel at the airport and the greater use of e-gates for EU passengers would go a long way towards solving the interminable delays without affecting security. For those trying to leave the country on Eurotunnel, the situation is particularly dire now that the company that runs it has cancelled thousands of journeys for cars travelling today, on the grounds that the trains air-conditioning cannot cope in the heat. There will be more places on trains running tonight but the prospect of interminable delays on what may be the hottest day of the year (again) offers only misery for people setting off on a summer break. It may be that todays temperatures may not be an historic aberration but a new norm and in that case, Eurotunnel will have to ensure that its trains are in future able to cope with high temperatures rather than simply cancelling services. Already passengers have had to queue for 90 minutes to check in, then wait five hours for the next service. This is not a way for a commercial company to cope with peak demand. On the bright side, those who opt simply to stay at home, preferably in an air-conditioned office will be feeling very smug right now. Until, that is, its time to head home on the train... Sajids sensible move The move to allow doctors to prescribe cannabis-derived products has been a long time coming but its still very welcome. The Home Secretary has authorised the change for people with exceptional medical needs and this will include children with epilepsy whose cases have attracted huge public interest while insisting that it is not a first step to legalising cannabis for recreational use. The move follows reviews by the Governments medical advisers and the chief medical officer for England which suggested that there was evidence of real therapeutic benefits from the drug. The beneficiaries could include people with Parkinsons disease and MS as well as epileptics. The Department of Health now has to work on a definition of what constitutes cannabis-derived medicinal products so that they can be prescribed by doctors from the autumn; this is a rational and prudent way to go. Mr Javid deserves congratulations for dealing with this issue in a sensible fashion; vulnerable patients and their families will thank him for it. No time to give up at 79 Sir Ian McKellens triumphant performance of King Lear in a transfer of Jonathan Munbys production to the Duke of Yorks Theatre may, he suggests, be his last Shakespeare role. We very much hope not. The great thing for an actor about becoming old is that he can finally do justice to the role of Lear; if Sir Ian is wonderful now, at nearly 80 and arguably better than when he last performed the role as a mere 70-year-old who is to say he wont be even better in as he matures into a riper age? It would be a waste if his relationship with Shakespeare over the course of his long and remarkable career comes to an end on this high note. T he past 10 days have been spent on trains, shuttling around Europe with my teenager in tow. In the carriages are the continents commuters, tourists and, of course, the backpack-wearing children off on their first adventure with their Interrail Global passes. Oh to be 18 again, with a head full of untested notions about the world, the delights of Venice and Krakow yet undiscovered, horizons broadening with every timetable and departure board. Interrailing started in 1972 and it is now European Commission policy. This summer, 20,000 free month-long passes were handed to 18-year-old EU citizens to get out of their small towns and see the continent. A bright spark in the commission will have thought this is the perfect metaphor for what we are trying to do as they rubber-stamped it. This is creating a shared experience. The quid pro quo is that the kids have to visit sites of cultural interest and sell Europe on social media. Propaganda agents for the EU, if you will. Instagram is filling up with pictures of them, thumbs-up outside the Colosseum and hugging unloved statues in Spanish towns, all deployed under #DiscoverEU. Seventy-five years ago, if you were boarding a train with a backpack on, you may well have been wearing army boots. Fifty years ago, half the continent was cut off. And even 20 years ago, when I was living and travelling in central Europe, you feared the inquisition of the stony-faced officials checking passports at 4am as you crossed a border (I still reach for my ID instinctively, and am still mystified as no one comes to check). As propaganda goes, Id encourage more of it. Let the kids travel. Give them all passes, order beer in six different languages, and then forget where theyve been and where they are going. It might be an indulgence of the Instagram generation, but then again it is far better than what went before. Epic tale of a family marching to doom As well as my teenager, my other travel companion in central Europe has been Joseph Roths novel The Radetzky March. Written in 1932, it is an epic on the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire, told through three generations of a military family, the first a war hero, the last a drunk staggering towards 1914. It has been like travelling in two different times zones: the present and the late 19th century, an era erased by war. I admit, I had to don my sunglasses in many a cafe to hide the tears that welled up at this lost world. But I think Roth might have been pleasantly surprised at how things turned out. Kylie was nearly queen of the Adriatic I was in Venice on Wednesday. So was Kylie Minogue , there to sing a duet with guitarist Giovanni Jack Savoretti and send the flashbulbs popping. The gig itself was terrible Id never heard of Savoretti before and wont be revisiting his oeuvre any time soon. However, the venue was spectacular. It was La Fenice, one of Venices famous opera houses, with gilded ceilings and boxes all around the gallery perfect for viewing Venice society. Kylie Minogue / Rex Features Watching Kylie on stage it occurred to me that the impresario world has missed a trick. Despite all the mega-gigs, she is actually the perfect operatic heroine: voice larger than her tiny frame, an angel beset by a nervous angst, and a love life with many twists and turns. A palace built for music needs its royalty too. Now who will take up this challenge? Going cashless two sides of same coin There has been one utterly useless item in my travel kit a leather jacket should things suddenly get cold. Theres been no rain in Prague or Vienna or Venice or Lucerne. However, one of the most useful items has been a Visa card. Despite notionally needing zloty and euros and Swiss francs, the little chip on my Visa card has done the work everywhere, and mental conversions of currency are barely required. Theres an upside to this: no shrapnel of unusable coins in my purse at the end of the trip. M ykonos is a picture of Greeces aesthetic idiosyncrasies. Whitewashed houses offset with primary blue hues and flashes of fuchsia bougainvillea, narrow, winding streets festooned with laundry and centuries-old coastal windmills make it an ideal spot to whip out the old watercolours. And while the islands 24-hour reputation, internationally renowned restaurants and pumping beach clubs draw in a party crowd, theres a burgeoning art scene thats attracting a more discerning kind of tourist to the island. Its many galleries and the new Mykonos Arts Festival all point to an exciting cultural blossoming. Stay at Kivotos Hotel, an award-winning boutique hideaway in Ornos Bay, and expect to find sculpture, paintings and antiques wherever you look. Kivotos was the first hotel to understand the potential of contemporary art for the island of Mykonos, says New York-based Sozita Goudouna, who curates a show for the hotel every year. A 10-minute drive away in Mykonos town, the islands galleries sit inconspicuously among its heaving alleyways, ubiquitous souvenir shops and outposts for luxury brands. One street away from Ling Ling (the Michelin-starred Hakkasans sister restaurant) is Rarity Gallery. Run by Vassilis and Christos for 25 years, the gallery exhibits works photography, painting and sculpture from internationally esteemed artists, including Julian Opie and Carole Feuerman. Pop in on a Tuesday night around 11pm and its as packed as the Royal Academys summer exhibition on a Saturday. Opera music swells and spills into the street while owner Vassilis entertains prospective buyers. Were open and busy from 10am in the morning until 2am at night, he tells me as he flits between well-dressed people in the market looking for a new piece of work to line their hall. Amazing Greek Islands to visit - In pictures 1 /20 Amazing Greek Islands to visit - In pictures Symi Shutterstock Amorgos Shutterstock Astypalea Shutterstock Naxos Shutterstock Serifos Shutterstock Patmos Shutterstock Corfu Unsplash Zakynthos Pixabay The church of the Seven Martyrs Sifnos island Greece Shutterstock Red Beach at Santorini Shutterstock Matala beach with old fishing boats and caves at Crete Shutterstock A view of Mykonos port Shutterstock Ios Shutterstock Paros Shutterstock Kefalonia NinasCreativeCorner/Pixabay Sunset view from Kastro at Milos Shutterstock Skopelos Shutterstock Andros Shutterstock Lefkada Svetlana/Pixabay Skiathos Shutterstock Exhibiting this summer is Greek-American artist Paul Rousso, whose debut show last year went so well that hes back for another season. I have so much respect for the other artists that Rarity carries, says Rousso. Mykonos is one of the most important, cosmopolitan and well-known summer destinations in the world and above all, its beautiful, adds Vassilis. It wasnt really the jet-setters that drew us in, it was more the feeling of the island. Although all Mykonoss galleries are within a 10-minute walk of each other, each is commercially successful in its own right. The aptly named Big White Gallery predominantly shows Greek artists, while Gallery Skoufa (with an outpost in Athens) and Kapopoulos Fine Arts offer a mix of emerging and established Greek and international artists. Each runs an ever-rotating show, selling work daily an indication of how art has become big business for the island. Not that its all business. Championing young, contemporary artists in Mykonos is curator Marina Vranopoulou, founder and owner of Dio Horia Gallery on Panahra Square. Opening as a platform in 2015 with the intention of hosting a summer residency and non-commercial exhibition based on the work made by each artist invited, Dio Horia (a breezy three-floor space with a rooftop bar dropped into Mykonoss centre) is the freshest gallery on the island. Its perhaps most representative of the contemporary art scene there because of its island-inspired residency programme. I invite artists to come and stay in Mykonos and actually be influenced by its past and what it is today, says Vranopoulou. I like the idea of having an exhibition space on an island where people are relaxed and have time to come and enjoy the art. American artist Todd Jamess hyper-saturated paintings of Mykonoss selfie-taking beach clubbers bedeck the sun-filled upper floors of Dio Horia, while the newly landed and jet-lagged Matt Palladino works on this summers Mykonos-inspired instalment, opening on July 6. I work in a basement in Brooklyn, so being here to make the art is pretty much the dream, says Palladino, who is working on a watercolour interpretation of his new surroundings. Theres an effort nowadays to bring more quality art into Mykonos, and Dio Horia seems to be leading the way in this, says Nefeli Baimpa Dimopoulou, a Greek architect. A few streets away, Berlin gallery Magic Beans has opened a pop-up exhibition for the summer, focusing on emerging contemporary artists in its first gallery outside Germany. Not your typically laid-back Greek island, Mykonos is leading the charge in cultural output, attempting to match its cosmopolitan image with its artistic draw. Andonis Kioukas, founder of this years inaugural Mykonos Arts Festival, says his aim is to create an annual cultural event of the highest quality, worthy of the reputation of Mykonos as a unique international destination. Thanks to forward-thinking curators such as Vranopoulou at Dio Horia, the island is well on its way. Details: Mykonos T here are a number of health benefits that have been associated with having sex, both physical and mental. And new research suggests having sex could also give you a greater sense of meaning in life. A team of researchers at the George Mason University set out to explore the relationship between sex and wellbeing, which included mood and sense of meaning in life, in a small study that was published in the scientific journal Emotion. They conducted a three-week study involving 152 college students who were told to keep a daily diary of the frequency and quality of their sexual activity, along with their moods and feelings. The results of the study suggested that sex on a given day predicted an enhanced mood and improved meaning in life for the participants the following day. Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash David Ludden, professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College, says in a Psychology Today blog post that this finding is consistent with other research which have found that the 'afterglow' of sex extends for a day or two after the act." Interestingly, the time-lagged analysis suggested that the reverse was not the case: feeling happy one day did not predict sexual activity or intimacy the next day. The researchers conclude that its the sexuality activity which respondents were allowed to define themselves as anything from passionate kissing to intercourse that is making people feel happier. Todd Kashdan, lead author of the study, is quoted in TIME as saying that its probably down to our natural desire to belong and that sex can translate as a sign of acceptance and inclusion. There is something profound about someone else giving you access to their body and accepting access to yours, he said. Those of the participants in relationships (a little over 60 per cent) who said that they felt close to their partners also predicted a greater sense of meaning in life and positive mood afterwards. Kashdan said that this is down to the feeling of reaffirmation that a person in a close relationship feels after having sex with their partner. Sex, he said, is a remedy for loneliness and isolation, a therapy without therapists. Ludden writes in his blog post that when you think about sex not only as sensual pleasure, but as a social act "we can understand why it boosts our mood and sense of fulfilment beyond the gratification of the moment. "After all, what could be more affirming to another person than to willingly engage with them in the most intimate acts of human experience?" The study is limited in its sample size, but also in that it examines the relationship behaviours and sexual activity of students, which is likely to differ to those of older people, psychologist Christian Jarrett points out. It nevertheless provides a snapshot into the relationship between sex and wellness, a topic the authors believe warrants further research. A teenager who died after being dumped in the street with stab wounds by a scooter rider who then sped away from the scene has been named by police. Latwaan Griffiths, 18, was found suffering knife wounds in Denmark Road, Camberwell, by passers-by who rushed to give him first aid on Wednesday evening. Mr Griffiths, from Southwark, was rushed to hospital but died in the early hours of Thursday. A 17-year-old boy has been arrested at an address in Kent on suspicion of murdering Mr Griffiths. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remained in custody. Detectives are still trying to trace the moped rider who they believe dropped the victim in Denmark Road and issued a CCTV image as they continued to appeal for information. Police are trying to trace the moped rider / Metropolitan Police Scotland Yard said in statement: Initial enquires into the investigation have established that the victim was on a moped with somebody else, who left him at the scene and rode off while members of the public administered first aid prior to the arrival of the emergency services. One witness said: The boy was hanging off the back of the scooter and the guy on front was screaming hold on, hold on. I said to my sister that guy looks very ill. He was all slumped over, hanging off. They were going quite slowly and both had helmets on. Moment a stabbed teenager is dumped in the street by a moped rider Abu Kamara, residents chairman of the Crawford estate, said: His friend stopped the moped and just pushed him off. He shouted help him, help him, hes been stabbed to people standing on the street and rode off. I cant believe it he just left him in the middle of the road. He obviously didnt want to get involved with police and panicked. He added: Everyone shouted Why are you leaving him? Chase him! They ran after him but he got away. He was a coward if that kid had got to hospital he could have been saved. The boy was stabbed twice in his side. There was a lot of blood. He said people came out of their homes and started doing CPR on him. The police were magnificent. Its not a boy from around here. Ive seen a lot of young boys asking who he was, worried it was their friend. Mr Griffiths is the 16th teenager to be stabbed to death so far this year. The scene is around half a mile from the address where Katrina Makunova, 17, from Lewisham, died after suffering stab injuries at an address in Brisbane Street on July 12. A 21-year-old man has been charged with her murder. The death comes as Londons murder rate has slowed in recent weeks compared to a surge in killings in the spring. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, from the Met's homicide and major crime command unit, said: "Earlier today we arrested a 17-year-old male on suspicion of Latwaan's murder and although this is a good start to our investigation, we still want to hear from the driver of the moped as soon as possible. "This is a tragic incident which has resulted in another young person being fatally stabbed in London and it's important we establish where the victim initially received his injuries. If anyone saw the moped make off from the scene or recognises the helmet or moped we equally need to hear from them." Any witnesses or anyone with information should contact the Homicide and Major Crime Command on 020 8721 4205 or call 101 quoting CAD 6605/25 July. C hristine Lampard's stalker has walked free from court despite bombarding her with chilling tweets which referenced her "crucifixion" and "gravestone". Christof King even turned up at Mrs Lampard's home in a two-and-a-half year campaign that left her too scared to leave the house. The 39-year-old was handed a nine month sentence, suspended for two years, at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday. Mrs Lampard previously told the court that she was forced on one occasion to hide in a bedroom with the housekeeper when he appeared at the house. During his trial earlier this year King, from Brent, north-west London, admitted stalking the star, but disputed sending the messages online. Christof King pleaded guilty to stalking TV host Christine Lampard / PA After a Newton hearing on the matter of the tweets, Judge Robin Johnson ruled on June 5 at Isleworth Crown Court that King did indeed send them. Sentencing King, who changed his name by deed poll from Jon Dunningham in April 2016, Judge Johnson said on Friday: "Those in the public eye are used to receiving contact from strangers. "But they, like anyone else, are entitled to protection from the law when some contact moves from simply irritation to being criminal." Judge Johnson said the stalking and harassment lasted over a long period of time and that he must have known both Christine and Frank Lampard wanted him stop contacting them. "You are responsible for sending her very nasty communications which would have upset anyone, and aggravated that offending by visiting her home address," he added. Christine Lampard arrives at Isleworth Crown Court earlier this year / Jeremy Selwyn During the campaign of harassment which occurred between January 2015 and October 2017, the court heard how King sent one tweet to Mrs Lampard saying: "I can hear the scratch of nails as I sharpen them ahead of your crucifixion." Another tweet said: "I am planning the words that will go on your gravestone." He also sent letters to the Lampards' home, including one in which he praised her acting abilities and said on meeting her he could play the adoring fan, adding: "Which isn't very difficult believe me." Describing his behaviour as "bizarre", prosecutor Warwick Tatford told the court that King even wrote a letter to the Lampards' dog, Minnie. In it he said he was so pleased to meet the canine "after all these years", and how he felt they "developed some kind of special bond in that moment". Mr Tatford told the court the letters made the Lampards feel uncomfortable and disturbed. Frank Lampard arrives at Isleworth Crown Court earlier this year / Jeremy Selwyn The court heard that as a result of the unwanted attention, the Loose Women star never went out on her own and made sure the gate was shut behind her car before she got out. Mrs Lampard and her husband, former Chelsea and England footballer Frank, were not in court for the sentencing of King. Defending, John Oliver said: "He (King) wants the court and the Lampards to know that he has received the message loud and clear that there is no desire for contact from him at all." Mr Oliver revealed that King has a delusional disorder "which has over the year raised its head, but has without treatment or intervention gone into remission on a number of occasions". King was also given an indefinite restraining order that bans him from contacting both Christine and Frank Lampard either directly or indirectly, and prevents him from going within 100 yards of their home or entering their street. He was also handed a 15-day community order for rehabilitation activity, as well as 150 hours of unpaid work. Judge Johnson warned King that if he breaches the restraining order, he could face up to five years in prison and that if he commits another offence, he "will serve those nine months" plus whatever he is handed for any new crime. A rmed police were in a shoot out with three men following a car chase in east London. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after shots were fired towards officers. Police were called to Lascelles Close in Leytonstone at 10.45pm on Thursday to reports of suspects seen with a gun. Armed officers attended the scene and, a short time later, a vehicle was seen nearby which failed to stop for officers. The suspects were arrested in Bective Road, Forest Gate, more than a mile away from where officers were initially called. Scotland Yard said "a number of shots were fired towards officers" during a pursuit, and police also fired weapons. There are no reports of injuries. They have been taken to an east London police station where they remain in custody. A Met Police spokesman said: "Officers and the National Police Air Service remain in the area. A fugitive web designer who killed a young woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames has been told to turn himself in to face jail. Jack Shepherd, 30, is on the run after he flouted safety rules and took 24-year-old Charlotte Brown out on a rickety boat in central London while trying to seduce her. He was sentenced to six years in jail at the Old Bailey today after being convicted of manslaughter. But Shepherd did not attend his trial or sentencing, and has not been seen since March when he was in Devon, police said. Detectives today said they believe he may have fled the country in a bid to avoid justice after the tragedy in 2015. Tragic: Charlotte Brown drowned on a speedboat date / PA DS Christopher Davis, from the Met's homicide and major crime command, said: A jury has decided that Charlottes life was lost due to Jack Shepherds reckless actions. To take his boat out at night, whilst drinking, in winter conditions and without offering Charlotte a life jacket or even asking if she could swim was a recipe for disaster. That night ended in a tragedy and the consequences will live with Charlottes family forever. Shepherd, originally from Abergavenny in Wales, had taken Ms Brown out after meeting her on dating website OkCupid. But their champagne-fuelled first date ended in tragedy when his boat capsized near Wandsworth Bridge in central London when it hit a submerged log after Shepherd encouraged his date to take the wheel. They were both thrown into the cold water and Ms Brown died after she was pulled from the river unconscious and unresponsive. Reading an emotional victim impact statement in court, Ms Brown's mother, Roz Wickens, said: "I want Jack Shepherd to know that when he's enjoying himself with his family, I in fact am not enjoying myself and never will. The truth is I will be visiting Charlotte's grave. Also, if it was a dreadful accident, as he has claimed, why hasn't he explained what happened that night and at least sent his condolences. "The fact is, if Charlotte had not met him she would still be alive today. The empty hole that has been left in my heart is huge and is agony. Crash: the speedboat being recovered from the Thames / Evening Standard / eyevine "I will continue to feel pain, distress, emotion and anguish until I take my final breath." Judge Richard Marks QC sentenced Shepherd to six years' imprisonment in his absence and said he had a "totally cavalier attitude to safety". The court heard Shepherd got married to a childhood friend very shortly after the speedboat crash and now has a two-year-old child. An image of Jack Shepherd's speedboat released by police / PA An image of Jack Shepherd's speedboat released by police (PA) But the relationship broke down and Shepherd has struggled to gain work because of his drinking and links to the case, his barrister said. The court had heard how Shepherd bought the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO from Gumtree to "pull women". In the months before Ms Brown's death, Shepherd had entertained up to 10 women on the 1980s model, having invited them back to his houseboat in Hammersmith. Man receives six-year jail term after deadly speedboat crash During that time, he had been caught speeding by marine police more than once and advised on the importance of wearing life jackets. On December 8 2015, Shepherd treated Ms Brown to a 150 meal at Oblix in the Shard, where they drank two bottles of wine. The couple took a taxi back to Shepherd's place where they took champagne aboard the speedboat for a trip past the Houses of Parliament. A police officer who sawed and smashed his way through a suspect's windscreen with a knife has been cleared of common assault and damaging property. Joshua Savage, 28, was accused of attacking Leon Fontana's Ford Fiesta with a baton before cutting the glass with a lock knife on September 16 2016. Police mistakenly thought the driver was a potentially violent drug dealer called TJ Dixon who may have had a weapon and only a provisional licence. The incident left Mr Fontana with a shard of glass in his eye that had to be removed by a doctor, and he was forced to pay 175 to have his windscreen repaired. The incident, at around 5.25pm on Vicar's Road in Camden, north-west London, was filmed by Mr Fontana and shared widely online at the time, provoking a public outcry. Pc Savage was filmed smashing his way through the car's windscreen Mr Savage's actions were described by the prosecution as those of "a bully in uniform". The police officer said he acted lawfully and proportionately when Mr Fontana refused to step out of his vehicle, and that it was common practice for Metropolitan Police officers to carry knives on duty. On Thursday, Mr Savage was cleared of one count of assault by beating and one count of damaging property at Southwark Crown Court. He was also cleared of possession of a bladed article for having the multi-tool, which is not a police-issued piece of kit. In his evidence, Mr Savage claimed the sharp rise in violent crime in London is down to officers being too afraid to make arrests in case they face a backlash. "It was as a situation where I was trying to gain (Mr Fontana's) compliance, trying to speak to him - absolutely the situation didn't unfold the way I would have liked," he said. The court heard that Mr Savage had run a check on the vehicle by radio and learned that it had previously been used to make off from police. He continued: "I knew I was in a police-unfriendly area, potentially with a person who could present a risk to myself or my colleagues. "I knew the driver was potentially someone who might make off from us, so I approached the vehicle feeling very anxious." Mr Savage said he was unable to see into the car properly because of its tinted windows. "I believed the driver to be Mr Dixon. We knew he presented a risk to police officers and the public in that he would be prepared to drive off and cause a pursuit." He added: "The subject was in a vehicle, a vehicle is a killing machine and he was completely in control of that vehicle." Mr Savage said that when Mr Fontana started filming him, it seemed like he wanted to repeat the whole exchange from the beginning "for the benefit of the camera and his YouTube fans". "This is the problem we are seeing throughout London - police officers are more reluctant to deal with things because they are scared of what might come afterwards. "Hence why we are seeing gang members not being disrupted and the rise in violent crime." Mr Savage claimed that "the majority" of response officers carry their own bladed tools on duty. He said his job required a "cutting implement" for acts such as slicing seat belts off trapped car passengers in emergency situations. Mr Savage said his multi-tool was always clearly displayed on his belt and that he had never tried to conceal it because it is bright yellow. In the footage of the alleged assault, when Mr Fontana refuses to leave his vehicle, the Metropolitan Police officer can be heard saying in footage played to the jury, "Get out of the car" and, "You're not allowed to drive it". Mr Fontana, who placed his keys on the dashboard, replies: "I've got a licence and insurance" and says he is filming for his own safety. In his evidence, Mr Fontana said: "I thought if I left that car I would have been in danger certainly. "I certainly wasn't getting out to a police officer with a knife and a cosh in his hand." Mr Savage, of Hermon Hill, Wanstead, north-east London, has been on restricted duties with the Met since the incident. Jonathan Green, regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said: "Our investigation found that a misconduct hearing could decide Pc Savage's actions amount to gross misconduct. "The Metropolitan Police did not agree and so we have directed that a misconduct hearing be held to consider the evidence. "We will be in contact with the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure that the hearing is held as soon as possible." Jack Shepherd, 30, drunkenly flouted basic safety measures when he took 24-year-old Charlotte Brown for a spin on his rickety vessel, trying to "seduce" her with a thrill-seeking ride to see iconic London landmarks. Despite her being a complete boat novice, Shepherd gave control at "full throttle" to Ms Brown, moments before the speedboat hit a semi-submerged log and tossed them both into the icy waters. While Shepherd was found clinging to the hull of the upturned boat and survived, Ms Brown was found unconscious in the water and could not be saved. Shepherd was charged with gross negligence manslaughter, but went on the run instead of facing an Old Bailey trial. Guilty: Jack Shepherd has been jailed over the death of Charlotte Brown / PA He was found guilty by a jury yesterday, but failed to attend court today for the sentencing hearing. "It's cowardice, not a clever trick to avoid justice", said his barrister Stephen Vullo QC. "It's an inability to face the responsibility and an inability to face Ms Brown's family, knowing the pain they must have suffered." Judge Richard Marks QC sentenced Shepherd in absence to six years in prison, saying he had a "cavalier attitude" to safety and adding: "This was an accident waiting to happen An image of Jack Shepherd's speedboat released by police / PA "It is abundantly clear there is no way they should have been out on the boat that night, still less that Charlotte should have been permitted to drive", he said. The judge said Shepherd was "a person susceptible to drink" and was "well under the influence of alcohol at the time he embarked on that fateful journey". "The defendant should never have allowed Charlotte to drive the boat at any time, given the fact she had been drinking as well as the fact it was dark and he must have known the river was potentially hazardous. "Moreover she had no previous boating experience at all." Police are hunting for Shepherd to bring him to justice, but fear he may now have fled abroad. Ms Brown's family are campaigning for a dramatic overhaul of river safety regulations to leave a "legacy" in her name. Mobile footage of date driving defective speedboat "We cannot allow Charli's passing to be in vain", said her sister Katie yesterday. "Her legacy will be to highlight the appalling lack of legislation and safety measures present on our waterways. "Our family will work tirelessly with support from the RNLI to campaign for a review and change of regulation in memory of Charli. "Our efforts aim to stop the heartache we have felt being repeated in other families, whilst the shortcomings in regulation continue to exist." The family - mother Roz Wickens, father Graham Brown and sisters Vicky and Katie - have already taken their campaign to Parliament, having learnt of the soft-touch rules that govern the waterways in the two-and-a-half years since Ms Brown's death. During the trial, it emerged that Shepherd had repeatedly used his 1980s speedboat to try to "pull" women, taking them for a spin along the river to see landmarks including the Houses of Parliament. Crash: Chilling footage was shot from Miss Brown's phone moments before the fatal crash / Met Police He met Ms Brown through dating app OK Cupid, and they agreed to go on a date on the night she died, on December 8, 2015. They shared two bottles of wine during a 150 dinner at The Shard, before Shepherd suggested they take glasses of champagne out on to his speedboat. The boat had defects including poor steering, Shepherd ignored basic safety measures including life jackets, and he admitted later that he had not even asked Ms Brown if she could swim. He also had a track record of flouting the river's speed limit, despite police warnings, and in a video shot minutes before the fatal crash, Ms Brown can be heard telling him to slow down. Shepherd had also previously been spotted driving his boat with a woman sat straddling the bow, which one witness described as "absolutely crazy". In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, Ms Wickens described her daughter as the "light of my life" who has been "robbed of her life". "Every day is the worst day of my life, because it is yet another day without Charlotte. People say time heals, but that is not the case when you have lost a child." She added: "I want Jack Shepherd to know that when he is enjoying himself with his family, I in fact am not enjoying myself and never will. The truth is I will be visiting Charlotte's grave. "Also, if it was a dreadful accident as he has claimed, why hasn't he explained to us what happened that night, and at least sent his condolences?" Mr Vullo told the court Shepherd got married after the crash and while awaiting trial and now has a two-year-old child. But his marriage has broken down due to his excessive drinking and he struggles to find a job. T he family of a young woman who was killed in a speedboat crash on the Thames have demanded an overhaul of appalling river safety rules to prevent another tragedy. Charlotte Brown, 24, died when she was flung into the icy waters during an ill-fated midnight trip down the river on a first date with 30-year-old Jack Shepherd. Despite being a complete boat novice, she was given control of the speedboat at full throttle by Shepherd, who ignored basic safety measures including wearing a life jacket. Yesterday at the Old Bailey, web designer Shepherd - who is now on the run - was convicted by a jury of Ms Browns manslaughter by gross negligence , and faces years behind bars when he is sentenced this morning. Web designer Jack Shepherd is on the run / PA The family of Ms Brown - known as Charli - said after the verdict they want her legacy to be a dramatic overhaul of river safety regulations. Mobile footage of date driving defective speedboat We cannot allow Charlis passing to be in vain, said her sister Katie, reading a statement outside court on behalf of the family. Her legacy will be to highlight the appalling lack of legislation and safety measures present on our waterways. Tragic: Charlotte Brown drowned on the speedboat date / PA Our family will work tirelessly with support from the RNLI to campaign for a review and change of regulation in memory of Charli. Our efforts aim to stop the heartache we have felt being repeated in other families, whilst the shortcomings in regulation continue to exist. The family - mother Roz Wickens, father Graham Brown and sisters Vicky and Katie - have already taken their campaign to Parliament, having learnt of the soft-touch rules that govern the waterways in the two-and-a-half years since Ms Browns death. Delivering their verdict yesterday afternoon, jurors took the unusual step of sending a note to the judge which tackled this issue. An image of Jack Shepherd's speedboat released by police / PA We are concerned that the current lack of licensing, and enforcement of regulations regarding private boat ownership on the Thames, and lack of clarity regarding safety matters greatly increases the risk of further incidents, they said. We hope that the result of this case will lead to a high-level review of such matters going forward. During the trial, it emerged that Shepherd used his speedboat to try to seduce women, taking them for a spin along the river during dates to see iconic landmarks including the Houses of Parliament. On the night Ms Brown died, on December 8, 2015, he had been drinking wine and champagne when he took out the boat, which had a series of defects including poor steering. He did not bother with life jackets, flouted the rivers speed limit, and admitted later that he had not even asked Ms Brown if she could swim. The court also heard how he had been stopped and warned about his speed in the past, and also told by Marine Police to wear a life jacket and use the boats kill cord. Ms Browns family added that they were appalled when it was suggested in court that a life jacket would not have saved her life. We firmly believe Charli would not have drowned if she was wearing a life jacket, they said. Both the RNLI and the Port of London authority strongly recommend the use of life jackets with their importance should never be undermined. Ahead of todays sentencing hearing, they urged Shepherd to come out of hiding and face justice. M iddle-class party-goers who take cocaine socially are fuelling gang violence on the streets of London , Sadiq Khan has said. The Mayor said recreational drug use is not a "victimless crime", and is linked to the spate of killings on the streets of London. "We have got to make sure we take action among those young people who are involved in criminal gangs as well as those who are buying them at middle-class parties, he said. Taking questions on his LBC Radio phone-in show, said: "There is a definite link, which has been shown to me by the police, of drugs and criminal gangs and knife crime and crime going up. Sadiq Khan criticised recreational drug users / AFP/Getty Images "There are some Londoners who think it is a victimless crime, taking cocaine at middle-class parties. "We need to make sure Londoners realise there is no such thing as a victimless crime." He added: "Some of the young people being knifed on our streets in London, some of the young people losing their lives is because they are involved in criminal gangs who are lower down the food chain in relation to drugs." The mayor's comments came after Justice Secretary David Gauke said in May that middle-class people who take cocaine "should feel a degree of guilt and responsibility" when they see stories of teenagers being murdered in Hackney, east London. Mr Khan, who campaigned for a Remain vote in the EU referendum, said Brexit could make tackling the drugs trade harder. "The drugs come from overseas and the idea that we will be more effective at fighting crime by leaving the EU - by not having the security arrangements with the EU - is ridiculous," he said. T ransformed from luscious patches of green to parched yellow, London's parks have been pictured from above after being frazzled by the summers heatwave. The satellite images show some of the capitals best known parks in May as well as after they have been scorched by the sun. Green and fresh in May, parks including Greenwich and Hampstead Heath have been left looking more like the yellow-brown savannahs of Africa during dry season. The striking images also show the difference as the whole of the capital is captured from above with plentiful patches of vegetation in May replaced by bright yellow spots by July. Loading.... Captured using European Space Agency Sentinel-2 satellite imagery by geo-technology company Esri UK, they show the drastic impact of the hot weather as temperatures have soared into the mid-30s and a drought has led to a hosepipe ban in parts of the country. The images were released as the Royal Parks, which manages some of Londons best known green spaces, stressed that London needed a "prolonged period of rain" for the grass to recover. Louise Simmons, Assistant Park Manager for Hyde Park, said: "Thankfully, grass is extremely resilient. Loading.... We need a prolonged period of rain something more than the showers we are expecting imminently and the grass will begin to spring back into life very quickly, like an animal coming out of hibernation. The Royal Parks also warned people against dropping cigarettes or using barbecues, saying they pose a huge fire risk. Loading.... On Thursday, the UK had its hottest day of the year with temperatures of 35.1C recorded in Wisley, Surrey. The coldest temperature in the UK was recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, where the mercury dropped to 4.8C. Meanwhile, on Friday, there were warnings lightning, flash flooding and hail in eastern parts of Britain , with a thunderstorm warning in place for the afternoon until just before midnight. Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-30s for much of east and south east England, reaching 37C in London, and could rise higher still if there is a lot of sunshine, Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said. There is a chance the all-time UK record of 38.5C could be broken, with the hot weather set to continue into August. Loading.... Mr Deakin said: "The reason there's some uncertainty is because of the thunderstorms, how many we see and where they get going ... torrential rain, the risk of local flooding, large hailstones potentially damaging, lots of flashes of lighting and rumbles of thunder. A mix of toxic air, extreme highs, emissions from the continent and a lack of cloud cover caused a "high" air pollution alert to be issued for London. Loading.... Meanwhile authorities said the heatwave was causing "winter conditions" in parts of the NHS, while many nurses were said to be dizzy and exhausted. Fire brigades also called for a ban on BBQs in parks and drivers were urged not to throw rubbish following a string of grassland fires in recent weeks. Scorched London Parks - In pictures 1 /23 Scorched London Parks - In pictures Wimbledon Common Chris Gorman Bushy Park SplashNews.com Greenwich Park EPA St James Park PA Windsor Castle Jeremy Selwyn Greenwich Park AP Hampstead Heath PA Hampstead Heath PA St James's Park Reuters Green Park EPA Green Park EPA Hyde Park AFP/Getty Images Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn Regents Park Anne-Marie Sanderson Richmond Park Chris Gorman/Big Ladder Richmond Hill Gareth Richman Greenwich Park Reuters Greenwich Park Reuters Greenwich Park AP Greenwich Park EPA Hampton Court Park Rex Features Primrose Hill AP Regents Park EPA A pub landlord is over the moon after his beloved puppy was found seven weeks after being bundled into the back of a van by a dognapper . Asim Erturks cockapoo Oscar wandered out of The Widows Son in Bromley-by-Bow on May 30 and was stolen. After a desperate search involving online appeals with thousands of shares, Mr Erturk received a phone call from a man last Thursday asking for 2,000 for the return of his dog. Mr Erturk refused to pay but two days later received a tip-off that Oscar had been dumped at a florists in Ilford. The pair were reunited on Sunday and Mr Erturk today thanked the local community and media for making Oscar too hot to handle, which he believes forced the thief to hand him over. The Evening Standard was first to run an appeal from Mr Erturk. He said he was broken when Oscar was stolen, adding: I was exhausted but now I realise how much I missed him I love him. Hes a funny, lovely dog. I never thought I would see him again. I thought 99 per cent he was gone. But now hes back. Hes such a unique dog. Im delighted. Mr Erturk, 36, from Stoke Newington, said Oscar had grown to be a bit chubby and seemed quite lost after his ordeal. The six-month-old also has a hernia that might need surgery. Mr Erturk said: I think hes been over-fed. Oscar was brought to us because of people in the community supporting us, and making him too hot to handle. He was just too recognisable it was going crazy. They said they wanted 2,000 I said no. I wasnt giving any money at all. I said I was co-operating with the police. I thought it was a scam. I couldnt give money to someone who took him. I was trying to get him back by some other way. Then I received a tip-off on Saturday from a lady who said the dog was with her. It was a very complicated story they said people dropped him at the florists and he was given to a lady. Oscars kidnapping was caught on CCTV. It is believed he was taken because of the high value of the popular cross-breed. A trans woman claims she was subjected to three years of bullying and intimidation because of her gender in a gig economy lawsuit against her former courier firm bosses. Hayley Stanley, of Bermondsey, alleges that she was regularly victimised while working as a driver for Gnewt Cargo, and managers either ignored her complaints or joined in the abuse. Taking the firm to an employment tribunal, Ms Stanley says she endured jibes of geezer mate and bloke, her bicycle was vandalised, and her work area was regularly used as a dumping ground or makeshift tea-break area. Ms Stanley, 57, swapped her original names after transitioning several years ago. She started working for Gnewt, which is based in Bow, in May 2014, delivering parcels for Hermes. She was dismissed in January after a set of loading bay doors were damaged. She argues it was an accident; Gnewts parent company Menzies Distribution says the damage was deliberate. Ms Stanley is suing Gnewt and Menzies for discrimination and unfair dismissal , claiming that unlike some co-workers she was denied the chance to become a permanent member of staff. In my opinion, companies in the gig economy do whatever they want, while people like me get no protections, she said. We can be dismissed at any time without being given a reason and the companies simply ignore our complaints. Dr Jason Moyer-Lee, general secretary of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which backs Ms Stanley, claimed it was a case of transphobic bullying and harassment, and an example of how workers rights can be trampled on when they are classed as independent contractors. In her claim, Ms Stanley said she complained about gender abuse, but one of her bosses appeared to find the matter humorous and sported a large grin as she told him of the incident. She alleged her bike tyres were deliberately punctured, and one time the wheel nuts were loosened, causing her to crash. Ms Stanley also claimed she would regularly have to start her shift by clearing boxes and pallets that had been dumped in her work area. She added: Sometimes the matter even bordered on farcical, with the managers installing a portable tea room for staff. S moke billowed over London as firefighters battled a second grassfire on the same area of shrubland in two weeks. Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters raced to the blaze on Wanstead Flats, in east London, on Friday afternoon on another scorching day in the capital. Around two hectares of grass and shrubs was alight just off the Green Man roundabout. It comes after 225 firefighters battled an enormous 100 hectare fire in the same area on July 15. Station Manager Brin Powell said from the scene: "Crews are working very hard to tackle the fire, using hoses and fire beaters. "Bush Road has been closed and is causing congestion in the area, so we are working with the police to improve the situation for local traffic. "During the hot weather we are attending a large number of grass fires across London so we are again asking the public to take care not to drop cigarettes or matches on dry grass and to keep a very close eye on barbecues. "Dropped glass can also start fires as the sun can magnify the suns rays. B aroness Warsi has privately met Marie van der Zyl, the head of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, where the two discussed ways that the communities could tackle anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred. The unprecedented meeting comes at a time of intense scrutiny for the Labour Party over the relationship between its leadership and the Jewish community. Separately, Warsi, a former chair of the Conservative Party, has been calling for an investigation into Islamophobia. Warsi and Van der Zyl talked about the possibility of a united front against religious prejudice in mainstream British political parties. The meeting preceded three Jewish newspapers publishing the same front page on Wednesday, arguing that a Jeremy Corbyn government would pose an existential threat to Jewish life. Last year Tory peer Warsi clashed with the former head of the Jewish Board of Deputies, Jonathan Arkush, over whether British volunteers in the Israel Defense Forces should be prosecuted on returning to the UK. Warsi said they should be treated like foreign fighters and railed against a loophole designed to protect Israel. Arkush responded by referring to Warsis resignation over the Governments morally indefensible stance on Gaza: Sayeeda Warsi lost all touch with reality when she walked out of government. Despite this, last week Warsi met Van der Zyl, Arkushs replacement, for a private meeting. She did so on the recommendation of Gerald Ronson, chairman of the Jewish charity Community Security Trust, which, a source said, was keen for them to meet. This morning the Board of Deputies told us: In addition to our work on tackling anti-Semitism, we have repeatedly challenged bigotry against Muslims and other groups and we are looking for other ways to extend this important work. Baroness Warsi was approached for comment but did not reply by the time of going to press. Building Basia Basia Briggs, who owns Hyde Park Stables, tells us shes working on a sequel to her inflammatory memoir Mother Anguish. The first book details her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Camilla, who had an affair with Basias then husband Graham Nichol. Will Donald Trump feature in the new potboiler? The US President visited the stables 20 years ago while married to actor Marla Maples, and Briggs memories are still warm despite whats happened since. I liked him enormously, she tells us. He was a fabulous rider. But he was less fat then. --- Shakespeares Globes production of Othello was disrupted last night at a crucial moment. At the point where Desdemona met her fate, you could hear drifting in, loud and distinct, the sound of Ed Sheerans Shape of You, The Times Esther Webber remarks. --- Jeremy Irons handed out scrolls to graduates at Bath Spa University, where he is Chancellor, last week. After the stage veteran gave an eloquent speech, he spied that one student had brought a can of Red Stripe lager onstage with him, hidden under his robes. Irons whipped the can off him and finished it off with a smile. Island mentality for rapper Stormzys 25th Menorca bash Party time: Stormzy (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify) / Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify Stormzy celebrated his 25th birthday last night in Menorca. Guests included his girlfriend Maya Jama, rappers Not3s and Lethal Bizzle, comedian Mo Gilligan and a few of his fans. A week ago, he invited his 1.9 million followers to enter a competition to win a place on the flight from London to Spain and attend what he promised would be the maddest party bash. He also took the wellbeing of his guests very seriously: he personally made the safety announcements on the plane. Pictures and videos from the event, thrown by Spotify, were posted to Instagram and showed him making a heartfelt speech and dancing with Love Island contestant Jack Fowler. Stormzys adoration of the ITV2 romance programme proved to be a dominant theme of the evening: he was given a giant birthday cake in the shape of the villa where the series is filmed. Perhaps he could fly over to nearby Mallorca for the hotly anticipated finale on Monday. SW1A MANY congratulations to Laura Pidcock. The shadow minister and Labour MP for North West Durham has given birth to a baby boy. One of her staffers announced the news on Twitter yesterday. --- Newsletter playbook has conducted a survey of the books that political figures have on their summer reading lists. Theresa May, off walking in Italy and Switzerland, has packed a copy of Susan Hills crime thriller The Various Haunts of Men. Carrie Symonds, Tory Party communications director, is taking How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price. No explanation needed, she says. --- Finally, a second referendum. Last year Emily Thornberry attended the Royal Vauxhall Taverns Push the Button night, where revellers voted on if they preferred Kylie or Dannii Minogue. Kylie won by 67 per cent. Tonight a rematch will settle the will of the people once and for all. Angels delight at the Pascales London cook Lorraine Pascale is a proud mother today: her daughter, Ella Balinska, has been announced as one of the stars of the new Charlies Angels film. The young actor, who has had minor roles in Midsomer Murders and Casualty, will appear alongside Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott in the new big-screen depiction of the Seventies TV hit. Cant stop smiling, a chuffed Pascale tweeted last night. Well done, Ella! Youre amazing. Quote of the day 'Michel, weve got work to do Dominic Raab channels Alan Partridge as he closes his first press conference with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier T heresa Mays approval rating has plunged to a record low with many voters rejecting her Chequers Brexit plan, an exclusive poll for the Evening Standard reveals today. Less than one in three adults are satisfied with the job she is doing as Prime Minister, down five points on June to 30 per cent after an explosion of Tory infighting over Brexit. The Ipsos MORI survey showed an even sharper fall in this satisfaction rating among Conservatives, plummeting from 68 per cent to 55 per cent. The poll, carried out after the Chequers Brexit deal which angered many Tories and saw Boris Johnson and David Davis quit the Cabinet, found even less contentment with the Government, just 22 per cent. But despite Mrs May facing the threat of being toppled in an autumn Brexit bloodbath, Jeremy Corbyn is plumbing similarly dismal approval depths, possibly even worse. Loading.... His satisfaction rating has fallen from 31 per cent last month to 28 per cent and more than half of adults think Labour should ditch their leader before the next general election, up from 43 per cent in September to 55 per cent. Loading.... This figure includes 37 per cent of those who support Labour which has failed for months to deal with a raging anti-Semitism row. Mrs May fares slightly better, with 46 per cent saying the Conservatives should switch leader before the planned 2022 poll, including 34 per cent of Tory backers. The Prime Minister was due to hold talks with the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Czech counterpart Andrej Babis in Salzburg today, just a day after EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier blew a hole in her Chequers plan by rejecting her facilitated customs arrangement proposal for Britains borders. Cabinet ministers are touring EU cities seeking to persuade national governments to take a more flexible approach than Mr Barnier on Brexit. However, Czech European affairs minister Ales Chmelar insisted Mrs May would struggle to find loopholes in the EUs approach - and predicted Britain would suffer far more from crashing out of the EU with No Deal. The EU is roughly population-wise eight times bigger than the UK, he told BBC radio. So...the relative impact on the UK might be as large as eight times larger than on the EU. MEPs also threatened to torpedo the final Brexit treaty unless the Government bends in the row over the future of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Lead Brexit MEPs, led by Guy Verhofstadt, said that UK backtracking on a back-stop arrangement for the border could undermine trust and sabotage negotiations. The grim results for both Mrs May and Mr Corbyn appear to be driven by growing disquiet and hardening attitudes over Brexit and gloom over the short-term economic prospects. Nearly half of people believe the Chequers deal will be bad for Britain, with just 29 per cent expecting it to be good. Slightly fewer people now believe the economy will improve over the next 12 months, down from 19 per cent in June to 17 per cent, with those believing it will get worse unchanged at 54 per cent. Gideon Skinner, head of political research for Ipsos MORI, said: Theresa May has faced a lot of criticism since she launched her Chequers deal, and our poll for the Standard shows this is mirrored among the public, with her ratings continuing their recent decline to another new low. But despite all that, our trends show her ratings are not unusual for a Prime Minister two years in, and are still better than many of her potential alternatives. Just a quarter of adults are now confident Mrs May will get a good deal in negotiations with other EU leaders, a record low. Loading.... However, she still remains more trusted than other prominent Westminster figures to make the right decisions for Britain on quitting the EU. Just over 40 per cent have confidence in her to do so, compared to 35 per cent for Mr Johnson, 33 per cent Chancellor Philip Hammond, two points more than Mr Corbyn, with Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg on 29 per cent. Nearly three quarters of Tory supporters back her to do the right thing on Brexit, far more than Mr Johnson, Mr Hammond or Mr Rees-Mogg who are all below half. With Mrs May possibly facing a vote of no confidence in the autumn, twice as many Tory backers still believe she has what it takes to be Prime Minister than Mr Johnson, 63 per cent compared to 31 per cent, with new Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on 22 per cent, Home Secretary Sajid Javid on 18 per cent and Environment Secretary Michael Gove on 14 per cent. A third of adults believe the Conservatives have the best Brexit policies, only a fifth say Labour, a tenth the Liberal Democrats, followed by none of the parties on nine per cent, a sign of voters exasperation at politicians handling of the issue. The headline voting figures show the Tories and Labour neck-and-neck on 38 per cent, with the Conservatives down three points on June, Labour unchanged, the Lib-Dems, up three points on ten per cent and Ukip up two points to six per cent. Lib-Dem leader Sir Vince Cables satisfaction rating fell three points to 24 per cent. A four-year-old Italian boy was among five people killed in a crash between a minibus and a car on the A96 in the north-east of Scotland. Police Scotland said the white Fiat minibus was carrying a group of Italian tourists, with a woman and the young boy onboard among those who died. Three passengers in the Nissan X-Trail car, two women aged 69 and 70 and a 63-year-old man, were also killed. Five other people, including a three-year-old Italian boy, were taken to hospital for treatment following the collision between Huntly and Keith, in Moray, shortly before midnight on Thursday. The 39-year-old female driver of the Nissan X-Trail suffered serious injuries and is being treated at Dr Grays hospital in Elgin. A minibus is removed from the scene of the crash in Scotland / PA Police said the driver of the minibus, two adult passengers - a man and a woman - and a three-year-old boy were also taken to hospital with a "variety of injuries". The woman is said to be in a critical condition at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary while the three-year-old suffered minor injuries. The four people travelling in the X-Trail were from the local area, police said. Road Policing Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: "The dreadful scene faced by emergency responders was both distressing and extremely challenging for everyone involved. A four-year-old boy was killed in the crash / PA "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who made valiant attempts to save the casualties lives - their efforts cannot be underestimated. "I would also like to thank members of the public who came upon this terrible incident, who phoned emergency services and provided first aid and comfort. "Every loss of life on our roads is a tragedy however when so many are killed in one incident the impact of their families, their friends and our entire community is massive. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been involved or affected." Officers are investigating the cause of the crash and have appealed for any witnesses or dashcam footage. Five people were killed in the crash in Moray, Scotland / PA Earlier, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said the A96 was one of Scotland's busiest roads and the loss of life was "difficult to take in". He said: "This is a truly horrific accident that has shocked the community given that so many people use the A96 day-in-day-out. "The fact that there are so many casualties has been difficult for people to take in and with such a loss of life everyone's thoughts are with those affected and their loved ones and friends at this difficult time. "I pay tribute to the emergency services who dealt with what was a major road traffic accident. "The A96 is the key route through Moray and anyone heading north from Aberdeen is likely to use this route. "It's one of Scotland's busiest roads and a horrific accident of this nature with so many lives lost and people injured is difficult to take in." Moray MP Douglas Ross tweeted: "Terrible news this morning. Five people were killed on the A96 last night and another five injured. "Our thoughts are with all affected at this time." A section of the A96 remains closed with local diversions in place. Right Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: "What can you say, when in a split second your world collapses? A culture of passive aggression is being fuelled by workers feeling unable to express their frustrations directly with colleagues, an anger management expert said today. It follows a survey of 300 staff at a major London corporation in which 58 per cent of workers said they did not feel confident telling co-workers one-to-one that they were annoyed with them. This failure to communicate in person can lead to issues being vented unhealthily on social media instead, said Julian Hall, founder of the emotional resilience consultancy Calm People. Their survey asked 130 questions on workers emotional health, their relationship with stress, self-esteem levels, whether they had meaning in their life and their relationship with the past. Their survey asked 130 questions on workers emotional health, their relationship with stress, and self-esteem / PA Wire/PA Images It found 57 per cent of respondents had an unhealthy relationship with stress and a further 51 per cent were people-pleasers who got taken off by others, which added to passive aggressive outcomes, said Mr Hall. Sixty-three per cent said their personal validation was based on approval from co-workers instead of being able to find contentment within themselves. Mr Hall said British workplace culture meant potentially cathartic angry outbursts were discouraged, leaving people unable to deal with conflict. He categorises passive aggression as Im angry with you but Im afraid to express it, which causes fury to leak out in ways such as sarcasm, witholding support, back-stabbing and sulking. Mr Hall said: Healthy people respect themselves, know they are appreciated and dont need the world to appreciate them. But we found in many cases that how they feel about themselves is dependant on feedback they get from co-workers. Stress is the biggest factor in people getting angry but being outwardly angry in the office is not considered to be a good professional image. Our stress levels are also getting worse in society, which is based on acquiring wealth, property and status, often showing it off through social media. This need for approval is getting greater and stress is increasing because of that. Im experiencing quite a few people who are reducing the amount of time they look at social media because they find it to be an unhealthy environment. If you feel anonymous online, you feel better protected so able to behave in ways I wouldnt normally behave. When broaching conflict with a colleague, Mr Hall advises sticking to the facts so as not to inflame the situation further and dont be attached to an outcome. He said: In an open-plan office if youve got a really noisy neighbour its a good thing to sit down with that person and explain the impact their noise has on you and your ability to be an efficient worker, and to ask for some consideration. E urostar passengers today faced disruption as huge queues stretched out of St Pancras station amid a meltdown on the international line. The travel company has told customers to expect delays of at least 45-minutes for services leaving the central London travel hub early this afternoon. Travellers complained of diabolical queues which caused half-hour delays to the 8.31am service to Amsterdam and 9.22am train to Paris. A Eurostar spokeswoman said: There are lots of people moving through the station but the queues are being managed. The spokeswoman later said there was a delay of 30 minutes. Former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who was queuing for the 8.31am to Amsterdam, tweeted: If we can't organise a train boarding, what about #Brexit? But traveller Joe Orton praised Eurostar staff, saying they "dealt with it amazingly: calm polite and friendly". He added: "Eurostar staff still had a sense of humour considering the hundreds in the queue, they still cracked a few jokes like 'travellers are go', and 'the long and winding queue to the train'. I think it was made worse by the Eurotunnel situation. We were due to leave at 10:24, but only just left now. "The humour between most passengers is good, it's just the odd one or too who are a bit unhappy." Queues at St Pancras station for the Eurostar this morning / Jeremy Selwyn Meanwhile, damage to overhead electric wires between St Pancras and Bedford have disrupted East Midlands Trains services between St Pancras and Corby. Thameslink trains between Bedford and Gatwick Airport and Brighton have also been affected. The disruption for both services is expected to last until 1pm. Meanwhile, there is likely to be more travel chaos at St Pancras on Saturday, with Eurostar staff set to walk out in a row over working conditions. It comes as Eurotunnel chaos at Folkestone continued into a second day, with thousands of travellers tickets cancelled. Huge queues formed on roads leading to the tunnel in Folkestone, Kent / PA B usiness leaders today piled pressure on border chiefs over passport queues at Heathrow and called for major changes to help visitors enter the UK more easily. London First, which represents many of the capitals top businesses , rejected the argument of Nick Jariwalla, the head of Border Force at the airport, who said that it was not a sensible ambition to seek to end delays for incoming passengers. Mr Jariwalla told the Standard that the need for security and customs checks, combined with external events such as delayed flights, meant it was impossible to ensure that enough staff would always be on duty to conduct passport checks within target times. British Airways has already responded by calling on the Border Force to get its house in order and insisting that extra staff should be hired. Today, London First joined the attack, saying that big improvements were needed. David Leam, infrastructure director at London First, said: No one questions the challenges facing Border Force and the absolute need for secure borders. But instead of saying that long queues are the price we have to pay, Border Force must accept there is plenty of room for improvement, including expanding the use of e-gates, better data for arriving passengers and using new technology that is as secure as the current queues. British Airways, which has previously warned that the countrys reputation was being harmed by the delays, said it was dismayed by the continuing problems. New high-speed railway could cut journey between Gatwick and Heathrow to just 15 minutes A spokeswoman added: Border Force needs to get its house in order. Its clear it continues to make no effort to end this misery for our customers. No one questions the need to check travellers have the right to enter the UK, but these lengthy delays are solely down to the fact that Border Force has failed to recruit enough staff to do its job properly. Official targets stipulate that British and EU citizens should clear passport control within 25 minutes on 95 per cent of occasions. The wait for non-Europeans is meant to be a maximum of 45 minutes. T he UK has suspended its co-operation with the US over the case of two Islamic State terror suspects nicknamed The Beatles who face the possibility of execution. But the Home Office has now said it has agreed to a "short-term pause" of the mutual legal assistance (MLA) process with the US over Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. A spokesman said: "Yesterday we received a request from the legal representative of the family of one of the suspects to pause the MLA response. Sajid Javid had faced a grilling over the trial / REUTERS "We have agreed to a short-term pause. The Government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the Government's longstanding MLA policy." Kotey and Elsheikh are said to have been members of a brutal four-man cell of IS executioners in Syria and Iraq. They are believed to be responsible for killing a series of high-profile Western captives, including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Nicknamed after the band because of their British accents, the cell is also believed to have included Mohammed Emwazi - known as "Jihadi John" - who was killed in a US air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who was jailed in Turkey. Kotey and Elsheikh, who are understood to have been stripped of their British citizenship, were captured in January, sparking a row over whether they should be returned to the UK for trial or face justice in another jurisdiction. Prime Minister Theresa May supported Mr Javid's original decision, which had also been backed by Boris Johnson when he was foreign secretary. But the MLA sparked wide-spread criticism in Westminster from across the political divide. A number of Tories raised concerns, with former attorney general Dominic Grieve warning the decision represented a "major departure from normal policy". A fast-growing wildfire in California has claimed the life of a second firefighter after high winds drove into a city, prompting mass evacuations and destroying thousands of homes. Flames raging in California's scenic Shasta-Trinity area erupted late Thursday into a firestorm that jumped across the Sacramento River and swept into the western side of Redding. The city is home to about 90,000 people, many of home were forced to flee for their lives. Firefighters and police "went into life-safety mode," officials said, hustling door to door to usher civilians out of harm's way. Raging California wildfire burns homes Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), said that erratic winds blowing with gale force overnight whipped the blaze into a frenzy. The blaze was transformed into fire tornadoes that uprooted trees and tore into structures. "It was like a Tasmanian devil," Mr McLean told Reuters. Evacuation: firefighters escorted people to an emergency centre / AP Some 37,000 people remained under evacuation orders on Friday, as flames continued to burn in pockets of the city's west side. Sixty-five structures were destroyed by the blaze, but that number is likely to increase significantly, with the number of homes lost likely to run into "the hundreds". Emergency: More than 44,000 acres of land was scorched by Friday morning / Getty Images By Friday morning the fire had scorched 44,450 acres. "When you're dealing with temperatures that high, it's really, really hot heat," said Cal Fire spokesman Scott Kenney in a phone interview. Lethal: The flames engulfed buildings / AP "Stress, as far as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, are really serious situations that a firefighter can get into, so the tactics kind of get hindered by temperatures that high." The Carr Fire was one of nearly 90 large blazes burning nationally, most of them across the American West. One of those prompted the closure of much of Yosemite National Park in California. Dangerous: Two firefighters have been killed / AFP/Getty Images Roads out of Redding, about 150 miles (240 km) north of Sacramento, were jammed overnight as motorists tried to escape the flames. The blaze on Thursday killed a bulldozer operator working with fire teams to clear brush around the fire. A member of the Redding Fire Department was also reported killed on Friday. A Redding hospital said it had treated eight people, including three firefighters. Devastating: a women surveys damage to her grandmother's home / AP D onald Trump today praised Kim Jong-un after North Korea repatriated the remains of US soldiers from the Korean War. The return of the remains, in 55 flag-draped cases, is seen as a diplomatic coup for Mr Trump. Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump during talks in Singapore last month / AFP/Getty Images It was one of the agreements struck during his recent meeting with Kim in Singapore, and will rekindle hopes for progress in nuclear talks. Mr Trump tweeted: After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. A White House statement said: "We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change." A US military plane flew to an airfield in the city of Wonsan to bring the remains to South Koreas Osan air base. A soldier carries a casket at the ceremony today / AP A formal ceremony will be held on Wednesday, before being flown to Hawaii for processing. The transfer of the remains coincided with the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting between North Korean and Chinese forces on one side, and South Korean and US-led forces on the other. US troops pictured in 1951 during the Korean War / PA More than 7,700 US troops who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for, with about 5,300 lost in what is now North Korea. U S President Donald Trump has threatened to slap "large sanctions" on Turkey unless it frees American evangelical pastor, Andrew Brunson, further escalating tensions between the two NATO allies. Mr Brunson is currently on trial for terrorist charges in Turkey and has been in detention for nearly two years. He has been accused of having ties to banned political groups. A spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called Washington's threats unacceptable and damaging to the US-Turkey alliance. Andrew Craig Brunson, an evangelical pastor from Black Mountain, North Carolina, arrives at his house in Izmir, Turkey / AP "The United States must reconsider its approach and adopt a constructive position before inflicting further damage to its own interests and its alliance with Turkey," Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said in a written statement. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the threat of sanctions, Turkish and State Department officials said, without elaborating. The Trump administration escalated the pressure campaign to free Mr Brunson a day after a court ordered that he be moved to house arrest. "The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being," Trump wrote in a tweet. Vice President Mike Pence advised Turkey to free Andrew Brunson or "face the consequences" / AP "He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!" Shortly before, Vice President Mike Pence, a devout Christian, made a similar threat directly at Turkey's president. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called Washington's threats unacceptable and damaging to the US-Turkey alliance / AFP/Getty Images "To President (Tayyip) Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have a message on behalf of the president of the United States of America: release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be prepared to face the consequences," Mr Pence told a religious freedom conference hosted by the US State Department. Neither Trump nor Mr Pence elaborated on what sanctions they could impose, although sanctions experts speculated that the administration could consider visa restrictions against senior Turkish officials. Mr Brunson, who is from North Carolina and has worked in Turkey for more than 20 years, has been accused of helping the group Ankara who have been accused of being behind a failed military coup in 2016. The pastor, who has denied the charges, faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty. Erdogan has in the past linked Mr Brunson's fate with that of the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Ankara accuses Gulen of masterminding the failed coup, and has long sought his extradition to Turkey. Gulen has denied any role in the coup attempt, in which 250 people were killed. Donald Trump has vowed to free Andrew Brunson / AP Mr Brunson's detention has deepened a rift between Washington and Ankara, which are also at odds over the Syrian war and Turkey's plan to buy missile defences from Russia. Trump's ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, said Mr Brunson's detention had been raised with Turkey's leadership for some months, and while his transfer to house arrest was an improvement, "he is not free." The threat of sanctions prompted a downturn in Turkey's financial markets. There was no immediate comment from US lawmakers who have threatened to withhold weapons sales to Turkey as strains have escalated over Mr Brunson's detention. On Wednesday, Mr Brunson was escorted out of prison in the coastal city of Izmir, and left in a convoy of cars. His lawyer said he was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. People react as US Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (unseen) arrives at his house on July 25, 2018 in Izmir / AFP/Getty Images US and Turkish officials had been working on a deal that would lead to Mr Brunson's release, and Washington had expected him to be freed at his trial last week, a source in the United States familiar with developments told Reuters on Wednesday. US officials had been under the impression that the deal was in place, the source said, adding that when Mr Brunson was not released, Mr Pence spoke with Trump and the two agreed harsh new policy measures were needed to force the issue. H eartwarming footage shows the moment a man with cerebral palsy saw the beach for the first time after being housebound for 20 years. David Thomas, 36, who uses a wheelchair was treated to the surprise by his friend Izas Fuller. On Monday Mr Fuller turned up at Mr Thomas home in Jefferson County, Alabama, and announced they were going to visit Panama Beach in Florida. The moving footage shows Mr Fuller present Mr Thomas with a special wheelchair which would allow him to roll freely through the sand. When Mr Thomas finally makes it to the beach in the video, he can be heard saying: This is the best summer vacation, ever. Of my life. The footage shows him laughing gleefully as a woman pours sand on his bare feet. Mr Thomas was just 16 the last time he left the house for a school trip in 1998. D onald Trumps former lawyer claims the president knew in advance about a meeting between his son and a Russian lawyer who was allegedly offering campaign dirt on election rival Hillary Clinton , according to reports. Michael Cohen is said to be willing to testify to Special Counsel Robert Mueller that Mr Trump, then still a presidential candidate, gave his blessing for the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. The claim, by someone who was the presidents personal lawyer and close confidant, would effectively brand the president a liar. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied knowing anything about the meeting until he was asked about it by the New York Times over a year later. But according to CNN, Mr Cohen alleges he was present when Mr Trump was told about the Russians offer by his son, Donald Jr and gave the meeting the go-ahead. Mr Trump Jr, attended the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who is said to have ties to the Kremlin, after he was told she had damaging information about Mrs Clinton. Michael Cohen hs spoken out on the issue / AP They were joined by the presidents son-in-law Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort. Mr Cohen, who is under investigation over his business dealings and alleged campaign finance violations, reportedly has no proof, such as audio recordings, to corroborate his claims, but is willing to tell his version to Mr Muellers team, who are probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Last year he had proclaimed: Im the guy who would take a bullet for the president. Mr Trumps current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said of Mr Cohen: Hes been lying all week, hes been lying for years. I dont see how hes got any credibility ... Why would you expect it would be true from someone like Cohen? Earlier this year Mr Trump Jr told the Senate judiciary committee that he could not remember discussing the Russia probe with his father. But he said the president wasnt aware of the Trump Tower gathering. V ladimir Trump has invited Donald Trump to Moscow following the pairs historic summit. The Russian leader told a press conference in Johannesburg that he would be willing to hold more face-to-face talks but added the conditions need to be right. The pair met in Helsinki earlier this month at a summit, but Trump faced a storm of criticism across the globe for his handling of the meeting. Speaking to reporters at a summit of BRICS countries in South Africa, Putin said telephone calls between Moscow and Washington were insufficient and that both sides needed to meet to talk about issues like the Iran nuclear deal, conflicts in the Middle East, and arms control treaties. "Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings, to hold further meetings. I am ready for that. We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries," Putin told a news conference. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Helsinki, Finland 1 /9 Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Helsinki, Finland US President Donald Trump meets with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland Reuters The pair shake hands Reuters Reuters Reuters AFP/Getty Images Reuters Reuters Sky News AFP/Getty Images "We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. By all means. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him about that." "I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created." Putin said in the meantime, it was possible that he and Trump would meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, or another international event. G eorge Ezra has said he believes he will not reach the next level of celebrity - as it is not in him to court fame. The pop star, 25, has followed up hits Paradise and Budapest with single Shotgun, which enjoyed weeks at Number One on the Official Singles Chart, only beaten to top spot this week by Drake. But the musician does not think he is cut out to become any more famous, with the attention on his personal life it would bring. He already wears a really silly hat and shades on long relaxing walks around London so no one recognises me, and would choose to be more mysterious if he could go back in time. Ezra told the Standard: I could be wrong, but I think for me to get into a different level of celebrity I would have to court it, and I just dont think its in me to do it, so I dont think it will ever be more than it is for me now. Top of the charts: George Ezra shot to the top with Shotgun / OfficialCharts.com And because of the way I spend my spare time and free time and everything, I dont think it will ever happen even if I wanted it to, because its not in me. I think this is where it will be at. He added: Normally people are a bit disappointed when they meet me - I guess Im not very confident with people I dont know very well. Most people in my situation, I think ideally we would do what we do with no one knowing who we are, but you learn that too late - so I wish Id done a Sia, but I didnt. His true aim is to keep touring, and to ensure he stays humble so as not to end up looking like a prat. George Ezra asks fans to knock his song off number one spot He said: If I can keep this up, if I can make it so we can always go out and tour that would be brilliant. My one regret with this album is that it took so long, so I am hoping to move quicker to the next. I am very aware that the lifestyle I lead could just disappear like that, so you could tell yourself you belong somewhere and then when it does disappear you look like a prat. Stage presence: George Ezra says he does it for the live shows / Yui Mok/PA The only bit I love, and the reason that I do it, is the performing and I forget that, regularly, until I am on stage... You spend the whole day on a festival site convinced youd be better off somewhere else until you get there. Originally from Hertford, Ezra has previously spoken about experiencing an acute feeling of worthlessness and negative thought patterns. He spoke after listening attentively to a music therapy session at charity Nordoff Robbins, which offers Londoners struggling with mental health, learning and other disabilities free music therapy sessions to aid communication and emotional wellbeing. Ezra said: I take it for granted how music benefits me Music means you stop thinking about other things. The therapy is very inspiring. Nordoff Robbins support thousands of people through their own centres and by working in partnership with a wide range of organisations including care homes, schools and hospitals. Ezra, who watched a session with Ben, a young Londoner with learning disabilities who is blind and uses a wheelchair, added: From what I saw today, the music therapy benefits Ben in a number of ways, it is something we looks forward to once a week he knows he has got this thing where he is able to express himself. K atie Price is reportedly house hunting with new boyfriend Kris Boyson as she plans to downsize the family home. The 40-year-old is reportedly looking to settle down with Boyson, who she has been dating for over two months, in hopes of selling off her mansion for a new pad. A source told The Sun: Katies already looking at properties in Sussex and Kent and Kris has been viewing them with her. Shes even suggested he sells his house in Kent so they can buy somewhere together. She wants a fresh start away from the old house. Everywhere she looks she is reminded of Kieran cheating on her. The insider added: She also thinks its haunted and wants to buy somewhere modern with no ghosts haunting it. Theyre looking for somewhere smaller as the current house is a money-pit. Standard Online has contacted representatives of Price for comment. Split: Kieran Hayler and Katie Price in divorce battle / Tim P. Whitby/Getty The news comes after reports that Price supposedly staged a series of lewd holiday snaps in Thailand in an attempt to stave off financial woes as she battles her third divorce. The former model is currently in the process of divorcing estranged husband Kieran Hayler after calling time on their marriage earlier this year amid cheating allegations. Price has already moved on from the former stripper with fitness instructor Boyson, 29, and the two have been enjoying a break in Thailand. R ebecca Ferguson has said that she is keen to pursue darker and more uncomfortable roles after rising to fame in the Mission Impossible franchise. The Swedish-British actress, 34, plays MI6 operative Isla in the sixth instalment of the Tom Cruise action franchise, Fallout, but is looking forward to playing a villainous role in Doctor Sleep, the follow-up to The Shining. I have an incredible team around me so there are reasons to why scripts come my way, they filter things out, but Id love to try something awkward and uncomfortable, something that makes me go what were we thinking,'"she told the Standard. Im actually playing a real bad***, a mean, uncomfortable role after this in the continuation of The Shining, Rose The Hat, who likes torturing people. Action star: Rebecca Ferguson has got the moves / PA The film will co-star Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Danny Torrence, directed by Mike Flanagan and based on Stephen Kings novel. Ferguson is also keen to star on the West End stage at some point. I would love to, that would be incredible, bloody scary, she said. Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Trailer 2 Ferguson has starred in films including The Greatest Showman, Life and The Girl on the Train since her breakout appearance in 2015s Rogue Nation. I had no idea what to expect the first time around so yes that did lay the platform for me to step on to, she said. Mission: Impossible - Fallout London premiere 1 /7 Mission: Impossible - Fallout London premiere Hello there Tom Cruise attends the UK Premiere of Mission: Impossible - Fallout at BFI Getty Images Say cheese PA Reunited PA Group photo PA A list star PA Fooling around PA Waving to the crowds PA I knew what I needed body-wise to be able to manage the stunts, I had learnt so much when it came to my own strength and capacity and I also watch people when they work so Ive learnt so much from Tom and the way he is on set that Ive brought into films that Ive done in between. Ferguson said it was important for her Mission Impossible character to be just as bad*** as the male characters in the film. T he Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard is keen to cha cha cha his way onto Strictly Come Dancing. The Brighton-born musician said he is thankful that his band have surpassed the decade milestone without having to resort to reality TV to keep them in the spotlight but said he wouldnt pass up the opportunity to show off his moves on the BBC ballroom show. I like to think with the democratisation of streaming weve found new fans and people have discovered our music again and that is real. Its not like one of us had to go on Big Brother or something, he told A list. It would be cool to do Strictly because you get fit and learn a new skill. I try and dance my own version of dancing. You might say, Hes got rhythm. The Kooks live session: No Pressure Pritchard, 33, is gearing up for the release of his bands fifth studio album, Lets Go Sunshine, following on from 2014s Listen. He described it as a proper Britpop album and shut down suggestions it is about heartbreak. Its a letting go of the past and tumbling into love, he said. I met my girlfriend during it and she filled me with a lot of joy and happiness, so, thanks to her. He also duets with his musician father Bob on new song Honeybee having found a recording he made in the seventies. He died after suffering a heart attack when Pritchard was three years old. New album: The Kooks release Let's Go Sunshine on August 31 / Andrew Whitton We ended up recording it and I spliced my dads vocal into the second verse, he said. He passed away when I was little so it was a really nice moment to duet with my dad. It was emotional but in a happy way. It was weird. I dont know how we will perform it. Pritchard and bandmates Hugh Harris, Peter Denton and Alexis Nunez will tour the UK later this year. Pritchard who was kicked out of his own set at Reading Festival in 2006 is the only member without children and said touring now is more like a Kooks creche. Everyones grown up a bit ish, he said. Im like the honorary uncle. I dont think they trust me enough to babysit. Im looking forward to when theyre older and taking them out to the pub. C hef Prue Leith, 78, was the fresh face of The Great British Bake Off last year, and famously made headlines by revealing the winner on Twitter before the final aired. She'll be hoping to redeem herself this year when she returns to Bake Off - which moved to Channel 4 last year - for her second season. But how much do we really know about Prue Leith and how did she make her name? When did Prue Leith start her cooking career? Prue was born in South Africa, where she said she was "shamefully unaware of the horrors of apartheid." Whilst working as an au-pair in France, she fell in love with cooking and decided to learn the tricks of the trade at the coveted Cordon Bleu in London. She went on to open her restaurant, Leith's, in London's Kensington Park Road in 1962. The restaurant was a success, and Leith earned a Michelin star before going on to open Leith's School of Food and Wine. She also opened up Prue Leith's Chef's Academy in South Africa in 1997. New addition: Prue shows off her baking knowledge on Bake Off / Channel 4 What books has she written? As well as writing cookery books, Prue has written several novels. Some of her most notable works include: "The Food of Love," "A Serving of Scandal," and "Choral Society." Prue said of her writing: "I find it hard enough to say 'I'm a novelist.' I chicken out with 'I write novels.'" Is Prue Leith married? Prue married South African novelist Rayne Kruger in 1974. The pair had a child called Daniel and then adopted another child from war-torn Cambodia, Li-Da. Kruger, 20 years' Prue's senior, died in 2002. She later had a relationship with pianist Earnest Hall, before splitting in 2010. In 2016, she married John Playfair and says she feels "lucky" to have fallen in love again. New line-up: The show has moved from BC to Channel 4 / PA When does she return to Bake Off? A date for the new season hasn't been confirmed yet but judging from the timing of past series, it's likely to air in late August. She'll be joining fellow judge Paul Hollywood as well as hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig. What happened with the Bake Off controversy last year? Prue found herself in hot water last year when she announced the Bake Off winner before the programme aired. She tweeted: "Bravo Sophie," referring to would-be winner Sophie Faldo, around 12 hours before the Bake Off final on October 31. Prue said she felt "mortified" by the blunder and even said that she felt "suicidal" over the incident. How much did she earn from Bake Off? W ere only scratching the surface of the impact immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can have on the creative industries. The technology innovation centre Digital Catapult and Arts Council England are awarding a 350,000 grant to five different creative projects in the UK this week, which are using these technologies to transform storytelling as part of the CreativeXR programme. CreativeXR was established by the two bodies to enable the development of new skills, tools and business opportunities so people in the creative industries can merge immersive technologies into their work. The programme, which launched last year, saw 250 projects submitted to win one of the grants. The successful five projects all use immersive technologies merged with storytelling techniques including documentary, poetry and theatre. Each project provides audiences with unprecedented cultural experiences. Applicants to CreativeXR presented us with an incredible level of creativity and innovation, narrowing these down to a final five was not easy, said Jeremy Silver, CEO of Digital Catapult. The value of taking these projects to full production will be both in surfacing new creative approaches and ways of working, but also in stimulating commissioners and giving confidence to investors in this new medium, where the UK has such world leading strengths. The projects demonstrate the different ways technology can be interwoven into creative performances. Theres the Fatherland project, an interactive theatre experience using VR to bring the story of a father and son coming to terms with dementia to life. Theres also Immersive Histories, a VR experience which allows the audience to experience the famous Dambusters mission on board Guy Gibsons Lancaster. One London-based project, named Municipal Dreams by VR CITY, explores the complicated history of the Aylesbury Estate, using stereoscopic 360 video, photogrammetry and 3D modelling. The Pilot Theatre in York has created a two-player interactive thriller, named Traitor, which combines VR and live action. Finally, Belfast-based Boom Clap Plays When Something Happens is an epic journey through the cosmos, written and narrated by poet Boston Williams. Francis Runacres, executive director of enterprise and innovation at Arts Council England, said he was thrilled to see the CreativeXR programme come to fruition. Each of the five organisations are developing cutting-edge, immersive content, and are illustrating what the UK can contribute to this growing global market. In time, we look forward to audiences enjoying the immersive experiences that they are creating; connecting with art, history and culture in ground-breaking new ways, he said. These immersive technologies are being use in storytelling more and more. Earlier this year, Channel 4 released a VR short documentary named Grenfell: Our Home, exploring the lives of the people who live in Grenfell Tower before the fated fire. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Minister of National Defence Mihai Fifor on Friday specified that the two British aicraft of Romania having intercepted a Russian military aircraft above the Black Sea a day before were in a mission of defence of the NATO air space, according to agerpres. "I said it many times and I say it again: this is nothing new. Which is precisely why we have the air police, which is based on the "Mihai Kogalniceanu" air base. This is, if you like, a form of manifestation of the Russian Federation that we have gotten used to. These are challenges NATO reacts to, as it happened every time, through these air police missions. We are not talking here only about the Romanian space, but we are talking about the NATO space and we are prepared to defend this space," explained Minister Fifor, at the Military Academy in Sibiu. The British fighter aircraft Typhoon took off from a base in Romania to intercept a Russia battle aircraft Su-24, detected close to the NATO space above the Black Sea, according to a press release of the British Royal Air Forces (RAF), sent to Reuters. The Ministry of Justice announced on Friday the beginning of a new selection procedure for the proposal of a new head of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), August 6 through September 6. Previously on Friday, the said ministry had announced having rejected all four bids for the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, and having decided to restart the selection procedure. "During the selection process, it was found that none of the candidates fulfilled the requirements for appointment as chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. During the presentation of the managerial programme or the interview no candidate submitted sufficient elements of a plan based on an analysis of the current situation that would then allow an objective and transparent process of assessing managerial performance," the Ministry of Justice explained in a press statement.The four candidates - Florentina Mirica - chief prosecutor of DNA Anti-Corruption Department; Cristian Lazar - deputy chief prosecutor at the Criminal Investigation Section of the Attorney General's Office; Marius Iacob - deputy DNA chief prosecutor; and Elena Grecu, chief prosecutor with the DNA central offices were interviewed on Thursday at the Ministry of Justice.In the interview, each candidate was given approximately one and a half hour - thirty minutes to present a management project and one hour to answer questions.The office of DNA chief prosecutor became vacant after Laura Codruta Kovesi was removed from office under a decree issued on July 9 by President Klaus Iohannis in implementing a Constitutional Court ruling. Premier Viorica Dancila, currently on an official visit to the Republic of Macedonia, voiced her conviction that there are major possibilities for the two states' cooperation in agriculture, education, culture and tourism. "We reviewed bilateral relations and found there is potential in various sectors to strengthen these sectoral relations. We agreed for the responsible ministers to meet and look at ways to improve the potential for cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and Romania. I am convinced that there are major cooperation possibilities in agriculture, education, culture, tourism, and I think that to this end we should organize an economic forum, as well as working groups to help improve cooperation between the two countries," Dancila on Friday told a joint press conference with her Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev, as shows video footage posted on the government's Facebook page. Romania strongly supports the Republic of Macedonia's European path and is fully available to technically support this process, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Friday, in Skopje. "I am convinced that for you, but also for Romania, the invitation to become a NATO member represents an important step, but also the European path that must be encouraged and I hope that at the referendum you will carry out end-September, the results be positive and encourage the Republic of Macedonia's European path. My presence here as Romania's prime minister, a state that is due to take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in a few months, as of 1 January 2019, shows our firm support for the Republic of Macedonia's European path. We know Macedonia's next report is due at the end of June 2019, we hope we have a consensus within the European Union, so that at the end of 2019 you start the negotiation chapters, where Romania is completely available to grant you with technical support," premier Viorica Dancila told the press conference held alongside Government head of the Republic of Macedonia Zoran Zaev, according to a video recording posted on the Executive's Facebook page. The Romanian prime minister reiterated our country's support for the Western Balkans region."I would like to assure you of our support, I would like to assure you of our desire to cooperate the best way possible from a regional point of view, our backing for the Western Balkans during Romania's Presidency of the Council of the EU and I wish you every success in the reforms you have kicked off but also in the pro-European and pro-Atlantic process," Dancila said. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, currently on an official visit in Skopje, discussed on Friday with the Vice President of the Macedonian Assembly, Goran Misovski , about strengthening parliamentary cooperation and the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, in both enhancing bilateral relations, as well as the integration processes in the EU and NATO, informs a Government press release sent to AGERPRES. At the same time, Prime Minister Dancila voiced congratulations for the progresses made by the Republic of Macedonia in the European and Euro-Atlantic integration processes, and referred to the latter having recently received the invitation to join NATO and the recent conclusions of the Council of the European Union with regard to the enlargement process. Viorica Dancila also talked about the importance that the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, during the first semester of next year, will grant to the EU enlargement process. Furthermore, she recommended support, at a parliamentary level, within the Republic of Macedonia, in view of adopting and implementing reforms, in order to be able to use the opportunity offered through the latest conclusions of the Council of the EU, namely to fulfill the conditions necessary to start the the negotiations for accession to the EU in 2019."The Romanian Prime Minister underlined the importance of continuing the dialogue between all the political forces at parliamentary level, in regard to both the reform process and to the implementation of the Historic Agreement with Greece. Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) reports that, following the steps taken by its task force on Thursday the procedures for the repatriation from Syria of seven persons - six Romanian citizens, including five minors, and a Syrian citizen, a family member - through Turkey were completed. According to a MAE press statement, the repatriation was carried out with support from Romania's embassies in Damascus and Ankara, the Consulate General of Romania in Istanbul and the Honorary Consulate of Romania at Iskenderun, according to agerpres MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Ankara, took steps with the Turkish authorities to facilitate the entry of the group into Turkey from Syria, the accommodation of the Romanian citizens and their family member at a special reception centre, and the issuance of a travel document for the family member, the Syrian citizen, so that he can continue his travel to Romania. At the same time, the Romanian diplomatic mission took the necessary steps to issue the travel documents for the Romanian citizens.Mobile consular teams of the Romanian Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General of Romania in Istanbul accompanied the Romanian citizens during the transit through the territory of Turkey, and a consular team from the MAE task force welcomed the Romanian citizens upon their arrival in Bucharest.MAE says it has fully borne the transport costs for the repatriation of the seven people.It also says that the repatriation measure is part of constant steps of assistance and consular protection granted by the MAE to Romanian citizens and family members in special situations through diplomatic missions and consular offices in countries with high security risks.At the same time, MAE says that 755 Romanian citizens and family members have been repatriated since the beginning of the evacuation operations in Syria in 2011 through the direct intervention of the embassies of Romania in Damascus and Beirut and under the coordination of the MAE task force.The Embassy of Romania in Damascus is currently providing consular assistance and protection, including to nationals of Australia, Canada, France, Moldova and Portugal who are in Syria.MAE also reiterates its firm recommendations to Romanian nationals living in conflict areas to leave and to contact Romania's local missions to announce their presence in the region so that they can benefit from consular assistance and protection.It also recommends the people access the information provided through the "Safe Travel" application (www.mae.ro/app_cs), downloadable on any smartphone and alert SMS under the campaign "A text message can save your life!." The President of the Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania (PPMT), Szilagyi Zsolt, stated in Baile Tusnad on Friday that the claim of autonomy is a sign of Szeklers' loyalty to Romania and expressed his conviction that autonomy would make our country even more stable and stronger. "No matter how powerful this paradox is, a claim of Szekler autonomy is a sign of our loyalty to Romania. We pay taxes, we take into account the laws of this country, and in exchange we ask the state to be able to live as citizens with full rights. I do not want to do anything wrong, let's share the power, let's do what we know better," Szilagyi Zsolt said, according to the official translation. He complained about a "perpetual aggression" on the Hungarian community going on in Romania, giving as examples the statements made by the former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose about the use of the Szekler flag, the situation of the Faculty of Medicine in Targu Mures, or preventing the restitution the Hungarian community's property.The PPMT leader said that there is a need for a normalization of the situation in Romania and for a government to start a dialogue with the Hungarians on the push for autonomy."We are convinced that autonomy would make Romania more stable and stronger. A weak state is afraid of its own citizens. (...) The normalization of the situation in this country, a stable government in Bucharest, capable of dialogue with the Szeklers with regard to autonomy, with the Hungarians in Transylvania regarding the Hungarians' autonomy, would be a much more successful government than this one which basically dismisses its own premiers," Szilagyi Zsolt said. Norman SOLOMON Progressives should figure it out. Amplifying the anti-Russia din helps to drown out the lefts core messages for economic fairness, equal rights, environmental protection, diplomacy and so much more. Echoing the racket of blaming Russia for the USAs severe shortages of democracy plays into the hands of Republicans and corporate Democrats eager to block progressive momentum. When riding on the Russiagate bandwagon, progressives unwittingly aid political forces that are eager to sideline progressive messages. And with the midterm elections now scarcely 100 days away, the torrents of hyperbolic and hypocritical claims about Russia keep diverting attention from why its so important to defeat Republicans. As a practical matter, devoting massive amounts of time and resources to focusing on Russia has reduced capacities to effectively challenge the domestic forces that are assaulting democratic possibilities at home with such tactics as state voter ID laws, purging of voter rolls, and numerous barriers to suppress turnout by people of color. Instead of keeping eyes on the prize, some of the Democratic base has been watching and trusting media outlets like MSNBC. An extreme Russia obsession at the network has left precious little airtime to expose and challenge the vast quantity of terrible domestic-policy measures being advanced by the Trump administration every day. Likewise with the U.S. governments militarism. While some Democrats and Republicans in Congress have put forward legislation to end the active U.S. role in Saudi Arabias mass-murderous war on Yemen, those efforts face a steeper uphill climb because of MSNBC. This week, under the headline Its Been Over a Year Since MSNBC Has Mentioned U.S. War in Yemen, journalist Adam Johnson reported for the media watchdog group FAIR about the collapse of journalistic decency at MSNBC, under the weight of the networks Russia Russia Russia obsession. Johnsons article asks a big-type question: Why is the No. 1 outlet of alleged anti-Trump #resistance completely ignoring his most devastating war? Maddow: Most Americans dont care for her obsession The FAIR report says: What seems most likely is MSNBC has found that attacking Russia from the right on matters of foreign policy is the most elegant way to preserve its progressive image while still serving traditional centers of power namely, the Democratic Party establishment, corporate sponsors, and their own revolving door of ex-spook and military contractor-funded talking heads. Russia Doesnt Concern Americans Corporate media have been exerting enormous pressure on Democratic officeholders and candidates to follow a thin blue party line on Russia. Yet polling shows that few Americans see Russia as a threat to their well-being; theyre far more concerned about such matters as healthcare, education, housing and overall economic security. The gap between most Americans and media elites is clear in a nationwide poll taken after the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, which was fiercely condemned by the punditocracy. As The Hill newspaper reported this week under the headline Most Americans Back Trumps Call for Follow-Up Summit With Putin, 54 percent of respondents favored plans for a second summit. The survey also found that 61 percent of Americans say better relations with Russia are in the best interest of the United States. Yet most Democratic Party leaders have very different priorities. After investing so much political capital in portraying Putins government as an implacable enemy of the United States, top Democrats on Capitol Hill are hardly inclined to help thaw relations between the worlds two nuclear superpowers. It would be easy for news watchers to see that the Democratic Party is much more committed to a hard line against Russia than a hard line against the corporate forces imposing extreme economic inequality here at home. National polling underscores just how out of whack and out of touch the partys top dogs are. Last month, the Gallup organization asked: What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today? The results were telling. Situation with Russia came in at below one-half of 1 percent. The day after the Helsinki summit, The Washington Post reported: Citing polls and focus groups that have put Trump and Russia far down the list of voter priorities, Democratic strategists have counseled candidates and party leaders for months to discuss kitchen table issues. Now, after a remarkable 46-minute news conference on foreign soil where Trump stood side by side with a former KGB agent to praise his strong denials of election interference and criticize the FBI, those strategists believe the ground may have shifted. Prominent corporate Democrats who want to beat back the current progressive groundswell inside their party are leading the charge. Jim Kessler, a senior vice president at the centrist Third Way organization, was quick to proclaim after the summit: It got simple real fast. Ive talked to a lot of Democrats that are running in purple and red states and districts who have said that Russia rarely comes up back home, and I think that has now changed. The Democratic National Committee and other official arms of the party keep sending out Russia-bashing emails to millions of people on a nearly daily basis. At times the goals seem to involve generating and exploiting manic panic. At the end of last week, as soon as the White House announced plans (later postponed) for Vladimir Putin to meet with President Trump in Washington this fall, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fired off a mass email from RUSSIA ALERT (via DCCC) declaring that the Russian president must NOT be allowed to set foot in our country. The email strained to conflate a summit with Russian interference in U.S. elections. We cannot overstate how dangerous this is, the DCCC gravely warned. And: We need to stop him at all costs. For Democrats who move in elite circles, running against Putin might seem like a smart election move. But for voters worried about economic insecurity and many other social ills, a political party obsessed with Russia is likely to seem aloof and irrelevant to their lives. consortiumnews.com Russia still retains a strong presence in the Indian arms market. Delhi has worked with Moscow to develop the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile. India also fields Russia's S-300 air-defense system, and its INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier is made in Russia and uses Russian aircraft. The list of Russian weapons used by the Indian military is very long. The countries have an almost 60-year history of military cooperation, but in recent years New Delhi has been shifting to purchases of US-produced weapons. Moscow has lost a few tenders to the United States and France. Now it looks like the situation is going to change and Russia will get back on its feet after some breakthrough agreements. India is finalizing negotiations with Russia to purchase 48 additional Mi-17-V5 utility helicopters. According to Janes, the deal is likely to be signed in early October during Russian President Putins visit to Delhi. The proposed deal also includes an offset obligation that requires all vendors to invest 30% of the overall contractual value of all military purchases over $290 million into Indias defense budget. The additional Mi-17-V5s are meant to supplement the 151 similar platforms that India has already acquired. All in all, more than 400 Russian-made rotary wing aircraft are operating in India. Its not known as yet whether the Mi-17-V5s will be weaponized. Each Indian Mi-17V-5 is equipped with a complex navigation and KNEI-8 avionics suite. According to the Indian Express, the multitude of indicators for various information systems has been replaced with four multifunction displays. The KNEI-8 also helps reduce pre-flight inspection time. The thick-skinned Mi-17-V5 can operate in adverse weather, day or night, in any climate conditions, carrying out transport/assault missions simultaneously. Its heavy armor protection is an advantage. In 2013, a Syrian Mi-17 was hit by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish fighter. The chopper survived long enough to allow its pilots to bail out over friendly territory and thus avoid capture. With a maximum takeoff weight of 13,000 kg., it can carry up to 36 heavily armed troops or 4,000 kg. of cargo inside the cabin, with an additional 4,500-kg. payload attached on an external sling. Two TV3-117BM or VK-2500 turbo-shaft engines with a maximum power of either 2,100 hp or 2,700 hp respectively provide for a greater service/hovering ceiling and improved performance at high altitudes in hot weather. The modern, powerful engines significantly expand the helicopters abilities to transport heavy and bulky loads, especially in the Indian highlands and mountains. The copter can be armed with Shturm-V anti-tank missiles, S-8 rockets, and several machine guns of various calibers for engaging personnel armored vehicles, ground sites, and other fixed and movable targets. Its maximum speed is 250 km/h and standard range is 580 km. That range can be extended to 1,065 km. when fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks. Its maximum altitude is 6,000 m. The US paid Russia $1 billion to supply the Afghan security forces with the Mi-17s. The Afghan air force fliers preferred them to the American rotary-wing aircraft. The last batch was delivered in 2014. Before 2014, India had studied the possibility of buying 12 Italian AgustaWestland AW101 luxury helicopters for use by its VIPs, but the deal was scrapped amidst corruption scandals. As a result, those VIPs got Russian Mi-17-V5s. In December, Delhi and Moscow agreed to produce 200 Russian light multipurpose Ka-226T helicopters in India. The deal includes maintenance, operation, the repair of the helicopters, and technical support. It should be noted that the news about the Mi-17-V5 deal appeared only hours after the US Congress announced that both the House and Senate had agreed on the draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019. That legislation allows waivers under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for India, Vietnam, and Indonesia (among other countries purchasing Russian military equipment) on the condition that they take steps to wean themselves off of those products. Turkey is not among those exempt from this punishment. India is adamant in its desire to acquire Russias famous S-400 air defense system. This is an issue for the United States. India can pay billions for the weapons it needs, but buying the system has nothing to do with the NDAA provision to offer waivers to those who are trying to reduce and eventually end their purchases of Russian-made systems. Delhi never said it had any such intention. Indias Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman believes that "CAATSA cannot impact the India-Russia defense cooperation." The last US-Indian meeting on July 6 in the 2+2 format (between the foreign and defense chiefs) was unilaterally canceled by the US. If CAATSA creates bumps in the road for the US-India relationship, Washington will lose a lucrative market and an important partner, while gaining nothing in return. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Morocco are currently negotiating with Russia over the purchase of the S-400. Will they be also be sanctioned under CAATSA, thus making Iran quite happy? What about Algeria, which has bought half of all the Russian weapons sold in Africa and has a growing interest in more purchases? Will the US sanction the Philippines, its old ally, for buying grenade launchers from Rosoboronexport? The NDAA 2019 bill does not include the United States in the list of countries to be granted waivers. This means the US itself must be sanctioned for violating CAATSA by continuing to buy Russian RD-180 and RD-181 rocket engines that the United Launch Alliance cant do without in order to power the Atlas 5 rocket used for US government launches. This is a strong argument that could be used by those who come under US attack for buying weapons and technology from Russia. Only days after President Donald Trumps successful summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the Pentagon this week announced that it was sending $200 million in military aid to the Kiev regime. The new package of military aid is said to be for boosting the command and control readiness of the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF). It follows the supply earlier this year, in March, of $47 million-worth of lethal armaments in the form of US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles. The UAF on the orders of President Poroshenko and the regime in Kiev have been waging a war against pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine for nearly four years, since the Kiev regime came to power in a CIA-backed coup detat. Russia deplored the latest US military subvention to Ukraine, saying it clearly shows that Washington is an accomplice to the conflict, not a mediator for a peaceful resolution. The latest $200m aid disbursement brings the total American military support to the Kiev regime to $1 billion since the bloody coup in 2014. Senator Rob Portman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hailed the Pentagon aid with stridently bellicose rhetoric. Portman said, with typically appalling American ignorance, it sends a clear message that America stands with the Ukrainian people in their struggle against Russian aggression. As if the people of Eastern Ukraine arent Ukrainian. On the face of it, the Pentagon is pointedly undermining President Trump and what he appeared to agree with President Putin in their landmark summit in Helsinki on July 16. The two leaders stated then that they agreed to cooperate on finding a political solution to the Ukraine conflict: meaning a renewed endorsement of the Minsk Peace Accord, which Russia had overseen with the European powers of Germany and France under the so-called Normandy format back in 2015. By ratcheting up its military support to the Kiev regime, the Pentagon is evidently egging on Poroshenko and his UAF to ignore the Minsk accord and to seek a military solution, not a political solution. That inevitably means more emboldened aggression towards the breakaway self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The war in Ukraine is set to become even hotter than it already is. The Pentagon is effectively giving a green light to more deadly conflict on Russias Western border. This has to be placed in the wider context of the relentless buildup of US-led NATO forces along the entire Russian Western flank. This week, Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reiterated serious concerns that NATO was escalating more offensive capability, and that Russia must make appropriate defensive preparations. What we are seeing since the Trump-Putin summit is a determined rearguard move by forces within the US political-military establishment to sabotage the American presidents attempted rapprochement with Moscow. Immediately following the summit, the US establishment and its dutiful corporate news media embarked on a full-scale campaign to undercut Trump, labelling him a traitor and denouncing him for capitulating to an enemy state. The US media rhetoric, post-Helsinki, has been nothing short of hysterical Russophobia. The move by the Pentagon to boost the Kiev regimes military is part of that countervailing effort by deep US political-military forces to prevent any normalization with Russia. President Putin indeed warned of these malign US forces last week during an address to his diplomatic corps in Moscow only days after Helsinki. Another corollary of this sinister countervailing influence was seen in Syria this week. US military commanders said they had no intention of cooperating with Russian counterparts in enabling the resettlement of refugees to Syria from neighboring countries. Again, the proposal for military-to-military cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees was something that Trump had agreed to with Putin in Helsinki. The summit in Helsinki was a welcome sign of long-overdue dialogue and commitment to partnership between the American president and his Russian counterpart. Unfortunately, subsequent signals from Washington do not augur well for substantial follow-up to what was agreed in Helsinki. President Trump is evidently not the master of his American house. It is impossible to discern a reliable American policy. The president seems to say one thing, while other factions within the American ruling class have other, nefarious agendas. The problem for Russia is that President Trump, in spite of his personal cordial inclinations, is not the arbiter of American policy nor, ultimately, US power for that matter. The American deep state and its strategic planners seem to have a hellbent antagonism towards Russia. That thesis is corroborated with several strategic policy documents that have been published under the Trump administration, which provocatively define Russia, as well as China, as a global enemy standing in the way of dubious American hegemonic ambitions. In short, American imperialism is not a negotiating philosophy. It does not know nor wants to know the meaning of multilateralism. American power is predicated on domination, with zero tolerance of any independence shown by others. Russia in particular. Aiding and abetting a deranged, anti-Russian regime in Kiev which exalts Nazi partisans from the Second World War is a sobering indication of Washingtons real and sinister agenda towards Moscow. Donald J Trump may have been an agreeable summit attendee in Helsinki. But the property-tycoon-turned-president is not the real deal. There is a power outage in the US alright, but its got nothing to do with Russian hackers. The outage is due to the American political class evidently losing its power-of-influence on public opinion. That would explain why this week US media reported a sensationalist story alleging that Russian state hackers had the capability to crash the American power grid. It seemed to be a blatant attempt at whipping up public fears and anti-Russia sentiment. That base motive would have been all the more impelled because the public were evidently not responsive to the post-Helsinki Traitor Trump hysteria. In the aftermath of Donald Trumps summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki last week, the US media went hysterical in denouncing the American president as a traitor and stooge. That rabid reaction was because Trump held a cordial meeting with Putin and because he appeared to play down long-running, and tenuous, claims about Russian interference in the 2016 elections for the White House. Trumps summit with Putin the first that the two leaders have held since Trump took office nearly eighteen months ago sent Congressional Democrats and Republicans, as well as intelligence and media pundits, into a collective delirium of condemnation. Apparently, the idea of the US-Russia normalizing bilateral relations and avoiding spiraling tensions between the two nuclear superpowers was anathema to the political establishment and the media chattering-class. However, the telling thing was that most ordinary American citizens were not provoked into sharing this hysteria over Trump and Putin. Several polls showed that the US public remained supportive of Trump or neutral about his engagement with the Russian president. That was in spite of saturated corporate media coverage decrying Trump for betraying America and colluding with an enemy state. Thats where the story comes in about Russian agents allegedly hacking into the US electric grid. More than a week after the Helsinki summit, media headlines like this appeared: Russian hackers have gained capability to cause US blackouts. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials on July 23 started briefing US media and power industry companies that Russian state hackers had gained access to the nations electric grid and were capable of throwing switches to cause widespread blackouts. The DHS stated that the alleged cyber attacks claimed hundreds of victims in an ongoing subversive campaign. But, as US government-owned Radio Free Europe reported, the DHS officials did not provide names of alleged victims. One former Pentagon official is quoted as saying: Theyve [Russia] been intruding into our networks and are positioning themselves for a limited or widespread attack. They are waging a covert war on the West. The reports this week contain lots of technical jargon about how would-be hackers could have gained access to the power networks. But in all the reportage there is the typical lack of verifiable evidence that we have seen in countless other Western media claims of Russian malign activity from US election interference, to nerve agent attacks in Britain. This is not the first time that the scare story concerning alleged Russia cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure has emerged. Recall that back in 2016, the Washington Post published a false story that Russian hackers had targeted the US power grid via an electric company in Vermont. It quickly transpired that Burlington Electric had not been hacked at all, but that didnt stop US politicians foaming at the mouth about Putin the thug and Russia committing acts of war. Similarly, the British government has made outlandish, sensationalist claims that Russian hackers are targeting the countrys infrastructure. UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson earlier this year issued the outrageous warning that thousands and thousands of Britons would die from Russia allegedly disrupting essential public utilities. Williamson said Russia was targeting Britain to, Damage its economy, rip its infrastructure apart, actually cause thousands and thousands and thousands of deaths creating total chaos within the country. British military chiefs have also made reckless public alerts that Russia is trying to cut undersea communication cables around Britain. Again, despite the lack of evidence and largely based on pejorative speculation, this has led to US Treasury sanctions being imposed on Russian companies involved in submarine and diving technology. Russia has categorically denied any intention of targeting civilian infrastructure. As with Moscows repeated denials of hacking into US and Western elections, the relentless fact-free anti-Russia narrative continues unabated. Nonetheless, the sinister story this week in US media about Russia hacking vital public infrastructure is particularly insidious. It can be easily distorted and politicized into an act of war. If that perception takes hold more widely, then we have a scenario where Russia is liable for counter-attacks by America and its NATO allies, which could escalate dangerously into a military war. Another insidious aspect is that due to years of chronic underinvestment by Western governments in their national infrastructures, it could be all-too easy to portray outages in electric and water services as being caused by Russian sabotage when the truth is that the outages are simply due to lack of maintenance by cost-cutting Western governments. Add to that, too, problems of extreme weather events due to climate change causing havoc in public infrastructure, which can also be misattributed to Russia by the anti-Russia political establishment in the West. But one positive thing to emerge after the Trump-Putin summit is that the US public seem to have become inured to fear-mongering by the anti-Russia brigade among the political establishment. There was a time when US and Western public opinion could be more easily manipulated and misled by Red Scares. Not any more, it seems. Nevertheless, that evident loss of influence-power by elite elements within the US ruling structure and their media may tempt them in their desperation to unleash even more outrageous stories and false flag provocations in order to incriminate Russia. Neoconservatism started in 1953 with Henry Scoop Jackson, the Democratic Party US Senator from the state of Washington (1953-1983), who became known as a defense hawk, and as the Senator from Boeing, because Boeing practically owned him. The UKs Henry Jackson Society was founded in 2005 in order to carry forward Senator Jacksons unwavering and passionate endorsement of growing the American empire so that the US-UK alliance will control the entire world (and US weapons-makers will dominate in every market). Later, during the 1990s, neoconservatism became taken over by the Mossad and the lobbyists for Israel and came to be publicly identified as a Jewish ideology, despite its having and having long had many champions who were anti-communist or pro-democracy or simply even anti-Russian, but who were neither Jewish nor even focused at all on the Middle East. Republicans Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and John McCain; and the Democrat, CIA Director James Woolsey the latter of whom was one of the patrons of Britains Henry Jackson Society were especially prominent neoconservatives, who came to prominence even before neocons became called neoconservatives. What all neocons have always shared in common has been a visceral hatred of Russians. That comes above anything else and even above NATO (the main neocon organization). During recent decades, neocons have been hating Iranians and more generally Shiites such as in Syria and in Lebanon, and now also in Yemen and not only hating Russians. When the Israel lobby during the 1990s and after, pumped massive resources into getting the US Government to invade first Iraq and then Iran, neoconservatism got its name, but the ideology itself did not change. However, there are a few neoconservatives today who are too ignorant to know, in any coherent way, what their own underlying beliefs are, or why, and so who are anti-Russians (thats basic for any neocon) who either dont know or else dont particularly care that Iran and Shia Muslims generally, are allied with Russia. Neoconservatives such as this, are simply confused neocons, people whose underlying ideology is self-contradictory, because theyve not carefully thought things through. An example is Voxs Alex Ward, who built his career as an anti-Russia propagandist, and whose recent ten-point tirade against Russia I then exposed as being false on each one of its ten points, each of those points having been based upon mere allegations by US neocons against Russia without any solid evidence whatsoever. Indictments, and other forms of accusations, are not evidence for anything. But a stupid journalist accepts them as if they were evidence, if those accusations come from the right side but not if they come from the wrong side. They dont understand even such a simple distinction as that between an indictment, and a conviction. A conviction is at least a verdict (though maybe based on false evidence and thus false itself), but all that an accusation is an accusation and all accusations (in the American legal system) are supposed to be disbelieved, unless and until there is at least a verdict that gives the accusation legal force. (This is called innocent unless proven guilty.) Earlier, Mr. Ward had headlined as if he were an anti-neocon, when he posted his America is fueling the war in Yemen. Congress is finally pushing back. What can account for that seemingly incongruous article? Mr. Ward is a Democrat an heir to Senator Jacksons allegedly anti-communist though actually anti-Russian ideology but, since Ward isnt as intelligent as the ideologys founder was, Ward becomes anti-neocon when a Republican-led Administration is doing things (such as Ward there criticizes) that are even more-neocon than todays Democratic Party itself is. In other words: journalists (actually, propagandists) such as he, are more partisan in favor of support of Democratic Party billionaires against Republican Party billionaires, than in support of conquering Russia as opposed to cooperating with Russia (and with all other countries). Theyre unaware that all American billionaires support expansion of the US empire including over Yemen (to bring Yemen in, too which invasion Ward incongruously opposes). But politicians (unlike their financial backers) need to pretend not to be so bloodthirsty or so beholden to the military-industrial complex. Thus, an American doesnt need to be intelligent in order to build his or her career in journalism, on the basis of having previously served as a propagandist writing for non-profits that are mere fronts for NATO and for Israel, and which are fronts actually for Americas weapons-manufacturing firms, who need those wars in order to grow their profits. Such PR for front-organizations for US firms such as Lockheed Martin, is excellent preparation for a successful career in American journalism. If a person is stupid, then its still necessary to be stupid in the right way, in order to succeed; and Ward is, and does. This, for example, is how it makes sense that Ward had previously been employed at the War on the Rocks website that organized the Republican neoconservative campaign against Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries: the mega-donors to both US Parties are united in favor of America conquering Russia. And thats why War on the Rocks had organized Republican neocons to oppose Trump: it was done in order to increase the chances for Trumps rabidly anti-Russia and pro-Israel competitors such as Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio to win that nomination instead, which would then have produced the billionaires dream contest, between Hillary Clinton versus an equally neoconservative Republican nominee. A bipartisan neoconservatism controls both of the American political Parties. A journalist who displays that sort of bipartisanship cant fail in America, no matter how incompetent at real journalism he or she might be. (However, they do have to be literate. Stupid, maybe; but literate, definitely.) The core of Americas form of capitalism has come to be the US aristocracys bipartisan, liberal and conservative, Democratic and Republican, form of capitalism, which isnt merely fascist (which includes privatizing everything that can be privatized) but which is also imperialist (which means favoring the countrys perpetration of invasions and coups in order to expand that nations empire). The United States is now a globe-spanning empire, controlling not merely the aristocracies in a few banana republics such as Guatemala and Honduras, but also the aristocracies in richer countries such as France, Germany and UK, so as to extract from virtually the entire world by means mainly of deception but also sometimes public threats and clearly coercive unfair advantages for corporations that are within its borders, and against corporations that are headquartered in foreign countries. Americas billionaires both the Democratic ones and the Republican ones are 100% in favor of Americas conquering the world: this ideology is entirely bipartisan, in the United States. Though the billionaires succeeded, during the first Cold War the one that was nominally against communism at fooling the public to think they were aiming ultimately to conquer communism, George Herbert Walker Bush made clear, on the night of 24 February 1990, privately to the leaders of the US aristocracys foreign allies, that the actual goal was world-conquest, and so the Cold War would now secretly continue on the US side, even after ending on the USS.R. side. When GHW Bush did that, the heritage of US Senator Jackson became no longer the formerly claimed one, of anti-communism, but was, clearly now and henceforth, anti-Russian. And thats what it is today not only in the Democratic Party, and not only in the Republican Party, and not only in the United States, but throughout the entire US alliance. And this is what we are seeing today, in all of the US-and-allied propaganda-media. America is always the injured party against the aggressors; and, so, one after another, such as in Iraq, and in Libya, and in Syria, and in Iran, and in Yemen, and in China, all allies (or even merely friends) of Russia are the aggressors and are dictatorships and are threats to America, and only the US side represents democracy. Its actually an aristocracy, which has deeply deceived its public, to think its a democracy. Just as every aristocracy is based on lies and on coercion, this one is, too it is no exception; its only that this particular empire is on a historically unprecedentedly large scale, dominating all continents. Support that, and youre welcomed into the major (i.e., billionaire-backed) news media in America, and in its allied countries. This is Americas democracy. (Of course, an article such as this one is not journalism in America and its allied countries; its merely blogging. So, it wont be found there though its being submitted everywhere. It will be accepted and published at only the honest news-sites. A reader may Web-search the headline here in order to find out which ones those are. Not many newsmedia report the institutionalized corruptness of the newsmedia; they just criticize one-another, in the way that the politicians do, which is bipartisan the bipartisan dictatorship. But the rot thats actually throughout the newsmedia, is prohibited to be reported about and published, in and by any of them. It is totally suppressed reality. Only the few honest news-sites will publish this information and its documentation, the links here.) However, actually, the first time that the term either neoconservatism or neo-conservatism is known to have been used, was in the British magazine, The Contemporary Review, January 1883, by Henry Dunkley, in his The Conservative Dilemma where neo-conservative appeared 8 times, and was contrasted to traditional conservatism because, whereas the traditional type Toryism was pro-aristocratic, anti-democratic, and overtly elitist; the new type was pro-democratic, anti-aristocratic, and overtly populist (which no form of conservatism honestly is theyre all elitist): What is this new creed of yours? That there must be no class influence in politics? That any half-dozen hinds on my estate are as good as so many dukes? That the will of the people is the supreme political tribunal? That if a majority at the polls bid us abolish the Church and toss the Crown into the gutter we are forthwith to be their most obedient servants? No: from whatever point of view we consider the question, it is plain that the attempt to reconstruct the Tory party on a Democratic basis cannot succeed. The Tories have always been adepts at conservation, but the things they have been most willing to conserve were not our liberties but the restrictions put upon our liberties. The practical policy of Conservatism would not alter, and could not be altered much, but its pretensions would have to be pitched in a lower key. Here we seem to get within the smell of soup, the bustle of evening receptions, and the smiles of dowagers. The cares which weigh upon this couple of patriot souls cannot be described as august. It is hardly among such petty anxieties that the upholders of the Empire and the pilots of the State are bred. The solemn abjuration which is now proposed in the name of Neo-conservatism resembles a charge of dynamite. He viewed neo-conservatives as being lets-pretend populists, whose pretense at being democrats will jeopardize the Empire, not strengthen it. Empire, and its rightness, were so deeply rooted in the rulers psyche, it went unchallenged. In fact, at that very time, in the 1880s, Sir Cecil Rhodes was busy creating the foundation for the UK-US empire that now controls most of the world. The modern pro-Israel neoconservatism arose in the 1960s when formerly Marxist Jewish intellectuals in New York City and Washington DC, who were even more anti-communist than anti-nazi, became impassioned with the US empire being extended to the entire world by spreading democracy (and protection of Israel) as if this Israel-protecting empire were a holy crusade not only against the Soviet Union, which was demonized by them, but against Islam, which also was demonized by them (since they were ethnocentric Jews and the people whose land the Israelis had stolen were overwhelmingly Muslims and now were very second-class citizens in their own long-ancestral and also birth-land). This was how they distinguished themselves from paleoconservatism which wasnt nearly so Messianic, but which was more overtly ethnocentric, though ethnic Christian, instead of ethnic Jewish. The paleoconservatives were isolationists, not imperialists. They originated from the opponents of Americas entry into WW II against the imperialists of that time, who were the fascists. Those American isolationists would have given us a world controlled by Hitler and his Axis allies. All conservatism is absurd, but there are many forms of it, none of which makes intelligent sense. The roots of neoconservatism are 100% imperialistic, colonialist, supremacist, and blatantly evil. They hate Russia because they still crave to conquer it, and dont know how, short of nuclear annihilation, which would be extremely dangerous, even for themselves. So, they endanger everyone. In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome! A Tauranga-based medical cannabis company has announced it aims to create hundreds of jobs in the region by building an agri-industry which matches the value of the kiwifruit sector. Horticultural growers and iwi in the region have already expressed strong interest in and support for MediCanns plans. MediCann managing director Brendon Ogilvy says the company has a proven business model comparable to Zespris. The company plans to deploy a similar growing and cultivation model and scale out its growing production to qualified horticulturalists in the Bay of Plenty. We have exclusive New Zealand rights to more than 30 medically verified European-registered cannabis strains and are poised to release grower licenses, pending the governments decision at the end of this month on whether Kiwis can access cannabis legally for medical purposes. He says most Kiwis support medical cannabis reform, with 89 per cent supporting it to be used for terminal pain relief and 87 per cent for pain relief. Growers will apply to become a MediCann NZ Medical Cannabis Licensed Producer. The company will provide Medical Cannabis genetics expertise and supply of all hardware, consumables and MC agronomists for the successful GMP production of Medical Cannabis biomass from their Bay of Plenty grower network. Brendon says its an ambitious plan, but they are ready and have the right expertise on-board. It makes sense to build New Zealands newest horticulture industry here in the Bay, as we have global growing credibility. The quality of Bay of Plenty produce such as kiwifruit, avocados, blueberries and Manuka Honey, is well-established around the world, says Brendon. We aim to build a sustainable industry that benefits all New Zealanders. Brendon says MediCann has attracted significant investment and inquiries from some of the Bay of Plentys most successful growers. Our grower network is one of our key points of difference within the MC industry in New Zealand. We have hundreds of years of horticultural experience within our network. It is an exciting time for the regions growing community. Forecast returns for growers are excellent through the MediCann model, he says. For example, 17.2 hectares of medical cannabis crop has the potential to return a similar value to 12.5k hectares of kiwifruit. MediCann has the capacity to issue 172 licences equivalent to 1,000 square metres of growing footprint each, totalling 172 000 sqm. MediCann will purchase the crops and manufacture medical-grade cannabis. This could meet estimated domestic demand and provide a launchpad for future exports. Local iwi trusts and Maori kiwifruit growers have also expressed strong interest in partnering with MediCann. Brendon says they like the kaupapa of MediCann, which is foremost to help people in pain as well as building a local industry where hundreds of jobs can be created and better use made of underutilised Maori land. Partnering with iwi will allow MediCann to scale the operation to meet future export demands, he says. MediCann has been positioning itself for the softening of cannabis laws for many years and has built a global team of experts in the field of medicine, pharmaceuticals and horticulture, says Brendon. The companys board includes distinguished pharmacist Elizabeth Plant; Dr Franz Strydom, a well-known New Zealand General Practitioner and skin cancer doctor; and Luc Krol who has 40 years expertise in the medical cannabis industry. Investors include horticultural experts, as well as a team of 10 doctors and nurses. We will deliver affordable and accessible cannabinoid-based treatment of the highest medical standard through the professionalism of our clinical expertise and partnerships. At the same time we will be developing a new horticultural sector that New Zealand can be proud of, says Brendon. The company is focused on effectively matching specific MC strains to the successful treatment of specific patient ailments. We have worked hard to ensure the right European GMP certified genetics are able to be grown locally and address the local demand of medical cannabis needs. Only a handful of certified, registered and legal cannabis seed suppliers exist globally MediCann has acquired New Zealand rights to its European-certified strains through its partnership with the leading European supplier, Paradise Seeds. Ownership of certified medical cannabis strains is critical since it determines whether or not a medical cannabis licence can be issued and supported by the medical community in New Zealand. Registered strains are also required for the medical community to write prescriptions and for pharmacies to supply MC to patients. Tauranga photographer Justin Aitken has been named the 2018 wedding photographer of the year at the Nikon/NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards held in Wellington earlier in July. Justin has been named as a finalist for both the Wedding In-Camera Artistry and Wedding Open categories, and won them both. I also won the Wedding Open category last year, so it's the second time in a row I've won this category. The Wedding In-Camera Artistry category allows photographs from a wedding day, with the reliance of conventional in-camera techniques only. The Wedding Open category allows a mix of in-camera skills and no limits with post production techniques, blended with contemporary ideas that reflect wedding moments, storytelling and communication. Entering the annual awards keeps us humble as artists. Its my eighth year entering and my heart still beats fast every time one of my prints comes up for judging. Its a great opportunity to explore various concepts and ideas, and push ourselves to grow and develop as photographers. No photographer is bigger than photography itself, and because its forever evolving, we need to continue learning, pushing boundaries and exploring. If you love photography and want to learn more. I highly recommend you head on to a local NZIPP meeting and get involved with some like-minded people, and then eventually start taking part in the emotional rollercoaster that is entering the Iris Awards. Judges have commended Justin on the 'soft feel' to the images he entered in the Wedding In-Camera Artistry category. "The winning set of images conveyed a soft fine art feel and elegant poised vision, emotion and perfection. The prints reflect a level of craft through diversity of perspective, tonality and execution." Similarly in the open category judges have remarked on the quality of his work. "The submission displayed a consistent level of quality vision. The graphical nature, innovation, diversity and creativity excited the judges, who felt it showed a strong, unique and well-constructed set of images." The NZIPP Iris Awards are New Zealand's national and biggest print awards competition for professional photography. Categories include genres such as family, portrait, nature, travel, landscape, wedding and more. The Iris Awards are a great opportunity for photographers to be recognised and awarded by some of the most respected and experienced artists in the industry. Justin photographs weddings all around New Zealand, and is thankful to have couples who trust him to document their special day, capturing pure emotions and wonderfully crafted moments. Check out Justin's website here: Health Minister David Clark says a joint accord will be launched to ensure safe staffing in hospitals, as nurses prepare to vote on the latest offer from DHBs. Nurses went on strike for 24 hours on 12 July, the first national strike in three decades, as the row largely over pay and staffing deepened. Dr Clark said today the government was committed to making sure there were enough nurses in public hospitals to ensure the safety of both nurses and patients and he would be requiring district health boards to make good on all staffing commitments. Under the accord, to be signed on Monday, DHBs, the Health Ministry and the nurses' union will ensure safe staffing under a system known as Care Capacity Demand Management, Dr Clark said. He told reporters nurses' workloads were too high, and the accord would ensure that this changed through proper implementation of the Care Capacity Demand Management system. "I am committed to see that this works, I am absolutely determined to ensure that DHBs delivered, in my letter to the parties I will be seeking that safe staffing is part of the chief executive's performance expectations." The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has said the fifth offer made in recent weeks, revised by DHBs, retained previously offered benefits, addressed the issue of safer staffing, and brought forward a new top salary step for senior nurses. NZNO industrial services manager Glenda Alexander said the union was recommending members accept the new deal, which had significant wins, but some nurses remained critical of the offer. Dr Clark said today's move was separate to the the latest offer which commits to hiring 500 more nurses. The accord commits to implementing the CCDM safe staffing tool by 2021, and establishes a process of formal reporting. Dr Clark said he wanted to ensure the two sides could agree on a process to get to safe staffing, he said. "Because I think that's the issue we're hearing again and again, it's about nurses being stretched and whether that's sustainable on the wards, and I for one don't think the current arrangement has been sustainable." But a nurse told Checkpoint that staffing was at crisis point and inexperienced nurses were forced to deal with complex situations alone. "They were given seven patients to look after on that shift on their own, with no back up or no help and it's just unacceptable. How can we live like that? How can we nurse like that? We can't do it." - RNZ Tauranga is one of three locations which has been named as a top-rated destination in the Cruise Critics 2018 Cruisers Choice Destination Awards. The title is shared between the Bay of Plenty city, Akaroa and Wellington, with all locations being named in the top five of the Top Rated Australia and New Zealand Cruise Destinations category. Cruise Critic is the worlds leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, and its annual Cruisers Choice Destination Awards name the most popular cruise destinations in 18 cruise regions worldwide. Tourism Bay of Plenty CEO Kristin Dunne says shes delighted that Tauranga has been recognised as a desirable cruise location. This reflects the hard work of our Tauranga Cruise i-SITE staff, cruise ambassadors and our Cruise Manager, all who combine to deliver fantastic levels of service in underwhelming facilities. The Coastal Bay of Plenty is renowned for its welcoming spirit, with the region scoring among the highest local friendliness satisfaction rate from cruise passengers. The friendliness of our community means all our visitors leave with wonderful lasting memories of our region and begin planning for another visit in the future. She says comments and reviews of the region made on the Cruise Critic website, provide a great insight into how passengers view it. Some of the comments speak of our attractive seaside resort town Mount Maunganui, the beautiful beaches, the views from the top of Mauao, the stunning coastal scenery, kayaking through caves of glow worms, kiwifruit orchard tours, and the accessibility to other local attractions. Kristin says while the recognition is fantastic, it highlights a need to improve services in the region. As the cruise ship numbers grow, our already stretched and unwelcoming facilities will become even more unfit for our cruise passengers. The value of these passengers, their reviews, and their propensity to return to the region and recommend the Coastal Bay of Plenty to their friends and families is vital to our economy. To prepare for the forecast growth in cruise passenger and visitor numbers, we must have fit-for-purpose facilities before they are out-grown to the point of disaster. Kristin says the current cruise situation presents significant health and safety concerns for both cruise passengers and local residents. The Regional Cruise Gateway and Welcome Hub on Coronation Park is desperately needed to welcome these passengers and safely disperse them out into the region. She says in order to maintain the reputation of being a welcoming region, we must prepare for both the negative and positive consequences of that growth. A fit-for-purpose facility is critical to meet the demands of the predicted cruise sector growth. During the 2017-2018 season, the Coastal Bay of Plenty welcomed 214,940 cruise passengers and crew. We estimate well over 50 per cent of those cruise passengers and crew stayed in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui, either through local tours or just seeing the sights themselves. She says the upcoming 2018-2019 cruise season will see a record-breaking 320,166 passengers and crew and 110 ships berth in the Port of Tauranga which is up 35 per cent on last seasons 81 ships. The Coastal Bay of Plenty will welcome 24 double ship days, 2 triple ship days, 9 overnight visits, and 7 visits from the worlds fourth-largest ship Ovation of the Seas. The first ship is just around the corner on the October 5. The Stats NZs Tourism Satellite Account 2017 reports that international cruise activity for the 2016-2017 season injected $59m into the local Bay of Plenty economy. This local cruise activity spend represents 19% of the total national cruise spend, says Kristin. Tauranga welcomes the second highest international cruise activity spend second only to Auckland. She says the cruise sector makes a valuable contribution to our regions economy. New Zealand Cruise Association estimates the 2018-2019 cruise sector will generate 1,224 cruise-related jobs for the Bay of Plenty. Cruise forecasts prepared for TBOP by tourism statistics experts Fresh Info Co estimate that the 2018-2019 season will inject $85 million into the local economy. These figures are evidence that our regions reputation as a world-class destination continues to soar, as cruising becomes more popular and more achievable. Cruise is the worlds fastest growing sector of the travel industry and our region is no exception. To ensure we can continue to welcome these passengers with pride and integrity and cope with the forecast growth, we must have the appropriate infrastructure. Click the image above to watch the video Creative Bay of Plenty has updated the arts community on progress made by the organisation over the last 12 months, in a meeting held on Thursday. Chairperson Michelle Whitmore also announced the introduction of a vehicle that local arts groups can use, and the co-working space that Creative Bay of Plenty will shortly open to the arts sector. It was really exciting to have arts and culture practitioners here tonight to join us, says Michelle. So we can give an update on what effectively is a ratepayer-funded organisation. Its really important to us that were accountable for the funding that we get and to talk positively about what were doing, and to share some of the love. Creative Bay of Plenty is at the helm of a community created and community delivered strategy, says Creative BOP General Manager Meg Davis. We have a role to monitor and report on 31 actions, and deliver eight of these. The arts and culture strategy, Toi Moana, provides the blueprint, and we are here to provide the support, encouragement and leadership on its execution. Creative BOP General Manager Meg Davis The Western Bay of Plenty District Council has increased its total funding to $100,000 per annum for the next three years to cover Creative Bay of Plentys service and strategy delivery. Tauranga City Council has provided strategy specific funding of $113,000 in Year One; $98 000 in Year Two; and $98 000 in Year Three. Last time we hosted a sector update, it was prior to our submission for the Long Term Plans for both councils, says Meg. Both Councils have, through their respective Long Term Plan processes, approved funding to continue their support of our organisation. Existing base funding for the organizational core CUSP Connect, Upskill, Support, Promote activities and administering the Creative Communities Scheme will remain consistent at $300,000 per annum. Michelle acknowledged the service of long-serving board members Awhina Thatcher, Dean Wearne and Marcus Wilkins who have retired from the Board. New trustees have been appointed. Members of the existing board are Thoje Hood, Suzanne McNicol, Steve Graveson, Paul Whitaker, Jo West, Kristen Joiner, and Tim Bell. As well as funding from the two councils, Creative Bay of Plenty is sponsored by Simpson Grierson, William Buck, Technology Wise, and Farmers Auto Village. A recent addition is Alicia Beech, who has brought an added social media management skillset to the team. Weve had a really great evening here tonight, says Michelle, and were really pleased to see people from so many diverse backgrounds here, and to explain how the strategy now is going to inform what we do as an organisation this year. Some of the things were doing maybe slightly differently are getting a vehicle which we think will be great for the sector to use. Were going to open up our space a lot more in terms of a co-working space or hot-desking. Weve got some really good insight from our sector, and from people who are saying this is what wed really like you to do as an organisation, and thats what were committed to delivering. So thats really pleasing. Creative BOP General Manager Meg Davis. Some of the proposed co-working space at Creative BOP Kutu Mukherjee with Detour Theatres Kim Williamson VERONA, N.Y. -- At least 'several firearms' were stolen from a gun shop in Verona on Friday morning, according to New York State police. Burglars broke a window to The Gun Works of Central New York, located at 5378 State Route 31, police said. Police are still going through the gun shop's inventory to find what was stolen in addition to the several firearms, police said. Police are seeking help from anyone who may have been near Route 31, between Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School and Route 365, between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning. They ask that anyone with more information call the state police at 315-366-6000. CICERO, N.Y. -- A 1999 Dodge pickup crashed on Interstate 81 north in Cicero Thursday, flipping and then rolling into the southbound lanes of I-81, according to New York State Police. The crash happened at approximately 4:15 p.m., police said. Hollister W. Smith, 52, of Hastings, was driving the pickup in the middle lane of I-81 northbound when he changed lanes to avoid slowed traffic, police said. The pickup hit a 2015 Ford pickup truck driven by Derik M. Gibbs, 33, of West Monroe, police said. Smith's truck continued into the median, flipped and rolled into the southbound lanes of I-81, police said. Gibbs and Smith were uninjured in the crash, police said. Gary W. Moore, 50, who was a passenger in Smith's truck, was taken to Upstate University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. The crash is still under investigation. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A lifetime Eastwood resident came to a community forum with the mayor to share her story of trying to report a corner store for parking violations. Jan Donohue said she always calls in crimes, illegally parked cars and other issues she witnesses happening at the end of her block. She has called the number for the investigations division recommended by the police chief, but no one has picked up the phone or returned her messages, she said. She added it was a deterrent to pick up the phone again. "We will look at it," Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said of her grievance about the shop on her street. "It kills me that nobody picked up the phone. I'm sorry you had that experience." Walsh urged residents to report their grievances to City Hall and call 911 when in doubt. He said those reports are how the city and police department compile data to hold businesses and individuals accountable, and see how to best use resources. Walsh said it's on him and his team to do whatever they can to address residents' concerns. One of his initial goals for his time in office, he said, is to change the culture in Syracuse to be responsive and proactive. A crowd of around 100 people showed up to talk with Mayor Ben Walsh and members of his administration, including police chief Frank Fowler. The forum was hosted by the Eastwood Neighborhood Association. Residents, many of whom introduced themselves by the number of years they'd lived in the neighborhood - three, 10, 36, 40, 50, even 60 years -- made it clear Eastwood is poised for improvement. It's Syracuse's "village within the city," with neighbors prepared to pick up the phone to ask for help, and to take pride in their parks, streets and homes. Residents in attendance complained about problematic corner stores and bars, the difficulty of acquiring blue trash bins and packages being stolen of porches. They called on city officials to find a way to reduce crime in a way that is thoughtful about residents' mental health and joblessness. They begged for the police department to assign the same officers to the neighborhood day after day and for more opportunities to get to know those officers. They asked for better communication from police to reassure them of their safety if a raid or drug bust is happening, or to follow-up on the results of an investigation. Walsh readily acknowledged the city's problems with gun crime, quality of life issues, trash removal, sidewalks, abandoned houses and potholes. "We have a problem," he said of police staffing. "Again, admittedly, it's a broken system," he said of the city's complaint-driven policy of having residents replace and repair sidewalks in front of homes. "One crime is too many," he told residents who reported robberies, break-ins and drug transactions. Frank Fowler addresses Eastwood residents at a forum at the Palace Theatre Thursday, July 26. Fowler will step down as police chief at the end of this year. A national search is currently underway to find his replacement. Walsh and Fowler also came with some good news for residents: City police are working toward bringing back a "storefront" satellite police station in the neighborhood. The department just hired a class of 37 new officers. Parks and recreation is considering new youth programming. Officials are studying sidewalks options and trash processes. The mayor hopes the search for a new police chief to replace Fowler when he steps down at the end of the year will be an opportunity to develop a community policing model that suits a neighborhood like Eastwood. Walsh and Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens said community policing is the number one criteria the city is looking for in a new police chief. Walsh said he wants residents to know their officers, feel comfortable reporting crimes and disturbances, and see that the city is being proactive about quality of life issues. "I'm the first to admit when we're not doing as effective a job as we could be," Walsh said. "You all deserve the highest quality, best services." Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 When students from SUNY Oswego and other state schools flew to Puerto Rico in June, they were shocked at what they encountered. Nine months after Hurricane Maria hit the island territory, devastation lingers. Particularly in small towns and mountainous areas, many people affected by the storm still don't have sufficient supplies or a proper roof over their heads. Some remain without electricity. "The extent of the damage still there - I was shocked even after having learned about it," said Matthew Crumrine, a SUNY Oswego student from New Hartford, N.Y. "I remember seeing a house that had a steel roof and half of it was pulled back like a sardine can." For two weeks, a group of 29 SUNY students and SUNY Oswego professor Joanne O'Toole volunteered in Puerto Rico. UNICEF USA and the state of New York, facilitated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, joined forces to launch the SUNY Stands with Puerto Rico initiative, an offshoot of the New York Stands With Puerto Rico Recovery and Rebuilding Initiative. The SUNY team was placed with NECHAMA, a disaster relief group already well-established in Puerto Rico, and worked alongside CUNY volunteers. The group volunteered by directly providing manual labor for those affected by Hurricane Maria. In the less-populated areas surrounding the capital city, San Juan, the students restored roofs and performed interior repairs, like installing doors and fixing sinks, based off the locals' needs. Sarah Kilroy, a rising senior at the University of Albany, described the roof repair process: "We started by bringing up all the materials to the roof that we needed that day," Kilroy said. "We would scrape everything off that needed to be off- anything old or debris on the roof. Then we would grind out any major cracks that we saw were causing leaks to get them filled. We would prime and seal the roofs so they would have a new layer that nothing can get through." While the students worked, they got to know the people whose homes they helped repair. Ali Khan, a SUNY Oswego student from Pakistan, said that at almost every site, the homeowner would cook a meal for them. Crumrine said he was struck by the fortitude, energy and positivity he saw in the local Puerto Ricans he met, even those sleeping every night under a leaking roof. Taryn Grimes, a Rochester, N.Y. native who graduated in May from SUNY Cortland, also described the unbroken spirit of those she met: "The island is so beautiful, and even though they have been devastated by this horrible storm, they still have so much pride [in the island]," Grimes said. "They're so strong...I think that's so beautiful and more people should understand that." For some in the mainland U.S., there seems to be a lack of understanding of Puerto Rico in general. Earlier this month, a video of a woman in Illinois being harassed for wearing a shirt with the Puerto Rican flag went viral. Evidently, the man in the video -- who has since been charged with two felony accounts of hate crime -- didn't understand the relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S. (Puerto Rico first became a U.S. territory in 1898 then a U.S. Commonwealth in 1952.) And this man isn't alone. In a 2017 study by Suffolk University and USA Today, only 47.2 percent of those surveyed correctly identified people born in Puerto Rico (whose parents were also born in Puerto Rico) as U.S. citizens. Kilroy said she noticed this as she prepared for her trip to Puerto Rico. When she told friends where she was going, a number of them thought she was going to a different country and needed a passport. "I think the most challenging part was to see how much they [those affected in Puerto Rico] still need help. Especially them being a territory- we're supposed to be helping them...They're a part of the United States and they're not getting the treatment as if they are." Aside from volunteering and making donations, one way that Americans in the mainland, or anyone, can help Puerto Rico recover is by contributing to its economy. Islands of Puerto Rico, a company that writes and publishes independent of advertisements, wrote on their website in June: "Thank you in advance for your interest in visiting Puerto Rico and supporting our recovery by simply vacationing on the island. A great vacation in Puerto Rico for your family, helps thousands of families relying on tourism dollars to feed their families and hold on to what they have left. Tourism has helped the economy bounce back from such a devastating disaster." As for the SUNY students that made the volunteer trip, they said their experience was beautiful, heart-warming and though physically demanding, gratifying. Now that they've seen the work that needs done, some, like Khan and Crumrine, already plan to go back. "Me and a couple other people who were in my group have already applied for to go to either Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands," Crumrine said. "As soon as we left we were saying we wish we were back." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to visit Auburn this afternoon to make an announcement at the Auburn Public Theater. The governor's office declined to disclose the subject of his announcement. He is due to speak at 2 p.m. at an invitation-only event at the theater on Exchange Street in Auburn. Cuomo has visited other small cities in Central New York when he announced winning projects in the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The governor visited Oswego in July 2016 when the city's application beat Auburn, Fulton and Cortland in a competition for $10 million in grants through the initiative. Oswego's winning bid will provide state aid for 12 projects that include an indoor water park, and improvements to mixed-use buildings and pedestrian spots. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 NEW YORK -- Sheldon Silver, once one of New York's most powerful politicians, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Friday for a scheme that put $4 million in illicit legal fees in his pocket. Silver, 74, sat slouched as Manhattan Federal Judge Valerie Caproni delivered her sentence. "He is exactly what too many people think all politicians are. And that is deeply corrupt," Caproni said. "This crime is driven by unmitigated greed." It was the second time Silver stood before Caproni to be sentenced to prison. In May 2016, after his first trial, Caproni sentenced Silver to 12 years. "The last three years have been enormously difficult for me," Silver said, asking for mercy. "The events that are outlined in these trials have brought a great distrust in New York government. I am extremely remorseful for that." This time, the feds asked Caproni to sentence him to a term "substantially in excess" of 10 years. In a letter to Caproni, Silver said he didn't want to spend his remaining days behind bars. "I pray I will not die in prison," he wrote in the July 19 letter. Silver was first elected to the Assembly in 1976 from a district that includes the Lower East Side -- where he has lived his whole life -- as well as the Financial District and much of Chinatown. He became Assembly speaker in early 1994, and kept that job for 21 years until his arrest in early 2015. Nearly all that time, Silver collected referral fees from childhood pal Jay Arthur Goldberg's law firm in return for getting the firm tax appeal work from two major Manhattan real estate developers. Prosecutors said that scheme netted Silver nearly $1 million. In 2002, Silver joined the Weitz & Luxenberg law firm, and soon began referring as clients people sick with mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that results from asbestos exposure. Weitz & Luxenberg gave Silver a cut of the fees it earned from the lucrative cases, which prosecutors said added up to about $3 million. Silver got the names of mesothelioma patients from Robert Taub, a Columbia University researcher. In return, Silver steered Taub's research clinic $500,000 from New York taxpayers. Under federal law, by taking the fees Silver deprived New Yorkers of his "honest services as an elected legislator and as speaker of the Assembly." He was also convicted of fraud. Silver's first conviction, in November 2015, was overturned by a federal appeals court a year ago. His second trial, held over two weeks in April and May, led a jury to convict him of all charges after one day of deliberation. MIDDLEFIELD, N.Y. (AP) -- Police say a 68-year-old dairy farmer has died after being gored by a bull in his pasture in Upstate New York. Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin says Eugene Wolfert was pronounced dead shortly after emergency personnel arrived at his farm in Middlefield Tuesday morning. Devlin says Wolfert apparently was feeding his cattle when the bull charged and gored him multiple times, pinning him to the ground and pushing him out of the pasture. A family member called 911. Devlin says the bull was euthanized after the attack. He said the family reported it had not been aggressive before. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- South Salina Street is set to reopen at the intersection of Washington Street on Friday after Department of Public Works crews repaired a water main break, according to a news release from the City of Syracuse. A water main break at approximately 1 p.m. on July 24 forced crews to rip up a portion of the roadway and also repair a sewer collapse. Repairs are set to finish on Thursday. The city does not expect any interruptions to utility services while the repairs are finished. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's ready to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. -- but first he needs to meet on his home turf. Reuters reports Putin announced at a summit of BRICS countries in South Africa on Friday that he's invited Trump to Moscow to discuss conditions for a White House meeting. Putin told reporters telephone calls were insufficient for negotiating the Iran nuclear deal, conflicts in the Middle East, and arms control treaties before a U.S. visit. "Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings, to hold further meetings. I am ready for that. We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries," Putin said. "We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. By all means. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him about that." "I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created." Earlier this week, the Trump administration called off a proposed second summit with the Russian leader after both Democrats and Republicans criticized Trump for being too "soft." Putin hadn't accepted the invitation, offered days after the two leaders met for a controversial summit in Helsinki earlier this month. The Associated Press reports national security adviser John Bolton cited special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as the reason for the delay. "The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," Bolton said in a statement. Trump was widely criticized for saying he accepted Putin's word over his own U.S. intelligence reports that said Russia attempted to meddle in the 2016 election. Twelve Russian intelligence officers were indicted earlier this month on charges they hacked into Democratic email accounts and stole information on 50,000 U.S. voters. Trump later said he meant to say "wouldn't" instead of "would," and believed his intelligence leaders on Russian interference. He has also repeatedly called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt" and repeatedly denied any collusion between Russia and his campaign team. According to Reuters, Putin said he and Trump could also meet separately on the sidelines of the next G20 summit. "Despite the difficulties, in this particular case difficulties linked to the internal political situation in the United States, life goes on and our contacts continue," the Russian president told media Friday. What just happened? Following its decision to remove cryptomining extensions from the Chrome Web Store in April, Google has now banned cryptocurrency mining apps from the Play Store. The updated policy states that applications that remotely manage the mining of cryptocurrency are allowed, but actual miners are no longer prohibited. Google has been clamping down on pretty much all things crypto for a few months now. Back in March, the company announced it would soon ban all cryptocurrency-related ads, and it followed this up a month later with the Chrome extension bana result of malicious software developers who attempt to abuse the platform at the expense of users. As noted by Android Police, the updated Play Store guidelines now ban several categories of apps. In addition to the miners, applications designed to appeal to children but contain adult themes are also banned. Its an issue YouTube has been experiencing with many videos supposedly made for kids. Apps that "facilitate the sale of explosives, firearms, ammunition, or certain firearms accessories" are also banned. This includes apps that instruct users on how to create their own firearms, explosives, ammo, or accessories, or how to convert weapons to fully automatic using, for example, bump stocks. There are also restrictions on repetitive apps, which Google defines as apps with similar content and user experience. Additionally, apps that are created by an automated tool, wizard service, or based on templates and submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons are not allowed. Finally, apps that have the sole purpose of serving up ads and any that intentionally mislead users, such as those that impersonate people or organizations, have also been banned. Something to look forward to: Semiconductor manufacturer SK Hynix is investing in yet another fabrication facility for its memory products. Considering that there is currently an oversupply, adding even more production capabilities to the market will help keep prices lower in the coming years. As the second largest manufacturer of DRAM, SK Hynix has shared plans for a $3.1 billion investment into a new manufacturing facility in South Korea. Following a $1.6 billion share buyback program, SK Hynix will be building out its capabilities even though there is currently an inflated supply of DRAM that is causing prices to drop. Due to how quickly memory technologies are advancing, SK Hynix has not yet decided what type of memory will actually be produced at the new plant. Both DRAM and NAND memory are likely choices, but more specifically within those two classes are dozens of types of memory. With a scheduled ribbon cutting in October 2020, memory markets could change a great deal by then. One of the reasons cited for building a new plant includes the need for more clean room space. The tooling and machinery required to produce smaller scale components is ironically getting larger, so that extremely fine precision is possible. SK Hynix opened a new fabrication center in 2015 known as M14. A second facility is currently in the midst of construction in Cheongju, South Korea. The current plans for its third new facility dictate that the fabrication house will be built alongside SK Hynix's headquarters in the city of Icheon in the Gyeonggi province. For end users, an overabundance of memory chips is a good sign. Declining prices should continue as competition will need to lower prices in order to make volume sales. As memory requirements are creeping upwards along with processor core counts, it is about time for pricing to drop. In brief: In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, the EU implemented the GDPR, a comprehensive set of privacy regulations that give internet users more control over the way companies collect and use their data. Now, the Trump administration is in talks with major tech firms to craft similar, if less aggressive, legislation. If you've been keeping an eye on your inbox lately, you've probably caught wind of Europe's recently-implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For the unaware, the GDPR is a piece of legislation that requires companies to give users more control over their data. Among other things, the GDPR lets users obtain a copy of all the information a company has collected about them, or request its deletion. While this regulation only technically applies to European users, global companies like Facebook and Google have been extending this control to all users. Now, it seems the Trump administration may be looking to implement a similar set of privacy regulations, though they will almost certainly be less aggressive than the EU's legislation. As reported by The Washington Post, the US government has been in talks with numerous tech giants, including Facebook, Google, and AT&T. The goal of these discussions is to craft a proposal aimed at preventing the industry from misusing consumer data. This news is particularly important given the recent Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, which involved Facebook. President Trump's deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters issued the following statement regarding the talks: Through the White House National Economic Council, the Trump Administration aims to craft a consumer privacy protection policy that is the appropriate balance between privacy and prosperity. We look forward to working with Congress on a legislative solution consistent with our overarching policy. The current administration's first goal, according to the Washington Post, is to release an "initial set of ideas" sometime this fall that will summarize consumers' internet rights. This documentation will give Congress a starting point from which they can implement more solid legislation. These talks come mere weeks after California implemented its own set of strong data privacy rules. It's likely that California's decision gave the federal government the urging it needed to come up with more comprehensive regulations. It's not clear what form the Trump administration's upcoming privacy rules will take, but we'll likely learn more about the outcome of these talks in the coming months. Where does Earth's atmosphere and outer space begin? A new paper says space is just 50 miles away from the planet's surface. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics argues that scientists may have gotten the boundary of outer space all wrong. In a new study scheduled for publication in the Acta Astronautica journal, McDowell says outer space begins at a 50-mile altitude, a whole 12 miles lower than the Karman Line, which represents the prevalent theory since the 1960s that outer space begins 62 miles above the surface of the Earth. What Is The Karman Line In 1963, aerodynamics researcher Theodore von Karman suggested that the speed needed to lift an object into the atmosphere is the same as the speed needed to keep it in orbit around the Earth. Von Karman said that the horizontal movement of the object on orbit would counteract the effects of gravity. However, McDowell says the traditional view of the edge of space is based on decades of misinterpreted data about objects orbiting the Earth. Since he was 13 years old, McDowell has been collecting data about every rocket launched into space, a hobby that often compelled him to identify which rockets actually went into outer space and which ones remained within the Earth's atmosphere. Edge Of Space Closer Than Previously Thought In his study, McDowell examined the orbital patterns of 43,000 satellites based on data he collected from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which tracks aerospace in the United States and Canada. An overwhelming majority of the satellites were located in orbit well above the Karman Line, which means they are inarguably in outer space. However, 50 satellites caught McDowell's attention. After completing their missions, the satellites made several revolutions around the planet at altitudes well below the traditional 62-mile limit. The Soviet Elektron-4, for instance, went around the Earth 10 times at an altitude of 52 miles before entering the atmosphere and blowing itself up. "Are you going to say [these satellites are] in space and then not in space every two hours?" says McDowell. "That doesn't seem very helpful." McDowell went on to develop a mathematical model that identifies the point at which satellites got off their orbits and burned themselves up during their entry into the atmosphere. The model pinpoints it is mostly at an altitude of 50 miles, although it can happen anywhere from 41 to 55 miles. Consistent With Existing Knowledge The new findings are consistent with existing knowledge about the atmosphere. The mesopause, which is the coolest layer of the atmosphere, sits 52 to 62 miles above the surface of the Earth. Here, temperatures drop drastically, and more charged particles are flowing freely about. In other words, the mesopause looks a lot more like space than the lower layers of the atmosphere. Meteors that hit the Earth also disintegrate at 43 to 62 miles above the planet, which is where the air in the atmosphere compresses and quickly heats up the meteor up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft revealed the free Xbox Games with Gold for August 2018, headlined by melee combat game For Honor for the Xbox One and horror shooter Dead Space 3 for the Xbox 360. The August lineup offered to Xbox Live Gold subscribers may be one of the best in recent memory for Xbox One owners, especially as a pair of Xbox 360 games led the way for the July lineup. Xbox Games With Gold August In an official Xbox Wire post, Microsoft revealed that the free Xbox One games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers for August are For Honor and Forza Horizon 2. For Honor is a multiplayer action fighting game that places three factions against one another: Knights, Vikings, and Samurai. It was launched to mixed reviews in February last year, with praise for its combat system but criticism against its single-player campaign and microtransactions. The second free Xbox One game is the 10th Anniversary Edition of Forza Horizon 2, an open-world racing game released in 2014 that mixes arcade-style racing with realistic driving mechanics. For Honor is available for download from Aug. 16 to Sept. 15, while Forza Horizon 2 will run for the whole month of August. Meanwhile, the free Xbox 360 games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers are Dead Space 3 and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. In Dead Space 3, players reprise the role of Isaac Clarke, who is joined by a companion, Sgt. John Carver, for the first time. Alien dismemberment is one of the main themes for the horror shooter, which is also playable in online co-op mode. Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is a two-player co-op adventure where players will again try to save the Wasteland using a magic paintbrush. Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to download Dead Space 3 from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15, and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two from Aug. 16 to Aug. 31. Both titles will also be playable on the Xbox One through the console's backward compatibility feature. Xbox Games With Gold July Xbox Live Gold subscribers still have a few days to download the free Xbox Games with Gold for July, with Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown for the Xbox 360 and Assault Android Cactus for the Xbox One available until July 31. Death Squared for the Xbox One will be available until Aug. 15. Xbox gamers who are not yet subscribed to Xbox Live Gold may take advantage of a current sale, which is offering the 12-month subscription with a $20 discount for $39.99 and the 3-month subscription with a $15 discount for $9.99. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New research into the nature of black holes proposes these regions of immense gravitational force are not as ruthless as some experts may suggest. In fact, scientists at The Ohio State University say black holes are nothing more than giant harmless balls of cosmic strings that create imperfect copies of whatever falls into them. This runs counter to an earlier argument advanced by other experts, who said that black holes are enveloped by a curtain of energy that lights up whatever crosses its edge. Black Holes Are Massive Fuzzballs Of Energy In a new paper published in the Journal of High Energy Physics, a team of physicists led by Samir Mathur of OSU says black holes are massive fuzzballs that gain more mass as they suck more objects in. They say, as an object is drawn to the event horizon, the point at which there is no going back for anything that gets too close, the black hole's fuzzy surface rises up to meet the object before it can reach the part of hottest radiation. Black holes are regions in space with extreme gravitational pull. Even light, once it falls in, fails to get out. They are formed from the death of supermassive stars that condense all that material into a small, super-dense core. Scientists believe that black holes compress any object they pull in into infinite density. Hawking's Information Paradox Mathur and his team believe their fuzzball theory provides the best explanation for Stephen Hawking's information paradox. In the 1970s, Hawking said that any object that falls into a black hole could never escape. Unfortunately, this is in complete contradiction of a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics, which states that information can never be destroyed. In 2003, Mathur advanced the idea that black holes have defined surfaces covered in fuzzy strings of energy. Objects that get drawn in by a black hole's strong gravitational pull do not actually fall into the object; they fall onto it. Hawking later conceded that objects that fall into a black hole do not get destroyed. They simply become a part of the black hole, which means each black hole is a unique result of all the objects that fall into it. Firewall Theory Building on Mathur's earlier work, scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, arrived at a different conclusion. They proposed that, instead of a fuzzy curtain, black holes are surrounded by a firewall. Any object that travels too close gets burned to a crisp as it enters the ring of fire. Here is how they came to that conclusion. Hawking and colleague Jacob Bekenstein observed that black holes emitted a soft glow of radiation. This was made of entangled pairs of particles near the event horizon. For every particle that is emitted, it has a pair that gets sucked into the event horizon. Eventually, however, the continuous radiation will have the black hole shooting out all particles, which means that all the information was not destroyed after all. The problem happens when quantum mechanics is taken into account. For every entangled particle that escapes as radiation, it requires an entangled pair to fall in. A particle can only be entangled with one other particle at a time. However, if information is not destroyed, the particle has to be entangled with more than one particle, which causes the information paradox. The proponents of the firewall theory argue that the particles escaping the black hole are entangled with more than one particle. However, the entanglement breaks the second it forms. This, they say, generates massive amounts of energy that creates a deadly border that annihilates any object passing through. Upending The Firewall Theory "The firewall argument had seemed like a quick way to prove that something falling through the horizon burns up," says Mathur. "But we now see that there cannot be any such quick argument; what happens can only be decided by detailed calculations in string theory." String theory attempts to marry Einstein's relativity theory and quantum mechanics to explain the way the universe works. It proposes the radical notion that the universe is made of vibrating strings of subatomic energy that is always changing shape. According to Mathur, if a person is tangled up in strings, there is no way to decide how he will feel. In 2015, Mathur said the world could pass through a black hole, and no one would be any wiser about what was going on. The black hole would simply create an imperfect copy of the world, and both would continue to exist as before. The debate over the fuzzball/firewall issue has enormous implications for the study of physics. If black holes are indeed fuzzballs creating copies of whatever touches their surface, the universe may actually be a hologram that sits on a surface in more dimensions than we know. "If the surface of a black hole is a firewall, then the idea of the universe as a hologram has to be wrong," Mathur said. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Biden administration, the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua, and the Organization of American States have launched a campaign to delegitimize the electoral process. | Read More WASHINGTON The fight over the National Flood Insurance Program will come down to the wire as U.S. senators head into the weekend wrangling over an extension with a Tuesday deadline looming. The federal flood insurance program appears destined for another temporary extension, this time for four months through November 30, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday he'd force a vote on it early next week. The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the four-month extension authored by Louisiana's Steve Scalise, the GOP majority whip on Wednesday by a vote of 366 to 52. "We wanted to send a message to the Senate that this bill has to pass and has to pass now," Scalise told The Advocate Wednesday evening. "I was committed to making sure we renewed this program through the rest of this hurricane season." It would be the seventh short-term extension for the NFIP since the program came up for periodic renewal last September. The NFIP underwrites most flood coverage in the country. With flood insurance overhaul stalled in Congress, FEMA moves to tweak program on its own WASHINGTON The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making a handful of tweaks to the National Flood Insurance Program to inject more priv The series of short reprieves for the NFIP point to bitter underlying divides on Capitol Hill over the future of the program, which is saddled with $20 billion of debt but provides essential coverage to hundreds of thousands of households. The NFIP's financial woes began with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 but have worsened over the past five years. Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Louisiana floods in 2016 and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria last year all caused billions of dollars of damage to policyholders, deepening the red ink. Rising sea levels, a warming climate and scientific projections of increasingly violent storms in coming years could put further pressure on the beleaguered program. A group of fiscal hawks have sought an overhaul that would hike rates on many high-risk homeowners (including those in low-lying south Louisiana) in order to shore up the program's finances and reflect the risk of future payouts. In Capitol Hill debate over future of flood insurance, role of private market disputed WASHINGTON For more than a half-century, the United States government has been the only big-time player in the flood-insurance market, under Those reforms could hit some vulnerable Louisiana communities particularly hard, where homeowners could face skyrocketing rates or end up denied coverage. That in turn would drive down home values and make it difficult to build new homes in some areas. Coastal lawmakers, including Louisiana's congressional delegation, have fought to keep affordable premiums for residents in at-risk areas, including through subsidized below-risk rates. They've also sought more investment in flood-prevention efforts and looked for ways to bring more premium-paying policyholders into the program to spread out risk. +3 Study finds flood insurance affordability an issue for poor in Louisiana and nationally Flood insurance policyholders in Louisiana and nationwide have significantly higher incomes than people who are uninsured a finding that sug The NFIP will lapse at midnight Tuesday if senators can't agree on an extension. A handful of conservative Republicans appear ready to use the deadline as leverage to extract concessions from coastal lawmakers. Although the vast majority of senators support another short-term extension all but ensuring Scalise's four-month extension of the program will pass the Senate at some point next week the short timeline means any single senator could use procedural delays to force a brief lapse of the program. With latest short-term extension, hopes for flood insurance deal dim in Congress WASHINGTON A new deadline for Congress to overhaul the National Flood Insurance Program looms in less than two weeks. But with a packed to-d The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up NFIP policies would remain in effect during a lapse and the NFIP would cover claims if a storm struck. But insurance agents couldn't issue new policies and expiring policies wouldn't be renewed. That would leave housing markets in flood-prone areas including much of Louisiana in the lurch. Flood coverage on a home is required for any federally backed mortgage in a high-risk flood zone, meaning a lapse would effectively halt most new home sales in those areas. Stephanie Grace: On flood insurance renewal, later is better than sooner Watching Congress try to get things done and usually failing can be an infuriating experience. On one specific issue, though the prospect Three GOP senators have privately expressed objections, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, though it wasn't clear if they'd publicly take to the Senate floor and force a showdown. House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, has been a sharp critic of the NFIP for years and has led efforts to cut back subsidies, raise below-risk premiums and scale back coverage for properties that repeatedly flood. Hensarling has long complained the program incentivizes development in flood plains and stuck with his convictions even after parts of his Houston-area congressional district were struck by Hurricane Harvey last year. The House passed Hensarling's flood insurance overhaul in December after the chairman struck a deal with Scalise to soften (though not eliminate) a number of its provisions. The Senate hasn't considered Hensarling's bill, which is seen as having little chance of passage. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board, meanwhile, took a shot at Scalise for quietly working to prevent it from becoming law. +3 Flood insurance reforms split Congress, and Louisiana lawmakers, as Dec. 8 expiration looms WASHINGTON After months of grinding negotiations over the future of the National Flood Insurance Program, lawmakers return to Capitol Hill o Hensarling, who's retiring at the end of the year, voted against Scalise's four-month extension and pleaded with his colleagues to reject the extension in an effort to force concessions. "I've made it clear to (the Senate) I don't support a reauthorization without some minimal reforms," Hensarling said. "Enough is enough." Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, struck back at Hensarling and other critics of the program in an impassioned floor speech on Wednesday. Graves argued the reforms being pushed by Hensarling would shrink the program but wouldn't make it solvent. "We need to (...) look where we can protect areas and where that's the most cost-effective solution," said Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, "and not tell everyone, 'You're out of your house' or 'We're going to charge you unaffordable rates.'" Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said he's been furiously lobbying the holdouts to drop their objections. Ive done everything I can to try to convince them, Kennedy told reporters on Monday. Including, but not limited to, kissing a part of their anatomy. But Kennedy and fellow Republican Senator Bill Cassidy made it clear they're not interested in making any concessions on changes to the program to avoid a temporary lapse. "I'd rather have a one- or two-day lapse and get a better product than have something which I just think is bad policy," said Cassidy, who has written his own flood-insurance overhaul proposal with New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. "I've had a lot of conversations with one senator in particular on these issues, but I just don't think the trade of no lapse in exchange for lousy policy is a good trade." Kennedy, Scalise and other Louisiana lawmakers expressed hope they'd be able to hammer out a broader deal on a flood-insurance overhaul in the next four months . They and other coastal lawmakers have been pushing for more investment in risk mapping and flood-prevention projects in an overhaul. They've also pushed for a number of policyholder-friendly changes to the NFIP's claims procedures, which have repeatedly caused headaches and agony for flood victims. For some older journalists in the Fairfax tradition, Packer was an ogre, and they departed, if with handsome payoffs thanks to young Warwick's need to transfer superannuation entitlements. I was deputy editor, but in the chair while Crispin Hull was on holiday, when we had our first visit from the new owners in the form of Trevor Kennedy, at one stage a Canberra Times (and later Sydney Fairfax) journalist. Kennedy, unaware that The Canberra Times had moved from Mort Street, drove there to find a vast hole in the ground before being redirected to Fyshwick. He was amazed, but not much impressed, by the new facilities, including (then) a staff swimming pool and gymnasium, distinctly not a part of the Packer tradition. He was given a sumptuous lunch, with excellent wines, in the executive dining room, perhaps in retrospect a mistake. His parting words, after having cross-examined each of the department heads in detail about revenue, advertising rates, budgets and so on, were: "I've got to go back to Sydney. All I can say, gentlemen, is that if you want to go on living in the style of which you have obviously become accustomed, you had better work a damn sight harder." It was rather terrifying, but in fact Packer was a reasonably exemplary owner, operating at a distance and, if we didn't know it then, having The Canberra Times on the market. In 1989, it was bought by Kerry Stokes, initially with some guarantees from the Murdoch organisation. When these attracted comment, and suggestions that he was holding it as some sort of dummy for News Ltd, Stokes paid out the guarantees and was recognised, as he always insisted he was, as his own man, with his own ideas and vision for the newspaper. He backed its journalism and was prepared to spend money on it. He respected and developed the church and state rule. Famously, he misplaced two of his editors, Hull and Michelle Grattan, but if their demises reflected his views about the broad type of newspaper he owned, the disputes were not over policy or editorials. Indeed, I fondly remember Stokes's remarking to Hull that he was sometimes asked about the paper's policies. Could we tell him what they were? Some years later, in a column I wrote as editor, I used much the same phrases as Hull in describing what had always seemed to me, throughout my time there, the broad and liberal attitude that the newspaper brought to bear on issues. I don't think it's much different today, two new owners along, and that's because, essentially, the paper was as one with the modern Fairfax culture, but also very similar to liberal forum newspapers in the United States and Britain. In 1998, Stokes sold to John B. Fairfax's Rural Press, an empire developed from the dregs of old Fairfax papers he acquired after his cousin's mad play. John B. affirmed principles of editorial independence; indeed, he endearingly wrote letters to the editor if ever he disagreed with an editorial. But his managers were deeply focused on controlling costs, and staff and resources contracted significantly. Rural Press did well enough that he could, in effect, do a reverse takeover of the old Fairfax from his Rural Press holdings and emerge as the biggest shareholder. But the new board was divided about strategy; and by the time John B. and his family got out, they had lost significant money. Fairfax, more recently, has had no significant shareholder but, under chief executive Greg Hywood, has considerably reduced staff and costs to catch up with and refocus the organisation. If, in the 1990s and early 2000s, the computer and the developing internet were now realities, Fairfax was slow to see itself as first an information provider rather than as a newspaper publisher with some internet sidelines. Managers and the owners who approved their budgets now know that this was the period in which Fairfax failed both to invest in the new technology and in some internet advertising venues the central source of Fairfax's (and Nine's) weaknesses today. All too often, instead, the response to the erosion of newspaper advertising revenue was tighter budget control and, progressively, lower budgets, reduced staff and staff redundancies. Managements have genuinely tried to maintain quality, quantity and the commitment to fine journalism, but from steadily reducing resources. The conservationist who plans to take the Queensland government to court over its alleged slow pace in protecting koalas now wants an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the relocation of 264 koalas at Coomera on the Gold Coast in 2014, which resulted in the deaths of many of the animals. It is unclear how many koalas died in this koala translocation process to make way for the construction of the Coomera Town Centre. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Nala the koala at Daisy Hill during the 2017 election campaign. Credit:AAP Australians for Animals co-ordinator Sue Arnold declared on Wednesday her conservation group would take legal action against the Queensland government. On Friday she called for a parliamentary inquiry into the deaths of the Coomera koalas in 2014. Kylie Marino first realised something was wrong in high school but didn't get diagnosed until she was in her 30s. Credit:David Dare Parker By the time she was diagnosed with endometriosis, she was in her 30s. When she looks at images of the inside of her pelvis, she sees tissue that looks like spiderwebs covering her organs and strangling her bowel. Kylie felt a sense of validation when her doctor said: You havent overstated anything, no wonder youve been in so much pain. After the diagnosis, her mother Nola Marino hit the internet to learn about the disease. Shocked by the staggering statistics and dearth of information, Marino took advantage of her connections as a federal Liberal MP and Chief Government Whip and directly implored Greg Hunt - at this point new to his portfolio - to take endometriosis seriously. About 10 per cent of women have the condition, in which cells similar to those that line a woman's uterus grow in other parts of the body, in some cases strangling and glueing together other organs, causing excruciating pain and often mental anguish. But many women have to wait 10 years before being diagnosed, largely because a laparoscopy - which started gaining ground in the 1980s - is required. There is no cure for endometriosis. Despite the manifest damage it can cause, it is a mystery; the amount of abnormal tissue growth does not correlate with the amount of pain felt. Kylie with her mother Nola Marino, a federal Liberal MP, in Bunbury, WA. Credit:David Dare Parker [Hunt] understood quickly how serious it was, how many women were affected by it, the huge cost not only to the individual but more broadly, Nola Marino says. I think at this time Endometriosis Australia was letting him know how serious it was also. On Thursday, the Health Minister delivered on his promise and launched the National Action Plan for Endometriosis, which seeks to reduce the delay in diagnosis, boost public awareness and educate teachers, doctors and employers about the disease. The momentous document recognises the influence of stigma and cultural taboo. It lists actions such as creating free "resource kits" for newly diagnosed women, developing national clinical guidelines and supporting "world-class" research, and outlines steps towards finding a cure. This is not the beginning of the end for endometriosis sufferers, its the end of the beginning and the pathway to a whole new world of recognition and treatment, he said at the launch at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick. In relation to treatment, we are working with the medical community and working with the [medical] colleges of GPs and obstetricians and gynaecologists, and [in relation to medical research], $2.5 million will be made available for clinical trials. The path to change Last year was an extremely pivotal one for endometriosis advocacy groups, which for years had been providing support to patients and trying to raise awareness and drive change. Before 2017, endometriosis had only been briefly touched on a handful of times in the Australian Parliament, excluding incidental mentions during debates about medicines. Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong In March last year, Labor MP Gai Brodtmann spoke of her high school friend Jill's ordeal with the "insidious" disease in a keynote address at an EndoMarch afternoon tea, organised by Endometriosis Australia, at Old Canberra House. A few days later she gave a pithy, 200-word speech about how women were suffering in "stoic silence". She was overwhelmed by the phenomenal response to the video of her speech and became determined to "end the silence". She raised the topic again in Parliament in May and June. In August, she spoke of hearing stories about "13 surgeries, two bowel resections, having part of the urethra removed, ongoing kidney problems, infertility, failed IVF cycles, miscarriages and early menopause". Across the chamber of the House of Representatives, Liberal MP Nicolle Flint couldnt believe what she was hearing someone speaking valiantly and passionately about endometriosis. She had first heard about it several years ago from Dr Susan Evans at the Pelvic Pain Foundation. Liberal MP Nicolle Flint. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen At the first opportunity, Flint approached Brodtmann and suggested they form a non-partisan parliamentary friendship group. By September, the pair had met advocacy groups, sufferers and health practitioners to figure out how to end the silence on "endo" together. They began working with Marino. By October, the ball had well and truly started rolling. They met with officials from the Department of Health and the Minister of Health and Brodtmann briefed shadow health spokeswoman Catherine King about their ambitious plans. Brodtmann also spoke in Parliament of the tragedy of the disease. I've been confronted by normally fit women with enormous potential being dubbed the sick person in the office. I've been confronted by the amount of radical operations inflicted on women, often at a very young age, she said. I've been confronted by the lack of understanding and discrimination that exists in the workplace. I've been confronted by the lack of intimacy in relationships because sex lives are ruined by pain and endless bleeding. Kylie Marino, recovering in intensive care at a Perth Hospital after a major surgery. Credit:Kylie Marino That same day, Marino shared her daughter's story (watch the video below), which had gone from bad to worse. She revealed Kylie's colorectal surgeon and her gynaecologist had conducted a bowel resection but that, post-op, she developed an infection that camouflaged other complications. "She was rushed into emergency with excruciating pain, a skyrocketing temperature and faeces excreting through her urinary passage. She had surgery in Perth and spent 11 days in intensive care, and we nearly lost her," she said. "She had peritonitis, septicaemia, a lower bowel infection and a burst appendix, and her heart went into fibrillation when a [catheter] was being inserted. She had 1500 internal staples, 15 tubes inserted, three external colostomy bags, one of which was an ileostomy, and that jigsaw of scars on her body." During those 11 days, Nola Marino "willed her to live". She told her daughter "to breathe, sweetheart, just breathe". At one point, Kylie couldn't lift her head off her pillow to kiss her father's hand as he left her bedside. "Do I have to tell you it shouldn't have come to this? I say to every young woman - take these symptoms seriously," Marino said towards the end of her speech. "I say to GPs and gynaecologists: I know the complexity of the diagnosis, but please take seriously every young woman like Kylie who presents to you with these symptoms." Liberal MP Nola Marino urged Health Minister Greg Hunt to take endometriosis seriously. Here they are in November 2017. Credit:Nola Marino / Facebook The efforts of Marino, Brodtmann and Flint, alongside advocacy and support groups, paid off handsomely. In December, at the official launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Endometriosis Awareness group, Hunt, on behalf of all of those in Parliament and all of those who have been responsible for our medical system, issued a historic apology for not acknowledg[ing it] at an earlier time in a more powerful way, and it will never be forgotten again. It was here he announced the development of an action plan. The parliamentary friendship group also includes Marino, King and fellow Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou. In another milestone that day, five endometriosis groups - EndoActive (which compiled the quotes at the start of this story), Qendo, Endometriosis Australia, Pelvic Pain Foundation and Canberra Endometriosis Network - joined forces to launch the Australian Coalition for Endometriosis, which presented a clear outline of goals, with endometriosis to be the 10th national health priority area at the top of its list. Minister Hunt, centre, made an apology at the launch of the parliamentary friendship group on December 5, 2017. Credit:Nicolle Flint / Facebook In WA, Kylie endured more surgeries and eventually the ileostomy bag was removed. She is now trying to live a normal life and has returned to work, knowing she will have to undergo further surgeries in the future. "For me, women need to be diagnosed sooner so it doesn't reach this stage. Theres no way the endo would have had this impact on my body had it been diagnosed earlier and some kind of management plan put in place," she says. [My mother's speech] was the first time the real bare bones of my story was being shared publicly, but I wasnt embarrassed, I just want to help others, she says. I was grateful I got to watch it when I was at home because I was very emotional. Its too late for me, but to have her fighting the cause for other women is surreal and Im so proud. Watch Nola Marino give her speech about Kylie's journey: They laid out the sleeping bags in sight of the vice-chancellor's office. Week one festivities were winding down at the Australian National University but these students weren't going home. On Friday night, as their breath fogged in the dark, a dozen or so gathered in protest and in solidarity with their peers sleeping rough. Postgraduate students, Jennifer Prichard, Alyssa Shaw, Zyl Hovenga-wauchope, Alex Yang, Zoe Tulip, Harish Chakravarthy and Yu Zhong are sleeping rough for the night outside Chancellery. Credit:Elesa Kurtz While the university has one of the highest percentages of students living on campus, it also has a shortfall of beds. Grand plans are underway to build more, mostly for undergraduates, but students say urgent intervention is needed to address a postgraduate housing crisis already playing out on couches, in cars and tents, even at the ANU library. The sleep out came as vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt revealed the university was committing for the first time to offer postgraduate students a guarantee of accommodation in their first year. The policy, which has previously only applied to undergraduates, is expected to be in place by 2021. Oksana Shachko of Femen on the balcony of the residence of the Ambassador of India in Ukraine. Credit:Alamy Oksana Shachko, a Ukrainian artist and a founder of Femen, a womens rights group famous for its topless political protests, was found dead on Monday at her home in Montrouge, a suburb south of Paris. She was 31. Police are treating the death as not suspicious pending the results of an autopsy. In a statement, Femen said, Oksana fought for justice, she fought for equality, she fought for herself and all women as a hero. Together with the Pussy Riot punk group in Russia, Femen became part of a post-Soviet protest phenomenon that sometimes drew a violent reaction. In 2011, Femen said that Shachko and other activists had been abducted in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, after campaigning in front of the KGB headquarters there. Several members were beaten up in Kiev, Ukraines capital, in 2013 ahead of a visit by President Vladimir Putin of Russia. A former publishing executive who police will allege pretended to be a woman and spoke explicitly about committing sexual acts on children has been granted bail by a Sydney court. Ray Coyne, 60, was arrested at a Dover Heights home by detectives from Strike Force Trawler on Thursday morning. NSW police force vision of Raymond Coyne's arrest by Strike Force Trawler on Thursday. Credit:NSW Police Still dressed in his exercise gear, he was taken to Waverley Police Station where he was charged with using a carriage service for child pornography material. While allegedly purporting to be a woman, detectives will say that Mr Coyne believed he was speaking to a 37-year-old woman when he was in fact speaking to officers from the State Crime Command's Strike Force Trawler. A man who has spent more than 40 years in custody will spend at least another two decades behind bars after being convicted for a string of armed bank robberies in Sydney in the 1980s. Ian John Peter Steele, who was deported from the United Kingdom in 2017 and arrested upon his arrival at Sydney Airport, pleaded guilty to 30 offences including 18 armed robberies between 1982 and 1987. Ian John Steele, escaped criminal and bank robber, pictured in 1983. Credit:Fairfax Media Judge Jennie Girdham convicted and sentenced the 59-year-old to 28 years in jail with a non-parole period of 21 years at Downing Centre District Court on Friday. Steele has spent 41 years in custody since he was 13 years old, including a stint in a UK jail after he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend. A man accused of stabbing another man to death following an argument north of Brisbane on Friday night has been unable to face court and instead been taken to hospital. Darren James Lawler, 36, was taken from the Brisbane watchhouse to a hospital following his arrest for stitches and scans after he allegedly stabbed another man three times. The crime scene in Mango Hill. Credit:Mitch Baker - Supplied Emergency services were called to a unit complex on Brushwood Court in Mango Hill about 8.40pm on Friday after reports of a stabbing. They found a man with three stab wounds to the left side of his torso. They tried to revive him but the 41-year-old Deception Bay man died at the scene. Prison bosses have been given approval to call in any necessary overtime at WA's jails in the wake of the Greenough prison riot. WAtoday can reveal the direction, in an e-mail, allowed such overtime until August 6 and described the measure as a "short period of relief" to manage a range of issues including "any potential copycat action" after the disturbance at Greenough on Tuesday. Beyond that the "usual" approval - by an Assistant Commissioner of Adult Custodial Operations - with regards to overtime would apply, the e-mail said. The 10 men who broke out of the West Australian jail during the riot, using an angle grinder and a ladder, have since been charged with escaping from custody. Loading A Labor backbencher has said a proposed curfew on P-plate drivers in Canberra would make young people "second class citizens". Murrumbidgee MLA Chris Steel said the proposed midnight to 5.00am curfew would discriminate against young people and their movements around Canberra. The proposed changes included moving to a two tier, P1 and P2 system, where P1 drivers would only be allowed to carry one passenger aged 16 - 24 years and be under curfew. Learner drivers would be required to log at least 100 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night, and wait until they are 17 years old before applying for their P1 license. Privacy. Everyones talking about it. Not just the people who are desperate to keep their secrets under wraps (Im looking at you, Ashley Madison users). And not just the nerds running around rabidly trying to convince everyone that "they" are trying to control us all (thats us, fellow George Orwell readers). My Health Record: a massive community-wide conversation. No, privacy isnt just for people at weird extremes any more. Its becoming a conversation topic for "normal" people. It comes up with my barista. Ive overheard people discussing it on trams. I even brought it up with some strangers, quite emphatically, at a party - and wasnt even judged (that much). One of the things I like most about talking about privacy is that, in the right circumstances, people feel something about it. It can be emotional. And when things are emotional, they are way more interesting. The thing is, of course, that a lot of the time privacy conversations arent emotional. Most of us are apathetic about privacy if privacy issues havent touched us personally. So, yes, maybe we know who Julian Assange is, but havent looked at WikiLeaks because it feels so beyond our reality. Or maybe we know that Russia meddled in the US election, but havent really bothered to work out how. While some accuse the media of making all this up, the truth is that some Labor MPs have done the numbers and believe Albanese could gain a majority in the federal caucus. They could be completely wrong and they have not factored in the votes from branch members. The point is they are counting. History is in Shortens favour because no government has won a byelection from opposition in 98 years. With National polls showing Labor has gained ground since the 2016 election, Shorten should be claiming victory on Saturday night. If Labor does not lift its primary vote from the 2016 election, everyone will know its progress over the past two years has been too weak to justify any confidence at the general election due by May next year. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Labor candidate for Longman, Susan Lamb address the media during during the Longman byelection campaign. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen That would be a jarring reality check for Shorten after his very successful campaigns on fairness, including his pledge to use legislation to overturn the Fair Work Commissions changes to penalty rates this year. Shorten has put Turnbull on the defensive on penalty rates and other issues for more than a year, while also exploiting the open divisions within the Coalition on energy. Labor MPs may be nervous if that success does not translate into a higher primary vote in the byelections. Even a small increase would be something. Surely there will be some dividend from years of hard political work? The rise of One Nation makes Longman a special case, with Pauline Hanson on the warpath against Shorten and her party directing preferences to the Liberal National Party above Labor. One Nation gained 9 per cent of the primary vote in Longman two years ago but polls suggest it could get twice as much this time. One campaigner said on Friday it might go higher than 20 per cent. Hanson has gone on a luxury cruise around the British Isles, her Longman candidate has been dogged by accusations about bad debts and the partys former national secretary was sent to jail for rape on Thursday, but that does not mean the partys vote will suffer. In a worst-case scenario, Labor might get only 30 per cent of the One Nation preferences in Longman. This seems unusually low but is based on the result seen at the Queensland state election, well below the 56 per cent figure in 2016. This could deliver a Coalition victory. The only defence for Labor candidate Susan Lamb would be to post a huge boost to her primary vote, adding to the 4.7 per cent increase she gained in 2016. That would be a spectacular effort. Turnbull does not avoid pressure. These byelections could easily flip the entire political narrative of the past few weeks, turning speculation about Shorten into questions about the Prime Ministers judgement and performance. The Prime Ministers exchange with voters on Bribie Island on Friday was a reminder that he is not a natural campaigner. He took the risk of venturing outside the usual press conference and was rewarded with a moment of conflict that made the news. The fact that the Liberals have given up on Mayo, the South Australian seat that has been safe Liberal territory for generations, is a damning sign for the Coalition and the Prime Minister. The government cannot afford to sacrifice any seat if it wants to have any hope of winning the next general election, so its inability to regain Mayo shows Turnbull has nothing to be comfortable about. While the Coalition may be able to explain away the loss of Braddon and Longman as a repeat of the election result two years ago, it would struggle to explain a fall in the Liberal and Liberal National Party primary votes. Just as with Labor, the test for the Coalition is about the scale of the shift as well as the final result. A big fall in the primary vote will have Liberals ringing alarm bells. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was frank about his ambitions earlier this week. If the opportunity came up, Dutton told radio station Triple J, he would love to lead the Liberals in a few years. What if Dutton gets the chance earlier? Everything can change in light of the byelection results. The conventional wisdom is that Longman and Braddon will be tight contests but the polling of individual seats is notoriously unreliable. A ReachTel poll in the Western Australian state seat of Darling Range last month predicted an easy Labor win by 54 to 46 per cent. The result one week later was a Liberal victory, 53 to 47 per cent. Loading Given that academics have concluded that betting odds can be a reliable guide to election outcomes, it is worth noting that some gambling sites predict the Coalition will win Longman and Labor will win Braddon. Late on Friday, Sportsbet was paying $1.65 on a Labor win in Braddon compared to $2.20 for a Liberal victory. In Longman, it was paying $1.50 on an LNP victory and $2.60 on a Labor win. A Labor Party volunteer who ran Emma Husars unsuccessful state election campaign says he was so distressed by the way she treated him that he spent a month in a psychiatric hospital. Peter Gray, the field director for Ms Husars 2015 bid for the state seat of Penrith, was hospitalised at St John of God in Richmond for four weeks in July 2015 and diagnosed with depression. He alleged Ms Husar subjected him to "constant verbal abuse", along with messages and phone calls "at all hours", even though he warned her he was feeling "overwhelmed" by the campaign and was only a volunteer working six to seven days a week. "No matter what I did, it was never enough," Mr Gray told Fairfax Media. "Emma was giving me all these demands and had all these high expectations." Leadfoot motorists are set to fork out $8.69 million more in speed camera fines next year. More than $10.66 million was collected for red light speed cameras in 2017/18. Queensland's speed cameras are expected to generate an extra $8 million in fines next year. Credit:Kirk Gilmour That amount was forecast to increase to $14.12 million next year, figures released during estimates hearings revealed. Revenue from fixed speed cameras was $54.02 million last financial year and forecast to increase to $59.25 million. More than half a million migrants came to Australia in the last financial year, new figures from the Bureau of Statistics show. While 539,000 people arriving was the highest number of overseas migrants ever to come to Australia's shores in one year, the figure was offset by 276,000 leaving. More than half a million people arrived in Australia in the last financial year. Credit:Paul Rovere Factoring in departures, 262,000 migrants moved to Australia below the record number of 300,000 in the 2009 financial year, said Myles Burleigh, migration statistics director at the bureau. But internal migration those moving from one state to another hit its highest level in 13 years. Phnom Penh: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned people considering boycotting Sunday's national election that doing so would "destroy democracy" and that "cannot be tolerated". In a fiery speech on the final day of campaigning, the strongman urged tens of thousands of supporters gathered in the capital to vote for his Cambodian People's Party and extend his 33 years in power. Prime Minister Hun Sen greets the crowd at the last Cambodian Peoples Party rally before the election. Credit:Kate Geraghty Few doubt the CPP will win but the government fears voter turnout could dip below 50 per cent and raise questions about the credibility of the poll. The irony of Hun Sen's warning that by not voting, Cambodians could destroy the country's ailing democracy will be lost on few observers of the country's politics. Head Over Heels, Broadway's new musical comedy featuring the songs of the Go-Go's, celebrates its official opening tonight at the Hudson Theatre. Andrew Durand as Musidorus and Alexandra Socha as Philoclea in a scene from Head Over Heels. ( Joan Marcus) Based on Sir Philip Sidney's The Arcadia, Head Over Heels is described as "an unpredictable, Elizabethan romp about a royal family that must prevent an oracle's prophecy of doom. In order to save their beloved kingdom, the family embarks on an extravagant journey wrought with mistaken identities, jealous lovers, sexual awakening, scandal and self-discovery, where everything (and everyone) is not quite what it seems." RuPaul's Drag Race star Peppermint plays Pythio, the Oracle of Delphi in the new musical comedy. ( Joan Marcus) Directed by Michael Mayer, the cast of Head Over Heels features Andrew Durand, Taylor Iman Jones, Jeremy Kushnier, Bonnie Milligan, Tom Alan Robbins, Alexandra Socha, Rachel York, and Peppermint, the RuPaul's Drag Race star who, with this production, becomes the first trans woman to create a principal role on Broadway. Rachel York and Jeremy Kushnier star as Queen Gynecia and King Basilius in this modern musical adaptation of Sir Philip Sidney's The Arcadia. ( Joan Marcus) The production additionally features musical supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tom Kitt and choreography by Spencer Liff. The most groundbreaking new musical on Broadway is based on a long 16th-century prose work and uses the songs of the 1980s new-wave punk band The Go-Go's. Surprised? You're not alone. Head Over Heels at the Hudson Theatre, could end up being the biggest shocker of the still-nascent 2018-19 season. An uproarious romp inspired by Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, Head Over Heels is not only a sterling example of inclusivity, but also a beautiful model of how progressive Broadway has the potential to be. And to think, the main, silly plot point follows a kingdom that possesses a mythical lifeblood called the "beat" (as in, "We Got The") and its quest not to lose it after a divine premonition. After being told that Arcadia is in peril, King Basilius (Jeremy Kushnier) travels to Delphi, where the gender non-binary oracle Pythio (Peppermint of RuPaul's Drag Race) informs him of four visions: younger daughter Philoclea (Alexandra Socha) will bring home a liar; elder, prettier daughter Pamela (Bonnie Milligan) will consent to get married, but will consummate her love without a groom; the King and his wife, Queen Gynecia (Rachel York) will commit adultery with each other; and that the King himself will meet a better leader than he. If all four portents come true, the beat will be lost forever. The King hatches a different plan to save his beat and shield his family from the premonition. He creates a diversion: They must "Get Up and Go" on a quest to find a golden stag, which will appease the gods upon being sacrificed. But Basilius doesn't see the premonitions coming true before his very eyes. Philoclea is taken with the shepherd Musidorus (Andrew Durand), who disguises himself as the female Cleophila in order to join them on their journey. A bourgeoning romance is also taking place between Pamela and Mopsa (Taylor Iman Jones), her lady in waiting and the daughter of Dametas (Tom Alan Robbins), the King's viceroy. And the King and Queen find themselves crushing on Cleophila, but for very different reasons. Andrew Durand and Alexandra Socha star as Musidorus and Philoclea, respectively, in Head Over Heels at Broadway's Hudson Theatre. ( Joan Marcus) Conceived and originally written by Jeff Whitty for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, Head Over Heels is "adapted" for this run by James Magruder, a fiction writer and translator. The gleefully subversive remnants of Whitty's original work are seen in spurts. Pamela has a deliciously bawdy scene where she comes up with poems about whom she wants to fall in love with and every downbeat ends with a rhyme for female genitalia. Milligan, whose foot-stompingly funny performance is one of the great breakthroughs of the year, milks it for all it's worth. She also milks Whitty's other touch for her character, subverting the traditional musical theater expectations of princessdom. As her sister, Socha nicely plays a supporting ingenue character, a twist that we rarely, if ever, get to see. Both offer vocal fireworks; Milligan sends the song "Beautiful" into the rafters while Socha tenderly soars with the eleven o'clock number "Here You Are." Magruder's adaptation has the tendency to fall into self-seriousness. We're watching a Go-Go's musical where "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" becomes a "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me"-style sex montage, and yet a lot of the book scenes are written (and played) like they're Lear. Similarly, he misses other opportunities to give audiences what they really want: Peppermint, nonstop and all the time (she's fabulous in Frank-N-Furter mode, but MIA for most of the show), and Rachel York belting her head off. Peppermint (center) as Pythio in Head Over Heels. ( Joan Marcus) As far as creativity goes, Head Over Heels is jubilant. Julian Crouch provides a lovely pastoral set reminiscent of European toy theaters, while Arianne Phillips's costumes flirt with 1580s and 1980s sensibilities and shoes. Kevin Adams's lighting is all neon all the time, giving off a club feel. Spencer Liff's thought-defying, actor-specific choreography is truly exceptional, while Kimberly Grigsby leads a bangin' all-female band of five. You can hear every word sung and every guitar strum thanks to Kai Harada's incomparable sound design. It's obvious that the production is the singular vision of director Michael Mayer. While the energy flags here and there when the ensemble isn't singing and dancing, Mayer's efforts cannot be understated. He's created the most inclusive production on Broadway, one that puts a lesbian love story front and center, features the first trans woman ever to originate a principal role on Broadway, and embraces and accepts queerness in all its forms, in an effort to show how much better we could be if everyone lived authentically. You'll be head over heels by the time the curtain falls. Puppeteer Basil Twist is set to perform in his work Symphonie Fantastique during all Saturday evening performances from July 28 until the show's scheduled close on September 2. Dream Music Puppetry Program's production of Symphonie Fantastique returns to its original home at HERE, where the groundbreaking work first premiered in 1998, to celebrate the theater's 25th anniversary season. The show takes place in a 1,000-gallon water tank, in which five unseen puppeteers swirl countless pieces of fabrics, feathers, fishing lures, flashlights, glitter, dyes, plastic, vinyl, and bubbles in all shapes and sizes, creating a dreamlike world of imagination and surrealistic storytelling. Symphonie Fantastique is set to the 1830 score by composer Hector Berlioz, and this engagement marks the first time in New York City that the work has been performed with live piano accompaniment, using the Franz Liszt transcription. On the piano is Christopher O'Riley, who has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. In addition to Twist, the cast includes frequent Twist collaborator, Andy Gaukel, along with Kate Brehm, Ben Elling, Jonothon Lyons, and Rachael Shane. Following each performance, the puppeteers will welcome audience members backstage for a walk-through to see the tank and some of the materials used for the production. Lighting design is by Andrew Hill. '68: A New American Musical By Zachary Stewart Donald Trump's road to the White House began in 1968. That was the year of the contentious Democratic Convention that shattered the old FDR coalition and ushered Richard Nixon into the White House. In '68: A New American Musical, writers Paul Leschen (music) and Jamie Leo (book and lyrics) make a compelling case that the culture war of today is merely the culmination of a rift that opened that hot Chicago summer 50 years ago. The divide was primarily between labor-allied machine bosses (as represented by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and his police force) and the socially progressive "yippies" (as represented by counterculture figures like Abbie Hoffman). Leo and Leschen smartly steer clear of such bold print names, opting instead to highlight the stories of average conventioneers, protesters, and cops as collected by librarian Charlene (a commanding Mary Callanan) and her assistant, Gary (a mildly sinister Jeremy Konopka). These stories arrive in a tuneful pastiche score: The bus introduction number "Where Are You From?" is especially beautiful (and beautifully sung by the cast). The magnetic Joe Joseph emcees a pseudo-Brechtian recreation of the Yippie "Festival of Life" in Lincoln Park, through which the composers use a variety of musical styles to depict the balkanization of the Left. Wearing black pajamas and a Vietnamese non la (evocative costumes by Gwen Miller), Delphi Borich sings the haunting "Chickens," which we suspect isn't actually about a bunch of fat chickens roosting contentedly in a hen house. Director Joey Murray maintains an artful balance between clarity and chaos to lucidly tell the story of an event around which the fog of war still hasn't fully lifted. Skirting the edge of incoherence though jaunty song, '68 often feels a lot like Hair, but with the franchise expanded to include the police instead of just the bourgeois hippie students calling them "pigs." One story particularly sticks out: As told by Lt. Stubig of the Chicago PD (a brusque Bob Gaynor), Democrats sympathetic to the protestors threw glass ashtrays onto the police from the windows of their rooms at the Hilton (this anecdote was not just invented for this musical, but has appeared in many historical accounts). The next time you hear someone question why the white working class so often votes against the Democratic Party, think of those luxury projectiles. Mason Ramsey appears in An American Hero: A World War II Musical, directed by Michael McIntosh, for NYMF at the Acorn Theatre. ( Kenneth L. Stilson) An American Hero: A World War II Musical By Dan Stahl An American Hero: A World War II Musical, with a score by Cody Cole and book by Kenneth L. Stilson, is a more complicated work than its title suggests. No bland nostalgia piece, it dive-bombs into the messy reality of fighting in the Second World War, though it doesn't always depict the home front with the same nuance. In this case, the home front is the United States, specifically an Irish neighborhood in the Bronx where Paddy and Thomas O'Brien, two brothers who have immigrated from Dublin, decide to join the US Army. Their choice draws flak from some of their fellow immigrants, who can't understand why they'd support England, "a country that held us hostage fer 300 years." (Throughout World War II, Ireland remained neutral, and Irishmen who joined the Allied forces were blacklisted and barred from employment when they returned home.) Thomas finds one staunch supporter, though, and that's Mary Wallace, a Smith College senior he meets at a bar the night of his 21st birthday, which also happens to be her 21st birthday. The mechanics of the plot are grinding to get these two together, so no surprise that she drops out of school, joins a munitions factory, and marries him. Much of the musical alternates between scenes of her and coworkers on the factory floor, and scenes of Thomas and other soldiers on the front in France. This back-and-forth gives An American Hero an episodic feel; some of the vignettes work better than others. The most startling is a scene in which American soldiers bully and hurl ethnic slurs at one of their own, who happens to be Jewish. Seeing such anti-Semitism among men ostensibly at war to stop it calls into question the notion of American heroism what were some soldiers really fighting for? Providing a throughline is the development of Thomas, who goes from bubbly 21-year-old to embittered veteran. Adam Schween doesn't play him subtly, freezing his face in a pout upon his return from the war, but such concentrated acting ultimately benefits his performance, carrying him to a climactic agony in which he rejects the Medal of Honor and the appellation of "hero" foisted on him by society. An American Hero may not be polished, but like a good soldier, it has guts. Margarette Glaccum, Travis Nilan, and Heather Lake appear in Peter, Who?, directed by John Treacy Egan, for NYMF at the Acorn Theatre. ( Theresa Stroll) Peter, Who? By David Gordon Remember Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark? How could we forget this history-making blip on Broadway's radar, which played the longest period of previews ever, injured several cast members, and cost as much money to create (by 2011 standards) as buying two private islands in the Bahamas? Back seven years ago when the masked crusader was in his Broadway heyday, writers Justin Moran, Jon Roufaeal, Adam Podd, and Doug Katsaros set themselves the challenge of creating a rival musical about Spider-Man in under 30 days and with a budget of $0. Opening at the Peoples Improv Theater in March 2011, The Spidey Project ran for one performance and sold out in seconds, beating its Broadway-sized competitor to the punch of opening first. After several years of revisions and a 2017 run at the LA Fringe Festival, The Spidey Project is back, and now titled Peter, Who? An origin story of how the nerdy Peter Parker (Travis Nilan) was bitten by a radioactive spider and given superpowers, Peter, Who? takes itself way less seriously than the other Spider-Man musical did. That turns out to be both good and bad. Watching Peter, Who?, which is directed with its tongue firmly implanted in its cheek by John Treacy Egan and Moran, you can tell that the show has its roots in improv. The humor is sophomoric (Moran and Roufaeal penned the book and lyrics), the music (by Katsaros and Podd) is simple and twinkly, and the gestures, winks, and facial expressions are exaggerated to the highest power. To their credit, the eight-member cast (including Roufaeal himself) is completely in tune with the go-for-broke style of the production, but it still feels more along the lines of a late-night improv show than a traditional musical. While it does earn its fair share of laughs, you're likely to have a hard time finding the emotional attachment we need to care about whether Peter Parker actually saves the day. AUTO LAB Car Talk Radio Live from New York Saturday July 28, 2018 7-9 AM Auto Lab Talk Radio on New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 and Streamed Worldwide On TheAutoChannel.Com This Weeks Show: Broadcast Date: July 28, 2018 Car Question or Concern? Call Toll Free 888-692-7234 Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice. Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format. Listeners can find the past 20 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on The Auto Channel. Auto Lab Page includes Audio-on-Demand Archives, Auto Programs at Community College Database, Guests Pictures This Weeks Show: July 28, 2018 IN STUDIO PANEL: Real World Auto Experts Will Answer Your Questions; Discuss: Repairs, Second Opinions, Regular Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Insurance, Ombudsmen Suggestions Harold Bendell- Major Auto Fred Bordoff - Bronx Community College's Automotive Technology Department-CUNY Jerry Pastore - D & J Diagnostics Johanna Pastore - D & J Diagnostics Joanne Porcelli, Esq. Michael Porcelli - Automobile Services Nicholas Prague - MTA Auto Lab Correspondents Remote Interviews: Featuring Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That Will Effect You! Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England EUROPEAN FLYING TAXIS BECOME REALITY John Russell, Senior Correspondent 2018 VW GOLF Liisa Ecola, Senior Policy Analyst at the Rand Corporation ROAD TO ZERO REPORT Russ Rader,Senior Vice President Insurance Institute for Highway Safety RED LIGHT CAMERA CHECKLIST Robert Sinclair AAA Northeast ROAD RAGE 2019 Hyundai Veloster R-Spec Review - Save The Manuals 2019 Hyundai Veloster R-Spec Save the Manuals! By Larry Nutson Senior Editor and Bureau Chief Chicago Bureau The Auto Channel The timing of my Hyundai Veloster R-Spec media-loan couldnt have been better. On a Sunday morning I was planning to cruise over to a local Chicago summer-time gathering of motor-heads. Rise & Drive is a cars and coffee type casual meet-up of local car folk that brings out a decent assortment of different special interest vehicles of all ages and makes. The 2019 Veloster R-Spec with its Ultra Black exterior, 18-inch black-finished alloys and dual exhaust should get some nods. Right off the bat the Velosters unique two-plus-one door asymmetrical bodystyle configuration drew some raised eyebrows from the event organizers. We got our first look at the all-new Veloster and Veloster Turbo sport coupes at the North American International Auto Show in January 2018. For 2019 the Veloster received an exterior and interior redesign, powertrain enhancements, and an array of new and improved infotainment and connectivity features. Exterior proportions are better on the 2019 with a more muscular stance. Higher-volume fenders and wheel arches make it look more planted and the cowl point and A-pillar are further rearward. The hood line and belt line are more integrated and the roofline has been lowered for a distinctive coupe-like look. The black-finished 18-inch alloy wheels mounted with 225/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires on my loaner R-Spec aggressively filled the wheelhouse openings. The single door on the drivers side is clearly saying this side of the car is for you. The asymmetrical design continues on the inside with a driver-focused interior layout. On the R-Spec that I drove the only separation is by a curved trim piece on the passenger side of the center console. Other Veloster trim levels have more separation with unique colors, materials, and accents. The rear seat holds two not-too-large people and under the rear hatch there is 19.9 cu.ft. of cargo space. Powering the R-Spec is a 1.6-liter turbo, direct-injected I-4 making 201 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 195 lb.-ft. of torque over a broad range from 1,500 to 4,500 rpm. Theres virtually no turbo lag and the engine makes for fun driving with its response. The engine itself is very quiet. However, Hyundai plays the same game as many today and pumps artificially generated engine sound into the cabin. The R-Spec only comes with a six-speed manual that was a joy to shift with its B&M Racing sport shifter. This short-throw shifter is really nice and makes for much more fun with the manual. If you want an automatic, Veloster Turbo can be had with a seven-speed DCT dual clutch direct shift trans. The 2019 Veloster R-Spec is priced at $22,900 plus theres a $885 freight charge. Veloster prices start at $18,500 for the 147- HP 2.0 manual-transmission model and go up to $28,150 for the Veloster Ultimate with the DCT. The Turbo R-Spec is really fun to drive with its 18-inch Michelin PS4 tires, quicker steering ratio and a different steering calibration for better feedback. All Veloster models offer Torque Vectoring Control (TVC) that utilizes the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and powertrain control systems to improve dynamic cornering during more enthusiastic driving. On the safety front all Velosters have forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. The R-Spec also has Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Infinity premium audio system with eight-speakers, as well as comfort features we expect today as standard. Im not so sure fuel economy will be very important to R-Spec buyers. But anyway, the EPA test-cycle ratings are 29 mpg combined, with 26 city mpg and 33 highway mpg. I didnt do any fuel economy runs since I was having too much fun. However, it has been my experience with Hyundai vehicles that it is not too difficult to exceed the EPA highway rating on long road trips. Lots more information on the Veloster R-Spec as well as the entire model range can be found at Hyundai USA Website Veloster Minisite As it turned out, the Veloster R-Spec did draw some attention at my Sunday Rise & Drive show. Most show-goers hadnt even seen one on the street and were curious about the Velosters performance creds. Plus, that all black exterior brought out a few wows! Meanwhile, just recently Hyundai Introduced the 2019 Veloster N, its first U.S. market N-brand high-performance modelthere should be more. They did this at Germanys famed Nurburgring. Hyundai chose the famed crests and bends of the Nordschleife, for its first N media drive. World famous iconic racer Jackie Stewart infamously dubbed it The Green Hell for its challenging 23 kilometers of more than 160 apexes. The Veloster N features a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with up to 275 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. An electronically-controlled suspension with multiple track-tuned driving modes, 19-inch wheels, and integrated body design details clearly differentiate from Veloster N from the rest of the line. The Veloster N is expected later this year and we dont yet know pricing. Who said cars are dying? Not the auto enthusiasts and The Auto Channel audience... 2018 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy TORONTO The Honourable Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt and Liberal Critic for Multiculturalism, is inviting members of multicultural communities, stakeholder groups and the ethnic media to meet, in camera, with Liberals Members, to discuss issues facing Canadians. As we move forward as a country, it is important that we create an environment where all communities live in harmony. said Mr. Karygiannis. Many times, people feel left out, unable to voice their concerns and, therefore, they are not at the table and part of the decisions being made. Mr. Karygiannis will be holding meetings before the National Liberal Caucus which will be held at the end of August. There may be other members of the Liberal Caucus in attendance. These meetings will be held at the House of Commons in Ottawa. These meetings will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis on Sunday, August 28, 2011, from 10:00am to 5:30pm. Should there be sufficient interest; meetings will also be scheduled on Saturday, August 27, 2011. It is anticipated that the meetings will be approximately 20 minutes each. If you have a brief which you will be presenting, it would be appreciated if it was in both official languages. Participants are invited to an informal reception on Sunday evening, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm to meet each other and members of the Liberal Caucus. If you are interested in participating, please advise Mr. Karygiannis office no later than August 17, 2011, via email at jim.karygiannis@parl.gc.ca or fax (613) 992 4501. We will contact you in order to schedule a mutually convenient time. Multiculturalism is fundamental to our belief that all Canadian citizens, regardless of their racial, ethnic or religious background, have an equal voice and opportunity to participate fully in Canadian society. Mr. Karygiannis commented.Last night, at its August meeting, Mr. Karygiannis discussed the importance of community outreach with members of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council. Canadas strength is her people. As Canadians, we are proud of our citizenship and value our rights and freedoms. We live harmoniously under one flag - the Canadian Flag. While we are different from one another, we are one we are Canada. Mr. Karygiannis stated. Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim has become the first Western government minister to meet with Burmese President Thein Sein, reported the Norwegian news agency NTB. According to NTB, President Thein Sein told Solheim that Burma would like to cooperate with Norway in a number of areas, and that foreign investments are sought in the areas of hydroelectric power, oil and gas, as well as tourism.He is also reported to have told Solheim that he would like to cooperate with Norway in the areas of health, education and the environment.In return, Solheim suggested to NTB that one possibility when international sanctions against Burma are removed could be future Norwegian investments in dam-building and hydropower production. Solheim needs to tread very carefully. The hydropower sector in Burma is fraught with pitfalls.Since the 1990s, Norwegian authorities have urged Norwegian citizens and companies to refrain from trading or investing in Burma. Solheims call for a gradually removal of sanctions commensurate with positive developments in Burma is a signal that this recommendation will gradually end. It is essential that Norway pays close attention to the views of the democracy movement and that sanctions are not lifted until Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) have stated clearly that the time has come to do so. When that time comes, however, hydroelectric power production is a contentious sector for international, and potentially Norwegian, investments.Recently, President Thein Sein decided to halt the construction of the Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River, ostensibly in response to widespread public and parliamentary opposition including from leading figures in politics and the arts, notably Suu Kyi. Whether the real reason behind his decision was an attempt to respond to such criticism or whether it had more to do with Burmas dependence on China does not matter much.China and other neighboring countries are heavy investors in Burmas hydropower sector. As noted by a number of observers, including Suu Kyi, such investments come at great risk in Burma, where they contribute to human rights abuses, destruction of the environment and the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples and where they are also directly related to the armed conflicts in the country.Indeed, the ethnically diverse populations of Burma have little experience of drawing tangible benefits from state-led and foreign-funded infrastructure development. As noted by Suu Kyi, the Myitsone Dam, which would have destroyed important cultural heritage for the Kachin people, stoked up feelings in the Kachin population that the central government did not care much about their feelings. Similar feelings of being ignored in important decisions once contributed to the rise of armed conflict in Kachin State, and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) warned earlier this year that civil war could return to the state if the project went ahead.The Kachins are not alone in feeling neglected. Burmas first major hydroelectric dam was built at Baluchaung in Karenni State in the 1950s with war reparations money from Japan. The electricity produced by this dam was sent to major cities such as Rangoon, Mandalay and Pegu in order to boost industrial development in central parts of the country at the time, rather than local development in this ethnic nationality state, already ravaged by civil war. In a similar way, income from many of the current projects in Shan and Karen areas will primarily return to Burmese government coffers and foreign investors, while much of the electricity will be exported back to China and other neighboring countries. Yet again, few resources are left for local development.In its most recent survey of internal displacement in southeast Burma, the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) notes the paradox that democratic reform in the country coincides with an escalation in armed conflict in ethnic nationality areas along the borders and estimates that the ratio of internally displaced people over the past year is the highest in a decade. Violence has increased in ethnic border areas of Burma due to broken ceasefires and tensions over economic deals signed with neighboring countries for mega-development projects in ethnic areas, including the building of hydroelectric dams, with little transparency and consultations with local populations.In October 2007, the Council on Ethics, which monitors the international investments of the Norwegian Governments Pension Fund in order to decide whether they are consistent with the ethical guidelines of the fund, undertook an examination of international investment in natural resource extraction in Burma.At the time, the Pension Fund was not involved with any Burmese company, but had interests in about 20 international companies with activities or potential activities in Burma, mainly in the sectors of mining, oil and gas, hydropower, telecommunications, banking, pharmacy and hotels. The companies came from countries such as South Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore and France.The Council on Ethics also examined the hydroelectric sector. While the Council did not conclude decisively whether investments in this sector are compatible with the ethical guidelines of the fund, the Council stated at the time that there is a history of dam-building in Burma being associated with forced labor and forced relocations of populations.The assessments of the Council on Ethics do not hinge on the overall political situation in Burma, but on whether there is a connection between the activities of international companies and human rights violations and whether there is an unacceptable risk that such violations will continue in the future. In other words, the beginning of a process of change in Burma should not in itself affect the concerns of the Ethical Council. Instead, the Council looks towards what happens on the ground, where companies are operating.The Council of Ethics ought to complete its review of the hydropower sector in Burma in order to follow through with the initiative from 2007. Indeed, it would be strange if the Norwegian government would one day allow Norwegian investments in a sector that may not live up to the standards set by the ethical guidelines of the pension fund for international investments in Burma.Forced relocation and forced labor do not contribute to sustainable development. Instead, they are causes of poverty. Under such circumstances, Norwegian investments would not contribute to alleviating poverty or to creating the pro-democracy and pro-human rights middle class that Solheim has previously argued is necessary for democracy in Burma.Recent statements by representatives of the Norwegian government have left the impression that Norway is not sufficiently attentive to the severity of abuses taking place in ethnic nationality areas of Burma. It is difficult to understand why Solheim would be suggesting Norwegian investments in a sector that is associated with human rights abuses and widespread popular opposition in Burma. The hydroelectric sector is important for Norway. Solheims remarks now run the risk of giving the impression that Norway is not only insensitive to the plight of minorities and indigenous peoples in Burma, but is further seeking to advance its own interests. This would be a sad development for a country that has been known for more than twenty years as a strong friend of the Burmese people. Instead, the Norwegian government ought to enter a dialogue with the communities affected by natural resource extraction and dam building in Burma.Burma is in need of international investments, but as the NLD has earlier emphasized, such investments need to contribute to job creation, bring technology to Burma, take into account environmental impacts and social responsibility and protect the rights of workers. Norwegian resources and Norwegian companies ought to contribute to progress in Burma that can be felt by the population at largenot to more abuses and more suffering.The author is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University. The opinions expressed here are her own. A Morris artist is hard at work on a larger-than-life tribute to her adopted hometowns signature annual event, the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition, which celebrated its 55th anniversary last weekend. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Morris artist is hard at work on a larger-than-life tribute to her adopted hometowns signature annual event, the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition, which celebrated its 55th anniversary last weekend. "Theres nothing like a visual picture," Sarah Collard said as she climbed aboard a motorized lift to apply brown paint to a section near the roof of Morriss Bigway Foods along Highway 75. The 2,500-sq-ft. mural is springing to life on the grocery stores north wall, much to the delight of owner Pat Schmitke, whose suggestions were incorporated into Collards final design. The mural features five scenes covering the stampedes history and breadth of rodeo events. Cowboys and cowgirls are shown competing at saddle bronc, barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, and pony chuckwagons. Historical photographs inspired the depictions, and the rodeo grounds massive bleachers, built in 1963, make an appearance. Applying oil-based paint to corrugated aluminum siding is challenging, Collard said, but no more so than working on a brick wall. Some spots use up to six layers of colour. "Its all about layering," she said. Collard employs a special shadowing technique that dates back to the Renaissance, meaning one colour is entirely absent. "I actually never use black." Planning, funding, and executing the mural has been a two-year process, Collard said. Two provincial grants, and one from the Town of Morris, are offsetting a portion of the $33,000 budget. An art teacher who moved to Morris three years ago, Collard enlisted the help of Mason McIvor, a student from Ste Agathe, to help her complete the project. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Mentoring young artists is something Collard tries to incorporate into her mural projects whenever possible. "Its good to help them see themselves as artists," she said. "If they have a little bit of interest, then give them the opportunity." Over the past seven years, Collards art has adorned exterior walls in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. But she said the Morris Stampede mural is extra special: its her 50th mural, completed during her 50th year. Originally from Burlington, Ont., Collard said she grew up enjoying rodeos, having two calf ropers in her extended family. Barrel racing is her favourite event. "I like to watch the girls compete." In August, when the mural is completed, Collard said she hopes it will be a source of pride for the community, and remind motorists all year long of Stampedes past and present. Blood moon. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Im so sorry to have to break it to you, but you know the so-called blood moon thats happening on Friday? The one that will be occurring because of a lunar eclipse? Unfortunately, the phenomenon doesnt signify that the world is ending. As they do, tabloids have been going wild with conspiracy theories about Christian prophecies and other signs that the blood moon may be a harbinger of the end of times. Indiana-based pastor Paul Begley warned the Blood Moon is a prophetic sign of the apocalypse, Express reports.Despite its purely scientific origins, the blood moon is thought by many to be a mystical sign of doom, reads The Mirror. To be honest, reprieve from the current state of the world and/or from life itself certainly sounds great. So I checked in with Dr. Charles Alcock, the director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, to find out whether thats really happening. Sadly, he told me the blood moon basically means nothing, scientifically speaking and that life will, sigh, go on. Whats actually happening has nothing to do with blood, Alcock explained. Its an eclipse of the moon. So its a full moon, and it moves into the complete shadow of the Earth and gets no direct light from the Earth whatsoever. But sunlight does curve around the atmosphere of the Earth and make it to the moon. In other words, the Earth casts a maroon shadow on the moon, which explains the ominous tint. You know how when a sun is setting, it goes red? Alcock asked. Its the same phenomenon. It becomes a faint reddish color of moon while its in the shadow of the Earth. Okay, got it: Its just a lunar eclipse. But, uh, what does it mean about the state of things? It has nothing to do with whats going on here on Earth its not threatening its just one item falling into the shadow of another, Alcock said. Ughhhhhhh, fine. But at least I can enjoy the beautiful weirdly bloody looking moon, right? Uh, wrong. Its not visible from North America, Alcock further explained. Well be on the other side of the Earth and it will be daytime for us. Its only the people who will be experiencing nighttime during the lunar eclipse that will see it. So I guess well all have to live, and we wont even get to enjoy the dang thing. Bummer. Photo: Loren Elliott/AFP/Getty Images On Thursday, the Trump administration claimed it had successfully met a court-appointed deadline to reunite immigrant families torn apart by its inhumane and short-lived family-separation policy. And yet, only 1,442 of the over 2,500 children over the age of 5 torn away from their parents and guardians have been reunited so far, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. (The government already failed to meet its July 10 deadline to reunite immigrant families with children under 5.) In addition, 378 were discharged in appropriate circumstances, presumably to guardians or other family members. This means that of the 2,531 children concerned, 711 have not been reunited with their parents, and remain in government custody. How does this count as meeting the firm deadline imposed by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw back in June? Some numbers from the status report on the Ms. L family reunification case. pic.twitter.com/3NCB9vR7z0 Adolfo Flores (@aflores) July 26, 2018 The government gave itself considerable leeway to meet its reunification goal by restricting which parents are eligible to be reunited. As The New Yorker reports, at a hearing on Tuesday, Department of Justice officials presented Judge Sabraw with a list of 914 parents it had determined were either not eligible, or not yet known to be eligible, for reunification. These parents fell into one of four categories: 463 parents are not in the U.S. The government deemed over 400 parents ineligible for reunification because they are not in the U.S., and have almost certainly already been deported. The New Yorker points out that these parents are theoretically covered by Judge Sabraws reunification order but the government doesnt know where they are and has claimed it cant begin to guess how long it will take to try to find them. It is unclear how the government will handle these childrens cases. 127 parents have waived reunification Or so the government says. In fact, advocacy groups argue, it is unclear whether many of these parents understood what legal documents they were signing when they waived their rights to be reunified. One woman told The New Yorker that several mothers she spoke to at a detention center in Texas were illiterate, and said that they signed reunification waivers because officials told them it would allow them to see their children sooner. Whats more, CNN reports that a claim filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday which calls for reunited families to have seven days together before they are deported points out that many of the immigrants who have been separated from their children come from areas in Central America where only indigenous languages are spoken, and they dont understand the forms presented to them in English or Spanish. Others told ACLU lawyers they felt coerced to sign the documents, or that no explanation of the waivers contents was provided. Hundreds of kids eligible for reunification remain separated from their parents. Well be back in court this afternoon and were prepared to make many more appearances until the families wrongfully separated are united. #FamiliesBelongTogether https://t.co/Mc3mZ2ZTWb ACLU (@ACLU) July 27, 2018 So, it is unclear how many of these 127 parents knowingly waived their right to be reunified with their children. 64 parents have a prohibitive criminal record What exactly constitutes a prohibitive criminal record for detained parents is a little murky. As Kate Melloy Goettel, an attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, told The New Yorker, Sometimes, were just dealing with allegations of criminal activity, not actual convictions. The government isnt always sharing the evidence, so weve been hampered in how we can contest the charges. Though it is unclear what the charges against these 64 parents are, administration officials provided a list earlier this month of charges that made parents ineligible to be reunited with their children under 5, and these included two DUIs, and being wanted by El Salvador. 260 parents need further evaluation The most confusing category is the group of 260 parents whom the government has determined need further evaluation. It is unclear what kind of evaluation this entails, or how long it could take. In short, the government seems to have twisted the parameters of reunification so it could declare a success on Thursday, even though they still have hundreds of immigrant children in their custody, and no clear plan on how to reunite them with their families. The only deadline they are meeting is the one they have set for themselves, said Lee Gelernt, the lead counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, in a press call on Thursday. The government should not be getting applause for cleaning up their own mess, but moreover, theyre still not meeting the deadline for all the families. A terrified mother and son from Honduras near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images On June 27, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw gave the Trump administration firm deadlines to reunite the nearly 3,000 migrant children who were forcibly separated from their parents at the border. Just as the administration missed its July 10 reunification deadline for children under five years old, it again missed its deadline today to reunite all eligible families with children over five. While Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Fox News on Tuesday that it was certainly the administrations intention to meet the court-imposed deadline, as of Thursday evening, only 1,442 of the 2,551 kids over five who were ripped from their parents under the zero tolerance immigration policy have been reunited with their parents. There were also 378 children who were discharged in other appropriate circumstances. That leaves 711 kids whose families were deemed ineligible for reunification, and who must now remain in government care. Of those 711, 431 have parents who were either deported or accepted voluntary removal, and 94 have parents living in locations that are under case file review. (A family can be disqualified for reunification is parent has a criminal record, a contagious disease, or has not been proven to have a familial relationship with the child.) BREAKING: 1,820 children have been discharged from the government's care. Of those: -1,442 have been reunited with parents in ICE custody -378 have been discharged in "other appropriate circumstances" 711 kids remain in govt care will not be reunited at this time. pic.twitter.com/vgThkBfLVE Emma Platoff (@emmaplatoff) July 26, 2018 The consequences if any that Trump will face for failing to meet the deadline are still unclear. It is within their right to fine or imprison government officials who do not comply with the order, In an interview with Newsweek, Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst and immigration lawyer at Migration Policy Institute, said the court could fine or imprison the offending government officials, but that is unlikely. Instead, she said that theres a much bigger chance that the court will require the administration to give it regular updates about the ensuing reunification process. The inside of my brain. Photo: Universal Studios Major spoilers for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again below. Read at your own risk. I hope this doesnt come across as a hyperbole, but Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is the best film ever made. Its a follow-up to 2008s Mamma Mia!, a musical about trying to figure out which of three dudes knocked up Donna (Meryl Streep). The new film, which is both the sequel and the prequel, tells the story of how Donna traveled around Europe when she was young, and what led to her musically sleep with all three of the men in the first place. The first time I saw this movie was at a press screening weeks before it was released. I fell in love with the films beachy waves, perfect appearance by Cher, and Christine Baranskis legs. I couldnt stop talking about it; the soundtrack played in my head on a loop. But I wondered, was my love of the film just the anticipation of finally seeing it? Would it last if I saw it again? What if I spent a week watching it every day? As it turns out, seeing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again every day for a entire week only made me love it all the more. I got to fixate on different plot points, notice new things, and have seven days of a much needed non-pharmaceutical serotonin hit. Even the existential spiral the repeated viewings sent me on was worth it. Here, a look at my week of Mamma Mia!: Day One: Andy Garcia Is Hot Andy Garcia, hello. Photo: Courtesy of Universal Studios Id always known Andy Garcia was a handsome man, but I never really realized just how attracted I was to him until this viewing. The second he steps out of his hotel manager truck to meet Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters), delicately takes their hands, and whispers seductive yet bizarre greetings he comments on Tanyas beauty and tells Rosie she is wise like a flamingo I melted in my seat. And the tortured passion with which he looks at Cher when he discovers she is his long-lost love Ruby? My main note for the evening asks,Is it cheating if its Andy Garcia? Day Two: Concerns About the Beachy Waves Amanda Seyfrieds waves are wavy, but not that wavy. Photo: Jonathan Prime/Universal Studios One of the main reasons you can tell that Amanda Seyfried (Sophie) and Lily James (Young Donna, a.k.a. a younger version of Meryl Streep) are related in the film is because they all have fantastic beachy waves. Only, upon examination, it turns out not all of the waves are equal. On this viewing, I became fixated on the differences between their curls. Lilys appear to be natural there are scenes where you even see a bit of frizz, presumably because thats what happens when youre on a Greek island. But Amandas are too perfect; the waves all hit at the exact same spots, and seem in my estimation to be the very size of curling irons. So I whipped out my phone (sorry, fellow moviegoers) and went to Amandas Instagram. Thats where I realized Amandas bouncy waves are simply movie magic her hair is not that wavy naturally. But Im pretty sure Meryl Streep is wearing a wig when she reappears as a ghost, so I dont blame her at all. Day Three: New Revelations About the Movie The young ladies of Mamma Mia! Photo: Universal Studios While my last two screenings were spent primarily focused on superficial aspects, this time around, I decided to focus more on details of the plot I may have missed. I realized: Young Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) tends to stick with a purple color scheme, while Young Rosie (Alexa Davies) tends to favor blues. When they arrive in Greece, Young Tanya has purple suitcases and a purple outfit; Young Rosie has blue suitcases and a blue outfit. Later, when they arrive in Greece as older women, the characters suitcases and outfits reflect the same color preferences. Tanya and Rosie have a running bit throughout the film: They say bolster, bolster under their breaths when in need of support. Alexio (the same fisherman that Young Donna and Young Bill help break up a wedding) is one of the fishermen dancing at the front of the boat during Dancing Queen. And perhaps most importantly: Sophies son is named Donnie after Donna, her late mother. I realized this when Bill and Harry are talking about whether the baby inherited Harrys ears. Bill says, The boy? and Harry replies, Donnie, thats right. Awwwww. Day Four: What Am I Doing With My Life? Could this be me? Photo: Universal Studios Theres a part of me thats always wondered what my life would be like if I sold all my belongings and traveled the world. Mamma Mia! gives me a pretty good idea: Maybe Id suddenly be back in my early 20s again and travel Europe while doing musical numbers with a bunch of dudes, and then Id land in Greece. Maybe Id meet a nice woman who lets me stay in her farmhouse for free because Im kind to her horse. Maybe Id suddenly discover that I can sing and then Id spend my nights serenading drunk patrons at a Greek bar. After four straight viewings of this film, the allure of giving up my New York City life was getting even stronger. I whipped out my phone and looked up tickets to Greece, just to see if I could even afford to travel there. But then I remembered that I forgot to apply for a U.S. passport after naturalizing from Canada in January, so I put that dream on hold until I at least have proper documentation. Day Five: I Asked a French Person About Waterloo The Waterloo scene is insane and I love it. Photo: Jonathan Prime/Universal Studios Id already come to terms with (and loved) the absurdity of the Waterloo Parisian seduction sequence, during which Young Harry begs Young Donna to take his virginity through song. But on my fifth consecutive viewing, I brought along a French-American friend for some much-needed analysis. As the pair danced on top of tables, fought with baguettes, re-created the famed Napoleon Crossing the Alps painting, and had their heads served on platters, I asked her if this is what happens in Paris. No. All the waiters need to go home and change, but I love the acrobatics, she told me. Case closed, I guess. Day Six: I Solved Mamma Mia! I did it. Photo: Jonathan Prime/Universal Studios. The entire plot of the first Mamma Mia! film is that no one has any idea who Sophies dad is, and the second film follows Young Donna as she (offscreen) has sex all three possibilities. Well, Im pleased to say, I figured out who the real dad actually is: Bill (Stellan Skarsgard). Im not basing this on fact the movie is intentionally vague but instead, Im relying purely on the days Ive spent staring at Amanda Seyfrieds hair. Theres absolutely no way a blonde and a brunette could produce such a blonde, in my opinion; she must be the child of two blondes. That rules out the brown-haired men, Harry and Sam (Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan, respectively), which means the dad has to be the only blonde one of the group, Bill. I did it! Also, it turns out Harry comes from money. I assume he helped Sophie out financially with the hotel remodeling. Day Seven: Im Not Ready for This to End, and Andy Garcia is Probably Sophies Grandpa Grandparents? Photo: Courtesy of Universal Studios I showed up to my seventh (or technically, eighth) viewing of Mamma Mia! feeling as if I were actually becoming Mamma Mia!. I attended the screening with two of my best friends (like the films girl group, Donna and the Dynamos!), my hair was frizzy because of the humidity (like Lilys beachy waves in the film!), and it was raining (just like in the movie!). But most important, I figured out that Andy Garcias character Fernando Cienfuegos has to be Sophies grandfather. When Fernando spots Cher, he shouts out Mexico! 1959! which gives us the date of their love affair. And when the movie opens, Donna is graduating from Oxford in 1979. If she were conceived and born in 1959, it could be plausible that she was only 19 or 20 by then (maybe she graduated early?). Plus, she said her dad was never in the picture. Its completely possible that Andy Garcia is her father. But after figuring out this amazing mystery that, erm, Andy Garcia himself alluded to, Im not even slightly sick of this movie yet. Ive left each viewing feeling absolutely joyful and humming ABBA tunes I dont want to let go of this daily sensation of pure happiness. Perhaps I need to see the film one or several more times to really be sure of Donnas paternity? Now Grant's agent has hinted that he could be going to star on MTV's Ex On The Beach and hopes we might all get to witness a #grayla reunion. While talking with Daily Mail Australia, Grant's Agent said: I think he'd be a perfect fit for Ex On The Beach, especially since the split Maybe Tayla could appear on the show too - he really does miss her. Even though Grant was on the Australian version of Love Island, his agent is hopeful his profile will grow to the same size as the stars who appear on the UK version and be enough to make him a popular option for Ex On The Beach. Nothing is yet locked in so watch this space because know doubt the drama between the two is far from over. Umm YUCK! The doctor urged people to be careful where they're booking in for their treatments, and not to be lured in by cheap prices offered by unqualified practitioners. "Risks include bleeding, bruising, infection, and allergy" Dr Esho said. "In some rare but most concerning cases, this can lead to tissue necrosis where the blood vessel is blocked by preventing blood to that area of tissue which can then die, leading to disfigurement. Elements that put you at high risk are the use of unregulated products, an unsanitary clinic, poor aftercare and sharing syringes." So don't be running along to any old beauty salon to get your lips filled - you don't want to end up like the poor girl in the vid! The Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, with Vice-President Pence and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Stage, on July 26 in Washington. (Jan Jekielek/Epoch Times) Accounts of Persecution Told at US Ministerial WASHINGTONThe stories of religious persecution provided the most powerful testimony at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, a three-day event hosted by the State Department. Tahir Hamut is a film director and poet who grew up in Kashgar in the southeast part of the Uyghur Autonomous Region, which is a province in China. Since 1949, when the communists took over the country, the Uyghurs, a Muslim community, have been persecuted for their ethnicity and religious beliefs. From 1996 to 1999, Hamut was held in a so-called re-education through labor camp, really a concentration camp, on false charges of being affiliated with terrorism. He described that he witnessed on Sep. 3, 2009, Chinese immigrants attacking Uyghurs on the streets and that he himself was severely beaten and injured. He now lives in Washington, having fled China for fear that he would be again detained in one of the concentration camps. Today, however, the situation has worsened; the Uyghur population is living in horror, he said through his translator. The Chinese government is using vast surveillance techniques, such as AI [artificial intelligence], voice and face recognition, [monitoring] cell phones, and forced DNA collection, to control Uyghurs daily life. He said, The Chinese government has confiscated and burned religious books and demolished mosques. Activities that used to be legal are now illegal. Hamut said that currently, more than 1 million Uyghurs are being held in the concentration camps. They dont know what they are charged with; there is no due process. We hear people are suffering from illness and dying in these camps, he said. I believe the Chinese government is likely to carry out mass killings of Uyghurs like the Nazis did to the Jewish people. American Pastor Pastor Andrew Brunson is a U.S. citizen who has been imprisoned in Turkey for almost two years, as he awaits trial. He was arrested on Oct. 7, 2016, in Turkey on allegations that he posed a threat to national security. Two months later, he was charged with being a member of an armed terrorist organization, which his daughter, Jacqueline Furnari, said was absurd and false. No evidence has been forthcoming to justify the charges against Brunson. For 23 years, Brunson had been attending a small Protestant church in the coastal city of Ismir. He says his sole mission in life is being a minister for Jesus Christ. Brunson is facing a 35-year sentence. The judge has ruled that he wont be able to bring any witnesses to his defense. When the 62-page indictment finally came after a year and half following his detention, his crime was Christianization, equating the preaching of Christianity to terrorism and espionage, said his daughter. After a year passed, the family was allowed to briefly visit him and came away much distressed at his condition. He had lost 50 pounds. He has been permanently damaged from the experience and will never be the same, said Furnari. He has lost hope wondering why Turkey, a NATO ally, a country he loves and served for over two decades, has been able to hold him hostage, an innocent United States citizen for nearly two years, Furnari said. On July 25, the Turkish court has ordered Brunson moved from prison to house arrest, as he awaits the next hearing of his trial on Oct. 12. Reflecting on the accounts given at the summit, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said: I want to recognize the survivors of religious persecution who are with us here today. We honor your personal courage, your depth of conviction, and that you have done so in spite of great violence done to yourselves and to your families. God bless you. Pompeo said that having the survivors of religious persecution share their stories drove home why the work done at the summit was so important. Millions of people of all faiths are suffering every day, Pompeo said. But the Trump administration will not be silent. Farmer John Duffy loads soybeans from his grain bin onto a truck before taking them to a grain elevator in Dwight, Illinois, on June 13, 2018. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Agriculture Groups Laud Trump Plan to Aid Farmers Nine major agriculture associations voiced support for President Donald Trumps plan to aid American farmers impacted by retaliatory tariffs. The American Farm Bureau, local trade associations, and groups representing soybean, cotton, sorghum, milk, and pork producers issued statements after the Department of Agriculture announced the $12 billion farm aid program. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said in a statement that the aid will provide a welcome measure of temporary relief to our farmers and ranchers who are experiencing the financial effects of the trade war. We are grateful for the administrations recognition that farmers and ranchers needed positive news now and this will buy us some time, Duval said. The aid will be divided up among three programs. The bulk of the funds will be given to farmers and producers of products directly hit by retaliatory tariffs, including soybeans, corn, and wheat. A separate program will buy up and distribute surplus fruit, nuts, and dairy. The third program will help farmers and producers find new markets for their goods. China, Mexico, the European Union, and Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on scores of American goods in response to Trump levying duties on steel, aluminum, and $34 billion worth of Chinese products. The aid programs are meant to offset the approximately $11 billion in damage caused by the retaliatory measures. U.S. soybean producers want to see President Trump succeed in meeting his trade campaign goals of achieving better trade deals and greater market access, said American Soybean Association President John Heisdorffer. And, we appreciate that he has recognized our loss in exports and lower prices and provided some immediate relief. While Trump favors free trade, he is using tariffs as leverage to secure better deals for American companies. That approach bore fruit on July 25 when Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced an agreement to work toward a trade deal with zero tariffs, zero trade barriers, and zero trade subsidies. A depiction of Wang Xiang by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. When his stepmother craves fish in mid-winter, Wang Xiang takes off his clothes and lays down on the frozen river to melt the ice. After his prayer, a carp leaps into his hands. (Public Domain) Ancient Chinese Stories: Lying on Ice for Carp A man named Wang Xiang lived during the Jin Dynasty. He was well-known for his filial piety. Wang Xiangs mother died when he was a child. His father remarried and his stepmother hated him. She frequently beat him and blamed him for the smallest things. Soon, Wang Xiangs father joined his stepmother in berating him, and thus he had no one to speak up for him. Wang Xiangs stepmother treated him like a slave. He had to sweep the cowshed every day and do all the heavy household chores. Wang Xiang did whatever his stepmother told him to do, without a word of complaint. He did everything carefully and sincerely. Despite poor treatment, he demonstrated his filial piety toward both of his parents. One day, his stepmother became so ill that she could not get up. She wished to eat carp, but since it was winter and all the rivers were frozen, where could Wang Xiang get carp for her? So, he walked to the frozen river. He undid his clothes and lay down on the ice, hoping to melt it with his body heat. As he lay there, he asked the Gods to help him fulfill his filial duty. Suddenly, the ice beneath him melted, and out jumped a carp! The story of Wang Xiangs filial piety, Lying on Ice for Carp, has been passed down throughout the generations in China. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the nation was torn apart by war. Wang Xiangs father died. To escape disaster, Wang Xiang brought his stepmother and stepbrother to Lujiang, far away from the city. He protected them for 30 years. His filial piety deeply moved Luqian Shi, the Governor of Xu State. The governor appointed him an official in the state government. He was later promoted to the position of Taibao and given the responsibility of helping the young Emperor manage the nation. Later, he was granted the title Lord of Suiling. Everyone said that he earned his high position because, despite having endured so much, he always maintained his filial piety. Translated by Dora Li into English, this story is reprinted with permission from the book Treasured Tales of China, Vol. 1, available on Amazon. China Challenges Germany in Electric Car Industry In the early 2000s, China adopted a development model based on low-wage manufacturing, which led to a reputation that Made in China meant poor-quality goods. In recent years, Beijing has been making changes to bolster the competitiveness of its domestic companies and to catch up with high-tech development in the West. In May 2016, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang spoke of the need to upgrade the countrys manufacturing sector: China is already a big manufacturing nation, but far from a manufacturing power. Integration of manufacturing and the internet is an inevitable path of modern industry, according to the state-run China Daily. One key industry that Beijing has focused on is electric vehicles. In order to become a leader in the global electric car market, Chinas strategy is to steal critical technology through investments in foreign companies. Chinese enterprises and the government see the technology transfer from abroad as an important way to accelerate technological progress and to achieve the ambitious political goals, according to a 2016 assessment of Beijings Made in China 2025 economic blueprint by German think-tank, Mercator Institute of China Studies. Germany, in particular, has seen increased Chinese investment in recent years, as China has set its eyes on Germanys advanced innovations in automation, robotics, and automobiles. And indeed, robotics and new energy vehicles were included in the list of 10 sectors China wishes to develop by 2025. Now, the competition from China seems to be edging close. A July 23 report issued by Germanys central bank Deutsche Bundesbank predicted that Germanys electric car makers would soon face a stiff challenge from China, according to German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). The report also speculated that pressure from China would soon materialize, given that it will soon export in greater numbers its domestically-produced electric vehicles. In Chinese media, Chinas automobile industry is often described by the phrase overtaking somebody by changing lanesmeaning that the country must take an expedited path if it wants to first catch up with other countries, and then surpass them to become the leader. According to a June 5 article on Chinese news portal Sohu, the development of Chinas auto industry began around 1991. And after years of state planning, government subsidies, and development programs, Chinas automakers are set to manufacture about 900,000 new-energy vehicles (NEVs) this year, including cars and buses powered by electricity, solar, and ethanol. The number would increase to 6.09 million by 2020, according to data by the Chongqing Vehicle and Test Research Institute. China manufactured just 8,159 NEVs in 2011, according to statistics by the trade association, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). As of the end of 2017, government subsidies into the NEV industry totaled 50 billion yuan (about $7.37 billion), according to Sohu. However, China still lags behind in many key technologies, such as manufacturing advanced semiconductor chips, which drive everything from personal computers to electric vehicles to ballistic missiles. Chinese investment in Germany has focused on automation firms and automakers. One of the most well-known cases involves Li Shufu, chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, an automaker based in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and his investment of $9 billion investment to acquire a 10-percent stake in Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler in February, according to Reuters. And since at least 2013, China has invested heavily in German firms like KHD Humboldt Wedag, an engineering company that supplies machinery parts. Chinas state-owned aviation conglomerate, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, purchased a 79 percent stake, according to the Mercator Institute. In December 2016, Chinas Midea Group, an electrical appliance maker headquartered in Beijiao, a town in southern Chinas Guangdong Province, acquired Kuda, a German maker of high-tech robotics for factory automation, according to Reuters. The spending spree has caused alarm in Germany. According to Bloomberg, Hans-Gerog Maassen, president of Germanys top domestic intelligence agency, recently voiced concerns about Chinas tech takeovers, which had the potential to jeopardize German economic and security interest. We certainly do have to be concerned with this if we have the impression that behind the potential buyer lies a foreign state with interests that go far beyond the acquisitions, Maassen told reporters on July 24 in Berlin. People take pictures by the Yalu River in the border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning Province, on May 30, 2018. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images) China Will Fund Completion of Bridge to North Korea, Possibly Violating Sanctions In a sign of warming relations and easing sanctions, China plans to provide funding to complete construction on a bridge at the North Korean border. Construction of the New Yalu River Bridge connecting Dandong City, Liaoning Province, in northeastern China with Ryongchon County, North Korea, was announced in 2012 to much fanfare, as a signal that the two regimes would enter a new era of trade and diplomacy. It was meant to supplement the neighboring SinoKorean Friendship Bridge, which was built during World War II and is in great need of repair. Costing 2.2 billion yuan ($330 million) and partially completed in 2014, the New Yalu River Bridge was left unfinished amid deteriorating relations as North Korea conducted several nuclear tests that embarrassed Beijing. The bridge currently ends in a dirt field on the North Korean side. But insider sources told Japanese Kyodo News Agency on July 20 that the Chinese leadership recently decided to provide 600 million yuan (about $88.3 million) in funding to finish building a road dozens of kilometers long that would allow vehicles to enter the bridge, in addition to a customs facility. The funding would be dispensed by the end of this year, the sources said. The funding could be a violation of U.N. sanctions, according to Kyodo News Agency. The insider sources said China is also planning to negotiate with U.N. Security Council member states to ease economic sanctions on North Korea while it works toward denuclearization. The news emerges as Reuters reported on July 24 that gasoline prices have fallen dramatically in North Korea, suggesting that China and other countries are again sending oil into the isolated state, against UN sanctions. And on July 23, a North Korean senior official visited Beijing, likely to discuss ways to enhance bilateral economic cooperation, according to South China Morning Post, citing a South Korean parliamentary source. Dick Smith Foods Closing Down, Smith Blames AldiIs Aldi at Fault? Dick Smith Foods will close down due to their declining sales over the past 16 years. On July 26, Smith announced on his website that Dick Smith Foods will close. He also released the announcement in a letter online (pdf). He began his letter by thanking Coles, Woolworths, and Metcash for supporting his products and saying that he did everything he could to get his costs down and kept staffing at a minimum. The driving force of our closure, however, is Aldi, wrote Smith. It is quite clear that they cant sell at lower prices and be the most profitable chain unless there is something else to their formula. There is, and it is simplesack Australians (or dont employ them in the first place) and dont share the wealth. In response to Smiths letter, the CEO of Aldi Australia, Tom Daunt, replied on Aldi Unpacked, attributing the success of Aldi to their carefully selected range of products and their optimisation of the discount principle. Applying the discount principle is a way of comparing the value of money today with the depreciating value of money in the future. Supermarket prices have reduced due to Aldis influence in the grocery sector, which has benefited Australian customers. It is estimated that Australians save approximately more than $1.5 billion a year, allowing Australians to spend their money in other areas of the economy such as bills, holidays, education, and other necessary expenses, said Daunt. The Germany-based stores winning formula involves a Just-In-Time production that increases profit by reducing cost by only ordering what is needed for the next day instead of buying products in vast quantities and storing them for weeks or months. In addition, potential sales can be lost by keeping products in storage as it takes up extra space, leaving no room for products that can be sold now. Smith says that Aldi is able to sell things so cheaply because they are taking advantage of developing countries, calling it extreme capitalism. Smith used the example of Aldi sourcing their peanuts from Argentina instead of Queensland. However, in 2015 an Aldi spokesperson told SmartCompany that an independent audit has confirmed that the products sourced are mostly from Australia. Independent audits have confirmed 100% of Aldis eggs, bread, fresh meat and fresh poultry products are Australian made, 93% of Aldis fresh dairy products are Australian made, [and] 91% of Aldis fresh fruit and vegetables are Australian grown, said the spokesperson. According to Australian Food News, Aldi made a statement to them in 2017 saying that they will improve their sustainable supplier relationships that will bring high quality and competitively priced groceries. They also said that 91% of Aldi Australias fruit and vegetables are Australian grown and are only sourced from overseas when a local source isnt available. Suppliers have spoken out about their experiences with other supermarket retailers. According to BusinessDay, they prefer Aldi because it pays invoices faster and is easier to deal with, Sydney Morning Herald reported. Court sends the KitKat case back to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). KitKat has been battling to get its four-finger chocolate wafer shape trademarked. EU Court Sends the KitKat Case Back to Trademark Office LUXEMBOURGA long-running legal battle between global chocolate giants over the shape of KitKat finger wafers was sent back to the EUs trademark office on Wednesday after judges dismissed appeals by both companies. The ruling by the European Court of Justice means the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) must review a 2012 decision to uphold Swiss-based Nestles trademark on the shape of the four-finger chocolate-covered wafer biscuit over objections raised by Mondelez of the United States. The Luxembourg court found that Nestle had failed to show that consumers in enough EU countries recognized the shape as distinctive but also dismissed an appeal by Mondelez against some of the grounds for a lower EU court ruling in 2016 that had found the EUIPO was wrong to reject the U.S. firms complaint. The outcome leaves open that the trademark agency could, while respecting the judges ruling, take account of other evidencesuch as new proof the shape is distinctive to people in more countriesand might preserve protection for KitKats shape. The brand name KitKat is not at issue in the case. Proceedings have been followed closely by trademark lawyers, who see implications for brands operating across the EU single market, where there are varying histories in national markets. It has also at times featured in Britains Brexit debate, with some supporters of cutting ties with the EU suggesting that EU courts have failed to defend a much-loved British treat first marketed by Rowntrees, which was bought by the Swiss in 1988. In 2015, the Brexit-supporting Daily Express newspaper headlined a story on an earlier ruling: End of the KitKat?. It said an EU diktat might spell the end of the wafer bars as the market could now be flooded with copycat confectionery. The case has also been mirrored by a dispute between the two multinationals in the British courts, where Nestle objected to a trademark for the purple color used by Cadbury, bought by the Americans in 2010, to wrap its Dairy Milk chocolate bars. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images) Expert Says Trump Dealing with Remaining Communist States in Effective Ways US tariffs could cripple Chinese communist regime With communism abandoned in Europe and most parts of the world, only a handful of communist regimes are left. Just like how former U.S. president Ronald Reagan was instrumental in bringing about the demise of communism in the Eastern Bloc and the collapse of the Soviet Union, President Donald Trump is also helping end communism in the world, dealing with each communist state in a different way, says Frank Xie, an associate professor in the School of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina. Trump has spoken out against communism on a number of occasions. Wherever true socialism, or communism, has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure, he said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies, only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems. America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. He made similar comments in a statement in June 2017 when announcing his administrations policy toward communist Cuba, saying communism has destroyed every single nation where it has ever been tried. Trump reversed former president Barack Obamas initiative of opening trade and tourism ties with Cuba, restoring the embargo of the Central American communist state and adding to the pressure on the ruling regime. For Vietnam, Trump is using economic ties to bring the Asian state into the worlds economic system. Theyre actually giving up their communism very soon, I believe, Xie said. When it comes to North Korea, Trump has been using military threats and economic sanctions to have the communist country abandon nuclear weapons. And on China, according to Xie, who wrote the 2013 book The Dragons Vault, imposing tariffs to balance trade is a very effective weapon that Trump has employed. The U.S. is hitting the red dragons vault in its soft spot, he said, referring to the Chinese communist regimes foreign currency reserves, which have ballooned thanks in major part to years of trade surpluses. Xie said without these huge reserves, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be crippled. Tariffs With only a portion of the tariffs the United States has planned for Chinese imports in effect, China is already feeling the impact on its economy given that access to its largest overseas consumer base has been impeded. Chinese stocks have started to plummet, and the ongoing trade war is causing negative sentiment among investors. Although Beijing has imposed reciprocal tariffs, markets in the United States have remained stable, and even experienced growth. The Trump administration has imposed a 25 percent tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods, which will be extended to $50 billion in the coming days. China has responded with equal tariffs of its own on American exports. The United States has announced a further 10 percent tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports that will come into effect in a couple of months. Last week, Trump said he is ready to extend the tariffs to $500 billion, or effectively the entire volume of Chinese exports to the United States. The Impact The yearly trade deficit of the United States with China in recent years has soared to over $350 billion, with the figure at $375 billion last year. Chinas total exports in 2017 was about $2 trillion, with one-fifth of that destined for the United States. With Chinas 2017 GDP at $12 trillion, the total exports to the United States accounted for 3.5 percent of Chinas GDP. On the U.S. side, with 2017 exports to China at only $130 billion and with a GDP of close to $20 trillion, exports to China only accounted for around 0.7 percent of the U.S. GDP. The reliance on exports is not that great for the U.S., but it is huge for China, said Xie. If China loses its trade with the United States, its economy is not going to survive. The Trump administration has imposed the tariffs along with investment restrictions on China in response to what Washington claims are Chinas unfair trade practices that contribute to the huge trade deficit, as well as its theft of intellectual property. The Dragons Vault Chinas foreign currency reserves this year are over $3 trillion. The reserves have been steadily increasing ever since the country joined the World Trade Organization, thanks to the huge trade surpluses China maintains with its trading partners despite their complaints that Beijing is not playing by the rules. However, the reserves arent used to improve Chinese peoples lives or help lift the people of the developing country out of poverty, Xie said. Rather, the money goes into the regimes vault for the benefit of the CCP elites. In 1989, after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the communist regime almost fell. They thought they were going to lose control of China they were ready to go. Thats when they transferred $60 billion to Swiss bank accounts, he said. Thats how much they had at that time. Of course, they have much more now. They use that as nest eggs for the elites. The money is used not only to fund the luxurious lifestyle of the CCP elites, but also to suppress dissidents and groups that the Party targets internally as well as to exert control overseas, Xie said. Examples include buying support from small African countries in the U.N. Human Rights Council; supporting states that act against the United States; and funding Confucius Institutes on university campuses around the world, which have been cited as political arms of the regime in order to extend its soft power or even for espionage. Basically [the money is] for the survival of the communist regime, Xie said. That is why the U.S. tariffs are detrimental to the CCP, he explained. They cannot sustain their power without money support. They cannot continue the suppression, persecution, and their hold on power. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A Hawaiian Airlines jet taxies out to the runway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Ariz., in this file photo from Feb. 14, 2006. (Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images) Flight Attendants Gut Feeling About Passengers Saves Girls From Suspected Human Trafficker Flight attendants who had a feeling that something was amiss saved three girls from a suspected human trafficker. Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant Wesley Hirata was working on a flight departing Los Angeles to Honolulu when he noticed an older Asian man boarding with three Caucasian girls. Hirata sensed something was wrong and went over to the group to ask them a few questions. The answers didnt quash his unease and he enlisted his fellow flight attendants to find out more about the group. The attendants soon discovered one girl was underage and that all three were listed under the same name on their passenger documents, reported KITV. Would you follow your gut like these flight attendants? These Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants saved three girls from human trafficking on a recent inbound flight to Honolulu. Full story here: https://t.co/tow4RqpDV5 #IslandNews #HawaiianAirlines KITV4 (@KITV4) July 27, 2018 When the flight landed in Hawaii, local sheriff deputies stopped the group and questioned them. Deputies quickly labeled the situation a human trafficking situation and brought in the FBI to handle the case. Hirata said people should trust their instincts. Trust your gut and prior experience [and] report the situation without alarming or confronting the passengers in a suspicious manner, Hirata said. From NTD.tv Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier shake hands during a joint news conference in Brussels, Belgium July 26, 2018. (Reuters/Yves Herman) For First Time, More Brits Support Second Referendum on Brexit Deal LONDONFor the first time since Britain voted to leave the EU, more people want a second referendum on the final Brexit deal than those who dont, according to a new poll. The EU and UK currently are negotiating the Brexit deal that will determine whether Britain remains close to the EU, has a distant relationship with the bloc, or severs all ties. Appetite for a public referendum on whether to accept or reject that final deal has fitfully risen over the past year. In a poll published by YouGov on July 27, the number of people wanting a referendum reached 42 percent, compared with 40 percent who do not want one, even as the government has consistently ruled out the possibility of any kind of second referendum. Unsurprisingly, the majority of those who voted to leave the EU dont want a referendum on the final deal (66 percent), and the majority of those who voted to remain (66 percent) do want a second vote. The poll comes as the EUs chief negotiator rejected a key proposal in Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit plans. That soft Brexit plan had cost May domestic political capital in a cabinet riven by divisions over Brexit, seen by some as conceding too much control to the EU. The deal between the EU and UK potentially could include compromises on various issues that motivated people to vote to leave, including the ability to strike trade deals, control of borders, and influence of EU laws. The degree of compromisewith a hard Brexit at one end and a soft Brexit at the otheris a deeply divisive issue among lawmakers and within Mays own party. The EU currently aims to wrap up negotiations in Octoberto allow time to put the deal to lawmakers and member states ahead of the official day of the UKs departure from the trade bloc on March 29, 2019. With the clock ticking on negotiations, preparations for a no deal scenarioin which the EU and UK fail to reach a mutual agreementare being ratcheted up across the continent. If the UK fails to strike a deal with the EU, then it will crash out, automatically adopting WTO rules. This could bring about a cliff-edge scenariowith regulations, infrastructure, and business not ready for the sudden shift in trade arrangementswith some warning of logjams at customs checkpoints across the EU. On July 26, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that about 80 percent of the withdrawal agreementwhich covers issues such as security, future rights of EU citizens in the UK, and the Irish borderhad been agreed upon. In contrast, on our future economic relationship, it comes as no surprise that finding common ground between the EU27 and the UK is more difficult, Barnier told reporters. May has said that the UK cannot remain within the Customs Union of the EU, describing it as one of her red lines. In her Brexit blueprint, she proposed a bespoke customs arrangement with the EU, with the UK collecting and managing EU tariffs under a common rulebook to smooth the flow of goods that would otherwise get stuck in border checks and processes. Barnier rejected this plan, saying: The EU cannotand will notdelegate the application of its customs policy and rules, VAT, and excise duty collection to a non-member, who would not be subject to the EUs governance structures. Any customs arrangements or customs unionand I have always said that the EU is open to a customs unionmust respect this principle. Barnier said that the EU respects that the UK wants to take back control of its money, law, and borders. But the EU also wants to keep control of its money, law, and borders, he said. Maintaining control of our money, law, and borders also applies to the EUs customs policy. Photo: anarresproject.org From success to significance: Why giving back is the new measuring stick of success By Jody Pihl A growing number of successful individuals feel that giving back to society is an important part of their lives and their legacies. According to a U.S. study, more than half of Americas one per cent deemed giving back an "essential" component to a life well lived. This suggests that the wealthy are not only driven by a desire to succeed, but also recognizing that what makes their lives most fulfilling is not wealth, but what purpose and positive social impact they can do with it. There is a growing acceptance that a bigger home, more money in the bank or a more expensive car is not correlated with more happiness. There is a growing recognition that giving back benefits the donor (and his family) in unexpected ways, by offering authentic and meaningful payoffs that traditional displays of wealth cant offer. Philanthropy and the impact that follows also afford successful retirees starting the next phase of life new and deeply meaningful purpose. This shift from building wealth to changing the world has been coined, moving from success to significance." This offer donors a new challenge, renewed purpose and the opportunity to make use of their valuable skills and connections. However, perhaps most profound is the unique opportunity it affords to leave an ongoing legacy long after they are gone. Many of us have heard about the death bed test where you imagine facing the end of your life in a hospital bed, reviewing your life and reflecting on the big questions. The idea is that in that moment you ask yourself what you are really glad you did during your life and what you regret not doing including your relationships, how you spent your time and how you contributed to the world. This idea is to use the answers to these questions as a guide and filter for decision making today, when faced with a choice in your life. This popular test is used all the time by many people. But few people are aware of the new beach chair test." The idea is this: consider a retired executive sitting on the beach at a resort, striking up a conversation with a similarly positioned guest in the chair beside her. What isnt apparent is that both are a little restless and directionless, having slowed down their pace of life and lacking the influence, relevance and purpose they held in the past. They both amassed significant wealth, but they are now questioning whether they will really leave a lasting impact on the world. They are wise enough to know that buying more stuff wont contribute to their legacy or bring them any more happiness. They are tired of talking about their past accomplishments as their past contributions fade in significance as business and industries grow and change under new leadership. What if this woman were able to share something new with her neighbour: her passion for the environment and our oceans and the success she has had raising funds to fight the battle against plastics. Better yet, what if the second woman then responded by sharing her passion for helping developing countries educate their young girls and details about her family foundation that allows her, her kids and grandkids to work together now, and after she is gone, to continue to drive change. This scenario presents the opportunity for these women to use their lifetime of skills to create change they are passionate about, to leave a legacy of positive impact, and creating joy and purpose for themselves. This is what it means to move from success to significance. In my practice as an estate lawyer, I see additional benefits of philanthropy, including confronting client concerns about the next generation inheriting significant wealth and fears that this will feed a sense of entitlement in their children and grandchildren. Many of my clients share some type of concern about instilling in their families gratitude for their familys opportunities and good fortune and the importance of giving back to those less privileged. Family based philanthropy, where the family works together in their efforts to give back, not only curbs this sense of entitlement, but offers families an opportunity to build a positive and healthy family culture of gratitude and social responsibility. I can speak from experience about the meaningful opportunities that come with philanthropy centred family travel. My familys experience travelling to Kenya to meet the students, families and communities impacted by our donations was life changing for all of us. For most families, this type of experience plants the seeds of a life time of contribution by next generations to help build a better world and also promises families the building of strong family connections and healthier and happier families. Im no longer surprised when I hear clients almost sheepishly confide that their family may have benefited more from their philanthropy than the charities they support. If you are inclined to make a charitable donation in your estate plan, it is always smart to discuss your intentions with your trusted advisers. Ask your financial adviser to assist you to include charitable giving as part of your financial plan. Then work with your estate lawyer to ensure your wishes are fully thought-out and appropriately documented. Jody Pihl is senior counsel at Pihl Law Corporation and offers clients a full range of legal services in the area of wills and estates. Her relaxed and considerate approach helps her understand each clients unique circumstance and specific planning needs and helps families navigate the complexities of the probate process. For more information, contact Jody at 250-762-5434, [email protected], or find her online at www.pihl.ca. Former Fujian Province Governor Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Corruption Su Shulin, the former governor of Fujian Province, one of Chinas wealthiest regions, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for taking bribes and abuse of power, according to Chinese state media Xinhua. The Shanghai Second Intermediate Peoples Court issued the sentence on July 26, along with imposing a 3 million yuan (about $442,000) fine. Su, who began working in Chinas oil industry from 1979, eventually rose to become the vice president of Petro China and the general manager of China National Petroleum Corporation (Sinopec), both state-owned firms. He was considered a member of the oil clique, a political faction of powerful individuals in Chinas petroleum industry. Su bore the nickname Tiger of the Northeast for his influence within the corporate ranks of big oil companies. Su started to take bribes as early as 1996 when he served as an assistant to the bureau chief of the state-owned oil conglomerate, Daqing Petroleum Administration Bureau, headquartered in Daqing City, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, according to the court allegations. From 1997 to 2013, Su abused his positions to provide various individuals and companies with benefits and help them with business management and job allocations. He received over 36 million yuan (about $5.3 million) in bribes over the years. Su was promoted to governor of Fujian Province in 2011 at the age of 49a surprisingly young age to be in charge of a whole province. He was viewed as a rising star among the political elite. Downfall, Human Rights Crimes Sus downfall began when current leader Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign within the Chinese Communist Party soon after taking power in 2012. Xis sweeping crackdown targeted misbehaving officials who were also his political enemies. Su was among them, as he was a loyal follower of disgraced former security czar Zhou Yongkang. Zhou was a key member of a political faction loyal to former Party leader Jiang Zemin and opposed to the current Xi Jinping leadership. As a Jiang faction crony, Zhou obeyed Jiangs orders to carry out a full-blown persecution of the spiritual group Falun Gong. Jiang initiated the persecution in July 1999 as the ancient meditation discipline reached 100 million adherents, according to official estimates, fearing that its popularity undermined his rule. Falun Gong was introduced to the public in 1992. Its benefits to physical well-being, as well as its moral principles based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, attracted millions of adherents, including some high-level Party officials. As security czar, Zhou mobilized the states entire security apparatus to round up Falun Gong practitioners across the country and detain them at facilities where they were often tortured. Meanwhile, Su also played a leading role in the persecution. During Sus time as bureau chief beginning in 1999, the Daqing Petroleum Administration Bureau established and ran the Daqing Red Satellite Brainwashing Center to coerce local Falun Gong practitioners into renouncing their faith, using psychological abuse, starting in 2002. In addition, from 1999 to 2003, 21 Falun Gong adherents are confirmed to have died of torture in Daqing city, 11 of whom worked in the Daqing oil industry, according to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that tracks the persecution of Falun Gong in China. During Sus tenure, over a hundred different torture techniques were employed in Daqing detention facilities to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, including burning, sexual abuse, and forced injection of nerve-damaging drugs. In 2011, Su began a citywide campaign in Daqing forcing students and workers to sign statements condemning Falun Gong, with threats of dismissal to those who refused to comply. Su had turned Daqing into an area where the persecution of Falun Gong was among the most severe in the entire country. In 2011, when Su became the governor of Fujian Province, he continued enforcing persecution policies. During his tenure, at least four local Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death from March 2011 to September 2015, according to World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong. CEO of CBS Corp. Les Moonves is being accused of sexual misconduct in a July 27, 2018, report. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for The Natural Resources Defense Council) Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, Accused of Sexual Misconduct: Report CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, one of the most powerful men in media, is being accused of sexual misconduct. On Friday, The New Yorker magazine is slated to publish an article detailing unwanted kissing and touching. Ronan Farrow, the son of actress Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen, is slated to publish his New Yorker report detailing allegations of misconduct on the part of Moonves, according to the Hollywood Reporter on Friday. Last year, Farrow broke the story on the allegations that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually abused women for decades. CBS said it is investigating the new claims against the CEO. All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously, the network told the Hollywood Reporter. The Independent Directors of CBS have committed to investigating claims that violate the Companys clear policies in that regard. Upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the Board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action. On Friday, shares of CBS dropped 6 percent on the stock market ahead of the reports publication. CBS added: The timing of this report comes in the midst of the Companys very public legal dispute. While that litigation process continues, the CBS management team has the full support of the independent board members. Along with that team, we will continue to focus on creating value for our shareowners. Apple, iPhone, and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Moonves has held numerous executive positions at CBS since he began working for the company in 1995. He was appointed chairman and CEO in 2003. Other details about the allegations against him are not clear. Committee chairwoman Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) during a House Budget Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, May 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Republican Congresswoman A man was arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly making death threats toward Republican Congresswoman Rep. Diane Black. The suspect, identified as Clifton Ward, threatened to assault and murder the congresswoman, who is running for governor in Tennessee, according to an indictment filed on June 26 in the U.S. District Court in Chattanooga. The threats reportedly came soon after Black introduced a Border Wall Trust Fund Act on May 18, that would create an account at the U.S. Treasury to collect funding for President Donald Trumps planned border wall. The violent threats were made with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with Congresswoman Black while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties, the indictment said. Ward left the threats via voicemail at one of Blacks district offices, according to officials. Black did not immediately respond to a request for comment. House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) offered his support to Black on Twitter, saying the current rhetoric was not beneficial to anyone. Im glad my friend, @RepDianeBlack, was not harmed, he wrote on July 26. These threats of violence have to stop. They are not an acceptable way to express political disagreements. I'm glad my friend, @RepDianeBlack, was not harmed. These threats of violence have to stop. They are not an acceptable way to express political disagreements. https://t.co/koiEdnorN1 Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) July 26, 2018 Scalise was the victim of a politically motivated shooting at a Republican baseball practice session last year by Bernie Sanders supporter James T. Hodgkinson. He was hospitalized with severe injuries to his hip, left leg, and lower organs. In recent weeks, an increasing number of instances of violence and harassment against both supporters of Trump and members of his administration have been reported. Such violence has been emboldened by comments made by prominent Democrats, notably Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who on June 23 incited people to create a crowd and harass officials in public. If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them theyre not welcome anymore, anywhere, she said at a rally in Los Angeles. Last week, a teen visiting Seattle said he was harassed for wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, a symbol of Trumps presidential campaign. Footage shows 17-year-old Ashton Hess walking with his family before being hit in the head, spat on, and cursed at by another man. However, death threats have also increased as a result of such rhetoric. Early this month, 75-year-old Martin Astrof, from Long Island, was arrested for threatening to kill supporters of Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and the president. Astrof went to Zeldins campaign headquarters in the Nesconset, New York, area earlier this month and became irate with a campaign worker, Suffolk County Police Department stated in a release. After threatening to kill the campaign worker and other supporters, Astrof backed his car up in an aggressive manner, nearly striking the worker, the police said. He was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, and reckless endangerment in the second degree. Mother Arrested After Newborn Found Dead Inside AirAsia Flight Bathroom A newborn baby was found dead inside of a planes bathroom after the flight landed in Delhi. The baby appeared to have been delivered on board and had toilet paper stuffed in its mouth, reported NDTV. Police officers said that the mother appears to be a young girl who was detained after all female passengers on board the AirAsia flight, which departed from Imphal on Wednesday, were questioned. A doctor confirmed that the baby was indeed born onboard the plane, the airline said in a statement to AFP. A 19-year-old acknowledged that she had delivered the baby and was taken to the hospital for medical attention and examination, police official Sanjay Bhatia said. She has only told us that she is a sportsperson but refused medical examination or (to give) any more details about the incident. The girl is believed to have boarded the flight in Guwahati, where it stopped before continuing to Imphal and Delhi, reported India Today. Initial signs indicate the baby was born stillborn, Bhatia said. The airline said it was cooperating with the investigation. The matter has been reported to DGCA and the airlines staff are attending to other guests and cooperating with Delhi Police. We will be assisting in the investigation and cooperating with all concerned agencies, it said. The mother faces up to two years in jail. From NTD.tv President Donald Trump speaks at the 119th annual Veterans of Foreign Wars conference in Kansas City, Mo., on July 24, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) North Korea Expected to Return Remains of US Soldiers North Korea appears to have finished arrangements to transfer the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War nearly 70 years ago. Related Coverage North Korea Transfers Remains of Korean War Soldiers: White House The United States is expected to receive the remains on Friday, July 27. U.S. Forces Korea said last month they had moved 100 wooden Temporary Transit Cases to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. North Korea recently took two truckloads of wooden boxes to be used for the remains repatriation. Its expected to hand over the remains on July 27 as agreed upon, an unnamed diplomatic source told South Koreas Yonhap news agency. The exact number to be transferred was not clear. The long-awaited repatriation of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War was made part of one of the agreements reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the historic first meeting between leaders of the two countries on June 12 in Singapore. The successful return of the remains should signify an additional win for Trump, who is working on guaranteeing denuclearization the communist state. This follows a report that said North Korea was dismantling an important satellite launch facility, based on satellite images from July 20 and July 22. The planned day of the transfer is also the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that put a temporary stop to the war. Technically, the two Koreas are still at war. According to Yonhap, a U.S. airplane will pick up the remains at the Norths Kalma Airport before moving them to Osan Air Base, south of Seoul where a ceremony will take place. On July 25, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris that the transfer of the remains would boost the momentum for nuclear talks between the two countries. The transfer, coupled with the perceived closing of the satellite launch site would be an important sign to show Kims sincerity on denuclearization, Harris said. A soldier carries a casket containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, July 27, 2018. (Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool) North Korea Transfers Remains of Korean War Soldiers: White House WASHINGTON/SEOULNorth Korea transferred the remains of an unspecified number of soldiers killed in the Korean War, the White House said on Thursday, a first step by Pyongyang to implement an agreement made in a landmark summit in June in Singapore. The repatriation of remains of U.S. soldiers missing in the 1950-53 conflict is seen as a modest diplomatic coup for U.S. President Donald Trump because it was one of the agreements reached during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12. Today, (Kim) is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change, the White House said in a statement. A U.S. military transport plane flew to an airfield in North Koreas northeastern city of Wonsan to bring the remains to Osan air base in South Korea, the statement said. A formal repatriation ceremony would be held at Osan on Wednesday, it said. The transfer of the remains coincided with the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that ended fighting, although the two Koreas are technically still at war because a peace treaty was never signed. The pledge to transfer war remains was seen as a goodwill gesture by Kim at the June summit and, while it has taken longer than some U.S. officials had hoped, the handover will rekindle hopes for progress in nuclear talks. He and everyone else knows exactly what denuclearization requires, according to the US secretary of state. The media is just being critical because the US didnt make NK settle on a timeline. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said the return of the remains could boost the momentum for the nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington. More than 7,700 U.S. troops who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for, with about 5,300 of those lost in what is now North Korea. By Eric Beech and Joyce Lee Watch Next: A Story of Opportunity for North Korea President Trump showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a video resembling a movie trailer in preparation for their meeting. McDonalds has replaced all the tainted salad mixes and its products are now safe to eat, says CEO Steve Easterbrook on July 27, 2018. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Number of People Infected From McDonalds Salads Rises to 286 The number of people infected with cyclospora from McDonalds salads has risen to 286, according to the Centers for Disease Control. An outbreak of the intestinal infection cyclosporiasis, caused by the parasite cyclospora, was first noted on around May 20, 2018. The Iowa and Illinois departments of health reported the outbreaks to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on July 12, with reports also coming in from Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. At least 11 people have been hospitalized, but so far no deaths have been reported. In total 15 states have reported cases, and there may be more developing. Illnesses that started after June 14, 2018, might not have been reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. For cyclospora infections, this can take up to six weeks, the CDC said. The common factor in all cases was that the victims had eaten McDonalds salads. The initial investigation indicates a link to consumption of McDonalds salads produced for McDonalds restaurants, the Illinois Department of Public Health said in a July 12 posting. Approximately one-fourth of Illinois cases reported eating salads from McDonalds in the days before they became ill. In response to the reports, McDonalds swiftly withdrew salads from it menus in 14 states. In a statement published in nations restaurant News on July 12, McDonalds stated, Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to voluntarily stop selling salads at impacted restaurants until we can switch to another lettuce-blend supplier. We are in the process of removing existing salad blend from identified restaurants and distribution centerswhich includes approximately 3,000 of our U.S. restaurants primarily located in the Midwest. McDonalds says salads are safe again McDonalds CEO Steve Easterbrook told USA Today on July 27 that McDonalds acted swiftly to protect the public and to restock its stores with safe food, so that customers would not be inconvenienced. He added that McDonalds had obtained fresh produce from a new supplier, and that all the affected restaurants had already been restocked. We addressed it very quickly. Customers always appreciate [that], he said. During a July 27 phone conference, Easterbrook told investors, All those restaurants have been fully replenished with a new supply and we continue to trade fully, Business Insider reported. In a statement posted on July 13 and updated on July 20, the fast-food behemoth stated, The health and safety of our customers and the people who work in McDonalds restaurants is always our top priority. The update concluded, McDonalds is committed to the highest standards of food safety and quality and we continue to cooperate and support regulatory and public health officials in their investigations. Cyclospora is transmitted mainly through infected feces in food or water. The CDC said it is unlikely for cyclospora to pass directly from one person to another. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, intestinal gas, nausea, and fatigue, according to the CDC. Some patients may start vomiting or develop low-grade fevers, but these are less common. A separate outbreak of cyclosporiasis struck the states of Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin around the same time period. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported 237 victims as of July 19, and isolated the cause as Del Monte 6- and 12-ounce vegetable trays containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip that were sold by Kwik Trip/Kwik Star stores. Del Monte voluntarily recalled all its vegetable trays starting on June 8. The CDC reported that there was no apparent link between the cyclospora outbreak linked to Del Monte fresh produce vegetable trays and the salads sold at McDonalds. Papa Johns Founder Sues His Own Pizza Chain NEW YORKJohn Schnatter, the founder and ousted former chairman of Papa Johns International, on Thursday, July 26, sued the pizzeria chain, complaining that the company had not provided adequate response to an earlier request for internal documents. The complaint filed in Delaware Chancery Court comes after a request by Schnatter and his attorneys access to company documents to inspect accusations of inappropriate behavior. Mr. Schnatters attorneys are seeking to inspect Company documents because of the unexplained and heavy-handed way in which the Company has treated him since the publication of a story that falsely accused him of using a racial slur, Schnatters attorneys said in a statement. The lawsuit is the latest installation in a weeks-long drama surrounding the pizza chain following a report by Forbes this month that Schnatter had used a racial slur during a media training call. Colonel Sanders called blacks [expletive], Schnatter reportedly said during an exchange on how he could separate himself from online hate groups. Schnatter resigned as chairman of the companys board amid the controversy, though he would later say he regretted his decision to step down. By Alana Wise Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Lawmakers on Friday expressed doubts that the second package of the administration's tax reform program will be passed this year. Passing the second package of the tax reform law, also known as Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) 2, within the year was one of the legislative priorities mentioned in President Rodrigo Duterte's third State of the Nation Address. TRAIN 2 aims to lower corporate income tax and reduce fiscal incentives offered to businesses. Rep. Dakila Cua, chair of the House ways and means committee, said that the recent shuffle in leadership in Congress may affect who would end up having to shepherd the tax reform bill. Cua said that it is possible that new House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would want to take over committee leadership. He added that as an economist, Arroyo would be able to keenly look into the TRAIN 2. "That's very possible with the strong leadership and decisive decision-making of the President tsaka with the new leadership in the House that's very well in-depth with economics," Cua told reporters Friday. He said that despite these setbacks, they are taking steps to follow the President's directive. "We're working on it. We're moving forward and we're taking the steps to answer the call of the President na i-shepherd yung bill," Cua said. Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, chair of the Senate ways and means committee, on the other hand, said that the bill will face an uphill battle once it is forwarded to the Senate. "With the pronouncements of Senator Sotto, Zubiri, I think we need to take time to get a consensus among the senators as to this bill," Angara said. Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri had previously said that tax reform is not a part of the Senate's priorities. READ: Charter change, tax reform not included in Senate's priority agenda majority leader According to Zubiri, some businesses have told them that they would move out of the Philippines if fiscal incentives are removed. However, according to the British Chamber of Commerce, lowering corporate income taxes would make it more enticing for British firms to invest in the Philippines. In an interview with CNN Philippines, British Chamber of Commerce Chair Chris Nelson said that several British firms are looking forward to invest in the country's retail and infrastructure sectors. "I think reducing the corporate tax, getting companies to do more investments, is a great move. Needs to be balanced, of course, with the fiscal incentives," Nelson said. CNN Philippines' business news producer Jil Danielle Caro contributed to this report. Photo: City of Penticton BC Transit and the City of Penticton are partnering to expand bus service during next month's Peach Festival, "making it easier for people to skip the parking and take the bus." During Peach Fest, from Aug. 8 to 12, the Route 5 bus on Main Street will run later in the evening, with the last bus leaving the festival at midnight on those days. The slightly-modified route will travel along Veterans Way from Front Street and turn left on Lakeshore Drive. A temporary bus stop will be set up on Veterans Way just before Lakeshore Drive. The public can find more information on Penticton's bus service here. US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos takes part in a listening session on gun violence with teachers and students in the State Dining Room of the White House on February 21, 2018. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) Police: $40 Million Yacht Owned by Betsy DeVoss Family Untied, Gets Damaged An unknown saboteur untied a $40 million yacht reportedly owned by Education Secretary Betsy DeVoss family from its dock last weekend, the Huron Police Department said. The Yacht, named Seaquest, was previously moored at the Huron Boat Basin at 330 Main St., Huron, Ohio, before the captain alerted police around 6 a.m. on Sunday, July 22, to report it had been untied from the dock and was adrift.According to a record of the police report, officer James L. Bowens responded to the call. Captain Quintynn Botha told the officer that crew members woke up at sunrise to find the boat untied. They were able to regain control of the ship but not before it struck the dock with its Starboard forward section, Bowens wrote in the official police report. He showed me the damage which consisted of several large scratches and scrapes. Botha estimated the damage caused to the yacht could cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to repair. He also told police that the crew found nothing suspicious the night before the boat was untied. Seaquest is 163 ft long andcan reportedly accommodate 12 guests and 12 crew, according to boating website Super Yacht Fan. No injuries were reported and the investigation is still ongoing. Officer Bowens is in the process of obtaining surveillance footage of the incident, according to the police report. The concern from the citys standpoint is thats a very expensive yacht and we want to show the patrons who come to the city that well provide good service, Huron City manager Andy White told The Sandusky Register. This is a blemish on the city and wed rather do without and well seek to have justice done for this act. As of July 26, no suspect or person of interest had been named by police. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Putin Says Hes Ready to Go to Washington Russian President Vladimir Putin said hes ready to go to Washington and meet with President Donald Trump, while also inviting Trump to Moscow. Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings, Putin said in South Africa while attending a summit of five major emerging national economies, or BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.) I am ready for that. We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries, Putin told the news conference on Friday. We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. Be my guest. He has such an invitation, I told him that. Referring to the proposal for a meeting in the United States, Putin said: I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created. White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said on Friday morning that President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year. He is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation, she added. He said that, in the meantime, its possible that he and Trump would meet during the G20 summit in Argentina in November. Putin said that in their recent meeting, they discussed topics that concern very many countries around the world and, including, all of Europe, NBC reported. The Russian leader said that it would be good if the two nuclear powers have better ties and are talking to one another. In Helsinki, we talked about the issues in which our states have a real stake. In 2021, the New START treaty expires, he said, referring to a nuclear arms control treaty. Are we going to extend it or not? Russia and the United States have a stake in that, the whole world has a stake in that, in not starting an arms race. If we dont start talks in 2021, the treaty will cease to exist. The New START treaty is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that was signed in April 2010. Yes, we have contacts on a working level, but sometimes thats not enough, we need contacts at the highest political level, Putin said. The Epoch Times last week reported that after the Trump-Putin meeting in Helsinki, Finland, Russian state-backed media began to openly criticize the Chinese regime. On July 16, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, a Russian daily paper, ran an article titled, The U.S. Offers to Unite with Russia Against Iran and China, concluding from hints at the Helsinki summit that Trump plans to enlist Russia to help counter Chinas threats in trade and geopolitics. After the meeting, Russian media highlighted three social problems in China: the behavior of Chinese tourists, the illicit drug trade, and corruption in Chinas railway system. The criticism was by no means an accident, according to Li Hengqing, an independent analyst at an NGO in Maryland, in an interview with the The Epoch Times Chinese-language edition. The friendship between Putin and the Chinese regime is based on personal gain, Li said. So when Putin saw an opportunity to improve its relationship with the U.S., Europe, or NATO countries, he would naturally abandon his vested interests with China. After the meeting last week in Helsinki, the Trump administration invited Putin to Washington. In Helsinki, @POTUS agreed to ongoing working level dialogue between the two security council staffs, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders wrote on Twitter July 19. President Trump asked [John Bolton] to invite President Putin to Washington in the fall and those discussions are already underway. In Helsinki, @POTUS agreed to ongoing working level dialogue between the two security council staffs. President Trump asked @Ambjohnbolton to invite President Putin to Washington in the fall and those discussions are already underway. Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) July 19, 2018 But the presidents national security adviser, John Bolton, said that a Washington-based meeting between Trump and Putin wouldnt happen until 2019 due to special counsel Robert Muellers witch hunt. The president believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so weve agreed that it will be after the first of the year, he said in a statement to Fox News. Reuters contributed to this report. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) poses in his office in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on July 26, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Rep. Rohrabacher: Movement to Quit the Communist Party Makes My Children Safer and the World Better WASHINGTONIn an exclusive interview, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) said the movement for quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), known as the Tuidang movement, will help achieve a more peaceful world. Because of it, my children will be safer, he said. On June 8, Rohrabacher introduced into Congress H.Res.932, a resolution Expressing solidarity with the Tuidang Movement whereby Chinese citizens renounce their ties to the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates, and calling for an immediate end to the campaign to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Rohrabacher said his legislation seeks to inform the American people about these moral soldiers, these moral giants in our day, who are fighting under a desperate situation and risking their lives. He also wants to make sure that we notify the Tuidang movement and the Falun Gong people that they are not alone, that the American people stand with them. The Tuidang Movement started at the end of November 2004, after the Epoch Times published The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party on Nov. 19, 2004. That book describes the CCP as an evil specter and relates its history of mass killing and destroying Chinas traditional morality and culture. Ten days later, on Nov. 29, the first batch of Tuidang declarations, submitted by Chinese living outside China, first appeared at the Epoch Times website. Since then every day there have been Tuidang declarations published at the Chinese-language Epoch Times special Tuidang section (http://tuidang.epochtimes.com), with numbers ranging from several hundred per day in the beginning to more than 100, 000 per day in recent years. On March 23, 2018, the total number of people who have published their declarations to withdraw from the CCP and the CCPs Youth League and Young Pioneers exceeded 300 million. Individuals in China often choose to use pseudonyms to protect themselves from being discovered by the state. Less than three months later, Rohrabacher introduced H.Res.932, as he believed that the Tuidang Movement had reached a threshold of success that needs to be recognized. Talking about the significance of the Tuidang Movement for the United States and China, Rohrabacher said that the CCP has not only caused unnatural deaths of at least 60 million people in China, but also threatens world peace, and has destabilized the world. Thats why we had the Korean War, the war in Vietnam, and all the other conflicts. Rohrabacher believes that the Tuidang Movement is vitally important, as China is ruled by this evil party. If the Tuidang Movement can convince people not to join the evil force, to break away from CCPs control, that means they are protecting us; and they are doing whats good for China as well. In 2005 the not-for-profit Global Tuidang Center, was established to educate people about the destructive character of Communism, to assist all Chinese people worldwide to renounce the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, according to the Centers website. The Global Center reports that its Rapid Tuidang Center in 2015 alone made 912,413 manual phone calls to Mainland China to convince people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliates, and 99,145 people agreed to do so. The Rapid Tuidang Center is mainly sustained by Falun Gong practitioners worldwide who see the Tuidang movement as a form of peaceful civil disobedience that will help them secure their rights. Falun Gong has been persecuted by the CCP since July 1999. The Rapid Tuidang Center also uses computer software to make automatic phone calls to China that play audio files about the Tuidang Movement; people can choose to push phone buttons or leave voice messages expressing their desire to quit. Volunteers will then listen to these recorded voice messages and help those who are ready to quit to publish their declarations on the Tuidang website. Each year, 500-600 million automatic phone calls have been made to China via theRapid Tuidang Center to help Chinese people learn about the crimes of the CCP and to encourage them to quit. A large number of Falun Gong practitioners inside China also go out to talk to either their friends and relatives, or strangers on the street or at shopping malls, farmers markets, and so on, to inform people about the Tuidang movement and convince them to quit, at the risk of being reported to the police and arrested. According to Rohrabacher, these people who make all these tireless and courageous efforts in all these years are real heroes. If the Falun Gong movement, if the Tuidang movement, is successful in China, it means a more peaceful world. My children will be safer, because of the courage that has been shown there. We want to have the people of the United States express officially that kind of appreciation. Artist's impression of the active galactic nucleus shows the supermassive black hole at the center of the accretion disk sending a narrow high-energy jet of matter into space, perpendicular to the disc in this image by Science Communication Lab in Kiel Germany, released on July 12, 2018. (Courtesy DESY, Science Communication Lab/Handout via Reuters) Scientists Confirm Einsteins Supermassive Black Hole Theory BERLINA team of international scientists observing a star in the Milky Way have for the first time confirmed Einsteins predictions of what happens to the motion of a star passing close to a supermassive black hole. Einsteins 100-year-old general theory of relativity predicted that light from stars would be stretched to longer wavelengths by the extreme gravitational field of a black hole, and the star would appear redder, an effect known as gravitational red shift. This was the first time we could test directly Einsteins theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole, Frank Eisenhauer, senior astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, told journalists. At the time of Einstein, he could not think or dream of what we are showing today, he said. A team of scientists at the European Southern Observatory started monitoring the central area of the Milky Way using its Very Large Telescope to observe the motion of stars near the supermassive black hole 26 years ago. The black hole is 26,000 light years away from Earth and has a mass 4 million times that of the Sun. The scientists selected one star, S2, to follow. With an orbit of 16 years, they knew it would return close to the black hole in 2018. Over 20 years, the accuracy of their instruments has improved and so in May 2018, they were able to take extremely precise measurements in conjunction with scientists from around the world. This showed the stars orbital velocity increasing to more than 25 million kph (15.5 million mph) as it approached the black hole. The stars wavelength stretched as it sought to escape the gravitational pull of the supermassive black hole, shifting its appearance from blue to red, Odele Straub from the Paris Observatory said. Apple, iPhone, and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The scientists now hope to observe other theories of black hole physics, she said. This is the first step on a long road that the team has done over many years and which we hope to continue in the next years, MPEs Reinhard Genzel, who led the international team, said. By Victoria Bryan Tensions Within Italian Coalition Over Transalpine Rail Link ROMEItalys Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on July 27 called for work to continue on an ambitious Franco-Italian rail link, putting himself at odds with his coalition partners, who have denounced the costly project. Salvinis League and the Five-Star Movement laid aside their rivalry in June to forge a government alliance, and although they have pledged to govern together for a full five-year term, some cracks have started to emerge. One of the fault lines focuses on the fate of a 270-km (167-mile) high-speed line, known as the TAV, which is due to link the French city of Lyon with Italys Turin, at an estimated cost of 26 billion euros ($30.2 billion). Work has begun on the project, but infrastructure minister Danilo Toninelli, a Five-Star member, warned last week that no one should dare to sign off on advancing the line. We would consider that a hostile act, he said. Two Italian newspapers said on July 27 that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had agreed with Five-Star that the contested link, which would cut through the heart of the Alps, should be scrapped. Contes office denied the reports, saying that the government was simply fulfilling a promise to review the cost-benefits of the line, which is designed to boost trade between France and Italy, as well as between other EU states. Salvini confirmed on Radio24 that the review was underway. If, by chance, from an official analysis it emerges that we dont need it, does it cost more to block it than not to pursue it? Salvini said. From my point of view, its better to go forward than backwards. Five-Star Promises Under the terms of the 2016 TAV deal, the European Union agreed to pay 40 percent of the bill, Italy 35 percent, and France 25 percent. Italy has so far spent 400 million euros on preparatory work, but could face large penalties from both Paris and Brussels if it backs out of the project. A government source said Rome was in contact with France to discuss the enterprise. Maurizio Martina, the leader of the opposition center-left Democratic Party, estimated that Italy could be hit with 2 billion euros of charges and be shut out of further EU infrastructure financing for up to five years as punishment. The entire nation will pay for the folly of this government to block the Turin-Lyon line, he wrote on Twitter on July 27. Five-Star had campaigned ahead of March elections to scrap three major industrial concernsthe TAV, a transnational pipeline called the TAP, and a huge, polluting steel plant in southern Italy operated by Ilva, which is set to be sold to ArcelorMittal. Overriding Five-Star concerns, Italian President Sergio Mattarella told Azerbaijan last week that Italy was fully committed to TAP, which will bring gas to western Europe from central Asia. Meanwhile, Five-Star leader Luigi Di Maio, who is also an industry minister, is reviewing the legality of the Ilva sale contract. At the same time, he is pushing ArcelorMittal to improve its offer, indicating that he is open to the steel plant staying on line. By Crispian Balmer People gather in front of the presidential palace during the Chain of Lights protest against judicial overhaul in Warsaw, Poland July 26, 2018. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters) Top EU Court Casts Doubt on Rule of Law in Poland European Court of Justice 'removes presumption' that all is well in the EU's largest ex-communist country WARSAWCourts across the European Union will now get to weigh in on whether Polands judicial purge undercuts the rule of law and precludes fair trials. In a landmark decision Wednesday, the EUs top court ruled that judges considering extradition requests by Warsaw must first determine the likelihood that a given suspect would receive a fair trial in Poland. A judicial authority called upon to execute a European arrest warrant must refrain from giving effect to it if it considers that there is a real risk that the individual concerned would suffer a breach of his fundamental right to an independent tribunal and, therefore, of the essence of his fundamental right to a fair trial on account of deficiencies liable to affect the independence of the judiciary in the issuing Member State, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in its ruling. Terrible news Dariusz Zawistowski, a Supreme Court judge, called the ECJ decision terrible news, because it means that any court in any European Union country will now have the authority to consider whether the rule of law is being respected in Poland. The ECJ ruling came in response to a decision by Irelands high court to refuse the extradition of a Polish national accused of drug crimes, citing government interference in the independence of the judiciary and concerns the suspect might not receive a fair trial. In reality, it means the presumption that everything is fine in Poland, is gone, said Krystian Markiewicz, a representative of Iustitia, a judicial association. Other countries will now have an excuse to show what the situation in the Polish judicial system looks like, and it looks bad. Zbigniew Ziobro, Polands justice minister, called the Irish courts referral to the ECJ a fail and downplayed the significance of the ruling, saying on Wednesday it was anyway close to the point of view of Poland. First, at no point in its ruling does the ECJ determine a breach of the rule of law in Poland. Second, despite what the Irish court wanted, the ECJ did not agree to an automatic rejection of the extradition, Ziobro said. Cleaning the judicial house But it is a different kind of bad, namely that of a judiciary allegedly tainted by the corrupt vestiges of communism, that the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) said its trying to purge from Polish courts through wave after wave of deep-cutting legislation. Since coming to power in 2015, party head and de facto behind-the-scenes shot-caller Jaroslaw Kaczynski has pressed ahead with a controversial judicial overhaul, seeing it as the lynchpin to sweeping reforms in Poland. If we dont reform the judiciary, all the other reforms will make little sense, because sooner or later these would be overturned or negated by the kind of courts that we have now, Kaczynski said in an interview with Sieci, a Polish weekly, on July 9. Defiant judges Lawyer Sebastian Kaleta, former Ministry of Justice spokesman, told Polska The Times on July 27 that the new laws aim to bring in line defiant judges. The need to amend certain regulations is due to the fact that some judges, acting primarily out of political impulses, are putting up resistance by not following newly passed legislation, he said. Kaleta likely has in mind Supreme Court chief Malgorzata Gersdorf, whose constitutional six-year term was terminated by a new law that has cut 22 judges from Polands top court by forcing them into early retirement. Gersdorf, who has become a symbol of the fight for judicial independence in Poland, refuses to step down. The newest bill, signed into law on Thursday by President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, is the newest move to get rid of Gersdorf. It effectively gives the government the power to appoint the next Supreme Court chief. Widespread protests Thousands of people staged protests across Poland following Dudas signing. Crowds gathered outside the presidential palace in Warsaw, chanting Shame. Many held candles and pens, referring to Dudas readiness to undersign the newly passed legislation. They shouted Break the pen and You will go to prison. Since PiS won power in 2015, dozens of judges have been dismissed from the Constitutional Tribunal and the National Judiciary Council, which decides judicial appointments, and recently the Supreme Court. The European Commission is running an unprecedented rule of law probe that could lead to the suspension of Polands voting rights in the 28-member bloc. Poland is the largest former communist state in the European Union. Two Ancient Chinese Stories: King Wen and King Wu Like father, like son A basic tenet of ancient Chinese beliefs was that of filial piety, or caring for ones parents. Both King Wen and his son King Wu were excellent examples of this ideal. King Wen of Zhous Filial Piety King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, also known as Ji Chang, was a sage king in Chinese history. Although he reigned during the late Shang Dynasty, he was later given the honorary designation of founder of the Zhou Dynasty. He was the father of both King Wu of Zhou, the first emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, and the Duke of Zhou. King Wen of Zhou was very faithful to his parents. According to historical records, when King Wen was a prince, he would visit his father three times a day. Every day, upon hearing the roosters call, he woke up and went to see his father. He would stand outside his fathers door and ask if everything was going well with him, and then he contentedly returned to his room. If his father did not feel well, the servants would report to King Wen. After hearing that, he worried so much that he could not even walk steadily. Only after seeing that his father was fully recovered did his steps return to normal. Every time before King Wen delivered food to his father, he would check whether the food was too cold or too hot, and whether it tasted good or not. After his father finished the meal, he would ask what kind of dish he liked and if he had the same appetite as before. Then he would ask the cooks to prepare exactly what his father needed. He did this every day without fail. Confucius Praises King Wus Filial Piety King Wens second son, Ji Fa, later known as King Wu of Zhou, followed in his fathers footsteps and was very thoughtful, even when taking care of small matters. According to historical records, one time, when King Wen was sick, Ji Fa served him by his side day and night without even changing his clothes. Only when King Wen ate a mouthful of rice did Ji Fa also eat a mouthful. If King Wen ate a bowl of rice, Ji Fa would also add a bowl of rice for himself. This lasted for 12 days. Only when King Wen recovered was Ji Fa at ease. Later, after King Wen died, King Wu (Ji Fa) took over his fathers position. At this time, King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty was very tyrannical and everyone complained about him. Thus, King Wu overthrew King Zhou and became the first king of the Zhou Dynasty. His brother, the Duke of Zhou, continued their fathers legacy and ruled with benevolence. Later, Confucius praised King Wus filial piety as setting an example for everyone in the world to follow. Translated by Dora Li into English and slightly edited, these stories are reprinted with permission from the book Treasured Tales of China, Vol. 1, available on Amazon. German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to President Donald Trump in front of other world leaders in Charlevoix, Canada, at the G-7 summit on June 9, 2018. The mainstream media and world leaders are blaming Trump for starting a trade war, where in reality all politicians are fighting to protect their special interest groups. (Jesco Denzel /Bundesregierung via Getty Images) Whose Trade War Is It Anyway? Everybody complains about Trump, but he wasnt the one who started it War is aggression, often with the use of physical violence to conquer land, people, and power. Trade wars, though not quite as bad, also are aggressive in nature. Where two or more private parties want to transact freely, aggressive governments step in the way and prevent trade from happening with the threat of force. In 2018, most of the mainstream media and the establishment powers blame President Donald Trump and his administration for starting a trade war, whichlike real warscan only produce losers on both sides. How Much Damage Will Trumps Trade War Do? read a headline in The Atlantic, and countless other articles and official statements say similar things. So the mainstream media and some politicians are pretending that trade was 100 percent free before Trump started to threaten the free traders of China, the European Union (EU), Mexico, and Canada with tariffs. The media paints Washington as the aggressor in this trade war. Trump shot first. However, truth be told, this trade war did not start this year and certainly the United States isnt the biggest aggressor. In real war terms, the Americans are now starting to shoot back after being under siege for decades and the whole world is complaining about this act of self-defense. As Trump wrote in a tweet before meeting the EUs Jean Claude Juncker on July 25, he doesnt want a war, he just wants the other side to stop shelling the United States. The European Union is coming to Washington tomorrow to negotiate a deal on Trade. I have an idea for them. Both the U.S. and the E.U. drop all Tariffs, Barriers and Subsidies! That would finally be called Free Market and Fair Trade! Hope they do it, we are ready but they wont! When Did It Start, Who Started It? If we take the definition of a trade war as stopping trade with force, through tariffs, duties, taxes, regulations, and restrictions on foreign investments, no government is innocent. They are all aggressors vis a vis the private sector, which would like to make win-win deals across the globe. As economist Faustino Ballve notes in his Essentials of Economics, In the market, the buyer as well as the seller gives less than he gets; otherwise no exchange would take place. In the day and age of identity politics and rampant nationalism, its hard to believe that this also goes for the global market where private players dont care much where the buyer or seller is from or how they look. And its hard to keep track of which government started which tariff and kept it for how long. However, we can say for certain that with Chinas ascent to the World Trade Organization (WTO), trade restrictions for Chinese goods worldwide were dramatically lowered while China was allowed to keep relatively high tariffs of around 10 percent on average. The Worst Offender So despite this pretty good deal, and also making some improvements, China has kept waging a trade war, restricting market access through force more than any other country involved in the current trade spats between the United States and the EU, or the United States and NAFTA. And this has been going on since 2001. It still has simple average tariffs of 10 percent compared to the United States of 3.4 percent according to the most recent WTO data. When weighted according to the most traded goods, China still has more than double the rate of the United States at 3.5 compared to 1.6 percent according to the World Bank. Of course, it doesnt stop at tariffs. China has used other methods of restricting the flow of trade and putting foreigners at a disadvantage. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation calls this innovation mercantilism: When China pursues innovation-mercantilist policiessuch as the acquisition of foreign technology enterprises leveraged by nonmarket, government-backed funds; forced transfer of technology or intellectual property (IP); IP theft; abuse of antitrust/antimonopoly policy; denial or restrictions of foreign firms access to Chinese markets; development of China-only standards; massive subsidies for Chinese firms; refusing to allow access to key resources (e.g., rare earth elements) unless companies locate in China; or any number of other unfair trade practicessuch policies directly threaten the health and very viability of American (and other foreign) enterprises. According to the latest Enabling Trade Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) from 2016, which takes some of these measures into account, China ranks 61 out of 136 nations for its role in enabling trade. The United States ranks 22nd with weighted average tariffs at the lowest point in the nations history. So while far from perfect, the United States is much less aggressive than the trade war-waging nation of China. To come back to the real war analogy, all the Trump administration has done is say, Stop shooting or well shoot back. The Trump administration never asked for favorable treatment, it merely asked for a level playing field especially with China. But the Chinese havent stopped shooting so the Trump administration is now shooting back. Of course, like a real war, shooting back and hitting Chinese goods with tariffs is costly. Existing supply chains will be disrupted, some American industries will be hurt, so will some consumers. Others will benefit. It is possible that tariffs are too crude a way to restore some way of equilibrium because centrally planning trade is as difficult as centrally planning other parts of the economy. However, it can be argued that following through with threats made in trade negotiations is the only way to stay credible and get the Chinese to stop shooting eventually. Why is the mainstream media silent on these acts of trade war committed by the Chinese government? Why doesnt it call on the Chinese to lower tariffs to U.S. levels? President Trump certainly wont stand in the way of that. What About the Others? With NAFTA and the EU, it gets more complicated as both blocks dont wage their trade wars as fierce as China and generally, trade with the two blocks has been more equitable, although the United States has sizeable trade deficits with both the EU and Mexico. Its important to note here that despite all the rhetoric about unfair trade, there are domestic factors also which can cause a country to become less competitive, and the United States has itself to blame for excessive taxation and regulation, which can also be the cause for trade deficits with more competitive countries. The EUs weighted average tariffs are the same as the United States at 1.6 percent and Canada, the United States, and Mexico scrapped most tariffs within NAFTA. But despite the headline elimination of tariffs, there are still issues within NAFTA. From 1994 to 2016, there have been 35 complaints by American companies against Canada under the NAFTA dispute resolution framework, 22 against Mexico, and 20 against the United States. So again it looks like the United States is the least aggressive of the warring parties. Although the issues are far less severe than with China, Canada and Mexico are also using force to gain an advantage in trade. Canada still has sky-high tariffs on agricultural products, for example, and subsidizes lumber companies with government resources to the detriment of American industry. Despite the high trade deficit with Mexico, it is the most peaceful of the lot. The Trump administration sees more issues with it being used by foreign and domestic companies to manufacture cheaply in Mexico and then export duty-free to the United States, as American and German companies do with cars for example. Mexico is more of a supplier and a base rather than an aggressive war party. Speaking about cars, the EU is the biggest aggressor, with tariffs of 10 percent on American car imports whereas EU carmakers can ship to the United States with a paltry 2.5 percent increase in prices. And although the average tariffs are roughly similar in the EU and the United States, the EU has passed more than 250 harmful trade interventions in every year since 2009, many of which target the United States, according to World Trade Alert. A good example are hundreds of billions in agricultural subsidies and a convoluted set of rules for the standardization of products, like specific sizes for the seats of commercial truck drivers, which make it harder for foreign producers to ship to the bloc without modifications. Lets Not Pretend Lets not pretend the U.S. trading partners are interested in real free trade. Their elected or unelected representatives are more interested in benefiting their special interest groups than in genuine free trade in goods and services among private parties. And these representatives will intervene with force in the market, wage war against the market to achieve these objectives, in many instances more forceful and for a longer time than the United States. And lets not pretend that Trump has started to threaten our partners with tariffs because he is a fan of them in and of themselves. He uses them as a negotiating tool, as a threat to get the other parties to reduce their acts of aggression. Trump wants free tradeand peace. In the case of the EU, this strategy seems to have worked, although agreements to talk about and work toward lower tariffs frequently remain just that: work and talk. And although the EUs Juncker has made these important concessions to work towards lower tariffs excluding the sensitive auto sector, most of the other players dont look to be interested in real free trade. Otherwise, they would have committed to Donald Trumps offer at the G7 summit in June to drop all tariffs to zerofor everybody. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. STAMFORD Two of three Democratic candidates for attorney general said they had reservations about legalizing recreational marijuana while the third was a strong supporter of the move. The policy views and ideas for action were among the highlights of the first official debate of the trio as they met Thursday evening less than three weeks before the primary. The two state lawmakers running for attorney general, party endorsed candidate William Tong and challenger Paul Doyle, expressed reservations about legalizing recreational marijuana. Rival Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor who has never held elected office, strongly espoused legalizing the drug. The trio hashed out their views at the Unitarian Universalist church in Stamford. The event was attended by about 200 people and was cosponsored by Indivisible Stamford Plus and the Stamford Democratic City Committee. Recreational marijuana has been legalized in Massachusetts and other states, said Mattei, with supporters arguing the drug could be taxed and bring in needed revenue: We know its coming. Legalization could reduce opioid deaths and addiction, while reducing the over-policing and mass incarceration of people of color, he said. Tong and Doyle, as House and Senate chairman of the legislatures Judiciary Committee respectively, were both heavily involved in debating state regulations for recreational marijuana this year. Doyle wanted to see the actual societal impact legalization has in Oregon, he said. He likened the move to approve recreational marijuana to electrical deregulation, which seemed like a good at the time but eventually led to higher rates, he said. Tong identified himself as one of the architects of the state medical marijuana program and helped expand it to children suffering from epilepsy. Recreational legalization has been a difficult issue for the legislature and many have struggled to write a law that protects children and makes sense for the people of this state, Tong said. I strongly oppose doing it just for the money alone. Marijuana was one of the few areas along with school funding where Tong did not say he would use the offices bully pulpit to influence the legislatures decisions. Tongs pitch for why he is the best candidate for the job includes his civil litigation experience as a commercial litigator at Finn, Dixon and Herling. Im the only candidate up here that has the experience to do the whole job of attorney general, said Tong. Mattei, meanwhile, argued the lawyer with the most experience in the federal courtroom should be attorney general so they can challenge the Trump administration in court. The job of attorney general is going to be to stand up to the abuse of power in federal court, Mattei said. Doyle, a partner at a small private law firm where he represents mostly individuals, said he was best suited to be the peoples lawyer. He slammed his two opponents for considering runs for other offices before declaring for attorney general. Think about which candidate on this stage really wants this job, he said. The candidates also highlighted different environmental priorities. Doyle has made air pollution a touch point in his campaign. He said he opposed the rollback of tailpipe emissions standards by the Environmental Protection Agency and wanted to fight the EPAs decision to lift a cap on the number of high-polluting zombie 18-wheelers manufactured. Mattei pushed for New England states to develop regional tailpipe emission standards if federal regulations are scrapped. He also wants to deploy more environmental protection attorneys to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to make up for a reduction in federal enforcement under the Trump administration. Tong said he wanted to go after big oil companies in a bold multi-state lawsuit like that advanced by states against the tobacco industry. WESTPORT - With more than 900 bicyclists taking part in the The CT Challenge Bike Tour Saturday, expect some delays on local roads. The bicyclists will ride a 10, 25, 50, 75 or 100-mile route starting and finishing at the Fairfield County Hunt Club on Long Lots Road in Westport. Beginning at 7:45 a.m., the order of riders departing will be: (1) 100 mile, (2) 75 mile, (3) 50 mile, (4) 25 mile, (5) 10 mile. All routes will be released in waves to ensure riders do not bunch up in packs and are evenly spread out on the narrow roads of Fairfield County. According to organizers, 994 riders on 122 teams are registered. The CT Challenge bike ride is the main source of funding for the nonprofit organization Mission. Mission is dedicated to helping the 15.5 million cancer survivors in Connecticut and throughout the U.S. rebuild, improve and prolong their lives through exercise, nutrition, mind-body health and community-building support programs. Lt. David Wolf of the Westport Police Department said motorists should expect to see a large volume of bicyclists between 7:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. on the following roads: Long Lots Road, North Avenue, and North Avenue extension. He said Motorists traveling through these areas should expect delays and possibly brief road closures. To learn more about the The CT Challenge Bike Tour, click here GREENWICH Town police are calling it the blackmail scam. Letters have been showing up at the residences of married men in Greenwich, claiming I know the secret you are keeping from your wife. The letter-writer continues: Its just your bad luck that I stumbled across your misadventures while working a job. The mysterious stranger then demands $2,000 in cyber-currency to maintain his silence. Over the past week, the desk sergeant at police headquarters has seen five such letters turned in, according to police Lt. John Slusarz. The lieutenant said future recipients of such letters have an easy task: Just throw them away, he advised. Authorities say the blackmail scam has been around for ages. Police say its similar to other scams around the region threatening to turn off the electricity to a home or business unless immediate payment is made while a bit more sophisticated, and certainly more sinister. The letter writer uses actual first names in the demand letter. Its a form letter. Someone will target an area and send a whole bunch out, the police lieutenant said, Theyre addressed to real people. They get a mailing list, and they look for Mr. and Mrs. Its been around for a while. Most of them originate overseas. The letters turning up in Greenwich are somewhat amateurish. The author says he dug up the extra-marital dirt while working a job in a mysterious place called Southborough, and the first names in the letters are often bungled. The language is stilted, British and oddly old-fashioned (sort of like being blackmailed by Mary Poppins). But even amateurish scams can work, police say. You send out a thousand of these, and one person pays $2,000, youve recovered your initial investment. Its all profit after that, the police lieutenant noted. Greenwich police say they dont need more copies of the letter that residents may receive. Its a law-enforcement matter for postal investigators, and theyve already been notified. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com 10 hours ago Pfizer Stock is Ready to be Added to Your Portfolio Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) stock may have finally put in a bottom in the post-pandemic sell-off. The Company is awaiting feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its COVID-19 vaccine for children as well as booster shots for adults. Read Article Fire behaviour across the Valley has calmed down and all evacuation orders and alerts have been rescinded, but it's still smoking hot in the Okanagan. And while hot temperatures are great for beachgoers, it can prove dangerous for those on the fire line. At a press conference Thursday, Glenn Burgess, BC Wildfire Service incident commander, said firefighters overheating is a very serious problem. Those on the front lines must wear fire protective clothing that leaves little skin showing not exactly beachwear. And with temperatures expected to remain in the mid-30s for the foreseeable future, fire crews are now starting their days earlier to try and avoid the time spent in the hottest part of the day. They are also rotating out shifts quicker. Particularly the firefighters that are working on the east side of the lake, in (Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park), we're all well aware that that's an old burn, there is no shade, said Burgess. They are out in this heat all day long with no shade, there is no way to get out of the sun. That's a concern for us. Burgess said the safety of the crew members is their biggest concern, on the ninth day of the fire fight in the Okanagan. Firefighter fatigue and quite frankly, the heat, Burgess said. That's our biggest concern right now, literally the safety of our first responders. We talk about that a lot of times as far as risk from the fire, now the risk to them is literally the heat and the work they do. In addition to trying to minimize their time in the hottest part of the day, Burgess said it's been important to give their members some time off as well, to enjoy a little bit of the Okanagan. You can figure out what that means, Burgess said with a laugh. With no homes destroyed by wildfires throughout the Okanagan after nine days of firefighting, firefighters will presumably have no shortage of cold, carbonated beverages offered to them on their days off. Photo: RCMP A picture of a Toyota FJ cruiser matching the description of the vehicle used in the Vernon break and enter. The vehicle will have significant damage to the front end and will be missing a side view mirror. UPDATED: 12:05 p.m. A pair of brazen thieves used an SUV to smash their way into Village Green Centre and rob the People's Jeweller store overnight. RCMP are still investigating but through a media release stated that about 3 a.m. "attending officers found the east side entrance of the mall had been breached by a vehicle driving through the doors." Police say the thieves used the vehicle to drive into the mall and then smashed into the doors of Peoples Jeweller. "Two masked suspects, wearing dark clothing, gained entry to the store where they were able to obtain an undetermined amount of jewellery," stated Const. Kelly Brett. "The vehicle then fled the mall prior to police attendance and has not been located." Police have released a photo of a vehicle similar to the one used in the smash and grab. "At this time, the police are looking for a Toyota FJ Cruiser, cream in colour that will have significant damage to the front end," stated Brett. "The investigation is still in its early stages and officers are working with mall staff to determine what was taken from the jewellery store at this time." Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171. Or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or leaving a tip online at www.nokscrimestoppers.com ORIGINAL: 8:35 a.m. Clean up is underway at the Village Green Centre after a truck drove through the malls main entrance overnight. Castanet is working on confirming details of the incident, which apparently occurred about 3 a.m. Sections of the mall will still open, however, the public will not be able to enter through the doors facing 27 street near Starbucks. Castanet will update with more information as it becomes available. Photo: The Canadian Press German authorities say a forest fire near a village southwest of Berlin is under control, but the situation remains precarious because of unexploded World War II ammunition that's buried in the ground there. The German news agency dpa reported Friday that it was difficult for firefighters to get inside the pine forest near Fichtenwalde, 35 kilometres from the capital, because there were indications that some of the munitions may already have detonated due to the fire and that the safety of the firefighters might be at risk. Like much of Europe, the Berlin region has been experiencing unusually hot and dry weather in recent months and authorities have warned that the risk of wildfires is very high. Body washes ashore Karon Beach PHUKET: Police are hoping to confirm the identity of a body that washed ashore at Karon Beach in the early hours of this morning (July 27). tourismmarineSafetyweather By The Phuket News Friday 27 July 2018, 05:46PM Tourists watch the monster waves at Surin Beach from the safety of the shore. Photo: International Surf Lifesaving Assn. www.islasurf.org The mans body washed ashore at Karon Beach in the early hours of this morning (July 27). Photo: Amornrat Thammaphan The body, dressed in only black swimming shorts was found near in front of the Nong Lake area, near where 33-year-old Indian tourist Gaurav Mann was swept away by a strong rip current on Wednesday (July 25). Rescue workers who recovered the body today believe that the body had been in the sea for about two days, matching the time that Mr Mann disappeared*. The area where Mr Mann disappeared was marked with red flags indicating that it was too dangerous to enter the water at that area, and no lifeguards were stationed at that section of the beach. The nearest lifeguard managed to pull Mr Manns friend to safety, but not before Mr Mann had been pulled far from the beach. (See story here.) Meanwhile, heavy seas still plague the islands west coast. The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a strong weather warning for the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The warning is in effect until Monday (July 30). At Surin Beach, a special warning has been issued for a dangerous steep bank on the shore line that is catching unsuspecting tourists unaware. Beachgoers who lose their footing can be swept out by large, angry waves, cautioned the International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA). * Tourist Police later confirmed that the body had been identified as that of Mr Mann. Coastal Marine Conservation. Is the tide finally a changin? On Thursday, July 19 a huge wave of plastic washed up on the shoreline of the Dominican Republic covering the entire beach at Playa Montesinos. As a result, more than 30 tons of plastic waste was collected from the area. EnvironmentCommunity By David Jacklin Friday 27 July 2018, 09:00AM Attendees at the Coastal Marine Conservation event at Marriott Merlin Beach If nothing is done there will be more plastics (by weight) in the ocean than fish by 2050. As an island habitat that also thrives on the tourism industry, the health of our local coastal marine ecosystems affect us all. As individuals we are more aware than ever of the detrimental effect of modern growing economies dependency on plastics and their environmental impact. The media tends to present a dark view with shocking statistics that make us throw in the towel on the entire gloomy affair. Guilty as charged. But for once theyre right. They really dont need to exaggerate the environmental issue to induce the public reaction and a sense of responsibility across all sectors from government to business, to local communities. But before you turn the page in despair, let me inform you that I am the bearer of glad tidings. This, for once, is a positive report on environmental impact in action. Of groups of local academics and commercial companies working hand-in-hand to bring about change for good. Last Friday (July 20) the Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach, hosted a full day of presentations and workshops on promoting best practices in coastal marine conservation. The event was well attended by conservation groups, government agencies and local hoteliers. The day was presented in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Mangroves for the Future (MFF) and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, who are working with and bringing together a consortium of government and commercial partners to drive corporate social responsibility (CSR) across coastal business practices. Regeneration of Coral Reefs The day began with a Reef Ecosystems talk by Dr Nalinee Thongtham from the Phuket Marine Biological Center. This is one of five research centers across Thailand. The centre covers a regional coastline of approximately 900 kilometres in which they look after monitoring marine ecology, oceanography and pollution in the sea, study of plankton and ocean productivity. Their work also includes conservation of endangered species such as sea turtles and whale groups, and reference collections of ocean fauna and flora. Their study on the impact of human and natural causes on the coral reefs and its rehabilitation along the Andaman Sea has been ongoing for more than 20 years. This area alone is over 120 square kilometres, and it wont surprise you to learn that the condition is not currently healthy. In the report only 6% was deemed to be of good status, with the rest described as either in a poor or very poor health. Most of the problem lies in human activity including poor management and the dramatic increase in tourism in recent decades. Tree-felling from coastal development is also a key component. By cutting trees in the coastal regions, the rainfall then brings land sediment from the hills down into the sea. Coral simply cannot survive under a blanket of sediment. Dr Niphon Phongsuwan of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), added that the sediment problem was not in the control of the hotels, but rather a Government sector issue, who need to work closely together with the IUCN to step up its environmental policy. This has led to the publication of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. The problem is clear, it is the enforcement of policy to prevent sediment fall that is the issue. Dr Niphon advised that the authorities need to plan a holding tank or trap system when areas near the beach are under construction to prevent loading of sediment into the sea. There is, however, one new regulation by the DMCR that can make an immediate impact. It is now law that with any reporting to the department of activity that directly causes damage to a reef, they are now obliged to follow legal action. Dr Nalinee discussed the teams work on coral rehabilitation. The center places man-made concrete artificial structures into the ocean environment that enable the coral to attach, grow and bloom in a stable environment. After 15 years it has proven to significantly increase coral recovery that works in many locations. The structures can also be moved to rehabilitate other areas. They are also looking to develop a technique of sexual propagation where the team can culture coral sperm and eggs in a hatchery, the release them into the coral reef system. Working with a community of diving companies for Phi Phi Island they have also introduced the Coral Rehabilitation Project. This includes a knowledge share on how to sustain the coral ecosystem, build floating coral nurseries and maintain them. Volunteer divers research and collect invaluable and on-going data on growth rates. Mr Niphon Phongsuwan advised that they were working with the diving community on training them to standardise the process and information they were collecting to ensure it is accurate scientific data. There is now a single method for evaluating the coral condition. It is reporting back on damage as well as growth, so that the team can respond to situations more immediately. Mr Phongsuwan said that survival and growth of corals depends on various environment factors. The best way is to protect these fragile areas from deterioration, instead of restoration when the damage is done. Hotels can do a lot by promoting environmentally friendly guidelines. How guests can enjoy the reef in a good way. Ideally hotels could help by designing guides to their local reefs, with information on best practices for snorkeling and not to step on the coral at low tide. The Marriott Merlin Beach has a resident Marine Biologist, Katie Bimson from IUCN, as well as a beachfront Reef Education Center for guests. To support hotels on best practices IUCN has produced a Hotel Guideline Document, Biodiversity: My Hotel in Action, which can be download online. Thailand Business and Biodiversity Platform Ann Moey, Head of Communications and private sector focal point for the Asia Regional Office of IUCN then spoke about their role with commercial industries. The IUCN is the Worlds largest environment network. Their mission statement is to create A just world that values and conserves nature. Core to their work with industry in Thailand is the Bio-Diversity Network Alliance (B-DNA), which is a first in this region. It is a multi-stakeholder platform which aims to bring companies together to protect life below water and on land in line with Thailands specific biodiversity. The programme aims to mobilise the private sector with knowledge and tools, as well as to facilitate collaboration to enhance projects and effort. Ms Moey claimed that Thailand is one of six countries responsible for 60% of sea plastic pollution. Corporate responsibility is key. Ms Moey described three important areas to engage these partners from philanthropy and charitable donation, risk management including beach cleaning and waste, to value creation where businesses understand the beneficial impact of adopting sustainable practices and environmental policies. Businesses can gain accreditation and consumer recognition for being a responsible sustainable business, which in turn has a positive impact commercially. Ms Moey believes there is a desire across industry to adopt suitable practices. What they need is the knowledge on how to do it and the ability to reinforce and sustain a programme of change. So how do we know that influencing businesses and a programme of corporate sustainability like B-DNA actually works? The IUCN has already established these platform in other countries including India, Sri Lanka & Pakistan. In India core members such as TATA Power have produced biodiversity development plans with the help of IUCN. Even on a local level, positive action can be seen to be taking shape. The IUCN worked with Coca Cola to highlight the plastic issue and best practices along Khao Nai Yang beach where the company, local temple and community launched a campaign of Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. And there was even more good news on Phukets local community effort to tackle plastics. Biodiversity is not a choice anymore, explained Ms Moey. The Thailand B-DNA will enable members to collaborate with the government and influence policy. Its about national priorities where members can learn from one another and appreciate the recognition for being a responsible sustainable business. Tackling Plastic Waste Jayne Macdougall works in the industry but also heads up the Phuket Hotel Association, which is a non-profit organisation representing 70 hotels. Thats a whopping 10,755 rooms across the island. The association gives video and training modules on best practices and supplier initiatives to the resorts. Key to this is the reduction of single-use plastics which include bottles, straws and take away containers. The message that we have to hear loud and clear is that small change DOES work, and can make a dramatic impact on the environment. Twelve months ago 29 Phuket hotels used single-use plastics. Now that has dropped to 20. Reduced by 9? Not much you think. When you consider that one hotel alone represents 660,000 plastic bottles in one year the impact starts to become a little clearer. Dr Marissa Jablonski also attended as an expert in this field from the US. The academic is a development engineer and educator who collaborates with trans-disciplinary groups worldwide wrestling with sustainability and is on the island for two months conducting a survey of plastics in hotels. She detailed that there are a lot of questions back from hotels and a strong need to ensure they have knowledge on best practices. Dr Jablonski infomed us all that when you recycle a drinking water bottle, it will never become another water bottle. It will most likely come back as a polyester for clothing items. When you consider that worldwide one million plastic bottles are used in every minute of every day thats a lot of itchy jumpers. Simply by using glass bottles and paper straws we can all get closer to a sustainable tourism and local community. Not only this, hotels can actually save cost by using glass rather than plastic. Its a great story in itself. Hotels can do the right thing, as well as have an economic motivation to use local and sustainable alternatives. So how can we make a difference? For hotels, 2018 is the International Year of the Reef. There is a global effort to increase awareness and understanding of values and threats to local marine environments, as well as reef watch training in Phuket. Contacting the IUCN for support, information and supplier lists of sustainable alternatives is an important first step, and their Biodiversity: My hotel in action report can be downloaded online at their website. For the individual, check out the Trash Hero programme. This is run entirely by volunteers driving sustainable community-based projects, and looking for all to lend a hand. There are local chapters of the group that organise waste clear ups and bottle programmes. Trash Hero Thailand has a regional Facebook page for further information on how to get involved. We all know Thailand has a long way to go. The over use of unnecessary plastics is inherent in practically every encounter between a purchaser and the seller across the nation. And as I described the event to one hotel owner in Phuket later that evening it was met with a disappointing, but perhaps understandable skepticism. Regardless we must press forward, educate and change. If only to create small changes one step at a time. But remember, this is how all revolutions begin. Key Links: The IUCN Thailand Website Biodiversity: My hotel in action PDF Trash Hero Thailand NEW YORKHidden within Mattel Inc.s announcement this week of plunging sales and massive layoffs were two bright spots that may be the key to the toymakers turnaround and theyve been around for a combined 100-plus years. Barbie, the 59-year-old doll thats Mattels biggest brand, had a 12 per cent jump in sales in the second quarter, its third straight gain. Hot Wheels, which just celebrated its 50th birthday, had a 21 per cent surge in revenue. Whats behind the revival in old-school brands? A strategy thats summed up in company PowerPoint presentations as giving them a new view of what theyve been watching all along. The them refers to todays young parents, who may have grown up with Barbies and Hot Wheels only to snub them in favour of educational apps and fancy gadgets for their own kids. Mattel is trying to lure those customers back by recasting the toys image to play up not only the nostalgia but a newer notion: theyre beneficial to child development. Read more: Canadian toymaker Spin Master files patent suit against Mattel Why the worlds biggest toymakers arent having much fun Mattel turnaround in question after Barbie resurgence fades The sales gains indicate this new view may be taking hold. When you apply the right strategy behind these brands, you cannot just turn them around, you can put them on a path of accelerated growth, said Ynon Kreiz, who in April became Mattels fourth chief executive officer since 2014. Were going to take this same approach with the rest of the company. A broader turnaround is still a challenge. Mattels total revenue declined 14 per cent to $841 million in the second quarter, missing Wall Street projections as other major brands, like Fisher-Price and American Girl, sank. The El Segundo, California-based company, hit hard by the liquidation of retailer Toys R Us Inc. in the U.S., also said it was eliminating more than 2,200 jobs, or about 22 per cent of its corporate workforce as part of a cost-cutting plan started last year. But the growth of Hot Wheels, the second-largest brand, and especially Barbie, which has seen sales decline in three of the past four years, is encouraging, according to Gerrick Johnson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets. Everything they reported on Barbie and Hot Wheels was positive, said Johnson, who recommends buying Mattels stock. They have two brands really working. And the foundation of those gains is this new view, according to Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson, whos spearheaded this strategy since returning to the company in 2014. Parents, who were already overloaded with choices for their kids, increasingly were considering these frivolous and disposable Hot Wheels start selling at just 99 cents and that placed a cap on their growth potential. For Barbie, the issues were bigger: a growing perception of the brand as an outdated collection of stereotypes, like that all girls care about are clothes and boys, while setting an unrealistic standard of physical beauty. In an age of female empowerment, that smelled like death. Dickson talks incessantly about the purpose of the companys brands and how it should drive everything from products to marketing. For Barbie, that boils down to being good for girls. And this is not just that the doll is fun but that the play it inspires is a good even great child development tool. Were re-framing our play as beneficial, Dickson said in an interview. It may seem far-fetched that an 11.5-inch doll could engender creativity and ambition while a miniature car is a hotbed for critical thinking and that parents would believe such a concept. But there is a growing movement of academics and educators pushing mounds of research that shows such open-ended play is paramount to developing these essential skills. Something as seemingly mundane as playing house is really role-playing that builds empathy, teamwork and communication. Play was absolutely crucial to human evolution, said Peter Gray, a professor of psychology at Boston College who studies childhood with a Darwinian bent. And the decline of playtime from all the structured activities that have been hoisted on kids is clearly having harmful effects like less resiliency and not being able to solve their own problems, he said. Dickson has latched onto Mattels own research about the changing behaviours of millennial parents. A rising number care more about what their kids consume whether its food, entertainment or toys. And with the aftershocks of the Great Recession and globalization making life more competitive, they are spending on child development. U.S. middle-class parents of a child born in 2015 are projected to dish out $38,000 on education and development from birth through age 17, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thats a $10,000 inflation-adjusted increase, or a 35 per cent gain, from a decade earlier. For high-income families, spending is estimated to surge 85 per cent to $87,000. Dickson internalized this and saw Mattels way forward as layering the developmental benefits of play over its brands. In a bid to stand out, it would have to keep making toys loved by kids, but now, more than ever, also be parent-approved. Dickson, who spent almost five years running licensing and then Barbie, left Mattel in 2010 to become an apparel company CEO. In July 2014, the toymakers board brought him back, with marching orders to fix Barbie and then the rest of Mattel. Within months, the company moved into full-blown turnaround mode. Walt Disney Co., a longtime partner, decided to move the lucrative license for its Disney Princess and Frozen brands to arch rival Hasbro Inc. Then-CEO Bryan Stockton was fired and replaced by board member Chris Sinclair. A shift began in October 2015 with the Imagine the Possibilities ad campaign. In it, girls teach neuroscience and coach a mens soccer team. The spot ends with the viewer realizing these are just scenarios a girl is playing out in her bedroom with a Barbie doll. The ad, which is still running and has 120 million online views, helped lift the brands affinity scores, according to Mattel. That was the turning point for Barbie and the perceptions about what it means, Johnson said. Its a 180-degree turn. It used to be, Ick, I dont want my daughter to idolize Barbie to My daughter can use Barbie to live out her aspirations. Three months later, Mattel did more for the brands approval ratings by giving Barbie curvy hips, shorter legs, seven skin tones and 22 eye colours diversifying from the primarily white, blond-haired character she had been. The press was glowing, including the cover of Time magazine. Barbies content also changed. Gone are the stories of her becoming a mermaid or obsessing about Ken in an otherwise perfect life. In a new Netflix series, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, shes portrayed as a gutsy and empathetic older sister. She also has a video blog on YouTube with 4.5 million subscribers, where short posts range from how she deals with feeling blue to Valentines Day DIY gifts. Barbie can have a bad day, Dickson said. Its more realistic. Barbies comeback has given Dickson even more confidence that the companys pivot toward beneficial play will work. He sees a pathway to when Mattel will have in place a toy lineup anchored by its Fisher-Price toddler brand that can help develop the thousands of skills kids need from birth through elementary school. Add a robust online platform already being tested in China that offers parents assessment tools, advice and product recommendations and Mattel can capture them for a decade or more, Dickson said. For increasing the companys value, that is the bigger, longer-term unlock. Whether the company has the leeway, and investors have patience for all of this remains to be seen. The stock has lost about one-quarter of its value in the past year. This is a turnaround, CEO Kreiz said. It will take time. CALGARYThe Calgary Counselling Centre says it will use new provincial funding to reach out to rural and Indigenous communities, including through a pilot program to virtually connect people with counsellors. The funds come as Mayor Naheed Nenshi has proposed the city take $25 million from its fiscal stability reserve for a new mental-health and addictions strategy over the next five years. A notice of motion will be introduced at Mondays city council meeting to allocate the money, which will also cover crime prevention initiatives. The notice details the fact that Calgary has homelessness and poverty-reduction strategies, but theres no comparable municipal strategy on mental health. City council for the last several years at the very end of our budget discussions has thrown some money ... (at) prevention, Nenshi said Friday. And as we do that, weve realized that much of that prevention work, which is critical, also has really big ties with our work in enforcement and treatment and harm reduction. So thats really what Im trying to get at here. Im turning what we were calling crime-prevention money into broader money to look at the system as a whole. Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said discussing mental-health funding is a fair conversation for city council to have. We look forward to hearing where they land on this issue, she said. Theres definitely much thats being done, much more that needs to be done. The minister announced Friday that the Calgary Counselling Centre would receive $566,000 from the province. The organizations CEO Robbie Babins-Wagner said that translates to hiring eight new staff members and supporting more than 1,000 more people in need over the next year. Babins-Wagner said the centre saw more than 50,000 people struggling with anxiety, depression and family and relationship issues in 2017. Six to 8 per cent of its clients come from outside Calgary on average, and the centre wants to create a way to reach them without requiring travel, especially for communities that may have little access to transportation. Remote counselling that will let people connect with services using a secure connection through their phone or computer is one way to do that, according to Babins-Wagner. We had the experience during the flood where we were providing services in High River. There were a lot of people from rural remote communities contacting us and wanting support, she said. According to the centre, the number of people reaching out for support after losing their jobs has been on the decline since the height of the recession, but they arrive with complex needs. Those folks who were coming in to us because of unemployment had (self-reported) levels of distress that weve never seen before. She added that around 400 to 500 Indigenous people come to the centre seeking services every year, and its important that the centre learns how to address their needs appropriately. Thats going to be the area for us that has the most learning as part of this project, Babins-Wagner said. Were coming to them and saying we have the availability to provide service to your people. ... Were hoping to learn from them in order to do this best and meet the needs of their community. Madeline Smith is a reporter/photographer with StarMetro Calgary. Follow her on Twitter: @meksmith Read more about: CALGARYPolice Chief Roger Chaffin formally apologized Friday for the services role in the marginalization of and discrimination against Calgarys LGBTQ community. Chaffin acknowledged the Calgary Police Services many missteps, including its advocacy against the 1969 legalization of homosexuality and the 2002 Goliath bathhouse raid. Though Chaffin said the services relationship with gender and sexually diverse Calgarians is much better now than it once was, he said he knows theres still much work to be done. We are sorry for the role we played in this painful part of your past, Chaffin said. We promise that we will continue working to gain the trust of your community. Chaffin made the announcement surrounded by the sexuality and gender diversity advisory board a panel of civilians and police and members of the police executive. Mark Randall, a member of the advisory board, said the apology is long overdue. Theres a lot of people in the community who have been waiting a long time for this to come, and there were a lot of lives that have been harmed while we were waiting for this to come, Randall said. Speaking to media Friday, Chaffin said Calgary police have a long history of negative interactions with the LGBTQ community. After it advocated against the legalization of homosexuality, it also struggled to evolve in the decades of social change that followed exemplified by the services refusal to grant permits for Pride parades in the 1980s. Calgary police didnt begin trying to build a relationship with the community until the 1990s, Chaffin said. The chief also expressed regret for the Goliath raid in 2002, when police charged more than a dozen men at the citys only bathhouse, bringing back painful memories of previous decades when such incidents were common. Police also failed to understand the impacts their actions would have on their relationship with the community, he said. Chaffin said the timing of the apology has nothing to do with the upcoming Calgary Pride parade, or Calgary police participation in it. It became necessary to recognize we have history, he said. I worked here all those years, too. These are not discussions that we had 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago. Theres opportunities missed. But there are opportunities to do better in the future. The Calgary Police Service is issuing a formal apology to Calgarys gender and sexually diverse community for actions in the past that have contributed to the marginalization of LGBTQ2S+ Calgarians over the years. Looking forward, Chaffin said the service is focused on improving training for officers and executives. Theyre also discussing ways they can improve policy and practices, and to figure out what else can be done. Chaffin also acknowledged the importance of intersectionality a way of understanding discrimination through the overlapping of various social identities, such as race, gender and sexual orientation in modern policing. Inclusivity is the cornerstone of a strong city, which is something that took us a long time to understand. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the apology was very Calgary. Over the past few years, many organizations across North America have had to reckon with their discriminatory pasts including their relationships with the LGBTQ community, but also people of colour and Indigenous communities, he said. Everybody in this community deserves the right to be safe, Nenshi said. Making sure that we do that means that we acknowledge our history, but we also move forward together. Jason Kingsley, the president of Calgary Pride, said the apology was an emotional moment for him and many members of the organizations board. They floated the idea of such a statement to Chaffin and the police in April 2017, he said, and have been working closely to acknowledge mistakes and co-create solutions. It creates this sense of hope, Kingsley said. The work isnt done yet ... Thats not the end of the conversation, thats the beginning. Kingsley said Calgary Pride is hoping police will engage with the community more about decisions in the future. Improved training and the sharing of positive stories would also help built trust, he added. Theres a whole pile of conversations happening. An announcement about police participation in the Pride parade will happen next week, Kingsley said. However, he added that its important to realize that Chaffins apology is about much larger issues than the parade, and the two issues are very separate. Randall said the apology is the first step of a long process, but the services openness to change is important especially for the well-being of people and groups who are still marginalized. I accept the apology, but thats me, he said. Im certainly not accepting it on behalf of our community. Emma McIntosh is an environment, justice and investigative reporter with StarMetro Calgary. Follow her on Twitter at @EmmaMci Read more about: HALIFAXMunicipal staff will be looking at designing streets for lower speeds, but Halifax hasnt given up on lowering posted speed limits as well. The Transportation Standing Committee passed a motion on Thursday from Deputy Mayor Waye Mason to have staff include opportunities and challenges in establishing a maximum design speed of 40 km/h for residential and collector streets in an upcoming report on changes to the municipal design guidelines, which municipal officials call the Redbook. Staff are currently rewriting the Redbook, which covers everything from the proper grading of streets to the types of trees that can be planted along them, plus the speed theyre designed for. A report on the rewrite is coming to council in September. The Redbook currently mandates that streets designated as cul-de-sacs, loops and crescents less than 400 metres long be designed for 40 km/h speeds, but other local streets and collectors are designed for speeds between 60 and 80 km/h. The rules apply to new streets built by the municipality or developers, and to rebuilding of streets. The motion passed on Thursday would make 40 km/h the maximum, meaning some streets would be designed to speeds under 40 km/h. The lowest speed limit Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is allowed to post outside of school areas is 50 km/h, based on the provincial Motor Vehicle Act. Council asked the provincial government last year for permission to lower the speed limit on all residential streets to 40 km/h, but the government said no. Councillor Tim Outhit supported Masons motion, but still believes lowering speed limits would be more effective. Changing the design for new streets or when we rebuild streets, I absolutely support, but that will take decades to make any significant improvement in our city, he said. Municipal transportation manager Bruce Zvaniga called it a two-pronged approach, and said the municipality will continue to lobby the provincial government for the ability to lower speed limits. Read more about: Its been a long time coming, but Geoffrey Young finally has a steel house in Steeltown. The Redhouse, on Arkledun Ave. in downtown Hamilton, has been creating a buzz since eight, 40-foot shipping containers arrived on flatbed trucks early last month. A crane stacked four containers on top of four others that were secured to a concrete foundation, and the 2,500-square-foot abode was formed. Its believed to be the second urban shipping container home in Canada; the first was recently built in Torontos College and Lansdowne Sts. neighbourhood. The Hamilton house is more than twice as large. I am very happy. Its a little more compact than I visualized, but it fits really well into the neighbourhood, says Young, 40, who owns the house with his mother Beverley, and will move into it with his wife Wendy and 18-month-old daughter Ilia. Theres really been a lot of positive interest in the house and it seems to strike a chord with Hamiltonians. The project planning began in 2012 when Young and his parents set out to try something innovative in urban development, and encourage municipalities and builders to explore more creative, sustainable housing solutions. Young, a writer/broadcaster and a relief responder in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, wanted a resilient building that could withstand severe weather events. He purchased a downtown infill lot (vacant for 60 years) from the city of Hamilton. He recruited Toronto designer and certified sustainable building adviser with the Canadian Green Building Council, Jason Halter of Wonder Inc., to help him design the home after Young saw a small, off-grid project the designer had done in Brighton, Ont. Storstac, an Etobicoke company that specializes in modifying shipping containers for building purposes, sourced and fabricated the containers. Getting the four-bedroom home built on site wasnt as easy as the design or fabrication process. Numerous hurdles arose; the thorniest issue was that water and sewer pipes for three neighbours homes ran through the property. Eventually, the problems were resolved, but Young estimates the delays and other costs (including storage of the containers) doubled the original $220,000 budget for the house (the lot was purchased for $60,000). The four years getting here was really insane, says Young. Fortunately, getting the containers to the site went like clockwork, with the eight flatbed trucks transporting the metal boxes from Storstacs Etobicoke yard to the Hamilton lot. Its the biggest house weve done, and one of biggest container buildings weve done, yet one of smoothest installations weve done, says Anthony Ruggerio, sales and marketing director for Storstac. The first lift was at 8:30 a.m. and we were done by 4 p.m. Given the size of the project, it was a combination of good planning and some luck. The windows and doors came next, with drywall, flooring, plumbing, wiring and finishes to follow. Young will do a lot of the work himself, along with licensed tradespeople and experienced friends. There has been a constant parade of curious passersby stopping to look at the Redhouse and chat with Young, who is staying in a nearby bed and breakfast until the home is habitable. While it complements its surroundings, the design that he collaborated on with Halter also looks different than the older neighbourhood houses. We came up with a really straightforward way to articulate the (building) envelope by reversing the orientation of the containers to show barn doors on every second unit, giving a checkerboard-like effect on the elevation, says Halter. In response to the City of Hamiltons Historical Preservation committee suggestion to break up the scale of the house, two containers were shifted forward and two back. The outcome was actually really great, as it makes the building look a little like a two-unit, party-wall townhouse building, while actually being a single family residence, says Halter. The client may consider taking it back to the city in the future to do just that, as a zoning variance, for future consideration. This is the most adaptable building ever, says Young. It could even be a restaurant. He says shipping container homes could also be a solution for hurricane-ravaged and flood-prone locales: a hatch in the ceiling would allow access to a roof during flooding; shipping containers float and could be chained down to allow them to rise with floodwaters, then settle back to their original location. As many sustainable features as possible were incorporated into the Hamilton house, from the adaptive re-use of the containers, to a roof designed to accommodate a green roof, to soffit extensions that provide solar shading and solar gain protection. Young requested upcycled components and, as much as the budget allowed, to use solid materials with no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The HVAC system supplies on-demand hydronic heat and hot water, and theres a back-up wood-stove. The house was painted with a zinc-rich primer, then red paint thats aerospace-grade quality to resist fading and protect the corten steel envelope for years. Weve seen a constant interest in container houses and are working on buildings all over Ontario, and have been since 2010, says Halter. Were happy to see the evolving landscape in that regard. MONTREALTwo Quebec men are in a Martinique jail after a sailboat brimming with cocaine was set ablaze on open water earlier this month. French authorities are confirming the two were arrested during an operation that began on July 18 involving customs officials, the regional coast guard and a French frigate. They were trying to intercept a sailboat they suspected was being used to traffic drugs. Rough waters prevented authorities from bringing the vessel under control, but they said the occupants agreed to follow customs officials to the island of Saint Martin. However, officials say the two men abandoned the boat the day after, setting it on fire and taking refuge in a life-raft. The fire was quickly brought under control and authorities say they managed to salvage some 1,506 kilograms of cocaine. Authorities say the pair appeared in court Tuesday and were ordered detained by a judge in Fort-de-France. While a French official declined to name the suspects, Le Journal de Montreal identified them earlier this week as men in their 50s from the Riviere-du-Loup area, about 200 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. Read more about: Reports that private marijuana dispensaries will soon be able to operate in Ontario are being hailed by cannabis activist Jodie Emery. In the wake of reports in Vice News and the Globe and Mail, who cite unnamed government sources, Emery told the Star she is very excited by the news, which she hopes will provide an opportunity for small business owners. According to the reports, the Tory government will allow legal cannabis to be sold in private stores. Vice News states that sources close to Premier Doug Fords government are planning to overturn the previous Liberal governments decision for a monopoly on cannabis sales via the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Well have more to say in the near future, said a source in Premier Doug Fords office. Read more: How much pot is consumed in your Toronto neighbourhood? Check our interactive map How this crusader of cannabis is helping women step up and shape a new industry Ford to slash Toronto city council to 25 councillors from 47, sources say Provincial Finance Minister Vic Fedeli and Attorney-General Caroline Mulroney are expected to announce the new plans next week, according to a report in the Globe and Mail. The report notes the new plan will mirror the Alberta model, which allows for privately owned stores to sell marijuana if they carry a license from the liquor commision. The policy decision is not new ground for Ford, who has mused in the past about reversing LCBO-run sales. In June, Ford said that he was focusing on the LCBO to run cannabis stores until he had consulted with his caucus and municipalities. At that time, Ford told the Star this was a road to tread carefully, saying ... My priority is to make sure we protect the children. Thats a number-one priority. Have your say In March, however, the Premier suggested that he was open to free market sales for the cannabis industry. At that time, Ford said on CBC Ottawa morning that he is open to a free market and will consult with the PC caucus. I dont believe in the government sticking their hands in our lives all the time, Ford said. The previous plan saw brick-and-mortar store fronts run by the LCBO and dubbed the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) opening across the province in the early days of legalization. The plan projected a mere four stores to be established by the end of 2018, with a total of 150 by 2020. Only one of the first four locations was set to open in Toronto. Its great to see that the Ford government is looking to cut the bureaucracy and the cost to taxpayers by allowing private retail to generate tax revenue, Emery said. While she couldnt give an exact number, Emery estimated that there are approximately 80 cannabis dispensaries operating in Toronto at this time, despite hundreds of drug raids that have shut down the businesses. Toronto itself could sustain, based on supply and demand, hundreds of cannabis retail stores, Emery said, noting that she hoped that the sales would also reflect retail and coffee shops looking to sell cannabis-based products. Emerys own dispensary, Cannabis Culture, was raided in March 2017. In December, Emery and her husband Marc pleaded guilty to a number of drug-related charges related to their seven shops. Last September, a Campaign Research poll found that 51 per cent of those surveyed backed the original plan for OCS locations across the province. A Forum Research poll conducted around the same time found that 50 per cent of respondents wanted cannabis treated like alochol, while 32 per cent stated it should be regulated in the same way as tobacco. With files from Robert Benzie, Kristin Rushowy and Rob Ferguson Jenna Moon is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @_jennamoon Read more about: Photo: Contributed UPDATE: 3:35 p.m. Traffic has begun moving again in both directions through Peachland. It appears the crash scene has now been cleared. A witness who drove by the scene said it didn't appear anyone involved suffered any major injuries. UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. Peachland resident Christie informs us Highway 97 traffic continues to be backed up through the community. She says there was a collision on the curve just after the lights on Highway 97 at 13th Avenue. Traffic is moving northbound, but is stopped southbound, she says. It appears single-lane, alternating traffic is now being allowed through. Northbound traffic is backed up all the way to Antlers Beach. It is believed the crash may have involved a motorcycle. UPDATE: 3:15 p.m. Traffic appears to be moving again northbound on Highway 97, heading from Peachland to West Kelowna. However, a long line of traffic is building up southbound, stretching past Gorman's Mill. ORIGINAL 2:55 p.m. There's a traffic snarl in Peachland. An Okanagan Oldies 103.9 listener called to say traffic was not moving in either direction as you head into Peachland from West Kelowna. No word as to why traffic has stalled. More information when it becomes available. Send pics, video to [email protected] Will that be Black Widow CBD, Super Skunk or Skywalker Kush No. 1? The names of the pot products on offer after recreational cannabis becomes legal across Canada on Oct. 17 will be as intriguing as they are inscrutable. And with sparse packaging information and little producer advertising to guide you the legislation restricts them both severely hows the newbie Dude supposed to know which to choose? Welcome to the world of online trip advisers. Yes, as with seemingly any perplexity out there, the internet will provide a wealth of combustibles advice for baffled consumers, on websites that employ connoisseur expertise and crowdsourced consensus to help guide you to your desired high. The trip adviser is our core asset. Consumers can read about every product and every producer, and educate themselves about the category through consumer-driven reviews, said Matei Olaru, CEO of Toronto-based Lift & Co., which offers one of the two main online guides Canadian cannabis buyers can access. Read more: A Canadian cannabis educator on the importance of getting women into the industry Hamilton slaps stop-work order on oversized pot greenhouse that council refused to authorize Tsuutina Nation in talks for potential cannabis deal, chief says The trip guide will be available in a free smartphone format, which consumers can open as they browse retail locations or place orders online come Oct. 17. The guide will also help consumers navigate a market that has climbed to some 800 products under the existing medical regime and could climb past 1,000 in the first year after the recreational business opens. Lift has also helped create a retail training program for store employees that, so far, Nova Scotia has adopted for its cannabis operations, and with talks underway with other provincial cannabis vendors across the country. The other major trip adviser site will be provided by the cannabis resource gadfly Leafly, which expanded its U.S. operations to Canada last year in anticipation of legalization and to serve the many Canadians who currently use its media products and guides. Olaru says that, like the original TripAdvisor web service which bills itself as the worlds largest source of travel information the Lift.co cannabis guide will help bridge the gap between a consumers desires and the otherwise hidden products that would satisfy them. You go to a new country and you want to find a good restaurant but you dont know how to find that good restaurant because you dont know whats going on in that market, he said. In Canada, cannabis producers cant talk about their products effect. Theyll soon have to rely on plain packaging. Theres no metric of quality they can communicate. So our trip adviser platform will help empower consumers with the information they need. How good is the cannabis youre looking at? How long will its effects last? How is it different from another product? Cannabis reporter Joe Hall has been on the Star cannabis beat for two weeks. He's got plenty to cover. The answers to these questions will be nowhere near apparent as consumers shop online or browse in stores where all goods will be displayed in plain black or white packages that bear a products brand name and logo, levels of the active cannabinoid ingredients THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), a warning label and little else. The questions, however, have all been considered and answered by people who have used the products before, whether as legal medicinals or otherwise. And some 65,000 of them have shared their experiences with the Lift platform to form a data set that includes millions of information points and covers more than 800 products. They talk about how long the product lasts, the top effects that they felt, whether it was relaxation or euphoria, lets say, (and) perhaps how it rates on a five-star system, Olaru said. Everything you take for granted, lets say in an Amazon review or a TripAdvisor review, we do for the cannabis industry. The Lift guide covers up to 24 elements including things like taste, aroma, appearance and potency in each product review. And aside from reviews, the companys adviser will offer an algorithm that can match consumers with products they are likely to prefer given their answers to some personal questions, Olaru says. Its a recommendation engine that gets to know you, he said of the program, which will launch on legalization day. Youll go to our platform and say youre 25 years old, youre new to cannabis, you dont want to feel like this, you want to feel like that, and well recommend (or) suggest products you can try. And as you try more products, well get smarter. To monetize the site, Lift will take on advertising and shop the market intelligence information it gains to producers, governments, retailers and other industry players. The Leafly platform can also be accessed on smartphones while shopping. Weve helped millions of people navigate their journey in cannabis, whatever that might be, said Jo Vos, managing director of Leafly Canada. Governments are being cautious (with cannabis information) and rightly so, but consumers are and will continue to look for more contextual information more so than what they will experience in those retail environments, Vos said. Vos likens cannabis selection to shopping for fresh produce and says her site will provide the sensory details bland government packaging withholds. Vos said her site will provide information on the type of high a product is likely to elicit. The site also provides a Cannabis 101 segment that tutors users on such things as consumption alternatives, constituent chemicals like the buzz-inducing THC and the medicinal CBD, how to come down off a bad high and five ways to help your budtender help you. Like the Lift adviser, the free Leafly program will rely on crowdsourced reviews the company says it has millions to evaluate products. Vos says its appraisals are also based on the opinions of a connoisseur staff it employs in its Seattle offices. These are people like Will Hyde, a cannabis sommelier whos been involved in almost every aspect of the industry and been on both ends of a joint since before it was legalized in Washington state six years ago. I got my start in the cannabis industry like most people as a consumer, long before it was even an established industry, said Hyde, a senior subject matter expert at Leafly. And since that time Ive just followed my passions, which has led me to Leafly. In between sparking up and settling down at his current job, Hyde said hes grown pot at personal and medicinal supply levels, and worked with small-scale THC extractors and in large commercial laboratories. Hes also been a pot dispensary budtender a job which, like its bartender equivalent, requires an expertise in the intoxicating products practitioners serve to their customers across the counter. Ive sort of run the gamut of the cannabis supply chain and that really just started from my own personal connection with cannabis and wanting to educate myself further, he said. As a sommelier will do for wine, Hyde says he can recommend cannabis strains and products and consumption methods, and (give) people sort of a lay of the land on how they can incorporate cannabis into their lifestyle. Hyde said his expertise allows him to evaluate important traits like the smells, colours and shapes that signal the quality of different marijuana strains. Youre looking at everything from the colours that its showing, to the structure of the bud, to the density of the bud, to the amount of resin thats available to the naked eye and sort of how frosty it looks, he says. And then when you dive a little deeper and obviously you open the jar up the first thing thats going to hit you is the smell, the aroma of the cannabis, and we look for a number of different things. Cannabis smells which are harbingers of taste have a musical element, Hyde said, with some strains producing single-note aromas while others have bitonal olfactory effects. A good example of that would be a strain like strawberry-banana (which has) those competing flavours of strawberry and banana sort of battling together to create one complex mix of flavour, he said. And then we see another level of that, which is anything that is deeply complex, meaning its showing more than two or three flavours and just like musicians playing together, one can sort of take the lead at times depending on what those aromas are and whether youre smoking them (or) vaporizing them. Hyde says the THC and CBD profiles of cannabis products on offer in Canada will be part of Leaflys trip adviser format and can generally give users a hint of what to expect from their highs. That being said, Hyde stresses the feelings any strain of pot will produce can change from person to person based on their metabolism, body chemistry and prior cannabis experience. We can sort of paint a picture of what the road youre about to walk down might look like, he said. But we cant tell you the exact address of the house youre going to pass. Lift, which runs North Americas largest cannabis expo, has partnered with MADD Canada to create a retail training program to educate store employees, Olaru said. Lasting two to five days, the online program will educate point-of-sale workers about product specifications and spotting customers who should not be purchasing pot because of age or intoxication. The LCBO was slated to run Ontarios cannabis retail operations, but reports last week suggested the province was instead going to let private operators run stores. The LCBO had said little about its plans for the shops. But Beverley Ware, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp., says her agency has adopted the program, which will help train some 200 employees beginning in August. The important aspect for us is that our employees have a very good understanding of the products, said Ware, whose agency will open 12 cannabis outlets on Oct. 17, most of them within existing liquor stores. We want them to be able to educate and inform customers so that they can make the right choice of the right product for the experience theyre looking for. Pot picks that pack a punch Will Hyde has a refined palate for pot. And as the country gets set for the drugs legalization Oct. 17, Hydes sommelier grasp of cannabis arcana will help thousands of Canadians select from the dizzying menu of marijuana selections that will be on offer. The Seattle-based cannabis expert is part of a team at Leafly Canada building a trip adviser guide that will let pot shoppers here know what tastes, smells and punch various products will pack. Here are Hydes assessments of a few he says are bound to be popular come October. Blue Dream Blue Dream is a combination of haze genetics, which (have) very uplifting, cerebral ... energetic (and) mind-focused cannabis effects crossed with blueberry, which is traditionally a more even, or even heavier sort of sedating body high. Blue dream will actually present a very balanced effect that is felt in both the mind and the body and (it) is a good sort of baseline strain. If you figure out ... what aspects of blue dream people enjoy you can get a sense for what direction they might like to go (with other products). OG Kush OG Kush is very unique and very popular in Canada and around the world in general. (Its) a complex hybrid that has been known to show sort of both sides of the cannabis spectrum. It can sometimes have very sedating, heavier, deeply relaxing body effects, or it can be very uplifting and cerebral, he says. And OG Kush has a very, very recognizable aroma and flavour profile. If you have a true, authentic OG Kush you will know sort of the gassy, piney complex profile that you have in front of you almost immediately. Pink Kush Pink Kush is an OG Kush derivative ... and its got sort of this sweet vanilla and candylike scent to it. Its very flowery as well, but it also has a sort of danker, deeper earthiness to it that OG Kush is known for. Its very invigorating pine that is very sharp and what I generally attribute to most Kush varieties ... and that has more of a relaxed effect, because while it is a hybrid its an Indica-dominant hybrid. It does lean towards the heavier side of cannabis effects. At the same time its not so relaxing that its non-functional or anything because its very happy with a little bit of energy and upliftedness in the effects profile as well. Sour Diesel Sour diesel ... has a little bit of genetic mystery to it just because it comes from the black market days of growers protecting their genetics as their intellectual property. But it is very popular and as the name would suggest it has a very sour and dieselly, gassy aroma to it. Its very sharp and pungent, almost the same way a very sharp cheese will capture your noses attention, sour diesel will do the same, but it is not quite as cheesy or sort of funky. The general effects are very much uplifting, energetic, euphoric, creative and focused or sometimes even unfocused due to maybe a little bit of over consumption because it will really get your mind going and to some people that can be very distracting. Ontario Provincial Police are searching for a man who hit an OPP officer with his vehicle on Hwy. 400, dragging the officer and seriously injuring him. On July 3, just after 12:30 a.m., an OPP officer made a traffic stop on Hwy. 400 southbound at Finch Ave. in Toronto, police said in a news release Thursday. The officer had left his cruiser and was briefly speaking to the male driver, when the suspect accelerated, dragging the officer from the left shoulder into a live lane of traffic. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene. The officer, a 33-year-veteran working out of the Hwy. 407 detachment, is at home recovering from his injuries, OPP said. Sgt. Kerry Schmidt could not characterize the officers injuries, but said that they were serious in nature. The officer wont be retuning to work in the near future, he added. Police are looking for a dark coloured Audi, model years 2013-2017. The Audi has a distinctive rear upper brake light that spans the entire rear window. This vehicle may have damage to the drivers side, police say. The driver is described as a white male, approximately 30-35 years old with short black hair. Police have released an image of the suspect vehicle and a composite drawing of the suspect in order to help with identification. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). A construction company has been fined $90,000 after pleading guilty to failing to post danger signs at a Toronto waterfront condominium project site where a former journalist fell down an elevator shaft and died. Dominus Construction Group violated Ontarios Occupational Health and Safety Act by not posting the word danger in capital letters, at least 150 millimetres in height and in a prominent location around the Pier 27 site at 25 Queens Quay E., Crown counsel Tom Schneider told provincial offences court Friday. There was some signage on the external fence indicating danger due to construction, but this signage was insufficient to warn of the hazard of the open elevator shaft as there was no danger, entry forbidden sign, as required by the regulation on any of the doors leading into the shaft, Schneider said. Carl Mollins, 84, fell about 15 feet down an elevator shaft from the ground floor at the project site on May 17, 2016. He died in hospital 11 days later. It was never determined how or why Mollins entered the partially constructed building, although police observed a gap in the fencing on the west side, Schneider told Justice of the Peace Sunny Ng. Its very unfortunate this occurred and certainly hopefully all learn from this situation, Ng said. He agreed with a joint submission on a penalty of $90,000 and gave Dominus 10 months to pay. The Crown withdrew the remaining Occupational Health and Safety counts against Dominus and other defendants. Sitting in the downtown provincial offences court were members of Mollinss family, including his daughter, who pushed an initially reluctant Ministry of Labour to lay the charges. If I hadnt done that, I dont think anything would have happened, Julie Mollins said. Officials at the ministry initially balked, she was told, because her father was a pedestrian and not a construction worker. Mollins said she hopes the province learns to be more responsive to average citizens injured or killed on construction sites. Its also a good lesson for construction companies and one thats particularly needed in booming downtown Toronto, she added. These companies need to realize they are in a work environment that the general public is not familiar with, Mollins said. Hopefully, theyve learned and theyll follow health and safety laws. Dominus Construction did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mollins said her father, a highly regarded journalist who worked for The Canadian Press, Toronto Star and Macleans, was naturally curious and liked to explore. She figures he wandered in to the site looking to see what it looked like. Hamilton Police are holding the scene in Waterdown after a fire in the early Friday morning hours where a man was found dead. Emergency crews were called at 1:40 a.m. to 75 John Street West, near Hamilton St. N. in Waterdown for reports of smoke. Hamilton fire chief David Cunliffe says after firefighters put out the blaze, they found a body inside the unit. A person was also on the balcony suffering from smoke inhalation. Apartment building residents either evacuated by themselves or sheltered in place and everyone was later allowed to return to their units except for residents who live on the seventh floor. Cunliffe says an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway and the Ontario Fire Marshals office has been notified. He says the buildings alarm system was working. Photos from scene show the blackened ceiling of a seventh-floor balcony. Hamilton Police say the investigation is in its initial stages, however, the mans death does not appear suspicious. More to come. A line of council hopefuls behind a set of velvet blue ropes stretched down a main floor hallway outside the bustling elections office at city hall on Friday. New candidates say theyre stepping into the race regardless of uncertainty about whether the wards listed on their nomination papers, areas they hope to represent, will still exist after Premier Doug Ford confirmed his plan Friday to slash the size of council almost in half. With the deadline for candidates to sign up set at 2 p.m. Friday, Renatta Austin submitted her forms and paid her $100 fee to run in the new Ward 13 in the Eglinton-Lawrence area before noon. The premier made what I would say is a very deliberate and cynical move to make this announcement today, which is the last day for candidates to be able to register, said Austin, a lawyer trained in municipal governance. No one knows, she said, what will happen next. I think its still important for me to file my nomination. Im staying the course. She wasnt alone. Ward 14 candidate Jennifer Arp, a school board trustee for the Eglinton-Lawrence area who registered to run in May, was canvassing Thursday evening when she heard rumours about Fords proposed ward changes. After recovering from the shock of how such a massive change would impact the ongoing municipal election, Arp said she rallied and returned to knocking on doors. Forty-seven seats or not, she said, shell still run against incumbent Councillor Christin Carmichael Greb. This election now needs to be about fighting for this city, our values and democracy, Arp said. Among those in line to sign up on Friday was former Councillor Chin Lee (whod resigned to run for Liberal MPP in the provincial election and lost) for Ward 43, and 29-year-old Kyle Spaans for Ward 13. Ward 13 might not exist next week, but the wheels are still in motion, Spaans said. If that happens, I guess I will find a new ward to run in. Ten new mayoral candidates and more than 50 additional council candidates had signed up by the deadline on Friday. Controversial far-right commentator Faith Goldy was among those to sign up to run for mayor. Candidates said they made the last-minute decision to jump into the political arena to do better for their communities. Gurinder Singh Patri, who wants to represent Ward 1 in Etobicoke North, said he is signing up to help the place hes lived in for two decades, which has seen little development. My community is there, I know the people there. They said I could help. I want to stand up and do that, the local business owner said. School board trustee Ausma Malik signed up to run in Ward 20, an open race in the downtown King-Spadina area, when registration first opened on May 1, and said residents need better representation than 25 councillors would be able to provide. She noted the four-year process the city undertook to establish 47 wards and that ultimately the residents spoke and they didnt want this (25 ward) option. This is the cutting of city services and representation. Another newcomer to the campaign but not to politics, former Liberal MPP Han Dong, who also recently signed up in Ward 20, said hes watched council hopefuls work for months on their campaigns. Its shocking, its bizarre. This is going to be a huge bombshell coming to Toronto, Dong said Thursday night. Toronto is the first one to see the negative craziness. Whos next? Not having public consultations beforehand is part of a trend of arrogance, by Fords government, Dong said and that pulling a fast one a few of months before election day is irresponsible. He said he doesnt know what hes going to do with his campaign if the ward boundaries are redrawn and he will be waiting anxiously to hear what opposition MPPs have to say in the coming days at Queens Park. Such a disdain for the democratic process is how Ward 14 candidate Dyanoosh Youssefi described Fords plan. She registered on May 1, has put hundreds of hours into her campaign and cut back her hours at work. She said she will be plowing ahead anyway, but is concerned about how less wards will translate into making council more diverse. This will make it incredibly difficult for many of those candidates and certainly it makes it challenging for any new voices because there will be a lot of incumbents, fighting for the same ward said Youssefi. I might be too much of an idealist, but I am still hoping this can be stopped. Read more about: WASHINGTONIn the middle of a sit-in at the Hart Senate Office Building, protesters began to make demands. They wanted crayons. A snack. That action figure that turns into another action figure. On Thursday, it was the children who led the charge. About 100 people, many of them very young, marched, toddled and, in some cases, were carried from St. Marks Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., to the building where about 50 senators have offices. When they arrived, they gathered in a circle, hoisting signs that declared, I AM A CHILD. They sang songs that riffed on familiar nursery rhymes If youre powerful and you know it, clap your hands and cheered, stomped and danced. Thursday was the Trump administrations court-imposed deadline to reunite thousands of children and parents separated by immigration agents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Those younger than 5 were supposed to be returned to their families earlier this month, although the administration did not reunite all of them by the court-assigned date. Hundreds of children whose parents have been deemed ineligible by the government will remain separated, including those whose parents were deported without them. The government was expected to update a federal judge on its progress by the end of the day Thursday. Protest organizers said they wanted to bring children front and centre so lawmakers could see the kinds of kids the presidents zero tolerance policy has affected. This is what a 2-month-old looks like, said Jenn Kauffman, 38, gesturing to the wide-eyed baby affixed to her chest. Hes still breastfeeding. He depends on me for nourishment, for everything. I dont know what either of us would do if we were separated. Parents at the rally said they wanted to show their children what it means to stand up for others in the face of injustice. Do you remember what we talked about, what it means to be here at this protest? Margo Simon, 41, prompted her son. It means equal rights, said Indy, 4, pumping his fist into the air. Nearby, a 3-year-old girl flashed a metallic red cape emblazoned with the Wonder Woman symbol. When I told her we were going to go to protest and try to help those children, she said, If were going to be superheroes, I need my cape, said Diana Raverlie, 44, of Arlington, Virginia. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., asked the children to show her drawings they had made of their families and the messages they had written. Suri Baez, 7, had drawn two hearts one broken and one intact. The broken one is for families who were separated, she told Harris. Their hearts will be whole again when they find their way back together. Oh, thats fantastic, Harris said, crouching down to look up at the girl. So there was a broken heart and now theres a good, solid heart. Suri nodded. It is the ultimate act of inhumanity to rip those children from those parents. And to do it for what? For the sake of so-called deterrence? Harris told the crowd. It is important that we all stand up and say, We as a country are better than this. The protest, organized by a coalition of groups calling themselves Families Belong Together, echoed a demonstration at the same building in late June in which nearly 600 protesters were arrested. By the time Capitol Police issued warnings to disperse Thursday, the children had drawn the attention of Senate staff and tour group members, who gathered at windows and craned their heads to watch. We dont want to arrest anyone who doesnt want to be arrested today, an officer told one of the organizers as parents helped children tuck their signs away. Suri was there with her two siblings, Roberto, 12, and Luna, 14. For the three siblings, who came to Washington, D.C., from Denver to participate in the march, the memory of their mother, Jeanette Vizguerra, being removed from their home was still fresh. Vizguerra, 46, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico City who has lived in the United States for 21 years, was detained last year for 86 days. Immigration officials picked her up for violations that included driving without a valid license and crossing the border illegally, she said. Her children are U.S. citizens. I feel like its kind of similar, us being without our mom and those kids being without theirs its cruel and inhumane, Ricardo said. I know Im not going through the same pain that those kids [at the border] are, but I wanted to be here so I could feel like maybe were helping them. Read more about: A lawyer for Brock Turner, whose six-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman prompted outrage in 2016 and beyond, argued this week that the former Stanford swimmer shouldnt have been convicted of intending to commit rape because he merely sought outercourse. The lawyer, Eric Multhaup, made that argument before a three-judge panel of Californias 6th District Court of Appeal in San Jose on Tuesday. Turner is appealing his conviction on charges of sexual assault of an unconscious person, sexual assault of an intoxicated person and sexual assault with intent to commit rape. The 22-year-old victim was attacked after a fraternity party in January 2015. Two witnesses said they found Turner, then 20, thrusting on top of her unconscious body by a dumpster near the fraternity house, her dress pulled above her waist. He told the police that he removed her underwear and penetrated her with his fingers, but never took his own pants off. During Tuesdays court appearance and in a brief filed in May, Multhaup argued that the outercourse defined as sexual activity other than vaginal sex was all Turner sought. The distinction is significant because, at the time, California law narrowly defined rape as an act of sexual intercourse under duress or lack of consent. (The law has since been expanded to include all forms of nonconsensual sexual assault.) Read more: Stanford sex offender Brock Turner is appealing his conviction Stanford swimmer Brock Turner walks out of jail after serving half his term Stanford sex assault case judge cleared of misconduct for sentence The jury found sufficient evidence that he had intended to rape the unconscious woman, as rape was defined by California law at the time. But in the appeal, Multhaup referred to outercourse as an alternative to or substitute for sexual intercourse, not a precursor to it. As a matter of common sense, the sexual activity that was observed here is mutually exclusive to actual intercourse, the brief said, linking to a Planned Parenthood page in support. A person seeking sexual gratification chooses one or the other. He repeated the argument in court Tuesday but according to local media accounts, at least one of the judges did not seem swayed. I absolutely dont understand what you are talking about, Associate Justice Franklin D. Elia said, according to The San Jose Mercury News. Elia also said the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that a person doesnt have to expose himself to provide intent to commit rape, according to Palo Alto Online. The judges will have 90 days to make a decision. Multhaup did not return an email seeking comment Thursday. Turners case received widespread attention because many saw his sentence six months in jail, well short of the 14-year maximum he could have received as being far too lenient. The judge who sentenced him, Aaron Persky, was recalled in June by just under 60 percent of California voters after a two-year effort to remove him from the bench. Turner served three months before he was released in September 2016. He also received three years of probation, was required to register as a sex offender and was barred from Stanfords campus. In September 2016, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that required minimum sentences for sexual assault cases. The lawyers invocation of outercourse was widely denounced or mocked. Camille Gear Rich, a law professor at the University of Southern California, said in an email that it could serve as a substitute for intercourse only with the consent of both parties, while Turners behaviour suggested he intended to penetrate the victim. Its both offensive and counterproductive for a defence attorney to try to convert voluntary safe sex techniques into a cover for what clearly was malicious intent in this case, she said. Kristen Houser, a spokeswoman for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, based in Pennsylvania, called it a desperate whitewashing attempt. This just really seems like a brazen attempt to sanitize a sexual assault by splitting hairs in individual legal definitions, she said. Michele Dauber, a Stanford law professor who led a committee to recall Persky, said the appeal tactics confirmed what critics had said during the sentencing: that Turner hadnt been remorseful or taken responsibility. She said the introduction of the outercourse argument was inappropriate for an appeals court; Turner had the opportunity to make that case to the jury but never did, she said. In the grand scheme, he got off very lightly and was very lucky in the way he was sentenced, Dauber said. Everyone would be better off if he were to accept the consequences and move on. GENEVARussian officials on Thursday pledged to prosecute anyone implicated in a prisoner-abuse scandal, but they failed to convince United Nations human rights experts that their promises signalled a change in official attitudes on torture. Russias deputy justice minister, Mikhail Galperin, told the U.N. Committee Against Torture on Thursday that Russian authorities had arrested five prison guards who were filmed in June 2017 torturing a prisoner in a penal colony northeast of Moscow and dismissed 17 officials. A chilling 10-minute video filmed on a body camera and released online last week by Novaya Gazeta, an independent newspaper, showed uniformed guards holding down a naked, handcuffed prisoner, later identified as Yevgeny Marakov, while they ferociously beat his feet with truncheons and fists as he howled for them to stop. Marakovs lawyer, Irina Biryukova, who released the video to the newspaper, subsequently fled the country with her family, saying she had received death threats. As public outrage mounted in Russia over the events in the video, the powerful Investigative Committee and the federal penitentiary service announced this week that they had begun inquiries. And as Galperin addressed the committee on Thursday, Russian authorities announced the arrest of a sixth prison guard. Galperin denied having any knowledge of what prompted Biruyokova to leave the country, but he promised her full protection, including a personal security detail and help in changing her appearance, if she wanted it. The severe punishment of those responsible regardless of rank and position will send a clear official signal that torture was unacceptable, Galperin said. He said the case also demonstrated the effectiveness of government efforts to install video cameras in prisons and interrogation rooms. Well, actually it doesnt, Jens Modvig, the committees chairman, retorted. It was a friend of one of the guards, not the authorities, who had handed over the video to the inmates lawyer, Modvig pointed out, and faced with evidence of abuse, the authorities were supposed to act immediately. That didnt happen so I disagree that it shows any kind of effectiveness, he added. Makarovs case was not the only source of the committees dissatisfaction with the performance of Galperins delegation over a two-day hearing at the U.N. human rights office in Geneva. Torture is practiced widely in Russia, Modvig said Wednesday in the opening session of the committee hearing, but there is no rule ensuring that punishment for torture corresponds to the seriousness of the crime. He pressed for details of the legal action taken by the Russian authorities against officials implicated in cases involving the use of torture, but Galperins delegation provided no answers on Thursday. The conclusion here is that the Russian Federation is unable to explain how it prosecutes torture, Modvig said. This is simply not good enough. The committee also wanted details about what happened to Valery Pshenichny, a 56-year-old entrepreneur who was found hanging in his cell in a St. Petersburg prison in January. Pshenichny had accused a former business partner of stealing company money, but he then was charged with fraud related to a submarine contract. The committee drew attention to an official medical report that found that Pshenichny had a broken spine and knife wounds and that he had been subjected to electric shocks and raped. That case and others had given rise to speculation, including in this committee, that Russian authorities were seeking to hide the harsh conditions in prisons, Modvig said. The Russian delegations responses did little to clarify the situation. Causing a person to commit suicide is a crime in Russia, said a delegation member, Dmitri Dudukalov, a senior official in the Office of the Prosecutor General. But preliminary medical and criminal investigations had determined that there was no evidence of physical or sexual violence by third parties, he said. It was possible that Pshenichnys neck had been broken by the weight of his body, Dudukalov suggested, but he added that the case was still under investigation. The committee had even less success with its questions about the 2009 death of Sergei L. Magnitsky, the 39-year old lawyer who exposed fraud by tax officials but died in pretrial custody in a Moscow prison after he was beaten and denied medical treatment. His death still casts a shadow over Americas relations with Russia. A campaign by Magnitskys former boss, William F. Browder, an investor, led Congress to pass the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which established economic sanctions that have infuriated the Kremlin. Russias handling of Magnitskys death was exemplary of nonaction, Felice Gaer, an American member of the committee said, and she asked how the committee could have confidence that the Russian authorities would prosecute others accused of torture. Galperins delegation, however, would not be moved beyond the written replies it had submitted to the committee before the Geneva meeting. A criminal investigation had looked into the possibility of unlawful acts committed against Magnitsky, including torture, Dudukalov from the Prosecutor Generals office, said. No evidence was found to support that hypothesis. Read more about: LONDONThe Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trumps presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. The data was obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovskys London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Center, that is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption. The data was later shared with journalists at the AP, the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Greek news website Inside Story and elsewhere . The AP was unable to reach Veselnitskaya for comment. Messages from a reporter sent to her phone were marked as read but were not returned. A list of questions sent via email went unanswered. Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Trumps eldest son, Donald Jr., met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government and was offering Moscows help defeating rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Veselnitskaya has denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met with the Trump team, telling Congress that she operates independently of any government bodies. Read more: Trump Jr: Cant recall discussing Russia probe with father Kushner, Trump Jr. may dodge public hearings on Russia with help from top Republicans Steve Bannon says meeting between Trump campaign aides, Russian lawyer was treasonous But recent reporting has cast doubt on her story. In an April interview with NBC News, Veselnitskaya acknowledged acting as an informant for the Russian government after being confronted with an earlier batch of emails obtained through the Dossier Center. The new documents reviewed by AP suggest her ties to Russian authorities are close and they pull the curtain back on her campaign to overturn the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian officials. The source of the material is murky. Veselnitskaya has previously said that her emails were hacked. Khodorkovsky told AP he couldnt know where the messages came from, saying his group maintained a series of anonymous digital drop boxes. The AP worked to authenticate the 200-odd documents, in some cases by verifying the digital signatures carried in email headers. In three other cases, individuals named in various email chains confirmed that the messages were genuine. Other correspondence was partially verified by confirming the nonpublic phone numbers or email addresses they held, including some belonging to senior Russian officials and U.S. lobbyists. Friends in high places Veselnitskayas role in the drama over the Trump campaigns Russian connections is rooted in her fight against Bill Browder, the American-born British businessman who has become a leading critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Browders decade-plus crusade against the Kremlin has so enraged Russian officials that Putin demanded his extradition to Moscow during his press conference with President Trump in Helsinki earlier this month. The feud took off in 2009, when a lawyer working for Browder, Sergey Magnitsky, died in a Moscow prison under suspicious circumstances. Magnitsky had been investigating a multimillion dollar embezzlement scheme allegedly involving Russian tax officials when he was arrested, and Browder turned his death into a cause celebre, successfully lobbying Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that slapped the officials implicated in the scandal with visa bans and asset freezes. Moscow has responded with a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian orphans and by an unrelenting campaign against Browder, who says hes been the subject of more than a half-dozen attempts to extradite him to Russia through Interpol. Browder has refused to back down, pushing for copycat legislation across the world. Veselnitskaya has taken the counteroffensive, battling him in court across Europe and the U.S. and organizing a media and lobbying campaign to undercut his credibility in Washington. Veselnitskaya told Congress last year that her interest in Browder was all part of my job defending a specific person her client Denis Katsyv, who Browder accuses of laundering money through the company Prevezon. But the documents obtained through the Dossier Center show she both received Russian government support and provided assistance to high-level authorities in Moscow. When Swiss officials investigating Prevezon arrived in Moscow on September 2015 to interrogate Katsyv, for example, they were met not just by Veselnitskaya but by Lt. Col. A. V. Ranchenkov, a senior Interior Ministry official previously known for his role investigating the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. Ranchenkov devoted a chunk of the interview to questions about the legality of Browders actions, according to a transcript of the interrogation reviewed by AP. The Russian Interior Ministry did not return messages seeking comment. Two years later, the emails show, Veselnitskaya was mixed up in the Russian governments attempt to extract financial information from Browders former law firm in Cyprus. An Oct. 31, 2017, email shows Veselnitskayas office preparing a draft version of Russian Deputy General Prosecutor Mikhail Alexandrovs affidavit to Cypriot authorities. This is needed by tomorrow, she wrote a subordinate. Two weeks later, a finalized version of the same document was sent by a Russian diplomatic staffer to a Cypriot counterpart, the Dossier Centers files show. Browder said this reinforced the idea that Veselnitskaya was enmeshed with Russian officialdom. If her office is drafting replies for Russian-Cyprus law enforcement co-operation, in my opinion that effectively shows that shes an agent of the Russian government and not an independent lawyer as she claims, he said in a telephone interview. In a written statement, the Russian Embassy in Cyprus called the APs questions a provocation and said that it had no idea who is Nataliya Veselnitskaya and what she sends or doesnt send to the Cypriot Officials. Alexandrov, reached at the prosecutor-generals office, refused to speak to the AP. My antennae were out Veselnitskaya tried to extend her influence to the United States. The emails obtained through the Dossier Center show her at the centre of a multipronged lobbying operation aimed at halting Browders momentum in Washington. One prong was aimed at building a grassroots support for the effort to overturn the Magnitsky Act, or at least create the illusion of one. A potential ally in this effort was the Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption Including Neighbouring Countries, or FRUA, a charity that supports families who adopt children from former Soviet bloc nations. Jan Wondra, the organizations chairman, said she attended a meeting in Washington on June 8, 2016, with a group of people including Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who was working with Veselnitskaya to overturn U.S. sanctions against Russia. The group told her they had evidence that the Magnitsky Act had been propelled by bogus claims spread by Browder and his allies, Wondra said, a revelation the group said could lead to the overturning of the Russian adoption ban. Wondra told the AP she was suspicious and feared that the lobbyists wanted FRUAs endorsement for their own purposes. My antennae were out. I looked at this as an attempt to put public pressure on Congress to rescind all or a part of the Magnitsky Act, she said, emphasizing that she spoke only for herself, not her organization. The conclusion I drew was that FRUA should not participate. And we didnt. Akhmetshin, who would join Veselnitskaya at the Trump Tower meeting the next day, declined to comment. While the lobbyists were wooing Wondra, Veselnitskaya was overseeing the creation of a new organization called the Human Rights Accountability Global Initiative Foundation, or HRAGI, which billed itself as a grassroots group devoted to overturning the Russian adoption ban. A Bloomberg report shows the organization was in fact funded by Russian friends of Katsyv something Veselnitskaya appeared eager to keep secret. Is it possible to open a Fund account here in Russia, so we can collect money from donations and then pay them into an account anonymously in the U.S? she wrote Mark Cymrot, a lawyer at the U.S. law firm BakerHostetler, in a March 17, 2016, email. Cymrot represented Prevezon, the Katsyv-owned company accused by Browder of being a conduit for the ill-gotten money Magnitsky was tracking before he died. But Cymrot did more than just fight Veselnitskayas corner in American court; he also helped her undercut Browders crusading image in the American media. For this, Cymrot turned to Fusion GPS, a private intelligence firm that prepared a 660-odd page media dossier on Browder for circulation to journalists. Fusion also was tasked with background research for Veselnitskayas work convincing elected representatives to push back against Browders campaign in Washington, where the Global Magnitsky Bill, an enlarged version of the 2012 law, was wending its way through Congress. The emails capture Cymrot writing to Fusion to ask for damning material on Browder to send to a senior staffer on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Any articles critical of Browder, Cymrot told Fusion, saying the staffer had asked for anything we have that could be helpful. Time is of the essence, he added, noting that the global bill was only two days from the beginning of the amendment process. Cymrot said his work did not constitute lobbying. Youre misinterpreting what occurred, he said in a telephone interview. When pressed for details, he asked for questions in writing. When these were provided, he did not respond. BakerHostetler also did not respond to written questions. Whatever Cymrots role, Veselnitskayas modest American lobbying effort came to naught. The Global Magnitsky Act cleared the Committee on Foreign Affairs amid overwhelming bipartisan support. It was signed into law on Dec. 23, 2016. Blowback The campaign to knock the wind out of Browders sails began to draw blowback as the political climate changed. On July 16, 2016, Browder filed a formal complaint with the Justice Department accusing Cymrot, Akhmetshin, Fusion founder Glenn Simpson and many of their colleagues of acting as unregistered agents for Russia. In October 2016, a judge threw BakerHostetler off the Prevezon case on the grounds of conflict of interest, since the firm had previously represented Browder. It eventually was replaced by Los Angeles-based Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. After Trumps election in November, the once-discreet Fusion was thrust into the white-hot centre of Trumps Washington when it was revealed that the private intelligence company had commissioned the dossier containing explosive claims about the future presidents behaviour in Russia. Republican politicians seized on Browders 2016 complaint about Fusion to try to undermine the dossiers authors, accusing Simpson, for example, of secretly working on behalf of the Russian state, or of letting his work for Prevezon overlap with his opposition research on Trump. Simpson denied the charges in his testimony before Congress. In a statement Thursday, Fusions lawyer Joshua A. Levy said the company had provided litigation support not lobbying and that its Trump research had survived determined Republican efforts to discredit it. Others in Veselnitskayas orbit took a little time to get their story straight, a document obtained through the Dossier Center suggests. The April 2017 document initially has Robert Arakelian, the owner of the HRAGI organization working to overturn the adoption ban, explaining that he is exempt from the requirement to register as a foreign agent and saying he created the organization at the request of Denis Katsyv. The documents tracked changes suggest a BakerHostetler lawyer rewrote the charitys origin story wholesale, deleting the reference to Katsyv and saying instead that the adoption group was established after Arakelian met Akhmetshin, the lobbyist, and learned that the law is unjust and based on false information provided to members of the United States Congress. The BakerHostetler lawyer then inserted a sentence explaining that there were no agreements between the adoption group, Katsyv, Prevezon or any other foreign persons or principals from the Russian Federation. The only foreign link, the document said, was an informal representation by Veselnitskaya. Arakelian didnt return an email seeking comment. A bad light As the rewriting of the document shows, BakerHostetler was still involved with Prevezon and its entourage despite the judge having ordered the firm off the case months before. Faith Gay of Quinn Emanuel told Veselnitskaya on May 1, 2017, that she was still in touch with BakerHostetler even though the firm couldnt officially participate in trial preparations. We have been trying to talk with them informally as much as possible, she wrote. Gay no longer works for the firm and declined to comment when approached by the AP. But several emails show her former colleagues copying counterparts at BakerHostetler on trial-related matters, as well as BakerHostetler lawyers offering their feedback throughout the first half of 2017. Cymrot defended his continued work on Prevezon, saying the lawyers at Quinn Emanuel needed help navigating the complex case they had taken on right up until the moment Prevezon settled with the government on May 19, 2017. It was all under the transition period, he said in his interview. Cymrot refused to divulge whether he or others at BakerHostetler were paid for their work, calling that information privileged. Worries about the behind-the-scenes assistance becoming public would prove a source of concern after news of Veselnitskayas meeting at Trump Tower became public. Within weeks, she, Akhmetshin, Simpson and others were called before Congress and investigators subpoenaed their emails. Quinn Emmanuel warned Veselnitskaya that the email exchanges could be damaging and urged her to declare them off-limits. Releasing the messages could result in a question being raised about BakerHostleter representing Prevezons interests well beyond the district courts disqualification of them as Prevezons counsel, one lawyer wrote. Veselnitskaya initially shrugged off the issue. I can see no reason to worry, she wrote on Aug. 18. But five days later, senior Quinn Emanuel lawyer Faith Gay reemphasized the point, arguing that the documents should be kept secret as it seems to us that it could be your friends at BakerHostetler in a bad light. Quinn Emanuel did not respond to a list of questions. Veselnitskayas final response isnt captured in the messages obtained through the Dossier Center, but she appears to have relented. The emails between BakerHostetler, Fusion and congressional staffers were never made public. Instead, a two-page email log was produced labelling the material confidential communication performed at the direction of counsel in anticipation of litigation. Unanswered questions The emails obtained by AP leave some unanswered questions. In particular, the Dossier Centers investigation turned up almost no messages about the Trump Tower meeting, its lead-up or its aftermath. The group said it received only a few messages dealing with the media queries when the meeting became public in mid-2017. That could lend credence to arguments by the Trump campaign and Veselnitskaya that both sides quickly realized the get-together was a waste of time. I wanted to go away as soon as possible, she told Congress. And I felt Trump Jr. wanted the same too. The messages also carry no hint of the Trump dossier, and nothing in the material challenges Simpsons testimony that Fusions work for Prevezon was kept separate from its work on Trump. Finally, theres no mention in the documents of the Russian hack-and-leak operation that began rattling the Democrats immediately following Veselnitskayas visit. The only hints of cyberespionage in the documents appear to revolve around concerns that Veselnitskaya or members of her entourage might have their messages hacked by others. About a week before the Trump Tower meeting, for example, Veselnitskayas translator warned Arakelian, the owner of HRAGI, the adoption group, that their emails were vulnerable and suggested switching to more secure channels. We need to think about how to send files via Telegram, Signal or PGP, he said. Read more about: REDDING, CALIF.An explosive wildfire raged through several Northern California communities, killing two firefighters and destroying dozens of homes after thousands of terrified residents fled in miles-long traffic jams. Flames that turned the sky orange swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River on Thursday and reaching Redding, a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. The so-called Carr Fire is taking down everything in its path, said Scott McLean, a CalFire spokesperson for the crews battling the blaze. Its just a wall of flames, he said. Sixty-five structures had been destroyed, and 500 other buildings were threatened, fire officials said. A firefighter with the Redding Fire Department was killed in Shasta County, officials said Friday. Another firefighter hired to try to contain the flames with a bulldozer was killed Thursday. Residents in the western part of Redding who had not been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice. When it hit, people were really scrambling, McLean said. There was not much of a warning. Many fire crews turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. Read more: California wildfire believed to be sparked by arson forces thousands to evacuate their homes California authorities order evacuations as crews battle raging wildfire Really, were in a life-saving mode right now in Redding, said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. Were not fighting a fire. Were trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly, and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area. Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of town. A reporter with Redding television station KRCR choked up as she reported live updates about the fire before the station had to go off the air later. Two news anchors told viewers that the building was being evacuated and urged residents to be safe. Journalists at the Record Searchlight newspaper tweeted about continuing to report on the fire without electricity in their newsroom, and a reporter at nearby KHSL television wrote on Twitter that the stations Redding reporters were running home to gather their things. Mike Mangas, a spokesperson at Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital was evacuating five babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, and taking them to medical facilities outside of the area. He said the hospital was preparing high-risk patients to be evacuated but there were no immediate plans to do so. Late Thursday, crews found the body of the bulldozer operator who had been hired privately to clear vegetation in the blazes path, McLean said. The fire burned over the operator and his equipment, making him the second bulldozer operator killed in a California blaze in less than two weeks. Three firefighters and an unknown number of civilians had burns, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately known, McLean said. Its just chaotic. Its wild, he said. Theres a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning. Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze Thursday, but flames kept jumping their lines, he said. Its just a heck of a fight, he said. Theyre doing what they can do, and they get pushed out in a lot of cases. Were fighting the fight right now. He said the fire behaviour was so erratic, there were tornadoes within the fire tossing around equipment, blowing windows out of Cal Fire pickup trucks. The 115-square-kilometre fire that began Monday tripled in size overnight Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. It was sparked by a mechanical issue involving a vehicle, Cal Fire said. Brett Gouvea, incident commander of the crews battling the fire, urged residents to pay close attention to the blaze. This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard for whats in its path, he said. Earlier in the day, with flames exploding around Whiskeytown Lake, people tried to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety. But it wasnt swift enough to spare them all. Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina. The boat docks down there all the way out in the water 30 to 40 boats caught fire when the fire laid down on top of them last night and burned those up, said fire Chief Mike Hebrard of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and caused campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. That blaze killed 36-year-old Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection whose bulldozer rolled over into a ravine July 14. Hundreds of miles to the south, the Cranston Fire grew to 19 square kilometres and about 3,000 residents remained under evacuation orders in Idyllwild and several neighbouring communities. That fire, which destroyed five homes, is believed to have been sparked by arson. Photo: Captain Morgan Arnott Lieutenant-Colonel Tami Marchinko (left) presents the Most Improved Cadet award to Penticton's own Nathan Leclercq (right) at the 3-Week Course Graduation Parade on July 27, 2018. A Penticton cadet has been recognized in Victoria for work improving himself this summer. Cadet Nathan Leclercq from 259 Panther Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Penticton was one of 52 youths to be selected to attend a three-week course at Alberts Head on how aircraft work and the operations of flight. The Albert Head cadet training centre says he demonstrated such a large improvement during his time on course, he was presented with the award for Most Improved Cadet for Flight 7. The course allows cadets to develop the fundamentals of aerospace, airport operations and aircraft manufacturing and maintenance. I really enjoyed all the opportunities which I have had at Albert Head this summer. I made a lot of new friends and really enjoyed having the opportunity to build and launch a rocket, said Leclercq. The Albert Head centre sees about 900 cadets come through its courses each summer. The program is open to youth aged 12-18. More information can be found here. WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump denied Friday that he knew in advance about a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 between a Russian lawyer, his eldest son and other campaign aides that had been convened to hear dirt on his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Trump tweeted, NO, he did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. CNN reported Thursday Trumps former longtime lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, claims Trump knew in advance about the meeting. CNN cited anonymous sources saying Cohen was willing to share that information with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia. A person familiar with the investigation confirmed the CNN report to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person wasnt authorized to speak publicly. Cohen wasnt at the Trump Tower meeting and Cohen has not offered evidence to support the claim that Trump knew about the meeting. He does not have any recordings of the meeting, the person said. Trumps team met with the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, believing she had dirt on Clinton to share. Read more: Documents imply Moscow lawyer who met with Trump Jr. is tied to Russian officials Mueller examining Trumps tweets in wide-ranging obstruction inquiry 11 House Republicans seek impeachment of Russia investigation overseer Rosenstein The Associated Press reported this week that Veselnitskaya worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, based on scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents that show her to be a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior interior ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. Trump, who in the past has denied knowing about the meeting before it happened, also shot back at Cohen, who was once so loyal to Trump that he said hed take a bullet for his boss. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam, Trump tweeted, adding: (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Cohen, whose business dealings are being investigated by the FBI, has longtime dealings in the taxi industry and owns several medallions for New York City yellow cabs that allow them to pick up passengers on the street. Cohen lawyer Guy Petrillo did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Cohen is under federal investigation in New York. The Justice Department has been investigating Cohen for months, raiding his home, office and hotel room in search of documents related to a $130,000 payment the attorney facilitated before the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress who says she had sex with Trump in 2006. In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Cohen declined to answer if Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting in advance, citing the advice of his lawyers and the ongoing investigation. Trump also on Friday dismissed as ridiculous a report that Mullers team is looking at Trumps tweets as they investigate possible collusion and obstruction of justice. Trump complained that he had returned from a trip Midwest Thursday only to be greeted with the ridiculous news that Mueller and his team cannot find Collusion ... so now they are looking at my Tweets (along with 53 million other people). (T)he rigged Witch Hunt continues! he complained, adding: How stupid and unfair to our Country. Mueller is known to be scrutinizing Trumps tweets about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former FBI director James Comey. A list of potential questions for Trump compiled by the presidents legal team following conversations with investigators and released earlier this year made clear that Mueller is interested in some of Trumps tweets to the extent they raise obstruction of justice concerns. Read more about: WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow if formally invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said Friday. Putin had said earlier Friday during a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, that he was ready to invite Trump and also ready to visit Washington if conditions are right. Thats fine with Trump, said Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The U.S. president looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation, she said. Trump had initially invited Putin to Washington this fall for a follow-up meeting to their controversial Helsinki summit. But National Security Adviser John Bolton said this week that Trump now believes the follow-up sit-down should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over and after the first of the year. He was referring to the federal investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election and whether Trumps campaign assisted or was aware of the efforts. Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a witch hunt intended to delegitimize his presidency. Putin said Friday, I understand very well what President Trump said: He has the wish to conduct further meetings. I am ready for this. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow, Putin said, according to the state news agency RIA-Novosti. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him of this. He did not clarify if that was a face-to-face invitation to be followed by a formal one. I am prepared to go to Washington, but, I repeat, if the appropriate conditions for work are created, the Russian leader said Trump has been widely criticized for failing to strongly denounce Russias election interference and appearing to accept Putins denials during their joint press conference in Helsinki. Trump has since tried to walk back at least some of his comments. Read more about: Fighting fear with facts in Canadas refugee policy, July 22 There are currently over 1 million refugees in Lebanon, and nearly as many in Jordan. This qualifies as a crisis for these countries. Fewer than 50,000 refugees arrived in Canada last year. This qualifies as a minor challenge for Canada, not a crisis. If you ever thought of Toronto as a big city, capable of managing its own affairs, give your head a shake. Another premier, another charlatan, another misguided politician looking to tap into voter disenchantment with government, has taken the axe to Toronto in the name of government efficiency. By dicta. By edict. Without consultation. And, shamefully, with the support so many who will lie and deceive and tell the people what they love to hear. Premier Doug Ford announced Friday he would unilaterally cut the size of Toronto city council to 25 from 47 councillors, calling council the most dysfunctional political arena in the country. In talking to voters across the province, he said, he has found nobody who wouldnt want to trade in a bunch of politicians for $25 million the amount he says the move will save taxpayers. Fords right about you. Consistently, you dont like politicians. Hes tapping into the anti-government mood. But he is reckless by tossing a bomb into the city on the day nomination closes, less than three months before the October 22 election. Because he can. And because he doesnt need to consult with the city to determine how the countrys largest city will manage the changes. This is what we mean when we say the city is the creature of the province. Or, the premier can abolish the mayor and dissolve the City of Toronto with the stroke of a pen. No questions asked. No matter what the residents think or say. Just proclaim it! Premier Doug Ford, defeated in his bid to become mayor of Toronto in 2014 and thwarted while he was the lieutenant in his brother Rob Fords mayoralty, can unilaterally implement the policies his brother wanted to implement, and do so without debate and vote. Even though he did not run on such a platform in the just-completed election, and did not seek such a mandate from the people of Ontario, Ford can act, unchallenged. Sure, city council or individual councillors may sue. But they wont win. In effect, Ford can control city council from Queens Park. So much for Toronto, the Six, the Big Smoke. The greatest modern example of this imbalance of power occurred in the mid-1990s when Ontarios last Conservative government amalgamated the six cities into the current megacity of Toronto. Premier Mike Harris was the villain then. And he touched off the most tumultuous, sustained protest for local democracy that our local municipal government has seen in anyones memory. Kathleen Wynne, before she was a politician, was one of the principals in planning the protests. Back then we had six mayors, six fire chiefs, six city councils and more than 100 city councillors in Metro Toronto. Harris argued that cutting the six to one would save wads of cash and create unimaginable efficiencies. Twenty years later, the first Conservative government since Harriss regime is telling us again, Were going to run city hall a lot more efficiently than before. It wont happen. And frankly, most of the supporters of this strong-armed action dont really care if it does. They are more interested in the politics of the decision. They see this as a way of reducing the number of progressive city councillors and weakening the power of Liberals and New Democrats. They see it as a way of keeping the suburban power control over amalgamated Toronto. The last 20 years has been the most challenging period for Toronto precisely because of the way the Harris government implemented the amalgamation. Toronto has barely recovered. What it needs now is stability and support not another chaotic period buttressed by uncertainty. The argument offered is this: if L.A. can function with 15 councillors, so can Toronto. (Well, Chicago has 50, so?) City council cant end transit gridlock, fix the $1 billion public housing backlog, and build infrastructure because the large number of councillors are stumbling over themselves, arguing and unable to decide. Bunkum. The housing backlog was created when the Harris government downloaded the cost of social housing on Toronto, one of the most outrageous political decisions. Ford, barely elected premier, has not relieved the burden. In fact, he has announced further cuts on this file. Transit? Harris again reduced provincial funding, truncated the Sheppard subway, filled in the Eglinton West subway and set the TTC off on a downward spiral. The Fords aggravated the situation. Dougs late brother, Rob, created the delays by insisting, as mayor, that subways, subways, subways replace the approved and paid for LRT plan, proposed by Robs predecessor David Miller. That kicked off several rounds of debate and studies and redebate and delays. Doug Fords transit pronouncements are adding to the delays and confusion independent of the size of city council. For example, Ford has announced he will amend Torontos current transit plans a move that will lengthen, not shorten the approval process. Its a red herring to suggest that the size of city council has anything to do with the number of times council must vote on the Scarborough subway extension. A new, 25-member council will have to vote on the Scarborough subway extension another three or four times just like a 100-member council would. Its the approval process, stupid. The reason the Scarborough subway decision is taking long is because provincial governments keep changing the rules for political reasons, and because they can. David Miller tried to get transit going, Ford said Friday. Nothing happened. Ford not the size of council is directly responsible for the stalling of the Miller plan. Only people like Donald Trump get away with such dissembling. And they do because voters, enamored with their own perception of politicians, embrace the latest snake charmer professing to save them money. Royson James is a former Star reporter who is a current freelance columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @roysonjames Read more about: VANCOUVERIndigenous leaders in British Columbia said they remain shaken and deeply troubled by tear-filled testimony at Assembly of First Nations meetings Thursday by families grieving the unjust and senseless killings of young Indigenous people. After hearing the words of the mother of Colten Boushie the late Red Pheasant First Nation member, 22, whose 2016 killing sparked fury across Canada after a Saskatchewan jury acquitted the farmer who shot him Grand Chief Edward John lamented the racism and intolerance in society and in the courts. Its really hard to fathom what message this sends out there, the longtime lawyer and Tlazten Nation hereditary chief told StarMetro in an interview during AFN meetings Thursday. Theres a degree of racism and intolerance and an even greater degree of indifference that allows these sorts of acts to continue. The social aspect of this is even more troubling than the criminal aspect. Theres still very many entrenched views around Indigenous peoples in this country that are very troubling. Prior to his executive role in the B.C. First Nations Summit, John was former expert member of the United Nations permanent forum on Indigenous issues, and helped draft the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. He said that even though B.C. hasnt seen the kind of recent controversy around such a verdict as the Boushie case, we have in the past seen this and its a reminder that racism hurts Indigenous people across Canada, including the West Coast. Nobodys going to sweep my sons death under the carpet, said Boushies mother, Debbie Baptiste, from the stage at the Vancouver Convention Centre, as National Chief Perry Bellegarde and B.C. AFN regional chief Terry Teegee listened nearby. Every day, I feel that pain We didnt have a chance for justice. That needs to change the whole system. That message was heard clearly by Teegee, who is closely involved in the AFNs justice portfolio and has advocated for justice reforms in B.C. and beyond. In an interview, he said the justice system doesnt represent Indigenous people and said Thursdays testimony was very troublesome from the Boushie family just trying to access justice. It was very emotional, Teegee told StarMetro. But at the same time we need to support them. What Ive been saying in B.C., where weve had conversations with the province about justice, is that in my determination it needs a complete overhaul in terms of representation for Indigenous people. The AFN, which advocates for the interests of its 635 member bands a significant number of which are in B.C. held its national meetings in Vancouver this week, seeing the re-election of Bellegarde and the passage of a number of motions calling for greater self-determination for First Nations. But the AFN wasnt without criticism, and the families intervention on stage Thursday morning saw the First Nations leadership come under fire for not doing more. The Boushie familys lawyer Eleanor Sunchild told assembled chiefs that they must work harder to protect our young Indigenous people from being senselessly killed. To our leaders, you need to protect our young people, from being killed senselessly, she said. It needs to stop. And so I ask that we take action to ensure that these injustices dont continue any more, that our people are protected, and that we can live together in a country where our people dont have to fear for their safety. In addition to the testimony of the Boushie family during the AFN assembly, several B.C. leaders attending were shaken by the words of relatives of another young Indigenous man killed from Six Nations in Ontario. John said one improvement is the work he and others have done in better educating and training judges, particularly in B.C. provincial courts, to handle cases involving Indigenous peoples. But despite that, First Nations are still heavily under-represented on the bench itself, while remaining heavily overrepresented in criminal justice through arrests and incarceration, he said. Somebody could murder my son without any consequences, said Debra Styres, whose 29-year-old son Jon was shot to death in Ontario in 2016, but whose shooter was also found not guilty. What kind of Canada do we live in? The current justice system is not set up to apply the law without prejudice. Read more about: South African Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom on Thursday said that they are looking for an agreement with India to ensure hassle-free tourism. Speaking to ANI, Hanekom said, "Major growth of tourism is hampered by visa requirements and direct flights. Looking at reintroducing direct flights and looking for an agreement in this space with India." His statement comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to South Africa on the sidelines of BRICS summit. "Kind of agreements signed at BRICS are very important for the world on whole. There are strong historical ties with India, many Indian-origin people in South Africa. Strengthening cultural and sporting ties between the two countries is important," Hanekom told ANI. Hanekom further said that South Africa is looking for a MoU on tourism cooperation for all BRICS countries. "We are looking for an MoU on tourism cooperation for all BRICS countries. If we need greater economic cooperation, we need to reduce the number of less-skilled people, need to get them work-ready and language skills also need improvement," he added. Meanwhile, South African Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said that South Africa is working very well with India politically and economically. Speaking to ANI, Nene said, "South Africa is working very well with India politically and economically. Indian investment in South Africa is significant, balanced trade relations, potential for trade is huge." Both the ministers further said that South Africa will work together with India to counter terror threats. The 10th BRICS Summit was held under the theme "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the fourth Industrial Revolution". The three-day summit began yesterday with the BRICS Business Forum Meet. On the related note, India signed MoUs in the fields of education, skill, health and agriculture with South Africa. --ANI Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) As if celebrity baby Scarlet Snow Belo is not cute enough on her own, she posted snapshots from her photo shoot with her barely two-month-old nephew. In the photo she posted on Friday, Scarlet Snow cuddled the baby of her sister Cristalle Belo-Pitt, Hunter James. "You can now call me 'Scarletita' because cute Baby Hunter James is Ate Talle's baby and that makes me his auntie!" the three-year-old celebrity baby wrote on Instagram. Scarlet Snow and Cristalle are the daughters of beauty doctor to the stars, Vicki Belo. Scarlet is Vicki's only child with Hayden Kho, while Cristalle is actor Atom Henares' daughter. Cristalle also shared videos of how the cameras captured the sweet smile of Scarlet Snow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday held bilateral meetings with presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and discussed ways to boost ties, including in areas of energy and agriculture Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a photograph of Prime Minister Modi and Angolan President Joao Lourenco together at the start of the talks "Bilateral meetings continue for PM Narendra Modi in Johannesburg! With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas. #IndiaatBRICS," Kumar said in the tweet India and Angola have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties. India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against the Portuguese colonial rule till it attained independence in 1975 India has become the third-largest trading partner of Angola, sharing about 15 per cent of that country's external trade. Angola remained the second-largest source of crude oil for India, after Nigeria, in the Sub-Saharan Africa, according to information available on the MEA website There are estimated 4,000 people of Indian-origin in Angola holding passports of different nationalities The Prime Minister's Office tweeted that both leaders "discussed ways to enhance cooperation in trade, energy and other sectors." In another tweet, the PMO said Modi held a separate bilateral meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri "Accelerating ties with Argentina. During their meeting, Presdent @mauriciomacri and PM @narendramodi talked about strengthening relations especially in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and investment (sic)," the PMO tweeted As president of the G20, Macri was invited to participate in the BRICS Summit The two leaders previously met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. That time, Modi had thanked Macri for supporting India's membership bid at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit this year is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 4o per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. --PTI John Badman | The Telegraph ALTON A Godfrey man is facing multiple drug-related felonies after police allegedly seized 28 pounds of cannabis and an undisclosed amount of cash during a drug bust Wednesday. Michael S. Hill, 21, of the 2700 block of Gerson Avenue, Godfrey, was charged Thursday with unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 2 felony; and unlawful delivery of cannabis, a Class 2 felony. GRANITE CITY Large groups of supporters and protesters of President Donald Trump met just down the street from one another in Granite City as the presidential motorcade swept in for a speech on trade at U.S. Steels Granite City Works plant. More than 1,000 people lined 19th Street, waving flags and signs, while an anti-Trump rally in Civic Park attracted about 400, and two inflated Trump chickens. And although only a block separated them, the two groups appeared to live in separate worlds. At the park, the inflatable chickens were initially waiting for the arrival of a generator to inflate them, then the larger chicken at more than 30-feet high had to be moved. Organizers said the second chicken represented U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, who attended Trumps speech. On 19th Street, supporters waited for the motorcade. A few Trump detractors also came up with signs, along with several anti-Trump protesters, who made obscene gestures at the motorcade, which jockeyed for position with members of a Bikers for Trump group. According to police, in both occurrences, there were no real problems. Both incidents started breaking up after the passing of the motorcade. Big areas of disagreement included the impact of Trumps announcement of tariffs earlier this year, on the restarting of the blast furnaces and expanding steel processing. Among those showing support along 19th Street, Cindy Hall, a Granite City resident, was holding a sign thanking the president for his action on steel. I love it, she said. It is a great way to support not only your community, but the president who made this happen. The mill would not have reopened fully and completely unless he did what he did, and put the tariffs on. She said it helps level the playing field. You have to be able to make it fair for everybody, she added. At the park, Robin OMara, of Godfrey, a member of Action Metro East, said the president came to Granite City to take credit for something he didnt do. The steel plant was scheduled to open months before President Trump put his tariffs in place, and it was scheduled to open for the right reason, the market demanded it, she said. The timing just made it possible for him to start lying. Among those along 19th Street, some of the crowd would occasionally respond to someone yelling USA or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Brian Schmitz, of Grantfork, was waving a large American flag. I believe and support our president, he said. Everything that was here years ago that we made and built in America, needs to be brought back and be built in America. Its time to quit making everybody else rich and make America rich again. Just down the street, several members of the Edwardsville High School Young Republicans Club were there with a sign. Its a great opportunity to see the president of the United States, no matter who he may be, said Jackson Budwell, 15, of Edwardsville. He added it was awe-inspiring to see someone who is arguably the most powerful person in the world. And while Budwell said he had been concerned about a possible trade war, recent news on that front has been good. At the park, OMara said the impact of the tariffs, on small businesses that cant absorb the cost, will be dramatic. Larger businesses may be able to absorb it, but they pass the costs on to you and me, she said, adding that the retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries are having a devastating effect. She said normally China purchases $1.7 billion worth of Illinois soybeans, and half of the states pork products. We cant sustain that kind of loss, she said. She also criticized the presidents recent announcement of a $12 billion farm subsidy, saying the U.S. will have to borrow $12 billion from China to pay farmers for not selling crops to China. Paula Shelton, a farmer from Montgomery County, brought a stalk of corn to emphasize her issues with Trump. She said last March when there were rumors of tariffs, her grain buyer advised her to sell crops on the futures market. If he puts the tariff on youll really suffer, she said he told her. Shelton said they sold 10 percent of their soybeans in that market, which locked in a better price, but was a big gamble. Now the market for soybeans has gone down since we sold in March, $2 a bushel, which is astronomical for soybeans, she said, adding corn is also down. Then he announced the bailout. We dont want a bailout, she said. We want him to lift the tariff on China and Mexico so we can sell. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. GRANITE CITY President Donald Trump credited his trade policies with the recent announcement of the reopening of U.S. Steel Corp.s Granite City Works plant. Trump on Thursday was welcomed by more than 500 United Steel Workers who cheered the presidents comments on domestically produced steel being vital to the success of the country. If you dont have steel you dont have a country, Trump told the audience at the Granite City Works. U.S. Steel is back. U.S. Steel shut down the Granite City plant, which is owned by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp., and blamed other countries, that subsidize the steel industry, of dumping cheap steel unfairly in the U.S. market. More than 2,000 workers were laid off in 2015 as the plant sat idle. Trump pointed to his administrations use of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum as the reason for the plant reopening. U.S. Steel officials say Trumps trade policies are the reason the plant is now back up and running. The president has been in office a short time and a lot has happened over that time because of this president, U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said. We are so fortunate to have this type of leadership at this time. We can have steel that is mined, melted and made in the U.S.A. Burritt said the company is back in business because the policies are in place and need to stay in place and we know the president will not blink. Trump said that tariffs have led to the elimination of steel dumping, primarily from China. They were dumping steel all over the country and putting you people out of work, Trump said. Now we are making our own steel and the U.S. is taking in billions of dollars and there are new jobs and we are recreating a giant industry. We need steel and steel plants and steel workers in the U.S.A. Steel is vital to our national security. Speaking for nearly an hour, Trump touched on trade with the European Union, agriculture exports and fake news. Traveling with the president for his trip through Iowa and Illinois were Department of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the presidents daughter Ivanka Trump. Local elected officials in attendance were U.S. Representatives from Illinois Mike Bost, John Shimkus and Rodney Davis. Illinois has a public pension crisis. Thats not really news, though. State officials have known about it for decades, before former Gov. Jim Edgar exacerbating the situation in the 1990s by leading an effort to push the problem onto future generations through whats now notoriously known as the Edgar Ramp. The ramp was a 50-year pension repayment plan. It allowed Edgar and the lawmakers of that era to wriggle off the hook, forcing the governors and legislators who would follow to make the difficult spending decisions in the future. The problem with the future is that it always ahead in the distance. Of course, future governors and legislators didnt make those tough spending decisions. Instead, they raised taxes to a point where Illinoisans pay the highest combined state and local taxes in the country. Yet those who have led Illinois have continued to ignore the growing pension debt. In 1994, when the Edgar ramp was introduced, Illinois had a $15 billion pension deficit. The state now says it has a $130 billion pension deficit, although Moodys Investors Service estimates its more like a $200 billion deficit. What was a big problem in 1994 today is a full-blown crisis. Not only are lawmakers refusing to deal with the crisis, local school districts continue to make it worse. An Illinois News Network investigation revealed this week that, despite the worst-funded public pensions in the country, many Illinois school districts continue to engage in a practice thats known as pension spiking. Pension spiking occurs when a governing body, such as a local school board, agrees to give soon-to-be-retiring employees excessive raises to increase the annual pension payouts these employees will receive during retirement. In 2005, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law that was meant to discourage pension spiking. That law placed a monetary penalty on governing bodies that continued to hand out end-of-career salary increases of more than 6 percent. Rather than end the practice, many school districts continued to spike salaries and stuck their own local taxpayers with the bill. INNs investigation found that Illinois school districts have paid more than $50 million in taxpayer-funded penalties to the Teachers Retirement System, including $23.8 million since fiscal 2014. Districts have used exemptions to avoid paying tens of millions of dollars more in penalties. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner was first elected in 2014. The state budget standoff between Rauner and the Democratic-controlled Legislature began shortly after that. School districts complained that late and lower state payments during the standoff were compromising their ability to do their jobs effectively. Yet many still managed to dole out excessive end-of-career pay raises and stick their taxpayers with the financial penalties. Thats inexcusable. Not all school districts are guilty of pension spiking. But this is by no means a rare practice. A little more than a third of the states 852 school districts paid a TRS penalty in fiscal 2018, INNs investigation revealed. Some, such as Huntley School District 158, even recognized the problem and put into place safeguards to prevent pension spiking from occurring. The district built a clause in recent teacher contracts stipulating that no raises should be given above 6 percent in the final years before retirement and that any earnings above that limit would be forfeited. Going forward, pension spiking penalties will kick in after 3 percent because of a new state law passed in the spring. While that was a good step, dont expect it to stop the problem. My guess is that if it was set to zero, wed still have problems, state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, told INN. If young teachers or other state workers in Illinois expect to actually have enough money to retire, theyd better start setting it aside on their own. The way local and state officials have been managing pensions in Illinois for more than two decades, the systems eventually are going to go broke. Dan McCaleb is editor of Illinois News Network and the digital hub ILNews.org. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at dmccaleb@ilnews.org. Michelle Williams was paid significantly less than her All The Money In The World co-star Mark Wahlberg (Dennis van Tine/PA) Michelle Williams has married indie musician Phil Elverum. The notoriously private actress said 'I do' to fiance Phil in a secret ceremony, ten years after the tragic death of her former partner Heath Ledger. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger (Yui Mok/PA) Michelle Williams attends The BAFTA Los Angeles Tea Party at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger (Yui Mok/PA) The couple tied the knot in front of just a handful of friends and family in Adirondacks, Michelle revealed to Vanity Fair in a recent interview. Like Michelle, Phil - who performs under the name Mount Eerie - also lost a partner in tragic circumstances when his late wife Genevieve Castree lost her battle with pancreatic cancer in 2015, just 18 months after the birth of their daughter. Phil and his daughter moved in to Michelle's home in Brooklyn in July this year, and Michelle has called their relationship 'very sacred and very special'. "I never gave up on love," said the star. "I parent to let Matilda feel free to be herself, and I am finally loved by someone who makes me feel free." Expand Close Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps attend the premiere of STX Films' "I Feel Pretty" at Westwood Village Theatre on April 17, 2018 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps attend the premiere of STX Films' "I Feel Pretty" at Westwood Village Theatre on April 17, 2018 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) "I always say to Matilda - your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes." The Dawson's Creek star spoke briefly about the painful time following the death of her partner Heath Ledger in January 2008. When youre a single parent, and that element of provider and protection is missing, its scary, she said. Close friend Busy Philipps - who worked on the teen drama with Michelle - said Michelle had a tough time knowing what to reveal to the press and to fans about how she was coping following the overwhelming tragedy. Video of the Day She always had a difficult time with the idea of doing press and what to reveal, said Busy. And then obviously when Heath passed away, and people had this insatiable interest in her and her child and their grief, it was overwhelming and incredibly painful. How fatal are infections caused by hepatitis B and C viruses? These are prolonged illnesses of the liver and could lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer if untreated, says experts. While there are other diseases like hepatitis A and E, these are not generally fatal. The first hepatitis B vaccine was invented by B.S. Blumberg in 1969. He discovered the virus among members of a tribe in Australia in 1965. It's therefore called 'Australia Antigen'. In honour of Blumberg's contributions, World Hepatitis Day is celebrated on his birthdayJuly 28. Blumberg won Nobel prize in 1976 for his relentless work on detection of hepatitis B virus. The virus C was traced much later in the eighties. Hepatitis C which was known as the latter stage of B virus is also curable today. According to WHO reports, around two billion people in the world have suffered due to hepatitis B virus infection. Today, an estimated 257 million people are living with hepatitis B infection. In India, 40 million people suffer from hepatitis B and India and is close behind China, according to reports. Genetically, Mongoloid tribes are more prone to these diseases with north eastern states of India having more cases of hepatitis B. China, India and Taiwan have maximum number of hepatitis cases in the world. The death rate in hepatitis B virus is one in 45 patients. In India, four among 100 persons tested have shown positive for hepatitis B. Doctors, however, say this statistic should not be worrying. "This is because if 100 people are infected with hepatitis B, actually 95 per cent have the power to remove it from their body," said Kinsuk Das, a Kolkata-based senior hepatologist. "Only five persons would be known as chronic patients,'' he said he. If diagnosed properly, the death rate in India is only one percent or less than that. The disease has a vaccine and also can be cured with medicines. On the other hand, hepatitis C infection is rare. Only 71 million people around the world carry it and in India the percentage of the infection is only around 1 per cent. "Interestingly, hepatitis C does not have a vaccine to cure while it's still can be cured through medicines," said Das. Das, however, warns that patients once infected by the hepatitis B or C should not panic. They stop taking nutritious food and rely heavily on boiled food, which is unacceptable. "That is extremely unacceptable. A jaundiced person needs twice the nutrition of a healthy person daily. He should have normal rice, lentils, egg white, fish and chicken intake. The body needs six to eight spoonful edible oil daily. The patient can take any type of nutritious home cooked food with normal oil," said Das. He also called some home remedies to cure jaundice "unscientific". People often refuse protein for the patients with hepatic imbalance who are given sugarcane and grapefruit instead. "There is no scientific explanations for the glucose, sugarcane juice, grapefruits to be used to cure jaundice. Stay stress-free. There is no scientific explanation to stay bed-ridden but the patient should try to avoid heavy physical work. It usually takes around two weeks to 3 months to recover completely from hepatitis B," he said. One can take hepatitis B vaccination from the time of birth to any age. The disease cannot be eliminated completely in those who are already infected with chronic hepatitis B. But with proper medication, cirrhosis and cancer can be prevented. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is not going to be a part of superstar Salman Khan starrer Bharat any more. Director Ali Abbas Zafar broke the news saying the reason for her opting out in the "Nick of time" is "very special". Zafar took to Twitter on Friday to announce the new development. "Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of 'Bharat' and and the reason is very very special, she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her... Team 'Bharat' wishes Priyanka Chopra loads of love and happiness for life," he tweeted. Details about the actress coming in place of Priyanka have not been revealed yet. The shooting for the film has already begun. The first schedule includes shooting for a grand circus sequence. The director has previously worked with the Dabangg star in blockbusters like Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. The film is an official adaptation of a 2014 South Korean film Ode To My Father. It is produced by Atul Agnihotri's Reel Life Production Pvt Ltd and Bhushan Kumar's TSeries. Bharat, which will be shot across locations in Abu Dhabi and Spain, besides Punjab and Delhi, is slated for an Eid release in 2019. The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between the two countries was deep-rooted. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea city of Sochi in Russia in May. Modi and Putin then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. During their meeting in Sochi, India and Russia had elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Before meeting Putin, Modi had a "very productive" meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on Thursday, during which he emphasised the need to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings and provide "proper instructions" to their militaries to maintain peace at the border. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said Modi expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for special representative-level boundary talks. "Both the leaders [Modi and Jinping] made a reference to their informal summit meeting in Wuhan in April as well as the subsequent follow-up meeting in Qingdao in June. They were particularly satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," Gokhale told reporters. He said Modi saw Thursday's meeting as yet another instance where the two sides could review and upgrade their relationship. "Both leaders also remarked that in the last few months, mutual trust has increased between the two sides," Gokhale said. Jinping once again conveyed to Modi that he was very happy to accept the latter's invitation to visit India for an informal summit, the second one between the two leaders, next year and both sides also agreed to follow up on a number of issues, he said. Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS summit. The theme of the summit was 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. US President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said that Trump knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower at which Russians offered to provide damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, CNN reported on Thursday. CNN, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, said Cohen is willing to make that assertion to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the US 2016 presidential campaign. He cannot be believed, Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, told Reuters on Thursday, referring to Cohen. If they rely on him ... it would destroy whatever case they have. Giuliani was referring to Muellers investigation. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. His attorney Lanny Davis declined to comment. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for Manhattan federal prosecutors, also declined to comment. 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 adult film star Stormy Daniels, who has claimed she had a sexual encounter with Trump, and other matters related to Trumps campaign, a person familiar with the investigation has told Reuters. Cohen has not been charged with any crime. Trump has denied having had an encounter with Daniels. Previously Trump has denied knowing in advance that the Trump Tower meeting was going to take place, and he has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Moscow has denied meddling in the election. Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., along with Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior campaign aide Paul Manafort took part in the meeting with Nataliya Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer and acknowledged Kremlin informant. Donald Trump Jr. told investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that he did not tell his father about the meeting beforehand, according to documents released by the committee. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for the Trump Organization and Donald Trump Jr., told Reuters, Donald Trump Jr. has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr. Trump, Jr., and on his behalf. 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. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. GTT Communications, Inc. provides cloud networking services to multinational enterprises, carriers, and government customers in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers wide area networking, such as software-defined wide area networking, multiprotocol label switching, and virtual private LAN service; high bandwidth-Internet connectivity and IP transit, as well as broadband and wireless Internet access services; managed equipment and security services; and unified communication services consisting of session initiation protocol trunking, cloud unified communication service, and traditional analog voice. It also provides transport services, such as Ethernet services that enable to design network equipment; and video transport services to support broadcast quality transmission of live events, sports entertainment, and news to media and entertainment industry. In addition, the company offers infrastructure services enabling transport of high volume data between data centers, enterprise office locations, and media hubs; wavelength services to deliver scalable high-performance optical connectivity; colocation, turnkey, duct, and dark fiber services; advanced solutions, including security, hybrid cloud, database, and application management Its IP network consists of approximately 600 points of presence. GTT Communications, Inc. markets its products and services through a network of direct sales force and indirect sales channels. The company was formerly known as Global Telecom & Technology, Inc. and changed its name to GTT Communications, Inc. in January 2014. GTT Communications, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Read More TelefAnica Deutschland Holding AG provides integrated telecommunication services to private and business customers in Germany. It offers voice, data, and value-added services in mobile and fixed line networks; access to infrastructure and services for its wholesale partners; and digital products and services in the fields of Internet of Things. The company provides its products and services through a network of independently operated franchise and premium partner shops, and online and telesales channels, as well as indirect selling channels, such as partnerships and co-operations with retailers. It markets its products and services under the O2, Blau, AY YILDIZ, Ortel Mobile, FONIC, netzclub, and TArkeiSIM brand names. As of December 31, 2020, TelefAnica Deutschland Holding AG had approximately 47 million customers. The company was formerly known as TelefAnica Germany Verwaltungs GmbH and changed its name to TelefAnica Deutschland Holding AG in September 2012. The company is based in Munich, Germany. TelefAnica Deutschland Holding AG is a subsidiary of Telefonica Germany Holdings Limited. Read More Carrefour SA operates stores in various formats and channels in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, and Taiwan. The company operates hypermarkets, convenience stores, supermarkets, cash and carry stores, and hypercash stores; e-commerce sites and m-commerce channels; and service stations. Its stores offer fresh produce; local products; consumer goods; and non-food products, including small household goods, textiles, and home appliances. The company is also involved in banking, insurance, property development, and franchise activities; the provision of travel agency services; and the rental of shopping malls. Carrefour SA was founded in 1959 and is based in Massy, France. Read More TCF Financial Corporation operates as the financial holding company for TCF National Bank that provides various financial products and services in the United States and Canada. It operates through Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Enterprise Services segments. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; individual retirement accounts; debit and credit cards; and check cashing and remittance services. It also provides investment management and custodial services, trust services, financial and estate planning, and retirement planning and employee benefit programs; residential, consumer, and small business lending products; and consumer real estate secured lending, consumer loans, loans secured by personal property, and unsecured personal loans. In addition, the company offers loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services. Further, it provides commercial and industrial, commercial real estate banking, and lease financing; and treasury services comprising investment and borrowing portfolios, as well as manages capital, debt, and market risks. As of December 31, 2020, the company operated 478 branches, including 373 traditional branches, 102 supermarket branches, and three campus branches located in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona, and South Dakota; and 1,062 ATMs. TCF Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. 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Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Benext, Bionic, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Cloudworks, Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Entropia, Epylon, Ethica Consulting Group, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Exton Consulting, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Gevity, Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Openmind, Openminded, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. Accenture, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Ltd, Pragsis Technologies S.L, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Ltd, Procurian Germany GmbH, Procurian Inc., Procurian International I LLC, Procurian International II LLC, Procurian LLC, Procurian Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procurian Switzerland GmbH, Procurian USA LLC, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co Ltd, Radiant Services, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Limited, Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (Asia) Pte Ltd, Redcore (India) Private Limited (India), Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Renacentis IT Services, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Rothco, Rothco Holdings Designated Activity Company, Rothco Unlimited Company, S.C. EnergyQuote S.r.l., S3 TV Technology Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SEC Servizi, SEC Servizi S.p.A., SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Sagacious Consultants LLC, Salt Solutions, Sanchez Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Airline Planning Group, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace Asia (Hong Kong) Limited, Seabury Aviation Consulting LLC, Seabury Cargo Advisory B.V., Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Human Capital LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Seabury Structured Finance LLC, Search Technologies BPO, Search Technologies BPO Inc., Search Technologies GmbH, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LATAM, Search Technologies LATAM S.A., Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Sente Partners LLC, Sentelis, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Shackleton, Shackleton Barcelona S.L., Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton Madrid S.L., Shackleton S.A., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., Silveo, Simian Pty Limited, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Commerce GmbH, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., SinnerSchrader Swipe GmbH, Sinnerschrader, Sistemes Consulting S.L., Solutions IQ, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Storm Digital, Storm Digital B.V., Structure Consulting Group, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Systor AG, TQuila Limited (UK), Tadata Creative Unlimited Company, Tara Insurance DAC, Tara Risk DAC, TargetST8, TargetST8 Consulting LLC, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica Ltd., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Limited, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Total Logistics Supply Chain Consultants Limited, Tquila, Trivadis AG, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Verax Solutions, Verax Solutions Corporation, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong, Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd., Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, Weblinc Pty Ltd, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wire Stone Sarl, Wolox, Workforce Insight Inc, Yesler, Zag, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines, Zenta Global Philippines Inc., Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc., Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH. Williamstown, Mass. As ambitious as an epic but with a book as loose and baggy as a 19th-century novel, the new musical "Lempicka," getting its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, is this summer's Exhibit A of why developing new work is to be applauded and why an out-of-town tryout is absolutely necessary to identify flaws. Taking place over approximately 40 years, the show music by Matt Gould, book and lyrics by Carson Kreitzer tells the true story of the title character, Tamara de Lempicka. Born in Poland, she became part of the Russian aristocracy through marriage, flourished in love and art in prewar Paris as a portrait painter for high society and was largely forgotten after fleeing to America from Nazi encroachment. Though expansive in its sweep, the story feels diffuse; overambitious in the scope of what it tries to take on, Kreitzer's book loses focuses as the nearly three-hour running time progresses through its final hour, until we're no longer sure what was supposed to be important and why. Given full access to the grand resources of a Williamstown Theatre Festival Main Stage production, director Rachel Chavkin, choreographer Raja Feather Kelly, scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez, lighting designer Bradley King and costume designer Montana Levi Blanco create a remarkable visual spectacle that often distracts from the narrative weakness. With a vast white scrim as a backdrop, visible rigging to the sides and rolling elements including doors and rooms that aren't intended to seem realistic, "Lempicka" is self-consciously theatrical, as befits an artist who largely created herself and craved the artificial illumination of fame. Performed by a cast of 15, many of whom play multiple roles, the show has a few songs that seem intended to be standalone hits, though they likely would take a few listens to become earworms. Mostly, Gould's otherwise unmemorable music rushes us along through the years, nodding at changes in locale and period but never establishing a distinctive style of its own. But he, music director/pianist Charity Wicks, vocal arranger Remy Kurs and a 10-member pit band give the cast plenty of opportunity for full-throated singing, and they do not disappoint. Eden Espinosa brings a powerful, emotional voice to Lempicka, mostly resisting the show's edging toward melodrama, Carmen Cusack is both feisty and vulnerable as the prostitute who becomes Lempicka's muse and lover, Andrew Samonsky as Lempicka's husband sings well despite the character's inconsistencies, and Steven Rattazzi, playing an opportunistic painter in the Paris scene, is among the best of the ensemble players. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Some the first words uttered in the show are "Put away childish things." Even given that the opening scene is at Lempicka's wedding, it's a cliche alert of high order, and it is an accurate predictor of what's to come. Lyrics and dialogue throughout include the familiar ("No one understands us"), the banal ("My life will never be the same," "I've always dreamed of Paris") and the glibly overreaching ("It's a bitch to outlive your own context"). Worse, multiple lines toward the end muddle the characters we've spent hours getting to know. After Lempicka has fled the Russian revolution and later the Nazis, she bemoans from her safe, privileged home in America that she hasn't had a gallery show in 13 years. (Such hardship!) She professes a profound connection to her female lover, but only moments later tells her husband that he's "all (she) ever wanted." Another character says the luminous, strong women Lempicka painted are "taking over the world," but we see no evidence of that: Indeed, the two central women, Lempicka and her lover, in stereotypical fashion both fall apart and become needy when romance sours. Kreitzer has said in promotional interviews for "Lempicka" that she is drawn to the lives of women largely overlooked by history. She's found one in Tamara de Lempicka, but this story about her does not yet make a convincing case for the profundity or at least endurance of her influence. sbarnes@timesunion.com 518-454-5489 blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping @Tablehopping facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic Albany State utility regulators have unveiled a plan to add a gigawatt of new solar electricity generation to the electrical grid. The state Department of Public Service, the staff arm of the four-member Public Service Commission, unveiled two new white papers that outline the plan, which is part of the state's so-called Value of Distributed Energy Resources plan. The plans outline how the state should support the incentive program and promote such projects around the state. Under what's also called VDER for short, the state is providing tailored incentives to promote so-called "distributed" energy sources such as solar farms that are located closer to areas of need in the electrical grid, reducing the need for new power plants and new utility transmission equipment, both of which are costly to consumers. Community distributed generation, or CDG, is when a group of utility customers, ranging from schools and nonprofits and co-operatives and neighbors build their own renewable energy generation say a rooftop or rural solar farm and pool the utility credits that result from selling the power to the utility. The white papers say there are 800 megawatts of community distributed generation in the pipeline and increased incentives would add another 1,000 megawatts, which is a gigawatt. Incentives for downstate utility regions have already exhausted their incentives, which is one of the reasons the state wanted to revisit the program. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. One megawatt of solar power can supply about 200 or 300 homes depending on the amount of sunlight available. The incentives are paid through utility pricing called market transition credits. "Distributed energy resources, such as CDG, are critical to building out an energy system that will meet half of New York's electricity needs with clean and renewable energy by 2030," PSC Chairman John Rhodes said in a statement. "Smarter, forward-thinking compensation for these projects will assure that these markets are developed in a robust, cost-effective and sustainable way." There are currently over 4,600 solar projects in development across New York state. This includes nearly 800 megawatts of CDG in the pipeline, more community solar than what was installed in all states in 2017. The proposals submitted Thursday would help stimulate an additional 1,000 megawatts of new CDG, thereby helping to fulfill the intent of this policy to expand access to clean energy for all New Yorkers. San Diego The Trump administration said Thursday that more than 1,800 children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border have been reunited with parents and sponsors but hundreds remain apart, signaling a potentially long wait for anguished families. The federal government was under a Thursday deadline to reunify more than 2,500 children who were separated at the border from their parents under a new immigration policy designed to deter immigrants from coming here illegally. The policy quickly backfired amid global outrage from political and religious leaders and daily headlines about crying children taken from their parents. President Donald Trump ended the practice of taking children from parents, but a federal judge in San Diego ordered the government to reunite all the families by the end of day Thursday, but the efforts will continue. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw has indicated some leeway given the enormity of the job. As of Thursday morning, the government said it reunited 1,442 children 5 and older with their parents in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. An additional 378 were reunited with parents in different locations around the country or given to sponsors, who are often relatives or close family members. That leaves about 700 who remain apart, including more than 400 whose parents have been deported, officials say. Those reunions take more time, effort and paperwork as authorities fly children back to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The Trump administration insisted it would meet the court deadline by reuniting all of the family members that it deemed eligible for reunification. Chris Meekins, the head of the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response for Health and Human Services, said the government would continue to reunify families throughout the evening. "We are on-track to reunite all eligible parents in ICE custody," Meekins said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. For the last two weeks, children have been arriving steadily at ICE locations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to get back with parents. Faith-based and other groups have provided meals, clothing, legal advice, plane and bus tickets and even new shoe laces, which are taken away from people in detention. The families are generally released, and parents are typically given ankle-monitoring bracelets and court dates to appear before an immigration judge. A charitable organization called FWD.US, founded by technology leaders including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox founder Drew Houston was paying for the airline tickets, the bus tickets and the lodging for all the families newly reunited in the Phoenix area to get them to relatives living all over the United States, said Connie Phillips of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest. She said a phone company had provided 500 mobile phones for the migrants, each with six months of free service. There were scattered reunions in various locations on Thursday, including about 15 in Phoenix, said Phillips. The main immigrant-assistance center in El Paso, Texas, has been receiving about 25 reunified families a day. New York In the aftermath of Facebook's day of reckoning Thursday, now come the big questions: Is this a temporary setback, or the start of a painful new road for the giant social network? And does a similar comeuppance await other high-flying technology behemoths? Both the slower growth forecast and heavier spending reflect problems largely of Facebook's own making. New European privacy rules, inspired in part by Facebook's relentless mining of its own users' data, are starting to hamper the company's advertising business. And the increased spending aims, among other things, to prevent a replay of the fake news and propaganda that Russian agents unleashed on an unguarded Facebook in an attempt to sway the 2016 presidential election. Zuckerberg even noted during a call with analysts that "we're investing so much in security that it will significantly impact our profitability." Overall, technology giants Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon and others have enjoyed almost unprecedented growth in revenue and stock price for years. They have seemed unstoppable, even in the face of regulatory pressure, user dissatisfaction and broader existential questions about their impact on society. Technology companies account for six of the 10 biggest companies in the S&P 500 Index. Some see the Facebook sell-off as clear evidence that nothing can grow forever, especially not the world's biggest companies, especially not at the rate of nimble, promising startups. Facebook revenue is still growing at a rate double that of Twitter. A decade ago, almost no one could have imagined that Facebook would have more than 2 billion users, much less that its family of apps Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger would also count members in the billions. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "Nobody knows where the top is, where that growth slows down," said Phil Bak, CEO of Exponential ETFs and a former managing director of the New York Stock Exchange who said he's been warning investors of a potential sell-off in large tech stocks. Things could get rougher still. Those European privacy regulations, known as the General Data Privacy Regulation, or GDPR, went into effect with just one month left in the second quarter. That means Facebook could feel its effects more strongly later this year. For more than a year ever since Zuckerberg published a 5,000 word manifesto arguing that Facebook needs to make the world a better place by bolstering civic engagement and addressing social ills the company has seemed torn between its philosophical mission and its economic one. Wednesday may have been the first time this tension really broke into the open, probably because it threatened the one thing all investors care about: Money. Seth Wenig Federal investigators in Manhattan have asked to interview Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, as part of their investigation into President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael D. Cohen, according to two people familiar with the matter. It was not clear whether Weisselberg was issued a subpoena or was asked to answer questions voluntarily. Either way, the development suggests that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are scrutinizing at least some financial dealings of the Trump family business, a line the president has publicly warned the special counsel in the Russia probe, Robert S. Mueller III, not to cross. ALBANY The state attorney general's office will convene a grand jury to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of a 36-year-old man who stopped breathing following his arrest last year by Schenectady police. The attorney general's decision to present evidence in the case to a grand jury follows a year-long investigation by the agency into the May 11, 2017, death of Andrew Kearse, who had complained that he was dizzy and having difficulty breathing after a brief foot chase that preceded his arrest. The office of the attorney general intends to convene a grand jury concerning the death of Andrew Kearse," said chief deputy Attorney General Alvin Bragg. "Given grand jury secrecy and professional ethics rules, we cannot comment further." City police officials, who turned the investigation over to the State Police, said that officers did not use Tasers to subdue Kearse. They said he drove his vehicle into a driveway and ran behind a house after an officer tried to pull him over for driving erratically. Three weeks later, the attorney general's office, after reviewing video and medical and police reports of the incident, invoked its authority to investigate the death under a 2015 executive order signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor's order, issued in the wake of several controversial deaths of people in police custody, allows the attorney general's office to intervene in cases in which unarmed civilians are killed during confrontations with police. The attorney general's office has used the executive order to investigate more than a dozen deaths. The only officer to face charges in the investigation was an off-duty New York City police officer accused of shooting another man during a road rage incident in 2016. The officer was later acquitted by a Brooklyn jury of murder and manslaughter charges. The attorney general's investigations can also focus on whether officers committed misconduct, and examine whether policies or procedures may have been violated. Kearse was in the back seat of a police car following his arrest when he told officers he was having trouble breathing. Authorities have not listed a cause of death; Kearse's relatives said he had a heart condition. Kearse was unresponsive when paramedics were called to treat him at the police station. He was taken to Ellis Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour after the incident began. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Kearse's widow, Angelique Negroni-Kearse, had earlier obtained audio from the 45-minute video of her husband's police encounter and made portions of it public. The audio revealed Kearse had repeatedly pleaded with police for medical help. Negroni-Kearse filed a lawsuit earlier this month accusing the police of false arrest and "wanton disregard" for her husband's health. On Friday, her attorney Sanford Rubenstein cheered the attorney general's decision as an "important step with regards to the journey for justice for the wrongful death of Andrew Kearse." Negroni-Kearse added that after 14 months, "finally everyone is hearing Andrew's voice and we can get these officers prosecuted and off the streets." Police Chief Eric Clifford has said previously that he "supports the Kearse family's right to know the truth and (is) in full support of giving it to them once we're able to give them all the facts." Washington House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out against an effort by a small group of conservatives to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday, dooming the endeavor for now and easing a months-long standoff between House Republicans and the Justice Department. Ryan said the tussle over document requests between House Republicans and Rosenstein, who oversees the federal Trump-Russia investigation, doesn't rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" that could warrant impeachment under the Constitution. "I don't think we should be cavalier with this process or with this term," Ryan said. He also said he is encouraged by progress on the document production. Ryan made the comments a day after the group of 11 House Republicans sharply escalated the extended clash with the Justice Department by filing articles of impeachment against Rosenstein, who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Their move late Wednesday came after months of criticism aimed at the department from President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign was involved. The impeachment effort was led by North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who talks to Trump frequently and often defends him to colleagues. As Ryan voiced his disapproval, Meadows acknowledged that he didn't have the votes to pass the impeachment resolution and said he wouldn't use procedural maneuvers to trigger an immediate vote. The House left Thursday for a five-week recess. Instead, Meadows said, he had a commitment from leaders to vote on holding Rosenstein in contempt of Congress when the House returns in September if certain documents are still outstanding. The agreement came after discussions on the House floor with Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., and the No. 3 House GOP leader, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The contempt resolution would first have to move through the Judiciary Committee. Meadows said the five-week delay would give the department "one last chance" to deliver. He didn't rule out trying for an impeachment vote in the future. "Now it's in Rod Rosenstein's court," Meadows said. Ryan's tone was far different. "We do not have full compliance, and we have to get full compliance, but we have been making tremendous progress to that point," he said of multiple document requests. Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended Rosenstein in a Boston speech, saying he has the "highest confidence" in his top deputy. Rosenstein has overseen the Russia investigation since last year, when Sessions recused himself following reports of his own meeting with the Russian ambassador. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Meadows, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and the other Republicans who introduced the resolution have criticized Rosenstein and Justice Department officials as not being responsive enough as House committees have demanded documents related to the Russia investigation's inception and a now-closed investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton's emails. The five articles of impeachment would charge Rosenstein with failing to produce information, though the department has provided lawmakers with more than 800,000 documents. The resolution notes that Rosenstein was one of several department officials who approved what some Republicans say was improper surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The impeachment resolution also criticizes Rosenstein for refusing to produce a memo that outlines the scope of the investigation and questions whether the investigation was started on legitimate grounds. It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for lawmakers to demand documents that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation. At a House hearing last month, Rosenstein, along with FBI Director Christopher Wray, faced angry Republicans who alleged bias at the FBI and suggested the department has conspired against Trump. Still, some GOP lawmakers said they would draw the line at impeachment. "Impeachment is a punishment; it's not a remedy," said House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy. Democrats on the House Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform and Intelligence committees called the impeachment effort a "panicked and dangerous attempt to undermine an ongoing criminal investigation in an effort to protect President Trump as the walls are closing in around him and his associates." In addition to Meadows and Jordan, GOP lawmakers who sponsored the impeachment articles are Reps. Jody Hice of Georgia, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Bill Posey of Florida and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Albany Police Department A Colonie man convicted in April of an Albany shooting was sentenced to 22 years to life in state prison on Friday, Albany District Attorney David Soares' office said. A jury determined that Jordan Prusinski, 26, fired 11 shots at the corner of Lark and Hamilton streets at four people, all unknown to him, on July 2, 2017. Two people were shot and survived after treatment, prosecutors said. An elderly couple were rescued from a sinking cruiser after sounding a 'Mayday' call on Thursday afternoon. Lough Derg RNLI were launched following a Mayday relay from Valentia Coast Guard to assist two people reported to be in the water after their 28ft cruiser was taking on water and sinking. Valentia Coast Guard gave co-ordinates to the lifeboat, which located the casualty vessel in Cloondevaun Bay, at the northeastern shore of Lough Derg. The Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue helicopter, Rescue 115 lifted off from their base in Shannon and was also in attendance. Additional RNLI shore crew and lifeboat crew came to the Station to provide assistance. The lifeboat, with helm Eleanor Hooker, Ger Egan and Mags Ryan on board arrived on the scene shortly after 2.30pm. The Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue helicopter, Rescue 115 was overhead and monitoring the casualty vessel, which was now aground on rocks, and with both of its passengers back on board. As Cloondevaun Bay has sudden shallows and rocks, the lifeboat approached with caution, with an RNLI volunteer taking soundings. Given the weather and the condition of the cruiser, the lifeboat volunteers took both casualties on to the lifeboat and away from immediate danger. The crew assessed the casualties, an elderly couple on holidays from overseas and with little English, and found them to be well. Both were wearing their lifejackets. Once the lifeboat was in safe water, Rescue 115 departed the scene and returned to their base at Shannon. The couple were taken to Terryglass Harbour where they were given shelter, tea and dry clothes. RNLI shore-crew back at the Boathouse made further arrangements for the couple. The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 5pm Liam Maloney, Lifeboat Operations Manager Lough Derg RNLI, says 'it's best to stay with your vessel and only get into the water as a last resort. He advises boat users, whilst navigating to your next mark, always check the marker astern of you to make you are not drifting into shallow water. A Littleton man who went to the home of his ex-partner, and threw an axe at her door causing criminal damage, was given a suspended 2-month jail sentence at Thurles District Court. Richard Ivors, of 28 Derrynaflan Avenue, Littleton, went to a house close by to his own on September 19, 2016, with a small hand-axe that belonged to his ex-partner. Sgt. Andrew Lyons told Judge Brian OShea that Ivors threw the axe at the door, where it then bounced on to the patio. The injured party later came home and discovered the axe, and recognised it. Mr Ivors was arrested, and admitted the charge of damaging the glass at the front patio door, belonging to the victim. Separately, on March 29, 2018, Garda James Kelleher was on duty in Liberty Square, Thurles, when he observed Ivors on the footpath outside AIB. Ivors was stumbling around, while there was traffic in the area. There was a strong smell of intoxicating liquor from his breath and his speech was slurred, said Sgt. Lyons. Ivors was charged with being intoxicated to such an extent as to be a danger to himself and to others. Solicitor Ms Anne Fitzpatrick said there has been no difficulty since with the injured party in the Littleton matter. Mr Ivors is a single man in his 40s, and alcohol is a feature in his troubles. A letter from his GP showed he sustained an injury to his head. He pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity, said Ms Fitzpatrick. Mr Ivors works in a Fas scheme, which has given him some purpose. Ivors no longer comes into Thurles frequently. The axe had slid along the ground. Judge OShea said that if Ivors had not paid compensation, he would be facing an immediate custodial sentence. His behaviour has been like some kind of plague on the people of Littleton, said the Judge. He has a significant number of previous convictions, and there has been no real attempt made concerning his alcohol addiction. Judge OShea said it was appropriate, given Ivors history, to impose a 2-month jail sentence, suspended for six months, on condition that he have no direct or indirect contact with the victim, and that he not consume any alcohol in a public place. If Gardai find him in an intoxicated state, Ivors will be brought back to Court and he will serve two months in prison straight away. Judge OShea warned Mr Ivors: There are a lot of people in Littleton who will ring the Guards if they see you drunk. All 12 Tipperary Mens Sheds are encouraged to apply to a national funding pot of half a million euro to support their good work, a Fine Gael Tipperary General Election Candidate Mary Newman Julian has said. This capital funding provides small grants to individual Mens Sheds in order to enable them to purchase equipment or carry out minor works to improve their shed. Mary Newman Julian said: Mens Sheds are a worldwide movement which encourages men to talk about their feelings in order to improve mental health and wellbeing. Local Mens Sheds here in Tipperary create a space where men can discuss health issues and emotions while engaging in purposeful activities. The sheds are in urban and rural areas across the county in Borrisokane, 2 in Cashel, Cahir, Carrick on Suir, Clonmel, Glengoole, Mullinahone, Nenagh, Silvermines, Thurles & Tipperary Town. They promote the health and wellbeing of members by combating issues such as loneliness and isolation, while creating a culture where men can discuss their thoughts and feelings without stigma. They are a great example of a positive community based organisation that promotes good citizenship through good works. It is important that the individual local sheds apply for this funding. Applications will have to be made to the Tipperary Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) by 31st August 2018. Minister for Rural & Community Development, Michael Ring said: In recent years, Mens Sheds have become a fixture of life in towns and villages throughout Ireland. There are now approximately 350 around the country and they offer a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment where men of all ages can share skills, work on meaningful projects and connect with their communities. They are great at rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in to many and various community initiatives. I have decided to introduce this funding in recognition of the wonderful that Mens Sheds do. The funding is being provided following discussions with the Irish Mens Shed Association. I have asked them to provide details to their members over the coming period on how to apply. I encourage all Mens Sheds to avail of the support and I wish the Irish Mens Shed Association every success as it grows and develops, the Fine Gael Minister said. [July 27, 2018] Sopra Steria Group: First Half 2018 in Line with Forecasts Regulatory News: At its meeting on 26 July 2018 chaired by Pierre Pasquier, Sopra Steria's Board of Directors (Paris:SOP) approved the financial statements for the first half of 2018; the Statutory Auditors have conducted a limited review of these financial statements. Sopra Steria: 2018 Half-year results H1 2018 IFRS 15 H1 2017 IFRS 15 Key income statement items Revenue m 2,014.0 1,891.5 Total growth + 6.5% Organic growth + 5.3% Operating profit on business activity m / % 132.8 6.6% 141.6 7.5% Profit from recurring operations m / % 99.2 4.9% 113.7 6.0% Operating profit m / % 80.0 4.0% 102.3 5.4% Net profit attributable to the Group m / % 38.4 1.9% 65.9 3.5% Weighted average number of shares in issue excl. treasury shares m 20.16 20.20 Basic earnings per share 1.90 3.26 Recurring earnings per share 2.60 3.65 Key balance sheet items 30/06/18 30/06/17 Net financial debt m 662.4 643.3 Equity attributable to the Group m 1,261.7 1,082.5 Comments on H1 2018 business activity and operating performance (IFRS 15) In 2017, Sopra Steria achieved the targets that were set when the merger was completed in 2015 and the company has now embarked on the next phase of development, aimed at making its business model more robust by 2020. The goal is to raise operating margin on business activity to around 10% by 2020. Consulting, software and offer strengthening are the main strategic priorities for the 2018-2020 period: Substantially expand a consulting business that possesses both digital expertise and business expertise to make it a force to be reckoned with, contributing 15% of total revenue Strengthen the Group's position in software, with banking software the priority, so that it generates 20% of total revenue Strengthen digital components of the offerings and accelerate the roll out of end-to-end solutions more extensively for the Group's strategically important key clients Achieving this business model by 2020 requires investments in human resources, offerings, and research and development. The full breadth of the Group's businesses will be affected. In 2018, Sopra Banking Software, the United Kingdom and digital are the top investment priorities. Sopra Steria generated revenue of 2,014.0 million in the first half of 2018 amid vibrant market conditions, representing total growth of 6.5%. Changes in scope had a positive impact of 38.7 million, while currency fluctuations had a negative impact of 16.9 million. At constant scope and exchange rates, revenue grew 5.3%. As a result of stronger seasonal effects than in 2017, operating profit on business activity was 132.8 million, or a margin of 6.6% (7.5% in H1 2017). EBITDA totalled 155.7 million, up 5.0% from 148.3 million in the same period of the previous year. In France, revenue came to 849.1 million, representing growth of 5.9%. Organic growth was 3.9% thanks to brisk business activity in the second quarter. Business was driven by consulting, up more than 14%, and by cybersecurity, up more than 30%. The best-performing vertical markets during the first half were banking and insurance, the public sector, defence, aeronautics and automotive. Operating profit on business activity rose 5.3% to 76 million. The operating margin of 9.0%, identical to that recorded in the first half of 2017, reflects the improved profitability of the IT infrastructure management business and unfavourable calendar effects, plus investments expenses in digital and a shift toward higher value offerings. In the United Kingdom, revenue posted an organic contraction of 3.4% to 382.8 million, with a less unfavourable second quarter (down 2.0%). The contraction reflected lower revenue at the SSCL joint venture, for which full-year revenue is expected to total around 140 million (as indicated in early 2017). Adjusted for SSCL, revenue in the United Kingdom was stable in a somewhat firmer business environment than in 2017. The initiatives launched in late 2017 (to refocus the business model on higher-added-value services, reinforce the Group's presence in the private sector, invest in consulting and the Group's sales force, and cut costs) made progress as planned. Against this backdrop, operating margin on business activity stood at 4.5% (6.3% in the first half of 2017). Performance in the second half of 2018 should get a boost from renewed revenue growth and the initial benefits of the ongoing initiatives, making the operating margin on business activity comparable with the 7.6% recorded in the second half of 2017. Revenue for the Other Europe reporting unit rose sharply to 475.5 million (organic growth of 15.2%). Almost all the region's countries enjoyed very robust growth, with a special mention for Germany, which again delivered strong sales trends and operational momentum. The region's operating profit on business activity rose 22.3% to 32.9 million, representing a margin of 6.9% (6.8% in the first half of 2017). That includes the impact of a negative one-day calendar effect in Germany. Sopra Banking Software posted revenue of 187.4 million (note that Cassiopae's Property Management businesses were reclassified in Other Solutions). Growth at constant scope and exchange rates was 8.7%, with services revenue providing the main driving force. Licence sales, which are concentrated in the second part of the year, fell short of their 2017 level in the first half. Operating margin on business activity came to -4.5% in the first half of 2018, compared with 2.3% in the first half of 2017, as a result of the level of research and development costs (recognised in the income statement), which remained high. Another key development in the first half, aside from investments, was the go-live of some major projects, illustrating Sopra Banking Software's ability to take on and successfully execute major transformation projects: The Sopra Banking Platform for Payments went live at Transactis in France in March The Sopra Banking Platform went live at Argenta in Belgium in April Amplitude Up went live for Attijariwafa Bank in Egypt in June Cassiopae's specialised loan product for IDB (United States) and for certain Volkswagen dealerships participating in a pilot programme (France) went live The pipeline for licences likely to materialise in the second half remains healthy. The Other Solutions (Human Resource Solutions and Property Management Solutions) reporting unit posted revenue of 119.2 million, representing organic growth of 4.0%. That includes Property Management Solutions-related revenue generated by Cassiopae. Human Resource Solutions benefited in particular from preparations to implement income tax withholding in 2019 in France. Operating margin on business activity came to 12.7%, up 1.3 points from its first-half 2017 level. Comments on H1 2018 net profit (IFRS 15) Profit from recurring operations came to 99.2 million. That includes a 22.1 million expense related to share-based payments (17.0 million in the first half of 2017), as a result of the renewal, in 2018, of the We Share employee share ownership plan and of the long-term incentive plan set up for the Group's main managers. Operating profit was 80.0 million after a net expense of 19.1 million for other operating income and expenses (compared with a net expense of 11.4 million in first-half 2017), which included 18.0 million in reorganisation and restructuring expenses. Tax expense was 34.9 million in the half-year period, up from 30.8 million in the first half of 2017, representing a Group-wide effective tax rate of 47.8% (31.8% in the first half of 2017). An annual effective tax rate of around 30.5% is forecast. The share of profit of equity-accounted companies (Axway) was 1.3 million in the half-year period (1.0 million in first-half 2017). The net profit attributable to the Group was 38.4 million after deducting 1.1 million in respect of non-controlling interests. The decline compared with the first half of 2017 (65.9 million) was attributable to more unfavourable seasonal effects in the first half than in 2017; in particular, operating margin on business activity, share-based payments, reorganisation and restructuring costs, and tax expense were affected by this. Financial position at 30 June 2018 Sopra Steria's financial position at 30 June 2018 is robust in terms of both financial ratios and liquidity. Free cash flow for the first half of the year, traditionally a period of net cash outflows due to seasonal effects, amounted to a cash outflow of 114.3 million. Restated for the late 2017 sale of receivables3, the net cash outflow totalled 77.3 million, a significant improvement on the previous year. Sopra Steria used 32 million less in cash during the first half of 2018 than in the same period of 2017. That improvement was achieved despite an increase of 8.1 million in restructuring-related outflows. It reflected a 54.5 million decrease in the working capital requirement by comparison with the first half of 2017, after restating for the sale of receivables. Net financial debt stood at 662.4 million at the end of June 2018, or 1.8x 12 month rolling EBITDA compared with 1.9x at 30 June 2017 (with the bank covenant stipulating a maximum of 3x). External growth and financial investments The Group announced the following acquisitions in the first half of 2018: BLUECARAT in Germany (2017 revenue: 33 million), consolidated from 1 May 2018 O.R. System (2017 revenue: 2 million), consolidated from 1 April 2018 it-economics in Germany (2017 revenue: 20 million), consolidated from 1 July 2018 In addition, Sopra Steria acquired a 10% stake in Sentryo, an innovative industrial cybersecurity startup. Workforce At 30 June 2018, the Group's workforce totalled 42,779 people (41,661 at 31 December 2017), with 18.7% working in X-Shore zones. 2018 targets As a reminder, the Group's targets for the 2018 financial year are as follows: Organic revenue growth of between 3% and 5% Slight improvement in operating margin on business activity Free cash flow in excess of 170 million (133 million including the 2017 sale of trade receivables) Presentation meeting The results for the first half of 2018 will be presented to analysts and investors in French on 27 July 2018 at 9:00 a.m. CET, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris. The presentation may be attended remotely via a bilingual webcast in French and English: Register for the French-language webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/jtm74ogy Register for the English-language webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/jtm74ogy/lan/en Or by phone: French-language access number: +33 170 710 159 PIN: 96265572# English-language access number: +44 207 194 37 59 PIN: 63214354# Practical information about the presentation and webcast can be found in the 'Investors' section of the Group's website: https://www.soprasteria.com Next financial release Friday, 26 October 2018 (before market): publication of Q3 2018 revenue Glossary Restated revenue : revenue for the prior year, expressed on the basis of the scope and exchange rates for the current year. : revenue for the prior year, expressed on the basis of the scope and exchange rates for the current year. Organic revenue growth : increase in revenue between the period under review and restated revenue for the same period in the prior financial year. increase in revenue between the period under review and restated revenue for the same period in the prior financial year. EBITDA : This measure, as defined in the Registration Document, is equal to the consolidated operating profit on business activity adding back depreciation and amortisation included in the operating profit on business activity. : This measure, as defined in the Registration Document, is equal to the consolidated operating profit on business activity adding back depreciation and amortisation included in the operating profit on business activity. Operating profit on business activity : This measure, as defined in the Registration Document, is equal to profit from recurring operations adjusted to exclude the expense relating to the cost of services rendered by the grantees of stock options and free shares and additions to the amortisation of allocated intangible assets. : This measure, as defined in the Registration Document, is equal to profit from recurring operations adjusted to exclude the expense relating to the cost of services rendered by the grantees of stock options and free shares and additions to the amortisation of allocated intangible assets. Profit from recurring operations : This measure is equal to operating profit before other operating income and expenses, which includes any particularly significant items of operating income and expenses that are unusual, abnormal, infrequent or not predictive, presented separately to give a clearer picture of performance based on ordinary activities. This measure is equal to operating profit before other operating income and expenses, which includes any particularly significant items of operating income and expenses that are unusual, abnormal, infrequent or not predictive, presented separately to give a clearer picture of performance based on ordinary activities. Recurring earnings per share : This measure is equal to basic earnings per share before taking into account other operating income and expenses net of tax. : This measure is equal to basic earnings per share before taking into account other operating income and expenses net of tax. Free cash flow : Free cash flow is defined as the net cash from operating activities, less investments (net of disposals) in property, plant & equipment, and intangible assets, less net interest paid and less additional contributions to address any deficits in defined-benefit pension plans. Disclaimer This presentation contains forward-looking information subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may affect the Group's future growth and financial results. Readers are reminded that licence agreements, which often represent investments for clients, are signed in greater numbers in the second half of the year, with varying impacts on end-of-year performance. Actual outcomes and results may differ from those described in this document due to operational risks and uncertainties. More detailed information on the potential risks that may affect the Group's financial results can be found in the 2017 Registration Document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on 13 April 2018 (see pages 35 and following in particular). Sopra Steria does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this document beyond what is required by current laws and regulations. The distribution of this document in certain countries may be subject to certain laws and regulations. Persons physically present in countries where this document is released, published or distributed should inquire as to any applicable restrictions and should comply with those restrictions. About Sopra Steria Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital transformation, provides one of the most comprehensive portfolios of offerings on the market, spanning consulting, systems integration, industry-specific solutions, infrastructure management and business process services. Sopra Steria is trusted by leading private and public-sector organisations to deliver successful transformation programmes that address their most complex and critical business challenges. Combining added value with innovative high-performance services, Sopra Steria excels in guiding its clients through their transformation projects to help them make the most of digital technology. With 42,000 employees in more than 20 countries, Sopra Steria generated revenue of 3.8 billion in 2017. Sopra Steria (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) - ISIN: FR0000050809 For more information, please visit our website: www.soprasteria.com Annexes Sopra Steria: Impact on revenue of changes in scope and exchange rates - H1 2018 m H1 2018 IFRS 15 H1 2017 Growth Revenue 1,903.2 IFRS 15 impact -11.6 Revenue IFRS 15 2,014.0 1,891.5 + 6.5% Changes in exchange rates -16.9 Revenue at constant exchange rates 2,014.0 1,874.6 + 7.4% Changes in scope 38.7 Revenue at constant scope and exchange rates 2,014.0 1,913.4 + 5.3% Sopra Steria: Changes in exchange rates - H1 2018 For 1 / % Average rate H1 2018 Average rate H1 2017 Change Pound sterling 0.8798 0.8606 - 2.2% Norwegian krone 9.5929 9.1785 - 4.3% Swedish krona 10.1508 9.5968 - 5.5% Danish krone 7.4476 7.4368 - 0.1% Swiss franc 1.1697 1.0766 - 8.0% Sopra Steria: Revenue by reporting unit (m / %) - H1 2018 H1 2018 IFRS 15 H1 2017 Restated* H1 2017 IFRS 15 Organic growth Total growth France 849.1 817.4 801.8 + 3.9% + 5.9% United Kingdom 382.8 396.4 405.3 - 3.4% - 5.6% Other Europe 475.5 412.6 396.6 + 15.2% + 19.9% Sopra Banking Software 187.4 172.3 173.2 + 8.7% + 8.2% Other Solutions 119.2 114.6 114.6 + 4.0% + 4.0% Sopra Steria Group 2,014.0 1,913.4 1,891.5 + 5.3% + 6.5% * Revenue at 2018 scope and exchange rates and after application of IFRS 15 Sopra Steria: Revenue by reporting unit (m / %) - Q2 2018 Q2 2018 IFRS 15 Q2 2017 Restated* Q2 2017 IFRS 15 Organic growth Total growth France 422.8 398.8 391.2 + 6.0% + 8.1% United Kingdom 194.4 198.5 201.9 - 2.0% - 3.7% Other Europe 243.9 208.3 196.5 + 17.1% + 24.2% Sopra Banking Software 99.2 93.5 93.8 + 6.2% + 5.8% Other Solutions 61.8 58.5 58.5 + 5.7% + 5.7% Sopra Steria Group 1,022.2 957.5 941.9 + 6.8% + 8.5% * Revenue at 2018 scope and exchange rates and after application of IFRS 15 Sopra Steria: Performance by reporting unit - H1 2018 H1 2018 H1 2017 IFRS 15 IFRS 15 m % m % France Revenue 849.1 801.8 Operating profit on business activity 76.0 9.0% 72.2 9.0% Profit from recurring operations 60.5 7.1% 60.8 7.6% Operating profit 56.1 6.6% 56.6 7.1% United Kingdom Revenue 382.8 405.3 Operating profit on business activity 17.1 4.5% 25.5 6.3% Profit from recurring operations 10.5 2.7% 19.1 4.7% Operating profit 2.2 0.6% 19.2 4.7% Other Europe Revenue 475.5 396.6 Operating profit on business activity 32.9 6.9% 26.9 6.8% Profit from recurring operations 28.9 6.1% 24.2 6.1% Operating profit 25.1 5.3% 19.8 5.0% Sopra Banking Software Revenue 187.4 173.2 Operating profit on business activity -8.4 -4.5% 4.0 2.3% Profit from recurring operations -14.6 -7.8% -1.8 -1.0% Operating profit -16.2 -8.6% -3.3 -1.9% Other Solutions Revenue 119.2 114.6 Operating profit on business activity 15.1 12.7% 13.1 11.4% Profit from recurring operations 13.9 11.7% 11.4 9.9% Operating profit 12.8 10.8% 10.0 8.7% Sopra Steria: Consolidated income statement - H1 2018 H1 2018 IFRS 15 H1 2017 IFRS 15 m % m % Revenue 2,014.0 1,891.5 Staff costs 1,235.6 1,174.9 Operating expenses 624.4 570.1 Depreciation, amortisation and provisions 21.2 4.9 Operating profit on business activity 132.8 6.6% 141.6 7.5% Expenses related to stock options and related items 22.1 17.0 Amortisation of allocated intangible assets 11.6 10.9 Profit from recurring operations 99.2 4.9% 113.7 6.0% Other operating income and expenses 19.1 11.4 Operating profit 80.0 4.0% 102.3 5.4% Cost of net financial debt 3.7 3.5 Other financial income and expenses 3.2 1.8 Tax expense 34.9 30.7 Share of net profit from equity-accounted companies 1.3 1.0 Net profit 39.5 2.0% 67.2 3.6% Attributable to the Group 38.4 1.9% 65.9 3.5% Non-controlling interests 1.1 1.3 Weighted average number of shares in issue excl. treasury shares (m) 20.16 20.20 Basic earnings per share () 1.90 3.26 Sopra Steria: Change in net financial debt (m) - H1 2018 H1 2018 H1 2017 Operating profit on business activity 132,8 141,6 Depreciation, amortisation and provisions (excl. allocated intangible assets) 22,9 6,7 EBITDA 155,7 148,3 Non-cash items -3,5 -1,4 Tax paid -34,9 -23,7 Change in operating working capital requirement -169,4 -186,9 Reorganisation and restructuring costs -20,7 -12,6 Net cash flow from operating activities -72,8 -76,4 Change relating to investing activities -25,7 -20,8 Net financial interest -4,6 -3,1 Additional contributions related to defined-benefit pension plans -11,2 -8,8 Free cash flow -114,3 -109,1 Impact of changes in scope -15,7 -26,6 Financial investments -2,3 -1,9 Dividends paid - - Dividends received from equity-accounted companies - 2,8 Capital increases in cash - 0,2 Purchase and sale of treasury shares -18,3 -1,0 Impact of changes in foreign exchange rates -1,6 -1,8 Other changes - 0,1 Change in net financial debt -152,3 -137,3 Net financial debt at beginning of period 510,1 506,0 Net financial debt at end of period 662,4 643,3 Sopra Steria: Simplified balance sheet (m) - 30/06/2018 30/06/18 31/12/17 IFRS 15 IFRS 15 Goodwill 1,598.4 1,590.6 Allocated intangible assets 161.6 161.5 Other fixed assets 189.0 179.7 Equity-accounted investments 192.2 189.1 Fixed assets 2,142.2 2,120.9 Net deferred tax 83.2 99.1 Trade accounts receivable (net) 1,155.6 1,147.1 Other assets and liabilities -1,089.7 -1,188.1 Working capital requirement (WCR) 65.9 -41.0 Assets + WCR 2,290.4 2,179.0 Equity 1,295.4 1,237.2 Provisions for post-employment benefits 266.4 358.9 Provisions for contingencies and losses 66.1 72.8 Net financial debt 662.4 510.1 Capital invested 2,290.4 2,179.0 Sopra Steria: Workforce breakdown - 30/06/2018 30/06/18 31/12/17 France 19,056 18,649 United Kingdom 5,895 6,181 Other Europe 9,513 8,777 Rest of the World 305 281 X-Shore 8,010 7,773 Total 42,779 41,661 IFRS 15 impacts on the income statement (m) Income statement H1 2017 before IFRS 15 H1 2017 after IFRS 15 Revenue 1 903,2 1 891,5 Staff costs -1 761,1 -1 749,9 Operating profit on business activity 142,1 141,6 Profit from recurring operations 114,2 113,7 Operating profit 102,7 102,3 Other financial income and expenses -2,5 -1,8 Tax expense -30,8 -30,7 Net profit from continuing operations 66,9 67,2 Consolidated net profit 66,9 67,2 Attributable to the Group 66,0 65,9 Non-controlling interests 0,9 1,3 IFRS 15 impacts on the balance sheet (m) Balance sheet 31/12/2017 before IFRS 15 31/12/2017 after IFRS 15 Deferred tax assets 115,4 115,1 Non-current assets 2 247,1 2 246,8 Trade accounts receivable 1 137,8 1 147,1 Other current assets 256,4 246,3 Current assets 1 556,6 1 555,8 Total assets 3 803,8 3 802,6 Consolidated reserves and other reserves 484,7 481,9 Profit for the year 171,4 172,5 Equity attributable to the Group 1 208,2 1 206,5 Non-controlling interests 31,8 30,7 Total equity 1 240,0 1 237,2 Deferred tax liabilities 16,8 16,0 Non-current liabilities 915,3 914,5 Other current liabilities 1 089,6 1 092,0 Current liabilities 1 648,5 1 650,9 Total liabilities 2 563,8 2 565,4 Total liabilities and equity 3 803,8 3 802,6 1 Alternative performance measures are defined in the glossary at the end of this document. 2 After restating the 2017 working capital requirement for the 37 million in trade receivables sold and deconsolidated at year-end 2017. 3 37.0 million in trade receivables were sold in December 2017 and deconsolidated from the year-end 2017 working capital requirement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180726005880/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Ziyen Inc. Appoints Dean Holter as New CFO and General Counsel SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziyen Inc., a Scottish-American oil and energy company, announced the appointment of Dean Holter as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel to Ziyen Inc. As CFO, Mr. Holter will work alongside CEO, Alastair Caithness and will also be a member of the Board of Directors working closely with our leadership team to transform the future of the company. He will play a key role in overseeing all financial aspects of Ziyen Inc. such as financial planning and analysis, financial reporting and investor relations functions. Dean has many years experience serving businesses as both General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Ziyen, Dean served as General Counsel and CFO to Christensen Global Strategies, an international consulting firm whose clients have included United Nations Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Duke Energy, FEMSA, and Microsoft, among other Fortune 500 companies. Dean Holter, CFO and General Counsel said, Ziyen has an exciting mission: to use legacy energy sources to fund new and virtually maintenance free energy sources. Until now, there have been two camps in the U.S., the fossils energy crowd and the renewables energy crowd, who have viewed each other with some justifiable suspicion. But the tipping point has been reached and Ziyen intends to marry the two because they are perfectly complementary. Fossil fuels are labor intensive and create excellent cash flow, and therefore incur taxes, in the relative short-term. Renewable energy creates tax credits and virtually maintenance free cash flow for decades. This game-changing opportunity has been overlooked. Ziyen will help create a self-reliant U.S. energy market structure by using fossils to drive and fund the decades long transition into renewables. While at Christensen Global Strategies, Dean also served as the project lead in the successful purchase of several commercial scale solar projects in California and Oregon. Prior to Christensen Global Strategies, Dean served as the General Counsel and General Manager of Idaho Capital, a private collateralized real estate lending group. Alastair Caithness, CEO said, At Ziyen Inc. we are very excited to have Dean join the company as the new CFO and General Counsel. His experience in being involved in large renewable energy projects is a key asset in the development and funding of the Ziyen Advantage aspect of the business. His business acumen and financial market related experience working with Fortune 500 companies will also assist with providing new avenues of creating liquidity for the company in order to accelerate the growth plans for the company. For information on investing in Ziyen, please visit the company website at www.ziyen.com, or for a copy of the latest company overview, please email support@ziyen.com About Ziyen Inc.: Founded in 2016, Ziyen Inc. is a Scottish-American company focused on delivering 100% Energy Independence to the USA. Initially launched as a software company providing information on oil and gas related procurement contracts, Ziyen Inc. diversified in 2017, instating Ziyen Energy Division with intent to produce oil in the U.S. with advanced extraction methods and technology implemented and guided by career experts in the oil and gas industry. In 2017 Ziyen acquired the mineral rights to its first oil field in Indiana, and now has thirteen oil assets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently qualified Ziyen Inc. in November 2017 for our second round of funding, with a pre-IPO share price of $1.50. More information may be found in its Offering Circular filed with the SEC, or on their website www.ziyen.com. Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements related to anticipated commencement of commercial production, targeted pricing, performance goals, and statements that otherwise relate to future periods are forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail in the Companys periodic reports filed with the SEC- specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made and based on information available to the company on the date of this press release. Ziyen Inc. assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release. Contact: Josh Berg Berg Capital Markets josh@bergcapitalmarkets.com Dean Holter, Esq. Berg Capital Markets dean@bergcapitalmarkets.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] HFF Announces Sale of 3 Buildings within Countyline Corporate Park in Miami Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announces the sale of three newly constructed, fully-leased, Class A, trophy industrial buildings in Countyline Corporate Park totaling approximately one million square feet in the Miami MSA. HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Flagler Global Logistics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, LLC (FECI). Duke Realty Corporation purchased the asset free and clear of existing debt. Countyline Corporate Park is Miami-Dade County's newest master-planned business park and will ultimately contain up to eight million square feet of commercial space within approximately 500 acres. Countyline Corporate Park enjoys a strategic location bordering Florida's two largest counties and offers convenient access to the region's principal highway systems to connect with 83 percent of South Florida's population within a 60-minute drive. Combined with its state-of-the art industrial design, highly functional improvements and business park setting, Countyline Corporate Park was the ideal choice for tenants like KLX Aerospace., CGI (News - Alert) Windows & Doors, Hyde Shipping and others, which fully pre-leased the three buildings prior to completion. The HFF investment advisory team representing the seller included managing directors Luis Castillo and Adam Herrin, executive managing director Manny de Zarraga, senior managing directors Rusty Tamlyn and Coleman Benedict and director Tracey Goo. "Investor interest for industrial properties in South Florida remains exceptionally high, and savvy investors like Duke Realty are strategically pursuing opportunities to build scale in gateway markets with strong long-term growth potential like Miami," Castillo said. "Flagler successfully executed its business plan for the first three buldings within this world-class business park, and we are honored to have represented one of the preeminent developers in our market on this assignment." HFF is a top-producing capital markets intermediary in the country for industrial assets, having closed more than $41 billion in over 2,225 transactions since 1998. The firm has experience in securing transactions for all types of industrial assets, including bulk warehouse, flex, R&D, manufacturing, cold storage and telecommunications. About Flagler Global Logistics Flagler Global Logistics is one of Florida's oldest and largest full-service commercial real estate and development companies. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Flagler has a rich history dating back over a century. Mr. Henry Flagler first established a predecessor company in 1892, which became a pioneer in the development of Florida's eastern coast. Flagler is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, LLC, which is owned by private equity funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, LLC. For more information, visit www.feci.com. About Duke Realty Corporation Duke Realty Corporation owns and operates approximately 149 million rentable square feet of industrial assets in 20 major U.S. metropolitan areas. Duke Realty Corporation is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol DRE and is listed on the S&P 500 Index. More information about Duke Realty Corporation is available at www.dukerealty.com. About HFF HFF and its affiliates operate out of 26 offices and are a leading provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the global commercial real estate industry. HFF, together with its affiliates, offers clients a fully integrated capital markets platform, including debt placement, investment advisory, equity placement, funds marketing, M&A and corporate advisory, loan sales and loan servicing. HFF, HFF Real Estate Limited, HFF Securities L.P. and HFF Securities Limited are owned by HFF, Inc. (NYSE: HF). For more information, please visit hfflp.com or follow HFF on Twitter (News - Alert) @HFF. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005015/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Sun Biopharma, Inc. Presents Poster at Pancreasfest in Pittsburgh, Pa. Results of Phase 1 Safety Study of SBP-101 for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma PancreasFest is an International Conference of Physicians and Scientists Focused on Pancreatic Diseases MINNEAPOLIS, MN, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sun BioPharma, Inc. (OTCQB:SNBP) a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapeutics for the treatment of patients with pancreatic diseases, announced the presentation yesterday of a poster reviewing the results of the Phase 1 Safety Study of its candidate drug, SBP-101, a polyamine metabolic inhibitor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) at PancreasFest in Pittsburgh, PA. PancreasFest is an international meeting of physicians and scientists committed to reporting and sharing research in pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis. The poster was presented by Michael Walker, M.D., Director of Pancreatic Research for Sun BioPharma. Dr. Walker said, The conclusion of the study was that SBP-101 was well tolerated at dose levels 1-4 and that a dose of 0.8 mg/kg of body weight exceeded the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The best tumor response occurred with 0.2 mg/kg/day. The low incidence of adverse events below the MTD and absence of drug-related bone marrow toxicity or peripheral neuropathy in these heavily pre-treated PDA patients, suggest the potential for SBP-101 as an addition to front-line treatment for PDA and justify a combination study. David B. Kaysen, President and CEO of Sun BioPharma said, PancreasFest is an annual gathering of the top minds in the world focused on diseases of the pancreas, including PDA. We are very pleased to present our poster at this conference, providing the ability to interface with many of the key leaders in pancreatic cancer. The study recapped in this poster has laid the groundwork for Sun BioPharma to begin our second clinical study of SBP-101 for PDA. This new front-line study combining SBP-101 with standard of care chemotherapy for previously untreated metastatic PDA patients is being conducted at the University of Florida and sites in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, Australia. The first patients began treatment on June 13, 2018 in Australia and the United States. About SBP-101 SBP-101 is a first-in-class, proprietary, polyamine compound designed to exert therapeutic effects in a mechanism specific to the pancreas. Sun BioPharma originally licensed SBP-101 from the Universiy of Florida Research Foundation in 2011. The molecule has been shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies of human pancreatic cancer models, demonstrating superior activity to existing FDA-approved chemotherapy agents. Combination therapy potential has also been shown for pancreatic cancer. SBP-101 is expected to differ from current pancreatic cancer therapies in that it specifically targets the exocrine pancreas and has shown efficacy against primary and metastatic disease in animal models of human pancreatic cancer. Therefore, management believes that SBP-101 may effectively treat both primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer, while leaving the insulin-producing islet cells and non-pancreatic tissue unharmed. The safety and metabolic profile demonstrated in our first-in-human safety study further supports evaluation of the potential for additive or synergistic effects in combination with current standard pancreatic cancer treatment. About Sun BioPharma Sun BioPharma Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapeutics for urgent unmet medical needs. The Companys development programs target diseases of the pancreas, including pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis; the Companys initial product candidate is SBP-101 for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer. SBP-101 was invented by Raymond Bergeron, Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida. Sun BioPharma has scientific collaborations with pancreatic disease experts at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the University of Miami, the University of Florida, the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, the Austin Health Cancer Trials Centre in Melbourne, Australia, the Ashford Cancer Centre in Adelaide, Australia and The Blacktown Cancer and Haemotology Centre in Sydney, Australia. The Companys independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) is Chaired by James Abbruzzese, MD, Professor of Medicine, Charles Johnson, M.D. Professor of Medicine, a member of the Duke Cancer Institute and Chief, Division of Medical Oncology at Duke University School of Medicine. Professor David Goldstein, FRACP, Senior Staff Specialist at the Prince Henry & Prince of Wales Hospital / Cancer Care Centre in Sydney, Australia is Co-Chair of the DSMB. Further information can be found at: www.sunbiopharma.com. Sun BioPharmas common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB tier of the over-the-counter markets administered by the OTC Markets Group, Inc. under the symbol: SNBP. Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For example, statements regarding the Companys next study, the timing and effects of the reverse stock split and potential eligibility and approval for listing on a national securities exchange are forward-looking statements. Any other statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, may, anticipates, expects, estimates or plans) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the anticipated timing of first patient enrollment, our need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results or timing of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, timing of necessary regulatory processes relating to the reverse stock split, and other material changes in our business that could jeopardize our ability to qualify for listing on a national securities exchange. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the Company and its business, particularly those disclosed from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Stockholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Contact Information: Investor & Media Contact: Tammy Groene Sun BioPharma, Inc. 952 479 1196 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Alcatel Brings Android Oreo (Go edition) to Ultra-Affordable Smartphones in Canada The Alcatel 1 delivers sleek design, efficient performance and a premium 18:9 display starting at $89.99 CAD TORONTO, July 27, 2018 /CNW/ -- TCL Communication's latest ultra-affordable smartphone, the Alcatel 1, is now coming to Canada with premium design and features typically found on more expensive devices. Beginning today, the Alcatel 1 makes it more affordable than ever to enjoy a smartphone with premium design, custom-built FullView 18:9 display and higher-end performance. The Alcatel 1 is also the first device in Canada to run on Android Oreo (Go edition), making it ideal for anyone who wants a solid smartphone at the much lower price without sacrificing features or functionality. Starting at $89.99 CAD, the Alcatel 1 is now available to Bell, Koodo, Lucky Mobile, TELUS and Virgin Mobile customers, and will come to PC Mobile and SaskTel later this year. "The Alcatel 1 highlights our commitment to bringing ultra-affordable smartphones filled with great features to our Canadian customers," said Eric Anderson, General Manager for Alcatel North America. "Now you can get beautiful design, solid performance and an 18:9 display in a sleek packge that's more affordable than most other devices available today." Immersive Viewing on a FullView 18:9 Display Leveraging TCL's award-winning display technology and manufacturing capabilities, the Alcatel 1 features a FullView 18:9 display format which effectively delivers a 5-inch screen in a slim 4.4-inch form, providing a compelling viewing experience as well as more comfortable holding and usage. Premium Design The Alcatel 1 has an impeccable soft suede finishing, making it feel more expensive than its price suggests. It features quality materials and smooth curves available in dark grey with a luxurious feeling that makes it as pleasing to the touch as it is to the eye. Its high-grade unibody ensures a sleek design that stands out. Social-Ready Camera Features Designed for users who love sharing the moments of their lives through pictures with friends and family, the Alcatel 1 comes with a 5MP rear camera with flash and a 5MP front camera with flash for selfies. Android Oreo (Go edition) Makes for a Smooth and Efficient Experience Under its stylish exterior, the Alcatel 1 is powered by Android Oreo (Go edition), which is optimized to help ultra-affordable smartphones run Android faster, more efficiently and safer than ever. Android Oreo (Go edition) is the ideal platform for customers who want to enjoy a powerful Android experience at an affordable price. Android Oreo (Go edition) features a set of popular Google apps that run quickly and smoothly, including Google Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go and more. The Google Play Store will also suggest third-party apps tailor-made for Go edition devices, including Facebook Lite, Skype Lite and more. Android Oreo (Go edition) is designed to give you two times the available storage out of the box, freeing up space for you to do a lot more with built-in storage on Alcatel 1, in addition to a microSD slot for up to an additional 32GB of expandable memory. For more information on all of Alcatel's latest smartphone and other mobile devices, please visit http://ca.alcatelmobile.com. About TCL Communication TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited (TCL Communication) designs, manufactures and markets an expanding portfolio of mobile and internet products and services under three key brands TCL, Alcatel and BlackBerry - with its portfolio of products currently sold in over 160 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Incorporated in Hong Kong, TCL Communication operates nine R&D centers worldwide, employing thousands across the globe. For more information, please visit www.tclcom.com. TCL is a registered trademark of TCL Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Alcatel is a trademark of Nokia used under license by TCL Communication. Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, used under license, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services. SOURCE Alcatel [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Revel Systems Opens New Atlanta Development Center to Support East Coast Expansion Revel Systems, a feature-rich Point of Sale and complete business management platform, today announced the opening of a new regional office in Atlanta. The move brings Revel into the heart of Atlanta's technology community to service its existing and rapidly growing customer base. The new Midtown location opens in August 2018 and will be headed by Erick Kobres, CTO. Revel plans to create more than 170 technology jobs in Atlanta over the next 2-3 years, across several functional areas, focused primarily on software development and sales. Revel's first hire is Chris Lybeer, Chief Strategy Officer, who brings over twenty years of experience in retail and financial software. The expansion comes on the heels of a momentous 2017, in which the company augmented its global business operations with a series of executive appointments and partnerships. From fast casual and fine dining, to specialty retail and convenience stores, Revel's platform is in more locations than ever. "Atlanta is a thriving financial and retail technology hub and a natural fit for global, technology-based companies," said Greg Dukat, CEO of Revel Systems. "Our business is expanding rapidly as our customers grow and as we continue to onboard new customers. Our new Atlanta office will enable us to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to meet the needs of new and existing customers and support our burgeoning partner network." "Revel Systems chose Georgia for all the right reasons - access to talent, to be part of a thriving technology hub and to expand their global operations," said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissoner Pat Wilson. "We are excited they chose Atlanta for their new regional office, and we look forward to working with them." Atlanta is home to many colleges and universities, research centers, and technology companies. Revel's new location will allow the company to recruit from the area's top-notch high-tech talent pool, including Georgia Tech. Revel has joined the College of Computing at Georgia Tech's Corporate Affiliates Program (CAP). As a partner, Revel will work with CAP to engage with the student community, create internship and cooperative work-study opportunities, conduct co-sponsored research projects, sponsor capstone projects, place graduates in great careers, and more. "Atlanta is a dynamic city brimming with tech talent," said Erick Kobres, Chief Technology Officer of Revel Systems. "Our state-of-the art software engineering center will not only support innovation initiatives, but also open up new opportunities for the Atlanta workforce." "We're pleased to welcome Revel Systems to Atlanta and to the college's Corporate Affiliate Program," said College of Computing Assistant Dean for Outreach, Enrollment and Community Cedric Stallworth. "This partnership creates substantial opportunities for our students to network, intern, and ultimately pursue career opportunities with Revel. We look forward to working with them and watching their ranks grow with our talented Georgia Tech graduates." Revel's new office is located in the newly renovated Bank of America Plaza in Midtown. Christian Devlin, First Vice President at CBRE, represented Revel in the lease transaction. Explore career opportunities at Revel by visiting: https://revelsystems.com/careers/. About Revel Systems Revel Systems, founded in 2010 in San Francisco, provides a feature-rich business platform that accelerates merchant success. Designed to maximize security, stability, ease of use, and service delivery, Revel's ecosystem replaces bulky, expensive legacy solutions with a quick, intuitive iOS-based POS platform that combines cloud-based technology and the mobility of the iPad. We work with all businesses-from small merchants to global enterprises-looking to modernize, future-proof their operations, and implement a system that adds value through incremental revenue, cost reduction, and a better experience for customers and employees. For more information on the next generation Point of Sale platform, please visit http://revelsystems.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005072/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Perfectial Starts to Accept Cryptocurrency as a Payment Option for Its Services BOSTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Custom software development company Perfectial will start accepting payments from their clients in the form of cryptocurrency. Three main cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Litecoin (LTC) will be used as payment options. For a company that is actively engaged in researching and adopting the latest technology trends, this seems like a natural step. Perfectial's CTO and co-founder, Ivan Kohut is a Forbes Technology Council Contributor writing and expressing his opinions on the future of Crypto. As a part of the company's strategic plan, Ivan Kohut made a crucial decision to invest in Perfectial's Blockchain expertise. Cryptocurrency is the future of payments, and by introducing this modern payment option, we aim to make our services more comfortable and accessible; Our primal goals have always been customer convenience and satisfaction. So we've decided to adopt crypto payment alternative. "We expect this payment method to be a more fitting option for companies that have received funding with crypto assets as it will allow them to avoid making a conversion," says Ivan Kohut, Perfectial's CTO and co-founder. "Cryptocurrencies are borderless money that allows making our services reachable. On top of that, they help to circumvent certain limitations that conventional payment systems like PayPal have." About Perfectial Perfectial is a custom software development company committed to excellence in developing innovative applications for a range of businesses in Europe and the U.S. Perfectial's competence in working with modern platforms and frameworks is recognized and highly valued by our customers and partners. Perfectial houses over 200 professionals that includes project managers, solutions architects, .Net, Java, Ruby on Rails, Python and Node.js developers, UI/UX design, and Quality Assurance teams. We offer full-cycle of outsourcing software development: from initial identification of business requirements to system testing, deployment, and maintenance. Media Contact: Volodymyr Svinchuk Phone: 857.302.3414 Email: volodymyr.svinchuk@perfectial.com Related Links Perfectial Website Blockchain at Perfectial Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVXmvjJQHhA View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/perfectial-starts-to-accept-cryptocurrency-as-a-payment-option-for-its-services-300687589.html SOURCE Perfectial [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Columbus Achieves Membership of the 2018/2019 Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications NOTTINGHAM, England, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbus honoured by Microsoft for outstanding sales achievement and innovation Columbus, the global digital business services provider, has achieved the prestigious 2018/2019 Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications. Membership in this elite group is based on sales achievements that rank Columbus in the top echelon of the Microsoft's Business Applications global network of partners. Inner Circle members have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable solutions that help organisations achieve increased success. This recognition came during Microsoft Inspire, the annual premier partner event, which took place July 15-19, 2018, in Las Vegas. Microsoft Inspire provides the Microsoft partner community with the opportunity to learn about the company's road map for the upcoming year, establish connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations and learn new skills. "Each year we recognise Microsoft Business Applications partners from around the world for delivering innovation and driving unsurpassed customer success," said Cecilia Flombaum, Senior Director, Microoft, One Commercial Partner organisation. "Our Inner Circle members are chosen based on their business performance as well as capabilities as an organisation, whether that's creating IP, developing solutions, or having an industry leading focus on digital transformation. Microsoft is honoured to recognise Columbus for their achievements this past year, their dedication to our customers, and their innovation around the Microsoft Cloud." As a Microsoft partner, Columbus maintains and builds strong expertise of the Microsoft platform which enables the company to develop cutting-edge solutions that provide real value to its customers. Columbus has received numerous awards and accolades from Microsoft including the 2016 Microsoft Global ERP Partner of the Year Award, being named to the Microsoft Dynamics President's Club and a number of prestigious Inner Circle achievements. Mary Hunter, Managing Director, Columbus UK "Our close collaboration with Microsoft over the years has enabled us to deliver truly effective solutions which have helped our customers thrive in highly competitive markets, not just in the UK, but across Europe and the US. Columbus is proud to have been a member of the prestigious Inner Circle for over 10 years and join the ranks of this year's most innovative, effective and experienced Microsoft Dynamics partners." "The Columbus team is fully committed to delivering innovative applications and services to digitally transform our customers and support them throughout the entire lifecycle of their solutions - making sure they generate maximum value from their data and business systems. Our close collaboration with Microsoft ensures we offer the very best solutions alongside our in-house consultancy expertise and maintain our strong track record of success in our focus industries." About Columbus Columbus is an international IT services company serving customers worldwide. We are experts in developing and providing digital business applications that help our customers in the digital transformation of their business. We are specialist within the industries retail, distribution, food and manufacturing. We've proved this through more than 28 years of experience with more than 8,000 successful business cases. Columbus has offices and partners all around the world. www.columbusglobal.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] MECCA Brands Selects Mi9 Retail for Demand Forecasting, Inventory Planning, Replenishment, and Merchandise Financial Planning MIAMI, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mi9 Retail, a leading provider of omni-channel retail solutions, is pleased to announce that MECCA Brands has chosen the Mi9 demand forecasting, inventory planning, replenishment, and merchandise financial planning solutions to support its high business growth. MECCA Brands, MECCA Cosmetica, and MECCA Maxima have been redefining how Australia and New Zealand shop for beauty for the last 20 years. MECCA stocks over 100 unique brands across its 100 stores and offers exceptional service and beauty expertise within a unique store environment. Makeup artists, skincare specialists, and fragrance experts are on hand in every store to provide bespoke beauty advice and expertise to shoppers. The company's current systems and processes had become too constraining and cumbersome to support their long-term growth objectives. The spreadsheet-based forecast and replenishment procedures and systems were also preventing MECCA Brands from accurately predicting and shaping customer demand. The cosmetics retailer was impressed with the ease with which Mi9 could facilitate better planning and replenishment wih out of the box solutions. "We were searching for a software vendor that could provide both superior technology stack and robust functionality out of the box and Mi9 ticked all the right boxes for us," commented Deb Donehue, Head of Planning and Replenishment at MECCA Brands. "When we realized that Mi9 Retail could accommodate all our key requirements without any customization, selecting them was a no-brainer." "MECCA Brands is a proven leader in the Australian cosmetics industry, and we look forward to helping them further expand their business," said Neil Moses, CEO of Mi9 Retail. "Our analytics-driven demand planning solutions will allow them to gain a competitive advantage by better managing their inventory and financial plans for years to come." About Mi9 Retail Mi9 Retail is the fastest growing provider of enterprise software for retailers, wholesalers, and brands. Mi9 enables the world's leading retailers to automate and optimize their entire Plan-to-Sell process, from planning to executing, influencing, and selling merchandise in-store, online, and on any device. Mi9 corporate retail systems facilitate better planning, master data management, allocation, and replenishment, and Mi9 customer engagement and point-of-purchase systems boost revenue across digital and brick-and-mortar channels. Our solutions are connected via a common analytics framework that serves as the foundation of the system and speeds time to insight with role-based dashboards, KPIs, and governed self-service data discovery. Mi9 Retail is committed to helping retailers on their path to success, so they can maximize revenue and customer engagement while minimizing costs. Visit www.mi9retail.com to learn more. Mi9 Retail, the Mi9 Retail logo, JustEnough, and Plan-to-Sell are trademarks of Mi9 Retail, Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mecca-brands-selects-mi9-retail-for-demand-forecasting-inventory-planning-replenishment-and-merchandise-financial-planning-300687742.html SOURCE Mi9 Retail [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Two Harbors Investment Corp. Stockholders Approve Merger with CYS Investments Inc. Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO) announced that at the special meeting of stockholders held today its stockholders approved the issuance of the company's common stock pursuant to the terms of the previously announced merger agreement with CYS Investments, Inc. (NYSE: CYS). The merger is expected to close on July 31, 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. As a result of the merger, among other things, each share of CYS common stock outstanding at the effective time of the merger will be converted into the right to receive from Two Harbors (i) 0.4680 newly issued shares of Two Harbors common stock and (ii) cash consideration of $0.0965 per share. CYS common stock is expected to be delisted from trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") after the close of trading on July 31, 2018. Two Harbors common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE under the existing ticker symbol "TWO". Two Harbors Investment Corp. Two Harbors Investment Corp., a Maryland corporation, is a real estate investment trust that invests in residential mortgage-backed securities, mortgage servicing rights and other financial assets. Two Harbors is headquartered in New York, New York, and is externally managed and advised by PRCM Advisers LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pine River Capital Management L.P. Additional information is available at www.twoharborsinvestment.com. Additional Information Stockholders of Two Harbors and other interested persons may find additional information regarding the company at the Securities and Exchange Commission's Internet site at www.sec.gov or by directing requests to: Two Harbors Investment Corp., 575 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2930, New York, NY 10022, telephone 612-629-2500. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements". Such statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements that do not describe historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are intended to be subject to the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this communication that address activities, events or developments that Two Harbors expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Words such as "project," "predict," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "potential," "create," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "could," "foresee," "should," "may," "will," "guidance," "look," "outlook," "goal," "future," "assume," "forecast," "build," "focus," "work," or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Two Harbors' ability to predict results or the actual effect of future events, actions, plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Although Two Harbors believes the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, Two Harbors can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained and therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication, including, among others, risks related to the merger. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of Two Harbors, including those detailed in Two Harbors' annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K that are available on Two Harbors' website at http://www.twoharborsinvestment.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission's (the " SEC (News - Alert) ") website at http://www.sec.gov, and those detailed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the joint proxy statement/prospectus relating to the merger filed with the SEC on June 25, 2018. Each of the forward-looking statements of Two Harbors are based on assumptions that Two Harbors believes to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and Two Harbors does not undertake to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005421/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Rudolph Technologies to Present at Two Investor Conferences in August Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RTEC), announced today that Michael P. Plisinski, chief executive officer, and Steven R. Roth, chief financial officer, will be participating at two investor conferences in August. If any presentation materials are utilized during the respective conferences, they will be made accessible on the investor page of Rudolph Technologies' website at www.rudolphtech.com. D.A. Davidson: 10th Annual Technology Forum | August 9, 2018 | New York, NY D.A. Davidson's 10th Annual Technology Forum will be held at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel, New York, NY. Rudolph management will be available to meet one-on-one with investors during the conference on Thursday, August 9, 2018. Intrested investors should contact their D.A. Davidson sales representative to secure a meeting time. Jefferies: 2018 Semiconductor, Hardware, and Communications Infrastructure Summit | August 29, 2018 | Chicago, IL The 2018 Semiconductor, Hardware and Communications Infrastructure Summit will be held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Chicago, IL. Rudolph management will be available to meet one-on-one with investors during the conference on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Interested investors should contact their Jefferies sales representative to secure a meeting time. About Rudolph Technologies Rudolph Technologies, Inc. is a leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of defect inspection, lithography, process control metrology, and process control software used by semiconductor and advanced packaging device manufacturers worldwide. Rudolph delivers comprehensive solutions throughout the fab with its families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down costs and time to market of their devices. Headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Rudolph supports its customers with a worldwide sales and service organization. Additional information can be found on the Company's website at www.rudolphtech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005456/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] $12.1 Billion Telehealth/Telemedicine Market: 2018-2023 Global Analysis & Forecast Report - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "Telehealth/Telemedicine Market By Component (Service, Software, Device), Mode Of Delivery (On Premise, Web, Cloud), Application (Radiology, Cardiology, Primary/Urgent Care, ICU, Mental Health) & End User - Global Forecast To 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Global Telehealth Market is expected to reach USD 12,105.2 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 23% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2023. This market is characterized by constant technological advancements to keep pace with the changing patient needs. The growth of this market is majorly fuelled by improving healthcare IT infrastructure, aging population & rising prevalence to chronic diseases, increasing awareness about benefits of telemedicine, shortage of healthcare professionals, favorable government initiatives & reforms/policies supporting digital health, and growing focus on population health management. Apart from the developed countries like the U.S., emerging economies of Asia-Pacific also provide immense growth opportunities for various stakeholders in the telehealth market. However, lack of adequate reimbursement and lack of telehealth standards may hinder the market growth to some extent. The report identifies North America to be the largest market followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. The geographical analysis section also comments on the key market players shaping the growth of the industry in the respective countries. In addition, the report further gives an extensive outlook on various end users of telehealth such as healthcare providers, payers, patients. These end user segments further briefly talk about the factors impacting their growth. Apart from end-users, the report provides insights on adoption of various deployment models, components, and applications of telehealth. Market Dynamics Drivers Improving Health IT infrastructure Aging Population & Rising Prevalence of Chronic Diseases Increasing Awareness About Benefits of Telemedicine Favorable Government initiatives & Reforms/Policies Shortage of Healthcare Professionals Across the Globe Restraints Lack of Adequate Reimbursement Lack of Telehealth Standards Opportunities Emerging Mobile Health Technology Emerging Economies Challenges Reluctance to Migrate from Conventional Systems Data Security and Privacy Issues Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Insights 5. Telehealth Market, by Component 6. Telehealth Market, by Deployment Model 7. Telehealth Market, by Application 8. Telehealth Market, by End-User 9. Telehealth Market, by Geography 10. Competitive Landscape 11. Company Profiles (Business Overview, Financials, Product/Service Portfolio, Strategic Developments) Aerotel Medical Systems (News - Alert) Ltd. AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc. American Well Beijing Chunyu Tianxia Software Co., Ltd. Care innovations, LLC. ( Intel (News - Alert) Corporation) Cerner Corporation Cisco Systems, Inc. Doctor on Demand, Inc. Honeywell Life Care Solutions InTouch Technologies, Inc. Koninklijke Philips (News - Alert) N.V. MDLIVE Inc. Medtronic PLC Polycom, Inc. (Plantronics, Inc.) Sherpaa Siemens Healthineers SnapMD, Inc. Teladoc, Inc. Vidyo (News - Alert) , Inc. Zipnosis For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j5vqt8/12_1_billion?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005463/en/ [July 27, 2018] Trans Mountain Expansion Project Worksite Receives Blessing From Enoch Cree Nation ENOCH CREE NATION, AB, July 27, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to making investments that create good, well-paying jobs that help strengthen and grow the middle class; that help get Canada's resources to world markets; and that deliver economic benefits for all Canadians, now and for years to come. These include the recent commercial agreement with Kinder Morgan to secure the timely completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. Today, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, joined members of the Enoch Cree Nation, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Kinder Morgan Canada President Ian Anderson at the Enoch Cree Stockpile Site for a special land blessing ceremony. Work will soon begin at this location to prepare for storing pipe, fittings, valves and other materials needed to continue construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. The blessing ceremony marks an important milestone in the ongoing construction of the project. It affirms the local community's support for the project, demonstrates the importance of the partnerships with Indigenous communities and represents another step forward on the path to reconciliation between the Government of Canada and Indigenous peoples. The Trans Mountain Expansion Project is in Canada's national interest. In addition to creating more jobs for hard-working Canadians, it will allow Canada to develop its natural resources and access new markets that will provide a fair price for those resources. It will also allow Canada to ensure greater investor confidence, while respecting Indigenous communities and protecting our environment. Quotes Canada is a place where the environment and the economy go hand in hand and where projects that are in the national interest get built. The blessing received today is an important milestone in the ongoing construction of this project, and it also reflects our government's important partnership with all Indigenous people in Canada, including the Enoch Cree Nation." The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi Minister of Natural Resources "Today's blessing ceremony is further recognition of the importance of getting this project built. The construction and operation of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project will deliver significant economic benefits to communities across Alberta and British Columbia including Indigenous communities like Enoch Cree Nation as well as for Canada as a whole." The Honourable Bill Morneau Minister of Finance "Today's blessing is an important step forward in the construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. It demonstrates just how integral our Indigenous communities are to the success of this pipeline and Alberta and Canada's economic future. With this blessing, construction for the Enoch Cree Stockpile Site can begin and we move that much closer to getting this pipeline built." Rachel Notley Premier of Alberta "We are proud of the relationship we have built with Trans Mountain and to partner with them on this project. This worksite will allow us to create opportunities for our people and community for many years to come." Billy Morin Chief, Enoch Cree Nation Quick Facts On May 29 , recognizing the project as an investment in Canada's future, the Government of Canada announced it had reached an agreement with Kinder Morgan to purchase the company's Trans Mountain Expansion Project, related pipeline and terminal assets for $4.5 billion , subject to certain conditions. This agreement included provisions to protect the summer construction season and also thousands of good, well-paying jobs for Canadians, including members of Indigenous communities. , recognizing the project as an investment in future, the Government of announced it had reached an agreement with to purchase the company's Trans Mountain Expansion Project, related pipeline and terminal assets for , subject to certain conditions. This agreement included provisions to protect the summer construction season and also thousands of good, well-paying jobs for Canadians, including members of Indigenous communities. The Trans Mountain Expansion Project involves building a new pipeline along the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline running from Edmonton, Alberta , to Burnaby, British Columbia , and expanding the capacity of the Westridge Marine terminal in Burnaby . , to , and expanding the capacity of the Westridge Marine terminal in . This expansion will increase daily capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels, while improving market access to the U.S. Pacific Coast and Northeast Asia . . In the course of the federal review of this project, the Government of Canada consulted 117 potentially affected Indigenous rights holders, marking the deepest federal consultation to date on a major project. consulted 117 potentially affected Indigenous rights holders, marking the deepest federal consultation to date on a major project. Over the coming months, construction activities will be accelerating, and from Edmonton to Burnaby , Canadians are already hard at work developing stockpile sites, construction yards and camps. Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Cloudflare Continues to Build On Its Massive Global Network in Second Quarter SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloudflare, the leading Internet performance and security company, today announced results from the second quarter of 2018 and has continued to expand its network capabilities with a number of new offerings. Cloudflare is also announcing that it now protects more than 9 million domains, websites, APIs, mobile applications, and anything connected to the Internet. In the second quarter we focused on delivering solutions that help everyone online, said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. We announced our first consumer offering and extended our services to anything connected to the Internet, both huge milestones for us as a company and for users everywhere. In April, Cloudflare announced 1.1.1.1, the first public DNS resolver built around the principle of privacy-first. Cloudflares first consumer offering, 1.1.1.1, ensures a faster and more private Internet for users everywhere, for free. It is already the fastest DNS resolver in the world and 47 percent faster than the second-fastest resolver. Cloudflare also announced Spectrum, a solution that extends Cloudflares benefits beyond web protocols to protect and accelerate email servers, gaming servers, IoT devices, and anythingelse that connects to the Internet. With Spectrum, Cloudflare is able to accelerate everything across its global network of 150+ data centers and protect anything connected to the Internet from attack. Another milestone for the company was its first Cloudflare Internet Summit UK, held on Thursday, June 14 in London. Cloudflare usually holds the event in San Francisco annually, and this was the first international expansion of the event. The event featured fireside chats and panels with speakers including Sir John Scarlett, the former chief of MI6, Nnenna Nwakanma, senior policy manager at the World Wide Web Foundation, and Alex Macgillivray, the former US Deputy CTO, among many others. Cloudflare will be holding its fourth annual Internet Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, October 4. Cloudflare now has more than 709 employees, up from 440 just over a year ago. The company continues to grow its engineering, sales, marketing, and support teams across its offices in San Francisco, Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, London, New York, NY, Washington D.C., and Singapore. To learn more about Cloudflare, please check out the resources below. Cloudflare Blog Q2 Product Releases About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the worlds largest networks that powers more than 10 trillion requests per month, which is nearly 10 percent of all Internet requests. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with each new site added. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, named the Most Innovative Network & Internet Technology Company for two years running by the Wall Street Journal, and ranked among the world's 50 most innovative companies by Fast Company. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, Washington, DC, London, and Singapore. Contact: Daniella Vallurupalli Communications daniella@cloudflare.com press@cloudflare.com 650-483-4463 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] Endava Marks IPO and First Day of Trading on New York Stock Exchange Endava (NYSE: DAVA) opened for trading today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol "DAVA" following its initial public offering. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005529/en/ Endava employees gathered at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate Endava opening for trading under the ticker symbol "DAVA" following its initial public offering. (Photo: Business Wire) Endava is a leading next-generation technology services provider that helps accelerate disruption by delivering rapid evoltion to enterprises. Engaging with an approach called Ideation to Production, and delivering using Distributed Enterprise Agile (News - Alert) at scale, Endava collaborates with its clients, seamlessly integrating with their teams, catalyzing ideation and delivering robust solutions. Endava helps its clients become digital experience-driven businesses by assisting them in their journey from idea generation to development and deployment of products, platforms and solutions. Endava Chief Executive Officer John Cotterell, joined by members of the company's senior executive team, rang the NYSE Opening Bell on Friday morning. This IPO marks a significant milestone in Endava's 18-year journey. "This IPO is a natural next step in the evolution of our company, and I want to first thank my colleagues, our clients and partners for their contributions to our ongoing story and success," said John Cotterell, CEO, Endava. "Today marks the beginning of a new phase for our company and we will continue to build on our core purpose of creating an environment and culture that breeds success by caring for our customers as individuals and enabling our people to be the best that they can be." Endava has more than 4,700 employees with nearshore delivery centers located in two EU countries (Romania and Bulgaria), three other Central European countries (Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia) and four countries in Latin America (Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela). We have close-to-client offices in four Western European countries - Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. About Endava Endava is a leading next-generation technology services provider that helps accelerate disruption by delivering rapid evolution to enterprises. Engaging with an approach called Ideation to Production, and delivering using Distributed Enterprise Agile at scale, Endava collaborates with its clients, seamlessly integrating with their teams, catalyzing ideation and delivering robust solutions. Endava helps its clients become digital experience-driven businesses by assisting them in their journey from idea generation to development and deployment of products, platforms and solutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005529/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 27, 2018] NASA Interns, New Mexico Community, Virginia Students to Call Space Station WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA interns, visitors at New Mexico's City of Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science, and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility will speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA's Year of Education on Station next week. Each call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA's Johnson Space Center will host a question and answer session between agency interns and NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold at 12:05 p.m. EDT Monday, July 30. Johnson is located at 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston. Media interested in covering the event should contact Frank Prochaska at frank.e.prochaska@nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. The City of Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science in New Mexico ill host children and adults for a community discussion with Arnold at 10:55 a.m. Tuesday, July 31. The museum is at 411 North Main St., Las Cruces. Media who wish to cover the downlink should contact Udell Vigil at uvigil@las-cruces.org or 575-642-5339 or Katie Jenkins at kjenkins@las-cruces.org or 575-528-4577. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will host a conversation with NASA astronaut Drew Feustel at 10:25 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. About 140 members of Virginia Space Coast Scholars, high school and undergraduate NASA interns, students from the Virginia Space Flight Academy and the Delmarva Discovery Center will participate from Wallops' visitor center, Building J20 Route 175, Chincoteague Rd., Wallops Island. Media covering the event should contact Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov or 757-824-1579. Linking teachers directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Network's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). Follow the astronauts on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/ See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/ View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-interns-new-mexico-community-virginia-students-to-call-space-station-300687968.html SOURCE NASA Telaria To Announce Second Quarter 2018 Results on August 8, 2018 Telaria (NYSE: TLRA), Telaria, Inc. the complete software platform for publishers to manage premium video advertising, will announce financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 on Wednesday August 8, 2018. The Company will host a conference call at 8:00 AM Eastern Time on that date. A press release will be available on the Company's website prior to the call. Interested parties are invited to listen to the webcast on Telaria's Investor Relations website at http://investor.telaria.com. The conference call can also be accessed toll-free at (855) 327-6837 or (631) 891-4304 (Toll/International). Following completion of the call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available on Telaria's website. To listen to the telephone replay, call toll-free (844) 512-2921 or (412) 317-6671 (Toll/International), replay Pin #: 10005339. The telephone replay will be available from 11:00 AM ET August 8, 2018 through 11:59 PM ET August 15, 2018. About Telaria Telaria, Inc. (NYSE: TLRA), is a complete software platform to manage premium video advertising. We engineer the most robust suite of analytics, automated decisioning, and integrated programmatic and direct monetization tools in the industry. Global publishers require total command of their business; Telaria's independent solution empowers unbiased decisions for the best revenue outcomes. Telaria operates out of 13 offices worldwide across North America, EMEA, LATAM and APAC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005510/en/ [July 27, 2018] Louisiana HIV Patients file Federal Personal Injury Cases Against Gilead Over Key HIV Drug Two Louisiana patients living with HIV filed personal injury lawsuits against Gilead Sciences Inc. seeking to hold the San Francisco Bay Area drug maker accountable for actions around its failure to rectify a known defect in tenofovir disoproxil fumarate's ( TDF's (News - Alert) ) drug formulation. Plaintiffs allege their severe physical injuries, kidney damage and bone density loss were caused by Gilead's TDF medications and that Gilead developed but withheld a safer alternative, tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), that could have prevented their injuries. Both plaintiffs allege Gilead failed to warn them of the damaging side effects of TDF and actively misrepresented TDF's efficacy and risks. Plaintiff Willie Hills, Jr. claims the medication caused him to develop chronic kidney disease. Plaintiff Christopher Pierot claims the medication caused severe bone density loss and necrosis in both hips, resulting in a double hip replacement when he was only 30 years old. The two separate, but similar legal actions, prepared by Rutherford Law attorney Michelle M. Rutherford, Louisiana lawyer John Adcock, and in-house counsel for AHF, were filed in two United States District Courts, the Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana, (Case No. 3:18-cv-00718-SDD-EWD) on behalf of Mr. Willie Hills, Jr., in the Middle District, and (Case 3:18-cv-00975) on behalf of Mr. Christopher Pierot in the Western District of Louisiana. Both plaintiffs demand jury trials. AHF is funding the litigation and will not receive any financial recovery from the lawsuit in excess of its actual costs. The case follows earlier, similar cases filed in Superior Court of for the State of California County of Los Angeles [Case No. BC702302, Personal Injury Claims; and Case No. BC 705063, Class Action Status], against Gilead over Tenofovir. Both sets of civil cases assert that Gilead's zeal to maintain and maximize its corporate profits came at the expense of the health and wellbeing of its customers who were prescribed and taking TDF, which, according to the current pleadings,the company knew as far back as 2001: "Gilead knew that TDF toxicity led to kidney and bone damage, even in patients without pre-existing kidney or bone issues. Gilead had a duty to share its exclusive knowledge of the risks and adequately warn of any known or scientifically knowable risks associated with the use of TDF. Instead, Gilead misrepresented the safety and benefits of TDF and failed to provide prescribing physicians and their patients, including Plaintiff and his doctors, with the information they needed to safely and reasonably prescribe and take Gilead's drugs." "Gilead should be held responsible for not putting out a better alternative drug knowing all along they hand one on hand. I do not understand the rationale behind their decision, but I will be feeling the effects of their decision for the rest of my life," said plaintiff Willie Hills Jr. "The fact that Gilead knowingly gave an inferior version of their product that they knew caused kidney damage and bone loss to patients in order to make more money and extend their patent is despicable," said Michael Weinstein, President of AHF. "These two actions in Louisiana, similar to the claims filed in California, seek justice for individuals who now suffer severe health issues after taking TDF based HIV drug regiments, which Gilead marketed and sold, when it knew that a safer alternative existed in TAF based regiments," said Arti Bhimani, Attorney for Plaintiffs. "I am honored to represent Messrs. Hills and Pierot in their efforts to obtain justice for being the collateral damage caused by Gilead's strategy of continuously placing profits over patient health," said Michelle Rutherford, Attorney for Plaintiffs. The case(s) also assert that Gilead deliberately and maliciously suppressed from the market its alternate and newer formulation of the drug, TAF, in order to extend the patent life-and sales-of its existing medications that included TDF. Gilead earned over $18 billion in net profit in 2015. Personal Injury Claims Against Gilead The personal injury action against Gilead asserts claims for: 1) Louisiana Products Liability Act- Design Defect LSA RS 9:2800.56 2) Louisiana Products Liability Act- Breach of Implied Warranty LSA RS 9.2800.57, 3) Louisiana Products Liability Act- Breach of Express Warranty LSA RS 9.2800.58 and 4) Breach of Warranty in Redhibition, a claim for violation of Louisiana's consumer protection laws. Regarding the potential harm caused by TDF, Mr. Hills' personal injury claim asserts that: " at the time the Viread used by Plaintiff left Defendant's control, there were other practical and feasible alternative designs that would have prevented and/or significantly reduced the risk of Mr. Hills' injuries without impairing the reasonably anticipated or intend function of the product. These safer alternatives designs were economically and technologically feasible, and also would have prevented or significantly reduced the risk of Ms. Hills' injuries without substantially impairing the product's utility." It also noted that: "Defendant (Gilead) expressly warranted that Viread was safe for its intended use and as otherwise described in this Complaint. Viread did not conform to these express representations, including, but not limited to, the representation that it was well accepted in patient and animal studies, the representation that it was safe, and the representation that it did not have high and/or unacceptable levels of permanent or chronic side effects like kidney disease, and that it would improve health, maintain health, and potentially prolong life." Surprisingly, in October 2004, Gilead's CEO John C. Martin announced, "the company is discontinuing its development program" for TAF." However, Gilead did not discontinue development of TAF. Instead, between October 2004 and May 2005, Gilead applied for seven (7) patents associated with it. Gilead, knew that continuing to sell TDF risked permanent and possibly fatal damage to the kidneys and bones in patients prescribed and taking the drug. It also knew that its newer, alternate version, TAF, would reduce the risk of toxicity and damage to kidney and bones. Previous Federal Lawsuit on Gilead and Tenofovir TDF/TAF AHF filed a separate and previous legal action in federal court in 2016 seeking to hold Gilead accountable for its misdeeds and misrepresentations regarding TDF and TAF. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. recently issued an unjust ruling and AHF intends to seek review by the Supreme Court of the United States. The case is Case No. 16-2475. In May 2016, the Los Angeles Times published a front-page article, "A question of timing: A lawsuit claims Gilead Sciences could have developed a less-harmful version of its HIV treatment sooner" by reporter Melody Petersen that was prompted in part by the lawsuit. In an astounding revelation in her 2016 article, Petersen reported: "In stark language contained in a recent court filing, the company's (Gilead) lawyers said the firm 'had no duty to develop, test, seek approval of, or launch its new product on any particular timetable.'" About AIDS Healthcare Foundation AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 950,000 individuals in 41 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert) : www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) : @aidshealthcare View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180727005584/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. (Image credit: ACLU) Updated, 7/30/2018, 6:55am PT: Amazon's Dr. Matt Wood, who is the general manager of artificial intelligence at Amazon Web Services (AWS), published a post in which he called out the ACLU for using incorrect settings of the Rekognition service. According to Wood, the default 80% confidence level that the ACLU used may work well enough for social media celebrities or identifying people in family photos, but for public safety use cases the company recommends a 99% confidence level setting. Otherwise, a high number of false positives is expected. Wood also mentioned that the 99% confidence level setting is what Amazon recommends in its documentation for law enforcement. Wood said that he tried to recreate the ACLU test with a setting of 99% confidence level. His results showed a false positive rate that dropped to zero, despite comparing against a database of faces that was 30 times larger than the one the ACLU used. According to him, using a database that is not appropriately representative in addition to a low confidence level may skew the results. Furthermore, Amazon's AI chief noted that the company recommends that law enforcement use the results from Rekognition only as one input across others to narrow the field and allow human agents to review and consider the options before making a judgement call. However, as machine learning improves, we could see how in the future that human element may be eliminated from the process. Original article, 7/26/2018, 8:15am PT: In a test recently conducted by the ACLU using Amazons Rekognition service for facial recognition, the nonprofit noticed that the software incorrectly matched the faces of 28 members of Congress with the mugshots of arrested criminals. With this test, the ACLU was trying to prove that Amazons Rekognition software is not only a danger from a human rights perspective due to how it could be abused by law enforcement, but it could also be downright wrong when identifying police targets. Amazon Rekognition Failure In its test, the ACLU chose both Republican and Democrat Congress members, both men and women of all ages, as well as people of color, from all across the country. The test showed 28 members of Congress were identified as arrested criminals. Most of the incorrectly matched Congress members were people of color, including six members of the Congressional Black Caucus. One of them was civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who the Amazon Rekognition system should have been able to properly identify, but didnt. (Image credit: ACLU) The ACLU said that it used the same Rekognition service that is available to the public, and that the whole test cost the nonprofit only $12.33. The organization used a dataset of 25,000 publicly available arrest photos, which it used to test against the public photos of all Congress members. Rekognition Controversy Continues In a recent letter, the Congressional Black Caucus warned about the profound negative unintended consequences that Amazons Rekognition service could have when used by law enforcement against black people, immigrants, and protesters. The ACLU believes that this test validated those concerns. The software incorrectly identified members of Congress as criminals, which means regular people could be just as easily identified as criminals, too. Additionally, people of color were found to be associated with criminals at twice the rate compared to white people. (Image credit: ACLU) The ACLU said that the simple fact that Amazons Rekognition has such a high error rate could exacerbate tensions between the police and people of color in the United States and cost people their freedom or even their lives. The nonprofit reminded everyone that this is not just a theory, but something that happens all the time, including recently in San Francisco: "A recent incident in San Francisco provides a disturbing illustration of that risk. Police stopped a car, handcuffed an elderly Black woman and forced her to kneel at gunpoint all because an automatic license plate reader improperly identified her car as a stolen vehicle." Amazon Not Acting As Neutral Party The ACLU has accused Amazon before of not simply making its facial recognition available for anyone to use, but actively pursuing law enforcement and government contracts, and making pitches about how Rekognition could help it catch criminals. Amazon hasnt denied this, as it believes that this technology being used by law enforcement will ultimately make the society a better place. ACLU warned that an abuse of facial recognition technology could chill free speech and threaten the practicing of religion, as well as subject immigrants to further abuse from the government. The nonprofit urged Congress to enact a moratorium on law enforcement use of face recognition until all the dangers of law enforcement using facial recognition technology can be fully considered. Kansas Opioid Task Force Members Angered By Refusal To Discuss Medicaid Expansion Several members of a task force formed by Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer to address the opioid crisis claim his refusal to consider Medicaid expansion undermines their work. State Sen. Barbara Bollier, a moderate Republican and retired physician from Mission Hills, called expansion and the increased federal funding it would trigger critical to implementing many of the recommendations being considered by the group. Given that there's not enough cash to properly fund schools that might help help educate youngsters against joining the growing new crop of substance-dependent Americans . . . Broke-ass Sunflower State officials fear offeringtreatment options as a drug crisis created by Big Pharma becomes an epidemic.Read more: Overland Park police: Suspect taken in custody following attempted kidnapping of child Police in Overland Park said a suspect has been arrested after attempting to kidnap a child. The incident happened on Wednesday at 2:11 p.m. in the 6700 block of W. 110th St. Overland Park police say a man picked up an infant and that the child's mother did not know the man. The suburbs aren't as safe as they used to be . . . Here's just a bit more evidence of a formerly great enclave in transition.Take a look: Young art student from California killed in KCMO crash KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- Members of the Kansas City Art Institute are mourning the death of a 21-year-old student. On Friday afternoon, July 20, Haley Elizabeth Hackett and her friend Arlan Engin were walking westbound on 43rd Street and were attempting to cross Main Street when a maroon SUV heading eastbound on 43rd street made a left turn to go north on Main street, striking both of them. Reality check on all of those bike/walk efforts that mostly hassle neighborhoods but do very little to protect people on more heavily trafficked thoroughfares. Also a reminder that local cars don't offer pedestrians much respect . . . Restaurant on The Plaza faces backlash following Facebook video Protesters gathered Thursday outside a popular Plaza restaurant after a black woman says she was the victim of racial discrimination and harassment. Those protesters now telling anyone nearby to boycott Tomfooleries. They were few in numbers, but effective as they turned people away. Weand now the sitch is worsening as mobs of social justice warriors gang up on an irritable & overworked restaurant manager and an establishment that seems flustered while trying to cope with a changing biz climate. Checkit: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City police are investigating after someone shot a teenager early Friday morning. It happened just before 1 a.m. near 55th and Prospect, police initially told FOX4, but Darin Snap with the Kansas City Police Department said the exact location of the shooting is unknown and officers could not locate a crime scene by the time they responded. "The Missouri Democratic Party said that if a lawsuit backed by Hawley succeeds, "nearly 2.5 million Missourians with pre-existing conditions could lose their health care coverage." "That figure represents the larger of two credible estimates. The alternative estimate is sizable -- 1.1 million people -- but its less than half as large as the figure cited in the tweet." Would 2.5m Missourians lose health coverage if suit succeeds In the closely watched U.S. Senate race in Missouri, Democrats have been going on offense over health care coverage. In a July 17 tweet, the Missouri Democratic Party trumpeted a lawsuit that was co-signed by Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley, who's challenging the Democratic incumbent, Claire McCaskill. Really great fact checking from this news organization on the reality of the healthcare debate that's vital for however many individuals are impacted . . .Read more: INSIDERS REVEAL THE LAWSUIT CHALLENGING THE AUTHORITY OF INTERIM SHERIFF FORTE STAYS WINNING THE OPEN ROUNDS OF THEIR ARGUMENT AND THREATENS TO DEPOSE THE KANSAS CITY LAWMAN & NIX THE ELECTION!!! - Interim Sheriff Forte is the 1st African-American leader of the Department and his tenure has already been tumultuous. His campaign is already playing on local racial lines and one INSIDER noted: "It really seems like he's trying to start a race war in Jackson County and that's just plain stupid." - The Interim Sheriff running as a reformer and throwing nearly all of his colleagues under the bus with a campaign calling out ALLEGED law enforcement corruption by way of otherwise mundane worker time sheet practices. - Now, we've reached out to JaxCo Democratic Insiders on the recent ruling and they don't deny it but they're staying mum for the moment. Meanwhile, Eastern Jackson County Democrats are clearly worried about the alliance betwixt Exec Frank White & his appointee but even insiders acknowledge the long shot complaint has some merit. "Jackson County government officials are without legal authority to open or reopen a candidate filing period when a vacancy in the Office Of Sheriff is not created by the death, withdrawal or disqualification of any incumbent or any candidate who has filed a declaration of candidacy for said office: enter judgement declaring that when a vacancy in the office of Sheriff is created due to resignation of the incumbent Sheriff on a date after the filing deadline for any primary election but prior to the next general election, the party nominating committee may select a party candidate for election to the office ; and for any further relief the Court deems necessary." Amid upcoming elections, a critical debate against a recent law enforcement appointment once again has the Jackson County political scene in turmoil.First and foremost we want to thankfor their help with this story . . . We were sending out messages and calls late into the night and we're grateful for the help we've received in hashing this story outbefore all Kansas City media.Now, remember that our blog communityHere's the update . . .Behind the scenes, this legal move is important for a lot of reasons but these three stand out . . .And so, the recent victory seems to affirm the contention that the Jackson County Democratic Committee & NOT Exec Frank White are responsible for the appointment. Once again, Exec White's lack of respect for courthouse procedure is apparent and has caused a critical local tumult.What we know for sure is that the court battle on this topic will continue. What's worse is that Exec Frank White has shown disdain for obeying mandates from his colleagues and we're sure to see allegations of discrimination that may or may not have merit.In the meantime, ithe courts will have the last word on who occupies the office of Jackson County Sheriff's office as an EPIC change is underway.Developing . . . The 03 joins the 01 and 03 SUVs to form a three-vehicle lineup only two years since the brand was established. Owned by Geely , the same company that purchased Volvo in 2010, Lynk & Co is positioned between those of the Geely brand and the Swedish carmaker. The 03 rides on the Compact Modular Architecture platform that also underpins the Volvo XC40 and will underpin the next-generation S40 sedan. Unfortunately, the 03 had a rather quiet release, and we dont know much about the European version. Lynk & Co 03 is the Chinese companys third production model. Previewed by a concept car in 2017, it became a production vehicle in 2018. The sedan made its debut in China, but it will soon be sold in Europe, and maybe even in the United States in the future. 2019 Lynk & Co 03 Exterior Compact-sized sedan Sleek overall design Three-tier front end Juke-style headlamp arrangement Aggressive bumpers Thick C-pillar Race-inspired diffuser Lynk & Co didnt reveal any dimensions for the car, but it definitely looks like a compact. It has short overhangs, short rear doors, and a somewhat short decklid. However, it looks pretty sporty and sleek for a sedan this size. What's more, the 03 boasts quite the unique design language. The front fascia features a three-tier layout. Most automobile front ends are split into two section: an upper area with the grille and the headlamps and a bumper for vents and aero elements. The 03 has both, but it also sports an extra pair of lights on the fenders. Its a bit like the Nissan Juke, but more modern, more stylish, and definitely more aggressive. The upper lights are placed at the top of the fascia and extend toward the top of front fenders in a swept-back fashion. Two LED strips emphasize their dominant position above everything else. Down below, theres a thin and wide opening that houses the main grille flanked by big headlamps. None of them are particularly special, but the really thin vent under the grille and the shape of the headlamps give the front end an aggressive look. The bumper is almost rectangular, a rather awkward choice on a modern car. However, the black blades at the corners and the trapezoidal shape of the lower intake add a bit of character. Overall, the front fascia looks a bit weird, but its definitely sporty and unique. For the most part, the 03s profile is rather simple. This isnt unusual in this segment though, with very few models going past the familiar clean design with mild beltlines and detailing. However, the 03 has surprisingly muscular rear haunches and protruding side skirts. It also has unusually wide C-pillars and the upper window trim extends above it into the rear window. Needless to say, these details make the 03 look elegant. The way the rear fender descends toward the rear fascia reminds me of the Maserati 3200GT, which is really cool. The 03 becomes even sportier around back. The two-element taillights grow larger and extend toward the bottom of the rear fenders, while the inner lights are connected by an almost transparent stripe bearing "Lynk & Co" lettering. The black spoiler on the trunk lid adds sportiness. The bumper is aggressive too and sports an interestingly shaped diffuser. Obviously inspired by racing, it has two distinct elements with vertical fins, while the upper section features some sort of intake with a trapezoidal extension in the middle. The black element extends onto the sides to incorporate big exhaust pipes and vertical red lights. All told, while Chinese firms may have a bad reputation when it comes to car design, the Lynk & Co 03 is arguably one of the best looking compact cars Ive seen in a very long time. 2019 Lynk & Co 03 Interior Clean and modern Leather upholstery Premium looking trim Big infotainment screen Digital instrument cluster Roomy rear compartment Although it's supposed to slot under the upcoming Volvo S40, the Lynk & Co 03 looks surprisingly good inside the cabin. The layout is clean and simple, but the design feels modern thanks to the multi-layered, organic looking dash. The center stack is as clean as they get, with a big display, a few controls below, and two A/C vents above. The vents are unusually big, but the infotainment display is also larger than most premium compact cars. The center console is also neat and clean, with only a gear selector, a couple of buttons, and a knob for the infotainment system standing between the driver and the front passenger. The digital instrument cluster is fairly big and displays extra information between the speed and the rev counter. Some of the materials seem to be of the premium variety as well. Theres perforated leather on the steering wheel, the leather on the center console and seats, and the red stitching visible almost everywhere. The plastic on the dashboard and the door panels looks interesting too, far better than the material used in most non-premium compacts. The polished aluminum trim and the honeycomb detailing on the dash and doors round off the upscale look. The front seats have solid side bolstering and look as if they could provide proper lateral support. The rear compartment offers room for three people and legroom looks very generous for a compact sedan. This isnt surprising though given that the four-door was developed for the Chinese market. There isnt much to talk about tech-wise as of this writing, but the 03 could share many features with the Volvo XC40. Although the infotainment display is radically different, the technology behind it could be very similar. It should feature voice-activated control, satellite navigation, real-time traffic information, and smartphone integration for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The sedan should also come with some driving assist technology. On the other hand, since it's supposed to compete under the upcoming Volvo S40, the less expensive models won't have that many standard features. The version shown here is definitely some sort of range-topping model, so expect to find cloth upholstery and not so impressive trim on the entry-level 03. 2019 Lynk & Co 03 Drivetrain Volvo engines Gas and diesel Hybrid too Up to 250 horsepower Up to 300 pound-feet The 03 rides on the same Compact Modular Architecture that underpins various Volvo vehicles, including the XC40 crossover and the upcoming S40 sedan. Co-developed by Geely and Volvo, the platform is suitable for a wide range of gasoline and diesel engines. European specs arent yet available but we already know that the 03 will share drivetrains with the XC40. That said, the gasoline range should begin with the 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine known as the T3. This unit cranks out 154 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque in the XC40. A variant of Volvo T4 should also make it into the 03. This is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that generates 187 horsepower and 220 pound-feet. Should Lynk & Co offer a higher performance setup to go with the aggressive design seen here, expect it to draw juice from the T5, rated at 249 horsepower and 260 pound-feet in its most potent configuration. In Europe, it would makes sense for the 03 to become available with diesel powertrains as well. Fortunately, Volvo offers a couple of oil burners in the XC40, and both are suitable for this sedan. The least expensive diesel should feature the D3, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder thats good for 148 horsepower and 240 pound-feet in the crossover. If you want more power, Lynk & Co should also offer the D4, rated at 187 horses and 300 pound-feet. The really big news here is that in addition to the above, the 03 will also feature a hybrid drivetrain. And unlike the S60, which comes with two hybrids that include four-cylinder engine, the 03 will feature a combo that brings together the T3 three-cylinder and an electric motor. Theres no word on power yet, but it should deliver around 190 horsepower and well in excess of 250 pound-feet of torque. 2019 Lynk & Co 03 Prices Pricing information for the European market isnt yet available, but given that the 01 SUV costs less than $30,000 in China, the sedan could have a very competitive sticker given its design, performance and features. Im pretty sure the 03 will cost far less than German premium compacts like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, but offer similar amenities in range-topping trim. It would make sense for Lynk & Co to aim the 03 at vehicles like the Mazda3 Fastback, so pricing could range between 22,000 and 28,000 in the United Kingdom. But unlike the competition, the 03 will be sold online only. Lynk & Cos aims to innovate by selling its cars online only and the 03 could kick off this strategy for the Chinese firm in Europe. A subscription strategy similar to Volvos will also be available. 2019 Lynk & Co 03 Competition Five years old as of 2018, the Mazda3 is a bit long in the tooth, but it can still hold its own against the competition. The sleek and sporty exterior is far from dated, while the interior bridges the gap between the affordable and premium models in this market. It also comes with a wide selection of engines, starting a 1.5-liter four-banger rated at 99 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque. Theres also a 2.0-liter with either 120 or 163 horses and 150 pound-feet, and a 2.2-liter diesel that cranks out 150 horsepower and 280 pound-feet. The fourth-generation Mazda3 will make its debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2018, but the sedan version wont be out until 2019. Meanwhile, you can buy the current model from around 21,000 in the United Kingdom. Read our review for the Mazda3 Fastback (Sedan). Volvo S40 2008 Volvo S40 Granted, the new Volvo S40 is still at least a year away, but when it arrives, it will definitely cross swords with the 03. Although Geelys strategy is to make the S40 the fancier, more expensive compact and keep the 03 as a more affordable option, certain trims will cannibalize each other. For instance, a well-equipped 03 will probably have what it takes to compete against an entry-level S40. The big issue here is that we dont know much about the upcoming S40 other than the fact that the two will share underpinnings and engines. However, the S40 will probably borrow design cues from the larger S60. The compact sedan will return to the market after a six-year hiatus. The second-generation model was discontinued in 2012 when Volvo stopped selling the sedan. Since then, only the V40 hatchback was offered. Conclusion Of all of Lynk & Cos new and upcoming models, Im most excited about the 03 sedan. Its probably not going to sell as well as its SUV counterparts, but its still going to be an intriguing choice given the segment it belongs in. For what its worth, the companys quirky design language is most natural in the 03, almost as if the design was meant to look like it. The interior looks top-shelf, too, and the engine options will give European buyers enough options to consider. If it ends up being priced the way I think it will be, the 03 is going to be a much more appealing model. Love it Design language looks great on the sedan Clean interior Could be cheaper than competitors Leave it Lack of brand reliability Is it still a niche model? No specific timetable yet Further reading Read more about the 2017 Lynk & Co 01. Read more about the 2018 Lynk & Co 02. Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Lynk & Co 04. Bridge Collapse in Italy Sends Cars Falling 150+ Feet This is not the kind of news you want to wake up to Zimbabwe is still engaging Sadc on full market access as it has not yet fully implemented the Sadc Free Trade Area due to industrialisation, a government official has said. In a statement early this week, Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development minister Mike Bimha admitted that the country had engaged Sadc over full market access. Zimbabwe is still engaging Sadc on the full market access offer and has not fully implemented the Sadc Free Trade Area due to de-industrialisation. As a result, Zimbabwe has submitted its application for special dispensation for derogation for its outstanding tariff commitments under the Sadc Protocol on Trade to the Committee of Ministers of Trade, he said. Member states have made preliminary comments on the application and have requested for bilateral engagements as well as additional information so that they can undertake their national consultations before pronouncing themselves on the issues. Member States are expected to accelerate the implementation of value chains in pharmaceuticals, agro-processing and mineral beneficiation. Bimha said the objective was to consolidate regional integration, as member states continue processes in the implementation of the Sadc industrialisation strategy and roadmap.This comes as government is seeking to increase trade in the region. Bimha also discussed proceedings at the Comesa 20th Heads of State and Government summit held in Lusaka, Zambia held last week. Zimbabwes exports to Comesa reduced from $86 million in 2016 to $83 million, representing a 3,4% decrease in domestic exports to the region. Zimbabwes top exports are cane sugar (15%), fish (8%), and tobacco (4%). In 2017, 69% of Zimbabwes exports to the Comesa region were mostly destined for Zambia, Kenya (21%) and Malawi (6%). Other countries in Comesa accounted for 4% of the remaining exports. There are distinct opportunities here and I would like to urge the private sector to target the Comesa region and take up more market share. 10th BRICS Summit Johannesburg Declaration pdf BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution (914 KB) (DIRCO) Extracts from Section IV: BRICS partnership for global economic recovery, reform of financial and economic global governance institutions, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution 64. We recall that the WTO Dispute Settlement System is a cornerstone of the multilateral trading system and is designed to enhance security and predictability in international trade. We note with concern the impasse in the selection process for new Appellate Body Members that can paralyse the dispute settlement system and undermine the rights and obligations of all Members. We, therefore, urge all Members to engage constructively to address this challenge as a matter of priority. 65. We acknowledge the need to upkeep WTOs negotiating function. We, therefore, agree to constructively engage in further developing the current legal framework of the multilateral trading system within the WTO, taking into consideration the concerns and interests of all WTO members, including in particular the developing members. 66. We note the steps undertaken on strengthening and ensuring the operational readiness of the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement and welcome the completion of a successful test run of the de-linked portion of the CRA mechanism. We encourage cooperation between the CRA and the IMF. 73. We welcome the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger and Blockchain Technology in the Context of the Development of the Digital Economy. We believe that this work will contribute to our cooperation in adapting to the evolving internet economy. Brand South Africa: The BRICS brand from economic concept to institution of global governance (pdf) The BRICS Information Centre has posted its final 2017 BRICS Xiamen Summit Compliance report] In conclusion it is found that this research report links the following concepts: institutionalisation of the BRICS, its emergence as institution of global governance, soft power, and the development of the BRICS as brand. This means that as the BRICS is institutionalised, as it implements Summit decisions, as it establishes shared institutions (e.g. the BRICS New Development Bank), as it furthers the cause of a multilateral, fair, just, and inclusive global governance system, as it seeks peaceful resolution of international conflicts it builds the (BRICS) brand, and enhances the soft power of both the BRICS as institution and the individual member states. [ Benefits and challenges of Free Movement of Persons in Africa (pdf, IOM) This study demonstrates how intra-African free movement of persons can bring enormous socioeconomic benefits to the continent. It also explores some real challenges and costs in pursuing such free movement, but finds that, if managed well as part of the overall African integration and development strategy, the benefits of free movement of persons in Africa by far outweigh the costs. African States are invested in advancing and developing their economies by fostering greater intra-continental and global trade. The African people are part of that trade ranging from small border traders, farmers, migrant workers to tourists, students or investors and form a natural link or bridge between free movement and free trade. Free movement of persons is shown to be an integral part of the African free trade area strategy. Profiled recommendation: The African Union and RECs have a pivotal role in coordinating synergy, cooperation and harmonization of regional norms and standards, and as such should further enable the phased implementation of free movement of persons by the following actions: In Phase I: Develop, adopt and promote a continental legal instrument to facilitate free movement of persons in Africa (i.e. the Protocol to Facilitate Free Movement of Persons in Africa, Right of Residence and Establishment for consideration by the African Union Assembly in January 2018); Prepare individual REC positions on how to implement free movement of persons in Africa in relation to the ongoing implementation process for REC free movement; Harmonize continental regional standards and norms on free movement of persons in Africa that include the CFTA and migration frameworks; Develop a common mechanism/dashboard/scorecard to monitor compliance and implementation of continental and regional legal and policy frameworks on free movement of persons in Africa. The Africa Infrastructure Development Index: July 2018 (AfBD) In general, AIDI scores (pdf) improved for virtually all countries between 2016 and 2018. The global index imputed for the entire continent has risen from 27.12 to 28.44. The range of performance for the top 10 countries, including Seychelles, Egypt, Libya, South Africa, Mauritius, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Cabo Verde and Botswana improved from 35.63-93.92 in 2016 to 36.79-94.32 in 2018 (Table I.1 and Figure 1). Generally, the bottom 10 performing countries made very marginal gains in their performance - less than one percent point on the average, except Ethiopia and Madagascar. It is important to note that most of the countries in this category are fragile states or/and emerging from conflict. Some countries recorded a decline in the overall performance index. They include Cabo Verde, 1.49; South Sudan, 0.34; and Sao Tome and Principe, 0.24. In terms of ranking, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Rwanda and Uganda saw the biggest drop, falling two positions. ICT emerges as the main driver of AIDI improvements: The ICT sector has driven the most improvements in the AIDI ratings over the past decade, compared to all other sectors. Sub-regional rankings remain stable: The ranking of the five regions remain unchanged, with North Africa remaining in the first position, followed by Southern Africa, West Africa, East Africa and Central Africa. The best performing sub-region to emerge is Southern Africa, with an average of 2.0 points, followed by West Africa - 1.55 points. The West African region recorded only 0.36 points - the lowest average in improvement. Angola and the SADC Trade Protocol: update (dti) South Africa's Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Bulelani Magwanishe, and Angola's Secretary of Commerce, Dr Anadeu Leitao Nunes, agreed that it would be significant for Angola to be part of the SADC Trade Protocol as it would contribute to regional integration efforts. Both agreed during a bilateral meeting in Luanda last week. The meeting took place on the sidelines of a five-day trade and investment mission to Angola. Nunes concurred with Magwanishe and was pleased to pronounce that Angola would accede to the SADC Trade Protocol and that the roadmap was referred to the secretary of SADC. He said it ought to be discussed at the next meeting of ministers. He further said there was no turning back for Angola, as this was an instruction from President Joao Lourenco. SADC Regional Development Fund operationalisation imminent? (GEG Africa) This paper recommends four key capacity-building initiatives that regional infrastructure financing should support. First, technical support should be given to member state-identified institutions that can serve as early stage champions for potential projects. Second, capacity building should support project championing and stakeholder engagement. This entails ensuring that SADC projects secure a dedicated project sponsor/manager (from a DFI or SOE, or a private consultant) and support meetings required to secure buy-in from necessary actors such as governments and SOEs. Third, capacity-building efforts should not neglect soft issues such as regulatory and legislative harmonisation and supporting infrastructure (such as ICT connectivity along a transport route). Fourth, as an ongoing effort alongside support for specific projects, financing should also support continuing reviews and restructuring of the RIDMP, to remove unfeasible projects that were either ill-conceived or purely politically motivated, and support the refinement and de-risking of projects with real potential. [The authors: Lesley Wentworth, Chelsea Markowitz, Zinhle Ngidi, Tulo Makwati, Neuma Grobbelaar] Africas continental free trade deal: What did Namibia sign up for? (New Era) Will Namibia benefit from the AfCFTA? The answer for the short term is probably no, opines Wallie Roux, a local researcher and trade analyst. In his assessment, the main reason why Namibia signed the agreement is because the country is part of SACU and SADC. As such, countries with a larger manufacturing base and enabling physical and industrial infrastructure like South Africa are in a better position to gain from the expected benefits of the AfCFTA. Namibias benefits in this regard would most probably be indirectly, except for a few potential export markets for some of our products, like beer for instance. However, Namibias logistics sector could benefit immensely due to the countrys strategic location and its already developed corridors to neighbouring countries. Nigeria: African free trade agreement splits private sector groups (Vanguard) The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, yesterday, dissociated the Organised Private Sector from the call by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture for the federal government to sign the AfCFTA. President of MAN, Dr Frank Jacobs, said at a news conference, that the position of NACCIMA does not reflect the position of the majority of the members of OPS, urging the government not to bow to pressure into signing the deal without addressing the concerns raised by stakeholders. The position of NACCIMA is understandable, because it is an organisation of traders as opposed to those of us that are involved in manufacturing. A trader with a billion naira run a business employing less than 10 people but a manufacturer that has a billion naira plant will definitely employ more than 100 people. So, the difference is clear and government realises that. MAN believes that Nigeria may become a big player and key driver of improved volume of intra-African trade in an African Free Trade Area with the right market offer mix, rules of origin, countervailing measures, dispute settlement mechanism, non-tariff and technical barriers provisions, amongst other protocols and annexures. The only way to guarantee this positive proposition is to ensure that our negotiating team is guided by a credible and strategic country specific study. There is no wisdom in signing-on upfront only to end up struggling to find space in the accompanying Protocols and Annexures. [Related: "MAN added that it has since commissioned a study and expects to have the report in one-months time"] DHL, Ethiopian Airlines launch JV to build logistics infrastructure in Africa (Air Cargo World) DHL Global Forwarding and Ethiopian Airlines have entered a joint venture, DHL-Ethiopian Airlines Logistics Services Ltd., that will serve the entire continent of Africa based from Ethiopia with Ethiopian Airlines holding a majority stake in the venture. With its GDP growth, Africa is stepping into the spotlight as production hub, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding for the Middle East and African regions, Amadou Diallo said. Recent moves to open up the economy will continue to boost Ethiopias position as the fastest-growing economy in Africa. DP World to build and operate new logistics hub in Mali (pdf, DP World) DP World has signed a 20-year concession with an automatic 20-year extension with the Republic of Mali to build and operate a 1000-hectare modern logistics hub outside of Bamako, the capital and largest city of Mali. The multimodal logistics platform, Mali Logistics Hub, will have inland container depots and container freight stations that will facilitate the import and export of goods. The Mali Logistics Hub will be located on the main road corridor from Dakar, Senegal to Bamako and close to the Dakar - Bamako rail line and will be capable of handling 300,000 TEU (twentyfoot equivalent unit), 4 million tons of bulk and general cargo. The first phase of the project, with an estimated initial investment of $50, will include an inland container depot and container freight station facility that will support the growth of the Malian economy by streamlining the import and export of goods. Construction is expected to start in 2019 and is to take approximately 18 months to complete. Trade impacts of joining the Commonwealth: evidence from Rwanda (Commonwealth Secretariat) The approach used is a difference-indifference model that analyses the growth rates of intra- and extra-Commonwealth exports of Rwanda before and after it became a member in 2009. The next section presents some evidence to support the idea that Commonwealth membership may have an effect on trade, even in the absence of a formal trade agreement. Section 3 then presents the case study, first looking at descriptive statistics and then moving on to use an econometric model to distill the impact of Commonwealth membership. Section 4 concludes and discusses policy implications. Friday's Quick Links: AfDB: South Africa sees Africa Investment Forum as vehicle for economic growth Nigeria: FG to decentralise ports to ease Apapa gridlock Agbiz: Cairns Group Farm Leaders disappointed at new US agricultural subsidies (pdf) Smallscale farmers of Africa and Denmark reject free trade agreements ICTSD: EU, US leaders pledge to negotiate "zero industrial tariffs"; set up working group on WTO reform OECD: Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits - updated version (pdf) Welcome to Costa Rica! Congratulations on selecting one of the most scenic, fun places in the world for your vacation! Whether you enjoy the awesome food, amazing views, or never-ending activities, your stay in the heart of Central America will be one you'll remember for the rest of your life. You already know how much there is to do in this wonderful nation of only 5 million people, but we're here to show you how to make the most of your opportunity. Travel Capital of Central America You're not the only one who's visiting this southern gem this (or next) year. Costa Rica has recently become a vacation capital of the Western Hemisphere. Travelers from America, Canada and South America all flock to the amazing beaches and natural beauty of Costa Rica. The boom of this industry has allowed Costa Rica to get even better at something they're already one of the best at... hosting! The nation sees over 2.5 million travelers every year. That's almost half of the country's total population. It's no surprise that of the most popular markets for travelers to hail from is the United States. Almost half of their tourism total for the year calls the USA home. And with the affordability that Costa Rican vacations offer, the average span of a vacation has crept north of 10 days. But what do you do for almost two weeks in Central America? That's easy. Everything! Location, Location, Location If there's one thing you won't have trouble finding it's affordable Costa Rican hotels. There's no shortage of great places to stay in this vacation hotspot. Give it a few days near the Arenal Volcano National Park or head to the coast and stay near Tamarindo Beach. East coast, West coast, somewhere in the middle... it doesn't matter. There is no bad place to stay when you visit Costa Rica. Your preference will likely depend on what you and your fellow travelers love to do most. If you're a group of avid hikers, there are plenty of fantastic spots to put you right near the action. A couple of beach bums? Costa Rica has just the spot for you. Variety is king in this haven. And with cheap prices and luxurious resorts, the list can even become quite overwhelming. That's why it's best to choose your temporary residence based on your interests. One thing there's no arguing about is that there's plenty enough to love about Costa Rica that you'll be back again. So, if you're on the fence, remember that many travelers get the opportunity to try out multiple locations thanks to return trips in future years. But let's focus on your upcoming venture first. Food Fight! One great thing about traveling to a touristy area is that they always have familiar foods. If you're not venturous in your meal preferences, no worries-you'll be able to find plenty pizza, burger and taco restaurants. If you're a traveler that loves to explore cultural delicacies and try different cuisines, you're in luck! There's few better places than Costa Rica! This amazing country specializes in fruit and vegetables, so dinner sides and snacks are always going to be excellent. And it's no stretch to say that Costa Rican rice dishes are some of the best on earth. Traditional South American food is prevalent as well as specialty dishes that are sure to make your mouth water. So, if you like to enjoy world class dining after a long day on the water or in the mountains, you've come to the right place. Hiking, Biking and More You know by now that there's no shortage of adventure in Costa Rica. There are five active volcanoes and more than 60 national parks. Of course, you've heard about the world-renowned beaches. Whether you're a veteran kayaker or a watersports rookie, the list of ocean activities is endless. One thing that is highly recommended is the surfing. From beginners to pros, the coastline is shaped with your surfing expedition in mind. Make it a day trip or sandwich it in between bungee jumping and horseback riding. Any way you do it, you're sure to enjoy yourself in one of the world's most beautiful playgrounds. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 To be precise, her specially branded ones for only $89 for a set of three! Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizational guru who inspired so many millions of people to clear their houses of unloved clutter, is now selling shoeboxes. If this seems like an odd direction for someone so dedicated to ridding one's space of unnecessary crap, these aren't just any old shoeboxes; these are Hikidashi boxes, whose name means "to draw out" in Japanese. (I'm not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds suspiciously like drawing out getting rid of things because you now have a beautiful place to store them.) Kondo, however, seems to think these boxes are fabulous and necessary. A self-proclaimed "box fanatic," she has said in the past that finding boxes is always a challenge in American houses, which is why she would fill suitcases with boxes in Japan before flying to the U.S. (I don't know what kind of houses she was visiting, but boxes seem to multiply in mine.) She also found that American adherents of her KonMari folding method were unable to keep their clothes quite as neat as she intended. They'd start out doing well, but then had difficulty maintaining the perfect folding and stacking. Said Kondo's VP of product marketing, Cheryl Tan, We knew that was a pain point we wanted to solve. Its helpful to have a divider in your drawer to keep everything lovely and lined up. Hence, the launch of the Hikidashi boxes, which, like I said, are no ordinary shoeboxes. These have been designed in part by Cecylia Ferrandon, who worked in Apple's packaging design for eight years before joining Kondo's team. The result is a set of boxes that fit together with no visible seams. Katharine Schwab, who got a sneak preview before their official launch in September of this year, described them for Fast Company: "Theyre made of reinforced fiberboard composed of recycled paper and then covered with a silky smooth, luscious paper that makes me want to run my hands all over them and all the materials are FSC certified, meaning they come from responsibly managed forests. While these boxes probably wont last as long as plastic ones on your shelves or eventually in a landfill, they do feel structurally sound and far sturdier than most other paper boxes Ive encountered... And of course, each is designed to spark joy: While the outside of each box is white, the interiors have serene watercolor patterns and inspirational quotes from Kondo like, 'Make your life shine.'" OK, they sound lovely, and they do look beautiful in the pictures Schwab posted (see them here). But this triple set of empty boxes costs $89, and its sole purpose in life is to hold folded clothes somewhat more neatly than a regular drawer divider or (dare I say it?) a shoebox could. So, why? It seems utterly ridiculous, when you look past the pretty designs and quotes. Schwab calls it aspirational marketing at its finest: "It takes an incredibly strong brand to sell a set of empty boxes especially a set of empty boxes priced at $89, which are available for preorder today and begin shipping in September." An article for Conde Nast is sharper with its words, suggesting that the online guide that comes along with a purchase of the Hikidashi boxes and offers guidance through day-to-day home organization is perhaps "the best thing you're paying for." And instead of spending $89 on three empty boxes, how about putting that toward a pair of shoes you love and getting a free box for the same price? Hmmm... I've got to say, Kondo's let me down on this one. She has never professed to be a minimalist, but that was often the unintentional (and beneficial) result of her method -- the purging of over half of one's possessions in order to make room for the things that "spark joy." I don't need more help with organization, and I suspect this holds true for many other people, too. What's needed is less stuff -- fewer clothes stuffed into those dresser drawers overall. The less stuff there is, the less need for finicky organizational tools and gadgets like these silly boxes. Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors) And what Disney does, little kids want to emulate! This could be big. The latest corporation to jump on the plastic reduction bandwagon is none other than the Walt Disney Company. In a press release, the company has announced its intention to reduce the amount of plastic generated by its stores, parks, and cruise ships. By mid-2019, all Disney-branded locations around the world will phase out plastic straws and stirrers, a move that is estimated to save 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers from being tossed every year. On Disney cruise ships, "refillable in-room amenities" will be added to the guest rooms; the press release does not specify what exactly these are, but we're imagining refillable shampoo, conditioner, and soap containers, perhaps reusable cups instead of water bottles, and cloth hand towels. Whatever these may be, the company says it will lead to an impressive 80 percent decrease in the amount of plastic waste in guest rooms. Improving matters even further, Disney says it will "complete [its] work to eliminate polystyrene cups across our global owned and operated business." That means disposable plastic cups, gone! And we're big fans of that. In the words of Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, Disney has always been inspired by nature and it is a uniquely powerful brand that inspires, educates, and entertains, all at the same time. Todays announcement is more than about reducing single-use plastic waste, its also about showing millions of kids and adults from around the world the many ways we can change our daily habits to care for the oceans and protect nature that sustains us all." I think this point is crucial. Disney does have a powerful influence on the youngest generation of humans, and is well-positioned to inspire and effect change in ways that perhaps other, more adult-oriented efforts cannot. Particularly if it pairs these plastic-reduction efforts with clear messaging that educates kids, it has great potential to spread awareness further afield. Way to go, Disney! editorial@tribune.com PKJaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 27 The Ugandan national, Rabia, was sent to the judicial custody after the expiry of police remand here on Thursday. The Special Task Force (STF) has claimed that it has managed to get vital clues about drug peddlers operating in Delhi and in different parts of Punjab. We cannot disclose the identity of the drug smugglers whose names have figured during the interrogation of Rabia as it will hamper our investigation. The peddlers can escape after getting to know that they have been named. They are on radar, said Rashpal Ghuman, AIG, STF. Several of them are African nationals who have been staying in the country. Some of them reside illegally in India, it is said. These smugglers shift their locations frequently. He said Rabia used to contact these people through WhatsApp calls after getting orders from her clients. The STF arrested Rabia from New Delhi on July 20 for drug peddling. Later, one kg of heroin was seized that was hidden at a place along the Tarn Taran-Patti road. Rabias name was revealed by another drug trafficker, Kuldip Singh, who was nabbed with 260-gm heroin last month. Kuldip had told the police that he used to get the consignment from her. Rabia had been arrested by the Fazilka police on similar charges. She remained in jail for at least eight months before being released on bail. While she was lodged in the Amritsar Central Jail, Rabia had over a month old child with her. Later, she left the baby with her sister. She said that she has two more children from her first marriage and they are in Uganda. She shifted to India several years ago. rchopra@tribunemail.com Chennai, July 27 South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to launch an electric SUV in India next year as it prepares to test the countrys EV market before going full throttle with local manufacturing for such vehicles, a top company executive said. The company, which operates in India through a wholly-owned subsidiary, plans to bring the vehicle as a completely knocked down (CKD) unit. We will launch an electric SUV in the second half of 2019. We will import it as completely knocked down unit, Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO YK Koo said. In the long term the company will produce EV models from its Chennai plant, he added. Koo said the companys strategy for EVs is in line with the governments vision of making India an EV market by 2020. However, he sought more liberal policies on taxation for the EV segment in the country. When asked if the company could look at collaboration with Kia Motors for the vertical, Koo said: Many items are required, so (with only) one party investment the cost is very high. So, if we find a good partner we can consider also. Hyundai had showcased EV models Ioniq and Kona during the auto expo in Delhi earlier this year. Koo said the company planned to launch eight new models in the country by 2020, including the electric SUV next year. Out of eight, two are new segment products, one electric SUV and other five full model changes to replace current vehicles, Koo said. When asked about sales growth expectations for the current year, he said: We are targeting at 8-10 per cent growth this year. Last year, the company had sold around 5.27 lakh units in the domestic market. During the first half of the current year, the company has sold 2,75,136 units in the domestic market, a growth of 8.6 per cent over same period of 2017. On production side, Koo said Hyundai aimed to roll out 7 lakh units this year from its Chennai plant while next year it planned to enhance the production capacity to 7.5 lakh units per annum. This capacity would be enough for us till 2020. Some of the export markets are showing decline. So we can use that extra capacity for the domestic market, Koo said. The company aims to achieve a cumulative production milestone of 10 million cars by first quarter of 2021. When asked about the companys plans for a new production facility in India, Koo said the company is yet to finalise any concrete plan on the matter. Till 2020 we can manage product volume and beyond 2020 depending on the market situation we will review the situation, he said. When asked about exports, he said trend had changed in Asian markets with preference for CKD units over CBUs. We have already started exporting CKD units to Vietnam. By September we plan to start shipments to the Philippines. Our aim is to to export 50,000 units by next year-end, Koo said. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Mumbai, July 27 BSE benchmark Sensex finished above the 37,000-mark for the first time, while the NSE Nifty too breached the historic 11,200-level on Friday on widespread buying led by consumption and capital goods stocks. The Sensex vaulted over 352 points to wrap up a stellar week during which it finished at fresh lifetime highs in each of the five trading sessions. Barring the BSE IT index, all other sectoral indices ended in the green. ITC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging 5.24%, after it posted a 10% increase in standalone net profit for the June quarter. ITC went past FMCG major Hindustan Unilever to become the countrys fourth most-valued firm in terms of market valuation. Better-than-expected quarterly earnings by select index heavyweights, easing of US-EU trade tensions and firm foreign capital inflows ensured that investor sentiment remains skewed towards equities, brokers said. Opening on a firm footing, the 30-share Sensex hit a new intra-day peak of 37,368.62. It finally settled at 37,336.85, up 352.21 points breaching its previous closing record of 36,984.64 reached yesterday. It has taken the Sensex six months (January 23-July 27) to advance to the 37,000-level from 36,000. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty touched a new intra-day high of 11,283.40, before closing at a record 11,278.35 showing a gain of 111.05 points, or 0.99 per cent. It bettered its previous record close of 11,167.30 reached in Thursdays trade. For the week, the Sensex recorded a significant rise of 840.48 points, or 2.30% while the Nifty gained 268.15 points, or 2.44%. PTI Record run continues vinaymishra188@gmail.com Lucknow, July 27 Tagging UP as a priority growth state, Walmart India said it expects to create at least 30,000 local jobs by setting up 15 stores in the state. In the Investment Summit held earlier this year, Walmart had signed an MoU to open 15 wholesale stores. Each store is likely to create 2,000 jobs, thereby generating at least 30,000 jobs, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajneesh Kumar said from Mumbai. PTI editorial@tribune.com Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 Diagnosed with a heart disease requiring surgery, Chaman Lal from Ropar had no one to turn to for financial help. Carrying below the poverty line tag, he moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for directions to the state of Punjab, the Union of India and other respondents to come to his rescue. But without waiting for the Bench to tell the respondents to have a heart, the Centre has written to the PGI to treat him with funds available under a Central scheme. The matter was brought to the notice of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare by Central government standing counsel Varun Issar. In a communication to the ministry, Issar said Lal was suffering from scleroderma, a heart disease requiring surgical operation. Issar said Lal approached the High Court seeking financial assistance for medical treatment under the Central scheme Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi. Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, the court granted two weeks time to file the reply, he wrote, while asking the ministry to urgently look into the matter. In response, Under Secretary to the Government of India RJ Meena wrote to Assistant Solicitor General of India Chetan Mittal saying that financial assistance was provided to patients living below the poverty line and suffering from major life-threatening diseases such as cancer, kidney, liver and heart problems, under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi and Health Ministers Discretionary Grant (HMDG) schemes for medical treatment at any of the super-specialty hospitals, institutes or other government hospitals. Referring to the Arogya Nidhi, he said revolving funds had also been set up in 13 Central government hospitals and institutions located all over India for providing financial assistance for treatment up to Rs 2 lakh. In addition, financial assistance was provided for individual cases referred by government hospitals and institutions not having revolving fund and for cases referred by government hospitals and institutions with revolving funds for assistance exceeding Rs 2 lakh. Regarding the HMDG, he said those with an annual family income up to Rs 1,25,000 were eligible for financial assistance. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Medical Superintendent, PGI. In another letter to the PGI, Meena requested the Medical Superintendent that expenditure on Chaman Lals treatment may be met from Arogya Nidhis revolving fund available with the institution, subject to the condition that he fulfilled the eligibility norms required for financial assistance under it. In case the patient did not fulfil the conditions, his case might be referred to the ministry for consideration under the HMDG, he added. The case is scheduled to come up for hearing before Justice Jitendra Chauhan on August 3. rchopra@tribunemail.com Singapore, July 27 Five Singaporeans of Indian origin were charged on Friday with rioting and assaulting an Indian-origin man with deadly weapons in the Little India precinct here. Victor Alexander Arumugam, Arjun Retnavelu, Haresh Shanmuganathan, Dinesh Kumar Ruvy and Sharvin Raj Suraj, who are aged between 17 and 28, were charged over the slashing incident on Wednesday in Little India that left one man injured. If found guilty, they can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned, reported Channel News Asia. Two other men, also Singaporean, have yet to be charged as investigations against them are going on. The men are accused of assaulting Dhines Selvarajah, 26, also of Indian origin. Arjun, 23, was allegedly armed with a chopper and a baton, while Dinesh, 28, had a machete. Haresh, 22, is said to have punched the victim, while Sharvin, the youngest at 17, allegedly attacked him with a baton. All seven suspects were arrested by the police on Thursday. The incident is believed to have occurred over a personal dispute, according to the report. Singapores Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam called the attack horrific. This is the first incident in Little India since the December 2013 riot which involved some 300 migrant workers, mostly from India, in what was Singapores worst violence in decades. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com New York, July 27 Two radio hosts in New Jersey, who called America's first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal "turban man" on air, have apologised for their racist remarks and have been slapped with a 10-day suspension for using "demeaning and inappropriate" language. Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the "Dennis and Judi Show" on NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewal's decision to suspend marjiuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they repeatedly called him the "turban man" on Thursday. In the remarks termed as "xenophobic and racist", Malloy had said he was never going to know Grewal's name and will instead just call him "guy with a turban". As the audio of their show went viral, the radio hosts drew widespread criticism for their remarks against the state's top law enforcement official. Malloy issued an apology on Franco's and his behalf in a video message. "On behalf of Judy and myself, I want to convey our very heartfelt apology to the state attorney general of New Jersey for the comments that came out on our show. He certainly deserves much more respect than that and importantly to the Sikh and South Asian community of New Jersey with which we've had a very strong and close relationship with over the past 20 years," Malloy said. The radio station announced that it had suspended the pair for 10 days, and they will not be on air until August 6. New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM president Ron deCastro said in a statement that the station took the comments "seriously" and echo the pair's sincere apology to Grewal and his family, as well as the Sikh and Asian communities. "Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken brand of humor, but in this case, the language used was clearly demeaning and inappropriate. New Jersey is a state that is rich in diversity, and our radio station has served as the people's voice for nearly 30 years," deCastro said. The station will use the incident as a "learning moment" to further a dialogue of inclusiveness for all residents of the state. Malloy said in a statement on the station's website that their show had been unscripted and free form and they use humour and sarcasm to make a point and add colour to the broadcast. "In this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners," Malloy said. He said they cherished the relationship they have with the Sikh and South Again communities. "We feel very bad for any hurt that we may have caused or undue attention that they certainly didn't want or ask for," Malloy said. Hours after the radio hosts made the comments, Grewal, 44, posted on Twitter that he had faced such "indignity" before and called on people to end small-minded intolerance. "This is not the first indignity I've faced and it probably won't be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. Yesterday, all of New Jersey heard it. It's time to end small-minded intolerance," Grewal tweeted on Thursday. Grewal, who was previously Bergen County Prosecutor, became the nation's first Sikh state attorney general after the state Senate approved his nomination this year. Grewalis born to Indian immigrant parents in Jersey City and was raised in the state's Hudson and Bergen counties. In a sharp response, Grewal later tweeted, "My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. I'm the 61st Attorney General of NJ. I'm a Sikh-American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio". Several top state government officials and advocacy groups rallied behind Grewal, extending their support and expressing outrage against the show's hosts for their remarks. Grewal thanked New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Senate President of New Jersey Steve Sweeney and US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker for their support. "You've got my back and the backs of all New Jerseyans. Others have faced far worse. We rise above this. Now let's get back to business," Grewal said. Murphy, who had appointed Grewal, had strongly condemned the language of the radio hosts, demanding action by the station. Twitter users too slammed the racist remarks saying there is no place for such language. PTI shalender@tribune.com AS rationality enters the realm of faith, the case for bringing in reforms that look askance at some long-held stuffy beliefs in a religion gains currency. Of late, some institutions in Kerala are having had to relook into certain orthodox practices as reason counters convention. With women becoming more aware and demanding equal rights as men, traditions reeking of patriarchy and resultant abuse are being increasingly questioned. There is an argument in court why women aged 10 to 50 should not be allowed entry to the Sabarimala temple; a vociferous counterview justifies the closing of doors on them since ages on the ground that the deity is celibate. Now, the case of four priests of a Kerala Orthodox Church facing the charge of sexually exploiting a married woman has led to a voice putting confessions at the bottom of such abuse. Underscoring that a confession has the potential of the clergymen blackmailing women, the National Commission of Women (NCW) wants this ritual to be abolished. It has alleged rampant abuse of spiritual power as tainted pastors put pressure on women to tell them their secrets and then use them against hapless devotees. But like any bid to instill sense into any religious custom has mostly been stalled or papered over, this will also hit a thick wall of cultural resistance. Though the abuse over the confession happened in a non-Catholic church, the Pope, whose word matters most in Christiandom would do well to ponder over the point raised by the NCW. This assumes pertinence as the pontiff is already confronted with similar scandals erupting like sores from the world over. Priests, bishops and cardinals from as afield as the USA, Chile, Ireland and Kerala have been accused of pedophilia, sexual abuse of minors, seminarians, and women. Cover-ups will no longer do. The election of Pope Francis in 2013 had lit hope of things turning better. He had even set up an advisory commission which recommended that a tribunal comprising investigators be set up in Rome to deal only with exploitation cases. The church needs to root out the abusers and enact reforms if it has to retain the faithful. The Kerala Church would be expected to clean its house likewise. editorial@tribune.com Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 In another jolt to 4,654 employees adversely affected by a recent judgment of the Punjab and High Court, the Haryana Government on Friday withheld allowances to the staff, setting the stage for another confrontation with employees unions. In its order to the heads of the departments, the Chief Secretarys office withheld leave travel concession (LTC), child education allowance, childcare leave, annual increment, loans and promotion to affected employees till further decision of the state government. On May 31, the HC had quashed four policies framed by the Haryana Government in 2014 to regularise the services of contractual and ad hoc employees. Sources said the Manohar Lal Khattar government was waiting for a report of the Chief-Secretary-led committee that was constituted to advise the government on the further course of action before zeroing in on any option for the affected employees. Meanwhile, the Sarv Karamchari Sangh (SKS), the apex body of state government employees, has suggested that the state government should get a Bill passed in the forthcoming monsoon session of the Assembly and, subsequently, sent it to the Centre for ratification. The passage of the Bill in the Assembly and its ratification by the Central Government seems to be the only solution to the problems of 4,654 employees affected by the HC judgment, Subhash Lamba, SKS general secretary, told The Tribune. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Panipat, July 27 The police have booked six persons, including a notorious gangster Rishi Gurjar, for allegedly murdering a 40-year-old man Sompal, alias Leela (40), of Chulkana village near the Shyam Baba temple in the village in the Samalkha area of the district on Thursday late in the night. The assailants shot six round of bullets at Sompal due to which he died on the spot. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera installed at the place. DSP Samalkha, along with the police force, is camping in the village due to the incident. Satbir Singh, uncle of the deceased, told the police in the morning that Sompal used to visit the temple daily as part of his routine. I was visiting the temple on Thursday night at around 10 pm when I saw two youths, Pradeep and Anil, of Rasoolpur village of Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh along with four youths of our village, including notorious criminal Rishi, Sandeep, alias Thakur, Praveen, alias Nath, and Rocky entering the temple with weapons in their hands. Somvir, a priest in the temple, and my nephew Sompal reached the gate of the temple when the six youths stopped Sompal and Rishi fired at him five-six times, he said. After firing at Sompal, all assailants managed to escape from the spot on foot. The reason behind the killing was old enmity, he added. According to the police, around 25 criminal cases, including that of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, loot and others, are registered against the gangster and his accomplices. He had also been arrested by the SIT in April 2017 along with his accomplices and more than seven weapons were recovered from him. Villagers, meanwhile, got angry after the murder of Sompal and refused to pick the body at night. However, the police pacified the relatives and villagers and sent it to the mortuary for postmortem in the morning. The police have started investigating the incident. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Shimla, July 27 Eight people, who were stuck on an island in the middle of a river in Himachal Pradesh due to high water level, have been rescued. The eight had got stuck in the Giri river at Singh Pura area of Sirmaur district on following heavy rainfall, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohit Malpani told PTI. Five people, including two children, were rescued by the police with the help of divers last night. The three others, along with their cattle, buffaloes, calves and 15-20 goats, were rescued with the help of a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team this morning, the SP said. Local divers played an important part in rescue operation, he added. PTI editorial@tribune.com Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service Solan, July 27 With the All-India Motor Transport Congress strike entering the eighth day on Friday, at least 50 per cent of small-scale industries and a large chunk of medium and large sector industries had shut their manufacturing operations in the industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN). IMJS Sidhu, president, CII, Himachal, said the paucity of raw material after the inventory was exhausted and the failure to dispatch the finished goods had severally hit the industrys functioning. Micro small and medium enterprises have directed their staff to report to work only when the strike is called off as no manufacturing activity can take place. With several industries having their clearing and forwarding offices in the Parwanoo industrial area, the strike has hit the distribution of goods to Himachal and other areas. The units operating on loans from banks and other financial institutions have been hit hard. Satish Goyal, president, Himachal Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said a loss of Rs 30 crore had been suffered in the Paonta Sahib area alone. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Phagwara, July 26 Former BJP state president and minister Manoranjan Kalia in a press statement said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is run on the principal of selection not election. In a democracy, it is the elected representatives who elect themselves their leader but in Aam Aadami Party the Leader of Opposition is selected by the party high command. The decision about the removal of Sukhpal Singh Khaira as Leader of the Opposition by replacing with Harpal Singh Cheema was communicated was made public through a tweet of Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. It shows there is no internal democracy in Aam Aadmi Party . gspannu7@gmail.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 27 Unidentified gunmen shot at a bank guard and a civilian while trying to loot a J&K Bank branch at Mohanpora Kulgam in south Kashmir on Friday. As the bank employees showed resistance, the gunmen opened fire leaving a security guard of the bank and a civilian injured. The injured have been rushed to hospital. The guard was shot in his hip and the civilian on his hand. The civilian will be discharged after sometime while the guard is being shifted to bone and joints hospital in a stable condition. editorial@tribune.com Suhail A Shah Anantnag, July 27 A security guard and two civilians were injured when militants opened fire as their attempt to loot a bank in Kulgam district was foiled around 3.40 pm on Friday. The police said people resisted the bank robbery attempt by the militants. Terrorists barged into a J&K Bank branch at Mohanpora with the intention to loot the bank. However, people resisted their attempt and forced them to flee. Infuriated, the terrorists opened fired, resulting in injuries to two civilians and a bank guard, a police spokesman said, adding that no cash was looted. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Following the shooting, security forces cordoned off the area to nab the militants. The police have started investigation into the matter. One of the injured civilians has been identified as Ashiq Hussain of Mohanpora village in Kulgam and the bank guard has been identified as Mohammad Ashraf Pinjwa of Shangus, Anantnag. Earlier in the day, unidentified men snatched a 12-bore rifle of a bank guard in the main town of Shopian. Meanwhile, amid a shutdown for the second consecutive day on Friday, curfew-like restrictions were imposed by the authorities in Anantnag town to prevent any law and order situation. The shutdown was being observed against the killing of two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in the Lal Chowk area of the town on Wednesday. Surprise checking in Srinagar Srinagar: Security forces carried out intense sanitisation in Srinagar's Lal Chowk area, creating panic among locals. The searches were jointly carried out by the police and the CRPF in Lal Chowk. During the sanitisation, CRPF men also were deployed on buildings in the city centre to keep an eye on the passersby. The sanitisation in Lal Chowk was carried out two days after militants targeted CRPF men near the civil secretariat, killing a jawan. The checking of vehicles was also being done at various places in the city. TNS editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 27 The J&K Police on Friday claimed to have busted a radical militant module which was involved in the killing of a policeman and snatching his rifle on the outskirts of Srinagar. On February 25 evening, Constable Farooq Ahmad guarding the residence of separatist leader Fazal Haq Qureshi at Soura was killed in a militant attack and his service rifle was snatched. A day after the killing, the Islamic State (IS) had claimed responsibility. The police investigation has found that three militants, who have already been killed, and four overground workers were involved in the planning and execution of the attack. During the course of the investigation, on the basis of evidence, the police tracked down all four overground workers and apprehended them, a police spokesman said. During the initial investigation, the role of local terrorist Isa Fazli of Soura surfaced. As the investigation progressed, the role of two other terrorists Syed Owais Shafi and Tawseef Ahmad and their associates Umar Noor Bhat, Waseem Ahmad Sofi, Ubaid Zoji and Adil Majid Bhat in the conspiracy was unravelled, the spokesman said. The investigation revealed that on February 24 evening, the conspiracy was hatched in Adil Bhats house. Adil, Waseem and Umar carried out reconnaissance of the area in which Qureshi resided, he said. The police said the three militants Isa, Owais and Tawseef were taken in a car up to Soura from Chatabal in Srinagar by Umar. Waseem was on his motorbike ahead of the car while Ubaid waited near Qureshis house on a motorbike. Isa, Owais and Tawseef carried out the attack and snatched the service rifle of the Constable. After carrying out the attack, they fled away with Ubaid and Waseem on motorbikes and were further transported out by Umar in his car, he said. Isa, Owais and Tawseef were later killed in an encounter in south Kashmirs Anantnag district on March 22. IS had claimed responsibility harinder@tribunemail.com National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, will be collaborating with iDreamCareer. com, one of the largest career counseling social enterprises in the country for skilling the youth. The agreement between NSDC and iDreamCareer will offer scientific and informed career guidance to students and youth, which would lead to more informed enrolments for vocational courses. In a pilot project, iDreamCareer will implement a hybrid model of engagement and get the students to enroll basis their psychometric assessment results and one-on-one career guidance. The company is creating an online enrolment application system via which counseled students will be able to apply to any vocational courses offered by any training partner from one single platform. The enrolment management system will use big data intelligence to recommend students the courses and institutes that are a right fit for them basis their psychometric and counseling data points. The system will ensure in mobilising right-fit students for respective courses. Big Data Analytics course SAS India, a leading business analytics software and services firm, announced its association with Goa Institute of Management (GIM) for a two-year full time residential post-graduate management programme in Big Data Analytics (PGDM BDA). It is the first post-graduate management programme in the country focused on the exciting field of Big Data. The programme is designed to address the new paradigm of fact-based decision making associated with the advent of Big Data. The main objective of this programme is to prepare future ready managers who are well versed with Big Data and Analytics. The program will cover the entire gamut of Big Data ecosystem and will impart hands-on training to students in data visualization, advanced analytics, machine learning, along with Generally, Analytics MBA students are taken as quasi data scientists with some idea of management to be trained by companies in their line of business and are relegated to staff functions in companies. We wanted to break this trend by preparing our students to be front-line managers fully equipped for companies and decide how the data would be used, for what purpose and with what technologies, added Prof Anand Teltumbde, Head of the BDA Programme. Eligibility: The students will be admitted on the basis of their CAT/GMAT/CMAT score and aptitude in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. The course: The course is divided into six terms. In the first term, the students are provided a perspective of management along with an introduction to Analytics. The next two terms will focus on learning languages like SAS, R, Python and various emerging technologies all through problem solving with live data sets in a Data Lab. The students shall thus be readied to take up industry assignments in a company during their summer internship. Students looking to acquire these skills can find more details on: https://www.gim .ac.in/content.php?name=ABOUT-PGDM-(BDA)&id=134 rajivbhatia82@gmail.com Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 is an Indian action thriller film directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. It is the third instalment in Tigmanshu Dhulia's series of films started by Rahul Mittra Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster. The royal saga of deceit, conspiracy, greed and lust continues in the third instalment of the film series, as the Saheb and Biwi are pitted against a foe who is dreaded by one and all. With everyone involved scheming ruthlessly for their own personal gain, the cloak-and-dagger game is about to take a dark and bloody turn. Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Shergill, Mahi Gill, Chitrangada Singh and Soha Ali Khan will play the lead roles in the film. Sanju babas fan I really like the film, especially Sanjay Dutt. Hes awesome! Ram, works in a private company All praise Its a nice film with a good storyline. Its a must-watch! Seher, student Two kind I didnt like the film very much, but Jimmy Shergill and Chitrangada are awesome. They make the film bearable. Ranjit Brar, student Mission: Impossible Fallout Mission: Impossible Fallout is a 2018 American action spy film written, produced and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. It is the sixth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series, and the second film to be directed by McQuarrie after Rogue Nation (2015), making him the first person to direct more than one film in the franchise. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Michelle Monaghan, and Alec Baldwin, all of whom reprise their roles from previous films, while Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby join the franchise. In the film, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team must track down stolen plutonium while being monitored by a CIA agent (Cavill) after a mission goes awry. Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and a group of terrorists known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. To Tom, with love I love the action in the film and Tom Cruise, as always, is amazing. The story of the film is good too. Watch it! Sahil and Shalu, city-based professionals Packed with action This film doesnt disappoint at all. I love the action sequences in the film. This one had me on the edge of my seat all along! Savvy, Student (As told to Amarjot Kaur) rajivbhatia82@gmail.com Johnson Thomas The sixth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise opens with a fantasy vow renewal sequence between Ethan Hunt and his now ex-wife (Michelle Monahan) which goes to dissolve when he wakes up. Cut to Hunt, Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) trying to nab stolen plutonium caps in Berlin but predictably, the operation gets botched-up and triggers the involvement of CIA Director (Angela Bassett) and her No.1 operative August Walker (Henry Cavill). Walker is younger, bigger and fitter, so the challenge begins with Hunt trying to live up to his indestructible tag. From the opening stunt itself, we are given a royal view of how things are going to pan out eventually. The first aerial stunt set-piece has Hunt rescuing Walker from a near-death situation, then there are bloody fisticuffs in the Mens room of Grand Palais, Paris, followed by several cars, bikes, and van chases - also involving Rogue captive, ex-MI6 agent Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), former MI6 agent from Rogue Nation, gets inserted into the byplay to muddy the waters further. One chase takes Ethan through a jam-packed church funeral, another has him in a prolonged footrace atop scenic London roof-tops, yet another has him in a helicopter chase culminating in what should have been a nail-biting finale shot in European mountain ranges being passed off as Kashmir. The doomsday threat doesnt work up enough hysteria and the attempt to meld Bond, Fast and Furious, XXX with caper movie elements just seems like too much of a good thing. Elongated stunts pass off as narrative exposition replete with a hint of romantic complication and obligatory shoot-outs. Theres really not much of a plot to keep the engine revved-up and on the go throughout. McQuarrie, the first returning director to this super-successful series, along with stunt co-ordinator Wade Eastwood, assemble an unbelievable array of Extreme Action stunt set-pieces mixed with a fair dose of humour to make the narrative easily digestible. But its all so unbelievable that sustenance through a 147 minute runtime is next to impossible. If you are the type to get high on mere adrenaline rushes then take this ride by all means! shalender@tribune.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 27 With less than a year to go for the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP is facing trouble from yet another ally. Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP has decided to join the Bharat Bandh called by Dalit groups on August 9. The Dalit Sena, an outfit affiliated to the LJP, will be forced to join the protests if the Modi government does not take appropriate action, its leaders said, adding their support to the NDA was issue-based and aimed at protecting interests of Dalits. Demanding that the government immediately restores the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the LJP is also seeking the removal of former Supreme Court Judge AK Goel from the post of NGT chairperson. The elevation of Goel, who was part of the Bench responsible for diluting the law, has sent a wrong message to the community, Jamui MP Chirag Paswan said. The patience of Dalits was running thin and protecting interests of these communities was at the root of their alliance with the BJP in 2014, he added. The LJP has been demanding an ordinance to restore original provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities Act for over four months now, he said. Chirag Paswan also claimed that incidents of atrocities against the community had increased after the verdict and FIRs were not being registered by the police. Though playing tough, the LJP did not issue any direct threat to the BJP, saying they had faith in the PM as he had done a lot for the Dalits. We will cross the bridge when it comes, Chirag said on whether his party would consider walking out of the NDA if their demands were not met by the August 9 deadline. Political observers believe LJPs posturing stemmed from political compulsions considering that elections were drawing near and the Opposition parties were gearing up to make issues related to Dalits and farmers their poll planks against the NDA. Ram Vilas Paswan has also written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh opposing the appointment of the judge who ruled against the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Dalit outfits have warned the government that protests during the forthcoming bandh could be much worse than violent protests on April 2 in which several persons had died. All India Ambedkar Mahasabhas Ashok Bharti has set July 30 as the deadline for the government to meet their demands. rchopra@tribunemail.com New Delhi, July 27 The Antigua Government has indicated that it may consider a legitimate request from India to send back the uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, who has taken citizenship there, according to a newspaper report in that country. The Daily Observer on Friday quoted a Cabinet press briefing issued by the Chief of Staff, Lionel Max Hurst, to state that Antigua and Barbuda government will make every effort as per law to honour a legitimate request from India. The issue of Choksi, a fugitive from India involved in an alleged banking scam worth over USD 2 billion, getting citizenship in Antigua in November last year was discussed in a Cabinet meeting of Antigua and Barbuda government, the newspaper said. A CBI request, Indias nodal agency for Interpol matters, to issue a Red Corner Notice against Choksi is pending with the international police organisation and is likely to be granted soon. The Cabinet underlined that they do not have extradition treaty with India and that Choksi has not been charged for any crime, it reported. The paper also stated that the Cabinet noted that no request has been received by the Antigua and Barbuda government for any action against Choksi. The Citizenship by Investment unit of Antigua faced criticism from the paper for allowing Choksi to get passport of Antigua in November last year. The unit had informed the paper that Choksis request was allowed after due diligence and detailed background check from Interpol. The CBI has denied that Interpol ever approached it regarding background checks on Choksi, who was facing inquiries from various agencies last year. In an editorial, the paper said, There is a perception that the CIUs due diligence is a farce and that CIP money trumps due diligence. This is a perception that cannot be allowed to linger because it will have damaging effects on our countrys reputation. The government must produce all the documentary evidence of the due diligence process so that the citizens of this country can have confidence that there is integrity to the process. It also noted that India is a friendly country, an ally, and that it had helped Antigua in past on several occasions and it was a time to reciprocate. Beyond that, India is an ally. They have provided assistance to us in the past, and they have been tapped to provide assistance in the future. Most recently (as in April of this year), we sought their technical assistance in the areas of health and the management of public finance. Will we now turn our backs on them and give safe harbour to a fugitive from their justice system? an editorial in the paper said. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has moved to a special court in Mumbai seeking to declare Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi fugitive economic offenders which will enable them to seize their assets in India. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with purported involvement of a few of the lenders employees. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January this year nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. Choksis actions show that he had planned his escape and subsequent life in advance knowing that the scam would blow up after the retirement of PNB employee Gokulnath Shetty, who was allegedly helping him with renewal of letters of undertaking, sources said. He escaped the country on January 4 on an Indian passport and took the oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15, they said. Next day, his firm approached the Brady House branch of the Punjab National Bank seeking renewal and issuance of letters of undertaking which were denied as the officer concerned sought cash guarantee for issuing these notes, a CBI FIR in this connection alleged. The executives told the officer that they had been taking these letters over last several years without any demand of such guarantee, it said. The officer could not find instructions for such LoUs in the banks system which led to a detailed scrutiny. It is then that the alleged scam surfaced prompting the bank to approach the CBI with a complaint and an FIR was registered on January 31. An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to an applicant. Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7,080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, the FIR has alleged. Choksi and his companies allegedly availed of credit from overseas branches of Indian banks using the fraudulent guarantees of the PNB given through LoUs and letters of credit issued to Brady House branch which were not repaid bringing the liability on the state run bank, the officials said. A chargesheet filed in a special court in Mumbai after a three-and-a-month probe alleged that Shetty, a deputy manager in the PNB and arrested by the CBI, received Rs 1 crore from the companies of Choksi to issue LoUs to his companies, they said. PTI shalender@tribune.com New Delhi, July 27 Two separate US-produced helicopters manufactured for India will start arriving in 2019. Boeing, the US aerospace giant, has completed inaugural flights for the Apache and Chinook helicopters. India is procuring 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift copters from Boeing. First flight of Indias Apache and Chinook helicopters are important milestones towards strengthening armed forces capabilities, said Boeing India president Pratyush Kumar on Friday. The fuselage of the Apache are being made by Tata Boeing Aerospace at their Hyderabad facility. TNS uttara@tribuneindia.com Johannesburg, July 27 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday the digital revolution had brought new opportunities to the BRICS and other emerging economies and it is crucial that the countries are ready for the change brought by the artificial intelligence and big data analytics. Addressing the BRICS Outreach Session here, Modi called for more investment in the digital infrastructure and skill development in the area of digitisation. "Today we are once again at the historic turning point. Thanks to digital revolution, new opportunities are emerging for us and that is the reason why it is necessary that we be completely ready for the changes that will come out through AI and big data analytics," he said. Emphasising on India's historic and deep links with Africa, the prime minister said his government has accorded the highest priority towards maintaining peace, freedom and development in Africa. "Economic and development cooperation between India and Africa have touched new heights," Modi said. The prime minister said in the last four years, more the 100 bilateral talks and visits at the level of head of states and government have taken place that has taken bilateral cooperation and economic ties to a new level. He said 118 lines of credit worth $11 billion have been extended to over 40 African countries. He said that India welcomes the effort for regional economic integration by the African countries. He said free trade and commerce in the last three decades has helped hundreds of millions people come out of poverty. To take the benefits of globalisation to them is the most important task, he said. He said after the financial crisis of 2008, the threats of protectionism are hovering over this fundamental aspect of the globalisation. "The most profound effect of decrease in growth rate has been felt by countries such us ours who could not gain from the industrial progress made during the colonial time," the prime minister said. He said that while addressing Uganda's Parliament this week he had outlined the 10 principles for India's engagement with African nations. These 10 principles, he said, formulated per the needs of Africa are the guidelines for the development and strengthening of India's ties with the continent. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 26 The Congress on Thursday raked up in the Lok Sabha the issue of the appointment of a former Supreme Court judge, who was part of a Bench that had diluted a law on atrocities against SCs& STs, as National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairman, saying that it indicated the BJP governments support to his judgment and so the reward. Raising the matter during the zero hour, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and his colleague K Suresh claimed that like many other disadvantaged groups in the country, people belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribe (STs) were also not feeling safe under the present dispensation. Suresh alleged that Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, who is considered to be close to a right-wing outfit, had given the judgment under its pressure. The government has rewarded him for this, he claimed, as BJPs Anurag Thakur protested his comments. Goel was one of the two SC judges on a Bench that introduced several safeguards in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Dalits and almost all major political parties have said the judgment has diluted and weakened the law. The government appointed him the NGT chairman immediately after he retired from the SC early this month, Suresh said. Kharge said Goels appointment indicated that the government supported his judgment. Suresh said the development has sent out a wrong message and Dalits have been demanding Justice Goels removal from the post. He also referred to the reported opposition to Goels appointment by Dalit MPs of the ruling NDA and Union Minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswans letter to the Home Minister against it. Paswan, who was present in the House, appeared to be gesturing to speak but did not. He was seen speaking to Suresh later and also called Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, a Dalit member of the BJP, for some deliberations. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Kochi, July 27 Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam has came out in support of a 21-year-old college going fisher woman from Kerala who became the victim of cyber bulling. The story of Hanan, a B.Sc student at a private college in Thodupuzha, selling fish at Thammanam in Ernakulam after her college hours, was carried by leading Malayalam daily 'Mathrubhumi' two days ago. Her touching story was widely shared on social media by many, including film artists and politicians. But, a section of people on social media expressed doubts on Hanan's story and termed it as fake. The student had to face vicious trolling. However, Hanan's college principal and neighbours came out in support of her and said the story published in the regional daily was not fake. Reacting to the news, Kannanthanam wrote on his Facebook page, Kerala sharks stop attacking #Hanan. I'm ashamed. Here is a girl trying to put together a shattered life. You vultures! The tourism minister hailed the woman's attitude to do hard work and move forward in life. Kannanthanam also referred to the difficulties faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his teenage and said the latter fought against all odds to become the prime minister. A teary-eyed Hanan appealed her critics with folded hands to leave her alone. I do not want any help. Kindly leave me alone and allow me to do any kind of menial jobs to earn my daily bread, she said. Kerala Women's Commission chairperson M C Josephine said she would visit Hanan in Kochi. Any sort of attack on such a hardworking woman is condemnable, she said. Hearing Hanan's story, a filmmaker, Arun Gopy, offered her a role in his forthcoming movie starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal's son Pranav Mohanlal. The trolls also targeted the filmmaker for such an offer, but Gopy remained firm on the offer. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Chennai, July 27 With political leaders cutting across party lines making a beeline for the residence of M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever, party working chief and son MK Stalin on Friday said his condition is improving. "There is good improvement in his health, the fever and infection are receding," he told reporters. President Ram Nath Govind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquired about the 94-year-old DMK chief's health. The president tweeted: "Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhis family members on the phone and inquired about his health. Wishing the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery #PresidentKovind. Modi also wished him a quick recovery. "Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 (sic)," the prime minister tweeted. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja also enquired about Karunanidhi's health. Chief Minister K Palaniswami, referring to the visit of deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and other ministers last night, said "they (DMK) have conveyed that Karunanidhi is doing better." As anxious cadres, political leaders, film personalities and well-wishers thronged the nonagenarian leader's Gopalapuram residence, more police personnel and barricades were put up to regulate the crowd. Stalin's estranged brother and former union minister M K Alagiri arrived at the residence along with his son Durai Dayanidhi. DMK frontline leaders, including Duraimurugan, were also present. Party workers began arriving at Karunanidhi's residence after Kauvery Hospital, which is providing medical treatment for the leader, said in a bulletin last night that there has been a "slight decline" in his health. MDMK chief Vaiko, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, CPI leader D Pandian and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan visited the residence and enquired about his health from family members and Stalin. Several film personalities, including veteran director Barathiraja, filmmakers T Rajendhar and Vetrimaran visited the residence. Visitors are not allowed to meet the ailing leader. "Such fever after a tracheostomy procedure is usual. Stalin told me that he is fine. I am confident that he will bounce back with the same magnetic voice," Vaiko told reporters. Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan said, "Kalaignar should get back to active life and that is my prayer. He presided over my marriage..." Tamilisai is the daughter of veteran Congress leader, Kumari Ananthan, who is also a former Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee President. Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan said he prayed for the leader's recovery. Several well wishers took to Twitter and other social media platforms to wish Karunanidhi well. Thanking the president and prime minister, Stalin tweeted: "I am extremely grateful for their offers of help. Thalaivar is getting the best medical care and treatment. We hope he will recover soon and thank everyone in his own words." He also thanked Rahul Gandhi, and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja for calling up to enquire about the leader's health. "The concern and wishes from everyone will surely aid @kalaignar89's recovery and we hope he will be able to meet everyone soon," he said in another tweet. Kauvery Hospital said in its a bulletin last night: "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments". Karunanidhi has been not keeping well since October 2016, and some days ago he had undergone a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube, provided to help in breathing. Stalin had on Wednesday said Karunanidhi was suffering from fever and doctors were providing medication, as he assured people that there was nothing to worry about the leader's health. PTI shalender@tribune.com Chennai, July 27 With political leaders cutting across party lines making a beeline for the residence of M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever, party working chief and son MK Stalin on Friday said his condition was improving. "There is good improvement in his health, the fever and infection is receding," he told reporters, adding, "I urge people not to believe the rumours spread by mischief mongers about the health status of our beloved leader Kalaignar (Karunanidhi)." In view of the medical treatment being provided to him 24 x 7, by a team of doctors, there is "improvement in his health," he said. He appealed to party cadres, functionaries and the general public to avoid visiting the 94-year-old leader's Gopalapuram residence. President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi enquired about the DMK chief's health. The President tweeted: "Spoke to Thiru Karunanidhis family members on the phone and enquired about his health. Wishing the former CM of Tamil Nadu, a veteran of our public life, a quick recovery #PresidentKovind. Modi also wished him a quick recovery. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, July 27 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called an all-party meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue of granting reservations for the Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs. We will try and come up with a solution for granting reservations to the Maratha community at the all-party meeting, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil told reporters here. The decision to call the all-party meeting was taken by the BJPs ministers in the state government in the early hours today. Sources said the ministers from the Shiv Sena were not involved in the talks to call the all-party meeting. The meeting comes amidst reports of protests by members of the Maratha community in different parts of the state which continued for the third day today. According to state police, women from the Maratha community came out in large numbers in places like Jalna and Satara demanding that their menfolk who were arrested during the state-wide bandh and protests on Wednesday and Thursday be released. Police said at least 200 people, mainly men, have been arrested in various parts of the state for rioting and violence. Meanwhile, seven MLAs from various parties, including the BJP, have submitted their resignations to state Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade in support of reservations for Marathas. The Speakers office however indicated that the resignations have not yet been accepted. The situation was tense throughout the day today after a protester, who was injured in Wednesdays violence Navi Mumbai, succumbed to his injuries. According to the police, Rohan Todkar, 25, had suffered multiple injuries to head and limbs during the violence at Koparkhairane in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. However, strong police presence in Navi Mumbai and various other places in Maharashtra ensured that the situation did not go out of hand. uttara@tribuneindia.com Satya Prakash Tribunew News Service New Delhi, July 27 Angry over non-compliance of its order to file chargesheets in seven cases relating to Manipur extra-judicial killings, the Supreme Court on Friday summoned the Central Bureau of Investigation Director to explain why its order was not complied with. A Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur ordered CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma to appear before it on Monday, July 30, at 2 pm. We would like to know from the Director what should be done to expedite the investigation and filing of chargesheets, the Bench said. The Bench was angry to know that despite completion of probe, chargesheets have not been filed by the CBI SIT. Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh told the Bench that in two cases approval for filing of chargesheets have been completed and in two other cases it would be completed within next few days. But the Bench got furious to know that the agency would take more time to file chargesheets in these cases. As the SIT head explained the cumbersome process in the CBI Manual for filing of chargesheets, the Bench said it would direct all the officials involved to sit together and clear the process of filling of chargesheets with all the necessary approvals in one day. However, later it decided to summon the CBI Director to explain the delay and decide the future course of action to ensure such delays didnt happen in future. In all there are 41 such cases and the CBI SIT has completed probe only in 7 cases. On behalf of the PIL petitioner, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves requested the court to disband the CBI SIT as it was not doing its duty. He wanted the Bench to appoint an SIT of its own to take over the probe into all the cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur. The Supreme Court had in July 2017 directed a CBI probe into alleged extra-judicial killings by Army, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police in the insurgency-hit State. It had asked the CBI Director to appoint an SIT to conduct the probe into the alleged killings. The order had come on a PIL seeking probe and compensation in the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings in Manipur between 2000 and 2012 by security forces. rchopra@tribunemail.com Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 27 The Centre is in the process of strengthening the legal framework to prosecute the absconding NRIs who abandon their wives which will include confiscation of property owned by them or their relatives. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said the government will enact a law during the next session of Parliament, if not during the current session to beef up the legal provisions. Other measures which will be incorporated in the proposed law include posting the court warrants and summons on a website being developed by the ministry against the accused NRIs. They will be deemed as served, and legal action proceeded accordingly against the person. Those who will not respond to the warrants and summon will be considered a proclaimed offender leading to seizure of his or his relatives properties, said Swaraj, while inaugurating a day-long National Seminar on NRI marriages and trafficking of women and children jointly organised by MEA and Maharashtra State Commission for Women. The law will ensure that deserter husband is penalised, Swaraj said. We will not only cancel his passport but also confiscate his property. And if he doesnt return, his property could be sold to give financial aid to his aggrieved wife. We will have to make some amendments in the Code of Criminal ProcedureWe are already in talks with Law and Union Home Ministry and all efforts are being make to ensure that a law is in place by the end of this year, she added. Till the time the new law is in place a committee consisting of personnel of MEA, Women and Child Development (WCD) and Law Ministry and Home Affairs under the nodal authority of WCD had been constituted to look into complaints against NRIs in abandoning and physical abuse of their wives. The MEA has been continuously receiving complaints about NRIs in the matter. In Punjab alone, there are over 15,000 women who are affected with this menace. Attributing the practice to be a fad among youngsters and their parents to settle abroad, she said: In last three years, the ministry has received 3,328 complaints from Indian women who have been deserted by their NRI husbands. We are acting tough on such cases. For a start, the passports of eight NRI men accused of abandoning their wives have been cancelled. The accused whose passports were revoked have surrendered, Swaraj added. A top official of the MEA told The Tribune that MEA and the Law Ministry, WCD and Home Affairs have agreed in principle to strengthen the legal framework. Addressing the conference, WCD minister Maneka Gandhi said the need for strengthening the legal framework is on account of NRIs not responding to justice system, and often furnishing fake addresses to avoid court summons and warrants. shalender@tribune.com Bijay Sankar Bora Tribune News Service Guwahati, July 27 The Myanmar army has launched an operation against camps of Naga rebel group NSCN-K in the Sagaing region of that country, thus forcing a large number of rebels to flee. The action was launched on Wednesday despite a ceasefire agreement being in force between the two parties. NSCN-K spokesperson Isak Sumi said there had been no harm to their cadres so far. In his Facebook post, he said: The ongoing standoff between the Myanmar army and Naga army (NSCN-K) has been temporarily resolved without any untoward incident, but the Naga army had to make a tactical withdrawal. The overall situation is still tense, but the Naga army is re-entrenched and safe. The NSCN-K has its base in Myanmar from where it provides logistic support and training to other militant outfits from north-eastern region, including ULFA (Independent), NDFB (S), PLA etc. All these Myanmar-based NE militant groups have formed a banner organisation to launch joint attacks on the Indian security forces. The Centre has been mounting diplomatic pressure on Myanmar to evict militant groups from its territory. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Johannesburg, July 27 JOHANNESBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Modi was meeting Putin after their informal meeting in May in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. The two leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially in trade, investment, energy, defence and tourism, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet later. The Modi-Putin meeting got over at midnight local time, he said. During their meeting in Sochi in May, India and Russia elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership". Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit is 'BRICS in Africa'. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world's population, the block's growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Johannesburg, July 27 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Argentina and Angola on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and discussed ways to boost ties, including in areas of energy and agriculture. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a photograph of Modi and Angolan President Joao Lourenco together at the start of the talks. Bilateral meetings continue for PM @narendramodi in Johannesburg! With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas. #IndiaatBRICS, Kumar said in the tweet. India and Angola have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties. India supported the Angolan freedom struggle against the Portuguese colonial rule till it attained independence in 1975. India has become the third-largest trading partner of Angola, sharing about 15 per cent of that countrys external trade. Angola remained the second-largest source of crude oil for India, after Nigeria, in the Sub-Saharan Africa, according to information available on the MEA website. There are estimated 4,000 people of Indian-origin in Angola holding passports of different nationalities. The Prime Ministers Office tweeted that both leaders discussed ways to enhance cooperation in trade, energy and other sectors. In another tweet, the PMO said Modi held a separate bilateral meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. Accelerating ties with Argentina. During their meeting, Presdent @mauriciomacri and PM @narendramodi talked about strengthening relations especially in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and investment (sic), the PMO tweeted. As president of the G20, Macri was invited to participate in the BRICS Summit. The two leaders previously met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. That time, Modi had thanked Macri for supporting Indias membership bid at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group. Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit. The theme of the summit this year is BRICS in Africa. BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries--Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the worlds population, the blocks growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com New Delhi, July 27 Calling the multi-crore Rafale jet deal the biggest example of crony capitalism, the Congress on Friday alleged the Modi government has compromised national interest by helping a private entity to the tune of crores of rupees in violation of rules. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must give answers to the nation on the deal and his party wants him to speak on this issue in Parliament during the current monsoon session. He alleged that the Modi government is deceiving the country by not giving answers about award of contract to a private player in this mother of all defence deals. The government has been rejecting all allegations about the Rafale deal. The Congress leader told reporters that shocking revelations have brought out lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the award of Rs 30,000 crore defence offset contract to Reliance Defence as part of this deal. The culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of the Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of the Rs 60,145 crore Rafale deal, he said. The art of deceiving India is the Modi governments mantra in this mother of all defence deals. Intrigue, conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the government, Surjewala said. Rs 1,30,000 crore lies is being peddled by Modi government. Reliance Defence has claimed to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation (maker of Rafale jets) for Rs 30,000 crore and a consequent lifecycle cost contract of Rs 1 lakh crore, he said. The Congress leader said even Dassault Aviation in its annual report for 2016-17 has claimed that offset contract is being executed by Reliance, while the Defence Minister has claimed that the offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation. The simple question is, who is lying Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or Reliance/Dassault Aviation? he asked. Citing rules, Surjewala said all offset proposals need to be approved by Defence Minister and be part of approval for the main procurement of defence product and the offset contract is required to be countersigned by the Acquisition Manager of the Defence Ministry. He alleged that the defence offset contract went to a private company with zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircrafts. Besides, Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the Prime Minister in France on April 10, 2015, and did not have a licence to manufacture fighter jets, he said. A Reliance firm was given licence to manufacture fighter aircrafts by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence on February 22, 2016, Surjewala said, adding that the company was incorporated on April 24, 2015, 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. This, he said, was done after suddenly denying the biggest ever defence offset contract to public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which signed Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a Workshare Agreement on March 13, 2014, till PM Modi unilaterally announced an off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts. Surjewala alleged there was mal-intent of the Prime Minister and complete surrender of the Defence Minister vis-a-vis the interest of the only government company having experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. Does the Prime Minister represent the interest of private companies and private industrial houses or is his duty and obligation to protect an existing signed contract between an experienced government company as also the supplier of weapons system? the Congress leader asked. The Congress leader asked whether Sitharaman was not aware that French defence minister met her and told her that she was going to Mehan where BJPs Maharashtra government gave land to Reliance Defence for a joint venture for offset contract. It only shows that the national interest was being compromised by the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India, Surjewala said, while alleging that guidelines on defence contracts have been violated. He also cited a rule that a contract should be audited by the Defence Ministry. Why are Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Sitharaman lying on the issue? It is time for Prime Minister Modi to answer to the nation, he said. Surjewala cited an earlier press release from Reliance, claiming it quoted 7.87 billion Euros (over Rs 60,000 crore) as the cost of the Rafale deal after India and France signed a purchase agreement for supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2016. The contract includes a 50 per cent offset obligation to the tune of approximately Rs 30,000 crore, which is the largest ever offset contract in the history of India. DRAL (Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited) will be a key player in the execution of offset obligations, he quoted Reliance as having said in the release. PTI shalender@tribune.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 27 The Congress on Friday stepped up attack on the BJP over the Rafale deal and said the Centre had promoted crony capitalism of the worst order in the process. Congress media head Randeep Singh Surjewala, while questioning violations of guidelines for the offset clause under the deal, said, The culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of PM Narendra Modi-led government. It is truer than ever in case of Rs 60,145 crore Rafale deal. Intrigue, conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the government. He asked questions on why the BJP government favoured Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Defence as the offset clause partner with Frances Dassault Aviation instead of public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which had signed the Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in the shape of a Workshare Agreement on March 13, 2014. Once PM unilaterally announced an off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft on April 10, 2015. HAL was denied the biggest-ever defence offset contract. It went to a private company, Reliance Defence, which had zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircraft. Reliance Defence had been constituted 12 days before (March 28, 2015) the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft by the PM in France. It didnt have the licence to manufacture fighter aircraft, alleged Surjewala. What is even more surprising is the fact that even Reliance Aerostructure was incorporated on April 24, 2015 14 days after the announcement of purchase of Rafale aircraft by PM in France. Shocking revelations and evidence further reveal the lies of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on lack of knowledge regarding award of Rs 30,000 crore defence offset contract to Reliance Defence, Surjewala said. 'Rs 1.3 lakh crore scam Dear Trolls, I apologise for my earlier tweet in which I stated Mr 56s friends joint venture received $4 billion of offset contracts. I forgot to add the $16 billion Rafale Lifecycle contract. So, $20 billion is the actual benefit. So sorry!! Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Its frustration: BJP It (Cong) is repeating same claims in frustration after its allegations were proved wrong by Union ministers and French govt. Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP shalender@tribune.com Mumbai, July 27 Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who has been praising Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of late, received surprise birthday greetings from the latter on Friday, raising eyebrows in political circles. Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always, Gandhi said in a message on Twitter. Sanjay Raut, editor of Sena mouthpiece Saamana, said Thackeray was always greeted by national leaders on his birthday. This time Rahul Gandhi has openly greeted him on Twitter, said Raut. A Congress source said, "The gesture can also be seen as an effort to prove that he can go beyond political rivalry to built personal relations." Last week, Saamana carried the picture of Gandhi hugging a surprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha accompanied by fulsome praise in the accompanying news report. Gandhi had launched a blistering attack on the Modi government after which Raut said the Congress chief had now graduated from the real school of politics. Modi and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also greeted Thackeray. Modis wishes came amid strained ties between the allies. TNS/PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com New Delhi, July 27 Declaring that it was running out of patience, NDA constituent Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Friday warned of an agitation if an ordinance to strengthen the SC-ST Act was not promulgated and the Chairman of the National Green Tribunal was not removed by August 9. Addressing a press conference, Chirag Paswan, party MP and son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said people from the SC and ST communities were feeling betrayed as the BJP-led NDA government had not issued an ordinance as yet to overturn the Supreme Courts March 20 order that diluted the original SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and on top of that appointed Justice A.K Goel, who ruled against the Act, as NGT Chairman. We are running out of patience as no action has been taken to restore the Act as yet. On April 2, agitations were held across the country. Similar agitations have been announced by some organisations on large scale on August 9. We want the government to bring an ordinance to restore the Act before that. Our Dalit Sena will take to the streets if it is not done, he said. Also, we want removal of Justice Goel from the post of NGT Chairman. He said the governments decision to appoint retired SC judge Goel as Chairman of National Green Tribunal (NGT) had sent a message to these communities that the government had awarded the judge who was one of the judges of the two-member Bench that diluted provisions of the Act. We have been asking the government to restore the provisions of the Act as soon as possible as people are sad and disappointed with the SC order. Also, Goels appointment as NGT Chairman is being seen as an award, Paswan said. The Chairman of the LJP Parliamentary Board demanded the introduction of reservation in private sector jobs and placing reservation in the 9th schedule of the Constitution to counter the Opposition charge that the government was bent on ending quotas in education and government service. Replying to questions, the Jamui MP said party President Ram Vilas Paswan would decide the partys next course of action based on the governments response to the demands. He said the party had faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi but expressed concern if the government was listening to the appeals and demands made by the party. Had the government been listening to us, the situation would not have come to this pass, he said. Paswan said the party had aligned with the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) since it was assured that the interests of people from the SC and ST communities would not be hurt. He also added that his party was still with the government and was pushing for its demands while being within the government. We will not take any step like the TDP, he said in reference to the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh, which quit the NDA earlier this year over the demand for special category status to the state. IANS shalender@tribune.com Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 The Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, which probed incidents of sacrilege in Punjab and submitted its report to the government on June 30, has recommended strict action against police officers involved in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing incident. It has also recommended compensation for the victims. The report extensively dwells on findings of the special investigation team as regards the role of Dera Sacha Sauda followers in various incidents of sacrilege. The commission had requisitioned call records of top police officers for the period between October 12 and October 14, 2015. The top cops whose call records were requisitioned included then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, then IG Jatinder Jain, then Commissioner of Ludhiana Range Paramraj Singh Umaranangal; and the then SSPs of Faridkot and Moga, Sukhminder Singh Mann and Charanjit Singh Sharma, among others. The commission tried to establish how and who gave the final order to open fire on protesters that left two persons dead. The report hints that the order came from the then top brass of the state police. The police officer present at Behbal Kalan at the time of firing was Charanjit Singh Sharma. At that time he was posted as the Moga SSP, while he was the Faridkot SSP when the bir was stolen from the gurdwara at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in June 2015. The commission reportedly wants the state to launch a detailed probe to ascertain top cops complicity in the case, followed by penal and legal action against them. Most of the police officers, present in Faridkot district after the dharna was started at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in October 2015, were summoned and examined by the commission. However, former DGP Saini, who was summoned twice, did not depose. He is learnt to have sent a written reply. The CM said, I cannot comment on the report since its being legally examined. However, I can assure that action will be taken against anyone found to be complicit in any manner by the commission. The report and the action taken report will both be tabled in the coming session of the Vidhan Sabha. shalender@tribune.com New Delhi, July 27 Truckers on Friday called off their eight-day-old strike after the governments assurance to look into their demands, a statement said. All India Motor Transport Congress had gone on an indefinite strike demanding reduction in diesel prices, among others, from July 20. The decision was taken after a meeting of transporters and senior transport ministry officials. TNS rchopra@tribunemail.com Mumbai, July 27 Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday wished Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on his 58th birthday, raising eyebrows in political circles. Best wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, on his birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always, Gandhi tweeted in the morning. Reacting to it, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, Uddhavji gets birthday greetings from all over the country and outside. This time, he (Rahul Gandhi) has openly greeted him on Twitter. Gandhis birthday wishes to Thackeray for the first time come days after he hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. A Congress source said, The gesture (birthday greetings) can also be seen as an effort to prove that he can go beyond political rivalry to build personal relations. State Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said, Rahul Gandhi has greeted the head of another political party. Nothing more should be read into this. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, despite being an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre, has been a vocal critic of Modi, the government and the BJP. However, in the no-confidence vote brought against the government recently by the Telugu Desam Party and supported by various opposition parties, the Sena MPs in the Lok Sabha had stayed away from voting. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also greeted the Sena chief on the occasion. Birthday wishes to Shri Uddhav Thackeray. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of society, the Prime Minister tweeted. PTI shalender@tribune.com Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 27 Amid continuing stand-off between the executive and the judiciary over elevation of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph, Supreme Court Judge Kurian Joseph said on Friday that the government should not sit over Collegiums recommendations for judicial appointments. Ending months of speculation on the fate of Justice KM Joseph, the Supreme Court Collegium had recently rejected the governments objections and reiterated his name for appointment as a top court judge. His name was recommended by the SC Collegium in January but the Centre had in April returned his name for reconsideration. Speaking at a Conference on National Initiative to Reduce Pendency and Delay in Judicial System here, Justice Joseph said in case of appointment of a SC judge, the file should be cleared within two weeks and that of a high court in three months. He said the Collegiums recommendations for judicial appointments should be cleared in a time-bound manner. He also favoured appointment of ad-hoc judges in the Supreme Court and high courts, saying it should be explored as the Constitution provided for it. He, however, made it clear that he was not interested in post-retirement assignments, except helping in alternative disputes resolution. Justice Madan B Lokur praised the Department of Justice for meticulously processing names recommended by the Collegium for appointment of high court judges. He said judiciary should introspect if it did such detailed vetting. This may be one of the reasons for this ping pong thats going on... recommendations going back and forth, Justice Lokur said. Do we have that kind of scrutiny? he asked. He said the focus of the judiciary should be district courts where 2.75 crore cases were pending. High courts had only 43 lakh cases pending, he added. CJI Dipak Misra and Justice Ranjan Gogoi also expressed their views on bringing down pendency. Increase judges retirement age to 70 Justice Kurian Joseph, who is due to retire in November, also requested the government to increase uniformly retirement age of both SC and high court judges to 70 years. Currently, SC judges retire at 65 and high court judges at 62. Most productive years of a judge can be utilised till 70, he said. editorial@tribune.com Parvesh Sharma Tribune News Service Barnala, July 27 Its been 53 years since the 1965 Indo-Pak War, but the state government is yet to release entire compensation to the families of soldiers from Barnala. The government has released two instalments in March and July of compensation to the families of two martyrs and a soldier, who was injured in the war. Barnala Deputy Commissioner Dharm Pal Gupta said out of Rs 1.2 crore sanctioned, the state government had earlier released Rs 48 lakh, while last week it disbursed the second instalment of Rs 36 lakh. The remaining amount would be released in the near future, he added. Due to injuries, solider Pritam Singh from Sehjada village was declared unfit and the government had sanctioned a compensation of Rs 50 lakh, but till date the government has released Rs 35 lakh to his family as the first and second instalments. The family of martyr Maghar Singh from Tajoke village has received Rs 35 lakh out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 50 lakh, while the family of another martyr Gurdev Singh from Bhadaur has got Rs 14 lakh out of the total amount of Rs 20 lakh. The remaining amounts will be transferred to their bank accounts soon, said Wing Commander Rajwant Singh Chahal (retd), District Sainik Welfare Officer, Barnala. He said the compensation had been delayed due to the lack of required papers by the families concerned. There is no delay on the part of the government. But the families did not have the required documents, he added. However, Gurjinder Singh Sidhu, chief coordinator of the state Sainik Wing of the SAD, said: The compensation should have been released soon after the war. It is surprising that even after 53 years, the families have not received the full amount. The state government must release the amount immediately. Kuldeep Singh, a relative of martyr Gurdev Singh, said the government must understand the plight of the families and release the entire amount without any further delay. uttara@tribuneindia.com Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 27 Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday expressed concerns at the apathy on the part of states, including Punjab, to take action against dubious agents running racket of illegally sending people abroad. She said the agent, who had illegally sent workers to Iraq to be abducted by ISIS in Mosul and subsequently murdered, is still operating his racket in Punjab. The MEA has taken up the issue with the Punjab government but it had failed to take action. As many as 39 workers, mostly from Punjab, had been killed by ISIS in Mosul. Inaugurating a National Conference on NRI marriage and trafficking of women and children: Issue forward, Swaraj said although the Centre was concerned over the menace, the action against the racketeers has to be taken by the state. Law and order is a state subject as per the Constitutional scheme of things. The agents running the racket in the states have to be booked by the local governments concerned. She lamented that despite her repeated requests to the state governments in the matter, they have been apathetic. Dwelling on the issue, she said a new phenomenon of asylum seekers have come to notice where youngsters of the age group 20-25 are trying to go to US via Mexico and are getting caught at the border. We have come across three batches of around 500 people, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, who are illegally trying to get into US. Illegal immigration agents are charging Rs 20-25 lakhs for this. It is a very dangerous trend which we need to stop, Swaraj added. editorial@tribune.com GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 27 Owing to fund crunch and slow pace of work, the deadline for completion of the eighth gallery dedicated to 1999 Kargil War at Punjab State War Heroes Memorial-cum-Museum has been pushed further. It was scheduled to open tomorrow. Now, officials anticipate that it will be thrown open on August 15. Caretaker Captain Prem said the work on gallery No. 4 primarily dedicated to World War I depicting the Battle of Saragarhi and Jallianwala Bagh massacre and gallery No. 8 focussing Kargil war were undertaken simultaneously. Once completed, the gallery will showcase how Tiger Hill was captured and apprise about the heroic death of Capt Manoj Kumar Pandey and Capt Vikram Batra. The models and replicas of Tiger Hill and Bofors guns have been already prepared. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had himself approved the designing of these special plates. Captain Prem said the sample plates had been made, but the final decision was yet to be taken. It has been learnt that the state government had sanctioned Rs 8 crore, but it required at least Rs 28 crore more to complete all pending works. Fund crunch is the major factor besides several hiccups has put brakes on the construction pace. The deadline for Kargil Gallery was July 28, but still a lot of work has to be done, he added. The memorial was inaugurated in 2016. The entry charges are Rs 100 per head, while the ticket is half for students and defence personnel. As per the original plan, there are nine galleries in the museum, but at present the visitor have access to only six, with work pending in fourth and eighth galleries. However, the ninth gallery has not been touched yet. editorial@tribune.com Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 A day after he was removed from the post of Leader of the Opposition, AAP MLA Sukhpal Khaira asked the party to revoke the decision. In a show of strength, he paraded eight fellow MLAs before mediapersons on Friday. With 20 legislators, AAP is the main opposition party in the Assembly. The MLAs present along with Khaira at a meeting were Kanwar Sandhu, Pirmal Singh, Master Baldev Singh, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Jagtar Singh, Rupinder Kaur Ruby and Jai Kishan Rori. Sandhu said these eight MLAs had written a letter to party president Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to revoke the decision in the interests of Punjab and resolve the crisis in the state party unit. Sandhu said the letter could not be made public at this juncture. However, party sources said at least three of these legislators were learnt to have given their consent earlier to replacing Khaira with Dirba MLA Harpal Cheema. Khaira and the other MLAs announced that they had called a state convention of AAP volunteers and leaders at Maur in Bathinda on August 2 to discuss the course of action. They said many leaders of various party wings had resigned from their posts, but they had been told to hold on so as not to make things worse for the party. Khaira and Sandhu said they were not rebelling against the party leadership and had no plans to break up the party. They said the decision to remove Khaira was undemocratic. Khaira alleged a conspiracy by rival political parties and a group of senior police officers, whom he had accused of corruption. Sandhu said Khairas removal was announced on Twitter, without any intimation to the Bholath MLA. Other AAP leaders who attended the meeting were Karanvir Singh Tiwana, Jagtar Singh Rajla, Gyan Singh Mongo and Gurpratap Singh Khushalpura. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Sangrur, July 27 The Sangrur Nagar Council had taken a loan of Rs 8 crore from the local Improvement Trust for undertaking development works in 2014, but till date it has not paid even a single instalment. The loan amount has now swelled to more than Rs 11.50 crore. To recover the loan, the trust authorities have decided to take up the matter with the higher authorities of the Local Bodies Department. We have been writing repeatedly to the council authorities, but they have not repaid even a single instalment. We have decided to take up the matter with the higher authorities of our department as both the trust and the council are under the Local Bodies Department. We have prepared our report and will send it to the authorities, said Neeru Bala, Executive Officer of the Improvement Trust. The council had assured to repay the amount in 10 instalments till February 19 next year, but it has been four years since the release of the loan amount and the trust authorities are still awaiting the repayment. However, the locals are demanding high-level inquiry into the utilisation of Rs 8 crore for the development of the city. Residents alleged that a huge portion of the loan was misappropriated. A majority of areas in the city is witnessing flood-like situation just after a short spell of rain. Still the nagar council authorities are claiming that they have spent Rs 8 crore on the development of the city, said Gurinder Singh, a local. Amrit Lal, Executive Officer, Sangrur Nagar Council, said they had been facing financial problem and could not repay the loan instalments. We have been trying to arrange the required funds to repay the loan, he said. shalender@tribune.com From Our Special Correspondent CHANDIGARH, July 27-Dr Jagjit Singh, Punjab Finance Minister told pressmen here today that the Chief Minister had turned down his offer of resignation from the Cabinet to organise farmers and to fight the "actions" of Sant Fateh Singh. The offer was made some four days ago. The Chief Minister has permitted him to mobilise the peasants and to fight the Sant even as a member of the Cabinet. The Finance Minister said that he proposed to organise the Sikh leadership in a big way to secure a verdict if the Sant should be permitted to follow his "activities". For this purpose he has called a meeting at Ludhiana on August 8 and invitations have been sent to the three Akali Dals, the Chief Khalsa Dewan and renowned Sikh leaders. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM H. Kishie Singh We are ready and it will totally change our lives, said one of the first women to be issued a driving licence in Saudi Arabia. It was indeed a red letter day in the Saudi Kingdom. Until now, it was illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia. It was seen as repression against women and drew condemnation from one and all in the free world. Following this, many Saudi women, who were living abroad and had licences, flew back home to enjoy the thrill of driving on Saudi soil. Car guy is a term used in Detroit, home to American carmakers. It describes a person who is extremely knowledgeable about cars and totally dedicated to his job: making cars. They are lifers, meaning they never change jobs. Mary Barra changed all that. She coined a new phrase: car gal. She is the first lady in the history of General Motors, the largest of US automakers, to be promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer. And that too since 2014. She got this post after 33 years with GM. At that time, GM was crawling out of bankruptcy. Dan Akerson, whom Mary replaced, said, Barra was chosen for her talent and not gender. Barra had brought order to chaos in the global product development process! The CEO now has a new CFO, also a woman. Of Indian origin, her name is Dhivya Suryadevara. The Chennai born is 39 years old. Barra and Suryadevara are the only two women, and the first in their respective positions, in any auto industry globally. GM will now join a very short list of S&P 500 companies with women serving as CEO and CFO. The other two companies in this rarefied position are The Hershey Company and American Water Works. Cut to October 30, 2011. It was a beautiful balmy day at the Budh International Circuit. Indias first F1 race had just finished and I had the permission to enter the pits area, the sanctum sanctorum of F1. Though I had met most of the drivers at press conferences, this was special. I was going to meet Monisha Kaltenborn. Monisha, of Indian origin, was boss of the Sauber F1 Team, right at the top of the heap of a mens only sport. At the Sauber Office, there were about a dozen people in Sauber red and white. The race was over and the atmosphere was relaxed. I gazed around and my eyes settled on a strikingly good looking woman. Hair swept back into a bun, she wore the red and white too. She carried this one step further with white sandals and red toe nails. I approached her and asked her very politely, Im looking for Monisha Kaltenborn. She flashed a smile: Youre looking at Monisha Kaltenborn! The voice was soft, gentle, with a tenor of power. Her chin was nestled in the palm of her neatly manicured right hand, the fingers extended up along the cheek. The elbow rested on the left hand, the arm was stretched out across her bosom. The body language exuded authority. That was Monisha Kaltenborn, the first and only woman to be team principle of a Formula One Team. Born in Dehradun and settled in Switzerland, Monisha has held her own in a male club. Last year, Monisha parted ways with Sauber F1 and set up her own German/Italian F4 Team. Monisha continues to be at the top and rubs shoulders with the best in motorsport. Outside the automotive circle, there is Nimrata Randhawa aka Nikki Haley, born to Punjabi immigrants, Ajit Singh and Raj Kaur. They arrived in the US with the princly sum of US $8 in their pockets! Nikki worked her way up to become a member of the House of Representatives for South Carolina and is now the 29th US Ambassador to the United Nations. All of them have a common denominator: they are all at the top! Happy Motoring. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Srishti Millicent From Bikini Kill to Fifth Harmony, the history of all-female bands has come a long way and inspired many. While India was quite late to catch the train, we got our own girl band, Viva, in 2002. With the passing years, more teamed up and came forward to talk about emotions like love, happiness, sorrow or talk about the various social issues via their music. A brief profile of all those who stand out Tetseo Sisters Tetseo Sisters belong to Chakhesang Naga tribe of Nagaland. The band is taking over the world with its Li folk music. The line up of the band consists of Mutsevelu (Mercy), Azine (Azi), Kuvelu (Kuku) and Alune (Lulu). The girls are often called cultural ambassadors of the Northeast. We take our culture and our music very seriously and, thankfully, we have been very well received wherever we go. On social media, some people have tried to think of us as soft targets and trolled, but we have taken a strong stand against bullying of any kind. While there will always be the odd online baddie here and there, we mostly receive overwhelming love and support. Its this positivity in their life that has made this band a huge success not only in the Northeast but all over India. Ladies Compartment Based in Mumbai, Ladies Compartment is a band dedicated to the working women of the city. The band consists of four members Ramya Pothuri, Aditi Ramesh, Aarifah Rebello and Nandita V and concentrates on genres like American folk, jazz, blues, indie and Carnatic. The band recently released its first self-written song, Dont waste your time. Prior to this, they were mostly doing covers of artistes like Jorja Smith, Anderson Paak, etc. So, how easy was putting together the band? While we were not taken seriously initially, we had issues getting well-paying gigs, were underpaid and the payments were a lot delayed at times. Our music was stereotyped even before we were heard out. Though things have changed a now, we try to keep the focus on our music itself and let it speak for itself. Sxonomics This feminist band from Mumbai aims at delivering social messages using not only music, but satire and poetry as well. Formed by Ramya Pandyan and Ishmeet Nagpal, Sxonomics had to go through a lot before establishing itself as a leading band. Two women walking into spaces actively hostile to feminism has been a big challenge, but we have always won our audience over with our zany routines. People have come up to us and told us how we put their actual life problems in a different perspective and helped them see the world through a gender lens, says Ramya and Ishita. Minute of Decay Originally from Manipur, Minute of Decay is an all-girl band based in Delhi. It consists of the Muivah sisters Worshon, Singchon and Thotyaphy. The band dabbles in funk rock, indie folk and pop rock genres. They released their debut EP, Little Betsy, back in 2014 and earned much fame. The sisters say they had no intention of forming a band but ended up as one, all thanks to the media attention their music garnered. When asked about their views regarding the state of all-girls bands in our country, Worshon says, Initially, there were not many all-girl rock bands in the country. It would make it very hard for people to imagine girls playing rock music. There still are a whole lot of people who are awestruck when they see girls playing electric guitar and rolling drums. But today we are not alone. The Void The Void may not be our answer to the American hardcore band, Void, but this one has claimed its own little space on the musical circuit. The Void is a Bangalore-based band that comprises Vinaya Mary Grace, Anagha Gomathi, Suvarna Magaji and Felsy Hubert Royer. As for now, the band covers various popular English songs. When asked about their opinion regarding the current state of all-girl bands in India, The Voids spokesperson says, We know that there are very few all-women bands, but theres definitely scope for many more to come up. They even have a message for their fellow female musicians: Keep at it. You guys are great; the world needs more. vermaajay1968@gmail.com West Hollywood: Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels, has said that he now represents three additional women who he says had relationships with President Donald Trump and were paid hush money before the 2016 presidential election. Asked if he had evidence that the women had relationships with Trump, Avenatti said: Yes. He said he was not at liberty to share the evidence because he didnt have permission from his clients to disclose specifics. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Trump in 2006, when he was married, but Trump has denied it. PTI Worlds oldest person, a Japanese woman, dies at 117 Tokyo: The worlds oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died. Chiyo Miyako died on Sunday. Her death was confirmed on Friday by Kanagawa prefecture, her home state south of Tokyo. Miyako, born on May 2, 1901, became the worlds oldest person in April after Nabi Tajima from Kikai island in southern Japan died at the age of 117. Guinness said the successor to her world record is yet to be confirmed. The new oldest person in Japan is a 115-year-old woman, Kane Tanaka of Fukuoka on the southern island of Kyushu. The worlds oldest man, Masazo Nonaka on Japans northern island of Hokkaido, celebrated his 113rd birthday Wednesday. AP uttara@tribuneindia.com MIZANAZ (Syria), July 27 Fearing for his life, Daman Ayed registered to be evacuated from Syria along with hundreds of other members of the White Helmets rescue service, hoping for a new life in Canada. But the 20-year-old was not among the several hundred people who were spirited out of the country last weekend over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and into Jordan. When the list of names approved for evacuation arrived, his was not on it. "They told us at midnight that the names had come. We were surprised how many names had not been approved," said Ayed. Only two of the people working at his rescue centre were on the list. Instead, he joined thousands of other people boarding buses for opposition territory in northwest Syria under the terms of the rebels' surrender to the government. Many of the rescue workers and their families originally supposed to join the evacuation were not able to reach the frontier because of fighting, the White Helmets said. Of about 800 people, including about 250 White Helmets, along with 550 family members, in the plans, only about 100 rescue workers and about 300 relatives were able to cross through the Golan Heights and Jordan. However, other White Helmets, including Ayed, were never cleared for evacuation. "We sent these lists...and some names were refused and some names were accepted," said Ammar al-Selmo, a White Helmet working at the group's headquarters in Turkey. Britain, Canada and Germany were among the countries that offered resettlement and helped to arrange the evacuation. Asked why some White Helmets were not included in the evacuation plans, a British Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "This was a response to a specific and urgent situation". "We have worked, alongside our partners, to use our diplomatic channels to evacuate the maximum number of White Helmets and their families as was possible in an extremely constrained security context." German officials declined to comment. Ayed, who has arrived in the northwest along with his parents and younger brother, said he still sees leaving Syria as his best hope of surviving the war. "Regarding our departure for Canada, I consider it the only solution to save our lives," he said. Identification papers The northwest is the last major area still held by rebels. Idlib faces frequent bombardment and President Bashar al-Assad has said it is now his target. Rescue workers with the White Helmets, which operates only in opposition-held parts of Syria, are at great risk if captured by the government, Ayed said. "Our fate is worse than that of army defectors," he said. Assad has accused the White Helmets of being an al Qaeda front, and his government says they fabricated chemical weapons attacks as a pretext for Western air strikes. The group, which receives funding from Western governments, says it is a civilian rescue organisation that works under bombardment to pull people from the rubble. Adding to his fear of capture by Assad's forces, Ayed said when the army advanced into his district of the southwest this month, it seized paperwork at the White Helmets base. "The most important thing is the names and identities of the volunteers, and our special identification cards. This is what damages us the most. The papers and the names were not destroyed, but stayed as they were and are in the hands of the regime," he said. Shelling Assad has crushed one centre of the rebellion after another in recent years and last month turned to the opposition stronghold straddling Deraa and Quneitra provinces in the southwest. Air strikes were followed by ground attacks and offers of surrender in return for safe passage to northwestern Syria for any who refused to come back under government control. Ayed, who said he has been a White Helmet for 16 months, was based in Lajat, the first rebel area in Deraa to come under attack. As the army closed in, it shelled the White Helmets centre and the rescue workers fled before it was captured, he said. Its 30 staff split up, heading for different parts of the remaining rebel territory. Some sought refuge in towns that were later captured by the government. "They were surrounded and their fate is unknown," he said. Ayed and his family ended up in Quneitra, near the frontier with the Golan Heights, the last patch of rebel ground in southwest Syria to surrender to the government. He worked at the White Helmets centre there for several weeks. Then one evening all its rescue workers were called in for an urgent meeting. They were told to submit their names for evacuation through Israel and Jordan with the prospect of resettlement in Canada, he said. When the names came back, Ayed was not among them. Reuters uttara@tribuneindia.com MADRID, July 27 Ecuador's president, signalling his government's desire to end the long sojourn of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy, said on Friday he had never supported Assange's leaking activities. President Lenin Moreno confirmed a July 15 report in London's Sunday Times that Ecuador and Britain were in talks to try to end Assange's stay at the embassy where he successfully sought asylum in 2012. Moreno said any eviction of Assange from the embassy had to be carried out correctly and through dialogue, but he displayed no sympathy for Assange's political agenda as a leaker of confidential documents. "I have never been in favour of Mr Assange's activity," Moreno said at an event in Madrid. Australian-born Assange sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about allegations of sex crimes that he has always denied. Those allegations have since been dropped but British police would arrest Assange, should he leave the embassy, for breaching bail conditions. Assange believes that would pave the way for extradition to the United States for the publication of a huge cache of US diplomatic and military secrets on the WikiLeaks website. Moreno made his comments in Madrid where he had met King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after a three-day visit to Britain. When asked if he had spoken to the British government about Assange on his recent visit, Moreno said the two countries were in permanent contact about the matter. "The only person I have never spoken to is Mr Assange," he added. The diplomatic impasse over Assange's stay in Ecuador's embassy is coming to a head, a source close to the Wikileaks founder said on Monday. Ecuadorean and British government sources have played down suggestions of any imminent movement to break the stalemate. Reuters vermaajay1968@gmail.com Jerusalem: Israels national carrier El Al has withdrawn its plea filed in the countrys top court against the government's decision to allow Air India to fly over Saudi Arabia's airspace on the Delhi-Tel Aviv route, which it had claimed gave its competitor an unfair competitive edge. Israels High Court of Justice had urged El Al to drop the petition it filed days after Air India's inaugural flight landed in Tel Aviv on March 22. PTI Down the drain China: A 108-m-high artificial waterfall on the facade of a building in Guiyang, China, has become the latest example of over-the-top architecture to draw national ridicule. The power bill for an hour is reportedly about $118, promoting netizens to regard it as a waste of money and water. AFP rchopra@tribunemail.com Islamabad, July 27 In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistans jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been stolen and warned that the tainted and dubious results would cast a bad impact on the countrys politics. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail on Thursday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N expressed his reservation over the election results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported. He said his party candidates in these areas were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated. Thursday was a meeting day for Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt Muhammad Safdar (retd), who were imprisoned after they were convicted by an accountability court over the familys ownership of four luxury flats in London. A number of party leaders, who visited the jail, quoted Sharif as saying that Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been made victorious in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite its previous governments bad performance in the province. Sharif said Khans position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when the last general elections were held. He said the polls had been stolen and the tainted and dubious results would cast a bad impact on the countrys politics, the daily reported. PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Junaid Safdar (Maryams son), Mahnoor Safdar and Meharun Nisa (daughters of Maryam), former federal minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi were among those who called on Sharif and his daughter. The personal physician of Sharif also visited him in the jail. The jail authorities, following the orders of the superintendent, brought Sharif, Maryam and Safdar from their cells to the conference hall where they met the visitors. Sharif and Shahbaz also held a one-on-one meeting lasting more than half an hour, later to be joined by Maryam, the daily said. During the meeting, post-election scenario of the country was discussed, it said. The PML-N leaders said no facilities were provided to Sharif in the jail as they met him in a room with no air-conditioner while an air-conditioner was running in the waiting room for the visitors, it said. The health of the former prime minister was not good, they said, adding that Sharif did not make any comment about his health but his condition was obvious from his physical appearance. Meanwhile, a team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which was to examine Sharif on Thursday, had to wait for over one hour and finally returned to the hospital as Sharif was meeting his family members. The team has been mandated to submit a report on whether Sharif should be shifted to hospital or not. A member of the team, requesting anonymity, said that during a visit on Wednesday, they had advised Sharif to get his ultrasound done but he postponed it to the next day. On Thursday we reached Adiala jail and requested the administration to allow us to examine Sharif and conduct his medical tests, he said. However, we were told to wait as Sharif was meeting his family members. We waited for more than an hour and finally told the PIMS administration that we were not being allowed to examine him and returned after getting approval from the administration, he said. A senior doctor of PIMS, Dr Zulfiqar Ghouri, said the team would again be sent to Adiala jail on Friday to examine Sharif. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com Lahore, July 27 Pakistan prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khans party is eyeing to form government in Punjab, the most populated province of the country, with the help of independents even as its rival, jailed former premier Nawaz Sharifs party, is slightly ahead of it in the number game. With 127 seats won, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which ruled the province of over 100 million population for the last two terms from 2008-2018, has failed to secure simple majority to form the government in Punjab. In the 297-member House, 149 seats are required to form the government. Khans Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) bagged 123 seats and its ally PML-Q got seven. As many as 27 seats have gone to independent candidates, most of whom parted ways with the PML-N before the polls. With an apparent inclination of the Independents towards joining PTI, Khans party appeared to be in a comfortable position to form the government in Punjab. With PML-Q and Independent members, we will easily form the government in Punjab, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said. He said his party is in talks with the independents and claimed that most of them will soon announce joining PTI. We will find no problem in achieving the 149 number to form the government, Chaudhry said. The names of PTI leaders Aleem Khan and Mahmoodur Rashid and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi are doing the round for the chief ministers slot. PTI Party position in other provincial assemblies Sindh: The PPP has got a clear majority in Sindh assembly, winning 74 seats in the house of 130. It is followed by PTI with 22 seats and MQM 16 Balochistan: The newly-formed Balochistan Awami Party is on top with 13 seats but failed to get a majority in the House of 51 members. MMA is the second largest party with nine seats. Balochistan National Party and independents have won five seats each while PTI got four Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has won a two-thirds majority by bagging 66 seats in the assembly of 99 members, whereas MMA is the second largest party with 10 seats Firstly, think about how many full days you'd like to spend on sightseeing/activities in any place, rather than nights sleeping. 2 nights = only 1 full day. The rest is travelling. Go to Travelfish.org to find out which places are most likely to suit your interests. Then look at the 'Things to do' link on the relevant TA pages. Whatever you do, don't make the all-too-common mistake so many first-timers make of trying to cram in as much as possible. Do you just want to 'see' places or enjoy the experience of this wonderful country and its' people? 'Less is more' is often quoted and absolutely true. There is no need to try to see the whole country in a single visit. This year, I'll be making my 4th visit, to different places on every trip. - Uhuru asked Kenyans to join him in the war against corruption - He noted the fight was for the well being of all citizens and the republic at large - His request comes at a time several corruption cases in the country have been unraveled - The request was however met with mixed reactions from Kenyans President Uhuru Kenyatta's has come out to urge Kenyans to join him in the war against graft. In a passionate morning tweet seen by TUKO.co.ke on Friday, July 27, Uhuru said the fight against corruption was for the well-being of all citizens. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Daktari wa kike kutoka Cuba anaswa kwenye video akisakata ngoma kiajabu, Tana River Uhuru said the fight against corruption was for the wellbeing of all citizens. Photo: Uhuru Kenyata Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Corrupt judges are a serious threat to Uhuru's war on corruption - DPP Haji "Wakenya wenzangu (My fellow Kenyans) the war against corruption and economic crimes is about the wellbeing of our republic," wrote Uhuru. "Let's all join hands and vigorously fight this vice," he added. READ ALSO: Busia governor to be arrested in war against corruption Uhuru who has been speaking strongly of his Big Four agenda, had said the vice has the potential to both undermine the agenda and completely destroy the country. We must address the real elephant in the room. We must say enough is enough for the country to move forward, Uhuru said during the 8th Presidential Round Table forum. The war on graft has seen a number of top government officials arrested, grilled and others suspended from their positions as more arrests are being made. Among those who have been on the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji's books include several governors among them Busia Governor Sospeter Ojamoong and his former Nyandarua counterpart Waithaka Mwangi, Kenya power officials and their Kenya Pipeline colleagues and National Youth Service (NYS) heads among others. READ ALSO: Respected city lawyer showers DPP Noordin Haji with praise for going after big fish in graft war Uhuru's remarks were however met with both criticism and support as Kenyans differed on matters fighting corruption, with others faulting the criterion used in dealing with the vice. Some thought the fight against corruption was not being given the much needed attention. Here are some of the reactions to Uhuru's appeal to Kenyans. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Ruto Is Behind The Sugar Scandal | Tuko TV Source: Kenya Breaking News Today - The Elgeyo-Marakwet senator distanced himself from an alleged team of leaders in Rutos 2022 campaigns - Murkomen explained he has a lot to do and has no time for a Kitchen Cabinet to plan for Rutos 2022 bid - The team is said to be the force behind Rutos countrywide activities that have rattled some Jubilee leaders Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has distanced himself from an alleged team of leaders in the Deputy President William Rutos 2022 campaign. Murkomen on Thursday, July 27, termed as "political propaganda" a story which appeared on the Star newspaper detailing behind the scenes Kitchen Cabinet's regular meetings to map out a winning formula. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happenS READ ALSO: Daktari wa kike kutoka Cuba anaswa kwenye video akisakata ngoma kiajabu, Tana River Kipchumba Murkomen has distanced himself from an alleged team of leaders in the Deputy President William Rutos 2022 campaign. Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen/Twitter. Source: Twitter READ ALSO: I make over KSh 1 million every month - Kipchumba Murkomen The Senate Majority leader sought to explain he has a lot to do and has no time for a Kitchen Cabinet to plan for Rutos 2022 bid. "Any intelligent Kenyan can see through this political propaganda disguised as inside story. Ruto is master of his own game. My plate is full and I am not interested in serving in his courtyard. This story is inviting us to a silly conversation but I am not boarding," he tweeted. The think tank is said to be the force behind the DP's countrywide activities which have rattled some Jubilee leaders especially those close to President Uhuru Kenyatta. According to the publication, the strategists separately meet the DP who has a lot of time with them almost on a daily basis. Ruto is the potential candidate for the Jubilee party in 2022 based on UhuRuto pre-election pact in 2013. It however remains to be seen whether the two leaders will honour the deal and stick together for the remainder of the current presidential term. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. ALSO WATCH: Socialite Bridget Achieng wants to be Kenya's next president on Tuko / Tuco - Kenya Source: Tuko - Museveni in 2017 signed into law a Bill by MPs affiliated to him which sought to remove age limit for presidential candidates - The decision of the 73-year-old prompted Opposition leaders to file a judicial review to scrap the new law - Majority of Uganda MPs however thwarted their efforts by scrapping clause which capped age of presidential aspirants - The verdict made in Mbale meant Museveni who has ruled for 32 years can steal vie for presidency during General Election in 2021 Uganda President Yoweri Museveni can now contest for the presidency as long as he is alive following a landmark ruling on a judicial review matter. A majority of judges sitting in a Mbale based Constitutional Court in remote Uganda on Friday, July 27, ruled to scrap off legal clauses barring individuals above 75 years from vying for the presidency. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens. READ ALSO: Daktari wa kike kutoka Cuba anaswa kwenye video akisakata ngoma kiajabu, Tana River Uganda President Yoweri Museveni now can continue vying for presidency for as long as he wants after Judges scrapped law capping presidential aspirants' age at 75. Photo: Yoweri Museveni/Facebook. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Museveni could become president for life as Uganda's Parliament votes to remove age limit This verdict meant Museveni, 72, who has been Head of State for the East African nation since 1986 is legible to contest for the top seat for the sixth consecutive time when the country holds a General Election in 2021. Museveni on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 signed a Bill which was introduced to Parliament in September into law leading to a spiral of protests from leaders inclined to the Opposition who accused him of forcibly clinging onto power. "Reintroduction of presidential term and age limits which were scrapped through the revival of multi-party politics in 2005. This was when the Constitution was amended and such a move would be a breach of Parliamentary procedure," the judges ruled. Yoweri Museveni in December 2017 signed into law a bill to remove the presidential candidates' age limit of 75. Museveni 73 is free to defend his seat in 2021 General Election. Photo: Yoweri Museveni. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: IEBC officials daughter stuns court, says her mum disliked her lover due to his tiny manhood Dissatisfied with the happenings, Opposition leaders in Uganda came up with the judicial review application in an attempt to thwart Museveni's continued stay in power but the majority judges' ruling completely neutralised their efforts. Surprisingly, the judges turned down proposals by legislators to extend their political terms from five to seven years. Yoweri Museveni cleared to rule Uganda for life in landmark case verdict Source: Facebook "The application to extend political terms of legislators from five to seven years is struck down. The move would push the General Election to 2023 and is selfish," the judges said. Museveni who ascended to power in 1986 as the head of a rebel army after ousting dictator Idi Amin Dada, recently said he had a lot of unfinished work to do as president and would not be quitting politics soon. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Maasai Man Offers 1000 Cows to Mary Malia Obama on TUKO TV: Source: Tuko The lower house of the U.S. Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, which foresees the allocation of $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine. Ukraine's Embassy in the United States announced this on Thursday, July 26, Ukrinform reports. "The House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress supported the allocation of $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine," reads the report. It specifies that assistance is envisaged in a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019. "The amount of funds allocated to the U.S. Department of Defense for the provision of security assistance to Ukraine is estimated at $250 million. Of this amount, $50 million should be directed for lethal weapons," the embassy said. The U.S. defense budget includes the main clauses of the Ukraine Cybersecurity Cooperation Act. It foresees assistance to the Ukrainian side to increase the scope of protection against cyberattacks. In particular, the U.S. Department of State is instructed with submitting to the Congress a report on the state of cooperation with Ukraine in the field of cybersecurity in order to find new directions for such interaction and its support. According to the procedure, the bill on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 should be supported by the Senate and signed by the U.S. president. op Fourteen ships, auxiliary vessels and boats of the Ukrainian Navy and two NATO naval groups, which were on a friendly visit to Odesa on July 23-25, have held a joint passing exercise (PASSEX) in the Black Sea, the press service of the Ukrainian Navy has reported. "In the Black Sea area, the ships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) conducted a joint exercise of the PASSEX type with the ships and boats of the Navy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The purpose of the maneuvers was to increase interoperability, work out interaction in the composition of multinational tactical connections and methods of using tactical boat groups, and carry out joint anti-mine actions in accordance with NATO standards," the report reads. It notes that the exercise, which began with the tactical maneuvering of the forces involved, is attended by three tactical groups - multipurpose ships, mine countermeasures vessels and artillery boats. After that, the frigates of the Dutch, Ukrainian, Turkish and Romanian navies worked out a series of maneuvers in cooperation tactical boat groups as part of armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian Navy Akerman, Berdiansk, Vyshgorod, Kremenchuk and Lubny. The purpose of the sea maneuvers of the frigates was to work out interaction for the successful repulsion of small-scale speed targets, and exercises with boats were aimed at the simulation of artillery strikes on a battle group of multi-purpose ships. op In early August, the Ukrainian government expects to get a comprehensive plan for bringing the national coal industry out of crisis. Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman said this during the governments meeting devoted to situation in the national coal industry, the Government portal reports. "Theres a need to make clear, specific decisions within the framework of the [Energy and Coal Industry] ministry, which would allow the industry to emerge from crisis We need to increase our own coal production and reduce imports," the Head of Government said. Groysman noted that the government expected to get a comprehensive action plan in early August, which would reflect investment proposals, assessment of efficiency of the use of available resources and audit plans. Currently, there are 102 state-owned coal mines in Ukraine, but the overwhelming majority is located in the Joint Forces Operation area in Donbas. Only 33 mines operate outside the JFO area. Of these, only four mines are profitable. During the first five months of 2018, 1.852,900 tons of coal were extracted, which is 3.6% less than planned volume and 7.6% less than over corresponding period in 2017. At the same time, the product cost grew by more than 30.5% compared to last year. ol The Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine hopes that the Verkhovna Rada will soon approve a 15-year strategy for the electric vehicle market development, which would allow the construction of a Tesla factory. "We want a Tesla factory to be located in Ukraine and manufacture electric vehicles not only for Ukrainian, but also for the European market. However, we will be able to start full-fledged negotiations only after the parliament adopts the bill on 15-year strategy for the electric vehicle market development in Ukraine, which covers not only electric vehicle manufacturing, but also manufacturing of lithium ion batteries, lithium mining, construction of electric vehicle manufacturing plant. Its a comprehensive document, and as soon as it is approved, we will be able to start full-fledged negotiations with investors," Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan told a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. According to him, the world companies already show interest, "but they are waiting for the law, which, I hope, will be passed in the Parliament in the near future." ol Italian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Guglielmo Picchi, has reaffirmed Italy's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He stated this during a meeting with Acting Foreign Minister of Ukraine Olena Zerkal on Thursday, the ministrys press service reports. "Italy confirms support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Italys Chairmanship of the OSCE is ready to further promote the implementation of the Minsk agreements," said Guglielmo Picchi. According to him, Italys Chairmanship of the OSCE pays special attention to the situation in Donbas, including through the activities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. Zerkal, in turn, thanked Italy for its unchanged position on the support for Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty, which "was once again clearly confirmed by Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Enzo Moavero Milanesi in the Italian Parliament on July 25, 2018". During the meeting, the parties also noted the importance of the human dimension in the activities of the Special Monitoring Mission. In addition, Zerkal and Picchi positively assessed the state of bilateral relations, especially stressed the growth of the Ukrainian-Italian trade turnover, including through the implementation of the Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Zerkal also noted the need for further attracting Italian companies into Ukraine, in particular in the energy sector, as well as deepening cultural cooperation as means of rapprochement between the peoples of the both countries. iy The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the declaration issued by the U.S. Department of State on the non-recognition of Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. "Norway welcomes and supports the statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reaffirming the U.S. stance against Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. International law must be upheld, and Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," the Norwegian Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter on July 26. Norway welcomes & supports statement by @SecPompeo, reaffirming US stance against Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. International law must be upheld, Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. https://t.co/O2dVKX4VVH https://t.co/SjFL2hZo6z Norway MFA (@NorwayMFA) 26 2018 . As reported, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement, titled "Crimea Declaration," stating that the United States does not recognize Russias illegal annexation of Crimea and accuses it of undermining international principles of peace and security. ish The Investigative Department of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has established complete identity details of more than 9,000 law enforcement officers suspected of high treason. "The Investigative Department of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea conducts pre-trial investigation into 123 criminal proceedings over high treason. During the pre-trial investigation, the staff size of 18 law enforcement agencies working on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol prior to the occupation of the peninsula was established. There were about 18,600 law enforcers," First Deputy Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Mykola Ivanets said at the coordination meeting of the Crimean law enforcement agencies. Ivanets noted that the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea established complete identity details of more than 9,000 people. ol Ex-Head of Podilskyi District State Administration Valentyn Mondryivskyi has been appointed a new deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration. The relevant document was signed by the Kyiv Mayor, the administrations press service reports. "Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko signed a decree to appoint Valentyn Mondryivskyi as deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration from July 27, 2018. At the same time, he was dismissed from the post of head of Podilskyi District State Administration in the city of Kyiv in line with the decree issued by the President of Ukraine, No.112/2018-rp, reads the report. Mondryivskyi noted that he as deputy head of the administration will be responsible for humanitarian issues: education, culture and healthcare. iy Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) A court in Nueva Ecija province has ordered the arrest of four former House lawmakers and prominent leaders from the Left -- including Anti-Poverty Commissioner Liza Maza and former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael "Paeng" Mariano, their lawyers said Friday. The other two are former Bayan Muna House Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casino. Maza previously represented Gabriela Women's Party at the lower chamber, while Mariano represented Anakpawis Partylist. The charges, filed in 2006, are for alleged double murder in election-related violence. The former lawmakers maintain they are innocent. The Public Interest Law Center whose lawyers are representing the former solons, told reporters Friday that the charges are trumped up and have lost substantive ground because of court findings that the complainants and witnesses made false statements and acted in bad faith. In 2008, presiding judge Evelyn Atienza-Turla of the Regional Trial Court Branch 40 in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija said that conduct of preliminary investigation "was not followed." She asked to remand the charges to the City Prosector's Office. The petitioners appealed to the Supreme Court, which said last year that the remand was improper and Turla should decide if there was probable cause to arrest them. On July 11, Turla issued arrest warrants for the four. "A cursory examination of the case showed that a probable cause of the crime charged as shown in the information exists as against the accused," Turla wrote. The accused, through Public Interest Law Center lawyers, will file a motion for reconsideration on Monday. Rachel Pastores, managing counsel of PILC, noted that Turla's turnaround after a decade was "certainly curious." "Complainants and witnesses' statements miserably failed judicial scrutiny, and in fact, were not subscribed before the prosecutors who conducted the preliminary investigation," Pastores told a press conference. She said that the group was studying its options. "Ang malinaw, haharapin nila ang kaso [What's clear is they will face the case]," she added. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday said Malacanang Palace would "continue to respect the independence of our courts." "We should therefore let the legal process run its course," he said. Vehement denial In a statement on Friday, Mariano slammed the case as "baseless, malicious, and fabricated" and demanded that charges be dropped. "Political persecution under the Duterte regime is a part of the worsening attacks on the fundamental rights and freedom of genuine agrarian reform advocates and human rights defenders," he said. Mariano, along with Maza and former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, are among the Cabinet secretaries nominated by the Left. Their appointments were made amid the efforts of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration to negotiate peace with communist rebels -- talks that are now in limbo. However, Mariano was rejected by the Commission on Appointments last September. Taguiwalo met the same fate the month before, prompting criticism that Duterte's administration was not serious in its push for reform and peace. The Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives, which is composed of seven Left-leaning congressmen, slammed the move as an attack done in the "style" of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Resurrection of charges The charges were first filed against the four former congressmen in 2006, under Arroyo's presidency. Arroyo now sits as House Speaker, after a power struggle at the lower chamber earlier this week. The four were accused of murdering three supporters of rival partylist Akbayan, particularly Carlito Bayudang, Jimmy Peralta, and Danny Felipe. The death of Peralta was argued to be mistaken, as the accused were supposedly after Ricardo Peralta. Pastores also pointed out that one of the murder charges was dismissed. It was filed in RTC Guimba in 2008 and based on similar evidence, she said. The PILC also maintains that the witnesses in the case -- Isabelita Bayudang, Cleotilde Peralta, Julie Sinohin, and Jose Princillo -- were previously discredited. Bayan Muna and Ocampo filed for damages against them in 2007, and won a the case at a Quezon City RTC branch. Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Benigno Durana said that they will respect the court order and the human rights of the accused. "The PNP will respect the order of the court. That is our constitutional mandate that law enforcers must abide with due consideration to the human rights and dignity of the accused," Durana said. CNN Philippines correspondents Anjo Alimario and Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report. Ukraine and Lithuania welcome cooperation between the countries and are open to further cooperation. The press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine reported this on the results of a meeting of Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar with Seimas Ombudsman of the Republic of Lithuania Augustinas Normantas. "Vasyl Bodnar and Augustinas Normantas commended the fruitful cooperation between Ukraine and Lithuania. They noted historic intergovernmental ties, joint efforts in countering external threats, exchange of experience, support and mutual assistance. The parties also emphasized openness and readiness for further cooperation," the statement reads. According to the Foreign Ministry, the parties also discussed urgent issues of Ukrainian-Lithuanian relations in the field of human rights protection. The Lithuanian representative noted positive achievements in the project implementation, in particular, in drafting amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights", which involved Lithuanian experts. ish On September 19-20, the Days of Ukraine in France will be held at Rungis, the world's largest wholesale market. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine. "On September 19-20, the Days of Ukraine in France (Paris) will be held at the Rungis wholesale market with the support of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Embassy of France in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Food Export Board," the report reads. Ukrainian producers of fresh fruits and vegetables are invited to join this event. During this event, it will be possible to hold business meetings with French wholesale companies, exchange contacts and discuss opportunities for joint projects, the Agrarian Policy Ministry informed. ish International human rights organization Transparency International Ukraine has urged Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Nazar Kholodnytsky to resign from his work in prosecution. The organization believes that it is the only move that can be made by the SAPO head to restore trust in the institution headed by him and renew intense anti-corruption activity in Ukraine. "Head of an institution is its leader and the representative by whom the entire institution is judged - that is why his soiled reputation casts shade on the entire SAPO. Given the circumstances, TI Ukraine urges Nazar Kholodnytsky to resign. Preservation of SAPO's independence and people's trust in the institution is essential for further anti-corruption activity in Ukraine," TI Ukraine said. Earlier, a similar statement was issued by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. The embassy's report appeared after the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors recommended that Kholodnytsky be reprimanded, rather than dismissed from his position for a committed disciplinary offense. Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Artem Sytnyk intends to file an appeal against the decision. NABU and the Prosecutor General's Office accuse the SAPO head of disciplinary offenses after the disclosure of audio recordings made in Kholodnytsky's office. According to Sytnyk, the recordings concern the leak of information about preparations for searches to people whose homes had to be searched, the pressure on certain officials and the courts to make them take certain decisions. The fact of urging a witness to provide false testimony was also recorded. op Twelve Ukrainian sailors - crewmembers of the Mekong Spirit, a container carrier detained by Greek border guards in May 2017 on suspicion of smuggling weapons - are returning from Athens to Odesa, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said on Twitter. "The subject of Ukrainian sailors in Greece is sensitive and difficult, but the solution is predictable. Today 12 sailors from the Mekong Spirit, who were on board for 14 months, are returning from Athens to Odesa," he wrote. According to Klimkin, consuls are working for the speedy return of all Ukrainian sailors home. As Ukrinform reported, the Mekong Spirit, a vessel owned by a Swiss company, was detained by the Greek police on May 25, 2017 on suspicion of transporting military goods. The crewmembers are 17 citizens of Ukraine, including the captain. op All mechanisms will be used in the Sushchenko case, including the 1993 agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, to ensure that Ukrinform's journalist could return to Ukraine. Mark Feygin, the Ukrainian journalist's defender, told this to Ukrinform. "Having visited Sushchenko on Thursday, I conveyed greetings to him from his daughter and son who had recently had their birthdays. We also discussed more serious and complex issues, in particular our further actions. I still think that the Sushchenko case should be resolved politically. However, while this issue is being delayed, we will use other opportunities," Feygin said. He specified that the issue concerns the procedure for the transfer of a convict to serve his term at the place of citizenship. The legal basis for this is the 1979 Convention of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, as well as the relevant Ukrainian-Russian agreement of 1993. "Frankly speaking, the chances that the Russian side will meet us halfway are not very high. But this does not mean that this mechanism does not need to be used. And, of course, with its involvement, we will not weaken our efforts to free Roman Sushchenko through other channels," he said. As reported, Ukrinform correspondent in France Roman Sushchenko was illegally detained on September 30, 2016 in Moscow, where he arrived on a private trip. On October 7, 2016, he was charged with "espionage." Russia's FSB claimed that Sushchenko is a member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The latter denied this allegation. On June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security penal colony. On June 5, a complaint was filed against the verdict. op The document, in particular, confirms the position of the Senate that Crimea is part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has recommended the adoption of a resolution condemning the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea by Russia. "The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has approved and recommended for approval by the upper chamber of the United States Congress of a resolution condemning illegal attempts by the Russian Federation to occupy Crimea," the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States said on Facebook. The document, in particular, confirms the position of the Senate that Crimea is part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. "It is emphasized that U.S. policy should lie in countering attempts to change the status, demographic map or the political nature of Crimea," the embassy said. Read alsoU.S. calls on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea Also, the resolution condemns the violation of human rights in Crimea and underlines that Russia is liable for such crimes during the Russian occupation of the peninsula. Senators urge the U.S. government to maintain restrictive measures against the Russian Federation, in accordance with the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017, and welcome the further efforts of the American side to encourage the EU to impose additional sanctions related to the Crimea. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States informed earlier that a bipartisan group of senators had submitted a draft resolution condemning the occupation of Crimea. Mueller is examining whether the president's actions add up to attempts to obstruct the investigation by both intimidating witnesses and pressuring senior law enforcement officials to tamp down the inquiry. For years, U.S. President Donald Trump has used Twitter as his go-to public relations weapon, mounting a barrage of attacks on celebrities and then political rivals even after advisers warned he could be creating legal problems for himself. Those concerns now turn out to be well founded. The special counsel, Robert Mueller, is scrutinizing tweets and negative statements from the president about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the former FBI director James Comey, according to three people briefed on the matter, the New York Times reports. Several of the remarks came as Trump was also privately pressuring the men both key witnesses in the inquiry about the investigation, and Mueller is examining whether the actions add up to attempts to obstruct the investigation by both intimidating witnesses and pressuring senior law enforcement officials to tamp down the inquiry. Mueller wants to question the president about the tweets. His interest in them is the latest addition to a range of presidential actions he is investigating as a possible obstruction case: private interactions with Comey, Sessions and other senior administration officials about the Russia inquiry; misleading White House statements; public attacks; and possible pardon offers to potential witnesses. Read alsoNo "gifts to Russia at Ukraine's expense": Kurt Volker None of what Mueller has homed in on constitutes obstruction, Trumps lawyers said. They argued that most of the presidential acts under scrutiny, including the firing of Comey, fall under Trumps authority as the head of the executive branch and insisted that he should not even have to answer Muellers questions about obstruction. But privately, some of the lawyers have expressed concern that Mueller will stitch together several episodes, encounters and pieces of evidence, like the tweets, to build a case that the president embarked on a broad effort to interfere with the investigation. Prosecutors who lack one slam-dunk piece of evidence in obstruction cases often search for a larger pattern of behavior, legal experts said. The special counsels investigators have told Trumps lawyers they are examining the tweets under a wide-ranging obstruction-of-justice law beefed up after the Enron accounting scandal, according to the three people. The investigators did not explicitly say they were examining possible witness tampering, but the nature of the questions they want to ask the president, and the fact that they are scrutinizing his actions under a section of the United States Code titled Tampering With a Witness, Victim, or an Informant, raised concerns for his lawyers about Trumps exposure in the investigation. The document includes a provision on cybersecurity cooperation with Ukraine. The House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress has supported the allocation of $250 million to boost Ukraine's security and defenses. "The amount allocated to the U.S. Department of Defense on security assistance to Ukraine is estimated at $250 million. Of the total, $50 million is to be directed at lethal weapons," the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States wrote on Facebook. According to the diplomats, the document includes a provision on cybersecurity cooperation with Ukraine. Read alsoU.S. Congress recommends Pentagon continue providing financial aid to Ukraine In particular, the State Department was instructed to report to the Congress on the state of cooperation with Ukraine in the field of cybersecurity with a view to seeking new directions for such interaction and support. "Next, the draft of the National Defense Appropriations Act 2019 has to be supported by the Senate and handed over to U.S. president for him to sign it off," the Ukrainian embassy concluded. As UNIAN reported earlier, the U.S. Congress planned to allocate $250 million for security assistance to Ukraine in 2019. Manafort is arguing that the details of what he did in Ukraine have no bearing on the bank and tax fraud charges he is facing. For nearly a decade, Paul Manafort toiled in service of Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych, work that is chronicled in hundreds of documents he is hoping to block jurors at his upcoming federal trial from seeing. The documents, released by Manaforts defense Thursday in advance of his trial next week on bank and tax fraud charges, show how political operatives from both sides of the aisle use the lessons they learn on American campaigns for sometimes unsavory foreign clients, according to the Washington Post. Having worked campaigns for the last 35 years, this one will be at the top of the list of most satisfying, Manafort wrote a group of strategists after Yanukovych won a presidential election in 2010. Manafort goes on trial next week in Alexandria federal court on bank and tax fraud charges. The case stems from the work he did for Yanukovych and his Russia-friendly political party, and they are brought by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Manafort is arguing that the details of what he did in Ukraine have no bearing on the charges. The documents date to 2005, when Yanukovych had been forced from power after an election victory deemed fraudulent. Read alsoChief prosecutor denies NYT's information on blocking probe into Manafort case That year, Manafort wrote a strategy memo to Rinat Ahkmetov, a Ukrainian steel magnate who backed Yanukovychs political party. Yanukovychs image was poisoned . . . as much as the dioxin poisoned the body of Yushchenko, a reference to Yanukovychs rival in the 2004 election. Doctors said at the time that Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned; his opponents said he became ill because of alcohol. The partys historical growth, Manafort added, was directly related to its ability to dispense favors, which became impossible when it lost power. Yet he arranged a flashy rally for Yanukovych that December, with help from Tim Unes, who worked on the Trump campaign, and Bobby Peede, who works in the White House on presidential advance, the documents show. Read alsoLutsenko seeks joint investigation with FBI in Manafort case media Yanukovych has the relationships in Russian [sic] needed to fix the problem created by Yushchenko and his team, a 2006 memo co-authored by Manafort reads. Surrogates are told to call the countrys leaders naive to believe the Government could slap Russia in the face and suffer no consequences. The documents also appear to bolster a special counsel case against Manafort in Washington, D.C., federal court, including charges that he acted as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. One document Manaforts team released is a 2013 memo explaining how a group of European ex-politicians, known as the Hapsburg group, will try to promote Ukraine. The Hapsburg team will also do a series of events . . . to also influence key members of the US government through private meetings held at the highest levels. Ukrainian national Pavlo Hryb, 20, has been in Russian jail for nearly a year, on trumped up "terrorist plot" charges. Pavlo Hrybs ordeal began in January 2017, when he struck up an online friendship with Tatiana, then a 17-year-old from Sochi. Their friendship which appeared to blossom into a romance would eventually lead the 20-year-old Ukrainian man to a Russian jail, in dire health and out of the reach of his family. For months they corresponded online, discussing Ukraines politics and their intense dislike of Russia-backed militants entrenched in eastern Ukraine. On August 24, 2017, they met in person, in the Belarusian city of Homel. Hryb was supposed to return to Kyiv the same day. Instead, he was abducted by Russian security agents, according to Human Rights Watch. Hrybs lawyer later said that shortly after Hryb finished meeting Tatiana, unknown people approached him, forced him into a minivan, and drove him to the Russian border. On August 30, 2017, Hrybs worried father finally found out his son was in a detention facility in Krasnodar, southern Russia. On September 7, a representative from Ukraines Foreign Ministry told the media that Russian authorities accused Hryb of plotting a terrorist attack on a school in Sochi and charged him with terrorism. Tatiana told Novaya Gazeta that Russias security services started surveilling her shortly after she and Hryb met online and pressured her into arranging the August meeting. She also said that she warned Hryb about it. Read alsoUkrainian political prisoner Hryb in Russian court: "I plead not guilty" The detainee has seen only limited and intermittent access to the daily medicine he needs for a serious and chronic health condition that affects his stomach, intestine, liver, and pancreas. Between January and July 2018, his access to medication was halted altogether. According to his family, his lawyer, and Ukrainian doctors who treated him since childhood, his condition, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications. Ukrainian officials visited Hryb in November and reported that his condition deteriorated, but Russian doctors later claimed that Hrybs health was satisfactory. Things went from bad to worse and there appears to be no end in sight to Hrybs ordeal. This week, a judge halted his trial and returned his case to the prosecutor to fix an error in the indictment. The judge should have ordered an investigation into how Hryb was arrested and forcibly disappeared. Read alsoRussian court extends until Oct 22 arrest of Ukrainian teen abducted by FSB In October 2017, the European Court of the Human Rights issued a request that Russian authorities allow Ukrainian doctors to see Hryb and asked for additional information on his health. Ukrainian officials and Hrybs family have also repeatedly urged Russia to let Ukrainian doctors see Hryb. Russian authorities should immediately provide Hryb with access to all necessary medical treatment that he requires, ensure they do not jeopardize his health further, and conduct an independent investigation into the rights violations that have arisen in this case. Thin mulch films made of polyethylene are used in agriculture in numerous countries, where they cause extensive soil contamination. Researchers at ETH Zurich and Eawag have now identified an alternative: films made of the polymer PBAT biodegrade in soils. Our world is drowning in a flood of plastic. Eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. Agricultural soils are also threatened by plastic pollution. Farmers around the world apply enormous amounts of polyethylene (PE) mulch films onto soils to combat weeds, increase soil temperature and keep the soil moist, thereby increasing overall crop yields. After harvest, it often is impossible for farmers to re-collect the entire films, particularly when films are only a few micrometers thin. Film debris then makes its way into the soil and accumulates in the soil over time, because PE does not biodegrade. Film residues in soils decrease soil fertility, interfere with water transport and diminish crop growth. Soil microbes mineralise films composed of alternative polymer Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) have now shown in an interdisciplinary study that there is reason to be hopeful. In their recent study, they demonstrate that soil microbes degrade films composed of the alternative polymer poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). Their work has just been published in the journal Science Advances. In the research project coordinated by Michael Sander, Kristopher McNeill and Hans-Peter Kohler, former ETH doctoral student Michael Zumstein succeeded in demonstrating that soil microorganisms metabolically utilised the carbon in the PBAT polymer both for energy production and also to build up microbial biomass. This research directly demonstrates, for the first time, that soil microorganisms mineralise PBAT films in soils and transfer carbon from the polymer into their biomass, says Michael Sander, Senior Scientist in the Environmental Chemistry Group in the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. Like PE, PBAT is a petroleum-based polymer that is used to make various products, including mulch films. Because PBAT was already classified as biodegradable in compost, the ETH and Eawag researchers aimed at assessing whether PBAT also biodegrades in agricultural soils. By comparison, PE does not biodegrade in compost or in soil. Labelling of polymer with carbon-13 In their experiments, the researchers used PBAT material that was custom-synthesised from monomers to contain a defined amount of the stable carbon-13 isotope. This isotope label enabled the scientists to track the polymer-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways in soil. Upon biodegrading PBAT, the soil microorganisms liberated carbon-13 from the polymer. Using isotope-sensitive analytical equipment, the researchers found that the carbon-13 from PBAT was not only converted into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a result of microbial respiration but also incorporated into the biomass of microorganisms colonizing the polymer surface. True biodegradation The beauty of our study is that we used stable isotopes to precisely track PBAT-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways of the polymer in the soil, says Michael Zumstein. The researchers are the first to successfully demonstrate with high scientific rigor that a plastic material is effectively biodegraded in soils. Because not all materials that were labelled biodegradable in the past really fulfilled the necessary criteria. By definition biodegradation demands that microbes metabolically use all carbon in the polymer chains for energy production and biomass formation as we now demonstrated for PBAT, says Hans-Peter Kohler, environmental microbiologist at Eawag. The definition highlights that biodegradable plastics fundamentally differ from those that merely disintegrate into tiny plastic particles, for instance after exposure of the plastic to sunlight, but that do not mineralise. Many plastic materials simply crumble into tiny fragments that persist in the environment as microplastics even if this plastic is invisible to the naked eye, Kohler says. In their experiment, the researchers placed 60 grams of soil into glass bottles each with a volume of 0.1 litre and subsequently inserted the PBAT films on a solid support into the soil. After six weeks of incubation, the scientists assessed the extent to which soil microorganisms had colonised the PBAT surfaces. They further quantified the amount of CO 2 that was formed in the incubation bottles and how much of the carbon-13 isotope the CO 2 contained. Finally, to directly demonstrate the incorporation of carbon from the polymer in the biomass of microorganisms on the polymer surfaces, they collaborated with researchers from the University of Vienna. At this stage, the researchers cannot yet say with certainty over which timeframe PBAT degrades in soils in the natural environment given that they conducted their experiments in the lab, not in the field. Longer-term studies in different soils and under various conditions in the field are now needed to assess the biodegradation of PBAT films under real environmental conditions. Too early for an all-clear Unfortunately, there is no reason to cheer as of yet: were still far from resolving the global environmental problem of plastic pollution, says Sander, but weve taken a very important first step in the direction of plastic biodegradability in soil. At the same time, he cautions against unrealistic expectations for biodegrading plastics in the environment: As we have demonstrated, there is hope for our soils in the form of biodegradable polymers. The results from soils should, however, not be directly transferred to other natural environments. For instance, biodegradation of polymers in seawater might be considerably slower, because the conditions there are different and so are the microbial communities. New tool created The researchers anticipate that their study will be noticed by industry. Weve developed analysis techniques that open the door for industry to test the environmental impact of their plastic products, says co-author Kristopher McNeill. Thanks to our method, they can switch to using biodegradable materials in the production of thin mulch films instead of non-degradable PE, he adds. So far, only a few chemical companies have started to produce and market the more eco-friendly, but also more expensive, PBAT films. Among these is the German company BASF, which supported this study. In comparison to the total volume of plastic that is brought into circulation, biodegradable mulch films play only a minor role. Yet, these products are an important starting point to decrease stress on agricultural soils and protect them from plastic accumulation in the long term, Sander says. An additional option to reduce the volume of plastic entering agricultural soils is to employ thicker mulch films, which are also used in Swiss agriculture. These films can be re-collected after use and then either reused or disposed of via waste incineration. The visit is scheduled for August 1-4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia does not intend to prevent a group of Slovak legislators from visiting the Russian-occupied Crimea. Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Danko, said he "supports" the visit of the Slovak delegation to the annexed peninsula scheduled for August 1-4, the Russian Izvestia newspaper claimed with reference to the Slovak Foreign Ministry. "This is a private trip and we do not imagine how we would have the right to prohibit anything like this," the press service of the Slovak Foreign Ministry said. Read also"Disgrace": Ukraine envoy on British MEP's illegal visit to occupied Crimea UNIAN memo. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014 after its troops had occupied the peninsula. An illegal referendum was held for Crimeans to decide on accession to Russia. De-facto Crimean authorities reported that allegedly 96.77% of the Crimean population had voted for joining Russia. On March 18, 2014, the so-called agreement on the accession of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Russia was signed in the Kremlin. Read alsoPutin's biker gang sets up military-style camp on NATO soil - media The West did not recognize the annexation in response to which sanctions against Russia were introduced. Ukraine's parliament voted to designate February 20, 2014, as the official date when the temporary occupation of Crimea began. The move is aimed at imposing the Russian narrative of "unstable and divided" Ukraine as regards the idea of independence of its own Orthodox Church. The Kremlin has tasked the Russian Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods with setting up provocations in Kyiv on the anniversary of Baptism of Kievan Rus amid a religious procession or following the events, according to Information Resistance OSINT group. According to the information obtained by IR, the Russian Orthodox Church leaders instructed heads of its foreign missions to be prepared on July 27-29 to hold emergency meetings with politicians and journalists in their hosting countries immediately following reports from Ukraine about "clashes and mass riots" during or after the religious procession set up by the Moscow Patriarchate on July 27. Read alsoPro-Russian clerics fomenting tensions ahead of Kievan Rus Baptism anniversary Ukrainian representatives of said organization are to ensure the involvement in provocations of Ukrainian nationals, divided into groups of "opponents of the Moscow Patriarchate" and "adepts of the Moscow Patriarchate." According to the plan, at the order and under supervision of coordinators from Russian secret services deployed in Ukraine for this purpose, the groups will start clashes in Kyiv streets. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia has been fiercely opposing Ukraine Orthodox Church's path toward gaining independence from Moscow. Amid numerous reports claiming the UOC has good chances to be granted autocephaly by Constantinople, Russian intelligence has boosted their efforts to undermine Ukraine's aspirations for religious independence, with Moscow's main narrative in this regard in its propaganda work being "Ukraine's genocide of "threats of a religious split" that may even result in "civil war" on religious grounds. Ukrainian MP Vadym Novinksy, an ardent supporter of the Moscow Patriarchate from the entourage of disgraced ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, is also contributing to artificially raising the temperature of public tensions ahead of the Baptism celebrations. In a recent interview with LB.ua he claimed he would personally defend the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra against supporters of Ukrainian church's independence, hinting at possible violence that the Russian propaganda claims will ensue if the Constantinople grants autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The evidence keeps mounting, prosecutors say. First Deputy Prosecutor of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea Mykola Ivanets has said the agency identified over 9,000 former Ukrainian law enforcers across the now-occupied peninsula who had committed treason. According to the official, investigators continue a pre-trial probe in 123 criminal treason-related proceedings, Krym.Realii reported. "It was established that 18 law enforcement agencies had been working on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in Sevastopol before the occupation of the peninsula, with nearly 18,600 people employed," Ivanets said. Read alsoUkraine soldier leaks info to militants, planning to defect He said the investigators keep collecting the evidence. "Today, we have relevant registers containing data we need on more than 4,000 law enforcement staff," he said. Ivanets noted the need to improve cooperation with the SBU Security Service of Ukraine in terms of identifying those who had committed treason, as well as the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine -- on border crossings by probe targets. The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has already charged with treason 73 Ukrainian turncoat army servicemen who have betrayed their pledge of allegiance and did not pull out of Crimea to mainland Ukraine amid the illegal annexation of the peninsula by Russia. According to the reply of the Ecumenical Patriarch to Russia's Patriarch Kirill, it will be in Kyiv where relevant celebrations will be held on the occasion of the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has said Moscow has no grounds for organizing celebrations of the anniversary of certain events that took place in Kyiv in the late 10th century. Besides, Constantinople does not recognize the accession in the second half of the 17th century of the Kyiv Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarchate, according to a report posted on a Facebook page of the Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church, Information Resistance OSINT group wrote. The report says Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received an official invitation from head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, to take part in the ceremonial events to be held in Russia dedicated to the "1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus." Read alsoRussian group to set up provocations during religious celebrations in Kyiv media However Bartholomew replied that such participation of representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the events organized in Russia was impossible and inexpedient. According to the reply of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the real holiday on the occasion of the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus will take place in Kyiv, and representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch will take part in the events on July 28. Ecumenical Patriarchate's representatives have been duly invited and the relevant delegation has been appointed. A rather sharp response of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the report claims, is due to a clear position regarding the lack of grounds for Moscow to organizing celebrations of historical events that took place in Kyiv at the end of the 10th century, and due to Constantinople's non-recognition of the "accession" of the Kyiv Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarchate in the second half of the 17th century. The German commissioner also hopes for the early release of Sentsov. Germany has called on Russia to provide medical assistance to imprisoned Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov without delay. Barbel Kofler, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, announced this in a statement. "The fact that the European Court of Human Rights has called on Russia to immediately provide necessary medical assistance to Oleh Sentsov underscores the widespread concern about his condition, which has only intensified again since the beginning of [his] hunger strike in May," the statement said. Read alsoECHR calls on Sentsov to stop hunger strike "I sincerely hope that the Russian government will make a decision and urgently ensure [the prisoner's] full access to medical care. I also hope for the early release of Mr. Sentsov and Mr. [Oleksandr] Kolchenko," Kofler said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's security forces detained Sentsov together with Oleksandr Kolchenko in occupied Crimea in May 2014 on charges of organizing terrorist attacks on the peninsula. In August 2015, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Russia's Rostov-on-Don sentenced Sentsov to 20 years in a high-security penal colony. Kolchenko was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Both men pleaded not guilty. Sentsov declared hunger strike on May 14 indefinitely. He went on hunger strike against the actions of the Kremlin, demanding the release of all the Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia. Over 500 tonnes of "humanitarian aid" was reportedly delivered. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has sent its 79th "humanitarian convoy" to Donbas, the ministry's press service reported. "The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's 79th humanitarian convoy has fulfilled its mission. Humanitarian aid has been delivered to residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Empty vehicles of the ministry's convoy have returned to the Donskoy rescue operations center," the ministry said on its website on July 26. They delivered over 500 tonnes of "humanitarian aid." Read alsoU.S. Mission to OSCE: Russian aid convoys evidence of involvement in Donbas conflict The Russian side claims the bulk of the cargo included children's food kits, medications and medical equipment. Russia began the practice of dispatching its "humanitarian" convoys to occupied Donbas in August 2014. In total, Russia has sent about 75,000 tonnes of "humanitarian" aid to eastern Ukraine since then. Ukrainian customs and border officers have not been allowed to inspect the cargo. The Ukrainian side has long claimed it has proof that weapons, ammunition, anti-tank grenades have been transported along with humanitarian freight. Two enemy troops were reportedly killed and another two were wounded in fighting with Ukraine's Joint Forces. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 32 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another one as wounded in action (WIA). "According to intelligence reports, two occupiers were killed and another two wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 27, 2018. Read alsoRussia ignoring proposals to allow OSCE access to 25 km zone closed to observation at border with Ukraine - General Staff Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire at the defenders of the town of Svitlodarsk, and the villages of Krymske, Hirne, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Pivdenne, Novhorodske, Pisky, Vodiane, Lebedynske, Hnutove, Chermalyk and Shyrokyne. Along with these efforts, the occupiers used anti-tank guided missiles near Hnutove. Since Friday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted five attacks on the Ukrainian positions near the town of Maryinka, and the villages of Hirne, Maiorsk and Shyrokyne. OSCE chief is paying a visit to Ukraine. OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger says the Organization's Special Monitoring Missionmust be provided unrestricted access throughout Ukraine. Noting on Twitter that while in Donbas he visited Stepanivka and met the Special Monitoring Mission's team working on the UAV launch site, OSCE Secretary General wrote: "To do their job OSCE SMM must be given safe & unrestricted access throughout Ukraine," the OSCE Secretary-General wrote on Twitter. According to its mandate, the OSCE SMM shall carry out monitoring throughout Ukraine, including in occupied Crimea, occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as along the state border between Ukraine and Russia/ Read alsoSpies in OSCE Donbas mission: Will SMM say no to Russian participation However, Russia refuses to allow access of SMM observers to the illegally annexed Crimea, while in Donbas, their movement and access to various sites are being hindered by Russian proxy forces. Russia is also blocking opportunities for the SMM to monitor the area along the section of Ukraine-Russia border beyond Kyiv control. Toskas also said that another fire that broke out near Athens a few hours earlier but did not cause casualties had been started intentionally. Greece has "serious indications" that a fire that killed at least 83 people near Athens earlier this week was started deliberately, Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas says. The blaze broke out on Monday and hit coastal villages popular with tourists, according to the BBC. Some 60 people are still being treated in hospital, 11 in intensive care. Dozens more are missing. Earlier, rescue workers searching a cliffside in the seaside town of Mati found more human remains. Read alsoWildfire kills at least 50 near Athens, families flee to beaches media (Photos) A large number of the victims were caught close to the cliff as the flames spread rapidly, whipped up by winds as high as 120km/h. Many of the survivors were saved by the sea, but dozens of victims were unable to reach the water. Toskas also said that another fire that broke out near Athens a few hours earlier but did not cause casualties had been started intentionally. He added that "climate conditions" in the areas affected by fire were "extreme due to climate change". The minister argued that the actions of some residents had closed the roads to the beach. "This is a crime from the past," he said. "This coast of Athens, all these properties, the majority are without a license, and they have occupied the coast without rules." Read alsoGreece decides to expel Russian diplomats media As UNIAN reported earlier, Greece-Russia relations saw an abrupt souring following Athenss announcement in July that it would expel two Russian diplomats for attempting to undermine the landmark accord settling the 27-year-old name row between Greece and Macedonia. The investigatory journalism body the Organised Crime and Corruption project earlier published an explosive report that detailed the strong subversive propaganda and intelligence activity Macedonia has been subjected to by a Kremlin that also sees the strategic state as crucial to its European gas pipelines. And in Greece, Russian agents bent on penetrating the countrys intelligence and armed forces have also been accused of bribery. Australian defense facilities would likely play a role in identifying targets in Iran, as would British intelligence agencies. Senior figures in the Turnbull Government have told the ABC they believe the United States is prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, perhaps as early as next month, and that Australia is poised to help identify possible targets. The ABC has been told Australian defense facilities would likely play a role in identifying targets in Iran, as would British intelligence agencies. The top-secret Pine Gap joint defense facility in the Northern Territory is considered crucial among the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence partners the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand for its role in directing American spy satellites. Read alsoNo "gifts to Russia at Ukraine's expense": Kurt Volker Analysts from the little-known spy agency Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation would also be expected to play a part. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said this morning he had no reason to believe the U.S. was preparing for a military confrontation. Trump and Putin met July 16 in Helsinki for their first formal summit. President Trump is not ruling out a trip to Moscow if he receives an invitation from the Kremlin, the White House said Friday. "President Trump looks forward to having President [Vladimir] Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, Washington Examiner reported. A possible trip to Russia by Trump comes after Putin said Friday he invited Trump to Moscow. Read alsoTrump postpones summit with Putin until new year media "We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. He has this invitation already and I told him about it," Putin said during an appearance at the BRICs summit in Johannesburg. But Putin added there "has to be necessary conditions" for a second one-on-one meeting between the two leaders. Trump and Putin met July 16 in Helsinki for their first formal summit. (@ChaudhryMAli88) China Great Wall Asset Management Co., Ltd, one of the country's four distressed debt managers, has announced plans to introduce strategic investors to raise a fund of 12.12 billion yuan (about 1.78 billion U.S. dollars). BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :China Great Wall Asset Management Co., Ltd, one of the country's four distressed debt managers, has announced plans to introduce strategic investors to raise a fund of 12.12 billion Yuan (about 1.78 billion U.S. Dollars). The National Council for Social Security Fund will make the biggest investment of 7 billion yuan, said Zhou Liyao, the company's chief executive officer. China Property & Casualty Reinsurance Co., Ltd. and China Continent Insurance will together contribute 5 billion yuan to the cash injection. China Life Insurance (Group) Company, a current shareholder, will increase its stake by investing another 121 million yuan. The fund will be used to replenish capital and help business development, Zhou said, adding the deal is subject to official approval. In the first half of the year, the disposal of bad assets by Great Wall Asset Management totaled 36.2 billion yuan, with financial assets accounting for more than 70 percent. It purchased 100.6 billion yuan of bad assets in the period. The company aims to spend 120 billion yuan on buying bad assets this year and improve the asset disposal to 100 billion yuan, Zhou added. In 1999, China set up four asset management companies, Cinda, Huarong, Great Wall, and Orient, to deal with the toxic assets of the country's four big state-owned banks in a bid to help them transform into market-oriented financial institutions. Great Wall Asset Management was restructured into a joint-stock firm in 2016, the last of the four companies. Higher Education Commission (HEC) will do its best to further strengthen cordial relations with Mauritius through enhanced academic linkages.This was stated by Prof Dr Tariq Banuri, Chairman, HEC while talking to Mr. Soobadar Rashidally ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :Higher Education Commission (HEC) will do its best to further strengthen cordial relations with Mauritius through enhanced academic linkages.This was stated by Prof Dr Tariq Banuri, Chairman, HEC while talking to Mr. Soobadar Rashidally, High Commissioner of Mauritius in Pakistan who visited here on Thursday, a press release said. Mr. Rashidally acknowledged HEC's advice in the establishment of Higher Education Commission, Mauritius which will be made operational by 2019. He said the HEC, Mauritius has been structured on the model of HEC, Pakistan. Mauritius is an island State and in its 50 years of independence, it has 100 per cent literacy rate. He said that Mauritius offers free education from Primary to university levels and spends eight to 10 per cent of GDP on education. He added that the country is also a member of the middle Income Club. He expressed his desire for expanding collaboration with HEC and sought further support in areas of Information Technology and medical postgraduate studies. Dr. Tariq Banuri informed the High Commissioner that HEC, Pakistan is funding centres of excellence in advanced technologies and these centres provide assistance to partner countries. He said that HEC will support postgraduate studies for medical students. He also mentioned Pakistan's expertise in marine sciences which could be of value to Mauritius, given its strategic focus on the Blue Economy.He said that HEC looks forward towards strong cooperation and sharing of expertise after the Higher Education Commission, Mauritius is made operational. The High Commissioner expressed his appreciation for HEC, Pakistan and said that Mauritius is looking forward towards HEC, Pakistan's support in strengthening its tertiary education structure. The State of Kuwait emphatically denounced a recent attack by Yemeni Houthi militias on two Saudi oil tankers at Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, said an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. KUWAIT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Jul, 2018) The State of Kuwait emphatically denounced a recent attack by Yemeni Houthi militias on two Saudi oil tankers at Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, said an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. "This attack is a grave violation of all international laws and norms, and a serious threat to international navigation and trade and global energy sources," the source said in a press statement, carried by Kuwait news Agency, KUNA. The source reiterated that the State of Kuwait stands by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and backs all measures it is taking in order to deter such acts that target its security and stability. It urged the international community to live up to it responsibility for protecting the safety of waterways and ensuring freedom of navigation as enshrined in international laws and norms. The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, was awarded the "Excellence in GIS Implementation Award" at the GISWORX 2018 Award, EGI Award, which is a major regional prize awarded by the GISTEC, one of the regions leading specialist GIS organisations and is a representative of the ESRI, a global leader in spatial analytics. DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Jul, 2018) The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, was awarded the "Excellence in GIS Implementation Award" at the GISWORX 2018 Award, EGI Award, which is a major regional prize awarded by the GISTEC, one of the regions leading specialist GIS organisations and is a representative of the ESRI, a global leader in spatial analytics. The award was unveiled during the annual GISWORX Conference, which was recently held in Dubai and was attended by representatives of leading government and quasi-government authorities, as well as private businesses from the UAE and around the region. The event attracted international experts, specialists and keynote speakers. Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the board of Executive Directors of the RTA, was thrilled with the award, as it reflected the RTAs efforts to adopt the latest technologies, especially in IT and geospatial systems, and provide effective public transit network services. Capitalising on such technologies will achieve the happiness of customers, including public transport commuters, and there is a need for further efforts to improve efficiency and protect information, which is an integral part of the RTAs core values, he added. Al Tayer made these comments while accepting the award, which was presented by the GIS Team from the RTAs Corporate Technology Support Services Sector. The RTA won the award due to its implementation of geospatial technology in displaying and analysing spatial data, which has also improved the efficiency of its fieldwork, through the external GIS e-Gateway that serves the RTAs engineers and inspectors on site. It also supports the "Smart City" drive and integrates the GIS with the RTAs technological systems. "The RTA is always keen to adopt the latest technologies, to facilitate procedures and process online transactions, with the aim of playing a leading role in this global sector, to achieve prosperity and provide a decent living," said Maher Shirah, Director of IT at the RTAs Corporate Technology Support Services Sector. "Winning the award clearly reflects the RTAs efforts to keep pace with the latest technologies, to improve and widen the scope of GIS in a sustained environment," he added. The EGI Award recognises authorities that promote and encourage innovation and research in GIS implementation and rewards their relevant efforts. (@rukhshanmir) The United Nations has expressed concern over the deteriorating conditions in the Golan Heights, Syria. GENEVA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Jul, 2018) The United Nations has expressed concern over the deteriorating conditions in the Golan Heights, Syria. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said today the UN is concerned about the humanitarian situation of around 100,000 people in the Golan region who continue to face hostilities. Humanitarian relief is running out and the UNs humanitarian partners do not have unrestricted access to the people in need, or the ability to the stockpile their warehouses with supplies. Cross-border convoys from Jordan have been held for over a month, due to the deteriorating situation in south-western Syria. As the government of Syria has made territorial gains in recent weeks, only a small stretch of land near the Golan region is still under the control of a non-state armed group while an area covering around 200 square kilometres further south towards the Jordanian border remain under the control of the Daesh-affiliate, the Jaysh Khaled bin Walid Group, JKBW. He also expressed the UN's concern that after five weeks of growing hostilities in Syrias south-western governorates of Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida, as many as 182,600 people are currently displaced from their homes and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. (@FahadShabbir) President Awami National Party (ANP), Asfandyar Wali Khan here Friday while rejecting results of 2018 election announced peaceful protest against what he called massive rigging during polls on July 25. PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :President Awami National Party (ANP), Asfandyar Wali Khan here Friday while rejecting results of 2018 election announced peaceful protest against what he called massive rigging during polls on July 25. Addressing a press-conference here at Wali Bagh Charsadda, Asfandyar Wali alleged that massive rigging was made after completion of polling time and polling agents of ANP were evicted from many polling stations during counting of ballot papers in the province. He said ANP would participate in All Parties Conference (APC) of opposition parties in wake of election results and would take decisions with mutual consensus. "We are the followers of Bacha Khan and our protest will remain peaceful whatever the situation may arisen in future," he said. He said workers have been asked to remain peaceful and do not indulge with any sort of wrangling with PTI workers. ANP has fully participated in election 2018 despite serious life threats to its candidates and have given tough time to political opponents, he said. He said one of ANP strong candidate for PK 78, Haroon Bilour was martyred in a suicide attack during an election meeting at Peshawar. Asfandyar said he had visited Swabi district on part of election campaign inspite of life threats and motivated workers to participate in elections with full enthusiasm. "We remained steadfast in election fields and gave time to political opponents," he said. Earlier, ANP think-tank meeting held at Wali Bagh Charsadda where they deliberated on the post-election scenario and polls results. ANP Central Information Secretary and former Information Minister KP, Mian Iftikhar Hussain also present on the occasion. As the leading party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to build up its lead in the in the general election, congratulatory messages continue to pour in from friendly countries. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :As the leading party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to build up its lead in the in the general election, congratulatory messages continue to pour in from friendly countries. Imran Khan spelt out his foreign policy contours in an address on Thursday and vowed stronger bilateral ties with all countries. He specially mentioned ties with Saudi Arabia, China, the United States of America, Afghanistan and India. Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal congratulated Imran Khan on his success in the general election. The ambassador in a tweet said "Over my stay in Pakistan have developed a close friendship resulting from his consistently welcoming positions on Afghanistan: calling for Pak's constructive role in our peace & stability & strong support for Afghan refugees." Imran in his address said Pakistan needs to learn from China how it dealt with poverty and fought corruption. He was also optimist that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor would open new avenues of cooperation and create employment opportunities. A spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry Friday appreciated the remarks of the PTI chief and said it reflected that the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership would remain strong, despite the change of government. The spokesperson said Imran Khan has mentioned several times that Pakistan's relations with China were the cornerstone of his country's foreign policy.The spokesman Gen Shuang said the people of Pakistan were strong supporters of China-Pakistan friendship. He said China sincerely hopes that Pakistan would successfully complete its political transition, maintain stability and achieve better development. Imran in an interview with Arab news said his country enjoyed a "very special relationship with Saudi Arabia" and said he planned to nurture it further. He said it was important for Pakistan to have good ties with other countries, and pointed that its relations with Saudi Arabia were unique as the Kingdom had "always been a friend of Pakistan in its difficult times." As the leading party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to build up its lead in the general election, congratulatory messages continue to pour in from friendly countries. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :As the leading party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to build up its lead in the general election, congratulatory messages continue to pour in from friendly countries. Imran Khan spelt out his foreign policy contours in a live address on Thursday and vowed stronger bilateral ties with all countries. He specially mentioned ties with Saudi Arabia, China, the United States of America, Afghanistan and India. The ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Islamabad Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki met Imran Khan at his residence in Banni Gala and conveyed to him a message from the custodian of two holy mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz on his success and peaceful culmination of the electoral process, a statement from the PTI's media cell said. The Ambassador termed Imran's address as "comprehensive and positive" and was appreciative of the sentiments expressed by Imran Khan. The ambassador said the Saudi Crown Prince would visit Pakistan soon after the transition to the new government and put in place a new stronger bilateral relationship between the two countries. He said both the countries were tied in strong historical and religious bonds and said these would continue to grow stronger in the days ahead. He said the Saudi government would continue to stand with Pakistan in difficult times and desired wider and active ties with Pakistan. Imran Khan expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador over the congratulatory message from King Salman and said brotherly Saudi Arabia was a trusted friend of Pakistan and had stood with it through all difficult times. He vowed to breathe in a new life into their relationship and said the PTI attached special significance to Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations. Earlier the Saudi ambassador and Imran Khan warmly met and exchanged pleasantries, the statement said. Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal congratulated Imran Khan on his success in the general election. The ambassador in a tweet said "Over my stay in Pakistan have developed a close friendship resulting from his consistently welcoming positions on Afghanistan: calling for Pak's constructive role in our peace & stability & strong support for Afghan refugees." Imran in his address said Pakistan needed to learn from China how it dealt with poverty and fought corruption. He was also optimist that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor would open new avenues of cooperation and create employment opportunities. Meanwhile the United States said it looked forward to opportunities to work with Pakistan to advance its goals of security and stability in South Asia. In a statement a spokesman for the State Department said: "As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia." A spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry Friday appreciated the remarks of the PTI chief and said it reflected that the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership would remain strong, despite the change of government. The spokesperson said Imran Khan has mentioned several times that Pakistan's relations with China were the cornerstone of his country's foreign policy.The spokesman Gen Shuang said the people of Pakistan were strong supporters of China-Pakistan friendship. He said China sincerely hoped that Pakistan would successfully complete its political transition, maintain stability and achieve better development. Imran in an interview with Arab news said his country enjoyed a "very special relationship with Saudi Arabia" and said he planned to nurture it further. He said it was important for Pakistan to have good ties with other countries, and pointed that its relations with Saudi Arabia were unique as the Kingdom had "always been a friend of Pakistan in its difficult times." (@rukhshanmir) The Alexandrov National Cancer Center of Belarus has received a prestigious award of the National Cancer Institute of the United States, Deputy Director for Science at the Alexandrov National Cancer Center Sergei Krasny told reporters, BelTA has learned MINSK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :The Alexandrov National Cancer Center of Belarus has received a prestigious award of the National Cancer Institute of the United States, Deputy Director for Science at the Alexandrov National Cancer Center Sergei Krasny told reporters, BelTA has learned. The award was bestowed in recognition of the achievements of the Alexandrov National Cancer Center in developing the cancer service and its study of malignant tumors. The Alexandrov National Cancer Center of Belarus and the National Cancer Institute of the United States maintain close cooperation. Two conferences were held in the past three years. One was dedicated to gynecologic and urologic cancers, the second dealt with screening of malignant tumors. The third conference will take place in 2019 to focus on gynecologic and urologic cancers and breast cancer. A similar event is scheduled for 2020. The conferences are funded by the National Cancer Institute of the United States and are meant for specialists from around the world. An arrangement was reached to release five joint publications. The work will involve not only the Alexandrov National Cancer Center of Belarus, but also leading cancer centers from the CIS member states. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Poland is determined to promote good neighborly relations with Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus MINSK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2018 ) :Poland is determined to promote good neighborly relations with Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus following the meeting between Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Boleslav Pirshtuk and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Belarus Artur Michalski. The parties discussed Belarus-Poland parliamentary contacts, trade and economic cooperation. Boleslav Pirshtuk told the Polish ambassador about Belarus? efforts to promote its tourism industry and the decision to extend the visa waiver to 30 days. ?Artur Michalski, in turn, emphasized the need to pursue a good neighborhood policy and build trust between the two countries. He pointed to the importance of Belarus? decision to extend the visa-free stay for facilitating contacts between people,? the press service informed. The parties discussed prospects of trade and economic cooperation taking into account strong potential to boost the bilateral trade. They also outlined plans to expand parliamentary contacts, including on international platforms and at the level of parliamentary working groups set up by the parliaments of the two countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to pay a state visit to Zambia as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries, Zambia's foreign minister said on Thursday. LUSAKA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jul, 2018 ) :Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to pay a state visit to Zambia as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries, Zambia's foreign minister said on Thursday. Joseph Malanji said the Turkish leader will visit Zambia on July 28, adding that the historic visit was significant as it will be the first for a Turkish leader. "The visit will therefore consolidate the existing relations between Zambia and Turkey by further enhancing cooperation in key sectors of development," he said in a statement. During the visit, a number of memoranda of understanding and agreements will be signed between the two countries in various sectors which will further enhance the existing bilateral relations and cooperation for the mutual benefits of our two peoples, he added. The Zambian minister said Turkey has one of the largest and fastest growing economies and has made major strides in its socioeconomic development agenda and that Zambia wanted to tap into that. He further said the visit will present an opportunity for the two leaders to deliberate on matters of mutual interest at a multilateral level, adding that Zambia recognizes the importance of enhancing cooperation with strategic key partners in achieving sustainable development, good governance and promoting peace and security. Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jul, 2018 ) ::The top US envoy for South Asia has met with Taliban officials for peace talks in Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Alice Wells, the senior official for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs, met with the Taliban this week to try to find a new path toward ending Afghanistan's 17-year conflict, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. A member of the Taliban's leadership council -- the Quetta Shura -- confirmed to AFP that members of the militant group had met with US officials in Doha on Monday. The Taliban leader did not name Wells but said "a woman" was in the US delegation. The first round of talks was aimed at building trust between the two sides, he told AFP. The next meeting, which could happen as early at July 31, would be "more important. " The State Department did not directly confirm the Journal report, but noted Wells had been in Doha this week, where she met with Qatari government officials "to discuss recent progress towards an Afghan-owned, and Afghan-led peace process." Officials noted they did not have any other meetings to describe "at this time" and said the US "is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government.""Ambassador Wells welcomed the Qatari government's constructive partnership and dedication to Afghanistan, and expressed the deep US appreciation for efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict," a State Department statement read. An unprecedented three-day ceasefire involving Afghan security forces and the Taliban last month had raised hopes that peace was possible in the war-torn country. Acapulco, GRO, Mexico (UroToday.com) PSA was approved by the FDA in the late 80s, its sensibility is around 25-40% in the gray area (4-10). When it comes to prostate biopsies, 65-70% are negative for cancer. Other tools have been investigated, like free PSA, but it is still far from perfect por reducing the number of negative biopsies. The rising incidence of prostate cancer in North America has been explained by an over diagnosis since the introduction of PSA for screening. Of course this leads also to an overtreatment. In view of this problem, other resources for improving diagnosis have been studied.Biomarkers are objective tools which guide our decision making, and they are indicators of normal or patologic biologic processes. The ideal biomarker is 100% effective, with a NPV of 100, cheap, and non-invasive. Biomarkers in blood (4K, PHI) urine (PCA3, SELECT MDX) and tissue have been developed.4K score. It is a test which combines 4 prostate-specific kallikrein assay results (PSA, fPSA, intact PSA and HK2) with clinical information (age, previous biopsy and DRE) in an algorithm that calculates the individual patients percent risk for aggressive prostate cancer, Gleason 7 or more. Contraindications are: DRE in the previous 96 hrs, treatment with 5-a-reductase inhibitors, and histry of BPE surgery. In the initial 4K validation study, they detected 23% cases of Gleason 7 or more, the AUC was 0.82, with a reduction of 58% of negative biopsies, with few false positives. The results are given a s a percentage of probability of having a low, intermediate or high risk cancer. This will help us decide wether or not to biopsy our patient.PHI. It is a mathematical model, a formula, given by total PSA, fPSA and another kallikrein. It calculates a number, which goes from 0- 100, the higher the number, the higher the risk of having cancer Gleason 7 or more. Having score over 28.6 will spare 30% of negative biopsies. It should be used in men over 50 years with normal DRE and a PSA in the gray area.PCA3. It is a specific test for prostate cancer, a no codifing messenger RNA, which has been found to be elevated in 90% of cases with prostate cancer. The test is done in a urine sample, after a prostatic massage. The higher the results, the higher the risk of having cancer. A drawback of this test is that it doesnt specify if it is more likely to have a low, intermediate or high risk cancer. A variation from PCA3 is the MIPs test, which adds another 3 biomarkers.SELECT MDX. It is another diagnostic tool performed in a urine sample after a DRE. It measures mRNAs and combines clinical features into al algorithm. An advantage of this test is that it identifies gleason 7 or higher (intermediate-high risk).CONFIRM MDX. It si an epigenetic test in tissue obtained from biopsies. It searches for metilation patterns in genes of the surrounding tissue of the biopsy. It is useful for confirmation of negative biopsies in patientes with a high clinical suspicion but with a negative biopsy, with an AUC of 0.74, NPV 96%. Its use can be limited by its high cost.Biomarkers are useful tools that are already mentioned in international guidelines, although indications are not that clear. It is likely that they will be part of the diagnostic algorithm for prostate cancer in the near future.Presented by: Daniel Olvera Posada, MDWritten by: Paulina Bueno Garcia Reyes, MD, medical writer for UroToday.com and Ashish Kamat, MD, Professor of Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology Fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, at the Mexican Urologic Oncology Association Meeting - July 26 - 28, 2018 Sinclair has denied that it misled the FCC. A spokesman said last week, "at no time have we withheld information or misled the FCC in any manner whatsoever with respect to the relationships or the structure of those relationships proposed as part of the Tribune acquisition. Any suggestion to the contrary is unfounded and without factual basis." Residents of a village in Attapeu province of Laos after the dam disaster. (AFP or licensors) South Korean Cardinal Andrew Soo-jung Yeom has expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and injury in the floods following the July 23 collapse of a dam in southern Laos. By Robin Gomes South Korean Cardinal Andrew Soo-jung Yeom has expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and injury caused by flooding following the collapse on Monday of a hydroelectric power dam in the southernmost Attapeu province of Laos. I pray for the repose of the deceased and Gods consolation for all those Laotian people who grieve the loss of their beloved family and friends, Cardinal Yeom, the Archbishop of Seoul, wrote on Friday in a condolence message to the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse in Laos. The official Laos News Agency said on Thursday that 27 people were confirmed dead and 131 were missing in the largely agricultural province bordering Vietnam to the east and Cambodia to the south. Troops searched for survivors in the remote region, three days after the dam collapse sent a torrent of water charging across paddy fields and through villages, as rescuers rushed aid to thousands of homeless. Cardinal Yeom hoped that the missing persons can safely get back to their families as soon as possible and the victims can receive necessary supports and aids as fast as possible. He entreated Gods mercy to save all Laotian people from the grief and pain of the tragic disaster. Rescue Rescue and relief teams from around Asia have headed into Attapeu. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCH) said roads and bridges were damaged, and boat and helicopter were the only means of transport in the worst-affected areas. Besides the cardinals message, the One Body One Spirit Movement of Seoul Archdiocese has sent $50,000 to Archbishop Paul In-Nam Tschang, Apostolic Delegate to Laos as emergency relief funds for the affected people. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent a condolence message earlier on Tuesday on behalf of Pope Francis, expressing his heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this disaster. Korean connection The dam that collapsed was part of the $1.2 billion Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy power project, which involves Laotian, Thai and South Korean firms. The project's main partner, South Korea's SK Engineering & Construction, said part of a small supply dam was washed away and the company was cooperating with the Laos government to help rescue villagers. The firm blamed the collapse on heavy rain during the current monsoon season in the region that brings tropical storms and heavy downpours. Palestinian protesters seeen through a burning tyre during clashes with Israeli soldiers in Hebron (AFP or licensors) The Israeli government has announced it will build hundreds of new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian teenager stabbed three Israelis, one of them fatally. By Nathan Morley A 17-year old teenager scaled the perimeter wall of the settlement on Thursday evening, attacking three people before being shot dead. The Israeli man who died was named as 30-year-old Yotam Ovadia. A 58-year-old man is stable in hospital, and the third person was treated for light wounds The attacker was named as Mohammed Dar Youssef from Kobar. Since the attack his family have been questioned by Israeli army investigators, there were reports of some scuffles in Kobar soon after the army arrived. Three people were arrested. The Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements, in a Tweet posted on Friday. He announced that 400 new homes would be built in a settlement just north of the capital Jerusalem. The incident came after a period of calm in the West Bank region. The loan, which comes from the investment firm Hudson Bay Capital, should put an end to the check-in and service issues for the moment, the company said. But how long the cash will tide it over is an open question. Hudson Bay requires a payment of $3 million by Wednesday and the repayment of the entire loan several days later; if it misses the deadlines, Helios and Matheson will face stiff financial penalties. Remains of US troops arrive in South Korea from North Korea (ANSA) North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be United States servicemen killed during the 1950-1953 Korean War, the first tangible result from the June summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump. By Devin Watkins US President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday to thank North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the repatriation of the remains of US war dead, calling it a great moment for so many families. North Korea on Friday returned 55 small, flag-draped cases carrying the suspected remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War. Rare occurrence A US military transport plane made a rare trip to an airfield in the city of Wonsan to retrieve the remains. They were taken to Osan air base in South Korea on Friday. Soldiers in dress uniforms were seen carrying the cases covered with the blue-and-white United Nations insignia, putting them into vans parked on the tarmac in Osan. A White House press statement said: We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held at Osan next Wednesday, according to the statement. They will then be flown to Hawaii for further processing under the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Goodwill gesture Friday marked the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that ended fighting, though the two Koreas are still technically at war since a peace treaty was never signed. The repatriation is seen as a goodwill gesture on the part of North Korea, following the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in June. Kim promised at the summit to renew efforts to repatriate American soldiers remains following more than a decade lapse in the program. The working meeting of the Interdepartmental Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia on the return of refugees to Syria in Moscow (ANSA) Syrian refugees and the United Nations agency helping them are concerned about Russia's push to repatriate Syrians who fled their country amid a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Russia's special presidential envoy for Syria has spoken about the initiative with government officials in the region, despite security concerns. By Stefan J. Bos Russia, a key backer of hardline Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, wants refugees to go home, though an ongoing conflict in Syria has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions. The Russian special presidential envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, told reporters he had discussed the repatriation of refugees with government officials during his visits Thursday to Jordan and Lebanon. He asked the international community to support the Russian initiative. "We all understand that the Syrian government is not capable of rendering much of financial assistance because of the situation. And we appeal to the international community to of course contribute to this, all countries." The proposal includes the establishment of working groups in both Lebanon and Jordan, involving US and Russian officials. Envoy Lavrentiev claims hundreds of Syrian refugees are already returning daily to Syria even from countries such as Italy and Turkey. Terror crackdown Russian state-run media cite a successful crackdown on terrorists by Russian-backed Syrian forces as the main reason why people return to Syria. Lavrentiev pledged that innocent refugees would not face repercussions from Syria's feared government forces and the diplomat urged Syrians to rebuild their war-ravaged nation. People are returning, the envoy said. It is a good sign, and it is a good signal for all those refugees who are still in Lebanon, in Jordan, in Turkey, that it is time to think it over and to decide to return to their home, he added. "Because only them the Syrians can rebuild the country and can reconstruct it." But several Syrian refugees have expressed their doubts. Among these people are women of the Mabrouk family seeking shelter in Lebanon who spoke to Aljazeera Television. "We have nothing to return to. Our house has been looted and destroyed. Nobody is there to help us," said Sakina Mabrouk. "We are afraid of the regime. If we return, my husband will be forcefully conscripted into the army. Who will work to feed my kids?", Aisha Mabrouk, now also a mother, added. Many refugees The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR shares their concerns. It said it has "not been involved in the repatriation discussions" and warned against forced and quick returns amid security concerns. Lebanon says it hosts some 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom fewer than one million are registered with the UN. In Jordan, there are 650,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees, but the government says it hosts some 1.3 million and has repeatedly called for more international support. The war in Syria began in 2011 with a government crackdown on protesters before turning into a massive complex conflict involving regional forces, foreign powers and jihadist groups. In its continued effort to Feed the World. Better., Oasis Biotech, one of the nations largest indoor farming facilities of its kind has donated 130 pounds of its freshly harvested Evercress produce to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada to be used in both the St. Vincent Lied Dining Facility and Hands of Hope Community Pantry. With the produce being delivered within 24 hours of harvesting, this is one of the freshest and most nutritious food donations the non-profit has ever received. Its very rare for us to receive a donation of produce, let alone produce harvested on the same day as delivery, says Deacon Tom Roberts, President and Chief Executive officer of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. Were excited be able to provide our clients with such a high-quality product that they might not otherwise ever had the opportunity to access on their own. According to Brock Leach, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager at Oasis Biotech, traditionally grown produce can travel more than 1,500 miles before it ever reaches a consumer, which means a significant loss in nutrients and flavor. The technology at Oasis Biotech allows the company to speed up the grow process and reduce the number of food miles, which means a better crop for everyone involved. When we came to Las Vegas, we made a promise to the community that we would help feed the world better, which includes the citys most vulnerable citizens as well, says Leach. Now, were making good on that promise and will continue our efforts to not only provide highly nutritious Evercress produce to high-end restaurants at peak flavor but also Southern Nevadans in need of a healthy meal. The massive hydroponic vertical farm delivered 130 pounds of Evercress mixed greens to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada on Friday morning including single serving salad portions with dressing and croutons, but the organization has no plans on stopping their efforts anytime soon Our goal is to consistently provide healthy produce to the people of Las Vegas, especially those most in need of a helping hand, says Leach. Thankfully, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada has a great system in place to allow us to do so. Were really looking forward to the next delivery. Normandy, France. Mont St. Michel, 1934 Normandy, France. Man on bicycle transporting animal hides, 1934 Normandy, France. Two girls, 1934 Paris, France. Exterior view of Robert Mallet-Stevens apartment, 1934 Paris, France. Interior view of Robert Mallet-Stevens apartment, 1934 Paris, France. Interior view of Robert Mallet-Stevens apartment. Stairwell, 1934 Normandy, France. Boulangerie, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Cafe scene, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Farm with chickens, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Fisherman, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Heirs of a seafaring race are the fisherfolk of Dieppe, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Mont St. Michel, interior view of Refectory, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Mont St. Michel, the Chapel of St. Aubert faces the rising sea, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Mont St. Michel, view from the Monastery toward the bay, circa 1935 Normandy, France. Woman with garlic, circa 1935 Paris International Exposition. Chef with crepes, 1937 Paris International Exposition. Eiffel Tower, 1937 Paris International Exposition. Man reading, 1937 Paris International Exposition. Men reading, 1937 Paris International Exposition. Nazi Germany pavilion, 1937 Paris International Exposition. People standing by mural, 1937 Paris International Exposition. People walking down stairs, 1937 Paris International Exposition. Shadow of Mussolini statue on wall, 1937 Paris International Exposition. Souvenirs de l'exposition, 1937 Paris, France. Interior view of Rubinstein apartment. Library room, 1937 Paris, France. Interior view of Rubinstein apartment. Master bedroom designed by Maison Jansen, 1937 Paris, France. Rubinstein apartment, 1937 Born 1894 in Keene, New Hampshire, Fay Sturtevant Lincoln, known professionally as F. S. Lincoln, was an architectural photographer active from the 1930s to the 1950s in New York City, Long Island, New York State, and with commissions in Charleston, South Carolina, and Williamsburg, Virginia.Lincoln first got into photography when helping his older brother print picture postcards for a local politician. Inspired by this he borrowed a camera and sold photographs to his high school senior class and his fellow soldiers after serving in WWI. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied engineering but later pursued his passion for photography.By 1933, Lincoln had his own studio that remained successful until he retired in 1965. He moved to Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1976.These amazing photos were taken by Fay Sturtevant Lincoln that show France from 1934 to 1937, just before the Second World War. Cambodian political parties concluded campaigning on Friday ahead of a general election expected to be a comfortable victory for the ruling party under Prime Minister Hun Sen. Speaking to tens of thousands of supporters in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen appealed to the electorate to vote for the Cambodian Peoples Party, which he said would guarantee peace, stability, and economic development. I would like to declare to all the members of the party that I will not lead the party to lose and I will not lead the government or lead the country to a bloody situation like in the past, he said. Where there is peace, there is development and when the developments can be maintained, peace can be maintained, he added. He promised national reforms that included lowering utility bills and raising wages for workers. Hun Sen added that he would continue to work against traitors in an indirect reference to the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, which came close to defeating the ruling party in the 2013 election despite widespread reports of irregularities in the vote. The CNRP was dissolved in November by the CPP-controlled Supreme Court. The international community and rights groups have criticized Hun Sen for a widespread crackdown on dissent, civil society and independent media ahead of the election. We commit to defending peace even though we have to pay any price, he said. We have punished those who commit acts of destroying peace. Kem Sokha, the CNRP president, remains in jail on treason charges, while the prosecution has yet to present evidence to support the claim. Many Cambodians support the CPP due to its investment in numerous local development projects. Dy Na, 28, said he would support the CPP because it was responsible for building roads, bridges, and schools. I can say that this is the support since the beginning, my mother and fathers generation and it has won all the time. Everything today develops so much so I want the development to continue, he said. Some 19 minor political parties will contest seats with the CPP. Kham Phan, 55, a supporter of the League for Democracy Party (LDP), a party formed by Khem Veasna, a former candidate for the Sam Rainsy party, said he wanted the party to fix what he sees as a broken system. When a cars breaks are broken it will go off-road and when we dont fix the car or change the driver then we try to drive, it will collapse, he said. But Khem Veasna will fix the car, so this is a very important system. Hang Puthea, National Election Committee spokesman, said the election campaign had passed without incident because of the cooperation between the political parties with NEC officials on every level, especially the people who understand although there has been a heavy traffic congestion, they accept the reality and allow the campaigns to go smoothly. In his concluding remarks to supporters, Hun Sen warned Cambodians who will boycott the vote. Remember this: It is only people who go to vote that support democracy. Those who oppose the election destroy the nation and democracy, which should be handled with zero tolerance, he said. Additional reporting by Neou Vannarin, Kann Vicheika, Khan Sokummono and Aun Chhengpor At dawn on the newly-paved Hun Sen Boulevard in the south of Phnom Penh, tens of thousands of members of the League for Democracy Party (LDP) are making themselves heard. The party decided to go ahead with their largest-ever political rally on the last day of the three-week campaign period as Cambodia heads into a general election this Sunday. The LDP is one of 19 parties registered to compete against the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party and its leader, Prime Minister Hun Sen. In power since 1979, the CPP is expected to win a landslide victory on Sunday. The path to victory was paved in November when its main political opponent, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was dissolved over questionable accusations of conspiring with the United States government to plot regime change. Kem Sokha, the CNRP president, was jailed since September on treason charges, while 117 other senior CNRP officials are banned from politics until 2022. Many CNRP officials who, under duress, defected to the CPP or went into exile, have branded Sundays poll a sham, calling for a boycott, known as the clean finger campaign in a reference to the ink used to stain voters fingers. But at Hun Sen Boulevard, the mood is different. The LDP is known in Khmer as Sampoan, or The League. LDP leaders and supporters came from all over the country in the hope that their support can elevate the party to the level of the CNRP prior to its dissolution. Sampoan is growing big now, reads a slogan at the rally. Days earlier, the slogan was used as a hashtag online. On Thursday night, the partys leader, Khem Veasna, said in an online talk show that it would be a huge upset if the LDP gained more relevance as a large political force in Sunday poll. It will be a historical change and a political turning point, he said. While the CPP claimed about 250,000 supporters turned out for its rally, the LDP says some 70,000 attended its rally, which cost about $1 million to organize. Speaking to the crowd, Veasna said the ambition was to gain a good number of seats in parliament. If we secure some standing ground, opposition supporters will start to unite around us in the next election. Unlike many of the other minor parties competing in the poll, some dubbed as fireflies for their expected fleeting nature, the LDP has become a familiar household name in Cambodian politics since it was founded in 2005. Veasna believes that opposition supporters could outnumber the CPP supporters, but that a victory against the CPP outright is not possible because the opposition is fractured. Now 52, Veasna was an elected MP with the Sam Rainsy Party until 2005, when he quit after reported disputes with the party leadership. Since its founding, the LDP has gained a reputation for its goal of building a motherland where everyone has an equal right to its ownership and their so-called eight mechanisms to empower people through reforms to decrease state power. The LDP as a party believes that the root cause of problems in Cambodia is the concentration of power. Just before he led the campaign rally, Veasna told journalists that the partys focus remains on revolution of the mindset among the populace and values of political and social integrity. Old-style politics is to gain belief from the people and come to support, but our style is to explain until the people understand our policy. Sophal Ear, associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Los Angeles-based Occidental College, said: Im sure LDP leaders would like to think of their party as a real opposition party, but if they were, they would not be allowed to run in the election. They do not pose an existential threat to the ruling party, he said. Asked if LDP could be a real contender in the future, Sophal added: Thats like saying is the CPP the real ruling party? Yes it is, and if it were dissolved, that would not be good eitherwe need to give people real choices. We now have 19 parties that are not the ruling party. Why not 190 parties, why not 1,900 parties? LDP supporters mostly millennials from underprivileged backgrounds refer to Veasna as Puk which is a Khmer term roughly translating to father. He, like other Cambodian politicians, relies on political rallies to reach out to poor farmers in rural areas. Critics of the party have said the LDPs use of strong language has amounted to personal insults and bullying. Buth Seakne, a senior party member until he left the LDP in March, has since become a staunch critic referring to himself as a whistle-blower by launching a series of online speeches against the party and its leader. Considering his behavior, attitudes, and policy, there is no way he can expand the party to compete with the ruling party. He is a boastful type of person whose eight-point policy is completely empty. He takes advantage of the CNRPs dissolution to draw more audiences to his side so as to gain more votes, he said. But Veasnas supporters see things differently. Leng, a 28-year-old government official who referred to himself as a moderate supporter of the LDP, said in an interview that despite the harsh language used during the campaign he wholeheartedly supports the LDP platform. To me, if there was no presence of Khem Veasna as the president one day, the party is still going on well as a whole and the LDPs ideology particularly. The party really has its own ideology, and the ideology will never die, he said. But, he said, some party members were extreme in their views. Actually, some people who claimed they are LDP are so extreme ... I really dont support this at all, but I think it is simple in the process of changing peoples mindsets. Sitting on the back of an old pickup truck with other men in their 30s, Heng Sokun from the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey said he was excited to see the size of the crowd for what used to be a minor party. Firstly, we want to show our power. Secondly, we come to join by our heart and we want a collective stake as the owner of this country, he said. Sokun was a CNRP supporter since its dissolution last year when he joined the LDP. He said he made the choice so as to continue to participate in the electoral process. In my point of view, the League for Democracy Party has a good political attitude, and within the current [political] situation, we see that all supporters participate without any danger. Khat Than, another supporter from Kampong Speu province, said his participation was frowned on by his family, who saw the LDP as a noisy party and incomprehensible. It is important, as a human being, we have to listen because our first knowledge comes through the ears. When we listen, we think, we know right and wrong, he said. Than joined the LDP since in partys early days. He believes in the party for having what he referred to a unique system.. They [CPP] give us Sarong and Krama, but they will not give us power, he said, referring to traditional Khmer garments. Power is the source of everything, he added. This mandate, we see that Sampoan [the LDP] is very active, maybe they will listen to us more? I do not know why, but this is unexpected. Two major international human rights groups have criticized the Cambodian governments flawed election process two days before Cambodians go to the polls to elect a new leader. The ruling Cambodian Peoples Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to win a landslide victory after his party dissolved the countrys main opposition and an only real contender for the top job in November. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said in a statement on Thursday that the election would pave the way for Hun Sen to cement his uncontested power in Cambodia, adding that the election process was deeply flawed. The European Union, United States, Japan, and others have declined to send observers to the election in a break with protocol. Governments concerned for Cambodia's future should denounce this electoral exercise as a cruel fraud against the Cambodian people, Brad Adams, director of HRWs Asia division, said in a statement. From the day the CNRP was dissolved, this election became a mockery of democracy and a preordained victory for the ruling party. Now it's up to the countries that committed so much to the 1991 Paris Peace Accords to help restore genuine democracy to Cambodia or accept the human rights consequences of an effectively one-party state, he added. Sundays general election is Cambodias first since 2013, when the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party won more than 40 percent of the popular vote, gaining 55 seats in Cambodias 123-seat legislature. The party was widely tipped as the only real electoral threat to Hun Sens three-decade rule of the country before it was banned by the Supreme Court. Nineteen minor parties will also contest seats on Sunday. In its statement, FIDH said the election was a foregone conclusion and a sham process that would pave the way for another five years of authoritarian rule under Hun Sen. Hun Sen's repression of any peaceful criticism, his obliteration of independent media, and the dissolution of the main opposition party have ensured that the election will not be credible. Cambodia's election is a sham process that is designed to prolong Hun Sen's authoritarian rule and will plunge the country into further misery and repression, Debbie Stothard, secretary general of FIDH, said in the statement. Both the CPP and National Election Committee reject the evidence of political repression pointed to by rights groups and foreign governments, claiming Cambodians are free to be the judge of the current leadership when they go to the polls on Sunday. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the long-awaited Cambodia Democracy Act, paving the way for sanctions to be imposed against Prime Minister Hun Sens inner circle. The bi-partisan bill came just days before Cambodians go to the polls in an election that has been widely criticized by the international community and rights groups. It is critical and very significant that the House of Representatives, the week before the election takes a stance against what is happening in Cambodia, said Congressman Alan Lowenthal. Congressman Ted Yoho, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, introduced the bill in May, several months after the Cambodian authorities jailed the leader of the opposition, Kem Sokha, and banned his party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party. The Cambodian people are being cheated out of their right to have free and fair elections, Yoho said. Hun Sen, Cambodias strongman prime minister, has tightened his grip on that country for decades and has no intention of relinquishing power. Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said: The people of Cambodia deserve far better than the Hun Sens despotism. Political pluralism will soon reach Cambodia, and this legislation will not only help Cambodians attain that goal, but will also send a strong signal that Congress will not tolerate these human rights abuses, he added. Nineteen political parties are running against Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party, but the elections credibility is in question after Japan, which was the only democratic country slated to support the National Elections Committee, announced that it would not send any observers. All Republicans, all Democrats are in support of putting sanctions on it [the Cambodian leadership], Lowenthal said. So I think the administration and the Congress are going to work together not to accept the legitimacy of this election and to look at the other ways in which we can rethink our relationship with Cambodia and send a message that this is not acceptable. The bill will apply new asset blocking sanctions on government, military, or security force officials who are deemed to have undermined democracy in Cambodia or committed related human rights abuses. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his two children are among the 16 individuals proposed for sanctions. Lawmakers warned that more actions could be on the table. This includes a reconsideration of the preferential trade agreement between the U.S. and Cambodia. The Cambodian government said the bill was partisan support for the banned opposition party. This is a wrong political decision, said government spokesman Phay Siphan, because its against a Cambodian hero who has been recognized by more than 50 percent of Cambodians. Therefore, this is like an anti-Cambodia law as well as anti-good cooperation between Cambodia and the US. This is also a continued failure of US policy since the 1970s. Additional reporting by Poch Reasey and Sok Khemara No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. South Sudanese youth visit Rwanda and learn valuable lessons from genocide survivors; and Jonglei State officials ban songs believed to incite hatred and violence between different ethnic communities. Armenian investigators on Thursday charged former President Robert Kocharyan with usurping power and filed a court motion to arrest him, the special investigation service said. The move comes three months after a power change in the ex-Soviet country following weeks of mass protests against corruption and cronyism. Kocharyan served as Armenia's second president from 1998 to 2008 and investigators have charged him with an attempt to overthrow the constitutional order during post-election events in March 2008, when his ally Serzh Sarksyan was elected the next president. In February-March 2008 the opposition held protest rallies, contesting the results of the election and claiming that their candidate, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, had won the vote. The protests were dispersed and 10 people were killed in clashes with police. The Constitutional Court upheld the election results. Nikol Pashinyan, an opposition activist at the time who was imprisoned in June 2009 on charges of fomenting unrest during post-election protests, was elected prime minister by parliament on May 8 this year. Kocharyan said the latest charges were politically motivated, but added he was ready to spend time in prison. "These charges are fiction, fabricated, unjustified and have a political implication," he told an independent Armenian Yerkir Media TV. Kocharyan also said the most likely development was his arrest, but he did not intend to run away. "I'm going to go sit in prison and fight to the end." A landmark local autonomy law passed this week in the Philippine capital, Manila, gives restive Muslim Filipinos a new sense of hope for resolving a half-century-old conflict over self-rule that has killed 120,000 people and attracted the terrorist group Islamic State. The Bangsamoro Organic Law received full congressional approval and the presidents signature in the Philippines this week. It follows up a peace deal signed with the most established separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The law will give state funding and local control of natural resources to a largely Muslim region on the southern island of Mindanao. The law has widespread support in Mindanao, though Muslims warn that the regions numerous ethnic and separatist groups must share power for it to work. Perceptions of unequal local leadership and lack of commitment by Manila have hurt an existing autonomy regime in Mindanao, they say. I share the hope they can achieve their aspirations but of course as one country, not as a separate or even independent area within the Philippines, said Asec Felix Castro, field office manager with a government agency in charge of rebuilding the Mindanao city of Marawi. Troops in Marawi battled an Islamic State-inspired Muslim separatist group for five months, killing about 1,100 people and demolishing the city. Marawi will fall under the new autonomous region. Id like to think they can achieve their hope with the proper leadership from among themselves, Castro said. Control over resources, funding Muslims have lived in Mindanaos west and its outlying islands for more than 500 years. Many resent the Christian majoritys control over minerals and fossil fuels from their resource-rich part of the archipelago. The new law creates an autonomous region within the Philippines called Bangsamoro. Bangsamoro will replace an existing 12,536 square-kilometer tract carved out for Muslim groups in Mindanao 29 years ago. A voter referendum later this year could expand the regions boundary. Bangsamoro will automatically get government block grants equal to 5 percent of national tax and customs revenue. Now the regions leaders must apply for funding. The central government also will kick in 5 billion pesos ($93.6 million) annually for 10 years for the rehabilitation of conflict areas. All central money for development of natural resources will go to the Bangsamoro government, per the new law. Revenue from coal, gas, oil and uranium will be equally shared with the Philippine government. The new region may be able to raise its own taxes, some people in Marawi believe. Bangsamoro leaders will not keep a separate military. Sense of autonomy A sense of autonomy for Muslims should make Mindanao safer, said Henelito Sevilla, assistant international relations professor at University of the Philippines. Violence occurs so often that foreign governments advise against travel to Mindanao, leaving the island a reputation that has hurt tourism and investment. The self-determination that they are longing for in terms of practicing their own religion and cultural rights, as well as the exploitation of their own resources, that would bring growth and development, and of course which follows is security in their Muslim areas, Sevilla said. Congress was set to pass the law in 2015 but stopped after the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ambushed troops and killed 44 commandos. Duterte, himself from Mindanao, had pushed Congress to pass the law this year. I really plead for peace, Duterte said Friday via the presidential website. I do not want war. I cannot fight my own people. People in Marawi expressed tentative hope. Autonomy for me is that complete internal sovereignty where the people could practice what they want, wherein they are given the freedom to choose, said Hamsiya Alilaya, a faculty member with the King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies at Mindanao State University in Marawi. Sticking points Power sharing among factions in Bangsamoro will help determine whether it works out, analysts in the country say. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has accepted the law and vowed to disarm 30,000 people, according to Philippine news reports. The front must share power to avoid inciting new insurgencies, Philippine scholars believe. Twenty rebel groups, including a violent one that split from the liberation front, operate today in Mindanao. Government officials must show sincerity in enforcing the Bangsamoro law as well, said Habib Macaayong, president of the Mindanao State University system. Another major rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, wants the law to give job placements and scholarships for people in Bangsamoro, a group representative said last month. The law should inspire the Moro front to shun any further violence but may form just the first of numerous measures needed to lock in peace, said Enrico Cau, Ph.D. student in international affairs and strategic studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan. As migrant families and immigration advocates fight in court to return children to their parents, a Maryland nonprofit has been providing care packages to the children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Volunteers fill backpacks with basic necessities, one by one, picking up shampoo, toothbrushes, blankets, pajamas, stuffed animals and books. Theyve been shipped to shelters in Texas, Florida, New York and Virginia locations where migrant children were taken after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. WATCH: Maryland Charity Provides Care Packages for Separated Migrant Children Im not going to get into the political wave of what is happening, but I will tell you this: We have children who have walked into our country that needed us. They need us. They needed our cases, and so thats what we decided to do, Rob Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, told VOA. Scheer was inspired by his own experience in the foster care system when he started the Comfort Cases nonprofit in 2013 with his husband, Reece. It all started in his garage. Today, the charity serves about 39 U.S. states and territories, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Their mission is to give a child that sense of dignity and to provide a proper bag, filled with comfort and essential items. Children in foster care are often moved from home to home multiple times, and often have only a trash bag to gather their few belongings. As a child, Scheer had to transport his belongings the same way. Some 40 years later, he and Reece adopted four children from the foster care system who also arrived with their meager belongings in trash bags. I just really felt like this was something that we needed to do. And at first, it was what we needed to do as a family. Little did we know that it would become a national charity, he said. Migrant children Once Scheer heard about the separations at the Texas border, he called his team and volunteers and said they could not just sit back and watch what was happening. At the end of the day, I dont walk in the shoes of their parents. I cant tell you the reasons why they came to the border or why they entered our country. The only thing that I can tell you is that theyre here, and these children need us, Scheer said. The backpacks contain special things. For the migrant kids, we have special stuffed animals made by a woman who donated, I think, a thousand of them. They also get a Spanish book and an English book, or they get a book thats half Spanish, half English," said Marli Abramowitz, an intern at Comfort Cases. Abramowitz said as soon as news broke about the family separations, the team packed and shipped cases to McAllen, Texas. In 2017, the charity donated 11,000 cases. This year, the number is set to hit 14,000. Linda Walker, who has been volunteering with the nonprofit for the past six months, said she immediately felt Comfort Cases had a role to play in the immigration issue. She said even though the organization had to overcome some bureaucratic obstacles to reach the children, she hopes the backpacks hold everyday necessities and the message that the migrants are welcome here. I know its been difficult. I think the children there [in shelters], wrapped in their silver blankets, would look a lot more comfortable with some of the things that are in this backpack, Walker said. The Trump administration has scrambled to return more than 2,500 immigrant children who were separated from their parents under the zero tolerance policy. Officials acknowledged in court documents it may have deported as many as 463 parents without their children. Thats something that could have completely been avoided, but now they dont have their parents, and its going to be a hard journey to get them back, Brennan Dunne, another Comfort Cases intern, said. The high school student said helping others is a rewarding experience but believes the situation at the border shouldn't have happened. You cant rip children away from their parents, Dunne said. It's unacceptable. A Bahai International Community representative who participated in a first-of-its-kind U.S. conference on religious freedom says she urged delegates to press Iran to stop mistreatment of its Bahai minority. Speaking to VOA Persian in Washington on Thursday at a conference-related event, Bahai representative to the United Nations Diane Alai said Iran is susceptible to outside pressure on the issue. What is important is to pressure Iran to abide by its (human rights) commitments, Alai said. Iran is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which says: No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. Bahais have reported decades of discrimination and harsh treatment of their community in Iran, whose Islamist rulers refuse to recognize them as having a religion and label them heretics. The Bahai Faith, a global religion whose leaders say has 5 million followers, originated in Iran in the mid-19th century. Community leaders say about 300,000 Bahais live in Iran, constituting its largest religious minority. Alai, who is based in Geneva, said Irans long-running denials of Western accusations that it persecutes Bahais shows that it realizes such mistreatment is a bad thing. When Mohammad Javad Larijani (secretary of Irans High Council for Human Rights) comes to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, he does not say, yes, we imprison Bahais and we do not care (what you think), Alai said. Larijani says Iran gives Bahais freedom and they do not have any problems. So more pressure should be put on the Iranian government to do something to prove that there are no problems for Bahais. At an assessment of Irans human rights record at the Geneva-based council in October 2014, Larijani said Bahais are a minority who enjoy all the privileges of any citizen in Iran. A group of more than 20 international legal scholars wrote an open letter to Larijani earlier this year saying a recently launched online archive, containing thousands of documents of alleged human rights abuses against Bahais in Iran, presents a different story. Alai said the three-day U.S. State Department ministerial conference that ended Thursday was noteworthy for delegates of many governments committing themselves to promote religious freedom at home and abroad. If there is a great movement of all of these countries to speak out for religious freedom in all parts of the world including in Iran and including for the Bahais, it will have an effect, she said. Earlier Thursday, Alai attended a conference speech by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who said Iranian Christians, Jews, Sunnis, Bahais and members of other minority religious groups are denied what he called the most basic rights enjoyed by Irans Shiite majority. They are routinely fined, flogged, arrested, assaulted, and even killed, Pence said. The Bahai International Community reported 67 Bahais were imprisoned in Iran as of Thursday. The U.S. vice president also had a message for the Iranian people: Even as we stand strong against the threats and malign actions of your leaders in Tehran, know that we are with you. We pray for you. And we urge you, the good people of Iran, to press on with courage in the cause of freedom and a peaceful future for your people, he said. Asked what she thought of Pences message, Alai said Irans Bahais are fighting for their rights peacefully. They are not using the same tools as their oppressors, but at the same time, they are not giving in, she said. They are trying to contribute to the betterment of society and to resist and to take cases through the courts. Alai spoke to VOA Persian at a Washington Newseum event organized by the Bahais of the United States and the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute, a nonprofit group that runs the museum. The event included a U.S. premier screening of a 30-minute documentary film The Cost of Discrimination, which draws comparisons between discrimination against Bahais in Iran and discrimination against nonwhites in South Africa during its apartheid era. After the film, a panel discussed the plight of Bahais in Iran and the region. As part of the panel discussion, Alai gave an update of the situation of Bahais in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have jailed six Yemeni Bahais in the capital, Sanaa, a city held by the rebels. Alai said three of the detained Bahais have faced charges for practicing their faith. One of them, Hamid Haydara, has been sentenced to death. She said the other three have not been charged. I hope that the international community will put pressure on the Houthis to release the six Bahais, because they have not committed any crimes, Alai said. This report was produced in collaboration with VOAs Persian Service. Bulgaria's top court ruled Friday that a European treaty to combat violence against women violates the constitution, likely eliminating any chance the treaty can be ratified. The center-right government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov submitted the Istanbul Convention to parliament for ratification in January, only to withdraw it a few weeks later because of an uproar over its language about gender roles. Its critics include the influential Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the opposition Socialist party and the nationalist alliance United Patriots, which is in government. All said it could encourage young people to identify as transgender or third sex and lead to same-sex marriage. The Constitutional Court said the treaty used vague language and explained some concepts poorly. It said its ruling had taken into account the views of President Rumen Radev, several ministers, the state child protection agency and nongovernment groups. Seventy-five lawmakers from Borissov's GERB party had asked the court to determine if the treaty was in conflict with the constitution. The 81-article treaty was drawn up by the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organization. The government signed it in 2016 and ratification was the next step. Debate centers on its definition of "gender" as "social roles, behaviors, activities and characteristics that a particular society considers appropriate for women and men." Human rights groups and senior EU officials urged Bulgarian authorities to ratify the treaty quickly, as 32 European countries have done. But Radev voiced concerns about ratification, saying loose textual language allowed for multiple interpretations. He also said the treaty does not prevent violence, arguing it persists in countries that have already ratified it. Socially conservative countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Britain and Ireland have yet to ratify the treaty. The Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trump's presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. The data were obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky's London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Center, that is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption. The data were later shared with journalists at the AP, the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Greek news website Inside Story and others. The AP was unable to reach Veselnitskaya for comment. Messages from a reporter sent to her phone were marked as "read'' but were not returned. A list of questions sent via email went unanswered. Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government and was offering Moscow's help defeating rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 'Independent' operator Veselnitskaya has denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met with the Trump team, telling Congress that she operates "independently of any government bodies.'' But recent reporting has cast doubt on her story. In an April interview with NBC News, Veselnitskaya acknowledged acting as an "informant'' for the Russian government after being confronted with an earlier batch of emails obtained through the Dossier Center. The new documents reviewed by AP suggest her ties to Russian authorities are close and they pull the curtain back on her campaign to overturn the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian officials. The source of the material is murky. Veselnitskaya has previously said that her emails were hacked. Khodorkovsky told AP he couldn't know where the messages came from, saying his group maintained a series of anonymous digital drop boxes. The AP worked to authenticate the 200-odd documents, in some cases by verifying the digital signatures carried in email headers. In three other cases, individuals named in various email chains confirmed that the messages were genuine. Other correspondence was partially verified by confirming the nonpublic phone numbers or email addresses they held, including some belonging to senior Russian officials and U.S. lobbyists. Some European companies are rethinking their strategies to cushion the impact of trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China. The focus will switch back to China after a truce on tariffs emerged from U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on July 25. Trump and Juncker agreed to suspend any new tariffs on the European Union, including a proposed 25 percent levy on auto imports, and hold talks over duties on imports of European steel and aluminum. However, Trump retained the power to impose tariffs, if no progress is made. In the case of China, Trump threatened this month that he was ready to impose tariffs on an additional $500 billion of imports. The United States has already imposed tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports. In return, China has levied taxes on the same value of U.S. products. Below are recent comments from European companies on trade tensions: - Mercedes maker Daimler blamed U.S.-China tariffs for a 30 percent drop in second-quarter profit announced on July 26 and prefigured in a profit warning last month. - French electrical equipment company Schneider Electric said on July 26 that it foresaw growth slowing in the second half of the year and expected the first extra costs linked to higher U.S. tariffs, which could reach 20 million euros. - "If the trade war escalates we are more concerned about the consequences that it can have on global macro environment," STMicro's new Chief Executive Jean-Marc Chery, said on July 25, adding that direct impact of trade war risks were currently "negligible." - Fiat Chrysler cut 2018 outlook on July 25, hurt by weaker performance in China. Its operating profit for the second-quarter was negatively impacted by China import duty changes. - French mining group Eramet warned that current favorable markets could be hurt by trade rows. - Chief Executive Frans van Houten confirmed Philips' sales growth target for this year on July 23, but added that trade worries and the unknown consequences of Brexit continued to cause uncertainty. - Finnish steel maker Outokumpu sees two-fold impact from the U.S. tariffs, with surging imports to Europe resulting in heavy price pressure, whilst in the Americas, base prices have risen throughout spring benefiting local manufacturers, including the company. - Fellow Finnish company Valmet said tariff increases could derail the recovery and depress its medium-term growth prospects. - Chinese-owned Volvo Cars (IPO-VOLVO.ST) said it was shifting production of its top-selling SUV production for the U.S. market to Europe from China to avoid Washington's new duties on Chinese imports. - German automaker BMW said this month that it would be unable to "completely absorb" a new 25 percent Chinese tariff on imported U.S.-made models and would have to raise prices on the vehicles made in South Carolina. - The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, whose members include General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp, also warned on the impact of the tariffs. A study released by a U.S. auto dealer group warned that the tariffs could cut U.S. auto sales by 2 million vehicles. - Sweden's Electrolux said on July 18 that the U.S. tariffs announced at the beginning of July would have an impact of $10 million plus this year. In the third quarter, it expects raw material costs to rise by 0.5 billion Swedish crowns. - Belgian steel wire maker Bekaert reported on the same day that it sees underlying operating profit 20 percent below analysts' estimates in the first half, blaming wire rod costs partly driven up by tariffs. - Swedish lock maker Assa Abloy's CEO said on July 18 that he sees an important further increase in steel prices in the second part of the year in U.S., partly due to new import tariffs. He expects price hikes to compensate better for the higher cost in the last six month of the year than in the second quarter. - Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine said on June 6 that about a third of its U.S. sales would be impacted by Washington's steel import tariffs, adding that it was talking to its customers about who would bear the cost. - Norway's REC Silicon booked an impairment charge of $340 million "due to the market disruption from the curtailment of solar incentives in China, as well as continued trade barriers that prevent access to primary markets inside China." "We need the U.S. and Chinese governments to cooperate in ending the solar trade dispute ... to prevent additional job losses and to enhance the value of the solar industry in the U.S. and China." The re-emergence of a former rebel leader convicted of war crimes could make the Democratic Republic of the Congos upcoming presidential election even more volatile. Jean-Pierre Bemba will return to Congo in August and plans to run for president in the countrys December polls, said Eve Bazaiba, the secretary general of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo. Bemba could galvanize a base of supporters eager to see incumbent President Joseph Kabila dislodged from power. But observers worry about the possibility of violence in a country already on edge. Flouting term limits In 2001, when he was just 29 years old, Kabila rose to power days after his father, Laurent, the sitting president, was assassinated. He won elections in 2006 and 2011, reaching the end of his second, and final, term in 2016. But elections for a successor were delayed in a move that drew widespread condemnation. Now, with the country set to vote at the end of the year, the international community has grown increasingly concerned that Kabila will seek a third term, in violation of the constitution, or cause further delays. Kabila is, for sure, trying to run in these elections. This is his Plan A, Adeline Van Houtte, a research analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told VOA. One way Kabila could try to stay in power, Van Houtte said, is by exploiting a loophole in the constitution, which the country changed in 2011. That amendment reduced the number of rounds of voting for presidential candidates from two to one, a change that Kabila might argue resets the number of terms hes been in office. If that doesnt work, Van Houtte said, Kabila might hand-pick a successor and retain power in an informal role. Warlord-turned-politician After leading rebel forces in Congos civil war, Bemba became one of four vice presidents serving under Kabila in 2003. He ran against Kabila for the presidency three years later, securing 42 percent of the vote to Kabilas 58 percent in a hotly contested runoff election. Bembas political aspirations soon dwindled. In 2008, he was arrested and later charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges stemmed from actions that troops under Bembas command took in the Central African Republic in 2002. His trial began in 2010 and became one of the International Criminal Courts most high-profile cases, with a guilty verdict coming six years later. But last month, Bembas convictions were overturned, on appeal, by the ICC, paving the way for his return to the DRC. Dangerous connections Despite the accusations of human rights violations and the time he spent outside the country, Bemba still has a large base of support, especially in the north and west of the DRC. His return could bring instability to an already contentious process because he has the capacity to start a movement, Van Houtte said. Congolese voters might otherwise accept another delay or a hand-picked successor, but Bemba could force a reckoning, if Kabila refuses to relinquish control, or if questions about the credibility of the election gain traction. [Bemba] has the ability to find support at the grassroots level, and he has connections in former rebel networks. So that could easily become dangerous, Van Houtte said. Bemba could also help Kabila by dividing the opposition. It risks complicating the oppositions effort to unite behind a single presidential candidate, Van Houtte said. Bemba announced that he would like, at least, to have a single candidate for the opposition, but that doesnt mean that they will agree on this. Its also not clear how strong the field of opposition candidates will be. One potential challenger, Moise Katumbi, a wealthy businessman and the former governor of Katanga Province, has faced intimidation since declaring his candidacy in March. He was forced into exile in Belgium in June and is being tried by Congos Supreme Court on charges of harming domestic security. So far, hes attempted to campaign remotely via the internet. Unknown intentions Congo has been besieged with war and violence during Kabilas tenure, and international pressure continues to mount for the country to respect the term limits enshrined in its constitution. Key officials were sanctioned ahead of the planned 2016 election due to concerns they had used violence and intimidation to delay the vote. And Thursday, in a meeting with the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Cohen expressed the United States regret that Kabila has not yet confirmed that he wont run for a third term. Kabila has made no official announcement of his intentions, but recent moves suggest hes getting ready for a fight. In May, he appointed three high court judges likely to be sympathetic to his interpretation of the constitution. Earlier this month, he reshuffled the army, giving high-level promotions to several generals under international sanctions for violent crackdowns on civilians. Candidates have until August 8 to register their campaigns. A deadly wildfire raged through Northern California on Friday, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and killing two people working to contain the blaze. The fire is "taking everything down in its path," said Scott McLean, a spokesman for some of the crews battling the fires in the area. The inferno named the Carr Fire reached the town of Redding on Thursday night, which is home to more than 90,000 people. The fire has scorched upwards of 44,000 acres of land, the states forestry and fire protection department (Cal Fire) said, and has killed two people a private bulldozer operator working to contain the fire, and a firefighter. "Firefighters continue to work aggressively to build containment lines around the Carr Fire," the department said in a statement Thursday night. "Their efforts have been hampered today due to extreme fire behavior and unfavorable weather conditions." According to a statement Friday morning, the fire is currently only three percent contained. Scott Kenney, a captain with Cal Fire, told VOA that high temperatures and the rough, steep terrain of the area have made it difficult for firefighters to corral the blaze. Temperatures are currently forecast to reach 44.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, according to the Weather Underground. Kenney told VOA that 496 homes are currently threatened by the Carr Fire, while 15 have already been destroyed. Three firefighters also have been injured fighting the fire. Similar fires have wracked the nation in recent weeks. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, a U.S. government agency dedicated to coordinating federal response to fires, there are 89 active large fires currently raging throughout the country. Five of those are in California alone, according to the agency. In Northern California, the Ferguson Fire is currently near the iconic Yosemite National Park, forcing officials to evacuate the park on Wednesday. In the southern part of the state, the Cranston Fire believed to be caused by arson forced some 12,000 residents of the town of Idyllwild to evacuate. Authorities have arrested a suspect in the fire. Governor Jerry Brown has declared states of emergency for areas on both ends of the state. Tom Cruises latest action installment of Mission: Impossible Fallout follows operative Ethan Hunt, the daredevil spy, on an extremely perilous quest to save the world. Cruise and the rest of the Mission: Impossible cast, along with the powerful visuals and the megastars mind-bending stunts, keep audiences on the edge of their seats for almost three hours. The film starts with a dramatic failed operation in which Hunt, an operative of the fictional independent espionage agency Impossible Mission Force or IMF loses three plutonium bombs to the enemy. With nuclear devastation looming, Hunt teams again with field agents Benji and Luther, played by Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, to reclaim the missing bombs. They are not alone. The CIAs deputy director, Erica Sloane, played by Angela Bassett, insists on sending along one of the agencys own with Hunts team. Enter CIA assassin August Walker, played by Henry Cavill, of DC Comics Superman fame. He portrays a large, powerfully built fighter and something of a wild card in the movie. Strong women Rebecca Ferguson returns as operative Ilsa Faust, an antagonist and a love interest for Hunt, who more often than not, saves his life. Oh, I always save Toms life. Im tired of saving Toms life, actually, she joked during a red carpet event. Ferguson, smart and funny, told VOA how happy shes been to work on the set with the rest of the cast in an action film that respects and elevates women. They brought back incredible women and introduced women, who, all of them, have a character and a reason and a purpose for being in this film, and thats gender equality, she said. Her feelings are echoed by Oscar nominee Angela Bassett. What my character brings to the movie is gravitas, her brilliance, her mystique, her strength, her integrity and her ability to play chess very well when she is being underestimated by those around her, Bassett said. But she also does not mistake her presence for the be-all and end-all. If she is right, she is right. And if she is wrong, she can admit that, too. Jaw-dropping stunts From Europe to India, the action-packed film offers a tight storyline and a stellar cast, but the franchises secret weapon is Cruise himself, who performs his own jaw-dropping stunts from a skydive 27,000 feet above ground, and a plane flying 167 miles per hour, to a vertical helicopter fall he himself is piloting. He flashes his trademark smile when VOA asks him about his fearlessness. I dont know where it comes from, Cruise said. I just have a tremendous passion for what I do and I cant stop unless I know its really there and its working. He describes his two greatest stunts on film. Both of them are very intense, he said. On the helicopter, I spent a year and a half training, and I trained with aerobatic helicopter pilots. Ive trained in airplanes before, I fly aerobatics in airplanes, but the airplanes are very different than helicopters, so I went through grueling training, and I did anything I could to make sure that I was as competent as possible. And for a good reason: his life depends on it. Co-star Ferguson recounts her terror when she saw Cruise fall during the helicopter stunts above New Zealands mountain peaks. And I scream. I was terrified, absolutely terrified until he says, Thats great, thats a cut, we got that. I thought, Oh my God! This is Mission. Phew! Ive done some of the stunts, but nothing compares to what he does, she added. Cruise tells us he saved the most difficult stunt for last. He jumps off a C-17 military transport plane airplane. It took over 106 jumps to get it. One-hundred-and-six jumps, and you know, we planned to be there for a week and ended up being there almost a month trying to get that sequence. It is significantly more challenging than I anticipated. I have to say, it was pretty exciting, too, Cruise said. So, how long does Cruise plan to keep going? And how can he keep outdoing his previous exploits? Smiling, he says, As long as I can. Film's value in story, characters Mission: Impossible producer Jake Myers says that although it is stressful to watch Cruise do all these impossible feats, We wouldnt have the movies without them. But obviously there is a nail biter every time he does a stunt, so thats what we are here for. Since Cruise assumed the role Hunt in the Mission: Impossible movies, he has infused the franchise with extremely dangerous stunts that bring audiences to the theater. At this point everyone is wondering about the personal risks he takes. During the shooting of this installment, Cruise broke his ankle jumping out of a window and over a wall. Filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie does not hide his concern. Yes, I mean, when you look at what happened in this movie, when he broke his ankle when he was doing the simplest stunt. There are no small stunts. So, when you are doing a helicopter chase or you are jumping out of a plane at 25,000 feet, its all pretty nerve-wracking, McQuarrie said. Stunts aside, the Oscar-winning filmmaker says that the films value lies in its unpredictable storyline and its complex and endearing characters. One of them is Pegg, who plays the witty, loyal but often skittish Benji. I think he is like the most kind of an audience member, Benji, that is why people relate to him, Pegg said. That is why sometimes he can be funny because he says the things we are thinking in these incredible situations, where the cool guys are just getting on with it, Benji is the one who asks why are we doing this? Mission: Impossible FALLOUT offers stellar cinematography, which as filmmaker McQuarrie says, was incredibly sophisticated based on the action he had to tape. It is very challenging, especially because you have an actor who is willing to do all those stunts, he said. It gives you the freedom to put the camera wherever you want and sometimes it is very challenging to find the right place to put it. Especially when his team had to capture the star fall from the sky just as the sun was setting. The efforts have not gone unrewarded. Critics are calling the movie one of this years best action films. The International Organization for Migration has assisted a record number of West African migrants to voluntarily return home from Niger so far in 2018. The agency reported this week that more than 10,000 migrants from 10 West African countries were returned home from Niger, compared to roughly 7,000 migrants who were voluntarily repatriated during all of last year. More than 8,000 of the migrants were discovered during 84 search and rescue operations, according to IOM. Most of the migrants were found in the Sahara Desert near the towns of Arlit and Assamaka in Niger, on the border with Algeria. The International Organization for Migration spokesman, Joel Millman, tells VOA that migrants board buses south of the Algerian capital of Algiers, and when they arrive at the border with Niger they often have to walk the rest of the way. "That is where we find they are the most vulnerable and where we try to do our most work to find them and get them to safety as quickly as possible," he said. "But on the other hand, we have had cases of getting to places too late." Millman says the latest group of 391 migrants stranded at the border arrived two weeks ago. IOM transported 315 people to the transit center in Arlit, 64 made their own way to that location, and nine others headed back to Algeria from Assamaka. Millman says IOM arranges airline and bus reservations for all migrants wishing to return to their countries of origin. In addition, those who return are often provided with the means to start a small business. If nothing is done to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, scientists say, the global temperature increase could reach nine degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with higher spikes on land and at high latitudes. The Paris agreement, signed by nearly every country in the world, is designed to limit that temperature spike through commitments to cut greenhouse-gas emissions over time. President Donald Trump, who in the past has called global warming a hoax, has vowed to pull the United States out of the accord as soon as that becomes possible, in 2020. Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for a government to be formed as soon as possible to tackle corruption and poor services as further protests took place in the south of the country on Friday. In a sermon delivered by a representative, Sistani who is revered by millions of Shiites in Iraq and elsewhere told the incumbent caretaker administration of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to respond to protesters' complaints. "The current government must work hard, urgently, to implement citizens' demands to reduce their suffering and misery," Sistani's representative said in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala. Shortly after the speech, thousands of people protested in cities in the long-neglected south, Iraq's Shi'ite heartland, against the lack of proper government services and jobs. In Basra, the main southern oil hub city at the edge of the Gulf, about 2,000 people gathered outside the headquarters of the provincial governorate. "We need to launch a new war. But this time it should be against corrupted government and not terrorism," said unemployed Wathiq Abdul Ameer, 32. Protests were also held in the southern cities of Amara and Nasiriya. Demonstrations over the same issues have occurred in the past but the recent unrest has been more widespread. Struggle to form government Anger is mounting at a time when politicians are struggling to form a government after the May 12 election, which was marred by allegations of fraud, prompting a recount. Abadi, who is seeking a second term in office, is heading a fragile caretaker government, in place until a new administration is formed. A political bloc led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr won a majority in the poll on an anti-corruption platform which had wide appeal among voters. Sistani's representative said the next prime minister "must launch a relentless war against the corrupted and those who protect them." Abadi said he supported Sistani's remarks and guidance, according to a statement from his office. Sistani, who rarely intervenes in politics but has wide influence over public opinion, proposed a roadmap with guidelines which the next government should follow to ease economic hardship and fight corruption. He said the new government should not include officials accused of corruption and the misuse of power, or officials who promote sectarian separation. Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis said Sistani had sent a clear message that Abadi's government had failed to put an end to corruption or provide basic services. "Sistani made it clear Abadi's government has failed to do the job and the new government must fix the unresolved issues. This is a really tough obstacle ... for Abadi." Pakistans Election Commission said Friday former sports-celebrity-turned politician, Imran Khan, is the winner of the parliamentary election, but his party failed to win enough votes for an outright majority and will have to form a coalition government. The announcement came hours after Khan had declared his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT) party the winner Thursday. In a televised election victory speech, he pledged to tackle poverty and endemic corruption through a revamped governance system in the country. Khan delivered the speech as about 90 percent of the results from Wednesdays parliamentary polls had been compiled. His party was well ahead of its main rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of jailed former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. Election rigging alleged Almost all the main rival parties have alleged the polls were rigged and manipulated in favor of Khan, allegations the independent Election Commission of Pakistan rejected. Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Mohammad Raza strongly defended the voting process as free and fair. These elections were 100 percent transparent and fair ... there is no stain, Raza insisted while speaking to reporters early Thursday. The commission admitted that its electronic reporting system collapsed shortly after vote counting began late Wednesday, causing unprecedented delays in announcing results. Khan also promised to provide any assistance required to investigate the rigging charges, though he declared the polls as the fairest in Pakistan. Analysts say partial election results suggest Khans party, with the help of smaller groups and independents, is poised to establish governments not only at the center but possibly in three of Pakistans four provinces. Islamic welfare state Khan pledged in Thursdays speech to deliver on campaign promises, saying he would turn Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state. The would-be government, he said, would not use the palatial prime ministers residence in Islamabad and would use the space for other priorities as it focuses on good governance and economic challenges facing the country. I would be ashamed to live in such a large house. That house will be converted into an educational institution or something of the sort, he said. Our state institutions will be stronger, everyone will be held accountable. First I will be subjected to accountability, then my ministers and so on. Khan acknowledged while speaking to VOA on the eve of the election that the economy is the biggest challenge facing Pakistan. The only way we can overcome this is by revamping the way we do governance in this country, strengthening institutions and then spending it on our human beings, Khan noted. This is the rock bottom for Pakistan, he warned. Never have we fallen so low as we have right now in terms of human development, in terms of the cost of doing business, in terms of our economy going down the drain. So, the challenges are huge but they can only be done ... if we change the way we do governance in this country. Sharifs party has been for months accusing the military of covertly helping Khans election campaign, charges both Khan and the military have strongly denied. The PML-Ns electoral chances also have been shaken by Sharifs conviction in absentia earlier this month on corruption charges involving expensive properties he and his family held overseas. Sharif, who immediately was placed in custody after returning from Britain nearly two weeks ago, has denounced the verdict as politically motivated. He accused a covert military-judiciary alliance of trying to keep him out of politics and undermining the integrity of his PML-N party. Khan and his party were instrumental in leading street protests and fighting legal battles to win the conviction in corruption cases against Sharif. Foreign policy In his brief speech, Khan also spoke about how his party intends to deal with foreign policy challenges facing Pakistan. Years of wars in Afghanistan have inflicted unprecedented sufferings on Afghans and they need peace, he said. The new government will make all possible efforts to promote peace in Afghanistan to ensure peace in Pakistan, Khan vowed. I also want to build relations with Afghanistan to a point where we have open borders just like those within the European Union, he added. Khan said he would seek a mutually beneficial and balanced relationship with the United States. We want to improve our relations with India, if their leadership also wants it. This blame game that whatever goes wrong in Pakistan is because of India and vice versa brings us back to square one. If they take one step toward us, we will take two, but we at least need a start. The election is just Pakistans third peaceful transition of power. The military has ruled the Muslim-majority nation of more than 200 million people for nearly half of the countrys 71-year-history. Wednesdays vote was disrupted by militant attacks and incidents involving gunfire between political rivals. The deadliest incident occurred in Quetta, capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, where a suicide blast ripped through a crowed of political activists, voters and security personnel, killing more than 30 people. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bloodshed. The campaign leading up to the July 25 vote had been marred by violence that left more than 170 people dead. A delegation of the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forced (SDF) is in Syria for talks with Syrian government officials, an alliance official said on Friday. The delegation arrived in Damascus two days ago, SDC co-chair Riad Darar said, adding that Kurdish authorities are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. This is the first SDCs declared visit to Syrias capital, which indicates the interest of Kurdish authorities to open channels of communication with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as they seek a political accord to preserves their regions autonomy within Syria. The meetings were expected to primarily discuss services in the Kurdish-controlled areas, but Darar said the delegation had no set agenda and the talks might expand to include political and security issues. The Kurdish authorities, which control about one quarter of Syria, have avoided conflict with Assad during the seven-year-long war and at times have fought common foes, including rebels that government forces are gradually crushing with help from Russia and Iran. A Lebanese lawmaker has introduced a draft bill in parliament that would legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Speaking to the Associated Press, Antoine Habchi said he is proposing using the plant as alternative medicine to fight addiction and at the same time as a way to help Lebanon's Bekaa Valley restore its economy and generate much needed income. Habchi said that under the bill, cultivation would be tightly controlled. However, it will likely take months of discussions before the draft bill would come to a vote. Lebanon is the third largest cannabis producer in the world, after Morocco and Afghanistan, according to the United Nations. Centered on the Bekaa Valley, known for narcotics production, Lebanon produces some of the finest quality cannabis, mostly processed into hashish. As immigration advocates and migrant families fight in court to reunite with their children, who were separated from them at the U.S.-Mexico border, a Maryland nonprofit is providing care packages for these children housed in facilities across the country. VOA's immigration reporter Aline Barros reports. Mexico and the United States agreed Thursday to step up talks on updating the NAFTA trade deal in hopes of reaching an agreement on major issues by August, Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said. Guajardo said he had constructive and very positive talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and President Donald Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. North American Free Trade Agreement talks among the United States, Mexico and Canada had stalled since June when the United States slapped tariffs on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum and both countries responded with tit-for-tat measures on products like U.S. pork, ketchup and Kentucky bourbon. Deal by August Guajardo told reporters after the talks in Washington that he and Lighthizer agreed they would need to get to work in order to reach a deal by August. We agree that in order to align the times and to eventually reach an agreement in principle, we should give ourselves the opportunity to move forward and try to bring this to fruition, Guajardo said. Lighthizer told U.S. lawmakers earlier Thursday that he expected to reach a deal with Mexico some time in August and that an agreement with Canada on NAFTA could follow. Trump has suggested he could seek a bilateral deal with Mexico, but Guajardo said the U.S.-Mexico talks would lead to discussions with Canada and a trilateral dialogue when we get closer to the conclusion. Trilateral pact Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland visited Mexico Wednesday and she and Guajardo insisted that NAFTA remain a trilateral pact. Both reiterated their opposition to U.S. calls for a sunset clause that would put the deal forming one of the worlds largest trading blocs up for renewal every five years. U.S. demands for sweeping changes in the auto sector have also been a stumbling block. The idea is to face complex issues, Guajardo told reporters Thursday before meeting Lighthizer. The talks to revamp NAFTA began in August 2017 at the request of Trump, who threatened to leave the pact if he did not get more benefits for U.S. workers. Election complicates talks The run-up to Mexicos July presidential election, where leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won in a landslide, had also complicated holding talks. Guajardo was joined Thursday by Jesus Seade, whom Lopez Obrador has chosen as his lead trade negotiator. Trump told Lopez Obrador in a letter that a quick conclusion to NAFTA talks would bring more jobs for both countries, but warned of a very different route otherwise. A fire official says an explosive wildfire in Northern California has killed a bulldozer operator as he fought to contain the blaze and injured three firefighters. Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean says the Carr Fire in Shasta County burned over the bulldozer operator, who was hired privately, and his equipment. He says the mans body was found late Thursday. McLean said flames blew through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 92,000 people the largest in the region. He said many people in Redding didn't seem prepared for the blaze to reach their city. When it hit, people were really scrambling, he said. There was not much of a warning. Traffic out of the city was backed up, with drives that normally take 20 minutes reaching 2 hours as residents fled to safety, he said. McLean said an unknown number of firefighters and civilians were injured. He didnt know the seriousness. Flames jumping fire lines Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines, McLean said. Its just a heck of a fight, he said. Theyre doing what they can do and they get pushed out in a lot of cases. Were fighting the fight right now. The 45-square-mile (115-square-kilometer) Carr Fire that began Monday tripled in size overnight Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. Boats burn on a lake Earlier in the day with flames exploding around Whiskeytown Lake, an effort to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety, wasnt swift enough to spare them all. Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina. The only buildings left standing ... right now are the fire station and a couple of restrooms, said Fire Chief Mike Hebrard of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The boat docks down there all the way out in the water 30 to 40 boats caught fire when the fire laid down on top of them last night and burned those up. Parks workers save artifacts In the historic Gold Rush-era town of Shasta, state parks employees worked through the early morning to rescue artifacts from a museum as the blaze advanced. Matt Teague, an acting district superintendent for state parks, drove an hour and half in the middle of the night to help employees of the park and volunteers rescue historic paintings, prints and other artifacts from the museum housed in the 1861 courthouse. The fires faint glow was visible when he arrived at 3 a.m. and it kept getting brighter, he said. Just before dawn, the flames had gotten close enough that they were about to evacuate when the fire changed direction and began burning to the north, he said. That bought them five more hours to collect the most precious items until late morning when it became too dangerous and they were told they had to leave. We were on our toes the whole time, to be honest with you, Teague said. We didnt get everything. We didnt have time. Fire burn throughout California Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and forced campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. About 100 homes were still under threat in the San Francisco Bay community of Clayton, although firefighters had stopped the progress of a small fire there after one house burned. Hundreds of miles to the south, winds picked up and sent flames rushing downhill on the flanks of Southern Californias Mount San Jacinto. Helicopters making water drops and air tankers pouring red flame retardant circled overhead as flames burned both sides of the main road leading to the scenic town of Idyllwild. The blaze erupted Wednesday and quickly turned into a wall of flame that torched timber and dry brush. In a matter of hours, the so-called Cranston Fire grew to 7.5 square miles (19 square kilometers). About 3,000 residents were under evacuation orders Thursday in Idyllwild and several neighboring communities. A Pentagon spokesman told VOA on Friday that all of the paperwork had been completed for Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas to start building detention facilities for unaccompanied minors caught illegally crossing the southern U.S. border, "if needed." That paperwork includes an environmental assessment of the base grounds and memorandums of understanding from both the Pentagon and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing how the base will be used and secured, said the spokesman, Army Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis. Last month, HHS asked the U.S. military to prepare to shelter thousands of undocumented migrants, including as many as 20,000 children, while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested the erection of tents at three separate facilities for up to 4,000 people. The Pentagon offered Goodfellow for HHS to hold unaccompanied minors and Fort Bliss, also in Texas, for DHS to hold detained families. As of June, at least 11,800 "unaccompanied minor children" were in custody at about 100 shelters in 14 states, according to HHS. Some of those were separated from their parents after the implementation of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy of detaining all undocumented border-crossers. The administration will not need Goodfellow until shelter beds are projected to fill up. If that happens, HHS will need to send a "letter of intent" to the Pentagon, which would then give the military 45 days to complete construction of detention facilities at Goodfellow. In June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 5,115 children and 28,999 adults were detained at the southern US border. "If HHS submits a letter of intent, that is when the facilities will be built, but until that happens, we won't build anything," Pentagon spokesman Davis told VOA. A federal judge in California says she will appoint an independent monitor to look into conditions for immigrant children at U.S border facilities in Texas following reports of poor conditions. Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles said it "seems like there continues to be persistent problems" with the care of children in government custody at facilities in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. The judge said there was a "disconnect" between the assessment of the conditions by U.S. government monitors and immigrant parents, and said the court-appointed monitor could give an "objective viewpoint." Complaints from immigrant children and parents have included spoiled food, insufficient water and frigid conditions. The ruling comes as U.S. officials seek to carry out the order of a separate court that mandated the reunion of all eligible children who were separated from their parents after entering the country illegally. U.S. officials said Friday they reunited all eligible children but said many others were not eligible because the parents had been released from immigration custody, are in their home countries or chose not to be reunited. In some cases, government lawyers said the parents are criminals or unfit to care for children. The Justice Department said in a court filing Thursday afternoon in San Diego that more than 1,400 children 5 years and older had been reunited. Another 378 were released in what it calls "appropriate circumstances," meaning they were turned over to sponsors who can properly care for them. However, 700 children are still in government custody and their fates are uncertain. Deported parents Immigration attorneys said some of the parents who returned home alone may have been led by the government to believe that going back to their own country was the only way they could see their kids again. Lawyers for the America Civil Liberties Union say they have advocates on the ground in such places as Honduras and Guatemala and will investigate that allegation. "The government shouldn't be proud of the work they're doing on reunification," Lee Gelernt of the ACLU said Thursday. "We created this cruel, inhumane policy ... now we're trying to fix it in every way we can and make these families whole." Zero-tolerance policy Under President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy, families who illegally crossed into the United States from Mexico in most of April and May were automatically detained. Children were placed in government care facilities. Trump signed an executive order rescinding the family separations after a nationwide outcry, including from many fellow Republicans. A federal judge in San Diego gave officials two deadlines to reunite children. Many of the parents have been given electronic ankle bracelets that monitor their location after being reunited with their children, so they will not skip future hearings. In Malawi, pregnant women and new mothers who live in remote villages are getting medical help thanks to a toll-free hotline and text messaging service known as "Chipatala cha pa Foni" or Heath Center by Phone. Run by the nonprofit VillageReach, the program connects expecting mothers in rural areas with health workers. More pregnant women are receiving prenatal care and birth planning thanks to the medical hotline, as Lameck Masina reports for VOA from Lilongwe. After nearly 10 years at The New Yorker, she moved to Chicago about 15 years ago to take up arts and food writing for the Tribune, a job she loved. In 2008, she moved to Good Eating (the former name for what is now Food & Dining), where she wrote deftly about such topics as her love of the toum (a garlic sauce) at Fattoush restaurant, or her fangirl crush on Ina Garten. I was a fan of Nunns writing (her 1,400-word rant against 2004s rather new plague of made-up food holidays made me her fanboy), but I didnt know her well. Certainly not well enough to know what was going on in her life away from Trib Tower. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he had invited U.S. President Donald Trump to Moscow and that both he and Trump were ready for further summits, but that conditions needed to be right for a meeting to take place. Putin and Trump met in Helsinki earlier this month at a summit, but Trump faced a storm of criticism back home for his handling of the meeting. Speaking to reporters at a summit of BRICS countries in South Africa, Putin said telephone calls between Moscow and Washington were insufficient and that both sides needed to meet to talk about issues like the Iran nuclear deal, conflicts in the Middle East, and arms control treaties. "Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings, to hold further meetings. I am ready for that. We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries," Putin told a news conference. "We are ready for such meetings. We are ready to invite President Trump to Moscow. By all means. By the way, he has such an invitation, I told him about that." "I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created." Putin said in the meantime, it was possible that he and Trump would meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, or another international event. In a reference to the backlash inside the United States after Trump's performance at the Helsinki summit, Putin said: "Despite the difficulties, in this particular case difficulties linked to the internal political situation in the United States, life goes on and our contacts continue." Music festivals have gained serious significance for right-wing extremists in their effort to draw more supporters in Germany and across Europe, the country's domestic intelligence agency told VOA on Friday. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV, said it estimated the number of right-wing extremists in Germany at 24,000 in 2017, up from 23,100 in 2016. Over half of them were thought to have no affiliation with organized groups while 4,500 showed allegiance to the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD). Unlike previous years, when a small number of organized music festivals by right-wing members attracted only few participants, they now draw thousands of participants, said Elke Altmuller, a spokesperson for BfV. "These events are very attractive for young people to bring them into the right-wing extremism scene," Altmuller said. They are also important for networking and "bring a lot of money to the local right-wing extremism scene," she added. According to BfV, the biggest right-wing concert, "Rock Against Foreign Domination," was held last July in Themar, where 6,000 people gathered, including supporters from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and Slovakia. Videos obtained from the event by police showed dozens of people displaying the Hitler salute and chanting anti-immigrant slogans. Nazi symbols are illegal in Germany and their display is associated with anti-Semitism and glorification of Nazi crimes. Despite the surge in the number of supporters, German authorities point to a significant decline in violence by right-wing extremists, from 907 recorded cases in 2016 to 286 in 2017. Most of the attacks targeted accommodation centers for asylum seekers. According to the BfV spokesperson, the drop in the violence is mainly due to country's courts imposing long prison sentences against perpetrators and the fading of the anti-asylum debate within the right-wing extremist arena. "But in general, you have to notice that the decline of violence does not mean there is not any danger of violence by the individual actors in this scene," Altmuller added. Debate over immigration In recent years, Germany has been faced with divisions and fierce debate about the country's immigration and asylum policies. Far-right leaders blame "the refugee crisis" and "the asylum problem" for security breaches in the country. In its annual report published Tuesday, the BfV estimated that in 2017 there were over 25,000 "Islamist followers" in the country, with more than 10,000 having links to Salafists. The report warned that the risk of attacks by lone jihadists and those who returned from fighting in Syria and Iraq remained high in Germany. "It still has to be expected that there will be members, supporters and sympathizers of extremist and terrorist organizations covertly entering Germany among the migrants," the report concluded. The agency's investigation found that violence committed by extremists in various politically motivated areas in Germany had declined, but the number of potential extremists had gone up. VOA's Korean Service reporter Kim Young-nam spoke to former South African President F.W. de Klerk on Friday about the denuclearization process for North Korea and how it might compare to that of South Africa. As president of South Africa, de Klerk ordered the end of the country's nuclear weapons program and oversaw its nuclear disarmament process. Q: Under your presidency (1989-94), South Africa was able to successfully denuclearize. Often times, the North Korean case is compared with the South African model since South Africa was the only country who actually had nuclear weapons and decided to dismantle. I would like to ask how difficult or how long do you think it will take for the international community to denuclearize North Korea. A: The circumstances in South Africa in 1989 and in North Korea now are entirely different. The threat to South Africa that had led us to develop nuclear weapons had disappeared as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola, the successful independence process in Namibia, and our own initiatives to resolve our problems through democratic negotiations. Also, the South African government, which then represented the minority communities, was a functioning democracy with regular elections, an effective parliament and independent courts. Our main challenge at that time was to extend non-racial democracy to all our people. We had a clear interest in dismantling our nuclear capability because of its expense and because we wished to rejoin the international community as quickly as possible. I do not think that the situation in North Korea is at all the same. Kim Jong Un is a totalitarian dictator. His primary interest is in ensuring the continuation of his dynastic rule and he views his nuclear weapons as a major bargaining chip in this process. He also wants to end the sanctions that are crippling the North Korean economy. Accordingly, I think it is unlikely that he will dispense with his nuclear weapons unless he is absolutely sure that there will be no threat to his regime but he will continue to negotiate with a view to the removal of all, or some, of the sanctions. Q: South Africa dismantled its nuclear weapons voluntarily and invited international inspectors for the verification. Do you believe it is possible to denuclearize and verify North Korea if Pyongyang is not willing to fully cooperate with the international community as South Africa did? Also there are many who are pessimistic that North will fully give up all weapons, do you have same concerns? A: It will be essential to involve the IAEA in any dismantling process as South Africa did to ensure that the destruction of all nuclear weapons and fissionable material is meticulously monitored and controlled. The test of North Korea's sincerity in dismantling its nuclear capability will depend on its willingness to submit to international controls. I do not think it will do so until it is completely certain that its long-term security and the interests of the dynasty have been secured. Q: South Africa made the significant decision to denuclearize and I would like to ask the reasons for making such decision. Additionally, North Korea is asking for peace treaty or security assurances to be provided before it to denuclearize. Do you think North Korea will follow the similar path with South Africa that it will give up weapons when they don't believe their security is not threatened anymore or do you think they are just trying to buy time? A: As pointed out above, we decided to dismantle our nuclear weapons because the threats that had led us to develop them had by 1989 disappeared. A major factor was the collapse of the Soviet Union and our tripartite agreement with Angola and Cuba in 1988 on the withdrawal of 50,000 Cuban troops from Angola. One must remember that as late as October 1987, our armed forces had been in direct conflict with Cuban and Soviet-led Angolan forces at the Battle of the Lomba River. The battle was probably the largest set-piece battle in Africa since World War II and resulted in the destruction of 93 Soviet-built tanks. The tripartite agreement opened the way to the implementation of the U.N. independence plan for Namibia in 1989 and the resolution of another long-standing dispute between South Africa and the international community. I also believed that the constitutional negotiations that I planned to launch early in 1990 would resolve all of the tensions between South Africa and our neighboring states in southern Africa. Dispensing with nuclear weapons also helped to speed up our reintegration with the international community and saved us the considerable expense involved in developing and maintaining nuclear weapons. Q: What kind of recommendation would you give to both President Trump and Kim Jong Un as they are working on denuclearizing North Korea? Do you have any concerns of nuclear proliferation in Asia such as South Korea and Japan, if the international community accepts North Korea as de-facto nuclear state like India and Pakistan? Similarly, the U.S. tried to sanction and pressure India and Pakistan while they were building nuclear arsenals but their relationships with the U.S. improved, or hostility eased, once they fully developed nuclear programs. A: I would advise those involved to give North Korea the security assurances that it requires and to spell out the enormous advantages of ending sanctions and reintegrating into the international economic community in other words following the same road that China and Vietnam took in recent decades to their enormous advantage. The danger of nuclear proliferation in Asia will increase to the degree that the countries involved feel threatened by existing nuclear states and to the degree that they perceive that they might in future no longer enjoy the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Q: South Africa not only was able to denuclearize, but also improved its human rights situations. Do you believe that the international community will welcome North Korea if it denuclearizes, but still continue gross human rights violations in its country? A: The immediate goal of the international community should be to ensure the elimination of the North Korean nuclear threat. It would be naive to imagine that North Korea will suddenly respect the full spectrum of human rights and freedoms. However, if it can be persuaded to follow the path of China and Vietnam there would be enormous improvements in the day-to-day lives of the North Korean people. Q: Many African countries still have ties with North Korea and there have been multiple reports showing North Korean diplomats involved in smuggling of rhino horns and others in African nations, including South Africa, but often get away with their crimes as they have ties with them. Can you tell me why there are many African countries who are still close with North Korea and whether you have any concerns that North Koreans are getting money in Africa to use it for their regime and nuclear program? A: Unfortunately, I have very little information regarding North Korea's relations with African countries and am, therefore, not really in a position to reply to your question. Saskia Van Horn took the SAT a fourth time in June, hoping to get a better score that would earn her additional financial aid as she heads to Queens College in New York in August. The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. But her score went down, not up. Van Horn checked online and found other students had the same complaint. Now, thousands of those students across the U.S. say they want the June SAT graded again after some test takers say they got more answers correct, but received a lower score than on earlier tests. They created the hashtag #rescoreJuneSAT and shared it on Twitter and Reddit. An online petition to have the test rescored has attracted more than 22,000 signatures, some from around the world. Some test takers checked their answers against a key that cost an additional $13.50, and determined that the College Board, which administers the test and derives income through test fees, changed the grading for June's test from previous SAT tests. Van Horn and other students say the method of grading in June renders those scores inaccurate. The College Board said the test takers are half right. They did curve the test in a method called "equating." However, the test results from June are accurate, the College Board said. Because tests vary in difficulty, the board "equates" or "curves" the test to standardize results across years. "For example, a single incorrect answer on one administration could equal two or three incorrect answers on a more difficult version," it said. Equating is used with every SAT test, wrote Jaslee Carayol, associate director of media relations at College Board, in an email. "While we plan for consistency across administrations, on occasion there are some tests that can be easier or more difficult than usual," Carayol wrote. "Equating is used for every SAT administration and is standard practice for assessments like the SAT." Equating "makes sure that a score for a test taken on one date is equivalent to a score from another date," according to the statement. "The equating process ensures fairness for all students." "We want to assure you that your scores are accurate." The College Board also curves Advanced Placement tests, which help students gain college-level credit by taking the test instead of taking the course. Van Horn connected with other test takers on social media who are frustrated with June's results, too. She met with Rochelle Zaks and Joel Veras on July 16 to protest outside the College Board in New York City. Van Horn, Zaks and Veras held signs saying, "Give Us Our Right Score!" "Why Are You Sabotaging American Students" and "Rescore June SAT," outside the board headquarters near the World Trade Center in downtown New York. On her third crack at the SAT, Zaks scored 1390 out of 1600, and was OK with that score, she said. Then, while going over the test with her mother, she noticed that something seemed off. Zaks, from Pennsylvania, said her goal going into the test was to get no more than nine or 10 math questions wrong out of 58, which, according to her calculations, would have gotten her a 700. A math tutor helped her make those calculations. When she pored over her score, she saw that she had only five wrong, but received a 690. "I was a little shocked and I was really confused," Zaks said. Others were baffled, as well. Shiva Pentakota, a high school senior from Atlanta, said that the test he took was harder, not easier. He said he used the College Board $13.50 tool to calculate that conclusion. The College Board sells the tool the Student Answer Service (SAS) to test takers to check their scores. Students receive the correct answers to each question from the exam they took, and the SAS lists which questions were easy, medium or difficult, as categorized by the College Board. "College Board is claiming that this whole test was easier, so me and my peers, we all fact-checked our own math and purchased the March SAT and the June SAT [SAS] and we counted the number of difficult, easy and medium questions," Pentakota said. Pentakota and his friends rechecked their math and purchased the SAS answers to the June SAT as well as the Question and Answer Service, a similar tool for the March SAT. They counted more difficult questions in the reading section of the June SAT than the March SAT. He said he believes that the equating system is flawed. "The real issue is whatever they use to equate, the process didn't work this time," Pentakota said. "This was an exception to a normal test." A similar uproar occurred in 2015 with another June SAT test over a printing error. College Board ended up not scoring two sections of the exam, but still provided students with "valid and reliable scores," according to the website. "The scored sections had the same distribution of content and skills as the full-length test and therefore is reflective of the overall SAT content specifications," the update said. In that instance, the College Board said that the equating process was not affected. Whether its in movies, comic books or video games, fans say there is diversity in the superhero universe. At the international Comic-Con convention that ended July 22, Emmeline Ye, a Chinese-American from San Diego, is dressed up in a Wonder Woman costume. She said her next costume will be of her favorite character in the video game, Overwatch. I appreciate that they put a Chinese character in that game, and the fact that shes a scientist and shes smart. Shes helping save the world, Ye said. For many African-American movie fans, the film Black Panther, released this year, was a milestone. When Black Panther came out, I was so excited to see my future children have something to look up to, said Shanice Souvenir, who also attended Comic-Con dressed as Princess Shuri of Wakanda, a character in the movie. Diversity in comics In recent years, superheroes in comic books and American popular culture have become increasingly diverse. But fans and creators say more work needs to be done, especially on the big screen, to fully represent American society. Print, I think, tends to be able to get away with that first and kind of test the waters, said freelance comic book writer Vita Ayala. University of Oregon director of comics and cartoon studies Ben Saunders agreed that initial risks can be taken with comics, a medium that can be more experimental than big-budget Hollywood films. But he said comic book superheroes have not always been so diverse. The initial wave of superheroes of the 1930s and 40s was predominantly male and always exclusively white, Saunders said. Nonwhite characters at the time were stereotypes, said Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, granddaughter of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, founder of DC Comics. African-Americans were always drawn with big white lips, which is just horrible. And the Asian characters skin tone was usually yellow, which is just weird. And so, they were usually the menace. They were usually the evil bad guy, she said. First nonwhite heroes The first nonwhite superheroes did not quite look human and took the form of the green Hulk and The Thing, who is orange. The Hulk is readily sort of understandable as a kind of complicated allegory for race, as a sort of figure through ideas of monstrosity, Saunders said. In 1966, in the midst of the U.S. civil rights movement, Black Panther became the first black superhero in the Marvel universe, which Hollywood has embraced. We actually saw Black Panther a couple of different times on opening day because it was so good, said comics and pop culture fan Rosemary Matthew. And we were really glad to see that something that was related to somebody that we could relate to was done really well. Black Panther opened strong in China, earning $66.5 million during the first three days in theaters. Reviews in China have been lukewarm. A lot of the times, I do hear that China doesnt want to see black people or other people of color. Hollywood doesnt think that diverse stories could sell overseas, so they make less of it, and they dont give chances to diverse stories that could be good, said Chinese-American Alice Mei Chi Li, who works as a freelance illustrator. In May, Marvel released its first Chinese superheroes in print. The Black Panther, the Hulk and other superheroes appear together in the latest Marvel film, Avengers: Infinity War. It has become Marvels most successful superhero movie in China and was granted a 30-day extended run. The United Nations says nearly 200,000 people displaced by five weeks of fighting in southern Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, but access to them is severely limited. An assault by Syrian government forces and their Russian allies has succeeded in dislodging rebels from most of the territory they controlled in southwest Syria. Five weeks of airstrikes and barrel bombings have caused more than 182,000 people in the governorates of Dara'a, Quneitra and Sweida to flee their homes. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said people are living in dire circumstances and urgently need life-saving assistance. While concern for their well-being is rising, the situation of some 55,000 civilians trapped in a stretch of land near the Golan area is becoming increasingly alarming. OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said the 200-square-kilometer area near the Jordanian border remains under the control of a group affiliated with Islamic State. "We, of course, are very concerned about this particular group's policy of restricting freedom of movement for civilians who are trying to leave the area and only a very limited number of civilians have been able to escape. Those who remain behind are subject to heightened hostilities," he said. For instance between July 21 and 23, Laerke said, airstrikes in the area reportedly killed at least 32 civilians, including women and children. He said agencies also worry about another group of some 100,000 civilians near Golan Heights who face hostilities and have no access to aid. He said the U.N. was forced to suspend cross-border humanitarian convoys from Jordan to the area more than one month ago because of the deteriorating situation in Syria. Warehouses that once were stocked with food and other relief supplies now are nearly empty, he added. Thousands of people staged protests across Poland on Thursday after President Andrzej Duda signed into law a measure effectively letting the government choose the next Supreme Court chief. The European Union, human rights groups and opposition parties in Poland say the legislation and other changes pushed by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party undermine judicial independence and democracy. Crowds gathered outside the presidential palace in Warsaw chanting "shame." Many held candles and pens, referring to Duda's readiness to sign. They shouted, "Break the pen" and "You will go to prison." Similar protests took place in more than two dozen cities and towns across Poland. The PiS party says an overhaul is needed to make the courts more efficient and eradicate the influence of Poland's communist past. "Without [judiciary] reforms, we cannot rebuild the Polish state so that it serves its citizens," said Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the euroskeptic party which combines left-leaning economics with nationalist politics. Earlier this month, 22 Supreme Court judges were forced into early retirement but chief judge Malgorzata Gersdorf has refused to go, saying her constitutional term does not expire until 2020. The latest amendment, which was adopted by the upper house of parliament earlier this week, is designed to make it easier to name the new Supreme Court head. Since PiS won power in 2015, dozens of judges have been effectively dismissed from the Constitutional Tribunal, the National Judiciary Council, which decides judicial appointments, and now the Supreme Court. New appointments have used procedures that give parliament, where the PiS has a majority, greater say over the courts and the government more control over judges. The European Commission is running an unprecedented rule of law investigation and has opened several separate legal cases against Poland, the largest former communist EU state, including some over the Supreme Court. U.S. President Donald Trump will convene his national security advisers on Friday for a high-level meeting on election security, less than four months until Americans vote to determine whether his fellow Republicans maintain control of Congress. The White House meeting comes amid new accusations of Russian meddling in U.S. elections. On Thursday, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill was identified as the target of a hacking attempt ahead of the November midterm elections. A top Microsoft official last week said Russian hackers have targeted at least three candidates but did not name them. Questions persist over whether U.S. states are prepared to thwart cyber attacks even as debate rages over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won. The stakes in the midterm elections are high. Republicans hold majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate, but if historical patterns hold true, Democrats, as the party out of power, could gain ground in the contests. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election through a campaign of hacking and disinformation to try to help elect Trump. The U.S. Special Counsel's Office is investigating Russian actions and any potential collusion with Trump's campaign. The probe has so far resulted in multiple indictments and guilty pleas by several Trump associates. Several congressional committees also have opened investigations. Russia has denied any interference while Trump has denied collusion and blasted the investigation as a "witch hunt." Trump has alternated between citing Russian President Vladimir Putin's denials and saying that he backs the American intelligence community's findings. U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller earlier this month indicted indictments 12 Russian officers from Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. In February, Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies in an elaborate conspiracy to interfere in the election. Tom Burt, vice president of customer security and trust at Microsoft Corp, last week told the Aspen Security Forum the company uncovered phishing activity from a group associated with GRU officers targeting campaign staffers, prompting the Daily Beast investigation. On Thursday, McCaskill blasted Moscow following a report by the Daily Beast news website identifying her as the target of a hacking attempt. The unsuccessful attack was driven by the Russian intelligence agency behind the 2016 election interference, according to the report. "Russia continues to engage in cyber warfare against our democracy," McCaskill said in a statement on Thursday. "While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that they think they can get away with this." The United States already has imposed sanctions on Russia, and Congress is considering additional penalties in case U.S. authorities determine the Kremlin has meddled again. Congress also is grappling with funding to shore up election systems for U.S. states, which conduct elections. U.S. lawmakers earlier approved $380 million to safeguard systems but some are pushing for more funds, among other action. Trump, offering no evidence, on Tuesday said he believed Russia will seek to boost Democrats ahead of the November election. McCaskill, who faces a tough re-election campaign, has been critical of Trump and Putin. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he did not know about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Russians and his campaign staff including his son Don Jr, at which the Russians offered to provide damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr." Trump said in a Twitter post after a CNN report that his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen said Trump knew of the meeting in advance. CNN, citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter, said Cohen was willing to make that assertion to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether Trump's presidential campaign had worked with Russia to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 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 adult film star Stormy Daniels, a person familiar with the investigation has told Reuters. The payment to Daniels, who says she had an intimate relationship with Trump, was meant to buy her silence over the affair. Cohen has not been charged with any crime. Trump, who has said in the past he did not know about the meeting in advance, suggested Cohen was implicating Trump in exchange for possible immunity on unrelated charges related to his businesses. "Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam," Trump speculated on Twitter, without supporting his claim. The Republican president has been infuriated by the suggestion he might owe his White House victory to Russia, and has focused on the rebutting the collusion question rather than on concerns about the U.S. intelligence community's findings that Moscow intervened on his behalf. In a series of angry Tweets on Friday morning, he again denied any collusion with Moscow and denounced the Mueller probe as a witch hunt. Russia has denied meddling in the election. Cohen did not immediately return a request for comment on Trump's tweet. The role Cohen, a longtime personal confidant of Trump, might play in the Mueller probe is unknown. On Wednesday, Trump expressed disbelief that Cohen would have taped conversations with him, a day after an audio recording of a conversation between the two men was aired on U.S. television. A lawyer for Cohen, Lanny Davis, released the recording of Trump and Cohen discussing paying for the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story about an alleged affair with Trump and it aired on CNN on Tuesday night. Before the election, Trump's campaign denied any knowledge of payment to McDougal, but the taped conversation could undermine those denials. President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow, the White House said on Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had invited the American leader. Despite the uproar in Washington after the two met in Helsinki last week, Putin said another meeting with Trump was still on the agenda and that both leaders want additional summits. "Regarding our meetings, I understand very well what President Trump said. He has a desire to have further meetings," Putin told reporters in South Africa, where he was attending a summit of BRICS nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. "I am ready for that," Putin said. "We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries." Following the backlash in the United States over Trump's cordial public tone with Putin at the Helsinki summit, U.S. and Russian officials backed away from Trump's proposal to schedule a follow-up meeting in Washington in the fall. Two days after postponing that invitation, the White House made clear on Friday that Trump remained enthusiastic about another Russia summit. "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The last time Trump was in the Russian capital was in 2013, to attend a Miss Universe beauty pageant. Referring to the proposal for a meeting in the United States, Putin said: "I am ready to go to Washington. I repeat once again, if the right conditions for work are created." Putin said that, in the meantime, it was possible that he and Trump would meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina in November or at another international event. We have pushed back the perimeter and we'll have eyes in the sky, so we'll be keeping a close look on it. But I just want to caution people, that with things of this nature, you can never have 100 percent guaranteed security, but what you do is try to be prepared in the event that something does go astray, Johnson told reporters following a news conference at a South Loop police station. So I think that we put things in place now to keep everybody safe. We want everybody to have an enjoyable time. No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. President Donald Trump took his trade message directly to the American Midwest Thursday as concerns linger about economic clashes with key partners. Michael Brown reports from Washington. A senior U.S. official said Washington is confident a detained American pastor in Turkey will be free soon, as tensions deepen between the two countries. "On Pastor Brunson, I think there is excellent prospects that he's going to come home," Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, said Thursday at the conclusion of three days of State Department talks to advance religious freedom. Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor from Black Mountain, North Carolina, has been jailed in Turkey for nearly two years on terrorism and espionage charges. Earlier this week, Brunson was released from a Turkish prison and placed under house arrest while his trial continues. His case has strained relations between Turkey and the United States, both NATO allies. Threatening sanctions Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence threatened sanctions on Turkey if Brunson is not released. The warning prompted a sharp response from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Twitter. The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Cavusoglu the day before, underscoring "it is well past time" for Brunson to come home. Washington accuses Ankara of hostage-taking in a bid to extract diplomatic leverage, a charge Turkey denies, insisting its judiciary is independent. The diplomatic disagreement is further escalating amid reports Ankara reneged on a deal to release Brunson as part of the agreement that saw Israel release Turkish citizen Ebru Ozkan, accused of smuggling for Hamas. A senior Turkish official dismissed the reports as "baseless." However, Trump's strong remarks calling for Brunson's release have led some to suggest there was some kind of agreement. "I understand the so-called deal is a verbally agreed deal between the two presidents," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Washington, "So we are not privy to the details. Maybe both sides did not understand one another well. So the U.S. believed they had a firm deal. But, Ankara believed there was more to deal with, before Brunson's release." Diplomatic fallout With Trump weighing in on Brunson's case, analysts say the diplomatic fallout for Ankara could be severe. "Mr. Trump seems to be the only remaining asset left in D.C. [Washington] for Ankara," Selcen said. Trump and Erdogan reportedly had developed a good relationship. The U.S. president at this month's NATO summit praised his Turkish counterpart. "He does things the right way," he said. At the same time, the U.S. Senate is set to vote on a bill that would seek the restriction of loans by international bodies to Turkey. "It's mainly symbolic, but important," said political analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. He said the move would only have limited effect on Turkey, but warns it could be a sign of Washington's intent on how it could punish Turkey. "Never mind these various sanction bills," he continued. "Just a few telephone calls from the American Treasury to large American banks to hold back on new loans to Turkey's counterparts or not to underwrite bonds would cause significant damage to an already extremely fragile Turkish economy." Turkey is heavily dependent on foreign capital to sustain its economy. But Turkey has leverage of its own. U.S. forces are reliant on Ankara for regional operations at the large Incirlik Turkish airbase. Washington is also looking for Turkish cooperation in enforcing Iranian sanctions. Analysts say Turkey also uses Washington's concerns over its deepening relationship with Russia as leverage. Washington is lobbying Ankara to abandon a purchase of Russian S-400 missiles. A constitutional court in Uganda has validated a constitutional amendment that removes an age limit for the countrys leader, clearing the way for long-serving President Yoweri Museveni to remain in power for life. The Uganda Constitution had set an age limit of 75 for anyone holding the presidency. Parliament proposed an amendment lifting the age limit and extending the term of office for the president and parliament by two years. After an 11-hour debate, the five-member Constitutional Court, in a four-to-one ruling, upheld lifting the age limit, but struck down extending the terms in office. Museveni, who is now 73, would have been ineligible to run again when his current term expires in 2021 if the court had not ruled as it did. Many critics opposed the lifting of the age limit citing Musevenis 32-year rule, which has been punctuated by corruption scandals, human rights violations and poor social services. One dissent Justice Kenneth Kakuru, who was on the panel, voiced his opposition to the ruling. I find and declare that, one, the entire constitutional amendment act one of 2018 is unconstitutional and therefore null and void. All its provision ought to be expunged from the constitution of Uganda, he said. During last years amendment process, legislators voted to have their tenure extended to seven years from five. But all five judges on the panel ruled against that move, saying it was selfish and goes against the principles of good governance. The judges noted that an extension of the terms of members of Parliament would only be acceptable in a state of emergency or war, and even then they would only allow a only a six month extension. Lesson for legislators Winnie Kiiza, the leader of the opposition in Parliament and one of the petitioners, said the judgment is an important lesson for legislators. Our colleagues who thought possibly President Museveni meant well for them, have now known that the law was just about himself, getting his age limit and therefore ditch them along the way, she said. Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana was pleased with the outcome. It was largely a balanced judgment. And it really painted a good picture for our rule of law. It was a win-win situation. We won in some of the issues. The petitioners also won in some issues, Rukutana said. Ugandans will now have to wait for the 2021 general elections and use their vote to bring the change they desire. U.S. officials say they expect to reunite all eligible children who had been separated from their parents after entering the country illegally by Thursdays court-ordered deadline (0700 UTC Friday). The Justice Department said in a court filing Thursday afternoon in San Diego that more than 1,400 children 5 years old and older had been reunited so far. It said 378 were released in what it calls appropriate circumstances, meaning they were turned over to sponsors who can properly care for them. But 700 children are still in government custody and their fates are uncertain. Many of their parents have been deported from the United States, leaving the children in what one immigration advocacy group calls a black hole. In some cases, government lawyers said the parents are criminals or unfit to care for children. Immigration attorneys said some of the parents who returned home alone may have been led to believe by the government that going back to their own country is the only way they can see their kids again. Lawyers for the America Civil Liberties Union say they have advocates on the ground in such places as Honduras and Guatemala and will investigate that allegation. The government shouldnt be proud of the work theyre doing on reunification, Lee Gelernt of the ACLU said Thursday. We created this cruel, inhumane policy ... now were trying to fix it in every way we can and make these families whole. Under President Donald Trumps zero-tolerance policy, families who illegally crossed into the United States from Mexico in most of April and May were automatically detained. But because it is illegal to put children in jail, the youngsters were taken away from their parents and held separately. Visitors to these detention centers reported seeing children held in cages in less than ideal conditions and given little to occupy their time all day. Trump signed an executive order rescinding the family separations after a nationwide outcry, including from many fellow Republicans. A judge gave officials two separate deadlines to reunite children younger than 5 and children 5 and older. Many of the parents have been given ankle bracelets after being reunited with their children so they will not skip a hearing for asylum. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday he was considering the possibility of the first talks in years between the defense chiefs of the United States and Russia, a possibility first reported by Reuters on July 17. "I am considering meeting with my counterpart, but there's been no decision," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon. The last time a U.S. defense secretary even spoke telephonically with a Russian defense minister was in 2015, as relations between Moscow and Washington soured. It was not immediately clear when the last face-to-face meeting took place. A U.S. military plane brought back 55 cases of remains North Korea says are of U.S. service members killed in the Korean War more than six decades ago, the White House confirmed in a statement late Thursday. A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members has departed Wonsan, North Korea, the White House statement said. It is accompanied by service members from United Nations Command Korea and technical experts from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The C-17 is transferring the remains to Osan Air Base (near Seoul), where a formal repatriation ceremony will be held on August 1. It was a successful mission following extensive coordination, said the United Nations Command and United States Forces Korea Commander General Vincent Brooks. Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home. The plane landed in South Korea Friday morning. The South Korean news agency Yonhap had reported it learned from a South Korean diplomatic source that North Korea recently took two truckloads of wooden boxes from U.S. officials. Friday marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 war that split the communist North and the democratic South. The United States owes a profound debt of gratitude to those American service members who gave their lives in service to their country and we are working diligently to bring them home. It is a solemn obligation of the United States Government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner, the White House statement said. The transfer begins to fulfill an agreement made last month between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump during their historic meeting in Singapore in June.Trump tweeted his thanks to Kim after the remains arrived in South Korea. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman and Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report. Vanuatu has ordered the compulsory evacuation of all the residents of the island of Ambae because of volcanic activity. The government renewed a state of emergency Friday for the island after a volcano eruption filled the sky with ash. Ambaes approximately 10,000 residents have received evacuation orders twice since September when the eruptions began. Lillian Garaw, an Ambae resident, told the Associated Press she has had difficulty sleeping because of the noise the volcano makes. She said the ash has aggravated asthma in some young children. Thousands of residents on Ambae were forced to leave their homes when Manaro last erupted in 2005. Vanuatu, home to just 280,000 people scattered across 80 islands, is located on the Pacifics so-called Ring of Fire, a seismically active line of faults where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. Paul Manafort, a former chairman of U.S. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign, goes on trial next week on charges of bank and tax fraud related to his work in Ukraine. The trial will be closely watched for possible revelations about Trump's run for the White House. Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- New rules proposed by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos would impose stricter standards for students defrauded by for-profit colleges to qualify for relief on federal loans. The planned rewrite of borrower defense to repayment rules, proposed on Wednesday by DeVos, would cut an estimated $13 billion in department spending -- primarily awarded directly to defrauded students as debt relief -- compared with Obama-era aid. Raising the bar on federal loan relief claims, the proposal would require borrowers to prove that for-profit institutions either knowingly misled them or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The change would substantially limit Obama-era regulations, passed after the collapse of predatory for-profit colleges ITT Technical Institute and Corinthian Colleges, which granted borrowers aid for various breach of contract claims. Borrowers would also be required to transfer existing credits and find an alternative institution to attend if their college closed. Previous rules had allocated funds for borrowers in the event that a student's for-profit school shuttered unexpectedly. The proposal, which is slated to open for public comment through the Federal Register, would apply to repayment for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2019. DeVos has come under fire in the past for staffing her department with multiple former for-profit college sector executives. Among them: DeVos's senior advisor Robert Eitel, who prior to serving in the Trump administration spent years as an executive at for-profit college firms Bridgepoint Education and Career Education Corp. Eitel was brought on by the Education Department as DeVos worked to develop the stricter standards on borrower defense to repayment for defrauded students. Postsecondary students are adults who can be reasonably expected to make informed decisions if they have access to relevant and reliable data about program outcomes, a Department of Education statement on the new rules reads. The proposal noted that the new regulations would encourage students -- including those who pay cash or use other forms of credit to pay for college -- to seek remedies directly from institutions that have committed acts or omissions that constitute misrepresentation. Unchecked fraudulent and predatory behavior in the for-profit education industry has been extensively documented and appears to be on the rise. The Project on Predatory Student Lending, a clinic at Harvard Law School's Legal Services Center, was founded in 2012 "to combat the massive fraud that is being perpetrated against students and taxpayers by for-profit colleges, and government policies that enable the predatory industry to continue to cheat borrowers and taxpayers," according to its website. Reports by the clinic have stressed that fraudulent practices in the for-profit education sector harm African American students at substantially higher rates than other populations. The sector "is as predatory as any payday or subprime lender, and is disproportionately responsible for racial disparities in education debt," a report on for-profit colleges and racial justice notes. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) The Court of Appeals may have junked Rappler's petition for review, but it also returned the case to the Securities and Exchange Commission for evaluation because the foreign investor's "negative control" earlier found objectionable may no longer be present. The CA's July 26 decision ordered SEC to evaluate "the legal effect" of the donation made by Omidyar Network of all its Philippine Depositary Receipts to the online media firm's staff. SEC earlier ruled that Rappler and Rappler Holdings Corporation violated the foreign equity restrictions in mass media under the Constitution. It revoked Rappler's certificate of incorporation, or their license to do business. Were the sanctions appropriate? Among the issues the CA raised is whether or not the mere inclusion of a clause in the Omidyar's PDRs was a violation of the foreign equity restrictions. The clause in question, 12.2.2, reads: <12.2 The Issuer undertakes to cause the Company from date hereof and while the ON PDRs are outstanding: 12.2.2 not to, without prior good faith discussion with ON PDR Holders and without the approval of PDR Holders holding at least two thirds (2/3s) of all issued and outstanding PDRs, alter, modify, or otherwise change the Company of Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws or take any other action where such alteration, modification, change or action will prejudice the rights in relation to the ON PDRs."> The appeals court said Rappler had not amended or sought the amendments of its Articles of Incorporation since RHC issued the PDRs. "Thus, Omidyar never had the opportunity to exercise its rights," it said. It added that before the Omidyar could exercise its rights under the clause, it executed a waiver affirming that it "has never exercised its rights under Section 12.2.2" and "agrees to waive its rights under Section 12.2.2 of the PDR Instrument." Also, Omidyar has donated all the Omidyar PDR to Rappler's 14 managers. Related: Omidyar Network donates investment to Rappler's Filipino managers "This is a new development which was not presented to, and considered by the Special Panel in issuing its Investigation Report, and the SEC En Banc in rendering the assailed Decision," the court noted. The court found merit in Rappler's attempts to comply in good faith with the rules and regulations of the SEC -- through the donation and the waiver. "In view of the donation made by Omidyar of all the Omidyar PDR to the Rappler staff, the negative foreign control found objectionable by the SEC appears to have been permanently removed," it added. The CA then said the SEC should have given Rappler "reasonable time" to correct or modify the objectionable portions of the articles of incorporation. It added that revoking the certificate of registration should be the last resort. The court also told the SEC to issue guidelines applicable to PDRs and similar instruments to avoid "future controversies in complying with the foreign equity restrictions of the Constitution." Prohibition on foreign control of mass media Rappler argued it was not engaged in the business of mass media which means foreign equity restriction does not apply to it. But the court said Rappler cannot credibly claim that it is not engaged in the business of mass media through its "own actions and actuations." The appeals court explains since the constitutional provision limits both ownership and management of mass media to Filipinos, the concept of "control" comes into play. "In the case of mass media, no foreign control is permissible," it adds. The court said the PDRs it issued to Omidyar do not make Omidyar a shareholder of Rappler. SEC ruled that foreign control over Rappler was granted to Omidyar through a particular clause of the Omidyar PDR. This clause, SEC said, obligates Rappler to hold prior discussions and approval with at least 2/3 of the holders of the PDRs with Rappler. According to SEC, this clause granted Omidyar Network a "negative control" of Rappler. The court ruled that while Omidyar PDR states that the right to vote on the Rappler shares is retained by RHC - said right to vote is being shared with or exercised jointly by RHC, as the owner of the shares, and Omidyar, through Clause 12.2.2. "Thus, under a 'zero' foreign control standard, it would appear that this is tantamount to some foreign control," the court said. Palace supports CA decision Malacanang said the appellate court's decision supports their stance that the case does not involve press freedom but SEC's regulatory powers. "The decision of the Court of Appeals affirms that the Securities and Exchange Commission was correct to revoke Rappler's registration based on its previous investigation," the Palace said said in a statement. But Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa, in a separate statement, said the CA sided with them that the revocation of Rappler's license is wrong. "Omidyar never exercised its right to the allegedly questionable clause in its Philippine Depositary Receipt and later even waived its right under that clause, according to the CA," Ressa said. She claimed it was business as usual for the media outfit. "We are here for the long haul with you, inspired and reinvigorated by the mission of journalism," she said. Granted, the jukebox musical has worn out its own traditional biographical narrative in which the artist(s) under examination fight off the record-label suits in order to win on his, her or their own terms. But the much-copied Mamma Mia!, the gold standard of how to build a new comedic context while still honoring beloved pop artists, succeeded because of a secret sauce that Head Over Heels cannot quite emulate: A new plot with enough truthful tension to really hold your interest and a sophisticated satirical sensibility in how each and every track is used in the new story. Stratovolcano 1536 m / 5,039 ftKamchatka, 54.05N / 159.43E(4 out of 5)1771, 1830, 1852, 1854, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1915, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1996 - ongoingDoninantly explosive, construction of lava domes, near constant activity.(volcano expedition to Kamchatka) If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online: Karymsky, the most active volcano of Kamchatka's eastern volcanic zone, is a symmetrical stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that formed during the early Holocene. The caldera cuts the south side of the Pleistocene Dvor volcano and is located outside the north margin of the large mid-Pleistocene Polovinka caldera, which contains the smaller Akademia Nauk and Odnoboky calderas. Most seismicity preceding Karymsky eruptions originated beneath Akademia Nauk caldera, which is located immediately south of Karymsky volcano. The caldera enclosing Karymsky volcano formed about 7600-7700 radiocarbon years ago; construction of the Karymsky stratovolcano began about 2000 years later. The latest eruptive period began about 500 years ago, following a 2300-year quiescence. Much of the cone is mantled by lava flows less than 200 years old. Historical eruptions have been vulcanian or vulcanian-strombolian with moderate explosive activity and occasional lava flows from the summit crater. Find out which volcanoes erupted in a given year or month! One of Iceland's most active and dangerous volcanoes is showing signs of unrest and statistically due for a new eruption. Earthquakes could give a clue. Discover Iceland's fascinating geology and volcanic activity on this relaxed photo and geo tour! Get to see theon the Reykjanes peninsula from close! If you're interested in volcanoes, there are a number of excursions you should not miss if you're in the area: hike to the craters of Stromboli volcano, climb Etna volcano, get to know the unique volcanic history of Santorini - some examples of shorter (1-3 days) tours and excursions we offer. Many volcanoes can be observed in real-time using webcams. Look at the latest images collected from our volcano webcam viewer tool Support us - Help us upgrade our services! 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. Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Earthquake archive from 1900 onwards Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: Speaking to a crowd of steelworkers Thursday in Granite City, Ill., Trump touted a historic agreement with the European Union and said his administrations tough trade strategy is working and making up for unfair trade deals in the past. This is the time to straighten out the worst trade deals ever made by any country on Earth ever in history, he said. Over the last 12 months, the economy has grown by 2.8 percent, which is a bit better than it has done recently, but is in no way the strongest growth during this expansion, said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics. The U.S. economy grew by 2.9 percent in 2015 and 2006, and more than 3 percent in 2004 and 2005. Initially, Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said on Twitter that Howell told one of her officers after he was arrested that he wanted "to harm" the gay pride event. A department spokesman said later that the tweet was a misstatement and that although Howell told investigators he was going to the Pride festival, he did not make additional statements about his intentions. There have been other consequences. The Grand Teton Music Festival, where Preucil was one of four listed concertmasters this summer, has uninvited him. Upon reading the recently published accusations against Mr. Preucil, the Grand Teton Music Festival acted swiftly and decisively yesterday to rescind his invitation to participate in this years festival, said Andrew Palmer Todd, the festivals president and CEO, in a statement. This sort of behavior has no place in our organization. The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, where Preucil was scheduled to perform this week, removed him from those concerts, and a scheduled recital at the University of Texas at Austin in October was also canceled. Just about everybody in the theater either has a story that they either have experienced, enabled or committed, says Tonia Sina, a theater professor in Oklahoma City who is co-founder of IDI. A lot of people leave the theater because of trauma, because they dont ever want to be onstage again. They switch industries, because of how abusive it could be. So were just hoping that we can make the industry safer and make it a more welcoming place. Much futzing, of course, occurs in bars, and Bacardis global advocacy director, Jacob Briars, says thats part of the daiquiris appeal. Theres a very small window for how to make a daiquiri well, but within that window, room for almost endless tinkering, he told a crowd at one of the seminars at Tales. You can tweak everything from the kind of limes to the kind of sugar and what form and strength that sweetener comes in; many bartenders opt to make a 2-to-1 sugar-to-water syrup to cut down on dilution. (The accompanying recipes include a mint-enhanced version, and French Scotty Marshalls coconut-syrup boosted Coki Beach, with which he won the U.S. segment of the Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition this year.) We braved the heat to check out Storyville, the citys red-light district from 1897 to 1917, and the black vice district, which was active from the 1880s to the 1950s. The latter is home to a quartet of buildings whose shabby states belie their earlier vitality. (Preservationists are doing their darndest to protect the structures, which include the Eagle Saloon, where Buddy Bolden performed, and the Karnofsky Tailor Shop, whose Jewish owners provided Armstrong with a second home.) We stood outside the boarded-up Iroquois Theater, a movie palace and jazz concert hall that catered to African Americans. Theres a related point thats more important and feeds into why Mission: Impossible has been so great for so long. Because theres no interest in a larger mythology, the only true mission the sequels have is to keep topping their predecessors. Fallout and Rogue Nation are the first two to share a director, Christopher McQuarrie. But after Brian De Palma set the standard with the first Mission: Impossible, its been a game of Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better among some of the most skilled craftsmen in the business, with entries by John Woo, the Hong Kong action maestro behind Hard Boiled and Face/Off; J.J. Abrams, who created the superb TV spy series Alias and went on to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens; and Brad Bird, the writer-director of The Incredibles films for Pixar. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy My first responsibility is to Montgomery County, said Leggett, who has pledged to support Democratic county executive nominee Marc Elrich over Nancy Floreen, a longtime Democratic council member who changed her party affiliation to run as an independent. Im not sure they [in the Jealous campaign] have thought through the impact and implications of some of the positions that theyve taken. We had a good ole time but if Jim Allen had ever found out I was having coffee with two window washers in my nightgown he would have killed me. But I got two solid votes for Allen. Can you just see the head of the Alabama Baptist church if he heard that story? A: Yes, I have. Some people whose histories are ones of immigration instead of migration particularly have been very interested. When I started researching this, one of the things that struck me about the way that we went in the wrong direction back then and that we have an opportunity to a better job this time is there were so many similarities between the situations of the immigrants coming from Europe and the migrants coming up from the South. Instead of coalescing and collaborating across those communities and looking at those commonalities and building upon them, the city as a whole (and there were different parts to it) really implemented systems that drove people apart, and that is reflected in whats happening today. Its true that immigrants, the white working class and the black working class thats already here, have a lot in common. We are not focusing on our commonalities right now. Were focusing on our divisions and thats the kind of thing that causes such unrest to develop. Im hopeful that people can take a look at that, and take a look in the mirror and say: How do we get past this? How do we take the focus away from our divisions and move our focus toward our commonalities? That same volatility and anger, police say, propelled Natera Perez to barricade himself Monday with his 3-year-old son in a townhouse in Montgomery County. He sliced his finger, wrote I love u and family in blood on walls in the house, broke dishes and furniture. And when hostage negotiators tried to get him to release his son and leave the house, he refused. The Special Counsel has asked Tad Devine to appear and testify about media consulting work on past political campaigns in Ukraine, Devines firm Devine Mulvey Longabaugh said in a statement. We have been assured by the Special Counsels Office that we have no legal exposure, did not act unlawfully, and that Tad is testifying as a fact witness. Mallory traveled twice to China to meet with a Chinese spy calling himself Michael Yang, as well as with others. On the second trip, Yang gave him a customized Samsung phone so they could communicate covertly, which Mallory later handed over to the FBI. Agents found several documents containing classified information as well as conversations indicating Mallory had sent some of the papers to Yang and tried to send others. In a statement from his firm Thursday evening, Devine said he was asked by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to assist in the prosecution of their case against Paul Manafort regarding his firms work on media consulting on past political campaigns in Ukraine. We have been assured by the Special Counsels Office that we have no legal exposure and did not act unlawfully. Patrol officers noticed two men looking into cars parked along Linden Avenue on the evening of July 19. Becoming suspicious, they approached the men, telling them to stay where they were. When one of the men started to walk away, a struggle ensued. The proposed project would be the largest pipeline of its kind to cross the Jefferson National Forest, the judges wrote. American citizens understandably place their trust in the Forest Service to protect and preserve this countrys forests, and they deserve more than silent acquiescence to a pipeline companys justification for upending large swaths of national forestlands. Citizens also trust in the Bureau of Land Management to prevent undue degradation to public lands. Over the last few years, Ive begun to take on a more significant role at Gentry Locke, culminating with my becoming an owner this year, wrote Habeeb, who is married with three children. Looking forward, there are some very exciting professional opportunities for my firm and me on the horizon. Those new responsibilities, along with the ever-growing responsibilities of being a Dad to my amazing kids and a husband to my incredible wife, make now the right time for me to step away. They now require first floors of new buildings to be three feet higher than the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirement, and they are considering no-runoff pervious pavement for sidewalks and parking lots, which will allow standing water to drain into the soil slowly. The city is working on creating breakwaters in parts of the bay, dredging certain channels and replenishing beaches to make them more resilient to waves. I just remember thinking, Im either going to let this consume me, the guilt and the shame, or Im going to move on, and Im going to keep trying to do the next right thing, said King, who battles with opioid addiction, which can include heroin, fentanyl and prescription pain relievers like oxycodone. I know that theyre trying to do the best that they can and theyve done a lot of things, he said about local community leaders. But we need to expect here in Danville and in Virginia and across the country we need to expect more from Washington. Comstock, who is running in a district Trump lost by 10 points, has worked to distance herself from the president in hopes of appealing to independents and moderate voters, despite an almost perfect record of voting with her party. The 10th Congressional District is among the most diverse in the state; Hispanic residents make up about 14 percent of the population, according to census data. Gertzs low profile in recent weeks has perplexed residents, some of whom struggled over the decision to sell the hospital to an outsider. Some had been suspicious because plans by a previous white knight and former business associate of Gertzs to save the hospital through remote lab billing fell through last summer. Also, some were frustrated when Gertz said in a public meeting that he was under no obligation to provide the community with his financials. Summer's scorching heat ain't got nothing' on these incredible pools. From the world's largest infinity rooftop pool in Singapore to California's Hearst Castle, we've rounded up a few beautiful basins worth diving into. Kenney said immigration officers are wrongly using the database to go to homes and workplaces of people who list foreign countries of origin and arresting other people who are in the country illegally but are otherwise not accused of any crimes. Lawyers for James A. Wolfe had argued that the comments made by Trump about the case against Wolfe could influence a jury. Wolfe, the longtime security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, was arrested last month and accused of telling the FBI that he had not communicated with four Washington reporters, including one for the New York Times whom he dated for several years before she worked for the paper. For all the excitement among those who showed up to see Buzz and the gang on their Florida debut, there were a lot of visitors who seemed just as eager to peer over the construction fence at the new land under construction next door, the alien geography taking shape as Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. It's easy to imagine that expansion, which Disney designers have promised will be one of their most detailed and immersive ever, overwhelming the smaller Toy Story Land, which will go from being its own cul-de-sac destination within the park to a pass-through on the way to a that galaxy far, far on the other side of the park. It's hard to be as otherworldly as an actual other world. Tunisia releases suspected bin Laden bodyguard: Tunisia has released a man two weeks after he was deported from Germany on suspicion of being an Islamist militant who once served as Osama bin Laden's bodyguard, a judiciary official said Friday. Tunis authorities had decided there was not enough evidence to keep holding Sami Aidoudi, but investigations would continue, said Sofian Sliti, spokesman of Tunisia's anti-terrorist judiciary body. German opposition and rights groups had criticized Aidoudi's deportation, saying he could face torture in Tunisia and citing a court decision that he should stay. Local governments around the state have reason to remember the way Hogans stacking of regulatory commissions and other bodies has coddled big business and stymied local planning. His appointments to the Public Service Commission rubber-stamped the merger of Exelon and state power companies, meaning local ratepayers will probably wind up paying for the outrageously expensive decommissioning of Exelons aged-out nuclear plants. And the new Prince Georges County hospitals ability to serve a broad swath of the public was severely crippled by one Hogan appointee to a health-care regulatory commission, carrying out the mandate of the Heritage Foundation whence he came. Modernist buildings often come under attack because they lack decoration that serves a narrative role that expresses their purpose a marble bas relief, say, of the scales of justice. But the Daley Center communicates the majesty of the law in an entirely different way: not just through its rugged exterior, but also through the noble proportions, the expansive glass walls and the refined use of materials that uplift its interior. By increasing exports of American natural gas, the United States can help our NATO allies escape Russian strong-arming. America is the worlds leading producer of clean, versatile natural gas. There are two export facilities in the United States. able to ship natural gas overseas one in Maryland and one in Louisiana. Three more are due to be operational by the end of this year, and at least 20 additional projects are awaiting federal permits. We must speed up these approvals to give our allies alternatives to Russian gas. It is no stretch, then, to imagine Trump lying about whether he knew in advance about the meeting he then lied about. In fact, that would be perfectly in character. Sometimes it is hard to understand why Trump bothers to lie, when the truth is so provable and obvious. But often Trumps lies simply reflect the primitive instinct of the cornered toddler with chocolate smeared on his face, insisting that he had not just raided the cookie jar. This vitriol was prompted by a speech in which Rouhani had said: America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars. Trumps reaction seemed disproportionate and reeked, as I noted, of a desperate attempt to distract attention from his subservience to Russia. Speaking on CNN, I said, If anybody is issuing demented words of violence and death, I would say its the president of the United States. Its quite a pass weve come to when the leadership of a country like Iran seems more stable and rational than the president of the United States. This matters because Butina is at most the tip of the iceberg, one of the sillier, more junior players in a broader game. Far more important are Russian oligarchs bearing bribes or Russian hackers probing vulnerabilities in our political system as well as our electrical grid. To push back against them, as well as their equivalents from the rest of the autocratic world, we will need not only to catch the odd agent but also to make our political funding systems more transparent, to write new laws banning shell companies and money laundering, and to end the manipulation of social media. It took more than a generation for Americans to reject the temptations of communist authoritarianism; it will take more than a generation before we have defeated kleptocratic authoritarianism too if we still can. Many facilities within the state hospital system are badly in need of repair. Central State Hospital in Petersburg dates back to 1870 and was once called the Central Lunatic Asylum for the Colored Insane. Some of its buildings have been abandoned. The main structure needs replacement, at an estimated cost of $169.1 million. Patients often sleep on floors in makeshift beds when the facility goes over capacity, says Daniel Herr, Virginias deputy commissioner for behavioral health services in Richmond. With U.S. industry, U.S. agriculture, long-standing European trading partners and members of his own party all telling Mr. Trump to cool it, he did something he rarely does listen. The deal the president trumpeted on Wednesday in the company of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was his face-saving off-ramp. It amounts to little more than a mutual promise to talk about reducing trade barriers on both sides of the Atlantic, and to impose no new ones in the meantime. Tariffs on industrial goods other than autos would be targeted for elimination. Europe embellished it with a pledge to buy more American soybeans, thus offsetting Chinas tariffs on that product, and to import more U.S. natural gas in the distant future. Considering that the negotiating agenda Mr. Trump and Mr. Juncker sketched resembles the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership that President Barack Obama tried to launch with Europe, you could almost say that all Mr. Trump has to show for his trade war with the European foe is a return to his predecessors policy, plus some beans. An intriguing example of Russias new generation of spycraft is the case of Maria Butina, who was indicted by the Justice Department this month on charges that she plotted a covert influence campaign that partly targeted the National Rifle Association. The indictment alleges that she was run secretly by a Russian official who had served in parliament and the Central Bank, and was bankrolled by a second Russian who was a billionaire oligarch. That may not be startling news to people who know that Latinos now outnumber African-Americans in Chicago and constitute nearly a third of the population. But in light of those earlier yet not-so-distant times the lonelier times it is remarkable. And especially important, Ocasio says, given that most of President Donald Trumps nominations to the federal judiciary have been white men. Seven reputable local citizens, two retired judges one federal, one Superior Court and five religious leaders have filed a complaint with the board, charging that Trump is unfit to hold a liquor license in the city. The leaders are asking the board to require the Trump International Hotel, which the presidents company operates in the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue NW under a 60-year lease with the federal government, to show cause why his liquor license should not be revoked. In his brilliant history of the eugenics movement, War Against the Weak, Edwin Black traces the influence of Grants book in paragraph after paragraph of Mein Kampf. In the early 20th century, the United States was the world leader in the practice of eugenics, which was generally viewed as modern, scientific and progressive. The promotion of eugenics was generously supported by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Mary Harriman. It is better for all the world, argued Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for this imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. Teddy Roosevelt wrote that society has no business to permit degenerates to reproduce their kind. There was sporadic resistance to eugenics among scientists and religious leaders. But states eventually coercively sterilized about 60,000 human beings. It was only after Germany pressed eugenics to Grants logical conclusion that the practice was medically discredited (though not entirely discontinued). That means agencies use what they call a whole person evaluation to adjudicate a clearance level and assess derogatory events, rather than relying on any specific checklist of behavior. Although the government studies 13 areas, from demonstrated allegiance to the U.S. to sexual behavior, financial considerations and alcohol consumption, it doesnt bar expressing partisan opinions, taking political views or even engaging in electoral politics (as long as federal employees dont violate the Hatch Act). The only question in the security process dealing with politics comes around Page 125 of the SF-86 background form: Question 29 asks whether you intend to commit sedition or violently overthrow the government by force or whether youve belonged to groups that encourage that. I didnt think Trump was malicious to see merit in this cynical, deceitful offer. He has been naive about Putin and his autocratic regime for years; this was another expression of his misunderstanding of Putins methods, or so I believed in the moment. (Trumps praise underscored why he should never have held a tete-a-tete with Putin. If he could get played on such an obvious no-no handing over our intelligence officers to Russian interrogators what else did he agree to in private?) It was just one more symptom of his gullibility, like his choice, during the presser, to side with Putin and against his own government on the question of 2016 meddling: President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. It fits a very familiar pattern of North Koreas negotiating square-dancing, said Daniel Russel, who served as a high-ranking Asia policy official in the Obama administration. You make very vague, very sweeping proclamations and declarations about your willingness to do right by mankind and achieve global denuclearization. Then you move slowly, you try to put the focus on a very small, very concrete issue, and you make it complicated and difficult. The breakthrough then bears no connection to denuclearization and substitutes for progress. I understand that you have a right to review your administrations documents before they are released, and there is nothing wrong with that, Schumer wrote to Bush. My concern is that the Archivist of the United States, who is responsible for guiding the review and release of responsive documents, would be cut out of this new process being contemplated by Senate Republicans. During the meeting, Gomez cast the solitary no vote in the approval of $30.5 million in contracts for construction and professional engineering services. Gomez voted against a $4.7 million contract to F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates for removal of the OHare Oasis pavilion for the Interstate 294 project, which was the only contract before the board that had not previously gone through committee for review. Gomez told reporters afterward that he made a policy of not approving anything that doesnt go through the proper channels. I am going to work very hard, Trump said of his political activity during an interview with conservative media personality Sean Hannity. Ill go six or seven days a week when were 60 days out. I will be campaigning for all these great people that do have a difficult race and we think were going to bring them over the line. Putin said Friday that he was prepared to visit Trump in Washington and that he had also invited the president to Moscow. Either way, Putin said, the timing for such a visit had to be right an apparent reference to White House claims that the next Putin-Trump summit needs to wait until after the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. Editors Note: For this story, Lanny Davis, an attorney for Michael Cohen, provided information as an unnamed source, saying Cohen told associates he had witnessed a 2016 exchange in which Donald Trump Jr. informed his father that he expected to receive damaging information about Hillary Clinton. On Aug. 26, Davis agreed to reveal his identity as the source of that information and said he is no longer confident that it is true. Ocasio-Cortez has sent scores of donors and volunteers to help Harris, whose imperative is not only attracting Democrats but also adding new voters to the rolls. During a Friday night canvass in Wilmington, Harris spent 30 minutes talking to two men who had been passing a joint between them and were intrigued by her support for legal marijuana. By the end of the talk, one had agreed to come to her office to learn about volunteering. The government insists that the vote will be free and fair, touting the participation of other political parties and a historically large number of election monitors. But critics note the lack of any viable opposition, the insignificance of the other parties and the muzzling of independent news media in the lead-up to the vote all engineered, the critics say, to secure a win for Hun Sen after his ruling party almost lost power to the opposition in 2013. The CNRPs leader, Kem Sokha, remains in a remote prison on the border with Vietnam after his arrest on charges of treason last September. They took personal property from the man, but when he said he didnt have any money with him, they made him get in the passenger seat of his car and told him to take them to someone who would be able to give them money, police said. The wide-ranging report also highlights concerns over the funding of one of the campaigns that pushed for Britain to leave the European Union. Arron Banks is believed to have donated 8.4m to the leave campaign, the largest political donation in British politics, but it is unclear from where he obtained that amount of money, the report says. He failed to satisfy us that his own donations had, in fact, come from sources within the UK. In country after country, new nationalistic immigration policies have tested Catholic officials and they have responded in different ways. Catholic leaders in the United States have been critical of President Trump on migration, and the U.S. organizing body of bishops last month described as immoral the practice of separating children from their parents at the border. In Poland, which has refused to accept a European-mandated quota of refugees, Catholic leaders have been more restrained, offering occasional criticism of the governments refugee refusal, but also supporting a massive gathering last year of Catholics along the countrys border an event that was seen by some as having anti-Islam overtones. Russia continues to engage in cyber warfare against our democracy, McCaskill said in a press release Thursday evening. While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that they think they can get away with this. I will not be intimidated. Ive said it before and I will say it again, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a thug and a bully. Some parents said they thought they were signing paperwork that would allow them to reunite with their children, according to their lawyers. Others described being crowded into rooms with dozens of people and given only a few minutes to fill out forms that would determine whether they would reunite with their children or leave them behind in the United States. They signed the forms out of fear, confusion or a belief that they had no choice, lawyers wrote in the court filing. Shares of Australian software export Atlassian soared in after-hours trading on Wall Street after the company said it's selling its corporate chat software to rival Slack Technologies and taking a small stake in the startup as it's facing greater competition from Microsoft. Slack will pay an undisclosed amount over the next three years to acquire Atlassian's HipChat and Stride products, chief executives from both companies said. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield described both the payment and the investment by Atlassian in his company as "nominal" in financial terms but important strategically. He declined to elaborate on the former. The deal allows Atlassian to exit a business that failed to generate as much demand as expected, and gives Slack more customers, most of whom pay a monthly service fee. Combining the two businesses bolsters Slack at a time when Microsoft is pushing a rival product called Teams to some 135 million Office cloud customers. Microsoft introduced a free version of Teams this month in a bid to lure people who don't subscribe to Office 365. It's been a good day for Aussie billionaire Mike Cannon Brookes, the Atlassian co-CEO. Credit:Daniel Munoz Atlassian shares jumped as much as 18 per cent in extended trading following the news. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana apologized for saying the ruling favoring the Philippines over disputes in the West Philippine Sea is an "empty victory." He extended his apologies to former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Acting Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio. The two helped argue the Philippines' case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. "I sincerely apologize to these two great gentlemen for ruffling their feelings when I said that the PCA ruling in our favor is an empty victory. Both have reasons to be miffed for they worked hard to win our case before the PCA. It was not my intention to denigrate their achievement," Lorenzana said in a message to reporters Friday. Earlier media reports claimed Carpio and Del Rosario did not take Lorenzana's statements well. But Lorenzana then said that with current realities, the victory claimed is premature and incomplete. "The phrase 'empty victory' does not pertain to the efforts of Mssrs. Carpio and del Rosario in successfully winning our case in the PCA but rather, to the outcome of the ruling. With the realities on the ground, the victory being claimed is premature and incomplete since the ruling has no enforcement mechanism," he added. The Defense chief explained that until our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is under the country's complete control, and until the ruling is fully enforced, it remains just "a piece of paper." "If it is a victory, then why is the (West Philippine Sea) not under our complete control? If we are victorious, why are the Chinese still in the (West Philippine Sea)? Lest we forget, the Malaysians and Vietnamese are also within our exclusive economic zone, occupying many islands which they have improved through the years," he said. Lorenzana's remark came Monday, after the Social Weather Stations' latest survey showed that 9 of 10 Filipinos deemed important that the Philippines to regain control over island occupied by China in the contested waters. "We won, but it is an empty victory. The Chinese won't leave our EEZ and instead it continues to assert its historical rights over the areas within the nine-dash line," he earlier said. But Lorenzana said how the survey questions were framed might be wrong. "Many people also need to understand that the PCA ruling was about 'sovereign rights' and not 'sovereignty,' which are two different things," Lorenzana added. The 2016 ruling junked China's nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea, which overlaps with parts of the country's 200-nautical mile (EEZ). China has refused to observe the international tribunal's ruling. President Rodrigo Duterte has been criticized for his warmer ties with China, but he vowed to protect the country's sovereign rights in his third State of the Nation Address on Monday. "Our improved relationship with China does not mean we will waver to defend our interest in the West Philippine Sea," Duterte had said. As the man was getting out of the car, the trio demanded it, so he got back inside and started to drive away, police said. One of them shot a handgun at the man, hitting him in the elbow and leg, police said. BHP has sold its US onshore oil and shale gas business to energy giant BP and Merit Energy for $US10.8 billion ($14.6 billion), well above market expectations, but failed to fill the hole in its balance sheet left by the investment. The resources giant had bought the assets for close to $US20 billion in 2011 at the height of the oil boom. Before the oil crash in 2014, oil and gas was BHP's second-largest earner after iron ore. It later pumped another $20 billion in capital and operating investments into the assets, which created around $US10 billion in revenue. BHP warned on Friday it will book a further writedown of about $US2.8 billion on the assets, but shareholders will breathe a sigh of relief that the company's US oil and gas adventure is finished at last, with BHP promising to return to them the proceeds of the sale. BP and Merit's cash-offer was at least $US2 billion above market estimates, which analysts said could be a driver for BHP's stock. For a man who has made two fortunes on the free market, Dick Smith is a terrible capitalist. Announcing on Thursday morning that he was closing Dick Smith Foods because he could not viably compete on price with Aldi, Smith wept when he conceded he had been unable to save Australian jobs with the brand. I couldnt. I couldnt. It was beyond me, he said. Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dick Smith. Credit:James Brickwood Smith said he had been defeated by a system of extreme capitalism and lamented that when producers like him were forced out of the local market Australians would be left with cheaper food, less variety, more obesity and, eventually, entrenched high unemployment. Hugo Weaving isn't the star of Patrick Melrose (BBC First, Mondays 9.30pm), but as the charming and viciously cruel father of the titular character he looms over everything that happens across its five episodes. Based on the novels of Edward St Aubyn, the series is every bit as dark and funny and disturbing as the books. In fact, it is faithful to its source in all but one respect: the first two episodes reverse the order of the first two books. The reason for that is clear. In Bad News (episode one, book two), Patrick (Benedict Cumberbatch) flies to New York to view the body of his deceased father. His visit becomes a blackly hilarious series of encounters with alcohol, heroin, Qaaludes and knife-wielding street hustlers, all of it fuelled by rage at himself and at the old man whose ashes he flies home with. In Never Mind (episode two, book one) Cumberbatch barely appears other than in a couple of fleeting flash-forwards. Not the best way into a series that he stamps as his own with a brilliant performance that ranges from pitiable to despicable to heroic, with a whole bunch of stops in between. Rachel speaks with a quiet determination, describing running a gauntlet of doctors and specialists, being bounced around the Western Australian health service. "There were just random things going on that nobody could explain," she says. "Then there seemed to be a lot of little things that nobody could explain. Then two years ago I got really sick. Three weeks out of the month I'd have cellulitis." Cellulitis, an infection of the skin and tissues beneath, is excruciating. Rachel can put on up to 20kg of fluid during one attack. In August last year she was eventually told she had a brain tumor. I need a voice, I need my story to be told. To help other families as well, to make sure this never happens to anyone again. Just to be left in the system, devoured by it. It's not OK. Rachel "It was a Friday afternoon, she'd spent a few days in hospital, done some MRIs but she was mainly in there for the cellulitis," Andrew said. The family celebrate Rachel's 39th birthday last week. Credit:Fighting for Rachel "They came and said we will send you home. Just before walking out, he said 'you've got this thing in your brain. There's nothing to worry about, it's not going to grow'." But it has. And the symptoms have been getting worse. Rachel celebrated her 39th birthday last week with a dinner her friends organised that she really didnt feel well enough to attend but struggled through. Rachel and her husband have told her story over and over again, mostly to a conga line of doctors whom she sought help from. She was told the tumour was inoperable. Finally she told her story to one neurosurgeon who said he would do something. The famous Dr Charlie Teo, based in Sydney, whose reputation as a cowboy operator the couple is well aware of. Dr Teo is known for taking risks other surgeons are not prepared to take, and after the couple flew east for a consultation, he determined Rachel was a good candidate for brain surgery. "He will go where nobody else will go," Rachel said. The couple know the risks. "He's done 80 of these, he's told us. They have come out with symptoms gone, or minimal residue," Andrew says. Loading The cost of the operation, then care in ICU and follow up is about $100,000. "I could die, we have to sign a waiver to say that's OK, basically. I'm shit scared, to be honest," Rachel says. "And I do go between 'do I do it, do I not?' because I'm scared. Then I think of the kids. Do they deserve to have a mother? I'm only 39 years old. "It's just all unfair." A letter from Dr Teo's office to Rachel's GP says she would be a reasonable candidate for surgery given her symptoms and radiographic findings a 9mm lesion. "While our patients who are offered surgery tend to do quite well, we would certainly never guarantee that her symptoms would abate after surgery and she would need to know that going in as well as the risks of new neurologic deficit or problems including even death," the letter says. Dr Teo told the couple that people with Rachel's condition he had operated on had a better quality of life afterwards. But there were no guarantees. "I've got to try," Rachel says. "I want it out." The tumour in Rachel's brain. Credit:Fighting for Rachel MUMS MOBILISED Neighbourhood mums noticed Rachel was getting more unwell, and started asking Rachel's children what was going on. They started a fundraising campaign Fighting for Rachel. But it's been tough. "It's been hell, we have done some really nice fundraising events, but the amount coming out of them is minimal," Rachel says. "To date, today we are sitting at $5000 altogether. That's it." To donate, click here While the federal government is looking into what can be done about the issue of extravagant out-of-pocket medical costs, with the chief medical officer at the helm of an investigative committee, the couple find it difficult to reconcile the fact that $100,000 may restore her life but the Australian government cannot help. Rachel Hayden was told the tumour was inoperable. Credit:Fighting for Rachel "It's just devastating," Rachel says. "There are people like the paedophile in Bali recently. Australian taxpayers spent $500,000 through Legal Aid to save him. But they can't spend $100,000 to save a mum of five. "My kids have got to watch their mum die." Life was marvellous Rachel remembers back to the years before her illness struck. The couple had built a new home, had savings in their account, were very happy. "We were going marvellously, and then it all just suddenly changed," Rachel says. "And then the system let us down." She was put on unemployment rather than disability, and was forced to job-seek while very ill. It's plain to see how much Andrew loves his wife, and the depth of his despair at witnessing her decline. He tears up talking about the situation the family faces. "I look at photos and just cry," Rachel said. "You just can't believe how much someone can change, and think can I get back to looking like that, and feeling like that if I could just get this thing out of my brain that's making all my life hell." The family's five children are suffering too. One son was bullied at school about his mother's illness, so much so the couple decided to homeschool him. "Go tell your mum to die," Rachel says he was told by one bully. Dr Teo has been critcised for peddling hope when hope comes with big risks. But Rachel says the decision about whether to undergo brain surgery should be hers. A soon-to-be mother is in hospital and a 14-year-old boy in custody, after a violent home invasion in which the pregnant woman was stabbed in the chest and stomach in Sydneys north on Thursday night. Neighbours have described the screams of Pie-Jiun Cheah, a 33-year-old physiotherapist, after the bloody attack in her Mount Colah home, shortly before 9pm. Pei-Jiun Cheah (right) - the victim of a home invasion and stabbing attack in Mount Colah overnight. Credit:Facebook "She just knocked on our door and said 'I've been attacked help me, help me'," neighbour Mark Bolger told reporters on Friday. "We could see blood but not her actual wound. She was just totally distressed as we tried to ask her questions to get more information but she was so stressed she just couldn't speak about many other things." Get set for a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event on Saturday morning. It's worth getting up early for. About 4.30am, before sunrise, a shadow will start to creep across the moon. Bite by bite, the white orb will be consumed in shadow and appear to turn a dark, blood red. The blood moon, seen over Melbourne in 2014. Credit:Darrian Traynor And glimmering nearby, above and a little to the left, will be a yellowish-red dot. Mars, the closest it has been since 2003. The last time these two events, a total lunar eclipse and the opposition of Mars, lined up was in the year 792. It won't occur again for hundreds of years, says Sydney Observatory's curator Dr Andrew Jacob. Four Perth teenagers have been charged after allegedly robbing and bashing men they had lured to locations in Scarborough after meeting them online last weekend. Detectives allege on three occasions on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21, the youths arranged to meet with the men online, and robbed them when they arrived at an agreed location. One of the men they also allegedly bashed. Police charged a 15-year-old Karrinyup girl and 16-year-old Doubleview boy with aggravated robbery, while a 17-year-old Doubleview boy and 16-year-old Woodlands boy were charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with intent to rob. The four teenagers are due to appear before Perth Childrens Court on August 21. Detectives are still investigating. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au. Not since Paul Keating has Australia produced a political leader capable of the same breadth of fiery partisan invective, leavened by exhaustive precise policy arguments, which gives way to genuinely poignant oratory of emotional depth and poetic cadence comparable to Bevan in his pomp. A weary electorate decided that, despite his epic defiance of Hitler, Churchill was not the man to lead them into the "broad sunlit uplands" that he had promised as the fruits of victory. In May 1945 Bevan memorably lampooned the government: This land is made mainly of coal and surrounded by fish. Only an organisational genius could produce a shortage of coal and fish at the same time. Bevan was instrumental in the establishment of the National Health Service, which, despite its manifold bureaucratic problems, has provided accessible healthcare to millions of Britons and been fundamental to the social safety net promised by Clement Attlee, who replaced Winston Churchill in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The British Labour firebrand Aneurin (Nye) Bevan was a compelling and witty orator. He possessed an acerbic wit and passion derived from his background in the humble coal-mining heartland of Wales. He was a democratic socialist of the old school, who loathed the privilege represented by the Tory party. To paraphrase Bevan, it would require peculiar genius for Bill Shorten to forfeit two Labor seats to an unpopular, divided and divisive government this Saturday. Oppositions simply do not lose byelections to governments, especially one as riven by deep personality and policy divisions as this one. Should Labor lose Longman in Queensland, alone, it will have serious ramifications for the party. A loss there, coupled with defeat in Braddon, would almost certainly be the harbinger of defeat at the next general election and sound the death knell of Shortens leadership. When I speculated in January, that I thought Malcolm Turnbull had Bill Shortens measure, I was roundly ridiculed. While Labor may yet retain both Longman and Braddon, it is clear that the political momentum has shifted away from Labor. Shortens personal standing in the polls renders him almost unelectable. And that is a term that I rarely employ, as in major elections where government has changed hands, the incumbent prime minister has often retained personal ascendancy over their opponent. It is the mystique of incumbency. But the deficit facing Shorten is enormous and growing. It also seems to be deflating his partys numbers as well. Labor still leads the government in all reputable polls, though, by a margin that would probably evaporate as voters confront the stark choice of Shorten as prime minister, as the election looms. This prediction gives me no joy. I actually commend Shorten and his shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, for confronting the growing inequality in Australia, which is a long-term threat to the viability of our political system. Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen have confronted inequality in Australia. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Australias democracy and harmony have been built on social mobility and universal service provision. The age of disruption characterised by automation and the relocation of manual jobs to developing nations is emasculating swathes of manual and semi-skilled workers. Our democratic compact has been underpinned by an implicit expectation of rising living standards over the long term despite occasional recessions and aspirations of bequeathing higher hopes to the next generation. Rather than embarking on the low road of racially coding messages and pitting taxpayers against tax recipients, Labor are tackling the roots of job insecurity and the massive power imbalance between labour and capital that marginalises the many while enriching the few. A friend said she and the woman were sex workers and were working together when Charlie L. Booker approached. He and the victim left for a secluded alley near Harrison Street and Kilbourn Avenue. The friend said she was worried, so she asked a man she knew to keep an eye on them. New York: Twitter shares fell on Friday after US President Donald Trump accused the company - in a tweet, no less - of limiting the visibility of prominent Republicans in a practice that he said he would look into. On his preferred mode of communication, he vowed: "We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once!" The tweet came after a story in Vice magazine said prominent Republicans, such as Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel and the spokesman for Donald Trump jnr, were not showing up in one aspect of Twitter's search function. "Shadow banning" is a term used to describe accounts not appearing in the auto-populated, drop-down search box that pops up when people search for names or phrases on Twitter. Ankara: A powerful commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards has told Donald Trump to address any threats against Tehran directly to him, and mocked the US President for using the language of "night clubs and gambling halls". The comments by Major-General Qassem Soleimani, who heads the Quds Force of the Guards, were the latest salvo in a war of words between the two countries. "As a soldier, it is my duty to respond to your threats ... If you want to use the language of threat ... talk to me, not to the President [Hassan Rouhani]. It is not in our President's dignity to respond to you," Soleimani was quoted as saying by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency. Soleimani's message was in essence a warning to the United States to stop threatening Iran with war or risk exposing itself to an Iranian response. London: Mary Ellis, a pioneering aviator and one of Britain's last surviving World War II female pilots, who overcame public disapproval to fly hundreds of Spitfires and heavy bombers to the front lines, died Wednesday at her home on the Isle of Wight. She was 101. Her death was confirmed by the Royal Air Force. RAF Veteran World War II pilot Mary Ellis posing with a Spitfire at Biggin Hill Airfield, England. Credit:AP Ellis was one of the last two living members of the Air Transport Auxiliary, or ATA, which has since disbanded. She alone ferried 400 Spitfires and 76 other kinds of aircraft to airfields during the war. She joined the ATA in 1941, a year after Britain allowed women to fly military aircraft, but they were still prohibited from involvement in combat missions. STAMFORD 10,000 years. If that amount of time seems to hard to wrap your head around, youre not alone. Ten thousand years is the amount of time covered in AP World History, which includes lessons on all regions of the world. However, teachers and students have said the course covers too much history to make a real impact. But College Board, the nonprofit that runs the AP program, is looking to change that. Earlier this month, the organization reacted to feedback from teachers and students about the breadth of the AP World History course where many felt students were being taught too little about too much. According to the CollegeBoard announcement, this was also reflected in the AP essay scores. As a result, the group is proposing AP World History be split into two courses AP World History: Modern and AP World History: Ancient. The former will begin in 1200 CE rather than 1450 CE. The course will study civilizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas, focusing on concepts such as trade networks, the emergence of Hindu and Buddhist states in Asia and state building in Africa. AP World History: Ancient will still offer the same coverage as the current AP course. The new proposal is still being developed, pending cooperation from high schools and colleges, and would not be offered until at least the 2019-20 school year. However, department heads in Stamford are in favor of the idea. The current AP World is a crazy test, said Doug MacLehose, head of the history department at Stamford High School. It covers pre-written history to today and its world history, so it covers everything in the world. Its a huge amount of time and its a huge number of countries. While MacLehose does not teach AP World History, he said the CollegeBoards announcement is in line with feedback hes received from colleagues. However, Lisa Forbes, head of the history department at Westhill High School, has the same worries expressed by teachers when CollegeBoard originally proposed cutting the course to begin in the year 1450. The organization rescinded the idea after teachers protested it would make the course too Euro-centric based on European domination at the time. The course as is, it is a lot, Forbes said. Its 10,000 years of history and its from the whole world. A beauty of that was that it was so comprehensive and it didnt exclude any area of the world. It was challenging, but theres different themes that are covered throughout the course. When we heard earlier they were making the change to 1450, the teachers dont like it because it cuts out all the world civilizations except Europe. If you go 1450 to today, thats when Europe takes seize of world. Having a comprehensive way, it was world perspective. Challenging, yes, but a perspective of the world. If CollegeBoard moves forward with the change, teachers will receive materials at the beginning of 2019 for AP World History: Modern. Next summer, theyll have access to new exam and practice questions covering material from 1200 CE forward. Theyll also build out materials for AP World History: Ancient. Forbes and MacLehose said they would like to include the new AP courses in the curriculum if the proposal is approved. However, they have some hesitations. Forbes said she would include it but wants to ensure students would be required to take some form of ancient history, while MacLehose expressed concerns about students taking other AP history courses like AP Human Geography, because they would only get college credit for one of them. Most college courses are broken down more specifically, Forbes said. Itd be more of a reflection of what theyd see in college with the study of world history. It is so diverse, it does cover all regions of the world. That exposure is great for students. erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata It was only after Madigan, a fellow Democrat, sued Emanuels City Hall for a consent decree that the mayor agreed to enter negotiations to seek court oversight. As negotiations between the two sides continued for nearly a year, Emanuel moved forward with reforms of his own, including adding more officers to the force, deploying more Tasers, requiring all cops to wear body cameras and implementing changes in how police are trained, among other new policies. Eugene Ionesco once called Exit the King "an apprenticeship in dying". It's worse than that. It is the thing itself. Watching this absurdist classic half a century on is simply death one of those purgatorial nights at the theatre that makes you long for the light at the end of the tunnel. The National's bars should start stocking barbiturates on tap. They'd make a killing. In a playing card kingdom, the king is dying. As his once-proud country collapses in comical fashion its universities falling "into the abyss", its swimming pools set ablaze, its bistros empty Rhys Ifans' 483 year-old monarch, King Berenger, must come to terms with his own demise. In elevating his everyman figure, Berenger, to the throne, Ionesco insists that death, for each and every one of us, is the loss of our everything all our earthly possessions and powers. We are, all of us, rulers of our own lives and the slow drift through indignity, decrepitude and dementia is an enforced abdication of all we once were. It is a simple point and a profound one, though not one that sustains an hour and a half of overblown verbosity and polite, pantomime clowning that hits the same notes again and again. Adrian Scarborough's obsequious Royal Doctor skitters around, squirting syringes into the stalls. Debra Gillett's housemaid totters beneath ten-foot feather dusters and fly-swatters. The king's two queens sit by his side: Indira Varma haughtily as his first wife Maguerite; Amy Morgan, as his second, purring like a Champs-Elysees glamourpuss. British actors don't do buffoon and it shows. Adapter-director Patrick Marber mishandles the style of an extant play that requires a complete reboot. What felt absurd in 1963 looks antiquated today, and Exit the King's comedy needs a livewire anarchy but gets hamminess instead. Its new text is merely cosmetic work on a corpse, nodding to climate change and mindfulness, without rewiring the form. A pity: the play has plenty to say. It could puncture our age of aspiring immortality with its lycra-clad clean-eaters, botoxed beauty and evergreen baby-boomers. By hooking a man's death to a nation's demise, Exit the King marries the personal and political a cackle in the face of the coming cliff-edge Brexit and there's a mischief in mocking a dysfunctional royal family from the main stage of the Royal National Theatre. Especially with the Queen pushing 93. Ifans, his spiked crown swapped for a woolly hat, sometimes catches the croak of Prince Philip, but mostly, cuddled in ermine and pale as a skull, he looks like an aging rocker his long, lank locks giving him the air of Iggy Pop in pyjamas. He's an old shagger king sliding into impotence, once proudly omnipotent, now unable to stand. Such straining for dignity ought to be comic, but Ifans overplays his pomp and pre-empts his pratfalls, only cutting through with a lurching epiphany, suddenly pitiable as his fate dawns: "How do you die?" The same's true of a show that, after creaking like an arthritic knee for ages, comes together with a final coup de theatre. As a deserted King Berenger takes leave of his kingdom, Anthony Ward's set vanishes into a void. Its spirit soars up, its stage descends below. As the king exits, disappearing to a dot, time and space themselves seem to evaporate an undeservedly poignant end to a deadly evening. Based on the true story of John Callahan the Portland, Ore.-based cartoonist paralyzed from the neck down after a car crash at age 21, who kicked his alcoholism and started drawing this unusual drama avoids almost all the cliches of the inspirational-biopic genre. This article was published 26/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Based on the true story of John Callahan the Portland, Ore.-based cartoonist paralyzed from the neck down after a car crash at age 21, who kicked his alcoholism and started drawing this unusual drama avoids almost all the cliches of the inspirational-biopic genre. Movie review Dont Worry, He Wont Get Far on Foot Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara and Jonah Hill McGillivray 14A 115 minutes 1/2 stars click to read more Dont Worry, He Wont Get Far on Foot Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara and Jonah Hill McGillivray 14A 115 minutes 1/2 stars Other voices Leave it to filmmaker Gus Van Sant to make a film about a hopeless drunk who becomes a quadriplegic into a story that's funny, dark, sad, sweet and even sort of inspirational. Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star A movie that's supposed to inspire winds up being irritating instead. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post The film, loosely adapted from Callahan's life, is as divisive as his work, sure to be considered brutally funny by some and brutally insensitive by others. Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune It's not convincing that Callahan's well-being is truly at stake. Yet the movie is vital, with a pleasantly loose-flowing tone and message that art and humour can mend the spirit. Anita Katz, San Francisco Examiner Staggering between corny conventionality and zesty, upbeat weirdness, Don't Worry never fully acknowledges the cruelty and selfishness required to sustain a longtime habit. Jennette Catsoulis, New York Times Close Still, director Gus Van Sant cant quite match the sharp, dark, polarizing power of Callahans own work, which resolutely rejected the pity and forced sentimentality that sometimes surrounds disability. This is, after all, a guy who titled his autobiography Will the Real John Callahan Please Stand Up? Van Sant (Gerry, Elephant, Last Days, Milk), whose indie work during the past 15 years or so has been uneven and unpredictable but often interesting, uses an impressionistic style in which sudden, vivid images and moments are loosely connected by a saggy story structure. The films shape, such as it is, comes instead from an unsparing central performance by Joaquin Phoenix (The Master, Her, Irrational Man) and strong support from an eclectic ensemble cast. We see John as a young man and Phoenix may be incredible, but his range doesnt quite extend to passing as a 21-year-old sneaking some tequila on the way back from a morning liquor-mart run. He drinks his way through a fuzzy day, and later runs into Dexter (Jack Black, in party mode). Their fateful, drunken night ends with them both stumbling into a car and Dexter hitting a tree at high spped. Dexter walks away with a few bruises. John is left paralyzed from the neck down, with some limited movement in his arms. Then, its rehabilitation and a squalid domestic setup with an erratic caregiver, which involves John with a medical establishment and social-assistance authorities who are portrayed as almost uniformly awful. One doctor sums up John as a "C5-C6," without even bothering to say his name. SUNDANCE INSTITUTE Joaquin Phoenix (left) stars as paralyzed cartoonist John Callahan and Jonah Hill portrays Callahan's AA sponsor, Donnie. (Amazon Studio photos) A low point comes when the wheelchair-bound John is left home alone with liquor bottles he cant reach. Ultimately, he realizes that whats keeping him from leading a full life is not his quadriplegia but his alcoholism. He joins Alcoholics Anonymous and starts working the program, and the complicated back-and-forth of addiction and recovery makes for the most compelling section of the film. John gets support from his girlfriend Annu (Rooney Mara). A composite character based on several women in Callahans life, she feels like a composite character. Donnie (Jonah Hill), on the other hand, Johns louche, wealthy AA sponsor, is unique. Van Sant tracks some tricky dynamics as Donnie practises a particularly bitchy form of tough love with his group. These scenes are psychologically acute, and the participants are played by a fascinating bunch of actors, including Udo Kier, cultie muse of Andy Warhol and Guy Maddin; queer-punk musician Beth Ditto; and Kim Gordon, Sonic Youth star and all-round experimental icon, here playing a polished former trophy wife. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. SCOTT PATRICK GREEN / AMAZON STUDIOS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS John, right, runs into Dexter (Jack Black) and their fateful drunken nights ends with a car crash. Meanwhile, John keeps drawing cartoons, viewed as hilarious by some and offensive by others, with a rough, edgy style that suits his subject matter. Some of these drawings, brought to life in animated vignettes, add a little energy to Johns story, as do scenes in which he speeds around the sidewalks and streets of Portland in his motorized wheelchair, driving like a maniac. Unfortunately, the film as a whole stalls out in the second half. Van Sants approach is sensitive and Phoenixs work is committed, but the invigorating anger of Callahan himself is lacking. alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca Today, the organizations who have sued to bring about reform, including the ACLU, have started to examine the draft to see whether it is designed to meet the needs of Chicago residents. There is no simple and quick fix, and this document deserves our careful attention. Incredibly, this draft still does not require officers to record when they point a weapon at someone. The City of Chicago just settled a case for $2.5 million where police held a gun to the chest of a 3-year-old child. Given the absence of this provision, we need to examine this draft very closely. The movement toward reform of CPD did not culminate today but it has moved one step forward. We must all review and respond comprehensively to the draft to ensure a revised decree will successfully bring about the reform we have been waiting for. An ambitious and potentially ground breaking project to develop an aerospace parts plant at the Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas is moving closer to getting the go-ahead. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. An ambitious and potentially ground breaking project to develop an aerospace parts plant at the Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas is moving closer to getting the go-ahead. Interviews will be taking place place shortly to fill key positions in the early stages of the enterprise, as the band and the Manitoba Aerospace Association finalize the actual business plan. At this point, the plan is for the plant to produce and assemble a couple of specific machined-metal parts. The project was conceived more than a year ago as an industry effort to reach out to the Indigenous community of the province and better engage with that community, which will soon represent a significant portion of the provincial labour pool. Last fall, the provincial education department provided funding for an early feasibility study with the stated goal of having the doors open at the plant, if proven viable, within two years. That would be a tight time frame even for experienced, well-capitalized industry players, but OCN is getting plenty of support. "Its not going to be a cake walk, but none of the reviews along the way have caused us to say it cant be done," Wendell Wiebe, CEO of Manitoba Aerospace Association, said. From OCNs point of view, Chief Christian Sinclair said when the idea was first presented, his community was keen to explore the possibility. "When we had that scare a couple of years ago when the Tolko mill was about to shut down, we knew we had to think outside the box," Sinclair said. "We recognize the demographic shift. We see it in The Pas. We want to see how we can engage our First Nation workers in all industries." Although it is being framed as an industry initiative, Kim Westenskow, general manager of Boeing Canada Winnipeg and former chairwoman of the industry association, provided the initial impetus and continues to be a passionate champion of the project. "Weve put together a really good effort to understand if it is a business (that will work)," she said. "We need a few more months to understand if it can be a profitable business and if it is something that OCN can take on and actually grow to the extent we would like it to grow to." Boeing and Magellan Aerospace are committing to being customers, and the business-plan process will include pre-marketing efforts to explore other potential market customers for instance, bus- and fire-engine manufacturers in the province for the kind of components that would be manufactured there. Westenskow, who likely only has a year and a half left in her posting in Winnipeg, said she would like to see the project move faster. But, she said she understands that OCN needs to take the time to properly secure government support. "We are being smart about checking the boxes," she said. "We dont want to start something up and have it fail because it was not well planned." The actual financing for the initiative still needs to be addressed. Sinclair said Canadian Kraft Paper, the company that purchased and is now running the former Tolko operations, has made available a building the venture could use. But, the final business plan will determine the costs and benefits of doing something on a reserve where First Nations tax-free status could impact the financial viability of the project. The planning so far has roughly sketched out the kind of equipment that would be required, and the estimated costs. Sinclair and his team at OCNs Paskwayak Business Development Corp. which has a growing portfolio of business ventures that it already manages, including a sizable investment in marijuana retailer National Access Cannabis will soon have to put together proposals for funders. The project may require as much as $20 million in initial capital investment. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In addition to the fundamental challenges facing any entity trying to establish a sustainable, greenfield industry, the fact that this one will be First Nation-owned and in a region that is in crucial need of diversification means there will be plenty of interest in how it works. "I think this project will help us open the doors for other industry partners to start working with other communities," Westenskow said. "I hope this will launch other industries to start saying, What else can we do? because it does meet both our communitys and our governments goals. If we do a good job, it should be something we could replicate." In an email exchange, Manitobas Minister of Education, Ian Wishart, said, "Project planning work continues, and we hope this new business entity will lead to a more competitive, innovative and diverse aerospace industry in Manitoba." Sinclair, who has had plenty of experience developing successful First Nations enterprises elsewhere around the country in his prior career, is well aware of the potential significance of the project. "It would be the first of its kind in North America," he said. "It would be a precedent if we can pull this off, which I think we can." martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Daimler will carve itself into three separate units in its biggest overhaul in a decade as the Mercedes-Benz car and truck maker seeks to adapt to the unprecedented shift to self-driving and electric vehicles. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Daimler will carve itself into three separate units in its biggest overhaul in a decade as the Mercedes-Benz car and truck maker seeks to adapt to the unprecedented shift to self-driving and electric vehicles. The need for change was evident in the German manufacturers second-quarter figures that showed another slump in earnings following on from the first three months of the year. Daimler warned that trade barriers, new European emissions tests and pricing pressure will weigh in the coming months. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Thursdays supervisory board approval takes forward a plan, in the works since last year, to establish three largely independent units to allow cars, trucks and mobility services to react faster to changing customer demands and fend off new rivals such as Uber Technologies Inc. The move needs approval from shareholders, set for May. It could pave the way for spinoffs or other deals, such as a separate partial listing of its trucks unit. The company on Thursday reiterated that it has no plans for divestments. Daimler highlighted a disparate set of pressures on the company. These included higher spending on technology, a fire at a supplier interrupting production at its U.S. plant and consumers in China asking for price cuts even before a reduction in import duties. As a result, the manufacturer warned that lower second-quarter earnings at Mercedes-Benz passenger cars would extend into the current period. Leaving last months reduced annual forecast of slightly lower group earnings intact, Daimler said challenges for the Mercedes division will ease toward the end of the year. In an unexpected boost for Daimler and other European carmakers, U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday agreed to suspend new tariffs while negotiating lower barriers to transatlantic commerce. Signs of the two major trading partners backing away from a trade war helped lift Daimler as much as 3.2 per cent, trailing gains at BMW AG and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Daimler ships more than half of its Mercedes and Smart city cars it sells in the U.S. from the EU. Trump had threatened to slap import tariffs of 20 per cent on vehicle imports, up from 2.5 per cent. The manufacturer last month became the first prominent company to cut its profit outlook, blamed in part on escalating U.S.-China trade tensions that have raised import duties into China on vehicles such as Mercedess U.S.-made GLE SUV. Bloomberg News Even for an auto executive, Mike Manley has strong views about how a car should look and feel. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Even for an auto executive, Mike Manley has strong views about how a car should look and feel. Around 2009, the car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the first big product launch since Chrysler had been cast off by Daimler AG after their ill-fated merger. Manley, who had been in charge of product planning, took a test vehicle to the companys proving grounds near Ann Arbor, Mich., with Jim Press, then co-president of Chrysler, and a couple of engineers. "We all felt really pretty good about the car; its got everything we wanted," Press recalled. "Mike drove it and said, Nope, the steering wheels not big enough; it doesnt feel like a Jeep." A decade later, Jeep has been revitalized in the U.S. and expanded into a global powerhouse. Its the key sales driver for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, as well as the linchpin in the companys plan to double profits in the next five years. Manley, a 54-year-old Briton, was picked by chairman John Elkann, the scion of Fiats founding family, to replace a gravely ill Sergio Marchionne over the weekend. Marchionne died on Wednesday. Running a car company requires not just the instincts of a salesman, but also the deft touch of a politician. So Manley will have to show Wall Street hes more than just a prolific seller of Jeeps and Ram pickups. He made his debut appearance as chief executive officer on the companys earnings call Wednesday, a task that took on added weight with Marchionnes death. His elevation means navigating through numerous minefields: U.S. President Donald Trumps trade policy, doubts in Italy about whether the first non-Italian CEO can run the 119-year-old company and the existential questions over whether Fiat Chrysler needs a partner to help with investments in electrification and survive technological disruption from autonomous vehicles. "Weve only seen the operational side of Manley," said Philippe Houchois, an analyst at Jefferies Group in London whos been covering the company for 17 years. "We havent seen his ability to take it to a higher level. The job of CEO is quite political and complex." Manley has been on the list to replace Marchionne for years. At the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Marchionne said he was "squeezing out his potential successors, and the "poor bastard" who survived would become CEO after his departure. Asked then if he was ready to take over the legacy of Marchionne, who ran Fiat Chrysler for 14 years and engineered the transatlantic merger that saved both companies, Manley replied: "Sergio says that every day you own your right to live, which means we live in a tough environment, but its an environment Ive very much benefited from. Manley is expected to share the burden of replacing Marchionne with chief financial officer Richard Palmer, who had been Marchionnes alter ego with investors. After Europe chief Alfredo Altavilla abruptly resigned following the carmakers decision to pick Manley, more powers were assigned to Palmer, including mergers and acquisitions. Marchionne, who defied skeptics by repeatedly setting and meeting audacious profit targets, is almost worshiped on Wall Street for increasing shareholder value by more than 10-fold. On the last earnings call, one analyst begged him to remain in the job past his planned retirement date of April 2019. Another declared on the eve of his final five-year strategy presentation in June that Fiat Chrysler "is not a company: its the man." But Marchionne made a point of having his executives wear multiple hats to break down silos and help groom them for bigger responsibilities. Manley has worn quite a few. Born in 1964 in Edenbridge, England, a small town about an hour and a halfs drive south of London, he graduated from London South Bank University in 1985 with a degree in engineering and later earned a masters in business administration from Ashridge Management College. He spent 14 years working in car dealerships before being hired to run DaimlerChryslers U.K. dealer network in 2000. Sean Nevatte, who worked with Manley at a Lex Vauxhall dealership in the mid-1990s, remembers him as "extremely hands-on" and sometimes "fiery, but very controlled with it." "Everyone knew how ambitious he was," Nevatte said. Manley moved to the U.S. in 2003, initially to become vice-president of dealer operations, with more responsibilities coming later. In 2009, after Fiat had taken control of the post-bankruptcy Chrysler, Marchionne gave Manley the Jeep brand. He joined the companys general executive council, its highest decision-making body, in 2011, and became head of the Asia-Pacific region. In 2015, he added Fiat Chryslers other cash machine, its Ram truck brand, to his portfolio. It was during those early years in the U.S. that Manley began to earn the trust of Fiat Chryslers 2,640-strong dealer body, a group he has consulted frequently to keep his finger on the pulse of the market. They say its not unusual to wake up to a text message from him asking how a certain model the Jeep Compass or the Ram 1500, say is being received in a particular market. Cass Burch, who owns a handful of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram franchises in southern Georgia, dropped in on Manley at the Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters sometime in late 2014 or early 2015. Manley spent an hour and a half with him in Fiat Chryslers high-security design studio in the bowels of the corporate complex, laying out the entire new Jeep product line. At the end of it all, Manley looked intently at Burch and asked what he thought. "It makes you start qualifying what youve got to say, because you realize theyre listening," Burch said. "You need to be sure that the input youre giving, youre willing to go to the wall with it." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Still, the Jeep guru is not without his missteps. As he was overseeing Jeeps global expansion in 2011, Marchionne gave Manley another massive task: expand Fiat Chrysler in Asia after more than a decade of failed attempts. Even Manley didnt manage to meet the targets set for the region. The local production of Fiat sedans in China was a flop, and Jeep itself had a weak start. Manley was replaced as Asia chief in 2017. Manley also will have to deal with tightening fuel-economy standards, mandates for electric vehicles and a brand that is more popular with Chinese consumers for its merchandising bags and clothing than its vehicles, Jefferies Houchois said. Press, the Chrysler executive who relied heavily on Manley as the company struggled and failed to pull itself back from the abyss pre-2009, called him "steady" under pressure. Nevatte, Manleys co-worker from the Vauxhall dealership, puts it differently: ambitious and a perfectionist, he still found ways to blow off steam. His nickname at Vauxhall was "the Iceman," because one day, frustrated by his unreliable cellphone, Manley coolly placed it on the ground in the parking lot and ran it over with his car. Bloomberg News It is estimated that as many as 7,000 Winnipeggers call 911 with chest pain each year. And the actual number seeking care in an emergency department for chest pain is much higher. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion It is estimated that as many as 7,000 Winnipeggers call 911 with chest pain each year. And the actual number seeking care in an emergency department for chest pain is much higher. Of those, about 600 will end up in hospital suffering from a type of heart attack known as an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). A STEMI is one of the most serious types of heart emergencies. It occurs when an artery in the heart is blocked by a clot, reducing the flow of blood and oxygen. This results in the death of heart muscle. The most common symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and a cold sweat. It is often mistaken for "heartburn." Ten years ago, we could expect about 89 per cent of people with a STEMI who called an ambulance to survive. Today, that number is close to 97 per cent, thanks in large part to the CODE STEMI management protocol. Established in 2008, the protocol enables paramedics to begin providing cardiac care to patients as soon as they arrive on the scene. There is only one problem with the protocol: not enough people are taking advantage of it. The numbers suggest only one-third (about 200) of the people who suffer a STEMI call an ambulance. The other two-thirds (about 400) go to the hospital on their own. This is a problem because those who go to the hospital on their own can wait almost twice as long for treatment than if they had called for an ambulance. The resulting wait means a greater portion of heart muscle will die in that time frame. In some instances, it could be more than twice as much depending on the persons existing health conditions. That leads to more deaths, more complications and a poorer quality of life for some survivors. Conversely, if you call an ambulance at the first sign of trouble, you will receive care much faster. In fact, your treatment starts within seconds after making the call, when the call taker asks you questions, figures out if you are having heart attack symptoms and begins giving you instructions. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A few minutes later, an ambulance and/or fire truck arrives with a paramedic on board who takes your history, vital signs, starts oxygen and gives you aspirin and nitroglycerin. They also do the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) which diagnoses your heart attack. The ECG is sent via smartphone to an on-call physician who discusses the case and directs further care, which includes blood thinners provided by advanced care paramedics on scene. The paramedic crew then takes you straight to the cardiac catheterization lab at St. Boniface Hospital in an average of 69 minutes, no matter where you live in Winnipeg. Thats 69 minutes from the moment paramedics arrive to the time youre on the table and the interventional cardiologist has removed the blockage from the artery in your heart 21 minutes faster than the Canadian gold standard of 90 minutes for this type of treatment. If you were to get yourself to an emergency department with a STEMI, the time to receive this same treatment is an average of 113 minutes. By not calling for an ambulance when you have heart attack symptoms, you run the risk of permanent heart damage. You might end up with congestive heart failure. You would then need ongoing cardiac treatment, more medications and many visits to specialists for further care. Ive been asked if it would it be a burden on the ambulance system to manage all the STEMI cases in Winnipeg each year. The answer is no. We already manage many more chest pain calls every year. But if everyone with a STEMI called an ambulance, we could end up saving many, many more lives each year. So, if you are experiencing heart attack symptoms, call 911. Dr. Rob Grierson is medical director of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. "The numbers are not good." That's what Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth had to say when his force released its annual report this week, blaming a crime spike in the city on crystal meth. "The volume of violent crime went up in virtually every area of the city," Smyth said, and crime rates are higher this year than the five-year average in many areas. But a few communities saw a decreased crime rate from 2016. As well, violent crime rates were below five-year averages in several areas: River Heights, Transcona, St. Boniface and Fort Garry, according to an analysis by the Free Press. The police report breaks down the number of actual calls for service in Winnipeg's neighbourhoods. However, it did not report crime per capita, which would make it easier to compare crime rates in each area. The Free Press determined population sizes by combining 2016 Census dissemination areas from Statistics Canada for each neighbourhood in order to get the most accurate population count possible to calculate crime rate per 100,000 people. The Fort Garry neighbourhood -- the area with the highest population and which saw the highest population increase over the last few years -- saw a lower-than-average violent crime rate. On the other end of the spectrum, River East saw the largest decrease in population from 2011 and saw crime rise. Where does your neighbourhood stand? A former Winnipeg firefighter is taking his legal battle to the Supreme Court of Canada, after Manitobas appeal court judges disagreed on whether he should have been found guilty of stealing from a dead woman while on a medical call. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A former Winnipeg firefighter is taking his legal battle to the Supreme Court of Canada, after Manitobas appeal court judges disagreed on whether he should have been found guilty of stealing from a dead woman while on a medical call. The Manitoba Court of Appeal upheld Darren Fedycks conviction for theft under $5,000 in a 2-1 decision released on Thursday. Dissenting judge, Court of Appeal Justice Holly Beard, decided Fedyck should be acquitted because the trial judge didnt properly consider the evidence presented last year in provincial court. Because the appeal courts decision wasnt unanimous, Fedyck, 49, can take his case directly to the Supreme Court without first asking permission for a hearing. His lawyer, Sarah Inness, said her client advised her on Friday he intends to do that. "Very infrequently is there a dissent, but it does happen, and it does allow the appellant to avail him or herself of that extra level of an appeal," Inness said. "Were of the view that we have a very strong basis to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada because (Beard) gave a very thorough, well-reasoned decision that accepted the arguments that he advanced, (and) that we feel confident putting forward in the hopes that theyll accept her judgment." In August 2017, Fedyck was sentenced to six months in jail after provincial court Judge Kael McKenzie found him guilty in a case based entirely on circumstantial evidence. McKenzie rejected alternative explanations for why Fedyck had two gold chain necklaces and several hundred dollars in cash in his fleece jacket pocket while on duty with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service on Oct. 2, 2015. Fedyck was convicted of stealing the jewelry and cash from a 76-year-old woman who had died in her apartment on Henderson Highway. Firefighters had been called because a foul smell was detected in the building. Darren Fedyck was convicted of stealing jewelry and cash from a 76-year-old woman who had died in her one-bedroom, Henderson Highway apartment. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files) Fedycks co-workers got suspicious after he spent too long alone in the suite looking for the womans health card, several crew members testified in court, and they later searched his jacket pockets and confronted him. At the time, they testified, Fedyck claimed the cash and jewelry belonged to him. Fedyck didnt testify in court, but his crew said he told them he had gone to the bank to get cash earlier that day, and took his jewelry to work because he planned to sell it. In front of the Manitoba Court of Appeal, Fedyck argued the verdict was unreasonable because McKenzie didnt properly consider the evidence and the judges rejection of certain pieces of it was based on unfair speculation.. The panel of appeal judges ultimately disagreed on how much power the appeal court has to overturn a trial judges findings. In their majority judgment dismissing the appeal, Judge Michel Monnin and Judge Jennifer Pfuetzner said it wasnt the appeal courts role to "usurp" the trial judge by retrying the case. They decided McKenzie correctly applied the law and was entitled to make certain inferences about the evidence, including whether bank machines were likely to dispense the various denominations of bills the firefighters found in Fedycks pocket. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But in her dissenting judgment calling for Fedycks acquittal, Beard wrote she believed the appeal court must "re-examine and reweigh the evidence." "What I have done is pointed out errors in the trial judges analysis, and shown how the evidence that he accepted as being credible leads to a finding that a conclusion alternative to guilt is reasonably available on that evidence," Beard wrote, questioning why the Crown didnt request banking records for both Fedyck and the woman. The womans daughter had testified her mother only used cash but had no money in her wallet by the time her belongings were returned to the family. It could take some time for the Supreme Court to set a date for the hearing, and Fedyck remains out on bail, pending his appeal. Fedyck was fired from the WFPS in April 2016, after he had been placed on administrative leave in December 2015 during the police investigation. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay The rider grabbed her purse but then crashed into one of the friends. The woman who lost the purse briefly struggled with him. She started to chase him as he ran away, but lost sight of him. Manitoba Hydro offered buyouts indiscriminately to staff last year, creating a situation where its ability to respond to power outages after-hours is "all but crippled," a union leader alleges. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Hydro offered buyouts indiscriminately to staff last year, creating a situation where its ability to respond to power outages after-hours is "all but crippled," a union leader alleges. Mike Velie, business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2034, said a power outage early Thursday morning in southwest Winnipeg affecting 9,000 customers, could likely have been avoided. However, Hydro was unable to find a qualified operator driver to come into work to replace the pole that had caught fire, he said. He later clarified that the on-call operator had "timed out" (worked his maximum hours) Thursday night and had to go home. The corporation said the outage began at 4:45 a.m. Thursday, and most customers saw their power restored by 6:30 a.m. Earlier this year, Manitoba Hydro completed a months-long "voluntary departure program" as it strove to shed 900 positions company-wide. Velie said 31 staff trained as operator drivers or "diggers" accepted buyouts, with more than half of them living in the greater Winnipeg area. Currently, there are only three operator drivers in the Winnipeg area that are on Hydro's standby list to provide emergency assistance after hours, he said. This is the result of the buyouts and qualified people moving to other company jobs and not being replaced, he said. Hydro denied Thursday that there is a shortage of qualified "digger operators" to replace power poles. The restoration of power in southwest Winnipeg Thursday "went as planned," said spokesman Anthonie Koop. He said a digger operator was not required at the Waverley site until all preliminary work had been completed. "We also had to get clearances to dig from other utilities," he added. Koop denied that any staff who had been working as digger operators at the time of the buyouts took them. Neither did any powerline technicians, who respond to the majority of the outages, he added. "While some staff who did take the VDP (voluntary departure program) were qualified and worked as digger operators previously, they had already moved into different positions such as planning and supervisory roles," the spokesman said in an email. "Our customers can be assured that sufficient resources are available to respond to their needs," he said. Earlier this year, the IBEW told the Public Utilities Board that buyouts were being done in "a slash and burn manner." Velie said Thursday that the company had "all but crippled our ability to perform" much of its work. #mboutage Update for southwest Winnipeg: expect most of 9,000 customers currently without power to be restored in about 30 mins. Confirmed cause is pole fire. pic.twitter.com/mui8cqp6s7 Manitoba Hydro (@manitobahydro) July 26, 2018 He said on July 7, a Saturday, Hydro received a call around 1:30 in the afternoon about a leaning pole in St. James that appeared to be broken. An employee who responded to the call contacted an on-call supervisor at about 2 p.m. to arrange for the pole's replacement. For the next two-and-a-half hours, Velie said, the supervisor tried locating a qualified operator driver to operate a "digger truck" to replace the pole. He called all current operator drivers in the metro area, then workers with past operator experience, rural operators and then the corporation's construction department in an attempt to find an operator. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. When that failed, Hydro began calling external contractors. Velie said he has since learned that the corporation wound up paying a contractor "over 10 times" the amount it would have cost to do the work internally, even after overtime costs are considered. Koop acknowledged Thursday that "there was some difficulty calling in a digger operator" in that case but said it was due to a problem with the company's on-call listing. "The individual whose name was identified as being on-call that day had actually moved to another position and, unfortunately, the list was not updated," he said. He said efforts to reach other digger-operators were unsuccessful. He said the cost of having an outside contractor do the work was "comparable to our own internal costs." Meanwhile, Velie said the corporation's ability to respond to outages could be improved -- even within existing staffing levels -- if there were better communication between departments within Hydro. Some departments have qualified staff but don't provide standby services, he said. He said while Hydro is correct that no 'powerline technicians' took the buyout., That's because no members of this newly named group had worked enough years to be anywhere near retirement age. He maintained that several 'linemen" did take the buyouts. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca The Manitoba government is doubling down on its drive to privatize air services, despite critics saying the move won't improve public safety, produce cost savings or possibly even follow federal transportation rules. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba government is doubling down on its drive to privatize air services, despite critics saying the move won't improve public safety, produce cost savings or possibly even follow federal transportation rules. "Our governments top priority in this process is the safety of all Manitobans. Air services, as currently provided, will continue to be available to Manitobans, and the programs those services support will not change. If the RFP does not result in an outcome that is at least as safe and as efficient as the current delivery model, we will not proceed," Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler told reporters Thursday afternoon. The province issued a request for proposal July 6, which asks for applications from "qualified proponents to provide increased alternative delivery for wildfire suppression, air ambulance and general transport air services." The minister said the government doesn't have safety concerns with its current services, more than 50 per cent of which are privately operated. But he said he wants to see written agreements etched out for every operator the government deals with, including safety standards. Schuler said such contracts didn't exist under the former NDP government -- a statement the official opposition later refuted. "We feel that we're getting very good service, right now. We just want to test the market to see if we're getting the best value for Manitoba taxpayers," Schuler said. A few hours earlier, the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union released a report commissioned from independent researchers at Winnipeg think tank Breakwater Group, pointing out risks involved with privatizing air services. "There are genuine concerns being expressed as to whether Manitoba assets will be available when theyre needed," said Jennifer Keith, the report's co-author. "If a private company is operating these air ambulance services, we would either have to pay to have that pilot available or that pilot could be in Toronto, right? Because theyre doing other tasks as well." A government spokesperson said Manitoba currently owns 22 aircraft, seven of which have not been flown for seven years. Manitoba plans to retain ownership of its water bombers, and lease or rent them to private companies. Schuler said if private groups want to take the bombers out of province, they'll have to clear such plans with government first. They would have no wiggle room to remove the planes during Manitoba's forest fire season (roughly April through September), he said. Keith noted privately-owned or operated planes would not legally be allowed to land in certain Manitoba communities with shorter, gravel runways. Under Transport Canada legislation, government or not-for-profit planes may land in such places -- which include Tadoule Lake and Lac Brochet -- but commercial planes cannot. Schuler said private companies interested in the RFP will have to negotiate that hurdle. "Thats something that they will have to work out with the federal government, and if they do not have permission, if they cant get permission, then it will remain as a government of Manitoba service," he said. It's unclear how many Manitoba communities might be affected by the runway rule, though Keith estimated it would be "dozens." The Manitoba Liberals assembled their own list, citing 23 communities -- including St. Theresa Point, Norway House and Little Grand Rapids -- with crushed rock or gravel runways that could ostensibly be cut off from commercial access. Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the government's consideration of privatized services should be abandoned immediately. "I dont think theres any justification for going ahead with this. I dont think they fully understand what theyre doing. And to me, its clearly about who gets the contract. Its not about saving money, its not about making Manitoba safer," Lamont said. A pilot who works with the government's air ambulance services said he doesn't see any potential cost savings either. He spoke to the Free Press under condition of anonymity, so as not to jeopardize his job. He said the province's current fleet of jets can go faster and fly higher than those being sought out in the RFP, saving up to two hours on commute time, in some cases -- minutes that can save lives for patients in critical health situations. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "So if they really wanted to maintain the service, they would have maintained the requirement for a higher air speed and better cabinet pressurization. Theyve also really watered down those requirements," he said. "Its rarely about cost savings. Thats the way to sell it to the public." The deadline for submissions is Aug. 23. On Thursday, Schuler would not give a possible timeline as to when changes to air services might take effect, if the province does indeed privatize them. jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @_jessbu OTTAWA Manitobans enthusiasm for the federal carbon tax is wearing thin, according to a series of polls and if such a levy is imposed upon the province, there's more support for the Pallister governments plan than the federal one. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitobans enthusiasm for the federal carbon tax is wearing thin, according to a series of polls and if such a levy is imposed upon the province, there's more support for the Pallister governments plan than the federal one. "As the (policy) becomes reality, we start to see support soften. Nobody likes a tax," said Shachi Kurl, executive director of the non-partisan Angus Reid Institute. The polling firm surveyed Canadians on their support for a federal carbon tax at four separate intervals. The first two polls bundled Manitoba and Saskatchewan together, finding 54 per cent support in April 2015, and just 44 per cent in November 2015, right after the Trudeau government took office. Last July, 41 per cent of Manitoban respondents supported the federal carbon tax, a number that dropped to 39 per cent this month. Kurl noted the first poll was taken six months before the 2015 federal election, when carbon taxes were just an idea in Canada, outside of British Columbia. She says support has waned as the concept has gone from a rallying point for dealing with climate change, to a reality such policies could hit peoples wallets. "It seemed to have a mandate, or some social licence. And in some corners, it still does: if youre younger, if you lean left of centre, if you have strong environmental views," she said, noting those demographics still support carbon taxation. Support has fallen nationwide, but more drastically in the Prairies, which skew more conservative and have more resource-dependent economies. "I think there is also a sense, in the western Canadian viewpoint, which is that were not necessarily interested in a policy coming from Ottawa; we want to be able to assert our own jurisdictions," said Kurl, noting sentiment seems more widespread than outright rejection of such any carbon tax. In all provinces, the majority of respondents said theyd prefer their provincial government "should have the final say on carbon pricing" instead of Ottawa, with 65 per cent of Manitobans agreeing with that statement, and 82 per cent in Saskatchewan, which has launched sought a court review of the federal program. Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has devised an escalating tax, which starts at $20 per tonne next year and rises by $10 each year, until it hits $50 by 2022. Manitobas Climate and Green Plan instead proposes a flat $25-per-tonne levy, which wouldnt rise until after 2022. Ottawa has pledged to collect a parallel top-up starting in 2020, and remit it to the province if it doesnt change course. The architect of Manitobas plan, David McLaughlin, said the polling results echo the PC partys internal data, as of last year that a provincially run plan is more popular, especially if it doesnt increase each year. COLIN CORNEAU/BRANDON SUN David McLaughlin, the architect of Manitobas Climate and Green Plan, said the PC partys internal data is that a provincially run plan is more popular, especially if it doesnt increase each year. McLaughlin said the federal Liberals "dropped the ball in a significant way" by asking provinces to design a levy, leaving them voicing their reticence over the policy. "Theyve done little to zero in terms of promoting what theyre trying to accomplish here," said McLaughlin, who worked in Premier Brian Pallisters office until last year. "(The Liberals) are trying to nudge and prod provinces to do something, with a threat of a backstop if they dont." The federal Tories have honed in on the federal carbon tax as one of their key political messages ahead of the fall 2019 election. A Hansard search shows the partys MPs have used the phrase "carbon tax" on 1,890 separate occasions since the Trudeau government took office, 10 times more than the Liberals or NDP. McLaughlin said McKenna and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau havent marketed the tax as a way to transition the economy, beyond some small media conferences. "So what the federal Conservatives have done, theyve redefined it, not as acting for climate change, but as a new carbon tax -- and that's compelling to voters." Despite McKenna saying Manitobas plan falls short of her escalating levy, shes also highlighted the province as an example of conservative governments tackling climate change through taxation. McLaughlin said both Manitoba and Ottawa can both score political points from the gap between their plans. Before launching its plan, Manitoba commissioned a renowned legal expert to investigate whether Ottawa could impose its tax on the provinces. The legal opinion found the federal government had jurisdiction, but couldnt go after provinces who had policies that effectively achieved the same goals. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The PC government has touted its flat plan as cheaper than the federal one, while its officials claim it will be more effective in reducing carbon emissions, in part because its higher starting price might prompt more dramatic responses earlier on. The Manitoba premier has been quick to mention the plan is a result of Ottawa's threats to impose a tax. "Pallister absolutely picked the sweet spot," said McLaughlin, his former advisor. "There was some foresight put into it." Angus Reids polling also found, among some demographics and areas, there was more support for cap-and-trade programs than carbon taxes. Cap-and-trade involves setting emission limits for companies, who can sell their unused quotas to higher-emitting firms, with the idea of incentivizing less carbon-intensive industry overall. The federal Liberals allow provinces to implement such programs in lieu of a tax, which Quebec has done. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca It is not earth-shattering news to learn that a lot of rumours and speculation envelops the presidency of U.S. President Donald Trump. The latest piece of idle gossip is that Trump wants the United States to withdraw from the World Trade Organization. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion It is not earth-shattering news to learn that a lot of rumours and speculation envelops the presidency of U.S. President Donald Trump. The latest piece of idle gossip is that Trump wants the United States to withdraw from the World Trade Organization. Some media reports are suggesting the Trump administration has already drafted a bill that would sever Americas commitment to the organization. Apparently, it is titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act" and would basically give the president the authority to ignore WTO trade rules and decisions. Sources have quoted an angry Trump as saying, "The WTO is designed by the rest of the world to screw the United States." Up to this point, he has mostly played an obstructionist role within the organization effectively blocking new members from assuming their chairs on the WTOs "activist" Appellate Body panels. But it is clear in Trumps mind that the WTO is biased against America (and favours China) and seeks to disadvantage the United States (all the while neutralizing American power) when it comes to global trade and investment. The imperial president apparently doesnt like the fact that the world trade body often rules against U.S. trade remedy practices. Nor does Trump like the wider rules-based system of international commerce that the WTO stands for. He would prefer that the predominant economic player in the world the United States should be allowed to dominate the global economy and "win, win, win." Moreover, the WTO runs counter to Trumps "America First" proclivities, his obsession with "reciprocity" (as defined by the U.S.) and that it doesnt fit nicely into his narrow-minded transactional approach to politics. That is, the only good WTO is one with no teeth, no rules and regulations and no interest in taking on the U.S. It should also be said that Trump has no use for a global trade regime that is open and liberal in orientation. Instead, he favours a more nativist, protectionist and mercantilist view of international trade flows. In other words, POTUSs perspective is anathema to the WTOs guiding philosophy of liberal internationalism. Of course, his disenchantment with the global institution will only be heightened by the most recent WTO ruling in Canadas favour. And he will surely be enraged when he reads that the trade body overwhelmingly dismissed the U.S. legal case for imposing countervailing duties against imports of Canadian glossy, supercalendered paper. As a country very much dependent upon global trade for its economic livelihood not to mention the protections that a rules-based system offer a small power like Canada a WTO minus the U.S. would be very bad news indeed. There would be no telling how far Trump would go if he were unshackled from the constraints of the current international trading system. And there is little doubt that Canada, which exports more than 75 per cent of what it makes to the U.S., would be extremely vulnerable to American trade harassment. Essentially, Canada would be left with no way to seek redress to restrictive U.S. trade practices other than the North American Free Trade Agreement (via trade panels, by the way, that Trump is now insisting be terminated). Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. This is all puzzling because the U.S. was the chief architect of the present international trading regime in the mid-1940s (then known as the Bretton Woods system). Emerging from the post-Second World War period was a commitment championed and led by the U.S. to create the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or GATT (the forerunner of the WTO). There are some in the Trump administration who disagree strongly with any notion of the U.S. walking away from the WTO. But in Trumps little world, we shouldnt rule it out completely. The one thing that we do know for sure is that a U.S. departure would be a major blow to multilateralism, international co-operation and open markets. All we can do at the moment is hope cooler heads prevail inside the Trump White House and the U.S. Congress, which would have to approve any withdrawal. But Im afraid cooler heads seem to be in very short supply in Washington these days. Peter McKenna is a professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/7/2018 (1187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The outcome was predictable, but the journey was interesting. Perry Bellegarde was re-elected as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Vancouver on Wednesday. This was expected. The AFN is a conservative, status-quo organization, and it has a federal government administering conservative, status-quo policies to First Nations. Ben Nelms / The Canadian Press files Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde Mr. Bellegarde represents business as usual. Unfortunately, this likely means more underfunding, mouldy houses, tainted water and flawed, aggressive resource policies most First Nations citizens do not want. But citizens dont vote for the national chief, only chiefs do. Still, it was impossible to ignore how much the grassroots population wants the AFN to hear them. On the first day of the gathering, activists demanded the AFN pay attention to the Trans Mountain pipeline protest camps just a few hundred kilometres away. Then, the AFN Youth Council released a letter calling for chiefs to stop ignoring them, stating, "We want to prevent the inevitability of harm to our young people due to the inaction of our leaders." For the first time in history, the hashtag #AFNElection2018 trended. So, with one of the largest voter turnouts in memory, and with tens of thousands of eyes watching, the AFN chose more of the same. Now the AFN is left with the same old questions and issues. How close should it work with an erratic federal government that refuses to stop controlling First Nations via the Indian Act, but claims to recognize Indigenous rights? How can the AFN act in the interests of First Nations independence, but be so dependent on federal funding, recognition, and to put it bluntly interest? And how can the AFN claim to be speaking on behalf of First Nations people when it is a lobby group and not a government? With real-life issues facing First Nations citizens such as the broken Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry and upcoming controversial Indigenous-rights legislation the AFN is perhaps looking more distanced than ever from First Nations communities. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In Manitoba, there are crucial issues the AFN should be taking a role in solving. There are thousands of Indigenous children in the child welfare system, incarceration rates exceeding 80 per cent for Indigenous youth and crushing poverty leading to suicide epidemics and sickness. These things deeply impact Manitobas health, justice and education systems. Mr. Bellegarde has a lot of work to do, but his critics are growing. Most say Mr. Bellegardes biggest achievement $17 billion in federal funding during his first term has come because he has surrendered First Nations interests to Canada. First Nations, his critics say, need a leader who commands respect from Canada. Mr. Bellegardes main opponent, Sheila North, observed, "We need a national chief who can sit at the table with the Liberals without becoming one." A sign of whats to come may have come already on the morning of the AFN election when Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett showed up and was seen speaking to chiefs in private rooms. Regardless of what she said, her appearance is tantamount to a boss showing up to speak to employees while they are voting for a union leader. It was inappropriate interference. And certainly disrespectful. If the federal government believes what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, that Canada has a "nation-to-nation" relationship with First Nations, no Canadian leader should be influencing voters on the day of an election. Or maybe Ms. Bennett knew exactly what she was doing. If thats the case, the AFN seems destined to get even more of the same than predicted. Are you a lawyer facing an unfamiliar area of the law? Hundreds of your fellow attorneys are willing to share their expertise with you! Turn to this peer support network. Todays opinion in favor of Chicago and against the Trump Justice Department marks a major win for all Chicagoans and a significant victory for public safety, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a Friday statement. We will never be coerced or intimidated into abandoning our values as a welcoming city. Welcoming immigrants, refugees and dreamers from every corner of the globe is part of Chicagos history, and part of our future, no matter which way the political winds are blowing in Washington. The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen Coding GmbH, Allen France SAS, Alpine Automation Limited, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Holdings Inc., Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Arylux Hungary Elektromechanikus Alkatreszgyarto Kft, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix (Suzhou) Weighing Technology Co. 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Ltd., ITW Construction Products (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Contamination Control (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Delta Sarl, ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.A., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Finance Designated Activity Company, ITW Finance Europe S.A., ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW France Finance Alpha S.A.S., ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments II Inc., ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics (Thailand) Ltd., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Italy S.R.L. in liquidazione, ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France (Luxembourg) S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings UK, ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW Hungary Finance Beta Kft, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Finance Srl, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lombard Holdings Inc., ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW M FILMS II LLC, ITW MH LLC, ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology (China) Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Plastic (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Philippines Holdings LLC, ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Spraytec, ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Ideal Molding Technologies LLC, Illinois Tool Works (Chile) Limitada, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Norway AS, Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron (Shanghai) Ltd., Instron (Thailand) Limited, Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Holdings Limited, Instron International Limited, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, International Leasing Company LLC, International Truss Systems Proprietary Limited, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kester Components (M) Sdn. Bhd., Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems (Canada) Inc., Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MOA Enterprises Inc, Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, Norden Olje AB, North Star Imaging Europe, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited (Enping), Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Penta Dnepr LLC, Penta Sever OOO, Penta Volga OOO, Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., Ramset Fasteners (Hong Kong) Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco (Nederland) B.V., Simco Japan Inc., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Taiwan) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes BVBA, Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek (China) Limited, Teknek (Japan) Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V.B.A., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta (Guangzhou) Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Vesta Global Limited, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, ZF TRW (Engineered Fasteners and Components), and Zip-Pak International B.V.. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. engages in the manufacture and distribution of nitrogen fertilizer. The firm owns and operates nitrogen plants and serves agricultural and industrial customers through its distribution system. It operates through following segments: Ammonia, Granular Urea, UAN, AN, and Other. The Ammonia segment produces anhydrous ammonia, which is company's most concentrated nitrogen fertilizer product as it contains 82% nitrogen. The Granular Urea segment produces granular urea, which contains 46% nitrogen. The UAN segment produces urea ammonium nitrate solution, which is a liquid fertilizer product with a nitrogen content from 28% to 32%, is produced by combining urea and ammonium nitrate. The AN segment produces ammonium nitrate, which is a nitrogen-based product with a nitrogen content between 29% and 35%. The Other segment includes diesel exhaust fluid, nitric acid, urea liquor and aqua ammonia. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Deerfield, IL. Read More Toyota Motor Corp. engages in the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles and parts. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other. The Automotive segment designs, manufactures, assembles and sells passenger cars, minivans, trucks, and related vehicle parts and accessories. It is also involved in the development of intelligent transport systems. The Financial Services segment offers purchase or lease financing to Toyota vehicle dealers and customers. It also provides retail leasing through lease contracts purchase by dealers. The All Others segment deals with the design and manufacture and sale of housing, telecommunications and other businesses. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of AMETEK: AMETEK CTS GmbH, AMETEK Germany GmbH, AMETEK Hong Kong Private Limited, AMETEK Instruments Group UK Limited, AMETEK Italia S.r.l., Amekai Singapore Private Ltd., Amekai Taiwan Co. Ltd., Haydon Linear Motors (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., SPECTRO Analytical Instruments Inc., Tubes Holdco Limited, AEM Limited, AIP/MPM Funding Inc., AIP/MPM Holdings Inc., AMESP USVI LLC, AMETEK (Barbados) SRL, AMETEK (Bermuda) Ltd., AMETEK (GB) Limited, AMETEK (Thailand) Co. Ltd., AMETEK Aegis Inc., AMETEK Aerospace & Defense Group UK Ltd, AMETEK Aerospace & Power Holdings Inc., AMETEK Aerospace LLC, AMETEK Aircraft Parts & Accessories Inc., AMETEK Airtechnology Group Limited., AMETEK Ameron LLC, AMETEK Arizona Instrument LLC, AMETEK B.V., AMETEK CTS Europe GmbH, AMETEK CTS US Inc., AMETEK Canada 2 ULC, AMETEK Canada 3 ULC., AMETEK Canada Limited Partnership, AMETEK Co. Ltd., AMETEK Commercial Enterprise Shanghai, AMETEK Costa Rica Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, AMETEK Customer Service S. de R. L. de C.v., AMETEK DE LLC, AMETEK DELCO Inc., AMETEK Denmark A/S, AMETEK Do Brasil Ltda., AMETEK EMG Holdings Inc., AMETEK Elektromotory s.r.o, AMETEK Engineered Materials Sdn. Bhd., AMETEK Europe L.L.C., AMETEK European Holdings GmbH, AMETEK European Holdings Limited, AMETEK Finland Oy, AMETEK Global Tubes LLC, AMETEK Grundbesitz GmbH, AMETEK HSA Inc., AMETEK Haydon Kerk Inc., AMETEK Holdings B.V. also registered as AMETEK Holdings B.V. Delaware Inc.1, AMETEK Holdings SARL, AMETEK Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L., AMETEK Hughes-Treitler, AMETEK Industrial Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., AMETEK Instrumentos S.L., AMETEK Instruments India Private Limited, AMETEK Korea Co. Ltd., AMETEK Lamb Motores de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., AMETEK Land Inc., AMETEK Latin America Holding Company S.a r.l., AMETEK MRO Florida Inc., AMETEK Material Analysis Holdings GmbH, AMETEK Mexico Holding Company LLC, AMETEK Motors Asia Pte. Ltd., AMETEK Nordic AB, AMETEK PIP Holdings Inc., AMETEK Precitech Inc., AMETEK Programmable Power Inc., AMETEK S.A.S., AMETEK S.r.l., AMETEK SCP (Barrow) Limited, AMETEK SCP Inc., AMETEK Singapore Private Ltd., AMETEK Taiwan Co. Ltd., AMETEK Technical & Industrial Products Inc., AMETEK Thermal Systems Inc., AMETEK d.o.o. Subotica., Abaco Systems, Advanced Industries, Advanced Measurement Technology Inc., Aero Components International Corp., Airtechnology Pension Trustees Limited, Akron Standard Bestry (Guangzhou) Measurement Equipment Co. Ltd., Amekai (BVI) Ltd., Amekai Meter (Xiamen) Co. Ltd., Ameron Global Inc, Ametek Advanced Industries Inc., Ametek-Reading Alloys Inc., Amptek Inc., Antavia SAS, Atlas Material Holdings Corporation, Atlas Material Testing Technology (India) Private Limited, Atlas Material Testing Technology BV, Atlas Material Testing Technology GmbH, Atlas Material Testing Technology L.L.C., Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC, Atlas Netherlands AcquisitionCo Cooperatief U.A., Avicenna Technology Inc., Avtech Avionics & Instruments LLC, B&S Aircraft, Brookfield Engineering, CAMECA Instruments Inc., CAMECA SAS, Cameca, Chandler Instruments Company L.L.C., Chandler Instruments Company LLC, Cognex - Surface Inspection Systems Division, Coining Holding Company, Coining Inc., Controls Southeast Inc., Crank, Creaform, Creaform Inc., Creaform Shanghai Ltd., Creaform Software Inc., Creaform U.S.A. Inc., Crystal Engineering Corp, Crystal Engineering Corporation, Direl GmbH, Direl Holding GmbH, Drake Air, Drake Air Inc., Drexelbrook Engineering Company, Dunkermotoren GmbH, Dunkermotoren Taicang Co. Ltd., Dunkermotoren USA Inc., EDAX Inc., EDAX LLC, EGS Automation, EMA Corp., EMA Finance 1 LLC, EMA Finance 2 LLC, EMA Holdings LLC, EMA Holdings UK Limited, EMA MX LLC, EMtest, ESP Holdco Inc., ESP/SurgeX, Electronic Systems Protection Inc., FMH Aerospace Corp., FMH Holdings Corp., FMH Intermediate LLC, Fine Tubes Limited, Forza Silicon Corporation, Frameflair Limited, GS Electric, Gatan, Gatan Inc., Gatan Service Corporation, Gatan U.K. Limited, Glasseal Products Inc., Global Tubes, Grabner Instruments Messtechnik Gesellschaft m.b.H., HCC Industries Inc., HDR Power Systems LLC, HS Foils Oy, Hamilton Precision Metals Inc., Hamilton Precision Metals of Delaware Inc., Haydon Kerk Motion, Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions Inc., Hermetic Seal Corporation, High Standard Aviation, Imago Scientific Instruments, IntelliPower Inc., Land Instruments International Ltd., Laserage Technology Corp, Luphos GmbH, MCG Acquisition Corporation, MOCON Europe A/S, MOCON Inc., Magnetrol International, Micro-Poise Industrial Equipment (Beijing) Ltd., Micro-Poise Measurement Systems LLC, Micro-Poise Measurement Systems LLC, Milmega Limited, Mocon, Motec GmbH, Motec GmbH, Motion Control Group, Muirhead Aerospace Limited, NSI-MI Technologies, Newage Testing Instruments Inc., Nu Instruments Asia Ltd., Nu Instruments Limited, Nu Instruments Ltd, O'Brien Corp, OBCORP LLC., OOO AMETEK, Pacific Design Technologies Inc., Patriot Sensors & Controls Corporation, PennEngineering Motion Technologies, Petrolab L.L.C., Powervar, Powervar Deutschland GmbH, Powervar Inc., Powervar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Precitech, Quizix Inc., RETE Holding GmbH, Rauland-Borg, Rauland-Borg Corporation, Rauland-Borg Corporation of Florida, Reichert Inc., Reichert Technologies, Responder Systems Corporation, Rotron Inc., Rotron Incorporated, SPECTRO Analytical Instruments (Pty) Ltd, SPECTRO Analytical Instruments GmbH, SSH Non-Destructive Testing Inc., Sealtron Inc., Six Brookside Drive Corporation., SkyBitz Inc., SkyBitz Petroleum Logistics LLC, SkyBitz Tank Monitoring Corporation, Solartron Group Ltd., Solartron Metrology Limited, Solidstate Controls Inc. de Argentina S.R.L., Solidstate Controls LLC, Solidstate Controls LLC, Solidstate Controls Mexico S.A. de C.V., Sound Com Corporation, Southern Aero Partners Inc., Southern Aeroparts Inc, Spectro Analytical Instruments Inc., Spectro Holdings Inc., Spectro Inc., Spectro International Holdings Inc., Spectro Scientific, Spectro Scientific (Beijing) Inc., Spectro Scientific Inc., Sterling Ultra Precision Inc., Sunpower, Sunpower Inc., Superior Tube Company Inc., TPM Russia Inc., Taylor Hobson Holdings Limited, Taylor Hobson Inc., Taylor Hobson Limited, Taylor Hobson Trustees Limited, Technical Manufacturing Corp, Technical Manufacturing Corporation, Technical Services for Electronics Inc., Telular Corporation, Telular Corporation, Teseq AG, Thelsha Technical Services, Tritex Corporation, Unispec Marketing Pvt. Ltd., Universal Analyzers Inc., VTI Instruments Corporation, VTI Instruments Private Limited, VTI Integrated Systems Private Limited, Vision Research Europe B.V., Vision Research Inc., Vision Research srl, Zemetrics Inc., Zygo Corporation, Zygo Pte Ltd., Zygo Richmond Corporation, and ZygoLamda Metrology Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.. Hadiyas slaying in January 2013 just days after she had performed at then-President Barack Obamas second inauguration threw a spotlight on Chicagos epidemic of gun violence. The teen, a drum majorette and King College Prep sophomore, was taking shelter from the rain in Harsh Park with classmates when she was fatally shot in what authorities said was a mistaken attempt at gang retaliation. The park is about a mile from the Obamas' home in the South Side's Kenwood neighborhood. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Read More Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance and Wealth. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, credit cards, and other financial services to personal and small business customers. The Commercial Banking segment provides lending, transactional banking, working capital management, risk management, and debt capital market services to small and medium-sized entities, corporates, and financial institutions. The Insurance and Wealth segment offers life, home, and car insurance products; and pension, investment, and wealth management products and services. It also provides digital and mobile banking, and telephone services, as well as advisory services for savings, investments, and planning for retirement. The company offers its products and services under the Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows, MBNA, Schroders Personal Wealth, Black Horse, Lex Autolease, Birmingham Midshires, LDC, IWeb, and Agricultural Mortgage Corporation brands. Lloyds Banking Group plc was founded in 1695 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More The Boeing Co. is an aerospace company, which engages in the manufacture of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space and Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital. The Commercial Airplanes segment includes the development, production, and market of commercial jet aircraft and provides fleet support services, principally to the commercial airline industry worldwide. The Defense, Space and Security segment refers to the research, development, production and modification of manned and unmanned military aircraft and weapons systems for global strike, including fighter and combat rotorcraft aircraft and missile systems; global mobility, including tanker, rotorcraft and tilt-rotor aircraft; and airborne surveillance and reconnaissance, including command and control, battle management and airborne anti-submarine aircraft. The Global Services segment provides services to commercial and defense customers. The Boeing Capital segment seeks to ensure that Boeing customers have the financing they need to buy and take delivery of their Boeing product and manages overall financing exposure. T Read More Wall Street analysts have given iShares Micro-Cap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Micro-Cap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. According to a poll conducted on the states behalf, 45 percent of Cook County respondents said they were either unaware of the case or did not have enough information to make a decision on guilt or innocence. Prosecutors who did not include the online surveys margin of error in the court filing said this means that Cook County has potentially more than 1.7 million residents who could be unbiased jurors. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. is an early-stage contract research company, which provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and academic institutions. It operates through the following segments: Research Models & Services, Discovery & Safety Assessment and Manufacturing Support. The Research Models & Services segment comprises of the production and sale of research models, and also offers services designed to support its client's use of research models in screening non-clinical drug candidates. The Discovery & Safety Assessment segment offers discovery and safety assessment services, both regulated and non-regulated, in which it include both in vivo and in vitro studies, supporting laboratory services, and strategic preclinical consulting and program management to support product development. The Manufacturing Support segment provides endotoxin and microbial detection, avian vaccine and biologics testing solutions. The company was founded by Henry L. Foster in 1947 and is headquartered in Wilmington, MA. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. 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The following companies are subsidiares of Continental Aktiengesellschaft: A-Z Formen- und Maschinenbau GmbH, ADC Automotive Distance Control Systems GmbH, ALPHALOR 3 EURL, AZ-CZECH s.r.o., Adam Touring GmbH, Advance Tyre Company Ltd., Advanced Imaging Technologies, Advanced Imaging Technologies (Pty) Ltd, Advanced Scientific Concepts, AlMutlak Continental Company Limited Liability Company, Application Solutions (Electronics and Vision) Ltd., Argus Cyber Security Ltd, BENECKE-KALIKO S.A., BENECKE-KALIKO S.A., BEST DRIVE CTM S.A. de C.V., BV Environmental Limited, BV F1rst Limited, Bandvulc Tyres Limited, Belt Concepts of America Inc., BeltTrade Inc., Benecke Changshun Auto Trim (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., Benecke Changshun Eco Trim (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Benecke-Kaliko AG, BestDrive LLC, BestDrive Sverige AB, Bestdrive Benelux B.V.B.A., CAC Philippines Inc., CAS Munchen GmbH, CAS UK Holding Ltd., CAS-One Holdinggesellschaft mbH, CGH Holding B.V., CGT Referral Resources Inc., CONTINENTAL CPM S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CONTINENTAL ENGINEERING SERVICES PORTUGAL UNIPESSOAL LDA, CONTINENTAL IBERIA SALES AND SERVICES S.A.U., CONTINENTAL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES S A (Pty.) Ltd., CONTINENTAL SURFACE SOLUTIONS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, CONTITECH Chile S.A., CPT Automotive Changchun Co. Ltd., CPT GUADALAJARA S. de. R. L. de C.V., CPT MANUFACTURING MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., CPT MAQUILA MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., Carrel Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH Co. Vermietungs KG, Changshu ContiTech Trading Ltd., Conseo GmbH, Conti Automotive Servicios S.A. de C.V., Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH, Conti Trade Australia Pty. Ltd., Conti Trade Italia S.r.l., Conti Versicherungsdienst Versicherungsvermittlungsges. mbH, Conti-Gummi Finance B.V., ContiTech (Shandong) Engineered Rubber Products Co. Ltd., ContiTech AG, ContiTech AVS France, ContiTech Africa (Pty.) Ltd., ContiTech Anoflex SAS, ContiTech Antriebssysteme GmbH, ContiTech Australia Pty Ltd, ContiTech Belgium BVBA, ContiTech Canada Inc., ContiTech China Rubber & Plastics Technology Ltd., ContiTech Consulting Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ContiTech Dae Won Airspring Systems Ltd., ContiTech Elastomer-Beschichtungen GmbH, ContiTech Finland Oy, ContiTech Fluid Automotive CZ s.r.o., ContiTech Fluid Automotive Hungaria Kft., ContiTech Fluid Automotive Maroc SARL, ContiTech Fluid Distribuidora S.A. de C.V., ContiTech Fluid Korea Ltd., ContiTech Fluid Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ContiTech Fluid Mexicana Servicios S.A. de C.V., ContiTech Fluid Monterrey Servicios S.A. de C.V., ContiTech Fluid Oil & Marine Middle East FZE, ContiTech Fluid Serbia D.O.O., ContiTech Fluid Shanghai Co. Ltd., ContiTech Fluid Technology (Changchun) Co. Ltd., ContiTech France SNC, ContiTech Global Holding Netherlands B.V., ContiTech Holding (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ContiTech Holding Netherlands B.V., ContiTech IMAS A.E., ContiTech India Pvt. Ltd., ContiTech Japan Co. Ltd., ContiTech Kautschuk- und Kunststoffvertriebsges. mbH, ContiTech Kuhner Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, ContiTech Kuhner GmbH & Cie. KG, ContiTech Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, ContiTech Luftfedersysteme GmbH, ContiTech MGW GmbH, ContiTech Magyarorszag Kft., ContiTech Maroc SARL, ContiTech Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ContiTech North America Inc., ContiTech Oil & Marine Corp., ContiTech Power Transmission (Ninghai) Ltd., ContiTech Power Transmission (Sanmen) Ltd., ContiTech Power Transmission Korea Co. Ltd., ContiTech Print Service (S) Pte. Ltd., ContiTech Printing Blanket Shanghai Ltd., ContiTech Roulunds Rubber A/S, ContiTech Rubber Industrial Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, ContiTech Scandinavia AB, ContiTech Schlauch GmbH, ContiTech Services (Pty.) Ltd., ContiTech Shanghai Rubber & Plastics Technology Ltd., ContiTech Singapore Pte. Ltd., ContiTech Slovenija druzba za proizvodnjo gumenih tehnicnih izdelkov d.o.o., ContiTech South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., ContiTech Techno-Chemie GmbH, ContiTech Thermopol LLC, ContiTech Thermopol Romania S.R.L., ContiTech Tianjin Conveyor Belt Ltd., ContiTech Transportbandsysteme GmbH, ContiTech USA Inc., ContiTech United Kingdom Ltd., ContiTech Vibration Control France SAS, ContiTech Vibration Control GmbH, ContiTech Vibration Control Slovakia s.r.o., ContiTech Vibration Control s.r.o., ContiTech-Universe Verwaltungs-GmbH, ContiTrade (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ContiTrade Africa (Pty) Ltd, ContiTrade France Rechapage, ContiTrade Services s.r.o., ContiTrade Slovakia s.r.o., Conticlub SAS, Continental - Industria Textil do Ave S.A., Continental Adria pnevmatike d.o.o., Continental Advanced Antenna Automotiva LTDA, Continental Advanced Antenna GmbH, Continental Advanced Lidar Solutions US LLC, Continental Aftermarket & Services GmbH, Continental Aftermarket GmbH, Continental Automotive AB, Continental Automotive Aguascalientes S.A. de C.V., Continental Automotive Austria GmbH, Continental Automotive Bajio S.A. de C.V., Continental Automotive Bangkok Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Benelux BVBA, Continental Automotive Brake Systems (I) Private Limited, Continental Automotive Changchun Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Components (India) Private Ltd., Continental Automotive Components Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Automotive Corporation, Continental Automotive Corporation (Lianyungang) Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Czech Republic s.r.o., Continental Automotive Electronics LLC, Continental Automotive Engineering (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive France SAS, Continental Automotive Funding Corp., Continental Automotive GmbH, Continental Automotive Grundstucksges. mbH, Continental Automotive Guadalajara Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Continental Automotive Holding Netherlands B.V., Continental Automotive Holding Spain S.L., Continental Automotive Holdings UK Ltd., Continental Automotive Hungary Kft., Continental Automotive Inc., Continental Automotive Instruments Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Automotive Interior Wuhu Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Italy S.p.A., Continental Automotive Japan K.K., Continental Automotive Jinan Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Korea Ltd., Continental Automotive Lithuania UAB, Continental Automotive Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Automotive Maquila Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Continental Automotive Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Continental Automotive Occidente S.A. de C.V., Continental Automotive Parts (Suzhou) Co. Ltd, Continental Automotive Rambouillet France SAS, Continental Automotive Romania SRL, Continental Automotive SLP S.A. de C.V., Continental Automotive Singapore Pte. Ltd., Continental Automotive Spain S.A., Continental Automotive Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Systems (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Systems Changsha Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Systems Changshu Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive Systems Costa Rica S.A., Continental Automotive Systems Inc., Continental Automotive Systems SRL, Continental Automotive Systems Slovakia s.r.o., Continental Automotive Trading France SAS, Continental Automotive Trading Italia S.r.l., Continental Automotive Trading Nederland B.V., Continental Automotive Trading UK Ltd., Continental Automotive Trading Osterreich GmbH, Continental Automotive UK Ltd., Continental Automotive Wuhu Co. Ltd., Continental Automotive d.o.o. Novi Sad, Continental Automotive do Brasil Ltda., Continental Barum s.r.o., Continental Benelux SPRL, Continental Bicycle Systems GmbH & Co. KG, Continental Bicycle Systems Verwaltungs GmbH, Continental Brake Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Continental Brakes Italy S.p.A., Continental Brasil Industria Automotiva Ltda., Continental Caoutchouc-Export-GmbH, Continental ContiTech de Chihuahua S. de R.L. de C.V., Continental ContiTech de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Continental Daek Danmark A/S, Continental Dekk Norge A/S, Continental Digital Services France SAS, Continental Dack Sverige AB, Continental Engineering Services & Products GmbH, Continental Engineering Services GmbH, Continental Engineering Services Ltd., Continental Finance GmbH, Continental France SNC, Continental Global Business Services Manila Inc., Continental Global Holding Netherlands B.V., Continental HT Tyres s.r.o., Continental Holding China Co. Ltd., Continental Holding France SAS, Continental Hungaria Kft., Continental India Private Limited, Continental Industrias del Caucho S.A., Continental Industria e Comercio Automotivos Ltda., Continental Industria e Comercio de Pecas de Reposicao Automotivas Ltda., Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems LLC, Continental Investment Ltd., Continental Italia S.p.A., Continental Lemmerz (Portugal)-Componentes para Automoveis Lda., Continental Llantera Potosina S.A. de C.V., Continental Mabor Industria de Pneus S.A., Continental Matador Rubber s.r.o., Continental Matador Truck Tires s.r.o., Continental Middle East DMCC, Continental Opony Polska Sp. z o.o., Continental Pneus (Portugal) S.A., Continental Pty Ltd, Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH, Continental Rengas Oy, Continental Rubber of America Corp., Continental Safety Engineering International GmbH, Continental Secure Data Germany GmbH, Continental Secure Data Headquarter B.V., Continental Secure Data USA LLC, Continental Servicos de Vulcanizacao do Brasil Ltda., Continental Suisse S.A., Continental Temic Electronics (Phils.) Inc., Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG, Continental Teves Portugal - Sistemas de Travagem Lda., Continental Teves UK Ltd., Continental Tire Andina S.A., Continental Tire Canada Inc., Continental Tire Chile SpA, Continental Tire Colombia S.A.S., Continental Tire Corporativo S.A. de C.V., Continental Tire Holding US LLC, Continental Tire Japan Co. Ltd., Continental Tire Korea Co. Ltd., Continental Tire Sumter LLC, Continental Tire West Africa Limited, Continental Tire de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Continental Tire the Americas LLC, Continental Tires (China) Co. Ltd., Continental Tires (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Continental Tires Espana S.L., Continental Tires Holding Singapore Pte. Ltd., Continental Trebbin GmbH & Co. KG Sondermaschinenbau, Continental Trebbin Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH, Continental Tyre AS Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyre Group Ltd., Continental Tyre Investment UK Ltd., Continental Tyre Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyre Management Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyre Marketing Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyre North Africa SARL, Continental Tyre PJ Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyre Services Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyre South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Continental Tyre Technology Centre Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Continental Tyres (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Continental Tyres Ltd., Continental Tyres of Australia Pty Ltd, Continental UK Group Holdings Ltd., Continental VUK s.r.o., Continental do Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., Continental of Taiwan Co. 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. In the video, the car drives backward, hitting Aragon and running him over, then drives over him going forward, Simonton said. Wojtania is then seen getting out and appearing to look at Aragon's body, she said. The video then shows him getting back in the car and driving off. Countrywide plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides residential estate agency and property services in the United Kingdom. It operates through Sales and Lettings, Financial Services, and Business to Business (B2B) segments. The company offers surveying services, including valuation panel management services, residential valuations, and surveys for mortgage lenders; provides corporate, emergency, commercial, and social relocation services; estate, leasehold and block management services; and sells residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural properties, as well as land through public auction. It also provides integrated property services; conveyancing services, such as freehold and leasehold, remortgage, and separate legal representation; and residential property asset management services. In addition, the company is involved in the residential development and investment activities; and provision of single mortgage brokerage services, as well as home and personal insurance. It serves residential and commercial property markets. Countrywide plc was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Milton Keynes, the United Kingdom. Read More Covestro AG develops, produces, and markets polymer materials for various industries. The company operates in three segments: Polyurethanes; Polycarbonates; and Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties (CAS). The Polyurethanes segment develops, produces, and markets chemical precursors, such as diphenylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, and polyether polyol, which are used primarily in the furniture, construction, and automotive industries. The Polycarbonates segment provides high-performance plastic polycarbonates in the form of granules, composite materials, and semi-finished products for use in the automotive, construction, electrical and electronic, medical technology, and lighting industries. The CAS segment offers precursors for coatings, adhesives, and sealants, as well as specialties. This segment also provides polymer materials and aqueous dispersions for use in automotive and transportation, infrastructure and construction, wood processing, and furniture applications. The company markets its products through trading houses and distributors. It operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the United States, Canada, and the People's Republic of China. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany. Read More IGM Financial, Inc. operates as a financial services company, which engages in the management and distribution of mutual funds and other managed asset products. It operates through the following segments: Wealth Management, Asset Management, and Strategic Investments & Other. The Wealth Management segment reflects the activities of operating companies that are principally focused on providing financial planning and related services to Canadian households, which includes the activities of IG Wealth Management and Investment Planning Counsel. These firms are retail distribution organizations who serve Canadian households through their securities dealers, mutual fund dealers and other subsidiaries licensed to distribute financial products and services, which also includes the investment management activities of these organizations, including mutual fund management and discretionary portfolio management services. The Asset Management segment reflects the activities of operating companies focused on providing investment management services and represents the operations of Mackenzie Investments. Investment management services are provided to a suite of investment funds that are distribut Read More TT Electronics Plc engages in the business of design, manufacture and sale of electronic component and sensor technology for the defense, aerospace, medical, transportation and industrial electronics markets. It operates through the following segments; Sensors & Specialist Components, Power & Connectivity, and Global Manufacturing Solutions. The Sensors & Specialist Components segment works with customers to develop standard and customized solutions including sensors and power management devices. The Power & Connectivity segment develops and manufactures power application products and connectivity devices which enable the capture and wireless transfer of data. The Global Manufacturing Solutions segment provides manufacturing services and engineering solutions for its product divisions and to customers that often require a lower volume and higher mix of different products. The company was founded on January 16, 1906 and is headquartered in Weybridge, the United Kingdom. Read More 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, Read More I will tell you, I did not get this, Munoz told community members at a meeting earlier this month. I called the director of EPA. ... I said, How dare you, to say we got this and the community thinks we knew about this. Im not trying to hurt anybodys business, and I dont think the community is either, but when people were not notified, elected officials, we carry the cross for that. And thats not fair to us, either. 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. 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. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of General Dynamics: 42SIX LLC, ARMA Global Corporation, Advanced Technical Products, Aeromil (Australia) Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aircraft Engineering Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil IT Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil Marine Pty Ltd, Aeromil Pacific Pty Ltd, American Overseas Marine Company LLC, Anteon International Corporation, Applied Physical Sciences, Applied Physical Sciences Corp., Ascend Intelligence, Australian Avionics Pty Ltd, Autonomic Resources LLC, Avion Logistics Limited, Avjet Corporation, AxleTech International, Axsys, BATH IRON WORKS CORPORATION, BP-HP Pte Limited, Bath Iron Works, Bath Iron Works Australia Corporation, Bath Iron Works Canada LLC, Bluefin Robotics Corporation, Blueprint Technologies Inc., Braintree I Maritime Corp., Braintree II Maritime Corp., Braintree III Maritime Corp., Braintree IV Maritime Corp., Braintree V Maritime Corp., Buccaneer Computer Systems & Service Inc., CSC Computer Sciences Venezuela S.A., CSRA, CSRA (Costa Rica) S.A., CSRA (Guyana) Inc., CSRA (Middle East) LLC, CSRA Argentina S.R.L., CSRA BH d.o.o., CSRA Bahamas Limited, CSRA Bahrain S.P.C., CSRA Belgium SPRL, CSRA Bolivia S.R.L., CSRA Brazil Servicos de Tecnologia Ltda., CSRA Canada Inc., CSRA Caribbean Inc., CSRA Chile SpA, CSRA Colombia SAS, CSRA Commerce 2010 LLC, CSRA Consular Services Holding Company LLC, CSRA Consular Services Inc., CSRA France SARL, CSRA Guatemala Solutions Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Honduras Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Inc., CSRA Information Systems LLC, CSRA Information Technology Spain SL, CSRA Ireland Limited, CSRA Italy S.R.L, CSRA Kosovo L.L.C., CSRA LATAM LLC, CSRA LLC, CSRA Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., CSRA Netherlands B.V., CSRA Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Panama Inc., CSRA Peru S.R.L., CSRA Senegal SARL, CSRA South Africa (Pty) Ltd, CSRA State and Local Solutions LLC, CSRA Systems & Solutions LLC, CSRA Trinidad & Tobago Limited, CSRA Turkey Bilisim Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, CSRA Uruguay S.R.L, CSRA Visa Services Israel Ltd., CSRAIT - Information Services Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Centauri Solutions LLC, Command System, Computing Devices International, Concord I Maritime Corporation, Concord II Maritime Corporation, Concord III Maritime Corporation, Concord IV Maritime Corporation, Concord V Maritime Corporation, Convair Aircraft Corporation, Convair Corporation, Creative Technology, Customer Services Ecuador CSRA S.A., Devcor, Diamond Fortress Technologies, DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, EB Groton Engineering Inc., EBV Explosives Environmental, ELCS-CZ s.r.o., Eagle Enterprise Inc., Earl Industries - Ship Repair and Coatings Division, Ebv Explosives Environmental Company, Electric Boat - Australia LLC, Electric Boat - UK LLC, Electric Boat Canada LLC, Electric Boat Corporation, Electric Boat France LLC, Electrocom Inc., Engineering Technology, Expro Finance Inc., FBD Fahrzeug und Bremsendienst GmbH, FC Business Systems, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Force Protection, Force Protection Europe Limited, Force Protection Inc., ForeSight Technology Services LLC, Freeman United Coal Mining Company LLC, GD Brazil Holdings LLC, GD European Land Systems - Steyr GmbH, GD European Land Systems Holding GmbH, GDOTS Services Corporation, GM GDLS Defense Group L.L.C., GPS Source Inc., GTE Government Systems, GWA-Datatrac FAST LLC, Galaxy Aerospace Company, Gayston Corporation - Defense Operations, General Dynamics - OTS (Global) Inc., General Dynamics AIS Australia Pty Ltd, General Dynamics Canadian Finance Inc., General Dynamics Canadian Holdings Inc., General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services LLC, General Dynamics European Finance Limited, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Austria GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Bridge Systems GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Czech s.r.o., General Dynamics European Land Systems - Denmark ApS, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Deutschland GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - FWW GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems Romania S.R.L., General Dynamics European Land Systems S.L., General Dynamics Global Force LLC, General Dynamics Global Holdings Limited, General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Government Satellite Services LLC, General Dynamics Government Systems Corporation, General Dynamics Government Systems Overseas Corporation, General Dynamics Information Technology Canada Limited, General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., General Dynamics Information Technology Limited, General Dynamics Installation Services LLC, General Dynamics International Corporation, General Dynamics Itronix LLC, General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia Pty. Ltd., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Services Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canadian Services Limited, General Dynamics Land Systems - Force Protection Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems Customer Service & Support Company, General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., General Dynamics Limited, General Dynamics Marine Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems International Limited, General Dynamics Mission Systems Overseas Company LLC, General Dynamics Motion Control LLC, General Dynamics OTS (Aerospace) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (California) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (DRI) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Niceville) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Pennsylvania) Inc., General Dynamics One Source LLC, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Valleyfield Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Simunition Operations Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., General Dynamics Overseas Systems and Services Corporation, General Dynamics Properties Inc., General Dynamics Robotic Systems Inc., General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Satcom Technologies Asia Private Limited, General Dynamics Satellite Communication Services LLC, General Dynamics Saudi Holdings S.L., General Dynamics Shared Resources LLC, General Dynamics Support Services Company, General Dynamics Swiss Financial Management Limited, General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, General Dynamics Worldwide Holdings Inc., General Dynamics-OTS Inc., General Motors Defense, Gulfstream 100 Holdings LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (CA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (DE), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (OK), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of Texas, Gulfstream Aerospace Hong Kong Limited, Gulfstream Aerospace LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace LP, Gulfstream Aerospace Ltd., Gulfstream Aerospace Services Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace Sociedad de Responssabilidad Limitada de CapitalVariable (S. de R.L. de C.V.), Gulfstream Do Brasil Servicos De Suporte E Manutencao A Aeronaves Ltda., Gulfstream International Corporation, Gulfstream Leasing LLC, Gulfstream Product Support Corporation, Gulfstream Services Corporation, Gulfstream Tennessee Corporation, Gulfstream-California Inc., Hawker Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Hawker Pacific Aircraft Management Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Airservices Limited, Hawker Pacific Airservices Pvt Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Holdings Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Australia Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific NZ Limited, Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd, IPWireless, IPWireless PTE. Limited, Information Services Consulting Limited, Interiores Aereos S.A. de C.V., International Manufacturing Technologies Inc., Itronix, Janteq Australia PTY Limited, Janteq Corp., Jet Aviation, Jet Aviation (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Jet Aviation (Bermuda) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Malaysia) SDN BHD, Jet Aviation 125 Services LLC, Jet Aviation AG, Jet Aviation Brazil Holdings Inc., Jet Aviation Business Jets (Hong Kong) Limited, Jet Aviation Business Jets AG, Jet Aviation Business Jets FZCO, Jet Aviation California LLC, Jet Aviation Dulles LLC, Jet Aviation Flight Services Inc., Jet Aviation France SAS, Jet Aviation Holding GmbH, Jet Aviation Holdings USA Inc., Jet Aviation Houston Inc., Jet Aviation International Inc., Jet Aviation Malaga SA, Jet Aviation Management AG, Jet Aviation Netherlands B.V., Jet Aviation Savannah Holding LLC, Jet Aviation Services GmbH, Jet Aviation St. Louis Inc., Jet Aviation Teterboro LP, Jet Aviation Texas Inc., Jet Aviation of America Inc., Jet Aviation/Palm Beach Inc., Jet Professionals LLC, Kylmar, Longreach Energy LLC, MAYA Viz, Maricom Systems Incorporated, Material Service Resources Company LLC, Matthews Land Company, Mediaware International, Mediaware International Pty Ltd, Metro Machine, Metro Machine co, Midwest Properties Sales LLC, NASSCO, NASSCO Holdings Incorporated, NES Associates LLC, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Network Connectivity Solutions Corp., Newberry Holdings LLC, OOO Jet Aviation Vnukovo, Open Kernel Labs, Page Europa Srl, Patriot I Shipping Corp., Patriot II Shipping Corp., Patriot IV Shipping Corp., Plane 79 LLC, Praxis Engineering Technologies LLC, PrimeX Technologies, Prodelin India Private Limited, Proyectos Prohumane Mexico S.A. de C.V., Quincy Maritime Corporation III, Raven Acquisitions LLC, SENTECH INC., SRA International Inc., Saco Defense, Santa Barbara Sistemas S.A., Savannah Air Center LLC, Signal Solutions LLC, Southern Illinois Recovery Inc., Spectrum Astro, St. Marks Powder Inc., Stabilo Pty Ltd, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG & Co KG, Sydney Jet Charter Pty Ltd, Tadpole Computer, Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura S.A. de C.V., Tenacity Solutions Incorporated, The Depth of Ideas for General Trading LLC, TriPoint Global Communications, Vangent, Vangent Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Veridian, Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, ViPS, Vulnerability Research Labs LLC, and Weco LLC. Pampanga (CNN Philippines, July 27) House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday denied allegations she is eyeing a Prime Minister's post if the country adopts a new form of government through charter change. She dismissed the allegations of some senators as black propaganda. She added that under the proposed federal charter by the Consultative Committee, there is no provision for a Prime Minister post. "To begin with, the proposed constitution is presidential federal. That's black propaganda," she said as she returned to her home province in Pampanga. Although the committee formed by President Rodrigo Duterte proposes a federal-presidential system of government, Congress may decide to adopt or reject it amid their plans to convene as a constituent assembly in amending the charter. Arroyo's political party PDP-Laban earlier proposed the shift to a parliamentary government. In the draft constitution of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendment, there are two leaders of the executive department: The president, who oversees the government, and the prime minister, who runs the government. Senator Ping Lacson gave a stern warning that Arroyo's speakership may be a "prelude" to her becoming a prime minister, should there be a change in the constitution. Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe urged the public to remain vigilant upon Arroyo's return to power. She said Congress may "railroad" the charter change to shift to a parliamentary form of government. "Sa ating mga kababayan, maghanda lang kayo," Poe warned. "Pagka-ang mga namuno sa Kongreso ay i-railroad itong (charter change) at gawing parliamentary form, maaaring magising na lang kayo, either patas ang kapangyarihan (niya) sa pangulong binoto ninyo, o siya na ang magte-take over bilang Prime Minister," she said. [Translation: To our countrymen, be ready. If the heads of Congress railroad (charter change) and convert government to parliamentary form, you might wake up to (those people) holding equal powers as the President, or ready to take over as Prime Minister.] Arroyo on Tuesday said the House of Representatives will wait for the Senate's decision on changing the Constitution to allow for a shift to a federal form of government. No to 'no-el' Arroyo, who is serving her third and final term as Pampanga representative, said she is against the postponement of the 2019 midterm elections. "No. Definitely i am not supporting term extension," she said. Ousted House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier proposed to scrap the 2019 midterm elections and just extend the terms of incumbent officials. He wanted Congress to pass a law that will move the 2019 polls to 2022 so that lawmakers can focus on drafting a new constitution. Several lawmakers and even Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque surmised that Alvarez's push for no elections was one of the reasons why he was ousted as House Speaker on July 23. Chicago police officers responding to a call of a person down found him unresponsive outside about 8:50 p.m. Jan. 1 in the 8100 block of South Stony Island Avenue, the Tribune reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Schlumberger NV engages in the provision of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production and processing to the oil and gas industry. It operates through the following business segments: Digital and Integration; Reservoir Performance; Well Construction; and Production Systems. The Digital and Integration segment combines the company's software and seismic businesses with its integrated offering of asset performance solutions. The Reservoir Performance segment consists of reservoir-centric technologies and services that are critical to optimizing reservoir productivity and performance. The Well Construction segment includes the full portfolio of products and services to optimize well placement and performance, maximize drilling efficiency, and improve wellbore assurance. The Production Systems segment develops technologies and provides expertise that enhances production and recovery from subsurface reservoirs to the surface, into pipelines, and to refineries. The company was founded by Conrad Schlumberger and Marcel Schlumberger in 1926 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of IDEX: ADS Corp., ADS Environmental Services Pty Limited, ADS Environmental Technologies Inc., ADS LLC, AEGIS Flow Technologies, AEGIS Flow Technologies L.L.C., AWG, AWG Fittings GmbH, Abel Pumps, Advanced Thin Films, Advanced Thin Films Inc., Airtech Group, Akron Brass, Akron Brass Company, Alfa Valvole, Alfa Valvole S.r.l., Band-It Clamps (Asia) Pte. Ltd., Band-It Company Limited, Band-It-IDEX Inc., Banjo Corporation, Banjo Europe S.r.l., BarbIDEX International SRL, CIDRA Precision Services, CVI Laser, CVI Laser LLC, CVI Laser Limited, CVI Melles Griot, Corken Inc., ERC, Eastern Plastics, FAST & Fluid Management S.r.l., FM Delaware Inc., FM Investment Inc., FMD Distribution and Service LLC, FMD Fabrication Services LLC, FTL Seals Technology Limited, Fast & Fluid Management B.V., Fast & Fluid Management Eastern Europe Sp. Z O.O., Fast and Fluid Management Australia Pty. Ltd., Flow Management Devices, Flow Management Devices LLC, Fluid Management Canada Inc., Fluid Management Inc., Fluid Management Operations LLC, Gast Group Ltd, Gast Manufacturing Inc., Godiva Limited, Godiva Products Limited, Hale Products Europe Limited, Hale Products Inc., Hurst Jaws of Life Inc., IDEX Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., IDEX Dinglee Technology (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., IDEX Europe GmbH, IDEX Health & Science KK, IDEX Health & Science LLC, IDEX Holdings GmbH, IDEX Holdings Inc., IDEX India Private Limited, IDEX Italy S.r.l., IDEX Japan GK, IDEX Korea Ltd, IDEX Leasing GmbH, IDEX MPT Inc., IDEX Mexico S.A. de C.V., IDEX Middle East FZE, IDEX Pump Technologies (Ireland) Limited, IDEX SAS, IDEX Service Corp., IDEX Sourcing Corporation, IDEX Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., IDEX Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, IDEX UK Investment Ltd, IDEX UK Ltd., IDEX do Brasil Servicos e Vendas Ltda., IETG, Isolation Technologies, KNIGHT LLC, KVT-Koenig Holding Limited, Knight (Canada) Limited, Knight Inc., Knight UK Ltd, LUKAS Hydraulik GmbH, Liquid Controls, Liquid Controls LLC, Matcon, Matcon (R&D) Limited, Matcon Group Limited, Matcon Limited, Melles Griot B.V., Melles Griot GmbH, Microfluidics, Microfluidics International Corporation, Micropump Inc., Nova Technologies, Nova Technologies Corporation, Novotema, Novotema S.p.A, OBL, OBL Srl, Oil & Gas Process Solutions LLC, PP AWG GmbH, PPE International LLC, PPE LLC, Precision Photonics, Precision Polymer Engineering Limited, Project Gold Acquisition Corp., Pulsafeeder Inc., Quadro Engineering Corp., RV Acquisition Corp., Richter Chemie-Technik, Richter Chemie-Technik GmbH, Richter EP (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Richter Pumps & Valves Inc., Roplan AB, Roplan GmbH, Roplan Holding AB, Roplan Ltd, Roplan Machinery (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., Roplan Machining AB, Roplan Sales (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., Roplan Sales AB, Roplan Sales Inc., Roplan Trading AB, S.A.M.P.I. S.p.A., SFC KOENIG, SFC KOENIG Flow Control (Suzhou) Co. Limited, SFC Koenig AG, SFC Koenig Beteilgungs GmbH, SFC Koenig GmbH, SFC Koenig LLC, Scivex, Seals Limited, Semrock, Steridose Sales AB, The Fitzpatrick Company, Toptech Systems, Toptech Systems Inc., Toptech Systems NV, Trebor International Inc., Velcora, Velcora Holding AB, Vetter GmbH, Viking Pump Inc., Viking Pump of Canada Inc., Warren Rupp Inc., Wright Flow Technologies Limited, XAM Swiss Holding I GmbH, iPEK, iPEK International GmbH, iPEK Spezial TV GmbH, thinXXS Microtechnology, and thinXXS Microtechnology AG. The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA. DowDuPont Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in agriculture, materials science, and specialty products businesses in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's Agriculture segment produces, and sells hybrid corn seed and soybean seed varieties; sunflowers, wheat, alfalfa, canola, cotton, rice, and sorghum; silage inoculants; and crop protection products that include weed control, disease control, and insect control. Its Performance Materials & Coatings segment manufactures and sells architectural paints and coatings, and industrial coatings; performance monomers and silicones; standalone silicones; and home and personal care solutions. The company's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment offers ethylene oxides, propylene oxide derivatives, cellulose ethers, redispersible latex powders, and acrylic emulsions; sustainable solutions; and chlorine and caustic soda. Its Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment provides ethylene, and propylene and aromatic products; and polyolefin elastomers and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubbers. The company's Electronics & Imaging segment offers materials and systems for mobile devices, television monitors, personal computers, and electronics. Its Nutrition & Biosciences segment provides specialty ingredients, as well as cellulosic- and alginates-based pharma excipients; and enzymes, biomaterials, biocides, and antimicrobial solutions and process technologies. The company's Transportation & Advanced Polymers segment offers engineering resins, adhesives, lubricants, and parts for transportation, electronics, healthcare, industrial, and consumer end-markets. Its Safety & Construction segment provides engineered products and integrated systems for construction, worker safety, energy, oil and gas, transportation, medical device, and water purification and separation industries. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Read More Wall Street analysts have given iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. After the mass exoneration in November, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson ordered that 15 officers who were once part of Watts tactical team be removed from street duties and placed on paid desk duty while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigated their conduct from years ago. That investigation continues, a COPA spokesman said recently. KION GROUP AG provides industrial trucks, warehouse technology, supply chain solutions, and related services worldwide. The company operates through Industrial Trucks and Services, Supply Chain Solutions, and Corporate Services segments. It develops, manufactures, and sells forklifts and warehouse trucks, such as counterbalance trucks with electric drive and internal combustion engine, ride-on and hand-operated industrial trucks, and towing vehicles under the Linde, Fenwick, STILL, Baoli, and OM Voltas brand names. The company also manufactures and sells spare parts; leases industrial trucks and related items; offers maintenance and repair, and fleet management services, as well as provides finance solutions. In addition, it provides integrated technology and software solutions, including conveyors, sorters, storage and retrieval systems, picking equipment, palletizers, and robotic solutions under the Dematic brand. The company was formerly known as KION Holding 1 GmbH. KION GROUP AG was founded in 2006 and is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Read More KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA develops, produces, and distributes seeds for agriculture in Germany, rest of Europe, North and South America, and internationally. It operates through Corn, Sugarbeet, Cereals, and Vegetables segments. The Corn segment produces and distributes seed for corn, soybeans, and sunflowers. The Sugarbeet segment engages in the development, production, and distribution of diploid hybrid potatoes and sugar beet seeds. The Cereals segment produces and distributes seeds for rye, wheat, barley, and rapeseed. This segment also generates remainder from other crops, including sorghum, peas, catch crops, and oats. The Vegetables segment provides seeds for spinach, beans, Swiss chard, carrots, and red beet, as well as other vegetable crops. The company was formerly known as KWS SAAT SE and changed its name to KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA in July 2019. KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Einbeck, Germany. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at co[email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 1,400 bank branches and 4,800 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Read More Also in the hopper will be progressive Ald. Scott Waguespacks proposal to require the city to provide the City Council a great deal more information about proposed settlements for people accusing Chicago police of misconduct. They would have to brief aldermen about the specifics of the incident and the backgrounds of the officers involved and show any video and other evidence in the case to bridge what Waguespack, 32nd, termed the disconnect between the Citys efforts to limit its exposure to large civil judgments and the police accountability system in Chicago. President Energy Plc engages in the exploration, evaluation, and production of oil and gas properties primarily in South America. The company holds exploration assets in Argentina, the United States, and Paraguay. It also sells hydrocarbons. The company was formerly known as President Petroleum Company PLC and changed its name to President Energy Plc in September 2012. President Energy Plc was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Leeds, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Eastman Chemical: BP - Aviation Turbine Oil Business, CP Films Vertriebs GmbH, Commonwealth Laminating & Coating (Hong Kong) Limited, Commonwealth Laminating & Coating Inc, Crown Operations International LLC, Dynaloy, Eastman Administracion S.A. de C.V., Eastman Chemical (Barbados) SRL, Eastman Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., Eastman Chemical (China) Co. Ltd. - Guangzhou Branch, Eastman Chemical (China) Co. Ltd. - JingAn Branch, Eastman Chemical (Gibraltar) Limited, Eastman Chemical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Eastman Chemical (PPU) Pte. Ltd., Eastman Chemical AMI GmbH, Eastman Chemical AMI LLC, Eastman Chemical AP Holdings B.V., Eastman Chemical Adhesives (Hong Kong) Limited, Eastman Chemical Advanced Materials B.V., Eastman Chemical Argentina S.R.L., Eastman Chemical Asia Pacific Pte Ltd-Indonesia Rep Office, Eastman Chemical Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Eastman Chemical Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. - Vietnam Representative Office, Eastman Chemical Australia Pty LTD - New Zealand Branch, Eastman Chemical Australia Pty. Ltd., Eastman Chemical B.V., Eastman Chemical B.V. - Czech Republic Representative Office, Eastman Chemical B.V. - Denmark Branch, Eastman Chemical B.V. - Filiale Italiana, Eastman Chemical B.V. - France Branch, Eastman Chemical B.V. - Hungarian Commercial Representative Office, Eastman Chemical B.V. - Poland Representative Office, Eastman Chemical B.V. - South Africa Representative Office, Eastman Chemical B.V. Taiwan Branch, Eastman Chemical B.V. The Hague Zug Branch, Eastman Chemical Canada Inc., Eastman Chemical Company Investments Inc., Eastman Chemical EMEA B.V., Eastman Chemical Europe Middle East and Africa LLC, Eastman Chemical Europe S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Fibers IP GmbH, Eastman Chemical Fibers IP LLC, Eastman Chemical Finance B.V., Eastman Chemical Finance CN S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Finance EUR S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Finance GBP S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Finance SGD S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Finance USD S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Financial Corporation, Eastman Chemical GDL S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Germany Holdings GmbH & Co. KG, Eastman Chemical Germany Management GmbH & Co. KG, Eastman Chemical Germany Verwaltungs-GmbH, Eastman Chemical Global Holdings LLC, Eastman Chemical Global Holdings S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical GmbH, Eastman Chemical HK Limited, Eastman Chemical Holdings do Brasil Ltda., Eastman Chemical Hong Kong B.V., Eastman Chemical Iberica S.L., Eastman Chemical India Private Limited, Eastman Chemical Intermediates (Hong Kong) Limited, Eastman Chemical International GmbH, Eastman Chemical International Holdings B.V., Eastman Chemical International LP LLC, Eastman Chemical Japan Ltd., Eastman Chemical Korea B.V., Eastman Chemical Korea Ltd., Eastman Chemical Latin America Inc., Eastman Chemical Ltd., Eastman Chemical Ltd. - Australia Branch, Eastman Chemical Ltd. - Singapore Branch, Eastman Chemical Ltd. - Taiwan Branch, Eastman Chemical Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Luxembourg Holdings 1 LLC, Eastman Chemical Luxembourg Holdings 1 S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Luxembourg Holdings 2 S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Eastman Chemical Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Eastman Chemical Malaysia B.V., Eastman Chemical Middelburg B.V., Eastman Chemical Netherlands Limited, Eastman Chemical Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., Eastman Chemical Regional UK, Eastman Chemical Resins Inc., Eastman Chemical S.C.S., Eastman Chemical Singapore Pte. Ltd., Eastman Chemical Switzerland GmbH, Eastman Chemical Technology BVBA, Eastman Chemical Texas City Inc., Eastman Chemical US Finance LLC, Eastman Chemical Uruapan S.A. de C.V., Eastman Chemical Workington Limited, Eastman Chemical do Brasil Ltda., Eastman Cogen Management L.L.C., Eastman Cogeneration L.P., Eastman Company UK Limited, Eastman Fibers Korea Limited, Eastman Fibers Singapore Pte. Ltd., Eastman Foundation, Eastman Global Holdings Inc., Eastman International Holdings LLC, Eastman International Management Company, Eastman Italia S.r.l., Eastman Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Eastman LAR Distribucion S. de R.L. de C.V., Eastman Mazzucchelli Hong Kong Limited, Eastman Mazzucchelli Plastics (Shenzhen) Company Limited, Eastman Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., Eastman Spain L.L.C., Eastman Specialties Corporation, Eastman Specialties Holdings Corporation, Eastman Specialties OU, Eastman Specialties S.a.r.l., Eastman Specialties Wuhan Youji Chemical Co. Ltd, Eastman de Argentina SRL, Ecuataminco S.A., Flexsys America L.P., Flexsys America LLC, Flexsys Chemicals (M) Sdn Bhd, Flexsys K.K., Flexsys Rubber Chemicals Limited, Flexsys Verkauf GmbH, Flexsys Verkauf GmbH - France Branch, Flexsys Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Genovique Specialties Corporation, HDK Industries Inc., Holston Defense Corporation, Huper Optik (GP) L.L.C., Huper Optik International Pte. Ltd., Huper Optik U.S.A. L.P., Industriepark Nienburg GmbH, Kingsport Hotel L.L.C., Knowlton Technologies LLC, Monchem International LLC, Mustang Pipeline Company, Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical Ltd, Novomatrix Inc., Novomatrix International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Qilu Eastman Specialty Chemicals Ltd, S E Investment LLC, Sakra Hyco Pte. Ltd., Sakra Island Carbon Dioxide Pte Ltd, Scandiflex do Brasil Ltda., Solchem LLC, Solchem Netherlands C.V., Solutia (Thailand) Ltd., Solutia Brasil Ltda., Solutia Canada Inc., Solutia Chemicals France S.a.r.l., Solutia Chemicals India Private Limited, Solutia Chemicals India Private Limited - Branch, Solutia Deutschland GmbH, Solutia Europe BVBA - Portugal Representative Office, Solutia Europe BVBA - Russia Representative Office, Solutia Europe SPRL/BVBA, Solutia Greater China LLC, Solutia Hong Kong Limited, Solutia Inc., Solutia International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Solutia Italia S.r.l., Solutia Japan Limited, Solutia Performance Products (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Solutia Performance Products Solutions Ltd., Solutia Singapore Pte. Ltd., Solutia Solar GmbH, Solutia Therminol Co. Ltd. Suzhou, Solutia Tlaxcala S.A. de C.V., Solutia UK Holdings Limited, Solutia UK Investments Limited, Solutia UK Limited, Solutia Venezuela S.R.L., Southwall Europe GmbH, Southwall Insulating Glass LLC, Southwall Technologies Inc., St. Gabriel CC Company LLC, Sterling Chemicals Inc, SunTek Australia Pty. Ltd., SunTek Films Canada Inc., SunTek UK Limited, TX Energy LLC, Taminco Argentina S.A., Taminco BVBA, Taminco BVBA - France Rep Office, Taminco BVBA - Hungarian Commercial Representative Office, Taminco BVBA - Oficina de Representacion en Espana, Taminco BVBA - The Philippines, Taminco Chile S.p.A, Taminco Choline Chloride (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Taminco Corporation, Taminco Finland Oy, Taminco Germany GmbH, Taminco Global Chemical LLC, Taminco Group BVBA, Taminco Group Holdings S.a.r.l., Taminco Holding Netherlands B.V., Taminco Intermediate LLC, Taminco Italia S.r.l., Taminco Limitada, Taminco Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Taminco US LLC, Taminco Uruguay S.A., Taminco de Guatemala S.A., Taminco de Honduras S.A. de C.V., Taminco do Brasil Comercio e Industria de Aminas Ltda., Taminco do Brasil Produtos Quimicos Ltda., Te An Ling Tian (Nanjing) Fine Chemical Co. Ltd., TetraVitae Bioscience, V-Kool International Pte. Ltd., and Yixing Taminco Feed Additives Co. Ltd.. On abortion, Roskam said he's "not going to be defensive about being pro-life" and criticized Casten for favoring expanding the availability of taxpayer-funded abortions. Casten said abortion should be a choice between a woman and her doctor, not "Peter and anyone else in Washington." The following companies are subsidiares of Lithia Motors: 797 Valley Street LLC, Albany CJD Fiat, Baierl Auto Group, Baierl Auto Parts LLC, Baierl Automotive Corporation, Baierl Chevrolet Inc., Baierl Holding LLC, Broadway Ford, Buhler Ford Inc, Cadillac of Portland Lloyd Center LLC, Camp Automotive Inc., Carbone Auto Body LLC, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Morgantown, Cranberry Automotive Inc., Crater Lake Ford Lincoln, Crater Lake Mazda, DCH (Oxnard) Inc., DCH Auto Group, DCH Bloomfield LLC, DCH CA LLC, DCH Calabasas-A LLC, DCH California Investments LLC, DCH California Motors Inc., DCH DMS NJ LLC, DCH Del Norte Inc., DCH Essex Inc., DCH Financial NJ LLC, DCH Freehold - V LLC, DCH Freehold LLC, DCH Holdings LLC, DCH Investments Inc. (New Jersey), DCH Investments Inc. (New York), DCH Korean Imports LLC, DCH Mamaroneck LLC, DCH Mission Valley LLC, DCH Monmouth LLC, DCH Montclair LLC, DCH Motors LLC, DCH NY Motors LLC, DCH Nanuet LLC, DCH North America Inc., DCH Oxnard 1521 Imports Inc., DCH Riverside-S Inc., DCH Simi Valley Inc., DCH Support Services LLC, DCH TL Holdings LLC, DCH TL NY Holdings LLC, DCH Temecula Imports LLC, DCH Temecula Motors LLC, DCH Thousand Oaks-F Inc., DCH Torrance Imports Inc., Dah Chong Hong CA Trading LLC, Dah Chong Hong Trading Corporation, Daron Motors LLC, Day Auto Group, Downtown LA, Driveway Motors LLC, Elizabeth Collision LLC, Florida SS LLC, Ford Lincoln of Morgantown, Freehold Nissan LLC, Fuse Auto Sales LLC, Hamilton Honda, Hazleton Honda, Hutchins Eugene Nissan Inc., Hutchins Imported Motors Inc., Jaguar Landrover Mission Viejo, LA Motors Holding LLC, LAD Advertising Inc., LAD Carson-N LLC, LAD Mission Viejo-JLR Inc., LAD Mobu Inc., LAD-AU LLC, LAD-MB LLC, LAD-N LLC, LAD-P LLC, LAD-T LLC, LAD-V LLC, LBMP LLC, LFKF LLC, LGPAC Inc., LLL Sales Co LLC, LMBB LLC, LMBP LLC, LMOP LLC, LSTAR LLC, Lithia AcDM Inc., Lithia Aircraft Inc., Lithia Anchorage-C LLC, Lithia Anchorage-H LLC, Lithia Armory Garage LLC, Lithia Auction & Recon LLC, Lithia Auto Services Inc., Lithia Automotive Inc., Lithia BA Holding Inc., Lithia BNM Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Baierl-S LLC, Lithia Bryan Texas Inc., Lithia Buffalo-A LLC, Lithia CCTF Inc., Lithia CDH Inc., Lithia CIMR Inc., Lithia CJDO Inc., Lithia CJDSA Inc., Lithia CJDSF Inc., Lithia CM Inc., Lithia CO Inc., Lithia CSA Inc., Lithia Community Development Company Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-F Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-M Inc., Lithia DE Inc., Lithia DM Inc., Lithia DMID Inc., Lithia Des Moines-VW LLC, Lithia Dodge of Tri-Cities Inc., Lithia Eatontown-F LLC, Lithia FLCC LLC, Lithia FMF Inc., Lithia Financial Corporation (previously Lithia Leasing Inc. and Lithia Credit Inc.), Lithia Florida Holding Inc., Lithia Ford of Boise Inc., Lithia Fresno Inc., Lithia HDM Inc., Lithia HGF Inc., Lithia HMID Inc., Lithia HPI Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Hamilton-H LLC, Lithia Hazleton-H LLC, Lithia Idaho Falls-F Inc., Lithia Imports of Anchorage Inc., Lithia JEF Inc., Lithia Klamath Inc., Lithia Klamath-T Inc., Lithia LBGGF Inc., Lithia LHGF Inc., Lithia LSGF Inc., Lithia MBDM Inc., Lithia MMF Inc., Lithia MTLM Inc., Lithia McMurray-C LLC, Lithia Medford HON Inc., Lithia Middletown-L LLC, Lithia Monroeville-A LLC, Lithia Monroeville-C LLC, Lithia Monroeville-F LLC, Lithia Monroeville-V LLC, Lithia Moon-S LLC, Lithia Moon-V LLC, Lithia Morgantown-CJD LLC, Lithia Morgantown-F LLC, Lithia Morgantown-S LLC, Lithia Motors Support Services Inc., Lithia NA Inc., Lithia NC Inc., Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #1, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #3, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #4, Lithia NDM Inc., Lithia NF Inc., Lithia NSA Inc., Lithia Northeast Real Estate LLC, Lithia Orchard Park-H LLC, Lithia Paramus-M LLC, Lithia Pittsburgh-S LLC, Lithia Ramsey-B LLC, Lithia Ramsey-L LLC, Lithia Ramsey-M LLC, Lithia Ramsey-T LLC, Lithia Real Estate Inc., Lithia Reno Sub-HYUN Inc., Lithia Reno-CJ LLC, Lithia Reno-VW LLC, Lithia Rose-FT Inc., Lithia SOC Inc., Lithia SSP LLC, Lithia Salmir Inc., Lithia Sea P Inc., Lithia Seaside Inc., Lithia Spokane-B LLC, Lithia Spokane-S LLC, Lithia TA Inc., Lithia TO Inc., Lithia TR Inc., Lithia Uniontown-C LLC, Lithia VAuDM Inc., Lithia VF Inc., Lithia Wexford-H LLC, Lithia of Abilene Inc., Lithia of Anchorage Inc., Lithia of Bend #1 LLC, Lithia of Bend #2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 1 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 3 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 4 LLC, Lithia of Billings II LLC, Lithia of Billings Inc., Lithia of Casper LLC, Lithia of Clear Lake LLC, Lithia of Concord I Inc., Lithia of Concord II Inc., Lithia of Corpus Christi Inc., Lithia of Des Moines Inc., Lithia of Eureka Inc., Lithia of Fairbanks Inc., Lithia of Great Falls Inc., Lithia of Helena Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-A Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-BGMCC LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-F LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-V LLC, Lithia of Killeen LLC, Lithia of Lodi Inc., Lithia of Maui-H LLC, Lithia of Missoula II LLC, Lithia of Missoula III Inc., Lithia of Missoula Inc., Lithia of Pocatello Inc., Lithia of Portland I LLC, Lithia of Portland LLC, Lithia of Robstown LLC, Lithia of Roseburg Inc., Lithia of Santa Rosa Inc., Lithia of Seattle Inc., Lithia of South Central AK Inc., Lithia of Spokane II Inc., Lithia of Spokane Inc., Lithia of Stockton Inc., Lithia of Stockton-V Inc., Lithia of TF Inc., Lithia of Troy LLC, Lithia of Utica - 1 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 2 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 3 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 4 LLC, Lithia of Walnut Creek Inc., Lithia of Wasilla LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 1 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 2 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 3 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 4 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 5 LLC, Medford Insurance LLC, Milford DCH Inc., Northland Ford Inc., PA Real Estate LLC, PA Support Services LLC, Paramus Collision LLC, Paramus World Motors LLC, Personalized Marketing LLC, Prestige Auto Group, RFA Holdings LLC, Ray Laks Acura, Ray Laks Honda, Sacramento-L Inc., Salem-B LLC, Salem-H LLC, Salem-V LLC, Sharlene Realty LLC, Shift Portland LLC, Southern Cascades Finance Corporation, Subaru of Morgantown, Tampa-H LLC, Tustin Motors Inc., Wesley Chapel-H LLC, Wesley Chapel-T LLC, Zelienople Real Estate I L.P., and Zelienople Real Estate L.L.C.. And while campaign fundraising can be more difficult for challengers than sitting congressmen, Casten has been able to use his personal wealth to help pay for his campaign so far. Records show hes put $630,000 into his bid before the primary but hasnt given his campaign money since February. He raised about $790,000 in the second quarter of the year compared to $932,000 for Roskam. The incumbent had $2.3 million in the bank at the end of June, while Casten has $647,000. TAKKT AG operates as a B2B direct marketing company for business equipment in Germany, rest of Europe, and the United States. The company operates in two segments, Omnichannel Commerce and Web-Focused Commerce. The Omnichannel Commerce segment offers pallet lifting trucks, universal cabinets, desk chairs, environmental cabinets, and containers to hazardous materials for transport, plant, warehouse, and office equipment; transport packaging solutions, such as collapsible boxes, package padding, shipping pallets, and stretch films; desk chairs, desks, conference tables, and furniture for reception areas that are used in automotive suppliers, service and retail companies, public institutions, government agencies, health care sector, schools, and churches; and serving platters and food baskets, as well as kitchen stoves and freezers. The Web-Focused Commerce segment provides desks, shelves, and advertising banners; display stands, and mobile exhibition stands and displays; and office furniture, such as chairs and cabinets in its web shop. It offers its products through catalog, web shops, telephone, and telemarketing sales. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Stuttgart, Germany. TAKKT AG is a subsidiary of Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH. Read More Teck Resources Limited researches, explores for, develops, and produces natural resources in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Steelmaking, Coal, Copper, Zinc, Energy, and Corporate. The company's principal products include steelmaking coal; copper concentrates and refined copper cathodes; refined zinc and zinc concentrates; energy products, such as bitumen; and lead concentrates. It also produces molybdenum, gold, silver, germanium, indium, mercury, and cadmium, as well as chemicals, industrial products, and fertilizers. In addition, the company holds interest in oil sands projects and other interests in the Athabasca region of Alberta; and owns interest in exploration and development projects in Australia, Chile, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, Turkey, and the United States. The company was formerly known as Teck Cominco Limited and changed its name to Teck Resources Limited in April 2009. Teck Resources Limited was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Read More Valley National Bancorp is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Lending; Commercial Lending; Investment Management; and Corporate and Other Adjustments. The Consumer Lending segment consists of residential mortgage loans, automobile loans and home equity loans, as well as wealth management and insurance services. The Commercial Lending segment includes the floating rate and adjustable rate commercial and industrial loans as well as fixed rate owner occupied and commercial real estate loans. The Investment Management segment refers to investments in various types of securities and interest-bearing deposits with other banks. The Corporate and Other Adjustments segment represents the income and expense items not directly attributable to a specific segment. The company was founded on November 12, 1982 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a U.S military plane making a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. The handover follows through on a promise North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Trump welcomed the repatriation and thanked Kim in a tweet. The United Nations Command said 55 cases of remains were retrieved from North Korea. The White House earlier confirmed that a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, a Northern coastal city, on its way to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, near the South Korean capital of Seoul. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there Wednesday. At the air base, U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue U.N. flags. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, in a statement from the U.N. Command, called the retrieval mission successful. "Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home." Following the honors ceremony on Wednesday, the remains will be flown to Hawaii for scientific testing. A series of forensic examinations will be done to determine if the remains are human and if the dead were American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Trump late Thursday tweeted the repatriation was occurring and said, "After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un." Officials in North Korea had no comment on the handover on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrated as the day of "victory in the fatherland liberation war." Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearization before Kim and Trump met in Singapore, their summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. The repatriation of remains could be followed by stronger North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Ministry also said the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries' heavily armed border. The U.S. military last month said that 100 wooden "temporary transit cases" built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Chad Carroll also said, at the time, that 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a U.S. air base and would be used to send the remains home. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Korea's nuclear program and a previous U.S. claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. The North marked Friday's anniversary with ceremonies at war-related memorials; the capital Pyongyang and other cities were decked out in national flags and bright red banners. For the first time since 2015, Kim Jong Un has announced a general amnesty will be granted for prisoners who have committed crimes against the state. North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Officials have bristled, however, at criticism from the U.S. that it seeks to profit from the repatriations by demanding excessive fees for handling and transporting the remains. Pyongyang has nevertheless expressed its willingness to allow the resumption of joint search missions in the country to retrieve more remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were cancelled by President George W. Bush amid heightening tensions over the North's nuclear program in 2005. Post Kim-Trump summit talks between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean officials got off to a rocky start earlier this month, with the North accusing the Americans of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization. The North also said U.S. officials came up with various "conditions and excuses" to backtrack on the issue of formally ending the war. "The adoption of the declaration on the termination of war is the first and foremost process in the light of ending the extreme hostility and establishing new relations between the DPRK and the U.S.," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Peace can come only after the declaration of the termination of war." Pompeo said Wednesday that a great deal of work remains ahead of a North Korea denuclearization deal, but he dodged requests to identify a specific denuclearization timeline in testimony to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Experts say a declaration to officially end the war, which could also involve Seoul and Beijing, would make it easier for Pyongyang to steer the discussions with Washington toward a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition, security assurance and economic benefits. Some analysts believe that North Korea would eventually demand that the United States withdraw or dramatically reduce the 28,500 troops it keeps in South Korea as a deterrent. Washington has maintained Pyongyang wouldn't get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts on whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish his nukes, which he may see as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could offer. Kim reported from Seoul and Baldor from Washington. AP journalists Eric Talmadge in Pyongyang, North Korea, Kim Yong-ho in Pyeongtaek and Foster Klug in Seoul contributed to this report. Redemption Center All purchases from The Radio Shopping Show must be picked up and paid for within one week of placing your order. Picking up your order is now easier than ever! 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Also, be sure to tell your friends and family members all about the fantastic deals from great area businesses and beyond which are available every day on The Radio Shopping Show. Have a great time shopping and saving BIG money! In another indication of the grave danger facing WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, Ecuadors Foreign Ministry has reportedly failed to reply to two letters from his legal team asking for assurances about his fate. Over the past week, credible reports have been published that Assange could be evicted soon from Ecuadors London embassy. He was granted political asylum there in 2012 to protect him from being extradited to the US to face espionage-related charges that could lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty. One of Assanges lawyers, Carlos Poveda, told the Sputnik news site on July 24: We sent two letters to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry 10 days ago and five days ago respectively and expressed concern about the issue of refusal to grant asylum [to Assange] and we have received no response. According to the lawyer, if Ecuador revokes Assanges asylum, the WikiLeaks founder should have an opportunity to meet with government representatives and obtain information about a possible extradition to a third country. Ecuadors apparent refusal to affirm the fundamental right of asylum under international law is a further warning that, as previously reported, the Ecuadorian government is engaged in secretive discussions with the British and American governments on plans to hand Assange over to them. Poveda said Ecuadors Foreign Ministry also failed to reply to a request for Assanges representatives to meet with the countrys President Lenin Moreno, who has been in Britain this week, ostensibly to address a global disability summit. It seems that [Ecuador] is not willing to do so, Poveda told Sputnik. Earlier this week, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry denied that Moreno would discuss Assanges fate with British authorities. The denial came after a number of reports that Moreno would, in fact, hold talks with British ministers to finalise an agreement to remove Assange from the embassy. If Assange leaves the embassy, he will be arrested immediately by the British police, supposedly for breaching bail six years ago when he sought asylum. Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt last week gloated that Assange would get a warm welcome from the British police and face serious charges. Prime Minister Theresa Mays government has refused to abandon the bail proceedings against Assange, even though the Swedish authorities last year finally dropped the underlying European arrest warrant against him for questioning about trumped-up sexual assault allegations. As the WSWS reported this week, Assange would be imprisoned by the British authorities, perhaps for two years or more, pending extradition to the US, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have both stated their determination to prosecute Assange and permanently silence him. The WikiLeaks editor has become the worlds foremost political prisoner. He has spent more than six years effectively trapped and constantly monitored inside Ecuadors embassy, and been cut off all communications with the outside world, including his own mother, since March 28. Assange has not been charged with a single crime. The only serious charges he could face are in the US. He is being incarcerated because the ruling elite in Washington and its allies fear the impact of his media organisations ongoing exposures of their mass surveillance, anti-democratic machinations and war crimes. Assanges mother, Christine, this week issued a call, through an interview with the WSWS, for people to take a stand against the persecution of her son and the wider threat to political freedom. We are working towards becoming a totalitarian state, 1984 is here, she warned. If you dont fight it now then you will suffer under it. Julian is in the forefront of thishes the number one target at the moment and hes the one we have to stand up for. I say this, not just as a mother, but as a citizen and someone who believes in democracy and freedom. We have to fight because if they take him, they can take anyone and they will take anyone. We have to do this en masse and in this way we can hold back the forces of oppression. Christine Assange also warned against any reliance on governments, the political establishment, the corporate media and the ex-left and liberal layers who previously professed support for the defence of her son but then lined up behind the forces seeking to silence him and WikiLeaks. People have to de-lineate between the genuine traditional left who stand up for the rights and living standards of the common people, and the so-called liberal left or pseudo-left who are only interested in their individual concerns and privileges, she said. Protests are being organised around the world to respond if and when Assange is evicted from the London embassy. Click here for details. The WSWS endorses such demonstrations and urges its readers to participate. Such action, however, will be just the beginning of a protracted campaign to defend Assange and oppose the increasing censorship of critical voices and independent media on the Internet. Evidently nervous about evicting Assange in blatant violation of international law, Ecuadors Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told Spains ABC newspaper on Thursday that Ecuador has been very clear on Assanges asylum status. It is an issue that should be dealt with in the framework of international law by three parties: the British government, the Ecuadorian government and Assanges lawyers, Valencia said. It was difficult to predict how long it will take to find a solution, he said, indicating that such discussions are indeed underway. While publicly downplaying reports of Assange being removed within days, Valencia reiterated his recent declarations that asylum is not eternal. He also defended cutting off Assanges communications with the outside world, insisting it was not censorship. Ecuador granted Assange asylum on the basis of agreements providing him with protection by our country, Valencia stated. These conventions determine that the person seeking asylum cannot make political pronouncements or put the host countrys relationship with third parties (in this case Spain) at risk. This is a pretext for justifying throwing Assange to the wolves after he made a telling criticism of the previous Spanish governments authoritarian imprisonment and extradition proceedings against ousted Catalan government leaders. The third parties no doubt includes the US, with which Morenos government has been seeking a rapprochement. The moves against Assange are possible only because the British Labour Party opposition headed by Jeremy Corbyn has refused to oppose the May governments threats, let alone demand that Assange be given a guarantee against US extradition. Equally responsible are the Australian government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the countrys Labor Party opposition, which have maintained their collaboration with the US against Assange, an Australian citizen. This is in defiance of a globally broadcast rally conducted by the Socialist Equality Party of Australia, with the support of well-known investigative journalist John Pilger, in Sydneys Town Hall Square on June 17. That rally demanded that the Australian government secure Assanges right to return to Australia, if he so wishes, with guarantees that he not be extradited to the US. Assanges fate depends on workers and young people everywhere demanding his immediate freedom, as a central part of the fight to defend fundamental democratic rights, against all the capitalist governments, pro-imperialist parties, trade unions and media organisations that have lined up against him. Police in Iowa have ruled out the boyfriend of Mollie Tibbetts as a suspect in the University of Iowa sophomores disappearance, which authorities say appears increasingly likely was an abduction. Authorities tell PEOPLE Dalton Jack has been cooperating with investigators, who have formally excluded him as a suspect. Jack addressed his missing girlfriend in a recent interview with the Des Moines Register, saying, I miss you so much and I love you. The search for the missing 20-year-old continues, says Mitch Mortvedt, a spokesman for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. According to Mortvedt, local, state and federal officers are following up on a number of leads. He confirmed that detectives were searching a pig farm in Guernsey on Thursday morning. Guernsey is about 15 minutes by car from Brooklyn, Iowa, where Tibbetts was last seen more than a week ago while out for an evening run. Mollie Tibbetts Mortvedt says that no one has been taken into custody, and noted several searches were being conducted in and around the county. Speculation that Mollie could not have been abducted by a stranger is misguided, Mortvedt tells PEOPLE. One avenue of thought is that if it wasnt a struggle, and we have found no signs of a struggle, then maybe it was someone she was familiar with, Mortvedt explains. But then the other avenue of thought is it could have been a stranger who simply overpowered her or tricked her. We just have very little to go on. Mortvedt did confirm to PEOPLE that investigators are interviewing a number of people Tibbetts knows or seems to have a connection to, including University of Iowa students and her co-workers. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Police and volunteers have been looking for any sign of Tibbetts since last Thursday, when her parents reported her missing from Brooklyn, Iowa, where she lives. Story continues The last time she was seen alive was on July 18, when someone spotted her on her regular evening jog in Brooklyn. She also sent a text message that night at about 7 p.m., and boyfriend Jack opened a Snapchat message from her about 10 p.m., though its unclear when she sent it. The message was a selfie that appeared to have been taken indoors, Jack has reportedly said. He said he last saw Tibbetts on July 16 before traveling some two hours away for a construction job. Tibbetts is described as 5-foot-3-inches tall, weighing about 120 lbs., with long brown hair and brown eyes. The rising sophomore at the University of Iowa, described by friends as sweet and sunny, was staying at her boyfriends house and dog-sitting for him at the time of her disappearance. Investigators are also poring over the data recovered from Tibbetts social media accounts and her fitness tracker as well as extensive surveillance footage from the area. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to email investigators at tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com or call 641-623-5679. Four months after being found in Mexico with a 45-year-old married man after an international search, a Pennsylvania teen is now missing again, PEOPLE confirms. PEOPLE confirms that Amy Yu, 16, was reported missing Monday morning after allegedly fleeing a residential program for at-risk youth. A press release from the Pennsylvania State Police states Yu was last seen leaving Vision Quest in Franklin with two other girls: Nicole Richard, 17, and Ajah Linares, 16. The three girls left in an unknown vehicle, and police say they pose no danger to the public. Yu made national headlines in March when she went missing at exactly the same time Kevin Esterly, a father-of-four, did. Police allege Esterly and Yu, one of his oldest daughters friends, had a secretive relationship. From left: Amy Yu, Nicole Richard, and Ajah Linares Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. On March 5, Esterly allegedly signed the girl out of school and the pair traveled south towards Mexico. After a nearly two-week search, federal agents tracked them to Playa del Carmen, where Esterly was taken into custody. He has been charged with two felonies interfering with the custody of a child and concealment of the whereabouts of a child and one misdemeanor count of corruption of minors. Amy Yu and Kevin Esterly Esterly has not yet entered a plea, and PEOPLE has been unable to reach his attorney for comment. He is being held in Lehigh County Jail on $500,000 bail and will return to court Aug. 27 for a pretrial hearing. Since his arrest, Esterlys wife has filed for divorce. She spoke to Good Morning America about the case in late March, saying she tried to stop her husband from having contact with Yu. We thought the communication had stopped back in February, she said, adding, I never had any inkling it would lead up to this. In this Tuesday, July 3, 2018 photo, a scene of Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus sit the lawn of Monument Circle's Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis. The church that displayed statues of Mary, Joseph and Jesus in a cage to protest the Trump administration's zero tolerance immigration policy has replaced the Holy Family with a mirror so visitors can imagine themselves in a cage. (Ebony Cox / AP) From Russia to Bistro Bis: The Calif. congressman who dined with alleged Russian agent originally appeared on abcnews.go.com When FBI counterintelligence agents plowed through the emails of alleged Russian agent Maria Butinas networking around Washington, they discovered her plan to arrange friendship and dialogue dinners" with influential Americans. At one dinner, ABC News has learned, in February 2017 at the tony French eaterie, Bistro Bis, one guest who dined with the then-28-year-old Russian was a California Republican congressman on the House Foreign Relations committee, Dana Rohrabacher. Rohrabachers office confirmed he attended. PHOTO: Maria Butina, leader of a pro-gun organization in Russia, speaks to a crowd during a rally in support of legalizing the possession of handguns in Moscow, Russia, April 21, 2013. (AP) It wasnt their first meeting. Two years earlier, Butina had helped arrange a meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia that included Rohrabacher and her mentor, Kremlin-connected banker Alexander Torshin, federal officials have confirmed. PHOTO: Russian Council of the Federation Deputy Chief Alexander Torshin is seen during a meeting, April, 3, 2012 in Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga region, Russia. (Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images) To Rohrabachers critics, these repeated interactions with a woman now jailed on suspicion of mounting an influence campaign at the behest of the Russian government, have added more fuel to longstanding questions about his Kremlin connections. This past weekend, anti-Putin crusader and businessman Bill Browder told a room of national security experts gathered in Aspen that he believes Rohrabacher is "on the payroll of Russia." "I believe he is under some type of influence by the Russian government," Browder said. Rohrabacher has steadfastly rebutted those claims, criticizing the recent broadside from Browder, a British citizen, for interfering in U.S. politics. In one interview with ABC News last year, he decried what he said were "personal attacks" on his patriotism. "They call me Putin's best friend. I'm not Putin's best friend," he said. "I'm a patriotic American who knows that it would be really good for America to cooperate with Russia. I could care less whether it's good for Russia." Story continues But the Butina meetings and references to Rohrabacher in an FBI affidavit - his office confirming he is the unnamed congressman who met with her -- add to a growing list of contacts he has had with central characters in the ever-evolving Russia probe. Rohrabacher declined repeated interview requests for this story, but his spokesman, Kenneth Grubbs, has argued the range of Russian contacts should come as no surprise, given the congressman's assignment as the chairman of the committee overseeing U.S. relations in Eastern Europe. "Given any level of Russian activity or interest in relations with the United States, it is not surprising their agents or even their transplanted citizens would be magnetized toward the business of the subcommittee overseeing Russia and its chairman," Grubbs told ABC News earlier this week. "It is also proper that Chairman Rohrabacher would be guardedly open to their communications." After ABC News published this story, Rep. Rohrbacher said he did not remember speaking with Butina at the Bistro Bis dinner. "Her job was arranging chairs at a dinner, a gopher, and I sat at the opposite end of the table," Rohrabacher said. But the number of meetings he has held have attracted attention. Matt Olsen, a former senior national security official who now serves as an ABC News consultant, said he was surprised Rohrabacher was not "far more circumspect about whom he associates with from Russia." "He should be very skeptical about interacting with Russians individuals who actually may be targeting him for intelligence purposes," Olsen said. In January 2017, Rohrabacher hosted an inaugural ball at the Library of Congress that attracted several Russian figures whose names have since surfaced during the investigation of election interference by special counsel Robert Mueller. The event was organized by his close aides, and tickets bought by guests were counted as campaign donations. "It is common for state delegations to presidential inaugurations to put on state inaugural balls. Texas' Boots Ball is probably the best known," Mike Schroeder, political director and spokesperson for the Rohrabacher campaign, told ABC News of the congressman's Liberty Ball. "The last two times we had a Republican president inaugurated, Dana Rohrabacher organized the California ball." Among the guests were two of the participants in the now-infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting hosted by Donald Trump Jr., where the presidents son had expected to receive "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya were both in photographs of the event later uploaded on the website for the congressmans ball. PHOTO: Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin arrives at the Capitol for a closed door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee, Nov. 13, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Akhmetshin confirmed to ABC News that he attended Rohrabacher's inaugural ball. Veselnitskaya did not immediately respond to ABC News request for comment. But Rohrabachers spokesman, Kenneth Grubbs, said the campaign had no record of Akhmetshin or Veselnitskaya purchasing tickets to the event. "Apparently, there was some party-crashing going on," Grubbs said. Rohrabacher had previously met Veselnitskaya during an official trip he made to Moscow in April 2016, according to congressional records. Later that summer, Rohrabacher traveled to London and met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who controlled the release of hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton. Rohrabacher, a vocal advocate for Assange, has denied knowledge of those leaks. PHOTO: Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya speaks during an interview in Moscow, Nov. 8, 2016. (Yuri Martyanov/AFP/Getty Images) Another guest at the inaugural event was Erik Prince the Trump supporter and founder of the security firm Blackwater who is alleged to have secretly met with a high-ranking Russian official in the Seychelles during the transition a meeting Prince has maintained was an unplanned casual encounter at a bar. He has said he is cooperating with the Mueller investigation. A representative for Prince declined to comment on Princes decision to attend Rohrabachers inaugural event. And photos from the inaugural ball show businessman Bijan Kian, the one-time business partner of former national security adviser Michael Flynn who was on Trumps transition team, floating among the party guests. Their former firms lobbying activity has also been part of the Mueller investigation. PHOTO: Bijan Kian speaks during the Kazakhstan Investment Forum in New York, Nov. 24, 2009. (Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE) A former member of the Ukrainian parliament who appeared before Mueller's grand jury last month told ABC News that he, too, was invited to Trumps inauguration by Rohrabacher, whom he called "my personal contact in Congress." PHOTO: Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Artemenko watches a news conference of Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Hrytsak at his office in Kiev, Feb. 21, 2017. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters) Rohrabacher said his wife organized the inaugural event and continued to defend such contacts, saying in an email to ABC News, I am always skeptical of any Russian who comes into my proximity. He made a similar argument during an interview with ABC News last year. "I have talked to a lot of Russians and that's part of my job -- to hear what they've got to say and also to try to influence what they're doing, Rohrabacher said. I'm sure they want to know what's in my brain and what I'm talking about, what I believe." Grubbs offered the same explanation for the congressmans repeated contacts with Butina, the alleged Russian agent, saying the discussions "all came under the normal, fact-finding auspices of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats, which, as you know, he chairs." Following her July 15 arrest, Rohrabacher defended Butina, calling the charges "bogus" in an interview with Politico. He accused the Department of Justice of trying to undermine Trump after they went public with the indictment of 12 Russian operatives just days before Trumps summit with Russian President Vladamir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. Robert Driscoll, a lawyer for Butina, denied the allegations announced on Monday that his client is an agent of the Russian Federation. "The substance of the charge in the complaint is overblown," Driscoll said in a statement to ABC News last week. "While styled as some sort of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agent Registration Act, in actuality it describes a conspiracy to have a 'friendship dinner' at Bistro Bis with a group of Americans and Russians to discuss foreign relations between the two countries." It remains unclear how his repeated contacts with alleged Russian operatives will play in his Southern California congressional district, where he was first elected in 1988. The GOP incumbent who is seeking a 16th term in Congress is facing a tough re-election bid in the 2018 midterm elections. ABC News Soorin Kim, Matthew Mosk, James Gordon Meek and Tara Palimeri contributed to this report. More details are emerging about the moments after Demi Lovato overdosed on an as-yet-undisclosed drug. According to one report, Lovatos friends saved her life by administering Narcan, a drug that can treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation. Photo: Getty Images One of her friends had Narcan on hand in case something like this happened, a source told Us Weekly. Her friends knew this was coming because shes been using so much again. They were up all night partying the night before at her house. Luckily, the Narcan worked and she will recover. When someone uses a narcotic, the drug activates opioid receptors in the brain, Jamie Alan, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. If someone takes a high dose of one of these drugs, it can slow heart rate and breathing, which keeps the brain from getting the oxygen it needs. Narcan (a brand name for naloxone) works by binding to the persons opioid receptors, reversing and blocking the effects of other opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Lovato had two friends with her at her house that called 911, the Us Weekly source said. They were hysterical when paramedics arrived and Demi was unconscious. But the friends acted very quickly and saved her life. It makes sense that you might want to have Narcan on hand if you have a loved one who has a current or past history of addiction, but its a little more complicated than that, Alan says. Clearly, it can be life-saving in an emergency, and it is also considered fairly safe if you injected a person after they overdosed on something that wasnt an opioid, like alcohol, Alan says. If you misjudge the circumstances, youre not going to cause adverse effects, Alan says. But if your loved one is aware that you have Narcan, that person may also feel more comfortable abusing opioids or pushing the dosage when using opioids, knowing that there is a safety net in case of overdose, Alan points out. Story continues Getting Narcan is actually easier than you may think. Its available in many pharmacies, in some cases without a prescription, the National Institute on Drug Abuse says. Walgreens, for example, sells naloxone in many states without a prescription, while CVS does the same in Ohio, Arkansas, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. Ultimately, your ability to get naxolone easily depends on your state law, and some states require brief training in the use of naloxone before you can obtain it, Alan says. Lovatos condition has been described as stable, and her spokesperson confirmed via statement that shes awake and with her loved ones. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations 24-hour treatment referral hotline at 800-662-HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.samhsa.gov for free, confidential help. In the case of a medical emergency, call 911. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Photo credit: Discovery From Men's Health Former Australian Navy diver Paul de Gelder is scared of only two things in life: sharks and public speaking. But after losing his right hand and leg in a shark attack during a routine military exercise, de Gelder somehow became a motivational speaker and shark advocate. As a teen, de Gelder felt like he was floating through life without purpose. He had brief stints as a bartender and failed rapper (he once opened for Snoop Dogg), and even turned to dealing drugs at one point. He finally found happiness after becoming a clearance diver in the Navy, which means he was part of a unit that performs underwater demolitions and safely disposes of explosives in the water. In 2009, de Gelder was testing new Navy tracking technology when he was attacked by a shark. He lost a hand and a leg, was fitted with prosthetics, and spent months recuperating so he could return to work. Before the accident, de Gelder admits to thinking sharks were dangerous creatures that were better off dead. But as he started speaking publicly about his experience, he ended up learning how vital they are to our ecosystems. Sharks keep our oceans healthy by controlling populations of other fish species, which impacts the decline of coral reef and even the types of fish available for human consumption. Now, de Gelder works with various organizations to educate the public about sharks in an attempt save the 100 million killed each year in the commercial fishing trade. In honor of the Discovery Channel's 30th anniversary of Shark Week, July 22-29, MensHealth.com spoke to de Gelder about his harrowing experience. Catch the former navy hero on Sharkwrecked, airing July 26, and Bloodline, airing July 27. This interview has been condensed and edited. I joined [the military] in November 2000. It was kind of like my last vestige of hope for adventure. I was just bumbling through life searching for adventures and fulfillment trying to do something special, and I just kept failing. I came to the conclusion that maybe the army could provide that for me. Story continues I ended up becoming a paratrooper, which is an infantry soldier usually sent in as one of the first crews to jump in behind enemy lines. In April 2002, I went on my first overseas trip as a United Nations peacekeeper to the southeast Asian island of East Timor. I returned home toward the end of 2002 feeling like Id just won the Super Bowl. I finally just got to do my job for real. I wanted to do it again, and feel like I was really serving my country. Photo credit: Discvoery Thats when I heard about the clearance divers. I knew they were pretty badass. I thought, "Whats stopping me from being someone that the rest of the military looks up to?" It took a full 12 months before my transfer paperwork even went to the Navy, so it was a lot of patience, a lot of perseverance, and a lot of training as well. I went through that selection process in April 2005. I ended up finding my dream job. I got attacked February 11, 2009. The research and development section of the Navy had built this new automated device that they could put on ships, wherever we were around the world, and you could track movements in the water. The R&D department was trying to test this new equipment. I jumped into the water for only about four or five minutes. Before I even knew it, I just got this massive whack in my leg, and I really didnt know what it was, because it didnt hurt. I turned back around to see what was going on, and thats when I came face-to-face with a massive grey shark head. Id never seen anything like that before. My brain couldnt actually process what I was seeing. We were staring eye-to-eye for what felt like minutes, but it was probably the blink of an eye. And then my survival instincts kicked in, and I thought, "Ive got to get this thing off me." So I tried to jab it in the eyeballs, since that was the closest thing to my arm, but I couldnt move my arm. I didnt know why until I looked down. I could see teeth all across my leg and all across my wrist. The shark had bitten my leg and my hand with the same bite, so I had no hand to fight it off with. I tried with my left, but I couldnt reach the eyeball. I tried to push up by the nose, but that only pushed the teeth of the lower jar deeper into my leg, and thats when the pain started to kick in. So I tried to punch it in the head, but the shark must have realized that I was edible. It started to shake me. You can imagine what it feels like to have two rows of about 36 razor blades on either side of your leg and your wrist, just shredding their way through your flesh. I cant even describe it. At the same time it was taking me underwater, so I was drowning. I realized theres nothing I could do to get away from this animal that probably weighs about 600 pounds and was made of muscle, so I literally gave up. The shark removed my hamstring. It removed my hand. Fortunately, my wet suit made me buoyant, and I popped to the surface. I started to swim. I took a stroke with my right arm and I could see that my hand was totally gone. There was blood coming out of it. Im swimming with one hand. Im kicking with one leg because I cant even feel my right leg. I ended up swimming through a pool of my own blood back to the safety boat. Photo credit: Discovery I ended up keeping my leg for a week, but the shark had removed my entire hamstring, part of my quad, and all of the nerves as well, so I couldnt feel it. My hand, they couldnt save. They just sort of pinched the skin over my forearm bone. But the leg, we had to make a decision. I couldnt feel it, so there was no point keeping it. The doctor said, "We can have you walking, possibly running, on a prosthetic within 12 months." We ended up doing that, and it was really, really hard. I went through about 20 hours where they couldnt manage my pain after surgery. I begged my mom to get me a gun so I could shoot myself. I wished that the shark had killed me. It was a really, really rough 20 hours, but eventually they did get it under control, and I just started thinking about my future. I loved my job, and I loved my life. I fought really, really hard to create that life from nothing, and I just wasn't ready to give that up. I really, really needed that job. It made me feel whole. It gave me purpose and value. And so I made the decision to just fight back. I spent nine weeks in the hospital doing as much rehab on my own as I could. Then I went home, and I had a lot of my best friends driving me to the gym everyday if I could bear the pain. I was self-medicating with massive amounts of drugs. I knew what it was like to live in a haze [Editor's note: de Gelder told MensHealth.com that he used drugs as a teenager], and I was self medicating with Oxycontin. I came to the realization that I did regret all of those years in my hometown smoking weed and doing drugs. I didnt want that life again. That was one of the driving motivators to get me off of drugs faster than I was even supposed to be. So, I just went back to training. I was down at the Army base every day trying to work out - trying to learn how to use my body again, because having one hand and one leg can really mess up your bench press and squats. I went back to work after six months. The chief of Navy said that as long as I wanted a job in the navy I had one, but I dont think he realized I wanted my old job back. To be on the diving team, you have to be deployable for war. I realized I wasn't going to be great in a combat situation, but what about if I go to the diving school and teach? I just worked my ass off trying to prove to them that I was worthy of my title, and was killing myself trying to keep up. I started getting asked to do speaking presentations. I turned them down for quite some time because I was terrified of sharks and public speaking, but I got asked to speak at a cancer camp for kids. I went in there, and it was just such a rewarding experience making these kids laugh and forget that they were sick. I started doing more and more [speaking], to the point where after three-and-a-half years, I was making my two weeks' Navy wage in one hour. It got to the point where it was either, do I stay in the Navy and not do this speaking? Or, do I leave my guaranteed [Navy] paycheck to try this new career that may last a year or two? Every time Ive been faced with a big scary decision like this, I made the big scary choice, and its always worked out in the end. This was another big scary decision that I needed to make to change my life for the better. I left the Navy in August 2012 and become a full-time speaker - and it literally changed my whole life. Photo credit: Discovery I had to become somewhat of a shark expert out of necessity, because the publicity from that shark attack was so huge. The more I learned about them, the more I understood how at threat their populations are, the challenges theyre facing and also about the roles they play in our ocean. One of the things that always surprised me initially was how much fear humans have of sharks and how much fear they should have of us. We are absolutely terrified of sharks, and yet, sharks kill very few people all around the globe. We kill over a hundred million sharks a year. Thats a ridiculous amount. What were doing to the ocean is just absolutely unconscionable. Were not even talking about pollution now; this is just fishing. Its a multi-faceted attack on the life of our planet, and thats why I do what I do. Everyone asks me how they can be involved. Start locally. Find out who's doing work in your local community. You can spread the word. ('You Might Also Like',) Its no longer possible to book a ticket from the U.S. to Taiwan depending on whom you ask. In order to avoid punitive sanctions from China, three major U.S. airlines (American, Delta and United) removed the word Taiwan from their websites on Wednesday. The airlines will continue to fly to the capital Taipei airport. Earlier this year, Chinas Civil Aviation Administration sent a letter to more than 40 foreign airlines demanding they remove all mentions of Taiwan from their websites or be subject to sanctions, The Washington Post reported. Hours before the Wednesday deadline, U.S. airlines were among the last to continue referring to Taiwan as a country separate from China. Ever since a civil war in 1949, Taiwan and mainland China have governed as separate entities. While the Taiwanese view themselves as independent, Beijing considers the self-governed, democratic island a breakaway province under one China. United abides by and respects local laws and regulations in all markets and jurisdictions where we operate and conduct business, a spokesperson told The Washington Post. United flights to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan will continue to operate normally. China is one of the worlds largest travel markets and has the fastest growing airports in the world. It can benefit businesses to remain on Chinas good side. Air travel is global business, and we abide by the rules in countries where we operate, an American Airlines spokesperson told Reuters. Earlier this year, the White House referred to Chinas mandates as Orwellian nonsense and said the administration would stand up for Americans resisting efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to impose Chinese political correctness on American companies and citizens. China is willing to share Chinas development opportunities with foreign companies and welcomes them to invest in and operate in China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press conference in Beijing. Of course we hope that when they operate in China they respect Chinas laws and rules, Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity and the feelings of the Chinese people. Earlier this year, China blocked all Marriott websites and apps for one week because the hotel chain referred to Taiwan, Tibet, Macau, and Hong Kong as separate countries in an email. Marriott issued an apology and a review of its practices. By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - For the fifth straight year, at least 1,500 migrants have perished in the Mediterranean, with the route between Libya and Italy being the deadliest, claiming the lives of one in 19, the U.N. migration agency said on Friday. Spain, which has overtaken Italy as the preferred destination, has registered nearly 21,000 migrants so far this year, almost more than in the whole of last year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. In all, about 55,000 migrants have reached European shores so far this year, against more than double that number at this time last year, 111,753, it said. Italy - whose new government has closed its ports to rescue vessels - has had about 18,130 migrants arriving by sea from Libya this year, with the rest going to Greece, Malta and Cyprus. "Despite incredibly low numbers arriving to Italy, the per capita death or the rate of death per 1,000 people may be at its highest point since the emergency began," IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a news briefing. The IOM and the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR confirmed that they would host a meeting in Geneva on Monday to discuss a collective approach to disembarkation points aimed at making rescues at sea more manageable. They declined to say which government officials would attend the closed-door meeting. On Tuesday, the European Commission presented a proposal for "regional disembarkation platforms" that would likely be located outside the European Union to process migrants rescued at sea. However, the plans remain vague and do not mention any potential host countries. EU diplomats say they could be set up in North Africa. More than 600 African migrants forced their way through the heavily fortified border fence separating the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, using saws, shears and mallets to cut through the wire. "What we can say is that the first indications that we are getting from the Spanish authorities is that it is the West African migrants that were most prominent crossing into Libya in the past couple of years who seem to be choosing Spain as their route now," Millman said. The death rate on the western Mediterranean route to Spain is about one in 70 migrants, he added. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Bolton) The ladies of Twitter never fail to brighten our days with brilliant but succinct wisdom. Each week, HuffPost Women rounds up hilarious 280-character musings. To see this weeks great tweets from women, scroll through the list below. Then visit our Funniest Tweets From Women page for past roundups. Sign up for our Funniest Tweets Of The Week newsletter here. Grant me the serenity to not read the comments, the courage to not read the comments, and the wisdom to not read the comments. Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) July 26, 2018 The real you is what happens when you walk into a surprise spider web. Elizabeth Hackett (@LizHackett) July 25, 2018 Not respecting Beyonce is literally a romantic dealbreaker for me, I have checked out of a date before because a guy said he she was "alright, I guess, kind of overrated". It was so funny I didn't even realise what my face did till he said "Shit I've fucked it innit" bolu babalola (@BeeBabs) July 25, 2018 me: i have a health thing dr: this health thing is exacerbated with stress. have you tried being not stressed? twitter: *exists* 2018: *continues* me: oh no Jill Capewell (@capeybara) July 25, 2018 I threw old kale under my feeder and now the squirrels are walking around in yoga pants and requesting coconut water. Abby Heugel (@AbbyHasIssues) July 25, 2018 how is august next week?! september is basically tomorrow. its already 2019. happy new year. buku (@_bybuku) July 23, 2018 Got passport pictures today. The lady kept saying "I'm trying to get both your ears." Which ruined my fantasy of the TSA guy squinting at my passport and going, "So, Ms. 'Holmes,' how long have you had [waggles his finger at me] the two ears?" Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) July 26, 2018 me: god i'm exhausted, i'm going to sleep my computer: great idea but first here's two hrs of 'cats licking ice cream' videos you totally have to watch me: ok good call A Mancino-Williams (@Manda_like_wine) July 25, 2018 Why do sharks only get a week but impeachment is taking over a year? OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) July 25, 2018 This looks like the last thing you'd see before waking up in a bathtub of ice with one of your kidneys missing. pic.twitter.com/EWYQOKRtkX shauna (@goldengateblond) July 26, 2018 If I cant trust you like I trust my eyebrow lady, we can never be. Melania-Luisa (@feministmami) July 23, 2018 Who are we? SINGLE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS What do we want? FOR PERISHABLE GROCERIES TO BE SOLD IN SMALLER PORTION SIZES Maggie Sage Hunter (@swaggie_hunter) July 23, 2018 At the grocery story I saw an 80 year old woman buy 6 bottles of wine, a pint of ice cream & a pack of bear claws. Not all heroes wear capes Sarah (@thetigersez) July 20, 2018 retainer: in inhaler: huffed sex appeal: gone gracie hoos (@cottoncandaddy) July 24, 2018 yo i hate honors college boys i just asked this guy hey why arent koalas considered bears? and he hits me with theyre marsupials shut up nerd the answer to the joke is they dont have the koalafications claire (@clairedaniellem) July 22, 2018 when you don't have enough water you get a headache me: nah I'm good my body: please me: yeah no body: drink the water for fucks sake me (on the ground, dying): it doesn't taste good editor's choice (@RenShaye) July 25, 2018 everything I do, I do it for you me to my dog and no one else Lane Moore (@hellolanemoore) July 25, 2018 Please do not tell me to stand up straight, Im a tall slightly curved floor lamp and thats all there is to it audrey farnsworth (@audipenny) July 24, 2018 The older I get, the earlier it gets late. Jaime Lynne (@Jaimelynne7786) July 22, 2018 You ever rinse a spoon and that bitch rinse you right back? rad dad (@ohemgeeijizzed) July 21, 2018 Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. The Daily Beast FBIWarning: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault.A U.S. Embassy staffer accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least 24 women over a 14-year period was in fact a longtime CIA employee, the FBI announced Monday, as the bureau urged any possible victims to come forward in the case.Serial molester Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 45, was arrested Oct. 9, 2020, in La Mesa, California, where he had been staying with his parents after abruptly quitting his job at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico Youre in the market for a new car, and youve done the math: you can spend around $25,000. Now how do you figure out what to buy? Our friends at Autoblog compiled a list of the best cars in that price range. If $25,000 is too much, weve got you covered. Check out our lists for the best cars at $15,000 and $20,000. 2018 Honda Civic The base price for the Honda Civic ($18,490) actually qualifies it for our list of $20,000 cars, but adding a little extra to the Civic brings it up to the $25,000 price point. Autoblog says they would happily choose it over many of the midsize sedans that have price tags of similar or lesser value. The compact Civic, according to Autoblog, is actually pretty darn big, with an adult-friendly back seat and decent trunk. The cabin has a high-end feel, and it has a turbocharged engine that offers best-in-class acceleration and fuel economy. Throw in the fact that you can get the sporty Si trim level for less than $25,000 and youve got a winner. 2018 Toyota Camry The Camry is one of the best-selling vehicles in North America, and its no wonder why: the thing is a workhorse. The base price for the Camry is $23,645. The LE trim level is substantially sharper to drive and has a classy cabin. The Camrys combined highway/city fuel economy is pretty good too: 29 miles per gallon. 2018 Subaru Crosstrek The Subaru Crosstrek starts life as an Impreza hatchback, but the Crosstrek crossover adds body cladding, roof rails as standard and great ground clearance. Its a funky crossover thats great for a weekend of outdoor Subaruing as well as your weekday commute. All-wheel drive comes as standard, and for $25,000 youll be looking at the Premium trim level, which comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and heated front seats. 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata Any auto enthusiast knows the Miata is one of the most fun cars you can drive. Autoblog writes its one of their favorite vehicles at any price point. Its a truly dynamic and engaging drivers car, Autoblog wrote. There might not be a ton of space for your luggage, but youll be having too much fun to remember where you even put it. Story continues Its tough to figure out what price range to put the Miata in because its base price is at the top of our range: $25,295. That means most optional extras like the Miata Club sport trim level that offers a limited-slip differential, sport-tuned suspension, summer tires and subtle styling enhancements put it out of this price range. Autoblog wrote those extras undoubtedly make the Miata better, but it doesnt seem to be $4,000 better. If youre looking to have the most fun possible for $25,000, [the Miata] is the answer. Read more from Turner: 5 ways to avoid getting ripped off at the auto shop Confessions of a car salesman 5 hidden costs to owning a car (SAN DIEGO) The Trump administration said Thursday that more than 1,800 children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border have been reunited with parents and sponsors but hundreds remain apart, signaling a potentially arduous task ahead as it deals with the fallout of its zero tolerance policy on people entering the U.S. illegally. There have been 1,442 children 5 and older reunified with their parents in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and 378 others who were released in other appropriate circumstances, including to other sponsors, the Justice Department said in a court filing. Still, more than 700 parents were deemed not eligible or currently not eligible, many of whom may have been deported. Of those, 431 children have parents outside the United States. More than 2,500 children were separated from their parents at the border in the past several months amid a zero tolerance policy that criminally prosecuted anyone caught crossing illegally. Some children who had not seen their parents in weeks or months seemed slow to accept that they would not be abandoned again. One father who was reunited last week said his young daughter did not believe that he would not leave her a second time. I think that some of the children very quickly attach. Others, theres a distance. Theres this caution, this lack of certitude, and part of it is not understanding what happened, said Ruben Garcia, director of the Annunciation House, an immigrant-assistance center in El Paso that has received about 25 families each day this week. Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who represents the separated families, said before the latest figures were announced that the government should not be congratulating itself for meeting its self-defined deadline. The government shouldnt be proud of the work theyre doing on reunification, he said. It should just be, We created this cruel, inhumane policy now were trying to fix it in every way we can and make these families whole. Story continues The Department of Homeland Securitys internal watchdog said it would review the separation of families, along with the conditions at Border Protection facilities where migrant children are held, in response to scores of congressional requests to do so. For the last two weeks, children have been arriving steadily at ICE locations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to be reunited with parents. Faith-based and other groups have provided meals, clothing, legal advice and plane and bus tickets. The families are generally released, and parents are typically given ankle-monitoring bracelets and court dates to appear before an immigration judge. But confusion and fear lingers. Jose Dolores Munoz, 36, from El Salvador, was reunited with his 7-year-old daughter last Friday, nearly two months after they were separated. His daughter cries when he leaves the house because she thinks hes not coming back. She is afraid, Munoz said in Spanish. Yesterday I left her crying, she is telling me, You are not coming back. You are lying. You are leaving me.' U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego commended the government Tuesday for its recent efforts, calling it a remarkable achievement. It is the reality of a policy that was in place that resulted in large numbers of families being separated without forethought as to reunification and keeping track of people, said Sabraw, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush. Lourdes de Leon, who turned herself in to immigration authorities, was deported to her native Guatemala on June 7 but her 6-year-old son, Leo, remained in the U.S. De Leon said Guatemalan consular officials told her signing a deportation order would be the easiest way to reunite with Leo. He is in a shelter in New York, de Leon said. My baby already had his hearing with a judge who signed his deportation eight days ago. But I still do not know when they are going to return him to me. Immigration attorneys said they had advocates on the ground in Central America to help parents who were deported without their children. And Gelernt said the ACLU would go looking for all of the parents to determine whether they intentionally left without their children. I think its going to be really hard detective work, he said. And hopefully were going to find them. Both sides were due back in court Friday, when the judge was going to decide whether to ban deportations of families for seven days after they are reunified so that parents could have time to discuss their options. Late last month, Sabraw ordered a nationwide halt to family separations, which President Donald Trump effectively did on his own June 20 following an international outcry. Sabraw issued a 14- day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents and 30 days for children 5 and older. On Friday, family attorneys would begin turning their attention to those who werent reunited parents who had a criminal record, parents who were no longer in the U.S. and children who were handed over to other sponsors, Gelernt said. Investigators have not said what they believe Howells intentions were. The status of his criminal case in Indiana was not immediately clear, and the district attorneys office did not immediately respond to additional questions. Kyle Mizokami Security, We break it all down. Here is what could happen. Air War in Asia: China's J-20 Stealth Fighter vs. Japan's F-15: Who Wins? In our comparison of the multi-role Chengdu J-10 and the Mitsubishi F-2, the close-in advantage went to the J-10, with the long-range advantage going to the F-2. When it comes to air superiority fighters, the tables are reversed. Relief for Japan is on the distant horizon, as the ATD-X demonstration fighter is scheduled to fly later this year. Regardless, Chinas imminent leapfrogging its historical adversary into the world of fifth-generation fighters will be a major upset in great power rivalries. As tensions between China and Japan have increased, there have been more encounters between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft. Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Su-27s have been spotted near Japanese aircraft in the East China Sea, prompting Japanese F-15s based in Okinawa to scramble. (This first appeared in late 2015.) These encounters appear to be the new normal, and may continue for the foreseeable futureindeed, into a time when Chinas J-20 Soaring Dragon fighter becomes operational. Chinas first fifth generation fighter, the J-20 is expected to enter service by the end of the decade. At the same time, Japan is still flying the F-15J Eagle fighter. Although an excellent fighter, Japans Ministry of Defense had expected to replace it with the F-22 Raptor by now. Unfortunately for Japan, the now-infamous Obey Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress prohibited the Raptors export, and Japan has been stuck without a true F-15 replacement. Japan took delivery of its first F-15J in 1981. The fighter was manufactured under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was largely identical to American-owned jets with the exception of its electronic countermeasures suite and radar warning equipment, which the U.S. government declined to sell. The aircraft were initially armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and the semi-active radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrowlater replaced with the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. An M61 nose-mounted 20-millimeter gatling gun rounds out the F-15Js armament. Story continues Japan has taken delivery of 223 F-15Js, with eight lost to accidents. The F-15J has been in service for a long time. Japan initiated an upgrade program in the early 2000s that saw a new infra-red guided missiles (AAM-3 and AAM-5), improved engines, improved AN/APG-63 (V)1 mechanically-scanned pulse-doppler radars and the ability to carry AAM-4B radar-guided missiles added to the jet. Improved electronic countermeasures and a nose-mounted infra-red search and track (IRST) sensor were also added to bring the fighter up to date. However, the upgrade is expensive and is only being applied to fewer than ten aircraft per year. Only about half of Japans F-15Js have received the upgrades. The Chengdu J-20 is an intriguing mystery. As Chinas first fifth-generation fighter, the J-20 was first revealed in 2011. A twin-engined, single seat aircraft with forward canards and a stealthy profile, the J-20 is thought to be slightly longer than the F-15J. It has a long, broad fuselage for internal weapons and fuel storage. It appears to have three internal weapons bays, two smaller bays for short-range missiles and one larger bay for long range air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground ordnance. The J-20 appears to have a nose cone large enough to conceal an advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, giving it the ability to detect distant targets and attack them with radar-guided missiles. Newer prototypes appear to be equipped with an infra-red search and track system and an electro-optical targeting system for air-to-ground attacks. Recommended: Why No Commander Wants to Take On a Spike Missile Recommended: What Will the Sixth-Generation Jet Fighter Look Like? Recommended: Imagine a U.S. Air Force That Never Built the B-52 Bomber The J-20s precise role is not known. The aircraft appears to be built for long-range missions. The Soaring Dragon could be like the Russian-built MiG-31, a high speed (and stealthy) interceptor that will pay particular attention to shooting down enemy aerial refueling tankers, AWACS early warning and control aircraft, reconnaissance and intelligence collection aircraft and so on. Alternately, it could be fitted out to be a long range medium bomber, like the American F-111capable of striking targets like Okinawa and bases across Japan. For the sake of argument, lets assume the J-20 is outfitted as a long-range air superiority fighter. Pitted against the F-15J, which plane would win? Assuming the J-20s designers were successful in reducing the planes radar cross section, the F-15J may have trouble detecting it at longer ranges. At the same time, the lack of stealth on the F-15J means that with a competent radar, the J-20 will easily detect the Japanese fighter. This doesnt bode well for the F-15J in the beyond visual range fight, especially if the J-20 is armed with PL-15 missiles. Successfully tested in September 2015, the PL-15 includes an active radar seeker and possibly dual pulse rocket motor propulsion (it might also be ramjet-powered). At closer ranges the F-15J may have the advantage. The J-20 is reportedly underpowered, at least for now, while the F-15J has an excellent thrust-to-weight ratio. The F-15 family of aircraft are renowned as unparalleled dogfighters and could be able to use the Eagles superior thrust and excellent maneuverability to gain a positional advantage. One final consideration: although still in prototype stage, the J-20 has so far not been seen outfitted with a gun. Although air power experts are split on the utility of a gun, in a close-in dogfight, the F-15Js ability to fire a snap-shot with its M61 gatling gun could come in handy. In our comparison of the multi-role Chengdu J-10 and the Mitsubishi F-2, the close-in advantage went to the J-10, with the long-range advantage going to the F-2. When it comes to air superiority fighters, the tables are reversed. Relief for Japan is on the distant horizon, as the ATD-X demonstration fighter is scheduled to fly later this year. Regardless, Chinas imminent leapfrogging its historical adversary into the world of fifth-generation fighters will be a major upset in great power rivalries. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and The Daily Beast. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter:@KyleMizokami. Image: Creative Commons. Read full article Seoul (AFP) - A US military aircraft carrying the remains of US Korean War dead collected in North Korea arrived in the South on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting. The return of the remains marks the partial fulfilment of an agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their historic summit in Singapore last month. After leaving the North Korean port city of Wonsan, the C-17 cargo plane landed at the Osan US Air Base in South Korea at around 0200 GMT, where live TV images showed American soldiers lined up for a ceremony. More than 35,000 Americans were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still considered missing, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, according to the Pentagon. "Today's actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home," the White House said in a statement. "We are encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change," the statement said, adding that a formal repatriation ceremony would be held at the Osan Air Base next week. Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets of remains from the North were repatriated, but those operations were suspended when ties deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The remains flown to Osan on Friday are expected to be sent to Hawaii for forensic identification. In the space of a week Dan Harmon, Trevor Noah and James Gunn have seen offensive jokes they made in the past resurface Dan Harmon, one of the public figures who has come under fire this week. Photograph: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival Its the kind of scandal that has become ubiquitous in the past few years: someone uncovers an offensive social media post or problematic previous bit of work from a public figures past. It normally ends with a public apology, and often a firing. There have been at least three such stories in the past week. On Sunday, James Gunn, the director of Guardians of the Galaxy, was fired by Disney after 10-year-old tweets surfaced in which he made jokes about rape and pedophilia. Days later Dan Harmon, the creator of Ricky and Morty and host of the Harmontown podcast, apologised after an old sketch, in which he appears to rape a baby doll, resurfaced. Around the same time, an old standup bit by Trevor Noah also found its way online, in which he was making offensive jokes about aboriginal women in Australia. What links Gunn, Noah and Harmon is the persistent criticism of Donald Trump. Harmon has previously suggested that the president would prefer the votes of Nazis to non-Nazis. Gunn previously offered to donate $100,000 to a charity of Trumps choosing if he stepped on a scale in public to prove the weight on his medical report wasnt fraudulent, joking he was part of the girther movement. Noah is the host of the Daily Show, which takes Trump to task on a nightly basis. While few have disagreed that the jokes the three men made were repulsive, the way they found their way back onto the internet was part of semi-coordinated attempts by the alt-right to weaponise offensive material as a way of getting liberals fired. The Harmon video, a parody of the TV show Dexter, first screened as part of the comedy festival Channel 101. In it, Harmon is shown breaking into a house and abusing a baby doll. It resurfaced on a thread on 4chan, the online message board beloved by anime fans, internet trolls and the alt-right, then moved to the Reddit page r/The_Donald, a major message board for Trump supporters and the alt-right. On 4chan, in between swastikas, antisemitic images and countless uses of racial and homophobic epithets, users argue that Harmon should be taken down as retaliation for what happened to Roseanne Barr. Story continues Barr was fired from her eponymous ABC show after a posting a racist tweet in which she compared Barack Obamas former adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape. Think of Roseanne Barr and all the other much less rich, much less famous people who have had their lives destroyed, writes one anonymous user. We must use these tactics against them as effectively as theyve used them against us. It is the only way to win. On Reddit, there are numerous threads about Harmon from the past 48 hours, with comments such as: They went after us for making jokes a lot less worse than this, we warned them it would backfire on them too, but they dont listen do they? Harmon has said in a statement: Nobody should ever have to see what you saw and for that, I sincerely apologize. Twitter is just modern-day gladiatorial combat The tweets that led to Gunn being fired, which also included jokes about peadophilia and rape, were surfaced by Mike Cernovich, an alt-right blogger and conspiracy theorist best known for spreading the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. He boasted of his role in Gunns firing to online publication The Wrap. I enjoy just the raw human visceral reaction of jumping into the arena and just swinging the hammer and seeing what is left over afterwards. Twitter is just modern-day gladiatorial combat. Cernovich said at the end of 2017 that he had seen the success people had in getting conservatives fired for offensive tweets and realised the right could employ the same tactics. We found over 100 far leftwing journalists with fireable tweets. 2018 this project goes live, he tweeted in December. Trevor Noah has come under fire for an offensive joke. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters Cernovich has largely made good on his threat. He spread a Roman Polanski joke tweeted by MSNBCs Sam Seder almost a decade ago. Seder was fired, though later reinstated by the channel. Cernovich has also targeted comedians Patton Oswalt and Michael Ian Black. He surfaced one of Blacks tweets, which read: I dont like watching iCarly with my daughter because there is nobody on that show I want to molest. Also on Twitter, Trevor Noahs old stand-up routine was shared by the Australian Rugby player Joe Williams who doesnt appear to have any political motiviation. Alt-right channels on Reddit, such as r/thedonald, have been revelling in the controversy. The top comment on one post about Noah reads: Liberal sensitivity is dialed up so fucking high that it was only a matter of time before they all started attacking each other. This article was amended on 26 July 2018 because an earlier version referred to the subreddit r/thedonald, when a r/The_Donald was meant. Amazon is taking a page from Googles playbook: The company is adding a new feature to its Echo speakers and other Alexa-enabled devices that allows users to control media playback from their phone. Alexa Cast, as the feature is being called, is launching with Amazon Music but a company spokesperson confirmed plans to add support for other apps in the future as well. Amazon Music customers have access to Alexa Cast after updating their Android or iOS mobile app. Once they have done so, theyll be able to launch the playback of a song, playlist or album with the press of a button, and also skip individual tracks, directly from their phone. The feature closely mimics Googles Cast technology, which has been offering much of the same ever since Google first introduced its Chromecast streaming adapter five years ago. In fact, Amazon Music got Chromecast support some time ago. Alexa cast simply allows users to interact with their Echo speakers, and third-party devices with Alexa support, in the same way as with Chromecast devices. Amazon plans to eventually make Alexa Cast available to third-party developers as well, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday. The spokesperson wasnt able to share any specifics on timing yet. Opening up Alexa Cast will allow Spotify and others to add playback control for Echo speakers to their mobile apps as well. Update: 1:15pm: This post was updated with a statement from an Amazon spokesperson. Related stories Ariana Grande to Headline Amazon Music Prime Day Concert Alessia Cara, Kelsea Ballerini, Julia Michaels to Perform Live for Amazon's 'Prime Day' Amazon Fire TV Cube Review: Not Ready to Replace Your Remote Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts! Ola Kamara celebrates his equalizer for the LA Galaxy against LAFC in El Trafico. (Omnisport) The Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club have now met twice in Major League Soccers latest nascent rivalry. And they have still never failed to produce a contender for MLS game of the season. The second of three Traficos the ingenious name given to the Southern California rivalry by fans of the two teams didnt offer up Zlatan Ibrahimovic heroics like the first. But it had just about everything else. Everything from pregame ugliness to a genuine derby feel to an enthralling match to Bob Bradley obscenities. And just like the first, it had another stunning Galaxy comeback; or, depending on your perspective, another calamitous LAFC collapse. The expansion side dominated MLS most successful franchise for 80 minutes. But four months after blowing a 3-0 lead on the road, it coughed up a 2-0 advantage at home, and very nearly coughed up all three points. Instead, it settled for a disheartening 2-2 draw, the source of profanity coursing from its head coaches mouth after the match. To kick-start the rally, Ibrahimovic pounced on a dreadful Walker Zimmerman touch, then fed Romain Alessandrini in the penalty box. The Frenchman finish against the grain and got the Galaxy back in the game: Five minutes later, 21-year-old Andre Horta, a highly-rated designated player signed from Benfica last month, marked his MLS debut with a costly mistake. His inexplicably ambitious back-pass was intercepted by Ola Kamara, and eventually all but walked into an empty net: LAFC had been so crisp, so effective, so effervescent for the vast majority of the game. It had gone ahead via a Carlos Vela header less than seven minutes in. Lee Nguyen doubled the lead with a free kick. At the other end, Jordan Harvey was holding of Ibrahimovic in the air. Zimmerman was denying Kamara with last-ditch blocks. Story continues The hosts were in control, and their fans buoyant, just as they had been back in March. Attacks flowed. Golden flags twirled in the Banc of California Stadium supporters end. And LAFC very easily could have extended its lead at 2-0. Benny Feilhaber hit the post. So did Adama Diomande. So did Horta late on. Latif Blessing almost nicked a goal of Galaxy goalkeeper David Binghams foot. But out of nowhere, the upstarts capitulated. Goalkeeper Tyler Miller produced a stunning save to keep the score at 2-1 minutes before he was hung out to dry by Hortas back-pass: Between the 70th and 80th minutes, LAFC had nearly a half-dozen chances. It was on the front foot. Suddenly, the tide had turned. Vela even admitted afterward: If there were five more minutes, we would have lost. They say rivalries cant be manufactured. They say they need to define themselves. But through 180 minutes, El Trafico already feels like it has an extensive, authentic and compelling history. Because over 180 minutes, it has written two of the best narratives of the 2018 MLS season. Henry Bushnell covers global soccer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook. More soccer on Yahoo Sports: Takeaways from the USWNTs 4-2 win over Japan Adelson: Was Jaelene Hinkle cut by USWNT because of her religious beliefs? McIntyre: The significance of Alphonso Davies move to Bayern Munich Whos at fault in Mesut Ozils row with German soccer? Why the transfer window now depends on Ronaldo-to-Juve aftershocks Following through on an agreement made at a June summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, North Korea on Friday returned what is believed to be the remains of 55 American servicemen killed during the Korean War. After retrieving the remains from a seaside city in the North, a U.S. military aircraft returned to Osan Air Base outside of Seoul where U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard stood by for their homecoming, which coincides with the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. This is the first repatriation of American remains from North Korea since 2005, a promising development for the veteran community and their families. Nearly 7,700 American military service-people are still unaccounted for from the Korean War, according to the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, of which approximately 5,300 are thought to be in North Korea. Pyongyang has long suggested that the remains were in its possession, but retrieval has been thwarted by diplomatic tensions with the communist regime. Its huge development for all of the war families, says Dr. Timothy P. McMahon, director of the DoD DNA Operations for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System. Its something they have been looking forward to and needing for the last 26 years, if not the last 60 years. While the return has been hailed by veterans and their families, only part of the job is done. The remains will still need to undergo forensic analysis to confirm their identities, and thousands more still need to be found. But when bodies have been underground for decades, what exactly does it take to repatriate them? TIME asked the government agency in charge, the DPAA, to find out. What is the DPAA? The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is a division within the Department of Defense that is tasked with accounting for Americans lost in conflict, including in World War II, the Vietnam War, Korean War, Cold War, Iraq War, and others. The job of retrieving fallen personnel used to be done by several disparate government departments, but in 2015, former secretary of defense Chuck Hagel brought them under one umbrella. Operational since 2016, the agency has about 700 employees, with research teams divided geographically. Story continues How many servicemen are missing? More than 82,000 Americans have not returned home between World War II and the Gulf War. The vast majority 73,000 were lost in World War II. The DPAA estimates that about 34,000 are recoverable. 7,697 remain missing from the Korean War, 1,597 from Vietnam, and 126 from the Cold War. Of the missing Korean War veterans, 5,300 are believed to be located in North Korea. How does repatriation work? The DPAA goes through the same basic procedure for every body: locate, recover, identify. Location starts in the filing cabinet. Agency historians basically follow a paper trail, piecing together historical documents to draw a circle on the map around a point where a body might be. They then use archives and witness accounts to narrow that circle down. But as time passes, this becomes increasingly difficult, as key witnesses with information age and pass away. Time is always the enemy in all of our cases, says Chuck Prichard, a DPAA spokesman. Each one of those can take years, even decades. Eventually the research develops into an investigative team for a recovery mission. This involves tasks like surveying land and working with local governments to obtain permits for disinterment. One of they key challenges is nature, as land eats away at remains. This is especially problematic in countries like Vietnam where land can be acidic. If and when remains are recovered, they will then be sent to labs at air force bases in either Hawaii or Nebraska. Using forensic anthropology, odontology, DNA and other scientific methods, anthropologists examine all surviving artifacts, from military uniforms to life support equipment, to establish a biological profile. The biggest obstacles here are lack of information and commingling. Many of the remains turned over by North Korea in the past have arrived with little or no information as to where they were found. And in 2005, among the 208 caskets returned by Pyongyang, the remains of about 400 individuals were found commingled together. DPAA partners with Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES), based in Delaware, to conduct DNA testing. With an extensive family reference database, AFMES forensics experts compare the sequences they uncover to reference samples on file, which are either from the missing individual or from a family member. Of all the missing personnel from the Korean War, 92% have a DNA reference card. The way we think about it is like a jigsaw puzzle, says Dr. McMahon from AFMES. We use mitochondrial DNA to establish the border, then we use further discriminatory tests to segregate them into individuals. The biggest obstacle isnt identifying them, McMahon adds. Its just getting them turned over to us. Beyond this general framework, every single case is unique in terms of cost, time and resources. Some cases in more remote areas will require several helicopter trips, while others will call for more diggers. How does repatriation work with North Korea? Diplomatic tensions have consistently stymied repatriation efforts with Pyongyang. Following the armistice in 1953, which established the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, both sides were required to hand over the dead. The U.S. received an estimated 4,219 human remains, of whom 2,944 are known or believed to be Americans. Between 1996 and 2005, an agreement between the U.S. and North Korea allowed for recovery of some 229 personnel. DoD entities that preceded the formation of DPAA worked jointly with the Korean Peoples Army and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 33 missions over that period. But President George W. Bush ended that agreement because of North Koreas development of nuclear weapons and safety issues surrounding the recovery teams. A Defense Department report later found that during that recovery period, North Korea had already recovered bones and planted them back in fighting positions, according to the New York Times. Since 2005, no recovery teams have been allowed to cross into the country, and its unclear whether that will change following the Singapore summit. (LOS ANGELES) In Roseanne Barrs first TV interview since her ABC sitcom was canceled for a racist tweet, the comedian apologized for her ill-worded post and insisted she is not a bigot. During her hour-long interview on Sean Hannitys Fox News Channel show Thursday, Barr lamented the damage done to her by her tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. It cost me everything, Barr said. I wish I worded it better. Hannity repeatedly urged Barr to apologize to Jarrett on air. The comedian eventually did, saying that she was sorry for the poorly worded tweet. She said she would tell Jarrett, Im sorry that you feel harm and hurt, I never meant that. I never meant to hurt anybody. She repeated her assertion that she did not know Jarrett was black when she likened Jarrett to a cross between the Muslim Brotherhood and a Planet of the Apes actor. Barr repeatedly said Thursday that her tweet was meant to address U.S.-Middle Eastern policy and had no racial overtones. She said she was stunned by the negative reaction to the tweet, which Hannity noted was nearly universal. I am a creative genius, and this is not a good feeling for an artist to be treated this way, and its not a good feeling for a citizen, either. Despite apologizing at times, Barr also said she felt the tweet was being mischaracterized and she indicated she felt like she had apologized enough for her actions. I feel like I have apologized and explained and asked for forgiveness and made recompense, she said early in the interview. At another point, just before addressing Jarrett directly, Barr said, I already have said Im sorry for two months. Barr, a supporter of President Donald Trump, brought him briefly into the conversation. Im not a racist and the people who voted for Trump, theyre not racist either, and Trump isnt a racist, sorry. We just have a different opinion, she said. She said she could have fought ABC over her firing, but that she walked away from the hit reboot because she didnt want anybody to lose their jobs. She said her contract was supposed to allow her to correct any misstatements she made within 24 hours, but she wasnt given the opportunity. Story continues The new version of Roseanne was an instant smash for ABC, owned by the Walt Disney Co., and was counted on to lead the networks fortunes next season. Its debut episode last March was seen by more than 25 million people with delayed viewing counted in, numbers that are increasingly rare in network television. ABC has announced that it will produce a Roseanne spinoff called The Conners that features John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert. Sacha Baron Cohen (Credit: Reuters/Paul Hackett) A town in Arizona is the latest to kick back against Sacha Baron Cohen and his new TV series Who Is America? Residents of Kingman, in Mohave County, unwittingly took part in one of Cohens skits in the shows latest episode. Posing as his provocatively ultra-liberal character Dr. Nira Cain-NDegeocello, he brought together locals from the town to propose a new project, which he then reveals is the largest mosque outside the Middle East. The residents in attendance then turn on Cohen, with one linking the word mosque to terrorism, and another saying that black people werent welcome in the town and are merely tolerated. Cohen also brings up that the town was once home to Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh, who he confrontationally describes as a civil rights activist. One member of the crowd openly announced he was racist towards muslims, while another said that a rendering of the planned mosque would look good in a fire. However, speaking to The Washington Post, the towns mayor has said that she didnt recognise a soul in the video, and has slammed Cohen for implying Kingman is racist. Sacha Baron Cohen as Dr Nira Cain-NDegeocello (Credit: Showtime) An official statement published on the towns Facebook page reads: Every city has resident voices that challenge respect and dignity for others. They are wrong and unfortunate. That was no exception on Sundays Who Is America? show on Showtime in which an actor baited purported residents to vociferously oppose a fictitious, supersized mosque in our city. Another in the audience also stated negative feelings towards African-Americans. No matter the instigation or that numerous focus group participants dont even live in Kingman, the shows characterization in the words of one member of our Kingman City Council broke her heart. Why? Because our community has made great strides to erase previous perceptions. We do have a mosque. We do have a robust Latino community. We do welcome tourists from all over the world, especially more and more from Asia fascinated by our Route 66 history. We do have African-Americans applying for leadership positions with the city. This is the Kingman of today, not of yesterday. Story continues Town Mayor Monica Gates, who has lived there for 30 years, added that people in the segment wrongly referred to themselves as Kingmaners when the more common term is Kingmanites and that she also did not recognise the building the meeting took place in when shown in external shots. Showtime, which Gates said did not make any contact with the town ahead of filming, has declined to comment on how the town was chosen, or whether all those involved in the meeting lived in the town. The statement from the town goes on: But shrugging this off is not going to be us. Were going to use this opportunity to keep moving our community forward with the help of many community stakeholders including the Kingman Interfaith Council. And while weve been making progress the comments in the show, fairly or unfairly, show that we still have more work to do. In addition, it says that the town is intending to host events for National Hispanic Heritage Month in September, will be taking extra steps to honour Martin Luther King Junior Day in January, and is planning to further develop the towns first diversity commission. The show has already hit headlines, skewering the likes of Dick Cheney and a number of US congressmen who endorsed an initiative to arm toddlers to help protect against school shootings. This week, Georgia state representative Jason Spencer resigned after he was filmed shouting racial slurs and exposing himself in a spoof segment about anti-terrorism techniques. Read more Donald Trumps Hollywood Walk of Fame star destroyed again Will Marvel ever address Hank Pyms dark past? Cavill thinks M:I6 could land him Bond role Arnold Schwarzenegger and his tank made an appearance on Jay Leno's Garage, Thursday. The tank is a 1951 M-47 Patton with a Chrysler V12 gas engine that produces 810 horsepower. In 1991, Austria decommished the tank and offered it to Schwarzenegger for free - as long as he paid for shipping. Schwarzenegger was happy to drop $20,000 in order to ship the 50 ton tank because in 1965 he spent a year driving that exact tank in the Austrian military. He said, "That's exactly the same tank with the 331 number on it. M-47. It's exactly the tank." So what does Schwarzenegger use his massive tank for? He said, "I bring kids out here from the after-school programs. When they stay in school, their reward is to come out here and to drive tanks with me." Leno and Schwarzenegger took the tank for a ride and even crushed a stretch limo. It looked like the two Hollywood legends had a pretty good time. Jay Leno's Garage airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on CNBC. SALZBURG, Austria (Reuters) - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said it was important to avoid a "hard" or disorderly Brexit, but negotiations about Britain's exit from the European Union were going quite well. Kurz, standing next to British Prime Minister Theresa May in Salzburg, said he hoped Austria and the EU were able to maintain strong ties with Britain after it left the bloc. "From our point of view it's important to avoid a hard Brexit," he told reporters. "I can hope that we can find a way that - also after the Brexit - the relations between the UK and Austria, the relations between the UK and the EU remain very strong because we both need that." (Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Andrea Shalal, editing by Thomas Escritt) Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Nine years ago, Pia Hauk, M.D., a pediatric allergist at the National Jewish Health hospital in Denver, received the kind of phone call no parent wants to get: Her young daughter had suffered a serious allergic reaction to peanuts. Hauk rushed to the school but found that her child was fine. School employees knew exactly how to proceed because they had her daughters emergency action plan on file. Thats a list of a childs allergies and steps to take in case of an allergic reaction. Children spend 8 hours a day, five days a week in a school environment, says Robert Lemanske, M.D., past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and a professor of allergy and immunology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Its critical that we do everything we can to prevent them from having an allergy or asthma attack while they are there. But not all parents provide schools with the necessary information about their childs allergies or asthma, and not all schools are as prepared for emergencies as Hauks was. Heres how to keep your child safe while she is at school. Start With Your Doctor As close to the start of the school year as possible, have your pediatrician or allergist review the allergy or asthma medications your child needs, Hauk says. Make sure youand, if appropriate, your childknow when and how to use these drugs, including an inhaler for asthma and an automatic epinephrine injector, such as an EpiPen, for a severe allergic reaction. Work with your doctor to make sure your child understands what he is allergic to or what can cause asthma attacks, so he can try to avoid those triggers. The older they get, the more responsibility you can put on the child, Hauk says. Also ask your doctor whether your child needs to bring medications to school. And, if necessary, ask him or her to prepare an action plan that outlines the steps that school officials should take in case of an allergic reaction or asthma attack. Story continues All children with asthma need such a plan, and many with food and other allergies do, too, Lemanske says. Also ask the doctor to complete any paperwork the school might require. Talk With the School Schedule time to talk with your schools nurse. If it doesnt have one, ask whos in charge of student health issues and talk with that person. Parents are responsible for providing the school with whatever medications their child may need, though many schools now carry EpiPens in case of an emergency. Parents should also make sure the schools staff is aware of where the medications are stored, whether its with the nurses office or the childs teacher. Provide the school with any paperwork you already have from your doctor and ask whether any additional information is needed. In addition, ask these questions: How do they store medication to keep it safe and to prevent it from being confused with medication for other students? How do they ensure that essential medication travels with students on school trips? Is medication accessible during after-school activities? In some cases, the office where such medication is stored is locked up at the end of the school day. In that case, you may need to provide an extra set of emergency meds and instructions for the after-school program. Allergies: Identify Triggers About 15 percent of children with food allergies have an allergic reaction in school, according to Food Allergy Research & Education, a nonprofit organization. And in a 2016 survey of school nurses, one-third reported that a student had experienced an allergic reaction in their school within the past year. If your child has a food allergy, talk with the school to see whether the cafeteria can provide meals that avoid your childs triggers. If not, pack lunches and snacks, and make sure that your child understands the importance of not eating other students' food, Hauk says. Give the teacher a supply of allergy-free treats to have on hand for classroom celebrations. And show your child how to check food labels for known allergens. Many times, allergies stem not from food but environmental triggers, such as pollen. If you suspect your child is having a reaction to pollen, talk with the school about keeping windows closed to prevent pollen from drifting into the classroom, and also running the air conditioning, Hauk says. Classroom pets might also be a problem for some children. Ask your childs teacher about swapping guinea pigs and other pets with fur for turtles or fish. And because pet hair can be transported on clothing, children should not borrow friends coats. Asthma: Prevent Attacks Schools pose special risks to children with asthma, for a few reasons. First, exercise is a common cause of asthma attacks, so gym class can present challenges to some students. Lemanske says that exercise-induced asthma should never prevent children from participating in physical education but that students prone to the problem may need to use an asthma inhaler first and should always have one on hand. Chalk dust can also trigger asthma in some people, so children should make sure to wash their hands after writing on the board. And last, returning to school increases exposure to germs that can cause colds or the flu, and that can increase the risk of having an asthma attack. So its important for children with asthma to get the flu vaccine and to practice good basic hygiene, like washing their hands regularly, Hauk says. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2018, Consumer Reports, Inc. Appateu (Laos) (AFP) - The rescue of a baby boy, terrified and hungry after days without food, has been captured in a viral video showing the infant survivor of a dam collapse in southern Laos being carefully carried through swirling flood waters and waist-high mud. Footage of volunteers from Thailand rescuing 14 people, including the baby, was widely shared online when it was released Friday as an increasingly international relief mission scrambles to save lives in a disaster that has left scores dead or missing. The group of survivors were stranded by flood waters after they fled up a hill on Monday as the Xe-Namnoy dam broke under heavy rain, leaving several villages devastated by flash floods. The Thai rescue team, who waded several kilometres (miles) through rushing water containing uprooted trees and debris, are fresh from efforts to help free a youth football team trapped in a cave in the north of their country. They have now come to help out in neighbouring Laos, which is poorly equipped to deal with disasters of this scale. "The boy is four months old. He didn't have fever but he was crying, maybe because of the cold weather," Kengkard Bongkawong, one of the rescuers, who is from Thailand's northeast, told AFP. "The baby was crying and looks terrified. Actually they were (all) still terrified of the rushing water." The video had been watched nearly half a million times just hours after it was posted online on Friday. Earlier this week officials said 27 bodies had been retrieved so far, with the country's prime minister reporting 131 missing. But on Friday the governor of Attapeu province Leth Xiayaphone revised down the toll to five, saying the larger number previously given was "unconfirmed information". Secretive Communist authorities in Laos are unused to international scrutiny and have blocked access to foreign media, complicating efforts to establish the exact death toll in a remote area. Story continues The mystery over numbers of dead deepened on Friday with a resident of the badly-hit Ban Mai telling AFP that eight people are presumed to have died in his village alone as the water rushed in. "Some were crushed by houses, others fell in the water when their boats capsized," Phuvieng Kumprasong, 54, told AFP based on eyewitness accounts from him, his relatives and other survivors from the village. "But their bodies have not been found. It's very difficult job for rescuers, because of the water level." It is just one of around a dozen villages battered by the flood surges. The dam disaster has also raised serious questions over Laos' big bet on hydropower to propel it out of poverty. Poor but rich in natural resources Laos has built or plans to complete dozens of dams on its waterways, mainly to send electricity to its energy-hungry neighbours. But the projects have been criticised by environmentalists for damaging a once-pristine ecosystem and by rights campaigners for forcibly relocating thousands of villagers who receive scant compensation or reward from the hydropower schemes. burs-apj/amz Sao Paulo (AFP) - Bare chested, wearing an ankle-length dress, painted yellow, green and red, with flowers or leaves in his hair, it takes Brazil's Emerson Munduruku two hours to transform into Uyra Sodoma, his drag queen alter ego. Whether carrying seeds, branches and other natural materials, Munduruku's creation Uyra, often submerged up to the waist in water, is a colourful extension of the earth and nature. His mission: to travel around Amazon villages, teaching conservation through performance art. Of indigenous descent, biologist Munduruku was born in the Amazon region and the environment is a subject about which he feels passionate. "In a time of change, I had wanted to work in environmental protection," the 27-year-old told AFP. "I was doing it from a scientific perspective but I realized it was also important from a social perspective. Until then, Uyra had no face or name." Munduruku, or rather Uyra, takes part in educational projects, teaching children about Amazon communities and how to both connect with and protect nature. After suffering a homophobic assault in the Amazonian state capital Manaus in 2015, Munduruku decided to give a new meaning to his life, and Uyra was born. "I'd spent six years of my life studying frogs and lizards... and one day I was hit coming out of a bar because I was wearing lipstick and eyeliner," he said. "That violence rocked me to my core... I started to get closer to women, transvestites, and understand more about racism and homophobia. I became closer to the city and the people." - Brazilian crisis - Munduruku's personal metamorphosis happened at a time of political turmoil in Brazil, as a corruption scandal involving scores of high profile politicians and major enterprises exploded, eventually leading to the impeachment of then president Dilma Rousseff in 2016. "Brazil was going through a crisis, artistic expressions of protest were springing up all over Manaus and I asked myself how I could bring new perspectives to my work," he said. Story continues "That was what brought Uyra into the world." But there was more than an assault behind Munduruku's journey from amphibian and reptile studies to eco-warrior drag queen. "Our stories can be told through the prism of pain and an immediate metamorphosis. But our stories are much more complex than that," he said. "Uyra has given me a new lease on life. She makes me happy. She makes me more comfortable in my skin and with other people, as well as with my desires and concerns." Munduruku says he doesn't believe in different genders: "They're the same, female, male. All I need is that people treat me with respect." Born in a tiny community of less than 40,000 people in the north of Brazil, he moved to Manaus with his parents and older sister when he was six. Since then they've lived in the suburbs, surrounded by tributaries to the Rio Negro. The son of a salesman and a maid, Munduruku wanted to study literature at university, but a teacher convinced him to pursue biology studies instead. - 'Enchantment or fear' - Now he spends his time travelling around small riverside villages to teach about environmental conservation through art. It's through this that Uyra emerges in her full splendor and glory. "Fundamental to the project is using the jungle as both an inspiration and a tool. This helps to connect people to the forest," he said. "Uyra is always met with either enchantment or fear... in cities, those who are enchanted approach to speak. But in the villages even those who are afraid approach. There's no distance, it's more spontaneous. "It's the same with children, they're curious so they approach." But while Munduruku tries to pass on to the next generation a sensibility towards the importance of protecting the planet, he sees little to feel positive about when it comes to those who hold the fate of the environment in their hands. With presidential elections due in October, Munduruku sees little political will to tackle the country's growing problems. "Thousands of people are looking for desperate, immediate solutions or magic to solve systemic problems," he said. "We live in a age of serious violence in which indigenous lands and environmental reserves are threatened by the invasion of business agreements. But Munduruku remains upbeat. "Even though chaos in Brazil seems only to be increasing, I see a lot of green and hope." Enterprising Hollywood villains like Dr. Evil, Ernst Blofeld, and Dr. Claw have two things in common: Theyre all rich, and they all own cats. They also unexpectedly illustrate a new study showing that infection with a cat-borne, brain-controlling parasite is correlated with entrepreneurship. Toxoplasma gondii has been linked to schizophrenia, hallucinations, and Hawaiis dead seals, but now it appears it might have an upside. In the Proceedings of the Royal Society B study, the authors show that previous infection with T. gondii is linked to an increased likelihood of both studying business in school and starting a business. The study was borne out of the implications of a 2006 paper showing that infection is linked to neuroticism, first author Stefanie Johnson, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulders Leeds School of Business, tells Inverse. The neurological mechanisms of that link are unclear, though she suspects that neuroticism and entrepreneurship might have the same root cause in the brain. Perhaps, she thought, T. gondii might catalyze the brain processes underlying it. So, she and her colleagues investigated the seemingly autonomous human behaviors that might actually be influenced by brain parasites. I was surprised by the magnitude of the effect and just the very idea that even when I think I am making a good decision, my decision making process could be altered by a parasite, says Johnson. To run a business, you must be willing to take high risks in return for high rewards. In experiments on animals, exposure to T. gondii has been linked to increased riskiness; infected, for example, are attracted rather than repelled by cat urine and are willing to explore new areas. According to Jaroslav Flegr, Ph.D., an evolutionary biologist and expert on T. gondii from Charles University in Prague, there is a significant body of evidence showing that the parasite can influence behavior in humans on a large scale as well. Story continues Many studies show that infected humans differ from the noninfected in many personality traits, including suspiciousness, neuroticism, novelty seeking, consciousness, and extroversion, he tells Inverse. He continues: Other studies also show that the infected subjects differ in behavior, including the behavior in economic games and in everyday life. Johnson and her team further investigated this link by testing the saliva of 1,495 students for antibodies produced in response to previous infection with T. gondii, then compared those findings with the students areas of study. Students who tested positively were 1.4 times more likely to major in business and 1.7 times more likely to have an emphasis in management and entrepreneurship over other business-related emphases, the team writes. In the second part of the study, a survey of 197 attendees at entrepreneurship events showed that those who tested positive were 1.8 times more likely to have started their own business. And in the third part, 25 years of data on global T. gondii infection prevalence and entrepreneurial activity were consistenly correlated on a national scale. Johnson takes care to point out that her results only show correlation, not causality. Nevertheless, Flegr says that they are very convincing. T. gondii can only reproduce and lay eggs in cats. (Its eggs can clone themselves in other hosts, though.) The effects of T. gondii have raised concerns among cat owners in recent years, with some linking the parasites brain controlling activities with the characteristics of cat people increasingly crazy, isolated individuals who are constantly with their cats or talking about them. There is some basis for that concern. T. gondii infects many animals, but it can only reproduce and lay eggs inside domestic and wild cats. Its spread through contact with the cats feces, and people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to infection. But to posit that a very common parasite like T. gondii could affect human behavior on a large scale the way it did the students and entrepreneurs in Johnsons study suggests that it might affect more than just vulnerable subgroups. Planet Earth taught a generation to take it for granted that entire ant populations can be mind-controlled by the zombie ant fungus Cordyceps. Whos to say the same cant be true of humans? It has taken Dr. Fuller Torrey of Stanley Medical Research Institute a while to come around to the idea that T. gondii could affect population behavior on a large scale, but hes been convinced by recent research. Ten years ago I would have said no but the more we learn I now think it is possible, he tells Inverse. The growing body of evidence showing T. gondiis population-scale effects, says Flegr, shows that it can significantly contribute to human cultural diversity and can be responsible for an important fraction of between-countries differences in aggregate neuroticism. His teams own studies have suggested the parasite is involved in shaping the sex ratio within nations, in the incidence of traffic accidents, and in public health. It seems that, on the population level, toxoplasmosis has many important and relatively strong effects, he says. The effect of direct infection with T. gondii is becoming increasingly clear, but dont go kicking out your cat (or running out to get one) just yet. The threat or advantage, depending how you see it that pet cats pose to their humans remains debatable. In 2017, researchers from University College London showed in Psychological Medicine that childhood exposure to cats was not linked to psychotic symptoms. Lead author Francesca Solmi, Ph.D. said: The message for cat owners is clear: there is no evidence that cats pose a risk to childrens mental health. Nevertheless, if future studies show that infection with T. gondii is something public health officials should be worried about, weve at least partially got things under control. There are ways to treat T. gondii, which is particularly relevant for immuno-compromised individuals, study co-author Pieter Johnson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Boulder and Stefanies husband, tells Inverse. He notes that the drug used to treat it is the one pharma-bro Martin Shkreli infamously raised prices on in 2015. Even with this drug, however, theres no way to kill the parasite outright it can only be pushed into a more dormant state. What is interesting is the possibility of treating cats as a way to lessen risks in the environment, but so far there is nothing concrete there, he says. When holding my new white cat, I feel a strange desire for Bob's Big Boy and sharks with lasers pic.twitter.com/M0iuFPqv Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 18, 2012 Its too early to say whether the link between T. gondii infection and entrepreneurship is a good or bad thing, says Stefanie Johnson. At this point it is just interesting what we do not know is whether the businesses started by Toxo-positive people all fail miserably (in which case we might warn people to get tested before starting a business) or whether they succeed at the same rate, she says. Still, its link to risk-taking is well worth future investigation, if not for its implications for future entrepreneurs then for its intimation that human behavior might be might have always been subtly shaped by parasites, cat-borne or not. Disconcerting as it is to think that we are not always fully in control of our brains, it bears reminding that parasites far more common than T. gondii ensure thats rarely the case. The influenza virus, for one, forces our bodies into a sneezing response, and the rabies virus makes infected individuals more aggressive, Pieter Johnson points out. The spooky thing about T. gondii is that infections last far longer than rabies or the flu, and so its effects are longer-lasting. [The] intensity of behavioral and personality changes often increases with time from the infection, says Flegr, suggesting that infection induces the changes in personality traits rather than that the people with a specific combination of personality traits have an increased risk of the infection. If future studies show us how to control it, T. gondii infection might not be a cat-borne gift or a curse but rather a tool we can wield for our own purposes. After all, judging by the success of Hollywoods evil geniuses, who wouldnt want a bit of occasional parasite-borne courage? Astronauts, musicians, actors, says Stefanie, asked which fields might show a higher proportion of T. gondii-infected people today. Any profession that involves a fair amount of risk, I would think. Photos via Wiki, Giphy, cat, Pixabay (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) More From Inverse Sydney (AFP) - The world's biggest miner BHP announced Friday the sale of its US shale oil and gas operations to BP for US$10.5 billion, a heavy loss but a potential windfall for shareholders. The Anglo-Australian firm spent US$20 billion in 2011 to acquire the assets, but the sector later experienced a fall in prices, hammering profits. It prompted BHP to announce plans to exit the business last year. With its net debt currently towards the lower end of its target range of US$10-US$15 billion, the money raised is set to be returned to shareholders, either through dividends or share buybacks. "We are pleased that we have agreed to sell all of our shale assets in two simple transactions that provide certainty for shareholders and our employees," said BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie. "The sale of our onshore US assets is consistent with our long-term plan to continue to simplify and strengthen our portfolio to generate shareholder value and returns for decades to come." Under the deal, BP American Production Company, a subsidiary of the British giant, will acquire Petrohawk Energy Corporation, which holds BHP's Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Permian assets, for US$10.5 billion. In a separate transaction, a unit of the privately owned Merit Energy will buy BHP Billiton Petroleum (Arkansas) Inc. and BHP Billiton Petroleum (Fayetteville) for $US300 million. Both sales are expected to be completed by the end of October, with BHP's share price jumping 2.22 percent to Aus$34.38 in early trade Friday. The move follows a push last year by New York-based Elliott Advisors, a significant shareholder in the company, for BHP to restructure the business, including spinning off its US oil and gas operations. - 'World-class' - In addition to its demerger of South32 in 2015, BHP has now announced or completed more than US$18 billion of divestments over the last six years. It is all part of its plan to focus on its most profitable core long-life operations -- iron ore, copper, petroleum, coal and potash. Story continues BHP said it expected to record a one-off post-tax charge of about $US2.8 billion in its full-year results due next month on account of the BP and Merit Energy deals. Despite the shale operations proving to be a poor investment for BHP, BP chief executive Bob Dudley called the businesses "world class" with rising oil prices boasting their prospects. "This is a transformational acquisition... a major step in delivering our upstream strategy and a world-class addition to BP's distinctive portfolio," he said in a statement. "Given our confidence in BP's future -- further bolstered by additional earnings and cash flow from this deal -- we are increasing the dividend, reflecting our long-standing commitment to growing distributions to shareholders." The Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Permian fields produce oil and gas that is sold both domestically in the United States and to international customers, producing around 58.8 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe/d) annually. BP is already a significant operator in the US onshore oil and gas sector, pumping 315,000 boe/d across five states a year. Athens (AFP) - Grief and shock over Greece's deadliest wildfires were clouded Friday by a bitter debate over who was to blame, as the opposition rejected the government's suggestion that the blazes were started deliberately. Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas on Thursday suggested there were "serious" signs that the worst of the fires, which killed scores this week east of Athens, was the result of arson. Forensics experts pressed ahead Friday with the difficult task of identifying the bodies of the 82 people known to have perished in the catastrophe. An official in the identification effort told Greek radio that most of the bodies were completely carbonised, meaning the task will likely take several more days to complete. Amid public anger over the government's handling of the aftermath, Toskas told reporters on Thursday that "a serious piece of information has led to us opening an investigation" into possible "criminal acts". Officials citing information from satellite maps have said that 13 fires broke out at the same time across the region of Attica -- which includes Athens -- on Monday. But the government has come in for strong criticism over its response to the disaster despite a 40-million-euro relief fund for those affected. Defence Minister Panos Kammenos was heckled on Thursday as he visited the coastal region of Mati, where most of the fatalities occurred. "You left us to God's mercy, there's nothing left," shouted one resident. But Kammenos went on the counter-attack, telling the BBC that illegal construction in the past was also to blame for the disaster. The "majority" of houses on the coast had been built without the proper licences, he said. "After this tragedy I think it is the moment to understand that it's dangerous for them and for their families to not follow the rules and the laws," the minister said. Experts have said that a mix of poor urban planning, including a lack of proper access routes and the construction of too many buildings next to combustible forest areas, contributed to what were Europe's worst wildfires this century. Story continues - 'Deplorable spectacle' - The opposition New Democracy party reacted stingingly to Toskas' claim that the fires were the result of criminal acts. "This deplorable spectacle of rejecting any responsibility can only provoke anger," it said in a statement. The fires struck coastal villages popular with holidaymakers and burned with such ferocity that most people fled to the safety of the sea with just the clothes on their backs. Survivors spoke of harrowing scenes including entire families burned alive in their homes. "We were alone, there was nobody to help us. Everybody did what they thought they had to do to survive on their own," resident Evi Kavoura told AFP. The disaster unleashed a wave of solidarity and many survivors were being looked after by voluntary organisations, who were providing them with accommodation, clothing and food. Amid mountains of food and baby nappies in a gymnasium in Rafina, near Mati, one of the volunteers, Joanna Kefalidou, an English teacher on holiday, said: "We're Greeks and Greeks tend to come together in times of need and help each other as much as they can." By Baz Ratner and Cecilie Kallestrup NAIROBI (Reuters) - A blood-red moon dazzled star gazers across much of the world on Friday when it moved into Earth's shadow for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century. From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars to watch the moon, which turned dark before shining orange, brown and crimson in the shadow. The total eclipse lasted 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, though a partial eclipse preceded and follows, meaning the moon will spend a total of nearly 4 hours in the Earth's umbral shadow, according to NASA. The fullest eclipse was visible from Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia and Australia though clouds blocked out the moon in some places. The eclipse will not be visible from North America or most of the Pacific. Reuters charted the eclipse from across the world, capturing a shimmering orange and red moon above Cairo, the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, near Athens, the Bavarian village of Raisting in Germany, Rio beach in Brazil and Johannesburg. In Nairobi, Kenyans watched as the moon darkened. "This is what life is all about: Magical moments like this," said Teddy Muthusi as he watched from Uhuru Park in Nairobi. "It's just beautiful. It's well worth it." On the banks of India's Ganges, temples were closed ahead of the eclipse. Enthusiasts watched through telescopes at the Marina South Pier in Singapore and at the Al Sadeem Observatory in Al Wathba near Abu Dhabi. Hundreds of people in Australia paid to watch the eclipse from the Sydney Observatory before sunrise. When the moon moved into the conical shadow of the earth, it went from being illuminated by the sun to being dark. Some light, though, still reaches it because it is bent by the Earth's atmosphere. Graphic of eclipse https://tmsnrt.rs/2JP09kK "It's called a blood moon because the light from the sun goes through the Earth's atmosphere on its way to the moon, and the Earth's atmosphere turns it red in the same way that when the sun goes down it goes red," Andrew Fabian, professor of astronomy at the University of Cambridge, told Reuters. At the same time, Mars is traveling closer to Earth than it has done since 2003, so some observers may see what looks like an orange-red star - and is in fact the red planet. "It is a very unusual coincidence to have a total lunar eclipse and Mars at opposition on the same night," said Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, who watched the eclipse from the Mediterranean Sea. For thousands of years, man has looked to the heavens for omens of doom, victory and joy. The Bible contains references to the moon turning into blood and some ultra-Orthodox Jews consider lunar eclipses ominous and a cause for moral contemplation. According to some Hindu beliefs, celestial bodies such as the sun and moon emit negative energy during an eclipse and so some temples in India were closed to minimize any disturbance. Astronomers, though, said there was no cause for worry. "There is no reason to believe that blood moons foretell doom," said Massey. "This does not herald the apocalypse: seeing a lunar eclipse and Mars in the sky is something people should enjoy rather than worry about." The next lunar eclipse of such a length is due in 2123. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge in London; Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Amr Abdallah Dalsh in Cairo, Alkis Konstantinidis in Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, Christopher Pike in Abu Dhabi, Michael Dalder in Raisting, Germany, and Colin Packham in Sydney; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Sandra Maler) By Maja Zuvela SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's security minister said on Wednesday he would seek legislative changes to enable border deployments of the army to help stop migrants entering the impoverished country en route to European Union territory. Hundreds of thousands of migrants who streamed northwards through the Balkans to EU territory in 2015 largely bypassed Bosnia. But the ex-Yugoslav republic now finds itself struggling to accommodate about 5,000 people intent on making their way via neighboring Croatia to affluent EU countries further north. More than 9,000 people from Asia and North Africa have entered Bosnia from Serbia and Montenegro since the beginning of 2018, including 3,000 over the past month, and a similar number have managed to cross into EU member Croatia. "I am planning to initiate changes to the law that will provide for the deployment of the army in the protection of our borders," Security Minister Dragan Mektic told reporters. Regional police in northwest Bosnia said on Wednesday 15 migrants were injured in violence involving around 50 people staying in a makeshift camp on the outskirts of Velika Kladusa. An investigation into the incident was under way, police added. With only two official asylum and refugee centers, the small country of 3.5 million people - which aspires to EU membership - is hardpressed to cope with the migrants. New facilities are planned pending a deal among Bosnia's multi-layered, semi-autonomous regional governments, many of which reject hosting migrants on their territory. Many migrants are staying in improvised shelters, tents and dilapidated buildings, lacking running water and toilets, especially in the northwestern towns of Bihac and Velika Kladusa, near the Croatian border. Red Cross officials have voiced concern about worsening conditions for thousands of migrants stranded in Bosnia and many say the government is failing to adequately protect the rights of refugees. The authorities of Bihac and Velika Kladusa, their resources stretched and citing health and security risks, plan to stage a protest in front of the central government building in the capital Sarajevo on Thursday to demand an urgent solution to the problem. "We (Bosnia) have become the collateral damage of an EU problem. We will not allow the country to become a hot spot," said Mektic. "The EU has failed this test, for it has allowed criminals and people smugglers to run this process instead of its own institutions." He said he expected the European Commission to soon draft the text of an agreement that would allow deployments of officers from the EU border agency Frontex to Bosnia to help it curb migration and organized crime. (Reporting by Maja Zuvela; Editing by Mark Heinrich) He had a unique way of getting (students) to respond to his teachings, said Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans, a student of Johnstons in the 1960s. He wanted us to have the ability not only to explain cases but also to understand how to apply a case to facts that may not have happened yet. He also would ask us to give a recitation of how to defend a case, and then hed ask us to flip it and explain how we would prosecute the case. So he had a way of enlarging the education that came from his method of teaching, and I found it to be very effective. Workers are shouldering a rising share of federal revenue, while tax payments by businesses are plunging toward record lows. Treasury Department data for the first half of 2018 show individual income tax receipts rose 8.1%, to $915 billion. Corporate income tax receipts fell 32.4%, to $100 billion. The sharp decline in corporate tax revenue is largely a result of the tax cuts President Trump signed into law at the end of 2017, which cut the top corporate rate from 35% to 21%. Here are the numbers: Source: Dept. of the Treasury The drop in corporate tax payments isnt surprising, since thats exactly what the Trump tax cuts were designed to do: leave more after-tax income in corporate coffers to spur more investment. Workers got tax cuts too, but they were relatively modest. About two thirds of households got a tax cut averaging about $2,200, according to the Tax Policy Center. Taxes will rise for 6% of households, by an average of $2,800. The rest should see no change. Demonstrators against the Republican tax reform bill hold a Peoples Filibuster to Stop Tax Cuts for Billionaires, protest rally outside the US Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Corporate tax receipts have steadily declined as a portion of all federal revenue, from 17% in 1970 to 9% last year. So far in 2018, corporate tax receipts represent just 5.6% of federal revenue, which is the smallest portion ever on an annualized basis. (Statistical note: The governments fiscal year starts in October, so FY 2018 tax revenue will include three months without the Trump tax cuts and nine months with them. The 5.6% figure above is just for the first six months of calendar year 2018, when the Trump tax cuts were fully in effect.) Heres how the makeup of federal tax revenue has changed over time. Not shown are social-welfare taxes, excise taxes and other sources of revenue: Source: Office of Management and Budget Its not surprising that tax payments from individual workers would rise this year, even with a tax cut in effect. Inflation, wage growth and other factors normally push tax payments from workers higher when the economy is growing. Story continues Last summer, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecast that, without any tax cuts, individual tax receipts would rise 9.5% in 2018. The smaller rise of 8.1% could reflect the impact of the Trump tax cuts. And most workers didnt see lower tax withholdings in their paychecks until March, at the earliest, which means the full effect of the tax cuts arent showing up yet in government revenue numbers. The CBO expected corporate tax revenue to rise 4.5% this year, without any tax cuts. The huge drop in corporate tax revenue, following the tax cuts, highlights why the tax law has become a political problem for Trump and his fellow Republicans. The tax law is unpopular, with 43% of Americans disapproving and just 36% approving, in the Real Clear Politics average of polls. Americans in general feel the tax cuts too heavily favor businesses and the wealthy and the federal revenue numbers bear that out. The unpopularity of the tax cuts could lead voters away from Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, and perhaps tip one or both houses of Congress to Democrats. The Trump tax cuts are also ballooning Washingtons annual deficits, along with the national debt. The CBO expects the gap between revenue and spending to soar by 21% this year, to $804 billion. The deficit will exceed $1 trillion by 2020 and grow for the foreseeable future. Trump and a few sympathetic economists say the tax cuts will stimulate so much growth that federal tax revenue will eventually be higher than it would be without any tax cuts. Most budget experts disagree. The federal government will certainly collect less revenue than it would have without the tax cut, says economist Kyle Pomerlau of the nonprofit Tax Foundation. Eventually, the government does need to pay its bills. Were not on a sustainable path. Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Click here to get Ricks stories by email. Read more: Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn Washington (AFP) - A second firefighter has died battling a fast-moving northern California wildfire that has forced residents to flee, an official said on Friday. "Two firefighters have been killed in the Carr fire. A private contractor (operating) a bulldozer died yesterday and a Redding City firefighter was killed in the evening," a spokesman for Calfire, the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told AFP. Calfire had announced hours earlier the death of the bulldozer driver. The Carr fire outside Redding swept across a river late Thursday and engulfed the western part of the city of 90,000 people, said Bret Gouvea, a Calfire commander. Scott McLean, a spokesman for the department, said law enforcement colleagues were "doing evacuations as fast as we can" because the fire was moving so fast. "There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters," he said. Sixty-five structures have been reduced to ashes by the blaze which has destroyed more than 44,000 acres (18,000 hectares) and is only three percent contained, Calfire said on its website. "The fire became very active throughout the evening," and the roughly 1,750 firefighters battling the blaze "continue to work aggressively to build containment lines" around it, the department said, adding that hot and dry weather is forecast to continue. Another firefighter died several days ago in a separate blaze, the Ferguson fire, which has encroached upon the Yosemite National Park in central California, the most populous US state. Last year was the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California, with more than 40 deaths and around 9,000 structures destroyed, following fires that ravaged the Napa and Sonoma wine regions. Anchors at a California TV station were forced to evacuate their studio live on air as they reported on an approaching wildfire Thursday night. The news feed at KRCR-TV in Redding went off air after 10:30 p.m. because of the Carr Fire, which was moving rapidly through the northern California city, the Los Angeles Times reported. Right now, we are being evacuated, anchor Allison Woods said during Thursday nights broadcast. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here. HAPPENING NOW: @KRCR7 is evacuating as the #CarrFire approaches their studio in #Redding, California. Horrible. Stay safe out there. pic.twitter.com/LRfRoVIdDI Nick Stewart (@NStewCBS2) July 27, 2018 The station continued to cover the wildfire live via its Facebook feed. One person, a bulldozer operator battling the flames, died in the wildfire, the New York Times reports. At least 15 buildings were destroyed in the blaze, with 500 more under threat. TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Officials from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico on Thursday called on the United States to provide more details on migrant children still separated from their parents. The officials held talks with James McCament, a deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in Tegucigalpa to seek more information on families that were separated as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal immigration. Many of the families had crossed the U.S. border illegally, while others had sought asylum at border crossings. "We had hoped that this meeting with the U.S. government would have brought more information on the children affected by the 'zero tolerance' plan. However, it was not the case," said El Salvador's Deputy Foreign Minister Ludivina Magarin. The U.S. government said in a court filing Thursday that about 1,400 children of some 2,500 separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border have been reunited with their families. But government lawyers said 711 other children were not eligible for reunification with their parents by a Thursday deadline that was set by a federal judge. In 431 of these cases, the families could not be reunited because the parents were no longer in the United States. "We haven't yet received information on the children separated from their parents, nor on the complications and the delays that have been had," said Luis Alfonso De Alba, a senior Mexican foreign ministry official. "We believe that this is fundamental, that this reunification be completed in the shortest amount of time as possible," he said. Meanwhile in Guatemala, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch held a press conference at a hotel in the capital to warn people not to try and illegally cross into the United States. "If you want to enter the United States illegally through ports of entry that are not normal, you can be tried and sent directly to Guatemala," he said. Widespread poverty and rising violence have pushed tens of thousands of Central Americans to try and migrate to the United States, with many seeking to claim asylum. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa and Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Editing by Michael Perry) The Los Angeles Chargers just cant escape the injury bug. Jason Verrett has had especially bad luck. A Pro Bowl cornerback in 2015, Verrett has gone down with season-ending injuries in each of the past two seasons in Week 4 of 2016 and Week 1 of 2017. He reported to training camp in good health, but it didnt last long. NFL Networks Ian Rapoport reported Friday that Verrett suffered a potentially season-ending injury during a conditioning test. That injury? A torn Achilles tendon, the team later confirmed. Its a brutal blow for Verrett, who will undergo further testing Saturday. Los Angeles Chargers Jason Verrett works out during practice at the NFL football teams minicamp Wednesday, June 13, 2018, in Costa Mesa, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Chargers continue to have terrible luck with injuries Verrett would be the second Chargers player to go down with a season-ending injury before the contact portion of training camp even begins. Back in May during OTAs, Hunter Henry, the teams starter at tight end, went down with a torn ACL during a drill while simply running downfield. A potential breakout star, Henry has a combined 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns over his first two seasons as a pro. He missed the last two games of the 2017 season with a lacerated kidney. Now hes out for all of 2018. Guys like Mike Williams, Forrest Lamp and Denzel Perryman, among others, all dealt with serious injuries before the 2017 season began while major contributors like Verrett, Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon all endured various injuries in 2016. As our Frank Schwab wrote in his Chargers preview, sometimes it seems like theres a curse on the Chargers. Chargers have talent to overcome Verretts injury When Verrett went down last year, young corners like Desmond King and Trevor Williams emerged as reliable players. Not to mention, Casey Hayward is one of the better corners in the league while Jahleel Addae returns at safety alongside first-round draft choice Derwin James, who could prove to be a total steal as the 17th pick. If theres one position group that could absorb an injury, it was the secondary, especially if they benefit from tenacious pass rushers like Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game cancelled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. New regulations proposed by the Trump administration could tighten loan-forgiveness rules for students who say they were defrauded by their college and left saddled with debt. The proposed rules, unveiled Wednesday by the Department of Education, call for changes to a current regulation that allows federal student loan borrowers to get debt relief when they claim they were misled about the cost and quality of the education they paid for. The regulation, known as the borrower defense to repayment, has been on the books since 1995 but was rarely used until 2015. That's when a number of big for-profit colleges, including Corinthian College and later ITT Tech, closed their doors following widespread allegations from dozens of state and federal agencies that they made misleading claims about training standards and job placement rates, and for using aggressive recruitment tactics. The Obama administration wanted to make it easier for students to use borrower defense to claim fraud. The proposed changes would make it more difficult to make such a claim and succeed. Borrowers would need to prove that a college had an intent to deceive them and that the deception caused financial harm. They would have to already be in default on their loans in order to apply for a loan cancellation. Department of Education secretary Betsy DeVos said the changes would better balance the need to protect borrowers from fraud and the need to protect taxpayers from the cost of unjustified claims. Critics of the borrower defense rule, primarily for-profit colleges and historically black universities, say it is too vague and could force schools to spend money fighting frivolous claims. More than a dozen consumer advocacy groups, including Consumer Reports advocacy division Consumers Union, came out against the proposed regulations, which they say significantly weaken protections for student borrowers. Story continues The Department of Education is turning a blind eye to widespread fraud and abuse at for-profit schools that has left thousands of students in debt without a meaningful education, says Suzanne Martindale, senior attorney for Consumers Union. Martindale says people from low-income communities, minorities, and military service members and veterans were often the target of aggressive sales pitches by predatory for-profit colleges that conferred worthless degrees and left them in debt. Instead of helping defrauded students cancel their debts and move on with their lives, these proposed rules would shield poor-performing schools from being held accountable for their misconduct. Borrowers like Tasha Rincon, 36, from San Jacinto, Calif., were dismayed to hear about the proposed changes. Rincon is one of the thousands of people with a pending claim against now-defunct for-profit Everest College, which was owned by Corinthian. Rincon graduated from Everest in 2012 with a bachelors degree in business and $31,000 in student loans. Rincon, the first in her family to go to college, says the school aggressively recruited her, led her to believe grants would cover all her costs, raised tuition prices sharply while she was there and provided little help getting a job after graduation. When she did land a job interview, she says, recruiters questioned the value of her degree. After Everest shut down in 2015, she filed a claim for loan forgiveness under borrower defense to repayment, but it is still pending. Shes not hopeful shell find relief. I wasted four years of my life for a worthless degree, says Rincon, 36. Im not going to hold my breath waiting for the government to do whats right. How to Get Help The new rules wont go into effect right away. The regulations are open for public comment for 30 days and would take effect November 1st if approved. The change would apply to federal student loans taken out on or after July 1, 2019. In the meantime, if you think youve been defrauded by a college, here is what you should do. Understand the requirements. Go to the Department of Education's website for information on how to file a claim under the borrower defense to repayment rule. Youll find an online application, guidelines on qualification and what information you need to submit. Keep tabs on your status. If you file a claim, you can check on the status of the claim at the Department of Education's borrower defense hotline: 1-855-279-6207. Beware of fraudsters. So-called debt relief companies prey on people with student loans, offering to help you discharge loans or qualify for student loan forgiveness programs for a hefty fee. You never have to pay to file a claim to get your loans cancelled. Go to the Department of Educations Student Aid website to find a list of legitimate companies that handle student loan servicing and collections and get tips on how to avoid student loan scams. The Federal Trade Commission also keeps a list of debt relief companies it has taken action against. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2018, Consumer Reports, Inc. China on Friday sought to deflect blame after US chipmaker Qualcomm dropped a merger with Dutch rival NXP over its failure to receive Chinese regulatory blessing, with Beijing saying it was still open to discussions. The unexpected statement came a day after the American tech giant called off the planned $43-billion merger, which had failed to receive approval from Chinese antitrust authorities -- an apparent casualty of ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said it "knows that Qualcomm and NXP have decided to abandon the transaction, and finds that regrettable". "The results of our evaluation show that Qualcomm's latest plan cannot resolve competition issues... we hope to continue communicating with Qualcomm to find a solution within the review period." It was not immediately clear whether the regulator's statement meant the deal could potentially be revived. "Companies including Qualcomm, NXP are welcome to do business in China as long as they bring benefits to the Chinese people and help create a business environment that is international, lawful and convenient," SAMR added. The tie-up was aimed at creating a diversified chipmaker combining Qualcomm's dominant position in smartphones and NXP's foothold in the market for chips that power "internet of things" connected devices. Chinese regulators said the deal would have created a virtual monopoly with "deep and far-reaching" consequences. Qualcomm said it would pay NXP a $2-billion break-up fee and begin a $30-billion stock repurchase plan. China has voiced long-term plans to boost innovation and growth in its own high-tech sector, a strategy aimed at challenging US dominance and reducing Chinese reliance on foreign chips and other technology. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed disappointment that the deal fell through but sidestepped questions on whether it was related to the standoff with China. Story continues Officials in Beijing have also denied any link between the merger's collapse and China-US trade frictions. The US slapped 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese goods and steep tariffs on steel and aluminium, and US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tariffs on all $500 billion of Chinese imports. This has prompted a tit-for-tat response, with Beijing hitting back with import duties on US goods. On Thursday, Chinese regulators greenlit a proposed merger between French lens-maker Essilor and Luxottica, the Italian eyewear company that produces Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses. The deal had already been approved in four other key markets -- the US, Europe, Canada and Brazil. But China's consent came attached with a list of conditions restricting the combined company's operations in China, including not selling eyewear below cost without justifiable reason. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will hold the Bangsamoro Consultative Assembly on Sunday to jumpstart preparations to implement the Bangsamoro Organic Law signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. MILF Vice Chairman and Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) head Ghadzali Jaafar said Friday the meeting will be attended by thousands of members and leaders of political and military committes within the Bangsamoro area, as well as the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces. A main talking point will be the plebiscite, which will decide other areas, towns, or cities that will join Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi in the Bangsamoro region. Jaafar said the referendum is expected to be held in November, and its results will be known within the same month or in December. The MILF leader said individuals who cannot join the assembly may have their own consultations in their respective provinces. Jaafar also hopes critics who have questioned the constitutionality of the law, even those wanting to raise the case to the Supreme Court, will eventually learn to support the autonomous government. "At the end of the day, ang desisyon ng nakakarami ang siyang mamamayani sapagakat 'yun ang rule in a democratic country," Jaafar said in an interview with CNN Philippines Newsroom Ngayon. "Having said that, 'yung mga magpe-petition sa Supreme Court, gusto po naming hilingin na huwag na sanang ituloy, at pagtulungan nalang natin ito," he added. [Translation: At the end of the day, the decision of the majority will prevail because that is the rule in a democratic country. Having said that, I hope those who plan to petition to the Supreme Court will not push through with it. Let's help each other instead.] A government for the Bangsamoro people Jaafar thanked the president for finally signing the Bangsamoro law on Thursday. "Unang una, pinaparating po namin in behalf of the Moro people, sa mga mamamayan ng Mindanao, ang lubos na pasasalamat natin sa mahal na pangulo," he said. "Sa wakas ay magkakaroon na ng gobyerno ang mga mamamayan ng Bangsamoro," Jaafar added. [Translation: First of all, in behalf of the Moro people and the residents of Mindanao, we would like to thank our beloved president. At last, there will finally be a government for the Bangsamoro people.] Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who pushed for the ratification of the law, said this development is just the beginning for stakeholders and legislators. "We thank President Duterte for signing the BOL as he promised. He closely followed our work. Now, the more difficult part begins," the senator said in a statement. The Department of National Defense also welcomed the signing of the law, saying it is "optimistic that this landmark legislation will usher in a new era of peace in Mindanao.' READ: The Bangsamoro Organic Law: Everything you need to know The Bangsamoro law will establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. With the law finally signed by the president, the next step will be for the Commission on Elections to start preparations for the provinces and areas joining the plebiscite later this year. The election body has yet to get a copy of the new directive, but it estimated 3 to 3.5 million will participate in the polls. Once the coverage of the Bangsamoro territory is finalized, Duterte will have to appoint officials who will constitute the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, which will serve as the transition government from 2019 to 2022. CNN Philippines' David Santos contributed to this report. Wise could ill afford to pay the $1,000 needed to secure release through a bail bondsman. Her family pawned their belongings and asked friends to pitch in to come up with enough money to free her. By then, Wise had been in jail five days. It could have been much worse: Had her family not made her bail, she would have spent three months in jail, away from her children and her work, until the scheduled hearing that got the charges dismissed. More likely, she would have become yet another innocent person pleading guilty in order to secure a certain release date. SAN DIEGO (AP) The Trump administration said Thursday that more than 1,800 children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border have been reunited with parents and sponsors but hundreds remain apart, signaling a potentially long wait for anguished families. The federal government was under a Thursday deadline to reunify more than 2,500 children separated from their parents under a new immigration policy designed to deter immigrants from coming here illegally. The policy quickly backfired amid global outrage from political and religious leaders and daily headlines about crying children taken from their parents. President Donald Trump ended the practice, but a federal judge in San Diego ordered the government to reunite all the families by the end of Thursday. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw has indicated some leeway given the enormity of the task, which would continue past the deadline. As of Thursday morning, the government said it reunited 1,442 children 5 and older with their parents in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. An additional 378 were reunited with parents in different locations around the country or given to sponsors, who are often relatives or close family members. That leaves about 700 who remain apart, including 431 children whose parents have been deported, officials say. Those reunions take more effort and paperwork as authorities fly children back to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. According to the administration, parents of 120 children waived reunification, while 67 had "red flags" for criminal history or other reasons during the review. The Trump administration insisted it would meet the court deadline by reuniting all of the family members that it deemed eligible for reunification. Chris Meekins, the head of the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response for Health and Human Services, said the government would continue to reunify families throughout the evening. Story continues "We are on-track to reunite all eligible parents in ICE custody," Meekins said. For two weeks, children have been arriving steadily at ICE locations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to get back with parents. Faith-based and other groups have provided meals, clothing, legal advice, plane and bus tickets and even new shoe laces, which are taken away from people in detention. The families are generally released, and parents are typically given ankle-monitoring bracelets and court dates to appear before an immigration judge. A charitable organization called FWD.US, founded by technology leaders including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox founder Drew Houston was paying for the airline tickets, the bus tickets and the lodging for all the families newly reunited in the Phoenix area to get them to relatives living all over the United States, said Connie Phillips of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest. She said a phone company had provided 500 mobile phones for the migrants, each with six months of free service. There were scattered reunions in various locations on Thursday, including about 15 in Phoenix, said Phillips. The main immigrant-assistance center in El Paso, Texas, has been receiving about 25 reunified families a day. Some children who had not seen their parents in weeks or months seemed stoic and slow to accept that they would not be abandoned again. Lutheran Social Services support worker Julisa Zaragoza said some reunified children in Phoenix were so traumatized they were afraid to go to the bathroom by themselves, fearful their parents would be gone when they came out. One father who was reunited last week said his young daughter did not believe that he would not leave her a second time. Jose Dolores Munoz, 36, from El Salvador, was reunited with his 7-year-old daughter last Friday, nearly two months after they were separated. He said his daughter cries when he leaves the house because she thinks he's not coming back. "She is afraid," Munoz said in Spanish. "Yesterday I left her crying, she is telling me, 'You are not coming back. You are lying. You are leaving me.'" Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who represents the separated families, said before the latest figures were announced that the government should not be congratulating itself for meeting its "self-defined" deadline. "The government shouldn't be proud of the work they're doing on reunification," he said. "It should just be, 'We created this cruel, inhumane policy ... now we're trying to fix it in every way we can and make these families whole." Among those who remain apart from their children is Lourdes de Leon of Guatemala. She turned herself in to authorities at the border and was deported on June 7, but her 6-year-old son, Leo, remained in the U.S. De Leon said Guatemalan consular officials told her signing a deportation order would be the easiest way to reunite with Leo. "He is in a shelter in New York," de Leon said. "My baby already had his hearing with a judge who signed his deportation eight days ago. But I still do not know when they are going to return him to me." Immigration attorneys said they had advocates in Central America to help parents who were deported without their children. And Gelernt said the ACLU would go looking for all of the parents to determine whether they intentionally left without their children. "I think it's going to be really hard detective work," he said. "And hopefully we're going to find them." Both sides were due back in court Friday, when the judge was going to decide whether to ban deportations of families for seven days after they are reunified so that parents could have time to discuss their options. Late last month, Sabraw ordered a nationwide halt to family separations, which Trump effectively did on his own June 20. Sabraw issued a 14- day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents and 30 days for children 5 and older. Phillips said the parents and kids open up as they go through an assessment process with workers. She said the outpouring of donations has been comforting. "We have seen a lot of people come together over this, we're seeing the best of what Americans can be," she said. ___ Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Anita Snow in Phoenix, Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kansas, Astrid Galvan in El Paso, Texas, Alan Fram in Washington and Sonia Perez D. in Guatemala City contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said that Trump knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower at which Russians offered to provide damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, CNN reported on Thursday. CNN, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, said Cohen is willing to make that assertion to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the U.S. 2016 presidential campaign. "He cannot be believed," Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, told Reuters on Thursday, referring to Cohen. "If they rely on him ... it would destroy whatever case they have." Giuliani was referring to Mueller's investigation. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. His attorney Lanny Davis declined to comment. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for Manhattan federal prosecutors, also declined to comment. 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 adult film star Stormy Daniels, who has claimed she had a sexual encounter with Trump, and other matters related to Trump's campaign, a person familiar with the investigation has told Reuters. Cohen has not been charged with any crime. Trump has denied having had an encounter with Daniels. Previously Trump has denied knowing in advance that the Trump Tower meeting was going to take place, and he has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Moscow has denied meddling in the election. Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., along with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior campaign aide Paul Manafort took part in the meeting with Nataliya Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer and acknowledged Kremlin informant. Story continues Donald Trump Jr. told investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that he did not tell his father about the meeting beforehand, according to documents released by the committee. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for the Trump Organization and Donald Trump Jr., told Reuters, "Donald Trump Jr. has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr. Trump, Jr., and on his behalf." Video: Cohen Willing to Tell Special Counsel Trump Knew of Meeting Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld, Warren Strobel and Nathan Layne; Editing by Yara Bayoumy, Noeleen Walder, Toni Reinhold) Cuba is set to turn the page on decades of communism, after lawmakers approved a rewrite of its 42-year-old constitution that would fundamentally reshape the islands government, society and economy. But although the document removes a national goal to build a communist society, the party will still be in charge: Constitutional Overhaul For the first time since the Cold War, Cubans will be able to own private property, strengthening a fledgling private-sector economy that now employs 12% of the workforce. The country will bring in age and term limits for Presidents and create a Prime Minister role, ensuring that future leaders will not enjoy the level of personal power that the late Fidel Castro and his brother Raul exercised for 59 years, until Raul installed successor Miguel Diaz-Canel in April. Social changes are also on the way, with same-sex marriage likely to be legally recognized. Limited Freedoms Diaz-Canel says a planned public consultation and vote on the constitution show that Cuba is now a genuine democracy. But one-party rule remains, and most ministers from the Castro days are staying on. Entrepreneurs say the governments progressive tone contrasts with its actions; in July it announced tighter restrictions on businesses after a yearlong freeze on new licenses. Chilly U.S.-Cuba relations will further temper foreign investment. New World Cuba is trying to adapt to a world very different from the one in which the 1976 constitution was written. The Soviet Union is long gone, and in ideological fellow traveler Venezuela, authoritarian socialism has collapsed into humanitarian crisis. Cubas weak economic growth has not been enough to compensate the loss of its former benefactors and it has been forced to cut energy use and imports, making reforms more urgent. But leaders insist that they are not renouncing [their] ideas, aiming for an incremental transition to a prosperous socialism rather than full-blown capitalism. Cuba is changing, but the party will set the pace. OXNARD, Calif. At a time when the NFLs front office has implored teams to refrain from drawing attention to a national anthem policy that is still in limbo, Dallas Cowboys ownership is plowing forward with one unambiguous message: If youre going to be a Cowboy, youre standing. Period. End of story. That was the implied message from owner Jerry Jones on Wednesday. His son Stephen, who is the Cowboys CEO and head of player personnel, drilled even further down onto his fathers message Thursday, flatly stating on a radio appearance that Cowboys players will stand for the anthem or face losing their job with the team. Speaking to 1310 AM The Ticket, Jones said that means no forms of protest during the national anthem whatsoever, including choosing to stay inside the locker room during the ceremonies. That latter point punishing players for staying off the field during the anthem appears to violate the leagues new policy, which says personnel can remain in the locker room. Asked if he believed if all Cowboys players would honor the rule, Stephen Jones said: If they want to be a Dallas Cowboy, yes. Theres one way to do it right in our mind, and thats go toes on the line and stand for the anthem, Jones said This is an organizational thing. We feel strongly about it. We dont think its a controversy. We just think thats the way we do it. Jerry feels strongly about it. I think hes had a good feel for what our organization should be over 30 years. I think its paid off for our players for the most part. Jerry Jones (middle) and Stephen Jones (left) made the Cowboys policy on the national anthem clear this week. (AP) Cowboys players are backing ownership For their part, Cowboys players fell in line behind Jones on Thursday as they left the teams first training camp practice. Some said it was because they believed the policy was the right way to handle the situation, while others said the Cowboys were Jerry Jones team and it was his right to run the organization and create rules as he saw fit. Im going to do what Ive always done and stand, linebacker Sean Lee told reporters. I believe that theres social injustice that needs to change in this country thats serious. But I also believe that Im going to stand for the anthem, because I feel like Im blessed to be an American, and Im blessed to have two grandfathers who served. These ideas are not mutually exclusive. Our locker room has stayed united. Weve respected everybodys opinion. Were going to be a group that stays united and works toward a common goal. Story continues Asked if he believed other teammates would like the opportunity to express themselves differently, Lee declined to answer. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis added that the Cowboys anthem stance was a matter of respecting how Jerry Jones wants the team run adding that he doesnt believe it makes it more difficult for players to express political or social views. Not if you understand how to do it, Lewis said. At the end of the day, youre getting paid to be a professional athlete. We have to do what were told to do at the end of the day and go out there to win games, honestly. Weve got to come together as a team not separated as a team and doing things individually. Weve got to come in here and do what were supposed to do. If you understand yourself, you understand what to do and how to do it, you understand that you have a job to do first, its definitely a team-first thing. I dont want to cause any distractions. If anything, Ill do my political things off the field. Cowboys may be in violation of new league policy It remains to be seen how the leagues current policy will ultimately entertain this Cowboys stance. As it stands, the NFL has suspended any anthem-related rules or repercussions while the league has a dialogue with the NFL players union over the new rule that owners passed in May. That rule made anthem conduct a hardened part of gameday policy, effectively allowing teams to make up their own rules on how they would or could punish players for not following specific anthem rules. Those new set of rules appear to conflict with what Stephen Jones said Thursday, specifically, the idea that players cannot choose to stay off the field during the anthem. As the leagues new policy stated in May: Personnel who choose not to stand for the Anthem may stay in the locker room or in a similar location off the field until after the Anthem has been performed. While the rules also said that each club could develop its own work rules on anthem conduct, those rules had to be consistent with the [previously stated] principals. In other words, teams could decide what was construed as misconduct during the national anthem and even set up their own punishment scale, but those rules could not override the foundational ruling that personnel who choose not to take part in the ceremonies could remain in the locker room or another similar area. As it is written, Stephen Jones declaration that players cant stay off the field appears to violate the very rule that the Cowboys voted for back in May. Then again, a declaration made on a radio station appearance may not be enough to trigger league action against the Cowboys. It may take a tangible violation, which would mean a Cowboys player would have to remain in the locker, suffer some apparent consequences from the team for the action, and then file a complaint with the NFL and union against the club. Judging by the words of Dallas players Thursday, that may never happen. More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game cancelled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's Disneyland Resort on Thursday said it proposed to raise the minimum wage of employees at its California theme park to $15 per hour by January 2019. The agreement with Master Services Council, provides for a minimum wage rate increase of 40 percent within two years of the deal, making it one of the highest minimum wages in the country, Disneyland Resort said. The current minimum hourly wage of $11 will be hiked immediately to $13.25. Subsequently, hourly wages will increase to $15 in January and rise further to $15.45 in mid-June 2020, Disneyland said. Disneyland Resort, which features two theme parks Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, said the agreement also includes at least 3 percent increases to wage rates for each year of the contract term for those near or above the minimum rates. In February, Disney, which has a three-tier structure that charges visitors more during peak periods to help spread out crowds, raised the admission price for its U.S. theme parks by almost 9 percent. (Reporting by Rishika Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair) Donald Trumps star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been destroyed by a vandal reportedly wielding a pickaxe. Local reports suggested a pickaxe had been used to obliterate the pink stone star, which had been restored following previous damaged in 2016. US media reported that Los Angeles police were investigating after the perpetrator, who was said to have concealed the pickaxe in a guitar case, escaped. Chunks of the marker and dusty residue were seen strewn along the pavement as police officers stood guard. Very little of the five-pointed star remained intact. The vandalism was carried out during the small hours of Wednesday, reports suggested. So this just happened again... somebody used a pick axe to destroy Donald Trump's star on the Walk of Fame. Still trying to learn more, but we know it's been vandalized multiple times, just never on this level. @NBCLA : Victor Park/Loudlabs pic.twitter.com/lzq7YrsSRV Jonathan Gonzalez (@JonathanNBCLA) July 25, 2018 The terrazzo and brass star was first installed at 6801 Hollywood Blvd, near the Dolby Theatre where the Oscars are held, in 2007. It was laid to mark Mr Trumps lengthy stint hosting The Apprentice. During its previous destruction, a man claimed to be trying to mine the star to then auction it in support of women who had accused Mr Trump of sexual misconduct. Prior to that an artist built a small wall around it in protest against Mr Trumps plan to build a border wall between the US and Mexico. It has been defaced a number of times. The star is one of more than 2,600 placed along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. NEW YORK (AP) A New York judge congratulated Donald Trump Jr. and his estranged wife, Vanessa, Thursday for resolving child custody issues as they proceed toward divorce. State Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz began a brief proceeding in open court by saying he understood that they had agreed to resolve all issues regarding their five children and parental rights. Lawyers said they expected a written agreement on child custody would be completed in several weeks. "I congratulate you for working those things out," Katz told the couple, who stood before the judge, separated by their lawyers, though they entered and left court together. Katz said they were blocking the children "from what could have been an invasive legal process." The initial court appearance, which lasted less than 10 minutes, came after Vanessa Trump filed for divorce in March. Though the action was initially listed as uncontested, it was later changed to a contested action. Norman Heller, a lawyer for Donald Trump Jr., said the couple also expects to quickly resolve financial conflicts because there were "only a few issues left" to resolve. Katz offered them his help "to bridge any of those gaps." "I can help resolve those issues," he said. The couple arrived at the courthouse an hour early and walked into the courtroom from the same doorway as the judge, who entered just before them. As they positioned themselves in front of the judge, Trump Jr. smiled toward his wife. Appearing relaxed, they each smiled at points throughout the proceeding. The Trumps were married in 2005. Vanessa Trump filed for divorce in March. Afterward, they said in a joint statement that they will "always have tremendous respect for each other." The 2007 birth of the couple's first child made Donald Trump Sr. a grandfather a decade before he became president. Former Fox News Channel personality Kimberly Guilfoyle recently left the network amid news that she's dating Trump Jr. She has joined a super PAC supporting the president. To be sure, as my 25 years at DOJ unfolded, I had greater admiration for some attorneys general more than others. I was disappointed when John Ashcroft ordered that two partially nude Art Deco metal statues, installed in the 1930s at DOJs headquarters, be hidden with $8,000 worth of blue drapes. And when Alberto Gonzales Justice Department was found to have played sleazy partisan politics in the hiring of nonpartisan DOJ positions, I was embarrassed and offended. I think Eric Holder made some bad decisions that hampered effective prosecutions, though I supported many of his decisions. Though my faith was at times tested, I never lost respect for the larger mission and the institution of the Department of Justice. This was the biggest entry of migrants at the Cueta border since February 2017, when 850 migrants crossed into the Spanish territory in four days - REUTERS More than 700 sub-Saharan migrants on Thursday stormed the border fence surrounding the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Morocco, with dozens injured in an incursion of unprecedented violence. Sixteen migrants and ten officers from Spains Guardia Civil received hospital treatment following Thursday mornings incident, during which the group bombarded agents with quicklime, sticks, stones and bags of excrement as well as aerosols used as flame throwers, the force said in a statement. The incursion, which comes days after Spain officially overtook Italy in migrant arrivals by sea, occurred at around 6.30 am when the men used angle grinders and shears to cut through the outer and inner layers of the border fence. The group also bore defensive equipment such as home-made shields and body armour, the Guardia Civil said, and once through the fence continued to attack agents and security vehicles. The force later recovered Molotov cocktails and bags of hashish, it added. The group scrambled over the razor wire fences all of a sudden, with much violence, a Guardia Civil spokesperson in Ceuta said. The 602 migrants who crossed into Spanish territory were transported to a temporary migrant reception centre in Cueta, which had already been over capacity Credit: EFE News Agency / Alamy Live News A Red Cross emergency team treated more than 130 people for injuries, the NGO said in a statement. The ten Guardia Civil officers were hospitalised after having been sprayed with some type of acid, lime or white liquid and received treatment for burns, respiratory and cognitive issues, but were later discharged. Two of the migrants required surgery for "deep cuts", while others were discharged after treatment for cuts and fractures. The 602 migrants who ultimately made their way onto Spanish soil have been taken into Ceutas temporary migrant reception centre, a facility already overflowing with 650 current residents for its 520 places. It is not the first such incursion across the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, the two Spanish outposts in North Africa which are seen by many fleeing poverty and conflict as their best hope of reaching a new life in Europe. Story continues But it is the first entry of such a magnitude into Ceuta since February 2017, when 850 migrants crossed into the territory in four days. Security forces speaking to Europapress said the level of violence employed in the assault was unprecedented. It also comes as the Spanish system struggles to cope with surging numbers of arrivals. The country is now the largest gateway for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe, with 19,586 people landing on its shores so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Despite the unexpected violence, many migrants celebrated after they crossed the border Credit: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/SPAIN-CEUTA Most in Spain welcomed the decision of Pedro Sanchez, the new Socialist prime minister, to grant safe harbour to the NGO rescue ship the Aquarius and its 630 migrants, after it was turned away by Italy in June. But there is increasing concern that Spain simply cannot cope with the numbers of arrivals. NGOs say the countrys asylum system is collapsed, with thousands already waiting for spaces, and that more resources are desperately needed. In Andalusia, where the Spanish coastguard has rescued more than 1200 people from rafts since Monday, authorities are raising the alarm over the pressure on infrastructure, with migrants sleeping in converted sports halls, on boats and even on a police station patio. Experts say the Spanish surge is partly the result of the crackdown on crossings from Libya to Italy, both by the EU and the new populist government in Rome. Matteo Salvini, Italys new far Right interior minister, on Thursday protested to the leading Roman Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana after it compared him to Satan on its cover, and said his decision to ban migrant rescue boats from the countrys ports was against the Gospel. He also drew protest Thursday after authorities began clearing a minority Roma camp in the Italian capital, leaving hundreds homeless. Meanwhile a close adviser to Pope Francis condemned a proposal by Mr Salvinis League party to make the display of crucifixes in public spaces obligatory. Freetown (AFP) - A new Ebola virus has been found in bats in Sierra Leone, two years after the end of an outbreak that killed over 11,000 across West Africa, the government said on Thursday. It is not yet known whether the new Bombali species of the virus -- which researchers say could be transmitted to humans -- can develop into the deadly Ebola disease. "At this time, it is not yet known if the Bombali Ebola virus has been transmitted to people or if it causes disease in people but it has the potential to infect human cells," Amara Jambai, a senior ministry of health official, told AFP. "This is early stages of the findings," Jambai added, calling on the public to remain calm while awaiting further research. A health ministry spokesman and a researcher who worked on the discovery confirmed the findings to AFP. Researchers who found the new virus in the northern Bombali region are now working with the Sierra Leone government to determine whether any humans were infected. "As precautionary measures, people should refrain from eating bats," Harold Thomas, health ministry spokesman told AFP. The worst-ever Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in southern Guinea before spreading to two neighbouring west African countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The West African outbreak was caused by the Zaire species, which has historically been the most deadly in humans since it was first identified in 1976. That outbreak killed more than 11,300 people out of nearly 29,000 registered cases, according to World Health Organization estimates. The WHO declared the epidemic over in January this year, but this was followed by flare-ups in all three countries. Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has overseen the reunification of feuding wings of the one of the world's oldest Christian churches, his top aide said Friday. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church split in 1991 over the naming of a new patriarch after the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) removed the Derg military junta from power. The patriarch Abuna Merkorios, seen as hostile to the new regime, was forced to abdicate and later escaped the country to settle in the United States. There, where dissidents founded a breakaway church under him, claiming his ouster violated rules that say the role of patriarch is held for life. Talks between the two synods have been going on for years. Abiy, a reformist new premier, is credited with speeding up the peace process, which culminated on Thursday in his maiden visit to the United States. Abiy oversaw a reunification ceremony in Washington, attended by priests in flowing black and red robes, according to images his top aide shared on social media. "After significant mediation efforts, PM Abiy witnessed in DC the reunification of the 2 Synods of the #Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The 2 Synods are reunited into one Holy Synod after 27 years," his chief of staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter. According to details of the reconciliation published by an Orthodox Church news website, Merkorios "will return to the holy land of Ethiopia with the rank and dignity of Patriarch, and resume the patriarchal throne." Meanwhile the resident Ethiopian patriarch, Abuna Mathias, "will lead the church by carrying out administrative duties." Both their names will be mentioned in prayers and as long as both are alive "our holy Church will regard their patriarchal honour as equal." The Holy Synod expressed gratitude to Abiy for his work to "restore peace in the country and the unity of the Orthodox Church." - 'A historic jump'- Story continues Tracing its roots back to the fourth century, the Orthodox church is Ethiopia's largest, gathering 38 million people, according to the World Council of Churches. The country is also home to a Muslim minority and a growing protestant population that includes the prime minister. "While noting that the reconciliation event marks a historic jump, the Prime Minister emphasised that this has been something overdue," the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said. Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has prioritised reconciliation between dissidents and the EPRDF, which has held power unopposed for 27 years. He has released numerous jailed dissidents from Ethiopian jails, and sometimes met them personally upon their release. Earlier this week, he called for "multi-party democracy," a stunning shift for the EPRDF which has been in power continuously since 1991 and holds every seat in parliament together with its allies. He has also opened the doors to historic reconciliation with neighbouring Eritrea The visit to the US is set to be something of a charm offensive for Abiy. After his arrival in Washington, Reuben E. Brigety II, a former American ambassador to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, tweeted a photo showing the prime minister smiling and holding hands with a lone protester who greeted him outside the Ethiopian embassy. He is also visiting diaspora communities in Los Angeles and the state of Minnesota in a visit the Ethiopian government has titled "Tear down barriers, and build bridges!" Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live in the US, among them numerous journalists and politicians who have fallen out with the EPRDF. Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney says the US president knew in advance of a June 2016 meeting in which Russians were expected to share dirt on then-election rival Hillary Clinton, US media reported Wednesday. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, son Donald Jr., and top campaign official Paul Manafort met at New York's Trump Tower on June 9, 2016 with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was offering information from the Russian government. Trump, his son, his lawyers and other administration officials have repeatedly said Trump did not know about the meeting until news of it broke in July 2017. But according to CNN and NBC, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, who has fallen out with the president, claims he was present when Donald Jr. told his father about the Russians' offer to meet, and Trump approved it. The Trump Tower meeting was arranged by a music promoter, Rob Goldstone, who reached out to Trump Jr saying he had "official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father." Trump Jr responded "I love it" when first offered the political "dirt" on Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee. But he has said since that no "meaningful information" was offered and the meeting focused mostly on the issue of adoptions of Russian children. CNN quoted sources as saying Cohen lacks evidence such as an audio recording to corroborate his account. But both CNN and NBC reported -- citing anonymous sources -- that Cohen is willing to assert his claim to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign. Mueller has already indicted 31 people -- including 12 Russian intelligence agents -- for hacking computer networks of the Democratic Party. Cohen's reported claim comes days after the bombshell release of a taped conversation between him and Trump by CNN Tuesday -- with reports suggesting there may be more tapes. Story continues On the recording, released by Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis, Trump can be heard discussing with Cohen how to hush up allegations that he had an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal in 2006, and buying the rights to her story, which she had sold to the National Enquirer for $150,000. During Trump's presidential campaign, his team denied any knowledge of the deal between McDougal and American Media, the magazine's parent company. Cohen, who once declared fierce loyalty to the president, is under federal investigation in New York for his business dealings and reportedly whether hush payments violated campaign finance laws. The leak fanned speculation about how much damage Cohen can inflict on the president and whether he is now mulling a cooperation deal with federal prosecutors. By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday by a federal judge in Manhattan after he was convicted for the second time of corruption charges in May. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni, was less than the 12 years he received after his first conviction in 2015. The earlier conviction was overturned on appeal, leading to a second trial Caproni said that her sentence after the first trial had been too harsh, and that Silver, now 74, did not deserve to spend what could be the rest of his life behind bars. However, the judge said it was important to punish public corruption, noting that Silver was one of a series of officials convicted in recent corruption trials. She said a proposal by Silver's lawyer, Michael Feldberg, to impose "rigorous community service" would not be appropriate. Before being sentenced, Silver said in court that his case had caused "great distrust" in New York's government, for which he felt "extremely remorseful." "I spent my life believing in government," he said. Silver was found guilty of directing state money to a prominent cancer researcher and supporting a real estate developer's interests on rent legislation in exchange for about $4 million in bribes and kickbacks. A Democrat, Silver represented Manhattan's Lower East Side in the state Assembly, and was Assembly speaker from 1994 to 2015. New York State Senate majority leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, and his son Adam were also charged and convicted of corruption in December 2015, but their convictions were overturned for similar reasons as Silver's. They were tried again and found guilty earlier this month. Others charged with corruption in federal court in Manhattan in recent years include Joseph Percoco, a former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Alain Kaloyeros, a former president of the State University of New York's Polytechnic Institute. Percoco was convicted in March, and Kaloyeros was convicted earlier this month. Story continues "Corruption cases have touched, either directly or indirectly, all of the infamous 'three men in a room,'" Caproni said at Friday's sentencing hearing, quoting a phrase used to describe the power of New York's governor, Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader to dictate the state's legislative priorities. "This has to stop," she said. "New York state has to do something institutionally." (Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) BEIJING (AP) A man exploded a small homemade bomb outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday, injuring only himself, according to police and an embassy spokesperson. Photos on social media showed a large amount of smoke and police vehicles surrounding the embassy shortly after the incident. Apart from a heightened security presence, the scene outside appeared to be normal by early afternoon. The Beijing Police Department posted a statement on its website identifying the suspect only by his surname, Jiang, and said he was 26 years old and a native of Tongliao city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia. He was injured on the hand by the explosive device, which was made from fireworks and was detonated at about 1 p.m., police said. There was no word on a motive and the statement said the investigation was continuing. No damage was done to embassy property and no other injuries were recorded, a U.S. embassy spokesperson said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. Only one person was involved and police responded to the situation, the spokesperson said. Neither the police nor the embassy had any comment on a report by the ruling Communist Party newspaper Global Times that said officers had earlier removed a women from outside the embassy who had sprayed gasoline on herself in a "suspected attempt at self-immolation" at around 11 a.m. China and the U.S. are in the middle of a trade dispute, but America remains a hugely popular destination for travel, education and immigration for Chinese citizens. On weekdays, large lines of visa applicants form outside the embassy, which sits in a busy corner of the city with numerous diplomatic facilities as well as hotels and stores. Dave Majumdar Security, Here comes "the viper". It Has F-22 'DNA': Why Lockheed Martin's New F-16 Block 70 Is Truly Special The F-16 will still be flying for decades to come. There are still 3,000 operational F-16s are flying around the world with more than 25 different air forces. At least jets will have to be upgraded to the Block 70 standard as time goes on. The future is still bright for the F-16. Lockheed Martin has received a massive $1.12 billion contract from the U.S. government to produce 16 advanced F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcons for Bahrain. The undefinitized contract action award means that the Royal Bahraini Air Force will become the first operator of the most advanced and capable version of F-16 ever designed. Moreover, unlike previous versions of the F-16which were built in Fort Worth, Texasthese new Vipers are to be manufactured in Greenville, South Carolina. With production of Lockheed Martins stealthy new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ramping up while Fighting Falcon production is ramping down, the company was compelled to move the F-16 line to a smaller plant that could handle lower volumes. Nonetheless, the move represents a new beginning for the F-16, which is still expected to generate strong sales over the coming years. (This first appeared last month). "We value our long-standing relationship with the Kingdom of Bahrain and look forward to beginning production activities on their first Block 70 aircraft at our facility in Greenville," Susan Ouzts, vice president of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Program, said. "This sale highlights the significant, growing demand we see for new production F-16s around the globe." Lockheed Martin has invested significantly in the new South Carolina F-16 plant. The company expects that F-16 production at the site will create somewhere between 150 and 200 new jobs in Greenville. The company also notes that F-16 production supports hundreds of U.S.-based Lockheed Martin engineering, procurement, sustainment and customer support jobs and thousands of U.S. supplier jobs. Indeed, 450 U.S. suppliers in 42 states currently support the F-16 supply chain. Story continues Lockheed Martin has good reason to be optimistic about securing further F-16 sales. The Block 70 version of the venerable F-16 is a capable warplane by any measure and draws much of its technology from its more advanced F-35 stablemate. But while the F-35 is a much more advanced and capable warplane than any version of the F-16, not every country needs a Joint Strike Fighter or is even cleared to receive the stealth fighter. In those situations, the F-16 Block 70 might be the most capable fighter aircraft available to those U.S. allies. At the core of the F-16 Block 70 is the Northrop Grumman APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, which is based on technology leveraged from the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 and can track more than 20 targets simultaneously. The radar can also generate 1ft resolution synthetic aperture radar maps and has a range greater than 160 nautical miles against ground targets. The jet also has a new state of the art electronic warfare system. The Block 70 jet features a modernized cockpit with a new Center Pedestal Display (CPD) that provides tactical imagery on a high-resolution 6x 8 screen. The new display will allow pilots to take full advantage of the Block 70s new sensors. Recommended: Air War: Stealth F-22 Raptor vs. F-14 Tomcat (That Iran Still Flies) Recommended: A New Report Reveals Why There Won't Be Any 'New' F-22 Raptors Recommended: How an Old F-15 Might Kill Russias New Stealth Fighter The cockpit also has provisions for the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System II (JHMCS II) display, which lets pilot take full advantage of the Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder. Further, a new automatic ground collision avoidance system helps to prevent pilots from crashing the aircraft. The F-16V has an upgraded airframe with an extended structural service life of 12,000 hours and can carry conformal fuel tanks. To push the aircraft around the sky, Lockheed says that the new Block 70 jet features an advanced engine. While Lockheed Martin did not specify which engine, given the Block 70 designation, the aircraft will most likely be powered by a General Electric F110-GE-132 rated at 32,500 lbf (144 kN) of afterburning thrust. Lockheed Martin also boasts about the F-16Vs capability to carry a vast arsenal of weapons. Lockheed Martin has more than 36 years of weapon integration experience with the F-16, the company states. No other organization can match this weapons integration experience. In concert with the U.S. Air Force and multiple F-16 Foreign Military Sales customers, Lockheed Martin has certified more than 3,300 carriage and release configurations for greater than 180 weapon and store types. Our experience as a weapon integrator has enabled the F-16 to be one of the most versatile multirole fighters ever. The F-16 will still be flying for decades to come. There are still 3,000 operational F-16s are flying around the world with more than 25 different air forces. At least jets will have to be upgraded to the Block 70 standard as time goes on. The future is still bright for the F-16. Dave Majumdar is the defense editor of The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter @DaveMajumdar. Read full article Facebook registered a subsidiary in China this month with plans to establish an innovation hub, in the companys latest effort to broach a market where its social media sites are blocked by state censors. The subsidiary, which is registered in the central Chinese city of Hangzhou, was revealed Tuesday in a filing approved last week on Chinas National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, Reuters reports. The new subsidiary is intended to set up an innovation hub to host training workshops and support Chinese developers, innovators and start-ups, akin to similar efforts in France, Brazil, India, and Korea, a Facebook representative told Reuters. The subsidiary was backed by a $30 million investment, according to the New York Times. But the registration was later removed from the Chinese government agencys website, and references to it were scrubbed from social media in China, perhaps an indication of the sensitivity of navigating the Chinese tech market, the Times reports. Facebooks website and social media networks, including Instagram and WhatsApp, remain inaccessible in China, as do many Google services. Other companies such as LinkedIn have yielded to censorship or agreed to share data with Chinese authorities in order to gain operating licenses. Read more: A Brief History of Facebooks Courtship of China But Facebook has made numerous efforts over the past decade to enter the Chinese market without vexing the countrys stringent internet regulators. Founder Mark Zuckerberg has personally attempted to woo top-level officials, including President Xi Jinping, and charm potential users, hosting a Q&A in Chinese at Beijings Tsinghua University in 2014. He also braved the Chinese capitals notorious smog to jog through Tiananmen Square in 2016. Last year Facebook debuted a new photo sharing app, called Colorful Balloons, which bears similarities to Facebooks Moments app but lacked any reference to the social network, the Times reported. Facebook Inc. plunged as much as 20 percent Thursday after months of scandal and criticism finally hit the company where it hurts: growth. The social-media goliaths financial performance had previously seemed immune to fierce critiques of its content policies, its failure to safeguard private data, and its changing rules for advertisers. But on Wednesday Facebook reported sales and user growth numbers for the second quarter that fell short of analysts projections, leaving investors reeling. The companys shares fell the most in its history as a public company, wiping out more than $120 billion in market value. It marks the largest ever loss of value in one day for a U.S. traded company. The stock was trading at $179.92 at 9:41 a.m. in New York. The company told Wall Street the numbers wont get any better this year. Chief Financial Officer David Wehner said revenue growth rates would decline in the third and fourth quarters. Analysts who follow Facebook were blindsided, asking frequently on a conference call with executives for more information on exactly how the companys financial future had changed so dramatically. I think many investors are having a hard time reconciling that deceleration, Brent Thill, an analyst at Jefferies LLC, told Facebook executives, asking for a little more clarity on the reasoning. It just seems like the magnitude is beyond anything weve seen, especially across a number of the tech (companies) we cover. Before the results, Facebook had 44 buy ratings, two sells and two holds. A few analysts tempered their outlook Thursday. For Facebook, financial stumbles are rare. The last time the company missed revenue estimates was the first quarter of 2015. But the results followed a period in which data-privacy issues came under harsh scrutiny, with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg testifying before U.S. Congress for hours on the companys missteps. The quarter was also marked by Europes implementation of strict new data laws, which Facebook said led to fewer daily visitors in that region. The company was bombarded by public criticism over its content policies, especially in countries such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka where misinformation has led to violence. And it continued to suffer fallout from investigations into Russian manipulation of the platform during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Story continues All of those problems are hitting amid a harsh truth for the company: Facebook, the social network with 2.23 billion active monthly users, cant grow forever. The core Facebook platform is declining, said Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research Group. Facebook said it had 1.47 billion daily active users in June, compared with the 1.48 billion average of analysts estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The companys user base flatlined in its biggest market, the U.S. and Canada, at 185 million daily users, while declining 1 percent in Europe to 279 million daily users. Overall, average daily users increased 11 percent from the period a year earlier. Revenue increased 42 percent to $13.2 billion in the quarter. Analysts projected $13.3 billion. The social network still holds one of the worlds most valuable sets of data on what people are interested in, and makes that audience easily available to advertisers. The company remains in a dominant position in mobile advertising alongside Alphabet Inc.s Google. As we have written about extensively, the advertising industry and digital advertising no less has limits to growth, which we think is the primary factor constraining Facebooks revenue opportunity, Wieser said in a note after the earnings. Deceleration such as management guided toward suggests that while the company is still growing at a fast clip, the days of 30%+ growth are numbered. Wehner gave three different reasons why the companys revenue growth would decline: currency headwinds, greater investments in new kinds of content-sharing, like disappearing videos, and greater user control over privacy a direct response to criticism the company has fielded. After the General Data Protection Regulation went into effect in Europe, Facebook started asking people to check their privacy settings and make sure they wanted to share certain kinds of data. Facebook is rolling out a version of those protections to the rest of the world.If users choose to share less data with Facebook, that could hamper the companys ad-targeting abilities, making it less attractive to marketers. While privacy was an issue in Europe, politics played a role in North America, which is the companys most lucrative advertising market. Facebook disrupted some business by putting in place new rules to get all political advertisers to verify their identities. The company may have halted more ad purchases than expected as it applied a broad definition of whats considered political. After the earnings report, executives worked to explain the potential of Facebooks other properties, not just the main social network, to fuel growth. The company owns three other properties with more than 1 billion users: WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. Together, the entire Facebook suite of products has 2.5 billion unique monthly users, the company disclosed for the first time. Of the newer endeavors, Instagrams business model is the most mature, and likely contributed meaningfully to revenue in the quarter, analysts have said. Zuckerberg called it an amazing acquisition, saying Instagram grew twice as fast as it would have by being part of Facebook, without explaining his methodology. The company doesnt break out Instagrams revenue. Facebook has said it will increase spending to make investments in video content, and on new bets like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. The company is also rapidly expanding its real estate around the world to accommodate a hiring spree, which includes thousands of new workers to help combat foreign election manipulation on the site. The company said headcount was 30,275 as of June 30 an increase of 47 percent year over year. Before the results were announced, Facebooks shares had closed in New York at $217.50, a record high, and had gained 23 percent this year. The revenue guidance from the company was unprecedented, said Gene Munster, an analyst at Loup Ventures, in a note to investors. But Facebook, which reported sales growth averaging 50 percent the past 10 quarters, may just be lowering the bar so it can win back confidence in future quarters. The company has a track record of resetting revenue growth and expense expectations only to turn around and exceed those expectations the following quarter, Munster wrote. Yet the two major-party campaigns for governor, and whatever media traction the two camps do create, tend to focus on the transitory topic of the day, not on specific, ambitious or provocative policy proposals for voters to weigh. What will the next state budget look like? Where would each candidate cut spending, if at all? How would each address, again, the alarming unfunded pension liabilities that continue to rise? If tax increases or cuts are the answer, then what exactly should the next governor sign into law? Its a good time to be a standout offensive tackle in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons announced Friday morning that they have agreed to terms on a long-term extension with Jake Matthews. The deal spans five years, the team said. The Falcons did not reveal any financial details, but multiple outlets are reporting that Matthews new contract is worth a total of $75 million with $50 million guaranteed. Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (70) sets to block against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game, Sunday, November 12, 2017, in Atlanta. The Falcons won 27-7. (Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini) Where does Matthews contract rank among NFL tackles? News of Matthews contract emerged about an hour after the Tennessee Titans announced a long-term deal with Taylor Lewan. Lewans deal, a reported five-year, $80 million agreement, makes him the highest-paid tackle in the league at $16 million per year. Matthews isnt too far behind. At $15 million annually, the Texas A&M product slots in at No. 3 behind Lewan and Nate Solder, who signed a four-year, $62 million free agent deal with the New York Giants after spending his first seven seasons with the New England Patriots. Why did the Falcons extend Jake Matthews contract? Matthews was Atlantas first-round pick (No. 6 overall) in 2014. He was chosen to solidify the left tackle spot, protecting Matt Ryans blindside. After some initial struggles, has done just that, starting all 63 games he has played in his NFL career. With the Julio Jones contract situation dealt with for the time being, it was important for Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff to take care of Matthews ahead of the 2018 season. Next on the agenda are two other young talents: defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and safety Ricardo Allen. At training camp on Thursday, Dimitroff told reporters that the team is working toward securing agreements with both players. More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game cancelled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case Paris (AFP) - A major fire in the Paris suburbs paralysed traffic in and out of the city's Montparnasse train station Friday, just as thousands of French travellers head off on their holidays this weekend. The fire at an electrical centre run by the national transport network in Issy-les-Moulineaux, southwest of Paris, sent a massive plume of smoke rising into the skies. The blaze, next door to Microsoft's main French offices, prompted an evacuation of 2,500 people and caused a power cut to some 16,000 homes in the Paris suburbs, authorities said. It also affected around 100,000 travellers, rail operator SNCF said. The fire shut down traffic just before noon at Montparnasse, the main station connecting Paris to west and southwest France. Some trains started running again in the afternoon, but rail operator SNCF warned disruptions would continue into the weekend. "Our objective is to keep 60 percent to 70 percent of trains in circulation" on Saturday, Alain Krakovitch, a senior SNCF official told reporters. "Those who can delay their journeys need to delay them," he said earlier. The station in southern Paris, which in the midst of a heatwave is sweltering in temperatures of 36 degree Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), was crowded with stranded passengers staring up at the departure boards. "It's infuriating, it's not clear at all what's happening," said Eva Basin, a 42-year-old Parisian who was supposed to be heading off on vacation to Brittany. "They've advised me to delay my ticket, but I only have a week of holidays," she said. "All the trains for tomorrow are full. I'm going to try to take a bus." Some trains were back up and running by Friday afternoon, albeit with a three-hour delay, while others were re-routed. SNCF official Patrick Jeantet said a transformer had caught fire at the electrical centre, which controls Montparnasse's safety installations. The cause of the fire was as yet unknown. Story continues The shutdown came just as the French capital empties out for August, when Parisians traditionally head to the beach or countryside for much of the month. Montparnasse station was the scene of similar transport chaos almost exactly a year ago, when a giant signalling failure caused three days of heavy disruption. Travellers crossing between France and Britain were also suffering disruption Friday, as the heatwave prompted delays in the Channel Tunnel. Stockholm (AFP) - The ferocity of wildfires in Sweden has sparked criticism against the powerful forest industry, which is being accused of having rolled out a "red carpet" for blazes and sacrificing the nation's biodiversity for the sake of profit. Forests, sacred in ancient Norse mythology, still cover 70 percent of Sweden's territory. They play an important part in its modern economy by supplying the raw material to make Sweden the world's third largest exporter of paper, cellulose and wood products while employing 100,000 people. The central province of Ljusdal is one of the worst hit areas by the fires. It is 95 percent covered by forests and as in many northern regions, the forestry industry is vital for the local economy. The possessors of the "green gold" are of high status and powerful: Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf himself is a prosperous forest owner. Controversy spread as fast as the wildfires when industry operators were criticised for their role in the crisis. "Flat landscapes stretching long distances with closely situated pine forests are a red carpet for blazing storms and massive fires," writer Sven Olov Karlsson noted in a local newspaper column. "Maybe it wasn't so wise to get rid of leaf trees and create a monoculture of pine which can spread fire at 80 metres per minute." - 'Fire spreads no matter what' - Nearly all forests in Sweden are less than a century old. Described as "production forests", they are 83 percent conifers whose tall height deprives other species of sunlight. For Rolf Edstrom, spokesman for Norrskog, a forest owners association with over 12,000 members, "it doesn't matter whether the forest is new or old, the fire spreads no matter what", after weeks of drought and scorching temperatures as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit). According to Johan Sjostrom, a fire technology expert at the RISE Research Institute of Sweden, said wildfires are "very rare today because we extinguish them". Story continues "We didn't do that before because we didn't have the same resources," he told the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. Magnus Kindbom, director of forests at the influential Federation of Swedish Farmers, said "the entire forestry industry is generally working on increasing the amount of leaf forests." But environmental protection associations are sceptical and argue for the protection of woodlands. They claim the share of protected forest areas is as low as four percent while the industry says it's as high as 25 percent. - 'We are fighting money' - Non-governmental organisations warn that there are considerable challenges to ensuring biodiversity for plants and animals amid the fight against global warming. One in 10 species in the country's forests is on the red list of the Swedish Species Information Centre. Rolf Edstrom said that the forest industry is aware of this and on the path to a "cultural revolution". "Protected and ancient forests, bird populations, all the indicators are going in the right direction," he said. But Lina Burnelius, who is responsible for forest issues at Greenpeace's Sweden branch, disputes this claim and said the forest landscape is segmented. "In order for species to survive, they have to live together with other species, and if we only have trees of the same kind and age, nothing can exist around it," she told AFP. Neither can the reindeer in Lapland where Sami herders are fighting against the contorta pine. An invasive species, the fast-growing pine trees are smothering vegetation on the reindeer's grazing grounds, including lichen, the animal's main source of food. "The old forests that are still standing is partly thanks to us, but it is increasingly difficult," said Margret Fjellstrom, owner of hundreds of reindeer in Dikanas, a mountainous village located 800 kilometres (500 miles) north of the capital Stockholm. "We are fighting against money," she said. But for Magnus Kindbom of the Federation of Swedish Farmers, "the forest owners have the right to manage their property as they wish". Paris (AFP) - A heatwave scorched much of Europe on Friday, with near-record temperatures leading to firefighters battling forest blazes and authorities banning barbecues, however rain cooled some regions in the evening. Here is a roundup: - Greece: blame game - A blame game broke out over wildfires that killed 82 people in Greece. Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Mikos Toskas claimed there were "serious" signs of arson. Others pointed the finger at the government over its poor fire prevention measures while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he accepted "political responsibility" for the tragedy. - Germany: forest fires - Germany sweltered in near-record temperatures, forecast to reach as high as 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit). Firefighters were battling wildfires near Fichtenwalde, southwest of Berlin, and in northern Saxony-Anhalt. Public broadcaster ARD posted a picture of a fire engine filling up with water from a swimming pool. In Berlin, police used a water cannon to drench the parched lawn of Germany's iconic Reichstag parliament building. Officials in Hamburg cancelled the annual fireworks due to fears the dry ground could catch fire. - Britain: 'Furnace Friday' - There was some relief from what British media dubbed Furnace Friday with a heavy downpour in London during the afternoon. Earlier, meteorologists said the all-time British record of 38.5 C could be broken. Cross-channel rail operator Eurotunnel cancelled thousands of tickets after "extreme temperatures" and malfunctioning air conditioning disrupted services. London fire brigade asked councils to ban barbecues in public parks after an increase in call-outs to fires. High temperatures forced the famously conservative Marylebone Cricket Club into a rare concession: allowing members to attend a match without a jacket. - Netherlands: night fever - The Netherlands counted 1,143 forest fires in the first 25 days of July, compared with 187 in the whole of July 2017. Story continues The country registered its hottest night on record from Thursday to Friday: 24.4 C. - Sweden: barbecue ban - Swedish authorities said 17 forest fires were still burning in the country after others were put out this week. The country sweltered in its highest temperatures this year: 34.6 C in some southern regions. Neighbouring Finland said it would send 35 firefighters to Sweden, joining teams from other EU countries. Rain is forecast for the weekend, but citizens are still banned from lighting barbecues or fires. - Latvia: wildfire tamed - Firefighters in Latvia said they had contained a 1,000-hectare peat bog wildfire in the west. Latvia has declared a national disaster with a severe drought and temperatures of around 35 C. Neighbouring Lithuania and Belarus are helping to fight the wildfire. - Storms cool France- Swathes of France have also been sweltering under a heatwave, with temperatures as high as 37 C in Paris on Thursday. A heavy downpour with hailstones cooled Paris down on Friday evening with storms forecast over the weekend in the north and west of the country, according to forecaster Meteo-France. - Belgium: hotter than 2006 - A heatwave has been declared in Belgium. Thursday was the hottest July 26 on record with a high of 34 C, said meteorologist David Dehenaw. - Switzerland: heat alert - Swiss weather authorities issued a heatwave warning for the south of the country. Pontoise (France) (AFP) - A French gangster on the run for weeks after a dramatic helicopter jailbreak has narrowly avoided capture by a police patrol and had to abandon a car containing explosives, officials said Wednesday. Officers identified Redoine Faid as one of two people who sped away when police tried to carry out a security check on their car north of Paris on Tuesday, a source said. It was the first sighting of 46-year-old Faid since he broke out of prison on July 1, whisked away by accomplices in a hijacked helicopter. A source close to the investigation said a "major" search operation was underway Wednesday. The officers spotted Faid and an accomplice while going to check on a suspicious vehicle waiting near a petrol station in the Paris suburb of Piscop. As they approached it sped off, sparking a police chase which ended when officers found the car in an underground car park at a shopping centre in nearby Sarcelles. Police found six packages of plastic explosives and fake licence plates in the car boot, while Faid and his accomplice are believed to have fled via a staircase. "They escaped by a hair's breadth," a police source said. "It happened in a matter of seconds." Authorities sealed off the shopping centre while bomb disposal experts dealt with the explosives. Police were examining CCTV footage from the car park and sweeping the vehicle to confirm traces of Faid's DNA. Faid, a career criminal, had been serving a 25-year term over a botched 2010 robbery in which a policewoman was killed, though he claims her death was accidental. While the hunt for Faid goes on, one of his accomplices from the botched robbery was caught by chance on Monday. A police source said Olivier Garnier, who had been sentenced on appeal last April to six years in jail, was picked up at a routine police road check in the Oise department north of Paris. - Terrified pilot - Around 100 specialist police have been working to track down Faid since his spectacular breakout from the Reau prison near Paris. Story continues Two men posing as flight school students, who had already taken an introductory flight, forced a helicopter instructor at gunpoint to fly them to the prison. The terrified pilot landed in the courtyard -- the only part of the prison not fitted with anti-helicopter nets -- prompting a heated debate in France about whether the country's prisons are secure enough. Faid, who has multiple convictions for armed robbery, had escaped from prison once before, for six weeks in 2013. He has cited movie baddies such as Tony Montana in "Scarface" as an inspiration and said he discovered his "calling" at the age of 12. On July 10 investigators found a stash of guns, masks and a cement cutter in the Oise region north of Paris which they believe belonged to his gang. A white Renault Kangoo, a vehicle Faid is known to have used, was also found in the Oise, where Faid grew up. Kids may say the darndest things, but parents tweet about them in the funniest ways. So each week, we round up the most hilarious 280-character quips from moms and dads to spread the joy. Scroll down to read the latest batch, and follow @HuffPostParents on Twitter for more. "Groundhog Day," only it's my distracted toddler running into the same wall ten times this morning. A Bearer Of Dad News (@HomeWithPeanut) July 25, 2018 6yo: Mom, can I Me: You can do anything you want as long as I dont have to get up. Toni Hammer (@realtonihammer) July 24, 2018 An effective way to keep your kids from saying "I'm hungry" every 10 minutes when they're bored is to send them outside and lock all the doors. Kate Hall (@KateWhineHall) July 23, 2018 Parenting truth: Never respond to your kid when they say Guess what! from the bathroom. Unfiltered Mama (@UnfilteredMama) July 26, 2018 You'll know it's summer at my house when you hear a 3yo say, "Can I get ice cream after I finish my Cheetos?" Walking Outside (@WalkingOutside) July 22, 2018 Im just a mom, standing in front of my husband, trying to say something I can no longer remember because our kids interrupted us 175 times. Mommy Owl (@Lhlodder) July 24, 2018 If this tv is so smart, why cant it tell me where my toddler keeps hiding the remote? The ParentNormal (@ParentNormal) July 25, 2018 80% of taking your kids on vacation is keeping them out of gift shops. Abe Yospe (@Cheeseboy22) July 22, 2018 Sorry were late. I only budgeted 2 hours of time to get my family out the door. Jessie (@mommajessiec) July 26, 2018 On this day July 23, 2018 at approximately 6:45am, my 4yo bulldozed onto my bed until our foreheads touched and she asked are you excited for Christmas?! MotherPlaylist (@MotherPlaylist) July 23, 2018 I see your constantly doing laundry and raise you a forever loading and reloading the dishwasher. Dad and Buried (@DadandBuried) July 24, 2018 Did a home repair project ourselves to teach our kids work ethic and a few new swear words. Mary (@AnniemuMary) July 26, 2018 Not sure why I need a pen, plastic food, an Easter basket and sunglasses while I sit on the toilet, but the 2 year old was very insistent that I have them. Janina Maria (@dontlosethekids) July 27, 2018 My toddler bit an animal cracker in half and said haha now he cant poop or pee which is more savage than anything Ive seen on the internet lately. mark (@TheCatWhisprer) July 26, 2018 Being a summer parent is 84% making anything a game to occupy kids so they wont drive you insane. At the beach: Okay, the first one to count how many grains of sand there are gets all the juice boxes this month. Be exact! TheAlexNevil Can Be Heard On Tape 101 (@TheAlexNevil) July 26, 2018 Coffee tastes better when you use filtered water and your kids are still asleep. your mom (@eff_yeah_steph) July 25, 2018 Day 53 of summer vacation: After you die in this Fortnite battle, clean your room is something I say now. Sarcastic Mommy (@sarcasticmommy4) July 23, 2018 In vacation house: Me: Be careful not to spill your drink. 6y.o: Oh, I know. This house is way too nice to spill in. Not like ours. Stephanie Ortiz (@Six_Pack_Mom) July 26, 2018 Today my kids have fought over: The right way to eat yogurt. Their ages. Whose toenails are pokier. One. Single. Lego. Anyways, best of luck on your second pregnancy! MyMomologue (@MyMomologue) July 25, 2018 I hosted a play date. The kids only broke one thing, so Im counting it as a win. Sara Says Stop (@PetrickSara) July 23, 2018 Also on HuffPost Story continues 'I Am Sorry Ben' Author: Zachary Age: 8 Click here to read the full note 'Don't Tease People About Their Skin Color' Author: Kaia Age: 5 Click here to read the full note I Need Cash Now Time For A New Pen Author: Evelyn Age: 9 Click Here To Read The Full Note How To Cook A Turkey Author: Anna Age: 7 Click Here To Read The Full Note Sister In My House I Made A Blob Dear So-Called Tooth Fairy Author: Carlos Age: 9 Click Here To Read The Full Note A Math Homework Mystery Author: Ben Age: 8 Click here to read the full note You Can Be My NEXT Boyfriend Can I Do Karaty? Make It Rain Tacos Author: Unknown Via Reddit Cloudy With A Chance Of Kale Author: Alex Age: 5 Click Here To See The Full Note An Opinion Question Macy's School Hairstyles Author: Macy Age: 9 Click Here To Read The Full Note Stating The Obvious Three Sentences That Mean The World Goals For 3rd Grade Dear Bill Clinton Author: Young "Scooter" Cheeks Posted by: Grown-up Scooter Cheeks, now known as Reddit user champscheeks Click Here To Read The Full Note One Track, His Mind Is Author: Lucas Age: 4 Click here to read the full note. A Note From The Teacher Author: Sadie Age: 8 Click Here To Read The Full Note If The Shoe Fits... No Toking Author: Maddie Age: 6 Click here to read the full note 'You Are A Superhero' Author: Gabriela Age: 5 Click here to read the full note For Mommy Author: Cooper Age: 7 Click here to read the full note: Fantasy vs. Reality Author: Alex Age: 9 Click here to read the full note An iPad Note For Mom Author: Jasmine Age: 8 Click here to read the full note Snax "Dear Tooth Fairy..." Author: Laila Age: 8 Click here to read the full note Dear Obama Author: Soren Age: 7 Click here to read the full note Three Little Words From A Boy With Autism Happy Father's Day Author: Elias Age: 6 Click here to read the full note Dad Is Really Cranky Author: Lucy Age: 7 Click here to read the full note My Hero Author: Rhett Age: 6 Click here to read the full note The Daddy Trofy Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Zachary Keck Security, Europe Germany has officially asked the United States to explore certifying its Eurofighter aircraft to carry tactical nuclear weapons. That could mean no more F-35 for Berlin. Is Germany Getting Ready to Dump the F-35? The German Air Force itself is known to strongly favor purchasing the F-35. Lieutenant General Karl Muellner, the former chief of staff of the Luftwaffe, repeatedly made the case that his service needed to replace the Tornados with the F-35s. Stressing the changing nature of warfare, Muellner told Reuters in November of last year that the Tornados successor must be low-observable, and able to identify and strike targets from a great distance. In case there was any ambiguity of what he meant, Muellner added: It will have to be a fifth-generation jet to meet the full spectrum of our needs. Germany has officially asked the United States to explore certifying its Eurofighter aircraft to carry tactical nuclear weapons. The move might signal that Berlin does not want to purchase Americas F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Under NATOs nuclear sharing arrangement, the United States bases tactical nuclear weapons in various countries in Europe. In the event of a conflict, Washington would release these weapons (the B61 gravity bomb) to the host nations, which would delivery them using their own nuclear-capable aircraft (flown by pilots trained in nuclear missions). Germanys Air Force, the Luftwaffe, is one of the NATO countries that hosts U.S. tactical nuclear weapons and is equipped with delivery systems. In specific, the Luftwaffe has designated its Tornado fighters as its dual-use aircraft (i.e. ones capable of both conventional and nuclear missions). Although Berlin has around 85 Tornado fighters, these are rapidly aging and scheduled to be retired in 2025. (This first appeared last month.) Germany is known to be considering four different aircraft to replace the Tornados: the F-35, Boeings F-15 Eagle, Boeings F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and an upgraded Eurofighter. It is believed that the United States would prefer Germany to select the F-35A as its next dual-use aircraft, although Washington does not officially take a position. Besides the fact that this is an American plane, the United States and other European partners have decided to make the F-35A their next dual-capable fighter. Thus, it is already being certified. At the same time, the F-15 and F/A-18 are also American planes and have both been certified to carry the B61. What really distinguishes the F-35 is that it is a fifth generation fighters with stealth capabilities. Story continues Recommended: How an Old F-15 Might Kill Russias New Stealth Fighter Recommended: How China Plans to Win a War Against the U.S. Navy Recommended: How the Air Force Would Destroy North Korea On June 20, however, Reuters reported that Germany is pushing the United States to consider certifying the Eurofighter as a dual-use aircraft. Germanys defence ministry sent a letter to the U.S. Defense Department in April asking whether certification of the European jets was possible, how much it would cost, and how long it would take, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The same article added that top U.S. Air Force and Pentagon officials are working to respond to the German query. Timing is important here. Airbus, which makes the Eurofighter along with Britains BAE Systems and Italys Leonardo, claims the plane could be certified by 2025 when the Tornados are set to be retired. But a German military source told Reuters that the U.S. government has suggested certification could take between seven to ten years because first Washington must certify the F-35. Although the Eurofighters can almost certainly be modified to carry the B61, the biggest question is whether the fighter jets will be able to survive on a nuclear mission to Russia given Moscows growing air defense capabilities. The Eurofighter is often described as a 4.5 generation fighter, meaning that it lacks stealth. Boeing, which makes the F-15 and F/A-18, as well as the Eurofighter consortium, argue that their fourth-generation jets will work as long as they make use of jamming capabilities. Others have doubts. Gary J. Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute has written that by selecting the Eurofighters you are asking a Luftwaffe pilot to bring a knife, albeit a very capable knife, to a gunfight. Similarly, Daniel Goure, a former Pentagon official who is now a senior vice president at the Lexington Institute, has argued: the ability of the Typhoon, like all fourth-generation fighters, to penetrate Russias integrated air defenses is already questionable. Because the nuclear deterrent mission must be credible from the outset of hostilities, before Russian air defenses have been attrited, the use of fourth-generation aircraft in this role is increasingly nonviable. The German Air Force itself is known to strongly favor purchasing the F-35. Lieutenant General Karl Muellner, the former chief of staff of the Luftwaffe, repeatedly made the case that his service needed to replace the Tornados with the F-35s. Stressing the changing nature of warfare, Muellner told Reuters in November of last year that the Tornados successor must be low-observable, and able to identify and strike targets from a great distance. In case there was any ambiguity of what he meant, Muellner added: It will have to be a fifth-generation jet to meet the full spectrum of our needs. This was not a one time event. Muellner repeatedly stressed publicly that his service wanted the F-35. The Luftwaffe considers the F-35s capability as the benchmark for the selection process for the Tornado replacement, and I think I have expressed myself clearly enough as to what the favorite of the air force is, he told reporters last year. This pitted him against the Ministry of Defense, which is known to favor the Eurofighter. Muellner refused to stop speaking out about the F-35 and earlier this year he was fired for it. Of course, Germany cant fire the United States if it refuses to certify the Eurofighter or slow rolls the process. But Berlin could decide not to provide dual-use aircraft to carry U.S. tactical nuclear weapons. This was a concern of the U.S. Air Force not too long ago. Zachary Keck (@ZacharyKeck) is a former managing editor of The National Interest. Read full article Berlin (AFP) - The German government said Friday it took a minority stake in electricity transmission firm 50Hertz for "national security" reasons, thwarting Chinese investors from buying into the strategic company. "On national security grounds, the federal government has a major interest in protecting critical energy infrastructure," the finance and economy ministries said in a joint statement. Berlin has therefore tasked a public bank with purchasing a 20-percent stake put up for sale by Australian infrastructure fund IFM and which has been sought by China's State Grid. The unusual step comes as Germany views China's huge interest warily, following a string of high-profile investments by the Asian giant in sectors ranging from robotics to automobiles to finance. The Chinese group had already tried to take a minority stake in 50Hertz earlier this year. But their first attempt was blocked as 50Hertz's majority shareholder -- Belgian power transmission system operator Elia -- snapped up the stake and expanded its holdings to 80 percent. As part of a spending spree across Europe, Chinese companies have bagged airports, harbours and engineering firms. Germany, with its high-tech firms, has been a prime target. Earlier this year, Geely's billionaire boss Li Shufu shocked the country's coveted automobile sector when he took almost 10 percent in Daimler, which owns the Mercedes brand. A study by consultancy EY found Chinese companies bought 54 German firms last year and invested $13.7 billion in Europe's largest economy. Underlining German concerns over the spate of Chinese acquisitions, domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen had said in May that "one won't need to spy if one simply buys up entire companies." - 'Critical infrastructure' - But Beijing has insisted that it has no ulterior motives. During a visit to Germany in July, Prime Minister Li Keqiang urged Berlin to grant Chinese companies the access that German firms enjoy in China. Story continues "Our investments do not threaten your national security. Through joint projects, we want to learn from your experiences and technologies," he said. Not only Germany, but the European Union as a bloc, has been watching the Chinese advances anxiously. Chancellor Angela Merkel has also raised concerns over China's heavy investments in the western Balkans as part of Beijing's plans for a modern-day Silk Road. Current legislation in Germany allows the government to block an investment from a non-EU country only if the investor wants to take 25 percent or more. Berlin last year toughened rules for foreign takeovers, by extending the range of companies eligible for a probe under "critical infrastructure" provisions or considered to be developing "key technologies". In the case of 50Hertz, the government was unable to block the purchase outright as the stake concerned fell below the 25-percent threshold. It has therefore deployed the rare tactic of simply buying the stake. But Berlin said the measure would be "temporary" and that it intended to sell off the shares again in the future. Welcoming the government's move, 50Hertz said it showed "how fundamentally important the transmission network is as part of the critical infrastructure of our country." 50Hertz is one of four transmission system operators in Germany and ensures that 18 million people are supplied with electricity. Its grid covers the states of Brandenburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. - First veto? - Friday's announcement came a day after media reports that Berlin is preparing for the first time to veto the takeover of a German company by Chinese investors for strategic reasons. Business weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported the economy ministry will prevent Chinese investor Yantai Taihai Corporation from buying Leifeld Metal Spinning. The 200-employee firm produces high-strength parts for the car and aerospace industries that also have nuclear applications. "The cabinet will make the decision on August 1," the magazine said. China's foreign ministry said Friday it was "paying close attention to the issue". It also said it "hoped Germany can take an objective view of Chinese investment and create a fair and open market, a mainstream environment, and a stable institutional framework for Chinese companies willing to invest in Germany." The troubles with Chicago policing date back at least to the days of Al Capone, who had a multitude of cops on the take. Ancient history? Sure, the fedoras gone out of style, but never incidents of corruption and misuse of force within the Chicago Police Department. Since 1960, as we recently noted, City Hall tried six times through a task force or commission to reform the CPD so it would deliver what the citizens of Chicago deserve: a police force they trust to serve and protect. Each attempt fell short. Since 2004, City Hall has paid more than $700 million to settle police misconduct lawsuits. Gaslighting 101: Attack someone, claim they are attacking you and then ask people for money to help fend off imaginary attacks. Right, Ron DeSantis? (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) WASHINGTON If Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) ever leaves politics, he should consider teaching a class called Gaslighting 101. After attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all week for some reason, DeSantis is now fundraising off his attempts to malign the New York Democratic congressional nominee -- by saying that he is the one under attack. In a Thursday campaign email, DeSantis, who is running for governor of Florida, says Ocasio-Cortez is accusing me of having a problem with her personal identity. These attacks are political correctness run amuck, his letter continues, perhaps meaning amok there. When attacked, I will always defend my principles. Heres a screenshot from the email. (Photo: Ron DeSantis campaign) What attacks is he referring to? On Wednesday, DeSantis justified calling 28-year-old Ocasio-Cortez this girl or whatever she is by pointing out that she once called herself a girl from the Bronx on Stephen Colberts TV show. Hes insulted her intelligence and identity as a democratic socialist. The only response shes had to any of it is to clarify in a tweet that she is a Puerto Rican woman. That response was apparently too much for DeSantis, and now he needs donor money to fend off such words. 50,000 socialists have backed her accusation against me, reads the email, though Ocasio-Cortez hasnt accused DeSantis of anything. But I bet I can find 100,000 conservatives who will stand up to the liberal mobs attacks. Will you be one of them? The email invites readers to sign a page titled Stand up to the Liberal Mob. After entering their personal information, the website redirects them to a fundraising page for DeSantis. Now double down on your support by making a contribution to Rep. DeSantis campaign, reads the page, which features a photo of DeSantis holding a baby and standing next to President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. (Photo: Ron DeSantis campaign) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. (ATHENS, Greece) Frantic relatives headed to the Athens morgue Thursday to seek the fate of loved ones still missing after Greeces deadliest forest fire in decades, a blaze that Greek authorities said they increasingly suspect resulted from arson. Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas said satellite image analysis and ground inspections provided serious indications the fire that broke out in multiple places within a short time frame Monday and killed at least 82 people was set deliberately. We have serious indications and significant findings of criminal activity concerning arson, Toskas said. We are troubled by many factors, and there have been physical findings that are the subject of an investigation. He declined to provide more details. The fire departments special arson section, which probes all major fires, was conducting the investigation to determine how the wildfire started. The cause of the blaze has not been established. Before Toskas news conference, the mayor of the area where it broke out said it might have been sparks from a severed electricity pylon cable. The death toll from the fire inched up Thursday morning, when the fire department put the number of people killed at 82. Rescue crews and volunteers continued to search on land and at sea for more victims. Many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, making identification difficult. At the morgue, relatives were informed about the steps needed to match one of the bodies held there to a missing person, including providing DNA samples and dental records. The procedure is difficult, harder than that of other mass disasters which we have dealt with in the past as a forensics department, coroner Nikolaos Kalogrias said. Here, the main cause of death was burning, in most cases the complete burning (of the body), so identification is very difficult. Germanys federal criminal police said a team of its forensics specialists was in Greece to help authorities identify the dead. The team members have worked on major disasters such as the 2002 plane crash in Ueberlingen, Switzerland, and the 2004 Asian tsunami. Story continues The fire broke out near Rafina, northeast of Athens. Fanned by gale-force winds, it raced through seaside resorts of full-time homes and vacation residences popular with Athenians and tourists. The large area the flames swept through further complicated the process of identifying victims. Officials said there was no way of knowing how many people were there at the time. By Thursday afternoon, there was still no official number of missing. Thanassis Moraitis went to the morgue searching for his 90-year-old mother. He had tried to drive away with his mother, wife and 19-year-old son, but the fire was too fast. They had to abandon the car and started running to the beach and into the water. Moraitis suffered burns to his leg from the heat of the air. His mother didnt make it. In the sea, there was a rain of fire, there was smoke, there was a Force 12 wind, said the 53-year-old, adding that boats picked the family up after about three hours. I didnt even get a chance to say goodbye to my mother, Moraitis said. Fire department spokeswoman Stavroula Malliri said the search for victims continued and would not end until every building had been thoroughly investigated. Rescue crews had not been able to enter homes that had not been destroyed and were shut, she said. Apart from the house-to-house searches, coast guard and volunteer divers were searching the waters off the coast and a nearby deserted island. Hundreds of volunteers lined up at the Rafina town hall to offer whatever help might be needed. During the fire, hundreds fled to nearby beaches, with many swimming out to sea to escape the ferocious flames and choking smoke. Dozens spent hours at sea before being picked up by coast guard vessels, fishing boats and a passing ferry. Several of the dead were people who drowned. The worse affected area was the seaside community of Mati, where the majority of victims were found, including 26 people found huddled together, many embracing. Arriving at the morgue with her son, Maria Saridou was hoping her 55-year old sister, Eleni, was not among the victims. She had gone swimming with a friend of hers in Mati, Saridou said, but the two became separated in the chaos of the fire. She hadnt heard from her since. We found her car, it wasnt burnt, nor was the house, said 60-year-old Saridou. Its just that we cant find her. I believe shes alive. Where she went, nobody knows where she went. Hundreds of homes were burnt. The speed with which the flames spread took many by surprise. The narrow streets of Mati, an area built up with no town planning, quickly became clogged with parked and abandoned cars as people tried to flee, hampering access by firefighting trucks and blocking escape routes. One Belgian national and one Irish national were among those confirmed dead. Some of the casualties are believed to have tried to make it to the shore through narrow pathways, but lost their way in the thick smoke or had their paths blocked by the swift-moving blaze. Even those on beaches were not safe, as flames burned trees and vegetation at the waters edge, while flaming pine cones rained downward, survivors have said. Recriminations about the apparent lack of an evacuation plan and what many perceived to have been a slow response has mounted, with survivors saying they had been abandoned to do whatever they could to save themselves alone. Firefighting and rescue efforts, particularly from the air and the sea, were hampered by gale force winds and rough seas. When the Rafina fire broke out, crews were also engaged in fighting a massive fire west of Athens that had broken out hours earlier and also burnt homes. But survivors have accused authorities of failing to adequately prepare and for not evacuating the area, as well as not responding fast enough. Defense Minister Panos Kammenos visited Mati Thursday morning and was heckled by distraught men and women, who accused authorities of not doing enough in the initial hours of the fire. People died for nothing! one woman sobbed at the minister. Local resident Giannis Kardiakos, who said he stayed in the area until midnight, said efforts to tackle the blaze and to rescue those who had fled to the beaches started too late. There was no protection, there was nothing! Im saying things as they were, he said, as Kammenos detailed what the military and firefighters had been doing to battle the fire. Im not lying. Were not talking politically here, he added, before breaking down in tears. ____ Thanassis Stavrakis in Mati, Greece, and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Athens contributed to this report. It has been almost two weeks since media coverage honed in on Elon Musks donations to GOP political figures and political action funds. What hasnt slowed down is the dialogue between the Tesla CEOs girlfriend, acclaimed musician Grimes, and her fans on Twitter. Now, the synth-pop artist is responding to articles asking reporters to interview her before writing about her now-deleted tweets. Musk responded to the controversy over his GOP donations by tweeting that a reasonable amount to maintain an open dialogue was necessary for an aerospace company to remain influential on both sides of the government aisle, but that he donated far more to environmental causes. Grimes echoed that sentiment. maaaaan ugh.. no 1 calls us for comment ..like there is no world in which im ok w republican donations.. was just trying to explain wut happened.. and im not on the board of tesla or any of these companies,, haha man i need a publicist Grimes (@Grimezsz) July 26, 2018 Its not the first time shes gotten political on social media, considering that Grimes tweeted and deleted that she attempted to instigate a Tesla union, but there wasnt enough interest from employees. She also reaffirmed that there is no world in which shes ok w republican donations, and that she has no active role in any of Musks properties. Looks like Elon took over Grimes' Twitter pic.twitter.com/53B2Ub4uCU Ryan Mac (@RMac18) July 25, 2018 Ever since their dramatic debut at the Met Gala, Musk and Grimes relationship has garnered plenty of internet buzz. Now, as they both continue to tweet politically and engage with supporters and detractors alike, Grimes is arguing with her fans over Musks business dealings. Story continues every aerospace company has to donate to republicans in order to function. in fact most major companies across the board do, in some capacity. its the price of doing business in america. e donates way more money, like absurdly more, to environmental causes Grimes (@Grimezsz) July 23, 2018 i support the right to unionize and ive never supported trump calm down lol Grimes (@Grimezsz) July 6, 2018 Only in the past few weeks has Grimes publicly offered her opinion on anything controversial Musk has done or said. Inverse reached out to Grimes via the press contacts listed on her website and over Twitter, but has not yet received a response. More From Inverse The nations leading gun safety groups are asking a judge to block an online companys plan to publish downloadable blueprints for 3D-printed plastic firearms, information that they say would open the door for people to secretly produce fully functional, untraceable weapons. In a Thursday filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Western Texas, the organizations questioned the federal governments recent decision to settle a lawsuit with Defense Distributed. The settlement allows the Texas-based digital firearms nonprofit company to post its controversial gun blueprints online, which it will begin doing on Aug. 1, according to the Defense Distributed website. Defense Distributed celebrated the decision, saying it would soon bring upon the age of the downloadable gun. But in a letter to the judge this week, gun safety groups called the agreement troubling, dangerous and potentially illegal, while claiming it could have a significant and permanent impact on national security and public safety. The three organizations the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence are now seeking an emergency injunction to halt the publication of the blueprints. They want the court to have additional time to consider their concerns. A hearing is reportedly scheduled for Thursday afternoon. In recent years, gun violence prevention advocates and lawmakers have raised fears about the rise of so-called ghost guns homemade, often meticulously manufactured plastic or metal firearms made without serial numbers. As 3D printing technology becomes more widely accessible, they worry that this ghost gun ecosystem will only grow. And with advances in printing materials and an ever-expanding library of gun blueprints just a click away, they say the line between homemade firearms and professionally manufactured ones could become increasingly indistinct. When police find guns at a crime scene, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can typically trace an attached serial number on the firearm back to a federally licensed dealer. This can help authorities identify suspects, crack down on bad actors and glean other vital information about how guns end up in the hands of criminals. But with ghost guns, theres no method of tracking and no way to deny a purchase by a prohibited individual because theres no point of sale. Story continues Thursdays court filing request marks the latest chapter in a legal saga that began in 2013 when Defense Distributed founder and self-described anarchist Cody Wilson shot his way into headlines with a YouTube video. In the video, he shows off the Liberator, a single-shot .380 caliber handgun made almost entirely of 3D-printed plastic. A Liberator pistol appears on July 11, 2013 next to the 3D printer on which its components were made. The single-shot handgun was the first firearm made entirely with plastic components forged with a 3D printer and computer-aided design (CAD) files downloaded from the internet. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) The Liberator may look like a gun best suited for a Lego man, but it has since been shown to be able to fire a number of rounds without failing, so long as its printed with a strong plastic. Months after Wilson released his video, Israeli reporters smuggled a weapon based on his design through a metal detector and into an event featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although the Liberator contains a small strip of metal which Wilson included to make it compliant under a U.S. law banning undetectable firearms the journalists were reportedly able to get it through unnoticed. With media outlets around the world covering the Liberator, it quickly caught the governments attention. The State Department took action against Wilson in 2013, accusing him of violating arms export control laws by releasing technical data related to prohibited munitions. It demanded that he take down blueprints for the Liberator and nine other firearms posted on the Defense Distributed website. By the time Wilson complied, more than 100,000 people had already downloaded the files, ensuring that theyd live on forever in darker corners of the web. In 2015, Wilson sued the State Department, claiming the motion against him had violated his First Amendment right to free speech. At first, Wilson appeared to be facing an uphill battle. Federal courts batted down his teams request for a preliminary injunction against the State Department in 2015. The case was eventually kicked up to the Supreme Court, where it was denied earlier this year. As recently as April, the government seemed prepared to see their defense through. Then late last month, the feds changed course, entering into a settlement with Defense Distributed that said the company could post its gun blueprints online after all. The government also agreed to reimburse Defense Distributed for nearly $40,000 in legal fees. In the settlement, lawyers for the Justice Department said that under a recent proposal to loosen foreign arms trafficking regulations, Wilsons technical data in this case, computer-aided design models of firearms would be exempted from stricter licensing requirements. But gun safety groups have raised issue with that claim. Although the Trump administration published notice of the proposed rule change in May, the groups point out it hasnt officially gone into effect yet. This discrepancy is an example of the administration putting the cart before the horse, Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign, told HuffPost. She also raised broader questions about the nature of the settlement, saying the government had done a complete about face. It didnt solicit input from any gun safety group before making the decision, Gardiner added, saying it has yet to offer a detailed explanation for what prompted the shift. The State Department has said little publicly about the settlement, except to note that it was voluntary and agreed upon by both parties. Neither Defense Distributed nor the law firm representing the company immediately responded to HuffPosts request for comment. Shortly after the settlement was announced, the Brady Campaign filed a Freedom of Information Act, hoping to get additional details about the reversal. But those documents likely wont be returned until after Defense Distributed reposts the blueprints online, at which point the gun safety groups say the potential damage would be irreparable. Part of what were asking the judge to do is to keep the status quo as it is until we can get more information about what caused the government to change its mind and to see if thats proper, said Gardiner. This isnt the way were supposed to govern, she added. Were supposed to govern by having open and transparent processes. Ghost gun technology has evolved rapidly since the early days of Wilsons Liberator. Defense Distributed has already developed schematics for an AR-15 or technically for each of the dozens of components needed to construct one of the semi-automatic rifles which they intend to make available to the public. With these blueprints, anyone with a 3D printer and the ability to follow directions could build their own military-style rifle without anyone elses knowledge. The surreptitiousness of DIY gunsmithing is a draw for some firearms enthusiasts. Defense Distributed has profited off and propelled the practice by selling a $1,500 Ghost Gunner milling machine that can be programmed to construct individual firearm components out of metal to be assembled by the user. A screenshot of the Ghost Gunner website, advertising an AR-15 with a metal receiver constructed with the company's $1,500 milling machine. (Photo: Ghost Gunner) With conventional firearms already so easy to get ahold of in the U.S., whether legally or illegally, concerns about 3D-printed ghost guns may not be at the forefront of many peoples minds. 3D printers are still expensive, and models capable of printing a functional gun can range from several thousand dollars to more than $500,000. Although that may be a deterrent now, Wilson has said his ultimate vision is to develop blueprints that will deliver working firearms even on the cheapest 3D printers. Anywhere theres a computer and an Internet connection, there would be the promise of a gun, he told Forbes in 2012. That prospect has raised alarm among gun safety groups and law enforcement alike. So far, these weapons rarely factor into crimes. Although, they have been used in a few deadly shootings, including one by a convicted felon in California who otherwise would have been barred from purchasing guns through legal channels. Unfettered access to 3D-printed gun blueprints could also have much broader implications overseas, the gun safety groups say, where people could use them to circumvent tougher gun laws or establish another arms pipeline to criminals or terrorists. Wilson meanwhile seems to be reveling in the idea that his campaign could disrupt efforts to regulate firearms in the U.S. and abroad. In a tweet after the announcement of the settlement this month, he appeared to celebrate the death of American gun control. Wilson later told Wired that he was on the verge of unleashing a Cambrian explosion of digital content related to firearms. He hoped it could extinguish the current youth-led movement for stronger gun laws that emerged in response to routine gun violence and high-profile mass shootings in places like Las Vegas or Parkland, Florida. All this Parkland stuff, the students, all these dreams of common sense gun reforms? No. The internet will serve guns, the gun is downloadable, Wilson said. No amount of petitions or die-ins or anything else can change that. Over the past few days, congressional lawmakers have called for hearings on 3D-printed guns, as well as new legislation to block the release of Wilsons blueprints. At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said hed take a look at his departments policy on sharing that sort of data. But with Aug. 1 rapidly approaching, Gardiner said shes worried the time to act is running out. We need to block this settlement from going into effect so that Congress can hold hearings and do its job as a check on the executive branch, said Gardiner. Its unlikely that this all gets figured out and resolved unless theres a delay of the settlement going into effect. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. On Friday, North Korea is set to hand over a set of presumed remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War, after Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump signed a statement promising the immediate repatriation of those already identified during their summit in Singapore in June. The ceremony is deliberately taking place on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the roughly three years of fighting between 1950 and 1953. It was signed by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison Jr. of the United Nations Command Delegation and North Korean General Nam Il, who also served as Chinas representative, at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea and South Korea. The armistice put a halt to outright hostilities between the two sides, but the Associated Press reports that, more than half a century later, 7,699 U.S. service members are still missing from the Korean War. In a recent online essay, Mark Fitzpatrick, who heads up the non-proliferation and nuclear policy program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote that North Korea treats the remains issue as bait to obtain political objectives. And, though efforts to repatriate such remains have been going on for decades, identification and recovery of the remains of those Americans who never came home from the war remains an ongoing project. Contributing to the difficulty is the fact that the armistice signed in 1953 was a ceasefire, but not a permanent peace treaty. The people who signed it were well aware of the future conflict that might cause, but willing to take what they could get at the time. The week after the signing, TIME described the feeling of unfinished business in the room: Truce came to Korea in a stark, deliberately underplayed ceremony. At Panmunjom, shortly before 10 a.m. (the hour fixed for the signing), nervous little Communist sentries in baggy pants and wilting red epaulettes scurried about, brushing off the board walk where their masters were to tread. The bleak, new truce building, hastily and especially erected by the Reds, smelled of fresh pine. Outside, it still showed the marks of two big Picasso-style peace doves, put up by the Reds, taken down at Mark Clarks demand. Inside it was stifling hot. Sweating U.N. observers and correspondents, including officers from each national contingent, filed in and sat on metal chairs at one side of the hall; the Communist group sat at the other side. U.N. and Communist guards stood motionless around the walls. There were three large tables, one for documents, a second bearing a U.N. flag on a brass stand, the third with a North Korean flag similarly mounted. Story continues Promptly at 10, the two chief actors entered. Lieut. General William K. Harrison, the U.N. senior delegate, tieless and without decorations, sat down at a table, methodically began to sign for the U.N. with his own ten-year-old fountain pen. North Koreas starchy little Nam II, sweating profusely in his heavy tunic, his chest displaying a row of gold medals the size of tangerines, took his seat at the other table, signing for the enemy. Each man signed 18 copies of the main truce documents (six each in English, Korean, Chinese), which aides carried back & forth. The rumble of artillery still rolled through the building. Flashbulbs blazed and cameras whirred as the two chief delegates silently wrote. When they had finished, West Pointer Harrison and Nam II, schoolteacher in uniform, rose and departed without a word to each other, or even a nod or a handshake. Without Fireworks. Outside, a correspondent asked a British officer whether the Commonwealth Division would celebrate with the traditional fireworks. No, said the Briton, there is nothing to celebrate. Both sides have lost. Thus, 37 months and two days after the Russian-trained North Koreans attacked across the 38th parallel, the Korean wara devastating struggle, laced from the start with glory, agony, triumph, frustrationcame to a halt, perhaps temporary, perhaps permanent. The war had cost the U.S. more than 140,000 casualties (some 25,000 dead, 102,000 wounded, 13,000 missing and captured), $22 billion. The problem of ending it had roweled the best brains of two U.S. Administrations, and had helped to win a national election for one, to lose it for the other. The two parties expected to draw up a more permanent peace treaty at the Geneva conference the following year, but they came to an impasse. Read more here on why North Korea and South Korea are technically still at war RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A woman working a summer job at a North Carolina mountain lodge was out hiking when, authorities say, a co-worker attacked her and left her lifeless body steps from a famed scenic highway. The death at the height of summer tourism along the Blue Ridge Parkway devastated a group of young, seasonal employees who come to work among breathtaking vistas at the remote Pisgah Inn. Located along the highway that draws visitors from around the world, the inn at a 5,000-foot (1.5 kilometers) elevation was named best national park lodge by USA Today readers in 2015. "People are walking around in shock and disbelief and really shook up," Bruce O'Connell, who owns the inn, said of his 100 employees. Sara Ellis, a 29-year-old cook from Florida who arrived at the Pisgah Inn in May, was found dead Tuesday, hours after she was reported missing along a path near the inn's employee dorms. The man accused of killing her was another young employee: 20-year-old Derek Shawn Pendergraft, according to court documents. The Asheville resident had been working as a housekeeper at the inn, the owner said. Pendergraft, who's in custody, made an initial appearance in federal court Thursday on a second-degree murder charge, which carries a maximum of life in prison. Pendergraft was the one who reported Ellis missing, according to court documents. Rangers and other investigators found her partially nude body off an embankment close to a trail near the parkway. Initially, Pendergraft told investigators that he and Ellis went for a hike after they both finished work around 4 p.m., but she decided to return when it began to rain. Agents write that he returned from his hike and told his managers that she was missing, saying then that he had found her umbrella lying on the ground. But the next night, an inn manager called investigators and told them that Pendergraft had come to her office and confessed to the killing, according to court documents. Story continues Investigators say Pendergraft told them that he blacked out during the hike and next remembers staring at the woman's lifeless face. Court documents noted bruising on her neck and head, but didn't specify the cause of death. There were no signs of bullet or blade wounds. A defense attorney for Pendergraft didn't return an email seeking comment. O'Connell, who operates the inn under a contract with the National Park Service, said he believes that Pendergraft and Ellis, who's from Seminole, Florida, were both first-time employees at the inn that's open each year from spring to fall. Both were living in the on-site employee housing at the site that's about 30 minutes from surrounding towns, he said. He said he didn't know whether they had been friends. About half of the inn's employees live in the housing described on the website as dorm rooms with twin beds and shared dressers and closets. Like other National Park lodges, the inn attracts seasonal workers from around the country, O'Connell said. It's not uncommon for workers to travel between ski resorts and summer attractions to work outdoors year round. Many are young, but some are also retirees. He said that a couple of guests have canceled, but otherwise the staff doing its best to keep the inn running. "There are grief counselors here right now," he said. "A lot of tears being shed." ___ Follow Drew at https://twitter.com/JonathanLDrew Guatemalan migrant Maria del Carmen Tambriz in tears after being returned from the US without her daughter - REUTERS More than 700 migrant children remain in custody after being separated from their families despite a court order that they be reunited with relatives by Thursday evening. In a court filing, the Trump administration said more than 1800 migrant children had been handed back to family members in time for a deadline set by a federal judge in San Diego. That still leaves more than 700 children who were not "eligible" to be reunited, including 431 with parents who have already been deported. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case against the government, said the data showed "dozens of separated children still have not been matched to a parent". And immigration campaigners said the government's attempts to meet the deadline were characterised by confusion and risked leaving children in a "black hole". Lutheran Social Services workers link arms to obscure children arriving with adults in Phoenix to be reunited Credit: Matt York/AP Maria Odom, vice president of legal services for Kids in Need of Defence, said two children who were represented by the group were sent from New York to Texas to be reunited with their mother. When they arrived, they learned their mother had already been deported, she said. Her group now cannot find the children, aged 9 and 14. It was an example, she added, "of how impossible it is to track these children once they are placed in the black hole of reunification." The story behind photograph that revealed a scandal The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal immigration led to the separation of about 2,500 children while their parents, some asylum seekers, went through a legal process. An outcry at home and abroad forced President Donald Trump to order a halt to the separations in June. US Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego ordered the government to reunite the families and set Thursday as the deadline. Mr Sabraw has criticised some aspects of the process, but in recent days, he has praised government efforts. As of Monday, 900 people had received final orders of removal, and civil rights groups said they must decide if they want to return home as a family or leave their child in the United States to fight for asylum separately. Story continues Government lawyers told a federal judge this week that 917 parents may not be eligible for prompt reunification because they have already been deported, have waived reunification, have criminal backgrounds, or are otherwise deemed unfit. The group included 463 the government said are no longer in the United States. Rights activists said some may have been coerced or misled into returning home, believing it was the only way to see their child. Government officials have said everyone in an immigration detention center has been given notice of their rights and contact information for a lawyer. One immigrant, Douglas Almendarez, told Reuters he believed that returning to Honduras was the only way to be reunited with his 11-year-old son. "They told me: 'He's ahead of you'," said Mr Almendarez, 37, in the overgrown backyard of his modest soda shop several hours drive from the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. "It was a lie." As he has previously stated during his time in office, Jeff Sessions, attorney general, on Thursday said voters backed Mr Trump, who made his hardline immigration stance a keystone of his 2016 election campaign. "We have a very generous legal immigration system," he said in Boston. "But the illegality must end. Thats what the American people want." BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that a new European Commission is needed with a new approach to migration policy, adding that the days of the current EU executive are "numbered" with its mandate expiring next May. Orban, one of the strongest opponents of the EU's migration policy, told state radio the next Commission should not punish countries that protect their borders from migrants. The European Commission earlier this month stepped up a legal battle with Hungary over EU migration rules, declaring illegal a new Hungarian law that criminalizes support for asylum seekers. It referred Hungary to the EU Court of Justice "for non-compliance of its asylum and return legislation with EU law". Orban said the Commission's decision was insignificant as its mandate was running out soon. He said the current decisions and proposals of the Commission were like "the last movements of frogs' legs in biological experiments which we saw when we were at school, which no longer had significance." "We need a new Commission... with a new approach," Orban told radio. "We need a Commission after the European elections which does not punish those countries that protect their borders like Hungary," he added. He said the EU executive should instead punish those who let millions of migrants into Europe in violation of the existing rules of the EU. He did not name any member states. European Parliamentary elections will be held in May 2019. Orban's right-wing nationalist Fidesz party has a strong lead in opinion polls after it won national elections in April with a landslide, and he was re-elected for a third consecutive term. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Hugh Lawson) Berlin (AFP) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday said in an interview he did "not want a European Union led by France", adding that May 2019 elections to the European Parliament would be "decisive". "We have never been faced with such a decisive election," Orban told the German Bild newspaper in comments published online. "The Germans should above all be vigilant. There is a French concept, which fundamentally means: French leadership of Europe, paid for by German money," he said, without mentioning French President Emmanuel Macron by name. "This is something I reject. We do not want a European Union under French leadership... The Europeans must be heard and we must wait for the European elections before taking some important decisions" on matters such as immigration and the budget, he added. Orban won a third consecutive term in April on a fiercely anti-migration platform and his government has repeatedly clashed with the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, especially since the migration crisis erupted in 2015. The EU is currently intensifying legal action against Hungary in a bid to make it comply with EU asylum rules, amid broader fears that Hungary, Poland and other eastern countries from the former Soviet-bloc are turning away from the values on which the EU is built. Orban regularly accuses German Chancellor Angela Merkel of having encouraged the 2015 influx of migrants by declaring them welcome. Hungary announced last week that it was withdrawing from a UN pact on migration, saying that the global deal encourages movements of people which are "dangerous for the world". The US is also not party to the pact. Orban also said in Montenegro earlier this week that Hungary was ready to help the small eastern European country "defend its territory" against migrants. "Europe continues to make serious mistakes. (It) does not want to understand and acknowledge that it needs to refrain from moves that may be interpreted as an invitation in Africa or the Middle East... That is why people drown in the sea and remain jammed on migration routes," he said. Whether youll have to eat Meow Mix in retirement has some public officials concerned. Does having enough money to live on after your final paycheck worry you? We hope it does, but we cant be sure. Thats because How America Saves 2018, the latest iteration of an annual report from the Vanguard Group of mutual funds, suggests that many Americans are saving much less than theyll need to supplement payments from Social Security a program that, without reforms, is racing toward insolvency. By Tom Hals (Reuters) - About 1,400 children of some 2,500 separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border have been reunited with their families, the U.S. government said in a court filing on Thursday. Government lawyers said 711 other children were not eligible for reunification with their parents by Thursday's deadline, which was set by a federal judge in San Diego. In 431 of these cases, the families could not be reunited because the parents were no longer in the United States. The parents and children were separated as part of President Donald Trumps "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal immigration. Many of them had crossed the border illegally, while others had sought asylum at a border crossing. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case against the government, said in Thursday's court filing that data showed "dozens of separated children still have not been matched to a parent." ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt accused the government in a statement of "picking and choosing who is eligible for reunification" and said it would "hold the government accountable and get these families back together. In a call with journalists after the court filing, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official Chris Meekins said it was awaiting guidance from the court about how to proceed with the children of 431 parents no longer in the United States. The Office of Refugee Resettlement is an agency of department. The government did not say in the call or in its court filing how many of those parents were deported. One immigrant, Douglas Almendarez, told Reuters he believed that returning to Honduras was the only way to be reunited with his 11-year-old son. "They told me: 'He's ahead of you'," said Almendarez, 37, in the overgrown backyard of his modest soda shop several hours drive from the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. "It was a lie." Story continues The ACLU said the government has not yet provided it with information about the reunifications of children aged 5-17 with their parents, including the location and timing of them. "This information is critical both to ensure that these reunifications have in fact taken place, and to enable class counsel to arrange for legal and other services for the reunited families,' it said. LOST IN 'BLACK HOLE' Immigration advocates said the government's push to meet the court's deadline to reunite families was marred by confusion, and one said children had disappeared into a "black hole." Maria Odom, vice president of legal services for Kids in Need of Defense, said two children the group represented were sent from New York to Texas to be reunited with their mother. When they arrived, they learned their mother had already been deported, Odom told reporters during a conference call. Odom said her group does not know where the children, aged 9 and 14, have been taken. It was an example, she said, "of how impossible it is to track these children once they are placed in the black hole of reunification." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An outcry at home and abroad forced U.S. President Donald Trump to order a halt to the separations in June. U.S. Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego ordered the government to reunite the families and set Thursday as the deadline. Sabraw has criticized some aspects of the process, but in recent days, he has praised government efforts. The ACLU and government lawyers will return to court on Friday to discuss how to proceed. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del.; additional reporting by Loren Elliott in McAllen, Texas, Nate Raymond in Boston and Callaghan O'Hare in San Antonio; writing by Bill Tarrant; editing by Grant McCool) Investigators are hoping electronic data from a physical activity device will help them find 20-year-old college student Mollie Tibbetts, who vanished last week in Iowa while jogging at night. The avid runner always wore a Fitbit, which tracks steps and distance traveled, as well as other information. Tibbetts was seen by neighbors near her boyfriend's home on July 18. Her brother had dropped her off in the small town of Brooklyn, where she was dog-sitting for her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, who was out of town on a construction job. Police have said he is not a suspect. Federal investigators are helping local law enforcement agencies comb through massive amounts of electronic data obtained from Tibbetts' Fitbit, cellphone and social media accounts. We are getting a lot of information back from that process. We are very hopeful with the electronic data we are getting back, said Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, according to the Des Moines Register. We are relying on the FBI heavily because its an ever-changing world in technology." But as the days pass, Mortvedt said, "it's more and more suspicious to us." Jack told the Register Tibbetts sent him a Snapchat message on the night she disappeared, which he opened about 10 p.m., he said. The image she posted looked like it had been taken indoors, he said. Investigators say the missing woman is a creature of habit and they are searching the routes she used for her runs and interviewing residents who lived in those areas. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Poweshiek County Sheriff at 641-623-5679 or at tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com RELATED STORIES Mollie Tibbetts Case: Search for Missing Iowa College Student Turns to Vast Cornfield Mollie Tibbetts Case: Loved Ones, Celebrities Take Search for Missing Woman to Social Media Have You Seen Mollie Tibbetts? College Student Last Seen on Run in Rural Iowa Related Articles: ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran's Quds force chief Qassem Soleimani said on Thursday that the Red Sea was not secure with the presence of American troops in the area, Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam television reported. "The Red Sea which was secure is no longer secure with the American presence ... (U.S. President Donald) Trump should know that we are nation of martyrdom and that we await him," Qasem Soleimani was quoted as saying. The Red Sea is one of the most important trade routes in the world for oil tankers. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - A powerful commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that Donald Trump should address any threats against Tehran directly to him, and mocked the U.S. president as using the language of "night clubs and gambling halls". The comments by Major-General Qassem Soleimani, who heads the Quds Force of the Guards, were the latest salvo in a war of words between the two countries. "As a soldier, it is my duty to respond to your threats ... If you wants to use the language of threat ... talk to me, not to the president (Hassan Rouhani). It is not in our president's dignity to respond to you," Soleimani was quoted as saying by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency. Soleimani's message was in essence a warning to the United States to stop threatening Iran with war or risk exposing itself to an Iranian response. "We are near you, where you can't even imagine ... Come. We are ready ... If you begin the war, we will end the war," Tasnim news agency quoted Soleimani as saying. "You know that this war will destroy all that you possess." Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said the fiery rhetoric of Soleimani was only "empty talk" because Iran was aware of "the strength and might of the U.S. military". On Sunday night, Trump said in a tweet directed at Rouhani: "Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before. We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence & death. Be cautious!" A few hours earlier, Rouhani had addressed Trump in a speech, saying that hostile U.S. policies could lead to "the mother of all wars". Fanning the heightened tensions, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement on Monday: "President Trump told me that if Iran does anything at all to the negative, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid before." Bolton is a proponent of interventionist foreign policy and was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the administration of George W. Bush during the Iraq war. "You (Trump) threaten us with paying a price like few countries have ever paid. Trump, this is the language of night clubs and gambling halls," said Soleimani, who as Quds Force commander is in charge of the Revolutionary Guards' overseas operations. Iran's Guards commanders have threatened to destroy U.S. military bases across the Middle East and target Israel, which Iran refuses to recognize, within minutes of being attacked. WAR OF WORDS White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Thursday that the Trump administration was "working with our partners and allies to try to get Iran to change its behavior and stop its actions across the region." Gidley, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One flying with Trump to Washington, D.C., from St. Louis, declined to comment on whether a strike was among options. Since Trump's decision in May to withdraw the United States from a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, Tehran's clerical establishment has been under increasing U.S. pressure and the prospect of possible sanctions. Washington aims to force Tehran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups in the Middle East, where Iran is involved in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria. Despite the bellicose rhetoric, there is limited appetite in Washington for a conflict with Iran, not least because of the difficulties the U.S. military faced in Iraq after its 2003 invasion but also because of the impact on the global economy if conflict raised oil prices. Mounting U.S. economic pressure, a faltering economy, sliding currency and state corruption are rattling Iran's clerical rulers, but analysts and insiders rule out any chance of a seismic shift in Iran's political landscape. "This is a war of words. Neither side want a military confrontation. But of course, if America attacks Iran, our response will be crushing," a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. Trump suggested on Tuesday that talks with Iran were an option, saying "we're ready to make a real deal". But Iran rejected it. "But eventually, within a few months, half a year, they'll have no choice and will return to negotiation table with the United States and give up their nuclear program," Steinitz told Israeli Reshet TV on Thursday. While the United States is pushing countries to cut all imports of Iranian oil from November, Iran has warned of counter-measures and has threatened to block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are halted. "The Red Sea which was secure is no longer secure today with the presence of American forces," Soleimani said. Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was temporarily halting all oil shipments through the Red Sea shipping lane of Bab al-Mandeb after an attack on two oil tankers by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement. (Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Writing by Parisa Hafezi Editing by David Evans, Toni Reinhold) Kut (Iraq) (AFP) - On a strip of pavement in the southern Iraqi city of Kut, a gaggle of amateur comedians pulls in the crowds every Friday -- drawing chuckles, smiles and knowing nods. With a rich repertoire of skits, Khaled al-Atbi and his peers poke fun at politicians more interested in lining their pockets than rebuilding a country devastated by decades of war. "Theatre is a message," said the 42-year-old al-Atbi, director and actor in the seven-strong troupe. "With our satire, we condemn... corruption, lack of public services and tribal activities," he said, citing those factors as central to discontent in Iraq. Since the US-led ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has been plagued by graft and sectarian fighting, culminating in the Islamic State group seizing around a third of its territory in 2014. As Iraq seeks to move beyond the brutal war that last year finally defeated the jihadists, al-Atbi is determined to embarrass officials who pocket bribes and hand out plum civil service jobs to relatives. The father-of-two hopes his little troupe can help trigger a culture change, even as he juggles his satirical ventures with a full-time job as a policeman. - Rubbish piles vanish - In one sketch, al-Atbi plays a diligent official obliged to work with incompetent but politically connected colleagues. The scene did not require much in terms of props -- just a table and a few chairs, which were quickly encircled by rapt onlookers. "Our audience is very receptive because they know what we are enacting exists in reality," said al-Atbi. Less than two years after they began working the streets, the group's efforts have already brought about change, according to Kut residents. "We can challenge leaders and solve social problems," said 48-year-old teacher Abu Ali, who never misses a Friday skit. Where rubbish was once piled high, roads are now clean and refuse is collected regularly, Abu Ali added -- thanks at least in part to pressure created by street plays. Story continues But not everyone is a fan. The group has attracted online trolls, and while street audiences are generally very supportive, hecklers make their presence felt. "'You exaggerate!' 'Stop insulting the parties and leaders!'" are common refrains, al-Atbi shrugged. - 'Breath of air' - But the performers are not discouraged. Once a week, they set up on "Tigris Culture Street", among stalls of second-hand books lining the banks of the river running through the agricultural region. The plays are the only "breath of air... for people of culture" in the area, said hairdresser Karim al-Bahadli. "They express the feelings that are inside," said al-Bahadli -- a must, he believes, for a turbulent country that is ranked by Transparency International as the world's 12th most corrupt. Southern Iraq was the epicentre of protests in July against corruption and poor public services. Iraq's state human rights commission said Monday at least 14 people were killed in the demonstrations, which spread from Basra to Baghdad, before waning under pressure from the security services. For fans of al-Atbi and his troupe, laughter is something of a social safety valve. They scored their "greatest success" with a series of skits in the lead-up to May 12 elections, said troupe member Jalal al-Chati, who works as a reporter. No shade of political sentiment escapes the group's ridicule. In one scene, the actors play two politicians -- one a devout man offering voters access to the afterlife, the other promising to fend off government efforts to shut down shops selling alcohol. To avoid sailing too close to the political wind, they use no names. But appreciative murmurs and giggles among the audience indicate they know exactly who is being mimicked. Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi Airways has suspended two of its pilots for getting into a fight -- over a food tray -- during an international flight with more than 150 passengers on board. The row erupted on a flight to the capital Baghdad from the Iranian city of Mashhad, with 157 travellers on board plus crew. "Conversation with the pilot became heated because he forbade an air hostess from bringing me a meal tray, under the pretext that I hadn't asked him for authorisation," the co-pilot said in a letter addressed to Iraqi Airways management, seen by AFP. After the pilot had taken his own meal, he "hit and insulted (the co-pilot), prompting the arrival of a security agent", according to the letter. The duo went on to land the plane safely in Baghdad, only to continue their quarrel after landing. "The pilot again hit and insulted" his colleague, the co-pilot said, admitting that he also lashed out: "I had to defend myself." AFP has not seen the pilot's account of the incident and the airline did not detail when the scuffle took place. "The transport ministry has opened an investigation with the two pilots who argued with each other in-flight," Iraqi Airways said late Wednesday. Both have been suspended, the airline said, warning that the two employees "will not escape the toughest sanctions... such as a lifetime flying ban". Iraqis responded with horror and mockery to the incident on social media, with one person likening the duo to the country's minibus drivers who are renowned for racing around at full throttle. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli police closed the gates to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound for several hours Friday after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers at the flashpoint site. For around four hours all entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam's third holiest site, was prevented by Israeli officers, an AFP photographer said, following clashes inside. The compound was reopened in the early evening, with worshippers flooding in to pray, the photographer said. Police said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as "rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police". "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," a statement said, using the Jewish name for the site. The Waqf, the religious authority that governs the site, published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound. Police later surrounded the Al-Aqsa mosque, which shares the compound with the gold-topped Dome of the Rock, before entering they said to arrest "several dozen rioters who continued to blockade themselves" in the building. Jordan, which is recognised as the custodian of religious sites in disputed Jerusalem, criticised the Israeli measures. In a statement, a government spokesman condemned the "ongoing violations and provocations against the holy Al-Aqsa mosque, especially the Israeli police storming the mosque today and its aggression against the worshippers". The compound is one of the most fractious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The site is also holy to Jews, who believe it to be the location of the first and second temples of Judaism and refer to it as the Temple Mount. An outer wall of the site is the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews are allowed to pray. Ahmed Tibi, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, accused Israeli officials of over reacting. Story continues After the fireworks were thrown, he told AFP at the site, "it was calm, why did they close the gates?" "There is nothing justifying closing them." The mosque is a rallying point for Palestinians and Muslims generally, who fear Israel is seeking to change the so-called status quo arrangement at the site. Under that agreement, Jews can visit but only Muslims are allowed to visibly pray at the site. In July 2017 tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at al-Aqsa, eventually forcing a government u-turn. Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this. Fresh Palestinian protests were taking place along the Gaza-Israel border Friday evening, a week after an Israeli soldier was shot dead there. One Palestinian was shot dead near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the health ministry in Gaza said. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth spoke to the Tribune recently about being willing to breastfeed on the Senate floor, and she cast a vote in the Senate earlier this year with her newborn in her arms. That Duckworth can make these choices is a credit to both her colleagues and to her own tenacity, but also an indicator of the inequities that remain in the workplace. When Oscar Munoz suffered a heart attack just after starting as CEO of United Airlines, he went on medical leave for five months. When former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk suffered a stroke, he took a year off for physical therapy before returning to the Senate. But too many people arent given the same ability to take the leave they need, and working people across America are still being effectively punished for taking time off to be with their loved ones. By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli jets and artillery on Wednesday attacked a site in Syria from where two rockets were launched which were thought to have landed in the Sea of Galilee, close to beachgoers, the military said. After air raid sirens sounded in the south of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the army said rockets had been fired from Syria toward Israel. They appeared to be stray fire from the fighting inside Syria. "In response to the two rockets launched at Israeli territory from Syria, (Israeli) aircraft targeted the rocket launcher. The area surrounding it was targeted by artillery," an Israeli army statement said. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police units were searching in the waters of the Sea of Galilee for remnants of the rockets, although nothing had been found initially. "As I was watching the water, I saw something fall in. I didn't see what it was but I saw the spray from the impact," Hasdia Rada, a life guard at one of the lake's beaches, told Israeli commercial TV news. Another man said he heard a whistling sound before an impact. There have been many instances of stray fire landing on the Israeli side of the rocky Golan plateau during years of fighting between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, but a rocket flying between 7-10 kilometers (4-6 miles) and landing in the lake would be the farthest yet. Tensions had risen a day earlier after Israel shot down a Syrian warplane that it said had crossed into airspace above the Israeli-occupied Golan. However, Syrian state media said the plane was targeted by Israel while it was conducting raids in Syrian-controlled air space. There have been days of bombing as Russian-backed Syrian government forces advance on rebel-held positions near the 1974 ceasefire line with Israel. The holdouts include one pocket near the frontier held by a group affiliated to the Islamic State. Israel worries that Assad may defy a U.N. armistice that demilitarized much of the Golan, or allow Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces to deploy there once he and his allies retake the Syrian side. (Additional reporting by Eli Berlzon and Ilan Rosenberg, Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Andrew Bolton) By Sinan Abu Maizar and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troopers entered Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest shrine in Islam, and carried out arrests on Friday in what police described as a pursuit of youths who had lobbed rocks and fireworks during clashes with its forces outside. The rare raid, on a site that is an emblem of Palestinians' statehood hopes and a frequent catalyst of their conflict with Israel, came as medics in Gaza said Israeli army gunfire killed two people - including a boy - during a weekly border protest. A police spokesman said the troopers were sent into al-Aqsa after suspects who had barricaded themselves in after running confrontations in the surrounding compound, during which masked men launched firecrackers from handheld canisters. There was no immediate word of any violence in the mosque, whose older male worshippers said they had been allowed to exit after being searched. Witnesses later saw around 20 younger men detained by police, and said mosque prayers later resumed. Police put the number of arrests at 24, and said four of its officers were injured in the melee. Muslim authorities said dozens of people were hurt by Israeli police stun grenades. "The continued Israeli attacks against occupied Jerusalem will increase tensions and will drag the region into a religious war that we have long warned against," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's office said in a statement. Al Aqsa compound, also revered by Jews as a vestige of their two ancient temples, was among areas Israel captured in a 1967 war with Jordan, which retains a stewardship role at the mosque. In Gaza, medics said a man and a 14-year-old boy were killed and dozens wounded by army fire, bringing to 154 the Palestinian death toll during demonstrations launched on March 30 to demand rights to land lost to Israel in the 1948 war of its founding. The dead man, 43-year-old Ghazi Abu Mustafa, was brought to a hospital tent staffed by his wife, a medic, who collapsed when she discovered him among the casualties, her colleagues said. Story continues The Israeli military said troops opened fire to hold off thousands of Palestinians, some of whom threw rocks and rolled burning tyres at the border fence in attempts to sabotage it. Israel says its lethal tactics are needed to prevent armed infiltrations and accuses Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers of encouraging the disturbances to distract from their governance problems under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Hamas denies this. While several foreign powers have censured Israel's handling of Gaza, the United States has echoed its blaming of Hamas. The four months of Gaza tensions have also seen cross-border shelling and gunfire exchange. Over the last week, an Israeli soldier was killed and another wounded by what the army said were Gaza snipers, and seven Hamas gunmen died in air strikes. Israel has lost tracts of farmland and forests to fires set by kites and helium balloons, laden with incendiary material and flown over from Gaza. The Israelis have responded by preventing the entry of non-essential commercial goods to Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, another territory where Palestinians want independence, a teenaged Palestinian knifed a Jewish settler to death and wounded two others on Thursday before being shot and killed. Locals said that Israeli troops, raiding the assailant's village on Friday, wounded a man. Video: Israel and Hamas Reach Ceasefire After Deadly Fight Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta; Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Stephen Powell) If you watched the royal wedding on May 19 or even just looked at photos afterward the parade of fashions is no doubt burned into your brain. Amal Clooneys mustard-yellow Stella McCartney. Serena Williamss pale-pink Versace. Abigail Spencers polka-dot Alessandra Rich. Actress Abigail Spencer, pictured with fellow guest Priyanka Chopra, first wore the Alessandra Rich dress to the royal wedding. (Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images) That last one made an impression on Ivanka Trump, apparently. Trump who has worn Richs designs before, including a floral number she chose for a recent event on human trafficking stepped out on official White House business Thursday in the very same navy-and-white polka-dot number Spencer wore to celebrate the special day of her former Suits co-star Meghan Markle. Ivanka Trump added a big white belt to her Alessandra Rich dress as she joined her father for an appearance in Illinois on Thursday. (Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) The first daughter spent the day with her father, President Trump, joining him for appearances in Illinois and Iowa. She is currently promoting the Pledge to Americas Workers, which aims to create jobs and provide vocational education. Thank you US Steel and Granite City, Illinois! pic.twitter.com/7jiON9Esnr Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 26, 2018 Trump who shut down her own fashion brand this week put her personal spin on the button-down midi-dress. In contrast to Spencers slim black belt and netted fascinator, the White House adviser opted for a thick white belt that matched the dresss collar and cuffs. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kelly Ripa have also worn the vintage-inspired design, but few others will have the chance. The dress which retails for $1,413 is currently sold out. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. And yet another hot young couple is engaged. Hollywood is really about these quickie engagements these days. People is reporting that Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are engaged. Well, thatll make you spit out your morning coffee, screaming What?! One, theyve only been dating for two months. Two, theres an 11-year age gap between these two Nick is 25, while Priyanka is 36. And three, if youre a true millennial and lets face it, you clicked on this article so you likely are you were probably still holding on to the off chance that youd snag a Jonas Brother. Alas, the boy band brothers are all now spoken for. Honestly, we hadnt yet recovered from Joe Jonas popping the question to Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner, and here we are again: mourning the loss of our childhood fantasies. Needless to say, some fans didnt take the news well and they had an interesting way of coping. Sure, there were many crying memes, but some fans decided to take the news as an opportunity to play old Jonas Brothers and Nick Jonas songs with their Amazon Alexa. They came up with pretty creative titles that perfectly express their broken hearts. Obviously, were Jealous after hearing the engagement news its like Ive loved him for 13 years and hes getting married to someone after 2 months alexa play jealous by nick jonas ; (@ashIeyjonas) July 27, 2018 And the news sure left us Numb Alexa play Numb by Nick Jonas because thats exactly how Im feeling right now. This is like when I found out the Jonas Brothers were breaking up. Life will never be the same. @nickjonas Sierra Nicole (@SierraNicoleMar) July 27, 2018 Nick was right; we didnt know what we had until it was gone Story continues nick jonas is engaged i would like everyone to please respect my privacy through my time of grief. alexa play a little bit longer by the jonas brothers pic.twitter.com/KEWLIVk3dr samera (@samerawestcoast) July 27, 2018 No, we dont want to cause a scene, but were dying without Nicks love here Did you say Nick Jonas is engaged? Whats that sound? Its broken hearts saying Alexa, play Cant Have You by the Jonas Brothers. pic.twitter.com/oISJ67wQdY Lisa Hiser (@lisa_hiser) July 27, 2018 I mean, your smile still makes our hearts sing, Nick Joe Jonas is engaged. Nick Jonas is engaged??? this is so sad Alexa please play still in love with you by the Jonas Brothers ** isabel** (@TEENTlTANS) July 27, 2018 And we really dont know if well ever catch this Lovebug again Nick Jonas is engaged Im crying Alexa play Lovebug Justine Rafael (@rustinejafael) July 27, 2018 via Giphy Watch: Channing Tatum knows exactly what hes missing after seeing Jenna Dewans nude cover shoot Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones wants President Donald Trump to stop meddling in National Football League matters, even though they both agree that players should stand during the national anthem. His interest in what were doing is problematic, from my chair, and I would say in general the owners chair, Jones said Wednesday during a news conference. Its unprecedented if you really think about it. But like the very game itself, thats the way it is and well deal with it. Jones reiterated his belief that all players should stand during the anthem, echoing the rule the NFL announced earlier this year that would require players who dont want to comply to stay in the locker room. Yet the NFL decided to put the protest policy on hold while it figures out a solution to the anthem issue through mutual, good faith commitments, outside of litigation. Jones is ready for the conversation surrounding the anthem to die down. I, like everybody, would like for it to go away, he added. The NFL has been tackling the anthem issue for months after players began kneeling in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. Trump has weighed in repeatedly, not only admonishing players for kneeling but suggesting that they shouldnt be in the country. Hes sided with Jones in the past for his decision to bench players refusing to stand. A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag."Stand for Anthem or sit for game!" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017 Related... Trump Praises Cowboys' Jerry Jones For Vow To Bench Players Who Don't Stand For Anthem Trump Says NFL Players Unwilling To Stand For Anthem Maybe 'Shouldn't Be In The Country' Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Milwaukee Brewers fans may have been willing to support Josh Hader shortly after offensive tweets he made when he was 17 surfaced, but fans of other teams arent so forgiving. In Haders first road game since those tweets emerged, San Francisco Giants fans booed him loudly. The 24-year-old Hader was met with a chorus of boos from fans as he took the field in the sixth inning of Thursdays game. It was a much different reception than he got in Milwaukee. Chorus of boos for Josh Hader here in San Francisco. It's Hader's first road game since his racist and homophobic tweets surfaced. pic.twitter.com/3m0oqKgyPp Sam Hustis (@SamHustis) July 27, 2018 Haders offensive tweets were revealed during the All-Star Game. When Hader was on the mound, some people unearthed tweets in which Hader used racial slurs. Hader apologized for those tweets after the game, and told reporters he no longer believes the things he tweeted. Haders first appearance following the All-Star Game came when the Brewers were at home. Fans greeted him with a standing ovation as he took the mound. He made another appearance at Miller Park two days later. Thursdays game was the first time since the All-Star break Hader pitched on the road. Josh Hader was booed by Giants fans in his first road appearance since his offensive tweets surfaced. (AP Photo) Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game cancelled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case WASHINGTON A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Maryland and the District of Columbia can proceed with their lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of unconstitutionally accepting payments from foreign and state interests through his Washington hotel. The decision clears the way for the plaintiffs to seek financial records and other materials from the presidents company. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte, based in Maryland, rejected arguments from the Justice Department that earnings from business activities, including hotel room stays, do not qualify as unconstitutional gifts. At issue is the Constitutions emoluments clause, which bans federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval. The plaintiffs argue Trumps hotel harms area businesses because of the presidents ties. Messittes ruling was the first time that a federal judge has interpreted the emoluments clause, which had never been fully tested in an American courtroom. Two other lawsuits based on the emoluments clause are also being heard in other federal courts. In his 52-page opinion, the judge said attorneys general for Maryland and the District had convincingly argued that the Constitution treats emoluments as any profit, gain, or advantage.' The Court finds the President is subject to both Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution and that the term emolument in both clauses extends to any profit, gain or advantage, Messitte wrote. The judge ordered both sides to provide a schedule of their next steps within 21 days, including how to handle legal discovery of records sought by Maryland and the District. A spokesman for the Justice Department, Andy Reuss, said the administration continues to maintain that this case should be dismissed. Reuss added that the department is reviewing the order and determining next steps to continue vigorously defending the President. They could appeal Messittes ruling to a federal appeals court. Story continues Declaring Messittes ruling a series of common sense conclusions, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said Wednesday that he expected both jurisdictions to press for a wide range of financial documents and related materials from the Trump Organization and the Trump International Hotel. Among the documents likely sought by the plaintiffs, Frosh said, would be several years of the presidents income taxes. The tax returns would be necessary to pinpoint any payments from foreign and state interests to the hotel, Frosh said. Frosh, a Democrat, added that the plaintiffs might ask for tax records dating several years earlier than the hotels September 2016 opening to learn more about the hotels financing. The attorneys general have already put the hotel and the company on notice to preserve a wide range of records. I think its clear were entitled to financial information that underpins our case, Frosh said. Frosh acknowledged that both the company and the hotel would likely object to any subpoenas for records, which could delay the case. And any appeal could freeze any legal discovery, depending on how a federal appellate court rules. District Attorney General Karl Racine, a Democrat, said the judges interpretation of the emoluments clause shows that the president cant accept money or other benefits from foreign or domestic governments. Norman Eisen, a former Obama administration ethics counsel, said the ruling represented a major leap forward in learning how Trump is profiting off the presidency. It is another major crack in the dam that has so far been holding back accountability, said Eisen, who chairs Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a good-government group that has joined the two jurisdictions in the lawsuit. The Maryland case is one of three lawsuits against Trump based on the emoluments clause that are winding through the federal courts. A New York federal judge turned down another lawsuit from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, but the case is now on appeal. And a case brought by nearly 200 Democratic Party congressional officials is also being heard by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. We should all be aware that working for minimum federal wage, $7.25 an hour, places an individual near or at the federal poverty level. Just look around at ones expenses: food, shelter, clothing, transportation, utility charges, medical/dental care, etc. There may be many extenuating circumstances that impinge on ones being mired in the poverty/near poverty classification; we should not be too rash to judge them. Washington (AFP) - A lawsuit that accuses President Donald Trump of violating the constitution by maintaining his interest in a hotel that does business with foreign governments has been allowed to proceed by a US judge. It marked the first time a judge has interpreted anti-corruption clauses in the constitution known as emoluments clauses and applied them to a sitting president, news reports said. US District Judge Robert Messitte in Maryland ruled Wednesday that the case -- which centers on money Trump makes from the Trump International Hotel in Washington -- can now move to the evidence-gathering stage. If the ruling stands -- the Justice Department can appeal -- it would mean the plaintiffs will seek to examine Trump business records. Trump has refused to disclose such information and in particular his income tax returns, in a break with the practice of previous presidents. The clauses at stake bar a president from receiving financial benefits from foreign or domestic governments. The plaintiffs in the case are the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, as Washington is known. They say Trump violates the clauses by profiting from the hotel, which is just down the street from the White House and popular with foreign and US state government delegations. "Sole or substantial ownership of a business that receives hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars a year in revenue from one of its hotel properties where foreign and domestic governments are known to stay (often with the express purpose of cultivating the president's good graces) most definitely raises the potential for undue influence, and would be well within the contemplation of the clauses," Judge Messitte wrote. The Justice Department had sought to have the case thrown out on grounds the clauses did not apply to the hotel. It argued that the clauses were designed to prevent a president from taking bribes, not from engaging in business. But the judge ruled that this was too narrow an interpretation of what an emolument is. A federal judge in New York ruled Thursday that a lawsuit challenging the Trump administrations decision to add a question asking about citizenship to the 2020 census could advance, saying the challengers had shown enough evidence that the decision could have been driven by discrimination to move the case forward. While making it clear that the merits of the lawsuit would be decided in the future, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said the challengers had presented enough evidence for the cause to continue. Courts have a critical role to play in reviewing the conduct of the political branches to ensure that the census is conducted in a manner consistent with the Constitution and applicable law, Furman, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, wrote in his ruling. Assuming the truth of their allegations and drawing all reasonable inferences in their favor, the Court finds that NGO Plaintiffs plausibly allege that Secretary Rosss decision to reinstate the citizenship question was motivated at least in part by discriminatory animus and will result in a discriminatory effect. Furman pointed to President Donald Trumps harsh statements about immigrants, including one in which he said some come from shithole countries, as evidence the decision to add a citizenship question could have been motivated by discriminatory animus. The ruling is a preliminary victory for the plaintiffs in the case, led by 18 states and a coalition of immigration rights groups who say the administrations decision was arbitrary and capricious, violating federal law. They also say the decision was motivated by an intent to discriminate and drive down the census response rate among immigrant communities. The Trump administration requested the case be dismissed, saying Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had broad discretion to decide what was on the census and there was no standard for the court to decide what was appropriate for the census. The decision is not discriminatory, the Trump administration says, because officials are making every effort to ensure that all persons are counted in 2020. Story continues A Commerce Department spokesman said in a statement the agency was confident it would ultimately win the suit. The Department of Commerce is pleased the court found that Secretary Ross has broad authority over the Census, the spokesman said. We are confident that this includes the authority to reinstate a citizenship question and that Plaintiffs remaining claims will be dismissed after discovery shows that the Secretary lawfully exercised his discretion to do so. The case is being closely watched because civil rights groups are worried that adding the citizenship question will cause minority groups not to respond to the survey, which is only done once every 10 years. The data collected in the census is used to determine how many members of Congress each state gets and how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds are allocated. Todays decision is a big win for New Yorkers and everyone across the country who cares about a fair and accurate Census, said New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood (D), who is leading the coalition of state attorneys general in the lawsuit. As weve argued, the Trump administrations plan to demand citizenship status as part of the Census is unlawful and it would potentially cause a huge undercount that would threaten billions in federal funds and New Yorks fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College. While the case will continue, Furman tossed out one part of the plaintiffs complaint in which they alleged the addition of a citizenship question violated a constitutional provision that the government count all persons. Furman also questioned the Commerce Departments rationale for adding the citizenship question. Ross initially said that he began considering adding a citizenship question after the Justice Department requested it so it could better enforce the Voting Rights Act. But in a memo disclosed as part of the lawsuit, Ross said he actually began considering the possibility of adding a question months before the Justice Departments request. Ross also disclosed it was the Commerce Department that asked DOJ to request a citizenship question. Documents made public this week show Ross was impatient to get a citizenship question on the census soon after he was confirmed and how a top Commerce Department official approached DOJ to get the agency to request adding the question. While Secretary Ross initially (and repeatedly) suggested that the Department of Justices request triggered his consideration of the issue, it now appears that the sequence of events was exactly opposite, he wrote. Furman also noted that the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 and the Justice Department has never said it needed better citizenship data to enforce the law. Related Coverage Trump Administration Decides To Add A Question About Citizenship To 2020 Census Wilbur Ross Contradicts Trump Administration Rationale For 2020 Census Citizenship Question Judge Says Trump Administration Has To Hand Over More Information About Census Citizenship Question Trump Administration's Justification For Adding A Census Citizenship Question Is Unraveling Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. PRISTINA (Reuters) - Adem Demaci, a former long-term political prisoner known to ethnic Albanians as the "Mandela of Kosovo" for his resistance to Serb rule, died on Thursday at the age of 82, officials said. Demaci spent 28 years in Serb jails during Yugoslav times and was considered a symbol for Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians in their struggle with communist Yugoslavia and later Serbia for greater rights and independence for the province. "It is difficult to accept that our symbol of resistance has passed away. He was always unbreakable and unbending in the face of every challenge," Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci wrote on Facebook. The president has announced three days of mourning. After he was released from jail in 1990 he served until 1995 as a human rights activist, reporting on abuses carried out under the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. He won the European Parliament's Andrei Sakharov Prize for his human rights work in 1991. In the late 1990s Demaci was the head of the political representative office of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) which launched a guerrilla war. Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after a NATO bombing campaign ousted Serbian forces and ended the crackdown on ethnic Albanians. It has been recognized by 115 countries, including 23 out of 28 EU members, but its UN membership is being blocked by Serbias allies Russia and China. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Andrew Bolton) Kyrie Irving, while at the USA mens national team practice in Las Vegas on Thursday, went into detail about recovering from his knee injury over the past several months, describing it as a long [expletive] few months. (Getty Images) Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving was sidelined in April after a pair of screws in his left knee from a previous injury became infected. On Thursday, Irving went through one-on-one drills with his trainer in Las Vegas and detailed the extent of his injury and rehab something that apparently could have been much worse than it was. The Celtics discovered the bacterial infection on the metal wiring and screws in his left patella, which was a result of the fracture he suffered in the 2015 NBA Finals. The infection was only found when he had surgery in March to remove the tension wire in his knee. That injury, he told Ohm Yongmisuk of ESPN, could have developed into a staph infection had they not treated it early enough. That treatment, he said, forced him to have a catheter inserted into a vein going into his heart. I mean, you ask anybody with an infection, they will probably try to downplay it, Irving told ESPN. Its a personal thing because your body is going through it. I was fighting an infection in a specific place in your body where you cant necessarily reach with your hands. You got to go in there and kind of see whats going on, and what happened for me was, the metal wiring and the screws that I had in there, the infection was on that, so I had to remove that and then be on antibiotics for about two months. It could have evolved to staph, but good thing we caught it early. I am glad that is done. That was a long, long fing two months. Irving, while watching the USA Basketball mens national team practice in Las Vegas, said he is already looking forward to next season. With him making progress on his rehab, Irving told ESPN that hed be easily ready to go for training camp in the fall. And even though he said its been a rigorous process coming back from the infection, Irving thinks hell be much better off for it. This has probably one of the first summers in the last seven years where I have actually had time to develop and work on things that I want to improve on, Irving told ESPN. I have been playing USA every summer or I was hurt one summer or we are coming off a championship. It has been a grind, and it kind of caught up with me last season, and now getting a chance to really take my time and focus on my body this summer. More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game cancelled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on U.S.-threatened sanctions on Turkey over a detained American pastor (all times local): 2:15 p.m. Turkey says it's unacceptable for the United States to threaten sanctions over a detained American pastor. In a statement released Thursday, the spokesman for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH'-jehp TY'-ihp UR'-doh-wahn) says the detention of pastor Andrew Brunson "falls within the jurisdiction of (Turkey's) independent judiciary." Ibrahim Kalin also warns the United States to "reconsider its approach and adopt a constructive position before inflicting further damage to its own interests and its alliance with Turkey." Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump said the United States will impose sanctions on NATO ally Turkey, adding that Brunson "is suffering greatly" and called for his immediate release. Brunson is an evangelical Christian pastor originally from North Carolina. He was detained after a failed coup in Turkey in 2016. ___ 1:30 p.m. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (MEHV'-loot chah-voo-SHOH'-loo) says his country doesn't tolerate "threats." His comment came shortly after President Donald Trump announced sanctions would be imposed on Turkey because of an American pastor detained on terror and espionage charges. Cavusoglu says: "We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone; no exception." The statement was not explicitly directed toward the United States, but was posted in English on Twitter just a few hours after Trump who also used Twitter threatened sanctions. Ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been strained by the pastor case. Andrew Brunson is an evangelical Christian pastor originally from North Carolina. He faces up to 35 years in prison in Turkey if convicted. ___ 11:35 a.m. President Donald Trump says the U.S. will hit Turkey with "large sanctions" over a American pastor detained on terror and espionage charges, and he called for the pastor's immediate release. Story continues Tweeting from aboard Air Force One, Trump said: "The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being." Trump said Brunson "is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!" Just hours earlier, Vice President Mike Pence said that if Turkey does not take immediate action to free Brunson, "the United States of America will impose significant sanctions on Turkey." Pence spoke at the close of a three-day conference in Washington on religious freedom. Brunson, an evangelical Christian pastor originally from North Carolina, was let out of jail Wednesday, after 1 1/2 years, to serve house arrest because of "health problems. ___ 10:35 a.m. Vice President Mike Pence is threatening NATO ally Turkey with economic sanctions over a detained American pastor held on terror and espionage charges. Pence said Thursday that if Turkey does not take immediate action to free Andrew Craig Brunson, "the United States of America will impose severe economic sanctions on Turkey." He spoke at the close of a three-day conference on religious freedom. Brunson, an evangelical Christian pastor originally from North Carolina, was let out of jail Wednesday, after 1 1/2 years, to serve house arrest because of "health problems. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded Brunson's release and said on Twitter last week that the pastor's detention was "a total disgrace." (LONDON) The Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trumps presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Scores of emails, transcripts and legal documents paint a portrait of Natalia Veselnitskaya as a well-connected attorney who served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and received assistance from senior Interior Ministry personnel in a case involving a key client. The data was obtained through Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovskys London-based investigative unit, the Dossier Center, that is compiling profiles of Russians it accuses of benefiting from corruption. The data was later shared with journalists at the AP, the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Greek news website Inside Story and others. The AP was unable to reach Veselnitskaya for comment. Messages from a reporter sent to her phone were marked as read but were not returned. A list of questions sent via email went unanswered. Veselnitskaya has been under scrutiny since it emerged last year that Trumps eldest son, Donald Jr., met with her in June 2016 after being told by an intermediary that she represented the Russian government and was offering Moscows help defeating rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Veselnitskaya has denied acting on behalf of Russian officialdom when she met with the Trump team, telling Congress that she operates independently of any government bodies. But recent reporting has cast doubt on her story. In an April interview with NBC News, Veselnitskaya acknowledged acting as an informant for the Russian government after being confronted with an earlier batch of emails obtained through the Dossier Center. The new documents reviewed by AP suggest her ties to Russian authorities are close and they pull the curtain back on her campaign to overturn the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian officials. Story continues The source of the material is murky. Veselnitskaya has previously said that her emails were hacked. Khodorkovsky told AP he couldnt know where the messages came from, saying his group maintained a series of anonymous digital drop boxes. The AP worked to authenticate the 200-odd documents, in some cases by verifying the digital signatures carried in email headers. In three other cases, individuals named in various email chains confirmed that the messages were genuine. Other correspondence was partially verified by confirming the nonpublic phone numbers or email addresses they held, including some belonging to senior Russian officials and U.S. lobbyists. Friends in high places Veselnitskayas role in the drama over the Trump campaigns Russian connections is rooted in her fight against Bill Browder, the American-born British businessman who has become a leading critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Browders decade-plus crusade against the Kremlin has so enraged Russian officials that Putin demanded his extradition to Moscow during his press conference with President Trump in Helsinki earlier this month. The feud took off in 2009, when a lawyer working for Browder, Sergey Magnitsky, died in a Moscow prison under suspicious circumstances. Magnitsky had been investigating a multimillion dollar embezzlement scheme allegedly involving Russian tax officials when he was arrested, and Browder turned his death into a cause celebre, successfully lobbying Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that slapped the officials implicated in the scandal with visa bans and asset freezes. Moscow has responded with a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian orphans and by an unrelenting campaign against Browder, who says hes been the subject of more than a half-dozen attempts to extradite him to Russia through Interpol. Browder has refused to back down, pushing for copycat legislation across the world. Veselnitskaya has taken the counteroffensive, battling him in court across Europe and the U.S. and organizing a media and lobbying campaign to undercut his credibility in Washington. Veselnitskaya told Congress last year that her interest in Browder was all part of my job defending a specific person her client Denis Katsyv, who Browder accuses of laundering money through the company Prevezon. But the documents obtained through the Dossier Center show she both received Russian government support and provided assistance to high-level authorities in Moscow. When Swiss officials investigating Prevezon arrived in Moscow on September 2015 to interrogate Katsyv, for example, they were met not just by Veselnitskaya but by Lt. Col. A. V. Ranchenkov, a senior Interior Ministry official previously known for his role investigating the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. Ranchenkov devoted a chunk of the interview to questions about the legality of Browders actions, according to a transcript of the interrogation reviewed by email. The Russian Interior Ministry did not return messages seeking comment. Two years later, the emails show, Veselnitskaya was mixed up in the Russian governments attempt to extract financial information from Browders former law firm in Cyprus. An Oct. 31, 2017, email shows Veselnitskayas office preparing a draft version of Russian Deputy General Prosecutor Mikhail Alexandrovs affidavit to Cypriot authorities. This is needed by tomorrow, she wrote a subordinate. Two weeks later, a finalized version of the same document was sent by a Russian diplomatic staffer to a Cypriot counterpart, the Dossier Centers files show. Browder said this reinforced the idea that Veselnitskaya was enmeshed with Russian officialdom. If her office is drafting replies for Russian-Cyprus law enforcement cooperation, in my opinion that effectively shows that shes an agent of the Russian government and not an independent lawyer as she claims, he said in a telephone interview. In a written statement, the Russian Embassy in Cyprus called the APs questions a provocation and that it had no idea who is Nataliya Veselnitskaya and what she sends or doesnt send to the Cypriot Officials. Alexandrov, reached at the prosecutor-generals office, refused to speak to the AP. My antennae were out Veselnitskaya tried to extend her influence to the United States. The emails obtained through the Dossier Center show her at the center of a multipronged lobbying operation aimed at halting Browders momentum in Washington. One prong was aimed at building a grassroots support for the effort to overturn the Magnitsky Act, or at least create the illusion of one. A potential ally in this effort was the Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption Including Neighboring Countries, or FRUA, a charity that supports families who adopt children from former Soviet bloc nations. Jan Wondra, the organizations chairman, said she attended a meeting in Washington on June 8, 2016, that with a group of people including Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who was working with Veselnitskaya to overturn U.S. sanctions against Russia. The group told her they had evidence that the Magnitsky Act had been propelled by bogus claims spread by Browder and his allies, Wondra said, a revelation the group said could lead to the overturning of the Russian adoption ban. Wondra told the AP she was suspicious and feared that the lobbyists wanted FRUAs endorsement for their own purposes. My antennae were out. I looked at this as an attempt to put public pressure on Congress to rescind all or a part of the Magnitsky Act, she said, emphasizing that she spoke only for herself, not her organization. The conclusion I drew was that FRUA should not participate. And we didnt. Akhmetshin, who would join Veselnitskaya at the Trump Tower meeting the next day, declined comment. While the lobbyists were wooing Wondra, Veselnitskaya was overseeing the creation of a new organization called the Human Rights Accountability Global Initiative Foundation, or HRAGI, which billed itself as a grass-roots group devoted to overturning the Russian adoption ban. A Bloomberg report shows the organization was in fact funded by Russian friends of Katsyv something Veselnitskaya appeared eager to keep secret. Is it possible to open a Fund account here in Russia, so we can collect money from donations and then pay them into an account anonymously in the U.S? she wrote Mark Cymrot, a lawyer at the U.S. law firm BakerHostetler, in a March 17, 2016, email. Cymrot represented Prevezon, the Katsyv-owned company accused by Browder of being a conduit for the ill-gotten money Magnitsky was tracking before he died. But Cymrot did more than just fight Veselnitskayas corner in American court; he also helped her undercut Browders crusading image in the American media. For this, Cymrot turned to Fusion GPS, a private intelligence firm that prepared a 660-odd page media dossier on Browder for circulation to journalists. Fusion also was tasked with background research for Veselnitskayas work convincing elected representatives to push back against Browders campaign in Washington, where the Global Magnitsky Bill, an enlarged version of the 2012 law, was wending its way through Congress. The emails capture Cymrot writing to Fusion to ask for damning material on Browder to send to a senior staffer on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Any articles critical of Browder, Cymrot told Fusion, saying the staffer had asked for anything we have that could be helpful. Time is of the essence, he added, noting that the global bill was only two days from the beginning of the amendment process. Cymrot said his work did not constitute lobbying. Youre misinterpreting what occurred, he said in a telephone interview. When pressed for details, he asked for questions in writing. When these were provided, he did not respond. BakerHostetler also did not respond to written questions. Whatever Cymrots role, Veselnitskayas modest American lobbying effort came to naught. The Global Magnitsky Act cleared the Committee on Foreign Affairs amid overwhelming bipartisan support. It was signed into law on Dec. 23, 2016. Blowback The campaign to knock the wind out of Browders sails began to draw blowback as the political climate changed. On July 16, 2016, Browder filed a formal complaint with the Justice Department accusing Cymrot, Akhmetshin, Fusion founder Glenn Simpson and many of their colleagues of acting as unregistered agents for Russia. In October 2016, a judge threw BakerHostetler off the Prevezon case on the grounds of conflict of interest, since the firm had previously represented Browder. It eventually was replaced by Los Angeles-based Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. After Trumps election in November, the once-discreet Fusion was thrust into the white-hot center of Trumps Washington when it was revealed that the private intelligence company had commissioned the dossier containing explosive claims about the future presidents behavior in Russia. Republican politicians seized on Browders 2016 complaint about Fusion to try to undermine the dossiers authors, accusing Simpson, for example, of secretly working on behalf of the Russian state, or of letting his work for Prevezon overlap with his opposition research on Trump. Simpson denied the charges in his testimony before Congress. In a statement Thursday, Fusions lawyer Joshua A. Levy said the company had provided litigation support not lobbying and that its Trump research had survived determined Republican efforts to discredit it. Others in Veselnitskayas orbit took a little time to get their story straight, a document obtained through the Dossier Center suggests. The April 2017 document initially has Robert Arakelian, the owner of the HRAGI organization working to overturn the adoption ban, explaining that he is exempt from the requirement to register as a foreign agent and saying he created the organization at the request of Denis Katsyv. The documents tracked changes suggest a BakerHostetler lawyer rewrote the charitys origin story wholesale, deleting the reference to Katsyv and saying instead that the adoption group was established after Arakelian met Akhmetshin, the lobbyist, and learned that the law is unjust and based on false information provided to members of the United States Congress. The BakerHostetler lawyer then inserted a sentence explaining that there were no agreements between the adoption group, Katsyv, Prevezon or any other foreign persons or principals from the Russian Federation. The only foreign link, the document said, was an informal representation by Veselnitskaya. Arakelian didnt return an email seeking comment. ____ A BAD LIGHT As the rewriting of the document shows, BakerHostetler was still involved with Prevezon and its entourage despite the judge having ordered the firm off the case months before. Faith Gay of Quinn Emanuel told Veselnitskaya on May 1, 2017, that she was still in touch with BakerHostetler even though the firm couldnt officially participate in trial preparations. We have been trying to talk with them informally as much as possible, she wrote. Gay no longer works for the firm and declined comment when approached by the AP. But several emails show her former colleagues copying counterparts at BakerHostetler on trial-related matters, as well as BakerHostetler lawyers offering their feedback throughout the first half of 2017. Cymrot defended his continued work on Prevezon, saying the lawyers at Quinn Emanuel needed help navigating the complex case they had taken on right up until the moment Prevezon settled with the government on May 19, 2017. It was all under the transition period, he said in his interview. Cymrot refused to divulge whether he or others at BakerHostetler were paid for their work, calling that information privileged. Worries about the behind-the-scenes assistance becoming public would prove a source of concern after news of Veselnitskayas meeting at Trump Tower became public. Within weeks, she, Akhmetshin, Simpson and others were called before Congress and investigators subpoenaed their emails. Quinn Emmanuel warned Veselnitskaya that the email exchanges could be damaging and urged her to declare them off-limits. Releasing the messages could result in a question being raised about BakerHostleter representing Prevezons interests well beyond the district courts disqualification of them as Prevezons counsel, one lawyer wrote. Veselnitskaya initially shrugged off the issue. I can see no reason to worry, she wrote on Aug. 18. But five days later, senior Quinn Emanuel lawyer Faith Gay reemphasized the point, arguing that the documents should be kept secret as it seems to us that it could be your friends at BakerHostetler in a bad light. Quinn Emanuel did not respond to a list of questions. Veselnitskayas final response isnt captured in the messages obtained through the Dossier Center, but she appears to have relented. The emails between BakerHostetler, Fusion and congressional staffers were never made public. Instead, a two-page email log was produced labeling the material confidential communication performed at the direction of counsel in anticipation of litigation. Unanswered questions The emails obtained by AP leave some unanswered questions. In particular, the Dossier Centers investigation turned up almost no messages about the Trump Tower meeting, its lead-up or its aftermath. The group said it received only a few messages dealing with the media queries when the meeting became public in mid-2017. That could lend credence to arguments by the Trump campaign and Veselnitskaya that both sides quickly realized the get-together was a waste of time. I wanted to go away as soon as possible, she told Congress. And I felt Trump Jr. wanted the same too. The messages also carry no hint of the Trump dossier, and nothing in the material challenges Simpsons testimony that Fusions work for Prevezon was kept separate from its work on Trump. Finally, theres no mention in the documents of the Russian hack-and-leak operation that began rattling the Democrats immediately following Veselnitskayas visit. The only hints of cyberespionage in the documents appear to revolve around concerns that Veselnitskaya or members of her entourage might have their messages hacked by others. About a week before the Trump Tower meeting, for example, Veselnitskayas translator warned Arakelian, the owner of HRAGI, the adoption group, that their emails were vulnerable and suggested switching to more secure channels. We need to think about how to send files via Telegram, Signal or PGP, he said. Los Angeles (AFP) - The lawyer for adult film actress Stormy Daniels claimed Friday that he was representing three more women paid hush money to conceal affairs with Donald Trump. "Time for Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to come 100 percent clean with the American people," Michael Avenatti tweeted in a reference to Trump's former personal attorney. "All the documents, all the tapes. NOW," Avenatti added. "No more lies or lip service." The attorney, speaking to reporters late Thursday in Los Angeles, said the three women "were paid hush money prior to the 2016 election." Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing Trump to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from discussing their alleged intimate relationship that began in 2006. Cohen, Trump's attorney, paid Daniels $130,000 just days before the presidential election in exchange for her silence. A recording surfaced this week of Trump and Cohen discussing how to buy the rights to the story of another woman, a Playboy model who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 as well. Cohen, who no longer works for Trump, is under investigation in New York for his business dealings and reportedly whether hush payments violated campaign finance laws. The tape involves Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who says she had a monthslong fling with Trump after they met 12 years ago. On the tape, Trump and Cohen talk about buying the rights to McDougal's story, which she had sold to the National Enquirer for $150,000. The tabloid never published the story. - 'Cover-up' - Cohen, meanwhile, is asking a federal judge in Los Angeles to consider a gag order against Avenatti, and to grant Cohen another 90-day delay in proceedings in Daniels's lawsuit. US District Judge S. James Otero heard arguments in the case but made no immediate ruling, and gave no indication of when he might announce his decision. Story continues "We are confident, based on his statements, that the efforts by the president of the United States and Michael Cohen to silence me and prevent me from presenting the truth and evidence to the American people, that those efforts are going to fail as they should," Avenatti said after the hearing. Cohen's lawyer, Brent H. Blakely, argues that a restraining order is necessary because Avenatti has appeared more than 170 times on television and posted over 500 tweets smearing Cohen in order to litigate his case "in the court of public opinion," according to documents filed in the case. Otero ordered a three-month stay of the case in April in light of a federal criminal investigation of Cohen. The lawsuit also accuses Cohen of defamation over comments he made about Daniels's truthfulness. Daniels filed a separate defamation suit against Trump in New York, alleging the president libeled her by saying she lied about a man she claims threatened her to force her to keep quiet about the alleged affair with Trump. "I think there's a reason why the press and the media continue to invite us to come on television and talk about this case," Avenatti added. "And that is because there's a significant interest, and there should be, because this is about a cover-up at the highest level of our government, which is always an incredibly important thing in the United States." Asmara (Eritrea) (AFP) - When Jerusalem Aregay fled Eritrea in 2001, she was sure she would never again see her friends, her uncles and the aunt who had raised her like a daughter. Yet escape was her only option. Eritrea was locked in a tense standoff with Ethiopia. And after two years of fighting on their border, the people of the capital Asmara had grown hostile to Ethiopians like her. So she fled south to a country that was technically her own but that she had never called home. She believed she was saying goodbye forever to everything and everyone in Eritrea that she had loved. Seventeen years later, she stepped off an Ethiopian Airlines flight in Asmara and into the arms of her aunt. "We are so happy. Thank God!" Jerusalem told AFP shortly after she was reunited with her relative Tinseu Nigusse. The extraordinary reunion was made possible by the stunning thaw in relations between the two countries who have called off their decades-long conflict. The resumption of flights between Asmara and the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa has brought families separated by the war back together in emotional scenes. Day after day at Asmara's airport, a crowd has gathered, waiting for relatives that have not been seen in years. Similar scenes have played out at Addis Ababa's airport. At the sight of their loved ones, men and women dressed in their finest suits and dresses have rushed forward, sobbing and embracing family members separated by war. For some, the reunions came just in time. "I'm so happy to see her. It's been 20 years," Girmay Solomon said after he was reunited with his 87-year-old mother Lemlem Kahsai. - 'We didn't have any space to live' - Girmay, an Ethiopian, had only met his frail mother in Khartoum once since they were separated -- but the rapprochement has brought them together again, perhaps for the final time. "I'll take him to Mareba," said Lemlem of her village in the country's south. Story continues Eritreans remained closely linked to Ethiopia even after they voted in 1993 to become an independent country following a decades-long liberation struggle. But after a border dispute erupted into two years of devastating war in 1998, the countries were driven apart. The estrangement worsened after Ethiopia rejected a 2002 United Nations ruling meant to demarcate the frontier with Eritrea. During pauses in the brutal trench warfare, both countries deported thousands of each others' citizens. Eritrea's years as a province of Ethiopia meant many families had members of both nationalities and the deportations tore households apart. Born in Eritrea, Jerusalem was an Ethiopian citizen through her parents, but after their death her aunt Tinseu, an Eritrean, raised her. By 2001, Asmara was a hostile place for people like her. A peace treaty had ended the border fighting a year earlier, but Ethiopians and Eritreans had stopped socialising at school, she said. Every six months, the Eritrean government would force Ethiopians who had not been deported to pay a steep fee to renew their residency permits. "We didn't have any space to live," she said. - 'It was so difficult' - The decision to leave was not easy, but eventually, it became the only choice. With the help of the UN, Jerusalem crossed the border with her little sister Lewan Aregay and reached a refugee camp in northern Ethiopia. Two weeks later, she was in Addis Ababa, where she could not even speak the national language Amharic. "It was so difficult for us. We didn't know the environment, we didn't know the society," said Jerusalem, who eventually found work as a technician at a television station. For years, little changed along the tense frontier between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Troops remained in their trenches and separated families remained apart. Jerusalem stayed in touch with her aunt using social media. Some relatives met up in Dubai or the Sudanese capital Khartoum, countries that had flights to both Eritrea and Ethiopia. And then, on April 2, 2018, everything changed. Abiy Ahmed took office as Ethiopia's prime minister after the surprise resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn. Two months after coming to power, Abiy announced his government would respect the UN's border demarcation. Within weeks, he travelled to Asmara and welcomed Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Addis Ababa, paving the way for the end of the conflict. The resumption of direct flights followed, and with it the opportunity for Jerusalem to reunite with the people she loved. "I didn't think I'd see my aunt, my uncles and my friends again," Jerusalem said, smiling beside her aunt in a modest Asmara villa where they sat together, making up for lost time. HAMBURG (Reuters) - Water levels on the Rhine and Danube in Germany remain low as a drought and heatwave continues and freight vessels cannot sail fully loaded on the rivers, traders said on Friday. The Rhine is too shallow for normal sailings from Duisburg to south Germany, traders said. All of the German section of the Danube is too shallow for full loads, they said. Shallow water means vessel operators impose surcharges on freight rates, increasing costs for cargo owners. Several vessels are also needed to transport consignments usually transported by one craft, increasing costs for cargo owners. No immediate improvement is expected as mainly dry weather is forecast in coming days in river catchment areas in south Germany and Switzerland, a trader said. The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities including grains, minerals, coal and oil products including heating oil. The Danube is a major route for east European grain exports to west Europe. (Reporting by Michael Hogan; Editing by Edmund Blair) The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century is set to take place tonight [Photo: Getty] Tonight, stargazers will be treated to one of the worlds rarest celestial events. The lunar eclipse is expected to take place this evening and will bring the longest blood moon of the 21st century with it. And those of you left scratching your heads in a desperate bid to remember GCSE Physics, weve rounded up everything you need to know ahead of tonights phenomenon. From the best places to Instagram the natural wonder to the spiritual beliefs shrouding it, consider this your go-to cheat sheet on all things lunar eclipse. What is the blood moon? For those of you who havent heard of the phenomenon, the blood moon occurs during a lunar eclipse but this isnt to be confused with the solar eclipse. Instead, when the moon passes between the earth and sun, it does not cast a dark shadow over the moon it glows an eerie crimson hue instead. The moons rust-tinged light is created due to rays passing through the earths atmosphere which in turn, splatters blue light and creates the now-famous glow. The waxing gibbous moon over Whitley Bay ahead of tonights lunar eclipse [Photo: PA] But this isnt the only exciting event set to take place tonight, as Mars will also be visible to the naked eye. The planet is estimated to reach its closest point to the earth on Monday 30 July, as it will sit just 57.6 million km away. Is the blood moon a rare occurrence? In comparison to solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are less common with no more than three occurring per annum. This years celestial phenomenon will be the longest of the 21st century, as its expected to last one hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds to be precise. According to NASA, the moon will spend a total of 3 hours and 54 minutes in the earths umbral shadow. Tonights spectacle has inspired astrology fans to track its every movement, as the event is only the 17th lunar eclipse of the century. FYI, the next lunar eclipse of a similar length isnt forecast until 2123 so make sure to keep a lookout! When can I expect to see the blood moon? For those based in London, the partial eclipse will kick-start at 8.49pm with the total eclipse estimated to occur from 9.20pm. Over in Glasgow, the moonrise will take place from 9.26pm. Story continues According to the Royal Astronomical Society, the entire lunar eclipse will end by 10.13pm so make sure to hurry! But you may need to find a spot clear from clouds. According to Dark Sky Discovery, the UK is luckily home to some of the largest areas of dark sky in Europe and a list of go-to spots for stargazing can be found over on the website. London residents may also be pleased to learn that an observation event held at Blackheath will be open to the public this evening in celebration of the lunar eclipse. But be warned, as thunderstorms are predicted across the nation this evening so moon-watching may prove tricky unless prepared. The natural phenomenon can also be witnessed across Eastern Europe, Central and East Africa and South East Asia. Sadly, those in North America will miss out. A blue moon rises over the London skyline in January 2018 [Photo: PA] Ancient myths and beliefs about the blood moon As a consequence to the rust-tinged skyline brought about by the blood moon, myths and superstitions have long shrouded the astrological phenomenon. Ancient Inca Empire believed that a jaguar attacked and ate the moon and feared that it may then turn its attention to earth. In response, they would drive their dogs to bark and howl at the moon in a bid to frighten the jaguar away. Similarly, in ancient Mesopotamia a region in Western Asia the lunar eclipse was also interpreted as an evil act. Due to their ability to predict the lunar eclipse, their King would go into hiding during the celestial occurrence while a replacement monarch would stand in his place. When the eclipse was over, he would reemerge to safety. But not all of the history books suggest the blood moon is a cursed fate, as the Luiseno tribes from California reportedly believed that the moon was wounded during the lunar eclipse. After the event, tribesmen would sing and chant healing songs towards the eerie glow in a bid to help the moon recover. Whereas the Batammaliba people in Togo and Benin in Africa believe that the lunar eclipse is a conflict between the sun and moon. For them, the blood moon represents a time to put old feuds to rest and so they encourage others to resolve their differences. Its a belief that is still practiced and one we could all take lessons from this evening Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK. Read more from Yahoo Style UK: 55 superstitions from around the world Blood moon: How to watch longest total lunar eclipse of the century Lunar eclipse: 10 best places to see the blood mood in the UK Bamako (AFP) - Mali holds crucial polls on Sunday with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita seeking re-election in a country reeling from jihadist violence and ethnic attacks. The international community hopes the poll will strengthen a 2015 accord that Mali, a linchpin state in the troubled Sahel region, sees as its cornerstone for peace. But violence has peppered the election, with the final days of campaigning marred by an attack on a candidate's convoy and renewed killings of civilians. Despite the peace deal, which gathers the government, government-allied groups and former Tuareg rebels, a state of emergency remains in force and heads into its fourth year in November. Jihadist violence, meanwhile, has spread from northern Mali to the centre and south and spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, often exacerbating communal conflicts. - 'No more war-mongering' - Twenty-four candidates are in the race for the presidency, and over eight million people are eligible to vote. Keita, elected in 2013, is accused by his opponents, including several former ministers, of poor governance and security failures. Nearly 300 civilians have died in ethnic clashes this year alone. On Wednesday, at least three Fulani civilians were killed in central Mali in an attack by suspected traditional hunters, according to civil society and security sources. The Fulani community regularly denounces abuses against them by Bambara and Dogon farmers in the fight against jihadists, accusing authorities of ignoring or even taking part in them. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Keita, 73, defended his record and branded the attacks as "pockets of violence and remnants of terrorism". "There's no more war-mongering in Mali today," Keita said. He acknowledged that the violence had "metastasised to central Mali", but said the state was making a "colossal financial effort" to combat it. - Rivals - Keita's challengers are headed by Soumaila Cisse, a former finance and economy minister, who lost by a large margin in the second round of the 2013 election. Story continues Others are Modibo Kone, a rural development expert at the West African Development Bank, and Hamadoun Toure, who runs the "Smart Africa" initiative to drive development on the continent via technology. Another candidate, businessman Aliou Boubacar Diallo, said IBK had "failed miserably". Diallo's convoy was attacked by armed assailants while he was campaigning. "Everywhere we have been, it is this insecurity which tops Malians' concerns," Diallo said. Other contenders include astrophysicist and former prime minister Cheick Modibo Diarra. There is only one female candidate -- Djeneba Ndiaye, a 55-year-old businesswoman. - Fraud claims - Amid concerns that the vote could not be held in some restive parts of the country, over 30,000 security personnel have been commandeered to ensure security. In the north, where the state is largely absent, armed groups who signed the peace agreement have also been roped in. The campaign unfolded amid tight security and marked by a controversy over the electoral roll -- with the opposition warning of possible fraud. Cisse's team claimed there were two electoral lists and hundreds of fake polling stations listed. The European Union is expected to deploy around 100 observers on Sunday. Its chief observer, Italian Euro-MP Cecile Kyenge, called on Wednesday for "more transparency" and access for all observers, including 3,000 Malians. Turnout is traditionally low in Mali during the first round of voting, hovering around 50 percent. If Keita -- widely known as IBK -- or any of his contenders fail to secure more than half of the ballots, a second round will take place on August 12. The first results are expected within 48 hours of the vote, with official results following on August 3 at the latest. Bamako (AFP) - The largely desert Western African nation of Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, plagued by jihadist attacks. Ahead of presidential elections on July 29, here is some background. - Sahel, Sahara - Hot, dry and flat, Mali is in the semi-arid Sahel belt, its north jutting well into the Sahara Desert. It is large and landlocked with most of its sparse population of nearly 18 million (World Bank 2016) in the south where the Niger River flows. The Muslim-majority, French-speaking nation -- independent from France since 1960 -- is home to around 20 ethnic groups. After coups and coup attempts, Alpha Oumar Konare in 1992 became Mali's first democratically elected president, stepping down in 2002. The current president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was elected in 2013. - Rebellions, jihadists - The nomadic Tuareg people of the Sahara have revolted for decades against the domination of black populations in the south. Their 1990-1994 rebellion left more than 1,000 dead before a peace treaty to end their struggle for self-rule. But in 2006 several hundred former rebels, many of whom had been integrated into the army, returned to the bush to lead a campaign of attacks and hostage-takings, until a ceasefire in 2009. A new Tuareg rebellion sprung up in 2011 and president Amadou Toumani Toure was ousted in 2012 by soldiers angry at his government's "inability" to put down the insurrection. The conflict was hijacked by Al-Qaeda-linked groups, who overran much of northern Mali. - France at the forefront - France launched ongoing military operations in January 2013 that partially ousted the extremists. Months later they were joined by a UN peacekeeping force, MINUSMA, which numbers around 15,000. A new peace accord was reached with the Tuareg-led rebel alliance in 2015 but entire areas remain outside the control of Malian and foreign forces. The violence has since spread into central Mali, fuelling pre-existing communal conflicts. It has also spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Story continues This prompted the launch in 2017 by the G5 Sahel regional grouping (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) of a joint anti-jihadist force, designed to operate primarily alongside France's 4,000 troops and the UN in the troubled "tri-border" area where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. The G5 force aims to have a total of 5,000 troops but has faced funding problems and lack of equipment and has had little impact in the fight against jihadists so far. - Poverty, cotton producer - Population increases and drought have led to food shortages, poverty and instability, the World Bank says, even though Mali has recorded growth of more than five percent for several years. Unemployment is high and nearly 50 percent of the population live on less than $1.90 or less a day, according to the United Nations. The country was 13 from last on the 2016 UN Human Development Index that compares life expectancy, education and standard of living in 188 countries. Life expectancy is 58 (World Bank) while only less than a third of over 15s can read and write, according to national statistics. With a little-diversified economy, the country returned in 2017-2018 as Africa's main cotton producer with 700,000 tonnes. Another notable production is cashew nuts. - Fabled Timbuktu - The northern desert city of Timbuktu is an ancient Islamic centre of learning celebrated for its tens of thousands of manuscripts some from the 12th century. In 2012 Al-Qaeda-linked militants destroyed 14 of its mausoleums that dated back to its golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were restored with the help of UNESCO, which lists the city as a site of world heritage. Many African music legends come from Mali, such as Salif Keita, Rokia Traore and the duo Amadou and Mariam, as do world-renowned photographers like Seydou Keita and Malick Sidibe. BAMAKO (Reuters) - A number of civilians were killed in ethnic violence in central Mali, government and local sources said on Friday, in one of a long series of attacks before a hotly-disputed presidential election this weekend. One local source put the death toll at 18 while another said the attackers had dumped bodies down a well. Malians will vote on Sunday in the election contested by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and a couple of dozen challengers. But inter-communal violence and jihadist attacks have cast doubt on prospects for a smooth election day. Clashes erupted on Wednesday between traditional Donzo hunters and Fulani herders near the town of Djenne, killing several civilians, a source at the defense ministry said. The government did not provide further details of the violence near Djenne, which lies about 400 km (250 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako. Local sources said Donzos targeted Fulani civilians during a raid on a village. "They went house-by-house and killed all the men and threw the bodies in a well," Abdrahamane Diallo, who said he had spoken to members of his family in Djenne, told Reuters. Abdoul Aziz Diallo, who runs an organization representing the Fulani community, said Donzo militiamen shot dead 18 Fulani men in the village of Somena. This had been in retaliation for an earlier land mine explosion they blamed on the Fulani. Authorities have repeatedly insisted the vote will go ahead despite the worsening ethnic violence, which has killed almost 300 people this year, according to the United Nations. Experts, however, fear the violence could discourage turnout, which already tends to be low in Mali. The country has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over the north in 2012. French forces intervened the following year but the groups have regrouped, launching attacks across West Africa and inciting tensions between different ethnicities. (Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Aaron Ross and David Stamp) California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Riverside County Thursday as a massive fire tore through thousands of acres near Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains. The Cranston fire, which started last Wednesday, has burned down five homes and forced thousands of residents to leave their homes in the Idyllwild area. It came as California was already facing an intense heat wave, and other fires nearby on Thursday required some firefighting resources to be diverted, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Ferguson fire, another blaze in central California about 300 miles away from the one in Riverside County, shuttered parts of Yosemite National Park earlier this week through at least Sunday, authorities said. Heres what we know about the Cranston fire including how it started and how much of the inferno is contained. How did the Cranston fire start? The Cranston fire was no accident, authorities said. Brandon N. McGlover, a 32-year-old man from Temecula, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly starting the blaze and several others in southwest Riverside County. McGlover remained in jail on Thursday, according to the Desert Sun, with his bail set at $1 million. He is expected to appear in jail on Friday morning. Where is the Cranston fire burning? The fire erupted on July 25 in the San Jacinto Mountains and has spread over 4,700 acres in the area. Authorities ordered evacuations for a number of communities in the area, including Idyllwild, the Apple Canyon area, Mountain Center Community, the lake Helmet area and the Hurkey Creek area. Story continues #CranstonFire Mandatory Evacuations: - Idyllwild - Apple Canyon Area - Mountain Center Community - Lake Hemet Area - Hurkey Creek Area San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) July 26, 2018 Officials from the San Bernardino National Forest told residents on Thursday the fire would cause closures for several campgrounds and picnic areas as well. #CranstonFire San Bernardino National Forest Recreation Closures: - Dark Canyon Campground - Black Mountain Group Campground - Boulder Basin Campground - Devils Slide Trail - Fern Basin Campground San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) July 26, 2018 How much of the Cranston fire has been contained? While firefighters worked to control the fire and some 700 continued fighting on Thursday, according to the Desert Sun, the fire appeared to be growing. The San Bernardino National Forest officials said Thursday evening the Cranston fire had grown to 7,500 acres with 5% containment. #CranstonFire Acreage is now 7,500 with 5% containment. San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) July 26, 2018 The evacuations that have already taken place have affected nearly 2,200 homes, according to the Desert Sun, meaning as many as 3,200 people have had to leave. Over the past month, quickie engagements have become a trend among celebrities: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson got engaged after dating for only weeks, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin followed suit after rekindling their romance, and now Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra reportedly are planning on walking down the aisle. Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra at the 2017 Met Gala. (Photo: Getty Images). The View co-host Meghan McCain might lack the star power of Bieber and Co., but she married her boyfriend, Ben Domenech, relatively quickly too. And on Friday morning, she shared that she thinks something or rather someone is responsible for all these sudden engagements. I have this theory, McCain said. Trumps America makes everything more intense and heightened because were constantly talking about the threat of nuclear war that we want to be nurtured by each other. The chaos of Trumps America is often blamed for a lot of things fake news, extreme partisanship, giant orange Trump baby balloons but not the joys of marriage. But McCain made a good point with a personal story about her husband. I would not have gotten together with my husband if Trump didnt become the [Republican] nominee and [didnt run] for president, she said. WEDDING BELLS FOR NICK AND PRIYANKA? Start playing "Jealous" because Nick Jonas has reportedly proposed to Priyanka Chopra after two months of dating. Are quick engagements the way to go? The co-hosts weigh in. https://t.co/f8u2wc159S pic.twitter.com/TaJ4vJpxRK The View (@TheView) July 27, 2018 McCain recalled crying after seeing Trumps nomination at the Republican National Convention. She was comforted by her then-boyfriend Domenech who then brought her P.F. Changs which led her to think: Maybe I can marry this guy. Joy Behar usually doesnt agree with McCain on The View shes liberal, McCains conservative but this time she did. And she provided even deeper historical context, saying that she was married for the first time following President John F. Kennedys assassination. It was like the worlds falling apart, she said. Lets cling to each other. Story continues But co-host Sunny Hostin had a simpler, more romantic analysis of Jonas and Chopras rumored engagement. Maybe these two are just in love, said Hostin. You see someone across the room and youre like, Yeahhh. Watch Tom Cruise and James Corden skydive: But Ive already been in and out so many times, Montgomery said. Im at my best when I cant control starting, relieving. Im going to go out there and work on my game. There are some things Ive been working on. It has taken a few good months, but Ive seen some results. Reports contradict presidents insistence he was unaware of June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower Donald Trumps then lawyer, Michael Cohen, stands behind Trump in 2016 during a campaign stop. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Donald Trumps longtime personal lawyer has claimed the US president knew in advance of a June 2016 meeting in which Russians were expected to offer dirt on election rival Hillary Clinton, according to US media reports. The assertion by Michael Cohen, reported by both CNN and NBC News, contradicts Trumps insistence that he was unaware of the meeting at Trump Tower in New York, the subject of huge controversy once it came to light a year later. Cohen is prepared to make a statement to Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election, the networks said. Trumps son Don Jr, son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign chairman Paul Manafort met at Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 with the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, having been told she was offering sensitive information about Clinton from the Russian government. Trump, his son, his lawyers and other officials have repeatedly claimed the future president did not know about the meeting until details of it were revealed in July last year. The president told reporters onboard Air Force One at the time: I only heard about it two or three days ago. On Thursday, CNN, citing an unnamed source, reported that Cohen says he was present when Don Jr told his father about the Russians offer to meet and that Trump approved it. NBC said it had independently verified the report. Trumps current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, dismissed Cohen as lacking credibility. It would have to be people in the room with the president that can corroborate Cohen, which there wont be because it didnt happen, he told CNN. And then it becomes a credibility contest between two or three witnesses who say one thing and Cohen who says another. He added of Cohen: Hes been lying all week, hes been lying for years a comment potentially damaging to Trump since Cohen was working for him during those years. Story continues Once unswervingly loyal to Trump, Cohen has fallen out with the president in recent months. On Tuesday, CNN broadcast a taped conversation between him and Trump discussing how to hush up allegations that Trump had an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal in 2006. Cohen is under federal investigation in New York for his business dealings. The leaked tape fuelled speculation over whether he is considering a co-operation deal with prosecutors. Cohen does not have an audio recording to back his claim about the Trump Tower meeting, the reports said. The June 2016 meeting was brokered by a British music promoter, Rob Goldstone, who contacted Trump Jr saying he had official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. He added: This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr Trump ... I can also send this info to your father. Trump Jr responded I love it when first offered this political dirt on Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, but he has since contended that no meaningful information was offered and the meeting focused mostly on the issue of adoptions of Russian children. The Associated Press reported on Thursday that Veselnitskaya, the lawyer who met with Trump Jr, worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on. Mueller has indicted 31 individuals, including 12 Russian intelligence agents, for hacking computer networks of the Democrats. Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a rigged witch-hunt and was widely criticised for appearing to side with Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence agencies at a joint press conference in Helsinki earlier this month. Michael Cohen, the presidents former personal attorney, said Donald Trump knew in advance about a meeting during the 2016 campaign in which Russians were expected to offer negative information about his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, according to a report by CNN. Citing sources with knowledge of Cohens claims, CNN said the attorney is willing to share that information with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russias attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election. The sources said Cohen does not have any evidence, including tapes, to back up his claims. NBC News also reported that Cohen was willing to speak to Meuller about his claims, citing its own knowledgeable source on Thursday night. The meeting occurred at Trump Tower in June 2016 with Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort. They met with a lawyer linked to the Kremlin and a Russian businessman who initially had offered to disclose dirt on Clinton. Cohen claims he was in the room when Trump was told about that offer by Trump Jr., CNN said. Rudy Giuliani, the presidents lawyer and lead attorney on issues related to the Russia inquiry, said Thursday on CNN that Cohen was just not credible. He alluded that Cohen was bitter about not landing a job in the Trump administration and was very, very jealous of the presidents children. He has lied all his life a person who is found to be an incredible liar, hes got a tremendous motive to lie now I dont think anyone believes that. Rudy Giuliani dismisses report Michael Cohen claims Trump knew in advance of 2016 Trump Tower meeting https://t.co/xd4PFYYpcQ pic.twitter.com/9gxjNGWLRA Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) July 27, 2018 Hes been lying all week, or two weeks, hes been lying for years, Giuliani told CNNs Chris Cuomo shortly after the report was published. Theres no doubt in my mind that hes just not credible. I wouldnt accept him as a witness as a prosecutor. Story continues He continued to say he was not worried about Cohens claims at all. Trump has repeatedly denied having any knowledge about the meeting and told The New York Times in July 2017 that he didnt know anything about it. The Times also reported in June that Trump personally dictated a misleading statement about the purpose of the meeting, even after his aides repeatedly denied that he did so. The meeting took place after a British publicist, Rob Goldstone, emailed Trump Jr. offering very high level and sensitive material linked to Russia that would be damaging to Clintons presidential campaign. Trump Jr. responded that if the information was good, I love it, and the two began to arrange the rendezvous. The Russian lawyer at the meeting, Natalia Veselnitskaya, has close ties to senior government officials at the Kremlin, The Associated Press reported earlier on Thursday. AP sifted through hundreds of documents that show Veselnitskaya served as a ghostwriter for top Russian government lawyers and worked with the staff of a senior official at the countrys Interior Ministry. She has denied acting on behalf of Russian leadership during the meeting at Trump Tower, saying she operates independently of any governmental bodies. But Veselnitskaya said in April that she had been actively communicating with the Russian prosecutor general since 2013. Its the latest fracture between Cohen and his longtime client. Earlier this week, Cohens legal team released a secretly recorded conversation made in September 2016 in which the attorney and Trump discuss a payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. She has alleged that she had a months-long affair with Trump in 2006. Doha Madani contributed reporting Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Jon Nazca TARIFA, Spain (Reuters) - More than 30 illegal migrants, pursued by a police boat, landed their packed dinghy on a Spanish beach on Friday then scattered into the surrounding sand dunes and woodland. Video footage showed the migrants, mostly young men, throwing their life-jackets overboard as they approached the shore and jumping onto the beach as sunbathers looked on. The migrants landed on a beach near Tarifa after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar - the narrow body of water separating Morocco from mainland Europe that has become a key route for migrants. Overall, numbers of migrants reaching Europe are way down from the peak in 2015 - 55,000 migrants have reached the continent's shores this year, fewer than half the amount the same time last year, according to the U.N. migration agency. But Spain has recently overtaken Italy as the preferred destination and seen 17,000 migrants arrive so far this year - twice the number at the same point in 2017, according to interior ministry figures. Arrivals by sea have risen in recent weeks thanks to calm seas. More than 600 African migrants forced their way through the heavily fortified border fence separating the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, using circular saws, shears and mallets to cut through the wire. Video: Migrant Deaths in Mediterranean Pass 1,500 for Fifth Year in a Row Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. (Writing By Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Its easy to miss how well Mitch McConnell wields his power as the Senate Majority Leader. That understated muscle, however, is never far from McConnells canny mind and every ounce of it right now is being directed at confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. If theres any power in the Majority Leaders job, its the scheduling power, McConnell told TIME earlier this year. That authority stands to shape not just the highest court in the land but perhaps drive the outcomes of the elections this fall. The savvy tactician from Kentucky stands ready to use a calendar as cudgel against Democrats who, at least at the moment, appear poised to have a very good election night in November. After all, McConnell is a political animal who has no shame in using every development for his advantage. Its been two weeks since President Donald Trump announced Kavanaugh as his pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy and Democrats are doing everything in their power to muck up the nomination. McConnell is watching closely to use their every procedural speedbump as a launching ramp for Republican gain. For instance, Democrats are demanding to see every piece of paper Kavanaugh touched during his five years working in George W. Bushs White House. If Judge Kavanaughs the right man for the bench that the Republicans say he is, if hes a fair-minded jurist that they claim he is, why are Republicans hiding his full record from the Senate and from the American people? Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. The foot-dragging needs to end now. Republicans have agreed that his work in the White House Counsels Office is fair game, but they object to Democrats request to review each document that crossed his desk as the Oval Offices traffic cop, a role formally known as the Staff Secretary. That demand could number in the millions of pages and bury already overworked staffers. Its a fishing expedition and a waste of time, one Senate Republican official said. Democrats are trying to find a smoking gun, which, if were being honest, doesnt exist because Judge Kavanaugh knew he was going to face Senate confirmation one day. Story continues Democrats counter that the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment, the documents are public and the liberal base of their party will settle for nothing short of these demands. I dont think you can wear blinders when youre talking about somebody for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont told reporters this week. So far, Democrats have refused to meet one-on-one with Kavanaugh for the traditional courtesy visits until they get their way. Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who is up for re-election this fall in a state Trump carried with 69% of the vote, is scheduled next week to become the first Democrat to meet with Kavanaugh. I hope that other Democrats will follow suit, said Sen. John Cornyn, McConnells trusted lieutenant. But whatever the demand for documents will be, you can be guaranteed it wont be enough to satisfy the 20 Democrats who have already come out against the nomination. If Democrats move forward with their demands, McConnell stands ready to schedule confirmation hearings in ways to throw the maximum number of wrenches into Democrats re-election bids. He has already canceled most of Augusts recess to keep Democrats in Washington, largely because Senate Republicans have less to lose. Of the 35 seats up for grabs this November, 26 have Democratic incumbents. Ten of them hail from states Trump won. Only one Republican, Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada, faces coin-toss odds. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has consistently polled ahead of Democratic challenger Beto ORourke, although Democrats remain bullish. The tentative timeline is for September hearings about Kavanuaghs nomination right now, but that could slip into October if Democrats stick with their asks for all of the documents. October hearings would be immediately before Novembers elections or, in some states, during the early voting period. Of the 21 members of the Judiciary Committee, five are on the ballot this fall. Of those five, four are Democrats. (GOP Judiciary members Orrin Hatch of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona are leaving the Senate.) The thinking is that if Democrats insist on seeing every paper Kavanaugh passed to the President, then they can review those documents in October away from the campaign trail. And if those Democrats skip any part of the confirmation hearing to participate in re-election events, such as debates, then Republicans can rightly claim the incumbent Democrats were neglecting their jobs. If Kavanaugh makes it out of Judiciary favorably, he faces a broader Senate where Republicans enjoy a 51-49 majority, although it seems unlikely ailing Sen. John McCain would return to Washington for the vote. That means Vice President Mike Pence would break the tie in Kavanaughs favor, assuming Republicans stand united and no Democrats defect. The later the confirmation process, the closer to Election Day. That could, perhaps, motivate conservative voters who may have lost some enthusiasm for an all-Republican Washington. Polls show greater interest in the elections among Democrats than Republicans. But conservatives have long seen judicial nominations as a major motivator, and a Kavanaugh confirmation by the Republican-led Senate could be good politics for the GOP. At the same time, if Kavanaugh is confirmed as expected, such a setback for Democrats could depress their interest in casting votes. In this scenario, McConnell craftily gets a one-two punch that could help him hold the Senate gavel until at least early 2021. This is bad politics for Democrats, a second GOP official said. But if they want to hold out through the summer, get boxed out of the campaign trail, show themselves obstructionist show-boaters and still be proven losers, thats on them. We are ready to have hearings and a vote, and they wont even meet the nominee. Democrats and their allies show no signs of sharing this view. The American people have a right to know what Brett Kavanaugh participated in during his years with the Bush Administration, especially with regard to human rights abuses perpetrated as part of the so-called war on terror, and that is a right that knows no deadline. If it takes several weeks or months to produce the documents, so be it, said Nan Aron, President of Alliance for Justice Action Campaign. As for the midterms, were confident that people would rather support a Senator who insisted on seeing Kavanaughs full record than one who did not. With reporting by Tessa Berenson. Ulaanbaatar (AFP) - Mongolian authorities grounded a suspected Turkish air force jet Friday after witnesses said assailants snatched a Turkish man associated with a religious group Ankara has branded as terrorists. In recent weeks, Turkey's intelligence agency has conducted operations abroad against associates of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen -- who Ankara says was behind a 2016 failed coup. As many as five men grabbed Veysel Akcay from outside his home in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar Friday morning and threw him into a minibus, according to friends and eyewitnesses. The 50-year-old is director of a school in Mongolia that is alleged to be associated with Gulen, although teachers there denied the connection in response to questions by AFP. When he failed to show up for work, concerned family and friends notified the police. Meanwhile, Akcay's abductors had taken him to Genghis Khan international airport, where a small passenger jet landed around 1.00 pm (0500 GMT). The plane -- with call sign TT4010 -- is operated by the Turkish Airforce, according to data on flight tracking site flightradar24.com. It was the beginning of a more than eight-hour standoff between the captors and Mongolian authorities, who refused to allow the plane to leave the runway. As authorities summoned Turkish officials from their embassy in Mongolia, parliamentarians and protestors clutching signs demanding Akcay's release gathered at the airport. As the standoff dragged on, Mongolian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh warned Turkish embassy officials that any attempt to abduct a person from Mongolia's territory would constitute "a serious violation of Mongolia's independence and sovereignty". Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu denied the accusations during a telephone call to his Mongolian counterpart Tsogtbaatar Damdin, according to the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Story continues But officials were not convinced: "We are an independent nation. Do you think anyone can do abductions in our country?" parliamentarian Baasankhuu Oktaybri wrote on Twitter. The plane took off at 9:25 pm. Akcay was not on it, a Mongolian transportation official said on Twitter. Turkey accuses Gulen of ordering the July 2016 failed overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He strongly denies the claims. Gulen's movement built up significant influence in Turkey and overseas, particularly in Central Asia, Africa and the Balkans, especially via its education network. Ankara has outlawed the movement as a terror organisation but followers insist they promote peace and moderate Islam. Turkey has carried out a series of overseas operations against suspected members of the movement in places such as Kosovo, Gabon and more recently Ukraine. Last week a Turkish blogger accused of links to Gulen was deported from Ukraine as part of an operation by MIT while another individual was detained in Azerbaijan recently and sent back to Turkey. In Turkey over 77,000 people were arrested over alleged links to the movement during a two-year state of emergency imposed after the coup bid in a crackdown criticised by Ankara's Western allies. A Canadian soldier from the NATO-led coalition force turns his back away from a dust cloud kicked up by a Blackhawk helicopter taking off from the forward operating base of Ma'sum Ghar, Afghanistan, July 1, 2007. REUTERS/ Finbarr O'Reilly (AFGHANISTAN) Declan Sullivan Security, Europe The thinking on NATO is out-of-date and so is the insistence on spending more on conventional military hardware in Europe. NATO Is More Than a Military Alliance so Don't Treat It as One Much of the discussion around the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance today, including comments by President Trump, has focused on the alliances usefulness to American security, and what it must do to reinvigorate itself in the face of a more assertive Russia. These comments and criticisms, including demands for more defense spending by NATO members, often miss a major pointthat NATO is no longer a simple military alliance opposed to Russia, nor should it be. NATO is instead a multinational security organization for Europe and one with a number of roles to play that faces multiple threats. Post-Cold War criticism of NATO, such as by Doug Bandow and John Mearsheimer, has accused NATO of antagonizing Russia by expanding to include former members of the Warsaw Pact and even the Soviet Union itself, taking the alliance right up to Russia's border. The first wave of post-Cold War expansion from 1997 to 1999 was described by the architect of the successful Cold War strategy of containment, George Kennan, as a "fateful error that would provoke Russian hostility. Russias response was as predicted. Moscow complained with growing bitterness about NATO expansion, especially as Russia believed it had been lied to about the nature of such expansion. The red line for Russia was crossed in 2008 when Georgia and Ukraine were promised eventual membership in the alliance. Russia could not allow this to happen, and so invaded Georgia later that year to prevent any further moves towards NATO. Moscow's meddling in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014 was similarly motivated. The subsequent decline in relations between Russia and West, now featuring election meddling and nerve gas poisonings, has been seen as a vindication of those who warned against NATO expansion. NATO expansion, however, not only provided the United States and Europe with greater security, it helped give NATO a new post-Cold War mission, one it has struggled to embrace. Story continues The claim that NATO expansion provoked Russian hostility, while arguably valid, does not take into account the alternative. What would Europe look like today if NATO had stayed behind German borders? The shockwave of Communisms collapse beginning in 1989 had led to political and economic turmoil throughout Central and Eastern Europe, with revolutions, breakaway states, and collapsing economies. Russia, once the regions iron hand of stability, was neither able nor willing to step in. Eastern Europe found itself descending into its historic role as the space between powerful West European states and Russia, and to be fought over by great powers who wished to rule the world. Facing that future, states had two choices other than moving towards NATOreturning to Russia's cold embrace, like Belarus did, or attempting to forge their own defensive path. Both outcomes would have bolstered authoritarianism and corruption, already rife in the tumultuous post-communist states. The latter option may also have led to regional conflict as leaders appealed to nationalist attitudes to secure their power bases, not unlike what happened in the Balkans. Old territorial disputes, such as between Romania and Hungary, may well have spiraled into revanchist conflicts. Elsewhere, separatist groups may have waged their nationalist wars, such as what happened in Moldova and the Caucasus. The whole of Eastern Europe could have potentially descended into ethnic cleansing, civil wars, and authoritarian and criminal regimes. Beyond the obvious security problems for Western Europe from spillover from the conflicts, it's unlikely that Russia would have simply ignored the golden opportunity its weaker neighbors represented. If NATO wasn't going to expand, then Russia, historically obsessed with maintaining buffer states to its west, would no doubt have sought to reassert influence and control. This expansion would have brought it into conflict with NATO anyway as Russian troops returned to their old Cold War garrisons in Eastern Europe. Today we would see an empowered, expansionist Russia dominating a conflict-torn, authoritarian, and corrupt Eastern Europe. Clearly, this would be a worse outcome for America and its allies than what really happened. By expanding into Eastern Europe, NATO gave vulnerable post-communist states breathing room to focus on domestic political and economic reforms without worrying about their security. NATOs decision in 1995 to require new member states have democracy, the rule of law, and protect individual liberties made it a force for promoting political reform in post-Communist states. It compelled states to choose liberty if they wished for security. NATO's decision to delay Slovakia's membership over concerns about its commitment to democracy demonstrates this policy in action. The policy also explicitly demanded new members solve ethnic or irredentist conflicts peacefully, thereby heading off potential separatist and revanchist conflicts. The expansion of the European Union alongside NATO further drove reforms and helped economies recover, with NATO leading the way while the EU consolidated the gains. Far from risking World War III, NATO expansion helps stabilize and secure Eastern Europe, protecting Western Europe and American interests. It was in this role that NATO found its post-Cold War calling not as a military alliance, but as a security force. During the Cold War NATO had one jobdeter a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. When the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact collapsed in the early 1990s, the alliance faced a crisis of identity, with which it struggled to find itself a new purpose. Ironically, it was during this time of uncertainty NATO carried out its first real military operations, including major actions in Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999, as well as a myriad of smaller deployments. What almost all of these deployments had in common, regardless of scale, was that they could be classed as security operations. Rather than defending a member of the alliance from direct attack by an external enemy, they worked to support security and stability in member and non-member countries alike. These types of operations continued with NATO taking the helm of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in 2006. Despite the rise in tensions, Russia is unlikely to ever launch a massive land invasion into Eastern Europe, not least because it cant afford to do so. Instead, Russia has relied on hybrid warfare,' including information warfare and election meddling, to destabilize NATO allies and build influence. The response to this kind of assault is not more spending on conventional defense, but instead increased spending on strengthening public and civil institutions, law and order, and intelligence. Building up capabilities and alliance cooperation in these areas will not only help counter continued Russian meddling but also counter NATO's other major threat from international terrorism. The only time Article 5 of the NATO treaty was invoked to call members to the defense of another was following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the member being defended was the United States. NATOs assumption of control over ISAF further committed the alliance to fighting the War on Terror, but it has been an area that the alliance has struggled to fully step into. The principal issues have been the treatment of terrorism in Europe by NATO as a problem better left to the EU, and a lack of intelligence sharing among NATO members. Incidents like the November 2015 Paris attacks have highlighted major problems in coordinating European counter-terror responses. While some reforms occurred following the attacks, the EU has struggled to fully implement an effective European counter-terrorism strategy and intelligence network. A proposal for an EU-wide intelligence service was rejected last year by Germany, which favored continued bilateral partnerships, despite the fact it was that approach which failed in 2015. Meanwhile, with Britain leaving the EU new concerns have been raised about intelligence sharing between the United Kingdom and EU after Brexit, which will further atomize European intelligence capabilities. Given the mire in which the rest of the European defense strategy has found itself in, its difficult to see how the EU could implement and coordinate an effective counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing effort. Whats more, as a recent BBC investigation found, terror networks are not merely pan-European, theyre trans-Atlantic. With Europe unlikely to be able to handle the problem alone, it falls to NATO to pick up the slack and embrace its role as a counter-terror organization. The major issue is that NATO has its own problems with intelligence sharing, and not just concerning terrorism. Most intelligence sharing between alliance members has occurred bilaterally or between Five Eyes members, not through the NATO alliance structure. The main obstacle to sharing, beyond the usual reticence for national agencies to cooperate, is the diverse range of members. Members like Romania and Albania, prone to corruption and political intrigue, are poor partners for sharing intelligence wholesale. It's also hard to imagine Greece and its historical nemesis, Turkey, sharing intelligence with one another freely. The absence of effective intelligence sharing and coordinating is hamstringing the alliance, however, even when it performs its traditional role of deterring Russia. NATO intelligence was caught on off guard by Russian operations in Ukraine in 2014, and in response the alliance established the Joint Intelligence and Security Division in 2017, specifically to help it coordinate responses to Russias hybrid threats and terrorism. Further reforms and greater intelligence gathering and cooperation are needed, however, if NATO is going to be equipped to meet future European security needs. NATO's greatest need is not more spending on conventional militaries to repel a conventional invasion. Instead, it needs greater resources for promoting law and order, security, and intelligence capabilities. Whether it's facing the new threat of terrorism, or the old challenge of Russian encroachment, that is what the alliance needs most. Continuing to conceptualize NATO as just' a military alliance for conventional deterrence, and then criticizing it for failing in that role, not only ignores the last twenty-five years of NATO history, but also the current and future threats NATO must face. NATO is no longer just a military alliance. It has grown to become a multinational security organization with roles ranging from counter-terrorism to peacekeeping to training and mentoring. Rather than reject this role, NATO must embrace it to continue successfully protecting Europe and America. Declan Sullivan holds a Masters of Strategic Studies from the Australian National University and a Masters of Law from Texas Tech University. He has written for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the Journal of Biosecurity, Biosafety, and Biodefense Law, and the Strategy Bridge. Image: A Canadian soldier from the NATO-led coalition force turns his back away from a dust cloud kicked up by a Blackhawk helicopter taking off from the forward operating base of Ma'sum Ghar, Afghanistan, July 1, 2007. REUTERS/ Finbarr O'Reilly (AFGHANISTAN) Read full article The New York Jets rookies reported to training camp earlier this week, a few days ahead of the veterans, and on Friday the full team had its first workout of camp. Sam Darnold wasnt present for any of it. This probably isnt what the Jets had in mind in May when they made Darnold the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. Contract unsigned over offset language Darnold, the former Southern California standout who has been hailed as the Jets quarterback of the future, hasnt yet signed his rookie contract, and as such hasnt reported to camp. Its not often we see picks hold out anymore, not since the 2011 collective-bargaining agreement slotted rookie contracts. As the No. 3 pick, Darnold will receive a fully-guaranteed, four-year deal worth just over $30 million that includes a $20.2 million signing bonus. Like contracts for all players drafted in the first round, it also includes a fifth-year team option. When will we see this again? QB Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the draft, wasnt on the field for the Jets first practice of training camp because of a contract language squabble. (AP) But according to SNY reporter Ralph Vacchiano, team sources say its the offset language in the contract that has led to Darnold not yet signing with the team. Vacchiano and others are pointing to Darnolds agent, Jimmy Sexton, for the delay. In this case, offset language means getting Darnolds full 2021 salary guaranteed even if the Jets cut the quarterback before the fourth year of his contract, and that hed get the full amount even if he signed with another team. The Jets, and most teams, prefer players not double-dip, and offset language provides that the Jets would pay only the difference between what Darnold signed for with a new team and what he was originally slated to make with the Jets. Is offset language worth the time lost? Quarterback, obviously, is the hardest position to learn. And while Darnold was supposed to start camp third on the depth chart behind Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater, hes not doing himself any favors by missing this time. Even if the Jets, as Vacchiano reported, quietly want to see Darnold progress enough in camp to make him the opening day starter, losing snaps and learning time in camp will make it harder for the team to make that decision. Story continues Its not like McCown or Bridgewater is unexperienced; if one or both has an excellent camp, it may give the team no choice but to hold off on the start of Darnolds Days. It also makes Darnold and the Jets look bad, since No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield was on the field for the start of Cleveland Browns camp. Mayfields contract does include offset language. Judging by fan and media reaction on Twitter, Darnold is getting the lions share of the blame for him not overruling Sexton and getting on the field. More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game cancelled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case LONDON (AP) Newcastle signed Switzerland defender Fabian Schar on a three-year deal on Thursday. Schar played three games at the World Cup in Russia, and missed the last-16 match against Sweden because of a suspension. He's moved from Deportivo La Coruna, for which he appeared 25 times in his first season. He was previously at Hoffenheim and Basel. "This is a really big club for me - it has a big name and it is a brilliant chance for me," the 26-year-old Schar said. He's Newcastle's fourth signing of the offseason, after Martin Dubravka, Ki-Sung yueng and Kenedy. CHELSEA SIGN EX-ENGLAND GOALIE Chelsea signed former England goalkeeper Rob Green on a one-year contract. The 38-year-old Green was a free agent after leaving Huddersfield at the end of last season. Chelsea said he will "provide backup for Thibaut Courtois and Willy Caballero." Green won 12 England caps from 2005 to 2012 and played at the 2010 World Cup. "It has been a whirlwind 24 hours. You are thinking about your career and where you want to go and then you get a phone call like this, and it is a short conversation," Green told his new club's website. "It is a thrill and an honor to be here." Managua (AFP) - A rights group in Nicaragua on Thursday called on President Daniel Ortega to disband paramilitary groups accused of killing, torturing and kidnapping anti-government protesters. The head of the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights, Alvaro Leiva, told a news conference that if Ortega wanted to prove his assertion that the paramilitaries were not under government control, "he should step up to guarantee citizens' right to security." In interviews this week with US and Venezuelan television networks, Ortega denied persistent allegations that the armed and masked paramilitary gunmen seen operating in coordination with police were under his government's command. Each time he was asked about the armed groups, Ortega switched attention to anti-government militias he accused the opposition of running with US funding, accusing them of killing dozens of police officers. Three months of unrest in Nicaragua have claimed more than 300 lives, according to rights groups. Protesters demanding Ortega step down have been countered with repression by police and paramilitaries firing live ammunition. Ortega said on Monday that he believed that the "turmoil has stopped" and "matters are becoming more normal" in the country, one of Latin America's poorest. But since then, at least four more people have been killed, including a Brazilian medical student, and Leiva said "citizens are in a deep state of fear" over actions by the paramilitaries. The Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights alleged anti-riot units and government shock troops were among the members of the paramilitary squads, which went around masked and armed. Over the past month, quickie engagements have become a trend among celebrities: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson got engaged after dating for only weeks, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin followed suit after rekindling their romance, and now Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra reportedly are planning on walking down the aisle. The View co-host Meghan McCain might lack the star power of Bieber and Co., but she married her boyfriend, Ben Domenech, relatively quickly too. And on Friday morning, she shared that she thinks something or rather someone is responsible for all these sudden engagements. "I have this theory," McCain said. "Trump's America makes everything more intense and heightened because we're constantly talking about the threat of nuclear war that we want to be nurtured by each other." She continued: "I would not have gotten together with my husband if Trump didn't become the [Republican] nominee and [didn't run] for president." Chicago Bears rookie Justin Fields may be gaining valuable experience and learning to decode how defenses are attacking. But hes also grinding through pronounced failure and not used to this level of individual struggle or team disappointment: "I've never been in this position." By Ola Lanre MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria has named its fourth commander in 14 months to lead the fight against the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency, a move sources say comes after a series of embarrassing military defeats. The reverses could hurt President Muhammadu Buhari's chances of re-election in Feb. 2019. He campaigned in 2015 vowing to end the insurgency but the war is entering its 10th year and the humanitarian crisis it has spawned show little sign of ending. The appointment of Major General A.M. Dikko is "aimed at injecting new hands to further actualize the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai," an army spokesman said in a statement. It did not say what had happened to Rogers Nicholas, the commander since December. The shake-up comes after victories for Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, which splintered from the former militancy in 2016, according to four military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to media. Buratai, Nigeria's army chief, "wasn't happy" about recent attacks in the states of Borno and Yobe earlier this month, said one of the officials. "We lost quite a number of soldiers and equipment in Yobe," they said. "The attack was an embarrassment to the chief... He seems to believe there were apparent lapses in the strategies in the theater." Another military official said Buratai is "fed up with recent developments", while a third said the army has been "having problem with our operations. We've lost many soldiers in recent times." The government has been saying since December 2015 that Boko Haram has been "technically defeated". Yet attacks continue in the northeast while Islamic State West Africa holds territory around Lake Chad. Elsewhere, violence between semi-nomadic cattle herders and settled farmers has killed around six times more people than deaths related to Boko Haram in the first half of 2018 and threatens national stability, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said. (Reporting by Ola Lanre; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) HENDERSON, Nev. The most indelible moment of this summer basketball season unfolded late Wednesday night. When security cleared the floor, canceling an under-13 grassroots basketball game with hundreds of people waiting to get in, it marked the unofficial ushering of LeBron James Jr. into the public spectrum. Fair or not, for the next four-plus years, there will be no bigger story in youth basketball than Bronny, as the son of LeBron James is affectionally known. Security couldnt handle the crowds and ultimately made a wise move to cancel the game between Bronnys North Coast Blue Chips and the Chicago-based Mean Streets. It set the stage for what many people around youth basketball expect to be an unprecedented career in terms of attention and scrutiny, which is all coming quickly for 13-year-old Bronny. Its amazing that were now this far in advance, as last night was comparable to Zion Williamsons hype at its peak, said Corey Evans, a Rivals.com recruiting analyst, referencing the Duke-bound prospect. The fact that its like this for a 13-year-old is asinine. Its unfair to the kid at the end of the day. Its still a 13-year-old were talking about. LeBron James made headlines this week with the comment that he regrets giving his son his name. That alone accentuates the pressure and expectations that come with being the son of perhaps the greatest player to ever grace a basketball floor. I still regret giving my [son] my name because of that, James said. Like, when I was younger I didnt have a dad. So my whole deal was, when I have a kid, not only is he going to be a junior, Im gonna do everything that this man didnt do. So what comes with being the son of an NBA star in the social media age? The best perspective may have come from the bleachers at Liberty High School a few hours before Bronnys grassroots game got canceled on Wednesday night. Shareef ONeal is a son of former NBA star and global icon Shaquille ONeal. Story continues Shareef, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward who is a Top 50 prospect in his class, is slated to play at UCLA in the fall. Shareef ONeal had seen a recent clip of Bronny getting overrated chants and could relate. He said hed often choke up a little bit when opposing crowds got on him because of his famous surname. Being an NBA players son, its hard, ONeal told Yahoo Sports. Youre going to get a lot of pressure. You dont know whats real and whats not. Its definitely something that you need to be prepared for. LeBron James with his son, LeBron James Jr., after the NBA all-star game. Nearby, Shareef ONeals mom agreed. Shaunie ONeal recalled opposing crowds in high school bringing McDonalds bags to games to mock her son for not being chosen for McDonalds All-American. She said his missed free throws were often accompanied by just like Shaq chants. She said she found herself putting supportive comments on social media to combat the negativity. Theres no room for mistakes, Shaunie ONeal told Yahoo Sports. Its awful. Its awful to have to sit through. Just because he was big and tall and his dad [is] Shaq, they expect him to be [perfect]. They dont get a chance to develop in other peoples minds. Its pressure right away. Shareef ONeal made an Instagram post to support Bronny on Thursday and has a keen appreciation for his peculiar lot in life. Shaq and LeBron were teammates in 2009-10 with the Cavaliers, so theres history between the families. All NBA players sons have that sort of connection, Shareef ONeal said. Its a special connection we all have. Theres a feeling around the grassroots world that Bronnys trip through youth basketball will feature comparable hype to his father. It comes at a time when the children of numerous top players are on the grassroots circuit vying for scholarships. They include the sons of Scottie Pippen, Dwyane Wade, Kenyon Martin, Juwan Howard, Eddie House, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Shawn Kemp. It will be interesting to hear the famous fathers compare their experiences in the grassroots circuit to their sons journeys. Texas coach Shaka Smart got hired as an assistant at the University of Akron during the spring of LeBron James senior year of high school in the same city. Smart cant comment directly on LeBron James Jr., but did generally note just how different a world hes entering compared to the spring of 2003. Smart referenced a favorite Theodore Roosevelt quote that he uses on his team at Texas all the time: Comparison is the thief of joy. He predicts the sons of the NBA stars will go through youth basketball with a different type of microscope because of social media. Its a different world, Smart said. The level of interest, attention, scrutiny, expectations and comparisons is so much different. NBA star Isaiah Thomas happened to be in an adjacent gym on Wednesday night when LeBron James Jr.s game was cancelled. He was watching his old grassroots team, Seattle Rotary, and caught some of the scene. Its tough with social media these days, Thomas told Yahoo Sports. Being LeBrons son comes with a lot of extra stuff. Its tough for them kids. I couldnt imagine being who they are and having social media and everyone in the world knowing who they are at that age. All of the talk of the difficulty and special pressures, of course, comes with the knowledge that there are many worse off than the sons of millionaires. But theres also uniform empathy for those in the basketball world for the unique circumstances that come with being the son of an NBA player. Villanova coach Jay Wright said he experienced this, to a lesser degree, with star point guard Jalen Brunson. His father, Rick, was an NBA player for nine seasons. Wright compares what the young crew of NBA sons are dealing with to being childhood TV stars. They grow up in that atmosphere, and theyre very comfortable with it, Wright said. It always shocks me how well adjusted they are. Youd think those are the kids most mentally unstable. In reality, theyre not. The career arc of Bronny will be interesting to follow. Hes considered one of the top 30 players in the country in his class. He projects as a high-major college player and has the genetics and skill to perhaps blossom into a McDonalds All-American high school player. Part of the conundrum here is that hes not as good as his father an obvious statement because essentially no one else in basketball history is that accomplished. Some of Bronnys career arc may be defined by handling external pressures, as the glare that focused in on him in Las Vegas this week will continue to get only brighter. If we thought the expectations for LeBron James were the highest ever on a prospect, imagine what theyll be for Bronny, Evans said. He may end up with more attention. The expectations will be so fierce. Shaunie ONeal admits she cringed in the stands hearing the insults and chants directed at her son because of his famous father. But her overriding advice to the James family as Bronny heads into eighth grade and a more high-profile career revolved around something much different. You have to embrace the moment and enjoy your baby playing, she said. It only happens once that he goes through this stage, and its so much fun. Even though people are mean, its so much fun. The memories never go away. More from Yahoo Sports: Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case Antonio Brown outdoes himself by arriving in helicopter to training camp Is USWNT blackballing a player for her religious beliefs? (PYEONGTAEK, South Korea) North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a U.S military plane making a rare trip from a U.S. base in South Korea to a coastal city in the North to retrieve the remains. The handover follows through on a promise Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. An Associated Press journalist at Osan Air Base outside of Seoul saw the plane land, and the White House earlier confirmed that a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, North Korea, on its way to Osan. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held there Aug. 1. At Osan, U.S. servicemen and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to receive the remains, which were carried in boxes covered in blue United Nations flags. Details of what specifically the U.S. had picked up were unclear, but reports said previously that Pyongyang would return about 55 sets of remains from the 1950-53 Korean War. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The war killed millions, including 36,000 American soldiers. Despite soaring rhetoric about denuclearization ahead of their meeting, Trump and Kims summit ended with only a vague aspirational goal for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when and how that would occur. Fridays handover will be followed by a lengthy series of forensic examinations and tests to determine if the remains are human, and whether they are actually American or allied troops killed in the conflict. Officials in North Korea had no immediate comment on the possible return of the remains Friday, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which the country celebrates as the day of victory in the fatherland liberation war. Story continues Fridays repatriation could be followed by strengthened North Korean demands for fast-tracked discussions with the United States on reaching a declaration to formally end the war, which was stopped with an armistice and not a peace treaty. South Koreas Defense Ministry also said that the North agreed to general-level military talks next week at a border village to discuss reducing tensions across the countries heavily armed border. The remains are expected to be flown to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for scientific testing to identify them. The U.S. military last month said that 100 wooden temporary transit cases built in Seoul were sent to the Joint Security Area at the Korean border as part of preparations to receive and transport remains in a dignified manner. U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Chad Carroll also said, at the time, that 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a U.S. air base and would be used to send the remains home. The remains are believed to be some of the more than 200 that North Korea has held in storage for some time, and were likely recovered from land during farming or construction. The vast majority of the war dead, however, have yet to be located and retrieved from cemeteries and battlefields across the countryside. Efforts to recover American war dead had been stalled for more than a decade because of a standoff over North Koreas nuclear program and a previous U.S. claim that security arrangements for its personnel working in the North were insufficient. From 1996 to 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 recovery operations that collected 229 sets of American remains. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. Read more: Veterans Remember Korean War Amid Hope of Returned Remains The North marked Fridays anniversary with ceremonies at war-related memorials; the capital Pyongyang and other cities were decked out in national flags and bright red banners. For the first time since 2015, Kim Jong Un has announced a general amnesty will be granted for prisoners who have committed crimes against the state. North Korea has held out the return of remains as a symbol of its goodwill and intention to improve ties with Washington. Officials have bristled, however, at criticism from the U.S. that it seeks to profit from the repatriations by demanding excessive fees for handling and transporting the remains. Pyongyang has nevertheless expressed its willingness to allow the resumption of joint search missions in the country to retrieve more remains. Such missions had been held from 1996 until they were cancelled by President George W. Bush amid heightening tensions over the Norths nuclear program in 2005. Post Kim-Trump summit talks between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean officials got off to a rocky start earlier this month, with the North accusing the Americans of making unilateral and gangster-like demands on denuclearization. The North also said U.S. officials came up with various conditions and excuses to backtrack on the issue of formally ending the war. The adoption of the declaration on the termination of war is the first and foremost process in the light of ending the extreme hostility and establishing new relations between the DPRK and the U.S., the Norths Korean Central News Agency said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Peace can come only after the declaration of the termination of war. Pompeo said Wednesday that a great deal of work remains ahead of a North Korea denuclearization deal, but he dodged requests to identify a specific denuclearization timeline in testimony to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Experts say a declaration to officially end the war, which could also involve Seoul and Beijing, would make it easier for Pyongyang to direct the discussions with Washington toward a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition, security assurance and economic benefits. Some analysts believe that North Korea would eventually demand that the United States withdraw or dramatically reduce the 28,500 troops it keeps in South Korea as a deterrent. Washington has maintained Pyongyang wouldnt get sanctions relief and significant security and economic rewards unless it firmly commits to a process of completely and verifiably eliminating its nuclear weapons. There are lingering doubts on whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish his nukes, which he may see as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could offer. Pyongyang (AFP) - In mist-covered hills, North Korean soldiers, sailors and civilians gathered Friday at a heroes' cemetery to commemorate their brothers in arms on the anniversary of the end of the Korean War. Hostilities between the US-led United Nations forces and the North Koreans and their Chinese allies ceased 65 years ago with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically still in a state of conflict. The two sides had fought each other to a standstill after the North invaded the South, Seoul had changed hands four times, millions were dead and Korea was a divided, war-ravaged ruin but the North's self-proclaimed victory has long constituted a key plank of the Kim dynasty's claim to legitimacy. Platoon by platoon, units gathered at the graveyard on the outskirts of Pyongyang dominated by a towering sculpture of a rifle muzzle and bayonet, adorned with the medal of a Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. They laid flowers before an oversized granite coffin, draped in a metal flag and topped with a submachine gun and cap. An announcer intoned: "Let us bow before the martyrs who took part in the Great Fatherland Liberation War" -- Pyongyang's name for the conflict -- before the troops doffed caps and bowed. According to Pyongyang's histories, the first of the cemetery's occupants to die, Jang Thae Hwa, 22, blocked a pillbox opening with his chest one day after the war began in 1950 so that his unit could advance. And they say Ri Hyon Jun, 20, the last soldier killed in the conflict to be laid to rest at the site, was a ground gunner who earned the Hero of the DPRK title for shooting down four enemy aircraft, only to die in a later engagement just five days before the fighting ended. Ceremonies complete, the soldiers strolled between the rows of graves, arranged chronologically in order of date of death. At the same time on the other side of the country, remains believed to be those of American servicemen killed in the war were being loaded onto a US aircraft for transportation to the South, in the first stage of their final journey home. Story continues - 'Shining victory' - Relations between nuclear-armed Pyongyang and Washington have undergone an astonishing turnaround in recent months. After exchanging personal insults and threats of war last year as tensions mounted, the North's leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands at an unprecedented summit in Singapore last month. The return of the US remains was part of their agreement. But whether the North is willing to give up the nuclear arsenal which it has spent decades developing, and at a cost of multiple sets of UN Security Council sanctions, remains unclear. In the Singapore statement Kim pledged to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a vague term open to interpretation on both sides, and there have been no subsequent confirmed moves by Pyongyang -- which has condemned US demands for its unilateral disarmament as "gangster-like". But it is looking to develop its impoverished economy and authorities are seeking to ensure that the newfound bonhomie endures. Unlike previous commemorations, AFP was not allowed to interview participants at the cemetery, nor at Mansu hill, where attendees laid flowers before the giant statues of Kim's predecessors, his father and grandfather Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, that look out over Pyongyang. The same restriction applied when 12,000 citizens gathered to perform choreographed mass dances on Kim Il Sung Square. Diplomats in the capital say that meetings with government officials are even harder to secure than usual. And propaganda posters focus on the heroism of the North's troops, rather than condemning - or even naming - the enemy. The North's official KCNA news agency made no mention of the US Friday, while the ruling party's Rodong Sinmun newspaper lauded "the gifted military wisdom and outstanding leadership of Kim Il Sung" and the "single-minded unity of the army and people". It was a marked contrast to last year's anniversary, when state media repeatedly referred to "the US imperialist aggressors" and newspapers proclaimed that the North would inevitably triumph over its longstanding enemy. "Still not coming to its senses, the US is persisting in the hopeless confrontation with the DPRK, plunging itself deeper into the abyss of ruin," read a commentary widely carried on July 27, 2017. The following day Pyongyang carried out its second launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. What are thought to be the remains of 55 American servicemen killed during the Korean War were released by North Korea on Friday and flown to a U.S. air base, the White House said. The move comes on the 65th anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended combat and represents a significant victory for President Donald Trump, who had promised to bring home the remains amid thawing tensions with Pyongyang. Todays actions represent a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. We are encouraged by North Koreas actions and the momentum for positive change. Trump addressed the event on Twitter, saying it would be a great moment for so many families. The Remains of American Servicemen will soon be leaving North Korea and heading to the United States! After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018 The release took place about 6 a.m. Friday after a U.S. Air Force jet left the North Korean city of Wonsan. The aircraft arrived at Osan Air Base near Seoul, where it was met by hundreds of American servicemen and a military honor guard. The Washington Posts Adam Taylor noted soldiers appeared to be lined up for a quarter mile, waiting in 90-degree heat to see the caskets along. The remains are expected to stay at the air base for several days until a repatriation ceremony on Aug. 1. Theyll then be flown to Hawaii. Caskets moving on pic.twitter.com/IxEovCXYpQ Adam Taylor (@mradamtaylor) July 27, 2018 The New York Times notes that forensic analysts with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency will spend months, or even years, trying to identify them, noting that in the past individual sets of returned remains have been found to contain bones from several bodies. Story continues The United States owes a profound debt of gratitude to those American service members who gave their lives in service to their country, and we are working diligently to bring them home, Sanders said. It is a solemn obligation of the United States Government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner. Rick Downes, executive director of the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs, said on Facebook that the group was pleased by the news and said he hoped it was a signal that more American soldiers could be brought home beginning next year. The return is the first time since 2005 that North Korea has handed over the remains of American service members. The country, working jointly with the U.S. military, returned 220 sets of remains up until that year before tensions over the Kim dynastys nuclear program overshadowed the effort. Trump had promised to secure the release of more remains after his summit with Kim in Singapore last month. The process has taken more time than expected, however. About 7,700 Americans remain unaccounted for after the Korean War, the Pentagon says, including 5,300 thought to have been killed in the North. Related... Trump And Kim Sign Joint Agreement As Historic Singapore Summit Closes Trump Has Promised More Talks With North Korea. Here's What To Expect. Trump Lied About Parents Of Korean War Vets, Now He's Lying About Returned Bodies Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of their historic U.S.-North Korea summit on June 12, 2018. Kim walks beside Trump at the start of the summit. Trump and Kim shake hands. Pedestrians in Tokyo look at a wall-mounted screen displaying live news of the meeting between Trump and Kim on June 12, 2018. Trump's motorcade leaves for the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, Singapore, the site of the summit. Trump and Kim walk after lunch. People watch live footage of the handshake between Kim and Trump. Trump and Kim shake hands again before their expanded bilateral meeting. Photographers gather next to a TV while Trump and Kim meet. The two leaders pose for a photo op, flanked by American and North Korean flags. People in Little Neck, New York, watch a news report on the summit between the U.S. and North Korea. Some people applaud as they watch live footage of the summit from a train station in Seoul. Trump speaks at a press conference following the historic summit. Kim's motorcade heads to Sentosa, the resort island where the summit is taking place. Motorcycles lead Kim's motorcade on its way to Sentosa. North Korean defectors Park Sang Hak and Justin Kim watch replays of President Donald Trump's summit meeting in Singapore. People take photographs as Kim's motorcade leaves the St. Regis hotel. More people take photos outside the St. Regis hotel. Police stand guard outside the Capella Hotel in Singapore. Members of the media stand outside the Capella Hotel. Trump and Kim pose ahead of the summit. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Joyce Lee and Phil Stewart SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea on Friday handed over 55 boxes carrying remains thought to be of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, a first step in implementing an agreement reached at a landmark summit in June. The handover of the boxes, draped in the blue and white flag of the United Nations, represents a modest diplomatic triumph for U.S. President Donald Trump from his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore that was aimed primarily at persuading North Korea to give up a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States. "I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his word," Trump said at a White House event, at which he hailed "great fallen heroes from America." "We have many others coming. But I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me. And I'm sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search," Trump said. The transfer of the remains coincided with the 65th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting between North Korean and Chinese forces and South Korean and U.S.-led forces under the U.N. Command. The two sides remain technically at war because a peace treaty was never signed. More than 7,700 U.S. troops remain unaccounted for from the Korea War. About 5,300 were lost in what is now North Korea. The pledge to transfer war remains was seen as a goodwill gesture by Kim at the summit. While it has taken longer than some U.S. officials had hoped, the handover will rekindle hopes for progress in nuclear talks, which so far has appeared scant. Kim committed in a broad summit statement to work toward denuclearization but Pyongyang has offered no details, raising doubts about whether he is willing to give up his weapons unilaterally, as Washington has demanded. In a statement on the remains handover, the White House said it was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change." South Korea called it "meaningful progress that could contribute to fostering trust" between Pyongyang and Washington. A U.S. military transport plane flew the remains from North Korea's northeastern city of Wonsan to Osan air base in South Korea. At Osan, soldiers in dress uniforms with white gloves slowly carried the 55 cases to waiting vans. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters the remains would be reviewed initially in Korea before being flown to Hawaii for forensic identification. While there was no indication of anything amiss, he said, it was still not known who was in the boxes. "You noticed there was a U.N. blue flag on each of the boxes. Many of the U.N. nations with us also have missing," he said. "As we discover it, theyll be returned and they could go to Australia; they have missing. France has missing. America has theres a whole lot of us," he said. We have families when they got the telegram have never had closure. Theyve never gone out and had the body returned. What were seeing here is an opportunity to give those families closure, to make certain that we continue to look for those remaining. JOINT SEARCHES U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 15 that Washington and Pyongyang had agreed to recommence field operations in North Korea to search for the thousands of Americans who never returned home from North Korea. Mattis said the U.S. military was "absolutely" considering the possibility of sending personnel to North Korea for this purpose. He told reporters Friday's handover set a positive tone for broader diplomatic negotiations. The United States and North Korea conducted joint searches from 1996 until 2005, when Washington halted the operations, citing concerns about the safety of its personnel as Pyongyang stepped up its nuclear program. More than 400 caskets of remains found in North Korea were returned to the United States between the 1990s and 2005, with the bodies of some 330 other Americans also accounted for, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The program helped bring in vital hard currency to North Korea, which has been under U.S.-led sanctions for decades. However, reviving it could complicate U.S. efforts to persuade countries around the world to maintain economic pressure on Pyongyang. Pyongyang has renewed calls for a declaration of the end of the Korean War, calling it the "first process for peace" and an important way Washington can add heft to security guarantees it has pledged in return for North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons. The U.S. State Department says Washington is committed to building a peace mechanism to replace the armistice when North Korea has denuclearized. Pompeo said on Wednesday North Korea was continuing to produce fuel for nuclear bombs despite its pledge to denuclearize, even as he argued that the United States was making progress in talks with Pyongyang. Pompeo said North Korea had begun to dismantle a missile test site, something Kim also promised in Singapore, and called it "a good thing, steps forward." However, he said North Korea needed to follow through on its summit commitments to denuclearize and stressed the need to maintain sanctions until it did so. (Reporting by Eric Beech, David Brunnstrom, David Alexander and Phil Stewart in WASHINGTON and Joyce Lee and Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL; Editing by Nick Macfie and James Dalgleish) Deadly wildfires in Northern California Bree Seville uses a small brush to sweep the stairs leading to burned out ruins of her fiancees mothers home in the Keswick area of Redding, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. (Photo: John Locher/AP) Crews battling the largest wildfire in California history took advantage of milder overnight temperatures to gain considerable ground in containing the blaze on Wednesday, a day after officials it would take until September to snuff it out. The Mendocino Complex fire, which has scorched an area of northern California almost the size of Los Angeles, was 47 percent contained on Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said. A day earlier, the fire was 34 percent contained. So far, two firefighters have been injured fighting the blaze, which has consumed more than 300,000 acres. While sprawling, the wildfire was less destructive than last weeks Carr Fire near Redding, destroying 75 homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 23,000 people. The Carr Fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures. The Mendocino Complex is one of 17 major fires burning in California that have destroyed more than 1,500 structures and displaced tens of thousands of people over the past month. (Reuters) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr. By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge has ordered a Manhattan gallery to pay $330,982 in damages to a foundation representing art by the late theater and screen caricaturist Al Hirschfeld for losing 19 of his works and selling reproductions of others without permission. In a decision made public late on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer directed the payout by Margo Feiden Galleries nearly nine months after ruling that it had materially breached its 2000 licensing agreement with the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. Among the missing works were depictions of the then-married Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh in the 1953 movie "Houdini," and Denzel Washington, Paul Winfield and Ruby Dee in the 1988 Broadway play "Checkmates," while the unauthorized copies depicted Carol Burnett, Bob Hope and other subjects. The Hirschfeld Foundation had requested $1.55 million in damages, while Feiden said no damages should be awarded, court filings show. Damages hearings were held in May. In a Thursday night order, Engelmayer said he could not enter a final judgment because some claims remained in dispute. The judge said his "strongly held view" was that they be resolved because "all parties would benefit from bringing this matter to closure." Feiden's lawyer did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment. A lawyer for the Hirschfeld Foundation had no immediate comment. Hirschfeld had been known for hiding the name of his daughter Nina several times in his caricatures. Finding the Ninas became a popular activity for readers of The New York Times, which often published his works. Hirschfeld died at age 99 in 2003. His namesake foundation was set up the following year to promote interest in the theater and dramatic arts. The case is Al Hirschfeld Foundation v Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-04135. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler) Floor trader Matthew Cheslock joins Yahoo Finance's Seana Smith from the New York Stock Exchange to discuss the latest market moves as earnings season kicks into high gear. Here's the performance of select trending stocks as of 3:30 pm ET: LRCX Lam Research 7.31% TVIX(HB) VS 2X VIX Short Term 6.03% UVXY ProShs Ultra VIX Short-Term 5.11% VXX iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term 3.50% MO Altria Grp 3.20% AMAT Applied Materials 2.71% AMD Advanced Micro Devices Inc 2.67% PBR Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. ADS 2.33% T AT&T Inc 2.31% HUYA(HB) HUYA Inc 2.26% CGC(HB) Canopy Growth 2.17% RAD Rite Aid 2.11% ACBFF(HB) Aurora Cannabis Inc 2.00% SDRL(HB) Seadrill Limited 1.85% SBUX Starbucks Corp 1.70% VZ Verizon Communications 1.69% CVX Chevron Corporation 1.63% WBA Walgreen Boots Alliance Inc 1.61% JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co 1.17% CMCSA Comcast Cl A 1.02% JNJ Johnson & Johnson 0.93% NKTR(0) Nektar Therapeutics 0.82% PFE Pfizer Inc 0.71% WFC Wells Fargo 0.69% PG Procter & Gamble Cc 0.67% AMZN Amazon.com Inc 0.69% CHK Chesapeake Energy Corp 0.66% CVS CVS Health Corp 0.55% C Citigrp Inc 0.46% BAC Bank of America Corporation 0.47% MU Micron Tech 0.45% F Ford Motor 0.30% BA Boeing Co 0.38% AVGO Broadcom Inc 0.12% CAT Caterpillar Inc 0.01% BP BP P.L.C. ADS -0.06% KO Coca-Cola Co -0.09% WMT Wal-Mart Stores -0.14% FB Facebook Inc -0.51% X U.S. Steel Corporation -0.62% ORCL Oracle Corp -0.63% SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF -0.68% TRXC(HB) TransEnterix Inc -0.81% DIS Disney (Walt) Co -0.85% GERN(HB) Geron Corp -0.87% NVDA Nvidia Corp -0.92% GE General Electric Co -1.03% HD Home Depot Inc -1.08% IBM Intl Business Machines Corp -1.06% JD JD.com Inc -1.09% KMI Kinder Morgan Inc -1.16% QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 -1.26% SIRI Sirius XM Hldgs Inc -1.25% V Visa Inc -1.31% QCOM Qualcomm Inc -1.40% GILD Gilead Sciences -1.43% NKE Nike Inc Cl B -1.53% JCP(HB) Penney (J.C.) -1.65% AAPL Apple Inc -1.80% CELG Celgene Corp -1.83% MSFT Microsoft Corp -1.89% BIDU Baidu Inc -2.02% NFLX Netflix Inc -2.00% DBX Dropbox Inc -2.07% ROKU Roku Inc Cl A -2.17% CSCO Cisco Systems -2.22% TEVA Teva Pharm Indus ADR -2.19% GOOG Alphabet Inc Cl C Cap Stock -2.25% CRM salesforce.com Inc -2.45% BABA Alibaba Group Holding Ltd -2.37% GOOGL Alphabet Inc Cl A -2.44% BB(HB) BlackBerry Ltd -2.53% ADBE Adobe Systems -2.67% IQ IQIYI Inc ADS -2.74% TSLA Tesla Inc -2.92% SQ Square Inc -2.89% XOM Exxon Mobil -3.10% ABBV AbbVie Inc -3.17% FIT Fitbit Inc -3.76% SOGO(HB) Sogou Inc -3.81% PYPL PayPal Hldgs Inc -3.95% SNAP(HB) Snap Inc -4.23% GEVO(HB) Gevo Inc -4.47% SRPT Sarepta Therapeutics Inc -4.71% BILI(HB) Bilibili Inc ADS -5.48% SHOP(HB) Shopify Inc -5.60% ARWR(0) Arrowhead Pharma Inc -7.11% INTC Intel Corp -8.70% TWTR Twitter Inc -19.92% HMNY(HB,F) Helios and Matheson Analytics -72.77% Floor trader Matthew Cheslock joins Yahoo Finance's Seana Smith from the New York Stock Exchange to discuss the latest market moves after Facebook and Twitter delivered disappointing earnings, sending shares sharply lower. Here's the performance of the Nasdaq 100 component stocks as of 3:00 pm ET: EXPE(F) Expedia Grp Inc 9.35% LRCX Lam Research 7.19% MXIM Maxim Integrated Prod 3.12% AMAT Applied Materials 2.57% KLAC KLA-Tencor Corp 2.14% SBUX Starbucks Corp 1.66% WBA Walgreen Boots Alliance Inc 1.42% VOD Vodafone Grp Plc ADS 1.45% CMCSA Comcast Cl A 0.88% MCHP Microchip Tech 0.83% LBTYK Liberty Global plc Cl C 0.74% SYMC(E) Symantec Corp 0.66% TMUS T-Mobile US Inc 0.61% XRAY Dentsply Sirona Inc 0.55% PCAR PACCAR Inc 0.54% AMZN Amazon.com Inc 0.54% HAS Hasbro Inc 0.55% HSIC Henry Schein Inc 0.41% LBTYA Liberty Global plc Cl A 0.33% MU Micron Tech 0.28% BKNG(HB) Booking Hldgs Inc 0.28% CA CA Inc 0.15% MYL Mylan NV 0.06% JBHT Hunt(J.B.)Transport -0.03% AVGO Broadcom Inc -0.10% CHTR Charter Communications Inc -0.17% ESRX Express Scripts Hldg Co -0.21% KHC The Kraft Heinz Company -0.38% FOXA(F) Twenty-First Century Fox Inc A -0.40% HOLX Hologic Inc -0.45% SWKS Skyworks Solutions -0.48% CERN Cerner Corp -0.48% AMGN Amgen Inc -0.50% FAST Fastenal Co -0.53% DISH DISH Network Corp Cl A -0.53% BIIB Biogen Inc -0.65% FB Facebook Inc -0.69% SNPS Synopsys Inc -0.71% TXN Texas Instruments -0.78% ULTA Ulta Beauty Inc -0.79% ADI Analog Devices -0.81% MDLZ Mondelez Int'l Inc Cl A -0.86% FOX(F) Twenty-First Century Fox Inc B -0.85% CTXS Citrix Systems Inc -0.89% SHPG Shire plc ADS -0.96% QRTEA Qurate Retail Inc -0.97% AAL American Airlines Grp inc -0.97% COST Costco Wholesale Corp -1.01% WYNN Wynn Resorts Ltd -1.04% ORLY O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. -1.04% NTES Netease Inc Ads -1.06% NVDA Nvidia Corp -1.10% PAYX Paychex Inc -1.17% CTRP Ctrip.com Intl Ltd -1.21% JD JD.com Inc -1.23% CSX CSX Corp -1.26% ADP Automatic Data Proc -1.29% XLNX Xilinx Inc -1.29% FISV Fiserv Inc -1.32% REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals -1.32% DLTR Dollar Tree Inc -1.33% CTSH Cognizant Tech Solutions'A' -1.44% SIRI Sirius XM Hldgs Inc -1.46% GILD Gilead Sciences -1.54% QCOM Qualcomm Inc -1.52% EBAY eBay Inc -1.60% ASML ASML Hldg N.V. New York -1.58% ISRG Intuitive Surgical -1.74% INCY Incyte Corp -1.80% MNST Monster Beverage Corporation -1.82% CELG Celgene Corp -1.90% BMRN Biomarin Pharmaceutical -1.90% AAPL Apple Inc -1.95% MAR Marriott Int'l Cl A -1.95% VRTX Vertex Pharmaceuticals -1.96% VRSK Verisk Analytics Inc -2.01% MSFT Microsoft Corp -2.03% BIDU Baidu Inc -2.06% CTAS Cintas Corp -2.05% INTU Intuit Inc -2.12% TTWO Take-Two Interactive Software -2.16% NFLX Netflix Inc -2.22% CDNS Cadence Design Systems -2.33% CSCO Cisco Systems -2.39% GOOG Alphabet Inc Cl C Cap Stock -2.37% ROST Ross Stores -2.55% GOOGL Alphabet Inc Cl A -2.59% ALGN Align Tech -2.68% CHKP(HB) Check Point Software Tech -2.73% IDXX Idexx Laboratories -2.87% ADBE Adobe Systems -2.91% TSLA Tesla Inc -3.08% MELI Mercadolibre Inc -3.14% ATVI Activision Blizzard Inc -3.14% WDAY Workday Inc -3.13% ILMN Illumina Inc -3.44% ALXN Alexion Pharmaceuticals -3.66% ADSK Autodesk, Inc -4.11% PYPL PayPal Hldgs Inc -4.13% STX Seagate Tech -4.71% EA Electronic Arts, Inc. -6.61% WDC Western Digital -7.85% INTC Intel Corp -8.83% Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Friday confirmed her regional party is willing to forge alliances with other political groups. The presidential daughter made this statement amid talks some lawmakers from the ruling PDP-Laban party are considering jumping ship to Lakas-CMD, which would then merge with Duterte-Carpio's regional political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP). "We did not foresee this growing interest of other politicians from other regions," Duterte-Carpio said in a text message sent to CNN Philippines. She said the party is not ready to go national, adding that it only aimed to "create a strong region 11 (Davao region)." "But we are set to create alliances with other groups to help each other," Duterte-Carpio said. She also said she heard some PDP-Laban solons are planning to join the HNP, but added it is not necessary since both parties are supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte. "No need to transfer to HNP. PDP is the party of the President, we also support PDP," Duterte-Carpio said. Talk of lawmakers leaving PDP-Laban came after the ouster of its secretary-general, Pantaleon Alvarez, as House Speaker. Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo unseated Alvarez after more than 200 lawmakers voted for a change in leadership on Monday, the same day the President delivered his State of the Nation Address. Lakas-CMD was Arroyo's political party before she pledged allegiance to PDP-Laban in October 2017. On Friday, thousands of regional party members convened a national assembly and elected Rogelio Garcia as PDP-Laban national president. But Senator Koko Pimentel told CNN Philippines he is still PDP-Laban president as the event and the supposed election of new leaders were "unauthorized." In addition to their sets, several of the musicians would give workshops. Von Ohlen said Lil Rev is known for teaching people who have never played the ukulele before to play a song in one hour. On the other hand, Gerald Ross takes more experienced players and shows them how to play different forms of music on the uke. Photo credit: eBay From Road & Track If you're into obscure, low-production German wagons, boy, do we have the car for you. It's a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300TE AMG wagon, freshly imported from Japan. It's up for sale, and you should buy it. Welcome to You Must Buy, our daily look at the cars you really should be buying instead of that boring commuter sedan. According to the seller on eBay Motors, this 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300TE AMG is one of just four examples sold new in Japan. This car was built before AMG was merged into Mercedes-Benz, meaning it was originally shipped to AMG's headquarters in Affalterbach, where it was upgraded with a new bodykit, sport suspension, those lovely AMG monoblock wheels, Recaro seats, and a 245-horsepower 3.2-liter straight-six, among other things. It was then given an AMG VIN plate, and shipped off to Tokyo. At a quick glance, this car doesn't really stand out as anything out of the ordinary, but on closer examination, you start to see all the little changes that AMG made. All of the wipers on the car, for example, are painted in the body color-even the wipers for the headlights. There are AMG logos stamped onto the lower bumper valance and each wheel, too. Another cool feature, though not AMG-related, is the rear jump seat, capable of fitting two short people (or children). The seller says the car was purchased from the second owner in Tokyo with full service records (all written in Japanese). It just underwent a major service which is said to have cost over $4000, which included new rear hydropneumatic shocks, new spark plugs, and a new camshaft seal. The odometer reads 131,660 kilometers, or 81,579 miles. Find it here on eBay Motors with a current high bid of $5300 with a reserve not met, and six days left to bid. ('You Might Also Like',) Reseachers say orca cow has spent past two days keeping her dead calf from sinking - Center for Whale Research Her calf is dead but an orca mother has been spotted in a heartbreaking exhibition of maternal care - or grief - gently trying to keep her offspring afloat. As the carcase sinks in the water she has been gently using her forehead to prop it out of the water and nudge it onwards in choppy seas for the past two days, according to researchers who say the population of whales along the British Columbia coastline is struggling to reproduce. Ken Balcomb of the Centre for Whale Research, said food shortages - including the endangered Chinook salmon - meant females were unable to deliver healthy offspring. The calf only survived for about 45 minutes and was the first born to the pod off the West Coast in the past three years, he told ABC News. They should be having nine babies a year -- anywhere from six to nine babies a year, he said. Grieving mothers can keep their dead calf afloat for up to a week Credit: David Ellifrit/Centre for Whale Research via AP However, this cow had not given birth in the past three years after previously having several each year. Its very sad, he said. We know that its food. The newborn calf was born to J35, as the mother is known, while the pod passed along the shore of Victoria. But by the time researchers scrambled to photograph and document the new arrival it had died. Since its death, the population has travelled several miles towards the US territory of San Juan Island. 10 of the best whale watching destinations A resident told the Centre for Whale Research, that five or six females appeared to move in a tight-knit circle, rotating for almost two hours.pod engaged in what appeared to be a moonlit ceremony. As the light dimmed, I was able to watch them continue what seemed to be a ritual or ceremony," they said. "They stayed directly centered in the moonbeam, even as it moved. The lighting was too dim to see if the baby was still being kept afloat. It was both sad and special to witness this behaviour." Scientists have document previous examples of whales mourning dead calves, sometimes keeping them afloat on the heads or in their mouths. Story continues The orca population of the Pacific North West has reached a 30-year low of 75. Related Video: Watch Orca Knock Out Stingray With Its Tail Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. By Drazen Jorgic ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Equity and bond markets have welcomed Imran Khan's victory in Pakistan's disputed election, but the former cricket hero faces a tough slog to avert a currency crisis and implement long-term reforms needed to end decades of boom-and-bust cycles. Khan's first major economic call will be to decide whether to ease pressure on the rupee by seeking Pakistan's 12th bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since the late 1980s. Harder still will be to persuade more people to pay taxes in a nation famous for tax dodging, turn off subsidy taps draining government coffers, and reform loss-making state-run enterprises that past governments have struggled to sell off. "The country's position is such that now you can no longer sustain the status quo," said Suleman Maniya, head of research at local brokerage house Shajar Capital. "Speed is of the essence." Pakistan's central bank has devalued the currency four times since December, weakening the rupee by more than 20 percent, amid efforts to avert a balance of payments crisis in the $305 billion economy. A similar scenario in 2013 led to Pakistan obtaining a $6.7 billion loan from the IMF. While the economy is growing at 5.8 percent, the fastest pace in 13 years, pressures on Pakistan's current account show no signs abating. The country's central bank is concerned by rising global oil prices - Pakistan imports about 80 percent of oil needs - and dwindling foreign reserves, which plunged to just over $9 billion last week from $16.4 billion in May 2017. Pakistan's current account deficit widened 43 percent to $18 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30, while the fiscal deficit has ballooned to 6.8 percent of the economy. "Pakistan is facing the biggest economic challenge in the country's history," Khan said in his victory speech on Thursday, where he outlined a reform agenda. "Our economy is going down because of our dysfunctional institutions. We need to fix our governance systems." If Khan does turn to the IMF, the Washington-based body will likely require spending cuts to reduce the fiscal deficit, which could imperil his populist promises to improve the lives of the poor by building world-class schools and hospitals. On the campaign trail Khan has zeroed in on Pakistan's culture of tax evasion, which is prevalent across South Asia and means only about 1 percent of population pays income tax. Increasing that figure would be a major coup for the economy and Khan, who has vowed to reform the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) in his first six months in office. He has also promised to step up an anti-corruption drive, though this risks triggering capital flight in a country where vast wealth is undocumented, analysts say. Another immediate focus will be on reforming state giants such as Pakistan International Airlines and various power utilities, which the previous government struggled to privatize. Exotix Capital, a research house, said Pakistan's long-term outlook hangs on whether Khan can improve governance and end the culture of the powerful avoiding taxes and sucking cash out of state-run enterprises, which adds to the fiscal burden. "Otherwise, we are simply in for more the same (advice to investors): buy Pakistan as it heads to the IMF and sell before the IMF loan ends," Exotix said in a research note. STRUCTURAL CHANGES Khan's reform ambitions will be boosted by his strong relations with the powerful military and the judiciary's favorable view of his anti-corruption stance, analysts say. His better-than-expected performance at the polls also means he will be able to form a coalition with a handful of small parties unlikely to stand in the way of his reforms. "Imran Khan is unlikely to be any investor's top choice to run a country in such a precarious position, but any leader with the ability to form a government and take hard decisions is better than a protracted stalemate," said Carmen Altenkirch, Emerging Markets Sovereign Analyst at Aviva Investors. Pakistan's benchmark stocks index has surged about 3.5 percent since it became clear on Thursday morning that Khan would win a strong mandate, while Pakistan's sovereign dollar bonds have risen across the curve. Khan's economic agenda is likely to be entrusted to Asad Umar, the former chief executive of Engro, Pakistan's biggest conglomerate, widely tipped to be chosen as finance minister. Days before the vote, Umar told Reuters that a PTI government would not rule out asking China for a bailout instead of turning to the IMF, which he held partly "culpable" for the economic crisis because it allowed the last government to skip reforms. "The real issue is that the competitiveness of Pakistan's economy has eroded badly - crop after crop, industry after industry has become uncompetitive," said Umar, blaming low productivity and skill levels of businesses, high input costs, lack of scale, and political intervention in some industries. "Until you restore that core competitiveness, we will keep going through this." (Editing by Alex Richardson) By Idrees Ali ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Over the years, Pakistan's Imran Khan has been known for his anti-American rhetoric, once even suggesting he might, as prime minister, order the shooting down of U.S. drones targeting al Qaeda figures along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Now that Khan is poised to become nuclear-armed Pakistan's leader, Washington will be watching closely for signs of whether he will follow a path of confrontation or continue with the conciliatory tone he struck in his election victory speech. His attitude towards the United States and President Donald Trump - to whom Khan has often been compared as a populist shaking up the established political order - could determine the future of a crucial but fraught relationship. Officially allies in fighting terrorism, Pakistan and the United States have a complicated relationship, bound by Washington's dependence on Pakistan to supply its troops in Afghanistan but plagued by accusations Islamabad is playing a double game. Tensions have grown over U.S. complaints that the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network that target American troops in Afghanistan are allowed to shelter on Pakistani soil. "We want a relationship with America that benefits both the countries, that it is a balanced relationship, and God willing, we will try our best for that balanced relationship," Khan said in his victory speech on Thursday. However, some experts believe that his years of anti-American rhetoric, which prompted opponents to mock him with the nickname "Taliban Khan", will make improving relations difficult. "Even if (Khan) starts toning down his rhetoric, I don't know if he can send any signals to make Washington hopeful," said Sameer Lalwani, co-director of the South Asia program at the Stimson Center think-tank. KHAN LARGELY UNKNOWN IN WASHINGTON Khan has been vocally opposed to drone strikes on Pakistani soil and questioned the need for an open-ended U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. In the run-up to the 2013 election, Khan said that if he came into power he could shoot down U.S. drones if appealing to the United States and going to the United Nations did not work. "If that does not stop them, then Imran Khan will do what Imran Khan needs to do, I will order the PAF (Pakistan Air Force) to bring down any drone," Khan said at the time. However, the number of drone strikes in Pakistan has reduced dramatically since peaking in 2010, reducing one potential point of friction. A former senior U.S. official also said much of Khan's anti-American rhetoric was for public consumption. "I think he is certainly capable of being more pragmatic ... He is not averse to U.S. interests and we will have to see how campaigning turns into governing," the official, who has met Khan several times, said. He spoke on condition of anonymity. Though famous in cricket-playing countries as one of the greats of the game with a playboy reputation in his younger days, Khan remains largely unknown in Washington. An early test could come in September, when he is expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York along with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders. In a statement on Friday, the U.S. State Department said it would seek opportunities to work with Pakistan. "As Pakistans elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the statement said. Khan is viewed by some as similar to Trump - confident in his own abilities despite having little governing or foreign policy experience. "When two leaders have so much in common, there is a high possibility they either will be good friends or sworn enemies," said Jonah Blank, a former director for South and Southeast Asia at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee now with the RAND Corporation think-tank. POWERFUL MILITARY Trump tweeted in January that the United States had "foolishly" given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid. Days later, Trump's administration announced the suspension of about $2 billion in security aid to Islamabad - officially a U.S. ally - over accusations that elements of its military continue to nurture Islamist militants it has viewed as useful proxies in its long rivalry with India. Islamabad denies that it is not doing enough against militants and accuses the United States of disrespecting the hundreds of casualties it has suffered fighting Islamists. Since then, U.S. officials have said that they have seen positive signs from Pakistan, but that it has to put more pressure on militants, including by arresting, expelling or targeting them. While Khan is more vocally anti-American than his predecessors, he is likely to be reined in by a powerful military that still regards itself as having the final say on Pakistan's foreign policy, officials said. "Ultimately the policy is going to be decided by the security establishment and the security establishment really would like to keep things on a fairly even keel," Blank said. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Alex Richardson and Andrew Bolton) JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian assailant entered an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, stabbed one person to death and wounded two others before he was shot and killed, the Israeli military and a hospital spokeswoman said. The Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom said that one of the men wounded was in serious condition and the other sustained light injuries. A Jerusalem hospital confirmed the third victim had died. "A terrorist infiltrated into the community and stabbed three civilians. The terrorist was shot and killed," the Israeli military said. Israeli media reports said the assailant was shot by a fellow resident of the Adam settlement, which lies between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials. Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, praised the attack. Its spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, said it was a "heroic and brave operation that came in response to the daily, ugly crimes conducted by the Israeli occupation against our people." Israeli-Palestinian tensions have surged in the past few months. At least 140 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli fire in weekly border demonstrations. Israel says Hamas is using the protests as cover for a cross-border attacks. Hamas denies this. Palestinian militants have in recent weeks fired hundreds of rockets into Israel from Gaza and have opened fire at Israeli troops across the border, killing one soldier and drawing fatal Israeli air and tank strikes. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014 and a bid by the U.S. administration to restart them has so far shown little sign of progress. Palestinians want to establish a state in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and maintains control over more than half the West Bank, where the Palestinians have limited self-rule. Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; editing by Alison Williams and Lisa Shumaker) By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen rallied in Phnom Penh on the last day of campaigning for Sunday's general election, in which he faces almost no challenge to extending 33 years in power. The election will be Cambodia's sixth since it emerged from decades of war in 1993 and critics of Hun Sen brand the vote a sham after the elimination of the main opposition party and a crackdown on independent media and dissent. "I won't lead the party into defeat," Hun Sen told supporters on Friday, as they waved the blue flags of his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). Bands sang songs praising Hun Sen, the world's longest serving prime minister, a former Khmer Rouge commander who eventually defected from Pol Pot's murderous regime. The election has been criticized by the United Nations and Western countries as fundamentally flawed after the Supreme Court last year dissolved the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) over accusations of plotting to topple the government. Its leader, Kem Sokha, was imprisoned for treason. The party, which only narrowly lost the 2013 election, denied the accusation and most CNRP leaders have since fled abroad, leaving no significant competitor to Hun Sen's party. "FARCICAL RITUAL" Of the 19 other parties standing on Sunday, none are strongly critical of Hun Sen or the government. Smaller parties together won less than 7 percent of the vote in 2013. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) warned the vote was a foregone conclusion. "This is a farcical ritual to rubber stamp Hun Sen's grip on power," APHR chairman Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian parliament, said in a statement. Voting is voluntary in Cambodia, so turnout will be a key test of the CPP's legitimacy. It was nearly 70 percent in 2013. Some exiled opposition members urged Cambodians to boycott the election and some voters told Reuters this week that they were being coerced into voting for Hun Sen's CPP, a claim the party denies. "People have the right to vote and not to vote and its illegal to force people to go to vote," said Tep Nytha, secretary general of the National Election Committee. About 8.3 million people have been registered to vote at 22,000 polling stations, the committee said, adding that campaigning had been smooth apart from some traffic jams. Hun Sen, 65, told supporters his party had led Cambodia to prosperity. Once synonymous with conflict and poverty, Cambodia has been the world's sixth fastest growing economy over the past two decades, the World Bank says. Growth of 6.9 percent is expected this year. RULING PARTY DOMINATES In Phnom Penh, campaigning has been dominated by the CPP, whose supporters often zip through the capital's streets on motorbikes waving the party's flags. "I think there won't be any change, it will be Samdech again," said 19-year old Sum Davin, a student, referring to Hun Sen by his official title. "People have only heard of one party and nobody knows the other parties," he said, adding that he would vote despite the opposition's boycott call. Kem Sokha's daughter Kem Monovithya said opposition members "simply want to use their right to show their discontent with this sham election". Sebastian Strangio, author of the book "Hun Sen's Cambodia", said condemnation from some Western governments would have little impact on Hun Sen, who has won support and billions of dollars in investment and military aid from China. The United States has imposed visa curbs on some Cambodian government members over the crackdown and levied sanctions in June on a high-ranking official close to Hun Sen. The European Union has threatened Cambodia with economic sanctions. "With Western countries promising further sanctions, and Hun Sen unlikely to back down from his current course, Cambodia is set for a new era of turbulent relations with the West," Strangio said. (Writing and additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Clarence Fernandez) Lima (AFP) - Two endangered white lion cubs born in captivity in Mexico were unveiled at a zoo in the Peruvian capital Lima Thursday. The little big cats -- one female aged four months and a five-month-old male -- are on display at the city's Huachipa Zoo, in central Lima, having completed a quarantine period. "They're in a good state. They arrived in Lima as an exchange for scientific and conservation purposes," zoo spokeswoman Pilar Martinez told AFP. The cubs -- already said to be showing off their wild nature, despite their young age -- weigh around 50 kilograms (110 pounds) and eat five kilograms of beef and chicken a day, according to caretaker Amadeo Hermosa. The zoo received the lions in exchange for some Humboldt penguins, Martinez said, without saying how many. Vet Celia Diaz explained the lions are not albino, but instead their unique coloring is due to a gene variant also found in white tigers. "This species is very rare and is in danger of extinction," she said. But in every column I wrote about her, she always expressed hope she would get the break she needed to be released from prison before turning 53. And at one time, it seemed as if things were looking up: Two years ago she became one of the first to file a successful petition that got her back in front of the court, based on a new Illinois law that states being a victim of domestic violence can be a mitigating factor at sentencing. Among the statements included in her petition was one from a chiropractor who treated Airardo after Wilcox snapped her neck, tearing ligaments that resulted in her wearing a neck brace on the day of the crime. President Donald Trump denied a new report that he knew about a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who promised to give his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton. The accusation reportedly comes from Trumps former attorney and confidant, Michael Cohen who now says he was present when Trump was told about the meeting, multiple media outlets are reporting. CNN first reported the news Thursday night. I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr., Trump tweeted Friday. Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and their lawyer have repeatedly denied that Trump knew about the May 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. The meeting was also attended by Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, the Presidents son-in-law. Newly uncovered emails show Veselnitskaya had close ties to senior officials in the Russian government. The President also attacked Cohen, claiming he is trying to make up stories because of his legal trouble. Cohen is facing a federal criminal investigation as well as legal scrutiny for New York taxicab companies he owns. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?) Trump tweeted. .....I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018 Trump also took aim at Cohen for hiring Lanny Davis, a high-profile lawyer perhaps best known for working for Bill and Hillary Clinton. Davis did not immediately return a message seeking comment about Trumps claims. On Thursday night, Trumps current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, called Cohen a liar in response to the report. Hes been lying all week, hes been lying for years, Giuliani said on CNN. He added that Cohens secret recording of him and Trump talking about a hush payment to a former Playboy model further shows hes told serious lies. I dont see how he has any credibility, Giuliani said. Johannesburg (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he had invited US leader Donald Trump to visit Moscow and was ready to travel to Washington for a new summit, as he praised their "useful" meetings. Speaking after their Helsinki summit sparked a political crisis in the United States, Putin said the two leaders planned to meet on the sidelines of a summit in Argentina later this year and possibly at other venues. "I am ready to go to Washington," Putin told reporters after a summit of the leaders of the BRICS group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- in Johannesburg, adding that he had also invited Trump to visit Moscow. "He has a desire to conduct meetings in the future and I am ready," he said, stressing however that conditions should be in place for such events to go ahead. Putin said he and Trump planned to meet on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in Buenos Aires starting late November and possibly other venues which he did not name. "Life goes on and our contacts are continuing despite all the difficulties -- the difficulties in the US domestic political life," Putin said. He said the two leaders needed to see each other face-to-face to discuss a host of international and bilateral issues. "Contacts at the highest political level are needed," Putin said. "You cannot discuss everything by phone." The Kremlin chief spoke after the US administration earlier this week delayed a second summit between Putin and Trump to next year under fire from critics at home. The summit between the US and Russian leaders in the Finnish capital this month unleashed political turmoil in Washington, with some critics accusing the US president of betraying America's interests. Trump faced intense criticism after the Helsinki news conference, during which he appeared to support Putin's "extremely strong and powerful" denial of subverting the 2016 US presidential election. Photo credit: Showtime From Esquire In a break from exposing the evil nature of notable Republicans, Sacha Baron Cohen traveled to the town of Kingman, Arizona, in the second episode of Who Is America? where he exposed the racist nature of a handful of people from rural United States. In the segment, Cohen, posing as an uber-liberal, calls a community meeting in Kingman, where he introduces plan to build a massive mosque in the small town. This didn't go so well. The people gathered are outraged, equating building a mosque with welcoming terrorism into Kingman. One man says Muslims aren't welcome in a city in a town that doesn't tolerate black people either. It's another absolutely sick moment of a show that has successfully revealed the rampant racism, islamophobia, and xenophobia at the heart of this country. But, in a new Facebook post, city officials are saying that Cohen mischaracterized the town. Every city has resident voices that challenge respect and dignity for others. They are wrong and unfortunate. That was no exception on Sundays Who Is America? show on Showtime in which an actor baited purported residents to vociferously oppose a fictitious, supersized mosque in our city. Another in the audience also stated negative feelings towards African-Americans. No matter the instigation or that numerous focus group participants dont even live in Kingman, the shows characterization in the words of one member of our Kingman City Council broke her heart. According to the Facebook post, Kingman does have a mosque (it does!), it has a diverse community with "African-Americans applying for leadership positions" (key word applying), and welcomes tourists "from Asia fascinated by our Route 66 history" (whatever that means). The post continues to say-with extremely Trump-ian rhetoric-that "it might be easy to laugh off what took place Sunday night on a show with very low ratings that tries to make everyone look bad." Kingman Mayor Monica Gates also told The Washington Post that she "didn't recognize a soul in that video," which implies that she knows all 30,000 people in Kingman. But, even though city officials insist the town isn't that racist and was mischaracterized by "residents" that the mayor doesn't recognize, it's going to try to be less racist. Story continues The comments in the show, fairly or unfairly, show that we still have more work to do. So here are additional steps we are going to be taking as ours is a community like too many others in America that still encounter such issues. For the first time our City Manager will be bringing to the City Council a resolution in support of National Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning on September 15th, in honor of our significant Latino community. We intend to invite Phoenix Pastor Warren Stewart to help us honor Martin Luther King Junior Day in January. Stewart admirably and courageously led the fight for the State of Arizona to honor the fallen civil rights leader. We also plan to work with our Interfaith Council to develop the communitys first Diversity Commission that will be charged with expanding what our city and community does for people of all types and persuasions that have contributed, and will contribute, to this great country. Cohen isn't going to save America. He's not going to change this country. But in two episodes his actions have made very small strides toward progress. And there's still five more to go. Video: Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Donald Trump ('You Might Also Like',) James Harden signs autographs for fans after a practice session at the Team USA Basketball minicamp Thursday in Las Vegas. (Getty) LAS VEGAS The MVP chants greeted James Harden as he walked out of Mendenhall Center at UNLV following the first practice of USA Basketball minicamp, a serenade that had to feel like a long overdue confirmation of the belief that he hasnt been shy about sharing. Four years ago, Harden boldly declared himself the best player in the game, refusing to back down from that claim until he turned enough doubters into believers. He held that Maurice Podoloff Trophy at the NBA Awards last month and, with his mother by his side, walked off declaring the one word that has brought him through an unusual journey from sixth man to franchise guy: Swag. I dont know anybody else who did it. But thats just a testament to how many guys out there that are coming off the bench, and not getting as much playing time, that you could still be that guy, Harden said. It feels great, all the work that I put in, to be able to hold that trophy up. Obviously, the main goal is to be holding a championship up, but were moving in the right direction. Were taking the right steps. Finally able to put aside past snubs, Harden is appreciative of that prestigious recognition one that essentially books a future reservation into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame but he has quickly turned the page to the next area of his career that remains unfulfilled. I havent even done nothing. That was a good feeling, Harden said of winning the MVP, but that feeling that I had in that Western Conference finals, with basically one half to go I need that feeling back. Ill try to work my butt off, and mentally lock in as much as I can to get back to that feeling. Harden hasnt been able to get over blowing double-digit leads in both closeout games against the Golden State Warriors, blaming a roadblock for impeding the Houston Rockets path to the NBA Finals. But the Rockets encountered several roadblocks from Chris Pauls hamstring injury to the return of Game 6 Klay Thompson to those unconscionable 27 consecutive missed 3-pointers to the double-MVP onslaught of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant that continue to haunt Harden ever since he walked out of Toyota Center following that decisive Game 7. Story continues Its on my mind every day. Its Game 6, Game 7, thats what drives me every day, Harden said. The Rockets came closest of any team in the past two seasons to defeating the Durant-infused Warriors, who wiped the sweat from their brows from that hard-fought series with Houston, breezed to a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers to repeat as champions and are now giggling and pointing at the rest of the league while shouting, You mad? after signing DeMarcus Cousins in free agency. Instead of loading up with a significant counter, the Rockets lost two players who were essential to their success and transformation into an elite defensive team in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. Restricted free agent Clint Capela with whom Harden and Paul combined to go 53-7 when all three played last season remains unsigned and they now await the expected arrival of Carmelo Anthony, whenever the 10-time all-star is waived by the Atlanta Hawks and becomes a free agent. Harden is unbothered by detractors who believe the Rockets best chance of dethroning the Warriors ended when Paul reached for his right hamstring after coming up lame in the final minute of Game 5. Carmelo Anthony, enjoying himself at Paris Fashion Week last month, is expected to be the Rockets big offseason addition. (Getty) You can go back to articles and conversations, and people said, Me and Chris cant play together. We were the No. 1 record in the NBA, Harden said with a laugh. So, obviously you can look at a roster and look at different players and say that. But you have to be on that court and youve got to be in the trenches and be in the war. Eventually, we will figure it out. If you dont get better in this league, you get passed up pretty quick, Harden said. Were not done. But what we have right now is for sure good enough. Anthony is coming off the worst season of his career in Oklahoma City and will be entering his 16th season not exactly a stage in any players career in which a bounce back should be expected. But Harden is confident Anthony still has something to offer a team with championship aspirations. Obviously, its a lot of egos, a lot of talent. Someone has to sacrifice in order to get to where you want to go. Everybody in the world knows what Carmelo brings, how gifted and talented he is, and he still has a lot more to go. If he comes to Rockets, well bring the best out of him, and Im sure hell bring the best out of us as well, Harden said. We all know how easy Melo scores the basketball. Things arent always going to be perfect but as long as you have that communication, good things will happen. The last time he was healthy, Paul was shimmying in Currys face, playfully letting it be known that the Rockets werent intimidated by a dynasty-in-the-making. The organization doubled down on that belief by giving the 33-year-old Paul the NBAs oldest starting point guard a four-year, $160 million contract. Harden has worked out with Paul this week in Las Vegas and believes hes ready for the challenge ahead. Hes an old man but hes such a competitor, he drives me every day to be the best that I can be, Harden said. Im grateful for the opportunity to be playing alongside one of the best point guards to ever touch a basketball. Even with the addition of Anthony and retaining Paul and most likely Capela the Rockets will only go as far as Harden takes them. And while he had some better moments this past postseason, Harden still has to prove that he has the endurance to avoid those untimely late-round fades. The pressure to perform didnt diminish, it only increased by winning the MVP, but Harden doesnt exactly see it that way, nor is he intimidated by the scrutiny that he has now earned. Pressure is when youre not prepared. When youre prepared, its no pressure. Just go out there, execute and do what you know how to do, Harden said, while adding that being so close last season hurts. But its a part of basketball. You get back in the gym in the summertime and work your butt off during the season to try to put yourself in that position again. The Western Conference got much tougher with LeBron James leaving behind the conference he dominated for eight straight seasons to join the Los Angeles Lakers, but Harden was unmoved by much of what happened this summer be it James, Cousins giving the Warriors that fifth All-Star theyd been lacking, or even Paul George electing to stay with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. Nothing changes. The West is already a beast, Harden said. We all know what the Warriors bring. Obviously, DeMarcus Cousins is very skilled and talented, but theyre still the Warriors, they won three out of four championships. But we were right there. Clearly, last year showed us we were right there. And well be right there next year as well. More from Yahoo Sports: LeBron Jr.s basketball game canceled amid security concerns Red Sox manager ticked at Orioles postponing game Boston led 5-0 Kevin Durants latest social media feud: McCollum called him soft Conor McGregor reaches plea deal in NYC assault case Remains of U.S. soldiers from the Korean War are repatriated Vice President Mike Pence, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Phil Davidson, center, and Rear Adm. Jon Kreitz, deputy director of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, look at transfer cases at a ceremony marking the arrival of the remains believed to be of American service members who fell in the Korean War at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. North Korea handed over the remains last week. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP) The U.S. military is beginning the painstaking process of analyzing remains from the Korean War now that they are back on American soil after having been handed over by North Korea last week. Vice President Mike Pence and the top commander of U.S. forces in Asia, Adm. Phil Davidson, received the remains contained in 55 caskets during an emotional and solemn ceremony Wednesday after the caskets arrived by military cargo jets from South Korea. They were husbands and fathers, brothers and neighbors long gone, but never lost to the memory of their loved ones, Pence said during the ceremony at a military base in Hawaii. The homecoming comes 65 years after an armistice ended the conflict and after President Donald Trump received a commitment from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at their June summit in Singapore, for their return. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr. House Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the second-ranking leader now, is viewed as the favorite to succeed retiring Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The No. 3 GOP leader, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who is close to many conservatives, also is seen as potential contender. Seeming to cloud Jordans race is a chapter from his coaching past at Ohio State that has resurfaced. The six-term congressman was interviewed recently by lawyers investigating allegations a now-dead team doctor sexually abused male athletes decades ago. Jordan has denied claims from some of the wrestlers that he knew of the abuse. His candidacy appears to be aimed at rallying fellow conservatives and giving them leverage when the party picks its leadership team for the next Congress, perhaps influencing the speakership race or positioning Jordan for another top job. Many other GOP lawmakers frequently bristle at his caucus, which they consider too inflexible and dogmatic. Ryan is retiring when the current Congress adjourns in January. Republicans will lose House control next year if Democrats gain 23 additional seats in this Novembers elections, an outcome that is considered quite possible. Jordan has been a leading actor in the GOPs assault on special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and that efforts ties to Trumps campaign. In recent days, hes been among a handful of conservatives seeking to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Muellers work. In a two-page letter to colleagues declaring his candidacy, Jordan wrote, President Trump has taken bold action on behalf of the American people. Congress has not held up its end of the deal, but we can change that. Jordan complained that Republicans have to stop caving so quickly to Democrats in fights over the budget and other issues. He said that in a recent battle over spending, We simply forfeited and did what the swamp always does: We gave more money to everything. . In recent days, hes been among a handful of conservatives seeking to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Muellers work. The wooden boxes arrived wrapped in white and blue U.N. flags. Inside lay what is thought to be the remains of American servicemen from the 1950-53 Korean War, returned from the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan by a U.S. military plane Friday morning and carried solemnly before an a honor guard at South Koreas Osan Air Base. The return of war dead came on the 65th anniversary of the armistice that effectively ended that same Cold War conflict. It marks the first concrete concession coughed up by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un since last months much-hyped summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore. Taking to Twitter, Trump said, After so many years, this will be a great moment for so many families. Thank you to Kim Jong Un. But it remains to be seen what the return of an estimated 55 dead really means. The number of American families offered solace by Fridays repatriation is infinitesimal compared to those threated by Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities. North Korea hasnt tested a missile for ten months, claims to have destroyed its only known nuclear testing ground and appears to have started dismantling its Sohae satellite launch station. But we are a long way from the complete, irreversible, verifiable denuclearization that is Washingtons stated goal. Does [the return of remains] mean North Korea is willing to denuclearize? I just dont see that connection, says Daniel Pinkston, a North Korea specialist at Troy University in Seoul. Their ideology, how they view the world system, is still consistent with maintaining a nuclear arsenal. Read more: The Trump-Kim Summit Was a Month Ago. Little Has Changed So Far. Yet the return of war dead was one of only four points to come out of the Singapore post-summit declaration. According to the document, Washington would provide unspecified security guarantees in exchange for North Koreas unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But were still no closer to a consensus on what denuclearization actually means. Story continues It really seems to me that Trump got distracted by this POW remains issue, Prof. Stephan Haggard, a Korea expert at the U.C. San Diego School of Global Policy, told TIME immediately after the Singapore summit. I mean, talk about being taken to the cleaners. Since 1990, North Korea is believed to have repatriated the remains of 340 U.S. war dead. But painting the resumption of that process as a victory for the U.S. is misleading. In fact, it was President George W. Bush that cancelled recovery missions in 2005 amid heightening tensions over the Norths nuclear program. Even then, the missions were always controversial, as Pyongyang shamelessly exploited the issue to eke out political and financial benefits. According to David Maxwell, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces colonel who served five tours on the Korean peninsula, every aspect of the recovery operations is bled dry. North Korea plays on our culture, and our culture is leave no service member behind,' Maxwell told CNN. Every conflict of the modern era we have worked to recover the remains of Americans that are missing in action. Read more: Forget Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Heres Why the People of North Korea Are the Real Solution A total of 36,000 American soldiers lost their lives during the Korean War, part of an estimated 1.2 million total death toll. Some 7,700 U.S. soldiers remain listed as missing; 5,300 of them are believed still in North Korea. Since 1993, the U.S. Department of Defense has funneled nearly $28 million to the Kim regime for help recovering remains. The 230 remains returned between 1996 and 2005 alone cost around $20 million, or $86,000 per soldier, says Haggard. Its unclear what the U.S. is paying this time around, though North Korea never does anything for free. In the long run, restarting repatriations could be a bigger win for Pyongyang than Washington. It was a successful mission following extensive coordination, said U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander General Vincent K. Brooks. Now, we will prepare to honor our fallen before they continue on their journey home. A formal repatriation ceremony will be held in Onson on Aug. 1. Then the remains will be flown to a U.S. military laboratory in Hawaii for DNA analysis to confirm their identities. North Koreas true intentions, however, will still be a mystery. Richard Sokolsky Security, Asia The core of such a demilitarization program should consist of reductions in North Koreas conventional military capabilities, confidence building measures to reduce the risk of surprise attack or an inadvertent conflict, multilateral cooperative threat reduction programs, and assistance for defense conversion and military demobilization. A Road Map for Demilitarizing North Korea Denuclearization is at the top of the negotiating agenda with North Korea, but reducing the size and capabilities of its conventional defense establishment should be a high priority for the US and South Korea as well. Success in accomplishing this goal will help normalize relations with the North, which will not only help build a new peace and security regime for the Korean Peninsula, but also improve prospects for denuclearization. The core of such a demilitarization program should consist of reductions in North Koreas conventional military capabilities, confidence building measures to reduce the risk of surprise attack or an inadvertent conflict, multilateral cooperative threat reduction programs, and assistance for defense conversion and military demobilization. Changes in the US military posture in South Koreaif implemented in a prudent mannerare compatible with this initiative and could even contribute toward its success. (This first appeared in 38 North here.) Introduction In the long-game now being played by the US, South Korea and North Korea to usher in peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, it is likely that changes will eventually be made to US troop levels in the South if, as stated in the June 12 Singapore Summit declaration, the US and North Korea establish new relations and create a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula. But there is a right way and a wrong way to make these changes. Thus far, President Trump, like former President Jimmy Carter in 1977, is considering the wrong way: unilateral reductions driven by budget considerations or misplaced pique over South Korean burden sharing, divorced from the broader movement toward a future security regime for Korea. Instead, the future of US forces in South Korea should be determined by two factors: first, the geo-strategic importance of the Korean Peninsula and the need to maintain a balance of power in Northeast Asia to protect vital US national security interests; and second, reductions in North Koreas conventional military threat, especially its capacity to launch a massive attack with little or no warning. Story continues North Korea has a potentially critical role to play in implementing risk reduction measures for the Korean Peninsula and at the appropriate time, both the Washington and Seoul will need to engage Pyongyang on this issue. But first, the US and South Korea should jointly develop a road map for the demilitarization of North Korea including reductions in Pyongyangs conventional military capabilities; confidence building measures (CBMs) to reduce the risk of surprise attack or an inadvertent conflict; multilateral cooperative threat reduction (CTR) programs to help dismantle North Korean conventional weapons and equipment; and defense conversion and military demobilization assistance to the North to free up resources for economic development. In the context of these programmatic initiatives, conventional defense improvements in US and ROK forces, an end to the armed stand-off with North Korea, the maintenance of a strong US-ROK alliance, and the configuration of US forces on the peninsula could be changed without undermining deterrence and stability and the balance of power in Northeast Asia. Over time, in response to these changing dynamics, the US-ROK alliance might evolve into a different defense relationship that could lead not only to changes in US troop levels, but also greater flexibility on the types of forces it maintains in the region. Dodging a Bulletfor Now If the efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula come to fruition, as set out in the summit declaration, it could put additional pressure on the US to reduce or withdraw its troops, unless US officials are successful in persuading Seoul that vital national security interests in Northeast Asia require a continued US military presence to contain the long-term Chinese threat to the region. Some recent public opinion polling suggests that the South Korean public would support a continued US military presence as a counterweight to China, even if the North and South sign a peace treaty and normalize relations. It is commonplace to believe that Kim Jong Un wants US forces to leave South Korea and an end to the US-ROK alliance. It is far from clear, however, that this is the case. From 1992-2011 and the death of Kim Jong Il, the North did not want to see US troops leave the peninsula. North Korean logic has always been that US troops in the South are a problem as long as they are pointed at North Korea, but if bilateral relations become normal and Pyongyang no longer sees the US as an enemy, the troops would no longer be a problem. It is uncertain whether Kim Jong Un shares his fathers view. But it is not out of the question, since one of the primary purposes for his move toward the US is to give the North some safety from China. From Kims perspective, American troops on the peninsula provide a counterweight to Chinese influence. Thus, if the US and North Korea normalize their relationship, Pyongyang may have little interest in reducing or removing American forces from the South. Moreover, the South Korean public is going to expect and demandand the government will program forits own force reductions as the situation with North Korea becomes less tense, which could create incentives for the US to maintain its military presence at current levels to compensate for reduced ROK forces. All this said, there is nothing inherently wrong with making adjustments to US forces in South Korea based on the evolution of the North Korean threat, changes in military technology, opportunities to rationalize and streamline command and control arrangements, improvements in South Korean military conventional capabilities, or the need to meet other competing demands (as the Bush administration did in 2004 when it re-deployed 10,000 troops from South Korea to Iraq during the second Gulf War). Changes in the US military presence in Europe and Japan have been made over the years in response to such factors. Nor is there anything sacrosanct about the number 28,500an arbitrary figure arrived at without any systematic assessment of operational requirements that took on a life of its own. The actual defense of South Korea does not depend on these forces, but rather on the capacity to rapidly reinforce the South with additional ground troops, air and naval forces from the US and elsewhere in the region. It is doubtful that North Korea would be any less deterred if the US made modest reductions in its troop presence as long as enough capability remained in place to protect and support those reinforcements. The Penny Wise and Pound Foolish President Trump seemingly wants to withdraw all US forces from Korea because of the costs, without considering the long-term consequences for Americas credibility and influence in the Asia-Pacific region and its global alliance network that helps to maintain the peace. In the presidents mind, South Korea is an ungrateful ally that can afford to defend the country without American protection and cheats America on trade. As he sees it, removing our troops would strike another blow for his America First doctrine. But his math is all wrong and so his strategic thinking. First, the US troop presence in South Korea is a bargain. The South Koreans pick up 50 percent of the tab for maintaining those troops and have often helped defray the substantial costs the US has incurred over the years for modernizing and upgrading its military facilities in the countrysuch as when Seoul agreed to pick up part of the tab for hosting deployments of the American THAAD missile defense system. The residual costs borne by the US for those troops is a rounding error in the Pentagons budget and inconsequential for the federal budget or the countrys $18 trillion GDP. Second, the US would have to bear 100 percent of the cost of bringing these troops back home and relocating them to facilities across the United States. This would likely please members of Congress who have facilities in their districts and it will mean more jobs for American workers. But the only way to reap substantial savings would be to deactivate these forces and their associated equipment and assetsa decision that makes no sense if the US intends to maintain its security commitment to South Korea. Finally, the US alliance with South Korea embodies more than just a defense commitment to that country; it is also a pillar of the US position in the Asia-Pacific region and central to preserving a favorable balance of power with China. The US forces based there are critical to the defense of Japan and could be used to project US military force more broadly in the region if circumstances warranted. A rapid and unilateral pullout would further damage whatever is left of the credibility of US security commitments in the region. Risk Reduction and Conflict Prevention The combination of the Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore and the Moon-Kim Summit in Panmunjom have launched a process to negotiate a peace treaty that will inevitably involve the other powers with stakes in the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula. It is hard to imagine the construction of a durable peace and security regime that ignores the Norths conventional military threat to combined US and ROK forces; this includes not only the thousands of artillery pieces, rockets and missiles that are poised to attack Seoul from just outside the demilitarized zone but also the infiltration of North Korean special operations forces deep into South Korean territory to disrupt both the organization of US-ROK military operations and the flow of US reinforcements. The absence of transparency on peacetime North Korean troop movements and military activities also heightens the risk of a miscalculation that could trigger a conflict. These twin challenges should be addressed by a package of risk reduction measures that would include conventional arms reductions, CBMs to reduce the risk of an accidental conflict, cooperative threat reduction programs to dismantle North Korean conventional weapons systems, and programs for North Korean defense conversion and military demobilization. Conventional Force Reductions and CBMs As numerous arms control experts over the years have argued, the European experience with arms control and CBMs has relevance to threat reduction on the Korean Peninsula, as does the US experience with the Soviet Union in negotiating naval confidence building measures. Modeling conventional force reductions after the heart of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treatyreductions to equal levels in five major categories of combat equipment that are optimal for offensive operationsmay be more than the political traffic will bear at the outset of this process; limiting concentrations of forces in various regions, as the CFE treaty does, may be more feasible. If, in later phases of the negotiating process, the two sides begin serious discussions of conventional force reductions, the US could explore potential trade-offs between US and South Korean conventional capabilities and the Norths chemical weapons and short-range missile capabilities. How much trading-space there might be will depend on progress in establishing other elements of a peace and security regime on the peninsula as well as improvements in US and ROK conventional forces. But the most promising low hanging fruits in the short term are probably cooperative CBMs to reduce the risk of a conflict between North and South Korea in the West Sea, where the two sides have skirmished over longstanding disputes on boundaries and fishing rights. In his May 2016 speech to the 7th Workers Party Congress, Kim Jong Un proposed military-to-military talks with South Korea to reduce tensions, specifically in the West Sea. The conservative South Korean government at that time rejected this overture, but the Moon government is likely to be receptive, and a joint US-ROK initiative to establish regular talks on CBMs might get traction in Pyongyang. Measures to reduce tensions in the West Sea were also mentioned in the Panmunjom Declaration the two leaders signed in April. As far as Seoul is concerned, measures to reduce the risk of conflict in the West Sea are a North-South issue. The Norths views on whether it would welcome US or other outside involvement are unknown. Both countries could draw, however, on the experience of two successful naval CBMs. The first is the 1972 US-Soviet Agreement on Preventing Incidents at Sea (INCSEA), which was designed to prevent or reduce incidents between the superpowers and provide a process to adjudicate incidents that did occur. The second is the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) a voluntary agreement among more than 20 countries with interests in the western Pacificthat provides for safety, communication, and navigational measures to prevent confrontations among naval ships and aircraft during unplanned encounters. If the North and South are amenable, the US could also brief them on best practices for the safe and professional conduct of opposing naval forces operating in close proximity to one another to reduce the risk of an unintended conflict. Neither North or South Korea want to see their disputes in the West Sea escalate into armed hostilities. If North-South talks on the West Sea prove fruitful, the US, South Korea, and North Korea could gradually try to tackle the more challenging problem of CBMs and conventional force reductions on the peninsula. A key question, however, is whether the West Sea issue could be used first to move past the narrow focus on questions of maritime and fishing rights and the disputes over the demarcation of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in order to establish a foothold for progress on larger tension reduction and armistice replacement issues. This may prove feasible. There is a major KPA corps on North Koreas west coast (IV Corps) as well as naval headquarters, and these are important elements of the North Korean threat. Pyongyang has indicated in the past that it is prepared to deal with the larger issue of military tension in the West Sea. It is unclear how far the North is prepared to go, but a significant reduction of tension in the area could help settle disputes over fishing rights, allowing both countries to profit more from this resource. The key point is that both countries have strong incentives to reduce their conventional forces. Kim wants to reduce the overall size of his military to free up resources for the development of the civilian economy. President Moon will face not only growing popular support for cuts in ROK defense spending if peace breaks out on the peninsula, but also economic pressures. The South Korean population is on track to dramatically shrinkand the ROK army is already scrambling to figure out how to make do with fewer active-duty troops in the not-to-distant future. How deeply the US should be involvedor whether it needs to be involved at allin North-South negotiations depends on whether the US military presence in the South is implicated by decisions either side makes on its force levels. In sum, CBMs could play an important role in demilitarizing North Korea. They will help normalize US and South Korean relations with North Korea and, in a virtuous cycle, normalized relations will create more space for CBMs. A more normal relationship with Seoul and Washington is one of Pyongyangs overriding priorities; achieving this goal can go a long way toward reducing the threat North Korea poses to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. Defense Conversion and Demobilization Recently, three experts from Stanford University discussed opportunities for the cooperative conversion of North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure to civilian uses. Such an approach might also be applicable to downsizing and converting North Koreas massive conventional military establishment to civilian purposes. Kim Jong Un has opined about the need to devote more of North Koreas limited resources to the development of the civilian economy. Indeed, for the better part of a decade, and especially since Kim assumed power in 2011, senior DPRK officials have questioned the contribution that defense spending makes to the growth of the civilian economy, and have hinted that a transformational change in US-DPRK relations could pave the way for negotiations on conventional force reductions. According to one expert, From the perspective of civilians in Pyongyang, such negotiations could further lessen the defense burden shouldered by the North Korean economy and allow Pyongyang to devote greater resources to the civilian sector. Defense expenditures seem to be a serious drag on the North Korean economy; however, North Korea does not report its budget in absolute numbers (only percentages) and estimates of North Korean defense spending are notoriously unreliable and vary widely. The US Department of State estimated in its World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers 2016 report that the Norths military expenditures averaged about $3.7 billion a year based on the period between 2005 and 2015, or roughly 23 percent of its GDP (by comparison, the US spends roughly 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense). Most analysts estimate that North Korean defense spending makes up about a quarter of all government spending. What is better known is that North Korea operates some 180 arms factories, including 40 gun factories of varying calibers, 10 armored vehicle factories, 10 naval shipyards, and 50 munitions factories. In addition, more than 115 non-military factories have a dedicated mission of producing wartime material. Converting many of these facilities to civilian purposes would not only reduce defense spending but also increase production of civilian goods. While North Korea does not seem to have made any explicit statements on repurposing defense production facilities, the government has converted other military facilities for civilian use in the past. Two notable examples are the conversion of two military airfields into civilian airports (the Kalma Airport in Wonsan and the Samjiyon Airport) in special economic zones focused on tourism, and the conversion of the Saenal Hoteloriginally built for military useinto a luxury hotel in the eastern port town of Wonsan. Such initiatives appear to fall under Kims byungjin policy (dual development of a nuclear deterrent and the economy), allowing the regime to earn foreign currency while minimizing the negative impact on its local population and defense program. Moreover, defense conversion and demobilization lend themselves to a multilateral framework. The Russians could play a useful role in helping the North to dismantle and deactivate weapons and equipment, drawing on their cooperative threat reduction experience (e.g., The Nunn-Lugar Program) with the United States. The South Koreans and perhaps the Chinese could also provide assistance to the North to convert some of its defense production facilities to civilian use and to help the North develop a viable plan to deactivate many of its troops and reintegrate them into the civilian economy. Defense conversion and demobilization of military manpower will be hard and expensive depending on its scale and scope. In addition to the challenge of securing adequate outside funding for these programs, there will be four critical challenges to success: first, defense conversion and demobilization will need to be integrated into the plans, programs and priorities of future inter-Korean economic cooperation. Second, it should be implemented in a way that advances the broader goals of promoting greater market reforms and better business practices in North Korea. Third, plans for conversion of physical plants and equipment currently devoted to defense production should be aligned with North Korean sectoral priorities, in particular, expanding agricultural production and improving transportation infrastructure. Finally, the scope and pace of defense conversion and demobilization will need to be synchronized with how quickly the North Korean economy can absorb ex-soldiers. All these tasks imply a great deal more economic transparency than North Korea has provided in the past. They also suggest a prominent role for South Korea in both the planning and funding of new initiatives. It is doubtful at this time that Pyongyang would have enough trust in China, the US, or Japan to share sensitive economic information with them, and the Russianseven if they had the will to play a significant rolelack the resources. However, North and South Korea can draw on their previous experience and lessons learned from their economic cooperation to distill best practices while avoiding the mistakes of the past. Conclusion US and South Korean engagement with North Korea has focused almost exclusively on denuclearization to the detriment of progress in other areas that could advance normalization and reconciliation, which in turn could facilitate denuclearization. The Singapore Summit committed the US and North Korea to pursue peace arrangements and a treaty. Washington and Seoul need to begin serious and sustained planning now for how to implement these commitments in a manner that best advances their common interests in creating peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. As a first step, these questions should be explored informally in Track 2 or Track 1.5 channels to gain a better understanding of North Koreas receptivity to conventional military threat reduction measures and how they might relate to negotiations on denuclearization and a new peace treaty. The Norths willingness to participate constructively in these discussions could be one barometer of its interest in transforming relations with the United States and South Korea. Perhaps more importantly, it might be easier to make progress on conventional force reductions and CBMs between North and South Korea than on nuclear disarmament, which could help to sustain negotiating momentum toward reconciliation and normalization and provide a hedge against an impasse in US-DPRK talks over denuclearization. Richard Sokolsky, currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, was a member of the Secretary of States Office of Policy Planning from 2005-2015. In a career at the State Department spanning 37 years, he was also Director of the Office of Strategic Policy and Negotiations from 1990-1997 and a senior fellow at Rand, the National Defense University, and Carnegie. Read full article Roseanne Barr joined Sean Hannity for her first TV interview since a controversial tweet about Valerie Jarrett got her ABC show Roseanne cancelled in May. Though the subjects of the interview covered everything from her mental health issues to her disastrous performance of the National Anthem, the main focus was the tweet in which she said the former advisor to President Obama was a mix between the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. Many saw the tweet as racist, but Roseanne insists it was politically motivated.That is a tweet about asking for accountability from the previous administration about the Iran deal, which Valerie Jarrett is the author of, Roseanne said. And that was what was in my head.Roseanne has vehemently maintained that she didnt even know Jarrett was black, she thought she was white. Roseanne has repeatedly apologized, and this time she looked into the camera and apologized directly to Jarrett, not so much for the tweet, but for what she perceives to be a misunderstanding.Im so sorry that you thought I was racist and that you thought my tweet was racist, because it wasn't. It was political. And Im sorry for the misunderstanding that caused my ill-worded tweet. And Im sorry that you feel harmed and hurt. I never meant that. And for that I apologize, Roseanne said.Unfortunately, in typical Roseanne fashion, the comedian didnt stop there, saying, Plus Id tell her shes gotta get a new haircut, I mean seriously, she needs a new haircut. And though, given what she had to say during a recent visit to The View, Jarrett seemingly has no interest in it, Roseanne sounded as if shed like to clear the air personally. Once again speaking directly to Jarrett, Roseanne said, Valerie, lets discuss this. Dont assume that you know what I meant, because I think you dont know what I meant, and I would like to make it clearer to you what I did mean. And I would like to find a way past all that to really discuss the issue at hand and to try to find common ground between us. Roseanne Barr joined Sean Hannity for her first TV interview since a controversial tweet about Valerie Jarrett got her ABC show Roseanne canceled in May. Though the subjects of the interview covered everything from Barrs mental health issues to her disastrous performance of the National Anthem, the main focus was the tweet in which she said the former adviser to Barack Obama was a mix between the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. Many saw the tweet as racist, but Barr insists it was politically motivated. That is a tweet about asking for accountability from the previous administration about the Iran deal, which Valerie Jarrett is the author of, Barr said. And that was what was in my head. She has vehemently maintained that she thought Jarrett was white. Barr, who has repeatedly apologized, this time looked into the camera and apologized directly to Jarrett, not so much for the tweet but for what she perceives to be a misunderstanding. Im so sorry that you thought I was racist and that you thought my tweet was racist, because it wasnt, Barr said. It was political. And Im sorry for the misunderstanding that caused my ill-worded tweet. And Im sorry that you feel harmed and hurt. I never meant that. And for that I apologize. Unfortunately, in her typical fashion, the comedian didnt stop there, adding, Plus Id tell her shes gotta get a new haircut I mean seriously, she needs a new haircut. And though, given what she had to say during a recent visit to The View, Jarrett seemingly has no interest in doing so, Barr sounded as if shed like to clear the air personally. Again speaking directly to Jarrett, she said, Valerie, lets discuss this. Dont assume that you know what I meant, because I think you dont know what I meant, and I would like to make it clearer to you what I did mean. And I would like to find a way past all that to really discuss the issue at hand and to try to find common ground between us. Story continues Hannity airs weeknights at 9 p.m. on Fox News. Watch Samantha Bee go after the NRA using its own tactics: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. But hes clean now. Has been, he proudly notes, since Aug. 23 of 2016. And although that may not seem like a long sobriety stint to you or me, Liszka maintains that changes in his life during that time have brought him to a place of hope hes not felt for as long as he can remember. By Polina Devitt and Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's political and business leaders were quick to chalk up last week's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump as a victory for Vladimir Putin. Now some fear Putin may have overplayed a winning hand and are bracing for a U.S. sanctions backlash. The rouble fell 1.2 percent on Tuesday after two U.S. senators said in a statement they had begun working on new sanctions that would, among other things, take aim at Russian sovereign debt. It later recovered most of its losses. While the sanctions proposed by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Bob Menendez were seen by most political risk analysts as unlikely in the near term, new curbs contemplated by other U.S. lawmakers targeting the energy and metals sectors are more realistic, they say. "There was hope that dialogue would start after the talks between Putin and Trump. But the reaction inside the United States is blocking any dialogue," said one billionaire included in January on a U.S. Treasury list of people deemed too close to the Kremlin, some of whom were later hit with sanctions. "The threat of wider sanctions has grown," the businessman told Reuters, declining to be named because of the subject's sensitivity. Russian business people had hoped the Helsinki meeting, the first between the two presidents, would pave the way for a possible thaw in relations and delay, if not stop, the preparation of more sanctions which have followed thick and fast since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. Instead, anger about what some U.S. lawmakers saw as a too-deferential performance by Trump in Helsinki and his failure to publicly confront Putin over Moscow's alleged meddling in U.S. politics may have made things worse. In a country where state media portrays Putin as a seemingly infallible leader, even some of his supporters were fretting that he may have made an error by appearing to demonstrably take Trump's side. In Helsinki, Putin said for the first time that he had wanted Trump to win the 2016 U.S. presidential election and after the summit complained about political forces in the United States trying to undermine the meeting's outcome. Sergei Markov, a longtime Putin supporter and former lawmaker for the ruling United Russia party, wrote on social media after the summit that the Russian president had outplayed Trump in Helsinki "by a big margin", but added: "... In doing so he created a problem because he exposed his partner to fierce criticism in the United States." Putin should have given Trump the chance to tell U.S. media that he had extracted concessions from him in a "giveaway game", staying focused on the longer-term goal of stabilizing ties between Moscow and Washington, Markov said on his Facebook page. 'SELLING RUSSIA' Instead, Putin appeared dominant while Trump was deemed by U.S. critics as overly friendly to Russia and possibly even treasonous when he gave credence to Putin's denials of meddling in the 2016 election despite U.S. intelligence findings to the contrary. Many Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing Trump's performance. With an eye on U.S. mid-term elections in November, a bipartisan group of senators is pushing the "DETER Act" legislation putting Putin on notice that his country would be hit with more U.S. sanctions if Russia interferes in future polls. It was unclear how quickly that and other proposals could advance with U.S. Congress' summer recess looming. But the business and financial community in Russia is still worried. "The only outcome of this so far is that people are selling Russia," said one state banker. "All liquid (Russian) securities are now hostage to geopolitics, which strongly depend on what goes on in the United States." Mitigating that risk would be tricky, business people said. "You can't keep your assets in roubles because the rouble is linked to the dollar and if there will be more sanctions the rouble will suffer," said one businessman, asking not to be named because he didn't want to be linked with sanctions risk. "You can't hold them in dollars because of sanctions. That leaves holding euros in private banks which is frightening (because Russian private banks can be unstable), U.S. Treasuries if you can get them, and other low risk assets," he said. "In short, nobody is expecting anything good to happen." Dmitri Trenin, a former colonel in the Russian army and director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, agreed it might have been better for Putin to have adopted an approach of "strategic patience" with the United States, but said it was not too late. "The first detente in the hybrid war between Russia and the West was ... nipped in the bud by Trump's behavior and the vehemence of his domestic critics. So be it," Trenin wrote in an article published on the center's website after the summit. "Moscows strategy should now be one of patience, leaving America and Europe to their own devices and focusing on relations with countries far more relevant to its future: Asia and the Middle East." (Additional reporting by Oksana Kobzeva and Tatiana Voronova; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Vilnius (AFP) - Journalist Yevgeny Titov, reporting from Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, understood the risk he was taking. He is one of a growing number of Russians seeking asylum in Lithuania, a small staunchly pro-Western state that makes no secret of its wariness towards the Kremlin, its unwanted Soviet-era master. "When I was reporting about the bridge being built (by Russia) to Crimea, my friends received an SMS saying that I had been murdered," Titov, 41, told AFP, speaking in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Titov, working for the anti-Kremlin Novaya Gazeta daily in Moscow, received further death threats after exposing corruption surrounding the bridge project -- prompting his move to Lithuania in 2016 on the advice of a friend. Vilnius granted Titov political asylum in July. More than 30 other Russian dissidents have also received asylum in the Baltic state, along with special protective status for family members, since 2014. Dozens more have sought refuge here, as well as in nearby Estonia and Latvia -- which like Lithuania are EU and NATO members. All three are former Soviet-ruled republics that are now among Moscow's most vocal critics. Vsevolod Chernozub, 32, was among the first to arrive in December 2013. One of the leaders of the anti-Kremlin Solidarnost party, Chernozub decided to leave Russia during a heavy-handed crackdown triggered by mass protests against Putin's inauguration for a third Kremlin term in May 2012. The demonstrations quickly descended into clashes with police. Criminal charges were brought against around 30 demonstrators, many of whom were sentenced to prison terms of up to four-and-a-half years. - They 'feel safe' - While he could have sought refuge elsewhere in the EU, Chernozub says he chose Vilnius for practical reasons, notably because of the ethnic Russian community that settled in Lithuania during nearly five decades of Soviet rule. Story continues "Lithuania is a country where you can still speak Russian on a daily basis," he told AFP. "My wife was pregnant at the time and she wanted a Russian-speaking doctor," he noted. The Baltic state has welcomed dissidents, while underscoring its support for opposition circles in Russia. "One of the principles (of our relationship with Russia) is to support civil society there," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told AFP. "Lithuania is a place where they (Russians) can feel safe and we are proud of it," he said. The foreign ministry has held an annual forum for Russian opposition circles since 2013, and former Russian chess world champion Garry Kasparov, an outspoken Kremlin critic, hosts human rights events in Vilnius. With the backing of the Lithuanian parliament, Russian dissidents spearheaded a move in May to rename a square outside the Russian embassy after Boris Nemtsov, the Russian opposition politician gunned down near the Kremlin in February 2015 by unknown assailants. Their activism in Lithuania has not gone unnoticed by Moscow, according to Titov. "The Russia 24 propaganda channel aired several reports about our initiatives. They called us all kinds of names. That just means that what we're doing is important," he told AFP. - 'Russia Tomorrow' - Titov now works as a journalist for the Russian service of Delfi, a popular news website with branches in all three Baltic states. Chernozub, meanwhile, has teamed up with several fellow Russians to create the "Russia Tomorrow" website, an ironic allusion to "RT" formerly known as "Russia Today", Moscow's state-funded international broadcaster. The new dissidents make up a tiny part of Lithuania's ethnic Russian minority, where pro-Kremlin views prevail. The community accounts for about six percent of the Baltic state's overall population of 2.9 million. All three Baltic states were deeply rattled by its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, which prompted NATO to quickly ramp up its presence along its eastern flank. Chernozub warned that the open atmosphere that reigned briefly in Russia during the football World Cup tournament could soon give way to fresh crackdowns on the opposition. "During the World Cup the situation was frozen, with few protests and few arrests, but now I don't know what will happen," Chernozub told AFP. Samantha Bee spent Wednesday night tearing into the NRA for remaining silent over its ties to accused Russian spy Maria Butina. The 29-year-old, who pleaded not guilty to charges she acted as an unregistered foreign agent of Russia, allegedly used the NRA to gain access to conservative groups, including Republican lawmakers. With her focus on guns, sex and big money, Maria Butina caused every Republican she met to grow that telltale wet spot on the front of their pants, Bee cracked. And if that sounds gross, it super was. The Full Frontal host closed her segment with a mock video done in the style of the clips posted online by the NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch. Bee mimicked Loeschs speaking patterns, use of buzzwords and even her style of dress: She also shared some outtakes from the segment: Related... DOJ Charges Russian National Maria Butina With Acting As Foreign Agent Judge Denies Bail To Alleged Russian Agent Maria Butina Kremlin Launches Twitter Flash Mob To Free Alleged Russian Agent Maria Butina Accused Russian Agent Maria Butina Met With 2 Senior U.S. Officials In 2015: Reuters Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. ADEN (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition launched heavy air strikes on Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah on Friday, in an apparent resumption of military operations on the city after the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement attacked two Saudi oil tankers, residents said. The coalition on July 1 halted an attack on the Houthi-held city to aid U.N. efforts at a political solution that would avert an all-out assault on the Red Sea port, which the United Nations fears could trigger a famine throughout the country. Residents said coalition warplanes had begun their bombardment after midnight, attacking a Houthi military police camp in the city center, a plastics factory north of the city, and the districts of Zubaid and al-Tahita to the south. The Houthi's al-Masirah TV said on Twitter that the coalition hit a radio station in the city and a fishing pier. "Coalition warplanes conducted two strikes on a fishing dock and market in Hodeidah, and the yard of the Hodeidah radio building which was damaged by the shrapnel," one resident said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that it was suspending oil shipments through the Red Sea's Bab al-Mandeb strait until maritime transit through the waterway is safe, following an attack on two Saudi oil tankers on Wednesday. The Western-backed alliance of Sunni Muslim Arab states intervened in Yemen's war in 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Houthis. Coalition forces quickly retook the southern city of Aden and smaller coastal towns, but since then neither side has made much progress in the war, widely seen as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The alliance says capturing Hodeidah would cut off the main supply line of the Houthis and force the group to the negotiating table, but it has made no major gains since it launched the offensive on June 12. U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, on Friday left Sanaa after another round of talks with the Houthis as part of weeks of shuttle diplomacy between the warring parties. The United Nations fears that cutting off Hodeidah port, a lifeline for millions, may trigger a famine in Yemen where around 8.4 million people are believed to be facing starvation. The Houthis have offered to hand over management of the port to the world body, according to the United Nations, but the coalition says that the group must quit the western coast. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari and Mohamed Mokashef; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Kevin Liffey, William Maclean) Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was heckled on Wednesday while promoting his new book "The Briefing." (Photo: Mike Segar / Reuters) Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was heckled on Wednesday while promoting his new book in New York City. In a video sent to Think Progress reporter Aaron Rupar, an unidentified man can be heard yelling at Spicer during an interview at the Barnes & Noble store in Union Square. Spicer is currently on a press tour to promote his new book, The Briefing, which chronicles his time in the Trump administration. A source in Brooklyn sent me this video of Sean Spicer getting heckled at a book signing in NYC tonight pic.twitter.com/gDHLL95zui Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 26, 2018 Hey Sean, youre a real piece of garbage and I hope you look around and see all these empty seats, the man shouted in the clip. And I hope you realize in even in New York City, people will not come and pay money to hear you speak. The comments sparked an uproar among others at the event and the man was quickly escorted from the building. Its a garbage book and youre a garbage person, the heckler shouted at the end of the video. You lied as press secretary. Now youre lying in your book. Confrontation seems to be the theme of Spicers book tour. On Tuesday, BBC host Emily Maitlis grilled the former White House official about working for President Donald Trump, including the infamous lie about his boss inauguration crowd size. It was the start of the most corrosive culture, Maitlis said during the interview. You played with the truth. You led us down a dangerous path. You have corrupted discourse for the entire world by going along with these lies. Related... Stephen Colbert Puts Sean Spicer In The Hot Seat in 'Spicer After Dark' Here's How Sean Spicer Got On The Emmys Sean Spicer Is Sorry Also on HuffPost Future Trump press secretary Sean Spicer dressed up as the Easter Bunny for the White House Easter Egg Roll during the George W. Bush administration. President George W. Bush hugs the Easter Bunny during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on March 24, 2008. Another Easter Bunny stands behind President Bush during the Easter Egg Roll in 2006. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush stand with the Easter Bunny while welcoming guests in 2008. President Bush and the Easter Bunny greet children on the South Lawn of the White House on April 17, 2006. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. A: Because of the work they do for the underprivileged in Chicago, which is low profile and high output for helping the homeless. I first became involved with Night Ministry four or five years ago when it started a health-care bus that goes around to different neighborhoods and provides health care, like basic testing and primary care. Imagine being stranded in open water and surrounded by deadly sharks after a boat explosion. That is the premise of a new Shark Week special, Sharkwrecked, which airs Thursday on Discovery. Two divers took part in what's said to be the most dangerous experiment ever" for Shark Week. Cameras are rolling as the divers spend 48 hours in the water with whitetip sharks, which are considered the most aggressive in the ocean. They're allowed to use life jackets only at night, in case they fall asleep. The rest of the time they're treading water. Adventurers Paul de Gelder and James Glancy, explained to Inside Edition why they would agree to spend two days in open water circled by the killer fish. "It is a sense of adventure," de Gelder said. "The sharks were coming in thick and heavy." "We also work in conservation and love sharks," Glancy added. De Gelder lost an arm and a leg during a 2009 shark attack in Australia. The stunt is inspired by the sinking of the USS Indianapolis by Japanese torpedoes in World War II. Of the 900 initial survivors, only 316 made it out alive; many of those killed fell victim to sharks that attacked them in a feeding frenzy. RELATED STORIES Ronda Rousey Faces One of Her Biggest Fears in 'Shark Week' Special Authorities in Desperate Search for Shark That Bit 12-Year-Old Girl at New York Beach Shark Attacks Injure 2 at Florida Beach: Reports Related Articles: Berbera (Somalia) (AFP) - The soporific seaside town of Berbera is slowly changing as it takes on a major role on the Red Sea shipping route, allowing breakaway Somaliland to dream of prosperity and even recognition. At the Berbera port, dozens of containers are stacked on a sun-scorched platform and a few cranes creakily transfer sacks of sorghum and other goods from a rusting cargo ship. The facilities are far from modern, but Somaliland hopes its position on one of the world's busiest shipping routes will turn the state into a job-creating dynamo -- and encourage international recognition 27-years after it split from Somalia. Somaliland's ambitions were boosted in March when it struck a deal giving Dubai port giant DP World a 51-percent stake in the port and Ethiopia 19 percent. DP World says it plans to invest $442 million (377 million euros) to modernise the port, with a first extension of 400 square metres (4,300 square feet) to begin in October that is expected to take 24 months. "The benefit we expect from the development of the port is jobs. We expect to get many foreign investors to ... generate employment and income for us," said Saad Ali Shire, the Somaliland minister of foreign affairs. He said the port has long been the main source of revenue for the government of the breakaway state. Nevertheless the arrival of DP World has been a "cultural shock" for those used to the slow pace of business at the port, admits Said Hassan Abdullahi, director general of the port authority. "There has been a big change ... in terms of volume of containers. Since they took over we got more customers," he said. - Ethiopia eyes sea access - The deal has seen the number of containers transiting through Berbera double to 100,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), a standard measurement in shipping. Abdullahi predicts that the investment will cause throughput to increase fivefold -- a figure that will bring Berbera closer to the capacity of nearby Djibouti's ultra-modern ports which handle around 980,000 TEU per year. Story continues The development will be a boon not only to Somaliland but also its landlocked neighbour Ethiopia -- a fast-growing economy with a population of 100 million people that is eyeing new ports across the region to export its goods. Cut off from the coast since former province Eritrea won independence in 1993, prompting a violent border conflict, Ethiopia funnels 95 percent of its trade through Djibouti. But now a breakneck peace process with Eritrea has also opened up new trade routes through its ports of Massawa and Assab, which with the developments in Berbera could reshape trade in the Horn of Africa region. Somaliland, which avoided the anarchy and chaos Somalia has experienced over the past three decades, "is well positioned to have a more influential role when it comes to economic and trade issues," said Ahmed Soliman, a researcher at the London-based Chatham House think-tank. However the DP World deal has angered Somalia, which does not recognise Somaliland's independence and declared it unconstitutional. Shire said the deal had affected ongoing talks between Mogadishu and Hargeisa, which had been expected to resume in March. - Regional influence - He said DP World had showed trust in Somaliland, expressing hope this could inspire confidence in the state and lead to formal recognition. "I think it will be recognised at the end of the day, because we have a legal right, an historic right, a moral right to be recognised," said Shire. DP World's presence in Berbera is also a sign of the increasing engagement of the United Arab Emirates in the Horn of Africa, which has become key to its strategic interests over the past three years, said Soliman. Somaliland has given the UAE a 25-year concession to build a military base in Berbera that it could use in the war it is waging alongside Saudi Arabia against the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. "The war in Yemen ... was a key driver of engagement across the Horn of Africa," said Soliman. Somaliland now finds itself in the middle of a struggle for influence in the region which also includes major players like Turkey and its ally Qatar -- which is embroiled in a bitter spat with its Gulf neighbours. In June 2017 the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing terrorism, which Doha denies. Some in Somaliland worry about the price they may have to pay for their links with the UAE, but Shire brushes aside their concerns. "Of course, carrying foreign forces on your soil always carries a risk," he said. "(But) we believe that the benefits are more than the risks." JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma said on Friday his lawyers had faith they would get the case against him dropped after making his third appearance in court on corruption charges relating to a $2.5 billion arms deal. Zuma, who wore a dark suit and red tie, faces 16 charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a deal to buy European military hardware to upgrade South Africa's armed forces after the end of apartheid in 1994. The case in Pietermaritzburg, the capital and second-largest city in KwaZulu-Natal province, is a rare example of an African leader being held to account for his actions. Zuma, who was ousted by the ruling party, denies any wrongdoing. Judge Mjabuliseni Madondo adjourned the case to Nov. 30, giving time to Zuma's new legal team to file an application to throw out the case against Zuma. "A permanent stay is a very realistic option and has great prospect of success," said Zuma's lawyer Mike Hellens, who is part of a legal team that replaced a previous one led by the former president's long-time lawyer Michael Hulley. Zuma later addressed hundreds of his supporters in the city, saying the case against him has been pending for a long time. "Justice delayed, is justice denied," he told the crowd, saying he now had a top-notch new legal team. "They, the lawyers, have faith that they will win this case so that it ends." The former president led the crowd in song, including a rendition of "Umshini wami", made popular by the ANCs armed wing during South Africas decades-long struggle against apartheid and which translates as "Bring my machine gun". His supporters carried placards emblazoned with the words: "Zuma is us. We are him" and "Solid ANC Leader". Zuma, whose nine years in power were marked by economic stagnation and credit rating downgrades, has previously said he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt. The charges against Zuma were originally filed a decade ago but then set aside by the National Prosecuting Authority shortly before he successfully ran for president in 2009. After his election, his opponents fought a lengthy legal battle to have the charges reinstated, finally succeeding in 2016. Zuma countered with his own legal challenges. The speed with which prosecutors have moved against Zuma is a sign of his waning influence since he was replaced as head of state by Cyril Ramaphosa, his former deputy, in February. Ramaphosa has made the fight against corruption a priority as he seeks to woo foreign investment and revamp an ailing economy. (Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Stephen Powell) By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea summoned a Chinese embassy official on Friday to lodge a complaint over a Chinese military aircraft flying in the South's air defense territory, the third such incident this year, the defense ministry said. South Korea scrambled fighter jets to intercept a Chinese plane when it entered the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. The aircraft spent more than four hours flying near a submerged rock in the area controlled by Seoul but claimed by Beijing, the JCS said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing he was unaware of the issue and referred questions to China's Defence Ministry, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South Korea's Defence Ministry said it called in Du Nong Yi, a defense attache at the Chinese embassy in Seoul, and "sternly" urged China to take steps to prevent the incident from recurring. "Our government expressed our regret and we're taking this extremely seriously," the ministry said in a statement. Chinese warplanes made a similar flight over the South Korean zone in February and April, the ministry said, while at least two similar instances were observed last year. The ADIZs are not legally binding agreements under international treaties, but Seoul extended its own territory in 2013 to partially overlap with a zone newly declared by China. China's expansion included the submerged rock named Ieodo, which Seoul controls with a research station platform built atop it. In February, Seoul summoned the Chinese ambassador to lodge a complaint, and Beijing said then the aircraft was in a training in line with international law and practice. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Michael Perry and Christian Schmollinger) Stocks cant get a boost from a blowout GDP report as tech stocks end the week on a down note. Plus CBSs Les Moonves under the microscope as the board investigates allegations of misconduct. We have the latest. And The week in Trump ends on a high note. We have the Trumpometer reading, coming up. Plus Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon reports all sending tech on a wild roller coaster ride, What will happen when the Big A reports next week? Catch The Final Round at 3:55 ET p.m. with Myles Udland, Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer and columnist Rick Newman. Winners and losers Stocks in the green include Starbucks as the worlds largest coffee chain beat on profit and revenue for the quarter, Expedia as the travel booking site reported strong earnings, citing a 13% jump in gross bookings, and Chipotle shares smoking hot as the fast casual chain beat on earnings, revenue, and comp sales, as well as raised its comp sales forecast for the remainder of the year. Stocks in the red include Exxon Mobil as oil and gas giant missed badly on earnings, as maintenance projects around the globe hit its refining unit, Twitter as it reported a revenue miss, and a decline in monthly active users as it tries to clean up its user base from spam accounts and bots, and Helios & Matheson shares dropping as its MoviePass outage was caused by the company temporarily running out of money, and having to borrowed $5 million in cash to turn the service back on. Riyadh (AFP) - The Syrian opposition's chief negotiator, Nasr al-Hariri, called for a renewal of UN-brokered peace talks while acknowledging "significant military losses" by rebel forces, in an interview with AFP. The rebels have "not lost the war" ravaging his country since 2011, the head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission insisted Thursday, playing down the likelihood of an all-out regime assault on the last major rebel bastion of Idlib in northwestern Syria. Hariri took aim at the international community for having allowed regime ally Russia to determine the course of the war since its 2015 military intervention. "By international consensus, military and non-military support for the opposition has been stopped, as well as political support to a great extent," he said in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Moscow, meanwhile, has been allowed "to intervene as it wants". "Militarily, the opposition has lost considerable ground. All we have left is the political process, on the basis of the Geneva declaration and (UN) Resolution 2254," he said, referring to calls for the formation of a transitional government and free elections. Several rounds of UN-sponsored talks in Switzerland have failed over the opposition's demand for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a condition which his regime has ruled out. The government has since Russia's military intervention in September 2015 notched up a string of battlefield victories and now controls more than 60 percent of Syrian territory. Hariri said Turkish "guarantees" over Idlib would likely bar a regime assault on the northwest province. "It will be difficult for the regime, Iran and Russia to launch any operation unless Turkish troops withdraw," said the opposition negotiator, a trained cardiologist. But on the same day, Assad told Russian media his regime's next priority would be retaking Idlib province, currently dominated by rebels and jihadists. Story continues "Now Idlib is our goal, but not just Idlib," Assad said, in comments carried Thursday on Russian newswires. "The military -- and it is at their discretion -- will decide priorities and Idlib is one of these priorities," he said. - Moscow key to deal - Hariri voiced bitterness at Western and Arab supporters of the opposition that in 2012 formed a Friends of Syria group which has faded since Russia's intervention. "May it rest in peace," he said, while also lambasting international efforts. "Unfortunately, today Syrian blood has become a commodity on international markets and bazaars," Hariri said. He pointed to a reluctant acceptance that Moscow would play a key role in any settlement. "We are not counting on the regime... Our wager is on the state (Russia) that is supporting the regime, even if it continues to battle alongside it and to commit crimes with it." The war in Syria has killed more than 350,000 people since it began in 2011 with a brutal government crackdown on protesters. It has grown in complexity over the past seven years, drawing in world powers and jihadists. Alex Morgan celebrates one of her three goals against Japan in the 2018 Tournament of Nations. (Getty) The United States womens national team has not yet qualified for the 2019 World Cup. But its journey to France began in earnest on Thursday, and in style with a 4-2 win over Japan in its Tournament of Nations opener. In their first game of the World Cup year, the U.S. women showed why theyre the favorite to repeat as champions. Alex Morgan bagged a hat trick, and on balance, the U.S. was decidedly better than its opponent in the 2011 and 2015 World Cup finals. Here are three takeaways from the win: 1. The front three were individually and collectively excellent The U.S. struggled to build out of the back early on. But buildup issues are irrelevant when you have a front three that can create for themselves and for others out of nothing. Christen Press got the start over Tobin Heath on the right wing, and came infield to create the first of Morgans three goals. The Press-Megan Rapinoe-Morgan connection certainly looked ready for World Cup qualifying in October, and for next summer: Megan Rapinoe finds Alex Morgan to open up the scoring for the USWNT! pic.twitter.com/1yGcDc9siv FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 26, 2018 In the second half, as if those three didnt bring enough firepower to the U.S. attack, Tobin Heath made fools out of two Japanese defenders immediately after entering the game as a substitute for Press: Maestro of the Midfield @TobinHeath, you are unreal. pic.twitter.com/ndtxCt2RHd U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) July 27, 2018 That was Morgans third goal. Rapinoe created and finished off the Americans fourth with a burst through the middle: Story continues Megan Rapinoe gets in on the action! But whats that celebration all about, @mPinoe?? pic.twitter.com/CHzaTaR35p FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2018 For extended stretches, Thursdays game was full-fledged chaos. And U.S. head coach Jill Ellis will love that. If the U.S. can play chaotic matches, particularly against technical but physically overmatched opponents like Japan, its athleticism and skill will almost always win the day. In addition 2. There are moving parts in midfield Ellis went with a midfield three of Julie Ertz, Morgan Brian and Lindsey Horan, which made sense on paper. But there were structural problems. Ertz played in the middle of the three, theoretically as the holding midfielder with Horan and Brian as 8s beside (and slightly in front of) her. But the three were too flat. There was very little depth nobody to play behind Japans midfield line and connect midfield to Morgan. Horan, whos comfortable in such a role, on a few occasions dropped deep to try to get on the ball. She looked slightly frustrated. Brian was mostly ineffective, and was replaced by McCall Zerboni at halftime. Ertz, meanwhile, was strong, but her aggressiveness can be problematic in what seemingly should have been a holding role. Her overzealous pressing sparked a series of U.S. mistakes on Japans first-half equalizer: Well, that lead didn't last long Tanaka equalizes for Japan with a lovely chip! pic.twitter.com/c30qJ4cVrf FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 26, 2018 Tierna Davidson, a 19-year-old Stanford center back, looked to be at fault on first glance. But Davidson had to step because all three U.S. midfielders had pressed high and Japan had played through them: (Original video: Fox Sports Go) She and Crystal Dunn werent faultless, but the issue was more a midfield one than a back four one. Ellis has options in midfield particularly Zerboni, Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle and shell surely tinker with the alignment and personnel over the final two Tournament of Nations games, and throughout the next 11 months. 3. Crystal Dunn was up and down at left back The U.S. fullback pool is very shallow. Thats one of the many angles of the Jaelene Hinkle controversy. Hinkle is widely considered the best American left back, but turned down a national team call-up last year because she did not want to wear the USWNTs Pride Month jerseys with rainbow lettering. She was named to the preliminary squad for the Tournament of Nations, but was one of two players cut to get the roster down to 23. With Hinkle out of the mix, Ellis went to Dunn, the ultimate utility player, at left back. Dunns performance, on the whole, was promising, but it wasnt without a few warning signs. In one first-half sequence, she recovered well with the ball on Japans left wing, defended well one-v-one, and blocked a shot. In general, she was active on both sides of the ball. On multiple occasions, she mistakenly dove in to a challenge or got sucked to the ball, once caught out by a dummy. She failed to tuck inside when Davidson stepped on Japans first goal. But her speed acts as a tremendous safety net. Her distribution, as a natural attacker, is also an asset, especially with Rapinoe tending to cut inside off the left. Her left-footed cross led to Morgans second: Another one for Alex Morgan! Her header restores the USWNT's lead against Japan. pic.twitter.com/7ctT6DjNR8 FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 26, 2018 Dunn may not be the ideal starter at left back. And it might not be er, definitely isnt her best position. But she certainly looks like a viable option. Other notes Despite calls for uncapped goalkeeper Adrianna Franch to get a look, Alyssa Naeher played all 90 minutes in net, and is the clear No. 1. But could she perhaps have done better on Japans second goal? Sakaguchi put Tobin Heath on skates and placed it in the corner to pull one back for Japan! pic.twitter.com/wpLm0pprCe FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2018 The game got stretched over the last 25 minutes, and the U.S. back line got caught ridiculously high up the field. Thats a product of the type of match the U.S. wants to play, and of the setting the Tournament of Nations is relatively meaningless. But it would have been nice to see the U.S. calm play down and see out the win at 4-1 in uneventful fashion. Since we didnt reiterate it enough above: Alex Morgan is really, really good. Shes now scored 16 goals in her last 16 international games. Full USWNT starting 11 (4-3-3): Alyssa Naeher; Emily Sonnett, Abby Dahlkemper, Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn; Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Morgan Brian; Christen Press, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe. Subs: McCall Zerboni for Morgan Brian (HT), Tobin Heath for Christen Press (54), Rose Lavelle for Julie Ertz (64), Carli Lloyd for Alex Morgan (73), Casey Short for Megan Rapinoe (74), Sam Mewis for Lindsey Horan (74) Australia beat Brazil 3-1 in Thursdays opener. The U.S. plays Australia on Sunday (7 p.m. ET, FS1) and concludes the round-robin tournament next Thursday vs. Brazil (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1). Henry Bushnell covers global soccer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook. More soccer on Yahoo Sports: Adelson: Was Jaelene Hinkle cut by USWNT because of her religious beliefs? McIntyre: The significance of Alphonso Davies move to Bayern Munich Whos at fault in Mesut Ozils row with German soccer? Why the transfer window now depends on Ronaldo-to-Juve aftershocks DuPage County prosecutors and Tara Thompson, Liebichs attorney from the Exoneration Project, were in Judge John Kinsellas courtroom Thursday, working out final details in advance of what is expected to be four days of hearings next week. Another day of testimony is planned for mid-August, before closing arguments, which have not been scheduled. Tesla has started deliveries of the Model 3 performance edition and dual-motor-upgraded vehicles, marking the start of a new edition of Teslas cheapest electric car hitting the roads. The news is a big step for the firm, as its worked over the past 12 months to ramp up production and endure a blistering work schedule to expand the company. Electrek reported on Friday that several buyers have confirmed the start of deliveries, with cars expected to reach homes over the coming days, far sooner than the initially-anticipated window of several weeks. The news comes just two months after CEO Elon Musk initially announced the $78,000 performance model and $5,000 dual-motor upgrade for the already-shipping long-range edition. It also comes just days after the performance edition reached Tesla stores, enabling prospective customers to take a test drive before placing their $1,000 deposit. The shipments revealed the car has a miles per gallon equivalent of 116 on average, a shade worse than the 126 MPGe of the long-range model. YouTubers like Marques Brownlee (also known as MKBHD) have been getting to grips with the new car, discovering how Tesla improved on the long-range model. The car features a track mode that tweaks the handling to allow for easier over and understeering. This is alongside the previously-announced new top speed of 155 mph and 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 3.5 seconds. The price also includes 20-inch performance wheels and a variety of color changes and options. Still absent from Teslas Model 3 lineup, though, is the $35,000 base model. Tesla has so far only produced the long-range edition with premium upgrades package, meaning the car retails for $49,000. The longer range version offers 310 miles of driving on a single charge, more than the 220-mile version, but the cheaper car will enable more buyers to enter the Tesla fray at its cheapest ever price point. Story continues With production, 1st you need achieve target rate & then smooth out flow to achieve target cost, Musk wrote in May. Shipping min cost Model 3 right away wd cause Tesla to lose money & die. Need 3 to 6 months after 5k/wk to ship $35k Tesla & live. With Tesla having produced 5,000 Model 3s at the end of June, the cheaper edition could launch before the end of the year. Photos via MKBHD/Instagram More From Inverse Aaron Judge will be re-evaluated in three weeks after sustaining a wrist injury against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. (AP) Its going to be an uphill climb for the Yankees to catch the Red Sox in the AL East. New York is 4.5 games behind, and just lost its best offensive player indefinitely. Aaron Judge was plunked on the right wrist in the first inning of Thursdays win over Kansas City, and its expected that hell miss at least three weeks. According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Judge sustained a chip fracture on his wrist (ulnar styloid bone) and will not need surgery. [Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free] Although Judge has taken a mild step back in his second year, hell still been one of the best offensive forces in baseball. A .283/.396/.547 slash is enormous, along with 26 homers in 99 games. He had a 171 OPS+ last year; this year, hes at a still-outstanding 152. Judge currently is the No. 13 offensive player in fantasy baseball, grading off 55 value. Fantasy owners wont be able to get a full, adequate replacement for Judge, but you have to try something. Here are some outfielders who might help keep you afloat until No. 99 can return: Shallow Leagues: Avisail Garcia (50 percent ownership) has a see-the-ball, hit-the-ball approach, but it led to a surprising breakout year in 2017, and hes back in play this season. Hes on a .316 binge over the last month, with 10 homers . . . The As are storming into the Wild Card hunt, with Stephen Piscotty (48 percent) a big part of the story. Hes been a .306/.367/.594 force over his last 44 starts, with 11 homers. Oakland plays at Colorado this weekend. Medium Leagues: The Cubs elevated Jason Heyward (29 percent) to the No. 2 slot in June, and lately hes seeing time as the No. 3 batter. Hes justified the promotion, with a .857 OPS, 34 runs, and 25 RBIs in his last 48 games. Heywards strikeout/walk ratio is almost an even one, which is usually an indicator of a plus hitter . . . Kole Calhoun (17 percent) was a punchline entering July, but hes flipped the story, hitting .300 with eight homers in the month. He had a tater and a stolen base in Thursdays 12-8 romp over Chicago, and hes batted leadoff in five of his last six starts. Deeper Leagues: We rang you about Cameron Maybin (five percent) a week ago, but hes still widely available in Yahoo leagues. Hes swiped five bags and hit three homers over his last 68 at-bats, with a .324 average . . . You need a scorecard to know the Tampa Bay Rays these days, but Joey Wendle (six percent) is usually in the staring lineup, somewhere. For a while he was the leadoff man, but lately hes been the middle of the order. A .285 average, five homers and seven steals is reasonable production for half a season, and he also carries second-base eligibility. Hes generally shielded from left-handed pitching, but eight of Tampa Bays next 11 opponents are righties. Victoria Beckham sporting a white T-shirt and wide-leg denim trousers. (Photo: Team GT/GC Images) The classic white T-shirt just got a bit cooler with Victoria Beckhams latest collaboration with Reebok. Beckham has been rocking plain white tees for years now, and more recently, the designer made a big splash in the fashion community for her kitschy, satirical statement tees which feature phrases like, ITS A DARK BUT HAPPY PLACE or FASHION STOLE MY SMILE. Now Beckham is back with a new slate of tees with Reebok, available for pre-order today. The inspiration behind the capsule tee, hoodies, and socks collection centers around the 90s, basketball, and who else Shaquille ONeill. Beckham and ONeill first teased the collection earlier this year. For me this capsule really represents a celebration of that era, Reebok and Shaqs shared history in basketball, and the great heritage pieces I discovered in those archives. The unisex approach, and the nods to streetwear that are present in this capsule, are important elements that I will take through to the full collection I am currently working on, Beckham said in a press release. The VB Tee retails for $140 and available for pre-order on reebok.com. The classic white tee is not only a key garment in the collection, but one that nearly everyone can relate to. Its comfortable, affordable, and chances are you probably already own one in your closet. It is the most accessible item to dress up or down and stay fashionable throughout time, but Beckham urges us to keep it simple: Know that being yourself is the best accessory. Dont do anything too dramatic, just do what works for you. Below, see Victoria Beckhams three best style tips on how to wear a classic white T-shirt. Photo: Starzfly/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) Reebok VB Tee, $140, reebok.com, H&M Flared Pants, $23, hm.com, Gucci round-frame acetate sunglasses with star, $420, gucci.com, Anne Klein Audrey medium clutch, $54, amazon.com, Reebok Classic leather sneakers, $75, barneys.com Photo: Pierre Suu/GC Images Hanes womens X-temp short sleeve V-neck tee with FreshIQ, $5, amazon.com; H&M double-breasted coat, $30, hm.com; W118 by Walter Baker striped crepe wide-leg pants, $84, theoutnet.com; Adidas womens superstar lace-up sneakers, $80, bloomingdales.com; Boohoo contrast monochrome cat-eye sunglasses, $6, boohoo.com. Photo: Marc Piasecki/GC Images Current/Elliott the Fling distressed low-rise slim boyfriend jeans, $250, net-a-porter.com; Saint Laurent 1971 print white T-shirt, $349, italist.com; zeroUV large sunglasses, $13, amazon.com; Vita Fede Mini Milos choker, $180, saksfifthavenue.com; Stuart Weitzman the Leigh 70 Pump, $398, stuartweitzman.com. Read More from Yahoo Lifestyle: Meghan Markle wore a $3,103 denim dress shop 10 versions like hers for a lot less Meet the Mormon model siblings who are taking on the Hadids Who is Anita Dongre? The fashion designer who has dressed Hillary Clinton, Kate Middleton, and Sophie Trudeau Story continues Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. On Thursdays Late Late Show With James Corden, the host jumped out of an airplane with actor Tom Cruise. The story goes that Corden accepted this mission during Tuesdays show, after scoffing at Cruise for doing his own stunts. One stunt in particular that Corden pretended not to be impressed with, a skydiving maneuver called a HALO jump, has been getting a lot of attention for Cruise during promotion for Mission: Impossible Fallout. And though they didnt attempt that, Corden did get a very real, and very cool, experience. Corden tandem-jumped with a longtime professional, while Cruise jumped solo alongside them. The dive, accompanied with orchestral music, is pretty spectacular to watch. It even features a little humor, with Cruise grabbing Cordens arm midair to mess with him. Cordens landing was a little rough it included the splits and a face-plant but his celebration with Cruise was proof enough that Corden was feeling nothing but good things when he was back on solid ground. The Late Late Show With James Corden airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m. on CBS. Check out what happened when Paul McCartney joined James Corden for Carpool Karaoke: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook,or Instagram. After a mass shooting left three people dead, including the shooter, in Toronto on Sunday, the citys conservative mayor backed a proposal that even the most liberal American politicians wouldnt dare support a total ban on all handgun sales. Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all? Mayor John Tory asked at a city council meeting on Monday. Tory spoke a day after 29-year-old Faisal Hussain opened fire with a handgun on a busy avenue in the city, killing two girls and injuring 13 other people. The incident left Torontonians in fear and mourning and prompted the city council to vote on Tuesday night to ask the federal government to ban the sale of handguns within city limits. The citys motion, which passed 41-4, both calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberal government to outlaw the sale of handguns and urges the provincial government to ban handgun ammunition sales in Toronto. The council also voted for stronger prevention against gun sales for domestic abusers and people with mental illness, as well as a crackdown on gun trafficking. Torontos vote is like something from an alternate reality when compared with how U.S. politicians, especially conservatives, have failed to take preventive action against mass shootings. Attempts at pushing through even moderate legislation, such as limiting assault weapons, have faltered as shooters repeatedly kill children in schools or murder dozens in incidents including the Las Vegas shooting and the Pulse nightclub attack. Whats happened in the United States is what not to do, said Toronto city councilman Joe Cressy following Sundays shooting. Canadians, especially in the countrys largest city of Toronto, have been concerned about rising gun crime in recent years. Toronto has had over 200 shootings and 26 fatalities so far this year, up from 17 shooting deaths during the same period in 2017. Terror attacks, such as the killing of six Muslim men at a mosque in Quebec City last year, have also increased Canadians concerns about access to firearms. Story continues Hussains parents issued a statement a day after the shooting to say they were devastated by the loss of life and that their son had struggled with severe mental illness and psychosis. Their message brought additional public scrutiny as to how Hussain could have acquired a handgun, which is already restricted. Police stated on Wednesday that its unclear how Hussain obtained the gun. Under Canadian law, handguns require a special license that can only be obtained if the owner is a target shooter, collector or requires one for work purposes. They must also pass two trainings from government-approved instructors and wait a period of 28 days. Unlike in the U.S., Canadians do not have a constitutional right to bear arms. Canada has a somewhat different culture around guns and a weaker gun lobby than in the United States, where mass shootings are more common and gun crime far higher. Polling released last year also shows that a significant majority of Canadians around 69 percent would favor a strict ban on guns in urban areas. Its unclear whether Toronto City Councils motion will ultimately lead to a ban on handgun sales, given that the council itself has no ability to change the criminal code, which would require federal legislation. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the government is willing to consider the proposal but that it would require a complicated and significant rewriting of the countrys criminal code. Charmaine Noronha from HuffPost Canada contributed reporting. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Axels Food & Ice Cream hosted an ice cream party to celebrate an 8-year-boys last radiation treatment. (Photo: Axels Food & Ice Cream via Facebook) When Max Mendezs mother, Amy, asked him what he would like to do to celebrate his last radiation treatment, he said he wanted to go out for ice cream with friends. That simple celebration turned out to be so much more when their town, Merrimack, N.H., got wind of the plans. Max, 8, has been battling leukemia for two years, so his party had to be a little bit bigger than just a couple of scoops of ice cream. Amy wrote on her Facebook page, This guy is FINISHED with radiation on Tuesday. I asked him how hed like to celebrate, and he said ice cream with friends.If youre around wed love for you to stop by and join us ALL ARE WELCOME! Axels Food & Ice Cream also invited guests on Facebook. The shop wrote, We will be selling raffle tickets with all proceeds going to the Jimmy Fund in Maxs name! Merrimack, lets show some love to Max & his family! The towns firefighters and police officers brought their trucks and cruisers out for the young man as well. We understand that Max likes fire trucks, police cruisers, all that fun stuff, so it was our opportunity to come out and greet him and hopefully cheer up his day, Merrimack Fire Capt. Brian Dubreuil told WMUR9. This successful celebration is perhaps karma for Maxs own goodwill. Over the holidays, Max held Mighty Maxs Mega Toy Drive to help collect toys for other children who are battling diseases. Children at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Boston Childrens Hospital benefited from the toy drive. Weve been fortunate to have a ton of support, and weve always wanted to pay that forward and give where we can, so to see that the community is doing that as well, is just amazing, Amy Mendez told the outlet. Mighty Max has one year of chemotherapy to go, but the town certainly helped him celebrate a huge milestone in his treatment. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. In addition to awareness and taking a stand against discrimination, Badillo said she hopes the event will educate the community about Puerto Rico, particularly that it is a U.S. territory and its residents are U.S. citizens. Donations for Hurricane Maria relief work will also be accepted in connection with Peace in the Preserves, the organizers said. The Senators get a lot of flak for having an owner who likes to meddle too much in the day-to-day affairs of his hockey team, and for good reason. Less flak is given to Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini, probably in large part because thats a guy who actually spends money on his club. But when Canucks president Trevor Linden, ahem, mutually parted ways with the club on Thursday, it immediately raised a lot of questions about what exactly is going on over there. There was no real indication, outwardly, from either party as to what the issue behind the departure was, but all indications were that it had something to do with the rebuild and how it either was or wasnt progressing. Aquilinis Twitter thread on Thursday had certainly shed a little light on the issue, as he said everyone needs to be pulling in the right direction on the rebuild. Its unclear what that actually means, however. Reports came out saying Linden seemed a bit run down by everything to do with running the team, and that he had been asking around to teams that went through rebuilds about how they did it. The speculation, then, is that Lindern perhaps wanted to speed up that rebuild, that all the losing was too much to handle for a guy who had little front-office experience but had been a fierce competitor on the ice. Whats interesting to me is that this runs counter to the Canucks ownership mandate in recent years, that the team should strive to be competitive as long as the Sedins were around. Obviously their mileage varied on that, because whatever moves were being made to sign veterans or make trades were detrimental to long-term success with the team, even as it drafted and developed a handful of fairly promising young players. With the Sedins now out of the picture, perhaps there was more of an appetite to really ride this one out and see what it gets you in terms of high-end talent, closer to the Brock Boeser potential gamebreaker type than the Bo Horvat high-end second-line players. Not that theres anything wrong with a bunch of Horvats hanging around but no one would mistake a guy like that for an unequivocally elite player. And that is what you need to have on hand if you want to be meaningfully competitive in the NHL. No one wins Cups without multiple star players, and usually the only way to get them reliably is to draft high. Story continues Lets, then, go with the theory that ownership actually got onboard with the idea of tanking as much as possible. That would, to an extent, explain some of these mystifying summer signings; if you want to be bad for three or four years while some higher-end young guys like Boeser, Quinn Hughes, or Elias Petterson age into their early and mid-20s, and you gotta get to the cap floor, then giving Jay Beagle that horrible contract is one way to do it. Im not sure you needed to make that kind of monetary or time-based commitment to do it, but hey, alright. Thats, frankly, what should be done with this team, because pushing for playoff competition at a time when Alex Edler is your No. 1 defenseman and Sven Baertschi is probably your top-line left winger tells you a lot about what a difficult (see also: impossible) job that would end up being. This was a Canucks team that finished only three points ahead of a Coyotes team that was hit pretty hard by injury (at least to important players like Antti Raanta and like half the defense) last season while Vancouver had the freaking Sedins. No one in any hockey front office, no matter how delusional, could possibly think this was a playoff team, and if Linden wanted to speed up the rebuild process, then hes the kind of guy you reasonably couldnt have around the club. The other option, though, is that you could interpret Lindens mutual decision and Aquilinis tweets to be a little less forgiving to the ownership group. Aquilini has, again, long tried to promote the idea that this was (and perhaps is) a better team than any reasonable reading of it would otherwise show, and moreover that fans wouldnt sit through a rebuild. The idea some in Vancouver have pushed, which hasnt been observed at the national level, is that Linden was the one who, wisely, wanted to be more patient with the rebuild. Theres a way to read Aquilinis tweet about rebuilding that its long and slow and everyone needs to be on the same page as being about how the team couldnt reasonably afford to do that at a time when it has a few exciting young players who could be game-changers for the franchise. That would certainly be more in line with how the Canucks have operated at Aquilinis orders in the past, so Im a little more inclined to believe the second scenario than the first. The idea that Linden would be the obstructionist in a rebuild effort here is laughable, especially because ownership seemed intent on undercutting Linden in recent months. It has already been revealed Jim Benning has been reporting directly to ownership since signing his extension, meaning Linden was something of an obstacle to go around in the front office, and wasnt signing off on hockey decisions like those awul UFA signings. And if thats the case, then yeah, it makes sense for Linden to pack up his office and tell the team to get bent. Like I said, anyone whos not delusional sees this Canucks team as being pretty rotten, so the question now is which side here Linden or ownership is the delusional one. Given past evidence, cant we reasonably land on the side of Aquilini wanting to be competitive again as quickly as possible? And if so, that seems like its bad news for an organization that has had too much of it for too long under this group to begin with. Ryan Lambert is an NHL columnist for Yahoo Sports. His email is here and his Twitter is here. All stats via Corsica unless noted otherwise. Some questions in the mailbag are edited for clarity or to remove swear words, which are illegal to use. More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports: By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump accused Twitter Inc on Thursday of restricting the visibility of prominent U.S. Republicans, without providing evidence, and the avid user of the social media platform promised to investigate. Trump accused the company of targeting fellow Republicans with a practice dubbed "shadow banning," limiting the visibility of a Twitter user including in the platform's auto-populated dropdown search box. Twitter denied "shadow banning" anyone. Twitter shares, already lower in pre-market trading after Facebook Inc's disappointing earnings late on Wednesday dampened enthusiasm for technology and social media stocks, were down around 3 percent on Thursday morning. "Twitter 'SHADOW BANNING' prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once!" Trump wrote in a Twitter post. It was not clear whether Trump planned to ask federal regulators to investigate. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Twitter did not comment directly on Trump's tweet but said in a statement it does not "shadow ban." "We are aware that some accounts are not automatically populating in our search box, and we're shipping a change to address this," it said. Twitter added that the technology used is based on user behavior, not political views. Trump is a high-profile and frequent user of Twitter, offering opinions, announcing policies and often attacking adversaries. But some Trump supporters have been saying for months that Republican and conservative candidates are being stifled on social media. Trump's tweet followed a Vice news report on Wednesday that Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and other Republicans including the president's son Donald Trump Jr.'s spokesman were being "shadow banned." "The notion that social media companies would suppress certain political points of view should concern every American. Twitter owes the public answers to what's really going on," McDaniel wrote on Twitter. Story continues Twitter instituted a policy change on July 12 to increase the service's credibility and reduce suspected fraud. That change cost its 100 most popular users about 2 percent of their followers, on average, according to social media data firm Keyhole. The change, former example, cost Democratic former President Barack Obama 2 million followers by the morning after the change and singers Katy Perry and Justin Bieber each lost 3 million, the Washington Post reported, citing analytics company Twitter Counter. The report said Trump's account lost more than 200,000 of its 53 million followers. Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz blamed changes in Twitter policies for a drop in his following. "Our office is aware of claims that Twitter has discriminated against multiple accounts maintained by Congressman Gaetz. We are investigating the depths and impact of these serious charges," his office said in a statement. At a hearing last week before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Facebook, Google parent company Alphabet Inc and Twitter said they did not discriminate against content for political reasons. Twitter's senior strategist Nick Pickles testified that the company does not discriminate against conservatives and works to make neutral decisions. "Our purpose is to serve the conversation, not to make value judgments on personal beliefs," Pickles said. Related Video: Trump Tweet Marks New Low in Iran-US Relations Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting Diane Bartz and Mark Hosenball in Washington and Munsif Vengattil in Bangalore; Editing by Will Dunham) Demonstrator step onto a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 8, 2017 REUTERS/Omar Sobhani Gil Barndollar Security, Middle East After early escalation and record-setting bombs, President Trump is looking for a way out of Afghanistan. Can Trump Get America Out of Afghanistan? Last week the White House ordered its top diplomats to seek direct negotiations with the Taliban, the latest foreign relations about-face from an administration that seems to be specializing in them. After early escalation and record-setting bombs, President Trump is looking for a way out of Afghanistan. The Taliban is far from defeated, but negotiations may offer America a means to ending our participation in an intractable war in an irrelevant country. Earlier this month, during a surprise trip to Kabul, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the claim that the Taliban cannot wait us out. Evidence suggests otherwise. The Taliban are not losing on the battlefield. Though American troop levels are up 25 percent since 2016 and we are dropping more bombs in the country than at any time since 2013, the war remains in a stalemate. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) recently concluded that 43 percent of Afghanistans districts are under Taliban control or contested, a number unchanged since November 2016. Even that assessment may be optimistic: the Long War Journal thinks that 49 percent of Afghanistans districts are contested, and another 9.5 percent are under Taliban control. Afghan opium poppy cultivation set a record in 2017, and may do so again this year. Kabul is under constant attack. When Gen. Rashid DostumAfghanistans First Vice Presidentreturned home on Sunday, a suicide bomber killed twenty people, nine of whom were part of Dostums security detail. The vaunted ring of steel around the capital is ineffective, with regular bombings and attacks in Kabul by the Taliban, Haqqani Network and ISIS-K (Islamic StateKhorasan Province). Afghan government troops cannot even secure the two-mile road from the airport to the U.S. embassy. Story continues The current U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Austin Miller, is the seventeenth man to hold that job. His more celebrated predecessors have nearly all retired, yet the war is in no better shape than when they led it. U.S. officers have dutifully recycled paeans to the growing readiness and proficiency of Afghan troopsbut the security situation from Kabul to Kandahar makes this praise ring hollow. The heavily-hyped deployment of the first U.S. Army Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) does not appear to have moved the needle much. The vetting of their partnered Afghan forces slowed the brigades operations initially. Despite these onerous force protection requirements, designed to prevent insider attacks, the 1st SFABs Cpl. Joseph Maciel was killed by a disaffected Afghan soldier on July 7, 2018. President Trump approved a modest surge of forces in Afghanistan towards the end of 2017, reversing a campaign pledge to pull U.S. troops out of the country. He now seems to have buyers remorse, and has asked for the umpteenth strategy review of the war. The president has had harsh words for Pakistan, the Talibans patron and sanctuary. There has been no evidence that the Pakistanis have changed their position, however. Pakistan is likely to be even more solicitous of the Taliban if cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party win the Pakistani election this week. Clearly, continuing to think we will attrite the Taliban into submission is foolish. The only war weariness on display in Afghanistan has been that of civilians, like the men who walked 400 miles from Helmand to Kabul last month to demand peace. Despite all of these grim realities, the Taliban has reasons to want peaceat least temporarily. Though it is able to intimidate local leaders and attack government forces in much of the country, the insurgency is unable to take and hold even a small city like Kunduz. When Taliban forces mass, they are inevitably devastated by U.S. firepower. The Talibans senior and mid-level leadership has been decimated by U.S. drones and special operations raids, even in the supposed safe haven of Pakistans tribal area. A rare short ceasefire for Eid last month has also provided a glimmer of hope. In what has become a hallmark of the Trump administrations approach to foreign relations, U.S. officials have been told to begin negotiations without any preconditions. Previously, the United States had insisted that the negotiations must be between the Taliban and the Afghan government. We now seem to have a consensus in favor of negotiation. President Trump, his generals and Afghan president Ashraf Ghani all appear to be in favor of at least sitting down with the Taliban. Are we seeking a real settlement in Afghanistan, or just Vietnam-style peace with honor and a decent interval to allow our remaining troops to withdraw? With this administration, it is anyones guessbut the latter goal seems most likely. Negotiations with North Korea and NATO have been empty public relations triumphs, with the underlying issues unresolved. Yet declare victory and go home is exactly what we should aim for. As some suggested at the time, we should have done just that after killing Osama bin Laden in 2011. The money and lives spent since then have achieved nothing. It is hard to credit our continued presence in Afghanistan to anything more than inertia and the refusal of American leaders to countenance losing a war on their watch. Should negotiations yield a long-term ceasefire and a window for a U.S. withdrawal, President Trump should leap at the chance to bring the remaining 14,000 American troops home. There are other actors in the regionRussia and Iran foremost among themwho have a vested interest in keeping the Taliban from dominating Afghanistan. If Afghanistan does revert to the control of a hostile theocracy, we retain the ability to return and punish or even overthrow a regime as quickly as we did in 2002. U.S. security policy in Afghanistan should be governed by butcher and bolt, not you break it, you buy it. Our war in Afghanistan has lasted longer than American participation in World War I, World War II and Vietnam combined. If President Trump can use negotiations with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops with even a modicum of saved face, he should take it. Gil Barndollar is the Director of Middle East Studies at the Center for the National Interest. He served as a U.S. Marine infantry officer from 2009 to 2016, deploying to Afghanistan, the Republic of Georgia, Guantanamo Bay and the Persian Gulf. Image: Demonstrator step onto a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 8, 2017 REUTERS/Omar Sobhani Read full article Cohen is thought to be cooperating with the Russia investigation after becoming embroiled in inquiries over hush money - REUTERS Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said that Mr Trump knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower at which Russians offered to provide damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to reports. CNN and NBC, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, said Cohen is willing to make that assertion to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the US 2016 presidential campaign. Mr Trump again denied knowledge of the meeting in a string of tweets early on Friday morning. "I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr," he said. Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump's new lawyer said on Thursday Cohen "could not be believed". Referring to the Mueller investigation, he added: "If they rely on him ... it would destroy whatever case they have." 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 adult film star Stormy Daniels, who has claimed she had a sexual encounter with Trump, and other matters related to Trump's campaign, a person familiar with the investigation has told Reuters. .....I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillarys lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018 Cohen has not been charged with any crime. Trump has denied having had an encounter with Daniels. Previously Trump has denied knowing in advance that the Trump Tower meeting was going to take place, and he has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Moscow has denied meddling in the election. Story continues Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, along with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior campaign aide Paul Manafort took part in the meeting with Nataliya Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer and acknowledged Kremlin informant. Donald Trump Jr told investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that he did not tell his father about the meeting beforehand, according to documents released by the committee. Profile | Michael Cohen Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for the Trump Organization and Donald Trump Jr, told Reuters, "Donald Trump Jr has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr Trump, Jr, and on his behalf." Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His attorney Lanny Davis declined to comment. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for Manhattan federal prosecutors, also declined to comment. The US Department of Justice plans to continue fighting the case: AP A US federal judge has rejected Donald Trumps bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of unconstitutionally accepting gifts. The suit alleges Mr Trump has violated clauses of the US constitution, which bar elected officials from receiving gifts of any kind from foreign and domestic governments. Karl Racine, District of Columbia attorney general, and Brian Frosh, Maryland attorney general, filed a lawsuit against Mr Trump in June last year, alleging the presidents business entanglements are in violation of the US constitution. The lawsuit alleges the presidents connection to the Trump Organisation and the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, has violated the emoluments clause since foreign and domestic government officials have stayed at his luxury hotel in the US capital. In Wednesdays 52-page decision, district judge Peter Messitte rejected Mr Trumps cramped view that emoluments were limited essentially to bribes. Mr Messitte said the plaintiffs had convincingly argued that emoluments had a broader meaning, consistent with how even George Washington used the term in a 1776 proclamation. The clear weight of the evidence shows that an emolument was commonly understood by the founding generation to encompass any profit, gain, or advantage, Mr Messitte wrote. The Department of Justice, which defended Mr Trump, is determining its next steps to continue vigorously defending the president, spokesman Andy Reuss said. We continue to maintain that this case should be dismissed. Mr Racine countered in a statement: Todays historic ruling is a substantial step forward to ensure President Trump stops violating our nations original anti-corruption laws. The constitution is clear: the president cant accept money or other benefits from foreign or domestic governments. He added: We sued because this corruption is taking place in our backyard, and because 325 million Americans shouldnt have to wonder if the president is putting his personal financial interests ahead of the national interest. Story continues The lawsuit also claims the Trump International Hotel has put competing hotels in the area at a disadvantage. Reuters contributed to this report President Donald Trump on Friday denied having prior knowledge of his sons highly scrutinized 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer, the latest in a string of conflicting explanations for what and when he knew about the encounter. Trumps comments came a day after CNN reported that his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen had claimed that the president knew in advance that Donald Trump Jr. met with Natalia Veselnitskaya in an effort to get incriminating information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Though Trump has repeatedly sought to distance him from the problematic meeting, his and his teams statements on what he knew have morphed considerably over time. The discrepancies have drawn increased attention as special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign heats up. Heres how the presidents claims have evolved over the past year. Trump said he didnt draft his sons initial statement about the meeting After the New York Times in July 2017 first exposed the meeting, Trump Jr. claimed its sole purpose was to discuss American adoptions of Russian children (which Russian President Vladimir Putin banned in 2012). A day later, though, the first son admitted in a highly publicized statement that he met with Veselnitskaya after being offered dirt on Clinton. According to the Times, Trump himself signed off on his sons initial statement on the meeting. Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow, however, repeatedly denied that the president was involved at all. He was involved in drafting the statement but didnt personally dictate it Later last July, the Washington Post reported that Trump had personally dictated Trump Jr.s statement. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to the story by acknowledging that the president had actually been involved in drafting the statement while insisting that the president did not personally dictate it. Story continues Trumps legal team said that he personally dictated the statement In a Jan. 29 memo to Mueller, Trumps attorneys John Dowd and Sekulow contradicted Huckabee Sanders by saying the president had indeed dictated Trump Jr.s statement. The Times published a copy of that letter in June. Trump acknowledged that the initial statement was misleading, but said it didnt matter because it was prepared for the Times. Thats not a statement to a high tribunal of judges, Trump said two weeks after the letter was made public. Thats a statement to the phony New York Times. Related... Trump Lawyers Reveal He 'Dictated' Misleading Statement On Son's Russian Meeting Lawyer In Trump Tower Meeting Had Closer Ties To Russian Officials Than She Let On Michael Cohen Says Trump Knew About Trump Tower Meeting With Russians In Advance: CNN Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Tim Cook Trump White House/Shealah Craighead President Donald Trump said that Apple planned to build new plants in the United States in a speech at the White House touting the economy on Friday. Apple has not announced plans to build factories in the United States. Trump says Apple's investment in the United States was made possible by the tax reform passed in December. President Donald Trump again said that Apple planned to build "new plants" in the United States in a speech touting the economy on Friday. Apple has not announced plans to build factories in the United States, but its top manufacturing partner, Foxconn, recently cut the ribbon on a $10 billion facility in Wisconsin. "Apple alone is bringing in $230 billion and theyre building new plants, theyre building a magnificent campus, theyre gonna be spending their money very wisely, but theyre spending it in our country, not in some other country," Trump said in a speech on the White House South Lawn. "That was made possible by the new tax cut and reform plan," he continued. Apple earlier this year said it could bring back the majority of its $252 billion in cash it held abroad thanks to the new tax code that Trump signed into law in December. Part of the new tax code allowed for a one-time repatriation of cash held abroad at a lower tax rate than previously possible. Apple paid $38 billion in taxes when it repatriated its foreign holdings. In January, Apple announced that it would spend $350 billion in the United States over the next five years, and build a new campus. The location of that campus hasn't yet been announced. This isn't the first time Trump has said Apple plans to build manufacturing in the United States. In January 2017 he said that he spoke to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who he said committed to build "three big plants" in the United States. Story continues Cook met with Trump at the White House in April. According to Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Counsel, the two businessmen discussed building plants in the United States, trade, and tax reform. Cook later said that he told Trump that he believed that tariffs were "not the right approach." Apple is strongly against Trump's trade tariffs on goods from China, which could affect Apple products like the Apple Watch. "I don't think that iPhone will get a tariff on it," Cook said in June. Apple has not commented on Trump's claim that it plans to build plants in the United States. It didn't respond to a request for comment on Friday. Watch the entire speech below: Youtube Embed: //www.youtube.com/embed/pSPOl2VulIQ?ecver=1 Width: 806px Height: 453px NOW WATCH: Everything wrong with Android See Also: By Roberta Rampton and Denis Pinchuk WASHINGTON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he wanted U.S. President Donald Trump to be his guest in Moscow, an idea that the White House welcomed despite lingering criticism over the Helsinki summit. The Russian leader said on a visit to South Africa for an economic conference that "appropriate conditions" were required in both countries for another summit to take place, an apparent reference to a political uproar in the United States last week after the two men met. The White House said Trump was enthusiastic about another summit. Trump has said he wants to improve ties between the two nuclear powers, whose relations have dipped to a post-Cold War low in recent years. "President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Separately, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he was considering the possibility of the first talks in years between the defense chiefs of the United States and Russia. Mattis said there had been no decision. Trump was criticized at home for failing to confront Putin publicly over Moscow's interference in the 2016 U.S. election, and for seeming to contradict his own intelligence agencies on the threat from Russia. Trump has defended his conduct. The White House said no agreements were reached in the one-on-one meeting with Putin other than having national security teams meet. No policy changes came out of the summit, Mattis said on Friday, adding he had also not been given new direction on Syria. Moscow's military support starting in 2015 of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the election have soured relations. Russia is under punitive sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union and wants them lifted. Putin told reporters on Friday: "We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries" for more U.S.-Russia summits. Putin went on to say Russia was ready to greet Trump in Moscow. "Be my guest. He has such an invitation, I told him that." Following the backlash in the United States over Trump's cordial public tone with Putin in Helsinki, U.S. and Russian officials backed away from Trump's proposal to schedule a follow-up meeting in Washington in the fall. The White House on Wednesday postponed that invitation until next year, when a federal investigation of Russian election interference could be finished. The last time Trump was in the Russian capital was as a private citizen in 2013 to attend a Miss Universe beauty pageant. That visit surfaced in the FBI investigation of Russian election activities in the form of a dossier containing allegations that Trump had spent time with Russian prostitutes there. Trump has denied the allegations. Efforts by both Trump and Putin to achieve detente have been fiercely resisted by U.S. lawmakers, including some in Trump's own Republican Party, accusing him of being too friendly toward Putin, whom they consider an adversary of the United States. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Moscow waged an influence campaign to help Trump win the White House by hacking into Democratic Party computers and using fake social media accounts to denigrate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump, whose advisers have warned him Russia continues its interference in the run-up to congressional elections in November, met with his national security aides on Friday to discuss election security. A White House statement said the meeting addressed threats to elections "from malign foreign actors" and efforts on providing cyber security assistance to state and local authorities. Trump has repeatedly denied his campaign colluded with Russia and has characterized the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a witch hunt. Trump is infuriated by any suggestion he might owe his election victory to Russia. Trump on Friday denied knowing in advance about a 2016 meeting his son Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign staff had at Trump Tower with a group of Russians who offered damaging information on Clinton. A CNN report said his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen planned to tell Mueller that Trump did know of the meeting. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Grant McCool; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Jonathan Oatis) Andrew Brunson, on trial for alleged espionage, was released due to health issues after US policymakers threatened sanctions Andrew Brunson, center, in Izmir, Turkey, on 25 July. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images An American pastor whose imprisonment for more than 600 days has tested relations between the US and Turkey has been released from jail and placed under house arrest, in an apparent concession to repeated demands by American policymakers who called the mans detention a disgrace and threatened sanctions against Ankara. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, welcomed Andrew Brunsons release from prison but said the decision did not go far enough. We welcome long overdue news that Pastor Brunson has been moved from prison to house arrest in #Turkey, but it is not enough, Pompeo tweeted. We have seen no credible evidence against Mr. Brunson, and call on Turkish authorities to resolve his case immediately in a transparent and fair manner. A Turkish court in the city of Izmir said it was releasing Brunson, who was detained in October 2016, to his home due to health issues. He is on trial over allegations of espionage on behalf of Kurdish insurgents and the Fethullah Gulen network, a movement that is widely believed to have orchestrated a coup attempt in 2016. The trial, which is dominated by secret witness testimony, has been repeatedly condemned as farcical by US officials and other monitors. Brunsons release had been widely expected earlier this month after Donald Trump praised Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of a Nato summit, leading to speculation that the pastor might be released at a 18 July hearing. But the court refused to release him, provoking a condemnation from Trump, who described the continued incarceration as a disgrace. A total disgrace that Turkey will not release a respected U.S. Pastor, Andrew Brunson, from prison. He has been held hostage far too long. @RT_Erdogan should do something to free this wonderful Christian husband & father. He has done nothing wrong, and his family needs him! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018 Turkish prosecutors are seeking a maximum prison sentence of 35 years for the pastor, who has led a congregation in Turkey for years, and the court has imposed a travel ban on him. Story continues Brunsons detention has been sticking point in relations between Ankara and Washington, which have suffered due to disagreements over US policy in Syria and court cases targeting Turks and Americans in both countries. Congress has considered imposing sanctions on Turkey over its detention of Brunson, including barring the sale of F-35 fighter jets. Washington (AFP) - Twitter shares took a pounding on Friday after it reported a decline in its user base, extending a stock market bloodbath for what had been a sizzling social media sector. Shares in Twitter tumbled 20.5 percent to close at $34.12 despite a record profit for the short messaging service, as financial markets focused on the new realities for social media firms moving to curb abusive behavior and boost privacy. The woes for Twitter came a day after Facebook lost an unprecedented $120 billion in market value following its earnings report that sent investors into a panic over cooling growth for the social network star. Twitter said it posted a best-ever profit of $100 million in the second quarter, following a loss of $116 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 24 percent to $711 million. But the San Francisco-based firm said its base of monthly active users fell by one million from the past quarter to 335 million in the period amid a purge of fake and abusive accounts and a crackdown on toxic "bots." Twitter said it also expected user numbers to drop in the current quarter by a figure in the "mid-single-digit millions." The fall in users is a result of "prioritizing the health of the platform, and, to a lesser extent, GDPR," Twitter said, referring to Europe's General Data Protection Regulations that limit how internet firms can handle user data. - Wall Street 'off guard' - Analyst Daniel Ives at GBH Insights said markets have abruptly begun to consider "a new risk factor that has been introduced" -- how security and privacy affects the bottom line. "It got the Street off guard in terms of the magnitude of the effect it had on earnings," Ives said. Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who specializes in social media, said the market is coming to grips with a tougher picture for the sector as companies seek to curb manipulation and abusive conduct while coping with new regulations on privacy and data protection. Story continues "What you're seeing is a market correction as the industry adjusts for increased operational expenses as governance and ethical business expectations have been raised globally," she said. "Social media is not going anywhere. What has changed is that the public and regulators are no longer buying into (the) rhetoric and myths that social media is too big to moderate." Chief executive Jack Dorsey said the past quarter's results reflect investments "in the long-term health" of Twitter, noting efforts to weed out abusive and inappropriate behavior. "We'll continue to invest heavily in making Twitter a healthier place because that's the right thing to do," Dorsey told analysts on a conference call. - New tools to fight abuse - Dorsey noted that Twitter is investing in "new tools to address problem behaviors that distort and distract from the public conversation." In recent weeks, Twitter has stepped up efforts to weed out accounts that promote violence or hate speech, and some reports suggested the move could lower the user base by millions. Earlier this week, Twitter said it had removed more than 143,000 apps from its service since April in a fresh crackdown on "malicious" activity from automated accounts. Twitter shares had more than doubled over the past year as it showed signs of sustaining profitability after years of losses. But a lingering concern has been the stalled user base, with Twitter struggling to move beyond its core group of celebrities, journalists and politicians. Both Twitter and Facebook moved to crack down on bots and fake accounts after learning of efforts to manipulate the social platforms during the 2016 US presidential election. Dorsey told analysts that Twitter had a "solid quarter" and suggested that daily usage was a better measure of its future growth. Twitter said daily active users rose 11 percent from a year ago, without giving a specific figure. Analysts say Twitter has been on a more sustainable track a year after it explored a sale of the company, although its user base is far below that of the 2.2 billion of Facebook and the billion-plus for Facebook-owned Instagram. But some say Twitter's unique position as a real-time network that allows users to follow news and events will eventually pay off. Brian Wieser at Pivotal Research Group said efforts to curb fake accounts "should be viewed positively because these efforts improve Twitter's position with regulators and with advertisers, who see the user base as higher quality when purges occur." RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney said in an upbeat note this week that Twitter is "one of the largest and most influential social networks" and provides "meaningful value to users." Related Video: Media is All-Consuming, Immediate And Affecting Our Brains Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has not instituted a policy of regime change or collapse in Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday, saying the goal was still to curb what Washington sees as Iran's threatening behavior in the Middle East. Mattis made his comments after days of back-and-forth bellicose rhetoric between Iranian and U.S. officials, with President Donald Trump promising dire consequences for Iran if it continues to make threats toward the United States. Asked at the Pentagon whether the Trump administration had instituted a policy of regime change or collapse toward Iran, Mattis said, "There's none that's been instituted." "We need them to change their behavior on a number of threats that they can pose with their military, with their secret services, with their surrogates and with their proxies," Mattis told reporters during an off-camera briefing. Mattis' remarks were the most detailed by a senior administration official about U.S. policy toward Iran following high-level discussions at the White House on Thursday that included the topic of Iran. Since Trump's decision in May to withdraw the United States from a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, Tehran's clerical establishment has been under increasing U.S. pressure and the prospect of possible sanctions. As the tensions simmered, an Australian media report appeared to suggest military action was imminent, saying Australian officials believed Washington was prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear capability as early as next month. Mattis on Friday dismissed the report as "fiction." "I'm confident that it's not something that's being considered right now," Mattis told reporters, speaking at an on-camera event earlier in the day. Washington aims to force Tehran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups in the Middle East, where Iran is involved in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria. While the United States is pushing countries to cut all imports of Iranian oil beginning in November, Iran has warned of counter-measures and has threatened to block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are halted. The week of heated rhetoric between Washington and Tehran that was kicked off by a warning from Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday that hostile U.S. policies could lead to "the mother of all wars." On Sunday night, Trump said in a Twitter posting written in all capital letters directed at Rouhani: "Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before. We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence & death. Be cautious!" The harsh words evoked memories of Trump's warnings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last year over his nuclear weapons program, which raised fears of a major conflict. Those concerns have eased following a June summit between Trump and Kim. Still, analysts warn that Iran is a far different challenge, and that stiff U.S. rhetoric could harden Iranian resolve. Iran's Guards commanders have threatened to destroy U.S. military bases across the Middle East and target Israel, which Iran refuses to recognize, within minutes of being attacked. On Thursday, Major-General Qassem Soleimani, who heads the Quds Force of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, warned Trump, "We are near you, where you can't even imagine." (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Will Dunham) London (AFP) - Britain has suspended cooperation with the United States over two Islamic State terror suspects, the government announced Friday, following concerns that they could face the death penalty. Britain said Monday it was sharing intelligence to help the United States bring to trial two fighters captured in Syria, who were part of a group of British jihadists nicknamed the "Beatles". But Home Secretary Sajid Javid, the interior minister, faced intense criticism after agreeing to share intelligence without seeking assurances the men would not face execution if they were extradited. The Home Office said it had agreed to a "short-term pause" of the mutual legal assistance process with the US over Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh after a request from lawyers acting for one of the men. "We received a request from the legal representative of the family of one of the suspects to pause the MLA response," a spokesman said. "We have agreed to a short-term pause. The government remains committed to bringing these people to justice and we are confident we have acted in full accordance of the law and within the government's longstanding MLA policy." On Monday, Security Minister Ben Wallace told MPs that a British trial was unlikely for the pair, who were seized earlier this year by US-backed Syrian forces. He also said the pair were not British citizens, without giving further details. News reports had said that the government had unusually stripped them of their nationality. Kotey and Sheikh were part of a four-member kidnapping gang within the Islamic State group dubbed "The Beatles" by their captives due to their heavy British accents. The cell is also believed to have included Mohammed Emwazi -- known as "Jihadi John" -- who was killed in an air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey. They were notorious for videotaping beheadings and are believed to have killed US journalist James Foley and many Western aid workers. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces caught Kotey in January as he tried to flee Syria for Turkey, while a US defence official said in February that Sheikh had also been captured by Syrian rebel forces. WASHINGTON Despite unresolved allegations that he ignored sexual abuse when he was a coach at Ohio State University, Rep. Jim Jordan officially announced his intention to run for House speaker on Thursday. In a two-page Dear Colleague letter to fellow members of Congress, the Ohio Republican criticized the current GOP leadership as weak and undisciplined while ignoring his own ongoing scandal involving his time as an Ohio State wrestling coach. Some former players say he and other university officials did not do enough to stop a team doctor who is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of athletes. Jordan has cast those allegations as a partisan witch hunt, noting that CNN has contacted more than 100 former staff and interns looking for information. How can you ever trust such #fakenews? Jordan tweeted, referring to the networks reporting. But with the scandal dying down more recently, Jordan seems to feel his chances of being speaker in the 116th Congress are not shot, even though the hard-right Republican would find it extremely difficult to get the required majority on the House floor. On top of the Ohio State sex abuse scandal, the former Freedom Caucus chairman has been in the news recently for his efforts along with 10 other conservatives to impeach Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Jordans antagonistic instincts have given him quite the divisive reputation in Congress, with some Republicans loving the personally affable six-term congressman and some more moderate Republicans finding him unbearable. Jordan was one of the harshest critics of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, even offering his own report with fellow Benghazi committee member (and now Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo after both felt other Republicans on the committee were too favorable to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Jordan has more recently taken to criticizing special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and questioning the FBIs basis for investigating the Trump campaign. Story continues While the ardently religious Jordan wasnt a natural ally of Donald Trump, he has fallen in line with the president. His campaign for speaker seems to rely heavily on Republicans learning the lessons of Trump. In November 2016, voters resoundingly rejected the status quo in Washington by electing an out-of-the-box Republican to drain the swamp and change how this town works, Jordan wrote, neglecting to mention that Trump lost the popular vote by 2.8 million ballots. So far, President Trump has made them proud, Jordan continued, also apparently forgetting about the massive amounts of grift in Trumps Cabinet and the fact that really no aspect of Washington has changed. Leaving aside the alternate reality where voters resoundingly elected Trump and the president has made government more ethical, Jordan noted many believe Congress has let them down. You may feel differently, but I believe we have given the American people reason to question our commitment to reform, he wrote. Jordan claimed Republicans were on the verge of winning a spending battle on the omnibus appropriations bill earlier this year, but Republicans didnt even have that debate. We simply forfeited and did what the swamp always does: We gave more money to everything, he said. That part is true. Republicans and Democrats approved massive spending increases earlier this year, with Trump signaling reluctance but not opposition to the new money. (Jordan voted against the omnibus deal.) Jordan asked his colleagues in the letter: If Republicans couldnt show the discipline to hold the line on nondefense spending, how could they have the courage to fight to reduce spending on Medicare, Social Security and other entitlements? Rep. Jim Jordan will run for House speaker. (Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) Jordan then implored Republicans to test some ideas with their constituents during the Houses August break: actually repealing Obamacare, passing across-the-board welfare reform that requires able-bodied adults to work in order to get benefits, building a wall along the southern border, making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, ending taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, and enacting spending cuts to avoid a $1 trillion deficit. While those ideas are red meat for most conservatives, the suggestions are sure to make more moderate Republicans squirm, particularly those in tough re-election races. GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare are not popular in polls, particularly when voters understand that such actions would take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and as the GOP tax cuts proved Republicans care more about deficits in theory than they do in reality. But in Jordans telling, if Republicans accomplished those tasks between now and November, voters would be inspired to give us a chance to run this place again. Jordan also suggested that, when members return from August recess, Republicans should discuss changing how Congress operates, presumably referring to procedural reforms he and the Freedom Caucus used to champion, like more open floor procedures to allow for more votes on bills and amendments. Jordan also mentioned a complete shake-up of how committee chairmen are selected. That idea will likely excite some Republicans but draw opposition from a lot of other members. Still, Jordan noted that, if voters keep Republicans in the majority for the next Congress, the message will be to continue working with Trump and to keep the promises theyve made. If voters dont send Republicans back with another majority, of course, the message may be different, but instead of drawing a different lesson, Jordan may just run for minority leader and hope that he can win a simple majority of Republicans behind closed doors or, at least, hold a bloc of votes that will allow the Freedom Caucus to negotiate for more sway in the conference. This story has been updated with more details from Jordans letter. Related Coverage Freedom Caucus Chairman Won't Say Whether Paul Ryan Should Be Speaker Freedom Caucus Leaders Suggest Jeff Sessions Should Go GOP Leaders, Allies Defend Jim Jordan Against Claims He Knew About Ohio State Sexual Abuse Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Damascus (AFP) - A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control some 90 percent of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority over much of the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". - Western ally - The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State (IS) group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF, whose Kurdish units have pulled back. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Story continues - Cultural rights - Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and President Bashar al-Assad in late May threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. The SDF backs a federal Syria made up of autonomous cantons in the various regions, including the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh and Kobane. It has already set up cantonal administrations in areas under its control which raise their own revenues and operate their own police and other services. In a first for Syria, the SDF runs Kurdish-medium schools, although it also recognises the rights of other linguistic groups, including the Assyrian Christians. A Kurdish lawmaker who sits in the national parliament in Damascus said the talks with the SDF would focus on confining its ambitions to the cultural sphere with central government control restored in areas under its control. Damascus wanted the SDF to "facilitate the entry of the Syrian army and the return of state institutions into Kurdish-majority areas east of the Euphrates", lawmaker Omar Usi said. In return, it was offering "constitutional recognition for the Kurdish community and its cultural rights." Usi alleged that some in the SDF had grown wary of their US backers after Turkey seized Afrin. But the return of Syrian state control would still be a tough pill for the SDF to swallow as it continues to take losses in fighting with IS in desert areas close to the Iraqi border. The alliance has implemented much of the leftist ideology of its main Kurdish component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), including strict equality for women in all public offices. The Kurdish flag and images of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan are ubiquitous in SDF-held areas. There are some situations like this one (in Lincoln-Way) where the law is so clear that we typically do get quick victory on it because the school district just doesnt have a legal leg to stand on, he said. Whereas in other cases, where the facts are not as clear or there isnt a case thats directly on point, we sometimes do get pushback from school districts. Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) - A US-backed Kurdish-led alliance is holding talks in Damascus for the first time on the future of the swathe of northern Syria under its control, an alliance official said on Friday. Between them the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces control most of the country, after a series of Russian-backed victories over rebel groups in recent months saw the government reassert its authority in the south. The delegation from the SDF's political wing is discussing the future of the autonomous administrations it has set up in areas of northern and northeastern Syria under its control, the alliance official said. "A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council is paying a first official visit to Damascus at the invitation of the government," the council's Arab co-chair Riad Darar said. "We are working towards a settlement for northern Syria. "We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar said, adding that they were being held "without preconditions". The SDF controls more than 27 percent of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It holds not only Kurdish-majority areas along the northern border with Turkey but also the Arab-majority city of Raqa, made infamous by the Islamic State group as its former de facto Syrian capital. SDF fighters captured the city with support from a US-led coalition last October in their most high-profile victory of the war. The SDF has since lost the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syrian to Turkish-backed rebels, who have also threatened to seize other territory held by the alliance west of the Euphrates river. Only intervention by Washington has prevented Turkish troops from seizing the hard-won town of Manbij from the SDF. Ankara views the Kurdish-led alliance as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed rebel group that has been fighting Turkish troops since 1984. Damascus too views Kurdish aspirations with suspicion and in late May President Bashar al-Assad threatened to resort to force if necessary to prevent SDF-held areas breaking away. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Federal lawmakers demanded Wednesday that Puerto Rico quickly privatize its bankrupt power company in a bid to end its turmoil and allow others to provide stable electricity in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Frustration grew as consultants and local and federal officials testified during a hearing on the management crisis at Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority held by the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington. Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska urged the Department of Energy to set a timeline on how long it would take to privatize the U.S. territory's power company, saying that five or 10 years is "too damn long." "We are going to privatize this unit," he said. "It has been a failure. Puerto Ricans deserve better." A few hundred Puerto Ricans remain without power more than 10 months after the hurricane destroyed up to 75 percent of transmission lines. Crews are still trying to repair and rebuild the grid in the middle of this year's hurricane season as the company struggles with a high turnover, naming its fifth director since Maria. Before testimony began, Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican who is chairman of the committee, said the objective of the hearing was the health and safety of Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens. "We're not talking about federalizing anything ... or selling assets to the highest bidder," he said. The statement appeared to be a response to Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, who declined to attend the hearing. He sent a letter to Bishop saying his administration has worked hard to overhaul the company, known as PREPA, and upgrade the still fragile grid. "The transformation is a complex process, and it would be unnecessary and inappropriate for Congress to give the Department of Energy control of PREPA, effectively robbing the island of a critical resource at a perilous time for Puerto Rico," Rossello wrote. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far allocated $6 billion for Puerto Rico's electrical grid, although not all of it has been spent, officials said. Washington (AFP) - The US economy roared to life in the second quarter, posting the fastest annual growth rate in almost four years and the strongest among industrialized nations, according to government data released Friday. Gross Domestic Product expanded by an annual rate of 4.1 percent, matching analyst expectations, as Americans bought more cars and as foreign sales of oil and soybeans, which now face Chinese tariffs, gave exports the biggest boost in more than four years, the Commerce Department reported. The result showed the world's largest economy -- now valued at $20 trillion -- was in robust health, in part accelerating after the injection of stimulus and tax cuts by President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. But the preliminary growth estimate -- which will be revised as more complete data becomes available -- did not fulfill the wildest dreams of some at the White House, however, as Trump touted the possibility of growth as high as five percent. "We'll take anything with a four in front," Trump had said Thursday at an event in Iowa. The White House is counting on faster growth to pay for December's sweeping tax cuts by generating higher revenues, but economists say there is little chance such rapid expansino can be sustained on an annual basis and federal tax receipts already are plummeting. Second quarter GDP rose at the fastest pace since the 4.9 percent jump seen in the third quarter of 2014. And growth in the January-March quarter was revised up to 2.2 percent from the previous two percent estimate, according to the report. With more money in their pockets after a decade of job growth and falling unemployment, consumer spending shot up to its fastest pace since the end of 2014. Purchases of goods jumped 5.9 percent -- with the largest contribution coming from booming auto sales -- while services rose 3.1 percent. Americans spent liberally on health care, housing, utilities, restaurants and hotels, according to the Commerce Department data. Story continues Meanwhile, exports of goods leapt 13.3 percent higher, the biggest increase since the fourth quarter of 2013. But there were signs of distortion in export data due to the president's multifront trade wars. Higher exports were primarily driven by especially brisk sales of oil and soybeans as Chinese importers stockpiled US goods before Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on US exports in July. Economists say exports are due to fall in the third quarter, weighing on the economy. Meanwhile, imports rose only 0.5 percent, the smallest increase in two and a half years. Also contributing to economic growth, spending by state and local governments rose 1.4 percent. Phnom Penh (AFP) - Cambodia's strongman ruler hailed Friday the success of efforts to "eliminate traitors" at a mass rally ahead of an election without a credible opposition that will leave the country as a virtual one-party state. Tens of thousands of supporters decked in the ruling party's white and blue arrived from dawn in the centre of the capital, some on motorbikes and buses, in an impressive show of support for the Cambodia People's Party (CPP), which premier Hun Sen has led for 33 years. But it will be the only political showing of significant scale ahead of Sunday's election after the only serious opposition was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November. In typically bombastic comments, Hun Sen vowed victory on Sunday and took a swipe at his opponents, many of whom have been jailed, prodded into self-exile or have gone to ground inside the kingdom since the ruling. "Recently we took legal action to eliminate traitors who attempted to topple the government," he said of the court ruling that disbanded the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). "If we didn't eliminate them with an iron fist, maybe by now Cambodia would be in a situation of war." A pillar of Hun Sen's appeal is that he has presided over peace and a level of prosperity since the early 1990s when Cambodia emerged from decades of war and the evisceration of the Khmer Rouge years. "With the CPP we have growth, we have schools, peace... everything," said supporter Khun Bopha of a party that now presides over an economy chugging along at a growth rate of around six to seven percent. "We will have a big win on July 29." - 'Sham process' - The Supreme Court knocked out the opposition after Hun Sen accused CNRP members of plotting against the government. Rights groups, NGOs and the media were all swept up in the crackdown last year as Hun Sen quashed critical voices and challengers in the lead-up to the vote. Story continues The opposition, many of whose key members live abroad for fear of prosecution, have urged supporters to boycott the poll in a "clean finger" campaign to refuse to be inked at polling stations on Sunday. Election authorities have said calls to boycott are a "crime" and have already fined five former members of the opposition in northern Cambodia after accusing them of taking part in the anti-election campaign. The United States and the European Union have pulled assistance and monitors after challenging the credibility of the election. But staunch Cambodia ally China has stepped in to provide equipment. Cambodia has held six elections -- including the first UN-sponsored poll in 1993 -- after the country of 15 million emerged from decades of civil war. Hun Sen has cast himself as the saviour of the country from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge, even though he was a former member of the ultra-Maoist group. Twenty parties are running in the election but many are new or of obscure origins and have been widely criticised for helping legitimise the ballot by taking part. "Cambodia's election is a sham process that is designed to prolong Hun Sen's authoritarian rule and will plunge the country into further misery and repression," International Federation for Human Rights Secretary-General Debbie Stothard said in a statement Thursday. Madrid (AFP) - Some 400 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa reached Spain Thursday after storming a double barrier between Morocco and the Spanish territory of Ceuta, with some attacking security forces with quicklime, police said. The scramble over the barrier is the biggest in Ceuta since February 2017, when more than 850 migrants entered the overseas territory over four days. It comes as Spain becomes the number one destination for migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat, surpassing Italy with 19,586 arrivals so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. A spokesman for the Guardia Civil police force in Ceuta told AFP the migrants managed to climb over the double barrier, which is covered in small blades, early on Thursday morning. They scrambled over "all of a sudden, with much violence," and some attacked police with quicklime they had in tubes and bottles. As a result, "more than a dozen police" were injured, four of whom had to go to hospital for burns in the face and arms. Isabel Brasero, spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said they had to attend to 30 migrants with injuries, none serious. Eleven of them were taken to hospital for stitches and possible fractures, she added. She said that after they had climbed over the barrier, they ran to the centre that houses migrants once they arrive in Spanish territory. Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish territory on Morocco's northern border, have the EU's only land borders with Africa, which is why many migrants try to reach them. A Japanese city has been left fighting off wannabe ninjas after a news report on local labour shortages that suggested it wanted to hire the traditional assassins went viral. The western city of Iga was featured in a report by American radio station NPR this month about Japan's depopulation and labour shortage problems. The report said Iga was trying to capitalise on its history as home to ninjas by building a new museum focused on the warriors, but was struggling to hire staff, including ninja performers. In its reporting, NPR said ninja performers in Japan can earn anywhere between $23-85,000 a year. But a number of copycat reports by other media or viral sites went with less nuanced headlines such as: "This town in Japan will pay you an $85,000 salary to train as a ninja". By Wednesday, at least 115 aspiring assassins had contacted the city and its local tourism association, puzzled Iga officials said. Would-be warriors from at least 14 countries had been in touch, they added. "Iga didn't put out information about 'a lack of ninjas in Iga' or the 'annual income of ninjas', that is currently reported by some news sites on the Internet," the city said on its website. In a statement issued in Japanese, English and three other languages, the city tried to squelch the hopes of applicants, adding: "Please be careful about fake news." "We are just puzzled," Motoyoshi Shimai, a city official, told AFP. "So far, neither the city nor ninja performing groups here have any plans to recruit ninja performers." The official said the city's mayor had expressed "surprise at how big the impact of the word ninja is." But the viral mix-up could end up being a boon for Iga, which might not be hiring ninjas, but is hoping its association with the feudal fighters will draw more tourists. It already hosts one ninja museum, boasting a house rigged with hidden ladders, false doors and an underfloor sword box. Visitors can watch a ninja performance or rent ninja costumes. And they can even join a one-day ninja training programme -- just don't ask about job openings. Https%3a%2f%2fvdist.aws.mashable.com%2fcms%2f2018%2f7%2fe8d42539 da57 619a%2fthumb%2f00001 Getting a glimpse of Earth against the blackness of space is a transformative moment. Astronauts often say that seeing our blue planet as it appears from the void gives them a new sense of clarity when it comes to our world, humanity, and even environmentalism. SEE ALSO: Virgin Galactic's most recent test flight looks totally sci-fi in new video It looks like at least one Virgin Galactic pilot got a taste of that "overview effect" during a test flight of the company's SpaceShipTwo on Thursday. Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity, on July 26, 2018 Image: virgin galactic "Dark sky, blue glow, totally amazing; a million dollar view," Virgin Galactic pilot Michael Masucci said during the flight, which brought him and co-pilot Dave Mackay up 52 kilometers above the Earth. The Thursday test marks the third rocket-powered test flight of the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity craft, the second ship of its kind built after the first crashed in a fatal accident in 2014. For this flight, the VSS Unity hit Mach 2.4, and flew higher than it ever has before. "Having been a U2 pilot and done a lot of high altitude work, or what I thought was high altitude work, the view from 170,000 feet was just totally amazing," Masucci said in a statement. "The flight was exciting and, frankly, beautiful. We were able to complete a large number of test points which will give us good insight as we progress to our goal of commercial service." That goal could be met within the next couple of years, when Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic's founder, flies as a passenger on the first commercial flight of the VSS Unity. Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity, on July 26, 2018 Image: Virgin Galactic That said, there's still a ways to go before the VSS Unity flies its first paying customers. While 52 kilometers up is quite the height, it's still only about halfway to what is broadly defined as "space" which is thought to begin at about 100 kilometers. When Virgin Galactic does begin to fly its full flight profile, the plan is for it to take its customers to the very edge of space before bringing them back home. Story continues During that flight, passengers will see Earth against black space and feel minutes of weightlessness from suborbital space. At the moment, Virgin Galactic has sold about 700 tickets to fly at about $250,000 per seat. As youd assume, Tom Brady is an idol among New England Patriots fans. As such, dozens of babies and pets have been named in honor of the quarterback who has lead the franchise to five Super Bowl championships. But one New England-born fan took things a step further after the teams memorable win over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX. Its pretty cool Tom Brady, meet Tom and Brady: the Patriots quarterback met twins bearing his name this week at training camp. (AP) On Thursday, Brady met two young fans and their parents: 3-year-old twin boys, Thomas and Brady. Really. The adorable duo were at Patriots training camp, and spent a little time with Brady the quarterback as he came off the field after practice. Tom Brady, meet Tom and Brady. pic.twitter.com/P53vxSFKNi New England Patriots (@Patriots) July 26, 2018 We named them after you!, their father, Brian Caffyn, told Brady. How sweet, Brady said, rubbing one of the boys on his head. Its pretty cool. They exchanged some high fives, with Brady doing the classic too slow! prank on the third. Named upon delivery The Caffyns told the Patriots website that Brian and his wife, Grace, hadnt discussed names before the boys were born. But in the operating room in April 2015, Caffyn had an epiphany. Literally, in the operating room, Brian said, This is Tom, Baby A, and Baby B is Brady, Grace said. A native of South Windsor, Conn. who has lived abroad for over 20 years, Brian Caffyn was in the stands for Super Bowl XLIX. Still inspired by Bradys comeback against the Seahawks defense two months later, he knew who the boys should be named after. I liked both names, Caffyn said. I have an Uncle Tom and a good friend Brady, so I always liked the names and I thought, Well, what the heck! Were living halfway across the world, so its not like anyones going to necessarily put it together. The family currently lives in Hong Kong. But the Patriots names didnt stop there: Brady Caffyns middle name is Edelman, as in Julian Edelman, who caught what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. (Thomas middle name is Killian, chosen by his mom.) Story continues I have a buddy whos a Pittsburgh fan so he was like, I cant believe you did that!, Brian said. Its pretty funny. When people put it together they get a really good chuckle out of it. Theyre usually pretty shocked. Makes you wonder if there are any twins in greater Philadelphia named Nick and Foles More from Yahoo Sports NFL: Malcolm Jenkins: Jerry Jones is a bully Paylor: Chiefs Andy Reid finds kindred spirit in Patrick Mahomes 2018 Previews: No. 4 Eagles are now the hunted Titans make Taylor Lewan highest-paid offensive lineman ever One of the central figures in the Watergate scandal that took down President Richard Nixon has a warning for President Donald Trump. John Dean, the White House counsel to Nixon who ultimately cooperated with prosecutors, said Trump could be in big trouble if longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen flips and helps special counsel Robert Mueller. I dont think it is boding well for the president, Dean told CNN. Its clear, as I read the situation, that Michael Cohen is looking for a deal and he is upping the stakes. "When I became a witness there was a huge effort to discredit me. It was just my word against Nixon's until the tape came out." -John Dean, who served as WH Counsel to Pres. Nixon during Watergate, weighs in on report Cohen claims Trump knew in advance of 2016 Trump Tower meeting pic.twitter.com/PXrzjwnSS2 CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) July 27, 2018 Earlier this week, Cohen released a secret recording of himself and Trump from 2016, which prompted attacks on the attorney from the president and his supporters. Thats a situation Dean knows well. When I became a witness, there was a huge effort to discredit me, Dean said on CNN. It was just my word against Nixons until the tape came out, and they worked mightily to try to discredit me. Dean, who the FBI once called the master manipulator of the Watergate cover-up, has long been critical of Trump. Related... Michael Avenatti Tells Colbert: 'Moron' Michael Cohen Will Be Arrested, Then Flip On Trump Michael Cohen Removes Trump Affiliation From Twitter And LinkedIn Trump Responds To Release Of Secret Michael Cohen Tape Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. President Trump got the big number he was looking for this week, when the government announced the economy grew by 4.1% in the second quarter. Trump has promised to boost GDP growth above 3% on a sustained basis, and his hope for the second quarter was anything with a four. He got his wish. Trump also seemed to back down on his trade threats this week, after a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. While there was nothing concrete, Trump and Juncker laid out areas of cooperation, with a goal of lowering tariffs on goods going both ways between Europe and the United States. They also said theyd team up to combat trade abuses by an unnamed country that can only be China. It was a good week for the economy, which is why our weekly Trump-o-meter reads BIGLY, our second highest score. Source: Yahoo Finance Strong GDP growth reflected both real momentum in the underlying economy and stimulus policies that will be temporaryand perhaps damaging down the road. On the plus side, consumer spending was up, reflecting a good job market and growing wages. Thats sustainable. Strong exports contributed to GDP growth as well, and let Trump brag about lowering the trade deficit: very dear to my heart. But thats illusory. Exports surged in the second quarter as soybean producers and others worried about trade wars raced to get goods out of the country before tariffs were likely to go into effect. That means some exports simply happened in the second quarter instead of the third, which means third-quarter exports will probably be lower. Also nudging GDP growth upward were stimulus effects from the tax cuts that went into effect at the beginning of the year and a big increase in government spending. Those effects are not sustainable. As businesses and consumers reset on account of lower tax rates, year-over-year spending hikes will dissipate. And the temporary boost in government spending will turn into a drag on the economy when that spending splurge winds down in 2019 and 2020. Story continues The tax cuts and spending hikes are swelling the governments annual deficits upward, with no sign of the increased tax revenue supply-siders say will arrive as growth improves. To some extent, strong GDP growth today is coming from borrowed money that will have to be paid back in the future. Thats leading some analysts to warn that good times may soon be here and gone. The economy is not likely to experience a sustained period of four percent growth, much less three percent, Joe Brusuelas, chief economist for investing firm RSM, wrote to clients. If one controls for the impact of the one-time increase in government spending, temporary tax boost and exports, that robust topline growth rate is closer to 3 percent. And the year-over-year growth rate is just above the long term trend of 1.8 percent. If Trumps trade wars continue or intensify, growth will suffer more. Trump may soon have to be satisfied by anything with a three, and perhaps less. Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Click here to get Ricks stories by email. Read more: Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn The south suburbs also have large wooded areas preferred by many species, such as the warblers that in the preserves around the Palos area. The region also has small lake and river habitats preferred by herons and ducks, such as at the Monee Reservoir and Hickory Creek, Bryerton said. By Khalil Ashawi MIZANAZ, Syria (Reuters) - Fearing for his life, Daman Ayed registered to be evacuated from Syria along with hundreds of other members of the White Helmets rescue service, hoping for a new life in Canada. But the 20-year-old was not among the several hundred people who were spirited out of the country last weekend over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and into Jordan. When the list of names approved for evacuation arrived, his was not on it. "They told us at midnight that the names had come. We were surprised how many names had not been approved," said Ayed. Only two of the people working at his rescue center were on the list. Instead, he joined thousands of other people boarding buses for opposition territory in northwest Syria under the terms of the rebels' surrender to the government. Many of the rescue workers and their families originally supposed to join the evacuation were not able to reach the frontier because of fighting, the White Helmets said. Of about 800 people, including about 250 White Helmets, along with 550 family members, in the plans, only about 100 rescue workers and about 300 relatives were able to cross through the Golan Heights and Jordan. However, other White Helmets, including Ayed, were never cleared for evacuation. "We sent these lists...and some names were refused and some names were accepted," said Ammar al-Selmo, a White Helmet working at the group's headquarters in Turkey. Britain, Canada and Germany were among the countries that offered resettlement and helped to arrange the evacuation. Asked why some White Helmets were not included in the evacuation plans, a British Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "This was a response to a specific and urgent situation". "We have worked, alongside our partners, to use our diplomatic channels to evacuate the maximum number of White Helmets and their families as was possible in an extremely constrained security context." German officials declined to comment. Ayed, who has arrived in the northwest along with his parents and younger brother, said he still sees leaving Syria as his best hope of surviving the war. "Regarding our departure for Canada, I consider it the only solution to save our lives," he said. IDENTIFICATION PAPERS The northwest is the last major area still held by rebels. Idlib faces frequent bombardment and President Bashar al-Assad has said it is now his target. Rescue workers with the White Helmets, which operates only in opposition-held parts of Syria, are at great risk if captured by the government, Ayed said. "Our fate is worse than that of army defectors," he said. Assad has accused the White Helmets of being an al Qaeda front, and his government says they fabricated chemical weapons attacks as a pretext for Western air strikes. The group, which receives funding from Western governments, says it is a civilian rescue organization that works under bombardment to pull people from the rubble. Adding to his fear of capture by Assad's forces, Ayed said when the army advanced into his district of the southwest this month, it seized paperwork at the White Helmets base. "The most important thing is the names and identities of the volunteers, and our special identification cards. This is what damages us the most. The papers and the names were not destroyed, but stayed as they were and are in the hands of the regime," he said. SHELLING Assad has crushed one center of the rebellion after another in recent years and last month turned to the opposition stronghold straddling Deraa and Quneitra provinces in the southwest. Air strikes were followed by ground attacks and offers of surrender in return for safe passage to northwestern Syria for any who refused to come back under government control. Ayed, who said he has been a White Helmet for 16 months, was based in Lajat, the first rebel area in Deraa to come under attack. As the army closed in, it shelled the White Helmets center and the rescue workers fled before it was captured, he said. Its 30 staff split up, heading for different parts of the remaining rebel territory. Some sought refuge in towns that were later captured by the government. "They were surrounded and their fate is unknown," he said. Ayed and his family ended up in Quneitra, near the frontier with the Golan Heights, the last patch of rebel ground in southwest Syria to surrender to the government. He worked at the White Helmets center there for several weeks. Then one evening all its rescue workers were called in for an urgent meeting. They were told to submit their names for evacuation through Israel and Jordan with the prospect of resettlement in Canada, he said. When the names came back, Ayed was not among them. (Additional reporting by Thomas Escritt in Berlin and Andrew MacAskill in London; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Angus MacSwan) It's not the coolest thing to rag on people for their spelling, but there are some people we have to hold to a higher standard. For example: the government of the most powerful nation on earth. On Friday, the White House sent out a tweet with a selection from Trump's speech earlier in the day. Of course, it wouldn't be a White House tweet if it didn't include a flagrant misspelling. SEE ALSO: Hero ruins Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star with a pickaxe They got the United States of America wrong. "If economic growth continues at this pace, THE UNITED SATES ECONOMY WILL DOUBLE IN SIZE more than 10 years faster than it would have under President Bush or President Obama," the now-deleted tweet explained. But don't worry; there's a screenshot. White House/Twitter Sigh. How hard is it for these folks to use spellcheck? That software was introduced decades ago and all you have to do is follow the red squiggly line. Not that Trump himself would know. I'm also not sure how Trump obtained those projections or what kind of economic model he was using. The country's upward economic trajectory began under Obama, not Trump, and at a speed higher than the one we're currently enjoying. Not that it matters anymore; if you can't figure out spelling, you'll never figure out math. Members of the WWEs womens division stand on stage during Monday Night Raw as Stephanie McMahon announces the Evolution pay-per-view event. (Photo courtesy of WWE) Its no secret that the pro wrestling industry is big business, and at its center stands World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). And business has never been better. In 2017, WWEs revenue rose 10%, hitting the $801 million mark, the highest in the companys history. On the July 23 episode of Monday Night Raw, the wrestling promotion made some more history. Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of WWE, announced that on October 28, the first all-women pay-per-view event will take place at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The event is aptly named Evolution. Over the past few years, WWE has gone from a male-dominated and focused company to a, well, mostly male-dominated company, but the women of WWE have been at the forefront of much of the WWEs mainstream ventures in recent years. In fact, the talk of the wrestling world four months ago was the signing of former UFC champion and Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey. Whats the reason for the shift? Did WWE just decide it wants to be on the right side of history? WWE is a publicly-traded company, and every decision made by these companies usually has dollar signs attached. Did it finally realize that there is money to be made? Or are other forces at play? Lets explore. From divas to superstars WWE and wrestling at large have featured women wrestlers for decades. But one thing was clear the goal was to cater to the male audiences with pillow fights, mud wrestling, and bra- and-panties matches being the usual fare. Now the WWE has put an emphasis on serious female wrestling. Just a few years ago WWEs female talent were referred to as divas, now the company refers to women wrestlers as superstars, the same title given to their male counterparts. It looks like having more women in the ring is starting to pay off. According to WWE, 40% of the companys fan base is female, and that number has been up over the last five years. The women of WWE are also a big merchandise draw for the company. As of March of 2018, two out of the top 10 best selling WWE T-shirts featured a female talent (Ronda Rousey). Another reason for the WWEs focus on women could be the fact that male viewership is on the decline as female viewership continues to rise. Story continues The Wrestler Observer notes that for the July 23 episode of Monday Night Raw, the female audience was more loyal and actually grew, while the male audience was the one less interested as the show went on. In women ages 18-49, the first-to-third hour growth was 10% while the male drop was 1%. With teenage girls, the first-to-third hour growth was 15% while the male drop was seven percent. The Observer also notes that the rise in female viewership is part of a consistent pattern in WWE ratings in which men have declined greatly over the years while women have stayed the same or even gained. Only the future will tell if the future really is female for WWE. But its clear that more female-focused content is something that is paying off both and socially and financially. More from Reggie Wade: WWEs event in Saudi Arabia puts the World in World Wrestling Entertainment WWEs Smackdown is looking for a lucrative deal for a new home Investing the Buffett way with pro wrestler The Progressive Liberal SANAA, Yemen (AP) Yemen's Shiite rebels say they have launched "several strikes" targeting Abu Dhabi's international airport in the United Arab Emirates. Thursday's announcement on Yemen's rebel-run Al-Masirah TV says the rebel "air force" targeted the airport using drones. On Twitter, Abu Dhabi's airport said there was an "incident involving a supply vehicle in Terminal 1 airside area of the airport." It said the incident didn't affect airport operations. The UAE is a key member of a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government and fighting to defeat the Iran-aligned rebels, known as Houthis, since March 2015. The coalition has repeatedly accused Saudi rival Iran of arming the rebels, allegations the Houthis deny. On Wednesday, the Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers prompting Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company to temporarily halt shipments. By Vibhuti Sharma and Munsif Vengattil (Reuters) - Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's fortune took an almost $16 billion hit on Thursday, as the social media giant headed for the biggest one-day wipeout in U.S. stock market history, a day after executives forecast years of lower profit margins. At least 16 brokerages cut their price targets on Facebook after Chief Financial Officer David Wehner startled an otherwise routine call with analysts by saying the company faced a multi-year squeeze on its business margins. That "bombshell", as one analyst termed it, played into concerns on Wall Street that Facebook's model could be under threat after a year that has been dominated by efforts to head off concerns over privacy and its role in global news flow. Shares fell as much as 19.6 percent to $174.78, a decline that if sustained would wipe about $124 billion off the company's value - or nearly four times the entire market capitalization of Twitter Inc. Dismal revenue, which initially pulled the stock down nearly 9 percent on Wednesday, clearly was not the end for wounded investors. "Over the next several years, we would anticipate that our operating margins will trend towards the mid-30s on a percentage basis," Wehner told the results conference call with analysts. Facebook's margin fell to 44 percent in the second quarter from 47 percent a year ago as it spent heavily on security and initiatives to convince users the company was protecting their privacy. The company also said that revenue growth from emerging markets and the company's Instagram app, which has been less affected by privacy concerns, would not be enough to repair the damage. The impact on the rest of the FAANG group of high-flying tech stocks was marginal. Shares in Alphabet were unchanged while those in Apple Inc and Netflix Inc dipped just a third of a percent. Amazon.com Inc fell 2.8 percent ahead of its own results report later on Thursday. Story continues Of 47 analysts covering Facebook, 43 still rate the stock as "buy", two rate it "hold" and only two rate it "sell". Their median target price is $219.30. MoffettNathanson analysts called the company's forecast "either the new economic reality of their business model or a very public act of self-immolation to stave off further regulatory pressure". The $15.8 billion in net worth that Zuckerberg stands to lose in the move is equal to the wealth of the world's 81st-richest person, currently Japanese businessman Takemitsu Takizaki, according to Forbes real time data. Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in recent years has trimmed, but not eliminated, the amount of Facebook shares in his clients accounts, and he said he sees the company as a three-year investment. "We own it for its leadership in the tech industry," he said. "Its the F in FAANG, but what's to say that, 10 years from now, Facebook isn't the next Myspace and something else has taken its place?" (Click https://tmsnrt.rs/2JV9APu for a graphic on Facebook's slowing revenue growth) (Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma, Munsif Vengattil and Devbrat Saha in Bengaluru and Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Robin Paxton and Patrick Graham) Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. One of the three victims of a stabbing terror attack that took place on Thursday night in the West Bank settlement of Adam succumbed to his wounds overnight and has been identified as 31-year-old Yotam Ovadia. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter His funeral will take place on Friday at 1pm in Givat Shaul Cemetery in Jerusalem. Yotam Ovadia with his wife and children Ovadia, who is survived by his wife and two sons aged two and seven months, arrived at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalems Mount Scopus in critical condition where he was treated for hours before medics were forced to declare his death. The attack took place shortly before 9pm when Mohammad Tareq Yousef, 17, from Kobar, infiltrated the settlement the through the fence, passed through a playground and stabbed two passersby. A third person who heard the commotion went out to the street and was stabbed while pulling his gun. He then shot the terrorist dead. Ovadia had suffered multiple stab wounds to his upper body, while a 58-year-old man in moderate condition also suffered stab wounds to his upper torso. A 41-year-old man who was left in light condition having sustained stab wounds to his limbs was discharged from Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the capital. (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch) The other two victims were evacuated to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalems Mount Scopus. A woman was also taken to the hospital suffering from shock. Assaf Ravid, who was lightly wounded after a brief scuffle with the terrorist before shooting him dead, recalled the incident, saying I realized it was either me or him. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) I went out for a bike ride and put the bike in the car because I was going for a ride outside the community. I always have a gun in my bag, Ravid said. I heard the shouting so I went closer to see what the commotion was and suddenly the terrorist burst toward me and I asked him why there is a fight? What is going on? He looked at me for two seconds and took out a knife from his back pocket and then stabbed me in the shoulder, he recalled. I escaped from him since my gun was in my bag. I got it out, turned around and he was standing opposite me. He realized he had no chance. I shot him once and he continued to walk in my direction so I shot him two more times. Then he fell, he said. I couldnt really see. When I approached him he was covered in blood. Then I realized there has been a terror attack. While he was pulling out the knife I realized it was either me or him. Head of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Avi Roeh said that the attack served as a stark reminder of the challenges still faced, despite the sharp decrease in the number of stabbing attacks. The terrorist Mohammad Tareq Yousef It has been relatively quiet recently but here is another reminder that the struggle for our home continues. This is a large and established community extremely close to Jerusalem. It isnt a small community far away, he said. We will continue in the way that we are goingwe will build, develop and grow the settlement enterprise, he vowed. The council will assist the community and the affected families with everything needed. We are with the community of Adam in this difficult hour. President Reuven Rivlin addressed the stabbing attack in the settlement of Adam in Binyamin on Friday. "All those who want to harm us know that we will not allow terrorism to raise its head, we will pursue and punish every murderer and those who assist them," Rivlin concluded. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman addressed on Friday the stabbing attack in the settlement of Adam on Thursday. "The best answer to terror is a settlement expansion in the West Bank. I therefore gave instructions this morning to advance a plan to build 400 housing units in the settlement of Adam and to approve the plan in the upcoming weeks," Lieberman said on his official Twitter account. The security forces interrogated overnight Friday a family of the terrorist who commited a stabbing attack in the settlement of Adam on Thursday and confiscated the family's permits. In addition, the IDF prepared the familys house for a demolition. During the operation, disturbances had been recorded in the area but no injuries were reported. Following last night's situation assessment, a blockade was imposed on the village and one of the main roads leading to it was blocked. Jones parts ways with the president when it comes to Trumps pro-Israel positions in the Middle East. He thinks it was a mistake for the United States to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. He disagrees with the approach of John Bolton, national security advisor, and the administrations rhetoric about Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed on Friday the stabbing attack in the settlement of Adam on Thursday evening. In the name of the people of Israel, I would like to send my condolences to the family of Yotam Ovadia, may his memory be blessed, who was murdered in a terror attack last night in the Adam community, Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. Yotam left behind his wife, Tal, and his two children, Harel and Itay. We are all praying for the health of the other people wounded in the attack. May Yotams memory be blessed and in our hearts forever," the prime minister concluded. Yotam Ovadia, the 31-year-old man who was killed by a Palestinian terrorist in a stabbing attack on Thursday night, was on his way to his parents house to collect items he bought for a romantic dinner he had prepared to surprise his wife to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Tu BAvsimilar to Valentine's Daywhen he was set upon by 17-year-old Mohammad Tareq Yousef. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Yotam was a humble and special man. My sister (Tal) is in shock and only now is she starting to digest it. We now have two small children who need looking after, said Oren Adari, the victims brother-in-law. Yotam and Tal Ovadia (Photo: Courtesy of the Ovadia family) Ovadia arrived at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalems Mount Scopus in critical condition where he was treated for hours before medics were forced to declare his death. We were in the north and we heard about the attack. We made our way toward Jerusalem and realized that Yotam had been wounded and that he was on the way to hospital. When we got there we realized what had happened. Adari also asked that actions taken by the IDF be dedicated to Yotam. Everything you do, all the checkpoints, arrests and guarding, dedicate it to Yotam, the emotional brother-in-law said. Ovadia is survived by his wife and two sonsHarel aged two and ten months, and Itay aged seven months. His funeral will take place on Friday at 1pm in Givat Shaul Cemetery in Jerusalem. Violence erupts during IDF activities in Kobar (Photo: AFP) The Ovadia family is known throughout the whole community, said Yaakov Ovadia, Yotams uncle. The whole family has served in the security services. At his brothers funeral, Yotam said: I thought it was my turn. This has broken us. This was a boy who was our whole world. Its hard for all of us. It is harder for the father because he was the only son he had left after all the sorrow we went through. Being a big family, we will support and help them as much as possible, he added. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed his condolences to the Ovadia family. In the name of the people of Israel, I would like to send my condolences to the family of Yotam Ovadia, may his memory be blessed, who was murdered in a terror attack last night in the Adam community, Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. Yotam left behind his wife, Tal, and his two children, Harel and Itay. We are all praying for the health of the other people wounded in the attack. May Yotams memory be blessed and ingrained in our hearts forever. President Reuven Rivlin also addressed on Friday the stabbing attack. "All those who want to harm us know that we will not allow terrorism to raise its head, we will pursue and punish every murderer and those who assist them," Rivlin concluded. Security forces carried out extensive operations overnight Thursday in the West Bank village of Kobar where Yousef lived. His family were investigated and their documents were confiscated. The family house was also mapped ahead of a planned demolition. In addition, four Palestinians were arrested and taken in for questioning. Authorities also decided to bar workers from Kobar from entering settlements in the area throughout the day. During the militarys activities, violence erupted on the streets with some 150 Palestinians throwing rocks and Molotov Cocktails, burning and rolling tires at the soldiers, who responded with riot-dispersal methods. No one was injured in the riots. Shortly before 9pm on Thursday, Yousef infiltrated Adam through the fence, passed through the settlement's playground and stabbed a 58-year-old man who was left in moderate condition and a 41-year-old man who was left in light condition. Assaf Ravid, who was lightly wounded after a brief scuffle with the terrorist before shooting him dead, recalled the incident, saying I realized it was either me or him. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) I went out for a bike ride and put the bike in the car because I was going for a ride outside the community. I always have a gun in my bag, Ravid said. I heard the shouting so I went closer to see what the commotion was and suddenly the terrorist burst toward me and I asked him why there is a fight? What is going on? He looked at me for two seconds and took out a knife from his back pocket and then stabbed me in the shoulder, he recalled. I escaped from him since my gun was in my bag. I got it out, turned around and he was standing opposite me. He realized he had no chance. I shot him once and he continued to walk in my direction so I shot him two more times. Then he fell, he said. I couldnt really see. When I approached him he was covered in blood. Then I realized there has been a terror attack. While he was pulling out the knife I realized it was either me or him. Two years ago, Avera Mengistus family transfered a video message to Hamas and on Wednesday it was published for the first time. The video along with medical documents emphasizing Mengistu's poor health have been passed to medical personnel in Gaza at the end of 2016. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Mengistu crossed the Gaza border four years ago and has since been held by Hamas. His family has received no information regarding his physical condition. According to medical sources in the Gaza Strip, the video and the documents reached the relevant parties by whom he is being held and Avera himself has apparently seen it as well. Avera Mengistu's mother (Photo: Physicians for Human Rights) Members of the Physicians for Human Rights organization passed the video along when its delegation visited the Hamas-ruled strip. The organizations representatives noted that security officials in Israel had been updated regarding the situation. In the video, Mengistu's mother and brother appeal to members of the Hamas military wing and ask for his release. How is it that the hearts of Hamas people are not aching? My son, Avera, entered the strip by mistake because of his illness. Why wont Hamas release him? For two years now I have been crying day and night. I want to see him Hamasshow me my son, release him," appealed the mother in a video. His brother also appealed to the Hamas leadership, saying the years since Averas disappearance have been heartbreaking. "I see my mother cry every day and say, 'Where is my son, Avera, who I raised with great devotion and difficulties in Ethiopia, and here in Israel as well.' She asks me every day: 'Why is he being held, what do they want to do with him? He is not a soldier, he did not intend to hurt anyone, he comes from a poor family, and I dont have an answer for her," vented the brother in a recorded video message. Ilan Mengistu (Photo: Physicians for Human Rights) In an interview with Ynet on Wednesday, Ilan further reiterated te familys disappointment at the lack of response from the Hamas organization. "The organization (Physicians for Human Rightsed) immediately informed us that the tape had reached the highest echelons in Hamas The very statement of the organization today proves unequivocally that this is a gross violation of human rights and it's important, and although were glad its been established, we are disappointed, because we expected Hamas to at least recognize the organization that provides a lot of medical assistance to the Gazan residents and give them more information. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, Ilan explained. "There is no doubt that in a case like my brother's, when the family is helpless, there should have been more public support and we hope it will still happen," he claimed. The brother added that the responsibility for Avera's return to Israel rests with the government. Avera Mengistu "Avera crossed the border under the countrys supervision, people watched him from the side and did nothing. I believe that the state should have a moral obligation and responsibility to se to it that he is brought back. This situation cannot continue," Ilan concluded. Physicians for Human Rights said that over the past two years the organization has been working behind the scenes with the health authorities in Gaza and other officials in the strip in order to obtain more information and speed up Mengistu's release. ( Photo: Avi Roccah) In addition, the organization is working to secure the release of Hisham a-Sayid, an Israeli-Bedouin resident of the Negev who entered the Gaza Strip in 2015. Despite the efforts, so far no information has been received regarding the condition of either of them and theyd only been informed regarding the whereabouts of the tape. Prof. Rafi Walden, president of Physicians for Human Rights, has also called for Averas release. Demonstration in support of Avera Mengistu (Photo: Yuval Hen) "Its a moral and human obligation to release the Israeli citizens held in Gaza, where no one knows what their condition is. Over the past two years, we have been working quietly with our local medical contacts to ensure that an independent doctor will be able to visit Avera Mengistu in order to receive updated information on his condition. We call on Hamas to put an end to the nightmare that Avera, Hisham and what their families are going through," elaborated the professor. Last year, the Mengistu family visited the United Nations where they said "We call upon the international community to use its full weight to help in the release of our son. They have slammed the government for not doing enough to bring Avera back from Hamas captivity. They also say that the talks with the coordinator of POWs and MIAs in the government did not bring results. The current coordinator of POWs and MIAs, Yaron Blum, did not comment on the claim and did not issue a response. Hundreds of family members and friends attended the funeral on Friday afternoon of 31-year-old Yotam Ovadia, who was stabbed to death on Thursday evening by a Palestinian terrorist in the settlement of Adam. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Our hearts break at the sound of your little son calling daddy, daddy.' We want to ask for your forgiveness if we did (wrong by youed.) We all wanted only good for you. Thank you for what you were for your beloved children and for you beloved wife, Tal, said Ovadias father-in-law, Yehuda Adari at the funeral that got underway at 1pm. Yotam Ovadia's funeral (: , ) X (Photo: Amit Shabi) Ovadia was killed by 17-year-old Mohammad Tareq Yousef from Kobar in a stabbing attack on Thursday night while he was on his way to his parents house to collect items he bought for a romantic dinner he had prepared to surprise his wife to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Tu BAvsimilar to Valentine's Day. Shortly before 9pm on Thursday, Yousef infiltrated Adam through the fence, passed through the settlement's playground and stabbed a 58-year-old man who was left in moderate condition and a 41-year-old man who was left in light condition. He also stabbed Ovadia several times, who succumbed to his wounds overnight while being treated in the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalems Mount Scopus. (Photo: Amit Shabi) We will pray for comfort from the heavens to help her through this difficult period We will keep you in our hearts for all eternity, he said before members of the family recited the traditional solemn mourning prayer, Kaddish at Givat Shaul Cemetery in Jerusalem in the presence of religious dignitaries and politicians, including Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. (Photo: Amit Shabi) Ovadias uncle also eulogized his nephew, who is survived by his wife and two sonsHarel aged two and ten months, and Itay aged seven month. I will not forget all the Shabbats with you, you with your shy look with a smile as you looked from the side. Why have you been taken from us?, he asked. You were murdered by a lowlife. You were a source of pride for your parents, an exemplary family man, modest, and kind. Many were captivated by your charm. You always knew how to make everyone smile and to be happy. Thank you for who you were for us. We love and miss you. Yotam and Tal Ovadia with their two children Minister Levin spoke at the funeral, telling listeners that the tragedy that had befallen the family was incomprehensible. We are standing before you, Yotam, in pain and suffering and a whole nation is mourning together with us. Yotam, a family man, a devoted husband and father, Levin said. You life was taken from us yesterday for one reason: because you are Jewish. (Photo: Amit Shabi) I was told that you were on your way to prepare for your wife, Tal, a meal for Tu BAv. This beautiful act attests to your character and to your love that prevailed in your home, Levin continued in his eulogy. I have no words in my mouth to console in light of the loss but our enemies should know: our spirit will not be broken. Mayor Nir Barkat attends the funeral (Photo: Amit Shabi) Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed his condolences to the Ovadia family. In the name of the people of Israel, I would like to send my condolences to the family of Yotam Ovadia, may his memory be blessed, who was murdered in a terror attack last night in the Adam community, Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. Yotam left behind his wife, Tal, and his two children, Harel and Itay. We are all praying for the health of the other people wounded in the attack. May Yotams memory be blessed and ingrained in our hearts forever. The Syrian government has held celebrations in the southern town of Quneitra adjacent to Israeli Golan Heights after recapturing it from armed groups who controlled it for more than four years. On Friday, an Associated Press reporter visited the town on a government-organized trip a day after troops captured Quneitra in an offensive in southwestern Syria that has seen the opposition crumble. Lawmakers and officials arrived in the empty town, celebrating the return of government authority. The highly symbolic town has been abandoned since Israel destroyed it as it withdrew in 1974 following the Mideast war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafak Tarif at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Friday in an effort to mend the rift between the Druze community and the State of Israel surrounding the Nationality Law Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Other prominent figures from the Druze community were also at the meeting, including Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad, former Labor MK Shachiv Shnaan and Communications Minister Ayoob Kara (Likud). The Prime Minister's Office said there was a good atmosphere and that Netanyahu listened to the representatives of the community, who for their part said they trusted Netanyahu's leadership. (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO) Despite that, Tarif officially submitted to Netanyahu the Druze community's request to change the law in order to enshrine the status of the Druze community in Israel in a constitutional manner and grant equal rights to all citizens of the state in accordance with the Declaration of Independence. The prime minister did not commit himself to changing the law, but said hell seek more advice on the matter. Sources close to Netanyahu said he still has no intention of making amendments to the Nationality Law, but rather to find solutions through additional legislations that would benefit the Druze community. On Sunday, coalition party leaders will discuss the matter in an effort to formulate a plan to help resolve the real issues facing the Druze community in Israel. Netanyahu has also promised to meet with heads of local Druze authorities early next week. Ahead of his meeting with the Druze leaders, Netanyahu met with government ministers and MKs on Thursday to discuss the needs of the Druze community. The prime minister met with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Communications Minister Ayoob Kara, and MKs Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beytenu) and Akram Hasson (Kulanu) at the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, holding what was described as a cordial and positive discussions. (Photo: Haim Tzah, GPO) No agreements have been made regarding changes to the Nationality Law, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Netanyahu and Minister Yariv Levin, who led the legislation process, don't think it's right to "open" the law at this time and make changes to it. Instead, Netanyahu and the other officials discussed the possibility of adding to a law passed in May that sets a day in the State of Israel's official national calendar celebrating the Druze community and their contribution to the country. Alternatively, the coalition could propose new legislation to establish the Druze community's status in the State of Israel. In addition, the government will consider promoting legislation to give preference to Druze who serve or served in the IDF. "Netanyahu is once again lying to the public. This is his how he operates he supports the protest in order to bury it," accused Zionist Union MK Saleh Saed. "I stopped believing the Prime Minister's Office's political spins, I will continue to protest against the Nationality Law with all my might, alongside bereaved families and the entire Druze community," he concluded. The first petition to the High Court of Justice against the Nationality Law was submitted last week by the heads of the Druze community, followed by three Knesset membersincluding two from the coalitionwho also filed a petition to the High Court on Sunday. The move was initiated by MKs Amar (Yisrael Beytenu), Hasson (Kulanu) and Saed (Zionist Union). Masked youth hurled stones and launching fireworks directly at Israeli forces outside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after midday prayers on Friday, leading police to storm into the holy site, clear it and close its gates for a few hours. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "Police entered the Temple Mount compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects," the Israel Police said in a statement. Four police officer were wounded in the clashes and received treatment. Muslim authorities said dozens of people were hurt by Israeli police stun grenades. Clashes on the Temple Mount X A number of rioters fled into the Al-Aqsa mosque inside the compound, with police ordered to storm into the mosque. Sixteen suspects were detained for questioning after being removed from the mosque. There was no immediate word of any violence in the mosque, whose older male worshippers said they had been allowed to exit after being searched. Mosque prayers were later resumed. A total of 24 suspects were arrested in police operations on the Temple Mount. Police said additional arrests can be expected. "Police plans to take a strong and uncompromising hand against the suspects arrested and others who were involved," the police said. The Waqf, the religious authority that runs the mosque, confirmed the gates were closed after unrest broke out. The holy site has since been reopened. Muslim worshipers return to Temple Mount (: ) X The Waqf published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound, which also includes the Dome of the Rock. The brief closure of the Temple Mount caused outrage among Palestinians. Former grand mufti of Jerusalem and one of the heads of the Waqf, Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, claimed this was an Israeli attempt to take revenge after the Palestinian victory at the end of the metal detectors crisis last year. The Palestinian Authority's Foreign Ministry condemned the holy site's closure. "The continued Israeli attacks against occupied Jerusalem will increase tensions and will drag the region into a religious war that we have long warned against," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's office said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Hamas terror group called on Muslims to defend the al-Aqsa mosque, as well as called on "the residents in Jerusalem and the West Bank to rise against Israel with all of their might." Friday's riots and the closure of the Temple Mount "would not have happened if it hadn't been for the silence of the international community, the regional community and the decisions of the United States that supports Israel," Hamas accused in a statement. Muslim worshipers argue with police outside Temple Mount (Photo: AFP) Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher in the left-wing NGO Ir Amim, said the clashes on the Temple Mount "take place after three weeks during which members of Knesset have broken the ban on Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, ministers called for the construction of the Temple, and the police failed to prevent Temple activists from holding activities near the entrances to the Temple Mount being used by Muslims." "The quiet on the Temple Mount is being maintained thanks to the Waqf, among other things, who prevents Palestinian youths from rioting. But when Israel fails to do its part, the Waqf fails to do his," Tatarsky added. Assam Abbasi, an educator from east Jerusalem who prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque every Friday, saw a different reason for the rioting, "as a reminder that a year ago police would not allow us to enter al-Aqsa when they put the metal detectors. Over the past year there was quiet, but the youths wanted to remind everyone of the incident." Rioting in terrorist's village In the West Bank, Palestinians violently clashed with Israeli security forces in the village of Kobar, where the terrorist who carried out the deadly stabbing in Adam came from. Clashes in Kobar (Photo: AFP) Some 150 Palestinians hurled rocks and stones at security forces, who responded with crowd dispersal measures and arrested four rioters. Clashes in Kobar (Photo: AFP) Mohammad Tareq Yousef, 17, stabbed three Israelis in the settlement of Adam on Thursday evening. One of his victims, 31-year-old father-of-two Yotam Ovadia was fatally wounded. The other two victims were in moderate and light condition. Yousef was shot dead by his third victim. Clashes in Kobar (Photo: Reuters) IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot toured the scene of the attack on Friday, accompanied by GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan, Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brig. Gen. Era Niv and the Binyamin Brigade Commander Col. Sharon Asman. (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) Security forces carried out extensive operations overnight Thursday in Kobar. His family were investigated and their entry permits into were confiscated. The family house was also mapped ahead of a planned demolition. In addition, four Palestinians were arrested and taken in for questioning. Israeli forces operating in West Bank overnight (: ") X The army also set up checkpoints around Kobar, allowing Palestinians passage only after random checks in an effort to stop copycat attacks carried out by relatives of the terrorist trying to avenge his death. Clashes in Kobar (Photo: AFP) However, the freedom of movement for Palestinians will be maintained in other parts of the West Bank as part of Israel's policy of separating terrorists from the general population and allowing Palestinians to continue their normal daily lives. This policy has aided in maintaining the relative quiet in the area over the past year. However, the freedom of movement for Palestinians will be maintained in other parts of the West Bank as part of Israel's policy of separating terrorists from the general population and allowing Palestinians to continue their normal daily lives. This policy has aided in maintaining the relative quiet in the area over the past year. In addition to the checkpoints around Kobar, hundreds of reinforcement troops were deployed to the Ramallah area, where the attack took place, as well as under areas in the West Bankin Etzion, Hebron and the Samaria. Clashes in Kobar (Photo: Reuters) Additional reinforcements were deployed in friction points, main junctions and roads under threat across the West Bank on Friday, with army presence increased inside the settlements as well to thwart any more attacks. Additional reinforcements were deployed in friction points, main junctions and roads under threat across the West Bank on Friday, with army presence increased inside the settlements as well to thwart any more attacks. These measures are expected to remain in place at least until Sunday amid concerns in the IDF that the attack will re-spark violence in the West Bank after months of relative quiet. These measures are expected to remain in place at least until Sunday amid concerns in the IDF that the attack will re-spark violence in the West Bank after months of relative quiet. WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday for "fulfilling a promise" to return the remains of missing US soldiers from the Korean War, as a US military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains. North Korea returned the remains of what are believed to be US servicemen killed during the Korean War, a handover that followed through on a promise Kim made to Trump when the leaders met in June in Singapore, the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit. Trump, addressing reporters on the South Lawn, said a plane was carrying the remains "of some great fallen heroes from America back from the Korean War." He said Vice President Mike Pence would greet the families and the remains of the soldiers, and the president thanked Kim "for keeping his word." "We have many others coming but I want to thank Chairman Kim in front of the media for fulfilling a promise that he made to me and I'm sure that he will continue to fulfill that promise as they search and search and search," Trump said. He said "these incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil." Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Friday that if Code Red rocket alert sirens continue to blare in Israeli communities along the Gaza border, "there'll be very strong Code Red on the other side as well." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Speaking during a visit to Kibbutz Or HaNer on the Gaza border, Lieberman added that the IDF "will try to do what it has been tasked with, which is primarily ensuring the security of the citizens of Israel." The defense minister expressed hope the residents of the Gaza border communities will have a quiet weekend. (Photo: Avi Rokach) "Since March 30, when Hamas started the friction on the fence and all of its provocationsincluding all the (incendiary) balloon launchesthe other side has suffered some 152 fatalities and close to 5,000 injuries, and serious damage to its most critical terror infrastructureincluding production sites, storage sites, training facilities. We're also closely supervising the Kerem Shalom crossing," he elaborated. "Do we need to move on to the next level? Looks like we do, but at the end of the day our responsibility is over all borders of the state, our responsibility is to deal with all threats at the same time, ensure normal life and daily routine here and everywhere," he continued. Despite saying Israel likely needs to move on to "the next level," the defense minister stressed that "We very much don't want to be dragged into war. We're doing everything to avoid a wide-scale campaign, but the ball is in the other court. I very strongly advise Hamas to act wisely and with calm this weekend, and not force us to do what we know how to do but don't want to do." Lieberman asserted that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip "is not because of the Israeli occupation, it's because Abbas decided to cut $300 million (from money transferred to the strip), it's because UNRWA cut its budget by an additional $260 million, it's because Hamas doesn't want to give even a cent of its budget to the citizens." "By the way, the homes of (Hamas leaders) Sinwar and Haniyeh have electricity and water 24/7, they lack for nothing. But they are cynically taking advantage of the Gazan residents' distress to incite them against the State of Israel and Israeli citizens. If they can think they can continue this for long, they're wrong," he added. The defense minister noted the difference between the Israeli communities on the Gaza border and the strip itself. "Here, they're busy working, creating, living. While there they're busy with death, poverty and hatred," he said. "We really did everythingwe evacuated our communities (in Gaza), returned to the 1967 lines. We were brainwashedlands for peace. We returned the lands, and got Qassam rockets," he concluded. Arson terrorism continues Ten fires broke out in Israeli communities along the Gaza border on Friday as a result of incendiary balloons flown from the Gaza Strip. Among others, fires broke out in Shokeda Forest, Simhoni Forest and Be'eri Forest. Firefighting teams have gained control over the fire in some of the locations, but were still battling the flames in Kissufim, Gvar'am and Be'eri. Battling fire in Be'eri forest (Photo: KKL) In response, an IAF aircraft attacked an incendiary balloons cell in the northern Gaza Strip. No one was hurt. The Palestinians reported a second man was killed in clashes with the IDF in the southern part of the Gaza border Friday evening. The race will take place at 8 a.m. Sept. 15 through West Dundee and East Dundee. Registration is $30 for the 5K timed run and $20 for the 1.6-mile walk. Prices for the 5K run will increase after Sept. 1. Two Palestinians were shot dead in Gaza border clashes, and at least 45 others were wounded by IDF fire, according to health officials in the strip. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The IDF said some 7,000 Palestinians took part in clashes, hurling stones at Israeli forces and burning tires on several spots along the border. During the rioting, pipe bombs, a Molotov cocktail and a grenade were thrown at IDF soldiers. All fell inside the strip. In addition, an IDF force identified several suspects who approached the border fence, sabotaged it and then returned to Gaza. The Israeli troops responded with crowd dispersal measures and with live fire in accordance with the rules of engagement. On Friday night, an IDF force came under gunfire in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. No one was hurt in the incident. In retaliation, the IAF attacked a nearby observation post. Ghazi Abu Mustafa, 43, was shot in the head in the border fence, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern part of the strip. Mustafa was brought to a hospital tent staffed by his wife, a medic, who collapsed when she discovered him among the casualties, her colleagues said. Hassan Najjar told The Associated Press he witnessed Mustafa's shooting, saying soldiers shot at a group of Palestinians who rushed to the border and a bullet hit the man sitting about 250 meters away. The second casualty was a 14-year-old Palestinian boy, who was shot in the head east of Rafah. The Palestinian protesters had a poster with the image of 17-year-old terrorist Mohammad Tareq Yousef who murdered 31-year-old Yotam Ovadia and wounded two other Israelis in a stabbing attack Thursday in the West Bank. Gaza protesters with photo of terrorist who killed Israeli in deadly Adam stabbing attack In addition, Friday's protests were dedicated to the "martyr children" and included a display of a "cemetery" with the name of each of the children killed in Gaza border clashes in recent months on a "tombstone." The children's 'cemetery' at the Gaza protests Ten fires broke out in Israeli communities along the Gaza border on Friday as a result of incendiary balloons flown from the Gaza Strip. Among others, fires broke out in Shokeda Forest, Simhoni Forest and Be'eri Forest. In response, an IAF aircraft attacked an incendiary balloons cell in the northern Gaza Strip. No one was hurt. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Hamas on Friday that if Code Red rocket alert sirens continue to blare in Israeli communities along the Gaza border, "there'll be very strong Code Red on the other side as well." "We very much don't want to be dragged into war. We're doing everything to avoid a wide-scale campaign, but the ball is in the other court. I very strongly advise Hamas to act wisely and with calm this weekend, and not force us to do what we know how to do but don't want to do," he said during a visit to Kibbutz Or HaNer on the Gaza border. Hundreds of new homes will be built in the West Bank settlement of Adam, where a Palestinian terrorist stabbed three Israelis killing one , Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Friday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements," Lieberman wrote on Twitter, announcing 400 new housing units in Adam a day after the deadly stabbing. Mohammad Tareq Yousef, 17, snuck into the settlement on Thursday evening by climbing the security fence. He stabbed three people seemingly at random before being shot dead. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Avi Rokach) Yotam Ovadia , 31, who was critically wounded in the attack, succumbed to his wounds during the night and laid to rest on Friday A 58-year-old victim was seriously wounded but stable. The third victim was lightly wounded. Yotam Ovadia with his family The IDF on Friday had raided the terrorist's village of Kobar, questioned a number of his family members and suspended their work permits. During the raid on Friday morning, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and soldiers firing tear gas. "The rioters hurled large rocks and firebombs and rolled burning tires at (Israeli) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means," an IDF statement said. Clashes in Kobar (Photo: Reuters) The clashes were over by mid-morning Friday, an AFP photographer said, though the army had established a checkpoint at the edge of the village. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said three people were arrested. Hundreds of reinforcement troops were deployed to the Ramallah area, where the attack took place, as well as under areas in the West Bankin Etzion, Hebron and the Samaria. Additional reinforcements were deployed in friction points, main junctions and roads under threat across the West Bank on Friday, with army presence increased inside the settlements as well to thwart any more attacks. US decries 'barbaric attack' US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt called on Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement leads the government in the West Bank, to condemn the attack. "Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence?" he wrote on Twitter. There was no response from Abbas's government, which has cut ties with the Trump administration over its stance on Israel. Terrorist Mohammad Tareq Yousef Lone Palestinian attackers have carried out multiple deadly stabbings and car-rammings against Israelis in recent years in the West Bank, Jerusalem and elsewhere. The attack came after a period of relative calm in the West Bank. The last stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement was in April, when a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli with a screwdriver near a gas station in an industrial area connected to the Ma'aleh Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem. In a statement late Thursday, Hamas praised the "courageous operation" in the West Bank without claiming responsibility for it. "The West Bank is ready and able to avenge the blood of the martyrs," it said. Police is investigating suspicions that the arson of a motel in Jerusalem , which left a family of four injured, was nationalistically motivated. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The police initially described the suspect they arrested, a resident of the Old City, as a disgruntled former employee who decided to set the motel alight following his dismissal from the workplace. During a remand extension hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Friday, the suspect's lawyer argued there was no evidence to point to the arson being nationalistically motivated. Scene of the fire; the suspect (Photo: Moshe Mizrahi) The suspect has six prior convictions, three of them for arson. The police representative said there may have been another person involved in the arson attack. Judge Mordechai Kadorry noted that while "there is reasonable suspicion the defendant is involved in the crime attributed to him" and that there is evidence he conspired with another to carry out the attack, "at this point I was not presented with evidence pointing to these actions being nationalistically motivated." Judge Kadorry extended the suspect's remand by six day. The Oz family was visiting Jerusalem to celebrate father Ronen's 45th birthday. They toured the streets of the capital, saw an art exhibition at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and went to eat at the market. At night, they stayed at an apartment motel on Street of Prophets when a fire broke out in the building, caused by arson. The family was staying on the first floor and therefore suffered the brunt of the flames. But they managed to escape, likely thanks to the resourcefulness of the father. The father was very seriously hurt, while the mother and two childrenaged 14 and 9were seriously injured. A woman who lives nearby said a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the motel, starting the fire. Another neighbor said the suspect, who worked construction during the motel's renovations, had complained to owner that he owed him money, which might've been the reason behind the arson attack. The government and the IDF's deterrence and containment strategy has reached a dead end. In the south, on the Gaza border, Israel hasn't managed to achieve a stable calm and provide the western Negev residents with a sense of security in almost four monthsin fact, since March 30, the day the protests by the border fence began. In the north, Israel is unable to stop Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, just slow it down. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Iranians and their proxiesdespite the blows they suffer several times a weekcontinue their efforts to turn Syria into an active separate front against Israel, from which precise surface-to-surface and surface-to-sea missiles will be launched and where anti-aircraft systems will be stationed. All of these will reduce the IAF's freedom of operations and make it difficult for Israel to deal with the thousands of missiles and rockets Hezbollah has accumulated in Lebanon, and that the Iranians are progressively accumulating in Syria. The intense diplomatic dialogue Israel is having with the Russians, and the "kinetic dialogue" (the exchange of fire) with the Syrian army, only make up a partial solution and do not prevent spillover fire. IDF chief Eisenkot and Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) The Syrian Sukhoi jet that was shot down this week by the Air Force deters the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but not the Iranians. The events that followed over the next 24 hoursthe shooting of rockets from Syria that landed in the Kinneret and the Palestinian sniper fire that wounded a Givati officer on the Gaza borderdo a good job of demonstrating the severity of the problem, which can be defined by one word: Chaos. Things have gotten out of hand. Those who shot and hit the IDF officer on the Gaza border were likely members of what the army refers to as an "errant" Palestinian group. Normally this means extremist Jihadist-Salafist organizations trying to undermine Hamas's rule in the strip. But this time there's reason to believe that much like last Fridaywhen Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi was shot to deaththis was a member of an extremist faction within Hamas's military wing, who made a law unto themselves. The IDF officer wounded by sniper fire this week (Photo: Haim Horenstein) What's interesting is that both the errant Salafists and the extremists from within Hamas's ranks are trying, using the attacks on the border, to drag the IDF into another large-scale round of fighting inside the Gaza Strip. The errants hope this would bring the end of Hamas, while the Hamas extremists believe that if the IDF enters the strip, they would be able to cause great losses to Israel and kidnap soldiers to free prisoners. That must have been the goal of the attack, which started with children being sent to protest by the border fence. When an IDF force showed up, out in the open and exposed, to disperse them, the sniper, who was ready nearby, opened fire at the troops. The IDF will have to reexamine its methods of operation on the border fence, and ensure its soldiers carry out their missions from behind cover. But this won't solve the problem. There's no calm in the south because Hamas is not interested in calm until it achieves its goals without having to make any significant concessions. Hamas wants money from the Palestinian Authority, electricity and water from Israel, and an open Rafah crossing from Egypt. These are part of the demands it is making. Israel is willing to provide Hamas with humanitarian aid on the condition it stops the arson terrorism, and even rehabilitate the strip if it returns the bodies of the MIA soldiers from Operation Protective Edge and the two Israeli civilians it is holding. But Hamas is unwilling, which is why it allows the errant factions to operate on a low scale, while at the same time leading incendiary kite and balloon squads. In this way, it maintains the tensions along the border as well as Israel, Egypt and the UN's need to meet its demands. The Middle East's game of pool The economic carrot and military stick system Israel is using on Hamas recently has gone bankrupt, as the residents of the western Negev can attest while Code Red rocket alert sirens send them running to shelters almost every other night. The IDF's retaliatory strikes, even though they very much hurt Hamas, not only don't cause the terror group to stop the incendiary balloons harassment, but they also don't cause Hamas to stop the rockets and gunfirewhether it's done directly by the Gaza rulers or by the errant factions. Stopping the flow of trucks through the Kerem Shalom crossing is as useful as putting a milk bucket under a bull; and the Egyptians can't influence Hamas either, let alone stop it. The Egyptian and UN envoy Mladenov's efforts to achieve calm fail again and again. It's time we realize we can't expect them to restore the quiet. Every time the IDF delivers a blow to Hamas's military infrastructure, the Hamasniks rush to the head of Egyptian intelligence and to Mladenov, who restrain Israel for them. The opposite effect: the mediators are unable to bring an end to the Gazans' hostile attacks, they can only restrain the Israeli response just as it begins to hurt Hamas and harm it. How convenient this arrangement is to an organization that is trying to keep the flames low to achieve its political and economic goals. Hamas leader Haniyeh on the Gaza border (Photo: EPA) This trick works not only in the south, but in the north as well. The Khalid ibn al-Walid Armywhich belongs to ISIS and controls the enclave where the borders of Jordan, Syria and Israel meetis currently under a massive attack by the Assad army and the Shiite militias fighting alongside it. The Syrian ISIS realizes it is about to lose its stronghold to the regime army, just as it did in Daraa and Quneitra, and so it took a measure this week that we know from the Gazan sceneit launched grad rockets at the Kinneret, so Israel would respond by shooting at the regime army, which is attacking ISIS. The Syrian ISIS men on the triple-border area hoped the Israeli response to the rockets they fired as a provocation would stop Assad's men. A perfect imitation of what the errant groups in Gaza are trying to do. But unlike what's happening in Gaza, there are quite a few ISIS targets on the IAF and Artillery Corps' lists; which is why Israeli aircraft attacked the mobile BM21 launcher that fired the grad rockets at Israel. Just like in a game a poolI hit the Israeli ball so it in turn hits the Syrian regime's ball, which is about to hit me. Searching for ISIS rockets shrapnel in the Kinneret (Photo: Avihu Shapira) If it hadn't been for the operations that do take place, the situation in the north could've been much worse. The IDF manages to disrupt and slow down the Iranian entrenchment, and the violations of sovereignty are limited and do not include terror attacks on the border. Israel is also successful in making the Russians interested in having a dialogue with us. And yet, all of this is part of a chaotic reality, which contains a lot of details, but the bottom line is all that matters: the IDF and the Israeli government are no longer successful in creating effective deterrencenot in the north and not in the south. The deterrence may not be completely gone, but it has been seriously eroded, in a way that puts the State of Israel in a hopeless situation, with a continuous threat to its sovereignty along its borders, to the safety of its residents who live in these border areas, and to its daily routine. So what can be done in such a situation? In the south, the dilemma is much more difficult and complex. The IDF can do more than what it has already done by continuing to destroy Hamas's infrastructure and even by hitting its leaders (assassination), but such moves will almost necessarily lead to a long military operations inside the Gaza Strip. At the end of such an operation, we will be facing dilemmas just as complex: bring down the Hamas regime and stay in the strip until a different regime comes in its stead, or pull out of the strip after destroying most of Hamas's military capabilities and returning more or less to the situation we were in before the operation began. Neither option assures long-term quiet for the residents of south Israel. IDF tank on the Gaza border (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) On the other side is a civilian-economic arrangement that would calm the situation in the strip and Hamas. But those proposing such large-scale economic rehabilitation plans still can't demonstrate just how these plans will be carried out in practice. A combined solution is requiredboth military and civilianin conjunction with Arab Gulf nations, which will allow the rehabilitation of the strip in cooperation with Hamas orif a decision is made for Israel to go into the stripwithout Hamas. In the north, the dilemma is much simpler. Unlike the Egyptians, who have proven to be unable to influence Hamas and restrain it, the Russians in Syria can actually deliver the goods. They haven't done it yet because they still need the Iranians to fight the last stronghold of the rebels in the Idlib Governorate in northern Syria. If and when Assad completes his takeover of Idlib, the time will come when the Russians could put into action the "big political agreement" they're planning in Syria, as part of which the foreign forces will have to leave. Right now, there is no use in removing the Iranians to within 100 or even 200 kilometers from Israel. In the age of missiles, rockets and cyber attacks, several hundred kilometers are meaningless. By being in our area, it's as if the Iranians are right on our border. That is why Israel needs to continue acting militarily and make it clear to the Russians that there will be no agreementand they won't be able to reap the benefits of their interference in Syriauntil the Iranians and their proxies leave Syria completely. At the moment it appears the Israeli government and the IDF are at a loss in light of the serious erosion of the deterrence and of the ability to maintain security along the borders in the north and south. The immediate action needed right now to significantly reinforce the active anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense arrayincluding the acquisition of thousands of interceptors and dozens of launchers, and of course fortifying structures all across the country. Such steps, in and of themselves, could immediately boost the deterrence. The Jordanian government condemned the temporary closure of the Temple Mount on Friday, which was the result of rioting. "This wrong behavior hurts the sanctity of the place and constitutes a violation of Israel's commitments and of international law," the Jordanian government said in a statement. The government further said Jordan sees Israel as responsible for the security of the al-Aqsa mosque and for what happens in it. News Washington, DC - "Our farmers deserve a government that serves their interest and empowers them to do the hard work that they love to do so much." ~ President Donald J. Trump PROTECTING OUR FARMERS: In response to unjustified tariffs placed on U.S. agricultural products, President Donald J. Trump is providing American farmers with needed relief. The President is taking action on trade policy to open markets so that American farmers can compete globally. President Trump has authorized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to authorize up to $12 billion in aid to the American agricultural heartland under The Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. Programs include: Marketing Facilitation Program: Will provide assistance to soybean, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy, and hog producers. Food Purchase and Distribution Program: Will authorize the purchase of surplus affected commodities such as fruits, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and milk for distribution to food banks and other nutrition programs. Market Promotion Program: Will develop new export markets in conjunction with the private sector on behalf of agricultural producers. Aid to American farmers will provide relief from unfair retaliations until free, fair, and reciprocal trade deal can be reached with our trading partners. President Trump understands that farmers want markets, not checks. Thats why his Administration is taking action to lower barriers around the world for American agriculture. This includes plans to expand market opportunities for agriculture and expand the role for U.S. farmers using in-kind foreign aid. ATTACKS ON AMERICAN AGRICULTURE: Americas farmers have been unfairly targeted by our trade partners, retaliating against President Trumps efforts to secure fair and reciprocal trade. United States trading partners have weaponized agricultural exports, rather than working to negotiate mutually beneficial and fair trade deals. China placed a 25% tariff on some American agricultural products and has manipulated the international soybean market, artificially lowering prices. Mexico placed 20% to 25% tariffs on some American agricultural products, including pork. Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products. Canada already imposes an outrageous 275% on all dairy imports above their quota. The European Union imposed new retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including agriculture. STRENGTHENING AMERICAS HEARTLAND: President Trump and his Administration have already taken steps to support and expand markets for Americas farmers. News Washington, DC - Statement from the Press Secretary on House Passage of the NDAA Conference Report: President Donald J. Trump promised the American people that he would restore our national security. Today, Congress is taking action on the Presidents request that it carry out his commitment to our military. The Administration commends the House of Representatives for passing the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 5515, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, and encourages its swift passage in the Senate. The Conference Report supports the Presidents request for a pay raise for our troops and rebuilds the military to deter adversaries and maintain the Administrations posture of peace through strength. It also takes positive steps that are consistent with the Administrations commitment to maintaining a strong and resilient manufacturing and defense industrial base. By supporting key components of the Administrations National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, both of which focus on a return to principled realism in an era of great power competition, the FY 2019 NDAA enhances the Presidents ability to defend the Nation. It also supports key components of the Administrations Nuclear Posture Review, South Asia Strategy, vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and ongoing operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Conference Reports topline authorization levels for base national defense funding and Overseas Contingency Operations funding are consistent with the levels requested in the FY 2019 Presidents Budget and enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The FY 2019 NDAA keeps faith with Israel, fully authorizing the Administration request for co-development and co-production of missile defense systems. It supports the European Deterrence Initiative, strengthening the posture of the United States in Europe and bolstering our European allies against the threat of Russian aggression. Finally, the Administration appreciates the Conference Reports inclusion of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA), which achieves the twin aims of protecting our national security and preserving our long-standing open investment policy. It also welcomes language recognizing the ongoing and wrongful detainment of Andrew Brunson and Serkan Golge. Latest News Billings, Montana - Remarks by Vice President Pence at Tax Cuts to Put America First Event: THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, hello, Montana! (Applause.) Man, it is great to be back in Big Sky Country, in the state of gold and silver, with men and women who stand for family, faith, and who always stand for freedom. Thank you, Montana. (Applause.) Thanks for who you are. And before I get started, I want to bring greetings from a friend of mine I spoke to on the phone this morning. Told him I was here in Billings, Montana, and I think he was just a little bit jealous (laughter) because he loves Montana. He loves what he calls the proud, hardworking American patriots of this state. I bring greetings from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.) And Im honored to be joined today by some great Montana leaders who are with us. And let me start, first and foremost, from a man you just heard from. Hes a fifth-generation Montanan, hes a former Navy SEAL Commander, he was a member of Congress that I served with on Capitol Hill, and Im telling you what, hes a leader whos fighting every day to protect Americas great outdoors and unleash our boundless natural resources. Would you join me in thanking a son of Montana, a true son of the West? Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, take a bow, will you. (Applause.) Ryans doing a great job for America, everybody. Were so proud of him. Let me also just give a shout-out to this states great leaders who serve in the Congress. They couldnt be here today; theyre working on Capitol Hill. But Ill tell you what, they both have been standing strong with our President, putting the people of Montana, and Montana values first. Join me thanking Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Greg Gianforte, would you? (Applause.) Two great men who are doing a great job for Montana. Before I get going, I want to thank one more great conservative who you just heard from a minute ago not just for those words and that great introduction, but really for all hes done throughout his career to fight for the good people of Montana and the values that make Montana great. Hes a man who is a tireless leader of this state. He served in the State House. Hes now your great state auditor. Matt Rosendale is a champion (applause) for all the strong conservative values that make Montana great and we couldnt be more proud to be here with him today. (Applause.) Thank you, Matt. And thank you all for being here today. Im really humbled that you all would come out in the middle of a busy week, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You know, last week marked just a year and a half since President Trump and I were standing on that stage on Inauguration Day, raised our right hands, and took the oath of office. And I think theres only one way you can sum up the last 18 months: Its been a year and a half of action. Its been a year and a half of results. And its been a year and a half of promises made and promises kept. (Applause.) And were just getting started. Its true. I mean, think about it. President Trump promised to rebuild our military and restore the arsenal of democracy. And with the strong support of Montanas conservative leaders in Congress, earlier this year, Im proud to report, President Trump signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan. (Applause.) Were once again giving our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guards the resources and training they need to accomplish their mission and come home safe. (Applause.) And I got to tell you, as the proud father of a United States Marine, I couldnt be more honored to serve alongside a President who cares so deeply about our men and women in uniform, and all the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States of America. Would the veterans in the room mind standing up if youre able? Stand up if youve served in the armed forces of this country to give us a chance to say thank you one more time. (Applause.) Thank you for your service. Thank you for your service. This President has been working hard for our veterans. Hes been working hard for these veterans, and recently signed legislation thats finally going to give our veterans access to real-time healthcare that they earned in the uniform of the United States. (Applause.) Veterans Choice has arrived and President Trump delivered it. And here at home, President Trump promised to enforce our laws and secure our borders. From the first day of this administration, this President has been giving law enforcement not only the resources, but the respect that our law enforcement community deserves every day. (Applause.) You know, its been a challenging, challenging time in law enforcement. We see violence against police officers. And in recent years, weve seen public officials that havent been willing to stand up with those who stand on the Thin Blue Line. We got a lot of people in law enforcement who are here with us today who serve in Montana at every level. Would you all mind getting on your feet and showing these police officers just how much you appreciate the job they do protecting our families every day? (Applause.) In this administration, we stand with the men and women of law enforcement, and that includes the dedicated public servants of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Applause.) It does. These are great men and women. And while some leading Democrats are actually calling to abolish their agency AUDIENCE: Booo THE VICE PRESIDENT: let me tell you, last year alone officers of ICE removed more than 120,000 illegal aliens with criminal records from the streets of Americas cities. (Applause.) And they rescued more than 1,000 from human traffickers and child exploitation. (Applause.) The courageous men and women of ICE deserve the support of every American, and they will always have the support of this administration. Ill make you a promise: We will never abolish ICE, no matter what the other side says. (Applause.) In fact, with our renewed commitment to immigration enforcement, Im proud to report to friends here in Montana, President Trump signed the largest increase in border security in nearly 10 years. And we got a down payment, and weve already started to build that big, beautiful wall on the southern border. (Applause.) Its going up. You know, the President said, If you dont have borders, you dont have a country. And were going to secure our borders because of your support and this Presidents leadership. The President also promised to appoint strong conservatives to our federal courts at every level. And last week, President Trump actually set a record for the most court of appeals judges confirmed in the first two years of any administration in American history. (Applause.) And that doesnt even count Justice Neil Gorsuch. (Applause.) Or the next justice to the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. (Applause.) Coming soon. And Ill tell you, the people of Montana will be glad to know, every single one of these men and women are all conservatives who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in the Constitution of the United States, including the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. (Applause.) They will. So, you know, its about promises made and promises kept. Thats why I came by today. But what brings us here, mostly, today is to make sure you know this President has been working from the first moment we woke up the day after the election. Ill never forget that. We wrapped up I dont know, you probably all stayed up late that night just like I did, didnt you? (Laughter and applause.) Ill never forget about the time the about the time the election was called, it was probably about four in the morning wasnt it, Ryan on the East Coast. I brought a few remarks with my family. The President brought those inspiring remarks to the nation. Ill never forget, backstage, he looked at all of us, and he said, Ill tell you what, just dont even come until 8:30 tomorrow. (Laughter.) We went right to work getting this economy moving again. And its taken off, thanks to President Trumps leadership. (Applause.) We did. Its true. In case you havent noticed, confidence is back. Jobs are coming back. To put it plainly, America is back, and were just getting started. (Applause.) And, you know, it didnt just happen. Its because the President has been busy keeping the promises that he made to the people of Montana. I mean, we promised to roll back the heavy hand of government. And Im proud to report, this President has signed more laws repealing federal red tape already than any President in American history. (Applause.) Its true. I mean, under Secretary Zinkes leadership, the Department of Interior alone cut new regulations by more than half, saving our economy and our workers nearly $4 billion. Great job, Ryan. (Applause.) And we promised to unleash American energy. This President, right out of the gate, approved the Keystone and Dakota pipeline. We opened up ANWR to responsible energy exploration. We withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord. And under President Donald Trump, the war on coal is over. (Applause.) The President also promised to confront countries that have, frankly, been taking advantage of America for too long when it comes to international trade. The President took decisive action to defend our lumber industry, and our steel and aluminum industries the backbone of the American economy. And I promise you, President Donald Trump is going to keep fighting for trade deals that put American jobs, American farmers, and American workers first. And were going to get it done. (Applause.) In fact, when it comes to Americas farmers and ranchers, Im pleased to report to you, were making significant progress as we speak, renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. We opened Argentina to American pork; we opened Vietnam to corn and wheat; Brazil to American beef; and we opened China to American beef a lot grown right in Montana for the first time in 15 years. (Applause.) This President and our administration will always stand with our farmers and ranchers 100 percent. (Applause.) And, finally, what that great panel was talking about today, and what brings us all here today, mostly, is this President promised to cut taxes across the board for working families and small businesses all across this country. And right before Christmas, President Trump sat down at his desk, and he signed the largest tax cut and tax reform in American history. Its promises made and promises kept, Montana. (Applause.) We cut taxes for working families. And the typical family of four in Montana, we believe, is going to save more than $2,200 on your taxes when all these tax cuts take their full effect. We cut taxes for businesses large and small, so that companies here in Montana can compete and win and create jobs against any company, anywhere in the world. (Applause.) We repealed death taxes for nearly every American farmer and rancher, so that the family farm, the family ranch can stay in the family where it belongs. (Applause.) And, by the way, in case you didnt notice, for all those other tax cuts, we also cut the core out of Obamacare. The individual mandate tax is gone. Its off the books. (Applause.) Now, weve done all this because of the strong support of our Republican majorities in the Congress, including your own Congressman Greg Gianforte and Senator Steve Daines. They were there with us every step of the way. (Applause.) But, you know, the people of Montana deserve to know: All that weve accomplished, weve been able to do in the face of unprecedented obstruction by Democrats in Washington, D.C. I mean to tell you, the obstruction that liberals and Democrats on Capitol Hill have put up for this President has no historical precedent. And, frankly, weve done it all despite the consistent opposition of Chuck Schumer and of your senator, Jon Tester. AUDIENCE: Booo THE VICE PRESIDENT: Its true. Last year, Jon Tester actually said that hed, in his words, work with anybody to cut taxes for Montana families and smallbusinesses. Thats what he said. But one month later, when Jon Tester actually had the opportunity to vote to cut your taxes, Jon Tester voted no. When the time came to cut taxes on Montanas business owners, and farmers, and ranchers, Jon Tester voted no. And its not just tax cuts. When the time came to defund sanctuary cities, to repeal and replace Obamacare, even when it came time to give states like Montana the power to defund Planned Parenthood, Jon Tester voted no every single time. AUDIENCE: Booo THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know, President Trump had it right in Great Falls the other day when he just simply said, Jon Tester just doesnt share your values or ours. (Applause.) And, you know, when it comes to the Supreme Court, Jon Tester actually voted against Justice Neil Gorsuch. And even though its been more than two weeks since President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Jon Tester is dragging his feet, delaying even meeting with our nominee. Now, let me be clear about something: Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a man of integrity, with a proven record of support for limited government, the Second Amendment, and religious liberty, and he deserves the support of every member of the United States Senate. (Applause.) He does. So today, I want call on Senator Jon Tester: Set politics aside. Give Judge Kavanaugh a fair hearing, and give him the support he deserves. And if Senator Jon Tester wont confirm a judge like Brett Kavanaugh, we need Montana to give us a senator who will. (Applause.) You with me? I mean, Montana just deserves better, everybody, and I think you all know it. The good news is, despite Jon Testers opposition to President Trumps agenda, weve been delivering for Montana with your support and with the support of these great allies that we have in Senator Daines and Congressman Gianforte. I mean, think about it. Think about what weve accomplished together. Since that Election Day 2016, businesses large and small have created nearly 3.7 million new jobs all across America, including 7,000 new jobs in the last 18 months, right here in Montana. (Applause.) Nationwide, unemployment claims are at a nearly 50-year low, and here in Billings, the unemployment rate is nearly 40 percent lower than the national average. (Applause.) Amazing. And the President and I are particularly proud of the fact that weve actually set a new record: the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Hispanic Americans and African Americans. (Applause.) The American Dream is working for everybody once again. (Applause.) Thats real results. You know, your senator, Jon Tester, actually said the tax cuts were going to fail Montanans. But thanks to the Presidents leadership on tax cuts, regulatory reform, and energy, the truth is Montana is winning and America is winning. (Applause.) Since the President signed the historic tax cuts into law, more than 6 million Americans have received bonuses, pay raises, or bigger benefits, including more than 6,000 all across Montana. Companies like Billings Flying Service, whose owner you just heard from earlier today, is investing in new equipment and research that will benefit their workers for years to come. Loenbro, a Montana manufacturer, used their tax cut savings to give their workers better benefits. And Walmart, Im told, handed out nearly $4 million in bonuses to more than 3,400 Montana workers. (Applause.) Lets hear it for these companies that are investing in the people and in the great state of Montana. (Applause.) I mean, these are real results, friends. They really are. And weve accomplished all this because of the support of people like Steve Daines and Greg Gianforte and these great Republican majorities. But weve also done it with a strong support of other conservatives all across this state. And I mentioned it before, but that absolutely includes that great, conservative state auditor of yours, Matt Rosendale. (Applause.) You know, Matt Rosendale really is Montana. He embodies Montana values. Hes a rancher, a family man, and hes also a man of faith. You know, it was only 2010 that Matt ran his first campaign for office, all because some of his neighbors had told him that it was time to give back. And they were right. You know, President Trump called Matt Rosendale a fighter who loves the people of Montana. And for the past eight years, Matt has fought tirelessly for conservative policies and principles in the Montana House, in the Montana Senate, and now as your state auditor. I dont know about you, but when I look at a fighter like Matt Rosendale, I sure think we could use another conservative fighter just like him in Washington, D.C. (Applause.) I mean, the truth is, because of the support of these great leaders at every level across this state and across the country, Americans are more optimistic today than theyve been in years. Consumer confidence has hit a 17-year high. Small-business confidence is at a historic high. And manufacturers have never been this confident since polls have been taken. Americans are standing tall again. Can you feel it? Can you sense it? (Applause.) And then, the truth is, were standing up. Were standing up on the world stage, were standing up here at home. In fact, were standing up for our National Anthem, and being proud of this country every day. (Applause.) And the truth is, pride is back. And as I stand before you today, I really think that faith in America is rising. I mean, faith in our ideals. Faith in the boundless potential of the American people is rising once again. And so, as I close today, I want to leave you with a challenge to carry that confidence and faith from this room. I mean, keep supporting these great leaders all across Montana who are supporting President Trump and our administrations agenda on Capitol Hill, an agenda thats really turning this country around. But also, let your voice be heard in the days ahead on, an increasing basis, in this critical year of 2018. I mean, you know, Ill always believe that all the talking heads on television, all the commentators, all the newsprint in the world is not to be compared to when someone who knows you and respects you hears from you about an issue of importance to your community or your state or your nation. Word of mouth is now, and will always be, the most powerful media in America. So get out there and tell somebody about what you heard today. (Applause.) Seriously. I mean, tell them what theyre not hearing on most of their major cable television news networks every day. Right? I mean, I always tell people, when you leave these places, go back to your place of work or worship and tell people. Stop somebody outside a grocery store or drugstore. Back in Indiana, I say, Talk over a backyard fence, but you got bigger backyards in Montana (laughter) than weve got in the Midwest. But wherever it takes, just go out and tell them what you heard today. Say, You know what, I was in Billings, I ran into Mike and Ryan and Matt (laughter) and they were talking about all the incredible things that weve done together as a country. And make no mistake about it: Weve done it all of us. I hear the President correct people all the time when they come up and they thank him for what hes done for the country. He says, No, its we. Its always we the people that supported this President, supported his vision, and supported all those that stand with us. I mean, go out and tell the story of what you heard today. I mean, tell them we cut their taxes so they can keep more of what they earn, okay? (Applause.) I mean, tell them were strengthening America at home and abroad. Were rebuilding our military and standing with law enforcement so their families and their freedom is safe. Go tell them. (Applause.) I mean, tell them that were putting Washington back to work for them, and not the other way around. (Applause.) And tell them tell them that, under President Donald Trump, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more. You go tell them that, Montana. Because its the Gods-honest truth. (Applause.) And tell them with confidence, because I really believe that faith in America is rising. Project that confidence and that faith. And the truth is one more thing I might encourage you to do, and I know a lot of you will do it. Because not only do I believe in my heart that faith in America is rising, but I see and I hear every day that faith is also rising all across America. (Applause.) You know, sometimes I tell people, America might just be the second greatest story ever told. (Applause.) So as you leave here today, as you purpose to continue to support these great leaders that are standing with our President and our agenda, as you leave here today determined to exercise your rights as citizens and go tell that story to your neighbors and friends, Id encourage you to not only carry your faith in this country, but exercise that other kind of faith. And if youre so inclined to, from time to time, bow the head and bend the knee, Id encourage you to do that. (Applause.) And pray for America. Pray for all the people of this country. And when you pray, pray with confidence. Pray with confidence. Because I still believe those ancient words inscribed millennia ago that Americans have clung to throughout much more challenging times than we could ever imagine are still true today: That if His people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray, He will do like He has always done through the long and storied history of this great nation. He will hear from heaven, and Hell heal this land (applause) this one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. So pray, America, and pray for America, because prayer matters. (Applause.) So hey, thanks for coming out today. I look forward to saying hello to as many of you as I can before I head off to North Dakota (applause) and then back to Washington, D.C. But I leave here with renewed confidence. I really do. I really do. And the President and I love Montana. This is a place of such great American strength, rugged individualism, and great history and a great heritage. But Im going to leave here with the belief that with the continued support of the good and strong people of Montana, with great conservative leaders from Montana serving this administration and serving in the Congress of the United States, with President Donald Trump in the White House, and with Gods help, we will make America safe again. (Applause.) We will make America prosperous again. And to borrow a phrase, we will make America great again. (Applause.) Thank you very much, Montana. God bless you, and God bless the United States. Joe Beecham songs are some of the most played gospel songs in Ghana and neighboring countries. The artist is well known for his excellent musical talent and unique voice. Listen to one of his worship songs and you will find yourself in a praying mood. The artist is divinely blessed. He manages to bring people before the throne of God in prayer just by his singing. To experience this and much more check out his trending songs. Source:gospelgh.com READ ALSO:Top trending Busy Signal songs in Ghana Pastor Joe Beecham worship songs Any Christian in Ghana has probably heard a couple of pastor Joe Beecham gospel songs. Many can testify about how these songs have made them grow spiritually as they can easily connect with the Holy Spirit. Joe Beecham songs are a true blessing. It does not matter which language the songs are in because he sings in his local language and English. Most people that have listened to his music on YouTube identify with the fact that Beecham is called by the Lord to serve in the worship ministry. While it may be possible to go through Pastor Joe Beecham all songs, the following list gathered some of his greatest songs. Top pastor Joe Beecham worship songs 1. Reflections - Joe Beecham This powerful song helps you make a spiritual journey to the spiritual presence of God as Joe Beecham likes to say. This song helps you reflect on the things that God helped us to become. It helps believers to go back to God. A song that humbles listeners and encourages them to always remember that everything you do is for the glory of God. It is not about you. He urges listeners to be still. He speaks all through the instrumental music playing. It is a perfect way to get into a prayer mood and seek God. The aim is to acknowledge God and his presence. These powerful reflections are sometimes what the Christians need. 2. Aseda - Joe Beecham This worship song will bring you in the presence of the Lord. This song will help lift your spirits and draw you close to God. Recommended for morning devotion as you seek the face of God before beginning your days activities. 3. Let the Fire Fall - Joe Beecham This is one of Joe Beecham new song that acknowledges the mightiness of God. The song talks about everything being possible with God but impossible without God. The song urges Christians to wait in the presence of God who gives them power. 4. Hope of My Life - Joe Beecham He starts by saying that the song is for those that are broken hearted. It is an encouragement to the struggling individual that seeks to find hope. The hope is found in Jesus, The song was released as a dedication to Danny Nettey. This powerful song bring peace to the troubled heart. The knowledge that you can always count on Jesus for hope is something that is very soothing. It is one of the songs by Joe Beecham that heals and restores even the faintest of hearts. 5. Oye - Joe Beecham This is Joe Beecham latest song among many others. This song encourages listeners to believe and have hope that all is well regardless of what the situation looks like. List of Joe Beecham songs Joe Beecham has released a lot of songs that bless the soul. Some of these songs include: Let the firs fall My works Gya Mercy Glory to God My works Okatamodo Ma Wo Nsa do Oman Ghana These are some of the songs that are liked by many Christians in Ghana and beyond. READ ALSO:Top 10 Songs in Ghana Currently Pastor Joe Beecham old songs Pastor Beecham has been singing for quite some time now. While most of the recently released songs may be trending online, there are songs done earlier, that continue to bless and change lives. These include: 1. Masembi Joe Beecham This is one of the best albums done by the pastor back in 1998. While it first appeared on YouTube in 2013, the old song that blesses everyone listens to it. This song is a prayer that links you to the Lord. It acknowledges that without God nothing in life makes sense. It is a special prayer for a true Christian seeking to please God. It never gets old. A perfect example of how excellent music lives on long after it was released. 2. Egya Fa Kye hen Joe Beecham This is the second album released by Joe Beecham in 2000. It has some of Joe Beecham old songs that continue to touch listeners in unique ways. This album has some great songs including Se Me Kae a. 3. Mber yi Joe Beecham This is the third album released by Joe in 2002. Some of the popular songs in the album include Ao Yesu and Aseda Nyinaa Ye Wo Dze. 4. Alone with God Joe Beecham Joes fourth album released in 2006. This album contains Joe Beecham worship songs that will draw you close to God in prayer. If you want to get yourself prepared for prayers then this album will do the trick. Some of the songs in this album are reflections and hymns that lead you to prayer. 5. Preachers voice Joe Beecham Released in 2009. This album has some of the most uplifting songs. One song that is notable in his album include Wo Ye Mi Nyame. He released his sixth and most recent album named Let the fire fall in 2016. This album has most of his famous and most recent songs, some of which have already been discussed above. As an artist of his stature, Joe has made a huge impact especially to his listeners. While there are many songs already released by the artist from when he started his musical journey back in 1998, there are songs that stand out. The following are Joe Beecham list of songs that are an all-time favorite in many Ghanaian households. Wo Ye nyame Dabi I must desire Reflections Sam yare Masesa The prayer song Masem bi Ao Yesu Mbre yi Let the fire fall Joe Beecham Emmanuel song Joe Beecham prayer song Joe Beecham peace song With a few of Joe Beecham songs in mind, Christians in Ghana and the world all over can get the perfect environment to get closer with God in prayer. The worship songs are perfect for anyone who wants to strengthen his spirituality and connection to God. READ ALSO:Top trending Banky W songs Source: Yen.com.gh Many Ghanaians, both home and abroad, were thrown into a state of shock when the sad news of the untimely demise of former Vice President of Ghana, Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur was announced last month. Some members of the general public, especially members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), were blown away when rumors first started on various social media platforms. However, it later turned out to be true after doctors at the 37 Military hospital confirmed the heart-wrenching news. The remains of the late Vice President arriving at the AICC (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) The Vice President who was not sick reportedly collapsed during a routine workout session at the Airforce Gym on June 29, and was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital where he was later pronounced died. Some members of the public lined up to pay their last respect to the Vice President (Photo credit: Yen.com.gh) READ ALSO: Okomfuor Kwadee sends a very 'sad' but important message to Akufo-Addo The late Vice President being led by motorcade (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) The final funeral and burial proceedings, which begun today, is being held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC),, where his remains have been laid in state for public viewing. Some top ranking members of the NDC arriving at the conference center (Photo credit: Yen.com.gh) A number of dignitaries both home and abroad have arrived to bid their final farewell to the late Ghanaian leader. Amissah-Arthurs remains being ushered into the conference hall (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) Some top Ghanaian personalities across the political divide are also playing various roles to pay their last respect to the late Vice President as he embarks his final journey back home. Some NDC members arriving at the conference center to mourn their late leader (Photo Credit: Yen.com.gh) READ ALSO: Counselor Lutterodt confuses Ghanaians with his latest revelation about Sarkodie's marriage to Tracy The late Vice President collapsed at the Airforce Gym in Accra during workout (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has announced the temporary closure of some roads in the capital today and tomorrow. Amissah-Arthur was pronounced dead at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) Some of the affected roads include, the Osu Cemetery Traffic Light, on the Lokko Street, Castle Road, from AU circle to Osu Cemetery Traffic Light. The late Amissah-Arthur will be laid to final rest at the Military cemetery in Accra (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) A statement from the Police Service said, unmarked vehicles would not be permitted to park or drive through these roads. READ ALSO: Atta Mills' son reveals why he personally swept his late father's graveyard with broom Some dignitaries at the Accra International Conference Center (Yen.com.gh) The late Amissah-Arthur will be laid to final rest on tomorrow, Friday 27, at the Military Cemetery in Accra. Some family members mourning the late Vice President (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) READ ALSO: Songo reveals the identity of the only person who can call him to 'order' and it's not Akufo-Addo Some dignitaries consoling the bereaved family (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com) Yenkasa: How Bad is the Healthcare in Ghana? | Yen.com.gh Yen.com.gh is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Message us on Facebook or Instagram. Source: Yen The mortal remains of the late former Vice President, Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur has been laid in state as he begins his final journey to eternity. As reported earlier by YEN.om.gh, the late former vice president will be buried on Friday, July 27, after a burial service at the Forecourt of the State House. While many things have been said about Amissah-Arthur since his death, not much has been revealed about his life before he a vice president. YEN.com.gh brings you all the fun facts you missed about Amissah-Arthur alongside some intriguing throwback photos. Ammisah-Arthur at 11 years (Photo credit: 3news.com) The late former vice president attended Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast where he obtained his GCE Ordinary Level in 1969 and the GCE Advanced Level in 1971, before advancing to the University of Ghana. READ ALSO: Zylofon boss Nana Appiah Mensah pulls down 4-star hotel he recently bought (Photos) Amissah-Arthur after graduating from the University (Photo credit: 3news.com) After completing his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Economics in 1974 and in 1976, respectively, he started his professional career as teacher. He joined the Economics Department at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research as a teaching assistant from 1977 to 1978, going on to become an assistant lecturer in 1979. READ ALSO: Heartbreak as funeral poster of Ken Agyapong's baby mama who was 'killed' by Dr Obengfo pops up He lectured at the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana between 1980 and 1988. He was also a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Anambra State College of Education, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria (August 1981 July 1983). Amissah-Arthur and his wife Matilda in the early 1990s (Photo credit: 3news.com) He was a member of the PNDC government and later served as a Deputy Minister of Finance from 1993 to 1997 under Rawlings' first tenure as a president. Amissah-Arthur and Matilda in their early days (Photo credit: 3news.com) Amissah-Arthur was married to Matilda Manye Amissah-Arthur, a librarian with whom he has two children. READ ALSO: Fine girl with small brain - Fans blast Moesha Bodoung as she pulls her skirt up in new photo to show off tattoo on her thigh He was a Christian and was known to worship at the Calvary Methodist Church at Adabraka in Accra. Amissah-Arthur and Matilda with their daughter at her graduation (Photo credit: 3news.com) He was 67 years old. Watch Yenkasa: How Bad is the Healthcare in Ghana? Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen.com.gh Source: Yen - The Council of State has approved President Nana Akufo-Addos nomination for the vacant Chairperson of the Electoral Commission - Mrs Jean Mensa replaces Mrs. Charlotte Osei who was removed with her two deputies for misconduct President Akufo-Addos nomination of Jean Mensa as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) has been approved by the Council of State. A week ago, the President nominated Jean Mensa to replace Charlotte Osei who was axed from the post earlier this month. She was nominated together with three other persons, who are also set to replace Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah as deputy EC Chairs. Jean Mensa the new EC Chairperson. Source: Starrfmonline.com READ ALSO: Akufo-Addos new walking stick gets social media talking Charlotte Osei and her deputies were dismissed from office for incompetence and breaching of procurement laws in the award of several contracts, prior to the 2016 elections. But the nomination of Jean Mensa as the new EC Chairperson was subject to approval from the Council of State before they could finally assume post. However, Accra-based Starr FM reports that the Council of State has approved President Akufu-Addos nominations. According to the report, sources at Jubilee disclosed that the president was expected to swear them in today following the approval but the ceremony has been re-scheduled to a later date. President Akufo-Addo swearing-in the Members of the Council of State. Source: Modern Ghana. READ ALSO: Sunyani lawyer killed in accident by policeman Also nominated for consideration as deputies are a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Eric Asare Bossman; Ms Adjoa Esuama Abrefa, a corporate legal practitioner with specialisation in land property acquisition, and Samuel Tettey, Director of Electoral services in charge of elections at the Electoral Commission, whose nominations have been reportedly approved. Ghana News: Sulley Muntari Gave $2.200 To Accra Hearts Of Oak Players READ ALSO: 5 amazing throwback photos telling Amissah-Arthur's life story Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen.com.gh Patients taking opioids for pain could have up to 90 days access to medical cannabis. A doctors certificate would count as a temporary card, so patients could get medication the first day it was prescribed. This certificate would apply to patients using medical cannabis for any condition. The original church building, which was made of timber, burned down in May 1875. A new frame church, which leaders say cost $22,000 to build, was dedicated on July 23, 1876. That building was also lost to a fire in 1894. It was replaced by the current Lemont limestone blocks building, designed by noted architect Daniel H. Burnham, and cost $60,660 to build. We thought about trying to get together in areas in Evanston like African American churches, like community centers and to have sit-downs where the community can come together and talk with some of the officers, Nabors said. Not because of an emergency or because something has happened, but so we can develop relationships and understand each other in a deeper way. Martinez said the primary feedback at the conference was surprise at the idea that high school students have the ability to do all these amazing tasks and have access to these different programs, as well as the printers that are necessary to go through with this project, as well as the foresight to put two and two together. This is not a #metoo moment, Jacobson said in an email, referring to the Jan. 25 Chicago's Morning Answer show she hosts with Dan Proft on AM 560 The Answer. The show took place at the Lake County jail where Curran, a Republican, remarked about how tall she was, how great her skin looked and how good looking she was to work with every morning. The body cameras are going to be very important in this case, Covelli said. The female officer has just under two years of total police experience and the male officer has 13 years of total police experience, he said. Village Trustee Ray Semple, who has long sat on the public safety committee, said other sites were evaluated, including the former Village Hall on Hawley Street that was vacated in 2014 and is now up for sale, as well as the former Bradco Supply Corp. warehouse on Morris Avenue that the village bought in 2016 in order to control its redevelopment. Musicians include the Double Identity Band, who are sophomores at North Central College; Isabel Osorio, a Naperville resident who will attend the Berklee College of Music; Seamus, a musician who has performed throughout England and the Chicago area; and Left of Center, a band from the Chicago area. Even though Suits for Success was just going through the process of seeking its nonprofit tax status, the effort already was expanding rapidly. Beyond just offering mens suits, it was providing outfits to men and women at three prisons and six transitional organizations. And rather than just making sure the parolees were dressed appropriately for a formal job interview, the effort now is to provide gently used or new clothing of all types to ease re-entry into a post-prison life. The development includes several variances, which allow the buildings to be set back further off Madison Street than code allows, while also allowing the structures to have smaller rear and side yard setbacks. In exchange for the variances, Lexington has pledged a donation of $210,000 to the villages affordable housing fund. A handgun, iPad, credit cards, tools and more than $100 in cash were among the items stolen from the cars during the overnight hours between July 23 and July 24 and between July 25 and July 26, police said. Its because of the support here in the community that weve outgrown this space, Wilderman said. We dont want to lose that [support], so when I was looking [for a new location], I didnt want to go too far out of this area. Obviously, these are my loyal customers and people I see regularly. Theatre for Young Audiences: The Three Little Pigs will be performed at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Theatre at the Center at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts. The show is recommended for pre-school through 5th grade and there are free activities in the lobby. Tickets are $8 for children and $10 for adults. At 1040 Ridge Road, Munster. Call 219-836-3255 or go to www.theatreatthecenter.com. Augustyn said his school was monitoring social media more aggressively since February, but needed to do more to keep open communication with students; to actively inform them of security changes was necessary for them to feel safe, he said. Schools are overwhelmed by the social and emotional challenges their students face, which they have indicated have worsened in recent years, because of the opioid addiction crisis affecting Indiana communities, it said. Nationally, 67.8 percent of ex-prisoners were rearrested within three years and 76.6 percent within five years, according to a 2005 study of more than 400,000 prisoners by the U.S. Department of Justice. More than half of those who returned to prison were arrested in their first year, the report said. "Not only does it make sense to give a little independence back to the people for Independence Day, but it will also generate some business and tax revenue for the state that will hep mitigate some of the exodus of people leaving the state," she said. The Legislature this year amended the law giving the Indiana Election Commission until July 1 to identify Lake County voter precincts with fewer than 600 active voters; see that precinct boundaries conflict with state standards, according to the bill amendment. The bills said if the commission cannot adopt a plan that duty will fall to the secretary of state. Armstrong said he and Samuelson did noon broadcasts at the fair a couple of times and it had been way too long since he was last here. He added hes been to Kouts and various corners of Porter County in the past. The Agriculture Department said it would tap an existing program to provide the money in direct payments to farmers and ranchers hurt by foreign retaliation to President Donald Trump's tariffs on imported items. However, there have been few details released on how the program will work and how the money would be distributed. Just as we tend to ask only the questions we can pose an answer to, based on our limited knowledge, our spiritual imagination obviously has similar restrictions. In my high school art class I was once asked to draw what I believed God to be. I could have drawn anything I wanted -- anything in the world, anything unworldly. Anything imaginative or creative or offensive. I had an entire class hour to come up with any visual I imagined. The sky was the limit. No, actually, heaven was the limit. Or beyond. The practice of balance billing is especially pernicious when consumers find that, although they have insurance, the air ambulance is not in the insurers network and the insurers has not negotiated rates with the ambulance company. The company can and does charge whatever it wants and then tries to collect from the consumer, sometimes using hardball tactics like slapping liens on peoples homes. I know many of you hate president Trump because he is the man who beat Hillary. But he currently has the economy sizzling at 4.1% GDP the best since 2014. All of this in spite of the obstructionists, witch hunters, fake news creators and the sore losers. Think how great we would be if all of these radicals had joined the movement to MAGA. Lost potential. In court, prosecutors said they believed Hicks and Avdic were the only ones in the car when Gadau was killed and Spitz was shot. In June, a jury found Avdic guilty of first degree murder even though he is not believed to have fired the gun. The Carnival of Casseroles and Salad Parade, Licorice Ice Cream Eating Contest, the Alaskan Racing Pigs, the Table Setting Contest and the Cannon Duel. Those contests and events, some a reflection of their time, others more short-lived, have come and gone from the Southeast Alaska State Fair since its inaugural event at the American Legion post in 1969. This year, the fair is celebrating its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, Fair assistant executive director Maddy Witek spent the last six months digging through old boxes of photos and slides, scouring fair board meeting minutes, reading old newspaper articles and interviewing long-time fairgoers and organizers to curate an exhibit that documents the history of the event that draws thousands to Haines every July. "This is the thing that kept me up at night for six months," Witek said last week as she unpacked the 25 panels she designed, which highlight the fair's past five decades. As she sifted through hundreds of pages of meeting minutes, she found a 1991 fair management board mission statement that for her crystalized what she enjoyed most about researching and creating her exhibit. "A Fair should provide a mirrored reflection of what is best in the community it serves," the mission statement said. "Fair management and community support should strive to regularly clean and polish that mirror so the image remains clear and accurate." That cleaning and polishing has reflected an image of a fair that has seen plenty of changes as it has grown, yet remains familiar. The fair reflects what the community's interested in and what it needs, Witek said. The event grew out of what was the end of a Haines staple: The Strawberry Festival. The town was once known as the Strawberry Capital of Alaska after Charlie Anway grew the large, flavorful berries in the area for years. The festival was created in his honor, and parades, boat races, a mustache growing contest, strawberry waffles and the crowning of a Strawberry Queen were part of the festivities that lasted from 1952 to 1969. The crops produced smaller yields, however, and organizers "felt it wrong to continue to have a Strawberry Festival without strawberries," according to Witek's research. The Chilkat Valley Homemakers' Club organized a new festival, the Chilkat Valley Fair. The first fair was held in the American Legion, with the main feature being the exhibits. Twelve departments grew into 26 by the late 1980s. Today there are 20. The most enjoyable part of her research into the fair's history was seeing the eclectic mix of events that have ebbed and flowed, Witek said. "Looking at the departments and competitions that have come and gone over the years was very interesting to me," Witek said. "My favorite was the table- setting competition. It was from 1973 to 1975. It was exactly what you imagine." Perhaps a reflection of the social standards of the time, the Logging Show featured a women's category for throwing not axes, but rolling pins. "This was in the 70s before they started listing it in the fair programs,'" Witek said. "I only know about this because there were two slides that had women throwing rolling pins." Another obscure event that piqued Witek's interest was the Cannon Duel. For fun, Dick Flegel, Carl Heinmiller and others fired a cannon at targets on the beach across from Flegel's house. "[One year, Carl] said 'Let's do a cannon shoot down on your beach," Flegel said. "I said, 'Sounds good.'" They set up beer cans and water balloons on a sheet of plywood, loaded the cannon and lit the fuse. If they missed their target, the slug would skip across the water. In 1979 the blasting became a raucous but short-lived fair event. "There was one time we yelled 'Fire in the hole!' and a Labrador dog walked in front of the cannon," Flegel said. "The dog got away just in time. That was the last year we did the cannon duel because it attracted a lot of attention and we could imagine a kid or somebody getting hurt. Those were the old and wild west days. We got more sophisticated." While she loves the traditions that bring people back to the fair, Witek said she's also captivated by the one-offs. "You think 'Why didn't that stick?' Well, I mean I know why the Cannon Duel didn't stick." Haines Brewing Company owner Paul Wheeler attended his first fair in 1982 and remembers the square dances that drew hundreds of people on a Saturday evening when Ray Menaker called the dances. The following year he brought a woman to the fair for their first date. "We camped in the bushes by the cemetery," said Jeanne Kitayama, Wheeler's wife. The year after that, the pair set up a food booth with two friends and sold bread and steamed shrimp. They made a grand total of $64 and their best customer was Haines' current Mayor Jan Hill, Kitayama said. Other traditions such as the horseshoe competition, the parade and the exhibits have stuck. Music, now a main feature of the weekend's festivities, was originally a separate festival, the Chilkat Bald Eagle Music Festival. That event was rolled into the fair in 2004 and was a scene that gave the event some growing pains. Witek found letters written to fair staff expressing frustration about the expansion of the music scene over the exhibits, she said. "I think that if it had stayed the same the fair wouldn't still be here because that's not what Southeast Alaska wants," Witek said. "People still love being able to send stuff in and show off what they've done and what they can do. It's amazing, but that's not what it's all about anymore." The prevalence of the music scene is what has allowed the fair to become what it is today, drawing attendees from around Alaska and Canada, fair executive director Jessica Edwards said. The Horse Show, a popular event for more than 30 years, was eventually scaled back due to the lack of horses in the valley, combined with the high cost of transporting them to town via ferry. In its heyday, riders competed in a fitting and showing class, an English equitation class, a Western equitation class and a bareback class. Winners received the Leah Kadush Trophy, named after a riding instructor from Juneau, for Outstanding 4-H Participants. Described by a travel article at the time as "delightfully mouthwatering," Witek said, others looked forward to the Carnival of Casseroles that was eventually shut down in 2006 due to health risks associated with the inability to keep the baked dishes at a steady and safe temperature. Fairgoers could spend 10 cents to sample the casseroles after they were judged at the popular "Dime a Dip" fundraiser. Today the fair is more than just the event itself. Its success has transformed the once-a-year party into an event-planning organization that organizes and hosts festivities year-round including Beer Fest, Spring Fling, the Fishermen's BBQ, Winter Fest and an annual film festival. Scott Rossman demonstrates his trade at the always-popular Logging Show. Circa 1980s. The vision for today's fair was first expressed by Harriett Jurgeleit in 1981. Jurgeleit served as the fair's treasurer and she's the namesake for Harriett Hall-where exhibits are displayed. "We seem to have reached a turning point," Jurgeleit said three decades ago. "We are no longer a little fair and not quite big, either. As I learned at the Western Fairs Association meeting, we are going to have to up our interim-make money all year round with our only assets, our buildings, if we are going to survive and grow." Edwards said when she took the job as executive director in 2013, the stage was already set for growth and part of her job has been to realize that growth. "It's been a honing time and a stabilizing time," Edwards said. "I think the future is going to be more of the same and trying to make what we do better and more important to the communities that we serve." Internet search giant and online content provider Baidu announced that it would team up with Zoomin.TV, the largest short video producer in Europe, to coproduce a series of short films focusing on inspiring Chinese people. According to the agreement unveiled in Beijing on Thursday, the first season of Amazing Chinese Stories, featuring around 140 short video clips based on interviews of individuals, will be released online via Baidu's Baijiahao video platform to promote positive messages. The stories will cover many themes, such as overseas Chinese struggling to reach their goals, young business pioneers in China and foreigners interested in promoting Chinese culture. Zoomin.TV is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its content serves over 2,500 websites worldwide and it has a production team of 3,500 directors from 110 countries and regions. Although China's short video market has taken off in recent years, it is still often criticized for its low-quality content. Consequently, Baidu says it will use this opportunity to help raise the bar for the industry while introducing more international expertise. Jon, an accordionist from Spain, is among the first group of artists who received a pass to make a living on the streets of Ningbo city, eastern China's Zhejiang provincea local government-sanctioned program that sees benefits to allow more street artists for the urban and street art scene. Earlier in May, an international art district in Ningbo made it a mission to attract a variety of artists to perform on its streets by calling on people with talent to take part in a series of street talent competition. As for return, the district issues its winners a quarterly pass which gives artists the rights to perform on the streets without being displaced. So far, fifteen individuals and artist groups have been selected. Among those are painters, magicians, dancers and musicians, ranging from skilled professionals to enthusiastic hobbyists. Many of them said the sanction program allows them to build a career with their passion and make a living. "The pass gives me another chance to pursue music. Performing on the streets goes beyond the music itself. It's expressing joy to everyone". Fang, a university student who sings in a band says, people.cn reported. On the reason to implement such program, a local official said it was a balancing act. "On the one hand, street artists who are unregulated and disturbing to public spaces are a problem that needs to be addressed." Zhou Gang, a senior official at a local government office in Ningbo city said, people.cn reported. "But on the other hand, the need for diverse culture in urban environment calls us to preserve the diversity and cultural richness those artists bring, so we followed the examples in some other Chinese cities and some abroad." Zhou added. The act for regulating and encouraging art and culture on street-level was first harnessed by Shanghai in 2014, and has been expanded to multiple cities across China including Chengdu, Shenzhen, Changsha and Guangzhou, Chinese media reported. But it doesn't mean all free terms and conditions. In Shanghai, the chosen street artists are subjected to terms of regulations as not to violate public safety or harm the environment and so on. How they will be selected is often done in a talent contest. And with their pass, they're allowed to make revenues with their performance. In Chengdu city in southwestern China's Sichuan province, which is known for its vibrant street art scene, the procedure for the program is rigorous and mostly competitive, as only 30 percent of the street artists were selected for the pass. Editor's Note: Harvey Dzodin is a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization and a former legal advisor in the Jimmy Carter administration. There's a minor tempest in a teapot swirling around academia in the U.S. that hasn't been reported in Chinese media but couldn't come at a more inopportune time for already strained Sino-American relations because it will drive a further wedge between the planet's two most powerful countries. And for once, it doesn't even involve Donald Trump. The controversy concerns revisions in the Advanced Placement Test for World History administered by the College Board, a nonprofit company best known for its Scholastic Aptitude Test. Most of the arcane minutiae of the controversy are irrelevant to China, except the scope of the test and the coursework that underpin it. College Board mandarins think that testing 10,000 years of history is too much so they've decided to test only from the year 1200. To me, this has profound long-term implications for what American students learn about China and its storied history over the millennia because class content is closely calibrated to what's asked on the AP exam. [While the College Board has promised to explore the possibility of a second AP test covering world history before 1450, high school curriculums are already bursting at the seams, so there is little chance that another course could be bumped for it. I'm not aware of any surveys showing the depth of knowledge of people in the U.S. of China and vice versa but based on my experience, most Americans know little or nothing about China, especially pre-1940 although I am always amazed that Chinese are more aware of our Western history than most of us are. Anyhow Americans are woefully ignorant of countries and civilizations outside our borders, including our closest neighbors Canada and Mexico. As an American, it's a personal embarrassment that a National Geographic poll of over 500 young Americans, aged 18 to 24, found that six per cent couldn't even locate the U.S. on a world map and that three-quarters said English was the most widely spoken global language when in fact it's third behind Mandarin and Spanish. So what the truncated test will do is make the world much more Western-centric at the expense of so many vibrant cultures that have interacted and influenced each other. Chinese civilization and three thousand years of its history will be wiped off the curriculum of what many students learn. Gone will be knowledge of its four ancient great inventions: the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing, and the thousands of others still being cataloged by Joseph Needham and his successors, many of which were erroneously and arrogantly appropriated by the West. So too will Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam and the like. Even the history of the fantastic voyages of Admiral Zheng He will end up on the scrap heap just as his ships did. And worse yet, the test and course focus will be very much of the period of China's decline into and including its century of humiliation. "So what," you say? It's just ancient history. But it's more than that. If we're going to have a community of a shared future, we need to understand each other's pasts, along with those of others. Most Americans don't know that China was king of the world for millennia. Stoked by the xenophobia of demagogic politicians, they'd have us believe that an upstart China is trying to usurp American progress, when what China is doing is reclaiming the place it had long occupied. And the AP tests are not taken by everyone, they're grueling experiences testing college-level knowledge so those who take the challenge are either the foolhardy, or the best and the brightest. They are the ones more likely to occupy leadership positions in academia, commerce and government. They may be the very people dealing directly with representatives of the Chinese government and other institutions who will in large measure determine if we can peacefully coexist or not. For many of us, the College Board is a company that we love to hate because their test scores determine our destinies. Now, they've given us an additional reason with far more serious potential consequences: the future of the world order. A court in southeast China's Fujian Province Thursday opened a court session hearing a case filed by Chinese villagers demanding the return of a lost Buddha statue from a Dutch collector. The statue contains the mummified body of a Song Dynasty (960-1279) Buddhist monk. It was worshipped inside the village temple of Yangchun, Datian County, for over 1,000 years before it was stolen in 1995. The three-hour session at the Intermediate People's Court of Sanming city included presentation of evidence and cross-examination from both parties, as well as court investigation. Key issues discussed included whether the statue stolen from the temple was the same as the one held by Dutch collector Oscar van Overeem. The villagers have been looking for the Buddha statue since it went missing. When a statue was exhibited in Hungary in March 2015, the villagers said they recognized it as their lost statue, and later went through official and private channels to negotiate with the Dutch collector its return. The Dutch collector claimed he collected the 11th-century relic in 1996. He initially agreed to return it, but when negotiations failed, the villagers filed a lawsuit against him in both China and the Netherlands. The Intermediate People's Court of Sanming registered the case in 2015. Thursday's session was the first hearing of the case in China. The next court session will be announced at a later date. Van Overeem's agents asked for a two-month extension to gather more evidence. A Dutch court registered the villagers' lawsuit in June 2016, and the first Amsterdam court public hearing was held in July 2017. The statue is of Zhanggong Zushi, a local man who became a monk in his 20s and won fame for helping treat disease and spreading Buddhist beliefs. When he died at the age of 37, his body was mummified as he wished and placed inside the statue. The statue had been worshipped in the village temple ever since. China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday said the country supported the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO). "China is supportive of WTO reform, and hopes the reform will address the concerns of most members and reflect their needs," Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng said at a press conference, commenting on the trade deal made between the United States and the European Union (EU), which included agreement on WTO reform. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Wednesday agreed to mitigate transatlantic trade tensions over Washington-launched tariffs. "It's of course a good thing to avoid a trade war. It's not only good for the EU and the United States, but good for the whole world," Gao said. "China will pay close attention to whether the deal will materialize." Gao said China hoped that the primary purpose of the WTO should not be changed and its fundamental principle not challenged through gradual reform. At the same time, the reform should strengthen the authoritativeness and leadership of the WTO, and consolidate the basic functions and role of free trade principle and multilateral trading system, to better promote global free trade and economic globalization. "We should always stick to the overall framework of the multilateral trading system and uphold multilateral trade order," Gao said, adding free trade arrangements among WTO members are helpful supplement and positive driving force for the multilateral trading system. "China has always been an advocate for the construction of open, transparent and mutually beneficial regional free trade arrangements," Gao said. China holds a positive view on such arrangements as long as they are in line with WTO rules, beneficial for economic globalization and regional economic integration, as well as conducive to building a community with a shared future for mankind, Gao said. Rabih I. Khoury, partner of Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), one of the leading technology venture capital investment companies based in Dubai, travelled to China for the first time in May 2018. He believes the opportunities for China-Middle East collaboration reflect the new geopolitical reality which has underpinned the increased trade with the East. "This trend of shifting east, away from Europe and the U.S., will increase trade, investment, cultural exchange and technology transfer between China and the Middle East," said Khoury in a recent written interview with China.org.cn. Admitting that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have unfortunately been laggards in economic development, Khoury pointed out that most Middle Eastern governments are now focused on accelerating regional development to create jobs and deal with the endemically high unemployment rate. "Therefore, the consensus is clear; technology is the only answer for the Middle East economies to leapfrog intermediate development stages in order to catch up with the rest of the world," he said. During his trip to China, Khoury said he was impressed by the scope, size, breadth and vibrancy of the Chinese investment environment. The Chinese market is clearly booming, in terms of global innovation including AI, machine learning, face recognition, FinTech and HealthTech. Khoury said Chinese technology companies have showed interest in MENA and Turkey, and Chinese investors have also started to increase their investment in these regions, especially global Chinese technology leaders such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent. MEVP, now one of the leading technology venture capital investment firms in MENA, could play a role as a bridge, from a technology and VC investment perspective, for Chinese technology companies, Chinese VC funds, Chinese Corporate VC entities and Chinese Investors as they expand into MENA, according to Khoury. "It is important to highlight that China-Middle East collaboration opportunities reinforce and benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)," he said. "The BRI has paved the way for MEVP to focus on China as a key source of technology partners and investors," Khoury continued, hailing the role of BRI in the development of MEVP and other Middle East companies in Chinese market, as well as its role in enhancing China-Middle East collaboration. "It comes at a really good time to emphasize that China is very much interested in not only exports but also imports, when we are in face of confusion about world trade; and it is a really good time to talk about innovation," according to Allan Gabor, president of Merck Holding (China) Co., Ltd, in an interview in Shanghai on July 26. He was referring to the China International Import Expo, the first large-scale import-themed expo in the world to hold its first session in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10. With about 100 days to go, companies set to attend the expo, including Merck, hailed it as they gathered at the expo venue for exhibitor promotion activities in advance of the expo. "The expo gives us a good chance to show that we have a lot of innovative technologies in performance materials, life science business and healthcare business," Gabor said, adding that his company will bring products that are innovative to its customers. The 350-year German company has had business operations in China for over 80 years and the country has become one of the major contributors to its innovation. Gabor said that the company, which already operates many research and development centers in China, will soon establish another innovation hub in China. Companies from a variety of sectors also hailed the expo and expressed their willingness to engage in further innovation in China. Lesaffre, a global player in yeast and fermentation, is aiming not only to bring more products into the Chinese market, but more importantly, to bring in more new technologies. According to Jean-Philllippe Poulin, Lesaffre president of Greater China, Lesaffre regards the Chinese market as an excellent platform for research and development as well as innovation, and will bring its priority of innovation into China, making its establishment in the Chinese market a model for the company's development in the global market. Lesaffre has already submitted applications for the second session of this annual event to be held in 2019. In addition to companies engaging in the trade of goods, Deloitte, a services consultancy, also showed its commitment and dedication to innovation to offer better services to Chinese enterprises. As Dora Liu, Innovation Leader of Deloitte China introduced, Deloitte will demonstrate a dozen self-developed, vanguard solutions in AI, cloud computing, big data analytics, as well as to share the global achievements of its innovation practice and how these can benefit Chinese enterprises. "Service trade in China is a blue ocean, a market with great potential," Liu said in the interview, believing that service sector will have bright prospects in China. At the promotional event, Deloitte China officially launched 'Digital Difference', a service offering best-in-class insights on leading industry trends based on Deloitte's extensive and in-depth industry expertise, to assist enterprises prepare for technological disruption, stay ahead of change, and address their most pressing marketplace issues. China is now benchmarking its intellectual property rights protection according to international standards, and has stepped up efforts in this field, Luo Kaiquan, vice president of China North Industries Corporation, one of the exhibitor recruiters of the expo, highlighted. "The expo will show the companies the resolution of China in reform and opening up and attract more companies from other countries to participate," Luo said. Most foreign airlines have changed their references to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan on their official websites to reflect the one-China principle. Of all the 44 foreign airlines that have been asked to list the three regions as part of China on their websites, 40 have made the change as of July 25, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement Thursday. Meanwhile, four U.S. airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, reported to the CAAC Wednesday that they were still uploading rectified website content and asked for another two weeks to finish the changes, according to the CAAC statement. The CAAC has requested 44 foreign airlines earlier this year to change content on their official websites that were against the one-China principle no later than July 25. The CAAC confirmed that the four U.S. airlines have started correcting their websites, saying it will keep a close watch on the process and decide whether to launch regulatory procedures based on the rectification progress. Ying Xianmei struggles to find the right words to describe her feelings when she finally became a mother again. It took several embryo transplants for the 42-year-old to give birth to a baby girl after she lost her only son - a 20-year-old firefighter who died on the job over four years ago. Soon after her daughter's birth, Ying said she and her husband called her father-in-law to share the good tidings. "We all wept with joy," she said. The family has been riding an emotional rollercoaster this past half decade. On May 1, 2014, Ying's son Liu Jie lost his life while fighting a fire on the 13th floor of a residential building in Shanghai's Xuhui district. Liu and a 27-year-old fellow firefighter, Qian Lingyun, were blown out of a window by a gas explosion and fell to their deaths. A video taken by an onlooker recorded the tragic moment when the two firefighters fell, all the while holding hands. The two young firefighters were posthumously honored as heroes by the Ministry of Public Security. The Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League also awarded them the Shanghai Youth Medal. "For others, they are heroes, but it was too much for me to even think about or look at the photos, news or videos related to the accident," Ying said. After their son's death, Ying and her husband tried to have another child. However, nearly 40 at the time, Ying had ovarian dysfunction and was unable to conceive naturally. With help from the Shanghai Fire Corps, the couple received fertility treatment at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated with Fudan University. "We totally understand the family's choice, for children represent the future of a family," said Li Lu, the doctor treating Ying. "The chance to have another child is the best consolation for Ying's family." After the first embryo transplant, Ying achieved clinical pregnancy, but was then diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy two weeks later, losing her left fallopian tube in the process. "I almost gave up, but my friends and family encouraged me to persist," Ying said. A miracle occurred in September after another four embryo transplant attempts. "I was excited when the doctor told me the fetal heart was observed beating during the ultrasound examination at seven weeks of pregnancy," she said. A personalized treatment was designed for Ying to make sure she and the fetus were both healthy, said Cheng Haidong, director of the department of gynecology and obstetrics at the hospital. There were medical complications but Ying said, "I can endure physical pain, as long as the child is safe and healthy." On June 26, her healthy baby girl entered the world, weighing 2.91 kilograms. "It's nice to be a mom again," she said. "I will tell her about her hero brother when she grows up, and now I wish her a healthy and happy life." A total investment of more than 1 trillion yuan ($147.5 billion) is needed to treat black and odorous water bodies in China, and companies from all over the world are welcome to contribute, a senior environmental official said. Zhang Bo, director general of water quality management at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, made the comment during a news conference on Thursday as his ministry concluded a nationwide inspection campaign on the treatment of such waters. Generally, the length of water supply pipelines should equal that of sewage lines. In China, however, the length of sewage pipes is about 400,000 kilometers shorter than those for water supplies, Zhang said. Filling the gap will require almost 1 trillion yuan, on top of the investment needed for the construction of more plants to treat sewage and water bodies. "The total amount of investment will be very large. It will exceed 1 trillion yuan," he said. The investment is necessary, and there is no doubt that the government needs to increase investment to fulfill the task, Zhang said, but it's beyond the local governments' capacity. The central government needs to come up with policies to make the market play its role, he added. One of the measures the government should take is to increase the price for sewage disposal and make it higher than the cost, he said. He added that this can be significant in fulfilling the task of treating black and odorous water, as it will not only make people happy with their better environment but also will encourage development, like real estate, near water bodies. "I wish all excellent environmental companies across the globe would pay attention to the market and come to compete and contribute their efforts," he said. The central authorities issued an action plan on black and odorous water treatment in 2015, vowing to ensure the number of such water bodies in all prefecture-level cities should cover no more than 10 percent of their total by 2020. The environmental ministry and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development launched a campaign to inspect the treatment process in May. By early July, 32 inspection teams had visited 70 cities in 30 provincial regions that claimed to have accomplished the treatment of 993 of their total 1,127 black and odorous water bodies. Zhang said 919 of the water bodies passed inspectors' assessments, but inspectors also found another 274 new problems. He said rains helped inspectors find some of the dirty and smelly water bodies as floodwaters pushed out a lot of hidden sewage and rubbish. There might be more such water bodies that have not been found because of favorable weather, he said. "There was no rainfall in some of the cities before inspectors' visits, which helped hide some of the problems. The real situation may be grimmer," he said. You are here: China China's Tianjin Airlines flight A320 from Tianjin to Haikou battled hailstorm midair on Thursday. The plane has now safely landed in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province.The airbus was hit by hail when flying around thunderstorms in Zhengzhou area at an altitude of 9,800 meters. The outer layer of the left and right windshields was cracked, and the weather radar failed after being hit by hail. Kerry Logistics, a Hong Kong-based logistics service provider, is another customer of the Zhengzhou-Europe Railway Express trains, along with many other similar routes running from China to Europe and regions along the way. The company's general manager in China, Victor Chen, said it has benefited from the trains not only in a pragmatic way, but the route has also contributed to the companys strategic development. "It is not only about the increase of our rail transport businesses or our mergers and acquisitions, but the Belt and Road Initiative underlying the development of China-Europe Railway Express trains actually provides a firm and reliable direction for the expansion of our global network," said Chen. The investment in projects and products under this framework can guarantee the company more sustainable growth and more success in the future decades, he said. The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Senegal, Rwanda, South Africa and Mauritius is highlighting the scope of China's economic and diplomatic planning. The trip will not only help China further its international infrastructure and trade project known as the Belt and Road Initiative, but also establish closer bilateral ties and participate in multilateral forums. Starting with the UAE, bilateral trade reached $52.65 billion last year according to state news agency WAM, with energy capturing the lion's share. China is interested in importing oil and natural gas from several Persian Gulf countries in order to cover its increasing needs and to diversify its import sources. The room for Chinese investment in UAE is significant. China's COSCO Shipping Ports Limited, for instance, has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC for the leasing of a container freight station. Moreover, relations between China and UAE have expanded into the financial sector, and the renminbi China's currency can be used in some transactions. The role of Senegal is symbolic, as it was the first West African country to ink a Belt and Road deal with China, with the signing ceremony held just a few days ago. Chinese statistics show bilateral trade volume reached $21.9 billion in 2017. China is also providing aid and heavily investing in infrastructure in Senegal. The latter favorably looks at the former's liquidity to boost growth and improve living conditions for its citizens. Significant China-funded projects include the bridge of Foundiougne and the highway linking the cities Thies and Touba. China is one of Rwanda's largest trading partners. As The EastAfrican newspaper reports, the bilateral trade volume registered $157 million in 2017, an increase of approximately 11 percent compared with 2016. This volume may further increase after Xi's recent visit the first to Rwanda by a Chinese president along with new investment in sectors such as energy and telecommunications. Among works already realized by China are the Amahoro National Stadium and the Masaka and Kibungo hospitals. In addition, China has played an important role in providing Rwandan students with scholarships and dispatching medical teams in times of crisis. South Africa is perhaps the best-known country included in the president's trip. According to China, bilateral trade reached $39.17 billion in 2017, more than 20 times the figure when diplomatic relations were established in 1998. South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative in 2015, allowing for Chinese investments worth $14.7 billion to be carried out in the following years. The country is also endeavoring to attract Chinese investors for its special economic zones. Beyond the sphere of business and trade, China and South Africa collaborate at the international level, such as at G-20 summits of leading industrialized nations. Symbolically, Mauritius is the only African country that lists the Chinese Spring Festival as a public holiday. According to the website of the Mauritian government, bilateral trade volume amounted to $880 million in 2017. More importantly, Mauritius is the first African country to start free trade negotiations with China, with the first round kicking off last April in Balaclava. If negotiations are successfully concluded, trade barriers on key products and services in finance, distribution, retail, insurance, education, law and accounting will be removed. Xi is also visiting Africa to participate in the 10th annual BRICS summit of emerging economies in Johannesburg. Ten months after the last event in Xiamen, China is reiterating its position that the role of emerging markets and developing economies is gradually becoming larger. The visit is also seen as an opportunity to promote the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that will be held in Beijing this October. The visit of the Chinese president in the Persian Gulf and Africa is rich in results and substance. China is further strengthening existing friendships, and hopes to improve its public image across the globe. George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. You are here: World Flash At least four people died, five went missing and a dozen injured after a landslide occurred at Timure in Nepal-China bordering district Rasuwa on Wednesday night, according to the district police office. Timure is located some 3 km from the Rasuwagadhi border point, where most of the government offices are based. "The landslide occurred at around 1:00 a.m. and buried temporary shelters, hotels and a few vehicles. It also buried a temporary police post," a local police officer told Xinhua over phone. Rescue efforts are underway since early Thursday while the search has been intensified for the missing persons. District Administration Office at Rasuwa said additional security personnel have been deployed for search and rescue. The monsoon-induced landslide has also disrupted power and communication service in the area, and blocked the road linking the district headquarters to Timure. The northern district of Rasuwa is prone to landslides owing to its complex geography. iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump made headlines Friday morning by denying his former lawyers allegation that the president had prior knowledge of a June 2016 meeting Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort had with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower. Heres what has transpired since that meeting: What's new Michael Cohen says Trump knew about the New York City meeting before it happened, multiple sources have told ABC News. Cohens attorney, Lanny Davis, has declined to comment to ABC News, other than to deny he was the source of that information reported earlier by CNN. Trump took to Twitter Friday to again deny knowledge of the meeting while questioning Cohens credibility. In a CNN interview Thursday night, Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani questioned Cohens credibility. Hes been lying all week or hes been lying for years I dont see how he has any credibility, Giuliani said. In a statement on behalf of Donald Trump Jr., Trump Organization attorney Alan Futerfas said, Donald Trump Jr. has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations. We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr. Trump, Jr., and on his behalf. The news comes as federal investigators have subpoenaed one of the Trump Organizations top executives, chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, as part of the investigation into Cohen. But amid all of the questions about who knows what, heres what we know about the Trump Tower meeting? The meeting: Who, when and why On June 9, 2016, not long after then-candidate Trump locked up the Republican nomination, Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort, among others, met with a Russian attorney named Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in Manhattan. The younger Trump had pressed Veselnitskaya and other Russians present for dirt on his fathers opponent Hillary Clinton, according to reports from the Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into Russian meddling. Emails obtained by Associated Press reporting Thursday now show that Veselnitskaya had extensive ties to Russian government officials, raising further questions about the extent of ties between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. The campaign was not discussed during the meeting, a source familiar with it told ABC News, and Donald Trump Jr. has said the meeting concerned the reversal of a Russian ban on Americans adopting Russian children. The fallout: Trump team's recollection keeps changing The meeting did not become public knowledge until over a year after it took place. Since the meeting became public knowledge in July 2017, the president and those close to him have repeatedly denied that then-candidate Trump was aware of the meeting beforehand. Even among those in the meeting, accounts about the origins of the meeting and what was discussed have varied. In his first statement about the meeting released last July, Donald Trump Jr. referred to it as a short introductory meeting in a statement that we now know that President Trump himself dictated. The younger Trump added the next day that the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. In an interview with Fox News Sean Hannity a few days later, Trump Jr. admitted that he probably would have done things a little differently. In an interview last month with ABC News, Giuliani said the Trump teams recollection of the meeting keeps changing. Since leaving his post as Trumps lawyer in May, Cohen has criticized the Trump campaign for taking the meeting with Veselnitskaya, including in an interview with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos. "I believe it was a mistake by those from the Trump campaign who did participate," he told ABC News. "It was simply an example of poor judgment. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Innaarsuit, Greenland (CNN) The people of Innaarsuit know how to handle themselves around ice. Their small island off western Greenland is surrounded by it through every long, dark winter. They take dogsleds out on Baffin Bay's frozen surface to hunt seals and polar bears. They cut out holes and catch fish through it. Most importantly they know when to avoid it. But this summer an unpredictable 11-million-ton mountain of ice has parked itself right next to their isolated fishing community. The 170 people who live here can only hope it leaves quietly without creating a fuss. "It's the biggest we've ever seen here," says village councilor Susanne Eliassen, gesturing toward the mound of ice. It rises roughly 100 meters above the water, the Danish Meteorological Institute estimated to CNN around the same height as London's Big Ben. Standing on the shoreline before Innaarsuit's iceberg is an awesome experience. So is circling it in a boat. And flying around it in a helicopter. You could watch it all day. It is overwhelmingly beautiful. The side facing land is a straight drop from its sharp top edge, a sheer cliff of brilliant white. The rear side slopes more gently back to the waterline. A narrow arm juts out from one side with a perfectly formed arch that you could drive a boat through if you dared. From the air you can see a turquoise shadow beneath the surface the only hint of the iceberg's vast underwater structure that is now snagged on the seafloor. Constantly changing There are cracks across every surface some very deep. Even from a distance you can hear meltwater endlessly running through it. And every so often: a loud boom from within, followed by a part of the ice falling to the water. Like all icebergs, this one's always changing and getting closer to its end. The people in Innaarsuit fear it will end violently with a sudden breakup or roll, sending tsunami-like waves toward them. In the harbor, small fishing boats come and go, overlooked by the only significant employer here, a seafood processing plant. A seal carcass lies tethered, just above the waterline. Locals visit their community's only store. The iceberg looms over the scene. Hans Mathias Kristensen is preparing his boat for a two-day fishing trip. The 52-year-old now keeps it anchored on the other side of the island to protect it from the iceberg. This softly spoken hard man of the Arctic doesn't scare easily. "I'm used to it. But this one makes me afraid. My father taught me when an iceberg is stuck on the ground, the ice beneath the waters gets smaller, melts and eventually breaks," Kristensen says. "There would be huge waves if that breaks up." He remembers another iceberg long ago that destroyed or damaged 11 boats. The village is made up of around 50 brightly painted, cottage-style houses scattered through a valley and the hills around it. Some are decorated with hunting trophies seal and whale bones, polar bear skulls. The quiet here is broken only by teams of sled dogs, tied up around the settlement, often howling together. A viral video One person in this community has done more than any other to let the world know about the iceberg. Oline Nielsen always keeps a video camera rolling, pointed out her window. It captured a dramatic moment: a large chunk calving from the iceberg soon after it showed up in front of the harbour. That video has now been viewed millions of times. The painfully shy 28-year-old helps manage the village store. "I want to take photos and video for a living," she says. Other people here also hope the iceberg and its fame will bring opportunity. "That's good. For the tourists maybe," says schoolteacher Pia Kristensen. "They will come to enjoy the icebergs and nature. "It's peaceful. My husband is a fisherman. The other men fish. We have a lovely life here. Everyone knows each other." Scientists have many concerns about the negative impacts climate change is having on Greenland, its massive ice sheet and its many glaciers. But the Innaarsuit iceberg isn't specifically one of them. Nor are many of the other enormous chunks of ice found floating off this region. "There is no linkage between this event and the retreating glaciers we see elsewhere in Greenland," says Keld Qvistgaard from the Danish Meteorological Institute's Greenland Ice Service. "The Innaarsuit iceberg probably originates from the Upernavik Ice Fjord only 30 to 40 kilometers south. The glacial outlets in the fjord are capable of producing very large icebergs. "In Eastern Baffin Bay there are about 20 glacial outlets some of them capable of producing icebergs bigger than the berg we saw off Innaarsuit." The right iceberg at the right time What's unusual about this iceberg is its location and how it got so close to one of the very few settlements here. Qvistgaard says that's just an extraordinary coincidence. "We had the right iceberg, with the right size, at the right location, at the right time of a moon phase. And it managed to find a channel all the way to Innaarsuit and run aground there, where there were lots of good people with cameras." Villagers felt some relief when the iceberg moved a short distance away from their harbor. But it stopped again. They now hope the next full moon on July 27 will raise sea levels enough to lift the ice off the bottom and allow it to drift away safely. The iceberg's towering presence hasn't stopped people here from enjoying the important things. On this night in the village a crowd of family and friends is dressed up to celebrate the Lutheran confirmation of a 14-year-old girl. Schoolteacher Pia Kristensen tells us: "I want to go dancing now!" This story was first published on cnn.com, "An iceberg as tall as Big Ben is threatening a village in Greenland" (CNN) The killer's family had tried to get him help for years. But nothing helped mitigate Faisal Hussain's mental health issues, his relatives said. Now they along with many others in Toronto are devastated by Hussain's shooting rampage that killed two people and wounded 13 others late Sunday night. "Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives," Hussain's family said in a statement. "Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life. The interventions of professionals were unsuccessful. Medications and therapy were unable to treat him. While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end." Investigators are still trying to determine why Hussain, 29, opened fire on Toronto's Greektown neighborhood as families dined at Greek restaurants. Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said authorities are investigating "every possible motive, including terrorism," for the attack. But the motive may be elusive, as Hussain was also killed. Police have not said whether he was killed by responding officers or by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Slain victims were 10 and 18 years old The gunman killed 18-year-old Reese Fallon of Toronto and Julianna Kozis, 10, of Markham. Fallon graduated from Malvern Collegiate Institute just last month, said John Malloy of the Toronto District School Board. The teen "was highly regarded by staff and loved by her friends," Malloy said in a statement. Fallon was going to attend McMaster University and was known for her work with the young Liberals political group, CNN partner CBC reported. Julianna's family requested privacy. The 13 people wounded range from ages 17 to 59, police said. Gunman's friend is stunned by the news Aamir Sukhera, a lifelong friend of Hussain's, told CNN partner CTV that he couldn't believe what happened. He said Hussain, a Toronto resident, was "polite, respectful, humble" and quiet, and didn't really talk to many people. "He seemed fine," Sukhera said. "I can't put two and two together. I mean, I can't believe it's him." The deadly melee in the popular Toronto neighborhood has led to increased scrutiny of the city's gun violence. Just two days before the shooting, Toronto had deployed 200 more officers on the streets of at-risk neighborhoods between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. in an effort to reduce gun violence. After the rampage, Toronto Mayor John Tory said the city has "a gun problem in that guns are readily available to too many people." "The police are doing their best, but they're operating under extraordinarily difficult circumstances to deal with these guns," the mayor said. "We'll see what they conclude from this case, but it's evidence of a gun problem, clearly." This story was first published on cnn.com, "Toronto gunman's relatives said he had mental health issues, but they never expected this rampage" (CNN) The debate over a secret recording between Donald Trump and his longtime attorney Michael Cohen continued Wednesday, with both sides offering different explanations of what was heard on the tape. CNN hired an audio forensics expert on Wednesday to review the tape and determine what is heard, what isn't heard and figure out what clues can be gleaned from the nearly three-minute clip. In a recording from September 2016, Cohen mentions a plan to buy the rights to a story that Playboy model Karen McDougal allegedly had an affair with Trump years ago. The tape confirms that Trump knew about the payment discussion in real time, while his campaign had denied knowing anything about the topic. Trump's legal team admits the conversation was about the possible payment, but says it was not illegal. No payment was ever made from Trump, Rudy Giuliani, the President's attorney, has said. Giuliani has previously acknowledged that the recorded discussion related to the buying the story rights. Other parts of the recording, provided to CNN by Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis, are less clear. One key question: What exactly did Trump say about "cash" when Cohen brought up the financing arrangement? CNN commissioned an independent analysis of the tape by audio forensics expert Ed Primeau. He has worked in the industry for over 30 years and has provided testimony as an expert witness in hundreds of cases. Primeau says he has performed thousands of audio enhancements throughout his career. CNN did not provide Primeau a transcript and asked him to create one based on what he heard in his analysis. In the tape, Cohen said "we'll have to pay" to purchase the rights to McDougal's story. The audio forensics expert concluded that Trump then responded with, "I'll pay with cash," to which Cohen immediately replied, "no, no, no," several times, appearing to reject the idea of paying with cash. Primeau said his analysis was completed with tools that enhance volume, isolate dialogue and examine soundwaves on a screen. He said he asked another expert at his firm to weigh in and they reached the same conclusion. "I was in the room all day today. I enhanced the recording," Primeau said on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" Wednesday. "I listened to the words and I typed them as I heard them. I didn't know anything about this story prior to starting. So remaining unbiased was a key into the work that I did. And I stand behind what I've transcribed and presented tonight for your show." Giuliani disputed this on Tuesday night and provided an alternate transcript that claimed Trump was giving an instruction to Cohen and told his longtime fixer, "don't pay with cash." Primeau said he was not aware of this dispute before he performed his forensic analysis on Wednesday, and he did not watch any news reports about the recording when the story broke Tuesday night. After being told Giuliani's explanation, Primeau said he didn't hear "don't" in the recording and also didn't observe any soundwaves consistent with the word "don't." Primeau noted that other experts could reasonably believe that Trump said "don't," but that isn't what he observed in the tape. "Dueling experts can come to different conclusions," Giuliani said in a statement to CNN about the independent analysis. "In context, using cash would make no sense because the transaction is between two corporations." Primeau also noted that the conversation, as broadcast for the first time Tuesday night on CNN, was clearly cut off at the end of the tape. The conversation about the potential payment appears to have been interrupted in the middle of Trump saying what sounds like "check," and abruptly cuts to a different person for a few seconds. Primeau said he doesn't regularly follow the news so he can "stay unbiased" in his work. He hasn't given money to political candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Audio expert analyzes secret Trump-Cohen tape." We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. CRJM anunta concurs de selectare a unei companii sau persoane fizice care sa presteze servicii de traducere scrisa For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. 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